The time has come.
Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait on this chapter. I'd really wanted to get this out like two weeks earlier than I did but life's been really hectic recently with my family moving house along with uni starting this month. That and some other stuff meant my writing had to take a back seat, but we're all good now. Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter! See you at the end!
To say that Vi's day had gotten worse would be… well, it wouldn't be a lie, but it wouldn't be the whole truth either.
Once the lights were back on and the fighting in the Lanes had stopped, Vi and her lot were left with the gruelling task of finding out what exactly had happened. That meant interrogating the perps once they'd been brought back to the station, along with trying to figure out what the fuck had hit the two cars and caused the blackout. Lightning in the Undercity was already unheard of, but green lightning as well?
Ekko had been stumped to say the least and that was enough to have Vi on edge. He was one of the smartest people she knew, so what chance did she and the rest of the Enforcers have at figuring out what happened? The best bet they had on the force was Caitlyn but she was an investigator, not a scientist, so the odds of her making any breakthroughs were close to zero.
The best Ekko could come up with was that it was some kind of bomb, one that sent out a large blast of electricity instead of an explosion. According to him, though, there were a whole host of problems with that theory. To start, even storing that much electricity required more machinery than could be easily transported, and that wasn't even taking into account the systems required to discharge all that energy in one go. Ekko said it wasn't impossible to build, at least in theory, but he and his Firelights hadn't seen any sign of something like that after the fight was over.
Considering how fast everything happened and the size a device like that would need to be to function, whoever was responsible wouldn't have been able to move it before the Firelights saw them. For that to happen and have no trace of at all… it didn't bode well.
In the end, Vi had asked Ekko to look into it right before they parted ways. She'd ask Jayce about it of course, but Ekko was in the Lanes most of the time so he'd be in the best position to investigate.
At least the rest of it was easy to sort out. Vi thought as she walked through the streets of Piltover, coming into the wealthier parts of the city which housed the Kiramman estate. The sun was reaching the end of its journey across the clear blue sky, cresting over the skyline and bathing Vi in a gentle orange light. Her Atlas Gauntlets hissed and whirred as they hung at her sides, drawing more than their fair share of stares as she made her way to Caitlyn's house.
Vi had spent the next few hours after the fight moving in and out of interrogation rooms, gathering as much information as they could about the conflict. It turned out that the loading bay and the lab underneath belonged to one of the Chembarons, which honestly didn't surprise Vi. Apparently this particular crime lord was trying to create some form of enhanced Shimmer, buying as much as they could in order to experiment on it. Since they couldn't leave the Lanes without drawing attention from the Enforcers, the Firelights and the other Chembaron's forces, they decided to set up a discrete little workshop in the Lanes itself.
It had worked for a while and they tinkered for weeks without issue, except for the fact that they'd made very little progress in improving Shimmer. Vi couldn't say she was disappointed to hear that. The less Shimmer that was out on the streets the better, in her opinion. But yesterday, when they had tried exporting some of the Shimmer back to their main base for further experimentation, they'd been attacked by the forces of a rival Chembaron which led to that large explosion. No one could really say if it was a stray bullet or a spark that caused the stuff to detonate, but it didn't really matter.
Vi left the interrogation to Caitlyn and the rest of the Enforcers after that. She'd lived through the end of that story, and she'd needed to get ready for the last patrol of the day. Besides, if she stayed any longer then Caitlyn might have made her write her report, and if that was the case then Vi would've let the mutated woman brain her back in the lab.
As head of operations down in the Undercity, Vi was expected to write up detailed reports of any fights that broke out, and usually those weren't too complicated. This was more of a battle than a fight, even if it had lasted less than five minutes, and that promised more paperwork than Vi had done in the last three weeks combined. She couldn't put it off forever, she knew that much, but she could put it off until tomorrow when she wouldn't be so tired.
When she wouldn't be so worried…
What did it say about Vi that the fight wasn't the most distressing part of her day? Why was it that Vi could throw punches until the sun set, her blood singing with the sheer fucking delight of it all, but a few sentences could make her entire body go weak.
It's been three weeks and nobody's heard from or 'bout her. I guess I'm sorry to say this, but… she's probably already dead.
Babette had told her that little over two hours ago, the two of them sat in her little backroom down in her brothel. That had been her third and final patrol of the day and, like she'd done every evening for the past twenty or so days, she made sure to go asking around the Lanes for any signs of her sister. She made sure to ask about other stuff, too, like if there were any signs of Chembaron activity in the area or if anyone was giving them trouble. The questions weren't only an attempt to disguise her search for Powder, those being things she needed to know about as Deputy Enforcer, but after a while Vi realised that she didn't need to mask her interest whatsoever.
The people she talked to were open and honest with her, and in some cases went out of their way to listen out for things that might help her out. Babette was one of those people, being in one of the best positions to find out information for her. The sex industry was a pretty big thing down in the Lanes, and even though Vi wasn't one for brothels or the like, she knew that people got… chatty after a romp under the sheets. Being the madam of what was probably the most frequented bordello in the Lanes meant she had a lot of employees acting as ears for her, and even Vi was surprised at some of the things the Yordle knew.
There was only one thing that Babette had failed to help her with, and Vi wasn't ashamed to admit it was the thing she cared about the most. Vi was doing good work down in the Lanes, she knew that much, and she'd set the Enforcers and the Firelights on a similar path, but that was something she took on a day by day basis. Fixing Piltover and the Undercity, even if it sounded impossible, was a task she'd taken on because no matter how she spun it, it was the right thing to do. It had been so long since Vi had concerned herself with matters of morality that she was surprised she still had it in her. Stillwater had a way of boiling life down to survival and nothing else, and she had fallen into that routine after a while.
Vi had been free long enough to recognise that she'd given up on life down there, stuck in the murky depths of that island prison, but now she had so many new things to live for. She had her goal of helping fix her and Ekko's home, along with the home of her new friends, Jayce and Viktor. They were two people she'd met little under a month ago, but their lives had been intertwined since Vi had dragged her family on that stupid job up Topside.
She had Caitlyn, her boss and her partner in every way that mattered, and Vi knew that without her she'd be so much worse off, and she didn't just mean that she'd still be stuck in Stillwater. Caitlyn could've done it all without getting close to her. She could have freed Vi and helped her search for Powder down in the Undercity, along with everything else that they'd gone through together, without showing her the kindness and care that she had; that she showed her every day since her first fight with Sevika. Vi still would've ended up sitting opposite Silco in that damn factory, her life depending on if she could get through to her sister before she pulled the trigger.
Caitlyn still would've broken free, and Silco still would've died. Then the two of them would've gone back to Jayce with their tails between their legs, searching for any way to prevent more tragedy from befalling their homes just as they had done. But when they returned to the Kiramman house and turned in for the night, when Vi had collapsed under the weight of it all and broken down in her bed, Caitlyn wouldn't have been there to hold her as she cried.
Hold me and tell me it'll be okay, and that I'm not better off dead even though we both know it's not true. Do that and I'll stay, because you're the only right thing in this whole fucking world.
Those were the words she'd said to Caitlyn that night, minutes before they hopped into her bed and did everything but talk. There was a part of Vi that was deeply embarrassed by what she'd said, embarrassed by how open she'd been then, but she would never say she regretted it. She couldn't, not when it led to them taking the next step in their relationship.
If that hadn't happened… if she hadn't come to her then… what would she have done? Would she have disappeared into the night like she'd done only days before, abandoning Caitlyn and the duties she'd taken on? She'd tried back in the middle of her breakdown, but Caitlyn had held her back. Her mind kept going back to the little things like that, all adding up in her moment of weakness and uncertainty. They were things that had been building up for years, only kept at bay by the simple fact that showing weakness in Stillwater was a death sentence. She must've repressed it all after a while, but looking back Vi could see now that leaving prison had put her emotions on a ticking clock, building and building until the moment she stopped running after Powder and everything else she'd been doing.
Vi had been minutes away from making a mistake she couldn't take back, but Caitlyn had come for her. She had saved her from herself, and now Vi had a job and a warm place to sleep at night. She had friends and a future, and a chance to find Powder; a chance to make things right between them.
That hope was beginning to wane, though, because Vi had heard nothing after three weeks. Babette's words had been callous and cruel, though she'd tried to be gentle about it, but it didn't change reality. Hope could only get you so far and sooner or later the world would dash it against the stones. Vi had experienced that too many times to count, deep asleep and unable to ward off the nightmares that claimed her. Every time she'd wake up covered in sweat, shivering and teary eyed because it was always the same. She'd find Powder somewhere, whether by following a lead or by complete accident, and she'd be dead. Sometimes she'd been shot or stabbed, sometimes it was the Shimmer in her veins that killed her, destroying her from the inside. One time she'd found her in some makeshift workshop or something like that, having died of hunger at her desk because she'd been too focused on working to take care of herself.
Vi had broken down in Caitlyn's arms after that one, sobbing brokenly into her lover's arms for nearly an hour while she tried to figure out what had happened. It hadn't been an easy story to tell, especially since Vi fucking sucked at opening up to people, but Caitlyn managed to coax it out of her eventually. After that Caitlyn held her just that little bit tighter as they slept, like she was trying to protect her from the nightmares through her presence alone. Vi wasn't sure if it helped, it wasn't like she was keeping track of how many bad dreams she had a week, but waking up in the arms of the woman she was falling in love with did wonders for her pounding heart.
It would never stop her from worrying about Powder, though. It wouldn't get rid of the fear that one day soon she'd find her sister dead in a ditch somewhere, killed after one of her little schemes went wrong. It wouldn't stop her mind from conjuring scenario after scenario every time she was alone, showing her in vivid detail just what would happen if she failed as Deputy. Powder, Caitlyn and her new friends would die; the Undercity and Piltover would burn, all because she was too weak to stop it. She couldn't tell Caitlyn about these things though, because words couldn't fix these fears, but that wouldn't stop Caitlyn from trying.
So Vi would do the only thing she could, slapping a cocky smile on her face and soldiering on. She had to, for Caitlyn and the Undercity. For Ekko, Jayce and Viktor, and their dreams of improving lives with Hextech.
For Powder, the sister she loved and would let down no more.
Vi arrived at the front of the Kiramman estate a good forty minutes after leaving the station. The walk should've taken at least half that, the two buildings being relatively close in a large city, but Vi was trying her best to be seen out in the streets. It wasn't as big a priority as it was down in the Undercity, but she was something of an unknown up Topside. The people in the Lanes knew about her, whether because they knew her from before her incarceration or simply through word of mouth. Either way, she was a known quantity down in the underground, but seeing as she now held the second highest position of law enforcement in this city, Vi felt the people of Piltover should get to know her on her terms.
That meant taking the scenic route back to the Kiramman's home, to her home as Caitlyn kept reminding her, for as long as she wanted it to be. Sometimes people would speak to her, whether because they'd heard of her through the grapevine or were curious about the woman with two massive steel fists and the badge on her hip. Most of them had been polite, even friendly, though there had been some who had taken one look at the girl whose appearance practically screamed Undercity and decided she didn't belong. Except those assholes were smart enough to keep their hands off of her, which meant she didn't get to knock their teeth in even if she'd sorely wanted to. Instead she bore their barbed words and veiled insults with as much grace as she could, which mostly meant doing her best impression of Caitlyn's mother.
The woman could be ice cold, she really could.
Some people even asked her for help with one thing or another, though those involved less crimes-in-progress than she would've expected. Sure, she'd stopped some robberies and muggings that passerbys had told her about, but people mostly wanted help with more mundane stuff. That meant moving heavy objects and reaching things that had been lost in high places, and while they weren't exactly difficult they were pretty time consuming. Honest to god, she had to rescue a cat from a tree eight days ago. It sounded cute at first, sure, but the fucking thing seemed to like being stuck up there with how much it tried to scratch and bite her. The only reason Vi toughed it out was because the cat's owner had started crying, a little boy who looked to be no older than ten, and fuck did Vi hate seeing children cry. All's well that ends well, though, and besides, she got a funny story out of it. Even Cassandra laughed when she heard it.
I wonder if she's home. Vi thought as she let her right Atlas Gauntlet fall from her fist, hitting the stone with a thud and landing on its knuckles. She then reached into her jacket pocket and retrieved the rather large iron key Caitlyn's father had given her halfway through the third morning she'd spent at their place. Something about how she'd feel more welcome if she could come and go whenever she wanted, like she was a resident instead of a guest. Vi wasn't sure if Caitlyn had asked him to do that but she appreciated the gesture nonetheless. Jayce had offered to help her find a place of her own three weeks ago and that was still something she was keeping in mind, but the more time she spent living with Caitlyn… the less she wanted to leave.
There was a small part of Vi that thought she might be becoming too dependent on the Kiramman's kindness, especially Caitlyn's. The rest of her was just happy to have something good in her life, a warm home and a warm bed along with strong arms to hold her every night, even if she didn't really deserve it. Still, Caitlyn wanted her there so that's where she'd be.
Vi plucked the right Atlas Gauntlet from the floor with her left, keeping her other hand free as she stepped through the entryway and locked the gate behind her. She kept the Hextech in hand like that as she approached the large double doors of Caitlyn's home. She considered knocking for a moment but decided against it, sliding the key into the lock with a deep sigh. This place… Vi still felt like an outsider in its walls no matter how much time she spent there, no matter how much Caitlyn told her she belonged. She doubted it would ever change, and it was why she preferred to go in and out without being seen. The eyes of strangers, servants in the mansion and people walking through the streets, they always seemed to bore into her even though Vi knew most of them were just minding their own business.
Topside and bottom. Oil and water. That's all there is.
She so desperately wanted for that not to be true. If it was then their plan to help the Undercity was doomed from the start. If it was, her and Caitlyn would never work, no matter how much they tried to make it work. It was a war between her life experiences, all the pain inflicted upon her by Piltover and the Undercity, and what little hope remained in her heart. Vi wanted her hope to be proven right, wanted to not waste this chance at a better life for everybody she cared about, everybody Topside and below. If she failed, if they failed, who would she become?
Vi prayed she would never have to find out.
Closing the large door behind her and locking it once more, Vi turned and looked upon the foyer of the Kiramman home. The large open interior, the couches and the coffee table on the red carpet, the grand staircase and the large paintings - they had seemed so alien the first night she'd spent here, the first night she and Caitlyn spent together. Now it was a familiar sight, if not a normal one. How could any of it be normal, not when that dressing mirror by the side of the chair cost more money than she'd ever had in her entire life? Well, she did earn a pretty good amount as Deputy Enforcer, at least by the standards of the Lanes, so she probably could afford that mirror all things considered. That wasn't the point though. She was out of her depth here, having inserted herself into a world she didn't truly belong in. It was all she could do to keep her head afloat.
Vi moved towards one of the light green seats even as she scanned her surroundings, checking to see if anyone was around. She was alone thankfully and with a sigh she placed her empty Atlas Gauntlet on the chair. Then she held her left hand just above the seat and, with a minor effort of will, deactivated her other gauntlet and let it slide off her hand. It landed on the seat with a soft clang and Vi slid her hands into her pockets, letting out a breath as she turned around. She thought about heading upstairs and taking a shower but the dull ache in her stomach stopped her, so instead she made her way towards the kitchen. It had taken her a few days to get used to the layout of this house, why one family needed over two dozen rooms to live in was beyond her, but it wasn't all that complicated in the end.
Heading through the open entryway, Vi slid off her crimson jacket and hung it from the coat rack attached to the wall, before she turned and looked over the room. The kitchen was a large room with tiled floors and cabinets lining the walls, along with a large island in the center of the room. The place had all sorts of cooking utensils and appliances that Vi barely knew half the names of, but so what if she was a bit behind on her cooking skills? She'd lived off of slop in Stillwater for eight years, and she hadn't seen let alone step foot in a kitchen in all that time, so sue her. Caitlyn had tried to show her the ropes, the kind woman that she was, but Vi had taken one look at this thing called a pressure cooker and labelled the whole thing witchcraft before calling it a day. She knew how to use an oven and a stove, what else did she need?
Right now though, Vi couldn't be bothered to cook anything. Instead she headed over to the fridge, a tall brass looking thing with a curved top and a metal handle attached to the door, and opened the door. Rummaging through its contents, Vi found some butter, ham and cheese before shutting the fridge and moving over to a small pantry under the counter, fishing out half a loaf of bread. Then she took the food over to the central island and laid it all out before turning and reaching into the drawers behind her, picking up a plate and a butter knife, which was supposedly a knife with the sole purpose of putting butter on things. Who knew?
Vi was halfway through making her sandwich, having barely finished laying out the cheese on the now buttered bread, when a voice called out from the doorway. "I hear you've had an interesting day." Vi looked up from her incomplete sandwich to see Cassandra Kiramman standing just outside the kitchen, a curious expression on her face along with half a smile. She was wearing her usual outfit, the red jacket and dress with the frilly white shirt, though she'd changed out the heels for a pair of comfortable looking indoor shoes, though they still looked smart. It seemed a bit weird to Vi that Cassandra would wear her work clothes in her own home, but who was she to judge? If nothing else, it was clear Caitlyn's mother took her role as Councillor very seriously. Vi could respect that, even if she was far from a fan of Piltover's Council.
"'Interesting' isn't the right word." Vi said with a shrug, placing down the food and wiping her hands on a nearby rag as she turned her full attention to the matriarch of the Kiramman house. "'Terrifying' and then 'tedious' fit much better."
Cassandra let out a short, dignified sounding laugh as she stepped into the room. "I understand the latter more than you know", she replied, the barest hint of amusement in her voice, like she was enjoying a joke only she understood, "but I find it hard to believe you're terrified of some criminals with guns."
Vi huffed and ran a hand through her hair, brushing red locks out of her eyes. "I'm not fearless or anything like that. I'm human, staring down the barrel of the gun is just as scary for me as it is for the next guy." She told Cassandra, before her eyes narrowed as she considered something. "How do you even know about the fight? The report's probably not even finished yet, and I know you didn't go down into the Lanes and hear about it there."
Caitlyn's mother hummed as she pulled out a stool, sitting down on the island opposite Vi and placing her forearms down on the countertop. "I only heard about it as I was leaving the Council chambers. One of the Enforcers stationed there was with you and Caitlyn when the firefight started, and he seemed very excited to talk about it with his colleagues." She explained, glancing over the food Vi was preparing for a moment. Cassanda then met Vi's gaze before she continued to speak. "He was kind enough to answer my questions about the incident. They also had quite a few things to say about you."
"Who's 'they'?" Vi asked as she turned and opened the cutlery drawer behind her, pulling out a decently long knife before facing Cassandra once again. "Thought you were only talking to one of the guys?"
"Like I said, there were a few Enforcers there. They were just as curious to hear about what had gone on as I was." Cassandra said in an even tone right as Vi reached for the cheese she'd gotten from the fridge, starting to cut a few slices after a brief pause. "When the conversation shifted to your actions in the fight, they all began to sing your praises. Of course, only one of them had seen you fight today but the others were more than happy to pitch in their own experiences with you."
An odd assortment of emotions welled up inside Vi's chest at that, pride and confusion being clearest. She hid as best she could, staring down at the countertop as she placed the two halves of her sandwich together. "I figured you'd care more about their opinion of Caitlyn." Vi said, hoping to change the subject to something a bit easier. She'd never been good with praise. She never felt like she'd earned it.
Cassandra's eyes narrowed then, a question forming in those blue orbs as her expression became, dare she say it, concerned. Then a second passed and that mask of neutrality, for what else could it be, returned in full force. "I asked about Caitlyn first, she's my daughter after all, but all they could say was that she got out unharmed. One of the perks of being a sharpshooter is that you get to stay a good distance away from the fighting, so I wasn't too worried about that." Her lips curled up after a moment, though it was a small thing. Vi doubted she would've noticed it if she wasn't sitting directly in front of the woman. "They were much more excited to talk about you. The Enforcer with you today said that you were, and I quote, 'the single biggest badass in the whole city.'"
Vi shook her head with a quiet sigh before picking up her sandwich with both hands, leaning forward and planting her elbows on the counter. "He's exaggerating. They're probably just excited about my Hextech. The Atlas Gauntlets are pretty cool." She rationalised before taking a bite out of her food, a smile growing on her face as the taste washed over her. After so many years of eating what amounted to shit on a tray, even something as simple as a sandwich was enough to make her happy.
The head of the Kiramman house let out a breath, looking down at her arms for a moment. "That's what you think, but you're clearly selling yourself short. According to him, you took out thirteen armed gunmen in about three minutes, one of which was mutated by Shimmer. He watched you finish her off." A teasing smirk grew on her face as her eyes shone with mirth, clearly recalling something funny. "What was it you said? 'Today, Vi stands for Victorious'?"
A wicked blush spread across Vi's cheeks as she chewed, and she turned away as she swallowed her food. Cassandra just had to run into the Enforcer who'd found her down there, the one sent in by Lieutenant Callaway to make sure she was alright. Vi couldn't help but remember how he'd looked afraid of her in the moment, though maybe that had worn off once the fighting was over. "Look", Vi began slowly, heart beating heavily with embarrassment, "that bitch was running her mouth. It would make sense if you heard the whole conversation."
Cassandra chuckled, nodding as she processed Vi's words. "Regardless, my point still stands. They hold you in high regard, if how excited they were to recount your exploits was any indication, much more so than I would've expected."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Vi asked, and despite the accusation in her words she kept a calm tone, taking a bite from her sandwich immediately after.
"I didn't mean anything." Caitlyn's mother answered in a neutral voice. "Just that your Enforcers are surprisingly supportive of you, considering you entered their department literally the same day as the new Sheriff sacked a fair amount of their colleagues."
Vi nodded in understanding, finishing her bit of food before talking. "Well, that was Caitlyn getting rid of Enforcers with clear cases of corruption and malpractice. Maybe they were just glad to have those guys gone."
"Maybe they were." Cassandra allowed, though even Vi could see that she was sceptical about that. A moment passed as the Councillor visibly considered her next words. "You don't… you don't handle praise all that well, do you?"
Vi took a deep breath as she listened to her words, setting her sandwich down on her plate. "Even before I was put in Stillwater, I never really got all that much of it." She let out in a whisper, uncertain even as the words escaped her lips. "Not because they thought I was useless or anything, but because a lot of people my age saw me as a leader, or at least someone to look up to. Even the adults in my life would go to me when they wanted me and my friends to do something. If people wanted to learn to fight, they came to me. If people wanted to know the best routes through the Lanes, they came to me. People respected me, but, you know, it was a silent respect if that makes any sense."
A long moment of silence passed as Cassandra took in her words, one which drew on long enough for Vi to start second guessing herself. That wasn't saying much though, Vi wasn't exactly the best in these sorts of situations, when easy conversations grew heavy and heartfelt. She could talk to people, she liked talking to people, but it was hard to open herself up like this. Even with Caitlyn, the woman she was growing to love more and more every day, Vi would crumble if she let her in for too long. Vi knew she was weak, she accepted that a long time ago, but that didn't mean she wanted people to see that side of her. "Vi… don't take this the wrong way", Cassandra started speaking, drawing her out of her thoughts, "but I worry about you sometimes." The normally stoic woman sounded hesitant and unsure, more than Vi had ever seen from her, but that did nothing to dampen the shock Cassandra's words created.
Vi could only stare at the older woman for a moment, clenching and unclenching her fists on instinct alone. Her mind ran a mile a minute, her thoughts jumbled as she tried to figure out where Cassandra was going with this. "You're worried about me? And here I thought you didn't like me, even after three whole weeks." Vi said with a forced smirk, deflecting all of this as best she could.
Cassandra shook her head, closing her eyes for a second as she brought her hand up to her forehead. "Please, Vi. Can we talk like adults here?" She pleaded, and the fake smile fell like a stone from Vi's face. Then her partner's mother let out a deep breath, mumbling something that even Vi, as close as she was, couldn't hear. "Believe it or not, I do actually like you."
"Maybe now you do, sure", Vi said after a moment, a wry smile on her face, "but we weren't exactly chummy the first time we met, or the second time for that matter." She thought back to both incidents, the first being when Cassandra kicked open Caitlyn's door and aimed a fucking rifle at her head. Even then, that still wasn't as harrowing as the second time they'd properly met, after Vi stormed out of the Council chambers fully intending to never see Caitlyn's family again. Of all the things she'd expected to happen that morning, Caitlyn's parents barging in right as she was about to go down on Vi was not on the list.
The head Kiramman leaned back, expression somewhat bristled. "Tobias and I thought you were intruders and decided to take the proper precautions, especially after the attack on the bridge." Critical eyes met Vi's gaze once more. "Why else would people be sneaking in through my daughter's bedroom window?"
"I could come up with a few ideas…" Vi muttered, enjoying the way Cassandra's expression became just that little bit queasy.
"After what I saw that morning, I'm sure you could." She said, rather diplomatically if Vi said so herself, not that she knew much about that stuff. "Frankly, the less we speak about that the better. Now, if we can get back on track." Cassandra declared. "I didn't like you at first because, as far as I could tell, you were impatient, brash and quick-tempered. Still, I wasn't going to get in the way of Caitlyn if she wanted to pursue something with you. Has she told you anything about her past relationships, if they can even be called that."
Vi nodded, thinking about the things that Caitlyn had told her that very morning, literal minutes before the explosion went off and the firefight broke out. Being used by people you liked for your name and your body, it was a crime in everything but law as far as Vi was concerned. "She gave me the rundown, yeah. Did she tell you guys, too?"
"Please", Cassandra drawled, "for all of our differences, Caitlyn is just as prideful as I am; maybe even more. She'd keep something like that to herself, if only so she didn't have to appear weak in front of us. Even if I wished she'd come to us sometimes, just for…" She trailed off, glancing away from Vi for a brief instant. "Maybe I should've been more open with her, encouraged her to talk to us about the things going on in her life, but you know what they say: 'like mother, like daughter'." Vi wasn't sure what to say to that so she just nodded. "Regardless, she spent the past several years focusing on her career and her training." She said after a moment. "Because of that I decided I'd give you a chance. If Caitlyn trusted you enough to pursue a relationship even after her previous experiences, then she must've seen something worthwhile in you."
Vi mulled over her words for a few seconds, considering what the best response might be in that moment before deciding on her usual method: being blunt. "I manage to prove you wrong? You know, me being impatient and brash and all that?"
Cassandra's expression softened, her head tilting to the side ever so slightly. "No, you are all those things, but I began to see what my daughter sees in you. You're kind, hardworking and strong, and there's a selflessness to you that I've seen in very few people. My daughter, Jayce and Councillor Ekko to name them." She elaborated. "Yet, I've also seen that you're incredibly self-sacrificing, both from what my daughter has told me and from what I've seen of you in the time you've spent in my home."
Vi let out a deep sigh, running her hands across her face because, fuck, all she'd wanted was a sandwich. Now she was having one of those emotional and vulnerable conversations with her girlfriend's mother. "So you're worried about me because you think I'm going to throw my life away? Is that what you mean?" There was a distinct edge in her words, almost like a warning. Vi did not want to have this discussion right then.
"What I mean is that you've got so much more going for you than you did in Stillwater." Cassandra said, her voice just as soft as it had been a moment ago, even in the face of Vi's mounting anger. She'd half expected her to put the Councillor mask back on, hiding her feelings under a stony expression and taciturn eyes. Instead the older woman stared right through her, and Vi was struck by how similar her and Caitlyn were on a base, emotional level. Like mother, like daughter, indeed. "From what I hear, you and Caitlyn have been spending a lot of time with Jayce and Viktor down in his family's old factory, along with Ekko and Professor Heimerdinger. I don't know the specifics but I'm willing to bet you've been making friends in that circle."
Vi shrugged noncommittally. "I guess, yeah." She mumbled, averting her eyes.
"There's also your duties as Deputy Enforcer", Cassandra continued in that same gentle tone, heedless of Vi's discomfort, "to both Piltover and the Undercity, and to your colleagues who both rely and look up to you, in whatever way they do." She paused to take a breath and Vi dared to look back up to her. There was a small smile on her face, one that Vi didn't understand even though she felt she should. "I've even come to enjoy your presence in my home, and I know my husband feels the same. And then there's my daughter." The Councillor declared, and Vi's body grew tense. It was like the older woman had jabbed a bundle of nerves in her chest, and even though Vi knew that she meant well, or at least she thought she did, she couldn't help but get angry.
"What about her?" Vi ground out, her eyes narrowing as she gripped the edge of the counter.
"She cares about you." She answered without missing a beat, not reacting to Vi's growing aggression. It had to be a conscious decision on her part because there was no way a woman like her missed signs that obvious. "Watching the two of you in the Council chamber, it was clear that, despite what Caitlyn thought, she wasn't just there to help the people of Zaun. She was there to help you, even if she didn't realise it herself. Even if you haven't been together all that long, I can tell that you mean the world to my daughter, and I'm willing to bet that feeling is not mutually exclusive."
Vi drew in a deep breath, holding it and counting to ten as she listened to Cassandra's words, doing her very best to rein in her emotions. Pushing away Caitlyn's mother and Caitlyn's boss was a bad idea in the long and short term. Besides, she kinda liked her, even despite all their differences. This was the woman who helped rule the city that terrorised and oppressed her home but, after spending a good amount of time with her, Vi could tell it wasn't done out of malice. As far as Vi was concerned her greatest crime was ignorance, something she was more than guilty of herself, and whatever grudge she might've held towards her had vanished soon after she joined the Enforcer. Once that had gone, she saw Cassandra for the decent woman that she was, one who loved her family and genuinely cared about her people. "You're worried about me because you're worried for Caitlyn, then?" Vi concluded, her voice as calm as it was going to get.
Cassandra's eyes shut as she let out a sigh, looking honestly exasperated. "Those two things aren't mutually exclusive either." She said before shaking her head. "You've been diving headfirst into your role as Deputy Enforcer and, while I can't fault your dedication, you're also putting the lives of others before your own, jumping into the fray without a single moment of doubt. That's not a bad thing in itself, but you need to look out for yourself sometimes. Consider how the people around you might be impacted should you get hurt, how they might feel? Think about how Caitlyn would feel." She paused for a second, searching Vi's eyes for something, though Vi didn't know what. "I know my daughter, Vi," Cassandra pressed on, Vi being unsure if she'd found what she was looking for, "and she can bounce back from damn near anything. Yet, something tells me she'd struggle to bounce back from you."
The words struck a chord within Vi's heart, though not in a good way. It left her feeling nervous and uncertain, like she was missing something even though it was right in front of her eyes. "I think…" Vi began, searching for the right words to say, "I think you underestimate Caitlyn's strength."
"I think you underestimate how much she cares about you." She said without any hesitation, cutting through all of Vi's arguments in an instant. Vi could only sit there in silence, the weight of Cassandra's words weighing down upon her. She could feel the older woman's eyes upon her even as she looked down, eyes fixing on the sandwich that had gone forgotten until then. Then a warm and impossibly soft hand came to rest upon her own, and Vi looked up to see Cassandra leaning forward just a little, a comforting smile on her face. "There is strength in indepence, but only a fool refuses to rely on the people close to them. I know you're not a fool, but just remember that you're not in prison anymore. You can afford to lean on others and to take time off, every now and again." Then she squeezed her hand before giving it a gentle pat, drawing away after a moment and standing up. "I'll leave you to think about that, okay? If you ever need to talk", she said as she turned and began to walk away, "you know where to find me."
Cassandra then disappeared through the entryway, leaving Vi alone once more. The only sign she'd even been there at all was the stool she'd moved to sit down on.
That was a lot… Vi thought, holding her head in her hands for a moment, breathing deeply for a minute or two. Those things she said about me throwing myself into danger, was she right?
Vi's life for the past three weeks for the most part had consisted of her work as an Enforcer and going to Jayce's factory to train with him and Ekko, or sometimes to just hang out with them and the others. Then she'd come back to the Kiramman house and spend some time with Caitlyn's family before going to bed, falling asleep with her girlfriend. It was a routine she'd established by chance more than anything, though that wasn't to say she hated it. If anything, having her day pretty much planned out for her was comforting, more so than Vi would ever have expected. Stillwater had been like that, too, so Vi was pretty used to having a schedule, but her life had gotten so much better since then. Instead of dreading the inevitable fights and beatings, she was looking forward to being with Caitlyn and seeing these new friends of hers, then going home to fresh food and a warm bed. She was even enjoying her work as an Enforcer, as hard as that was to believe and even for Vi to accept. For all the pain the people wearing those badges had caused her, all the years she'd lost to them, she was using that badge now to help help people, alongside Caitlyn as they reformed the Enforcers together.
That was her life now and she was happy with it, well and truly. Yet Cassandra said she wasn't taking enough time to herself, putting others and her duty before her own needs in an unhealthy manner. Except it felt like Vi's whole life had been just that, looking out for Powder and the rest of her weird, chosen family before everything went up in flames. Then she'd dedicated herself to surviving Stillwater at all costs, just so she'd have a chance to go find Powder and fix things with her, a chance to hold her and tell her that things would be okay like she should've done in that burning alley. What Caitlyn's mother called unhealthy and self-sacrificial, well, that was all she'd ever known. It wasn't like she was incapable of taking time to herself, she'd done that a lot in her life, but she'd always viewed that as a way of taking a break from the things she was doing. It was never done for its own sake, or because she enjoyed it.
Was that the problem? Was Vi living too much for others? It sounded arrogant, like she was declaring herself some paragon of virtue, at least in a roundabout way.
Vi didn't know, but there was this feeling in her gut that said she needed to find out. If this was her life now, and by the stars did she want it to be, then maybe she should put some thought into it. Picking up her sandwich and walking around the table, Vi took a seat on the stool and began to eat once again, her mind abuzz with thoughts of duty, responsibility and love, for others and for herself.
…
That was how Vi found herself sitting at the edge of her bed little over an hour later, staring down at her hands with narrowed eyes. Soon after she'd finished her sandwich she'd gone up to have a shower, hoping that the spray of hot water would help streamline her thoughts, if not exactly clear them. Why she thought that would happen was beyond her, in hindsight. She'd always been told that being in a relaxing space helped with thinking, especially with difficult decisions, but those had been in short supply down in the Lanes and even more so in prison. Vi had given it a go if only because she needed to kill time before Caitlyn got back. That and because she'd been out in the Lanes all day which, like always, left her smelling like a wet dog.
Of course, the shower had done nothing other than get her cleaned up, so she'd taken to sitting on her bed, wearing a pair of simple black trousers and a grey tank top. Caitlyn took her shopping a few days after they'd started their work as Sheriff and Deputy, citing that owing only a single pair of clothes was bad now matter how Vi spun it. She raised some good points, like how there was a more than likely chance her clothes would get damaged over the course of her career and, even if she got them repaired, she'd still be left without anything to wear while that was happening. There was also the fact that her usual outfit got dirty and would need to be washed which, while not a problem as they would always be taken care of by the house staff and made ready for the morning, meant she'd need stuff to wear around the house or when she was going out. In the end Caitlyn had bought two dresser's worth of clothes for her, and that was after Vi had talked her down from buying even more. Why Caitlyn thought she'd need a bunch of dresses and jewellery was beyond her, but she digressed.
Vi had then sorted those clothes into drawers in the guest room, being careful to keep them in neat, organised piles because she wasn't about to treat Caitlyn's gifts like some tatty rags she'd found on the floor. Maybe calling this room the "guest room" wasn't right, though. It was pretty obvious by now that the Kiramman's had given this room to her. Not in so many words of course, especially considering Vi had spent every night since the first in Caitlyn's bed, but with how her clothes and the few personal belongings she had were left where she put them in the room, and how she came back from work one day to find the rather sparse room suddenly teeming with paintings, flowers and other decorations, well, even she wasn't that dense. The room was hers and the Kiramman's had gone to the effort of helping it feel just that little bit lived in, like the space was really hers instead of a place she was only staying in.
She was pretty sure Caitlyn had asked her parents to do this for her, but considering the conversation she'd just had with Cassandra, Vi wasn't so sure. Either way, it had turned the room from a place she had to be in, to a place she wanted to spend time in, if that made any sense. It felt a little more like a home. It was why Vi was there now, thinking through things in peaceful solitude instead of going outside and exercising, like she used to when her thoughts were running wild. She didn't have much success if she was being honest, though she had made some progress. For one, she'd decided that Cassandra potentially had the right idea. The only issue was that she had no idea how to go about taking her advice. As nice as it would be to take some time off, that just wouldn't be possible until they made some actual, real progress in bringing down the Chembarons plaguing the Undercity. So far they'd just stopped them from getting a foot in the Lanes, nothing more.
The other reason was her family. Not just Powder, but her mother and father. Vander, Mylo and Claggor as well, along with Ekko. They'd all fought and suffered for their home, for their family. What right did Vi have to slack off when damn near all of them had died fighting for what they believed in? Vi felt like she'd be letting them down if she took time for herself but she knew that, if they were still here, they'd understand and even approve. The problem wasn't with them; it was with her. She couldn't reconcile herself with the fact that she was here, happy and alive while they were gone. What right did she have to be here if she wasn't working?
Vi could ask anyone in her life, from Caitlyn and her family to Ekko and Jayce, friends old and new, and she was certain they'd all say the same thing. They'd all tell her that she deserved to live for herself, to enjoy her life because she deserved to, and that she'd earned it after all the work she'd done. They didn't know a thing. Even Caitlyn, who knew her better than anyone else at this point, didn't know the extent of her failures. She'd learned some of it in their time in the Undercity, before they went Topside to present their case to the Council. She didn't know the full extent of her actions, how she'd hurt Powder and abandoned her, how she took her brothers on a mission to save their father that none of them had walked away from. The only person who did was Powder, and she wasn't around to give her side of the story, no matter how much Vi wished she was. Part of Vi wanted to tell Caitlyn about the things she'd done, to let the woman who cared more about her than she deserved judge her, but she was a selfish woman. Caitlyn would hate her, how could she not after what she'd done, but Vi couldn't lose her. She didn't think she'd survive it.
Her past was holding her back from her future, and she wasn't sure how she could overcome it. She'd spent a good twenty minutes thinking over that, the silence in her room only serving to highlight the discordant thoughts running through her head. Then she'd remembered what Caitlyn said the first morning they'd woken up next to one another, when she'd spilled her heart to Vi and taught her what it meant to be loved after so long.
But you can't keep letting that failure define you. You need to move on. It's the only way you'll be able to heal.
Vi had believed at the time she had been moving on by getting with Caitlyn, by becoming Deputy and making friends with Jayce and Ekko once more, and everything else she'd been doing the past three weeks. Now though, it seemed pretty clear to Vi that she'd been running away, even if it had been unintentional. She decided then that she'd confront her past, somehow, in an effort to at least try and move on, to try and accept the mistakes she made so she could work towards fixing them. Trauma probably didn't work like that, but as far as she knew stuff like that was subjective anyways, so she didn't think there was any danger in trying.
Now she just needed something to work with, since she'd spent years battling her own thoughts and that had done more harm than good. It was good that Vi had already known what she'd work with as soon as she had this idea.
Vander's gauntlets, Powder's stuffed toy and Clagger's goggles - they'd sat untouched at the bottom of a closet ever since she took them from Powder's family reunion, tea party thing. She'd taken them with her because they were memento's from her old life, but every time she'd looked at them since they brought back a flood of painful memories. That itself felt like proof that her idea had merit. If she could accept the memories and take her family's old stuff as her own, wasn't that a sign she'd moved on? Maybe. Maybe not.
Maybe all this proved was that she had too much free time on her hands, and that she really needed a hobby.
Now, though, Vi sat on the edge of her bed, bare feet planted on the carpet as she stared down Claggor's pair of goggles in her hands. On the bed to her left was Powder's old bunny, and Vander's two iron gauntlets sat to her right. Every bit of emotion that welled within her at the sight of them, every painful memory they dredged up, she let them wash over her like rain. She didn't fight them or try to force them down, not like she did before, bottling everything up until it broke her down and reduced her to a sobbing mess. Vi let the pain run through her until it began to grow manageable, and as the minutes passed she found it easier to look at the four items. It was working. She was accepting the memories and moving on, so why did she still feel like she was missing something? Why did she keep seeing them dead?
The door to her bedroom opened and Vi's attention was drawn away from this exercise she'd made for herself as Caitlyn walked into the room, closing the door behind her and meeting her eyes with a smile. She was wearing her Enforcer gear as usual, the purple, brown and white outfit only somewhat marred with dirt. She looked tired and a little worn, though not badly, but it didn't detract from her beauty in the slightest. Maybe that was just Vi's affection for her shining through, and maybe she did look as tired as she probably was, but she couldn't care less. She was perfect in Vi's eyes, and she would never be anything less.
Then Caitlyn began to walk towards her, the honest smile on her face growing playful. "I have a bone to pick with you." She announced, her eyes locking onto Vi's in a manner that could only be described as intent. Just as Caitlyn was about to reach her, however, her eyes flickered to the goggles to her hands, then to the items either side of her. Vi could tell by the look in her eyes that she was curious about what she was doing, she'd been around her enough to recognise that much, but Caitlyn steps did not falter. Instead she stopped just a couple feet before Vi, whose heart was beginning to beat madly in her chest, leaning forward until their eyes met, scant inches between them. "Can you take a guess as to what that might be?" She asked, her voice low and dangerous.
Vi couldn't help but swallow, feeling that familiar heat building within her. The prideful part of her hated how easily Caitlyn could turn her on. All she had to do was lower her voice and meet her gaze and Vi would turn to putty before her. The rest of her, the parts of Vi that she cared to listen to, loved it. "I don't know, Cupcake", Vi said with as much confidence and charm as she could muster, reaching up running her finger along the underside of Caitlyn's chin, "but I have a feeling you're about to tell me."
Caitlyn held her gaze for a moment before looking away, a laugh bubbling up and out of her before she closed the distance and pressed her lips to Vi's. The taller woman's arms drifted around her shoulders as they came together, Vi's eyes falling shut. She let the goggles fall on her lap as she brought her other hand up to Caitlyn's face, placing her palms on her girlfriend's soft cheeks. The kiss lasted a few moments, their lips moving against each other's in concert as Vi let everything she'd been feeling pour out of her and into this simple act of love.
I wish I could tell you how I feel about you. Vi thought as they parted, both breathing just a little heavier. Caitlyn's cheeks had grown slightly rosy and the heat in her cheeks told Vi she was probably the same.
"You left me to do your paperwork." Caitlyn said, her words coming close to a growl, except they lacked any real heat. All it did was make her sound good, which threw Vi through a pretty big loop because it should be impossible to make talking about paperwork sound hot. Caitlyn then stepped to the side and plucked Powder's plush bunny from the bed, holding it gently in her hands as she sat down next to Vi. She was pressed right up against her, thighs and shoulders touching as she gazed down at the old toy.
Vi waited a moment for Caitlyn to continue speaking but she seemed intent on being silent, or was at the very least distracted. "I didn't leave it for you." Vi spoke up instead. "I was going to do it tomorrow morning. Besides, technically you were head Enforcer for this incident, being Sheriff and all that. My report's a formality on this one and we both know it."
A few seconds of silence passed after Vi's statement and she began to grow worried, before Caitlyn's voice rang out in the quiet bedroom. "My mother said she spoke to you." She said, though there was an unspoken question in there that Vi couldn't miss. "What did you talk about?"
Vi took a deep breath, then, wondering just how much she should say. She trusted Caitlyn, but there was a difference between trusting someone and laying all your shit on them, like they're nothing more to you than a way to offload pain. "Just about work. She was basically saying I should take some time off sometime." She said with a shrug of her shoulders, turning to face Caitlyn fully. "I was giving some thought to that."
Caitlyn nodded, placing the stuffed toy to her side before taking Vi's hand in her own. "You work harder than nearly anyone. I think you've earned it." She said in a whisper, tilting her head to the right and resting her cheek on Vi's shoulder, though she kept her gaze forward. "Are you okay, Vi?" She asked, and her voice was so kind, so earnest that Vi's heart skipped a beat. Even after three weeks together, Vi was still surprised by just how much Caitlyn could care about people, especially someone like her.
Why? Because I'd do anything to make you stay. So please, tell me what I can do.
Her plea from that night flashed through her mind, the memory like fire in her veins, telling her that she shouldn't be surprised by Caitlyn's benevolence. That was just who she was, and Vi was pretty sure she loved her for it, loved her for her. "I'm good, Cait. Just killing the time until we head off to Jayce's, you know." She deflected, hoping that Caitlyn would leave it alone. She would always appreciate Caitlyn looking out for her like this, but she shouldn't be constantly checking in on her like this. They'd already had a talk like this today and Caitlyn probably had more important things to think about than how she was feeling every minute of the day.
"This is the first time I've seen these since the day Silco died." Caitlyn said, glancing down to the goggles in Vi's free hand, her thumb tracing gentle circles on Vi's skin. "I can tell these items bring back bad memories for you, so seeing you with them now…"
Vi nodded, understanding where she was going with this. "I was doing what you said. I was trying to move on." She explained, choking on the last few words. Caitlyn let go of her hand then, wrapping her arms around her stomach and drawing her into a warm embrace.
"I'm so proud of you, Darling." Caitlyn whispered, lifting her head up and laying a soft kiss on her cheek. "That can't be easy. Is there anything I can do to help?"
The urge to clam up, to deny, deny, deny grew within her. Vi doubted she'd ever get used to Caitlyn showing her love, no matter how much she wanted it to. Still, she forced herself to speak. "It feels like there's still something holding me back. I'm not running away from the memories anymore, at least I don't think I am, but there's still something wrong." Vi trailed off with a shaky breath, taking a moment to collect herself. "These are all I have left of my brother and my dad", Vi said, holding up the goggles and tilting her head towards the gauntlets, "but every time I look at them all I can see is their bodies, lying dead and broken and-" Her voice hitched and she had to stop speaking, reaching up to wipe away the tears before they could fall.
A long silence descended on the room, leaving Vi to shiver in the arms of her partner, her girlfriend, her everything. Caitlyn held her, the anchor keeping her from drifting out to sea and getting lost in the waves. There was no way Vi could ever repay her for all the kindness she showed her, but she swore to try as hard as she could, like she'd done so many times before in the time they'd known each other. Then, nearly a minute later, Caitlyn let go of Vi and slid down to the floor before Vi. She was on her knees, looking up at her with those soft, sky blue eyes that promised everything would be right once more, one day, even though Vi knew that to be impossible. "Something like this can't be solved in a day, Violet." She intoned, cupping the back of Vi's hands even as she gripped the goggles tight. "It is a challenge you will face for some time to come, but this, this," Caitlyn emphasised, gently shaking her hands once, "is the only way to go about it. The longer you hide from yourself, the longer you will suffer, and the longer you will remain without peace. I don't know much, but I know that to be true."
Vi shook her head fervently. "You know so much," she denied, "you know more than I ever will. Please, just…" The words were on the tip of her tongue, fighting to break free, but it was just so hard. "Tell me what I have to do, to be able to think about them without seeing them dead. I can handle the pain, I'm good at that, but I can't keep seeing them like that! I can't do it!" Her voice turned into a desperate cry, and while her words weren't incredibly loud by normal standards, they were like gunshots in the quiet room.
Caitlyn pursed her lips, looking briefly distressed before the expression vanished from her face entirely. Gods, Vi was such a fucking mess. She hated being the one who always needed help, always needing a shoulder to cry on, and she hated how Caitlyn was always willing to just help her. There was never any hesitation; just like last time, when she'd found her sobbing alone in her bed, Caitlyn did whatever she could to make her feel better. "It's not the goggles, Vi, or any of these things." Caitlyn began, drawing her out of her thoughts and back to her. There were tears in her eyes but all Vi could see was the small smile on her face, and she forced herself to take a deep breath. "When you think of your brothers and your dad, not just when you see these items, what do you see? What do you feel?"
Vi didn't respond for a few seconds, simply focusing on getting her breathing under control even as her heart beat rapidly within her chest. "I see their bodies. I feel like I've let them down, and I feel like they're disappointed in me." The words came to her easily, the floodgates having opened, and now all that was left was for her emotions to spill out of her.
"But that's one day out of a lifetime." Caitlyn countered, moving closer towards her even as she tilted her head back to keep Vi's gaze. "The boy who owned those goggles; tell me about him. Not about how he died, but how he lived. His personality, his likes and his interests, even his flaws. Tell me as much as you can." It took only a moment for the memories to flood over Vi, and she told Caitlyn everything she could about Claggor. She told him about his strong protective streak, how good he was in a fight, but also about his looks and how he used them to his advantage. Nobody expected a boy his size to be so quick on his feet, and his kind face belied a cunning mind that got him out of trouble as quickly as it got him into it in the first place. Vi told her about his flaws, the very few he had, the main one being his willingness to step back and let others take the lead. Vander had always said he'd be capable of so much more if he just took the initiative, but he was always more happy to be spending time with the people he cared about, helping them rather than himself.
"He was good. He was just good." Was how Vi finished her description of Claggor. What else was there to say? He was always the kindest of their little family, the slowest to anger and the quickest to forgive. Where Vi had been a bundle of rage, where Mylo had been too quick to speak his mind, he had been the balance they so desperately needed.
Caitlyn had listened to her with such rapt attention that it stole her breath away every time she met her eyes, and when she finished a smile so bright grew on her face that Vi had to look away. Her girlfriend reached up, though, cupping her chin and turning her back to her with the softest of touches. "That was beautiful, Darling." She said, and Vi couldn't help but smile, even if it was a small one. "Whenever you look at his googles, whenever you think about his death, I want you to think about what you just told me. Think about his life, good and bad, and how he cared for all of you." Caitlyn took a steadying breath then, holding her words for a moment. "There's no changing what happened to him, Vi, and I'm so sorry for that, but there's no changing what he did, either. Who he was. The same goes for Mylo and Vander, too. Do that and I swear to you the pain will fade in time."
Vi tried to speak, to say that she believed Caitlyn, but all that came out was a choked sob as a wave of tears fell, dropping onto her legs and arms, a few even landing on Caitlyn's hands. One fell on Claggor's goggles, landing on one of the cracked lenses, damaged in the Hextech explosion that had taken his life, and Vi snatched her hands away. She made to wipe the lens on her trouser leg but her hands were shaking, and the goggles fell from her grasp, landing on the bed covers near silently. "Let me." Caitlyn said as she took the goggles in one hand, retrieving a handkerchief from her jacket pocket with the other. She wiped the glass carefully before running the fabric across the goggles entirely, cleaning whatever dust and gunk had formed on the eyewear. When she was done, however, and had put her handkerchief away, Caitlyn paused with a look of consideration in her eye.
"Caitlyn?" Vi asked, hesitant. Caitlyn looked up at her, then, but her gaze went past her eyes and settled onto the space above her brow. Then the purple-haired woman climbed to her feet, standing in a crouch as she lifted her right leg and pressed it onto the bed right next to Vi.
"May I?" She asked as she leaned forward, holding the goggles up to just below Vi's face. It only took a moment for Vi to work out what she wanted to do, and she nodded shakily. Permission granted, Caitlyn ran her left hand through Vi's hair, causing her to shudder as she let her girlfriend sort her hair. Then she took the goggles strap in both hands and slowly brought it up to Vi's head, like she was a queen being crowned, before placing it upon her. The straps were a bit too loose so Caitlyn tightened it until they fit without risk of them falling off. "Is that okay?" She asked after a few seconds, looking Vi over and taking in the new look.
Vi was struggling to breathe as she looked up into Caitlyn's loving eyes, so full of emotions that she never thought she'd get to feel, and it was all she could do to say one word. "Yeah." She whispered, and when Caitlyn smiled Vi felt like she'd just watched the sun rise.
"Now you can carry him with you, on your body as well as in your heart." Caitlyn said just as quietly. It was the like the rest of the world ceased to exist in that moment and it was just the two of them alone amongst the stars, and Vi didn't bother fighting the urge to press upwards and kiss Caitlyn. The Topsider's entire body melted into hers, leaving Vi to take her weight but there was no way in hell she was going to complain about that, not after everything she'd done for her in the last few minutes. The kiss was a sweet, slow thing that didn't last as long Vi wanted it to, but this wasn't about lust. Vi and Caitlyn had that in spades. What Vi felt was love, and she was tired of pretending it was anything else.
Vi let out a groan of disappointment when Caitlyn pulled away, though she kept her arms around her shoulders. "How're you feeling?" She asked as she slowly ran a hand through Vi's hair.
"So much better." She answered, pressing her lips to the underside of Caitlyn's jaw.
"Think you'll be up to go to Jayce's tonight?" Caitlyn continued, letting out a gasp as Vi moved down to kiss the side of her neck. "None of them will mind if you miss a day." She said, near breathless.
Vi let out a chuckle at that. "I'm sure Jayce wouldn't mind the break, but I'm good to go." She hesitated for a moment after that before pressing on. "Though I guess I'm a bit worried people will point out the goggles." She admitted.
Caitlyn's eyes narrowed down at her before stepping back and away, her red cheeks contrasting with the serious expression on her face. Then she sat back down on Vi's left, though this time she had turned to face her fully. "You don't have to wear them if you don't want to." She said carefully, and Vi could tell from the look in her eyes that she was worried she was forcing her into something she didn't want to do.
"It's not that", Vi said quickly, "I just don't want to explain why I'm wearing these all of a sudden. It's a personal thing, you know, and I'm not exactly looking forward to people judging my fashion sense because of them. I don't mind it normally, but not for my brother's goggles."
Her partner nodded with a somewhat relieved expression but, just as Vi was about to continue speaking, a determined look entered her eyes and she stood once more. "I'll be back in a moment." She said before walking towards the door, leaving the room without another word. Vi just stared at her with her mouth hanging open, the words on her lips left forgotten in the wake of her girlfriend's sudden departure.
Nearly a minute passed before she returned, though this time she entered the room with her back facing Vi. She had enough of a view to see Caitlyn clutching something close to her chest, but the thing that caught Vi's attention was how her hair, usually kept in a neat ponytail, was now hanging loose. Vi was about to ask what the hell she was doing when Caitlyn suddenly spun on the spot, kicking the door closed behind her as she placed a fucking top hat on her head.
"Ta-da~" Caitlyn sang, taking two very confident and very exaggerated steps towards Vi, ducking her head low as she spun again. Her hair kicked up this time, landing over her right shoulder as Caitlyn came to a stop before Vi, a happy yet almost embarresed grin breaking out across her face. Vi couldn't look away from the top hot, however, which she just noticed was the same one that Caitlyn kept on her coat hanger in her room. It was a deep purple, the exact same shade as her hair, and it had a brown strip of leather that curved around the base before peeling up and over the top of the hat, forming a little x.
"Fucking hell." Vi said entirely by accident, turning beet red as she realised her mistake a moment later. It wasn't like it was her fault, though. Caitlyn was drop dead gorgeous on the worst of days, and that was without taking into account a top hat that had no right to look as good as it did on her. Vi had no idea why a fucking top hat was doing this much for her, but she wasn't about to complain.
"You like it, then?" Caitlyn asked with a knowing look, even shooting Vi a wink.
"Something like that." Vi answered, looking her girlfriend in the eyes. "I'm not gonna lie, though, I thought that was just decoration."
Caitlyn's eyes narrowed as she ran a finger along the brim of her hat. "You thought the hat on my coat hanger in my room was just a decoration?"
Vi rolled her eyes before speaking, though she smiled to show that it was all in good fun. "I've never seen you wear it, is all."
"It belonged to my father, but I may or may not have stolen it when I was a teenager." Caitlyn explained with a nostalgic look in her eye. "I wore it with nearly everything for years which drove my mother up the wall, mostly because it meant I only ever wore purple. My dad always made jokes about she's only upset because I have his hair and not hers. I had to stop wearing it when I became an Enforcer because it wasn't part of the uniform, but I am Sheriff now, and if I can't wear my hat then what can I do?" She said with such seriousness that Vi couldn't stop herself from laughing.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She apologised, raising her hands in surrender when Caitlyn shot her a dirty look. "You look amazing, but you also kinda look like a really posh dancer."
"Oh yeah?" The taller woman challenged with a wicked smirk before darting forward, grabbing Vi by the hands and pulling her to her feet.
"Woah, hey, hey!" Vi cried out as she was spun in a circle with Caitlyn, scrambling to keep her footing right as she was pulled tight against her body, both of them failing to hold back their laughter. She then let out a yelp as Caitlyn dipped her back, leaving Vi to clutch at her shoulders lest she fall on her ass. She didn't think Caitlyn would drop her but she wasn't going to take the chance. She didn't have to worry for long as Caitlyn pulled her back up after a few seconds, her hands settling onto Vi's waist. Vi kept her hands around Caitlyn's shoulders, pressing their bodies together with little distance between their faces. "Why wear the hat now, though?" She asked when the silence began to drag on for a moment, staring deep into Caitlyn's sapphire eyes.
"It'll take some of the attention off of you." Caitlyn said easily even as Vi leaned back slightly. "If that doesn't work then at least we'll both be getting judged on our fashion sense together, like we should be."
Gods above, Vi knew then and there that she was well and truly fucked. Everything about Caitlyn, from her intense devotion and kindness to the silliness that shined through every now and again, her intelligence and her strength, they drew Vi in like a moth to the flame, except she knew without a doubt in her heart that Caitlyn would never burn her. With every day she spent outside of Stillwater, in a warm home with a job and with new friends to be with, the emotions she brought out in her grew stronger and stronger. She'd tried to fight it, tried to wait for a better time, for when she was better, but it was clear now that Caitlyn didn't want to wait for Vi to get better. She just wanted Vi, and all the good and the bad that came with her, because Caitlyn believed that she was enough.
Somehow, Vi believed her too.
"I love you, Caitlyn." Vi proclaimed, and she half expected that she'd struggle getting the words out, but they just flew out of her lips, like leaves on the wind. Caitlyn leaned back with wide eyes and a slack jaw, but Vi didn't let that stop her, not when the most beautiful smile she had ever seen blossomed on her face. "I love you so much, and I don't ever want to imagine what my life would be like without you."
The hands that Caitlyn kept on her hips encircled her waist, drawing her in even closer until their noses were practically touching. "I love you too, Violet."
It didn't feel like there were butterflies in her stomach when she kissed Caitlyn, then, nor did it feel like there were fireworks going off inside her chest.
It was just them, together in that moment and every moment to come.
That was all they needed.
Okay, so that was something. I really enjoyed writing that chapter more than I expected. I could not stop smiling by the end, truly. Anyways, for those who are wondering, the whole hat and goggles thing has been in my plans since I really started properly planning out this story. I thought it would be cool to have them get a bit closer to their League selves in this way. The stuff with Cassandra was fun as well, though it do go on longer than I expected. Oh well.
Let me know what you think in the comments! See you next time!