#Silco smut

[silcoitus]

Means to an End

Rating: Explicit—Minors DNI

Silco x f!reader, smut, Mention of Vander, Rough Sex, Jealous Silco, Spanking, Choking, Office Sex, Desk Sex

Beta readers: none, we die like Reader's asscheek

Word count: 1.1k

You've grown accustomed to Silco's rougher treatment of you during times of intimacy. But one small slip up has you seeing a darker jealous side of him you hadn't seen before.

Read on AO3

A/N: Jealous Silco make brain go brrrr

Taglist: @averagecrastinator @mazikomo @writingmysanity @insult-2-injury @ariaud @jennrosefx @ins0mniac-whack @steponmesilco  @sherwood-forests @leave-me-alone-silco @givemebeansnow @aeryntheofficial @dreamyonahill @lostbunn @whatisafandom @violet-19999 @juicboxd @sageandberries-png @sirenofzaun @blissfulip @mutedwordz @fly-like-egyptian-musk @jennithejester @mrsdelirium @witheringblooddemon

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#silcoitus #silcoitus writing #arcane silco #silco #silco x you #silco x reader #silco fanfic #silco smut #x reader #reader x character #reader insert #canon x self insert #canon x reader

[starsinmylatte]

Maybe Silco with a motherly Fem!Reader who adores Jinx? Something with breeding & pregnancy? Domestic bliss please?

Soft

Oooh, I do love some good domestic bliss... and I've always loved the idea of Silco's lover being a motherly figure for Jinx. Tbh, it would've solved so many problems in the show....

Rating: Explicit. 18+ ONLY, minors DNI

Pairing: Silco x Afab!reader.

Word count: 1.1k

Warnings: Breeding kink, sliiiiight degradation, Silco fantasizes about pregnant reader, cockwarming, y'all already know what's up

Join my taglist here!

(By clicking read more, you agree that you are 18+. Minors DNI)

You were by far the softest thing in Silco’s life. The Eye of Zaun -the most feared kingpin in all of the Undercity- was not a man who usually enjoyed life's softer, sweeter things, but you were the one exception.  

He could still vividly remember the day you showed up at his door, demanding to see Powder. Silco had wanted nothing more than to laugh. It was ridiculous, the way you showed up alone and completely unarmed to The Last Drop and demanded things from him of all people. Under any normal circumstance, you would’ve never gotten past his bouncers at the door, but he could barely get Jinx to eat or respond to him. Her door was locked, and the lock was reinforced from the inside…. he was worried about his new daughter, and you seemed to know her. So, against his better judgment, Silco took one look at the motherly concern you seemed to show for Jinx and brought you to her door. 

He watched carefully as you knelt in front of the door and took a deep, calming breath. “Darling, I know it’s been so hard, and you’ve been so brave… could you please come out and eat something? For me?” The door flew open in a blinding flash of unkempt, neon blue hair, and Jinx was in your arms. The small girl was sobbing and clutching you so tightly, almost like she was afraid you’d disappear at any second. She was trying to say something, but her sobs distorted her words to the point they were unrecognizable. 

You pressed a gentle kiss to her temple, picking her up as she buried her face into the crook of your neck. Silco watched in shock as you stood and turned to face him calmly. “What are your thoughts on soup?.” 

In the span of five minutes, you had nearly kicked his door in to see Jinx, gotten her to come out of her room for the first time in a few days, and now you were asking him about…. soup??

“Excuse me?” He managed to say, a look of pure bewilderment still plastered on his usually smug face. 

“She likes it, so I’m going to make some. You don’t look like you’ve eaten recently either, so I want to know if I need to make enough for three.” Your tone was soft but completely matter-of-fact as you stroked the young girl’s hair. 

Silco nodded slowly. “Soup would be…. fine.” 

Without another word, you simply turned on your heel and headed for the kitchen, murmuring words of comfort to the child in your arms. 

_______

You were the brutally soft woman who had invaded Silco’s life and turned it upside down in the best way possible…. Which is how the Kingpin found himself in his current position: buried deep inside you, biting your shoulder as the thick, swollen head of his cock kissed your cervix. 

The pain-tinged pleasure was almost blinding, but fuck, it was exactly what you wanted. It was enough to have you desperately moaning his name and your back arching. The Eye of Zaun kissed the column of your neck hungrily, trailing his lips all the way up to your ear. Silco’s warm breath caressed the shell of your ear as he nipped at the delicate skin before murmuring. “You’re sure about this, my lovely?” 

“Silco, please.” You whined, voice barely audible over the sound of him fucking you. “W-we talked about this. I want a baby…. I want you to get me pregnant.” 

Silco growled in response, reaching up to palm the swell of your soft, generously curved breasts. He had you pressed back across the smooth wood of his desk, all of his papers and work carelessly thrown to the side as he took you roughly, with an almost singular purpose. The gold-trimmed bottom hem of the dress you favored had been roughly shoved up around the curves of your hips to allow him more room between your thighs. He leaned over to kiss you hungrily.

“Such a dirty girl,” he purred, sliding one of his fingers into your mouth for you to suck on. Your tongue laved around it, eyelids fluttering shut in bliss as he pressed it in further. 

Silco hissed at the sight, trailing his other hand up to caress the soft skin of your lower abdomen. He pressed down with the flat of his palm, making you cry out at the sudden pressure before following it with another gentle massage. “Wanting me to fuck you raw like this…. Such a pretty thing, and you want to carry my child.” 

The thought of you pregnant was nearly enough to make him cum instantly. Your body would change… swell with the life he put inside you. Everyone would know it… Everyone would see his claim on you. Yes, Jinx would be getting a sibling, and Silco would be glad about that alone, but his true desires were much more selfish.

You whimpered as his clever fingers found their next target: one of your overly-sensitive nipples. Silco bit back a moan of his own, imagining your breasts swollen and heavy with milk. “Let me hear it again, lovely. Say my name.” 

A particularly delicious thrust of his hips punctuated each word, and Silco’s name fell from your kiss-swollen lips. Your orgasm burned through your body as you fell apart beneath him, whimpering and begging him to finish, to give you what you craved most. 

Silco’s beautiful green eye rolled back in bliss as his fingers forcefully dug into your hips, hard enough to leave bruises as he chased his own climax. His hips snapped into yours lewdly, and with one last strangled groan, the Eye of Zaun joined you in pure euphoria. The movement of his hips slowed, and you felt his warm seed fill you completely. 

Your head dropped back against the desk with a soft thunk, your energy completely and utterly spent. Silco caressed your temple, raising one of your hands to his lips to kiss it gently. 

“Beautiful…” he murmured, letting his gaze wash over you unashamedly and making no move to leave your warmth.  You shifted your hips slightly, drawing a short, sharp hiss from your lover as you sighed contentedly, completely relaxed beneath him.  

Silco dipped down to press more reverent kisses against your skin, his smooth, deep voice intensely comforting. “We are going to stay just like this for a few more minutes. It wouldn’t do for any of our hard work to go to waste.”

____________

Tagging some friends: @saradika @thefact0rygirl @babygirl-leon-kennedy @hereforthesunrise @eriseffigy @ashotofspotchka @thebeardedmoon @dont-mess-with-my-fandom @redflamesbaku @My-awakened-ghost @agatemermaid @shadow-pancake9 @zaunsin @warpedbands @kemeso25 @ironandglass @nyx2021 @amyroswell @tinybookworm16 @dendrophileunsated @cassandrablacker @aikoiya @lemmielem

(If you are on my tag list and your name is crossed out, then the info I have for you either needs updating, or Tumblr is being strange)

#lyria responds #silco #silco arcane #silco fanfiction #silco fanfic #arcane #arcane fanfic #silco x reader #silco x you #silco league of legends #silco smut #silco imagine #silco simp

[ughthisisntright]

Nsfw Silco request; drunk Silco. 🍻

oooo drunk silco.... this'll be fun.

Thumping could be heard from outside the bedroom door. You were sat in bed with a book, half-asleep but jostled awake from the sounds outside the door. Silco's bedroom door, you'd found out, was not at all sound proof.

You carefully slipped from the blankets when you heard a muffled grunt followed by a particularly heavy thud. You opened the door to Silco's bedroom slowly and saw something that you'd surely be retelling the tale about for years to come.

Silco - piss-drunk - struggling to get up off the floor of his office. His left foot crossed over his right, simply not balanced and causing him to continue tumbling over. He was grumbling something about his boots, how the soles were too slippery or whatever. You simply bit your knuckle to keep from laughing.

What seemed like an hour passed as Silco finally got his footing and stood straight. He huffs from frustration and exhaustion and shakes out his shoulders. His jacket is gone, his cravat is crooked, and his usually pale cheeks are flushed. When the floor creaked beneath you, his head whipped in your direction.

"Oh, no," he groaned. "I'm woke you!"

You snickered and walked toward him, just a few steps.

"I was awake, love," you spoke softly. "You came in like gangbusters." He shook his head at your comment, a smirk tugging at his scarred lips.

"I was quiet as a mouse," he argued. "'Cept for when I toppled over. That wasn't quiet 't all!"

You walked right up to him and straightened his cravat gently. His eyes bore into yours as you worked on him, the goofy man who once stood before you becoming the brooding, domineering Eye of Zaun you were more familiar with from this distance. His hands - albeit a little less steady than normal - came to rest on your hips to tug you closer. You glanced up at him with an innocent enough smile.

"Can I help you, darling?" Your voice came out as a purr.

"Oh, you know you can," his lips collide with yours in a sloppy kiss. No real method or reason other than connection. You could feel the desire burning within him. This always happened when he drank.

You felt soon that you were the intoxicated one. Your head swam as he pushed you back into your shared bedroom and onto your back. Within moments, the thin fabric of your panties came flying off, and his cock was pressing against your soaked cunt. His breathing was more labored from the stupor but it made him more vocal than usual.

"Oh, my love," he groaned as he pushed inside you. "I'm going to make you scream."

Your moan of approval pulled the animal out of him, a rough and unrelenting pace being set above you. His hips snapped against yours so hard, you wanted to scream in pain if it didn't feel so good. Orgasms given like candy and Silco's voice above you added to the incredible feelings, the filth dripping from his lips sinful in it's delivery.

"Such a disgusting girl. Upstairs in bed, just your underwear - fuck - and ready for me to fuck you," he growled the words. "Always ready for me to fuck you."

You cried out in pleasure as he drives into you harder. Seeing stars, having lost count of how many orgasms he's given you with his impressive drunken stamina.

Finally after what felt like ages, and your body feeling like mush, Silco buried himself inside you and came so hard, he actually screamed. The man rarely raised his voice. And he was screaming for you.

After a few moments, you giggled. He looked down at you with a concerned look.

"You should drink more often."

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[lullabyes22-blog]

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[grugruel]

The Game

Pairing: Silco x f!reader

Masterlist

Summary: You and Silco like to keep things interesting by playing a game. Its your turn now, heat flares and tempers rise.

Word count: 2.7k

Warnings: Established relationship, hints of smut, brief choking, mentioned degrading, tension? Elutions to sub!dom!silco towards the end.

I throw the doors to The Last Drop open, making my grand entrance.

Smoke billows out through the opening, it curls around my vision as it mixes with the impure air of Zaun and all heads in the club turn toward me.

An uscher of whispers rumble through the crowd and the music suddenly halts. A mans low whistle can be heard ringing out through the crowd, aswell as the consequent "ow" and "hush" as the man next to him elbows him in the side, giving him a stern look in warning.

I was off limits to everyone but one man, and that was considered common knowledge in Zaun.

I take a step inside, smiling devilishly, approving of the general public reaction.

I let the doors slam shut behind me, welcoming the familiar embrace of the murky, green tinted darkness of the club as it envelopes me. I gaze around the room, searching for him.

I am counting on him to be in his office already, as It was a crucial part of my plan for dramatic effect. And when married to a man like him, one couldnt help but look for him in every room you enter.

All that im met with though, is an array of mixed emotions, smiles, glances and a bunch of wide eyed men and women. The crowd was divided between those who, had they not know was good for them, would hollar and applaud my confidence or those who would be scared half to death and couldnt even dare throw a glance my way.

Most bastards, however. Had already let their slack-jawed chins hit the floor at the first sight of me, and oh . . . was I a vision to behold.

Everyone already knew who I was of course, my antics were not news to them, neither were the fact that I am wife to the infamouse Eye of Zaun.

So to explain the situation, Silco and I ha'd been playing a fun little game for some time, just to spice things up. We set two rules of outmost importance, no matter what, we had to follow them.

1. Prizes asked for must be given.

2. Revenge is always permitted.

Meaning whoever manages to outdo the others previous actions in boldness, audacity, mischief etc, wins whatever prize they desire from the other and whatever we did to challenge the other, we could always retaliate however we wanted and those asks had to be met

Usually when it was Silcos turn, he'd experiment, try something new, take me in the hall, in an alley, where anyone could see. Just for the thrill if it, because we can, because who would question him?

But as of late, work has been stressing him and hes been using me. He makes a public display out of me, showing everyone just who I belong to. A power play, of course, reinforcing his claim on me and putting on a show of his brazen nature as for Zaun not to forget who he is.

And he'd do it all with a ravenous gleam in his eye, enjoying every second of my embaressment. But god help any man who makes a remark or even looks at you the wrong way.

And since he has a reputation to uphold, an image to keep clean, being the crimeboss that he is, I had never been allowed to play our game in any type of crowded setting. He needed to be respected and more imporantly, feared. Meaning he could not be put into conpromising positions publicly. Privately was a whole nother situation.

But today, that would be coming to an end. I'd been forced to accept the situation since this whole thing came about, but he needed a reminder of who he married. Although I do not have as important of a position as him, my life did not begin when we married. I was someone before him and I am my own person still.

Blinded by love, and lust. I've let him do whatever he wants to me and although that can be a welcome notion betwix the sheets, it is not when he needs to make an example of someone, not anymore.

Sevika stood leaned against the stairrailings, watching my plan unfold, eyes wide. She sprung into action, ripping the jacket off the shoulders from the unsuspecting man next to her and rushes to cover me up.

She knows you're not the kind of woman who listens to anyone who tells you what to do, with the exception being Silco. And knowing she'd get hell from the man himself if she did anything else than try, she tries.

I reject the jacket of course, gently pushing her away from me. I clasp my hands behind me back and walk slowly towards the bar with her shadowing closely behind me in hope of hiding something from the crowd.

She lowers her head to my height, leaning closer to my ear, a shudder runs through me "He wont be happy" she snarles.

"I know" I answer nonchalantly. And a ghost of a smile flashes over her lips as she shakes her head and turns around, sighing.

I sit down on one of the stools by the bar, watching her as she makes her way upstairs. I order a whiskey and take a look around the room once again, noting all the stares.

"Cmon folks, he'll be down in a minute and you know better than to stare. Get back to it." I say in a low chuckle and they do just that, knowing the truth of my words.

Minutes later Sevika comes back down, she throws me a warning glance that tells me "not in the mood" and a new feeling begins to fester within me, uncertainty. I already knew he'd be cross when I schemed my little plan up, that was foreseen. But now?

I had no time to think of the consequences, because another set of footsteps could be heard a few paces behind her, slow and deliberate. He was already punishing me and I've yet to lay my eyes on him. My stumache flitters despite myself, longing to see how this plays out. Turbulence was to be excpected, but the rewards would be gratifying.

The crowd seems to have heard the destinctive sounds of Silcos footsteps aswell, as their attention turn toward the stairs.

Through the gloom of the lowly lit, smoke filled room, the glowing red of his cigar lights up his features, giving an earie glow to his eye. He looks mightly unimpressed, inhaling a puff of smoke his eyes scan the crowd, eventually settling on my form. Clad in nothing more than the crimson red lingerie that he bought me. He was already incredibly annoyed that you would compromise him like this, but seeing you in the set that he stressed were for his eyes only truly set him ablaze on the inside.

I swiwel the barstool so that I face him completley, the bartender slides my drink toward me and I grab it as I lean back against the bar, forearms supporting me. A pleased expressions washes over my face, this was a serious matter. But I should gloat whilst I still can.

He glares at me for a minute, the club is so silent you could hear peoples breathing, very shallow, careful breaths as they try to avoid catching his attention and possibly turning his displeasure onto themselves.

He takes in my appearance, looking me up and down. Sevika had not known the ordeal of this specific set of lingerie, so she had not conveyed its importance to him.

His patience usually wears thin, but seeing me in the lingerie he clearly told me were for him makes his blood boil.

Turbulence stirs within him, feeling incredible annoyance at your clear disobediance, but also a tinge of impatience to punish you especially since you did look brutally ravishing.

And as if his hair sences his stress, a greying strand of his magnificent hair falls over his eye. He sighs deeply, gathering himself before taking action, he catches the runaway strand by combing his free hand through his hair, placing it perfectly back with the rest.

He moves the hand holding his cigar, wafting it back and forth dismissively as he turns toward the people, adressing them "Avert you eyes ladies and gentlemen, that is my wife." he orders.

"Go ahead, leave, scram, flee." He makes a dramatic shooing gesture and announciates the last word, then taking another drag of his cigar.

He turns to Sevika "Make sure they understand that they did not see anything, then leave you too. No one is to be let in." she nods and posts herself by the door.

The people flock toward the exit, creating a bottleneck effect. Carefully, eagerly even, they follow Silcos directions reinforced by Sevika. They did not need to be told twice, they had already forcibly forgotten the incident and had no intention on stickning around to challenge his temper.

As the last of the crowd have left and the doors slam shut behind Sevika, its only the two of us left, so I stand to make my way to him.

"Stay." Silco says coldly, eyes snapping to me. A shiver runs through my body, I sit back down, crossing my legs, anticipation lining my senses as I smile at him.

We hold eachothers gaze "I missed you" I say.

"So I see" he responds, striding closer, one painstakingly slow step at a time and when hes finally close enough to touch I reach out to him, taking the lining of his tie between my fingers, softly tracing it down his chest, stopping at his vest button to undo it.

He snatches my wrist, holding it closer to him, inhaling the scent of my perfume, loving the way it mixes with the cigar smoke. He kisses my wrist before pinning it to the bar-counter behind me.

Not so easily discouraged, I lean closer to him in an atempt to steal a kiss off of those ruthless lips. I let my eyes fall shut and lean further in until I feel his breath on my skin as I've done so many times before. Heat flashes through me as I imagine the taste of him being less than a mere second away, but my expectations fall short as im met by the the savour of his cigar instead.

"Tsk tsk tsk" he shakes his head "Surely you wouldnt dream it to be this easy my dear?" His tone mocking.

I scoff in pretend defeat as I take the cigar from him, taking a drag and leaning back against the counter again. "I was only teaching you a lesson, husband." I sigh.

"Oh" he exclaims, his demeanor unclear. A mix of entertainment and frustration evidens in his voice "You're teaching me a lesson hmm?" His gaze hardens and an frustrated smile forms on his lips as he awaits my response.

"Naturally."

A gleam of irritation lights in his eye, he takes the whiskey from my hand, studying it carefully as if planning his next move. He takes a slow sip, "So.." he begins, carefully phrasing his words, "Would you like to tell me how come? Because frankly, my dear. Im at a loss here." Agitation evident in his tone.

"Truly?" I question, not sure if he actually wants me to answer that. "I love this little game of ours, it can be... Oh so thrilling" I sigh in reminiscence, thinking back to past adventurez when we've enjoyed eachothers rueful challenges.

"But I do not enjoy to be used as someones puppet, not even yours. You've turned this wonderful game of ours into a show of your power, using me. So, I wanted to teach you a lesson." I repeated myself, nonchalantly.

His gaze bores into my own, furious at your choice of handling the situation, but even more so because theres truth in your words. "I have a reputation." He spits the last word, "How will I be respected if I cannot controll my own woman?" He asks, frustrated.

I sneer, "You forget yourself Silco." Theres venom in my tone, "I may not be known as "The Industrialist" but I have a reputation of my own and it is time I reminded you of it. Zaun will not respect you more for treating me like shit, and your blatant audacity to feel bad for yourself is sickening." I state coldly, and he knows your right, yet he cannot help how your words irk him. His face burns hot with shame.

"Ive let you degrade me in front of thousands of people, just for you to earn your power." I spit back.

"But truth be told, husband. Youre not a king, nor a god, and people will understand that you cannot control me. Ive never been know as conceded woman and I believe I have made that clear today." I fix my gaze sternly on his, making sure hes understood. He glares back, nodding.

Certain hes seen my point, I ease up. Work has taken a toll on him as of late, thats not his fault, but how he chose to counteract it is.

I lean forward again, softening my gaze as I carefully stroke his scar and whisper "You might have chosen me as your bride, but I also chose you, you know."

He sighs, closing his eyes, the anger melting away from him as he remebers you when you first met, and thinks of the woman before him now. Hes loved every version of you that hes had to pleasure to know and hes been incredibly stupid to put you in such positions for his own gain, he will simply find others to make examples of. He meets your gaze again, defeated "Im afraid my dear girl, that you're right, my behavior towards you have been appaling. You win, this time." A releaved expression covers my face as I've gotten my point across.

"However," he says soflty placing both hands on either side of my face, cupping it "That wont stop me from earning my retribution, game rules." He points out, pressing a soft kiss to my lips as a hand slides one hand to the back of my head, grabbing a fistful of my hair, earning him a moan from me.

He strokes my cheek gently with the back of his free hand, then tracing his index finger along my jaw and ending it with a tap at the sharpest point under my ear, "Everything." He says concurrently with the tap.

He strokes a strand of hair behind my ear before continuing to trace his finger down my neck, following it with his gaze, he grabs my throat, squeezing lightly as he carefully yamks me closer to him, making me gasp, "Has." he punctuates, finger tapping again, this time on my artery.

He lets go of my throat an continues to trace his finger outward along my collarbone, stopping at my shoulder, "A." He taps again. Silent anticipation linger between us, as I wonder where this'll end.

He takes the crimson brastrap between his fingers, slowly sliding it off my shoulder as he traces it down to the cup, "Price." He ends, the tension between us culminating, as he taps one last time at the soft flesh of my breast.%I shiver runs along my spine, I lean into again, his lips a ghost on mine.

"Naturally" I whisper against his lips, feeling him smile.

His hands continue downward, coming to a stop at my hips, holding me in place as if I'd ever wish to be anywhere else and melting me completely with his sudden tenderness. But his grip hardens, ready to take what is his. And as much as I would love just that, I was not done and he knew it.

"But, I've yet to claim my price. Game rules." I state, he steps back, knowing that he has to abide by the rules. His eyes shift to mine, pleading and lust battling for controll. "Cruel, cruel woman" he whimpers.

One side of him is itching to do whatever he wants to you and the other begging for you to let him touch you. And you're about to make him beg for it.

#arcane silco #silco fic #silco x reader #silco fanfic #silco #silco x you #arcane #silco smut #silco league of legends #silco imagine #arcane smut #arcane imagine #league of legends smut

[khaotic-neutrxl]

OH GREAT HEAVENS

#silco #you'd think i'm stupid and it's actually his hand #but no... #that's LITERALLY his schlong #watch the clip 😭 #MY MOUTH IS WATERING #MEOWWWW MEOWWWWW MEOWWWWWWW #HES MAKING ME GO FERAL #i want to know who in fortiche animated this #thank you fortiche #for feeding us #OH GREAT HEAVENS #silco arcane #arcane silco #silco league of legends #silco lol #silco x you #silco smut #making me purr FOR REALLL

[cognacandlilac]

To the Depths - Part Six - NSFW

(Pirate!Silco x F!Reader) Promises and Pomegranates

AO3 - Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3.1 - Part 3.2 - Part 4 - Part 5

Rating: Explicit/MDNI Chapter Summary: You come face to face against an impossible creature and it royally screws with your understanding of reality. Will Silco help you? Chapter Warnings/Tags: this chapter is SFW. Don't you worry, more smut is coming <3 A/N: Not beta'd because I'm trying to feed my momentum monster. She's starving and she's mean.

You stand in place, still staring up at the towering monster of living water. A part of your mind understands that it is about to snap at the ship like a wild animal but the thought is simply too impossible to comprehend. 

“Torches!” Sevika shouts sharply enough to drag your attention back to the deck and crew. You are not the only one frozen with fear and disbelief. Most of the crew cannot seem to believe their eyes either. 

“Torches!” Sevika snarls and shoves the nearest crewmember. This sends them scurrying off to illuminate the ship as much as possible. Your gaze drags back up the column of water to the beastly head and glowing eyes. Its neck reminds you somewhat of a snake, coiled to strike. 

When its head darts forward toward the deck, you at least have the good sense to brace yourself. The beast thuds against the ship as though it is made of pure, solid matter. You are knocked clean off your feet, unable to stop yourself from colliding with the railing. Breath leaves your lungs in a sharp gust just in time for a rush of water to slam against your body. 

Gasping, sputtering, and dazed, the only thing you can think to do is look for Silco but you don’t see him. An unexpected stab of pain blooms in your chest that has nothing to do with the physical blows your body just experienced. 

He left you to fend for yourself. 

You should not be surprised. Why would you expect anything different? So what if he danced with you and briefly participated in a conversation that didn’t consist of throwing insults at each other? That does not change the fact that you are a prisoner. Less than that, even. You’re a stolen commodity. 

A lump rises in your throat and you tell yourself it’s because the pain in your right side is growing more intense by the moment. No other reason. 

You know why you are here. You know where you stand. 

The water creature lets out another shrill roar as its glowing eyes scan the deck. Your eyes follow the serpentine curve of its neck to where its body meets the deck and continues, rising over the railing, not unlike the way a snake’s body slides over a branch. Yet, as water pours off of its form, it never changes size. 

It strikes again, aiming at Locke who manages to dive out of the way. Like before, the brace of its impact rocks the ship. This time, you are able to see the way water bursts from its body and rolls across the deck the way a rogue wave would roll across a calm sea. 

What in the hell is it? 

“Princess, you either need to get moving or get fighting. I don’t care which one you do. Just don’t get in the way.” Sevika brushes by you with a vicious look in her eyes as she attaches what looks to be some kind of miniature harpoon to the end of her mechanical arm. 

You nod, though Sevika has already moved her attention back to the water creature. 

“Bring its head down!” She barks at whoever is within earshot. 

You try to make yourself move in any direction for any purpose but you simply can’t. Your mind is racing and grappling with the reality in front of you, leaving your body stuck in a state of awe and terror. It is only when a crewmate, the same one who nearly came to blows with Locke, crashes against the deck in front of you. 

“Fuckin’ waterwyrms,” he grumbles as he scrambles to his feet just in time to avoid another wave rolling off the body of the beast.

A waterwyrm. An apt name that scratches along the outer edge of your frazzled memory. You cannot chase after it just now. 

The clatter of metal pulls your attention and you realize a thick dagger has fallen from the belt of the swearing crewmate. You call out for him, realizing too late that you never learned his name. Not that it matters. You can’t see him anymore. 

You reach for the dagger, figuring it’s better to arm yourself in one way or another while you decide what you’re going to do. 

The storm the other day was frightening but familiar. You’d sailed through storms before. You knew what to do, to an extent and if you didn’t, the crew was there to set you right. But that isn’t the case now. 

Only a handful of the crewmates crisscrossing the deck seem to know what they’re dealing with. The rest wear expressions you imagine are similar to the one on your face right now. You are not the only one out of your depth with this. 

The dagger is heavier than you expected and, truth be told, you do not know how to wield it. The closest thing you’ve held to this is an engraved letter opener that you keep on your bedside table at home, just in case. 

You struggle to decide whether or not to keep the dagger or discard it but you cannot remain rooted in place like this. You are completely unprotected. Once you find a bit of shelter, you can organize your thoughts, and pull yourself together. 

A flickering instinct tugs at your mind. It whispers to you, urging you to find Captain Silco. He’s supposed to keep you from harm until you are returned safely to your father and fiance. That was the agreement. 

A cruel stab of logic reminds you that not even Silco could offer absolute protection against a creature of myth and magic, especially not one that is determined to flood the ship with its watery form. Besides, Silco did not hesitate to abandon you once the waterwyrm rose from the black sea. 

Another flash of hurt sears into your chest and you quickly replace the hurt with anger, unwilling to allow your ego to be bruised by that man more than it already has. Enough is enough. The familiar clarity of anger awakens the part of your mind that had gone hazy with shock at the sight of the waterwyrm. 

You need to get to a safe place. Quickly. You flee, heading toward the stern, nearly tripping with every step as you do so. As much as you do not want to look at it, you keep your eyes fixed on the waterwyrm. Perhaps, if you were seeing it in a painting or sketch, you would find it beautiful but not here. Not when it’s real and dangerous and hell-bent on fracturing your reality. Things like this only exist in stories. 

Then again, you thought Silco only existed in stories, and look how that has panned out for you. 

With a soft groan, you keep moving forward. Even in the most dire of situations, the Captain still manages to snake his way to the forefront of your mind. The thought stokes your anger and you cling to it as you navigate around the scrambling crewmates and thrashing waterwyrm. It has slithered around to the port side of the ship, an equal distance from the bow and stern. This would be a good thing if you didn’t feel a spray of water coming from behind you. You look over your shoulder to see its watery, snake-like tail rising on the opposite side of the ship. 

You’ve seen plenty of sketches of mythical krakens wrapping their tentacles around ships to squeeze them into splitters. Could a waterwyrm do such a thing? 

The tail swings like a whip, heading right toward you. You dive forward, evading the tail but you’ve realized you’re now scrambling to find your footing right beside the great neck of the beast. You gaze up, tipping your face all the way back to look at its head. Its attention is drawn elsewhere, for the moment. Instead of moving away, you feel the weight of the dagger in your hand. 

You look at the rippling, translucent body of the waterwyrm. Surely, if it is solid enough to perch on the deck as it wreaks havoc, it is solid enough to feel the pierce of a blade. Without thinking twice, you lift the dagger and stab it into the side of the waterwyrm. The dagger pieces its watery hide like a hot knife through butter.

It does…nothing. 

No, that isn’t true. It’s done something. It’s gotten the beast's attention. The waterwyrm’s serpentine neck swivels and bends, bringing its head down until it is looking you right in the eye. Those blue orbs glow and shine like fire. It has no pupils but you know it’s looking right at you, into you. 

With a low, gurgling hiss, it opens its mouth. 

The anger that propelled you forward evaporates, leaving you with nothing but a cold, hollow sense of fear. You cannot move. You are vaguely aware that the dagger has slipped from your hand and has clattered onto the deck. 

Every inch of your skin, every drop of blood, every bone screams at you to run but you can’t. You can’t look away from the waterwyrm’s eyes. Now you see the beauty of such a creature, though the notion is far from soothing. 

You will be swallowed up by its hungry maw. 

You wonder if it will kill you by drowning or if its teeth are more solid than they appear. You wonder which you’d prefer. Probably the latter. You’ve never seen someone drown, but enough of your father’s men have had close enough brushes with such a watery death that you know it’s unpleasant.

It occurs to you that this is the first time you’ve pondered your own death. It always seemed like such a faraway thing. An inevitable thing, like a candle blowing out. You would be here and then you would be gone. You never gave much thought to what happened in between. The act of dying itself. 

A crack rings out and it doesn’t fully register with you that something has happened before the waterwyrm’s head reels back. It snarls and snaps, howling with rage. Something bright and sparkling falls in front of your face. 

“Yes!” Jinx’s delighted laugh is out of place with everything happening around you as she appears by your side. She scoops up the bright, shining thing. With a slow blink, you realize it’s one of the waterwyrm’s eyes. She slips it into her pocket. Its glow is so intense it shines through the fabric of her pants. 

“You should probably move,” Jinx says, putting a hand on your shoulder and tugging you back toward the weather deck. “I just made that thing really angry and I still need the other eye.”

She turns you a little and gives you a small shove in the direction of the weather deck. There, at the top of the steps, you see Silco with a rifle in hand. As always, he looks eerily still amongst the chaos. His ocean eye is bright and focused as he watches the waterwyrm.

You dart forward and start to climb the stairs, but your legs have gone wobbly. You stumble near the top, reaching out and catching yourself on his leg to keep yourself from sliding down the steep steps. 

“You’re alright, treasure.” You feel a large, gentle hand on the back of your head. “Stay right there. This will be over and done with soon.”

Several words leap into your mouth but none of them make it past your tongue. You find that you can do nothing but cling to his leg and hope his words ring true. 

“Line it up for me, minnow,” Silco orders. You see a flash of blue as Jinx scrambles up the nearest mast and begins to wave and shout at the waterwyrm. The half-blind beast whips its head around, teeth bared and snarling with fury. You close your eyes, not wanting to look upon it anymore but that is worse. The moment you close your eyes, all you see is the waterwyrm bearing down on you, ready to devour you. Your eyes snap back open just as the waterwyrm strikes at Jinx. Its head moves into the perfect position for Silco to take the shot, and he does. Another crack rings out, shooting right into your bones. The second glowing eye comes loose. This time, Jinx is able to catch it before it hits the deck. 

And then, you aren’t fully sure what happens. The waterwyrm moans weakly, its head swaying as it struggles to keep itself upright. It begins to collapse, as though it’s been mortally wounded rather than blinded. You cling harder to Silco’s leg, bracing for an impact that could be severe enough to damage the ship. Just before the waterwyrm’s limp body hits the deck, it melts into water. Thick droplets of seawater smash into the surface of the deck like a vicious rain, but that’s all that happens. 

Your brow furrows with confusion before you look up at Silco. He sets the rifle aside before reaching down to help you to your feet. Around you, the crew checks for damage to the ship. Some look exhausted and annoyed. Most look as confused as you feel. Sevika looks as though she’s just eaten a whole lemon. You briefly wonder what she must have seen in her life for something like the waterwyrm to be considered little more than an inconvenience. 

“Those glowing stones gave life to the water,” Silco explains, his voice gentle and filled with patience that makes something hurt inside of your chest. “Remove the stones, remove the problem. The stones are very valuable as well, as you can probably imagine.”

You nod, though it’s a jerky, automatic response to his words. You hear them. You know what you saw. But your mind just refuses to accept that something like that can exist in your world. 

“Are you hurt?” Silco keeps speaking to you in that low, gentle voice. You hate it. You don’t want to see that softness in him. You don’t want it to steady you or soothe you. 

“I’m fine,” you manage, though you’re not certain that’s the truth. You feel like you are going to keel over at any second. 

“You’re bleeding.” Jinx glides up to your side, ever the helpful little wraith, and lightly touches your arm. Sure enough, there is a gash stretching nearly from elbow to wrist on the underside of your forearm. You can’t even feel it, though you decide that’s a good thing for now. 

“Get her down to the doctor, minnow.” Silco’s good eye fills with something you refuse to acknowledge as regret, possibly even worry, when he looks at the wound on your arm. 

“So much for not allowing damage to your cargo,” you mutter as you let Jinx lead you below deck. She takes you to the bottom level of the ship. You pass dozens of hammocks strung up and layered over each other as well as an assortment of trunks and personal belongings. 

“Do you sleep down here?” You ask her. 

“I bunk on my own,” Jinx explains, but does not offer more details.  

You pass three iron cells, each fitted with several pairs of shackles. They are all empty and, thankfully, look as though they’ve been empty for a while. You briefly wonder if you were meant to occupy one of the cells. Why did Silco insist on watching over you so closely when he could have thrown you down here and been done with it?

Just past the cells is a solid wall made from spare bits of wood. Though it looks sturdy enough, it’s quite slapdash. Gaps between planks allow you to see glimpses into the room beyond. The wood bulges and indents in strange ways. With a small start, you realize the wall is made of pieces of other ships. Perhaps, ships the Zaun’s Revenge attacked and scuttled while looking for goods.

There are two crude doors set into the makeshift wall. 

“I sleep there.” Jinx points to one of the doors. Its placement against the wall implies that it’s the smaller of the two rooms. She points to the other door. “That leads to the laboratory. It’s best if you wait for me or the Captain to bring you down here if you ever have a need to see the doctor.”

“Oh?”

“He’s nice, usually,” Jinx shrugs. “But he gets very annoyed if his work is interrupted. He’ll always help you if you need it, though.”

Jinx raps her knuckles against the door. Through the gaps in the slats, you see warm candlelight but also some kind of glowing, purplish light you cannot envision a source for. There is no answer from inside the laboratory but that doesn’t stop Jinx from pushing in. 

The room is small, though the curved hull of the ship that makes up one wall allows for a little extra space. All manner of indistinguishable items have been cleverly stored where the room comes together to form the underside of the bow.

Tucked against the curved wall is a desk cast in shadow by a tall, thin figure whose black coat seems to eat the light around him. Shelves fitted to the curve of the hull contain jar after jar of that strange purple powder. The jars glow faintly in the darkness of the room. 

The man does not look up from his desk nor does he acknowledge the presence of two new people in the cramped space. 

“This is where I work on projects.” Jinx taps a cluttered workbench stocked to the point of overflowing with metal bits and bobs, screws, nuts, bolts, and plenty more objects that you can’t identify. The walls around her workbench are covered in sketches and schematics, designs of a mechanical nature. You spot a page with the words ‘MAGNETIC CANNONBALL’ scrawled across the top in big, messy letters surrounded by complex equations you can’t ever hope to untangle. The sight makes you smile a little. 

“Mr. Doctor, we are in need of your assistance,” Jinx chirps and taps on the bony shoulder of the man. He glances back at her with a foggy look that is somehow both dazed and focused. He wears a cloth tied around the lower half of his face in some kind of makeshift mask. 

“Hm,” he grunts softly before turning around to face you fully. You bite the inside of your cheek so you do not react to the severe burns covering the previously hidden side of his face. His other eye is surrounded by scar tissue so thick he can barely open it, which doesn’t seem to matter since the eye itself is a pale, milky color. Despite that, you can still make out dark hollows under both of his eyes. 

His functional eye quickly examines your body, spotting the laceration on your arm. 

“What happened there?”

You open your mouth to explain, but you aren’t actually sure how you injured yourself. “I’m not sure. I fell a few times during the waterwyrm’s attack.”

The doctor’s nonexistent eyebrows shift upward. “Waterwyrm?” 

“Yes, one just gave us a hell of a fight.” Jinx’s eyes spark with pride. “Nothing we couldn’t handle though. It looks like everything held up in here just fine.”

She looks toward the shelves and she’s right. Despite the viciousness of the waterwyrm’s attack, not even a single pen looks as if it’s rolled out of place. 

“Good, good,” he nods, taking a step forward on spindly legs. “Come into the light, please.”

You do as you are asked, holding out your arm for him to examine. His long fingers wrap around your wrist and put the icy grip of the reaper to shame with their coldness. 

“You truly did not notice that the ship was under attack Mr…Doctor?” 

“I have learned how to maintain focus in even the most unlikely situations. Besides, the Captain and crew are more than capable of handling any dangers the sea flings at us.” He chuckles softly, the sound reminiscent of scraping bones, before speaking again. “Singed. Only the little one calls me Mr. Doctor.”

Singed. Surely, that is not his true name. You find yourself staring at the ruin of his face until you remember yourself and force your eyes down. 

“It’s quite alright,” Singed says as he moves to one of the heavily stocked shelves and retrieves squares of pristine white cloth and two glass vials each the size of your thumb. “For all of my faults, vanity was never one of them.” 

He holds up the first vial filled with clear liquid. “Clean your wound with this first and wait for the bleeding to stop.” He holds up the second vial, half filled with liquid the same vibrant purple as the powder. “This will encourage healing. I suggest you ask the Captain for assistance. It is most potent in its liquid form.”

“But what is it?” You ask softly, taking both of the vials as well as the scraps of clean cloth. 

“Have you received advanced education in biology, chemistry, anatomy, pathology, and alchemy?”

Your eyes widen. “I have not.”

“Then all you need to know is that this is something that will help you.” There is a slightly condescending tone in the doctor’s voice but you don’t have the energy to let it pinch your pride.

“We call it shimmer,” Jinx says with a helpful smile. 

“You call it shimmer,” Singed corrects, turning his attention back to his desk. “That is an inaccurate and purely cosmetic name.” 

“It’s catching on with the crew so you should get used to it,” Jinx shrugs before ushering you out of the cramped laboratory. 

“Thank you,” you call over your shoulder but Singed is already engrossed in his work once more. You follow Jinx above deck, staring at the little vial of glowing purple liquid. The crew has largely recovered from dealing with the waterwyrm. Considering the violence of the attack, it did little damage to the ship.

“Oh, rats!” Jinx groans softly, lightly placing her fingers over the glowing stones in her pocket. “I forgot to give these to Mr. Doctor.” She hurries back below deck, leaving you alone. You aren’t sure if you’re grateful for the solitude or not. 

Your mind still feels caught, stretched thin over the gap between what you thought you knew and what you now know to be true. You move toward the Captain’s cabin without thinking about it.  

There are stones that somehow bring water to life. You grew up listening to myths and legends from all corners of the world. While many were soaked in magic and impossibility, you also knew the ocean still held many secrets and mysteries. You just didn’t think the secrets would be so close to the myths. 

Desperate for something to occupy your mind, you dig through your memories for scraps of any myth containing the waterwyrm. Nothing comes to mind. Frustrated, you push into the Captain’s cabin to find it empty. Both relief and disappointment settle like stones on your chest. You toss the stone of disappointment away and will yourself to be happy for a moment to tend to your wounds alone. 

While the bed looks welcoming, you choose to perch on the desk instead. You briefly consider sitting in Silco’s chair but you can’t bring yourself to do it. 

It’s…his. Somehow, sitting in that chair feels more intimate than sharing a bed. 

You place the vials and the cloth on an empty part of the desk. 

Heat rushes to your cheeks as the image of your hands intertwined with his, bent over the desk, as he took you from behind fills your mind. Something tugs low in your belly as the need for a distraction attempts to disguise itself as desire. 

Your upper lip curls in forced disgust, but you cannot summon any anger behind the motion. You call your anger over and over, wishing to wrap yourself in it to shield yourself from the strange feelings fighting to form within you. It does not come. 

With a slow, deep breath, you turn your attention to the clean cloth squares and the first vial of clear liquid. You open it and take a sniff. It’s nothing more than a simple disinfectant if your nose is to be trusted. 

Singed instructed you to ask the Captain for help with the shimmer. Even if the idea of asking Silco for help was palatable, you aren’t sure you want to put shimmer anywhere near an open wound without a better understanding of what it is. 

You soak one of the cloths in a small amount of disinfectant and brace yourself as you press it to your wound. The stinging pain rips through you, far worse than the pain of the injury itself. 

Tears prick at the backs of your eyes and you go stone still, keeping the cloth pressed to your wound. The threat of tears has allowed a tiny spark of anger to rise. You clutch those sparks hard and throw them against the feeling your tears wish to bring forth. The sting grows until you can’t stand it anymore. 

Just as you remove the cloth from your wound with a small sound of frustration and anguish, the cabin door opens. 

“There you are.” Silco steps into the room and lets the door swing shut behind him. He locks it with mindless movements as his eye focuses on the sight of you sitting on the edge of his desk. Worry flickers behind his ocean eye. “What are you doing?”

“The kind doctor gave me something to patch myself up with.” You hold up the cloth as though it’s obvious. “The experience has been less than pleasant.”

“Have you ever had to tend to a wound like that before?” He asks, that horrible softness returning to his voice as he approaches you. 

“I think you know the answer to that.” You try to put a little bite in your voice but fail to do so. 

“Perhaps, but I’ve learned several times now that underestimating you is a foolish thing to do.” He takes the cloth from your hand without a word and frowns. “Did you dilute this at all?”

Your cheeks feel hot. “The doctor didn’t mention that I’d need to do so.”

Silco removes the seal on the water pitcher near the vanity and wets the cloth before adding a drop or two of the disinfectant. “This will get the job done and sting far, far less.”

You hold out your hand to take the cloth but he ignores it. He moves close once more and holds your injured arm in his free hand before gently cleaning the rest of the gash. The sting is still there, but its bite is far less vicious. You find that you are able to breathe with some normalcy again, though something heavy still sits on your chest. 

“Ah,” Silco murmurs as he spots the vial of shimmer. “Excellent.”

“I don’t want…whatever that is,” you say quickly. 

“It’s perfectly safe when administered correctly, I assure you.” He opens the vial and the cabin is soon filled with a sweet, medicinal scent that makes your nose tingle. “I use it every day.”

You tilt your head. “You do?”

He meets your gaze before bringing his fingertips to the scars around his ruined eye. “It is the only thing that keeps the infection from progressing. It dulls the pain as well. I wouldn’t be fit to man a rowboat let alone captain a vessel without it.”

“Oh.” Your gaze dips to the vial in his hand before falling silent. 

Silco leans forward, bending down a little so his face is level with yours. “What, no quips? Surely, you can think of some remark to make about such a substance turning me inhuman.”

You say nothing. 

“Not even a little jab at my charming personality and wonderful temperament?” There is a teasing lilt to his voice but that softness still remains. 

You shake your head. You aren’t in the mood to trade barbed remarks, not that your mind would cooperate with you if you were. 

Silco sighs softly and returns his attention to the shimmer vial. He moves away from you for a moment to fish something out of one of the desk drawers. You hear something clinking and glance over from the corner of your eye. He holds a small glass eyedropper, which he cleans thoroughly with the remaining disinfectant. 

“This will make it easier,” he explains. “You really won’t need more than a drop or two.”

“Will…?” You start to ask but you swallow your question down, hoping he’ll be gracious enough to pretend you hadn’t spoken at all. 

“Will what, treasure?” He finishes cleaning the eyedropper and dries it off before giving you an expectant look. 

“Will it hurt?” The sting of the disinfectant nearly brought you to tears. Another strike of pain would be too much for you to fight through and you were not going to cry. Certainly, not in front of Silco. 

“Yes, but it’s an unusual sort of pain,” he explains. “It’s intense, but it’s quick. A bit like someone flashing a bright light in your eyes unexpectedly. Your senses will feel scrambled but, like I said, it’s quick.”

He loads up the eyedropper with just two drops of the violent purple liquid and takes hold of your arm once more. He looks at you, waiting for permission. You nod. 

A single shining drop falls from the end of the eyedropper onto your wound. You feel a tingling sensation for a fraction of a moment before something unlike anything you’ve ever felt before wracks through your body. Too much air is crammed into your lungs yet it also feels as though the wind has been knocked from your chest. Your veins feel as though they widening and narrowing, wriggling beneath your skin. It’s unbearable. 

And then it’s gone. 

You gasp hard and brace on the desk. 

“Easy, treasure,” Silco’s voice tethers you to reality. 

Your mind scrambles to right itself. You feel exposed, vulnerable. Your anger has failed you so you fight to call forth anything else that will shield you from the terrible weight on your chest and the tightness in your throat.

His quick hands wrap your forearm in soft, clean bandages before you have a chance to see what your wound looks like now. Already, you note the absence of physical pain. 

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” His hand comes to rest in the middle of your back. You feel the warmth of his skin through the fabric of your shirt. Tears spring forth but you quickly scoot off the desk to stand in the middle of the room, out of his reach. 

“I’m rather tired.” You keep your back to him as you blink and blink and blink. 

“I imagine so.” His boots thud against the wooden floor as he moves to stand behind you but he does not try to touch you again. “You’ve had quite a fright.”

Once again, you feel a tiny spark of your anger ignite but it’s not enough to catch fire and burn away the terrible feeling that creeps in around you. You are not yet in control of your emotions enough to speak, to deny his words. 

“Most of the crew is in the same boat as you are, so to speak,” he says. “Waterwyrms are incredibly rare. I’ve only seen three, myself. Seeing something like that for the first time can be rattling.”

“I am not rattled,” you hiss. You clench your hands into fists to hide how much they shake as you move toward the bed. You sit down and fumble with the lacings of your boots until you’re able to shuck them off. “I’m tired.” 

For a moment, Silco looks as though he’s going to press the matter. A small part of you, one that you’d like to squash beneath your heel, wishes he would. 

He takes a half step back and nods. “Get some sleep, then. You’ve earned it.”

He takes a seat at his desk and goes through the motions of clipping and lighting a fresh cigar. The warm, spiced smell of it banishes the lingering scent of disinfectant and shimmer from the cabin. Something in your chest loosens, but you’re not sure if it’s a good thing. 

You slip out of your breeches and crawl under the covers, pressing yourself as close to the wall as you can with your back to Silco. The only sounds in the room are the faint scratching of his pen across parchment and his soft exhales whenever he takes a puff of his cigar. It’s not enough to hold your focus. 

Your mind begins to spin again. Your heart slams against your ribs but you tell yourself it’s nothing more than your body responding to the shimmer. 

You are not rattled. You are not frightened. You can handle this. You have handled everything life has flung cruelly into your path and you will continue to do so. You will remain in control, just as you always have. 

But you know that’s not true. The words float through your mind like a lullaby despite the threat they pose to your quickly fracturing resolve. It’s never been true. 

It becomes harder to keep your breathing slow and even. That horrible feeling continues to tighten its grip around your throat, growing stronger and stronger until you fear you won’t be able to break loose. You won’t be able to keep it at bay. You’ll have to feel it and know the truth of it. 

You are not rattled. You are not frightened. 

You’re terrified. 

And the moment you let yourself feel that terror, you’ll be lost.

Fear claws at your throat and sits on your chest, prepared to suffocate you. Already, you can feel it seeping through your skin and stealing your breath. 

Fear has come for you before, but you fought it off. It pounced on you the day your mother died but you evaded it, letting grief shield you. It tried to ambush you again the day your father abandoned you at the family estate but your anger was so great and so fierce that fear could not touch you. 

Now, your grief was a quiet, content creature resting near your heart alongside the memory of your mother. And your anger…where was it? How could it have abandoned you and left you so vulnerable?

There had to be something you could do. Fear would not reach you this time. It never had and it never will. 

Not true. Not true. Not true. The words skitter across your brain, less gentle than they were before. 

You fight the urge to scream, choosing to bite the inside of your cheek instead. It's no use. The truth has started to seep through the cracks of your mind and you have nowhere left to run. No place to hide.   

How close will you allow yourself to come to madness for the sake of clinging to such a fragile illusion? 

You only believed yourself to be capable because you had never faced a true challenge. Now that you had, now that you stared the waterwyrm in the eyes and saw death, you can no longer hide from what you are. A small, scared, stupid girl who doesn’t know a single thing about the world. 

You do not have the strength or skills to survive on your own without your father’s money and protection. If you fled your engagement, you might as well forfeit your life. If you allowed yourself to be caged within the gilded bars of marriage and societal expectations, you would never feel alive again. 

One way or another, death surrounds you. It does not matter if it’s a death of your body or a death of your spirit. Both are equally devastating in your eyes. There is no escape. 

You bite the inside of your cheek hard enough to taste blood as you keep fighting the cold sense of fear that tries to wrap you in its embrace. You can’t give in to it. You can’t allow yourself to feel it. You’d never be able to pull yourself out if you did. You don’t bother trying to call on your anger to help you keep fear at bay. You realize now that it did not abandon you. You’ve simply burned it all up. 

Only the faintest scrap of pride allows you to hold yourself together. If you are going to fall apart, it will not be on this damn ship surrounded by these damn pirates. 

You are so caught up in your own mind that you do not realize Silco has moved until you feel the bed shift beside you. You stay still, pretending to be asleep, not that it matters. Aside from your failed attempt to bring yourself some relief last night, Silco keeps his distance from you in bed. 

He shifts and rolls a bit before he seems to settle. Thinking he has fallen asleep, you allow your mind to resume its heavy task of stopping your fears from consuming you. 

A hand presses against your back. Your breath catches in your throat and it takes every bit of your frayed self-control to keep up the act of pretending to sleep. 

“Brave girl,” comes Silco’s soft whisper, so quiet you are unsure if you were meant to hear those words or not. 

Warmth spreads across your back, radiating from his palm. If you focus, you can feel the shape of every long, thin finger. It may be exhaustion, the shimmer, or the fact that you had your toe over the line of madness just a moment ago but you swear you feel him pressing against your back with every breath you take. His movements, if he’s moving at all, are slow and faint. When you feel him press, you extend your exhale. When he lightens the pressure, you inhale. Over and over until your breathing slows and your heart calms.

The urge to check if he’s awake or say his name gently pulls at you, but you let it pass. The peace of this moment is a fragile, hard-won thing that you aren’t ready to give up. Besides, if he actually is asleep and this is all in your head, you’d rather keep that to yourself. You continue to breathe slowly, focused on the way his hand feels against your back, and eventually allow sleep to take you. 

********

When you wake, you roll over to find an empty bed. You open your eyes, expecting to see Silco sitting at his desk like he usually does but he isn’t there. A small amount of relief fills you. You’re spared from confronting him after…whatever that was last night. 

Maybe you sent yourself into such a deep state of distress that you imagined it. But then that means that you imagined him for comfort, which might be worse. 

Your mind still feels clouded and sluggish as you dress and leave the cabin. Above deck, the air is still and there is not a cloud in the sky. The Zaun’s Revenge bobs gently on a calm sea. To the west, you spot a strip of land but no distinguishing landmarks that might tell you where you are. Your eyes scan the deck for Silco, but you do not see him. There does not seem to be any work to be done so you head below deck to the galley.

Arlo has already started preparing for the evening meal, causing you to realize just how late you’ve slept in. You offer to help, he accepts. Soon, you are chopping onions. Your eyes burn and your mincing skills leave much to be desired, but your mind is occupied. Plus, you are learning something new. That always makes you feel better, more in control of yourself. 

“You seem a bit out of sorts,” Arlo says. “Something on your mind?”

“That waterwyrm has rudely forced me to reexamine my understanding of the world and my place in it,” you answer. “It’s been horribly inconvenient.” “Oh, I see. That happened to me the first time I saw something like that. It wasn’t a waterwyrm, though. The carcass of an ushkya floated to the surface. I couldn’t believe my eyes.”

“A what?” You hope you won’t regret asking. 

“An ushkya. Merfolk use them similar to the way humans use horses. They’re actually quite gentle by nature. I’ve seen a few wild ones before. Their fangs make them look scarier than they are. I’d go as far as to say they’re more docile than horses.”

Your mouth drops open. You regret asking. “I am not in a position to take in that information.”

“Fair. How are you getting along with those onions?”

“Badly, I’m afraid.” You dab at your onion tears with the back of your hand. “I hope you like a bit of a rough chop.”

“It’ll do just fine. You aren’t cooking for the Council,” he chuckles and rests an affirming hand on your shoulder. “Keep at it. I have plenty of work for you when you’re done.”

Time ticks by in the kitchen as you and Arlo take turns teaching each other things. It will be a while before he can read properly, but he knows how certain words look written down, which is an excellent start. The two of you make a plan to redo all of the labels in the scullery. Having a plan like that makes you smile. It’ll keep you occupied during the days and will hopefully make your imprisonment pass quicker. 

“Ah, so is this where I can expect to find you when you vanish from the cabin?” At the sound of Silco’s voice, you are flooded with memories of his hand on your back. You can feel the pressure between your shoulders as you turn around to face him. 

“If I say yes, does that mean the longboats will be left unattended?” You fire back.   

“Glad to see the stress of last night has not dulled your wit. You’re going to need it.”

“Why?”

“We’re going ashore. I have to meet with an associate of mine and I know better than to leave you to your own devices.” A small smirk twitches in the corner of his mouth but it is not accompanied by the usual mean glint in his eye. 

“Scared I’ll ambush you with another oar attack, pirate?” You say, moving out of the kitchen with an indifferent look though you are glad to be back in the familiar territory of banter and quick remarks. 

“If I remember correctly, I was the one who snuck up on you,” he says. 

“But my first instinct was still to give you a good whack,” you point out, earning a quiet chuckle from him. 

“True.”

Silco starts to lead you out of the galley but you pause and look over your shoulder. 

“Will you get on without me, Arlo?” you ask. 

“I’ll be fine. We can start our labeling project when you return if you’re up for it.” Arlo’s gaze darts to Silco and his face pales a little bit. “With the Captain’s permission, of course.”

You turn your head and look up at Silco, arching a brow. 

“Hm,” he mutters before ushering you above deck. He lowers his head so his mouth is close to your ear. “Should I be concerned by how well you are ingratiating yourself with my crew?”

“Probably,” you shrug. “Do I need to put on that beloved harlot costume again?”

“Beloved indeed,” he chuckles lowly. “But no. Port Squawkfeather is not quite as…colorful as Port Fairna. You are perfectly fine as you are. Unless, of course, you secretly liked playing the harlot and wish to do so again.”

“Hold your breath and find out.” You smile sweetly before turning your attention to the port in question. 

“Ever the charmer.” Silco stands by your side as the Zaun’s Revenge docks and the gangplank is lowered.

Despite its unusual name, Port Squawkfeather looks orderly and clean for a pirate haven. From what you can see, there is some form of authority patrolling the docks and the shore. They bear a discreet insignia that looks strikingly similar to a waterwyrm.

The small port town is clustered on a spit of land between a narrow, pebbly beach and sandstone rock formations that vary in height. A few structures stand on plateaus scattered across the cliff faces, but most of the buildings appear to be concentrated around the mouth of the port. 

“What business do you have here?” You ask, glancing at Silco from the corner of your eye. You don’t expect an answer but you can’t help but ask. Silco is certainly making quite a few stops for someone with a valuable hostage underfoot. 

“I’m sure you recall the blue stones that served as the waterwyrm’s eyes. I plan to sell them. They are extremely valuable,” he replies. “Even more valuable than you.”

“I am worth less than a pair of glowing rocks?” You scoff. 

“These are not just rocks. The power they contain is unlike anything else in the world. Those stones contain pure arcane energy.”

“And you would sell them to the highest bidder?” You arch a brow. 

“Of course. I do not have the resources to harness their power myself so I may as well make a profit from them.”

He offers his arm, which you take, and the two of you disembark. 

“Are you going to make me sit in your lap in a dingy tavern again?” You ask. 

“No,” he replies. “You aren’t wearing a skirt. I won’t be able to have any fun.”

His words bring a hot blush to your cheeks. You fix your gaze straight ahead and hope he does not notice. Once more, you feel the ghost of his hand on your back, guiding you through your breaths. 

The entrance of the docks feeds into a well-maintained dirt road that leads right to a lively market. Instead of walking down that road, Silco cuts to the left and walks along the shore for a time.

“I hope you can handle a small climb, treasure,” he says before turning off the path onto a thin trail that snakes up the side of a sandstone formation. “I won’t carry you if you feel faint.”

“I’d rather be left in the dust than rely on you to carry me,” you reply, though a touch of worry reaches your heart. You nibbled on a few things while assisting Arlo, but you haven’t had a proper meal since last night’s dinner. 

The trail isn’t steep but it snakes back and forth along the side of the cliff, carrying you higher and higher with each twist. The trail dips into a valley dotted with scraggly bushes before traveling up the side of another sandstone formation. 

Sweat breaks out across your forehead and your throat feels scratchy and dry, but you don’t say anything. Silco doesn’t seem to be any worse for wear. It’s unlikely he has anything on his person that can relieve your discomfort so there is no point in opening yourself up to ridicule, especially after he saw you in such a vulnerable state last night. 

It is a hot day and the air is dry. Your legs ache from walking at an incline for so long. As much as you want to ask Silco for a moment to stop and catch your breath, you push onward.

Each step gives you a frail sense of reassurance. 

You aren’t weak. You aren’t helpless. You’re capable. 

Even as your lungs burn and sparks tease the corners of your vision, you take comfort in your ability to keep pushing. 

You are resilient. 

The panic brought on by the waterwyrm was a fluke. A perfectly reasonable lapse in judgment, all things considered. 

You are fine. You have always been fine. You will continue to be fine. 

Is there not something better than fine? That wicked little voice whispers to you but you shut it out. Now is not the time. You must focus all of your energy on not collapsing on this forsaken trail.

“Steady now, treasure. Our destination is atop the plateau, just there.” Silco seems a little out of breath himself when he gestures to where the path curves just up ahead. 

“I’m perfectly fine,” you reply, ignoring the slight wheeze in your voice as you speak. If Silco noticed, he has enough grace to refrain from commenting on it. 

You round the bend and the land flattens. Straight ahead, the path extends into a flat stretch that overlooks the port below and the ocean beyond. To the left, there is a small, slapdash house that looks to be made of driftwood, thatch, and other salvaged materials but that isn’t what captures your attention. The trees surrounding the home are filled with brilliant-colored parrots. Their feathers are a deep ruby shade that almost seems unnatural. They chitter and squawk as you and Silco approach. They fix you in their beady gazes but do nothing. 

Now you know how Port Squawkfeather got its name.

“Who, exactly, are we meeting?” You ask, moving a little closer to Silco. 

“An old associate of mine,” Silco says. 

Just before he knocks on the door, another parrot flutters over and perches on a specially-made stand near the door. Unlike the others, this parrot is a deep azure, blue as the sea. 

“Oooh, visitors!” It screeches as it flaps its wings. “Get your ass out here, ya drunk!”

“Good heavens,” you chuckle softly at the bird. “I wonder where he learned to say such a thing.”

“You’re about to find out, treasure.”

The door to the driftwood cabin flings open and in the doorway stands the oddest man you have ever seen. Spindly legs support a bloated belly that leads to narrow shoulders and skinny arms. He wears a shirt of bold coral splashed with an assortment of random, vibrant colors that resemble tropical blooms. A hat of woven straw sits atop his head, blocking the sun from a leathery face and brilliant blue eyes that are almost white. He also wears trousers shorn choppily to knee-length. On his feet are sandals that look to be made of the same material as his hat. 

“Captain Jimmy,” Silco says with a sense of familiarity and a warm smile. “You haven’t aged a day.”

“Damn right, I haven’t!” The man cackles. When Silco extends his hand for a shake, Captain Jimmy pulls him into a tight hug. “Glad to see you aren’t dead, my lad!” 

You bite back a laugh at the display. Silco looks like a cat that has just been doused with cold water. 

“I could say the same to you.” His discomfort is palpable and you see no reason to intervene. The azure parrot makes a squawking noise that sounds like a human chuckle. You glance at the bird with a fond smile. It gazes back at you as if it can read your thoughts. Its gaze is so intense that you find yourself looking away. 

Silco has managed to extract himself from the eccentric man’s embrace. “I’m not here on a social call, I’m afraid. I have something for you.”

“Oh?” Captain Jimmy raises a bushy grey brow before sliding his gaze over to you. “Well, she’s pretty but I don’t deal in that sort of trade. You know that.”

“Oh! No,” Silco shakes his head and stammers. “Not her. She’s a different sort of investment.”

You huff with indignation at his choice of words but say nothing. 

“I’d prefer to discuss this inside,” Silco presses. 

“Shady deal! Shady deal!” The azure parrot screeches. 

“Hush now, Barnaby!” Captain Jimmy snaps. “I know damn well Captain Silco brings me nothing but shady deals. You needn’t insult me by stating the obvious.”

The parrot looks abashed. You did not know a parrot could convey such an expression. 

“Come in,” Captain Jimmy steps to the side and ushers you and Silco into his home. 

The inside of the small home reminds you of Silco’s cabin. It is crammed to the gills with interesting baubles, trinkets, and artifacts. 

You try to hide your surprise when Captain Jimmy waits for the blue parrot, Barnaby, to fly into the sitting room. The parrot settles on a perch in the corner of the room. 

“You look thirsty, lass,” Captain Jimmy says to you. “May I offer you a refreshment?”

“That would be lovely, thank you,” you say, summoning your most charming smile. Once Captain Jimmy has moved out of sight, you turn to Silco. “You should take notes in regards to manners.”

“Oh, I think I’ve been more than generous with you, treasure,” he murmurs with a glimmer in his eye. “At least, that’s the impression I got when you screamed my name-”

“Hush!” You snap just before Captain Jimmy returns carrying two hollowed-out coconuts. 

“One for you and one for me, lass,” he grins, showing off several missing teeth. 

“You’re too kind,” you say as you take in the fruity fragrances of the drink he offered. You take a sip and can’t help but sigh at the sensation of sweet flavors exploding on your tongue. “Oh, this is lovely! What is it?”

“A carefully curated and blended assortment of fruit juices from the surrounding land. Though it looks rather barren, this place is a treasure trove of natural wonder.” “Oh, I’m sure,” you nod as you take another deep sip of the delicious juice. “I can’t imagine those parrots would stick around otherwise.” Through the window, you can see clusters of ruby-red parrots chirping at each other and fluttering their striking wings. 

“True enough!” Captain Jimmy cackles. “Shame I can’t get rid of this one.” He jerks a thumb toward Barnaby, who fluffs up his feathers as though he’s heard every word. 

“Old bastard,” Barnaby croaks. 

“Waste of poultry,” Captain Jimmy fires back. 

Before you can comment on the odd exchange, Silco speaks up. 

“As much as I’d like to chat, I am here for a reason.” He reaches into his coat pocket and produces a pouch. You recognize the faint blue glow bleeding through the fabric. “What sort of trouble have you brought me now?” Captain Jimmy grumbles as he sets down his hollow coconut. You sip at your drink while Silco spills the two glowing blue stones into his palm. 

“We ran into a waterwyrm and got these for our trouble,” he says. “Any chance you can give me gold in exchange for them?”

Captain Jimmy thinks for a moment before shaking his head. “No gold but I have a decent trade, I believe. Let me see.” He gets to his feet and walks toward an empty wall before pulling down a sheet of canvas covered in writing. There is so much information and you struggle to understand what you read. 

You see a list of creatures listed out in a neat collum, the waterwyrm among them. When it is all laid out in front of you, you understand. The night in the tavern at Port Fairna, you believed Silco and his associates to be speaking in code. Now, you realize you were mistaken. Every mythical creature you heard mentioned that night is plastered on the canvas in front of you. If the waterwyrm is real, you cannot deny that the others must be real, too. 

So, what does that make Silco? Is he a pirate? Does he poach creatures of myth for money? Is he more than that? Is he less than that?

“They’re all real?” You murmur softly, more to yourself than either of the men as you take another refreshing sip of the sweet juice. 

“All these?” Captain Jimmy responds, rapping his bony knuckles against the canvas sheet. “Of course!” He shoots Silco a withering look. “Have you taught her nothing?”

“She has a talent for learning things on her own,” Silco replies.

You are too caught up in reading the list of creatures to throw a verbal barb back at Silco. At first, you’re pleased that you recognize most of the creatures listed from studying various mythologies but you quickly withdraw your enthusiasm. 

After witnessing the waterwyrm, nothing should give you much of a shock but seeing just how many fairytales are actually true makes you feel uneasy. That horrible feeling of uncertainty and imbalance squeezes at your throat again. Your breath comes a little quicker but you hide it by taking quick sips of your drink. You feel lightheaded but you are determined to breathe through it. 

“Would you like another drink, lass?” Captain Jimmy offers. 

“Yes, thank you,” you say. “It is quite a trek to get to your hidden abode.”

Captain Jimmy takes your hollow coconut to refill it. When he’s out of sight, Silco places his hand over yours. 

“Are you alright?” He asks. 

“Just tired. Out of breath. I’m not used to walking over such challenging terrain,” you say. Silco’s good eye narrows just a touch and you can tell he doesn’t fully believe you. Before he can press the matter, Captain Jimmy returns. 

“Here you are, lass. Careful now,” he cautions. “Few can handle more than three servings of my juice.”

“Why is that?” You ask before taking a long sip, allowing the sweetness to settle your nerves. 

“Well, I mix it with the most potent rum found west of Ionia,” he replies. “It’s not for the faint of heart nor drink.”

You swallow your last swig and summon a smile. “Is that so? I can’t taste anything other than fruit juice.”

“That’s the trick of it,” Captain Jimmy lets out a wheezing laugh. “It sneaks up on you.”

“May we return to business, please?” Silco cuts in, a soft snarl in his voice. You fall silent, more than happy to let the attention move away from you. 

Barnaby flutters over, his wings creating small gusts that send your loose hair flying. 

“Drink up, pretty one,” he chitters. “Drink up!”

“You are a very clever bird,” you murmur to him. “Do you like to be pet?”

“Pretty lady pet pretty bird.”

“Oh, I see,” you chuckle softly and run a fingertip over Barnaby’s sapphire head. He rumbles softly as you lavish affection upon him.

“I don’t have enough gold to buy a mermaid’s wish, but I can arrange a trade.”

At the word mermaid, you return your attention to the conversation between Captain Jimmy and Silco. Silco’s upper lip twitches as he shakes his head. 

“I need gold, Jimmy. I can’t go through the trouble of trade after trade,” he says. 

Captain Jimmy frowns. “Then I can’t help you today, old friend. I can check up on some old contacts but you know that will take time.”

Silco goes silent for a moment. He looks at his hands as he appears to be lost in thought. After a while, he looks up. “No trades, but I will leave one wish with you and see if I can’t put the other to use.”

“Wish?” You blurt without thinking. 

Silco turns to you with an expression of annoyance. “I’ll explain it later, treasure. Finish your drink. There is no reason to linger here.”

“Are you sure?” Captain Jimmy says. “You look like you could use a drink, Silco.”

“You aren’t wrong, but now that you’ve given my companion two servings of your special juice, I need to ensure she gets back to the ship safely.”

“I’m fine!” You protest with a frown. 

“Oh? Stand up for me,” Silco challenges.

With a haughty sigh, you do as he asks. The moment you are standing tall, the world spins. You wobble and make several futile attempts to right yourself before Silco reaches out to steady you. 

You are thoroughly drunk. That damn juice was more deceptive than your captor. 

“What is it with pirates and their inability to offer any drinks that aren’t spiked with something or other?” You grumble as you finish off the last of your drink. You’re already sauced. There is no sense in letting it go to waste. You do not wish to be a rude guest. 

“Why do you keep drinking things without checking to see what’s in them? That seems like the better question from where I stand,” Silco says. 

“I never had to think about that until now,” you huff. 

“She’s a bit of a mess, isn’t she?” Barnaby asks, looking at Captain Jimmy with an almost human level of intelligence. 

“What did that bird just say?” you whisper to Silco. The rum obviously had more of an effect on you than you realized.

“You’re a mess,” the blue parrot repeats.

“Now, see here-”

“Treasure, you do realize you’re about to argue with a parrot, right?” Silco gently takes hold of your chin and redirects your gaze so you are looking into his eyes. 

“Right,” you stammer, giving your head a little shake. “You’re right. I apologize.”

“You’re fine, lass. The rum is strong and Barnaby likes to provoke,” Captain Jimmy says before turning to Silco. “I’ll contact you if I get any gold for your mermaid’s wish. Don’t hold your breath, though. Very few have that kind of gold.”

“You know me, Jimmy. I always have to try,” Silco says. “Besides, I still have the other one. I can make something of this.”

“If anyone can, it’s you. Heading out, I suppose?”

“I should get this one to a place where she can’t get into trouble,” Silco says, giving you a gentle nudge. 

“Let the pretty mess stay,” Barnaby squawks before landing close to you. You reach out and gently pet his head. He blinks slowly and leans into your touch. 

“We have to catch the tide,” Silco says. “I’ll be in touch, Captain.” 

“Of course!”

Captain Jimmy waves you off with a flourish as Silco helps you down the trail leading away from the slapdash homestead. 

“Is it just me or is something off about that parrot?” You whisper as you lean on Silco, allowing him to guide you. 

He looks over his shoulder and takes a few more steps before whispering back to you, “just between you and me, I think Barnaby is a man trapped in a parrot’s body.”

You look up at him with wide eyes. “You’re joking, surely.”

“He’s always been more vocal than the other parrots and he doesn’t seem to mimic phrases. Captain Jimmy specializes in trading rare goods. A parrot with the intelligence of a man would fall into that category.”

“Oh, that makes me uneasy.” 

The sandstone landscape pitches and you cling to Silco to keep yourself upright. “Why didn’t you warn me about the juice?”

“Honestly? I figured you needed a drink after your ordeal last night. I didn’t think you’d gulp it down and asked for seconds. That’s not very heiress-like of you.”

“I was parched after the trek up here!” You protest. “Of course, I was thirsty.”

Silco chuckles and shakes his head. “You’re right. I miscalculated. I should have said something. But how do you feel?”

You go still and pay attention to your body. Your limbs feel loose and your mind is pleasantly fuzzy. You know there are many things you should feel stressed about but you can’t bring yourself to care. 

“This is a nice respite from coherent thought, I won’t lie,” you admit. 

It is later in the day that you initially realized. The late afternoon sun has broken through a thin patch of clouds and now shines on the ocean, turning the water into liquid gold. You move toward the light, forcing Silco to follow you. You do not even notice the edge of the plateau until he prevents you from moving forward and pulls you closer to him. 

“I would prefer it if you didn’t fall to your death, treasure,” he says, his voice low and velvety. 

“How gallant,” you murmur back. Your gaze settles on the dark silhouette of the Zaun’s Revenge, bobbing peacefully against the dock. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Are you sure? Last time I brought up this particular subject I’m certain you envisioned all the ways you could end my life.”

“Now you’ve made me truly curious. Out with it.”

What you thought was a confident question evaporates on your tongue and you’re left scrambling for words through a fruity rum haze.

“The life you’ve given Jinx is a life I would kill to have. You, and those serving on your ship, have the freedom that so many dream of. Why would you work against that in search of what you think is a real home?”

Silco stiffens at your words and you worry you’ve pinched a nerve but he eventually lets out a long sigh. 

“Why do you think we are free?” He asks.

“I spent many years at sea with my father. During those years, I felt the most free. I felt like my true self.”

“But during those years, did you not have an estate you could return to whenever you pleased?”

“Well, yes,” you answer. “But I do not like the family estate.”

“Whether you like it or not is irrelevant.” A sharp edge sneaks into his voice. “When you played at being a seafarer, there was always a safe option. You could return to a plush home filled with luxuries.”

“But I didn’t want to,” you reiterate.

“But you were also never in real danger,” Silco points out. “Jinx has no other home. She has nowhere to flee if things become too dangerous. If something happens to me, no one will go out of their way to make sure she’s okay. We need to have a place away from the ship, away from everything we do. I need to give her a home that can never be taken from her, even if something happens to me.”

A horrible sense of guilt fills you. Shame colors your cheeks as you watch the golden water dance. 

“I didn’t think of it that way. I’m sorry,” you say. When Silco says nothing for a long while, a horrible feeling makes your stomach twist up in knots. “It’s good of you to want Jinx to have a safe haven to flee to. Will my ransom go toward that?”

Your question seems to catch him off guard. 

“In a way,” he answers. “There are some debts to be paid and some investments to be made, but yes. Your ransom will put us closer to a safe home.”

“And the stone eye from the waterwyrm? What will that do for you?” You ask. 

“Eventually, Captain Jimmy will find someone prepared to pay its worth in gold. I expect that will take months, even years. But those profits will go towards making a safe haven for me and mine.”

“But there are two stones. What will you do with the other one?”

Silco looks down at you with a faint smile. “I think you’ve had a little bit too much rum to worry about my trade. We need to head back to the ship. We already docked far later in the day than I would have liked.”

“You’re avoiding my question.”

“Yes, I am,” he grins as he guides you back down the trail. He keeps you close as you navigate the winding path, hugging the sandstone formation. You wobble and trip over your own feet often but he never gives you grief for it. At most, he chuckles and tucks you under his arm more securely. 

“Why did you call those glowing stones mermaid’s wishes?” You ask. 

“Just focus on putting one foot in front of the other, treasure,” Silco urges. “I can’t have you tumbling down a canyon. It’s bad enough you were injured when the waterwyrm made its appearance.” 

“Oh, do you care about me, pirate?” You taunt.

“If I have to trek through a valley to find you when you fall victim to your carelessness, I’ll have to carry you back to the ship. If I have to do that, I’ll miss the opportunity to scope the market. That’s bad for business. I dislike practices that are bad for business.” 

“Lucky for you, I enjoy exploring markets more than I enjoy falling into valleys,” you say, though you need his constant support as you navigate the thin trail toward Port Squawkfeather.

The sun is just barely kissing the horizon when you and Silco reach the market. He browses silently with a look of deep concentration nestled between his furrowed brows. You stay quiet, not wishing to interrupt him as you take in your surroundings.

As you pass a table filled with exotic fruits, Silco stops. He picks up a pomegranate and inspects it as though he were assessing a diamond. 

“One crate, please,” he says to the shopkeeper, who looks both shocked and delighted at such a request. They quickly set about packaging an entire crate of pomegranates while you stare at the one Silco holds in his hand. 

Pomegranates are your favorite. Your rum-addled mind can’t conjure a more enticing prize. 

“Here, treasure.” Silco tosses the pomegranate to you and you manage to catch it. You bring it to your chest like some greedy little scavenger as he gives the vendor the information they need. 

You marvel at the color of the fruit like it’s some kind of precious jewel. You are so absorbed in your examination that your mind barely registers the flash of pink in the corner of your eye. 

You go still. You lift your gaze. You turn your head slowly until you spot someone familiar.

Violet. Captain Vander’s first mate. You recognize her hair and her steely demeanor. She does not face you directly, but she is clearly searching the market for signs of you. She must have seen the Zaun’s Revenge docked and idle. 

Beside her is a slender young woman with a shiny sheet of deep blue hair. She clutches a pristine rifle in her hands as she scans the market with sharp eyes. 

For a split second, you prepare to call out to them. They can take you back to Vander, back to your father. But the words get stuck in your throat. 

You look at Silco as he arranges for the crate of pomegranates to be delivered to his ship. You hear his words about wanting a safe place for Jinx echo through your mind. Your ransom will help with that. 

“Captain,” you murmur softly. Your tongue feels like lead as you tug on his sleeve. 

“Treasure?” He looks at you, arching a brow. 

“I…feel ill from that juice. I’d like to return to the ship, please.”

His ocean eye fills with sympathy before he gives you a quick nod. He gives instructions to the fruit seller before tucking you under his arm and guiding you back toward the docks.

“I shouldn’t have let you have that second drink,” he says quietly. 

“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” you say. “Perhaps Arlo can funnel some solid food into my system and give me some water.”

“I’m sure he can,” Silco nods.

You are returned to the ship and quickly disappear below deck. You flee to the galley under the guise of helping Arlo, as you promised. You do just that, but as you work on making new labels for everything in the scullery, you can’t help but wonder if you made a mistake not seizing your chance to escape. Worse than that, you wonder why you didn’t want to seize such a chance in the first place. 

#silco #arcane #silco x reader #arcane silco #silco arcane #silco fanfic #pirate!silco #silco fic #to the depths #silco smut

[angelltheninth]

Divine Desire

Pairing: Silco x Fem!Reader

Tags: nsfw, smut, blowjobs, dirty talk, office sex, chair sex, Shimmer use, dominant Silco

Word count: 1.5k

Ao3

A/N: Time for Silco smut!

As soon as you entered Silco's office you took a look around and above, scanning the room for Jinx. As grown up as she might be you really don't want to expose her to anything you're planning on doing with her dad right now. Once you confirmed that the coast was clear you clicked the door and locked it behind you.

Silco, sitting back in his chair, with a cigar in one hand and a paper in the other craned his head, looked at you from the corner of the paper and arched an eyebrow in mild confusion, "May I help you darling?"

You grinned, walking towards him with a deliberate sway of your hips, "Depends."

A small smile pulled on the corner of his lips, "On what?"

"On how much time you've got." You leaned down, your lip inches from his and pushed on his chest to make room for yourself between him and his desk.

"For you? All the time you want." He lets the papers fall on the desk, reaching down to pet your head as he takes a drag of his cigar before putting it out, "What prompted this? Did I leave you unsatisfied this morning?"

"Not at all. You did such a good job with me that you left me no time to take care of you." You remembered the way he dismissed your offer when he realized what time it was. It was only natural that you wanted to return the favor, "What kind of future wife would I be if I didn't give you everything that you give to me?" You pushed your knee onto the chair and between Silco's legs, against his groin.

He hissed and closed his eyes for a brief moment. "I can see why you'd think so, but you already gave me more than I could ask for. You don't need to-" His next words became a strained moan as he watched you get down on your knees and start to unbuckle his belt.

"I don't need to. I want to. Don't you?" You could see by the lust expressed in his eyes, and the subtle but definitely there throbbing of his dick when you palmed at it through his underwear, that he more than wanted it. "How do you want me then? Tell me." You offered yourself to him fully, ready to do whatever he asked. It felt nice, to be able to let go when you're usually trying to rein in the patrons of the Last Drop.

"You can start by putting that mouth to a good use." The shift in his tone and expression was almost chilling, it would be if you didn't know him so well. From warmth and comfort to cold, hard and commanding. "After all, I'd be very rude for me to refuse when you went out of your way to do this for me."

You smile up at him, your eyes half hooded and dark as you take his cock out, wrapping your hand around the base and pumping upwards slowly, gradually getting him to full hardness while never breaking eye contact with him. His hands grip the hand rests when you lick along the length, coming up the tip and giving it a small, brief suck.

You kept your tongue on his cock, alternating between licking and flicking at the tip. Silco groaned, his hand guiding your head further down, not all the way but enough for a good part of his length to be enveloped in wet warmth of your mouth.

With your hand you worked him up and down while keeping most of your attention on the cockhead, licking up any pre that made it's way onto your tongue.

Even though it was a little awkward with just one hand you managed to unbutton your pants and slip your hand into your panties. It didn't leave you much room to move but it was more than enough to get you worked up, to get you ready for him.

"You say you're doing this for me, but you want it just as much don't you?" You hummed in agreement, slowly bobbing your head, making sure to suck hard on the tip whenever you pulled up. "Well I certainly appreciate the honesty darling. Just for that I'll give you my cum in two holes." Just him saying that made more of his cum flow, smearing on your tongue, "Lean your head back and keep your mouth open."

With a tiny noise of complaint you pulled away, licking the tip one more time for good measure. His eyes found yours, a hand joining yours as you jerked him off until his climax sent white hot cum across your tongue and face. You opened and closes your mouth for a second to lick it up but more kept coming.

"I can never get enough of seeing covered in my cum. You wear it so beautifully." His thumb pressed against the corner of your lips, wiping the cum and pushing it inside your mouth. You latched into his finger immediately, sucking hard and fast, bobbing your head faster than when you sucked his dick.

"I can wear it in other places too." Just showed him your slick fingers. Silco smirked and leaned in, mimicking you, suck your fingers free of your cum, spreading your fingers in a V shape with his tongue and licking in between them.

"You can indeed. Why don't we see how well." He pulls you up, tugging your shirt upwards to press little, almost ticklish kisses across your stomach while his hands pull your pants and panties down, thumbs and fingers pressing into your hips and easing you into his lap. His mouth goes upwards to your neck, your cheek, your mouth. "Shimmer?" He offers as he reaches for a vile of glowing purple liquid stashed away in the stacks of paper and books littering his desk.

You looked at the vile and placed it between the two of you, "We can share." Silco chuckled. Of course, he loved sharing with you, especially when you told him your preferred method of doing so.

While he fidgeted with the cap in the vile you eased yourself on his dick, sighing from the pleasant stretch of your cunt, bending your knees around his sides. He was just about to take a sip when you bottomed out on him, "Don't make me drop this all over my shoes or I'll make you lick it off."

"Doesn't sound bad to me." As a show of that you rolled your hips right as he tried to drink the Shimmer again. You could barely stifle a laugh when he sighed, "It's fun to mess with you sometimes, I can't help myself." You shrugged and this time held totally still, even as Silco kept glancing over at you while he leaned his head back and emptied the vile into his mouth.

The vile was dropped after that, clanking onto the floor as he cupped your face and brought you in for a kiss. Greedily you drank the Shimmer he shared with you, feeling it coursing through your body like fire and thunder. You held onto each other as you felt the inevitable hit shake you to your cores, with Silco drilling his hips into yours to dull the pain.

Your head spun as he gripped your ass tight, further driving you downwards to slam onto his cock. You held onto his shoulders, shaking with both pleasure from him ramming himself inside you at increasingly rapid speed and from the dull but still persistence ache of the Shimmer running through you.

"Very good sweetheart, you're doing so good. Just a little more, I want to feel you, fuck, hold on to me." Silco grunted and heaved you both forward, pushing you on your back on his desk, filling the room with sounds of your combined moans. With one last thrust he went still, then rigid on top of you as he let his cum flow into your cunt, filling you up. Your own climax came only moments after, crashing and blending in with Silco's.

"Shit. Should have thought this through. I don't think I can pull out right now." All of his unread papers were right under you. "Fuck."

You cupped his face and laughed at the frown forming on his face, "Never a dull moment with you is there?"

"I certainly hope not." He leaned back in a gave you a slew of little kisses on your neck, jaw, all the way up to your forehead where his lips lingered., "I think I needed this to clear my head." Well with everything seemingly going wrong out of nowhere all of a sudden you're really not surprised.

A minute goes by in silence, with the two of you exchanging soft touches, looks and kisses.

"Are you two done being gross in there?!" Jinx's voiced pierced through the bubble of comfort you've built like a knife, "Seriously I need my blueprints!"

You sighed while Silco only laughed, "Your daughter is an odd one."

"She'll be your daughter too someday soon. Better get used to it. Now let's make ourselves presentable before she decides to blast through the door. Again." No one ever said that marrying Silco wouldn't come with it's own kind of craziness, but that only reaffirmed what you already knew. Never a dull moment with that man.

#arcane #arcane x reader #silco #silco x reader #silco smut #league of legends #arcane fanfic #silco fanfic #arcane smut #league of legends fanfiction #league of legends smut #silco x female reader

[margoisthemoon2]

Uhhhhh here is the 🌽 Masterlist of the smuts i wrote… ENJOY!!!!

18+ MINORS DENIED 🔞🔞

HOBIE🇬🇧

https://twitter.com/

MIGUEL O’HARA 😈

https://twitter.

SILCO 👁️

https://twitter.com/

https://twitter.com/

VIKTOR🩼

https://twitter.com/

https://twitter.com/

#marvel #atsv #hobie brown smut #astv hobie #hobie brown #spiderpunk fic #spider punk #atsv miguel #miguel o’hara smut #miguel spiderman #miguel spiderverse #miguel o'hara #zaun arcane #piltover and zaun #piltover's finest #arcane piltover #silco arcane #silco smut #silco league of legends #silco imagine #silco #viktor x reader #viktor smut #viktor arcane #viktor

[silcoitus]

Bricked Up

Rating: Explicit—Minors DNI

Silco x f!reader, Smut, reader is stuck in a wall, blowjob, fingering (female receiving), sex as payment,

Word count: 4.4k

Based on this gorgeous art by @ivyunleashed

No betas, we die like reader's dignity

After managing to escape a group of Firelights, you find yourself stuck. In a wall, to be precise. And who is it that finds you in such a vulnerable position but your boss, Silco?

Read on AO3

A/N: If there's enough interest, I've certainly left it open for a part two. Maybe some hurt/comfort for Reader's cuts? And some Silco cock with prolonged eye contact???

I wrote a part 2!

Taglist: @averagecrastinator @mazikomo @writingmysanity @insult-2-injury @ariaud @jennrosefx @ins0mniac-whack @steponmesilco  @sherwood-forests @leave-me-alone-silco @givemebeansnow @aeryntheofficial @dreamyonahill @lostbunn @eurydicethesage @thepineapplesimp @whatisafandom @violet-19999 @juicboxd @sageandberries-png @delta-is-here @beardedladyqueen @mutedwordz @fly-like-egyptian-musk @jennithejester @mrsdelirium @witheringblooddemon

Join my taglist!

#silcoitus #silcoitus writing #silco fanfic #silco x you #silco #silco x reader #arcane silco #silco smut #silco simp #silco one-shot

[medic-simp]

Subby!Silco Headcannons 😋

Content Warnings: Subby!Silco, GN!Reader, oral (reader receiving), oral (male receiving), fingering (reader receiving), p in v/a sex, begging, dom/sub, edging, pegging/Silco getting fucked, cum permission

Obviously NSFW below the cut!!

• To cut to the chase, giving head is undeniably one of his his favorites, there's nothing quite like it.

• Your ass hanging off his desk and his head buried between your thighs, he'll stay there for hours.

• Orgasm after orgasm he begs you to let him keep going, to taste you more.

• "Please, sweetheart, one more. Please please please, I know you're so tired but I just need more of you, this is the last one. Mmm, god, you taste so good..."

• His hands are busy as they'll ever be, one holding your thigh and the other making quick work of his cock as he edges himself through the whole thing, not cumming until after he's done with you and you tell him he can.

• He'll beg for that too.

• "Please, let me cum, please, oh- fuck! I'm so close, I did so well, will you let me cum?"

• He loves to finger you, to watch you squirm when he crooks his fingers just the right way; he certainly loves hearing you call out his name and praise him for his work.

• Sex leaves him fucked-out and it's beautiful, watching how disheveled and utterly speechless he is as you ride the life out of him or as he fucks his cum into you.

• Will beg for you to ride him, and he takes full advantage of the perks when you do, holding your chest and touching you constantly.

• Fucking him (w/ dick or strap) is a surreal experience, seeing such a strong pillar of Zaun leadership reduced to a twitching, horny puddle that will do anything for you to fuck him until he can't think.

• He squirms a lot, readjusting his grip on anything he can find, rutting his hips against you, there's too much energy in it for him to stop moving.

• The noises he makes are completely insane, nothing one could ever imagine coming from Zaun's Kingpin Industrialist.

• Moans and gasps, sometimes whines and higher-pitched cries, feral sobs and babblings of your name to not stop, go faster, harder...

• "Oh my god oh my godohmygod! Keep going please oh my god keep going! Just like that, make me cum, please- ah!"

• Will do anything to have your mouth on his cock, but he almost never asks for it, it's always a reward, but he loves the feeling.

• Will throat fuck you if you let him and despite the control you give him in doing so, he still only cums with permission.

• "Thank you, oh my god thank you. Ha! Do that again with your tongue p-please- oh my- fuck!"

• Calling him "good boy" induces a surprisingly physical reaction along with likely a whimper or moan, but he won't say he's your good boy.

#silco #arcane #arcane silco #silco smut #smut #headcannons #subby silco #bottom silco #sub silco

[ughthisisntright]

Scandalous | Silco x Reader

Summary: Written for a prompt from @saviourofzaun

Warnings: NSFW, MDNI, 18+, p in v sex, general awfulness.

Word Count: 1,127

Heat.

Wet.

Breathing.

That’s your entire world as Silco’s lips travel down your abdomen, licking and biting and sucking seemingly every inch of your skin. All it feels like to you is fire. Little pinpricks of flame blooming everywhere, dripping down and pooling in your core. Silco knows what he's doing to you.

The shower water runs cooler as the time passes, water dripping down each of your tired, aching bodies. You’d each finished the process of cleaning yourselves and soon got lost in the sensations of your pruney fingers against each other’s skin. Your desperate whines and his soothing hums of approval echoed in the small shower stall you both occupied.

You tangle your fingers in his hair, whimpering at every connection of his lips to your smooth skin. The scar on his lip drags deliciously across your stomach. His calloused fingers dig into the flesh of your hips, pulling you down further and coaxing more delectable noises from your throat.

You feel his hard cock running against your thigh as he maneuvers your body. He returns his lips to yours in a biting kiss. Teeth and tongue. Spit and desperate gasps as his hips rut against yours for the sweet relief that the friction can bring. He moves in circles, grunting like an animal in heat as he rubs his cock against your depraved clit.

And yet, the friction isn’t enough for you.

You feel the weight of him shift off you and your eyes fly open. He brushes the hairs from his face, abdomen seemingly rippling with each wave of water that falls over him. You rake your eyes from his proud and erect cock all the way up to his one, piercing teal eye. The pupil of which was blown wide with lust. He almost seems entirely demonic with the darkness of his eyes now. A shudder of excitement shakes your body.

He wraps a hand around himself and pumps a few times, licking his lips before tilting his head back to lean against the tile of the shower. He lets out a strangled groan as his hand works over the sensitive head, thumb swiping over the very tip and then caressing back down the length. You watch as he twitches in his own hand. He then pushed himself to the hilt through the grip of his hand, his cock fully unsheathed and painfully hard.

He finally brings himself back to the moment, looking at you with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Your hunger and burning ache between your legs cause a ringing in your ears as he speaks, but you still catch the words as they drip from his lips.

“Touch yourself for me,” he breathed.

You drop to the tile just to the side of the water’s spray. You spread your legs wide, planting your feet on the floor of the shower. You spread your pussy lips wide for him. He looks down on you with his mouth agape and chipped teeth bared ever so slightly. You slide two delicate fingers over your sensitive slit, letting out a short whimper. You dip your fingers into the slick of your weeping hole and drag it up and over your clit.

The whole time, Silco is gripping his cock with a concerning amount of force. You notice how his jaw clenches and releases every so often. Almost in time with the small circles you draw on your clit. You look up at him, eyes lidded with pleasure, and bite your lip sensually. Shit, you look straight out of a porno.

Your nipples stiffened to little peaks, chest heaving, and fingers working diligently and delicately over your cunt. You grunt and whine as you pick up the pace slightly. You know he wants you to cum for him like this. And you know he’s going to cum for you like that. It’s all a lustful dance you’re doing.

You’re the one to let out the first cry of pleasure. Silco had been holding back since your first swipe over your folds. He chuckles darkly in response to your outburst. You can only feel the bass of his voice reverberating off the walls of the shower, the deep tone making even the slightest bit of vibration for your throbbing pussy. You whimper softly and very aggressively plunge two fingers inside yourself.

“Holy shit,” you gasp.

“Just like that, my lovely,” he coaxes. “I love watching you fuck yourself.”

You can feel your end rapidly approaching. You always know how you want it, after all. Both hands working inside of you and your clit, you bump your head back against the wall and let out another unbridled cry of ecstasy. Silco has taken to pumping himself aggressively, fucking his fist more than he was jerking himself off.

Silco’s ragged breaths can be heard now over the running of the water. You can feel the little synapses of pleasure beginning to fire off. Heat gets closer and closer to the tip of your fingers. Silco’s hips snap sharply against his hand. You’re both close.

But at the last second, a move you don’t expect, he drops down to his knees. The water beats against his back as he flips you onto your knees. Your fingers leave your cunt and are quickly replaced by his aching cock.

He grips your hips tightly, setting a relentless pace as he fucks into you from behind. On all fours in the shower, you’re no good for anything except bumping back against his hips as he ruins you. You then feel him bend over your back, a hand snaking around to rub and pinch at your clit. At the new sensation, you shriek in pleasure. Your release comes tumbling ever nearer, slick walls squeezing his cock with every drag.

His breath hitches, his hips stutter, and his grip falters as he thrusts inside you one last time, buried to the bottom, and shoots thick, hot spurts of his cum deep inside you. You cum as he pulses inside you, shuddering and whining as wave after wave of pleasure wash over your still-tired body. White-hot pleasure clouds your vision as your arms give out. Silco is quick to respond, catching you before you fall face-first against the tiles.

And then, it’s all soft towels, warm blankets, and cold water to drink. The tender way which Silco held you in bed is perfectly juxtaposed with the possessive way he looked at you in the shower. You count the circles he drew on your skin, make note of the other shapes he draws, and feel the rise and fall of his chest against your head as it lays there. You can’t remember a better feeling.

And you’d chase it as long as you lived.

#silco imagine #silco arcane #silco fanfic #lol silco #silco x reader #silco x reader smut #silco smut #arcane smut #league of legends #silco fluff #silco #silco simp #silco brain rot goes brrrr

[lullabyes22-blog]

May we know Silco's approach to sex? Stroke game, technique, and so on? Love your headcanons!

We're talking swimming strokes, yes?

:')

A wise murderer once said, "There's peace in water."

He also said, "The flow is key."

NSFW

More Arcane headcanons: Here.

"Lesson the first: Variety matters."

"You aren't a piston in a well-oiled machine. You're flesh and bone. And that bone, tragically, can only take so much abuse before it deflates. So make the most of it. Start with small staccato movements, focusing on small points inside your playmate. Friction only matters on the surface. Beneath, it's all about the pressure. It's not a basic equation of in and out: it's figure eights, it's ripples, it's whorls. Gradually, as their breathing deepens, lengthen your movements. Let them move with you. Let them show you how they want it. Let them teach you what they need. They'll tell you everything necessary for their undoing. Provided you pay attention."

"Lesson the second: Speed is the enemy."

"Unless there's a fitting at the tailor's you forgot to mention, the only place speed belongs is in your knife-hand. Go slow. It's the best revenge for all the times they've left you wanting. Take their pleasure like a gift. Then peel it back, inch by inch. Tease them, just enough. Give them a taste of everything, then nothing. If you're patient, you'll strip away all their pretenses. You'll learn exactly where they live. You'll be able to touch the very heart of them. And, if they're lucky, you'll decide to leave it beating."

"Lesson the third: Be unpredictable."

"Change the mood. Change the pace. Change the game entirely. Start sweet, then turn nasty. Repeat what serves, then let it ebb into something softer. Keep them guessing; keep them coming back. Then shock them all over again. The moment their brain thinks it's getting what it wants, shake it all up. Don't ever give them what they think they want. Only what they never knew they needed. Always, always, stay two steps ahead."

"Lesson the fourth: Always get what you want."

"And always make it seem like a favor. It's the simplest way to build a sense of debt. If they can't be honest with you, they can't trust you. And without trust, you've got no leverage. So build trust like it's the bedrock of the earth, and use it. Be the good listener they've never had before. Be the person who understands them best. The one who knows their favorite food, their fears, their foibles. The more you see past their boundaries into what they hide - the more porous those boundaries become. The more they think they can depend on you, the deeper they'll let you in. Then once you're inside, once they've dropped their guard, once they can't imagine their life without you - that's when you make them give you whatever you want. All you have to do is ask. Just be sure to phrase it as a question."

"Lesson the fifth: Be present."

"You're a deep diver, remember? Pay attention to the currents. Watch the way their face contorts. Feel the way their skin shivers. Listen to the rhythm of their breaths. The body is a sea, and everything is connected. Every ripple begets a riptide, and so on. It's all a matter of reading the signs. A subtle tightening, a flicker of an eyelid, a thigh trembling - these are your treasure map. X-marks-the-spot. Follow the clues, and you'll learn to anticipate what comes next. You'll find that thing they're trying to hide, even from themselves. And once you have it, you'll know exactly what will send them over the edge. The right word, the right touch, the right thrust - and they'll come apart, utterly."

"Lesson the six: Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty."

"Or any other part of you, for that matter. Prudishness is a roadblock. Your target will never feel at ease if you act as if you're above the mess of their bodies, their fluids, their needs. You are not their Warden - there to police what's allowed or not. You're not their conscience - there to judge what's vice or virtue. You're their release. Their salvation. Their guide into the depths. And that means everything they are, you're going to get all over yourself. Their filth is the evidence of your success. Wear it proudly. Let them see how their darkness becomes your light. How their sin becomes your purity. That's what they crave, what no one else will give. They'll never feel so understood as when they're looking at you, smeared in the proof of how you've made them come apart. And then, and only then, will you take them deeper. Deeper into their desires. Deeper into their depravity. Deeper, and deeper still, until they can no longer resurface."

"Lesson the seventh: Say their name."

It's the smallest sound, and yet the most powerful. No one ever feels known, not completely. Not until they hear their own name in a lover's voice. It's what lets them inhabit the present. It's the key to their being. It's the way they'll know you've claimed their whole self, in every way. And there's an art to the way you say it. There are all kinds of voices you can use: breathy, husky, sharp, soft. Start by using it slowly. Sparingly. Wait for the exact moment their eyes glaze over, their mouth drops open, and their hips begin to shudder. Then whisper their name like it's a secret only they can know. Like you've been dying to tell them, and they're the only one who can hear. As the moment peaks, draw it out as if from the deepest, darkest well. Turn every syllable into a breath for more. Like the air itself is a blessing. The next time, they'll be the ones who beg for it. Who pray for it. They'll forget every name they've ever been called. Every name - except yours."

"Here's the eighth, and final lesson: Don't forget who you are."

"If you forget, the tide will turn against you. You're not their lover. You're not their confidant. You're not their friend. You're the water itself. It's you they're immersed in. It's you they're at the mercy of. They may try to cling to the surface. They may struggle against the waves. They may even call out for help. But it's only once they're all the way down that they'll truly let go. And, once they do, you'll be the only thing left. It's not a matter of love. It's the simple fact of gravity. Down, is where they belong."

A small smile.

"Down, where the monsters are."

#arcane #arcane league of legends #arcane silco #asks #silco #forward but never forget/xoxo #forward (never forget)/xoxo #silco headcanons #silco meta #silco headcanon #arcane headcanon #arcane headcanons #silco x reader #silco smut

[a-gal-with-taste]

Busy (NSFW)

Summary: Lording over an entire underground nation can be time-consuming - you know this.

Still, you hope that Silco has enough free-time on his plate, to enjoy a little surprise you have in store.

Warnings: NSFW|MDNI. Suggested boss/employee relationship, established-relationship, nudity, wearing-nothing-under-coat, misunderstandings, groping/fondling, light fingering, Sinday is back!

Climbing up the stairs was a risk. Calculated, but you still tugged the thick fur coat tighter around you, forcing it to hug your body... and you took the last few steps double-at-a-time, just in case.

Thankfully, there were no hoots, or low whistles from any potential up-lookers on busy dancefloor below, and you were grateful.

Because there was only one reaction you wanted, and nerves faded as the grin spread across your face, when you thought of the expression he would have when he realized you came in a coat and heels...

And only, a coat and heels.

Knocking wasn't really required anymore, not for you. Though, you still tilted your ear close to the door to listen for any undesired second-party. Sevika would be a mortifying possibility, since she could see through any attempt at a poker-face, and you'd turn right back around if you heard Jinx spending time with her father.

Cold or not, you'd march straight back home if either were the case.

Only the sounds of pen scratching on paper in a curt, sharp pace was heard. And after letting out a small, sharp breath to calm any remaining nerves at what could be one of your more embarrassing ideas, you opened the door, walked in, and-

"I'm busy."

The door closed behind you, and you blinked at the sound, and at Silco. Who didn't even look up... who wasn't even wearing makeup.

You'd seen Silco without it before, but the sight still halted you more than his sharp two-word greeting did. The scars, dark and striking in the pale evening-lighting gave his face a more severe and yet vulnerable look - this wasn't a sight permitted for many, and it stunned you that he allowed you to see this.

But then his red and teal gaze snapped up to glare, and fix you with a look you imagined everyone had been victim to. "I'm busy," He said, low and stressing the word in a way that made you shiver - even though it was warmer than it was outside.

"I heard you," You confirmed, reaching back to silently flicked the lock to avoid visitors, before your heels clicked on the wooden floor as you stepped forward towards him. A small smile crossed your freshly-painted lips, and your fingers came up to brush the clasps of your coat as you stepped closer, "However... I thought that, perhaps, you wouldn't mind a break-"

"If I want something, it would be here when I require it," Silco says, voice frosty enough that you're chilled into standing in place, frozen. "I don't recall requesting your presence, nor do I require it... you may leave."

Silco always had a way with words - and you knew full-well that that 'may' was actually a 'will.'

"What happened?" You said, frowning as you stepped forward, not so much prowling seductively as it was to see what was the matter with the man. "Is there anything I can do-?"

"Yes, you can find the door," Silco snapped hotly, pen held tight between white-knuckled fingers. Your gaze darts from it, back to his gaze... one heartbeat. Then a second, third passes, before that burning iron in his gaze softened, more like hot-stones, but an improvement nonetheless.

"Is... is it the trades? Poor profits?"

"Worse - a buisness-meeting."

The pen makes an audible click when Silco sets it down, before he lets out a long-sigh as he reaches up, cradling his forehead with his fingers as a migraine announced it's arrival inside his head. "Short-notice, as well... if it wasn't something that could directly provide consequence to your other guesses, I'd be insulted it was even brought to my attention. Alas, it does require it."

"Oh," You breathed, trying not to feel disappointed... it was no secret the Eye not only watched all, but usually had hand in-all that occurred in Zaun. A full-schedule wasn't, shouldn't be much of a surprise...

Still, as you tugged the coat tight enough around you that it squeezed at the round of your bare hips, you really, really weren't looking forward to going back in the chilly night-air. "So... you really want me to go?"

The question, meant to be casual but coming out wary, caused the glowing-ember of an obsidian eye to flick between the gaps of fingers, looking at you. Again, there was a softening when he gazed as you - stone to a weaker-copper, perhaps. "Not my preference... not at all, but a necessity," Silco did sound apologetic, and firm in his more gentle dismissal, but you still felt a bit sluggish as you stepped back from the desk, dejected.

And then stepped to the side, walking around the desk towards him. There's a fiery-spark of irritation in both eyes at the clear disobedience, the green and the red, but only the green widens when your hand reached out, pressing and kneading at his shoulder gently.

Silco didn't so much soften as well as he melted at your touch, and it was only thanks to practice that you didn't immediately smile or chuckle at the sight of Silco, Eye and unofficial King of the Undercity, practically reduced to a puddle by a massaging of one shoulder - not even both.

"I hope it goes by quick, smoothly..."

"Doubtful... but your words and well-wishes are appreciated." So was your touch, you noted, as his remaining eye faltered shut and there was the faintest hum from his chest. It was a pity to have to pull away, but, slowly retracting and dragging your fingers, you made to move back... but out of habit or some touch-starved instinct, Silco's fingers snapped up to curl around your wrist.

More specifically, curling around the sleeve covering your wrist.

And that, combined with the step you had taken back and away from him, triggered a two-step chain-reaction that led to your completely bare shoulder bare to see. Which, honestly, wouldn't be so scandalous... except your face immediately heated up to the point of burning, and you scrambled to step back and fix your sleeve.

Obviously, this caught the Eye's attention.

"Is something the matter?" Silco say in an innocent tone that immediately put you on edge. "You look... ruffled." His index finger unfurled around your wrist, and shifted slightly in order to stroke the fur of your coat in emphasis, though his eyes never left yours.

"Just... it's chilly-" "I have a thicker coat you can borrow, then. Though, I imagined the one you wear now had it's uses."

Your breath, and whatever hope you had of replying, shudders in time with his fingers dragging in order to skim between the line of clothing and skin - his fingers scorched as much as your face burned, but his eyes were the worst of it. Impassive, carefully neutral, yet they were quickly melting you in place.

"Perhaps you should take this one off, dear," He mused quietly. You weren't surprise he had put two & two together, coming up with the fact that you weren't subtle, but it still sent an embarrassed flush to your already blushing-dark cheeks.

"I-i... I wouldn't want to bother, you seem busy-"

"I have time. Take it off."

Compliance, unfortunately, was a skill you possessed that Silco loved to use to the fullest extent. He didn't even have to use a commanding voice with the order - the man simply had to look at you, and say it so casually, that you didn't realize your hands were already pulling the fold of your coat apart until there was a silent, but sharp inhale from the kingpin watching.

He's, obviously, seen you nude before. Probably memorized everything there was to see, but the two-coloured gaze still dropped to rove over the skin you were exposing as you slowly peeled the coat from your form - stopping when it was just-barely off your shoulders.

Not because Silco ordered you to, but the subtle flexing of his throat when he swallowed dry at the sight, was enough to stop you still.

"... this is a surprise."

"If I known you were busy, I wouldn't have-"

"Where did you put the rest of your clothes?"

Someone probably could cook an omlette on your forehead, your face never blushed so hard as you whispered, "I... there wasn't any. I came here like this."

A thoughtful hum breaks the too-long pause, and he stands. Your hands fall limp at your sides at the first step he makes towards you, and it only takes another step before his own hands come up, long fingers replacing yours on the hem of your coat. "You seem quite mortified for someone who planned this well in-advance," He comments in a conversational tone, all the while you're struggling jot to tremble as his knuckles graze your skin, and the coat is ushered further, and further down from your body...

"Though," Warm breath tickles at your hairline - it's somehow hotter than your body has become. "I fail to see why you have any reason to be embarrassed... and I am seeing much."

The coat crumbles to the ground in a heap around your ankles, and palms are quick to replace it along your body.

Searing, burning palms that graze with biting nails - you're left gasping, but not long on air. His mouth comes up quick to replace oxygen, and even quicker to mute your squeal when his fingers find your ass as squeeze.

"You walked through the Lanes, with so much as a stitch beneath a flimsy coat. How filthy," He snarls into your mouth with a wolfish grin, one that would have your legs weak if... they suddenly weren't off the ground.

"Silco-" You gasped, legs wrapping around his waist as you were lifted, tucking your head against his shoulder with another surprise squeak as his nails digged-in your skin, before he propped you atop the desk.

"Your meeting-" "Can wait," Murmuring quietly against the shell of your ear, his faint chuckle seemed to echo in your head when you whimpered. His hands seemed eager to map out skin he already knew by-heart, palm coming up to cup your chest and knead, while long fingers took time to trace down every vertebre of your spine. "Paitence can be mastered, and perhaps this could be considered a first-lesson for my buisness partner. It can wait."

Silco, however, could not.

This is proven by how quickly, and smoothing, his hand comes to trace around your hip, and begin to dip between your thighs. This earns another shaking rasp, one that is soothed to a whimper with a kiss along your jawline, as his fingers dip and start to tease along your already wet slit-

There's a knock.

One that makes you jump, and start to slip from the desk, but both Silco's arm around your waist, and the finger dipping between to graze along your clit, forces you to remain against him as he growls, "What?"

"He's here," Sevika's voice drawls, clearly bored and a bit miffed at being intruppted from her card-game downstairs. Considering what you're doing now, you can sympathize. "Not looking happy about waiting either..."

"A pity." Silco's quiet words indeed make you sympathize with Sevika's plight of being taken from her source of enjoyment, as you imagine you're about to be in the same boat. You can't fault him from it, but as you go to creep away, you can't help but feel a spark of dejection-

A spark, that erupts into flame when he pushes his finger through your folds, curling into your pussy. Only to the first knuckle, but it's enough to make you understand that it's not a pity you have to leave - but that his buisness meeting is going to be very, very delayed.

Silco's unyielding and fiery gaze, fingers slowly beginning to pump in, out of your tight wetness, and his next words, were enough to make you whimper again as heat flashed through you:

"Tell him I'm busy."

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#silco x reader #arcane silco #arcane #silco #arcane fanfic #fanfic #mdni #18+ #silco smut #writing #fanfiction #oneshot #drabble

[khaotic-neutrxl]

wish he'd take this type of anger out on my meow meow

#release me #i want him #MEEEEOOOOWWWWW MEEEEOOWWWWW MEEEEOOOOWWWWW #he's so ugly i love him #the hand over his hair GODDDDDDDDDD #crucify me #he's so babygirl #silco #arcane silco #silco arcane #silco smut #silco x you #silco lol #silco league of legends #league of legends #he's so precious #would whoop my ass #and i'd say thank you

[constantfragmentation]

Almost done writing some Regency Silco smut filled one-shot.

It's 3am and I need sleep. Hoping to finish very soon and post asap.

It's at 5200 words now. Just like me to be long-winded even for a one shot. I'm cursed.

#regency silco #silco #arcane #silco smut #pwp #silco fanfiction