Revenants - Arcane LOL x Male Reader

Chapter 2

Climbing the stairs all the way up, each hop a stinging pain from a sharp end on the makeshift guitar stabbing into my lower back. Reaching the outside, I sling it off of my shoulder. Stepping on the sharp end as I try to bend it around so that it would stop drawing my blood.

Noticing the door hasn't shut behind me, "I'd figure just heading home seeing as you were all in a bad mood."

Vi then shakes her head, shutting the door behind her, "You've seen me in worse moods."

"Most of them towards me," I then through it back over my shoulder, "Or have you hoped that I forgot when I was in Mylo's position as you were losing your collective shit at me?" I smile at her as I lean against the wall.

"You did suck."

With a shrug, "Though I shouldn't be the one you need to run after and make sure I don't take what happened in a wrong way."

"Don't worry about Powder," she looks back at the building, "I'll have a talk with her."

I nod, "If anyone might be taking it the worst it will be her."

"Yeah."

Then with pursed lips, "Feeling bad that you let your anger show on me again?"

"Weird, since last time I raised my voice you were almost in tears," following my question with a joke, that isn't entirely far from the truth.

"You scared the shit out of me," I add as we both chuckled, "Though I don't scare so easily these days, spent a lot of time running because people either want to steal what little I make with my street performances or because the 'sound' annoys them."

"It was pretty bad, to begin with."

I roll my eyes, "No need to tell me that much."

She then sides next to me, "Though a little bit of practice and now you don't sound like screeching metal."

"A compliment, I hope."

"What else would it be?"

"Fair enough."

"How have you been?" she then asks, "I haven't seen you around as much lately, thought you skipped town or started trying to do jobs all secretly."

I then groan, "That... don't ever mention that. A colossal failure where I almost cost a lot more than just the skin on my ass," I then shake my head with a brief chuckle, "Rud has been out of town, dunno where, so I had to make due to the way I can to make some coin."

"Thought he was s'posed to be taking care of you?" she asks.

I shake my head, "He only helped me out. Been taking care of me for the longest time, I love him for it, Vander already had the two of you and now those two. So Rud stepped in and took me on and helped me do a lot of things," I then smile to myself, "He told me that these job things would never work with me, soft-hearted he said."

She nods, "Almost like someone so precious you need to protect. Like an older Powder but somehow a little bit more accident-prone."

I arch my brow at her, "Whatever."

She laughs at me as I let my smile disappear, "Rud knew my parents, said that they wouldn't want me out here trying to fight the people that killed them."

"You really feel like that?"

I nod, "I can't change shit, Vi. I got scared because someone talked loudly, how long have I tried being at it only to just have a breakdown because- because," I push myself off of the wall, running my hand through my hair, "Do what you know how to do best, right?" I try to fake a smile before looking at her over my shoulder.

"Things can't be any worse," she states.

I then drop my eyes to her feet, "You should listen to Vander, you know... maybe-"

"Drop it," I lift my gaze as she watches the sky, "No point having this conversation again. Me trying to get you back into these jobs and you trying to tell me how it would be the death of me, remember?"

"Hard not to. I was pissed at you."

"Really? Didn't even know you were angry."

Rolling my eyes at her, "Yeah, yeah. A little tune on a shitty scrap guitar can bring a lot to those that need it. Someday it will save someone, other days it will perk up their ears and be a nice thing to remember as they continue with the lives we all share."

Then muttering, "One wrong job and you might as well have another Enforcer purge, killing everyone you know."

"Where you headed?"

I then turn to her fully, "Home. I am tired, waiting around for you four to get home pretty much drained all the energy I had - though with how things are going I am willing to bet you will be just as busy tomorrow."

"We'll see," she offers a smile, "Though feel free to tag around, you have gotten better at running away."

"Not much worth in a fight though," I chuckle.

"Who knows, you might just be cut out of it now that you had that little growth spurt. With that maybe a little bit more guts and you are already halfway there."

I nod, "I was never scared, though my sense of failure does kind make me want to crawl into a sewage duct and hope the rats kill me before the embarrassment."

"See ya, (Y/N)."

"I hope so," I lift my hand into a wave, "Bye."

"Yeah, me too."

***   ***   ***

I couldn't bring myself to tell her that Rud hasn't been home for quite some time. I am almost certain he died somewhere - though it wouldn't be the first time I lost someone that I cared about... I am just grateful he made it possible for me to survive.

I head to a window, still shut tightly, I lift my foot to kick it open but instead shatter the glass completely.

"Fuck," I look down onto the street only to sigh with relief that no one was nearby to witness my idiocy.

Looking back at the room with just a simple bed and small machines to heat food that I manage to scavenge if I stole some gas at one of the factories. A small basket of clothes that I need to clean and a small stream of running water on a tap that I made to steal someone else's water.

At the furthest corner, is where Rud slept. It has been empty for what feels like years, but the reality is that it was months. He has never been gone for longer than a week, I worry... but I already expected the worst.

Because it is always the worst.