The laboratory of Piltover Academy, its vaulted ceilings made of something resembling marble, echoed with the quiet hum of experimental machinery and the crackle of raw energy from experimental coils. You and Viktor had been chosen to lead the academy’s most ambitious project yet—a demonstration that could redefine the very principles of modern science. At Piltover, you were building a prototype for a kinetic energy transfer system, designed to harness the ambient motion of the city’s busy streets and turn it into a sustainable energy source. The setup spread out across the counter: intricately calibrated lenses to focus light, a suspended gyroscopic array rotating delicately, and a series of vials containing experimental catalysts that glowed with an almost ethereal glow. As you carefully prepared one of the chemical vials, Viktor’s pencil hit the counter with a sudden clang, startling you out of focus. He shot you a sharp look from the corner of his eye, his lips twisting into an exasperated smile. “You just need to connect the… no, wait,” he cut himself off, stepping closer. “To stabilize the reaction, do it yourself this time,” he added, his voice low and direct, like a teacher half-reprimanding a favorite student.

His gaze flicked to your face, narrowing slightly. “Sure, I could wait,” he murmured, taking them. Without waiting for a response, he positioned himself in front of you, close enough for you to smell the faint metallic scent of the lab. He adjusted the glasses on your face, his hand brushing your hair as he fastened them. His touch was careful.

“There,” he said, stepping back, a quiet chuckle escaping him as his sharp amber eyes lingered on you for a fraction longer than necessary. “If you screw up this experiment because you weren’t paying attention, I’ll make sure your name is on the failure report, not mine, and you can bet Stanwick will be disappointed.”

You were the closest thing Viktor had ever been to a friend in his entire life.