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Time had almost stopped. Or, she wished it had.
Nothing had actually stopped. The moment Jinx had fired her rocket was the moment her hopes of having her sister back were shattered. Time kept moving forward - painfully slowly, and now - an eternity later - Vi found herself lying in a Kiramman guest room, staring at the ceiling. It almost felt like she was invading a place she didn't belong, but she had nowhere to go. Zaun wasn't her home anymore.
Neither was Piltover, but at least she had a half-decent excuse to stay here. At least she had a safe room here, a decent place to sleep. And… well… the main reason stayed was something she struggled to understand or even truly believe.
Caitlyn needed her.
“Fuck.” Vi’s pause was accented by a sigh. She swung her legs off the bed and stood. She needed to step out and think. The guest room felt stuffy, the house felt stuffy, she didn't belong here. She kept repeating it to herself, over and over and over. She really didn't belong here.
But what else could she do?
A few days wouldn’t be enough to heal whatever wounds Jinx opened for both Piltover and Zaun. It wasn't enough time to even start to heal. There was no telling what Piltover would do to Zaun once the immediate situation settled. Jinx fucked it up for everyone and Vi didn't know if there was any salvaging it. Salvaging her.
Even if she couldn't have her sister back, she still promised Vander that she would protect Powder. But Vi wasn't even sure there was any reason to anymore. What point was there protecting someone like Jinx?
She grabbed her jacket and slipped out of the room. She really needed a walk.
—
This wasn't the first time Vi had wandered the streets of Piltover aimlessly, alone - she had done it before Jinx had taken her and Caitlyn, and she did it plenty as a teenager. It was usually bright and loud, even at night. The lights were usually blinding, even from the rooftops.
It all seemed so much bigger when she was younger. Before everything happened… before Vander, before prison, before Jinx and Caitlyn and - fuck.
Everything felt darker this time. Emptier. Sadder. The silence was suffocating. A blanket of grief sat over the city, the claustrophobic feelings rushing back to her even outside. Escaping wasn't an option, but what else was she supposed to do? Sit? Sleep?
Vi had expected the silence but it was still just as disappointing. She had never hoped for the streets to be busier more than now. Even the yelling and screaming from kids would’ve been welcome. Anything that helped her stop thinking even for a moment.
Hands shoved in her jacket pockets, she started heading towards the council building. The damage was still fresh, the debris still there, a disgusting reminder of how she failed nearly everyone that even marginally relied on her.
Caitlyn’s scream wouldn't leave her head.
It just kept repeating.
How many lives did Jinx have to ruin before she'd grow up? How many parents did she need to kill? Multiple councilors were dead, a mother was dead. Cassandra was dead.
Only a few days had passed since then and it still felt like she was watching the building explode. Vi couldn't get the image out of her mind, no matter how hard she tried.
She and Caitlyn hadn't seen Cassandra when they found her - not that Vi wanted to see that, she'd already seen it with her own parents and Vander - but even cleaned up…
Jinx needed to be stopped. For good.
The funeral was soon, she reminded herself as she finally sunk down on the steps of the council building… she hated looking at it even more now.
Vi didn’t fit here.
She never would.
Maybe she never wanted to.
“It's you.” The voice was soft and familiar. Before Vi could react, there was a new presence sat on the steps next to her. “You couldn't sleep, could you?”
“Nah.” Her new sitting partner giggled, but it sounded forced. Like it was masking something. “You don't have to force yourself to laugh, cupcake.”
That got a slightly more genuine little laugh and Vi finally looked at her. Caitlyn had been staring apparently because she quickly looked down at the ground when their eyes met. “I couldn't sleep either,” Caitlyn moved the conversation forward, volume low. There was a noticeable, heavy pause. “It's tomorrow.”
“Yeah.”
Silence again. Vi looked at the ground in front of her, leaning backwards on her hands. The stone felt cool to the touch and it was grounding, at the very least. It had been like this between them since that day - every attempt at conversation felt awkward and stilted. They hadn't even gotten to talk about the fucked up dinner Jinx set up, much less what happened after. They'd barely even said hi to each other.
“Please come with me.”
Vi looked at Caitlyn again. “I don't belong there, cupcake. You know that.” Her heart nearly shattered when Caitlyn looked back at her. Tears were in her eyes and she looked absolutely pathetic. It hurt Vi’s heart to see. “I can't, Cait.”
Funerals weren't common in Zaun. Memorials, yeah. Statues, mourning, grieving… but funerals? They hadn't even had a funeral for Vander. They just burned a piece of paper for him like everyone else. Vi felt a bit uncomfortable even thinking about a funeral.
Before she could get too lost in her spiral of thoughts, a hand moved to rest on hers. The touch was gentle, as if Caitlyn were scared to even touch her. Like Caitlyn was scared to make a connection between them. “Will you come home with me at least? I don't want to be alone. It feels… it's too empty.”
If Vi knew anything about Caitlyn…
“Cait…”
Caitlyn softened her voice. “Please, Vi. At least talk to me then.”
Vi’s head was spinning, the event from a few nights prior playing again and again even now. Jinx shooting the rocket, hobbling out with Caitlyn just in time to see the rocket hit the council building, Caitlyn’s scream, Caitlyn’s scream, Caitlyn’s scream.
The words caught in her throat. Her eyes stung.
Vi had so much to say. So much to tell Caitlyn, so much to share, so much to cry about. Reasons why she couldn't go back, reasons why she needed to go home. Did she even have a home anymore? Did anyone in Zaun even still want her there? She hadn't heard from Ekko. And Caitlyn…
She wanted to tell Caitlyn everything - about her feelings, about her doubts and her worries regarding Jinx. But all that came out when she looked into Caitlyn’s teary eyes was a shaky agreement to return to the Kiramman estate.
The tiniest smile on Caitlyn’s face at her response made Vi feel even worse for considering leaving in the night. Why did she want to do that?
Caitlyn stood, gently taking Vi’s hand in hers and pulling her up with.
The walk back was a blur. Caitlyn held her hand tightly the whole way. It felt like she was so scared of losing too, but Vi was certain it was her reading into it too much.
It felt like she was just waking up when they ended up curled together in Caitlyn’s bed. There was no pause, no hesitation for Vi to hold Caitlyn close and for Caitlyn to start crying quietly. It was like so many nights with Powder after their parents, or so many nights alone after Vander.
Vi held tighter.
She wished she could take this away from Caitlyn. How many more people did Jinx need to kill?
In her heart, she knew she'd be going with Caitlyn tomorrow. To the funeral. She’d stay by her side. This wasn't a mistake she was willing to repeat with anyone else. Not after everything she’d lost.
The crying stopped, the sniffling eventually turning into soft snoring. Caitlyn was asleep, curled in Vi’s arms, resting against her chest and clinging tightly. It was awkward, and under any other circumstances Vi might have laughed. But here… now…
Vi twirled Caitlyn’s hair just a little around her finger idly. In another circumstance, in another life, she could get used to this. But in this one… well… she took what she could get. What little comfort and companionship was offered to her, what little she could do to make up for everything she had ruined.
And… well… for the first time in so very long, Vi didn't feel alone.