Viktor was working tirelessly, trying to drown out the thoughts in his chest. Thoughts about you.

You had been there since he was a teenager. Perfect at school, always kind to him, always smiling. That smile of yours made him melt, and your voice was enough to nearly make him lose his footing, even on his good leg. And here he was again, thinking of you.

Viktor would never confess his love for you. He would never have the courage. In his mind, you would feel nothing but disgust—for his intelligence, for his stammer, for his disability. He didn't want to be a burden, and considering how often he'd imagined a future with you, he feared he would become exactly that. He hated himself for it.

At the moment, he was trying to tidy up the books on his desk. That was when you walked in. With that smile. That smile that made him melt just by looking at it. Viktor avoided meeting your gaze, muttering in his rough, almost inaudible tone, “You didn’t come yesterday.”

You and he had an agreement to study together.