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the-odd-shu · 21 days ago

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No one is coming to save me (Silco x Reader)

Previous Part <- Part 2 -> Next Part

Masterlist:

If you prefer to read on Ao3, you can find the fic here!

Word Count: 12k

Summary: Reader is not beating the stray cat allegations, and a lot of charged looks are exchanged.

Reader uses they/them pronouns.

Every year, Piltover had the same celebration of fireworks and obnoxiously loud music to commemorate the shifting of the summer into autumn.

Every year, the sounds and smells of laughter and good food wafted across the bridge to taunt those living in the Undercity. It was a gross reminder of the financial divide between the opposing sides of the river. The bountiful top, laughing at the pitiful bottom feeders.

You hated them. Gods, you hated them so much. With their fancy clothes, and their obnoxious businesses and ridiculous delicacies-

A kick to your stool jolted you out of your thoughts.

You blinked, frowning when you registered that Vander had disappeared from the other side of the bar. The lights had been dimmed, whereas the bottles lining the far walls had all been neatly returned to their rightful places. The stools to your right were also suspiciously empty of Silco and Felicia, who you swore had been there bickering just moments before with Connol watching on in amusement.

Frowning, you turned to find Felicia dressed in a heavy overcoat and hat grinning down at you. She had left her coat open, displaying her belly which was significantly bigger than it had been a couple months ago. From what you had heard, the babe was growing well, which was better luck than the majority of Zaun’s pregnancies.

“What?” You barked, voice tired and quiet. Perhaps it was closing time already and you hadn’t noticed- “Stop moping, the others are waiting.” You blinked, hand tightening around your mostly empty glass. “Waiting for what?” “For you of course!” Felicia scoffed, pulling a hand from her coat pocket to tug at your sleeve. You were quick to push her hand away, eyes narrowed warningly. She rolled her eyes. “Come on! Or we’re going to miss the fireworks.” With that, she promptly turned on her heel and began striding for the front door.

You watched her stride away with drawn eyebrows. Zaunites weren’t allowed onto Piltover soil during the festivities - not that it was an official law, but the Enforcers lining both sides of the bridge were often a pretty obvious display of intent. Whereas lining the riverbank at this late hour to watch, would be a cold and uncomfortable affair-

“Come ON!” Felicia barked from the door, which she was holding open, revealing her partner, Connel, Vander and Silco all waiting out on the doorstep. All of them were wrapped up warm against the chill in the air.

Connol had been with Felicia tonight when you decided to turn up, which probably should have been your first indication that tonight was different. Usually, whilst Felicia would stop by the bar for a drink and a chat after her long shift in the mines, Connol would head straight home to sleep off his exhaustion. Your paths scarcely crossed because of it.

When had they all gotten out there?

Confused, you shot one last uneasy look across the empty bar, alarm bells going off in the back of your mind. You should have been more perceptive than this. It used to be that someone’s breathing would shift in tempo, and you’d be the first to know they were displeased. And now, these people were carrying out entire tasks, leaving rooms and sneaking up on you without you so much as registering their footsteps.

You were becoming complacent, you realised. Too comfortable.

Felicia loudly called your name again; the warning in her tone growing more severe.

Deciding to just go along with it, you slipped off your stool to follow. Something told you that regardless of how you spun it, you were about to be dragged kicking and screaming into a family tradition regardless. And somehow you knew that even making a run for it would not spare you from what was to come.

Your dinner sat heavy and warm in your belly, prepared and served by Vander as usual alongside the others. It warmed you from the inside out, as you wrapped your flimsy jacket a little tighter around yourself and stepped out of the building.

The autumnal chill hit you like a wall, immediately biting at your cheeks and causing your breath to fog in front of your nose.

Gods, you must have been in the bar long enough to forget just how unforgivingly cold it was getting after sundown. You could already tell that you were in for an uncomfortable night huddled under your blanket, when you eventually returned to your apartment.

As you shuffled further away from the heavenly warmth of the bar, Vander stepped around you to lock the doors.

“Are you going to be warm enough in that?” He absently commented, as the lock turned. “I’ll be fine, Dad.” You replied mockingly, to which his brows jumped up.

Then he shrugged, stepping back and shoving the key deep into the pocket of his thick coat. “Fine, freeze. Just know I’ll be the first to say I told you so.” He said simply before turning on his booted heel and leading the way across the weirdly empty square.

Felicia promptly looped her arm into Connol’s and followed right on Vander’s heels, whilst Silco fell into step three paces behind, also wrapped up in a coat, with a red blanket neatly folded under his arm where his hands were stuffed into his pockets.

A tiny part of you wanted to slip away whilst their backs were turned. That life-long instinct to not follow strangers to secondary locations rearing its ugly head. But you promptly squashed the thought. These weren’t strangers anymore, and you kind of knew where they were leading you anyway.

Shrugging to yourself, and silently deciding to slip away should things take a turn, you followed.

Vander led the little group down several streets, turning down seemingly random side roads without checking the street signs. The others seemed not to care. Felicia was easily carrying the conversation, and took it upon herself to drag Silco or Vander in whenever she wanted to make a point against Connol, who watched her prattle and talk with such a soft look that it made you feel raw just watching him watch her.

You were so engrossed in observing them interact with one another, that it surprised you when Vander abruptly paused at the mouth of a seemingly random alleyway.

“Ah, here we are.” He mused, before striding confidently into the darkness.

To your bafflement, the others didn’t so much as hesitate in following him in, one after the other. Brows drawn together, you paused before the opening between the two buildings, eyes jumping from Silco’s disappearing back to the stretches of empty street on either side of you. There was a measly streetlamp at the end of the path to your left, and nothing else. It would be the perfect place for an ambush.

Felicia’s impatient call of your name made you jump. “Stop being edgy and get your ass down here, Alley Cat. Safety in numbers and all that shit.”

You huffed a laugh at the insult, before gathering your whits and following.

The alley was tight. Barely wide enough for one person to slip through, with tall, dirty brick walls towering high above. And it was dark, which meant you had no choice but to skim a few fingers along the ragged brickwork to follow the path. It was deceptively twisty, you swiftly discovered.

All too quickly, the alley widened out again, and you found yourself in a small pouch of empty concrete behind a third building. A floodlight shone a solid square of obnoxiously harsh white light down on the rest of your group, who turned to watch you slip out of the alley.

You had scarcely stepped into the light before Vander, who had been fiddling with something under the floodlight, let out a victorious little hum, and pulled a fire escape ladder down from the side of the building. The thing was rickety, with its paint peeling off and visible signs of rust, but it remained in one piece, even as it hinges loudly protested being moved.

“Who wants to go up first this year?” Vander asked, hands on his hips. As if they’d been doing this long enough to deduce that taking turns was a necessary evil in the name of fairness.

“It’s my turn,” Felicia was quick to interject, a hand half raised as she eagerly stepped forward.

Vander frowned. “Are you certain? Remember that one year Connol had to fight off that pissy bird?” The man in question winced at the memory, whilst Silco openly snorted.

Felicia fixed Vander with an unimpressed look. “I’m pregnant, not incapacitated.” She told him, with a single pat to her swollen belly, before she strode right past him and took a confident step up onto the ladder. It groaned beneath her weight, but held. Judging by the way she confidently climbed despite the noise, it had a tendency to do that. She kept talking, as Connol stepped forward to follow her up. “Maybe you should focus on your brother instead, Vander, he’s more likely to eat dirt than I am.”

“I’ll be fine.” Silco dryly responded, and Felicia turned mid-step up to shoot him a grin of unfiltered glee. The floodlight illuminated the side of her face and made her teeth glint creepily.

Then her eyes swept to the side and found you already watching her. That grin turned mischievous. “Did we ever tell you of the year that Silco missed a step on the ladder and fell into that dumpster?” “Felicia!” Silco ground out, voice suddenly tight with warning.

“No, you didn’t.” You spoke over him, injecting interest into your voice, to which Silco made an offended noise and shot you a betrayed look.

Felicia shrugged dramatically with one shoulder and hauled herself up the rest of the way and briefly disappeared onto the top of the roof. Silco was the next person up the ladder, with you following, and Vander bringing up the rear. Felicia took great joy in ribbing Silco whilst he was unable to get back at her between climbing and holding onto his blanket.

“It was hilarious.” She teased innocently. “He clambered out of it covered in week-old milk and vegetable shavings, and Vander had to hose him down out front the bar before he’d let him inside for a proper bath.”

“Felicia, I swear, shut up!” Silco warned. “Now, now Felicia, try not to embarrass the poor man.” Vander mused, an equally mischievous glint in his eye. “You might give him performance anxiety.” “My arm is fine! I can climb up the bloody ladder just as well as any of you!” Silco argued sharply. You couldn’t see him very well from your vantage point, but you were fairly certain his ears were reddening.

“I dunno,” Felicia continued, as Silco cleared the top of the ladder. “My ‘ailment’ has nothing to do with my limbs and these guys surely have no faith in me.”

Silco muttered something you couldn’t hear as you hauled yourself up onto the roof and made room for Vander to join you.

Zaun already looked different from up here. The streets were dark, with only dots of lights illuminating the twisting veins of streets breaking up the buildings. Whilst the moon stood valiantly above it all, silently observing whilst offering a strong light.

Illuminated by the moonlight, you watched as Connol tried to interject into the conversation. “Honey,” he said seriously, which immediately got Felicia’s undivided attention on him. “You know that Vander didn’t mean it like that. He was just trying to be considerate.” He spoke softly, reverently, as he slowly reached for one of Felicia’s hands and grasped it between both of his own. His expression was open and loving - almost sickeningly so.

Felicia positively beamed back at him. “I know, Darling.” She reassured him. “I’m just being difficult because I love watching them squirm.” You saw Connol’s adoration for her clearly reflected in her own expression then. And the air was suddenly tense with how obviously they loved one another. It was almost difficult to watch.

Averting your eyes from the display, you accidentally caught Silco’s gaze instead. To which he raised his eyebrows and let out an over the top, exasperated sigh, as if the sight of his friends being so disgustingly in love was a great hardship for him to witness. You found yourself smiling back.

Vander clapped his hands. “Right. Enough exchanging looks everyone, we have a schedule to keep, and a display to get to.” He prompted, like a teacher wrangling his unruly students. “Felicia, lead the way, won’t you?” And so she did.

As before, the group followed Felicia - as they had Vander earlier - across the roof towards a wide plank of wood acting as a precarious bridge to the neighbouring roof. It was practiced ease that had someone holding one end of the plank, whilst the next person carefully crossed.

You had barely crossed the plank, before Felicia was bending her knees and neatly jumping across a second gap, up to a slightly higher, second roof. It was this roof that she stopped leading.

You followed the others up onto it, and found yourself being treated to a fantastically clear view of the bridge and the Piltover palace sprawled out across the horizon line. The roof itself was flat and free of debris, with a crumbled and broken fire escape taking up the stretch of roof furthest from the river.

The others were quick to get comfortable along the edge of the roof overlooking the bridge.

Felicia and Connol sat close to one another, with their feet hanging over the edge, before Connol wound his arm around his partner’s lower back and encouraged her to lean into his side. The whispers they exchanged were too low to make out.

Vander sat himself down further along the roof from them, whilst Silco shook out his blanket before sitting down at his brother’s side closest to his friends. He took great care in arranging the red fabric over his knees, before he set his hands behind him and leaned back onto them.

They looked so comfortable in one another’s company, you were abruptly reminded. Years of existing in each other's space had brought on this easy atmosphere. It had your traitorous mind wondering for just a moment, where could you possibly fit in this dynamic. It was clear they wanted you around, or at least enjoyed your company, or Felicia would have left you behind at the bar tonight. But why? What could you offer this dynamic that they didn’t already have?

“Are you going to sit down?”

You blinked your thoughts away, to find Silco had turned around to glance up at you.

“I-” Your eyes jumped from the open roof on Vander’s other side, to the gap between Silco and Felicia, to the other stretch of roof at Connol’s side. It would be weird for you to take up the middle spot right?

Felicia groaned audibly. “It’s too cold. Come and sit your ass here to give me some warmth.” She smacked the concrete between her and Silco.

You saw immediately through the act. She had Connol wrapped around her, and had enough layers to stave off the light autumn chill. It was just an excuse to help ease you into feeling more comfortable. You were ashamed that it worked.

“Maybe you should have put on more layers.” You lightly scolded, taking the excuse for what it was to sit down in the open spot.

Felicia pulled a face at you, but didn’t argue.

The moment you sat down, the chill of the concrete immediately began to seep into your thighs through your trousers. It wasn’t uncomfortable necessarily, but you could certainly feel how the roof was slowly leeching the warmth out of your legs.

Turning your attention outwards in an attempt to stave off the inevitable shivers, you were surprised to find the rest of Zaun lining up along the river bank below. A couple of other smart families had also chosen suitable roofs to witness the firework display from, but the majority of the city population were thickly crowding the streets below. It was weirdly reassuring to see so many people coexisting for once instead of biting and snapping at each other.

The smell of something warm and herbal wafted over to you on the wind. In your peripheral, you found that Vander had pulled a flask of something steaming out of his pocket, and was lightly blowing on the surface, whilst his large hands overlapped around the narrow torso of the drink.

Connol and Felicia were talking quietly in hushed voices, their inaudible words mixing in with the clammer of hundreds of bodies crowded below.

Across the river, the lights of Piltover dimmed. The council building dissolved into the night sky like a looming shadow giant, whilst the bridge’s presence fell away as its lights were switched off. The noise of the assembled Zaunites abruptly dulled, and your breath caught in your lungs in anticipation.

The entire riverbank seemed to hold its breath as the first firework was shot into the sky. Your eyes tracked it as it rocketed higher and higher, its sparking tail trailing into nothing, as it got lost for a moment amongst the inky blackness of the night and the distant white dotted stars. And then all at once the sky erupted into a shower of gold. Your eyes widened as the roof was bathed in the ochre light of the first firework, the bang roaring across the river a few heartbeats later.

And so the show began in earnest. Fireworks of gold, fuschia and blue erupted across the sky above Piltover, showering the city below in bursts of bright colour. It was a mesmerising display really. Your ears ringing from the constant booming of the previous firework dying out, only for another, bigger, louder one to immediately fill the silence.

You were so transfixed by the display, that you hadn't noticed the goosebumps that had erupted up and down your arms, nor the tremoring shake of your hands clasped tightly in your lap. All of your attention was on the display.

You had never actually sat outside to watch it before today, having instead tucked yourself into bed after exhausting days on the street, whilst silently fuming at the distant and annoying bangs of the celebration obnoxiously keeping you awake.

A gentle touch to your outer thigh, had your attention slamming back to the present as your head sharply snapped down. Silco’s hand froze, where it was trying to drape some of his blanket over your trembling legs. Your breath caught. Your head jumped up to him, but he was stubbornly not looking at you. His eyes laser focused on the ongoing display instead.

His hand remained clenched around the fabric. Hovering. Waiting.

Hesitantly, you took the offered corner, your cold fingers momentarily touching. He didn’t react, so you carefully shuffled closer to the side and draped the skin warmed blanket over your legs.

He did not look at you. So you stopped looking at him.

“Thanks,” you offered under your breath, fairly certain the word had been lost in the wind and another boom of the display before he could hear it.

A tiny smile turned up the corner of his mouth in the next burst of light, suggesting otherwise of course, but you did not dare question it. It was kind of him to share after all. Sweet.

Before you could fully tear your eyes from Silco’s profile, you found Vander watching the pair of you behind him. Your stomach turned at the mischief glinting in his eyes, as his eyebrows wiggled suggestively, all whilst he took an obnoxious slurp out of his flask.

The noise had Silco’s head turning his way. His smile dissolves into a nose wrinkled curl of disgust.

Vander just grinned back, before turning his attention back to the display.

Somehow, it felt like permission, although you could not pinpoint why or what it was for.

You really needed to stop turning up to The Last Drop injured. Not only was it getting boring, but the others were likely to put you on house arrest if you kept getting strikes put on your track record.

The one silver lining today at least, was that you had been injured on a job Vander had asked you and Sevika to complete, which entailed causing a ruckus several streets away from The Last Drop to distract the Enforcer patrols. Which the pair of you had done; beautiful, might you add.

So beautifully, that the price had been both you and Sevika ending up a bit roughed up. And the latter, actively bullying you into letting her help you make your way back to the bar, your arm slung over her shoulder. She had been heading the same way anyway, she tried to reason.

Usually, after a fight the pair of you would ensure the other was able to walk before letting each other slink away to lick their wounds. But apparently not today. Today, Sevika told you with no room for argument, that she would be helping you back to The Last Drop, and then added on something about Vander and threats, but you couldn’t really make out her mumbling.

There were glass shards sprinkled in your hair after all, and long, paper-thin cuts running up your forearms from your run in with a window. You could feel a bruise forming on your ribs too from the rim of the dumpster you’d landed in. The Enforcer who had shoved you, and you had grabbed a hold of, to drag out of the window with you, had landed hard on the concrete, and hadn’t gotten back up.

As Sevika dragged you towards The Last Drop, you idly wondered if his comrades would both to drag his body back across the river or leave him to the rats.

The warmth of the bar swept over you before you could really get into it.

Tonight, important business was being conducted in the belly of the bar, so the establishment was being manned by a Bartender you did not recognise. His eyes briefly flickered up from the customer he was serving when Sevika dragged you into the building, but apart from a tiny nod of acknowledgement and his eye pointedly darting away from the pair of you, he made no move to stop either of you from heading for the back.

The bar was loud tonight. The stereo’s setting turned up to one of its highest, forcing the crowd to yell over one another to compensate. Not even the door to the staircase down into the basement could fully dull the sheer volume of the main room, but then again, that was the purpose. After all, there was no way anyone outside of the meeting room would be able to eavesdrop with all of that going on upstairs.

“Almost there, Runt.” Sevika commentated, more to herself than to you, as she dragged you down the first flight of steps to the corridor of doors. Then she hauled you towards one of the end doors, and promptly kicked the one to the living room open, all before yanking you inside. Perhaps this rough treatment was part of the reason you didn’t normally allow her to assist you in times like these.

You would’ve preferred to have walked into this meeting unassisted, what with the people attending consisting of some Zaun’s most powerful and influential leaders, but Sevika pointedly did not give you an option.

“Let go.” You ground out under your breath, trying to wiggle your arm free of her vice-like hold, to which she just held onto you more firmly. “Sevika!” You hissed, trying again with your most lethal expression levelled at the side of her head, only for your protests to promptly die on your tongue when she glared down at you. Your cheeks promptly lit up with shame and you ducked your head.

In the living room below, the quiet chatter of the meeting had abruptly cut off at your entrance.

As Sevika dragged your battered body down the stairs, you caught sight of the usual bar trio - plus Connol - alongside various shopkeepers, and the leaders of small gangs peering back at you with various levels of unease. How Vander had the reach to be able to get so many of them to agree to meet in one spot, was beyond you. But it was probably helped along by the fact that the bar was openly advertised as neutral ground.

Sevika’s boots hit the cold flagstones first, where she paused and lifted you down the last two steps. You were not limping that badly! You grumbled as such and shot her another glare lethal, to which she blatantly ignored your protests again and set you back down at her side.

“The hell did you do now?!” Felicia’s voice burst out from across the room, having been the first to shake herself out of her shock. Beside her, Connol placed a hand on her knee, both soothing and to keep her seated. His own expression was grim as his eyes cut from the important people assembled in the room, to you and Sevika’s pitiful appearances.

More subtly, you watched with a sinking stomach as Vander sighed and raked a large hand down the side of his face.

Whereas various leaders sat on the opposite sofa on the other side of the coffee table exchanged confused and judgemental glances.

“And who might you be?” One of the braver one spoke up, an older woman with an air of authority and fiery, red hair. She sat straight on her couch cushion, a queen on her throne, despite being squished shoulder to shoulder with the others. Her expression was pinched and professional, her attention almost burning with how intently she looked at you.

“Those would be our Distraction Agents,” Silco of all people spoke up, drawing all eyes away from you and Sevika. He made a show of rising from his chair pulled up alongside the couch Vander was seated on, and motioning for Sevika to bring you forward.

To an outsider, his expression would have been politely composed, if not subtly tight with irritation to being interrupted. To you, he looked panicked.

With a grunt, Sevika wasted no time in hauling you round the back of Vander’s couch to lower you into the offered chair, whilst Silco continued to smooth over the interruption. You winced as the glass stuck in your body jolted from the rough treatment, but otherwise allowed her to work if only to get the humiliation over with quickly.

“-both of whom gave us the necessary opening to have this vital meeting without fear of Enforcer,” Silco paused in his explanation to find the correct phrase, “input.”

The confusion on a few of the newer faces morphed into expressions of understanding at the implication.

Keeping your eyes averted, you tried to arrange yourself into a more presentable seating arrangement, absently noting how Sevika retreated to hover menacingly over Vander’s shoulder behind his couch, whilst Silco remained stood beside your chair, his chin raised and his hands neatly folded behind his back.

From there, the meeting progressed smoothly. They discussed possible riot locations. Weak points within the Topside city, alongside the weaponry currently at their disposal. As well as timings, and named willing Zaunites who could be relied upon to step up when called.

To your relief, you and Sevika had joined during the tail end of the meeting, which finally began to wrap up a little after midnight, where the leaders and shopkeepers politely thanked Vander and began to filter out of the room.

Above, the din of the bar was beginning to wind down too.

As the last of the leaders filtered out, you slumped back against the backrest of your chair with a groan, the steady throb of the glass and cuts steadily beginning to consume more of your attention. Gods, what an evening.

The door at the top of the stairs had scarcely clicked shut, before Vander suddenly rounded on you. You yelped at the unexpected attention, your head instinctively ducking to avoid his burning glare.

In your peripheral vision, Silco also turned to you. His hip jutted out in the way that suggested he had crossed his arms and was also giving you a sharp, disapproving look.

You didn’t even want to look at Felicia.

Gods, when had you become so embedded in this bar and its community that you knew their reactions without looking. And when had you begun to care that you had concerned them?

“What the hell happened?” Vander ground out between tightly set teeth, his voice practically oozing with poorly concealed rage. “I asked you to distract the patrols, not offer yourself up as a punching bag.”

His choice of words stroked the defiant part of you that despised being talked down to. Abruptly, your unease and guilt mutated into annoyance as you levelled a sharp look his way.

Obviously, you didn’t look that bad. Maybe a little black and blue, with a few cuts here and there, but that was it. The other assholes looked far worse. There was no way this universal reaction was proportionate to the state of you.

“Still in one piece, aren’t we?” You challenged, to which Vander broke eye contact to squeeze his eyes closed and take a calming breath, which, rude.

Sevika, ever fearless, outright snorted at the entire display, as she limped her way round the couch to the newly vacated sofa on the other side of the coffee table. With a grunt, she sat down on one of the cushions, before spinning and laying herself down on her back. “Believe it or not,” she said calmly, kicking off her shoes and stretching out her legs, “that was tame for us.” Silco clicked his tongue in disbelief. “Really?” He asked dangerously, arms still crossed. “Because your comrade looks as though they were recently shoved through a wall.” Sevika chuckled then. “Close,” she congratulated him with a lift of her brows. “It was actually a window.”

Silco’s eyebrows jumped as his head snapped down to you, where you again ducked your head and averted your eyes.

“A second story window at that.” Sevika helpfully added, which had Vander slumping back against the backrest and groaning into his hand, whilst Felicia’s mouth audibly dropped open.

“You are not helping!” You hissed at your comrade, who simply grinned with too many teeth. She was clearly enjoying embarrassing you.

“What?” She challenged, “scared they’ll realise what a reckless idiot you are?”

“Shut. it.” You warned, eyes narrowing.

Silco shifted in the edge of your vision. You ignored him.

Sevika sat up then. Her movements slow and dangerous. Deliberate. And her brows began to draw together, as a look of mock realisation spread across her features. “No.” She drawled with mock surprise. “You’re scared they’ll think you’re incapable-”

And there went your composure. Your expression hardened as you slammed your hands down on the armrests of your chair and tried to lunge across the coffee table at her.

Vander’s head snapped up out of his hands in bewilderment, at the same time Silco lunged for your shoulders. His arms wrapped tight around your upper torso, driving slices of glass deeper into your flesh, but you didn’t care. This was why you didn’t want Sevika and The Last Drop to collide. You didn’t need her coming in here, revealing shit that had nothing to do with these people. She had seen you at your lowest. Had watched you fight and kill. Had watched in fascination as you peeled yourself off of bloodied floors, and scrambled to get back up after a heavy blow.

Before the bar, she was the closest thing you’d had to a friend. And she was about to shatter whatever careful persona you’d built for yourself here.

Even Felicia was looking at you with different eyes. As if you were suddenly some wild animal, instead of the introverted stray cat she’d always joked you were.

And like a fool, Sevika continued to provoke you. “Awe, sorry, Runt. Am I embarrassing you?” Sevika taunted, eyes glinting with challenge, stroking the part of you that wanted to stab her eye out for being so blatantly irritating.

“I’ll show you incapable, Asshole!” You snarled back, ceasing your mindless lunging, to instead bring up your leg and grab for your knife tucked into the back of your boot. To which Silco made a panicked noise and tried to grab at your wrist.

The pair of you struggled for a moment. Sevika relaxing back against her couch, whilst you tried to ward off Silco’s attempts to snatch the knife from your hold.

“Fuck off!”

“Stabbing her isn’t going to solve the problem-” “No! Actually. It very much will!”

“Alright you two, that’s enough.” Vander tried to referee, but this wasn’t a verbal sparring match between you and Felicia.

This was a slight. Sevika knew which buttons to press, and she knew what reaction it would get her. In some twisted way, it was her version of ensuring you were okay. Like how you would kick a cat to see if it was still alive enough to scratch. It was the kind of care you’d been used to, before stumbling into The Last Drop and glutting yourself on Vander’s unique version of concern.

“No no, let them-” Sevika tried to get Vander to back off. Only for her words to die on her tongue, when you finally shoved Silco’s hand off, and THREW the blade at her head. The weapon embedded itself blade down in the wall beside her ear. Close enough for her baby hairs to jump from the wind of it zinging past her cheek.

“Not bad.” She calmly complimented, “for a glass shard pin cushion.”

“I have two more if you want to keep running your mouth.” You told her bluntly, as Silco took advantage of your distraction to shove you back down into the chair. He had a weird expression on his face now. Something that could have been fear, or could have been exasperation.

“Na, I’m good. The whole, cowering whilst getting scolded look, was just freaking me out.” Sevika waved you off, effortlessly yanking the blade from the wall to toss back to you.

Felicia made a short, cut off noise as the blade was momentarily air borne, before you snatched its hilt from the air and smoothly returned the thing to your boot.

For a moment the room was still, before Vander shook himself out of his bewilderment, and turned to Sevika to ask her for further details on your side of the mission. She straightened in her seat, before explaining what had happened.

“-the Runt got a little too into it towards the end,” she finished reporting with a tired sigh. “Goaded one of the stronger Blue Bellies into tackling them, only they both went out the window.” Vander sighed again. He and Sevika share a long suffering look of camaraderie. He turned to you, one eyebrow raised. “And what do you have to say for yourself?”

You gave him a dangerous little grin. “That I won.”

Vander blinked down at you in confusion, eyes briefly jumping up to Silco who audibly shrugged. “How do you win by getting shoved out of a window?” The former asked carefully.

“Well,” you replied seriously, because the answer was obvious. “Because I got up after. He didn’t.”

Which was true, because you had fallen into a dumpster instead of landing on the concrete, like the Enforcer. And where you’d been simply bruised, the other guy hadn’t been so lucky.

Vander’s eyes jumped to Sevika, who just shrugged at his helpless look. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” She said as if Vander had spoken. “But they came to find me right after. I’d barely dealt with my own Enforcer when they strolled in like nothing had happened. I swear, this one is like a cockroach. No matter what happens, they always manage to get up again.”

“It’s why you keep me around.” You helpfully supplied and she snorted.

“And why I can’t get rid of you.” She playfully added, although there was no bite to her words this time.

Winter had fully set in.

Nights spent on your thin mattress with your blanket wound tight around your shivering frame, were miserable. As always when the frost set in, food across Zaun went up in price as Piltover took the better part of the shares. What you couldn’t buy or forage for yourself, you went without.

The cold made people desperate. Made the most despairing of the Undercity turn on each other in search of payment from the enemy, since betrayal was preferable to starvation. As such, your face began turning up on wanted posters, alongside Sevika’s and a few other stranglers you’d teamed up with on odd jobs throughout the year. The Enforcer’s had withdrawn their patrols from the depths of the Lanes to monitor the bridge and the main roads, but that just left the streets full of potential rats waiting for you to show your face.

You ventured out as little as possible. Ducking out of your home when the hours were quiet and cold to acquire more food or attempt to hunt down a job. It was on one of these desperate runs, that you found yourself on a road that passed The Last Drop. As always, it was the smell of something delicious cooking that had your footsteps pausing, and your hollow stomach twisting with sheer want.

Eyes hungry, you stood in the shadow of a building across the square as the bar buzzed with life. Even from where you stood, you could tell that the tables within were full. There was music blaring and actual laughter filtering out through the windows. The place was alive with restless energy and joyous shouts, that the rest of Zaun failed to muster at this time of year.

It was a stark contrast from the frozen alleyways and slow moving crowds you had grown accustomed to seeing since the first snowfall.

Against your better judgement, you found yourself striding towards the building instead of steering clear of it. With the establishment so full and your face on the wanted posters, you knew it would be suicidal to step inside, but at the same time, your fingers were so cold you could scarcely feel them. And you had hardly spoken to another person in weeks.

You were tired, and cold and feeling a little reckless. So, keeping your hood pulled down low over your eyes, you slipped inside, and wove through the crowd in search of a quiet place to hide. There was a small table left empty in one of the side alcoves, its tealight set in the centre of the tablecloth burning low.

The smell of whatever Vander was cooking had your hollow stomach writhing with want. But you made no move to approach the bar. Not tonight. You would just stay here until the cold seeped out of your limbs and you could flex your fingers again.

Instead, you subtly turned your head to check that no one had noticed you, before you sank down into the vacant seat and slumped back against the backrest. No one seemed to blink twice at the sight of another hooded figure taking up residence at an empty table. Despite the warmth of the bar, the cold still lingered, so several people still had hats on to keep ears warm, or their hair tucked close to their necks to ward off the chill.

The crowd tonight was thick enough that you felt safe to linger in the warmth, and satisfy your hunger through smell alone. Just being out of your apartment was more filling than any cold meals you’d scrapped together in the last month.

Gods, you felt like shit. But also weirdly raw. Where usually, this state would have you crawling into a hole to die, tonight, you couldn’t stomach the idea of going home to your still, silent apartment. Even if you weren’t here to socialise, you also knew that you needed company. Even just people around, despite not being part of the crowd.

The month of laying low and steering clear of the patrols and hiding your face from civilians had definitely taken its toll on you. You were jumpy. Even more so with how aware of your hunger you were. Your body was running on fumes, a persistent shake to your hands and a hollowness to your cheeks that you only ever saw in the mirror around this time of year.

It would have been pathetic if it wasn’t such a common sight in the Undercity. Clothes that hung off of bodies rather than wrapped around them, and belts had had to be cinched tighter and tighter as winter persisted.

The movement of a confident figure weaving through the crowd drew your attention up from the tea light burning low in front of you. It was a server, you observed, carrying a tray laden with bowls of soup.

She was not anyone you’d seen working at The Last Drop before. But judging by the apron and the ease in which she wove between full tables and rowdy patrons, she had been working here long enough to have worked out the lay of the land. Perhaps Vander had needed additional help. Or more likely, someone had come in looking for a meal without enough coin to pay for it, and had offered labour in return.

Knowing Vander, he would have let her run off scott free after having her fill, but his brand of care was always jarring to come across when one was so unused to kindness. Especially if you didn’t know him very well.

With quiet interest, you watched the new server make a beeline towards a table a few over from your own, where a couple and their son sat nursing drinks. She greeted the women with a cheerful smile, and began setting down a bowl in front of their son, only for one of them to begin shaking her head. “I’m sorry, but we didn’t order any food.”“It’s on the house.” The Waitress easily reassured, clearly having repeated the same phrase all night. The words had you smiling despite yourself because of course Vander would be giving out free food. “The Boss made too much, so you’d be doing us a favour in helping us get rid of it.” The woman who had spoken smiled tightly, seemingly unsure whether to believe her, whilst her partner carefully pushed the bowl already on the table towards the boy, who’s eyes hadn’t left its steaming contents since it had been placed on the table.

“Love.” The Partner quietly spoke, her smile reassuring as she put her hand to her Wife’s arm, who seemed to relax. “Thank you.” She told the Waitress, who just smiled and set down another two bowls for each of them, before continuing to another table with empty bowls set to the side.

Where the boy immediately dug in and practically groaned in delight at the taste, his parents were more hesitant in dipping their spoons into their bowls. As if they expected the Waitress to come back tutting and immediately snatch back the food.

You were so engrossed in watching the couple relax, that you were startled when a shadow suddenly appeared at the other end of your little table, and leaned over to set down a steaming bowl of soup before you. Eyes wide, your head jerked up as a spoon was carefully slid across the table as well.

“Could I get you a drink to go with that?” Silco asked, tone polite but disinterested. He also wore an apron, and had his hair pulled back into a low bun. He looked good. Healthy in a way that suggested Vander’s warm cooking and consistent meals.

Those piercing blue eyes connected with your own beneath the shadow of your hood, and his breath visibly stilled in his chest. His brows jumped before, he tucked his empty tray under his armpit and drew closer.

He quietly said your name, brows drawing together now as he squinted. You unstuck your lips from one another, ready to deny it in a made up voice, or rapidly dismiss yourself, only for him to suddenly snort and straighten up. The professional mask slipped away beneath a lopsided grin as he said playfully, “we have to stop meeting like this.”

And oh, you hadn’t realised how much you’d missed him. It had scarcely been a full season since you’d last spoken, but just those words alone soothed something jagged in you.

Silco’s tray found its way onto the table, as he pulled out the chair opposite you and sat down heavily. “So, what corner of the Undercity have you been hiding in lately?” He asked conversationally, limbs loose and relaxed as you remained rigid and quiet. “We haven’t seen you in weeks. Vander was getting ready to call for a search party, and Felicia was threatening to hunt you down herself.”

Yep, that sure sounded like them.

“The parts that are the least overrun by Enforcers.” You returned, voice tight and sore from disuse.

Silco huffed as if he completely understood where you were coming from. “Tell me about it, they’ve been relentless lately. We can scarcely get through a night without a patrol of them coming in demanding to search the patrons, and you don’t even need me to tell you how that goes down with Vander.”

And off he went into a little rant, immediately sweeping you away in the calming cadence of his voice. Enough that you felt your shoulders begin to loosen. Emboldened by his calmly spoken complaints, you sat back in your chair, head tilted in a way that had your hood sliding down the back of your head a little, revealing more of your face to the soft lighting of the room.

Silco’s eyes roamed over your face, a small smile on his face, before his words trailed off, and that smile began to dissolve. His brows knotting as those eyes jumped all over your expression, and you subconsciously rubbed at your cheek. Did you have something on your face? You hadn’t even taken a bite of soup yet, despite your rumbling stomach, so there couldn’t be any on your cheeks.

“-what happened to you? You look awful.” Silco suddenly blurted, and you frowned. Dramatically, you glanced down at yourself. Sure, your clothes had seen better days, but surely you didn’t look that bad. You weren’t even bleeding this time.

“Uh, thanks?” You replied sharply.

Silco looked like he wanted to kick himself. “No, not that you look bad.”

You decided to rib him a little for his clumsy wording. “No, of course not. You used the word ‘awful’.”

“Well, yes, because you look half starved.” He tried to argue to which you calmly reminded him, “it’s winter, Silco.”

He just frowned harder, before reaching across the table to push your bowl closer to you. “Yes, it is.” He agreed, “but if it had gotten this bad I would have assumed you would be smart enough to come to us for help.” You scowled then. “I’d like a to-go box, please. The unwanted rant is not complimenting the meal at all.”

He pulled a face, and pulled his hand back to his side of the table. “Oh, stop being difficult. You know this sort of talk isn’t one of my strong suits.”

“Yeah. You’re terrible at it.” You agreed, and he huffed out a little laugh.

For a moment, the din of the bar filled in the silence between you as Silco’s eyes dropped to the table where a finger was idly tracing the uneven woodgrains. Taking the opportunity, you took up your spoon and finally shovelled a mouthful of warm soup onto your tongue, and oh by the gods was it good!

So good that for several desperate mouthfuls, you forgot about the company you were keeping as you fully devoted yourself to consuming as much soup as humanly possible. Vaguely, you could hear one of the women you’d been watching earlier, giggling at the display, but you couldn’t find it in you to care.

“Gods I have missed Vander’s cooking.” You said aloud, when your belly was finally full enough that you could think about speaking in between mouthfuls.

Silco huffed out a breath but did not laugh. His attention was still on the table when he spoke up again. Either feeling too raw to meet your gaze, or wanting to give you a moment of privacy, you did not know. “You know, if you had sent word that the Enforcers were so relentless, we would have come to you, right?” “No.” You returned dismissively, pausing to scrape up another spoonful. “You wouldn’t have, because that would have been a stupid thing for me to ask or expect. You guys have lives to live, a bloody business to run. And last I checked, you don’t do home delivery.”

Silco’s look of offense morphed into fondness at the last part. “Yeah well, close friends are the exception.” He said softly. So softly, that it had alarm bells going off in the back of your head.

Your spoon froze halfway to your mouth, and you were about to correct him, when someone new approached your table.

“So sorry to interrupt folks,” Vander said by way of introduction, “but Silco, I have bowls needing to go out. Socialise in your own time-” His eyes jump up to you at the other end of the table, an apology half formed on his lips before he froze at the sight of you. Which, come on! You did NOT look that bad.

It was eerie to see Vander so still.

“Actually,” you tried to joke, “I was promised a drink, and your employee here has rudely not delivered.” Your words fell flat, and Vander did not move.

Instead, he stood menacingly on the other end of the table and simply said, “you.” And oh fuck, that’s the kind of expression that has you running away from a fight instead of reaching for a knife.

“Uh, hi?”

“Vander-” Silco jumped in, tone warning, but Vander completely ignored him, in favour of stealing a chair from a nearby table and loudly setting it down beside Silco’s chair.

His eyes burned, as he put his elbows on the table and leaned in close, something like rage bubbling low in his voice as he hissed out. “Do you want to tell me why I’ve had Enforcers knocking on my door, asking to put up your wanted poster all over the fucking place?!”

His fury made you bristle. “Was it a good photo at least?”

Silco snorted, and Vander shot him a disapproving glare. Undeterred, Silco replied, “of course not. They fucked up your ears for sure, and your nose looked all kinds of wrong-” “Silco.” Vander said sharply, “Go man the bar.” Silco tilted his head dangerously, an unspoken challenge in the way he sat back in his chair and crossed his arms instead of getting up to comply. “I don’t think I will.”

Vander’s anger visibly began to simmer, and you tried to step in before he could explode. Clearly, the man was under a lot of stress. “Guys, can we not have a pissing contest right now-” “Don’t you start.” Vander rounded on you, “I am furious with you!”

You scoffed in disbelief. “Why? I haven’t even been here to piss you off?”

Vander’s rage flared, and ah, there was the problem. “Exactly!” He snarled, loudly enough for a couple of heads to turn your way. “No note! No heads up that you were going away for a few months. I thought you were fucking dead!”

“I just haven’t had time to stop by.” You tried to defend yourself, but he was having none of it.

“I don’t care! Not even Sevika has seen you around lately-” “You were asking Sevika about me again?!”

“What was I supposed to do-?” “Keep your big nose out of my business!” You roared back. “Who do you think you are? My fucking guardian angel? You may be a year or two older, Vander, but that doesn’t make you the fucking boss of me. Do you understand?” Vander’s expression had lost some of its sharpness, and had instead become almost sad. “I’m just looking out for you.” You rolled your eyes in the face of his concern, watching real offence slide onto Vander’s expression.

“Oh, I see how it is.” You mused, tone suggesting just how ludicrous you thought he was being. “So you feed me sometimes? Talk to me every now and again? And that suddenly makes us fucking friends, does it?”

“Why do you have to say it like that? Like I’m being ridiculous?” “Are you even listening to yourself right now?” You countered, “because what you’re saying right now, Vander, is fucking stupid.” “Well too bad, because I surely think of you as my friend. And I look out for my friends.”

You scoffed again. “You can’t be friends with every stray that wanders in here.” “Watch me.” He challenged outright, crossing his arms and levelling you with a look that just oozed stubborn determination.

From his seat, Silco outright chuckled. His head had been snapping to and fro between you and Vander throughout the entire debate. Where he found amusement in what was being said, you had no idea.

“I would quit whilst you’re ahead.” The man advised you lightly, “he is undefeated in this kind of thing. The only reason I ended up hanging around, was because he bullied me into it.” And yeah, you could see that happening rather easily. Not that Silco seemed even half as resistant as he pretended to be.

The smile that stretches onto Vander’s face from the fond comment was reserved and small, but it was no doubt there. “You would know, you’re the original stray, aren’t you Silco?” The man teased fondly, to which Silco kicked him under the table and waved him off. You noted how he did not deny the claim however.

“All that aside,” Vander continued, eyes jumping back to you. “What in The Lanes did you do to get on Top Side’s wanted list?”

You shrugged. “Winter makes Piltover’s hunting dogs bored. Someone from the window fiasco saw my face and spread it to their commander, simple as that. Sevika’s got a poster or two floating around too.”

Vander sighed heavily at your explanation. “Well then, it’s settled. You’re spending the night here.” You snorted at his sudden conclusion. “Like fuck I am.”

“Why do you always make things so difficult? I’m trying to help you-” “No, fuck off with that shit. I don’t need your fucking protection. I can take care of my damn self.”

“Clearly.” Vander replied simply, motioning to your gaunt cheeks.

You narrowed your eyes at him. “I don’t need your pity. Or your concern.” You warned him, “just keep my name out of your mouth, and stop drawing attention to me.” Vander frowned. “You know, the pattern I’ve picked up on, is that people tend to be safer when they’re known to be associated with this place.” He motioned to the bar.

“Oh really,” you challenged, “well, my continued existence in this hell hole of a city, suggests that laying low and remaining in the background works out just as well.”

“And how’s that going for you?” Vander retorted. “You’re reduced to cowering in the shadows. That’s not living-”

“Nor is hiding under your stupid bar!”

“Vander!” A new voice interrupted your fight before it could pick up pace again. “Vander!” The voice yelled out, louder and more insistent as the Waitress from before suddenly burst out of the crowd.

Vander sat up straighter in his chair. His undivided attention on the girl as she scrambled for the correct words. “Enforcers!” She blurted out, startling a couple of the tables closest to yours. She winced and lowered her voice before continuing. “Enforcers are trying to get in. I’ve got the boys manning the door, but they want to do a sweep.”

“At this hour?” Silco ground out, sounding royally pissed.

Vander just sighed, and pushed himself up to his feet. Like the smug bastard he was, he shot you a meaningful look. “Looks like your lying low shtick isn’t working out so well, is it?”

“You’re not seriously implying that I led them here, are you?” You retorted, to which Vander shook his head.

“You’re not the only fugitive hiding out beneath this roof, and you won’t be the last.” He turned to go, pausing when your chair made a loud squeak as you shoved it back and rose to your feet. The determination on your face had Vander already beginning to shake his head despite you not yet having uttered a word.

“Not that I’m trying to repay you for the meal or anything,” you began seriously, to which both brothers fondly shook their heads. “But how dramatic of a distraction do you want?” Vander’s eyebrows jumped at the offer. “Don’t be daft.” He told you firmly, “I’ll deal with this. You keep your head down like you always do.”

With that, he followed the Waitress into the crowd. “Bobby! I’ve told you, no RUNNING in the bar!” His voice boomed out amongst the din, before his voice became indistinguishable from the rest.

Across the table, Silco rose to his feet with a sight. Carefully, he picked up your empty bowl and spoon, and set them on his tray, before stepping out from in front of his chair and neatly tucking it in. “Come on. Best we get you to the back before they start scouring the tables.”

There was no force behind his words. No compulsory element that made your hackles raise, or your body instinctively want to break away from him and escape. It was a solution. A safe alternative to simply making a run from it.

Hesitantly, you followed his lead. Head turning to the front of the bar, where you could vaguely make out Vander’s back amongst the sea of bodies, alongside the blue uniform of several Enforcers. “Will he be okay?” You asked, noting the tension to Vander’s shoulders. “Against the Enforcers?” Silco asked, following the direction of your gaze before shrugging. “If anything, he needs the confrontation to get some stress out.” Turning neatly on his heel, Silco began to lead you away from the front of the building towards the counter and the door to the back. You fell into step a few paces behind, moving slow and casual, so as not to draw the eye of the enemy.

Silco was still talking as he set his tray down on the counter, before heading to the basement door. “Please excuse Vander’s brashness. He’s had a lot on his shoulders lately. All these people needing help sets him on edge, and he gets into this mood that’s hard to pull him out of.” The man let out a fond sigh, as he turned the handle and began to descend the steps, “but that’s Vander for you. Always the bleeding heart.”

He paused on the fourth step down, turning to glance up at you hovering in the doorway. “What is it?” He asked patiently.

“Nothing. I’m just debating how quickly I can make it to the back exit before you or Vander catch me.” Silco rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t try it if I were you. You look like you’re about to keel over. You won’t make it five steps.” He must have seen the spark of challenge that the playful words ignited in you, because he took a hasty step back up and added enticingly, “I have my blanket already downstairs and a roaring fire going.”

You made a contemplative face. “Keep going, I’m almost tempted.”

He huffed a laugh. “You mentioned that you missed Vander’s cooking. How about a second bowl of soup? I’ll even bring you a drink this time.”

You sighed. “You drive a hard to resist bargain, Mr.” “Good.” He said, “you can rest for a bit, get some more food in you, and then maybe Vander will let you go home.”

“Oh, so I’m a captive now, am I?” You joked.

“You catch on fast.” Silco complimented with a small smile. And this time when he hesitantly took a step back down, you decided to follow him.

Something loosened in his face at the compliance, and without another word, he led you to the living room, which was in fact deliciously warm. The fire had been built high, and had bathed the room in a pleasant, orange glow.

Drawn to the spot on the couch closest to the flames, you were too weak to resist slumping down on the comfortable cushions face first and letting out a delighted groan. You got his blanket thrown over your head for your troubles, but the position was too fantastic for you to care much.

Your mattress back home had several springs that dug into you regardless of how you positioned yourself on it. The couch by comparison, was like laying on a cloud. The thick blanket obscuring your upper body from view was just a bonus.

Footsteps beyond the wall of red fabric had your eyes slipping open again. Silco was laughing quietly to himself as he drew closer and set something down on the coffee table. A boot lightly tapped the fingers of the hand hanging over the side of the couch and resting against the rough rug.

You grumbled and withdrew the hand. Snaking it back up the side of the couch to curl it against your chest.

Another huff, before gentle fingers curled around the edges of the blanket and pulled it back enough for you to catch sight of his soft expression.

Between the warmth, and the reassurance of having someone else to watch your back whilst you rested, your eyelids were already beginning to droop.

“Don’t slip out without saying goodbye,” Silco warned quietly, softening his voice when he realised how difficult you were finding it to keep from drifting off. “Or I’ll rally half of the Lanes to hunt you down.” The firm look in his eye told you just how serious he was being, so you nodded once to let him know that you were listening. “Here’s the key to the door if you’re going to have a nap,” he pulled said key out of his pocket to show to you before he set it down on the coffee table beside what you realised was another bowl of gently steaming soup and a glass of water. When he’d disappeared to go retrieve either, you had no idea. “I’m heading back upstairs to help run the food, so I’m going to lock you in with Vander’s spare.”

Which was kind of sweet. Your inability to willingly fall asleep without a locked door between you and the outside world hadn’t come up more than once before. To think that he had remembered, let alone was going out of his way to help you feel safe and secure, was endearing.

“Of course, if you don’t want us to be able to come in or out whilst you’re asleep, just leave this key in the back of the lock. I’ve woken up one too many times to Vander just looming at the end of the couch because he wasn’t sure how to wake me up without getting stabbed.”

You didn’t think you’d ever heard Silco talk so much in such a short amount of time before. It was cute. How he rambled and went down a mental checklist to attend to your needs. A stark contrast to the bumbling Waiter who had tried to check on your well being earlier. It seemed that actions of care came easier to him than soft, careful words.

“Now if you need anything-” “Silco.” You interrupted.

He bit off his sentence and turned his full attention down to you. “Yes?” “Thank you.” You said, and you both knew it wasn’t just gratitude for the soup.

His eyes widened a fraction, before he promptly swept the look aside and nodded once. With that, he let the blanket fall back over your head, to which you spluttered and wiggled to poke your head out from under it. “Don’t mention it.” He said firmly, his footsteps light on the stairs as he showed himself out.

The door closed behind him with a click. The fire popped and crackled in the grate, as you wiggled to get even more comfortable on the couch, sprawled out on your belly with your head pillowed under one of your arms.

Sleep crept up on you more quickly than it had in months. Distantly, you heard the click of a lock at the top of the stairs, and felt the last dregs of your hypervigilance melt away as the remaining tension melted from your limbs. You fell into a deep, all consuming sleep.

So deep, that when you eventually came to, you briefly did not know where you were. It was the familiar softness of the blanket pulled over your body and the absence of cold after so many weeks of shivering, that had you remembering your stupid decision to venture into The Last Drop despite the risks.

You turned your head, and there was still a glass of water and bowl of soup on the table. Although the bowl had been switched out for a different one, the food inside was still steaming, suggesting someone had recently checked in on you and given you a warm replacement. The thought did not send panic spiking through you, but instead filled you with further warmth.

Deciding not to dwell on the feeling too much, you dragged yourself up into a sitting position. The absence of aches and pains was almost a surprise. You shoved that thought aside too, and swung your legs down to the floor so you could pick up the spoon and get another meal in you. Hunched over the coffee table, swimming in the blanket, you dug in. The soup made you almost too warm, but you revelled in it. After being cold for so long, being able to sweat felt like a luxury.

There was a click of the lock above, and then the creak of the door being carefully pushed open. The hand not occupied with your spoon instinctively began to slide towards your boot, only to fall still when Silco closed the door behind him and began to climb down the stairs.

There was a weight to his strides now. A slant to his shoulders and the way he held his head that spoke of your ‘nap’ being more than a quick ten minutes.

“The Enforcers are gone.” He said by way of greeting. You expected him to set his bowl and spoon down on the opposite couch, or to at least set his stuff down in front of the other couch cushion. But nope, he put it down practically on top of your own, paused long enough to untie and toss aside his apron, before sitting down heavily beside you.

The warmth of his body sent tingles across your skin, and stalled your mind. Leaving him enough of an opening to begin to tug at the blanket wrapped tightly around your shoulders.

“Hey!” You protested, dropping your spoon, to curl your fingers into the corners.

Silco huffed. “Just give it!”

He pried a corner out of your hands. You lunged for it. “Oi! You’re letting out all the heat.” “It’ll come back faster with two bodies.” He bit back, shoving your hands away, before giving the blanket a firm tug that freed a second corner. With a practiced smoothness, he pulled the corner in his hand over his shoulder, and slid even closer to you. Leaving the pair of you sandwiched together under it. “Besides it is my blanket, so I am entitled to at least half of it.”

“Yeah, well, finder’s keepers.” You returned, but did not try to reclaim the stolen corners.

He did however, keep one nimble hand tightly wrapped around the corner pulled over his shoulder, as he picked up his spoon and dug into his meal with the other.

The pair of you fell into a comfortable silence whilst you finished eating. The scrape of spoons at the bottom of bowls accompanied by satisfied sighs. After which Silco slumped back against the backrest and allowed his eyes to slip closed in what you could only to describe as bliss, whilst you pulled your knife out of your boot, and your whetstone from your pocket to give the blade some TLC. It hadn’t seen much action since your self-imposed hibernation, and as a result, you’d ended up neglecting its care. A wrong easily righted with a little time and care.

The fire was burning low and in need of a restock of fuel when the door to the living room unexpectedly BANGED open and cracked against the wall like a gunshot.

Silco snapped bolt upright from his nap, eyes wide and his head whipping round. Only to end up being shoved straight back down and out of your line of fire as you launched your knife at the person standing in the doorway.

Your mind supplied you with Enforcers. The panic had you scrambling for a second knife, whilst Silco remained pressed back against the back of the couch by the hand splayed firmly across the centre of his chest.

Sevika’s impressed whistle had all thoughts of threats and escape melting out of your limbs.

Fingers falling loose around the hilt of the second knife, you found her stood with one hand still holding the door open, as she contemplated the blade embedded in the wood a mere hair’s breadth from the tip of her nose.

With a sigh of relief, you unlocked the muscles in your other arm to let Silco sit forward again. He remained exactly where he was. Now fully awake and staring at you with a look of shock. You ignored him in favour of watching Sevika yank your knife out of the door.

“Some backbone you have, Runt.” She said dangerously. “Disappearing on me, then trying to kill me when I’m already fucking pissed at you.” “Oh fantastic.” You drawled back, eyes tracking her as she slammed the door closed behind her and started striding down the stairs. “Are you here to claim we’re best friends too?” “No.” Sevika said, with a suitable amount of distaste. “I’m here to kill you after you disappeared on me without warning, and got me to genuinely begin worrying you’d died in an alleyway somewhere.” “Oh fuck off. We didn’t have any jobs scheduled.” “That is besides the fucking point!” She bellowed back, now stood at the end of the couch, glaring daggers at you.

Silco - who had the misfortune of now being sat between you two - glanced back and forth between you with noticeable uncertainty.

The movement had Sevika’s dangerous eyes locking onto him. “Oi, Little Man.” His face contorted into offence. “Me?”

She made a show of looking around, then fixed him with another sharp, unimpressed glare. “Yes, you! Go back upstairs and get me a tankard of something strong. And a bowl of whatever Vander is cooking. I’ll keep an eye on the Runt, so they don’t scamper off.”

“Sure, but-” “I wasn’t asking you, just do it.”

He glared back at her, before shooting you an equally unimpressed look. You simply shrugged. “She’s a softie deep down. I’ll be fine.” “Don’t make me come over their Runt.” Sevika warned, even as she strode over to the other sofa, barely sparing you a second glare.

Her threat was a hollow one, and it made you shake your head.

You felt safe in the basement of The Last Drop with these people, despite the Enforcers who had almost discovered your here. And you suspected it was because you knew that they would not be able to get to you. Not with these two idiots and the one upstairs looking out for you. Watching your back.

Which was a weird thought, since scarcely a year ago, you couldn’t have imagined being this comfortable around anyone. Let alone Sevika. But here you were.

It was snowing tonight. Not raining. Not hailing. But actually snowing.

The dirty streets of the Undercity were lightly powdered with purifying white. They wouldn’t stay that way for long of course. Many boots would gradually work it all into a muddy slush, but for now, it was a nice thing to notice.

It was fucking cold though. The breeze was biting, even in a shirt and jacket. You tucked your head down into your collar, hands in your pockets.

The warm, orange light of the Last Drop pooled across the snow of the courtyard. Within, the building was full to bursting with bodies again. Folks hoping to hide from the cold and enjoy some good food and company for a little bit. Hoping to lose themselves in bets and games, to stop from longing for the ice to thaw.

You trudged past. Snow lightly freckling your cheeks.

The door creaked open behind you. Someone lightly called your name. Softly enough that you could easily ignore it. Pretend you hadn’t heard.

You turned anyway. And there was Silco, wearing his apron again, a small, private smile tugging at the corner of his lip as he held the door open for you.

“Vander is already dishing you up a bowl.” He said by way of greeting.

Your eyes flickered from his loose hair, to the ruckus leaking out of the open door.

You could thank him and turn away. Disappear into the growing darkness despite the early hour.

It would be cold in your apartment though. Not unbearable yet, the sun had only just set, but certainly noticeable.

Your feet move before you really make a decision, and you ducked under his arm.

Thank you so much for reading. Next chapter, WE'RE ON THE BRIDGE!! HELL YEAH!!

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Masterlist

#Silco x Reader #Gender Neutral Reader #HAPPY NEW YEAR GUYS HAVE MORE SILCO CONTENT AS A TREAT #arcane silco #young silco #silco #silco arcane #fix-it #soft silco #found family #vander #felicia #arcane #arcane league of legends #pre-season 1

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