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Claggor kept his eyes on Vi and Mylo as the trio ran. His heart raced in his chest as fast as his feet did on the concrete.
Behind them were enforcers, angry and chasing them just for something to do. And because Mylo said something rude - but accurate - about them. Mylo never knew when to shut his mouth. Vi would give him an earful once they ditched the enforcers.
The trio came to a canal. The water inside was dark and polluted, and the current swift. Not the sort of water you wanted to fall into. If it got into your lungs or bloodstream, you’d get very sick. For the convenience of crossing, there were two planks side by side. These planks weren’t nailed down.
Vi didn’t slow before she leapt across, ignoring the planks entirely. She slammed into the building on the other side, then ducked into the alley between buildings.
Mylo jumped onto the middle of the planks. The wood shifted beneath his feet but he was on the other side in a heartbeat, disappearing into the shadows behind Vi.
Claggor didn’t want to risk the jump Vi had tried and he knew that the planks wouldn’t hold his weight if he jumped onto them like Mylo had. He ran across. A board shifted and suddenly there was nothing beneath his foot. Claggor was jerked to a stop so suddenly he felt something in his ankle go crack. But that wasn’t the worst of it; the worst was the nail embedded in Claggor’s ankle. Pain twisted up his leg. He tried to pull his foot out from between the two boards. It wouldn’t move. Pain exploded in white light behind his eyes. Claggor was stuck. The nail had him pinned. “Vi! My!” he shouted, hoping they weren’t too far out of hearing range.
From behind him, Claggor heard the distinct sounds of enforcer boots and enforcer uniforms as they caught up with him. He twisted around, preparing to fight them with his fists.
The enforcers approached warily. When they realized that he was stuck, the laughter began. And with the laughter came the jokes at Claggor’s expense.
Claggor glared at them and said nothing, even though his face was burning and he was hurt. All they had to do was kick the plank on their side and he would fall into the canal below. With the nail in his ankle, Claggor would get sick even if he did survive the initial fall.
The enforcers stayed for well over an hour, laughing and telling jokes to each other at Claggor’s expense, before they grew bored. It was clear that Mylo and Vi weren’t coming back and that Claggor wasn’t going anywhere or going to rise to their bait. They wandered away without discussing it. As they walked off, the enforcers began to talk about dinner plans.
Claggor was forgotten.
When he was alone, Claggor sniffled. His shoulders dropped. He looked down at the menacing water below him. From this angle he couldn’t see the damage done. Would it hurt more to just rip himself free? But Vi and Mylo weren’t back yet. If Claggor fell, no one would be around to witness. They would never know what happened to him. It was probably better to wait for them than to try anything himself.
Time passed slowly.
Claggor’s ankle throbbed. He was tired of standing on one leg but too afraid to try and sit down. In his mind, he imagined falling and drowning, his body swept away, his family never finding him. Dying alone sounded terrifying.
So he waited.
The temperature dropped as the sun set. In the Undercity, there were always neon lights on but a few more lights were lit as the darkness deepened. As the night wore on, it grew colder. Snow in Piltover fell pristine and white until it hit the smog of the Undercity. Then it turned to a pasty ash that made a mess of everything and somehow retained its coldness.
Claggor shivered. He hadn’t been planning to be out this late, and wasn't dressed for cold weather. His foot was numb below the ankle, which still throbbed. Claggor was tired, he was hungry, and he was very thirsty. Though he knew the water below was disgusting, it seemed to taunt Claggor with the promise of a cool drink.
Where were Vi and Mylo?
Claggor hoped nothing happened to them. He hoped they were looking for him. What was taking them so long? He was so cold.
It was almost dawn before Claggor heard approaching footsteps. He looked up, saw Vi and Mylo running toward him from the alley between the two buildings.
“Where have you been, man?” Mylo asked. He skidded to a halt. He was wearing a jacket with a fur hood, meaning that they’d been home. “We’ve been looking for you all night.”
“I’m s-stuck,” Claggor replied, teeth chattering. Now that they were back, Claggor wanted very much to rip himself free and throw himself in their arms. “T-there’s a n-nail i-in my ankle.”
Vi studied Claggor, studied the boards. “Can you walk?”
Claggor nodded. “If I move, the planks are going to move too.”
The corners of Vi’s mouth pinched like she was sucking on something sour. “Mylo, stay here and hold the planks so that they don’t fall.” She turned around and walked back in the alley.
Mylo and Claggor exchanged looks. Mylo shrugged. He knelt down and put all of his weight on the planks, keeping them in place.
A heartbeat later, Vi ran out of the alley. She used Mylo’s back as a springboard and launched herself into the air. Vi flew across the canal, landing and then rolling onto her feet. She turned and held the planks on her side. “Okay, Claggor, pull your foot free and start walking.”
Claggor was already facing Mylo, so he decided to go forward. He took a few deep breaths, then slowly shifted his foot. He almost fell over.
“Easy,” Mylo said, his eyes wide with worry.
“You can do this, Claggor,” Vi said behind him. She sounded so confident.
Claggor dropped onto one knee. The jostling of his ankle made him nauseous with pain. He made sure he was balanced on one plank, then tried again to pull his ankle from the nail. It hurt a lot. It felt like fire licking up his leg. Even his toes decided to hurt as the nail slid out. When his foot was free, Claggor put that knee on the plank.
“Now just crawl to me, okay?” Mylo said, voice pitched quiet for once. He didn’t take his eyes off Claggor.
Claggor crawled on his hands and knees toward Mylo. The planks creaked threateningly beneath his weight but they didn’t buckle. He stopped when he and Mylo were face to face.
Mylo’s eyes were dark green in the Undercity light. His gaze flicked to something behind Claggor, then he tilted his head slightly and leaned forward. The kiss was quick. “You’re almost home.” He moved aside so that Claggor could crawl onto the sweet, sweet solid concrete.
Claggor collapsed onto his back. His heart raced like enforcers were after them. He hoped Vi didn’t see that kiss. “What do y-you mean almost? I-it’s a long walk to The Last Drop with a b-busted ankle.”
Vi crossed the planks on two feet this time, coming to a stop beside Claggor and Mylo. “Then we’d best get walking.” She stooped and put one of Claggor’s arms around her shoulders.
Mylo did the same on the other side and then stood.
Together they hauled Claggor to his feet. Claggor had been right; the walk home was a long one. Sharp jabs of pain accompanied every step. With Vi and Mylo on either side of him, Claggor was a little warmer, but he was still pretty cold. And hungry and thirsty. He couldn’t wait to get home.
The sight of The Last Drop’s neon green glow was such a relief that if it wouldn’t make him look weak, Claggor would have cried. They hurried to the door.
Vander opened it before they could so much as knock. He looked down at the three of them, relief in his expression. Until he realized that Claggor was injured. “Come on, let’s get you taken care of. What happened?”
“I tried t-to run across the c-canal b-but the plank slipped a-and a nail got m-me. I was s-stuck over the w-water,” Claggor explained. It was warmer in The Last Drop. He sank into a chair with a relieved sigh. It felt so good to get off of his feet.
Vander cleaned and wrapped Claggor’s ankle. He looked around, saw Mylo hovering, and said, “Make sure Claggor stays warm. He’s been out in the cold all night.”
Mylo snapped to attention. “Yes, Vander,” he said.
Vander stood, reached over the bar counter, and produced a bottle of alcohol and a shot glass. He poured out a shot for Claggor, handed it to him. “I imagine you’re hurting worse than you’re letting on,” Vander said knowingly.
Claggor downed the shot in one gulp. It burned going down and settled hot in his stomach. “Thanks, Vander.”
Vander nodded. “Get some rest you two.”
Mylo helped Claggor to his feet and they went downstairs to the bedroom.
Vi was already downstairs, curled up in Powder’s bed, her arms around Powder. She was asleep, having spent all night looking for Claggor and assured in Vander’s ability to take care of Claggor. But Vi needed her fix of Powder and Powder needed Vi just as much.
Powder was awake, quietly coloring on one of her gadgets. She waved to Claggor and Mylo.
Claggor waved back.
Mylo got them to Claggor’s bed and helped Claggor lay down. Then he slipped off his shoes and pulled the curtain around the bed, blocking Powder from seeing them. Mylo climbed into bed beside Claggor.
Claggor scooted over to make room. He closed his eyes, wasn’t sure he had the energy to keep them open even if he wanted to.
Mylo pulled the blanket over Claggor and himself. He snuggled up to Claggor. Gently he removed Claggor’s goggles and hung them on a hook on the headboard put there specifically for the goggles to hang. With a sigh, he wrapped his arms around Claggor and rested his chin on the top of Claggor’s head. After a few moments he whispered, “I’m sorry.”
Claggor hummed, too tired for words.
“I didn’t mean to leave you. By the time we noticed we weren’t being chased and you were gone, we were a long way from the canal. And Vi thought you took a different route and would beat us home so we came here first,” Mylo continued, voice soft so that Powder couldn’t hear.
“‘s okay. You found me in the end,” Claggor replied. He found Mylo’s hand and squeezed it.
Mylo kissed the top of Claggor’s head. “I won’t leave you behind again, Claggor,” he promised.
Claggor managed a smile. He nuzzled Mylo. “Okay, Mylo,” he agreed and fell asleep. With Mylo beside him, keeping him warm and safe, Claggor slept peacefully. His ankle didn’t even bother him much.