Chapter Text
Over the last six years, chaos was a short and sweet way to box up Caitlyn's life. As a happy-go-lucky eighteen year old child hopping on a plane to her fathers homeland in hopes of finding herself - her freedom - as she'd so embarrassingly put it to the people who were right to question if she was making the right decision. The responsible, smart people. The people who pleaded that she make reasonable demands, something normal like- who knows, dorming? This was not at all what shed envisioned.
Baby steps is how Jayce had delicately put it. Caitlyn had been tired of being a baby. She was tired of her mothers overbearing demands, her fathers passive attitude. She wanted to find out if there was more to her than the path that had been laid out.
Her mother found her rather quickly. Every week the post was flooded with threatening letters and the voicemail to her phone was always full no matter how many times she changed her number. It was scary how easily money could buy private information.
Talis was the only one who had her address at the time of her departure. She had secretly enrolled in school and used her fathers influence as a licensed doctor and the CEO of one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in Ionia to try and convince anyone who would consider renting to her. Surprisingly, Ionian landlords don't take kindly to immigrant students looking for the cheapest housing and living off part-time jobs while claiming to have rich parents. She couldn't blame them.
Finally an old woman who ran a business in the red light district accepted a last ditch effort. In exchange for labor, she'd give Caitlyn a place to stay and have her work the floor for some pocket money, whatever that meant. At the time she was desperate and stupid. When she'd excitedly told a twenty-two year old Jayce, he nearly fell to his knees with grief.
"Caitlyn, please don't do this. You can't sell your body for a place to stay and a couple bucks!" He pleaded.
Caitlyn scoffed, how could he even think something like that. "Jayce, I'm not selling my body. Are you out of your mind? I'll be cleaning. She said in her email that she just needs someone to clean up after the girls and make sure no one's causing trouble inside. She can't hire a man because the girls there have had bad experiences before." She took a long sip from her milkshake. It was a guilty pleasure she rarely got to enjoy.
Jayce blinked, he stood to his full height and coughed, embarrassed. "Oh. Well, uh. Still, Caitlyn your mother would lose her mind if she knew." He spoke animatedly, his hands going every which way, his own milkshake barely holding on.
She released her straw with a pop and pointed the drink in Jayce's direction. "That's why we're not going to tell her. We're not going to tell anyone. Now are we?" Caitlyn looked at him and narrowed her eyes. Jayce was a blabbermouth when he wanted to be but he had a good heart. She could trust him, ignoring the crippling fear in his eyes, of course.
Her dad's name wasn't much help, it was more about character. In fact, Babette encouraged Caitlyn to keep a low profile.
That was fine, Caitlyn could be low profile. She had amazing character too. This was exactly the experience she was looking for in Ionia, completely authentic. She was finally her own person. She had a job and a home all in one. This would be a piece of cake.
Six years later, mangled toes splayed out in front of her face, the odor was pungent to say the least. "Rub harder! You won't break me!" Caitlyn grimace, 'I went to university, just to rub feet as my career.' The clip on her nose did little to mask the smell. "Make sure you get the rough bits, child." She wiggled her toes, rubbing the dead skin together.
'Gods, this is a nightmare as always.' As if her landlady could hear her thoughts, she pulled her foot out of Caitlyn's hands and stuck it on her face pushing her out of her squat and onto her ass. Caitlyn gagged at the slimy feeling on her forehead. "Babette! That's assault, surely you must know that!" She scrubbed at her forehead.
"Kids these days are so sensitive. My girls rub my feet like I matter to them! You do it like I'm forcing you." Babette complained, slumping into the old wooden chair in her office.
"You are forcing me. Sit up straight, you'll harm your back." Caitlyn stood, blowing a stray hair out of her face. She groaned, squatting in front of Babette again to continue her massage.
Babette rolled her eyes, "Oh quit nagging me, kid. I've had a long life, let an old woman slouch." She complained, but Caitlyn noticed the way she slid up in her seat contrary to her spectacle.
She heard giggles from the screen door beside them, when she turned there were pretty eyes watching them from the dimly light hallway. The girls who lived and worked at Babette's were all gorgeous, they were kind too- sometimes a bit too eager to help Caitlyn with her tasks. There was only so long she could believe a girl in sheer lingerie and stilettos liked changing filthy sheets and watching her scrub the bathroom floors.
Caitlyn smiled and waved shyly, it was a bit embarrassing being seen like this - covered in dirty foot bath water from Babette's constant splashing, her hair a mess, wearing her usual much too large overalls, kindly donated by the last guy who worked this position, tied at the waist with a tank top to combat the insane heat of summer in Ionia - Gods, some of these girls were the same ones who were here when she first arrived. Bright eyed and bushy tailed. Ready to earn her keep.
Babette coughed loudly, startling everyone. "Girls, if you have time to stare at your hard working handler, then maybe you'd like to help her with her current situation?" Again she wiggled her toes in their direction, dripping water everywhere.
All three girls quickly gave Caitlyn apologetic smiles as they crept further from the entrance to the office.
"Traitors." Caitlyn murmured as she roughly grabbed Bab's food and stretched it.
Babette gleefully laughed, "That's what I'm talkin' about, kid! Really get in those crevices'!" Caitlyn rolled her eyes and smiled despite the sweat building on her brow line and the singular fan in the room somehow only blowing air in her land ladies direction.
When she stepped into her small storage-turned-bedroom, Caitlyn threw herself onto the futon below. Her things were packed up in boxes ready to be shipped back to Piltover. Her six years were up.
Originally, she had planned to slack off in Ionia for a year longer, but her mother's pestering had begun to wear her down. If she wasn't careful her mother would come down to Ionia herself and see exactly what conditions her resourceful daughter had been living in while attending class for four years doing Gods know what for the other two. Her mother hadn't contacted her for quite some time, It had been close to six months now. Which was unusual. Caitlyn had the thought once or twice to call since her letters weren't getting responses, but she decided against it.
The headache just simply wasn't worth it. Caitlyn concluded as she leaned back on her hands, staring off at the chipped paint on old walls. It was quiet in her little space, astonishingly so. She couldn't hear the moans of patrons or the bustle of the streets outside Babette's slice of paradise.
Babette's girls often snuck into Caitlyn's quarters in the early hours of the morning, usually after a night of exchanging passing glances or in rare cases a couple weeks of flirty happenings in the common areas, or sneaking off to a side room to mess around. It was all quite childish, but the months of interactions build something special as silly as it is to feel something for a sex worker looking to have a no strings attached fling of their choosing at work. Usually it was just a chance to have some control over who they fuck and when they fuck. Or so she's been told. That was fine by Caitlyn.
The first time it happened was with a girl who looked strikingly similar to- Caitlyn stopped herself. She tried to keep those memories out, it made it hard to focus on her present. Every night in her dreams it rains and lips barely touch. But in the waking hours, she tried to push those memories down. Far down. Incredibly far down. She slid down flat on the mat, staring up at the ceiling.
Her phone buzzed beside her. Jayce had been calling her often these days, she hadn't responded since Christmas, the day they had a huge fight. Jayce and her spoke over the phone almost everyday before that. They'd discuss school, girls, friends. Everything under the sun. It was all fine, until he had to go and ruin it by bringing up what had been quietly brewing between them.
Resentment. Jayce resented her. He loved her, but he thought she was selfish. He thought she was an immature child. When he had told Caitlyn it was time to put her trip to bed, he meant it. He wanted his friend- no his sister back.
"Caitlyn, you're 22, it's time to come home. There's a lot your missing." Jayce's voice came distant over the phone. He'd somehow become even more famous in the years Caitlyn had been away. The golden boy. A genius.
Caitlyn sighed, she'd done this song and dance with Jayce too many times, it was tiring. "Jayce, we agreed on six years. Once I'm back you can boss me around as much as you'd like, but right now can we please-"
"No! Caitlyn, enough is enough. You're being-" He stopped, the line went quiet. Caitlyn knew what he was going to say. What he's been wanting to say for a long time.
"What? Jayce. What am I being?" She tested, Irritation lacing her words.
Jayce scoffed, she could almost see him pinching the bridge of his nose. "You're being selfish. Ignorant." Once a crack forms, its only a matter of time till the whole tank breaks. "You can't just keep running from your problems! Freedom's not in Ionia, Caitlyn! I mean- Mel and I are getting married next year. You've missed so many dinners, parties, ceremonies. I- I could have really used your help, Caitlyn. Most importantly your mother-"
Caitlyn cut in, her voice pointed. "What about my mother? Dinners. Parties. Ceremonies? Is that all you think I'm good for Jayce? To be some arm candy for the Kirammans? To make you look good?"
"No! Of course not, Cait. I just- your mom, she-"
"Frankly, I'm sick of hearing about my mum. Cassandra Kiramman, the great leader. Cassandra, the perfect wife. Cassandra, the amazing mother!" Caitlyn laughs, it sounds bitter, too bitter coming from her. "I am so sick of hearing about my mum. Five years later and it's like I never escaped the woman. I flew to entirely different continent and it's like I never left."
There was a pit of silence. Caitlyn hadn't meant it. Not entirely. It felt like Jayce was standing across from her at that very moment. She could see the disappointment, the anger, the disgust. It was like looking in a mirror. Except her reflection was talking back, and it said all the things she was terrified to admit to herself.
"You know what, Caitlyn? Maybe the reason it's so hard to escape your mothers shadow is because you never bothered to be anything bigger than the pathetic person you are now." Jayce brought the phone up to his mouth. "You want to know if there's more beyond your path? Bullshit. You're scared, and its not some big secret. We all know it. We knew it when you left and I'm damn sure of it now. You don't call, text, you won't even return her letters. Running isn't going to change you. Even after six years you'll still be the same little girl who ran away, you'll still be an irresponsible brat, Caitlyn."
Just like that, Caitlyn was underwater. She was drowning and it was sink or fucking swim.
"So that's it? You get everything out of your system?"
"Caitlyn." He warned, softly at first.
"You know it must be so easy to put someone down the way you do when you're sitting on top of it all." She grit her teeth, "The oh-so-wonderful Jayce Talis, the son we've always wanted. Was that it? You think you can play big brother and teach me life lessons or some shit just because you've gone and gotten some recognition from mummy and daddy?"
"That's not it. You know that's not what I'm trying to do." She did know, but in the heat of the moment, her heart wouldn't stop racing. The hurt came in waves and all she wanted to do was make her best friend feel the same hurt.
"As scared as I am, Jayce. I know all that stuff about myself already. You on the other hand? Well.." She scoffed, "You can tinker till your hands fall off, lock yourself away in that lab with Viktor, fill that head of yours with textbook knowledge to bide your time. You can have all the dinners and ceremonies you want. Keep Mel on your arm just like in high school, hoping no one with see through that façade you've so expertly crafted."
"Caitlyn, don't." There was urgency in his voice, but she kept cutting deeper.
"But you can't run from the truth Jayce, it always catches up. I mean, what exactly do you and Viktor do in the big old lab all alone everyday?"
"I'm serious, cut it out. Someone might-"
"What? Hear me? I'm running form my problems. Remember?" There was zero chance anyone from Piltover would be hanging out in an Ionian brothel, but incase they were she was in her room with the door shut.
"Seriously, fuck you Caitlyn." His voice came shaky and ragged over her end. It wasn't like Jayce to get this shaken up over anything but when it came to Viktor, she knew it was a low blow. He'd been hiding this secret since him and Viktor first met. The two of them had an instant connection but Caitlyn had no idea how deep till she'd accidentally caught the two in the act. It was a real shock when Jayce had first introduced Mel to her as his girlfriend, but it wasn't till later that the disappointment came when she'd realized Viktor and him never quite ended their escapades together even to this day.
She wanted to a apologize, to take it all back. Claim it was a moment of insanity, it must have been. How could she have used her friends trust against him. She was disgusted by herself. "Jayce," she tried, but the words came quiet and hoarse.
"I- I gotta go, Caitlyn." He bit out, "You should really come home. If not for me, then your mom."
The line dropped and Jayce never called back after that day. It's been around six months since then, maybe Jayce was the one keeping her mother from contacting her now? She was awful after all.
A knock on the door was a welcome distraction. "Come in," Caitlyn called lazily from the floor ignoring the prick of tears threatening to spill over. She had no interest in moving from this spot for the remainder of the day.
The door slid open, a flood of pink light, moans, and the smell of adultery had come through the door with her visitor. Their heeled boots thumped against the creaky wood as they came further into the room and slid the door shut behind them.
Caitlyn cocked a brow. "What are you doing here, Fortune." Just what she wanted. An unwelcome sight on her last day in Ionia, but really was Sarah Fortune a welcome sight anywhere these days?
"What? No hello for your favorite weary sailor, my love?" Sarah held a hand to her heart, "I'm wounded, baby."
Her shameless flirting was the least of Caitlyn's problems. Sarah, the daughter of a man in high places. His company dealt in export, import. Whether everything they dealt in was legal was up for speculation, as was most of the business between the high and mighty, even her own parents. No, the main issue was that Sarah knew who she was and what she had to offer after returning to Piltover. Despite Sarah's days abroad, she was surprisingly knowledgeable about the trade. "You only stop by when you want something, so what are you doing here?" They stared into each other, brilliant blues mixing with every second.
Sarah blinked and laughed sharply. "Don't be such a stick. Loosen up, hun. I just came to say hello.." Her eyes lapped up Caitlyn's form under the soft light of her gas lamp. A bit dated, and dangerous, but it did the job. "Maybe a bit more than hello?" Sarah dropped down onto the bed and crawled over Caitlyn, trapping her in on both sides. Sarah Fortune was undeniably hot.
Still, Caitlyn rolled her eyes, unimpressed by the same overused line. Whenever Sarah was so close, it was alluring. Like a siren, when she called it was easy to get swept away by her. Not tonight though, Caitlyn steeled resolve and put up a reserved hand. "No, a hello will be more than enough, thank you."
"Oh?" Fortune grinned, she held Caitlyn's hand in hers. "Is this you playing hard to get?"
"I've always been hard to get, arsehole." She sucked her teeth. Sarah laughed, she leaned back into Caitlyn's pelvis and stared down at her. A hand made its way into Caitlyn's hair. It was all oddly romantic. "You just keep catching me off guard." They interlocked their fingers, Caitlyn hated how Sarah could make her heart thump a little faster.
"Off guard?" Fortune repeated her accent sultry and seductive, leaning closer. Caitlyn always wondered if perhaps this was the way others heard her when they complimented her accent. "When is the great Caitlyn Kiramman ever off guard?"
Caitlyn laughed, "When the ever-so-irritating Miss Fortune makes her entrance." She mused.
They both laughed, Sarah dropped her weight onto Caitlyn. It winded her a bit, she rolled over pinning Sarah beneath her and swapping their positions. She watched as Sarah's eyes formed crescents when she laughed. Her smile was so very addicting. Her mind wandered, landing where it always does. On her.
Vi walked side by side with her, their hands knocking against each other every couple steps. Caitlyn didn't miss the way Vi kept her hands out of her jacket pockets and glance down occasionally.
She smiled, a million other things were swirling around her mind but Violet always managed to make her way to the forefront.
They made it to her car in silence. It was late, their practice ran longer than usual and Caitlyn had overheard that Vi's ride was no longer an option. She knew she lived on the other side of town from the times she'd drop Powder home after science fairs or study groups for the advanced lab classes they took together.
She'd been the one who offered the ride, but by the way Vi reacted, maybe it wasn't a good idea. They'd only just started getting to know each other thanks to Powder, the last thing she wanted was to overstep.
Caitlyn cleared her throat, trying to break the tension. She looked over at Vi, "I hope its alright that I asked to give you a ride. I know you live pretty far. I mean, I've dropped your sister off a couple times." They had been friends for a couple months now, but Vi constantly seemed to avoid any situations where she and Caitlyn had to be alone together.
Vi nodded, she didn't look at Caitlyn, just played with the latch on the glove box till she'd accidentally popped it open. "Shit, uh." Vi cursed, a tinge of pink peaking out from under her hood. "Sorry, I shouldn't have played with it." She tried closing it but each time it just fell open again.
Caitlyn leaned over, her hand brushed against Vi's as she gently held the glove box closed and pushed the open latch closed. "It's fine. I can be fidgety in uncomfortable situations too, I suppose."
"I'm not uncomfortable!" Vi turned finally, her eyes wide and worried. "I mean-" They were both leaned over trying to sort out the glove box, Vi seemed to have forgotten the distance they were lacking. Caitlyn was close, too close.
Caitlyn didn't move, she didn't feel inclined to. Her nose brushed against Vi's, her ragged breaths tickled against Caitlyn's cheek. They might have stayed like that for a second or an hour. It was honestly hard to tell.
"Are you sure?" Caitlyn whispered, a smile pulling at the corners of her lips. She probably looked as bright as a tomato with how hot her face felt.
"I-" The words came strained. She swallowed and tried again. "I don't think you could make me uncomfortable, Caitlyn." She whispered, Caitlyn's eyes drifted down to Vi's lips, watching as she licked her bottom lip and pursed them together. "Not in a bad way at least." She looked up and caught the way Vi's eyes creased when she started to smile.
She searched for something, a lie. A doubt. Anything to make her put whatever realization her heart was coming to on the back burner. This couldn't possibly be right, she couldn't possibly have feelings for this girl. For Vi.
Caitlyn's breath caught, she exhaled shakily. This was very dangerous territory. Everything in her was screaming to get Vi home, pretend this didn't happen. She was going to get out of this city and nothing, no one. Not even this - incredibly attractive, annoyingly charming - girl was going to stop her. So why wouldn't her heart stop pounding. The feelings never stopped growing.
She sat up in her chair, started the car and avoided the inquisitive gaze of her car companion. "Lets get you home." She said, putting the car in reverse and backing out of the lot.
"Caitlyn?"
"Caitlyn!" Sarah called, waving a hand in front of her face.
She blinked a tear away, her sense coming back to her. 'What the hell was that?' Today was a walk down memory lane and it felt like torture.
A cool hand pressed against her forehead. "Caitlyn, are you feeling alright?" The worry was a rare sight, something Caitlyn knew was a privilege from Sarah. "Where'd you go? I lost you for a second, love."
How ridiculous, mourning something that never was. Fuck, she needed to get it together. After all these years, she was still obsessing over a promise between teenagers.
Sarah's hand slid down her face and caressed Caitlyn's cheek. "Look, I didn't mean to push this on you. If you're really not up to it, I can-"
Caitlyn leaned in to catch Sarah's lips in a gentle kiss, one that quelled the hurt and fear, because Jayce was so right. She was terrified of what waited for her back in Piltover.
With Sarah it was easy, light. They understood the bubble they both lived in. Together they could skirt around the difficult things and leave them for the dark stillness of their nights together. Tears unseen, but comforted. That was them.
Sarah was scared like Caitlyn, she felt it in the way she was held a bit closer whenever Sarah thought Caitlyn had drifted to sleep. She felt it in the way Sarah popped in every now and again, no rhyme or reason, like now. She felt it. Neither of them would admit it, but they both were guilty of that fear.
In the night, Sarah drew shapes and words across Caitlyn's bare skin, trailing kisses down the back of her neck, to her shoulders, the blades between. "You're leaving then?" She whispered, fingers idly grazing the mound of Caitlyn's hip.
"I told you last time, remember?" Caitlyn laid still, her eyes shut.
Sarah hummed, "I remember." Her response came lacking. There was more to say. "I remember," She repeated. "How excited you were when you told me. It was adorable." Caitlyn shoved her hips back, bumping Sarah lightly. She laughed, planting a hand on Caitlyn's hip. "I don't see that excitement as much anymore."
Instead of acknowledging Sarah's point, she asked a question of her own.
"What are you doing here, Sarah?"
"I'm sleeping, obviously."
"You know that's not what I meant."
Sarah sighed, she chuckled a bit and if it was possibly she shifted closer to Caitlyn, he arms snaking around her. "No, it's not what you meant, but it's what it is."
Caitlyn opened her eyes, "If you're here on business of some kind, I can't help you. I'm not currently in my parents best graces. I haven't heard from them in months."
The sheets covering them rustled as Sarah pushed herself up. "Caitlyn, I don't mix work and play." Caitlyn turned to face a pissed Sarah. "I'm here because I like being with you. I don't get a lot of time in Ionia, I wanted to see you while I could."
She pushed herself up from the bed, and thank the gods it was dark because her poker face had completely melted away. She was a mess. "What?" Was all she could muster.
"You're leaving in a couple hours, it might be the last time we see each other like this. I just wanted to see you off before I'm forced to see you in some stuffy ball gown sneaking kisses in the bathroom of some weird rich guys house or something." Sarah reached out, her hand slid into Caitlyn's hair. She pulled her in for a kiss, stopping for a moment.
A thumb soothed the tension Caitlyn felt under her touch, Was she nervous? Could Sarah tell? "Honestly, I planned to come here and take you away with me." Sarah breathed out like she was getting it all off her chest. "But now I'm thinking that maybe you need to go home, y'know. Figure your shit out."
Her eyes met Caitlyn's and she smiled. "I definitely prefer you naked." She whispered as she closed the distance.
It wasn't a grand confession, it wasn't all that romantic. And somehow Caitlyn felt herself tearing up at the words. They hadn't become a couple after that or even solidified a friendship for the ages. The only thing Caitlyn knew for certain was that Sarah Fortune was someone she could have fell in love with. Someone she probably did love. Throughout the six years she'd spent knowing Sarah, she'd learnt she was impulsive, reckless, and nothing at all like Caitlyn. She was everything Caitlyn wished she was. Sarah was never ashamed to be herself. She taught Caitlyn to gamble, to fight, to run for her life, and to love without words. She was a terrible influence, but she was right. She needed to go home. She needed to figure her shit out.