Chapter Text
“You’re telling me you found her… outside of… a gas station at 4:00 a.m?”
“Yes Mrs. and Mrs. Kiramman..”
“Vi and Caitlyn are just fine, no need for formalities.”
“What were her tests? Are we able to see the results?”
“We weren’t able to get any tests done, legally we can-”
“Who’s telling you that you ‘legally’ can’t run medical tests on my sister?”
“Her adoptive father ma’am, without him here to sign, we can’t do anything.”
“And where exactly is her adoptive father? Has anyone alerted him or even tried to get in contact?”
“Vi...I’m sure they’re doing everything they can to help her…”
“I’m sure they’re trying their very best to help my drugged up sister Cait..”
“I’m sorry we can’t provide anymore information Mrs. and Mrs. Kiramman, we can alert you if anything changes.”
Vi takes a deep breath and runs rough hands over face.
“Can we at least… see her? Or is that also something you people can’t do?”
“... Of course, she hasn’t woken up yet…”
“Great… some fucking progress…”
“VI… you’re not going into that room to see her like this…”
The both of them follow behind the doctor, Vi felt irritable while Caitlyn felt agitated. Quite agitated actually, whether it was from the nauseating pregnancy or the fact that the young girl they’ve been looking for for the past 6 months is now laying in a hospital bed. Or it could be that her partner, who’s little sister is in the said hospital bed, is not keeping it together like they had discussed on the way over. The conversation was simple, they even made a plan:
1. Talk to the doctor
2. Find out what they can
3. See and talk to Powder
And Vi’s…. Personal favorite.
4. Kick Powder’s adoptive father’s ass
But things weren’t going as planned, they didn’t predict that there would need to be a wall of consent forms and legal dilemmas when it came to helping Powder healthwise. Of course they could hook her to whatever machine there was and try and hydrate the shit out of her, but when it came to the tests and treatment plans and the other addiction related bullshit… well everyone seemed to be at odds with it. Yes, Caitlyn and Vi were aware of this so-called ‘father’ of Powder’s, but not the fact that he is anything but a responsible human being. The situation between Silco and Vi was… complicated.
Vi and Powder had a foster family about a couple years ago, but an accident happened. There was a fire set to the house and along with it was their original foster father, Vander, and his two other foster kids Mylo and Claggor. Due to the incident, Vi took the fall for her younger sister and spent the next 6 years in juvenile hall for firestarting and fights. Vi was released at the age of nineteen and Powder being close to turning fourteen, they were placed on opposite sides of the world.
While the world had started to open up to Vi, she eventually met Caitlyn while working as a trainer at a boxing gym that offered her a small room upstairs and enough money to put groceries on the table. Caitlyn became the balance and stability that Vi’s needed since she was a kid and Vi became Caitlyn’s rock during the hard times and let’s not forget her also providing protection and even a shoulder to cry on when her mother had suddenly passed. Vi and Cait became each other's everything, but while their world started to open up and mold into a calm and nurturing environment. Powder suffered the hardest.
Powder’s emotional lash outs kept her from finding a permanent home, she continued to struggle with the accident and death of her first foster family, her older sister being ripped from her. But Silco eventually came, he took one glance at Powder and it somehow made him want to take her in. Even being aware of her history with previous homes and the notice of arson on her record he still saw something in her that no one else noticed. Maybe it was the guilt or her struggle of staying alive, but he saw something that needed to be fixed. Taught. Trained even. Powder was a child in need of a family and any form of love that would come her way and Silco was in need of a pet or as he put it… a daughter.
Eventually Powder turned into Jinx and she started to do what any daughter would do for their father, she helped him. She helped him grow his empire of drug dealing, stealing, and crime. Word had got around a young teen girl was being spotted in the Lanes around the parts where the crime was worse than ever and this had suddenly caught Caitlyn’s attention and eventually led not only her but also Vi to start a full on investigation on the crime rings that were taking place around the under parts of Piltover.
One thing eventually led to another and the duo had gotten their first lead after a total of 8 months of endless questioning, dead ends, late, late nights and an undernourishment of a good 7-8 hours of sleep and time away from work.
The lead was an eye-witness from the crime scene of a full out gang fight and Vi and Caitlyn’s favorite suspect had been spotted not only on the scene but even a possible participant of said fight. However… while the eye-witness had mentioned that they saw the young blue-haired girl there, they never specified if she had arrived with any of the goons and she didn’t leave with them either.
Caitlyn had felt… the smallest bit of hope when it came to the possibility of the young girl still being at the crime scene or at least around it and they could find her. Help her even, patch up her cuts and bruises. If this girl was as young as the public made her out to be… she could be in need of help or maybe she’s a runaway. Runaways… weren’t anything new but they weren’t common. Not in Piltover.
Staying in daydream, Caitlyn felt something squeeze her hand. Vi was squeezing her hand instead of the other way around. Caitlyn looked over at her partner and for the very first time she saw fear in her eyes, she saw it in the way Vi’s shoulders weren’t as confident and she noticed it in the long breaths she kept on taking.
Yes, of course she’s seen Vi scared, but not like this. This was more of a helplessness rather than anything else. For the first time Vi didn’t want to charge in, didn’t want to go head-on with her fists up and ready to take on whatever challenge there was in front of her. Vi didn’t have a plan this time, she didn’t have a single clue as to what she should be doing right now.
“Vi?..”
“Yeah cupcake?”
“Are you alright love?..”
Vi gulped and scrunched up her nose, she took a deep breath and rolled her neck side to side. Doing whatever could possibly make this moment better, because she was scared. God damnit Vi was terrified.
“What if she doesn’t remember me?”
Caitlyn’s heart ached and even more pressure was being squeezed in and out of her hand. It felt like there were butterflies in her stomach, either it was the nerves or the baby or even a minute of both. Caitlyn exhaled through her nose and leaned in leaving a small quick peck to her partners temporal.
“Oh Vi… I’m sure everything is going to be okay.”
“I hope you’re right cupcake… you’re kind of my lucky charm and if all else fails… well we’re basically fucked.”
Caitlyn scoffed and shoved at the smaller woman’s shoulder, she rolled her eyes and flared her nostrils.
“Vi language please.”
The two of them laughed a little and gave a little nod, a bit of reassurance to one another and looked on. Before they knew it, they were standing in front of Powder’s door. Powder’s room door. Something Vi didn’t think she’d ever be able to say to herself again. The circumstances weren’t the best, they were basically shit, but still… Powder was behind that door.
Blue hair, big bluish gray eyes, her two front teeth with the gap and her entirely. Powder was alive. Yes she’s in a hospital bed, but she’s alive and even if Vi wished that their reunion was much more blissful—she just wants her in her arms again.
She wants her laughter back, her jokes, her kind heart, she brilliant fucking mind. Whatever consequence or risk came with having Powder back was so worth it because she’s home. Powder and Vi are home.
“Are you ready love?”
“Yeah…I ‘m ready.”
The two entered the room and it was like time had stopped. It was cold and the air felt thick. The smell of plastic filtered through the air and suddenly made both of them feel like they were choking. But there she was.
Powder was awake.
She was sitting on the edge of the plastic bed, her back facing the door and her blue hair laid out all over the bed. Her feet didn’t even touch the ground, but her hair could probably touch it whether she was sitting or standing. She had grown up. Powder wasn’t… little anymore, yes she still had the face of a doll and she didn’t grow very much in height but she didn’t feel little.
She felt tired and she felt bad. Not bad as in feeling guilt or remorseful, no. Powder “Jinx” felt like she was bad. She felt like was the embodiment of bad and she was tired of feeling bad because no, Powder just wanted the EVIL parts to go away. She’s just so exhausted.
”Powder?..”
Vi stepped into the room and looked at her sister’s back. The silence was getting loud and Vi hated the silence, she needed the noise and the loudness. She needed the distraction.
Powder was enjoying the quiet, even if it was just quiet on the outside—she envy’s the silence. She is so hungry for it.
Because there is nothing louder than the things inside her head, her head is so loud and the static… the pounding. It made her heart hurt and it made her legs feel numb. Powder needs the quiet and the peacefulness.
Vi hears a whimper and stops in her tracks, turning to look at Caitlyn who is standing in the doorway. Vi doesn’t know what to do, she’s clueless. So she tries again.
“Powder?..”
Powder digs her nails into the palms of her hands, muttering small things to herself. Talking to the people that are her burden to carry. Trying to calm them down, she growls under her breath and whisper screams a small ‘shUT UP! STOP IT!’
”She’s not real. NOT REAL! LEAVING AGAIN.”
She whimpers again. They’re cruel. Her mind is cruel. Her thoughts are evil. She continues to squeeze her hands until they’re almost bleeding. She doesn’t even réalisé someone else, let alone two different people are in the room with her right now. Her mind is playing games, Mylo and Claggor are whispering things—telling her that the voice of her sister is fake. Is fraud. That it’s a trick. Powder can’t keep falling for tricks, they hurt. Tricks aren’t supposed to hurt you.
Vi takes another step forward and looks over her shoulder at Caitlyn again, hoping to find something different this time. But she’s met with nothing but a concerned wife. She wants to reach out, touch Powder—hold her. But she can’t. It’s just not the right time.
Vi goes to say her name one more time but hears more harsh whispering and suddenly feels her voice get caught in throat. She hears her voice, it’s…different. It’s scary and it’s different. It’s beautiful.
Powder turns her head to look behind her, just to reassure herself that her older sister is in fact not behind her. Not calling her name. Her da-Silco is gonna be here any moment, but she needs to check. She needs to know why Vi is starting to haunt her again. But it’s not haunting this time, it’s not like her dreams or her visions.
It’s flesh and it’s bones. It’s real.
“…Vi..?”