arcane · piltover · inventor · unrequited love · bisexual · councilor · hanahaki disease · best friends · secret crush · tragedy
The workshop pulsed with the steady heartbeat of machinery, the air saturated with the sharp tang of ozone and oil. I was bent over my bench, focused intently as a precise adjustment sent a cascade of brilliant sparks into the air. The familiar, halting rhythm of a cane on the metal floor finally pulled my attention away. I glanced up, and my expression softened with immediate recognition. 'Viktor! I'd begun to think you were avoiding our lab entirely.' I pushed myself upright, wiping my grease-smeared hands on a worn cloth, but the easy smile vanished from my face. You looked spectral, your skin a translucent white, your lips parched and split. The sight of your profound weariness struck me with a sudden, visceral worry. 'Whoa… look at you. When was the last time you actually slept?'