Chapter 5
The theater was empty. The chandeliers hung heavy in the silence, their glass catching what little light bled in from the gas lamps outside. The curtains, deep crimson and frayed at the edges, swayed like dying embers in the breeze from the high windows.
Caitlyn stood at center stage, alone. Unsure of the future of the Moulin Rouge, the place she has called home for many years.
The rehearsal had ended hours ago. The Duke had stormed out when his rewritten lines were ignored, and Tobias had taken the brunt of his fury with the grace of a man too tired to keep resisting. Everyone else had gone. But Caitlyn couldn’t leave. Not yet.
Not when the weight of her choices hung so thickly in the air.
She turned her eyes to the velvet seats stretching into shadow, imagining the applause, the cheers, the sound of freedom. But all she heard was silence.
And in that silence, something inside her broke.
She opened her mouth, and let the truth pour out—not in words, but in song.
Softly.
“I follow the night...
Can’t stand the light…”
Her voice echoed through the empty house, trembling with exhaustion and sadness.
“When will I begin
To live again?”
She walked slowly across the stage, hands grazing the curtains, her body moving as if through water.
“One day I’ll fly away
Leave all this to yesterday
Why live life from dream to dream
And dread the day when dreaming ends?”
Her voice cracked, just slightly, as she sat down on the edge of the stage. The silk of her gown pooled around her feet, her shoulders slumped.
“One day I’ll fly away…”
The last note lingered in the air. tears slowly falling from her ocean eyes.
And then, from the back of the theater, she heard it.
That unmistakable sound.
Softer. Rawer. Vi’s voice.
Caitlyn looked up. There she was—standing alone in the aisle, lit by the golden light spilling in from the lobby behind her. Her eyes were locked on Caitlyn’s, her voice steady but aching.
“How wonderful life is now you're in the world" She walked slowly toward the stage. She stepped up, face inches from Caitlyn’s.
Caitlyn blinked back the tears. The silence that followed was heavier than the music. But it didn’t last. Vi reached for her hand.
“No more cages,” she said. “No more pretending.” Caitlyn shook her head. “He’ll destroy everything.”
“Let him try,” Vi said, eyes blazing. “But not before we do this. You and me.”
And before Caitlyn could speak again, Vi took a breath and sang.
Vi took Caitlyn’s hands gently, her eyes lit with something fierce, something desperate. “You’re not alone in this,” she said, voice quiet but sure. “All you need is love.”
The words burst out of her with more conviction than she meant to show, filling the air like a plea. Caitlyn blinked, stunned by the sudden declaration. Her brow furrowed slightly, unsure if Vi was serious or just clinging to a fantasy. “Vi…” she said hesitantly, folding her arms. “A girl has got to eat.”
Vi didn’t flinch. “All you need is love,” she repeated, softer this time, as though it were the only truth that mattered. Caitlyn’s lips pulled into a grim little smile. “She’ll end up on the street.”
Vi shrugged with a crooked grin. “All you need is love.”
Caitlyn turned away. “Love is just a game.”
Stepping forward, Vi dropped her voice to a velvet murmur. “I was made for loving you, baby. You were made for loving me.”
Caitlyn looked back over her shoulder, unimpressed. “The only way of loving me, baby, is to pay a lovely fee.”
Vi closed the space between them, now inches away. “Just one night,” she said. “Give me just one night.”
“There’s no way,” Caitlyn snapped, shaking her head. “’Cause you can’t pay.”
But Vi’s voice was calm, coaxing her back. “In the name of love. One night in the name of love.”
Caitlyn’s eyes widened. “You crazy fool,” she whispered, almost stunned by Vi’s persistence. “I won’t give in to you.”
“Don’t leave me this way,” Vi whispered, more vulnerable now. “I can’t survive without your sweet love…” Her voice cracked slightly. “Oh baby, don’t leave me this way.”
For a heartbeat, neither of them said anything. Then Caitlyn scoffed, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “You think that people would’ve had enough of silly love songs.”
Vi tilted her head. “I look around me and I see it isn’t so. Oh no.”
“Some people wanna fill the world with silly love songs,” Caitlyn said, still testing her.
“Well what’s wrong with that?” Vi grinned, taking her hand again. “I’d like to know. ‘Cause here I go again.”
Without waiting for a reply, Vi lifted her voice, clear and bright, singing not to prove something—but to feel it. “Love lifts us up where we belong, where the eagles fly, on a mountain high.”
Caitlyn’s smile faltered. There was something raw in Vi’s voice—something that reached past the glamour and fear. Still, she raised her chin defiantly. “Love makes us act like we are fools. Throw our lives away for one happy day.”
Vi leaned in, her voice softer but insistent. “We can be heroes. Just for one day.”
Caitlyn pulled away, eyes narrowing. “You… you will be mean,” she accused, her voice quiet but loaded with all her past disappointments.
Vi shook her head. “No, I won’t.”
“And I…” Caitlyn sighed. “I’ll drink all the time.”
“We should be lovers,” Vi said plainly.
Caitlyn looked up sharply. “We can’t do that.”
Vi didn’t even blink. “We should be lovers. And that’s a fact.”
Caitlyn’s voice dropped, wounded and heavy. “No… nothing would keep us together.”
Vi reached up and touched her face, thumb brushing Caitlyn’s cheek. “We could steal time,” she whispered.
Their voices overlapped now—one full of hope, the other full of fear, rising together: “Just for one day…”
They moved out onto the small balcony of the elephant, the wind catching the fabric of Caitlyn’s robe, the lights of Piltover stretching before them like stars. The city was sleeping, but they were not.
“We can be heroes,” Vi sang, voice trembling. “Forever and ever. We can be heroes…”
She paused, just long enough to look Caitlyn in the eyes. “Just because I…”
Vi faltered—but kept going, softer now. “…and I will always love you.”
Caitlyn looked stunned. Her lips parted, barely a whisper escaping: “I only can’t help…”
Together, they sang the truth they could no longer hide: “Loving you.”
Tears slipped silently down Caitlyn’s face. She tried to smile, tried to hold herself together as the last words came.
Her voice shook. “How wonderful life is…”
Vi steadied her, hands on her waist.
And they finished together, standing in the cold wind, hearts exposed under the stars.
“…now you’re in the world.”
The next night, the music was louder, the absinthe stronger, and the air thick with the scent of sweat and desperation. The Moulin Rouge sparkled like it always did on the outside, but behind the curtains, everything was coming undone.
Caitlyn hadn’t seen Vi all day.
She waited. She paced. She scanned the wings and the shadows and every booth during rehearsal, but Vi wasn’t there. And when she finally asked Viktor, he gave her a look she couldn’t quite read.
“She’s… recovering,” was all he said.
Recovering. What could she be recovering from exactly.
Was she sick, did she get hurt by Silcos goons. Later, Caitlyn found out the hard way.
Vi had stumbled into the back corridors of the Rouge, the night before, already halfway drowned in drink. The ache in her chest—the sound of Caitlyn’s voice trembling under Silco’s threats, the knowledge that she couldn’t protect her—had finally broken something loose inside her. She had seen her, or at least thought she had, across the bustling dance floor. Same height, same dark hair cascading down her back, same quiet smile that hinted at a world of secrets. Violet let herself believe it was Caitlyn, the enigmatic dancer she had been chasing after for weeks then finally singing about loving her. All she saw was Cait's face, her voice, her smell.
Once inside Violet's apartment, the pace quickened. Hands explored, lips sought, and clothes fell away in a flurry of urgency. Sage's fingers traced the length of Violet's cock, her eyes widening in surprise. "I didn't expect this," she whispered, her voice laced with curiosity. Violet grinned, her hands gripping Sage's hips. "Surprise," she murmured, her lips capturing Sage's in a deep, passionate kiss. Their tongues danced, exploring each other's mouths with an intensity that matched the fire burning between them.
Sage's hands roamed over Violet's body, her fingers teasing Violet's nipples through the thin fabric of her shirt. Violet moaned into Sage's mouth, her cock throbbing with need. She broke the kiss, her breath ragged as she said, "I want to taste you."
Sage smiled, her eyes dark with desire. "Then taste me." Violet led Sage to the bed, her hands eagerly undressing her. She kissed every inch of exposed skin, her tongue tracing the curve of Sage's neck, the swell of her breasts, the flat of her stomach. When she reached Sage's pussy, she inhaled deeply, the scent of her arousal intoxicating. Violet's tongue darted out, licking Sage's clit with gentle strokes. Sage gasped, her hips bucking against Violet's mouth. "Yes," she moaned, her fingers tangling in Violet's hair. "Right there." Violet obliged, her tongue circling Sage's clit with increasing pressure. She slipped a finger inside Sage, feeling her walls clench around it. Sage's moans filled the room, her body writhing with pleasure.
"Fuck me, Violet," Sage begged, her voice hoarse with need. "Please, I want to feel you inside me." Violet smiled, her cock aching with desire. She positioned herself at Sage's entrance, her cock glistening with her juices. "Are you ready?" Violet asked, her voice thick with lust. Sage nodded; her eyes locked onto Violet's. "Yes," she whispered. "I'm ready." Violet pushed inside, her cock sliding in with ease. Sage gasped, her body adjusting to the intrusion. "Ouch, fuck you're thick," she moaned, her hands gripping Violet's shoulders. "Deeper, ooh, deeper."
Violet complied, her hips moving in a steady rhythm. Their bodies moved in sync, their breaths mingling in a symphony of pleasure. Sage's moans grew louder, her body tensing as she neared the edge. "Faster," she begged, her fingers digging into Violet's back. "Faster, fuuuuuck me, give it to meee."Violet obliged, her thrusts becoming harder, faster. The sound of their bodies slapping together filled the room, their moans echoing off the walls. Sage's body convulsed, her orgasm ripping through her with a force that left her gasping for breath.
Violet followed soon after, her cock pulsing as she came, her body shuddering with the intensity of her release. She collapsed on top of Sage, their bodies slick with sweat, their breaths ragged. As the sun began to rise, Sage gathered her clothes, her eyes meeting Violet's with a soft smile. "Until next time," she whispered, before slipping out of the apartment, leaving Violet alone with the memories of the night before.
Caitlyn heard it in whispers first. From Sky, then Jinx. Nothing confirmed, but the way they wouldn’t look her in the eyes told her everything. Eventually, Tobias told her the truth himself—not out of cruelty, but because he knew the lie would hurt more later. Her heart hurt, she felt betrayed, and more importantly lied to.
She found Vi in the dressing room, head in her hands, the reek of alcohol still clinging to her skin. For a second, Caitlyn just watched her. This woman who had made her feel seen, cherished, alive. This woman who had stood on a balcony and sung about heroes. This woman who hadn’t come back. Vi looked up slowly. Their eyes met.
"Cait hi. How are you?" Vi looked everywhere but in her eyes. She still felt like shit, smelled like she bathed in absinthe. “I thought she was you,” Vi said hoarsely. “It was dark and I thought she was you”
“You were drunk,” Caitlyn finished, flatly. Fucking idiot she mumbled under her breath. Vi nodded. hearing what she said. Caitlyn’s jaw clenched. “Then I guess it was perfect that you don't remember her face or that you promised me that we could be heroes.”
Vi flinched like she’d been slapped. Caitlyn stepped back, like the air around Vi was poison. “You sang to me about love like it was the only thing that mattered,” she said. “Then you threw it away in one night.”
“I didn’t mean to,” Vi said, barely a whisper. “That’s the problem,” Caitlyn replied. “You didn’t mean to, but you still did.”
Vi stood, panicked. “I love you, Cait.” Cait scoffed "you didn't have the balls, well I guess you do have the balls, to tell me that you're not exactly normal now are you. You didn't trust me or love me enough to tell me, I told you about the Dukes plans knowing full well that all this could end."
"I love you Cait, that hasn't changed, yes so I was born with this thing, I can't change that." Vi looked away head down in shame.
“But I have, I can't love someone who doesn't trust me or betrays me,” Caitlyn said. “And so have you.”
She turned to leave. Vi’s voice cracked behind her. “Don’t walk away.”
Caitlyn stopped at the doorway. "You already did. Now it is my turn, leave the Moulin Rouge Violet, you aren't welcome here.”
And this time, she didn’t look back.