Chapter Text
Viktor sighed at the bottom of the spiral stairwell leading up to Powder’s lair. He hemmed and hawed mulling over this ‘arrangement’ and wanting nothing more than to turned tail back to the lab, the doctor would understand, right?
–Sigh–
He began his ascent, each step echoing the inner turmoil that churned within him—a mistake in motion, a ticking time bomb ready to go off. Throughout his childhood, he had faced relentless rejection from his peers. Yet amidst the isolation, there had been one bright spot: Sky. She was a pretty girl with hair like the spiralling stairs before him. A smirk flickered across his lips as he thought of teasing her again but alas all good things. But that was before the leak. Afterward, when Sky discovered his work with the doctor, a look of pure disgust had washed over her face and just like that, she was like everyone else. She lacked the resolve to see beyond the surface, yet he clung to a selfish hope that one day she would understand, and would see things through his eyes.
-THud-
-Clank-
wheeze
-Thud-
-Clank-
Viktor was out of breath and felt a sharp pain shooting through his nerves with every step. He needed to sit down but was not going to accept defeat from a few steps, if this brat could do it every day then so could he. With every step, his anger grew, and with every breath that anger turned to hatred. This Powder had better be a genius or he was going to socialize ever again. Fuelled by anger he managed to reach the top only to be met with silence. She wasn’t here?
Oh, she had better by here or Viktor was about to commit his first act of vandalism. He took a deep breath to not do anything brash and looked around. There wasn’t anything to notice really; a little makeshift bed with her aforementioned pillow friends and a table with a few loose gears and random toy parts. If she could build something functional with these then she would have piqued Viktor’s interest but he held no hope.
Suddenly a toy monkey’s chattering head flung out from the rafters. It hit Viktor on the head causing him to collapse onto his back.
A BOMB
It sat in his lap and with pure adrenaline he screamed, throwing it down the stairs.
Cling
.
.
CLing
.
.
.
cling
He sighed in relief laying back onto the cold floor. Of course, it didn’t work. He couldn't help but chuckled at his mortality. What they say about your life flashing before your eyes was a lie he assumed, either that or his life wasn't worth seeing again.
“Hey, why did you do that?! Do you know how long it took me to build?!” screeched a pale blue-haired girl as she jumped down from the rafters. Viktor scoffed wiping the sweat from his face “Clearly not long enough,” he tilted to make eye contact with her, “anyone can make a clock tick.” Her face flushed red and she gritted her teeth with anger. He hadn’t felt this euphoric in years. Viktor sat up, using the sturdy leg of her work desk for support, allowing himself a moment to truly observe her for the first time as she slumped onto her bed. her small and frail figure curled up in the rumpled blankets; she was far younger than Viktor anticipated. Her eyes were troubled and sunken in and overshadowed by dark circles, appearing both troubled and worn as if the burdens of the world rested heavily upon her shoulders, her lips were chapped and bitten raw, bearing the marks of nervous biting. At that moment, Viktor felt a wave of guilt wash over him, realizing the pettiness of his earlier comment and the misplaced anger he had harboured; after all, she was merely a girl—a remarkably astute one at that..
A gifted mind
“Though your work is erm ingenious,” Viktor croaked rubbing his neck, “I would like to see you build another one, maybe I could ah help.”
“I don’t need your help,” spat out Powder and Viktor flinched. He recognized that he deserved it though.
“Okay, not help errrmmm,” he trailed till he found the right word, “guidance, yes, a little nudge in the right direction.” He didn’t want to impose his tutorship onto the young girl but he couldn’t help but feel a sense of responsibility tug at him; he would be doing the undercity a disgrace by leaving her be. He could see the spark in her eyes ignite from his words but it was quickly followed by her little face scrunching in pain as she started to hit the sides of her head, “shut up, shut up, shut up,” she whispered and then screamed, “WE don’t need a friend!”
“ I am not your— eerr her friend nor her confidant. I am just your tutor,” sighed Viktor to calm the argument between Powder and her pillow siblings. He would not lie, he was afraid but his fear was greatly overpowered by his pity for her. If he didn’t meet the doctor when he did, this could of very well been him.
Her eyes darted from side to side till she took in a sharp breath. Viktor’s breath hitched in his throat he hoped she didn’t have another bomb. Powder sighed out a wisp of an okay. Viktor pulled himself to his feet shifting his weight from the table to his crutch.
“Uhm, pardon?”
“I said, yes Tin-man,” she said immediately pulling up her guard again.
Viktor could feel his eyebrow twitch from her jab at the metal guards he fashioned onto his bad leg to protect his shin and kneecap. He forced himself to take a deep breath and be the bigger person at least today.
“Perfect, our first order of business is to find a way to safely get this,” he gritted his teeth, “Tin-man down these stairs.”
Powder grinned something purely evil, “I have a fun way.”
-------------------------------------------
Viktor’s throat was sore from screaming and yet with every bump and kick turn, his body forced another yell through. He gripped onto his crutch for dear life, afraid of it hitching on a stair and sending them flying into an early grave. This girl was going to be the death of him. Powder on the other hand was laughing and wooing, thoroughly enjoying her idea of bed surfing down the stairs. This was actually a quite peaceful moment for her, she secretly hoped that this tutor would bring more of these with him. She knew optimism was usually the bringer of her downfall but she couldn't help clinging to it just one more time.