Sustenance
By Eadon
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Riot; I just play with their characters.
Anger and frustration threatened to overcome the sheriff of Piltover, emotions that Caitlyn rarely suffered. But ever since she took in a new partner, a former ex-criminal, it seemed that those emotions were all she felt.
"What's the big deal?" Vi, her partner, shrugged lazily. "I caught those thieves you've been chasin' for weeks."
"The 'big deal' is that you broke the jaw of one and the second got first degree burns from the steam that emanated from your gauntlets when he tried to pry you off his friend." Vi half shrugged and then rubbed a finger in her ear, her nonchalant attitude irritated Caitlyn further. "Not to mention you nearly smashed an innocent citizen's vehicle in half and you punched down two walls in the building the thieves were hiding in."
Vi frowned. "They resisted arrest! And if I didn't get to them quickly they would have gotten away."
"We've had this conversation before," Caitlyn replied. "Every person you arrest needs immediate medical attention. Medical bills aren't cheap. Then there are the expenses for whatever wall, building, or vehicle you smash."
Caitlyn felt her rage boil in her veins when Vi shrugged again. It was beyond irritating that the pink haired woman didn't seem to care for the consequences her actions brought. "That's what our budget is for, ain'it?"
"That's not the point, Vi." The sheriff stalked to her side of their office and inhaled deeply. Then she exhaled slowly, envisioning her anger left her body along with her breath. "You blow through a year's worth of our budget in one month. We can't keep doing this!" She turned to face her partner. The frown was still plastered on Vi's face. "I will not tolerate you openly disobeying my orders either. Especially in front of the other officers."
Vi looked taken back, the frown faded and her eyebrows shot up. "What's that supposed'ta mean? I always listen to what you say."
Caitlyn sighed and leaned against her desk. "Listening and obeying my orders are two different things. Last night, if you had waited for me we could have arrested those men without them getting hurt and half the building wouldn't have large gaping holes. A citizen would still have a vehicle, too."
Vi sat up straighter in her chair and the frown returned to her features. "If I waited for you they would have gotten away. They were already paranoid and eager to get out of town. I know how thugs like them think."
The brunette opened her mouth to argue, but what Vi said was probably true. It was why she was her partner, after all, despite her infamous history. Caitlyn closed her mouth and stepped in front of the trio of windows that were on one side of the office. The edges of the windows were tinted with the early morning dew and from the leftover moisture of the previous evening's storm. The blue of the sky was prominent over the few gray clouds. Starting their shift arguing was not the most ideal way to begin what looked to be a nice day.
"You could still have done things differently to avoid so much destruction. We can't keep draining our budget, Vi. Something has to change."
Caitlyn turned in time to see the frown vanish from Vi's face. For a brief moment something akin to fear flashed in her blue eyes. "You firin' me?"
The thought had crossed Caitlyn countless times. Whenever the criminals they arrested were injured so badly or when property was destroyed by Vi, she wondered if things would be easier if she just dismissed her.
"No," she said eventually. "Despite your methods, you are one of the most dependable officers. But changes must happen, Vi. One of them is to reduce the expenses you cause."
Relief reflected in her eyes and a slight smirk grew in the corner of her lips. "No promises, but I'll try."
Caitlyn nodded. She returned to her side of their office. Times like this when they argued, she was grateful for the benefit of being the sheriff and having a private office. The difference in personality between herself and Vi were obvious by their own sides of the room. While Caitlyn's side consisted of a desk, a small table littered with newspaper articles and papers containing her own notes, two short bookshelves hugged one corner and the opposite corner stood three file cabinets. A few shelves hung above the table, each holding small plaques and other awards Caitlyn earned since she first joined the police force. On top of Caitlyn's desk was a sizable mountain of papers and folders. She carefully lifted half the stack and stepped to Vi's side.
The difference between their sides of the office was stark. While Caitlyn's side was tidy and organized, Vi's was bare and messy. She only had one desk, one bookshelf and one file cabinet. While Caitlyn's bookshelves were filled with Piltover law and criminal psychology books, Vi's shelves had only three books about hextech, the rest of the shelves she used to store springs, cogs, fitters, connectors, thermocouples, and several other materials.
Caitlyn relieved her burden on top of Vi's desk. She offered a small smile when she saw the disappointment in her partner's eyes as she studied the stack of papers. "We both have a lot of paperwork to catch up on." With that, she returned to her desk and got to work.
Time was lost to both women as they filed report after report. After what felt like hours, a subtle throb emanated just behind Caitlyn's eyes, she needed a break. She stretched her arms over her head before she placed her elbows on her desk and then rested her head in the palm of her hands. Her weary eyes closed, she just needed a minute or two of peace.
A sudden sneeze interrupted her reverie.
Caitlyn glanced across the room, her eyes wide in surprise. Despite sharing her office with Vi for some time, there were still times where she forgot she wasn't the only occupant. Another sneeze erupted in the quiet room, Caitlyn's face scrunched in slight disgust as she watched the pink haired woman wipe her nose along the length of her arm. Vi had the most atrocious manners. But she couldn't fault her for that; she grew up on the streets after all.
Caitlyn needed to stretch her legs. She stood and grabbed the small box of tissues she kept on her desk and offered it to her partner. "I'm going to grab a cup of tea," she told the other woman as she blew her nose into the accepted tissue. "Did you want something?"
Vi rolled up her used tissue and tossed it on top of her desk. "Naw, I'm good."
With a nod, Caitlyn exited her office. When she returned she found Vi hunched over her desk and her face laying on top of a pile of papers and rolled up tissues. Her face fell into a frown, she wasn't gone long and Vi was already trying to sneak a nap? A small sigh escaped her lips as she thought about another one of Vi's flaws; she hated paperwork with a passion and always procrastinated.
The sheriff shut her door behind her a little too loudly, but one of her thin eyebrows lifted in surprise when Vi remained asleep. Vi took a sharp intake of breath that ended in a loud snore and then she mumbled incoherently, but her eyes remained shut.
A defeated sigh escaped the sheriff's lips as she stepped next to her partner's sleeping form. "Vi," she called before she took a careful sip of her hot beverage. The woman didn't stir, only a soft snore was her reply. She called her name again, but received no reply.
Cogs, this woman can sleep like the dead!
She placed her hand over Vi's shoulder and nudged her. Finally, Vi's eyelids lifted to show blue orbs. She was slow to sit up. "What'd-I-do," she asked sleepily.
"Sleeping on the job, for one thing." Caitlyn responded sternly. She turned and headed back to her own desk and took another sip.
They both returned to work. Caitlyn repeatedly lifted her gaze to check on her slacking partner and caught her several times nodding off. She knew the woman hated paperwork, but she didn't know she hated it to the point of sleeping at every moment she could.
When they took their meal break, Caitlyn felt somewhat surprised when Vi refused to eat. One of the first things she learned about her partner was that she had a large appetite. Not that she could blame her for having a bottomless stomach. She could only fathom the amount of energy it took to wear those massive gauntlets. Nonetheless, Caitlyn put her partner's slight different behavior to the back of her mind and ate her meal.
Their work continued until the end of their shift, much to Vi's delight. Caitlyn, on the other hand, grew irritable when Vi submitted her share of folders and papers. The condition of said materials was either stained by coffee or bore wrinkles or tears. Some papers felt damp but had no stains; she didn't even want to think what wet them. From their office all the way to Caitlyn's car she berated Vi for the mess of her paperwork.
"What's the big deal?" The pink haired woman asked as she carefully placed her gauntlets in the back of Caitlyn's car before she climbed into the passenger seat. "It's not like anyone reads those reports anyway."
Caitlyn felt a vein in her forehead twitch. She squashed the irritable feeling and climbed into her seat. "We may not read the reports again, but others might need to. It's unprofessional for them to have stains and tears."
She started the hexengine and drove towards her—their—apartment. Since Vi ended her days as a criminal and placed her attention on robbing other criminals, her living arrangements suffered. To avoid being found by both the police and the thugs she stole from, she was constantly on the move. According to Vi, sometimes she had to resort to squatting in abandoned buildings. The places she did live in were absolutely terrible, very low quality, dirty, and in bad neighborhoods. Despite Piltover's low crime rate, there were still bad parts in the city-state. When Caitlyn tracked Vi down, and discovered her horrid living arrangements, she offered Vi to live with her as well, until she was able to get back on her feet.
Unfortunately, sleeping on the couch wasn't motivation enough for Vi to save for her own place. She was a spontaneous buyer. It was common for her to ask for lunch money mere days after a payday too. When asked what she spent her money on, Vi claimed most of her paycheck went to buying parts, tools, and upgrades for her hextech gauntlets. While hextech parts and upgrades were expensive, Caitlyn wasn't too sure where the rest of her money went, she did pay her share of the rent, utilities, and food, but she was fairly positive she blew most of her money at bars, concerts, and in the numerous betting games she was fond of with some of the officers she was friendly with.
Another odd behavior, Caitlyn noted, Vi was unusually silent during their commute home. Even when they were behind a desk all day Vi either complained about the lack of action or talked about hextech, she was always talkative. Now, she leaned to the side of her seat and pressed her temple against the car's window.
"Is something wrong?" Caitlyn asked her.
"Naw," Vi responded softly. "'M just tired."
It was odd to hear of her being tired when they just processed paperwork, normally Vi would be restless. And she napped during every break. Caitlyn shook her head and ignored her thoughts. She'd take Vi's word for it, she was just tired. They remained silent for the rest of their journey.
Caitlyn's apartment was small, despite her wealth. Since she spent most of her days working, she saw no need to spend so much where she slept. The apartment was perfectly square shaped, the living room to the left of the entrance, which had two couches, a coffee table, and a desk. To the right of the entrance was a small dining room that consisted of a circular table and three chairs. Beside the dining room was the kitchen. Across the kitchen was a small bathroom and a closet next to it. Finally, across the closet was Caitlyn's bedroom. So with one bedroom, that left the couch for Vi. Not that she seemed to mind. She claimed the couch was better than sleeping on the floor.
Once they were within the warmth of their apartment, Vi all but dived onto the couch face down and remained still while Caitlyn headed into her room to change clothes before she started on dinner. She wanted to ask her partner again if she was alright, but decided against it and just gave her some space to rest. Perhaps she was just exhausted from the night before.
Then a different suspicion came to the brunette when she opened a cabinet and found a half empty bottle of Bilgewater rum. Vi purchased the bottle yesterday in celebration for catching the thieves. Caitlyn didn't care for alcohol, except for wine, so Vi had the rum all to herself. But to drink half of it?
So that was why Vi had been acting so differently all day. Constantly sleeping, loss of appetite, she was hung over.
With a sigh etched with disappointment, Caitlyn moved the bottle aside to grasp what she was seeking and continued with dinner. No doubt Vi wouldn't be hungry either, so that made it easier for her in regards to not having to make so much to accommodate Vi's massive appetite.
She debated on waking her partner. It felt rude to disturb her while she was resting, but it would be just as rude to eat without her if she was hungry. Making up her mind, Caitlyn nudged Vi awake.
"Dinner is ready," she told the half asleep woman.
Vi blinked, seemed to sniff the aroma of the meal, and promptly scrunched her nose in disgust. "Not hungry," she said before she laid back onto the couch.
It was official, Vi was hung over. Tonight's dinner was pork chops with vegetables and mashed potatoes, food that Vi would inhale if she could (though it seemed like she still tried at times). With a shrug, Caitlyn returned to the small kitchen, served herself, and ate dinner alone. When she was done and had neatly packed away the leftovers, in case Vi got hungry later, she took some water to Vi and nudged her awake again.
"What-I-do?"
"Drink this," Caitlyn handed her the cup of water.
As Vi drained every drop, the flush of her cheeks finally caught Caitlyn's attention. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she studied her pale face. When Vi handed her the cup back, Caitlyn pressed a hand to her forehead. Her skin felt too warm. Analyzing her appearance further, Caitlyn noticed the damp hair that clung to her neck and face.
"You're burning up," Caitlyn told her; the frown on her face was immediately replaced with a look of concern. "Are you feeling ill?"
Vi slowly looked up at her with glassy eyes and then she shrugged. "'M fine." She lied back onto the couch and curled up.
Maybe she was fine. The room was warm and Vi has been lying face down on the couch, there was a good chance her face just felt feverish.
Regardless, now that she had dinner she could relax for the rest of the evening. And with Vi resting that left her with some peace and quiet. Unfortunately, she didn't have any more reports to write and no current investigations. It had been some time since she had no work to occupy her time while off-duty. She supposed she owed Vi for that. Despite her violent methods, she got things done. And fast.
There have been a few books she had been meaning to read, but never had the chance to. She settled into the second couch, perpendicular to the one Vi was sleeping on, with a mug of tea and one of her books in hand. As the evening grew late, Vi became worse. She remained asleep, but she frequently coughed or sneezed. Either action sounded painful and brought sympathy pain to Caitlyn's own throat.
Warm, flushed skin, sneezing, runny nose, coughing, all symptoms that meant Vi was sick, no matter her denial. Considering they are partners and roommates, Caitlyn felt grateful she took the flu shot a few days ago. So she would be safe from getting sick from her. She wondered if Vi was regretting her refusal to take the immunity shot as well.
The brunette put her book down on a corner table and approached her roommate. Again, she placed the back of her hand on Vi's forehead and then her cheek. Her skin was hot and shiny with sweat.
"You are ill," Caitlyn said simply.
Vi lifted a hand and lazily waved. "No biggie, I'll be good tomorrow."
Caitlyn shook her head. "You're burning up and you haven't eaten anything all day. Get up. You need to stay hydrated."
"I'm fine," Vi replied, but a rough cough followed. She winced and cleared her throat.
"Up," the sheriff repeated. "And you're still in your work clothes. Those pants and long sleeves are contracting a lot of your body heat. It must be why you're sweating."
Vi ignored her and curled up. "Sweatin' out a fever is good."
Caitlyn sighed. "You're sick, Vi. Sweating won't rid you of the illness. I'll make you some soup while you undress into something cooler."
"Seriously," Vi said. "I'm fine. I always do this when I get sick. I just sleep it off."
"You always do this?"
Vi nodded. "For as long as I can remember."
"You can't be comfortable. And it isn't healthy to just sleep if you aren't keeping yourself hydrated, if anything you'll just stay sick longer. Now change into cooler clothing while I make you something."
"I'm not hungry," Vi whined and planted her face back onto the couch.
Caitlyn shook her head. "That's why I'm making you soup. Is your stomach upset as well?"
A groan escaped the pink haired woman. "Yeah, that's why I haven't eaten anythin' today. I feel like I'll blow chunks if I eat somethin'."
"Then I'll make something that just has broth." Just as Caitlyn began to step towards the kitchen, Vi lifted her head to say something, but a sneeze interrupted her. The sheriff should probably count herself lucky her partner sneezed on the couch and sprayed spittle all over the leather instead of her. "New clothes, Vi."
A silent curse escaped Caitlyn when she rummaged through her pantry and every cabinet. She didn't have any canned soups nor did she have the ingredients to make it fresh. A small store was only a block away, she wouldn't have to drive and the place should have the ingredients she needed.
It took her a moment to put on a coat, shoes, her hat, and grabbed some money. She found Vi still curled up on the couch in her uniform. "I'm going to the store, I won't be gone long." Vi remained silent as she stepped out of the apartment.
Luckily, the small store did indeed have the items she needed. If Vi's stomach was upset then she wouldn't make the soup heavy. Vegetables and rice were filling, but light. When she returned to her apartment she wasn't surprised to see her roommate still hadn't budged from her spot. There was movement from the couch and Vi's pink hair came into view as Caitlyn shut the door behind her. She hoped she didn't wake her; she always hated to wake people up when they were asleep.
"Why am I not surprised that you still haven't changed?" Caitlyn said when she noticed Vi was still clad in uniform. "I'm serious, Vi. If I have to put on your gauntlets myself to lift the couch and shake you from it, I will."
A smug look came to Vi's eyes. She didn't say anything more, but seemed to finally get the point. Or she was tired of the repetitive order. A rough cough escaped her as she climbed to her feet and disappeared into the bathroom.
Finally satisfied she got Vi off the couch, Caitlyn took her bag of groceries to the small kitchen and began working on the soup. It was a simple recipe; she hoped Vi would like it. Her mother made it for her every time she got ill when she was a child. Despite having a massive appetite, Vi was a picky eater. Then again her diet was simple as she grew up, and she didn't know how to cook without a microwave, so her palate became accustomed to simple flavors. Anything with layers or complex flavors she didn't like it.
Just as the soup boiled for a few minutes, Vi emerged from the bathroom and wore shorts and a tank top. Her hair was wet and she was still rubbing a towel against her head.
"Oh, good. You showered." Caitlyn remarked as she turned off the stove and began spooning some soup into a small bowl. "You didn't take a cold-cold shower, did you?"
Vi shook her head, tossed the towel onto the couch, and sat at the small table beside the kitchen. Caitlyn served her the bowl. "Eat; I'll get you some tea."
"I hate tea," Vi said, her face scrunched in disgust as she twirled her spoon in the soup. "It tastes like dirty water."
Ignoring her comment, Caitlyn reached for her box of teas in one of the cabinets. She sought out a good tea that would hopefully settle Vi's stomach and brewed it. A little honey was added to it for some sweetness. And then she fetched some pain killers from her medicine stash. She joined Vi at the table and pushed the mug of tea and pills to her.
"The pills are fever reducers, and they'll relieve any pains and aches." She told Vi.
The soup looked untouched.
Vi probably sensed her gaze and finally spooned some soup into her mouth. Her face was in a slight frown as she rolled the broth around her tongue, but when she swallowed she all but started shoveling as much soup into her mouth as possible.
Caitlyn was glad to see she enjoyed it, but at the same time she silently watched in amazement. She didn't know anyone could eat so fast without choking. "Easy, Vi." She told her, a small grin grew on her face. "There's plenty of soup. And it's all yours."
Eat she did. It was like her appetite finally returned and tried to make up for its loss of fuel from the entire day. After she ate two more bowls she stared at her mug.
One of Caitlyn's eyebrows lifted as she watched Vi. "Are you trying to force that tea to turn into something else? It won't hurt you."
Vi looked at her a moment before she returned her gaze to the offending drink. Slowly, she lifted the mug to her lips and tilted it. Her brows lifted slightly and she fully drained every drop.
Another smile grew on Caitlyn's face. "Why don't you rest, I'll clean up."
Vi shrugged, no doubt she wouldn't complain about not having to do the dishes, which was something Caitlyn expected her to do as she did all the cooking. Once the leftovers were in the fridge and all the dishes washed and put away, Caitlyn returned and found Vi sitting upward on the couch, her eyes closed. Her cheeks weren't flushed, which was a good sign so far. Tentatively, Caitlyn reached over and placed her hand on her forehead again. Upon contact, Vi's eyes opened slowly. Her blue orbs were slow to focus on her, they looked hazy.
"You're still burning up," Caitlyn said. She withdrew her hand. "How're you feeling? Is your stomach still upset?"
Vi sneezed, and she wiped her nose along her arm again. Caitlyn quickly made a mental note to find her a box of tissues and convince her limbs are not a good substitute. "Still feel like crap," she replied. Then she shook her head. "Naw, I think that tea helped. Stomach doesn't feel like I'll puke if I look at food."
Caitlyn nodded. "That's an improvement. Just rest. If you need anything I'll get it for you."
Vi looked at her and lifted her scarred eyebrow.
"No alcohol, and I wouldn't recommend smoking with that cough of yours."
Vi's face fell into a slight scowl and she cursed. Then her features softened when a yawn overtook her and she settled back against the pillows before she shut her eyes.
Time was lost to the sheriff of Piltover. She continued to read her book, Vi remained asleep but she periodically coughed or sneezed. When Caitlyn read a third into the book her eyes grew heavy. She placed the book aside, stood and stretched, and checked on her sleeping roommate one last time before she retired to her bedroom.
Vi had laid on the couch, but she was curled again. With Caitlyn's overactive observant eyes she noticed she shivered. She placed her hand on her face again, but her skin was still too warm. She retrieved a blanket and draped it over her brash friend, thankfully she remained asleep.
Even though her eyes were once heavy with fatigue, the moment Caitlyn slipped into her sleeping clothes and climbed under her covers sleep avoided her. She waited several minutes for the fatigue to kick back in, but she could still hear Vi's occasional coughs. Eventually, she gave up on sleep and returned to the living room. She checked Vi again. Her shivers ceased, but the blanket increased her skins warmth.
Caitlyn stepped into the bathroom and soaked a small towel in cold water, squeezed out the excess water, and returned to Vi's side and placed the damp cloth on her forehead. Then she returned to the free couch and grabbed her book. An hour passed before her eyes grew heavy again. When she returned to her room and sunk under the covers, this time, she fell asleep.
The morning came too soon, Caitlyn felt as if she just slept for an hour. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she climbed out of her bed. It was time for her usual morning routine. She showered, dressed into her uniform, and as she made her way to the kitchen to fix breakfast she nearly called out to Vi to wake her. If she was still sick then she didn't want to disturb her.
Vi looked as if she hadn't moved, she was still curled under the blanket and the now dry towel on her forehead was still present. Her cheeks were flushed and her skin still felt too warm. The soft touch to her face woke her. Her eyelids fluttered before they fully lifted. It took her a moment for her eyes to adjust on Caitlyn, and then she groaned. "Alright, alright, I'm gettin' up."
Caitlyn shook her head, a gesture that went unseen as her partner was currently rubbing her eyes. Vi was not a morning person, often times Caitlyn had to pester her to get ready for work. She placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her from sitting upward. "You can't go to work, you're still ill."
"Naw, I'm fine," Vi replied.
"You still have a fever." Caitlyn swiped the towel that was still on Vi's pale forehead. "You stay and rest."
There was a spark of defiance in Vi's eyes. She opened her mouth, probably to argue, but Caitlyn gave her a stern stare. "It's just a fever, I'm fine."
The brunette shook her head. "Yesterday you were sleeping at any opportunity. Now I wonder if your reports were even comprehensible. We don't have any cases right now, it's best you rest up."
"What am I supposed'ta do here all day?"
Caitlyn already made her way to fix herself something to eat. "You said when you're sick you sleep it off. Just rest. There's more soup and dinner's leftovers when you're hungry. And I'll make you some more tea for your stomach." Her reply was the plop Vi made when she laid back onto the leather couch. "Did you want some breakfast?"
"Not hungry," Vi mumbled, her voice muffled probably from the pillow.
"Is your stomach still upset?"
"Naw, just not hungry."
After she ate Caitlyn was ready to leave. Before she left she checked if Vi was asleep, she was still lying on the couch but her eyes were open and staring at the ceiling. A sliver of worry hit her; she really hoped Vi wouldn't destroy the place while she was gone. As she thought about it, this would be the first time she left Vi alone in the apartment. "Try not to smash the walls down while I'm gone." A chuckle escaped Vi, but it immediately transitioned to a wet cough. Caitlyn made a mental note to pick up some cough medicine on her way home.
Her day at the office was uneventful, thankfully. She spent most of the day filing more paperwork. Once her shift ended, she couldn't help but feel dread during the trip back to her apartment. However, upon seeing her home still in one piece, at least from the outside, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Then she walked inside.
Nine hours was all Vi needed to turn her clean apartment into a mess. Empty water bottles, hextech magazines, crumbled tissues, and an empty bowl littered her desk and coffee table. The mess promptly angered Caitlyn, she was a clean person, and to see her home in its current state did not sit well with her. To calm herself, she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled as she headed for her room. Before she scolded Vi she would prefer to be out of her shoes and uniform.
Another surprise waited for the brunette inside her room, however. Vi, clad in a purple tank top with small cog patterns on it and underwear, was sprawled on her bed. She was lying on her back, one arm was draped across her eyes, and her other arm and one of her legs hung off the edge of the bed. The blanket Vi had been using was crumbled across her stomach.
The anger was back, and it was more powerful than before. It was one thing for Vi to not clean up after herself in the kitchen and living room, but she hadn't expected her to use her bed. Despite the fact that she was immune to Vi's illness didn't mean she looked forward to sleeping in the same bed sheets that have probably been sneezed, coughed, and probably soaked with Vi's sweat.
Caitlyn barely managed to contain her anger and not take it out of her rifle and hat as she carefully placed them on top of her dresser. She kicked off her shoes and mulled about how to wake her roommate. After several ideas flashed through her head, she stepped next to the sleeping woman and was about to bring one of her ideas to life, but she hesitated when Vi removed her arm and turned towards her, her eyes remained closed, and curled up. Her face contorted as if something hurt her and then her face smoothed.
Another sigh escaped the brunette. She couldn't bring herself to lash out at Vi. This was the first time she ever saw the woman look so vulnerable. Her cheeks were still flushed and her bangs clung to her forehead. Caitlyn checked for a fever, it was still present.
Empathy overpowered the anger within the sheriff. She carefully smoothed the blanket so it would at least cover Vi's lower half to give her some decency before she changed out of her uniform and got to work on cleaning her apartment.
It wouldn't take long to clean Vi's mess. Caitlyn had planned to clean her rifle and bake some cupcakes for her department's annual cookout tomorrow, so she hoped she had time to do everything. And once Vi woke up she would need to wash her bed sheets. Her extra ones were dirty and were also in need of a wash. She didn't exactly want to sleep in a bed with no bed sheets. And the nights were too cold to sleep without covers either.
After she brought her living room and kitchen back to its clean state before she left in the morning, Caitlyn almost regretted stepping into the bathroom. She shouldn't have been surprised to see that the lavatory fell victim to Vi, but she still was. Clothes and damp towels decorated the tiled floor and strangely enough there was a bottle of oil on the sink counter. Worse, Vi was still in the habit of trimming the left side of her head so there were small pink hairs all over the sink.
I'm beginning to miss living alone.
Cleaning the bathroom consumed another hour. Due to all of the cleaning, and since it had been hours since she had last eaten, an appetite arose. But Caitlyn decided warming up leftovers would be less time consuming, plus she still had to bake cupcakes. With that thought, she decided to get started on baking before she ate. She had just washed the dishes she used for her meal when she heard Vi's cough. At first she didn't think anything of it, but the coughs wouldn't let up and soon it almost sounded like she was retching.
Caitlyn felt her stomach drop to her feet. If Vi vomited in her bedroom then anger would surely stomp out every inch of empathy in her system. She wouldn't be the one to clean up that mess either.
Relief flooded her veins when she stepped into her room. Vi was awake, sitting up, and was trying to take some swallows from her bottled water between coughs, and there was no sign of vomit anywhere. However, a slight smirk grew on Caitlyn's lips when she recognized the surprise look Vi had when she noticed her presence.
"Umm," Vi muttered after her coughing attack passed. "You're home early."
The smirk on Caitlyn's face faded and her brows lowered as she frowned. Vi looked and sounded worse since she last seen her in the morning. Her voice was hoarse, the tip of her nose was red and raw, and her eyes had a permanent exhausted appearance. "It's evening." She pointed out the window in her room. "What I'm wondering is, why are you in my bed?"
"Umm," Vi mumbled. "Well my back was hurtin', so I just wanted to straighten it out."
"On my bed," Caitlyn repeated.
"It's better than the floor, too hard and flat. I needed somethin' softer." Caitlyn didn't respond, she simply shook her head and sighed loudly. "I didn't mean to sleep; I just wanted to lie down for a minute or two, I swear. I musta accidentally fallen asleep."
Caitlyn wanted to kick her out of her room, remove her bed sheets and wash them, but her muscles whined at the thought. It was a long day at the office with filing paperwork; she attended a few meetings, and was at a standstill with two interrogations. She didn't mind taking care of Vi by making soup for her, picking up some medicine, and make sure her fever didn't escalate too high, but cleaning up after her was tiring. The last thing she wanted to do right now was to sit in the laundry room on the other side of her apartment complex and fight for a vacant washing machine.
Was it worth the extra work to retrieve her bed back or should she just let Vi keep her bed until she got better? The words that came out of her mouth were involuntarily. "You already contaminated my sheets and I'm not in the mood to wash them." Vi opened her mouth to reply, but she was faster and continued speaking. "And you are too sick to wash them yourself. You'd probably get the entire apartment complex sick. No, you just…stay and rest."
She half expected Vi to shrug and throw herself back onto her mattress and roll around, it was what she did when she offered her the couch to sleep on when she first moved in. Instead, Vi frowned and straightened her back.
"You're givin' me your bed? What's the catch?"
Caitlyn felt confused by the remark and tilted her head to the right slightly as she watched her pink haired roommate. "What do you mean? I'm giving you my bed until you feel better. It won't be permanent."
Vi sneezed and rubbed her nose along her arm, which earned another grimace from the brunette. "I know that, but why gimme your bed at all? What's the price?"
"Oh, Vi." Caitlyn replied. She finally understood her concern. "There is no price, I'm just," she paused when she nearly said a favor. That would be the wrong word to use as Vi would still see it as a form of debt. "I'm just doing everything I can to help you feel better while you recover from the flu. It's what friends do."
The frown didn't fade from the other woman's flushed face. "Friends do things without asking for a favor or whatever in return?"
All trace of annoyance and anger that Caitlyn once felt completely evaporated from her system. She continued to watch Vi and began to see her in a different perspective. The idea of her growing into adulthood and never having a friend before gave her a strong urge to hug the woman.
"Besides," Vi continued, "I thought you were mad at me."
Caitlyn stepped next to the bed and sat on the edge of it. "That's also a part of being friends, we may not agree with each other and sometimes we'll have arguments. That doesn't mean I won't help you when the need arises."
The frown on the other woman's face was still present, but it slowly softened as she thought over Caitlyn's words. "You sure there's no catch for usin' your bed?"
A soft chuckle escaped the sheriff of Piltover. "I promise you, Vi, while you have the flu you can use my bed. Once you're feeling better then I'm afraid it's the couch again for you."
It was hard to see the small grin that grew on the corner of Vi's lips. "Uh, thanks, cupcake." That was when she finally did throw herself back onto the mattress and roll around until she found her comfort spot and curled up.
"Cupcake?" One of Caitlyn's eyebrows shot upward. She was aware of Vi's tendency to give everyone she met nicknames, instead of using their actual names, but since they became partners she never referred to Caitlyn by anything other than sheriff.
"Yeah, 'cuz yer hat. From far away it looks like a cupcake." She sneezed again and before she could use her arm to clean the mucus that steadily made its way down her nostrils, Caitlyn practically shoved a small box of tissues in her face. It took two tissues for Vi to blow out what sounded like her brains until she was content. "And you're always makin' cupcakes too. I can kinda smell 'em now."
Caitlyn glanced at the time on her bedside clock and realized the cupcakes would be ready to come out. "Do you need anything from the kitchen?"
Since blowing her nose, and with permission to remain on the bed, Vi made herself even more comfortable by climbing under the bed sheets and stacking two pillows beneath her head. "A hard drink would hit the spot."
"Water it is then."
After the cupcakes were removed from the oven and left out to cool, Caitlyn returned to her room with water and the medicine she bought. Vi was lying curled up on a side, the pillows forgotten on the floor and the sheets tangled around her legs.
She wasn't lying when she said she sleeps off the flu.
Caitlyn sort of regretted placing her items on the table next to the bed, even though she made little to no noise it was still loud enough to rouse Vi awake. Her eyelids opened to show bloodshot eyes.
"Sorry," Caitlyn told her. "I forget how much of a light sleeper you are."
Vi shrugged with the shoulder she wasn't sleeping on. "I wasn't sleepin', just restin' my eyes."
The brunette sat on the edge of the bed and then reached for the medicine and poured a dose into its plastic cup. "Then sit up so you can drink this."
Vi frowned. "What is it?"
"Medicine."
"Don't need it."
"It'll help with your throat and fever. Now sit up."
The frown didn't leave her face, but she obeyed and slowly sat up. She studied the thick red liquid in the small cup for a long moment before she tossed it to the back of her throat akin to how one would toss back a shot of liquor. Her face promptly scrunched in disgust and she coughed.
"That tastes like ass." She eagerly drank from the water she was then given.
Caitlyn smiled weakly. "I would ask how you know what 'ass' tastes like, but I don't think I want to know."
Vi didn't comment, or maybe she would have if a sneeze didn't erupt from her. Caitlyn offered her another tissue before she could use her arm. "Why aren't'cha worried about gettin' sick?"
"I got the flu shot about a week ago. So I'm immune for now." Caitlyn quickly took back the small plastic cup before Vi crumbled it in her grip.
"The medicine isn't workin'," Vi said before she fell into another coughing fit.
"It needs time," Caitlyn grinned. "You really should become more patient with things."
Vi scoffed as she dug back under the covers. "Whatever."
Caitlyn left for the bathroom to fetch a damp towel and returned to Vi's side to place it on her forehead. The pink haired woman opened her eyes again upon contact with the cool cloth. "What's this for?"
"It's to cool you off so your fever won't get so high."
Vi frowned again. "This another friend thing or whatever?"
Caitlyn shrugged. "Sort of. My mother used to do this whenever I had a fever as a child."
"Wasn't she worried 'bout gettin' sick?"
Pity ate at Caitlyn. She understood where Vi was getting at. "Not at all. Why do you ask that?"
Vi shrugged. "Was wonderin'. When I was runnin' with some people we'd all avoid someone if they got sick."
"Including you?"
"Yep."
An image popped into Caitlyn's brain, she pictured a small, vulnerable pink haired girl with a flushed face, coughing and curled up in a room alone. The thought was depressing. "Well that's the difference, you refer to them as 'people that you ran with' and not friends. Family and friends are different. Even if I didn't take the flu vaccine, I'd still be here."
The sick woman remained silent as if she pondered about Caitlyn's words. Finally, she said, with her voice heavy with fatigue, "thanks for all this, cupcake. I owe ya."
Caitlyn shook her head and sighed. "I told you, you don't owe me anything. Just rest and you'll get better soon."
Gratitude flashed in Vi's eyes. It was something Caitlyn observed frequently in citizen's eyes whenever she solved a case that either saved their loved ones or gave them justice. Her eyelids appeared to get heavier and heavier as they slowly lowered until they fully closed and she was silent. Caitlyn smiled one final time until she slowly stepped out of her room and shut the door behind her. It was sad to think that Vi grew up without knowing the love of a parent, but at least now she could experience the love of a friend.
Later that night when Caitlyn retired for the evening, as she laid in the couch waiting for sleep to claim her she made a mental note to look into two-bedroom apartments. If Vi had no interest in moving out then she should at least get a room and bed of her own. Sleeping on the couch wasn't nearly as comfortable as Vi claimed it to be.
She couldn't shake the feeling that it would be a hassle to get Vi to give her bed back.