venusswhite

[venusswhite]

Reblog if you're a writer who re-reads their own work for funsies.

[venusswhite]

A Thousand Years | Arcane Vi x Fem Leitora (Part. 5)

After losing everything, [Name] tries to rebuild her life. But what happens when a ghost with pink hair returns?

notes: English is not my first language, and I initially wrote this fanfic in Portuguese. With the help of online resources, I rewrote it in English.

Part. 4

"they mistook my kindness for weakness" - Lana Del Rey

We stayed there for a while, holding each other, pretending everything was fine. I feel her warmth, the beats of her heart, her scent, the sensation of her clothes against my skin… all of it was comforting. It was like being a child again, as if nothing bad had ever happened.

“I need to go find Jinx,” I whisper against her chest, breaking the silence.

“I’ll go with you,” she says determinedly.

“No, Vi. It’s better if you don’t,” I pull away, looking into her blue eyes.

“Why not?” she asks, cupping my cheeks and tracing every spot and mark on my face with her fingers.

“She’s my sister,” she insists.

“I know, but she’s not the same. Just… let me talk to her first,” I place my hands over hers, leaning in until our foreheads touch.

She sighs and closes her eyes for a few seconds. Then, she opens them and nods.

“Alright. I just want the two of you back,” she steps back and kisses my forehead.

“I promise I’ll do my best to get a little bit of what we had.”

She smiles.

“I know you will. And so will I, I promise.”

I stop in front of Silco’s office, take a deep breath, and open the door, walking in with heavy steps. He’s sitting there, staring at the large round window behind him, drinking—probably something alcoholic.

“Guess what,” I say, pulling him from his thoughts. He turns to face me and huffs, probably already knowing what I’m about to say. “I never believed in ghosts, but today I saw one.”

“[Name]…” he begins.

“Shut up,” I shout. “You had no right to lie to me and drag Jinx into this mess.”

“I did it to protect you both,” he argues firmly.

“No. You did it because you knew I’d never help you if I knew Violet was alive. You manipulated me and used Jinx to help you.”

“And if you had known? What would you have done? Gone after her?” he stands and sets his glass on the table. “You were a defenseless child. Have you thought about what could’ve happened to you… to both of you if I hadn’t helped?”

“I would’ve figured it out…” I reply, defeated. He was right—what would I have done? I didn’t even know where Vi was, and even if I did, how could I have gotten her out of prison? The more I thought about it, the angrier I became.

“Would you? Are you sure?” he raises his eyebrows.

“That doesn’t give you the right to hide it from me,” I yell, slamming my hands on the desk to get closer to him.

“No. It doesn’t. But it was the best choice. And I didn’t know she was in Stillwater. Marcus didn’t tell me that.”

“That bastard,” I yell again. “This is all his fault,” I slam my hands on the desk again, then grab his glass and smash it on the floor. It shatters, shards flying everywhere. I collapse into the chair and bury my face in my hands.

“So… you went to see her, didn’t you?” he breaks the silence, sitting back down.

“Got your men watching me?” I lift my head, then take a deep breath, trying to calm down. “Yes, I went.”

“And?”

“And what?” I snap.

“How was it?” he asks, folding his hands in his lap.

I fall silent, thinking about everything I felt when I saw her. The way my heart raced, the overwhelming joy that hit me, but also the doubt and uncertainty. Seeing her grown face after all these years, hearing her voice again, smelling her scent, feeling her touch—it all awakened something in me. It brought back long-dormant emotions.

“It was… intense. Like I was dreaming.”

“That’s why I hid it all from you,” I frown at him. “Love makes you weak.”

“You’re wrong,” I stand again, anger surging back through me. “Her return only made me stronger, more determined to get what I’ve always wanted.”

“Oh, really?” he says mockingly. “And what have you always wanted?”

“A better Zaun. An independent Zaun. The Zaun Vander wanted and fought for,” I stare into his eyes. “And I’ll fight for it.”

I leave the room, slamming the door behind me, not waiting to hear his response.

“Jinx?” I step into her ‘room.’ She’s working on her weapon with loud music playing, humming, and dancing.

“That’s me,” she says cheerfully, turning to look at me. She leans over to turn down the music coming from somewhere under the table, then focuses back on her weapon.

“Can we talk?”

“About what?” she asks, still humming her tune.

“Silco.”

She stops and looks at me again.

“How did your talk with Vi go?” her expression shifts from cheerful to disdainful.

“She’s back for us, Jinx. The Enforcer,” she flinches, “got Vi out of prison, as you already know. Vi trusts her.”

“Why would she help someone from the Lanes?”

“I don’t know yet, but it doesn’t matter. Now we can fight, we can continue what Vander wanted.”

“You want to betray Silco?” she concludes angrily.

“I know he’s done a lot for us, but at what cost? Look at what Zaun has become.”

She pauses to think and then goes back to working on her weapon.

“What do you plan to do?”

“Make a deal between Zaun and Piltover.”

“Just like that?” she mocks.

“No. That’s just the end goal. We still have a long way to go. We could use the Enforcer for the deal.”

“Use her as a hostage?” she laughs.

“No! I think she has some influence topside.”

“A Piltie helping Lanesfolk—you used to be smarter,” she picks up a piece from the floor.

“Vi says we can trust her, so I trust her.”

“I still don’t trust her, but I’ll give you a chance,” she walks over to me. “But I won’t betray Silco.”

“Jinx…”

“We owe him, [Name]. Vi needs to prove she won’t disappear again, and you need to prove you won’t abandon me to be with her. But don’t worry, I won’t tell Silco about your plan.”

“Thank you. I’ll fix everything, I promise,” I hug her. “Oh, I almost forgot.”

I open a small pouch on my belt and pull out the blue orb I picked up during the fight, handing it to her.

“Thanks,” she smiles and goes back to her weapon.

After the conversation with Jinx, I went to my room. My mind was racing. Uncertainty, fear, and doubts surrounded me, but I wanted my family back more than anything. I wanted at least a piece of what we had.

“You got Silco worried,” I jump and sit up, seeing Sevika standing in the corner.

“How long have you been there?”

“Not long… So, what’s your plan?” she asks, walking toward me.

“Plan?” I pretend not to understand.

“Silco said you talked about fighting for what Vander wanted,” she says and sits at the foot of my bed.

“Is he afraid I’ll betray him?”

“You could say that.”

“I only agreed to work with him because of Jinx. I never agreed with anything he did.”

“I know that, but don’t be stupid. He’s stronger than you.”

“I know. I won’t act without a plan.”

“You’re lucky I’ve grown fond of you, kid. I’ll talk to him, try to convince him you’re not going to betray him, but know this—if he finds out, things will get ugly.”

“He won’t find out.”

“You’d better hope he doesn’t.”

“Did you know Vi was alive?”

“No, but I suspected. She came after me, wanting to know where her sister was. The girl’s grown up…” she shows her damaged robotic arm.

“She’s tough, huh?” I smile.

“She is,” she sighs. “Take it slow with everything, alright? I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Thanks, Sevi,” I hug her. “I like it when you act like a mom.”

“Go to sleep,” she stands up and pushes me back onto the bed. She leaves, closing the door. I smile, seeing a small smile on her lips.

With Jinx and Sevika’s help, Silco believed I wouldn’t betray him. I kept doing what I always did: monitoring Silco’s illegal operations, collecting money from the addicts, checking shipments coming in from Piltover…

I was also trying to meet with Vi as little as possible. Silco was on her tail, so she was hiding out with the Firelights.

The few times we did meet were to discuss our plan, which was to take down Silco and all shimmer production, gain the support of the people of Zaun, and then strike a deal with Piltover. We planned to catch Silco alone and unprotected, but killing him would cause problems with Jinx.

We didn’t know what to do.

We couldn’t take control of the Lanes with him around, but we also didn’t want to lose Jinx’s trust.

We were lost, unsure of what decision to make.

[venusswhite]

this baby :( </3

ISHA in ARCANE S2

[venusswhite]

family: “why are you just sitting in ur room smiling at ur phone?”

me who’s been reading smut about fictional characters for the past 6 hours:

[venusswhite]

my 2025 already goin great so don’t ever let me see a caitvi x male reader fic again 🙏🏾🙏🏾

[venusswhite]

im gonna make one more post abt this then im done.

lesbians; i love you. i see you, and i hear you. these "men" dont get it. they are chronically online and pathetic fetishizers.

theres millions of medias catered to them but its seemingly not enough. the behaviour of the men on here recently has been nothing short of childish and disgusting.

lesbian characters do not want you. they do not want men. keep your awful fantasies to yourself, and leave lesbians out of it. we are sick and tired of it, and all you are doing is proving our point.

the problem here isnt people writing what they want, its them writing these things to shoot down lesbians. using slurs, degrading and straight up bullying. its disgraceful.

[venusswhite]

@bombyoon

[venusswhite]

@wickesdt

[venusswhite]

@wickesdt

[venusswhite]

caitvi x male reader if you mf do not GET THAT SHIT OFF OF MY TL

[venusswhite]

They like hanging out and talking after school me thinks :3

[venusswhite]

Nixri

@Nixri

[venusswhite]

My soul was made to love yours might just be one of my favorite vi fics of all time, no joke 😭

Have you considered writing a part 2? I just love their fluff

Thank you so much!! 🥺🥺 I’m really happy that you liked it, it truly means a lot to me 💕💕

To answer your question: Yes, I do plan to write more for this universe, but not as a continuation—more like short stories. I want to write about things like the girls’ first kiss, how they officially became girlfriends, and them sharing their stories…

I really enjoyed writing it, especially because I love the idea of soulmates.

[venusswhite]

vi x reader, parallel universe!vi x reader | character death (reader)

ekko paints a picture of you.

"I wanted to show you something," Ekko tells Vi before he's leading her and Powder to where he's made his masterpiece. He doesn't know how Vi will react; if she'll be overcome with joy or overwhelmed with immense sadness.

Maybe she'll get angry and storm off, too hurt by the painting to truly express how she feels. But Ekko feels like doing this is worth that risk because hopefully, in a way, it will provide Vi with some closure.

When they reach the mural, Ekko stops and watches Vi and Powder take the remaining steps forward. He takes in how Powder's face lights up before she's pursing her lips with a slight tremble. He can tell that she's trying not to cry, and Ekko wants to pull her into his embrace and tell her that it's okay to let it out.

Vi's harder to read.

She's staring up at the mural, expressionless, and Ekko worries that he may have crossed a line. Vi's silence is deafening; it shakes him to his core, and he almost steps forward to apologise when Vi asks:

"Is this...them?"

Ekko swallows and nods as he replies, "Yes." He walks up until he's by Vi's side. "I took some artistic liberation and...imagined what they would have looked like if they hadn't..." Ekko stops himself, finding the words still too hard to say.

Vi stares and stares until she's closing her eyes, letting out a trembling breath.

"They're even more beautiful than I imagined," she whispers, barely loud enough for him to hear. Powder hears it too because she's smiling, sniffling as she wipes at her eyes.

"Yeah, a real looker," she says. "They were cute when they were younger, so it's no surprise that Ekko made them a bombshell." She looks at Ekko, a teasing glint in her eyes. "Should I be worried? Did you hold a candle for our dear friend here?"

Ekko chuckles and shakes his head. He's never held feelings of that sort for you. Yes, he did think you were pretty when he was growing up, but it never escalated beyond that. Besides, everyone knew that it was Vi you were going to end up with. Because it was you and Vi and Vi and you, and it was so obvious, the love you held for each other.

Still is obvious back in his own universe, but...he wishes he could have seen you thrive here. Happy and alive with no reason to run or hide. To be at peace with the people you love and who love you.

"They were everything to me," Vi says after a moment of silence. "They were my world in a way that was different from you guys." She gives a rueful chuckle. "Barely grown up, and we were already talking about getting married. We knew we wanted to be each other's for the rest of our lives." She then sighs. "Then that damn explosion happened, and they protected me. Made sure I survived, and I still...still deal with the guilt."

The silence settles among them again, but it only lasts for a second as Vi breaks it.

"But I know they wanted me to be here for Powder," she continues softly. "And know they'd be cursing me to the ground if they knew my thoughts." Her lips curve into a gentle smile. "But at least, I can look at her now and see her a bit more vividly in my dreams." She looks at Ekko, smile still in place. "Thanks, Little Man."

Ekko nods, unable to speak due to the tightness in his throat. If only...if only he could tell Vi that there's a universe where you did survive. A universe that isn't as great as this, but you're together and manage to find happiness despite all the shit thrown at you.

If only he could tell Vi that's what you really look like. That's how you've grown and how you've transformed.

If only.

But at least he can take solace in the fact that he's graced Vi with some form of closure.

In the form of a picture of you.

[venusswhite]

my soul was made to love yours

Young Arcane Vi x Fem Leitora

soulmate AU notes: English is not my first language, and I initially wrote this fanfic in Portuguese. With the help of online resources, I rewrote it in English.

“But how will I know that I’ve found my soulmate?” I ask.

“You’ll know, dear,” my mother runs her fingers along my face. “It’s like the world finally comes to life,” she says with a smile.

“Is Dad your soulmate?”

“Yes, he is,” her hand rests on my cheek. “And you are proof of our love.”

I smile, pressing my face even closer to her hand.

“Mom, do you think it’ll take long for me to find my soulmate?” I hold her hands that remained in the same place.

“I don’t know, little one. Your dad and I met when we were just 10, but your Aunt Iris found Aunt Mirella at 25. You’ll find them at the right time.”

“I’m scared…” I say hesitantly.

“Scared?” she asks.

I remove her hands from my face, holding them in my lap. I look down and sigh, feeling my face grow wet:

“I’m afraid my soulmate will never show up… or that I’ll find them, and they won’t like me.”

“My love, your soulmate will like you. They will love every little part of you,” she dries the tears streaming down my face. “Just like I love your dad, they will love you.”

“Do you promise?” I ask, teary-eyed.

“I promise,” she laughs and pulls me into a hug.

I was helping my mom prepare dinner when enforcers invaded my house. Piltover had invaded Zaun and started a genocide. My dad was the first to die, screaming for my mom to take me to a safe place.

“She held me in her arms and ran.”

Motionless bodies were visible on all sides. Houses were on fire, and smoke invaded our vision.

After running a lot, we stopped in a house, which I would soon discover was not an ordinary house.

“I need you to take care of her,” she says, entering a room.

“This is not a place for children…”

“I know,” she cries, squeezing me tightly in her arms. “But you’re the only one I trust to leave her with.”

I look back and see a Yordle. I see her sigh and rise from her chair.

“Alright,” she says, helping me down from my mother’s arms.

“Mom?” I look at the taller woman, confused.

“It’s okay, my love. She’ll take good care of you,” she says, kneeling in front of me, trying to hold back tears.

“Where are you going?”

“I… Mommy will be right back, okay? Obey Aunt Babette,” she finishes, kissing my forehead and standing up. Then she leaves, giving me one last smile before closing the door.

“My mom was right; Babette took good care of me. Now I was 13 years old, and my mom had never returned. I don’t know what happened, but something tells me she went back to my dad.”

“At least they’re still together.”

I sigh and get up from my bed. Babette had told me not to leave because she had something to tell me. I unlock the door to my room, which was at the back of the cabaret, lock it behind me, and head to Babette’s room.

“Aunt Babette?” I enter and see a man.

“Good morning, [Name]!” the man says.

“[Name], this is Vander.”

“Hi,” I say shyly.

“Vander has four children, some your age,” I raise an eyebrow, not knowing where she was going with this. “I talked to him, and he agreed to take you into his home.”

“What?”

Why did she want to get rid of me?

“[Name], this isn’t a place for you. You can still visit me…”

“No. I want to stay with you.”

“[Name], you’re not going to stop seeing Babette,” Vander says. “She just wants what’s best for you.”

“And how do I know that going with you is really what’s best?” I retort.

“As she said, I have four kids there. It’ll be good for you to have interactions with children your age.”

“[Name], you’ll also be safer there. This isn’t a healthy place for a child to grow up.”

The idea of having other kids around was tempting. And this place really wasn’t the best to be. I had seen things I didn’t want to.

I looked at Babette and then at Vander.

“Okay, but I’ll only go if I can come here every day.”

“You can,” Vander says. “I would never deny you that.”

“We were walking through the streets of Zaun. With one hand, Vander held my smaller hand, while with the other, he carried my suitcase.”

“He stops in front of a bar with a big sign that read ‘The Last Drop.’ He pulls a key from his pocket and unlocks it.”

“You live in a bar?” I ask, making him laugh.

“My house is behind it,” he opens the door and enters, locking it behind him. The place was big but empty. “I asked the kids to organize things for your arrival.”

We walked among the tables until we stopped behind the counter where there was a door. Before Vander could open it, it was opened, and a little girl came out.

“Welcome, [Name]!” she says enthusiastically.

“Thank you…”

“Powder,” she says.

“Thank you, Powder!” I smile.

Having more kids around really seemed like a good idea.

“Where are the others?” Vander asks.

“Downstairs,” she points. “Come on, [Name]!”

The little girl pulled me downstairs and opened another door, which also had a small staircase. It was a small place with bunk beds and two sofas, where two boys were sitting.

“Welcome!” the older one said, standing up. “I’m Claggor, and this is Mylo.”

“Hey,” Mylo said.

“Hi,” I greet.

“Where’s Vi?”

Vi?

What a strange feeling. It was like my body was getting excited just hearing that name. Like something was pulling me.

Maybe I was just excited to finally meet another girl.

“I’m here!” I hear a soft and familiar voice. A shiver ran down my spine.

What is this?

I hear footsteps coming down the stairs and turn to look at the girl now behind me.

The moment I saw her, a fire exploded in my chest, spreading to the rest of my body. I gasped, moaning softly, as flashes and lights invaded my vision, causing a sharp pain to pierce my head.

“What… what’s happening?” I hear her voice, trembling, seeming to go through the same confusion I was.

When I managed to open my eyes again, the world was… different. As if everything had gained a bit more life.

Then I saw her, equally shaken, holding onto the railing near her. She was beautiful. Her hair was some striking color and pulled back, her eyes shone, and freckles adorned her cheeks. That’s when I realized…

She was my soulmate.

Her gaze was on me, but I couldn’t decipher what she was feeling. It was like being noticed for the first time. My heart was racing.

I took hesitant steps back, trying to keep as much distance from her as possible.

Insecurities were consuming me. My thoughts haunted me.

What if she didn’t like me?

I was pulled from my thoughts by a voice:

“They’re soulmates!” Powder shouted excitedly.

“Kids, go upstairs!” Vander demanded.

I watched the kids leave, looking back at us. Mylo and Claggor had shocked expressions, while Powder wore a big smile. They closed the door, leaving the three of us there.

“So…” Vander broke the silence. “What a coincidence.” He looked at the two of us.

Vi’s eyes were still fixed on me, full of shock.

“I’ll leave you two to talk. Take all the time you need; the others won’t interrupt,” then he also left the room.

I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. Her gaze was indecipherable.

Why isn’t she saying anything?

“My name is Violet,” she said, breaking the silence and approaching, extending her hand to me.

“[Name],” I said, shaking her hand and letting go as soon as I felt that same familiar shiver down my spine.

“Looks like we’ve found each other,” she said, averting her gaze.

“Are you disappointed?” I finally decided to ask.

“Disappointed?” her face filled with pure confusion.

“Yes… Because I’m your soulmate.”

“Of course not, [Name]. Why would I be?”

“I don’t know. I was afraid I wouldn’t be what you expected,” I answered honestly.

“You’re exactly what I expected,” she finally smiled.

“Well… you’re even better than I imagined,” I replied, smiling back.

She moved closer and gently took one of my hands, bringing us even closer to each other.

“Your hair is beautiful,” I said, running a hand through it.

“Vander told me its color is pink,” she replied since, as we couldn’t see colors until meeting our soulmate, it was normal not to know what they were called.

“Then pink is my favorite color from now on,” I said, smiling.

My comment made her smile, and her cheeks turned the same shade as her hair.

“Your cheeks are the color of your hair,” I laughed even more.

“Damn it,” she muttered, trying to cover them with her hands, still smiling.

“Don’t cover them,” I said, taking her hands and lowering them to our laps.

She looked at our joined hands and smiled even more.

“You’re beautiful,” she whispered.

Our eyes met again, and it was impossible to look away. It felt like something was pulling us closer every second. My heart raced, and that same familiar shiver coursed through my body. I moved closer to her face until I could feel her breath against mine. I raised my hand toward her cheek, feeling her soft, warm skin. I brushed my fingers gently, caressing her. My eyes drifted to her lips, and I noticed she did the same.

“I think it might be a little too soon,” I whispered, mere inches from her face.

“We have all the time in the world,” she replied, placing a hand on my cheek and mirroring my movements. “We’re going to spend our whole lives together.”

“A life with you is all I could ever ask for,” I smiled. “My mother used to tell me that when we met our soulmate, it was like everything came to life. I never understood that, but now I do.”

Our foreheads touched, and time seemed to stop. Being so close, I could see every detail of her eyes, every color blending together to form a beautiful pattern, like an entire universe existed within her gaze. Tears stung my eyes, and I couldn’t stop them from falling. Violet smiled tenderly and, with delicate fingers, wiped the tears that escaped.

I slowly pulled away, just enough to kiss her forehead, a gesture she returned moments later, full of care and affection.

We rested our foreheads together again, closing our eyes and simply enjoying the whirlwind of emotions surrounding us. Feeling the warm, comforting presence of each other, it was as if, in that moment, nothing else existed but us.

[venusswhite]

Vi 💘

[venusswhite]

A Thousand Years | Arcane Vi x Fem Leitora (Part. 4)

After losing everything, [Name] tries to rebuild her life. But what happens when a ghost with pink hair returns?

notes: English is not my first language, and I initially wrote this fanfic in Portuguese. With the help of online resources, I rewrote it in English.

Part. 3

“I love you the first time, I love you the last time […] I love you forever, I love you forever.” - Lana Del Rey

“Vi?” Jinx says when the mist clears, and she realizes that, like everyone else, her sister has disappeared.

“Jinx…” I approach the younger girl.

“No,” she screams, pulling at her own hair. “She wouldn’t do that.”

“Hey… it’s okay. Look at me!” I turn her face toward mine.

“Traitor!” she yells, pushing me. “You’re going to leave me… just like she did!”

“No, Jinx. I would never do that.”

“Yes, you would. I know you’ve always loved her, and now that she’s back, you’ll go crawling after her.”

“I love both of you,” I say calmly. “You’re everything to me…”

She grabs her hair again, shaking her head in denial. Then she stops and looks at me:

“[Name],”   she speaks softly, her eyes filling with tears. “Promise me… promise me you’ll never leave me.”

“I promise. Of course I promise,”   I approach her and hug her. “I’ll fix everything, Jinx. I promise everything will be okay!”

Jinx trembles in my arms, murmuring and battling the voices in her head.

“They won’t stop,”   she whispers, her voice breaking.

“Don’t believe what they say. They’re only telling lies,”   I feel her tighten the hug.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry I didn’t tell you Vi was alive.”

“You should’ve told me, but I understand why you didn’t. It’s okay now.”

“I just wanted to protect us,”   she pulls away slightly but still clings to my arms.

“I know…”   I brush her bangs away from her tear streaked face. “Let’s go home, okay?”

She nods, and we start walking toward the stairs to leave the building when I notice blood staining her pants.

“You’re bleeding.”

She scoffs.

“It was one of those dumb Firelights.”

“Let’s get you patched up,”   I put one of her arms around my shoulders to help her walk.

We enter Jinx’s room—or rather, the place she calls her room. I sit her down in front of the broken mirror and grab a box from the small table.

“Shut up, damn it!”   she yells.

I pull her pants up, revealing a small cut.

“I’ll clean it and put a bandage on, okay?”

She looks at me and nods, turning her gaze back to the mirror.

“She doesn’t care more about the enforcer than she does about us…”   she says, squirming.

I clean her wound with cotton and saline.

The enforcer… What was Vi doing with her?

I grab a cloth and wrap it around Jinx’s leg, securing it with tape.

“She came here for us,”   she shouts, pulling at her hair.

“Jinx,”   I hold her hands, making her loosen her grip. “I’m sure Vi has an explanation for being with that enforcer.”

“She better have,”   she says, irritated.

“Rest for a bit,”   I put the items back in the box and return it to its place.

“You’re going to go after her, aren’t you?”   she asks, annoyed.

“I have to go. I finally have a chance to have you both back.”

“I don’t like this idea,”   she gets up.

“I know, but I need to figure this out.”

“You’ll come back, won’t you?”   she looks at me with insecurity.

“Of course I will,”   I turn to face her, feeling my heart ache. In these moments, I could only see Powder. I sigh. “Do you want the medicine?”

Most nights, Jinx had trouble sleeping. So, Silco and I created a sleeping aid for her, but she only took it when she had gone many days without rest and really needed it.

“No. I want to be sure you’ll come back,”   she replies hesitantly.

“Alright. I promise I won’t take long,”   I place my hands on her thin shoulders. “Make sure to rest, okay?”

I arrive at the Firelights’ hideout and find Vi and Ekko standing in front of the mural.

“Powder is still in there. I know my sister,”   I hear her say as I approach.

“You don’t know her anymore,”   I say, startling them. “Jinx is still Powder, just like Powder was always Jinx. She was just hidden.”

They stare at me, surprised.

“It’s been hard years for everyone. It’s easy to judge her when you didn’t see Jinx emerging.”

“Powder would never do what Jinx does,”   Ekko retorts.

“Of course, she wouldn’t. She was a child who had people who loved and protected her.”

“I went through similar things and didn’t become a monster like her… like you.”

“Ekko,”   Vi whispers.

I feel tears stinging my eyes.

“That’s not fair. I did all of this not just for Powder but for you too.”

“Working for Silco didn’t help anyone,”   he says angrily.

Ekko never liked me working for Silco, and it was the subject of most of our arguments.

“It seems you forgot that much of this place”   I gesture around   “was only possible because of resources I stole from Silco. I do everything I can to keep him from finding this place.”

“So now you’re throwing that in my face?”

“No, Ekko. But I had no choice. There were two kids depending on me, damn it!”   I shout. “I needed some way to make money, to find a home for you, to protect you…”

“We could’ve managed without him,”   he says, starting to calm down, realizing what he had said.

“How? By me prostituting myself while you and Powder searched for food in the trash?”   they both look at me, shocked.

“No, [Name], I didn’t mean…”

“We’ve had this argument so many times. I’m not proud of what I do, but it was necessary to take care of you two, so I regret nothing.”

He swallows hard and steps closer.

“I’m sorry… I was a jerk again.”

“You know it’s hard to leave Silco now. Especially now that Vi’s back…”

“He’ll go after her,”   he concludes.

“Of course, he will. He knows what this means for everyone.”

“Then we need to prepare… join the Firelights. Fight with us! Let’s take Silco down…”

“It’s still too early; we need information from Silco, and Jinx wouldn’t agree to betray him. Let’s take it slow…”

“You’re right. You always are,”   he sighs, running a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry again. I spoke without thinking. You’ve been a crucial part of all this, and I’m eternally grateful to you.”

“It’s okay, little man. Sorry if it seemed like I was throwing it in your face. I don’t regret helping build all this,”   I hug him. “You’re my greatest pride, you know that?”

“Thank you,”   he whispers, returning the hug. After a moment, he looks at Vi, who watches us with wide eyes.

“Looks like you two have a lot to talk about,”   he steps back.

“Seems like it,”   Vi says.

“I’ll check on the enforcer,”   he leaves, leaving us alone.

“Let’s go somewhere more private…”

Entering the room, I lock the door and turn to the taller woman.

My heart was racing.

I dreamed of this every single day.

I just want to hug her.

So I did. I threw myself into her arms and felt hers wrap tightly around me.

I hadn’t felt this good in years. It was as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Emotions exploded within me: happiness, confusion, hope, fear…

“I thought you were dead,” I feel the tears I’ve held back for years finally escaping.

“I’m sorry for everything you’ve been through,” she squeezes me in her arms.

“It was so hard, Vi. I was so scared,” she nodded, and I felt her hand finding my hair, pulling me closer. I follow her lead and bury my face in her chest, listening to her heartbeat. “I should’ve been taken in your place. Then things wouldn’t be so messed up.”

“Don’t say that. You did what you thought was best. The important thing is that you’re all okay, and I’m here now. We’ll fix all of this, together.”

“It won’t be easy,” I sniff, taking in her scent. Still the same one I remembered.

“I know it won’t, but I’ll do anything for you three. I’ll do whatever it takes to bring back a bit of what we had before.”

“Thank you for coming back.”

“If I could’ve, I would’ve come back much sooner.”

We stay there for a while, just catching up and enjoying some time together. Until I gather the courage to ask:

“And the enforcer?”

“She’s the one who got me out of prison,” she steps back, looking at me. “She’s different from the others.”

“I doubt it.”

“Give her a chance. She could be a big help.”

“An enforcer, helping?”

“A deal with Piltover will be crucial, [Name]. She’s our way to that deal.”

Vi was right. A new deal would be extremely important for us, once we manage to take Silco down.

“You’re right, but first we need to take Silco down.”

She nods.

“So, are you working for him?”

“Yeah… I know it sounds crazy, but he took good care of both of us, Vi. Jinx got attached to him.”

“Well, I can’t blame her,” she says, lowering her head.

“We also need to be patient with her. Since the accident, she’s been having… depressive episodes. The trauma was too much.”

The tears she seemed to be holding back fall.

“Thank you for taking care of her.”

“I never would’ve done it any differently. You two are all I have, and I’d die for you.”

“Don’t even think about that,” she presses our foreheads together, her beautiful blue eyes staring into mine. “You look beautiful.”

“Don’t lie,” I smile.

“I’m not,” she smiles back.

“Vi or 6?” I ask, looking at her tattoo.

“Vi.”

“It suits you,” her eyes shine. “You’ve changed a lot.”

“I hope for the better,” she jokes, and I nod.

“Seems like prison food wasn’t so bad,” I step back, eyeing her muscular figure, visible even under the jacket. I run my hand over her toned arm.

“I needed this to come back and take care of you,” she laughs egotistically.

I shake my head, laughing with her.

“Did you think about us while you were in prison?” I ask.

“Us?”

Damn it.

I feel my face heating up.

“Hey,” she lifts my face gently, forcing me to look at her. “I thought about all of you, but mostly about us.”

“I did too. I spent years thinking I’d never see you again. Thinking you were dead.”

She presses our foreheads together again.

“I’m here now. And I’m not going anywhere without you.”

“I missed you so much,” I say, letting the tears escape once again.

“I missed you too. More than I can put into words,” she says, wiping my tears with her fingers. “We’re together now.”

I rest against her chest again, and for the first time in years, I feel like things might finally get better.