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(She felt like a kid again, running with Isha through the streets of the Underground, blue and pink trails of spray paint marking their every step.)
“NO!!”
(They had sat on balconies over alleyways, sharing little fruits. Jinx had leaned over and ruffled Isha’s messy hair, tangling it even further as Isha let out soft little giggles.)
“Vi, PLEASE!”
(Isha wanted to dye her hair. Jinx said she could only do it if she beat her in a beetle battle. So, they’d scrambled through the nooks and crannies of the city until they found some they found suitable.)
Jinx scrambled forward. “Let GO , Vi! I need–”
“I can’t do that,” Vi grit out, arms tightening around her sister.
“Please,” Jinx sobbed, grappling at Vi’s arms. “I need–I need to–that’s my little sister , Vi, I can’t–”
“I know ,” Vi said in a broken whisper, tucking her chin into the crook of Jinx’s neck.
Isha aimed the gun skyward, Vander looming over her, and Jinx let out a scream .
The gun went off, and everything echoed in a sheen of blue.
Jinx’s knees suddenly collapsed beneath her, and Vi brought them slowly to the ground, ears ringing. A hand was placed on her back, and she looked up to see Caitlyn.
And Vi crumpled.
She went limp around her sister, arms pulling her close as Caitlyn pressed her lips to the top of Vi’s head. She kneeled down next to the sisters, wrapping an arm around Vi’s broad shoulders.
Looking over, Vi saw that Isha had been pushed to the ground, scrapes going up and down her arms as she rolled herself over, a pained expression on her little scrunched face.
Jayce had shoved her out of the way, the gunshot hitting the ceiling of the cavern. Blue particles had still exploded from it, and now floated gently in the air.
It was a sick sense of serenity.
It was quickly broken.
“ ISHA!” Jinx broke free from Vi’s hold, scrambling across the ground to where Isha was just managing to sit up. Her hat had been blown off, and blood was coming from a scrape on her forehead. Jinx tripped, falling in front of Isha and pulling her into her arms, her braids splaying out across the ground.
Vi watched as her sister sobbed, holding Isha close to her chest. Her arms felt strangely empty without Jinx there, despite the many years they had been apart.
She turned to Caitlyn, who was still crouched down next to her, and gestured helplessly toward Jinx. “I—Cait, I have to—“
“Go,” Caitlyn urged, helping Vi stand up.
Vi winced as the wound in her abdomen screamed in pain, and she stumbled.
“Vi—“ Caitlyn caught her, and lowered the pair to the ground. Caitlyn cupped Vi’s face in her hands, smoothing out her pained expression with her thumb. She carefully took Vi’s hands in her own, taking them off the wound, and inspected it.
Vi’s eyes were fixed on Caitlyn as the enforcer pushed and prodded on the gash. In this moment, with the blue lights floating through the air…
“You’re…really pretty,” Vi breathed, and Caitlyn paused before looking up. The lights caught on her irises, illuminating them. “Like, really, really pretty.”
“I–you–” Caitlyn’s face softened a little, then she scrunched her eyebrows. “Really? You say this now ?”
Vi shrugged sheepishly. “Gotta say it at some point, cupcake.”
Caitlyn gently hit her on the shoulder, then leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. “We’ll talk more about this later.”
Vi closed her eyes and allowed their forehead to knock against each other. “Okay.”
The world seemed to appear around her again as she opened her eyes, and the sound of Jinx sobbing reached Vi’s ears. Caitlyn helped bring her to her feet, and they made their way over to where Jinx was hunched on the ground, curled around Isha. The little girl made some gestures with her hands, and Jinx shook her head before pulling her into a hug again.
“Don’t call me that,” she forced out, voice thick with tears. “Don’t–I’m not your mama, you know that–God, you’re just like me, aren’t you?”
The little girl patted Jinx’s back, closing her eyes and leaning into the hug even more, letting Jinx cry against her shoulder.
Vi tentatively reached a hand out and placed it on Jinx’s back, unsure if the gesture would even be welcome. Jinx pulled Isha closer to Vi, and Vi found herself wrapping her arms around both of them, closing her eyes and resting her face on the top of Jinx’s head.
For a moment, the world seemed to vanish again, leaving just the three of them curled up against each other in a moment of solace. The pain momentarily faded from Vi’s side, the agonizing noises of the formerly healed people slowly going quieter.
And Vi realized she had wished for this exact moment for a long, long time.
All of a sudden, the world picked up again, and Vi was aware of Caitlyn shaking her shoulder.
“It’s Jayce,” she gasped, eyebrows furrowing in confusion before rushing forward. Vi raised her head to see Caitlyn hunched over the still figure of a man.
Looking around, amidst the sea of people collapsing, Vi’s eyes caught on the gun Isha had used. It was laying on the ground, blue energy crackling around it, sparkling dangerously, and Vi rushed to her feet.
Jinx looked up. “Vi? What are you—“
“Stay here,” she grit out, limping forward.
“What—“
“Goddamnit, stay here !”
Vi felt Jinx’s eyes on her as she moved toward the crackling gun.
It’s too unstable to be kept here , she thought, panic filling her chest, her vision tunneling.
She couldn’t let it hurt her family. She couldn’t .
She wouldn’t lose her family again. Not when she had just regained it, not when she finally caught a glimpse of happiness that she had been searching for for so long. She wouldn’t be able to handle that, she–she couldn’t. Not again. Never again, please never again–
Her foot connected with the gun, and it skid across the ground, sliding away as the blue energy around it began to pick up with each bump it hit.
Bump .
Vi’s foot landed on the ground. Her heart pounded in her ears.
Bump .
Jinx’s voice rang out behind her, echoing over her quick breaths. “Vi?”
Bump.
A hand grabbed her sleeve.
Vi looked down.
Isha stood there, her little face scrunched up, and she made a hand gesture that Vi couldn’t really distinguish.
“Wh…what?” Vi croaked out.
“...She’s asking if you’re okay,” Jinx said quietly, scuffing her foot on the ground.
Isha nodded, looking at Vi imploringly.
“I–I–” She looked between the two, and her quickly blurring eyes made Isha look just like…
Isha looked just like Jinx did. When…when she was Powder.
Vi knelt down, her side flaring up in pain again, and she swallowed thickly, looking into Isha’s eyes. “I’m okay,” she said softly.
Two little arms roped their way around her neck, and then Isha was clinging to her, comforting her.
This little kid was reassuring her. That…that was supposed to be Vi’s job, not Isha’s. Not Jinx’s. That was the job of the older sister. And yet…she let herself close her eyes and rub a hand up and down Isha’s back.
After a moment, she pulled back, and Isha cocked her head at Vi before running over to Jinx and clinging to her leg. And Jinx…she smiled at Isha. A smile that was so reminiscent of Powder that it made Vi’s heart ache .
She turned her gaze to where Caitlyn knelt with Jayce, helping him sit up. Jinx followed her gaze, and together, the trio went over to them.
“Why’d you do that?” Jinx asked, leaning down toward Jayce. “Why’d you get in the way? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m glad this little squirt is alive,” she nodded to Isha, “but that was, like… really stupid. You of all people should know that.”
He gave her a pained grimace. “I…I fucked up. I had to atone for it. Somehow. I…” He trailed off, looking at something they couldn’t see, and his voice dropped to a whisper. “I’ll never get him back.”
Vi raised an eyebrow, looking between Jinx and Caitlyn. Jinx seemed to be just as confused as she was, but a sliver of understanding dawned in Caitlyn’s eyes.
“Oh, Jayce,” Caitlyn said quietly.
His breath hitched, and she drew him close, his hands coming up to desperately cling to her sleeves as his frame shook with silent sobs.
“What did you do…” Caitlyn whispered, rubbing small circles into his back. “Why…why did you do that, Jayce? Why?”
“I promised,” he choked out. “But I–I came through with it too late.”
Caitlyn pressed her lips into a thin line, nodding slowly, her blue eyes tinged with grief for her friend’s loss. A lock of her hair slipped free from her cap, and in that moment, Vi wanted nothing more than to brush it away from her face.
So she did.
She leaned forward and tucked the hair behind Caitlyn’s ear, and the other girl looked up at her, eyes wide.
There were so many things Vi wanted to say to her.
I’m glad you’re okay.
I need you to stay with me.
I want to kiss you.
Again. And again.
Again, again, and again, because you’ve been the only thing on my mind for months , and goddamnit I fucking missed you.
But they didn’t have time for that.
So, instead, Vi simply said,
“We should go home.”
And Caitlyn nodded.
~~~~~
Isha kept a tight hold on Jinx’s hand as the group slowly made their way through the many people slumped on the ground. They were withered, wilting, in pain.
Jinx made sure Isha kept her eyes closed so she didn’t have to see the carnage, and their clasped hands swung as they walked.
It was nice, seeing Jinx like this. Acting…acting like a kid again.
Vi took Caitlyn’s hand in her own.
And she smiled.