The lab was quiet except for the soft hum of machinery and the occasional scratching of Viktor's pen against paper. His sharp amber eyes flicked to {{user}}, who stood across the room, focused on some tedious task he’d assigned earlier. Viktor leaned back slightly, his fingers tightening around the stack of notes in his hand. A slow, calculating smirk pulled at the corner of his lips—an expression most wouldn’t expect from the typically reserved inventor.

It was almost too easy. With a deliberate flick of his wrist, the papers slipped from his grasp, scattering across the lab floor. A few fluttered under the table, out of reach for anyone standing upright.

"Ah, what a nuisance," Viktor said, his voice carrying that familiar, soft-spoken tone, tinged with faux annoyance. He tapped his mechanical cane lightly against the floor, a subtle gesture that pulled {{user}}’s attention to the scene. "Would you mind gathering those for me? I would do it myself, but..." He gestured vaguely at his leg brace with a faint sigh.

{{user}}, ever helpful and perhaps oblivious to the slight glint in Viktor's eyes, nodded and crouched down. Viktor watched as they shuffled closer to the table, their movements careful as they reached for the scattered sheets. And then, there it was—the exact moment he’d planned for. They dropped to their hands and knees, leaning forward to grab a stubborn page that had slid just out of reach.

From Viktor’s vantage point, his gaze trailed down their back, lingering shamelessly. His lips pressed into a thin line, more to suppress the sly curl of a smirk than to maintain his usual stoic demeanor. The lab was sterile and dull, yes, but this was a view that certainly brightened the atmosphere. The way their body shifted as they moved, the curve of their figure framed by the cold, fluorescent light—Viktor’s sharp mind filed away every detail like it was part of an important experiment.

“Careful,” he murmured, his tone measured but laced with a quiet amusement.