#if requested

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"I've always consitered you a smart woman, so let me ask you one question - when did you become so incompetent?" Not the hello you were expecting, but you don't dignify that with an answer.

Just like Silco doesn't even dignify your presence by looking up from his paperwork, the cool, short movements of his pen not ceasing in the moment of tense silence between you. "Perhaps I was just blind to it out of habit. Willfully ignorant in your lack of patience, wit and good-sense-"

"He had a hand on Jinx," You finally snapped. "A hand on our girl, and you expected me to, what? Whistle cheerily and twiddle my thumbs like she wasn't sitting there, clearly scared to hell?" "Of course not," His grip tightens on his pen but he still doesn't raise his gaze. "The man was going to die for it, but you don't bring an audience to a butchery; not unless you wish to send a message. The message you sent, and what's spreading through Zaun, was that we, by association with specifically you, are rash, unwilling to compromise and bold-"

"If we weren't bold, we wouldn't have made it this far." You retort. "If weren't bold, we wouldn't be sitting here right now, building our empire, and building our nation from nothing, Silco. Don't try and spit on my boldness; that's exactly what has gotten us here." Gesturing around the office, you hide the scowl as the movement pulls at a fresh stitch on your shoulder, but not the hiss.

Silco's hand pauses at the sound, a dark scowl on his face gathering like a storm. "You made us look like amateurs. You made us look reckless, weak. I can't have weakness, this mission can't afford weakness-" That was it. You stormed up onto your feet from where you'd been sitting on the couch, the action immediately making your snarl turn into a yelp as you doubled over, pain and nausea rippling though your body at the fast-action...

"Don't." You snarled as you glanced upward, meeting your partner's hard eyes and face, juxtaposed by how quickly he had raced around his desk and had held out an arm to you. "I'm going to be fine. Yeah, it hurts like a bitch, but I will bounce back from this... but do not mistake my injuries for a weakness, Silco. Or else I'd be looking at your scars in a different light."

The red eye seemed to burn through you, the teal one a mere slit. Coolly, he informed you that you were now benched until further notice, to remain at The Last Drop until he states otherwise. "Great," You retorted as you forced your aching body to straighten, turning and staggering to the door of the conjoined bedroom. "And I guess I shouldn't expect you to be at my side during that as well, right?"

If he responded, you didn't hear it over the sound of you slamming the door shut behind you, and locking it.

-

Weakness. Weakness, he dared to call what you did. After everything the two of you had been, had done together...

You weren't blind. You knew he spoke from a place of worry, and, though he'd never show it, fear. Fear of losing you, after everything you'd been and done for one another, but that didn't sooth your anger any further, and exasperated by your sore pains, kept you from opening the door that night.

If he knocked, or had tried to pick the lock to get in, you didn't hear any attempts to do so, even as you remained awake half the night, and tossing and turning for the other half. He was already settled back at his desk when you re-emerge in the morning, and though he only gave you a short reminder of your current stay-in-the-building orders, said very little else to you.

You responded in kind, and chose to ignore the equally dark bags under his human-eye as you removed yourself from the office.

"-even Sevika looked sick beating up those jerks!" Jinx babbled, plopping herself into your lap at the signature booth of the bar, as soon as you hobbled your way downstairs. You watched her in bemusement as she doodled the scene in question, even giving Sevika a proper, almost dignified look in her drawings. "Heh, it got so messy, you kicked ass."

"That's my job," You reminded her, reaching up to gentle tousle her blue locks and hide a yawn behind a smile. Getting Jinx hadn't been easy, and definitely had not been part of the plan. But you knew from the moment you saw those big, red-rimmed eyes in the pouring rain, a silly, sentimental part of you was firmly in her hands, and you knew you would never get that piece of your heart back.

Silco held a similar piece, but for entirely different reasons. Whereas the affection for Jinx was a instinctive, material bond of storge that you knew, now more than ever before, that you would kill to defend, your affection for Silco was an entity of its own. You knew his flaws, just as he knew yours. He knew your thoughts, your emotions and body, and though you knew Silco still attempted to mask his feelings, you knew the man just as much as you knew yourself.

A love of it's own unique, unyielding brand, is what you and him had. That's why his attitude about this whole situation pissed you off so much.

Jinx must've sensed it, because she frowned, and stopped swinging her legs as she tilted her chin back to look up at you. "Are you and Mr. Silco fightin'? He didn't come visit you once when you were with Mr. Burn-Face, and now you aren't talking with him at all."

"It's Singed," You corrected her, and gave a small smirk as you side-stepped the question. "And when we're talking again, I am absolutely telling Silco you still call him Mr, while I get to be 'mom'." You leaned down to boop your nose to hers, smirking. "Does that mean I'm your favorite?"

"Nuh-uh!" Jinx grumbled, freckled face flushing as she jerked her face back down to her paper. "Y'just... I dunno. You seemed like a mom at the time, that's why I said it." Humming thoughtfully, you peek up over the top of her head to look over her paper, softly asking, "Do you miss your mom, Jinx?"

Jinx halted her hand, staring at the blank stick-figure she'd been drawing beside what you assumed to be yourself, based on the coloring. "... I dunno." The little girl admitted, a small jerk of her head as she glanced off to the side, before quickly turning her gaze back to the paper as she dug her nails into her fist. "I-i... I don't remember mom. I don't know her... i-i'm supposed to, I-i know, I know I'm supposed to remember, but I don'-"

You could tell the girl wasn't technically speaking to you anymore, and smoothly, ignoring the wince at the action, slipped your arms around her to hold her together as she muttered and whimpered under her breath. "It's okay. It's okay, Jinx. You don't have to decide how to feel about it, okay?" Swallowing back a grunt as your stitches pull when you tighten your loose hold into a secure hug around the girl, you're rewarded from the pain by the warmth that fills your chest as she wiggles in your arms, to turn and tuck her head under your chin.

"Moms are a weird thing, y'know? And sometimes you don't know how to feel about them, but that's okay. If you want to feel something, that's fine. If you don't, that's fine too, okay?" A hesitance, before you decide to toe over the line, tilting your head down to press a kiss atop the blue locks. "You don't need to decide anything about 'moms.' Moms are happy to give their kids everything, they don't need much in return."

A small sniffle at your collar, before you feel a single jerk of a nod as you gently rub circles into her back.

Then, quietly, "Can... can I decide to keep calling you mom?"

You swallow, a lump in your throat suddenly. As you confirm, a bit hoarsely, that of course it was okay, you got the sensation of someone watching, and flicked your eyes up to the balcony above the two of you.

Silco turned quickly to slip back into the office. But, you knew him well enough, and the slight sag of his shoulders as you had met his eyes, was sign enough of his tired, but relieved and contented look at the sight of the two ladies in his life, safe in the few ways he could ensure it in this city of his.

-

That look didn't earn him access to his bedroom back, of course. Actions and expressions of affection were one thing, the petty need for an apology was another. That didn't make the second night you spent alone any easier, sleep still evading you like the plague, your hand absently brushing along the empty covers beside you.

You missed him.

Missed him in your bed, and though you had been unconcious part of the time, had missed him during your recovery from the fight.

Closing your eyes suddenly as a small shift sent a dull throb through the deepest of your cuts and lacerations, you felt a small whimper tug from deep within your throat at the pain. It passed, leaving your breathing a bit heavier, but not heavy enough to hide the subtle attempt of a quiet jiggling of the doorknob, a response and a desire to get to you after hearing such a sound. You squeeze your eyes shut a bit tighter at the quiet knock, but don't try to psyche yourself from the idea as you bite back another groan, and limp over to the door.

Silco has the courtesy to pocket the lock-pick just as you open the door a crack, just enough to catch his exhausted expression and couch-raggled head of hair. He stares at you for a moment, while you give him a tired, slow blink in response to his silence. "I... I couldn't see you. Not like that, not..." A pause, and Silco swallows a bit. "... not like how I found you. It was cowardice, but I couldn't sit there and stare at your battered, broken body like that."

You nod; it makes sense. Your partner shied from little, though you could imagine seeing you brought to the unconsciousness in such a pummeling would be enough to turn even Silco's stomach. "Still shitty. I would've wanted you there when I woke up."

"I know." A beat. "... it wasn't a instance of weakness, either. Or incompetence. It was strength. Strength that those who oppose us may not see, at first, but will soon grow to fear." A small flicker on those scarred lips. "I heard you were quite terrifying."

"The scariest. I made you look like a teddy-bear." You confirm, feeling a long-miss warmth in your chest at the tiny chuckle that passes through him. He places a palm on the door, letting a wall down in his teal eye as he looks at you tiredly, and with wanting as he mutters your name, "Let me in. Please." You let out a small sigh, and raise a brow, tiredness making your sarcasm a bit more longer-lasting, "Too good for the couch, are you?"

"No. I need to be beside you, I've already missed you enough. Please."

Not the sorry you were looking for, but you find yourself stepping back, and letting him back in. You'll have him properly expressing his regret soon enough, but for now, he takes no chances to allow you to change your mind. Stepping in to gently secure your face between his hands after he shuts the door behind him, Silco begins pressing a series of slow, gentle kisses on your lips as he guides you back to the bed.

You've seen this man blackmail, torture and murder countless times. It'd be laughable to anyone but you, to see none other than Silco, dreaded overlord of Zaun, be the one to gently, almost tenderly lay you to rest on the bed. Removing himself only momentarily to change out of his more restrictive day-clothes, leaving on his undershirt and pants. Too impaitent to strip off anything more, he's returning shortly after to lay himself down beside you.

You can't help a tired smirk as you hear a muted groan of relief as his body finally dips back into onto the soft bed you share. "Deserved it." You murmur, eyes cracked open to watch as he leans over to cup your cheek, pulling your face close so he could press his mouth to yours again. "I missed you."

"I missed you as well," He mutters smiling at the hum as he traces the curve of your cheekbone with his thumb. "That's why you're not leaving the building for the foreseeable future, I'm afraid. Need to catch up on my time with you, and more some."

"Hmm... might go stir-crazy. Might need to sneak out."

The tease earns you a familiar, deeper purr, a more pressing kiss to your lips as he snakes a hand down your body to your hip. "Hmm... might need to get some locks then. Might need rope or two, just in case." His trail of fingertips end immediately at your rough hiss as he passes a still-healing bruise. Taking a breath, you give him an apologetic smile with tired eyes, "Easy there, Sil. Plenty of time for that later... just, be with me now?"

Impossibly, his eye softens further, an expression saved only for you, and until extremely recently, Jinx. "Of course, darling." Again, frightening gentle for a man of his profession and standing in this underworld, he helps to move you over so he could curl an arm under you, tucking both beneath your chest as you recline your back to his.