Game of Survival~Arcane Fanfiction(ON HOLD UNTIL SEASON 2)

Reunited/Home

I groaned, waking up the next morning, the sound of my dear neighbor prisoner smashing their fists against the walls again causing my blood to boil. "Shut up! Some of us like it quiet!" They suddenly stopped, and I heard voices talking, both of them vaguely familiar, but couldn't make out what they were saying, their voices quiet and frustrated. After what I guessed was about an hour, I heard the sound of a cell opening, and frowned. No one was supposed to get out of that shithole, but here my neighbor was, being let out of their cage. "Hey! Let me out of here! Whatever you want, I'll give it to you!" I would do whatever the jailers wanted, as long as I managed to get home to Jinx, because clearly, no one was coming for me, and I'd be trapped like a wild animal without help.

The next thing I saw was a flash of dark blue, almost black hair, and familiar eyes peering at me through the bars in confusion, and as the person's face was revealed in the light, my blood ran cold, and I stumbled backwards, until my back hit the wall, my chest heaving with fear. "No- Go away. You aren't real. You can't be real.. Not again." I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to will away the ghost of my friend I had slaughtered when I was little, but when I opened them again, there she still stood, and her voice asked, "Who are you?" Those words stabbed into my heart, and hot tears stung my eyes, as I raced to the bars, wrapping my hands around them. "Please- Can't you stop torturing me? I didn't mean to kill you. It was an accident. You know that.." Instant recognition showed in her eyes, and she stepped away from my cell. "Max? It is you, isn't it? What happened to you? Where have you been?"

I instantly wrenched myself away from the bars, as familiar pink hair and blue eyes peered at me in shock. "What happened to me?! I was banished to the Undercity by the Council for killing you! What the hell are you doing with her?" I glared icily at Vi, shaking with rage. "Let me out of here, so I can kill her!" I saw red, tears sliding down my face. "You left me for dead, you asshole! I'm gonna kill you, Vi!" Vi flinched, and swallowed hard, before looking away. "I shouldn't have left you there that day. I thought you were dead.. I've never forgiven myself for that." Caitlyn glanced between us in confusion, but walked away, coming back with the jailer a few minutes later, and I tackled Vi as soon as my cell was opened, my sword pressed against her throat, blood trickling from her skin, the images of Jinx crying from the nightmares and episodes caused by the woman in front of me fueling it.

She didn't fight back, looking up at me with pity in her eyes, and one of her hands gently touched my mask, tears shining in her eyes. "I'm sorry, okay? You took care of Powder when I couldn't, and I abandoned both of you. You deserved better.. Let me make it better. I can fix this. I have to fix it." I moved my sword away from her throat, tears blurring my vision, and sheathed it, then climbed off of her, and removed my mask, before whispering, "You can't. It's too late- I'm not the sane, and neither is home. You've been in here all this time, haven't you?" All those nights of Jinx hoping her sister would come for her, and finding out she was dead were all for nothing. Vi had never abandoned her; She had been locked up like a wild animal, and Silco lied to her. I had to get home, before Vi and Cait could find her. They'd be looking for Silco and his goons, and I couldn't let Jinx be caught in the middle.

I coughed hard, and put my mask back on. "Stay away from me. We aren't friends. If I see you again, I will kill you, like all the other assholes I've killed. You too, Caitlyn. You became what I hate the most, and even if I'm happy to see you, I can't forgive what your family and mine did to me." Their eyes both went wide, and I began walking away, shutting off my emotions, and muttered, "Be careful. The Undercity is gonna destroy both of you." I left Stillwater, and made my way back underground, my body still sore and stiff, and slowly made my way into the cave Jinx called her room, and slid down a metal pole, balancing carefully on the metal blade my feet landed on, looking around. "Jinx? Are you in here?" My eyes widened, as a blue blur slammed into me, sobs hitting my ears.

I wrapped my arms around Jinx, my muscles instantly relaxing, melting into her touch, and I rested my head on top of hers. "I missed you, too." I closed my eyes, realizing how much I'd missed her for just one night. "I thought you were dead, Max.. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-" I frowned, feeling her shaking, and sighed. "I know. It's okay. I'm fine, I promise. I just had to spend a night in Stillwater, that's all. I'm home now, and I'm not gonna leave you again. Not like everyone else.. I promise." I knew I should tell her about Vi, but I couldn't. It would kill her, and make things worse.. I knew if she found out I hid it from her, she'd hate me, but that was a risk I was willing to take. Whatever it took to protect her, I would do it, and I was definitely going to have a talk with Silco about his lies soon enough, but for the moment, Jinx needed me.

My mind raced with thoughts of Caitlyn, and about how she had abandoned me, too. She acted like she didn't know that I was banished, but I knew that couldn't be true. Jinx was all I had left, and even if it meant getting hurt, I'd protect her with my life. "Hey, why don't we lay down for a little while? I slept on a cold floor all night." She nodded, and I gently picked her up like a little kid, and carried her to her sofa, then shoved the spare one flat against it, making a bed, and laid down beside her, going quiet as we stared at each other, a blush creeping across my face. Not that I could ever tell her, but I cared about her, as more than just a friend. I was terrified of losing her if I told her, or of being rejected, so I kept it to myself, but in moments like that, I wanted to tell her so badly.

I watched her eyes slide closed, and felt her arms wrap around me, then after a few minutes, her breathing evened out, telling me she was sound asleep. I didn't think I had ever seen her that peaceful before, and she looked so innocent, hiding the broken girl and killer beneath it, just like I always did. I took my mask off, and softly stroked her face with one hand, before gently pressing my lips to her forehead, and whispered, "I'll protect you. No matter what.. I won't ever leave you behind." With that, I put my mask back on, then closed my eyes, and slowly slipped into sleep, dreaming about her, and about how we used to be as kids..