[S]he was comfort, security, and need, all in one.

It had a name.

Home.

Half of my heart is still there / I do what I can but I'm scared / Would you still remember I swear / It's been too long now / Even if I'm gone now.

✶⠀Josh Makazo, half of my heart.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Mireille knows what it's like to lose someone.

⠀⠀⠀⠀The ache in her chest tells her so. The memories, vivid, but ever fading tell her so.

⠀⠀⠀⠀The ache in her chest is in the shape of a ghost. It comes and goes. Like a dying star fading in and out of existence. This ghost. She had known it before. Remembered it before.

⠀⠀⠀⠀The Undercity wanted change, and had fought for it. That Bridge of Progress, those who had fought there were proof of it. But like this ghost, Rei had known it before. Remembered it before. The revolt ended where The Hound had laid down his arms. And that's where their ghost remains. On that bridge, but not forgotten. Whispers of a past where they were more than just trench trash.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Rei knows what it's like to lose someone. What it's like to miss someone.

But how can you miss someone you can't even remember?

✶

⠀⠀⠀⠀Rei belongs in the Lanes, and that's all there is to it.

⠀⠀⠀⠀She belongs in the Lanes. That's what she's been telling herself all these years. Rei belongs here. In Zaun, in the perpetual darkness of its depths, breathing in its polluted, dense air. Air cleaner than The Grey, but never clean enough as topside.

⠀⠀⠀⠀She belongs with the closest thing she has to family. With Yrene, her saviour; hardened by the Lanes, the loss, by everything. A woman widowed by the revolt. Yrene. Her name, might as well be synonymous with mother. She belongs with Yrene. In the little warmth she offers. In that house of hers—if you would even call it that; an all-encompassing space, the living and bed room one and the same, a record player eternally repeating Yrene's favourite songs, and a kitchen barely used.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Some days, the house is quiet, empty. What Yrene does in the dark, is kept in the dark. What Rei does outside the confines of that house, Yrene knows regardless. And some days, the house, it feels like home—friends crashing the night, having the time of their lives. All the fun kids their age would normally have. And all the fun nicknames and name-calling—but from being able to more than hold a tune, songbird has a nice ring to it. (Well, anything does if it's from her. . .)

⠀⠀⠀⠀Rei belongs here, in Zaun. In the Lanes. With Yrene. With all her friends.

⠀⠀⠀⠀With Vi.

⠀⠀⠀⠀But a stray like Rei doesn't belong here. In a place that's not even hers to call home. Not when the ache in her chest tells her something else entirely. Not when the memories, vivid, but ever fading tell her so.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Home?

⠀⠀⠀⠀Nowhere has ever felt like home.

(Not like it does with you.

You are my home.

Always have been. Always will be.)

PYLADES: I'll take care of you.

ORESTES: It's rotten work.

PYLADES: Not to me. Not if it's you.

✶⠀Anne Carson, Euripides.

Mireille / Rei.

The Hands.

Violet / Vi.

The Heart.

Caitlyn Kiramman.

The Head.

&&.

Powder / Jinx  ╱  Ekko  ╱  Yrene  ╱  Felicia †  ╱  Vander  ╱  Silco  ╱  Sevika  ╱  Mel Medarda  ╱  Jayce Talis  ╱  Viktor  ╱  Heimerdinger  ╱  Miran Seraph  ╱  Cecelia Seraph  ╱  Oden Seraph †  ╱  Cassandra Kiramman  ╱  Tobias Kiramman  ╱  Ambessa Medarda

𝖎. Fantastic, King Princess. / 𝖎𝖎. Ceilings, Lizzy McAlpine. / 𝖎𝖎𝖎. All For Us, Labrinth & Zendaya. / 𝖎𝖛. half of my heart (Orchestral Version), Josh Makazo / 𝖛. A Sky Full Of Stars, Coldplay. / 𝖛𝖎. The Only Exception, Paramore. / 𝖛𝖎𝖎. Come Play, Stray Kids, Young Miko & Tom Morello. / 𝖛𝖎𝖎𝖎. Virtual Angel, ARTMS. / 𝖎𝖝. Can't Catch Me Now, Olivia Rodrigo. / 𝖝. If You Think It's Love, King Princess. / 𝖝𝖎. Monster, Shawn Mendes & Justin Bieber. / 𝖝𝖎𝖎. To Ashes and Blood, Woodkid. / 𝖝𝖎𝖎𝖎. stay a little longer, ROSÉ. / 𝖝𝖎𝖛. The one to fall, MICO. / 𝖝𝖛. Moonstruck, ENHYPEN. && more.

✶⠀DISCLAIMER !⠀⠀⠀Arcane: League of Legends and everything affiliated with it all rightfully belong to the show-runners/developers, creators of LoL and etc. I only own Mireille; Miran, Cecelia & Oden Seraph; Yrene, my original plotlines (any and all deviations to the show's plot), dialogue, and any other original characters that may appear or be mentioned + graphics all created by me unless stated otherwise.

✶⠀WARNINGS !⠀⠀⠀graphic depictions of canon-typical violence, major character death(s), blood, gore & wounds, use of weapons, coarse language/profanity, alcohol, drugs + smoking (addiction & substance abuse), depictions of eventual minor sexual content, mentions & depictions of mental disorders (depression, ptsd, suicide ideation...), expect questionable character decisions (morally grey characters), angst & heartbreak, grief & acceptance, themes of; war, classism, marginalisation, power imbalance & abuse. as well as other themes. ⸻ warnings will be put beforehand when needed, but read at your own discretion!

as a freshly realised bisexual in 2021 i had one hell of a wake-up call 🫠

✶⠀For better and for worse, Arcane has changed the trajectory of my life and I now have no idea how I'm supposed to live normally after all that... like what do you mean that's all i get to see of my favourite girlfriends in existence?? yeah yeah other shows within the same universe BUT NO MORE ARCANE,, pay for my therapy please and thank you & also fix the gaping void in my chest

✶⠀From said gaping void in my chest brought about the manifestation of this fic as one of my only ways to cope with the fact THAT'S IT ✌🏻 also listening to Fantastic on repeat 24/7 as my other coping mechanism i think hell yes (and the entire soundtrack i may add)

✶⠀So my babygirl Mireille ('meer-ay') or known (Affectionately™) as "Rei" by her childhood friend to lover girlfriend Vi <3 Rei and this fic has been revived from its original bare bones from when I first watched Arcane when it dropped in 2021 — but it's been literally 3 years and the only things that I have kept the same since then are more or less Rei and her overall narrative, everything else completely new manifestations so yippie :)

✶⠀The title of this fic is the lyric from Gods by NewJeans which is for League so yeah :) And as it said in the description of this fic, this one's for Vi <3 but expect sprinkles (well actually more than just sprinkles) of Rei & Cait — especially when we reach season 2........ Ultimately, Vi endgame but there'll be some Cait bc I can't help myself and neither can Rei ✌🏻

✶⠀dedicated to sora (minkiszn), ali (keupid), rafael (ilangbuwan), rey (gryzons), theo (bulletrains), moni (hazzawckd), ray (loverayz), apollo (laevinics), ana (REBORN-GODDESS) ++ fellow arcane lovers superboards, timerbombs, N4MISW4N, <33

start ⸻ circa. dec 2021.
publish ⸻ december 26th 2024
finish ⸻ [ ??? ]

𝕳eart, 𝖀nbreakable.
✶ ⸻ YVES © 2024