Caitlyn was a light-sleeper. She could wake up even from the most quiet of sounds. Her senses were sharpened even when she was asleep. A decade of working as a sheriff and fighting in the Fields of Justice had prepared her to be ready at any emergency, ready to jump out of bed and be out and about.

Therefore, it was not a surprise when her eyes flew open when she heard a scream.

She blinked, her eyes adjusting to the darkness around her. She reached for her alarm clock; it was just a couple of minutes after 3 a.m. She still had about another three hours of rest left before she needed to prepare for work and two and half hours before sunrise. She threw the covers and grabbed her robe before sliding her feet inside her sleepers.

The apartment was dark and quiet, just like the city that unravelled outside the windows. Who else would be awake at those unholy hours anyway? Caitlyn moved swiftly from her room to the bedroom next door and pushed the door slightly. For a while now, she had acquired a temporary roommate, after Vi's apartment had been broken into and vandalized by crooks that weren't too happy with her Enforcer. The sheriff had offered Vi a place to stay until she would find a new place to move into. Although for some this cohabitation seemed highly unlikely and thoroughly problematic, so far the two seemingly entirely different characters had coexisted in a domestic environment without many issues. This was the first time in the two weeks that Vi had been around that Caitlyn had been woken up.

The bedside lamp inside the spare bedroom was switched on. Caitlyn spotted Vi sitting on the bed, sweat dripping from her face. She looked horrified and her hands trembled. A nightmare, perhaps? Maybe a nightmare so terrifying that had violently woken her up.

"Vi?" Caitlyn's voice came out quiet, in an attempt not to scare her away. The enforcer looked at her almost as if she didn't recognize her. Then, her expression instantly softened.

"Hey, cupcake," she said, attempting to give her a smile, but it turned out as a grimace instead. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up." She then used the hem of her white flannel to wipe the sweat off her forehead.

Caitlyn walked over and sat on the side of the bed. "Nightmare?"

"Yeah, more or less…"

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, not really."

Caitlyn didn't expect her to want to. After all, Vi was the last person to talk about her feelings. Still, Caitlyn couldn't bring herself to leave her alone, Whatever it was that had woken her up, it certainly left her upset. The sheriff had noticed that there was something bothering Vi for a while now, almost since a certain blue haired terrorist from Zaun had made an appearance. She suspected that those nightmares were connected to her and the troubled past in Zaun. Caitlyn knew better than to insist on the topic. If and when Vi wanted to talk, she would be there to listen.

Caitlyn took her slippers off and dropped her robe on her feet. Vi looked puzzled at her as she slipped under the covers to join her. "What are you doing?" she asked the sheriff.

"What do you think I am doing?" Caitlyn retorted. "Come on. Turn off the lights. It's still early."

Vi looked at her for a moment before she obliged. Then she laid down, keeping a safe distance between her and her boss. "Thank you," she whispered.

Caitlyn reached and placed a strand of hair behind Vi's ear. "Sleep tight."

But none of them could fall asleep. The tension was there and none could ignore it. Eventually, Vi turned her back on her in an attempt to go to sleep. Caitlyn stared at her back as it rose and fell while Vi breathed. She could tell she was still rather shaken from the dream. Then, she did the only thing she knew - or at least hoped - it would help. She reached for Vi's back and started drawing circles with her finger, a method her mother would use on her when she was unable to sleep as a kid. At first, Vi flinched at the sudden contact, but quickly relaxed and didn't complain. Caitlyn watched her relax under her touch and the patterns she drew onto her back. A while after, the sheriff stopped and listened closely to the enforcer's breathing; Vi had already fallen asleep, much to her pleasure. She withdrew her hand and closed her eyes


When Caitlyn woke up again, the sun had just risen. For a moment she was confused; this wasn't her bedroom. But then she remembered what had happened the previous night and that she had gone over to Vi's bedroom to comfort her over a nightmare.

She looked over to the enforcer to make sure she was alright and found her lying closer to herself than she remembered. Caitlyn realized their feet were tangled together beneath the sheets and Vi had somehow pulled her closer in her sleep without waking her up. Her grip around her waist wasn't too strong, but Caitlyn knew she couldn't move without waking Vi up.

Oh dear

She had no clue how they had ended up like that. Caitlyn was fairly certain there had been a respectful distance between them when they fell asleep. A weird warmth spread on her chest as she watched Vi sleep up this close. She looked oh so peaceful, with that little scar on her left eyebrow. Vi, who had been used as a test subject in the chemical labs of Zaun, who had witnessed unspeakable horrors as a kid, and whose memories continued to afflict her dreams every now and then. Caitlyn bet these nightmares disturbed her sleep more often than Vi would admit, and it was almost inevitable that these dreams would continue to accompany her all her life. Caitlyn felt her heart sink.

The sun continued to rise in the sky, painting the City of Progress with its golden colours. The Sun Gates would be opening any minute now. Caitlyn found herself trapped under Vi's arm and she didn't dare to move. Perhaps there was a way to get out of bed without waking her partner up, but a part of her simply didn't want to. Instead, she laid in paid, lost in thought.

It was only a while later that Vi's eyes flickered open, meeting Caitlyn's piercing blue gaze. Judging by her expression, she didn't not recall right away Caitlyn's arrival the previous night. She just laid there, assessing the situation, before she threw the covers away in a frantic manner.

"We're gonna be late!" She exclaimed.

But Caitlyn dragged her back down on the bed. "We still got plenty of time," she reassured her. And it was true. Their shift wouldn't start until an hour later.

Vi looked torn until she finally laid back down next to Caitlyn, this time keeping a distance between them. She laid on her back, facing the ceiling and refusing to give the sheriff any sort of eye contact. Caitlyn noticed how her cheeks were painted pink.

"How are you feeling?" She asked her.

Vi didn't reply right away. Caitlyn watched her bosom rise and fall rhythmically, their breathing being the only sound in the bedroom.

"That was probably the best sleep I've got in a while," Vi admitted before finally turning her head to face Caitlyn. "Thanks."

Caitlyn nodded. "Good." Then she moved closer to Vi and gave her a side hug. This time Vi didn't flinch. She accepted the gesture, feeling grateful, and the two of them continued to watch quietly the sun rise above Piltover.


A/N: My mum used to draw circles on my back when I was young. It was shooting and relaxing and somehow it always made me sleepy.