Work Text:
Viktor groaned audibly, pushing himself further against the pillow and into the bedframe as if it could swallow him up "But why me? I have a paper to write just like you have this painting to make. You always ask Jayce for this kind of thing, anyway..."
"That's why! I realized I only have sketches of you, a lot of sketches, but I want you in my final project." She was vehement in the simplicity of her argument, her head tilted just slightly as if it could only make agreeing the more obvious choice.
"Mel... I... I don't think I'm comfortable with this."
He was embarrassed by how weak his voice sounded, how much it cost him to give up his excuses and allow himself a shred of vulnerability.
Mel sighed softly, tucking her legs under herself and kneeling in her chair to lean closer "Please, Viktor" a hint of a pout appeared at her lower lip and the man rolled his eyes "No pouting allowed."
He still pulled her off the chair and on the stiff dorm bed with him "Will you let me see a sketch first? Of the idea you have for this..."
Her eyes lit up as she pecked his cheek "Of course! I swear you won't have to do anything you don't want to."
"What were you thinking of?"
"Just someothing that captures you, it can be anything you feel comfortable doing as long as you can hold the position long enough for me to get at least a detailed sketch down."
"What if I wanted a Marie Curie style portrait?" he teased, mimicking holding a little glass vial and pulling a serious face.
Mel let out a soft huff "Boring..."
"See? So again, what were you thinking of?"
"You reading in bed... or curled up in the chair... With your tie undone just sort of relaxing"
Viktor chuckled softly "I foresee very little relaxing when we're so close to finals, but I think I can manage that"
She grinned "That's great, I promise I'll be as quick as I can..."
Her voice trailed off as if she realized too late what she was about to say.
Viktor eyed her carefully, grasping her chin gently with both fingers "What else?"
"A carbon sketch... with Jayce, both of you in bed."
Viktor scrunched his nose but tucked his head under her chin with a defeated sigh "I can't promise anything, but I'll try."
Mel's arms were warm around him and they stayed there for a bit, sort of breathing into each other trying to pretend time would stop chasing them if they stayed still enough.
It was Viktor who moved first and pressed a kiss to her collarbone "If you get your things I can settle in the armchair with some papers I need to read, mh?"
Mel pulled back and nodded "Sure, get comfortable, I'll try not to disrupt your work."
If Mel could achieve one thing through her art she would get Viktor to see him like she did, flaws and strengths and peculiarities together.
She settled with her tools and moved very little until she could see Viktor forgetting about her completely, she let him get absorbed into his papers and started sketching his body to fix the position before shifting her focus on his face.
She could look at that face for hours, she would never get tired of his whole being playing in the lights and shadows of his gaze.
She got the proportions down then let him guide her hand and her tools.
The slant of his eyes, the lines at the edges of them, the little bump between his eyebrows when he furrowed them while parsing a complex passage.
His nose, his cheekbones, his chin all sharp angles softened by his pale skin, by the restlessness of his muscles, his mouth twitching as he read unfamiliar words.
And the colors.
The light coming through the window was warm in the late afternoon, it made the gold of his eyes sparkle and the shadows more prominent.
He was a beautiful game of contrasts that she would never get enough of.
About two hours later Jayce made it back from track training and he found them both still working on their respective projects.
His partners were so engrossed in their activities that neither of them noticed his entrance, enough that he got to witness the way Mel was curled in her chair in front of her easel, her muscles tense as she spread the colors on a small portion of a larger portrait of Viktor, trying to be as precise as possible.
Viktor on the other hand was probably forbidden from leaving the armchair due to the aforementioned portrait and was now using a small flashlight to read his paper without having to strain with the golden light that was about to leave the room.
Jayce waited for Mel to move her palette knife away from the painting before dropping his bag with a loud thud and enjoying both of them jumping in place with a little scream.
It was Viktor who reached for a pillow behind his back and caught Jayce in the face with admirable precision.
Jayce's answer was to throw himself face down on the bed and grin at both of them "Did I miss something? Is a meteorite about to hit the Earth or is Mel blackmailing you into modeling for her?"
"Hey! I have my ways but they don't involve blackmail at this time, thank you very much, Mr Talis." She protested, clearly taking the question for Viktor whose cheeks were taking on a lovely pink color.
Jayce reached up to his chest and tucked his chin "I apologize, Madame President Medarda."
All three of them chuckled and Viktor put away his papers and torchlight to stretch with a soft groan, holding himself onto the armchair and the bedframe he shuffled to lay next to Jayce on the bed and peck his cheek "Don't anger her, I accepted on your behalf another modeling gig after the portrait is done" he teased.
Jayce rolled his eyes, pretending annoyance but he just pulled Viktor closer and made grabby hands at Mel.
The bed was far too small to hold three people, but she draped herself behind Viktor and kissed them both "If you two don't stop belittling the arts I'll give you something to cry about." she warned.
Jayce and Viktor exchanged a glance and Viktor raised an eyebrows, turning just enough to catch her eye "Is that a threat or an invitation, Madame President?"