#vander replying that vi did more than enough

[stardvstbby]

i’m going to read a frankly concerning amout of fix it fics once Arcane finishes

i NEED my Vander, Vi, Jinx, and Isha happy family

[snoopyhq]

Hi it's me again I'm glad to hear that also I have a request so my request is a Vander x wife reader where reader and Vander are in an argument is not two bad but it's still a little argument and the kids think their parents are going to be in a divorce until Vander and the reader explain that they're not going to be a divorce and it's all fluff at the end what do you think sorry to bother you by the way. 😊

˚ ♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ so take your gloves and get out!

type: vander x wife reader

summary: a couple's spat inadvertently has the little ones worried about the future of your family (but it all ends up alright)

word count: 993

a/n: had one of the best days ever with my friends today, i can't even be sad about my bum ass ex anymore. everyone cheer!

Goodnight, Vi. Goodnight, Powder. Sleep tight girls.

You quietly close the doors to the children's room. Once you were certain they were safely tucked in and asleep, you made your way back to the room you shared with you husband.

There was always the faint scent of bourbon in the air, an inescapable thing given that you two ran a bar together. You sink down on the mattress and let out a weary sigh, closing your eyes. A tired smile graced your face as the familiar brush of stubble and soft lips brushed against your cheek.

"Have you thought more about it?" he asks, settling down beside you.

You chewed the inside of your cheek.

"I did. I'm still not happy about it."

He nods, waiting for you to continue.

"They're still so young, Vander, and even if we do end up agreeing about it? Is it safe. What if something happens and we aren't there to help them?"

"I know they're young, and your worries are valid, love. But we can't hold them back forever. They'll be in good hands and living a better life than we can give them here," he replies.

He was thinking ahead for the future. You both want the best for your children, and what Vander was proposing would be the most favorable outcome. You couldn't help but oppose it, even if a deeper part of you agrees. As you mull over your options, the sudden image of your kids floated across your mind.

How tiny they were, swaddled in the layers of threadbare blankets, their small fingers reaching for yours. Powder's watery eyes when she wanted something and knew you would fold. Vi's subtle look to you for approval as she did her best to wrangle her rowdy siblings, especially Milo. Claggor's sweet smile as he hovers around you, always eager to help.

These images sent a sharp pang through your chest, and you found yourself suddenly consumed with a crushing dread.

"No, Vander. We can't let them go to Piltover. Absolutely not!"

You got up, throwing the blanket off. You pace in circles back and forth, shaking your head adamantly.

"No more arguments. I've made up my mind."

"Wait. You can't just give a definite no without discussing it more with me. What's changed?" now he was standing up too, wanting to understand, and you tried not to raise your voice.

It wasn't fair to get so up in arms like this, you knew. You had never believed yourself to be much of the parenting type, but ever since the kids came into your custody, you had developed a fierce protectiveness that extended beyond any realm of explanation. Was this how your parents felt when they had you? You could only hope. They weren't around to ask now, and you were determined to never let the children wonder what you are right now.

You don't remember everything you said next, but you do remember it leading to something heavier. Neither of you could separate personal feelings from the argument, and it got bad. Bad enough that it sent Powder, who had been lurking outside, straight to Vi, panicking about how,

"They're fighting, and Vander sounds so mad," she sobbed. "We're being sent away to Piltover!"

"To Piltover? Are you sure that's what you heard?" Milo scoffed.

"Yes! Why would I lie about that!" Powder shouts, on the verge of completely crumbling.

For once, he didn't have anything mean to say back.

"We could go ask them right now," Claggor suggests, even as the tremor in his voice gives away his belief in the worst.

Gathering up their courage and best brave act, the kids marched to your bedroom and let themselves in. That stopped you and Vander, and you were faced with four little faces, each one unable to look you in the face.

"What's wrong?" you asked, kneeling to be eye level with them.

"If you're going to send us away, at least let us decide where we want to go," Vi speaks. Always the leader.

You and Vander exchanged confused looks.

"We're not sending you away Vi," Vander says gently. "Why would you say that?"

In the background, Milo scowls. I told you so, his body language read.

"I heard you! Vander wants to send us to Piltover," Powder exclaims, her hand tightening in Vi's.

"We'll stop getting in so much trouble. Don't send us away," Claggor blurts out.

What? Oh, no.

You and Vander immediately gathered up the kids, two in each of your arms, and held them close. Whatever harsh words you wanted to exchange with each other could wait. Right now, the precious beings you were cradling were much more important.

"No one's going anywhere. You kids, your dad, or me. We just had to talk about something important, that's all," you explained.

"Talk about what?"

"Something that can be discussed when you're older. We want your input on it too, but it's not time yet."

"So you're not splitting up? Right?" Milo asks, trying his best to sound nonchalant.

You stifled your laugh.

"No dear, Vander and I aren't leaving you or each other anytime soon."

"Or ever," he adds, kissing you and earning a round of 'eughs' and 'bleh!'.

That's when you finally laughed.

"Ok, that's enough excitement for tonight. Everyone back to you room," you started to escort them out, but none of them budged. Not even Powder, who had let go of Vi's hand and was now standing firm on her own.

"I see how it is," you smiled. "One time only. Come here."

It was a tight fit, the six of you piled onto one bed. There were a flurries of complaints and kicking limbs, but eventually, everyone settled down. You and Vander faced each other while the children slept, sandwiched in between. Safe. Protected.

"We'll talk about it again later," you whisper. "But not tonight."

"Not right now," he agreed.

"Goodnight, Vander."

"Goodnight, love."

[waitingandwishing]

(Cross posted on Wattpad)

Masterlist - Next Chapter

“Where are you going?” Powder tugged on Y/N’s shirt, her curious blue eyes glinting under the dim light.

Every night when they weren’t out together, Y/N had a habit of sneaking off. She always said it was to meet a friend, but she never shared who that friend was. It wasn’t like her to keep secrets, which puzzled Powder more than anyone else.

Vi and the rest of them didn’t press Y/N about it. They trusted her, knowing that this mysterious person meant something important to her, and that was enough. 

“To meet up with a friend,” Y/N replied, her tone casual.

She always gave the same vague answer or some variation of it. Was it so wrong to keep this one thing to herself? Y/N shared everything else— training with Vi, helping Vander at the bar, haggling idiots who paid full price for stuff with Ekko, sharpening her aim at the shooting range with Mylo and Claggor, or tinkering with inventions alongside Powder.

But this? This was different. Y/N wanted to hold on to this secret, to let it be hers and hers alone. Maybe it was selfish, but something was thrilling about guarding this one mystery.

“Oh… When are you coming back?” Powder asked softly.

“Don’t worry, Bluejay. I’ll be back before you even miss me!” Y/N grinned, ruffling the younger girl’s hair.

Despite not being a biological part of their family, Y/N had slipped seamlessly into the fold. She acted like a sister, albeit in her own way. Unlike Vi, who comforted Powder with gentle strokes through her hair, Y/N was more boisterous— messing up her hair and slinging an arm around her.

“Hey!” Powder giggled, playfully pushing Y/N away. “What am I supposed to tell Vander when you’re gone?”

“Tell him I’m hanging out with little man!” Y/N called out, already heading toward the door.

Before anyone could stop her, she stepped into the night, the sound of her boots quickly fading as she made her way down the street. Her movements became more deliberate as she reached the edge of the neighborhood. 

Instead of sticking to the ground, she scrambled up the side of a building, preferring the rooftops for faster travel.

The first time Y/N met him, it had been entirely by accident. She’d been fleeing from a group of enforcers she’d swindled earlier that day.

Rounding a corner too quickly, she’d almost bowled him over— a pale, gaunt boy leaning heavily on a cane. Without thinking, she’d scooped him up and carried him on her back, weaving through narrow alleys until they’d shaken off the pursuit.

“Sorry about that!” She’d said, setting him down with a sheepish grin. She’d clutched a bag of coins and scraps of food tightly. “I’ll make it up to you with some of this, yeah?”

The boy had taken a long moment to respond, as though words didn’t come naturally to him. “It… Is fine,” He’d said, at last, his voice carrying a thick accent.

It was only after he limped away that Y/N noticed he’d left his cane behind. The guilt gnawed at her all night. By the next day, she’d tracked him down, presenting him with a new cane she’d built herself— with some help from Powder and Ekko, of course. That was how it all began.

Now, they were best friends.

Y/N panted as she leaped from one rooftop to another, her legs burning with effort. “I—huff—hate—huff—running,” She muttered, stopping briefly to catch her breath. The air was thick, a reminder of the Undercity’s pollution.

There were no luxuries here. 

No fresh air, no clean streets. Just damp ground, decaying walls, and the ever-present smell of rot. But the people endured. They protected each other— most of them, at least. The rest? They did whatever it took to survive.

Like selling everyone out to the Peanut Patrol.

Finally, she reached her destination, climbing down into a clearing tucked between crumbling buildings. During the day, it was a dull, forgotten space. But under the full moon, it transformed into something ethereal, the pale light reflecting off slick stone and puddles of rainwater.

“Y/N?” A voice called out.

She lifted her head and smiled at the sight of him. “Viktor!”

He stepped into view, his figure as fragile as ever as he leaned on his cane, the cane she made for him. His dark hair was unkempt, and his patched clothes hung loosely on his thin frame.

“I thought you said you would be busy tonight,” Viktor said softly.

Y/N shrugged, her grin widening. “Not too busy for you.”

taglist: @night-fall-moon @cyberwears @g0ul666 (If you'd like to be added tell me in the comments!!!)

[venomwrites]

Caitlyn and Vi cuddling with each other in a free morning, telling each other their love and other sweet things

“I have something for you,” Caitlyn says. 

Vi lifts her head from Caitlyn’s thigh. Its early morning and sunlight is pouring through the windows of her apartment. It’s more sunlight than Vi ever has had access to. Even though Caitlyn’s suggested blinds, Vi can’t make herself hang them up. 

“It’s not my birthday,” she points out. 

“Have you ever gotten a present on your birthday?” Caitlyn asks, “beatings don’t count.”

“Good point,” Vi sighs, “but that was tradition.”

Caitlyn makes a disapproving sound in the back of her throat. It’s weird to be given presents. It’s weird how people give them all the time up here. Like all the time. You moved house? Present. Having a kid? Present. Hurting? Get well present. They even name some of them. When Vi secured the apartment people just showed up with shit. It was bizarre. Before she owned the clothes on her back. Now she owns enough plates to invite people over. 

“Do I have to sit up for this present?” She asks. 

“Probably not,” Caitlyn says, “give me your hand.” 

The box is small. She’s never gotten a box like this in her life. There’s a hinge tucked in the fuzzy back so it’s easy to thumb open. Inside is a little cushion. Cut into it are two slots. Each one has a piece of metal in it. They don’t glint in the sunlight like she would expect. But Vi is not fooled. Even though they aren’t shiny she’s sure they are the most expensive thing she’s ever held aside from her gauntlets. 

She sits up and lifts one out. Caitlyn’s chin settles on her shoulder as she turns the earring over. It’s grey and impossibly light. As she rotates it, she sees it hides a secret. The script is very tiny but she can make out Vanders name. Two impossibly tiny chips of gemstone, one gold and one blue, frames the letters. The second one is textured. On the inside scrawls Powder’s name, this one framed by chips of blue and pink. 

“How—“

“While you were training,” Caitlyn says, “I thought you might like new ones.”

She says it easily like she hasn’t just deposited the most expensive, meaningful gift Vi’s ever received in her lap. Vi’s earrings are pieces of metal she’s more or less jammed into her ear. Once they were in, they sure as shit weren’t coming out. Caitlyn has two mostly healed over holes in her lobes. So even though she looked horrified when Vi explained, Vi’s piercings are still usable. 

Vi knows there’s no point in protesting. She learned that the hard way when Caitlyn dragged her to buy non-Enforcer clothes. By the fifth protest Caitlyn had simply marched into the dressing room, bundled her existing, perfectly good, clothes under her arm and walked back out. Those had been one of those random presents that had no name. Caitlyn called them a necessity and pointed out two pairs of pants was the most Vi had owned the entire time she knew her. It was hard to argue with that. 

“These are really nice,” Vi says. It’s not just the metal which she’s sure is. Caitlyn’s really fucking good at the gifting thing. She feels Caitlyn smile. The way she does when Vi accepts gifts. The smile that makes Vi feel worthy of them, “I don’t know how to get mine off.” 

“Hmm,” Caitlyn runs her thumb along the shell of Vi’s ear, “stay here.”

Caitlyn returns with a pair of pliers and a determined look on her face. Vi has no idea how she manages to pull that off wearing nothing but a purple slip that’s high enough to show her thigh scar. But she’s not going to question it. Caitlyn returns to the bed and Vi settles her head back on her thigh. Caitlyn peers over her and Vi admires the way the sunlight cuts through her hair. Instead of trying to twist and see how it plays along all the skin her nightgown reveals. There’s a few tugs and the old pieces of metal slide out. 

“Did I tell you I did those myself?”

“Yes, it looks like it,” Caitlyn replies. She dabs at the skin with antiseptic which feels awesome, “which one here?” She asks, brushing the top of Vi’s ear. 

“Powder,” Vi says. 

Caitlyn slides the earring into place. It feels weird but not in a bad way. Vander goes next through the lower hole. Caitlyn brushes the antiseptic over everything again which leaves her ear tingling. Caitlyn squeezes her shoulder. 

“It’s a bit red but see what you think.” 

They look so similar to her old ones Vi has to stare before it registers. But it feels good. Like some piece of her family is still there. 

“They look good, thanks,” she says. Caitlyn blows out a breath. 

“Good, because I have no idea how we would get these back in,” she admits, holding the misshapen pieces of metal that represent Vi’s old prison life. 

“Actually I’ve got something for you,” Vi says. 

Caitlyn looks surprised. Vi is not the best gift giver. She’s never had the chance to learn. But every time she manages to find something to give to Caitlyn, her whole fucking face lights up. It’s adorable and it catches Vi off guard with how proud it makes her feel. She goes over to her nightstand and pulls out the keyring. Caitlyn looks surprised as Vi offers it to her. A cupcake charm dangles from the ring.

“I know the guy downstairs just lets you in because you’re you, but I figured you should have the option of not talking to him.” 

Caitlyn gets to her knees and kisses her in a way that has Vi pushing onto he toes to make up the height difference. Caitlyn’s the better gift giver but damn. 

If the way Caitlyn is kissing her is any indication, Vi is getting a hell of a lot better at it.

[cauldron-of-oddities]

Sooo, the shapshifter au has taken up residency in my head for a a while, it seems.

@youmaycallmeyourhighness comments gave some inspiration.

Ghost stories.

Mylo swore the Last Drop was haunted. Not always, but often enough when alone at the bar cleaning up. It started with scratching in the vents and from the rafters, and when he went up to look, there was always nothing.

Next was the laughter, first a laugh that echoed in the vents. Then it went to a creeping sort of giggle. It was creepy as fuck. And then the broom would slip down with a thunk, the glasses would rattle, and there'd be whisper of a snicker.

It was keeping him from sleep. He swore up and down it was aimed at him. “Claggor, you hear that?” Mylo whispers. A snore is his only answer. It really didn't help Claggor slept like a rock. The ghost was real, and he needed the others to know.

“Mylo, there is no ghost. It's probably just the rats.” Vi told him. “Rats don't laugh!” was his protest.

“You have to admit it does seem strange when we've never heard anything.” Was Claggor's ever reasonable reply. Mylo wanted to bang his head on the table.

“Why would a ghost even want to bug your scrawny ass!” Powder screeched at him when he snatched a tool from her hand when she wouldn't listen.

He made them do a ghost stake out that night. He built a blanket fort in one of the table cubbies. ‘Borrowed’ Powders colander and made everyone stay awake with him. Nothing happened, and everyone was crabby the next day. Vander was confused when he came down that morning.

When he told Vander, he was met with a tired sigh, and him pinching the bridge of his nose. “Mylo, you're not getting out of chores tonight."

...

For Powder, it hadn't taken her long to start appreciating the capabilities of her bird form. The implications of the dark bird would still make her feel uneasy, but with each new thing she learned the more her mischievous, dare she say wicked side started to show, and she sort of (really) liked it.

Where the others only had their bird calls, she found she could mimic human speech. The discovery had happened when Ekko was too preoccupied with a project.

You see, Ekko’s fingers were magic, the way he fixed things, the way he braided her hair, and the way he knew just how to trail them over her feathers just right. And here she was sitting ignored on the side of his desk, and in her head, she'd grumbled ‘pet me’ Only for him to look up confused. “Did you just talk?"

And what a discovery it was! Look, was she to blame that ‘pet’ became the first word she mastered as a bird? Ekko would look up with a fond huff and run his wonderful fingers over her feathers just so.

The next thing she learned was laughter when she giggled at the thought. “I don't know if that's creepy or cute.” was all Ekko said to that.

...

The night of Mylo's turn for cleaning The Last Drop came, and he dreaded it. Vi was out with Vander getting some training done. Claggor had been helping Ekko and Benzo lug about new material and had crashed there. And Powder, she should be asleep, she'd dutifully done the whole go to bed spiel and then shifted and headed to the rafters in the bar.

And there was her victim, scrubbing a particularly nasty stain from a table. She started her ghostly game.

She has to hold in a too loud laugh when she sees him freeze in his task and shiver.

“Nice ghosty, just ignore me ghosty…” she hears him mutter as he looks around.

As she plotted her next haunting tactic, there was a crash and a rattle as two rough looking thugs break in and take all of a second to notice Mylo and threaten him to open the cash drawer.

She hears the bang of a bat smash something and break. No, such misfortune she would not ever wish on her brother. But to show herself would mean the game would be up and what good could she do as Powder?! But, as the ghost... First, the scuttle, then the laugh, just a little lower than usual.

“What the fuck was that brat?” One of the thugs turns to Mylo.

“It's haunted!” he blurts out and then laughs, “See, I'm not imagining things!” Validation and panic was a strange emotional concoction.

The two strangers look at him like he's mad.

“There's a ghost!”

"A ghost?"

And then Powder sees from her perch Mylo get an idea.

“Yeah! And it'll curse you bad if you take anything!”

The two thieves share a glance and push Mylo further to the bar, clearly not impressed. Well, that plan failed or had it?

Powder watches for a moment from the rafters. How very convenient they stopped right below her favourite beam, right below a brightly painted glitter chomper kept on the highest shelf for emergencies (no one thought such a cute thing was anything other than decoration) A silent glide over, the smallest push and a quick flap away, has it falling on the thugs' heads with a heavy puff. Coughing and desperately wiping their eyes. When they see no assailant and another giggle from the rafters sounds, something like fright enters their eyes, and they run. Thank goodness they hadn't been the brightest bulbs in the box.

Mylo's standing there completely stumped, good, he hadn't seen her.

“Thanks ghost, could you maybe not haunt me anymore?” Mylo asks. She stays silent.

Mylo takes a deep breath and looks around forlornly at the mess “Fuck! Now I need to clean this too!”

Yeah, ok, at least for tonight, she'd not spook him anymore, maybe the next month or so.

Mylo tells his tale with great theatre the next day when everyone's back. “Still don't get why it helped me though.” He finished.

“Maybe the ghost doesn't like bullies?” Ekko suggested. Sitting beside Powder, he nudged her knee under the table.

“Wierd that it just stopped.” Vi raised an eyebrow in Powder's direction. Powder just took another sip from her favourite cup.

Later, when it was the sisters' turn to clean, Vi turned to her sister. “Really Pow you gotta stop. I don't think i'll survive another midnight blanket fort ghost stake out.”

“I'm not doing anything, and even if he is haunted, he probably deserves it” Powder grumbled at her sister.

“Seriously Powpow.” Holding up a sleek blue black feather from the spot of the chomper.

“You've proved to yourself you're quite capable. Talk to Mylo next time he’s an ass. Hell, tell him off. But stop the haunting.”

Powder pouted.

“Yeah I know it's fun, but spare us our sanity. Do it or I'll tell.” Vi's tone is final.

“... fine”

Vi, let out a relieved sigh. “On that note, there's this really fancy old, old pilty house, I think it might be due a ghost story of its own.” Vi almost instantly rethought the sugestion, the wicked grin on her baby sister's face was absolutely terrifying.

[hungryistrying]

stay cool, it's just a kiss

summary:

“So, you know…howI’veneverkissedanyonebefore,” she quickly mumbles, ignoring the way she can feel her face warming up.

“You realize I got no clue what you just said, right?” Ekko deadpans.

With a frustrated groan, she shoots upright and exclaims, “I’ve never kissed anyone!”

A beat of silence. He just blankly stares at her and Jinx is contemplating the quickest way to die. Then he bursts out into laughter.

Jinx is feeling a little insecure because she hasn't had her first kiss yet. Ekko helps.

rating: teen

word count:  3766

crossposted to ao3

Is she ugly? Is that why she’s never been kissed before? Actually, that can’t be it. Ugly people kiss all the time. Example number one being Mylo. How can it be that Mylo's kissed more people than she has?! He has like a four-year advantage on her, but still!

It’s moments like these that she really misses Vi, she could use the sisterly advice right now. But rather than coming back home to visit her own family, she went to Piltover with her stupid girlfriend to visit her family instead.

“I promise me and Caitlyn will stay over at Vander’s during our next break,” her sister assured while they were facetiming. Yeah right, that’s assuming her evil, Piltovan girlfriend didn’t seduce her away again.

Jinx gets startled out of her train of thought by the announcer’s boisterous voice saying, “Brutality! Kung Lao has won.” Shit, she wasn’t paying attention at all.

“Hell yeah!” Ekko hollers, “I won. Again.” He turns to her with a triumphant grin on his face.

“Yeah, yeah. ‘Grats, I guess,” Jinx mutters, tossing the controller to the side of her bed.

“You good?” Ekko asks, his grin transforming into a curious frown. “I just beat you like six times in a row and you don’t even care. What’s up?”

Jinx groans, “It’s stupid.”

“So? Not like that’s new with you.” He laughs when she punches him in the arm for that.

She huffs a frustrated breath, contemplating her embarrassing predicament again. Just what was she doing so wrong that no one wanted to kiss her? 

Well, she did almost get kissed, but she absolutely did not want to be by– ugh Thieram.

Thieram – who she lovingly (read as: spitefully) called Chuck because he was too much of a coward to correct her – had come to her doorstep with flowers to ask her to the junior year dance.

Now, she had fully intended on laughing at him before slamming the door in his face, but unfortunately, Vander was home and reminded Jinx that she was still dateless and that Chuck was so nice for asking.

“He’s a nice lad,” Vander grinned, “I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time.” 

Well, she didn’t. For someone who could barely look her straight in the eye most times, he sure had some nerve to grab onto her waist after she begrudgingly granted him one dance. That alone pissed her off enough, but then she realized he was closing his eyes and leaning in to kiss her.

So she punched him in the nose.

Jinx thought it was super funny, and so had Ekko. They had a good laugh about it. Until Vander received a phone call from the principal and she got into trouble for picking fights. That part was not so funny.

So maybe punching the one person who actually wanted to kiss her was not a good idea, but come on, there had to be better options out there than Chuck E. Cheese!

And then came Mylo’s stupid, intolerable ass who laughed at her once he heard the story. “Bet you just punched him ‘cause you have no idea how to kiss.”

“Shut up, you toad!” Jinx screeched.

“Hit a sore spot, didn’t I?” Mylo taunted, while Claggor just helplessly watched them go at it but decided not to intervene.

“The only sore spot you’ll hit is your ass when I knock you–”

“Kids!” Vander shouted, causing them both to jump in surprise. Crap, they didn’t even hear him come in. “Knock it off or you’re both on laundry duty for the entire month.”

“Yes, sir,” they unenthusiastically replied in unison.

God, why did Mylo have to come home for summer break? Couldn’t he just stay in his musty college dorm so she could continue her life unbothered?

“Uh, earth to Jinx?” Ekko waves his hand in front of her face. “You wanna tell me what’s wrong or can I keep crushing you in Mortal Kombat?”

“Don’t get cocky,” she scoffs, “you were not crushing me.”

“Yeah, right. Say that to my six-win streak.” He bumps his shoulder against her own and encouragingly smiles at her. “Come on, tell me what's up?”

Jinx groans, struggling to roll around so she can lie on her back. Her one-person bed is definitely not built for both of them anymore. It was never an issue when they were kids, but now that they’re older, they have to squeeze together so they can both lie down comfortably.

She stares at the popcorn ceiling as she considers his offer. Should she tell Ekko about her embarrassing predicament? It is stupid, though. Even by her standards. But she can’t stop thinking about it and it’s ruining their hangout session. 

Well, worst comes to worst he’ll just laugh at her. In which case she’ll retaliate by suffocating him with her pillow and throwing his corpse out of the window. But she’s known him since kindergarten and they’ve been through enough stupid stuff over the last thirteen years of their lives that she trusts him not to.

“So, you know…” Ekko curiously raises an eyebrow as he waits for her to continue, “howI’veneverkissedanyonebefore,” she quickly mumbles, ignoring the way she can feel her face warming up.

“You realize I got no clue what you just said, right?” he deadpans.

With a frustrated groan, she shoots upright and exclaims, “I’ve never kissed anyone!”

A beat of silence. He just blankly stares at her and Jinx is contemplating the quickest way to die. Then he bursts out into laughter. 

“Stop laughing!” she screeches, reaching for her pillow and smacking him over the head with it. Thank god no one else is home. If Mylo overheard her too that would be so much worse.

“Hold up, mercy, mercy!” he yelps between laughs.

She scowls at him but relents anyway and stops her attacks while he comes down from his laughter. Back to contemplating death, it is. Maybe she can jump out of the window. Jinx is fairly confident that jumping out of a second-story window is a better alternative to…this.

“I’m not laughing because you’ve never kissed anyone,” he explains, moving to sit upright beside her. “It’s just funny how that’s what was eating you up. It’s not even a big deal.”

“Easy for you to say,” she complains. “You’re not the one going into senior year as a virgin who’s never been kissed.”

Because for reasons that are absolutely beyond her, Ekko is popular. He has been since freshman year and she knows he’s more…experienced than her, so to say.

In fact, she totally blames the Chuck incident on him. Jinx was planning to ask him on a platonic date so she didn’t have to deal with the whole promposal nonsense, but apparently, Taliyah had already asked him out and he didn’t have the heart to reject her.

And as someone who’s known him since he cried when he found out Santa Claus wasn’t real, Jinx doesn't get what everyone else sees in him…Well, maybe she kind of, sort of, slightly sees it? After all, from a purely objective, platonic viewpoint Ekko isn’t an eyesore.

Okay, fine, he’s hot. Puberty did him good and it’s obvious he uses it to his advantage. But what the hell is Jinx doing wrong then?! God, maybe she is ugly. Well, no better person to ask Ekko than, she supposes. He’s had to look at her for most of his life so he can probably pass honest judgment. 

“Is it because I’m ugly?”

Ekko gives her the most unimpressed look that she’s ever seen. “No way you’re seriously asking that.”

“I am!” she insists, trying very hard to ignore the creeping anxiety that maybe she’s right. She knows she’s not a supermodel by any means, but she never thought she was that bad to look at. “Just rip off the bandaid and say it.”

“Jinx,” he sighs, “you’re not ugly, don’t act stupid now.”

Being called “not ugly” isn’t exactly high praise, but she supposes it’ll do. But that doesn’t really answer her question. “Then why does no one want to kiss me?”

“Might be ‘cause you terrify half the people in our school,” Ekko laughs. “Did you forget you sucker-punched the last guy that tried to kiss you? Not very inviting.”

"So what?" She rolls her eyes. "Half the people in our school suck, I wouldn't even kiss them if they paid me."

"Well, there's your answer."

Jinx frowns in confusion. "What?"

"You're so worried that no one's ever kissed you, but have you ever wanted to kiss someone?"

She opens her mouth to retort. And then closes it with a frown. Shit, he has a point. It's true that Jinx doesn't have anyone specific in mind she'd like to kiss. She's just sick of being inexperienced.

Mylo's words ring through her head again, striking closer to home than she'd like to admit.

"Bet you just punched him ‘cause you have no idea how to kiss."  

Dammit, he really got to her, that asshole.

"Well, how do I make it good if I…don't know how to kiss?" she asks.

"By kissing, I guess?" Ekko shrugs. "Just go slow and let it happen naturally, practice makes perfect."

Jinx groans at that. "How the hell am I supposed to practice when-" She abruptly cuts herself off, feeling a light bulb turn on above her head at the obvious answer right in front of her.

"That's it!" she starts again, visibly confusing Ekko.

He frowns. "Uh, what is?"

"Teach me how to kiss!"

"You want pointers or something?"

"No, idiot," she groans, "kiss me."

A beat of silence. Jinx impatiently waits for his answer, but all he says is, "Me?"

"Yes, you."

"Just checking again, you wanna kiss me?" Ekko looks like he's in genuine disbelief and she quickly wonders whether asking him was a mistake, after all.

"God, if you don’t want to kiss me that badly, just say it." She laughs at him, ignoring the genuine twinge of hurt at the thought.

“I didn’t say that. It’s just,” he sighs, "isn't it a waste? Like, don't you want your first kiss to be special and romantic, or some shit?"

"No, I want it to be good. Besides," Jinx averts her gaze, suddenly very interested in the buttons of her controller, “I, you know, trust you and stuff so…” she trails off with a helpless shrug, eyes flickering back to Ekko for his reaction. Dammit, she’s definitely blushing again, this is so humiliating.

His expression softens into one of understanding and he nods. “Alright, if you’re sure.” 

They shift on top of her bed to comfortably face each other and she nervously grips the comforter beneath her hands, her heartbeat accelerating. 

Jinx feels hyper-aware of everything all of a sudden; of her old, metal bed that creaks beneath their movements; of the light still flickering from her outdated tube tv; of the faint hum from the standing fan in the corner of her room; but most of all of Ekko, right in front of her, about to kiss her. 

Ekko raises his hand to cup her jaw and, embarrassingly enough, she flinches at the touch.

“Relax,” he assures, “it’s just me. If you don’t want to do this, we can still stop.”

“I’m not scared,” she scoffs, “just show me how to do it already.”

“Alright, if you say so,” he says with a laugh.

Ekko leans forward, his eyes closing as he slowly inches forward. Jinx can hear her heartbeat drumming in her ears. Ekko’s face is getting closer and closer to her own. But oh-so-slowly. Too slowly. And the suspense is killing her. 

God, can’t he just get this over with? Taking matters into her own hands, she squeezes her eyes shut, purses her lips, and quickly leans forward to meet him in the middle.

They both yelp when their noses bump into each other.

“What the hell, Jinx?” Ekko’s eyes flutter open and he glares at her in confusion. 

She glares right back at him, grumbling, “I thought you were supposed to be good at this! What was that?!”

“I am good at this!” He scowls. “Never had anyone torpedo their face straight into mine before.”

“Well, if you're so good at this, use your…hoe experience to help me!”

“There’s no way you’re slut-shaming me and asking for my help in the same breath,” he deadpans.

For a moment, they simply glare at each other. But everything about this situation is so awkward and ridiculous that Jinx ends up snorting, she can't help it. And after she breaks, Ekko shortly follows behind her, and soon they're full-on cackling on her bed.

"Sorry," Jinx says, wiping away stray tears from her laughter, "maybe I am a little nervous."

"It's cool, I got you," Ekko assures. "Do you wanna keep going?"

Jinx takes a steadying breath and sits up straight again. "Yeah, let's try that again."

"Okay," Ekko cups her face in his hands and subtly angles her head to the side, "this should prevent another nose-bumping accident. And remember, breathe through your nose."

"I know how to breathe, asshole." She rolls her eyes.

"Alright, alright," he laughs. "Just close your eyes, okay?" 

Jinx nods and shuts her eyes as she waits for him to kiss her.  She feels a soft pressure against her lips, but she’s barely even registered it and he's already pulling back, removing his hands from her face. That felt like it was over before it even started.

Her eyes blink open and she blankly stares at him. "That's it?"

"Well damn, how much do you want me to teach you?"

"Everything! I wanna know how to really kiss someone. Not the kind of peck you'd give your grandma," she complains.

Ekko awkwardly clears his throat. "Alright, if you're serious about this." 

He shuffles a little closer to her, placing a hand on her neck and brushing his thumb over her jawline.

“So the thing about a good kiss is,” he quietly says before leaning in again, but this time he stops short of kissing her, and instead brushes his nose against hers, “it’s about anticipation.”

His eyes are hooded as he looks at her, and it's intense and smoldering. Jinx feels her breath hitch when he tilts his head and leans forward. 

Her eyes automatically fall shut as he closes the distance between them until his lips softly brush against hers. She tries to chase his mouth when he pulls away, but Ekko shifts his hand around her jaw and gently pushes her back so she can't.

“You have to make them want it,” he whispers, pressing soft kisses against her cheek, her jaw, the corner of her mouth– but never directly on her lips, “but don’t give it up right away.”

And he presses his lips against hers, but he pulls back again before she can chase him. He continues the pattern, constantly dancing just out of reach, but close enough that she's hyper-aware of him.

"Ekko…" she whines, surprised by how breathy she sounds.

He just smiles at her – it's infuriatingly self-satisfied and, worst of all, oh-so attractive – before finally leaning in to properly kiss her and-

Oh.

She gets it now.

The brush of his lips against hers makes Jinx dizzy with want. And she keeps coming back for more and more now that he finally lets her. She gets why he told her to breathe through her nose now. Otherwise, she might’ve gotten so lost in kissing him that she'd actually forget to. 

Jinx latches onto the collar of his shirt, desperate to do something with her hands and also trying to ensure that he doesn't pull away again. Ekko's hand moves from her jaw to the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her hair and gently tilting her head so he can deepen the kiss.

His tongue brushes against her lips and Jinx can't help but gasp at the sensation. He takes advantage of the fact to sneak his tongue past the parting of her lips. And it feels so good, but Jinx doesn't quite know how to navigate the kiss around it, feeling overwhelmed as she awkwardly pushes her tongue back against his.

Ekko breaks the kiss and whispers against her lips, "Easy," he kisses the corner of her mouth, "not too much," and then the other one. "Just follow my lead, okay?"

She means to hum in confirmation, but the sound she lets out is so desperate and wanton it makes her feel embarrassed. There's no time to linger on the feeling, however, because Ekko leans in to put his mouth on hers again. 

And Jinx is quickly realizing it's very difficult to think about anything else when he kisses her.

She's starting to understand the rhythm of the kiss, moving her lips against his and matching his pace with more ease. Her grip on his shirt relaxes and she slides one of her hands down to his chest instead, her fingers slipping beneath his collar to trace the skin of his collarbone.

But it's not enough. His body is too far away, and she needs him closer. She breaks the kiss and moves to straddle him, slinging her arms over his shoulders. Ekko doesn't protest, far from it, he adjusts his position so she can comfortably sit on his lap, before grabbing onto her waist and attempting to pull her even closer. 

Their bodies are flush against each other when she leans in to kiss him again. She doesn’t know whether it’s on purpose or not, but his fingers ended up sneaking beneath the hem of her shirt, and Jinx shivers when the pads of his fingers brush against her spine.

His tongue teases the seam of her lips again, she’s ready for it this time, yet she still can't help but sigh when she feels it. It's hard to match his pace when her head is spinning with pleasure, but Ekko moves slowly and softly, allowing her to follow his lead.

Jinx thinks she understands why people do this now. Kissing Ekko is addictive. So much so, that she doesn't want to stop, but she's not getting enough air like this, so she reluctantly pulls back to catch her breath, leaning her forehead against his. 

Ekko’s eyes flutter open and he stares back at her. It’s weirdly intimate and very…non-platonic? God, everything about this was non-platonic, wasn’t it? She inhales through her mouth, hoping it’ll help her catch her breath faster. Because embarrassingly enough, Ekko managed to leave her out of breath.

Jinx straightens up so that she’s no longer so close to his face that it’s a little too easy and tempting to lean back in and kiss him again.

"Uh, thanks." God, why does she sound so breathy? "I…think I get it now." She licks her lips, and her heart stutters when she sees Ekko's eyes flicker down to track the movement.

"You sure?" His voice sounds like gravel. "I'd be happy to help if you need more…practice." He tears his eyes away from her mouth and looks back into her eyes. His pupils are dilated and his hands are still on her waist. 

Jinx feels like she can't breathe as she dimly nods. "Yeah, I think I could use more practice."

God, he really is good at this. How is it her fault that she can’t say no when he looks at her like that? When he kisses her like that?

Jinx leans back into him, learning from his movements and brushing her nose against his first. She’s always been a fast learner, and she’ll show him that she can make him just as breathless.

She abruptly freezes when she hears the staircase creaking. Ekko frowns up at her, concerned at the way she abruptly tensed up above him.

“What’s wro–” he starts, before getting cut off by Jinx shushing him.

She could never forget the sound or the pattern of those footsteps after spending so many nights as a kid pretending to be asleep when she heard them at night. It's the sound of Vander walking upstairs. 

“Jinx?” Vander calls from the hallway, his footsteps becoming louder and louder against their old, creaky floorboards.

She’s certain Ekko is a mirror image of her right now, as he looks at her with the same wide-eyed horror she feels. She can hear the sound of her doorknob turning. And she and Ekko are– Shit. Jinx panics and does the first thing that pops into her head to avoid getting caught.

She rolls off of Ekko and proceeds to push him off the bed.

He hits the floor with a thud and a yelp. At the same time, Vander opens the door.

Ekko’s hissing from his position on the floor as he rubs his sore elbow. Oh, he landed on his elbow first, Jinx grimaces at the sight. That looks painful.

Vander’s eyes curiously dart between the both of them. “Are you kids alright?”

“Yep, we were just gaming,” Jinx says at the same time he responds, “No, Jinx pushed me off the bed.” She glares down at him in disbelief. What the fuck?! Was he trying to get them caught?

Vander looks equally puzzled at their conflicting stories and repeats, “So, you were gaming and then Jinx pushed you off her bed?”

“Yeah, I just beat her again.” Ekko points at the victory screen still visible on the tv with a laugh. Oh, thank god they were too…distracted to turn it off. “She’s always been a sore loser.”

“Yep,” Jinx agrees, awkwardly laughing, “you got me! I did do that.”

Vander looks at them both skeptically and Jinx anxiously holds her breath to see if he believes their lousy excuse. “Right. Well, I just ran into Benzo and he told me he was looking for you.”

“Oh,” Ekko quickly shoots up straight and lifts himself off the floor, “I better get going then.” He turns to Jinx as he exits her bedroom. “Thanks for having me over, see you around!”

She awkwardly waves at him as he disappears down the stairs, Vander sternly eyeing her the entire time. It’s only after they hear the front door shut that he says, “Next time Ekko comes over, how about you leave your door on a creak.”

Jinx doesn’t even have the heart to protest. She just dumbly nods in hopes that he’ll leave faster so she can scream into her pillow over how mortified she feels. And maybe also to take a cold shower, afterward.

[forgotten-stories-podcast]

The Howling Past pt7

Zeri and Ekko were running as fast as they could, looking for help or at least a hiding spot.

-Ekko! Are you with me?

-Y-Yeah…- the boy was still bleeding, leaving a trail extremely easy to follow, even for someone who did not have an excellent smell of blood.

-Hang on! Resist! I’m gonna find help!

-Vi… she’s got no chance against it…

-I dunno, she seems capable to fight. You just think of saving your strength!- Ekko lost too much blood and passed out. -Oh, no! Ekko! Stay with me!- the girl didn’t know what to do… how would she save her friend?

-HELP! PLEASE, SOMEBODY HELP ME!- yelled the girl in tears.

---

-Vander, is it really you?- it was so hard to believe it, maybe she was just delusional. When the suspects she “spoke” to were referring to a “wolf”, a “hound” or whatever, maybe what they really meant was that wolf with sharp teeth and razor-like claws. Was the fact that that bloodthirsty 7’8” feet tall wolf did not attack her really proof of it being her long-lost father figure? The person that Vi respected more than anyone else? Was it the shimmer that transformed him so much?

-Vander! It’s me, Vi! What happened to you?!

The wolf ignored her, focusing on the bleeding boy instead. Its chest became red and began to growl compulsively. He pointed to Ekko and Zeri and immediately plunged to them claws first.

-Stop!- Vi charged her right gauntlet and run to intercept it, unleashing the power of the Atlas gauntlets on its face, stopping it on the spot. That werewolf reacted to the charged punch by swinging its left claw against Vi’s head. She ducked and avoided the attack and immediately connected this action with another punch on the ribs. Every time the wolf tried to move toward its preys, it faced the wall that was Vi, blocking the beast on the spot with a barrage of punches strong enough to shatter stone, break walls and demolish buildings. Yet, the wolf stood. Yet, the wolf was not on the ground, submitting to her as regular wolves do when facing a stronger opponent. But that one was not a regular wolf, and the resilience and stamina it possessed were exceptional.

The wolf tried to bite Vi on the neck only to give her an opportunity of putting a hand inside the mouth and block it. She squeezed its jaw and caused it pain, making it emit cries of pain and rage.

-Gotcha!- she said before hurling it behind her. Whilst the beast was still recollecting its balance, Vi dashed once again, brought her hands behind her and unleashed them in a massive clap on its face. This ‘thunderclap’ was something Vi had the habit of doing in very specific cases, either the enemy was particularly dangerous or she was outnumbered. A powerful shockwave was what the clap was intended for, which usually was enough to make people fall or get disoriented and, in very special cases such as that one, even a good amount of damage.

The skull of the beast was crushed with the effect of a hammer hitting an anvil, only that both the hammer and the anvil were powered by hexteck and could reduce to dust pretty much anything.

Then, why was that wolf still standing?

It was holding its head, damaged but not enough. And what was that cylinder thing on its back?

*Is that an implant? Is it pumping shimmer or something, like Sevika’s arm?*

Vi was gasping, heavy breathing for the excessive amount of effort she put on every attack she made… and that beast was fine!

The more she looked at it the angrier she was getting. She accelerated her breathing, until she yelled, jumped towards that creature and hit it again with her fist. It looked like a fang fell off its mouth.

Vi stopped to catch her breath, her guard still up.

-Who taught you how to punch?!

The beast could speak, but what was even more incredible was what it said. Among all the things it could have said, why would it say that?

-A great man, perhaps you knew him.- replied Vi.

The wolf froze for seconds that felt like hours, looking at the enforcer with astonished eyes.

-V-Vi!- the wolf spoke with its heavy but somehow gentle voice.

-Vander!- the surprise those words created made her lower her guard a little but she was still able to parry an attack from the wolf. Did it speak just to take her by surprise and strike?

-Run! Get away from me!

-No! I’m not going to leave you again!- despite her reply, she held her guard up.

-Get… out of here!- the wolf brought its hands to the head, holding it in great pain. That could only mean an internal conflict was happening. The stake of that conflict was Vi’s life.

She didn’t understand, she couldn’t understand. The man who she thought to be dead so many years ago was revealed to be in a body very different from the one she was accustomed to and had a shattered mind.

She was dreading the following seconds.

-GIVE UP! SHE WILL DIE!- the internal conflict that Vander was having was heartbreaking. Whatever happened to Vander broke him.

Vi would not stand there doing nothing.

On the inside, the shadow figure was trying to subdue the old man, so it could kill Vi and finally get free of that old ghost of its past haunting its mind. The man was opposing it as much as he could. It was curious how the thoughts of both the figures were the same but addressed to their opponents. Both of them wanted to get rid of the other.

Vi was in doubt about what to do. Although she was known to do one thing and one thing only, punching, she would refrain from doing that in such a problematic situation. Caitlyn was always there when the situation demanded it, to stop Vi from doing her thing. It wasn’t like Vi was some sort of mindless animal that has “attack” as standard behaviour, it was more like the two of them were always acting as the bad and good cops, so she had to carry on her role.

But at that moment, while facing the giant wolf that was having an internal turmoil, she wasn’t the bad cop anymore. It felt like she was the young Violet again, before she was nicknamed “Vi”.

Alone with her little sister Powder, among the destruction caused by the rebellion of the Undercity against the Uppercity of Piltover, Vander was the only one who showed them compassion. He adopted the two little girls, alongside two boys, and he was their protection against the outside world, deviant, twisted, deformed and dangerous.

Thinking that Vander was inside that monster, deep inside its psyche, and that, somehow, he was fighting to protect her from himself was…

Infuriating.

Vi thought about all of this and her conclusion was rage.

She didn’t even realize that she punched the wolf as hard as she could. Her fight/flight instinct kicked in, she didn’t even mean to hit her own father, but that monster wasn’t Vander. The Vander she knew was inside, and if her punching would help him somehow, she would continue as long as her arms let her.

The man and the shadow were exchanging blows. If this fight would have happened in the real world, the man would have had no chance against a being of that size and strength, but there, inside their mind, physique meant nothing, ideas were everything, and there has never been a man as stubborn as Vander.

It was an exchange of ideas, opposite ideas of the mind of a being who was internally conflicted, a fight for supremacy. On the one side, the desire to protect a daughter long-lost, a chance to save her again and from a much worse fate. On the other side, it was a fight for chaos, control, mayhem, and lots and lots of blood.

Each blow Vander threw felt heavier than Vi’s gauntlets. Each punch hit with the strength of a loving father.

His muscles were no more, his skills were long gone, but his ideas were there and his emotions were emerging again. So many times had the man tried to stop the monster from slashing another throat, or at least trying to limit the damages. All he could do was watch and beg. Sometimes the beast got distracted but that was it. Everything changed when its next victim was going to be Vi.

He freed himself from his shackles, he stood in the shadow and fought as he didn’t fight in a very long time. And he wasn’t alone.

-Vander! Hold on! We’re going to kick its ass, together!- for each punch Vi threw, the white scenery around the man and the shadow would change. The first one was an old, familiar one to the man, the Last Drop bar, his home, hideout and headquarters. There, he would live and offer a place to rest and hide to anyone who needed help. It was a place of drinking and laughing, of support and friends, fights and quarrels and, most importantly, family.

Another hit from Vi, another change.

The man looked around him and sighed. The faces of Mylo and Claggor appeared, joyful and laughing. Their lives ended too soon, trying to do good. Then the image of a little girl with blue short hair sitting on the bar counter, a monkey toy and a sad face followed. Powder was her name, the most problematic of the group, always causing trouble, even if only by mistake. She was constantly in Mylo’s mouth when she did anything wrong, and the words Mylo had for her were always unpleasant to hear. All that blaming brought her down. A difficult mind who never got the much needed help. But she wasn’t less deserving of love.

She then became Jinx, Zaun’s biggest terrorist. Despite being buried deep inside the wolf’s psyche, Vander knew about her and blamed himself for it.

The walls changed again, showing a young pink-haired girl. Vander’s legacy, the daughter who would end up becoming more like him than anyone. She had just fought goon after goon after goon to save him. He could not have been more proud of her, risking her life for a foolish, old man.

There was smoke and fire. She was looking directly at the centre of the image. A memory of the man’s last moments. Extremely loud heartbeats, fading with each one.

-Take care of Powder.- his last words.

Everything goes black. A scream of desperation from the girl echoed throughout the mind of the man/wolf who screamed alongside it.

The wolf holding its head fell to its knees and screamed. Vi interrupted the attack. -Vander! Can you hear me?! Fight the beast, as you taught me!-

Oh, he could hear her, and so could the shadow.

-Sheeeee will diiiiie!- darkness came out of the shadow figure, it covered the images and the area became as black as the night. Images of the man in chains, of the green-lighted area, of a man with no hair holding a syringe, and weird machines replaced the good memories. The time of his captivity in which he slowly turned into that monster.

Outside, the weird-looking metal cylinder on the wolf’s back started spinning, as it does when the wolf gets angry and excited, and the beast was back on its feet.

Vi assumed her guard position once again, expecting an assault from her enemy. It talked.

-You… you fled! You abandoned everyone! ZAUN NEEDED YOU!- that monster was not stupid, it was capable to hit where it hurt even with just its words. Although the truth was much more complex than it appeared, Vi’s face darkened. It did not say the false. Mylo and Claggor were dead because she led them to rescue Vander, Powder felt broken after being left behind and changed for the worst, Zaun’s being a lair of thieves, scoundrels and playground of the Chem-Barons…

All of this made her… angry.

She looked it in the eyes. -I’ve got five reasons for you to shut up.-

The wolf snarled. Its chest red as if on fire.

Art by Rodrigo Sanni

https://twitter.com/RodrigoSanni/status/1460877757563518976

[conretewings]

What Could of and Will Never Be

-Arcane Parenting Week day 4, the chosen theme being AU. I actually had two ideas I was struggling to decide between, but ultimately chose this one. The other may be turned into it's own project down the line.

What if...things hadn't gone the way they did? Suppose Vander and Silco had managed to settle their differences in another manner? As the years pass the men forged an alliance that carefully balanced both their philosophies and worked toward something better for Zaun...and the children of it.

"-and then, he fell right on his butt!" Powder giggled manically, bouncing herself on the bar stool for emphasis, the other three joining in with their own laughter, recalling the group of several bullies they'd thoroughly trounced that morning.

As it was early in the day with only a few customers, Vander allowed them to hang out at the counter for a bit, as long as they relatively behaved themselves. Thus they sat, talking and enjoying the special 'drinks' he'd made them as he talked quietly to a couple miners in a corner.

"So that's 'ow it is then." he gruffly said, blowing out a cloud of smoke, and the one man nodded, "It's gettin' bad down there some days."

"Thanks, guys...and be careful," standing, he waved a hand at their mugs, "This round's on me."

They murmured their thanks and he heavily strode away, puffing thoughtfully on his pipe before extinguishing it. He went behind the bar to grab another shot for himself and refills for his patrons when he heard the heavy click and creaking of the front door. As he always did when he heard that sound, Vander looked up-and his eyebrows crooked in curiosity.

Silco and two of his bodyguards stepped inside, the slender yet imposing man's ice-blue eyes darting about the room in assessment before they spotted Vander and he gave a nod of greeting, Vander returning the gesture.

It was Vi who noticed their guests first, and she discreetly tapped the others, darting her eyes in Silco's direction, and they grew more quiet upon seeing what she meant. The man was no stranger, they'd known him for a long time but, he was quite strange to them. He gave off an aura of cool calculation, his posture, razor-sharp eyes and authoritative yet inviting manner of speaking making them uneasy sometimes; all except for Powder, who for some reason never seemed to mind him as much.

The trio made their way to the bar counter, where the kids respectfully said their hello's and afterward Vander met their gazes with a tone that was more command than suggestion, "Why don't you all head off for a bit yeah?"

"C'mon guys..." muttered Vi, hopping off her stool with the others close behind, Powder still clutching her cup as they skulked from the room.

Vander turned to his new 'customers', taking two mugs and filling them before sliding them to the guards, "Just got this shipment in this morning."

They took them in silence, turning and sitting at a nearby table. Now, as he slipped himself into a seat and folded his hands on the counter, tilting his head a degree, Silco at last spoke up.

"So you've heard, I assume, what with your informant network?"

"G'mornin' to ya too, Silco. Gee Vander, it's been what, a month how ya been?" replied the larger man with a wry half-smile.

Lifting an eyebrow and ultimately choosing to ignore the comment, Silco continued, "You know as well as I things cannot continue as they've been. There's always been a fragile balance, an ebb and flow..." he smoothly waved his slender fingers through the air, suddenly clutching his hand into a fist, "And at some point, that balance will break...I'd very much hate to be on the losing end of things."

"Aye, as would I..." Vander murmured gravelly, his gaze darted to the couple other customers, then the direction the kids had gone. This did not go unnoticed to Silco, who reached into the inner pocket of his vest, concealing some small object in his palm before unfolding his fingers just enough to let the soft blue glow of it's contents shine through.

"Is that...?" wondered Vander.

"It is." Silco replied, a dark smile playing on his lips.

Vander's brow furrowed, "Let's head to my office."

Some time later, after a lengthy, occasionally heated conversation, they had come to a mutually beneficial agreement; for the time being at least. Now they had moved back to the bar, discussing further details and catching up over glasses of high-quality bourbon Vander saved for his visits.

"Please consider it, old friend..." sighed Silco after an appreciative sip of the liquor, turning the glass in his hand, "Allow me to ask you this; do you love your little band of ruffians? Do you care about the people of this hellish city having something better than broken backs and black lungs?"

"That ain't even a question." Vander growled.

Nodding sympathetically, Silco replied while raising his glass, "Then I suppose we agree on that at the very least..."

They fell quiet for a short time, until they could suddenly and oddly hear a mechanical clicking and tapping coming from nearby. Turning toward the noise, they saw a metal toy animal of some sort, covered in multi color scribbles wobbling along the counter in their direction and a tiny head of blue hair just visible from around a corner.

"Powder...come here." Vander sternly but kindly spoke, and after a moments hesitation, the small girl leaned further around the corner and walked up to them, Vander scooping her up and setting her on the counter by them. Meanwhile Silco was watching the toy with curiosity, abruptly reaching to grab and lift it as it started to topple. It's wind-up energy swiftly depleted and as it stopped moving, Silco's attention turned to the girl.

"Did you make this yourself?"

She nodded, "I just finished it a few minutes ago!"

"Powder, sweetie it's lovely and I'm proud of ya, but...what 'ave I told you 'bout bein' nosy?" Vander asked pointedly.

"No eavesdroppin' on grown-ups..." the girl grumbled while crossing her arms, even attempting to mimic his accent, causing Silco to smirk and Vander to give a highly sarcastic brief laugh.

"I just wanted to show you guys but-but it keeps falling over!" she pouted in frustration.

Vander stroked her hair, "You'll get it. Maybe you can work with Ekko, see what he says too."

Powder perked up a little at the suggestion, "Yeah, I'll go see him later."

"Hmm..." Silco hummed curiously, "Let's see..." and without any hesitation twisted and removed the toy's head, peering inside and rummaging around some of the gears with a finger. He yanked some out, much to Powder's confusion but he kept going, then held up a couple that were just visibly bent.

"I found the most likely issue. Your gears have to be perfectly flat, otherwise the teeth won't catch properly and it'll either work poorly or not at all."

He handed the pieces back to her, and she gaped at them then at him, "Thanks...?"

"You're welcome, little one. Now why don't you run along and let your dad and uncle Silco talk some more?"

Hopping to the ground, she cradled the dismembered parts of her creation and threw one last look at them over her shoulder before disappearing.

"She's a good egg. Brilliant. Clumsy, reckless, loyal to a fault, but a damn good kid." Vander grinned after a moment to make sure she was out of earshot.

SIlco thoughtfully swirled his glass of liquor, "She is quite brilliant, yes. I saw the inner workings of that thing. It's remarkably sophisticated for someone her age and with such little resources or education. Have you considered getting her an apprenticeship?"

"Course I have, when I find someone who can and that I can trust."

Leaning forward, Silco took a cigar from his jacket and lit it, exhaling the bitter-sweet smoke in a ring above his head and meeting Vander's gaze with an intrigued smile, "I could use an apprentice..."

*EDIT: I may add more to this later, because I'd like to go into more detail about Vander and Silco's conversation and what's in that vial...

[shimmerbeasts]

Jinx followed Vi's gaze towards the bottle. Her sister smelled of old, stale whiskey and sweat. The scent nestled in each breath she took and in the crooks and valleys of her clothing. It made her concern grow even more. No matter how bad Jinx felt, she had never felt the need to numb herself with the help of alcohol. Better use that rage and spite to create a new device, which could blow flesh apart and make blood splatter oh, so sweetly.

"You are still my sister", Jinx replied and pressed her nose against Vi's neck, rubbing her cheek against her and marking her with her scent, "I may want that blasted Piltie out of my life, but I always want you in it. I do not care how miserable you feel. I want you in it. We are blood. We are a streak. You cannot so easily separate us."

A shudder of breath. Jinx kept expecting Vi to finally have enough and throw her off her back. After all, she had destroyed Pow-Pow during the fight in the Janna temple. In a way, she had attacked Powder at her very heart. But Vi stayed put. Her muscles tensed and she covered her mouth as if she wanted to hide a whimper. Jinx continued gingerly massaging her back. Whenever the sweat glittered too much for her liking, her tongue touched down and licked if off. All the while, Jinx whispered: "Ssshhhh, Violet. It is okay. I am here. You are not alone. I am here with you."

As Jinx gave Vi a shove when she spoke so poorly of herself, life seemed to come back into the body, she was resting upon. Vi twisted and turned, shaking Jinx through, and their gaze finally met. The Loose Canon's heart sank. Vi looked angry and tired and spiteful. Her sister's words were as ragged and sharp-edged as her appearance. Jinx carefully backed off, moving with Vi's motion, as her sister got up. She stayed silent, letting her sister unleash what must have been months of frustration, she had been holding in.

In the past, Jinx would have been compelled by the urge to argue back, maybe even yowl. But watching Vi force these words through clenched teeth and struggling to stand before she just crashed back onto the ground like a shot animal, tore through her heart. Besides, Jinx grew tired of arguing the same point over and over again. It seemed her sister was getting her comeuppance anyway. It did not feel as satisfying as she had hoped.

Lamb, give me patience. Janna, give me strength.

She could not tell Vi about her suspicion that this wolf beast, which she had battled in Stillwater, was Vander. Not now. Vi was far too out for that. In fact, it seemed Vi had to be built up again first. Jinx reached under her sister's arms, heaved her off the ground and dragged her towards the makeshift bed in her room in the pit. There was no way, she could help Vi all the way back to her crummy apartment.

Vi's head lolled around as Jinx manoeuvered her. Her sister was nothing but dead weight. The bandages came undone and let her see scars undiscovered beforehand. Stillwater had left its mark on Vi everywhere. Each scar sketched another round of abuse, each red imprint another tragedy. The stiffness in her sister's wrists spoke of shackles, she had been forced to wear for who knew how long. Jinx remembered the whipping marks Vi had shown her in a fit of rage. They had induced anger in her too. Now though, she was glad that Vander had ravaged through Stillwater. Whether he had intended it or not, he had helped Vi by taking out all those bastards in blue.

"You are acting like I like where things went." The mattress softly dipped under her weight as Jinx sat down beside Vi. She brushed a hand through her sister's hair absentmindedly as she continued to speak. "I never asked to be made this figure of resistance. I never asked to be made some big, fat hero. Some symbol. Can you even begin to imagine how fucked up this place must be? You are ten times more noble than me, and yet they chose me, the wreck and curse, coated in blood, to be what they want to get behind." She laughed but it was a sad sound. "How twisted must your priorities be for that?"

Vi seemed nonresponsive. Either she was too tired to say something, or she had passed out. Purple eyes drifted across the room, taking in the countless bottles of alcohol and the bowls of paint so Vi could complete her warrior of misery look. There was not a single crumb of food in this place. The air reeked of exhaustion and unhappiness.

Jinx patted her sister's shoulder. You are gonna need some food, Violet. She remembered how Isha would scarf down the meals, Jinx got from Jericho or whatever flesh she brought home from scavenging. Pushing herself off the bed, Jinx wandered out of the room and disappeared into the dark.

When Vi woke up again after her alcohol-induced stupor, she would find a brown paper bag on the table next to her makeup. Its bottom was drenched in sauce. With a glittering pen, Jinx had drawn hearts, little sparks and what looked like a sketch of Jericho, giving Vi a thumbs up. On the bag stood the words: Trout in honey-mustard sauce. Careful, fishbones!

Every part of the tiger signaled the need to push Jinx away to keep her from being hurt again. Vi knew that at some point, her actions would do it. Besides, Jinx didn’t need her. She made that blatantly obvious. Vi’s arms wrapped around her legs and pressed her head against her knees. Every terrible emotion raced through her and for a moment she glanced over toward the bottle. It always helped numb everything, providing sleep and bringing to life the people she wanted back.

“Yeah, well.... you're doing quite well without me, so what’s the point of showing up now?” Vi muttered against her knees.

A shuddering breath left her lips, feeling the weight against her back, and sparks of memories fluttered through. The laughter from Vi’s lips as she carried Powder around on her back. The way she would snuggle into her neck, and sometimes even fall asleep. Or in bed, how Powder would climb onto her back, kneading at her spine which provided Vi with the well needed care after a hard day of fighting and boxing. She instinctively covered her mouth, shut her eyes tightly, and felt Jinx caressing her tender, aching back and licking the salty sweat on her skin.

Never. Despite it all, Vi still wanted to protect her sister. She just didn’t know how anymore when Jinx so clearly could protect herself. So why did she continue to pester her when Vi could offer nothing? Her identity was so twisted into the concept of being Powder’s protector that she didn’t know what to do anymore. She had originally shifted to being Caitlyn’s protector, but that was gone too.

Who was she? What was she? “Because there’s nothing left. The sister you knew, she’s gone,” Vi whispered, as she didn’t know what else to say. Even now, she could not look at her own tattoo, named Vi. She went by Tigress. It’s the only thing she could think of.

The shove of her body caused Vi to hiss and twisted, pressing her hands down against the ground, and turning her head to glare at Jinx. “They respect YOU! Not me. Piltover Zaun, I belong nowhere. Zaun isn’t what it was before, and I hated back then as a kid. and Piltover, well, we saw how well that went, didn’t we?” Vi snapped as her claws dug against the ground. “You are the one this city respects or fears. Either way, you made it for yourself. I have done nothing of any worth. These cities took and took and TOOK!” she snapped as she slammed her fist on the ground before standing up.

“I’m left with nothing but an empty soul and a dead heart." Vi, struggling to stand before collapsing, said, “I’m nothing but an empty vessel, waiting for Wolf to rip out my throat.” Instead of trying to get up, Vi just slumped over and laid on the ground instead as her head spun. The weary tiger held defeat in her actions.

The wraps around her body gave way to more scars, scars that Jinx could see them,. Her tattoo lingered over them, but could not erase the torment of abuse written all over her back. Scars littered her arms, marks from the shackles on her wrist, neck, and ankles were the enforcers had kept her under control. Stillwater seemed to have marked Vi everywhere.

[space-blue]

An Overview and timetable of Silco & Vander's relationship & their shenanigans

Brought to you by someone getting exasperated as she tries to write their past.

First off, I'd like to think that they had their fallout well before the bridge attack. They don't show if Vander is using a vambrace yet (crafty bastards) but he looks much slimmer and younger to me in the drowning scene, besides being clean shaven.

Putting a break here because this is one long ass analysis and hair pulling session.

See how the bottom pic looks like a raging oversized 18/20 yo lad while the top one is a well bearded dude in his thirties?

Obviously Vi goes from being 12ish to being 16 tops from the Bridge to the start of the show, so even being generous and saying the show starts 5 years after the Bridge, that's a very short time for a twenty-something to get a full pepper and salt beard and get comments from people saying they "expected someone younger".

Vander and Silco both are in their late thirties or early forties IMO in act I. The drowning scene is 100% not happening between men in their thirties.

Then there's the element of Vander's attitude. I love the pics above that contrast POV of people weaker than him, who he's towering above with total power. Mood is really not the same... But consider the pictures below instead.

On the Bridge we see Vander rubbing 2 neurons together and realising "fists bad" (I'm having a laugh don't come at me). Would you say this is a Vander who will go home, clean shave, and then go chase Silco down into the harbor so he can wring his neck?

This, IMO, proves that the peace with Grayson had nothing to do with their falling out.

When Vander is captured, his dialogue with Silco reveals a lot.

Silco says he hated him "But as time passed, so did my hate" — and that Vander kept his respect "until you made peace with them"

Yet he also speaks of "their dream of freedom" [insert commie bugs bunny our dream meme here] and the vision they shared. Vander was left to make peace alone. That sentence doesn't include Silco at all.

This to me reveals that Vander injured him (in his drowning attempt) and made it clear he'd be killed on sight, or deterred him in some other ways to rejoin the movement, which was helmed by him until he alone made the decision to "make peace with the enforcers".

So an unclear amount of years go by during which Silco's eye and face get worse, he's ostracized from his own movement (don't @ me, the dude's a zealot and Vander was the "beast" of the underground. I'll bet you my last dollar it was Silco's gig and Vander was the hired muscle turned best bro to dream with), he meets and befriends/hires/gets Singed on board, and amasses funds somehow. Silco loses everything in episode III's blast, his whole haunted Fish Market is up in flames. Yet the elf brothel madam says he arrived on the scene with a lot of money.

Silco isn't a rich pest though, he's never shown to indulge in anything beyond cigars. Homebro squats on the top floor of the Last Drop when he clearly is more well off than the chembarons he bullies, and he doesn't even bother keeping his carpet straight! He's got one pastoral painting on the wall to do the status thing, and finally affords a nice coat and cigars.

So Silco has been getting busy in his years post drowning, probably realising that the "dream of freedom" he now carries alone will actually get nowhere with politics, and he ought to take the ruthless business angle instead.

ANYWAY, back to that convo.

Vander says Silco had the LANES' respect, and HIS respect. But that it "wasn't enough" — given Silco's earlier reply around the word respect we can assume that what Silco wanted was the respect of Piltover for the Lanes, if not for him.

So Vander is thinking still in terms of "I am respected and it's enough as I keep my people in line and hold the peace and nobody dies". While Silco doesn't want to hold that sort of power/respect. He seems to disdain the chembarons and much of everyone else. All he wants is independence. His eyes glimmer when he talks about the Nation of Zaun and his crazy daughter in act III and that's pretty much it. No one else really computes emotionally. He's clearly wanting a concept and not looking at the individual people he has to sacrifice to achieve it.

It's what Vander reproaches him, saying he'll get people killed and that "this isn't the way" [mandalorian nod of disapproval]

So Silco might well have been the head of their movement, if not a duo with Vander. He harps about loyalty in act 3 with Sevika and says to Vander in ep. 3 :

"Do you even remember (our commie dream)? I trusted you. And you betrayed me."

Which implies Silco was the one in the position of power, giving his trust to Vander and Vander not remaining loyal. While they have the brother thing going on, it's not "we trusted each other and you betrayed me". It's I trusted YOU and YOU betrayed ME.

Vander doesn't even protest (or address the betrayal, because the creators want us to fucking suffer)!

But like, scroll back up guys. Who the hell was Vander, that he tried to drown his own brother this fucking hard?

"The hound of the underground" was drowning his brother (and getting regrets later) and punching enforcers to death until very recently.

In episode 1 Vander tells Benzo "We both know there's worse things than enforcers out there" while patting his vambrace for his scar of shame lol

I find that very fresh, like, hello my guy, you remember you got that while trying to drown your "brother", an act you actively regret? Is what's worse than enforcers you or what?

All jokes aside, this implies an ongoing situation. IDK if Vander and Benzo know about shimmer or even about Silco subletting his fishbowl basement to Singed, but they're clearly aware that Silco is out there operating on a deeper level, and being "worse than enforcers".

I wonder what he means by that, as we see no proof of Silco doing anything negative until he sweet talks Deckard into drinking Singed's cursed hot sauce, while enforcers are throwing people through windows into buildings and beating them up, stirring unrest (and making Vander look weak) ((thanks Vi)).

So what the fuck happened?

I really wish I knew and I guess I'll have to write the fanfic to get there. My main theory is rather too reminiscent of Arc I's plot to feel deep enough to honour the show.

What we know so far then : Silco was a well known and respected leader of the Lanes, helming a revolution, sharing a goal of an "Nation of Zaun" with the "Hound of the underground" Vander.

SOMETHING went wrong.

Vander lost his shit and tried to kill Silco. He then most likely took over the movement, pushed sick/recovering Silco out, and given how his name isn't even whispered, I wonder if word on the street wasn't "mention Silco and you'll eat some steel", leading to people never really mentioning him or inquiring about where the fuck he was (hence Vi and co. not knowing him at all, as the fallout would probably even predate their memories or birth).

Silco staying in the Last Drop for years from the moment Vander dies also gives me the sweet headcanon that he once lived there or (co-)owned it. He could be using it as a symbol of taking over Vander's power, but tbh what does that really amount to? By act II he's already bossing every last chembaron around, he doesn't need to stay on top of a nightclub. I think he does cuz he's a bit of a sap and the place was once important to him. Just like him being the big rich man of the Lanes means that he either paid for Vander's statue or has left it alone when he could have had it removed.

Anyway, omg the amount of segways... The only hint we have of Vander's power (besides his talks to the room in the Last Drop and the fact Grayson only negotiates with him) is when talking to Benzo, who says :

"You're a little early, my guys are still rounding up this month's collections, won't have number until next , um—"

Collecting money? What is this, a yakuza business? Or a monthly run for charity? I wish I fucking knew lol But we know Vander > Benzo > "guys" > everyone else. WTF is this, someone explain this scene to me please.

Vander's personality and arc puzzle me a fair bit. He seems to go from an extremely violent man capable of acting mindlessly, while STILL a respected leader, to someone who tires of violence and makes a deal with the popo, and goes on to maintain a bit of a flimsy peace that crumples at the first disturbance (I'll maintain Vander's peace was not smart as it had no strength, no back up or duration beyond his own life/presence).

I can well accept that the bridge attack was the final drop in the man's bucket, but what on earth triggered Vander's bloodthirst against pipsqueak best-bro Silco?

Clearly they both have monsters inside of them, but ironically Vander seems to have tamed his after he unleashed Silco's.

Silco's little speech to Deckard hints that the "very important secret he learned when he was about your age, boy" *taps taps knife blade under his one good eye yeesh you drama queen I LOVE you* is indeed the lesson taught by Vander.

"Power goes to those who'll do anything to achieve it," is a diluted version of his longer speech in episode 3 about needing to be feared to defeat a stronger enemy.

It's possible those are two different lessons learnt at different times, and he's only tapping a knife to his eye to be extra, but if it isn't, it seems to imply that he didn't let out any "monster" until after his fight with Vander. So. what. the. fuck. happened.

Also poor Deckard is maybe 18?? And got his ass handed to him by Vi like yesterday. So Silco was definitely a late teen, early twenties when he got his baptism.

Right, those are my thoughts. I have a theory, which I'm going to explore in my Silco centric fic... But like I said above it feels too easy. I'm extremely curious about y'all opinion on what went down between them. If you have theories please share, I don't see their relationship discussed nearly as much as I expected it to be!

Also don't @ me about Silco eating the last slice of cake, Silco always eats the last slice of cake.

Parting thoughts :

"Brothers"

There's nothing more intimate than a stabbing, and Silco not having a gun is wild, considering the likelihood Vander will get to wring his neck again. He really wants this to be up close and personal.

ALSO, Vander is the only person Silco kills himself (or tries to). He loses his shit later and kicks people, threatens, has Deckard kill a bunch of people while he stands there... But Vander he has to penetrate with a sharp object himself. Torrid.

Fun to consider how the "puncher" Vander never tried to punch Silco, not once. He grabs him, holds him, and chokes him. Come on, one punch to the guts by Vander and Silco would be snorting his entrails. These two really should have gotten a room.

Whatever went down, it was personal.

[bastet-c-haddock]

Flashlight [Part 2 of ??]

[Inspired by the song "Flashlight" by Hailee Steinfeld. Vi's Voice in Arcane]

WARNING: This the second part of this fic (?) It retells Arcane's events from Vi's PoV with a bit of spice on my behalf. From the years in Stillwater to episode 8 from Season 1.

If you'd like to catch up with the previous part, here's the link to it.

Also, Spoliers for Arcane Season 1.

I became a shadow to the brute, spying on him.

At the gym, in the yard we prisoners were left out to do...whatever. He stayed on the corner, constantly looking out and guarding his side. He was wounded, I didn't need to know medicine to figure that one out, I have been there and that was my chance to get him to talk. Still, I needed for him to let his guard down, it would make things easier.

Or that's what I thought...

Lunch time came, and they served us that...shit they call food. No flavor, no nothing. A slop of things I may be afraid to ask about. When I would normally eat it, today, my priority wasn't survival; it was him.

Took the tray and followed the line, not serving a thing on the metal plate, waiting for me to walk freely. Couldn't get my eyes off him. The adrenaline I felt that night rushing again to my head as I recalled everything from my last night free:

Vander's gauntlets on my hands, snug against the vandages wrapped around my arms. Ready to defend my own. Mylo was crouching, frantically trying to free our father as Claggor hit a wall, hoping it would crumble fast enough for us to take a run for it. My old man's face, beaten up, fearing for us...for me...more than for his own life. He had come to terms with death...still, we weren't going down without a fight.

I was finally free of the row, looking out for the guards. There were few, it was their break too. They exchanged places every couple of minutes, which gave me a chance to come close to this brute.

The tray felt hot in my hand, as my blood started to boil and it'll soon need a valve of release.

"Hey!" I said, before sitting on the table this bastard was already on, focused on his 'food'. The word left my mouth as a bitter bark, letting him know I wasn't here to play.

He said nothing for a moment, only a growl came. He didn't even looked at me.

"Tch! I don't recall you being deaf!" I scoffed, waiting for him to react.

"Fuck off, kid!" His voice was raspy, low. Annoyed at my presence.

"In fact, I recall you listening quite well as Silco asked you to kick the shit out of a girl...after probably beating his mentor into a pulp" my sarcasm slowly turning somber, I almost snarled as I looked for his gaze.

He froze for a second. His moral compass working silently. His gaze fixed into the void, before stammering a reply. "How do you...?"

"Look up, dumbass..." I finally snarled, smirking as his eyes, scardely, darted upward to meet mine, not before taking my body first. As he reached my face, he grew paler, as if he had seen a ghost. That made me grip tighter the tray I had in hand. He shook in his place, dropping the spoon in his grasp as he mouthed the word tattooed in my cheek. "Remember me?" A threatening growl building in my chest. His eyes grew wide in disbelief. "Or maybe, you still need a refreser..."

In a split second, the tray left the table, hitting the goon to the ground. If these things weren't made out of metal, it would've bent. The noise made my timer run, as I felt the tense eyes of the enforcers looking at the scene. 5 minutes, maybe ten if I was lucky.

The brute looked at me, scared enough he would probably shit his pants. I pinned him to the floor with my own body, one of my knees over his chest as I pulled his uniform up against me, making him look at me. "Where's my sister?! What did Silco did to her?!" I roared.

"Everyone thinks you're dead..." panicked, gasping for air. "The sheriff told us you were...!" I cut off his words with a swift punch to his jaw.

"I don't give a damn!" Hissing to him, before punching him again, droplets of blood coming out from his mouth. "Where's my sister?!" I asked again, my face against his. Breathing heat towards his face, which shifted from panic to pain, not from my punches, but from the wound on his side that opened up due to my weight over his and my knee on his torso. I put more weight on my leg, making him squeal in pain as the wound ripped open. Bleeding through it's vandages and uniform. "I'll ask again, where the fuck is my sister?!"

His painfull grunts echoed between us, as he frantically tried to push my leg away "Cut it out, bitch! I don't know shit about your sister!" He roared in pain, squirming below me. A fast as he answered, another punch hit his jaw, stronger than the last.

"DON'T LIE TO ME! YOU WERE THERE THAT NIGHT! WHAT DID YOUR DAMN BOSS DID TO HER?!" I asked again, feeling the cold in my knuckles as his blood ran freely from his mouth. He coughed, grunting, looking at me with fear and anger.

"I DON'T KNOW, YOU CRAZY BITCH! FOR ALL I CARE, SHE MIGHT BE WITH THAT COWARD ON THE OTHER SIDE!" He snapped, his words unclear as his jaw started to fail. His insult and may-be-fact sent my mind into overdrive.

"YOU FUCKING SHIT!" The adrenaline clouded my thoughts.

The last I can recall, is me, picking up the tray from the ground, before plunging it into his jaw with every ounce of strenght I own.

Everything went black, as a snap remained lingering in my head.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

My mind came back to normal a couple hours later, surprisingly, I wasn't beaten up...yet...but I was in a place I knew quite well: Solitary Confinement.

This gray stone box becoming my silent sanctuary once more.

His words echoed through my memories. He may be right. As far I was concerned, Silco could have killed her that same night, as she cried for me, as she kneeled before Vander's shimmered-up corpse.

I was supposed to save her, and...at the end...I left her to that monster's mercy...

How can I be so frightened about things...I don't really know...? Of the idea of me hunting a ghost? Of the idea of...leaving her to die...?

That train of thought was about to make me cry bitterly, again, in that dark corner of the cell. Until...

The elevator rang...the doors opened...footsteps.

They were coming to punish me.

It snapped me out of my pitty driven bubble, as I started to warm up. Standing in that cell, punching the wall, preparing for the beating that'll soon come. It didn't make it any better, but the pain after wasn't as bad as if I was caught unaware.

I hit the wall harder as the footsteps drew closer.

I couldn't hear the lack of the wooden staff hitting the bars as it usually did. The bluffing of the enforcers and the heating up of their forsaken teasers. The only thing I could hear, was the wall in front of me and the clicking of someone's heels. They wouldn't catch me with my guard down, never, as long as I was trapped here.

The heels stopped their pacing, right beside my cell. At the same time, I stopped hitting the wall, sweating from the work out, but mostly out of my adrenaline pumping.

From my rear view. The sillouhette wasn't the one I was used to, it was the exact opposite.

A lean, tall and stoic enforcer was standing still next to my cell. A sight I didn't knew I needed, but one that nevertheless made me scoff. Was this another shitty trick? Another new form of torture? Those thoughts made me bark at her, not expecting any answer in return...

"Who the hell are you?"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Her voice was stern, yet gentle. Harmonized by the posh accent the topsiders usually have.

She asked me about my crimes, that were none, according to the papers the warden gave her. There were some, but none confirmed.

She asked me about the idiot I had beaten up. Appearently that sucker was part of an investigation. Bummer...

Why did I punched him? She didn't have to know.

Her calm demeanor as she interrogated me was draining out my patience, I paced, waiting for the door to open and her to come to beat me, even though she had no weapon in sight. Just a notebook filled to the brim with photos and notes. Still, I ran her patience thin, hoping the punishment would begin fast and end faster. Instead, she just walked away, frustrated at my answers.

She sighed "This was a waste of time..." starting to walk away.

"Couldn't have put it better!" I hissed sarcastically. Then dropping something out of spite, maybe out of what happened earlier "Hey, give Silco a kiss in that winning eye of his, will you?"

Usually, I didn't expected a response. Those commentaries usually were followed by a scoff or a "Fuck You" from the guard in charge to look out for me. I was expecting her to walk away and maybe tell the warden to beat me. Instead, she turned around.

"Silco? The industrialist?" Her narrowed eyes looking at me, not believing what I've said. I didn't knew what she was looking for, but my patience had officially ran out.

"Okay, this is getting old. Can you just..." hating what I was about to say, but if it went on a moment longer, the beating would caught me cold, and I wasn't up for that. "Send whoever is gonna kick the shit out of me so I can get on with my night?" Day, Night, Dawn. In that place, days ran rapidly. I just wanted her to stop teasing me.

But then, that photo. I knew those doodles anywhere.

'Powder' my mind cooed as the monkey doodle stared at me. The same damn monkey that ended three lives five years ago. 'She's...alive!'

I threw myself to the bars of my cell, making the enforcer jump in her stand. The most expressive I've seen her since she arrived at my cell.

At that moment, everything faded. That idiot lied! He was lying and I knew it! She is still out there!

"Where did you get this?" I asked, as that spark started shining once more. Hope lighting the dark I was in.

A dumb question later, a snarky answer later, and I asked again. "Where did you find this?!"

"There was an attack, this is evidence. I need proof if I'm to believe what you're saying about Silco." She said, calm as ever.

Proof? First time someone had asked for it, at least proof against Silco's bullshit. And I knew how to get it...those years in the lanes, and those days when Slico started doing his stuff served me as a bargaining chip. Until...

"In what mad world would I trust someone like you" she bluffed, teasing me again. Stepping back once more.

The dim light that once took my mind was drifted aside, as my rage came back swinging.

There had been a while since I spoke my goddammned mind, and this was the time to do it!

"Someone like me?!" If this...wannabe detective wanted me to bargain, or beg for freedom, she was going to get a big fat surprise! "You enforcers are all the same, just asshole criminals in fancy uniforms! You know what? Go find Silco yourself"

She straightened once more, before walking away. Another pampered, spolied girl from topside.

I bluffed as she walked away. "The undercity is gonna eat you alive..." not gonna lie. If she wasn't a shitty enforcer and I wasn't behind bars. I would have eaten that cake in a second, if you get my drift. The blue dress and belt made her assets shine, even in the dark alley that led to the elevator. That was a sight worth looking at, fortunately, it was all for me.

She left, not before I saw her second guess on her way out of solitary confinement.

Once she took the lift. The image of her slender, yet curvy figure left my mind.

"Powder..." I whispered, talking to myself. A desperate sigh left my mouth as I brushed my hair with a hand. All these years, and she was still out there. Shining bright, waiting for me to find her. Hell, maybe she even already tried firing the flare I gave her before going to the warehouse. And...I didn't come.

I growled, punching the wall once again. Shrieking at the powerless feeling weighting my heart to the floor. I punched harder, and harder, trying to silence the guilt as my desperate yells pitched higher.

I left her, helpeless at the mercy of that shithead!

Grunted once more. I deserved whatever beating that sexy and snob enforcer was planning to get me once she made her way up the warden.

I left my little sister alone in the lanes!

I left my flashlight alone in the dark undecity.

And I had probably lost the only chance I had to find her!

Damn my big stupid mouth!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Some time passed, and I had tired myself up enough. And, as if they were hearing my every movement. The elevator opened, and that fucking wooden staff beat against the tiles. Rythmicly, as a cane of an old man, accompanied by familiar footsteps.

I didn't even care to look out, I knew what was coming. It was long overdue.

I just stood there, cooled off or not, bracing myself for another round of punishment, as many before this.

The banging, the footsteps, everything stopped, right in front of my cell. I cracked my shoulder, as the bars slid open. My mind and body were ready, yet...nothing came.

The heavy footsteps faded into the hallway. Along the hitting of the staff.

Then, I turned around. Only to find her.

Stoic, lean and, somehow, gentle. The enforcer from before stood in front of me once more, without bars to protect her from me, still, she looked calm. She looked into my eyes from her height, but didn't looked down on me.

It reminded me of Vander, when he scolded me for getting into a fight head first. Stern, yet kind.

She...reminded me of someone else. But I couldn't put a finger on it.

A sigh, before she walked away down the hallway, hoping I could take the hint and follow her. I looked as she left my sight.

Somehow...that dreadful hallway had gained a bit of life, just from her coming back...for me...

The dim light of hope was lit. Along with another, softer than the first, but shining nontheless.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

PART 3:

PART 4:

[athenadione]

‘you are mine (and I am yours)’

In which you can find out the hard way that demons don't like sharing. @vi-la-vi

AthenaDione and I did a thing! Everyone loves jealous Damian, but hear us out....jealous Raven? Hope you enjoy! -Vi

I’m so incredibly honored to participate in this collab. Vi practically paved the way for me to give you all the delicious demon Raven smut that ensues and did a superb job writing the majority of this piece, as always. If you enjoy and feel so inclined, you can leave a kudos HERE on A03. Vi— thank you for allowing me to be a part of your writing process. You’re such a talented writer and I’m happy to have found you :) -AD

She couldn’t stop staring at him. Not just because it had been years since she last saw him, but because ever since she met him, Anna Vandergilt had thought of little else. 

Damian Wayne. 

They’d met at a benefit when both were sixteen years old, and it had been love at first sight. The elusive heir finally returned to Gotham after five years abroad, doing god knows what. She’d collected every bit of information she could about him, academic transcripts, tabloids, medical and legal records. Vandergilt influence ran deep and she had no compunction about using it to fuel her obsession. Securing an internship at Wayne Enterprises as Tim Drake’s assistant was just the latest step.

And now he’s here, and I won’t let him get away again. 

Damian had to remember her, the spark when their eyes met, the unbreakable connection they’d made. He didn’t acknowledge it when they were introduced, but that was fine. He was an intense, secretive man and likely just didn’t want to make a scene. 

Green eyes flashed to hers and narrowed, catching her staring. She willed herself to keep it together, sitting up straighter and crossing her legs in an attempt to draw his attention to the slit in her pencil skirt. Blonde-haired, blue-eyed, and leggy, she knew how to make men stare.

Or so she thought. Damian had turned his attention back to Tim’s presentation, arms crossed and expression impatient. So serious. She planned ways she might be able to get him alone, with no one and nothing to distract him from her. After today, I’ll have more than just fantasies. She’d been looking for an opening to approach him all day and was sure she couldn’t wait much longer.

They broke for lunch, but just as she moved towards him she was intercepted by Tim. 

“Hey Anna, can you run up to my office and grab my blue flash drive? I forgot to bring it down earlier.”

Get it yourself! she wanted to snap. An assistant position was well beneath her pedigree, and she hated taking instructions from common-born Tim Drake. Swallowing her irritation, she smiled and nodded. 

When she finally returned, Damian had already gone, apparently having had a lunch appointment with someone else. Anna sighed. I’ll speak to him after work, I’m sure he wouldn’t say no to dinner and drinks. No man had ever refused her.

She spied him later as she was returning to the conference room, speaking to a dark-haired woman she didn’t know outside of his office. She took a moment to admire him in his suit, noting curiously that the girl with him was only casually dressed in black jeans and an off-shoulder top with a band logo. Unprofessional much? He’s probably scolding her about the dress code.

Just as the thought solidified, she leaned up and pressed a kiss to the underside of Damian’s jaw, tugging his tie playfully as she did so.  

It was as though a bucket of freezing water had been dumped over her head. Anna stood stock-still, mouth falling open in horror. Who the fuck...how dare…?

The woman whispered something in his ear, kissing his jaw again as Damian rolled his eyes and smirked. She continued to stare, waiting for him to shove her away, glare, do something. She heard someone approach from behind. 

“Ugh, those two,” Tim groaned. 

“Who is that?” Her voice was tight and strained, and the man next to her gave her a curious glance. 

“That’s Rachel, Damian’s girlfriend.”

“Oh,” she said, at a loss for anything else. 

It’s not fair. I planned...I’ve been waiting…

She shook her head, determination moving in. A minor setback. He just needs to know there’s something better on the market. Vandergilts were practically royalty, after all. Her beauty and breeding were no doubt superior. She bit back her anger as Damian dropped a kiss on the other woman’s forehead before walking away.

Just a minor setback, she mentally repeated.

-

Tim’s assistant had a serious staring problem, and Damian was relieved when he was finally able to retire to his office. Annoying. The older man had joked earlier that Damian’s constant absence in Gotham and avoidance of the public eye elevated him to mythical status among some of his father’s employees. He longed for this week to end, eager to be back in Jump and away from the Wayne gawkers. 

His phone buzzed, distracting him from the revenue charts in front of him. 

“Stephanie is insane.”

Damian smiled, eyes darting to his watch to see how much longer he’d be stuck in this office. As necessary as it was that he be here for the audit, he felt bad abandoning Raven to his siblings. Next time they came to Gotham he’d make sure it was purely recreational and personally show her the sights.

“A half hour more, then I will come rescue you.”

Then two days more, and they would be home. 

A knock on the door called his attention. “Mr. Wayne? Could I borrow you for a moment. I need a second pair of eyes on this file.”

He looked up, raising an eyebrow at the worshipful expression on her face. The scent of expensive perfume assailed him and Damian fought the urge to wrinkle his nose. She looked at him hopefully, blinking rapidly.

“Ask Drake.”

She shifted, reaching up to toy with her platinum blonde hair. “Oh...he just has so much on his plate. I wanted to avoid bothering him,” she replied, voice high and lilting. 

Strange woman. Damian wondered where his older brother had found this one. He hadn’t really been paying attention when they were introduced, Vander-something or other.

He sighed. “Fine.”

“Oh, thank you,” she breathed.

She circled around the desk to stand next to him, laying the file in front of him and bending low. A fall of blonde hair brushed his shoulder and Damian shifted slightly to put some distance between them. He spent so little time in normal society it was easy to forget how bad most people were with personal space. 

“What exactly did you need help with?”

“This.”

Without warning, she sat on his lap and pressed her lips forcefully against his, throwing one arm around his neck for good measure. Damian completely froze, protests firing rapidly through his mind. She tugged on the waistband of his pants and it was enough to break his paralysis. He shoved her off of him violently and she caught herself on the desk, shifting it several inches back.

“What are you doing?!”

The alarm on her face lasted only a second before being replaced with a coy smile. “Don’t be shy, I know you remember me. It’s been years, but you’re all I’ve thought about, Damian. I swear.”

“I - don’t…” Damian felt uncharacteristically frazzled. “I have - no. I’m not interested,” he finally managed.

“Please, Damian.” She tried to take a step forward and he instinctively backed away. He hated the way she said his name, he realized distantly.

“I have a girlfriend,” he said, hard edge in his voice. One who would kill you and probably me if she was here right now. Raven did not share.

The woman sniffed. “Her. Don’t be ridiculous, you’re a Wayne. She can’t possibly-”

“Enough.”

He glared fiercely, daring her to try and continue. Tears swam in her blue eyes and Damian felt a touch of relief that he finally managed to get through.

“I...hmph, fine. Keep her on the side if you must. My father had a mistress. Just keep her out of my sight.”

She’s insane. What the fuck kind of vetting process do you have, Drake?

He closed his eyes and exhaled before meeting her watery gaze once again. 

“Listen very carefully. I. Am. Not. Interested. I want you out of this building in the next five minutes or I’ll call security.”

“I - but - we…” She straightened, eyes glassy with disbelief as she tried to compose herself. “I see.”

Damian kept his glare on as she left the room, feeling a headache build behind his eyes. He grabbed his phone again, feeling a pang of guilt when he saw Raven's name, and called his brother.

"I fired your assistant. You're welcome."

"What? Damian, you can't just show up and start firing people!"

"I'll...explain later." Vaguely, and with as few details as I can manage.

The hint of discomfort in his voice must have given him away. "Seriously? No wonder she was staring at you all day.”

"Drop it."

"Alright, alright. Her dad's going to be pissed though, he pushed Bruce for months to take her on here. Sounds like you got your very first stalker."

Well that was a disturbing thought. Damian shook it off. "Just tell him it didn't work out." He didn't want any rumors getting back to Raven if he could help it. 

-

Lying to an empath is easier said than done.

“There’s something you’re not telling me.”

"I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She snorted disbelievingly, eyes glued on the book in her hand. “Why do you feel so guilty?”

“It was a long day. I felt bad for you.” Half-truths were the only semi-effective way he’d found of getting around her lie detector. Normally Damian would smother inconvenient questions with lips, hands, and other parts of him that Raven was always deliciously responsive to, but touching her would have felt wrong right now. She deserved to know the truth before she decided how near she wanted him.

She rolled onto her side then, burrowing down against her pillow and studying him curiously. “You don’t have to spend every second with me, Damian. I’m pretty self-sufficient, in case you haven’t noticed.”

He shrugged, laying back and closing his eyes. “I’ll just be glad to get out of here. People in Gotham are a different breed.”

Raven hummed. “Fine, don’t tell me what’s actually bothering you.” 

With that, she leaned over to kiss him goodnight. Damian flinched at the contact before responding in kind, and pretended he didn’t see the confused look in her eyes. 

“I love you,” he said, focusing the emotion to make sure she felt it as well. 

She closed her eyes, slightly mollified. “I love you, too.”

I'll tell her when we get home, he promised himself. As much as he hated keeping secrets, he knew she was going to be upset and preferred a controlled setting. Damian remembered an incident shortly after they began dating when the ticket-taker at the theater had slipped him her phone number. Raven said nothing at first, but the night ended in a supply closet instead of a screening room.

"I don't share," she whispered dangerously, legs tightening around his hips to draw him in deeper. Red flickered across her purple irises. “You’re mine.”

He smirked at the memory. We never did get to see that movie.

Definitely safer for all involved to wait until they'd left Gotham.

-

Anna stared at her discreetly from the park bench. He’s loyal, that’s all. And I wouldn’t have him any other way.

She grudgingly admitted to herself that the other woman was pretty, if unconventional. Pale purple eyes and dark purple hair - hadn’t anyone told her the punk rock look was out of date? She had nothing on the blonde’s classical beauty.

A hefty bribe to the Wayne's chauffeur had given her knowledge of the woman's - Rachel's - movements throughout the day. She was ordinarily accompanied by Tim's banshee of a girlfriend and one of Bruce's orphans, but had separated from them earlier in the day to visit Gotham’s Arts District. Anna waited until she saw her enter the nearly empty arboretum before making her move. If Damian couldn’t be persuaded to break things off, this one could. An affair with the office hottie - tale as old as time.

“Pardon me?” She adopted a nervous affect as she approached, eyes downcast. “You’re Rachel, right?”

The other woman tore her gaze from the plaque in front of her, violet eyes locking on baby blue. “Do I know you?”

“Anna. I work - worked at Wayne Enterprises. I’m really sorry to do this, but...there’s something you need to know.”

She regarded her silently and the blonde fought the urge to fidget. There's something off about her. What were you thinking, Damian? Finally, Rachel nodded once, crossing her arms. Anna smiled internally and fiddled anxiously with her hands, doing her best to look miserable.

“I was Tim’s assistant until Damian fired me yesterday,” she began, voice weepy. “Tim’s the one who told me about you, I swear I didn’t know before.”

Rachel’s eyes narrowed, something dark and inscrutable flashing in and out of her gaze. “...Excuse me?”

Anna took the low anger in her voice as an encouraging sign and continued. She dropped her eyes again and let out a harsh sob. “I’m not the kind of person who fools around with other women’s boyfriends, and-"

A massive burst of black and red interrupted her thoughtfully planned speech, demolishing the stone plaque next to them and knocking her to the ground. She screamed, covering her head  with her arms. A bomb? What’s happening?

Before she could get her bearings, something hauled her up by the throat, slamming her painfully against a tree. She blinked against the white spots in her vision and the dust in the air, squinting to see what held her. 

Four slitted golden eyes met her own, radiating fury so thick she could almost taste it. I’m seeing things. I hit my head and I’m seeing things. The devil tightened its hold on her neck and stepped closer, heat pouring off its red skin. Terrified beyond anything she’d ever felt, Anna felt her bladder let go. 

“Did you fuck Damian?” it - she - asked in a deadly calm voice.

“Wh-what?” she croaked. No way...what the fuck is she?!

“Answer, mortal.”

She sobbed in her grasp, all her carefully crafted lies flying away in the wake of her terror. “No! I just kissed him!”

The claws (claws?!) around her neck tightened and she felt warm trickles of blood start to seep down into her collar. 

“That - that’s all! That’s all I did! I’m sorry!” she cried, “I’m so sorry! It won’t happen again!”

“I know.”

Shadows wrapped around the two of them and she screamed.

-

Stupid, stupid woman, Damian thought furiously, raising his eyes from the weeping figure on the floor. He’d put it together fairly quickly after walking in the door, and was currently kicking himself for not considering this possibility. She’s clearly deranged, I shouldn’t be surprised she approached Raven.

The woman in question sat in a nearby armchair, looking every bit the queen of hell she was. Her demonic appearance and the regal way she carried herself in this form lent their mundane bedroom at Wayne Manor the feel of some macabre court.

“Something to confess?” his demoness asked lowly. 

“I was going to tell you when we returned home. This is the exact situation I was trying to avoid.” Sparks of black and red magic at her fingertips told him that was the wrong thing to say. 

“You think a couple hundred miles would have saved her from me when I found out? I would cross entire universes.”

The woman before her seemed to curl in further on herself, as if trying to become a smaller target. Prayers fell from her lips, whispered and unintelligible.

 “She’s not worth it. I would have made you see that.”

“That’s not your decision to make. You are mine, this was a challenge to me. A proper demon would have brought just the head.”

A loud wail met her words and golden eyes flicked downwards, oozing contempt. Damian felt a thrill race down his spine. He'd never seen her this angry - possessive. The idea that he was the catalyst, that his composed, serene Raven was burning so brightly over a stolen kiss made his blood tingle. 

Apparently feeling the weight of the demon’s stare, she covered her head with her hands and tried to choke back her cries. A prey-like instinct to hide taking root. 

He swallowed before speaking, mindful of the thin ice he was on. “I know you’re upset, but you can’t kill her.”

An amused sound escaped her, and Damian wasn’t entirely sure how to interpret it. “Beloved?”

She finally met his eyes again, clearly unhappy with the situation. “Fine. But if I ever see or sense this creature near you again, I will tear her apart slowly. Testor ego eam.”

With that, she waved a hand and the other woman vanished in a rush of black. He didn’t bother to ask where, not wanting to push his luck with Raven right now. Hysterical as the other woman was, no one would believe anything she had to say anyways. 

The demoness crossed her arms, studying him silently. She seemed to have no intention of changing back to her human form. Oh. 

“I suppose I’m in trouble as well?”

“Lies deserve punishment. And you need to be reminded who you belong to.”

“You, habibti. Always.”

Her smile offered nothing but trouble and his heart started to pick up. "That’s a start."

“Oh?” he asked her, not moving from the spot where he stood. It seemed that court was still in session, and her final judgement on his own transgressions had not yet passed. 

She picked at a claw unhurriedly, hooded eyes flicking over his figure. Not one to back down, he met her appraising stare inch for inch.

“Did you know that demons mate for life?” she asked without warning. 

“No, beloved,” he breathed. The information was new but it hardly mattered. He had already decided that he was going to spend the rest of his life with her long before they ended up together. He just wondered why she felt it necessary to mention now. 

“It’s a sacred bond. Actually sacred, unlike human marriages. Challenging it is the worst insult one demon can deal to another.” Her eyes narrowed, and her claws seemed to sharpen before his eyes.

“She wasn’t a-”

“No one will threaten our bond. Do you understand, mate?”

Dear gods. 

He resisted the urge to lick his lips, instead pressing them firmly together. “You should know that you will never be at risk of losing me, beloved.” 

“I know. I also know you will never lie to me again.” The demoness waved a clawed hand before resting it underneath her chin. She was waiting for him. He swallowed again.

“What can I do to make amends?” 

Her grin widened, boarding on malevolent, as if she finally found the answer she was looking for. Lifting effortlessly from her chair, she began to stride across the room to him with measured steps. 

“I have a few ideas.” She purred. 

“Oh?” he asked again, displeased at how out of breath he sounded. 

Golden eyes held his own, and she didn’t speak again until she was just an arm's length away from him. 

Then she pointed at her feet. “Kneel.” 

He felt his jaw go slack. She wants me to do what? 

She cocked her head at his hesitation. “You will not kneel for your demoness?” She clicked her tongue in distaste. “Don’t you want to remedy your indiscretions?”

He set his jaw, barely suppressing a wince.  When she put it that way, there was no reason not to kneel before her, even if the thought of doing so went against every instinct in his body. He did, after all, lie to her, and if this was what she wanted from him then who was he to deny her?

Besides, there would be an opportunity for her to return the favor. I’ll make sure of it. 

Revealing nothing, he stared at her impassively and slowly dropped to one knee, biting back a scowl as her smirk grew. 

Then, he watched as a slender leg poked out from the slit of the dress she was wearing, and a strappy, black heel. He gave her a simmering look, then took it in his hands without a word, and pressed a kiss to her ankle, trailing up the side of her calf. 

“That’s very nice, mate.” She murmured, resting a clawed hand onto this shoulder. “What else are you willing to do for me?” 

A light smirk replaced his features. She was asking him to seduce her. To fuck her. That was something he would be more than willing to oblige. 

He promptly stood to his feet and grabbed her wrist, pulling him into his chest. To his amused delight, she went pliant in his arms— nearly purring as he captured her lips with his. He kissed her thoroughly, drowning out the memory of the other gods-awful kiss that’d been forced upon him. 

Then a clawed hand traveled his cheek lightly, moving its way to the back of his head. She suddenly grabbed a fistful of his hair and tugged downwards, tearing his lips from hers. He hissed when sharpened teeth latched themselves on his neck, nipping at the exposed flesh there before soothing it with her tongue. 

Then she began to walk forward, forcing him to step with her— until the back of his knees touched the mattress of their bed. 

“Meus es tu.” She said lowly, and she pushed at his chest, sending him backwards.

It turned into a battle for assertion. One that he admitted he thoroughly enjoyed— and intended on winning. 

He took her with him, grabbing her waist to position her underneath. His smile was smug when he peered down into four golden slits, obviously dissatisfied at the turn of events. 

Ignoring her bared teeth, he nudged open her legs with one knee before settling between them, then rolled against her in one swift movement, taking pleasure in the way she threw her head back with a growl. 

He continued his ministrations, trailing hot kisses down her neck, just as she did to his moments before. One hand reached up to graze her breast as his kisses went farther down the middle of her chest, while his other hand roamed over the swell of her hips. 

Raven in turn, was growing more frustrated with every second he kept her distracted with his teasing, light touches. 

“Enough.” It was a command.

By the time he managed to blink he found himself on his back and she was straddling his waist. 

Her hands encased with her dark magic. “Alliges duplicia.”

His arms lit up with her magic and they were forced above his head. When he tried to bring them back down he was met with resistance. What the hell? When he looked up his eyes widened with realization. She bound my fucking hands to the headboard. 

“Raven.” He snarled in warning, tugging on his bonds. The demoness was unperturbed by his outburst. 

“You will submit to me, mate.” A dangerous red swirled in those golden irises, and he clenched his jaw in response, then bit back a groan when she brushed against his length. 

“Let me go.” He glared. 

“I will not. This is your punishment. You will stay like this until you beg for me.”

“Tch.” 

He detested how painfully hard he was. His erection strained against his trousers, and he couldn’t contain his next groan when she palmed him. 

It didn’t matter how much he wished she’d slip her hand underneath his belt. He would not beg. 

She began to strip slowly, until she was completely bare before him, and then she peeled off his pants carefully— and then his shirt. His full erection was on display for her, and he released a strangled noise in the back of his throat when she settled her heated core against him.

She chuckled darkly when he twitched underneath her. “Say please.” 

“No.” he gritted out, breath hitching when her mouth latched onto one of his nipples, nipping roughly. Her tongue flicked it right after, mixing the pain she had caused with pleasure. 

“No?” Her claws wrapped around his throat, squeezing in warning. “You are in no position to deny me, mate.” 

He just glowered.

“Fine.” She relented, retracting her claws. “You will break eventually.” 

Her fingers lifted to her full breasts, reddened from her true form, and her fingers began to tease one darkened nipple into a tight peak. The bonds went taut when he pulled at them roughly in an attempt to reach out to her. She noticed this and smirked as she teased her other nipple, then rocked against him. They groaned together.

He watched as she then slipped one hand down to her core and began to tease herself, parting her folds before slipping a finger inside while grazing against his cock. 

She moaned, mouth parting slightly and he growled again in protest. That should be his fingers inside of her. 

“If you insist on not obeying me, then I will use you for my own pleasure.” She sunk down onto his cock and his head hit the wall with his groan. Fuck, she felt so damned good and the pace she was setting set him on a steady course towards an impending orgasm, regardless of how much he despised not being in control. 

“Beloved.” He growled when she brought him to the brink all too soon, then slowed back down while teasing her clit with her own fingers. Quick, circling motions that revealed her own need to him— that she was nearing her own orgasm. 

He caught her hitched breath. She was losing resolve, caught in her own wave of pleasure. 

“Release me.” He tugged on his bonds again and bucked his hips into her for good measure. “I want to be the one to fuck you when you come.” 

She gasped and clenched around him, drawing him even deeper. “I will come soon. If you want to fuck me, you must beg now.” 

He cursed. Goddamn her. 

“Please, habibti. I am yours.” 

With a victorious smirk, she waved a hand. That smirk was short-lived however, because as soon as the bonds disappeared he lunged for his little demoness, twisting them both before pulling out of her to roll her onto her stomach. 

“You are mine too, Beloved. I will also make sure of that,” he snarled into her ear, teasing his cock at her entrance. His hands held her pressed against the bed. 

The demoness laughed, then inhaled sharply when he pushed into her with one swift movement. They were both right at the edge, only a few more thrusts was all it would take to throw them both over.

“I can feel how close you are,” He reached a hand underneath her to press his thumb directly against her clit, “Come with me, now.” 

She cried out— a sound that was more animalistic than human, and she fluttered around him. He fell shortly after, nearly seeing stars. He continued to thrust languidly, drawing out their orgasms. Vaguely, he watched as Raven’s skin turned from red to flushed ivory. One pair of eyes turned to peer up at him instead of two, and the color of her irises receded to lavender. 

For a moment he watched her transform, breathless. 

She smiled up at him as her breathing returned to normal and he returned it before dropping his face to her neck. “I’m going to have to make you jealous more often,” Damian murmured into her skin. 

Raven snorted, lifting a hand to run through his sweat-soaked hair. “Unwise. Not only will I definitely kill the next one, it will hurt the entire time she is dying.”

“Green is a good color on you, habibti.”

She said nothing, but he could feel her contentment in the gentle run of her fingers across his hair and skin. As post-orgasmic clarity continued to take hold a question popped into his mind and he leaned up to regard her.

“When were you planning on telling me we were essentially demon-married?”

She flushed. “Eventually. Are you...did you not want…?”

He silenced her with a kiss, letting his actions and strength of his emotions answer her question. As though he could ever give this up, or stomach the idea of either of them being with someone else. 

After all, Damian didn’t share either.

[elcorhamletlive]

Lets talk Arcane!

I'm curious to know if you had any thoughts on Silco or Jinx? Any favorite moments? Any reason you decided to watch it?

Also! You apologized for rambling on that last reply I sent, but please don't! I love the rambling lol and it made me have Arcane feels again

So, I decided to watch it because my brother (who has played the game) insisted I absolutely had to, because it was better than it had any right to be and etc. I don't always take him up on his recs but this one he was particularly insistent about, and I only heard good things about the series elsewhere, so I decided to watch it. And overall I really, really loved it! I have some qualms but it is a great series and I'm excited to see where they take the story next. My brother keeps telling me they've barely scratched the surface of the iceberg of lore there is to adapt, so I imagine there's a lot of stuff coming in the future that will blow my mind.

As for Silco and Jinx: I find Silco really interesting to watch. I was immediately intrigued by his relationship with Vander (a dynamic I could definitely see myself shipping in the future). I think the time skip between Act I and II defanged him considerably, which makes sense because it is right when he adopted Jinx and she became his weakness. It also made him kind of a hypocrite, which is interesting but to me it seemed to underwhelm his previous motivations a little too much. I wish we had gotten a better sense of what his long term plan was, because even though he jumped up at the opportunity of gaining independence when Jayce offered, it doesn't seem that this was something he was actively planning for. And I know this was acknowledged in text, but it kind made me like the character a little less, you know? I felt like the idea of him upon his introduction was a lot more interesting.

As for Jinx... Uh... Let me put this under a read more.

I'm trying to think of how many followers I want to lose for this reply, lol, but if I ignore that, to put it bluntly: I'm not a fan. I know this is a super unpopular opinion, especially considering her central role in the show, but I'm generally not a fan of "mad bomber" characters and a lot of my qualms with the show are about how that storyline was dealt with. Now, keep in mind that I may have been biased against her, because my brother absolutely can't stand the character and was clear about it since day one, but I was generally fine with her until the end of Act I, when I just... couldn't really get behind what the writing wanted me to. Like typically I am 100% in favour of characters making bad decisions and screwing up, but that particular screw up didn't feel credible to me. Maybe if she hadn't been established to know what the orbs do, I could've bought it, but as it was... You threw the in-universe equivalent of a grenade inside a building with your sister and 90% of your chosen family in, and you didn't know people would be hurt? Really? It was just... weird in way I don't think was intended to be.

Then there's the way this storyline treats Vi, which I think is where my real issue lies. If I had been in her place I can't even imagine the kind of names I'd call Jinx, and people act like her losing her cool for 5 seconds after watching her family get blown up for nothing is some huge moral failure, which uhhhh... Nope. The whole "she abandoned Jinx" talking point drives me up the wall. And I know some of it isn't directly endorsed by the text, but it's strongly implied enough to make me extremely uncomfortable ("I'm the monster you created"? "Silco thinks he made Jinx, but he was wrong, you did"? Really, show? Nothing you have shown me so far makes me view this a point of view worth considering, sorry).

Another issue I have is that the narrative doesn't spend nearly enough time with Mylo and Cleggor for us to really feel the weight of what Jinx did in the way Vi would. Cleggor has no screentime to the point I had to learn his name through fandom, and Mylo's screentime is him being antagonistic towards Powder (for good reason, tbh, but the framing leads us to sympathise more with her in this scenario). I like to think this wasn't intentional, that the writers didn't mean to portray the victims of Jinx's actions one-dimensionally so we could instead focus more on her guilt and trauma than Vi's, but... it left a bad taste in my mouth.

So, yeah, not a character I enjoy. But this didn't stop me from enjoying the show! I can't really choose a favorite moment, so I'm gonna make a list of random ones I really liked:

The begginning of episode 1 with the kids doing all that parkour to get into Jayce's house. I think the animation and sound effects really manage to make the action believable and real to the point that I was genuinely tense when Powder jumps, which is a great feat considering this is animation and unrealistic movement is to be expected in this kind of story.

Vander talking to Vi about war in the memorial. I think it was the first scene in the show to give me feels.

Vi attempting to give herself over to the enforcers.

Jayce making a bunch of corrupt deals with the council members during the violin performance - to me one of the best examples of how the show uses its visuals to enhance its storytelling.

Grayson and Cait interacting on her flashback. Everything with Grayson, really.

The flashbacks between Silco and Vander. The betrayal and drama of it all... [chef's kiss].

There's a small shot right before Jayce takes the stand to speak where he puts down his coffee mug and it covers Viktor, and the movement causes a coffee drop to stain mug-Jayce's face. Again: Visuals conveying storytelling in an extremely effective way.

Everything about post-time skip Ekko. His fight with Jinx is an obvious highlight, but I also loved him showing Heimerdinger the tree.

Vi taking that random dude's jacket.

I love everything about Caitlyn and Vi getting to know each other, even the "men or women" scene that I initially thought was going to make me uncomfortable (seeing the gifsets out of context made it seem predatory in a way the actual moment definitely isn't). But I particularly like when Vi says she's a good shot and Caitlyn corrects her: "I'm an excellent shot". Good for you, Cait, make her work for it.

The scene where Jayce forcibly retires Heimerdinger. I genuinely agree with Mel that he wasn't wrong about anything he said in this moment, but damn if it isn't sad. A great scene.

Another tiny moment: When Viktor goes to dump the assistant's ashes on the river and apologises for not knowing where she'd prefer he did that. Just. Really sad and sweet.

"in the pursuit of great we failed to do good". What a banger of a line.

I know this is a controversial one because technically he shouldn't have been this great of a fighter in this point in the story but I love everything about Vi and Jayce teaming up. I love his reaction to killing the kid and Vi's response. I want them to interact again in the future so badly.

Vi vs Sekira. No thoughts, head empty, just two cool women beating the shit out of each other. 10/10, media needs more of this.

I'm super fond of the scene between Silco and Jayce, as well as Jayce talking to the council afterwards. Through the season I thought we were heading up to a morally corrupt Jayce ending, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that in the end, he actually took the best possible course of action under the circunstances. I especially liked him pointing out to Silco that, if a war did happen, the undercity would be crushed - it echoes some of Vander's beliefs and I think it highlights that Jayce is a good person who wants to do good, at the end of the day (he isn't rejecting war just because it makes him feel bad).

I also love Mel's disdain for her mother, her slapping away her goblet and especially the shot of her mother in front of the painting filled with yellow. Mel was another character that I thought was going to end up the season in a morally dark place, so it was great to see her cling to her beliefs like that.

Despite all my mixed feelings on Jinx, I did find Silco's death heartbreaking, and his devotion to her - and talking to Vander about it - was something I enjoyed watching. "Is there anything as undoing as a daughter?"

Heimerdinger's pet and the robot in the council. I was just always glad to see them.

[venomwrites]

You are absolutely right. I did not mean to bash on Vi in Anomalies. As I said, I would have probably reacted the same way as Vi had I been in her shoes because at the end of the day, no matter how much she loves Caitlyn and no matter how much the patronage supported her family, if Vi had any choice in the matter she would have probably stayed with her family back then since her infatuation with Caitlyn was probably more of a byproduct of the Patronage. I mean the attraction on both sides was there (Caitlyn fell first, Vi probably fell harder as seen with the lengths she would go to to keep Cait save, even if it meant being the target of her ire and making Cait believe Vi doesn't actually care the same about her as Cait does about Vi) but at the start that would have not been enough for Vi to abandon Powder if she had a choice. And I totally understand that at this particular point in time Vi would go with Powder and lie. Not because she wants to hurt Cait but because she also wants her family back. And as I said Powder instantly activated that us vs them behaviour, which is also understandable.

The Anomalies miscommunication is so deliciously angsty. But I also love (and find it kinda sad as well) that Caitlyn has grown into the Kiramman heir and is like: I can do this and I can protect this and I will not let you go and trample all over that (which is again, not Vis intention but what it feels like for Cait I think).

Also Caitlyn, if given the right incentive and an attractive enough target (read woman) would totally use her boobs to get what she wants. Not gonna lie there. I am so so excited for their Fractal dynamic. Also when you said Caitlyn used her boobs and Vi got her back by tucking her into her bed I read...fucking...and was like: Wait what, when did that happen???

Oh gosh i didn't get the sense you were bashing her at all! It's so interesting when I reply to your messages because I try to see it from both sides but right now I fully want to shake Vi for not seeing how this is affecting Caitlyn.

But there's this funny thing with the pair of them that makes me laugh/cry: Vi and Caitlyn can only bullshit each other if they can't see each other.

Seriously all their biggest miscommunications have two things in common: wanting to take care of the other and a lack of eye contact. Even Vander who has looked at them in the same room for like a grand total of 20 minutes is like "i bet if i make this two look at each other and talk, she's going to get through to Vi." They have known each other for so long but they've never spent more than like two months together at a time. And even that is rare. That's the thing I love about where we are in the story.

This is the first time Vi and Caitlyn have been alone together for more than a few hours in YEARS. The only people they have to put up their act with is each other. And without the (respectfully) threat of consequences and no avoiding of eye contact, it's a whole new chapter in their relationship.

Also lol Anomalies Caitlyn is 100% guilty of using the Kirammountains to get what she wants. She hasn't used them on Vi because in Anomalies Caitlyn hasn't realized just how attractive Vi finds her. Like Caitlyn is physically affected by their hug because it's Vi. But she thinks Vi is affected because she's hugging a girl she doesn't want to, not because Vi is also down bad. She's got blinders on (for now).

It's really funny how I now have 3 radically different baby!caitvi stories between Anomalies, Fractal and Equipollent Canonization. And somehow the one where they both got blown up seems like the healthiest relationship right now simply because they've managed to say they care about each other.

[vi-carious-enforcer]

That line, right there gave Vi pause. She thought back to Vander, he had authority.

‘You’re right.’ She replied guardedly, admitting defeat on that point. ‘Sometimes it seems to me that everyone I ever meet with power is abusing it however.’

Vi gave Viktor a sympathetic look. ‘I... I thought so. I’m sorry.’ She looked down at the floor briefly. ‘Well, you made it further than anyone else I’ve seen with your condition.’

Surprisingly, for someone who looked like their skills merely lay in the world of taking and dealing physical harm, Vi was a quick study. She had a good head for mechanical devices, perhaps that was why she had tattoos which depicted mechanisms at work.

However she had no knowledge of Hextech and knew very little about wiring. It wasn’t quite like teaching a novice, but she did have to ask Viktor to repeat a few things here and there. She would likely need to return once or twice in the future to learn more before she was competent, but it was clear that she did get the majority of what she was taught easily enough.

Vi looked up, not expecting Viktor to say something like that.

‘Perhaps not. But my actions, and my choices still played a part in the reason he died.’ She sighed. ‘But, thank you.’ She nodded, ‘I... think I needed to hear that...’ She trailed off.

'You're Viktor right?' Asked a pink haired woman who had apparently waltzed right into Viktor and Jayce's workshop. 'Pretty boy said you might be able to help me with a problem.' She said nonchalantly before setting a heavy looking bag down onto an unoccupied workbench. The bag it turned out contained one of the Atlas Gauntlets Viktor and Jayce had designed, a clearly badly damaged one. (@vi-carious-enforcer)

@vi-carious-enforcer

{⚙️}: Viktor was absorbed in notebook when he heard someone address him. After his experiments with the Hexcore, he had thrown himself into his work, attempting to distract himself from both the nagging that had begun in the back of his mind, the growing need for more, to continue, to replenish his Shimmer supply, and the memory of his last moments with a woman he should have treated better, paid more attention to. It wasn’t supposed to hurt anybody. That was the opposite of what he was trying to do! The exact opposite!

At first, he didn’t even look up from the page he had been reading, instead simply offering a, “That depends on who is asking. I’m very busy.”

However, it didn’t seem like this person was the kind to care much for whether or not he wanted to speak. He finally shot her a glance, weary amber eyes looking out from behind deep purple bags, “Pretty boy?” he questioned. Who was she talking about??

Slowly, he stood, taking his crutch with him, though he didn’t entirely need it anymore. Not for his leg, at the very least, though it aided him with the weakness that still plagued his body. He approached the woman, and frowned at the sight of the bag. What exactly had she brought to him?

“What is this? Are you certain you were directed to the correct pers—“ his eyes widened when he saw it. A Hextech device, the Atlas Gauntlet, a piece of machinery that he had poured hours upon hours over alongside his research partner. His gaze snapped up to bore into this stranger, look at her with an incredulous expression, “Where did you get this?”

[11quillen11]

Okay, this was a longer reply than I expected.

First off, you convinced me about the Vi situation. I knew about that clip from the music video but remembered it wrong. In my memory, it was younger Vi and Powder playfighting and Vi accidentally hitting Powder too hard with the pillow. I forgot the part where it flashes to a more grown up version of them and Vi pushing Powder to the ground in anger. A pretty big omission on my part, I admit. Otherwise, I agree with what you had to say about the rest. I did interpret the wording of "she hit her sister" as more accusatory than you intended I suppose, sorry about that.

I still disagree about Silco though. Before I go into it more, I just want to clarify two things: First, I didn't mean that you specifically were portraying Silco as a saint, more like I was noticing this general trend in the fandom and it irks me. Sorry for not being clear on that. Second, I agree that Silco is not the sole responsible for what Jinx became, I was disagreeing with: "Heimerdinger is the one to blame for Jinx, not Silco." I understood that to mean that Silco could not be blamed for what Jinx became because he was a victim of the system as well. Clearly, it's not what you meant to say, but I think my confusion makes sense.

Regardless, I clearly agree with you that Silco is not the only one to blame and that Heimerdinger's failures should not be understated. The following is me diagreeing on smaller things:

I maintain that, the way I see it, Silco did make the Undercity worse through the spread of shimmer. He and the other chembarons got richer but there is no indication that things got better for anyone else. In fact, when Vi goes to her old home with Caitlyn - the place where the lowest of the low go to hide - she says there didn't use to be so many people there. The rich got richer, the poor got poorer, and now addiction is rampant and because this drug is also a weapon, it means danger is always around the corner. And I don't think Vander is a saint either, but the key difference between him and Silco is that he wasn't selling Shimmer to anyone. Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is that Silco decided that to save Zaun, he needed to spread a highly addictive, highly dangerous substance around, which would make him and a small group of chembarons very wealthy and grant them near complete control over the Undercity, and that's specifically what I'm saying he didn't have to do. I'm sure there were other ways to unite Zaun and gain enough power to match Piltover's. I think Ekko and the Firelights are an example of that. I don't believe that violence is inherently wrong, but I think that the way Silco wields it and uses it is counterproductive and, yes, wrong.

As for Powder, of course she was already a fucked up child with a lot of issues. I just don't think that her becoming Jinx was inevitable. Yes, Vander was not a good parent to her, and yes Vi made a lot of mistakes, but the way I see it, if she had stayed in their care, she would not have become the criminal that she is. She would never have been completely sane, but I don't think she would have turned into a mass murderer, if only because they weren't teaching her that violence is the only way and that everyone but them is her enemy. Yes, Silco is not sole responsible for what she became, but I do think that he played the biggest part in it.

Was gonna make a post about that and Nate goes and saves me the time! <3

Vander was so absent he pushed so much of the "mom" job on to Vi, a likewise traumatized kid. Jinx steps on a battlefield, sees her dead parents, and then gets mostly raised by her preteen sister. Her brother bullies her for unknown years, her sister hits her on occasion... Enforcers abuse her in the streets, her siblings' idea of "making it" in the world is stealing and fighting over their loot. She's actively encouraged to make bombs that will harm people, for the sake of their little dysfunctional tribe...

Assuming she's about 11 years old by act I, she's spent about 6 years with her family, dirt poor in the slums, then 5 years with Vander, then ~7 years with Silco?

The whole of Zaun bears responsibility for the monster Jinx becomes, and Zaun is the result of Piltover's systemic abuse.

Hot take, Heimerdinger is the one to blame for Jinx, not Silco.