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who’s a heretic, child? 

—

“With all due respect, General—we are going to lose this war if you don’t put aside your personal feelings for the Zaunites.”

The meeting room goes deathly quiet. Caitlyn holds the glare that Marcus sends her way. He’s sent every variation of a sneer, death-stare, or scowl towards Caitlyn ever since she’d been a new soldier—and they’ve only gotten worse since her recent promotion. 

She can handle a glare.

“Captain Kiramman,” he regards her. There’s a sneer of a smile on his face as his left eye twitches. “I forgot you were here.”

It’s meant to hurt her, meant to squash any pride inside of her, but Caitlyn keeps her head held high. After all, it’s the first thing she’s said during the meeting—and it’s been going on for almost two hours with absolutely no progress. She’ll be damned if a little stinging comment from Marcus pushes her into silence.

“Zaunites will be loyal to the cause, no matter the rift between us. If we lose Piltover, they lose the Zaun. They’ll fight. I know it.” Caitlyn, unlike the other people currently inside of the large tent, has no seat at the makeshift table in the middle. She stands off to the side with her hands clasped behind her back. 

Marcus narrows his eyes. “They are animals . To call them ‘people’ is an insult to us.”

“They have powers that can easily turn the tides of this war, and we’re in a pinch right now, General. I know you’re aware of it. Another month with the way we’re going and we’ll all be dead.”

Everyone bristles at Caitlyn’s bluntness.

“Let me get this straight, Captain.” Marcus stands from his seat at the head of the table. With slow footsteps, he rounds the table to make his way to Caitlyn. “You want us to go beg for help from those Shimmer-addicted demons, because we can’t win one battle?”

“It will not be just ‘ one battle ’ once the Noxians take River Pilt. They’ll have the upperhand once they do. We have lost the advantageous positioning of the mountain range because you have gotten us stuck in a location where the enemy will easily surround us. A decision you went through with despite every single hand at the table rejecting the idea.” 

Caitlyn nods and keeps her voice steady. Marcus’ eyes flare with anger, but Caitlyn doesn’t care. She’s sick of the bickering and the constant back-and-forth while her people are out there dying. 

“To answer your question: yes, General. I am proposing we seek out help from the Zaunites.”

Marcus walks towards Caitlyn, eventually standing in front of her. She has to crane her neck only slightly to make contact with him. He’s seething, but Caitlyn knows it’s only because she’s right—and he doesn’t like to be wrong. Especially not in front of an entire table of his subordinates.

“You’ll take one horse,” he says through his teeth. “You will negotiate with those things , and you will bring them here. We will use them as fodder, because I do not trust that they won’t turn against us. They’ll be at the front of the lines and the first ones to fill in every single trench. Whether you tell them those conditions or not doesn’t matter to me. We’ll see if your beloved pets can fight.”

Caitlyn tightens her jaw and brings up her hand in a salute, her legs straightening. “Yes, sir.”

“ Go .”

—

Caitlyn is taken into a large room. 

Her eyes skim the dark interior, scanning over the faces sitting at the long, stone table. She’s gone from one meeting with high-ranked officials to another within the span of three days, with little-to-no sleep. Her horse collapsed from exhaustion upon her arrival to Piltover, but Caitlyn continued across the bridge on-foot to get to Zaun.

She tries not to let her exhaustion show as she steps further into the room.

“ Caitlyn Kiramman .” The voice comes out in a low drawl. Silco sits next to his brother, Vander, cross-legged and slumped to lean against his armrest. “When I heard that the Kiramman Princess enlisted all those years ago, I thought you would have died your first day on the field. Look at you now. A captain .”

Caitlyn holds back a wince at the nickname. She clears her throat to find her voice. “The Piltover troops by the River Pilt are losing their footing.”

Silco grins at this. “Lovely.”

Caitlyn opts to turn her gaze towards Vander, who has always been more of a helpful communicator than Silco. “We want to ask the people of Zaun for their help.”

Vander’s eyes do not widen, but his eyebrows furrow. The rest of the room erupts in laughter. 

A woman sitting next to Silco takes a puff of her cigar and shakes her head. Caitlyn knows her as Sevika. “Imagine that. The Pilties must really be in some tough shit if they’re asking us for help.”

Caitlyn looks around once she realizes Vander isn’t going to say anything. “If we lose Piltover to the Noxians, Zaun is next. I know that you all know that.”

“We have one bridge connecting the two cities,” Silco says. “Zaun will be fine.”

“But our economies are tied,” Caitlyn replies instantly. She’s spent the last seventy-two hours thinking of every possible argument that the Zaunites could have against helping Piltover, and has thought of a counter-argument for every single one—she needed something to keep her awake. She turns to look at Velveteen Lenare, a face that she’s seen frequently in Piltover. “If Piltover falls, Zaun will lose ties to everything Piltover connects them to.”

“The princess has a point.” Velveteen nods slowly. She knows best about the trades and businesses that link Zaun and Piltover.

Caitlyn turns to Vander again. “I’m not asking for an army. We have enough manpower as is—but the Noxians have my troops sandwiched. If we can just get out of the pinch, your people can return home and Piltover can continue the defense from a better position.”

“When Hextech fails, Shimmer rises,” Sevika coughs out through a mirthless laugh. 

Silco turns to Vander with a raised eyebrow. “What do you think, dear brother? I’m sure you know where I stand on this.”

Except Caitlyn doesn’t know where Silco stands on this. She knows he’s merciless, but she also knows he’s extremely intelligent. If he doesn’t want Zaun to fall into an economic crisis, he’ll help. 

Then again, he’s smart enough to know how to rebuild connections—so the fall of Piltover could just be an inconspicuous blip on his radar.

A man on the other side of the table snorts. “We’re asking the Piltie’s lap-dog for his opinion?”

Vander inhales deeply. “We’ll send one person.”

Caitlyn wants to argue and say that it wasn’t enough, but Vander speaks with such finality that she finds her jaw screwed shut. One person is better than none.

Vander turns to Voss, the Warden. “Release Vi from the prison. She can scout out the situation for us.”

Voss mumbles something that sounds like an agreement. There are a few guffawed facial expressions around the table, but nobody speaks up against Vander’s decision. 

Sevika smirks. “Sending your daughter to fight the Pilties?”

“Vi can handle herself. She’s a trained fighter,” Vander states. He turns to look at Caitlyn. “We need a temporary pardon from Piltover for her release.”

“Consider it done,” Caitlyn says. 

She knows of Vander’s daughter—knows that she was imprisoned for an explosion that injured Piltover troops. It’s never been directly tied to her, but she was found fleeing the scene. 

She was going to be punished in Piltover, but Vander pulled some strings and got her a sentencing in a Zaunite prison instead. Caitlyn wants to ask why specifically he chose Vi as the Zaunite to send back to Piltover, but she doesn’t want to push her luck. She’s afraid any questions she asks will cause the Zaunites to retract their words.

Vander narrows his eyes. “I expect to see her back here in no less than a month. Do you understand? We’ll see about a further alliance in your war after she provides us more information.”

Caitlyn nods firmly. “I understand. Thank you.”

—

Silco and Vander sit alone in the room after everyone leaves. Voss escorts Caitlyn to the prison where she’ll meet and inform Vi on the situation.

“You’re disappointed.” Vander gruffs. 

Silco lets out a little chuckle. “No. I would’ve done the same thing—well, almost the same thing. I would have never sent Jinx to the wolves.”

“ We’re the wolves, Silco,” Vander says with an undertone of anger. The irony of Silco’s analogy doesn’t go unnoticed. 

“Why Violet?” Silco asks, ignoring his brother’s snappiness. “We could’ve sent anybody else. Any beggar on the street would be happy to do it to get their paws on some Shimmer. Hell, I’m sure Sevika has been itching to break some bones.”

“I don’t trust anybody on the street with this, and Sevika has no shortage of bone-breaking in the Undercity,” Vander replies. He runs a hand over his face. “If Vi can help them, then the pardon from Piltover might stay permanent. She can be free.”

“And here I thought you just wanted to show her some tough-love.” Silco stands from his chair with a hum, realization settling in. “You’re using the Piltover’s desperation as a bargaining chip for her freedom.”

Vander nods. 

Silco grasps onto his shoulder, shaking it. “She’ll forgive you.”

A wet laugh leaves Vander’s mouth. “No, she won’t.”

—

“Get up, girl. We’re releasing you.”

The woman inside of the cell doesn’t even turn to look at them. She stays seated on the ground, facing the opposite wall. “Releasing me for what?”

Voss turns to Caitlyn, jerking her head towards the pink-haired woman inside the cell. A gesture for her to talk.

“You’ve been granted a pardon from Piltover. We need your help in the war.”

This causes Vi to sit up straighter. She turns her head to the side, looking at the pair in front of her open cell door. “You’re asking the Undercity for help? A prisoner, at that?”

“Vander’s idea,” Caitlyn says. “We don’t have much time. I can brief you on the way to River Pilt.”

“Vander? River Pilt?” Vi repeats with a laugh. “Oh, man.”

She gets up from the floor in one swift motion. She starts walking towards Caitlyn as a flash of recognition crosses her face. 

“You’re the Kiramman kid,” she states.

“Captain Caitlyn Kiramman,” Caitlyn says with a nod. “Vander asked for your release so you can help us fight. He wants you to gather information to bring back to Zaun to discuss a further alliance.”

Vi sneers, making the scar on her upper-lip stretch. “My old man can’t visit me, but he can send me off to a war?” 

Her voice isn’t shaky, but there’s clear bitterness in it. Caitlyn feels a pang of sympathy for the woman before willing it away.

Without another word, Voss starts walking down the hallway. 

Caitlyn waits for Vi to move. 

Vi shakes her head and follows.

—

The only things Caitlyn leaves Zaun with is a bag full of bite-sized Shimmer nuggets and a pink-haired woman who has resigned to silently glaring at everyone and everything— including Caitlyn.

As they make their way through Piltover, Caitlyn tells Vi to stay close.

“I can handle myself, cupcake.”

The nickname irritates Caitlyn. She’s still running on no sleep, but she can’t sleep now—not while she has a pardoned prisoner by her side and while the River Pilt could be getting overrun. Her patience is practically non-existent.

Adding onto her troubles, Vi’s been exhaustingly cold and snappy towards her.

“I’m sure you can handle yourself,” Caitlyn says, unable to keep the venom out of her tone as she reaches out to grip Vi’s forearm, her fingers digging tightly into the tattooed-skin as Vi moves to snatch her arm away. They’ve stopped walking so Caitlyn can angrily stare down into Vi’s eyes. “But if anybody here recognizes you and you’re not seen with me , you’ll be thrown into a prison and we’ll all be screwed. Therefore I suggest you stay close and shut up .”

Amusement fills Vi’s face after seeing Caitlyn snap. “Got it.”

Caitlyn releases her hold on Vi and whips around to continue on their way. 

-

“Do you know how to ride a horse?”

“Does it look like I know how to ride a fucking horse?”

Caitlyn lets out a frustrated sigh and turns back to the stable-boy. “One horse is fine.”

They lead the horse out of the city borders. The moon shines brightly above them as Caitlyn slows them once they’re out of view from the guards stationed outside of the city. 

She turns to Vi. “We have no time to rest. Get on.” 

Vi laughs. “I’m not getting on top of a horse.”

She then holds out her hand, palm-up.

Caitlyn blinks at her. “What?”

“I’m gonna pop some Shimmer. I’ll be way faster than the horse.”

The bag tucked on the inside pocket of Caitlyn’s jacket suddenly feels a thousand pounds heavier. She takes a small step back. “But Vander said the Shimmer’s only to be used for combat.”

“Vander’s not here, is he?” Vi’s casual tone is nowhere to be seen. She’s frowning as she shakes her extended hand. “What? Aren’t you even the slightest bit curious about what I turn into?”

“No, I’m not. Frankly, I don’t care what you turn into. I only care if you can handle yourself in a fight, and I have explicit orders not to give you Shimmer unless we’re in one.” Caitlyn is also frowning now. She turns to get onto the horse and reaches a hand down to Vi. “Get on.”

“A stickler for the rules. Why am I not surprised?” Vi drawls as she grabs Caitlyn’s hand. She pulls herself atop the horse, her body pressed to the back of Caitlyn’s. “We’re going to work this horse to death if we’re going to make it to the River Pilt without a break.”

“I know,” Caitlyn states grimly. She starts the horse into a trot, feeling Vi’s hands grabbing at the sides of her jacket. “One horse is worth it if we’re saving hundreds of lives.”

“We wouldn’t need a horse if you just let me take Shimmer,” Vi says.

“That’s enough , Vi,” Caitlyn replies shortly.

“Alright, sheesh.”

—

The only reason Caitlyn doesn’t topple off the side of the horse and suffer from head-trauma is because of Vi’s grip on her body.

“Woah, there, princess,” Vi calls out as she straightens Caitlyn’s body. One hand stays on Caitlyn’s waist while the other one grabs at her shoulder. “Are you alright?”

Caitlyn blinks rapidly to rid of the dizzying spots that fill her vision. She grips tightly at the reins. “Yes, I’m fine. Just tired.”

“When’s the last time you slept?”

“Since I left River Pilt.”

“What the fuck? You need to sleep.” Vi’s hands try to reach for the reins, but Caitlyn slaps them away.

“I can sleep once we get to River Pilt.”

“No, you can’t—because then we’d be in a fucking warzone,” Vi insists. She grabs onto Caitlyn’s wrists instead, calloused fingers atop the back of her hands. “You’re no use in a fight if you can’t even stay awake. Stop the horse—both of you need to rest.”

Caitlyn almost puts up a fight, but then another wave of nausea hits her. 

She nods and slows the horse, tugging it off the forest trail that they’re on.

Vi gets off first and then holds her hand out for Caitlyn to take. Caitlyn stumbles into Vi’s body. Vi steadies her and then carefully helps her sit down on the ground. 

“I can’t sleep,” Caitlyn mumbles. Vi ties the horse to a nearby tree. “People are dying—”

“And people will still be dying if you stay awake,” Vi replies with an annoyed exhale. “So close your eyes for a couple of damn hours. I’ll stay up.” 

She sits cross-legged next to Caitlyn, gesturing for Caitlyn to lay down.

Caitlyn shouldn’t fall asleep. Vi is a pardoned prisoner. She could run away—

“I have nowhere else to be.” Vi rolls her eyes, almost as if she’s reading Caitlyn’s mind. “I have nowhere to go. I’m not going to run. Just take a fucking nap.” 

Caitlyn tightens her jaw and eventually gives in, lowering her body to the ground. She bends her right arm, using it as a makeshift pillow. 

“Wake me up immediately if—”

“Go to sleep, cupcake.”

—

Thankfully, the Piltover base by River Pilt is still standing as Caitlyn and Vi approach on horseback. They dismount once they reach all of the pitched tents, Caitlyn keeping a firm grip on Vi’s wrist as she weaves her way towards Marcus’ station.

It seems like he’s already been briefed on their arrival, because he doesn’t seem the slightest bit surprised when they enter the tent. There’s a bloodied bandage across his right cheek that Caitlyn notices as he turns around to face them. He sneers.

“I expected you to come back with a battalion, Kiramman,” he says. He runs his eyes over Vi with an unsubtle look of disgust. “Not a stray.”

“They sent Vi as both a soldier and an informant. She’s expected to return to them within a month before any further discussions of aid.” Caitlyn’s fingers are still curled around Vi’s wrist. They tighten as she keeps talking. “She’s Vander’s daughter.”

Marcus’ facial expression doesn’t change, but Caitlyn knows that Vi being Vander’s daughter is an important piece of information. There’s a trump card somewhere there, if he needs it. He narrows his eyes. “She’s your responsibility. Keep your dog on a tight-leash.”

Vi lunges forward. “Hey, I’m not a fucking—”

Caitlyn steps in front of her, causing Vi to collide into her back. She grits her teeth and salutes. “Yes, sir.”

“Dismissed.” Marcus waves them away. “I expect to see you two on the field tomorrow night. We’re planning an ambush. I’d expected a group of Zaunites, but one will do.”

Caitlyn has to drag Vi out of the tent. She brings them past the makeshift cafeteria, grabs two bags of debatably-edible slop, and continues on her way. 

She ignores Vi’s curses of anger as she brings them to the outskirts of the base, where Caitlyn’s own tent is. She only lets go of Vi once they’re inside of the tent. She kneels down to turn on an oil-lamp.

“Does he talk to everyone like that? Or is it because I’m Undercity scum?”

When Caitlyn looks up, Vi’s gesturing wildly towards the tent’s closed-flaps. She sighs and sits down on the ground. With her legs extended, she rubs at the tops of her thighs, which are sore from all the riding she’d been doing. 

She motions for Vi to sit besides her. “He’s a condescending person, Vi. I wouldn’t let it get to you too much. We won’t be seeing much of him once we’re out fighting. Here, sit and eat. We need as much rest as possible before tomorrow.”

Vi slumps to the ground with much less grace than Caitlyn. She’s still muttering curses under her breath, but she takes the bag of food that Caitlyn offers her with a lot less aggressiveness—even mutters out a small thanks to her. 

Caitlyn and Vi eat in silence for a few minutes. Caitlyn stares into her half-eaten bag. “For the record, I don’t think that you’re a dog—or ‘ Undercity scum ’.”

Vi snorts. “It was your idea, wasn’t it? To ask for Zaun’s help.”

“Yes,” Caitlyn says. “I’ve pitched the idea before, but Marcus has always shot me down.”

“He must be desperate, then.” Vi scrapes the last of the slop from inside of the bag into her mouth. 

Caitlyn nods solemnly, thinking of all the dead bodies they’ve had to burn because there hadn’t been enough time or carriage space to send them all back to Piltover for a proper burial. The thought makes her lose her appetite. 

She hands her leftovers to Vi, who takes it with another grumbled ‘thanks’. 

As Vi continues to eat, Caitlyn pulls her rifle out of its holster. She sets it down carefully before also taking off her jacket, wary of the Shimmer bag she has inside as she folds it. She turns to grab and prepare an extra blanket on the ground for Vi. 

“Ever since I was little, I’ve hated Pilties,” Vi says after a few more minutes of silence. She’s since finished Caitlyn’s leftover food and crumpled the empty bags into a stack next to her. Caitlyn looks at her, but Vi only stares at the oil lamp. “I hated them because they hated us. It’s something that’s drilled into every person down there: the people of Piltover hate us, so we should hate them back. That was my only reasoning, you know? Until I was thrown into jail for a crime I didn’t commit.”

Vi’s right thumb twitches before it picks away at the skin of her pointer finger. “I know Vander brought me to Stillwater to keep me close, but sometimes I wish he would’ve let me stay in a Piltover prison. I was treated just as horribly as all of the other prisoners at Stillwater—even worse because of my ties to Vander.” 

She looks away from the lamp, making intense eye-contact with Caitlyn. “I spent six years down there. It was a long enough time for me to be confused about where my hatred truly lies.”

Caitlyn’s eyebrows knit together. “Have you figured it out yet?”

Vi gives a small, sad smile. She shrugs. “It’s easy to wallow in hatred from the inside of a one-by-one solitary prison cell. Maybe I’ll find an answer while I’m out here helping you guys.”

Caitlyn lets out a heavy breath as she pulls the blanket over her lap. “I wouldn’t blame you if you hated Piltover.”

“Surprising words from the Kiramman Princess.”

“Don’t call me that,” Caitlyn snaps. She can only take so much belittling. “Call me Caitlyn or Captain Kiramman. Believe it or not, I’m here because I’ve worked my ass off to get here. I’ve strategized and fought in an obnoxious amount of battles since my enlistment, all of which have brought us victories. I take the condescension enough from my higher-ups because I have no choice, but I don’t need to take it from you, too.”

Vi’s eyes widen. 

Caitlyn’s chest rises and falls with angry breaths.

Vi nods after a few tense beats of silence. “Got it.”

“Thank you.” Caitlyn exhales shakily, averting her gaze as embarrassment fills her. 

She pulls her hair out of its high-ponytail and runs her fingers through it. She hasn’t had a bath in ages—her hair feels as oily and grimy as the rest of her skin does. A rush of guilt hits her. Soldiers have no time to properly bathe and relax. She knows this. 

Caitlyn reaches over to turn off the lamp. 

The only noise for the next few moments are from the two women shuffling to lay down and get underneath their thin, hole-ridden blankets.

Eventually, Vi’s voice breaks the silence. “Can I still call you ‘cupcake’?”

Caitlyn can’t help the surprised laugh that leaves her. “ Shut up, Vi .” 

—

“Mornin’, Captain.” 

Vi’s voice pulls Caitlyn immediately out of the sleepy in-and-out daze she’s been in for the past few minutes. She sits up, eyes widening.

Vi sits on the other side of the lamp, three bags of breakfast in her lap. “I got us food.”

Caitlyn runs a hand over her face, rubbing her eyes. “How long have you been up?”

“A few hours now. I don’t need a lot of sleep.”

She throws a bag over to Caitlyn, who catches it with one hand as her other hand continues to wipe crust from her eyelids. “You went by yourself?”

“I’m a big girl.” Vi smiles. “Everyone seemed to shut up with their questions once I told them I was the mysterious Zaunite that Captain Kiramman found off of the street.”

“Vi…” Caitlyn’s tone borders on concern and only a little bit of disappointment. She opens the warm bag and plucks at the plastic spoon within. 

“I didn’t actually say those words specifically,” Vi says as she opens her own bag. She gives a toothy-grin. “I just said Captain Kiramman sent me to get food. And then I said ‘please’ when I asked for a third bag.”

Caitlyn exhales in amusement. She shakes her head. “I’ve been meaning to brief you on everything and ask you a few questions, but I was so out-of-it on our way out of Piltover that it slipped my mind.”

“Ask away, cupcake,” Vi says with her mouth full of food.

Caitlyn scowls and then rolls her eyes. “I wanted to ask if you have any experience fighting.”

“I grew up in the Lanes,” Vi responds as if that’s an answer. When Caitlyn’s expression shows no change, Vi sighs. “That means I grew up fighting.”

“I mean killing .” Caitlyn’s tone turns stricter. “This is a war, Vi. I’m not talking about fighting in a bar or on the street. We’re fighting to kill here. Do you have experience killing people?”

Vi hums. She shakes her head. “No, I don’t. Is that going to be a problem?”

“That was my next question,” Caitlyn says. Her eyes flit up and down Vi’s face. “ Is that going to be a problem? If you take Shimmer, are you going to be able to kill the enemy? Are you going to be able to distinguish between Piltover soldiers and Noxian soldiers? Are you sure you won’t shut down after killing someone for the first time?”

Vi thinks about it for a few seconds. She shovels some more food into her mouth before crumpling up the bag and opening the second bag.

“Shimmer doesn’t take away my cognitive abilities. The only thing it changes is my physical form,” she says. “I’ve never fought while in my Shimmer-form. I mean—I never needed to, but I can assure you that I won’t be committing any friendly-fire.”

“And about killing?” Caitlyn asks. “It’s not something to be taken lightly. It will mess you up.”

“I’ll be fine, Captain.” Vi chews on another spoonful of slop. “I may have never killed anybody, but I’ve grown up around death. I’ve seen people die.”

“Seeing somebody die and killing somebody are two very different things.” Caitlyn lowers her bag to her lap. She stares— really stares—at Vi. “This won’t work unless you’re one hundred percent in, Vi.”

“Meaning this won’t work unless I’m a killing machine?” Vi clarifies.

Caitlyn winces, but she nods. “Yes.”

“I appreciate the honesty.” Vi laughs. “You still haven’t seen my Shimmer-form. Once you do, I think you’ll realize that this war is going to end very soon— if the Zaunites decide to join. Do you have any other burning questions on your mind?”

Caitlyn looks down at the bag. She scoops some food into the tiny plastic spoon and holds it there, not bringing it to her lips yet. “You’ve had chances to run. Why haven’t you?”

“Where would I go?” Vi asks back. Caitlyn raises her head to look at her, surprised at the empty voice leaving Vi’s lips. “Please, Cait. You and I both know that I don’t belong anywhere. If I ran away, I’d just be hunted down.”

“By Vander?”

“By Vander, Silco, Voss—any one of them, really. A loose Shapeshifter is a liability. It’s the one thing that the Zaun has that no other nation has.” Vi shrugs. Then, she leans forward as her voice drops. “I have nowhere to run to. I might as well make myself useful. Look, I have people I care about in the Undercity—and I’m not stupid enough to delude myself into thinking that Piltover and Zaun aren’t connected.”

Caitlyn brings the spoon to her lips. Vi watches her eat it. 

When Caitlyn’s finished chewing, she gives a single, firm nod. She sits up straighter, eyes becoming more focused as she stares at Vi. 

“It may not seem this way, but the Piltover forces are thankful you’re here. I’ll try to summarize the situation.” 

Caitlyn blows a stray strand of hair away from her face before she continues talking. “We’re currently being pinched by Noxian forces on the east and the west, which means that we’ve been fighting a defensive battle for weeks now. The only saving grace we have is that we have a direct route to-and-from Piltover. However, if the Noxian forces are able to properly sandwich us, they’ll have access to Piltover’s borders. We can’t let that happen. That’s where you come in.”

Vi lets out a low-whistle. “You going all Captain-Mode on me is kind of hot, cupcake.”

“ Vi .” Heat flushes through Caitlyn’s body as she hisses out the name; a mixture of irritation, embarrassment and, shockingly— arousal . She blinks rapidly to maintain her composure, pushing irritation to the forefront of her mind. “Did you catch anything I said?”

“I heard you, I heard you.” Vi grins mischievously as she relents, looking down at her food to scrape the remnants into her spoon. She licks the spoon clean and then looks up at Caitlyn. “Seems like you have your troops in some shitty positioning.”

“I know,” Caitlyn responds monotonously, hoping that the tips of her ears aren’t as red as they feel like they are. “General Marcus refused to heed to any of our warnings about where we’ve set up camp. He urged us to stand strong as Piltover’s main line of defense.”

“General Marcus seems like a dimwit.”

“You cannot say that to anyone but me,” Caitlyn lowers her voice, eyes flicking over to the closed tent entrance. They’re far enough on the outskirts of the base for the tents around them to be a good distance away, but anybody could walk by at any given moment and hear them. “He’s still the commanding officer.”

“I know.” Vi rolls her eyes. “So, where does that put us? He wants us to be part of the ambush tonight, doesn’t he?”

“Yes. I expect we’ll be called to a meeting some time today for a briefing. I hope you’re ready to be asked a lot more questions.”

Vi rolls her eyes again. “I doubt they’ll even want to look at me—they probably think looking at me will taint them. If anything, they’ll look to you for answers about me.”

Caitlyn gulps, the slop on her spoon looking extra unappetizing. “You’re right,” she admits. She finishes up the last of her food and stands. “General Marcus is the worst when it comes to…”

“Classism?” Vi offers with a smile. “Bigotry?”

“Yes,” Caitlyn says shortly. 

She bends over to grab her jacket and rifle from the ground. When she looks back towards Vi, she raises an eyebrow. Vi’s eyes trail up Caitlyn's torso slowly—making it very obvious exactly where she’d been looking. Caitlyn puts her jacket on and holsters her rifle on her back. She ignores the tremble that runs down her spine.

“I’m going to make my rounds and check on everybody. Do you want to come with me or stay here?”

“Do I have a choice?” Vi asks, grunting as she stands as well. She rolls her shoulders and a couple of bones audibly crack. She reaches back down to grab at their emptied food-bags to toss in a trash can somewhere. “You’re supposed to keep me on a tight leash, Captain.”

“Shall I have one crafted for you?” Caitlyn deadpans, walking to the tent flaps and pushing one open to the side for Vi to walk through.

Vi tilts her head and smiles at her as she walks by. “Red leather, please.”

Caitlyn scoffs, shaking her head in amused disbelief. She follows Vi out.

—

Soon after lunch meals are distributed, Caitlyn and Vi find themselves in General Marcus’ tent again. Caitlyn is no longer the only person standing. Vi stands next to her, close enough that their shoulders brush. 

Caitlyn’s only a little bit embarrassed at how anchoring the physical touch feels.

Every pair of eyes is on the two of them—more so on Caitlyn than on Vi.

Marcus nods towards Vi, but keeps his glare on Caitlyn. “The Zaunite will stay posted closer to the base than the rest of the troops. She’ll activate her Shimmer-form once our soldiers manage to push through the first wave of defense. You’ll scale the hill on the west side of the camp to set up your sniper.”

Marcus finally trails his eyes over to look at Vi as he says his next sentence. “Your main task is to shoot the Zaunite if she gets out of hand and turns on us.”

Caitlyn tenses at the same second Vi does. “General—”

“We’ve seen the way Shimmer has rotted the brains of even the highest of scholars. If she so much as snarls at a Piltover soldier, you shoot her in the head.” Marcus lets his glare snap back towards Caitlyn. A smile grows on his lips. “I know you never miss, Captain Kiramman.”

Caitlyn’s jaw flexes. She nods. “Yes, sir.”

“Good.” Marcus turns to the rest of the officers sitting at the table. “Come morning, we will decide what to do following their return. If they haven’t returned, we’ll send scouts. If they do, we plan to strike at once while the Noxians are weakened. Does everybody understand?”

“Shouldn’t we see what the Zaunite girl can turn into before letting her fight alongside us?” The voice comes from an elderly man—someone who served alongside Grayson before her death. 

“Vander told me not to give her Shimmer unless we were in danger,” Caitlyn says.

“If the Zaunite is not able to control herself in her Shimmer-form, we most definitely do not want her next to our soldiers.” Marcus nods towards Caitlyn. “Give her Shimmer.”

“I don’t think it’s about lack of control, General—”

“That was an order, Captain.”

Caitlyn almost opens her mouth again, almost loses her temper—

“It’s fine.” Vi’s voice is low as she turns to Caitlyn. “I can control myself.”

“Shimmer is still a drug ,” Caitlyn hisses, though she angrily digs through the inside pocket of her jacket and pulls out a Shimmer nugget. It’s no bigger than her thumb. “I don’t like the idea of giving you a drug just so we can prove a stupid point.”

“It’s fine,” Vi reassures her for a second time. She takes the rock from her and gives her a small smile. “If anything, this’ll let me get used to being in my Shimmer-form again. It’s been a few years. I might be rusty.”

Caitlyn stares helplessly. Vi just clears her throat and looks around the tent. 

“We should do this outside.”

-

Once they’ve moved out towards a clearing, more than a few soldiers have gathered around to watch Vi turn. 

Caitlyn stands besides Vi in the middle of the crowd. “Are you sure about this?”

“Yeah, cupcake, it’ll be fine.”

“How long does it last? When is it safe again for you to take another dosage? The ambush is tonight ,” Caitlyn whispers hurriedly. 

Vi smiles. “The Shimmer doesn’t turn me, I turn myself. Think of Shimmer as the wind beneath my sails—I can still move even without it, it just takes a lot more manual labor. And I’ll be fine for tonight.”

“If you’re sure,” Caitlyn says warily. 

“I’m sure,” Vi says before she pops the Shimmer nugget into her mouth. 

It’s surprisingly brittle considering Vi crunches down on it like it’s a potato chip. Her pupils flash purple and her veins seem to glow the same color. 

“Step back, please. Oh, and I’m going to need an extra pair of clothes.”

Caitlyn takes a step back and opens her mouth to ask what Vi means, but then Vi’s body shifts and elongates right before her eyes. A gasp escapes Caitlyn’s lips as the bones within Vi’s body break themselves to adjust and reposition within her new form. It’s a gnarly sight, one that makes Caitlyn’s entire body freeze. 

She hears Vi scream out in pain, but the screech turns into a howl at the tail-end of its length.

Within the next second, there’s no trace of the pink-haired woman that Caitlyn had just spoken to.

The coat of the nearly ten-foot long wolf standing in front of Caitlyn shares the same color as Vi’s eyes. Meanwhile, the wolf’s eyes are the same shade of Vi’s pink hair. 

Caitlyn’s at least glad that Vi’s Shimmer-form doesn’t have bright pink fur— that would’ve been hard to be inconspicuous with.

Vi breathes heavily, head turning around to look at the massive crowd that’s grown around her and Caitlyn. Her ears flick this way and that. 

Eventually, her eyes land on Caitlyn, who hasn’t once taken her gaze off of Vi.

“Are you alright, Vi?” Caitlyn asks. Carefully, she extends her hand.

Vi nudges her snout against Caitlyn’s palm. She licks Caitlyn’s skin.

Caitlyn lets out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. She’d trusted Vi when she said that she could control the Shimmer-form—but Caitlyn’s used to having her expectations lowered and her trust broken. 

She’s relieved that Vi was telling the truth.

Caitlyn turns to look at Marcus, whose expression is its usual one of contempt. “Is this enough show of control for you, General?”

Marcus lifts his chin. “Everyone get back to your stations. Kiramman, you and your dog leave in an hour to your positions for the ambush. We need you two set up before everybody else. Try not to get spotted.”

He leaves without another word, the crowd of soldiers parting for his exit. Caitlyn huffs out a breath to move a strand of hair that had fallen from her ponytail. 

“Come on, Vi. Let’s go back to our tent.”

—

When Caitlyn returns to the tent with an extra pair of clothes, she expects Vi to be back in her human form, but Vi’s still taking up half of her tent space as a wolf.

“I have clothes for you,” Caitlyn says softly as she kneels down next to Vi’s wolf-form. Vi’s laying down sideways, her entire body rising and falling with every breath she takes. “Do you want me to leave so you can shift back?”

Vi lifts her head at this. She licks at Caitlyn’s hand. 

Caitlyn smiles a little. “I’ll stay, then.”

She shifts back to make room for Vi. Vi’s eyes flash purple again. Her body gets longer before it starts to shrink. Pained yelps and heartbreaking howls leave Vi’s lips as Caitlyn watches with concern.

Within a blink of an eye, Vi’s naked body lay in front of Caitlyn. She’s curled into herself, shivering and breathing heavily. Caitlyn reaches blindly behind her to grab one of the blankets, hesitating only momentarily before she pulls the blanket over Vi’s body. She’s careful not to let her fingers touch Vi’s skin, worried about causing any more pain.

“Vi?” she calls out through Vi’s groaning. “Are you alright, Vi?”

“Just peachy,” Vi says shakily. She tugs the blanket tightly over herself and lets out another groan. “I forgot how painful it is.”

Anger flashes through Caitlyn. “I knew we shouldn’t have let you shift just to placate Marcus’ damned wishes.”

Even through her fury, Caitlyn places a gentle hand on top of Vi’s shoulders. She lifts it to wipe away the droplets of sweat accumulated on Vi’s temple.

“It’s alright,” Vi rasps. “At least we know I can still do it, right? I can be useful.”

Caitlyn ignores her. The frown on her lips is so deep that Vi’s worried it might become permanent. “Do you need anything? Water? Medicine?”

“If I’ve just taken Shimmer, do not try to put any other drug in me,” Vi says through a morbid laugh. “I’ll implode. Literally.”

“Noted.” Caitlyn nods. She makes a mental note to tell the physicians that tidbit of information.

“I could go for another bag of chow. Or two.”

Caitlyn stands immediately. “I’ll be back.”

Vi watches the captain leave in a flash. Even with her entire body aching in pain, she smiles.

—

“You’ll be okay? You know what bush to hide in? You have to be stealthy, Vi. If they see you—”

“Holy shit, cupcake.” Vi laughs as she grasps both of Caitlyn’s shoulders. They’re hidden behind trees—crouched low together as the moon rises above them. There’s dried mud caked into Vi’s hair as a makeshift camouflage to hide its bright pink color. “I got it. I promise. You just worry about scaling that mountainside. I’ll be in position, I swear.”

Caitlyn’s wide, worried eyes close in embarrassment. She nods and then shakes her head. “You’re right. I’m sorry. We’ll be fine, it’s just—”

“You’re scared things will go sideways,” Vi says. She squeezes Caitlyn’s shoulders gently. “You’re human— and a captain. That’s normal. You’re doing your job.”

When she opens her eyes again, Caitlyn finds gray eyes staring back at her. Vi smiles.

Caitlyn takes a deep breath and reaches into her jacket for the bag of Shimmer. “How many do you need?”

“One is enough,” Vi answers. “I just need another one after everything’s done—to help me shift back after staying in my Shimmer form for so long. I didn’t need one today because it wasn’t very long since I’d taken it.”

“Got it,” Caitlyn whispers. She pulls out one Shimmer nugget and hands it to Vi, who drops her hands from Caitlyn’s shoulders to take it into her palm. Caitlyn keeps talking. “I’ll keep you covered while you shift. Our troops should be far enough in the base by then so the enemy will be pushed back, but I want you to know that I’ll be protecting you.”

Vi’s eyes widen. Everyone who had seen Vi shift earlier that day knows that she’s extremely vulnerable during the process. It’s a fast transformation, but every second counts—and Vi finds her heart skipping a beat at Caitlyn’s words. A day and a half ago, Vi might’ve pushed back. She might’ve gotten angry and told Caitlyn that she doesn’t need her protection—would’ve told her she’d rather die than have a Piltie protect her—but right now, she smiles.

“Thanks, cupcake.”

—

Caitlyn lays prone behind a large boulder positioned next to a wilting tree. She has her sniper mounted on the ground, using her scope to watch the battle take place down below. It’s hard to distinguish in the darkness what’s happening, but there are alot of blue explosions—so Caitlyn knows some sort of hextech is being used, which means that there are Piltover troops alive enough to be using them.

As Caitlyn shifts her focus back onto the pink-haired woman crouched within a bush, she’s surprised to see Vi staring right back at her. She makes some sort of hand movement and Caitlyn spots the glint of the purple rock in her hand. She’s signaling to Caitlyn that she’s about to shift.

Caitlyn scans Vi’s surrounding area as Vi takes the Shimmer. The Piltover troops have pushed further into the Noxian base—which isn’t a large base by any means. The Noxians have only managed to do so well in their offense due to strategics, not due to their numbers—they never believed Piltover could fight back as hard as they are. With every further push, the Piltover soldiers knock down flimsy tents and destroy any structure that could provide cover from Caitlyn’s sniper.

As Vi shifts, Caitlyn keeps her sniper focused on the battle in front of her, looking for any stragglers that might spot the wolf. When Caitlyn’s scope focuses on Vi again, she only manages to catch a gray blur as Vi leaps from the bush and heads straight into the fight.

Her speed is otherworldly. Caitlyn can only just keep up with Vi, watching her leap from one Noxian troop to another—killing them instantly with one swipe of her sharp claws across their necks. Caitlyn notices immediately that Vi doesn’t bite them, only using her claws to lash at them. She wonders briefly if that’s on purpose, but then Vi’s thrashing one Noxian troop into another and Caitlyn’s attention is back on the fight.

Even the Piltover troops steer clear of Vi.

Vi ends up on the frontlines even though she’d deployed late. At the sight of the wolf, the Noxian troops go into a frightened frenzy. 

They start to retreat—exposing their backs to the Piltover force. 

The first time Caitlyn has to fire a shot all night is when Vi’s in the middle of no less than six Noxian soldiers. She growls and snarls, swipes and crushes. Three of them are dead within moments. One of them, however, jumps up and latches onto Vi’s back. He swings his arm back, the glint of his blade shining in the fires that have grown around them.

Caitlyn holds her breath as she squeezes the trigger. 

The soldier who’d grabbed onto Vi falls dead to the ground. Vi doesn’t have time to thank Caitlyn with eye-contact as she immediately goes to kill the remaining two troops. 

With her presence exposed, Caitlyn continues her cover fire. 

The Noxians know that she’s there—the least she can do now is help kill as many of them as she can.

—

It’s in the middle of the night when things have started to quiet down. Caitlyn’s body has gone numb after being in the same position for so long, but she grits her teeth and keeps her focus.

The fires have diminished to smoking ash on the ground. Everything moves slower now that the Noxian soldiers are either dead, crippled, or retreating with their tails between their legs. 

“Let some of them retreat. Let them know we have a Zaunite. Let them run and spread the news.”

It’s the last thing Marcus said to Caitlyn before they departed from the River Pilt base. Caitlyn feels a shiver run through her spine—one of both anger and pride. They’ll know now. 

The chill that runs through her isn’t just out of pride or anger. Her head snaps to the side when she hears the crunch of dirt underneath a boot.

Caitlyn rolls her body out of the way just as a spearhead lands in the ground where she’d been laying. She’s on her feet in an instant and tackling the person who’d snuck up on her before they can dislodge the spear from the ground.

She grabs for the pistol sheathed in her belt as the woman below her struggles to push Caitlyn off. There’s the sharp pain of something piercing Caitlyn’s thigh and Caitlyn cries out in pain. That moment of surprise allows the attacker to roll them over, pinning Caitlyn below her as she reaches for her spear. She hasn’t realized that Caitlyn grabbed her gun.

Gritting her teeth, Caitlyn pushes her pistol beneath the woman’s chin and pulls the trigger.

Blood smears and drips onto Caitlyn’s face as the Noxian’s body falls forward, her ears ringing. Caitlyn grunts and pushes her off, sending the Noxian’s body off the mountainside to tumble down and down.

When Caitlyn tries to stand, she falls to the ground and stares down at the knife that’s lodged into her thigh.

“ Dammit .”

–

“Captain Kiramman.” 

The first soldier that spots Caitlyn is a young blonde man who’s sitting on the ground. He gets up from the ground immediately to salute her. The others surrounding him are quick to follow. Caitlyn limps closer, favoring her uninjured leg. 

“At ease,” she says as her eyes assess the damage. There are a good amount of Piltover casualties—the wounded are gathered in a line as medics tend to them. The dead are already piled: the Noxian bodies are tossed haphazardly into a mountain of corpses where they’ll be lit on fire soon enough and the Piltover bodies are wrapped in whatever tents were leftover, stacked with noticeably more care than the enemies. 

“Where is Vi?”

At the confusion on everybody’s face, Caitlyn speaks again—this time through gritted teeth. “The Zaunite.”

Immediately, fingers point further down the path. 

She nods and regards the soldiers in front of her again. “Well done. Set up camp here. Vi and I will return to River Pilt to deliver the news of our victory.”

They seem to perk up at her praise. Caitlyn feels her stomach drop, but keeps her expression controlled as she goes to find Vi.

“Captain, your leg—”

“I know.” Caitlyn waves the concern off. The knife is still stuck inside of her skin, but Caitlyn knows it’s the only thing keeping her from bleeding out. She’d ripped off a piece of her undershirt and wrapped it tightly around the wound. “I’ll get it stitched up once I’m back at River Pilt.”

She walks— limps —through the entirety of the destroyed, deserted camp before she finds Vi. 

Vi’s still in her wolf-form, sitting tall even while the majority of her gray fur is matted with dried blood. She’s facing further down the valley path, the direction that the surviving Noxian troops have retreated to.

“Hey,” Caitlyn calls out. She knows Vi’s been aware of her presence by the way her ears twitched at her footsteps. Caitlyn gets closer until she’s standing next to Vi. Even in a sitting position, Vi’s wolf-form is as tall as Caitlyn. “We should head back and deliver the good news to General Marcus.”

Caitlyn reaches into her jacket and pulls out a Shimmer nugget. When she holds it to Vi’s snout, Vi turns her head. 

She stands and stares at Caitlyn. 

“What?” Caitlyn asks, closing her fingers around the Shimmer to keep it enclosed in her palm. She slips it back into her jacket pocket. “Do you want to stay in your Shimmer-form while we return?”

Vi licks her lips. 

Caitlyn sighs. “You’re going to scare the horses.”

Vi tilts her head.

Caitlyn blinks. “You… You don’t want me to take a horse, do you?”

Vi stretches, letting her body bow down to Caitlyn. She looks expectantly at Caitlyn, who only feels her face warming up. The implication of her actions is clear. 

“I can’t believe I’m going to do this,” Caitlyn mumbles under her breath before swinging her uninjured leg over Vi’s body. She grips tightly onto the loose skin around Vi’s neck, coarse fur between her fingers. “If I fall, we’re walking the rest of the way—I don’t care that I have a knife in my leg.”

Vi’s body rumbles with the growl she lets out. 

She stands and Caitlyn leans forward to keep her balance, yelping when Vi starts into a sprint.

—

Vi leads Caitlyn straight to Marcus’ tent. Caitlyn dismounts her with wobbly legs, but quickly composes herself—holding back the gasp of pain that wants to escape her lips when she accidentally puts weight on her wounded leg. 

Marcus’ eyes are initially wide with surprise, but then they narrow. He doesn’t spare Caitlyn’s injury a single glance. “Captain Kiramman.”

Caitlyn salutes. “The Noxus base in the west valley has been taken. I’ve ordered the troops to set up camp there so we don’t lose the land, but they require immediate reinforcements and medics.”

“We’ll move quickly,” Marcus says with a nod. Caitlyn lowers her hand to her side. “If we can push through the valley, we can wrap around the mountainside and sandwich those damn Noxians the way they tried to with us.”

Caitlyn stays quiet as Marcus regards Vi’s bloodied wolf-form. He looks back to Caitlyn, a smile growing on his lips. 

“Your pet might have just won us this war.”

-

Marcus wasn’t kidding when he said they’d move quickly. He orders five hundred troops to depart immediately, hoping to set up camp and proper defenses before the Noxians can retaliate. 

Vi carries Caitlyn back to their tent where a physician is already waiting inside for her. 

“Captain,” the medic says with a nod. She flicks her gaze over to Vi for only a second before focusing on the knife handle sticking out of Caitlyn’s thigh. “I heard you’ve been stabbed.”

“Yes,” Caitlyn mutters. She eases herself to the ground with the help of Vi’s firm body pressed next to her. “I didn’t realize it until after I shot them in the face.”

“Brutal,” the medic replies, taking out a pair of scissors to cut through Caitlyn’s pants just above the wound. “Do you want to take a narcotic for the pain?”

“No.” Caitlyn squeezes her eyes shut as the medic readjusts her leg to see better. She grabs the cloth of the cut pants and balls it into her mouth.

“I’m going to pull the knife out now.”

Caitlyn’s scream is muffled by the cloth as the medic, in one swift motion, dislodges the knife and then douses the open wound in alcohol. She stays as still as she can while tears stream down the side of her face. 

Vi licks the tears away, a low whine coming from her. 

“Stitches now,” the medic calls out as she dabs at the bloody skin. 

–

It’s a grueling ten minutes. Caitlyn thinks she dozes in and out because of the pain, but by the end of it her entire body is soaked wet with sweat and the loss of adrenaline makes her exhaustion hit ten times harder.

“You’re lucky you stayed conscious until your return. You lost so much blood. I’ll be back tomorrow to change the stitching,” the medic says. 

She starts to gather the bloodied bandages and wipes into her bag, cleaning the area. “Keep yourself off that leg, Captain. And—” She looks at Vi. “Do you need medical assistance?”

Vi, even in wolf-form, shakes her head. 

The medic nods. “I’ll be on my way, then.”

When it’s just Caitlyn and Vi in the tent, Caitlyn spits out the cloth in her mouth. She’s still breathing heavily as she grasps at Vi’s fur with weak fingers. 

“You…” She struggles to speak through her pain. “You did… well.”

Then, Caitlyn passes out.

—

When Caitlyn comes to, she feels very warm and… coddled . Opening her eyes, she realizes that comfortable feeling is because Vi’s wolf-form is curled around her body entirely, cocooning her.

She can hear faint conversation outside of her tent and sees sunlight peeking through the tent flaps. A groan leaves her body before it morphs into a hiss as a sharp flit of pain shoots up her leg.

Vi startles awake instantly, ears flicking this way and that in alertness. 

“Sorry,” Caitlyn whispers through a grunt. “I forgot about my damn leg.”

Then, it hits her that Vi’s still a wolf . 

She gasps. “Do you want Shimmer? I’m so sorry I fell asleep—you must want to turn back—” Caitlyn reaches into her jacket and pulls out the drug. “Here.”

Vi carefully licks the Shimmer into her mouth before crawling to the other side of the tent to shift. Caitlyn closes her eyes and lays back as she hears Vi groan and moan. Caitlyn’s not sure if it's because she’s still delirious from recent events, but it seems like Vi’s getting used to the pain of shifting. The groaning and hisses of pain right now are nothing compared to the screams of agony when Vi had shifted yesterday.

When it’s done, Caitlyn can only hear Vi breathing heavily. She turns her head, surprised to see that Vi’s bare skin is also riddled with dry blood stains. For some reason, Caitlyn assumed that shifting would magically clean Vi. 

“I’ll grab the medic on my way to the cafeteria,” Vi says as she slowly stands. She ends up toppling over, taking a knee to the ground as she winces. “Damn. I haven’t been in my Shimmer-form for that long before. It’s got me feeling like a newborn giraffe.”

“I’m sorry,” Caitlyn whispers guiltily, even though Vi was clearly making a joke about it.

“You were stabbed, cupcake.” Vi laughs as she slowly stands and puts on clothes, stretching out her limbs along the way. Caitlyn’s guilt only doubles. “You don’t have anything to apologize for. I’ll be right back.”

—

One redressed stab wound later, Caitlyn sits up gingerly as Vi hands her a bag of food. They settle besides each other as they eat their first meals of the day—nevermind the fact that it’s close to sun-down.

Vi’s on her second bag of food before she speaks up. “General Dimwit seems to be impressed with me.”

Caitlyn chokes. She sputters through a wheeze. “ Vi !”

Vi only laughs, sitting next to Caitlyn as the captain smacks her arm. “What?”

“You can’t call him that.”

“You said I can’t call him that in front of other people!” Vi says as she keeps laughing. Caitlyn’s hand on Vi’s arm tightens as she starts to chuckle. 

When their amusement dwindles, Caitlyn’s hand remains on Vi’s skin. 

“He is impressed. I’m pretty sure we all are,” she says quietly. Her eyebrows knit together. “How are you?”

Vi smiles at her. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that question? You had a knife stuck in your thigh for hours.”

“Last night was your first time killing,” Caitlyn states with a frown. “I want to know how you are, Vi—not just physically, but also mentally.”

“I’m sore,” Vi says, still being nonchalant.

Caitlyn pulls her hand away, mouth opening to say something.

“ I… I don’t think the realization has settled in yet ,” Vi continues to speak, cutting off whatever response was going to come out of Caitlyn’s mouth. 

Caitlyn waits, staring intensely at Vi as the smile on her lips fades away. 

Vi’s gaze becomes unfocused. “Yesterday, when I was fighting those Noxians… It was more out of instinct than anything else. They would’ve killed me if I didn’t kill them first—I think that’s how I’ve been rationalizing things, but I—” Vi looks down at her lap. “Every time I close my eyes—even when it’s just to blink—I see their scared faces. They were scared of me. Terrified .”

“You were definitely a sight to behold,” Caitlyn murmurs, remembering the chills that ran down her spine even from watching Vi in action last night.

“Yeah, no kidding.” Vi looks down at her dirtied arms, shaking her head to get rid of the memory. She lightens the mood as she smiles. “I’m thinking of going down to the river to rinse off. I’ve picked off as much dried blood as I can, but I think I need an actual bath.”

“Maybe I’ll come down with you,” Caitlyn says, bringing a hand up to her hair. She figures she’ll let Vi process things on her own before trying to have further conversation about everything. “It’s been a while since I’ve properly cleaned, and if we’re going to be stationed in the west valley, we might as well get as clean as we can get while we have the chance.”

“I’ll carry you down.” Vi grins. She brings another spoonful of food to her lips.

“You will not ,” Caitlyn responds with a raised eyebrow.

Vi’s grin just grows. 

—

Caitlyn does not get carried down to the river by Vi—much to Vi’s displeasure—but they do have to walk very slowly. Vi ends up fetching a large stick for Caitlyn to use as a walking cane, not without making some crude joke about really being Caitlyn’s pet dog as she grabs it.

The two of them head to a spot on the riverbank that’s hidden from the tents on the edge of the hill they’d walked down.

Vi helps Caitlyn sit down by the water before she undresses herself completely. Caitlyn watches in amusement as Vi curses at how cold the water is, having waded so far into the river that it rises up to her neck. 

“Dunk your head,” Caitlyn calls over the rushing water. She pulls her jacket off and shirks off her undershirt. She keeps her half-torn pair of trousers on.

“I’m building up the courage to,” Vi replies through the chitter-chatter of her teeth. “It’s cold as fuck .”

When Caitlyn pulls off her boots and dips her feet into the water, she inhales sharply. The water is frigid. Still, she leans down to wipe her hands, dunking her undershirt in the water to use as a washcloth. 

The sun had started to set while the two started off towards the river, and now that they’re in the water, it’s dark enough for Caitlyn to have to squint to see Vi. 

Caitlyn watches as Vi dunks her whole head underwater, letting out a squeal of laughter when she comes back up and shakes her head all around to get rid of the water clinging onto her hair—the stray droplets of water landing on Caitlyn’s skin.

Vi swims closer to where Caitlyn’s sitting, resting on an underwater rock as she watches Caitlyn run the wet-shirt over her arms and, carefully, over her injured leg. “Are you going to clean your hair?”

Caitlyn hums. “I’d like to, but I’m not sure if I should be dunking my new wound into river water.”

“Good point.” Vi winces. Her skin is clean now—Vi’s scrubbed away all of the dry blood that had been on her. She’s missing a spot on her neck and her cheek. Caitlyn resists the urge to wipe it for her.

Vi continues watching Caitlyn for a few moments, her arms resting on the river bank and her chin resting atop of them. 

Caitlyn looks at her, wondering why she’s staring so intensely at her.

Her confusion must be all over her face, because Vi smiles as soon as Caitlyn makes eye-contact with her. “Would you like me to help you wash your hair? If you lean back, I can hold you up and wash your hair for you—it’ll keep your injured leg out of the water.”

Caitlyn blinks at the offer. “Are you sure?”

“Come on, Cait—you’re acting like I just offered you my firstborn,” Vi says with a laugh. She turns her body and extends both of her arms. “I won’t dunk you, I swear.”

Caitlyn hesitates for a moment before she shifts herself, turning so her back is towards the river. She reaches up to undo her ponytail and then slowly, she leans back. Vi’s firm, wet hands position themselves beneath Caitlyn’s body.

Goosebumps rise on Caitlyn’s skin as she closes her eyes, letting the river water soak her hair through.

“Can I…?” Vi asks quietly.

Despite not knowing exactly what Vi is asking permission for, Caitlyn hums in response, keeping her eyes closed as one of Vi’s hands trails up her back to properly soak her hair. It feels heavenly as Vi’s fingers run through her hair, gently massaging her scalp. She lets out another hum of approval. 

Vi chuckles. “Feeling good, Captain?”

“Shut up,” Caitlyn whispers, though her cheeks start to heat up. She had planned on using her own hands to really clean her hair, but she’s not at all opposed to what's happening now.

Vi laughs again as she continues to thread her fingers through Caitlyn’s long hair. Once it’s thoroughly cleaned, Vi helps ease Caitlyn up into a sitting position.

“Thank you,” Caitlyn says as she turns to face Vi, who makes her way out of the water. “My hair has been bothering me for the longest time, but I always felt so silly for being bothered by it.”

“Why’d you feel silly?” Vi asks as she pulls on her clothes. 

Caitlyn doesn’t put her wet undershirt back on, but she does put her jacket back on. She shrugs as she buttons it up. “I’m a soldier. There are more damning things than oily, flat hair.”

Vi sits besides Caitlyn, running a hand through her own wet hair. “You shouldn’t feel shitty for wanting to take care of yourself.”

“I know that, but believing it is another story,” Caitlyn mumbles. She fidgets with the wet shirt in her hands, hesitating in her next action. With a shaky exhale, she turns to Vi and then brings up the shirt. “You missed a few spots.”

Vi angles her chin up. “Grab ‘em for me?”

Caitlyn hums, using her thumb and forefinger on Vi’s chin to keep her head steady as her other hand uses the wet shirt to wipe away the leftover dirt and blood on Vi’s face and neck.

Unlike Caitlyn, Vi doesn’t close her eyes. She stares while Caitlyn pulls her close to dab away at the muck. 

“I’m sorry you keep getting called my ‘pet’ or ‘dog’,” Caitlyn whispers. She’s too close to Vi’s face for her words to come out any louder. “I don’t think of you that way. And I am really grateful that you helped us fight last night.”

Vi smiles. Caitlyn’s eyes flicker down to the scar on her lip. “Has that still been bothering you, Captain? It’s fine . You know, you Piltie folks aren’t very creative with your insults—it’s gotten old after the first time.”

“I’m being serious, Vi.” Caitlyn turns Vi’s head to the side so she can clean the side of her neck. If her fingers linger and graze the tattoo there, neither of them comment on it.

“I am, too,” Vi replies. Her throat muscles contract beneath Caitlyn’s touch as she gulps. “I know you don’t think of me like that. You already told me you didn’t.”

“It’s worth reiterating,” Caitlyn says. She lets go of Vi’s face as Vi turns to face her again. Once she makes sure she’s cleaned all of the spots Vi’s missed, she clears her throat. “I’m anticipating Marcus will try to delay your return to Zaun. He knows you’re too much of an asset to send back early—especially if there is a chance you won’t be coming back with Zaunite reinforcements. The two of us will probably be fighting the Noxus base in the east soon.”

“Two of us?” Vi frowns. “But you’re injured.”

“It’s a flesh-wound.”

“The knife was so far into your thigh that it stayed there for hours, Cait,” Vi deadpans. She looks down at Caitlyn’s bandaged thigh for a moment. “Shouldn’t you rest? The medic said you lost a lot of blood.”

“There’s no time for rest during a war, Vi—and Marcus won’t let you go anywhere without me.” Caitlyn sighs. “Come on, help me up. We should head back to our tent.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Vi gets up from the ground before grabbing Caitlyn’s tossed wooden stick and then helping her up. As they head back towards the camp, Vi stays close to Caitlyn’s side—her arm precariously ghosting just behind Caitlyn in case she stumbles. 

“Nice shooting, by the way,” Vi says once they’re up the riverbank and on the path to their tents. “General Dimwit wasn’t kidding when he said you never miss.”

Caitlyn lets out a snort. “It’s the only time he’s ever commented on my skill.”

“Well, you saved me,” Vi says with a thankful smile. “So: thank you.”

Caitlyn hums in response, her own lips curling up in a smile.

The base is lit up by various campfires, the voices and laughter of soldiers filling the night time air. The army is in good spirits after their victory today. Caitlyn shivers as a gust of wind makes her wet hair feel even colder.

She turns her head towards Vi, but keeps her eyes on the tents they’re approaching. “You don’t bite.”

“ Pardon ?”

Caitlyn chuckles at the confusion in Vi’s tone. “You only used your claws during the fight.”

“Oh,” Vi says, surprised that Caitlyn even noticed. She uses the hand that’s not behind Caitlyn’s body to rub the back of her neck. “Yeah, it seems kind of gross to me. I don’t want somebody else’s blood in my mouth. I mean—isn’t that how diseases spread?”

Another laugh leaves Caitlyn’s lips. 

The two of them now maneuver through the pitched-tents and around groups huddled around campfires. They stop by one group when Caitlyn hears her name being called out.

“Captain Kiramman!” a call comes from a man giving a toothy-smile. With how pink his entire face is, Caitlyn assumes he’s drunk. “Would you and the Zaunite like a bowl of stew? We have fresh meat tonight since we got a resupply from Piltover.”

Vi’s face lights up. She shuffles forward and holds out her hands for two clay bowls full of beef stew. 

“Thank you,” Vi grins. 

The soldier’s smile widens. “I saw you in your Shimmer-form yesterday. It was sick.”

The surrounding soldiers jump in with their own comments of astonishment and Vi finds herself blushing . 

To save Vi from further attention—wanted or not, Caitlyn couldn’t tell—Caitlyn taps her stick against Vi’s shin.

“Come on, Vi,” she says, though not unkindly. She rather thinks that the pink on Vi’s cheeks is adorable.

Vi laughs. “Okay, okay. Thanks again for the food, you guys.”

Caitlyn nods her head in thanks to the group and they continue on their way to their tent. 

“The soldiers like you,” Vi states as Caitlyn uses her walking stick to open the tent flap for her to enter. Vi hurries to carefully place the bowls down and then turns on the lamp, watching as Caitlyn lowers herself to the ground slowly.

“They don’t need to like me, they need to respect me,” Caitlyn says. She winces as she readjusts her leg. “I’m glad to see they’re warming up to you, as well. Like I said before, most of us aren’t like Marcus.”

Vi shrugs as she hands Caitlyn one of the bowls. “I can turn into a fucking wolf. They’d be dumb not to like me.”

“A bit cocky, no?” Caitlyn smiles. She holds the warm bowl with both hands, inhaling the scent of the soup before releasing a sigh. “I plan on asking Marcus to let us travel back to Zaun again before putting you in any further battles.”

“Do you think he’s going to let us?” Vi quirks an eyebrow. She blows some air on her soup as she lets it cool before carefully sipping from the bowl.

Caitlyn looks down at her own bowl. “I’m going to try and convince him on the basis of Zaunite retaliation—they want you back in a month so they can decide if the war is worth sending their people into. If we go any further north, the trip back to Zaun will take much longer.”

Vi slurps noisily at her soup. She lowers it and licks her lips. “What if I told him I’ll willingly join the army if he lets us go back to Zaun?”

Caitlyn’s eyes widen. “Would you want to?”

“Turns out I’m pretty good at being a soldier,” Vi says. She has a small smile on her lips. “You’ll probably have to strike some sort of deal with Silco and Company about Shimmer deliveries for me, but Piltover’s got enough money to account for that.”

“But…” Caitlyn frowns. “Don’t you want to go home? You’ve been in prison for years—and you want to immediately join the army? For Piltover , no less?”

“Hey, now.” Vi laughs. “Aren’t you supposed to be happy that I want to join? Wasn’t the whole point of releasing me from prison so that I could fight in the war?”

“Well, yes, but what about your family? Your friends? You haven’t had any time to visit them—and who knows how much longer this war will take even with your help.” 

Vi’s smile dims. “They had six years to visit me, cupcake. None of them did.”

Caitlyn feels her heart drop. “Vi…”

“It’s alright,” Vi says. She takes a large gulp of the still-hot soup and exaggeratedly wipes her mouth with the back of her hand, trying to lift the somber mood. “It just means I have nothing tying me down to the Undercity—easier for me to leave and join your fancy-shmancy military.”

Caitlyn wants to continue the topic, wants to ask about Vander—about Jinx —but Vi goes back to her soup. The avoidance of eye-contact makes it clear that Vi wants to change the conversation to something else. 

With a small sigh, Caitlyn finally brings the bowl to her own lips to sip at the stew. It’s been so long since she’s had something other than the bagged chow they usually eat. This one has small, cut-up chunks of various vegetables and even has beef . Visible cuts of it within the broth that she actually has to chew to be able to swallow.

She’s only a third of the way into her soup when Vi finishes. 

Having noticed her seemingly insatiable appetite, Caitlyn chuckles to herself and holds her bowl out to Vi. “You can have the rest of mine.”

“Are you sure?” Vi asks with a shocked facial expression. Even though she seems surprised, she takes the bowl from Caitlyn without any hesitation.

Caitlyn laughs louder at this. “Yes, Vi. My appetite is nowhere near as large as yours. I’m quite full already.”

“Thank you,” Vi says sheepishly before she starts to down the rest of the soup. When she’s done, she stacks the empty bowls together and stands. “I’m going to give these back to the soldiers that gave them to us. Be right back.”

Caitlyn hums in acknowledgment, smiling as Vi leaves. She stares at the oil lamp and considers what she’s going to say to Marcus in the morning. If Vi’s serious about joining the Piltover military on her own accord—and it seemed like she was—then the conversation about going back to Zaun might not be as much of a hassle as Caitlyn thought it was going to be.

Vi’s going to have to do most of the talking once they get to Zaun. Caitlyn doesn’t want to seem like she’s speaking over her, especially when it comes to Vi’s request to join the Piltover military. But there’s a part of Caitlyn that worries about the unhealed wounds between Vi and her father and how that might play into the negotiations of manpower.

The tent entrance opens again as Vi returns. She’s grinning as she enters, settling back down next to Caitlyn. “They’re still out there. They offered me moonshine.”

“Please don’t tell me you took it,” Caitlyn says with a grimace.

“I debated it,” Vi admits. “I don’t know if I still have Shimmer in me, though. I’m sure it’s been long enough, but I didn’t want to risk it.”

“Can you tell me some more about how that works?” Caitlyn asks. She leans back on the palms of her hands, turning her head to look at Vi besides her.

“Shimmer?” Vi raises an eyebrow. She’s settled with her legs in a criss-cross position, her elbows resting on her knees as she leans forward.

“Shimmer, how you shift, how it affects you during and after— all of it .” Caitlyn’s eyes flick between Vi’s gray ones. “You mentioned you could shift without taking Shimmer. Is it much more difficult?”

Vi nods. “Extremely. Shimmer kind of… unlocks the gate, so to speak.”

“But it is possible?” Caitlyn asks.

“Yes,” Vi answers. “It’s difficult to master, and those who can do it are few and far in between. After all, we have Shimmer. There’s no need to spend years practicing when you can have it in an instant.”

“Shimmer is still a drug,” Caitlyn says. She frowns. “A highly addictive one, at that. Is shifting really worth destroying your body over?”

“The average lifespan in the Undercity is short enough without Shimmer added into the mix, cupcake. Shimmer just takes us there with a little pizzazz,” Vi states casually, though there is an edge to her gaze. She tilts her head as she stares at Caitlyn. “You want to know if I can learn to shift without the drug, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Caitlyn answers honestly. “It doesn’t feel right to give you Shimmer every time we have to fight. You’ll grow dependent, Vi. Marcus and those above him don’t give a shit about those after-effects. They think you’re expendable—they think all Zaunites are—but you’re not . If there’s a way for you to do it without destroying your insides, I want to help you get there.”

The left side of Vi’s lips quirk up. “How noble,” she says. “Vander is the only one in the Zaun Council who knows how to shift without Shimmer. He refused to teach me when I asked him—which was way before I got thrown into prison.”

“Do you think he’ll agree to teach you now?” Caitlyn questions, frowning when she hears the unattached tone to Vi’s voice. Her father is clearly a sore spot for her.

“After he saw me get addicted to Shimmer and then forced to go cold-turkey once I got jailed? I would fucking hope so, but I wouldn’t put too many expectations on my old man.” A bitter laugh leaves Vi’s lips as she shakes her head sadly. “Silco will probably just tell him that it’s easier for everyone if I just continued to take Shimmer. He saved my sister’s life using the damn drug. He thinks it’s life’s elixir.”

“Your sister,” Caitlyn says. “Jinx?”

“Yes, Jinx,” Vi replies, though the name comes out of her lips hesitantly, like it hurts to say. “She... She had a seizure when she was twelve. Back when…” she trails off, and then drops that train of thought completely. Vi sits up straighter as she clears her throat.

“We were all there—me, Vander, Silco—when she fell to the floor and started seizing. Vander didn’t want Silco to give her Shimmer. I think it was partly because he knew I’d started to use it at that point. Silco listened. Then, Jinx flatlined. Silco sank a syringe full of Shimmer into her as a last ditch effort. She woke up, but… she was different.”

“It’s not just an addiction for her, is it?” Caitlyn asks cautiously.

“No. Shimmer keeps Jinx alive. I don’t know the science behind it—whether there is some reason for it or not—we just know that if she goes more than three days without it, her body starts to shut down. And I’m talking about a full-blown shut-down.” Vi folds her hands tightly over each other. “Jinx has become more of Silco’s daughter than Vander’s—I think Vander’s always felt guilty about what’s happened to her, so he let himself drift away. He and Silco have never really seen eye-to-eye, but Shimmer is always something they disagree on.”

Caitlyn lets the information sit for a moment. As a Kiramman, she’s expected to know the basics of politics—but since her enlistment in the military, Caitlyn’s been more concerned with the battlefields outside of council meetings. She feels faintly guilty for not keeping up with things in Piltover’s sister city, though she’s acutely aware that her brain is being biased due to her growing attachment to the woman in front of her.

Vi clears her throat, realizing she’s derailed from the original question quite a bit. “Vander knows how to shift without Shimmer. He never gave me a proper reason for not teaching me how, but I assume it was some ‘I’m trying to protect you’ bullshit. It might be like talking to a brick wall by asking him to teach me.”

“We can at least try,” Caitlyn says. She sits up, reaching a hand over to gently grasp Vi’s wrist. “You’ve already been dependent on Shimmer once. It shouldn’t have to happen again—it won’t happen again.”

Vi doesn’t say anything for a while. She stares at Caitlyn, a woman who she’s known for only a little over a week, and finds herself trusting every word she says. It should be harder considering Vi’s been in prison for so long and has never found herself believing anything anyone said to her, but the conviction that Caitlyn speaks with causes Vi’s chest to feel light.

A chuckle leaves Vi’s lips and she unfolds her hands to twist the one Caitlyn has a hold on, offering her palm to her. “Thanks, cupcake.”

“No thanks necessary.” Caitlyn doesn’t know what overcomes her when she lets her fingers slide down Vi’s wrist to slip between Vi’s fingers. She squeezes her hand once. “Does it still hurt a lot when you shift?”

“Oh, of course,” Vi says without hesitation. “My entire body has to destroy and rebuild itself within seconds. It’s painful, but it comes with the territory. You win some, you lose some.”

“How about afterwards? Are there any after-effects—whether it be from the Shimmer or from the shifting?” Caitlyn’s eyebrows have knitted together again, her forehead wrinkling with worry. Vi’s smile widens by the tiniest fraction when she sees the genuine intrigue and concern in Caitlyn’s blue eyes.

“None worth mentioning. I mean—I eat a lot, but you already know that.” 

“That I do,” Caitlyn says. Her face relaxes as she smiles, shaking her head slightly. She pulls her hand away from Vi’s. “We’ll ask Marcus in the morning about a trip back to Zaun. He’ll probably want you immediately back on the frontlines, but I think if you tell him you’d willingly enlist, he’ll back off and agree we go.”

“Sounds good.” Vi reaches for her tattered blanket as she gets comfortable on the ground. “If he lets us go back, I hope you know I’m going to shift.”

“You’d reopen my cut, Vi,” Caitlyn deadpans as she also carefully lowers herself to the ground. She reaches out to turn off the oil lamp. “We’re taking a horse.”

“Boo.”

—

Surprisingly, Marcus agrees with Caitlyn about her and Vi returning to Zaun.

“With the reinforcements we’ve sent into the valley, I’d say we have good footing right now,” Marcus says as his eyes switch between focusing on Caitlyn and focusing on Vi. He settles his gaze on Caitlyn. “Let the Zaunites know that we’re gaining the upper hand. Nobody wants to join the losing side.”

“We’ll need a horse, General,” Caitlyn says, noting his usage of ‘Zaunites’ instead of any other derogatory term he usually calls them. 

“A horse?” Marcus snorts. “No, Captain. That’s a waste of a horse and of our time. Let the Zaunite carry you back.”

“That’s what I said!” Vi lifts and drops her arms in a display of exasperation. Caitlyn barely spares her a glance. Marcus acts like Vi didn’t even speak.

“General, with my leg injury, riding on Vi would open—”

“You’ll be checked up on at Zaun, I’m sure.” Marcus waves his hand. “Go, Captain Kiramman. We’re losing precious time.”

Caitlyn grits her teeth and nods. She salutes Marcus before turning and walking out of the tent, knowing Vi will be hot on her heels.

As they make their way through the cafeteria tent to grab breakfast, the two of them are silent. Once their tent flaps close behind Vi, Caitlyn turns around with narrowed eyes.

“If I hear any sort of iteration of ‘I told you so’ from you, I will not be giving you my leftover food.”

Vi laughs and raises her hands up in mock-surrender. “ Alright !”

Caitlyn huffs. She sits down as her injured leg throbs in pain. She’d forgotten to take the stick with her that morning, so she’s just been limping around all morning—occasionally putting pressure on her bad leg by accident. The stitches haven’t been pulled, thankfully, but it hurts like a bitch .

Vi opens both bags of food before she settles next to Caitlyn on the ground and hands one to her.

“Once I get my wound redressed, we can head out. I’d rather get to Zaun as soon as possible,” Caitlyn says as Vi chews on the warm, chalky and chunky chow. Caitlyn digs around her bag, a slight frown on her lips. She lets go of her spoon and lowers the bag to her lap to stare at Vi with full attention. “You haven’t changed your mind, have you?”

“Changed my mind?” Vi mumbles in confusion with stuffed cheeks. She swallows. “About what? Joining the Piltie army? Nah. I’m still yours if you want me.”

Wow, wording.

Caitlyn feels heat rush up her neck as she lowers her gaze to the food. 

Clearing her throat, she sits up straighter and nods firmly. “I intend on letting you do most of the talking once we get there. I don’t want to make it seem like we’re forcing you to do anything.”

“Sounds good, cupcake.” Vi grins. Her food bag is almost empty. “I’d make a joke about you meeting my parents before even a first date, but I guess you met my old man before you even met me.”

Caitlyn rolls her eyes. She starts to eat as Vi keeps talking.

“I should show you around Zaun while we’re there,” Vi says. She has food pocketed in her left cheek as she speaks, reminding Caitlyn of a pet hamster she’d had when she was little. “Jericho’s slop is way better than the one we eat here. I haven’t had it in years .”

“We’re not going to have time for that, Vi,” Caitlyn replies lightly, not wanting to see disappointment on Vi’s face. 

But Vi doesn’t look sad at all. She looks more like she’d just been challenged to a fight she knew she was going to win. Her grin turns into a smirk and Caitlyn feels her stomach swoop in anticipation. 

“We’ll see about that.”

—

This time around, the silence between the two is only because Vi’s in her Shimmer form. Caitlyn’s sure if Vi wasn’t, then there would be comfortable conversation between the two of them during their trip. But alas, Caitlyn is clinging onto the scruff of Vi’s neck and hoping her stitches don’t get ripped open with how roughly Vi is sprinting across the land.

“Easy on the jumps, Vi!” Caitlyn calls out over the whoosh of wind.

Vi’s body vibrates in a responding growl. Caitlyn would’ve found the response terrifying had it been a week ago, but instead she laughs loudly, and the painful throb in her thigh seems to lessen.

–

Hours into their trip, Caitlyn worries that Vi’s going to lose steam, but no such slowing down happens. Vi is still in the full-sprint that she’d left River Pilt in and there’s no hint of exhaustion in the way her muscled body carries Caitlyn across the forest floor. 

Although Caitlyn is worried for her wellbeing, she’s also grateful that they’re shortening the usual three-day journey. She thinks if they can take a short rest when the sun goes down and get back on the road before it rises, they’ll be able to make it to Zaun within the next day. 

She knows Vi will probably want to stick through the need to sleep to try and get to Zaun as fast as possible, but it turns out that being stabbed in the leg has made Caitlyn a little more prone to exhaustion.

“Vi, we can stop up by that pond. I need a rest.”

Vi’s sprint slows to a light jog as she veers off towards the clearing Caitlyn had pointed at. She lays her body down by a large rock and waits until Caitlyn’s on the ground before stretching out her legs. Vi yawns, showing all of her incredibly sharp teeth.

“Would you like Shimmer to turn back into your human form? We can eat the food I packed.” Caitlyn pulls out the bag of Shimmer from her jacket and removes her backpack, setting it onto the ground. She places one of the nuggets on the palm of her hand and holds it out to Vi, who licks it into her mouth. Caitlyn busies herself with unrolling the blanket she’d stuffed into her backpack and digging for the bag of dried meat she’d packed as Vi shifts.

A muddy hand reaches for the blanket in Caitlyn’s lap and she looks up to see Vi smiling at her, drenched in mud and sweat. “Hi.”

“Your paws are all dirty.” Caitlyn lightly smacks Vi’s hand away from the blanket. “Go take a dip in the pond. I chose this resting spot for a reason.”

“Alright, alright.” Vi laughs as she stands and makes her way to the pond. Caitlyn doesn’t let her eyes linger on her naked back. At least not for long. She preps the shorts, shirt, and boots she’d pack for Vi and waits for the pink-haired woman to come up from the water.

When Vi returns, she’s running her hands through her hair and shaking out some of the water in it. Caitlyn musters all of her willpower to not let her eyes linger on Vi’s abs as she looks up and hands the clothes over.

“How do you feel?” Caitlyn asks as Vi changes.

She settles on the ground next to Caitlyn, letting out a full-body shiver. 

“Not as tired as I thought I’d be. Feels great running in my Shimmer-form. It’s freeing.”

Caitlyn hums. She hands Vi a couple pieces of jerky and then lifts the blanket so it’s over both of their shoulders, the two of them huddling together. “We can make it to Zaun before sundown tomorrow if we get up before sunrise, but I’m not sure how much rest you need.”

“I could’ve kept going all night, cupcake.” Vi winks at her before biting into the jerky.

Caitlyn ignores the way her heart skips a beat. “Yes, and then I would’ve fallen off of your back and killed myself with a head injury.”

“You have a very creative imagination.” Vi laughs loudly, throwing her head back.

“Thanks,” Caitlyn deadpans, though her lips quirk up. She chews on her own bit of meat.

“How’s your leg?” Vi asks when her chuckles have died down.

“I don’t think it’s opened, which is surprising considering the leaps you’d taken,” Caitlyn answers. She looks down at her thigh. Her wound is covered by the new pair of pants she’d gotten before their journey. She doesn’t see any blood soaking through the material. 

Vi has the decency to look ashamed, but only a little bit. “I’ll try not to jump so much anymore.”

Caitlyn lets out a low chuckle and shakes her head, handing a couple more pieces of jerky to Vi. “As long as we get to Zaun quickly, I will survive.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t get lost on your first trip down there,” Vi says through some chews.

“I have been to Zaun a handful of times before,” Caitlyn replies. “My mother often had business there and, when I was younger, I would ask to go.”

“I’m surprised she let you ,” Vi says as she raises her eyebrows in surprise, looking down at her hands. She’d eaten the jerky already.

“She never let me out of her sight. What I saw of Zaun consisted mainly of the back torsos of the guards in front of me.”

“You know… I think I remember one of your visits.” Vi’s eyes snap up to look at Caitlyn. Because they’re huddled together, the sudden eye-contact makes Caitlyn’s breath hitch.

“You do?”

“Yeah,” Vi says. “I’m pretty sure I was in the middle of a fight when you and the henchmen passed by. Heard somebody shout ‘Kiramman scum. I didn’t look, but the asshole I was fighting did. I got him good . Thanks for that.”

Caitlyn blinks. “I’m not sure I should feel honored about that.”

Vi laughs and lightly knocks her shoulder against Caitlyn’s—which isn’t much more than pressing against her harder since their shoulders are already touching. Caitlyn lets out a small smile. 

When Vi’s laughter fades away, she hums, lost in thought. Her gray eyes seem to dim slightly as she stares at the pond in front of them.

“I must’ve been… oh, maybe twelve or thirteen years old. Jinx wasn’t even ten yet—I remember that much because I was saving up money to buy her something for her first double-digit birthday.”

Caitlyn listens attentively, leaning towards Vi as her voice gets softer.

“Jinx got bullied a lot as a kid,” Vi says, with an undertone of anger. “She’s had health problems since she was born so… easy pickings, I guess. Vander taught us the basics of self-defense because when you live in a place like the Undercity, you should at least know how to throw a punch. And, as it turns out, I could throw a pretty good punch .”

Caitlyn smiles at the confidence. “You got into a lot of fights, then?”

“Understatement of the century.” Vi smirks. “Since I got into fights so often sticking up for my little sister, I caught the eyes of some of the older kids. They told me about a fighting ring that paid a decent amount of money.”

Caitlyn connects the dots with a small nod. “That’s how you saved up money for Jinx’s birthday present.”

“Yeah. The douchebag I was beating up when you walked by tried to steal it. I got him good. That was before…” Vi trails off. She seems almost ashamed . “I could fight just fine without Shimmer, but eventually everyone in the ring started to use it. Made the fights gnarlier and more interesting to watch when it was two beasts fighting instead of just starving, scrawny teenagers.”

“You were only a kid,” Caitlyn states, lips parted in surprise. Her heart drops.

“You don’t stay a kid very long in the Undercity,” Vi says with a placating smile that makes Caitlyn’s skin crawl. Caitlyn shouldn’t be the one who needs to be comforted right now, but she hates that she is. 

Vi clears her throat. “The old warehouse we used for the ring ended up getting raided by Piltie officers when I was almost nineteen. I was in my Shimmer-form so they shot me with a tranquilizer.”

Caitlyn’s eyes widen. “That’s how you got arrested? I thought there was an explosion.”

“There was an explosion,” Vi says, laughing mirthlessly. “After everyone had either run or been arrested, the Pilties blew the place up. I don’t know what for, but I wouldn’t doubt it was just some random fun they wanted to have. They pinned it on us because— of course they would .”

“Oh, Vi…” Caitlyn says softly. She hopes she doesn’t come off as pitying. She slips her hand onto Vi’s lap and Vi’s fingers slip between her own. “At the very least, I am glad you’re out of prison now.”

“Yeah, me too, cupcake.” Vi squeezes Caitlyn’s hand.

Neither of them say anything for a long while. With their sides pressed together and their hands intertwined, the two women stare at the darkening sky and the tranquil pond in front of them in silence.

“I’ve been thinking,” Vi starts, and Caitlyn holds her breath as Vi fiddles with her fingertips. “We should visit Jericho before we see the council.”

Caitlyn exhales in amusement. “You really want to visit Jericho.”

“I do.” Vi smiles. “I figured we won’t have much time after meeting with the big guys. What do you say?”

“One detour won’t hurt us,” Caitlyn gives in.

“ Yes !” 

—

Caitlyn isn’t sure if Vi slept at all, but when she wakes up to a small shake of her shoulders, she finds that she’s laying down on a pair of thighs. Caitlyn sits up immediately—and then regrets that decision when the world seems to spin.

“Woah there,” Vi says, steadying Caitlyn with a hand on the small of her back. “Good morning to you, too. I was trying to gently wake you up, you know?”

“Sorry,” Caitlyn squeaks out. Her ears burn and she pulls out the hair tie that had kept her hair up, running a hand through her hair. She starts to pull her hair into a neater ponytail with eased practice. “Did you get some sleep? Please tell me I wasn’t the only one who slept.”

“I didn’t need to sleep. And by the way, you snore ,” Vi says with a grin.

“No I do not!” Caitlyn huffs.

“No, you don’t.” Vi chuckles. She gets up from the ground and extends a hand to Caitlyn. “I just knew your reaction would be cute if I said that you did— and it was . Come on. Up and at ‘em.”

Caitlyn, whose embarrassment has traveled from the tips of her ears to both of her cheeks, narrows her eyes but still takes Vi’s extended hand. She’s lifted to her feet easily before Vi lets go. 

Vi stretches before bending down to untie her boots. “Could you give me one of those pretty purple rocks, cupcake?”

“Oh, yes.” Caitlyn reaches into her jacket and pulls out a Shimmer nugget. 

“Thanks,” Vi says after kicking the boots off. She pops the drug into her mouth and then starts to take off her clothes.

Caitlyn’s eyes widen before she turns her head to the side and clears her throat. She goes to fold the blanket back into her backpack and busies herself by tidying their things. She hears Vi morphing into her Shimmer-form in the background.

When she turns, Vi is back into a large gray wolf. Her clothes are still in-tact, but they’d been haphazardly thrown onto the ground. Caitlyn picks them up and carefully tucks them into her backpack.

“Okay, ready?” Caitlyn asks as she tightens the backpack to a close and then slips it on.

Vi lets out a surprisingly high-pitched bark. Caitlyn didn’t even know wolves could bark . She lets out a chuckle and then slowly eases herself onto Vi’s back.

“Jericho’s it is.”

—

Before they cross the bridge from Piltover to Zaun, Caitlyn directs Vi to a small alleyway tucked beneath the bridge. It must be a way to get to the sewage system under the city, but it’s been long forgotten if all the empty bottles of alcohol and tossed syringes are any indication.

“You should switch back before we get to Zaun,” Caitlyn says as she holds back a wince, sliding off of Vi’s back to get to her feet. She leans her shoulder on the rusty door beside her. “I don’t want you shifting in the middle of the streets.”

Vi grunts—Caitlyn takes it as an ‘okay’. She reaches into her jacket and pulls out another Shimmer nugget. Vi licks it into her mouth as Caitlyn takes off her backpack and starts to pull out Vi’s clothes for her.

“Here,” Caitlyn whispers. 

She kneels to where Vi’s out-of-breath and shaking body is on the ground. It’s a slightly different reaction to her usual shifts. She seems exhausted . Caitlyn feels guilt build in her stomach; Vi had pushed herself.

Vi takes the clothes Caitlyn offers her and doesn’t say anything when Caitlyn wraps her fingers around her right forearm and left bicep to help her to her feet. 

“You should’ve slept,” Caitlyn says as she stares down at the random trash littering the bridge’s underpass.

“I can sleep after we’ve had the meeting with the Zaun Council,” Vi says. She’s clothed now and reaches into the backpack for her boots.

“Huh,” Caitlyn lets out in slight bemusement. “This conversation seems oddly familiar, doesn’t it?”

“Oh shut it,” Vi says without any actual bite to her tone. She’s kneeling down to tighten her boot laces so she has to tilt her head up to stare at Caitlyn. There’s a playful glint in her eyes.

Caitlyn feels her heartbeat pick up. She blinks quickly and looks away. “Jericho’s first, and then immediately to the council.”

“Yes,” Vi lets out with an exaggerated groan. She stands up and takes the backpack from Caitlyn’s hands, slipping it on before Caitlyn can even reject the idea. “Jericho’s and then to my old man. I understand. Come on , let’s go before Jericho runs out of the good stuff.”

“Should I worry about what this good stuff is?” Caitlyn asks hesitantly.

Vi flashes her a wide smile. “You’ll enjoy it.”

-

Caitlyn does not enjoy it. 

Not at first, at least. 

She’s very much okay with watching how much Vi instantly grabs at the bowl of… insects in front of her. Vi seems very happy to be eating what looks to be a mutated caterpillar, and Caitlyn is perfectly content with watching.

And then Vi hands one to Caitlyn. “Want to try?”

Caitlyn has a rejection on the tip of her tongue, but then she sees the way Vi looks at her. Her happy eyes seem to have dimmed. They look softer now, almost shy—a touch of… shame in them.

Caitlyn grabs the fat insect from Vi’s hand and bites a large chunk of it off. She’s expecting to have to hold back the urge to retch or straight-up vomit, but is pleasantly surprised that it isn’t bad at all. In fact, it’s quite delicious.

“What kind of spices does he use?” Caitlyn asks with one cheek still stuffed with the bug. 

For a bug, it is incredibly meaty and not at all like the mush she’d expected to feel as a texture.

Vi’s eyes have lit up again. Caitlyn feels her stomach swoop.

“Don’t know! He never tells us. Isn’t that right, Jericho? ” Vi calls over the counter.

Jericho only answers by sliding more bowls over to them.

—

The light and teasing atmosphere after their stop at Jericho’s deteriorates the closer they get to Zaun's town hall. It’s not so much a town hall as it is the tallest building in the Undercity, with guards and henchmen on each floor.

“I’m Captain Caitlyn Kiramman,” Caitlyn says to the men at the front door. The men’s eyes register the name, but then their gaze switches to Vi.

“I’m the daughter Vander left for the Pilties to handle,” Vi states with a deadly smile. Caitlyn stiffens as Vi’s words come out with venom. “He’s expecting me.”

They’re escorted to an elevator that Caitlyn’s been in only a handful of times before. 

Vi has never been on it. 

She flinches when the elevator jolts and Caitlyn, who’s standing next to her, inconspicuously leans closer to let their shoulders touch. There are four guards in the elevator with them, one at each corner. 

Vi’s shoulders relax only a little bit, but Caitlyn’s glad to know she can be of some comfort to her. 

The elevator rises dangerously fast for about thirty seconds before it slows and then stops abruptly. Its doors open and the two of them walk down a short hallway.

“The council members have been notified of your arrival,” the man standing in front of the council room’s unnecessarily large doors says to them. He’s missing an eye, but the loss of it is hidden by a sleek golden half-mask. He nods towards the doors.

Caitlyn opens one side just enough for Vi and her to walk through. The long table and its accompanying chairs are empty, but it’s the same room Caitlyn herself had been in less than a week ago.

Vi lets out an emotionless snort. She walks closer and stares at the largest chairs at the front end of the table. The one on the left has an insignia of a wolf carved into it. The one on the right has an eye scratched into the top of its centerpiece. 

Vander and Silco’s seats.

“They fucking decorated their thrones? What is this?”

Caitlyn stays standing by the doorway, watching Vi circle the seats like a predator with its prey. A lot must have changed for Vi to be surprised at the state of the council room. It’s been six years since she’d first been put in prison; Silco and Vander had only just started their united front as a political power in Zaun.

“My old man must’ve been doing everything besides visiting me in prison, huh?”

Caitlyn inhales sharply. “Vi—”

The door swings open. 

But instead of all of the council members arriving, it’s only Vander and Silco.

And… 

A blur of blue shoves Vander out of the way.

“I thought dad was pullin’ my fuckin’ leg!” Jinx exclaims, her voice cracking in its volume. She bolts towards Vi, her long twintail braids of blue hair nearly whipping Caitlyn in the face as she does so. Vi catches her little sister in her arms at the last second—just before she can lose her footing and send both of them toppling to the ground. “You’re out! You’re really out! I tried to visit but—”

Her words get lost as she starts to cry.

Vi’s arms hesitate to wrap around Jinx’s waist, but eventually they do.

“ Jinx ,” she lets out in a gasp. Caitlyn watches as the surprise in her eyes disappears as she closes them, burying her face into Jinx’s shoulder. 

Vi relaxes as she holds Jinx. “Hey, kiddo.”

Jinx lets out a sob. 

She’s practically choking Vi with how tightly she hugs her.

Caitlyn feels her heart ache at the sight, feeling like she’s intruding.

She glances over to Vander and Silco and finds extremely different reactions to the sisters reuniting. Vander looks ashamed . Silco looks indifferent, but it’s always been difficult to decipher his facial expressions. Even Caitlyn’s mother had told her such.

Vi pulls away eventually, holding Jinx’s shoulders with both hands as she takes in her baby sister who isn’t such a baby anymore. 

Jinx’s face is completely crumpled. Snot runs out of her nostrils and tears stain her cheeks. Vi uses her palm to wipe her cheeks with an adoring, soft smile on her lips.

“You never grew out of the cry-baby stage, did you?”

“Fuck you!” Jinx hisses, shoving her before pulling her back in for another hug. Her voice is muffled. “They had you locked up good . I couldn’t get in—I tried to—”

Vi gently shushes Jinx’s cries and presses a hand to the back of her head. Her glossy eyes lift to meet Caitlyn’s, then her gaze hardens as she looks over to Vander.

Caitlyn feels her entire body stiffening. Vi’s reasoning for joining the Piltover military willingly is that she had nothing tying her to Zaun—that nobody had ever cared to visit her in prison. But if Jinx had tried to visit, does that change Vi’s decision?

Silco speaks up. “She nearly got locked up herself trying to visit you.”

Jinx pulls away abruptly from Vi’s embrace to snap a reply. “It was one bomb!”

Vi lifts an eyebrow to her sister, who doesn’t look the least bit sheepish about the admittance. 

Caitlyn feels like she ought to pretend she hadn’t heard a thing.

“We’ve come with an update,” Caitlyn says, ignoring the discomfort in her chest. She figures they should get the hard part out of the way first. Vi and Jinx can continue their reunion and catch up later.

Jinx narrows her abnormally pink eyes at her. They glow the same way Vi’s do when she’s in her Shimmer-form. Vi places a hand on Jinx’s shoulder, squeezing to stop her from saying whatever she was about to say to Caitlyn.

“Let’s sit,” Vander speaks lowly. Vi tenses up at the sound of his voice, but she’s led away by Jinx, who sits right next to Silco’s seat on the adjacent side of the table.

Caitlyn sits besides Vi as the men settle in their respective seats.

“What is the update on River Pilt?” Vander asks. His tone is steady, even as he avoids Vi’s gaze. He directs the question towards Caitlyn.

Caitlyn straightens her already-perfect posture, tilting her head up as she speaks. “Vi helped us win the battle in the west valley.”

Silco’s expression doesn’t change. “Is that so?”

Vi clears her throat. “General Marcus has sent five hundred troops to set up in the valley. He wants to wrap the mountainside and sandwich the Noxians.”

“Foolish,” Silco chastises with a suck of his teeth.

“What do you suggest we do, then?” Vi asks without missing a beat. “The Piltover troops are sitting ducks with the way they are now.”

“Not so much so after your involvement,” Vander says. He finally looks at Vi— really looks at her. His eyes have never looked so guilty. “You’re unharmed?”

Vi practically snarls. “No thanks to you.”

“ Vi ,” Caitlyn whispers.

Vi bristles. She narrows her eyes and tightens her lips to a rigid line. “I know there was a deal between Piltover and Zaun—my return within a month. I’ve returned in less than a week with an update.”

“You’ve come back with one victory against a flimsy Noxian base,” Silco says dully. “That’s hardly an update. Your plan to pinch the northern forces will have you falling right into Noxian territory.”

“If I may,” Caitlyn speaks up before Vi can reply to Silco. Vi immediately closes her mouth and nods towards Caitlyn, who gives the slightest nod back to her. “There were many Noxian survivors that fled. It was a strategic mercy. They know that we have help from Zaun. It might’ve been only Vi with us, but they don’t know we only have one.”

This , Silco smiles at. It’s a terrifying smile, one that outlines all the scars and burn marks on his face. They look like they tug painfully at his marred skin. 

“You’re letting them spread the word like wildfire.”

“Correct. The Noxians were banking on the fact that the broken connection between Piltover and Zaun would make Piltover an easy target.” Caitlyn’s eyes run over each of their faces, taking in their expressions. Even Jinx seems to be contemplative, despite also looking extremely distrusting of her. “Now that they know we’re working together—even if not entirely so—they may change the course of their trajectory.”

“What of the east valley?” Vander questions, having since seemingly recovered from his daughter’s lashing out.

“We have the entire bank stretching from River Pilt to Holdrum under Piltover control, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Noxian forces are attacking Holdrum as we speak.” Caitlyn tightens her jaw. “They’ve been given too much time to advance while Piltover troops were told to reinforce River Pilt.”

“Who gave the order to stay in River Pilt?” Vander asks.

“General Marcus,” Silco answers for him. “Only he would be so cowardly to do so.”

Caitlyn nods once.

Vander lets out a deep breath. He makes eye contact with his brother. 

The left side of Silco’s lips quirk up. 

“Go on,” Silco says to him.

Vander steels himself. He looks at Caitlyn. 

“We have conditions if Piltover is to receive Zaunite forces.”

Caitlyn nods again. “Alright.”

“One: we send no more than a hundred. We do not have enough soldiers who are skilled enough to go into war with their Shimmer-form.”

“One hundred is more than enough.”

“Two: Piltover must agree to the construction of a new ventilation and sewage system.”

Jinx cackles. “You Piltie-bitches have been shittin’ on us for far too long. Literally!”

“Jinx, settle,” Silco orders smoothly. Jinx’s lips twitch but she sits back in her seat, swinging her legs off the arm-rest.

“I… Yes. I believe that would be fine.” Caitlyn’s hesitation does not go unnoticed.

“You must be absolutely certain,” Vander says. His voice is a low-timbre that resonates in the meeting room. “The Piltover forces have sent you as a representative, haven’t they? You are making the decisions here.”

Caitlyn takes a silent gulp. “One hundred troops and the construction of a new ventilation and sewage system,” she says. “You will have to allow Piltover construction teams to scout out down here.”

“Not a problem.” Silco waves a hand. “So long as they won’t cause any trouble, we won’t.”

“Okay,” Caitlyn replies. “Is that all?”

Vander’s eyes never leave Caitlyn’s. 

“Lastly: a permanent pardon for Vi’s release from Stillwater.”

…

Vi laughs.

“Holy shit,” she says. The rest of them watch her with mixed looks of shock on their faces. “Was that your plan all along? Send me off to war and then have them free me? What if I’d died before you could even get the chance to ask about a permanent pardon ?”

She laughs without abandon, tears building in the corner of her eyes—tears that aren’t from laughing. 

Caitlyn thinks she can feel her own heart breaking in time with Vi’s.

“You let them arrest me even though you knew I was innocent,” Vi says through a choked chuckle. “And then you had them release me. You sent me to be their super-soldier—in exchange for my freedom? What? Did you think that would make me forgive you for abandoning me? That’s fucking rich.”

“It is so much more intricate than that, Vi—” Vander tries to start.

“ No ,” Vi spits venomously, voice dangerously low. She shakes her head and stands from her chair, pointing a finger at Vander. “You let them create stories about the explosion. You let them lie and let them make me the bad guy. Was it worth it? Was whatever political chess game you were playing worth losing another daughter?”

Another .

Vander’s forehead creases. “I was trying to protect you.”

“Your ‘protection’ got me beat up every day by both the inmates and the guards!” Vi shouts. She’s crying now, but not sobbing. “They didn’t care that I was going through withdrawal. They didn’t care that I couldn’t stomach any food or drink. They only gave a shit about me because they knew I was your daughter—that’s why they hated me. I nearly died in there.”

“I wouldn’t have let you—”

“You did nothing ,” Vi seethes. “You sat here on your stupid throne and decided to take care of every kid that wasn’t your own.”

“ They were going to kill you .” Vander’s volume raises, but not to a shout. 

Vi freezes.

“The Piltover forces determined that you were too much of a threat to society—but I knew they were bullshitting,” Vander continues, ignoring the confusion on Vi’s face. “The Piltover guards had never seen the real effects of Shimmer before that. They’ve only seen the Zaunites on the street who haven’t been able to handle the drug’s effect. They were terrified, and they were going to kill you—but not before using you as their lab rat.”

Vi didn’t know this. She didn’t know anything, apparently. 

Caitlyn is equally as surprised.

“I pulled every string and bargaining chip I had to get them to release you. You were still in your Shimmer-form when they returned you to me, Vi.” Vander’s voice quiets to a near-whisper. “You were to be locked up for life if not executed. They allowed us to keep you in Stillwater under the condition that you were still Piltover’s jurisdiction due to the charge.”

Vi feels numb as she lets the information settle.

“What happened when I was in prison for those same terrified Piltover forces to ask for our help?” Vi questions shakily. Her voice is hoarse.

“We stopped hiding. We showed the world what it was truly like to be a Zaunite,” Silco says. “By then, it was too late to negotiate a lighter punishment for you. The Piltover people like to follow their laws.”

Vander nods solemnly. “That’s why when they came to ask for help, I saw a way to get you out.”

When a silence settles over them, Caitlyn stands from her seat as well.

“Only if you teach Vi how to shift without Shimmer.” 

It’s interesting to see anger flash across Vander’s face. 

Jinx lets out a low whistle.

“Who told you we could do that?” he asks.

“Who do you think?” Vi replies rhetorically. She continues, sarcastically, “Oops! Sorry I wasn’t aware that it was a secret. I was in jail for the last six years.”

Caitlyn speaks up before the father-daughter duo can start arguing again. “If there’s a way for Vi to shift without becoming dependent on the drug, I would like to go that route.”

“She’s pardoned,” Vander says. “You have a hundred other Zaunites to fight for you. You don’t need Vi anymore.”

“Ideally, I don’t want any of those Zaunites to be addicted to Shimmer, but Vi told me she’s sure you had a good reason for not teaching her to shift without it. Now is a good time to teach her.”

“And,” Vi says before coughing to clear her throat. “I’ve decided to join the Piltover military.”

“ What ?” Both Jinx and Vander say at the same time.

Silco stays silent, watching everything unfold.

“I feel useful there.”

A multitude of emotions run across Vander’s face. 

He settles on resignation. 

“It’ll take us at least two weeks to get you comfortable with a Shimmer-free shift,” he says. 

Vi’s eyes light up. 

“We can make it one week,” she says without an inkling of doubt in her tone.

Vander huffs out a breath. “We’ll see.”

—

Jinx doesn’t leave Vi and Caitlyn alone until Vi has to tell her to give them a second to talk. 

Jinx, surprisingly, relents—but not without shooting Caitlyn a glare. 

She leaves the room that Vi and Caitlyn had been escorted to. 

They were told that the Zaunites needed time for the Zaun Council to meet again and gather the Zaunite forces. The room is in the same building as the council’s meeting room; a couple of floors down. 

It’s built like a room at an inn. There’s one double-bed in the center of the room and a small connected bathroom. The glass that lines the wall is frosted to the point they can barely make out the rest of the Undercity beneath them.

Vi sits on the edge of the bed, immediately slumping her shoulders and groaning into the palms of her hands. Caitlyn lets out a sympathetic chuckle and sits beside her. She places a comforting hand on Vi’s wrist, pulling her hands away from her face.

“Stay here and learn how to shift without Shimmer,” Caitlyn says. “I can return with the Zaunite troops by myself.”

“You should be resting, too.” Vi frowns. She turns her hand to face palm-up, letting Caitlyn’s fingers travel down to lace through hers.

“I can’t let the Zaunites meet General Marcus by themselves.” Caitlyn shakes her head. “We both know he’ll undo everything we worked so hard for just by opening his mouth.”

Vi lets out a snort. “Yeah… I suppose you’re right.”

Caitlyn’s hand tightens its grip on Vi’s. 

Their eyes meet. 

Caitlyn’s eyebrows knit together in concern.

“Are you okay?” she whispers.

The softness in which Caitlyn asks the question easily beats away at the already-broken walls around Vi’s heart. 

Her face falls, tears instantly springing to her eyes. 

“Come here.” Caitlyn places her free hand on the back of Vi’s head.

Vi turns towards Caitlyn, but Caitlyn is already meeting her ninety percent of the way there—guiding Vi’s head to the crook of her neck as her other hand wraps around Vi’s waist.

Vi’s hands grasp desperately at the sides of Caitlyn’s shirt, bundling the material in her white-knuckled fists as she cries. Her sobs are nearly silent. The only reason Caitlyn can hear it is because Vi’s so close to her.

“Does it make me a horrible person if I’m still angry at him?”

“Oh, baby .” Caitlyn lets out a heartbreaking exhale, pulling Vi’s body closer to her. She gulps down the lump in her throat, finding herself choking up at the grief in Vi’s voice. “ No. It doesn’t make you a horrible person.”

Vi’s nose nudges Caitlyn’s jaw. “Really?”

“Really,” Caitlyn reassures her, her lips brushing against Vi’s ear. “It makes you human, Vi.”

Vi’s hands press against Caitlyn’s back. “I don’t want you to go.”

Caitlyn smiles at the words spoken into her shoulder. “Attached already, are we?”

“Stray puppies tend to have attachment issues,” Vi jokes as she leans back. She sniffles and wipes at her nose with her forearm.

Caitlyn takes care of wiping the tears on her cheeks, cupping her face and using her thumbs to swipe at the moisture. Vi’s lip part at the touch. Caitlyn’s eyes flick down to the movement.

She brings her gaze back up and is about to change the subject when she sees Vi’s attention focused on her lips. 

Vi’s eyes snap up to meet hers.

There’s a tense couple of seconds where the two of them stare at each other, and then Caitlyn sees Vi’s gaze focus back on her lips again. Her stomach swoops in anticipation.

Dammit , Caitlyn thinks. 

And then she leans in and presses a chaste kiss to Vi’s lips.

She pulls away after a second with an apology on the tip of her tongue only to feel Vi’s warm hand cup her jaw and pull her back into another kiss. This one is anything but chaste. 

The grip Vi has on Caitlyn’s waist is now a different type of desperation—it’s one that makes Caitlyn gasp into Vi’s mouth and move to crawl on top of her. She ignores the sting of the wound on her thigh as Vi helps her settle in her lap, their lips never detaching for more than a second.

“Is this—” 

Vi doesn’t even get the full question out before Caitlyn’s gasping out a:

“ Yes .”

—

“You’re bonin’ her, aren’t you?” Jinx asks as soon as Vi walks into their old hideout. 

Vi jumps, eyes taking a moment to adjust to the darkness inside the old arcade. She squints. “What?”

“The Kiramman Princess,” Jinx clarifies from her seat on the old, broken mechanical bull. “You got the hots for her.”

“I—” Vi chokes on her words. 

Considering the events that had occurred a little under an hour ago, she finds her face flaming up.

“Ugh, gross .” Jinx throws her body onto the soft mats beneath the bull dramatically. “She would be your type!”

Vi lets out a strained laugh as she goes to sit down on the mat next to her sister’s sprawled-out body. 

Jinx peeks an eye open to stare at Vi.

“You really gonna join the Pilties?”

Vi stiffens. “Yeah. Are you mad at me?”

“Pfft, no,” Jinx answers with a snort. She sits up and knocks her shoulder roughly against Vi’s, nearly sending Vi to the ground. “It’s about time you got a real job.”

“Hey, I don’t remember you complaining about my old job when I was giving you sweet birthday presents.” Vi shoves Jinx, who flops over to the side.

Jinx hums. “Yeah, those were pretty sick. Still—it was what ended up getting you thrown in prison.”

Vi sombers at the mention. She looks down at Jinx. “Why weren’t you allowed to visit me?”

“The Warden hates me,” Jinx states with a shrug. “But also you were in solitary confinement. Nobody was allowed to visit you. I still tried, though.”

Vi smirks. “A bomb?”

“It was one !”

Vi pulls her sister up into a sitting position and then hugs her. “I missed you. I’m sorry I got locked up.”

“Wasn’t your fault,” Jinx mumbles into her shirt. She’s not much shorter than Vi anymore, but she still feels so small in Vi’s arms. “I’m sorry you had to take care of me for so long. I promise I’ve grown up.”

Vi blinks away tears. Her voice shakes. “I wish I’d gotten to see you grow up.”

“ Now who’s the cry-baby?” Jinx asks, but it’s through a whimper. Vi’s baby-sister pulls away to glare at Vi. Those pink eyes glow brightly. “If you die fighting for the Pilties, I’ll fucking kill you.”

“I won’t die,” Vi says comfortingly, smiling softly. What others see in Jinx as monstrous, Vi sees as her being alive . 

Vander never got around to accepting it.

“I just got you back,” Jinx whispers. “I don’t want to lose you again.”

“You won’t,” Vi assures her. “I’m pardoned now. After we beat the Noxian’s asses, I’ll come and visit.”

“Or you’ll ditch me for your fancy new Topside girlfriend,” Jinx mumbles, gaze dropping to her lap. Vi’s heart sinks.

“Hey.” Vi gently shakes Jinx’s shoulders to get her to look her in the eyes again. “You’re my sister . I love you, Jinx. I’m not going anywhere—I’m not abandoning you.”

Jinx manages a small smile before she nods. 

She sniffles and wipes away her tears. Swiftly, Jinx gets to her feet to start walking further into the arcade.

“I beat your highscore on the punching machine.”

“What?!” Vi scrambles to her feet and jogs after her. “No you didn’t!”

—

Vander decides that it’s better for him to join the Zaunite forces being sent to Piltover’s aid. Caitlyn doesn’t have to leave Vi after all—not that they’re complaining about what happened due to the idea of their separation.

“Can you tell me why you didn’t want to teach me to shift without Shimmer?” Vi asks as she and her father stare out at the gathered Zaunite forces. She doesn’t turn to look at him as the words leave her lips. 

“I was terrified,” Vander admits. Vi glances at him, surprised to see that his eyes have turned glossy. “For so long, we have convinced the rest of Runeterra that Shimmer was the reason we were able to shift. We were able to show the horrible side-effects of the drug to keep others from using it—but without the drug to use as a scapegoat, we would become nothing but monsters to them.”

“What?” Vi frowns.

Vander breathes deeply. “If the world knew what we are capable of, they would hunt us down. You almost become a Piltover science experiment, Vi. That’s what would’ve happened to us. Our ability to shift is written in our DNA. Few unlock it without Shimmer, yes—but those who do are often put down.”

Put down . Like an animal .

“I didn’t want you in their line of sight—didn’t want Zaun in the line of sight,” Vander says. His eyes turn back towards the troops as Caitlyn makes her way towards them. “Everything I’ve ever done was only to protect you. I will not apologize for that.”

“Why teach me how to shift without Shimmer now, then?”

“You don’t need me to protect you anymore,” Vander replies raspily. “I’m not sure you ever really did.”

Caitlyn joins them with a nod towards Vander before her eyes settle on Vi. Had her eyes always softened like that when she looked at the Vi?

“We should be all set to go,” Caitlyn says. “We’ll take one break at sundown.”

—

The Piltover soldiers see the Zaunites coming from miles away. Caitlyn sits atop of Vi’s Shimmer-form at the very front of the group of Zaunite troops behind her. A hundred and one Zaunites in their Shimmer-form; ranging from large wolves to cougars to eagles and more . 

General Marcus’ jaw is dropped. He only closes it when Caitlyn slides off of Vi’s back and walks up to him, still limping. 

“I got one hundred Zaunites to help us take the mountain range and push the Noxians back into their territory,” Caitlyn says loud enough to be heard over the whispers of the Piltover soldiers crowding behind Marcus. “They are to be distributed evenly across the squadrons. Vi and Vander are to stay with me.”

Caitlyn can see it in Marcus’ eyes that he doesn’t take kindly to following Caitlyn’s orders, but his attention flicks towards the Zaunites behind Caitlyn. He nods. 

“Set up camp where there’s free space,” he says to the Zaunites. “Captain Kiramman, I would like to speak with you privately.”

Caitlyn looks over her shoulder to nod towards Vi and Vander—both of which are large wolves in their Shimmer-form. The rest of the Zaunites scatter to find real estate somewhere on the bank.

Caitlyn follows Marcus into his tent, careful not to step too hard on her injured leg. The wound had reopened after her and Vi’s… activity , so it feels extra tender.

Once she and Marcus are alone, he lets out a heavy exhale. 

“What’s the catch?”

“They would like a new ventilation and sewage system installed,” Caitlyn says. “As well as a permanent pardon for Vi’s imprisonment.”

Marcus’ eyebrows lift. “That’s it?”

“They’re not monsters,” Caitlyn says with a hint of bite in her tone. She frowns. “I told you they would want to work with us.”

She slides her backpack off and reaches in for the folded pieces of parchment she has in there. She hands them to Marcus. 

“I asked for a list of all the Zaunites and their respective Shimmer-form creatures. This’ll make it easy to assign them to a squadron.”

Marcus’ eyes flit across the pages. He nods and then looks up to Caitlyn.

“Well done, Captain.”

The words make Caitlyn’s entire body go rigid. She stands as if at-attention, shoulders rolling back. She’s not sure what to say to that. 

Marcus has never complimented her. This is incredibly uncomfortable for her.

He seems to sense Caitlyn’s immense awkwardness as he sighs and waves the paper towards the door. “You’re dismissed. I will release a list with everyone’s deployments in the morning.”

“The east valley—”

“We lost Holdrum,” Marcus admits through his teeth. The bags under his eyes seem to grow with the admittance. “The entire bank hasn’t been lost. We need to act fast.”

Caitlyn knew this would happen.

“I’ll see you in the morning, then,” she says before exiting his tent.

She heads to her own tent and smiles when she sees Vi curled on the floor, her tail gently beating at the floor due to Caitlyn’s appearance.

Caitlyn gives Vi Shimmer to shift back and doesn’t avert her eyes this time. She cradles Vi’s naked body into her lap and runs a comforting hand down her spine as Vi shakes.

“We’ve got our work cut out for us,” Caitlyn whispers grumpily.

“Bad news?” Vi asks through a pained wheeze. 

“Holdrum got overrun,” Caitlyn states. She nuzzles Vi’s cheek with her nose, inhaling deeply. Vi tries to match her own breathing to Caitlyn’s, finding that it helps her calm down from the adrenaline-rush of shifting. “Come morning I won’t be surprised if we’re immediately sent to help.”

Vi turns her head to press a lingering kiss to Caitlyn’s lips. 

“You’ve got a hundred and two Zaunite freaks on your side now, cupcake. We’re going to win this war.”

“I hope you’re right,” Caitlyn says with another sigh leaving her lips. She hugs Vi’s bare body close.

“I know I’m right,” Vi replies. “I think I can convince Vander to teach the others to shift without Shimmer. It’s time Zaun starts a new era.”

Caitlyn smiles and leans in close. Her lips brush against Vi’s with each spoken word.

“Piltover and Zaun work surprisingly well together, don’t you think?”

Vi snorts and turns so she’s properly facing Caitlyn. “You’re so fucking cheesy.”

Caitlyn laughs into the kiss Vi gives her, her chest fluttering.