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“It’s her blood in your veins,” a coldness unlike anything she’s ever experienced before resonates in Caitlyn’s voice, a coldness that almost frightens her, but she can’t waver now. “Then why are you the one acting like her?” Vi grabs her arm, a little too tightly, her voice bitter. But she notices, loosens her grip, and instead gently grasps her wrist. Caitlyn feels the breath being forced from her lungs, the emptiness threatening to engulf her. Vi has betrayed her, of course she has, for what is she compared to a sister? She recoils, feeling the impact of her rifle butt against Vi’s ribs. A gasp of pain escapes Vi’s throat, and out of the corner of her eye, Caitlyn sees her slump to her knees behind her. A final glance over her shoulder tells her that tears are welling up in Vi’s eyes - fine, let her suffer for the betrayal she’s committed. Her limbs felt numb, only coldness and misery filled her heart, as she turned away and climbed the rotten rungs. Far below, Vi's sobs could still be heard.
With every step she takes, it feels like she's leaving a piece of herself behind. She can barely breathe, her arms are almost empty, when finally she pulls herself over the edge and collapses onto the dirty floor. Vi's sobs have stopped, everything around her is still, not a breath of wind stirs the stifling air, and only her own gasping breath can be heard. For a brief moment, Caitlyn allows herself to close her eyes and take a deep breath. But that's her mistake, because no sooner have her eyelids closed than she sees her mother before her, lying dead and cold in the rubble of the destroyed council chamber. Then she suddenly feels Vi's embrace, warm and protective, safe in her strong arms. Her eyes open wide and blink in the dim twilight of the sewers, but there's nothing there, no one with her, neither her mother's body nor Vi, whose powder-blue eyes gaze at her with equal parts sadness and love. "What have I done?" Caitlyn croaks, realizing she's just pushed away the only person she could still trust. Because that was Vi, wasn't it? Vi, who had always stood by her side, no matter how cruel life was, who had even followed her to stop her own sister. And she'd almost succeeded, hadn't she? If it hadn't been for that child. "Vi," she stammers, feeling the burning in her eyes as her own tears well up in them, "I'm so sorry!" But she gets no answer, of course not, because Vi is still down there and she's up here. She has to get to her.
Caitlyn struggled to her feet, wiping tears from her cheeks, ignoring the dirt and dust she smeared across her face with her soiled hands. Her whole body ached, but she ignored it as she descended the rusty rungs of the ladder. With each painful step, she drew closer to Vi, she could feel it, but below her, it was so damn quiet. Almost as if Vi had never been there, as if she had only dreamed it all. Finally, Caitlyn made it. "Vi, I'm so sorry!" she cried, even before her feet were on solid ground. But there was still no answer, not even a breath from Vi. She leaped off the last few rungs of the ladder and twirled around, but there was no one there anymore, not even footprints in the dust or anything to indicate that anyone had been there until just a short while ago. Suddenly, a searing pain shot through her lower abdomen, and Caitlyn collapsed to the ground with a pained gasp. Looking down, she saw a blade lodged in her side. The light around her changed, as did the smells and sounds. Now it was as bright as day, smoke and blood hung in the air, and the sounds of battle echoed around her. When she looked up, she met Ambessa's triumphant face. "Desperation is the doorway to oblivion, child," she declared in a somber voice. Behind her, she sensed a second presence, Maddie, who had shifted her aim from the back of her head to the neck, a slow, agonizing death. "Vi," Caitlyn gasped through gritted teeth. She heard Maddie reload, then the shot. She would never see Vi again, never be able to beg her forgiveness. The bullet found its mark...
Caitlyn awoke with a harsh cry, pushing herself up in bed and groaning as the stitches in her side pulled and a throbbing behind her left eye painfully reminded her that she was still alive. She shouldn't be, shouldn't she? Not after everything she'd done, what she'd done to Vi, the atrocities she'd committed in the Undercity and against her own people. She should have died in this war. "Cupcake?" Vi's sleepy voice jolted her from her still half-asleep state, rough fingertips gently brushing her forearm so as not to startle her. Caitlyn wriggled, once again ignoring the pulling in her still-healing side, and wrapped her arms tightly around Vi's neck. "Hey hey, it's okay," Vi reassured her lovingly, pulling her closer. “Violet,” her name emerges more than a sob, and Caitlyn buries her face in the crook of Vi’s neck, partly to reassure herself that Vi is truly there, partly because she’s ashamed of the tears streaming down her cheeks. But Vi doesn’t seem to mind; her hands gently stroke Caitlyn’s back and through her sleep-tousled hair. “I’m here, everything’s okay,” Vi whispers, “just a nightmare, we’re fine.” Slowly, Vi leans back into the pillows, pulling Caitlyn with her until she’s half on top of Vi and half in the bed, her fingers gripping the loose top Vi likes to wear to bed. “I’m here, Cait,” Vi continues to whisper, scattering small kisses on her cheek, her shoulder, wherever she can reach, “I’m not going anywhere,” while her hands still gently caress her trembling body.
Vi whispers soothing words and gentle declarations of love in her ear, hums softly to her, and holds her so close that there's no space between them. It works; Caitlyn slowly calms down, her sobs giving way to soft sniffs. She hates that she woke Vi, since she herself hardly sleeps and is plagued by nightmares far more often than Caitlyn. And yet, at the same time, she loves Vi for her gentle care and the patience she always shows her. The war has only been over for a few weeks, and only for a few days has Caitlyn even been allowed to get out of bed. Before that, Vi had cared for her, changed her bandages, brought her food - always with freshly picked flowers from the garden - helped her wash, and so much more. They had spent entire days talking about what had happened, and it had taken almost as long for Vi to tell her what had happened to her sister. When she finally did, Caitlyn had been inconsolable and had cradled Vi in her arms for hours until their tears had both dried. Vi had already been through so much and suffered so much loss in her young life that Caitlyn felt even more guilty about her own behavior after her mother's death, because despite everything, Vi had possessed the strength to stay true to herself and her principles, to keep her good heart. Vi shifted slightly beneath her to press a kiss to her forehead, "Sleep a little longer, Cupcake," her warm breath brushing pleasantly against her skin, "and when you wake up tomorrow morning, I'll be right here." Her strong arms wrapped tenderly around her, holding her in a protective embrace that actually made Caitlyn feel safer. Her grip on Vi's T-shirt loosened a little, and she forced herself to listen to Vi's steady heartbeat to keep from drifting back into her own thoughts; she was so tired.
The next time Caitlyn wakes, it is indeed morning, and the late summer sun shines softly through the drawn curtains in front of her window. She is no longer lying on Vi, but still close enough to feel the warmth radiating from her body. Vi is always so wonderfully warm and never complains when Caitlyn 'accidentally' warms her cold toes in the backs of her knees in the evening. Sleepily, she opens her eye and is greeted by a gentle smile and slightly tired but friendly powder-blue eyes. Vi is already awake and watching her - she often does this when she thinks Caitlyn isn't looking. And she always has the same expression then, a little dreamy and much softer than the facade she usually presents to the world. At least in these few moments, grief and loss completely vanish from her eyes and are replaced by a tender gentleness that only Caitlyn knows and loves in her. “I love you,” Caitlyn whispers, her voice husky with sleep, instead of a greeting. She feels her own lips curl into a smile as a small grin spreads across Vi’s face, making her eyes sparkle. She’s so receptive to any kind of expression of love, whether verbal or physical - almost addicted to it - and each time Caitlyn vows to herself that she’ll tell and show Vi how much she loves her as often as possible. Vi leans closer and presses a soft kiss to her forehead, letting her lips linger. “Good morning to you too,” her voice is playful, and Caitlyn wishes she could lose herself in its sound forever.
She snuggles closer to Vi again, cups her face in one hand, and gently presses her lips to hers. Perhaps it's selfish to want Vi with her after everything she's done, but as long as Vi returns her kiss as tenderly as she does now, Caitlyn won't complain. She'll swallow her guilt and fears and give Vi everything in her power to ensure she has a comfortable, carefree life from now on. Vi's stomach rumbles softly but alarmingly, and Caitlyn strokes her lips one last time to commit Vi's morning taste to memory before pulling back just enough to give her an adoring smile. "I'll get us breakfast," she says, and gently pats her cheek before carefully rolling onto her back to get up. Caitlyn sighs softly as the stitches tug at her side again with the movement, but secretly, she enjoys being able to get out of bed at last. Vi, however, notices and gently holds her back with one hand on her wrist. "Let me do this, Cupcake," she says, pressing a loving kiss to her cheek. "You can take a shower." Feigning offense, Caitlyn grimaces and looks at Vi challengingly. "Are you telling me I stink?" she teases, nudging Vi's nose with hers. Vi giggles softly and breathes another gentle kiss onto her lips. "No, I'm telling you that you had a sweaty dream last night," there's a hint of humor in her voice, but a flicker of concern in her eyes. "And I know you're feeling uncomfortable," she says, her voice softer now.
Caitlyn knows Vi is worried about her, but is tactful enough not to confront her directly. She also knows she should talk to Vi, not just about last night's nightmare, but everything else that's been on her mind. About her guilt, how powerless she feels, and her fear that Vi will leave as soon as she realizes Caitlyn isn't as good as she thinks. But right now, she can't, so she gives in with a small nod and steals a sweet kiss from Vi before finally rolling out of bed. Her depth perception is playing tricks on her these days, and she has to watch where she's going if she doesn't want to keep bumping into things, but she feels familiar enough in her room now to find her way to the bathroom on her own. She hears Vi get up and leave the room to get them the promised breakfast. Reaching the bathroom, she avoided looking in the mirror, carefully slipped off her clothes, and stepped straight into the shower. Caitlyn had never been truly vain, but the loss of her eye was a daily reminder of everything she had almost completely lost. She told herself it had been a necessary sacrifice to end the war that had started because of her. If she hadn't trusted Ambessa and let her into her city, none of this would have happened. Vi would tell her it wasn't her fault that Ambessa had manipulated her and exploited her grief, but Vi hadn't been there. She hadn't seen how readily Caitlyn had donned the cloak and agreed to Ambessa's suggestions.
The shower actually helps, and she feels a little better as she reaches for her towel and wraps it around her body. With a second towel, she pats her hair dry, then brushes her teeth and finally reaches for her eye patch, which lies neatly beside the sink. Only after she's put it on and adjusted it slightly does she dare to look in the full-length mirror, trying not to notice all the small scars that now mark her face. Each one traced and kissed by Vi multiple times, yet a constant reminder of each of Caitlyn's transgressions. Small scars on her forehead, the bridge of her nose, her right cheek, and her lower lip, and of course, the one now covered by a piece of black leather. Vi would tell her she's still beautiful, but all Caitlyn sees is a war criminal who somehow managed to escape with her life and now has to deal with the consequences of her actions. She sighed heavily and shook her head to clear her thoughts before applying some light makeup for the day. Back in her bedroom, Vi still wasn't there, so Caitlyn grabbed a pair of her pants, which were a little too short but wide enough not to chafe at the seams. And while she was at it, she decided to completely ignore her side of the closet and grabbed one of Vi's shirts, which still smelled faintly of her, put it on, and left the room to find Vi.
She finds Vi sitting in the kitchen with her father and smiles at the sight before they even notice her. Secretly, Caitlyn is pleased that her father has overcome his prejudices and welcomed Vi into their home. "Good morning," she says quietly as she enters and sits down next to Vi at the wide kitchen island. Her father smiles and nods over his morning paper, while Vi slides a cup of freshly brewed tea toward her and gets up to prepare a plate of breakfast for her - lots of fresh fruit, buttered toast, a hard-boiled egg, and two slices of fried bacon - just the way Caitlyn likes it, but far too much of everything. That doesn't matter, though, because she's sure Vi will eat her leftovers; she always seems hungry, so it's all the better that she now lives in a household where food is never in short supply. Vi sets the plate down in front of her, gives her a gentle kiss on the temple, and then sits down beside her again to wolf down her own breakfast at a speed that makes Caitlyn dizzy just watching. Discreetly, Caitlyn pushes some of her food onto Vi's plate, leans against her, and listens to her father talk about an art exhibition he'd like to visit. Inwardly, she shakes her head; it's so typical of Piltover to organize an art exhibition so soon after a war instead of focusing on reconstruction, but since she's given up her council seat to Sevika, there's nothing she can do about it now.
After breakfast, Vi readily clears the dishes and then leans back against the kitchen island next to Caitlyn. "Is it okay if I go and do a little workout?" she asks, sounding unusually shy. This alone tells Caitlyn that she doesn't really want to leave her alone, but is willing to give her some space. She weighs her options and gives Vi what she hopes will be a reassuring smile. "Of course, darling," she says, raising her hand and gently stroking Vi's cheek. "You'll find me in the study later." Vi snorts disapprovingly, mostly because she's annoyed that Caitlyn is working again, but unable to actually stop her. "All right," she says, leaning towards her and giving her a quick kiss on the lips. Too quick, according to Caitlyn, so she reaches out with both hands to pull Vi closer and kisses her again, slowly and tenderly. Vi sighs softly and rests her forehead against Caitlyn's. "Don't overdo it, okay?" Again, worry creeps into her voice, and Caitlyn hates causing Vi so much grief when she's the one who needs comfort far more. She kisses her again. "When you're done, I'll be too," she promises, and she means it. Vi nods briefly, probably unconvinced, but gives in and pulls away to head down to the training room in the basement of the estate. Caitlyn had it specially set up for her shortly after Vi was allowed to put weight on her dislocated shoulder again and, after so much rest, became so fidgety she could hardly sit still. Since then, she's used it almost daily, and Caitlyn feels more at ease knowing Vi is releasing her excess energy on a heavy punching bag instead of the walls. She's also bought her new boxing gloves and extra-durable hand wraps, which provide additional protection for her hands, and it shows. The scrapes and bruises have all healed in recent weeks, leaving only a fine network of scars on Vi's ankles, which Caitlyn strokes as often as she can.
After Vi leaves, Caitlyn gets up and cautiously makes her way to her study, which used to belong to her mother. Early in her career as Commander, Caitlyn had added a library to the room to try and ease the memories, but it had only been moderately successful. Now, however, Vi likes to sit by the fireplace, one of her many books in her lap, an untouched glass of whisky beside her, keeping Caitlyn company when she can't tear herself away from work. Initially, Caitlyn had been skeptical that Vi would start drinking again after telling her about her time in the Pits, but she's noticed that while Vi often pours herself a glass, she never drinks from it. She occasionally smells it, and that seems to be enough, so Caitlyn is reassured and always puts the leftover whisky back in the bottle to avoid having to constantly buy more. Although she has more money than she could spend in five lifetimes, she avoids unnecessary expenses, preferring to invest in new clothes, sports equipment, and books for Vi, or in the reconstruction of the Undercity. Shortly after awakening from her week-long coma, she summoned Ekko and asked him for a list of the goods needed in Zaun. He had been skeptical of her - justifiably so - but had gladly accepted her financial support and had already set several projects in motion. The ventilation system that Caitlyn's mother had specifically built to eliminate the air pollution in the Undercity had also been repaired, and instead of pumping gray air into the alleys, it was now actually fulfilling its intended purpose. Furthermore, with Sevika's support, she had managed to convince the Council to build schools, hospitals, and orphanages in the Undercity, with a large portion of the funding coming from House Kiramman, but at least not exclusively.
With a sigh, Caitlyn sat down at her desk and gently rubbed her side as the movement caused her stitches to pull uncomfortably again. Although Sevika now sat on the council for House Kiramman in Caitlyn's place - and with considerably less resistance than she had anticipated - piles of files and applications still piled up before her. It had been Sevika who had proposed appointing Caitlyn as sheriff, although she was not to be officially inducted until she had fully recovered. The council had unanimously approved the proposal, seeing her as a damned war hero and unwilling to completely abandon the Kiramman name. Vi had initially opposed the idea, worried that something might happen to Caitlyn, but had ultimately been persuaded. Caitlyn, after her time as commander, no longer wanted a leadership role on the city council, but as sheriff, she still had the opportunity to do some good. Such as eradicating corruption within the Enforcers and forging them into a force that even the residents of the Undercity could trust. Ultimately, Vi had decided of her own accord to don the uniform again, if only to support Caitlyn in her future role. Caitlyn herself had been surprised by this, but Vi had repeatedly assured her that she was certain and truly wanted it.
But of course, the Council wouldn't make it so easy for her if they could instead issue such pointless orders as rebuilding Stillwater. If Caitlyn had her way, that cursed place would be razed to the ground so that the kind of injustice Vi had suffered for years could never happen again. Besides, the vast network of tunnels in the bunker beneath the city had plenty of cells to properly house convicted criminals. But the Council had always had strange and mostly incomprehensible priorities. Why rebuild its twin city when there was an abandoned and ruined prison fortress outside the city, where abuse had been rampant for decades, and into which money could be wasted? So instead of planning to repair Stillwater, Caitlyn was working on a manifesto to renovate the bunker, which would cost significantly less, and whose savings could instead be used to rebuild the Undercity. But today she just can't concentrate. There's a constant throbbing behind her left eye, and she can already feel a slight tension headache creeping up her neck, which could turn into a migraine if she's not careful - just another inconvenience resulting from the loss of her left eye, and therefore entirely her own fault.
No matter how hard she tries to concentrate, the letters and numbers keep blurring before her eyes, and finally, annoyed, she drops her pen, ignoring the spreading ink stain on the documents. Caitlyn sighs heavily and considers whether she should perhaps turn to her other project, one the Council would be better off not knowing about, and retrieves the Kiramman key from the locked compartment in her desk. A few days ago, she had received the clearance report from the Hexgates, which indicated that Vander's remains had been recovered, but there was no sign of Jinx. She picks up the report again and skims through it for what feels like the hundredth time, mentally running through every possible way Jinx could have escaped the explosion Vi had told her about. With her superhuman speed, she certainly could have gotten out of the blast radius, but where would she have gone then? Perhaps the Hexgate blueprints could provide more clues, because Caitlyn wants to tell Vi about her suspicions until she can be sure that Jinx is still alive. She couldn't bring herself to give her unfounded hope, only to shatter it again with a simple mistake. But before she could activate the archive, the door opened and Vi came in with a fresh cup of tea, which she placed on the desk next to Caitlyn and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. She smelled good, Caitlyn noticed, and must have just showered, as the ends of her hair were still a little damp. Her muscles were still slightly swollen from her workout and bulged visibly beneath the tight, burgundy T-shirt she was wearing, which perfectly complemented her hair color.
But her tired eyes seemed a little swollen and red, almost as if she had been crying, and even as Vi got a book and settled down on the wide, softly padded windowsill, Caitlyn decided to postpone her research and check on her instead. She slowly got up, went to her, and leaned back against her before reaching for the book, taking it from Vi's hands, and placing it in her lap. Vi didn't object, simply leaning against her and resting her head on Caitlyn's. For a moment, there was an almost comfortable silence between them, which Caitlyn couldn't allow herself, not now. "I'm sorry I woke you up last night." It wasn't actually what she wanted to apologize for, but it was what she dared to say. Vi hummed softly, "No need, I wake you up often enough," her voice also sounding tired, somewhat resigned, and her words were followed by a shaky inhalation. Caitlyn suspects Vi is grieving the loss of her sister, which is perfectly understandable, and since it happened, it's also been a frequent source of Vi's nightmares, so it makes sense. "Do you want me to read to you?" Caitlyn tries to keep her voice light, secretly hoping it will work and cheer Vi up a little. They've only recently discovered that reading to Vi helps her calm down a bit in her grief. She can't read for very long and already has a headache, but she does it gladly for Vi. Most of the time, Vi even falls asleep relatively quickly when Caitlyn reads to her, and Caitlyn once joked that her voice must be very boring. Vi, however, just gave her a dark look and made it clear that she simply found her voice very relaxing and felt safe with it. "No," Vi replies softly, sighing far too heavily for her to be feeling well.
Troubled, Caitlyn sat up again, put the book aside, and turned to Vi so she could look at her. Now that they were so close, she noticed the dark circles under her eyes and how the usually warm, powdery blue of her irises had become slightly tinged with silver. She leaned closer, lifted her hand, and gently stroked Vi's cheek. "Are you okay, darling?" she said, unable to hide the concern in her voice. Vi offered a somewhat unconvincing smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Would you like to tell me about your dream last night?" she asked softly, cautiously, and, as always, ready to accept it if Caitlyn said no. And Caitlyn really wanted to tell her at that moment, not just that, but everything she was carrying around. But she didn't want to burden Vi with her grief any further, especially since she had brought it all on herself. And so she just shrugs, "Just the war," she murmurs, hearing how unconvincing she sounds. "Cait," Vi trails off, snuggling a little deeper into Caitlyn's hand against her cheek, "I can see there's more to it." She looks directly at Caitlyn again, studying her face for answers Caitlyn isn't ready to give, at least not yet. But Vi isn't giving up either. "You're not sleeping well," she begins, "you're not eating enough and you're not taking good care of yourself." She presses a soft kiss to Caitlyn's palm and gently places her hand around her wrist to hold it there, "and you're burying yourself in work when you should be resting." With each word, her voice grows more worried, and tears glisten faintly in her expressive eyes.
Caitlyn takes a deep breath; she doesn't want to hurt Vi any more than she already has. "I eat enough," she tries to defend herself, but Vi is already shaking her head violently. "Do you think I wouldn't notice if you secretly put half your food on my plate?" It's not a real accusation, but the calm has completely vanished from her voice. Caitlyn is about to launch into another defense, to say something about how she simply doesn't eat as much as Vi, but then the first tear escapes and slowly rolls down Vi's cheek. "Vi," she manages sadly, gently wiping the tear away. Vi shakes her head again and briefly squeezes her eyes shut to hold back more tears, but it doesn't work. “Please talk to me, Cait,” she sounds pleading and a little breathless, “I want to be there for you.” She gestures wildly with the hand that isn’t holding Caitlyn’s, a sign of how upset she really is. “Vi,” Caitlyn tries to interrupt, to tell her that she’s already doing far more than she needs to. But Vi ignores that. “But I can’t do that if you don’t tell me what you need,” she sobs now, more tears streaming unfiltered down her cheeks.
That alone is enough to make Caitlyn's already painstakingly maintained walls teeter precariously. "I don't deserve you, Violet!" she almost screams, though she doesn't mean to, and collapses sobbing against Vi. Instantly, two strong arms close around her trembling shoulders and pull her closer. Her walls now completely crumble. "You're always there and always do the right thing!" she cries into Vi's T-shirt, pressing her cheek against the already damp fabric. "You're good and upright and honest and always so damn loyal!" Now that the dam has broken, she can no longer contain herself, "and I hurt you so much," Caitlyn's voice cracks at the last words, but she doesn't care, "I hit you and left you," she sniffs loudly and clings so tightly to Vi's T-shirt that the fabric creaks ominously, "I wrecked your home and started a war." Vi clings to her just as tightly as Caitlyn does to her, "Cait," she tries, her voice also trembling and choked. But Caitlyn isn't finished yet, "I should have died out there," she cries so hard she can barely get the words out, "So many people died because of me! People you cared about! And you should hate me for what I did to you!" Furious with herself, she tries to break free from Vi's secure embrace, but Vi won't let her and instead pulls her even closer.
The uncomfortable position caused her side to hurt again, but she didn't care. She simply had no strength left and was so afraid that Vi would change her mind and leave if she tried to break free from her again. "Cait," Vi whispered again, her voice choked with tears, "Cait, please listen to me," she tried again, even though Caitlyn wasn't resisting anymore and was simply crying into her T-shirt. When Vi's hands left her back, gripping her shoulders instead and gently pushing her away, Caitlyn couldn't help herself and clung to Vi's shirt almost frantically. This was it, this was the moment when Vi would decide against her and tell her that she was right about everything and that she didn't want to be with her anymore. But Vi didn't let up, pushing Caitlyn far enough away until she could see her face, and gently placed a hand on her tear-smeared cheek. The pain overshadowed everything in her powder-blue eyes. "Listen to me," she began softly, almost pleadingly, smoothing her thumb along the bottom edge of her eyepatch. "I know you messed up, and I'm not trying to sugarcoat it," her voice far too gentle for what was about to come, "but if anyone can clean this up, it's you." Confused, Caitlyn looked up at her, and instead of the expected anger, she saw only gentleness and compassion in Vi's beautiful face. "You're the bravest person I know, Caitlyn," a watery smile played around Vi's lips, "and the dumbest." She laughed softly but honestly, and gently tugged at the straps of her eyepatch to loosen it from her face. “You didn’t start this war, but Ambessa would have anyway,” Vi shrugged, then warmly placed her other hand on Caitlyn’s cheek, “and without you, we’d all be dead now, or whatever Viktor wanted to create.” Vi moved closer again, resting her forehead against Caitlyn’s, “without you, there’d be no one left to care for the Undercity,” their breaths mingled, “and no one I could do this with…” Vi closed the final distance and caught Caitlyn’s lips in a kiss so gentle she felt it deep in her broken heart.
She tastes of salt and tears, and yet so incredibly sweet that Caitlyn never wants to let go. Her tight grip on Vi's shirt finally loosens, and instead she buries her fingers in her tangled hair. She sobs into Vi's mouth, but Vi doesn't care and deepens their kiss even further, tenderly and slowly, as if she has something to prove. But as much as Caitlyn wants to lose herself in her, she's still not convinced and reluctantly pulls away. "But I hurt you," she whispers, her voice trembling, a final act of resistance, a refusal to believe that Vi would simply forgive her. Vi snorts waterily, tears still streaming down her cheeks. "You did," she admits, but in the same breath pulls Caitlyn closer again. "But not anymore." She shrugs, shifts her weight, and stretches Caitlyn's legs across her lap, presumably to make her more comfortable, before placing both hands around her waist. Vi slowly shakes her head. "But I wasn't honest with you back then either." Her voice trails off, becoming regretful, and she lowers her gaze. "I thought I could stop Jinx, but I couldn't." She sniffs softly. "I disappointed you too."
Caitlyn's eyes, including her blind one, opened wide in shock, and the movement hurt, but she didn't care. "Vi, no," she managed, quickly reaching for her, gently grasping her chin, and lifting her face to look at her. "You could never let me down, darling," she said, carefully wiping away a few tears. "And I should never have asked you to hunt down your own sister." Vi laughed again, a watery laugh, and nestled against Caitlyn's neck for a moment. "See? We both messed up," she shrugged, "and we both want to do better in the future, don't we?" There was a faint glimmer of hope in her voice, a tiny spark in her eyes as she looked up sadly at Caitlyn, nervously adjusting the hem of her shirt, which had slipped slightly out of her trousers. Without meaning to, Caitlyn feels a glimmer of hope deep inside that maybe she and Vi can make it work, have a future together, but she still can't quite believe it. She takes a deep breath as she feels tears streaming down her cheeks again, "but I can't do this without you," her voice is so small and quiet that she can barely hear herself. With one hand, Vi reaches down to the back of her neck and gently strokes the short hairs that never fit into her ponytail, with the other she takes Caitlyn's hand, brings it to her lips, and presses small kisses to each of her knuckles. "Cupcake," she sounds lighter now, less shaky and sad, "what on earth makes you think you have to do this without me?"
At these words, Caitlyn's heart beats faster in her chest, completely unprepared, and a slight shiver runs through her body. "I don't deserve you," she whispers, already hoping that Vi hasn't understood. But Vi has, and her brow furrows for a moment before the lines smooth out. "This isn't your decision," she says softly but with determination. "I chose you." Vi exhales, trembling, as if bracing herself for something, but her powder-blue eyes remain fixed on Caitlyn. "The question is, will you choose me too?" Her voice trembles almost imperceptibly with her last words, but Caitlyn notices. She takes a deep breath and studies Vi's face, searching for anything that might make her doubt Vi's words, but there is nothing there except genuine love and the fear of rejection. “I love you, Violet,” Caitlyn’s voice is soft but firm, without a hint of doubt. “I’ve always loved you.” She leans closer, close enough for Vi to not only hear her words but feel them too. “And I choose you.” Their lips meet, and Vi makes a sound, a mixture of laughter and sobs, before returning Caitlyn’s kiss and pulling her so close there’s no space between them. They lose themselves in each other, slowly and tenderly, using their kisses to express what words can no longer convey. Because maybe, just maybe, Vi is right, and it isn’t Caitlyn’s decision. What is certain, though, is that she doesn’t have to go through this alone, and she believes Vi when she says she’ll stay. Maybe she does deserve a second chance after all.