sycamore55

[sycamore55]

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[sycamore55]

Chapter Five- In the Meantime

Vi x f!reader

Contains: events of act 2 of s1 Arcane (SPOILERS), some dialogue is quoted directly from the show, reader is Ekko's adoptive sister/a firelight leader, relationship between reader and vi when they were teenagers in previous parts, implied bi/pan reader, reader has an adoptive kid (kinda not really), lots of angst, TIMEBOMB MENTIONS

WC: 6.4k

Trigger warnings: discussions of death/violence

Summary: Years after the night that the girl you fell in love with disappeared, you find out that she might be closer than you thought. But your life is still plagued with responsibilities, and figuring out how to trust the love you once shared isn't as simple as it sounds

A/N: hello all you incredible people, welcome to part five of my born to die series. Previous part is linked below and other parts are up on my blog, but you don't really need to read them to understand this part (the last parts were kinda setting the rest of the story up tbh)

previous part here <-

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

The firelights were buzzing all around the tree that night.

When you first saw them, you immediately knew they would be the perfect symbol to bring hope back to the people of the community. It had grown significantly since you and Ekko had first stumbled through the tunnels on that fateful nights, now years ago.

About three years, to be exact.

Three years since you had instilled in your mind that almost everyone you cared about died. Three years since you and Ekko took refuge at the tree that once bore witness to the love that you and Vi shared.

Because that's what it was; love.

No matter how much you told yourself it wasn't; how many times you remembered that neither of you explicitly said it to each other. Time and age gave you the needed perspective that you didn't have back then to see it clearly.

You understood love well now. And what you and Vi had was love. No question about it.

But now it was too late for that to mean anything, other than what would have been a missing piece of your heart felt more like a black hole. It sucked all the emotion out of every new memory until all that was left was the grief of knowing that Vi wouldn't experience it, and she would never be there again.

And you hadn't even been able to officially be her girlfriend, or spend nearly enough time with her before she was ripped away. Every day of your life was plagued by the regret of all the things you had left unsaid.

You sighed, gripping your hair in your hands. In, out. In, out. You breathed deeply until the swirl of regrets was pushed to the back of your mind.

You had work to do.

You looked up at the small group of kids you were watching. They were running around on the grass, playing some sort of tag game. The smiles on their faces gifted you one of your own.

All of the children who lived in the base were either orphaned, abandoned, or lost their parents to addiction. In only the three years since Silco took over the Lanes, so many families had been torn apart, that it hurt your heart to think about.

You and Ekko never intended to start a rebellion. It started with the two of you carefully going back into the city, to find food and other resources. One day, on your way back, you'd found a little girl by herself in an alley. She didn't say exactly where her parents were, only that they weren't coming back.

You and Ekko agreed to take care of her. At least for a little while, until you could find somewhere safe to bring her. A week turned to two, and each time you went back into Zaun, there were more and more children without parents. There were also more parents without children, and simply more people who needed help, or to help.

Everyone in the Undercity knew either Benzo or Vander, and usually, they had known them both. You knew a lot of people from the shop, and just around, and they remembered you also.

You never thought you'd end up as a rebellion leader. A small group of people, including a man named Scar and a woman called Eve, had started their own small resistance group. You found out about it from talking to one of Benzo's old friends, on one of your trips back into the city. Over time, the group shifted to meeting by the tree.

At that point, you and Ekko had already been in the process of building yourselves a home of sorts there. Between taking care of the children you had found that were on there own, and the rebellion's need for a base, teaming up seemed like the most logical solution.

The more time passed, the more involved you and Ekko became. You tried to keep him out of the more dangerous plans, but the older he got, the harder it became. You helped out in some of the fights, but you still weren't a fighter at heart.

Maybe it just wasn't one of those things that could be changed.

That didn't mean you weren't helpful; the opposite in fact. You discovered a knack for healing others through your reluctance to hurt them. Ekko was more of a fighter than you were. He helped with some of the missions, but you still kept a close eye on him.

Once again, some things never change. Especially the things that you still had control over. You refused to let those change.

"What are you thinking about?" You looked up as your stream of thoughts was interrupted by the sound of a voice. You saw one of the older Firelights looking pointedly at you.

"Nothing. Just zoned out," you mumbled, pushing your hair out of your face.

"Good. We need you in the infirmary." The man walked away, and you sighed. You pushed off the root of the tree you had been sitting on, heading over to the kids.

"Hey everyone, I'll be right back. I gotta go help someone out at the infirmary real quick. But I'll play with you after I'm done, okay?"

"Why? What happened?" one of the kids asked.

"Is there a lot of blood?" another interjected.

"I guess I'll have to go see," you laughed.

"Okay, but you have to tell us everything," a little girl spoke up, crossing her arms over and trying to put as much of a scowl on her face as she could.

"I will. Promise," you smiled at her. She looked satisfied enough with that, and the kids ran off to go back to their game.

You headed up to the makeshift infirmary, which was really just a glorified tent where medical supplies were kept. As you entered the tent, you saw Ekko standing beside a cot, where a young boy was sitting.

"What happened?" you asked Ekko, pulling your hair back as you approached the cot.

"We found him on his own," Ekko explained. "He has a bad cut on his arm. But he won't say how he got it."

"Okay, well lets take a look." You knelt down beside the cot, delicately picking up his arm to examine the cut. It wasn't deep enough to need stitches, thankfully, but you'd definitely need to wrap it up.

"What's your name?" you asked the boy as you stood up, grabbing the kit to bring over to the cot.

"Kal," he sniffled after a few seconds. You smiled gently at him.

"Well, Kal, I'm gonna patch this cut up for you. I have to clean it first though, and it'll sting a little. You can hold my hand if you need to. Okay?"

He nodded, not meeting your eyes. You rested your hand, palm up, on the cot next to his uninjured arm, in case he wanted to hold it. When you gently dabbed the cut with a wipe, he tensed up, but stayed silent. A few moments later, he grabbed your hand and held on tightly.

You held onto his hand as you finished cleaning the wound. You gently placed a bandage on top of it, smoothing it out. Kal watched you carefully as you cared to his injury.

"Thank you," he whispered in awe. You squeezed his hand.

"Of course. Your arm should feel better soon." You stood up, and dropped his hand, but he quickly grabbed it tighter. You paused, looking back at him. His head dropped and he didn't meet your eyes, but his grip remained firm. You noticed a single tear running down his cheek.

"I'm not going anywhere," you told him. "I was just gonna grab you a blanket."

"I'll get him one," Ekko said. You sat down beside Kal as Ekko left to get the blanket for him.

"How'd you get that cut, Kal?" you asked him.

"Some guy wanted the food I had," he whispered. "I think he was using shimmer."

"How do you know about shimmer?" you frowned. "You seem pretty young for that."

He sniffled again. "My dad used shimmer before he went away. And I'm not that young. I'm almost eight."

"That's still a pretty young age to be on your own," you replied. He didn't look up, or meet your gaze, but his grip on your hand tightened. "Well, it doesn't matter. You're not on your own now. We're gonna take care of you, okay?"

He nodded, still not looking up at you, but you felt his grip relax a bit. You looked up as Ekko entered the tent, holding a blanket. You gently put it over Kal's shoulders.

"I have to go check in with the other leaders here about what happened today, but you'll be able to find me hanging around if you need, okay?" you asked Kal. The boy reluctantly let go of your hand, curling up tighter with the blanket. You gave him one last smile, before you stood up and pulled Ekko out of the tent.

"Where did you find him?" you asked Ekko once you were far away enough from the tent.

"He was by himself in an alley," Ekko answered. "Close to the tunnels."

"He told me his dad got addicted," you informed him. "He didn't mention a mom. And his name is Kal. He's eight."

"Thank goodness one of us is good with kids," Ekko sighed. You grimaced at his sigh.

"Long day?" you asked.

"Something like that," he mumbled.

"You should go get some rest. It's late."

"You should too," he replied. You sighed, knowing he was probably right.

"Alright, I will," you told him. "Goodnight bud."

"Goodnight," he smiled at you, before heading to his bed. You watched him go, before you headed to your own.

---

The basement of the Last Drop was cozy. Warm. Safe.

It felt like home.

So did Vi's mouth.

So did her hands, which were tangled up in your hair as the two of you lay together on her bed, bodies intertwined. You'd been with her just like this too many times to count. Kissing her was always incredibly comforting, like a drink of ice cold water on a hot day.

But it never lasted. She always pulled away, looking over at you.

"Wake up," she said. "Please, it's important."

"Hey...hey, wake up!" You rubbed your eyes to look up at Ekko, who was shaking you awake. The image of Vi quickly faded from your mind, and you felt a pang in your stomach.

"Ekko, what time is it?" you mumbled, glancing at the lingering darkness outside. You reached over to turn on one of the makeshift lights you'd scrapped together. When the light illuminated his face, you were met with a look of pure shock. You quickly sat up, throwing the blanket you were sleeping with aside. "Ekko, what's going on?"

He sat down beside you, He was breathing, but lightly, in haggard gasps. You could see the element of fear behind his eyes. You tentatively rested your hand on his shoulder. He looked at you.

"It's about Powder," he whispered nervously.

"Did you have a bad dream?" you asked him gently. He shook his head quickly.

"It wasn't a dream....it was her."

"What do you mean it was her?" you frowned. "Like, you were thinking about her?"

"No, I mean it was really her," he said frantically. "I saw her. She's alive."

You sighed, biting down on the inside of your cheek. "Ekko, Powder's gone. You probably just saw a girl who looked like her."

"No, it was her! I know it was her! She was with Silco, and I-I think he has her, or he's keeping her or something-"

"Hey, slow down. What exactly did you see?"

He took a deep breath before he continued. "I saw her. And I saw Silco. They were out in the river. I don't know what was going on, but it was her. I know it was her."

Your heart pounded in your chest as the gravity of his words sank in. "She's alive?" you whispered weakly. A warm sensation of relief spread through your chest.

He nodded. "And Silco has her."

"You're sure?" He nodded.

The relief from only moments ago quickly twisted into something sour. What did Silco want with Powder?

"We have to save her," he whispered to you. "We have to get her back."

"We will," you reassured him. "We'll make a plan in the morning, okay? But this is a lot, and I need you to get some rest first. Deal?"

"I'm not going to sleep while he still has her!" Ekko protested. "What if he's hurting her? I need to help her! I-" he cut off, falling silent again.

"You love her," you sighed. "I know. But neither of us will be of any use for making a plan that will actually work to rescue her if we don't take care of ourselves first. So, go to bed. No buts," you added when he opened his mouth to protest. "Get some rest. And then we'll figure this out. Okay?"

"Fine," he sighed. "But in the morning-"

"We'll make a plan first thing. I promise." You squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. He nodded and stood up, leaving the room. You sighed, flipping the light back off, and flopping down in your bed.

You weren't going to be able to sleep. You knew that. You could only lie there and think about the implications of Powder being alive.

You had assumed that everyone was dead because you couldn't find their bodies. But if Powder was alive.....Vi could be too. Or Mylo. Or Claggor. Maybe Silco had them too.

The thought made you physically ill. You didn't even want to think about what could be happening to them, or how he could be hurting them. You tossed and turned as images, each more vivid than the next rolled through your mind.

But with all the negatives, came the overwhelming feeling of hope. You'd always hoped that Vi would come back to you. And now, that possibility was one step closer.

---

"So where exactly did you see them?" You were sitting at a round table with Ekko, and a few of the other firelights. You had informed them about Ekko's sighting of Powder with Silco from the prior night.

"They were right next to the river. Close to the bridge," Ekko answered.

"And you're sure that he was keeping here there?" Scar interjected. "Could she have been working with him?"

"No." Both you and Ekko spoke up immediately. "She would never do that," Ekko firmly added.

"Ekko and I are gonna rescue her," you explained. "We just need to figure out how."

"Do you know where he's keeping her?" another voice spoke up. You looked over the table to see Eve pulling up a chair and sitting down. You glanced at Ekko, and he sighed.

"I followed them after. He took her to some building near the Last Drop.....or where it was, anyway. There were a ton of guards from what I saw," he added.

"Did you see any way to sneak in?" you asked him.

"We could go in through the ceiling," he suggested. "There's a tilting glass panel. But I have no idea how we'd get up there without being spotted."

"I may have something to help with that," Eve interrupted. She stood up, hurrying into another room, and moments later, she appeared with a large board in her hands.

"I've been working on this for a while. It's a hoverboard. Still has a few kinks to work out, but..." she added. "If I get it to work right, you could fly it up without being seen. That is, if you go at night."

You glanced at Ekko, and he glanced at you. The two of you silently communicated through the shared look for a few moments, before turning back to Eve.

"Okay, I guess that's what we'll do," you said. Eve nodded.

"I'll make this a top priority then." With that, the meeting was over, and she turned to leave.

"Oh, and Eve?" you called out. She stopped in her tracks, looking back at you. "Thank you."

"Just doing my job," she said nonchalantly. But you could see the slight hints of a smile on her face.

For the next week, you and Ekko poured all of your freetime into working out logistics, planning strategies, and working with Eve to learn how to use the hoverboard as she made the necessary adjustments. Thanks to her tireless hard work, and the sleepless nights you and Ekko spent preparing, by the next week, you were ready to go. Along with the anticipation came all sorts of nerves, excitement, anxiety, fear, and hope. You knew whatever you were feeling, Ekko was feeling it ten times more. He hadn't verbalized it to you, but he also didn't need to. You understood perfectly how he was feeling without him needing to say it.

Eight nights later, you were ready to go. You felt a nervous anticipation fill your gut as you flew through the dark night, looking down at the neon lights of city. Ekko stood on the hoverboard behind you. You both knew the plan, but neither of you could bring yourselves to talk about it.

As you looked at the people moving below you, pangs of guilt coursed through your body. The same streets that you'd walked, the same people you'd known, just a few years ago, had changed entirely. It made your blood boil to see how much damage Silco had done to the once vibrant place that you knew.

The tile on the ceiling, just as Ekko had said, was tilted enough for you to enter. You spotted it from high up enough that the guards surrounding the building didn't notice. You silently landed and slipped of the board, looking down into the room. In the corner, you saw two long blue braids on the back of someone's head.

Your heart leapt. Ekko was right. It really was her.

She whirled around, her eyes wide with a wild expression in them. You gasped quietly as you saw her. Her hair had grown out, but she still had the same features that you remembered. You heard a small thump behind you as Ekko dropped down onto the floor.

"Ekko?" she whispered in a cracked, shaky voice. "________?"

A wave of relief crashed over you as she spoke your name. You quickly nodded, swallowing down the lump in your throat. You saw tears pool in her eyes, and felt them sting behind your own too.

"You're alive," Ekko whispered weakly. He moved forward and extended his hand to take hers. She watched him carefully with the same shaken expression on her face as their fingers gently intertwined.

"We thought you died," you said softly. "We went back to find you, but the-the building was on fire, and we couldn't find you, or Mylo or Claggor or Vi-"

As Vi's name slipped past your lips, Powder's head quickly jolted up. Her expression snapped from shock to anger, and she yanked her hand away from him. His smile faded, and he reached out to her again.

In an instant, she lashed out, her hand striking Ekko across the face. He stumbled back, delicately placing his palm over the red area on his cheek. You gasped quietly, and pulled him back.

"Powder," you whispered.

"She left me!" Powder's face was a mirror of pure rage. Her hand was still shaking from hitting Ekko, but it was balled into a fist. "She abandoned me!"

"Powder, it's us, please just-"

"Shut up! Shut up!" she screamed wildly. She was holding her hair in her fists, pulling on it.

"Powder," Ekko began, tentatively placing his hand on her arm, but she yanked her arm away, and struck him across the face. You quickly pulled him back as he stared at her in horror, covering his cheek with his palm. Her hands were shaking and her eyes were teary as she stared at him.

"You abandoned me," she whispered.

"No, we didn't, Powder I promise," you pleaded with her. "We thought you were dead, we had no idea-"

"Stop calling me that!" she shouted. "It's Jinx now."

"Powder..." Ekko whispered quietly. "We're here to save you."

"I don't need to be saved," she spat out.

You heard footsteps from outside the door. Some people were shouting from down the hallway. You felt Ekko grab your arm, tugging on it.

"We need to go," he whispered frantically. He turned back to Powder. "Come with us. Please."

She shook her head, backing away. "Go away. I don't want you here."

Ekko stood frozen, staring at her, until you pulled him towards where you had entered. He stayed staring at Powder for the entire time, until the hoverboard finally made it out of sight.

When you and Ekko reached the firelights base, Ekko quickly hopped off of the board and immediately ran towards the tree. You quickly followed after him. When you caught up to him, he was curled up by the base of the tree, with his head in his hands. Tears were streaming down his face angrily.

You pulled him into a hug, and he buried his head into your shoulder. You felt tears of your own rise to the surface as his soaked your shoulder. As the weight of what had just happened sank in, a haunting realization crossed your mind.

Powder had survived. But she was gone now.

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

"Just stay still," you muttered as you ripped bandages into smaller pieces. One of the younger firelights sat on the cot in the infirmary, with a long gash on her stomach, and a sheepish look on her face. "Keep the cloth on top of it, and the pressure on, even if it hurts. Let me know once the bleeding slows down."

She nodded, and followed your instructions as you gathered supplies on the small table beside you. You pushed your hair back, and as the bleeding came to a stop, you gently pushed her hand away to examine the wound.

"Well, the good news is that it's not that deep," you sighed to yourself. "I just need to clean it and bandage it." As you worked, the girl winced slightly, despite you working as gently as you possibly could. Once you had wrapped the lower part of her torso where the wound was with bandages, you stood up.

"That should be good for now. Just....have someone come get me if it starts bleeding again."

"Where are you going?" she asked nervously.

"I just need to go check in on someone," you replied. As you left the tent, you glanced around at all the people moving through the base.

The community at the Firelights base had grown immensely in the past years. It always brought you comfort to know how many people were still fighting back, but with that came the double-edged sword of remembering the reason that even after all these years, you still needed to fight back.

Things in the fight against Silco hadn't gotten any better. If you were completely honest with yourself, they had gotten much worse. People were sick and starving all around you. Shimmer addictions were just as common as homelessness in the Undercity. Silco's goons were running around quashing disent, and you swore every day, a new face was added to the mural.

You pushed the thoughts out of your mind as you climbed the stairs to the platform on the tree. As you reached the top, you caught sight of purple curls dancing in the small gust of wind passing.

"Kal?" you called out. The boy turned towards you, a smile immediately appearing on his face. In the years since Ekko and the other firelights first found him, you were the only person that he'd really connected with.

"Look at this!" he ran up to you, waving something around in his hand. "I built it! It's a nightlight, so that the little kids don't get scared of the dark."

He handed the device to you, and you took a look over it. "You built this yourself? Without any help?"

He nodded eagerly. "What do you think?"

"I think it looks amazing," you told him. "You've got a real talent for these sorts of things, y'know."

He grinned widely. "Can you tell Ekko to give this to the little kids?"

"I think he'd really like it if you told him yourself," you told him. As you handed him the light back, his expression twisted into something more stiff. "You don't have to. It was just a suggestion. But he would really like to get to know you. When you're ready."

He nodded softly, handing the light back to you. You slipped it into your pocket. "I'll give it to him later," you promised him.

"Okay," he said. He sat down on the ledge of the platform, sticking his legs through the bars. You sat down crisscross beside him.

"You know I wouldn't make you do anything you weren't comfortable with, right?" you asked him gently.

"I know," he mumbled quietly. "I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" you frowned.

"Because you're always wasting your free time on me," he finally mustered out.

"First off all, spending time with you will never be a waste," you immediately reassured him, squeezing his shoulder gently. "I like spending time with you. There isn't anything for you to apologize for. And I'm always gonna be here for you. Deal?"

"Deals only work when both people are getting something out of them," he laughed lightly. "This just sounds like you're being really nice to me."

"I'm not hearing any complaints," you smiled at him.

He looked up at you with bright eyes, and finally, a genuine smile on his face. "I'm not complaining."

"Good." You wrapped your arm around him, and he gently nuzzled into your shoulder. You sat with him like that, watching the world move below you, and just for those moments, you felt at peace.

---

The mural shone brightly in the moonlight. The seahorses that you had first painted all those years ago were only a small part of it now. Instead, it was covered in faces.

People had come and added the faces of their loved ones over the years, each face in a different style, reflecting their own artistic abilities. It always brought you a little hope to see how that you weren't alone in your grief, but not nearly enough to quell the feeling of misery that came along with seeing the memorialized faces of everyone you'd lost.

Benzo's face stood out to you each time you looked at the mural. You and Ekko had spent weeks painting it, pouring over every single detail. Each wrinkle, stress line, and crook of his teeth were carefully added to the portrait.

Vander was, of course, also at the center of the mural. Even the people at the base who hadn't known him personally all respected him as a leader, and a protector.

Mylo and Claggor had their own places in the center as well. You could vividly remember how you'd cried your way through painting their faces on the wall. Yes, you'd managed to protect one brother. But not them.

You let Ekko paint Powder's mural by himself. Most nights when it was in progress, you'd caught him spending late nights alone, either working furiously at it, or sobbing in front of it. Sometimes both. It always brought tears to your eyes to remember how young she was. Way too young for any of this.

But then again, you all were.

Vi's painting, you'd made entirely yourself. Some days, when you stood in front of it, you wondered if you'd got the details right or not. You still remembered what she looked like, but with time, some of the details faded from your mind, no matter how desperately you'd tried to hold onto them. You knew you'd got some things right for sure; like the color of her eyes, and the placement of her freckles. But the little things, like the blossoming scar on her lip, you weren't as confident about.

If she was still alive, what would she look like? What would any of them look like? The thought occurred to you a lot. Would she have grown her hair out, or kept it short? Would she have got the tattoos that she'd always wanted?

"I thought I'd find you here." Ekko's voice from behind you made you jump slightly. "Can't sleep?"

"Too much on my mind," you sighed in response.

"I hear that," he replied. The two of you stood there, looking up at the mural in silence. You caught his gaze lingering on the painting of Powder. "We saw her today."

"Powder?"

"Jinx," he quickly said. "When we went to stop the shimmer shipment. She was there."

"Jinx," you sighed. "Right." Ekko looked over at you pointedly.

"She's not the same person anymore," he muttered, almost bitterly.

"I know that," you frowned. Which you did. Logically, anyways. But the idea that Silco had changed the girl you once knew to make her into who she was now always brought a chill to your spine.

Jinx was chaos incarnate. She took lives with no regard. She had killed people you'd worked with at the base, and people you knew well. She was nothing like Powder. But for some reason, the two of them didn't always separate in your mind.

"Eve didn't make it back," Ekko mumbled quietly, rubbing his arm. Your head shot up, and you felt a sharp sting behind your eyes as they met his. "It was Jinx."

"I'm so sorry," was all you could muster out. You swallowed the growing lump in your throat, looking back up at the mural. "I know you two were close."

"I'm fine," he quickly muttered. You raised an eyebrow at him. "I am. And we still have work to do."

"Doesn't mean you shouldn't take a breather. Especially after something like this." You paused, taking a quiet breath. "How are you holding up?"

"You'd think we'd be used to it by now," he sighed frustratedly. "And she was really helping out with running things. I don't know what we're going to do without her."

"I asked how you're feeling, not what our next step is," you reminded him. "Look, I won't make you talk, but you know I'm always here if you want to."

He nodded, his hands shoved in the pockets of his jacket. "Oh, and Kal wanted me to give this to you." You handed him the small homemade nightlight. "He says its for the little kids. So they don't get scared of the dark."

Ekko took the light gratefully, turning it over in his hands. "Any chance he'll ever speak to anyone besides you?"

"We'll see," you laughed lightly. "I'm working on it."

Ekko managed to give you one small smile. "I'm gonna head to bed. You should too."

"I will soon," you reassured him. You opened your arms, and he quickly found his way into your embrace, hugging you tightly. "Has anyone ever told you you're a really great sister?"

"You do," you smiled. "A lot."

"Good," he responded, You let him go, and watched him walk away from the mural. You gave Vi's painting one last long look, soaking it in, before you headed to bed after him.

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

"What are you sulking about now?"

You looked over as Kal sat down next to you on the ledge of the platform. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," he sighed dramatically, "you always sit here whenever you're sulking about something. So what is it?"

You scoffed lightly, rolling your eyes. "I'm not sulking. I'm just...... just reflecting."

"Reflecting," he hummed lightly. "So what are you reflecting about then?"

You sighed to yourself softly. "It's kind of a long story."

"Well, I don't have anywhere to be." He smiled reassuringly at you, and you quickly returned it.

"Well, you know all the people on the mural are.....people we've lost. For the fight against Silco. Right?"

He nodded, his brows furrowing slightly. "Your dad is on there, right?"

You swallowed hard, tears prickling at the corners of your eyes. "Benzo, yeah. But a few of the others were my family too." You pointed to Mylo's face first. "See that guy faced to the side? With the thick spiky dark hair?"

He nodded, squinting slightly to get a closer look. "That's Mylo," you told him. "He was like my brother. The other guy up there, with the googles too. His name is....was, Claggor."

"And I'm sure you've heard of Vander." You pointed over at his painting. "He was Benzo's close friend. And he was Mylo and Claggor's dad. So we all knew each other. Ekko met them first, because he did more errands and I did more of the work around our shop. There were two other people also."

You shifted your finger and your gaze over to Powder's mural. "The girl with the blue braid? Her name was Powder. She was also Vander's daughter." A lump in your throat emerged, and you quickly pushed it down. "But she's gone now too."

The whole time you were speaking, Kal was watching you intently. His gaze occasionally switched to look at the faces that you pointed towards. "Who's the last one?"

You tensed slightly, but pointed to Vi. "The girl with the short pink hair, that's shaved on one side." As you said it out loud, a soft laugh escaped your lips. "I have no idea why she cut it like that. But yeah, that's Vi." You paused for a few moments, staring at her painting. "She was really important to me. She still is."

"Was she your girlfriend?" Kal asked you quietly.

"Yeah," you nodded softly. "Not officially. But I loved her, and she loved me."

"Oh," he said quietly. Silence took over for a few moments, the only sound being the rustling of leaves. "Is that why you always ignore that guy with the bird tattoo when he flirts with you?"

"Hey, watch it," you scoffed lightly, but the comment did manage to pull a soft smile onto your face. "Maybe."

Kal smiled slightly at you. "Once you're done being sad, I'm never gonna stop teasing you about this."

You simply had to laugh at that. "Yeah, I'm aware. And I'm not sure I'll ever stop being sad about it. It just becomes more manageable. Especially for Vi. And Mylo and Claggor and Vander. Because we don't know for sure what happened to them."

"None of them were my family by blood," you continued. "Those people......my birth family, I mean....they weren't all that great. I went through a lot because of them. But Benzo was a really good dad to me. He mattered a lot to me. And Vander. And Mylo and Claggor and Powder were like my siblings. And Vi...." you trailed off. Kal didn't push you to finish.

"That's kinda like how you're my family," he said quietly.

"Yeah, it is," you smiled softly. You and Kal sat in silence together watching the mural. You couldn't tear your eyes away from Vi's face.

What else was new?

---

"I have to tell you something." You jumped slightly and quickly stood up. Ekko was standing on the center of the platform, his fist tightly clenched around his mask. "And I don't know how you're going to react."

You frowned at him, confused. Kal also looked over at him, with a similar expression on his face. "Kal, can you give us a minute?" Ekko asked him. You felt his grip on your arm tighten, and he stared down at his lap.

"Can he stay?" you asked Ekko. He stayed silent for a few moments, as if thinking it over.

"Yeah, I think so. Just..." he looked directly at Kal. "Don't repeat what we talk about here, okay?"

"He won't," you assured Ekko. He sighed, sitting down beside you on the ledge.

"It's Vi. She's back."

Your breath stopped. Your heart skipped a beat. Then another one.

"What do you mean, she's back?" you whispered shakily. Kal immediately noticed the change in your demeanor, and carefully laid his hand on top of yours. Instinctively, you squeezed his hand back tightly.

"She's back in the Undercity. We followed her from the Last Drop down towards the lowest parts," Ekko sighed. "There's someone else with her. An enforcer."

Your chest heaved, as if you had been sucker punched in the throat. "That's not Vi. She wouldn't....."

"I know," Ekko said softly. "But it's definitely her." He paused for a few moments, before adding on "We think that she was in Stillwater, and for some reason, the enforcer got her out. She might be doing a job for Silco, or-"

"No," you cut him off firmly. "There's no way. Not Vi. She wouldn't work for him, not after everything he did to Vander, to Powd- Jinx." A wave of nausea washed over your stomach. "Shit, does she know about that?"

Ekko shook his head. "She's looking for her. Silco's goons are trailing her and the other girl. Maybe they're with her"

"Ekko, she wouldn't work for Silco," you snapped. Ekko's eyes widened slightly and you felt Kal tense up. You sighed, running your fingers back through your hair. "Sorry. But....this is Vi we're talking about."

"Either way, we have to make sure she's clear," Ekko responded. "We can't risk the base being exposed."

"So what, you're gonna go interrogate her?" you asked in disbelief. "Ekko, it's Vi. You know her."

"People change," Ekko sighed. "It's been a long time, and.....if she really was in Stillwater, we don't know what she might have had to do to survive."

You sat in silence for a few moments, the implications of his words rushing through your head. Had she really been in prison all this time? Could Mylo and Claggor be there too?

"What are you planning?" you asked quietly. He remained silent for a few moments before he answered.

"I don't know yet. I guess....I think we'll bring her and the enforcer back to question them. And then go from there."

When you didn't respond, Ekko quietly stood up. "I'll let you know before I talk to her." And then he was gone.

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

end note: heyyy mb for the delay and the cliffhanger but the next part will have a lot of romance. I think I might end it at part 6 bc if I don't, I have to rewrite the events of the rest of s1/all of s2. I'm willing to do it, but it would take a while, so just lmk what y'all think. ok byee

tags: @laviannasfanfics , @oneinameliann ,

if you want to be tagged in the next part, lmk in the comments! Also how many parts yall want (either 6, 7 or 10)

[sycamore55]

don't know why I didn't do this for father's day, but shoutout to all the dads in arcane

[sycamore55]

coming from LA adjacent area- can confirm that the LITERAL MILITARY is being sent despite the protests being peaceful, which is a protected constitutional right.

Please do research about what’s going on. Talk to your friends, your family, anybody. Share this, and if you can, donate below

ymca’s in east LA are also accepting donations

hello my loves! i’d like to talk about something important going on in america because it’s not okay AT ALL. as of recently, ICE (immigration and customs enforcement) has been raiding LA in a horrific way. children are being taken, families are being separated, friends are disappearing, it’s absolutely fucking disgusting what is happening. there’s no defense for this at all, arresting people without a warrant IS AGAINST THE LAW. IT IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL. this is the exact thing kamala and the harris administration warned us about, i am ashamed of all the people in my life who have voted for this sick, inhumane treatment being inflicted upon fellow people in this country. In no way is such lack of empathy and coldness against HUMAN BEINGS okay. the children, the families, it’s SICK.

recently, ICE has been targeting hard working families and innocent people. trump claims to be targeting violent criminals which is BULLSHIT. was that pregnant woman a violent criminal? what about the children being separated from their families? what about the hard working immigrants who literally helped america be what it is in the first place. if you open a history book or did research you would know that. you can’t claim to be getting rid of violent criminals WHEN YOU ARE A FELON. TRUMP WASNT PROVEN INNOCENT, HE IS A CONVICTED FELON. how can you support this shit but vote for a criminal to run our country? YOU CANNOT BE ILLEGAL ON STOLEN LAND. EVERYONE IN AMERICA IS AN IMMIGRANT BESIDES THE NATIVES. this country was stolen, and anyone who says otherwise is ignorant.

ICE has been raiding and sent to places that are densely populated with immigrants, JUST TO ARREST THEM. rounding people up who have legal documents, who are US citizens, who were born here. rounding people up because of the color of their skin is inhumane and absolutely repulsive. criminals aren’t being targeted, and have you seen the prison in el salvador? it’s HORRIFIC.

in LA, there have been a lot of protests, most of which were peaceful. california’s OWN officers were went to keep things peaceful which was partly successful. protesting is a first amendment right, but the freedom of speech has been violated ever since trump has went into office. tear gas, rubber bullets, flash bang grenades, all of that have been used on protesters. and without consulting any california law enforcement members, trump deployed 2000 state national guard members to the streets of LA. that is also ILLEGAL. THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE. and to the troops who were deployed, YOU SWORE AN OATH TO SERVE THE COUNTRY AND PEOPLE AND PROTECT THE CONSTITUTION. NOT A FACIST FELON WHO IS CAUSING A CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS. deploying troops without the consent of the state is federal aggression, and shouldn’t be tolerated. you guys are bitching about immigrants and saying they’re violent criminals? look at all the shit trump is doing! many veterans are absolutely devastated and it’s so sad to see. sending troops to attack american citizens is absolutely disgusting. this is the most obvious violation of the first amendment.

america’s democracy is at risk. donald trump doesn’t want a constitution, he’s a man child who bitches and uses violence when people don’t agree with him or oppose him. social media is being censored, he is targeting education, he is filtering everything—he literally DEFUNDED THE BOARD OF EDUCATION. education is the most dangerous weapon against dictators, so that checks out. if this isn’t a start to a dictatorship i don’t know what is, it’s here. these 4 years could be absolutely horrific, not to mention how he wants to ignore the precedent and “run again.” WHO WANTS THAT?

to all the people who have been affected by this, i am so, so sorry. it is repulsive what is happening, and i am sending love to all the families and individuals who have been hurt. to all the protesters who have been hurt, and to everyone this country has literally failed. to the women being denied life saving treatment in emergency rooms, to the women in my state who can’t get an abortion, it’s just horrific. to all the people who have been hurt during protests in LA, you deserve to be recognized. thank you for being a voice, you are valid and you are amazing and you deserve to be heard.

despite all of this, DO NOT STAY SILENT. that’s what he wants, he doesn’t want opposers. you are free to speak, that is the first amendment and cannot be violated. talk about it, don’t be scared to talk about it. the people are what makes a country, we shouldn’t be separated and on the brink of a civil war. it’s not right, why are we looking at people in such a selfish, ignorant way? this isn’t about being red or blue, this is our DEMOCRACY and the fact we are in a human rights crisis. this is about the fact that people are scared, communities are traumatized. people should be joining together and helping each other, do not normalize apathy. people are meant to love and join together, nobody should have this kind of power and influence on human lives in such a horrible way.

we are all people, you are all valid people. keep protesting, keep using your voice because it is POWERFUL. i love you all so unbelievably much, please, please don’t be ignorant.

Speech from Governor Newsom this addresses california!

[sycamore55]

Hiii can you do a Vi x fem!reader where they are in a long distance relationship? I have this idea that reader surprises Vi by coming to her place saying I'm living in this city from now on. Vi cries like a baby and cuddles Reader all night, they watch movies, they cuddle, maybe they'll make out😉

girlllll I love this sm. I gotchu

Home For Good

Vi x fem!reader

synopsis: after you left your hometown years ago, you finally find a way to come back. the best part of returning? seeing your girlfriend, Vi, who stayed back to take care of her siblings. now, after all these years, you could finally see her in person.

contains: fem reader, long distance girlfriends in an established relationship, higschool friends to lovers before events of this story, modern au, 16+ (no 18+ content but some suggestive stuff).

WC: 2.62k

a/n: hello spectacular homo sapiens. responding to this request, for vi and reader in a long distance relationship. lowkey I did not proofread this so yeah....have fun lmao

August

You sighed, putting the phone down away from you on your desk. You knew she was right. It had almost been an entire year since you had been home. Yes, you had been busy. Maybe, you'd been avoiding seeing your family. Just a bit.

But dammit, you missed Vi.

You'd been her girlfriend for almost four years officially. Things between you two had been going for a while longer than that, starting when you were sixteen and in still in high school.

You could still easily remember when you first met; it was both of your first days of high school. You hadn't known anyone, and Vi, besides her brother Claggor, hadn't either. You'd been paired up with her at random for an icebreaker in class, and she'd been your best friend since then.

Once you met her family, it became a running joke that you spent more time at her house than you did at your own. Which may have been true, but it wasn't like you didn't have a good reason for it. Things with your family weren't exactly.....great. But Vi's family?

They were maybe the most warm people you'd ever met.

And they were nothing like your family.

You learned a few months into knowing her that Vi's parents had died when she was a kid. You didn't exactly know what happened, because she didn't talk about it a lot. But she had a father figure of sorts; Vander, who had been her mother's friend when she was still alive. He'd taken care of Vi and Powder ever since their parents death.

She always referred to him as her father, and to Silco, who also helped take care of them, as her uncle. Mylo and Claggor had lost their respective parents too, were her brothers. Blood didn't matter. What brought them together was the bond that they formed through their shared pain.

Vi's sister, Powder, absolutely adored you. You were always kind to her, and Vi swore up and down that the highlight to her day was when she saw you, and got to show you all the gadget's she'd been building. You already knew Claggor from school, as he was in the same grade as you and Vi. You didn't know Mylo, but you got to know him quickly too. He gave you a harder time than the others, but that was just how he was.

Vander loved you just as much, and the door was always open when it came to you. You spent almost all your afternoons and evenings on weeknights, and practically entire weekends, with her and her family.

The first kiss you shared was about a year into knowing her. It was after school, in the art room. The blob of paint that Vi had accidentally smeared on your shirt when it happened was still there to this day. Sometimes, when you were feeling especially lonely or lost without her, you put that shirt on.

You wished things had wrapped up neatly from there, and you had spent the time with her admitting that you were happy and in love. What actually went down was almost two years of a weird, on again-off again, situation where conveniently neither of you had to verbalize how you actually felt.

Flash forward to senior year, and you decided to apply early to college. You found out winter of senior year that you got in. And when Vi found out, she finally worked up the courage to ask you to be her girlfriend. And of course, you said yes immediately.

You spent eight happy months together as a couple before you left for college. Vi was taking some classes at a local school, but she felt too much responsibility for her family to leave Zaun. Instead, she spent her free time working with Vander at the bar he ran, the Last Drop.

You used to come back to visit for every single break and long weekend you got. But as you got further along, and found a regular, stable job at a local diner, you had less and less time. You hadn't seen Vi in almost a year now.

You really wanted to. Of course you did. But you had to think about your future now, about getting into a career that would give you a comfortable life.

And although you hadn't told her yet, you wanted more than anything to share that future with Vi.

October

The last semester had been hell.

After you had talked to Vi in August, before the semester started, you thought for a while about what you should do next. Your solution?

Overload your credits and courses to graduate a semester early.

Was it practical? No.

Were you functioning? Barely.

Would it be worth it? Absolutely.

So in a couple months, you would be headed home for good this time. The other part of your decision was that you had found an opportunity for a job somewhat close to an apartment, that was five blocks from the Last Drop.

Needless to say, it had been a week since you'd slept more than four hours. You were barely awake and functioning as is. But with most of the planning out of the way, you just had to focus on finishing up your classes before you left.

Now, it was waiting that was the hard part. That, and fighting the urge to just blurt out your whole plan to Vi. You wanted to make it a surprise for her. You knew she could definitely use it.

Vi had a tendency to push herself far past her limits, and put on a brave face for everything. That, or she'd punch her way through her emotions until she could function again.

She'd basically lived in her boxing gloves, besides the punching bag settled in the corner of her bedroom during the rougher moments in life. You understood it. And you'd promised to never judge her for it. But you always worried whenever it got harder to get her to talk with you about her emotions.

November

The last exams that you'd be taking before graduation were approaching. And boy were you feeling the pressure.

The hours upon hours of studying would all pay off once you could graduate, and finally go back home. You honestly hadn't even known if you would want to spend your life in the same town you grew up in.

When you and Vi were still teenagers, you'd spend hours sitting on the roof of the Last Drop, talking about what the future might have in store for both of you.

During the two years where what you and Vi were had been unclear at best, you spent even more time there. That rooftop had been witness to many romantic moments, stolen kisses, fights, and reconciliations.

Vi told you all about her dreams. She also told you about her burdens, and how responsible she felt for her siblings. Her dad had always expected her to be responsible, and for all the good that he had done for her, he had instilled the idea that what happened to her siblings was her responsibility.

You always reminded her that being the oldest daughter didn't mean she had to take care of everyone else. Some days it got through to her. Some days, there was no changing her mind.

She was so stubborn. Always had been. But there was an element to that, which made her impossible not to fall in love with.

God, you were so in love with her that it physically hurt to be separated. All you wanted right now was to hug and kiss her until you were both out of breath.....and maybe do some other things too.

But it'd have to wait until December, when you finished your exams. Then, you could finally go to really, truly be with her.

December

The plan was set.

With Powder's help, you had got everything in place. She would get Vander, Mylo, Claggor, Vander, and Silco all together for dinner with Vi. She said her boyfriend Ekko was also coming, and that they were the only ones in on it.

You had taken your final exam that morning. Assuming everything went well, which you were fairly confident it had, you would be all set to make the big move back home.

Your new apartment was waiting, so once you got there, you'd drop your stuff (and hopefully get a quick shower and change of clothes) before you went over to the Last Drop.

The flight went quickly. So did the taxi ride to your new apartment. You got an hour to yourself to get your stuff inside and get somewhat set up. You didn't have any furniture yet, but you had a feeling you'd be spending the night at Vi's anyways.

You got a quick shower and changed into an outfit that you had picked especially for this night. You redid your hair and makeup, putting some extra finishing touches on the look.

And then you were off.

About five minutes before you got to the Last Drop, Powder called you to let you know that everyone was sitting at a table in the back, so to sneak up on the table, you should take go in the front and then go around the bar counter.

The door creaked exactly the way you'd remember it as you pushed it open. In what had almost been two years, the bar had hardly changed. You immediately spotted Powder sitting by Ekko at a table in the back, like she had said. Her face lit up when she saw you, but she quickly pulled it into a neutral expression, focusing back on the conversation at the table.

You saw Vander and Silco sitting at either end of the table. Mylo and Claggor's heads were turned away from you, but you recognized them by their hair. Sitting beside them was Vi.

Your heart fluttered in your chest when you saw her. Her hair had grown out, and you could see the new tattoo that she'd sent you a photo of peeking out from behind her hoodie.

Jesus, you forgot how much you missed her.

As you approached the table, you caught Vander's gaze for a second. You quickly pressed your finger to your lips, and he nodded slightly, giving you a knowing smile. The closer you got, the more of the conversation you could pick up on.

"I told you, it wasn't me that time1" Powder protested.

"Riiiight. Of course it wasn't," Mylo argued back.

"It was both of you. Now can we be done with this please?" Claggor sighed.

"He's right. Besides, this was years ago," Vander said firmly.

"What makes you think that would make them let it go?" Silco chuckled.

"Yeah, we all know they're not going to," Vi laughed.

"Definitely not," you finally interjected. Powder, Vander, Silco and Ekko smiled as Vi whirled around, her jaw practically dropping when she saw you.

"Hey, Vi," you smiled. Mylo and Claggor looked back, their faces lighting up as they saw you.

"Holy shit," she whispered, covering her mouth with her hand. You laughed softly, covering your own mouth, and your wide smile. She quickly stood up, and you opened your arms to her as she practically tackled you in a hug.

She wrapped her arms around your waist tightly, lifting you off the ground and spinning you around. You wrapped your arms around her neck, hugging her back just as tightly. You'd almost forgot how fantastic it felt to hold her. And now that you were there again, holding her, you thought that you never wanted to let go.

"You're really here," she murmured into your shoulder.

"Surprise," you whispered back. She pulled back slightly to look you in the eyes as she loosened her hold, setting you back down.

"How long- when did you- god, I have so many questions," she chuckled, the relief in her voice clear.

"Yeah, I know. I just wanted to make it a surprise for you," you replied.

"It was making me anxious- and it wasn't even my surprise," Powder's voice came from behind the two of you. You gave her a quick hug, and a smile.

"Thanks for helping me make it work," you told her.

"Wait, you were in on it?" Vi asked, her eyes widening slightly.

"Yeah..." she admitted. "And Ekko. But only because I had to tell someone, or I'd go crazy."

"Well, it's a pretty good surprise," Vi said. You smiled back at her as the rest of the family stood up to greet you. When you finally sat down beside her, you squeezed her hand under the table.

Vander had made dinner for everybody, and when your stomach grumbled (at an embarrassingly loud volume), you realized just how hungry you were. Dinner was delicious. You held Vi's hand the entire time, as you talked with her, and caught up with the rest of her family as well.

When you were done, Vi told Vander that the two of you wanted to spend some time by yourselves. Despite the immediate teasing from....pretty much everyone, Vander agreed that it would be good for the two of you to have some time for yourselves. So you finished up quickly, before heading back to her bedroom.

---

The second the two of you were alone, her lips were on yours in an instant.

Her hands travelled down your body, as if she was re-committing every part of your body to her memory. She slammed the door behind the two of you, immediately gripping your thighs to pick you up. You quickly wrapped your legs around her waist, and the both of you toppled onto the bed.

Her lips moved against yours feverishly, like she was breathing air for the first time in years. Your hands moved into her hair, and she groaned into the kiss.

When the kiss finally broke, both of you were breathing heavily. She placed her hands by your shoulders, hovering over you.

"I was kinda planning to crash here tonight," you said, looking up at her.

"I'd be kind of offended if you didn't, honestly," she replied, smirking down at you.

"That might involve me borrowing pretty much everything."

"Well, it's a good thing I still have that hoodie you like then." She sat down on her bed, leaning backwards slightly. "It's hanging up in the bathroom if you want."

"I'm definitely taking you up on that." Vi rolled of you and sat up, as you pushed off the bed and went to grab the hoodie from off the hook, pulling it over your shoulders. Vi watched carefully as the sweatshirt fell over your body, and you shook your hair out of it.

"I almost forgot how much I like seeing you in my clothes," Vi grinned at you.

"Well, I almost forgot how much I like wearing them." You slowly made your way back over to Vi's bed. Vi patted her thigh, smirking as you crawled onto her lap, straddling her.

"I have another surprise for you," you murmured to her.

"Mhm? What's that?" she asked, her hands moving down her sides.

And so you told her all of it. About graduating early, the job you had found nearby, and most of all, the apartment nearby.

"So, what do you think?" you asked her, with a tinge of nervousness in your voice. Suddenly, she flipped you over on the bed, pinning your wrists in one hand.

"I think you're perfect," she murmured, pressing a kiss to your jaw.

"I missed you so much," you murmured to her. She smirked down at you.

"Baby, I'm gonna show you just how much I missed you."

---

end note: tysm @llllzn9090 for requesting this! I'm still accepting reqs so if you have one, drop it! ILY

[sycamore55]

Chapter Four- We Were Born To Die

Vi x f!reader

Contains: events of ep 3 s1 arcane (SPOILERS), some dialogue is quoted directly from the show, established relationship (friends to lovers slowburn in previous chapters), reader is Ekko's adoptive sister/benzo's adoptive kid, vi and reader as teenagers, lots of angst

WC: 3.13k (It's a bit shorter w/ less romance stuff)

Trigger warnings: vivid descriptions of violence/death, blood, fire

Summary: You had finally found a source of hope for the future. It could have been just another night. But before you could even realize what was happening, everything had changed.

A/N: hello and welcome to all of you gorgeous humans. This is part four of my Born to Die series. Previous parts are all up on my blog if you are interested. This is a bit of a shorter chapter, partly because there's less going on and partly because I'm insanely burnt out rn. This is based on episode 3 of season one, so I'm sorry and good luck in advance (if it makes you feel better I had to rewatch it before writing this so I'm in pain too)

previous part here <- -> next part here

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

That night at the shop was eerily quiet.

Hardly any customers came in at night, and as it got closer to closing, you blinked in and out of daydreams. Each time your mind wandered, you always circled back to Vi's promise. Her words lingered on your mind, and you couldn't help but wonder why she had said all that.

Of course it was really sweet. And it was really nice to hear. But something about her urgency seemed off to you. She would've told you if something was wrong, though. Right?

Maybe not. The more you thought about it, the more what-if's ran through your mind, like tornadoes. If something was wrong, Vi probably would have told you, yes. Unless she didn't want you to know.

But why wouldn't she want you to know?

You knew how fiercely independent Vi was. But not with you. Never with you. Sure, she could be guarded sometimes. She was strong. Probably one of the strongest people you knew. But that didn't mean that she wasn't soft as well. And you knew she was capable of being vulnerable and open with you.

From what you had noticed, anyway.

You drummed your foot anxiously on the floor. The silence of the store was starting to become borderline uncomfortable. It was uncommon for you to be alone there, yes, but not unusual.

But that didn't make the queasy feeling of dread in your stomach any less there.

You were pulled back into reality when you heard the breaking of glass nearby. You felt your heart speed up a few beats, before slowly settling back down.

People in the alleys were always fighting or breaking bottles. Once again, nothing unusual there.

So why did everything feel so.....ominous? Like something bad was about to happen and you knew it.

You brushed off the thought. It was stupid anyways. There shouldn't have been anything for you to worry about.

Suddenly, you heard the heavy thumps of boots, and people running on the cobblestone streets outside. You looked up, but your view through the small window on the door, couldn't see much. You cautiously approached the door, reaching for the lock.

As you got closer to the window, you could see the figures of two people. You immediately recognized Vander and Benzo, but that didn't answer any of your questions. The looks on their faces, however, stopped you in your tracks.

Benzo was standing outside a building next to the shop, with his arms crossed, looking up and down the alley. Occasionally, he glanced inside, to where you assumed Vander was. You could hear Vander's voice, but couldn't exactly make out what he was saying. All of a sudden, you heard another voice. Vi's voice.

She shouted as a door slammed. You heard what sounded like banging a wall, or a door. Or something like that.

You unlocked the door to the shop, and were about to go outside to see for yourself what was going on, when a gold flash from the other side of the alley caught your eye.

Enforcers were walking down the street. You quickly ducked as they passed the shop, paying no attention to you. Their eyes were fixed forward, and your heart sunk as you watched them walk toward where Benzo stood.

Shit, you thought. Then, another realization hit you.

Where's Ekko?

The pit in your stomach stretched out. You knew he was most likely with Powder at the Last Drop, or somewhere around. But something bad was clearly about to happen, and you had no idea if he was going to be safe.

A few seconds later, flashes of other people flew past the window. You couldn't make out details, but you saw the enforcers rush back outside, ordering them around. Benzo rushed outside too, and the enforcers had Vander in handcuffs.

In the blink of an eye, something struck. A flash of electric purple passed by the window, and in less than a second, one of the enforcers lay on the ground with a bullet in her head.

You gasped, covering your mouth with your hand to stay silent. Blood was splattered all over the stones. You could only watch in horror as the other enforcer, Vander and Benzo looked around. Benzo picked up a pipe.

Another man stepped out of the shadows. Even from a distance, you could make out the bright shine of one of his eyes. They were all close enough for you to make out their exact words now.

"Silco?" Benzo gasped. His expression hardened. "You animal. Go crawl back into whatever hole you came out of!"

"Benzo, stay back!" Vander called to him, but Benzo stepped forward anyway.

"You never did know when to walk away," the man, who you supposed was Silco, sneered.

"Wait-" Vander began, moving forward to stop him, but his hands were still cuffed, and Benzo kept moving forward. He lunged, and in an instant, the same flash of electric purple slammed into him.

"No!" Vander shouted. Benzo's blood coated the floor as his body slumped over. Vander sunk to his knees.

You had to bite down to keep from screaming out. Your entire body was violently shaking. Tears were pooling in your eyes, and the beat of your heart was the only sound in your mind. You sank down to the floor, clutching your arms. Your nails dug into your skin, deep enough to draw blood. All you could do was hold your head in your hands, and desperately try to breathe.

---

The tears had dried on your face, and the shaking in your limbs had subsided slightly. You were still sitting on the ground inside the shop, hugging your knees. Your heartbeat had settled back to normal now that the immediate danger was gone, but that did little to stop the blood rushing through your head.

Get up. Get up.

The thoughts swarmed your mind. You knew you needed to get up, and go outside and....

And then what? You couldn't help Benzo. And you weren't sure if you could stomach to see him like that.

Benzo was dead. Your dad was dead. Gone. Taken to a place he couldn't come back from.

The tears rose to the surface again, threatening to spill over your eyes. You clenched your arms tighter, reopening the newly formed scabs.

All of a sudden, you heard a soft cry from outside. Your head snapped up as you recognized the voice. Ekko.

Slowly, with weak legs and shaky hands, you pushed yourself off the ground. Through the specks of blood scattered on the glass window, you saw Ekko outside, standing over Benzo's body. His hands were clenched in fists by his sides, but you could see how badly they were shaking.

You quickly unlocked and opened the door. Ekko was standing alone in the alley. The first thing you noticed were the tears rolling down his face. His head snapped up, and when he saw you, he quickly ran toward you and hugged your waist tightly. You could feel just how much he was trembling. You felt the part of your shirt where his head was buried grow wet.

"B-Benzo....he's...." But Ekko couldn't finish his sentence. You knew how it ended. You hugged him tightly, your breath coming in short, shaky bursts.

Over his shoulder, you finally worked up the nerve to look at Benzo. You had to quickly bite down on the inside of your cheek to keep yourself from crying out when you saw his body laying on the street.

It was just too hard to see him like that. All you could do was close your eyes and block out the voices screaming in your head as you held Ekko.

As your eyes closed, you heard a soft thumping from somewhere to your side. When you looked over, you saw a small window, smeared with blood, by your feet.

Vi, you remembered. Fuck.

You pulled back, holding Ekko's shoulders firmly, and crouching down to meet him eye level. "Ekko, look at me."

He quickly wiped his eyes, before looking up to you.

"We're gonna figure this out. I just need you to be brave for me right now, okay?" He nodded, wiping the last of his tears away. "You didn't see it, did you?"

He shook his head as more tears pooled in his eyes. "I s-saw....they took Vander too. A-and Benzo...." The knot in your stomach flipped and slammed back down as he spoke.

"I'm so sorry," you whispered. "I'm so sorry you had to see that."

How were you so calm? Truth was, you weren't. Internally, you were panicking. You had every reason in the world to panic right now. Your father was dead. Yes, you wanted to be emotional and hysterical and loud. Okay, you were already incredibly emotional. But you still had your feet firmly planted on the ground, and your head screwed on straight.

You knew that you needed to stay level-headed. For Ekko.

"Ekko, listen to me," you said as firmly as possible. "I need you need to stay with me. We gotta get Vi out, and then we're gonna make a plan. But you have to promise me that you're gonna listen to what I say. Okay?"

He nodded his head slightly, sniffling. "Okay. I promise."

"Okay," you sighed. "We're gonna be okay. Promise." You gently squeezed his shoulder. and stood up. "Stay with me. I need to get Vi out."

You held onto his hand tightly as you made your way around the blood on the ground carefully. The door creaked as you pushed it open and entered the room. You noticed a hole in the stained glass, and broken shards all around the ground, as if someone had punched a hole in it.

Vi probably had, if you were being honest.

You turned the lock in the other door, and softly pulled it open. Vi was sitting, slumped against the wall, with her head in her hands. Her head quickly snapped up, and you could see her eyes soften as she looked at you.

She stood up, pushing off the wall. You stepped toward her slowly, before all the emotions and exhaustion hit you all at once. She lunged forward to catch you as you practically collapsed in her arms.

"B-Benzo..." was all you managed to stammer out. You buried your eyes in her shoulder as she held you tightly. You felt tears of her own drip onto your shoulder.

"What about Vander?" she asked quietly.

"They took him," Ekko answered softly, appearing by your side. "I heard them. They said they were taking him to one of the old warehouses by the docks."

Vi pulled back to look at the both of you, but didn't let you go fully. Although her cheeks were also stained with tears, she didn't hesitate to reach up and wipe yours away.

"We're gonna get him back," she said firmly. Your eyes quickly shot open.

"What?" you whispered. "Vi, you saw that thing. You're gonna get seriously hurt at the very least."

"I have to do this," she sighed.

"Then I'm coming with you," you decided.

"Me too," Ekko chimed in, in as firm of a voice as he could muster up.

"No, you're not," two voices ordered in synch. You and Vi looked back at each other.

"I can't let you do this alone-" you began, but Vi cut you off, her hold on your shoulders growing tighter.

"Listen to me," she begged. "You're not going. Either of you," she added, looking pointedly at Ekko.

"I need you to stay safe. Go back to the tree. Stay there tonight, and when we get Vander back, we'll meet you there. Vander will know what to do."

You grasped her arms tighter. "What if you don't make it back?"

She sighed softly. "I will. You just need to stay safe."

You pressed your forehead to hers. She cupped your face in her hands. "I can't lose you," she whispered shakily.

"Me neither," you whispered back. You stayed like that for a few moments, as if it was the last time you were going to be able to hold her like this.

Eventually, she pulled back, and raised her hood over her head. "We'll meet you tonight. Stay safe. Please."

"Please be careful," you pleaded. She nodded grimly. She stared at you for a few more seconds, before exiting the room. You watched her leave with baited breath, trying your best to ignore all the possible outcomes that were breaking through the flood gates of your mind.

"Come on, Ekko." You tried to make your voice as steady as you could, as you took his hand. "We have to go."

---

You and Ekko moved silently in the dark.

You stayed crouched low and kept your hold on his hand tight. Both his and your trembling had subsided, but the shock of what you had just witnessed lingered. So did the gnawing, deep feeling of grief.

You kept your guard up, and stayed on high alert. Your heartbeat pounded in your ears as you moved between alleys, always checking in dark corners and over your shoulder to make sure you weren't being followed.

You sighed to yourself with relief when you made it to the first tunnel. The only sounds made were the splashes of your boots in the water that had settled at the bottom of the tunnels.

You glanced at Ekko every few minutes to make sure he was hanging in there well enough. Every time your eyes met his, he straightened up a bit, pressing his mouth into a firm line. Despite how strong he was being, you could see how much your brother was hurting, and your heart ached for it.

When your gaze finally landed on the tree, you sighed, heavier this time. You heard Ekko let out a small breath of relief as well. The two of you settled beneath the trunk of the tree. Ekko didn't drop your hand, and he leaned on you.

"We should be safe here," you whispered to him. "Vi and the others will be here with Vander later, and we'll make a plan then. Okay?"

He nodded softly, his eyes growing wearier. "When are they gonna be here?" he asked you, with a small tremble in his voice.

"I don't know, buddy," you sighed. "Sometime later tonight." You paused for a few moments, carefully studying his expression. "Are you okay?"

He looked up at you, the tears that he had wiped away forming once again in his eyes. "I don't know," he admitted. He leaned his head into your shoulder, and you quickly wrapped your arms around him.

"Oh, Ekko," you whispered. "I'm so sorry. Today was really hard. But I'm so proud of you for staying strong." You felt fresh tears soak your shirt, but that was the least of your concerns.

"I w-want my dad," he wept into your shoulder.

"I know. I know you do," you murmured, rubbing his back gently. "I'm right here, okay? I'm not going anywhere."

You held him as he slowly calmed down, wiping the tears away.

"Try to get some sleep. I'm gonna wait up for the others." You felt him nod into your shoulder, but he made no attempt to move as he began to drift off.

You couldn't bring yourself to sleep. You waited and waited for Vi. But she didn't show up.

Your anxieties spiraled in your head. Flashes of visions your mind had spun were all that you could think about; visions of Vi being hurt, or worse. Thoughts that something bad had happened to her, or Powder Mylo or Claggor. You didn't sleep a wink that night.

The next morning, when Ekko woke up, the two of you went down to the docks where Vander had been taken to see if they were there. You were extremely cautious as you moved through the Lanes.

The sight that met you at the warehouse was that clearly the aftermath of a fire. The building was charred and damaged, and some parts had collapsed in on itself. You guessed that the rain had most likely put it out the night before.

Mylo, Claggor, Powder, and Vi were nowhere to be seen. You and Ekko searched, all around the building. You didn't find them.

You did find Vander.

Ekko barely saw him. You quickly shielded his gaze from it, but you couldn't pull your eyes away from his body. You audibly gasped when you noticed the purple tint to his skin, and the bright purple flashing from his veins.

What the hell happened? Where was Vi? Or Powder, or Mylo or Claggor....

You didn't have any answers. And the gnawing feeling in your stomach was back, telling you that not everything would be okay this time.

"What are we gonna do?" Ekko whispered. You desperately wanted to tell him that you had an answer, and that everything was going to be okay. But you couldn't.

Everything that day was a blur. It happened too fast for you to process, and moved too slow to ease your pain. Only bits and pieces stuck out to you.

You holding Ekko as he cried into your shirt, a few of your own tears escaping along with his.

Wandering around for what felt like hours trying to find something to eat.

A sick feeling in your stomach that just wouldn't go away.

Flinching each time an animal moved in the bushes, or something made a noise that could have been someone coming for you.

Waiting until Ekko had cried himself to sleep to let yourself exhale.

Then breaking down. Holding your head in your hands as you quietly sobbed.

When you closed your eyes and focused hard enough, you could almost taste her last kiss, or feel her hands on your body.

But it was your hands wrapped around yourself now. The sick feeling in your stomach only worsened as the realizations hit you one by one.

Vander was gone, and with him, you knew the careful balance of peace kept in the Undercity would shatter.

Benzo, the man who had cared for you when no one else had, who you considered more of a father than anything, was gone.

Vi was gone for good. You'd have to accept that.

You still had yourself and Ekko to take care of. But despite everything, you were stuck. Stuck on the memories of the past, and all the good things that were stripped from you all at once.

But it wouldn't change anything. All you could do now was silently curse yourself for the naive hope you had put in the possibility of something better.

You should've known. Nothing that good could last.

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

End note: hi....if you're still here, are you mentally well? Anyways part 5 will hopefully be out in a week or so, and it will be post timeskip, and I'll make it up to you then I promise 🙏 ily all ty for reading!

tags: @laviannasfanfics

comment a red emoji to be tagged in the next part!!

[sycamore55]

please send me reqs for fics, I'm horribly uninspired rn

[sycamore55]

omg this is so fun ty for the tag!

aesthetic. character. me

@shlumbo @neumond-alte-sonne

ִֶָ ☾. ִֶָ — tag game!!

let pinterest describe you to its best abilities and share how accurate you believe it is!! use the first picture that pops up!!

first search “aesthetic”, then “character”, and lastly “me”

thank you for the tags @dearmisshoney @riddlesrizzler 🖤

aesthetic ⋆ character ⋆ me

npt: @obsessedwithceleste @pizzaapeteer @godricgryffinsnore @draco-malfoys-lovergirl @redeemingvillains

[sycamore55]

omg ty for the tag, this is so cute. I'm thinking summer camp + spider + based on a song (song tbd)

if u wanna be tagged for when I write this lmk!

‧₊˚✧ pride month writing challenge ✧˚₊‧

hey gays, in honor of june i thought it would be fun to do a writing challenge! the rules are simple:

combine 3 prompts to write a fic, word count is your choice

has to be wlw

sfw or nsfw, but please remember to properly tag your fics!

any fandom !!

for an extra challenge, combine 3 different prompts every week of june

always remember to link this post if you participate; i wanna see what you guys write!

tag anyone you want to join ₍^. .^₎⟆

creds to lgbtqtext

and without further ado, here's the prompts list ᕙ( •̀ ᗜ •́ )ᕗ :

➤ first pride march together ➤ last day of school confessions ➤ jock x cheerleader ➤ working together at an ice cream shop ➤ lemonade stand ➤ lifeguard x reader ➤ inspired by a song that came out in 2025 ➤ broken fan ➤ summer camp ➤ summer school ➤ hates summer x loves summer ➤ short lived summer romance ➤ last summer before one of us moves away, make it count ➤ there's a giant ass spider in my apartment can you please come kill it before it kills me ➤ sorry i crashed my bike into your garden how abt i make it up to you

here's who i'm tagging, make sure to reblog so we can get as much participation as possible!!

@grotesquevi @lalaluna20 @mwahbabe @sycamore55 @fawn-tastic @thisrots @fortunxa @angeluvvs @pricesgirl @w1ll0wray @s4pphicghost @jinxificada @shouyuus

───────────────୨ৎ───────────────

© 2025 thursdaysgrrl hehe i love adding this part

[sycamore55]

My parents: what are you thinking about?

me, who has been thinking about the realization that a large amount of people (without watching arcane) saw ekko and jinx/powder and thought they were a studfemme lesbian couple: nothing

[sycamore55]

Chapter Three- Take Me to the Finish Line

Vi x f!reader

Contains: events of ep 2 s1 arcane (SPOILERS), some dialogue is quoted directly from the show, friends to lovers, slowburn, reader is Ekko's sister/benzo's kid, vi and reader as teenagers, ungodly amounts of fluff (you're welcome) and some angst (?!)

WC: 7.7k

Trigger warnings: discussions of childhood trauma stemming from abuse/parents dying or being dead

Summary: After you and Vi have come face to face with your feelings for each other, you begin to think that maybe this is the one good thing that you can hold on to. But the Undercity always has a way of making life hard, especially for two kids who maybe love each other.

A/N: hello all you cutie patooties, welcome to part 3 of my Born to Die series! my apologies for the delay, I've had an insanely hectic week. the masterlist and parts 1 & 2 are on my blog if you haven't read them yet but want to

previous part here <- -> next part here

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

Last night had been absolutely perfect.

As you lay in your bed, staring at the murky green ceiling, your mind echoed with the memory of the night before. Every hitch of Vi's breath, every time a faint blush bloomed across her cheeks, even how when she laughed, the way she would shake her head slightly.

You had been close enough to almost count every freckle on her face, and to see the small cut on her upper lip curve up each time she smiled.

And when your fingers intertwined, you thought you might die of happiness right then and there. But one thing lingered on your thoughts.

Why didn't you kiss her?

Or why didn't she kiss you?

Growing up in a place where every day was a struggle to survive, romance hadn't exactly been a priority, so you didn't have a frame of reference for what you were supposed to be doing. Maybe this was just the way things went.

Oh well. That could be a mystery for another day.

You couldn't stop thinking about how it had felt to have your body pressed tightly to yours as you shared the moment together. Truth be told, that was probably the most at peace you'd felt in a long time.

Suddenly, the blanket you were lying under was pulled away. You groaned and tried to pull it back as the cold air hit your skin.

"Wake up, sleeping beauty," Ekko said as he hovered over you. "I need your help with the shop."

"Mhm....five more minutes," you mumbled tiredly.

"No, not in five minutes, now!" Ekko protested. "Seriously, why have you been so tired lately?"

You sighed, finally sitting up and snatching the blanket back from him. "I just had a late night."

He smirked at you. "Oh yeah? What were you doing?"

"Nothing, Vi and I just stayed up late talking." You rested your forehead on your palm, dragging your hand back to finger-brush your hair.

“Just talking?” He smirked at you. “Or were you doing something else, like…”

You threw your pillow at his face. He dodged it, giving you one last teasing grin before he left the room, and it fell into silence again.

You finally dragged yourself out of bed, and slipped on your jacket. You pulled your hair back into a braid, before heading down to the shop.

As you worked that day, there were times when you realized you were softly humming to yourself. Humming. What was going on with you? Was it even possible that one girl could make you this happy?

Ekko had noticed immediately, and knew exactly what was going on. You were the target of relentless teasing from him all day, with your only comfort being that Powder was probably doing the exact same thing to Vi.

Benzo also noticed your newfound cheery mood, but he was more oblivious as to its cause. He was simply just glad that you were happy for once.

At the end of the day, when both you and Ekko had finished your work at the shop, you decided to go to the Last Drop to visit the others. The whole way there, Ekko teased and peppered you with questions like, were you and Vi dating? Were you gonna kiss her? Did you love her?

The only way to get him off your back was to turn the questions back to him, but about Powder instead. You laughed to yourself when his face went red, and he quickly clammed up.

When you reached the bar, you both quickly said 'hi' to Vander, who, with a knowing twinkle in his eye, informed you that Vi and the others were in the basement.

You held your breath as you went down the stairs, unsure what was going to happen next, but definitely excited to find out.

---

You told Vi the previous night, when you left, that you were working for the entirety of today. That didn't really help to settle her nerves, which were growing rapidly with each minute you weren't there.

What if you got scared off and she would never see you again?

What if you were upset that she didn't kiss you?

Goddamn, she'd been so close. Even in the dark, she could see the way your hair fell over your shoulders, and how you got a small crinkle between your eyebrows whenever you worried about her.

She redid her wraps almost immediately after you left. She wasn't used to having them off. But somehow, with you, it felt...natural.

Gosh, she really should have kissed you.

She'd been close enough to, easily. But you both chickened out of it. She was fine with just sitting with you and holding your hand though. Way more than fine, actually.

What the two of you had didn't have solid lines or definitions yet. But it was definitely something, and Vi knew there wasn't any turning back now.

When she got back, Powder had been asleep, but Mylo easily teased Vi enough in her absence. When Powder woke up, Vi had asked her what she had said to you the night before.

With a grin, Powder informed her that she had told you that she thought you should kiss Vi, so that you could be her actual big sister. Vi's face went bright red at this information, and Mylo laughed so hard that he actually fell on the floor.

That entire day, she couldn't stop replaying the moment in her head. Some of the times, when she was reminded of it, she imagined that she had, in fact, kissed you. The thought of how your lips would feel pressed against hers occupied her mind for the entire day.

Now, she was stretched out on the couch, watching Powder tinker with one of her bombs. Mylo and Claggor were chatting on the other side of the room. She looked up as the door to the basement creaked open. Powder's eye lit up as she saw Ekko come down the stairs, as you shut the door behind you.

Ekko flopped down in an empty chair, and immediately struck up a conversation with Powder about the latest bomb she was working on. You slid down onto the couch next to her and smiled, and in a second, all of her doubts faded away.

"Hey," she said to you as you sat crisscross on the sofa, facing her.

"Hey," you replied, with soft and anxious smile on your face. "Sorry we're late, things were kind of hectic at the shop today."

Vi shook her head, as if she hadn't spent every single second of the day doubting if you were even going to show up. "Don't worry about it."

You told her about your day at the shop; which customers had been polite or rude, and the new device you were excited to fix up. She listened thoughtfully, ocassionally needing to pull her gaze away from just watching your mouth.

As your train of thought naturally came to a halt, you noticed how intently she was looking at you. As the silence between the two of you fell, you watched the others, playing and chatting. Eventually, Vi spoke up again.

"You wanna get out of here?" She pushed herself off the sofa, and extended her hand to you. You took it, pulling yourself up off the couch.

"And go where?" you asked her. She smirked in response.

"Anywhere works. Why, you got something specific in mind?"

Now it was your turn to smile mysteriously at her. "Actually, yes."

"Well, what are we waiting for then?"

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

After a long debate with the others, Vi had finally convinced them not to tell Vander that you and her were leaving. She assured Powder that they would be careful to not get caught, and then Powder whispered something in her ear, quiet enough as to not let you hear, that made her ears go bright red.

You didn't tell Vi where you were going on the walk over. You just said to her, 'you'll see,' if she asked. The walk wasn't too long, but it did take you through some extremely dirty tunnels, where the bottom was covered in water. You both ended up getting the bottom of your boots wet, but when you got to your destination, she forgot all about that.

"Woah." Vi stared up in awe at the mural on the wall.

"Yeah," you replied quietly. You had decided to take her to a secret place that you had discovered a while back.

"I didn't even know trees could grow down here," she said in awe.

"Me neither," you admitted. "I've been coming here a while now. I try to add a little to it each time." You gestured up at the mural. Vi's head snapped sideways to look at you.

"Wait, you're telling me you painted all this?" Her eyes widened slightly as you nodded. "Damn. I had no idea."

"I haven't shown anyone," you responded. "Except you now, I guess."

She smiled back at you over her shoulder, and you thought your heart might combust right then and there.

"You're really talented," she said, looking more at the painting. She traced her fingers over each of the designs, stopping at the one that intrigued her the most.

"What's this?" She asked, pointing to the small portion of the painting. You walked over to see which part she was looking at.

"Oh, those are called seahorses. I saw a picture of them in a book someone brought into the shop," you replied. She looked more closely at the painting.

Your fingertips brushed over the paint strokes as you spoke. "In the book, it said when they fall in love, they stay with their partner for the rest of their lives. And they take really good care of their kids. It's pretty sweet, actually." Vi watched your hand move over the wall as you spoke about the seahorses.

"Wow. You're talented and smart? I really hit the jackpot." Vi said, grinning at you. Your cheeks heated up.

"Is this your way of flirting?" you replied, the blush still fully visible on your cheeks.

"Depends. Is it working?" She smirked at you as you leaned back against the wall, crossing your arms.

She was now standing in front of you, so close that you were almost touching. Her foot bumped against yours as she stared over your face.

"You're really beautiful," she whispered. "You know that, right?" Your breath caught in your throat as she moved closer to you.

Her left hand came up to cup your cheek, while her right hand tentatively rested on your waist. You held onto her right arm with one of your hands, and rested the other one on her shoulder.

"Vi," you began.

"I really want to kiss you right now," she whispered, cutting you off. "Is that okay?"

Time seemed to slow down as the buzz of the firelights faded away, and the world around you became the background. All you were left with was her, and the feeling of her touch.

You leaned in.

She leaned in.

Your lips met hers.

It was delicate and clumsy and absolutely wonderful.

Vi kissed you gently, like she couldn't actually believe it was happening. The hand she had rested on your waist snaked all the way around your back, and she pulled you flush up against her. You wrapped your arms around her shoulders, running one of your hands up into her hair.

As the kiss ended and your lips broke apart, she rested her forehead against yours. Your hands came to a stop on her face, and hers stayed on your waist.

She finally opened her eyes, looking up at you. When you met her gaze, you saw how lightly she was breathing. You gently traced the bruise on her temple with your thumb.

She kissed you again, and this time, the kiss expressed all of the feelings that the two of you had built, and all the time you had spent keeping them to yourselves.

It wasn't rushed, or messy. It was just you and her, filling all the time you had with all the things you both left unsaid.

---

"So, what now?" Vi asked you.

You were now sitting beside Vi, leaning back against the trunk of the tree. Your head rested on her shoulder, and she had swung her legs over yours as your fingers laced together.

"I don't know," you admitted softly. "I don't really have a ton of expertise in this area."

"Me neither," she added. "But, I mean when all this shit with Piltover and the enforcers is done. What do you want then? Because I know what I want."

"What do you want?" you asked her.

"I want to take you to actually see the city. We could go for a day, and I can show you the spots I like to go and sit at. And we could bring some food, and just spend the day there."

You pulled your head up from her shoulder to look at her. "Like a date?" you asked, your eyes widening slightly.

"Yeah," she smiled. "I want to take you on a date."

You smiled widely back at her. "I think I want that too."

She leaned over, pressing a soft kiss to your temple. Your smile only grew wider as she lay her head down on your shoulder. You closer your eyes as the two of you lay beneath the tree.

"I think Powder and Ekko already know about this," you informed her. "At least Ekko. He's been teasing me nonstop all day."

She laughed softly to herself. "Yeah, Powder and Mylo too. At least Claggor's nice enough to pretend that he hasn't noticed."

You sighed. "I hate to say this, but the others are gonna get suspicious if we don't head back soon."

She groaned softly, swinging her legs off of yours. "Can I at least get another kiss before we have to go?" You laughed softly to yourself, before taking her face in your hands to kiss her again.

But on the other hand, maybe, it wouldn't hurt to get back a little late.

---

"I knew it!" Vi was fifty-fifty on whether or not she should punch Mylo to get him to shut up. The smug, gloating smirk on his face was enough to make her lean towards sixty-forty for smacking him.

"Oh man, I totally called it!" Claggor simply sat in the corner with a wide, goofy grin on his face.

Your hand was still laced with Vi's, and you were picking at the fabric of your shirt nervously, your face bright red.

You looked down as Powder tugged gently on your arm. "Does this mean you're my sister now?"

"Oh, um," you glanced at Vi. "I mean, technically no, but you know you've always been able to think of me like a sister, right?" Vi's heart skipped a beat as she watched how natural you were with Powder.

Powder smiled wide, before running back to where Ekko was sitting, He didn't say anything to you, but when you caught his eye, he had a huge smile on his face. You gave a small smile of your own back to him.

Mylo didn't stop his teasing though. "Wow, Vi, I never thought you'd be the first one of us to get totally whipped for someone."

"I-shut up, that's not-" Vi stammered over her words a bit as Mylo's grin only grew wider.

"Seriously. How'd you of all people manage to score a girlfriend?"

At the mention of the word girlfriend, Vi immediately turned beet red. You glanced down also, a bit surprised by how casually he'd used the word.

Claggor, sensing the awkwardness, sighed and finally spoke up. "Dude, just drop it already. It's not like we didn't know what was going on."

Vi made a small noise that sounded like she was being strangled.

"Sorry, what?" you asked. Claggor sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

"We all knew," he finally admitted. "Neither of you are super subtle."

"Oh," was all you managed to squeak out. Vi remained silent, her face still brightly colored. A silence fell over the room, as Powder and Ekko settled back into what they had been doing before. Mylo was still grinning to himself, and muttering something about lovebirds and then, classic, classic.

Vi sighed, and pulled you back over to the couch, where you both sat down. "Just ignore them," she said.

"Noted," you muttered to yourself as the blush began to fade from your cheeks.

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

When you first told Vi about a beach in Zaun, she actually thought you were joking.

But Powder had begged and begged to go see it. And when Mylo, Claggor and even Ekko jumped on the bandwagon, Vi had to give in.

You had assured her that the enforcers wouldn't come down there. The water in the river that ran into the undercity bordered on toxic, and no one from Topside wanted to get anywhere near it. Even most people in Zaun didn't know it existed, and wouldn't get close enough to the river to find it on their own.

So that was how Vi ended up being dragged down an alleyway, Powder holding one of her hands, and you holding the other. Mylo and Claggor trekked behind the three of you, and Ekko jogged along beside them.

"It's not that much further," you promised everyone for what felt like the hundredth time. Mylo groaned, and began to complain again. Vi quickly shot him a look that said shut it.

As you walked along, Vi's hand would occasionally brush against yours. Neither of you said anything about it, because as you had noticed, seeking comfort in each other's touches was becoming more and more common between the two of you.

It had been a few days since your first kiss. Although everything was a bit awkward at first, between Mylo's teasing and the newness of it all, Vi felt that things were finally settling into something at least sort of normal. You and Ekko spent almost every day after being in the shop at the Last Drop, and every time he tried to tease you about Vi, you only had to mention Powder's name to shut him up.

You dropped Vi's hand to push a cluster of dead vines away from what appeared to be a dead end. You ducked down to enter a dark tunnel. Powder quickly followed you, dragging Vi along with her. Mylo hesitated for a moment, before groaning and following. Ekko and Claggor entered, letting the vines drop behind them, shrouding the tunnel in darkness.

"It's right at the end of this," you called back, the sound of your voice echoing in the small space.

"It better be," Mylo called back, the annoyance in his voice becoming more prominent.

Finally, a light became visible from the end of the tunnel. You smiled slightly to yourself as Powder and Ekko both gasped quietly. When you exited the tunnel, you were faced with a small patch of sand on the riverbed. It could hardly be called a beach, but it was a close as you could get to one in the undercity.

Powder pulled Vi out of the tunnel, Ekko running to catch up to her. You stood back and watched with a wide smile on your face as the kids ran down to the water. Vi stood beside you, smiling to herself as she watched Powder playing by the shore.

"I guess you weren't kidding," she said to you. You smiled over at her.

"I guess I wasn't," you replied with a slight smirk tugging at the corner of your lips. You gestured over to a dead log that had fallen on the ground. You and Vi sat down on the edge of the log.

You could and would on any day swear up and down that the calmest Vi ever looked was when she could watch her siblings be at peace. The thin, short strands of hair that fell in front of her face weren't even on her radar. You watched a twinkle pass through her pale, sky-blue eyes, and a smile ghosted her face.

She wasn't bouncing her leg or pulling on her fingers out of anxiety. She was truly calm.

"Thank you," she finally said to you.

"For what?" you asked her.

"For bringing us here. It means a lot....y'know, for Powder and the others."

"Oh, it means a lot for Powder?" you raised an eyebrow at her. A faint flush dusted her cheeks.

"It's just nice. Y'know, to catch a break from everything."

A soft smile decorated your face. "Well, I'm happy to help." She smiled back, before leaning her head on your shoulder. She exhaled softly, closing her eyes. You smiled wider to yourself, leaning your head against hers as you watched the family you had built finally have a happy moment.

---

"Remind me why we bother with this dump?" Mylo's voice interrupted the silence of the abandoned arcade, as Vi finished up her round on the punching machine. Her score glowed in bright letters at the very top of the leaderboard.

"Vander said to lay low," Vi replied, the exhaustion in her voice clear as she wiped beads of sweat away from her forehead. "Enforcers never come down here, so this is as good a place as any."

"Oh, what's the matter, Mylo?" Claggor teased. "You worried Powder's gonna beat you again?"

"Hey, if she didn't keep fixing these things, I wouldn't keep missing," Mylo complained. Just then, Powder clicked the final pieces together, powering up the machine.

"You guys know I wouldn't take you on a job you couldn't handle, right?" Vi asked as she undid the straps of the boxing gloves, flexing her fingers. Mylo fired off a few shots at the target, but missed almost all of them.

"Are you kidding? That was the best job we've ever done," Mylo responded. "Maybe just don't take Powder next time." Powder glared at him as she snapped the arcade gun into place, raising it towards the targets.

As she fired off the shots at the targets, almost all of them hit exactly the right spots. She made a face at Mylo, before walking over to another machine.

She watched through a crack in the window as enforcers interrogated the people outside.

"Hey, guys? You should see this-" she began, but was cut off as one of the men being questioned was thrown into the window, shattering the glass. Vi ran to the edge of the platform, scanning the room.

The enforcers quickly noticed them in the arcade. "Search them," one of the officers commanded.

"Go ahead, idiots. We've got nothing," Mylo practically jeered.

Powder glanced at the crystals in her pouch, and then looked up at Vi. Vi noticed the crystals in Powder's pocket, and looked over at Claggor. Understanding what to do, Claggor pulled the switch, and the lights went out.

Powder and Mylo ran. They both ducked into the game they had been playing. Mylo tried to shoot the enforcers with the toy gun, but it didn't do any damage. They went to grab him, but Vi hit them with one of the paddles from the punching machine.

Powder ducked and weaved between the various targets. One of the enforcers snuck up behind her and grabbed her, but she managed to get his arm stuck in the target, and Vi grabbed her.

"Come on!" Vi shouted as she pulled Powder along behind her. The four children ran out into the alley behind the arcade, with the enforcers close on their tails.

As they ran into the alley, Vi noticed enforcers on the other side ahead. They were cornered. Just as Vi was about to panic, a ladder dropped from above. She saw you and Ekko standing on top of the ledge above it.

She jumped to reach the ladder, pulling herself up first as Mylo and Claggor followed close behind. One of the enforcers tried to grab Powder again, but she managed to escape.

Vi kicked the ladder down when they were all safely on the ledge

"You need to hide those crystals."

"Yeah, no shit," Powder responded, as they all disappeared into the tunnel.

Vi took your hand as the two of you followed the others through the tunnel. You gave her hand a soft squeeze, a reassuring reminder that you were right there with her. For once, none of the others teased you about it, as the events that had just occurred lingered over them all.

---

"We should hit them back. We've got the numbers to beat them."

"Yeah! Let's teach them what it means to mess with us!"

Loud shouts echoed around the bar as people protested and rose from their seats. Vander and Benzo were in the front of the room, leaning against the counter. Vander lit his cigar and took a long breath of it before he replied.

"You sure that's what you want?" His tone was skeptical.

"Let's do it," someone called from the back.

"We crossed that bridge once before, and we all know how that ended," Vander warned the crowd.

"You're just protecting your kids!" another voice chimed in. He glanced back at where Vi, Powder, Mylo and Claggor were standing in the doorway, with you and Ekko off to the side.

"I'm protecting our people. I'd do the same for any one of you," he shot back. "We look out for each other, it's the way it's always been. This will blow over. We just need to stand together."

"The Vander I knew, the one who built the underground, wouldn't be afraid to fight." A woman stood up to face Vander. You didn't recognize her, but Vi obviously did.

Vander look another drag from his cigar as he stepped forward. "Do I look afraid?"

"No. You look weak." She whistled and a different group of people stood up, following her out of the bar.

"Why isn't he doing anything?" Claggor whispered as the people in the bar began to disperse.

"We kicked the enforcers butts with just the four of us! Imagine what the whole of the Lanes could do!" Powder added.

"Geez, even Powder wants to fight," Mylo snickered.

"So why aren't we?" Vi's voice was filled with frustration as she followed Powder into the basement. You walked after her, but stopped when you noticed Ekko hadn't moved.

"What's wrong?" you asked him, folding your arms across your chest. Vi raised an eyebrow at him as Powder peeked around the door to watch.

"Spill it Ekko," Vi ordered. Ekko's gaze darted around, with nervous glances at Vi, you and Powder in between.

"Uh...okay, well, um, Vander's got a deal with the enforcers," Ekko finally answered sheepishly.

"What deal?" You frowned at Ekko, as this was news to you too.

He nervously glanced at where Vander stood, before gesturing for you to follow him to the basement. You exchanged a quick look with Vi, before following him down the stairs.

"I heard Vander talking to the enforcers. They had a deal where they wouldn't come down here, if none of us went up there," Ekko explained as he sat down by the chair. Vi sat down on the couch facing him, and you stood behind her.

"But, since you exploded that building..." he trailed off.

"For the last time, we didn't-" Vi sighed as she cut herself off. "So the enforcers are just gonna keep coming now?"

"I think so? I didn't hear that much," Ekko answered, rubbing the back of his neck.

Vi sighed as she leaned back against the sofa. Great, she thought. Just what we need.

---

That night, as Vi lay awake, staring at the ceiling, she couldn't shake her anxiety about their encounter with the enforcers. They had been so close to catching Powder. If they took her....Vi didn't think she would be able to live with herself.

It was pure luck that you and Ekko had been on your way to visit them in the arcade, and were able to drop down the ladder to help her and her siblings escape. But if you hadn't been there, the enforcers might have hauled all of them off to prison.

She rolled over, the thin blanket that covered her doing little to ward off the cold. As she stretched her head over the rail of her bunk, and looked down at where Powder slept, she couldn't help but imagine all the ways that day could've gone wrong.

Suddenly, a small line of light shone on her face. She sat up in her bed as the door creaked open, which was where the light was coming from. She expected it to be Mylo or Claggor, or even Vander, but it wasn't.

It was you.

You gave her a small, lopsided smile as you shut the door, pulled your boots off, and walked over to the bed. She leaned down over the edge.

"How'd you get in here?" she whispered, careful not to wake Powder.

"Benzo's upstairs with Vander. I told him that I wasn't feeling well, and Vander said I could sleep on the couch down here for the night," you whispered back.

She supressed a laugh. "I didn't take you for the sneaking around type." She scooted over as you silently climbed up into her bunk.

"I'm not. I think you're just a bad influence on me," you replied as you lay down on her bed. "But I am gonna have to get up to go lay down on the couch in the morning." She smiled, and pulled her blanket over you, and wrapped her arms around your waist, resting her head on your shoulder. You started playing with the ends of her hair gently, and rested your forehead against hers.

"How are you holding up?" You murmured quietly to her. She sighed softly, closing her eyes.

"I really thought that they were gonna catch Powder," she whispered back. "It's a miracle you and Ekko showed up when you did. And I still can't believe Vander is working with topside."

"Yeah, I'm really glad we made it in time" you whispered to her. "And the thing about Vander is crazy too. But Vander and Powder aside. How are you feeling?"

Vi was taken aback by your question. At first, she thought it was a dumb thing to ask. She was fine. She had to be fine, because people were depending on her.

The more she thought about it, though, the more she wanted to talk to you about it. "I don't know," she finally admitted. "I don't know when this is gonna be over."

You listened to her intently, stroking her cheek with your thumb. She leaned into your touch, and you could visibly see her slowly relax.

"I'm really tired," she continued. "I'm always trying to be strong, for Mylo and Claggor and Powder. Powder especially. But it gets hard sometimes. And I can't stop worrying about what's gonna happen to us."

"This isn't all on you, you know," you said softly to her. "I'm here for you. And Mylo and Claggor and Powder- even Ekko- yeah, they all look up to you, but they also love you a lot. You don't have to carry it all alone."

She exhaled softly, her forehead still resting on yours. "Thank you," she whispered as her eyes finally closed.

You leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "Of course."

And as your eyes slowly fluttered shut, you could've sworn you heard her mumble something that sounded suspiciously like I love you.

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

The sound of soft giggles floating through the door to Vi and Powder's room had become routine for everyone by now. Mylo would roll his eyes and crack a joke, Claggor would sigh and try to refrain from saying anything, and Powder and Ekko would be instantly overjoyed whenever this happened.

You figured that Benzo had an idea of what was going on, but he never said anything to you about it. Vi had similar suspicions that Vander also knew, but did his best to give her the space to come to him with it.

When the others were in the basement, you and Vi tried to avoid being loud, even though the door was closed. This meant that you could only ever steal one or two quick kisses during your time together.

Vi's sleepy, mumbled almost-I-love-you had been the subject on your mind the most for the past week. You weren't even sure if that was what she said, and frankly, you were too scared to ask her.

Right now, you and Vi had found the rare occasion where Ekko had invited everyone to go over to Benzo's instead of hanging out in the basement. You and Vi had declined, opting to spend some time by yourselves instead.

You were cuddled up on the sofa, with your bodies slotted together. Your arm was wrapped around her shoulders, and one of your hands was curled in her hair. Her hands were cupping your face as the two of you whispered jokes and sweet nothings to each other in between gentle kisses.

Vi paused for a second, her face hovering close to yours. "I kinda wanted to ask you something."

"Okay. Shoot," you whispered back to her.

"Alright. Well...I was wondering if you wanted to be my girlfriend? Officially, I mean."

You froze at the question, your eyes widening slightly. Your grip on Vi's shoulder loosened unconsciously.

"It's not a big deal, I mean..." her voice trailed off, and a pinch of guilt poked at your stomach.

"I..." you tried to respond as she dropped your face and pulled back. The disappointment in her eyes was clear as she dropped her hands in her lap, swinging her legs off the sofa. "I think I need to get back to the shop soon."

"Oh," was all that left her mouth. "I guess I'll see you later then." She didn't meet your eyes as you stood up. The guilty feeling only grew in your stomach as you walked up the stairs without meeting her eyes.

You hesitated, before walking out the door.

Shit, you cursed in your head as you walked through the street. Idiot.

You should have said yes immediately. You really wanted to, more than anything. But of course you had to go and mess it up. Like always.

She didn't mean it. She's too good for you.

You shook your head as the thoughts began to stream in your head. They hadn't gone away since you were a kid, especially after your parents had left. Whenever you got anxious, it became completely out of your control.

Exactly like right now.

Being Vi's girlfriend would be....pretty damn amazing, if you were being rational. But you knew you wouldn't ever be able to let go of the fear that she would leave you too.

And you couldn't go through that. Not again.

---

You were dropping Ekko off at the Last Drop and doing your best to ignore the awkwardness between yourself and Vi when Powder's monkey alarm went off.

You watched Vi's eyes quickly widen as she stood up. Vander had instructed you all on what to do if this happened, but this was the first time it was actually happening.

"Come on!" Vi hissed quietly as Mylo and Claggor scrambled into their hiding spots. You and Ekko climbed on top of one of the large pipes, ducking to remain out of sight. Vi climbed up to hide next to Mylo and Claggor, and helped Powder stretch overhead to hang in between the pipes.

The light flickered off, and you all waited and held your breath as you heard heavy footsteps outside the door. As the door creaked open and beam of light shone into the room, you could make out the worry plastered on everyone's faces.

A single enforcer walked around below you, shining the flashlight around various corners and spots where a person could be hiding. You all waited with held breath as he searched. As Powder's arms started to shake, you saw Vi's anxiety growing worse. Powder struggled to hold on to the pipe.

She almost slipped, and the enforcer quickly turned around to look back. When he didn't see anything, he turned around and began to climb back up the steps. He took one final look at the room, before slowly shutting the door.

Powder immediately let out a yelp and dropped to the floor. She kept her head down and the rest of you stayed hidden until Vander swung the door open.

"Are you all okay?" he asked. Vi grunted as she leapt down from where she was hiding.

"No, we're not okay. They almost saw Powder. What if they took her?" Powder flicked on a light as you and Ekko climbed down from on top of the thick pipe.

"No one is taking any of you. I would never let that happen," Vander responded.

"It's already happening. You heard him, they won't stop. We need to fight back." Vi's fist slammed against the wall as she spoke. You all watched with concern visible in your eyes. "And if you won't, I will."

You gently placed your hand on her shoulder. As she looked back at you, you watched some of the anger in her eyes fade into worry.

Vander sighed to himself. "I've heard this kind of talk before."

---

Thunder rumbled in the distance as raindrops fell over the city. The night was foggy and cold, with a faint breeze in the air. Vi held her forehead as her hood protected her hair from the drizzle.

"Why are we here?" she finally asked.

"You still don't understand," Vander said.

"What I don't understand is how you can work with them." Vander flinched a little at her words as she continued. "We were here. We saw what they did." She moved forward, gesturing with her hands as she spoke.

"I grew up knowing I'm less than them, that my place is down there. I want Powder to have more than that, and I'm willing to fight for it." Her hands curled into fists.

"So was I. I was angry, just like you. I led us across this bridge, thinking things could change." Vander's voice was quiet and calm. "If I hadn't... your parents would still be alive. I know you wanna hurt the topsiders for what they've done to us. But who are you willing to lose? Mylo? Claggor? Powder?" Your name was the final one that left his lips. Her expression softened as the weight of his words hit her.

Vander walked over to stand next to her. "Nobody wins in war, Vi."

Her voice softened as she leaned her head against his shoulder. "What are we gonna do? The enforcers will come back."

"I... I don't know. I'll, uh, I'll figure it out." Bells rang out in the distance as the two of them stood side by side under the night sky. It was a few minutes before Vander spoke again.

"I've been meaning to ask...what's going on with you and ________ anyway?"

Vi sighed, dropping her gaze as she fidgeted with her hands. "I think I messed it up."

He frowned. "What happened?"

Vi dropped her gaze, blushing faintly before she finally answered. "I asked her if she wanted to be my girlfriend officially. And she panicked and ran off." She started rambling as she continued. "And she was clearly not okay. But she didn't trust me enough to tell me what was wrong." Vander nodded along as she spoke.

"Well, trust is a funny thing, Vi. Look, I've seen the two of you, and I think it's safe to say that she feels comfortable with you. But sometimes things happen that remind us of the bad things in the past. You and I both know that feeling."

"From what Benzo's told me about her- look, I won't sugarcoat it. That girl's been through the ringer and back. I don't know what she's told you about, but she doesn't have a whole lot riding on the fact that you won't abandon her."

"I wouldn't, though," Vi said softly.

"I know that. But does she?" Vander sighed softly. "Look, there's a few things you've got to make sure you're doing if she's to trust you. If you want to hear." Vi nodded, looking up at him.

"Alright. Well first, be honest. Put yourself out there, even if it's hard. Don't shy away from your feelings. Be patient." He chuckled to himself. "That one might be a bit harder for you to crack, eh?" He lightly bumped her shoulder with. She rolled her eyes, but was cracking a smile too.

"It might take some time. But all good things do. So just try to hang in there. Oh, and there is one more thing."

"What?" she asked, looking up at him. He fought back a grin as he answered her.

"Just shut the fuck up. And listen to what she's saying. And if she isn't saying anything, pay attention. She'll find a way to tell you."

He chuckled softly again, and this time, Vi managed a soft laugh of her own. "Thanks." He smiled down at her.

"You'll figure it out. God knows your parents had enough of their own problems when they got together. And they made it work. Eventually." He grinned a bit wider.

She blinked, and then groaned, her head going back to resting on his shoulder. But he could tell she had a smile of her own on her face.

"You really like her, huh?" Her smile faded slightly as she nodded, all the unknowns of how this would play out echoing around her mind.

"Yeah. I do."

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

The jingle of the bell snapped you out of your trance as you looked up at the door of the shop opening. You watched as Vi slowly walked over to the counter, her movement slow and heavy in comparison to her usual air of determination.

A pang of guilt hit you as you saw her. You had been avoiding her, if you were completely honest with yourself. It wasn't like you didn't want to see her; you really did. But you couldn't bring yourself to own up to your insecurity.

You took a deep breath as you pushed yourself off the counter, standing behind it to face her. She stared at you for a few seconds, and as she did, you could have sworn that you saw the worry fade away from her face for a short moment.

"Hi," she finally said to you.

"Hi," you responded quietly. "Listen, I have to tell you something."

"Me too," she sighed. "I don't have much time though."

"Why not?" you frowned at her.

"I can't explain now. Just....you go first."

"Okay," you sighed, running your hand back through your hair. "I'm sorry that I panicked the other night. Really. I didn't mean to, I just....I don't even know, it's stupid. But I got really in my head about it. So I ran. I know it doesn't make it better. But I really am sorry."

She listened intently as you spoke. A flicker of relief appeared in her eyes. "To be fair, I kind of sprung it on you. And yeah, I obviously wanted you to say yes. But you didn't have to."

"I know that. But," you sighed anxiously, trying to figure out how to say what was on your mind. "I wanted to say yes."

Her expression immediately changed, from the relief of not have completely driven you away to a pained expression. "I need to tell you something. And I need you to just listen to me, okay?"

"Okay," you agreed.

"Okay," she sighed. She took a breath before she began.

"I really care about you. So much. And I know I've made a lot of promises, and I'm telling you now, I'm going to keep them. I'm gonna take you on a real date. And we're gonna go back to the tree, and the beach, and all the places we've been together."

You hopped over the counter to stand next to her. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I just....I need you to hear this. Because I care about you so much, and I don't care if you're my girlfriend or not. I'm still gonna do all this for you. It might take a while for me to do that. But I'm going to do it. I promise you."

You felt a tear roll down your cheek. Vi quickly reached up to cup your face in her hands, wiping your tear away. She pressed her forehead against yours, and you quickly latched on to her arms.

"I promise. Don't give up on that, no matter what."

"I won't. I promise," you whispered back to her. She leaned in to kiss you, and you immediately met her halfway.

Vi held onto you tightly as your lips met hers. She kissed you as if it was the last time she ever would. As you kissed, you tasted salt. You didn't need to ask why.

She was hesitant to pull away, but eventually, she forced herself to. "I have to go," she finally said, her forehead still pressed to yours.

"Where are you going?" you asked her.

She sighed. "I just have to go. Don't follow me. Please." She finally let go, taking a step back. Your eyes were still filled with tears.

"Please tell me what's going on," you begged her.

"I can't," she said, in a broken voice.

"Just.....at least, promise me you'll keep yourself safe," you pleaded.

"I'll be fine. Make sure you take care of yourself."

"I will." With that, she gave you a small smile, before leaving the shop. You watched her go, your mind still riddled with confusion.

Where was she going? Why did she think she needed to tell you all those things?

You brushed the thought of, ignoring the growing pit in your stomach. Yes, it was unusual. But so were most things about your life. Nothing would come of this.

Or at least, that's what you thought.

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

end note: call me an egomaniac because I was actually giggling and kicking my feet while writing this. I'm hopefully going to drop part 4 in a week or so, which will be the last part where vi and reader are teenagers (buckle up y'all, it's based on the events of ep 3 of s1 so it's gonna be a rough one). Tysm for reading, I really appreciate it!

[sycamore55]

Thunder

Vi x reader

prompt: short drabble in which vi is afraid of storms and you comfort her (inspired by this drabble by solaceforonce)

WC: 972

a/n: solely fluff/comfort. I'm sorry this took me so long but I've had an insane week. not proofread so yeah...anyways enjoy <3

You didn't think twice when you first heard the thunder rumble.

Sure, it wasn't like storms happened every day. But you'd grown up with them being a common enough occurrence that it didn't bother you anymore. Even if it had scared you as a kid, it had been a long time since you feared storms.

It had only been a few months since you and Vi had started to live together. During those past few months, there had been relatively clear skies and sunny days for the most part. But tonight, raindrops had been pitter-pattering against the roof for about an hour now.

You were stretched out on your sofa, curled up with your notebook underneath a heavy blanket. If anything, feeling all cuddled up and dry while it was raining outside was somewhat comforting to you.

Vi, however, was the opposite. Between the violence she had witnessed in her childhood, her time in prison, and the war, loud noises didn't sit well with her. Each time she saw the bright flash of lightning through the window, she had to mentally prepare herself for the loud clap of thunder that quickly followed.

The bedroom that the two of you shared felt safer than anywhere else Vi could have gone in that moment. Your bed was nestled in the corner, covered by a large comfy blanket. Your desk was pressed against the other side of the wall, next to a bookshelf that you both shared. A small fan whirred in the corner, and the whole room smelled of your favorite perfume.

As another loud boom of thunder crashed over the house, Vi flinched, instinctively clenching her fists. An old, worn down punching bag sat against the wall, all the hours that Vi spent working away at it clearly showing. The dark maroon was faded in the spots that she hit the most frequently.

As she tightened the wraps on her hands, almost to the point of cutting off her circulation, she tried her best to block out the flashes of memories breaking into her mind. Memories of all the trauma she had endured in her life; memories of her parents bodies, of the man she considered her father lying face up in a dark alley, every single beating she'd suffered while in prison, and each of her siblings, whom she'd lost a long time ago.

Every punch she landed to the bag was like another memory shoved from her mind. She could sense her own exhaustion, both physical and emotional, but she couldn't bring herself to stop.

When you first heard Vi's fist connect with the worn leather, you didn't think anything about it. It was common for her to spend time training, especially at night.

What concerned you, however, was how long the sounds of her hitting the bag continued. They got faster and faster, without her taking breaks in between rounds. You set your book down and stood up as you heard her breathing become more rapid.

"Babe?" Vi's head snapped up as she saw you poke your head into the room, your eyebrows stitched together in concern. Her hands were still clenching in fists around her hair. Even from a distance, you could see her arms shaking.

"What's going on?" you asked her as you sat down on the edge of your bed, patting the spot next to you. She sighed, and ran her hand back through her hair before joining you on the bed.

"Just the storm," she muttered. Suddenly, through the window, you both noticed a quick flash of light. Vi braced herself as another few seconds later, the loud boom of thunder followed. Despite her best effors, she flinched at the sound, her fingers tightening around her knuckles.

You immediately noticed her reaction to the sound of the thunder. Right away, you reached over to intertwine your fingers with hers. Her grip on your hand was tight, and her breathing was becoming lighter.

"You didn't tell me you were afraid of storms," you whispered. She looked down, her gaze dancing across the floor.

"I'm not," she finally replied after a few long moments of silence. "It just.....reminds me of stuff."

"Do you wanna talk about it?" you asked her. Her grip on your hand still incredibly tight.

"I don't really know how to explain it. It's just...whenever I hear the thunder, it feels like I'm stuck in whatever bad memory first comes up." Vi's voice remained steady, but you could tell from the tightness of her grip just how much this was affecting her.

"The storm should be done in a couple hours," you told her. "But I'll be right here with you until then."

For the first time since the storm had started, Vi smiled. It wasn't a wide grin, or a full-blown 'overcome with joy' smile. Just a soft smile that came from the reassurance that she had the person she loved the most by her side.

You smiled back at her, squeezing her hand again. "Let's get to bed, yeah? It's pretty late as it is."

Vi didn't hesitate to let you lay her down on the bed and pull the blanket on top of you two. As the covers settled over you, Vi buried her head into your chest, as if you could shield her from the storm. You kept your arms wrapped around her as you snuggled against her.

She let out a soft exhale, finally closing her eyes as your hand snaked up her back to gently play with the ends of her hair. Your chin rested atop her head as you too closed your eyes.

Her hands were clenched around your shirt, like you'd disappear if she let go. "Thank you," she murmured into your shoulder. You could feel her heartbeat slowing down as her body slowly relaxed.

"Of course."

[sycamore55]

I don't know if I can keep doing this y'all

[sycamore55]

[sycamore55]

tell me you don't see it

[sycamore55]

Chapter Two- Make It Feel Like Home

Vi x f!reader

Contains: fem reader, Vi & reader as teenagers, friends to lovers (adjacent), slowburn (emphasis on slow), reader is Ekko's sister/benzo's kid, events of S1 episodes 1 (SPOILERS), some dialogue quoted directly from the show, no use of y/n

WC: 6.24k

Trigger Warnings: mentions of abuse/parents dying, reader has a panic attack

Summary- After Vi saved you, she became intrigued by you. And as the two of you begin to get to know each other, you grow closer and form a unique friendship of sorts. But it leaves you both wondering if that's all that it is.

A/N: hello beautiful people, welcome to part two of my Born to Die series. Part 1 and the series masterlist are on my blog if you haven't read it yet (and want to) and I hope you enjoy!

<- Previous part here next part here ->

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

The ringing in your ears was the first thing that brought you back to consciousness. As you slowly blinked your eyes open, you were met with the sight of a blurry face surrounded by pink hair.

Vi was kneeling beside you on the ground. From the angle she was looking down at you from, and the lack of discomfort around your head and neck, you realized that your head was lying in her lap.

"Dammit" you heard her curse under her breath.

You blinked slowly a few times before your eyes managed to stay open. You reached up to your neck with a shaky hand, and when you pulled it away, you could see that it was covered in blood.

Vi quickly tugged at the bandage wrapped around her wrist, tearing the end of it off and holding it to your neck to stop the bleeding.

"Okay shit, um, just try to hang on, and-" Vi was internally panicking, but she knew that couldn't afford to panic right now. She needed to get you somewhere safe.

Ideally, getting you back to your home, at Benzo's shop, would've been her call. But the urgency of the circumstances, paired with their location, meant it would be faster and safer to take you back to the Last Drop.

"Okay, I'm gonna pull you up, and when I do, try to stand. Got it?" You managed a small nod, preparing the remainder of your strength to get up. "On three." When she finished counting down, Vi grabbed your wrists and pulled your upper body up. You mustered up the strength to get your legs stable, and Vi helped you the rest of the way to a standing position.

Vi wrapped one of her arms gently around your waist, and held on to your hand to keep it around her shoulder. You leaned some of your weight on her, still keeping the bandage pressed against the wound on your neck.

"The Last Drop isn't far from here," she said as she started to take small steps, moving slow enough for you to remain steady. "Do you think you can make it?"

"Yeah, I can make it," you croaked softly. The stinging in your neck hadn't subsided one bit, and you still had knots of worry tied up tightly in your stomach. You didn't dare mention any of that though.

As you walked, you tried to distract yourself from the pain, which led to you occasionally glancing at Vi to take in as much of her appearance as you could. Even though you already knew what she looked like, with her half-shaved choppy pink hair and pale blue eyes, there were details that you only noticed from being this close to her.

The first new thing you noticed was the array of freckles that faintly dusted her cheeks. Then, you spotted a small area on her right eyebrow, where a scar interrupted it.

That was only the beginning. Each time your eyes fell on the scrapes and bruises from her fight with the boys from the alley, a pang of guilt ran through you. But that aside, you couldn't help but notice that she looked.....pretty beautiful, actually.

What's wrong with you? You silently cursed yourself. Your thoughts fell silent, as you instead focused on moving your feet forward.

When the two of you reached the Last Drop, she sat you down at the first free seat she could find. "I'm gonna get Vander. Don't move." With that, she disappeared into the crowd of people.

You sighed as you felt your blood begin to soak through the bandage. A few minutes later, Vi returned, with Vander and Benzo right beside her. Vander was holding a bottle and a rag, and Benzo had a seriously concerned expression on his face.

Benzo called your name out to you, as he quickly rushed over. "Lord, what happened? Are you alright?"

Meanwhile, Vi was recounting the events of the night to Vander. She explained she heard someone yelling for help, and saw you getting mugged by the three boys. He seemed just as concerned about her injuries as Benzo was about yours.

Your exhaustion and weariness from being attacked was finally catching up with you, and the blood you had lost probably wasn't doing you any favors either. Your eyes grew heavier as you leaned back against the wall. They slowly closed, and as they did, the last thing you took in was that Vi was still there.

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

The room was dark. A faint light flickered in the corner, projecting a weak orange glow across the room. The door to the room was old, and the paint was peeling. something descriptive as you realized where you were.

You were back in your parents home.

Except there was no way you could be back there. It had been years since they had left, in search of something better for themselves. Four years, to be exact.

You'd struggled through nightmares for as long as you could remember, and a lot of them started this exact way. But that never made them any easier to get through.

You jolted as the door shook, something loudly pounding on it from the other side. The door was visibly shaking as the thumps from the other side grew louder.

Open the door, whispered chilling voices from every corner of the room. Open it.

The shadows from the corners melted towards you, shrouding the room in complete darkness. You could only watch in horror as their expressions ran like water through every emotion. Anger, fear, happiness, until they all settled on a look you could only describe as evil. Just pure evil.

The shadows surrounded you until you were engulfed in them. All the light was gone now. It was just you and the monsters, and you were alone and you were trapped-

You shot up as you were snatched out of the world of you dream, your breathing fast. Immediately, you felt a pair of hands softly press down on your shoulders, pushing you back down.

"Hey hey hey, take it easy." A voice spoke to you gently. You could still feel your heart beating rapidly in your chest as you gasped for air, trying to calm yourself down. As your senses slowly returned to you, you began to take in your surroundings.

You were lying on an old, beat up couch. A somewhat scratchy pillow was propping up your head, and a small, thin blanket covered your legs and torso.

The room was lit with a few stray candles and a lantern, which sat on a small table beside the couch. A couple chairs were facing opposite the couch. Various thick pipes were twisted around the walls, and in the back of the room, you could see a dusty old cabinet, with a couple pictures on top of it.

The voice that had spoken to you came from directly by your side. As the blurring affect faded from your eyes, you looked up at the person standing next to you.

"Don't try to move too fast," Vi said. She stretched behind her to reach a small cup of water that had been sitting on the table, before handing it back to you. "Here, drink this if you can."

You shifted a bit on the couch to lift your head up as you gratefully accepted the small glass. Your arm still felt awfully weak as you raised it to hold the glass.

You took a small sip of the water. The inside of your mouth was dry, and you could feel that you had been clenching your jaw as you had slept, and had bit down on the inside of your own cheek.

"Were you in here all night?" you asked her. Her eyes widened slightly, and a faint flush duster her cheeks.

"I fell asleep on the chair," Vi admitted, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. "On accident."

"What?" You sat up slightly, wincing from your soreness, and the stiff feeling in your neck. "That's a really quick way to wreck your back, you know."

Vi just shrugged tiredly. "I'll be fine. I've probably slept in weirder places."

“That’s not exactly reassuring,” you responded.

“Seriously. I’m all good. Plus, you’ve got recovering to worry about.” She gestured to your neck. As you tentatively reached up to touch where the wound was, you felt the soft material of a bandage covering it.

"It's not that bad, is it?" You asked hesitantly, not sure if you wanted to know the honest answer or not.

"That all depends on how reasonable you're gonna be about all this," a deep voice boomed from the other side of the room. You stretched your neck around to see Benzo standing next to Vander by the door frame.

"You've really gotta be more careful, kiddo," he said, his voice betraying a slight hint of softness. "You're lucky that Vi found you when she did." You sighed softly.

"I know," you replied. "We really needed the food though, and-" you cut off, silently cursing yourself as the realization hit you. "They took the food. Shit."

Benzo didn't look as upset at that information as you thought he would have. "We'll figure it out. I'm just glad you're safe."

"We won't let you starve," Vander added. After a few moments, Benzo spoke up again.

"Alright, well I've got to go back to the shop and check up on Ekko. You can stay here a bit longer until you're feeling well enough to come back." You nodded, grateful as you thought that you still needed a bit more rest before you were feeling up for going back to the shop.

The whole time, Vi had been sitting in the chair next to the sofa silently. Vander gave her a silent look that you were unable to interpret, before he and Benzo left the basement. Your head flopped back on the pillow as you stared up at the ceiling.

Yeah, this was already shaping up to be a fantastic week.

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

Sitting in the corner of the noisy bar, Vi couldn't get you out of her head.

The night before, after you passed out in the Last Drop, Benzo took you down to the basement, where Vander said that you could sleep for the night. Benzo thanked Vi many times for helping you. Vi didn't answer any questions from Claggor or Mylo, or even Powder.

That night, she had watched you more carefully than she'd admit. Even though this was technically the first time you'd met, you intrigued her. Vi credited herself for being pretty good at reading people, but she couldn't quite figure you out.

Yes, you were clearly a kind sister to Ekko, and from hearing Benzo tell Vander about you, she figured that you were smart. But that was the extent of what she knew for sure. And you weren't really helping her figure that out. You mostly kept to yourself, with the exception of Ekko, of course.

Powder had come home talking about you one time. She had been at Benzo's with Ekko when she first met you. She raved for a short while about how she thought you were the prettiest girl in the whole world. She then sheepishly apologized to Vi, and quickly reminded her that she was just as pretty, but she had just laughed it off anyways.

She wasn't wrong though, a small voice inside Vi's head spoke up, but she quickly shook it off. Sure, you were objectively good-looking. Vi had noticed that herself. But it didn't bring her any closer to getting a read on you.

"Hello....Vi, you in there?" She snapped back in as Mylo dramatically waved his hand in front of her face. She grumbled to herself, pushing his hand out of the way.

"What?" She asked him.

"What were you thinking about just then? You seemed pretty focused," he smirked at her. Claggor bit down on the inside of his mouth, holding back a laugh. Even Powder had an amused twinkle in her eye.

"Nothing. I just zoned out," she replied to them, frowning at the expressions decorating their faces. "Seriously, what?"

"You just got lost in thought there? What was it you were thinking about, exactly?" Mylo's teasing only grew more relentless the more Vi pushed back. "Were you thinking about her?"

Vi rolled her eyes at him. "You're gonna have to be more specific."

"Ekko's sister. Who you're totally whipped for, by the way." Mylo's smirk was only getting bigger by the second.

"No, I- shut up, I just hope she's okay, is all" Vi said, a faint flush rising to the surface of her face.

"Ooh, I know! You should marry her, and then she can be my sister and she can show me how she braids her hair!" Powder was practically bouncing out of her seat with excitement. Even Vi had to chuckle lightly at that.

"I just met her, Pow. We don't even know each other," Vi said to her. Powder frowned at her.

"But you kept staring at her....and your face is all red." Mylo let out a loud cackle, and Claggor covered his mouth with his fist to hide his laughter.

"You're all assholes," Vi muttered under her breath, but she was smiling too.

At the very least, it couldn't hurt to get to know you better. Right?

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

"How are you feeling?" You sat up slightly as Vi poked her head into the room.

"Better," you admitted as she sat down in the chair across from where you were laying down. "I don't think I said thank you. For...y'know, saving my ass." Her lips tugged up into a small smile.

"Don't mention it," she said.

"Seriously. I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't shown up when you did." Vi just shrugged.

"It's not a big deal. I'm just glad you're okay." You smiled weakly at her.

"I don't think we ever actually met, officially." You extended your hand as far as you could, offering it to her. "I'm ________." She repeated your name to herself, and you had to admit that your heart skipped a beat at that.

"Vi." She took your hand, shaking it carefully.

---

You'd never understood the phrase 'we just clicked' before Vi. There were a lot of things about friendship you didn't understand before Vi. Because that was its own category of your life now; Before Vi.

You hadn't ever been able to find good parts of living in Zaun. Hell, you never believed that there were any, beside the calm afternoons you had all to yourself, or with Ekko. But Vi seemed to have it figured out.

Eating at Jericho's, going down to the old abandoned arcade, even just hanging out on the couch in the basement of the Last Drop. Vi gradually started to open these parts of her life up to you, and in turn, you started to show her parts of yours.

You showed her the old gadgets at Benzo's that you liked to fix up, took her down to a secret small beach you had found at the riverbed, and gave her a tour of some of the street art that you liked to look at.

You spent hours talking; about whatever the hell was going on with Ekko and Powder, the things you liked, music, your dreams for the future. Almost every night was spent together, up late, on the roof of the Last Drop or a ledge somewhere overlooking the city.

Sometimes when you were with Vi and she was able to truly relax, if you said something funny, she would just laugh, and you could see the years of pressure and stress fade away, leaving just her. Who she could have been, if the world hadn't forced her to be something else.

And if it was a sunny day, and the light caught your face just right, Vi could see your eyes light up with a hopeful twinkle, on the rare occasions that you dared to dream of a better life for yourself.

You both stole lingering glances at the other silently, each never saying a word about it. But the more you both got to know and understand each other, the harder you both fell.

One day, you were down at the old arcade. You were sitting on an old crate, tinkering with a small device you had brought along while Vi was at the fighting machine.

"You never told me why you helped me that night."

She finished the round, her score lighting up on the leaderboard overhead. She raised her eyebrows at you as she undid the straps of the boxing gloves.

"What do you mean?" she asked you.

"I mean," you swallowed nervously. "We didn't even know each other when you saved me from those guys. But you did anyway. Why?"

She dropped the gloves on the side of the machine, and made her way over to the crate where you sat.

"I knew who you were. It's not like you were a total stranger." She answered.

"Right, but you still didn't have to do it."

She sighed, sitting down next to you on the crate. "To be honest, I kind of didn't think about it. I just knew I needed to help you." You were a bit surprised, but didn't push it. "Plus, it's not like you're complaining about it." You laughed softly to yourself.

"Yeah, definitely not."

You both fell into a slightly awkward silence for a few moments, before Vi spoke up again.

"I'm taking us on that job tomorrow."

You frowned. "What job?"

"Ekko gave us a tip about a job topside," she explained. "Some fancy apartment." You sighed, running a hand back through the top of your hair.

"How the hell does he manage to keep finding new ways to almost get himself in trouble..." You muttered to yourself.

Vi laughed and shook her head. "Kids that age tend to manage it pretty well, believe me." Her mind went to Powder, and it was so clear that you knew exactly what she was thinking about.

She stood up, walking back to the punching machine and putting the gloves back on. She flipped the switch on again, and started up.

You watched the way she moved, ducking the machine's attacks before throwing her own punches. With the way she moved, it was like she was born to fight, but maybe it was just that she had been fighting so long that it was all she knew.

“Who taught you to fight?” You asked her. She seemed a bit surprised at the question, but answered anyways.

“Vander did. His friend Sevika a bit too, but it was mostly him.” An idea formed in your head as you thought back to the night that you met her.

“Can you teach me?” She didn’t seem confused at the request, but you watched her eyebrows knit together slightly as she studied you. "To fight, I mean."

"Okay," she finally replied.

---

"So which one is your dominant hand?" she asked you. You were both standing in front of the punching machine, and now you had the boxing gloves on. You raised your dominant to show her. "Okay, so put your opposite foot forward and keep your knees bent."

You copied her stance, raising your fists in front of your face. "Okay good, but keep your hands in front of your chin so you don't block your eyes." She gently took ahold of your wrists, pulling your hands down to the proper position.

She demonstrated a few punches, and then walked you through them. It took you a few minutes to catch on, but you got it eventually. You didn't have a ton of strength behind your punches, but Vi just shrugged it off and said it would build up over time.

"Do you know how to dodge a punch?" You shook your head no. "Okay, I can show you." She mirrored your stance across from you.

"So when I try to punch you-" she slowly moved her arm in the motion. "You shift your weight and roll under it. Then you can punch me back in the stomach. Not actually, though" she added, with a small grin on her face. "Got it?"

"I think so," you responded.

"Okay, lets see it then." She sped up her mock punch for you to dodge this time, and you managed to do it. "Perfect. You're a natural. A bit faster this time."

But this time, something snapped when she threw the punch for you to dodge again. You froze. Your heart started beating rapidly, and your breathing stopped. Vi stopped short of actually coming into contact with you when you didn't move to dodge the punch.

"Are you okay?" She asked. You didn't respond. You couldn't. All you could see were the memories and the scars and the reminders of everything they did to you.

You frantically tried to tear the gloves off, but one of them got stuck. Vi immediately grabbed your hand, undoing the strap and quickly letting go. You threw the gloves away, sinking to the floor.

At this point, you were hyperventilating, the whirlpool in your mind turning into a hurricane. It was like everything came crashing down all at once and you were stuck.

You'd had panic attacks before. You'd never had one in front of another person though.

You grabbed your hair, rocking yourself back and forth as your breathing only got faster. It was like no matter what, you couldn't get enough air. You thought your throat was closing up.

Vi quickly knelt down beside you, but she didn't touch you. "Hey, it's okay. I'm not going anywhere. You're gonna be okay." You tried to hold on to her words as the tears started forming in your eyes. Vi held out her hand, giving you the choice to take it if you wanted.

You quickly grabbed onto her hand, squeezing it tightly as you desperately tried to get your breathing under control.

"Take your time. We're safe here," she continued. She sat with you, whispering reassuring words as the panic attack ran its course. It always took a while for you to fully calm down, but you didn't always have someone helping you.

As your panic attack finally subsided, Vi never once dropped your hand, instead, drawing small patterns on the back of it with her thumb. You looked over at her, still teary-eyed.

"How did you know what to do?" You asked in a shaky voice.

"I didn't, honestly. I just said what I hoped would help." She kept her hold on your hand as she stood up, pulling you up with her.

"Let's get you home, yeah?" She gave you a soft smile, squeezing your hand again. She didn't let go for the entire walk back to Benzo's.

And when she said goodnight to you, she let her grip linger for a few seconds too long, before dropping your hand, pulling her hood up, and disappearing into the night.

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

"Hey Powder, come take a look," Vi called over her shoulder to Powder. They were standing on top of a Piltover building, staring at the sky scape of the city. Ultimately, Vi had made the call to take the job, especially considering how strapped they were at the moment.

Powder wandered up to where Vi stood. "Whoa," she said, looking over the city, her eyes widening. Vi's voice hinted at a small bit of happiness at being able to show this to her sister.

"It's nice getting above it all, huh?" The sisters kept watching for a few more moments, Claggor and Mylo catching up behind them, when an airship flew overhead, causing the roof they were standing on to tremble slightly.

"One day, I'm gonna ride in one of those things," Powder said with determination in her soft voice.

"And one day, I'm gonna shoot one of them down." Mylo raised his arm, making a finger guns gesture at the airship as it flew out of sight. Vi pushed his arm away, walking to the edge of the roof.

"Vi, are you sure about this? Look, if we get caught-" Claggor started.

"We're not gonna get caught," Vi responded, hopping down onto the roof. "We'll be in and out before anyone notices." Claggor followed behind her, along with Mylo and Claggor.

She sounded so confident when she said it, that they all truly believed it.

---

Vi kept her hood up and her eyes down as she walked through the Last Drop later that night. She caught Vander's gaze briefly, but quickly looked back down and kept moving.

When they made it to the basement, she flopped down in a chair, pushing her hair back with her hand. "Vander learns none of this," she said to the others.

"No worries there, Powder took care of the evidence." Mylo said in a bitter tone, kicking his feet up on the table.

"I tried, okay? You don't get it, you're older, you're bigger- it isn't fair!" Powder protested.

"So stick with us, take a punch or two-" Mylo started on her, but he cut off when Vander entered the basement.

"Everyone alright?" He asked, surveying the room.

"Never better," Mylo replied, a hint of sarcasm betraying his voice.

"Good." The door shut behind him as he walked around the couch. "I don't suppose you can explain why it is that I'm hearing about an explosion and a foot chase topside? Four children fleeing the scene." He paused, as Vi continued to avert his gaze.

"What the hell were you thinking?" He asked, turning to Vi.

"That we can handle a real job." Her hand fell as she finally looked up at him.

"A real job?"

"We got our own tip, planned a route, nobody even saw," Vi protested.

"You blew up a building," Vander said, his hands starting to move as he spoke.

"That wasn't-" she began, but Vander cut her off.

"Did you even stop to think about what could have happened to you? Eh? To them?" The room fell silent once again as Vander pointed at the others. Mylo, Claggor and Powder all averted Vander's gaze as Vi's eyes fell over them.

He sighed. "Where did you even get this tip?"

"We just heard it at Benzo's shop," Powder responded sheepishly.

"From?" Vander pried.

"Little Man," she finally said, nervously. Vander sighed again.

"I took us there. If you wanna be mad, be mad at me. But you're the one who always says we have to earn our place in this world." Vi stood up as she spoke, finally fully facing Vander.

I also told you time and time again, the Northside's off-limits. We stay out of Piltover's business," Vander responded, his voice growing louder.

Why? They've got plenty, while we're down here scraping together coins. When did you get so comfortable living in someone else's shadow?"

"Everyone out." Vander's voice was calmer now, as slowly, the others exited the room.

"Sit down," Vander ordered her.

"I'm fine," she started.

"Sit. Down." She sighed, sitting back down in the chair.

"Those kids look up to you." Vi leaned back, reaching up to rest her chin on her hand.

"Yeah, I know," she responded.

"You know, but you don't know. When people look up to you, you don't get to be selfish."

"I'm not-" she began, but he kept going.

"You say run, they run. You say swim, they dive in. You say light a fire, they show up with oil. But whatever happens, it's on you."

Vi sighed, looking down as he spoke up again. "Just like it's on me what happens to us down here. We make ourselves a problem for Piltover, and they will send the enforcers."

"So? Why answer to them? These are our streets. Someone should remind them of that."

"You're not hearing me. That path? This?" He grabbed one of her wrists, holding up her hand. The bandages on her knuckles were covered in blood. "It's not gonna solve your problems. Just makes more of them. We clear?" She looked at her hand for a moment longer, as Vander uncorked a bottle and poured some of the alcohol on a cloth.

He dabbed the wound above her eyebrow gently, but she still winced at the sting. "How'd you get this?" Vi scoffed lightly in response.

"Some idiot was following us."

"On our side? Who?" Vander's eyebrows raised.

"I don't know. He was after the stuff."

"Where is it now?" Vi sighed.

"We lost it."

"All of it?" She nodded. "Good. Nothing can tie you to what happened up there. You're gonna have to lay low for a bit, understand?

"Okay," Vi sighed. "We're gonna be fine, right?

"I'll take care of it." Vander stood up to leave, but paused for a second. "Oh, you did put that idiot on his ass, though, right?" Vi chuckled to herself weakly as Vander gave her a small smile, laughing to himself as well. She stayed seated in the chair as Vander left the room.

---

"We've all had bad days," Vi said, looking at at the bunny that was still stuck in between two pipes. She was sitting on the roof with Powder, trying to cheer her up. Her expression softened as she continued, looking at Powder. "But we learn. And we stick together."

She squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. Powder, in return, gave a small smile. After she showed Vi the crystals, she continued.

"Mylo's wrong, Powder. You're stronger than you think." She stood up, looking out at the city lights. "And one day, this city's gonna respect us."

---

"Ekko, what's going on with that thing?" Benzo called out to him. He was twisting a device with a wrench.

"Give me a few seconds. The canon pinion's still busted."

"Finish it later. Vander and I need a word." Benzo looked over at where you were sitting in the corner. "You too," he said to you. Ekko picked up his boxes, as you grabbed his arm, quickly pulling him out of the shop as Vander stared at him.

"Vander's gonna kill you if he finds out you gave Vi that tip," you muttered to him as you shut the door behind you. As you saw Claggor standing outside, with injuries all over his face, you sighed.

"So you guys actually went then?" You asked him. He nodded sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. You clenched your teeth.

"I'm gonna go check on Vi," you told Ekko. He smirked at you.

"Have fun," he teased you. You shoved his shoulder lightly, before pulling your hair back and walking off.

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

"You've really got this whole mysterious angsty thing down, huh?"

Vi looked up from where she was sitting on the edge of the roof. You watched her face slip from a grumpy exhausted expression to something....happier. You didn't exactly have the right words to describe it. But you could see clearly that it was there.

You sat down on the edge of the roof next to her. "Powder told me that you were up here." You paused, flushing faintly. "She actually said a whole lot more than that. I think she and Ekko have been plotting something, but I'm too scared to ask what at this point."

Vi's cheeks quickly heated up as she imagined all the things Powder might have said to you, but she still managed to chuckle to herself at your comment. "Yeah, between the two of them, whatever it is probably isn't good."

You smiled at that. "Don't worry, she was on her way to go to bed. She seemed pretty exhausted, poor kid."

"She had a rough day," Vi replied. She looked back out at the skyline of the city, as a light in the distance flickered.

"Yeah, I heard," you sighed softly. "I'm pretty sure Vander's gonna kill Ekko for giving you that tip." Her expression hardened slightly.

"He thinks I'm too reckless," she said as she looked down at her hands, which were still covered by the bloody bandages. You followed her gaze down to her hands. Your eyebrows knitted together as you saw the dried blood on them.

"What happened? Claggor looked really beat up." You finally asked her. She sighed, not looking up.

"Some assholes followed us. They were after the stuff," she quickly added when your expression grew even more concerned. Your eyes dropped back down to her hands.

"That's wrapped really tight, you know," you spoke up softly. She just shrugged in response. You sighed, and scooted closer to her, to the point where your leg was pressed against hers. You grabbed one of her wrists, placing her hand in your lap as you started to unwrap the bandage.

Vi looked over at you with a confused expression. Her mouth hung open slightly and the blush on her cheeks was back, but she didn't protest. She simply watched as you pulled the bandages off her right hand, before moving to her left hand.

Once you were done unwrapping her hands, you held onto them for a second longer than you needed to, before gently setting them back in their place in her lap. "There. Much better," you said.

You smiled softly to yourself when you noticed her expression, and the shade of pink that coated her cheeks. A nauseous feeling returned to your stomach as you remembered what you had come here to tell her.

"I'm sorry about the other day." You dropped her gaze, looking back out at the city. Vi's heart, which had been beating of of her chest, slowed down as you looked away from her.

"You don't have to be sorry. Fighting isn't for everyone," she said softly to you.

"I know, just....I feel stupid about it is all." She watched as your fingers moved through your hair, pulling it out of the knot you had tied it in. It fell over your shoulder in waves as you tried (somewhat successfully) to smooth it down.

"Can I ask why you...reacted like that?" She spoke up nervously after a few moments of silence. You sighed quietly, looking down at your legs as they swung back and forth against the side of the building.

After a long minute of silence, you worked up the courage to speak. "Before I lived with Benzo- I mean, before my parents left, they..." your voice trailed off, unable to continue, but Vi seemed to understand what you were saying.

"That's why I froze in the alley. It just brought me back." Your voice shook slightly, but you kept your stare focused on the city lights.

Vi was left in shock. This was the first time you had been this vulnerable with her. "I'm really sorry," she said softly to you. You just shrugged.

"It is what it is. And they're gone now. They can't hurt me anymore." The tone of your voice betrayed the fact that you needed to reassure yourself of that just as much as you needed to reassure her. After a few minutes in silence, you spoke up again.

"So, what about you then?"

"What about me?" She frowned, confused.

"I mean, how'd you end up with Vander?" You paused, noticing her demeanor quickly shift.

"I had parents. They were killed by enforcers. When I was nine." Her voice was quiet and soft, and her eyes hardened as she tried to hold back the tears that rose to the surface.

"I'm so sorry, Vi," you whispered to her. She cleared her throat, trying to shake the feeling off.

"Don't be....it's not like you did it," she replied, her voice a bit firmer this time.

"It's still shitty," you replied simply. "You know I'm always here if you want to talk about it, right?"

She nodded, and with that, the two of you were left in silence. Your thighs were still pressed against each other as you both watched the movement of the city.

"You know," you said, causing her to turn her head towards you. "You're the only person I ever told. Hell, I think you might be the only friend I've ever had."

Her breath caught in her throat, but she managed to smile softly at you. "Well, I'm happy to help." You chuckled softly at that.

Before you could think further about what you were doing, your hand moved away from your side. You reached up to where the bruise on the side of her cheek had turned purple. Your fingertips tenderly brushed the area around the bruise. The very end of your pinky traced the edge of her lip.

Your touch was delicate and soft. Vi's breathing slowed down as she watched you. A short strand of your hair had fallen in front of your eye, and when you paused for a moment, she tucked it back behind your ear.

Vi had already known how she felt about you. But this brought it to life all over again.

And you knew how you felt about her too.

"This is real, right?" Her voice was small and soft, and you thought the sound of it was the best thing you’d ever heard.

"Yeah," you whispered softly back. "This is real."

Your hand dropped as your body leaned over. Your shoulder bumped against hers, and the side of her head leaned against yours. You stayed like that, with your hands laced together and your bodies pressed tightly against one another.

Vi didn't think she'd ever felt more at peace.

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

End note: OMG if you made it this far I admire your willpower. My apologies for the cliffhanger, part 3 is in my drafts now and will hopefully be dropped in about a week. I'm sorry if the romance is written in a cringey or unrealistic way (yes I'm horribly single, what gave it away?) but I'm always open to feedback!

[sycamore55]

Re-blog this if:

- you’re gay - can read - support gay people - want to hold a match between your fingers as you wander the halls of an ancient castle because it’s your only source of light amidst the ghosts of people long past - are an antelope - or want a chocolate bar.

No one will know which applies.