Chapter Text
Vi meets Caitlyn when she's 11 years old, around midnight, crying by herself in the backroom of The Last Drop.
Vander isn't here, and Vi can't seem to push away the frozen feeling that had overtaken her entire body when she spotted him walking out of the door, right next to the sleeve of an enforcer's uniform. Her knees are drawn to her chest, and she's breathing in uneven gasps of air, silently as possible to prevent Powder from stirring. Her nightmares had been getting so much worse recently: night after night, Vi had woken up to the sight of her sister in tears, screaming and grabbing onto the rough material of her shirt as if Vi may disappear at any moment. Each time, Powder would cling onto her sister, begging her for answers that she simply did not have. She wished, with every thread of her being, that she could give her sister the life she deserved, give her their parents back, give her the sense of security and the promise of tomorrow that had been so cruelly taken from them, but she couldn't.
And for that, Vi cried harder.
"Hello?"
Her head snaps up, tears leaving tracks from where they slide down her face, and Vi sucks in her breath with an intensity that had grown familiar in the past months.
"Are you alright?" A small voice calls out from the entrance of the door, eyeing Vi with a curiosity that reminds her of that glint that Powder got in her eyes when she got her hands on a new piece of scrap metal. She glares at the perpetrator, a girl who looks to be about her age, wiping at her eyes furiously in an attempt to cover up her hopelessness.
"Who are you?" Vi tenses as the other girl takes a few steps down the makeshift stairs, "Where's Vander? What are you doing here?"
"My name is Caitlyn. And I'm not sure." Her feet touch the ground, the toe of her leather boots dragging along the floor nervously, "Vander says I'm with him now. Who are you?"
"I should be the one asking you. Why are you here?"
"I don't know why I'm here, you need not be so rude!" Vi's anger flares at the ticking tone of this girl's voice, standing up quickly to face her.
She takes note of this girl: big, blue eyes trained on the ash-dust mixture that settled on every surface, nervous hands clasped in one another, not a speck of dirt on her white button-up blouse. There is a Piltie, in all her posh, pretentious glory, in The Last Drop.
"You're from Piltover."
"Yes," the girl says, tilting her head upwards, "I suppose I am."
"What are you doing down here." It's not much of a question, Caitlyn realizes quickly, but she can't help but answer anyways.
"I am... unsure. I just understand that I was sent to follow Sheriff Grayson, and she led me here." The tensions radiating off the girl's shoulder didn't cease with Caitlyn's words, "I'm sorry if I'm intruding."
Vi grunts, recognizing the name of the enforcer that came down here about once a week, enough times to startle Powder every time she knocked. Vander spoke highly of her, but that didn't mean a single thing, not to 7-year-old Powder. Especially not to Vi, who is still staring at this girl with an indecipherable look. She's about to speak, but ultimately decides against it when Vander appears behind Caitlyn with a far-away look in his eyes. That's what really shuts her up.
"Vi. Play nice, would you? This is Caitlyn, and she'll be staying with Benzo for... an undisclosed amount of time."
If Vander notices her red-rimmed eyes and the way they move warily from Caitlyn's frame to his, he doesn't mention it. Relief pools in Vi's veins when she hears that this girl, this girl straight from Piltover, will not be staying with them. She silently sends a prayer to whatever deity was looking down on them, one for her, and one for Powder. Then, she sends another one, this time for Ekko, who's already having a hard time adjusting to the sudden change.
"Excuse me, Mr. Vander. Um, sir. Do you have any answers on why I've been sent here?" Caitlyn's voice is small and, though she hides it well, very afraid. Vi ignores the pang in her chest at the sound.
"Afraid not. Although, Grayson mentioned that a House Talis sends you their warmest regards and their greatest sympathies. A unanimous decision was made, and it took a lot to get you down here undetected, but that's all I know. All I'm allowed to know."
"Jayce? Oh, I'm-"
Vi watches Vander carefully, letting the discomfort settle deep in her bones as Caitlyn begins to sniffle at the mention of House Talis, watches him gently place a hand on her shoulder and lead her out. Something in her bubbles as she watches the same hand that extended to her, right in front of her parents and an inconsolable Powder, comfort the topsider in her fancy fucking boots. In the back of her mind, she sends just one more prayer: she prays that House Talis weeps tonight.
She hears her sister calling her name, somewhere so close yet so far away from where she stands, staring at the place Caitlyn's feet were planted just moments ago.
She feels her mother's arm around her shaking shoulders, her father's hand tousling her hair, feels the warmth of their bodies and the collective beats of their hearts.
She hears the screams of the dying, the sound of the bridge falling apart in real time.
Vi swallows. She wants to go to sleep.
----
Once, every other week or so, Caitlyn and Vi make their way to the other side of the undercity, not too far from The Last Drop but far enough she knows the others won't follow. And every other week or so, Vi lets this girl intertwine their fingers without a word as they make their way through the buzz of the underground.
She doesn't know when their routine began. Doesn't really know when it'll end. All she does know is that every other week or so, far too early in the mornings, her heart stops and starts again and turns off and turns on and sputters and she's not a doctor but this really can't be healthy. Then again, she can feel how clammy Caitlyn's hand becomes at the action too, even with the leather gloves she wears, and she seems alright.
"What are you thinking about?" Caitlyn huffs, narrowly avoiding the edges of a cart that rolls by. They're about half-way to their destination.
"How badly I need to kill you for waking me up this early," Vi groans, dodging the swift kick of Cait's leg that comes after her words with a badly concealed laugh.
"Fuck you, you asked me to!"
"I didn't mean it!"
"Alright then, I suppose you'd rather I not wake you up next time?" Vi's hand feels cold as Caitlyn's fingers slip from hers, and she can't help the frown that forms, "I'll keep that in mind."
Cait's pace speeds up as they pass the familiar colors of a familiar mural, a beautiful thing that would take Vi's breath away if something else hadn't already captured her attention.
"Well, I didn't say that." She insists, gently taking her friend by the wrist as they turn a corner, "Though I wouldn't mind dreaming of you for a bit longer."
"You're insufferable. Completely awful, really." Caitlyn's face is scrunched, but she still lets Vi lead them behind a string of businesses that seem to be waking now, "Next time, I won't wake you up and I'll come alone."
Though they call these little detours of theirs "supply trips", Vi knows her siblings refer to them (annoyingly) as "dates", and she hopes that Caitlyn will never know this because of how even Vander's taken to raising an eyebrow at the mention of them. They make sure to return with something each time to avoid any suspicion (which fails), a few gadgets for Powder, a new screwdriver for Claggor, spare thread for Benzo to fix up Ekko's constantly torn clothes...
"I'm sure. You know if Ekko is coming over today?"
"If Powder's there, I'm sure he'd show up anywhere, Violet." The sound of her giggles rings through the morning fog that always seems so much thicker at this time, "I'm pretty sure he's got a crush on her. It's cute, really."
"Ew. Does he really?" Vi feels the familiar rush of overprotectiveness at the mention of her baby sister, "Aren't they like, eight??
"Violet, they're twelve."
"And we're fifteen, I don't see your point."
"My point is, yes, Ekko is coming over. Benzo said he'll let him go if he closes up the shop, so he might be fairly late."
"Are you coming?"
Caitlyn nods. The two come to a stop in front of the junkyard, stepping over the scraps strewn over the floor, ranging from abandoned weaponry to simple plastics covered in dirt. Vi kicks the dull blade of a broken pocketknife aside with her boot, slipping her hand into Cait's quietly as they continue inwards past useless barbed wires.
"You need anything this time?" Caitlyn shrugs.
"I've been looking for a lens. A simple one from a monocle should do, but if you could find anything else..."
"Got it. Anything else?"
"Yes. Your silence."
Vi snorts, walking towards the metal heap that always seemed to grow each time they came here. This specific area had been Powder and Ekko's favorite place to be, and Vi feels a pang of guilt at coming here without them, but she's also kind of grateful for the alone time. That sends another, bigger pang of guilt rushing through her. Her sister should still be asleep, safe and secure under the fraying blankets of their small bedroom, but Vi knows that she'll be awake by the time they get back. Hopefully, Powder won't be awake enough to stare her down with that 'I know what you are' look of hers.
"Do you remember when Ekko managed to dislodge one of these from here? And ended up covered in grease?" They laugh as Caitlyn holds up the rusted remains of a small motor, identical to the one Ekko had been so enamored with.
"God, it took forever to hose the grease off him! He smelled like shit after, too."
"Benzo was furious!"
"Wish I'd been there to see that. Powder wouldn't stop talking about it for days."
A crash comes from behind the pair, shattering their moment, and on instinct, deft fingers find the handle of her revolver with a practiced ease that might've alarmed anyone else. Her companion grimaces, quickly raising her hand to swipe away the layers of junk that covered whatever had made the noise. Something with fur pops out, growls at them, and scurries away. Caitlyn blinks.
"Fuck, it's just the- is that a cat? What the fuck is that?" Vi ignores the rush that bounces off the walls of her head, also opting to ignore Caitlyn's sigh of relief and the click of a clasp. "Didn't think anyone else would be here."
But Caitlyn's not paying attention to Vi's words, something definitely out of the ordinary. No, she's staring at the design etched onto the most intricate bullet she's ever seen. It's small, but even she can tell it's design is effective, painted a beautiful gold that dips with the crest ingrained into the side of it. Matching 'K's smack-dab in the center make her entire body go cold, feeling as if she's in an entirely different city altogether.
"Cait? Cupcake? What's that?"
"Hm?" Caitlyn pockets the bullet quickly, turning around to face Vi, whose face is concerned. "Nothing. I'm not sure. I mean, that's why I needed the lens, to see better."
"Huh." Vi knows Caitlyn is lying, "Alright then."
"Can we- can we just go? Please."
"Polite as ever. Yeah, we should get going anyways. Nothin' here today."
---
Vi has been watching Caitlyn for an hour now. She'd been sat at the bar of The Last Drop, waiting for Vander to return from his errands with news of her situation. Vi had walked out at around the same time he left, and despite the lack of anything relatively interesting happening, she seems to have taken an interest to staring at the topsider until her eyes fell out. It's getting unnerving (not that it wasn't uncomfortable from the start) and Caitlyn is sure those narrowed, gray eyes of hers should be getting tired any minute now.
Any. Minute. Now. "Could you please stop staring at me?!" Any minute now wasn't fast enough for Caitlyn apparently, and Vi scoffs at her words. "It's unnerving!"
"You're in my home! I'm not the unnerving one here."
Caitlyn stutters, fingernails digging into her arms as Vi approaches her with nothing but the same look that had lingered in her eyes when she had first arrived. Cold, calculating, controlled. Scary for an 11-year-old girl.
"Where's Vander, Piltie?"
"I don't know. I just know that he's gone to Piltover for reasons he didn't tell."
"You wish that was you, huh?" Vi says with the slightest hint of amusement in her tone. Caitlyn feels her heart clench at the reminder that she is miles from home.
"Maybe not," Caitlyn's lips have gotten increasingly scarred in the days she's been here, being unable to resist picking and chewing at her bottom lips in the midst of all of her nerves, "I guess there's a reason I'm here, right?"
"Guess so." Vi blinks. Though, in all honesty, she could really care less at why Caitlyn's here. Just wants to know when she'll leave.
A tense silence passes, interrupted only by the sound of a door squeaking open and shutting, and the two turn their head to be met by Powder.
"Vi! Are you- oh," Powder's clearly not expecting to see anyone but her sister, as told by her widened eyes and the glint that sparks at the sight of Caitlyn's blue hair. "Hello. Are you Caitlyn?"
"Hi there. You must be Powder. Ekko speaks very highly of you." Vi's eyes flicker back and forth between her sister and this topsider, narrowed and suspicious. Waiting for anything.
"You're from Piltover?" Powder's suspicious glance mirrors her sister, but in her gaze, is the smallest hint of wonder.
“Mhm.”
"Hm. Ekko says you got stories, Piltie lady." Powder barely reaches Caitlyn's shoulders, and it's almost comical how she has to look up at her.
“I have a few. I presume he's already told you the ones I've told him?"
With a reluctant nod, Powder gently tugs at Vi's arm, making space for herself at the counter where she lays her head down. Her finger comes up to nervously trace patterns on the surface.
"Yeah. He told me the one where you first learned to shoot, I think. He likes them, but don't tell him I told you that."
Caitlyn's brings her finger to her lips in a 'shhh' motion, swearing herself to secrecy. Powder smiles.
"Did he tell you the time I accidentally set a cart alight during the Progress Day Festival?"
"You what?! Was it on fire? Was the fire big?" Powder's eyes light up at Caitlyn's sheepish grin, excitedly leaning in closer to the girl.
"You know how to work a gun?" Vi is taken aback, but quickly steels her expression to one of mild surprise. Caitlyn shrugs.
"I just started learning with Sheriff Grayson, but with my situation, I’m… not sure how far I'll go."
"Was your family okay with it? Vander says topsiders aren't supposed to fight dirty," Powder pipes up. Vi's heart constricts in her chest.
"They weren't. My mother, especially. She was adamant I keep my studies and my shooting separate."
"So what changed? She just, okay with it now?" Vi can't explain why, but she gets a sudden urge to know more about Caitlyn, spurred on by Powder's interest.
"I wouldn't know. I don't know where my mother is now." A silence encases the three, and an understanding passes between them before disappearing like it was never there at all. Vi looks at Caitlyn, really looks at her, and watches the trembling of lips and the scrunching of her nose.
"That why you're here now?"
"Have you ever seen a Progress Day Cart, Powder?" Caitlyn turns to the smaller sister, pointedly ignoring Vi. Powder shakes her head.
"They're big. And not just big, but made of this flimsy wood that I'm surprised isn't blown away by the wind! So, last year, my father and I approached one selling these firework contraptions-"
Vi sees her sister light up in a way she hadn't seen in weeks. Sees her eyes grow big with anticipation at Caitlyn's words, laughter spouting from where strained cries had previously been, happy and loud and so much like her baby sister that she just can't find it in herself to hate Caitlyn in that moment.
Her eyes flit to where she can suddenly see Vander and Grayson, deep in conversation she knows she's not supposed to be aware of. Vi can't help it when she stands up abruptly, but not abrupt enough to interrupt her sister and Caitlyn, to listen at the door. She hears the whispers, louder and clearer than ever, of what sounds like perturbation coming from Vander.
"And you're sure this is the only way?" He sounds resigned, but worried in a way Vi's only heard when she was first introduced to Benzo.
"With all luck, this solution is temporary. The search continues, but..."
"I understand. She's strong. The undercity won't destroy her, mark my words."
"Keep her safe, Vander, I've known her since she was a baby. Her spirit is undeterred. If not for her parents, if not for me, keep her safe for her. God knows what Piltover would do to her without her mother and father."
"You have my word, Grayson. Caitlyn will be fine." With a grim salute, Grayson turns away after stealing a sad glance in the younger girl's direction. Vi feels her hollow stomach as Vander stays outside, silent for a few minutes more. Her eyes find Caitlyn's from across the room, staring at her with a look she can't read yet, grieving and so, so lost. A look she could recognize anywhere, one she sees in her sister, and in herself every day. She swallows, fingernails digging tightly into her palm. Distantly, she realizes that Powder is nowhere to be found, but that hardly matters over the sounds of her own head, and the clear sound of Caitlyn's voice.