•To The Simpler Times ~Vi x F!Oc•

•29•

"He's... alive." Jinx says, struggling for air.

Vi stares back at her with wide and angry eyes before furrowing her brows further. "We both know that's bullshit." She spit as she squeezes her neck further.

"Violet!" I yell, shaking her shoulders. As she looks back at me her face softens, realising how scared I am. She let's go and steps back and I immediately kneel beside a fallen Jinx to calm her.

"Easy, easy. You're ok, you can breathe." She coughs and splutters as I gently rub her back. When she calms down, she looks at me with a smile before looking back up at Vi.

"He needs our help. I can prove it." She states with a slight wheeze.

Vi sighs before getting a towel and wetting it. She runs it over her face and removes most of her black makeup, leaving some just around the eyes. She grabs her jacket that was strewn over the desk and throws it over her shoulders lazily.

Then, Isha jogs in and straight into my arms. "Got fed up of waiting? Understandable." I chuckle, standing and picking her up and onto my good, left hip. I wait and let Jinx lead the way before we all follow out. I see Vi quickly grab her gauntlets out of the corner of my eye as we leave.

It's a surprisingly short walk from where we were to the old mines so it only takes a few minutes. Towards the end, Isha got wriggly so I had put her down so she could run with Jinx. As we arrive, the two youngest start taking off wooden boards on the entry way as Vi slows to a stop. I turn to her in questioning before I see the graffiti of Jinx holding a flare high, surrounded by the colourful smoke that had filled Topside.

I grab Vi's hand and squeeze it comfortingly before leading her to the mines. I can feel her eyes trained on Jinx as we walk, silently questioning how much she means to Zaun. As we clamber down the shaft, Isha and Jinx clap in unison making all the fungus light up brightly before slowly fading darker again.

Jinx runs her hand over a set of scratch marks gently. "This is where I lost him." Next to me, Vi rolls her eyes and shakes her head. Jinx and Isha clap again as they lead us into the mines. I step forward, immediately trusting the two whilst Vi sighs and hesitantly follows after me, gently entwining her hand in mine. The two girls infront keep walking, clapping and chatting amongst themselves. Jinx explaining things to the littlest while she nods back.

"You seriously trust her?" Vi whispers to me.

"With my life." I say, not hushing myself or anything, I didn't care if they heard.

"Why?"

"Jinx, Isha and Sevika were the only ones there when I went through my darkest time. Though, I don't think it was as bad as solitary. I was awful then. But this was a close second. They built me back up. I'll forever be greatful."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there. I was getting drunk and whacked instead. God, I sound stupid."

"Nobody cares if you sound stupid. Everyone sounds stupid."

"I should've been there."

"That's a great way to drive yourself crazy."

"You've grown. Maturer I mean."

"Is that a bad thing?"