Chapter Text
It was like someone out there was crossing their fingers and praying to gods that the worst would come to Caitlyn Kirraman, what had she possibly done to earn this fate? Caitlyn had been a professional gamer for about 3 years now earning her recognition, support, and most importantly, a job. She's a streamer- well, was a streamer, not so sure about that now. Caitlyn had been "suspended" from the official Piltover team she was playing on for her lack of "team spirit" or whatever. Apparently, her mates were making complaints about how she wasn't cooperative and her team manager decided it was best to suspend her from the team till further notice. Turns out further notice lasted till her contract ended, then she was "let go" and miraculously there was a replacement announced that same day. What bullshit, Caitlyn thought to herself as she read the email over again.
Its been a week since then, Caitlyn has watched her life crumble faster than it was built. Her parents met with her over supper and her mother gave her another chance to come home and pursue the career in politics she had laid out for her. Caitlyn was sure the reason she was kicked off the Piltover team wasn't that she was uncooperative, but because she was opinionated and expressed herself openly online. Her mother didn't like that and actively sought to silence her, it wasn't good for her campaigns to have her disappointed of a daughter opposing her viewpoints publicly. Caitlyn is sure that if her mother didn't give her manager a 'generous donation to the team' and encourage him to take liberties with any 'unruly' members, then her crappy teammates just didn't like the misfit in their ranks. It's not like it matters anymore, they were terrible anyway and without Caitlyn, they were sure to lose championships this year.
Caitlyn finished sewing a patch over the logo on her team jacket, now all that could be seen is her gamer tag in bold letters on the back of the jacket and her first name in smaller print on the front corner. It was still a pretty cool jacket so throwing it out felt like a waste. She'd just wear the rest of her merch and custom stuff as pajamas, they were mostly t-shirts and sweatpants with her gamer tag on them.
Her phone buzzed just as she packed her sewing tools away, it was a text from her landlord saying the account she was given to take money from every month for rent has been closed. Caitlyn put her phone down and took a long breath, if there was any time she thought she might keel over from the sheer amount of stress she was experiencing, it was now. She had gotten a text earlier that day from her mom, she picked up her phone and scrolled through her contacts till she found her mother.
Cassandra [10:58 A.M]: You've had your fun. Come home, or figure it out on your own.
Caitlyn couldn't conceal the anger building in her, she did everything her mother asked. She went to school and got perfect grades, did every extracurricular she was forced into, and even attended a college she had no interest in just because her mother wanted her to. In all this time Caitlyn hasn't had a single friend outside her mothers reach because according to Cassandra Kiramman, anyone she didn't approve of would slow her down or wouldn't ever be good enough. Caitlyn didn't have a single interest she enjoyed because everything she did was dedicated to making her mother happy, and forget about love, there was definitely no room for love in her mother's perfect plan. In fact, Caitlyn is sure she'd be forced into some sort of arranged marriage if she hadn't left when she did. She begged to move into an apartment near the university because of 'easier commute time' but her parents must have known it was because they were smothering her. It got better once she left, but the pressure and expectations were still there, Caitlyn felt trapped until she found her new passion; Game design.
Now what, Caitlyn is an early high school graduate and a former college dropout. She hated learning about politics, hated doing everything for everyone, she knew it was selfish but what was she supposed to do, pretend to care about her mother's terrible policies? Lie to people when she was a terrible liar, and act like she wants to talk to snobby rich bitches and perverted old men? No chance in hell. That being said there's still the problem of her being homeless in a couple of days if she doesn't pay rent or find somewhere else to live. The only money she has is on her personal card from her contract and it was a decent amount but after she pays this month's rent plus buying any necessities like food, toiletries, etc. She'd need to either sign a new contract in the next week or find a well-paying job with only half her degree complete for game design and she doubts that's happening. There's also the issue of paying for next semester without her parents support.
It wasnt the time to be worried about the future, she needed to focus on getting out of this apartment before she ended up evicted. Caitlyn closed her texts with her mom and scrolled up till she found the only person who would help her.
Caitlyn [12:34 P.M]: Jayce, I have a favor to ask of you.
Jayce [12:35 P.M]: No, you may not use my PC to experiment with new parts you bought because you're too scared to do it with your own PC.
Caitlyn [12:36 P.M]: Big brother Jayce, I can't believe you would think so lowly of me. What would Viktor and Mel say about you emotionally damaging poor, dearly loved, Caitlyn? I'm disappointed in you.
Jayce [12:37 P.M]: It really isn't fair that they love you more than me you know?
Caitlyn [12:38 P.M]: Get used to it darling, everyone does.
Jayce [12:38 P.M]: What do you need? you only pull the big brother thing if it's really bad. You better not be in jail or something cause I'm not busting you out.
Caitlyn [12:39 P.M]: Mother has disowned me.
Jayce [12:43 P.M]: Are you messing with me?
Caitlyn [12:44 P.M]: That's not exactly a funny joke.
Incoming call Jayce...
"She told me to "come home, or figure it out." Over text. Then my landlord sent me a message saying my accounts have been cut off so they can't receive this month's rent." Caitlyn couldn't help but sniffle after saying it all out loud. This was ridiculous.
"Oh Cait, how could she do that to her own daughter. I never thought she could be this conniving." There was a heavy sigh from the other line and Caitlyn knew Jayce was upset. Jayce was the one who introduced Caitlyn to the Piltover team after she started attending the university in Piltover. He was like family but also worked in the university as a professor. He was the first person Caitlyn told when she realized she wanted to drop out and switch degrees.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to bring your mood down, are you busy? I just needed to talk a bit. I feel like thinking about it so much in my mind is making my head literally spin." Jayce just hummed in encouragement for Caitlyn to continue, "I don't think I can afford to keep paying the rent in this apartment on my own since my parents were the ones who chose it anyway, and how am I going to pay for next semester? I'm sure my mom is one of the reasons I lost my contract so now I'm also out of a job until I find another team that'll sign with me and offers decent pay."
"Talk about a rough week," Jayce groaned like it was happening to him. He was in a happy relationship, working his dream job, and living in a very nice home just outside upper Piltover. "So what was your question you wanted to text me about?"
"Oh um," Caitlyn berated herself for being jealous and bitter, Jayce was just trying to help and be empathetic because she asked him to listen, why was she being such an ass about it, "do you know anywhere I could find apartments for rent or something? I'm not very knowledgeable about this kind of thing."
Jayce chuckled, "Well, how about I come over and we can look together? I'm sure we can find someone reasonable near your school." There was some shuffling and muffled talking, he was probably talking to Viktor or Mel. "I'll be back later- Ah, Caitlyn I'm on my way, sorry I was just slipping on my shoes."
"I'll leave my door open then, see you soon." Caitlyn hung up and hoped the universe would cut her a break, if she couldn't find somewhere by tomorrow she might as well declare herself homeless.
Caitlyn heard the front door open then shut, she couldn't will herself to get up from her living room floor, she felt like the world was closing in on her. This was all so fucked, why would her mother do this to her? She never had any intention of relying on her forever but Caitlyn is barely nineteen and she's in her third year of college, two of those years were wasted pursuing a degree that is more than useless to her. Was she truly that much of a disappointment that her mother would just abandon her because she refused to remain unhappy? Caitlyn sighed, it's not like it matters what she chooses because it seems like she's unhappy either way. Maybe she was being silly and she should run back to her pampered life. All she'd have to do is indulge in the career her mother wanted for her.
She groaned loudly from her spot on the floor when Jayce called out to her, then after a moment his broad shoulders were side by side with hers and they were both laying on the floor together. If she wasn't about to be evicted this moment might actually have been nice.
"Ready? I brought boba tea." Jayce turned his head to the side so he was looking at Cailtyn's profile.
"As I'll ever be." Cait turned and couldnt help but smile when she met Jayce's eyes. Caitlyn flicked his forehead, he grunted in discomfort then sat up and Cait followed by example while giggling to herself. He handed her the cup of matcha milk tea, "I love you, you sweet man."
"Brat." Jayce furrowed his brow and kept a hand pressed to his forehead, "I'm wounded."
"Headshot." Caitlyn's smile widened.
The only response she got was an eye roll but that was enough to know she was doing her job as an annoying little sister.
"So, I found some more affordable places in lower Piltover but I wasn't sure what your budget was." Caitlyn scrolled through the lower Pilotover apartments but wasn't impressed by the price difference. It was a couple hundred less than what she was paying but it would still set her back quite a bit.
"Would it be possible to find someplace cheaper?" Jayce raised a questioning brow but went on to explain, "If you want anything cheaper than this we'd need to start looking at the possibility of roommates, Cait."
Caitlyn grimaced at the thought of having to deal with people even in the comfort of her home. What if they murder her, or worse; annoy her. She sighed but relented and nodded, "Fine, anything to save me from crippling poverty."
Jayce laughed but saw the serious expression on Caitlyn's face and cleared his throat with a small 'sorry'. The last thing she wants is for Jayce or anyone to pity her, but she needed to be honest or she'd never find a place.
"There are some options here but Cait, a few of these are in Zaun, are you sure?" The worry was clear on his face. Caitlyn understood why he was being like this, the tension between Zaun and Piltover has always been present, but it still got on her nerves when Jayce started judging Zaunites for simply existing. Most of the things we "know" are rumors and speculation. Caitlyn certainly never thought of Viktor as a brute, nor had he given her any reason to, which was enough proof to dispel the disgusting way people spoke of Zaunites as if they were all uncivilized criminals. Why would she make assumptions about an entire city of people let alone allow it to deter her from finding a home?
"I can deal with some grouchy roommates who aren't fans of where I'm from. I can't deal with living on the streets." Caitlyn kept her eyes trained on the laptop scrolling through listing after listing.
The commute would be longer which was the whole reason she'd used to get out of her parent's house in the first place; now that they've disowned her that lie doesn't really matter. The commute was actually kind of nice sometimes, she'd wake up earlier to catch train then listen to music or finish assignments on the trip to campus. Just as she was about to give up for the day Jayce received a ping on his laptop, it looked like some sort of chatbox.
"Jayce, I think someone is messaging you?" Caitlyn sat up to give Jayce room on the floor to roll over and use his laptop, she took a long pull from her drink and watched as Jayce typed with this mystery person on the listing site.
"Cait, I think I found you something." Jayce pushed himself up and looked back at his friend with a smile.
Caitlyn raised a brow in a silent question, still sipping her drink and chewing the tapioca that came through the straw. "There's a place on this site where you can post what you're looking for, I decided that might be easier than looking by ourselves for hours. People can come to us, it seems the fish has taken the bait."
"You don't even fish Jayce, why are you making fishing puns?" Jayce rolled his eyes.
"It's not a pun, It's an expression." He said so matter-of-factly.
Caitlyn smirked and shot a tapioca ball at his forehead using her straw, "Cait! That's gross, this is what I get for being the best, most reliable person ever?" Caitlyn rolled her eyes and shoved him with her foot so he'd roll over, then she took his spot and laid on her stomach to look over the chat messages.
"Ekko?" Caitlyn questioned.
"It's the name of the person with the listing. He says it's a large apartment and there are already three other people living there who are all students, working, or both." Caitlyn nodded slowly while she processed giving him the go-ahead to continue, "Everyone has their own room unless they chose to bunk and in that case, they'd get another roommate to reduce rent even more. There are only four bedrooms so you'd be their last roommate if you choose to live there." Jayce put a hand on her head and ruffled her hair a bit, "I think you'd like it, people your age, it's about thirty minutes from your school, and the rent is like, two hundred bucks since your room would be on the smaller side."
"Where is it?" Caitlyn gently swatted his hand away with a giggle.
"It's closer to Zaun," Jayce frowned but continued, "I think that's the only downside, but I'll be a twenty-minute drive away if you ever need anything."
"I'm sure I'll be perfectly well Jayce, but thank you." Another notification popped up on the page from the same chatbox.
Ekko: You in?
Jayce: Would I be able to come and view the apartment?
Ekko: No prob, today?
Jayce: Don't you need time to prepare? I can always come tomorrow.
Ekko: Nah, the way the apartment is now is how it will always be so there are no surprises after you move in. if you wanna see it just come hang, it'll be your house too depending on your decision after all.
Jayce: Got it. I can just use the address on the site right?
Ekko: Yep here's my number, text me when you get here.
Ekko sent his number and both Caitlyn and Jayce added it to their contacts.
"He seems nice right?" Jayce said with a chuckle.
Caitlyn shrugged and stood up, she put her shoes on at the front door then got her sunglasses from the hanging rack beside it. "I bet you ten bucks they don't take their shoes off before they enter the house." Caitlyn slipped her sunglasses on with a smirk.
Jayce laughed while slipping his sneakers on, "I'm not going to make a bet I know I won't win."
"You're also no fun," Caitlyn said as she locked the door to her apartment and made her way out with Jayce in tow.
It took around an hour to get to the apartment since Jayce kept claiming he could get there without a GPS for the first twenty minutes of the drive despite never traveling to Zaun without Viktor. When they finally pulled up in front of the building Caitlyn couldn't help but side-eye the man.
"What? I'm sorry okay, I really thought I knew how to get here on my own!" He smiled sheepishly and turned off the engine, "these streets are a little more confusing than I remember." Caitlyn just rolled her eyes while leaving the car.
Caitlyn [4:10 P.M]: Hey, it's the person from the site, I'm outside. I brought a friend though, hope that's alright.
It completely slipped Caitlyn's mind that she would be coming to a stranger's house and bringing an uninvited guest without informing her host properly. Her mother would throw a fit.
Ekko [4:12 P.M]: no worries dude, I think I see u. come on up the stairs.
Caitlyn looked up just in time to see the curtains moving a bit. That must be Ekko. Jayce caught up and helped get the gate open, before they even reached the top of the steps the front door swung open. A guy who didn't look much older than Caitlyn poked his head out.
"Yo, you're Jayce right?" He was very relaxed and gave off a naturally inviting and friendly vibe. Caitlyn was happy this didn't seem like it would be an uncomfortable visit which was a good sign.
"I am, good to meet you Ekko," Jayce held out his hand and Ekko quickly shook it then leaned on the door frame sizing up his other guest. Caitlyn was taller than him even without the small amount of height gained from her boots, he was wearing a tank top that showed off well-trained arms, If Ekko enjoyed exercising like Caitlyn then maybe they could bond over that, they could be gym partners or something. Besides his figure, he had white hair that contrasted so nicely with his complexion and a smirk that was definitely a lady killer. He was in simple terms; cool.
"Hey, you are?" He held his hand out and raised both brows in a question.
Caitlyn reached up and pulled her sunglasses up into her hair so he could see her eyes, "Caitlyn," she reached out and took his hand giving him a small smile that was returned.
After introductions Ekko moved from in front of the entrance, maybe he was assessing whether the tall posh girl and her muscle head were going to murder him and his roommates before letting them in, which was safe so Caitlyn approved.
"So, Jayce, what's got you looking for a place near Zaun?" Ekko lead them into the apartment which Caitlyn was already in awe of, they hadn't even left the entrance yet. It was quite homey in a good way, it wasn't cluttered but you could tell people lived there and it was all well-loved. To Caitlyn and Jayce's surprise, three pairs of shoes lay messily in the corner of the foyer, there was a shoe rack dedicated to placing shoes but it seemed like whoever came in was in a rush. Caitlyn politely removed her shoes and placed them in the designated rack along with Jayce's when he passed them over to her.
"Oh, actually I'm helping Cait, look for a place." Jayce scratched the back of his neck looking embarrassed at the mix-up, "I should have explained that when we first started talking, my apologies."
Ekko waved it off and turned his attention to Caitlyn, "If you do end up moving in we'll get you a pair of house slippers. Lux enjoys "customizing" them." He pointed down at his feet and Caitlyn noticed the hand-stitched Ekko with small hearts on his slippers. He opened a small bin decorated in graffiti and pulled out two pairs of grey slippers, "here you guys can use these for now."
Caitlyn graciously took the slippers already appreciating that they had the habit of removing their shoes in the house. "Thank you very much." She smiled a little brighter, they made their way through the small hall leading into the house decorated with pictures of people Caitlyn didn't recognize but Ekko was in most of them. "How long have you guys lived here?" Caitlyn didn't think roommates who lived together for school and work purposes were normally this close.
"A while," Ekko thought about how to explain more in-depth, "some of us have known each other since we were kids, but there are people like Lux who we met in school." Ekko led them through the hall, they passed a small kitchen with three large windows that had a wooden table beneath them, it looked like there was a sort of sitting nook that was covered in cushions and throw pillows. "That's the kitchen, there aren't really rules on food, if you're hungry, you should eat. Just replace stuff when you get a chance if you finish it." Caitlyn nodded and made a mental note of how cozy mornings must be here.
They passed a stair case that took up most of hall and led upstairs, Ekko explained, "That's where most of the bedrooms are. I'll show you around later." He stopped at a door way behind the stair case. "The house is pretty verticle so we hang out down here since its got the biggest space. It's like a basement I guess?" Ekko opened the door after explaining and there was already loud yelling that sounded a bit like fighting but the laughter cleared up any confusion. Jayce and Caitlyn glanced at each other, Jayce followed Ekko down the stairs first.
"Lux, that's cheating and you know it!" There was a girl with long blue dutch braids that looked like they were long enough to drag on the floor, she couldn't be older than a high schooler and she was currently pouting. Next to her was another girl with blonde hair tied up in two low pigtails, and if adorable could be described as anything it would be these two. They looked up from the television at the sound of their decending footsteps and both sets of eyes seemed to light up in very different ways at the sight of Caitlyn and Jayce following Ekko. The blonde girl- Lux, was it? Shot up and quickly sped over to Caitlyn clasping their hands together with a blinding smile.
"Are you them?!" Caitlyn looked at Ekko for help but he gave her this look that said 'it's out of my hands', what is that look supposed to mean Ekko?!
"Maybe?" She mustered up her best smile but she could tell her brows were still furrowed and her mouth refused to form a flattering shape so she probably looked stupid or extremely awkward.
Jayce huffed loudly and Caitlyn shot him a glare, he quickly held his hands up in surrender but that stupid 'you look dumb right now' look was still on his face.
The girl with the long braids came over and rested her weight on the other girls back craning her head over Lux's shoulder, "You're from the orgy service we ordered?" the girl tilted her head expectantly.
"The- what?!" Caitlyn bawlked, her face contorted into one of utter mortification, what did she just say?
There was a long silence before everyone except Jayce and Caitlyn started laughing.
"Pow, what did I say about that, don't say weird shit like that till you know them." Ekko calmed down much quicker than his companions. He turned to Caitlyn with an apologetic look, "sorry about that, she likes to mess with people."
Caitlyn looked at Jayce for a moment before they both got the same idea, "so, there's no orgy?" Caitlyn pouted.
"I got excited and everything, I was even wearing my speedo, who doesn't love a spontaneous orgy?" Jayce shook his head in disappointment.
The room got silent again, probably because they all thought they invited two complete creeps into their home. Caitlyn couldn't handle the awkward tension anymore even though she and Jayce like to drag out their antics till someone has to ask if they are serious.
Caitlyn let out a loud huff of air and bent over laughing at how stupid she and Jayce were in front of a couple of complete strangers. Jayce joined and they were leaning into each other laughing till tears formed at the corner of Caitlyn's eyes. "Sorry, It was- it was a joke, we swear," Jayce was literally on his knees at this point.
"I knew it was a bad idea- It got so damn quiet!" Jayce wheezed. Caitlyn was trying her best to catch her breath. Who introduces themselves by talking about orgies? Fuck, they probably think the two of them are freaks. Caitlyn looked and to her surprise her and Jayce weren't the only ones having a hard time catching their breath. The girl with braids what pretty much folded, her laugh was a bit more manic but her friend balanced it out with a cuter more contained laugh. Even Ekko was let out a louder huff than necessary.
Ekko chuckled and rolled his eyes, "If we're all done talking about sexual activates, this is Powder," he leaned into the blue-haired girl and gave her a light pat on the back, "and Lux." He ruffled the blonde-haired girl's hair a bit. "Guys, this is Caitlyn and her friend Jayce, Caitlyn is here to check out the apartment."
"Very nice to meet you both, sorry about our dumb joke," Caitlyn started.
"Same here, nice to meet you two," Jayce gave a small wave.
"I think I can handle having another roommate if they can appreciate my comedy, but I thought you said a guy was coming to check the place out?" Powder looked Cait up and down then nodded before returning to her seat on the couch.\
"Turns out Jayce was looking as a favor or something so now we got Caitlyn." Ekko replied while scrolling through his phone.
"I prefer it this way, guys are gross." Lux took her place next to Powder again, "You should come play games with us after you're done with the tour, we'll order pizza too." Lux invited.
Powder picked up her phone, the music on the speakers started changing every five seconds so Caitlyn assumed she was responsible. Now that she had a minute to take in her surroundings, their common area was pretty cool. There were less photos of people and more posters of games, movies, and couple popular series Caitlyn didn't get a chance to watch. Someones set up was down here too. It looked pretty old but definitly still useable with a little love. Caitlyn would have to ask about tinkering with it if things went right on this tour. Besides all that, the couch where Powder and Lux were gaming looked like it could've been a couple years old and the TV wasn't the best, Caitlyn's TV went untouched in her apartment so maybe these guys would get more use out of it when she moved in. There was an old pool table with chairs around it and a couple bean bag chairs tossed in the corner of the room, some bookshelves had figures, manga, older video games, and actual books of different variety on it. The room was lit by christmas lights and lamps, and the floors were wood that creeked when you stepped a certain way. Carpets of different shape and size were placed around the floor and there were a few windows that showed a view of the street. The most you would be able to see were people's shoes walking by. It was perfect. Rustic and homie, but Caitlyn could tell it was a well loved gaming den.
"Fair warning, I'll kick your ass at Mario Kart, toots." Powder called out in an uninterested tone after finally settling on a song. Caitlyn didn't say anything about the choice, but she approved. Definitly her vibe.
"I doubt it, but I'd definitely like to see you try. No one has beat me at Mario Kart since fifth grade." Powder sat up at the challenge and she smirked, Caitlyn didn't dislike it. Most people online don't bother trying when Caitlyn mentions her gaming history. They just tell her to touch grass then rage quit.
"Oh, yeah? You're on princess." Caitlyn returned her remark with a mock scoff.
"Save me a seat then, don't be too upset when I win though, okay?" She winked and was practically dragged off by Jayce so they could finish the tour.
Caitlyn still saw Powder stick her tongue out as she turned to walk back up the stairs with the boys, she turned a returned the gesture while stepping backward, almost bumping into Jayce and tripping down the stairs in the process.
Thinking about the actual house, it was really nice for the price. There were three bathrooms, one upstairs with a shower, one guest bathroom on the first floor, and then the last in the master bedroom which belonged to Ekko on the first floor. So she wouldn't have to worry about waiting for the bathroom at least. There was a chore chart since there were going to be five of them, Ekko explained that cooking dinner was sort of voluntary but it was appreciated by everyone in the house when someone did. Caitlyn enjoyed cooking so that wouldn't be a problem, after she left her parent's house she decided not to become an order app junkie and actually learn to cook, her father would visit and teach her some recipes which she actually found relaxing. She'd order a cookbook every few months and memorized recipes till she got them down to a science. With how many people were living in the house Caitlyn was actually going to be doing fewer chores than she normally would in her own apartment. Grocery shopping was done together so during rent collection week everyone would put in an extra few bucks that would contribute to that.
Anything you bought separately was sort of an open book. Ekko made it clear, everyone in the apartment thought food wasn't worth getting upset or protective over and Caitlyn thought the same. Lastly, Ekko showed Caitlyn the rooms, hers was the first room on the left when you go up the stairs, right across from the bathroom, which she thanked whatever gods were out there for. Running down the hall in the middle of the night possibly waking people up was the last thing Caitlyn wanted to do, and since she woke up early it was just more convenient. Her room would be right next to some named Vi's room and apparently, she worked afternoons and came home sort of late so their schedules wouldn't conflict. Everything seemed in order, this was better than she had hoped. Her room wasn't too bad either, a nice size to fit her bed and desk, maybe even her bean bag chair and some of her plants. It would be nice, she was excited.
The apartment was more of an actual house, it was wedged between two other rectangular buildings that Caitlyn assumed were also housing units, it was very cozy but not cramped. Everything seemed older but not in a bad way, the windows in her room were large and let in natural light which she liked. Ekko said it was okay if she peeked in the other rooms, they were very unique, Vi's room had quite a bit of exercise equipment and smelled of the sun because she left her window cracked and her curtains open. It was a pretty scene. Powder and Lux's room had bunk beds but one of them looked more like a place for storage than sleeping. They had a lot of stuffed animals everywhere and posters hung up, there were two desks, one was cluttered and disorganized with tools and gears scattered near by on the floor and the other was neat and tidy. She gently closed the door and followed Ekko back downstairs to the main floor.
He turned around a spread his arms a bit before dropping them to his sides. "So?" Ekko looked at her expectantly and Jayce who went back downstairs to wait after seeing her room did the same.
Caitlyn glanced at Jayce and he gave her an encouraging nod, "I'd love to live here if you'll have me, Ekko," she gave him a shy smile.
"Awesome, I was worried we wouldn't find someone in time." Ekko lead them into the kitchen while talking, Caitlyn quirked an eyebrow but followed.
"In time for what?" Ekko schooled himself before sitting in one of the kitchen chairs, "we were having a hard time paying the rent with just the three of us, so I'm grateful you came along."
"Looks like we found each other just in time." Caitlyn leaned a hip on the chair Jayce was sitting in across from Ekko, crossing her arms over her chest.
"What's your story? I asked Jayce earlier when I should've been askin' you." He was shuffling through some papers that were sitting on the table.
"I'm officially on my own now. I needed to find an affordable place to stay." Caitlyn left out the part about her also needing to find a stable job, of course, she'd never stiff them on rent, but they probably wouldn't believe just her word and not having a job would make that more difficult.
"Kicked out or disowned?" Ekko joked, returning his gaze to Caitlyn once his papers seemed to be in order.
"Disowned I suppose, I had already left on my own, my parents were just paying for my apartment since they were the ones who chose it." Caitlyn bit her bottom lip nervously, "It's way too expensive now that I'm paying from my own pocket, so here I am." She finished with an awkward smile.
"Here you are." Ekko chuckled, "Sorry we're meeting because of such shitty circumstances, for what it's worth I think we'll get along fine." He gave her a small but genuine smile.
"To me, that's worth a lot." She returned it with a smile of her own.
They spent the next hour or so discussing small things like down payments, work, and building rules. No smoking indoors, keep the noise to a minimum past ten, respect your roommate's spaces, the common areas are fairground, and common courtesy to your roommates if you're having guests over. The basics. Ekko wrapped up by presenting the paperwork to Caitlyn that he'd need to deliver to their landlady, Babette, the next day. Jayce looked everything over and reread it more times than necessary until finally, he gave the okay. Caitlyn finished filling everything out and signing her name in the pretty Kirraman signature her mother taught her, Ekko gave her a pat on the back and welcomed her as a roomate.
"Feel free to bring your stuff over whenever you're ready, rent will always be due the first week of the month so mark it on your calendar or somethin'. Of couse that won't be for another two months for you since you just paid your down payment." Ekko stood up and walked down the short hall past the staircase into a door what was at the end of the hall, probably to put the papers Caitlyn just signed somewhere safe.
When he returned he had his phone in his hand, "Vi should be here soon, you guys down for pizza now?" Caitlyn's stomach growled loudly at the mention of food.
"Sorry, I didn't eat much today," Ekko grined and they made their way back to the basement, Ekko told the girls about Caitlyn's decision and the pizza he was going to order.
There was light music playing and Powder and Lux were cuddled up not really watching what was on the TV, just scrolling through their phones showing each other something funny once in a while.
"Thanks so much for offering to pay little man!" Powder looked up and winked at him.
Ekko narrowed his eyes and squeezed Powder's nose between his middle and pointer knuckles, "Ow, ow, ow! Okay, I get it, stop, I'll tell Vi!" Ekko let go and rolled his eyes.
"Vi is literally the only one who uses that stupid nickname, don't start using it too or I'll suffocate you in your sleep, bedhead." Powder glared at him and he glared back, then they were laughing at each other.
"You're totally just scared I'll actually whine to Vi."
"And you're scared I'll actually kill you with no remorse." Ekko grinned stupidly at Powder and she gave him a big toothy grin in return.
Lux cleared her throat next to Powder, "If you two are quite finished. I'm actually freakin' starving, order already Ekko!"
"Alright, alright, Vi's been workin' all day so we gotta get meat lovers with pineapple, it's her favorite, sorry guys." Powder and Lux groaned, Caitlyn and Jayce just made a face at each other.
"Why does Vi have to like the grossest shit, she always ends up eating like the whole pizza by herself anyway!" Powder complained.
"I think that's why she likes it," Lux said as if it was some big epiphany, "It's cause no one else in this house would eat something so atrocious so she gets it to herself every time we order pizza."
Ekko laughed and shrugged, "how about we get Jericho's for diner tomorrow to make up for the lack of pizza today?"
Both girls practically started vibrating at the mention of Jericho's, "Deal!" they chorused, they were in perfect sync with each other.
With that decision made Ekko looked over at Caitlyn, "any topping requests?"
"Oh, I usually eat whatever, I'm not incredibly picky as long as I think there's a low chance I'll get food poisoning from consuming it."
"I like her, not being picky means more toppings for me!" Powder stretched over the back of the couch and snatched the phone from Ekko's hands keeping it at a distance while she clicked away at something.
"Done! I ordered. You really should be careful where you leave your card info Ekko, some lunatic could just order anything without your authorization!" She made a cutesy pleading face that was quickly shut down by Ekko palming her face into the couch with his hand. Powder squealed and tried to pry his hand off, "Don't be bitter!" she tried to yell but it was muffled by his hand.
"I'm not bitter, you just like getting on my nerves." He sounded uninterested but the corners of his mouth were being pulled up. "Gross! Pow what the hell? Did you just lick my hand?!"
Powder giggled when he pulled his hand away, "next time, I'll bite, boy wonder."
Ekko gave her the middle finger and two were returned by Powder.
"Who's up for some Just Dance while we wait for the pizza?" Lux was looking through the switch games under the TV and pulled out the newest Just Dance.
"Count me in!" Caitlyn called out and hurried over to an empty armchair, she didn't have many friends so she rarely played Just Dance at her apartment. Jayce was surprisingly good at it which led to some intense play-throughs of the game.
Jayce tapped Caitlyn's shoulder and pointed to his phone, the screen lit up with Mel's name, "be right back."
Caitlyn nodded and craned her neck to see Jayce leave up the stairs.
They pushed the chairs in the apartment back toward the pool table so they had more open space for dancing and started playing, after three matches in Caitlyn, Lux, Powder, and Ekko we're playing a group song when the door to the main floor opened. No one made any move to check who it was because Jayce still hadn't come back from his phone call and honestly, the game was more important.
"Yo, I'm home!" a feminine voice called out from the front. Okay, so it's not Jayce.
"Hey Vi, we're down here!" Ekko yelled through pants, his eyes were still locked on the screen and everyone was sweating. They decided to play a K/DA song which Caitlyn always got superstar at so they had no chance of winning, especially since they chose the maximum difficulty. That didn't mean she wasn't having fun, she was definitely working up a sweat as well. It was rare to find a group of people who were as try-hard as she was when it came to games, Jayce was the only one who could match her energy.
"Ekko, move your hips more, you're so stiff!" Powder yelled from her spot next to him.
"Well sorry, I can't shake my ass as well as you guys!" Ekko yelled back. Lux laughed and stepped forward for her turn, she was actually a very good dancer, her moves were sharp and honestly, she looked really cool.
Caitlyn took her turn and did the moves, she wasn't sure if she looked as good as Lux doing them but as long as she got the points she didn't care. She was more preoccupied singing the song, it was one of her favorites after all. Her father was the one who introduced her to the Ionian girl group and ever since she's bought all their singles and even owns a hoodie and some signed merch from one of their concerts she went to with Jayce, they were kinda fangirls, the picture of them together with the members is her lock screen.
"Damn Cait, you play this shit every day or something, you aren't even looking at the screen?" Ekko sounded more amused than shocked.
"I take that as a compliment, so thank you." Caitlyn giggled and they each took their final pose to end the song.
They were all breathing heavily and wiping sweat from their brows, no one was even looking at the scoreboard, they were too preoccupied laughing at the pose Ekko was in at the end of the song. Powder took a picture before he realized and moved, "Ekko you're kinda thick, huh?" Powder had already saved the photo to her cloud so all Ekko could do was roll his eyes.
"Looks like you guys are having fun," they all looked up from Powders phone. A woman who looked around Caitlyn's age with bright pink hair tied back in a tiny low ponytail was leaning against the wall near the steps, she had on loose sweatpants and a tank top that showed off her arms, they were covered by hand wraps up to her forearms but Caitlyn got an idea of how fit she was. There was a gym bag slung around her body with a padded strap that had what Caitlyn guessed was a gym logo printed on it. She gave a off a similar vibe to Ekko.
"Earth to Caity," a hand waved in front of her face and she finally dragged her eyes away.
Steel gray was replaced with sky blue, "Powder," Caitlyn smiled down at the shorter girl, Powder and Lux were just cute, plain and simple. Powder was a little closer standing on her toes to really get in Caitlyn's space but Cait didn't mind, her smile only widened.
"Wanna go again? Lux is gonna wait for the pizza since it's coming in a minute and Ekko said he's catching Vi up on everything," She looked at Caitlyn expectantly.
"Sure, but if I win you have to let me style your hair," Caitlyn smirked. Powder's hair got a little messy from the dancing so Caitlyn really just wanted to brush it out for her.
Powder smiled and nodded, "Why not? It's a win-win for me." She turned and chose another song, it was still on difficult but both Powder and Caitlyn both knew this song so it would be fair.
Caitlyn nudged Powder a little during a break in the dance just to mess with her, "Hey, Cait no cheating. Play fair or no hair!" they both laughed and continued dancing.
When the dance was about to end Lux came in with two boxes, It had a while since Caitlyn had seen Jayce, was he still on the phone? "Come on guys, you've played enough Just Dance for today," Lux called them to come eat and Powder celebrated victory even though Caitlyn would go to the grave claiming that she let her win.
"I'm going to check on Jayce, it's been a while." Caitlyn was already on her way up the stairs when Vi called out from her new place on the couch.
"You talking about pretty boy?" Caitlyn scrunched her features in confusion, "the guy with the swoopy hair and brick jaw?" Oh, yeah, that's Jayce. Caitlyn nodded. "I forgot, when I was coming in he told me to tell you he had to get going. He said he'd help you pack and move over the weekend." Vi took a large bite out of her slice and shrugged, It had been almost twenty minutes since Vi came in so Jayce was long gone. Mel must have needed him for something which is fine and all, but he was her ride.
"I see," Caitlyn walked back down the steps and reached into the pizza Powder ordered that was sitting on the pool table. She may not be picky but a meat lover's pizza with pineapple sounded like a stomach ache waiting to happen. Powders pizza on the other hand was more her speed, mostly peppers, and olives, with some sausage and extra cheese. Caitlyn hummed in satisfaction when she took her first bite, "you really know how to pick a pizza, Pow, this is divine," Powder laughed and passed Caitlyn a napkin from over the back of the couch.
"You've got sauce on your face, toots." She took out her phone, and soon music was playing softly in the background, "light, you've got sauce too, here," Powder leaned in and gently whipped it off with her thumb then gave Lux a light pat on the cheek. "What's with you trust fund babies, where'd your table manners and tea parties go?" If anyone else had said it Caitlyn might have been offended, but Powder didn't have the same judgemental energy as anyone else, she just said it like it was, there was no malice.
Lux and Caitlyn looked at each other and laughed, maybe they were both thinking the same thing at that moment. "I'm sure you aren't the only one wondering that, Powder," Caitlyn finished her first slice and went for a second.
"Why are you guys only eating from one pizza? There's plenty here," Everyone glanced around the room at each other then they all looked at Vi like she had two heads.
"Vi, you do know we all think your taste in pizza is gross, right?" Ekko chimed in, looking up from his phone and pizza. He was relaxing in the tattered arm chair Caitlyn was using before she got up, seats must be first come first serve with this group.
"Well, not gross per se, I just wouldn't eat it," Lux smiled. "Ever." She added after a pause. Powder laughed and nodded in agreement, her mouth too full to add anything to the conversation at the moment.
"More for me," Vi shrugged and took another large bite out of her third slice.
After they ate and chatted for a bit Caitlyn and Powder played some Mario Kart for a while till Powder admitted defeat, it only took twelve rounds of her coming in second and complaining to do it. "What the hell, you play this religiously or something?"
Ekko came and whistled when he saw the scoreboard, "first place twelve straight rounds, impressive."
Caitlyn chuckled and took a sip from her soda. "Well I was one of the top five players in Runeterra at one point." She shrugged.
Silence filled the room apart from the music coming from Powder's speaker and the Mario Kart theme song playing on the TV. Caitlyn couldn't help the smirk playing across her lips, was it that shocking that she did in fact play Mario Kart religiously at one point? It's not like she had anything else to do.
"Are you serious?" Vi finally broke the shock and Caitlyn nodded.
She stood from her spot on the floor next to Powder in front of the TV and walked over to the couch they had pushed back and patted the cushion next to her for Powder to come and sit. Powder grabbed a brush from the TV stand then hopped onto the couch next to Caitlyn, leaning into her a little to get comfortable. "I play quite a lot of games actually, FPS games are my specialty, but I like the variety as well." Caitlyn was explaining while unbraiding Powders hair and running her fingers through the strands, it was really soft which Caitlyn expected.
"So you're like, a celebrity to nerds?" Vi smirked and Powder covered her mouth to hide her giggle.
"Sure if you want to make me seem lame; you could say that." Caitlyn rolled her eyes.
"I don't need to say anything to make you seem lame. You just are." Vi gave her this satisfied smile that somehow irritated Caitlyn more than her comment.
Instead of giving her the satisfaction of a reply, Caitlyn focused on brushing out Powder's hair. "So Cait, you think you'll be all moved in by the end of the weekend?" Powder turned slightly so she could see Caitlyn from the corner of her eye.
"Probably, I'm not sure how much Jayce and I can get done on our own, but I'd like to finish as soon as possible." She left out that moving in faster would give her more time to focus on finding a job, If I came down to it she'd be fine working a service job and doing some streaming on the side. It wouldn't be ideal but at least she could save for next semester a bit easier.
"You're just so excited to see this pretty face every day, huh, Caity?" She could see Powder wiggling her eyebrows and laughed.
"I know I get excited to see your pretty face every day." Lux chimed in as she made her way back down the stairs from the bathroom and took the last cushion on the couch cuddling up to Powder.
Caitlyn took the two hair ties Powder had and separated her hair evenly then pulled them into two pigtails. She stood and Powder turned to face forward, Caitlyn smiled, satisfied with her work. "Powder you're freaking adorable," Caitlyn gushed and fawned over the girl, "Next time I'll bring some hair accessories," Powder tried to protest but Lux cheerfully agreed.
"Cait, how about next time we do space buns or this cute cat ear style I saw on instagram last week?" Lux was in full planning mode and Caitlyn had no problem being swept away by her energy.
"And glitter!" Powder put up a swift hand, "the only glitter I need is for my glitter bombs, no one is touching me with a ten-foot pole if glitter and my face are involved."
"Aw, no Pow, you'll love it!" Lux was poking at her cheeks and giggling. Powder tried to act unamused but she broke character the second Lux tried to tickle her. "Oh! This is a celebratory moment, bonding with our new roommate, we need a picture!" Lux took out her phone and tapped on it a couple of times then raised her arm out in front of them with her camera app open. "Cait, lean in more, you're like halfway outside the frame!" Caitlyn shifted closer to Powder till they were practically sitting on top of each other. Lux was about to take the picture when Ekko leaned over the back of the couch and squeezed his head between Lux and Powder, then Vi surprisingly invited herself to sit right next to Caitlyn, except there was barely any space on the small three seat couch. She was so close Caitlyn could feel her breath and it made her nerves spike a little. "Okay, okay, ready? On three!" Caitlyn put up a peace sign and she felt Vi's arm move behind her, when she looked at the phone camera before Lux took the picture she saw two fingers above her head.
Vi leaned in and whispered, "gotcha," then chuckled. It was meant to be friendly but Caitlyn was trying her best not to shoot up from her seat and move as far away as possible.
"Done!" Lux didn't actually take one picture, she took well over thirty shots of the same moment and Caitlyn had a feeling she would be spending the rest of her evening deciding which one was Instagram worthy.
Vi leaned over Caitlyn to ruffle Powder's hair, "You look so cute Pow, if it weren't for that nasty glare I might even say you look like my sweet little sister," Powder rolled her eyes and smoothed out the work Caitlyn did that was being ruined.
"Careful Vi, Cait just did this for me!" Powder pouted and took out her phone so she could use the camera as a mirror.
Vi laughed and put her hands up innocently, "Alright, alright, sorry princess." Caitlyn giggled, they reminded her of moments with Jayce, even if they werent siblings by blood, Jayce would always be her bother. Caitlyn stood but was reminded that her so-called brother ditched her at a home she wasn't familiar with and it was getting really late. "I should get going, Jayce isn't here so I'll need to catch the train."
Powder whined and grabbed Caitlyn's hand, "Aw, don't go Caity we were just starting to get to know each other!" Lux nodded in agreement.
"I would love to stay guys but I've got packing to do, remember? I kind of have to move in." Powder gave her a bright smile.
"Right, faster you leave, faster you come back." Powder let go of Caitlyn and looked at her expectantly, "Well, what are you waiting for? Go!"
Lux giggled and shook her head, "Powder that's rude, say goodbye to our new housemate properly."
Powder stood and gave Caitlyn a passionate handshake. Ekko came around to the front of the couch and stuck out his hand, Caitlyn took it and was pulled into a very short hug, Ekko gave her a pat on the back and let go. Lux wasn't one to beat around the bush, she wrapped her arms around Caitlyn and pulled her into an extremely friendly hug, then gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder when she pulled away.
"See you all soon, thank you for the wonderful, um, hang?" Or was this more of an induction? Ekko rolled his eyes and gave her a pat on the back, "You are such a Piltie." He said simply.
Caitlyn laughed and gave one last wave as she made her way up the stairs. She slipped on her shoes and opened the door, but before she could close it behind her something stopped it.
"Damn, are you trying to take my hand off or something?" Someone complained from the other side of the door, Caitlyn opened the door a bit and peeked her head back into the house, Vi was there and she was also putting her shoes on. She was bent over in the foyer one hand extended stopping the door while hopping on one foot to steady herself and the other hand adjusting her shoe. Caitlyn tried to contain her laughter but she couldn't stop herself from giggling a bit.
"Heading somewhere?" Caitlyn asked through broken laughs. She didn't get the chance to speak with Vi much so she was a little interested in the woman.
"Yeah, to take you home, princess." Vi didn't look at her, she just focused on tying her sneakers.
"Oh that's quite alright, the train will be fine, I'll just look up the route I should take on my-" pink hair walked past her and Caitlyn heard the sound of a car unlocking from the sidewalk in front of the house.
"I said I'm taking you home. Let's go." Vi didn't look at Caitlyn till she was out the gate and in front of the driver's seat door, "You coming? It's cold and I'd like to go to bed sometime this century." Caitlyn nodded closed the door behind her then the gate before finally sitting in the passenger's seat beside Vi.
"Didn't peg you for a minivan type of person." Caitlyn let out a dry awkward chuckle, the silence was so thick it could suffocate someone.
Vi didn't seem amused, she just shrugged and taped a picture of Powder and Lux stuck to the dashboard of the car. "Not mine. Lux lets me borrow it when my bikes out of commission."
"I see." Talking to Vi seemed like a hopeless battle that Caitlyn wasn't especially interested in fighting any longer than necessary.
They sat in tense silence while Vi drove and Caitlyn aimlessly scrolled on her phone, though she did respond to a few texts she missed from Jayce, he apologized for leaving her stranded. She'd probably get a reply in the morning since it was late. Eventually, Vi turned on some music, good to know so she was feeling just as awkward right now.
"So," Vi was staring at the road but giving her a sidelong glance every minutes or so, "Who the hell are you?"
Caitlyn raised a brow in confusion not really for Vi to see since Caitlyn had also been actively avoiding eye contact and her head was faced down toward her phone. She just didn't have the faintest clue what this woman was talking about. Who am I? Caitlyn thought to herself, What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean? Instead, she looked out the window and shrugged hoping that would be enough of an answer for now.
That was when Vi pulled the car over in some random suburb they were supposed to just be passing through and turned off the engine, "What the hell is that supposed to mean, princess?" Caitlyn looked over to see Vi scowling at her. Cait tried to put on her most neutral expression, she didn't want any trouble, or to be murdered in a fucking minivan parked outside the house of a nice suburban family who really didn't need some girl's murder on their plates.
"I'm really not sure what you mean," Caitlyn tried to look anywhere but the contempt Vi was giving her.
"Why would a fucking Piltie like you, especially a Kiramman, want to live in a shared house in the Lanes?" Vi raised an eyebrow expectantly, but before Caitlyn could open her mouth she continued. "Don't give me that, I've been disowned, crap. There's no way that's true." Vi leaned closer to Caitlyn rising from the driver seat slightly, which should have been more threatening but Caitlyn's a lesbian and Vi was her type, so, yeah. "Ekko told me your shitty sob story and unfortunately for you, I'm not as kind as Ekko is or as trusting as Lux and Pow are. If you try to screw us over Piltie, I will screw you just as hard." Vi spit the words out like venom inching closer with each threat, but it didn't land hard as she'd like because Caitlyn is a bit of a pervert.
"I see," Caitlyn wanted Vi to back up and keep driving so badly, because she wasn't sure she could hide the smirk that was definitely coming and would one hundred percent make Vi more upset than she already is.
"Are you smiling?" Vi's scowl deepened which Caitlyn didn't think was possible.
"No?" It came out more as a question than a statement. Caitlyn tried to look away but Vi was coming closer again and this was just a really terrible situation.
"You are." She was right in Caitlyn's ear and sounded like she was even closer to punching her in the face.
"I'm not." Caitlyn looked up at the roof of the car and forced herself to frown.
"You fucking bitch, you are." Vi grabbed Caitlyn's face in her hand and forced her to look down.
"Well, you certainly weren't making it easy not to!" Caitlyn argued although it was more a muffled jumble of words because her cheeks were currently being squished together pretty agressively.
"What?" Vi's brows were lifted and she looked astounded by how arrogant Caitlyn sounded her grip on her cheeks tightened. "You really are a bitch aren't you? With your fucking acting in the house I was almost convinced you weren't Piltie trash." It was either she told the truth and hoped Vi was forgiving and had a sense of humor, or get punched indefinitely. First option.
"You're going to screw me hard!" Caitlyn shouted, surprising herself. Oh, I'm so getting hit. She shut her eyes and waited a moment, teeth gritted for impact.
A small chuckle broke the silence and when Caitlyn dared to crack one eye open and see the damage, both her eyes widened and her brows shot to her hairline. Vi was laughing?
"What the fuck?" Vi released Caitlyn's face and sat back in her seat.
"You said, "I will screw you just as hard," that's why I was smiling." Caitlyn carefully explained. It was like walking on eggshells, but it was better than getting hit.
"Oh, did I say that?" Vi smirked and readjusted herself in her seat, if it weren't dark out and the only light they had wasn't coming from the street lamps, Caitlyn might have thought she was looking at Vi blushing.
"Yes, you did. It was very interesting phrasing, but I got the point." The engine came to life with a small roar and Vi pulled away from the sidewalk.
"Didn't think a Piltie could think that way, princess." The smirk was still there.
Caitlyn slid lower in her seat trying the hide the way her cheeks warmed, "I don't, I mean, I do, but I don't usually tell anyone." Why is this conversation happening, Caitlyn had never wanted to go back to an awkward silence as much as she did now. She slid her hoodie sleeves further down to her hands and put her sunglasses on, even though it was pitch black outside, hoping she could ignore Vi the rest of the ride and pretend to be asleep.
"Aw come on don't be like that, it was funny," Vi was laughing again, but not at her own embarrassing mistake, at Caitlyn's expense this time.
"You said it, why am I the one embarrassed?" Caitlyn leaned on the passenger door and closed her eyes, "I only told you cause I didn't feel like getting a black eye, I already had a shitty week, I don't need to end it with a "Caitlyn Kirraman involved in domestic abuse," scandal. My mother would have a field day with that." The sarcasm was dripping from her voice and the thought of her mother managed to give her a headache in record time.
Vi didn't say anything for a while then cleared her throat lightly, "I wasn't going to hit you." Caitlyn laughed softly but didn't move.
"Thanks, I guess." That seemed to end the conversation and Vi turned on a song at the next red light.
Caitlyn dozed off to Vi's light humming and her tapping along to the music on the steering wheel, she hadn't meant to but at least this would give her something to do for the rest of the ride. The car would slightly jostle whenever there was a dip or bump on the road, this was the nicest rest Caitlyn managed to have all week. Well, it was nice until she was shook with unecessary force.
"Hey, wake up." Caitlyn groaned and took off her sunglasses. She didn't remember putting her hoodie up but when she took it down Vi started chuckling, "Pilties also get bedhead, good to know."
Caitlyn smoothed out her hair,"Shut it." She sat up and rubbed her eyes.
"Sorry to disturb your slumber, but your carriage has arrived sleeping beauty." Vi put on a haughty, terrible, accent and bowed her head.
"I'm flattered you think I'm a beauty." Sleep still heavy in her voice, Caitlyn stuck her sunglasses in her pocket and unbuckled her seatbelt.
"You sure do like to take things out of context, princess."
"Stop calling me that. My name is Caitlyn." Caitlyn gave Vi her most unimpressed stare.
"I'm sticking with princess until I have something better," She paused before saying with extra emphasise, "Princess."
"Or you could, I don't know, call me by my name?" Caitlyn rolled her eyes.
"Nah." Vi was giving her that stupid smirk again. "I like this better."
Caitlyn looked out the window to her apartment complex, "How did you know where I live?" She narrowed her eyes turning back to Vi.
"Don't get your panties in a bunch, Ekko sent it to me after you fell asleep, didn't want to wake you." It was Vi's turn to roll her eyes.
"Thank you." Caitlyn smiled, "that was really kind."
"Yeah, don't thank me just yet." Vi pulled out her phone and showed her a string of text messages, Caitlyn started scrolling till she got to a picture of herself with her hoodie up and strands of hair in her face, sunglasses on, looking like she'd just done too many illegal things in one night. "They thought I was asking because I was being a creep or something, which doesn't make sense because if I wanted to be a creep I'd just wait till you move in. Or maybe kidnap you right now."
"I wouldn't recommend doing it now, too many cameras have already caught you entering the complex." Caitlyn said as she mindlessy read through all the messages.
"Chill, I'm joking." Vi laughed, "Everyone already knows I left with you, they have too much evidence." Vi continued.
"You are incredibly bad at making yourself look innocent."
"It's a talent." Caitlyn wasn't sure if that was a joke since Vi wasn't smiling or laughing but it didn't seem like now was the time to ask her to elaborate.
"So," Caitlyn raised an eyebrow "what's with you taking pictures of me at red lights looking like a stoner?"
"The hoodie was to get more of that effect," Vi wiggled her brows, "ya like?"
"No, Vi, I do not "like" you psycho." Caitlyn laughed and returned her phone.
"I'm kidding, you just looked chilly and you didn't have a pillow. The hoodie helped, I hope."
It was quiet for a beat, "Thanks." Caitlyn blew air out of her cheeks.
Vi laughed and gave her a questioning look, "You all good?"
"If "all good" means "my life is in shambles" then yeah, I'm perfect." Caitlyn laughed at her own expense, "Sorry, I'm fine. Just a lot going on in a short period of time."
"I get it. Sorry about grilling you earlier, I've just been on edge about bringing a new roommate into the house."
Caitlyn nodded, "I get it, I didn't expect to be welcomed as much as I was in the first place." She understood feeling anxious about someone new in your home. She'd have to be understanding for a while in her new enviornment. "Alright, I should head in. Sorry for keeping you."
"Oh, yeah, no problemo." Vi seemed to cringe at her own awkwardness.
"I'll, uh, see you tomorrow maybe. Jayce and I are gonna start bringing my stuff over as soon as possible."
"Oh, I've got a day off tomorrow."
Caitlyn raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Okay, that's great for you Vi. Don't rub it in?" Cait laughed and went to open her door.
"No, uh, I mean, if you want, I could maybe help out." Vi scratched the back of her neck. "I could bring the minivan?"
"Oh? Oh! Yes! I mean, sure." Caitlyn nearly leaped out of her seat toward Vi in excitement. "I'll just give Jayce a few boxes to take over earlier and we can bring the rest. The minivan will be a really big relief, with fewer trips, and whatnot. Thanks a lot, Vi."
Caitlyn was rambling but Vi's face fell a little from her small smile, "Yeah, sure, the minivan." Caitlyn tilted her head a little in confusion.
"Well, It's not like I want to hang out with the minivan Vi, though I'm sure it would be a great companion, I'm more excited we can get to know each other, without like, threats and sexual innuendos maybe?"
Vi laughed smiling in full effect, "Well, maybe a few innuendos, princess."
"Maybe," Caitlyn rolled her eyes, "See you tomorrow?"
Vi nodded "Yep."
Caitlyn opened the door of the minivan and stepped out onto the sidewalk, before she shut the door she leaned in, "By the way, still creepy to take a picture of someone while they are in a moment of weakness sleeping peacefully!"
"Look, did you want to get home or not? Just wait till you're all moved in, Powder is going to have the time of her life catching your "moments of weakness" princess, I'm pretty sure she has a folder somewhere with all the photos she's taken of the rest of us."
"Whatever you say creeper, It's okay cause she's cute."
Vi put a hand to her chest and gasped loudly, "Then what am I, princess?"
Caitlyn smirked, "Guess we'll see." She backed away from the car and closed the door.
When she got to her apartment door she turned and waved at Vi when it was buzzed open, Vi waved back and pulled off. Caitlyn didn't go inside till she couldn't see the figure of the car in the dark anymore. Her smile faded faster than it had taken to come. There was still so much she had to fix in her life. Her home, her job, the ever-present relationship with her parents, and school.
Caitlyn picked up her phone from the table where it was charging. She'd gotten everyone's number because Lux insisted roommates needed to keep in contact, so after Ekko gave her everyone's numbers she was added to a group chat with everyone. She scrolled through what she had missed since she was added and saw the picture, Vi took of her in the car, she was lit in red light from the traffic light above them and her dark circles from the lack of sleep she'd been getting this week were ever prominent under the rims of her sunglass. But she looked peaceful, hopefully that's something she could have more of living with these people.
Under the picture, Lux was gushing about how pretty Caitlyn was and Powder was teasing Vi about taking pictures of pretty girls without their permission.
Caitlyn clicked on Vi's contact and sent her a quick text.
Caitlyn[2:57]: Hey it's Caitlyn, just wanted to send you my address and the time to meet.
Caitlyn[2:58]: Unless you've already saved my address in your phone and are planning a break-in tonight.
Caitlyn did just that, she send a google link to her complex and the apartment number. When she didn't get a reply Caitlyn went to take a shower and by the time she was out her phone buzzed. Perfect timing.
Vi[3:50]: very funny princess
Vi[3:53]: I'm in my bed if you have to know
Vi[3:053]: don't flatter yourself you ain't that cute
Caitlyn[3:56]: Yeah, but you think I'm cute? :)
Vi[3:56]: ...going to bed if u don't got something nice to say
Caitlyn[3:58]: Goodnight then Vi.
The last thing Vi sent was an emoji of the middle finger.
Caitlyn plugged her phone back in and set an alarm for 7 am, enough time to pack up everything she needed on her own and get ready to haul them over to her new place. Tomorrow would be stressful but if it meant seeing the only people who could put a smile on her face this week, then she'd do it gracefully. It will be fun living with everyone, being alone wasn't Caitlyn's favorite thing anyway.