Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Just like every other day, Caitlyn is the first student to arrive in class. She walks steadily to the front row, and sits at the same place she claimed three years ago, when she started studying the arcane at the Academy. 

Slowly, students start to come in, filling the room with the usual excessive noise that a group of sixteen years olds can produce. Weirdly, one specific teenager is missing in all this chaos.

Jayce enters the classroom soon after, and Caitlyn returns the tentative smile he sends her way. At first, she was embarrassed to have her almost brother as her Practical Magic teacher, afraid it would put at stake her relationship with the other students. Three years later, she is just glad to have at least one person in the Academy who knows more about her than just her name.

Finally, just as Jayce is about to start, Vi comes in, clearly out of breath.

Because she can’t help it, Caitlyn straightens her posture. Yes, she studied late last night and her back feels like it’s made of broken glass, but she can’t show weakness. Not in front of her greatest nemesis.

Strangely, Vi doesn’t move straight to the back row like usually. One glance behind her allows Caitlyn to understand why. The only free places are the ones next to Sarah Fortune on the left, and Maddie Nolen on the right. This wouldn’t normally cause any issue, since both of them are in Vi’s friend group, but last night’s events left some tensions between the three of them.

From Caitlyn’s understanding of the situation, the two girls decided to confess their feelings for Vi on the same day, and to everyone’s surprise, the student rejected them both. The drama exploded during dinner, when Sarah and Maddie started to argue about it in front of their classmates, with Vi sitting between them and trying to drink her pumpkin spice hot chocolate. Obviously, the story spread all around school and soon enough, everybody knew.

Being a well-educated teenager who didn’t waste precious time over such childish matters, Caitlyn would have preferred to never hear about this nonsense, but sadly her impressive eye for detail always had the last word, and she witnessed what happened, without even wanting to.

Alright, maybe she had been watching the drama unfold in real time from the other side of the cafeteria.

She was bored, nothing more. Everyone likes to watch something when they eat, she is no exception.

But now, as Vi looks one last time to the back row and sighs when Jayce asks her to take a seat, Caitlyn can feel that she won’t like what’s coming next.

Sure enough, the other teenager sits next to her.

This is bad, very bad. The last time they sat next to each other was a year ago, and it was the day they became sworn enemies.

At least, in Caitlyn’s eyes. They never made that state of their relationship official.

“Don’t let it go to your head” Vi pretty much growls as she adjusts on her seat, “this is a onetime thing.”

“I didn’t say anything. Believe me, I do not enjoy being a collateral damage of your friends’ drama.”

As soon as the last words leave her mouth, Caitlyn knows she made a mistake. She has enough experience with teenager cruelty to predict Vi’s next retort. Something like “As least, I have friends to begin with, unlike you.”

Yes, she walked straight into that one.

She braces herself for the kick, except that nothing comes. Vi simply stares ahead and mumbles something about being already done with this day.

Thinking about it, Caitlyn realizes that Vi never said anything about her lack of friends. She made fun of the way she talks, eats, walks, breathes, about her dedication to her studies and her endless pursuit of perfection, but never about the absence of her social skills.

Lost in thoughts, she almost misses Jayce’s first question.

“Alright, kids. Who can explain to me how teleportation works?”

Instincts kicking in, Caitlyn raises her hand faster than light. When he nods in her direction, she straightens and speaks.

“To open a teleportation gate, a spellcaster must previously mark the destination with runes, which means that most mages can’t teleport to unknown destinations, but…”

“But some high-ranked mages have mastered the technique and are now able to travel to places they never visited, if they focus hard enough.” Vi finishes, taking the words out of her mouth.

Outraged, Caitlyn turns her head to the person sitting next to her. Of course, Vi couldn’t help herself!

“I wasn’t finished.” She snarls, yet keeping her voice low.

To this, Vi simply smirks and shrugs.

“Very good, both of you.” Jayce says as he moves to his board. “Now, you all need to remember that teleportation requires an enormous amount of magical power, especially for beginners like you…”

Caitlyn tries her best to listen, but she is still mad about the interruption. As if she could sense her irritation, Vi looks at her. And she winks.

That little… why is it so hot in here, suddenly?

“Could you stop casting this heat? This is not elementary class!”

“I’m not doing anything.” Vi looks at her with confusion.

But Caitlyn can feel the warmth spreading in her cheeks, her heart beating furiously and… Oh. 

It seems that the realization hits them both at the same time. While Caitlyn lowers her face in embarrassment, Vi chuckles softly, despite her face turning the same color as her hair.

Meanwhile, Jayce is still introducing the complexities of teleportation.

“For next class, I want you guys to practice. You will choose four locations, inside and around the Academy, place your runes, and open gates to teleport. The further you’ll go, the more energy you’ll use, so make sure to choose locations within your range.”

He gives the students some time to write down his instructions, before adding one last request.

“And to make sure that you all practice safely, I have decided that this assignment will be achieved in pairs.”

That’s something new. Caitlyn hates group projects, not because she doesn’t want to work with people, but because for some reason, it is people who don’t want to work with her. She always has trouble finding a group and that alone requires a social battery she doesn’t have.

“To make things easier, I’m assigning you to the person sitting next to you. Nolen, Fortune, you’ll work together on this one.” Jayce adds.

The poor young teacher probably didn’t expect the two, loud, protests that come instantly from the front row.

“WHAT?” Caitlyn and Vi both scream with the exact same intensity.

🎃 🪄 🍂 ✨- 🎃 🪄 🍂 ✨- 🎃 🪄 🍂 ✨

The first time Caitlyn saw her, she was studying in the schoolyard. As per usual, she was alone. Three days were left before the start of the year, and most students were still expected to arrive at the Academy. Not that it would have changed anything, Caitlyn didn’t really have any friends to spend time with, anyway.

Enjoying what would probably be the last peaceful afternoon she could have before the chaotic start of the year, she had decided to get a head start on the Philters and elixirs course. Professor Heimerdinger’s class was her bugbear, much to her father’s dismay. He was, after all, Runeterra’s most famous apothecary. Having a daughter who barely passed his specialty’s class was embarrassing, even if he was kind enough to not mention it in front of her.

Too caught up in her studies, she didn’t notice the red blur that passed next to her to jump on the oak tree she was sitting against. She didn’t hear it climb onto the trunk, until it reached the branch where the Kiramman’s long-eared owl was resting.

Now, Matilda wasn’t an ordinary owl, far from it.

First of all, she was approaching her 67^th year of life. Which was a lot. She had been the Kiramman’s familiar before Caitlyn’s mother was even born. For years, she followed Cassandra on her journey to become a powerful and respected high-ranked mage. According to her parents, Matilda was also responsible for their meeting, in the same school that Caitlyn was now attending.

The owl usually had her own agenda, refusing to take any orders from her humans. That didn’t mean she didn’t care about them, though. In fact, Caitlyn was grateful that her owl had decided to follow her to the Academy. Truth being told, the familiar was her only friend here. Many nights, she had listened to Caitlyn’s doubts and insecurities about her scholarship and social life. She had also intervened in an unhealthy amount of time to remind the teenager that she had to eat, in her own, owly way. Like this one time, when she had proudly dropped a very dead mouse on Caitlyn’s bed in the middle of the night.

The poor girl still had nightmares about this one.

So, Matilda was certainly a very faithful long-eared owl. She was also grumpy, pretty much deaf, and slept most of the time.

But more than anything, she didn’t like to be awaken. Which is exactly what happened then.

First, Caitlyn heard a small hoot, a sign that Matilda was emerging, then a lower pitch that quickly escalated with a series of little screams. When she turned her head to the origin of the noise, she instantly understood what had happened.

A squirrel had awakened Matilda.

Now, Caitlyn had never fully mastered the complexities of the owl language, but she sounded really mad.

From the ground, she tried to stop the fight that was happening above her, by pleading her familiar to let go of the poor rodent, but her owl was too far gone to even care.

Surprisingly, the squirrel seemed to know how to put up a fight, though. Without hurting the owl, he managed to avoid beak and talons, before jumping to another branch, and climbing down the tree.

That’s only then that Caitlyn noticed how unusually red its fur was.

She didn’t take too much time to linger on this and started to follow the squirrel to make sure it wasn’t hurt. Sure, Matilda was old, but she could still do some harm.

Fortunately, the rodent didn’t go far, only to the other side of the yard, where a child was sitting. Caitlyn vaguely remembered her from her recognizable two long, blue braids. She was a new student, whose family had moved into the area during the summer.

When the squirrel stopped in front of her, Caitlyn couldn’t hide her panic. Great, what a perfect way to start the year.

“Hi…” She said, out of breath, to the other girl. “I am deeply sorry, but there has been an incident, and I think my owl might have hurt your familiar.” 

“My… what?” The blue-haired girl asked.

Before Caitlyn could answer, the squirrel was suddenly surrounded by a blue aura. Its shape grew in seconds until it took the form of another girl.

Caitlyn had never seen anyone like that. She was tall, but not taller than her, had short pink hair flattened against her head and freckles that highlighted her beautiful grey eyes.

Grey eyes that looked very annoyed in that moment, but Caitlyn was too deeply drowned in her gay panic to notice.

“Damnit, Cupcake! Your vulture almost ripped my eyes!”

What?

“Matilda is a long-eared owl, not a vulture.” Caitlyn said slowly. Maybe this girl had left the fight with a concussion. It must have been very serious if she mixed up bird species.

Caitlyn started to turn around looking for an adult when she noticed the girl frowning, and her eyes darkening with anger.

“I know she’s an owl.” She snarled, looking more offended than anything.

“Oh…” Caitlyn finally realized that the vulture part was an insult. “Hey, how dare you? Matilda is a majestic creature, who was sleeping peacefully before you decided to wake her up!”

“I didn’t wake her up! I was practicing my shift for class, minding my own business. She’s the one who snapped for no reason!”

Caitlyn was about to deliver a sharp retort when the little girl with blue hair interrupted their argument.

“Vi, I’m hungry. Can we go back inside?”

Vi, so that was her name, seemed to calm down instantly.

“Yeah, I’m done playing squirrel for today. Come on.”

They left, but not before Vi glared one last time in her direction.

They were gone for a solid minute when something finally clicked in Caitlyn’s mind.

“Did she call me… a cupcake?”

----

Let it be known that Caitlyn Kiramman was not, in any way, obsessive.

If she started to pay attention to Violet Lanes in the hallway, the cafeteria, or in class (yes, they shared the same classes), it was simply out of concern. She wanted to make sure that the new student adjusted well to the rhythm of the Academy, and that she managed to blend in.

And how exactly was it wrong to learn new things about her in the process? If Caitlyn knew she was born and raised in Zaun, had moved into Piltover two and a half months earlier, had a strong interest in transmutation, and that her favorite flower was lavender, it was purely and solely from curiosity.

However, she couldn’t explain the way she had learned how those grey eyes, under the autumn sunset, could turn into an almost blue tint that had quickly become Caitlyn’s favorite color.  Call it “being observant”, nothing more. She had been gifted with eyesight, there was nothing wrong with using it.

They hadn’t spoken once since, what Caitlyn referred to as, the Matilda vs. squirrel Vi incident.

In fact, it was five weeks, three days and eight hours behind them when Vi took the teenager by surprise and sat next to her in class.

At first, Caitlyn was baffled, unsure of how to react. Weeks of shameless stalki… curiosity, and she didn’t know what to do, or say.  Luckily for her, Vi didn’t seem to suffer from the same concern.

“Hey.” She simply said, pulling a notebook out of her bag.

Right, greetings. She could have thought about this one.

“Hello.” Caitlyn tried to sound nonchalant. And, because she couldn’t keep her mouth shut, she added: “You sat next to me.”

Vi looked at her with a frown, then around the table to see if she was missing something.

“Is that a problem?”

“No, but you usually sit with your friends.”

“What, you’ve been watching me, cupcake?”

Oh no… idiot!

“Absolutely not!” Caitlyn did her best to sound offended at the accusation. “And stop calling me that.”

Distance yourself, look bothered, anything to change the subject!

Vi looked like she was about to say something, probably teasing, giving the smirk she wore on her perfect face, but seemed to stop herself. Eventually, she shrugged and turned to the front of the class, where Professor Viktor was about to start his lecture.

The next hour played out without any incident. Caitlyn was absorbed in her notes when she suddenly felt the familiar discomfort brought by a pair of eyes staring at her.

When she raised her face to the source of her annoyance, she caught Vi looking.

Caitlyn was a smart girl, well used to the subtleties of human interaction. If a beautiful person stared at her in class, it could only mean one thing.

She was trying to copy her notes.

And that was something she simply couldn’t accept.

“If you need help to take notes,” she whispered, trying not to disrupt class, “I’d be happy to provide with mine, but at least you could have the decency to ask.”

“What?” Vi frowned, again, and Caitlyn did her best to ignore how cute she looked like that.

“I saw you, you were trying to copy from me!”

“What the… no! You’re insane, you know that?”

“Why else would you be looking at me?”

Vi stayed silent for a while, staring in front of her.

“Don’t worry, just because I’m some trencher from Zaun doesn’t mean I need to cheat to beat you in class.”

“I… I didn’t say that! This doesn’t have anything to do with…”

“Kiramman. Lanes. This looks like an interesting discussion you’re having. Care to share with the class?” Viktor quietly interrupted, obviously tired of their constant whispering.

This is how the hostilities really began.

🎃 🪄 🍂 ✨- 🎃 🪄 🍂 ✨- 🎃 🪄 🍂 ✨

They decide to start the assignment right after class, during lunch break.

“The sooner we’re done, the better.” Vi mumbles

They place the first rune in the schoolyard, ironically not far from the tree where they first met. As she waits for Caitlyn to unfold the spell, Vi glares at a familiar long-eared owl who watches them from above.

“Your familiar is staring.”

“She is just making sure I’m safe.”

To this, Vi snorts unapologetically.

“You think I’m dangerous? Damn, you really made up this great picture of me in your mind.”

“I never said…” Caitlyn sighs, tired of being misunderstood each time she opens her mouth. “It’s no secret that you hate me, that’s all I meant. Now, let’s move to the next spot.”

Vi stays quiet, only guiding them to the gardens, where teachers and students grow the ingredients for the philters and elixirs class. She places the rune near a young plant of valerian, not blind to the way Caitlyn’s eyes linger on her arms, and how they flex as she casts the spell.

Far from being embarrassed, she decides to flex a little more. After all, there is nothing wrong with liking the way Caitlyn's pupils widen when she does it.

Once she is done, the other student clears her throat, clearly trying to regain some composure.

“Where to next?” She asks.

“What about the valley on the west? We could go to the bottom of the mountain, it’s far enough to test the limits of our energy, but not too far from the school if we get in trouble.”

“That’s actually a good idea.” Caitlyn concedes.

“Is that… a compliment, Cupcake?”

“Stop calling me that.” Oh, how Vi loves the way her face turns when she is all flushed.

Loves, as in, loving to disturb the stoic Kiramman heir, not in loving the way she looks. Obviously.

“Sorry for being surprised, you usually only say bad things about me.”

“I simply return the way you’ve been treating me all year. Except, I’m trying to be more mature.”

“Mature? Like that time when you held a hunger strike because Heimerdinger gave me one more point at that botany test?”

“We both know it was a tie! I checked your test, and we had given the same answers!”

“You stole my test from his desk, is what you actually mean.”

“My point stands.”

They keep arguing on the way to their next destination, too caught up in the banter to notice the amused looks of students and teachers who cross their path.

They finally arrive at the bottom of the mountain. The Academy is still noticeable in the distance, but, as no one usually ventures this far, they are alone.

“Well, one thing we can agree on, is that nothing good happens when I sit next to you in class.” Vi sighs.

“Two occurrences aren’t enough to deduce a generality.” Caitlyn states, and the other teenager can’t help but roll her eyes at that. “But… I have always wondered, why did you? That first time?”

“Sit next to you?” Vi asks and watches Caitlyn nod slowly, not meeting her eyes. “It was stupid, really.”

“What do you mean?”

Vi stares ahead for a few seconds, before responding.

“The day before, you helped Powder when some idiots bullied her. So, I saw you sitting alone in class and thought that maybe, I could be friendly. That’s it.”

She witnesses in real-time the gears turning in Caitlyn’s head, probably trying to remember how she bonded with Vi’s sister that morning.

“Oh. I see.”

She places the rune on the ground, and turns to look at Vi, who knows her enough to understand that she’s up to something.

“I have an idea for the last location.”

“Where?”

“Up here.” Caitlyn points at the mountain above them. “It will be faster to get there if we transmute, are you up for it?”

“I’m always up for practice, you should know that.” Vi smiles as she gets ready for her favorite part of being a mage.

“Oh, trust me, I am aware.”

It takes only a few seconds for them to shift. While Caitlyn chooses to turn into a crow, Vi decides to go with an owl. She is sure to see crow-Caitlyn scoff, but they soon make their way up to the mountain.

They don’t go to the top. Instead, Caitlyn leads them to a cliff, from where they can see the entire valley and the lake near the forest.

“It’s beautiful.” Vi can only murmur. “How did you find this place?”

“When I first arrived in the Academy, I was looking for somewhere quiet, where I could go when things get… overwhelming. Matilda led me here.”

“I’ll admit, she has good taste.”

“Yes, well… the surroundings can be a little too much.” With that, she nods toward something behind them, that Vi hasn’t noticed before.

It’s a small cemetery, with about ten white graves, facing the valley.

Weirdly, Vi thinks the place is even more peaceful like this. Just like what’s happening between them, for some reason.

They stay on the cliff for a few moments, before Caitlyn finally gets up and stretches.

“We should go back before we’re late to Professor Medarda’s class.”

“Right, wouldn’t want to miss that old wolf barking at us for two hours long.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

----

They decide to open the gates the day after, once all their classes are over. “This way, no matter how long we take, we won’t be late for anything” - “Except for a full night of sleep, not that you seem to care.”

It’s already dark in the valley when they teleport there, going through the gate that Caitlyn just opened. They take turns each time to save their energy. So far, the exercise is going surprisingly well. They haven’t argued for an hour, which must be a new record, and they are focused on the task at hand.

“Last one.” Caitlyn announces, and she seems almost sad about it.

“We’ll need to rest after this.” Vi answers. “So, we can go back to school with one gate.”

Slowly, she moves her hand and casts the spell to summon the gate from the Arcane. It materializes in front of them, spreading a blue light around it.

“After you.” Vi says, mimicking a terrible bow with a smirk. The chuckle she hears from Caitlyn’s mouth in return makes her heart beat louder.

They cross the gate, and she is instantly overwhelmed by how breathtaking the sight is.

Sure, in daylight, the cliff was nice. But it’s entirely something else at night. Because the stars reflect on the lake, and it looks like they are standing above the sky. Vi studied the Arcane for years, and yet she never felt so close to magic more than in this moment.

And the sounds… or more like the lack of them, is enough to make her sigh in disbelief.

“I can’t believe it’s so quiet…”

“You really think I needed to go all the way up here to open a gate?”

Vi turns to look at her, completely out of breath despite being immobile. Caitlyn looks so beautiful like this, from the way the moonlight reflects on her hair, how her eyes are so soft yet seem to glow in the dark. Her smile, so perfect, kind, genuine calls some kind of attraction, and Vi wants nothing more but to give in to this pull, and break the short distance between them.

“This place is the most peaceful I ever saw. So, I thought… maybe it could be the perfect location to make peace.” Caitlyn breaks eye contact for a second, suddenly looking shy. “I never hated you, never thought you were any less than me or whatever wrong impression you might have gotten of me. If I seemed so distant that day, it was because I was nervous.”

“Why?” Vi murmurs, so low that Caitlyn would have never heard it if she wasn’t standing so close.

“Because…”

Before she can finish her response, they are interrupted by some kind of crack behind them. Under their feet, the earth feels like it’s shaking. When they turn to the source of the noise, they watch with horror as ten bodies emerge from the ground of the cemetery.

Zombies.

Fucking zombies.

Chapter Text

The hallway was empty of any lifeform at this time, and it was exactly to Caitlyn’s liking. She didn’t need to face the teasing looks of her classmates just because she had decided to study in the library before sunrise. She had an important test in Professor Merderda’s magic fighting class and wanted to give it her best shot.

Someone was close to catching up with her grades, and that was an affront she couldn’t accept.

Someone very handsome, but also very annoying.

Proud of her plan, she didn’t see the child kneeling behind one of the beams until it was too late. When a pair of long blue braids came into her sight, Caitlyn yelped and jumped in surprise.

“Dear gods… Powder, right? You scared me!”

Of course, the source of her, almost, cardiac arrest was Vi Lanes’s little sister. Caitlyn didn’t know much about her, other than she was an absolute genius. She was only eleven, which was a year too young to join the Academy, but Professor Heimerdinger had decided to make an exception.

“My sister is obsessed with you.” Powder simply said as a response, staring at Caitlyn with red eyes. She had been crying.  

Caitlyn wasn’t surprised at the revelation. Of course, Vi was obsessed. She had made it her life goal to ruin Caitlyn’s academic record. That dedication for pettiness called for extreme measures.

“What are you doing in the hallway so early?” She finally asked, kneeling in front of the child.

“I’m looking for Chomper.”

“Who is Chomper?”

“He’s the stone-zombie I made for Necromancy class. Professor Viktor said it was great, but then some guys ambushed me after class and stole him.”

Caitlyn hated to say she was familiar with jealous classmates bullying. This, however, was another level of malice.

“Did you speak to an adult about it? Or your sister?”

“Telling a teacher would make things worse, and Vi has a big test today, I don’t want to bother her. She studied in the library all night!”

Oh great, so her rival had also been preparing for the test. Caitlyn’s first instinct was to rush to the library and catch up, but she also couldn’t leave Powder like this.

“I will help you. Do you have any idea where Chomper might be?”

“They said they hid him in school, but I searched all night already.”

“Well, lucky for you, I have good experience with stupid teenagers, so I know every hiding spot in this Academy!”

They ended up finding Chomper trapped behind the statue of the school’s founder, near the cafeteria. Powder was too small to reach it, but Caitlyn retrieved it without difficulty.

Powder’s description was accurate, it really was a stone-zombie. He had two green eyes, a mobile jaw, and a body made with a round stone, allowing him to roll forward. A brilliant use of the Arcane.

Caitlyn passed the test successfully but, as expected, Vi got a better grade. For once, though, the Kiramman heir didn’t mind.

🎃 🪄 🍂 ✨- 🎃 🪄 🍂 ✨- 🎃 🪄 🍂 ✨

Caitlyn casts shot after shot of Arcane rays, but it’s not nearly enough. Sure, the zombies she hits fall on the ground, but only to stand up instantly, unaffected.

They’re closing in on her position, but she doesn’t have enough magic power to open a new gate and teleport, nor does Vi.

Where is Vi, anyway?

She has her answer when a wolf with a beautiful reddish fur bursts into view on her left. The wolf jumps on the first zombie crossing her path, and barks at the others, trying to get their attention.

“What are you doing?” Caitlyn yells above the growls coming from the creatures.

Vi lures them near the edge of the cliff and screams at Caitlyn to shoot.

Her rival is close, way too close to Caitlyn’s liking, but she doesn't have too much of a choice. One by one, she takes the shots that push the zombies into the void, without missing once.

Finally, the last zombie falls down the mountain, and they are alone again. Out of breath, Caitlyn sits on the ground.

“You were so close, I could have hit you!”

“Naa, you’re an excellent shot.” Vi simply smiles as she shifts back to her human form. “I knew you wouldn’t miss.”

The other teenager tries not to blush at the compliment, without success. Instead, she decides to change the subject to more important matters.

“How are we going back to school? We definitely can’t cast a gate right now.”

“We could transmute to birds again, but I’m not sure if I can fly for long, I’m exhausted.”

As if on cue, they suddenly hear a high-pitched sound coming from above. In seconds, Matilda appears and lands next to Caitlyn, who pets her long-eared owl softly. 

“Can you change into a mouse?” She finally asks.

----

Traveling between an owl’s talons is, unsurprisingly, not an experience that Vi wishes to repeat. First, because Matilda seems to take great pleasure in squeezing her small mouse body as hard as she can, and she is pretty sure that Caitlyn doesn't endure the same treatment. Also, it’s cold. They’re flying so high above the valley that she can barely see the ground in the moonlight. Finally, she is still so tired that she doesn't know if she can hold the transmutation much longer.

In fact, Caitlyn is the first one to break.

“Vi… I can't…”

“Oh shit… hey, Matilda, right? We need to land, now!”

The owl protests with a hoot, but agrees. As soon as they get on the ground, Vi barely has enough time to shift back to her human form before surging forward and catching Caitlyn in her arms.

The teenager is out of breath and energy, unable to keep standing on her own. 

Vi doesn’t think twice and lowers herself to carry Caitlyn on her back.

“What are you doing?”

“Just hold on to me. We’re not far from the Academy.”

“Absolutely not! You’re as tired as me!”

“Cupcake, you’re very cute when you protest and all, but right now, I need you to trust me.”

At least, that shuts her up.

----

They enter the schoolyard after one long hour of walking and carrying. Caitlyn fell asleep a while ago and is breathing softly in Vi’s neck.

The student wouldn’t trade her place with anyone else.

Slowly, she lowers her classmate onto a bench and returns a few minutes later with food and water.

“Cait…”

“I’m awake!” Caitlyn surges forward and almost knocks over the glass in Vi’s hand. “How did I get here?”

“Doesn’t matter. I got you something to eat.”

She takes the snack with gratitude and doesn’t waste time swallowing everything.

“Did you carry me all the way?”

She already knows the answer, just by looking at the way Vi’s hair is wet with sweat and how her breathing is trembling. At this point, she has no idea how her classmate is still standing.

Caitlyn doesn't know what’s gotten into her, but her fingers slowly reach Vi’s face to put a rebellious strand of hair back in place.

At the gesture, they both freeze with their eyes wide open.

“Just… sit down. Please.” Caitlyn eventually requests, trying to ease the tension.

They take a few minutes to rest and eat in silence, glad for the lack of light that could have shown how flushed they are.

----

Professor Heimerdinger’s office is still occupied, even at this late hour. Vi knocks a few times before opening the door and gesturing for Caitlyn to go first.

“Professor, we saw zombies on the mountain!”

With hindsight, she agrees that she could have explained the situation better, but they don’t have time for that. An investigation must be ordered.

“How do you know that, children?” Heimerdinger lowers his glasses and glares at them suspiciously.

“Wait, how do you know that?” Vi barely has time to ask before Jayce rushes into the room, out of breath.

“It’s solved, Professor! No casualties… oh, hi guys!”

“Jayce, what’s going on?” Caitlyn looks completely lost.

“Huuuh… just a small disturbance with the Arcane. Nothing to worry about!”

“That’s why those zombies came out?”

“I really need to know how you two are aware of that.” Heimerdinger finally intervenes.

The teenagers don't take too long to explain the events of the night, still shaken at the memory. In the end, Jayce simply smiles proudly and leads them outside.

“Teleporting that far is impressive, I’ll make sure to grade you accordingly!” Caitlyn is so overjoyed that she barely cares about what he says next. “Now, let’s just forget about this zombie thing, alright? It was just a disturbance!”

They make their way back to the dorm. It’s already the middle of the night, which means that they don’t have much time left to sleep.

Yet, Caitlyn can’t bring herself to part yet.

“So…” Vi starts tentatively. “That was fun.”

“That's one way of putting it.”

They exchange soft chuckles and stare at each other for a few seconds.

“Look, Cait, for what it’s worth, I never hated you either.” Vi rubs her neck, just like when she’s uncomfortable and probably doesn’t even realize it.

Caitlyn simply extends a hand and smiles.

“How about we stop pretending that we hate each other, then?”

“Yeah…” Vi takes her hand to shake it. Her palm is warm, comforting. “I’d like that.”

“I’ll still kick your ass in class, though.”

“I don’t expect anything less, Cupcake.”

Chapter Text

What are we?

Caitlyn stares at the words written at the center of the page. She has spent the night working on this problem, trying to solve the puzzle that was her new relationship with Vi. As far as she knows, “we don’t hate each other” leaves room for many different interpretations. 

On the page, she wrote some words around the central question, that she crossed out almost instantly. 

Enemies - Acquaintances - Friends - Colleagues - Crush

She stares at the last one, as if trying to pierce the paper with her eyes. She wrote down that one when she was exhausted, after hours of working on the problem, but hasn’t been able to refute it.

The sound of her name pulls her out of her thoughts, and she closes her notebook abruptly. She almost forgot that she was in class, waiting for Professor Viktor, and definitely not alone.

“Caitlyn, hi!” She is not used to being addressed, and it takes a few seconds to identify the voice coming from behind. 

When she turns around, she is greeted with the sight of Maddie Nolwen, smiling at her. 

“Oh, hello Maddie.” She says, her voice low. She is fairly certain that this is the first time that one of her classmates smiles at her deliberately (well, apart from Vi, but she is trying not to think about her right now).

“I was wondering if you wanted to study with me this evening.”

Alright, this is definitely weird. No one wants to study with Caitlyn. Not since the incident two years ago, when she might have made Allira Salo cry over demonology theory. 

Which is why she gives the most eloquent answer she can think of.

“Huh?” 

Gods, her mother would be so proud.

Luckily, Maddie doesn't seem bothered by her lack of good manners.

“You have the best grade in Professor Jayce’s class and since we have a test next week, I thought I could learn from you.”

Well that makes sense, in a way.

“Oh… alright, sure. We can study later.”

“What’s going on?” Another voice interrupts the conversation. Only this time, Caitlyn knows exactly who it is.

“Hello, Vi.” Maddie responds. “I was just making plans with Caitlyn.”

“What plans?”

What the hell is happening?

“Studying. I figured we could go to your room?” This time, Maddie is talking to her, and Caitlyn knows she needs to find an excuse, quickly.

“I think it’s best if we go to the library. This way, we’ll have all the books we need within easy reach.”

Anything but her room, she really doesn’t need Maddie to see her “Violet Lanes investigation board”, that she has… for research purposes, obviously. Right…

“Alright, you’re the boss. I’ll see you tonight, then!”

“Sure.” Caitlyn finally turns back to the front of the class, where Viktor came in.

She can't help but replay the expression she saw on Vi’s face. She seemed… angry?

🎃 🪄 🍂 ✨- 🎃 🪄 🍂 ✨- 🎃 🪄 🍂 ✨

Surprisingly, studying with Maddie Nolen isn’t unpleasant. She is focused, learns fast and, more importantly, she doesn't speak too loudly. 

Caitlyn hates it when people disrespect the quiet of the library. 

What is surprising is Vi’s appearance only ten minutes after they started. 

“Hey.” She says, passing by their table. 

“I thought you had plans with Lorris tonight?” Maddie asks. She seems… annoyed? 

“I cancelled. Wanted to study instead.” 

Vi doesn’t linger with them too long and quickly moves to the back of the library.

One idea slowly makes its way into Caitlyn’s mind.

Is Vi… jealous?

Of course, that would explain why she seemed angry earlier, and why she changed her plans at the last minute. She wanted to stay close, watch.

She must have feelings for Maddie!

🎃 🪄 🍂 ✨- 🎃 🪄 🍂 ✨- 🎃 🪄 🍂 ✨

It doesn't make sense, though. Caitlyn heard the rumors about Vi rejecting Maddie only a few days ago. 

Maybe she thought about it and changed her mind? 

It shouldn’t bother Caitlyn. After all, Vi is free to have feelings. But in that case, why is her heart so crushed, and her throat feels like it’s full of gravel?

Winter is almost here, maybe she caught something. Something absolutely not related, in any way, to Violet Lanes.

“Are you okay?” Something is touching her, and she doesn't like the feeling. At all.

One glance catches Maddie holding her hand. And her skin is very cold.

“I’m okay.” Caitlyn subtly gets her hand back by pretending to turn the page of her notebook. “We should keep going.” 

They study like that for a few hours more. Caitlyn is so engrossed in her notes that she doesn't realize how late it is until the Academy’s giant clock rings for midnight. There is no one left in the library, plunged in complete silence.

“Should we call it a night?” She suggests, silently praying that Maddie agrees. She wants to go back to her room and write down her last entry about Vi. 

“Of course.” 

They stand up quickly after gathering their books. Caitlyn is about to make her way to the exit when something catches her wrist. 

It is, again, Maddie touching her.

“I wanted to thank you for tonight. You were really helpful."

“Of course, it’s not every day that…” 

She doesn’t get to finish. Not when Maddie gently grabs her other hand. Not when her face is slowly getting close to Caitlyn’s face. Not when grey eyes (the wrong tint of grey) pierce hers.

Caitlyn wants to move, but finds herself unable to, as if she is frozen in place. Words leave Maddie’s mouth, but she doesn’t understand them, they’re from another language. 

She could try and translate, but she is so incredibly tired. 

The last words, she does get them. And they’re pronounced with the most venom Maddie could use.

“Your soul will make a perfect dinner, Kiramman.” 

Caitlyn can feel herself fall. Not on the floor, but somewhere deeper. Another world where it’s cold, dark, and loud. 

But suddenly, the spell that’s holding her hostage of her own body is broken. The next thing she knows, Vi is keeping Maddie down, by a firm pressure on the neck. 

“What…” she tries, but her voice is too low to be heard. 

Vi starts to recite an enchantment. It takes a few seconds for Caitlyn to recognize the demonic dialect.

Oh! Maddie was controlled by a demon! 

Suddenly everything makes sense.

The spell comes to an end when Maddie stops struggling. Instead, she passes out onto the hard floor.

“Are you alright?” Vi immediately reaches Caitlyn, and takes her face between her hands. Vi’s hands are warm, she likes that.

“You were jealous for nothing, by the way.”

Sure, she could have thought of something better to say. A thank you would have been nice. But she wants Vi to know that she would never stand between her and another girl.

Vi seems taken by surprise, but quickly recovers with her signature smirk.

“I was?” 

“Nothing was going to happen, I’m not interested in Maddie that way.”

“Oh…” Vi’s smile grows bigger.

“I mean, I do like girls, but Maddie isn’t my type… although, I don’t really have a type but… I’m not into her like that… but it’s completely fine if you are, she is a very nice girl, and I would be very happy for you if…”

And now, Vi is completely lost. She frowns like she was born to have brows stuck to her eyelids.

“Wait, what?” 

“Maddie and you, I would be… you know.” 

“You think I was jealous of you?”

“Well, yes?”

“No, Cait… I was jealous of her!”

They’re staring at each other, in silence. 

“Oh.” It takes an embarrassing amount of time for Caitlyn’s eyes to widen with the realization. “OH!!” 

“Yeah… look, you’re under shock, why don’t we go warn someone and…”

“Can I kiss you?”

Vi’s eyes are almost dark from how much her pupils are dilated, and her lips are slightly parted. It’s ridiculous how cute she looks like this.

“If you want to, sure. Definitely, I… yeah, I'd like that… a lot.”

It’s easy to get closer, since Vi is already cradling her face. All Caitlyn has to do is take a step forward, and kiss her. 

Admittedly, she has imagined this moment, once. Or twice. Alright, maybe she has pictured it every day since she met her. So what? 

Still, it’s better than whatever she could have thought. 

Vi’s lips are warm, comforting, her hair is soft under Caitlyn’s fingertips. And gods, she smells so good. 

Her hands move. Now, they gently hold Caitlyn’s waist. She never felt safer than in that moment.

They kiss for what feels like hours. It is gentle, sweet and perfect. They sadly have to part when Jayce suddenly rushes into the library, slamming the iron doors with a thunderous sound.

“GOT YOU, DEMON!”

When he takes in the sight in front of him, which consists of intertwined Caitlyn and Vi, and a passed-out, recently exorcized Maddie on the ground (right, she is still there), his face seems to take on a reddish hue.

“Oh… seems like you guys took care of it. Nothing to worry about, just a small disturbance, again.”

On any other day, Caitlyn and Vi would have protested, demanded answers.

Right now, they couldn't care less about having a demon in school.

Chapter Text

Hour 1 -

She walked me back to my room, and kissed me at the door. 

Lasted two and a half seconds. She blushed afterward. 

Conclusion: I think she wouldn’t mind doing it again. Wait for further engagement? 

Day one - 

She sat next to me at lunch and we shared her apple pie. 

Conclusion: Apple has made its place as my favorite edible fruit. I might ask the cook to slow down on the cinnamon, though. 

Day two -

Vi took my hand as we were walking to the library. Going through the schoolyard, I asked if I could kiss her again, and she said yes.

Conclusion: DO NOT KISS IN FRONT OF MATILDA! There is now a hole in the back of Vi’s scalp. 

She still looks cute, obviously.

Day three -

Today, Vi asked me to be her girlfriend. I asked if it meant I would have to share my apple pie every time, she said “Only if you want to.”

I do want to.

Day four -

I spent the evening with Vi and Power. We played card games, and I won. 

Conclusion: I really, really like Vi. And winning. 

Day fiv-

The storm thunders over Caitlyn’s head. It has been raining for an hour now, but this time, the wind makes the walls of the Academy tremble. 

And, looking at the purple sky, it seems that this is not a regular storm.

She hears screams coming from outside her room. When she rushes to the door, she discovers a sight of absolute chaos. 

Students are fighting with each other, or more likely, they are chasing others. Looking more closely at the enraged ones, Caitlyn recognizes the signs that she learned to know a few days before. 

Demons. Only this time, there are a lot of them. 

Making her way through the mess, she enters the main hallway, where Professor Heimerdinger is yelling order after order. The other teachers are running in every direction, leaving to assist the students in the most impacted areas. 

“Sprout!” Jayce grabs her shoulders and leads her behind a pillar. “You know those few distortions with the Arcane? Well, now they opened a breach to…”

“The Underworld, yes, I figured.” Caitlyn is not oblivious, at this point, she is smart enough to understand the situation. The zombies, the demons, the purple sky… every sign is right in front of them. “How can I help?”

“Can you help the students in the gardens? I think Vi already went there.”

“Do you know where Power is?” 

There is a blast behind them, and a large portion of the wall crumbles on the floor. 

“Professor Medarda is taking the younger students to safety. Power is with them.”

🎃 🪄 🍂 ✨- 🎃 🪄 🍂 ✨- 🎃 🪄 🍂 ✨

Usually, Vi loves a good fight, but this one is something else. Not because of the demon part, she kicked one’s ass (and Maddie’s in the process) just a few days ago, but because tonight, there are simply too many.

She casts, for the fifth time already, a reinforcement on her hands. This is her favorite way of fighting, and it makes her feel like she punches her opponent with giant gauntlets. 

Unfortunately, the spell doesn’t last long, especially with how many blows she lands, and she is running out of magic power.

The other students are also fighting, but unfortunately, they share the same state. 

When a demon jumps at her from behind, she doesn't have the strength to resist.

“Your soul is mine!” He snarls. Slowly, he recites his curse. She can’t move or speak. When she feels a gate opening below her, Vi knows it’s too late. 

Her body can't resist the pull. With a glance, she sees what world awaits her.

It’s dark, but she can distinguish hundreds of shapes, souls probably, swimming in the air, blindly wriggling around like worms. 

Then, the temperature. It’s so freezing that her skin crackles, yet at the same time it feels like her body is burning from the inside.

This world is also so loud. She isn’t fully there yet, and still, she can hear the screams of an infinity of souls. Some mocking, others begging.

If she goes down there, she knows she will be part of the second group for a while, before joining the first.

For the first time in her life, Vi is absolutely terrified. 

The more the demon speaks his language, the more dragged she is into the Underworld.

“VI!!”

Is someone calling her name? 

“LET HER GO, YOU BLOODY SOUL SUCKER!” 

There is a blast above Vi. The demon is struck by blue lightning, and falls backward, dropping her in the process. 

But instead of being pulled back into the living world, she slips further into the void.

Until a hand reaches out to grab her arm. 

“I got you!” Caitlyn yells. She has to, if she wants to be heard over the screams coming from the cursed souls. 

When she finally gets back onto the garden floor, covered in sweat and still trembling from the cold, Vi takes a good look at her savior. 

Maybe it’s her near soul-cursing experience, but Caitlyn looks almost ethereal, despite the concern written all over her face. 

Vi can't control the words leaving her mouth.

“I love you.”

Caitlyn smiles, ignoring the fights, the screams and the destruction still taking place behind them.

“I love you too.”

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Professors Viktor and Heimerdinger eventually cast a spell to close the breach to the Underworld. 

In the end, the director is proud to announce that not a single soul has been lost, and every student who has been possessed is back to normal. 

For some, it’s easier than others. For Maddie Nolen, to whom it was the second time in a week, it went off without a hitch.

For Arcane users, breaches like this happen once every century. In the Academy, life goes on as if nothing ever happened. 

For Vi and Caitlyn, it’s different, because they saw what was down there. Now, they’re willing to dedicate their life to prevent anyone else from going through this nightmare. 

Chapter Text

Seven years later.

🎃 🪄 🍂 ✨- 🎃 🪄 🍂 ✨- 🎃 🪄 🍂 ✨

In another life, Mr. Kled was a Yordle. More specifically, a mage Yordle. One day, hundreds of years ago, tired of living among his peers, witnessing civilization’s idiocy, useless conflicts, and never-ending social obligations, he decided that he would be better off living his eternal life as a woodpecker. So, Mr. Kled used his magic to transmute into his favorite bird and started to enjoy his new life.

His days were peaceful, he spent most of them perched on a thousand-year-old oak tree, deep down in the forest. 

But what Mr. Kled enjoyed the most, was the delicious absence of any kind of company. 

Humanoid company. 

Well, until today, when something he hasn’t seen in hundreds of years suddenly materializes right under his tree.

A blue portal. More specifically, an Arcane gate.

Just like that, the woodpecker knows that his day is ruined. 

Sure enough, the gate vibrates and in an instant, a woman appears in front of it. 

The first thing he notices is her pink hair. It is tousled, like a bear's fur after months of hibernation.

From his point of view, she seems strong, if her exposed built arms are any kind of indication. 

Are those… Tattoos? And is there another one on her face?

Gods, Mr. Kled hates civilization…

As if her look wasn’t enough, the woman starts to speak. Now, the bird hasn’t heard the human language in a long time, but somehow, this eloquent vocabulary isn’t hard to remember.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT!” 

Another voice startles him. This one comes from under the woman’s sleeveless jacket. From something that her curled arms are covering. 

“Vi… where did you take us?”

“I don’t know!” The woman, Vi it seems, is looking around like a lost puppy. “I didn’t have time to think, so I just teleported to the first forest I saw!” 

“Alright, let me go. I’ll fix this.” The voice sounds annoyed. 

“Baby, I don’t know if you’re aware but right now you are…”

“I KNOW! Just… put me down! I’ll shift back.”

“Cupcake, it’s a curse, you can't shift back by yourself.” 

As she pronounces the words, she finally lets go of the thing inside her jacket, and delicately places it on the ground.

Mr. Kled needs a few seconds to recognize the strange creature. First, its body is long and thin. The fur is cream-colored, seemingly coarse. The animal is standing on its two back legs. 

A mongoose. 

The animal squeezes its eyes shut, deep in focus. “Shit… okay, I think I’m trapped.”

“Told you.” Vi mutters.

“We should have stayed to fight this demon. If we had defeated him, I would have been back to normal!” 

“Right, and with you in that state, we would have totally won. Sure…”

Aaah… a demon curse. So, this Cupcake is also a human after all. Mr. Kled is surprised. Usually, few humans volunteer to become demon hunters. Their species is far too fragile for a job this dangerous.

The two keep arguing for a while. As she speaks, the Vi one gathers a few ingredients in her path: pieces of bark from a maple tree, water from the river, rabbit excrement… 

“That won’t work.” Cupcake protests. “The potion requires hare excrement.”

“That was in the old almanac. In the new version, they say we can also use rabbit’s.” 

“If you’re trying to make me vomit eggs, sure. Go ahead.”

“Remind me who placed first in Heimerdinger’s potion fair?” 

“I would hardly consider “seducing the jury” as placing first.”

“Gods, I can't believe how jealous we were.”

“You cheated!” 

“And you turned that poor old lady’s hat into snail slime!”

Alright, this is exactly why Mr. Kled retired from the civilized world. By the gods, these humans are insufferable. 

And yet, is it strange to consider their interaction… endearing, in a very measured way? They bicker, sure, but there is no spite in their voice. If anything, it sounds more like teasing. 

The mongoose gathers some wood in a small pile, and Vi casts a fire spell. Pulling a pot out of her bag, she slowly stirs together the ingredients. 

A few minutes later, the potion is ready.

“There you go. Enjoy your dinner, baby.”

“Thank you.” Despite her state, and the pot’s contents, Cupcake drinks properly. She must come from some kind of human aristocracy. 

Once she is done with the drink, she starts coughing. But soon enough, her shape grows and grows until it gets taller than Vi. Her fur shifts into pale skin and blue hair. Thankfully, she has clothes on, probably those she wore before the curse. 

“Thank you, darling.” 

“There you are. Come here.” 

If the woodpecker had any doubts about the nature of their relationship, they are cleared up now. The humans embrace each other and kiss gently. 

Gross.

“Should we go home?”

“What if we stayed here for some time? I quite like this place.”

Mr. Kled wants to be mad, but it turns out the humans are calmer, now. They sit curled up against each other, facing the fire. For a while, everything is quiet.

Until the two lovers start engaging themselves in… a new activity, less innocent and very much louder, right against his oak tree. 

This is the final straw for the former mage. He flies away instantly, planning not to return before at least a few weeks. 

Freaky humans. 

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Chapter Text

Halloween is a busy night in this, usually quiet, town’s supermarket. Parents shop for last-minute adjustments on their children's costumes, younger customers get refills of alcohol. The elderly are the only ones acting as usual, which means shopping for groceries at the worst possible time.

In the middle of this chaos, one witch is patiently waiting in line. 

A very tall witch.

That is, until her lover reaches out over telepathic communication. 

Where are you? 

The witch sighs. She was only gone for two minutes.

I’m waiting at the checkout. It is a mess, here.

They are back…

ALREADY!? How many? 

Four. I need you here! 

Try to hold them back, I’ll be here as fast as I can.

Cupcake… I’m scared. 

I know, darling. I swear I’ll be quick.

I love you.

I love you too.

🎃 🪄 🍂 ✨- 🎃 🪄 🍂 ✨- 🎃 🪄 🍂 ✨

In this small, quiet town, many legends spread. One of them is about an old house on a remote hill. 

In the stories passed on through generations, the house is at the centre of strange events. Paranormal manifestations, unexplainable disappearances, ghosts…. You name it.

That was until a year ago, when an adorable young couple bought the house, despite all the warnings coming from their new neighbours. 

There might be new occupants in the cursed place, but the town’s children are attached to their traditions. Each year, for Halloween, they approach the house to show the others how brave they are.

What they didn’t expect, was to be welcomed by two nice ladies, and candies.

Lots of candies. 

Soon enough, word spreads in town and children rush to the cursed house. 

This group of four is now waiting in front of the wooden door. When they knock, a woman opens it. 

“Hi, sorry, we’re out right now but…”

Suddenly, something blue appears in the middle of the hallway. 

Witchcraft. 

In seconds, the kids are out of the house, screaming. It will take a few minutes for the entire town to hear about the new legend, and the couple of witches who live there. 

🎃 🪄 🍂 ✨- 🎃 🪄 🍂 ✨- 🎃 🪄 🍂 ✨

Caitlyn just teleported inside, her arms filled with candies. 

“Do you think they saw me?”

Vi only smiles and shuts the door with a loud thud.

“At least, now, we should be alone for the rest of the night.”

“Thank the gods. That last job tired me out, I was looking forward to spending the weekend in peace.”

“How about I finish baking the apple pie, and we stay on the couch for the next 48 hours?”

Caitlyn smiles, tugging at her girlfriend's belt to lay many kisses on her jaw.

“That would be perfect, actually.”