This fulfills the "create something" challenge from Dreamwidth's Snowflake Challenge 2022

I finished watching Arcane a few days ago, and yes I'm very much League-ignorant and will probably stay that way! But Arcane is 1000% my fav show I've seen so far this year and will likely firmly remain in top ten even though I've hardly watched anything else yet. that being said: omfg the PAIN. I had to write away the paaaiiiinnnn
(did it work? ...sort of *sobs*)
title from, well. That Song in That Episode, what else could it possibly be, hahahaaaa :,,,,))


Caitlyn is awake.

Vi knows this because the rope is jerking against her arms, like someone's trying to cut through. It's the first thing she's aware of outside her screaming no* continuously; that would've woken anyone—

Except she's not screaming, not out loud, because Powder can't hear her and also because speaking to Caitlyn— "Hurry, hurry, please hurry"— scrapes against her throat, and the screaming hasn't done that.

"Jinx," Caitlyn says (and Vi sees her pause, miraculously), "you don't have to do this."

"Yes, I do," Jinx— Powder— says back, not looking. And then she keeps walking, the rocket launcher a terrible, glowing, groaning drag at her side.

"Caitlyn, please." Then, remembering anew she'd been fucking unconscious*, "Are you okay?"

"God, Vi, I'm trying! I will be when I get you out of this..."

Tears are running down her cheeks but fuck that*, she needs to see, so she can do the only thing she can think of.

The rope snaps free and Vi leaps to her feet— and immediately falls, knees smashing into the floor. Caitlyn catches her before her face hit the floor too.

"I'm fine," she says, gasping through the pain. "I, I have to—" get up! *"Th-Thank—"

"Thank me later."

And Vi stands up, Caitlyn supporting her with some hidden reserve of strength. "Go," she whispers into Vi's hair.

Powder— Jinx— is staring, up at the red moon, out at Piltover's gilded buildings.

Vi takes a careful step, then another, more sure. A few more. "Powder, please. Whatever you think has to happen..."

"Stop calling me that!" But the fire's gone from her voice. "It isn't my name anymore. Neither of us are the same anymore!"

She hoists the rocket launcher to her shoulder.

Vi starts running. Caitlyn's scream echoes at her back.

Even from here, it looks like Powder's arms might be shaking.

"Jinx," Vi shouts.

"Shut up!" *She glares back at Vi for a split-second. "That's not who you see me as, stop trying to convince me—" the launcher sparks— "that, that you...!"

Vi can almost see her hand tighten around the trigger.

And then she's there, ripping the weapon from her sister's hand, tossing it aside, pulling her away from the edge. She fights back, of course she does, an anguished sound tearing out of her, but Vi holds on to her with tears streaming down her face.

"Whoever you are," Vi says through broken breaths, "whatever name is yours now, that's what I'll call you. You're still my sister, and I still love you, and I'm not lying."

Powder— Jinx.* Jinx falls back against her, sobbing. Her legs give out and Vi follows her down, hugging her more strongly than she can ever remember.

"I love you, you're my sister," Vi says, over and over. Her eyes burn. Her whole body shakes.

She'll never let go.

The blue glow disappears from her peripherals. Caitlyn got the gemstone, Vi supposes.

Jinx puts her arms over Vi's and wails.

Even through fresh sobs, Vi feels Caitlyn's arms encircle her, strong but gentle.

"We might not be the same anymore." She closes her eyes and rests her face against Jinx's bowed head.

After the endless time it takes for Jinx's cries to quiet, and for her own tears to dry, Vi tries again. "We might not be the same anymore, but that doesn't mean we can't try to change things. One* thing."

"Like what?" She sounds so small, the way she used to.

"Like..." She doesn't know what to say. "Like this.* Us, here. And then one more thing. And something after that."

Jinx's fingers inch toward the back of Vi's hand.

"I know 'I'm sorry' can never be enough." Through her breaking voice, Vi says, "but right now, that's all I have."

Jinx shakes her head. "No, it's not." Her hand closes over Vi's, cool and trembling. "You have me."

Caitlyn's hand is careful on her shoulder, her voice even more so. "And you have me."

And Jinx leans back, just a bit, her head sliding under Vi's chin.

Vi shuts her eyes again the blood-red moon and takes a shaking breath in.

She feels Jinx breathe in, too.