still love is still love.

Sometimes you haunt the back of Vi’s mind on those harder nights when she’s bouncing off the walls of her cell chest heaving and sweat dripping. She thinks she sees you in the shadows sitting with her.

When Vi makes her way back to the undercity there wasn’t even a trace of your existence.

Your parents were gone from their residence and people don’t recall any children they had.

No one sings of your name and you’re but another forgotten soul of the undercity.

For a moment, you’re only as real as Vi believes you to be. You’re only as much as the ink on Vi’s ribcage. She denies it.

It’s why when Ekko brings her to his tree and she sees the mural with your face right next to hers that she swallows a lump in her throat she didn’t know she was holding back.

You were beautiful, and it was something Vi had always known but almost forgotten.

And though Vi had her qualms about Ekko’s beliefs about Powder and what she’s turned into, with you it was different.

It was clear and bittersweet, like the bottle of vodka you and Vi stole from Vander’s bar once, the two of you laughing through the night until your ribs hurt, until you fell asleep in Vi’s arms.

This morning, the two of you got in a fight about a job Vi heard about from Little Man. Vi, you, and the others were supposed to be packed and ready to go by tonight, but when you found out the job was in the heart of Piltover you and Vi started to argue which ended up in you guys not heading out anymore.

Now, Vi did not care about what anyone else thought. If Mylo or Claggor had anything to say about a job she’d tell them to suck it up and keep on.

With you it’s different.

She could probably keep on without you…for a little bit anyway. The thing is, that unlike Mylo and Claggor who follow Vi trying to catch up, you plant your stubborn feet into the floor and not too long later Vi’s ego comes running back after you, upset and all.

Safe to say, even if she did leave she wouldn’t even have made it out the door.

You take the needle back huffing and furrowing your brows at Vi and Vi immediately shuts her mouth and holds your wrist keeping the needle there with a determined look on her face.

It’s quiet a moment.

“Tell me your greatest dream.” Vi says still a bit angry, but you can tell she tried to soften her voice.

“My greatest dream?” You reply, raising a brow, confused at the sudden change of topic. Your hand relaxes though and you resume the tattoo on the second loop of the letter in your name.

“It could be anything.”

Vi watches you carefully and attentively as if she’s ready to ingrain your words to memory.

You’re still quiet as a mouse.

Vi grumbles sighing thinking you might not want to talk. Vi looks away with a small frown on her lips though her brows remain furrowed.

You pause the tattoo and sit up a bit. Your eyes wander around the room before a slight sheepish smile appears on your lips. Vi notices it, confused a bit.

“It’s silly…”

Vi’s own small smile appears at your shyness. Did your greatest dream have something to do with…her?

“I won’t judge.”

The room is tense as you stare at Vi, gnawing at your bottom lip before sighing and giving in.

The way you look at Vi makes the butterflies in her stomach flutter. She hopes she’s not blushing as she tries her best to have a neutral face.

“…A princess.”

“Huh…?”

Vi snorts thinking it was some sort of joke and she laughs, which was a mistake because her rib aches and she holds your name (or at least half of it) with a groan.

“I mean it…!” You smile rolling your eyes chuckling at Vi’s agony, the atmosphere becoming a lot less tense. “I really do think it’d be nice to be a princess…”

Vi grimaces as she looks back at you slowly laying on her pillows again. You pull her skin taut and start working on your name again.

“Sure, but why a princess?” She shrugs.

“Well…we always scale those tall buildings when we head topside. Maybe I’d like to be inside one day. High ceilings and all.”

You pause, just taking in the sounds of Vi’s small breaths whenever you poke at her.

“I mean, Piltover looks like a fairytale compared to Zaun. I spent all my life looking up at what could be.” You decide to say.

“Then…I guess that makes sense.” And Vi means it.

When Vi looks at you, you were the perfect princess. She wants that for you and she imagines that for you. You, in a castle with a crown of jewels and clothes that weren’t worn out or faded.

Vi smiles before snorting. “There’s not really an opportunity to be a princess down here.”

“Well…I like being down here with you.”

You say it as if you were wondering if it was such a crime to want to be with Vi. To be safe under Vander’s protection. You two were still just teenagers, you understood that much.

Vi smiles. Though she loves the feeling she gets in her heart when she hears it, she never understood until later that this is enough for you.

She supposes that’s where you two were opposites.

You and Vi were always a push and pull with each other.

You were steady and she would always rock the boat, yet you both were too stubborn to see the other’s side.

You lift the needle off of Vi’s ribs staring at her.

You two were so upset with each other.

Yet there was your name like a promise.

In squiggly black ink is your name, carved into her ribcage.

You don’t move when Vi then takes your hand holding it against her cheek as she closes her eyes.

Vi’s love felt like a curse sometimes. The shield and the blade all at once.

Vi loved so hard sometimes it felt as though you were suffocating.

But someone like you who’s parents are always working in the factories, who didn’t have a brigade like Vi did, her love was all you’ve ever known and you were selfish with it.

“First thing tomorrow morning we’ll go to the penthouse in Piltover.” You say softly laying down and resting your head on Vi’s shoulder.

Vi’s eyes perk up a bit and she raises a brow.

“You think it’s a good idea?”

You nod, “I trust you.”

You pick up the note and start to unfold it when a hand snatches it out of yours.

“No!” Prompto clears his throat.

“No!” Prompto clears his throat.

Your eyes widen and you furrow your brows in confusion as Prompto starts to walk away from you.

“Psh, this is just…a list of princely duties.”

Prompto sings the last part as he folds the paper up again.

You nod your head, suspicious. Prompto tries to avoid your eyes.

“Prompto, what’s that?” You say slowly.

“Nothing!”

You stare the blonde down until he shrinks his shoulders.

“You’re not gonna wanna read it.” Prompto mumbles.

“Try me.” You say, walking up to him and taking the note from his hands with your thumb and pointer finger.

It’s a letter from Noctis addressed to you.

Your heart skips a beat and you bring the note closer to your face.

You skim through it, brushing past him telling you about his engagement to the Oracle and how he’ll be leaving Insomnia to be wed to her because you didn’t need to cry over that again.

What sticks out to you is the line in the smack middle of the letter.

‘The truth is I’ve liked you for a long time.’

‘I’ve liked you.’

‘I like you.’

You zero in.

Because Noctis is Noctis and he holds his feelings in until they implode on himself, he rambles on for a couple of paragraphs about his feelings for you, but you skim past that, too.

Because how could he? How could Noctis confess now of all times?

You pale as you lower the note.

“I told you, you shouldn’t have read it.” Prompto sympathizes, pouting.

“Did you tell him?”

“No, you told me not to.” Prompto says as if it was such a sure thing.

You fold the paper up, putting it in your own pocket. The letter has reached its receiver.

You and Noct have always had this kind of tension in your friendship. Lingering touches and words that could mean more than platonic. It’s a tricky type of thing. Something you don’t want to break. You and Noctis were both cowards, afraid of tipping the boat and drowning, because what if it didn’t work out? What if these feelings were a phase and once you both got into a relationship it would lead to regret?

For a second, Noct’s letter, his words, made you feel like maybe this was something worth feeling, but ultimately it isn’t. People are dying in the never ending war and in order for it to end Noctis has to marry the oracle. It’s what the king decided.

That’s why the letter was crumpled at the bottom of his dirty cargos.

It’s why you’ll bite your tongue and stuff it in your own pockets.

“But this is a good thing! Isn’t it!” Prompto smiles in hopes of cheering you up. “Noct likes you, you like Noct.”

You give Prompto a sad smile before wincing.

“Prom,” You say his name solemnly, “This doesn’t change anything.”

Prompto’s smile dies and he sighs.

“Yeah, I know.” Prompto says after some silence.

You take Noct’s clothes out of the dryer, put them in a basket for Prompto to fold, and start on the next batch.

The dryer springs to life again and you heist yourself back on top

You gnaw on your lollipop stick for a bit.

“When are you guys leaving?” You mutter out.

The question makes Prompto pause, but he resumes folding.

“In three days.”

You nod once, slowly.

It’s sunset when you and Prompto walk out of the laundromat, and with only a few steps there’s Ignis and Noctis.

Noctis—with his stupid spiky hair, and his adoring blue eyes, and his red-bottom combat boots that look way too big for him.

It feels like you’re seeing him with new eyes even though he’s always been like this. Now, it’s different because you know he sees you, too.

Prompto eagerly greets the two and teases Noctis about how long it took for his laundry to dry and how great of a friend he is that perhaps it calls for a royal favor to which Noctis mutters out a, “yeah, right.”

“I can’t wait to get back home.” Noctis groans and rolls his neck back.

He shoots you a teasing smile, but it’s different from all the other ones now that you know what you know. You see the hidden glint in his eyes behind his bravado and your heart aches for a future you can’t have.

You give him a small smile back, heisting the laundry basket up before making your own complaints.

The truth is he never planned to confess to you and neither will you.

Whatever you and Noctis have now is all you’ll ever have—

You know that.

He knows that.

Loving Noctis is like wishing for rain on a hot summer day.