Chapter Text
Caitlyn took a deep breath. She was going on stage in a few minutes, performing for a small audience in a pretty popular bar. She had all of her songs memorised, carefully arranged word by word in her mind.
She took a last minute look at herself in the mirror, having to slouch down a little to see herself right, her eyes reaching the top of the mirror in her full height with heels. Her dark blue hair was done well, intentionally a little messy. Blue eyes stared back at her from the reflective surface, amplified with some blue mascara and sharp black eyeliner.
Jayce, her technical helper and closest friend waved for her to get on stage. His brown hair was neatly done, and his white shirt had a few stains on the sleeves. He had a wild and excited look on his face.
“Caitlyn, come on, you’ll be late!”
“Coming, coming!”
She climbed the stairs up onto the stage, and a wave of cheers welcomed her. She didn’t waste much time talking at the stage, getting almost straight to her songs.
The crowd sang along with drunken enthusiasm. Performance, the people and excitement made her pleasantly nervous. She loved pouring her all into her songs, giving her all to the crowd, and listening to their cheers.
In the middle of her show, Caitlyn caught sight of somebody striking.
The person had spiky red hair, parted on the side, hiding a bit of the other half of her face, narrow and expressive light blue eyes and an angular, defined nose. Her right brow had a slit, caused by a scar that continued up onto her forehead. Her expression was set, despite the clearly alcoholic drink in her hand. She was wearing black jeans and an off white hooded tank top. The sleeveless shirt left her thick and muscular arms on full display.
Caitlyn tried to concentrate after the sight, but it took every ounce of her being not to stare at the redhead. Still, she sang every single one of her songs as well as she possibly could.
When she bowed at the end of her last song and thanked the audience, she sent a silent prayer to whatever god was out there, that the redhead would still be there. She joined the party of drunk people in their early 20s, eyes flying around in search of the woman.
She was nowhere to be found, and Caitlyn returned behind the stage to help Jayce pack up their stuff.
“What’d with the scowl?”
“What scowl?”
“Don’t try to play me, kiddo, I know when you’ve got something on your mind, and right now is one of those times.”
“I’m serious, Jayce, I’m fine, it’s nothing.”
Jayce sighed.
“If you say so.”
He didn’t push it further, luckily for Caitlyn. She silently cursed the man for knowing her so well.
They continued packing, stuffing all the speakers, cables, mics and decorations into little black boxes, and carrying them to Jayce’s black 1990s volvo. The trunk barely closed, letting out a screech of misery as they forced it shut. The backseat was full with Jayce’s science and testing equipment. Caitlyn slid into the passenger seat, and Jayce started the engine.
The car rolled out of the parking lot. They started making their way towards Caitlyn’s apartment.
After stopping at the first red light and gathering some speed again, the car started making some noises. A faint crackling could be heard from Caitlyn’s side.
“Kick it, will you?” Jayce asked her.
Caitlyn placed a small kick under the glove box. She winced when the heels she was wearing twisted her toes, but the car stopped making any unnecessary noise.
“When are you going to replace this sucker?” Cait teased Jayce, even when she knew the answer.
“Why would it need replacing? The engine runs and it gets me from place to another”, Jayce chuckled back.
Jayce pulled up at her apartment building’s parking lot. She got up to carry the boxes into her apartment, and looked at Jayce, a bit flabbergasted.
“You’re not going to help?”
“Nope, I assembled it for you.”
Caitlyn sighed. She grabbed two small boxes, along with her keys, and started making her way up into her place. When she reached the apartment, she kicked off her heels and set the boxes on the kitchen counter. After that she slipped her feet into some blue crocs and made her way back to the parking lot.
Four agonizing walks back and forth later she had finally carried all the boxes to her apartment, save for her bag. She glared at Jayce when she picked up the last of her stuff. He had the audacity to laugh at her.
When she made it to her apartment for the final time, she collapsed into her bed. She grabbed her phone, flipping through Instagram, looking at the few stories she was tagged in while secretly wishing to find the redheaded girl’s account, and scrolling reels like her life depended on it(for all she knew, it could actually do).
Reluctantly, she walked to her bathroom and washed off her makeup, brushed her hair and changed into her pajama shirt. She didn’t even bother showering, leaving it to be her tomorrow self’s problem.
She looked through her messages for the final time that night. Nothing special, her phone screen showed a text from Mel, Jayce’s ex situationship(who he’d left with great terms), saying ‘hope ur show was good, shorty’.
Caitlyn chuckled at the message, and sent a reply. ‘It was good'. She added after a bit: 'stfu I’m literally 10 cm taller than you’.
She put her phone down on her nightstand and buried herself in a pile of pillows and blankets. It didn’t take long until she was fast asleep.
When Caitlyn woke up, she took one glance at the clock and regretted every single decision in her life. She hadn’t slept through the entire night, the numbers on her phone screen displaying a pitiful 4:27 in the morning. She groaned, and threw her legs down from her bed, toes resting against the floor.
The city below her was starting to wake up, ruining her last hopes of falling back asleep without any earplugs. She pushed up to her feet and walked into her bathroom.
When she flipped on the lights, the girl staring back at her from the mirror looked like a mess. Caitlyn’s hair was sticking out in all directions, her face was red from getting pressed into the pillow and her shirt was stained with drool.
She wiped her face. The cool water relaxed her instantly. She used the toilet and washed her hands, before walking back to her bedroom.
Caitlyn turned on her earbuds, adjusting the volume all the way down. She popped them into her ears and fell back asleep.
When she woke up the second time, it wasn’t stupid o’clock anymore. She turned her head and pushed her body up from the soft mattress.
The sun was shining faintly through the curtains. Light painted patterns across her white walls, casting shadows where some stray polaroids of her mother’s dogs, Jayce and his friends and pretty landscapes were taped to the walls.
Even after the night of sleep, she couldn’t shake an uneasy feeling. The woman she’d seen last night while singing was still circulating in her mind. She didn’t have anything that night, or the next day, so she decided to test her luck and visit the bar she’d seen her at. She had a feeling the redhead might be someone who spends their Saturday nights at a bar.
She hadn’t felt this way about anyone, not any of the men she’d dated in her younger years, not any of the women she’d let drag herself to their places. She figured the change would do her good, bring some life into her boring existence.
A shiver ran down Caitlyn’s spine, having nothing to do with the last breaths of winter wind surfacing in the soft spring weather while she walked. She was excited, nervous and hopeful, the emotions whirling inside her like a carousel of feelings. She walked into the bar. The sign above the door glowed a bright array of colours. The place was pretty full, but not unbearably packed. She walked up to the counter and ordered herself a raspberry soda mixed with a shot of vodka. She settled into an empty table near the corner, next to a group of people who were sober, but chattering happily, bickering and laughing like old friends do. Only one of them seemed a little drawn back, maybe she was a little tired.
Caitlyn decided to just wait until something interesting could be seen. She observed every person, every movement. She quickly marked down in her mind every server’s route. The big bearded man behind the counter rarely left his position, except to chat a little with the group near her, or to grab a bottle from another room. The woman with dreadlocks walked past her table every five or so minutes.
The music blared on and on. People came and went constantly, the bar door swinging back and forth as loners like her, couples, and groups came and left. It drifted her mind into a numbing calmness, taking in the atmosphere of the bar.
Only a flash of red pulled her from the comforting space in her mind. The woman she’d seen last night was walking towards the counter. She waved a hand in greeting to the people behind it.
“Hey kiddo, not even late tonight?” The bearded man teased her, his voice barely carrying to Caitlyn in the loudness of the bar.
“Gert’s been working enough, figured I’d be on time this time”, the redhead said back to him.
The woman with dreads shot her a smile, and handed the redhead the rag she’d been cleaning a counter with.
“Good luck, mittens, it’s been crowded today”, the woman, now leaving, told the other. They both chuckled, and the redhead got to work. Caitlyn couldn’t help but admire her as she cleaned. She continued listening to the friendly chatter coming from the counter.
“Nice jacket, where’d you get it?” The bearded man asked.
“Some punk was selling it for dirt cheap, bought it yesterday after the singer left.”
“Stolen stuff”, the man teased.
“Ha ha, so funny”, the redhead fake laughed.
They continued on working, smiles clear on their faces, and Caitlyn sunk back into the mindspace she’d been in. She didn’t have it in her to muster up the courage to go and talk with the redhead.
The routine in the bar continued as it was, only disturbed by the occasional stop the redhead made at the table next to her.
“Vi, come look at this design we made!” A boy with dark skin and white dreads told her.
“C’mon, you know I can’t understand a thing about that.”
“Oh I know, but you can still gawk at the drawings!”
The redhead(Vi, caitlyn corrected herself) breathed out a laugh. She took a step closer to the group’s table.
“I’m still wondering who taught you to draw.”
The boy chuckled.
Vi shifted her gaze to the tired looking girl.
“Hey, Pow, what’s on your mind? Been a rough day?” She asked the girl.
“I’m alright, sis, just a little tired”, the girl replied, pushing a strand of long blue hair off of her face.
Vi didn’t seem to buy her explanation completely, but she dropped the subject.
Right as Vi’s gaze shifted towards her direction, Caitlyn’s phone rang. She cursed in her mind and answered it.
“Hi, Jayce, what’s up?”
“My car broke down, I need help.”
“Please just get it fixed by a professional for once, you and Viktor aren’t mechanics.”
“No. You coming or not?” He declared into the phone.
“I’ve had a drink, I can’t drive.” She groaned.
“You? Had a drink? Without us?”
“Yup.”
“Ugh, call Mel and tell her to pick you up.”
“Why do you need me if Mel’s coming?” Caitlyn questioned.
“She’s still got the stitches from that ring, and I’ve got too much stuff with me to lift alone.”
Cait frowned at the reminder of the ring. They’d been drinking, the whole group with her, Jayce, Viktor and Mel. One minute, they’d been messing around, and another Mel was screeching. She’d hit her finger on a chair and the ring she was wearing had stabbed her finger, deep. Although healing quickly, she still had stitches on the injury.
“Allright, I’ll call her. Bye”, she told Jayce.
“Bye, see you.” He hung up.
Cailyn clicked on Mel’s contact next.
“Hey, girl, will you pick me up from the last drop…”
Once she sat down in Mel’s white BMW, she finally took a breath.
“What were you doing in that bar anyway?” Mel broke the silence.
“Someone from last night caught my eye, wanted to see her again”, Caitlyn told her.
“Did you succeed?”
“I- Huh?” Caitlyn staggered on the words, before continuing. “Yeah, I found out she works there.” Then she added: “Didn’t get to talk to her, though, Jayce took care of that.”
“Leave it to Jayce to completely fuck up a date”, Mel laughed.
“Hey, it wasn’t a date!”
“Sure, but you wish it was”, she teased.
“I can neither confirm nor deny that accusation”, Caitlyn breathed out in a ridiculous tone.
Both women burst out into laughter, still giggling when they pulled up to Jayce’s car.
“Please, just bring this damn thing to a mechanic”, Caitlyn begged him.
“How about no”, Jayce replied, and they continued on carrying stuff from Jayce’s broken car to Mel’s perfectly working one.
While the two worked, Mel had facetimed Viktor and opened up the hood of the car for him to figure out what was wrong with it. Her face was scrunched with thought and Viktor’s restless rambling could be heard through the phone.
When Caitlyn and Jayce finally finished packing up his stuff into Mel’s car, they sat down in it. Originally, they were planning on playing rock paper scissors for who gets to be in the front seat, but Mel objected.
“My car, my rules,and I rule that because Jayce made us come here, Cait gets to be in the front.”
Caitlyn shot Jayce a playful smirk, and he responded with a look that screamed ‘bring it on’.
They drove on in comfortable silence.
Notes:
Happy valentines day!
I’m a Finnish teenager so if any of the stuff is weird in other countries then do tell
And if y'all don’t know what a volvo is then pull up google bc wtf
Chapter 2: Chapter 2
Summary:
This chapter is pretty heavy, cw for suicidal thoughts and some unpretty language
Be kind to yourselves, and if you feel like Powder does in this chapter, talk to someone. It helps, really much. Your friends/people you're close with want to know if something's wrong
The rough stuff starts at - and ends at the same time this chapter does
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Vi arrived at the bar, a little out of breath.
“Hey kiddo, not even late tonight?” Vander teased her when she got up to the counter. His beard was messy and his hair was a little out of place, but he looked like he usually did. Comforting, warm, soft, familiar.
“Gert’s been working enough, figured I’d be on time this time”, she responded to him. Gert smiled at her. She’d styled her dreads like she always did, but she didn’t have much makeup on. She handed Vi the dag she was wiping the counter with.
“Good luck, mittens, it’s been crowded today”, Gert said as she started leaving. She walked out through the staff door, not bothering with the crowded main entrance.
“Nice jacket, where’d you get it?” Vander asked, noticing Vi’s new, bright red jacket.
“Some punk was selling it for dirt cheap, bought it yesterday after the singer left.”
“Stolen stuff,” he teased her. She fake-laughed dryly in response.
Vi continued on cleaning counters, while Vander poured everyone’s drinks. When she’d finished wiping the surfaces, she started making rounds around the bar, picking up stray glasses and cooking up conversations here and there.
A young woman next to her siblings’ and Ekko’s table caught her eye. She seemed nervous, but oddly familiar. She had dark blue hair, sharp features, and a pair of magnetic, bright blue upturned eyes.
“Vi, come look at this design we made!” Ekko called her, smiling widely.
“C’mon, you know I can’t understand a thing about that”, Vi replied to him.
“Oh I know, but you can still gawk at the drawings!”
Vi chuckled a little.
“Still wondering who taught you how to draw.”
Ekko smiled at her
Vi moved her gaze to Powder and her smile faded almost completely. Her sister looked tired, there were bags under her eyes, her hair was unbrushed and it was sticking out from the clearly old braids, and her usually so soft eyes were reserved.
“Hey, Pow, what’s on your mind? Been a rough day?”
“I’m alright, sis, just a little tired”, Powder replied to her, while pushing away an escapee strand of blue hair from her face. Vi didn’t believe her, but she dropped the subject, instead choosing to talk with her later when they went home.
Her gaze trailed around the bar. It landed on the same girl she’d been looking at earlier. She still looked familiar, but Vi couldn’t pinpoint where she would’ve seen the girl before.
Right as their gazes were about to meet, the girl's phone rang. The girl answered it, and Vi, not wanting to eavesdrop, turned away and walked back to the bar counter. The girl left the bar shortly after ending the call.
Vi returned to chatting with her siblings and Ekko.
“Vi, you were staring at that girl all lovey dovey”, Mylo teased.
“No I wasn’t!”
“For sure ”, Claggor stepped in.
“She just looked familiar, that’s all”, Vi continued. Her siblings didn’t seem to buy it.
“She’s the girl who performed here last night”, Ekko dropped in casually.
“Oh?” Vi gasped, almost choking on air.
“Yeah, some of the kids at the sanctuary have been listening to her music, her name’s Caitlyn. They were really jealous when they found out that I’d been here to see her live, when they couldn’t attend.”
Ekko did a lot of volunteering work at a local safe place, where people came to be free of outside dangers and expectations. He’d helped found the place, and it held a special place in his(and by correlation, Powder’s) heart. Vi had visited the place quite a few times.
“Hmm, that solves the mystery then”, Vi brushed the subject off, even when a part of her brain was screaming for more information. “I gotta go help Vander with the bar, see you.”
She walked to the counter, and continued on with her shift. The work dragged on as usual. Pouring drinks, cleaning up, wiping down counters, chatting with strangers and regulars.
When the shift ended, she went to find Powder. They walked together back to their apartment, only a few blocks away from the bar. Walking alone in this part of town late at night wasn’t really an option, especially for women, so they waited for each other to finish their shifts every time before going home together.
When they opened the door, their mother greeted them.
“G'night girls”, she greeted the two. Her eyes still had a light of youth in them, even as grays were starting to streak her indigo hair. She was wearing her usual nighttime clothes, a dress-length black shirt she’d had since being little and colorful wool socks Powder had knitted as a little kid.
“Night, mum”, they both replied. Their mother retreated into her bedroom, while the sisters sat down in the living room. They chatted casually for a while, talking about projects, bizarre people at the bar, dramas around Powder’s school, and other usual stuff, until Vi asked the question that was pressing her mind.
“Hey Pow, are you alright?”
Powder thought for a moment, before grabbing her phone and sending a message to her sister.
---
Here, easier to talk
Vi nodded, and sent a message of her own.
Sure, tell me
I feel like I don't wanna live
Vi gasped, but continued on the silence.
Why?
Three letters. It relieved Powder, knowing there was no immediate questioning, or shock, just a simple question.
I don’t know, everything’s been feeling like too much
And some kids in my classes have been mean
Ik i shouldn’t care about their opinions but i still do
Tears were threatening to well in Vi’s eyes, but she pushed them down.
They’re idiots, pow
They can’t get us, they’ve got sticks too far up their asses
Powder smiled a little at that.
Ok noted, but it’s not only that
It’s like I can never do anything right
Whatever I do, I fuck up, I haven’t been successful in any of our projects
And I’ve tried to tell myself that it’s just my mind being in overdrive too much
But the scribbles don’t think the same
The scribbles. They’d been plaguing Powder’s life for her whole life, but they’d intensified a lot after seeing their father die, and even more after that because of some more unfortunate events.
Do you think getting you stronger meds would help
I’m pretty sure we could get you some
If you want
I’ll think abt it
Thanks for listening
Thanks for telling me
If you ever feel like this again just please, please tell me
I wanna help you
I know, thank you Vi
Talk to Ekko in the morning
He’ll want to know
I will
Vi hugged her sister.
“Goodnight”, she told her.
“Goodnight”, Powder repeated back to her.
They retreated into separate rooms. They were small, a normal bedroom split in two, and both rooms barely fit a bed, a desk and a nightstand, but it didn’t matter. The rooms served the job well enough.
Under the composed cover, Vi was screaming. She felt like she failed her sister, didn’t comfort her well enough. She wasn’t religious, but was ready to pray to everything, anything out there for her sister to be alright.
Silent tears stained her pillow, took with them any last bits of makeup left on her face, dampened her face. She hoped her sister had fallen asleep fast on the other side of the wall.
Vi tossed and turned on the bed, unable to sleep. She was worrying, worrying her mind off.
When she finally did fall asleep, it came in small periods, littered with nightmares and bad thoughts. Her mind made up images of Powder’s funeral, her body broken under a bridge, her lying dead with a bottle of pills, her hanging from the ceiling.
After the third or fourth time waking up, Vi gave up and reached for her phone. She opened google and searched. Soon, her browsing history was filled with ‘how to help suicidal person’, ‘what to do when sister is suicidal’, ‘how many people who don’t want to live actually commit suicide’. The answers didn’t really help her, but she pressed them into her mind thoroughly anyway.
When the first rays of sunshine got into her room, she put down her phone and closed her eyes. This time, she drifted into sleep easily and stayed asleep.
Notes:
This chapter wasn't really part of the plan, but it was something I needed to put into words. Remember that people's struggles aren't as easily spotted as this chapter makes it seem
If you're in a similar situation as Vi is, just being there for the other person helps. Sometimes all that's needed is someone who listens
Take care of yourselves, and the people you love
Chapter 3: Chapter 3
Notes:
Sorry for this chapter taking so long
anyway, here are some life updates:
I’m on a skiing trip and i fell and now my wrist’s fucked and my lip’s busted open and very swollen lol
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
A phone alarm went off. Caitlyn blinked at the bright sun coming through her window. It was a Monday morning, an hour before she had to leave for work. She loved working at the pharmacy, but sometimes it just wasn’t fun. Like today, after not being able to sleep for the whole weekend. She shut up the alarm, and checked her messages. Nothing new, just the usual morning text from Mel, a habit they’d made ages ago after just meeting each other. She replied to it.
The floorboards creaked as she made her way to her bathroom. She ran a brush through her hair and washed her face. The cool water of her tap woke her up. After that, she applied a tiny bit of mascara, and pulled her hair up into a ponytail. She’d showered the night before, so she could just walk into the kitchen and eat a slice of bread, still in her pajamas.
She brewed herself a cup of tea, sipping it with sugar added. The hot liquid warmed her from the inside. After finishing the tea, she walked back to her bedroom, to grab her work uniform from the closet. Black trousers, a knitted black turtleneck and a nametag. She pulled on her black sneakers, grabbed her keys and walked out the door. It shut behind her with a click.
Caitlyn went to the nearest corner store to buy herself some lunch, since she hadn’t prepared anything for herself. She bought a sandwich and a bottle of blackberry flavoured water. She paid the cashier and continued toward the pharmacy she worked at.
It didn’t take long until she was opening the door with her keys, and preparing the place for opening. She shelved a few new medicine boxes, and finally opened the door for all, switching their sign to open.
The pharmacy was small, often overshadowed by the larger ones in the area, but people popped by pretty often, since the location was convenient and people said that the customer service was the best in the whole city. It didn’t take long for the first customer to pop by, an older lady who needed to refill her prescription for antidepressants. Caitlyn sold her the medicine and turned on the radio, at low volume. They weren’t allowed to listen to music while working, but the radio was ok. The day continued on as usual.
When her shift finally ended, she walked home while enjoying the fresh smell of the cool air. Summer was coming, but the evenings were still beautifully crisp.
She thought she saw a familiar face, one she’d observed so much during the weekend, with a flash of red, walking past her with a lot of speed. When she turned back to look, the person had already vanished out of sight.
When she arrived back at home, she started cooking herself a meal. She boiled some noodles, cooked a bit of chicken and heated up some frozen carrots. When the food was done, she sprinkled some salt on it and poured a bit of sweet chili sauce. She ate the meal while watching the news.
Nothing interesting had happened that day, so the news anchor went on and on about a bus crash on the other side of the world.
Vi woke up to the sound of Powder moving around in her room, on the other side of the wall. She wiped her eyes, taking the last crumbs of sleep away with her fingers. She checked her phone, careful to avoid cutting her fingers on the broken screen. Nothing special, Mylo had sent a few dumb memes in their groupchat. She didn’t reply, except for the fourth ‘no bitches?’ meme in a week's time, to which she replied with an uno reverse card sticker.
She rose up from her bed, looked in the mirror, swiped her hand through her hair and declared that she looked like a forest troll, again.
Heavy socked feet strode around the apartment. First, to the bathroom to wash her face and her teeth, then back to her room to get dressed, and finally to the kitchen, to prepare breakfast for the family. She set cereal and bread on the counter, cut a little bit of cucumber to be eaten with the bread. She settled for a simple meal that time, still holding a grudge toward the stove.
She’d tried to make breakfast a few days ago, wanting to have grilled sandwiches. She’d set bread on a pan and put it on the stove, on full heat. Then, she’d looked around for a few more toppings to put on the bread. Powder had walked into the kitchen right as Vi had noticed the pan smoking.
“Powder! ‘elp, mah bread’s burning!” In her panicked glory, Vi accidentally slipped into a British accent. Powder had started laughing so hard that by the time she turned off the stove and moved the pan away from it, half the kitchen had a smoky air.
Their mother walked in next.
“What’s burning?” She’d asked, concerned.
“Nothing anymore ", Vi had replied, and Felicia didn’t look very reassured. That day, she’d made the two girls replace the old fire alarms in the kitchen and living room with new ones(all while Powder complained that it wasn’t her fault Vi couldn’t cook).
From that day on, she’d refused to touch the stove by herself. Cold breakfast it was, then.
After having eaten for herself, she started cleaning a bit. She had a lot of time, and very little schoolwork, before her shift at the bar, and she decided to use that time to her advantage. She wiped down the kitchen appliances, picked up little things and put them in their place, and switched out the pillow covers in the living room. Though her own room was an absolute mess, she liked to keep the areas others used clean.
After she’d cleaned, she got ready for her classes. People her age had usually already graduated, but Vi had needed to take an extra year for her studies, since school was hard for her. The redhead was thankful for only having online lectures today, instead of practical stuff at the school. She opened her laptop just in time to not be late to the first zoom lecture. She took some brief notes, most of her time being consumed by trying to find a comfortable position to sit in. Her two lectures went by in a haze.
The day passed on, surprisingly quickly. It wasn’t long before she was throwing on a leather jacket and walking to the bar, clutching a small pocket knife in her hand. People didn’t usually bother her, she’d put a fair amount of thugs in their places during her short life, but it never hurt to be careful in this part of town.
Vi opened the door to the bar. The familiar scent of lingering alcohol greeted her. She set her jacket on a chair in the small staff room. Vander greeted her with a smile, just getting ready to open the bar for the evening. Vi began helping him, setting down stools that had been placed on the tables onto the floor. The familiar work and sounds helped her relax. Vander’s gruffy breath echoed through the bar every once in a while, and the chairs clung when they were pushed around.
It wasn’t long before they opened the door together, switching the sign to open. The regulars started coming by a bit after opening. Vi chatted with them, cracking a joke or two occasionally. After more people started coming in, Vi poured drinks, washed glasses and wiped down tables like she usually did. Vander spent most of his time behind the bar, since most of the drinkers preferred their drinks be made by him. He did in fact have thirty years of age and experience on her.
At one point there was a loud commotion from a farther corner of the bar. Vander motioned for her to go check up on it, and she did. She strode across the room, careful to avoid knocking into anyone. Two guys were arguing very expressively, flinging insults and swear words around like pebbles on a summer road. They seemed to be in a disagreement over who pays for something, and the fight was getting close to a physical one. When they stepped closer to each other to fight, Vi stepped in.
“Gentlemen, calm down.” Her tone held a great amount of authority, but it wasn’t enough for the men.
“Who are you to talk, bitch?” The taller one, with a bald head and braided brown beard snarled at her.
“Yeah, who told a girl to stick ‘er little ‘ead in other people’s business?” The one with hair joined in.
Vi stood before the two men, confidence unwavering. The bearded one lunged at her, but she dodged. The other one tried her too, but she stepped out of the way. There was now a little audience observing the fight.
Turns out fighting two grown men against one woman wasn’t exactly a fair fight, even if the woman was highly skilled in combat. By the time she’d managed to grab the shorter one’s hands and restrain them behind his back and Loris, one of her favorite regulars had managed to get the taller one, she’d caught a stray punch to her ribs and an elbow to the cheekbone. She signalled furiously with her head for somebody to go get Vander, and he came soon after being called.
“Boys, OUT", he said with a steady yet aggressive voice.
“Why’s an old dusty man like you ordering us around?” One of the men asked.
Vander didn’t reply, instead shooting them a look that made even the scariest guys cower, and nodded with his head to the old gauntlets hung over the counter. Nowadays, they were an empty threat, but back when Vander was a young man, they’d been in use quite regularly.
The men realised their mistake and obeyed his command, marching out of the bar. Vander followed them.
Vi returned to the counter, watching over the bar while Vander was out. Nobody bought drinks, still waiting for the tension to drop. Vi could feel the beginnings of a bruise forming on her face.
When Vander returned, he nodded to the bargoers. They got the message, and returned to the things they’d been previously doing. Vander looked Vi over, before reaching into the freezer and handing her an ice pack.
“I don’t need that”, Vi started to protest.
“You do, kid”, Vander sighed. Vi took the pack and figured the bruise may be worse than what it felt.
The night continued by as usual. It wasn’t long until she was handing the rag she’d been cleaning tables with to Gert, a tradition they’d come up with ages ago to signal switching shifts.
Vi walked out the door, letting the crisp evening air bite her cheeks.
Notes:
Cait’s water choices might just be the most researched thing in this fic right now lol
Next chapter’s one I’m pretty excited to write, so it may be coming sooner than the last updates.
Chapter Text
Caitlyn didn’t know what went into her, maybe it was excess energy, maybe it was the lack of stuff happening in her life, but she felt very restless. The air outside was crisp and the sky clear, perfect weather for a mindless walk. After contemplating with herself for a little bit, she grabbed her keys(completed with a blue safety keychain set she’d bought some time ago), her earbuds and her coat. After she’d pulled on her shoes and clipped her keys onto her belt loop, she opened the door. The stairway was quiet, nobody else daring to go out during this time of day. Her steps echoed in the spacious hall as she walked.
The fresh air filled her lungs the moment she stepped outside. The last remnants of sunlight still shone across the sky, but the light was dimming quickly. Caitlyn let her thoughts drift away, into the infrastructure around her and the familiar city sounds. Her feet walked on and on, carrying her mindlessly.
She got jolted out of her thoughts once she heard some guys snickering on a side alley. She realized she’d walked into a part of town she had no business being in alone at night. She took out her earpods in a hurry.
Caitlyn looked around, searching for the safest and fastest route back home. After making a map of the area in her mind, she decided to keep on walking the same road, so eventually she’d return to her part of town on a road illuminated by street lights the whole way. She strode swiftly through the streets, trying to avoid swinging her hips with her step and pulling her coat zipper all the way up.
Suddenly, she could hear a loud noise coming from a side alley. The logical part of her brain told her she shouldn’t look, and she agreed with it, but her curiosity won. She took a few cautious steps toward the narrow way between two buildings. The dark alley had walls made of dimly lit red brick. The buildings on every side of it rose at least three storeys up. But it wasn’t the scenery of the alley that had caught Caitlyn’s attention.
It was what was happening between the walls. Two big men were standing around someone. That someone was fighting back desperately against the two. She had pretty big muscles, exposed by their jacket slipping down while fighting, she was wearing black jeans and- oh. She had red hair. And grey eyes. She was the woman Caitlyn’d been eyeing for a while. And she was getting beaten up by two men almost twice her size.
Caitlyn’s body acted without her mind thinking. She unclipped her keychain and grabbed it in her hand, wrapping her palm around the sharp stick designed to stab people with. It didn’t take long for it to be lodged between one of the attacker’s shoulder blades. Not the place Caitlyn would usually go for in self defense, but it worked. The guy screamed and fell to the ground. Caitlyn was pretty sure it wouldn’t kill him, just inconvenience him for a while. His brown eyes were filling with water, and he was writhing on the ground in pain.
In the time Caitlyn had taken to look at her handiwork, she got distracted of the other man. When he saw his friend on the ground, he took a swing at her. It hit her hard in the abdomen, but she didn’t drop. It took all of her strength to not double over in pain.
She was still clutching her keychain tightly in her hand. The redheaded woman was making quick work of the other man, now beating him with a newfound fire. After he received a few hard blows, he had the sense to grab his friend and scurry off.
Both of the women stared at their disappearing backs. They looked at each other warily.
Finally, Caitlyn broke the silence.
“Are you alright?”
“Why did you jump in?” Vi asked without answering her question. “I had it under control.”
“Didn’t look like it, they were going to turn you into minced meat”, Caitlyn replied to her.
“You didn’t need to help me, they’re going to come after you now if they recognise you!”
“Good thing I don’t come here often”, Caitlyn didn’t have trouble keeping up with the redhead’s comments.
“Now, answer my question. Are you alright?” Caitlyn continued
“I’m fine”, the woman was interrupted by Caitlyn’s unconvinced look.
“Really, I’m fine. What brings you here?” She asked her.
“I don’t really know, I just ended up here”, Caitlyn admitted.
A car passed by them. They both snapped their heads to look at it.
“Shit, come on”, the redhead cursed and motioned for Caitlyn to follow her. She did, with a questioning look on her face the whole time. They ended up on a more remote alley.
“Who are you anyway?” The other woman asked her.
“I’m Caitlyn.”
“Cool. I‘m Vi.”
“So, Vi, why were you getting beaten by two random men?” Caitlyn asked her.
“Broke up their bar fight today at work, apparently they didn’t like it”, Vi replied to her casually, like breaking up fights was a random tuesday(well, monday) to her.
“How’re you gonna make it out of this part of town in one piece, Cupcake?”
“Cupcake?” Caitlyn asked her with a very questioning look.
“You’re so sweet, like a cupcake.”
“Wha-”, she started, but thought better of it. “I was going to keep on walking before I saw someone getting beaten up.”
“Where are you going anyway?” Vi asked her.
“The apartment area.”
The other woman nodded.
“You got a number to make sure you get home alright?” Vi asked her, perhaps not so smoothly as she hoped.
“Are you flirting with me?” Caitlyn asked, her cheeks flushing slightly pink.
“Wait and see.”
Caitlyn scoffed, but started telling Vi her number.
“Text me when you’re home. And don’t forget to wash your keychain well, can’t be sure what nasty stuff those guys carry”, Vi told her as they parted ways.
Caitlyn walked home with a newfound spring in her step.
Vi strode home with a smirk on her face. She mindlessly took the safest paths, avoided the worst parts of town and found the quickest way home. Her mind was replaying the things that happened after the fight. How Caitlyn had looked at her with wide eyes, how she made sure Vi was alright. Sure, maybe she’d been a little awkward, but she’d still gotten the girl's number, and that counted as a win in her book.
She opened the door to her apartment quietly, in case her mom was already sleeping. She indeed was, and Vi quietly took off her boots and coat, and headed to her room. She noticed Powder’s door being open, and she grew more alarmed when she looked back and realised that her chunky boots weren’t there either.
Then she looked at her door handle, and saw a small note taped to it.
‘ Went out for a walk, Ekko’s got my location. Good night ’, it said, completed with her usual doodles around the text.
Vi washed off her makeup and changed into some comfy shorts and a loose t-shirt. Then, she checked her phone for the final time. She’d sent Caitlyn a message right before they’d parted ways, and Caitlyn’d sent her one when she got home.
hi, this is Vi
Hi
I got home alright
What about you?
me too
good night
Good night
Vi smiled slightly to herself and closed her eyes.
Notes:
No amount of autocorrect would save this chapter, sorry for any mistakes
Caitlyn knows to think of Vi as her bc she has a pin on her work shirt that says “she/her” i couldn’t figure out any other reason
Sorry if the next chapters are a little grim, that’s just how my mind is :)
I’m planning on writing this chapter also from Powder’s perspective, there might be someone who’s going to join the gang…
Chapter 5: Chapter 5
Notes:
Sorry for the wait and temporary stitching of Cait and Vi, I lost motivation and started looking up the family lines of every single new forest pony I know(jesus christ) but now I figured out how to trick my brain into writing
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Powder couldn’t help the restlessness in her veins. She hadn’t done much during the day, and now, when it was nearing nighttime, she couldn’t do anything but feel wide awake. Instead of wearing down the wooden floor of her small room, cramped with anything and everything art, music and crafts related, she decided to go out for a walk.
She strode out of her room, saw her mother sitting on the sofa and watching a show on loud volume. Powder realised her chance had come, and she quickly wrote a note, made a few small doodles on it next to the text, stuck it on her room’s door handle, sent her location to Ekko, quietly pulled on her shoes and opened the door. The crispy air greeted her face in a fresh, cold hug. She loved the feeling of cool air on her skin.
Nights in their part of the city weren’t quiet. They were as loud as the days, and a million times more dangerous. Still, they were home, and Powder had learnt to navigate them as a little shy child, tagging along at her big sister’s side.
She strode through the crisp streets without a direction, letting her instincts guide her. Her hood was drawn up, her hair tucked tightly within it. Her bright blue hair was too noticeable to wear at night.
The familiar roads and alleys stretched on and on. Her footsteps made muffled sounds against the pavement. A slight anxiety was creeping up her spine into her chest, but it would be replaced by adrenaline soon. The moment she dodged the first sketchy person, the familiar thrill would catch her. Vi hated what she was currently doing. Their mother didn’t even know. A part of Powder also hated being out at night, but it was currently overridden by the bigger part that didn’t care anymore, no matter how hard she wanted it to do so.
After trudging through a few more blocks, a set of peculiar sounds caught her ear. The muffled sound of light footsteps, annoyed grunts and a small child whining. The logical parts of her yelled for her to flee. Her instincts told her to go check it out, and that’s what she did.
When she turned to the sketchy alley where the sounds were coming from, she saw a little girl. The girl was getting cornered by three men, all with tattoos on their faces. Her terrified eyes glistened with tears, and the way her small body shook ached Powder’s heart.
Powder had to act fast to help the little girl. She may not be as strong as Vi, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t defend herself or anyone else. Her sister had always taught her to fight dirty to compensate for her small size.
She kicked the first guy between his legs, spun in a flimsy arc and landed her foot on the back of the knee of the second guy. The third tried to be smart and sneak up on her, but the bluenette elbowed him in the stomach. The moment the last guy was distracted, Powder grabbed the girl’s hand and bolted out of the alley. The girl followed her gratefully.
When they reached safety a few blocks away from their original alley, on one of the safest streets, the two finally stopped. Powder managed to get a good look of the girl when she squatted down to the child’s level.
She had wide amber eyes, a round face and fluffy chocolate brown hair. A mixture between a bucket hat, an actual bucket and a miner’s helmet sat on her head like the weirdest crown either of them had ever seen. She was wearing a dirty white tank top, a gruffy black zip-up hoodie, yellow tights that were ripped around the knees and shorts that were at least two sizes too big, held up by a black shoelace skillfully tied. Her clothes, face and hair were all smeared with dirt. She looked no older than eight years old.
“What are you doing alone this late, kid?” Powder asked her. The child just stared at her with wide, expressive eyes and said nothing.
“Are your parents somewhere around here?” She tried asking again. This time the girl shook her head.
“Okay, is someone else taking care of you?”
The girl shook her head again.
“Are you living on the street by yourself?”
This time, she nodded.
“What’s your name?”
She motioned for a pen and paper. With a puzzled expression, Powder looked through her pockets and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper along with an almost dry sharpie.
The girl took them with a small smile, and started writing on the paper. After a few seconds, she spelled out ‘Isha’ with shaky letters.
“Alright Isha, I’m Powder.”
Isha smiled a little at that. Powder knew her name was a little amusing, especially to small children.
“I’m going to call my friend, he knows a safe place where you could go.”
The child nodded again. The older girl pulled out her phone and tapped call on Ekko’s contact. After a few rings, he answered.
“Hey Pow, everything alright?” He asked her, sounding very concerned.
“Yeah, I’m fine. But you know how I’m currently on a walk? Well, I found a kid, and she says that she’s got no parents and nobody else to take care of her-”
Ekko cut her off.
“You found what? Where?”
Powder took in a breath.
“I found a kid, alone in an alley. Her name’s Isha, I gotta find a place for her to stay since the streets ‘round here aren’t a place for a lone kid.”
“Hold on, I’m gonna check to make sure there are no missing kids. Can you give me a description?”
Powder took another look at Isha.
“Fluffy brown hair, amber eyes, probably around eight years old.”
After a moment of silence, Ekko’s voice rang through the line again.
“There’s nobody with that desc logged as missing.”
Another moment of silence where they both thought about what to do.
“It’s pretty late, I think Scar’s already sleeping so I can’t ask him what to do. I think we’ve got resources to take her in if needed, but by earliest tomorrow.”
“What am I gonna do? I can’t just leave her out here alone for the night.” Powder sighed into the phone.
“Any chance she could stay at yours for tonight? I can probably come get her tomorrow morning.”
“I-” she took another deep breath. “Yeah, I think she could. I'm gonna try and call mom to make sure.”
“Thank you. Be safe out there.” Ekko said as a goodbye.
“I will. Call you later?”
“Sure, bye Pow.”
“Bye bye.”
Powder tapped her phone again to end the call.
“Okay kid, my friend said that you can go to the safe place tomorrow after he’s talked a bit with the other people in charge of the place. I’m going to try and call my mom to see if you can come to my place tonight. Is that alright with you?”
Isha nodded enthusiastically. She seemed enthralled by Powder’s bright blue hair, which she'd let out from under the hood after meeting the child.
The older girl tapped her phone again, this time her mother’s contact. It rang and rang without reply. She tried calling her again, with no success.
“My mom isn’t answering me right now, but I think you’ll be fine with her. She loves kids.”
Isha looked at her with wide eyes.
“We gotta get going, kid. There’s a good bit of distance until we’re gonna get home.”
Powder rose up from her squatting position, and got ready to start walking again. Isha reached for her hand and grasped it tightly in her own. They started walking towards Powder’s house with a very fast pace, although it seemed to be tiring Isha.
At one point the child stopped and motioned at the older girl’s upper body. It took Powder a while to get what she meant.
“You want to be carried?” She finally figured. Isha nodded her head. She lifted the child up and adjusted her so she could wrap her arms around Powder’s shoulders and the bluehead could hold her up with one arm while having the other free to balance herself.
They walked like that the rest of the way. Powder only set Isha down at her apartment's staircase. She fumbled a bit with her keys before opening the door and walking up the stairs, the child following close behind. They stopped at the door to Powder’s place. She unlocked it with shaking hands.
“Mom? Can you come here?” Powder called at the door. When she heard no answer, she called again.
This time her mother could be heard getting up from her bed and walking to her door. She opened it and stepped out of her bedroom. She was wearing a light brown nightgown and her purple hair was braided neatly.
“What is it? Are you alright?” She started asking, before her eyes landed on Isha. Her brows rose up, and she looked at Powder questioningly.
“So, don’t get mad, but I was on a walk,” she lifted her hand up in surrender before continuing. “And I found her. Her name’s Isha, she told me she was alone on the streets. I called Ekko but he can’t take her to the firelight sanctuary before morning, and we couldn’t just leave her there so he asked if I could take her in for the night.”
“I’m just gonna ignore the out for a walk part, yes, she can stay. Get her some food, I’m going to see if there are any of your or Vi’s old clothes left that she could wear,” Felicia told her.
“Okay kid, follow me and we’re going to get you some food,” Powder explained to Isha.
Vi chose that exact moment to emerge from her room.
“Geez, what happened to your face?” Powder asked her as soon as she stepped into the light. She had a few spare bruises on her face, and her knuckles were split open a bit. Before she could answer, their mother stepped in.
“Vi, can you set up a bed in Powder’s room?”
Vi looked around a little, ready to protest, until she saw Isha and just widened her eyes a little.
“Allright,” she just replied and went to get the stuff for a guest bed from the closet next to her and Powder’s rooms.
While she went to do that, Felicia receded to her bedroom to look for clothes. Powder took Isha to the kitchen to eat. She pushed a stool to be right next to the sink.
“Wash your hands kiddo, I’m going to make you some bread.”
Isha complied, and Powder started making the bread for her. She added a slice of cheese and ham to the sandwich and set it down on the dining table. Then she grabbed a yogurt for herself and sat down next to Isha to eat.
Right when they’d eaten, Vi and Felicia came to tell them they were ready. Felicia handed Isha some comfortable pajamas and directed her to the bathroom to change.
While she was changing, Vi started to open her mouth in question. Felicia cut her off before she could even start.
“Save the questions for the morning, it’s too late now. And remember to ice those bruises, I don’t even want to know where they came from.”
They both just nodded. Vi went to the kitchen to grab the ice pack, and Powder stood outside the bathroom door to wait for Isha to come out of there.
“Good to know you’ve picked up at least some traits from Vander,” her mother teased. She offered a smile in return. They stood outside the door until Isha emerged from there.
She was now wearing a pair of Powder’s old pajamas, a grey onesie with shark teeth and fins.
“Where are your previous clothes, dear?” Felicia asked her. Isha pointed to a neatly folded pile next to the toilet.
“Thank you. I’m going to wash them, is that alright?”
Isha nodded. She grabbed Powder’s hand again and followed her to her room. Vi had laid a small mattress on the floor for the child.
“This will be your bed tonight. You can pick out any of my stuffies to sleep with you if you want to, I’m going to go change and clean up in the bathroom for a bit, but I won't be long.”
Isha stared in awe at Powder’s collection of stuffed animals while the older girl grabbed her nightwear and strode into the bathroom. She washed off her makeup, changed into a white tank top with an orca printed onto it and some shorts, brushed her teeth and made sure her hair was ready for sleep. After making sure she was ready for sleeping, she walked back to her room.
Isha had picked out her age-old bunny plushie, and she was currently stroking its worn out fur while sitting on the mattress. She lifted her gaze when she heard Powder enter the space.
“You picked Miss Rosebunny? Excellent choice!” The older girl joked to her. Isha smiled widely back. Powder sat on her own bed and pulled a blue shark plushie close to her chest.
“Good night kid. If you need anything, or have a bad dream, or anything, poke me awake. Ok?”
Isha nodded.
Powder turned off the big light and set her led lights to a dim orange. She smiled affectionately at Isha, who had curled under the covers. She resembled a worm, wrapped in a blanket and lying peacefully on the mattress.
When Powder set her head down on her pillow, she fell asleep the easiest she had in weeks.
Notes:
Felicia, sleeping peacefully:
“Hmm, what was that click? I think it’s just the neighbors”
Powder, bursting in through the door with a child:
“HI MOM! I found a kid, can we keep her???”
Vi, probably slightly concussed, rising from her room:
“WHAT?”
Isha, looking cute:
(Wide eyed stare)Y’all better be thankful I’m not making these characters suffer since the desire to kill somebody off is strong
I’m pretty sure there is a ghost in my house. Me and my friend named her Mirja
Chapter 6: Chapter 6
Notes:
Sorry caitvi people, between a kazillion exams, hobbies and a pretty bad dip in my mental(and physical) health, the writers block was hitting hard
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Vi woke up with a deadly headache. It felt like somebody had drilled three screws into her head and was now trying to pull them out. She groaned and turned around in bed. The clock on her wall told her it was just around nine in the morning. Weighing her chances, she decided to go get painkillers from the kitchen.
When she’d awakened from her worm-like state, she ventured into the kitchen. The medicine cabinet opened with a creak, and she popped out a pill from its packaging. She popped it into her mouth and took a sip of water.
After taking the med, she heard footsteps.
“Morning, sis”, Powder said when she walked into the kitchen, Isha trailing right behind her. The child’s golden eyes gleamed as she looked around with curiosity.
“Morning. Are you gonna tell me now why you suddenly have a kid?” Vi asked her while taking everything needed for breakfast out of the cabinets.
“Hmm, maybe later”, Powder shrugged while pouring Isha a cup of juice.
“I’m gonna take her to the firelights today.” She handed the cup to the child and patted her fluffy hair.
“Do you need a driver?”
Powder thought for a little bit.
“If you’re not too concussed.”
Vi nodded, before handing her sister the bread and butter. She made two sandwiches. When Isha got her hands on one, she stared at it with hungry eyes before sinking her teeth into the bread. Vi grabbed herself a protein yogurt and sat down to eat with the others.
After a while of silence, only filled with sounds of bread being devoured and Vi’s spoon hitting the edge of her yogurt cup, Felicia walked in.
“Morning kids, did you sleep good?”
All three nodded with their mouths full, Isha a bit more cautiously than the older girls.
“What are today's plans? Neither of you have work, right?” The oldest woman asked.
“I’m taking Isha to the firelights, and Vi’s driving us”, Powder replied to her.
“You have lunches packed?”
“Mom, we’re not 7 anymore-” Vi tried to start, but Felicia cut her off.
“Nonsense, you still need food.”
The redhead let out a fond huff. Isha’s eyes seemed to gleam with the mention of food.
“Pow, get her some other clothes too from your old ones before you leave. I think she’ll appreciate that”, Felicia instructed. Powder and Isha both nodded at her, and hurried off after finishing their food.
Felicia changed her gaze to Vi.
“What happened to you last night? you weren’t bruised when you left.”
Vi looked at the floor before speaking.
“Some guys were arguing at the bar. I went to break them up before they started fighting, but instead they decided I was the enemy. They managed to hit me a few times before me and Loris managed to get them apart. Then Vander took them out for a chat. They didn’t come back, but I think they were waiting outside, when I left the bar they tried to jump me in some alley.”
“But they didn’t?”
“They didn’t even get started properly before mystery woman with a self defence keychain came to my aid. They took off right after that.”
“Did you catch her name?”
“Her name’s Caitlyn. She’s reeeeally pretty and I got her number.”
“Hmph, more than you usually accomplish”, Felicia teased Vi. She shot her mother a murderous glare, even if she was right. It wasn’t exactly a secret that she hadn’t been very efficient in flirting with girls. The older one ruffled Vi’s hair, having to reach up to do it. Vi smiled a little at her, and retreated to her room to get ready for the day.
She pulled on a black tank top, cargo pants and a black hoodie with red highlights. She ran a brush through her hair and applied a little bit of eyeliner. The dark of the pencil contrasted her light grey eyes well, even when it smudged around during the day and never stayed where she put it.
“Vi! Are you ready?” Powder called from the hall.
“Yeah!” Vi yelled back, walking through her room's doorway. She pulled on her boots from the rack.
Powder was dressed in some flowy pants and a white tank top under a light blue hoodie, with her hair in a singular long braid. Isha had changed into a yellow sweater, navy blue pants and purple sneakers. Her hair was now combed and braided out of her face. She was carrying a stuffed bunny and a small bag.
Vi grabbed the keys to Felicia’s beat-up toyota and walked out the door, the two younger girls following behind her. Isha held Powder’s hand tightly as they descended down the stairs.
The three girls got into the car. Vi made sure Isha and Powder were both buckled in before starting the car. They drove in silence, only broken by Powder occasionally pointing out fun spots or landmarks to Isha while the radio screamed the local rock station on a low volume.
After a short while, Vi pulled up to park on the side of the road in front of the Firelight sanctuary. The building didn’t look like much, but behind the industrial grey walls was the most stunning little forest Vi had seen in her life.
They got out of the car and walked to the door. Scar, Ekko’s close friend, was inside, and he greeted them. He was setting up a few tables for low income families to come out and eat at.
The place ran a small food bank with all their other stuff. The place relied pretty heavily on donations and government funding to function. The building the group now stood at had been abandoned before Ekko found it and had the vision to convert it into the shelter it was now.
Getting permissions from the city had been a pretty tricky process, involving Vander and Ekko’s adoptive dad Benzo working tirelessly and a few sleepless nights of research for Powder and Ekko, but eventually they’d managed. Ekko had put out a poster for volunteers being needed to a charity thrift store’s notice board, and Scar and a few of his friends had taken interest.
Now, only the lowest floor of the building had been renovated to use as kitchens and warm hangout areas, but the backyard was buzzing with life. They’d built tiny houses all along the place, and it looked like a tiny village wrapped around a large tree.
“Hi Scar, where’s Ekko?” Powder asked.
“He’s at the tree building something.”
Powder nodded and hurried off with Isha, while Vi hung back to chat a little with Scar. They weren’t exactly close friends, but he was pleasant to talk with and they shared a common interest in hitting things.
“How are your girls?” Vi asked him, referring to his girlfriend and the baby girl in her tummy.
“Kid’s been keeping her awake way too much, but the nausea’s mostly gone now. I think we’re both waiting for the day she decides to arrive.” Scar smiled like an idiot every time he mentioned his girlfriend, and Vi always asked him about her for that reason.
“That’s sweet. I think I gotta go make sure Pow and Ekko don’t get any wild ideas before they get Isha settled in.”
“Is the little girl Isha? Where’d she come from?” Scar asked her.
“Yeah, Pow found her on the street last night, told her she hasn’t got any parents.”
“Oh. Well, it’s good that she’s here now.”
Vi nodded and walked to follow the direction Powder and Isha had gone.
Isha was playing with a few other kids while Pow and Ekko talked. Vi quickly walked over to them and joined.
“I’ll pick up some sign language books from the library if she wants them, can you show her around while I do that?” Ekko planned.
Powder nodded at him.
“Vi, can you get her a bunk set up? She can stay in the third kids room.” He asked Vi when he noticed her standing there.
“Yeah, where are the beds?”
Ekko pointed her in the right direction. She hauled the temporary and light, yet hard to carry bed up two flights of stairs and across the yard. Once she set the frame down in the currently empty, but clearly lived in room, she went to search for a mattress, a blanket and a pillow.
Her footsteps clang on the concrete floor of the storage building. The beddings were stored in the back, arranged in neat little piles. She grabbed the mattress that seemed closest in size to the bed, a pillow and a blanket.
The soft things were a lot easier to carry into the room than the bed had been. She set the mattress on the bed, put the blanket and pillow on top of it and went to search for sheets.
Vi looked into cupboards and boxes all around the room. Every one of them is organised with care, yet it took her almost ten minutes to find the bedsheets. When she finally did, she started setting them on the bed. A faint lavender bottom sheet, a blue duvet cover with little printed ducks and a matching pillowcase. Vi folded the blanket to sit nicely on top of the bed, and went to find Ekko, Isha and Powder to tell them the bed was ready.
She ventured through the halls, looking for the three figures. The place was filled with maze-like halls, stretching out for what felt like miles.
After a while, she finally turned around the right corner.
“Ekko, you’ve gotta make a map for this place”, Vi breathed out once she found them. Powder chuckled at her.
“It’s in the works.” Ekko gestured around the place with his arms.
“I’ve got the bed set up”, Vi told him.
“C’mon Isha, we’ll show you your new room and roommates”, Ekko said to Isha with an enthusiastic tone. She stared back at the adults with excited eyes.
Ekko started leading the way, with Powder and Isha close behind. Vi trailed right behind them, taking in her surroundings. She noticed the colorful lights sometimes hung up were different colors depending on the area they were in. Near the main entrance area and the kitchen the lights were a warm yellow, at the adults bedrooms they were a dim blue, around the hangout areas they were a happy pink and in the distance she could see that near the childrens rooms they were all sortments of bright rainbow colors.
When they got to the kids room, Isha’s eyes widened. She looked around with wide eyes.
All the other kids were playing outside, so Isha could take in her surroundings in peace.
Powder showed her around the room, telling her where she could put her things, where the others stayed, where the bathroom was and what to do if something happened or anyone felt lonely or scared.
“Okay kid, if something’s off, press the pink button by the door, alright? It doesn’t matter if it’s someone having a bad dream, or a spider you're too scared to get rid of, just press it. Us oldies are here for that”, Powder told her. Isha nodded gratefully.
Ekko had to slip out of Isha’s welcoming round to deal with the logistics of the sanctuary and inform the city that they had another kid, complete with her description and name.
Their next stop was the overall hangout area, with the blue lights, seating and a little playground for kids. It had a slide, swings and a small table for playing pretend underneath the slide. A few of the other kids were playing there. Isha looked at Powder, like she was asking her for permission.
“Go ahead kid. Wave us over if you need something, ok?” Powder told her while bending to the child's level. Isha nodded at her and hurried off to go play with the others.
“So, how does it feel to be a mom?” Vi teased her sister.
“I’m not her mom , I’m more like a… Big sister to her”, Powder said back at her. Vi chuckled and they fell into a comfortable silence. Hours blended into each other as they sat there, making sure the kids were doing alright and chatting.
Vi only realised the time passing as she heard Powder’s stomach grumble.
“Isha, it’s around food time!” Vi called. Isha walked back to the two older girls way slower than she had when she’d gone to play.
Vi handed her a lunchbox, making sure she also had juice with it. After giving Isha her one, she handed Powder hers and finally took one for herself. They ate in silence, only sounds heard being the clang of utensils against boxes and the laughing of the children still playing in the distance.
When they finished their meals, Isha returned to playing with a newfound spring in her step. Vi and Powder remained sitting and chatting.
At some point, Ekko slipped down to sit next to Powder.
When the yard was basking in afternoon sunlight, Vi’s phone buzzed with a call. The caller ID displayed Vander’s name in bold letters.
“Hold on, Vander’s calling me”, Vi exclaimed with a questioning tone. Powder and Ekko nodded at her.
She tapped the green button.
“Hey, what’s up?” Vi said into the phone.
“There’s some pretty bad mob at our corner of the town”, Vander answered her.
“Is everyone alright?” Vi’s voice filled with concern.
“Yeah, for now. Where are you?”
“I’m at the Firelights with Pow and Ekko.”
“Good. Ask if Powder could stay there for the night.” His tone was laced with authority.
Vi dropped the phone from her ear.
“Pow, can you stay here tonight?” She asked her sister. Powder looked at Ekko questioningly, and he nodded.
“Sure, but why?” She said slowly.
“I’ll explain later.”
Vi lifted the phone back up to her ear.
“Pow said she can stay here”, she told Vander.
“Good, are you there with the car?” He asked back.
“Yeah.”
“Is Felicia home alone?”
“I think so?”
“Can you come to the bar? I can’t leave it unattended and I’d rather she be here than alone.”
“I can, I’ll be there in fifteen.”
“Good. Avoid the main streets and keep moving, you know the drill.”
“Yeah. See you in a bit”, Vi told him as goodbye.
“See you. Be safe”, he responded.
Vi hung up the call and stuffed her phone back into her pocket while standing up.
“Where are you going?” Powder asked her.
“The bar. There’s a mob, Vander needs my help.”
Vi left right after saying that, practically running to the car. She pressed her foot down on the gas pedal and steered herself closer and closer through the unusually empty streets. Buildings and landmarks flashed at her vision when she drove.
When she reached the smaller streets, she had to slow down her driving.
In one of the especially empty alleys, Vi saw a figure with dark hair and matching clothes looking around with wide eyes. She slowed down a little to see the person better.
A singular crank of the window later, Vi found herself calling.
“Caitlyn?”
Notes:
With the time it took me to write this chapter I’m pretty sure someone could’ve written this whole fic, published it as a normal book, sold 100 k copies and bedazzled every single one of them.
Also this chapter is a birthday special because today is my bd!!
Chapter 7
Notes:
I had under 300 words done for this chapter in the first month. I apologize, dear readers, feel free to bug me in the comments if chapter 8 isn’t here in a month.
In that time I did write another CaitVi fic, go check it out
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Caitlyn woke up in the morning, still thinking of the strange encounter she’d had last night. The redheaded woman, Vi , had asked for her number, and even texted her later. Vi’s intensive gaze still burned on her, even hours after they’d parted.
Caitlyn pulled on her clothes, a thin and long-sleeved blue shirt and black jeans. She brewed herself a cup of lemon tea, adorned with honey and milk. The steam from it is just warm enough to help her relax without being uncomfortable.
She sipped the tea slowly, taking in the flavours, before glancing at the clock hung above her fridge, determining that she'd need to leave for work in fifteen minutes. She finished the drink and set the mug down in her sink. After rinsing the dish halfheartedly, she strode to the door and pulled on her shoes, grabbed her keys and walked swiftly out the door. The air was pleasantly warmed by the sun, sending relaxing rays under her skin when she tilted her head toward the light.
Her shift flew by as a blur. She served her customers, chatted with the ones who visited more regularly and restocked the shelves, placing each box where they belonged with practiced care. When the time neared the end of her shift, she packed her stuff, serviced the last two customers, a father and daughter picking up their prescriptions, and closed the store. She walked through the streets and back to her apartment.
Her keys clacked against each other when she lifted them up to the lock. Her apartment door opened with a click, showing her the familiar sight of her home. She took off her shoes and wandered into the kitchen to prepare herself dinner.
A warm beam of afternoon sun shone through her kitchen window. The contents of her pot sizzled as she turned up the temperature, and the smell of meat and pasta rose up into the air. She tossed in a generous amount of paprika into the pot, followed by salt and pepper.
Caitlyn sat down to eat her food, scrolling mindlessly through news, memes, weather forecasts and beautiful artworks on her phone as she ate.
Halfway through the meal, her phone rang in her hands. The caller ID displayed Jayce’s name.
”Hi?” She answered, dropping her fork onto the table.
”Can you pick up some machine parts for me?” Jayce replied on the other end.
”What happened to ’hello’?” She sighed in reply.
”Sorry. Hello Cait, can you pick up some machine parts for me?”
”Depends on when and where.”
”Around… Right now, from the postal service a few blocks from where you last performed.”
”And you can’t get them yourself because?”
”I’m having a movie night with Viktor and by the time we’re done, the place’s already closed, and I need the parts tomorrow morning.”
”That man has really turned you into a softie.”
”I know. Will you pick up my parts?”
”Fine.”
”Thank you. I’ll come get them from your place when I can.”
”Alright, see you then.”
”See you. Bye.”
The call ended with the sound of Jayce shuffling to hit the right button. Caitlyn sighed and continued eating her meal.
When she was done, she set the plate in her sink and went to pull on one of her sweatshirts. She gave herself a once-over in the mirror, pulled her hair up into a ponytail and grabbed her keys. The evening air greeted her with a familiar gust of wind.
She picked up the pace and started moving forward with the determination of someone just wanting to go home.
Halfway through the walk, the streets started becoming eerily quiet. Caitlyn noted it as odd, but continued on walking. Ten minutes later the sidestreet she was walking on was empty. Some odd sounds were reaching through the wall of apartments and businesses, but she couldn't see the cause.
When the solid line of buildings finally opened up a little, she peered through it and gasped at the sight before her. People were brawling on the street, fists flying left and right, accompanied every few moments by the sound of a gun. She could see flashes of silver and red from those who had a knife with them. Fully or nearly unconscious individuals littered the ground everywhere she looked..
Blood was pooling from places Caitlyn was too scared to look at, swirling around the asphalt in messy veins, glistening with the light from the sun and barely functioning streetlights.
She heightened her pace again, as close to a jog as she could without actually running, while keeping her head down and freeing her hair from the ponytail.
She could see through the small gaps between buildings that whatever was going on in the main street was getting much rowdier with each passing moment. Wounded were crawling into the alleys that separated her from the fighting.
After a too-long while of her walking desperately to her destination, she heard a car on the street she was walking on.
She glanced behind her, seeing an old and beat-up Toyota. Fastly, she turned her head back forwards and picked up her pace. She could hear the vehicle slow down behind her, joined with the awful sound of a window being rolled down. She could practically hear the driver draw in air to call her, even over the rumbling motor.
“Caitlyn?”
Her head snapped towards the car, eyes landing on a head of red hair.
“Vi?”
“Get in the car, you’re gonna get shot out here!” Vi called to her. Caitlyn’s body reacted before her mind could even comprehend the words, striding to the car and opening up the back seat door. Vi didn’t waste a second, pressing the gas pedal hard the moment her doors were closed.
“Where are we going?” Caitlyn breathlessly asked.
“My uncle’s bar.” Vi’s answer didn’t tell her much, but she had the sense to refrain from asking more questions.
The redhead drove with purpose, never once actually obeying the speed limits. Normally, Caitlyn would be terrified, gripping anything she could with white knuckles, but not with Vi. With her, she felt safe, like she could breathe a little easier knowing she’s with her.
Vi started to slow the car down, swiftly and safely. She turned sharply to the right, stopping the car in a narrow parking space.
The door to her car opened with a creak.
“Follow me, and hurry up”, Vi’s tone was commanding, urgency wrapped around it.
Caitlyn unbuckled herself and got out of the car. Vi locked the car with a quick motion over her shoulder as she hurried toward the dark brown door closest to them. Despite being taller, Caitlyn could hardly keep up with her.
The moment Caitlyn slipped through the door, she could see Vi talking with a large man.
“Take her to the Firelight’s place, it isn’t as bad there.” Vi told the man, who Caitlyn figured was her uncle.
“Alright, kiddo. Be safe”, the man replied. Vi handed him her car keys, and he pulled her into a tight hug.
“You too.”
The man left with as much urgency as Vi had arrived with. Caitlyn could hear his heavy footsteps outside even after he’d closed the door.
Vi gestured for her to sit down on a barstool, tucked away with the counter. She sat down gently on it, surprised by the soft leather cushion on it.
Even from where the counter was located, she could see the bar’s atmosphere had changed from when she had visited last. The blinds were closed, windows and doors shut tightly. The main area was empty, remaining few customers tucked closely in the corner Caitlyn was sitting.
The two closest to her seemed to be in a nervous debate about literature, and the three others were playing Uno.
Vi sat down on the other side of the counter. The women sat in silence for a while, staring around the bar with curious eyes.
“How did you end up on this side of town?” Vi broke the silence.
“My friend asked me to pick up some machine parts for him from the postal office”, Caitlyn replied.
“He sure picked a bad time.”
The taller woman just nodded in reply. They sat in silence for a bit, before it got broken by Caitlyn’s phone ringing. She answered it and stepped a little further from the other people.
“Caitlyn! Are you alright? I just opened the news and shit…” Jayce’s voice was frantic.
“Breathe, Jayce. I’m safe, I’m currently sitting in the bar I was in on Saturday. You’re going to have to get your own parts once it’s safe.”
“Why are you in a bar?”
“A girl I have seen a couple of times saw me walking on the street and gave me a ride here.”
“So- So you just jumped into some random girl’s car?” He didn’t seem too relieved by her answer.
“Better than getting shot.”
“True.”
For a little while, the only thing that could be heard on the line was their breathing.
“Alright, bye Jayce, I want to chat with the other people here for a bit.”
“Yeah, okay. Text me later?”
Caitlyn muttered a reply to him and clicked off the call, before sitting back down at the counter.
“Who’s that?” Vi asked.
“My friend Jayce, the one who I was getting parts for.”
“Was he at least concerned about you?” Vi questioned.
“Yes, I would say halfway to a panic attack kind of concerned”, Caitlyn told her.
“Serves him right”, the redhead muttered.
They fell silent for a little while, focusing on the sound of the other people inside the bar. The women’s breaths fell to the same rhythm, evenly filling the lack of sound between them.
“Why did you pick me up?” Caitlyn finally asked Vi.
“I don’t like unassuming people getting shot on the streets.”
The taller woman’s eyes widened slightly.
The two people closest to them were starting to gradually relax in their conversation, while the other three were distributing cards for another match of Uno.
Vi’s phone buzzed with a notification. She quickly looked at it, exhaling a sigh of relief.
“The chaos out is scaling down and retreating farther away”, Vi told everyone in the bar.
“Fuck yeah!” The person with the most cards in his hands celebrated loudly.
“Get back to playing, Chuck. You're still losing.”
The sides of Caitlyn’s mouth curled slightly up at their normalcy.
Notes:
Two words: writers block.
This fic had a very detailed and thought out plot. Unfortunately I haven't seen the notebook with said plot since January.
Ya'll can find me on tumblr with the name iceteapeasant
Redpalladin on Chapter 4 Sat 12 Apr 2025 07:26AM UTC
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Wilsgir on Chapter 4 Sat 12 Apr 2025 12:29PM UTC
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