"You know, Cupcake," Vi took a deep breath in and it rattled in her lungs, "You'd look even hotter with a septum ring."
"God, don't be crude," Caitlyn hauled her closer, was in the process of balancing their conjoined weight when she realised, eyes widening comically, "Even hotter, so you think I'm," she spluttered, "Vi are you flirting with me while you're bleeding out on the floor."
"Heh."
If Vi had the strength she'd shoot a finger gun up to the sky, thank Vander for the childhood kick up the ass. But any future ventures with interesting women had to be cut short with their current, bloody , predicament.
Stab wound, lower left side. Probably not fatal. Key word: probably. If the Enforcer chick's medical knowledge is as big as the chip on her shoulder we'll be curing every Shimmer-fucked disease from here to the fancy doors of Piltover.
Assuming they got to the building before she passed out.
"Right, talk to me, where are we heading?"
"Forward."
"Ah, fuck you."
Vi snorted. The language had less bite with the accent.
She pulled away from Caitlyn, looking down over the cliff edge, not bothering to gather her bearings because fuck that. Vi jumped, threw herself over the side and down, landed hard and yelled yet hit the bottom with minimal blood splatter. Small victories.
Caitlyn landed shortly after. More skilled than before. Graceful, even . Vi blamed the observation on the bloodloss.
But Caitlyn was there again, before Vi could shake her out of her mind. Slipping underneath her arm all slim and agile yet carrying her heavy weight like she was little more than some fancy rifle. Vi stumbled, perhaps deliberately, just to push it, and Caitlyn grunted under her muscles yet pulled her close. Slipped one hand over Vi's hip while pulling Vi's over her shoulder and holding it there. Running her thumb over bandaged knuckles unconsciously while she looked forward with this furrow in her brow. A cocktail of determination and disgust.
There was a swatch of dirt on her high cheekbone. Vi reached over and swiped it away. Caitlyn didn't comment on the softness and Vi was glad because what the fuck was she thinking? Snuggling up to the Enforcer like she was Vander or Powder before the world went to shit.
Injuries, Vi. That's all.
"Are we still going forward?"
Vi blinked. She'd zoned out for a second. Then nodded, firm, forcing her face into the sneer that made questions go away.
"Right."
They stumbled forward, toward the home that wasn't. Caitlyn briefly turned her torch on and snuffed it out just as fast. Digging her heel into the embers of the ciggy that was the damn world.
"You feelin' uncomfy, Cupcake?"
Caitlyn hardened her gaze. Continued forward. Stronger than she looks. Vi took that thought like a shot, gargled it in her mouth and felt it burn on the way down. She needed to punch something. Fuck life without split knuckles.
Caitlyn let go of Vi's hand to push the door open. It felt cold without it, and Vi cursed the thought for even crossing her mind. Then Caitlyn pulled her close, maneuvered her body weight like that was an easy thing to do, propped her up on something uncomfortable and solid before strutting around like she owned the place.
"Heh," Vi pushed herself up on her elbow, didn't wince, "not gonna criticize the architecture? Getting used to the fragrance? "
"Don't be a dick." Caitlyn knelt down and put pressure on the wound. Really forced her weight down, too. Little miss oh-so-bitchy. Vi grunted, reaching up and gripping Caitlyn's shoulder before she could stop herself.
"It doesn't look good, Vi."
"Shoulda seen the other chick."
"You're insufferable."
Caitlyn seemed prepared to deal with her despite her apparent 'insufferability'. She pulled back, wiped around the wound while Vi watched with glossy eyes. Her hands were smooth, skin soft like butter. No dryness, no blood. Neatly trimmed fingernails and palms barren of scars.
It pissed Vi off. For some stupid reason she didn't care to decipher. So she pulled her eyes away, leaned back, let her head smack against the wall while she gazed up at the ceiling.
"Stay awake," Caitlyn tapped her face with those stupid hands. Tap, tap, tap. "No sleeping just yet."
Vi played along. Allowed herself to be the idiotic reprobate for her savior complex. "What if I'm sleepy?" she waved her hands, sarcastic, "the night calls…"
"Tell it to fuck off, then."
Vi let herself laugh. Let it rumble deep in her chest because laughs were rare. She wanted to hold them close, to grab them all up and get stoned off the fumes. Vi let her eyes glaze over.
Caitlyn had managed to bandage her up, some time between her one way ticket to la la land and now. Vi glanced down dejectedly.
"It's alright now," Caitlyn's voice was deadly soft, Vi didn't want to revel in it, didn't want to be sucked up in the softness less she be spit out again, "you can rest."
Fuck this. Fuck Caitlyn.
Vi let her eyes close.
Powder.
They were running, and then they weren't. She pushed the kid behind her. Small kid. Too small. Barely there. Not strong enough.
Vi's knuckles were bleeding. Heavy and flowing down her hands. She wiped them on her pant legs. Fists up. Never down. She'd never let them waver. Never again. Her muscles trembled. Relief was not due for a very long time.
Duck. Swing. Punches to the abdomen. Lean back. Dodge. Swipe their legs out from under 'em.
She was boxing someone faceless. All shadow and purple and veins pumped full of crap. A part of her knew this wasn't right. The part devoid of adrenaline and easily ignorable. She greedily sucked up the ignorance. Me and the punches. Bloody knuckles.
A brief moment. She lost herself. Five seconds. She turned her back on the world and everyone in it. Lost in emotions and her. Me, myself and I. The weight of responsibility was light when she ignored it. But it crashed down just as fast. Never a peaceful moment.
They had a gun. Fists couldn't punch through those. She grabbed the wrist and twisted, yelled a horse battle cry. The finger twitched over the trigger and a shot rang out. All in a moment.
Powder.
Vi screamed.
"Vi!"
She fought, punched until she felt something tear and cried out through the agony. Her wrists were gripped by two slim hands and pinned by her sides. She wriggled and swung forward. Knocking her forehead against the others and clenching her eyes shut when the hold didn't loosen.
"Vi, listen to me."
The voice didn't sound the same. Firmer. Older. She looked up and then blinked away the fog. Heaved through the curdle of rage and fear.
"Breathe. Now. In and out." Vi obeyed and hated it. "You're alright."
She sat there breathing for an embarrassingly long time. Until the urge to fight was no more than a natural whisper and the hands, soft hands, had loosened from her wrists to feel her forehead instead.
"I-what the fuck, Vi."
Vi laughed through the breathlessness, then her face fell serious when she realised Caitlyn was close. Nose to lose. Lips nearly touching. "It's fine."
"You woke up screaming."
"And you had to sleep on a concrete floor. We all got trauma, Cupcake."
"I'm not that prissy," Caitlyn shot back. She seemed to accept that the moment was over, easing back into the banter shakily. "That was frightening." Quiet, serious.
Fuck.
Caitlyn leaned forward, bumped their noses, let their foreheads touch. Barely-there . Vi held her breath.
And then she pulled back. Shook her head as if dispelling the thoughts. Probably expected Vi to do the same. "You're bleeding again."
Vi smiled. It almost felt natural. "You gonna be my nurse?"
"Fuck off," Caitlyn laughed, grabbing more bandages.