Something Wretched, Something Beautiful (and everything in between) - Chapter Two
Chapter tags: Silco/Reader, Silco, Alternate universe Silco, Reader-insert, reader works for Silco in original universe, Vander, Jinx, Powder, Ekko slowburn, friends to lover, but also don’t really like each other to lovers, depends on the universe, eventual romance, alternate universe (s02e07), no use of y/n, implied older man/younger reader, gender-neutral pronouns, sexual tension, like a lot of it, sexually charged dart match
Chapter CW: Vomiting (Only in the first paragraph), mentions of nausea
Rating: Mature, possibly explicit in the future, 18+ minors dni
Taglist: @karolinda007-blog
You felt yourself cocooned inside a soft blanket, your body sinking into the firm mattress. You struggled to peel your eyes open, feeling a deep pit of nausea crawling up your chest. Rolling over to the side of your bed, you expel mostly water. A bead of sweat trickled down the side of your face making a soft patter as it hit the floor. With a groan, you rolled back onto your back, staring at the ceiling. You pried your hands from the comfort of your blanket to rub your eyes. Looking back at you was a ceiling that was no longer riddled with damp spots and cracks filled with crudely made drywall mud. You blinked the bleariness from your eyes as you remembered.
You craned your neck to the left, the side of your face sinking into the pillow as you looked at the small clock on the bedside table.
You huffed, it wasn’t often you let yourself have the privilege of sleeping in this late, but you supposed it could be excused in this… less than average situation. You unraveled yourself from the blankets, the cool air hitting your skin immediately causing goosebumps that woke you up completely. You yawned as you sat up, swinging your legs off the side of your bed. Two feet met the cool, wooden floor beneath you. You wiggled your toes at the sensation. It was cold but not nearly as cold as the cement floor you were used to.
For a few minutes, you just sat there reflecting on the events of last night.
After you had walked out of the bar, Silco and you walked side by side as if it were a normal occurrence. Sometimes he would turn at a street corner, expecting you to turn at the same time, but not knowing where you were going, you kept on walking, nearly tripping over yourself when you realized he had turned. By the third time he caught you off guard with a turn you weren’t expecting, he just started to lightly grasp your upper arm whenever he was about to turn to make sure you followed. You knew, to him, you probably just seemed so out of it you couldn’t remember how to get home, but in reality, you just had absolutely zero clue where you were headed. The streets of Zaun were so different that even if your apartment was in the same spot as your universe, you doubted you would’ve been able to navigate yourself there. You took in the environment around you, the cleanly bricked streets illuminated by string lights. Buildings were whole and decorated rather than falling apart. There were no newspapers and tape covering windows or wooden panels covering holes in roofs. The night sky was clear with stars instead of the thick blanket of smog that you were used to covering the city like a permanent rain cloud.
“When did everything get so beautiful?” you questioned softly as you looked around in quiet awe.
Silco had let out a soft chuckle beside you “I ask myself the same question sometimes” his head turned up to look at the stars as you walked in tandem “Sometimes, it feels like it happened all at once” he then tilted his head back down to return his gaze in front of him. His voice softened ever so slightly as he continued “And other times, it feels as if it was a painstakingly slow process.”
The irony was not lost on you as you visualized what was the current state of your Zaun. You couldn’t help the way your mouth contorted into a tiny, bitter smirk “I know the feeling” you quietly concurred.
At that moment, a part of you wanted to scream. You wanted to cry. You didn’t know what this was. Or why you were brought here. You just knew that you would now be forever cursed with knowledge of how good things could’ve been. That this future was so close and yet just out of reach for your universe. How could you ever possibly go back after seeing this? But how could you possibly stay? You weren’t sure if you even had the privilege to choose. Part of that realization relieved you, that you didn’t have control over that. But you would’ve been lying if you said it didn’t awaken a simmering anger deep in your chest, being so helpless. Being left to the whims of the arcane. You didn’t, however, scream and cry at that moment. You just continued to walk in silent resignation. Letting the sound of your congruent footsteps, soles meeting brick, rhythm in your ears.
“Am I a good bartender?” You had abruptly asked, forcing the topic of the conversation to be changed.
Silco let out an amused hum, a smirk playing on his lips as his eyes moved to look at you from the side “Feeling doubtful of our skills, are we?” His tone was light and teasing.
The playful roll of your eyes came to you so naturally. As if you two had danced this dance many times before.
It would’ve been so easy to think that this could’ve never occurred with the Silco you knew. That he was too rigid, too mean, to have ever let an interaction like that occur. And the truth was, he was rigid and he was mean but he wasn’t soulless. A memory flashed through your head, projecting over the Silco next to you. You were back in your Zaun again, back with your Silco. His arm was slung over you as he drooped weakly. You think you were walking down the very same street except going toward The Last Drop rather than away. His other arm clutched to his side, his hand covering the edge of his abdomen. He had just been shot. A meeting had gone wrong, people scattered everywhere. You remembered how he froze as the gun was pulled out, as the trigger was squeezed, as he then stood there with the bullet in his skin. Sevika had been on the culprit in an instant and you didn’t know why, but your first instinct was to run over to Silco before he could topple over. Sevika had stayed behind to fight, allowing Silco and you to make your escape.
Your eyes glanced over to him as you supported him. His jaw tensing and his scowl deepening by the second. You could tell he absolutely despised being seen like this, being so vulnerable. His silence lingered thick in the air. His mind had always possessed more fortitude than his body. He wasn’t weak by any means, his multitude of scars demonstrating that, but still, he was not the type to just walk a bullet wound off. You practically felt the ire simmering off his body. You still don't know what possibly possessed you to break the silence, but you did.
“How are you holding up?” The question came out slightly heaved as you took on some of his body weight.
“I’ve just been shot” he hissed out, the words causing spit to fly through the air “How do you think?”
“Right,” You let out an exasperated exhale through your nose, you weren’t able to stop the slight roll of your eyes. You’d been shot before, you knew it wasn’t pleasant in the slightest, but you also knew that the bullet didn’t hit any organs, he wasn’t dying and his passionate anger sure attested to it. “Just thought I should ask.” The two of you continued to walk in limped steps. His entire body weight wasn’t leaned onto you, he still had some strength, you were mostly there to keep him steady. “You know, you could be a little nicer to the person literally helping you to safety right now” You don’t know what emboldened you to say that but the words had already left your mouth.
He let out a scoff in response “I’ll consider it when we actually make it to safety”
You had two options at this point. Continue with your audaciousness or relent. Unfortunately for you, it wasn’t like you to back down. “Or I could just leave you here.” you threatened in an almost teasing tone, clearly not being serious considering you were still walking with his arm slung over your shoulder.
“You do that, and I can guarantee you won’t live to see tomorrow.” His voice was a threatening growl, but you could feel his body tensing, his breath becoming more ragged. He knew he was at your mercy.
“Relax” you puffed some air through your nose. His arm was starting to slide off you so you readjusted yourselves pulling his arm tighter around your shoulders “I would never actually do that” Your arm then instinctively moved down behind him, your hand landing on his hip bone to keep him steady. You felt his body tense faintly under your touch and you ignored the swirling feeling in your stomach.
Hunched over as he continued to walk in tandem with you, his eyes had to turn upward to look at your face. You saw his head slightly turned to your direction through your peripheral as you kept your eyes straight ahead. You basically sensed the lightest smirk on his face, it was condescending, satisfied, and teasing all at once. You wondered how he was always able to convey so many meanings in just one gesture. “I’m sure you’re tempted, though” his voice was low and gravelly.
You remembered how you let a soft, breathy chuckle out at that. Maybe it was because of his sheer audacity, maybe it was just the whole situation, but either way, you just did. “And you’d be right”
You flung the memory from your mind with a squeeze of your eyes and a slight shake of your head. No, it was much harder to think about how this kind of banter had happened before, because that made him human to you, it had made him more than The Eye of Zaun, and it had made him too similar to this Silco you were growing fond of.
“No, I’m just curious what you think” you replied as the memory faded from your thoughts.
“Well I think” he started “that Vander wouldn’t have hired you if you weren’t good”
You laughed at that “I don’t know, Powder can be pretty convincing”
“That is true” he stopped to look at you “but I don’t think anyone would ever need to be convinced of your talents”
The way he looked at you made you queasy, a subtle nausea that crawled up through your chest. Like he would personally pluck the stars from the sky for you if you had asked. Like there was something he wanted to say constantly hanging on the end of his tongue but refusing to leave his mouth. Like that night you had carried him home, you ignored that swirling feeling in your stomach. It was soon after that you had arrived to your place. Sure, enough, it was the same apartment from your universe only… much more renovated.
You sat on the edge of your bed letting out a frustrated groan as you thought about it, running your fingers through your hair. Being stuck in an alternate universe was challenging enough. But having to deal with him? The way he looked at you? The way he spoke to you so softly? That was a completely different challenge in itself.
Your knees wavered at first as you stood up, still adjusting to the new universe. You stumbled your way over to the full-length mirror that rested against your wall. Like Silco and Jinx, there were subtle differences about you. Your hair was a bit longer and your body was softer. You lifted your baggy shirt up to look at your stomach, it was pliant and scarless. Your hand ran over your new body grabbing parts of the tender flesh. The change wasn’t too drastic but it was evident you weren’t running anymore, weren’t fighting, weren’t just surviving. You took a step closer to analyze your face. Your cheeks were more filled out and the dark circles under your eyes were lighter. You tested out a smile in the mirror to see how it looked, it felt so natural to do, you must’ve been happy here.
The afternoon was filled with several more surprises as you looked through your apartment. It almost felt like you were snooping, the way you were looking through drawers and cabinets, opening journals and books, trying to see what little pieces of your other self's life you could put together. You pulled some clothes out of the dresser chuckling a little as you looked at the material. It is exactly the kind of clothes you had always imagined yourself wearing if you had the privilege. Still matching to your original style but neater and more put together.
As 4 o’clock neared you started retracing your steps from last night back to the last drop. It was much easier to navigate in the daylight. The city was bustling, street vendor shops open and busy, children running through the streets, and the sunlight shining down from the clear sky. Your hair is blown forward from the breeze of a monocycle whizzing past you. A profound joy bubbles up inside of you as you walk through the city in all its glory.
Your steps faltered as you approached The Last Drop, your eyes scanning over the exterior of the building. You hadn’t truly had the opportunity to look at it the night before. No longer was there the blindingly green neon lights arranged to look like an eye. The building itself was a pleasant mixture of mint green and brick red, its signature sign in the same place it had always been. That was the one constant of the building, you noticed. In your timeline, even when Silco had taken over the sign remained as the iris of the bar's signature green eye. You never understood why he kept the name, kept the sign. But you had your theories. Perhaps it was his way of conquering it, mocking Vander, saying ‘It’s mine now, I’ve corrupted it and you aren’t here to do anything about it” or maybe, a part of you thought, it was his deranged way of keeping an old friend’s memory.
Your knowledge of Silco and Vander’s relationship was limited. It was kind of an open secret in The Lanes, that they used to be friends so close they would call each other ‘brother’. You didn’t know the full story, but you knew that the two had a falling out at some point during the failed uprising, and the next time Silco was seen, he had that scar. When Vander died and Silco took over, you would hear hushed voices of the older Zaunites discussing it. Eventually, though, the whispering stopped, afraid of inciting his rage.
You were pulled from your thoughts when you felt a hand connect to your shoulder in a friendly smack “Look who it is!” The voice of a young man exclaimed cheerfully “Powder told me you weren’t feeling well last night, how are you doing?”
Your head whips to see a young man at your eye level, wearing a pale green blazer with a white shirt and vest. His stark white locs were pulled back into a ponytail and small gold earrings on each lobe reflected off of the sun. You didn’t recognize him but there was something familiar about him you couldn’t quite put your finger on. Your mind scrambled to remember something Powder had said last night.
“I have to meet up with Ekko to discuss what we’re doing for the innovator's competition”
“Ekko!” you tried to match his cheer, your eyebrows raising a bit as you tested the name, hoping you were right that this was who she was referring to. When you’re not met with confusion, you continue “Yeah, yeah, I’m feeling a lot better” It wasn’t completely a lie, you were feeling better, the pounding in your head dulled and the nausea was subsiding. Still, you weren’t exactly feeling great.
“That’s good, see you inside.” He offered you a friendly smile and patted your shoulder as he walked past you making his way into the building.
You followed soon after, laying your hand flat against the door as you pushed it open. The vibrant aura immediately flooded your senses. You were able to get a much better view of the interior when you weren’t still completely reeling from your interdimensional travel. Your eyes scanned across the room. Ekko, Powder, Mylo, and Claggor were all sitting in booths at a table, merrily talking to each other. On the other side of the room, you see a few guests pulling levers on rudimentary arcade games. The room was bright, light spilling in through windows and the detailed glass surroundings of the door. As you walked in, you noticed a dartboard hanging on the wall. Underneath were papers taped onto the wall, all doodles from Powder you assumed. Some were scores of past games, but one you noticed was an ongoing tally of games won. You fondly smiled as you looked at the scoreboards she drew, one of them containing drawings of Silco, Vander, a man who could only assume was Benzo, and you. You eyed the scores, Benzo far in first, Silco and you tied for second, and Vander in last. The scores between Silco and you caught your eye, you wondered if there was an ongoing competitiveness between the two of you. It sure sounded like you. And it sure sounded like him.
You turn around as you hear Vander call your name “Hey, you turned up!” He heartily exclaimed as he poured a drink for a customer “How are you feeling, lass?”
You warmly smile as you walk up to the bar “I told you I would,” you rest both your elbows on the bar “And I’m doing alright”
He chuckled as he placed the glass he filled and slid it to the customer “Well what are you just standin’ there for? Start pouring some drinks.”
That’s when you visibly froze. You didn’t actually know how to bartend, that was a skill that was completely original to your alternate universe self “Right,” you nervously chuckled as you pushed your elbows off the table “Pour some drinks.” you repeated as you hesitantly walked behind the bar.
The moment you got behind the bar, Vander finished up a drink he was pouring and took the towel off his shoulder, softly whipping it over yours “I got some crates in the back alley from a shipment this morning, take care of things while I bring them in, would ya’?”
It was more of an instruction than a question as he started walking away before you were even able to answer. You felt sweat collect on your brow as you internally panicked, hoping the raw fear wasn’t visible on your face.
You looked around at the various taps and barrels, at least they were all labeled. Maybe this wouldn’t be so hard, maybe people would come in and simply order whatever was on tap. You squeezed your eyes shut as if to reset yourself and took a deep breath. You literally worked for Silco, you’ve done countless dangerous jobs, surely you could handle bartending.
When you opened your eyes, a young man was sitting at the bar, you put on the most polite smile you could muster up and went up to him “What can I get for ya?” You hoped that came out like it was normal.
You simply nodded as he ordered a Whiskey Sour, the smile stuck on your face with blank eyes. The second you turned around your smile dropped. Whiskey Sour? That was just whiskey and lemon, right? But how much? You internally panicked as you reached for the bottle of whiskey under the bar. As you started pouring it into a glass your muscles suddenly moved on their own, turning the bottle up before you could pour too much in. You could’ve cried out of relief.
Thank Janna, this body had muscle memory.
You still had to think though, the cogs in your head turning every time a drink that consisted of more than one ingredient was ordered as you tried to figure out what was in it. You continued to make drinks as the sun started to set, the golden light cascading in through the windows. You were so caught up in the drink-making frenzy that you didn’t notice someone standing behind you “Need a hand?” You jolted in surprise, your hand jerking the glass up causing the ice to jump out and part of the drink to splash onto your shirt. You turned around to see Silco, his face being shocked as well at first but soon melting into a gentle chuckle. You placed a hand on your chest as you regained your breath from the scare. “I’m sorry, I thought you knew I was there,” he spoke between his low, soft laughter.
Just as you thought you were snapping out of your shock from the dichotomy of the two timelines, he had to let that joyous sound fall from his lips again. Like a stricken chord from an unfamiliar song, causing goosebumps to crawl up your arms and a strange feeling to settle in your chest. You tried to ignore the quick palpitation of your heart. If his smile was like a knife to your gut, his laugh was like the knife being twisted. Your jaw tensed as you resisted the urge to become slack-jawed. Quickly composing yourself, you straightened your back and swatted his shoulder before turning back to the bar, continuing the drink. “When did you even get here? I didn’t see you come in.”
“From the back, I was helping Vander with the shipment” His head gestured towards the back door.
You shook the drink in a shaker, keeping your body turned away from him “Where is Vander anyway?”
You heard him start to move behind you, picking up a towel from under the counter “I believe Powder and Ekko stole him away. No doubt making him listen to their ramblings over the innovator’s competition” his rich voice spoke with a hint of amusement.
You gave him an acknowledging hum in response as you poured the drink into a short glass. You swiveled on your heels to turn around and walked up to the front of the bar, placing the drink down for the customer. You spoke again as you turned around, resting your palms on the edge bar as you leaned back. “I should be fine here, I don’t need any help” you hoped that was convincing enough.
The truth was, you probably did need the help but there was something in your gut telling you to keep your distance from this Silco. Whatever was happening between him and your other self was something you didn’t have the heart to look into. If you thought too deeply about it, you might find something there. You didn’t know what the probability of getting back to your original timeline was, but in the event that you did, you were already going to have a hard enough time interacting with Silco again, you didn’t want to make it even harder for yourself.
He let out a small chuckle as he walked up next to you “You, my friend, have always been a bad liar,” he then leaned slightly over the counter, speaking to a customer that had just walked up “What can I get you?”
Right, of course, he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. It may have been an alternate universe, but it was still Silco. You let out an exasperated sigh as you turned around to face the bar, standing parallel to him “I am not” you let out defensively.
He gave a short, playful scoff, his head turning to look at you before bending down to get a bottle of ale “Whatever helps you sleep at night, darling”
Your heart stuttered at the nickname. It rolled off his tongue so smoothly, so casually and he didn’t seem phased by it at all. Sure, it was playful and teasing, no real weight being held in its usage, but the endearment was still jarring. As every interaction with him had left you so far, you were asking yourself if this behavior was normal between the two of you.
Yet another thing for you to ignore.
An hour went by as the two of you worked in tandem, shoulders sometimes brushing lightly as you passed each other. You tried to maintain the wall you decided to put up, but it soon proved to be much more difficult than you thought it would be. Your responses to his quips and comments spilled out of your mouth naturally and unwittingly. The two of you conversed as if it was a well-practiced waltz. The banter, the teasing, the small smiles you saw creased into his face as you would pass each other. It was almost too much, you had felt yourself dizzying slightly. He was spinning you too much in this dance.
As the bar started to settle down, Powder and Ekko emerged from another room, planting themselves on stools at the bar.
“Well, we’re utterly doomed.” Powder's raspy voice spoke as she laid her head on the table in exasperation.
Ekko sighed as he placed a hand on her back “Oh come on, we’ll figure it out,” he comforted her “We still have plenty of time.”
“Are the geniuses having doubts?” Silco turned around as he cleaned the inside of a glass
Powder let out a muffled “Yes” at the same time Ekko confidently spoke “No”
“We’re just” Ekko started, squinting a little as he articulated his thoughts “Lacking inspiration on what to make for the competition is all”
Facing away from them, you looked up in thought, recalling a sweet drink that you saw Jinx sometimes get when she was lost in her woes. You poured out a carbonated lemon-lime drink and mixed it with a sugary pomegranate syrup. You spun around and placed the glass down with a soft thud, causing Powder to lift her head slowly from the table. You popped a metal straw in the drink. Her face softened as she looked between you and the drink.
“Thanks,” she quietly muttered with a smile hinting on the corners of her lips as she went in for a sip.
Behind you, you heard the thunk of a door closing which was soon followed by Vander’s hulking figure behind Silco and you. He clasped two study hands, one on your right shoulder and one on Silco’s left. Vander’s face turned slightly to regard Silco “You’re not scheduled today, what’re you doin’ behind the bar?”
A small teasing smirk rose on the corner of Silco’s mouth “Our little star bartender needed the help,”
“Ah right,” Vander’s robust voice spoke with a smile as he patted Silco’s shoulder “Cause you’re so selfless” he quipped, causing Silco to raise his good eyebrow up in mock offense. He released your shoulders “Well, about time to close up, Powder, Ekko, want to help two old men and a tired bartender out?”
The four of you then began to clean, Powder sweeping the floors, Silco cleaning glasses, Vander cleaning the bar, and Ekko and you splitting up cleaning the tables. Cheerful chatter broke out as you all worked, Powder and Ekko spitballing ideas for the competition and talking about their day and Vander enthusiastically responding. Silco, who even in this universe wasn’t the biggest conversationalist, would occasionally chime in with a few comments and quips. You, for the most part, stayed quiet, both from not knowing how to participate and from just wanting to listen to them all interact. You reached a table pressed up against the wall, next to it was the dartboard you noticed earlier. Your strokes over the wooden table with your damp, soapy rag became weaker as you fixated on the board and the scores.
Clearly lost in thought, you were snapped out of it by Silco’s playfully goading voice from across the room “Contemplating our next match?”
You covered up your distracted mind with a playful snort “Yeah, just coming up with all the ways I can beat you”
“Then I don’t suppose you’d be opposed to a match when we’re finished up here?” He raised his good eyebrow “We need to break our tie after all.”
The way he spoke was reminiscent of the Silco you knew but just in an entirely different context. This wasn’t charged with ire and power, this was playful, over something trivial, but still low and velvety. You’d be lying if you didn’t say it didn’t stir something deep within you, a warm queasiness settling low in your stomach like molten hot butterflies.
“Fine then,” You tried to retain an entirely blasé look on your face as you turned back to continue wiping down the table “You’re on.”
It wasn’t long after that you all were finished. Powder lazily slung an arm around Ekko “I’m gonna walk boy genius over here back to Benzo’s”
Vander’s head perked up lightly “Mind if I join? I got some business to do with him”
Powder enthusiastically agreed as if this had been rehearsed, the three sharing a look between each other like they knew something Silco and you didn’t. You watched the confident smirk that was on Silco’s face falter, his good eye suddenly looking nervous at the prospect of being alone with you.
‘Ah,’ you thought as a realization dawned on you ‘he’s all bark and no bite’
When people were around he was smug, he was witty but you had seen him yesterday when you were alone. You saw the nervous fidget of his hands, the blush sweeping across his face after he realized he was touching you, his small silences as he chose what to say next. There was something there, something real, something raw.
And something that was entirely too much for you to think about at that moment.
Ekko bade farewell to you two and Powder and Ekko did the same in case you were gone by the time they got back.
You were the first one to walk over to the dart board, a mixture of enthusiasm and pure, unadulterated dread.
“Eager, are we?” The tease fell from his lips. You could basically feel the expression he was making behind you as he followed. A small smirk twisted from the scarred side of his face.
You didn’t turn around. You walked up to the board and plucked the blue darts from it, zeroing in your focus on the approaching game and nothing else. “I can’t wait to watch that smug look fall from your face when you get your ass handed to you” you quipped at him, allowing your eyes to fall on him for a split second to drive the point home, You stepped back with the darts in hand, your eyes following Silco as he went to collect his darts.
He walked back and got up onto a table in a half sit, his legs long enough to be firmly planted on the ground, mostly using the table to lean back on. One hand laid flat on the table behind him to keep him propped up. His other hand holding his red darts. With the same expression on his face, he simply raised an arm up towards the board, gesturing for you to go.
You felt like you wanted to crawl out of your skin from the way he observed you. It felt downright libidinous how his eyes traced over you as you held your first dart up. You saw him in the corner of your eye, leaning onto the table in a blasé manner, his good eye half-lidded, and his fingers splayed out atop the table.
Maybe this dart match wasn’t a good idea.
You tried to block him out of your peripheral as you kept your eyes trained on the darts, biting the inside of your cheek as you focused. One round, the two you had agreed on. One round to break the current tie. You could do this. You brought your arm lightly back and propelled the dart forward. With a satisfying thud against the cork, your dart pierced the middle double ring under the 18. Not exactly where you were aiming but still a nice 36 points. You suck in a deep breath as you prepare your next dart, gliding off your fingers it lands on another double, 28 points. You couldn’t help the small, proud smile that graced your face. Your dart skills here clearly outweighed the ones from your timelines. Your eyes flickered to the side to glance at Silco, his eyes still trained on you, focusing on you like you were focusing on the dart board. “Feeling nervous?” You teased.
He let out a soft chuckle “I’ll let you know after you throw your last dart”
You shook your head with a smile as you focused back on the board.
The dart hit the board, delivering a satisfying thud. A wide smile slowly spreads across your face as your eyes narrow onto the dart's location.
You couldn’t help the way you clasped your hands together and gave a little victory jump. Practically beaming. “Ha!” You exclaimed excitedly as you pointed to the dart “Look at that!”.
Lost in your celebration you didn’t notice the genuine smile perking up on the corner of Silco’s lips as he looked at you with the most ardent endearment.
Reeling from that high you composed yourself, pressing your lips together as you tried to suppress your smile. You stepped back, gesturing your hands to your spot with a bow, playfully inviting him to take his turn. With a curl of his lips, he pushed himself off the table and strode over.
“Nervous yet?” You continued your light ribbing.
“If you think that scared me,” he started, glancing back at you with the corner of his lip curling up into a slight grin “you’re sorely mistaken” he spoke low and smoothly before training his eyes back on the board and throwing his first dart with a quick flick of his wrist.
You rolled your eyes playfully as you relaxed yourself on the table he was previously on,
crossing your arms over your chest. With a precision that almost makes you jump up, he hits the same spot you did on your first try. 36 points.
His lips crooked into a wry smile. “Only 118 points,” he spoke to himself with a quick cock of his head, the smile unmoving from his face “That should certainly be doable”
You lightly scoffed, lolling your head back in exasperation.
You could tell he was pleased with your annoyed reaction, his back straightening a little. He was like a bird showing off his feathers, putting his ego out on full display. Whether it was just to get a rise out of you or to impress you, you didn’t know. But you think it was probably both.
He lifts his arm back up again for his second throw. Another sound of a dart hitting cork filling your ears.
He didn’t turn to face you but you could feel the cocky grin basically radiating off of him. “Are you going to perhaps ask again if I’m feeling nervous?”
You leaned your hips against the end of the table as you eyed the man with contempt. He gave a slight chuckle at your charged silence as he raised his final dart up.
He trained his eyes on the board, his hand slightly teetering back and forth as he calculated his precision. His cocky expression never wiped from his face. As he moved his hand back one more time, ready to launch the dart. You spoke.
You quite don’t know what emboldened you, you probably were just fed up and wanted to see that smile wipe off of his face. But perhaps, something deep inside of you just wanted to see him blush again “I could give you something to feel nervous about” you spoke in an almost annoyed mutter, just loud enough for him to hear.
The dart released from his hand.
You didn't have the time to process what you just said as you jumped up in elation. You raised your arms and let out a triumphant “Ha!” You strode over the scoreboard and scratched a tally next to the drawing of your face. You were practically beaming as you turned back around to him, approaching him to gloat. In other situations, you would’ve been a humble winner, but with him, he released a feral competitiveness inside you. In the midst of your jubilant and prideful celebration, you didn’t notice how close you had gotten to him. The realization only hit you like a cold splash of water when you saw that beautiful sanguine color splashed across his pallid face. You weren’t paying attention to know if it bloomed from your little comment or your closeness. It had only just donned on you then that his scar was on full display, uncovered by any makeup. In your universe, that was a rare sight. Here, it appeared to be the norm. It had never occurred to you as to why your Silco covered his scar up.
You noticed how he would avoid his reflection. Most people, when they walk past a reflective surface like a dark window or a shiny glass, can’t help but take a peek at how they look at that moment. But whenever Silco passed one, he wouldn’t even move his eyes to take a glance, avoiding it like a plague. He kept his eyes trained forward, stoic, and unyielding to the vainness of the rest of humanity. But perhaps it wasn’t vainness he was avoiding, but shame.
You’d seen him bare-faced, rarely, but you have. You never thought it affected his face too terribly. You could clearly picture his face without the scar carved into him. No, whatever it was from the scar that truly affected him ran more than skin deep. His shame, his agony, his rage burrowed itself into his heart. Each aortic pulse pushing those feelings fervently through his veins like the molten lava seeping from a volcano.
It was a constant reminder of the betrayal. A constant reminder of the weakness he felt that day. A constant reminder of everything he left in the past.
His head turned downwards to look at you. Eyes flickering across your face, his good eye wide. Eyes, lips, eyes and then settling in on the spot in between your eyebrows to feign eye contact. You felt the heat of his breath mist over your nose. You quickly sobered your expression up and cleared your throat, stepping away as you felt a heat bloom in your cheeks. You extended your hand out to be shaken. “Good game, good game” you awkwardly spoke as you nodded your head.
He cleared his throat as well, his face quickly morphing into nonchalance as he reciprocated the handshake. “That was unfair, you know.” He spoke lowly and mirthfully. His grip around your hand was tight, nothing painful, but firm.
You looked up to the ceiling, feigning innocence “I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about”
Your eyes look back down to meet his as the two of you entwined your hands for a period of time that was entirely too long to be considered a brief handshake. Slowly, he released his hand, his thumb grazing over your knuckle as he retracted. “I’m sure you don’t,” he spoke with a curl of his lips. He gave you a quick bow of his head “I suppose you’re officially our second-place dart player. Now you just need to worry about Benzo.”
You let out a singular breathy laugh “Right, it’s about time someone new took on the mantle of ‘resident dart master’.” The two of you shared a dry chuckle before falling into a short silence. Feeling your eyelids grow heavy, you broke it the silence by dismissing yourself “well, I better get home.” You point both thumbs over your shoulder towards the door.
“Right, of course” he nodded before he raised his good eyebrow “Remember the way?”
You pressed your lips together and nodded. You weren’t sure you could spend another minute with this man without doing something you might regret later. You bade each other a good night before turning around to walk to the door. As your hand wrapped around the handle, you thought aloud to yourself “Shouldn’t Vander and Powder be back by now?”
Your question was answered as you pulled open the door, Vander and Powder scrambling to look like they were just about to walk in.
“Oh would you look at that,” Powder exclaimed with a sheepish smile “You’re leaving just as we were coming in,” she snapped her fingers in feigned disappointment “And here I was hoping to catch the match.”
Vander just nodded in agreement, mumbling something along the lines of “Oh, yes.”
The door was way too far from the dart board for them to have been eavesdropping. Were they waiting out here while you two played? You banished the thought from your head. You were beginning to pile up on things you should ignore. You chuckled and shook your head in disbelief as you walked past them. “I’ll see you tomorrow, you guys.”
As you waved to them, walking away, Vander called out “Who won?”
“Ask him,” you gestured your head to the establishment with a proud smile before turning back around “Goodnight!”
That night, as you curled up into the comfort of your bed, your dreams were full of him, but which one of him you could not recall.
Maybe one of them dreamed of you too.
Well, this certainly is a chapter that exists. I’m not sure if anyone was actually waiting with bated breath for the next chapter of this fic but if you were IM SORRY it took so long. I lost motivation when it got to the dart scene because I didn’t know how to write a dart scene because I do not in fact know how to actually play darts. So apologies if the writing quality drastically went down during that. Anyways, if anyone has any good writing tips for stuff I could use instead of repeating shit like “he grinned” or “she chuckled” that would be much obliged.
And yes, I do in fact headcanon that Jinx/Powder would FIEND for a good shirley temple.
Anyways, thanks for reading xoxox kiss kiss mwuah.
