After breakfast, Viktor suggested we study together to help me catch up on the material I'd been struggling with. Despite the awkwardness of the morning, I couldn't help but feel relieved. I had come to trust Viktor more than I'd ever expected, and honestly, I didn't want to face the rest of my classes without his help.

"I think we should start with this one," he said, pulling out a textbook and laying it open on the table. "You've done well with the basics, but this section seems to give you the most trouble."

I nodded, trying to shake off the tension lingering from our earlier interactions. We settled in at the table, Viktor beside me, both of us flipping through the pages. As the minutes passed, I felt a sense of familiarity with him. The rhythm of studying, the quiet hum of concentration—everything felt comfortable.

That is, until I hit a particularly tricky problem. The more I tried to work through it, the more I felt my frustration rise. My mind seemed to hit a wall.

"What am I missing?" I muttered under my breath, scribbling notes that didn't make sense.

Viktor glanced at my paper, his brow furrowing as he looked over the problem. "You're overthinking it," he said gently, tapping the page. "Focus on the core concept, not the complex variables. You've got this."

I sighed dramatically and leaned back in my chair, rubbing my temples. "It's not that simple, Viktor. It's not just about the theory; it's—" I paused, feeling the frustration bubbling over. "I don't know. I just can't get it."

My voice was sharper than I intended, but honestly, I was fed up. Viktor was trying to help, but I wasn't in the mood for his overly calm reassurances.

Viktor's gaze shifted from my paper to my face. There was a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. "You're getting ahead of yourself," he said, his tone now a little firmer. "Slow down. You can't force it."

"I'm not forcing it!" I snapped, my hands slamming onto the table. "I'm trying to understand it, but you're just saying the same thing over and over."

Viktor's eyes darkened, and for a moment, he said nothing. The silence stretched between us. He exhaled slowly, then leaned forward, his voice dropping into something quieter and more controlled. "You're not stupid, (Y/N). You're just impatient. You need to calm down before you make yourself crazy. But if you insist on being so damn difficult, I suppose I'll just have to do something about it."

I froze, a chill running through me. His voice had shifted, taking on a dangerous edge. There was something about the way he said it that sent a ripple of heat through my body, and I was suddenly aware of how close we were.

"I'm not being difficult," I muttered, crossing my arms. "I just—"

But Viktor was already standing up, walking around the table to stand beside me. His presence was overwhelming now. "You need to listen" he said, his voice low and commanding. "I'm not going to keep repeating myself. You're going to focus and get this right. Understood?"

My breath hitched in my chest. There was a warning in his tone, but it wasn't just about the studying. It was about something else—something that made me feel both defiant and alive.

"You think I'm going to keep listening to you, when all you've been saying is the same thing! It's not helping or getting me anywhere." I shot back, my voice a little too sharp, a little too defiant for my own good.

Viktor's lips twitched, a dark smile curling at the corners. "I think you're going to listen, or else I might just have to make you." His voice was edged with a dangerous promise, and I couldn't decide whether I was nervous or excited by it.

I rolled my eyes, still refusing to admit how his words were affecting me. "Sure, Viktor. Make me," I taunted, sitting back in my chair, arms crossed like I wasn't feeling every inch of tension building between us.

Viktor's eyes narrowed, his lips pressing together into a thin line. The playful edge in his voice was gone now, replaced by something far more serious. "You really want to keep testing me, don't you?"

I didn't respond immediately. Instead, I just stared back at him, challenging him without a word. But the more I looked at him, the more I realized I was toeing a dangerous line. The heat that had pooled in my stomach was undeniable, even if I was too stubborn to admit it.

Viktor leaned in slightly, his voice lowering to a murmur, full of control. "I think we've had enough of this, (Y/N). If you keep being this stubborn, you're going to have a problem on your hands."

The way he said it, so assuredly, made my pulse race. I couldn't tell if he was talking about the lesson, or something far more complicated. Either way, I was caught in his gaze, unable to look away.

I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came out. Instead, I simply exhaled, feeling a flush creep up my neck.

Viktor exhaled through his nose, his hand resting gently on the back of my chair. "Keep pushing me, and I'll be forced to make you listen one way or another."

I was breathing a little too fast now. A part of me wanted to keep fighting, but another part of me didn't want him to stop.

And that was the dangerous part.