This is war, pt. 4
PART 1 PART 2 PART 3
Warnings: violence, blood, sexual innuendos, swearing, toxic relationship and pranks
Pairing: Riven x specialist!reader
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The nurse presses a cool piece of gauze against Y/N’s throat as she's finishing up, muttering under her breath about careless swordsmanship and impatient students. The sting has dulled into a steady throb, but the sticky warmth still clings to her skin. Sky hovers close, too close, with his jaw tight, his eyes darting between her neck and the nurse’s hands like he can’t decide whether to watch or look away.
“The stitches should hold, and we'll have to change the dressing every other day for a week,” the nurse says finally, securing the bandage with practiced fingers. “You’ll have a scar to remember today's lesson, but you’ll live. Don't forget to take your antibiotics and spare your arm for a day or two. You might need to put a cold compress to prevent side effects of the vaccine.“
“Anything else?“
“Try not to get cut up again.”
“Great advice,” Y/N mutters, forcing a half-smile.
The nurse sighs and steps out, leaving them alone in the room that smells faintly of antiseptic and blood.
Sky immediately steps forward, his hands twitching as if he wants to touch her but doesn’t quite dare. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t think I'd actually get that close.”
She waves him off, reaching for her jacket on the cot beside her. “You won the duel, it's fine.”
“It’s not fine,” he insists. “You could’ve blocked me easily. Why didn’t you?”
Her fingers still on the zipper. She turns her head slowly, her eyes narrowing. “You really want to know?”
He nods, swallowing.
“Because you said something that threw me off,” she says quietly, then repeats his words back to him. “‘Until you ended it out of the blue.’”
Sky crosses his arms, defensive already. “It’s true.”
Her laugh is short, humorless. “You want to talk truth? Fine. The truth is, no matter how good we worked, you had wandering eyes.”
His brows knit together. “That’s not fair.”
“It’s accurate.” She crosses her arms. “You never took your eyes off Bloom when she came to Alfea. You might’ve thought you were subtle, but you weren’t. And I knew right then we wouldn’t work.”
“Y/N -”
“Don’t.” She shakes her head, tugging her jacket over her shoulders. “It’s not even jealousy, Sky. That’s the funny part. It just bruised my ego. It was humiliating, but I wasn’t afraid of losing you.”
He stands there, silent, his shoulders sagging as she keeps going.
“You were the perfect boyfriend,” she admits, meeting his eyes. “You were kind, romantic, respectful. You did everything right and you were amazing in bed.” Her voice softens, though not with affection, just honesty. “But my heart never raced with you. Not once.”
Sky lets out a slow breath, nodding. “So, I was perfect on paper. Just not what you wanted.”
“Yeah.” She smiles faintly, regret brushing her tone. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry too,” he says, his voice low. “Because I didn’t even notice you weren’t happy.”
“I wasn’t unhappy,” she says quickly. “I just wasn’t on cloud nine either. There’s a difference.”
He exhales, rubbing the back of his neck. “Does Riven give you that feeling? The one you never got with me?”
Her eyes snap up, defensive fire lighting instantly. “Riven?” she scoffs. “Don’t even start. He’s a manwhore, Sky. No manners, rude as hell, never knows when to shut up. He sneers instead of smiling, calls me names, and acts like an overgrown child half the time.”
Sky grimaces. “Yeah, I hate when he calls you names too.”
“He pays for it every time,” she interrupts with a grin, leaning back slightly. “I get my revenge. Every. Single. Time.”
Sky blinks, then chuckles despite himself. “Is that why you keep pranking him so hard?”
“Obviously,” she says, smirking. “You know me. I never let anything slide.”
He shakes his head, still laughing. “No, you really don’t.”
She shrugs, and the motion makes the bandage on her neck pull slightly. Her hand flies up, fingers brushing the gauze. Sky’s smile fades.
“Careful,” he murmurs, stepping forward again.
She gives him a quick smile, trying to defuse the sudden tension. “I’ve had worse.”
“Still,” he says softly, hesitating. “Let me walk you back to your dorm.”
Before she can answer, the infirmary door creaks open.
Riven stands in the doorway.
His pink hair is still faintly tinted, though faded, his training gear half undone and his face set somewhere between anger and concern. His eyes find the gauze on her throat instantly, then slide to Sky who is still standing far too close. The muscle in Riven’s jaw flexes once.
Sky straightens, hand still hovering near Y/N’s shoulder. “She’s fine,” he says, but it comes out defensive, as though he’s already expecting a fight.
Riven’s eyes flicker back to Y/N. “Looks like it.” His tone is clipped, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. “Silva sent me to check if you’re still bleeding out or just milking it for a day off.”
“I'm not going anywhere,” Y/N fires back automatically, though the corner of her mouth twitches.
Riven’s gaze lingers, dark and unreadable. “Glad to see you can still talk,” he mutters, stepping further into the room.
Sky glances between them, catching it immediately. Their glances are too long to be harmless, only a blind man would deny the chemistry between the two.
He clears his throat. “I’ll, uh, head back to training.”
Y/N nods, avoiding his eyes. “Yeah. Thanks for the assist, Sky.”
He gives her a faint smile before slipping out, closing the door behind him.
The second it shuts, Riven lets out a slow breath, his voice low. “You really need to stop bleeding every time you’re paired with your ex.”
Y/N arches a brow, ignoring the heat that crawls up her neck. It only happened once before and that was just after she ended things with Sky.
“You really need to stop showing up every time I do.”
His lips twitch. “Not my fault you’re always in trouble.”
“Not my fault you always care,” she shoots back, and this time, his smirk falters just slightly, barely enough to see, but enough for her to know she’s right.
--
The laughs and whistles are what wake her. They're echoing too close to be part of a dream.
Y/N’s eyes fly open. Blinding sunlight, the scent of lake water, and a sudden realization she’s not in her bed hit her all at once.
She blinks, confused, her fingers digging into something soft and unsteady beneath her. The surface wobbles when she moves, the world around her a blur of rippling water. Then it clicks. She’s in the middle of the lake on a mattress floatie.
“What the hell?!”
Her voice cuts off as another round of whistles breaks out from the shore. She sits up, squinting, only to feel cold air bite at her bare skin. Her heart drops.
She's wearing a white T-shir with no bra, no pants, nothing but her panties and a thin sheet she must’ve dragged with her from bed.
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” she mutters under her breath, clutching the sheet tighter around herself. But the second she tries to pull it up properly, her balance tips. The mattress tilts and with a startled yelp, she plunges straight into the water.
The cold hits like a slap, stealing her breath. She kicks hard, breaking the surface with a gasp. “Fuck! It’s freezing!”
The laughter from the shore grows louder. Y/N furiously swims toward land, her arms moving quickly through the water, her teeth chattering as she curses everything she can think of.
By the time she drags herself out of the lake, her wet hair clings to her face and shoulders, her thin shirt completely see-through, white panties translucent against her skin. She's shaking as November's wind licks at her, every breath feels like fire in her lungs.
And then she hears it: a familiar, smug chuckle she’d recognize anywhere.
Riven.
He’s standing off to the side of the group, hands on his hips, his grin wide and shameless. The bastard even whistles once more for good measure, as if to make sure everyone knows exactly who’s responsible.
“RIVEN!” she screeches, her voice echoing across the training field.
He just laughs harder. “Morning, sleeping beauty!”
She glares at him, fists clenched. “How the fuck did you even -”
“Trade secret,” he says, still smirking. “But let’s just say, next time, lock your window.”
The realization hits her like another bucket of ice water. He’d been in her room, in her bed, and she hadn’t even stirred. An air fairy maybe helped him, to lift her out silently. The thought only fuels her rage.
“You -” she starts, but a round of catcalls cuts her off.
Riven’s grin falters.
For the first time, he seems to actually see her: the way her soaked shirt clings to her, the way her arms shake as she tries to hold the sheet in front of her, the way every single guy around them is still watching.
His smile dies instantly. “Alright, that’s enough!” he shouts, stepping forward. “Show’s over! Nothing to see here!”
His voice booms, loud enough to cut through the laughter. He positions himself in front of her, blocking the view from everyone’s line of sight. “Move it, all of you! Go!”
There’s a round of groans and chuckles, but they start to scatter when they see the look on his face. Riven’s glare alone could level a mountain.
Sky is the only one running toward them from the other side of the field after realizing why they've gathered.
“Unbelievable,” Riven mutters under his breath, yanking off his hoodie before Sky can reach them. He steps closer, wrapping it around Y/N’s trembling shoulders. It’s warm, smells faintly like sweat and cedar, and the fabric sticks where it touches her wet skin.
“Sure enjoyed the view, didn’t you?” she grumbles, glaring up at him. “Let me guess, itching powder in the hoodie too?”
But her voice lacks its usual spark. Her eyes are wide, uncertain and don’t match her words. Riven sees it, feels it twist something inside his chest. He almost misses the rage in her words.
“Trust me,” he clenches his jaw. “The view’s less than tempting right now. Go get dressed before Silva suspends you.”
She raises her eyebrows, her tone dripping with disbelief. “Isn’t that the point of your little prank? Public humiliation? Suspension?”
He opens his mouth, but she doesn’t give him the chance.
“You made me late to class, dragged me out half-naked, and now everyone knows what color my underwear is. Hell, they even know what my nipples look like! Or if I shave!” Her voice breaks slightly, both from anger and embarrassment, but it’s enough to make him flinch.
“Y/N -”
“Save it.” She shakes her head, brushing past him just as Sky reaches them.
For once, Riven doesn’t have a comeback. He stands frozen, watching her disappear toward the dorms, his hoodie clutched tightly around her like armor, and for the first time since this stupid war began, he feels… wrong.
The laughter from earlier rings in his ears like static and his stomach knots. He wanted to win, to get under her skin, but not like that. Not by turning her into a spectacle. He can still see the look on her face when he realized he could see everything, and so could everyone else.
He hadn’t thought. He’d seen red. He’d moved to cover her because the idea of anyone else seeing her like that made his blood boil.
Now, all that’s left is heaviness and bitterness in his chest.
Sky’s voice cuts through his thoughts. “You’re an idiot, you know that?”
Riven looks at him sharply. “What’s your problem?”
“My problem?” Sky snaps, gesturing toward the lake. “You humiliated her in front of the entire class! You think that’s funny? You shouldn’t waste your chance with her like this. If you want her, pursue her properly.”
Riven blinks, thrown off. “What? What the hell are you talking about? You think Y/N and I are interested in each other?”
Sky folds his arms, his gaze steady. “You tell me. You’re both obsessed. You hide it under all the insults and pranks, but it’s obvious you care more than you want to admit.”
Riven scoffs. “You’ve lost it. I can’t stand her. She’s pretentious, annoying, nosy, a total know-it-all. She’s...she’s fucked in the head on a whole new level. And that superiority complex -”
“Doesn’t matter,” Sky interrupts flatly. “You still like her.”
Riven freezes.
Sky takes a step closer, lowering his voice. “And if you don’t stop being such an asshole, you’ll never get your chance. Which would be a damn shame, because I know firsthand what an amazing girl she is. You’re lucky, Riven.”
Riven stares at him, speechless.
Sky’s gaze softens, tired. “I’d do anything to get a second chance. Don’t be stupid and waste yours.”
He turns and walks off, leaving Riven standing alone by the water, the ripples catching sunlight, mocking him with their quiet. He drags a hand through his hair, jaw tight, heart hammering in his chest too fast. For once, there’s no smirk, no clever retort, just the unsettling realization that Sky might actually be right.
And that scares him more than anything.
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Tags: @haruari @bartyssimp-riley-1602 @zephyg-06 @084intheskye @that-one-little-soybean @throneofgoingthroughit
