"Vik, I got something to tell you, and something else to ask you." She'd caught him in the act of adjusting his surgical exo glove, on his workbench.

He didn't look up, but, however stoically, acknowledged her all the same,
"Hey V, good to hear you're doing well. Me? Yeah, I'm doing just peachy. Nah, don't worry, I'm not busy at all. Thanks for asking."

"I-I'm sorry, you right. That was rude, should I come back later?" Apologetic tone, expression, even composure, she pointed at the door but he hadn't looked up yet, still performing maintenance that required extreme precision. Finishing up whatever part he could not let be before he looked at her, then around the clinic. Slowly turning on his creaking seat to drive his point home. The place was barren of souls other than theirs.

He scratched his chin,
"Hmm, you might have to make an appointment with my secretary to be sure."

Content with his joke, he continued to work on his glove,
"Your thing and your question? They more pranks? Mind games?"

Elated to be given a chance, she bridled her enthusiasm poorly,
"N-no! No more pranks, none of those."

"They related, or...?"

"Yeah, they are. Suppose I should pose the question first." With leaden feet she wandered over to him, crossed arms, her behind leaning on the stretch of desk in front of him. Within his view, each other's reach, conveniently blocking his TV. No matter, as he'd forgotten about it when she approached this closely.

"Doesn't sound ominous or anything at all, what are you talking about?" he chuckled, but killed his nervously sarcastic reaction the moment he looked up, reading the sincerity on her features as she stared at his hand.

"What is it you wanted to share, V?" He put down his screwdriver, looking at his gloved left arm, still resting on the workbench.

"Would you let me down gently? Please?"

Eyes darted back to her, finding hers were still on his hand. Vik tried to gauge what kind of storm had been raging through her mind this time, its eye seemingly present within her right now.

"Uhh, sure? What for though? What do you-... what are you on about?" his confusion was so palpable, thick enough to clog a vein, popping an embolus upon realization. Ever so slowly reaching for his surgical exo-glove, she tenderly brushed the metal with her synthleather skin, carefully dipping a few fingers around, in-between its delicate constructs.

"I'd like to risk our friendship for something more, Vik, but I understand if that's not in your interest."

"V,"

Patiently she waited for more words to fall out of his mouth, or just letters, like 'i' or maybe 'o'. She'd even settle for an 'uhh', a damned 'y' by now. The poor Doctor however was still clammed up, not having seen this curve-ball coming at all. Unsure what to think, let alone say. Was he even awake?

Still enthralled by his hand, she coyly leaned in his direction for a bit,
"This is the 'letting me down gently' part..."

She'd been content to find he hadn't yet pulled away his hand, rather, taken aback when he tightened his tendons just enough for the glove to smoothly manoeuvre an appendage or two. Turning metal, taking ahold of a finger of hers, and through that process, her focus now beholding him. V'd hoped his steely gaze wouldn't tear through her guard this time, as always she was mistaken, having made the mistake of looking him in the eyes.

"Sounds to me like you're the one who'd want that to not work out. Are you doubtful it would?"

"Are you saying it could?"
Her retort was instant.
"Because really, Vik. Don't-"

She accidentally let her nerves stutter her breathing, scoffed at herself, shaking her head at herself as well as at the man,
"don't play me like that."

"You of all people know, V, the only things I play are DVR'd boxing matches, and old music. Never a girl's heart." The precise, meticulous grip the glove's appendages exerted on her fingers increased the tiniest amount. Showing off his skill, control of most things engineered. V included.

"You just say that 'cause you know I can kill you with my off-hand pinky." The exact one he'd been caressing at the moment, through his glove. He smirked at her pout, adorable, genuine, plump lips. Lips he wanted to reach, standing up to get so much closer, yet not enough. Settling for a hand roaming lightly on her bare arm, unflinching from his sudden proximity, V had sudden goosebumps instead.

"No, that's not why, I mean, the mere notion of that does turn me on a little, but… I say it because it's true. I ain't playing you, V. Not gonna be letting you down either, gently or otherwise."

She could feel her hopes rise, along with her blood pressure, heart rate, other things he noticed as well,

"If you wanna give 'us' a try, consider me wholly invested. All in, babe."

Her vitals spiked at his words, skin scorching at his touch,
"Nicknames already? Not gonna lie, didn't think I'd get a quarter as far as this. I uh,"

She tugged at her collar, wafting cool air into her shirt,
"Where do we go from here? Knowing we're at least on the same wavelength."

Viktor stepped closer, watching her straighten herself towards him, to his delight.
"We do a few tests, run a compatibility check or two. Maybe a benchmark or 3 after that."

"You sure know how to make that sound romantic."

Her grin infected him like a virus, he scratched his stubbled cheek trying not to smile too widely,
"Well I-, hmm, I'll admit, it's been a while for me. Not exactly on the top of my game. Sorry if I'm a bit 'rusty'."

V chuckled at the smoothest guy she knew,
"Don't worry, I actually do like it when you talk nerdy. After all, brainy boys are my biggest turn on."

She gently ran a finger across his above average forehead, before slipping all of them into his hair, trying to run them through.
"You might have to stop using hair product though,"

He smirked at her faux sad face,
"Why's that?"

"Doesn't exactly feel right, and it gets all up in my cyberware, jamming it up."

"Well, maybe that's my anti-vixen precaution…"

"Funny, but… Worst of all, makes it hard to do this," On the back of his head, with her free, right hand V gripped as much hair as she could, bald spot be damned. Pulling his head aside with fierce care, she applied her own first test, her lips to his neck, teeth and tongue in and up against his trapezoid muscles. Needing to know whether she'd find his moans in her ears pleasant, as she'd fantasized the night prior, before she moved onto his lips.

The man struggled to keep his left arm limp enough not to have the glove damage itself, knowing it to be too weak to injure her fingers. Vik didn't want to push her away but he had to, not at all prepared for this right now, right here. In between her stealing the air from his lungs and gracing him with a smile, he uttered her name, utilizing his last resort in the end.

"V. VV!" He had taken ahold of the lower half of her face to keep her at bay, squishing her cheeks and somewhat pursing her lips. Feeling she wanted to grin in his grip. Her eyes twinkled whilst dashing between his, and his lips, burning cheeks under his fingers. His breathing consisted of mostly deepening pants, not erratic but definitely discomposed. Part of her was morbidly aroused, another concerned the first testing phase had prematurely concluded. Brows morose, curling up in the middle.

"Give me 5 seconds to take off the glove,"

He leaned closer to her lips, teasingly pecked them, enjoying her insatiable pout before departing again,

"While you go lock the door."