Too Soon (Partners in Crime, Chapter 8)
This chapter will also be posted on AO3 here
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Relevant Tags: Jinx x Reader (But this is a Vi focused chapter), Vi & Reader, Mentions of past drug use, Mentions of abuse, Alcohol
Following the success of the Hex Coil project, Jayce and Viktor present to you an unexpected request: A meeting with Vi.
It's over a celebratory dinner, just the three of you, at one of your usual haunts in Piltover, where you get the inkling that Jayce and Viktor are acting just a tad bit strange.
At first, you think it's just cause they're nervous about the report you'll need to file with the council about the Hex Coil project. Maybe they were running scenarios in their head that the council will want to monopolize its use, and charge people a shit ton just to be able to install it; or worse, a subscription service.
But as you're wolfing down one too many salted egg calamari, it occurs to you that this kind of jumpy behavior is often associated with them needing a big favor from you. Like the time you had to do the company's books, or when they told you that they had volunteered you to look after Poro while Heimerdinger's was away.
"Alright," You start. Jayce stops mid-drink of his beer, Viktor mid-chew of his noodles. "Spit it out."
Viktor immediately slurps more noodles, and shrugs, leaving Jayce to fend for himself. Your eyes flit to Jayce, waiting for him to fill you in on whatever he and Viktor were avoiding.
"Uhm—well." His eyes dart around the restaurant, as if something would swoop in to save him. Viktor, finishes up chewing his noodles, and sighs.
"Violet would like to speak with you. I think it is a horrendous idea, but Jayce thinks you should go see her."
"Oh."
"Woah, hold on a second!" Jayce holds his hands up. "I'm not going to try to talk you into seeing her. That's purely up to you, and whatever you decide, we support."
"But?"
He looks off to the side before back to you. "But, my own personal opinion, she seemed sincere in wanting to speak to you."
"She also told us about what happened between you and Powder." Viktor cuts in, earning him a Hey! from Jayce. He shrugs in response.
You lean back on your chair and cross your arms, eyes darting between the two of them. On the one hand, You couldn't say that you were keen on speaking to her, seeing as she's Jinx's sister and they tell each other everything. Jinx telling her about your shouting match isn't really out of character. On the other hand, you do feel like you owe her for what she did for you at the party.
The more you think about it, the more surprised you were that you aren't completely abhorred by the idea. It looks like the high from a successful Hex Coil test deterred any and all bad mood swings, no matter what they were. Except with Jinx, you were still pissed about that.
"Yeah, okay." You say as you shrug.
"We completely understand—"
"Totally valid—Wait what?"
"I beg your pardon?"
You wish you could pull your phone out and snap a phot of their agape mouths, but you decide to take the high road and answer them first. "Yeah, okay. I can talk to Vi. When does she want to meet?"
It's Jayce who recovers first. "Really?"
"Yes, Jayce."
"You heard me correctly, didn't you?" Viktor says, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes Viktor. Vi wants to speak with me, I'm willingly agreeing to."
He sits up straight. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"Well, do you know why she wants to talk to me? That would help me decide whether it's a good idea or not." They both shake their heads.
A thought occurs to you, and you grin. "You two weren't banking on the Hex Coil working before telling me this, were you?" They shake their heads and quickly try to dispel any notion that they would do that, and you laugh. "Alright, alright. Would you have told me this if it didn't work?"
"Probably not."
"Definitely not."
"Fair enough."
Vi wants to talk, huh? The more the thought sits with you, them more curious you get. What did she even want to talk about? Did Jinx ask her to speak with you? Probably not, you muse. Even though Vi was her closest confidant, Jinx's pride would never let her ask her sister for help in this department.
Your face sours momentarily at the thought of Jinx, but you're able to recover quickly enough, turning your attention back to Jayce and Viktor.
"Well, I guess I'm okay with speaking with her. Besides," You shrug, "I kind of owe her for the whole party thing, might as well hear her out." Viktor sits back in his chair, seemingly gauging whether or not you're being genuine. Jayce is tapping his finger on his beer glass, waiting if you're going to say anything else. The former sighs.
"Well, I guess, if you believe that this isn't for any nefarious reasons, you could go see her."
You stifle a laugh. "Why would you think that she'd have nefarious reasons to speak to me." He shrugs and takes a sip of his wine before muttering You never know.
"So it's settled, then." Jayce says. "I'll let her know that you're okay to talk. She left me her card," He slides over Vi's business card to you. "Said you can text her what time you're available, and she'll adjust."
You take the card, flipping it through your fingers. Detective Sergeant it read, and you whistle at the rank. "Someone's moving up in the world."
"Not as much as you'll be moving up once we get the Hex Coil up and running." You grin at Jayce's words. It looks like the success of the Hex Coil not only boosted your mood, but could immediately make you forget about whatever else you were previously talking about.
"To the fucking—ow! Sorry." You rub the spot Viktor slapped on your shoulder, as he nods towards the customers that turned their heads your way. "—to the Hex Coil." You say, voice a few notches quieter, and raise your glass.
"To the Hex Coil." Your mentors say.
---
"I don't know about this."
"Well you won't be able to tell anything with your eyes closed—ow!"
"You're not helping, Mylo!" Your grip on the tree trunk tightens as Vi continues to scold Mylo. You hazard a look at the squabbling teenagers, all standing on a thick tree root, big enough to hold the weight of several adults, safely; across a huge river crossing, too huge for you to jump over!
"I'm just saying, even Powder made it across." Mylo retorts, gesturing to Powder, who was also trying to coax you to jump.
"I don't think I can make it." You say, turning your head to hide in the trunk. As long as you can't see the river, it can't hurt you.
"You'll be fine! I got you!" Violet calls out. You turn your face away from the trunk, and blink.
---
"I got one chicken, one beef gyro with fries to go for number nineteen!"
You look up from your phone as your order is announced. Despite the long queue of people during the lunch rush, you were hardly deterred from ordering your favorite--cholesterol infused, according to Viktor--lunch items. Despite Viktor's warning faintly echoing in your mind, and the fact that this particular food truck is way too far for you to make it back to the office in time, you don't mind making the walk there. After all, Jayce did give you the option to have the afternoon off, since you had a personal errand to run.
"I had drinks with those?" You tell the server as you hand him your number. A scrawny looking kid with a mop of red hair, can't be older than sixteen, shuffles around the bag and inspects the receipt.
"Oh sorry" He says. A tap on his shoulder prompts him to step to the side as a large burly man comes into view through the window, handing you two sodas.
"Orange and root beer?" The man says to you. You grin as you take the sodas and the bag of food.
"You know me too well, Jericho. Thanks!" Jericho winks at you before waving you off, looking over the new orders that had just come in for the truck. Just as you're about to head off to the side, you hear someone call out your name.
You turn and spot the source of the voice, donned in her Enforcer uniform, with her shiny badge on her waist.
You'll never admit this to Vi, of course, but you spent a good chunk of the week running through how you were going to start this conversation. All the introductions you could make without you looking like a complete idiot. You weren't exactly on good terms with her—you were on terrible terms—before your confinement, and even when your circles intermingled again, neither of you made an effort to seek the other out. Between that, what she did for you back at Jinx's party, and now the invitation to talk—you weren't sure how you were gonna go about the entire ordeal. You decided to play it off how you would meet up with Viktor or Jayce. Whatever that meant.
"I got us food." You raised the bag and two sodas, an offering of peace. Vi eyes the bag, then the food truck, then lets out a small smirk.
"Some things haven't changed, I see." She grabs the sodas from you, freeing up one of your hands. You see through the air of nonchalance; she's following your lead.
You shrug. "Jericho's the best."
"Indeed he is."
A beat of silence passes as neither of you know what to say next. Vi shuffles in place, and you rub the back of your neck.
"The park's still there-"
"You know the park-"
You pipe down at the same time, before you chuckle, the tension around the both of you easing up.
"The park then?" She asks.
"Lead the way detective." You nod to the direction of the park. Eventually falling in step with Vi.
It's a short walk, and there weren't a lot of people around since most were scrambling to finish lunch and get back to work. There's a slight charge to the silence that settles over the both of you as you head to a set of monkey bars and some old seesaws.
You look over to Vi, who shrugs and hands you the sodas, before hoisting herself up on the bars. You hand her your lunch and pull yourself up, settling next to her. She hands you your food and soda, and you both eat in relative silence.
"So, want me to just rip off the band aid?" She says after a while.
To be honest, you thought that was how she was going to start the conversation, but you decide to not comment that, and instead nod your head. "Yeah… I mean, I'm really curious as to why you wanted to talk in the first place."
Vi is sat in front of you, but facing away and staring off at something on the ground. Nevertheless, she lets you know that she's listening by nodding her head.
"Have I angered the fuzz?" She snorts at your question, mid-chew. "You thought I wanted to talk to you cause my sister ran her mouth?"
You shrug. "It's either that or what you did for me last month at the party."
---
"You'll be fine!" Vi shouts at you again. The others have started walking ahead, looking for some place more comfortable to rest.
"What if I won't be? What if I don't make it and fall into the river?" The offending river apparently hears you, and you swear the volume of the water rushing through increases.
"I'll catch you, don't worry about it! Just… Take a breath, and run and jump!" She beckons you over with her arms.
The river is scary. Very, very scary. Too wide to jump for you. But Vi sounds like she's sure about being able to catch you, and it's not like you can find your way back on your own if you turn around.
You look over to the older girl, and she smiles at you, nodding her head over.
"Okay!" You manage.
"Alright! Just…whenever you're ready."
"Okay…" You cling to the tree for a few more seconds.
"…Any time now, bud." You make a face, resigning to the fact that you have to actually jump, and not just agree.
You hesitate for a moment, heart thudding in your chest as you slowly inch your foot forward, little by little. Eventually, you're far enough where you have to let go of the tree. Your hand tries to stay connected to it as long as possible, eventually your fingers being too far to be able to touch.
"Good." Vi moves forward from where she is on the root. "Now just, jump when I count to three."
You nod and let out a breath, steadying yourself for the leap.
"One-"
---
"Hey, you still here?" Vi reaches over and snaps her fingers in front of you. You swat her hand away.
"Yeah, sorry, drifted off there a bit." She holds her gaze at you for a bit before nodding. Now wasn’t the best time to push the subject, not when this was your first chance to actually talk.
"So…why did you want to talk?" She leans back a bit, her legs idly swinging from under her. She looks a bit ridiculous doing it in her enforcer uniform, but you bite your tongue. That's something old chums would say. No sense of familiarity, not between the both of you.
"The party, actually."
"Hm." You purse your lips. You're surprised by your own reaction. Initially, you thought that you'd be okay discussing it, that your curiosity—and the high from the Hex Coil—would be enough of a cushion for your mood. But apparently, there's still a smidgen of bitterness at the thought of it.
Vi looks over to you. "You sure you're okay talking about it?"
"Rip the band aid off, right?" You say, taking another bite.
She nods. "Rip off the band aid…" A sigh, as she sets her food down on her lap and dusts off her hands. "I like to think I saw you at the worst part of your life." Oh wow, she was actually ripping off the band aid. "But the party… I've never seen you so angry."
You stop mid-chew, considering the implied question in her words. No one had ever described you as a violent child. And you weren't an angry teenager, either. Even with your troubling history with substance abuse, you were never violent with anyone. Your first outburst had surprised even you. It earned you a beating from the officers back in the day.
"A lot happened in between, Vi." You take a swig of your soda. "I tried figuring that stuff out with a therapist, she said it was a lot of unregulated emotions that kind of overflowed—which I think is utter bullshit." She snorts at your remark. "Cause we supposedly worked through all of those issues. But clearly the party shows otherwise."
"When did it start? Was it someone messing with you in juvie?"
"I got messed with as much as all the other kids did." You shrug. "I can't tell you how it started, really. It just happened one day, then I was angry all the time."
There's a look in Vi's eyes you know too well. Pity. It was a look that Jayce had thrown at you a lot when he first heard your story, not long after the two of you met. It wasn't his fault he had such a terrible poker face, but you still eventually told him off and stated that you didn't need his pity. Mel had thankfully only looked at you with pity a split second before keeping her face neutral. And Viktor had never looked at you that way at all.
"You know," You start. "I used to think I was angry because I thought you narc'd on me." Her eyebrows furrow at you.
"You thought I narc'd on you and Powder?"
"I did until I remembered that she also got arrested." You take another bite of your food, chewing thoughtfully before continuing. "As much as you hated that we were using, you'd never ruin her future for it."
"And she didn't have some hotshot councilor that saw potential in her and plucked her out." She adds dryly.
"It's not my fault Mel saw potential." You add air quotes as you say it. "Anyway, the bottom line is, I don't know why I got angry, I just know it happens if you bring up mum dying or anything related to it."
"Your birthday." Her remark catches the both of you off guard, and you have to take a breath. "Yup, that too."
A few minutes of silence pass, the both of you quietly eating your food. Vi doesn't follow up with any questions about your time in juvie, and you're thankful for it. The last thing you wanted to talk about was getting beat by discipline officers or getting your head dunked into a toilet.
"I'm sorry." She says finally. You turn to her, and you're surprised by the sincerity in her eyes. "That all of that had to happen to you. And that I cut you off all those years." You scoff at the last part.
Your answer is immediate, straightforward, rehearsed. "I think I would've done the same if—"
"You were a kid." She interjects, but it doesn't really change your sentiments.
Enough time should have already passed for you to not be bothered. You know you shouldn't be bothered, but your jaw still tightens. "I was old enough to know right from wrong."
"Still—"
"I made peace with that part, Vi." You say firmly, more to convince yourself than her. There was no need for any of you to dwell in the past. "Besides, it got me here. So I guess—I guess it worked out in the end."
She holds your gaze, looking for any cracks in your resolve. The moment passes when she sighs deeply, still in obvious disagreement with you. But she doesn't push the subject, and another stretch of silence passes between you two.
"Mylo and Ekko are sorry, too." She settles.
"Really?" You ask sarcastically.
"They are." She insists, turning fully towards you. "I know Jayce and Cait told you to steer clear of them, but it was me who asked them to do that. You know, while I tried to get them to see sense."
"Why are they suddenly so sorry?"
"Because they realized they were being outright dicks? Especially since they haven't seen you in years?"
A snort. "Or you twisted their arms."
She shrugs, a smirk playing on her lips. "Maybe, maybe not. But they're sincere, I swear."
You feel yourself relax a bit, the tension in your shoulders dissipating. "I'm sorry for what I did at the party." Vi purses her lips, before nodding. "You shouldn't have beat the crap out of those two, but you shouldn't be apologizing, either."
The two of you finish off your lunches as a comfortable silence settles over the empty playground. Judging by the lack of people running around the sidewalk, you guess that it's probably well past lunch time, and at some point, you should be heading back to work.
Right on cue, your phone buzzes. A message from Jayce.
Do you need the afternoon off? It's fine if you do.
"Do you need to be getting back?"
A shrug. "I probably should."
Vi nods, jumping off from the monkey bars and dusting herself off. You follow suit, and the both of you are left at an awkward point where you have to say goodbye.
"Listen." She starts. Shuffling around on her feet. "Thank you, for agreeing to meet with me. I know this wasn't easy for you."
"You caught me at a good time, actually." She raises an eyebrow at you. "We had a breakthrough at work, so I was in a really good mood when Jayce and Viktor told me about this."
"Oh. Would you not have met with me if you just had a normal day at work?"
"Maybe? I think still would've. This conversation was kind of long overdue, yeah?"
"Yeah. That and…" She trails off a bit, but you wait patiently as she tries to find her words. She stands up straighter, and looks you straight in the eyes.
"I want to fix things."
She waits for a beat for you to react. Not that you could, the words were still processing in your head. "I know it's been years, and I've also been a complete dick to you in the last few months, but I wanna try and make up for it… For all of it."
You blink, then blink again. The shock on your face must be obvious, because Vi is quick to put her hands up in a placating manner. "Only if you want to. I'm not gonna force us all to go back to how we were when we were kids. I don't know if we can go back to how things were. But I'd really like to try, at least, and the guys would too."
Whatever initial expectations you had prior to meeting with Vi, whatever guess you could've made on why she wanted to meet, this definitely wasn't in any of them. After all the silence—and the minor hostility at times—here was an olive branch; a request to start over.
You like to think that any self-respecting person would turn down her offer. Anyone who's been cut-off then treated poorly should know better. People are only ever in your life for as long as they need to be, and clinging onto old memories and feelings is unneeded, cruel to yourself, even.
---
"I'm sorry I couldn't jump, Vi."
"Don't sweat it, kiddo."
You look over to her, checking to see if she's upset. She was looking forward to this trip, after all. "You're not mad at me?"
"F'course not." She nudges you with her shoulder, mouth half-full of food. "Why would I be mad?"
"Cause I wasn't brave enough to do it?" She scoffs, inhaling the rest of her sandwich. "So you weren't ready to jump over a river, you'll be ready one day. Maybe not tomorrow or a week from now, but one day."
You consider her words as you take a tentative bite from your own sandwich; packed by your mom for the trip there. "What if I'm never ready?"
A shrug. "Then we don't go over this river."
"But what if the others want to jump over?"
"They can jump over, me and you can hike around it."
"Even if you want to jump over?"
"I'd rather all of you safe and having fun."
"Even if you can't jump over this river forever?"
"Even if I can't ever jump over this river forever."
You smile sadly at her, shoulders slumping slightly. "Mum's boyfriend says I'm a sissy sometimes."
"Yeah, well. He's a dick. Don't ever think you have to do something you don't want to." She ruffles you hair and sits back on a tree, before squinting at something in the distance. "There they are. Told you they'd come back for us… or at least for the snacks."
You follow her gaze and spot your friends waving over to you, their loud voices already bouncing off the trees. Vi stands up and starts walking towards them, before turning back to you. "I'll always be there for 'ya kiddo. Alright?"
---
"And Jinx?"
A shrug. "Eh, she's a big girl now. You're issues with each other are yours."
You snort. "Does she know you're doing this?"
"Yeah, duh. She'd kill the both of us if I didn't tell her about it first." "And she's fine with this?"
"She said I could do what I want."
you narrow your eyes slightly. "So what, are you gonna have a family dinner and invite me over, or something?"
"Actually," She takes the bag of wrappers and empty sodas, walking over to a trash bin "I don't know if Jayce told you this yet, but we're all going camping next weekend."
You raise an eyebrow at her. "Camping?"
"Yup, the guys wanted to go, so I invited Cait, Cait asked if she could invite Jayce..." Vi continues to ramble on how Jayce said yes and invited Mel, but that Viktor had turned him down.
Stuck in the middle of the wilderness with people you aren't on the best terms with—sans Jayce and Mel—for an extended period of time, sounds like a terrible idea. Anyone in their right mind would immediately say no, also, your ex—did you two break up? Were you officially dating?—was going to be there. A bad idea, very bad idea.
Almost as bad as jumping over a river.
"I'll... I'll think about it."
Vi stops mid-sentence, eyes wide. The hopeful glint in her eye is evident as she lets out a breath. "Really?"
"That doesn't mean I'm leaning towards a yes, Vi."
"No, yeah, totally, it's fine." The hope fades a bit, but you still see it. "Just... Let Jayce know, yeah? And he'll let me know?"
"Sure, Vi."
She wipes her hands on her pants, a pensive smile on her face. "I'll uh, see you around?"
You mirror the smile she gives you. "I'll see you around."
