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Ever since he’d become Councilor, representative of Zaun, Silco had been quick to learn the value of dressing his finest and making the best impression — the fact that his closet had eventually began accommodating elegant gold-lined vests and high-quality coats and shirts (some covered in elaborate and splendid adornments) had been proof of that. It did help that he was already stunning in appearance, his face and figure still keeping their own charm throughout the years, the scars left across its left side being incorporated into being part of its allure.
Which was why now, as he rummaged through said closet looking for his finest casual going-out clothes, his heart was sinking as he started to come to a dreadful conclusion.
All of my best casual clothes are still in the wash.
Shit.
“Oh for Janna’s sake,” He muttered to himself, before he poked his head out of his closet to yell.
“V?” He yelled, hoping his partner could hear him from downstairs in the Last Drop. “Can you check if the laundry’s dry already?!”
“In a while!” was the yelled back response, Vander’s voice loud and clear as usual.
Silco dove back into his closet, hurriedly rifling through what remained within it as he muttered hastily to himself. Coats on hangers were pushed aside and folded clothes were shifted around as he tried to find the most-presentable shirt that remained -- especially knowing that soon, roughly an hour from now, he would be meeting face to face with another Councilor, while their daughters got to spend more time together.
It had been surprising, really, when he had been informed by Vi about it. He’d grown to see her and Powder like daughters, he and Vander having brought them into their family and raising them alongside alongside Viktor since they lost their parents. He’d grown familiar with Violet, how she was brash and outspoken and also sweet and caring too, always looking out for her younger sister and adoptive brother, ready to fight if it meant defending the ones she loved.
Which was why when, a day ago, she had mentioned she had made a new friend, he had been surprised to know it was a Piltie — the daughter of a certain Councilor, no less.
He looked up in surprise from the papers on his dark wooden desk, in the room in the Last Drop that had become close to his office whenever he wasn’t working in the Council building. “Really? You’re friends with Miss Kiramman’s daughter?”
Vi nodded, her eyes bright. “ Yeah. We got to talk during Vik’s wedding. She’s not bad for a Piltie, actually. Did you know she’s also great with guns? And that she and Jayce have been friends for a long time? Pretty impressive, I gotta admit. ” Her lips curved with the hint of an awed grin when she said that.
He hummed in response. “Well, it’s nice to see you getting along with others — especially another girl your age.” Honestly, he was also glad she had befriended someone from Topside too — another sign that the peace between both cities was lasting long and well, if two young ones from both of them could find connections and camaraderie with each other.
“Yeah, she also just told me that next time, she wants us to meet in the park so we could hang out more, and that she’ll ask her mom if she can bring her there too, so uh…” Vi leaned against the nearby doorway, a hopeful look in her eyes while she crossed her arms. “If her mom says yes, can you come with me too?”
Silco paused at that. If Cassandra was really going to be there to bring her daughter, so that both Cait and Vi could have some more time to know each other better, on what was now sounding like a playdate no less…
To anyone, it would sound like such a simple errand. To Silco, it would be a task with two important goals — ensure Vi’s happiness, and also be at his very best in front of a Councilor with a prominent influence in the upper city.
He turned to Vi, and gave her a reassuring look. “Of course. Just let me know when they set a date for the meeting.”
He turned back to his papers, and pretended he didn’t smile to himself when he heard Vi triumphantly say “Yes!”, no doubt pumping her fist before she dashed out of the room.
A day later — that very same morning, hours before he was rifling through his wardrobe, Vi had enthusiastically told him the news.
Cassandra had agreed to accompany her daughter. The playdate was now officially set for that afternoon, after school hours.
This was what had led to him hastily searching through his wardrobe after he had put Isha to rest in her cradle (reassured that Vander would look after her while he was away), knowing that once he was dressed, he had to pick Vi and Powder up from their school, before dropping Vi off at the park to go on that playdate with her new friend. He knew for sure that he couldn’t let his daughter down — especially when her new friend was related to one of his Council colleagues.
He was in the middle of choosing between two different jackets hanging in the closet (both black with wine-red accents, one made of suede, and the other of stiff satin that shone in the light) when he heard the thundering of familiar footsteps rapidly climbing up the stairs.
The door slammed open, and he turned around just in time to see Vander standing in the doorway, a bunch of fabric in shades of black, gray, brown, and dark teal hanging over his left arm, giving him an almost resigned look.
“Sil,” Vander began. “I’ve got bad news.”
Silco’s eyes fell on the bundle of fabric in his partner’s arms, pushing down the dread inside him as he maintained his usual cool composure. “Don’t tell me…”
Vander moved to carefully lay the bundle over the nearest armchair in the room, as if in a wordless gesture of 'this was all I could find’. Now Silco could see clearly what clothing had managed to dry so far — and he couldn’t deny the way his heart fell as he saw that his mate so far had only managed to retrieve a few ebony-black and iron-grey trousers, and a couple of jackets in shades of umber-brown and dark pine-green.
But no shirts at all.
“You couldn’t find any shirts?” Silco asked, trying to keep his voice even, but unable to hide the way it rose as frantic desperation began to sink into its edges.
“I’m so sorry, Sil,” Vander replied, his tone apologetic as he laid a hand on his forehead to wipe off some sweat. “I looked as best as I could, but most of them have yet to dry. And well, I can’t let you go out in damp clothes, can I?”
Silence hung between the two for a few seconds, until Silco finally huffed out a long, heavy sigh, and then turned back around to his closet, staring almost despondently into its cloth-covered depths. Sure, he had his best selections of pants and jackets… but what good were they without the right shirt (and optional vest) to match them?
Vander gave a soft breath at the sight of his mate being stressed, and moved to gently place his hand on Silco’s right shoulder. “Hey, it’ll be alright. You shouldn’t have to wear yourself thin over a bunch of clothes. What matters is that you wear something and look presentable.”
“That’s what I’m worried about.” Silco retorted, but not unkindly, the tension of worry audible in his voice. “Looking presentable is vital for this. I can’t embarrass Vi — not in front of a Councilor.”
“Sil— listen.” With a sound of reassurance, Vander placed his hands on Silco’s shoulders again, moving him around so that they could be face to face. “It’s not a bad thing to want to look your best, I know how important it is for you since you were chosen to represent the Undercity. But no matter what you choose to wear now, I can tell you, you’ll always find a way to make it look the best it could be.”
With that, Vander lifted his left hand, gently cupping Silco’s cheek in his palm while his thumb traced the patterns of his scars. “After everything you’ve.. we’ve both gone through, you’re still as breathtaking as the day I first met you, trust me.”
Silco only chuckled lightheartedly in response. “Oh, you sap, always flattering me. I could say the same for you, as well.”
Vander nearly snorted in pleasant, half-bashful remembrance, his mind flashing back to a time when he himself had also begun to worry about losing the muscle he had gained with age, to the point he had tried hiding his changes whenever Silco was around. “Don’t remind me. I still remember you reassuring me when you caught me having a snack. Janna knows, we’ve both changed so much.” His voice still held that tender, reminiscing tone as he spoke.
Silco hummed, a slight mellow smile now curving at the edges of his lips. “You could say that again. Now, as much as I appreciate your sweet talk, I still have yet to find a shirt to wear, so I’d appreciate it if you could let me get back to my search.”
Vander relented, stepping back with a sound of amusement. “Alright, alright, I yield. I’ll let you continue searching, just let me know if you need any extra help.”
Silco turned back to look at his wardrobe, giving a reassured hum in response, when he caught sight of a folded pale grey shirt — the only clean shirt that seemed to be left. He reached for it, and held it up — only to catch sight of what was written across it, and give a disgruntled huff.
“You have to be kidding me,” He muttered to himself.
Vander caught sight of the shirt, and a wide-eyed look of recognition and disbelief flashed over his face. “Is that—”
“Yes, it’s the shirt.” A memory of an anniversary dinner (sometime when Viktor had entered his college years) flickered into Silco’s mind: an anniversary where they were left drunk and flustered and laughing the whole night, and then bewildered when they finally sobered up the next morning only to find out Vander had somehow brought him a gag shirt from some random souvenir shop on the bridge.
“I know, I know.” Vander gave a sound that sounded like a bemused cross between a huff and a whistle, the memory no doubt also making him relive the same astonishment from that day. “Still… I can’t believe that’s the last shirt left in that closet. You’re not really thinking of choosing that, are you?”
But then again, what other choice do I have?
At that, something blazed within Silco’s soul. A look of resolute determination settled on his face.
Vander’s right. I can’t— no, I won’t let anything about my appearance trouble me this much. So long as I’m confident and Vi is glad I’m with her, the impressions I make now won’t be such a big deal.
This is for Vi, for her happiness— and I won’t let one damn shirt keep me from helping her make a new friend.
When Cassandra had asked him to accompany Caitlyn in her place, since a last-minute meet-up with another client from Piltover’s elite had switched up her schedule, Tobias wasn’t sure about how this planned one-hour playdate would go.
Sure, Caitlyn was fine with him accompanying her instead, being just as excited to introduce him to her new best friend who she claimed was an adopted kid of that Zaunite councilor (didn’t he already have two biological kids? then again, Tobias wasn’t the type to judge if he wanted to take care of some more kids and was capable of handling them). Sure, he knew Councilor Silco was a trustworthy man.
But seeing him show up with two girls by his side, with a… very unusual choice of shirt, was definitely not part of Tobias’ expectation.
“I see Councilor Kiramman was busy today,” Councilor Silco mused, his voice even as always (yet tinged with something like relief), even as the shorter blue-haired girl stayed glued to his left side, and the redhead (who he guessed had to be Vi, judging by the way she was giving Caitlyn an excited look) swayed by his right. “It is still a pleasure to meet you regardless, Mr. Kiramman.”
I… it sure is, Tobias thought, even with what’s written on your shirt.
He cleared his throat instead. First impressions matter, he reminded himself.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Councilor.” He spoke, aware of Caitlyn eyeing Vi eagerly, already tugging at his sleeve insistently. “It’s just… you have quite an interesting choice of attire, I must say.”
Silco looked down at his shirt, and sighed, very much aware of the unusual slogan written across it. “I know,” He muttered, knowing full well that a shirt reading “I’m the PsycHOTic dad”, with “HOT” in red, was certainly not something everyone saw everyday. “Trust me, if I had a choice, I would be wearing anything else other then this, but you know... sometimes we have to make do with what we have.”
Understandable… Tobias thought. It must’ve been quite… a last-ditch option if that was the only shirt you could find today.
He cleared his throat to prepare his own response, unable to not notice that the blue-haired girl by Silco’s left was already tugging at his sleeve, begging something like “please, can we go? I don’t wanna be stuck while these two get mushy around each other—”, while Vi was already excitedly saying “Hey!” to Caitlyn.
“So, you won’t be here long?” Tobias asked.
Silco nodded in return, while also turning to the blue-haired girl and murmuring something that vaguely sounded like ‘patience, Powder.’. “I’ll return in an hour to pick them up, as we agreed. Vander and Isha are currently stuck at the Last Drop, so I’ll be just dropping off the kids.”
“I’m not staying!” The blue-haired girl — Powder, right? — yelled as she tugged at Silco’s jacket, burying her face into his chest.
“The kid.” Silco amended at that. Almost as if in response, Vi waved, smiling at Caitlyn.
As much as he trusted the Councilor, Tobias couldn’t help but stare nervously at him and the two girls, before leaning down to whisper to his daughter.
“Sweetie, are we sure we want to hang out with them—”
The resounding “Yes.” from his daughter, her tone of voice as sweet as the look she was giving Vi, was enough of a response.
He took in a deep sigh. Anything for my daughter, I suppose, he thought to himself. She could use some friends, and it wouldn’t hurt for her to broaden her social circle. Best she gets to know the Undercity better too — maybe she could continue this peace and help them, just like her mother.
“You may go, sweetpea.” He finally relented, and nothing made him more prouder than Caitlyn beaming at him before she finally ran over to Vi, the two of them meeting in the middle with an enthusiastic embrace, the two of them excitedly greeting each other before they began to converse about whatever exciting things they had seen and done that week.
He didn’t miss the soft smile that came over Silco’s face (as he continued to hold Powder), as the two girls ran off to explore the park, Caitlyn pulling Vi with her as she chatted excitedly about her favorite corner of the park where they could climb and have a wonderful view of the two cities.
Seems we aren’t so different as fathers, after all.
I hope our cities find more chances at stability like this.