Convalescence
By Eadon
Disclaimer: League characters belong to Riot.
Two days since Jayce showed Vi his personal gym, they both fell into a predictable routine. Early mornings they'd spar. She would sometimes remain and workout further, and ignored Jayce and his bots advice to not strain herself. In the afternoons they worked on hextech, he had offered to show her ways to improve certain small things about her gauntlets (such as altering the steam vents on her gauntlets so said steam wouldn't burn her elbows). And in the evenings they both relaxed, though both of their preferences to relax were stark opposite: Jayce enjoyed reading or cleaning his Mercury Hammer while Vi drank until she fell asleep.
It's baffling she doesn't suffer hangovers, Jayce thought. Still, Vi's consistent drinking worried him. He couldn't talk to her about it as she'd just walk off and ignore him. His patience with her was approaching its peak.
His thoughts were immediately halted by the sight of a rapidly approaching padded fist hurling right for his jaw. He barely managed to duck, but Vi quickly followed up with another punch to his gut. There was an opening as she recovered and Jayce quickly took advantage and connected his elbow to the side of Vi's padded helmet.
He heard her grunt and knew he had the upper hand. Her eyes rapidly blinked and she tried to counter with another jab, but Jayce was ready. He caught her forearm, stepped back to avoid her knee, and quickly moved behind her as he folded her arm behind her back. His foot kicked the back of her knee and she collapsed, but he mentally cursed when he felt her other hand grip onto the back of his neck and pulled him over her shoulders.
The air in his lungs was forcibly pushed out of his lungs when he landed on the floor with a loud thud. Before Jayce could move, Vi's forearm dug painfully into his neck. He tried to push her off, but she rebelled by sliding her arm so her elbow pressed against his windpipe. He had this lost; Jayce tapped her arm twice to signal his defeat.
Vi promptly released him and collapsed on the matted floor next to him, her chest rose and fell with every rapid breath. Jayce slowly sat up; his hand massaged his neck, and reached for his water bottle.
"Toss me mine, woulda?" Vi gasped from the floor.
Jayce tried to climb to his feet, but he was completely spent of energy for the moment. Judging by how Vi was sprawled on the floor it was safe to assume she was in the same condition. He did as she asked and leaned against the wall as he rehydrated.
"You're doing better," said Vi. "Keep this up, and you just may give me some decent practice."
That was the closest to a compliment Jayce would ever hear from her so his chest puffed out in pride. He'd beat her in a spar one day or maybe even on the fields of justice. And he hoped by then she'd respect him enough to see him as a friend. It was infuriating that she constantly kept him at a miles distance and always had this anti-friend wall around herself.
Thunder struck and the walls vibrated. The brunette gazed out the window and watched as rain poured down the window. Every day it always rained and he found it depressing. He missed feeling the sun against his skin. Actually, he just missed going outside at all.
"Have you spoken to Cait?" Vi asked suddenly.
"No, not since the last time she came to visit. I've been meaning to call her."
"Can't wait to get rid of me, hammer head?"
Jayce hadn't noticed she was sitting beside him until he turned to face her. "No! I'm just curious if she found out more about the people that kidnapped you."
Vi chuckled and nudged him in the ribs with her elbow. "Ah, so you enjoy havin' me around?"
The inventor answered truthfully, "yes, of course I do." He looked to her again and offered her a small grin. Vi wasn't like the women he normally charmed, but she was a woman nonetheless so trying couldn't hurt.
As he predicted, she rolled her eyes. She used his shoulder as leverage to help herself climb to her feet then she stretched which gave Jayce a quick glimpse of her scarred back. He tried to avoid his eyes peeking downward, but he failed and succumbed to the temptation. Heat formed in his cheeks so he distracted himself by standing and removing the sparring equipment. When they both had their equipment off they headed to the kitchen to eat and discussed hextech. Afterwards, they both went their separate ways into their own bathrooms for well needed showers.
Jayce had just managed to rinse off the shampoo from his hair when he heard his phone ring. Apollo answered his calls, but he needed to be recharged after he served breakfast. He cursed and quickly wrapped a towel around his waist before he stepped out and answered the call.
"Jayce, it's Caitlyn."
She always has perfect timing, he thought. "Sheriff, what can I do for you? Need me to look over some hextech? Or do you need your rifle checked for another upgrade?" It may not be needed for him to put up the act of keeping their conversation strictly professional, but if the prime suspect was a Piltover Officer then he didn't want to risk that person listening in on Caitlyn's phone calls at her office.
"I have a favor to ask of you," she replied.
"Of course, what can I do?"
"I received an 'anonymous' tip that Jinx may attack the city again, very soon. And she may hit somewhere nearby your house." She paused a moment. Jayce envisioned she was either biting her lip or maybe rubbing her eyes. "Despite you being the Defender of Tomorrow, I must ask that you do not get involved if Jinx does attack."
A frown grew on Jayce's face. "If she attacks you know I can't just sit idly by and do nothing!"
"Jayce, please." The inventor could plainly hear the fatigue in her voice, which prompted him to cease arguing further. "The tip reported three places that Jinx will attack simultaneously; they're all near your neighborhood. I've decided which site to personally go to, and I've had to split my police force among the other places. I can't have you getting involved and possibly get someone hurt. Please promise me you won't get involved and just stay home."
He was fully aware of what exactly she was asking: keep Vi in line and don't let her out to chase Jinx. Frankly, he wasn't sure he'd be able to keep that promise. Sparring with Caitlyn's ex-partner was barely enough to keep her restlessness at bay, but if Jinx were to appear she would probably punch him if he tried to stop her.
A heavy sigh escaped him. "I can't promise that, Sheriff. I mean….I'll try, but I can't guarantee I'll do nothing if Jinx appears. You know I made a vow to protect Piltover."
She was quiet for a moment. "I guess I have no choice but to accept that. Alright, when this is over, and hopefully Jinx is in custody, I'll give you a call. My rifle hasn't been performing up to my standards recently."
A small smile came to Jayce's lips. He hoped she had news about Vi's kidnappers. His Mercury Hammer was aching to pulverize the people that hurt Vi physically and mentally. "You don't even have to call, you're welcome to stop by and drop it off at my house any time."
They both said their goodbyes, and Jayce returned to the shower and washed furiously. If Caitlyn predicted an attack, then it would very well happen. She was a genius when it came to tracking and noting the habits people did, and as a result she was very accurate in predicting when and where criminals would hit next. And if Jinx were to attack, then he needed to be ready to keep Vi inside the house.
Question was how would he go about doing that?
Finished with his shower, Jayce quickly towel dried and pulled on some slacks and a long sleeved shirt. He preferred to walk around his home barefoot, but in case he needed to get out in a hurry he would leave his boots by the door and put his socks on. He kept a jacket on the coat hanger by the door, so he could grab that too if needed. He would also need to subtly leave his Mercury Hammer within fast reach downstairs as well.
Another worry came to mind, despite the way Vi acted, and as he's learned within the past week, she was observant and may very well notice all these things he was preparing. He obviously couldn't tell her the truth. Well, he would cross that bridge when and if it came.
Thankfully, Vi didn't pass by as he placed his boots by the door and his Hammer in a nearby linen closet. For now, all he could do was wait and try to keep Vi distracted. However, when Jinx attacked she made sure the entire city knew it. So trying to keep Vi busy may not work.
A curse escaped Jayce's lips when he spotted her outside in the backyard. When she took a smoke break she remained outside sometimes for an hour or more. He didn't blame her for wanting to remain outside in the fresh air; he, too, was beginning to feel the stress of remaining home bound for over a week straight. If he rushed her to go back inside the house she'd undoubtedly grow suspicious.
An idea came to fruition. Vi hated to talk about her personal problems. All he had to do was attempt to talk them over with her. No doubt she'd rush back into the house to avoid talking to him. The idea made him feel like a dick, but it couldn't be helped.
"Crappy weather, isn't it?" Jayce said when he stepped outside. He couldn't just immediately say, hey Vi want to talk about your problems? He had to approach the subject slowly. She was sitting with her legs folded underneath her on a chair, so he took the empty seat next to her.
The pink haired woman nodded as she took a pull from her cigarette. "I hate rain with a passion."
"Does it make you feel down as well?"
She shook her head. "No, I fuckin' hate it because even criminals hate to get wet, and it's hell to drive in the weather. So they usually took the day off. Without heists to interrupt and rob, I had no parts to use on my gauntlets or have shit to sell to buy food."
Vi's past always fascinated Jayce. He felt like a young boy again eager to hear a war hero's battle story. "What would you do when it rained for days?"
She angrily exhaled, smoke flying out of her lips as she did so. As a non-smoker, Jayce normally didn't like it when women smoked; he found it a turn off. But with Vi he strangely didn't mind, it added to her tough girl look that she sported so well.
"I depended on heists, so if none were happenin' then I had to make whatever money I had stretch."
"And if you didn't have any?"
"What do you think? I just had to tough it out."
"You couldn't seek out criminals in their hideouts or something?"
She scoffed. "If I did they wouldn't have any loot. Any half decent thief sells their shit as soon as possible. Or they ship it out of Piltover."
A distant rumble caused Jayce's ears to perk and his breath froze.
Perhaps it's just the thunder, he thought.
"What's that?"
Jayce cursed. He could distinctly make out the trail of smoke a couple of blocks away. "Must be a fire," he replied. "It's strange that this heavy rain doesn't put it out."
Vi stood and stared into the direction of the smoke for a long moment. Jayce felt his blood turn to ice and he desperately thought of something to say to bring her into the house, but his mind remained blank. Then she put out her cigarette into her portable dispenser and made her way back into the house. Breathing a sigh of relief, Jayce followed close behind her.
A sudden and loud blast nearly made them both jump out of their skin. Jayce didn't have to turn around to know what happened, but Vi took only a second to look back and her face changed. She rushed back into the house and bolted for the workshop.
"Vi, you can't go out there!" He followed closely and hoped he could trap her in the room, but she quickly rushed out with her gauntlets. One look at the giant hextech weapons and he nearly stepped aside and allowed her to run off.
"There's only one crazy bitch that would do that in broad daylight!" Vi disappeared into her room for another moment then emerged with her boots and gauntlets on. "She's not getting away this time."
Jayce swallowed his fear of getting punched in the face and grabbed her arm. "You'll be spotted! Let Caitlyn handle this."
Vi tugged her arm away. "I don't give a fuck if the whole city sees me! I'm catching that scrawny psycho."
Whatever Jayce originally planned to tell Vi to convince her to stay was long gone. He thought about knocking her unconscious, it would be easy since her back was to him, but he couldn't bring himself to do that. And he'd be lying if he said he wasn't afraid of how she'd react when she woke up.
Caitlyn's words about Vi were still fresh in his head, once she made up her mind about something it was impossible to convince her otherwise.
"Damnit!" He rushed for his jacket, boots, and hammer. "Just wait for me!"
How Vi was able to lift the hood of her jacket over her hair with her massive gauntlet, Jayce couldn't fathom. "Stay home, pretty boy. You'll just get in my way."
She didn't wait for his response. She quickly bolted out through the back and jumped the fence. Stunned she ran out of his sight so fast, and how she even managed to jump the fence, Jayce barely had the time to grab his hammer and followed in her footsteps and spotted the direction she ran in before she turned a corner and out of his sight.
He thought about going back and grabbing his vehicle, but the closer he got to the chaos the more he realized taking a car wouldn't have been a good idea due to the traffic build up. Dozens of people ran away from the explosions and falling debris which made it difficult for him to run toward them. He spotted Vi well ahead of him using her massive gauntlets as a shield to part her way through the crowd. Jayce wished he could catch up, but she had too well of a head start.
Jayce's legs and chest burned and running in the cold made his throat feel raw, but he ignored the pain and continued chasing after Vi. How long he ran, he didn't know, but once he arrived to what looked like the origin of the chaos he fought the urge to lean on his knees and catch his breath.
He stood in front of a burning warehouse. There were several police bots either in pieces scattered on the street and sidewalks or slowly made their way to the burning warehouse, shooting as they approached. Most people and yordles had the sense to run away at least, there weren't any lingering gawkers. Then he noticed Vi charging to the side of the warehouse, steam hissed out of her gauntlets and the knuckles lit up in a dimmed red color.
With a curse, Jayce ran after her. It was easy enough to avoid detection from the bots, they were too busy shooting or getting shot. Vi was always a step ahead of him. Once he caught up to where she headed he found her missing but a large, gaping hole stared at him.
One step into the warehouse and he had to quickly run for cover as a trail of bullets hailed down where he stood a moment before. Vi glared at him as he joined her behind a tall pile of crates. Whatever was inside the crates Jayce was grateful they soaked the bullets nicely; he wouldn't have to worry about a bullet going through the wood and hitting him.
For now.
"The fuck are you doin' here? I told you to stay home!" Vi hissed.
"Do you seriously think I'd just stay?" His arm twitched when he felt wood splinters scrape against his cheeks. A bullet went through the crate and narrowly missed him. "So what's the plan?"
Vi looked at him as if he grew a second mouth on his forehead. "I don't need a plan."
Jayce cried out when a bullet pierced the crate and grazed his ear. It didn't hurt terribly; it was mostly the shock of the bullet touching his skin. There was a quick flash of concern on Vi's face before it converted to anger. She looked around the area then motioned for him to stay.
He watched as she miraculously weaved from cover to cover. She peeked over a crate and barely managed to duck behind it again as more bullets showered around her. Then she turned to him and nodded.
Not quite sure of what she meant, Jayce peeked over his own cover and quickly scanned for the hostiles. There! Three men were several feet away from them, two were shooting in Vi's direction and the third was reloading his weapon, none of them kept an eye on him.
He wasn't going to waste this opportunity. He quickly changed his hammer into its canon form and fired at the men. Thankfully they were within close proximity to each other and the blast knocked them all to their backs.
Vi was on them in a heartbeat. She kicked the gun out of the reach of one, punched one that was slowly getting up, and then sat on the chest on the third. By the time Jayce approached her she punched the guy then ran further into the warehouse.
"Wait!" He sprinted to catch up to her. "What'd he say?"
"No time! We have to get to the back before she takes off!"
Jayce didn't have the chance to ask what she meant; he just followed Vi. As they ran further into the warehouse the sound of vehicles and voices steadily overpowered the gunfire from the front entrance. They both paused and hid behind another pile of crates as they watched the scene before them. Half a dozen people were loading crates and bags into two large transport vehicles. Then Jayce heard her voice. Jinx stood atop one of the vehicles, jumping and waving her arms over her head as she shouted at her men to hurry.
Vi tore away from their hiding spot and charged the vehicle, her gauntlets glowing and a trail of steam following behind her. Jinx and her men promptly noticed her presence. With a large smile showing off perfect white teeth, Jinx aimed a small firearm at Vi, but didn't immediately shoot.
Jayce watched helplessly as the madwoman's goons aimed their own firearms at fire and fired. Vi avoided the wave of projectiles by diving behind another unused transport vehicle. With no attention on himself, Jayce tried to flank from their other side.
"As much as I want to play, fat hands," Jinx giggled from her position as she decided to pull out her minigun and join her men in firing at Vi. "I have places to go!" She stomped on the roof of the vehicle before she dropped her weapon on the floor then pulled out her other weapon, a rocket launcher, and placed it on her shoulder. With that huge smile still plastered on her face, she aimed to the ceiling of the warehouse and sent a barrage of rockets to it.
In that moment, with Jinx's attention on the ceiling, Vi charged at the vehicle with both her gauntlets glowing and steam hissing trailing behind her. Jayce winced as he observed Jinx quickly revert her attention to the ex-enforcer and fire at her with a small pistol. Vi was so focused on closing the gap between them she didn't have the time to dodge the bolt of electricity that shot out of the small firearm and right into her chest.
When she collapsed onto her knees, Jayce picked up his speed and fired his Mercury Canon at Jinx, but it missed her when she ducked to grip onto the corner of the cargo box so she wouldn't fall off the now moving vehicle.
A pile of bricks nearly fell on Jayce's head if he had been running any faster. The thought to zip zap struck him, but the fact that other bricks, pipes, and other debris rained down at every location he didn't think it'd be effective. He just had to run as fast as he could and wish luck was on his side.
Vi had recovered and stood up by the time he reached her. The inventor had to crush his urge to check her for any injuries from that shot, but she wasn't bleeding. And she seemed to be all right, especially since she was able to run out of the warehouse and match his speed.
"Fuck!" Vi cursed when they safely reached outside. She watched the two transport vehicles that Jinx took plow through the police cars and nearly run over the people on the sidewalk.
"What do we do now?" Jayce asked.
The ex-enforcer noticed an abandoned police car nearby. Both front doors were open and gears, bolts, and bronze scrap metal were in a pile near the car, which gave both Jayce and Vi a hint of where the police car's owner had gone.
Vi all but jumped into the driver seat, tossed her gauntlets in the backseat, and started the hextech engine. Jayce quickly joined her in the passenger seat before she could take off and he struggled to put the safety belt on as Vi recklessly turned a corner and sped up to catch up to Jinx.
"Easy, easy!" Jayce warned. He cringed with every sharp turn and wanted to jump out the window whenever it looked like they would crash into another vehicle. "You're going to kill us!"
Vi didn't pay him any mind. Her eyes were set in a deadly glare and she kept pushing the car to its limits to catch up to Jinx. Other police cars eventually appeared to stop the cargo vehicles, but they were either shot at or crushed. Jayce frowned as he watched every new police car or blimp get immediately taken out once one appeared, yet the car he and Vi occupied had yet to be attacked.
Does Jinx want us to follow her?
Jayce asked Vi what he was wandering, but she didn't acknowledge him. Her mind was solely focused on staying behind Jinx's tail. They eventually reached the outskirts of Piltover and headed straight for one of the bridges that served as an entrance to the city.
"Cogs, don't tell me she's going to destroy it." Jayce said more to himself. He hoped even more that Jinx wouldn't destroy the bridge as they were crossing it.
Once their car caught up to the second cargo vehicle Vi rammed into its back repeatedly until the massive vehicle lost control and drove off the bridge and right into the water below. All the while Vi was somehow able to avoid losing control of the car herself. Jayce didn't know if he was going to have a heart attack or become sick out the window.
Their car sped up again until they were leveled with the vehicle that Jinx was still atop of. Why she didn't attack them, Jayce couldn't fathom. She waved at them and still donned her trademark wide smile. She didn't even appear to care she lost half of her stolen loot.
"Grab the wheel!"
Jayce turned to Vi so hard he felt a pop in the back of his neck and winced. "What?"
When she let go of the steering wheel and reached for her gauntlets Jayce realized she wasn't kidding. He quickly grabbed the wheel and straightened the vehicle before they crashed. Then he realized the fact that the bridge was empty of any traffic. Most likely Caitlyn had it cleared when the warehouse was hit.
With her gauntlets on, Vi lowered her door window and leaned out of it until she was able to sit on the door. Jayce felt his blood freeze.
She isn't doing what I think she is…is she?
"Vi, what are you—"
She jumped. Jayce nearly lost control from the shock, and worry, but he forced himself to remain calm. Vi landed on top of the vehicle roughly, but she pulled herself up on it. Jinx did nothing to stop her, thankfully.
Vi looked to have difficulty remaining on the cargo box due to the speed of the vehicle, but she just punched into it and created a dent so her gauntlet had a way to hang on. Jayce wasn't sure if he should keep up with the car or try to get on it himself. He shook his head at the thought. There was no way he could join Vi. She was on her own, and he was helpless to do anything but watch.
They were nearing the end of the bridge. Then Jayce saw them. A line of police cars, police sentry bots, and officers waited at the end for them. He slowed and remained behind the cargo truck.
His heart nearly leaped out of his chest when he saw Jinx shoot Vi with her small pistol again. There was no way Vi was able to avoid it, she collapsed onto her knees. Jinx then stood and faced the line of police cars and aimed her rocket launcher at it before she released a well too perfect placed rocket at the center car.
The combination of hextech and a rocket made quick work of the other cars. All the vehicles burst into a blue explosion. Jayce felt a combination of sick and hatred. He was powerless to do anything to Jinx. He only hoped that the live police officers were able to get away from the explosion.
The truck plowed through the burnt rubble of the vehicle barricade, unfazed by the impact, and kept going. Jayce was unsure if he should remain behind it or go back to its side. When Vi was hit by another electric bolt and nearly fell off, Jayce made up his mind to be close to the back of the truck as possible. If Vi fell off she could land on the hood of the police car.
Vi was relentless. She kept climbing to her feet and tried to charge at Jinx, but her limited fighting ground was working against someone that fought from a distance. Jayce grew more and more furious with every electric bolt that struck Vi. He wished he could somehow help her. He thought about ramming the car into the side of the truck, but he risked knocking Vi as much as Jinx. There was no way he could use his Mercury Canon either.
Piltover was already far behind them and no police vehicles seemed to be following them. Jayce didn't know if that was a good or bad thing. There was a blimp that seemed to be facing their direction at least.
Jinx either grew bored or irritated with Vi's persistence. Rather than shooting her with another electric bolt, she pulled out her minigun and fired at Vi's feet. With nowhere else to go but back to avoid the bullets, Vi stopped where the cargo box ended. Jayce gripped the wheel hard until his knuckles turned white, but thankfully Jinx didn't resume shooting. She quickly switched to her rocket launcher and aimed a rocket right for Vi's face.
The ex-enforcer threw herself down and avoided the rocket, but that gave Jinx time to switch to her final firearm, the small pistol that shot electric bolts. She fired and struck Vi in the chest again, then the truck made a sudden hard turn.
Jayce's eyes turned to saucers as he watched Vi nearly fall off, but she somehow kept hold to the back of the cargo box with her right arm, her feet dangled below her as she tried to find leverage to hoist herself back up. That was when Jayce drove as close to the truck as possible, the hood of the car was at least a foot below Vi's dangling feet.
"Jump down!" He yelled at her. They had this lost. There was no way they would be able to stop Jinx without getting seriously hurt themselves.
Vi looked down before she let go of the truck and landed roughly on the hood of the police car. Jayce knew he couldn't reduce the speed too suddenly or else he risked knocking Vi off. Then he cursed when he saw Jinx aim at them with her rocket launcher. He couldn't turn or brake or he'd hurt his passenger.
"Vi!" He yelled as loud as he could. "I need you to brace yourself, even if it destroys the engine!"
She didn't acknowledge him, she simply punched down on the far left side of the hood to bury her gauntlet into the metal, as far away from the engine as possible. The rocket barely missed them, but the explosion rocked them and Jayce couldn't regain control of the car. He did his best to keep themselves from flipping over; doing so would kill Vi. He felt more than heard them drive off the road and onto dirt. They were knocked right into the cluster of trees.
How he was able to keep from colliding into a tree, Jayce could only thank his luck. By the time the car came to a halt, he was relieved to see that Vi was able to hang on. His door wouldn't open so he had to climb out the open window. Rather than looking for the truck they spent who knows how long chasing, Jayce's only concern was Vi.
She was conscious, but it looked like she would pass out any moment. Her lip was cut and bleeding and her clothes were dirty and torn and torn from the sleeves. Then Jayce realized she was struggling to get her gauntlet out of the hood. And the smell of smoke made his heart skip a beat.
The engine is going to detonate!
He was suddenly on top of the hood and pulled Vi by her waist, but then he nearly dropped her when she cried out.
"Fuck me," Vi growled. "Just pull me, I can't get it out."
She cried out again when Jayce pulled her harder, but they finally got her gauntlet free. He was quick to grab his hammer from the car before he and Vi ran before the car caught on fire.
Drained, both collapsed onto the floor. Vi was cradling her shoulder and Jayce desperately tried to keep from choking from extreme thirst.
Then it began to rain.
"Well, fuck." Vi exclaimed. "This sucks."
They were in the middle of the woods, no transportation, and it would probably be a several hour walk back to Piltover. In the rain, it would probably take them longer.
It really did suck.
A/N: I apologize for the delay. It's been hectic since my computer decided to die and I lost half a chapter. Then with my OCD it took me forever to remember everything I originally had typed and get it all down again.