Chapter Text
Caitlyn
She had suffered a variety of wounds in the past: scrapes, burns, cuts, and punctures of varying degrees. But not even the knife wound in her gut hurt quite so palpably as the bloody gash where her left eye used to be. The adrenaline wearing off certainly didn’t help the matter.
Her existence was narrowed down to the pounding of blood in her ears and the blurred edges of her remaining sight as she slumped to the ground. She was faintly aware of Mel walking towards her and leaving Ambessa’s still form behind her. The pounding of fists against shields joined the rhythm wracking Caitlyn’s brain.
Don’t fucking fall asleep, she warned herself. It was a struggle to keep her eye open, when it’s instinct told it to do otherwise.
Stay alive. She very nearly had met her demise mere moments ago, due to her own oversights. Maddie’s lifeless corpse was a firm reminder of that. Nausea roiled in her stomach. Fresh pain exploded in her abdomen.
Stay alive. For Vi. She repeated the mantra again and again for what felt like years until Mel reached her side.
“Vi,” she croaked to the woman she now owed a life debt to. “Need to find Vi.” Her voice was softer than she intended.
“We will,” Mel promised. “But we need to--”
A distant sound caught Caitlyn’s attention. A sound reverberating from the walls of the tall Hex Gate beyond. A sound like a piercing wail. Like…
“Vi,” Caitlyn said breathlessly. Pain laced with panic and dread overrode everything physical at that moment. She attempted to stand, with Mel grasping to stabilize her. “Now,” she insisted.
And everything went black.
Vi
“Always with you.” Her sister’s words echoed in her mind as sobs tore through Vi’s chest. She clung to her armor until she felt the ridges cut into her fingers. She had gritted her teeth so hard she could taste calcium and blood in her mouth before she finally let the grief come out audibly.
But to let it come out was to admit what had just happened. What she had just seen. Her sister and her father were both gone. Here one moment, within her grasp, and then just gone. Another wail tore itself up through her throat. Breathing became difficult.
She was suddenly very aware of just how close she still was to the edge of the beam. They had so easily slipped from her grasp. She blearily looked to the side of the beam, where the horizontal metal line so clearly separated life and death.
Blue flashed before her eyes. A bright, crystalline blue – brilliant and defiant. The blue of Caitlyn’s eyes, watching her as they lay across from each other on the bed. Caitlyn’s features had been soft and welcoming and fierce all at once in that moment. It had been the first time Vi really looked into those eyes and dared to see a future where she could be happy.
Live, she ordered herself. For Caitlyn. Find Caitlyn.
Caitlyn had to be alive. Had to be. Vi couldn’t accept even the notion of another loss. To lose Caitlyn would be to lose her hope and her future. And she refused to believe that Caitlyn or their combined hopes for a united Piltover and Zaun were gone.
She forced her body into a sitting position while attempting to block out the mental and emotional duress still pushing itself up and through her body. Breathing felt like burning alive, but she had to do it. For Caitlyn. Find Caitlyn.
A whirring noise came from above, and Vi looked up to see Ekko approaching on his board. “Vi!” he yelled down.
Vi didn’t even try to wipe the tears still streaming from her eyes as he carefully maneuvered down towards her. He reached a hand towards her and Vi took a moment to respond as she again considered just how easily the things you love most can slip from your grasp.