The two girls could only watch, when the rocket impacted into the council. Next thing they saw was a gigantic mushroom cloud. Bigger than the building itself. None of them spoke a word. But they could feel the air getting heavier. Vi swiftly looked over to the girl, who rested on her arm. She was crying. Pain, sadness, fear and anger were printed into her expression. Vi turned her look back towards the cloud.
"What will happen now?" Vi asked with a shaky voice. Caitlyn didn't answer. She just continued to watch the building that overlooked both Piltover & Zaun crumble down in a burning inferno. Caitlyn slowly fell to her knees, Still not saying a word. Just crying. Vi kneeled down next to her, and inspected her friend, who never let her look go off of the explosion, with a concerned stare.
Caitlyn's tears ran down her cheeks like rivers down a mountain. Vi leaned in from the side, and gave the grieving girl the tightest and warmest hug she could give.
"I'm sorry I couldn't stop her." The red haired girl apologized.
And finally, Caitlyn broke her silence.
"Mother.", was all she could mutter out.
Vi looked at her with a concerned stare. She'd never seen her this devastated before. Her gaze was glued to the cloud, which slowly disintegrated into nothing and revealed the building, which was collapsing underneath it.
"Jayce.", Caitlyn continued.
Even if Vi didn't think it was possible, Caitlyn's crying only increased in intensity. And so did the warmth and tightness of her hug.
"I'm sorry, Cupcake. I truly am." Now even Vi couldn't hold back her tears anymore. "I shouldn't have intervened. I'm so sorry." The girl moved her hand up Caitlyn's back, and up to her head. She firmly ran her fingers through cupcake's hair and pushed the two even closer together. "But she's still my sister. And I can't bear the thought of losing her.", she explained. "I love her, Cupcake. Just as much as I love-", her heart ached by the thought of what she almost said. Not now, she thought now is not the time.
Caitlyn didn't respond. She just continued to cry in Vi's arms.
The two girls sat there for what felt like hours. Just the two of them. Alone. In that broken down building.
The sun already set behind the still burning and collapsing building. Caitlyn sat against a metal railing, her face covered in dried tears, and blood. Her head rested on Vi's shoulder, who sat right next to her. Vi's right hand slowly strokes up and down cait's back, in an attempt to comfort her. When suddenly something hit Vi in the face. She quickly moved her free hand towards her cheek, where it hit her. It was wet. But no tears.
She looked up towards the dark sky, when another raindrop hit her. Then another one. And another one. The few drops quickly transformed into a light rainfall. Vi's look quickly wandered back to the girl beside her. Not even the sudden rain distracted her. She was still just blankly staring at the destroyed building in the distance.
"Cupcake?" Vi asked carefully.
And finally, after hours, Caitlyn's look disconnected from the slowly extinguishing flames in the distance. They now locked contact with Vi's eyes.
"Vi…" she began. "I want to go home."
The red haired girl nodded with a smile. "Can I go with you?" She asked with a shaking voice. Caitlyn responded with a swift "Please."
Vi stood up and reached out her hand towards caitlyn, who quickly grabbed it and pulled herself to her feet. Her entire body still aching in pain from the fight with Jinx.
"Careful, Cupcake." Vi exclaimed, while throwing her arm around her friend to support her.
Together, they started the long walk to Piltover. They walked out of the destroyed factory, and down the dark streets of the undercity. They witnessed people run around panicking. The explosion, and subsequent destruction of the council building, was clearly visible from almost all lanes in Zaun.
After walking through an eternity of chaos and panic, the two girls finally reached one of the bridges that led to Piltover. It was still closed off, only with even more Enforcers guarding it. One of whom quickly approached Vi and Caitlyn.
"I'm sorry, but nobody's allowed across. That's an order.", he said with a look on his face that told the girls that this man was just as scared about the event as everyone else.
"Get out of my way!" Vi screamed while pushing him to the side. But she realized quickly that this wasn't the best of choices. All of the other Enforces now raised up their weapons and aimed at Vi and the injured girl in her arms.
"I'm Sheriff Kiramman. Let us through." Caitlyn explained, while lifting up her head to show the Enforcers her face. They quickly put down their weapons.
"Sheriff Kiramman! I'm sorry for the disturbance. Please, continue. But beware: The city is in a bit of a turmoil right now." The Enforcer, who initially stopped them, warned.
Vi grunted at him, and walked off with Caitlyn still close in her arms.
"Thank you." her Cupcake said, before the two of them crossed the bridge.
By the time they reached the Kiramman residence, the rain strengthened in intensity and drenched the two girls from head to toe. Caitlyn opened the front gate and after setting just a single foot in the courtyard, the front door of the building swung open.
"Caitlyn!" her father shouted through the rain, before sprinting down the stairs, two at a time, just to give his daughter the warmest hug she had ever received.
"Dad." The tears started to form in her eyes again. "Mom… Is she…?"
Caitlyn's dad moved his head back to look his daughter in the eyes. His eyes were also watery from the tears. He closed his eyes shut and shook his head lightly. "I'm sorry, Cait."
Caitlyn slammed her body into his to hug him tightly. "No…" she whispered under tears. "She can't be dead. It's impossible… No, please dad, tell me she's okay!"
Her dad stayed quiet, before breaking the hug calmly. "Let's go inside, Caitlyn."
She nodded slightly, and moved around him afterwards. The girl went up the stairs, and disappeared in the bright light from the inside. Caitlyn's father turned towards Vi.
"Thank you." He said.
"For what?" Vi answered.
"For keeping her safe. You have a good heart. I can see that." The man explained. "If you want to, you can stay the night. We… We have a few spare rooms."
Vi smirked, before moving closer to the man, who by now was also drenched from the rain. She looked up to him and said a simple "Thank you, Mr. Kiramman." Before also walking around him, and up the stairs, into the building. Caitlyn's father followed soon after.
Inside, she could just spot her friend disappearing behind the corner, up the stairs. With a quick foot, Vi followed her. The red-haired girl heard a door slam shut down the hallway she was standing in. It was the room to Cait's door. She could recognize it from the last time she was here.
Vi slowly approached the wooden door, and pressed down the gold plated handle to open it. Inside, she witnessed Caitlyn standing in front of her clues about Jinx, that laid on the ground. She wasn't pondering about them, however. She was just staring at them, her arms hanging lazily down her sides.
"I should've been better. I should've noticed it earlier." She mumbled to herself. Vi tiptoed up to her and rested her hand on the mourning girl's shoulder. "It isn't your fault, Cupcake. You did everything you could."
"If I would've done everything, mom would still be here, and dad wouldn't have to be a widower. But here we are. The council's dead, mom's dead, Jayce's dead-"
Vi quickly spun the girl around, who immediately stopped counting the people who lost their lives in the explosion. "It's not your fault! It's… It was Jinx who did this." What Vi just said made her heart ache in pain. Caitlyn leaned into Vi, until their foreheads touched each other.
"I think I need to take a shower, Vi." Caitlyn stated. Her friend nodded with a smile, and let go of the blue-haired girl.
Seconds later, she walked off. But before entering her own bathroom, which was connected to her bedroom, she grabbed her weapon, which was leaning against the wall. Vi was confused, but decided not to question it any further. Moments later, Caitlyn disappeared in her bathroom, and her friend could hear the shower go on soon after.
What does she need her weapon for in the bathroom? Vi thought, before sitting down on Caitlyn's bed.
Her hands moved across the soft fabric of the luxurious blanket she was sitting on. She remembered the night she almost spent here. How she and Caitlyn looked at each other. How they almost kissed. She remembered Cait's soft hands on her skin and how safe and warm she felt with her in this bed.
She remembered how she left her. The last words she had with her, before Jinx's sick 'dinner party'. Oil and water. Fuck. What would've happened if Powder was that crazy now? What if it would've been Caitlyn's- Vi's heart ached in pain and her stomach turned upside down by the thought of finding something much, much more horrible beneath that cover. She shook her head, and continued her previous thoughts: That would've been my last words to her. That I don't want something between us, because… Of oil and water? Bullshit, Vi. You're scared. Scared of what? Of having something serious with Caitlyn? I mean… She is super sweet. And I could lose myself for hours in her eyes but… No! Now is not the time Vi! She isn't in your league anyway. An upper class woman like she would never start something with me. Right? Fuck. But the feelings towards her. They're real. I know it for fucks sake. I just have to have the guts to tell her that I like her. But not now. Now I just need to be there for her. Now I just have to be the best friend I can be.
"FUCK!", a loud scream, filled with pure anger and hatred emitted from the bathroom, followed by a sound, Vi could best associate with a punch against solid glass. The girl jumped up and ran towards the bathroom door.
"Cupcake? Is everything okay in there?" she screamed against the closed door.
Caitlyn entered the bathroom, and quickly closed the door behind her. She scanned her surroundings carefully and precisely while holding up her gun. The girl swiftly inspected every corner and every possible hiding spot, before turning towards the open window. She closed and locked it quickly, before taking a deep breath. Caitlyn lowered her weapon and rested the gun against the wall, before slowly stripping down. The young girl stepped in the shower, and turned on the hot water.
She flinched when the steaming hot liquid collided with her bruised skin and open wounds. It hurt for a few seconds, but eventually she was lost in thoughts: What'll happen now? My mother is gone. Jayce is gone. The fucking council is gone. And what about the damn city? About Piltover and Zaun? Does this mean war? And what about Vi? Oh Vi… Oil and water, huh? Oil and fucking water.
She stood in this shower for what felt like an eternity. The water washed away most of the mud and blood from her body. And what the water didn't get rid of by itself, Caitlyn would help. When she rubbed over her open wounds in anger, in an effort to clean out the mud and dried up blood around it, she would often just rip the wound back open. And every wound that would rip open again, filled her with even more anger. The pain was a constant reminder of her failure. Every wound she opened, every bruise she cleaned was a reminder for her that this was her fault. She should've been better at catching Jinx. She shouldn't have hesitated, and just shot her right there, when she had the chance.
She lifted herself up to stand straight again, and breathed through deeply, before closing her eyes, and holding her face directly in the stream of the hot water. The wounds are open, but at least they aren't bleeding, she thought.
Caitlyn turned off the water, and opened the shower doors. She inspected the room carefully again. The window was still locked tightly, and her gun still rested against the wall, untouched. The girl breathed a sigh of relief, before stepping out of the shower. The water dripped down to the ground from her naked body, while she walked over towards the sink and mirror. It was misty, but nothing else. Jinx wasn't here. She was still alone. Only her and Vi, in the other room.
The girl wiped away some of the water steam on the mirror, and got a fresh look at herself again. It's your fault, Cait. Should've done a better job. And you seriously think, Vi would want something from you? She said it herself. Oil and water don't mix well. And you're much too damn oily for her taste.
Caitlyn's heart started pounding faster and faster. She felt like something was boiling inside her. Was everything really her fault? The thoughts shot through her mind. Pictures of her mother, of dad, of Jayce, of Vi. Everything was going so fast. The pain, both physical and emotional, finally got to her.
"FUCK!" she screamed with all her force, before smashing her bare fist into her own reflection. The mirror, around the impact, shattered in an instant. Leaving behind deep cuts in Caitlyn's fist, that immediately started bleeding intensely. Her breathing got heavier from the adrenalin rush that that pain caused. She looked down on her now red hand, and the sink beneath it. The blood dripped onto the white ceramic, and stained it red as well.
"Cupcake? Is everything okay in there?" a scream from outside the door asked. It was Vi's voice. Caitlyn couldn't answer.
"Caitlyn? Are you okay? I'll come in if you don't answer me!" Vi threatened.
The girl still couldn't answer. She was frozen in place, her look glued to her continuously bleeding hand. But she could hear the door handle being pressed down and jolted violently.
"Caitlyn?! I'll bust this damn door down! Please answer me! Is everything fine?!" Vi's cries got more desperate now.
Caitlyn looked up at her reflection in the broken, bloody mirror. "Give me a moment." She said back in a monotone voice. The girl walked over a few steps, and grabbed one of the largest towels in the room, which she swiftly threw around herself to cover up her exposed body. But even just that simple action caused the clean white towel to quickly get a lot of red stains. The girl moved towards the door and unlocked it with her healthy hand. It swiftly swung open afterwards.
In front of her stood a concerned Vi with wide open eyes. Her look swiftly wandered downwards, where she noticed the red stains on the towel. And Caitlyn's bloody hand. Her concerned look got even more worried, when she saw just how much it was bleeding.
"We need to bandage that up, quickly." Vi said, before turning and searching for something to stop the bleeding. Caitlyn only looked at her in disbelief. It didn't take long for the concerned girl to find some bandages on Caitlyn's desk. They were probably left behind by her dad, when he and her mom cared after her wound on the leg.
Vi quickly grabbed it and returned to the injured girl, who still stood in the door, slowly coming back to her senses.
She firmly grabbed Caitlyn's arm, and led her back to the bed, where the two of them sat down next to each other. Vi calmly and softly took the injured girl's red hand. She inspected the wounds, while slowly cleaning them with a bit of the bandages she was holding.
Some smaller glass shards were still in the open wounds. "This will hurt a bit now, Cupcake." Vi warned in a soothing voice, before grabbing one of the small shards with her fingertips, and pulling it out slowly. Caitlyn didn't even flinch. Her gaze was locked towards Vi's face, which became more and more beautiful with every shard she removed from her wounds.
"That should be all of them. Hold still." Vi ordered, and Caitlyn simply nodded. The red haired girl slowly wrapped the injured girl's hand with the rest of the bandages, and tied the ends into a small knot. Quickly after, the bleeding stopped. Vi still held her hand while looking up to her face again.
"It's fine, Cupcake. I also have these moments sometimes."
With Caitlyn's hand being held in a way that made her feel so safe, and the soothing voice of Vi in her ears, she quickly got emotional again. But not out of sadness for the loss of her mother or Jayce. But out of fear to lose this warmth that Vi gave her as well.
"Vi I…" She tried to start but couldn't find the right words. "Where… Where will you stay the night?" She muttered out.
"I… I was hoping to stay here. With you." Vi answered with a voice full of fear.
The blue haired girl slowly ran the back of her fingers over her friend's cheek. "I'd love to." She whispered.
The air was heavy, and both girls could feel the emotional tension, but none acted on it. They just sat there. Cait's bandaged hand held firmly in Vi's lap, and her healthy hand firmly gliding across the, usually so tough, girl's skin.
"Caitlyn…" Vi started, "What I said yesterday. About oil and water." Her breathing got heavier, and the other girl could clearly make out the blush forming on her face. She took one last, deep breath before continuing: "That was bullshit."
Caitlyn's cheek turned red more quickly than the quickest bullet she'd ever fired and her heart skipped multiple beats. She felt like the emotions were drowning her. But at least this time, it wasn't sadness or rage. It was pure happiness.
"Why did you say it then?" Caitlyn asked, her fingers now cupping Vi's cheek.
"I was scared." The girl answered with a tear running down her face. "I'm a girl from Zaun. My sister is a psychopathic terrorist, and the rest of my family is either dead, or hunted by enforcers. And you? You're a noble woman. Way out of my league. I was just scared. That's why I made up that bullshit about oil and water." Vi ranted.
"So…" Caitlyn's head sank a bit. "Would you give us a chance?"
Vi's eyes ripped wide open and her stare became fixed to Cait's face. She couldn't find the words. So instead of talking, she just responded with a simple nod.
Caitlyn grew a small smile. She was still visibly shy and very nervous, but slowly, she leaned in closer to Vi. The red haired girl's hands let loose of the bandaged hand, and slowly buried themself into her Cupcake's ocean-blue hair. The faces of the girls got closer and closer, until they could feel each other's breath on their lips. They almost touched, when Vi and Caitlyn closed their eyes.
A kiss.
A real kiss.
Vi felt the soft lips colliding with hers, and she could feel Caitlyn's hands firmly gripping her back. Vi threw her arms around the girl, and pressed the two even closer together. The kiss turned more passionate with each second it persisted. And after what felt like an eternity in heaven, Caitlyn released her lips from Vi's and stared deep into her blue eyes.
Vi's heart felt like it's about to burst. Did she really just kiss this girl? But before continuing her thought, Caitlyn threw herself at Vi again for an even deeper, much more passionate kiss.
The two girls fell back on Caitlyn's bed, while keeping their lips glued to one another. Vi could feel her partner's heavy breathing and her hands running through her short hair.
The kiss broke off again, and the two looked at each other with a smile. Caitlyn's fingers slowly slid over Vi's cheek, before she cuddled herself even closer towards the other girl.
Arm in arm, under a warm blanket, the two girls slowly fell asleep.