Parallel Lines

"Where are you going?" Powder tugged on Y/N's shirt, her curious blue eyes glinting under the dim light.

Every night when they weren't out together, Y/N had a habit of sneaking off. She always said it was to meet a friend, but she never shared who that friend was. It wasn't like her to keep secrets, which puzzled Powder more than anyone else.

Vi and the rest of them didn't press Y/N about it. They trusted her, knowing that this mysterious person meant something important to her, and that was enough.

"To meet up with a friend," Y/N replied, her tone casual.

She always gave the same vague answer or some variation of it. Was it so wrong to keep this one thing to herself? Y/N shared everything else— training with Vi, helping Vander at the bar, haggling idiots who paid full price for stuff with Ekko, sharpening her aim at the shooting range with Mylo and Claggor, or tinkering with inventions alongside Powder.

But this? This was different. Y/N wanted to hold on to this secret, to let it be hers and hers alone. Maybe it was selfish, but something was thrilling about guarding this one mystery.

"Oh... When are you coming back?" Powder asked softly.

"Don't worry, Bluejay. I'll be back before you even miss me!" Y/N grinned, ruffling the younger girl's hair.

Despite not being a biological part of their family, Y/N had slipped seamlessly into the fold. She acted like a sister, albeit in her own way. Unlike Vi, who comforted Powder with gentle strokes through her hair, Y/N was more boisterous— messing up her hair and slinging an arm around her.

"Hey!" Powder giggled, playfully pushing Y/N away. "What am I supposed to tell Vander when you're gone?"

"Tell him I'm hanging out with little man!" Y/N called out, already heading toward the door.

Before anyone could stop her, she stepped into the night, the sound of her boots quickly fading as she made her way down the street. Her movements became more deliberate as she reached the edge of the neighborhood.

Instead of sticking to the ground, she scrambled up the side of a building, preferring the rooftops for faster travel.

The first time Y/N met him, it had been entirely by accident. She'd been fleeing from a group of enforcers she'd swindled earlier that day.

Rounding a corner too quickly, she'd almost bowled him over— a pale, gaunt boy leaning heavily on a cane. Without thinking, she'd scooped him up and carried him on her back, weaving through narrow alleys until they'd shaken off the pursuit.

"Sorry about that!" She'd said, setting him down with a sheepish grin. She'd clutched a bag of coins and scraps of food tightly. "I'll make it up to you with some of this, yeah?"

The boy had taken a long moment to respond, as though words didn't come naturally to him. "It... Is fine," He'd said, at last, his voice carrying a thick accent.

It was only after he limped away that Y/N noticed he'd left his cane behind. The guilt gnawed at her all night. By the next day, she'd tracked him down, presenting him with a new cane she'd built herself— with some help from Powder and Ekko, of course. That was how it all began.

Now, they were best friends.

Y/N panted as she leaped from one rooftop to another, her legs burning with effort. "I—huff—hate—huff—running," She muttered, stopping briefly to catch her breath. The air was thick, a reminder of the Undercity's pollution.

There were no luxuries here.

No fresh air, no clean streets. Just damp ground, decaying walls, and the ever-present smell of rot. But the people endured. They protected each other— most of them, at least. The rest? They did whatever it took to survive.

Like selling everyone out to the Peanut Patrol.

Finally, she reached her destination, climbing down into a clearing tucked between crumbling buildings. During the day, it was a dull, forgotten space. But under the full moon, it transformed into something ethereal, the pale light reflecting off slick stone and puddles of rainwater.

"Y/N?" A voice called out.

She lifted her head and smiled at the sight of him. "Viktor!"

He stepped into view, his figure as fragile as ever as he leaned on his cane, the cane she made for him. His dark hair was unkempt, and his patched clothes hung loosely on his thin frame.

"I thought you said you would be busy tonight," Viktor said softly.

Y/N shrugged, her grin widening. "Not too busy for you."