Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It’s been a month since the incident, as Vi liked to call it, at least in her head. Outloud, it was rarely talked about. Caitlyn didn’t seem to like the topic much, so they almost never discussed it. Vi didn’t like to think about it either and calling it an incident seemed to keep the thoughts she didn’t want at bay.

Despite all that, Caitlyn has made a full recovery, somehow. Vi figured she must be invincible for a lethal poison to barely harm her. But, Vi was grateful nonetheless. The man who did it was fired and quickly arrested, and he’ll be in the hall of law for quite some time after that stunt. Although, Vi was still a little sad she never got to beat him up. She didn’t even get to punch him once. A tragedy, that.

Other than that, not much has changed around the station. It was still boring as hell and smelled like old books and coffee. One thing that did change though was where the sheriff kept her tea. Deciding it was no longer safe in the break room, she moved her tea box (a brand new one, of course) into her office so it could be watched at all times.

Vi sat on the comfy arm chair in Caitlyn’s office working away at a stack of papers the sheriff gave her. Vi was trying her best to be more helpful when it came to that stuff. It was painfully boring and she didn’t like it, but it felt good to help out. And she knew Caitlyn would work overnight to finish something if she deemed it important enough. Vi didn’t like watching the bags under her pretty eyes grow by the day.

She stopped at one of the pages, raising a brow at the text on it. It seemed a bit off and Vi wasn’t sure what to do with it. She pulled the page out of the stack and looked towards the window where the sheriff was standing to ask her to clarify. “Hey, Cait,” She started.

Upon seeing her, Vi paused.

The golden light shining through the window lit up Caitlyn like she was some sort of ethereal being. The light shone on her hair beautifully, bringing out the alluring dark blue tone it had. Her skin looked flawless and though Vi couldn’t see most of her face, she was in awe at the sheriff’s beauty.

Then, as if sent from the heavens above, she turned. She faced Vi with a soft smile on her face, her eyes sparkling in the sun. Vi thought she might die. Or maybe she was already dead.

“Yes?” Caitlyn spoke, snapping Vi out of her trance.

“Yeah, um,” She stumbled, looking down at the paper in her hand so she could remember why she got her attention in the first place. Get a grip, Vi! “I had a question about this page,” She held out the paper towards the sheriff, who focused her attention on it.

Caitlyn walked over to Vi, eyes fixated on the paper the whole way. “And what would the question be?” She asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Oh, it looks different from all the others. I was thinking it might be from a different stack and got mixed up.” Vi suggested, pretty much pulling the statement out of her ass. She just wanted to sound like she wasn’t completely empty headed.

“It looks like that would be the case,” Caitlyn replied, gently grabbing the paper from Vi’s hand. “Good catch, Vi,” Caitlyn gave her a smile, and Vi nearly melted.

Oh god, this might be a problem.

Vi closed the door to her apartment and double checked that it was locked before setting her stuff down next to her small dining table. Today was exhausting, which is weird because Vi didn’t actually go out and do anything. Whatever, she was home now and could knock out early if she wanted to.

She glanced at her kitchen, which still had a few dirty dishes piled up, and decided she wasn’t hungry. With a sigh, she changed into some shorts and a loose shirt and got into her bed. She tried sleeping, but her mind kept going back to the sheriff standing in the window.

Vi was actually starting to grow concerned. This couldn’t be normal, could it? Caitlyn was her boss, she couldn’t possibly have a big fat crush on her boss.

Right?

That time in the car had to be a one time thing, Caitlyn wasn’t herself because, if she was, it wouldn’t have happened. Probably… “This is so complicated,” Vi mumbled into her hands. But deep down she knew it wasn’t actually that complicated. She just didn’t want to admit it. People aren’t supposed to have big fat crushes on their superiors. But Vi seemed to be the exception for a lot of things.

It was cloudy today.

Vi never minded cloudy days. It made the city of progress look like a normal city and not some shiny, perfect place that seemed so made up at times. Plus, it was nice not having to shield her eyes from the sun glaring off of a nearby building.

She arrived at work on time, set her stuff down, and headed straight for Caitlyn’s office. As usual, the sheriff was already there, sat in her fancy chair and shuffling through piles of papers.

“G’mornin’, cupcake,” Vi greeted with a smile. Caitlyn smiled back, but only glanced up from her papers for a moment. Vi frowned, but the sheriff didn’t see it. With a huff she sat down on the armchair she was slowly claiming and looked towards the window.

The potted plant from before was long gone, leaving the ledge of the window bare. Vi was kind of glad it was gone. It would’ve been a sick reminder of what happened, a reminder that neither of them wanted.

Vi looked over to the sheriff’s organized desk. There was only one stack of papers on the wooden surface, and Caitlyn was quickly working away at it.

“Movin’ fast today, huh Cait,” Vi smiled, earning her a glance from the dark haired woman.

“I suppose,” She answered, scribbling something down with her pen. “There hasn’t been much going on as of late, so there’s less work for me.” Vi could see a smile on her face as she spoke. Caitlyn never admitted it, but she didn’t actually like filling out paperwork, contrary to Vi’s previous beliefs. With how diligently she worked, Vi thought she found some kind of joy in it.

Then, there was a knock on the door. Vi rolled her eyes, leaning back further in her chair.

“Oh come on, I just got here,” She groaned. Caitlyn shouted a quick ‘come in’ while Vi let out a sigh.

“You’re needed, sheriff Caitlyn. There’s been a homicide and your skills would greatly help.” The warden said. They looked timid, almost shaking, and Vi didn’t recognize them. They must be new.

“I’ll be ready in just a moment,” Caitlyn nodded, getting up from her chair. The warden nodded and left the office silently. “Ah, and I was almost done, too,” She sighed, fixing up the stack of papers so not one was out of place.

“Can I come?” Vi smiled, trying to look as cute as possible. She probably didn’t need to, but maybe it would earn her brownie points. Caitlyn paused what she was doing and looked over to Vi, one eyebrow raised.

“Why? You seemed so unwilling just a moment ago,” There was a tiny smirk on her lips, Vi almost missed it.

“Well I- uh…” Vi stumbled, thinking of the right words to say. “I’ve got nothin’ better to do.” She tried, smiling. Caitlyn stood quietly. Vi put on her best puppy dog eyes and squeezed out a “please?”, finally getting a smile out of the sheriff.

“I’m teasing, of course you can come,” She smiled, grabbing her hat and slipping it on her head. “Now, let’s go.” She finished, grabbing her gun from it’s pace.

“Right behind you, cupcake.”

Vi let out a sigh. That case took nearly all day, and most of her energy with it. She looked over to the sheriff who was walking by her side. She seemed just fine, not a hair out of place. Sometimes Vi feels jealous of her ability to be so composed all the time, but she figures it must be because she’d been doing it her whole life. Vi never had that luxury.

“Vi,” Caitlyn said, bringing the enforcer out of her thoughts. Vi looked at her, waiting for her to finish. “You did good today,” She said with a smile on her pretty face. Fuck.

“Thanks, Cait,” Vi replied, feeling a little sheepish. It was very rare to see Caitlyn give out compliments, but when she did they were always genuine. A warm, fuzzy feeling spread over Vi’s chest.

Before she could do or say anything dumb, the sound of crying caught her attention. She glanced around, trying to find where it was coming from. In front of a little shop stands a small boy, maybe around five or six, crying his lungs out. Without thinking, Vi rushes over to the boy and crouches down to meet his level.

“Hey, buddy,” She greets when he looks at her. “Are you all by yourself out here?” She asks, her tone light and friendly. The boy nodded, his cries calming only slightly. “Do you know where your mommy is?” She asks, feeling Caitlyn’s presence behind her.

She looks back at her briefly, seeing a somewhat shocked look on her face. That was new. Vi turned back to the boy, who was wiping his tears away with his little hands. “She-” He started, “She told me to wait here,” He managed to get out between sobs. “And it’s been a long time and she hasn’t come back.” He cried. VI frowned, placing a bandaged hand on his shoulder.

“We’re gonna wait here for your mommy, ok?” Vi says with a smile, hoping to cheer him up. “I’m gonna stay here and protect you from any bad guys while we wait,” She joked, lightly pumping her fists as if she were fighting someone. The boy let out a small laugh at Vi’s demonstrations.

“Can I fight off bad guys, too?” He asked, his eyes wide with hope. Vi smiled and nodded.

“Of course ya can!” She cheered. “Let me teach you some moves,” She stood up, brushing her pants off and standing a few feet from the boy. “Here’s a basic jab,” She says, bringing her fists up to cover her face. In one quick motion, she pumps her fist out in front of her. Once finished, she looked over at the boy again, happy to see a big smile on his tear stained face.

“Cool! I wanna try!” He said, practically jumping up and down. Vi crouched down next to him, bringing her fists up to her face again.

“First, bring your hands up like this,” She instructed, looking over to see if he was doing it. With narrowed eyes, he copied her stance. Vi then pumped her fist outward and pulled it back, watching the boy's eyes go wide. “Then do that, with some force behind it.” He nodded, and did exactly that.

It wasn’t exactly perfect, but it was still pretty good. He looked at her with excitement all over his face. “Did I do it?” He asked. Vi nodded.

“Yeah you did!” She cheered, holding her hands up for a high five. He high fived her back and did a little wiggle. Vi thought it was the cutest thing she’d ever seen. “Now before we go on, can you tell me what your mommy looks like?” She asked, watching his smile fade just a bit.

“She has blonde hair and a blue dress.” Vi nodded to let him know she was listening. “Blue is my favorite color!” He exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with joy.

“I think blue is a great color,” Vi replied, looking over towards Caitlyn for a moment. The sheriff locked eyes with Vi, her lips barely showing a smile. Vi looked back to the boy, his soft brown hair falling in his face slightly. “Since we’re friends now, what’s your name, bud?” She asked.

“Dai!” He said. “What’s yours?” Vi smiled. He truly was the sweetest kid she’d ever met.

“I’m Vi, and over there is my partner Caitlyn,” Caitlyn perked up at the sound of her name, looking over at Vi with a clueless look on her face.

“Hello,” Caitlyn said, a little awkwardly as she made a small wave towards Dai. He smiled and waved back. Just as Vi was getting ready to teach him another move, she heard shouting in the distance.

Turning her head to see where the shouting was coming from, Vi saw a woman with blonde hair that curled around her shoulders and a sparkling blue dress running towards them. “Dairen!” She called, waving one arm in the air.

Dair perked up at the sound of her voice, smiling when he saw the woman. “Mama!” He shouted, running towards with his arms outstretched. “Where did you go, mama?” He asked as the woman lifted him and held him close.

“I’m sorry, my boy,” She cried, hugging him. “I was only gone for a moment and you didn’t stay where I told you to.” Vi raised an eyebrow at this. Dai said he did stay where she told him to. Which meant he either misunderstood or the woman was an irresponsible parent. It was hard to tell.

The woman was only a few steps away from Vi when she realized she had gotten closer. She was looking at Caitlyn with tears in her eyes. “Sheriff Caitlyn?” She gasped, putting Dai down but still holding his little hand in hers. “Oh, how can I ever thank you for watching him. I was so worried, I’m so glad he had you to look after him, even for just a little while.”

Caitlyn looked taken back, eyes a bit wide as she leaned back from the woman, who was getting a little close. “You’re welcome…” The sheriff trailed off before looking at Vi. “But it was actually my partner who saw him and immediately rushed over to comfort him.” She said smoothly, one hand gesturing towards Vi.

“She even taught me how to beat up bad guys!” Dai exclaimed, quickly getting into the position Vi showed him and throwing out a jab. HIs mother looked worried for a moment, but upon seeing that it was nothing more than a simple punch, she relaxed. “See?” He said, looking up to his mom.

“Good work, Dai,” She smiled. She looked at Vi with a warm look on her face. “Thank you,” She said. “Both of you. I am forever grateful.” With one hand, she wiped a tear from her cheek. “It is a great comfort knowing Piltover is in such good hands.” Caitlyn nodded with a smile, tipping her hat respectfully.

“Thank you, ma’am.” She replied. The woman, still holding Dai’s hand, began to walk away, and Caitlyn and Vi followed suit, walking in the other direction back towards the station.

“Wait!” Vi heard Dai’s voice from behind her and quickly turned around. Dai was running towards her with his arms outstretched for a hug. When he got to her, he gave her the warmest hug she’d felt since her childhood, and it nearly made her tear up. But she couldn’t do that. She had a reputation to uphold, of course.

“Bye bye, Vi!” He smiled as he took a step back. Not wanting to speak in fear of her voice cracking, she waved as she watched him skip back to his mother. Vi crouched there, watching him go until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“That was adorable,” Caitlyn said. Vi looked up at her only to see a smirk on her lips. Caitlyn was probably never going to let her live this down.

“Yeah,” Vi rubbed the back of her neck as she stood up. With one last look, she turned around and fell into step next to the sheriff as they walked.

“I didn’t know you were so good with kids,” It was a harmless statement, really. But it brought back memories that Vi didn’t want to think about. She wasn’t good with kids. She just knew what not to do after years of doing the wrong things.

“I um,” Vi started, looking down at the ground. “I had a little sister to take care of growing up,” She admitted. Caitlyn’s eyes went a little wide.

“I didn't know you had a sister,” She breathed out. Vi could feel the sheriff looking at her, but she couldn’t bring herself to do the same.

“I was the one who took care of her, of us,” Vi explained. Caitlyn waited patiently for her to continue. “I fucked up a lot,” She said. “Sorry, messed up a lot.” She quickly corrected, glancing up at Caitlyn.

She didn’t say anything, and her expression remained neutral, so Vi figured her use of language didn’t bother her too much. Vi tried not to use such colorful words in front of her boss, but she was a bit relieved to see that she didn’t really care much. Or, at the very least, didn’t show it.

“Anyway,” Vi cleared her throat. “That’s why I kinda know how to deal with kids. I’m no expert.” She finished, masking her feelings with a small laugh.

“I see,” Caitlyn hummed, looking forward again. “Thank you for sharing that,” She added quietly. Vi looked over to her, and Caitlyn met her gaze. “I like learning more about you.” Her lips curled into a small smile. Vi felt her heart flutter.

“Yeah…” She mumbled.

This was going to be a long day.

Her knuckles stung and were most definitely bruised from punching over and over again. She didn’t really need the training, but it felt nice to let loose every once in a while. The police station gym was nothing special, but hardly anyone except Vi used it, so it acted as almost a sanctuary for her.

The sound of the door opening startled her, she was not expecting anyone else to enter. When she looked over, she was even more surprised to see Caitlyn standing there.

“Hey, cupcake,” Vi greeted, wiping the sweat from her forehead. “Whatcha doin’ here?”

“I was looking for you,” she answered, walking closer. That couldn’t be good. Surely it was after hours, so she’d probably done something horribly wrong that would warrant Caitlyn to seek her out. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad,” She added. Vi must have had a look on her face. Damn.

“That doesn’t help,” Vi chuckled, placing one hand on her hip.

“We have a strong lead on a criminal that’s been bothering us for a while.” Caitlyn explained, running one hand through her silky navy blue hair. “We’ll go out tomorrow morning and attempt to catch him.” Vi smiled.

“Just what I need,” She pounded her fists together, as if they weren’t already bruised enough.

“It’s more like a stakeout than a beatdown,” The sheriff countered. “Sorry,” Vi put on her best pout and lowered her head. Vi heard Caitlyn’s heels click on the floor as she walked out of the room. “It’s getting late,” She called. “You should go home soon.”

The door echoed after she closed it, leaving Vi alone once again. She glanced up at the small window. It was dark out, the sun had already completely set. If it was so late, why was Caitlyn still here as well?

The sun had barely risen by the time they got in their spot. When Caitlyn said morning she clearly meant morning. It was slightly chilly out, and the light breeze sent a shiver down Vi’s spine. On top of that, there were so many clouds in the sky that when the sun finally rose all the way no sunlight got through.

It was not a happy morning.

Together they waited, hidden at the side of a less than welcoming building on the edge of Piltover. Vi nearly fell asleep a few times as the minutes stretched on way too long.

Just as Vi was starting to become impatient, a man showed up. His chestnut brown hair was tied up in a loose bun at the base of his neck and his oversized jacket made him look shady as hell. Subtlety must not be his strong suit, Vi thought.

Before he made it inside though, he spotted them. His eyes widened before he made a full 180 and started running. Less than a second later, Caitlyn was on her feet running after him. Vi quickly followed, not wanting to lose either of them.

The man ducked into alleys, buildings, anything he could to try and lose them, but Caitlyn was always one step ahead. Vi felt something wet hit her forehead, then her chest, and she realized it was starting to rain.

Neither Caitlyn nor the man slowed down, and Vi tried her best to keep up. Running was not her favorite activity, if she was being honest, and doing it while the sky was dumping buckets was even less fun.

They followed him to the docks, and Vi figured this was where they catch him. They’ve practically got him cornered now, but the smirk on his face told Vi he had other plans. When he reached the edge of Piltover he didn’t stop.

He jumped off.

Vi stopped in her tracks, watching in awe as he disappeared from view. Caitlyn, on the other hand, went right up to the edge and held her rifle ready. She followed him for a moment before lowering the gun, never even taking a shot. She must have lost him.

A few paces back, Vi stood crouched over and catching her breath. Caitlyn set the heel of her rifle on the ground, her chest moving up and down at an accelerated pace. The rain made her look like a goddess and Vi found it harder to catch her breath at the sight of her.

Caitlyn stared down into the waters below, running a hand through the ends of her soaked hair. The water made it look darker, it was almost black and straighter than normal, and Vi thought it looked stunning.

Finally, the sheriff turned around, looking at Vi with a blank expression. She almost expected her to be angry, but her face was unreadable and somehow, that was scarier.

“We lost him,” Vi huffed out, as if it wasn’t obvious enough. Caitlyn walked over to her, her boots splashing the water up from the concrete slightly. When she got close, the sheriff did something Vi expected least out of everything she could have done.

She smiled.

“It’s ok,” She started, placing a wet hand on Vi’s equally wet cheek. “We’ll catch him next time.” Vi found it a little hard to believe, but all logic floated out of her brain since all she could focus on was the warm hand on her cheek and the gorgeous sheriff in front of her.

As if that wasn’t enough, Caitlyn used her other hand to brush some of Vi’s wet hair from her face. Caitlyn’s smile widened at that, a genuine smile that crinkled her eyes and made them sparkle under the cloudy sky. Vi really hoped she didn’t look as stunned as she felt.

This was going to be a serious problem.