Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Caitlyn took a deep breath, feeling the familiar weight of the guitar hanging from her body and the smooth body of the mic in front of her.

She glanced at Vi, who shot her a charming grin and a thumbs-up as she readjusted her earpiece, right hand resting against the strings of the electric guitar. Then her gaze shifted to Powder — stage name Jinx — who gave her a wink and a thumbs-up as well, fingers poised along the neck of her bass, prepared to deliver the starting chords. Next to her, Ekko gave her the third and final thumbs-up she needed before shifting his drumstick to his left hand and raising it over the crash cymbal.

Outside, the crowd roared and cheered. The atmosphere was charged with tension as the music signaling the start of their very first world tour started to play. Caitlyn could hear the cheering rise by another octave — a testament to how far they’d come.

They had made it. After four long years together, L4SER had finally had their big break. After their latest album went absolutely viral, the band had skyrocketed to fame. Album sales — even old ones — reached peaks neither of them had ever thought possible. Social media followings erupted. Spotify and YouTube views and plays and likes and follows exploded.

They were on top of the world.

And they had been lucky enough to find a new record label that allowed them to start on their very first world tour after the previous one shut down.

Frankly, Caitlyn had never thought it could go this far. When she started producing music with Vi and her sister in college, she didn’t think it would actually amount to anything. Sure, they were all chasing degrees in arts, but none of them had ever thought of making music a full-time career.

Now, L4SER was living the dream.

Caitlyn glanced at Vi again — her best friend of six years — and the guitarist flashed her a chivalrous grin that made her heart stumble against her ribs.

Caitlyn felt her cheeks heat up. It was embarrassing, but six years of pining and yearning for Vi to be more than just her best friend hadn’t ever toned down. Not once. If anything, it had grown in intensity. From the very first day she stepped into her dorm room and saw that her roommate was a pink-haired guitarist who was also very much a puppy, she’d fallen madly in love and had yet to get back up.

She could still remember the first time she’d walked into that dorm room, the first time she’d laid eyes on Vi — the messy hair, the electric guitar slung carelessly over her shoulder. It was the first time in her life she’d felt like she was truly home. Except it wasn’t home. Not really. It was just the start of something bigger, something unspoken, something she’d never dared to voice.

But she and Vi were friends. No more, no less.

And there was no way Caitlyn was risking a six-year friendship over her stupid feelings and her equally stupid heart.

Vi was her rock, her anchor. The person who pulled every all-nighter with her, whether it was in college or songwriting. The person whom she could call at 3 in the morning to cry to, or invite out for a beer at 11 at night. The person who knew her address, her number, her email, her likes and dislikes and favourite coffee order by heart. 

Most of all, Vi was the person who’d inspired most of her songs.

She’d written song after song for Vi, poured her heart into every line, every chord, every note. But there was a difference between singing about your feelings and actually telling the person who inspired them. That was a line Caitlyn wasn’t sure she could cross.

Caitlyn would never admit it, but their biggest hits from the day L4SER had debuted were all for Vi and about Vi. She wrote most of the band’s songs, meaning she’d been making Vi perform songs about herself for over half a decade.

And Vi had no idea.

The guitarist who was now grinning very charismatically at her from across the stage was the same person who inspired half her songs.

Caitlyn smiled to herself, hoping her makeup and stage lights could conceal the blood rising to her face.

She took a deep breath, listening to the steady beats of the metronome in her ears, and opened her eyes to the world as the curtains rose for L4SER’S very first world tour performance.

There I was again tonight…

~~~

Vi exhaled as the music died down and the last cheers of the crowd gradually faded.

The first performance of their world tour, and it had been…

Incredible.

Every chord, every riff, every solo… Vi felt it all in her bones. Nothing had ever been so special, so exhilarating to her. Nothing had compared to the excitement thrumming steadily in her heart each time she heard the crowd whoop and cheer.

It was amazing. She’d be happy to do it every night for the rest of her life, with Powder and Ekko and Caitlyn by her side, each of them bringing a piece of the puzzle and culminating in the miracle that was L4SER.

Vi sighed, wiping sweat from her brow and watching Caitlyn walk over out of the corner of her eye.

Resisting the urge to smooth back her hair, Vi stood up straight.

God, she’s gorgeous.

Even sweaty and tired from a two-hour show, Caitlyn was stunning — at least to Vi. Just as beautiful as she was the day she’d walked into the dorm room and Vi was prepared to fall on her knees to worship the goddess that was her roommate.

But it was stupid, to have a crush on your best friend and yearn for her for six years.

Vi was a coward. She knew that as well as anyone else did. Beating up a gang of thugs? No problem. Performing in a stadium with 70, 000 pairs of eyes on her? Sure. But talking to the most beautiful woman she’d ever met and confessing that she’d been in love with her best friend for six years? Not a damn chance. 

She was too fucking gay for this. It was a surprise she had yet to drop dead from the number of times Caitlyn made sent her nervous system into overdrive just by looking at her.

She felt her heart skip a beat as those cerulean eyes met hers, shimmering a little with tears.

Vi smiled, forcing herself to form a coherent sentence. “Pretty awesome, huh?”

Caitlyn’s voice was shaky, but the smile on her face told Vi everything she needed to know. “You have no idea.”

Ekko and Powder were laughing as they walked over, the older boy trying to tap on Powder’s head with one of his drumsticks. The blue-haired girl gave him a playful shove and skipped over, nearly hyper from the adrenaline.

“That was insane,” she said, panting hard from jumping around and dodging Ekko’s sticks. “I mean… the atmosphere, the crowd… can you believe they knew every word of every song we performed?”

“It was crazy,” Ekko admitted. “I didn’t… think we’d ever make it this far.”

Caitlyn exhaled, wiping the tears from her eyes. “I know,” she said, voice raw with emotion. “I know… I didn’t… I’m sorry, I’m just…”

She laughed shakily and shook her head. “I just… love you guys so much.”

Vi chuckled, doing her best to hide the ache in her chest and bite back the words on the tip of her tongue. “Love you too, cupcake.”

It was three words. Three simple words that were a common exchange within the group. But Vi knew it never came out the way she wanted it to. It was never received the way she meant, the way she wished. I love you was a severe understatement for the words she really wanted to say to Caitlyn, in the way she really meant.

She had no doubt in her mind that Caitlyn would never see her the way she wanted. The spark between them was only visible to Vi, a secret only she carried. Caitlyn was too pure, too perfect for someone like her — someone too cowardly to even speak the truth.

And she knew that for as long as she was going to hide behind her cowardly mask, the words would always be bitter on her tongue.

No amount of song or music or world tours could change that.

Vi watched as Powder and Ekko ran backstage toward the changing room, chasing one another around, dodging the technical staff and stage managers and generally trying not to break anything. She refocused on Caitlyn, who was wiping the last of her tears from her eyes.

“Come here,” Vi said, and she pulled Caitlyn in for a hug. Caitlyn’s body melted a little against hers, nothing but a quiet sniffle between them.

Vi sighed, stroking her thumb gently across Caitlyn’s back and wishing silently she could hold Caitlyn there forever and protect her from… well, from whatever she feared. The haters. The paparazzi. The gossip magazines and rumours flying around about her dating this guy and that guy.

Caitlyn pulled back, and Vi straightened.

Powder and Ekko’s chatter faded into the background as Caitlyn’s eyes lingered on Vi, who was grinning at her with that same half-shy, half-cocky look. It was like they were speaking a language only they understood, a language the rest of the band couldn’t begin to translate.

Vi knew that the world tour was just the beginning. A new chapter. But deep inside, she wondered: could it also be the end of the unspoken feelings she’d buried for so long?

~~~

Caitlyn’s heart hammered in her chest, and she didn’t quite know if it was from the adrenaline of the performance or the lingering warmth of Vi’s embrace. It was almost too much to process — the crowds, the music, and, of course, the unspoken tension between them. It felt like something had shifted between them in the last few minutes. The connection was undeniable, yet Caitlyn couldn’t shake the fear that it was all just in her head.

She stepped back, trying to clear the fog in her mind, but those silvery eyes were still there, watching her closely. They always seemed to catch her off guard. It was like Vi could read her every thought, every hidden emotion.

“You alright?” Vi asked, her voice low, casual, but Caitlyn could hear the hint of concern beneath it.

Caitlyn nodded, though the smile she gave was shaky. “Yeah, just… it’s a lot, you know? All of this. It’s kind of overwhelming.”

Vi smirked, her usual cocky grin in place. “Tell me about it. We’ve been working our asses off for years, and now we’re here. It’s crazy.”

“It really is,” Caitlyn said, her words barely a whisper. She felt something stir inside her, but before she could process it, Powder and Ekko burst back into the scene, their usual energy shaking the atmosphere.

“Hey, don’t leave without us!” Powder yelled, grinning like a kid at a candy store. Ekko was right behind her, his eyes bright and mischievous.

Caitlyn and Vi both chuckled, the light momentarily pulling them out of their heavy thoughts. But as Powder and Ekko continued their banter, Caitlyn couldn’t help but glance at Vi, her best friend, the woman who made her heart race with every glance. 

Tonight, something had shifted. She wasn’t sure what, but somehow she’d felt Vi’s presence by her side much stronger than before, how both guitar lines melded so perfectly despite the chaos of the crowd. Perhaps it was the adrenaline making her thoughts run wild, but the words that ran through her head every day — accompanied by the image of a cheekily-grinning Vi — seemed to demand her attention much more than usual.

Caitlyn stole another glance at Vi, feeling her muscled forearms under her fingers. Just like that, her heart began to jog in her chest — not a sprint yet, but that wasn’t far off.

The effect this woman had on her was absurd. 

But could she risk it? Could she jeopardize everything for something she wasn’t even sure Vi felt?

As the chaos around them settled into a quiet hum, Caitlyn caught Vi’s eye once more. It was like everything else in the world faded for a moment.

For the first time, Caitlyn felt the weight of her feelings, pressing down on her chest. The music, the applause, the endless miles they would travel — none of it mattered. Not as much as this.

Vi had no idea how Caitlyn felt. No idea how much she longed for something more, something that was both terrifying and beautiful in its possibilities. And Caitlyn wasn’t sure she could keep hiding it much longer.

Chapter Text

Ekko laughed, the sound barely heard over the power chord Powder had just struck.

The band was hanging out in a private room at the Last Drop — a place Vander had cleared out for them to drink and jam. They kept their spare instruments and a karaoke system here — guitars, amps, basses, even a drum set for Ekko. It gave them plenty of privacy to hang out and a guarantee of no paparazzi, since Vander did a good job chasing them away.

Vi’s fingers moved over the fretboard, the guitar line barely audible over Powder’s blasting bass lines for a song Caitlyn cooked up on the way to the bar. Caitlyn’s voice was interspersed with laughter and a little slurred from the alcohol, but it didn’t matter because they weren’t onstage at the moment.

She was gonna be homesick for this place once the tour moved out of their hometown of Piltover.

But they had a few more shows, meaning another week here before she had to leave and not come back for another three months.

In the middle of the night, in my dreams…

Caitlyn stole a glance at Vi, somehow still able to focus on the lyrics on her phone despite the guitarist’s magnetic presence. It demanded attention from her each time Vi was around — which was a lot — and it was a good thing they had a lot of stage presence together, side by side. It would be hard to hide the glances she’d stolen during the show if not for the close proximity and how physically near Vi had to be for the concerts.

You should see the things we do, baby, mm…

It was a secret she’d kept for six years now, but one she wished she could let out. 

But she wasn’t risking the beautiful friendship she’d built with Vi and the band for the sake of her feelings. Besides, Powder was Vi’s sister. It would be awkward for all of them, and might even risk a falling out.

She’d made a cowardly decision six years ago — to keep her mouth shut and take what she could. She wasn’t risking losing someone she loved so much over a goddam confession. It wasn’t worth it.

In the middle of the night, in my dreams…

And Vi was way out of Caitlyn’s league. She was tall, charming, smart, talented — the whole package. Caitlyn had firsthand seen any number of hopelessly gay fans pining for Vi and drooling over her onstage aura.

Vi could pick any of them. She could have anyone she wanted.

But it was strange how Vi obviously knew that so well, yet Caitlyn had never seen her date anyone. The flirty winks when she saw a fan screaming her name and the sheer confidence she emitted was proof enough that she knew just how many people would kill to date her. And yet, she had never once gone out with anybody.

I know I’m gonna be with you, so I take my time…

Caitlyn had always brushed it off, blaming it on the fact that Vi had yet to come out, just like Caitlyn, and neither of them were really sure why. It was the same reason Caitlyn used the pronouns she didn’t mean in her songs — although that did make it easier to mask her hopeless love for Vi. Perhaps it had something to do with the newly-achieved fame that would crumble with one wrong move and bring down not only their dreams but that of Ekko and Powder too.

It was a selfish decision she wasn’t quite ready to make.

But none of that mattered as much as the fact that Vi had never looked at Caitlyn any different from the day they first met — never in the way Caitlyn wanted.

The bottom line remained: Vi was way out of her league and wasn’t interested. Not romantically.

Caitlyn exhaled steadily, clearing her throat as she stepped away from the mic for a drink. Behind her, Vi played a couple arpeggios before giving Powder a high-five and picking up her beer from the table.

“I love it, Cait,” she said when she swallowed and set down her guitar. “I don’t know how you do that.”

Caitlyn smiled. “I get good inspiration, I guess.”

Ekko laughs, pouring himself and Powder a drink and holding up his glass. “Never thought we’d make it, huh? See, guys? I told you, that day in the dorm room, that we’ll make it big one day. Here we are, on top of the fucking Billboard charts and the world!”

“To us!” Powder howled, and the whole group repeated the toast, voices echoing all around the room, enough to drown out even the karaoke music blasting from the subwoofers.

~~~

Vi leaned back against the couch, half-drunk but fully content, watching Powder strike a few basic chords on Caitlyn’s guitar while Ekko sang a bad rendition of Love Story.

She sighed and shook her head. No one could ever sing that song the way Caitlyn sang it, the way her vocals were so raw and smooth with a touch of the accent that made everything so much more polished.

She tipped the beer bottle up to her lips and heard Caitlyn laughing as she helped Powder find the G chord on the guitar.

Vi’s gaze drifted to the pair. Powder was never built for electric guitar — or any kind of guitar besides the bass. But she was good at it. Really good. The way she’d struck the opening beats to Caitlyn’s hot-off-the-press song earlier? Fantastic.

Vi loved this. The band, the people, the way each of them had their own little puzzle piece to complete the picture. Ekko was the heartbeat of the band, the steady, down-to-earth one that kept them grounded and in time with his beats. Powder was the one behind the scenes who did more than any of their fans ever realised. Her bass lines added much more depth to the song than it appeared. Vi was the chaotic one who ran wild on her solos and riffs, adding spice and life to the melodies.

And Caitlyn?

Caitlyn was the heart, mind and soul of the group. She was the frontwoman, the person people thought of first when they heard the name “L4SER”. The one who came up with the gut-wrenching bridges, the poetic lyrics, the rawest, most emotional vocals and at the same time the one who could get a stadium with over 50, 000 people jumping and dancing to the beat of the music. She was the one who brought their songs to life. The one who wrote the lyrics no one else could think of and sang with the most genuine, beautiful voice to ever grace the land.

Vi exhaled, shaking her head as another mouthful of beer was washed down her throat.

It was all so stupid, to have a crush on your best friend while also knowing just how many people would get on their knees to worship her.

Caitlyn had so many to choose from. Guys and girls alike thought she was hot — which Vi really couldn’t deny. Of course, it was bad news for the guys since Caitlyn was gay. 

Not that anyone knew.

But celebrity dating was messy. It was public. You could break up one night and by the next morning half the world has heard about it while you’re crying in your room, heartbroken and alone.

It was the reason Vi had never gone out with anyone… among other reasons.

And she assumed the same went for Caitlyn.

Besides, the both of them had a hard time with the idea of coming out to the public, especially with the newfound fame. It was all too new, too unsteady for such a big move like coming out. They weren’t sure how it would be taken by the public.

So, Vi made the second-worst, second-most cowardly decision of her life — keep her mouth shut about… well, everything.

Vi grinned as Ekko and Powder finally took a break from terrorizing the people in the room next door, and it was her turn to stand up and pick up her guitar. 

She plugged the amp into the strat and plucked a few notes before striking a chord, her fingers moving on their own as a riff she’d never played before composed itself under her fingers.

She barely heard Ekko and Powder joining in, the beats and steady thrum of the bass lines grounding her solo and anchoring it to the song. Caitlyn laughed, her left-hand fingers running over her own fretboard messily and imitating Vi’s in an attempt to keep up.

But she was built to be a singer, unlike Vi. Vi’s deft fingers were made for lead guitar riffs and solos.

She’d never admit it out loud, but Vi had written more riffs than she could count with Caitlyn in mind. Some of her best solos were born on nights like this — half-drunk, fully in love, pretending she wasn’t.

And maybe that was enough.

Being part of something this good, this right, maybe it was enough just to be close. Just to share the stage with her, write music with her, be the harmony to her melody.

Be the chaos to balance out the orderly, poised figure known as Caitlyn Kiramman.

So Vi tipped her head back, voice slurred as she laughed, fingers dancing over the neck of the guitar, and promised herself — like she always did — that she wouldn’t fuck this up.

Not for anything.

Chapter Text

The next few months flew by in a blur of neon lights, shitty coffee, inside jokes and hotel hallway races. Piltover to Zaun, then Noxus, then Demacia. Late-night rehearsals, last-minute lyric changes, Caitlyn losing her voice and Vi learning how to brew lemon tea just right. They barely had time to breathe, but the buzz of touring kept them high.

Every night, the four of them went onstage, performing their biggest hits for 70, 000 fans, keeping the audience screaming and cheering on their feet. Vi’s onstage dynamic with Caitlyn never changed — she still followed the singer up and down the stage, sang the harmony to the melodies, kept the lead on solos, riffs, intros.

They continued to blow the audience away, and in no time the tour was making headlines. One of the most profitable world tours in history. One of the biggest first world tours. The best atmosphere, best performances, best audience, best everything.

And every night, they collapsed in their hotel rooms, exhausted and yet so, so satisfied.

That was the beauty of it.

It didn’t take long before the fans started going crazy online — or, in this case, start scrutinising Vi’s performance chemistry with Caitlyn.

Vi’d been scrolling aimlessly one night in the hotel room, listening to Caitlyn strike a few harmony chords for the guitar solo to Fearless, when the reel that changed everything popped up on her feed.

It was a video of her and Caitlyn performing Love Story a few nights ago — which wouldn’t have been a big deal if not for the caption.

Under the clip of her leaning in to playfully tap Caitlyn’s nose while the singer belted out the bridge was a hashtag Vi had never seen before.

#CaitVi.

Vi felt her heart stop momentarily, blood rising to her face.

The fans were shipping her… with Caitlyn.

The same person she’d had a huge fat crush on for over half a decade and never said a word about it.

Vi stared at the screen.

#CaitVi.

She blinked, wondering if she was drunk. No. She hadn’t had anything to drink tonight — Powder stole the last beer, and Vi had been too lazy to leave the room.

But there it was, staring her dead in the face. A video of her tapping Caitlyn’s nose — playfully, innocently — with the kind of grin she usually reserved for the privacy of green rooms and late-night jam sessions. A grin that probably showed a lot more than it should have. She’d been trying to go for a platonic love-my-best-friend grin but in the video she looked… hopelessly gay.

The caption: a scream of capital letters, exclamation marks, and a damn ship tag.

Her ears started ringing.

No fucking way.

She tapped on the hashtag. Hundreds of posts flooded in. Screencaps. Concert clips. Fan edits with those fairy lights and slow-motion transitions. Tweets with all-caps captions like “YOU CANNOT TELL ME THEY’RE JUST FRIENDS” and “vi looks at caitlyn like she hung the damn moon.”

Vi’s stomach flipped. She wasn’t sure if it was panic or… something else. Terror. Excitement. Fear. Hope.

Caitlyn’s voice carried through the room, faintly singing a verse under her breath as she practiced. Beautiful, effortless, like always.

Vi bit her lip, trying to keep her face neutral so Caitlyn didn’t ask why she looked like she’d just swallowed a teaspoon of salt. Her thumb pressed against the lock button on her phone before she set it on the table, trying desperately to not jump up and scream her ass off and run in circles around the room.

Shit.

She sat there, frozen, heart pounding. Fans didn’t know, did they? There was no way. She’d been careful. Careful with her words, her looks, the way her fingers sometimes itched to brush against Caitlyn’s cheek. Careful not to stare for too long, even when Caitlyn was all she could see under those stage lights.

She scrubbed her hands over her face, groaning.

Maybe it was harmless. Fans shipped everything. This could be nothing.

But deep down — so deep it hurt — Vi felt something uncurling in her chest. Something warm and sharp and way too dangerous.

Because what if the fans weren’t seeing things?

What if they were just seeing what Vi had been trying not to show for six whole years?

“Vi?” Caitlyn asked, noticing the way her hands were scrubbing down her face. “Are you all right?”

Vi focused on her — so poised, so perfect, the navy hair cascading down her back just the right way, the tendrils framing her face highlighting those expressive blue eyes that Vi could spend all day staring into. Her heart thundered in her chest so loudly she was sure Caitlyn could hear it.

“Um…” Vi sighed, picking up her phone again and willing herself not to open it and watch the cursed reel again. “You should probably see this…”

She handed Caitlyn her phone to show her the video and the caption, and watched as the singer’s eyes widened, jaw going slack.

“The fans… um, they’re shipping us…”

~~~

Caitlyn felt a blush rising up to her cheeks as she read the captions and comments.

“Uh…”

Her heart was pounding, ears ringing as the video looped again, and again, and again. Her gaze was focused solely on the look in her eyes in the video — that slightly dazed, hazy expression, as though she were watching something magical when Vi tapped on her nose.

She looked… frankly, like an idiot.

A heartsick idiot.

Which she kind of was, so that wasn’t wrong.

Caitlyn swallowed and focused on Vi. The guitarist seemed a little shocked, perhaps a little taken aback, but nothing on her face showed she felt the same way about this as Caitlyn did.

She didn’t enjoy it.

But to Caitlyn, there was nothing wrong with the shipping. It was the truth, after all, that she was madly in love with her best friend and bandmate of six years. 

It was strange. There was a protective instinct to hide all this from the public, to make sure none of her romantic interest in Vi slipped out ever again, but also the sense that she should revel in the moment and take pride in the fact that people did see her and Vi as a compatible couple.

Caitlyn sighed, sinking into the edge of the bed as Vi locked her phone and set it down on the table.

The silence stretched between them — not uncomfortable, but full. Weighted.

Neither of them had said anything yet. Not about the video, not about the hashtag, not about the way their names were suddenly everywhere, plastered together like some dream pairing pulled straight from a fanfic.

And the truth was — neither of them were out of the closet.

Not publicly, at least. It wasn’t shame, exactly, or denial. It was just… complicated. They’d spent so long guarding the parts of themselves that didn’t fit neatly into stage personas or public interviews. They’d trained themselves to flinch at questions about their love lives, to dodge and deflect, to smile and say “just focusing on the music right now.”

But here it was — out in the open, impossible to ignore. The idea that they might have a thing for one another, the ship… it was online. Circulating. 

Caitlyn let her hands rest in her lap, fingers trembling slightly.

She wanted to be proud. She wanted to say, Yes. That look was real. That moment meant something. But fear curled low in her gut. Fear of backlash, of misinterpretation, of losing control over a truth she hadn’t even said out loud yet.

She glanced at Vi.

Would she be angry? Embarrassed? Would she brush it off, like she always did when things got a little too close, a little too raw?

Or — and this was the terrifying part — what if Vi felt the same?

What if the reason that look in Caitlyn’s eyes felt so obvious was because Vi had seen it, had felt it too — and hadn’t pulled away?

Caitlyn bit her lip, staring down at the phone screen again. The reel looped once more, and this time she saw it — not just her own expression, but Vi’s.

Soft. Surprised. Fond.

The kind of look you didn’t fake for an audience.

“You okay?” Vi asked.

Caitlyn tried for a nod. “Yeah. Fine.”

“What, uh…” She gestured at the phone. “What do we do now? About… that?”

Caitlyn felt her shoulders sag, a breath easing out of her lungs as she moves to keep her acoustic guitar away. “Dunno. Let it be, I guess.”

Vi’s eyebrows bounced up on her forehead. “You sure? This might spiral into dating rumours or something more serious, y’know.”

Another shrug. “I don’t think we can really stop them. Besides, dating rumours…”

She tried to look indifferently, to raise her eyebrows and brush it off like she didn’t care, keeping her mouth shut despite the fact that her brain was screaming at her to give Vi the answer she really meant.

I don’t mind dating rumours between us.

Instead, she smiled and said, “Happens all the time, right? It’s the entertainment industry life. Just gotta… dispel any rumours if they arise. If not… let it run.”

Vi chuckled lightly. “They’re not wrong, though. We are pretty close after all.”

Caitlyn returned the smile, tamping down the words rising in her chest. Not close in the way I want.

“Yeah,” she said. “Six years of writing songs will do that.”

Songs that are about you.

The guitarist sighed, a content smile on her face as she stood and crossed over to the bathroom. “Yeah,” she murmured, “it will.”

Chapter Text

“So, what’s it like to wrap up the first leg of your very first world tour?”

Caitlyn smiled at the talk show host, reminding herself to not say or do anything that would give her — and the band — a bad rep. In the past couple weeks, the band had wrapped up the first leg of their tour and were now, as per the schedule, on a two-month-long break from the concerts and performances.

The ships and rumours between her and Vi hadn’t dissipated as she’d (sort of) hoped it would. If anything, it had become more and more popular with each night spent onstage with Vi, performing the same songs, same solos, same riffs, same everything.

It had yet to escalate to full-blown dating rumours… but Caitlyn and Vi both got the sense that was around the corner.

She forced herself to refocus her attention as Ekko wrapped up his answer with a laugh, earning him a playful slap on the arm from Powder.

She felt Vi nudge her foot subtly, and took it as a cue to say something.

“I don’t know what to say, Jimmy,” Caitlyn said with a chuckle. “I mean… it’s just been absolutely surreal. I’ve never done anything like this, and it just… it takes so much from us, so much energy and passion and everything, but it’s so, so worth it.”

Next to her, Vi nodded, and Caitlyn tried not to focus on how her silvery eyes sparkled when she spoke and the charming grin on her lips that she knew she would see endless fan edits of later on.

“That’s right,” said the guitarist. “Watching the fans scream the lyrics to the songs we’ve poured our hearts and souls into, and, above all, doing it with my found family — I could not ask for anything more.”

“Found family?” Powder asked with a scoff, folding her arms as she threw Vi a sisterly glare. 

“You’re an exception, Pow,” Vi said with another laugh. “I didn’t have a choice but to deal with you.”

“Rude,” the younger girl sniffed disdainfully.

Jimmy laughed and leaned back in his chair, crossing one ankle over the opposite knee. “It seems like you guys have been enjoying yourselves just as much as the fans.”

“You bet,” Ekko said.

“Speaking of the fans…” Jimmy looked like he was trying his hardest not to laugh. “I’m sure you are all aware of this by now, but just for the audience — I recently came across a video online in which the caption had a hashtag that… well, it blew up.”

Caitlyn felt her smile melt off her face, and she turned to glance at Vi, who raised her eyebrows.

“I’m sure you have seen the videos and posts and the hashtag,” Jimmy said to the band. “But, just in case… here it is.”

He gestured dramatically to the screen, and Caitlyn felt the blood rise to her face.

It was the same video Vi had found a few weeks back — a clip of her and Vi onstage when Vi tapped her nose.

Suddenly, the blush on her face in the video was much more obvious than before.

“How many of you have seen this clip, or at least, this hashtag?” Jimmy asked, drawing attention to the glaring #CaitVi in the caption. Almost every hand in the audience went up, and Caitlyn blinked in disbelief.

“This hashtag has blown up, and I mean, really, really blew up. Thousands of posts, tweets, videos — you name it. And, if you haven’t guessed already, the hashtag is… a ship.”

Caitlyn’s skin bristled, feeling a hundred pairs of eyes burning into her clothes.

Vi raised an eyebrow, voice steadier than Caitlyn could have managed. “Where are you going with this, Jimmy?”

The talk show host raised his hands in surrender. “Nowhere, I swear. I just… I personally think the ship is adorable, don’t you?”

Caitlyn squeezed her eyes shut, willing the heat in her face to dissipate. 

“Look at this onstage dynamic,” Jimmy said, and the screen changed to another video — one of Caitlyn stealing a glance at Vi while performing their hit You Belong With Me.

Caitlyn swallowed. 

“You two are best friends, that’s obvious. And it’s endearing! But — and I’m sure many others will agree with me — you two would make an equally charming couple, you know that?”

The band was silent. Caitlyn bit her lip nervously before clearing her throat and finally deciding to say something.

“We’re not dating anyone,” she said finally. “None of us —” she gestured to the band “— are dating anyone. Vi and I certainly aren’t in love with one another. Yes, she’s my best friend. Yes, we work well together. But we’re not dating. I just want to… to put that out there so no rumours fly up.”

Caitlyn felt a pang of guilt in her heart, knowing damn well it wasn’t the truth. It felt like a betrayal to herself, to the truth she knew she was — had been — hiding for six goddamn years. She was denying a love she’d harboured, a crush she’d obsessed over for half a decade.

She never thought she’d do that.

It was, frankly, a lie to herself. And to her, there was nothing worse than failing to be true to herself.

She knew she loved Vi. Found Vi ridiculously hot. But she was never going to admit it out loud, especially not on a public talk show where everything she said would probably be taken at face value or manipulated into what the fans wanted to see.

But just saying it for the sake of PR appearances — it felt like the truth she’d held on to for so long was slipping away.

A truth she wanted to hold on to until she got the courage to admit her hidden love.

“Is that so?” Jimmy asked, turning to Vi for confirmation.

The guitarist’s face betrayed no humour as she stared at Jimmy, deadpan, and nodded, the unspoken warning echoing through the air.

“We’re not dating,” she said, voice low and serious. “We’re just friends.”

The confirmation from Vi was an extra arrow in Caitlyn’s heart — a public denial of any romantic interest in Caitlyn. Of course, the singer could cite PR and reputation, but still… hearing Vi say the words Caitlyn always feared — it was new. Cold. Painful.

She interlaced her fingers, hoping she was doing a good job masking her true emotions. After all, this was the curse she carried— had carried — from the day she decided to keep her love for Vi on the quiet.

~~~

Vi sighed, running her fingers through her hair as she watched the record label executives take seats around the table.

The band had been called in for one last meeting before they took off on a two-month vacation in Ionia — which chafed on Vi, for it was one more thing standing between her and her vacation.

Now, she was seated in a meeting room, watching the execs and the band’s publicist sit across from the four of them with photocopies of a familiar-looking document.

“What’s this about?” Caitlyn asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

Silco, one of the top execs at Pilot Records and the main man who’d drawn up the contracts and signed it on behalf of the record label, held up a hand for patience. “Relax, Ms Kiramman. You’ll get to your flight on time.”

Powder chuckled. “The fact that the flight’s in two days does not fill me with hope.”

“I’m going to cut to the chase,” Silco said, flipping open a file to retrieve the photocopies while his assistant opened her laptop. “I’m sure you have all seen this video, or more specifically, this hashtag.”

Vi squeezed her eyes shut. She didn’t need to watch to know what Silco was talking about.

Here we go again.

She sighed, watching the assistant withdraw the laptop and close it. With a casual shrug, Vi took a sip of her own drink. “Yeah, we’ve seen it. So what?”

“Have you read your contracts?”

Ekko raised an eyebrow, folding his arms across his chest. “I’m sorry, what? Of course we read the contracts!”

“Then I take it you are well aware of the compulsory hetrosexuality clause?”

Silence. Vi felt her heart drop to the pits of her stomach, the words ringing in her ears. 

Comphet.

The band’s worst nightmare.

Half the band was gay, only the world didn’t know. It was a well-kept secret between the four of them and family that she and Caitlyn were queer and had yet to come out, and when they had been looking for a record label, one of their main priorities was avoiding comphet.

She and Caitlyn exchanged looks as Silco pulled out the document.

“It says right here,” he said, tapping on the paper with his pen.

Vi looked up, meeting the eyes of each of her bandmates. How had none of them caught the fine print?

“It’s standard throughout the entertainment industry,” Silco said, his voice dripping with disdain and a hunger for power. “Most record labels and production companies have comphet clauses, as did we. It was right in the fine print, not added after the signature from all of you. If you didn’t take notice of it, that’s your mistake, not our manipulation.”

“So what?” Powder asked, trying to keep her voice steady. “How’s that relevant to the video?”

“I hope you understand,” Silco said, voice flat. “We’re trying to protect your image — and ours. Hetrosexuality, as you should know, has been known to stir up quite a bit of controversy that, in worst-case-scenarios, might bring down your entire career.”

“Protect us?” Vi snapped. “That’s bullshit. You’re telling me we can’t be ourselves? How the fuck is that protecting us?”

Silco shot her a withering look. “Sit down, girl.”

Vi’s brow furrowed, her fists clenching at her sides as she did her best to not punch anyone and sit her ass back down.

“The hashtag has invoked the possibility of you two dating,” Silco said, waving his pen between the singer and guitarist. “I cannot have that. Not under this clause.”

“What’s your point?” Caitlyn said, her voice steady despite her white knuckles under the table. “We’re not dating, what do you want us to do about it?”

“Dispel the rumours.” Silco leaned back in his chair, interlacing his fingers. “I’m going to brainstorm ideas, and I hope that even in your vacation, you give this some thought, too.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Vi cursed under her breath.

Vi hissed through her teeth and glanced at Caitlyn. Not that she’d been planning on ever admitting her hopeless love, but the option had always been there. Until now. Until she realised that as per the terms of her contract, she wasn’t allowed to.

Once, it was a simple “I don’t want to” situation.

Now, even if she wanted to, she couldn’t. She’d run the risk of jeopardising not only her career but that of the whole band as well.

“Not that I’m accusing any of you of anything,” Silco said, his gaze pointedly fixated on Vi, “but if you are indeed part of the LGBTQ+ community, you are strictly forbidden from coming out.”

“What?” Caitlyn snapped in disbelief, palms braced on the table. 

Silco shrugged, shutting the folder. “You heard me. Besides, Kiramman, I don’t see why you should care. It’s not as if you’re a homosexual.”

Caitlyn bit her lip, eyes flickering with uncertainty. The air in the room grew thick with tension, broken only by the scrape of Silco’s chair against the ground as he stood.

“Take these two months to think,” he said, “but think carefully. You know how the industry is — one wrong move and your kingdom will fall.”

With that, he stalked out of the room, leaving the band sitting in disbelief and reeling from the clause that they’d all failed to see the day they signed the contracts.

Chapter Text

“I can’t believe this,” Vi grumbled unhappily as she sat on the upholstered leather seat.

The other band members took their places while Caitlyn closed the door to the cockpit of the band’s private jet. Well, Caitlyn was the one who bought it, but it was generally a shared plane.

“How did none of us see that?” Ekko demanded, pulling the seatbelt over his waist.

Powder sighed as she set down her bass next to Vi and Caitlyn’s guitars. “It was fine print. Remember what he told us? He said it was ‘boilerplate legalese’ and we didn’t need to read it.”

“And none of us did?” Vi snapped.

“Well… yeah.”

Caitlyn exhaled, sitting down from across Vi and rubbing her fingers over her temples. “There’s nothing we can do, guys. We signed the contract. We can’t take it back — not legally.”

“Our whole mission was to avoid comphet at all costs — and in the end, here we are.” Ekko shook his head and leaned back as the plane began to taxi on the runway.

Vi met Caitlyn’s eyes, watching the emotion and doubt flickering in the gorgeous sapphire irises that appeared in her dreams every night. 

“I’m sorry, Cait,” she said, voice quiet, hand reaching out and fingering brushing over the back of Caitlyn’s hand. “I should have read it properly. We shouldn’t have ended up in this situation.”

“It’s not your fault,” was the brittle answer. 

No one said anything as the plane began to speed up.

“What do we do now?” Powder said finally, long after the plane reached cruising altitude.

Caitlyn sighed, staring out of the window and watching the white, fluffy clouds. “Silco said to dispel the rumours, right?”

“The most efficient way to do that is a PR relationship, but I know how you feel about that,” Ekko muttered.

Caitlyn’s eyes darkened. “It’s fucking disrespectful. No one should be forced into a false love for the sake of reputation.”

Vi laughed without humour. “Tell that to Silco.”

Caitlyn leaned back, sighing again. “This is ridiculous. I mean, sure, we’re gay, but we’re not even fucking dating anyone. I don’t see a need to do anything. People get shipped all the fucking time!”

The throb in Vi’s chest served as a reminder of how Caitlyn was way out of her league — a love she’d never be able to enjoy.

But it didn’t matter now. Even if she wanted to confess, she couldn’t. It would mean coming out, which, as Silco had so explicitly stated, was strictly forbidden.

Protection. The idea made Vi want to laugh — if not for the fact that said protection was a synonym for “you will be what we want you to be, not what you really are.”

So, despite the fact that she was gay as shit and stupidly in love with her best friend of six years, she had to live life like a hetrosexual and probably fake interest in guys just for the sake of public image.

It was torture.

“I should have seen this coming,” she snarled. “I knew the terms were too good to be true. Now look at us — trapped in a fucking closet we didn’t even ask for.”

“Lotta swearing going on here,” Powder muttered.

“Sorry,” Vi said. “Just… It's ridiculous. All of it is. What kind of…”

“Forget it,” Ekko said, raising his hands for quiet. “Let’s just… we’re on a two-month vacation, guys. Let’s just leave all this —” he drew an air circle “— behind for now. We’ll get back to it when we get back to it.”

~~~

Caitlyn groaned, tossing her phone onto the table with a little more force than necessary.

From across the room, Ekko looked up from the movie, pizza halfway to his mouth. “Something wrong?”

“Nothing important,” she muttered. “Just… stuck on a song.”

Vi raised an eyebrow, stretching her arms behind her head. “We’re supposed to be on vacation, y’know.”

“I know,” Caitlyn said, dragging a hand through her hair. “But I had inspiration, and it’s been clawing at my brain all day.”

Powder leaned over from the couch, peering at her phone. “What’s it about?”

Caitlyn hesitated, then sighed. “Silco. Or, well — Pilot. The whole mess.”

Vi’s expression shifted — amusement melting into something more thoughtful. “That… actually sounds like something worth writing.”

Caitlyn shrugged. “I’ve got a few lines down, but the melody’s all over the place.”

“Play it,” Vi said, sitting up straighter. “I wanna hear.”

“You want me to sing it?”

Ekko grinned. “We’re not mind readers, Cait. Go on.”

Caitlyn exhaled, reaching for her guitar. Her fingers found the chords almost automatically, muscle memory taking over. She adjusted the strap, eyes flicking briefly to Vi — then back to her frets.

“It’s… rough,” she warned, more to herself than anyone else before taking a deep breath.

It was so nice throwing big parties…

Vi picked up her electric guitar, plugging it into the amp and playing a riff to accompany the chords. She caught Caitlyn’s eye, and the small, genuine smile playing across the singer’s lips made Vi’s heart do a happy little dance in her ribcage.

I’m shaking my head

I’m locking the gates

There, Caitlyn stopped and sighed. “That’s… about as far as I’ve gotten.”

A smile pulled at Vi’s lips. “I like it. It’s a nice little dig at the record label.”

“Yeah,” Powder said, plucking a bassline. “I think… a vocal riff somewhere in the chorus would do really well.”

“And a beat drop,” Ekko added, drumsticks dancing across the drum set they kept in the Ionian vacation home.

“Try, um…” Vi frowned, scratching her head. “Well, it sounds childish, but…”

She played a quick melody on her guitar before singing the next line with the same melody.

This is why we can’t have nice… things…

Caitlyn smiled, strumming another chord and repeating the line.

Dar-ling…

Because you break them, I have to take them away

“Pause,” Vi said, pressing her palm against the strings to stop the music. “Right there. Try a vocal riff on the ‘away’.”

Caitlyn frowned. “Like how?”

Vi played a quick set of alternating notes on her guitar and raised her eyebrow at Caitlyn, who gave the melody a little hum before singing the actual riff.

“There we go,” Powder said with a smile. 

Vi couldn’t tamp down the stupidly happy grin tugging at her lips. God, Caitlyn. No one can sing like you do.

“Love it,” Ekko called. “If I could get that beat drop right at the chorus… would you guys prefer a build-up or just a straight drop?”

Vi barely heard Caitlyn’s answer, instead watching as Caitlyn set her guitar down gently, the final chord still echoing faintly in the quiet that followed. Vi didn’t move, didn’t speak — just watched her from across the couch, caught somewhere between admiration and agony.

She shouldn’t be looking at Caitlyn like this.

Not when the world was watching.

Not when their careers — their lives — were tethered to a silence neither of them asked for.

But, damnit, the way Caitlyn smiled when she sang — like music came from the deepest part of her and was too full of light to stay hidden — it made something inside Vi ache. That smile, that laugh, those gorgeous blue eyes that couldn’t be hers.

She dragged her gaze away, heart pounding in time with a beat that didn’t exist yet.

But Vi stayed quiet.

Her secret was burning holes in her ribs — and sitting this close to Caitlyn, feeling the ease of friendship between them, pretending she didn’t want so much more than this…

It was getting harder to lie to herself.

Even she couldn’t deny that anymore.

~~~

Caitlyn sighed, leaning back against the pillows, listening to Vi turn off the tap in the bathroom.

She hadn’t had much time alone since the meeting just that morning, and now that she finally had some peace and quiet, she could start plotting all the creative ways to get back at the dirty rat.

She knew it was only a matter of time before dating rumours sprung up, but it was still a blow to the stomach. Somehow, no matter how much prep she’d done, how much PR training she’d gone through with the band’s publicist… it was all useless now.

And the fact that she was madly head-over-heels for Vi just… made everything worse.

The door to the bathroom creaked open, and Caitlyn opened her eyes.

Vi raised her eyebrows, one hand holding up her phone, the other running the towel through her hair.

Trying not to pay attention to how her bicep flexed with the motion, Caitlyn swallowed. “Hey.”

“Shower’s all yours,” Vi said.

“Thank you,” Caitlyn said, exhaling.

The silence was thick, until Vi clicked off her phone and said, “You okay?”

Caitlyn blinked, realising she’d been staring. “Y-yeah. Fine.”

“You sure?”

Caitlyn tried for a smile, tamping down the heat rising to her cheeks and her racing heart. “Yeah. All good.”

She walked toward the bathroom door and took a second to set her hand on Vi’s forearm, squeezing the muscle there and flashing a smile before closing the door behind her.

Caitlyn swallowed, looking at her rapidly reddening face in the mirror.

God, I’m so in love its stupid.

But whatever it was, it didn’t matter anymore. Even if she wanted to confess to Vi, even if she wanted to date Vi… she couldn’t. There was just too much at stake she wasn’t ready to jeopardise.

Caitlyn sighed, running her fingers through her hair and taking a deep breath.

Mentally shoving the thought aside, Caitlyn forced herself to focus on more pressing issues than a six year-long secret, probably unrequited love.

Things like the four massive music careers currently hanging in the balance due to fine fucking print.

But there was nothing she could do about it now. The best thing to do was… well, just enjoy her vacation while she could, and get back to the whole comphet thing once they were back on tour.

~~~

Vi leaned back against the pillows, trying to force herself to think about anything but Silco’s words from that morning.

She scrubbed her hands down her face, trying to think.

Fine print.

Of all things to be fucked over by, it was fine print.

In truth, Vi had always suspected the whole deal was too good to be true. With the other clauses written in their contracts, Pilot Records had seemed… perfect. And yet, it had never sat well with her.

But of course, they allowed the comphet to slip past them and pretty much poison their careers.

Coming to terms with herself hadn’t been easy, but once it did, Vi always thought she’d be given the freedom to come out whenever she wanted to. Evidently, six years in the industry had taught her little to nothing about sneaky record labels and their thirst for control. Which might explain how they’d ended up in this situation.

Now, even if she wanted to, she couldn’t come out.

Or confess to the person she loved more than anything else in the world.

Listening to Caitlyn turn on the shower, Vi was reminded of the first time she’d heard Caitlyn sing. That soft, beautiful voice that flowed over her like warm honey, and the emotionally devastating yet poetically beautiful lyrics she wrote… she was unstoppable. The most gorgeous woman she’d ever met, with an amazing voice and the unmatched ability to trap hearts in her grasp and bring tears to even the coldest audiences — Caitlyn Kiramman was the whole damn package.

Plus, Vi had always been a sucker for blue eyes, and Caitlyn had the deepest, most expressive sapphire irises she’d ever seen.

If only Vi could have her.

Vi sighed, pressing her fingertips into her eyes, reminding herself to not do anything stupid while they were on vacation.

In other words, play it safe.

Even if, right now, “safe” meant keeping her mouth shut and pretended she was interested in guys when really, the only person she wanted to date was her best friend and bandmate of six years.

A girl.

Which Silco had made explicitly clear was forbidden.

“Fuck you, Silco.” 

Chapter Text

Caitlyn mumbled to herself, trying to hum a quick melody when the rest of the band was out buying drinks.

It was several weeks later — around the halfway mark of their stay in Ionia, and the first snow had fallen that evening, so Vi and Powder had gone out to buy food and drinks to celebrate while Ekko was in the kitchen trying to find drink recipes.

Caitlyn wasn’t looking forward to trying his drinks — he had a strange obsession with adding beer to everything — but she did want to spend more time with her found family.

She smiled stupidly to herself and pulled her legs up onto the bed, balancing the guitar against her body while her notebook teetered dangerously on her knee. Her pen hovered over the paper, trying to get the lyrics coming.

The problem, however, wasn’t that the lyrics weren’t coming.

It’s that they were. Too hard, too fast, too much.

She glanced down at the book, trying not to blush as she imagined herself singing this — privately — to Vi.

The house was quiet — too quiet. The kind of silence she hadn’t had in a long time — the same silence that led her every thought to her and yet also birthed her best songs.

Which were, of course, about Vi. They always had been.

Caitlyn tried to suppress a giggle as she thought about the very first song she’d written about Vi, or rather, for Vi.

The first time she’d played the song for the band, everyone had nudged her, poked her in the ribs, teased her about having a crush and then proceeded to ship her with just about everyone on campus.

Only, they missed the obvious answer, which had chafed on Caitlyn before, but now she appreciated it. Vi had been sitting right there, not two metres away from her on the floor as she sang, and everyone was trying to guess who her secret crush was, not knowing that said crush was seated in the room with them.

She was so head over heels, it felt like some highschool crush — impractical, immature, impossible to shake.

Everything just got worse after their very first performance. Initially, Caitlyn didn’t see many heads turn to Vi on campus — perhaps because Vi always had her headphones on and walked around like she was on her way to kill someone and dump the body in the river. Onstage, however, everyone could see the difference. The pure charm and energy the guitarist radiated was so… magnetic. It was impossible to not notice her.

Caitlyn, however, noticed a lot more than Vi. She had seen the way the fans screamed and cried when she winked at them, seen the number of fan edits circulating online, seen so many people talk about just how “cute” or “hot” Vi the guitarist was.

It made her want to stuff Vi in a closet and keep her there for her own ogling.

And she hated how much she meant it.

Caitlyn shook her head, coming back to the present. 

Over time, she’d gotten used to the fact that Vi would always effortlessly make people swoon just by walking through a crowd, and that was something that Caitlyn had to accept.

Unless, of course, she decided to reveal a very well-kept secret she’d been determined to hide.

Caitlyn swallowed hard, taking a sip of water and trying to clear her thoughts.

But the quiet pressed against her like static — soft, but impossible to ignore.

And in the quiet, all she could think about was her.

Vi, laughing in the studio when she forgot the chords and made up an entirely new and improvised solo on the spot. Vi, lounging on the couch with her guitar and mouthing chords to Caitlyn across the room. Vi, drinking and laughing with the band and then settling down and looking at Caitlyn from across the room, smile soft.

The same damn smile that showed up in her dreams every night, making her feel seen, feel like everything would be sunshine and rainbows, even on her worst days.

God, she was so tired of pretending it didn’t matter.

She’d spent years playing the role — good daughter, perfect band member, straight for the cameras. She knew how to hold her tongue. She knew how to keep secrets.

But lately, it was like her body didn’t want to lie anymore. Her songs had started giving her away. She’d been writing Vi into every chorus without realising it. Every love song had her voice, her eyes, her goddamn smirk tangled in the melody.

Maybe that was the breaking point. Or maybe it was the way Vi looked at her when they played together onstage — like the world narrowed to just the two of them and nothing else mattered.

Caitlyn exhaled slowly, pressing the pen to the page again, tracing invisible lyrics.

Maybe I’m tired of fear being the only thing keeping us safe.

Because the truth was, it wasn’t safe. Not really. Pretending was its own kind of slow death. Every time she swallowed her feelings, every time she smiled at a question about boys or let PR plan another fake dating rumour, something inside her cracked.

And maybe confessing would kill their careers. Maybe it would ruin everything.

But what if it didn’t?

What if Vi felt the same?

What if she didn’t say anything — and regretted it for the rest of her life?

Caitlyn closed her eyes.

I’m going to tell her.

Not tonight. Not now. But before the vacation ended. Before she lost her nerve again.

Even if it broke her heart.

Even if it cost her everything.

Because Vi was worth the risk.

~~~

“Cheers!”

Beer bottles clinked, sending a spray of refracted sunlight spilling across the picnic mat.

Vi laughed before taking a nice, deep drink and turning to watch the water of the lake shimmer in the sun. It was another couple weeks before they had to go back on tour, and the band was out enjoying the winter air near the lake.

She took a second to hand out the sandwiches they’d brought down to the picnic, smacking away Powder’s hand when the younger girl reached for a second sandwich.

“Finish your first,” Vi chided, nodding toward the bacon and cheese sandwich Powder was holding. Powder pouted, but complied.

For a moment, the four of them sat there in silence, admiring the view of the lake and the vacation home on the opposite side of the lake.

“Silco say anything yet?” Ekko asked after a beat.

Caitlyn shook her head. “He didn’t say anything to me. Who knows what he’s cooking this time, though… whatever it is, it’s not going to be good.”

Vi nodded, swallowing a bite. “I don’t expect anything good to come out of this whole… comphet and fine print situation, to be honest. It may be time to break off from them and find another label.”

Powder frowned, taking a sip of her beer. “Where are you gonna find another? Besides, we started the contract less than a year ago — there’s no way they’re letting us go.”

Shrugging, Vi balled up her empty wrapper and set it aside. “Still think my idea is good.”

“It’s not,” everyone else said in unison. Vi gasped, placing her hand on her chest dramatically. “I thought my band members might be more supportive!”

“Get over yourself,” Caitlyn grumbled, but she couldn’t hide her smile as Vi moved to poke her in the ribs.

The singer giggled and shuffled out of the way, throwing her own empty wrapper at Vi. Vi swatted it aside, making a sound of protest as Caitlyn searched for something else to throw.

Vi took a deep drink of beer, trying to ignore the way Caitlyn’s smile made her heart jump around her ribcage.

God, she’s fucking gorgeous.

The guitarist exhaled steadily, setting down her now-empty bottle and trying to push the image of Caitlyn’s sparkling blue eyes out of her head.

“I, um…” Caitlyn started, making a face. “I’ve written a couple of songs over these past couple of months, actually. I was hoping we could play it as a surprise song once we get back on tour…”

Her voice tapered off, and Vi said, “But…?”

“But…” Caitlyn sighed, tapping her bottle on her forehead. “I’m pretty sure it might backfire on us.”

“Why?” Ekko asked. “Because they’re about Pilot?”

“Among other things… yes.” Caitlyn swallowed hard and crossed her legs, her slender fingers playing with each other as she spoke. “It’s about… all this. Comphet, Silco, the stifling contract, and… about…”

Her eyes drifted to Vi, and it took Vi a moment to catch her drift. “…Ah.”

“Coming out,” Powder said, voice small.

Caitlyn’s mouth opened, then closed, like she wanted to say something then catching it back at the last minute. She nodded, but the movement was slow, rigid, and Vi knew that wasn’t exactly what she was talking about. Nevertheless, she let her speak.

“Yeah,” Caitlyn said. “Look… I get that your careers are important to you, and… I don’t want to jeopardise them for my own good. If I do… this, either we get what we want or we can all kiss our music careers goodbye.”

Silence. Everyone exchanged looks, and Vi shook her head vehemently.

“Listen to me, Cait,” she said. “We’re a band. Whatever happens to you, happens to all of us. If you think this is the right decision, then go for it. We’ll stand behind you no matter what choice you make.”

“But —”

“No buts,” Ekko cut in, waggling a finger in Caitlyn’s face. “Listen to Vi. We’re a family, Caitlyn. We sink or swim together.”

“They’re right,” Powder said with a reassuring smile. “I’m willing to risk it all for you, and I’m sure they all agree.”

Nods and various forms of affirmation from Vi and Ekko, and Caitlyn sighed.

“I… I don’t know, it’s just… so risky…”

More silence as everyone waited for her to gather her thoughts, but eventually she just looked up and shook her head.

“We have time,” Vi said, “to decide what we wanna do. We’ll let you make this decision, Caitlyn, but… just remember that no matter what you choose, you’re not alone. We stand with you, okay? Always.”

~~~

Caitlyn hummed quietly to herself, scrolling through the photos they’d taken that afternoon down at the lake. She was standing on the balcony of the room she shared with Vi, enjoying the cool air and taking a private moment to obsess over Vi’s physique and charm in private.

Vi’s grin was generally her main focus — that charismatic smirk that set all her nerves on fire and made her want to pull Vi away from the rest of the world and pour out a heartfelt confession. It was six damn years of pent-up frustration, pining, and wanting that she would finally be able to release.

She swallowed hard, feeling the sting of the cold winter night air against her rapidly warming cheeks, and was suddenly reminded of the promise she’d made to herself just two weeks ago.

A promise to confess, to get the weight off her chest, before she suffocated and died under the pressure of unspoken feelings.

Suddenly, her thoughts flicked back to that afternoon. Powder’s voice echoed in her head. 

Coming out.

Yes, that was part of the songs she’d written. It wasn’t a lie when she nodded and told the band that it was a concern of hers. Except… it wasn’t the whole truth.

She thought she’d been too obvious when she glanced at Vi, but everyone had interpreted it wrongly. Or rather, Powder had read it wrong and all the other bandmates just went along with it.

The whole concept of coming out hadn’t even been on her mind until Powder brought it up. Rather, her songs were centred around Vi, and she feared it would be too obvious that she was crushing hard on someone.

Someone that she wasn’t supposed to love. Not like this.

Caitlyn closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

She’d thought that brief glance had given her away, but Powder — sweet, oblivious Powder — had inadvertently handed her a lifeline.

Lyrics echoed in her head — lyrics that she’d written a few days ago, that were scrawled onto her notebook, that were recorded on her phone.

Lyrics that she wasn’t sure anyone else would ever hear.

She turned back inward to face the room, watching Vi practice a riff she couldn’t hear — yet she could somehow feel it.

Chuckling to herself, Caitlyn took a second to admire the tattoos running down her forearms and the ease with which Vi handled the guitar. Caitlyn herself wasn’t a fan of jumping around too much with an electric guitar, though the concerts sometimes demanded it so she could move together with Vi. Vi, on the other hand, made it seem like the easiest thing in the world, and it was that smoothness of movement coupled with effortless charm that sent fans across the globe swooning for her.

Caitlyn swallowed hard, trying to push aside the thoughts in her head.

Tonight?

She shook her head violently. No, I’m not ready.

Then she sighed, turning away and pressing her thumb between her eyebrows. She didn’t feel ready, but she also knew she would never actually feel ready. This wasn’t something anyone ever felt ready for.

Her heart started to pick up pace in her chest, pulse thrumming in her ribs.

Was tonight the night?

The night she let six years of feelings and frustrations and pining and love spill out — unfiltered, unguarded, unstoppable?

The night that she looked Vi in the eye and finally said the words that had haunted her for six years?

Chapter Text

Vi exhaled softly, watching her breath condense in the cold air.

Caitlyn’s footsteps were in sync alongside hers, boots crunching in the thin layer of snow.

When Caitlyn had asked to go for a walk, this was nothing like Vi had imagined. She’d imagined more fun and laughter, not this… brooding, almost sad vibe.

Caitlyn was too quiet. Something was wrong.

“You okay, Caitlyn?” Vi asked, and she knew she’d gotten Caitlyn’s attention by using her full name.

The singer’s head snapped up. “What? Yeah, all good.”

Vi’s brow furrowed. “Why’d you ask me to go on a walk?”

Caitlyn shrugged, but the movement was stiff — much like her nod that afternoon that Vi had spent way too much time and energy analysing and replaying in her head. “Just… wanted to talk.”

“Really?” Caitlyn hummed in agreement. “But you haven’t said anything.”

Caitlyn sighed softly, then stopped walking. Vi turned.

The singer’s head was bowed, her gaze focused on the floor, hands shoved in her pockets like she was nervous or upset.

“Cait…?” Vi said cautiously, her heart starting to pick up pace.

The silence hung in the air for far too long. Vi started to get fidgety, transferring her weight from foot to foot as she waited for Caitlyn to say something.

“I… I need to tell you something,” Caitlyn said at last, her voice barely a whisper.

Vi took a step closer, doing her best to offer support. “What’s going on, Cait? You okay?”

A stiff nod, but no other movement from her. Caitlyn was tense — more tense than Vi had ever seen her, like whatever was about to come out of her mouth made her more nervous than performing in front of a stadium of 70,000 people.

“I’m…” Caitlyn stopped again, the words seeming to clog in her throat. Her mouth remained open, and she made several false starts before her voice made a reappearance.

“I… don’t really know how to say this…”

Vi shuffled a bit closer, resisting the urge to take Caitlyn’s hand. Instead, she forced herself to say, “Just spit it out, Cait. I promise I won’t judge. What’s… going on?”

Another beat of silence.

“I’ve… been trying to hide it… but it’s just become so unbearable and I don’t think I can take it anymore…” Caitlyn stopped, her voice cracking for a second. Vi caught a hint of a sniffle, and her heart lurched.

“Yeah?” she asked softly, trying to be gentle. Caitlyn looked like a scared animal, her voice fragile and cracked, like a glass bridge that would collapse with one tiny misstep. A misstep Vi was determined not to make.

And then, Caitlyn spoke her next words, and all time froze between them.

“I’m…” She took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut.

“I’m in love with you, Vi.”

~~~

Caitlyn felt the air grow tense and time stop as the words spilled out of her mouth.

She opened her eyes, chest heaving when she released breath she didn’t even realise she’d been holding.

She could see Vi’s shoes at the edge of her vision, but she didn’t feel any movement or hear any reaction from the guitarist. Caitlyn shut her eyes again, trying not to cry.

That’s it. I fucked up.

Holding back tears, she forced herself to lift her head and meet the pure, condensed shock written all over Vi’s face. The guitarist was staring at her, wide-eyed, not a single sound spilling from her mouth.

“You…” 

She could barely hear Vi as she struggled for words.

“You’re in love with me?” she asked.

Caitlyn nodded slowly and took a step back from Vi. “I… I’m sorry…”

She lowered her gaze again, unable to look Vi in the eye.

Her best friend of six years whom she’d been crushing on for years… and she’d finally confessed. Only, now she was considering if it was even a rational decision in the first place. She knew this would happen — Vi was just way out of her league. How could someone so charming and effortlessly attractive want someone like Caitlyn? 

Now, she’d gone and ruined whatever friendship she’d had left. She’d built this with Vi over the past half a decade — it wasn’t what she wanted but it was what she got. She could have settled with this happily… but she chose to get greedy.

And now, she would pay the price.

She felt the heat of her cheeks sting in the suddenly violently cold air, and blinked back tears.

“Sorry for what?” Vi’s voice broke through her thoughts. 

Caitlyn’s head flicked up. “For… for ruining all this. Our… relationship. The band. Everything.”

“Caitlyn, you didn’t ruin anything.”

“I did!” Caitlyn said, her voice finally cracking. Tears began tracking down her cheeks and her words spilled out of her mouth in an uncontrollable ramble. “I… I’ve been stupidly in love with you from the very first day we met, but I was just so scared you didn’t want me since you’re so out of my league, and you can have whoever you want so why would you choose me? And now we’re friends and we’ve been so close for so long and I didn’t want to ruin whatever the fuck I got, I didn’t wanna ruin any of this but I was greedy and now it’s all gone… and I… I made a mistake and destroyed everything and —”

“I’m in love with you too.”

Caitlyn froze, her word vomit suddenly halted by Vi’s voice and the six simple words she spoke. Her head flitted up to meet Vi’s gaze, and the certainty she recognised instantly in those pale irises told her everything she needed to know.

That simple yet firm and grounding look dissolved any panic left in her. Time seemed to stop, suspending them in the moment.

Vi smiled — a warm, lopsided smile that had, somewhere along the way, become Caitlyn’s home.

“What did you say?” Caitlyn whispered, voice brittle, hoping fervently she hadn’t gone deaf or started hearing things.

“I… I love you too, Caitlyn.”

Vi took a step forward, and Caitlyn felt no instinct to inch back. Her breath shook out of her in small, low exhales, her pounding heart starting to sprint in her chest.

“I’ve loved you from the day we met, Cait. When I saw you in the dorm room, so gorgeous and smart and perfect… and I fell head-over-heels instantly. I never thought you wanted me — there were so many other better people you could have chosen — but I wanted you anyway. I always did.”

She took another step forward, now eye-to-eye with Caitlyn, so close that Caitlyn could feel her breath coast over her own lips.

“I… fell in love with you again and again, every time we performed together, or wrote a song together, or did anything together. Every time you smiled. Laughed. Made me feel seen and heard and wanted and loved. You never stopped being the person I want, Caitlyn.”

Vi cupped Caitlyn’s jaw in her hands, and Caitlyn didn’t move away, instead feeling the cold fingertips on the edge of her beanie.

She lowered her own head until her forehead was resting against Vi’s, her fingers gripping the front of Vi’s jacket, and then she spoke, her voice low.

“Tell me… tell me this is real.”

“It’s real,” Vi said softly. “I want you, Caitlyn, and I want you to want me. As it’s been for the last six years.”

Caitlyn’s breath trembled, her lower lip quivering. “Vi…”

It was a beat before she spoke again, her voice a little shaky, throat clogged with emotion.

“Every song… I wrote… every single love song we’ve performed and written and sang and produced… it was… all about you. For you, to you, about you.”

Caitlyn heard Vi sniffle, and she opened her eyes tentatively.

She met Vi’s gaze, and the guitarist gave her a watery smile. Caitlyn felt a hand moving to the back of her neck, and Vi tugged her a little closer, tilting her head to the side and silently asking for permission.

“I love you, Caitlyn,” she whispered.

Caitlyn swallowed hard, feeling like she was standing on the edge of a canyon.

And she wasn’t afraid to fall.

~~~

Caitlyn tugged at Vi’s jacket, and suddenly her lips were against Caitlyn’s in a soft, gentle kiss that felt like home — just what she’d been wanting to do for the past six long, grueling, painful years.

It was the only kiss they’d wanted for the past half a decade.

Vi held her there, anchoring her in place, and felt Caitlyn’s hand move to cup her jaw, her fingertips grazing the edge of her hair.

Vi inhaled deeply, ignoring the sharp sting of cold air in her nostrils, and sighed a little, feeling Caitlyn melt into her arms.

She never wanted to leave. Never wanted Caitlyn to leave.

Then they broke apart, panting heavily, cheeks flushed — but it wasn’t because of the cold.

Caitlyn’s breath trembled, her eyes so soft and vulnerable that it made Vi’s chest ache.

And Vi kissed her again, holding her tight against her body and never wanting to let go.

Chapter Text

Vi sighed, leaning a little more into Caitlyn’s embrace and trying to ignore Ekko’s pointed look from across the room.

The band’s two-month vacation had ended, and they were now in the private jet to Piltover to meet with Silco and the other executives of Pilot Records before the Grammys and the start of the second leg of their tour.

Caitlyn and Vi had revealed their newfound relationship just hours before the plane took off, much to the astonishment of Powder and Ekko. Still, the pair gave their fullest support — a gesture that warmed Vi’s heart immensely.

Now, she was nestled comfortable in Caitlyn’s lap, scrolling on her phone while the singer’s fingers carded gently through her hair. Ekko and Powder were at the other end of the room grabbing snacks. They’d been there for ten minutes, which probably meant that… they were gossiping.

But Vi didn’t care. It wasn’t as though they’d met Caitlyn for the first time today. And Vi’d gotten the chance to re-introduce Caitlyn to Vander and all her other siblings as what the singer had always meant to her, not some far-off fever dream she never thought she could net.

She sighed, melting a little into Caitlyn’s lap as blunt fingernails ran over her scalp.

“Silco’s not gonna be happy about this,” Vi mumbled sleepily.

“No, he’s not,” Caitlyn agreed. She flashed Vi a smile that made her heart melt. “But who cares? I’m happy, you’re happy, and he’s not one of us.”

Vi sighed and folded her arms, closing her eyes in bliss as fingers ran through her pink hair. “Mm-hm.”

Caitlyn chuckled lightly. “Someone’s sleepy.”

“Not my fault I didn’t get any sleep last night,” Vi snapped back pointedly, which made Caitlyn laugh again.

Vi caught Powder gagging and heard her younger sister mutter, “Get a room.”

She rolled her eyes and turned away, sniffing disdainfully. “Whatever.”

~~~

That evening, the band met Silco and the other executives at a restaurant in downtown Piltover.

Caitlyn could feel Vi’s hand intertwined with hers under the table, which made her very nervous, considering Pilot Records’ very obvious opinions on homosexuality. She gave Vi’s hand a quick squeeze and then let go when Silco walked in, much to the guitarist’s disdain.

The evening started off with the usual formalities — a few questions about how their stay in Ionia went, any plans for a new album, that sort of thing. It was going fine, until the conversation pivoted to the issue that arose before the band went on break.

“— comphet,” Silco was saying, fingers steepled under his chin. “Even though the four of you haven’t made a public appearance in a while, the rumours between these two haven’t died down. It’s time to take action — and I don’t mean passive action like ‘waiting it out’.”

Caitlyn clenched her jaw, resisting the urge to say, it’s not just a rumour anymore.

There was silence, and Silco raised one eyebrow. “No suggestions?”

The band developed sudden interests in the ceilings, the pillars, the tablecloth and various other objects around the room — anywhere but Silco and the demanding, impatient executives seated on his left and right.

Silco sighed. “That’s okay. I have… a few ideas.”

Caitlyn bit her lip, choosing not to say anything.

“As you all know, the Grammys are next week, and 1989 has been nominated for Album of the Year, which demands your attendance, of course.” Silco leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. “I believe that a public appearance at an award show would be an excellent opportunity to dispel the remaining rumours.”

Ekko frowned, and the other band members' expressions mirrored his. Caitlyn’s tone was cold as an inkling of Silco’s idea began to seep into the back of her mind. “What are you saying?” she asked.

“I think it’s very obvious what I’m saying,” Silco said with a casual shrug. “Jayce Talis’s publicist and manager have been very kind to agree to this, meaning your cooperation is the last piece of the puzzle we need.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Vi snapped.

Silco shot her a glare. “It doesn’t concern you. I suggest you stay out of this.”

“Okay, what is going on?” Caitlyn demanded, pressing her palms onto the table.

“A PR stunt. A fake relationship, if you will. With Jayce Talis.”

“What?” 

Silco shrugged again. “It’s the only way to dispel the rumours effectively. Appear with him on the red carpet of the Grammys, make a few public appearances, a few kisses and hugs and touches, and then, once the rumours —”

“No!” Caitlyn said firmly.

Deathly silence folded over the room before Silco’s low and venomous voice said, “It’s not a choice.”

“I’m not doing this,” Caitlyn snarled. “It’s totally disrespectful toward me and Jayce, and you are completely disregarding the possible consequences of this! I’m not going to date him, real or not.”

Silco raised an eyebrow coldly. “You know, Kiramman… I’m starting to have my own suspicions about your sexuality. You signed a contract, and it’s not my fault you failed to read the fine print. Now, you will have to fix this by your own hand.”

Caitlyn’s brow furrowed. “I’m not doing it.”

Vi finally stepped in, her glare nearly enough to shut Silco up. “You heard her. She’s not doing shit for your homophobia or whatever the fuck this is. We’re not your fucking toys or puppets or whatever, Silco. If she doesn’t wanna do it, then she won't do it.”

Silco snarled quietly. “Sit down. The both of you.”

When they refused to comply, he held up their contracts — the real ones, not photocopies. “You know how powerful Pilot Records is. We practically control the media and the world’s perception of our artists. If you do this… all four of your careers will be destroyed. I vow it.”

“You can’t threaten our careers!” Powder protested.

Silco shot her a glare. “But I can. If I wanted to, I could have all four of you framed for speeding, drunk driving and many other crimes.”

His gaze turned back to Caitlyn and Vi. “You might want to reconsider your decision and your attitude toward the man who holds your career in his fist.”

Silco leaned in, his sharp, piercing gaze meeting Caitlyn’s. “I have power. I have control. And I could bring down your kingdom with a wave of my hand.”

Then he stepped back, and his execs began to gather up the documents and stand to leave.

“Tell me, Kiramman.

“What do you have?”

~~~

Vi sighed, watching Caitlyn adjust her blazer and slip on the last of her jewelry.

After some consideration, the eventual consensus was that faking a relationship with Jayce Talis was ultimately the band’s best move to preserve their careers in the short-term. It had resulted in a busy week of fittings, tailoring, meeting Jayce and his team several times and pretty much just a bunch of courses on “how to pretend you’re dating”.

Now, watching Caitlyn prepare to appear on the red carpet with someone who wasn’t her, Vi was… hurt.

Not that she could blame Caitlyn — this was all Silco’s idea — but it still hurt that she had the most amazing girlfriend in the world and couldn’t brag out loud.

“You know I would have gone with you if I could,” Caitlyn said softly, turning around to face Vi.

Vi’s mind was split in two — one trying to focus on the conversation and the other trying desperately to process how amazing Caitlyn looked.

For the biggest music award show of the year, Caitlyn had outdone herself. She was dressed in a floor-length sleek navy satin dress, accompanied with a dark blue, almost-black blazer draped over her shoulders, secured in place by a thin silver chain. The light dusting of makeup she applied — which Vi didn’t think she needed but she insisted on — highlighted her eyes, as did the soft tendrils of blue hair framing her face.

“I know,” Vi said. “It’s not your fault.”

Caitlyn sighed and took her hand, bringing it up to her lips and giving the scarred knuckles a kiss. “I promise I’ll still be me when we’re back here tonight, okay?”

Vi smiled, but it felt brittle to her. “I know, Cait. Just… have fun, okay?”

“How can I?” Caitlyn said with a heavy exhale. “I’m… pretending to date a man I met last week, and I can’t be with you.”

“We’re all at the same table.”

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

Vi chuckled. “I know.” She stood, letting Caitlyn adjust the lapels of her coat and then turn her toward the mirror to admire her own outfit.

Vi was dressed in a coarse white button-up, the top two buttons left open to reveal her collarbone and give her the rugged look she knew fitted her best. Her sleeves were rolled up just enough to reveal her tattoos, and she was dressed in tailored but worn black slacks with matching black shoes. The navy coat hung over her shoulders had silver accents, held in place with a chain like Caitlyn’s, except gold instead of silver. 

“You look… amazing,” Caitlyn whispered, locking her arms around Vi’s waist and resting her chin on her shoulder.

Vi’s shoulders sagged, and she nodded. “Yeah.”

“I’m sorry, Vi.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

Vi chuckled, turning her head to steal a kiss. The angle was a little awkward, but it was still soft and sweet and gentle. “Bet.”

She moved to unlock Caitlyn’s arms around her waist. “Go check on Jayce. I’ll go make sure Ekko and Powder are ready so we can all go together.”

~~~

Vi smiled at Caitlyn from across the table, and Powder’s hand inched into hers, giving her a little squeeze of support.

The band was seated at the same table — without Jayce this time, since he was the one presenting the award.

It was the award that would make or break the night — Album of the Year. The award that the band had sworn over and over again that they would win one day, they wouldn’t stop until they had the Grammy in their hands, they would try and try and try again to win.

Vi took a deep breath, closing her eyes and trying to calm her nerves as Jayce read out the nominees.

It was them — a relatively new band, in the sense that they had never been nominated for Album of the Year before, let alone win a Grammy — against five other rich, famous, experienced musicians. Artists that had each won at least two Grammys before.

Powder’s hand was tight around hers, and she was vaguely aware of Ekko quietly muttering, “Please, please, please.”

Across the table, Caitlyn was smiling. She looked calm, but Vi knew the storm brewing underneath — this was the only award that mattered to her.

The whole band had poured their heart and soul into 1989. It was hours of blood, sweat and tears that resulted in an album that shot them to fame, that sent numbers exploding all over social media, that tore broken hearts out, put the pieces back together and shoved them back in the ribcages of their audience.

If 1989 didn’t win, Vi knew — the whole band would doubt their ability to write music.

She watched as Jayce opened the envelope, and then he smiled, amber eyes glittering.

“And the winner of this year’s Album of the Year is…”

Chapter Text

Vi squeezed her eyes shut, feeling time move by like syrup.

“1989, L4SER!”

The room exploded into cheers and applause, and Vi’s eyes flew open, her jaw instantly dropping to the floor. She looked over at Powder, then Ekko, then Caitlyn, who all gave her the same open-mouthed, flabbergasted look. Did we really do it?

All eyes were on them as they stood, Vi on shaky legs that gave out when Powder flew into her arms, burying her face in her neck and whispering, “We did it. We did it. We did it.”

Vi opened her arms to Caitlyn and Ekko, who whooped and cheered as they came in for the embrace.

The four of them made their way up to the stage, Powder gripping Vi’s hand like a lifeline, Ekko blinking back tears, Caitlyn steady as ever — but Vi could see her hands shaking.

The cheers were deafening. They echoed in Vi’s skull, drowned everything else out except the heavy thud of her heartbeat. She didn’t know if it was excitement, shock, disbelief, or all three slamming together like a wave crashing through her ribs.

Jayce was waiting with the award in hand and that broad, camera-ready smile. Vi barely registered what he said — congratulations, you guys deserve this, you’re amazing — before he turned to Caitlyn and opened his arms.

Vi felt it before it happened. That cold, sinking feeling deep in her gut. And then—

Caitlyn leaned in and kissed him.

A perfect, posed, PR-ready kiss. Just long enough for the cameras to catch, just brief enough to avoid suspicion. Like it meant nothing.

But Vi’s heart fucking cracked.

Powder’s hand slipped from hers.

Ekko shifted his weight awkwardly behind them.

The cheers were still going — louder, somehow — and Caitlyn stepped back. Her gaze flicked to Vi’s, a silent apology she caught before Caitlyn plastered on her dazzling smile and turned back to face the audience.

The four of them took the mic. Caitlyn did most of the talking — thanking the team, the fans, the producers. Ekko added a few words. Powder made the crowd laugh with a choked little joke about how they almost didn’t finish the album on time.

Vi tried to smile. She did. But it felt paper-thin.

They held the Grammy together. They posed for photos. They smiled and waved and bowed their heads.

And then they walked offstage.

Backstage, away from the lights and applause, the silence was deafening. The air was thick. Vi held the trophy in one hand, staring down at it like she wasn’t sure it was real.

Nobody said a word.

Not even Caitlyn.

Vi finally spoke, her voice low, almost hoarse. “We won.”

Powder nodded slowly, eyes on the floor. “Yeah.”

Ekko let out a breath, rubbing the back of his neck. 

Caitlyn bit her lip uncomfortably. “I’m sorry, Vi. You know I had to.”

Vi nodded robotically, her insides churning. She knew it wasn’t Caitlyn’s fault, but that didn’t make the kiss hurt any less. It didn’t reduce the simmering anger and bitterness in her heart.

She turned away, not wanting to hurt Caitlyn.

And just like that, the night they’d been dreaming about for years was over — and none of them could feel the joy.

Because winning meant nothing when the truth was still caged behind fake kisses and contract lines.

The trophy was heavy in Vi’s hands.

But the corner they’d been backed into — kissing people they didn’t love and staging PR stunts — was heavier.

~~~

Caitlyn watched as Vi wordlessly set down their newly-won Grammy and slipped off her coat.

“Vi…”

“Hm?” Vi turned around.

“I’m… sorry.”

“For what?”

“I… I kissed Jayce.”

Vi sighed. “It’s not your fault, Cait. We’ve been through this. You have a PR stunt to finish as… requested by Silco. It’s not your fault.”

Caitlyn sighed, slipping off her own blazer. “You know I don’t love him.”

“I know.”

“Then…” Caitlyn bit her lip. “Then why are you acting like this? So… brooding and upset even though you say you’re not mad at me?”

Vi hesitated at the bathroom door, her fingers working to unbutton her shirt. “I…”

Caitlyn raised her eyebrows, waiting. “Well?”

“It’s… it hurts, you know? To see you kiss someone else. Not that I’m blaming you… it’s just… I can’t help feeling angry about it. Not… angry at you. Just angry.”

“…At Silco.”

Vi chewed on her lower lip nervously. “Yeah.”

Vi ran a hand through her hair, letting out a breath as she leaned back against the doorframe. “I know it’s dumb. I know it doesn’t mean anything. I just…” She paused, eyes flicking to Caitlyn. “I’ve spent years wanting to hold your hand in public. Wanting to brag about you. Wanting people to know.”

Caitlyn stepped closer, slowly, carefully — like Vi was made of glass. “I want that too.”

Vi looked down at the floor. “I spent six years pining for you, thinking you didn't want me the same way. Now I find out that you… love me too, but he’s the one they get to see. With you. With your perfect smile and your perfect press-ready romance. And I’m the one in the background pretending not to care.”

“I’m sorry,” Caitlyn whispered. “I hate it too, Vi. I hate every second of it.”

Vi’s jaw flexed. “It just makes me feel like I’m… not enough.”

Caitlyn’s breath hitched. She crossed the last few steps, closing the distance between them, and reached for Vi’s hand.

“You are. You’re everything, Vi.”

Vi finally looked up. There was a flicker of rawness in her expression, something aching and tired and desperate to believe it.

“I just needed to hear that,” she said quietly.

Caitlyn pulled her in, the guitarist’s back pressing against her chest, one hand resting over Vi’s heart. “You’re the only person I want to be with. I don’t care how many times I have to lie on a red carpet — this,” she turned Vi’s face to kiss her, “is the truth.”

Vi closed her eyes and interlaced her fingers with Caitlyn’s on her chest, feeling her heartbeat. “Okay.”

And for a moment, just a moment, the ache eased.

They were still trapped under Silco’s rules. Still lying to the world.

But not to each other.

Not here.

~~~

“You did a great job, Caitlyn,” Silco said over the phone, voice dry and flat. “The public is convinced you’re dating Jayce. That kiss after the AOTY? Perfection.”

Caitlyn sighed and squeezed her eyes shut. “Great. Thanks. Can I go now?”

“Keep up the good work,” Silco said, though he sounded preoccupied. “Make a few more dates with him before we fly to southern Ionia for the second leg of the tour.”

“Yes, sir,” Caitlyn said, resisting the urge to just hang up without his permission.

“And one more thing — no fooling around til then. We’ve got four days until we fly; don’t do anything stupid that might question the truthfulness of your relationship with Jayce.”

“There is no truthfulness to it,” she replied before she could stop herself. “It doesn't exist.”

Silco’s tone turned cold. “It’s your job to make sure the public doesn’t realise that, you hear me? I will not have Pilot Records associated with homosexuals in any way.”

“Whatever,” Caitlyn muttered under her breath.

“What was that?”

“I said, ‘will do’.” Caitlyn bit her lip and glanced over at Vi. “Can I go now?”

“Fine,” Silco huffed, and Caitlyn hung up without even bothering to say goodbye.

Vi chuckled lightly. “He say something stupid again?”

The both of them were sitting on the balcony of their hotel the morning after the Grammys, watching the sun start to rise over the eastern horizon.

Caitlyn sighed through her teeth. “When doesn’t he?”

“True.” Vi watched as Caitlyn sat on the chair across from her and sighed, leaning back.

A few moments of silence passed, the morning quiet except for the chirping of cicadas in the trees.

“Vi?”

“Mm?”

“Do you think… now’s the right time?”

Vi frowned and turned to her. “For what?”

Caitlyn hesitated, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. “To… come out.”

Silence. Vi’s eyebrows bounced up on her head, eyes wide in surprise. “Um…”

“I don’t want to do it alone… I wanna… I wanna be able to show the world that I love you, and no one else matters as much to me.”

“Well…” Vi’s face scrunched up. “I don’t think there is a ‘right time’ for this. If you think now’s the best time then… go for it.”

Caitlyn reached across the table and squeezed Vi’s hand subtly. “Would you do it with me?”

Vi shrugged. “Sure thing, Cait. I mean… my whole rationale behind coming out right now is just to… show this,” she flicked a finger between herself and Caitlyn, “off to the world.”

Caitlyn smiled, feeling her cheeks heat up. “Me, too.”

“So…” Vi leaned back, folding her hands behind her head. “How’re you planning on doing this?”

“Honestly?” Caitlyn faltered. “I’m not even sure I want to do it now. I mean… this is a precarious situation, Vi. I’ve got the PR stunt with Jayce, and Silco’s not off our backs, and we have not two but four careers hanging in the balance.”

She rubbed a hand across her forehead. “What’ll happen to Powder and Ekko if we do this? I’m willing to risk my career, but are they? Are you? Are you willing to risk their careers?”

Vi swallowed hard. “No.”

Caitlyn nodded, as though Vi’s response proved her point. “I’m… thinking we wait until things settle down a little. With Silco and everything else.”

A thoughtful nod from Vi, and then she spoke again after a beat. “Cait… look, we’ve just won our first Grammy — the biggest award of the year. You’ve got the thing with Jayce, and we’re about to start on the second leg of our very first world tour, which — according to the numbers — is on track to become one of the highest-grossing tours of all time. We have… eight billion pairs of eyes on us now, Cait. If you wanna make an impact, now’s the time.”

Caitlyn frowned. “You think… now’s the best time?”

The guitarist shrugged. “The heat is on. The world is watching. The only issue is… we will make an impact. Regardless of whether it’s a good one or a bad one… an impact is an impact, and it’ll all be the same magnitude anyway.”

The singer sighed and chewed on her bottom lip, eyes fixated on the pink sky. “I…”

Heavy, tense silence, and then Caitlyn exhaled, turning her eyes to the ground. “I don’t know,” she whispered quietly. “It’s… such a big risk… I don’t know if…”

Vi reached out, gently tilting Caitlyn’s chin up with two fingers. “Hey.”

Caitlyn met her eyes, vulnerable and stormy and full of something raw.

“You don’t have to know right now,” Vi said softly. “You just have to feel it. And when it’s time — really time — you’ll know. You always do.”

Caitlyn’s throat tightened. “But what if I wait too long? What if the world moves on and forgets us?”

Vi gave a quiet laugh, warm and low. “Then let ‘em forget. We’ll remind them. We’ve never needed permission to be loud.”

Caitlyn looked at her for a long, quiet moment. Then she nodded — barely, but it was there.

The morning stretched long and pale around them. The silence was no longer heavy. Just full.

Eventually, Caitlyn pulled back and whispered, “If I write something… will you listen?”

Vi gave her a crooked smile. “Always.”

Caitlyn breathed in. And for the first time since the Grammys, it didn’t feel like her lungs were full of glass.

She looked out at the rising sun and whispered, “Okay. Not now. But soon.”

Vi squeezed her hand once, firm and sure. “Soon.”

Chapter Text

Caitlyn smiled, gently brushing her thumb over Vi’s cheekbone.

They were laying under the covers of Caitlyn’s bed the morning after Vi’s first stayover, both basking in the morning light and enjoying each other’s company.

“I think you should get another tattoo,” Caitlyn murmured quietly, lost in Vi’s pale irises.

Vi frowned. “Why? I already have a bunch.”

“You’re a bunch,” Caitlyn retorted with a poke in Vi’s muscled torso that made the latter giggle and squirm out of reach.

“Okay, but seriously,” Vi said after she’d caught her breath. “Why?”

Caitlyn shrugs. “Dunno. Just a thought.”

“Hm.” Vi snuggles deeper under the covers. “And you’re sure this has nothing to do with the tats on my back that I know you admire so much?”

Blood rose to Caitlyn’s face. “Shut up.”

After a brief second of silence, Vi spoke again. “Would be nice to have a tattoo chosen by you.”

“What?” Caitlyn had been playing with Vi’s hair, combing through the pink locks, when Vi’s suggestion caught her attention. “Why?”

Vi sighed, shifting onto her side so she could see Caitlyn properly. She took a second to kiss the singer before drawing back, Caitlyn’s face cupped in her hands.

She shrugged. “Because I love you. Could be like… a reminder that you’re with me.”

Caitlyn’s gaze softened, and now it was her turn to kiss Vi tenderly. “Always,” she murmured against the guitarist’s lips.

Her fingers moved back to Vi’s cheekbone, just under her left eye, where Vi’s name was inked delicately in thin, neat lines. “A new tattoo…”

“And what would it be?”

Caitlyn took a moment to ponder that, her thumb still tracing over Vi’s skin absentmindedly. “It’s your body… what do you think?”

Vi chuckled. “Well, since I do need to know you’re always with me… what about your name?”

Caitlyn frowned. “You sure? I mean… I’ve got this whole PR thing with Jayce going on, and we’re public figures. People will notice these things—”

She was cut off when Vi kissed her again, which effectively shut her up and brought her spiral to a halt.

When they broke apart, Vi simply smiled and said, “I like it, though.”

The singer blinked. “Uh… sure.”

“And… I was hoping you might wanna get one too.”

“What?” Caitlyn’s head flicked up from where she had been following the black ink on Vi’s forearms and tracing her tattoos for the millionth time. 

“Y’know… matching tattoos.”

“With… your name? On my skin?”

“If you’re okay with it, then yeah.”

Brief silence, and then Caitlyn finally processed just how sweet and thoughtful Vi was, and she smiled tenderly. She cupped Vi’s jaw in her hand, studying her face tattoo again and imagining the same two characters written on her own pale skin.

“Gold.”

“What was that?”

“Could I do it in gold?”

Vi chuckled lightly and nodded. She ran her own calloused fingers — blistered and rough from hours of shredding and ripping onstage and in the studio — over Caitlyn’s bare shoulder, her eyes seeming to draw their own image of “VI” in gold ink on the smooth skin. The thought of it combined with the chilly air of the room made goosebumps break out under Vi’s fingers.

“You, too.” Caitlyn smiled at Vi. She slid her own fingers over Vi’s bicep, and then moved a little further up to her shoulder, over a spot just out of reach of her preexisting tattoos. “Right here.”

A light chuckle and an approving nod, and then Vi said, “Vander’s willing to do it for us, probably. From what I remember, he doesn’t have many appointments at the parlour today. We could drop by this evening.”

Caitlyn’s eyebrows jumped up on her head. “Today?”

Vi nodded. “We need time to let the tats heal, and I wanna make sure they’re as healed as possible when we get back onstage. We’ve got another week before we have to fly again to restart the tour, so… now’s a good time.”

“Does Vander know about… this?” Caitlyn asked, flicking a finger between her and Vi.

“Yeah,” Vi said with a nod. “I told him. Mylo and Claggor, too. They’re all really supportive of it.”

“And… it’s not weird?”

“Why would it be?”

Caitlyn exhaled in relief. “Just a thought. I’m glad I don’t have to explain why you’re currently lying in my bed after a night of—”

“And that is my cue to leave,” Vi muttered, grunting as she stood up and started walking to the bathroom. 

~~~

Vi sighed as Vander locked the door of the tattoo parlour behind them, and then she started removing her coat and hat and sunglasses.

Behind her, Caitlyn did the same, hanging up her coat on the rack and stripping down to her tank top and jeans.

“So, matching tattoos?” Vander asked, his voice rumbling deeply despite the twinkle in his eyes.

Vi nods. “We’re thinking on the shoulders or outer upper arm, me with her name and hers with my name.”

Vander smiled as he picked up his tablet. “You two are adorable.”

“Hey!” Vi protested, but her adoptive father just chuckled and ignored her protest.

“I’ve picked a few different fonts for you two to choose from,” he said. “Good news is, both tats only require one session, which I can probably do today since Mylo and Claggor are here to help. They went out to grab some drinks for the minifridge but should be back soon.”

He flicked open the software and showed the pair a few different designs — Vi’s name in gold, Caitlyn’s in black. Simple, defined lines to mark each other as “taken”.

“That one,” Caitlyn said, pointing at Vi’s name in cursive on the tablet.

Vander nodded. “Sure thing. Vi?”

Vi took her own pick of the same font, and then the pair got ready for the tattoos. They were just getting settled with the stencils when Mylo and Claggor walked in, holding bags of drinks to restock the parlour’s minifridge.

“Getting another, Vi?” Mylo asked.

“Mhm.” Vi nodded, studying the stencilled word on her right arm. “Care to do it for me?”

“Sure thing.” Mylo nodded and gestured for Claggor to restock the fridge while he washed his hands and prepared to do Vi’s tattoo.

Caitlyn was lying in the chair next to Vi’s, with Vander on the far side. The fingers of her left hand were interlaced tightly with Vi’s right hand, and the guitarist could see the apprehension written all over her face.

She gave Caitlyn’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “Relax. It’s harder for Vander to do the job if you’re tense.”

“Will it hurt?” she asked tentatively.

Vi chuckled. “Not there, no. Might tickle, might be uncomfortable, but it won't hurt.”

“Okay.” Caitlyn exhaled and leaned back, closing her eyes as Vander began his work.

~~~

A few hours later, well into the night, Caitlyn was studying her freshly-inked tattoo on her arm, covered in breathable tattoo film. Vi’s name had been carefully written by Vander using light ochre hues in a gradient to make it stand out.

Vi swept up behind her, Caitlyn’s own name visible in black ink on the same area of her right arm. She wrapped her arms around Caitlyn’s waist gently and pressed a soft kiss to Caitlyn’s shoulder, right above her own name in gold.

“It suits you,” Vi murmured softly, and Caitlyn smiled.

She turned her head to steal a quick kiss — the angle was a little awkward, but it was still warm and sweet and fucking soft — before she pulled back to look at Vi’s tattoo.

Vi chuckled lightly. “You like it?”

“I love it.”

Vi made it a point to ignore the faces Mylo was making that she — and Caitlyn, she was sure — could see in the mirror. Her attention was forced away when Vander appeared holding bottles of ointment and aftercare products.

For Vi, it was standard. She’d gotten inked many times before and was no stranger to the whole process. For Caitlyn, however, it was all very new and unfamiliar, and Vander carefully made sure to explain all the essential aftercare steps to her.

“Taking into consideration your career and the fact that you’re going back on tour in a week,” Vander said, “I’d suggest taking very good care of your tattoos in the coming week. Make sure they’re as healed as possible before you go onstage. Sweat and the guitar straps might mess with it but based on the position of the tattoos I don’t think straps will be a very big issue.”

He handed Caitlyn a bottle of ointment. “Apply that at least once a day once you remove these, which you can do in 6-8 hours. Do not rub on the tattoo — leave it alone if you can. It’ll start scabbing after a few days, but do not pick at it; just let it flake off on its own.”

Vander gave them each a smile of approval. “By the time you go back onstage the surface healing should be done. Just… be careful with them, okay? Vi knows what to do, Caitlyn, so if you have any questions…”

Caitlyn chuckled. “I know.”

Vi nods. “Thanks, Vander.”

Caitlyn nodded, her fingers curling instinctively around Vi’s again. She looked at her arm one more time, the gold ink catching the light, and smiled to herself.

“It’s weird,” she murmured.

Vi raised an eyebrow. “What is?”

Caitlyn looked up, eyes full of something quiet and vulnerable. “How something so small can feel so permanent.”

Vi smiled, the grin warm and soft and tender.

“That’s kinda the point.”

Caitlyn let out a soft laugh, low and tired and full of warmth. “Yeah. I guess it is.”

And with that, they stepped out into the night — fingers linked, hearts steady, names written in ink and intention.

~~~

Caitlyn bit her lip, staring down at her notebook and chewing on her pen thoughtfully.

She has a half-written song out in her notebook — something she'd written just a few nights ago but had gotten stuck on and hadn't moved on since. Typically, she would asked Vi for help, but she was determined to do this on her own and keep it a surprise from Vi.

After all, the song was for and about her.

She hummed a soft melody under her breath, recalling the memory from last night of Vi, curlee up against her chest, head tucked under her chin as soft puffs of breath coasted over Caitlyn's collarbone.

Caitlyn smiled, trying not to blush too hard.

The door to the studio swung open, and Caitlyn shut her notebook, turning around quickly to find Ekko and Powder standing there.

Powder blinked, noting the pink dusting on the singer’s ears and the hand holding the notebook firmly closed.

“Everything okay?” the bassist asked.

“What?” Caitlyn forced a smile. “Oh! Um- Yes, everything's fine.”

“You're a terrible liar,” was all Ekko said.

Caitlyn sighed, biting her lip. “Is it that obvious?”

“Yes,” Ekko and Powder said in unison.

Hesitation, then Caitlyn asked, “Where's Vi?”

Powder shrugged. “Out. She said something about getting new straps or something. I don't really know.”

“Need something?” the younger girl asked after a beat.

Caitlyn sighed. This was supposed to be a surprise for Vi, but she desperately needed help, and her two other bandmates were her best bet right now. Also, she trusted them to keep secrets — if Powder got a big mouth, Ekko would shut her up.

“Yeah,” she confessed quietly. “But… promise me you won't tell Vi.”

“Ooh.” Ekko wiggled his eyebrows at her before exchanging knowing glances with Powder. “Got some new lovey-dovey lyrics up your sleeve?”

Caitlyn made a face. “Maybe I should do this on my own.”

“Oh, please.” Powder folded her legs under her as she sat on the ground next to Caitlyn and tugged gently at the notebook. “It's a joke. Take a few.”

Ekko sat on Caitlyn's other side, effectively surrounding her in a pincer maneuver. He, too, laid a hand on the book. “Come on, show us. I promise I'll keep it a secret.”

“Me too,” Powder said, which earned her dubious stares from both Ekko and Caitlyn.

“You sure?” the singer asked.

“Nope!” the younger girl replied cheerfully. “But I'll do my best.”

“Fine,” Caitlyn relented, and she flipped open the book to show them.

A few seconds of silence, then Ekko whistled appreciatively.

“Wow.”

~~~

“Vi?”

The guitarist glanced up from her guitar, raising an eyebrow and murmuring, “Mm?”

Caitlyn exchanged glances with Ekko and Powder, asking a silent question. Ekko nodded in silent support, and Caitlyn turned her attention back to Vi, taking a deep breath.

“So… I kinda have a surprise for you,” she started hesitantly.

Vi chuckled lightly, readjusting her guitar strap. “Love those. Hit me.”

“It’s a song,” Caitlyn said slowly, starting to stand with her own guitar. “Ekko and Pow gave me a hand in writing and practicing it… and… I was hoping…”

“You want me to learn it too?” Vi asked, flashing a chivalrous grin. “Not a problem, Cupcake. Give me the score and I’ll get it done.”

“Well, no.” Caitlyn bit her lip. “I mean, yes. That. And also… I was hoping I could play it for you today?”

Vi’s brow furrowed in the way Caitlyn knew meant she was jokingly confused. The guitarist turned to face Powder, then looked at Ekko, and finally back at Caitlyn. “Are you… asking me or telling me?”

“Wow, you sound like a teacher,” Powder murmured. Caitlyn kept her thanks quiet — Powder’s timing never failed to help ease the tension in her shoulders and the room.

“Uh, telling you.” Caitlyn swallowed hard, flipping open her notes to the latest song, then giving Ekko and Powder an affirming nod. “And afterward, I was hoping you could learn it, too. I kinda have a surprise unveiling for the fans, too.”

Vi blinked. “You mean… tonight?”

Caitlyn’s voice caught slightly, realising the unrealistic timeframe she’d just offered Vi. “Well, I mean…” Her voice faltered.

Ekko laughed at Caitlyn’s reaction, then finished the answer for Vi. “Tonight would be great, but… no pressure.”

Vi shared the laugh, then stuck out her tongue mischievously at Caitlyn. “If you say so,” she replied in a singsongy voice.

Caitlyn rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the pink dusting on her cheeks. “Oh, shut up. Just go sit over there while I… do this.”

Chapter Text

Vi was a quick learner, and even more so when it came to the guitar, so it didn’t take her more than a few hours to finish learning the song in preparation for the surprise Caitlyn had single-handedly planned for the audience at their show tonight.

With a sigh and a little smile, Vi strummed the last chord to what was supposed to be their last song of the night. Only this time, Caitlyn had added a little something to end off the concert on a memorable note.

Vi glanced down at Silco, who was sitting in the VIP tent alongside his other bitch-faced executives, all staring up at them with half-confused, full-judging looks. Silco caught her eye and began gesturing erratically for them to end the show and get off the stage.

She turned away, pointedly ignoring his frantic gesticulation and instead focusing on the rising chatter in the stadium as the audience began to realise something was off.

Caitlyn sighed, taking a step forward, closer to the audience as she brought the mic up to her lips to deliver a carefully-composed speech, designed to bring Silco and his homophobic record label down once and for all.

Vi felt her heart thundering in her chest. If Caitlyn was wrong about all this, about their fans’ opinions, about Silco’s power… this could end their careers entirely, washing away hopes and dreams.

But she trusted Caitlyn. She knew how much Caitlyn valued not only her career but that of the whole band. And she knew if Caitlyn had even the slightest bit of uncertainty, she would not have gone on with this plan.

If they drowned, they drowned together in the perilous waters of the music industry.

Caitlyn’s voice brought her back to the present, the echo of her voice sounding much louder in the now-quiet stadium.

“Thank you,” Caitlyn began, “to all of you for coming down here today.”

She was staring straight ahead, way past Silco’s twisted sneer or his confused yet very upset executives.

“Tonight,” Caitlyn said, spreading her free arm, “we are going to perform a song never before heard by anyone in the world besides the four of us.”

Thunderous applause, whoops and cheers, and Vi smiled to herself. Caitlyn raised her hand, waiting for the audience to quiet down before she continued, making sure every word was crystal clear.

“I wrote this about a very special someone — somebody close to my heart.” She paused for a second, laying her free hand over her heart and giving Vi a quick sideways glance. The guitarist chuckled lightly, chills beginning to run down her spine.

“Somebody I fell for six years ago but didn’t have the courage to confess until recently.”

More cheers, and Caitlyn raised her voice just enough to be heard over the noise. “This song has a very special place in my heart, as does said person, so I hope you enjoy it.”

She turned and jogged back toward the band, picking up her guitar and giving them a nod.

A few beats of silence. Vi caught Silco’s eye again, and he raised his fist in anger, mouthing a few obscenities Vi pretended not to notice.

She closed her eyes, listening to Powder strum the first baseline, and then Caitlyn’s voice filled the stadium once again.

Our secret moments, in a crowded room

They’ve got no idea, about me and you

Deafening cheers shook Vi’s skull, and the tears pricking her eyes made it difficult to concentrate. She forced herself to focus — to feel nothing but the strings under her fingers, fretboard pressing against her fingertips, hear nothing but the sweet sound of Caitlyn’s voice as she sang a song made for and about Vi.

Vi swallowed hard as Caitlyn moved to the last line of the verse, trying to hold down the lump in her throat.

Made your mark on me, a golden tattoo

From her angle on the stage, Vi could see the newly-inked letters on Caitlyn’s arm — simple, gold characters spelling out her own name, a promise made to one another to never split, to never break up, to never leave each other behind.

Vi sniffled quietly, hoping no one could see her tears as Caitlyn’s words from just before their performance echoed in her mind.

“I’ll always be with you, Vi,” Caitlyn had said, brushing her thumb over Vi’s tattoo. “And you’ll always be with me.”

They entered the chorus, and suddenly Vi was very aware of Ekko’s beat pulsing under her feet.

Say my name and everything just stops

I don’t want you like a best friend

Vi’s chest throbbed with a dull ache at that. Best friends — the very thing she had convinced herself she and Caitlyn were before their break, before Caitlyn confessed, before everything changed.

But that line spoke for both of them. Friendship, platonic relationships, no matter how close, were insufficient for them. They wanted— no, they needed more than that.

Vi’s fingers moved across the fretboard on autopilot. She struggled to hold in her tears as Caitlyn sang — that soulful, emotional voice declaring to the whole world the love that ran so deep and pure in her veins. The love that she would give to Vi and no one else, never anyone else. As she choked back a sob, Vi was grateful that it wasn’t caught by her mic, sniffling and smiling stupidly all at the same time as Caitlyn began to enter the bridge — the moving, cathartic bridge that could only be composed and sung by Caitlyn Kiramman. The bridge that, to Vi, was more beautiful than life itself, that would bring to the audience more tears than a combined funeral of the entire band.

Turning her head just a bit, she caught sight of Ekko and Powder, both of them giving her soft, knowing smiles. Powder’s soft nod was all she needed, and she grinned, feeling tears tickle the corners of her lips as she turned back to face the audience with renewed strength.

Flashback when you met me…

Vi choked out a strangled laugh through her barely-restrained sobs, an image of Caitlyn from the very first day they met flashing through her head. That unfamiliar, snobby “rich girl” label she’d christened onto Caitlyn no longer existed. All that had broken apart and fallen away and eventually grew to reveal her one and only — her love, her queen, her everything.

Flashback to my mistakes, my rebounds, my earthquakes

Even in my worst lies, you could see the truth in me

A quiet sniffle, and Vi heard Caitlyn’s voice break just a bit as she blinked away her tears, only to find shiny rivulets slipping down her singer’s cheeks. Her voice remained strong and unyielding, but Vi could hear the little cracks in them where her emotion shone through.

Caitlyn caught Vi’s eye, and a little smile passed between them. Vi mouthed her a quick I love you, and Caitlyn just smiled, her vocals spent on keeping her voice steady through her tears.

My one and only, my lifeline

I woke up just in time, now I wake up by your side…

Another sob broke out of Vi’s chest, and she couldn’t resist her laugh. Oh, her love for this woman was so intense it was nearly incomprehensible, even to her. She had never felt so safe and cared for and comfortable with anyone, yet also felt the fierce need to guard her and protect her from all the demons of the world. Never before had anyone struck her heart in this way, or reached into the depths of her soul and saw all the worst versions of her and remained, standing by her side tall and unflinching.

No one, not a single soul, had ever been able to touch her the way Caitlyn Kiramman did.

Vi barely heard Caitlyn finish the rest of the song as her fingers picked at the strings instinctively, and before she knew it the audience was on their feet, roaring in approval, whooping and cheering so loudly her ears rang. The whole stadium was trembling with the sheer magnitude of enthusiasm with which the song and the band had been greeted. Even as Caitlyn just bowed her head and pressed her fingers to her eyes with tears trickling down her wrist, the audience’s applause never faded.

Through her blurry vision, Vi caught sight of Silco, sitting crossed armed in his VIP tent, looking very displeased indeed.

But Vi didn’t care. And neither did Caitlyn. Silco couldn’t separate them with a PR stunt anymore — not if they had anything to say about it.

“Thank you,” Caitlyn finally said after a long silence, her eyes red and puffy and yet she had never, in Vi’s eyes, seemed happier. “Thank you so much.”

She waited for the cheers to die down before clearing her throat to continue.

“This is… I suppose what you would call a forbidden love. For those of you who don’t know, our newest record label, Pilot Records, has strictly banned us from doing anything that may associate us with the LGBTQ+ community.”

Caitlyn swallowed hard, and Vi’s chest pulsed again with the same dull ache when she continued.

“Basically, comphet. Compulsory heterosexuality. And this song that I’ve performed…” A long, drawn-out sigh, but Vi understood the frustration, “just violated every single comphet clause in the contract and may bring down our careers.”

Another deep breath, and Vi watched as Caitlyn squared her shoulders. She watched as deep blue eyes focused on Silco, and now Vi knew, her speech was simply being delivered to him, and him only. The other 70 000 people were just witnesses to her statement. 

“But the thing is, I don’t care,” Caitlyn said in a voice harder and more steely than Vi had ever heard from her. “I wrote this song for someone I love, and no executive, no publicist, no media, no fucking body gets to tell me who I love and who I don’t.”

Vi stole a glance at Silco, whose face was turning so red Vi could see the distinct shade even in the darkness of the stadium and VIP tent. His face was twisted into some concoction of anger and horror and confusion and please don’t do this.

The audience was dead silent now, very much aware of how pointed the speech was starting to become and letting Caitlyn settle her score with Silco in front of the world.

“Silco,” Caitlyn said, finally addressing him and his contorted face, “you told me you had power, control, and the ability to bring down our empire with a wave of your hand, and you asked me what I have.”

Caitlyn spread both her arms, lifting her head to the stadium lights as the crowd roared in disgust at Silco. Vi closed her eyes, taking a second to bask in the support that they had just been given by the 70 000 fans in the stadium and millions more around the world, watching on live streams or sitting outside the stadium, hanging on to every single word of Caitlyn’s speech — words that Vi was sure would remain around for another century and that would rise to become one of the greatest concert speeches of all time.

“This is my answer,” Caitlyn said, nearly shouting into the mic to make sure Silco could hear her over the cheering. “I have everything you don’t.”

Several more minutes of rising cheers and applause, and Vi laughed, tears beginning to fill her eyes again. This was their kingdom, their empire that they had built together over the course of six long years. And this was a fortress Silco couldn’t tear down — not by forcing them apart, or keeping them locked in the closet, or anything that he could cook up.

“They told me I couldn’t love her,” Caitlyn shouted again into the mic, tears starting to glisten in her eyes. “That if I did, I’d lose everything.” Vi took a step further out, closer to the illumination of the stadium lights, her own tears beginning to flow again uncontrollably.

Her. That simple word that had finally, finally brought Caitlyn out of the closet. That had finally let her come out. That had finally shut Silco and Pilot Records and every single hidden comphet clause they had signed in their contracts down. 

“But I already lost everything when I was told to be silent!”

Vi stepped in a little closer, pulling off her guitar and setting it on the stand, moving to rest a hand on Caitlyn’s hip as she finished her speech. She offered a supportive smile, trying to ignore the tears she could feel dripping off her jaw and onto the floor. The shiny traces on Caitlyn’s face told her only one thing — this was their moment. And they were going to take it.

“So here’s me, out loud,” Caitlyn said at last, her own hand coming to pull Vi closer. “Here’s me, choosing her!”

Without another word, another pause, another moment of hesitation, Caitlyn pulled Vi in close, sealing her lips against Vi’s in a kiss that they both knew would go down in the history of their careers — one that Silco had strictly forbidden, one that many record labels around the world would hate, one that they had been yearning for for six long years.

Time seemed to freeze around them, the screams of their fans and Ekko and Powder’s cheering and everything fading into the distance, leaving them suspended in the moment that had been waiting for all this time. Vi’s hand cupped Caitlyn’s jaw, her thumb brushing over wet skin as she wiped away Caitlyn’s tears.

They broke apart, both laughing and crying and breathing heavily, until Caitlyn’s hand moved to the back of Vi’s neck, fingers brushing the little hairs there. She leaned forward, letting her forehead press against Vi’s, and in a soft, intimate voice meant for no one but the love of her life, she breathlessly whispered, “I love you.”

Vi laughed, sniffling as she tried to find her voice again. “I love you too, cupcake. More than you will ever know.”

It was over.

The wait was over.

The darkness of the closet was over.

The lack of freedom and autonomy was over.

And finally, for the first time in forever, in a stadium of 70 000 fans and a very unhappy record label owner, L4SER was no longer chained by comphet or any other stupid fucking clause that would tie them down and force them into a cookie-cutter version of what an “ideal” celebrity should look like.

Chapter Text

“What the hell was that?!”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes, setting her phone down on the table while the rest of the band crowded around it.

It was the night after the announcement, and the band had run off to a karaoke to celebrate without waiting for Silco like they normally did… which would explain he was now yelling at them over the phone after they’d ignored 32 of his calls.

“That was revenge!” Vi howled, her words barely slurred from the beers.

Ekko hooted and smacked her on the back. “Yeah, take that, dipshit!”

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Silco demanded, his voice dripping with venom and hate. “When you wake up tomorrow morning, your world tour will be cancelled and your careers a pile of ash.”

Caitlyn laughed boisterously, slamming down an empty bottle next to her phone. “Were you even in the stadium, Silco? 70,000 people gave us their support and booed you. They would have…” She hiccupped. “Thrown eggs and tomatoes at you if they had any.”

“Are you drunk right now?”

“Not enough!” Vi called again before being tackled onto the couch by her sister.

Silco huffed in exasperation. “The both of you have done some very serious damage—”

“To what? Your reputation that you were already dragging through a pigsty?” Caitlyn retorted, her mind a little clearer with the anger.

“My point is!” Something that sounded like glass shattering came over the phone. “The speech you made is already going viral. You need to go online, do a livestream or something, tell people it was a joke. Undo what you’ve done!”

Caitlyn laughed again. “It’s viral? That’s so great!” She paused to take a swig or beer, and then Vi’s forearm was wrapping around her and the singer tasted alcohol as she kissed her. 

They broke apart, still giggling as the guitarist picked up the phone. “No chance in hell, Silco. You and your homophobic ass can go to hell!”

“Listen to me,” Silco growled. “You have no idea what I can do to you. I don’t want to drop you, because you guys are profitable and famous, but you can’t drop Pilot either. You don’t have a justified reason to do so, since we never violated anything in the contracts. You just didn’t read them properly.”

“Mm.” Vi swallowed another mouthful of alcohol and cleared her throat. “Your point?”

“We are stuck with one another, only I’m more powerful than you. So you better erase the damage you did, or we are taking this to court.”

“Hmm…” Caitlyn looked up at Vi, pouting sarcastically even though Silco couldn’t see her. Even in her drink-fuddled mind, she knew court was a bad idea. It was too much time, money, energy. It wasn’t a good idea.

“No, I don’t think so,” Vi slurred, words vibrating against Caitlyn’s skull since her girlfriend had lips pressed to her forehead. 

“Then what’re you gonna do, huh?” Silco snarled. ”You got nowhere to go.”

“Hm… no,” Caitlyn agreed. “But… we have something else you don’t.”

Silence. Silco was waiting.

“Money!” Powder chimed in along with a background track of Ekko’s whoops and cheers. “We’re buying the record label!”

A pause, and then Silco began to laugh, his villainous chortles carrying easily over the phone. “You? Buy Pilot Records?”

A few more minutes of laughter, and the band just took turns rolling eyes and finishing a few more beers.

“You know I own it, right?” Silco said breathlessly. “I own the record label and therefore your asses? What makes you think I’m gonna sell it to you?”

“Let’s see…” Powder hummed. “You have outstanding debts you probably need to repay quickly. Plus people hate you.”

“No they don’t!”

“Explain this.” Ekko cleared his throat and began to read off his phone. “From Piltover Times — Former Pilot Records Artists Speak Out: ‘We Were Told To Hide Who We Are’.”

Powder whooped. “Told you they’d start talking! And it’s only been six hours since the concert!”

Ekko scrolled. “Here’s another — ‘#DropPilot Trends No.1 as Queer Artists Begin to Speak Out: ‘We’re Done Hiding.’”

Vi laughed, slumping back into the couch. “Takes one match to light a whole damn forest.”

Ekko kept reading. “Looks like Leona from Hexvolt just came out on livestream, said her manager from Pilot forced her into a fake relationship with Salo too. And Magnus from Amperlight posted a photo with his boyfriend, captioned ‘Not under contract anymore.’”

Powder hollered and flopped onto the floor. “Pilot’s going up in fucking flames!”

Silence folded around the band, only broken by what sounded like intense typing on Silco’s side. He spoke after a beat. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope,” Caitlyn said, popping the ‘p’, her lips curling into a wicked grin. “Wanna check Twitter? Or do you want Ekko to keep reading headlines?”

Silco hissed, voice lower, less steady. “You’re still under contract.”

“And you’re about to be under fire for about twenty counts of artist exploitation, breach of personal rights, comphet clauses that don’t hold up in court, and emotional coercion,” Caitlyn shot back. “So if I were you? I’d take the buyout.”

Vi leaned in, voice a little steadier now, perhaps coming off the alcohol a little. “We’re not asking, asshole. We’re offering you a chance to walk away with something other than lawsuits.”

Silence, and then very slowly, he heaved again, making Caitlyn wonder if there was a limit to a human’s sighs. “Fine,” he said at last. “I’ll arrange a meeting.”

The band exploded, cheering, bottles clinking, throwing fists in the air. “That’s what I fuckin’ thought!” Powder whooped.

Caitlyn stood, brushing her hands off like she’d just buried a body. “Good choice, Silco. You’re going to sleep a lot easier tonight than you would’ve tomorrow.”

“Don’t think this is over,” he snapped.

The singer laughed as Vi hung up the call. “Oh, it’s over.”

She turned to the rest of the band. “Now someone find me a lawyer. We’re buying ourselves a fucking kingdom.”

~~~

The following day, they met Silco to seal the deal.

Just to rub it in, Caitlyn had a reservation booked at the very same restaurant where the band had their last meeting with the record label – the very one where Silco had threatened their careers and basically spat on them.

Now, they were the ones with the upper hand.

Silco walked in with a face the same colour as a storm cloud, flanked by his executives and publicists or whatever fancy titles they had – Caitlyn really didn’t care (although, seeing that she would very soon be the owner of Pilot Records, she probably should have). They offered smiles to the band – small, scared ones – and kept their heads bowed and mouths shut as they sat.

Silco huffed a sigh and tucked his hands into his pockets, looking very much like he didn’t want to be there. Under the table, Vi squeezed Caitlyn’s hand, prompting Caitlyn to give her a quick glance before rearranging her face into a business one.

“So, Kiramman?” Silco’s voice caught her attention. “What exactly are you offering in exchange of the record label?”

Caitlyn shrugged. “Name your price.”

Eyebrows bouncing up onto his forehead, Silco scoffed. “You’re bold,” he said. “But you’re not gonna like it.”

Ekko laughed, unbothered by his threat. “Listen, buddy. We’re the ones in control here. If we don’t strike a deal tonight, you’ll be living on the streets abandoned and forgotten in a week. Caitlyn’s giving you a chance to avoid that, so you better take that opportunity properly.”

“Yeah,” Powder muttered with a toothpick between her teeth – she’d been swiping chocolate-covered strawberries from the supposed communal plate. “You either strike this deal, or you’ll lose your cash cow – that’s us – and be faced with a several million dollar lawsuit from us. And chances are, once we make a move, others under you will follow suit. You’ll be bankrupt.”

Vi grinned, her tongue darting out to run over her lips. “Bankrupt,” she hissed, eyes sparkling with malice.

“So, Silco.” Caitlyn leaned back, feeling Vi’s muscled arm wrap around her shoulders. “What’ll it be?”

Silence bloomed, and Caitlyn took a second to relish the contorted expression on Silco’s face – similar to what he had worn during the concert, only more concentrated.

“A hundred million.”

Upon hearing those words, a spray of beer spewed out of Vi’s mouth and all over Silco, who tensed and kept very still. Caitlyn bit back a laugh, listening to her girlfriend half-cough, half-laugh at the absurd number. Both Powder and Ekko were cackling too, each one finding the proposed price far higher than it should have been.

“You’re kidding,” Ekko gasped between laughs. “A hundred million? Dollars?”

He descended into laughter again, and Caitlyn shook her head. “No deal.”

Silco’s face turned the same colour as Vi’s hair. Calmly, brushing off a few drops of beer from the lapels of his coat, he scoffed. “What, you can’t afford paying $100 million?”

Caitlyn scowled. “You know damn well that our combined net worth, including my parents’ expansive wealth, easily surpasses that. You sure you wanna mock the person who has your fate in her hand?”

The tendons in Silco’s neck tightened. “Name your price, then.”

“20% of that,” the singer said immediately. “The value of Pilot Record has dropped substantially since our speech, y’know. You’re facing lawsuits totalling way more than $90 million, plus you’ve lost us – the artists that added the most value to the name. I should be offering lower than that.”

Silco’s mouth hung agape, his hands pressed against the table, eyes sweeping over the entire band. They just stared at him, mouths set, eyes hard and unmoving.

“That’s our offer, Silco,” Powder said, voice dripping with venom. “Take it or leave it.”

“$30 million,” Silco stuttered. 

Vi leaned forward, her smile razor-sharp. “Silco, you don’t get to bargain. You had your empire. Now you have a price.”

Silco stared at her, at all of them, like he was trying to bore a hole through the table and fall into it. Then his jaw clicked, and he exhaled through his nose like a dragon on its last legs.

Finally, he muttered, “25.”

Caitlyn didn’t blink. “20.”

“20 and you pay off my debts.”

“No.” Caitlyn gave him a tight smile. “You get 20. Flat. No debts, no negotiations, no fancy clauses.”

Powder leaned in. “Or you can watch Pilot bleed out on Twitter.”

Silco’s eye twitched.

Ekko calmly sipped his beer. “TikTok too. We’re trending everywhere.”

Another pause.

Then, at last, Silco sat back with a grunt and pulled a contract from the briefcase beside him. “Fine,” he muttered. “$20 million.”

Cheers exploded from the band — Vi whooped yanked Caitlyn in, lips crashing against hers in admiration and love. Powder flung her toothpick like a dart and howled, “Get fucked, Silco!” while Ekko stood up to shake hands with the record label’s lawyer, who was already reaching for a pen.

Caitlyn didn’t move. She just watched Silco sign, watched the pen scratch across the dotted line — a line that transferred every bit of control from his filthy hands into theirs.

When he finally slid the contract across the table, Caitlyn signed her name with a flourish, her signature sprawling confidently at the bottom. Then she handed the pen over to Vi and let the rest of the band sign their names.

“Well,” she said, brushing her fingers off as if dusting him from her skin, “it’s been a pleasure doing business with you.”

Silco stared at her.

Caitlyn flashed him a razor-edged smile. “And by pleasure, I mean watching you fall apart.”

Vi laughed, slinging an arm over Caitlyn’s shoulders again as the band got to their feet.

Powder saluted mockingly. “Thanks for the label, loser.”

Ekko offered Silco a sympathetic shrug. “Hope you enjoy trending.”

And with that, they walked out — free, fearless, and now… owners of the very label that tried to silence them.

Their kingdom. Their rules. No closets. No contracts. No cages.

Just the music. And the love that built it.

~~~

Vi closed her eyes, feeling the thrum under her feet and listening to the crowd cheering outside.

The final show.

She opened her eyes when she felt a hand on her shoulder and found Caitlyn standing there, blue eyes flashing with satisfaction, hair waving hypnotizingly as she moved.

“You’re gorgeous,” Vi said, leaning in to give Caitlyn a little kiss.

“Thank you, darling,” Caitlyn murmured against her lips. “You too.”

“You happy?” Vi said when they pulled apart.

Caitlyn sighed, something like nostalgia clouding her eyes. She nodded as the fans' cheers grew louder, and the band name was now carrying through the air even backstage.

“Yes,” she said with a little smile, her hand resting on Vi’s shoulder as her thumb ran over the tattoo on her bicep. “Very much so.”

Vi watched her move over to her spot in front of the mic stand, then her gaze flitted over to Ekko and Powder, who gave her a thumbs up. Caitlyn nodded, right hand resting on the microphone as her left gripped the fretboard of her guitar.

She lifted her head, and the doors slid open, revealing to them the stadium jam-packed with fans screaming their names, cheering and howling and whooping as Powder’s bassline began to vibrate through the ground under their feet.

Our secret moments…