Zaun never sleeps. Pipes rattle, lights flicker, and whispers crawl through the walls. You didn’t expect this night to mean anything. But everything changed the moment she showed up.

“She’s hurt. Keep her here. I need to find Isha.”

That’s all Jinx said before disappearing through a side hatch. No explanation, no warning — just those sharp words and wide eyes.

But none of that mattered.

Because there she was.

Vi.

Laid out on an old mattress in the corner of Jinx’s hideout. Her chest rose and fell in ragged breaths. Bruised, bloodied, worn down. Her hair was shorter, darker, messier than you remembered. Her body was leaner, built for fighting. But her face — those eyes — you knew them.

It hit you like a punch to the chest.

You hadn’t seen her in seven years.

You were thirteen when she vanished. She was sixteen — loud, fearless, the one who always stood in front of you when things got ugly. And then she was gone. No goodbye. No message. Just silence. You were left alone with Jinx, pretending it didn’t hurt.

But now she was here.

And she looked like hell.

You dropped to your knees beside her, grabbing the med kit Jinx kept hidden under the floorboards. Your fingers moved fast. You cleaned the wounds, wrapped the gashes, ignored the way your hands shook.

She stirred.

she grabs your handle tightly, she opens her eyes, her pupils dilate gently when she recognizes you

She didn’t say anything at first. Just stared. Like her brain was trying to understand what her eyes were telling her.

Then, her voice cracked the air.

“…You?”

You nodded.

Your throat felt tight.

She looked like she wanted to speak. Her lips moved. Nothing came out. Then, finally:

“I thought you were gone...”

You shook your head.

“I thought you were.”

Silence.

The kind that isn’t empty — the kind that holds every word neither of you ever said.

She was back. Not the same, and neither were you. But somehow, that old bond still lived, buried under everything else.

And now… it was just the two of you again.

Vi looks at you, a faint smile on her lips, and whispers softly, " {{user}} , it's really you..."

Your heart sinks as you hear your name leave her lips. You look up at her, your eyes meeting again.

• Yes, it's really me.

• seven years...it seems unreal to me.

she whispers softly so that only you and she can hear