The Forsaken - CaitVi AU Fanfic (Arcane:LoL)

Chapter 11

The journey had officially begun, and before too long, it was already not going according to plan as Vi dragged her boots along the concrete. As she looked behind them, she could see the trail of bodies the two women had left behind them before looking at Caitlyn with a confused face.
"It was so quiet out here before, what's changed?"
She asked, wiping the blood off of her gloves and onto her jeans before looking around on high alert.
"I don't know, but I don't like it. We won't get anywhere if the turned keep coming out of nowhere"
She answered honestly, copying Vi's motion and keeping an eye out as they walked. As they walked for a few more hours, they continued running into the Infected, having to deal with them before continuing. The sun had already begun to set, causing Vi to groan and complain as they hadn't managed to cover as much ground as she would have liked. She pressed on, without a single care in the world for the setting sun as she stomped along the narrow road.
"We can't stumble around in the dark, Vi"
Caitlyn stated with an impatient look on her face. She understood that Vi was desperate to get to her family. But she needed the short-haired woman to think rationally, and use whatever daylight they had left to form a camp for the night.

Vi turned on her heel, looking at Caitlyn with an argument on the tip of her tongue, but decided to leave her words unsaid as she let her head hang low. She was right, even if it pained her to admit. She approached Caitlyn, ready to hear out her plan as she caught a glimpse of something moving behind the taller woman. Immediately, she took into a sprint running straight past her as she raised her fist, sending a heavy punch into the jaw of a living corpse that had almost gotten the jump on Caitlyn. The Infected dropped, looking up at Vi from the ground before letting out a deep, unsettling growl. Immediately, it sprung up, moving fast as it tackled Vi, sending her crashing into the ground as it mounted her, hitting her hard as she tried to defend by holding her hands in front of her face and hitting back whenever she found an opening. Her attacks were almost futile, she was strong, but the infected didn't experience pain the same way she did, so trying to stun him with a blow in order to get him off of her was an impossibility. The turned lunged forward with its face, teeth attempting to chomp down on Vi as she held out her hand, allowing it to bite into her glove as she protected herself, jabbing it in the ribs as she attempted to get it off of her. Until finally, a gunshot rang out in the air, and the infected stopped moving, its body becoming limp as Vi shoved it off of her and sat up. The body flopped to the ground, laying lifeless while Vi climbed to her feet, dusting herself off before looking at Caitlyn, who was on a fast approach to make sure her friend was okay.
"Thanks for the save"
She said, inspecting her chewed, but not damaged gloves as Caitlyn took her face in her hands, inspecting her for injury as she tutted.
"You cut your face"
"It's nothing"
Vi pulled away, leaving Caitlyn shocked at her sudden standoffish behaviour. As shocked as she was, she didn't press further, keeping her distance as she kept her eyes trained on Vi.
"I thought I saw it bite you"
She expressed her worry, only to have Vi hold up her glove to show Caitlyn.
"It got my glove, don't worry"

The taller woman nodded, not knowing what else to say as she looked around, realising something.
"That gunshot was loud, we can't stay here"
She stated, throwing her rifle over her shoulder and looking around.
"You're right, who knows how many of them are heading here right now"
With the mutual agreement of continuing on, the two women began walking again, leaving yet another body in the road as they quickened their pace.
"We should still find somewhere to set up camp"
Caitlyn suggested, this time, earning a wordless nod in agreement as Vi continued to monitor their surroundings.

It didn't take them long to put some distance between them and the area where Caitlyn noisily fired off a bullet from her rifle. They wasted no time in setting up camp, Vi looking for firewood while Caitlyn set up basic but effective alarm systems. Before setting up camp, Vi attempted to show Caitlyn the empty cans with stones on a string as a sound alarm system, feeling proud in herself only to realise that this creation was nothing new to Caitlyn. With the area clear of threats for the time being and the camp fully set up for the night, Caitlyn stoked a small fire. Not big enough to draw attention to them but enough to keep them somewhat warm and heat any food they were planning on eating that night. The two women sat on opposite sides of the fire, the silence between them was almost deafening as they simply listened to the crackling wood that burned in the fire.

Caitlyn looked over at Vi, who seemed deep in thought as she ate her food. She sighed, not knowing what changed between them as she ate her own food. After a few minutes passed, Caitlyn finally had enough of the silence, climbing to her feet before walking around the fire and sitting beside Vi.
"I forgot to thank you earlier, for saving me.. I don't even know how I didn't notice it there"
She admitted, taking a bite out of her food.
"It's fine, Cait. You don't have eyes in the back of your head"
Vi smirked at Caitlyn's words, not looking away from the smouldering fire. A moment of silence washed over them once more before Caitlyn set down her food and placed a hand on Vi's forearm.
"What's wrong, Vi? You've been completely different ever since we left Piltover"
Caitlyn asked, worry laced in her tone as she finally grabbed Vi's attention. The pink-haired woman looked up with an apologetic look in her eye as she faced Caitlyn.
"I'm sorry.. I'm just worried"
"Worried about what?"
"What if they refuse to come? What if they stay and we get caught and-"
"Then that would be their choice.. Vi, you can't make them come with us. All you can do is try, and as for us. We won't get caught, trust me"
Vi remained silent. Caitlyn was right, even if she didn't want to admit it, but the thought of her family turning her down and leaving Zaun alone with Caitlyn hurt her more than any gunshot could, and she certainly knew how that felt. Caitlyn watched Vi's expression closely, waiting for a response. Instead of words, she saw Vi's expression falter as her eyes became glassy, only for a moment. The woman took a breath, shaking away her emotions, but this action didn't slip by Caitlyn, who wasted no time in leaning into Vi and pulling her into a hug.

In an instant, Vi felt safe for the first time in weeks. She had only hugged Vander and Powder before, and Vander's hugs were so warm and tight, it felt as though a bear was protecting her from the world, even if that bear had a soft heart for her and Powder. As if she were on autopilot, without a single thought Vi wrapped her arms around Caitlyn, pulling her into a deeper hug as she buried her face into Caitlyn's collar. She needed this, she didn't realise it until she was now melting in the blue-haired woman's arms. They sat on the cold ground for a minute, enjoying each other's warmth as they resided in one another's arms. Composing herself, Vi pulled away from the hug slightly, looking at Caitlyn before realising just how close they were. separated by mere centimetres, Vi looked into Caitlyn's eyes, which were fixated on Vi's lips. They paused for a moment, their breaths becoming sharp and heavy as the tension between them tightened. It would be so easy to close the gap, keep each other warm and to lose themselves to their lust, and Vi knew this. Just as she began to lean in, Caitlyn cleared her throat, pulling away as she diverted her attention to the fire awkwardly.
"I should get more firewood"
She said, climbing to her feet as she looked down at Vi with a slight smile. Before she left, Vi noticed that Caitlyn's hands were trembling the same way Vi's whole body was, which only meant one thing to her. Caitlyn felt it too, and Vi knew that she wasn't insane anymore, the tension between them wasn't as one sided as she thought.

Vi groaned, her mind rushing with the thoughts of possibilities of how that situation could have turned out. She slapped her hands against her cheeks.
"Stop it... You need to focus"
She reminded herself before lying back, using her backpack as a pillow as she sighed. Caitlyn didn't take long retrieving the wood, returning and placing a few logs in the fire before picking up a stick and stoking the flames. Vi didn't even bother looking up, the situation was awkward and she knew she didn't have the energy to deal with it. She simply closed her eyes, ready to get some needed rest as she heard Caitlyn shuffling around on the opposite side of the fire, getting ready to turn in for the night. Although today didn't quite go as planned, Vi hoped that tomorrow would prove more productive as she felt herself drift into a deep sleep.