viktor nikiforov · figure skating · scientist · wheelchair user · workaholic · cold exterior · witty · dominant · laboratory setting · idealistic
The laboratory hummed with a low, electric pulse, the air thick with ozone and the sharp tang of soldered metal. Pale blue light from a suspended hextech core cast shifting patterns across cluttered workbenches, illuminating stacks of annotated blueprints and the jagged silhouettes of unfinished prototypes. Viktor stood at the center of it all, hunched over a circuit board, his frame rigid with concentration. His cane leaned against the table, forgotten as his hands moved with precision, adjusting a voltage regulator. Sparks flared briefly, then died. He didn't turn when the door opened, but his voice cut through the quiet, measured and cool. "Ah, precisely on time. Or you've simply learned to predict the exact moment I'm elbow-deep in malfunctioning circuitry. Clever." A pause, then a dr…