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Caitlyn stood up and stretched her arms towards the ceiling, trying to relieve some of the tension in her body. She had been seated at her desk for the past two hours, sorting through this week’s police reports. Her job as the sheriff of Piltover could be downright boring sometimes, and paperwork was her least favorite thing in the whole world.
She wandered through the house, looking for one person in particular: her girlfriend, Vi. “Vi? Where are you?” She called out. Her bedroom, the kitchen, the living room, and the bathroom were all empty. There was only one other place she could be.
A sudden gust of wind hit her when she walked out onto the balcony. I’ll never get used to this, she thought to herself as she shakily clambered onto the railing of the balcony and reached upward, grabbing onto the edge of the roof and pulling herself onto it.
Vi was exactly where she suspected: smoking a cigarette on the roof, gazing into the distance. Over the past year, since they had gotten together, she had tried to quit, and now she barely smoked. These days, she only did it when she was thinking about the people she’d lost.
“Hey,” Caitlyn murmured, making her jump. “Hey, Cait,” Vi said with a sad smile as Caitlyn sat down next to her, legs dangling off the edge of the roof. Without another word, she plucked the cigarette out of Vi’s mouth and crushed it under her fist. “Hey! I wasn’t done with that.”
“You are now.” Vi pretended to be angry, but she couldn’t stop herself from smiling. “You’re insufferable.”
“Those are bad for you.”
“I know, Cupcake. You’ve told me that a million times. I’m trying to quit. I just… needed one tonight.”
“I know.”
“And how do you know?”
“We’ve been dating for a year, Vi. The only time you smoke is when you can’t get them out of your head.” Vi sighed. “Yeah, you’re right.” Caitlyn gently intertwined their fingers together and gave her hand a squeeze. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“Have you ever heard of the Butterfly Effect? You know, where one tiny decision can change the entire course of your life?”
“I believe so.”
“Sometimes, my mind just wanders, and I think of all the things I could’ve done to fix everything. If I hadn’t pulled that job on Jayce’s apartment. If I hadn’t slapped my sister that day. If I hadn’t stopped you from shooting her. If, if, if. My choices haunt me.”
“I know. Believe me, I understand. But there’s no use in dwelling on the past.”
“Yeah. It just… gets to me sometimes, you know? Like… maybe Vander and Jinx and all the others we’ve lost would still be here if it weren’t for me.”
Caitlyn gave her hand another gentle squeeze. “Violet. It’s not your fault. None of those deaths are your fault. Maybe you’ve made some bad choices, but you’ve made so many good ones. If you hadn’t decided to give me another chance after I hurt you, if you hadn’t helped me stop Ambessa… if you hadn’t even come with me after I broke you out of prison, I would be a broken mess of a person. It’s because of you that I am who I am today.”
“You really think that?”
“Yes. Vi, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me.” Vi smiled, a real smile that warmed Caitlyn’s heart. “I love you, Cait. I’m sorry for always being a mess.”
“You’re not a mess. You’re a beautiful girl that’s stolen my heart. No matter what happens, I’m here to stay, okay?” Vi wrapped her arms around Caitlyn and kissed her gently. Caitlyn kissed her back, and when she opened her eyes, Vi was grinning again. In the soft light of the setting sun, with her hair messy and her eyes wide open as she smiled up at Cait, she looked perfect. “I love you too. Always. You’ll always be my girl.”