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Click. Click. Click.
The sounds of your heels click-clacking against any floor you walked on, the sound following you around like a quiet entry overture. Your heels have become your known trademark; you wouldn’t be caught dead leaving the house without them, but that doesn’t mean it’s always enjoyable. Oftentimes on days like today, where your job had sent you from one location to another all over Zaun, your beloved hallmark betrayed you.
You had agreed to meet your partner, Ran, at The Last Drop after you got off your shift at work. You shoved the door open with a heavy sigh as the clicking of your heels was drowned out by the music and banter of the establishment. Maneuvering your way through the crowds you walked up to the bar to immediately get a drink after your long day.
Therium noticed you and made his way over greeting you by name with a soft smile. “What can I getcha’ this evening?”
“Long Island Iced Tea for a long day, please.” You said, resting your elbows on the bar top.
Therium nodded and went to get your drink started. As you waited for your cocktail, your head swiveled to scan the bar, looking for the distinctive choppy fringe of your partner. Being a Friday night, the bar was rather busy which made it a bit more difficult to find Ran within the sea of people, but you had a few guesses as to where they could be in the bar.
Therium returned with your drink setting the glass in front of you. As you reached for your purse to pay the bartender spoke up. “Your first drink is on Ran’s tab. They’re waiting for you.”
A small smile graced your lips. As long as Ran still stood living and breathing, they were physically proof that chivalry wasn’t dead.
“I guess they’re not gambling tonight?” You grabbed your drink, bringing the straw to your lips to take a small sip.
Therium shook his head. “Pool table. They’re betting money on games and—”
“And absolutely kicking those people's asses.” You half sighed, half chuckled as you finished the statement. “I don’t know why people play against them sometimes. They’ve been playing billiards since they were like, 10.”
“You think Ran tells them that?” Therium chuckled to himself, being a first hand witness to the many games and bets customers have lost to Ran. “They have a better chance of gambling against Sevika.
A sharp whistle from a patron at the other end of the bar caught your attention and made Therium jump. He sighed. “Let me know if you need another drink, I gotta get back to work.”
You nodded, raising your glass in gratitude to him as he turned to attend other customers at the bar top. You inhaled through your nose, preparing yourself for the screaming pain in the arches of your feet before setting off towards the billiard tables.
You approached to find Ran leaned up against the wall, watching their opponent line up his shot as your partner quietly sipped their drink. Once you were close enough for Ran to hear the clicking of your heels against the floor, you saw their head snap in your direction, a small smile forming on their plump lips.
“Hey, baby.” They greeted you with an open arm for a hug, their mechanical hand still holding onto their pool stick. “How’re you feelin’?”
“Ugh.” You groaned, all but collapsing into their hug as your head rested into the crook of their neck. “They sent me to 3 different places today. All 3 were on opposite sides of Zaun. I swear they do this on purpose.” You complained. You felt Ran’s arm wrap around you as they pulled you in for a quick, tight hug before letting you go, yet loosely keeping their hand on your waist.
“Wanna take your heels off and take a rest?” Ran offered, turning their head to look for the closest available chair. You lifted your head off their shoulder to shake your head.
“No, I’ll be okay. Probably just won’t want to stay out super late.” You watched as Ran’s opponent finally took his shot and you leaned off of your partner so that they could take their turn.
You shifted your weight from one foot to the other every few minutes as you watched the game progress, Ran ahead of the man by at least 2 points. Ran watched you out of the corner of their eye as they lined up their shots, but you smiled at them and sipped your drink, not wanting to throw off their rhythm in the game.
After a less than climactic win from Ran, they immediately collected their winnings before putting their pool stick away— making their way back to you, still pressed against the wall.
“C’mere.” They whispered to you before leading you by your hips to the pool table. Once there, Ran turned you around before hoisting you up so you were sitting on the edge of the table, feet dangling.
“Better?” They asked, searching your face for any discomfort. You grinned, taking another sip of your half way gone drink.
“Better. Thank you.” You leaned forward slightly, puckering your lips expectantly for a kiss. Ran gladly obliged, pressing their lips to yours.
“You know, if they hurt your feet that bad, why do you wear them all the time?” Ran asked, glancing down at your glittering heels.
“They’re just my thing.” You kicked up one foot to show off the shiny heels, turning it in the light. “Don’t feel like myself without them.”
“What about when we’re at home?” Ran asked, leaning against the pool table next to you.
“Home is for my fuzzy slippers.” You then poked their chest with your index finger to make a point. “Only you get to see that. Otherwise—“ You lifted both of your legs up, crossing them and letting them fall into Ran’s arms as you shifted your weight into your left arm, your right one still holding your drink. “Everyone else gets to admire my pretty shoes.”
Ran smirked, easily holding your legs up. “But,” Ran grabbed one of your heels, not to take it off, but to emphasize their own point. “Can these pretty shoes walk you home tonight? Or should they be on display for the rest of the night?”
“Display?” You questioned, turning your head in slight confusion. Ran chuckled at your adorable response.
“You’ve been on your feet all day. Why don’t I carry you home on my back so you don’t have to walk?”
You sipped on the last drops of your drink, humming in thought.
“That does sound nice, but it’s almost a 20 minute walk home, you don’t have to carry me the whole way.” You set your now empty drink beside you on the table.
“You act like I don’t want to do this.” Ran leaned in placing another quick kiss on your lips as they took your empty glass. “Stay here, I’ll be right back.”
You gave a small nod to Ran as they walked over to the bar, you assumed to pay the tab before you both left. When they returned they stood in front of you, facing away and bending their knees a bit to give you a better angle to climb on. “Hop on.”
Putting your legs on the side of their waist and wrapping your arms around their shoulders, they hooked their arms underneath your legs and hoisted you up onto their back with relative ease. Despite having one of the slimmer builds of Silco’s henchmen, Ran held their own when it came to strength.
Ran began to make their way towards the door with you in tow. You rested your head on their shoulder, relaxing onto them as they carried you out of The Last Drop. You let your feet softly sway in time with their steps as you listened to Zaun quiet down for the night the further you got away from the bar.
Not one for many words or meaningless conversations, Ran stayed quiet as they carried you home. They were content enough feeling your heart beat against their back and listening to your soft giggles whenever they stopped to hoist you higher up on their back throughout the short trip.
Once you had arrived home, you quickly dug through your purse to find the keys to your shared home, leaning slightly over your lover's shoulder in order to unlock the front door. Ran carried you inside and closed the door with their foot as you kicked your legs, still trapped in their hold.
“You can put me down now, you know.” You poked your finger into Ran’s cheek. “My feet hurt but my legs aren’t broken.” Ran stopped their movement in front of the couch.
“Oh, you wanna be let down?” They asked nonchalantly. “Okay.” They then proceeded to completely drop all your weight back onto the couch unceremoniously. You fell onto the couch with a small yell, not expecting the one thing holding you up to very suddenly give way.
“Ran!!” You jokingly yelled at them, not actually mad. You shifted on the couch to sit more upright and adjusted your dress back into its proper place.
“Yes?” They replied with that devilish smirk on their face. They knelt down in front of you and softly held your ankle, bringing your foot to rest on top of their leg as they began to undo the ankle straps on your heels.
You instantly melted at the sight. Ran, whose hands have punched, choked, and killed others on command were the same ones who treated you as delicate as silk while removing your shoes. They set your heel off the side before softly stretching your ankle out in circles. They applied a moderate amount of pressure to the arches of your feet, slowly massaging out any knots that may have formed from the day.
“You’re too good to me.” You sighed happily. You lifted your hand to Ran’s head, running your fingers through their short hair and letting your nails scrape across their scalp. “You don’t have to do this, you know.” You reminded them, pushing their fringe out of their face so you could look them in both of their eyes.
“I know.” They set your bare foot onto the floor with a softness you’ve noticed they only reserved for you. Without another word they picked up your other foot repeating the process. You watched them quietly, your heart bursting with your love for them.
“I love you so much, Ran.”
“I love you too, baby.”