#vi specifically

“So… midterms… crazy right?” Vi said awkwardly as she walked alongside you, her hands in the pocket of her favorite jacket. You smiled with a slight exhale from your nose before glancing at her from the side.

“Very.” You responded as you shifted your bag to a bit of a more comfortable position. You and VI haven't always been friends, you met in a math class that you both had to take and happened to sit together. From then on you’ve gradually hung out more and more outside of classes, and outside of the context of school in general.

“So I was thinking.” She began, tilting her head to the side a bit as she looked at you. She used to have such a tough extortion around you but as you got closer you watched as it practically melted away. Sure she could hold her own in a fight but on the inside she was such a softie, whether she wanted to be or not.

“That’s dangerous.” You joked as you stole another glance at her before looking back to focus on where you were walking.

“We haven’t hung out together in a while.”

“Vi, we’re literally hanging out right now.”

“I know but, I mean really hanging out. Like go somewhere with a purpose of doing something.” She said, her hands remaining in her pockets as she gestured with them.

“Wow you have such a way with words.” You said playfully.

“Shut up, you know what I mean.”

“Maybe I do, maybe I don't.” You teased with a shrug which earned a sarcastic yet lighthearted eye roll from your friend. Before you could continue your conversation a different voice came into the conversation,

“Vi!” You heard someone call out from not too far away. You hung around Vi enough to be able to recognize that voice without a second thought, powder, Vi’s sister. She ran over to you two, her hair in her usual semi-long braids, her clothing covered in paint and dust from other artistic mediums.

“Didn’t mean to interrupt your date with your girlfriend, I just got a call from-“ She spoke as she finally got closer.

“She’s not my girlfriend.” Vi quickly interrupted to which Powder replied even faster,

“Yeah whatever, long story short I need you to come with me, right now, let’s go.” She said hastily as she grabbed her sister's hand.

“I’ll bring her back in one piece for you I promise.” She said as she turned to you with a salute. You couldn’t help but laugh at her antics. You watched as Vi was dragged away, with a small wave you then turned to other things.

As Powder dragged Vi away, she turned to her sister.

“You still haven’t asked her out?” She stopped short, placing her hands on her hips as she looked at her older sister.

“No but I was getting to that…” Vi argued slightly, crossing her arms in front of

herself before Powder shook her head.

“Yeah okay.” She huffed, clearly not believing Vi in the slightest.

“I was-“ She cut herself off with a sigh, realizing it wasn’t worth arguing with her sister before continuing, “What did you even drag me away for?” Vi asked, looking down at her sister a bit.

“Right so crazy story, your friend Jayce, he lost his phone so he asked Viktor to ask Ekko to ask me to ask you to help him with his math. He said it was super urgent.”

Vi simply stared at her sister with the blankest of blank stares.

“That’s it?”

“Yup.”

“Seriously?”

“Mhm.”

“Nothing else?”

“Nothing else.”

“Viktor was right there and he decided to ask for me…” She said, almost as if she was disappointed in his critical thinking skills. She sighed, leaning her head back a bit before looking back at her sister. She then quickly looked back to where she had been standing with you just moments before, without this interruption she would have already asked you out, or tried to at least.

“Whatever, fine I’ll help him.” She sighed and begrudgingly made her way to the library where she knew Jayce stayed from open to close when he needed to finish work. He was a very academically bright man, books were his strong suit and so was troubleshooting projects. Anything else though? Not a singular clue in the world. Vi was very much the opposite, she didn’t care much for books unless she had to, and even then they were her favorite. So the two of them together created one averagely intelligent person.

Which is why she was so shocked he asked for her help and not his boyf- his friend Viktors help.

When she finally met up with him, they got right to work, and almost just as soon as they started they quickly realized they weren’t going to actually be able to get any of this done. Vi couldn’t focus, she was more focused on being able to ask you out. Her mind raced with possible ways to go about it and none of them seemed just right. In a momentary lapse of judgment, Vi turned to Jayce and without a single ounce of hesitation asked,

“How do you ask a girl out?”

Silence. Complete silence fell over the two.

“You’re asking… me?” Jayce asked while pointing at himself before looking behind him as if there could’ve been anyone else she was asking.

“Duh Talis. You asked Mel, didnt you? How did you do it?” She asked, completely disregarding the work she had in front of her. Figuring out a solution to her dilemma was much more important.

“Well I wouldn't say I asked her out, it was more of a ‘what are we?’ Kind of a situation.” He explained, avoiding eye contact with Vi the whole time as she exasperatedly put her head down on the table, her hands clasped together in a plea of desperation.

“Any words of wisdom, any at all, just give me something here pretty boy and I’ll ACTUALLY try to help you with your work.” She pleaded, which was a fairly rare sight.

Jayce knew this which made it too tempting to not say no. So he agreed, albeit reluctantly as he knew there was fuck all he could actually help with but god damn it he was going to try.

“Okay, so have you ever heard of the shoulder touch?” He asked, his hands clasped together in front of his mouth as he looked towards Vi like some evil mastermind.

Vi raised an eyebrow at him, immediately regretting her decision to ask him.

“No. No I haven’t.”

It was fairly straight forward, all she had to do was put her hand on your shoulder and say ‘hey’. An immediate guaranteed swoon, as Jayce put it. Vi decided that was enough evidence for her and made her exact plan to try and ask you out.

Luckily it wasn’t long before she got to see you again and she immediately attempted to put the plan into action.

“Remember what he said, gotta go slow, can’t rush or it’ll be awkward.” Vi thought to herself as she walked up to you, trying to look as casual as possible.

“Wait why the fuck am I taking advice from Jayce of all people he can’t even-“

“Hey Vi.” You said which quickly snapped her out of her thoughts. She hadn’t realized she practically made her way right in front of you as you stayed leaning on the wall behind you.

Perfect opportunity.

You looked at her confused as she suddenly took her hand out of her pocket and reached towards your shoulder and leaned forward just the slightest bit. What she didn’t account for was how much farther away you were than she thought, she was so focused on not fucking up that she managed to mess up the simplest part.

Standing close to you.

She quickly stopped herself from falling forward as her hand slammed against the wall behind you, saving herself from a fall as well as managing to repurpose her shoulder touch to something that looked equally purposeful.

“Hey.” She greeted calmly as if she meant to do that the whole time. In your eyes, it went incredibly smoothly except for that split second where she looked terrified that she was falling forward.

It was then that Vi realized.

What does she say now?

Immediately all the confidence she held on her face disappeared as she simply looked at you, then the wall then back at you as if some answers would just appear.

“Are you okay?” You asked, a little concerned by her sudden change in demeanor.

“Would you maybe wanna go on a date with me, at some point, some time.”

“Such a way with words.” You laughed before nodding with a smile.

You sat quietly on your makeshift bed in your dust filled room as you looked up at the ceiling. Finding a house in such a place as Zaun was no easy feat, so of course it wasn’t glimmering with a pristine shine. It was all you had and that was enough for you.

Well, it wasn’t ALL you had. There was another room attached to the apartment that you happened to find that you shared with someone else.

Your friend Vi.

It had been left unused for a while, but once you found out she had been let out of jail and had nowhere else to go, you offered your place without a second thought. Vi, hellbent on insisting she doesn’t need help, declined at first. However, upon realizing that a lot had changed since she had been arrested she soon came back and took you up on your offer.

You two had been great friends when you were younger but now there was a sort of shift between you. Nothing too unexpected though, she had been away for god knows how long, of course things wouldn’t immediately go back to the way they were. But part of you wished it would.

Despite the fact that you two lived together, you rarely ever talked. Not because of any one particular reason, but mainly because it just felt awkward too. You didn’t want to ask about what had happened to her when she left, you heard what you needed to about the incident through general gossip and word of mouth. Vi, on the other hand, seemed like she had things she wanted to ask you as well, but she always pushed it off for some reason.

You continued to stare at the ceiling above before pushing off the bed and leaning on your arms. You hadn’t done anything productive by this point so you decided to change that. With one swift push, you were standing on your feet in front of a cracked wall that seemed stained with smoke and water damage. A staple of the lives of those who couldn’t afford much else.

Life like this always made you wonder what it was like for the Pilties.

You sighed, putting a hand up to your head as you rubbed your face, mentally preparing yourself for whatever task you’d give yourself for the sake of pretending like you actually did something useful with your day. As you walked out of your room, you were met with a very familiar face sitting in the little common lounge area the two of you had set up.

“Hey.” Vi greeted, looking up towards you for only a moment before looking back down at something she held in her hands. You noticed she wasn’t wearing her usual red jacket which wasn’t totally out of the ordinary, but it caught you a bit by surprise to see her arms just on display. You shook your head ever so slightly before quickly responding with your own gentle,

“Hey.”

Silence then returned between the two of you as you walked past her to try and find something to occupy yourself with. Unfortunately for you, the deathly still air around you began to weigh on you, urging you to say something to the girl who now sat behind you.

“So… what’s it like being back?” You asked, not looking back at her as you moved to a box of your things that was just sitting on the floor. What better time to sort this than now, you guessed.

Vi sighed a little before answering,

“Disorienting.” She said simply before pausing for a moment or two. “It's as if I landed on another planet or universe or something.” She continued, still fiddling with whatever was in her hand. You hummed in response.

“A lot changed when you left.” You added which earned a dry chuckle from Vi.

“Tell me about it.” She said, now leaning back on her chair as she looked up at the ceiling. The freak of the chair caused you to look back at her for a moment. It seemed you both had that habit in common, just looking up at the ceiling whenever you needed to think. You wondered if she was always like that or if it’s something she gathered while in prison.

Another silence fell over the two of you before you spoke up.

“Jerichos is still there though.” You said, still looking at her for a moment before turning back to rummage through your box of belongings. You heard her shift in her seat as she sat back up.

“Really?” She questioned with a more egear air about her. You looked at her over your shoulder with a slight smile as you nodded.

“Yeah. We could go check it out now if you want.” You offered, now taking your hands out of the box as you fully faced her. “For old times sake?” You added on.

You watched as her eyes softened even the slightest bit at your words, a smile making its way onto her lips as she nodded.

“For old times sake.”

It didn’t take long for Vi to get ready as she grabbed her usual jacket and waited for you by the door. Once you were both ready to head out, you noticed that the awkward tension that riddled the entirety of your apartment seemed to have dwindled even the slightest bit.

“So what have you been up to?” The pink haired woman asked as she walked casually at your side. Her hands were tucked into her pockets as she looked over to you.

“Eh, stealing stuff, making money where I can. Really anything to get by.” You answered with a shrug. Vi nodded before a smile graced her face once again, her eyes scrunching ever so slightly, naturally indicating that the smile was genuine. The first one you’d seen from her in a while.

“Remember that time we tried to steal food from that one stall that was on this street?” She asked, looking in the direction that the stall once resided years ago. This thought slowly but surely brought you joy as you remembered what had unfolded.

You snickered a bit to yourself before saying,

“Yeah, and I remember how you fell and practically ate concrete. Wasn’t funny then but you know, I think it’s been long enough to say it’s funny now.” You taunted a bit as you looked over to her to which she rolled her eyes.

“Hey, it’s not like you haven’t had your fair share of slip ups Sunshine.” She teased with a smirk before turning her head to look at the other side of the street. She extended her arm and pointed at the remnants of a poor attempt at graffiti.

“Remember when you tried to prove to Mylo you could be daring so you tried to vandalize the shop we used to go to, and you ended up spelling half of it wrong?” She laughed, realizing she was still able to read most of what you had painted on the wall many years ago.

“Live life wiht no regerts, how poetic of you.” She teased to which you lightly shoved her shoulder with a smile.

“Shut up, I was more focused on trying not to get caught than whatever I was writing.” You laughed. You both continued reminiscing on things you had done, or failed to do, together when you were younger. Finally it felt as if that wall between you had fully gone down.

You two were so busy having fun and laughing with each other you almost ended up passing by Jericho’s stall. You quickly corrected that course of action as you both sat down at the counter, ordering the same orders you used to order when you were younger.

“His stuff is still just as good as you remember, I can promise you that.” You smiled, turning back to look towards Jericho who was busy slicing and dicing his dishes, preparing them just how you liked them. When you turned back to face Vi however, you noticed she had a much more nostalgic look on her face as she stared at you. You raised your eyebrow as you looked back at her,

“What, is there something on my face?” You asked, confused as to why she was staring. Upon hearing you speak She simply looked away from you, acting as if she hadn’t been staring to begin with.

“No, no there’s nothing on your face.” She answered quickly. Before you could question her further, Jericho placed your dishes out in front of you, just as cheerful as ever. You both said your thank yous before digging in, Vi much more eagerly than you. She tactically inhaled her food, clearly having not been satisfied with whatever prison slop they had been giving her.

“I missed this.” She said gleefully, practically drowning in the bliss she felt from her meal. As she finished up her meal, she placed the bowl back down before looking back at you for a moment or two. Inc wagon you were going to ask her what was wrong but she beat you too it as she spoke,

“I missed you.”

This caught you by surprise. You simply stared at her for a moment before moving to answer,

“I missed you too.” You replied, earning a small smile for Vi before she continued,

“It feels good to know that at least some things haven’t changed.”

Her words, although coming from a place of warmth, held a melancholic weight to them as well. You hadn’t changed, you were one of the only things in Zaun that stayed the same, and you didn’t know it but Vi took immense comfort in that. Everything else was out of her control, she wasn’t there to see it change, and there was no way for her to stop It either. So knowing you, someone she cared for oh so deeply, was still alive and well, it helped her sleep even the slightest bit better at night.

She wanted to tell you. She wanted to tell you all the things she felt about you. In fact, before everything had gone south with the enforcers, she had planned to tell you. She planned to get everything off her chest and let you know just how much she cared about you.

But she never got the chance.

Until now. Here you were, sitting two feet in front of her, laughing and smiling the same way you always had, the same way she always adored.

And she was hesitating.

What if you never felt the same? What if you had but it’s been so long that those feelings have dwindled? What if she makes it awkward again? She didn’t want that, she didn’t want any of that. You both had finally reached a point of comfort again, everything felt right again with you, she didn’t want to mess that up.

Little did she know, you were feeling the same. You always had feelings for Vi that remained over the years. Sure they dwindled in strength after not seeing her for so long, but the moment you set your eyes on her that first day you knew she was back, the feelings came rushing back like a dam had broken into a river.

It almost made it impossible to focus at times, she looked so different and yet so similar. You couldn’t help but stare at her features from time to time.

As your mind wandered, you couldn’t help but muttering,

“I like your hair.”

You hadn’t realized you said it outloud until Vi looked back at you once again from her bowl. Quickly, you went to remedy the situation before it had the chance to be once awkward.

“It looks good, well you look good, but specifically your hair. It’s nice.” You stumbled over your words a bit in the process of getting that one simple sentence out.

Good Job.

Luckily, this only made Vi smile more as she laughed a bit at what she thought was adorable stumbling.

“Thanks Sunshine.” She replied, in almost a cheeky manner as she smirked at you.

After a bit more talking, and what neither of you would admit was just straight up flirting, you both decided you had spent enough time out and wanted to head back. As you walked back, you two continued to reminisce on old stories with the group, but mainly focusing on the memories you two shared on your own.

You both laughed at another memory as you walked back through the door of your apartment and plopped down on one of the few chairs in the main room. Vi followed after you, sitting just across from you as She slouched on the seat, stretching her legs out as far as she could. There was a smile on her face, but it was clear she was keeping something hidden.

“Vi?” You spoke up, looking directly at her. “What’s up?” You asked, not giving an explanation to your question but just by her facial expressions you knew she knew what you meant.

“What do you mean?” She tried to play it off, but that only made you double down.

“Vi. You’re making that face, you know the one where you’re struggling to keep your thoughts to yourself. I’ve been around you long enough to know when you have something to say.” You explained, crossing your arms in front of your chest as you looked towards her with a very unfazed expression.

Her smile didn’t drop, but it changed to less of a joyful one and more of the disappointment of someone who had just been caught.

“Nothing ever gets past you does it, Sunshine?” She asked in a slightly teasing manner as if to draw away the attention from herself. This was a tactic she often used when you’d start getting on her case about opening up to you. It never worked and yet she tried it every time. You raised a brow at her before she let out a slight sigh.

“Fine, you got me. I was just… thinking.” She answered vaguely, no longer making eye contact as she stared at the wall behind you.

“About what?” You asked. Leaning a bit forward, showing your clear interest in how she was feeling. It seemed as if she gave in as she began to speak,

“About… Everything.” She spoke quietly, she was always so ready to keep her thoughts hidden if it meant keeping others safe from worrying, but she didn’t need to do that here. She didn’t have to worry about that with you.

You could see she was deep in thought as she leaned forward a bit now leaning against the small table that was between the two of you. Clearly she was thinking about what to say and what not to say, so to ease her nerves, you moved your hand to cover hers.

Vi always seemed to calm down at your touch, and now was no exception to that. She seemed to visibly relax as she felt the warmth of your touch cover her own hand. Her eyes softened before she let out a sigh. You always knew how to get your way.

“I was thinking about how I don’t want this to change. I know this whole time we’ve been focusing on how things used to be and how everything has changed since then but, now that I’m with you again everything else doesn’t really matter as much to me.” She began. You sat silently as you listened to her continue,

“Don’t get me wrong, it's upsetting to see how much has changed over the years I’ve been gone, but I know that you haven’t changed. I don’t know where my sister is, Silco is in charge of everything, so just knowing that you’re still here, it’s like a quiet peace in all the other chaos I have to deal with.” She explained with a slight chuckle, now looking back at you.

“You’re the only thing that makes sense to me right now.”

You couldn’t help but feel loved by her words. She clearly valued your presence more than you realized, just as you valued hers.

Before you even knew it, you had stood up from your chair and walked towards Vi. In a mere few seconds you were standing in front of her, and without a second thought you engulfed her in a warm hug. The warmest you could ever muster as you rested your chin on her shoulder.

She hesitated for a moment before eventually grabbing back, her arms wrapped around your torso as she stood up to properly hold you. The force in which she stood up caused the chair behind her to knock back and fall over as she desperately clung to your warmth.

“I've missed you…” She whispered to you, her entire body feeling as if it was powering down against you. For the first time in a long time she felt truly safe. She felt as if she could put her guard down and leave down when she was with you.

“Vi?” You lightly called as you eventually pulled away from the hug and looked back towards Vi’s eyes. She had the look of that of a wounded puppy. Her usual tough looking scowl that was used to keep unwanted attention off her back was replaced by a soft, hopeful and almost loving eyes. It was a look you had seen many times before but you never truly realized what it was. You could finally put it into words. It made your heart flutter whether she did it intentionally or not.

Maybe this wasn’t the time to share your feelings. Maybe it was better to keep them hidden. But you had already called her name so… you at least needed to come up with something.

Screws it, whatever happened to honesty. You took in a deep inhale before closing your eyes. If you can’t see it, the possible rejection isn’t there.

Before you could even fully make a decision about whether or not to say what you wanted, you felt as Vi’s hand lightly went up to your face, the feeling was unexpected but not unwanted as you leaned into her rough touch slightly.

“I love you.” She said, finishing your thought whether she realized it or not. Her words caused you to freeze as you finally reopened your eyes. When you did, you were met by the same blue eyes still staring at you. The warmth had never vanished from her gaze as she kept her eyes trained on you.

“I’ve been wanting to say that for so long.” She chuckled slightly, you could feel her hands beginning to shake a bit as you stayed silent. Her hands then left your face as she continued,

“You’ve been my best friend for so many years and I know we didn’t really interact for a little while but honestly I was scared. I was scared to come to terms with the fact that you might’ve changed just like everything else. Sure you’ve changed physically and maybe your personality has changed in some aspects but, you’re still the same person I was in love with you even when we were kids.” She was clearly rambling at this point as her hands continued to shake. You didn’t know Vi was capable of feeling fears over such a trivial thing, but there it was, staring you right in the face.

As she continued to speak, you could hardly focus on anything, you let your body act on its own as your brain took a moment to catch up. Your hands slowly made their way up to Vi’s face, silencing her as you leaned in slightly before hesitating.

“Can I?” You asked quietly but without even answering, Vi leaned forward and embraced you in a long awaited kiss. It was everything either of you could have dreamed of. Your hands began to leave her face as your arms wrapped around her neck, pulling her closer to you. Her hands lightly traveled down to your waist to keep you in place as she leaned into you more.

After a little while, you both broke the kiss, looking at each other as you both slightly panted before breaking out into laughter. You didn’t know why, you just… felt like laughing. Vi eventually leaned back into you, resting her chin on your shoulder as whispered,

“Can we just… stay like this? Please?” She asked, pulling back a bit so you could see her hard blue eyes softening as she looked towards you, her hand slithering into yours, holding it with care as if you might shatter with even the slightest squeeze. You, the ever loving being you are, smiled softly at your now partner.

“Of course. I guess the question is though, your room or mine?” You asked, to which Vi quickly responded

“Yours.”

So without any argument, you both made your way to your room and laid down together in a tangled mess on the bed. Your arms were wrapped around her neck once again as she held a tight grip on your torso. It was clear she needed an embrace of any sort.

It was no secret that she had been through so much and while you couldn’t go back and change the past, you could do what you could to help her heal.

For as long as you can remember you’ve been part of the undercity. Such a fate never really bothered you. Your family life was broken and your chance of survival was quite low, but you miraculously had made some friends who looked out for you, and you did the same for them.

And among that group of friends was a girl whom you grew to care about to a deeper extent than you could ever even begin to fathom.

When she wasn’t out stealing or picking fights with people, she was with you, hanging out and having fun. Forgetting what horrors life in the caverns below the glistening city of progress held.

That girl, of course, was Vi.

You walked through the darkened streets of the city, your feet carelessly walking through puddles of water that was contaminated with liquids you’d rather not waste your thoughts on finding out. You kept your head down, avoiding eye contact with anyone looking to pick a fight, and keeping yourself as compact as possible incase you needed to book it. Such is the way of the fissures.

Your tensed state lasted only until you reached your usual hang out spot, The Last Drop. It was owned by Vander, a man with a big heart and even bigger gauntlets. He looked out for any kid that crossed his path, despite how weak it made him seem to some of the others around him, who grew restless with his complaisance in the grand structure of things.

That, however, did not concern you. All you cared for was seeing your best friend.

Just before you could fling the door open and make your usual obnoxious entrance, the door opened with a swift tug and almost caused you to stumble forward.

You looked up slightly and made eye contact with none other than Vi.

But something was wrong.

Something was very wrong.

Her eyes fluttered open a little wider than they normally rested, her pupils focusing on your quickly as she moved back a bit in the door way. Clearly she wasn’t expecting you.

“Vi, What’s up?” You asked, a smile on your face to mask your concerns but anyone with a brain could see past it without much effort. Your eyebrows creased as you realized she was no longer looking at you. The pink haired girl let out a quick sigh before grabbing your hand and moving past you.

“Come on.” She said in a quieter tone than normal. You of course followed suit with little to no arguments, your main concern was just figuring out what was wrong. It wasn’t long before she stopped, taking you both into an alley way only a few feet from the bar as she let go of your hand. You couldn’t help but notice the absence of warmth as she did, but you shook the thought from you head nonetheless as you looked back toward her.

“Vi?” You called out quietly, moving your face a bit more towards your line of sight, almost as if you were forcing her to look at you. This only resulted in another sigh before she took a pause. She wanted to say something.

She was dying to say something.

“Vi, whatever it is, would you just spill it. You’re killing me here.” You remarked sarcastically, trying to lighten the very clearly damper mood as you continued to stare at her.

She then, finally, turned back towards you. She moved her bandages hands gently on to both of your shoulders as she stared at you.

“You remember that job that went to shit topside right?” She asked, now looking you dead in the eyes. Her blue eyes seemed to care the weight of a lot of stress, a lot of which you knew she was keeping on herself as to not burden anyone else with it. How you wished she would listen to you when you said she could tel you anything.

You finally nodded in response to her question.

“Of course I remember, who doesn’t?” You replied in an obvious manner.

“Well, the enforcers want someone to take the blame for that crime.” She continued, her hands still gently grasping both your shoulders as if to keep you from running away. You were firmly planted regardless of whether she let go or not, what could possibly turn you away from her?

“Okay…? But it’s not like you had anything to do with it so why does that matter?”

It was then you watched as Vi’s lips pressed into a thin line. The crease in her brow faded as she looked at you with a softened gaze. Only then did it click for you.

“Wait so you… you’re going to let them take you?”

“It’s the only way to fix what’s happening.” She replied quickly as if she was prepared for your protests. However, it only further progressed your confusion.

“Fix what? What’s happening?” You asked.

Then it dawned on you, she was keeping things from you once again for the sake of “protecting” you. You absolutely despised when she kept you out of the loop with things she knew you’d want a hand in if you had known about.

“I can’t explain just-“ She tried to respond, but you cut her off.

“What do you mean you can’t explain? Just tell me.” You practically pleaded.

“Look it’s just… it’s a long story but I-“ She once again tried to excuse, only for you to cut her off.

“No, Vi. Why won’t you ever tell me anything until you’ve already made a decision! Did one else get a say in this? How are you so sure this fix anything?” You exclaimed. You could feel her grip on your shoulders ever so slightly tighten as our words became more laced with desperate anger.

“It will. It has to.” She responded simply, to which you retorted,

“And what if it doesn’t? Hm? What if it doesn’t fix anything, Vi. You know an enforcers word doesn’t count for shit how can you-“

“I have to try.” She once again responded simply.

“Vi please would you just-“ By now your anger has dwindled and you were just simply desperate to try and talk her out of this.

“I have to do this!” She shouted. You noticed she was no longer looking at you, but now at the floor.

“Why?” You exclaimed.

“Because it’s the only way to protect the people I care about from my own mistakes! I did this. This is my fault, I thought we were ready, I thought we could handle it but… but I was wrong. And now I’ve put them all in danger and I- I have to make up for this.”

You went quiet. Classic Vi. Taking the blame all to herself when there’s more than enough to go around. One could almost call her selfish.

“And what about me? Were you planning on telling me about this before you decided to throw yourself to the wolves?” You responded quietly.

“I figured it would be best if you didn’t know what happened.” She said, he words just barely above a whisper as her view slowly worked its way back up to your eyes.

“What so I could instead just, I don’t know, think you died?”

“I don’t know I just-“

“Maybe it’s better if I found out you gave yourself over and I had no idea.”

“Just-“

“Or Maybe, I would’ve been really dense about it and would’ve just thought you were really good at avoiding me. Maybe that’s the better outcome.”

“Stop!” She shouted, her hand had swiftly moved from your shoulders and planted firmly on either side of your face. She gently held you in place, keeping you looking at her.

“Just… stop. Okay, maybe I didn’t think it through very well but I just wanted to protect you… okay? In the only way I knew how.”

“You don’t have to protect everyone, Vi.”

She didn’t respond.

Classic Vi.

You sighed, knowing that she was dead set on her decision and nothing was going to change that. Not even you.

“Look. If you’re… really set on doing this you have to promise me one thing, okay?”

She looked back, a hopeful glint in her eyes.

“When you come back, and you will come back, you’ll start opening up more. Okay?”

This earned a slight chuckle from the pink haired girl as she looked towards you.

“And… promise you’ll come back.” You added on. The playful look in your eye faded as you realized there was no promising such a thing. You both knew fairly well that this was likely going to be the last time you’d ever see each other again. Both such is the way of a child, you held out on a naive string of hope.

Vi nodded carefully, as if deep in thought. Her eyes jumped from feature to feature on your face, committing it to memory as she the suddenly engulfed you in a hug.

“I promise.”

That was the last time you saw her. You don’t even know how many years it’s been since the incident. Once word spread that Vander and the others had died, you and everyone else assumed that meant Vi died along side them. You held out hope that maybe one day, she’d miraculously reappear, but as the years dragged on your focus strayed from your old friend and more onto your own survival.

The Undercity is an eat or be eaten kind of place.

“And promise you’ll come back?”

If only you’d known how long those words stuck with Vi. 

For years she had been kept in this prison, her age passing by faster than she could keep count as the days moved on. The gray walls and dreary interior she had become so accustomed to  would be her undoing, she thought. The constant torment by the guards, being forced to live with those she always opposed, every reminder that she needed to get out, all of it in the end would amount to nothing. She feared she’d become nothing more than a statistic among the rest of the previous lane's residents.

She feared she’d never get back to you.

That was, of course, until a strange enforcer came to her rescue. Well… rescue was a strong word. In her eyes it was as if she was being taken from one cage to another.

“In what mad world would I trust someone like you?” She remembered the girl saying. 

“Someone like you.” 

They were all the same.

But she knew this girl was her best bet out of this place. Back to her sister and back to you. 

So, with a slightly wounded ego and a more hopeful outlook on life, given her two goals were now closer than ever, she left with the enforcer.

It was as if she appeared from nowhere. When she showed up, Vi truthfully thought she was going to get another “talk”. Instead, however, she was set free. With a price of course. She knew better than anyone than to trust an enforcer, so she kept her distance. Although, she couldn’t help but be thankful for her help even if it meant giving some kind of information in return. 

For the first time in years, Vi was able to move freely, hear the sounds of people bustling about, and see actual colors other than the dismal gray that engulfed the entirety of Stillwater. She wasn’t going to let some enforcer stop her from at least stretching her legs as she got reacclimated to the world around her. It wasn’t until the enforcer caught up with her once again did she realize she wasn’t going to just leave her alone. 

“Where are we going?” The enforcer asked. Vi had learned her name to be Caitlyn, and honestly she was just trying to lose her but somehow she always found her way back. She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes, not even bothering to turn back towards her. 

“We’re going to visit a friend.” She answered simply, her hood pulled up to cover her tattooed skin and her ever present pink hair.  Although the crowd of the people of the lanes was a diverse bunch, someone like Vi would still be easily recognizable for those who knew to look for her, and she was sure there would be a few. 

“Will this friend help us?” Caitlyn questioned skeptically, quickening her pace for a moment to catch up with Vi before slowing her pace once again. It was clear she was unsure of Vi's methods, probably letting what she had “learned” about the people of the undercity make her imagination go wild. She too kept her hood up, but less out of keeping her identity hidden, and more as if she was trying to shield herself from the strange new world around her. She had never been to the fissures first hand… and it was a lot to take in. 

With her hands tucked into the pockets of her new, freshly stolen jacket, Vi sighed.

“If I say yes will you hurry up?” She asked with a sarcastically sweet smile on her face as she turned slightly to Caitlyn. The blue haired enforcer, now left with little options given that Vi was her only sense of direction, simply nodded in response and followed wherever Vi was headed with a hastened pace. 

Luckily for Caitlyn, their route didn’t contain any parkour. 

Vi hurriedly made her way through the streets of the Undercity with one place in mind. She had no idea where you could be after all these years, if you were even still here. So, to keep from losing her sanity all at once, she started at the place where everything used to make sense. She couldn’t help but feel her heartbeat quicken ever so slightly, fluttering with even a tinge of hope that things would be just as they once were. With you waiting outside the door, wondering when she’d be free to hang out. Just like how it used to be.

But instead of being greeted with both the nostalgic warm glow off the sign outside of the bar, and you waiting by the door, she was met with a jarring bright green neon eye that framed the sign. People hung around outside, some clearly drunk off their ass, while others picked fights. Two guards stood outside, keeping people out of the, what seemed to now be exclusive, bar. 

This wasn’t right. None of this was. 

Vi’s grip on the bar that he hands rested on tightened as she looked at the scene before her. If this had changed, she couldn’t imagine what else had happened. 

And now she hadn’t a clue in the world where to look for you.

Little did she know, you really weren’t that far from her. 

You, like many others in the Undercity, had to make ends meet. 

You had to learn to survive.

And as a kid who lost everyone close to them, you really didn’t have many choices. So, you started from the bottom, working in the mines as many other kids your age did and worked your way up. Unfortunately, working in the mines meant you were working for Silco. The kingpin of the lanes. You couldn’t escape him if you tried. No one could, it seemed. The more you worked up and out of the mines, the closer you got to the man himself. Of course you never got to any influential role like his right hand. That title was reserved for Sevika.

But you didn’t need anything like that. You just wanted to survive, you didn’t want to have any real influence. 

Who knew from starting out in the mines, you would one day work your way up into working in the bar that you once thought to be a home of some sorts. In your eyes, everyone but Powder had died in that accident all those years ago. You never did find out exactly what had happened and you figured it would be for the best not to ask. That was the best way to get around in a place that involved such sketchy business. 

Keep your head down and don’t ask questions. 

That’s how you got as far as you did. 

What’s the point in asking questions you probably don’t want the answers to.

Every day you came into this bar to work, you couldn’t help but feel an unfathomable weight of guilt on your shoulders. You felt as if you let this happen. You felt as if you could’ve done something to stop Silco from practically desecrating the one thing everyone had left of Vander, other than the statue that was built in his honor. You felt as if you had done a disservice to Vi.

You knew how much Vi cared about those around her, and of course you also knew how much her sister meant to her. You never directly told her but you always knew that if anything had happened to Vi or Vander, you’d help out Powder. 

But when the need arose, you realized far too late.

The first day you had come in to work at your new position, just as a regular busser, you hadn’t expected much. You had no interest in the company Silco kept so you never made it your business. Until one day, you were cleaning off a table when a blue haired girl came waltzing in the front door. Her demeanor was cheerful but… with a noticeable edge. There was something off about her. You simply ignored it, figuring it was not worth asking questions until you heard her laugh. 

It was as if a strike of lightning struck through your entire being at that moment.

It couldn’t be. Could it?

You slowly turned once again to look back at the blue haired girl. A blue haired girl with even bluer eyes. Her laugh was identical to the one you had come to know very well all those years ago. It was then it clicked with you, that girl was Powder. She was here all along and you never knew. She was alive this whole time. You could’ve done something. You could’ve helped. And instead, here she was under Silcos care when she should’ve been under yours.

But then again, what could you have done? You too were just a child barely able to scrape together enough to make a living on your own, let alone take care of another altogether. Clearly that's not what mattered, what mattered was keeping Powder safe, what mattered was doing what you had secretly promised to Vi. What mattered was-

“Did you hear me?” A low voice broke you from your train of thought as you fluttered your eyelids and shook your head. You then looked up at the women before you who had spoken up just moments prior. You panicked a bit, immediately recognizing the woman to be Sevika, Silco’s cold hearted right hand. She grumbled under her breath knowing damn well you hadn’t heard a single word she just said before repeating,

“Clean this up.” She huffed, her eyelids lowering slightly as she stared at you. 

“Right.” You replied quickly before quickly moving to grab your bucket and practically scooping all the dirty dishes into it to bring back to clean. You tried not to draw too much attention to yourself by just doing what was asked of you quick and easy, but it was hard not to let your mind run away from you when being in a place such as this. A place that meant so much to you and you could do nothing but sit back and watch it burn. 

As you went back to clean the dishes, you noticed Sevika had gotten up and began to follow you. Great, you upset one of the three main people you never wanted to get on the bad side of.

Good going. 

You braced yourself to be ridiculed or fired before you heard Sevika speak up.

“Hey, you.” She called out, to which you turned around, a questioning look on your face as you looked behind you before looking back at her. “Yes, you. Come here.” She called out, now very clearly looking directly at you. If you were wearing boots you’d be shaking in them by now. You listened, of course, and walked towards her, leaving behind your container of dishes on a counter nearby. 

Once you made your way towards her, you simply made a gesture of acknowledgement, not speaking up as you waited for her to continue. 

“I need you to handle something for me. You don’t talk much, that’s good.” She spoke, her voice low and gritty as she leaned towards you as if trying to keep, whatever she was about to let you in on, a secret. You were just a busser, you weren’t supposed to be involved in any of the bigger things, this isn't what you wanted. 

Then again, you were just a busser, so there was no possible way that whatever Sevika wanted to suddenly burden you with was going to be all that damning, right?

“I have a ‘meeting’ tomorrow and I need someone else to go with. Don’t talk, don’t play, don;t do anything, you just have to be there. Got it?” She asked, well actually more like demanded. Then you realized, this ‘meeting’ was just another one of her gambling sessions. She must be playing something that involves two players and as someone who clearly doesn’t want to be in the way, she wouldn’t have to worry about you trying to snuff her out while playing. 

You felt as if the entire weight of the world lifted off of your shoulders. 

“Got it.” You responded. 

“Rotten luck boys.” Sevika gloated, throwing her deck onto the table as the two men before both of you huffed and growled having now the last majority of their money that they likely had saved for this occasion.

Just before she could say anything else, the sound of a sudden impact flew through the air, and before you could ever process what had just happened you watched as a streak of pink flew past your vision. The two men that had once been sitting before you had scurried off, grabbing some of their belongings in the process, clearly not wanting to be involved. 

You looked over to Sevika who was now partly on the floor as she grasped her jaw before looking up at the culprit. 

“Vi?” You whispered at the same time as Sevika as you both gazed upon the pink haired woman who currently had her back turned towards you.

Vi quickly turned back around to face you both, her eyes quickly glancing at you but her gaze didn’t linger as her focus was clearly on Sevika. Without another word shared between the two of them, punches were thrown, blows were dealt, and the sound of faces hitting concrete became more frequent than you ever would have liked it to.

You backed off, staring at the scrap before you as your eyes remained locked on the pink haired woman. There was no way that was Vi. It couldn’t be, she was killed with everyone else right? Perhaps, this was just a woman who just happened to look like Vi..? You racked through your brain with a million reasons for this to somehow be possible. None of which involved this truly being Vi. You didn’t want to let your hopes up like that. 

It wasn’t until you tuned back into the fight had you realized that Vi had kicked Sevika through a wall and was now holding her to the ground.

“Where’s my sister, where is he keeping her!” She demanded, holding her fist to Sevika’s face. It was then you realized, this really was Vi. From the voice, the fighting ability, the hair. You couldn’t deny it, it truly was her.

Your heart raced with excitement as you realized she was alive. She was really alive.

But if Sevika had her way, that wouldn’t be the case for long. 

She drove her clawed metal hand into Vi’s abdomen, wounding her greatly. 

You didn’t know what to do, if you spoke out against Sevika and lived you would be hunted for sport by Silco’s men, or Sevika herself. If you didn’t do anything, Vi was right on track to die. 

Before you could make a decision, you heard the whirring of Sevika’s arm as she stood once again, grabbing Vi and holding her in place.

“Hm, oh. And I almost forgot, a friend of yours wanted to say hi.” She taunted as she tilted Vi’s dreary face towards you. You watched as her face that was riddled with pain changed ever so slightly with shock as she recognized you. 

“Sunshine…?” She said quietly. The nickname that she had given you all those years ago.  before you both turned back to Sevika as the sound of her arm powering up filled the air. Vi looked as if she had given up by this point, having no more strength in her to fight. 

You had to help, you had to do something. You weren’t going to sit by and let this happen.

You weren’t going to lose her again.

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Tag list

“You talk too much.” Vi huffed and with one swift movement turned around and punched the support beam of the tower behind you, causing it to start to crumble to the ground. You looked back towards Vi who had grabbed Cait’s arm and signaled for you to follow behind as she began to run. You sprinted as fast as your legs could carry you as you heard the booming sound of the tower crashing down, leaving Silco behind in a cloud of rage filled dust. 

Once you were a safe enough distance away, You all stopped to regroup for a moment, giving yourselves time to process what just happened. 

“So when were you going to tell me you knew where my sister was this whole time?” Vi asked, to which you looked directly at her and answered,

“I told you, I was getting there but there was a lot happening all at once, what was I supposed to do? Find out you're not dead and then just immediately say ‘hey Vi! I know where your sister is, har har,  let's NOT focus on the fact that you just got stabbed!” You said in an overly dramatic mocking tone as you put on a character to reenact your little hypothetical scene. 

“You could’ve just said something after you got the serum.” She huffed again, her anger not dissipating as she kept her eyes focused on you. 

“Vi, I told you, I was going to tell you but-”

“Why didn’t you?” She interrupted.

“Well you kind of have this annoying habit where you don’t let me talk so…” You said in a sarcastic tone as you looked away from her. She sighed, cupping the side of her face with one of her battered hands. She was just healed not even twenty minutes ago and she’s already put her body at risk of another injury. 

“Hey, you’re not sin free either here Vi. You’re working with a pilty? I tried to ignore it to stay out of your business but you want to get on MY case for working with the wrong side?” You argued. Vi was an older sister through and through, she was always quick to correct the actions of others without having the time to think about herself. You couldn’t blame her, with everything she’s probably been through in the last 48 hours, it’s a lot to grapple with all this new information. But just because it was hard on her doesn’t mean you were just going to let her off the hook. 

“No offense Caitlyn but I could tell you weren’t from here with just one look.” You said to her, as she looked over to you as she quickly shook her head. 

“I’m not-” She began to speak before Vi spoke over her once again.

“Leave her out of this.” 

You glanced at Caitlyn as she rolled her eyes before looking back at Vi.

“Vi how can I leave her out of this when you’re doing the exact thing you’re upset at me for. Well… maybe not the exact thing unless she’s an enforcer but there's no way you’d-” You paused. Once those words left your mouth there was a sudden silence that fell over the two of them as Caitlyn averted eye contact. 

“No. No way.” You finally managed to speak up as you looked between Vi and Cait. 

“How do you think she got me out of Stillwater?”

“Vi really? That’s clearly not the point here!”

“She needed information against Silco, that’s why she's here,” Vi excused, 

“Holy shit. I never thought I’d live to see the day when THE Violet goes out of her way to defend an ENFOR- an enforcer?!” You stumbled over your words a bit in disbelief as you held your hands up to your forehead and pushed the back over your hairline. 

Vi was quiet now. It seemed to have hit her a bit more now that she was actually taking your reaction into consideration.

“I’m here to help.” Caitlyn spoke up, causing you to look at her. You had no real reason to not trust her, she hadn’t done anything to warrant you being hesitant of her, if anything she showed you could trust her as she had given up her valuable gun without hesitation for the sake of helping Vi.

“To help who exactly? What do you even need this information for?” You asked. In your mind whenever an enforcer came down here to ‘help’ it was just because the Pilties were uncomfortable and they needed to display they’re military power against the poor people of Zaun.

“There’s an ongoing investigation involving someone named Jinx, linked to the Progress Day attack.” Cait explained which caused you to look back at Vi.

“Oh yeah, that’s gonna go well. I can totally see how this will all work out perfectly and there won't be a conflict with that at all in the slightest.” You remarked sarcastically as you crossed your arms. Did Vi seriously expect this enforcer to just let her sister go without any reason, especially if she was the one behind the attacks? Caitlyn looked at you with confusion, it seemed was a little behind on connecting the dots but all her questions would soon be answered as you looked over to Vi. 

She was staring at something off in the distance, her eyes locked on with a mesmerized air about her. 

“Vi what are you-” You were about to ask but you got your answer as you turned to see the blue cloud of smoke filling the air. 

Powder. 

Without another word you and Vi began running towards the direction of the smoke. Cait followed close behind, clearly confused as to what the sudden urgency was for, but you weren’t going to explain it to her. You couldn’t. If there was any hope of Vi getting out of this with her sister it would be by you keeping your mouth shut. 

Just as the smoke was starting to diffuse, you all made your way up. Vi was the first to greet her sister and you were a close second. As you walked up, you saw the two girls clinging to each other as they reunited for the first time in years. You kept your distance so as to not ruin the moment until Jinx noticed you. 

“You’re here too? I thought… I thought you left?” She asked as Vi released her from the hug to look back at you. You walked up closer to them with a smile on your face. You always kept your distance when it came to Powder, you were just there if she needed you but out of fear of Silco you didn’t get too close. You didn’t realize it would affect her at all if you had left, but it seems she noticed after all. You nodded at her and in that moment you didn’t see the Jinx that you were used to showing up and tormenting people for fun. You saw the young girl who used to create things and show them off to you with pride when you’d visit. You saw Powder and it was clear that Vi did too. 

But before you could all get too comfortable, you all heard the sound of Caitlyn catching up behind you. You felt a little bad for having ditched her but you knew how important this was to Vi, even if you did have your disagreements on other things.

Powder quickly reached for the gun that was strapped to her and aimed it at Caitlyn. 

“Who is she?” She asked and just like that you could see Jinx take over once again. 

“Who are you?” Cait asked back in a lower tone as she looked between Vi and Jinx. Vi quickly jumped in to be a mediator to try and keep Jinx from attacking Caitlyn.

“It’s okay… she's a friend.” Vi said, holding her arm out to Jinx as she tried to convince her. You couldn’t help but silently wonder to yourself “Is she though?” Cait hadn’t given you any direct reason to dislike her but you still wanted to be cautious. 

But it was going to take more than a couple words to undo all the trauma associated with enforcers for the blue haired girl. 

“Your sister is Jinx?” Cait asked. 

“Listen we can work this out-” Vi tried to keep things together as she often did but it wasn't working. Cait was set on her role as an enforcer, here for the blue orb thingy. You truthfully had no idea that was even involved in the equation until you watched her spot it. 

“Hm, it’s almost like someone called this.” You muttered quietly before looking back over to Jinx.

“This is a trick, you're playing me!”  Jinx shouted, aiming her gun at Vi, then you, then Caitlyn before covering her ears as she turned away.

“Shut up!” She screamed. 

“We didn’t say anything?” You shot Caitlyn a look. If there was ever a time to make a snippy comment, it was definitely not when the girl who is hearing voices has a minigun aimed directly for you. You watched as Jinx slowly began to spiral, as she often did when some news of something involving Powder would come up. You weren't exactly surprised it was happening, but you knew how irrational she could get and you'd be damned if you knew how to stop her. 

As Vi continued to try and get Jinx to calm down, you heard a low rumbling noise, it was hard to hear at first so you ignored it, paying more attention to Jinx and Vi but the longer you ignored it the louder it went until Jinx finally noticed it as well. 

You all turned to the sound and realized it was none other than 

“The firelights.” You whispered before your voice was quickly drowned out by the rapid firing sound of Jinx’s gun. You quickly ducked and covered your ears to get out of the way of Jinx’s sporadic aim. In seconds, multiple firelights joined their leader and came swooping down among you all. Luckily once Vi hit one off of their board you were able to grab a weapon to help fight alongside them. You weren’t the best at fighting, you were never trained, but to survive in the Undercity you’d have to at least be able to keep your face out of the way of an oncoming attack. 

As you continued to fight you looked around after a while and noticed that Caitlyn was nowhere to be seen. Maybe she was just hiding.

Or maybe she just got what she needed and left. 

You didn’t give too much attention to her disappearance as you found yourself fighting alongside Jinx. You listened as she took joy in the blaring sound of her gun firing before it was quickly replaced by a crazed rage. She switched back and forth between emotions like night and day as you fought together. Once Jinx had successfully cornered one of them, you noticed a distinct lack of fighting noises as you turned around.

That when you saw her.

Vi, knocked out on the shoulder of one of the firelights. Suddenly all the petty anger you felt when arguing with her earlier dispersed as you realized the very real possibility that you were about to lose her again. You had time to spend with her and you took it for granted. You spent it arguing. 

“Vi!” You cried, which quickly caught Jinx’s attention. Once she too noticed that they had taken Vi, she quickly charged at them only to be covered in a plume of smoke. You tried your best not to inhale whatever black substance was used to create the smoke.

And as the cloud dissipated you realized…