⋆ Hello, hello! I’m Ele, your friendly neighborhood sapphic enby <3 I have a love for writing humanity, intimacy, tragedy, and growth. Everything in between is just a fun little bonus when it comes naturally (this is for you spice enjoyers, you have a place here too!).
⋆ This blog is specifically going to be dedicated to Sevika from Arcane, she’s been living in my head rent free since the first season came out years ago. I’ve consumed so much media for her that it’s come to the point I have to start making my own.
— If you enjoy my content and want to see more original works of mine, I’ll be attaching a link to my Patreon here soon <3
The way I didn’t notice my original poll nearly set me up for a Sevika x Sevika series 💀 ANYWAYS to anyone who saw that please disregard.
Hate to Want You is ending in a few parts and I’m stuck on these four ideas for the series following afterwards.
Of course, I will be writing all of these into their own series eventually. But which one would you guys prefer to see next? The first two are obviously AUs, but the last two will be set in their canon universe.
Sorry to be vulgar but can we PLEASE get cunnilingus when sevika and reader have sex for the first time? 🙏 I feel like it would be so special to the reader insert, with how intimate it is (and entirely for her pleasure, nothing like with exes)
Dear anon, don’t be sorry, be vulgar ‼️
But yes I am in complete agreement that it would be special and especially intimate for a cunnilingus scene to be included (and I am already halfway through the scene). Sevika will be focused on worshipping the reader insert like crazy for their first time, TRUST 🫶
Tags - post season 2, no use of y/n, Sevika uses nicknames instead, brief makeout sesh, reader initiates it, Sevika is a certified yearner don’t argue with me, I suck at tags, is this a good time to say i only write switch Sevika?
WC - 3.7k~
A/N - If you enjoy this series, consider following my blog. I plan on making multiple series based on different AUs, and will be holding a poll here soon for what i should write next 🫶
Part one | Part two | Part three
Time passed steadily, the days bleeding into night and giving way to tomorrows. You were hesitant to admit it, but Sevika’s consistent presence in your life was starting to grow on you. Your usual routine shifts thrown into pleasant disarray every time she nudged the front door open with her boot and plopped herself down at the bar in front of you.
It seemed like Sevika herself was slowly starting to accept the changes, too. You often liked to observe her from a distance, enjoyed how the tension melted away from her shoulders while she sipped on her beverage and tended to whatever leftover council work she needed to finish. She’d started dropping small details about her job to you, even listening to your opinions when it came to Zaun-related topics. The list she spent weeks pouring over had taken both of you a couple of hours to revise together.
You were spending every extra second admiring Sevika’s growth.
It healed some small part of you to witness someone with such a dark past transform into something entirely different. So many terrible experiences made you believe it next to impossible for anyone from that walk of life to change. Sevika actively proved to you how close-minded that belief was.
Saturdays were always the busiest work days at the bar. Poker nights got taken very seriously by the regulars, and Sevika was no exception. She’d integrated herself slowly into the games after encouragement from you. Back in The Last Drop, you always heard the sounds of her winning from the frustrated groans of the other players.
Her luck was either phenomenal or fabricated.
Another, “Damn it!” erupted from the large table in the front corner of the bar. Quickly followed by angry mumbling and the sound of shuffling chips.
When you looked up from your place at the bar, Sevika was grinning and shifting poker chips to her side of the table. Her legs were spread comfortably, a new bundle of cards resting leisurely in the hand that propped itself on her thigh. She seemed to be shuffling them with her fingers, sliding one card out with her thumb and flipping it to the middle with her index.
The action shouldn’t have been as attractive as it was.
Of course.
The longer she hung around, the harder it became to tamper your thoughts. Her natural state of existence riled you up in a way that felt entirely new to you.
Sevika would help you close— despite your numerous protests— and those moments were always filled with playful banter and her famously stubborn sarcasm. Afterwards, she’d walk you down the block to your apartment and tell you to, ‘get your beauty sleep’. She always remained at a respectful distance, sometimes hovering a hand over the spot between your shoulder blades when someone brushed past the two of you.
Those nights, you’d catch yourself wishing she’d make a move. Wishing that maybe her hand would make contact, perhaps even slide down to the small of your back. Or that her mouth would coincidentally find yours right before you unlocked your front door. Then you’d close the door behind you and curse at your mind for betraying you.
It was hard to convince yourself that you were just thirsty when you craved her touch with a feral appetence.
Only wanting sex would’ve been easier to ignore.
When her eyes slid up and locked onto yours, you realized you’d been staring the entire time. Her gaze snapped you right back into reality, watching as she raised a curious brow at you. The hint of amusement traced itself over her perfectly full lips, tugging at the corners and taunting you. Your nerves lit up at the sight, goosebumps raising over the back of your neck.
You attempted to play it off by gesturing down at her hand. Pursing your lips before carefully mouthing, ‘Cheating?’
Sevika let out an audible chuckle, noticeable in the way her chest rose and fell. She shook her head at you and waved the cards from under the table.
‘Just too good.’ She mouthed back, shooting a teasing wink your way.
You hated her for the simple fact that you wanted her so badly.
Her mech arm was free, and she waved you over with it. Anticipation shot up your spine like electricity, grabbing a couple of glasses to bring over to the other players. You carried them over, three glasses propped strategically in each hand.
“Raise,” Sevika called out as you approached the table. She selected a hefty stack of her own chips and slid it into the center. The other four players shifted uncomfortably in their seats, eyes shifting back and forth from their cards to their own chips.
You took that moment to dish out the drinks. The interruption earned some grateful thanks from the losing sides. When you set down a replacement glass of whiskey in front of Sevika, she gave you a pleased smile.
“Thanks, doll. Wanna join for a round?” Her eyes dragged over you in a way that made you want to squirm, but you stayed secure in your spot. The looks of the others across the table told you that you definitely did not want to join for a round.
“Mm, no thanks. I don’t feel like giving you all of my hard earned tips,” you replied, watching as one of the guys tossed his cards down.
“Fold,” he grumbled. The small pile of chips in his corner making you think it wasn’t the first time he’d had to fold tonight.
You nearly jumped out of your skin when you felt Sevika’s hand ghost over your forearm. Her fingers were warm, skin pressing lightly against your wrist. When you looked back down to her, her eyes were fixed onto you. Her touch lingered, and you were soaking in as much of it as you could before it disappeared.
Her eyes flashed with something indecipherable, as if she was struggling to form her thoughts into words. You waited, blinking at her in minor confusion.
“You look good today,” she breathed out finally, letting her eyes wander over you again. The compliment itself was simple, but from her it held more weight.
You’d actually taken some effort today, too. Wanting to get out of your funk and wear things that brought you joy, instead of over wearing the same ‘safe’ outfits you’d come to draw comfort from. The dark jeans you wore hugged every curve, flaring out just below your knees in a way that accentuated your thighs. The tight crimson shirt you paired with it cut down into a V, revealing the soft swell of your chest and the multiple necklaces you’d strung around your neck.
Sevika was drinking you in, letting her eyes roam more than you’d ever seen them before. Her hand slowly slid from your arm, and you cleared your throat roughly.
“Thank you.” You wondered if you sounded as breathless as you felt. The spot where her hand rested against your wrist tingled.
“Call it, straight flush,” another man interjected impatiently, tossing his cards down to show his hand. Sevika turned back to the table with a steeled gaze, observing her own hand silently.
Her poker face was killer.
“Damn, so close.” The woman made a clicking sound with her tongue, lazily tossing her hand onto the table in front of her.
Royal Flush.
You quickly picked your way back to the bar as chaos erupted at the table. The guy with the straight flush was angrily ranting about how Sevika must be cheating to win constantly. Sevika’s reply was too low to hear, but you knew exactly what she’d said.
Sevika from the past would’ve had the guy by the neck by now, berating him for being a cheap, sore loser. Now, she’d simply shot back a biting retort.
The gigantic stack of chips in front of her made you snicker quietly to yourself as you returned to your work.
“Okay, you need to share your secret,” you broke through the easy silence. Sevika was pulling chairs up and resting them on top of the table while you mopped through the last of the space. The two of you shuffled around each other in tandem, flowing like a dance.
Sevika made a tuneless humming sound, her back still turned towards you. Every time she lifted a chair, the muscles in her back would shift and bulge. It was irritatingly distracting.
“Gonna have to elaborate on that one. I’ve got a few secrets.”
You raised a brow at her back, prodding her with the wooden end of your mop. “Okay, mystery woman. How do you win poker so much? I swear you’ve won more than is statistically possible.”
She grinned at that, turning to face you finally. She perched herself on the edge of the table she’d been cleaning up.
“It’s not just a luck or statistic based card game. Most people are aiming for the best hand possible, but they’re not thinking about the cards they’re throwing out to reach that goal. Get enough players to fold, you can find out what you’re potentially working with. Either that or—“
She spread her hands with a mischievous satisfaction.
“Make damn sure that you get to shuffle and deal the cards.”
You gasp dramatically, shaking your head with a growing smile on your face. “So you do cheat sometimes! Shame on you, Sevika.”
Your reaction seemed to be exactly what she’d wanted, looking very pleased with herself. She pushed herself off of the table and crossed over to the bar, fishing your bag out from under the counter and tossing it over her shoulder.
Another unspoken routine that made your heart violently beat against your ribcage.
“I call it ‘strategic dealing’. Ready to go?” She asked you casually, to which you nodded and quickly scrambled to put away your mop.
When you reemerged from the back room, she was waiting for you at the door, absentmindedly toying with the leather strap of your bag. You pulled the shop keys out of your pocket and twirled them around your finger, letting her hold the door open for you to exit.
“How has that list been faring with the council?” You dared to ask as the two of you fell into step. The last time you’d heard about it was a week ago, when Sevika told you she had to present it to the other council members.
Her lips pressed together in a thin line, jaw set. The question went unanswered for a minute, and you didn’t push her for her reply. You simply enjoyed her presence beside you.
“They’re bitching about everything. Which I knew would happen, but it still aggravates me,” she let out a bitter scoff, shaking her head. “They’ve never had to experience living down here, yet they think they can dictate what is and is not necessary. Picking through our list like a fucking shopping list.”
You quickly brushed away the warmth that coiled up in your chest when she said ‘our list’. She probably just meant the entirety of Zaun.
Instead, you leaned against her slightly, nudging her with your arm. “You’re a smart lady, figure out how to make them think everything is their idea. They’ll blow through that list if they believe they’re choosing to do so.”
Her eyes shifted to glance at you, and you met her gaze confidently. You felt her hand hover over your spine again, heat radiating off of it and sending chills over your entire body. She was guiding the two of you around the corner, down your street where the herb shop sat.
“Isn’t that cheating?” Sevika teased, letting her hand drop back to her side much to your dismay. You laughed quietly.
“It’s strategic, ‘Vika.”
You felt the woman tense at the use of the nickname, her jaw clenching and unclenching in a way that would’ve been unnoticeable to anyone else. But you noticed it immediately. Sevika’s nostrils flared as she took a deep breath, shifting her eyes back in front of her.
Did you mess up?
Had you imagined this growing closeness between you two and overstepped an invisible boundary?
Your lower lip found its spot between your teeth, anxiously chewing on it as you guys approached the steps. She followed you up them, like usual, but stopped before reaching the platform to your door.
When you turned to look at her head on, she was staring pointedly at the ground in front of your shoes. The look on her face was an odd mixture of frustration and pain. Her brows were drawn together, mouth twisted up in a deep frown.
“Hey,” you murmured hesitantly, reaching out to gently touch her bicep. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable with the nickname. I just thought—“
A quiet, strained laugh pushed past Sevika’s mouth. “That’s not what this is, sweetheart. Don’t worry your pretty little head about it.”
Your breath hitched painfully at the reply, her words low and the nickname coming out more intimately than you were prepared for. She finally looked at you, the eye contact charged with a near tangible tension. Your eyes fluttered nervously over every detail of her face, from the curve of her nose to the sharp cut of her jaw.
If it wasn’t offense, what was it?
You opened your mouth to ask, but she slid your bag off her shoulder and set it in your arms abruptly.
“I should get home. I’ve got some strategic manipulating to plan out for tomorrow’s council meeting. Sleep well, yeah?”
Sevika turned around and began her descent of the stairs, her heavy boots clanging against the metal. You turned back to your door, sighing heavily while jamming your house key into the lock.
Only, a sudden and impulsive thought shot through your head like an arrow.
Sevika never crossed a boundary with you. She never made any move towards you.
But what if you made a move towards her? You’d be able to figure out once and for all if you were imagining whatever was bouncing between you two.
Before you could over-rationalize your thoughts to the point of backing out, you tossed your bag inside of your apartment and shut the door in front of you. Quickly but carefully you made your way back down the stairs, hitting the pavement with determination.
You watched her round the corner and disappear. Sprinting to catch up to her, you took a sharp turn around the corner and stopped.
“Sevika,” you called out, watching her halt immediately upon hearing your voice.
She turned around slowly, looking surprised and slightly wary. You kept walking until you stood a foot away, forcing yourself to meet her gaze and hoping you looked confident enough. Your shift in demeanor piqued her interest, leaning forward a couple centimeters to catch what you had to say next.
It was then that you realized you didn’t have a plan for what to do next. You’d become so severely out of touch with dating rituals of any kind that your mind came up blank. Your tongue felt heavy, throat clogged up with a bundle of words.
“You going to spit it out or…?”
“Can I kiss you?” You blurted out, feeling your face explode with an embarrassed heat only seconds later.
The question struck Sevika silent, her eyes widening a fraction and her lips parting in surprise. She stared at you intensely, searching your face for a hint of teasing. But you were not joking, you were quite desperate in actuality. The press of her mouth on yours, to feel it even once would be enough for you.
The silence carried on for a minute too long, and you couldn’t fight the way you started to deflate in front of her. You braced yourself for an uncomfortably awkward rejection.
“You sure I’ve worked hard enough?”
The answer made you splutter, a jumble of confused noises leaving you in place of actual words. Sevika’s face was dead serious.
“What the hell do you mean?” You finally managed to get out, both relieved by the lack of rejection but perplexed by her roundabout answer.
Sevika rolled her eyes at you, crossing her arms over her chest. “You told me when I first came into that bar. If I wanted a kiss, I’d have to work a lot harder. So again, are you sure I’ve worked hard enough?”
Oh, right. You did say that.
And Sevika took it seriously.
Oh.
You swallowed roughly, thinking about all of the long nights she’d helped you close even after her council work. The way she respected your space and rarely initiated touch. Her walking you home nearly every single night.
It didn’t click into place until then that she’d spent this entire time working to earn your trust.
Sevika looked like she was growing impatient standing there in the street with you, her mechanical fingers tapping against her other arm methodically.
You took a couple steps forward, crossing that unspoken line of distance Sevika worked so hard to maintain over the weeks. The taller woman’s arms dropped from their crossed position, head tilting downwards to watch you approach.
The first touch was initiated by you. You’d been dreaming about the feeling of her face in your hands, and finally let yourself indulge. Your fingers slowly grazed over her jawline, palm resting gently against her cheek. The breath that left her was heavy and trembling with the effort of restraint. She leaned into the touch, her own hands sliding naturally over your hips and tugging you flush against her.
There was a pause before you kissed her. A minute that loomed between you two. Her silver eyes were brighter in the dark, but only a sliver remained, nearly swallowed by the black of her pupils. The sight made you shudder, which Sevika only soaked up. Her fingers pressed into your skin deliciously, the cold metal of her mech arm skirting just beneath the hem of your shirt and onto your heated skin.
Sevika used to be the last person you expected to handle anything with slow gentleness. You’d subconsciously lumped her together with the mass of Silco’s workers to make it easier to stay away from that life, and completely misjudged her character in the process. Now, she held you with a careful reverence. Her intensity held no danger, only an eagerness you’d never experienced before.
You guided her head down, feeling the warmth of her breath fan across your face. She was letting you handle things, giving you the reigns to control the situation.
When your lips met hers, you felt every single wall you’d erected to keep her out crumble into dust. You looped your other arm around the back of her neck and let her draw you even closer still. The kiss was dizzyingly tender, slower than you’d ever grown used to. It felt like Sevika was trying desperately to memorize the taste of you, her tongue making a light trail over your lower lip.
You distantly prayed to Janna that you weren’t rusty from all the time that passed. But it didn’t seem to matter either way to the other woman, her flesh hand creeping up to your face. She pulled away only a fraction to tilt your face to the side, then immediately dove back in to reconnect.
This time, you let her take control. It became searing in seconds, like she was trying to devour you. The moment her teeth dragged roughly over your lower lip, you felt your knees weaken. It was all you could do to try and keep up with her, nipping at her and sliding your tongue over hers.
It was lewd. You should’ve cared that you started a full blown makeout session in the open streets of Zaun, but you didn’t. All you cared about in that moment was Sevika.
Her mouth, her tongue, her hands traveling over your body like you’d been dreaming incessantly about. It was the only thing you cared to focus on.
When she finally dragged you away from her, with her hand resting on the back of your neck, she was breathing heavily. You were panting, trying to catch your breath and process what had happened. She pushed your hair back out of your face and pressed her thumb against your lower lip, eyes scanning your face closely.
Your tongue darted out to skim over the pad of her thumb, and you watched her eyes drop. She let out a quiet groan, shaking her head and firmly pulling you off of her. Once again, you stood at a respectable distance. You’d been scorching hot moments prior, and now the chill of the night air whisked by you and elicited a shudder.
Sevika pushed her fingers through her hair, attempting to regain her composure. “You’re addicting, do you know that? I have to exert all of my willpower just to keep my hands off of you.”
You crack a smile at that, letting yourself rest a hand against her chest.
“Oh really? Just how long have you been exerting that willpower, then?”
Her eyes searched yours for a moment, and she lifted the hand you rested on her up to her mouth. She left a chaste kiss against your knuckles, tucking it back at your side and taking another step back.
“I really have to go, dollface. Promise I’ll see you tomorrow.”
You frowned at her, still slightly dazed from that heated makeout and stung by her insistence on leaving so abruptly. But you nodded, knowing that it probably was for the best that she left now before you let your impulses get the better of you and dragged her into your bed.
As she retreated, you remained stuck in the same spot. Watching her back until she disappeared. Then you finally willed your legs to move again, shakily climbing the stairs and throwing yourself into your apartment.
That night, your dream came more vivid and filthier than ever. Now that you knew what her lips felt like, your imagination worked in overdrive to supply you with fantasies of what they’d feel like elsewhere.
You woke up the next morning frustrated, exhausted, and soaked.
Tags - Sevika POV, no use of y/n, flashback takes place sometime within episode 7, mentions of shimmer usage, we’re picking apart Sevika like a science project, sprinkles of hurt/comfort
CW - There will be mentions/brief descriptions of violence and harassment in this part. Please keep in mind when reading and always give yourself grace 🫶
WC - 3.2k~
Part One | Part Two
Flick.
Sevika inhaled deeply as the tip of her blunt began to burn red. Yellow tinted smoke poured out from between her lips, nice and slow. Only when she felt the soothing effects of the herbs inside begin to blanket her irritability did she return to the paperwork in front of her.
Black ink swam along her vision, taunting her with her own scratchy handwriting. A compiled list of necessary changes needing implemented immediately for Zaun. Multiple papers, margins scribbled in and white spaces completely filled.
None of it made a difference. She could write down every microscopic problem down to the cracks in the concrete walls around them and it still wouldn’t change.
A fucking checklist wasn’t going to erase decades of suffering and oppression.
The council claimed to want restructuring. Every meeting that she’d attended consisted of the same false bravado and naive belief that Zaun and Piltover could join hands to rebuild what had been broken. They didn’t yet accept that most Zaunites blamed topside for the war. Thinking somehow that placing her in a seat and sticking her with a title would smooth everything over.
Once upon a time, Sevika dreamt of a time like this one. When she was younger and more spirited, an opportunity to bring Zaun some semblance of independence would’ve had her fired up and more than ready to tackle anything. Even now, she itched to make a real difference.
But really, she was tired. Between barely holding things together in the Lanes after Silco’s death to taking on the responsibility of helping guide a restless nation into war, her shoulders were struggling not to shake beneath the weight. Despite the strain, she still carried it because she knew it was her purpose.
It had to be her purpose. She still had too many things from the past to make up for.
A disgruntled huff escaped her as she tossed the papers into the garbage beside her desk, rubbing at her face roughly while the blunt was still pinched haphazardly between her fingers. She’d fish them out in the morning, smooth the wrinkles out, and pick up where she’d left off.
Ash tumbled down her arm and onto the floor.
Suddenly, she was thinking about you.
The way your face contorted when she’d made her stupid comment about Babette’s. The annoyance in your voice after chiding her for dropping ashes onto your floor. Sevika hadn’t recognized you until you frowned at her. That frown was the exact same one she remembered seeing you wear consistently at The Last Drop.
Always so expressive with your displeasure. She liked that about you, how you used both your body and voice to assert yourself. Even when you were surrounded by dangerous people, you didn’t hesitate to speak your mind. She’d pick your voice out of the crowd countless times in that suffocating tavern, used it as a sort of salve to her daily troubles.
Always from a distance, until that night she had to take you home. Even though a year had passed, the memory was still as vivid as when it happened.
ONE YEAR PRIOR
The alleyway out back from The Last Drop was a cozy little nook Sevika liked to shove herself into when the crowd became suffocating. The rumbling and grinding music from inside still bled through the thin walls, teasing her headache into a migraine and doing very little to soothe her shitty day. Dealing with Jinx, being tricked by her, strung up and doodled on like her very own art project. Only to have to turn around and counsel Silco on fatherhood like she wasn’t still nursing the sting of being disrespected like that.
And to put a cherry on top of her shit-cake, Silco’s goons were throwing their own celebratory party while the boss was out. They were so proud of themselves for finding a new trafficking route for Shimmer, like Enforcers weren’t busy with absolutely anything else.
Her only respite had been seeing you walk in, your hips naturally swaying like a damn hypnotist’s watch. The black dress you were wearing hugged snugly to your figure, falling right to mid-thigh level.
You were dressed to kill in those platform heels, walking with a purpose up to the bar where Thieram was chatting with Holden and a couple of other guys.
It was criminal of Sevika to wish you’d settled onto her lap instead of pushing your way underneath his arm. But boy, did she wish for it anyways.
Ogling you like a dog wasn’t enough to block out the rest of the world inside that tavern, though. Especially not when Holden’s hands so easily travelled over your body like they belonged there.
Which they didn’t.
So, she stood outside a couple of hours and a few poker rounds later, her back pressed against the cool wall of the building. The blunt she rolled looked more like a sad, deformed stick, but she shoved it between her lips and lit it anyways. One dim lamp illuminated the alleyway, only aided by the purple, otherworldly glow of the Shimmer running through her mech arm.
Lately, she’d learned to chalk her bad moods up to her usage of Shimmer. One pump through her veins and her old wounds and scars numbed. But give it an hour and even the pain relief is no match for the rampant rage that takes over. Blaming it on the substance made it easier not to act on the thoughts that came with it.
Like whether or not any of this was worth it.
Earlier today, she’d been an accomplice to Silco’s threats. Gassing up the room and watching the Chem-Barons choke on smog as her boss preached about all he’d done for them. She hadn’t felt an ounce of guilt, even as Finn pleaded at Silco’s feet, especially then.
She couldn’t tell where the line for her humanity was, and if she’d already crossed it.
Her poor excuse for a blunt was over halfway done by the time the back door got slammed open, effectively stealing Sevika’s attention. Her eyes widened only slightly as you shoved your way outside, stumbling only slightly before she managed to block your descent into the ground with her mech arm.
“Woah there, little lady,” she murmured as you immediately shoved her away from you. She decided to take a half step back and hold her hands up. It was hard to take offense to it when tears streaked down your flushed cheeks.
You let out a strangle sob as you aggressively wiped at the tears with the back of your hand. She didn’t like the way you were wobbling, like you’d had a few too many drinks and your legs were starting to forget how to work without focus.
“What’s up with you?” Sevika grunted, her body still tensed in preparation to catch you if your knees suddenly gave out. The question only seemed to make things worse, a pained sound ripping from your chest and burrowing straight into hers. Your makeup was running, streaks of black smudged beneath your eyes and smeared over your cheeks.
She felt horrible for thinking you still looked breathtaking. The shine of tears and the dark mascara only intensifying your gaze on her.
“Don’t act like you give a shit,” you hissed, the words coming out quick and slurred as you attempted to push past her. Only, your heel caught on the wooden step beneath you.
Catapulting you right into Sevika’s arms.
Before she could rationalize simply letting you wander off on your own, her arms closed around you. Loose, but firm enough to keep you grounded. Your shoulders dropped immediately, and suddenly you were crying into her shirt.
Sevika’s eyes darted around the alleyway in slight panic, her jaw tensing and her flesh hand twitching with the urge to either shove you off or hold you and let you get it out.
Finally, the woman sighed and rested her hand on your head, smoothing your hair down and making a soft clicking sound with her tongue. “If you’re going to ruin my shirt, ‘least you could do is tell me what’s got you crying and running away.” The words were quiet, softer than she’d ever managed to level her voice before. Evidently, it was the right move from the way you seemed to calm down.
Many uncomfortably minutes passed after that, with you clinging to her and trying to calm your drunk hiccuping and the quiet, hurt whimpers lodged in the back of your throat. She’d maneuvered you both in a way that hid you from peering eyes, shrouding you in the shadowed part of the alleyway.
“Holden—“ you rasped, shuddering violently and suddenly distancing yourself a couple inches from her again. “I watched his buddies do something to my drink. When I didn’t take it, they started bothering me. Tryin’ to grab and saying gross things.”
You couldn’t finish cause the memory of them trying to touch you suddenly made you violently nauseous. When you turned around to hurl, Sevika was already pushing your hair out of your face and rubbing your back. She remained silent, your words replaying in her head.
You were drunk, that much was obvious. She couldn’t remember keeping count of how many drinks you’d had while she was still inside, but from the smell of it, it was too many. It was a wonder you were still walking, much less talking to her.
Her first mission became clear. Get you home safely.
Her second? Clean up the trash inside of the tavern before it builds up too much.
“Look, you’ve gotta help me get you home. C’mere and let me carry you.”
You glared at her again, wiped your mouth and spitting into the dirt beside you. “Don’t pretend to be nice to me,” you snapped, the effort making you sway again. Sevika raised a brow at you, resting a hand on her hip.
“I’m not being nice, doll. I’m being a decent human and trying to take your wasted ass home before something bad happens to you. My hands don’t wander if you’re not in the headspace to ask for it.”
You huff at that, staring at her with an expression that she assumed was meant to come off as threatening. It only made you look confused. She met it was a blank stare of her own, crunching the rest of her blunt beneath her foot before waving a hand.
Finally, seemingly satisfied with her answer, you turned around so your back was facing her. You halfheartedly waved in the opposite direction of the tavern, deeper into the more crowded neighborhoods of Zaun. “Lou’s Herbal Remedies,” is all you offered.
Sevika knew the shop. Delivered and received parcels from Lou multiple times. And you’d been living in that area the entire time?
She took your distractedness as her cue to scoop you up, throwing you over her shoulder before you could protest. You helped, gripped her arm for dear life. A hiss emitted from your lips as her cool mech arm wrapped around your thighs, essentially blocking the view of your dress from the rest of the world.
“Cold as fuck,” you grunted, throwing her another halfhearted glare. She grinned at you, patting your thigh with her hand as she set off in the direction of the herbal shop.
You’d fallen suspiciously quiet during the walk, and Sevika almost assumed you’d fallen asleep. She’d been brewing on what you told her about Holden and the other goons. One thing she hated about the crowd she moved with was having to coexist with some horrible people for the sake of power. Silco didn’t regard things like that as thoroughly as she would.
If she were in charge, people like that would be dead the second she found them out. Didn’t matter if they were for the cause or not.
“Why do you gotta hang around that place,” she muttered, shaking her head.
You made a quiet sniffling sound at that, disproving her thought that you’d been asleep. She bit her tongue after that, letting silence fall between you two again.
“You ever feel like you’re searching for something that doesn’t exist?“ You asked after a couple minutes, the question coming out quiet and far too defeated for Sevika. She hummed in response, looking up at the murky sky above her. Shrouded by dilapidated buildings and neon signs. She did feel like that, constantly. In more ways than one.
“Maybe. Whatever it is, though, you won’t find it in The Last Drop. You won’t find it with people like Holden.”
“What about you?”
Sevika chuckled quietly, squeezing your thigh lightly as she shifted you down and out of her arms. Not before sliding your heels off and letting your bare feet hit the cool concrete. She’d walked fast, only a block from your place by the time she’d set you down. Her heels were resting on two fingers, and she held them out of your reach when you tried to grab them.
“What about me?”
You held onto her arm when she offered it, walking a lot steadier without your heels trying to murder you every other step. And Sevika walked alongside you quietly, her gaze flicking over you every so often just to ensure you were alright. You seemed to focus more on her than the steps you were taking.
“You can’t be doing all of this for nothing, right? What are you looking for in that tavern that makes you so different from me?”
Sevika snorted as you both rounded the corner. “We are very different, sweetheart. I’m there because I need to be.” She followed you as you led her up the side steps to your apartment, the sound of the metal creaking beneath her feet. When you reached your door, she crowded behind you like a wall. Her hands itched to be on your again. But not in the ways you might’ve thought. Sevika could still feel the softness of your hair between her fingers, and the warmth of your skin.
She settled for holding out your heels to you. “Look at it this way. Only weeds grow in the dark, damp overgrowth of rot. The Last Drop is just a cesspool of that rot, down to the roots. Flowers like you get strangled if they try to grow there.” And as she spoke, you gingerly took your shoes into your hand, your lower lip quivering. When you looked up at her, she tried not to break beneath your gaze. Tears threatened to spill over once more, and she didn’t know if she had it in her to see them fall again.
You were too good to be crying over someone so bad.
Her fingers caught the tears, flicking them away roughly like she could dispel the sadness with it. Teasing your keys from your hand, she swiftly unlocked the door and shoved it open. Your apartment spread out in front of you, warm and welcoming in contrast to the rest of the world. Sevika guided you inside with a light press of her hand to your lower back.
You hiccuped a few more times as your brain seemed to kick into autopilot, feet dragging down the hall to your small bedroom. Part of her felt wrong invading your space lol this, even if she only had the intention of making sure you got into bed. She watched your toss your heels into a corner of your room, not even bothering to slide out of you dress before you faceplanted right into the bed.
Despite the heaviness of the night, she let out an amused puff of laughter, stepping forward so she could roll you on your side and pull your blanket over you. You protested only once in the form of an incoherent mumble, eyelashes fluttering.
When she made to pull back, your hand landed gently on her bicep like a lingering butterfly. The feeling of your fingers skating over her skin sent goosebumps traveling over her. You blinked at her sleepily, using very little force to tug Sevika closer. And she let you, brows furrowing together in confusion as her face crept closer.
“I don’t think you belong there, either.” Was what came tumbling from your mouth. Seconds before you pressed a fleeting kiss to the corner of hers
The breath that escaped her when she finally escaped your grasp was rattling, painful. You were asleep in seconds, snoring peacefully and curling into your pillow like it could cradle you.
Sevika made sure to leave quickly, not letting herself linger at your bedroom door like she was wanting to.
—
The rest of that night had been an honest blur for Sevika. Without you to distract her, she could only go back to the tavern with violence on her mind. The thought of anyone putting their hands on you was suddenly too much for her to imagine.
She remembered clearing the room when she finally entered it again. The raising of her voice when everyone hesitated a second too long, and the quick scrambling of bodies out the doors and up the stairs.
She remembered throwing Holden and his buddies back against the bar when they tried to slip past her.
She remembered the breaking of Holden’s bones as she crushed his hands between her metallic fingers, and the way he screamed like a pig when she didn’t let up. The satisfaction that coursed through her knowing no Zaunite or Piltovian doctor could piece his bones back together.
And she remembered the silence after bashing your offenders head into the countertop. The blood that was meant to make up for your tears dripping onto the floor being the only sound aside from her heavy breathing.
Sevika didn’t see them again after that incident. Didn’t see you again afterwards. And she tried to convince herself it was better that way. Especially with the way everything went to shit after that day. Silco’s death had turned her into a shell for a while, her purpose dim and foggy. She’d run rampant, drowned herself in booze and brothel women. Slept with women that looks so similarly to you that she’d sometimes catch herself whispering your name in the solitude that followed.
Running into you at the bar had been entirely coincidental. After The Last Drop burnt down and got rebuilt, she couldn’t stand to be in it. All she could see was blood and ghosts and her past lit up in front of her eyes. All of the harm she’d caused, how blind she’d been to the reality of things. How stuck she felt in those times.
You smiled at her tonight, when she’d stood at your doorstep for the second time. Never in her life did she think she’d want to ingrain something like that into her mind.
“You’ve surprised me.” You’d told her. Sevika deflected only because she couldn’t admit that she surprised herself too.
You had some sort of hold on her, and she was starting to realize that she craved it.
A/N - You guys have been giving this series so much love, thank you 🥹🫶 Hopefully I can bring Sevika some justice, I love her character and potential for development and just wanted to bring a series to life that accentuated that part of her.
Tags - post season 2, no use of y/n, reader is pent UP, mentions of reader’s past relationship issues, sevika has it taken care of dw, very tiny shimmer mention, longing longing longing, this is definitely flirting, sevika surpasses all expectations
A/N at the bottom ‼️
Part one
The following week passed by in a flurry of chaos. Business picked up exponentially at the bar, meaning you’d been scrambling back and forth behind the counter all week. While it might’ve been exhausting, it was a welcome distraction to the other things pressing on your mind.
Sevika being the most incessant thought, and your ex following in close second.
The reminder of your past had crawled beneath your skin like a parasite, forcing you to relive a lot of the things you tried to forget. Only this time, a certain bright eyed woman kept invading the memories. The flash of a troublesome smirk would come and go within a matter of seconds while you’d be refilling someone’s ale. A customer would light something that smelled similar but not quite the same to the cigar she had that night and you’d remember the sight of the smoke turning her into a living painting.
Late at night after your shifts when you’re laid comfortably in bed, you think about your ex. His constant pushing and pulling and taking. Too consumed by his own need for release— and shimmer— that you’d sometimes wonder if he even noticed you were there.
And then you’d think about her. Wondering how her hands would feel against your skin. One colder than the other, both dragging against you and coaxing sounds from your lips. Her voice low in your ear, murmuring filthy praise and knowing she meant every word. Thinking about how she’d undo you so easily without even needing to try.
You never asked for any of it. But you’ve always had issues with a wandering mind.
Come the last shift of your work week, you were thoroughly drained. It felt like your feet dragged the closer you got to the door. Your boss had been kind enough to offer you a later start today, noticing your fatigue. You looked up as you entered, the small bell above the door jingling to alert your arrival.
Sevika was already sat at the bar, legs splayed open comfortably and a glass of whiskey already sitting by her side. A half-smoked cigar rested on the lip of an ashtray on her other side. She’d already made herself at home before you’d shown up.
At least she’d brought an ashtray this time.
Your boss was a burly, middle-aged man with greying hair and a boisterous laugh. Hartford, or Hart as he preferred to be called. He stood behind the counter, mid-story from the looks of it. Sevika was listening intently, offering an occasional nod or comment in return. Only when you slinked behind the bar did their attention turn towards you.
You avoided Sevika’s burning gaze immediately as it faced you, turning first to acknowledge Hart. “Hey, boss. Thanks so much again for letting me get a late start. I’ll close for you tonight so you can get home.”
Hart grinned at you and lightly pat your shoulder. “Don’t mention it, kid. You’ve been working your behind off for me. I’ve already told everyone here to behave themselves for you the rest of the night,” he assured as he pat the spot in front of Sevika lightly. “Good talkin’ with you, Sevika. Should try to stop in more often.”
You took Hart’s position in front of the woman, waving one more time as he made his way out slowly. He stopped every so often to chat with a customer.
“Reminds me of Vander, a little bit,” Sevika mused while you were watching him exit. Her words pulled your gaze curiously back to her. Vander had been the glue keeping the Undercity together, once upon a time. You’d never had the chance to meet the guy, but you respected him. Any dead man who still haunted the present and had murals erected all over Zaun was a formidable man, indeed.
You filled up a couple glasses of ale beside her, setting them up along the counter to be carried back to the table that ordered it. As you did, you noticed Sevika watching you out of the corner of your vision.
“Hart’s a good guy. Brings everyone together,” you commented passively, hoping that busying yourself with tasks would keep you from lingering in front of her for too long. She didn’t reply, merely sipped on her drink and let you scurry around her like a cat watches a mouse panic before it strikes.
You felt very much like prey beneath her gaze.
Your last interaction with her made you wary. Did she ask around about you? Did she remember you? There was a glimmer of something in her eyes that you hadn’t see last time. A spark of recognition that shouldn’t have made you feel as giddy as it did. You didn’t need to be validated by her memory of you.
But damn, you wanted it.
Fortunately for you, she didn’t seem to be in a talking mood for a majority of your shift. It took you a while, but when you finally slowed your pace down, you caught stacks of paper tucked beneath her cloak. Peeking out from beneath the thick fabric and covered in tiny, important-looking letters. You also noticed she was dressed nicer than usual, her typical dark tank or t-shirt changed up for a snug, brown buttoned shirt that was casually undone a couple top buttons. A pair of black slacks that clung selfishly to her muscular thighs.
You made sure to sneak a couple of looks in between refills. Just to commit the sight to memory.
As the night crept on, the bar emptied out slowly. Regulars thanked you by name, tips were shoved into your hand with the insistence that you pocket it and buy yourself something nice. All while Sevika continued to keep you company, her focus split between her drink and the papers she never attempted to pull out. She’d just side eye them every few minutes.
As you began to clean up for closing, she finally cleared her throat and effectively cut through the growing quiet.
“You did good by getting the hell out of there.” Her voice came out gravelly, dragging on your senses and forcing you to face her from your spot across the room. You’d been scrubbing at a clean patch of table for a few minutes too long, and she’d noticed.
“Pardon?”
“Holden? Or whatever the fuck that guy’s name was. The Last Drop. Silco. Those places are like poison to people like you.”
The name made you stiffen up, the rag in your hand pausing it’s obsessive circle. Holden was your ex, the one who worked for Silco as extra muscle. She was either successful in her interrogating, or she’d known the entire time and finally grew tired of the pretending she didn’t.
Wait.. People like me?
“‘People like me’ meaning what, exactly?” You pushed, your hands falling defensively to your hips as you narrowed your eyes at her. She wasn’t even turned to face you anymore, huddled up against the bar again and slowly nursing the last sip of whiskey in her glass. You wanted to rip the glass right out of her hand.
Sevika sighed heavily, shaking her head. “Not an insult, dollface. You don’t want to fit into that crowd. Anyone with respect decided to pave a different road for themselves after things went to shit.”
You hated to admit how easily the nickname got to you. Pursing your lips, you stepped behind the bar again to discard her now empty glass. Her face was unreadable, eyes flicking up to look at you through thick, black lashes. You fought violently against the fluttering in your stomach, biting your tongue when she slowly dragged her gaze over your face.
Your eyes, your nose, your lips. And then slowly back up again.
“And do you have respect?” You found yourself whispering softly into the space between you two. Her response was a slight curl of her lips and a quiet huff. She leaned a few centimeters closer to you.
“I’m probably one of the most disrespectful people you’ll meet. But I can be if I try real hard.”
Sevika was feeling brave, you could tell in her closeness. The smell of alcohol wasn’t nearly as revolting when it mixed with the smoke and metal that clung to her.
“Remember the last night you were there at the tavern? Dressed up so pretty that I thought I was gonna die? Wearing that sleek black dress with the red platforms?”
Your breath hitched at the redirection, memories of that night flitting through your head like a slideshow. Some sort of celebration for business, Holden invited you so he’d have someone on his arm. That night, you wanted to be anywhere but there. The free drinks were the only thing keeping you from leaving, until no amount of alcohol seemed to work.
You didn’t think Sevika had been there. Couldn’t even remember seeing a glimpse of her.
“How do you—“
“You came stumbling out into the alleyway, drunk as a skunk and sobbing your eyes out. Don’t even think you realized I was there.”
What?
You finally met her gaze again. The openness behind it scared you, and you had to look at her mouth instead. That night had been one big, terrible blur for you. You didn’t remember getting home, never received any sort of message from Holden, and felt so much shame the morning after.
Your silence did nothing but encourage her to continue, it seemed.
“Finally got you to tell me where you lived after swearing up and down that I wasn’t going to try anything funny. Took a lot more to convince you to tell me who made you cry. Even if I already knew it was him.”
You took a deep breath as you pushed back from the counter, shaking your head like it would rid you from her words.
“Sevika, I’m trying to close up. I don’t want to relive that time of my life right at this exact moment.” You wanted to sound firm, but it came out tired and quiet. “It was humiliating.”
She made a light humming sound, sliding her cloak on and bundling the paperwork into a single fist. If the documents were important, she clearly didn’t care. Her mech hand reached out to snatch your bag from behind the counter, lifting it and gesturing to the door.
“Looks like you’ve been doing the same closing shit for the last thirty minutes. Let’s go, I’m walking you home.”
There was no room for argument in her tone, stated plainly as the dim street lamps cast her shadowy figure across the bar to you. For a split second, you debated on saying no. Making her leave on her own so you could scrape up what was left of your pride and find your own way home. But when you looked back up at her, the expression on her face looked almost desperate.
So you relented. Pulling the last of the stools on top of the table and exiting the bar with Sevika right behind you. You double checked that you locked up before slipping the keys into your pocket.
“I’m just around the corner, Sevika. You don’t need to walk me home.”
“I know where you live. I don’t care what I need to do,” she shot back without bite, tossing your bag over her shoulder. You fell into step beside her after that, decided it would be less difficult to simply let her help. You fought the urge to ask about that night while she walked with you. Knowing your lack of filter when you’re drunk, you probably embarrassed yourself multiple times. Just thinking about it gave you a headache.
It took only a couple of minutes for the two of you to reach the front step of your door. You lived in a small apartment above a small herbal shop, and your front door was up the side-stairs. It wasn’t the most ideal living situation, but you made it work. You made a lot of things work.
“Thank you,” you said quietly, looking up at her as she lowered your bag into your arms. “You’ve surprised me.”
Sevika lifted a brow inquisitively, leaning against your doorframe and effectively blocking you from making a quick escape. “Oh yeah? How so? By treatin’ you like a person?”
Your face heated up at that, quickly attempting to stammer out a defense. But a low, rich chuckle stopped you dead in your tracks. Sevika reached out and gently brushed a strand of your hair behind your ear. The touch was a startling contrast to her usual demeanor. So different to what you’d come to expect from anyone, at this point in your life.
You tried so hard not to lean into her warmth.
“Yeah, I guess so,” you managed to get out, a flickering smile finally crossing your lips. “Thanks for treating me like a person, Sevika. Even if your wording isn’t the best sometimes.”
She snorted and pushed herself back off of your doorframe, taking a couple steps down to the street again. “Please, my wording is fan-fucking-tastic. It’ll grow on you.”
It already was, to your dismay.
Before she could disappear completely, you felt a sudden surge of confidence. “Sevika,” you called out to her. She paused, tilting her head up enough that you could see the side of her face. You offered her a cheeky grin.
“You look really nice tonight. The slacks suit you.”
You could see her flip you off even as she rounded the corner.
A/N - next part is from sevika’s POV from the night she was referencing :p i hope you guys are enjoying the series so far, idk about you but i love a bit of pining and flirting and unlearning of old ways but anyways
Overview - You’d sworn off of dangerous lovers and meaningless sex nearly a year ago. So when Sevika starts to invade your job, your head, and your life, you struggle to maintain the walls you put up for people exactly like her.
WC - 2.3k
Tags - Post season 2, no use of y/n, we will be picking apart Sevika like a science project in this work, no smut (YET!), reader has relationship trauma, sevika will take care of it dw
Part two
You told yourself you were used to rough. Sometimes even able to gaslight yourself into believing you enjoyed it. The frenzy of grabbing, the press of teeth and bruised lips, the degrading insults passed off as teasing and affection. Everybody you’d dated or been somewhat involved with treated you the same way eventually, finding it much easier and faster to aggressively take from you.
Your last partner hadn’t been any different, and after breaking things off you’d vowed to stay away from dating and sex entirely. It’s been nearly a year since then, which felt insane the more you thought about it in your quiet, solitary moments. You realized in all that time that what you really craved was passion. Intense, consuming passion which didn’t need to hurt or push. It wasn’t the sex part you necessarily even needed, simply to be wanted and craved wholly.
It’s why Sevika quickly became an issue to your resolve.
The woman that used to be Silco’s right hand, turned into a symbol for Zaun’s rights. A seated council member with unspeakable traumas and a poison-dipped tongue. She was a force to be reckoned with, equally revered and feared by the people in the Undercity. Back when Silco was still alive and invoking chaos, you’d made the horrible mistake of starting a fling with one of his men. It meant you’d seen Sevika hanging out around The Last Drop whenever you went to visit, but never truly interacted with her. She’d been far colder and unapproachable in those days, and you’d already had your hands full with chasing trouble as is.
But time changed things, and one of the most abrupt changes hadn’t been abstaining from your vices like you thought. It was Sevika becoming a frequent customer at the hole-in-the-wall bar you worked at.
—
The first time you’d seen her come in she was slightly hunched and dripping from the unexpected downpour outside. You were polishing a couple of glasses, trying not to stare as she dropped heavily into one of the old, faux leather barstools. It was later in the afternoon, and the bar usually only had a couple people holed up inside around this time. The rain cut it down to zero aside from her sudden appearance.
Janna, she looks exhausted.
Sevika dropped a small bag of coin onto the bar in front of you, propping her elbow against the wood and aggressively rubbing the bridge of her nose. Her prosthetic hand slid a cigar out of her pocket with a single flick of her wrist, sticking it in the corner of her mouth while she fished for her lighter next.
“Whiskey—“
“Thought so.”
You’d already slid the glass of amber liquid in front of her, quirking a brow at her when she lifted her head and finally looked at you. It took a lot of effort not to focus immediately on how bright her eyes were as they fixated on your face. She let out a light huff, seemingly pleased when she lifted the glass to her lips and knocked it back with a no reaction.
“Don’t think I’ve ever seen you stop by here. Usually The Last Drop is said to be your domain.” The curiosity overpowered you, it always did.
Sevika snorted, sliding the glass back in your direction before taking a minute with lighting the end of her cigar. You didn’t bother stopping her, she looked like she needed it. So you waited, watching the silver smoke curl around her fingers and face when she took a drag and pulled it away from her mouth.
She’s got some sort of lipstick on. It suits her.
You watched the smallest curl of the woman’s lips, and realized she’d been talking to you. No doubt replying to your previous comment, but you’d been too busy cataloguing details about her face now that you were finally up close. The smallest flash of her teeth revealed a slight gap in the front two.
“— too busy starin’ to listen? Thought bartenders were supposed to be good multitaskers,” she grumbled, words muffled slightly by the cigar she puffed on right after. The words should’ve made you bristle, but you felt your face heating up instead, quickly shoving Sevika’s refilled glass back towards her. The way her cocky smile grew told you that you’d given her exactly the reaction she wanted. She saved you further embarrassment by repeating herself.
“I said, too many memories in that place for me right now. Needed to drink somewhere without ghosts breathing down my neck.” She only took a sip of her drink this time, licking her lips and circling the rim of the glass with her fingertip. You watched the action, mesmerized by the smooth pattern. You felt for her, could empathize with needing to escape the past and the people that didn’t make it with you to the present. A lot of people lost something in the topside rebellion.
You nodded slowly, throwing your rag over your shoulder and offered your own smile. “Well, no ghosts here. Only me and the owner of the place. A handful of regulars throughout the night. And poker on Saturday nights.”
Sevika was watching you carefully, having shrugged off her damp cloak in the time you were speaking and rolling her shoulders slowly. Her physique was enviable, the broad expanse of her chest giving way to the dip of her shirt collar and revealing only a moderate amount of cleavage. Your eyes wanted to wander on their own accord, taking in her mech arm and the juncture it connected to. The tightness of her shirt against her skin, partially soaked as well.
You blamed all of it on the fact that you hadn’t gotten laid in almost a year. Embodiments of risk and danger were your weak points, and Sevika was the one and only walking version of them. Had she even glanced your way once in the past, you would’ve been wrapped around her finger so tightly.
“Do I know you? Your face— I feel like I recognize you,” she questioned abruptly, tapping her cigar ash down onto the floor, much to your annoyance. You’d just swept before she’d shown up.
The question made you pause, teasing your bottom lip between your teeth. A nervous habit. You didn’t catch the way her silver eyes followed the movement.
Part of you said to just tell the truth, that it wouldn’t do any harm. But another part was tired of being connected to other people, and if you’d brought up sleeping with one of her old colleagues she’d surely associate you with the memories of him.
Only, she seemed to read into your hesitance differently. Her lips pressed together and she took a heavy drag of her cigar before stubbing it out against the metal palm of her hand. You winced at the action, but she merely pocketed the end and leaned closer to you across the bar.
“Were you one of Babette’s girls?” She breathed the words low in the space between you two, her gaze dropping down to your mouth and lazily dragging back up to your own eyes. “Feel like I’d remember sharing a room with you, but it’s been a while.”
Your stomach knotted at the question, your face twisting up involuntarily. The insinuation of you working at a brothel and being a sex worker she couldn’t even remember brought a sour taste to your mouth. You set the bottle of whiskey down beside her glass and backed up, cutting through the proximity so you could finally breathe.
“No. We don’t know each other. And I’ve never worked for Babette. Must’ve mistaken me for another girl,” you ground out, making it evident that you did not enjoy the comparison. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to sweep up the ash you just dumped on my floor.”
Her lips parted in muted surprise, watching you scramble to the broom and beeline to the space behind Sevika so you could clean up her mess. The woman’s lips pressed together even tighter, dragging down into the lightest frown as she finished yet another glass.
In her eyes, it might’ve been meant as an odd compliment. ‘I’d remember sharing a room with you’ being some shitty innuendo for your looks.
But you were unimpressed by all of the meaningless flirts and backhanded compliments. The bar fell into silence after that, you quickly and quietly sweeping up the ash and dumping it in the trash while she drank without another word. Only the sound of her mech arm softly whirring and clicking filled the space around the both of you. You took the time to properly diffuse, trying not to let her words bother you as much as they did.
When you turned back around and settled behind the bar once more, the whiskey glass was filled and being held out in front of your face. Sevika’s expression was stoic, unyielding as she shook it slightly at you. Your palm came up beneath the glass, and she let the weight of it settle into your hand, her fingertips grazing yours on the way back down to the counter. You didn’t shudder.
You didn’t.
“Peace offering. Didn’t mean anything by it. I do think you’re familiar, though,” she relented, as close to an apology as you think she’d ever get. You eyed the glass, seeing the smudge of her lipstick against the rim and glancing back up to her mouth. Sharing her glass should have bothered you, just like her teasing should have put you off.
But you pressed it to your lips and took the burning beverage in one gulp, wincing at the taste and making a soft noise of protest. Shaking your head, you set the glass down and eyed her with narrowed eyes. She was looking at you with a thoughtful gleam in her gaze. As if trying to read you like a book that had opened itself for her. Maybe still attempting to figure out where she recognized you from. You cleared your throat, drawing your walls up as high as possible before she tried to poke and prod her way in.
“Yeah, well. It’s a little entitled to assume every woman you recognize is a sex worker you’ve slept with.” She made a soft clicking sound with her tongue and nodded slowly, the most minor of sheepish expressions on her face. Mostly, though, she seemed amused by you.
“I suppose you’re right about that. Wanna tell me where I really know you from, then?” She pushed further, scanning your face as you leaned back against the wall behind you. Sevika was a smart woman, you should’ve known she wouldn’t give it up.
You studied her for a long moment after that, letting the question build. You thought she might grow impatient, but she remained relaxed in her seat, watching you in the same way you were watching her. There was a charged energy brewing. She only made herself more comfortable, leaning forward against the counter and letting her arm rest on top.
You watched the veins in her arm flex as she cracked her knuckles with a single finger. Wondering distantly how nicely her hands would wrap around your neck. How much would she press? Did her rough exterior translate differently in the bedroom?
You fought the urge to bang your head against the bar.
“No. If you’re so bothered thinking you know me from somewhere, you’ll have to figure this out on your own,” you finally said with a shrug that came off more nonchalant than you felt. Her response was a low chuckle that sent a spike of heat straight down your spine. The sound of whiskey pouring into the glass before she swallowed it with an exaggerated ‘ah’, and pushed herself back to her feet.
You watched Sevika fish out a few more coins from her pocket. Her hand shot out and wrapped around your wrist before you could blink. You braced for pain, but none came. Her hand was warm, fingers looped gently around your wrist and practically covering a portion of your arm.
Fuck, her hands are huge.
For someone with such a dark history and brutal nature, she carefully pressed the coins into your hand. Her touch lingered, and when she pulled away you swore she dragged her fingers over your skin on purpose. Goosebumps rose wherever she touched, and you cursed your body for being so reactive to her.
“If I figure it out, do I get a kiss or something?” She asked bluntly, the grin on her face telling to her tease. You rolled your eyes despite the way your heart fluttered violently against your chest, a traitor to your will. Removing yourself from her grasp, you pocketed the tip and crossed your arms over your chest.
“Maybe a free drink. You’ll need to work a lot harder for a kiss.”
There was a quick flash of something dark in her eyes when you said that, her gaze dropping down to your mouth. You hadn’t meant for it to come out flirtatiously, but she seemed to take it far more seriously than intended. Grabbing her cloak, finally dry from the warmth of the bar, she threw it on easily, clasping it with a single hand before nodding at you.
“Y’know—“ she threw a smirk in your direction before taking a few short strides to the door. “— people only challenge me when they’re dumb, or they want to lose.”
Then she was outside, pausing only a moment to glance at you through the window one more time before she disappeared around the corner.
You swallowed hard, slowly sliding down into a crouch behind the bar counter. Finally alone and able to react fully, you let out a heavy groan that tipped off into a frustrated growl at the end. Your body and mind were lit up like a Christmas tree full of live wires ready to spark at any given moment. She’d barely touched you, barely spoke save from smart-mouthed jabs and rude assumptions. Yet you, in your long standing abstinence, practically crumbled from her attention.
The two rivaling sides of you hoped to both see her again, and to never cross paths with her again.
