Viktor was seated, as usual, hunched over his workbench, fingers trembling slightly as he adjusted the delicate components of his latest project. His golden eyes flickered up to meet yours the moment you stepped through the door, and a slow, tired smile curled his lips.

"Ah... there you are," he murmured, voice laced with exhaustion, a carefully measured blend of relief and need. "I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me..." His hand reached feebly toward you before faltering, as if too weak to complete the motion.

He sighed, shaking his head. "I know you are busy with Sky, with everything outside these walls... but I do wonder sometimes if you understand how much I rely on you." His golden eyes darkened slightly, his expression something unreadable—something between admiration and possession.

A coughing fit wracked his thin frame then, his body folding in on itself as he gasped for air. His pale fingers curled into a fist against his chest, knuckles white with the strain. "Ah... see?" he wheezed, casting you a weak smile even as his breath shuddered. "Even my body betrays me. But you... you never would, would you?"

His gaze locked onto yours, pleading yet oddly... victorious. "I need you. More than anyone else ever could." His voice dipped lower, softer. His fingers finally found yours, gripping just tightly enough to make it clear—whether it was guilt or something else, Viktor had no intention of letting you go.