Archive of Our Own

"Easy now," she heard a familiar voice say. "You'll burn a hole through his skull before you even get a chance to fight."

She turned to see the man kneel before her, something along the lines of relief washing over her. Viktor. She could not believe that he was there. He wasn't the one that had directed her to these fights, but he knew about them and encouraged her nonetheless. Now, in the final moment when it mattered, he was right there. He wasn't the coach she had been speaking with, but she was certainly more interested in what he had to say right now than anyone else.

He must have seen how she looked, all halfcocked, nervous and angry, and he did not ask her why. Instead, he gave her a few tips for comfort, as well as pointers to defeat Razor. She could have kissed him for that if it weren't for the fact that they were in the ring right then and there.

When finally standing up from her seat and kicking it off the stage behind her—and looking good doing it—she remembered Viktor's words that rang in her mind. Don't let me down now, you hear?

Well, after he had asked her so nicely, she wasn't about to say no.

The bell rang and the fight began, V staying mobile on her feat and watching the large man in front of her. She was much smaller, in terms of height and muscle. She was able to quickly dash away from his charges and stay out of the way. Occasionally she could spot Viktor from the corner of her eye, away from the ring but keeping watch.

She then focused on Razor and dodged a swipe from him, ducking to give herself a decent angle for a strong right hook, right into his abdomen. The man stumbled backward with a grunt and she smirked, kicking off towards him.

—

It was almost as though she blacked out during the fight and woke up only when she stood above Razor, on her two feet, having emerged victorious. There, in the ring, she glistened brightly under the neon lights. Her sporty crop was soaked with sweat, blood and dirt, her braided hair had partly come loose and stuck to her face in tiny curls. Her nose was definitely bleeding still and something in her mouth kept burning and leaking.

Her chest heaved in quick, rapid breaths as she looked down at her own two hands. Hand wraps now red and brown, threatening to come away, her hands were shaking violently, and yet she was as confident in herself as she could have been in a very long time.

Stepping out of the ring, she ignored the crowd and glanced at Coach Fred, placing one bloodied hand on his shoulder and giving him a nod. She was still not okay with him trying to convince her to sell herself out, but he did bring her the opportunity to get this far.

Still, she did not linger. V scanned the crowd to find that familiar pair of eyes that she had looked into just before the fight, finding one smiling Viktor staring right back at her. V turned to the side, spitting out her blood out of necessity before deciding to get anywhere close to her friend.

Once he reached her, he held out his hand and she took it in a strong clasp. They laughed and pulled each other in for a congratulatory embrace. He held her for a second longer than she expected, not that she minded, before finally pulling away to look her in the eyes.

"You actually fucking did it," he grinned a wide, boyish grin, shaking his head slightly.

"Did you ever doubt I would?" she put her hands on her hips, raising a brow.

"Not even for a second, sweetheart," he assured her.

Before her mind could linger on that word again, a different voice caught her attention. She looked behind her as someone asked to take a photo of her, something about wanting to write about the fight. She did not pay too much attention to it, only wrapped an arm around Vik's shoulders as well as she could at her height, and made a peace sign with her other hand. Viktor, to her surprise, did not fold his arms like he normally liked to do. His right arm went around her, his hand now resting on her right shoulder and keeping her close.

Once the picture was taken, she looked up at him from where she was and did not pull away. "Thank you for believing in me, Vik. I wouldn't have made it without you."

"Nah, kid, you'da made it even further without another word from me," he shook his head. "That was all you, I just made sure you remembered that you had it in you."

Before V could say more, she cleared her throat and felt more of her blood pooling in her mouth. She made a gesture with her hand so as to tell him she needed a minute, before promptly spitting more blood out.

"Fuck," she cursed, wiping her mouth with her wraps.

"Let's get you back to the clinic for a quick look-see, shall we?" he offered, keeping a respectable distance from her.

She smiled and gave him a sheepish nod. "Yeah, maybe we should."

—

Walking into the clinic somehow felt more like a breath of fresh air than it did while being outside, pollution notwithstanding. V took her usual steps, plopping herself down on the chair while Vik brought out something to help with the pain and the daze. He also brought over a couple of glasses, pouring them a little drink to mark the celebration. He did not sit in his stool this time, instead stepping in rather close so that he could help clean her up. He set down a tray with the things he might need right beside her on the chair.

"Seeing you fight out there," he began, unwrapping one of her hands. "Made me wish I'd been there for the other fights too. You really got somethin' in ya, kid, that just does not quit."

"What can I say, I have all the right people in my corner," she chuckled, but melted a little at the smile he gave her.

"Well, the smart ones'll know to keep rootin' for ya," he replied, now unwrapping her other hand. After a moment, he examined her knuckles and fingers, finding a few scrapes and bruises but nothing too serious. With one gentle stroke of a calloused thumb against the back of her hand, he nodded. "Hands seem fine. Anything hurting in there that I should know about?"

V was finding it extremely hard to look away from him at that moment. "No, just the knuckles."

"Good," he muttered, setting her hands down in her lap before tilting her chin up a little. "Now for that nasty cut on your cheek," he spoke softly. Viktor stepped away momentarily, moving about his clinic and coming back with a rag and a bowl of water. He slowly began to wipe away the dirt and blood off her face and neck, taking extra care with the area around her wound so that he could disinfect it and patch her up.

In all that time, his touch and gestures were gentle, soft. His eyes were laser-focused on every inch of her. Her mouth ran dry at the thought of all that attention he put toward helping her.

He himself wasn't entirely lost on the looks she'd been giving him. It was no secret that they cared about each other, but to what extent she cared for him, he didn't know. He had a hunch, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to be wrong or right. He said nothing about it though. She needed to clean up, he was there. That's all this was.

"Your nose," he observed. "Definitely bruised, popped a few vessels, but thankfully it's still intact."

"I'm told it's one of my best features," she joked, slightly wincing at the touch.

"Hmm," low laugh rumbled from him, tingling her insides something fierce.

She could tell he wanted to say something more, but had probably chosen against it. Shame, she thought. Maybe if he had, she could have told him some of her favorite parts of him. V then had a thought. Sitting there, in the safety of his clinic, after the night she'd had, to celebrate it by his side was the best thing she could have been doing.

There may have been more that she wanted. It was a night of achieving the impossible, after all. Maybe... just maybe...

"Alright, V. That's you all set," he told her, ready to step back as he cleared his throat. "Unless you've got anything broken or sprained that you haven't told me about," he added in jest.

An idea sparked. "Actually, I think I took a few good hits in my ribs. Can you check those?"

She could see the freeze in Viktor's stance, but he moved closer once again, giving her a quick nod. He observed her skin, motioning her to lean back a little so that he could see better under the light. "Nothing looks bruised. Does it still hurt?"

V watched him as he studied her, his fingers gently poking at each rib to see if there was anything broken or cracked underneath. He'd find nothing of the sort, but she couldn't help herself anymore. Sitting there, slightly leaning back with him hovering just over her, V decided to take a leap of faith. She looked him in the eyes as she moved her leg slightly, letting it brush slowly against his. Viktor did not look down, but he did make eye contact with her again.

There was a visual bob in his throat as he watched her carefully, seeing that she did not blink even once while doing this. V slowly straightened herself up again, and the more she did so, the closer to him she got—he was not moving an inch. His hands remained where they were, at her sides and with his fingers slightly tracing her ribs.

Viktor thought about speaking, stepping away, doing the right thing. He wondered if he was seeing it wrong, or if she really was looking him in the eyes so intently that his heart might give in. Looking her over right then, busted cheek and lip, bruised nose and body, chaffed hands—she really did remind him a lot of himself, and had a live, wild spirit within her that he could not deny he was attracted to.

So he stood, frozen and uncertain as she moved herself closer and closer to him. Little could have prepared him for what came next, not even the times he had spent imagining that very moment.

V pushed herself up, her cheeks flushed pink merely at their proximity, and kissed Viktor. She grazed her lips gently against his, as though she were inviting him to join, and that he did. She felt him return the kiss with passion, hands now pressed flat against her sides.

Swinging her leg around him, she attempted to nudge him to step between her legs, but he had a different idea. His hands grabbed her by the hips, sliding her body closer to him in the position that she had been hoping for. She pulled away from the kiss with a small gasp just to look at him.

"Huh," he breathed, a smile teasing the corners of his lips. "Who woulda thought..."

"What?" she uttered.

"That you woulda ever wanted to go for someone like me," he admitted.

Her heart broke a little inside. "There is no one like you," she moved her hand to his cheek.

"V..." he murmured, but had no time to say more when he felt her soft lips move against his once more. He sighed into the kiss, holding her and giving in to the taste of her. There was a hint of metal from her lip, something that made him chuckle.

His tongue pushed against her lip and she happily obliged, letting him in and tasting all of him. The drink he had set out for them before could still be tasted on him, something absolutely irresistible in that. V then let her hands roam across his shoulders while he held her tight. A small nudge of her legs to move him closer had his crotch digging against her, making him groan into the kiss.

V smirked at that and kept her legs wrapped around him to steady herself while she slowly ground her hips against him. She let out a soft moan, forgetting how much easier it was to feel things through loose sweatpants. She felt his grip on her tighten and his breathing quicken. He cursed against the kiss and pulled her up off the chair, making a small squeak of a gasp come out of her—a sound he'd never heard from her before.

He looked at her and grinned just as she broke into a quiet laugh, and slowly, Viktor walked them around the clinic, accidentally slamming into one of the tables along the way. He groaned, feeling the metal corner bang right into his thigh. Vik cursed at the table all the while V tried to suppress her quiet giggling. He raised a brow at her.

"You find that funny?" he asked her, right before the two of them fell into the couch. Another yelp sounded from V, and then a soft grunt and a thud at the impact. Her hair was now all over the place, her braid slowly but surely coming loose, so Vik decided to help with that. He reached over and tugged at the hair tie that kept it all together, threading his fingers into her hair to set it all free. He then carefully, slowly stroked all the strays out of her face, leaning in again to kiss her.

Gentle fingers gingerly plucked at whatever buttons still remained done on Vik's shirt, slowly pulling it free and down his arms. As he got up on his knees, she pushed herself up to join him, continuing on with his tank top. The years of heavyweight training and boxing had continued to show their mark on the curves and creases of his muscles, making V let out a low whistle.

"You been holdin' out on me, Doc?" she asked him, her voice low and sultry.

He smirked at her, "Only leavin' the best for last."

"Well it's only fair I return the favor," V purred, tugging at the hem of her tight crop.

As she began to pull it, his fingers caressed her ribs in an instant, burying themselves under the fabric to help push it up and over her. As his hands roamed up, his thumbs grazed over V's breasts rather slowly, until finally they helped take her shirt off completely.

On her knees in front of him, hair a mess around her shoulders and just above her breasts, which were ample and inviting, Vik could feel himself twitch in his arousal. "Fuck, you're so beautiful sweetheart."

"Y'know I always secretly loved it whenever you'd call me that," she confessed.

"There is so much more I could call you, if it'd make you happy," he sighed, his lips on her body in an instant.

She plopped onto her back once more, Vik above her without missing a beat. He took in her scent, the remnants of the fight still lingering and mixing with whatever sweet soap she had used that day. His lips trailed with sweet kisses down her neck and onto her chest, her breasts fitting nice and warm in his mouth. A moment later, he was grazing her nipple with his teeth, turning one of her sweet moans into a sharp gasp.

He moved on to the other breast, sending his right hand down her belly and to her abdomen, resting it there for a moment. The sheer warmth of his palm made her ache, her mind suddenly extremely aware of where that was headed. Vik looked up at her just in time to lead his fingers down, lower and lower—missing the spot and roaming down her thigh instead.

"Fuck you," she whispered, tilting her head back in frustration.

His left arm had been keeping him propped up, but he shifted in place so that his hand could reach her hair. Burying his digits within the long, soft locks, he looked her in the eyes and watched. Watched as he slowly brought his hand back up her thigh, watched as his thumb poked at her folds, then watched as it pushed against her clit, circling it nice and slow.

He then continued to stroke her through the fabric of her sweatpants, once, twice, a few times more until he could not take it anymore. He couldn't look away while she looked him in the eyes and stroked his jawline with her thumb, while she traced that long scar on his chin and moaned against his touch. Vik bent down to take her lips in his, swallowing up those delicious sounds of hers in a sweet kiss just before he could move completely away from her.

There was a small sound of protest from her, but he motioned her to follow. Once they were both on their feet, he reached for the underside of the couch, pulling on a metal bar that unlatched with a tug. Seconds later, they were looking at a rather spacious pull-out bed and they wasted no time returning to their previous position.

This time, Viktor tugged at her pants with a sharp pull, nearly pulling her along with it as he undressed her. God she was absolutely stunning, and completely naked before him. How he had managed to keep his hands to himself for this long, he did not know. Seeing her reach her hands out to him, he moved over her and smiled.

"How's my Champion of the Streets doin'?" he asked her, fingertips teasing the trail to her apex.

"She's about to lose her damn mind, Doc," V urged, one of her hands gently squeezing his forearm to go further.

Who was he to argue?

His fingers now touched her without any obstruction, feeling just how wet she was for him. He ran a single finger along her slit, just barely pushing past it before rubbing along her most sensitive spot. The strokes began nice and slow, but he soon moved with purpose as one of his fingers sunk into her. She was hot and welcoming, her back arching as those little nerves, both inside and out, were slowly and steadily stimulated with the gentlest touches. He inserted a second finger into her, feeling her, focusing on her, her little gasps, her breathing, the colorful variety of emotions displayed on her face.

Viktor had seen enough of those emotions to know just how evocative she was when it came to feeling strongly about something. Never had he imagined he'd start to see a picture painted in his mind of just how she felt about him, how he could make her feel. Her hips began to sway and thrust along with his motions the more he teased her, and he watched as she shut her eyes and began to bite her lower lip. It took everything in him not to bite it himself, just wanting to see her free in her own world when he'd make it explode.

And explode, it did.

He pressed the length of his fingers against her when he thrust them in, making sure they stroked against her clit with each and every move. Occasionally, he'd thrust them deep and let his thumb do the work on her, only to then focus on her insides once more. Eventually, her body couldn't handle it anymore. Her legs pressed tightly against one another, her lower body twitching and throbbing against his fingers. The sweet song that had become her moaning became louder and raspier as V could no longer care about what kinds of sounds she was making. Her chest heaved along with her breathing, making her gorgeous tits rise and fall just beneath him.

Vik leaned in to press a kiss between them, then one right at her throat, until she captured his mouth herself, her moans now turning into tired hums and huffs. He gave her a moment to catch her breath, to wind down a little from her high, before he could even think about continuing. She thought of it before him, it seemed, as he suddenly felt one of her hands stroking along his hard length through his pants.

He shut his eyes, sounding a quiet breathy moan in response to the pleasant surprise. V wasted no time pulling at his pants, so he helped her kick them off immediately. She had to take a second to appreciate just how turned on he was by just kissing and touching her. With gratitude in mind, she took him with her hand, slowly feeling every inch of him with every stroke, readying him for her.

She could hear his pleasure through how heavy he was breathing, through the bobbing of his throat, through the tightening of his fingers around her hair. V smiled at him and whispered, "Let me return the favor."

After a few more seconds of reveling in the pleasure, Vik finally looked at her again and shifted in place. "Maybe next time," he told her. "Tonight's about you," he muttered just above a whisper in a voice that sent a shudder through her body. Pushing off from beside her, Vik reached out for a nearby cushion to tuck it underneath her. He lifted her—without any effort, she noted in excitement—and tucked it comfortably underneath her ass.

Her legs rested around his waist while her hands laid on her own stomach. He took them in his, kissing each of them once and letting go so that he could settle in between her legs. Her hands wrapped around his shoulders and she pulled him in for a sweet kiss while she felt his hand guide his cock to her. He did not enter right away, still lubricating himself by way of teasing her entrance, nice and slow. As much as he loved what it was doing to her, he was driving himself crazy in the process.

"Vik, please," she breathed. "I want you inside me."

The throb in his cock at those words ached. He did not hesitate, pushing himself slowly past her folds and deep into her. Vik cursed out a moan, mumbling something about her being so tight around him. V must have agreed as she gasped and dug her nails into his back. After settling inside her a moment, he slowly pulled himself out to the tip, then back in, over and over until they grew accustomed to each other.

In the matter of a few minutes, Viktor had one hand at her leg to keep her steady as he thrust into her harder and faster. V began to pull his hips into her with each trust, holding onto his back and shoulder for dear life as he hit that spot of hers, over and over. Somewhere between being overcome by the pleasure, and between losing herself in his hold, she sent one of her hands to her clit to aid in that regard. It took very little when accompanied by him and his motions to send her into yet another wave of release.

Her walls tightened and throbbed around his cock, he became certain very quickly that her next release might just be the end of him. Partway through his thrusts, he wrapped his arms around her back and pushed himself up to a seated position with her on his lap.

V let out one loud moan, feeling him sitting so deep inside her. She ground her hips back and forth, feeling him push against her core over and over when she moved at just the right angle. When he began to thrust along to that rhythm, V buried her head into his shoulder. What was intended to be a kiss turned into a nibble, which turned into a bite. Vik groaned in either pleasure or pain, she couldn't quite tell, but she did leave a mark from the intensity of what she felt.

Suddenly, Vik was holding her rather tightly, keeping her steady as his cock pounded into her. He was getting closer and closer, she could feel it. His breaths were shorter, more vocal, his fingers digging into her body in his grasp.

"Viktor," she moaned, nibbling his earlobe before she called to him again. "Oh, Viktor."

He let them fall back against the bed as he thrust into her—hard—calling her name as he released his load right into her, letting ecstasy take over his senses. His hips slowed to lazy rolls while he rode the waves of his orgasm, his arms doing everything they could not to let his body slump over her.

Though, he wasn't entirely sure she couldn't simply toss him aside, after the severe round of ass-kicking she showed off in the ring. Vik laughed breathlessly against her skin, remembering what had lead them here in the first place. It seemed so surreal to be laying with V, of all people, in his little makeshift den, of all places.

When he pulled away to look at her, V was flush with sweat and had pink all across her skin, but particularly her cheeks and nose. She moved some of Viktor's hair out of the way and kissed him once again, a tired sound of contentment humming in her throat.

"Only took you the better part of a year to finally do that," she grinned, looking at his face in her hands.

"It only took you beatin' Razor's ass outta that ring tonight for me to realize how stupid I was to wait this long," Viktor shook his head. "Truth is, I... I didn't wanna ruin a thing."

"And is it?" V raised a brow. "Ruined, that is?"

"Like I said," he smiled at her. "I was real stupid."

V could feel her heart almost implode at his smile. She pushed herself up so that her lips grazed against his only slightly.

"Then I guess we gotta make up for lost time."