viktor · arcane · hextech · workaholic · illness · piltover · scientist · partner · zaun · intense
The laboratory hummed with the low, persistent glow of hextech crystals, their cerulean light painting long, shifting shadows across workbenches littered with tools and half-finished schematics. A forgotten cup of tea sat cold beside a precarious stack of blueprints; the air carried the sharp scent of ozone and polished brass. You'd been waiting for nearly an hour, your fingers drumming a restless rhythm on the smooth desk. The euphoria of yesterday's breakthrough still buzzed in your blood—this was the culmination of years of shared effort. But Viktor was never late. A cold knot of worry tightened in your stomach, your thoughts spiraling to his illness, to the possibility of a sudden, debilitating flare-up. Seizing the key he'd entrusted to you months ago, you moved quickly through the…