[Arcane] Departure (Caitvi & Timebomb Post S2)

The Balcony

Restless. Every night for the past month, Caitlyn Kiramman found herself staring at her ceiling with her 1 good eye, restless. The aftermath of the battle has left a plethora of responsibility, grief, and stress.

She was lost in these thoughts yet again, with an itch in her injured eye on top of it all. She glanced over to the redhead resting next to her. She felt a deep comfort in her presence, but it quickly faded as she was reminded about yet another conflict. Vi has no idea that her sister could be alive.

When looking over all of the evidence, Caitlyn stumbled upon the discovery that there was no body resembling Jinx anywhere around Vanders. There were plenty of exits she could have made it to during the fall, especially with her speed. But in Caitlyn's mind, Jinx would reveal herself if she wanted to be found. If Vi found out Jinx was hiding, she would never stop looking. She wouldn't be able to settle down and live a normal life. Caitlyn didn't want that for Vi.

Or maybe I'm just being selfish... Maybe I just don't want her to leave me behind... She sighed as she silently crept out of bed.

Caitlyn made her way to her usual spot on the balcony. She gently grabbed the handle of the door, and quietly slid it open. After stepping outside, she carefully shut the door behind her. Immediately, the post-war air felt bitter in her lungs. Caitlyn remembered the council meeting from the other day. A vote had taken place, putting her and Savika in charge of peace affairs with Piltover and Zaun. This was a heavy responsibility, but one that she was glad to take. To atone for the wrongs her people put Vi's through. The first step would be to stop the pollution of Zaun's environment. A task that might be hard to get support for, but making the right decisions was never going to be easy.

Completely absorbed in her own mind, Caitlyn was startled by a hand being placed on her shoulder.

"These late night balcony trips are starting to worry me, Cait," Vi grumbled.

Caitlyn didn't turn to face Vi, but she tilted her head back to notice Vi was only in tanktop and loose shorts.

"Vi... you are barely dressed. You're going to freeze out here," Caitlyn responded with a guilty expression.

"Barely dressed? Thought you loved seeing me barely dressed. Besides, I don't like sleeping in an empty bed," Vi complained.

"I don't like my girlfriends as ice cubes," Caitlyn joked.

Vi moved her arms to wrap around Caitlyn's stomach, and rested her chin on Caitlyn's shoulder. Caitlyn responded by reaching one hand back to caress Vi's hair, her other hand holding Vi's.

"Then you can warm me up... inside," Vi suggested.

Caitlyn looked out at the surrounding environment for a few more seconds before turning around and quickly pulling Vi into a kiss. Vi was taken aback at first, but quickly embraced the moment. Caitlyn pulled away gently and stared at Vi for a moment. She was convinced this was the love of her life. She deserved to know.

"Vi... I-" Caitlyn stopped herself.

"What is it?" Vi questioned.

Caitlyn took a moment to think. She knew what she wanted to say, but maybe now wasn't the time. After a long pause, she dismissed the idea.

"I'm ready to go in," Caitlyn whispered.

Vi grabbed a hold of her hand and led back into their bedroom. They both laid down together, getting comfortable under Caitlyn's silk sheets. Vi pulled Caitlyn into another kiss. Caitlyn moved her hand down from Vi's shoulder to her waist. Vi cupped Caitlyn's cheek as she continued the kiss with more passion. Vi pulled away for a moment and looked into Caitlyn's eyes.

"I... I need you. I need you in my life forever..." Vi confessed.

Caitlyn couldn't comprehend why, but she felt herself getting teary eyed from the comment.

"You changed my life for the better. I couldn't imagine being where I am without you. I might not be around all the time... with work and everything, so don't forget to live a life of your own," Caitlyn replied.

Vi took a moment to contemplate Caitlyn's response. She avoided eye contact as she thought.

"You're the only thing I have left," Vi continued.

Caitlyn frowned and caressed Vi's face. Vi looked back, sorrow heavy in her eyes. In that moment, Caitlyn realized that in all of her stress, she didn't check up on Vi's stress too much. Come to think of it, Vi hadn't gone out much since what happened. Hadn't been eating like Caitlyn has seen her do before. Caitlyn thought that love was enough to keep them going, but Vi needed more to her life.

"I'm going to a council hosted party tomorrow, one that is meant to unite Zaun and Piltover in this time of grief. I think you should come with me, talk to people, see what problems you could possibly solve." Caitlyn recommended.

Vi's expression shifted with confusion. "I don't fix things, I punch things."

"Vi..."

"Alright, alright. I'll come with you, but I'm sticking with you," Vi murmured.

"I think that's fair. Now we should both get some rest," Caitlyn urged.

Vi nodded and gently rested her head on Caitlyn's chest. Caitlyn proceeded to wrap her arms around Vi and hold her tight. She let out a sigh and rested her head on top of Vi's before closing her eyes.