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Two off-rhythm knocks at the window.
Comfortable in bed, Caitlyn looks up from her book and starts at the sight of a bruised, bloody, thoroughly beaten Vi on the sill outside.
Bloody hell.
Cait throws the covers off and rushes to shove the window open. She has so many questions—what happened to you? who did this? do you need to see a doctor?—but what comes out is “What are you doing here?”
Here, instead of Zaun. Here, instead of a hospital. Here, where Caitlyn lives.
She came to see ME?
“I…ugh, shit. I didn’t know where else to go.” Vi slips inside, stumbles on the landing with a curse. Cait reaches out to catch her, but Vi bats her hands away.
“Don’t be ridiculous. We’re friends, aren’t we? Let me help you.” Caitlyn tries again to loop an arm under Vi.
Again, Vi evades her. “Keep your distance, cupcake. Don’t wanna stain your fancy PJs with blood.”
In disgust Caitlyn looks over her lavender silk nightie. “Stain them, Vi. I don’t care. They’re pajamas. You’re more important.”
“Ehh, depends on who you ask.” Vi chuckles, but it devolves into a cough, and blood flecks her lips.
Caitlyn’s stomach sinks. This is not good. “Here, take a seat.” This time Vi accepts her support, but winces, and Cait helps her onto the cushioned bench in front of the vanity. She gets out her first-aid kit and starts undoing Vi’s hand wraps. “What hurts the worst?”
Vi indicates her ribs on the left side. “They got a couple decent kicks in while I was down.”
Dear lord.
“Don’t make that face,” Vi says. “I got them good, too.”
“I have no doubt,” Caitlyn says, and it’s only half a lie. Once both hands are bare, she cleans the dirt and blood from Vi’s knuckles. “What happened?” she asks softly.
Vi shakes her head. “Nothing worth telling. I was stupid and frustrated, and some guy made a comment, and I reacted. But he had friends in the shadows I didn’t see until too late.”
Caitlyn’s insides twist at the thought of Vi in danger. She plucks a new alcohol wipe from the first-aid kit and tenderly touches it to an already-bruising scrape on Vi’s cheekbone.
Vi flinches and twists away.
Caitlyn touches her other hand to Vi’s jaw, turns her head gently to look at her again. “I worry about you.”
“Well, you shouldn’t. I can take care of myself.”
“Clearly.” Caitlyn’s gaze falls to Vi’s mouth. Her upper lip is split and bleeding, and the fullness of her lower lip is swollen.
There’s so much she wants to say.
I wish you wouldn’t get in these fights.
Your temper’s going to get you into trouble one of these days, and I won’t always be here to clean up the damage.
But if I’m honest, I will. I’ll make myself available to you, no matter what, because I care about you. Maybe more than I should.
Despite everything, I rather want to kiss you right now. Just to know you’re safe and here and with me.
But she doesn’t say any of it. She only presses her lips together and dabs antibiotic ointment on the various cuts and scrapes. Vi falls silent, swaying in her seat. And together they simply appreciate each other’s presence, here in the darkness of night.