Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Alright, I’ve finalized the plan,” Caitlyn announced, leaning over the table and looking at Vi, Ekko and Jinx, only two of whom were paying close attention.

“Still don’t get the fuss. Why do we need a whole ass warplan for a trip?” Jinx scoffed, mindlessly scrolling through her phone.

“Because we’re going halfway across the country and back, and one of us here is a bit… unpredictable,” Caitlyn hissed, gripping the table tighter. She sighed, releasing it and smoothing out the map she had laid across its surface. “Right. Anyways. The airport is about a three hour drive away. Then we’ll get on a flight, get a rental car, and drive the rest of the way to the beach house, where we’ll meet Jayce and Viktor. We'll split the driving between the three of us into even chunks of-”

“Three? I’m right here!” Jinx so graciously interrupted again, suddenly very invested in the conversation.

“I say ‘three’ because there’s only three of us who can drive.” 

“Fuck you, I can drive!”

“Jinx, you don’t even have your license,” Vi pointed out with a raised eyebrow.

Jinx whipped her head over to Vi. “Well- yeah, but I have my permit, and you three all have your licenses.” 

“And why don’t you have your license?” Ekko asked, his tone a bit softer.

Jinx threw her hands into the air. “Because the DMV are pricks and keep failing me on my driving tests!” 

“They fail you because you’re a horrible driver,” Caitlyn interrupted flatly. “I’m honestly still shocked you have your permit.”

“Well, I get to choose the music, then!” Jinx huffed.

“NO!” Caitlyn and Vi both said in unison. 

“Either you let me make the playlist, or you let me drive.” Jinx doubled down 

She and Caitlyn stared each other down, eyes narrowed and unrelenting, both keen on firmly standing their ground.

Caitlyn mulled over her choices before conceding. “Fine, then. Jinx will choose music, Ekko will bring snacks, and I’ll be the navigation, which Vi will take over when I’m driving. Happy?” 

Jinx leaned back in her chair, satisfied. “Ecstatic, toots.” 

Caitlyn paused before adding, under her breath, “I suppose I’d rather spend three hours listening to punk rock and shitty pop music than risk dying in a car crash.” 

Jinx gasped in offense, clutching her phone to her chest. “Ex-cuse me, Miss Posh, my taste in music is fantastic!” 

“Posh?! I am not posh!” Caitlyn sputtered back.

Jinx rolled her eyes “You drink nothing but tea and listen to nothing but classical music! Not to mention, you’re loaded. You are objectively posh!”

“I’ll have you know that tea is not only healthier than coffee, but also tastes worlds better-”

“It’s literally crushed up leaves in hot water!”

“-and classical music is best for relaxing and maintaining focus!”

Vi and Ekko watched their respective partners bicker with wary eyes, suddenly very unsure if it was safe to have them in the same space for nine days straight. 

“Alright, here we go,” Vi mumbled, sliding into the driver’s side of the car with a small grunt. “Cait, you got the maps?”

She held up a map that was nearly half as tall as Jinx.

“…And your phone for backup?” 

“Oh, please,” Caitlyn scoffed. “I think I can figure out motorways.”

“You sure? ‘Cuz last time I trusted you and your maps, we ended up going the wrong direction for an h-”

“That was one time!” 

Vi rolled her eyes and looked over her shoulder into the backseat. “Ekko, you got the snacks?”

Ekko nodded and held up a grocery bag. “Chips, beef jerky and trail mix.”

“Trail mix? Seriously?” Jinx wrinkled her nose.

“The good kind,” Ekko reassured, reaching inside the bag and revealing small packets of essentially a bunch of chocolate with a few peanuts thrown in.

Vi sighed before finally turning to her sister. “And Jinx, I’m guessing you have the-”

“Music? Oh, you bet!” Jinx laughed manically as she leapt across the center console, grabbed the aux cord, and jammed it into her phone. 

Vi sighed and put the car into reverse, slowly backing out of the driveway as the first song started.

“Well, let’s get this shit-show on the road.” 

Chapter Text

“I trust that you know the way to the interstate?”

“Damn right I do, cupcake.” Vi waited for a car to pass before making a left turn. “Only lived here for fifteen years.” 

They sat in silence for a while, besides the blaring music Jinx was playing and Vi’s occasional grumble about other drivers. Vi was a good driver, despite her love of risks and short temper.

“So, Caitlyn…” Ekko started slowly, wanting to break the silence. “As the plan master, do you have any for when we get there?”

Caitlyn hummed in thought for a moment. “Well, there’s a bookstore I was wanting to visit, and Jayce is bringing his boat…” She trailed off.

“Holy shit, that’s it?” Jinx practically shrieked from the backseat. “Caitlyn Kiramman only making two plans?! For a whole week?”  

“Jeez, you complain when she makes plans and when she doesn’t. Lay off it, would ya, Pow?” Vi barked, making a final turn onto the interstate and smoothly merging with the traffic. 

Caitlyn, choosing to ignore Jinx’s remark, glanced down at her map. “Alright, keep going until exit 47, where we’ll stop for lunch. We’ll make stops as necessary, but should arrive no later than one o’clock.” 

“Aye aye, Captain Cupcake!” 

“Shut up, Jinx.”

Caitlyn leaned against the passenger side door, rolling her eyes and watched the landscape fly by all while desperately trying to drown out the music.

Normally, she would just fly straight from Zaun, but Vi and the others - mainly Vi and Ekko, really - had insisted on contributing to the travel costs. Therefore, they settled on a cheaper airline that was a few hours away.

“Jinx, Ekko,” Vi called, glancing up at the back row in the rear view mirror. “Up ahead, two o’clock. Trash or creature?”

Jinx scoffed, barely glancing up from her phone. “Oh, come on. I know a bag of dog shit when I see it.” 

Ekko hummed doubtfully “I dunno, looks like it could be a raccoon or something.” 

Caitlyn sighed, but observed the object anyway as they flew past. This was a game that she had learned quickly, after the first time she rode shotgun with Vi and her sister and had ended up being stared at for an uncomfortable amount of time.

It was simple enough, though - one person points out something up ahead that could be either litter or roadkill, the other passengers call out their guesses, and whoever’s unfortunate enough to be riding in the passenger seat has to confirm whether it was, as the name suggests, trash or a creature.

“Well?!” Jinx demanded, practically vibrating in her seat. 

“Well, neither of you were completely correct.” 

“The suspense is killing me,” Vi said sarcastically.

“It was…” Caitlyn paused for dramatic effect. “A rock and crushed up can.” 

“HA! Take that!” Jinx whooped in celebration, punching Ekko in the shoulder. 

“Ow! The hell was that for?!” Ekko grumbled, rubbing his shoulder. 

“The winner is entitled to one punch,” Jinx stated matter-of-factly, as if she hadn’t pulled that rule straight out of her ass. “And a bag of trail mix and a stick of beef jerky.” 

“Oh my go- fine.” Ekko grumbled and rooted around in the snack bag and begrudgingly threw two packages at Jinx. 

“Thaaanks babe~” Jinx cooed in a sing-song voice, already tearing into the trail mix.

Ekko smiled and put an arm around her shoulders, pulling Jinx as close to his chest as the seatbelts would allow.

Vi glanced at them through the rear view mirror with a small smile before reaching out her hand and placing it softly on Caitlyn’s thigh.

Hour two

Vi parked the car and looked up at the golden arches of McDonald’s, watching the “Don” part of the sign flicker.

“Meal of the champs over here.” She commented dryly. 

“Fuck yeah it is!” Jinx was already halfway out of the car, Ekko following close behind. 

Vi sighed and got out of the car, her back crackling in protest. Caitlyn followed suit, much more graceful as she stretched her arms over her head. 

They headed inside and joined Ekko and Jinx at the back of the long, long line. It was lunch rush, after all. Jinx had already pulled out her phone, reveling in the free Wi-Fi. 

“We’re making good time,” Caitlyn murmured, mostly to herself. “We should get to the airport about two hours before our flight, so long as we leave in forty-five minutes. We’ll have to stop for petrol, probably during Ekko’s shift…” 

“Yo, no offense, but… you do realize that not everything needs to be planned out, right?” Ekko interrupted, glancing away from the meme Jinx was showing him. “Like, sometimes you’ve just gotta let stuff play out, y’know?”

Caitlyn’s mouth snapped shut and a blush spread over her cheeks. “I- yes, I just… get a bit stressed if I can’t expect what will happen and-and when…”

Ekko shrugged. “Fair enough,” He said before turning back around.

“Oh, god, I haven’t been overbearing, have I?” Caitlyn whispered to Vi, her eyebrows scrunched together in concern. “I mean- I do plan a lot, don’t I?”

“Cait, baby, you’re fine,” Vi chuckled. “Honestly, you’ve been a huge help in actually making this trip happen. Those two-” she gestured to Ekko and Jinx, “-wouldn’t know organization if it decked them in the face.”

“I heard that!” Jinx barked as Ekko protested, “hey! I can organize just fine-”

“Oh, yeah? Remind me, who did all the laundry when we lived together?”

Ekko glared at Vi. “I did my laundry!” 

“Yeah, the shit that actually reached the bin! The hell were you doing, practicing your free throws with your boxers?”  

“Oh, my god, please stop arguing about Ekko’s undergarments in the middle of a McDonald’s…” Caitlyn sighed, resting her head in her hands. 

Luckily, the line was moving, and soon enough, it was their turn to order.

“I’ll have a medium fry and a McChicken, hold the mayo. And the lettuce.” Jinx rambled to the tired-looking, likely teenage employee.

He blinked, slowly punching in the order. “So, like… a chicken patty between two buns?” 

Jinx nodded enthusiastically. “Ooh, and an Oreo McFlurry!”

“I’m terribly sorry, ma’am, but our ice cream machine is broken.” He did not sound sorry in the slightest.

“Damn…” Jinx sighed before moving away from the counter and letting Ekko order.

“Hi. A quarter pounder, four piece nuggets, and a fountain drink, please.” 

Next up was Vi. “Hey. I’ll take a BigMac and a vanilla iced coffee.” 

And, finally, Caitlyn. “Hello. One filet-o-fish and a hot tea, please.”

“Holy shit, you did not just order that,” Jinx laughed in disbelief. Ekko just looked plain shocked.

“Your total is 36.69,” The employee droned before Caitlyn could respond. “Who’s-”

“I’ve got it.”

“I will be paying.”

Caitlyn and Vi stared each other down, their gazes stone cold as they flicked from each other’s face and to the credit cards in their hands. 

“Someone’s gotta fund my sister’s insane order,” Vi joked, moving to hand the cashier her card.

“No, Vi, it’s really nothing. It’s just a lunch stop.” Caitlyn shook her head, firmly grabbing Vi’s wrist.

“Ladies, it’s twelve thirty on a Saturday and there’s a line,” the employee sighed, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else. No one could blame him, really - he was a McDonald’s cashier, after all. “I can split the bill, if you can’t decide who’ll pay.”

“I… suppose that works.” Caitlyn muttered, reluctantly releasing Vi’s arm and letting her hand her card to the employee. 

They left the restaurant with content stomachs full of probably too many preservatives, meals that Caitlyn’s parents would most definitely never approve of.

But, then again, Caitlyn lived on her own - besides Vi, of course - and never learned how to cook anything better than an omelette, so sue her for indulging in a bit of fast food every now and again. 

Caitlyn slid into the driver’s seat of the car, adjusting it slightly to make up for her and Vi’s height difference.

“Alright, everybody, seatbelts on?” She asked before igniting the engine.

“Yes, mom.” Jinx’s eyeroll was audible, but Caitlyn still heard a sharp  click from the back row.

“I’m a lawyer, what do you want from me?” Caitlyn huffed, shaking her head as she pulled out of the parking lot. 

She and Jinx had never had the best relationship, to say the least. Jinx had found Caitlyn untrustworthy, unworthy of her sister’s love, and was always watching from the corner of her eye. Their conversations were few and far between, usually always ending with some snappish comment from Jinx.

But, eventually, Jinx’s walls chipped until they finally tumbled down, and now they indulged in banter and teases, with sprinkles of deep conversations every now and then. 

But the girl was certainly getting on Caitlyn’s nerves as she started her playlist again.

Hour three

Somehow, they managed to run out of snacks, despite their large supply, so Jinx had insisted on a snack run during their gas stop.

“I ain’t getting robbed out of ten bucks for a bag of skittles at an airport!” She had said.

So here Caitlyn was, leaning against the car and waiting for it to fill as the others made their snack run. 

“Hey.”

Caitlyn glanced up from her phone to meet a stormy-gray gaze. “Fancy seeing you here.” 

Vi pushed a package towards Caitlyn. “Here, I got this for you.” 

Caitlyn took the object and examined it. It was a bag of licorice, her favorite candy. 

“Oh, thank you.” She smiled at Vi before carefully opening the bag and pulling out one of the ropes. She nearly offered one to Vi before catching herself and remembering her girlfriend’s… aversion to the treat.

“It tastes like a handful of dirt, Caitlyn!” Vi had sputtered upon first seeing Caitlyn’s stash of licorice, her face twisted in disgust.

“More for me, I suppose.” Caitlyn had grinned, taking a delicate bite. 

Vi joined Caitlyn in leaning against the car, absentmindedly watching a crow peck at something on the ground.

They sat - or leaned, really - until a small click sounded beside Caitlyn. She turned and carefully removed the gas pump, letting the last few droplets fall before replacing it at the station and closing the gas cap.

Caitlyn’s gaze turned to the door of the gas station’s building, and Vi knew that she was worrying about her schedule. 

“They should be back soon,” Vi reassured with a small smile. “My guess is Jinx is being indecisive about what drink she wants.”

Meanwhile, inside the gas station…  

“-but then there’s Gatorade, and that has, like, a bajillion flavors!” 

Ekko rolled his eyes affectionately, watching Jinx zip from one end of the drink aisle to the other. “I vote for the red one. It’s a classic.” And uncaffeinated, he thought.

But that part didn’t have to be said. 

“Hmmmm… alright, I'm trusting you, Ekko,” Jinx conceded, finally grabbing a drink. 

“Wow, I’m honored,” Ekko said sarcastically. “I can’t believe that I’m lucky enough to have a girlfriend who trusts my drink preferences.” 

“Oh, shush and pay for my gas station snacks like the gentleman you are.”

Chapter Text

Ekko ended up cutting his driving shift short as they neared the airport and handing it off to Vi, explaining that it was “too damn stressful.” 

Well, wasn’t that the truth, Vi realized as she struggled to find somewhere to park her damn car. 

But eventually, after figurative blood, sweat and tears (okay, maybe not so figurative on the tears part,) they found a sufficient spot and could finally go inside.

Jinx and Ekko bounded ahead, deep in conversation and already ignoring Vi’s advice of sticking together. She turned to comment about it to Caitlyn, only to realize her girlfriend wasn’t by her side.

Vi paused and glanced back, seeing that she was still on the curb. Caitlyn was seemingly frozen in place, staring ahead at the airport with a look of apprehension on her face.

“Hey, you alright?” Vi asked, backpedaling over to her.

“I- yeah, it’s just-” Caitlyn exhaled shakily, her voice inadvertently lowering. “The last time I was at an airport… was to fly to mother's funeral.” 

Vi’s breath hitched. “…oh, shit, yeah, it was.” 

And, all of a sudden, she was transported back to that day.

She remembered a phone - Caitlyn’s phone - ringing at some ungodly hour of the morning, waking both of them. 

Caitlyn had answered with a groggy “hello?” 

Then, Vi had to watch as her girlfriend’s face morphed from confusion and into shock, her phone sliding from her grasp and onto the bed, the person on the other line futilely calling her name.

“My… my mother is dead,” was the first and only thing Caitlyn had said that day before her face crumpled into soul-crushing grief. It was a whisper that would have gone unheard if Vi wasn’t alert. Caitlyn’s voice was like a piece of glass about to shatter.

Vi had held her girlfriend as she folded in on herself until the sun peeked over the horizon. 

“Fuck, I’m sorry, I should’ve remembered. I should’ve said something, I-” 

“No, I just-” Caitlyn audibly gulped. “I need to get over it. We’re going on a damn holiday, I’m not letting something like… like this ruin it.”

“Cait…” 

She was already marching toward the doors.

Jinx and Ekko had, luckily, not gotten too far and were standing near the doors, leaning against the wall.

“This time, really stick together,” Vi huffed, coming up next to them. 

Ekko grinned. “Not our fault you’re old and slow.”

“I am twenty-four-years-old and am about to kick your ass into next week, little man.” 

Vi glanced back at Caitlyn, whose eyes darted around the airport nervously. She had never enjoyed crowds or big, open rooms.

“They remind me of my childhood home, and all the events my parents hosted,” Caitlyn had said with a shudder after a particularly disastrous date attempt. “Thank goodness I had Jayce to sneak me out before I’d meltdown.” 

“I’m gonna go drop off the suitcases. No funny business.” She glared at Jinx and Ekko - mainly Jinx - before turning to Caitlyn, her voice softening. “Cait, can I borrow your phone for a sec?”

Caitlyn fished her phone out of her pocket and wordlessly handed it to Vi. Her eyes were still nervously darting around, looking anywhere but into another’s gaze.

“Thanks, cupcake. Be right back.” Vi placed a small kiss on Caitlyn’s cheek, her hatred of PDA be damned, and walked toward the desks. As she stood in line, she typed in Caitlyn’s password - their anniversary, cute - and pulled up all the information she needed.

Now, all she had to do was wait in line.

A line that was moving at a snail’s pace…

Vi sighed and leaned against the suitcases.

“Heeey, toots, you doin’ alright?” Jinx asked in what she hoped was a casual manner, joining Caitlyn in leaning against the wall.

“Yes, I’m fine, thank you.” Caitlyn replied. Her voice was cold, clipped, like each word was being pulled from her mouth like a fish out of water. 

“You sure? ‘Cuz you look-”

Caitlyn, despite not having her phone, jammed her headphones into her ears, effectively ending the conversation.

“…oookay, then.” Jinx glanced at Ekko, who merely shrugged, looking equally as lost. 

Jinx stayed next to Caitlyn, hoping that her presence was helping with… whatever was bothering her.

Admittedly, she never quite knew how to help people with emotions and… stuff. She didn’t have the people reading skills or empathy of her sister, to put it simply.

So that paired with Caitlyn Kiramman, the world’s best masker in her books, always ended up awkward.

But still, Jinx tried. She wanted to make it up to Vi and her girlfriend, for being so cold and assuming that Caitlyn was just some stuck-up Piltie trying to use her sister in… one way or another.

She thought it might be helping, with the way Caitlyn’s shoulders slightly lowered.

Jinx kept her small, slightly sad smile to herself.

Going through security was relatively painless, besides the fact that Jinx had been forced to undo her braids in order to remove the metal decorations weaved into her hair. 

“Do you have any idea how long it takes to braid this?” She’d shouted at the TSA agent after he’d asked her to remove the decor.

“Look, either you remove the metal or you get patted down. I don’t make the rules.”

So now they sat at their gate, Vi and Ekko sitting on the floor and working overtime to rebraid Jinx’s hair as she grumbled about “ stupid ass TSA thinking I’m gonna make a bomb with a few rings of scrap metal.” 

Caitlyn, meanwhile, remained silently seated in a chair with her headphones in, reading the same page of her book multiple times, unable to retain a single word as her brain scrambled.

She’d forgotten just how goddamn loud airports were. Normally, sound never bothered her much, so long as it was organized. Loud music? No issue, if it was of her taste. Guns firing? Music to her ears.

But if it was nothing more than overlapping chatter, children crying, intercoms going off - now that was where she had an issue.

And not to mention how packed they were. Seriously, the amount of strangers Caitlyn had brushed shoulders with just walking to their gate…

She shivered at the thought, closing her book and placing it back into her bag, finally admitting to herself that no progress would be made.

“There, done,” Vi huffed, leaning away from Jinx and letting the finished braid fall. “Please, for the love of god, use hair ties like a normal person next time.” 

“Aw, where’s the fun in that?” Jinx pouted dramatically. 

Caitlyn felt a small smile flicker on her face, watching the two sisters bicker. But her attention was quickly pulled away as her phone vibrated against her leg.

Fishing it out of her pocket, she found a message from Jayce, along with an attached photo. From the blurry preview, it appeared to be a candid of Viktor walking into the beach house they were staying at, the ball of fur that they called their dog at his heels.

Jayce 

[ Image ]

Hey, sprout! Me and Vik are finally here :) How’s travel day going for you? 

Sprout 🌱 

As you already know, Jinx forced my hand into letting her control the music for the road drip portion.

She also got flagged by the TSA for her hair decor and had to unbraid it. I’m surprised she managed to get to the gate with it down without getting trampled.

Jayce 

Oh boy. From what Vik’s told me about her, that sounds accurate 

Caitlyn started to type out a reply, but the jingle of an intercom going off distracted her. 

“Attention, flight 516 at gate A6 will now begin boarding.” 

Sprout 🌱 

I’m afraid I must go, boarding is about to begin.

Jayce

Alright, see you soon!! Save travels :) 

Caitlyn smiled before sliding her phone back into her pocket and standing up. She opened her bag, double checking that she had everything. She knew she did, but she could never rest easy without seeing every valuable in its place. Especially one specific object…

With confirmation that everything was there, Caitlyn slung her bag over her shoulders and joined Vi, Jinx and Ekko in line.

“Fourteen… fifteen… sixteen, here we are.” 

Vi, Caitlyn and Jinx arranged themselves on one side of the row into what was effectively a Vi sandwich, with Jinx in the window seat and Caitlyn in the aisle across from Ekko.

Caitlyn sighed, practically folding her legs in half to fit in the seat. Oh, the woes of being tall. 

But Caitlyn’s height wasn’t the only woe, because as soon as the plane started to move, a baby burst out crying just a few rows away from them.

Vi and Caitlyn shared twin grimaces and Caitlyn upped the volume of her music until it was on nearly full blast. 

She hesitated before slowly lowering her head onto Vi’s shoulder. Vi caught on quickly and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, giving them a tight squeeze. 

Caitlyn sighed appreciatively, practically melting into her girlfriend. Pressure and firm touches always helped ground her, even more so if it was from Vi.

She closed her eyes, praying to nothing in particular that she’d be able to sleep the flight away. 

Caitlyn did not, in fact, sleep the flight away. Instead, she sat there, wide awake and hyper aware of her surroundings as Vi dozed off.

Her arm fell away, no longer providing Caitlyn comfort, but she wasn’t about to wake Vi up because of it. 

But eventually, the plane came down and sped across the runway. Vi jolted awake, groggily looking out the window as the plane slowly rolled to a stop. The intercom came on, the captain speaking in a way that Caitlyn barely caught half of the message. 

“We survived!” Jinx cheered in a whisper-shout. Vi gave her a small smile

The seatbelt sign flickered off and people started standing up, starting the awkward shuffling game as people squished together in the aisle.

That was a game that Caitlyn was certainly not keen to play. Instead, she waited for it to clear before slinging her backpack over her shoulder and standing up, Vi and Jinx following close behind. Once in the aisle, Ekko came up behind Jinx and embraced her, placing a small kiss on her temple. Caitlyn let them have their moment in peace before starting the trek off the plane.

After awkwardly smiling and nodding as flight attendants ushered them out, they all let out sighs of relief as they touched down onto the oddly colored carpet of the airport.

“Alright, now we’ve gotta find the luggage claim,” Vi mumbled, taking the lead.

Good news: they had found the right luggage claim.

Bad news: as soon as they arrived, the intercom announced that there were delays with retrieving bags from their flight.

Caitlyn sighed and leaned against a support beam, staring up into the lights in a way that probably wasn’t good for her eyes. 

 Vi shrugged. “Well, as long as there’s a wait, I’m gonna go use the bathroom.”

“Yeah, me too,” Ekko said. 

The two marched away, leaving Caitlyn and Jinx to stand guard. Jinx joined her at the pillar, absentmindedly watching people mill about.

“Can’t wait to get out of this shithole,” Jinx muttered. She waited for a response and glanced over at Caitlyn when she got none. “Cat got your tongue?”

Caitlyn’s ears burned and she averted her gaze, shame curling in her stomach. She opened her mouth, trying to will anything out, but all she got was a whimper.

Holy shit. She did not just whimper in front of Jinx. 

“N-no, not like that!” Jinx sputtered, quickly correcting herself. “Shit, sorry, I worded that completely wrong.”

She sighed, squinting at the ceiling. “I just… I get it, y’know? When shit hits the fan and it feels like someone’s ripped open your throat and snipped your vocal cords.” She blinked. “Okay, wait, no, that sounded really gross. Whoops.” 

Caitlyn’s breath hitched around a giggle and she smiled for the first time in probably about three hours. It was minuscule, really. Only a slight tug at the corner of her mouth 

But the smile was cut short as the alarm for the conveyor belt suddenly rang and she flinched at the sound. 

By the time their flight was up, Vi and Ekko had returned and kept a vigilant watch for their luggage. 

“Here they are,” Vi called, watching two suitcases emerge from the flaps and make their way down the conveyer. Vi and Ekko both raced to grab one. “Now to get the rental car.”

“I’ll- I’ll go get it and pick you all up in a moment…” Caitlyn muttered, just barely audible. Because if she spoke louder, surely her throat would finally give out and her voice would shatter in two.

“I’ll go with you,” Vi said immediately. “Airports are cryptic as shit, better to have two sets of eyes than one, right?” 

If there was one thing that Caitlyn knew, it was that Vi was a horrible liar. White lie or not, her scarred eyebrow always furrowed a bit. 

But, Caitlyn supposed she would allow it this one time.

And so they headed out in silence, walking through the seemingly unending parking lot. Caitlyn was silent because she needed to be - Vi was silent because she wanted to be. 

“Oh, I think that’s it,” Vi spoke for the first time in about five minutes, pointing to a white SUV. 

Caitlyn double checked the license plate and nodded in confirmation, unlocking the doors and sliding into the drivers seat. 

“H-here we go, time to drive for… for an… hour.” Caitlyn’s voice was wobbly as Vi opened the passenger side door. 

“Cait, how about I drive?” Vi offered, her husky voice impossibly soft. 

Caitlyn’s eyes widened. “But… you had the last driving shift-”

“That was, like, thirty minutes max.”

“-and you dropped off the suitcase-” 

“I did indeed show a guy at the desk my ID and a confirmation email.”

“And…”

Vi sighed. “Cupcake, this has clearly been a lot for you. Please, let me drive? If anything, so I can know you’re getting some rest?” 

Caitlyn tightly gripped the wheel before letting her hands fall with a defeated sigh. “Alright… I… suppose you can drive.” 

With that, they switched seats, Caitlyn curling in on herself in the passenger side.

“What can I do to help?” Vi asked once they were settled. 

That was one of the many things Caitlyn loved about Vi, the fact that she never asked “is there anything I can do to help?” She instead leaps into action, ready to support someone no matter what. 

Although that person rarely includes herself…

But Caitlyn never minds being Vi’s support when she can’t hold herself up. She’d let Vi lean on her for eternity. 

Ooh, she should add that to her speech for when she- 

“… I’d like some water. And to listen to my podcast in peace.”

“Of course, Cait,” Vi said, her smile bright. “I’ll tell Jinx to lay off the music, yeah?”

She moved to turn on the car.

“I, uhm, would also appreciate a hug?” Caitlyn added meekly.

Keys still dangling from the ignition, Vi leaned over the center console and embraced Caitlyn. It was a bit awkward, with so much space between the two seats, but, as always, they made it work.

Eventually they parted, and Vi started the car.

Caitlyn placed her headphones in her ears and started the newest episode of her favorite podcast. This one was a hypothetical discussion of if humans laid eggs.

Most probably wouldn’t find it calming. Quite the opposite, actually.

But for Caitlyn, nothing was better than letting her brain run amuck with weird animal facts and interesting discussions of how the patriarchy would be affected by women being oviparous. 

The final stretch was definitely the shortest of the journey, only about an hour or so. Caitlyn managed to recover relatively quickly, between the peaceful guitar music of Vi’s choice and her excitement to see her brother of choice.

God, how long had it been since she’d seen Jayce in person? Surely she’d seen him after his wedding, right?

“We have entered the city,” Vi announced gleefully. 

The sun was beginning to set, just barely dipping below the horizon. Caitlyn realized quickly that the aforementioned horizon was actually the ocean.

“Google maps says we’re fifteen minutes away,” Ekko chimed in from the back, having taken over navigations. Jinx had fallen asleep against his shoulder, peacefully snoozing away. 

Time slowly ticked by, Caitlyn’s excitement growing by the minute, until Vi finally pulled into a driveway. 

“I think we’re here,” she said, squinting at the address. 

But, as if to confirm, Caitlyn watched a head poke through the door before throwing it wide open.

Jayce.

Caitlyn flung her door open and leapt out of the car, all jet lag thrown out the window as she ran up the driveway.

Jayce quickly bounded down the steps and they met halfway in a tight, lung-crushing hug. 

Caitlyn buried her head in his shoulder and, if anyone were to ask, she was definitely not crying. 

Jayce loosened his hold just enough to lean back and meet Caitlyn’s eyes. “Hey, Cait, how’ve you been?” 

Caitlyn sniffled and wiped her eyes that were definitely not tearing up, thank you very much. “Good. Really good.” 

She heard a small clink and looked over Jayce’s shoulder to see Viktor standing in the doorway. “Ah, you’ve finally arrived.”

“Hello to you too, Viktor,” Caitlyn huffed with a smile. 

“Hey-hey, pretty boy!” Vi’s voice was unmistakable as she crept up behind Caitlyn. 

“Vi! Nice to see you.” Jayce grinned as they exchanged some secret handshake the two had concocted years ago. It only seemed to grow longer with every encounter, really.

“VIKKIE!” Jinx’s voice was also unmistakable as she rushed up to the porch to greet Viktor. He used to be her tutor of sorts, if Caitlyn remembered correctly.

Viktor sighed, but still accepted her hug. “Please stop calling me that.” 

“Jayce, is this when I finally get to meet the infamous Ding?” Ekko came over with an easygoing smile. 

Jayce’s eyes lit up as he finished his handshake with Vi. “Oh, yeah, I keep forgetting that you haven’t met him! Hold on, just one sec.” He walked back over to the front of the house, leaning inside and letting out a sharp whistle. “Ding! Here, boy!” 

The scrambling of paws on hardwood was heard and a cloud of orange fur soon burst out the door, tail wagging violently at his rear.

Viktor seemed unimpressed. “Jayce, you need to stop calling him that. He never answers to his full name anymore.” 

Ekko kneeled down to pet Heimerdinger, Jayce and Viktor’s dog. He was old, a bit insane, yet intelligent, and very fluffy. 

Eventually, everyone started heading inside, except for Jayce and Caitlyn, who had requested a private conversation in exchange for bringing in the rest of the luggage.

“So… how’s married life?” Caitlyn asked, kicking a pebble.

“Pretty great, honestly. I get to wake up next to my favorite person everyday, do my taxes with him, get scolded for calling our dog by a nickname…” Jayce listed with a content sigh, before turning to Caitlyn with a wicked grin. “Buut… I think I know why you’re really asking.”

Caitlyn forcefully cleared her throat.

 “I have no idea what you’re referring to.” 

“Uh-huh, sure.” Jayce rolled his eyes. “Can I at least see the ring?” 

Caitlyn nodded and headed over to the car - which was still unlocked, thank god - and grabbed her backpack, opening the biggest pocket, then reaching inside a smaller mesh pocket and producing a small velvet box.

The box that contained the ring Caitlyn was going to use to propose to Vi during this trip.

She opened it and let Jayce peek inside. His eyes lit up as he observed it and his smile only widened.

“Oh, yeah, she’s gonna love that.”