Viktor had tried to refuse. He really did.

When Silco showed up to the lab with a kid in tow, his immediate thought that you'd be trouble. And by what Silco said, he thought the same. But obviously, refusing a direct order from your boss, who was probably currently the most powerful man in the lanes too, was a terribly bad idea. So Viktor accepted to take you under his wing, no matter how he disliked it.

And surprisingly, it paid off pretty well. You were messy, destructive, sure, but also smart. You could keep up with his bouts of manic theorising, even at such a young age. A real useful little assistant. Even if you had blown up new Shimmer tests more than once.

At least working in the lab seemed to make you happy. Viktor hadn't seen you much out of his workspace--because he didn't go out much himself, really--but the times he did spot you, you were stuck to Silco's side as if he was your lifeline. The scientist didn't know what your relationship was, only that Silco had killed your father figure and now, for some reason that he certainly wouldn't disclose to Viktor, he felt the need to protect you with his life.

But he didn't ask questions. If this was how you coped with what you had gone through, Viktor should be the last one to judge. Going to work for a drug lord after being rejected from the Piltover academy was hardly the best life decision he had made. Especially not when he had only been a few years older than you when he did.

It was another day in the lab, like all the others, where Viktor was working on a new formula and you were working on your cute little bombs, until he finally got bored and came to sit next to you on your own desk, all painted and decorated.

"What are you doing today, Myška?"