Chapter Text
The mornings in Piltover at this time of year were warm and cosy, it was like the sunlight gave you a gentle kiss while you fluttered your eyelids open as you awoke. A chilly breeze would usually go in by your window for, brushing the sleepiness out of your eyes making your brain register that you are no longer sleeping. The slight cool wind brought a nice contrast to the warmth of the sun, it was an ideal weather for spring's climate.
However, this was not Piltover that Caitlyn woke up in, she was now in Zaun and mornings didn't greet her as kindly as those of her hometown. The mornings there were hot and slightly humid. Maybe the cause was the poor quality of air that the people in the Undercity were exposed to, or maybe it was because she spent the night sleeping in a bathtub wearing her heavy uniform.
Last night, she had been so tired she didn't even have the energy to stay in her underclothes. Unfortunately, she didn't want to expose her face to Vi so she rejected her offer of sleeping in the couch and she opted to rest in the only other room with a door, albeit it being the bathroom.
Her body cramped as she tried to stretch out, in turn she gave a slight groan.
Got up from the tub and put on her helmet to see what Vi was up to.
She searched all over the house but found no trace of Vi. She instead was met with the mess that her partner's house was in. Bottles scattered all across the floor, countless of letters and papers left on the table and some big gauntlets left near the door.
Knowing Caitlyn's curious nature it was obvious that she wanted to investigate whatever content was in those letters, because for one Vi was a mysterious person and for she didn't quite didn't fully trust her.
"For God's sake Caitlyn get it together, she let me stay in her house and now I'm snooping on her stuff." She mumbled to herself.
Vi was still a big mystery to Caitlyn and she wanted to unwrap it as soon as possible. Yet, this desire wasn't completely out of curiosity and a logistical standpoint, she felt something deep for Vi that she didn't want to address just yet. After all once this mission is done they are going to part ways forever. That thought made her heart ache in a way that she couldn't explain. Vi was such an annoyance anyways, so why was she feeling like this? She couldn't get attached right now, not when the most important mission of her life was on the way.
A noise pulled her out of her thoughts, Vi had finally got in.
Vi looked disheveled as she entered, as if she had gotten in a fight but upon closer inspection she didn't have any physical injuries.
Vi let out a gasp as she started at Caitlyn, for a second she thought she was found out and under arrest. Then she remembered that her new partner insisted on wearing her uniform everywhere.
"You're up early."
"Where were you exactly this early? And most importantly what is this mess?!" Caitlyn saw sounded exactly as an angry wife it left Vi feeling personally attacked for a second.
"Hey... Don't get all worked up cupcake. To be honest I didn't expect you'd actually spend the night here. So... What we doing today?" Vi didn't feel the need to explain herself and went straight to the point.
"Gathering more information and evidence obviously!"
"Didn't we already do that yesterday?"
"Mere verbal report isn't going to do anything, the Sherrif will need more than that to believe us."
Vi groaned in response.
Today Vi had went to practice her aim as well as closer range fighting. She just wanted to rest and drink today.
_______________________________________________________
Again they went out. Today's plan was to infiltrate a shimmer base. Vi would pretend that she wanted to start working there and Caitlyn would say she had gone there by Marcus' orders.
Caitlyn wanted for the both of them to claim they were enforces but Vi denied anv instead claimed that she would use some connections to get to work there.
They agreed that Vi would go in first and some hours later Caitlyn would enter. While Vi was there Caitlyn would try to get more information from Marcus himself.
Vi walked in the building confidently. Upon entrance she was stopped by a worker that was already aiming at her.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" The voice demanded.
Vi pulled out a knife with a pattern carved on it.
For a normal person,it would look as if she was just preparing for defending herself. Thankfully the person she was facing now was well informed to know that people who carried that type of weapons were assassins working for the same person as him.
"What could you want here?"
"I have information regarding a mole selling knowledge about shimmer trade between that cop to a third party. Boss wanted me to find out immediately."
"And why didn't he contact us first?"
"Cause obviously there is a mole around here feeding information about dealings between his pawn from the enforcers. If that bastard knew I was here, whenever they were feeding the information to would know that they are found out."
"Hm, fine do whatever you want, assassin..." He said while pointing the gun down.
Vi just walked by him giving him a heavy stare.
In truth there was no mole she knew of, she just needed a good enough excuse.
Vi hid behind a wall and whenever a worker passed she would just stealthily grab them and threaten to beat them if they didn't answer her. Thankfully they were all young and sickly addicts that haven't gotten their dose her so they were weak enough for Vi to fight back. In the end the cowards didn't have much of a choice but to comply.
This approach was unexpected but Vi herself found it effective. Although she wasn't very sure why was she going to such lengths for "Matilda" of all people. Sure tre reward she had promised her was especially tempting considering her situation. Yet deep in her heart she knew that she wasn't just doing it to earn just a favour from the Council. She hated to admit it but "Matilda" was endearing.
In multiple occasions "Matilda" went to excessive lengths to ensure her safety. She even sold her weapon for Vi.
Seeing someone caring for her, Vi felt a feeling long forgotten and she wished it stayed that way.
Vi was dirty, stained with blood. She was a hypocrite. She was working for the man that ruined her life for so long unknowingly.
That fact made Vi sick to her stomach.
Vi was a weakling that used alcohol to cope. The only way she'd feel validation was to ignore her wellbeing and keep getting on fights to secure whatever pride she has left. She was a person so incapable of emotional regulation that lashed out physically on others to vent out her frustration.
Vi was the type of person that would use someone to satisfy her sexual needs and then leave that girl forever.
Vi had abounded the only remaining family she had.
Vi was a bad daughter. A bad sister. Let alone a bad lover.
Vi wasn't worthy of love. She wasn't worthy of loving and being loved. That was what she kept telling herself.
Having been lost in thought, she leaned her forehead to the wall she was using as coverage and put her fist up against the wall, ready to punch it.
"Shit what am I doing." She whispered to herself and chuckled. She still had a job to do after all.
She sighed and made some distance between herself and the wall. She poked her head out to she whether anyone is approaching.
That proved to be a big mistake for the person she saw made her blood run cold.
A flash of blue hair passed before her. The kind of blue you saw in the clear blue sky, the blue that reminded her of childhood when things were all so simple. The blue of her greatest and worst memories .The blue she yearned to see most and the blue she loathed in the same.
It was the blue of her sister's hair. However it was now longer than what she remembered she had last seen seven years prior.
"Powder!"
She exclaimed but she hid before that person turned around to find her.
Her breath started catching up to her, yet its pace was quicker than it had been before she saw that girl.
"Her eyes" she thought as she pictured the braided girl's face. She thankfully did catch a glimpse of that girls face.
Her eyes were blue. The blue of innocence and of serenity, but in the girl's face now there was none.
The expression the girl was wearing on her face as she passed wasn't a carefree smile that her sister used to have on hers.
"I caused that didn't I?"
And suddenly tears begun to pool her eyes. Tears of nostalgia and guilt.
"Why didn't I stop her?"
"Why did I have to hide? "
Vi was the go-getter. She was usually the brave one, the person everyone trusted her to deal with things.
If so, why did she turn into a big fat coward the moment she saw the girl she was doing all of this shit show for?
She peek out her head and noticed that the girl was heading deeper into the building.
The older sister noticed her sister's slim frame. She looked fragile as if she was underweight and from the dark circles that were drawing shadows near her eyes, Vi could tell she wasn't doing so well.
"Maybe if I were there for her- no now it's not the time for that. No more emotional time, I should follow her." She thought as she wiped off her tears. Thankfully her hyperventilating had stopped enough for her to calm herself.
She followed from behind, hiding wherever she could. Thankfully her sister didn't notice her and Vi was able to find a vent to hide.
Vi crawled in the vents until she finally heard voices instead of the usual huffs and puffs the workers were making.
"So you're telling me you've come here asking for information like that? Are you aware that boss already knows this stuff so it's strange he'd want you to come here to confirm."
"Oh you know, he didn't send me. I came here on my own because I want answers bozo."
As faintly as Vi could see, the girl standing below her was with no doubt her sister.
However why was she here of all places. Vi's worries only started to grow.
"Oh Powder what did you get yourself into?" She thought.
Her sister meanwhile pulled out a gun and aimed it at the man she was talking to.
"You see I need those shimmer reports is because a little birdie told me that our little fool is getting tired of our orders. His visits have become a little too frequent right. If it turns out he screws up our plans we're also screwed. Now, because I am getting mader by the second you aren't handing me those papers I'd ask of you to go along with my request if you still value your life blah blah you know."
"One" she counted down.
"Two"
"Fine! Here you go!"
"Thanks buddy, I've always trusted in you!" Her eyes grew bigger revealing an insanity Vi didn't remember of.
"Now it's my turn to be the hero! I've got to prove I'm better than whatever those amateur assassins could possibly have to offer!" She continued.
"What? Oh no, what has she gotten herself into? Is she also working for him. Shit! " The realisation hit Vi like a slap in the face.
"No she must have also been tricked... Yes that's it! My baby sister couldn't have possibly been working for that worthless son of a bitch knowingly!" Vi continued on her train of thought.
"I need to save her. Just you wait!" Vi was now determined. She thought that she'd have to complete her mission so she could slip her sister away amidst the chaos.
As much as she hated the idea of completing a favour for that bastard she knew that if she wished for her sister's safety she'd have to play along until the right moment came.
Vi followed her sister through the vents until she reached the exit.
Standing opposing to "Powder" was the worst person possible at that moment, "Matilda".
"Fuck."
"Who's you?" Jinx exclaimed as she pointed her gun at Caitlyn.
"I've come here by Sir Marcus' orders. He wanted me to come retrieve some documents."
Jinx's eyes widened. That worthless cop opposite from her was here for the papers Jinx was also there for. That just proves he's up to something.
However what Caitlyn had just said was nothing more than a lie. She was here out of her own volition to get those papers for herself.
"Come and get them bitch." Jinx said as she was shooting her gun at Caitlyn.
Thankfully Caitlyn managed to dodge those hits.
She quickly took coverage behind some boxes with bottles of shimmer in them. She got her rifle and shot at Jinx.
They played a game a cat and mouse for a while. Jinx's reflexes were quick enough to move out of harms way.
Caitlyn used a strategy of moving from one place to another to get a better view of Jinx so she can finish her.
All that Vi could do right now was to just hide. She didn't want her first encounter with her sister being like this. To put more salt in whatever wound Vi had caused her by helping her opponent. She also didn't want to betray her partner by helping her sister instead. Most importantly she didn't want any of them to get hurt, so she decided she'd just wait until the right moment and just take "Matilda" away from her sister and leave.
Jinx grew more agitated with every bullet that hit her body and with every single bullet she shot.
She let out a big scream of frustration and pulled a bomb off her bag. She threw it in the ground left as quickly as she came.
It took a while until what had just happened dawned on "Matilda" and Vi could tell.
Vi jumped of the vent at the speed of light and pulled her partner away so neither of them would get harmed. They took coverage behind a wall further from the entrance of the factory.
Surely they couldn't be spotted there.
The fumes of the smoke as well as the tiredness from battle caught Caitlyn so off guard she instinctively pulled of her helmet, finally revealing her face to Vi.
As Vi was panting a gasp escaped her mouth.
"Just -* inhale* Just what were you doing all this time huh? Why didn't you help me earlier?!" Caitlyn was mad, she was too angry at the person that had just risked her life just to secure her safety.
However Vi didn't mind her partner's scolding right now.
"You're so hot... Cupcake."
"What!?" It took a while for Caitlyn to realise that she had fully exposed her face to Vi for the first time. Yet she still felt a light-pink blush creeping at her face due to Vi's comment.
She turned around to see Vi, her hair messy and her face so captivated by Caitlyn's appearance.
"Goodness gracious..." She thought as she looked at Vi , the blush on her face becoming more and more visible.
"Back to the point Vi." She felt as if she wasn't telling those words to just Vi but to herself too.
"Why didn't you help me out back there?"
There was no reply, instead Vi said she had found some information regarding Marcus' connections with shimmer trade.
She explained what she saw while leaving out some very crucial details about who that girl was and what connection she herself had with them. Caitlyn likewise explained her own findings and what she uncovered.
"Looks like Marcus is in deep shit. It's like a whole blown conspiracy."
"Yes... But we've both found nothing explaining why he is doing that... " Suspicions started to grow on Caitlyn's mind.
"Well looks like this is as far we could get." Vi wanted to call it quilts for now.
"But... There's still so much more left to uncovered!" Caitlyn protested not because she just wanted answers, but also because there were still a few more days until her supposed trip ended.
"I don't want to continue this any longer though. Look how many times we've risked our lives, I don't want to do this anymore. I'm tired, Cupcake." It wasn't just that. She now found out that Powder was also involved and she didn't want her sister to be in danger.
"Vi please..."
"It's over Cupcake, I'm leaving."
Before Caitlyn could say another word, Vi had already left. Leaving her heart aching for no reason whatsoever. What had happened so suddenly to make Vi this angry.
Caitlyn was just left there, standing like a fool.
The hot air of the early afternoon had just kicked in and the sky was a soft deep blueish-purple. Yet, Caitlyn's heart had been left feeling as hurt as ever.
Vi on the other hand was feeling beat up, she had finally seen the person she longed the most and she didn't even confront her.
Nonetheless, she had managed once again to abandon the person she loves. She had once again let down yet another person who cared about her and depended on her.
"I need a drink." She thought as she once again drowned in self pity.
The hot wind of the undercity hit her face as the sky turned into it's darker pallet for the afternoon.