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She knew what she signed up for.
Caitlyn’s first impressions on Vi were less than optimal. Her broad shoulders slumped but still tense, ready to throw a fist her way for just looking at her wrong. Time in Stillwater had almost broken her. Her distrust of a Piltover native - let alone an enforcer - was crystal clear; the way Vi stared daggers from the back of her dark cell was intimidating even for the enforcer. Still, she refused to back down so easily.
“In what mad world would I trust someone like you?”
She remembered her words as if she spoke them yesterday. Trusting Vi came naturally to her now; under her stoic facade lay a young woman who would throw punches with confidence in one’s direction - if it meant protecting those she loved. It wasn’t a side she let many see, yet the honour was all Caitlyn’s to witness it first hand.
Vi’s form was a sight to behold. Even in sleep, she kept her calloused fists close to her face. It was still unknown to the Kiramann what exactly she went through before Stillwater. She never had the heart to ask. Vi was extremely expressive. There was a fire in her that only a Zaunite possessed, yet none had a flame as bright as hers. She was determined; driven by her motives. Every move was made with burning confidence, as if she was prepared for the worst.
It broke Caitlyn’s heart. What happened with Jinx at the dinner party…
It couldn’t have been easy on her.
Her delicate hands ached to reach out to the pinkette before her, but retreated within a single breath. Waking her wouldn’t be wise. Instead, she found comfort in admiring her in the moonlight. She lifted weights every morning and every night without fail, like when they first met in her cell. Anything was better than punching concrete walls until her knuckles bled.
Before she knew it, her fingers ghosted Vi’s neck down to her bicep. Every inch of her skin was peppered with aged scars. Black tattoos only further complimented her beauty; the way they twisted and bound together between the blades of her shoulders, almost embracing her. Caitlyn often found herself lost in them - solving the riddles hidden within proved difficult, but she was determined to find answers. If there even was any to uncover.
The undercity still housed many uncharted secrets. Caitlyn’s frequent visits weren’t for that.
Vi had quickly made herself comfortable the first night she spent under the thick quilt; absorbing every bit of warmth she could, quickly becoming a human furnace. The living conditions of the undercity could only be imagined by a non-native. Beds nailed together in a deplorable manner in which one would worry the frame would fall apart at the slightest of weight, the mattresses unkept. It was enough to keep one warm, but not comfortable.
Sleeping snug in a warm bed was a luxury Vi never had. Now, she belonged in one.
Pure adoration danced in Caitlyn’s eyes as they guided her wandering fingers, tracing familiar scars along her forearm with feather light touch. Sometimes she simply detested the fighting spirit in her partner. But from the many stories Vi reminisced to her, she had always been this way. It was how she coped.
How she survived.
There was no doubt in her mind that she maintained not only pent up thoughts - but feelings too. Vi had let some loose. The only thing that kept her going, helped her live through many ruthless years of Stillwater, was finding her sister. It pained her to even imagine how she was feeling about it all now, coming home only to find Jinx in Powder’s place.
The brawler began to stir abruptly beneath her touch, a small drowsy hum leaving her as she shifted. Oh, how Caitlyn would gawk at the scar that split through Vi’s lip. She would curse her for making her feel such a way. She was drawn to her now. Faint freckles were dotted across her cheeks, meeting on the bridge of her nose. They were one of her best features - and one of Caitlyn’s many favourites. Her jawline framed her face like an artist’s masterpiece. It was impossible to ignore how charming Vi looked. How peaceful she looked. How she trusted an enforcer to lay beside her.
A doting smile spread across Caitlyn’s face as the pinkette’s eyes fluttered - a sign she was dreaming. A good dream for once. The poor girl was tormented by nightmares too often. Slowly reaching out her hand, she let her instincts take over as she touched Vi’s cheek tenderly. Her thumb caressed her fair skin.
“Was wonderin’ when you’d do that.”
Two half-lidded eyes stared back at her. Caitlyn only smiled wider. “Awake already?”
Vi craned her neck, rolling onto her back. Her wrapped hands folded together on her toned stomach as a gentle chuckle erupted from her chest. “Yup, only ‘cause the enforcer in my bed can’t control herself.”
“Ah, ah - my bed.” Caitlyn corrected.
“Sure.”
Comfortable silence lingered between them.
Yet Caitlyn couldn’t bare the sound of it any longer.
“Listen, Vi…” She sat her hand on top of hers. “I can see that look in your eyes. If you’re still worried about her, your sister, I’ll do everything in my power to-”
Vi’s hand enveloped hers. “No. I have to let her go.”
Caitlyn’s eyes widened.
“Ekko was right, she’s gone. She’s fucking gone.”
Vi’s voice was small. Fragile, as if she was holding back a raging storm of tears.
“His blood on your own hands won’t bring her back, you know that.”
“...Yeah.”
Caitlyn’s heart shattered seeing her like this - defeated. She moved closer, her head against Vi’s shoulder.
“Don’t know what I’d do without you, Cait. Really.” Her shoulders untensed as she released a soft sigh.
Caitlyn scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Probably a lot more than you realise. You’re worth more than you know.”
“You’re gettin’ sloppy, cupcake.” Vi grinned, a light laugh escaping her.
Their eyes met in a moment of mutual affection.
Caitlyn’s hand returned to Vi’s cheek, angling her face towards hers. She matched Vi’s grin with her own as her eyes fell to her lips.
Tilting her head, a short giggle rippled through her throat as she shifted closer.
“Shut up.”