Work Text:
It hadn’t been the plan to become a surrogate big sister to the children of the firelights, and honestly, Vi wasn’t sure exactly how it had happened.
It started with Jinx, slipping in and out of the shadows, climbing in through Caitlyn and Vi’s window in the middle of the night and hiding under the bed to beat the cold until she snuck back out before sunrise. Vi hated it. She hated how Jinx didn’t trust her enough, didn’t love her enough, didn’t want her enough, to stick around. She tried to reach out, to understand this new version of her little sister, but Jinx didn’t want to stay in her grasp.
So they made her a room in the apartment, creating a little safe haven for the girl. Jinx would continue to slip in and out, hanging around a little longer every time. They left food for her in her nightstand and collected the little trinkets she would leave around the place.
Caitlyn worried about her blowing them up. Vi knew she just needed some safety.
She and Caitlyn regularly visited Zaun, sometimes searching for Jinx, sometimes ensuring the things were running smoothly. Zaun had been given independence at last, but it was unclear who the ruler was. Some said Jinx deserved it, as she was Silco’s daughter, others opposed this, refusing to have an anarchist as their leader.
Jinx herself was nowhere to be found.
They were on a routine walk of the undercity when Vi met the girl.
She was walking through the market past an alleyway when she heard the crying and unmistakable shake of metal.
“Cait, stop,” Vi said, putting a hand on her partner and pulling her back. Caitlyn took two steps back to stand next to Vi.
“What’s wrong?” Caitlyn asked. Vi pointed down the alleyway.
“Come on, be quiet,” she whispered. She started walking towards the shaking sheet of metal where the sounds of sobs were coming from. Caitlyn followed her, confused.
Vi approached the scrap metal, placing a hand on the edge. She pulled it back slowly and calmly.
The girl was a tiny thing. Dirt covered her face and tears streaked through it. She was sobbing, with messy dark blue hair. She gasped, looking up with big gray eyes.
She looked like Powder, was Vi’s first thought.
She kneeled down, keeping a short distance between herself and the girl. She was afraid she would take off running, although the girl looked too weak to even move.
“Hi there,” Vi said softly. Caitlyn hovered behind her, hand on her gun but not moving to grab it. “Are you okay?” Vi asked the little girl.
She looked terrified, shaking like a deer in headlights. She whimpered and shook her head. Vi’s heart melted. She kneeled down on the ground fully and held her arms out to the girl.
I “Will you come here?” she asked, uncharacteristically maternal. Caitlyn got the message, kneeling down beside her. The girl shivered, searching their faces.
Vi recognized this all too well. She remembered being this little, being this scared. Slowly, the child crawled out of her hiding space and into Vi’s embrace. The tears flowed freely and Vi pushed her hair back. It was knotted and tangled. She looked ill, tiny in Vi’s strong arms. Caitlyn and Vi exchanged a look.
“What’s your name, sweet girl?” Caitlyn asked. The girl hiccuped.
“Marie,” she choked, hiding her face in Vi’s shoulder. Vi rubbed her back.
“Don’t worry, we’ll take care of you,” Vi said.
“I’m Vi, and this is Caitlyn.” Vi gestured towards Caitlyn, who gave her a soft smile. Marie gave her a watery smile back.
Marie was just the first child, the first of many.
There were so many abandoned kids in Zaun. So many kids who had no family, no home. Vi laid in bed at night, wishing she could help them all.
She thought of Vander. He had helped her and her little family so much. He took her and Powder when they had nobody, he housed and clothed and fed them, he loved them. He helped Mylo and Claggor too, growing their little family, taking care of them until the end.
She still heard his voice a lot, encouraging her, urging her to protect and care and love like he did for so many years.
His final words:
Take care of Powder
Vi sighed. Maybe she couldn't fulfill it all those years ago, but she could help these kids now. She had to.
Currently, they were hiding out the orphans in the firelight sanctuary. Vi would bring them food and toys and clothing daily, always staying for a couple of hours, slowly bonding with the children. They loved her, despite moth being hesitant of Caitlyn. The firelights made sure they were protected in the hours Vi was away.
“You're thinking too loud,” Caitlyn said, rolling into bed behind Vi. Vi cracked a smile.
“You say that like you don’t overthink everything constantly,” Vi jabbed. Caitlyn pulled her closer and kissed her head.
“You love me.” Vi smiled, nodding.
“I do.”
…
“And underneath the light of the moon, they live happily ever after.”
“Another one!” Young Alex cried. Vi smiled.
“Another, really?” she asked, playfully ribbing. Nonetheless, she reached for another book.
This was Vi’s favorite part of the week. She regularly visited the Firelight sanctuary, but every Friday she would sit down with new books she had checked out from the library in Piltover and read to the children. Their numbers seemed to grow every week, and Vi could’t help but smile when they all came rushing towards her.
She sat in the middle of the rug, studying the kids. Some were very young, and some were much older. Despite this, they got along like the cutest little family. Vi remembered how she and Mylo used to get on each other’s nerves constantly, and how Powder was never accepted by her brothers. She was glad that this little rag tag group didn’t have all the same problems.
Vi opened the next book, flipping to the first page. She started to red, occasionally looking up at the kids, all listening intently with eyes full of wonder.
Vi could feel a pink gaze on her. She looked up, pausing a bit.
Standing in the doorway was Jinx, blue braids almost hitting the floor now. She looked the same though, her eyes that were once wild now holding a sense of regret and pain. She spotted Ekko lingering back behind her.
Vi smiled warmly and beckoned her forward.
Jinx walked around the perimeter of her room, finding an empty spot right beside Vi. She leaned into her leg, giving her a soft smile before training her eyes on the book. Vi began to read again. Her hand drifted down to rest on top of Jinx’s head.
She pet her hair, feeling a weight lifted off of her, somehow. She glanced up at the kids again.
This was her place. She could feel it. She finally understood how Vander felt after all these years. There was just something about it, the feeling of caring for all these kids and seeing them smile, feeling Jinx’s small form against her.
Vander had protected the people of Zaun, loved them and cared for them, but none more than his little rag-tag group of children.
And Vi had never been more honored to call herself Vander’s daughter.