Parallel Lines

Valuable

Y/N exhaled softly, watching as the two found their rhythm, moving together effortlessly amidst the lively crowd. A sip of her drink and a small sigh later, she found Benzo watching her with a smirk.

"Do they remind you of you and Viktor when you were younger?" He asked knowingly.

She chuckled, shaking her head as nostalgia settled over her like a warm blanket. "You know they do."

*:·°✧——————————————◈——————————————✧°·:*

The stars shone bright, glowing across the night sky. Y/N remembered when they could barely see the moon at its fullest, the smoke and pollution of Zaun covering the sky almost completely. Now, things had changed.

"Do you remember when we had a theory about other universes, Viktor?" Y/N asked, her voice a soft whisper against the vastness of the night.

"Yes." Viktor nodded, turning his head to look at her, his brows slightly furrowed in thought. "Although it is not proven, there is a possibility... Why?"

Y/N tilted her head back, letting her gaze drift across the endless expanse of stars. "Well, throwing away all our sciency stuff for a moment," She mused, "do you think it's real? Do you think alternate universes exist?"

Viktor pursed his lips, considering the weight of the question. It wasn't often that he allowed himself to stray beyond the boundaries of logic, but there was something in the way Y/N asked that made him decide to cross it. Slowly, he placed his hand over hers, his touch warm despite the cool night air. "Perhaps," he said at last.

Y/N turned to him with a teasing glint in her eyes. "Are you just not saying yes in case you're wrong?"

Viktor smirked, giving an exaggerated shrug. "Ehhh... maybe."

She laughed, a light, airy sound that seemed to dance between the stars. Viktor found himself watching her rather than the sky, the way her eyes gleamed with wonder, the way her fingers absentmindedly traced the fabric of her sleeve.

There was something ethereal about her in moments like this—like she belonged among the constellations rather than here beside him. "Why do you ask?" He prompted.

Y/N's smile softened, her gaze turning distant. "I had a thought..." She murmured, almost hesitant. "Do you think, in every universe, we're together?"

Viktor's breath caught slightly at the question. He hadn't expected that. He let the silence stretch between them, letting the weight of her words settle before he spoke. "I'm not sure," he admitted, his voice quieter now. "But I'd like to think that if not..." He turned to her, his expression softening, "Then we're very lucky."

Y/N held his gaze, the warmth in his eyes making her heartache in the most beautiful way. "And if we are?" she asked.

Viktor exhaled through his nose, a small, knowing smile tugging at his lips. "Then I suppose we are meant to be together."

A hush fell between them, but it was a comfortable silence, filled with a thousand unspoken words. Y/N turned back to the stars, her thoughts drifting like the clouds that slowly crawled across the sky. In every universe, in every possibility... What would be different?

Would they always find their way back to each other? Like the way a bee kissed a flower, as if by instinct? Or how water graced the roots of a tree, a quiet devotion that never ceases? Perhaps they were like swans—creatures said to love only once, never moving on after finding their true one.

Or maybe they were parallel lines, destined to mirror each other but never truly touch, always yearning, always reaching, but never closing the distance until infinity. Was this their infinity then? Sitting beneath the night sky, hands intertwined, souls brushing against the unknown with only love to tether them?

Y/N sighed, the thought both terrifying and comforting. But one thing she knew, beyond the reach of science and probability, beyond the endless questions of fate, in this singular fleeting moment... They were together. At least in this universe, and that alone, was enough.

...

Y/N? Y/N, are you awake?

A voice, gentle yet laced with concern, pulled her from the depths of unconsciousness. Y/N groaned, the weight of sleep still pressing against her limbs as she slowly blinked awake. A dull ache throbbed in her temples as she lifted a hand to rub at her forehead.

The first thing she saw was Viktor leaning over her, his colorful eyes filled with quiet worry. His touch was featherlight, his hand resting just above her head as if reluctant to disturb her more than necessary.

She shifted slightly, realizing she had been resting against his lap. The warmth of him lingered where her head had been, and the realization made her sit up properly, still groggy but regaining her bearings. "...Viktor?" she mumbled, her voice hoarse from sleep.

"You were muttering," Viktor said softly. "Turning in your sleep. Are you alright?"

Y/N exhaled, running a hand through her hair. Her surroundings came into focus, the dim glow of the room, the faint hum of machinery in the distance. Then, a gentle sensation—warm, shimmering gold and violet—stroked the top of her head.

Right. She remembered now.

Her gaze flickered to the mechanical hand brushing against her hair. It glowed softly in the low light, its edges shifting with an almost ethereal elegance, as if responding to some silent emotion Viktor himself wasn't voicing.

Y/N let out a breath before offering him a small, reassuring smile. "I'm okay, Viktor," she said at last, shaking off the remnants of sleep. "I just had a dream."

Viktor's brows furrowed slightly, his curiosity piqued. "A dream?" She nodded. "... What was it about?" he asked, his voice quieter now.

Y/N turned to him, her gaze soft, a knowing warmth behind her eyes as she whispered, "You."