A murky cloud of drizzle hung heavy over the city on the day you were due to meet Viktor. It was the kind of rain that was barely thicker than mist, yet somehow managed to drench you. By the time you reached the street on which he lived on your hair was dewy, and stuck to you face in wispy strands. You regretted not bringing a coat.

You patted your hair into place and attempted to look as presentable as you could before knocking on the door.

You waited.

A raindrop plopped onto your head. You shivered.

You knocked again.

Silence.

You happened to glance down, and caught a glimpse of something white against the grey cobbles: a piece of paper.

It looked as if it had once been wedged in the door, but had since fallen off. The paper was flimsy and saturated from the rain. One of the corners tore slightly as you picked it up. The ink had smudged, but it was still somewhat readable.

At lab. Sorry! Moved to a new room. Tell someone looking for me, and they should send you in the right direction.

-Viktor

Your groaned inwardly at the thought of having to communicate with other people. As you were about to scrunch the note up and head onwards, you noticed more writing at the bottom, blurred and distorted by the wet. Parts were barely legible, but you managed to read it anyway:

P.S. Umbrella in hall if you want it :)

P.P.S. Key under mat. Please lock the door behind you.

This time, he'd properly committed to drawing a smiley face. You smiled, though it quickly turned to a grimace as another raindrop slipped down the back of your neck.

As if to spite you, the rain had turned from 'moderate drizzle' to 'proper shower'. You had intended to refuse the offer of the umbrella, despite his cute little doodle, but now knew it'd be stupid to turn it down.

You retrieved the umbrella (remembering to relock the door and replace the key) and, after a moment too long spent trying to figure out how to open it, headed towards the Academy.

The city was busy despite the bad weather. People went about their business as usual, albeit a bit soggier and more annoyed than usual. You hated the chaos of crowds, but now found a strange sense of comfort in the swill of bodies around you. You were reduced to a mere person on the street, anonymous. Still, you unconsciously cast a few glances over your shoulder every now and again. Just in case.

The grand tiled floor of the Academy entrance hall was slick with excess rain. You managed to wrestle the umbrella shut again, then faced the problem at hand: You had to talk to people. Ugh.

People bustled past you, wiping raindrops from glasses and shaking umbrellas dry as they hurried on with their day. Most moved too fast to even notice you, and any attempts at 'Excuse me?'s were lost to the echoing hubbub that filled the room.

After five minutes or so, the only success you'd had was an odd look from a woman with goggle-shaped scorch marks around her eyes. You decided to take matters into your own hands and try to find the new lab yourself. It couldn't be that hard, you thought as you made your way to the grand staircase. There were only a few dozen floors. And a few hundred rooms. And a few thousand steps.

As it turned out, you had only just reached the first floor when you heard someone call your name.

"Y/N!"

You turned, narrowly avoiding colliding with a passerby. Jayce was a few steps behind you. In his arms he held two cardboard boxes overflowing with knick-knacks and science-y stuff. He ascended the stairs two-at-a-time to catch up to you, and smiled.

"Hello," you said.

He nodded. "Hey. Looking for Viktor?"

"How did you know?"

"I have my sources," he said cryptically, then nodded to your hand. "Plus, that's his umbrella."

"Ah." Glancing behind you, you saw you'd left a trail of raindrops in your wake. The umbrella still hadn't dried. "Do you know where he is?" you asked.

"Yeah. Follow me. I'm heading his way, too."

"Thanks."

"We just moved into a new work room," Jayce explained as the pair of you worked your way up the stairs. "Viktor's got me doing all the heavy work."

He hefted up into the boxes he held as they threatened to slip. A chunky telescope of some sorts fell from the pile. You caught it before it hit the ground.

"What's this?" you asked, carefully turning it over in your hands.

He squinted. "I don't know. I don't know what half of this stuff is, to be honest. I'm not sure if Viktor actually needs any of this stuff, or if it's just an excuse to give him a break from me for a bit."

You laughed. "Rude."

"Very. Not saying he's a bad guy, though. Great guy, actually. Very clever. Would make a great companion, I'm sure."

"What?"

"Just saying." He squinted at you, all mirth suddenly gone before you had a chance to respond. "What happened to your forehead?"

You touched a hand to your temple, and winced when you touched the old bruise. Oh yeah. That. In the few days since it was inflicted it had healed relatively well, but was now an unflattering shade of yellowy-green.

You hesitated before answering. Had he not been told about your and Viktor's trip to the Undercity? They seemed like the kind of friends that kept few secrets, but perhaps Viktor withholding the truth had been tactical. After all, buying unauthorized equipment from the Undercity black market probably wasn't the best thing a renowned scholar should be doing.

"I fell," you said simply. "The coffee table in my living room's got really sharp corners."

It wasn't a lie. Not really. Both statements were true. You had fallen, and your coffee table was inconveniently sharp along the edges. You weren't technically lying; just stating two things.

"You should get Viktor to check that out," he said, not prying into details, much to your relief. "He's good with all that medical stuff. And math, too. Pretty sure he can speak a few languages as well, last time I checked. Very talented guy."

You rolled your eyes, grinning. "You're not a particularly subtle wingman."

"I'm just saying it how it is," you dismissed with a shrug. "Wingman? Me? Never."

After a couple more corners and long hallways, you reached two long doors. You held one open as Jayce went first, hands full, then followed.

"Viktor," Jayce said, drawing out the word. "You've got a visitor."

"Tell them in busy," the other man replied without looking up. He was rummaging through one of the many boxes scattered haphazardly around the room, elbow-deep in papers and twine-bound parchment.

"It's a bit late for that."

"What-" He glanced up, eyes landing on you. He smiled. "Ah. Hello, Y/N."

You were suddenly aware of how much you probably looked like you'd been drowned twice. You gave a small wave. "Hi."

He set down a pile of papers, tapping then against the table to straighten them. "How are you?"

"Good," you said. "Better. I've been avoiding Undercity drunks."

He laughed. "Good, good."

"Hey- I'll be going," Jayce piped up from where he lingered behind you, gesturing clumsily to the door. He dumped the boxes - which made a concerning clatter - in a clear space, and made to leave. "These boxes won't... box... themselves."

"You do that." Viktor waited for the door to click shut before asking, "No further... problems?"

"No," you said. His eyes lingered on your forehead, and you had to refrain from raising an awkward hand to the bruise.

"No pains or excessive bleeding?"

"No."

"No headaches?"

"No."

"Nausea?"

"No."

"Confusion or delirium?"

"I'm fine, Viktor."

"Good." He took out another stack of papers from the box in front of him, tapped them into place, then lay them on the table. His finger absently ruffled the papers' edges as he seemed to contemplate something. "Would you feel able to... go on a walk?"

"Is that a medical hypothetical," you asked, "or an offer?"

He shrugged sheepishly. "Both?"

"In that case..." You were sodden and soaked, and probably on the verge of getting a cold. But still, you smiled, and, said, "Yes, I would."

---

You and Viktor passed Jayce on your way down. As the two of you were descending the stairs, he was coming up, hosting more boxes. He stopped as you passed, raising his eyebrows.

"What happened to you being busy?" he said accusingly, peering over his pile of boxes.

Viktor shrugged, avoiding eye contact. "I thought I'd take a break."

"A break? Viktor, are you alright?" He turned to you with an exaggerated blink. "Who is this imposter?"

You smothered a laugh with a smile whilst Viktor rolled his eyes. "I won't be too long," he said.

"No, take your time," Jayce insisted. "Nice weather today."

"It's raining, Jayce."

"Exactly. Y'know, I hear the saunas are very nice this time of year," he called after the pair of you, attracting glances from passing students. When Viktor shot him a Look™, he shrugged. "What? Just saying."