It was supposed to be a simple protection run: make sure the courier didn't get snatched and the package was delivered. Simple, right? Nope, not at all. Fucking Sevika.
"Gun!" He heard one of his companions yell before a burst of pain erupted on the side of his face, followed by the crack of a gun firing. He stumbled and reached up to feel his face; his hand was slick and covered in red. He looked up in shock as the goon who had shot him was looking on with a smug grin. Quick as lighting, Reeve drew his gun and fired a single shot that painted the walls with the goon's brain matter. Changing his aim, he fired two more shots at the man he had just finished stomping into the ground.
The hired thugs scattered; apparently, the pay wasn't enough in the face of a furious and bleeding eighteen-year-old. Sevika walked over to the courier, whom they were meant to protect. She knelt and placed two fingers on his neck.
"He's dead. At least we still got the package. Hey! Rea, are you good to go on?" She asked as she stole the briefcase off the corpse.
"Other than the gaping wound on my face? Yeah, I'm good." His tone was laced with sarcasm. Sevika responded with a sneer. "Let's get this done. Vander will be on my case if this takes too long."
He took up the rear of their small party, with Sevika and the briefcase in the middle and Dex in the front. He hoped he could haggle a higher price for this job. Powder would be turning ten soon, and he wanted to get her something nice, maybe something for Violet as well.
His head had begun to pound with every beat of his heart. It's likely from the blood loss; oh well, Vander will patch him up once he gets back to the Last Drop.
Vander was furious. Reeve was barely listening to the enraged man's ranting as he sewed up the giant gash on his face. Powder and the others were nowhere to be seen, which was probably for the best, as the amount of blood he was covered in would have made Powder sick from worry.
"Where are my sisters?" his words cut through Vander's angry tirade. He knew the old man wasn't actually that mad; it was just his way of expressing his worry. Vander had once tried to talk to Reeve like he spoke to Powder, but Reeve quickly shut that down. Reeve may be young, but he was no kid; he had stood shoulder to shoulder with his father during the Bridge Riot as they fought for a better life. Violet and Powder may see Vander as their father, but to Reeve, it felt wrong.
"I don't know. Have you heard the talk about the explosion topside?"
"Yeah. You think they're involved?" he hissed as Vander tugged on a stitch.
"I hope not. Now get yourself cleaned up before the others see you like this." Vander clapped him on the shoulder before disappearing up into the bar.
A while later, he had just finished wiping the blood off his face when he felt a small body impact his midsection. He also felt more than heard the sobs coming from the little body wrapped around him.
"Hey, Pow. How are you doing?" He said, ruffling her hair.
"Are you ok? What happened?" She said, her eyes full of tears and worry.
"I'm find Pow. It's just a job that got out of hand, but I'm ok. Now, how about you tell me about this explosion topside." Powder's face burned with shame and guilt as more tears filled her eyes.
" 'm sorry. It was an accident; we were trying to rob some fancy scientist, but it went wrong." she mumbled as she burrowed into his side.
"Did you get anything good?" He asked, hoping that the thought of their loot would cheer her up, but it had the opposite effect.
"Yeah, *sniff, but I lost it. Mouser didn't work, and I had to throw the bag in the water. I'm sorry, Rea." She looked up at him now. "Please don't be mad." His heart broke at the sight of her tear-streaked face. He quickly pulled her into a tight hug.
"It's ok, Powder. We all make mistakes. Ask Vander, I've made plenty." She gave a small giggle. "Now, where is Violet?"
"Talking with Vander. Do you think she is mad at me for messing up?" He could tell she was more upset about that than losing the loot.
"She might be, but she won't be mad for long. She loves you, Pow." He squeezed her tight. "Now, I need to go talk to Vander. You guys caused quite the stir."
He stood outside the door, listening to Vander and Violet's muffled voices. He took a deep breath before entering the room.
"Oh my God. Rea, are you ok?" Violet jumped up from her seat, shock and worry on her face. He could understand her worry; a gash ran along his cheekbone and his ear, splitting it in half. He took a moment to study her. She had a couple of new bruises, and her knuckles were bloody.
"I'm ok, Vi. I heard you guys blew up a building." A slight blush rose on Vi's face.
"Not just any building, either. It was the Academy." Vander's words were calm, but his eyes were grim. Powder had said they were trying to rob a scientist, but hitting the Academy was something entirely different. He did not doubt that enforcers would be marching through the Lanes by the end of the day.
"Violet, how about you go see how Powder is doing?" He phrased it as a question, but his tone left no room for argument. Violet shot him and Vander a worried look but left the room nonetheless. He watched as she left the room before turning his attention to Vander, who had fallen back onto the couch with a sigh.
"I'm going topside." Vander's head shot up with an argument on his lips. "I'm not asking. I'm telling."
"Reeve, I will deal with it." Reeve shot him a glare. He knew Vander was referring to his deal with Grayson, the Sheriff. Reeve had known about this deal for some time, but it was hard to accept. Enforcers had killed his parents, along with so many others.
"You know what I think about your deal." His words were laced with venom. "Do you think that they will let this go?"
"I will talk to Grayson. You will not go topside, understand?" Vander's tone warned against argument, but Reeve had never backed down from a fight.
"I'm a man grown. I will go topside and do some recon. You may see them as your daughters, but they are the only family I have left. I will not have them put at risk because you think you can work out a deal." Vander gave a heavy sigh. There was nothing to gain from arguing with Reeve when he got like this.
"Fine." Reeve gave him a nod before climbing the stairs to the door, and then Vander called out to him. "Reeve. I love you like a son. Stay safe."
He stood atop a roof overlooking the Piltover Acadamy. Violet and the others had done quite a number. Enforcers scurried around like little rats, picking over debris and making notes. Fuck, this was bad. It looked like half the force was here. He found it unlikely that Vander could sweep this under the rug. He needed to get back the girls.
"Don't move." Reeve froze. Shit.
"Interlock your hands behind your head." He heard the sound of a gun cocking. Shit. Shit. Shit. Could he draw his pistols before the Enforcer could shoot him? He was quick, but not that quick. The man standing behind him seemed to have been waiting for enough time. He stepped forward and slammed the butt of his rifle into the back of Reeve's skull.
He heard the clink as reinforced cuffs were slapped on his writs. Blackness was quickly taking over, but he could only think about Violet and Powder.
Thanks for reading.
Constructive criticism is encouraged.
I was still determining what I wanted to do with this. Recently, I have been obsessed with Arcane and have been reading everything I can get my hands on. Reeve is my OC because why not? My goal is redemption for Jinx and everyone as a big, happy family. Will that happen? Probably not.