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Chapter Text

“She comes out swinging every time, Jack. The punches she pulls are skillful to say the least. The list for her knockouts keeps growing.”

“Very true, Tressa, but can she keep up her defense properly when the knockout doesn’t come quick? We’ve watched her over the years grow into a powerhouse of a fighter. Her strength is deadly when she gets the hit just right, and her stamina has improved. What still has holes is that defense. Blocking is key, and Vi often gets caught up in her onslaught, leaving herself wide open.”

The other commentators nodded in agreement, and Russell chimed in, “Now that her coach is stepping down, she really needs someone to push her in the ring. With better coaching, I think Vi really has a shot at the championship belt.”

“You’re kidding, Russell! For the past few years you criticized her to no end, stating she had no shot at the belt.”

He held up a hand in defense, “I did. You’re right, Raelle. I was calling like I saw it. In the past, she played all emotions. It wasn’t until recently we’ve seen her mature as a fighter, utilizing real fighting techniques and conditioning her body. If she lands a coach willing to hone those skills further, she’s got a chance.”

“Who do you think would be a good fit for her?” Tressa leaned in with a curious tilt of her head.

“Well, we know a few coaches that are floating right now. Braxton would probably love to work with someone that has the sheer strength we see in Vi, but I worry he’s too new and will have her pull punches and neglect her defense, which we all agree is vital here. Ally could be interesting. They’d work well together. When Ally used to be in the ring herself, they have comparable fighting styles, particularly in her early days. However, Vi needs someone to force her to grow, and I don’t know that would happen with such a pairing. This leaves—”

“Kiramman,” Tressa interrupts, surprised. “You seriously think the coach from Piltover could tame the Zaunite?”

Russell chuckled, “I know it sounds crazy, but I do think it would be Vi’s best option. Picking up a coach with Kiramman’s history could be exactly what she needs.”

“I’ll believe that could work when I see it. We’ll have to make bets,” Raelle joked.

After the response of laughter and more nodding from the other commentators, Jack switched their focus.

“Why don’t we take a look at one of our top ranking fighters this year, Sevika. She recovered from her injury, tough break in her left arm, and has been training nonstop. Silco has been in her corner, and since their team up, Sevika has been climbing in the ranks. Her latest KO against Hardy is one, I think, that had all our jaws drop. Let’s take a look at that one.”

All heads swiveled to watch the screen as they recapped that portion of the fight.

Raelle spoke as the video replayed at a slower speed, “Sevika really utilized the space in this. Coming in close, that body shot followed by the elbow knocked Hardy off balance, which gave her a chance to throw that hook. Probably the cleanest hit she’s had in any match thus far.”

“Absolutely,” Tressa agreed. “It’ll be interesting to see how far Silco will take her and if he’ll get her to work more with that injured arm. She’s definitely favoring her right side, which could be a problem if fighters start to catch on to that.”

_______________

Sweat bead down Vi’s body and onto the mat below her as her glove connected with the punching bag in front of her. Even though her eyes were focused on the black bag, she could see the droplets of perspiration clinging to the ends of the short red hair that hung in front of her face. Every so often sweat would hit her eyes, stinging, but she fought through. There’d be no time to wipe away the annoyance during a real match, so she didn’t bother during practice.

Feeling the trickle down her shoulders and back was all that grounded her right now as her frustration was being unloaded from gloved fists to bag. Each punch was directed at one particular problem. A problem that caused her more stress than she’s had to deal with since her beginning days in the ring trying to make a name for herself.

Jab.

It’s only been a few days since Vi learned about Claggor stepping down as her coach, which was a dagger in Vi’s side. Over the past four years, Claggor was in Vi’s corner. Encouraging her. Training with her. They were long friends before they decided to try this arrangement. Vi trusted his own experiences and knowledge as a fighter, though he never pushed himself to become any sort of professional in the ring. That was for Vi. He stuck with her as she fought what felt like countless bullshit fights against no name fighters like herself, trying to get recognized.

Cross.

Now that she had some of that infamy, a chance at a title, her last failure hurt all the more. She was the closest she’d ever been to that belt. So close she could’ve tasted the shiny leather and metal craftsmanship. Felt the hardened shape of the smooth material in her hands. It was there. Her’s. Until it wasn’t. She’d landed a spot on the bracket. Finally. But she didn’t make it to the semi-finals.

Hook.

She didn’t blame Claggor. But a lot of other people did. They blamed his coaching, stating that he was too relaxed with Vi. Too little growth over the years for her to even dream of making it far enough. There was commentary that he relied to much on Vi’s natural ability and didn’t bother cracking down on her weaknesses. It pissed her off. They didn’t know what went on outside of the ring. They didn’t know whether or not Claggor told her to run defense, practice ducking and sliding in between ones and twos. And it pissed Vi off because he didn’t. He would let her try to land a knockout punch as quick as she could, telling her she ‘almost has ‘em,’ Letting her be reckless. See an opening and pounce. Attack with a fury.

Jab. Uppercut.

However, it was moments like that that often cost her everything. She’d leave the other fighter a clear opening because she’d get careless. Annoyed she couldn’t land the fist to head to get the KO she knew she should be able to. Claggor’s yelling from the corner to ‘land the fucking punch’ would ring in her ears. They were moments that would cause her to stagger, falter, lose.

Elbow. Knee.

But it wasn’t all Claggor’s fault. Loudmouth commentators didn’t know what Vi’s life was like outside of those televised excerpts. When eyes were on her, she loved to put on a good show. Confidence and charisma oozed from her every pore. They couldn’t actually know Claggor’s uphill battle with someone like Vi. Since they were friends for so long, he knew that she was as stubborn as they come and always had been. Her disjointed and chaotic upbringing meant she often found trouble, and she held in a great deal of rage. So, when it came to listening to authority, she wasn’t always cooperative. She gave him credit for trying. Four years is a long time to deal with some shithead constantly telling you to ‘chill out’ and ‘fuck off’ because ‘I fucking got it.’

Hook. Jab. Roundhouse.

She didn’t make the decision, and neither did Claggor. Her fucking manager did. Mel Medarda.

Slip. Cross.

When Vi started to gain traction in the world of kickboxing and it became clear she had the potential to be a breakthrough fighter, various managers were meeting her after fights and calling her. Contracts would be emailed, considered, declined. Vi wasn’t a pushover in the ring, and she wasn’t about to be one when it came to her livelihood. After so many shitty deals thrown her way, she wasn’t sure she’d ever find the right manager. That is, until Mel approached her after a fight.

Vi was riding a high after the win. It was a brutal KO. As she was all smiles and horsing around with Claggor and her family, biological and adopted, a slender woman with deep skin and black, braided hair walked toward her confidently, stopping directly in front of Vi who was sitting on a bench in the locker room. She didn’t seem to care about Vi’s personal space. Vi had seen plenty of people dressed the way she was, too professional to be a casual viewer of a fight. A Piltie for sure. When Vi looked up at her with little interest behind her gray eyes, she saw Mel smirk.

“What do you want?” Deadpan.

“The question I have for you, my dear, is what do you want?”

With a cheeky grin, Vi answered, “Right now? A hot shower, a cold beer, and a good lay.”

Mel’s smirk stayed put. “Unfortunately, I can only offer you one of those.”

A glint hit Vi’s eyes. “Oh, yeah? Which one?”

“A cold beer — while you tell me what you want your contract to include.”

Jab. Hook. Hook. Front kick.

She thought she covered everything in her contract. Made it foolproof. Apparently not enough because Mel had it well within her rights to let Claggor go and search for a new coach. Mel had her reasons, and she made sure Vi heard them. They were outlined to her in a barrage of iterations every time Vi tried to put up protest.

“Vi. Enough. You have been in a rut, and your fights have been sloppy to say the least. I can’t even recall the last time you’ve had a unanimous win. Can you?” When Vi lacked an answer, frustration boiling because fuck Mel for being right, the woman continued, “I know he is your friend, but that has become part of the problem, Vi. He’s soft with you. Instead of calling you out, he lets you call all the shots. It’s nothing personal against Claggor. It’s business. I’m doing this for you and your career. Once we find you the best fit and you start climbing back in the ranks, you’ll thank me, darling.”

“Don’t call me darling,” was all Vi grunted when she left Mel’s office, feeling completely helpless at the hands of someone else. Nothing infuriated her more.

Flying cross. Jab. Uppercut. Bag shove.

Panting, she took a step away from the bag and rolled her shoulders, loosening the sinew. There was nothing she could do. Her right hand would be decided for her. Mel told her to trust her and the process and welcome in a new coach. Clearly, Mel did not know enough about Vi to know she was a fighter in all aspects of her life. If this new coach didn’t know how to take a punch or two, they were fucked.

Vi sat on the bench behind her, taking out her earbuds as the song finished. Now she took a minute to wipe the sweat off her face and neck with a towel, and she observed the fighters working around her. They were all focused and diligently punching bags, sparring with partners, or lifting weights. Vi’s eyes glazed over as she remembered when she first found her place in this community, and they accepted her immediately, even with her toughened appearance, half her hair shaved, tattoos, and scars. Time behind bars hardened her, but it led her to this. Still, that didn’t make those lost years suck any less. It was weight she carried with her. Couldn’t shake off. Instead, she let the resentment build and fuel her.

A familiar voice broke through her thoughts. “How’d I guess you’d be here?”

Vi started to remove her gloves and wraps. Without even looking up at Claggor, she answered brusquely, “Because you’ve known me most of my life, so you know I’m a hothead and this is how I blow off steam. Duh.”

Claggor sat down next to her. She could feel his weight land and settle onto the bench. He was a stocky build. Strong and resilient. His size always made him appear older than he was, but his short, wavy brown hair that fell slightly onto his forehead kept him childlike.

“True enough. Mel called me. Told me you went back to see her and gave her a mouthful. Figured you’d end up here when it didn’t go your way.”

Finally, Vi turned her neck to look upon him. They’d known each other so long that, to her, he’d always be like her baby brother. She sighed, “I’m sorry, Clag. I tried to fix this. I really did. It’s not right what she’s doing. You’re my coach. You’ve always been my coach. Who the hell does she think she is that she can just up and change that after one loss.”

He shook his head. “But, Vi, it hasn’t been one loss. Since the title rounds, you’ve gotten back out there this season and haven’t been yourself. When you lose, it’s major, and it’s my fault for not figuring out what isn’t working and changing it. And when you win, it’s by the skin of our teeth. As much as we don’t want to listen to the commentary out there or to Mel, we have to face it. They’re right. You need someone who won’t let you slide and knows this industry on a deeper level than me. I got into this with you because I believed in you, and I still do…but that’s not enough.”

“When did you get so mature?”

He breathed out a laugh, “When you refused to be.”

Vi groaned, “Fuck, Clag. I don’t like this.”

“Me neither, but I’ll always be in your corner. You know that.”

She leaned her elbows onto her knees and dropped her head down. “So, what happens now?”

“Well,” he let out a deep exhale, “when I spoke with Mel, we agreed that you need someone who is going to kick your ass as much as you kick mine to prepare you for your upcoming matches.” He paused and looked away. “You’re not going to like who she picked.”

_________________

Her pen scratched against the paper as she quickly jotted down notes, pausing the video regularly to rewind, replay, and render her judgements. This was the tenth video Caitlyn Kiramman watched, and she had twelve more in the queue. To say Caitlyn took her job seriously was an understatement.

She spent eight years at Jayce’s side, training him for every match. It was a rough start. In the beginning, Caitlyn didn’t know as much about the sport as she does now. When Jayce asked her to be his coach, he claimed it was because he knew she had an eye for detail, unbeatable organization, unmatched drive, and unwavering faith in him. For Jayce, that’s all he said he needed. In truth, he didn’t know where else to turn.

“You want me to be your coach? Are you out of your mind?”

“Why not? We’ve been going to kickboxing and Muay Thai classes together for years now, and you’re always impressing the instructors with how quickly you pick everything up.”

She gave him a kind smile. “Yes, Jayce, but that doesn’t mean I’d know how to coach you through a real fight. Classes punching a bag are very different from being in the ring.”

“I know that, Cait. But I know you and know that if I give you this chance, you’ll shine at it like you’ve been doing it all your life.”

“You mean if you dump this responsibility on me.”

Jayce laughed, “More or less. Come on, Cait. The first year is going to be all amateur fights. Little pressure there. It’ll give you time to learn the ropes and for us to find a rhythm. Once we do that, we’ll find a manager and be off and running in no time.”

With a disbelieving grin, she shook her head at him. “You put too much faith in me.”

Jayce was right, though. After those first few matches, Caitlyn was sucked into the whole spectacle. The adrenaline Jayce felt rubbed off onto her. Ever since that first year, Caitlyn devoted a copious amount of time to learning all she could about how to be the best coach possible for him. She continued going to kickboxing and Muay Thai classes herself, and she began to spar in the ring with Jayce. When they were done with physical practices, she’d go home and watch match videos, taking time in particular to study his upcoming opponents. Her diligence led to Jayce being able to find a manager, and Caitlyn worked alongside Viktor year after year. The end result was Jayce attaining the championship belt and maintaining the title for three years. Caitlyn was beyond proud of their achievements as a team.

After those few years as reigning champion, Jayce decided to hang up the belt and pursue a role in the media side of the sport and become a sports broadcaster. Channels often enjoyed having former fighters on as expert commentators. It suited him well. Unlike Caitlyn, Jayce enjoyed attention. In front of the camera, he was a natural.

With Jayce out of the ring, Caitlyn decided to continue on as a coach because she knew she excelled at it. She took pleasure in the purpose it gave her, and she didn’t want to let that rush of watching your fighter dominate the match go. It was an unconventional career for a woman in Piltover, but there was no denying Caitlyn knew what she was doing and was damn good at her job. When Jayce took off the gloves for good, Caitlyn announced herself as an available coach to various managers. Her reputation proceeded her, and she had offers coming in fairly often. However, Caitlyn was picky. She wanted to make sure she found a fighter that she could believe in the same way she had Jayce.

That’s when Mel Medarda called.

“Caitlyn Kiramman, it’s a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. I’m sure your ear has been talked off with a slew of managers aiming to scoop you up for their fighter.” Her voice was as smooth as honey.

“Indeed. I presume you’ve called to make me another offer rather than simply talk pleasantries.”

A chuckle in reply. “Surely someone with their finger on the pulse of this sport such as yourself knows of Vi, the prodigy of Zaun.”

Caitlyn knew of Vi. A redhead with a temper to match its fire. The girl was a magnet for the camera, which reminded her of Jayce. She’d watched some of her fights over the years, and when Vi was on her rise, Caitlyn couldn’t deny that she was impressed by her tenacity.

“Yes, I know of her. Her presence in the ring is a force to be reckoned with, but it’s unfortunate what happened to her last year. It was a nasty fight.”

Vi was up against Tilly in her first fight for the championship. Statistically speaking, Caitlyn thought it was a fight Vi should’ve handled no problem, but something happened. Vi lost herself. The match dragged on; she was getting frustrated, and her footing got sloppy. Punches were careless. Caitlyn was shaking her head at the screen as she watched Vi leave herself open. All it took was one clean hit from Tilly. It was over.

“That it was. I’m sure you know I made the decision to let her former coach go.”

“And now you turn to me?”

“Of course, darling. Vi needs someone who will whip her into shape. Claggor went too easy on her, lacked discipline. She’s a bat out of hell in the ring, but that doesn’t always work in her favor, as you saw. There’s clear talent and skill but a lack of direction. I saw the way you molded Jayce into a grade A fighter. You never let him falter without being able to correct. That is what Vi needs.” Mel’s words, while pleading, sounded sincere. As a manager, she knew her stuff.

“What makes you think she’ll listen to someone like me, someone from Piltover?”

There was no skirting around the fact that those from Zaun had a disdain for Piltovans. Just across the river, Piltover prospered while Zaun was left in the dust. When comparing the cities, it was as though they were on opposite ends of the world rather than neighbors. Zaunites viewed Piltovans as snooty upper class that got more than they deserved, and in some aspects, Caitlyn thought, perhaps they were right as the council often overlooked Zaun.

“She works with me,” Mel stated in matter-of-fact tone.

“That’s entirely different. The majority of managers are from Piltover, which doesn’t give fighters many options. There are plenty of coaches who call Zaun their home. Vi strikes me as the type where that sort of allegiance matters.”

“Who would you suggest I pair her with? Braxton? Just so I can have more of the same? Someone that will land her in the hospital for encouraging more senseless tactics? I think not. Caitlyn, this girl needs a change. She needs you.” There was a pause between them as Mel let Caitlyn take in her words. “Please, Caitlyn. Would you consider it?”

“And when she refuses to listen to me?”

“You’ll make her.”

The next video began to play. Vi was facing Alaina. They were similar builds, but Vi had an energy in the ring that her opponent lacked. Caitlyn couldn’t imagine exuding the confidence that Vi had at seemingly all times. It must be exhausting, but it never showed.

They touched gloves and the fight took off. Vi rushed forward with jabs and crosses, feeling out Alaina. When the other girl threw a hook to the body, Vi blocked and came back at her with a cross and roundhouse. Caitlyn could hear the power behind the kick as it made contact. It staggered Alaina for a moment, which made Vi think she could come in for a power shot, but Alaina was still on the defense and dodged. She countered Vi, landing an uppercut that knocked Vi back a bit.

Caitlyn jotted this down. It was something she noticed in many of the videos she’d watched thus far and the commentary post-matches. Vi’s blocking was lacking. Her focus was always on the offense, trying to attack quickly so that it would startle and fluster the competitor. Without a doubt, her guard needed work.

Returning back to the video, Caitlyn watched as Vi took a moment to recover, shaking off the hit and bouncing back into her boxer’s stance. She lunged forward with an outburst. Two hooks, a jab, an uppercut. It came so fast that Caitlyn could see Alaina’s brows furrowing in her attempts to register and keep up. Vi’s next hook to the face connected, and the girl was down. With that, Vi didn’t even bother to get on top of her and continue punching because she knew the force behind it knocked the girl out. She made her lap around the ring, hands up in victory, and smiled through her mouth guard, taking in the crowd’s roars. The camera zoomed in on Vi; she spit out her mouthpiece and yelled back to the crowd, a grin so wide it was unthinkable that she’d just been punched in the face minutes ago. That smile was captivating. It wrinkled the corners of her eyes and lifted the tattoo on her cheek. No wonder she easily became a fan favorite.

The knockout punch was lucky. Caitlyn didn’t see any calculations behind it. Vi attacked with speed, hoping a punch would land just right enough. Another note for her journal.

She grabbed her phone and scrolled through her contacts. It rang twice.

“I’ll do it. When do we meet?”

*****

Caitlyn sat in the cafe and sipped her macchiato. She pulled the notebook out of her bag and glanced at the clock on the opposite wall. He was ten minutes late, which, to Caitlyn’s annoyance, was very much like him. The cafe was buzzing around her, and smells of pumpkin filled the air. Smiling to herself, she thought of how silly it seemed autumn started sooner every year, leading to warm cinnamon scents and nutmeg to fill her nose in every shop. Marketing teams never missed a beat.

When Jayce finally walked in, a group of girls surrounded him in no time. They asked for a picture, which Jayce, being the schmoozer he was, happily accepted. Leaving the group, a man pat him on the back and made a remark about an upcoming fight that Jayce replied he was also looking forward to watching. Caitlyn could see the barista behind the counter staring longingly in his direction. He was ever the heartthrob. Another reason channels loved having him on television.

As he sat down, Caitlyn handed him his coffee. Two sugars and a splash of cream, his usual. She was used to it all — the show. She’d known him long enough to stop caring about the grandeur of it all.

“Thanks,” he said, drinking from the warm cup. “So, why the emergency meeting, Cait?” He noticed the journal on the table and his eyes sparkled. “I know there aren’t notes for me anymore, unless you’re critiquing my on-air persona. Did you find a new fighter?”

She nodded, taking another sip. “I did. New manager.”

“Why didn’t you stick with Viktor? He always manages good fighters. He managed me.” A self-obsessed smile tore across his face, eliciting an eye roll from Caitlyn.

“While I had a great time working with Viktor, I was only with him because of you. I don’t want just any fighter. If I’m staying in this, I want to be committed to the pairing the same way I was with you.”

Jayce beamed, “Fair. Well, anyway, I knew you wouldn’t be able to stay out of it for long! You’re too good at it to waste your talent. Question is, what do you need me for?”

Caitlyn placed her drink on the table and folded her hands in her lap. “I wanted to discuss with you who I agreed to coach. I wanted your input on her.”

“Her?” His brows ticked up. “I only know two female fighters that were looking for coaches this year. Cambria, pretty new to the Piltover crowd. And Vi from Zaun.”

Her eyes moved from her drink and slowly up to meet his stare. They were telling, almost bashful. Their friendship ran deep enough that he would know exactly what that look meant.

Sure enough, his own eyes widened. “You chose Vi? Seriously? How did Mel Medarda trick you into that?”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes again. He was good at achieving that response from her. “She didn’t trick me into anything. I agreed to it willingly.”

Jayce guffawed, “Why?”

“She reminds me a lot of you actually.” That caught his attention. “She’s certainly not a rookie to the sport, but she needs refinement and guidance. What she doesn’t lack is confidence and charisma for the camera. Sound familiar?”

This chuckle was more genuine, “Okay, sure, but Vi is a spitfire inside and outside of the ring. Have you seen any of her weigh-ins or fights?” Caitlyn raised in eyebrow, silently saying ‘really?’ He leaned back in his chair. “Of course you have. Who am I kidding? You’ve probably done full reconnaissance and watched every possible video of Vi that exists.” Jayce exhaled, “Hell, even her interviews have heat in them, especially if she lost. You sure she reminds you of me?”

“While you may not have been combative twenty-four seven, you always put on a show. You know I always believed in your ability and had your back. I always pushed you to do better. Watching her, I see someone who is begging for that. It’s in her movements. They’re all gas when she needs to break. No one is telling her to assess. It’s like she’s in a dog fight, and the only way to win is to constantly be on the attack.”

Jayce nodded in agreement. He was adamant that she knew what she was talking about when it came to the fights and their fighters. Her stock of Vi was no different. “I agree. But, Cait, she’s a Zaunite. You know she’s going to challenge everything you say the second she meets you.”

“I know. That’s why I wanted to talk to you. I’m curious how you’d approach this.” While Vi made Caitlyn think of a younger Jayce, she knew she couldn’t train Vi in the same way. She and Jayce had history, friends long before their teaming up, but Vi would see her, at best, as an outsider.

Taking a longer drink of his coffee, Caitlyn could see the wheels turning. She grabbed her notebook and pen, ready to write any ideas Jayce could offer.

“When are you meeting her?” He questioned.

“In two days. We’ll have a week before her first fight.”

His lips set into a hard line and his gaze was somewhere distant. After another minute, his posture relaxed and hazel eyes met her blue. “Let her lose.”

Chapter Text

“We have a very special guest with us today! You know him as our Man of Progress. Each year he fought in the ring, he outshined the last. Every match improving and becoming the best fighter out there, so much so, in fact, that we watched him rise to our champion and keep the title for three consecutive years. Jayce Talis, everyone!”

Though there was no live audience for this televised show, the other hosts of the UFC Breakdown Show still greeted him with applause.

“Thank you. I’m excited to be here with you all.” Jayce was bright-eyed and all smiles for the camera. A perfect fit for the bill. “And what an introduction! Though I wouldn’t have those claims to fame without the woman that helped me get there, Caitlyn Kiramman.”

“Oh, of course. What do they say? Behind every great man is a great woman?” Tressa joked.

Light laughter filled the space before Jayce continued, “That is quite true. I don’t know that I’d have those accomplishments without her.”

“Speaking of Caitlyn,” Jack interjected, “there’s been a rumor that she’s been signed to a new kickboxer. Is that right?”

Jayce nodded, “That is correct, Jack.”

“I hear it’s Vi. Can you confirm that?”

He smiled and jovially shook his head, “Ah, Jack, the rumor mill is correct for once.”

“Wow, Russell, you called it,” Raelle stated. To which, Russell grinned and nodded. “Now, when Russell suggested this pairing, I said I didn’t see how this could work. We know Vi is a Zaun girl, and your former coach, Jayce, like yourself, is from Piltover. Tensions run high there as is. On top of that, let’s add in the difference in their attitudes. You have a total loose cannon that the ever-so-serious Kiramman is going to have to tame.”

In response, Jayce put up a hand, “Now, I do understand the concern there. To give an insider’s perspective on this, I’ve spoken with Caitlyn already, and she’s more than able to overlook Zaun and Piltover history for the viability of their pairing.”

“Can Vi?”

“I’d hope so. As for your comment about Caitlyn ‘taming’ her, I don’t think that’s the right way to view this. When you watch Vi fight, it is undeniable that there is natural talent, but you also have to admit there’s a…chaos.” The broadcasters chuckled agreement. “It isn’t a negative chaos. It brings her power. Caitlyn isn’t going in there to control her. She’s going to help Vi channel that energy and those moves with more precision, which will help with lessening the chances of her leaving herself open.”

There was a slow nod from Raelle. “You truly believe Kiramman will be able to do that?”

“I’ve known Caitlyn my whole life. When I asked her to be my coach, it was because I knew she could do what I thought was impossible — make me into a title fighter. You all remember my beginning matches. I was not some stellar, unbreakable fighter. I became the Man of Progress because I progressed in my skills, which was largely in part due to Caitlyn. Now, I might be biased, but there is no coach out there with the passion for turning someone into the best version of themselves that they can be than Caitlyn. She will take note of everything that failed and drill you until you improve. There were countless days of practice that she beat me down just so she could build me up. As long as Vi is receptive to that and willing to be open-minded to a new coach, she’s in the absolute best hands.”

“You think with Kiramman at her side, Vi has a shot at the title?” Tressa asked.

“One hundred percent.”

“You still want to place some bets, Raelle?” Russell chimed in.

____________________________

Vi was on the couch staring at the ceiling while she listened to her sister’s paintbrush sweep over the canvas. Once Vi started making money from fighting, she moved out of her adoptive father’s home and into her own quaint apartment in Zaun. Her sister, Jinx, and her adopted brother, Mylo, still lived with Vander. She kept some of Jinx’s items at her place and gave her a key so she could stop over whenever she pleased; however, she currently wished she hadn’t given her sister unrestricted access to her home because there was nothing more she wanted right now than to be alone and angry.

There were a handful of reasons Vi had to be annoyed at the world, but at the top of her list was Caitlyn fucking Kiramman. They hadn’t even met in person yet and Vi already despised her. Mel Medarda really thought giving her a Piltie coach would make her life easier. Yeah, right. She had been seething since Claggor told her.

“A fucking Piltie, Mel, really?”

“I’m from Piltover, Vi. What is the issue?” Mel’s voice said it all. She was not in the mood to deal with Vi’s tantrum.

“You know as well as I do that almost every manager is from Piltover. That’s where the money and the resources are. You offered me the deal I wanted, but now you’re fucking with me. You’re trying to tell me that there wasn’t one suitable coach from Zaun?”

“Not one with the reputation of Kiramman. Let me stop your nonsense prattle, Vi, and ask you a serious question. Do you want the title?”

She scoffed, “Of course I want the damn title.”

“Then listen to me. Caitlyn Kiramman took Jayce Talis from a nobody to the Man of Progress. Without her, Jayce would’ve faded into the background, never making it to the bracket, and once she did get him there, he kept his title for three years. Do you understand what I’m telling you? That girl isn’t just some fucking Piltie. She’s a mastermind coach.”

“Okay, but just because—”

“Vi. You agreed to have me as your manager because you knew I had your best interest in mind, and I still do. There is nothing more I want than to see you succeed, which is why I convinced Caitlyn to agree to work with you. Whatever anger you have toward Piltover, you need to put it to the side. Listen to her and I can guarantee you that belt. This selection is not up for debate. Am I clear?”

“Crystal.” As of late, Vi hated that every talk with Mel ended this way — with her defeated and bending the knee to a Piltie.

This rather one-sided conversation was stuck in Vi’s head, and it fueled her irritation over the past two days. Well, one part in particular that is. Vi was hung up on Mel’s phrasing. What did she mean she had to convince Caitlyn to agree? Did Miss Piltover think she was too good for Vi, the lowly Zaunite kickboxer? Fuck her. Any coach from Zaun would’ve jumped at the bit to be in Vi’s corner. What made Kiramman so special that she go to be picky?

She picked up her phone and opened the web browser and began to search for her new coach. Countless articles popped up about her rise as a top-tier coach alongside Jayce Talis. Every article echoed generally the same sentiments: Caitlyn Kiramman was a fantastic and now well-renowned coach over the years from seemingly out of the blue.

“Her calculating attitude is what keeps her mind sharp and Jayce’s movements in the ring sharper.”

“No one has the commitment to the sport the way Kiramman does.”

“Talis said that Kiramman spends her free time watching match videos and studying other fighters in order to prepare him accordingly.”

“Where did this brilliant mind come from? Kiramman has taken the sport by storm, becoming one of the top coaches in the industry and taking a rookie to a title fighter. She said Talis is to blame for her newfound obsession.”

As she scrolled through site after site, she glowered at the woman featured in the articles. The pictures were always of her ringside, hunched next to Jayce mid-speech. This woman must’ve hated the camera because the only headshot of her was from the beginning of her coaching career, a younger, softer face. The woman pictured next to Jayce in more recent articles was stoic and serious. Vi couldn’t find one with a smile or any attention paid to the camera circling her and Jayce. All Vi could think was what a joy it will be to have to get along with a woman who has a stick up her ass.

Then Vi stumbled upon a video from the show UFC Breakdown. Rarely did she spend her time watching such videos because the banter was mind-numbing. She didn’t see the point in wasting her time listening to people who never played the sport talk about why certain athletes were better than others or how they could improve when they’d never step foot in the ring themselves. Vi especially avoided the discussions when her fights became troublesome. No use in feeling worse about herself, particularly at the hands of Piltovans on a soap box. But this video was brand spanking new and titled Major Changes for Kiramman: Can She Create a New Champion? Her fingers couldn’t click the video fast enough.

With narrow eyes, Vi watched as Jayce Talis joined the cast of clowns. Their words started with praises for the former champion, and Vi rolled her eyes at Tressa’s ‘behind every great man is a great woman’ comment. Vi would never know what that is like; she’s never had to stand behind a man. What a joke. How did people watch this?

The conversation began to shift its focus from Jayce to Caitlyn. Vi’s ears perked up at the mention of her name on Jayce’s lips.

When you watch Vi fight, it is undeniable that there is natural talent, but you also have to admit there’s a…chaos.

Acid reached her throat. Her heart raced as the others laughed.

Caitlyn isn’t going in there to control her. She’s going to help Vi channel that energy…

You truly believe Kiramman will be able to do that?

Her stomach dropped. Fingers gripped the edges of the phone tighter. For Vi, how to feel was incomprehensible while she listened to people talk about her like they knew her, and she had no opportunity to speak for herself. To tell them she was more than chaos.

There were countless days of practice that she beat me down just so she could build me up. As long as Vi is receptive to that and willing to be open-minded to a new coach, she’s in the absolute best hands.

No way in hell was she letting some Piltie ‘beat her down.’ It didn’t matter how capable Jayce thought his friend was or how many praises other Pilties sang about her. Vi was not just going to let this girl come in and run things without her having some input. And she had a lot of input. Fuck Mel. Fuck Jayce. And Fuck Kiramman. Vi didn’t make it this far because she rolled over. The whole idea that some outsider was going to come into her gym, her life and change everything made her insides twist.

…want to place some bets…

That was it. She couldn’t stand another second of these know-nothing assholes blabbering on for another second. With an exaggerated grunt, she threw her phone against the ground. It bounced and landed near Jinx’s chair a few feet away. The thin girl with the long blue braids stared at it, still holding a paintbrush loosely between her fingers. Her big, blue eyes traveled between the phone and Vi, who was still laying on the couch and had her arms folded on her forehead in frustration.

Her sister set down her paintbrush and twisted herself around to face Vi. “You know, you could just give her a chance. What’s the worst that could happen? You lose? You’ve already been doing that.”

Vi’s glare darted to Jinx. “You cannot be serious.”

She gestured to the phone, “Vi, you heard ‘em. Caitlyn is like a coaching goddess or whatever.”

The description of this woman as a goddess made Vi want to roll her eyes into oblivion. “Just because Jayce won the title doesn’t mean Caitlyn is some miracle worker.”

“He kept the title for three years. Were we not listening to the same video?”

Vi sat up to face her. “So what? That’s not that hard.” Jinx stared at her deadpan, silently calling out her bullshit lie. Vi groaned, “What is with everyone getting on my back lately? Are you overlooking the fact that she’s from Piltover, too?”

“No, of course I didn’t. But—”

“Then you remember that they’re the reason mom and dad are gone. They ruined everything that could have been for us.” Vi knew this a punch in the gut for Jinx. Her sister tried to move on from this trauma for years. She even went to therapy for it. Vi’s therapy was punching until her muscles ached and her thoughts dissipated with the adrenaline of a fight. Unlike Jinx, who actually made some progress, Vi let this memory fester over the years, especially when she was locked up. When Jinx’s only response to the dredged up childhood heartache was to stare at the ground with pursed lips, Vi decided to add, “Topsiders have always found ways to screw us every chance they get. I’m not the only one who feels this way, and you know it. Piltover has no problem leaving Zaun in the dust while they prosper. Why should I play nice with some Piltie? Because some arrogant shitheads say I should? You heard the way they talked about me.” Bitterness tinged her voice.

Jinx turned back around in her chair, shoulders sagging slightly as she picked up her paintbrush again. “Yeah, those people on that video are pieces of crap, but all I’m trying to say is that it would be awesome to see you get back into your old ass-kicking ways and win. If Caitlyn is everything they make her out to be, you might want to give her a shot. But I know you. You’re stubborn. And I’m just the baby sister that’s had so much therapy I could probably psychoanalyze you at this point.” She looked over her shoulder back at Vi. “Don’t worry. I’ll refrain from doing so. You wouldn’t like my evaluation.”

There was a silence that sat between them as Vi grabbed her wraps off the table and began folding them over her hands and between her fingers slowly.

She glanced over at her sister who had gone back to painting. “I didn’t mean to totally dismiss what you were saying. You do know what you say matters more than anyone else, right?”

“Yeah, I know.” Her voice sounded so small.

Vi sighed, “I just can’t stand Pilties thinking they know everything like they can barge in and solve all our problems when they’re the ones that cause them.”

“That’s kind of why you hired Mel, sis. She’s doing this for you. I mean, yeah, it serves her, too. She’ll look good when she brings your career out of the grave, but you want that. It’s a win-win. You’ll still be the prodigy of Zaun in the end. No topsider is going to overshadow the way trenchers receive you when you’re the one in that ring putting in the work. But what the hell do I know?”

“You know more than I give you credit for.”

It was true. Jinx had grown tremendously over the years. When Vi got out of prison, she hardly recognized her sister. The little girl that cuddled up next to her in their too small twin-sized bed, the girl who relied on her for everything before Vander, the girl whose eyes were too big and broken for this world had grown into someone so capable that it crushed Vi. She’d missed so much, and sometimes she forgot how mature her sister had become. Well, when she had her moments, that is. Jinx could still argue with Mylo like the world was ending, and when she was with Ekko, something childlike would awaken in her. The thoughts left Vi with the ghost of a smile on her face as she finished wrapping her hands.

“When do you finally meet the bane of your existence?”

“In an hour.”

“I’ll send her my prayers.”

“You’re not even religious.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Jinx waved a hand at her dismissively. “It’s the thought that count. She’s going to need them to deal with you.”

_______________________

KBoxViFan1: Can’t believe they’re putting our girl with a damn Piltie #freevi

Marco731: @KBoxViFan1 You’re just gonna ignore Kiramman’s outstanding background because she’s from Piltover? That’s dumb af. She’s going to pull Vi out of her slump bro

LeilaLuvsLux: @KBoxViFan1 @Marco731 Like Raelle said, I’ll believe that when I see it!

UFCNerd853: Excited to see how Kiramman makes Vi a contender again! This pairing is going to be sick! #Vimman

PunchMeVi: @UFCNerd853 seriously ViMman? What a shit hashtag. Dude it’s totally #CaitVi

ViSupremacy561: @UFCNerd853 @PunchMeVi sorry are we shipping them now? If so, I’m totally here for that

UFCNerd853: @PunchMeVi @ViSupremacy 🙄😒

BenjiTheMan: Vi is going to be so pissed. We’ve seen her fights against Piltie opponents. She doesn’t pull any punches. Caitlyn doesn’t stand a chance

NatalieNatCat: Caitlyn and Vi together could be magic in the ring!

FtheAuthority: Fuck those guys on @UFCBreakdown They made Vi sound completely useless without Caitlyn. She should still be with Claggor #BringBackClag

KirammanStan: @FtheAuthority Too late for that. The @UFCBreakdown just spittin facts

_________________________

Vi’s serious glare was facing out to the crowd of reporters. It was clear from her inexpressive facial features, she would rather be anywhere else than in front of the press, which wasn’t surprising considering she’d just lost her match. She lifted her chin up to select a hand in the crowd.

“Vi, given this loss and the lack of knockouts you’ve had recently, have you and Claggor talked about the direction of your training?” The male voice started with confidence.

“The direction?” The fighter raised an eyebrow.

The response came with a falter, “Y-yes. Do you plan on focusing on any particular technique or reevaluating your regimen?”

She leaned back in her chair. “You think I need to reevaluate? You got suggestions for me?”

Some hands now fell, but of the few that stayed raised high, Vi shook her head and selected another journalist.

“Are you worried about the speculations that Claggor will be replaced with a new coach in order to revive your chances of continuing on toward the championship?” The question had no emotion behind it. It wasn’t a jab at her confidence. It wasn’t to knock her down a peg. It was simply a shot to confirm the rumors that had been buzzing around at the time.

But it was enough to send Vi over the edge. She leaned forward toward the mic with her eyes ablaze, brows furrowed, lips in a scowl. “Screw you. Claggor is my coach and it’s [beep] staying that way. I don’t need to deal with this [beep]. I had one hell of a fight out there tonight and what it came down to was [beep] scoring. Clag and I are going to train the same way we always do, ruthlessly. So, no, I’m not worried about [beep].” At her final curse, Vi stood up and slammed her chair toward the table. With her fists in tight balls, she stormed out of the press room.

Caitlyn sat with raised eyebrows as the video came to an end. She spent the past two days watching Vi’s fights, but when she met with Jayce the other day and he brought up her interviews, she had the idea to watch those as well. And dear gods, he wasn’t kidding when he said there was fire in them. So far, she’d watched three interviews on some of her losses. The first was a KO, and Vi was hardly present for the interview expect to tell reporters the bitch got lucky and she would destroy her next time around. This last one was fairly recent, bringing up her possible change in coaches. It didn’t age well.

The next video loading on Caitlyn’s laptop was one of Vi’s weigh-ins. She watched as the red head walked up to the scale and stripped out of her sweatsuit. Being a coach to Jayce for so many years, Caitlyn had been around countless muscular people that anyone would find objectively attractive. She had been asked in an interview once if she was ever tempted to pursue romances given her closeness to many elite fighters, Jayce included. After scolding the interviewer for such a clearly sexist and ridiculous question that was not pertinent to anything important, she’d never been approached with another question of the sort. Caitlyn was never enticed with such folly, mainly because all the fighters she was surrounded by over the years were men. Watching Vi stand on the scale, exuding such cockiness and flexing her muscles for the cameras, made her realize she may be in for a bit of trouble. The only thing that might save her is Vi opening her mouth because no matter how attractive those muscles were, the attitude would shut it all down. Other toned female fighters, however, would be another story.

Vi made her way to stand in front of her opponent, Riven. The blonde girl looked at Vi with little amusement as the red head smirked. They both put their fists up in the usual stance for fighting picture promotions. After a few photos were snapped, Vi whispered something to Riven. Given the way Vi behaved in every other video, it wasn’t surprising to Caitlyn to watch Riven lunge forward at Vi, both holding their chests high. Vi laughed as Riven yelled that she would end Vi’s career in the ring.

As Vi walked away, smugness radiating from her, she shouted back, “Don’t worry, Riven. You won’t win against me in the ring, but maybe I’ll let you get lucky after the fight.” She finished with a wink in the girl’s direction. Caitlyn’s jaw nearly dropped as she watched Riven try to turn back around only to be escorted by members of her team.

Before Caitlyn could select another video, her alarm went off. It would take her twenty-seven minutes to drive to Vi’s gym, CKO Ultimate, and the entire way there she couldn’t help but wonder what she’d gotten herself into.

Once over the bridge, it was obvious that Caitlyn had reached Zaun. This city, while neighboring Piltover, had none of the same brightness and comforts. It was hardened by its need to fend for itself. A city in its rawest form, graffiti, neon signs, sex shops, street vendors, smoke, and noises from every direction. Caitlyn quickly remembered why she rarely ventured to this side of town. She couldn’t even try to look like she belonged.

When she pulled into the parking lot, she noticed her gazing upon foreign streets as she drove earned her an extra minute. It wasn’t a problem though; Caitlyn was still early. She prided herself on her punctuality. With a deep exhale, she stepped out of her car, wiped away any folds in her black activewear leggings and white Under Armour long-sleeve shirt, tightened her ponytail, swung on her off-the-shoulder bag, and began to make her way to the front door. She didn’t think she needed to be dressed to join in on practice, but it seemed like the most appropriate option. Caitlyn could only imagine the looks she would’ve received if she showed up in a button-down blouse.

At the front desk were two young men. One was scrawny with wild brown hair and green eyes. The other was much larger, and when he lifted his head to see who walked through the door, Caitlyn immediately recognized him.

The smaller one gave Caitlyn a once over before speaking. “Uh, you lost? Piltover is a couple miles that way.” She had a feeling he had no idea what direction he should’ve actually been pointing in, nor did he care.

With a slap on the arm, Claggor scolded him, “What’s wrong with you, man? Don’t you know who that is?” Gentle eyes turned up at Caitlyn. “Kiramman, right?”

She nodded, “Yes, but please call me Caitlyn. Is Vi here?”

“Yeah. Just go through the doors right here and head all the way to the back. I think she’s sparring with Lee. You’ll see her. Can’t miss the hair.”

Caitlyn chuckled, “No, you can’t.” She turned to head toward the doors, but stopped. “You’re Claggor, aren’t you?”

“Yup.”

“I…I’m sorry if this is awkward for you given that I’m here essentially taking over your job.” She hope the words came out as sincerely as she meant them to be.

He smiled and shrugged. “It’s no big deal. I’m just back to being a personal trainer here, which is better for me anyway. No limelight, less stress, and I don’t have to deal with Vi yelling at me everyday. Well, I mean, she still yells at me, but at least it’s not about her career anymore.” His eyes went to the floor and then back up to hers. “Good luck, by the way. You’re gonna need it with her.”

Caitlyn gave a tight-lip smile, thanking him, and made her way through the doors.

_____________________

Vi had been practicing for about an hour now. She felt the sweat building on her back and chest. Her legs ached from bouncing and balancing her weight in her boxer’s stance. Lee was opposite her in the ring. He was a bit taller than her and had a longer reach, but she enjoyed the challenge. She knew that when she sparred against him she could test herself. They switched to him holding the strike pads about fifteen minutes ago so Vi could work on some combinations.

After her hook and uppercut, she saw Lee’s eyes shift to something behind her. She knew. She could feel it. Eyes were on her, burning through her skin with their focus as she continued punching. Vi began to move around Lee, so she could get a look at who was behind her.

Blue eyes caught hers for a split second and she felt her jaw slacken minimally. This woman, Caitlyn, was tall and slender. Her midnight blue hair was pulled back, which made her face look all the more chiseled from marble. Those deep blue eyes were piercing against porcelain skin. Vi had seen the poorly lit pictures captured of her ringside, but, in person, Vi had no idea she’d be so stun—

A blow to the side of her head knocked her out of those intrusive thoughts. Shaking her head to snap out of the shock, she glared at Lee.

“You were supposed to duck,” he stated matter-of-factly.

She stole one more look at Caitlyn, who was wearing a smirk now, before returning her narrowed eyes to Lee. Vi rolled her shoulders and bared her teeth before shooting back out at Lee with a flurry of combinations. Some of her punches landed on his body when he couldn’t keep up. She took that as payback.

After her two minutes of an outburst, they switched up their practice. Lee would call out punches to her, and she’d place them on the pads. All the while, she could still feel Caitlyn’s gaze on her back, never budging. Moving around the ring, she’d see her occasionally in her periphery. Caitlyn would write something in a notebook and immediately return her eyes to the ring. It was a bit unnerving. Vi was used to being watched by a crowd. She was used to Claggor keeping an eye on her as she practiced. But nothing compared to the intensity with which Caitlyn bored into her.

About ten minutes passed as Vi slowed her pace before stepping away from Lee, calling for a break. Removing a glove, she walked over to the corner to grab her water bottle and squeezed a line of water into her mouth, some falling onto her chin. She wiped it away with her forearm, which was damp with sweat. Vi could feel those blue eyes on her, even though she’d finished sparring.

Slowly, she sauntered in front of the ropes to stand opposite Caitlyn. As she put her glove back on, she held Caitlyn’s stare. It was…strange. Never had Vi felt so vulnerable at a practice, and she hated it. They were studying each other. Analyzing all the ways they held themselves. For someone who wasn’t actually a fighter, Caitlyn sure was calculating in her stance. Her arms were folded in front of her, notebook still held in her left hand. Only her eyes wandered across Vi’s face, but her expression remained stoic. This girl probably had one hell of a poker face.

Vi spoke first. “Good enough show for you?”

Caitlyn shrugged, “It was okay.”

“You taking notes on me?” Vi gestured to the journal.

The tall woman waved it in front of her, regarding it. “It’s part of my process.”

“Yeah, like watching me with unrelenting focus? It feels a little…voyeuristic,” she teased with a smirk. Caitlyn didn’t flinch at the quip, so Vi added, “That was a joke. Do you have those in Piltover?”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. “We do. Yours just aren’t tasteful. Anyway, do you plan on continuing your practice?”

At least this girl seemed like she could bite back. Vi was curious to see how much further she could push her, but she decided to hold off for now. Instead, she nodded and hopped out of the ring. “Going to practice some kicks on the bag and lift some. You don’t have to stick around for that, princess.”

“My name is Caitlyn. And I’ll stay for a bit longer.”

The remainder of the time Vi was at the gym was spent with Caitlyn at her side, silently watching every fucking move she took. Every now and then, she would scribble something in that notebook and go back to observing. Vi had never felt so scrutinized without a single word.

When Caitlyn finally left partway through her lifting weights, telling Vi she would be here same time tomorrow, Vi sighed with relief. It was as though she could feel a laser being lifted from her skin, the searing gaze ceasing. Now only the burn in her biceps remained as she finished up her reps. Vi much preferred that sensation.

Claggor must’ve noticed Caitlyn’s departure because he found his way over to Vi soon after.

“So, how was the first session with your new coach?”

“Fucking weird.”

*****

The next day was more of the same. Vi was warming up by throwing some punches at the bag when Caitlyn walked in. The woman was dressed yet again in more activewear, which Vi found curious considering all Caitlyn did was fucking watch her. She sat behind Vi and held the notebook and pen in her hands. Once Vi was close to working up a sweat, she turned to face Caitlyn, trying to not be distracted by her long legs in those stupid shorts.

“Are you going to…I don’t know…coach me or what?”

Caitlyn closed her notebook. “As I mentioned yesterday, this is part of my process. I’m learning your movements. Speaking of, I want to see you spar again. Is there someone close to your build in here? I want to get a true idea of how you’d be against someone of comparable size.”

Vi rubbed the back of her neck and looked around the gym. “Okay, well, um…we could ask Fiora.”

“Wonderful. Do you mind if I record it?”

With raised eyebrows, Vi responded, “Need to be able to watch me at home, too? Inspiration for lonely nights?”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. Vi had a feeling she’d be getting a lot of that from Caitlyn.

“Just get Fiora, please.”

Fiora was a hair taller than Vi, but their reach was roughly the same. Vi had only sparred against Fiora once before, so she wasn’t sure how the girl had improved. This would be interesting.

Vi looked over at Caitlyn who was ringside with her phone horizontal in her hands, ready to record. She stretched out her shoulders, tapped Fiora’s gloves, and began, bouncing in her fighter’s stance with her gloves hovering around her chin.

Since their last fight about a year ago, Vi could tell the girl had put in plenty of work. Her guard was difficult to break. Every now and then, Fiora would slide and land a shot on Vi. They were treating their sparring like traditional rounds, and as minutes passed, Vi was becoming more annoyed at being unable to land any meaningful punches through Fiora’s damn blocking. Their last round came to an end, and both girls were sweating and panting, though Vi was panting more than Fiora. Vi turned to face Caitlyn, resting her gloved hands on top of her head.

“Well?” Vi asked through breaths.

“Can you grab Lee now? I’d like to record that next.” Not a word about the work she just put in.

Unbelievable.

Fiora laughed and ducked under the ropes to leave the ring.

Vi dropped her arms to her sides, “Seriously?”

Caitlyn looked up from her phone. Her expression had hardly changed throughout this entire practice. Vi made a mental note to never play cards with this woman.

“It’s important for me to see how you adapt to different fighters and their styles.” Caitlyn’s eyes sharpened, “Or your lack to do so.”

Vi matched her stare, eyes shrinking with irritation. She grumbled to herself as she left the ring to get Lee.

This match went a bit smoother for Vi. Lee was a typical pick for her when she sparred. She knew most of his moves and how to counter them. The only thing that hung her up periodically was her exhaustion. In the latter part of their fight, Vi could feel herself losing steam. Her limbs screamed at her to rest, but she bit back the pain when it arose, not wanting to give Lee…or Caitlyn…the satisfaction. This was her proving grounds.

When her match against Lee was finished, Vi sat against the post in the corner of the ring. Her breathing was heavy, and she didn’t want to move. Even without turning, she could feel Caitlyn’s presence next to her. It was an added strain on her body, muscles twitching in response.

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning at Mel’s office.” She stated in a pleasant tone. Still nothing about either match she just watched, which made Vi stare at her with brows pulled down together.

“You don’t have anything to say about those sparring sessions? Are you for real?” She couldn’t help but let some of the venom seethe past her lips. Without even a word from Caitlyn on her practices, this all felt like wasted energy.

“I will. For now, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She fucking left.

*******

Coming to Piltover was not an activity Vi ever looked forward to, and she had to do it more than she’d liked since acquiring Mel as her manager. Once over the bridge, Vi always felt her stomach churn and uneasiness lodge in her throat. Many would say that Zaun was far more dangerous, but she disagreed. Piltover had different monsters lurking in the shadows, only those monsters had shiny smiles, delicate hands, and fancy attire. It was a different cruelty topside. One that would chew you and spit you out without a second thought.

Vi sat on the bench outside the door to Mel’s office. She was not going to knock or invite herself inside before Caitlyn arrived. It was bad enough having to even be here; she wasn’t going to subject herself to Mel’s scrutiny earlier than she needed to. Leaning the back of her head against the wall, she popped in her earbuds, closed her eyes, and let the song take her out of her own head.

As the song was nearing its end, Vi felt a tap on her knee. When she opened her eyes, blue eyes were inches from hers as Caitlyn knelt down in front of her. Vi was startled by how close this woman was, and she was even more disconcerted by how smooth Caitlyn’s skin looked and how smooth and soft her hair appeared as it cascaded past her shoulders. How can someone that frustrates Vi during practice be so infuriatingly attractive? Vi removed her headphones when she saw Caitlyn’s perfectly blush lips start to move.

“I’m surprised you’re here so early. I’m usually the first to arrive to everything. Jayce used to make fun of me endlessly while I harped on him about being late.” She smiled, and when she did, Vi noticed the tiny, adorable gap in her front teeth. Vi hated that it made her forget she needed to breathe for a second. “Are you ready to head in?”

“Uh, yeah, sure.” Vi followed behind Caitlyn. Two Pilties against one Zaunite. Real fair.

________________

With a knock on the door and a wave hello to the woman behind the desk, Vi and Caitlyn took their seats opposite Mel.

“Hello, ladies. Thank you for coming to meet with me today. I wanted to have this in-person meeting and check-in now that you’ve had a few days to get to know one another. So, how is everything?” Mel glanced between both of them, eyes sparkling with interest.

Caitlyn was about to speak, but Vi started before she could. “Yeah, sweetheart, how am I? Am I the best you ever had?”

Turning in her seat, Caitlyn stared at Vi’s self-satisfied face. It was clear Vi was trying to shake her confidence in front of Mel. She wasn’t about to let this woman hijack an important meeting. She gave a sweet smile back to Vi. “Surely, we can eventually get you there.”

The two were staring at one another with challenging gazes, but Mel cleared her throat, disrupting the unspoken contest.

“How’s the sex?”

Both Caitlyn and Vi snapped their heads back toward Mel.

“What the fuck, Mel?” Vi asked at the same time as Caitlyn retorted.

“There’s been nothing of the sort.” Caitlyn stated, appalled at the accusation.

A twisted grin marked Mel’s face, “Well then, if you two are done undressing each other with your eyes, we can move on.” She leaned forward, putting her elbows on her desk, and added, “And congratulations, Caitlyn, on being the one woman Vi hasn’t managed to screw.”

In her periphery, Caitlyn could see Vi with wide, shocked eyes, mouthing disbelief and curses at her manager. Caitlyn knew Vi was always a fan favorite in Zaun for her fiery attitude, but now she couldn’t help but wonder how true that comment from Mel was. Did Vi’s antics land her more than wins in the ring? Why did her heart speed up at the thought?

“On a more serious note, my dears, part of why I wanted you both here was to iterate just how important this pairing is on a larger scale. Your partnership will be all over the sports news because this is a merging of Piltover and Zaun. It is one that will have more attention due to Vi’s outward contempt of Piltover, which I do hope hasn’t been an issue between the two of you.” It wasn’t a question, but Mel’s voice did pitch up at the end of the sentence.

Caitlyn assured her, “No, there’s been no qualms.” She wasn’t sure how that would change after Vi’s first fight in just a few days. Worry did linger in the back of her mind, but Jayce believed it was the best way to move them in the right direction.

“Good. This duo is largely optics. But I do believe Caitlyn can make a substantial difference in your fights. Vi, you can only afford four more losses if you want a shot at the championship. this year. I suggest you wise up and listen to your new coach.” Her fingers intertwined in front of her. “Am I clear, Vi?”

Vi nodded, “Yeah, I got it.” The fighter stole a look at Caitlyn, “As long as princess can handle the pressure.”

“That won’t be a problem on my end,” Caitlyn quirked an eyebrow, “as long as you can keep up.” Vi smirked at her response. Perhaps this could work.

Mel ended their banter. “Vi, I would like a moment with Caitlyn.” She motionsed to the door.

As Vi got up to walk past her, Caitlyn grabbed her wrist. The girl’s skin was incredibly warm and softer than she thought it’d be, too delicate for her rugged demeanor. Vi halted at the touch. The expression she wore was a mix of curiosity and loathing. It cut Caitlyn a bit, but she held firmly. She could feel Mel’s eyes watching the movements.

“Vi, would you mind waiting for me outside?” Caitlyn asked.

Still holding her wrist, Caitlyn felt the shrug lift her own arm. “Yeah, sure, whatever.”

Gently she let go of Vi’s wrist, returned her stare forward to Mel, and listened to the door close.

Mel let her wondering smile linger, probably expecting Caitlyn to elaborate on why she asked Vi to stay, but Caitlyn didn’t find the need to include Mel in every little detail. The woman would have enough control over their relationship in the coming months, and Caitlyn wanted to keep some piece of it to herself. Even when she worked with Viktor, they did not share every moment that passed between her and Jayce. Mel was here to observe, report, schedule, and pay them. Caitlyn wanted to leave it at that. Nor did Caitlyn believe Mel deserved much more than the required information given that outlandish comment in the beginning of their meeting.

When Caitlyn didn’t satiate her silent prying, Mel went back to business. “What is your plan for her first fight? How are you preparing her? This first match is against Zeri, who, need I remind you, she lost to previously.”

She folded her hand on her lap. “I’m doing everything I would normally. Watching her practices, recording them, taking notes on what to improve, and watching some of her past fights to get a feel for her techniques. However, I’m going to let her lose this first fight.”

Mel’s eyebrows raised. “Excuse me?”

“Mel, I’m asking you to trust me. There’s a reason we need her to lose, and it was actually one of Jayce’s better ideas. As you said, Vi has great disdain for Piltover. I know she loathes having to listen to me. Even though she’s been asking for my input, I know it would go in one ear and out the other. She has to see the value in my coaching. She needs to understand that she cannot keep doing more of the same, trying to win battles on her own. I want this loss to shake her—”

“So you can come in and pick up the pieces.”

“Precisely. I know she can’t afford more losses, but this one is a necessity.”

Mel pondered for a moment, running the idea behind her eyes. Finally, she spoke, “Very well. With your track record, I have faith you know what you’re doing. We’ll be in touch, dear.”

With a nod, Caitlyn rose and exited the room. Vi was waiting for her in the same spot Caitlyn had found her this morning. Gray eyes watched her approach.

“Have you eaten yet this morning?”

It was as though Vi was trying to interpret the purpose behind the question, like she didn’t trust it. “No, I was going to eat when I got home. Why?” She asked cautiously.

The tone reminded Caitlyn this was, in fact, going to be an uphill battle. “Would you like to walk with me to one of my favorite coffee shops for a quick bite?”

She shrugged, “I guess.”

The walk was not far, and it was done entirely in silence. Caitlyn kept her eyes forward, but she could see Vi looking around at every building and passerby as they made their way down the streets. It was as though Vi had never been in a city before, but then Caitlyn thought how different Piltover was from Zaun. When Caitlyn drove through Zaun, the streets were foreign and, at times, made her uneasy. That must be what Vi was experiencing. It seemed odd to her to feel anxious in a place like Piltover, but she tried to refrain from passing judgements; everyone’s backstory shaped them and made them and their reactions unique. She was sure she had plenty to learn about what made Vi tick. Occasionally, Vi would even let her stare linger on Caitlyn, making her feel like the only constant in the situation. It burned her cheeks, but she did her best to ignore it.

Entering the coffee shop, Caitlyn was hit by that familiar pumpkin smell. She watched as Vi breathed in and scrunched her nose at the aroma. It was so childlike, so out of character that it made the corners of Caitlyn’s mouth lift.

Caitlyn ordered her usual macchiato and a cupcake. When the barista handed her the food, Caitlyn told Vi she would grab them a seat and handed her some money to pay for their order.

She sat at a table near the far windows. It was a spot that would give them enough privacy in case anyone noticed the bright red hair and muscles. Caitlyn began to take a bite of her pastry as she waited for Vi. It was a pumpkin cupcake with a semi-sweet cinnamon cream cheese icing. A bit of the icing got onto Caitlyn’s finger. As she pressed her finger to her lips to lick off the icing, Vi sat across from her, and Caitlyn could not help but notice Vi’s stare travel to her finger, watching as her lips closed around it before she removed it and wiped the wet digit with a napkin. Her cheeks were hot again, and she hoped it wasn’t enough to see a shade of pink rip across them.

Vi began to eat her bagel with bacon, egg, and cheese. She asked with her mouth partly full, “So, Cupcake, why’d you bring me here?”

Well, the lack of table manners would at least stop a blush. Caitlyn raised an eyebrow at the new nickname. “Cupcake?”

“Yeah,” Vi pointed to the treat in front of her. “You always eat sweets for breakfast? I’d expect someone like you to have a strict diet or some shit.”

“Every once in a while I do like to indulge. Do you always eat like a barbarian?”

Vi swallowed down her large bite. “I’m hungry.”

“I can tell,” she responded, deadpan. “Anyway, I asked you to come here because I thought it would be good for us to get to know one another. Jayce and I worked well together because we were friends, but I don’t know much about you. I think becoming more acquainted outside of kickboxing would be helpful.” It was all genuine, but she wasn’t ready for the response it garnered.

She saw Vi’s eyes narrow in her direction. “Now you want to talk? I’ve asked you to multiple times during practice to say something, anything, about my work and got nothing. But now you want to have a conversation that doesn’t have anything to do with kickboxing?” She leaned back in her chair with an incredulous look, lifting her arms in the air as if defeated. “I cannot believe this.”

Caitlyn furrowed her brows in confusion, “I told you, I would eventually have feedback for you in time. I’m sorry, but I thought this would be a step in the right direction for us as a team. I only assumed—”

“Well, you know what they say about assuming.” Vi sat up a bit straighter, inching closer to the table separating them. “Let me lay it out for you. I have no interest in being friends with a Piltie. I don’t give a rat’s ass what Mel says about our partnership being some fucking merging. I hate Piltover for what they did to me and my family. You and I do not need to be gal pals. What we need is to work in the ring. I’ll play along with ‘optics’ as long as you step up your game as my coach because these past few days have been totally underwhelming from the title-making, godsend coach everyone makes you out to be.”

“Vi,” her voice was apologetic. While Vi ranted and raved on about all the things she hated, Caitlyn was caught up on wondering what happened to this girl’s parents that made her hold onto such hostility. “I only want to help.”

Vi shook her head, biting her lower lip and avoiding eye contact. “You know what would help me, Cupcake? If you just leave me alone. Unless you have something useful about how to help my career, you can keep stepping.”

Caitlyn swore she could see tears welling in Vi’s eyes. It was a reaction completely out of character for the hothead. She watched as Vi quickly stood and stormed out of the coffee shop, leaving Caitlyn with more questions that would, for now, have to be left unanswered. As she let the thoughts digest, Caitlyn took a sip of her macchiato and wondered how she would breakdown the human wall that was Vi. If she wanted to make Vi a prize fighter, the vulnerability Vi refused to give into was going to be key.

Over the next few days, Caitlyn did as Vi asked. She left her alone. Instead of going to the gym, Caitlyn watched her recordings of Vi over and over, refining notes that she would soon share with Vi…after she lost her match.

Chapter Text

Vi sat in the locker room as Mylo, Jinx, and Ekko darted around her. Her leg was shaking nonstop. Nerves bundled up in her like a live wire, ready to fire off in an instant. It wasn’t like her to be this way before a fight. She’d been doing this for so long now that she was comfortable with the adrenaline kick that would shoot through her body when she entered the arena, but this time was different. Her gut churned and her throat tightened. The noises of the people around her, her family, all drowned into a static. White noise she couldn’t escape.

Tension was high in the room today. Her sister was only adding to it. Ever since Jinx asked her how training was going and Vi told her the truth, Jinx was chiding her the entire week. As she watched the long blue braids hit the floor while her sister kneeled and rifled through a gym bag, Vi recollected their conversation from days ago.

“You did what?” Jinx’s voice was sharp with annoyance.

Slouching on the couch, Vi answered, “I told her that unless she was actually planning on coaching me, she could piss off.”

Maybe she didn’t use that exact turn of phrase, but same difference. She was frustrated with Caitlyn being a mute coach during the past two sessions. People could talk all they wanted about Vi having Claggor as a coach and not listening to him, but at least he put himself out there and tried to give her something to work with at practices. Caitlyn had done nothing, and the attempt at friendly banter in the coffee shop was insult to injury for Vi.

Now Jinx paced in front of her, braids whipping to the side at the turn of her heel. “Why in the hell would you do that, Vi?”

“Because she’s just another fake Piltie who wants to act like she gives a shit about us trenchers. I don’t need her to pretend to want to be my friend and ask me about my personal life. She was hired to do a job, and becoming besties was not in the job description. If she can’t figure out how to coach a Zaunite, I don’t need her.”

“Vi,” Jinx stopped and stood directly in front of her. She leaned down to make eye contact since Vi’s slouch had only intensified. “Did it ever occur to you, even for a second, that she might actually want to get to know the person she has to spend hours upon hours coaching? You and Claggor are friends. You were friends before he was in the ring with you. Caitlyn is friends with Jayce. Are you seeing a pattern?”

She leaned her head onto the back of the couch. “Topside and bottom, Jinx. There’s us and there’s them. Oil and water. As much as Mel might want this to happen, it’s not going to work.”

“Not if you keep being so stubborn. Look, I told you before, I only want you to succeed, so if I were you, I’d send your apology and ask her to come back to the gym.” Jinx left the room to allow Vi to marinate on her words.

In the end, Vi never reached out to Caitlyn. Vander did tell her she had a way of letting pride take the reigns too often. Instead, she spent the next five days on her own, training by herself. No one told her what needed improvement. No one congratulated her on a clean hit. There were no new techniques. It was just Vi feeling out the movements and silently cursing Mel for giving her the most useless, aggravating, and stupidly beautiful coach possible.

Caitlyn didn’t even show up to the weigh-in yesterday. Luckily, given that they were still quite a ways away from the championship, the process was pretty low-key. Not a ton of press there, but the ones that were there kept shouting at Vi, asking where her coach was. Vi ignored them, but what was even harder for Vi to leave alone was the smirk building on Zeri’s face. The girl looked back at her coach and then at Vi, raising an eyebrow. Somehow Vi willed herself to focus on relaxing her face, refusing to let the frustration read.

Jinx threw her wraps at her, jolting Vi out of her thoughts. “Earth to Vi. Where is your coach?”

Vi shrugged, “She’ll be here. I think.”

She saw the moment it clicked when Jinx realized Vi had not taken her advice to contact Caitlyn. With an exaggerated eye roll and grunt, Jinx dismissively waved at her. “You know, you’re really good at fucking yourself.”

“That’s why she’s always single,” Mylo exclaimed.

In the middle of Mylo’s words, the door to the locker room opened up, but Vi was too piqued to even notice.

“You want to find out what these hands are really good for, Mylo?” Her eyes narrowed in his direction.

A posh accent sliced through Vi’s whirling head. “Hopefully they’re good at winning fights.”

Vi’s neck snapped in the direction of that voice. She stood and took a few steps in order to be face-to-face with the Piltie. Her raven hair was pulled back in a tight bun, and her gym clothing, which consisted of black leggings and a black long sleeve shirt, was so form fitting Vi had to put in an effort to pry her eyes away. She really did try to disappear into the shadows. No wonder there were hardly any pictures of her online when Vi did her initial stalking. Caitlyn really was the total opposite of the flashy fighters of which she was put in charge.

“Nice of you to show up,” Vi greeted, eyes still narrowed from Mylo’s outburst.

Caitlyn’s expression did not change. Her mouth remained in a straight line and her blue eyes were angled down at Vi. At the lack of judgement coming from the taller woman, Vi could feel her own eyes resetting.

“Of course I’m here. You’re my fighter, Vi. There will never be a fight where I am absent from your corner. I simply did what you asked and gave you the space you clearly desired.” Caitlyn placed her hand on Vi’s shoulder, “Let’s put all that behind us and win some fights, shall we?”

Shocked by such a calm response, Vi opened her mouth to speak, but Caitlyn squeezed lightly on her shoulder and walked past her. Her long legs made their way over Ekko and Mylo, and Vi watched as she extended her hand to introduce herself to them. A bump on her hip made her avert her gaze.

“She seems so terrible, like she really doesn’t care about you,” Jinx jibed before heading over to Caitlyn herself.

Vi sat back down on the bench and began to wrap her hands. She looked to her left and watched as Ekko, Mylo, and Jinx all smiled and laughed with Caitlyn. It made her wonder how this topsider so easily won over her family in the matter of minutes, especially her sister. Her leg began to shake again.

Hopefully they’re good at winning fights.

She was ready to show up and shut them all down.

****

A picture posted to Vi’s socials. She was in her sports bra and boxing shorts. Her hands were wrapped, abs tensed, and a bicep was flexed as she stared down at the phone screen.

VIctorious_VI0lence: It’s about to go down! Just a few more minutes until I face off against Zeri. New coach, same old Zaunite Vi.

__________________

“It’s so nice to finally meet the rest of Vi’s team. I’m Caitlyn.”

She extended her arm out to the two boys in front of her. The one with the wild brown hair she remembered from her first day at Vi’s gym. He asked if she was lost. The boy must’ve recognized her now because his eyes widened at her extended hand.

“I believe we met briefly at the gym,” she added.

He grabbed her hand and stuttered out a reply, “Uh, oh, um, yeah. Yeah, we did. I’m Mylo, Vi’s brother.”

Then the other young man with chocolate skin, brown eyes, and blonde, almost white, hair reached out his hand. Caitlyn took it while admiring his stunning features.

His voice was welcoming, “Name’s Ekko. I’m basically like Vi’s brother, too. We’re all sort of a family here. Well, the one with the blue braids, Jinx, is actually her sister by blood.”

Caitlyn thought it curious that Vi’s team was made up of her family. That ensured a wildly supportive system behind her, so it only fueled Caitlyn to further question where all Vi’s anger stemmed from. Surely it was more than her allegiance to Zaun over Piltover. Vi’s comment about her parents and the tears welling in her eyes last week flashed in Caitlyn’s mind.

“Well, blood or not, it’s a pleasure to meet all of you,” she stated with a warm smile.

Ekko continued, “Hope Vi hasn’t been giving you too much hell. She’s a lot of bark, not much bite…with us anyway.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Mylo retorted.

“You don’t count,” Ekko shoved him.

“Why not?” Mylo exclaimed while Ekko and Caitlyn held in a laugh. Caitlyn could gather even from their few interactions that Mylo was the one who egged on his siblings.

A new voice broke into the group as blue hair and a unique mixture of blue and magenta eyes popped up next to Caitlyn.

“Hey, losers.” Jinx put her elbow on Caitlyn’s shoulder, even though Caitlyn was taller than her. “I’m Jinx.”

Caitlyn gave her a smile. “Yes, Vi’s sister. Wonderful to make your acquaintance, Jinx.”

“Ah, I see you were already talking about me,” Jinx stated as she turned to the boys. “All good things I imagine.”

Without missing a beat, Mylo responded, “There are good things?”

This made Caitlyn and Ekko laugh as Jinx lunged forward to punch Mylo’s arm.

To Caitlyn’s surprise, she quite enjoyed the familial banter she was being included in, but she could feel the prickles on the back of her neck. Without needing to turn around, she could feel Vi’s eyes burning a hole into her back. She couldn’t help it. She glanced behind her shoulder to find Vi turn her gaze away and walk over to the mirror with her phone in hand.

The boys left Jinx and Caitlyn to bring out ringside materials out to Vi’s corner. Jinx sat on the bench in front of Caitlyn and looked past her at her sister.

“Sorry my sister is a total numbskull. I told her she should’ve reached out to you last week, but she doesn’t listen.”

Caitlyn chuckled and sat down next to her. “I’m sensing that. Thanks for trying at least.” Her eyes returned to Vi who was typing something out on her phone. “If you don’t mind me asking, Vi made a comment to me the last day we spoke about your parents.” She stared sincerely into Jinx’s mesmerizingly colored eyes, “What happened to them?”

The younger girl’s brows came together in a pained expression and her lips downturned slightly. “Ah. I think that’s something for Vi to tell you when she’s ready. She’d probably be just about ready to kick my ass if I told you first.”

Caitlyn stared at Vi again and nodded, “I understand. I respect that.”

Jinx gave her a small, closed-mouth smile. “Thanks. You seem alright for a Piltie.”

“I’ll take the compliment.”

Vi walked up to them, and Caitlyn could see the bundle of mixed emotions throughout her body. Her eyes mingled with curiosity, but her mouth twisted in frustration. Her body language was a fidgeting mess of nerves. She was pumping her fists open and closed and rolling her shoulders. One could argue she was loosening up, but Caitlyn had been around fighters long enough to spot the difference. Caitlyn’s eyes assessed her, perhaps lingering too long on the way her hip bones turned into a perfect V at her waistband before she snapped herself out of such a foolish thought.

“You ready to head out there? They just waved me down at the door,” Vi motioned behind her.

With a nod, the three headed out to the arena. Caitlyn ran her hands over her stomach to flatten out any wrinkles as she got up and began to walk, but if she was being honest with herself, it was also to calm her own uneasiness. As much as she viewed her absence with Vi a necessity to show her value, she hated every second of it. It wasn’t like her to abandon her post in such a way. Caitlyn engulfed herself in her work. She committed herself to Jayce when they were partners in the ring. Every fiber of her being screamed at her for staying home and watching more videos of this frustratingly ravishing, pink-haired fighter instead of being by her side helping, but she reassured herself she would be no help to someone who refused to listen. This was a crucial step for them.

Caitlyn watched videos of Vi fight Zeri in the past. Two of the three videos, ended in a win for Vi. The first was when they were both in their starting years, and Vi landed an impressive knockout. After that was a technical win. The most recent video was a loss for Vi. She didn’t score enough points to earn her the technical win. Caitlyn took a full page of notes on it in her journal from every missed block to sloppy footwork.

On top of those videos, Caitlyn watched the recap of their weigh-in. The Vi that she witnessed on that screen was not the same Vi from nearly all other pre-fight videos. Normally a fire burned in every movement and every word, but that wasn’t the case in this weigh-in. Vi was quiet, and Caitlyn could tell she was biting her tongue, especially when she saw Vi’s opponent look back at her coach and smirk. In that moment, Caitlyn felt immense guilt for not being there.

She and Vi settled into their corner of the ring, and Vi put on her gloves. Even though the seats weren’t packed to the brim, it was odd to see Vi not putting on a show for the crowd present.

“Are you okay?” Caitlyn asked as she bent down next to Vi to help her adjust her gloves.

“Yeah, I’m good. Can you get my mouthpiece?” Vi’s leg began to shake up and down.

An outrageously bright green ponytail passed by the two. Zeri side-eyed them, and with a cocky smirk, she said just loud enough for them to hear, “Oh, wow, spitfire does have a coach.”

Caitlyn watched a scowl appear on Vi’s face. This is not exactly the optimal situation. Yes, Vi having a drive and determination to win was good, but her having unbridled anger and viewing quick flying fists as an outlet with no control behind them was what Caitlyn didn’t want. She grabbed Vi’s forearm firmly.

“Ignore her comments, Vi. She wants to get under your skin. Channel your energy,” Caitlyn encouraged.

It seemed Vi ignored her comments. Her eyes were focused solely on Zeri diagonally across the ring from her.

Announcements sounded off, but Caitlyn wasn’t listening. Her eyes stayed on her fighter. She placed her hand back on Vi’s forearm and gave a squeeze, which did get Vi’s attention. Her gray, stormy eyes peered down at her.

“I’m serious, Vi. Don’t pay anything she says any mind.”

Vi rolled her shoulders. “I got this.”

Caitlyn got out of the ring and stood near the corner. Vi and Zeri tapped their gloves, Caitlyn’s breath hitched in her throat, and the fight began. As a dedicated coach, Caitlyn tended to have extreme confidence in Jayce when he jumped into a fight, but having been absent from Vi’s training, Caitlyn was left in the unknown. She had no idea if Vi had trained to be up to par with her competitor. Even if she had, Vi’s entire demeanor tonight made Caitlyn question what shot they had at winning this fight. She had to remind herself to breathe as she stood ringside.

The first two rounds passed by with little action. Zeri and Vi were feeling each other out. Both fighters landed a few clean jabs and crosses sporadically through the six minutes. Caitlyn was actually impressed by Vi’s restraint, but she wasn’t sure how the judges would score these rounds.

By the third round, Zeri went on the offense. She started throwing more hooks and even kicks. Caitlyn noted two roundhouse kicks and one front kick. Vi was slow to block them. Her high block with her knee registered too late, and Caitlyn saw the wind get knocked out of her. There was a good chance that would leave a bruise near Vi’s ribs. Zeri didn’t pursue her right away, however, and it clicked for Caitlyn. Zeri was toying with her. She wanted to show Vi that she was in charge and could drag this out, wear her down, and win.

“You need to watch her kicks. If she realizes your knee blocks aren’t fast enough, she’ll keep using those to force you to lose your balance and attack,” Caitlyn explained as she iced her ribs. At the same time, Ekko took a water bottle and aimed it at Vi’s mouth.

Vi swallowed the water and wiped her mouth with the back of her arm. She didn’t answer Caitlyn. The only response she received was a grunt.

At the end of the two-minute break, Vi stood, rolled her shoulders, and bounced in her boxer’s stance to the center of the ring. It was her turn on the attack. Vi burst into her typical flurry of punches. Jabs and crosses flew quickly like the snapping of rubber bands. Vi’s hips twisted as she let out her power punches, hooks and a few uppercuts. Zeri couldn’t block all the punches, so there were a few relatively clean hits. A solid cross connected to with Zeri’s cheek, and Caitlyn could see a little bit of blood around Zeri’s lip. Vi definitely won this round, but Caitlyn could see it tired her out. As Vi made her way back to the corner, Caitlyn saw her chest really heaving.

“You’re tiring yourself out. You need to be deliberate with your punches,” Caitlyn stated. “There’s one more round, and you could still land a knockout punch. It doesn’t have to all hinge on that though. We could still get a technical win.”

Caitlyn wiped away the sweat from Vi’s forehead with a towel, and Ekko appeared again with water. Then Zeri’s voice cut through the noise of the arena.

“Not even a Piltie coach could clean up her act.” Smug, brown eyes glared across the ring at them. It was intentionally loud. Meant to rile up Vi.

It worked.

Vi’s eyes turned into narrow slits, and a rumble sounded up from her chest and broke through the mouthpiece. Caitlyn saw her muscles contorting under the skin.

Shit.

“Vi,” Caitlyn calmly spoke and stepped in front of her, “she is trying to get under your skin. She wants you to lose all composure. Don’t let that happen, Vi. If you counter her with a roundhouse, she won’t expect it from you because you’ve been all upper body. That could potentially throw her off and give you an opening.”

It was futile. Her coaching came too late. Vi’s stare was long past Caitlyn, swirling with rage. As disappointing as it was, Caitlyn expected as much from her because of the rivalry between the two cities and the resentment Vi held for Piltover. This would cost Vi the fight.

The bell rang for the end of the final break and round five began. Vi went out swinging, giving little attention to her guard. Caitlyn noted that her shoulders weren’t hunched high enough to help cover her face, and her hands were falling from their blocking position around her chin. With her constant attacks, she was only wearing herself out further, making it all the more difficult to keep a strong defense up. Zeri took advantage of this. She dipped from one of Vi’s crosses and retaliated with a hook followed by a roundhouse. The punch landed against the side of Vi’s head, and the kick made contact with her torso. It was enough force to knock Vi back and have her nearly fall to the ground. She was holding herself up with one glove against the mat, struggling to catch her breath. The referee stepped next to her and touched her back, mouthing something, but Vi waved him off and stood back up slowly. The remainder of this final round continued with Vi on the defense, and it was a shoddy performance.

At the buzzer, the referee separated the fighters, and Vi trudged back to her corner, covered in sweat, a bit of blood on her lip, and forming bruises. Caitlyn tried her best to keep a neutral face, but it was hard to watch Vi sulk on the stool. They both knew before the judges read off any cards that Vi lost that round without contest, and thus, lost the fight as a whole.

Once Zeri’s arm was raised in victory, Zeri made her victory lap around the ring to a mixture of cheers and boos from the audience. Caitlyn could hear boos from some odd feet away behind her. When she looked over, she saw Claggor and a broad shouldered, older man next to him sounding off with disappointment at the outcome. She turned back to look at Vi, who was making her way toward their corner again, eager to escape any microphones being thrust in her direction.

Vi said nothing. She hardly even threw a glance Caitlyn’s way. Mylo undid her gloves and took them off. Then Vi dipped under the ropes and began walking back to the locker room. Caitlyn hurried after her. When she heard footsteps behind her, she turned to find Jinx not far behind.

______________

She did exactly what Caitlyn warned her not to do. She let Zeri taunt her. Get the best of her. Fuck with her head. Vi didn’t ask to have a coach from Piltover. She didn’t like it. She didn’t want it. For another Zaunite, that wasn’t hard to guess, and Zeri used that as her ammunition. And she responded the way she would have as a rookie fighter. She disregarded technique and tried to go in for the kill. All gas. Ambush. It hardly worked these days, so why did she keep trying it? She had no answer. She felt stuck. Drowning. The only way to get out, she thought, was to keep kicking furiously.

No, Vi didn’t ask for a Piltie coach, but she did need a coach. Caitlyn hadn’t been there all week. Even on the days she did show, she wasn’t really there. It pissed Vi off even more hearing Caitlyn try to give her advice for this fight. What made it doubly irritating was that the coaching probably would’ve helped if Vi had just taken a second to calm the fuck down and listen. Ah, but what was that that Vander said about pride again?

There was nothing she could do now. She just wanted to get the hell out of there. Zeri could eat shit. Damn the judges. Screw the ref asking if she could continue on before saying he’d start his countdown. Fuck all of it. She hated losing, and she hated losing more when she knew it was against a fighter that wasn’t better than her.

It all boiled down to Caitlyn fucking Kiramman. If this woman could’ve shown up and done her job, Vi could’ve avoided this. Been more prepared.

You did what?

Ugh. Right.

Everything conflicted. She didn’t want Kiramman, but she needed her. She didn’t want to have Caitlyn’s eyes scrutinizing every little step she took, but she had to. She wanted to tell Caitlyn to leave her alone again, but she knew she couldn’t chance her career. She wanted to calm down, but her blood was boiling.

Vi’s hands hit the locker room doors, pushing them open with force. She started shuffling through her gym bag, searching for her earbuds.

“Vi!” She heard her name fade as the doors closed.

She grabbed the headphones and popped them in each ear. Then she took out her phone.

Another shout of her name, and the doors were opening. She knew it was Caitlyn.

“Vi, we should really talk about—”

Caitlyn’s words were drowned out by the song Vi started playing. She didn’t want to deal with any of this right now. The only thing she actually wanted to do was lose herself for a few hours. Let her muscles ease and her mind rest. Decompress. Avoid dealing with the consequences for just a little while longer.

Vi picked up her gym bag and hurried out the door past Caitlyn without a second look.

_______________

“Vi, we should really talk about the fight and our next steps. I want to start off on the right foot, and I think…”

Caitlyn watched as Vi walked right past her like she didn’t even exist. Her stomach dropped, and she questioned for the first time if her plan to let Vi lose was the right choice.

Within seconds, Jinx pushed open the door behind her.

“Guess my sister didn’t stick around to talk.”

Caitlyn lowered her head. “No, she did not.”

Jinx nudged her arm with her elbow, “She’s like this every time she loses, so don’t take it too personally.” There was a pause. “You knew she would lose, though, didn’t you?” It was hard to read the tone. Not quite accusatory, a bit curious, possibly suspicious.

It was hard to hold eye contact with the younger girl. “I had a strong feeling that she would if I did not help her train, but I needed her to see the value in having a coach. Not just me but a coach in general.” Now Caitlyn turned to face Jinx. “When Mel approached me with this partnership, one of her main points was that Vi didn’t listen to Claggor, and he didn’t push her enough. If she wouldn’t listen to a coach from Zaun, a coach that was her friend, why would she listen to me? I want her to see the worth in having a dedicated coach. I need her to trust my input.”

“So, let her lose and pick up the pieces.”

Caitlyn’s eyes fell to the floor for a moment before returning to Vi’s sister. She nodded, and she watched as Jinx pondered the words.

“I think I get it.” Then her eyes narrowed slightly. “Are you really on my sister’s side?”

“Of course I am, Jinx. There is nothing more I want than to help her achieve the championship. I’ll let you in on something. After Vi told me to leave her alone and I avoided going to the gym, I was actually at home watching countless videos of her fights, interviews, and weigh-ins. I took notes and analyzed all I could to get to know how she fights and try to understand her. Jinx, I promise you, I take my job very seriously. Your sister will win that belt if she can accept me on her team.”

The girl nodded contemplatively. “Okay, Piltie. Gimme your phone.”

Caitlyn handed her the cell phone, and she watched Jinx open up the contacts.

“If you ever need me, you’ll have my number. I know my sister can be a pain in the ass, so if you are on her side, I’m on yours.”

Once Jinx was done and texted herself so she also had Caitlyn’s number, she took the phone back. “Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

“‘Course. Give my sister the night to chill. She’ll come around.”

_____________

Comments piled in under Vi’s most recent picture of her in the locker room before her fight with Zeri.

VIctorious_VI0lence: It’s about to go down! Just a few more minutes until I face off against Zeri. New coach, same old Zaunite Vi.

Gabe327: Yikes. That was rough to watch

Tally_Roxx: New coach, might need a new Vi

Clem-In-Time: Can’t believe the ref didn’t foul Zeri for making those shit comments. You could tell she said something that really bugged Vi. She should’ve been docked points

4ChillBruh20: Ayooo guess the whole Piltie coach ain’t changing jackshit

_______________

Vi spent the night fighting her thoughts as she laid in bed. It was generally a continuation of all the bullshit in her mind that clashed against one another. Not wanting Caitlyn’s help but needing it. Believing she doesn’t need anyone and knowing that’s a lie. Hating that her family accepted this Piltovan but glad that Caitlyn can fit in with the team. It was a shitstorm, and it made sleeping pretty rough.

She woke up the next morning with an aching ribcage and a text from her sister.

Jinx:
How you feelin

Vi:
How do you think

Jinx:
Ya know I talked to Caitlyn after the fight…

Vi:
Don’t give me those dots.
And?

Jinx:
Even though u were a TOTAL dick and told her to leave u alone she’s been studying all ur past fights
Maybe u should actually put in some effort
I think she’s on your side here, idiot

Vi:
Do I need to remind you? Topsiders are never on our side
Their self serving
They’re**

However, that was surprising for Vi to hear. Caitlyn had actually been working at home so she could come to her with things to work on when Vi was ready. The articles about her insane dedication must’ve had some weight to them.

Jinx:
Yeah I get it. We hate them
They are the reason for all the shit in our lives
But whether u want to admit it or not I think Caitlyn can help u

Vi didn’t answer for a few minutes. She rubbed her eyes, annoyed that Jinx was not helping her conflicting emotions. Then her phone buzzed.

Jinx:
She’s not going to show up at the gym unless u tell her to

A minute passed, and Vi still did not respond. She knew her sister was right. Frustratingly, Caitlyn seemed to respect her boundaries.

Jinx:
So tell her u want her there

Vi:
Fine

Before Vi could begin to compose a new message to Caitlyn, her phone started to ring. Vander’s face popped up on her screen. She debated answering it for a few seconds, but Jinx likely already told him that she was talking to her. With a sigh, she determined that if she let this call go to voicemail, he’d just call her again until she answered. Vander could be just as persistent as she was.

“Hey, old man,” Vi answered. “Guess you still hate texting, huh?”

“What’s this I hear about you calling off your coach before the match?”

Damnit, Jinx.

Deflecting, with her fingers pressed down on the bridge of her nose, Vi continued, “I thought Jinx was going to teach you how to work your phone so you could just text us.”

“Vi.” Vander’s voice was stern.

She sighed and grunted, “Yeah, I did. And the damn Piltie actually listened to me and didn’t show up to the gym at all before the last fight.”

“Explains the lack of improvement on your part,” he stated as a matter of fact. “What happened, Vi?”

Vi readjusted and sat up against the headboard of her bed. “She shows up to my gym and starts taking notes on me, but then she doesn’t want to give me any feedback on anything. After we had a meeting with Mel, Caitlyn invites me out to get coffee and wants to talk but not about kickboxing. She claimed she wanted to be friends with me.”

She could hear Vander let out a deep exhale on the other end. “So you don’t want to be friends with her because she’s from Piltover?”

“Because that’s not in her job description. Mel hired a coach not my new best friend.” Vi was waving her hand around at no one as she spoke. “Why are we acting like Jinx didn’t fill you in on everything?”

“I wanted to hear it all from you, but if you want to cut to the chase, let’s. Your last fight was a pitiful show of what you’re actually capable of. You know this, and I know this. Given what your sister has told me about Caitlyn, she knows this too. The fan base you have in Zaun will stand behind you every step of the way, Piltover coach or not, but you’re not giving them a reason to if you don’t put in the work.

I don’t know how else to tell you this, kiddo, but you need to let the past lie. All it’s going to do is bring down everything you’ve worked so hard for these past few years. Now, I’m not telling you to forget about your parents or go out and marry the girl. What I am saying is let her help you win. Kiramman doesn’t have the reputation she does for no reason. This is on you.”

“Easier said than done, Vander.”

“Don’t let pride cloud your goals, and don’t let your own self-pity weigh you down. Your parents would want to see you getting on with your life, just like I do.”

Vi felt her eyes grow hot behind closed lids. It was hard to be passive when her old man got sentimental. Then she heard someone yelling in the background.

“Tell her she needs to text Caitlyn!”

Vander laughed, “You hear your sister?”

“Yeah, yeah. Tell her I will.”

When their phone call ended, Vi went back to composing her message to Caitlyn. If she could separate the coach from Piltover, maybe she could get through this season. Figuring out what to say felt like pulling teeth. Every sentence sounded forced. Awkward. Then after deleting it, not enough. Her fingers tapped on the sides of her phone as she ran through phrases in her head. The next fight was in three days, which didn’t leave her a lot of time to get the ball rolling with Caitlyn, and every minute wasted now was crucial.

After seven excruciating minutes, Vi settled.

Vi:
Come to the gym today 10:00

She’d have to explain herself in person. To say she was looking forward to that was the understatement of the year.

_____________________

“That was the first fight from Vi with a new coach, Caitlyn Kiramman, in her corner. Not what we’re used to seeing from a fighter Kiramman’s been training,” Jack announced.

“Not at all,” Tressa agreed. “Though the performance was pretty on brand for Vi. We saw that loose cannon come out in the fourth round.”

“Right, let’s take a look at some of those highlights.” The group turned to face the screen that displayed recaps of the fight. Jack commentated, “We see Vi here in the fourth round landing a few hits amongst her flurry. One in particular, Raelle brought up before we were on air was the cross here. We can see her hip rotating, creating that driving force, and the outcome is devastating.”

“However, not enough to win this match, Jack,” Tressa chimed in as the video switched to the final round. “Zeri gets Vi off balance with that lead hook and follows through with a rear roundhouse, taking Vi down. It’s just not the type of defense we would expect from a fighter that has been training with Kiramman.”

Russell interjected, “She’s only been training with Kiramman for a week. Are we going to base the entire future of their partnership on one fight? If she didn’t go down in that last round, she may have had a chance for a technical win.”

“But she did go down. You can’t tell me you didn’t expect more from her than the same old fly-off-the-handle-Vi.”

Raelle added, “Yeah, Russell, you sure you still want to make bets?”

He smiled and shook his head. “I won’t sit here and try to say that was a good fight for Vi, but I also think we need to look at this as two very different styles coming together. It’s going to be a rocky start.”

“You think her fight against Akali will be any better?”

Russell turned to face Raelle, “I’ll still take those bets.”

__________________

Minutes ticked by but they felt like hours. Vi was sitting on the bench in the back room of the gym, and she was glad to have the space to herself this morning. Her elbows dug into her thighs as she leaned forward. Impatiently, she checked her phone. It was 9:53. Another minute closer to her having to face her coach...if she showed up. Caitlyn didn’t reply to Vi’s message a few hours ago, so Vi had no idea if this was all for naught.

Vander’s words echoed in her ears. He was right. Caitlyn wasn’t the reason for any of what happened in her past, but she was a complicit part of Piltovan society. Her leg began to shake as she wondered if she had it in her to let go of the stubbornness and view Caitlyn with a clean slate.

She recalled Vander’s words about her career. The fans needed to see she was still willing to put in the work to be at her best. And Vi had put in a hell of a lot to get to this point.

After her parents passed away, Vi was someone with a lot of anger and no outlet. She got into a physical altercation with a Piltie when he caught her trying to pickpocket him, but when they went to court topside, she was charged with assault and petty theft. His lawyer was good. She couldn’t afford one. Vander couldn’t swing the bail, not with supporting three kids by himself. Vi never held that against him. The Piltover system was against her. What should’ve been a short sentence got extended the more she got into fights with both inmates and guards.

When she finally got out, she never imagined finding kickboxing and making a name for herself in the sport, but one of the other inmates told her she had a spark, fighter’s spirit, and should give it a shot. Claggor had been a personal trainer, so Vi went to him as soon as she was a free woman. He was happy to take her on. She was relieved to have a channel for her pain.

No way was she letting Piltover take another thing from her.

She heard soft footsteps approaching. 9:56. Vi looked up to see Caitlyn walking over to her. She was in a simple gray tank top and black leggings with a gym bag slung around her shoulders. The dark blue hair around her face brought out the brightness in her blue eyes. Standing up, Vi looked down at the floor momentarily and cracked her knuckles, not wanting to admit to herself that she noticed such a detail about Caitlyn.

Now arm’s length away from Vi, Caitlyn spoke first. “Are you ready to begin?”

Guess this girl isn’t looking for any explanations…at least not yet.

Vi would take that as a small victory for the moment. The less she had to explain her train wreck of emotions and reasons for storming off twice the better.

She let out a quick smirk. “I asked you come here, didn’t I?”

Chapter Text

Vi sat on the couch in her pajamas that were decorated with tiny bunnies, and next to her was a matching stuffed bunny with big floppy years. In her hand was a crayon, and in her lap was her coloring book. She’d been coloring a picture of a cat in a field of flowers for a few minutes before her mom walked into the room and sat in the armchair to Vi’s right. When her mom sat down, she looked over and smiled.

Her mom smiled lovingly back, blue eyes full of love for her firstborn child. Deep purple hair was in a braid that laid over her shoulder. Vi wondered when her hair would be long enough for her mom to comb through and braid. She noticed her mother resting one hand on her stomach tenderly.

“What are you working on, honey?” Her mother asked as Vi scribbled a red crayon over some flowers on the page.

Vi flipped the book around to show her with a grin that was still missing a few baby teeth. “A kitty! And some flowers.”

“Aw, baby, you’re doing such a good job. It’s beautiful.”

As Vi turned the book back onto her knees and picked up the green crayon, the front door opened. Her father, a tall man with dark hair, walked through the doorway. Pivoting, he hung up his coat and smiled at his wife and daughter. Vi watched her mom stand up and position herself in front of her dad. She tossed her coloring book to the side and knelt on her knees, leaning her hands and chin on the top of the back of the couch. Peering over, she studied them with childish curiosity, noting that her mom was still holding her stomach.

Her father glanced down at his wife’s stomach with wide eyes, and he took a step closer cautiously, extending his own hand. In unison, they said it.

“We’re pregnant?”

“We’re pregnant.”

Her dad softly joked, “Jinx.” They both chuckled as he caressed her stomach.

Her mom rested her hand on his. “Hmm…that could actually be quite an adorable name.”

“Really? You think so?”

She nodded in response.

Vi started to pull at the fraying fabric on the top of the couch. She caught her father’s eye when he peaked over his wife’s shoulder. His expression warmed even further, causing Vi to feel her lips widened ear to ear and duck behind the couch as he made his way over to her.

He knelt in front of her, wrapped his arms around her in a hug, and picked her up off the couch. His lean arms held her tight against him. She felt safe. Protected. Loved. This was her favorite place in the whole word.

“Hey, sweet pea.” His eyes danced between Vi and her mother before settling on Vi once more as he spoke, “Are you ready to be a big sister?”

*****

Jinx and Vi were outside playing with four of the other kids that lived next door. The sun was warm on Vi’s back as she kicked the soccer ball down the front yard toward the opposing team’s goal. She paused for a moment and gave a powerful kick, and the goalie missed her shot completely. Wiping sweat from her brow, Vi cheered and ran back to the center of their makeshift soccer field, and she looked over to find Jinx’s blue, shoulder-length hair bouncing up and down, smiling at her.

One of the younger boys, gently hit her arm. “Jinx, she’s not on our team.”

“Oh.” Jinx stopped celebrating and fidgeted with her fingers. “Right, sorry.”

Vi smirked and winked at her sister, letting her know everything was okay.

The game continued on. One of the other boys around Vi’s age, Luke, was on Jinx’s team. Her sister had the ball and was running toward the goal. Vi could tell she was struggling a bit to keep up. Luke yelled for Jinx to pass the ball his way, but when Jinx tried to line up her pass, Julie, a girl on Vi’s team, intercepted it. Stopping in his tracks, Luke threw up his hands and stomped over to Jinx. Vi slowed her run to a walk to keep an eye on the boy.

“What is with you?” The boy exclaimed.

“I’m sorry,” Jinx replied sheepishly.

“You can never do anything right,” Luke pressed on. He was practically standing over.

The other kids stopped playing and started watching the altercation. Vi started to make her way over to them. She could feel her hands balling into fists as she walked with heavy steps. Jinx’s eyes were round with worry and fear, and they dashed between Luke and Vi.

Luke added, “That’s why you’re a damn jinx!”

Vi shoved him out of the way when he said it and stepped in front of her little sister. “Don’t you call her that.”

“What?” He sneered as he straightened back up. “It’s her name. Don’t want to admit she is one. She is a jinx.”

Vi stepped up to him. Elongating her neck and broadening her shoulders. White knuckles at her side. “Want to say that again and see how this ends?”

His eyes narrowed and a smirk lit up the lower half of his face. His gaze darted momentarily from Jinx to Vi. Slowly, he enunciated, “She’s a jinx.”

Vi punched him square in the nose.

*****

For the past four years, Vi’s attitude began to shift. In her teenage years, now sixteen, she was trying to find herself, but it was increasingly harder for her to do as her mom’s condition worsened and Vi herself felt more and more lost. Her father tried to calm and soothe her, especially on her mother’s roughest nights, but Vi still struggled. She tried rebelling by cutting her hair short and shaving one side and getting a nose piercing. Even with all her outbursts, her parents remained supportive and caring.

One night, Vi’s dad was working late, which was a pretty regular occurrence since he was trying to make ends meet and make extra cash for her mom’s treatment. Jinx was in their room listening to music and drawing. Her sister had taken up art as an outlet, but Vi was still searching for her own. Sometimes watching Jinx zone out and draw and paint for hours endlessly made Vi frustrated because she longed for own escape. Eventually, she left the room. Not sure where she would go, but she had to get out. Vi walked down the hallway past her parent’s room when she heard her mom having a terrible coughing fit.

She poked her head inside the room. Her mother, once so strong and radiant, sat propped up in her bed curled forward coughing into a tissue. Frail. Small. Weakened. It was her, but it wasn’t. Not anymore. Not for a while. Not since…

Hope left Vi a few months ago, but her heart still ached.

Vi hesitantly stepped inside the room as the coughing stopped. A whisper caught in her throat, “Hey, mom.”

Blue eyes, swollen and slightly bloodshot, met her silver ones. Her mother balled the tissue in her fist and straightened herself up as best she could. With a hoarse voice she answered, “My sweet Violet, come here.” She pat the bed.

Before she sat down, Vi made her way to the side of the bed and grabbed the glass of water on the nightstand and handed it to her mom steadily. “You should drink something. It’ll help the coughing.”

She smiled sympathetically and accepted the glass, drinking slowly. Vi watched her wince at the end, and then sat down next to her on the bed. Somehow she felt even smaller than her mother. Reaching over, she went to hold her mom’s bony hand, but it still held a tissue. Vi looked down and saw the blood her mom was trying to hide. Her finger nudged the wasted tissue between her fingers. Vi’s stomach dropped.

“It’s getting worse,” was all Vi could think to say.

Her mom scooted closer. She placed an arm around Vi’s shoulder and pulled her in. Vi could feel her bones beneath the skin. It’s like her mother had become a figment of what she used to be overnight. How did Vi miss it all for so long?

“It’s all going to be okay, darling.”

Vi tensed and her eyes burned in their sockets at the lie. Once treatments were cancelled, Vi could feel the dread in her bones. The inevitable was coming, but the timeline was unknown. She didn’t know if that was for better or worse.

She turned her head to glance at her mom. Tears were welling in her eyes. “Mom…you can’t…we…” Truth be told, Vi wasn’t quite sure what she was trying to say.

A firm but gentle hand pressed onto the side of Vi’s head and twined fingers through her hair. She simply gave a hushing sound from between her lips and began to rock her as though she was a small child again. For the first time in a long time, Vi let the tears fall down her cheeks. She wiped them away with a sniffle. The rare moments like this with her mom only broke her heart more. Cracks in a wall she aimed to build that would have to be filled in later.

They sat in the silence for a few minutes. She continued to rock Vi and rub along the side of her head. It was soothing, but also painful. Vi wanted to stay in that moment for longer, but she also wanted to run. Let her legs go until they burned. Until the muscles ached to separate from the bone. But she could never do that. She could never leave her mother. Her father. Jinx.

With a sigh, her mom cut through the silence, “Look at me, Violet.” When Violet turned her body just enough to face her mom, she continued, “I know this isn’t easy for you. For any of you. It hurts me so deeply knowing this.” Vi could see tears in her mother’s tired eyes. “Violet, I need you to be strong, baby. Your dad is trying his best, but Jinx will need—”

Her words were stopped short by a coughing fit, and when she pulled her hand away, she tried to hide the blood from Vi. It was too late though. Vi turned further and placed her hands on her mom’s angular shoulders. She stiffened her lip and took a deep breath.

“Come on, mom, let’s get you to the bathroom and clean you up.”

She shuffled out of the bed and maneuvered her arm securely around her mom’s waist to hoist her up and help her to the bathroom. Vi would be here for her. Her rock when her father was away. Her happiness when Jinx couldn’t bear being in the room any longer. Now until the end. She’d find herself later.

___________________________

Caitlyn’s parents resided closer to the academy and council tower than Caitlyn did, so it took her about twenty-five minutes to drive there. She made that drive the morning after the fight. At least once a week, she enjoyed having breakfast with her father, Tobias. As an artificer and professor at the academy, it was easy for Caitlyn to schedule time to see her father, whereas her mother, Cassandra, being a representative on the council, was usually out the door early. The morning air had been crisp, and Caitlyn appreciated the warm cup of tea under her fingers. She sipped it slowly as her father prepared her a dish with an over easy egg, toast, and assortment of fruits.

Every time Caitlyn drove up to her parent’s house, she found it a bit ridiculous how large the house was. Even when Caitlyn still lived there, it was absurdly too big for the three of them then. Now with just the two of them, Caitlyn figured they must still be here because of the convenient location to both their jobs.

Unlike her parents, Caitlyn lived in a quaint house just outside the center of the city. It was a two bedroom, one bathroom home. She used the second bedroom as an office, and there were countless nights she spent in that room with Jayce going over videos to study fighters. For Piltover standards, the home was modest, and Caitlyn never felt like she needed much. What sold her on it was the view. She had the perfect view from each side; one side showed the council tower, and the other displayed the river and neon lights peaking through from Zaun.

Tobias set down their plates on the island and pulled out the seat next to his daughter. “I hear you’ve accepted your new contract.”

Caitlyn sliced open the egg, letting the yolk pour out onto the plate. “I did. I’m coaching Vi from the undercity. Her manager, Mel Medarda, was very persistent.”

“How’s that been going, darling?”

She caught the air of concern in his voice. “It’s been interesting. Very different from training Jayce to say the least. Vi is a bit…rough around the edges. The first fight did not go particularly well, but I’m confident we can improve.”

“Yes, so I’ve heard.” He dipped his toast into the yolk. His avoidance of eye contact at the statement seemed deliberate. Caitlyn had a hunch as to why.

“What else have you heard?”

Tobias sipped his tea before answering. “She has a sorted past with Piltover.”

Caitlyn’s eyebrows perked up. It wasn’t a secret in the slightest that Vi was not a fan of Piltover, but not even Caitlyn knew much about her past or any previous bouts topside. “Father, what do you know?”

“Only what your mother has told me, dear.” He took another sip of tea.

Caitlyn reeled her head back. “Oh for goddess’s sake. Of course mother did some digging. She is ridiculous.”

“Now, now, she’s only doing what she thinks is best for you.”

“Because Vi is from Zaun.”

He shrugged his shoulders helplessly and resigned to taking a bite of his toast. The two ate in silence for a few minutes before Caitlyn finally gave in.

With a side-eye glance in his direction, she asked, “Well, what did she find out?”

“Vi was arrested a few years ago. I suppose before she got into the sport.”

Caitlyn’s brows furrowed and her back tensed. This did connect some dots as to why Vi held such animosity, but she wasn’t sure if she even wanted to ask the next question. It wasn’t because she wasn’t curious. All she could think of was Jinx’s words about giving time for Vi to share her story. She’d stick to her word and respect that.

She exhaled, “The past in the past. Whatever it was, I’m sure there’s two sides to the story. I don’t want to go into this partnership with any conjectures.”

“Fair enough, but please do be careful, Caitlyn,” he finished with a smile.

Caitlyn smiled back, “She’s not fighting me, dad.”

Hopefully.

Her breakfast was interrupted the vibration of her phone against the counter. She excused herself and picked it up. It was a text from Vi asking her to come to the gym. Well, actually telling her. Caitlyn almost smiled at how absolutely Vi this seemed. Storming off on her the night before only to send her a message with no explanation, no apology. Only a command. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, but instead of composing a reply, Caitlyn set her phone back down. She figured she’d let Vi sweat just a little bit.

Checking the time, it was 8:54. If she left her parent’s house now, she’d have just enough time to stop home, change, grab her bag, and make it to the gym for ten o’clock.

______________________

Caitlyn sat down on the bench and removed her gym bag from her shoulders, and Vi followed suit, sitting down beside her. She grabbed her notebook out and began to rifle through the pages. Her brows came together contemplatively as she flipped through the journal.

A hum vibrated up her throat. “We could start with the notes I have from your first two practices I sat in on, or we could go over the fight yesterday.”

Vi snatched the notebook from Caitlyn’s delicate fingers. “You took all these notes on just me?” She thumbed through a few pages with her calloused fingers. “It’s only been a week. How do you have so much written already?” Vi wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or intimidated.

Caitlyn lifted an eyebrow at Vi, and Vi tried to ignore the shiver that the ran down her spine from the expression.

“This whole notebook will be filled with notes by the end of our run together.”

“Already thinking about the end, Cupcake?” Vi nudged her side playfully.

With an eye roll, Caitlyn flipped to one of the pages. “Your next fight is in three days. Weigh-in is in two. After that, you have another fight in four days. That’ll be your last fight in Zaun before we have to head out on the road. I think we should start with some general notes I have from your first practices I sat in on, and then we can focus in on specifics from your past fights with Akali.”

Vi was more than happy to not have to relive her fight against Zeri so soon. With how observant Caitlyn was, she suspected that a rehashing of that fight would lead to what exactly got under her skin in the first place that made her lose all composure. The longer she could put off talks like that the better.

“Sounds like a plan.” Vi stood up and began to stretch. Her arms moved across her body and then in large arm circles. “So, what do you have for me first, teach?”

Caitlyn looked down at her notes as she spoke, “Let’s start with your sparring session against Fiora.”

Vi hinged forward at the waist and bent down into a double hamstring stretch.

“Fiora’s blocking frustrated you. Eventually, so much so, that you were wildly throwing punches.” As Vi moved her arms to her left leg, she heard a huff like a laugh from Caitlyn. “Actually, that reminds me of the fight with Zeri. Anyway, we need to work on ways for you to create openings. When you start to punch out of frustration,” Vi moved to the other leg, “you forfeit form and eat away at your stamina.”

Vi sat on the floor and put her legs out in front of her to stretch forward, grabbing her toes. “Fair enough.” She was well aware that her guard was always part of the commentary from sports analysts to her own familial team. Ever since she was a rookie, patience never was Vi’s strong suit. Perhaps that pertained to life in general, as well. She moved into a cobra stretch and eyed Caitlyn. “So, what’s your plan?”

Caitlyn closed the journal and stood. “Well, let’s get warmed up, and then we’ll do some bag work. After that, I’ll have either Fiora or Lee spar with you under my direction.”

The warm up began with some cardio exercises, including jumping jacks, butt kickers, high knees, shadow boxing, and mountain climbers. In between cardio movements, Caitlyn would have Vi do active rests, such as squats and lunges. Then the two went into core exercises with variations of crunches and planks and push-ups. Doing all of this, Vi realized Claggor may have been slacking on incorporating conditioning more often. Knowing Clag, he likely assumed Vi was doing this sort of thing on her own. She was surprised to see Caitlyn join in on almost all of the exercises. The only time she took a pause was to correct some part of Vi’s form, making sure her back was straight in push-ups, telling her to wiggle her toes in the squat, or pointing her toes in flutter kicks.

Vi slapped on her gloves and took her fighter’s stance in front of the punching bag and bounced on the balls of her feet. Caitlyn stood next to Vi and leaned against the beam.

“I’m going to call out moves and combos for you to land on the bag. Are you comfortable with using numbers?”

She nodded in reply, and Caitlyn began.

“One, two, one, six. Good. One, two, one, four. Two, three. Pivot more with your hip on the lead hook. Two, three.”

Vi listened. She exhaled and pivoted, moving the bag more than her previous punch.

“One, two, slip, three. Again. One, two, slip, three. Faster. Again. One, two, slip, three, dip, six. That’s it. One, two, slip, three, dip, six. Now add a pull and roundhouse.”

Finding the groove in the combination, Vi sped up with each hit. When she threw the roundhouse, it connected on the bag at the letter K, which was about the halfway point. Kicking was not Vi’s favorite. She was more of an upper body attacker. Vi bounced on her feet waiting for the next combination, but Caitlyn was silent. She looked over to find her staring at her hips then down to her feet. Caitlyn’s brows were pressing closer together.

Finally, she called out, “Roundhouse.”

Vi kicked. Same spot.

“Roundhouse.”

Kicked again.

“Two, one, roundhouse.”

Caitlyn moved away from leaning on the beam. Her brows were still pulled in concentration. She asked Vi to take a step away from the bag and then stood in front of her. “I want you to try this stretching exercise with me, Vi.”

Caitlyn took her position. Her right leg went up at her side, hinging at the waist about ninety degrees. Her left foot, which was planted firmly on the ground, was pivoted outward. Slowly, she stretched her right leg out and in, completing the kicking motion.

“Balance on your left side and bring your leg above your hips, and then practice the kicking motion. Make sure that left foot is pivoting out the same way it would with a roundhouse. It’s going to feel uncomfortable.”

Vi mimicked the position. At first, she was a little wobbly on her left leg. She felt the strain in her hips, rotating her abductors. After a minute working each leg like this, Caitlyn had her practice her roundhouses. Once to the body, which was about where she hit that first time, and then to the head, just above the letter “C” in the “CKO” on the bag.

“That’s better,” Caitlyn said as she moved to the stand in front of the bag next to Vi. “I want you to try that combination you were doing before, one, two, slip, three, dip, six, pull.” Caitlyn did each punch on the bag herself as she named the number. “Then finish with a roundhouse to the head and one to the body.” Her insanely long legs hit the bag with force, denting the spot her shin made contact with, and Vi watched her form. She watched her left foot pivot with each kick. Heard her let out an exhale with the hit. Saw her right arm lean back to give her more momentum as her left hand continued to block her face. Thought about how toned her legs looked as she kicked in those stupidly, skintight leggings.

Stop it.

“Got it?” When Vi didn’t answer and only continued to stare with wide eyes, Caitlyn added, “What?”

“N-nothing. Just didn’t think you’d know how to strike so well. Thought you were all watch and analyze. Didn’t realize you were also kind of hands-on.”

The thought of Caitlyn being hands-on…No. No, no no.

She smirked at Vi. “It might surprise you to hear that I do take kickboxing and Muay Thai classes myself, and there were times I would get in the ring to spar with Jayce.”

That did, in fact, surprise Vi. Caitlyn came off as very put together, no bullshit, prim and proper. It was hard for Vi to imagine Caitlyn’s slender, albeit lean, figure fighting anyone, especially Jayce who was easily double her size.

As she moved back into her fighter’s stance, she admitted, “Now that I have to see.”

Caitlyn grinned, “Perhaps I have some of those trainings recorded somewhere on an old hard drive. I’ll have to see. Anyway, let’s continue on. Run the combo.”

Vi ran the combination, and when they were finished with more callouts, she had thoroughly built up a sweat. After a few minutes of stretching and a rest period, Caitlyn walked off to see if Fiora was available, and Vi was left to her thoughts.

Seeing Caitlyn run the strikes on the bag with damn near perfect form and hearing that she sparred against Jayce made her very curious. It was like finding out your doctor was covered in tattoos under that professional lab coat — kind of weird and unforeseen but also sort of hot. Part of Vi was suddenly interested in uncovering more of these layers of what made Caitlyn to be considered such a stellar coach, but at the same time, she felt a piece of herself pulling back. The more she made Caitlyn reveal, the more she, too, might be expected to open up, and Vi was definitely not ready for any of that.

________________

“You cannot be serious, Caitlyn. Absolutely not.” Cassandra Kiramman’s voice was incredulous. Her eyes narrowed on Caitlyn sitting opposite her at the dining room table. “What in the world has made you want to become a kickboxing coach of all things?”

Her father was silent. His apologetic eyes moved between his plate and Caitlyn. She mentioned that she had been training with Jayce more often and the proposition Jayce gave her weeks ago, but she had yet to say anything to her mother. She knew the affluent councilwoman, Cassandra Kiramman, would find this an ill-fitting job for her daughter. Caitlyn despised the expectations constantly thrust upon her just for being a Kiramman.

“It’s something I really enjoy,” Caitlyn tried to explain, but her mother butt in.

“Then why don’t you keep it to just that — a hobby. Something to partake in in your free time.”

She shook her head, “I want to give this opportunity a real chance, mother. When I’m in classes, I’m excelling, and when I hit that bag and understand the rhythm of the combinations, well…I’ve never felt more alive. Now that I’ve been training more with Jayce, he asked if I would—”

Her mother put down her fork and shook her head. “Ah, that boy. He’s the one that roped you into thinking this was a grand idea, isn’t he?”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. “Jayce doesn’t control my choices. This is something I am passionate about, and I think I can really breakthrough as a female coach in this industry.” Caitlyn thought maybe adding in that she could break a glass ceiling would help in swaying her mother’s opinion. “Training a male fighter as a female coach could make huge waves, especially if we win.” She set down her utensils. “Mother, I am not asking for permission. I’ve already agreed to be Jayce’s coach.”

Cassandra scowled, but her father finally stepped in. “I think this is a fine venture for you, darling. I’m sure your mother and I will have a great time cheering on you and Jayce.” He cautiously looked over at his wife.

Her expression had calmed as her husband spoke. She picked her fork back up and stabbed at a piece of broccoli on her plate. “You will finish your degree while you’re coaching him. Is that clear?”

Caitlyn’s eyes moved from her mother to her father and back down to her plate. “Yes,” was all she uttered.

______________________

Caitlyn set her timer for three minutes and watched Vi spar against Fiora. It started off similar to the first time the two sparred together. Vi was itching to find a way to break Fiora’s guard. When the three minutes were up, Caitlyn let them rest for one minute before having Vi continue her fight. In the second round, when Vi tried to throw a hook and cross, Fiora took advantage of Vi letting her block down and landed a lead hook on Vi. In this second round, Vi was only able to land three truly solid hits. Caitlyn could see Vi’s brows were still furrowed in frustration at the end of that round. During this rest period, Caitlyn moved in to speak with Vi in a low voice so Fiora would not hear.

“Struggling to get in a clean hit is leaving you vulnerable. When you’re throwing your jabs and crosses, keep your shoulders high so you can tuck your face in that crook.”

“Alright, any other pointers now that you’re actually coaching?” Vi questioned smugly.

Caitlyn threw a sweat towel at her. “You need to think with more calculated steps.”

Vi wiped sweat from her brow. “Well, you’re the coach that analyzes all my damn videos.” The words didn’t have a bite like they did last week. “What’s your idea?”

“The combination we were doing earlier on the bag, do you remember it?”

“Duh. You only made me do it a thousand times.”

“Do that combination, but instead of two roundhouses, I want you to roundhouse once to the body and then end it with a hook. Obviously use your proper defense as she moves to adjust and counter you.”

When she finished, it was like Vi was looking past her. Her eyes were working through the combination in her head. Finally, Caitlyn could see her thinking through the steps before blasting out of the corner with no plan.

Vi nodded. “Okay, I’ll give it a shot.”

She watched as Vi walked out of her corner rolling her shoulders before putting her gloves up in front of her face. Caitlyn watched Vi fake a jab. This made Fiora attempt to slip out of the way but allowed for Vi to throw a well-timed hook to the body instead. With Fiora shaken a bit, Vi began the combination. A snappy jab and cross were followed up by a powerful lead hook to the body. Fiora tried to counter with an uppercut, but Vi was really to pull away. After which she landed a rear uppercut thanks to Fiora trying to move in for her own. The move got Fiora to revert back to blocking her face, but Vi threw a wrench in that by shooting out her leg for a roundhouse. Fiora was not expecting Vi, typically someone who focused on upper body, to throw out a lower body attack move, and she tried to move as fast as she could to block it with an oblique crunch. It was too late. Vi knocked the wind out of her and landed a solid hook, causing Fiora to stumble back again and kneel to the ground with a hand up in surrender.

Vi walked over and helped her up. “Hell of defense you got.”

She wheezed out a laugh. “Didn’t know you had such a killer roundhouse. You never use it.”

“New coach.” She turned to flash a canine at Caitlyn. She shrugged her shoulders. “New Vi, too, I guess.”

Hearing those words from Vi, Caitlyn tried to hide a smile from her sense of pride filling her. For the first time, she believed that maybe this partnership could work.

********

The weigh-in had Caitlyn biting at her nails, which was very unlike her. Jayce loved the attention from the cameras, but he wasn’t one to start needless fights. Typically, his demeanor was quite level-headed, and he saved any rage he had for inside the ring. Vi was a different story.

Vi’s first weigh-in with Caitlyn as her coach was out of character for her. She was quite and reserved. Mainly, Caitlyn suspected, because she was feeling uneasy about the fight ahead of her with the lack of a coaching presence. Now that Vi had spent two days training with Caitlyn, running combinations and working on form, Caitlyn could see she was feeling more herself. To put it in short, Vi was back to being cocky with a fiery disposition.

When Caitlyn watched Vi ascend to the scale, she could see the smirk lining the lower half of her face in the side-eye she was shooting toward Akali. Vi stripped out of her clothing, leaving her in spandex fighting shorts and a sports bra. Caitlyn had to force herself to look away because she didn’t want to chance any camera catching her staring at Vi’s sculpted body. She could see in her periphery Vi’s tattooed back and arms flexing as she stepped off the scale.

Who even has back muscles like that? Come on.

Her attention returned to the scene in front of her when Vi and Akali squared up, posing for their promotional fight picture. Both women put up their hands as though ready to fight then and there. Akali whispered something to Vi, but Caitlyn couldn’t make out what it was. The only part she did catch was Akali’s brown, almost crimson, eyes moving to rest on Caitlyn for a split second.

Before she could register any of it, Vi pushed Akali backward, and the security was stepping between them before anymore fists went flying.

Vi walked over to Caitlyn triumphantly. Her clothes were balled up in her arms, and she lifted her chin to indicate Caitlyn walk out with her.

“What the hell was that?” Caitlyn hissed under her breath as they removed themselves from the room.

With a smile, Vi answered, “It’s all good. Just shit for the cameras.” She stopped in the hallway to put her clothes back on.

Thank the goddess.

Her reddish pink hair was mussed from the hoodie. Caitlyn was annoyed that even when Vi flustered her with putting on such a show, she somehow still managed to be an adorable mess. Without thinking, she reached up and pushed a piece of hair down that was sticking straight up. Realizing what she’d done, she felt her face warm.

Professional, Kiramman.

Vi smiled wide at her, “I’m feeling good about this one, Cupcake.”

“You can just call me Caitlyn, you know.”

She pursed her lips, “Nah. I think Cupcake suits you.”

______________________

“What a fight we saw tonight from Vi and Akali!” Jack exclaimed.

The camera focused in on Raelle. “I could not believe it. Kiramman must really be working her hard to get results like that out of Vi.”

“Let’s take a look of some of the top moments from the fight.” Jack motioned to the screen, and the group turned their attention with him.

The screen played a video of Vi using a knee block to stop one of Akali’s front kicks. When Akali tried to close the distance after the failed kick, Vi followed with a slip and hook. The round ended with Akali knocking Vi back with a quick cross, hook, jab and roundhouse.

“This first round really set the tone for the rest of the fight. We see Vi finally utilizing some great defensive moves. She was able to counter Akali quickly here,” Jack said as the video played.

“That’s right, Jack,” Tressa added on, “Akali was quick to adapt though, pushing Vi back with those strikes at the end. Akali rivals Vi with her speed. I felt like this round really could’ve gone either way.”

Russell chimed in as the video switched to a highlight from round two. “This round is quite frankly what I believe solidified this technical win for Vi. She focused heavily in the first minute on defensive moves, which tired Akali out. If it were my guess, I’m sure Akali was expecting Vi’s typical retaliation.”

“Absolutely,” Tress stepped in, “But we see Caitlyn’s influence on Vi here. She waits for those moments where Akali is left open and strikes.”

“When Akali went in for that cross, we see Vi slip to the left and hit the body with an uppercut and then a hook to the head. The kick, which we rarely see from Vi, followed by the last cross brought Akali down,” Russell continued.

The video changed to round three, which showed both fighters making some clean hits. Round four showed Vi mainly on the defense again.

“We can see here she’s making Akali work for her hits in order to drain her stamina,” Jack said. “Vi did well here blocking that roundhouse with a high block. This would have been a defensive move useful in her last fight with Zeri.”

Raelle agreed, “Very true, Jack. And as you said,” the video switched to the final round, “Vi’s tactic of tiring out Akali seemed to work.”

On the screen, the video showed Vi running through a tirade of punches. Some hitting, some blocked. Akali did land a few hits of her own, but it wasn’t enough to beat the amount that Vi landed.

“However,” Raelle agreed as the video showed Vi roaring into a hook with bared teeth in her mouthguard, “this last round did show us that the old, spitfire Vi is still in there.”

“Arguably the sloppiest round for her,” Tressa added. “I swore when I was watching this part of the fight, I could see Caitlyn frowning in Vi’s corner. She’s not a coach that tolerates carelessness.”

Jack responded, “But given that knockdown in round two and her improved defense, Vi received the technical win from the judges.”

The video of the two fighters closed, and the camera panned out to the panel of commentators.

“So, I’m hoping this sets the precedent for the way we’ll see their partnership develop. What do you say, Raelle?” Russell jibed.

She smirked in his direction. “I wouldn’t wish a bad run on any fighter, Russell, so I hope we do see a new and improved Vi emerge.”

______________________

Vi sat on the bench in the locker room. She was unraveling her wraps, and listening to her sister bounce up and down talking about how amazing of a job she did this fight compared to her last. If Vi didn’t have Caitlyn’s glare on her, maybe she would’ve enjoyed the way Jinx was going on and on about her kicking Akali’s ass. That familiar feeling of a laser burning into her was back.

“Oh, and then you slipped away from her and BAM!” Jinx imitated the uppercut from the second round. “The look of ‘oh, no I fucked up’ that was on Akali’s face — priceless, sis!”

Vi gave a sidelong smile that didn’t reach her eyes. She threw her wraps in her bag, not bothering to roll them up. Too frustrated when she should be allowing herself to celebrate. Her tired eyes found Jinx still beaming.

“Mind giving me a minute alone with Caitlyn, Jinx?”

“Oh,” Jinx gave a confused glance back at Caitlyn. “Yeah, sure.”

Once Jinx left the room, Vi set her hands on her knees, giving them a squeeze to ease the tension she’d been building. “Why the face? Why are you being so sour about this? I don’t know if you heard, but we won.”

Caitlyn’s arms were crossed in front of her. “Hardly. What happened to you in that last round? It’s like you completely ignored all my advice and went right back into old Vi. Being so reckless could’ve cost you the entire match.”

She stood up in a rush. “Well, it didn’t. What can I say, Caitlyn? You can’t take the Zaun out of the girl. Old Vi is always going to be there.”

Caitlyn dropped her arms and took a firm step forward. “I’m not telling you to abandon everything ‘old Vi’ was, but I am asking you to take my instruction seriously. One wrong move in that final round of chaos could’ve easily given Akali a chance for a KO on you. I told you when we were training that your moves need to be calculated.”

Vi’s ran her hands through her sweat-soaked hair in exasperation. “God, were you like this with Jayce, too? Can’t you just take the win and be happy? Work on shit tomorrow?” Vi grabbed her gym bag. She was worried she would say something that took this too far, but mostly she didn’t want to hear another reprimand from that posh mouth.

The door opened, and when Vi turned, she was staring at Vander. His brown eyes filled with concern and question as he looked between Vi and Caitlyn. Both had seemed to move closer to one another, and their body language was tense. She could see Caitlyn tried to loosen up with the entrance of an unknown person to her. He was the last person Vi wanted to have dogpiling in on the conversation. She knew if he heard what they’d been arguing about, he would likely take Caitlyn’s side.

Vi shook her head, “I’m out of here. I need a day to rest up, so I’ll see you on Wednesday.”

______________________

Caitlyn watched Vi storm past this man without a word, and it left Caitlyn to stand awkwardly, hands at her sides and unsure where to look. She twisted her fingers in her right hand.

“I’m sorry. She’s just upset,” she said as she sat down on the bench.

The large man moved a step closer. “I can see that,” his voice was burly. “What about? She won.”

Caitlyn couldn’t help but chuckle. Seems like a win for most people would be enough, a reason to celebrate, but Caitlyn chased perfection. It was probably a curse placed on her by her mother that she tried to push onto everyone else, but it was also the quality that brought Jayce the championship title and kept him there.

“She did,” Caitlyn answered. “But I suppose I wanted her to understand that she still needs to improve. In the last round she…disregarded my coaching and—”

“Sounds like her.” He moved to sit next to her on the bench, “Vi can be hardheaded.”

She looked at him quizzically, “Um, I’m sorry, but you are…?”

With a warm smile, he answered, “I’m Vander. Vi’s old man.”

This left Caitlyn with more questions. Her brows came together as she struggled to connect the dots, “Oh, but I thought…Vi said something happened to her parents. I thought maybe you were…well, no longer in the picture.”

“Oh, I’m not her biological father, but I’ve been in her life for many, many years now. Long enough to know that Vi isn’t the easiest to handle. She’s going to be tougher on you because of where you’re from.”

Again, Caitlyn was left to wonder what happened to Vi’s parents, but she wasn’t about to go against what Jinx told her. That was, indeed, Vi’s story to tell. Instead, she focused on the latter part of his words.

“I can tell.” She sighed, “Any suggestions?”

His eyes met hers and they were filled with compassion. Vander put his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t give up on her. She’s had plenty of people, especially those topside, make her feel like she wasn’t worth a damn.”

Caitlyn realized why Vi took her response to the fight to heart now. She didn’t think to consider how Vi was treated over the years, overlooking the fact that she was arrested and had a rough past with Piltover. To her, Caitlyn was coming off as another topsider who thought she wasn’t good enough. All she wanted to do was feel good about finally winning, celebrating the small improvements, but Caitlyn didn’t let her enjoy any of it. A frown formed on her lips.

Vander stood and told her, “Give it time. She’ll come around.”

Chapter Text

kboxvifan1: We got our Vi back! Did y’all see her kick Akali’s ass?! #ViVSAkali

Marco731: @KBoxViFan1 Thanks to some top notch coaching might I add

KBoxViFan1: @Marco731 Yeah sure whatever. She can coach all she wants but when Vi is in that ring, it comes down her her instincts. Kiramman can’t train that

UFCNerd853: Kiramman is pulling out all the stops with Vi. Only a few days after that loss and we can see the improvement!

PunchMeVi: I want Vi to punch me in the face the way she punched Akali [GIF of Vi hitting Akali with a hook in the second round]

ViSupremacy561: @PunchMeVi You good dude?

FtheAuthority: @PunchMeVi Same though

KirammanStan: Can’t wait to see more of that Piltover influence on this Zaunite girl

BriLovesVi: @KirammanStan Yeah I want to see more of Kiramman on Vi too ;)

____________________________

Vi woke up still feeling exhausted. She stretched out her limbs, which were still tangled in the sheets of her bed. Her ankles popped and her back cracked as she twisted her spine. After her fight with Zeri, taking hits to the ribs and abdomen, she knew she would have bruises, which she did, but it wasn’t until now, taking a day to relax, that she truly felt it. Letting out a groan, her hands raked down her face, and she resigned to getting out of bed and getting herself showered and changed in sweatpants and a muscle shirt.

It had been a while since she actually bothered to take a rest day, and her body was absolutely feeling it. She needed the mental day, as well. Vi slouched onto her couch in her living room with an ice pack over her ribcage. She hooked up her phone to her surround sound and popped on a song for background noise before she began to scroll aimlessly on her phone. Without a doubt going on her phone was a foolish choice. Sometimes she really wished she could have a career that didn’t garner so much attention. She wished she did something that didn’t make people want to watch her every move and scrutinize every bit and piece. But then again, she knew she’d be too bored with a life like that. As much as the cameras could tear her down, they also emboldened her. On good days, she ate that shit up.

Vi wanted to ignore all kickboxing everything today, but she knew logging onto any socials would do the exact opposite. The second she opened an app, she was flooded with notifications about kickboxing updates, MMA news, UFC controversies, fight standings, and articles upon articles. Each one was closed quickly.

Except for one.

Sevika’s face was staring at her. A smug smirk across her broad, tan face. Her short black bob haircut was half-up and half-down. Deep gray eyes pierced Vi through the screen. This woman was the current champion, and every fighter that has gone against her as of late has failed miserably. Last year when Vi fought Sevika, she lost by technical knockout. Sevika’s punches were like being hit with a ton of bricks, and Vi’s guard needed improvement to say the least. The beast of a woman hit Vi in just the right spot, and Vi was unable to catch her breath or shake the dizziness. She tapped. That wasn’t going to happen again.

In the picture at the top of the article, next to Sevika was her coach, Silco. The man was not what one would expect from a coach. He was a stick. Vi doubted there was much muscle on him at all. His face was angular, and all Vi could think of was a fucked up, demonic, weasel as his beady, pale blue eyes stared back at her. How this guy was a kickboxing coach and helped someone obtain a title spot was beyond Vi.

However, she supposed Caitlyn wasn’t what she expected as a coach either. Caitlyn made her want to punch a hole in the wall with the way those blue eyes zeroed in, burning through her after her win against Akali. With gritted teeth, she listened to Caitlyn chide her for being reckless, and Vi’s hands itched at the ridiculousness of it all. Her run-into-battle attitude was what made her a fan favorite. It was what, at one time, brought her so close to title. To shut that Vi out was to lose a piece of herself. She couldn’t. So, while that last fight should’ve been a moment she relished in, she wanted to move past it instead and shove the thought of Caitlyn’s crystal-like blue eyes out of her mind.

Having enough thinking about Sevika and Vi’s own trek toward taking that title, Vi disconnected her phone from the speakers and opened up a video chat. The dial tone sounded as she waited for her sister to answer. A day off was a good excuse to see if Vander was making a family meal for dinner. It gave her the chance to see the family while simultaneously not having to cook for herself.

“Hey ya, sis,” Jinx greeted her. Only the top of her blue hair visible on the screen.

“Yo. What are you up to?”

“Do you even have to ask?” Vi didn’t. She could hear the scratches of her brush against the canvas. “Painting, duh. Why are you home? Shouldn’t you be at the gym, you know, training for your next fight?”

Vi held her face into her palm as she leaned against the arm of the couch. “I’m taking a mental health day.”

She could see the top of Jinx’s head shaking. “You can only say that if you’re doing something to improve your mental health, and being a couch potato who I can almost guarantee is sulking still about having a Piltie coach does not count.”

Rolling her eyes, not that Jinx was even paying attention to the video, Vi answered, “I’m not sulking.”

“Right. So Vander telling me that you left the locker room yesterday in a rush looking like you wanted to set the world on fire was totally a misunderstanding.”

“What the fuck?” Vi should’ve expected nothing less than Vander to share his encounter, or lack thereof, with her sister. “I just wasn’t feeling great after the fight. That’s all. I wanted to get home. I needed to rest.” Technically, not a lie.

“Mhmm, so nothing to do with Caitlyn?” Jinx said, disbelieving.

“Well, she could’ve stood to be a little happier about us winning. It’s like she has a stick shoved up her ass all the time.”

“Can’t wait till she takes it out and beats you with it.”

Vi couldn’t help but give a cheeky grin at her sister’s words. “Shut up. Anyway, I was calling you to ask if Vander is making anything for dinner tonight.”

Finally, Jinx picked up her cell phone, and Vi could see her sister’s full face. She had a line of green paint on one side of her cheek. It wasn’t surprising. Jinx tended to be pretty messy when she painted, often not realizing paint got onto her fingers before wiping her hand on her clothes or itching her face.

“I think so.” Her eyes squinted at a spot on the screen. “Ah, shit. Now I have to wash my face.”

“Can you find out what he’s making?”

Jinx leaned back in her chair, and asked mockingly, “Oh, are you going to grace us with your presence?”

“I’m highly considering it. You should be so honored.” Before Jinx could retort, the sound of her doorbell went off, followed by a light knock at the door.

Vi stiffened at the knock and stood from the couch with a disgruntled look on her face. She wasn’t expecting anyone to stop by today. Obviously it wasn’t her sister since they were on the phone, and Jinx would’ve told her if Vander was headed her way. The boys wouldn’t bother her on her day off. Either this had to be some solicitor or a pissed off neighbor to complain about her playing her music. She began walking toward the door and let her phone fall to her side.

“Hey! Hello, where’d you go?” Jinx called out next to her thigh.

Pressing her eye to the peephole, Vi nearly dropped her phone. The eleven lines of her stuck together brows disappeared, and she felt the disbelief light up her face as her mouth fell agape and eyes widened.

Mainly to herself, she said, “You’ve got to be shitting me…”

“Who’s shitting what?”

Vi almost forgot her sister was still on the phone. She lifted her cell phone up, hardly taking the time to look at the screen because she was still trying to compose her thoughts.

“I gotta go. I’ll see you tonight,” she said quickly just before ending the video call.

With a deep breath, Vi grabbed the door handle and twisted it open. In front of her was Caitlyn fucking Kiramman. The woman’s tall frame was shrunken inward nervously, and she was fidgeting with her fingers. Her typically sharp blue eyes timidly looked over at Vi. It was odd to see Caitlyn, who had been so outwardly forthright, now appear to be sheepish. It was also somewhat strange to see her out of gym clothing; she was wearing a white t-shirt and skinny blue jeans. The only aspect that remained the same was a drawstring bag slung over her shoulders. Caitlyn tucked a piece of her raven hair behind her ear as she turned to fully face Vi. Then her arms folded shyly in front of her.

“Oh, um, hello, Vi.” Even her voice was laced with uncertainty.

“Uh, hi.” Vi slowly let go of the door handle. “How’d you get my address?”

Caitlyn’s eyes fell to the ground and then back to Vi as she responded, “I got it from Mel.”

Closing her eyes, Vi could’ve guessed as much. She leaned against the doorframe. “You do this with Jayce, too? Just show up unannounced?”

Caitlyn didn’t answer. Her mouth opened minimally in an attempt to form words, but all it amounted to was a flush forming across her cheeks. Never in a million years did Vi think she would ever see this woman flustered.

“Well,” Vi motioned to her sweatpants and loose tank, “I’m not really dressed for guests.”

Vi watched as Caitlyn’s hands strangled the straps of her backpack, and she stammered out, “Oh, no, of course. Right, why would you be expecting someone — me — to intrude on your day off. I should’ve called or texted you and asked if this was okay.” Caitlyn’s eyes searched for anywhere to look. She ended up squinting them closed and pressing her fingers into the sockets. “Gods, this was so foolish of me.”

As Caitlyn had a moment of full-fledged embarrassment, Vi was surprised to find herself feeling bad for this Piltie. It was clear to her that Caitlyn didn’t show up here to annoy Vi. And, if Vi was allowing herself to be honest, it was kind of adorable. She inquisitively folded her arms across her chest, wondering what it was about Caitlyn that could make her want to scream and console her at the same time.

Uncovering her eyes, Caitlyn continued, still avoiding eye contact. She removed one of the slings from her shoulder and opened the backpack. “I just wanted to stop by to give you something.” She pulled out three items that were neatly packaged in a small bag. “It’s some ibuprofen and CBD lotion to help alleviate some pain. I figured you probably had some bruises from these past two fights. I also put in a bath bomb. Those are something I really enjoy after long training sessions to relax.” Her face faltered slightly. “I suppose I should’ve asked if you had a bathtub.”

Defeated by the utter fucking kindness of Caitlyn’s gesture, Vi let her arms fall to her side and ran her hand through her hair before reaching out to accept the gift. She gave a soft grin as Caitlyn finally met her eyes, “I do have a tub.” Although, Vi didn’t say that she’d never used a bath bomb before. “This is really nice of you. Thanks.”

Caitlyn returned a small smile and put her backpack onto her shoulders. The two now stood awkwardly in Vi’s doorway. This was not the turn of events Vi expected for her day off. Her plan was to be totally lazy and spend the day on the couch watching some senseless bullshit on tv, not be joined by her coach. On top of it, Vi thought she’d have the day to forget about how bothered she was by Caitlyn’s reaction post-match and move past her own dramatics that were in response. She did not think that process would be sped up by Caitlyn being way too nice to her for no reason. It made Vi feel shit she didn’t want to feel. Apologetic for being a dick to her after the fight. Thankful for the care package she probably didn’t really deserve. Compassion for and from a topsider. It was a tidal wave of emotions Vi wasn’t quite sure how to handle.

Vi held the bag in her hands and looked over the items before biting her lip to tame her own hesitancy at what to do next. She put her back against the doorframe to make space and waved her hand into her apartment. “You want to come in?”

At the question, Caitlyn’s cheeks turned pink once more, and Vi hated how that made her chest flutter. Caitlyn responded, “Oh, I wouldn’t want to impose.”

Vi rolled her eyes, “You’re not. You came all this way, so just come inside.”

She watched as Caitlyn slowly passed by her. The taller woman’s neck was on a swivel, observing Vi’s apartment. It made Vi feel naked. She didn’t invite people over. The only people to step foot in her space were family members. When Vi hooked up with a woman, it was on the road in hotels. She wasn’t someone who wanted that sort of committed intimacy, and it’s not like anyone really wanted that with her either. Her focus on Caitlyn became hazy and she thought on how odd it felt to invite someone like her into such a personal space, and she didn’t realize how much her body had stiffened, unmoving.

Caitlyn must’ve noticed because as she turned back to Vi, she asked, “Are you all right?”

Vi blinked, snapping herself out of her daze, and awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck. “Uh, yeah. Sorry. I’ve just never had anyone other than like family in my apartment.”

“Really?” Caitlyn sounded genuinely shocked. “Not even friends or someone you’ve dated?”

“My friends are really just my family. Didn’t really have anyone close to me besides family after I got locked up anyway.” Her eyes shifted to the hardwood floor before she looked back up at Caitlyn. She didn’t spy any shock or, more surprisingly, judgement, which brought a wave of relief and astonishment over Vi. Smirking a bit, she added, “And as far as dates, I’m not really a girlfriend kind of person.”

Caitlyn’s cheeks turned a shade of pink again as she averted her gaze, “Oh. Well, I mean if this is too much for you,” her thumb jutted toward the door, “I can go.”

Vi let out a small chuckle, “No, it’s okay. Like I said, you came all this way.” She rubbed her hands on her pants, only now realizing how sweaty they’d become. “You want something to drink?”

“Water would be fine.”

She nodded, “Cool. Um, make yourself comfortable.”

Vi walked into the kitchen to grab a glass of water for Caitlyn, and given the small size of the apartment and its open floor plan, Vi could see her eyeing everything with curiosity as she took a seat on the fraying, gray couch. She could bet that her abode was not the type of opulence that Caitlyn, a topsider, was used to. In her mind, Caitlyn lived in some grandiose house with gold accents and marble countertops and a maid that came to clean every week. Comparatively, Vi’s apartment probably seemed like a shack with bare bones and hand-me-down or thrifted furniture.

Placing Caitlyn’s glass of water on the dinged up coffee table, Vi took a seat on the couch at the opposite end, leaving one whole cushion space between them. She cleared her throat, unsure of what to even say to this puzzle of a woman next to her. Luckily for her, Caitlyn initiated the conversation.

“This is a wonderful space for you. It’s quaint,” she stated with a warm closed-mouth smile.

“It’s not the shittiest shithole in Zaun,” Vi grinned. “It’s mine, though, so I like it. Bet you’re used to more luxury topside, huh?”

Caitlyn took a sip of her water before answering. Vi watched the bob in her throat as she drank and hated herself for it. This was the first non-family member that had ever been in her apartment, and she did not want to be thinking of Caitlyn’s delicately supple neck. That was a line she didn’t want to cross. The torture of trying to be casual in this very new and odd situation was enough for Vi to try and parse through for the moment.

“While my home is a tad bit bigger, I wouldn’t say it’s so luxurious. Nothing compared to my parent’s house anyway. I try to keep everything rather simple actually.”

Vi again watched as Caitlyn’s long fingers gently placed the glass back on the table. She handled everything with such care, even though that table had clearly seen better days. When Vi didn’t say anything in response right away, Caitlyn continued.

“This painting,” cerulean eyes peered up above the couch, “is very unique. Where’d you find it?”

Vi followed her eyes. The artwork above the couch was an abstract piece of bright neon colors. It was the most colorful thing in her apartment, and Vi really did enjoy it as an accent piece. She smiled her answered, “That is one of Jinx’s paintings. She’s been painting since we were little, so she’s insanely talented. She said this one is inspired from Zaun’s landscape. I guess if you stare at it long enough you can kind of see a skyline. I don’t know. I’m not really into all that artsy stuff, but it’s one of my favorite pieces she’s done. Sometimes she comes here and paints, so I get to see a ton of her works in progress.”

Caitlyn was smiling up at the artwork as Vi talked, and by the end of her words, Vi found herself staring more at Caitlyn than the bright canvas above them. A strange flutter filled her chest as she saw an admiration for the work on the woman’s face, and she shoved it down. She looked away before Caitlyn could catch her.

“It’s beautiful,” Caitlyn breathed out. “Does she have any other paintings she’s working on here?”

Vi shook her head, “No. Last time she was here she took a bunch of her stuff back to Vander’s.” With a laugh through her nose, Vi added, “Actually, the last time she stopped by was the day I had to meet you for the first time, so she saw me in all my dramatic, raging glory.”

“You? Dramatic? Full of rage? No, I don’t believe it,” she said sarcastically, which did earn a grin from the redhead.

“You’ll be happy to know that she took your side from the beginning.”

Caitlyn grinned back, and Vi finally seemed to notice that small gap in her front teeth for the first time. It was so unexpectedly imperfect for the woman Vi thought was supposed to be anything but. She shot her gaze to the table, not needing another reason to feel flustered over something so ridiculous.

“I knew I liked your sister for a reason. Maybe you should listen to her.”

The two exchanged a playful glare, and for once, Vi felt like this was…normal.

Caitlyn changed the subject back. “Anyway, you can tell your sister I would love to have her paint something for me. I’d even pay for it. My home could use something so lively and creative like this,” she ended, gazing back up to the painting.

Damn the way Caitlyn Kiramman had a way of making Vi’s chest fill with some stupid fucking warmth at such an openly wholesome and thoughtful request. Vi wanted to tell her to stop being so…her. So nice. So not topside. But she couldn’t. She wouldn’t. She didn’t really want to. Jinx’s voice cut through all the bullshit in her mind.

You know, you could just give her a chance. What’s the worst that could happen?

Vi’s answer was nearly a whisper, “Sure, I’ll let her know.”

“Is she in school for art?”

The question caught Vi slightly off guard. “Yeah, but she’s just at a community college part-time. I think she’s mostly taking those required courses right now.”

“Does she have somewhere to display her work? Like a school art show or a gallery of some kind outside of college?”

Vi’s brows came together curiously. “Um, I don’t think so.” Caitlyn just hummed in response, so Vi asked, “Why?”

“I was just wondering.” Her eyes darted up to the painting a final time; they were pensive and determined. “She should.”

A silence fell between them as Caitlyn finished her water and Vi picked at her cuticles. This was not the conversation she anticipated having with Caitlyn, and she didn’t expect the woman to come off as having such a sudden interest in her sister’s work. Something picked away at the back of Vi’s mind. It gnawed at her for an answer.

Without meeting Caitlyn’s eyes, Vi gave in to the prodding. “You’re not going to ask about why I was locked up?”

Even though she wasn’t looking directly at her, Vi could feel Caitlyn’s stare. It wasn’t intrusive. It didn’t sting the way it did after the fight or in training. It was soft. Warm. Considerate. Her answer was just as mindful.

“No, Vi. You graciously invited me into your space, and I’m not here to pry. I figure you will tell me when you’re ready.”

Vi let out a deep breath. It was like a weight she was unaware existed lifted from her chest. She glanced sidelong at the raven haired woman next to her. “Fair enough.”

Caitlyn scooted forward and placed a hand gently on her shoulder, offering a tender smile. She stood and walked to the opposite side of the coffee table. “I’ll get out of your hair. This is your day off after all. I hope my little care package helps you relax a bit more.”

Vi stood, too, as Caitlyn began to make her way toward the front door. “Yeah, I’m sure it will. Thanks for that again, by the way.”

She had no idea what the hell was pulling her to move closer as Caitlyn’s hand found the door handle.

“You’re welcome. And I’m serious. Tell your sister I would absolutely love a piece of her artwork in my home.”

Vi felt her lips widen into a full-on smile. “I will.”

“Wonderful. I’ll see you tomorrow, Vi.”

She opened the door, stepped out, looked back at Vi, smiled bashfully, and closed the door.

Vi stood there and watched, dumbfounded at the entire visit. What made it all the more complicated was the heaviness in her gut that didn’t want Caitlyn to leave so soon. She dragged her hands over her face and turned on her heel to find herself slouched on the couch just as she was before Caitlyn’s surprise visit. Her mind lingered on that gap-toothed smile, and Vi pinched her eyelids until the specks of the red, gold, and black kaleidoscope appeared.

___________________

[ A picture of CBD lotion set on a table was posted to Vi’s story. 23 hours remained. A blurb accompanied the picture.

Thanks, coach. Much needed as we keep pushing forward 💪🏻🥊 #notsponsored but hey @HEMPZ hit me up ]

____________________

Days off made Caitlyn feel unbearably idle. It let her mind wander over unknown futures anxiously and wade back on past vices. Engulfing herself in her work became a savior, and without it, her day dragged. Where most people might burn out, Caitlyn thrived. The gift and curse of being raised as a Kiramman.

It didn’t help that after her visit with Vi — her fighter — was stuck on her mind. As she splayed across her couch and continued to think of her morning with Vi, she realized it was the first time they bantered like they could be friends. It was a huge, small first step. But other intrusive thoughts bubbled to the surface of her mind, overshadowing that achievement. The way Vi’s muscles tensed as she grabbed at the red hair on the nape of her neck when she was nervous. The way her storm cloud eyes regarded her cautiously. How strong Vi’s shoulder felt under Caitlyn’s cool fingertips. Foolish thoughts she didn’t want to push aside just yet. This was long out of character for her. She didn’t realize Vi would unlock such a weakness in her so easily. All she could do was stretch her hands over the armrest of the couch and let out a groan.

She grabbed her phone and composed a message to Jayce. Caitlyn needed someone to vent to that wouldn’t judge her, and she didn’t have many friends since she cleaned up her act.

Caitlyn:
Are you busy? Can you come over?

Jayce:
Be there in like 30min

It had been a while since Jayce had been to her house. His visits used to be quite a regular occurrence, especially when they were a team. It was normal to find them together studying videos and talking about upcoming fights in her study. Since he took on his media focused role in the sport, she’d seen him less and less, but Jayce knew her well enough that if Caitlyn was asking him to come over, there was a reason.

She got together an assortment of snacks and placed them on the coffee table in front of the couch before turning on the tv, waiting for the next excruciatingly slow thirty minutes to pass. Eventually, when the show on the flat screen lost her interest, she pulled out her phone and opened her secret social account. It was private. An account just for her with only a small number of people that followed her and she followed in return. She hardly ever posted anything, but she did use it to check on news and do some…light stalking. She typed in the username that popped up at the top from previous searching: VIctorious_VI0lence.

How could she not be tempted to look now when the woman wouldn’t leave her damn mind? The page only fueled the fire. Vi’s last post was still the picture she took before her fight with Zeri. She was in her fighting shorts and sports bra. Her bicep was flexed, reminding Caitlyn of how it had been earlier today in her apartment. Caitlyn could feel her teeth sinking into her bottom lip when she noticed the glowing ring around Vi’s profile picture, which indicated a new story was posted. Caitlyn clicked, and when she saw the words, she swore she felt her heart in her throat.

Thanks, coach. Much needed as we keep pushing forward.

“Holy shit…” Caitlyn muttered to herself as she stared at a simple bottle of CBD lotion on that coffee table. It was such a random, silly thing to post about, but the sentiment, being grateful for the smallest kindness and the possibility of a truce flag, was there.

A knock at the door brought her back to the present.

She jumped up and took long steps to the door. When she opened it, Caitlyn wasted no time; she grabbed Jayce’s wrist and pulled him inside the house.

“Look at this,” she commanded as she shoved her phone in his face before even making it to the sofa.

His eyes squinted to adjust the the brightness of the screen, and he brought his hand up to steady the phone as they walked. “A bottle of Hempz lotion…and this is important because…?”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. “Jayce, read what it says. Do you see who posted that?”

After a second, he answered, “So, you brought Vi a care package I take it.”

When they worked together, Jayce was often the recipient of these sorts of gifts. As much as she loved to keep working, Caitlyn wanted to make sure he was taking time to recover properly. But their relationship was very different. It was between friends. This, with Vi, was new territory.

“Yes, and do you see? She thanked me. I think I’m breaking ground here.” Caitlyn was beaming as they sat down, and she tossed a bite-sized pretzel into her mouth.

Jayce laughed, “Very impressive. I’m guessing it’s going well then?”

She crunched on another pretzel and shook her head. “Oh, no, not really. Well, it wasn’t, but today felt different.” Her eyes were unfocused on some random spot in her living room as she thought of the way Vi smiled when she talked about her sister’s painting. She could feel her own lips curling upward at the very recent memory. It was the sudden awareness of Jayce’s studying eyes on her that made her return her attention to him. “What?”

He gave one of those shit-eating smirks Caitlyn always dreaded. “You like her.”

Caitlyn’s eyes popped, “What? I do not. She’s my fighter. It’s strictly professional, Jayce.”

Lies, lies, lies, Kiramman.

He spoke in between his chewing of chips, giving her eyes that screamed to stop lying, “Yeah, okay, Cait. When you’re ready to be honest, just let me know. Anyway, I’m guessing you wanted me to come over so you could distract yourself on a day off, right?”

Jayce knew the way Caitlyn worked. He got her through the toughest time in her life, a span of months that could’ve caused Caitlyn’s life to end up drastically different. It was a version of herself she wished she’d never known. She had a mind and a body that couldn’t rest for too long.

“Partly, yes,” she admitted. “But I also wanted to get your take on Vi’s next match up.”

“Okay. Who’s she up against?”

“Janna.”

This girl was newer to the sport, but making waves quickly. Caitlyn thought Jayce might have more insight on her style and tactics. By the sucking of his teeth, she was right.

“She’s been an astonishingly strong competitor in the ring because she’s got such a strong defense. Tiring out her opponents is usually how it goes. She used to grapple in MMA, so she’s not a strong striker. But her strategy of wearing down the other person’s stamina works in her favor.” Caitlyn hummed in response, and Jayce continued, “Vi is going to have a hard time with this one.”

Her brows pulled together. “I know.” She shook her head. “Let’s just watch this movie. I’ll worry about all that later.”

Upon Jayce’s agreement, Caitlyn turned on the movie, but she didn’t really take in any of it. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts that she couldn’t tame. It flashed between how she would prepare Vi for this fight in two and a half days and the way Vi’s gray eyes were still filled with caution. Her breath staggered knowing this was still an uphill battle. Their partnership started as a sprint when she would’ve preferred a marathon, but she knew they wouldn’t get a chance for thorough enough training until after the match against Janna.

_________________

Vi opened the door to Vander’s house like she still lived there. The familiar smell of her family home infiltrated her nostrils, welcoming like cinnamon and clove. She couldn’t deny that the instant those smells surfaced, part of her deeply missed this being her home. Then Mylo’s shrill yell pierced the air and she remembered the reasons she couldn’t wait to have her own place. She lived all her life with siblings. In her youth, she could handle it because she was so inseparably part of it. Constant talking, yelling, laughing. Roughhousing with the boys and comforting Jinx at night so she could sleep. There was always something happening, always someone who needed something. When Vi finally moved out, the silence was alarming, too deafeningly loud, but she’d grown to enjoy it.

“Vi’s here!” Mylo yelled through the house.

Jinx ran up and nearly tackled her sister in a hug. “I am so honored you’ve left your castle to visit us lowly peasants.”

“As you should be,” Vi replied, lifting her sister off the ground with their embrace.

Moving into the house, she was happy to greet Claggor and Ekko. That was the joy of a family dinner like this — the more, the merrier. The closer she stepped to the kitchen and the dining room, the more she could smell the food Vander was preparing. She inhaled deeply and smelled the aromatic garlic, onions, tomato sauce, and cheese.

“What’s for dinner, old man?” Vi called out into the kitchen.

“Lasagna, and a lot of it,” Vander loudly responded back.

Within the minute, Vander was carrying two large pans of lasagna into the dining room and placing them on the table. As though a bell sounded, they all gathered and began splitting up the pasta amongst plates. Somehow they all managed to fit around this table, which as they all grew, had seemingly become all the more snug.

“Saw your post today,” Jinx started. She nudged Vi’s elbow, “Guess Caitlyn shit that, huh? That why you hung up on me so fast?”

Vi nearly choked on the piece of pasta she was eating and not because of Jinx’s absurd wording. She was used to something like that. No, it was because this comment, this topic at the dinner table, was opening up a can of worms. Vi knew that posting that story publicly would allow her siblings to make whatever assumptions they wanted, but Jinx was on the phone and knew someone showed up at her place before Vi hung up on her. When everyone realized Caitlyn came to her apartment and not just some delivery from her coach, she was done for. And, like clockwork, they all turned to look at her.

Mylo, of course, was first. “Wait, you invited Caitlyn to your apartment?”

Vi couldn’t even form a word fast enough before the next comment arose.

Then Ekko. “I thought you didn’t bring any girls there. You always said you had your rule.

“What’s this rule?” Vander questioned, which only made Vi want to bury her head.

Claggor’s voice emerged from her right, “That didn’t take long.” That statement earned a cackle from Jinx and an incredulous raised eyebrow from Vi.

“Seriously, dude?” Vi asked him.

He shrugged his shoulders, “Hey, I mean she’s hot, right?”

Mylo spoke with a full mouth, “I just can’t believe she actually came over there.”

“Oh, she came,” Claggor hit Mylo’s arm as the three boys laughed and Vander gave them a disapproving stare.

“Boys, not at the dinner table,” Vander attempted in a reprimand, but the damage was already done.

Vi punched Claggor’s arm hard enough to shift him in his seat. “For fuck’s sake, Clag. Nobody…ugh. I didn’t ask her to come over, alright? She just showed up.”

“Oh yeah? How’d she know where you live then?” Mylo asked in a disbelieving tone.

“Mel,” was all Vi said. She tapped her fork on Jinx’s plate and stated, “Pilties stick together.”

Vander chuckled and shook his head. “She’s got balls coming to see you after the way you stormed out of the locker room the other night.”

“Those won’t help her,” Mylo mumbled, but Vi heard him and shot him daggers. He pretended he said nothing and went back to shoveling food in his loud mouth.

Vi had one chance to turn this around, so she latched onto the one positive she had. Turning to her sister, she told her, “She saw your painting above the couch, and she really liked it.”

Mylo interrupted her, “Geez, you couldn’t even make it to the bedroom?”

Claggor held in a laugh, knowing better than to antagonize Vi further, but clearly the younger brother was not getting the hint. Vi pointed to her face as she furrowed her brows, scrunched her nose, and pressed her lips into a hard line. When they were teenagers, this was a look that Vi assigned to Mylo that meant it was time to shut up. It still worked.

Vi returned her attention to Jinx, “Anyway, I told her I would relay the message that she’d like to buy some of your artwork. She said she’d love it if you did a painting for her.”

Jinx’s eyes lit up enthusiastically, and she looked across the table at Ekko who was smiling back at her. “Really?”

Apparently, Mylo developed short term memory loss and opened his mouth again. “Who would pay for splatters of paint? I could do that myself. Know any rich Pilties that wanna buy bullshit from me?”

Her sister stabbed her fork into her lasagna slice as she snarled, “I’ll show you splatter.” Her retort was followed by Ekko punching Mylo’s arm. Jinx tried to recenter herself, and her bright blue and magenta swirled eyes returned to Vi. “She really wants to buy a piece from me?”

Vi nodded, “Yeah. She thinks you’re really talented, and she’s right.”

This left Jinx beaming as they finished their dinner, and for the most part, the boys stayed pretty quiet. Their conversation drifted to happenings at the gym, Ekko’s engineering classes, and Vi’s last fight. Without Caitlyn’s scrutiny present, Vi was able to enjoy talking about the latter topic. Mylo excitedly joined in with Jinx as they gushed about the way Vi decimated Akali in the last round with blinding speed.

Vander chimed in, “That kick was really something though. That’s a new one for you, Vi.”

“What do you mean, Vander? I’ve used kicks before.”

“Not like that, kid. That roundhouse was all power, and it set you up for that cross. You nearly had a knockout. When was the last time you had one of those?” Vi darted her eyes downward, unsure of how to take the comment, before Vander continued. “I’m just saying it was nice to see a different side of you as a fighter.”

Vi gave a sidelong smile, but her response was stopped before it could start thanks to Mylo blurting out, “But those rapid fire punches in the end were wild! That’s why you’re Spitfire!”

Claggor shoved him, “We’ve gone over this. The crowd calls her The Enforcer. Stop trying to make ‘Spitfire’ happen.”

Mylo crossed his arms. “Whatever.”

After dinner, Vi walked out onto the patio with Vander. The view from the back porch wasn’t all that impressive. Mainly it consisted of the roofs of surrounding houses and buildings. The smog of Zaun often made it too difficult to see the stars or the moon at night, and Piltover was too far from Vander’s house to see any of the skyline. The small backyard felt secluded, and Vi enjoyed the illusion it gave of a break from noises and chaos of the industrial city.

The two sat on the old, beat up patio chairs and toasted with clinks of their beer bottle necks. Vi took a sip and let the carbonation fizz down her throat. The chill of the drink hid it’s bitterness, but she still sucked her teeth in as her mouth emptied. It’d been a long time since she got to spend a moment like this with Vander. As his oldest, he always had a soft spot for her, and she grew up with a lot of memories of the two of them shooting the shit on this back porch while her younger siblings played inside or slept.

Vander was the one to break the silence, “You left the locker room in a hurry the other night. Did you settle everything with Caitlyn then?”

She took another sip of her beer and nodded as she gulped it down. “Yup. Everything’s good.” Vi knew, however, that this would not be sufficient enough of an answer for him.

“What happened between you two?”

“She didn’t like the way I ended the fight like the ‘old Vi,’” she finished with air quotations.

He let out a gravelly chuckle, “Well, the old Vi hasn’t been winning fights lately has she?”

Vi rolled her eyes, “Old Vi won that fight, didn’t she?”

He cocked an eyebrow at her, “Did she?”

She knew exactly what he meant. Earlier that day, even though she tried to close every article about her fight as fast as she could, she saw the headlines that stated round two landed her that win. The round that Caitlyn told her exactly how to approach. It wasn’t her bombardment of punches at the end that everyone was talking about. Unfortunately, that was just her siblings.

With her lack of an answer, Vander asked, “Are you ready for this next fight?”

Vi started to peel the label on her beer bottle. Her next fight was against Janna, and the only thing Vi knew about her was that she had a background in MMA and was doing well for herself in kickboxing. She’d never fought this girl before, so really she had no idea what to expect. She guessed that’s why she had someone like Caitlyn now, but they only had two full days to try and prepare. With another swig of her drink, Vi hoped that sheer fucking confidence would be enough to make up for the lack of time.

“I have to be.”

_________________________

Taylor Chambers, the reporter for Zaun’s sports network, managed to find Janna in the hallway post-match. Janna’s blonde hair was back in a tight braid and her skin was shiny with sweat under the fluorescent hallway lighting. Her breathing was heavy, but steady and unlabored. With the lack of lumps, cuts, or blood on her face, it was hard to tell whether or not she just left the ring or the gym.

“Janna,” Taylor called out to her, “do you have a minute? We’d just like to ask you a couple questions.”

“Sure,” Janna stopped in front of the mic as her team rushed by and through the door behind her while her coach hurriedly stood beside her. The fighter’s demeanor was a calm wind over a chaotic background.

“I just want to start by saying that was an excellent match back there. Consistently your defense is top notch in that ring. Zeri had a hard time breaking through. A lot of commentary around your fights has been about your MMA background. Are there any challenges you’re finding when it comes to separating that with kickboxing?”

Her expression, other than a quick smile as a thank you for a well-fought match, hardly changed. “I always have to remind myself I can’t just takedown my opponents to the mat, but I find my MMA experience helps me more than many kickboxing fighters give credit for. I’m newer to this type of fighting, but I think I’ve done more than enough to prove myself as a real competitor in that ring.”

“Sounds like the octagon is a home for you no matter the fighting style. Are you prepared for your upcoming match against Vi?”

The slightest of smirks appeared on Janna’s face. “Yes. I absolutely am.”

_____________________

Caitlyn had very specific training in mind for Vi in order to make the most of the two days they had before her match. She knew that Janna’s defense was going to be Vi’s biggest challenge. It was going to frustrate her and had the potential to make Vi see red. Caitlyn’s plan was to train Vi to get comfortable with being uncomfortable and force her to adapt.

Both days, their session started with a run to help build Vi’s endurance. Ideally, Caitlyn would’ve taken Vi on one of her favorite trails just outside of Piltover, but time was not a luxury they had. She forewent the trail and settled for using the treadmills at Vi’s gym. They started with an easy three miles. Rather, Caitlyn thought it was easy, but Vi was practically wheezing by the time they hit two miles.

After their run on the first day, Caitlyn had Vi spar with Lee, which was a typical occurrence, but Caitlyn made it more difficult for Vi by telling Lee to focus primarily on just maintaining his guard and blocking Vi’s hits. As Caitlyn predicted, it didn’t take long for Vi to get irritated. When the sparring was done and Vi was heaving through her breaths, Caitlyn had her do some conditioning work with weights.

The night after that initial day back in the gym, Caitlyn rattled down notes in her journal, listing everything from Vi needing to build up stamina and how she was going to structure future runs all the way to Vi’s short fuse with heavily defensive opponents. All of her neatly written words led her to one conclusion.

And so, it was on the second day, after their three mile run, Caitlyn decided to try something that had the potential to easily go sideways. She was going to spar with Vi herself — with one condition that had a purpose. As Vi finished with her wraps, Caitlyn pulled out her own and began to fold them over her wrists and hands. Out of her periphery, she saw Vi slowly stop turning her wraps over her arm and stare at her with wide eyes. Her own heart beat began to speed up slightly at the attention.

“Hold on. You want me to punch at you?” Vi asked with an air of humor.

Caitlyn looked up as she secured her wrap. “You and I are going to spar.”

Vi finished with her wraps and stood up. She was smirking devilishly. “You and me?”

With a nod, Caitlyn answered, “Yes, with one requirement.”

“Oh, this’ll be good. I’m all ears.”

Stretching, Caitlyn said, “You have to fight southpaw the entire time.”

Vi laughed. “You’re serious?” When Caitlyn’s only response was a poker straight stare, Vi gave a slow chuckle, “Too scared to take me on if I’m on my dominant side?”

Caitlyn snickered, “Hardly. There is a reason I am having you do this, Vi, believe it or not.”

“Right, sure,” Vi stated, incredulous air clear. Rolling her shoulders, Vi asked, “So, any other rules?”

Shaking her head, she stated, “No, Vi. Get in the ring, please.”

Once Vi was in the ring with her gloves on, Caitlyn grabbed her sparring pads. She took her stance in front of Vi, getting ready to brace herself for Vi’s punches and kicks, but she saw Vi getting into her orthodox stance.

Caitlyn cleared her throat, “Vi. Southpaw.”

After flashing a canine, Vi readjusted. Left foot forward, right back, and guard up.

“I want you to work combinations on the pads for right now staying in southpaw.”

She called out combinations, and Vi punched and kicked with each command. But Caitlyn could tell that it felt awkward for Vi because the hits were slower and slightly less powerful than her dominant side. That wasn’t to say Vi’s hits still didn’t rock her back or to the side when she made contact with the pads. After roughly fifteen minutes, Caitlyn stopped the combinations to give Vi a chance to hydrate. While Vi rested, Caitlyn took off the practice pads and grabbed her boxing gloves out of her gym bag.

As she put them on, Vi had those wide, confused eyes again. “What are you doing?” Her voice sounded almost nervous.

Caitlyn crooked an eyebrow at her. “I told you we’re sparring.”

Vi let out a tittering laugh, “Nah, I’m not trying to concuss my coach.”

She turned to fully face Vi and placed her gloved hands on her hips. “Don’t you remember? I told you I used to spar with Jayce regularly, and he’s twice my size.” She could tell Vi still didn’t want to budge on this by the way her lips began to set in a stubborn line, but Caitlyn had a feeling she knew what would make Vi give in. “Besides, you’re going to continue on in southpaw, so I assure you, you won’t be giving me a concussion.” Ending with a cocky smirk of her own and sauntering to the middle of the ring, she could tell Vi got the meaning behind her words when her eyes started to narrow.

With both women in the ring, they tapped gloves as though it was a real match. Caitlyn took her fighter’s stance with her left foot forward, and Vi with her right foot in front. Much like what she told Lee to do yesterday, Caitlyn held a heavy guard. She could tell Vi was holding back with her punches, but Caitlyn also bounced on the balls of her feet around the ring knowing that the longer she made Vi work to try and break her defense, the more she would forget to hold back. Her frustration would build, as it did with Lee, and she would throw hits out carelessly.

Like clockwork, Vi began to get impatient. Caitlyn could hear her grunting as she tried to draw more power from her core with each punch, but Caitlyn moved out of the way with almost every punch by utilizing slips and pulling back.

Vi’s annoyance was bubbling up and up, and she tried to land a front kick in order to get Caitlyn off balance. However, Vi was too close. She underestimated the length of her legs, so when her leg went out in front of her, her knee was bent. Caitlyn used one arm to grab her leg and wrapped the other gloved hand behind her neck. Off-balance and being dragged downward, Vi was in the perfect position for Caitlyn to land a knee-drive. She motioned like she was about to, and it would’ve clocked Vi right in the nose. But, she didn’t follow through. Her knee stopped inches from Vi’s face.

Both women were panting, and Caitlyn could feel the sweat on Vi’s leg and neck that made her almost slippery to the touch. Controlled, Caitlyn released Vi, but the redhead practically tore herself away. She could tell that Vi clearly did not plan on being beat by her coach. Vi huffed to the corner and ripped off a glove so she could drink. It’s like she could feel the heat emanating from Vi, seething in her skin. Caitlyn took careful steps toward her.

She made sure her voice was just as delicate, “You have to find a way to throw your opponent off balance. I know you were trying to do that with the front kick, which could’ve worked, honestly, but you were too far forward. If you would’ve slowed down and backed up —”

“What is with all this?” Vi interrupted.

“All what?” Caitlyn was utterly confused by the question. This was their training session, so why was Vi acting so upset and trying to make her own coach feel vindicated.

“All the defense and the southpaw bullshit.” She took another sip of her water. “The defense I get. I know Janna has an MMA background. But why the fucking southpaw? I don’t fight like that.”

“I need you to get comfortable being uncomfortable.”

Vi huffed, “You sound like a walking motivational quote.”

Caitlyn felt her brows raise, unamused. “Janna is going to play at what makes you break. She focuses on her guard to make you work, and you obviously hate that. You lose sight of countering and try to rush the fight. If you can master taking me down on your non-dominant side, you’ll feel more at ease when you’re orthodox against Janna. Make sense?”

The only response Caitlyn received was a shrug.

“Are you ready to go again?”

Another shrug.

Great.

They sparred again. And again it ended with Caitlyn able to knock Vi off balance, stopping just before landing what could haven been potentially a knockout punch had it been a real fight. Again, Vi walked away dissatisfied.

The two sat on the bench to rest. Caitlyn watched as Vi stared forward, wiping her brow on the back of her wraps. Her breathing was calming, but Caitlyn’s heart sped up as her mind escaped her. She thought back to the moment she felt Vi’s muscular leg and shoulders, slick with sweat, under her arms. The sounds Vi made as she grunted…the way her skin glistened. The noise of Vi snapping the top of her water bottle open brought Caitlyn back to earth.

“How are you feeling about this fight, Vi?”

Her eyes stayed glued to the ground. “Doesn’t matter how I feel. Got no choice but to be ready.”

Caitlyn tried to lean down to meet her eyes, “Are you?”

A smirk appeared, “I have to be.”

Caitlyn knew it was a lie. They needed more time, but the luxury was not theirs just yet. The only thing she could hope for was that when Vi was on her dominant side, she’d hear Caitlyn’s words, listen to her, and be calculated in her approach.

______________________

It was only the end of round two and Vi was loosing her cool. Janna was fucking toying with her. Every punch Vi threw was blocked or dodged, and she could see Janna’s mouthpiece pressing against tight skin as she fucking grinned each time Vi missed or was deflected.

Vi sat in her corner during her rest and listened to Caitlyn bark in her ear.

“Remember what I told you yesterday — the key is going to be to knock her off balance. You had the right idea with me when you tried a kick. Watch for your opening. If you kick, make sure you have the distance to extend. She’s a grappler, so she’ll easily —”

“Do what you did to me in practice. Yeah, I know.” Vi’s voice was hoarse from all the panting and exhaling with each hit. Ekko shoved the water bottle in her face again.

Round three began, and Vi was trying to do what Caitlyn said. She was really searching for the opening, but Janna wasn’t easing up on her guard. Vi attempted a roundhouse, but Janna blocked with a high knee. When the blonde fighter’s leg went back to the floor, Vi swore she saw a bit of a stumble, so she tried a hook to the body. It landed, but Janna pulled away.

When the bell sounded for the end of the round, Vi grunted aggressively behind her mouthpiece in displeasure, and she heard Janna laugh. Vi stopped mid-step to glare at the woman. Those aqua eyes were taunting. Vi stormed up to her bringing them chest to chest. Her eyes were narrow slits and her chest heaved wildly against her opponent. Janna only gave that fucking smug grin again.

“Vi!”

She could hear Caitlyn yelling, and she knew why. If Vi did anything right now, when it was supposed to be a rest period, she’d be docked points. Or worse, it could end the match then and there.

Again, “Vi! Stop!”

Vi saw Janna’s eyes flicker up and over to Caitlyn. The smirk widened. She knew what it meant from the other Zaunite. Without words, it named Vi a dog on a leash. Something to be tamed and controlled.

That was enough. Vi shoved her.

The ref stepped in and separated them, yelling to Vi that the move would cost her in the end as he escorted her back to her side of the octagon. At this point, Vi couldn’t find it in her to care.

“What the hell was that? Seriously?”

Vi didn’t want to answer. She wanted to soak in her anger a bit longer and let it fuel her. Stupid. But she didn’t care. Not right now.

Caitlyn stepped in front of her and kneeled down, “Why didn’t you stop? Why didn’t you listen to me?” After Vi’s dismissive shrug, Caitlyn nearly rolled her eyes into oblivion. “This won’t work if you let your emotions take the reigns, Vi.” She paused, “The kick was good.”

Vi met her eyes curiously. She was surprised to hear any amount of praise after that stunt she just pulled.

“Do you think you could land either a front kick followed by a roundhouse or a double roundhouse quick enough to make her unsteady?”

“I…I don’t know. Maybe.” Kicks still weren’t her strong suit, and she knew that’s why Caitlyn asked rather than told.

The bell went off to indicate the end of their break, and Vi was back in the center bouncing on her toes for round four. Her mind was fumbling as to whether or not she should attempt the kicks Caitlyn mentioned, but her confidence in how quickly she could light them off in order to make them effective waned. Self-doubt won out, and Vi stuck to upper body attacks, only successfully landing three. As she tried to land one of her last jab and crosses, Janna slipped and landed her own hook just at Vi’s left eyebrow, which rocked her to the side. Vibrations rang through her head and down her body tumultuously, and she knew it was probably the cleanest hit of the night.

As she sat next to Caitlyn for her final rest, Vi felt her lungs stinging and her muscles aching. The fourth round was draining, and the hit to the head didn’t help. Caitlyn was staring at the spot on her eyebrow where Janna made contact. When she touched it Vi could already feel it was swollen. She watched Caitlyn motion to Ekko, her hand extended. Bringing her hand back in front, Vi saw the small blade and towel. Caitlyn made a tiny incision into the bubble on her brow and held the towel there to soak up the blood.

While she applied pressure to stop the bleeding, she asked, “You don’t want to try the kicks?” When Vi shook her head, Caitlyn nodded pensively and suggested, “Whenever you’ve thrown a cross she’s slipped to the right. Fake your cross and follow that with an uppercut to the body. That might open her up. If she finally goes on the attack, which she might, pull back as often as you can because she has a bit more reach than you. Don’t start letting loose when she attacks, Vi. You have to stay on guard at that point. Time everything.”

Vi was too angry about the blood drenching the towel on her face to fully pay attention to every word Caitlyn said. She was still bothered by by Janna’s cocky attitude and letting that get the best of her. As Caitlyn spoke, she picked up the comment about faking a cross and throwing an uppercut, but the end got muddled when blood passed over her eye. All she wanted was to make this bitch pay.

“Vi?”

Her eyes snapped up to meet a questioning blue.

“Did you hear me?”

“Mm. Yeah,” she mumbled through her mouthguard, but the look she received in return was doubtful.

In the final round, Janna spent the last minute on the attack. Vi’s arms were burning from staying up in front of her face to block the hits Janna sent her way. The blood that slowly dripped down her face and mixed with sweat flew around her and stung her eyes on occasion. Luckily, she mustered enough energy to stop Janna’s roundhouse with a high block quickly, but the adrenaline burst from the perfectly timed block made Vi lash out. She thought she could counter Janna somewhere in her combinations, but her opponent was still too sharp with her own defense because she exerted less energy throughout the match. Throwing punches back and fourth, Janna got in five clean hits, and Vi, being the less cautious, only landed two. With seconds left, Vi made her biggest mistake. She dropped her guard as she went in for a hook, and Janna let out a front kick. It wasn’t enough to knock the wind out of her the way Zeri’s did, but as a defensive move, it pushed Vi with just the right amount of force that pressed her back against the clear, plastic wall at the sound of the bell.

******

Vi nearly socked Janna square in the face after the match as they separated down the hall into differing locker rooms. The girl didn’t say a word, but her arrogant expression said it all. The technical loss was painful, but Janna’s unsaid insults burned even hotter. It was salt on a wound.

Caitlyn dug herself into the wound. “We’re going to work on your kicks. I think that fight would’ve gone very differently had we been able to improve your lower body attacks. Also, I might add in meditation of some kind to your training schedule.” She was scribbling in her notebook, “We can work on ways to avoid letting emotions rule the—”

Vi didn’t want to hear it, and fuck if her emotions still weren’t running high. Last time, she had the wherewithal in her to walk away, but this time she let it burst out of her mouth, “Maybe if your coaching didn’t suck fucking dick, I wouldn’t have lost.”

“I don’t and would never suck such a thing.” It’s like Caitlyn didn’t miss a beat, and it was not the response Vi anticipated.

“Wait. Wha—”

Caitlyn set down her notebook on the bench and stood in front of Vi, forcing the fighter to look up at her. “I understand you’re frustrated. As am I because I will admit we have not had the amount of time I’d like in order to train you properly. However, my coaching would be useful if you ever decided to actually listen to it. Everything I’m trying to do with you has its purpose.”

Vi studied Caitlyn. Foolishly, she wanted a reason to argue and pin this on her coach, but the words of her sister and Vander and even Caitlyn herself filled her mind. All valid reasons she should listen to her new coach. She settled for a petty insult in an attempt to make herself feel some sort of validation. “Why would I listen to you when you look like a string bean? Sevika has been—”

“Does Sevika’s coach look like he could knock you out?” Caitlyn fired out. She wasn’t yelling, but she was firm.

Fuck.

Of course Caitlyn knew who Silco was and his appearance. Vi thought back to that article and the scrawny man posed next to the broad fighter. He wasn’t even close to Sevika’s size, but he got her to the end. She’d been the one, with his help, making other fighter’s struggle every match.

Vi looked away in another defeat. “No.”

“But Sevika could, couldn’t she?”

Caitlyn took another step closer, and Vi could feel her energy radiating…washing over her. Suddenly, she felt placated by the woman’s own placid demeanor. Her shoulders dropped and her breathing slowed down.

“It’s plain and simple, Vi. If you continue to disregard what I say, we will get nowhere. That I can guarantee.” She exhaled deeply. “I coached Jayce for years, and he won the title. He kept that belt for three consecutive years. Do you know how he achieved that? Because when he was in my corner, he respected and listened to me. It was teamwork. I didn’t need to be a man or have insanely defined muscles for him to know my expertise was worth his time. I may not be a fighter out in the ring myself, but I am a fast study and a phenomenal teacher. My technical knowledge of this sport comes from strenuous hours of researching, watching, and, perhaps to your surprise, partaking in practices and classes. You should take a lesson out of Jayce’s book and work with me instead of against me. I don’t need to have your physique to know how to help you attain the belt. What I need is for you to be a quick learner and an excellent shot. You can only afford two more losses, and I refuse to see another from you.”

When Caitlyn finished, the silence that filled in around them let the words permeate through Vi. None of it was an attack on her. They were facts. Jayce and Caitlyn were a team. He respected her. She spent years learning her shit. All Caitlyn was asking Vi for was cooperation and trust. To be a team, not a master and an animal. Caitlyn could’ve walked away and stopped caring, but her coach was invested in this pairing.

“Are you ready to finally work as a real team, Vi?” Sincerity filled Caitlyn’s ocean eyes.

This was the ultimate question for Vi. Could she put aside her troubles with Piltover in order to make this work? Or would she put her career on the line? She didn’t want to throw her chance at the title away, and from her surprise visit a few days ago to this request for teamwork, it had become clear to her that Caitlyn didn’t want to quit either.

With an extended hand, Caitlyn asked, “Partners?”

“Yeah,” Vi accepted the handshake, “Partners, Cupcake.”

**********

Vi dipped her fingers into the tub to check the water temperature. Steaming hot water filled the bathtub and left the mirror above the sink fogged. For a moment, Vi stared at the bath bomb in her fingertips before dropping it into the water. It was a deep blue, with swirls of purple. Vi thought it reminded her of Caitlyn’s hair.

In the same beat, she also recollected how not very long ago, Caitlyn made a throwaway comment just before her speech; although, for Vi, it was not a comment she could easily brush to the side. Caitlyn had confirmed a very interesting piece of information. She was definitely not into guys. It didn’t seem like the time to backtrack to the topic earlier, but now it danced in her mind.

Shaking away the thought of her coach’s probably silky smooth hair, Vi tossed the sphere into the water and watched it fizz. When she finally reclined into the water, bath bomb still fizzing around her, she took in a deep breath. It smelled of lavender and vanilla. Closing her eyes, she relished the way the hot water soothed her tense muscles.

After a few minutes, Vi grabbed her phone and opened her messages.

Vi:
Thanks for the bath bomb
Smells great btw

Caitlyn:
Glad you’re enjoying it. That’s one of my favorites.
If you ever want another one, just let me know. I have a stockpile of them

Vi actually chuckled out loud at that last comment. But then the memory of their last practice surfaced in her mind of Caitlyn grabbing her in the ring. She could feel her toned sinew up against her warm body. Their sweat mixed together as Caitlyn took care to slow her movement when she got the upper hand. Vi was so close to her then. She remembered this smell. Lavender and vanilla. It was Caitlyn.

Vi:
Of course you do

Exiting her text messages, Vi opened her browser. She was looking for something she bet would be in one of the articles about her fight with Janna. It didn’t take her long to find it. She saved the photo on her phone and copied the photographer’s information.

*****

[ A picture was posted to Vi’s account. It is a photograph ringside of Caitlyn kneeling in front of Vi, holding a bloodied towel to her brow.
VIctorious_VI0lence: We might’ve lost this one, but we’re only going to push harder. Don’t count us out yet. Here’s to the new us.
Photo cred: @ChrisFort.ography ]

Chapter Text

The cool air from her open bedroom window brushed against her face gently as she rested in bed. It was still rather early, so she wasn’t quite ready to go to sleep yet. Her eyes closed slowly as she exhaled and leaned her head back on the pillow that propped her up against the headboard. The match against Janna was extremely stressful thanks to Vi being Vi, and Caitlyn felt all the energy leave her body the second she crossed through the door of her home. So much so that Caitlyn didn’t even bother to change before lying on the bed.

With eyes still shut, she let her mind dip between the happenings of the past week. The thoughts began with the fight and the infuriating recklessness of Vi as she shoved Janna and let her emotions run wild. While the action was careless and detrimental to the match, Caitlyn couldn’t deny that she almost admired it. Caitlyn herself was unfamiliar with letting her emotions take control. She’d done so much throughout her youth to stifle her feelings, and not all of those means were healthy. Even though Vi’s actions were inconvenient to the goal, at least Vi didn’t hold anything in and let it eat away at her the way Caitlyn was used to doing.

Then the way Vi looked at her with a mixture of defeat and acceptance as Caitlyn laid down the way their partnership needed to change. She could see the conflicting emotions rampaging behind Vi’s silver eyes. Even if Caitlyn didn’t yet know Vi’s sorted past, she imagined it must be difficult for Vi to know that siding with someone from Piltover was in her best interest when it had never been before. However, the wave of relief Caitlyn felt when Vi agreed and shook her hand was so immense she could’ve collapsed. Finally, it seemed like Vi was ready to accept her guidance and let convictions lie, and hope could now surface in its wake.

Caitlyn’s eyes opened as she remembered another tidbit of information she happened to give Vi post-match: Caitlyn is a lesbian. Thinking back on it, she’s not even sure what in god’s name made her say it. In the moment, it just flew out as a witty comeback she thought they’d move right past, but Vi definitely caught and latched on, as she tripped up and looked like a confused puppy in response. They hadn’t talked about it since she made that brief comment; granted, there hadn’t really been an appropriate time to bring it up again, but she had a feeling it was going to be a topic for another day. For now, more pressing matters were at hand than Caitlyn’s sexuality.

Closing her eyes once more, with the thought of Vi’s gray eyes focused on her back in the locker room, Caitlyn’s mind wandered to other moments when she held Vi’s full attention. The feel Vi’s broad shoulder under her slender fingertips when she was in her apartment. Vi’s tense body under hers as they sparred and Caitlyn had the advantage. She felt how Vi’s muscles moved against her skin as she wriggled in defeat. Their sweat fell onto one another, and their body heat could’ve set the room ablaze. Caitlyn remembered zeroing in on Vi’s abs as the frustrated fighter walked away from her. It was typical for Vi to train her shorts and a sports bra, which was a gift and a curse, and Caitlyn still couldn’t help but sneak in stares when she could.

Vi’s body was truly a sculpted piece of magnificent art, crafted from the finest block of marble by the most exquisite artist. From her defined back and arms that were marked with geometric gears and flowing smoke to her jawline that could cut stone, Caitlyn wanted to study her. She wanted to feel the way Vi’s body would react in situations outside of the ring.

Her breathing deepened at the thought.

The sound of Vi grunting during their training played back in her mind.

Fingertips traced at her waistband.

Vi’s exhausted exhales and heaving chest behind her eyelids.

She felt the hem of her underwear.

Storms stared her down.

Heat against fingertips.

But before anything could really begin, her phone rang. She begrudgingly grabbed it and looked at the caller ID. Mel Medarda.

“Fuck,” she groaned before removing her hand from the waistband and answering with a voice full of pleasantry. “Hello, Mel. I’m assuming you watched the match.”

“Watched it?” Her voice was pitched in such a way that she almost sounded like she was ready to laugh, but Caitlyn knew better. It was irritation. “I wanted to throw my shoe through the television screen at her unabashedly heedless performance.”

“I understand.” She exhaled, “It was difficult to sit on the sideline.”

“Is she not listening to you, Caitlyn? Do I need to have a word to her about her contract? Need I remind the both of you that she can now only afford two more losses or else she ruins her chance for the title?”

Caitlyn did not need the reminder, and she hated the condescending tone; however, she was not about to waste her time arguing with Mel. Frankly, she didn’t have the energy for it. “We were in a bit of a rough patch, I’ll admit, but after the match, she and I had a chat. She’s ready to work together.”

She heard Mel hum on the other end. “I’ll take your word for it. I assume then that you have a solid plan for your first full week of training?”

“Of course. She’ll be ready for the road.”

“Glad to hear it. Speaking of, when you return from Demacia, the two of you will be doing some PR. I set up an interview and photoshoot you’ll do together. It’s scheduled the day before your second stretch on the road to Noxus. It’s important that we promote this partnership properly and have fans rallying around this pairing of Piltover and Zaun.”

At the news, Caitlyn jammed her eyes closed again. There was little that Caitlyn hated more than publicity nonsense. “Must I partake in photos? Is it enough for me to just do the interview?”

“Now, now, dear, you know what they say. A picture is worth a thousand words. Besides, we both know the attention span of reader’s today is shorter and shorter. The pictures will draw them in. Optics, darling.”

Rolling her eyes, Caitlyn replied as neutral as possible, “Understood. Will that be all, Mel?”

“Yes. I’m sure we’ll be in touch soon. I look forward to see the improvement with Vi. Have a good night, Caitlyn.”

“You as well.”

When Caitlyn hung up the phone, she tossed it to the side of her on the bed and ran her hands through her hair, pulling it out of the ponytail. Her plans for the night, inappropriate as they may have been, were absolutely soiled. Her ill-timed mood dissipated and a deep yearning to shut down and go to bed loomed over her.

Perhaps it is for the best.

Her phone buzzed.

Seriously? What now?

She aggressively picked up her phone, and the bright light of the screen was near blinding. When her eyes finally adjusted, she almost dropped the phone directly on her face in astonishment.

Vi:
Thanks for the bath bomb
Smells great btw

Caitlyn shot up in bed with her phone in a vice grip. Her insides tightened and stomach jumped to her throat.

Holy shit. Vi texted me. She actually texted me. And is…thanking me? In what mad world…?

Within a few beats and attempt at clarity inducing blinks, Caitlyn realized one crucial piece of information from Vi’s text. Vi was texting her from the bathtub. She was…

Screw clarity.

Caitlyn:
Glad you’re enjoying it. That’s one of my favorites.
If you ever want another one, just let me know. I have a stockpile of them

In a hurry, Caitlyn scrambled out of bed and dashed into the bathroom, starting the flow of hot water in her tub. Her heart was racing at the foolishness dashing through her mind, but for once, she wanted to do something without a second thought at whether it was right or wrong. It had been so long since she let herself give in to silly wants.

Her phone buzzed again, but she ignored it. Instead, she went into the cabinet under her sink to find the same scented bath bomb she gifted Vi and tossed it in her tub. Within a few minutes, Caitlyn smelled the lavender and vanilla drifting up to her nostrils in the steam that was filling the bathroom. Caitlyn turned on a few of her electric candles and then lit two of the real ones. She shed her clothing and tested the water before stepping inside and getting comfortable in the fizz around her. Once she was settled, she took her phone and looked at the message awaiting her.

Vi:
Of course you do

Is she being playful? Mocking? Caitlyn shook her head and tapped at the sides of her phone, concluding it didn’t really matter. This was her time to be just as reckless as Vi could be.

Caitlyn angled her legs so that her thighs were peaking through the purple water, glistening in the candlelight. She took a quick picture. Stared at it. Stared some more. Her heartbeat sped up. It had been so long since a decision of her own made her feel like this. Thrill. Rush. The picture was innocent enough, but Vi knowing what she knew about Caitlyn now gave a new element to this interaction.

A notification popped up at the top of Caitlyn’s phone. VIctorious_VI0lence has a new post. She’d look later. For now, she gave in to carelessness.

She pressed send. The picture was on its way.

Caitlyn:
I thought I’d join you. A bath sounded like just what I needed

To avoid the panic of waiting for a response, Caitlyn pulled down the notification and clicked, opening Vi’s socials. When it loaded, Caitlyn was staring at a picture of herself holding a bloodied towel up to Vi’s head. Reading the caption underneath set a fire in her chest.

Moments passed, and Caitlyn found herself peering up again at the photograph. Her eyes steadied on Vi. The way the sweat made Vi’s abs appear perfectly contoured as she leaned back. Then, she saw the way that Vi was looking at her. Even through the one eye that was visible, Vi looked upon Caitlyn with was apologetic. She guessed it must have been when Caitlyn finally broke through the rage boiling in Vi. The fighter knew she was beat. She was sorry to disappoint. Sorry for the outburst. But she couldn’t say it. Wouldn’t. It was unbelievable to her to have such a brief moment caught in time.

A new message appeared at the top of her screen.

Vi:
[a picture of Vi, wet hair plastered to her skin, her arm behind her head against the lip of the tub, bicep flexing just so, and a smirk and wink ever present]

Caitlyn nearly dropped her phone.

Vi:
OooOooOo scandalous picture from the prim and proper coach
Lucky you I don’t follow all the rules so I won’t contact HR

Is she flirting?

It had been an absurdly long time since Caitlyn flirted with a woman. And never in a million years did she believe when she finally did that it would be with the woman she was in charge of training. This was wrong. So very wrong. She shouldn’t say anything back. She shouldn’t. It would be better to just —

Vi:
I imagine you need the relaxation as much as me after that fight…sorry I was such a handful back there. We never really got the chance to talk about that…

Oh, goddess.

No, they hadn’t had the chance to talk about anything after Caitlyn’s plea for peace because they had to leave the arena, which meant going their separate ways for the night. Caitlyn’s heart was wild in her chest again at the thought of Vi taking the texting opportunity to bring up Caitlyn’s rather stupid comment about not sucking…well…that. The thought of Vi wanting to discuss such a topic now made it impossible for Caitlyn to fully enjoy the fact that this woman actually apologized to her.

“Shit, shit, shit,” she murmured to herself.

Caitlyn:
It’s quite all right Vi
A lot was said. We don’t need to rehash everything now. There will be plenty of time to talk about anything you’d like during our training

She watched as the dots indicating that Vi was typing appeared and disappeared multiple times. It was excruciating. Her fingertips tightened around her phone every time they restarted.

Vi:
Right

“You can’t be serious.” Caitlyn couldn’t help but say it out loud. She placed her phone down on the side of the tub. It occurred to her that while she might be the type to press at previous statements that were left unsettled, Vi was not the same as she.

Caitlyn closed her eyes and allowed her body to melt into the warm water as her pulse began to level out at the crisis averted. She breathed in deeply and exhaled steadily as the calming scent of the bath bomb settled around her. With the lights so dim, it truly felt like being transported to a spa in which she could let go and breathe.

But then a buzz to her left ended the fantasy.

Hesitantly, she unlocked her screen.

Vi:
Well you can join me for a bath anytime Cupcake ;)

Oh my god. She is flirting.

Caitlyn’s cheeks burned at the text, and that burning ran through her entire body. It was the spark to start the fire she’d been trying to quell in her since her talk with Mel. Granted, she knew she was doing a poor job of it, but she thought it would die down on its own, as it usually does. However, this redhead was a flame all on her own and changed Caitlyn’s plans on a whim. Caitlyn could tell that Vi was someone who liked inviting in danger and unknowns. Risks were something Caitlyn tried to avoid.

“Just do it, Kiramman. It’s playful. She’s just messing with me. This is how we build our…friendship,” she said to herself, hoping that speaking it out into the universe would make it true — make this a banter of nothingness back and forth.

Caitlyn:
Don’t threaten me with a good time

She was too nervous to see what a reply to that would end up being, so she followed it up rather quickly. Saying it aloud wasn’t good enough when she knew it was a lie. Continuing this conversation with Vi could lead to a desirably undesirable outcome. It had to be shut down. The better parts of her life happened because she knew restraint. She couldn’t risk being so foolish with a relationship as serious as this one. Too much was on the line. Vi was not someone she could pursue guilty pleasures with for fear of the repercussions. It had to be professional for both their sakes.

Caitlyn:
I’ll see you for our run tomorrow morning at nine
Dynasty Trails just outside the city

Vi:
Yeah see you there

Caitlyn set her phone down, let out a long sigh, and slunk down into the water, stretching out her legs. She pinched her eyebrows at how frustrated she was with the angel and devil that toyed with her so freely, and she despised she let herself be so helpless, especially over some girl, let alone a woman she shouldn’t even be pining after in the first place. Training in the past with Jayce was easy because there was no sexual attraction for any of the male fighters. It was purely work. Not to mention, Jayce backed up the angel on her shoulder. He was good at keeping her together when she felt like falling apart. On the other hand, Vi allowed her mind to drift into the unseemly thoughts she occasionally missed. Fantasies she hadn’t acted on in what felt like ages. The whisper in her ear left her wondering was there really any harm in wanting someone unattainable? What was wrong with allowing herself to have some pleasure in the end? Vi didn’t have to know.

It could be harmless.

It could just be a nighttime escape.

An escape that didn’t jeopardize anything.

Something just for her in the confines of her home.

This could be the perfect amount of restraint, compromise between the angel and devil.

With a smirk at her own resolution, Caitlyn let her mind return to the thoughts she had in the beginning of the night. She let herself remember the way Vi grunted under her grip as they sparred and the rough pushback of her muscles, but then she remembered she had new material to work with. Vi’s pictures. Caitlyn opened up her phone and flipped between Vi’s new post and the picture she sent in their chat. That wink paired with that bicep pulled at something primal in her. She wanted to bite Vi’s lips in that smirk and run her tongue along the scar on her top lip and feel that bicep curl under her fingertips as Vi ran her hands over Caitlyn’s body. Vi didn’t need to know any of this. This midnight fantasy would keep Caitlyn grounded during their time together. Now was the time she would let go of control.

She put her phone back down and closed her eyes as languidly as her hand that floated down her torso. There was no clothing in the way this time. Her fingers easily found that familiar spot between her folds, which was already pulsing from the daydream she had been creating. She eased into her own touch, finding her rhythm, swirling her fingers around in circles. Her eyelids laid a bit heavier now as she concentrated on the thought of Vi with her, feeling her the way she was feeling herself. Caitlyn’s legs opened. Her thighs pressed against the edges of the tub, allowing herself to open as fully as possible in the space. As her fingers continued to work, her lips parted as she breathing rushed past them. Up and down, fingertips applied more pressure to her hardening bud. With her free hand, she grabbed at her own chest, imagining the sensation coming from hands that were not her own. Then the pressure turned into an effervescent buzz that ran through her lower body. A warm, tingling flood down her center. Her abdomen clenched and her thighs tensed as her fingers slowed to ride out the release.

Removing her hand, she opened her eyes in a haze. She promised herself this would be enough for the season, but she could hear the unremitting little voice on her shoulder asking if she was really so sure.

___________________________

Vi put her car in park and glanced around the parking lot. It was relatively empty other than five other cars. She turned in her seat to find Caitlyn waiting on the bench near the start of the trail. The raven haired woman was adjusting her ponytail and checking the laces were tied properly on her sneakers. Of course that’s what she was doing, always double and triple checking because that’s how she was. Calculating. Careful. So what the fuck was last night?

The texts they exchanged last night made Vi beyond confused. Well maybe a little turned on but far more puzzled than anything else. Caitlyn nonchalantly made a joke about being a lesbian and then flirted with her in a matter of hours, but then when Caitlyn came to a full stop, Vi was left to wonder who that other girl was and what did Caitlyn do to her. Talk about a whiplash.

On top of it, Vi was all the more troubled by how much she enjoyed and wanted to flirt back. Part of it was so easy, but it terrified her. She was worried the whole time that she was overstepping, crossing some invisible line that should be there. There should be one, right? I mean this was her coach she was thinking about naked in a tub, wet, long limbs ready to be spread for —

No. Enough. Caitlyn was right to end the suggestive comments regardless of the whirlwind of emotions it caused Vi. However, Vi couldn’t deny that she was still curious as to what brought that Caitlyn out from the shadows and if she’d be able to do it again. She never was one for mysteries…or much self-control. Although, she guessed that’s what Caitlyn was here to fix. Shaking her head and the inopportune thoughts away, Vi grabbed her backpack that was filled with a hydration pack full of water and climbed out of the car.

The morning air was perfect. It was just warm enough for a compression shirt and running shorts. There was a gentle breeze that passed by and ruffled the hair that fell in Vi’s face every now and again. As she walked up to Caitlyn, she saw a smile appear, and as she got closer, she swore there was some color on her cheeks. Either Caitlyn had been warming up before Vi got here or she was feeling awkward about their last exchanges.

“Good morning, Vi,” Caitlyn greeted.

“Sup, Cupcake. What’s the plan?” Vi asked as she peered into the wooded trail. Honestly, before today, Vi never ventured out past Piltover enough to know this area existed. If she wanted to go for a run, which was rare, she settled for a treadmill. Her only time traveling was when she was sent out on the road for matches. The life she led didn’t give her much free time to explore or frolic in the woods like Miss Piltie here.

Caitlyn stood, and when she did Vi couldn’t help but watch the way her legs extended to their full length. Her shorts made it impossible for Vi not to think of how she saw those thighs from a very different angle last night.

Get your shit together. This is your coach, dumbass.

“Well, I planned on us doing a total of eight miles today.” When Caitlyn saw Vi’s eyes ready to pop out of her head, she held up her hands and continued, “Not all of it has to be running, though I would appreciate the effort, and we’re not going to do all eight miles in a straight shot.” She walked over to the trail map that was posted on the bulletin board next to the bench, pointing to spots as she explained, “We’ll do four up the trail until we hit this rest point. When we get there, we’ll practice some meditation. It has an amazing view, which is a bonus.”

Vi walked over to the map and followed Caitlyn’s finger along the trail. She made the conscious choice to not roll her eyes at the thought of meditation.

“Then we do the four miles back. I know we haven’t done this many miles before, but I think it will be good to use it as a baseline and see how you improve. It sounds like a lot, but the trail really isn’t that bad. Personally, I think being outside in nature makes the miles pass with more enjoyment than staring at a wall on a treadmill.”

Vi interlocked her fingers behind her head. “Whatever you say. You’re the boss.”

She watched as Caitlyn tried to hide a grin. “Never thought I’d be hearing you say that.”

Honestly, Vi wished she could deny the way that smirk made her chest want to implode. She nudged Caitlyn with her hip. “Don’t make me regret it.”

That goddamn gap-toothed smile got bigger. “Don’t make me regret it.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Caitlyn practically twirled as she turned to face Vi. Her hair whipped around her head. “We should stretch for a bit before we head out.”

Vi flashed a canine, “You’re not still loosened up from last night?”

Caitlyn’s eyes widened in what Vi thought looked oddly like horror. She listened amused as Caitlyn stammered, “I—That was—how…no—I just…we should—”

“Chill, Kiramman,” Vi smirked, “I’m messing with you. Geez, what happened to the Caitlyn from last night anyway? She seemed like a lot of fun.”

In response, Caitlyn gave Vi a you-better-watch-it glare, which only made Vi laugh.

Vi angled her chin down and threw up her hands in defense. “Okay, I’ll stop. Let’s stretch.”

However, stretching was not that simple now that the thought of a very different, very uncontrolled Caitlyn was on Vi’s mind. Every so often, Vi would look over and see never ending legs stretching with a foot propped on the bench. Caitlyn leaned over for a hamstring stretch, Vi attempted to not look at her ass. The way she had to play off every stare was award winning acting.

Thankfully, the stretch was over with soon enough, and Vi got to spend the morning trailing behind Caitlyn. At least the view wasn’t bad, and she didn’t have to hide staring at those dark green shorts.

Actually, the longer they were on their run and the farther they made it along the trail, Vi found herself captivated by the nature around her. All her life, Vi was used to the sounds of the city. Hustle and bustle. Yelling and honking. Haggling and fighting. Laughing and running. Over the years, it faded into background noise just as the smog found its home in her lungs. But out here the air was crisp and clean among the foliage. There were no horns blaring. Only the rustling of leaves and the chirping of birds. Sun passed through the branches and kept her skin warm, and each inhale felt like renewal.

Before she knew it, four miles passed and the two were standing on the edge of the hill. From here, Vi could see it wasn’t the highest point, but it was still a damn stunning view of the landscape. She meandered over to the edge, only now noticing the ache in her calves. The river flowed below them, winding through the hills and trees, and Vi swore that as she followed it she could make out the tallest buildings of Piltover in the distance. Vi figured must be the same river that separates the two cities, but it amazed her to see it look so clean, so beautiful in the sunlight, something lacking in Zaun.

With a lung-filling inhale and exhaustive exhale, she spoke to Caitlyn while still taking in the scenery, “You might have been right, Cupcake. This view was worth it. Definitely better than a treadmill.”

Craning her neck back, she saw Caitlyn sitting behind her on the ground facing out toward the river. She pat her hand on the ground next to her, looking up at Vi, “Come sit. We can rest and meditate.”

As she made her way over, Vi questioned, “How did I not know this trail existed? It doesn’t feel like it should exist so close to Zaun. How’d you find it?”

A small smile appeared on Caitlyn’s lips, but Vi could see it didn’t fully reach her eyes. There was a sadness she tried to mask. “Growing up, I found a lot of ways and places to escape. These trails were tucked away just enough that it gave me some semblance of peace in a world I felt I had little control over. Truthfully, you probably wouldn’t find this place unless you were hunting for proper running and hiking trails. I was looking for anything.”

It was a curious answer, and Vi was intrigued. “I can’t imagine you not having control. That’s your whole thing.”

A smirk and distant gaze. “You’d be surprised.”

There was a brief moment of silence. Vi wondered what Caitlyn could’ve possibly meant by any of her comments. A woman as self-controlled and collected as Caitlyn didn’t strike Vi as the type to have some burdensome past, especially coming from Piltover. She glanced sidelong at the deep blue hair and sharp-as-knives cheekbones next to her and wondered what Coach Kiramman was keeping to herself.

When Caitlyn straightened her back, she turned to meet Vi’s gaze. “Let’s begin, shall we? Sit with your legs crossed in a pretzel in front of you like I am. Then place your hands on your knees like so with your palms up.”

“Isn’t meditation like religious or something?”

“It can be, but I’m not trying to conform you to the church. Come on,” she demanded, snapping her fingers at Vi to sit properly.

As Vi adjusted to mirror Caitlyn, though she felt completely silly for doing so, Caitlyn pressed on, “Good. Straighten your back. Perfect. Meditation is used for mindfulness. It helps sharpen your awareness to what you’re doing, how you’re reacting, and to what is going on around you. I’m hoping it will help you feel more emotionally stable, particularly as we continue train and face more formidable opponents.”

“Hell yeah,” Vi squeaked out at the last comment, which made Caitlyn slap her arm.

“Focus, Vi. There are many different types of meditation.”

“You mean its not just staring into the void and breathing slow until enlightenment?”

Unamused, Caitlyn answered, “No. What I want to try and start with is a focused meditation. This practice is best to sharpen your awareness, which you know I value as I’m constantly telling you to calculate every move in the ring. I’m going to guide you through it. Okay?”

Vi shrugged. Her breathing seemed to finally calm down from the run. “Sure. Guide away.”

“Take a deep inhale.” Both did so. “And exhale,” Caitlyn instructed as she let out her breath. “Inhale. Exhale. Once more. Inhale. Exhale. You can keep your eyes open and focused on a point in the distance or you can close them, whichever you feel will help you maintain your focus. If your mind starts to wander to other thoughts, it’s okay. Acknowledge it, don’t judge yourself or the thought, and dive right back into the meditation.”

Caitlyn took a pause, allowing the two to clear their minds before continuing. “I want you to focus on one of your senses to start.”

Vi kept her eyes locked on the clouds that drifted with unhurried ease ahead of her.

“The goal is to just experience what is happening around you, not to think on it. Just be mindful. Be fully present.”

The clouds appeared so soft, ethereal, with no rhyme or reason for their movements. No end goal in sight. They were free as they glided along the blue horizon. Vi tried to remember the last time she sat and watched clouds like this.

The night air was sticky against her balmy skin. Her face was soaked in fresh tears and sweat. The muscles in her arms and legs burned and chased the next movement as she tore from the second floor window of her room and up the uneven bricks. Her fingers, not yet calloused enough, still felt the scrapes of the stone under them.

Vi closed her eyes quickly and clenched a fist, trying to refocus on her surroundings. Caitlyn must’ve noticed the hasty action and stated calmly, “It’s okay. Acknowledge that your mind went somewhere else, no judgements, and begin again.” They exhaled and Caitlyn added, “Now, gradually add another of your senses. Experience it. Be in this moment.”

With her eyes still closed, Vi listened to the sounds around her. Being so unlike her home, surely, it wouldn’t trigger any thoughts of her past. The rubbing of leaves and branches together mixed with the melody of insects buzzing and whipping past her. A bird chirped to her left, and in the distance, she could make out the babbling of the river below.

“Add another sense, Vi,” Caitlyn whispered.

She inhaled and filled her lungs with clean, fresh air of the morning. It was almost too pure for her pollution riddled nose, but it felt good to be so far from the worries of real life. The pain of her past.

Finally, she reached the roof of her home. Her lungs burned with the smog that coated them. Panting, she looked up to the sky and furiously wiped away the tears that fell down her cheeks. More than anything, she wished to be one of the clouds that drifted by. If she was, then she’d be closer to her father. The words still fresh tormented her.

She was home late from a shift at The Last Drop. Vander was letting her add hours and paying her under to the table because he knew the battle she was fighting at home. When she walked inside, Jinx was clinging tightly to their mother. Two cops were standing in front of them.

“W-what’s going on?” Vi’s voice was shaking with every word.

Her mother looked toward her with red, swollen eyes. When Jinx lifted her face, Vi could see her big eyes were lined with tears as well.

“Oh, sweetie, come here,” her mother managed while lifting out a frail arm.

Vi listened and nestled in next to her mother. Her eyes cautiously regarded the cops. Then she realized her father wasn’t with them. She glanced over at her mother.

“Where’s dad?”

One of the men spoke up, “We unfortunately came here tonight to tell you that your father has been killed in a mugging. We’re still investigating, but it appears he was on his way home from…”

Whatever else they told her didn’t register at the time. It was like she blacked out. The next thing she knew she was on the roof, angry and upset and alone. She wanted to destroy everything around her, not caring if that would fix anything. Her eyes watched the clouds pass over what she could see of the moon between the buildings surrounding her house. Somewhere the rushing of the river that separated Piltover and Zaun trickled up to her ears.

Piltover. This was all because of them.

He was gone because of them.

Her breathing heightened again. Her chest heaved up and down as she dug her nails into the skin of her palms. She had all this space of the roof, above it all, but she felt confined. Trapped. The only thing she could think to do was scream as the tears kept coming.

“Vi? Vi?”

That accent. Right. She was with Caitlyn.

With fluttering lids, she opened her eyes to find cerulean blue inches from her.

“Where’d you go?” Concern in each word and concerned eyes searched for an answer.

Vi touched her cheek and felt a warm wetness on her fingertips. She hadn’t realized that she started crying. The memory was so consuming. Vi’s heart began to beat frantically in her chest.

She watched Caitlyn settle and sit in front of her. Gentle fingers held onto Vi’s own. The woman’s words were calm, “It’s okay. I’m here. Whatever you thought of while you were meditating, don’t judge it, and don’t judge your response. Meditation can bring up many emotions, even ones you weren’t planning on dealing with. We just need to recenter, okay?”

Vi could tell her eyes were wide as she tried to focus on Caitlyn’s words. She shook her head in agreement.

“Okay,” Caitlyn said as she exaggerated taking deep breaths, “Let’s focus on your breathing. In and out.”

Together, the two did the breathing exercise until Vi was fully calmed down. Normally, Vi would brood and pace and punch, but this come down was new. Welcomed. Caitlyn never let go of her hands. Vi didn’t mind. She felt grounded.

“Close your eyes, Vi. Whatever memory you were in, I want you to acknowledge it.” When Vi closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath, Caitlyn added, “Now, understand that you are here. You are in this moment. You feel your breaths entering and exiting, steady. Easy. Calm. Feel the wind against your skin. Focus on the tangible.”

Eyes still closed, Vi breathed out, “Your hand in mine.”

A pause. The twitch of a finger. Not her own.

“Yes. You and I are present in this moment. Let go of all the upset, Vi. Those memories don’t need to plague you or control you. We can remember them, acknowledge, and move forward. Channel that you, here, now, are in the present. Where are you right now? What are you experiencing?”

Vi hummed, still mindful of the blacks of her lids, “Buzzing of insects. Birds making music. The breeze. My hair dusting against my forehead and neck. Lavender and vanilla.” She opened her eyes and lingered on Caitlyn’s hands over hers. When she glanced up at her, she whispered, “Thank you.” A hoarse laugh crackled up her throat. “Who knew this meditation thing would do whatever that was?”

“You mean help you gain a bit of control over your emotions?” Caitlyn said with an eyebrow quirked.

“Yeah, sure, that.”

“So, are you opposed to practicing meditation in the future?”

Vi chuckled, “No, we can keep doing this, Cupcake. Surprisingly, I think it’ll help.”

A breeze moved Vi’s hair out of her eye, and she watched it make the fringes of Caitlyn’s baby hair that fell around her face dance. Then she realized the warmth still in her hands. Vi felt the rush flood to her cheeks. This was too much. More than just meditation. Where was that invisible line? Why was it so easy to lose sight of it with Caitlyn?

Vi cleared her throat, and at the sound, Caitlyn pulled away her hands, wiping away imaginary dust from her legs. They both stood, and Vi walked toward the edge of the hill, giving one last pass over the place that was so unlike her home yet brought up so much of it. She felt Caitlyn’s presence next to her.

“Would you like to talk about it?”

Without looking over, Vi answered, “Not here.”

While this place made her feel emotions she’d barred down for so long, some unknown force in her didn’t want her to speak it all out loud. This trail was still beautiful, and Vi didn’t want to taint that. If it became an escape for Caitlyn, perhaps it could be an escape for her, too. A place to heal.

Now Vi shot a glance toward her coach, “Not yet, I mean.”

“Fair enough,” Caitlyn replied. “Perhaps over…” She check the time on her phone, “brunch? By the time we make the run back down it will be close enough to lunchtime. I can drive to a great little diner close to here. My treat.”

Vi grinned and shot her eyes to the ground. “You know the way to a girl’s heart is food, don’t ya?”

Chapter Text

The fifteen-minute car ride to the diner was quiet aside from the songs that played at a low volume in the background, and that totally did not bother Vi because her mind was riddled with questions for which she had no answers. Her stare was long out the window, and her eyes flickered unfocused, hardly taking in the environment. In her mind, a torrent of questions came crashing down one after another.

Why did meditating bring up such a traumatic experience from her childhood? She hadn’t thought about that exact moment in years, so she believed she was done with it. Buried the pain enough for it not to resurface. Sure, she wasn’t in therapy like her sister, but who said avoidance couldn’t work? Vi found kickboxing for those time when the upset did bubble up.

Then there was the endless puzzle that was Caitlyn Kiramman. There were still the unanswered mysteries of last night, but now there was quandary of why part of Vi, a rather large part, didn’t want Caitlyn to let go of her hands earlier. What was it about Caitlyn that made Vi gravitate toward her so easily? It was frustrating not only because this was her coach but also because she was a Piltie. But Caitlyn went against most of what Vi expected from a topsider. She wasn’t rude or arrogant. Actually, she was proving to be thoughtful and patient. Respectful to not overstep. Making this all even more annoying. And endearing. Ugh.

This had to be squashed. This persistent pull in her chest. The want to know more about Caitlyn. The thoughts of Caitlyn’s long legs in those shorts. In that tub. She couldn’t let any of that interfere with why they were together, and that reason was to train and win.

Remember, she is your coach. Kiramman is here to help you get the title. You’re not here to be best friends…and definitely not fuck buddies, you shithead.

She snuck a glance at Caitlyn and noticed the way she tapped her finger on the steering wheel lightly and bopped her head with the song. It wasn’t exaggerated or even really noticeable unless you bothered to pay attention, which Vi realized she was doing because all she could think about was how the motion was adorable.

Fuck.

Vi let her head fall back against the headrest, and her eyes grazed across the trees passing by the window.

Why Caitlyn Kiramman? Why must you be a lesbian?

When Caitlyn parked, the two stepped out of the car and Vi followed the taller woman into The Vintage Oak diner. The name was fitting not only for its location but also because of the clientele. Most of the people inside were older, but the faces turning toward the door were welcoming and kind. Immediately, a few hands went up and waved in their direction.

“Caitlyn! Haven’t seen you in a while,” one older man to their left called out.

A woman seated at the counter greeted her next. “Hey, hun, see you brought a new guest with you today. Where’s Jayce?”

“Jayce is done with life in the ring, so we probably won’t be training together for a while,” Caitlyn replied as she walked toward an empty table in the far corner. “This is Vi. She’s my new fighter.”

Vi was following close behind Caitlyn. She peaked over her shoulder at the woman and gave a short wave, “Uh, hi.”

The blonde woman let out a raspy laugh, “Don’t worry, honey. You’ll get used to us.”

Vi sat in the booth opposite Caitlyn and looked at her curiously, one eyebrow raised. It seemed that no matter who Caitlyn was put it front of, a group of old diner regulars or Vi’s own siblings, she was a magnet. People loved her. Admired her. When Vi first met her, their interactions were scarce and strained, and Vi knew much of that had to do with her own prejudices toward topside. But this immediate gravitation toward Caitlyn was still baffling, especially now that she herself felt the same…and didn’t want to fully give in to that urge.

“What?” Caitlyn asked with an edge.

“Nothing,” Vi said with a grin. “You just seem to be a real celebrity around here.”

“Oh, please.” There was a pause as they both picked up the laminated menu in front of them. Then Caitlyn asked, “Speaking of celebrity, has Mel reached out to you?”

Vi dropped the menu back onto the table and pressed her head against the back of the booth. “Oh, god. No. Why?”

“Last night she called me and informed me that we have to do some PR the day before we head out to Demacia.”

“What kind of PR?”

“A photo shoot and interview.”

Vi picked her head up and leaned forward. Relief flooded her, and she picked the menu back up and fiddled with the corners. “That’s all? Easy.”

Caitlyn frowned and gave a hmph in response.

“You seem less than thrilled. Why are you so torn up about it? All the articles and shit sing praises about you,” Vi attested.

Her blue eyes were angled down at the menu in front of her as she spoke, “I don’t like the attention.”

With a closed-mouth grin, Vi asked, “You an only child?”

That made Caitlyn look up with a curious expression. “Yes, but what made you assume that?”

Now Vi’s grin was smug. “Because you hate the attention. No siblings to be a distraction, so you probably got too much of it from your parents growing up.”

Caitlyn huffed a small laugh from her nose, “Too much and yet my parents were still all too oblivious.”

Their conversation was cut off by the voice of their server. She was a girl probably around their age with bright orange hair and a face dusted with freckles. When her deep brown eyes settled on Vi, she noticed them lingering a bit longer than one would allow for a friendly hello.

“Welcome to The Vintage Oak.” Her eyes moved between both women before going back to Vi. “My name’s Miranda, and I’ll be your server.” She broke her gaze to greet Caitlyn, “Hi, Caitlyn. Can I start you two off with some drinks?”

“I’ll have my usual tea, Miranda,” Caitlyn answered, but the girl had to actively put in the effort to remember to look in the direction of Caitlyn’s voice and not Vi.

“Of course,” she stated, scribbling on her notepad. “And for you ma’am?”

“I’ll just have water and an orange juice. And you can just call me Vi,” she finished leaning slightly in the direction toward Miranda with a sugary smile, which flustered the server.

“Oh, uh, yes, ‘course. I’ll be right back with your drinks,” she fumbled out as she hurried off to the side station.

After an eye roll, Caitlyn continued their conversation before Miranda had shown up. “So with that logic, I’m guessing you love the attention because you didn’t get enough of it?”

“Well, when you have a little sister, you’re less of a novelty, but…” Vi trailed off and stared at the menu momentarily, debating whether or not to continue. Her fingers were picking at the laminate on the menu. She knew that given the amount of time she was going to be spending with Caitlyn over the season, this would be bound to come up eventually. It was whether or not to rip the bandaid off now that weighed on her. With an exhale, she decided to tear it off. “My parents died when I was pretty young,” she tried to continue on and make light of the comment, “so I guess attention-starved could fit.”

Unfortunately, Caitlyn responded the exact way Vi knew she would but wished she hadn’t. The woman leaned forward to stretch her arm over the table and tenderly wrapped her fingers around Vi’s wrist. When Vi met those blue eyes, it was enough to make her feel like that broken child again.

“I’m so sorry, Vi.” Her voice was even more sincere.

Vi shrugged, “It’s fine. It was a long time ago.”

But Caitlyn’s hand didn’t leave her wrist. Even worse, her thumb was rubbing gentle motions back and forth on Vi’s inner wrist. Chill-inducing. Short-circuiting. Vi didn’t want it to stop, but if she kept going, Vi was liable to tell her more.

Miranda popped up next to the table, and Vi could see the brown eyes zero in on Caitlyn’s touch as she placed the drinks down. Vi was sure it was only because of the girl’s presence that Caitlyn removed her hand.

The waitress cleared her throat, and Vi had to try not to laugh. “You two ready to order?”

Caitlyn nodded, “I’ll have the bananas foster French toast.”

Vi quickly glossed over the menu, “And I’ll have, uh, the ultimate combo. Eggs scrambled, French toast, and bacon. Can I also get a side of fruit with that? Watching my figure,” she ended with a shining canine.

Miranda collected the menus with a smile, mainly directed at Vi. “That’ll be out shortly for you.”

Vi raised her surprised eyebrows in Caitlyn’s direction. “I was expecting you to get something like a…salad.”

She smirked, “The bananas foster is absolutely delicious, and I’m not the one that has to worry about weigh-ins.”

With a scoff and dismissive wave of the hand, Vi responded, “I burn it off as fast as I eat.”

There was a silence between them, and Vi could feel it hanging in the air. She knew Caitlyn was still replaying Vi’s words in her head, wanting to ask questions but worried it was inappropriate. It was written all over her face. All it did was make Vi want to squirm in her seat with anxiety just as she had when she was a child.

***

It was early. She remembered opening her eyes blearily to look up at the clock.

5:16AM

Stretching out her back, she felt the warm, bony body of her sister laying against her. It wasn’t until she tried to straighten her back from her slouched position that she realized how much her neck hurt from falling asleep with her head lowered against Jinx’s. Her sister’s body was contorted into a ball up against her side, still out like a light.

Vi swiveled her head slowly to her left to see her mom in bed. She was a shadow of the woman Vi remembered. Her ribcage visible on her upper chest. Her collarbones protruded. Her face was gaunt. Eyes sunken and hollow. The luminosity of her hair had long faded. For months she watched her mother degrade. Decline. Dwindle. She was powerless to help her. All she could do was pick up the slack that Babette, their part-time nurse, left. It was all they could afford. Vi worked tirelessly at The Last Drop with Vander to pay for food, bills, and the nurse, and she would come home to work more, taking care of her mother.

Last night, Babette pulled Vi aside and told her she didn’t think her mom would have much more time. A night perhaps.

So Vi did all she could think to do. She gathered up Jinx and stayed at her mom’s side. They’d spend their last moments together.

6:02AM

The beginnings of the morning were only just now making their way through the window, but in Zaun, that didn’t do much. There was movement from the corner of her eye though. Her mom was twitching her fingers, and when Vi looked over she saw a strained smile on her face. It beckoned without words.

Vi nudged Jinx awake, and when her sister’s groggy eyes looked up at her, she motioned to their mother. Jinx understood through the silence.

They each brought a chair up to either side of the bed. The room was still dim. Vi grabbed the glass of water on the nightstand and angled the straw toward her mom’s lips. She watched her take one, slow, painful sip before she placed it back down. Vi felt her bottom half shifting in the seat. Uneasy at the silence. Sick to her stomach at the knowledge of what was to come.

“I love you both so much.” Her mom’s voice was hoarse. Unsteady. It crackled with every syllable. “You’ve made my life worth every second.”

Jinx was already in tears. Her back shook with each sob.

Their mother reached up with a shaky, fragile hand and pressed it against Jinx’s cheek. She wiped at the endless flow of saltwater. “Don’t cry, my beautiful girl. You’re perfect.” Slowly she turned to look at Vi. “You’re both perfect. I’m so proud of you. So lucky to be your mother.”

Her mom began to cough, and Vi held a tissue up to her mouth. When she pulled it away, she saw the blood that coated it. Babette was right. Vi felt her eyes grow molten hot, but she kept holding back the flood, sucking in and biting her lip.

“Vi,” her mother, while sick, was still so serious in her stare. “Promise me that you’ll take care of her. Your sister needs you.” When Vi nodded her head in acknowledgment, too scared to break with words, her mom added, “I know I always asked you for too much, but know that you have such a good heart.”

That did it. The floodgates opened, and now both sisters wept next to their mother, both grasping at her glasslike hands.

6:47AM

She was gone.

7:02AM

“Oh, dearies,” Babette’s voice was so soft and filled with sorrow at the scene she walked in on. Two broken-hearted daughters, red-eyed, hunched next to the woman that was once their entire world.

Once Babette was there, Vi got herself together as best she could and ran to Vander’s home. It was still early, but she banged on the door. When the burly man answered, the confusion on his face immediately changed to understanding. He crumbled to meet Vi in an embrace, as much like a father as he could be.

Within the day, Jinx and Vi were almost fully moved into his home. It would take longer for the official paperwork.

That night, Vi climbed as she had when her father passed away and sat alone on the roof, staring at the clouds. She wondered if somewhere in those clouds were her parents, finally together. She wished she could be one of them. As she continued to stare into the night sky, numb, she could see Piltover’s skyline. It was clearer from Vander’s home than it was from her former. At the sight, her blood boiled. It was because of them that she was now without her parents, and she hated every last one of them.

***

Vi glanced back up at Caitlyn, and her coach’s eyes hadn’t left. Her leg was shaking furiously. She shouldn’t be this nervous, but the conflict waging inside her was more complicated than she wanted to work through. This woman in front of her should be the last person she wanted to connect to; she was a Piltie after all. They ruined everything. Vi hadn’t forgotten her disdain for topside. But Caitlyn had continued to be so vastly different from the image she had in built up in her head.

Rip it off.

“My mom was really sick. It wasn’t anything unusual. A lot of people were getting sick from the fissures in Zaun. For a while, she was going to PIltover for treatment, but that—”

Before Vi could finish, the woman that was originally sitting at the counter was scrapping a seat from an adjacent table across the floor and settling at Caitlyn and Vi’s side. Vi’s mouth was left half-open, and she could tell from Caitlyn’s expression, mouth set in a short, hard line and eyebrows pinching upward, she was fighting both embarrassment and apology at the interruption.

Up close, Vi could see the signs of age on the woman’s face. Wrinkles lined her forehead, corners of her eyes, and lips. The last of which made Vi assume she was or had been a smoker for some time. Her eyes were a very pale blue, and her light blonde, chin-length hair was curled around her narrow face. Even if she had not greeted them earlier, the way that she pulled up to the table made it clear she was quite friendly with Caitlyn.

“So, you’re all done training with Jayce are ya?”

Ah, right, that rasp. Definitely a smoker.

Caitlyn gave a polite, probably forced, smile. “I am, Gladys.”

Vi couldn’t help but think how fitting a name like Gladys was for this woman.

“Ah, what a shame. That boy was a real looker,” she mused.

Caitlyn gave a wince of a smile, but it was so dreadfully clear this girl could not give two shits about how attractive Jayce may or may not be. She was so very obviously gay.

With a toothy smile, Vi closed some of the distance between her and Gladys. “Aw, are you saying I’m not a looker?”

Gladys actually bothered to gesticulate a once over, lingering on the shaved side of Vi’s pink-red hair. With a shrug, she answered, “Well, you look like something.”

Caitlyn bit her lip, trying to hide a laugh at Vi’s mischievous, narrow eyes.

“Is that a compliment, Gladys?”

The woman shrugged and grinned in return. “You’re no Jayce Talis.”

Vi leaned back in the booth and caught Caitlyn’s eyes as she stated, “Thank god.” The two lingered on each other for a moment. Vi felt the smolder growing behind her own pupils, and she watched as Caitlyn tried to figure it out, add kindling or let it fade. Before she could decide, the smell of bacon hit Vi’s nose, and she glanced up to see Miranda walking over with their plates. Readjusting in her seat, she said, “Why don’t we ask Miranda here?” As the girl got closer, Vi continued with a wide smile, “Miranda, do you think I’m a looker?” In her periphery, she could see another eye roll from her coach.

Gladys stood up as a red-faced Miranda placed the plates on the table. “Leave this girl out of your shenanigans.” She pat the server on the arm and ushered her away, saving her from having to stammer out a reply. “Enjoy your breakfast, girls,” Gladys ended as she put the chair back at its original table and walked away.

With the food now in front of them, Vi flashed Caitlyn a canine, shrugged, and laughed before digging into her eggs and tearing off a piece of bacon. It was a perfect reward for a very long morning run. After a few more mouthfuls and a sip of water, Vi looked across the table to find Caitlyn cutting her bananas foster French toast into bite sized pieces, and holy shit did that meal look fucking amazing. The glaze was cascading, dare say it, elegantly down the edges of the French toast, and the bananas were caramelized expertly. Inhaling, Vi could smell the sweet scent, a mixture of bananas, brown sugar, and rum.

Vi took another sip of water. “That looks amazing.”

“If you’d like to try a bite, you—”

Caitlyn didn’t even get to finish. Vi extended her arm, fork in hand, and impaled a corner of the French toast, making sure to scoop up a banana in the process. It couldn’t reach her mouth fast enough, and when it finally made it there, her tastebuds were in culinary heaven.

Her eyes closed as she chewed, and she was rolling her hands in the air in search of the right words. “This. This is…” She mimed a chef’s kiss. “Perfection.”

“Told you,” Caitlyn remarked.

Vi shook her head, “No, you said delicious. You did not say so fucking fantastic that you’ll want to kiss the chef.”

Caitlyn scrunched her nose, “I don’t know that I’d want to kiss Matt.”

“His loss,” Vi said without much of a second thought. That is until she did give it a second thought when she noticed Caitlyn giving her a devilishly curious smirk at the words.

Oh, fuck. Did I just say that out loud?

Vi cleared her throat, “Anyway, I’m definitely ordering that the next time we come here.”

“Glad to hear you’d be interested in coming back,” Caitlyn said before taking a bite of her breakfast. After another bite, Caitlyn asked cautiously, “Vi, you never finished. What happened to your mom?”

“Ah,” she ran a hand through her hair, some strands crunchy with sweat, “we don’t need to talk about sad shit like that over brunch. I’ll, uh, I’ll tell you later.”

With a nod in agreement, the remainder of their meal was eaten in a comfortable silence. Vi thought it was nice that the two of them could enjoy their time without feeling the need to fill every second with conversation. It was a welcomed quiet. The two ate and watched the people file in and out of the diner, some of which Caitlyn waved to as they passed by. When Miranda came back around, Caitlyn handed her a card to pay for the meal.

“Thanks for paying.”

Caitlyn nodded, “Thank you for being open to working together and coming out to do all this so early in the morning. For someone who doesn’t run long distance often, you did really well.”

“Well, I had to keep up with your legs.” Fuck, don’t think about her legs. “Uh, I mean—strides. You take long strides.” Way to go.

Both of them glanced down at the table at the comment. Vi could feel the heat in her cheeks, and let a cough escape to try and cover it up. She was ready to start sweating all over again.

“Anyway,” Caitlyn seemed fine with changing the subject, thankfully, “I’ll take you back to your car. Would you like to come to my place to watch some of the videos on your upcoming opponents, Quinn and Morgana? We can analyze their styles together. I used to do that with Jayce a lot. He found it quite helpful. It gave us a focus on how to train.”

“I’m going to guess you already started watching some.”

A shy smile appeared across her lips, “I may have.”

“Okay, I’ll come by, but if you don’t mind, I rather stop home first and shower. Would prefer to not sit around in dried sweat all day, so I’ll stop by around three?”

“Agreed, so sounds like a plan. Let’s go.”

****

Her entire drive back to her car and then to her apartment was a haze. Vi spent her time getting ready trying to wrap her head around the emotional rollercoaster of a morning with Caitlyn damn Kiramman. This girl managed to have her sweating from their run, crying from meditation, reminiscing in past memories, questioning trust in a Piltie, and flirting with danger all in a matter of hours. She had no idea what to expect for the remainder of their day training together. The unknown had her mind in a tailspin.

The only thing that Vi was sure about was that she needed to cool it such open flirtation because she knew it was a bad idea. It was clear that their partnership would work better if they were close. Caitlyn, Vander, and Jinx were all saying the same thing, but Vi wasn’t clueless to that fact that taking it further than friends had to be off limits. Red tape. Anything more than friendly and professional would make it too messy, and this partnership and career was too important to mess up…no matter how captivating those blue eyes were or how soft Caitlyn’s fingers were against her wrist.

Knowing the foolishness of wanting to do anything with the Piltie, Vi was still having a hard time choosing what the fuck she wanted to wear. It shouldn’t even matter. Caitlyn has seen her with blood running down her face and sweat-matted hair already, so what did it matter what she showed up wearing just to analyze fight videos? In the end, she decided to wear black joggers and a heather gray t-shirt. Better to look like she didn’t care. Keep it casual.

Vi put Caitlyn’s address into her phone’s GPS, and she was surprised to see it was so close to the border or Zaun. She expected it to be much closer to the city’s center. What shocked her even more was the size of the house when arrived. It was modest. Vi thought her Piltie coach would be living in some absurdly large house of luxury, but this house actually seemed to be reasonable for one person. She wasn’t sure why, but a sense of relief seemed to spread throughout her as she parked in the driveway and stepped out of the car.

____________________________

Caitlyn was in a state of awe as she drove home and got herself together. It was truly a shock to her system that Vi had approached their day of training so well and with such an open mind and positive attitude. Truly, she was pleased by this productive morning, but that wasn’t to say that some of the events from the day thus far weren’t still wracking her brain.

One of which was the fact that Vi cried during meditation. It was so sudden, and Caitlyn was endlessly curious as to what brought on the reaction. She wanted to ask a million questions, but she knew that would’ve likely made Vi shut down. It was important for her to let Vi open up in time on her own terms. Jinx and Vander’s words were constant echoes. The fact that she agreed to try meditation in the future filled Caitlyn’s chest with a lightness.

Not only did that moment fill her with questions but it also made Caitlyn want to scoop this muscular woman up like she was a fragile, broken girl and comfort her, and it wasn’t the only time that morning that Caitlyn felt this way. When Vi started opening up about her late parents, Caitlyn’s heart was breaking for her. While Caitlyn did not know that loss, she did know the feeling of being alone. Her mother and father were there, but they never really knew her. It was by no means the same, but it made her more empathetic to the pain of a broken family. Even in that moment of vulnerability, however, questions were once again left unanswered. She wanted to know what happened to her father, and she was curious about what caused treatments for Vi’s mother to cease. Vi assured her they would talk about it later, and Caitlyn had to take her word for it.

On top of all of the emotionally draining pieces of the morning was the rush that would ebb and flow throughout their time spent together. Caitlyn was not oblivious to Vi’s flirtatious behavior. Vi was merciful enough to not press Caitlyn about her comments from her speech or the texts from the night prior, but she was fine with letting Caitlyn sweat. When Gladys came over to their table and Vi joked about being glad she wasn’t Jayce, Caitlyn could practically hear the purr behind those smoky eyes. She could feel the heat radiating from Vi, burning into Caitlyn’s core. But she wasn’t sure what to do with the invitation. If accepted, those flames could be the most destructive force Caitlyn could ever touch. Every moment she felt them getting too hot was accompanied by the angel tsking on her shoulder and the devil grinning on her other.

All of that led to this moment. Caitlyn was frantically running around her house tidying up every misplaced item and dusting three times over because Vi was coming over, and to say Caitlyn was nervous was putting it very lightly. Of course, every time she began to straighten up, she would pause and sit down asking herself why she was trying so hard to impress Vi. This was a strictly professional meeting. Besides, Caitlyn had showed up to Vi’s place unannounced, and it wasn’t spotless in the way that she was trying to make her home now. She’d sit, breathe, calm down, but then she would get antsy again and worry something was out of place that would somehow alter the way Vi viewed her. A ridiculous thought, she knew. Vi hated topside, so what difference would Caitlyn’s home make.

Her anxious compulsion to overthink only became worse when she tried to figure out what to wear. Gym clothes were always an easy go to for their training, but it’s not like they were actually going to the gym right now. A dress or some other formal attire would be a completely nonsensical choice when they weren’t going out anywhere. Perhaps jeans would do, but would that be weird because jeans aren’t exactly lounge wear? She couldn’t help but scoff at her own thoughts. It shouldn’t matter because Vi is just her fighter. A new friend. This wasn’t a date. It was just two friends — work friends — working. With that rationalization, Caitlyn put on black leggings and a dark gray t-shirt. Simple and casual.

There was a knock at the door, and Caitlyn was amazed by how quickly those few hours passed. When she opened the door, she was greeted by Vi who was also wearing a black and gray outfit. They looked at one another for a brief second.

“Guess we’re twinning, huh?” Vi joked.

“I couldn’t decide what to wear,” Caitlyn felt her cheeks growing hot at the stupidly, blurted out comment.

“Me neither,” Vi grinned before shooting her eyes to the ground.

After a few beats of a rather awkward silence, Caitlyn stepped to the side of the front door. “Come on in. Make yourself at home.”

Vi walked in and took her shoes off next to the front door. Then she stepped in further and let her eyes wander around the space. “Nice place. It’s, uh, super clean. Very you.”

“Thank you?” Caitlyn was questioning if she should’ve left a few things askew rather than cleaned like her parents were about to stop by.

“Honestly, thought you’d be living in the city, not on the outskirts. You’re awfully close to Zaun. What happens when the crime seeps into topside?” The question had the cadence of threatening the boogeyman to a child.

Caitlyn sarcastically answered, “I’ll take my chances.” Then she told Vi more sincerely, “Actually, it was the location that sold me. The views are spectacular. From this side, I can see the Academy and the council chambers, which shine wonderfully in the daylight.” She led her to another window on t he opposite side. “And here, I have a view of Zaun, and when the neon lights are on at night, it looks almost magical.”

She saw Vi’s quick exhale of a laugh from her nose. “Magical is a new one for Zaun.”

“I suppose it has a different charm when you’re not from there. That’s probably why I never wanted to be so centrally located in Piltover. The city can be…a lot. My parents live closer to the Academy, so I can get my fill and leave.” She was looking out the window as she spoke, but she could feel Vi’s curious eyes on her. Turning to face her, Caitlyn suggested, “Why don’t we get started with the videos? Come on.”

She led Vi into the office and pulled out one of the desk chairs for her. They settled in front of a large desktop screen, and Caitlyn opened her browser. As she opened the site to begin searching for videos, Vi swiveled around in her chair.

“Holy shit. You have a degree from the Academy?” Vi was staring at the degree framed and hanging on the wall behind them.

Caitlyn wasn’t the one to hang it. When she was moving into this house, her mother hung it up, and Caitlyn never bothered to take it down because it wasn’t worth the argument she would have with her mother if she did so.

“Yes,” she whispered with little emotion behind the word.

“What’d you study?”

“Political science.”

Vi whipped her head back around to face her. Her brows were pinching together and her eyes were in shock. “Why the hell are you doing this then?” She asked, motioning to the computer screen.

“The Academy was to please my mother. It wasn’t my dream,” Caitlyn admitted with a slight bitterness in the words.

“Huh,” Vi let out contemplatively, stealing one last glance at the degree before turning back around in her chair.

Caitlyn pulled up the first video. “I want to start with recapping your last fight. Jayce always found this helpful to see if there were areas to improve. Also, he liked to hear the discourse happening around his fights. He said it helped with interviews, which given the way Mel already landed us one, I think it may be helpful for you, too.”

“Whatever you say, coach,” Vi motioned to the screen for her to start the video.

“Let’s take a look at our latest fight from one of the crowd’s favorite Zaunite’s, Vi. Last night, she fought Janna, and it was not the best performance we’ve seen from her since Kiramman took the reigns.”

Both women rolled their eyes; however, Caitlyn knew the words had truth in them.

“That’s right, Jack. Janna has been on the rise lately, and she seemed extremely well-equipped to handle a fighter like Vi. Her strong defense had Vi faltering from the beginning.”

“What really has a lot of people talking though, Tressa, wasn’t a particular combination or anything of the sort. If you look online, all the comments are about Vi’s outburst at the break after round three. There’s a bit of an exchange. A stare between the two fighters.”

The video cuts from the woman speaking to a shot of Vi and Janna in the ring. Vi is glaring at Janna, and even now, Caitlyn sees Vi’s hands tighten into fists as she watched the incident being replayed.

The woman’s voice continued over the video of Vi shoving Janna, “We see the intensity between them as they’re chest-to-chest. I think I was like most people watching this biting my nails. It ends with that shove from Vi, which was risky.”

“That it was,” the older man answered, “It could’ve cost her an early end to the match.”

“Well, it only added to her defeat since it cost her points.”

“You know what they say, Raelle, you can’t take Zaun out of the girl.”

Vi scoffed and shook her head, “No one says that.”

Caitlyn looked at her with a cocked eyebrow, “You literally said that to me the other week.”

She opened her mouth to retort, but then opted to shut it and turn back to the video.

“What are your thoughts on all of this, Russell? You are the one here most vested in this pairing.”

“Well, I am a bit disheartened to see Vi lash out, but we don’t know what happened between the two fighters. We couldn’t hear if anything was said. But, I will say, I think we can see a different side to Vi in this fight.” The camera faded from Russell to shot of Vi fighting against Janna as he spoke. “Yes, we see some of those classic Vi fight moves, but we’re also seeing the work being put into her guard, an attempt at lower body attacks, and moments of serious thought put into those movements.” The camera was once again on the group, and they were nodding around him. “And, when the camera picks up those glimpses of Vi in her corner with Caitlyn, we can see the exchanges between them are serious, and I have a good feeling about how they’ll improve moving forward.”

“So, you still have hope in those two? Even after Vi was knocked back into that wall at the end of the match?”

“It was a setback for sure, but I think we should keep in mind, Vi’s next match is in Demacia, so she has more time to train than she’s had for these past few matches. I’m remaining positive.”

Caitlyn exited out of the video, and turned to look at Vi. Her silver eyes seemed to be somewhere else but not too far. Caitlyn brought her back when she asked, “Are you as positive as Russell here is?”

Vi looked over at her and smiled, “Yeah, I am. We’re going to show them all.”

While she was glad to hear the confidence, Caitlyn had another question for Vi. “What did Janna say to you that made you react?”

Her smile faded, “She didn’t say anything.”

“Then what happened?”

“You. You happened.” Those storms were on her ready to swallow her whole. “She looked at you. I know what a Zaunite is thinking when they look from me to you. When they hear you calling for me to listen…it’s like you’re the master, and I’m a fucking animal that needs to be wrangled in.”

“But, Vi, it’s not like that,” Caitlyn’s voice was full of apology. She didn’t know the rivalry could be felt so viscerally for Vi.

“I know it’s not, but it’s an easy way for a Zaunite to get at another trencher. And even though you and I might not have been on the best of terms, you’re still my coach. I’m not going to let anybody say shit about you.”

“She didn’t say anything.”

Vi broke into a coy grin, “You know what I mean.”

They both took a moment to revel in the lightheartedness of the moment, and they couldn’t seem to maintain eye contact for very long. Caitlyn was actually very pleased to hear Vi feeling more confident and comfortable in their roles. She knew they would need it moving forward.

For the next two hours, the two analyzed videos of both Quinn and Morgana. Quinn had a far reach, which was going to be a challenge because Vi would have to be close in the pocket to land hits. As they watched, Vi and Caitlyn traded ideas on tactics Vi could use, and jotted down notes on some of the moves used by opponents who fought Quinn and won. This was where Vi’s speed would come in as an advantage. Due to her reach, Quinn was used to relying on that and taking her time finding openings from afar. If Vi could get up close and fluster her with snappy punches, it could leave her vulnerable and give Vi the upper-hand. As for latter, Morgana was a heavy hitter with kicks, and while Vi at first tried to laugh this off, she watched a video of Morgana hit a fighter with a roundhouse to the head. The girl was out cold, and Vi shut up. Caitlyn told her this would be almost opposite Quinn, she’d have to stay distanced and block kicks to knock her off balance before moving in for the attack. Another note Caitlyn made was Morgana tended to get sloppy with her own blocking the longer the match went on. By the end of their study, the pair had a plan for their training regimen, and it felt good.

Now later into the day, they left the office and walked out to the rest of Caitlyn’s house. Caitlyn was expecting Vi to be ready to head out the door, but the woman stopped in front of the kitchen. A hand was on her stomach.

“Hey, Cupcake. You paid for breakfast, so how about I repay you with dinner? You got anything good in this kitchen?” Vi asked as she started walking toward the refrigerator.

To be completely honest, Caitlyn was not much of a cook. She kept her meals simple, and enjoyed days, much like today, where she could order out. Following Vi into the kitchen, she wrapped her arms around her ribcage. “You might be able to find something.” She tried to think of any excuse for the pathetic rations. “I haven’t gone food shopping in a while.”

Vi was already rummaged through the fridge, pulling out ingredients. “I can make do. Whatever you have in here is better than what I had growing up, so I think I can manage something. Oh! Chicken!” Next, instead of asking where anything was, she tossed open cabinets on a search for more items.

Within minutes, pots and pans where on the stove, and Vi was stationed at the cutting board. Caitlyn watched in amusement as Vi threw ingredients into the pan, but then the comment about her childhood floated its way back to the forefront of Caitlyn’s mind.

“Vi,” she started cautiously, “could we finish with the conversation from earlier. Why did your mother’s treatment stop?”

Vi only stopped slicing for a second, and while it was fast, Caitlyn saw the dip in her expression before she began again. However, her voice was steady as she answered, “Oh, yeah. Well, it’s not really a long story. She was coming up to Piltover for treatment, but then we were told they were no longer taking her insurance. Without that, we couldn’t afford the treatment, so she stopped going. And she got worse, which was pretty shitty to watch.” Vi moved in front of the pot and pan, stirring the ingredients. “We tried to get what care we could in Zaun, but it just doesn’t compare, you know? When my dad passed, I tried chipping in as much as I could. I worked for Vander, so he was pretty good about giving me extra shifts since he knew what was going on at home.”

Well, that explained part of her dislike for topside. How could anyone expect her to want to be cordial with any Piltovan when the child in Vi viewed them as the ones who took part in killing her mother? Her heart ached for young Vi, and it wished it could heal this version of Vi in front of her. She couldn’t imagine the struggle they went through. Vi, still a child, had to work to support an entire family, pay for medicine, food, and bills. It was clear she didn’t have much of a childhood at all.

“Was your dad also sick?”

Caitlyn saw Vi stiffen. “No, he wasn’t. That’s…a story for another day.”

Vi looked over her shoulder at Caitlyn who was sitting on a stool at the small island. When their eyes met, Caitlyn nodded, and Vi gave a small, thankful smile before turning back around and straining the pasta in the sink.

Within minutes, Vi was combining everything onto the plates, and it smelled divine. When Vi placed the plate of pasta in front of her, the smell of butter, garlic, and herbs drifted up to Caitlyn, and she could not wait to dig in.

“Garlic butter pasta with peppers, tomato, and chicken. Dig in.”

Caitlyn did as she was told, and when the food hit her tongue, she was blown away. “Oh my god, Vi, this is amazing.”

Vi smiled and took a bite, “Thank you.”

With another bite, Caitlyn was having the same reaction Vi had earlier that day when she took a bite of the bananas foster. “I may need to hire you as my personal chef.”

“Not much of chef yourself, are you?” Vi laughed.

Caitlyn shook her head, “Not like this.”

Another chuckle escape from Vi, and Caitlyn wanted to hear it over and over again. “This dish is super simple, Cupcake. You that easy to please?” Those sly eyes were focused in on her.

She retuned the stare, “You said it before, right? The way to a woman’s heart is food.”

Let it burn.

The rest of their dinner was carefree, and time passed easily as they finished their food and cleaned up. Caitlyn insisted that Vi did not have to help clean up since she made the meal, but Vi refused to stand by idly. In the back of Caitlyn’s mind, though, she was more than happy to have Vi around a bit longer. It was easy to get along with her, even in the quiet moments, and Caitlyn figured they would need times like these to balance out the tough times that were going to challenge them as partners in the ring…just as much as it challenged Caitlyn now not to move closer to Vi as the muscles in her arms tensed while scrubbing that pan.

When Vi left after washing the dishes, Caitlyn was left to wonder when goodbyes become such a let down.

____________________________

TRAINING DAY 2

The pair completed five miles on the treadmill.

Caitlyn had Vi practice her kicks. Front kick followed by a rear roundhouse. The focus was on power, making sure Vi was pivoting and extending properly. Then they transitioned to speed.

Next up, double roundhouses, first speed and then power. Caitlyn reminded Vi to keep her guard up while she kicked.

Finally, Vi had to roundhouse on each leg.

“Don’t cha-cha in the middle. A quick, well-timed roundhouse can change the entire fight. You remember Morgana’s KOs with kicks,” Caitlyn asserted.

“Don’t cha-cha,” Vi mocked back, earning her a punch on the arm.

By the end, Vi was mixing kicks into her various combinations like second nature.

TRAINING DAY 3

Vi stayed in the pocket, up close and personal to the bag. She focused on speed strikes, ending them with full power for the hopeful knockout.

Caitlyn moved her to the sparring gloves, and Vi was close enough to her that Caitlyn could see the new beads of sweat forming on Vi’s body. She held the gloves up and moved around Vi, trying to keep the distance with her longer reach, forcing Vi to bounce along in order to keep close and land hooks and uppercuts. Speed and power.

Then Caitlyn had her throw in power knees. Vi would thrust forward with her hips to give more power to the knee. If timed just right, it could get her opponent to double over.

She’d be ready for Quinn.

TRAINING DAY 4

Another run on the trail and meditation.

Vi didn’t cry this time, but she was much calmer by the end of it. Her breathing was steady and her eyes were clear. She could feel a deeper connection to everything around her as she cleared her mind and made an effort to be fully present.

They grabbed food from the diner to go and headed to the gym.

Once there, the rest of the day was mainly focused on conditioning and defense. Weights first. Then sparring with Caitlyn. Vi had to block her shots, duck, roll, and slip. Caitlyn walked her through the best ways to spot an incoming kick and how to block it effectively.

“Think of your knee-block like an oblique crunch. You’re keeping your face covered with your gloves and bending to have your elbow meet your knee. Try and knock me off balance by pushing to the side at the end. Or if a second kick comes, you should be able to pull away.”

She’d be ready for Morgana.

TRAINING DAY 5

Day five started with a run on the treadmill, eight miles.

It was all day sparring. Vi faced Lee, Fiora, and Caitlyn.

Caitlyn told her that no matter how tired she felt after each round, each match, it was important not to show that to the other fighter. Vi needed to appear ready, even when she was exhausted. In each match, Vi practiced all the moves they went over the previous days, and it was paying off. Her moves were more fluid and planned.

After their match, Lee walked up to Caitlyn while Vi was fighting against Fiora. “You’re really changing her. It hasn’t been long, but that’s a different girl in that ring.”

Caitlyn contained the beaming smile she wanted to let lose as best she could. “Thank you.”

Her proud eyes returned to the red head who just slipped a cross and landed an uppercut to Fiora’s body.

____________________________

Vi has been making waves in the UFC for years now, but after an early elimination from the title fights last year and a rough start this season, fans have been wondering if we will see Vi rise to her prime and take that coveted belt from our current champion, Sevika.

We’ve watched Vi work tirelessly with her former coach, Claggor, for years, and while the fights were entertaining, analysts and fans alike voiced concerns over the coaching style. According to Vi’s management, a change was needed to whip this Zaunite favorite into shape, which led to the hiring of Vi’s new coach: Caitlyn Kiramman. Much like Vi, Kiramman made a name for herself in the UFC seemingly overnight. She spent her career training Jayce Talis, former champion in the male division.

However, for some, this partnership spelled out disaster. Vi has been open over the years about her distaste for Piltover, and Zaun fans can be less than welcoming to outsiders. Pairing a Piltovan coach with a Zaunite favorite was a leap of faith, and we’ve seen the reactions split both ways.

We were lucky enough to sit down with the pair and hear about how this partnership is going thus far and what we can expect from them.

What has it been like training with Kiramman? She has an outstanding reputation.
Vi: That reputation is well-deserved. I know my first few fights with her as my coach have left a lot to be desired, but it took me a little while to realize that I did actually have a lot to learn. I know I’ve been pretty vocal about being a Zaunite through and through, so, trust me, she deserves a medal alone for dealing with me.
How different is it from training with your former coach?
Vi: Clag is my brother. Claggor was here when I needed him. He always has been, and he always will be. When I have fights in Zaun, I know he’s still in my corner. I can’t sit here and compare them.

What have been your biggest challenges training Vi?
Caitlyn: Well, she is known to be quite fiery, and that holds true. For me, I didn’t want to come into this partnership to dull her fire. I think that’s what makes her so special as a fighter. It was my goal to come in and show her how to tame it and yet let it grow in other avenues.
How does training with Vi compare to training with Jayce?
Caitlyn: You have to keep in mind that Jayce and I were friends long before the ring. We had a rapport that Vi and I lacked entirely. Throw in the fact that I’m from Piltover and it becomes more complicated. I can’t compare the two so black and white, but what I will say is that training Vi has been my biggest challenge but also, my greatest pleasure.

The spotlight around your pairing as the Piltover and Zaun union grows daily. What are your thoughts on this focus, and what are your goals with that in mind?
Vi: I know we have a lot of attention because our partnership was so unlikely to even work, and I understand the focus. Like I said, I’ve been vocal, but when I work with Caitlyn, she’s my coach. I know she has our best interest in mind when we’re training, and she has my back in the ring. That’s what really matters. We’re going to keep pushing forward and getting stronger together.
Caitlyn: The attention is not something I’m used to. Before, the focus remained on Jayce, so this is new to me, honestly. However, I do hope that when others see Vi and I working together and Vi progressing, it proves that we don’t have to think of ourselves in such divisive ways, such as topside and bottom. As a team, I know Vi and I will be better for it. My goal is to help her attain the championship and be there every single step of the way.

[The article included various shots of Caitlyn and Vi as follows:

One picture of Vi in her fighter’s outfit, boxing shorts and a sports bra, equipped with boxing gloves in her fighter’s stance.

A second picture of Caitlyn wearing all black, her hair in a high ponytail, angled and turning her face toward the camera with her hands crossed in front.

The third pictures featured both women. Vi is wearing burgundy dress slacks with a black belt and a burgundy blazer. The blazer sleeves are rolled up to the elbow, and it is left unbuttoned to show off her abs as she leans back in the chair. Caitlyn is standing behind her, slightly to the side of the chair. She is wearing black dress pants and a white dress shirt with the first few buttons undone. The sleeves of which are also rolled to the elbow. One hand is placed on Vi’s shoulder, and the other is bent at the elbow as a boxing glove dangles from her fingertips.]

Chapter Text

KBoxViFan1: My take on the article “An Unlikely Pair”: I think Vi actually deserves the medal for dealing with a Piltie! #freeVi

UFCNerd853: @KBoxViFan1 Someone clearly missed the whole point

LeilaLuvsLux: @KBoxViFan1 @UFCNerd853 Vi is totally suffering with Caitlyn as her coach…yeah, makes sense… So much for the two promoting unification 🙄

ViSupremacy561: YO Who saw those photos of Caitlyn and Vi in the latest UFC Breakdown zine? I wasn’t on the Caitlyn train before, but damn…talk about two smoke shows

PunchMeVi: @ViSupremacy561 Drooling. Crying. Screaming. Barking. Mommy? Mommies? I don’t have enough words to explain my feelings for #CaitVi after those pictures

ViSupremacy561: @PunchMeVi Haha is this CaitVi thing catching on? I’m here for it

NatalieNatCat: I’m so damn excited to see Vi’s upcoming matches! Always rooting for the underdog

KirammanStan: @NatalieNatCat Caitlyn had a week to train Vi, so I think we’re going to see some standout fights

___________________________

Vi was dressed in total bumming it attire for the flight to Demacia. Wearing joggers, a hoodie, and a baseball cap, her goal was to draw little attention to herself and be comfortable enough to take a nap for the short flight. The airport was buzzing with people in search of their gates, and regardless of Vi’s casual appearance, a few stopped to take pictures with Vi. During this time, Caitlyn stepped off to the side with their luggage, uninterested in the recognition, which was made even more clear by her own zip-up hoodie with the hood up.

After the third pair of fans stopped her, Vi stole a glance at her coach and grinned devilishly. “Hey, would you all want a picture with Coach Kiramman in here?”

The look on Caitlyn’s face was priceless. Daggers shot in Vi’s direction and her nose scrunched, but when the father and his daughter turned to face her with bright smiles, Caitlyn’s face reset in a pleasant expression as she said, “Oh, I wouldn’t want to impose on your picture with Vi.”

“Nonsense,” the girl insisted, “We’d be honored to get a picture with you, too!”

“I hardly recognized it was you with your hood up,” the father stated. “Trying to keep a low-profile?”

Caitlyn gave a light chuckle, “Yes.” As she settled in next to Vi she whispered just loud enough for Vi to hear, “Though it’s clearly not working.”

Vi snickered under her breath while they posed for the picture. When the father and daughter walked away, Caitlyn punched Vi in the arm, which caused the fighter to laugh more.

The two sat at their gate waiting for the announcement for boarding. Vi slouched in her seat with her legs spread wide and her baseball cap angled down over her face. Within minutes, Vi could feel shaking in her seat, and when she tipped the lid of her hat up and peeked to her right, she saw Caitlyn’s left knee shaking up and down violently. Vi didn’t take her for an antsy flyer, but then again Caitlyn was always good at surprising her.

“Not a fan of flying?” Vi asked in a casual tone.

She could see her nose drift downward past her hood. Caitlyn was noticing the shaking in her leg and forced herself to stop. “The flying doesn’t really bother me. It’s the people on flights that bother me.”

“What? Why?” Vi questioned, cocking an eyebrow.

Caitlyn was rubbing at her fingers. “It’s just…when there’s nervous flyers, their anxiety rubs off on me.”

“That’s why they take pills. You don’t have any?”

Vi saw Caitlyn’s lips set into a hard line before she answered with a single word, “No.”

She was unsure why that seemed to touch a nerve, but the last thing Vi wanted was a high-strung flight partner. “Well, I’m as chill as they come, Cupcake, so don’t worry. I’ll keep you calm,” Vi winked.

Caitlyn laughed with a shake of her head.

________________________________

“Caitlyn! What’s up? About time you showed up!” Ezreal slapped her on the shoulder, leading her inside the enormous house, standard for a rich boy in Piltover.

She wasn’t thrilled to have him slamming his obnoxious hand on her shoulder, but she forced a small, quick smile. Caitlyn wasn’t here for him or any of them really. There was only one person she was interested in finding, and she was pretty sure she’d know exactly where to find her.

Ezreal, for some reason, was still trying to talk to her. “You know prom is coming up.”

“Uh huh.” She’s not sure the disinterest could show enough in her half-lidded eyes.

“I was thinking of asking Camille. Do you think she likes me? It’s just so hard to tell with her, and I know you get what that’s like…the whole wondering if a girl is into you thing.” He nervously rubbed the back of his neck, likely wondering if his stupidity offended her. Frankly, she couldn’t care less. He was wasting her time.

“Just ask her, Ezreal,” she stated with little enthusiasm before she walked away from the entryway and into the living room.

The music was blasting and the bass was thumping through Caitlyn’s ribcage as she slipped through the crowd. She could feel the heat emanating from the dancing bodies around her. The air was heavy in the room. Caitlyn wanted to enjoy the night, but she needed some help. She wanted to feel like she was melting into the rhythms of the night, but for her to be so carefree she needed a little something more.

Exiting the busy living area, Caitlyn meandered down the hallway and pushed open the door. Bathroom. Bingo. And she found her crowd. Melanie was leaning with her back against the sink counter, and Christine was straightening out her spine and cleaning off her nose. Caitlyn saw the little baggie of white powder next to Christine’s hand. That particular drug had never been her speed. Turning away from the girls, Caitlyn’s eyes finally found the mesmerizing face she’d been searching for tonight. Seraphine was sitting on the ledge of the tub. When they all turned and saw Caitlyn, lazy grins slid across their faces, and Seraphine stood up to greet her.

“Hi, baby doll. You found us. Ready to have some fun?” Seraphine slurred. Clearly, she was a step ahead.

Caitlyn reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a balled up piece of cellophane that contained a few pills. She jingled them in front of her with a mischievous grin, and Seraphine took Caitlyn’s slender arms in her hands and pressed her lips warmly on to Caitlyn’s. Pulling away, Caitlyn already felt drunk in those starry, blue eyes.

She unfolded the plastic wrap and picked up a small white pill. Before she popped it into her mouth, Melanie handed her a beer. The night was just getting started.

An hour passed, and Caitlyn was back in the main living room. She could feel the music vibrating through her bones. Tingling up and through to her skin. When a body pressed against her, it rippled along her like a pebble thrown into a lake. Seraphine danced across from her. Caitlyn was rapt by the way Seraphine’s languid movements made the form of her body irresistible. She closed the distance, and her hands began to wrap into that long, bubblegum pink hair. It felt like silk slipping around her fingertips. A giggle was shared between them before their lips melted together and slippery tongues danced with the music. Caitlyn let her heavy lids close and let her lover carry into the night.

___________________________

It was a short flight to Demacia from Piltover, roughly two hours, which meant their flight was on a smaller airplane. This, unfortunately, made Caitlyn feel absurdly tall. It only got worse and she crammed into the seat next to Vi. Her only saving grace was being next to the aisle because this way, as long as flight attendants or passengers weren’t walking by, Caitlyn could stretch her legs out.

Vi was quiet next to her, eyes focused out the window, so Caitlyn silently watched as passengers took their seats after shoving luggage into the overhead compartments. Then her eyes focused on a woman two rows in front of her. Her dissheveled, blonde hair was up in a messy bun, and pale, shaky hands gripped at the pill bottle in her hand. Just as Vi said, nervous flyers tended to have some sort of medication to calm the nerves, but seeing that bottle did just the opposite for Caitlyn.

All these years and Caitlyn still found her heart racing at the site of the white label on an orange bottle. The blurry memories of how it felt to swallow a capsule and forget what feelings were would tickle the back of her mind and make the middle of her palms itch.

Whatever bodily reaction it caused, Caitlyn wasn’t consciously aware of, but Vi definitely realized it because she felt a warm touch against the back of her hand. She looked down to find she was white knuckling the armrest, and Vi’s hand was carefully wrapped on the top of her own. When she looked up at Vi’s face, she found her fighter staring at her with attentively concerned eyes.

With the flash of a canine, Vi consoled her, “You good, Cupcake? Remember, flying doesn’t bother me.” She shot the thumb on her opposite hand up at herself, “Super chill. Just focus on me and don’t pay attention to anybody else. Think of it like, uh, meditation.”

If only Vi knew how very easy that request was to follow. She would take any excuse she could to be allowed to freely stare at that jawline that could cut stone. Caitlyn nodded, still all too aware of the warm hand cupping hers. “You love the attention anyway, right?”

Vi grinned, “You know it.” It must’ve registered to Vi that she was still holding Caitlyn’s hand because when she glanced down her cheeks turned a light shade of pink. She moved her hand away as nonchalantly as she could and readjusted in her seat. Vi cleared her throat and tried to make conversation, “So, was Jayce a big baby when it came to flying?”

“Thankfully, no. In fact, he was very much like you, keeping me grounded.”

______________________________

It had been a long day. Caitlyn had to spend the day with her mother, and that was a draining task on its own. The summer was over, and Caitlyn was about to start her freshman year at the Academy. Thanks to Cassandra Kiramman, Caitlyn had little say about what she was studying. It was her mother’s dream to have her daughter follow her into the world of politics, but Caitlyn had little drive to do such. Frankly, Caitlyn wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to do for her career yet. She suggested a gap year, but Cassandra didn’t take that well. Her mother hoped that perhaps touring the school and visiting her father there would get Caitlyn more interested and excited with the rapidly approaching reality that she’d find herself in these classrooms in a matter of days.

The short drive there might as well have felt like hours as her mother berated her for a good portion of it. “This is a very prestigious school, Caitlyn, and your father and I are so pleased to have you attending the Academy. You could stand to appear more grateful. When was the last time you had a decent night’s sleep? Those bags under your eyes are unbecoming. If you are going to do well at such a demanding institution, you need to get on a tighter schedule. It’s important to commit to your academics. Caitlyn, are you listening?”

“Mm, yeah. Got it, mom. Better sleep.”

Caitlyn heard the words, but they passed through one ear and out the other. Her eyes were in a trance out the window, taking in the passing of pristine buildings and Piltovans in high-end clothing walking by. But her mind was elsewhere. She was still hazy from the night before when she self-medicated to deal with her overbearing parents at dinner. It was easier that way. Numbing everything was better than feeling anything.

“I’m serious, Caitlyn. The Academy will be very challenging, so I expect that you’ll improve your attitude. Honestly, I think having that girl out of the picture will only help you.”

“Mom!” Caitlyn exclaimed.

She didn’t want to talk about that. It still hurt even after all these weeks. Caitlyn still thought about Seraphine often, especially at night when she stared at the ceiling in her bed with bloodshot, glassy eyes. It was another reason for Caitlyn to feed that demon inside of her. The same demon that was itching at her hands now as the high continued to dissipate.

When they got out of the car and made there way into the main hall, Caitlyn excused herself to find a bathroom. Once inside the stall, she pulled out the clear plastic from her pocket and slid the pills in past her lips. Soon, everything would be manageable, her mom, the school, her father, her emotions — or rather the lack of them. A warm fuzz acting as a constant white noise to drown out all the other bullshit.

***

That night was rough. Well, actually, Caitlyn felt like a baby swaddled in a loving, protective blanket, but to anyone else who might lay eyes on her, she probably looked worse for wear. In her room with the door closed, Caitlyn lost track of time. When she first got home from the Academy, her mother’s voice rang in her head over and over, comments about her needing to put in more of an effort, how she’s better off without that girl, how she needs to look like a proper Kiramman and represent the family name well, and the continuous questions about whether or not she’s listening.

For some reason, Cassandra’s words about Seraphine really got under Caitlyn’s skin, and that little devil kept reminding her that she didn’t have to be plagued by any of those feelings if she didn’t want to be. Caitlyn gave in. Even though she still felt buzzed from earlier in the day, she took more pills. One of those pills was a parting gift from her forbidden lover, and Seraphine never told her what it was exactly. But what Caitlyn found out quickly was that it was very strong. She’d never felt anything quite as comforting as this particular drug. When it released into her system, a rush of heat filled her veins, and Caitlyn felt what she’d been missing for these past few weeks. It mimicked safety. Love. Without even realizing, her mind slipped in and out of oblivion. Eyes closed and opened in intervals of minutes. Maybe hours. It blurred.

She had no idea how long it had been when, suddenly, she heard a knock at her door. If her mind was less foggy, she would’ve prayed that it wasn’t her parents, but in this state, she could hardly feign to care.

The door opened slowly, and with strained vision, she saw a head of brown hair walking in. The voice confirmed it for her.

“Caitlyn? Your dad said you were up here…Cait?”

Jayce stopped and stared at her. She was slumped in her bed. Caitlyn was wearing what she had on from her tour of the Academy, but her arm was out of one sleeve of her shirt and her pants were unbuttoned. If she had to guess, she must’ve tried to get undressed but couldn’t accomplish the task before the pills kicked in.

Caitlyn tried to keep her bleary eyes open as she watched Jayce walk over to her desk. She couldn’t remember if she left her baggie of pills out in the open, but when she heard the crinkle, she groaned. Now he was headed toward her.

His voice was stern but not aggressive, “Cait, what the hell is this?” He was holding her reserve. When she didn’t answer, he kept going, “I knew there was something going on with you, especially after…her, but pills? What did you take? How many?”

She managed to lift herself up slightly and shrugged. Her speech was sloppy, “I dunno. Something Sah…Sera…left me. I’m o-okay, Jayce.”

He frowned, “No, you’re not. And I’m done sitting by and watching this.”

He stood up and grabbed her arm. She felt her long, broken body being lifted, and when her brain caught up to her senses, she could feel Jayce supporting her with his body under her armpit and his arm around her waist. He hoisted her from the bed and helped her make it into the bathroom that was attached to her bedroom. Her legs fought against her at first, but Jayce was patient. Once in the bathroom, he sat her down gently against the wall as he turned on the shower to allow the water to warm up.

Caitlyn watched him pull the bag of pills from his pocket, a motion she knew so well, and he held it up between them. She wanted to reach for it but her body felt depleted.

“You’re done with this, Cait,” he stated, and he opened the lid to her toilet and poured the pills in.

The flush ripped through Caitlyn’s eardrums. For the first time in months, she cried.

When he kneeled down next to her, she tried with all her strength to push him away and punch at his chest. He continued his attempts to calm her, pulling her in close despite her weak protest, rubbing her back, tracing fingers through her knotted hair. She probably called him horrible names and said terrible things to him, but he never told her any of it when she asked. He still wouldn’t. Jayce would simply state that it wasn’t her talking.

Eventually, when she was too exhausted to continue the onslaught, he helped her out of her clothing, leaving her underwear and bra on, and assisted her into the shower. When Caitlyn got out and changed, less in a haze than when this ordeal began, she cried some more, and Jayce stayed by her side.

____________________________

“I keep you grounded? That’s a high compliment coming from someone with RBF,” Vi said, pulling Caitlyn out of her thoughts.

“R..B..what?” The plane was officially moving down the tarmac.

“Resting bitch face. No offense. It’s not a bad thing. You won’t get wrinkles as quickly,” Vi joked.

Caitlyn chuckled, “No offense taken.”

“I just mean that you always seem so put together that to hear I take a part in keeping you balanced is kind of surprising.”

Her blue eyes unfocused into the distance, “Yes, well, I owe a lot to this sport and, in turn, to you and Jayce. Without any of it, I’m not sure where I’d be.”

The plane was accelerating now, but she hardly noticed.

Vi gave her a pensive stare, “Probably in a boardroom with the council droning on about useless policies that wouldn’t change anything important.”

“Perhaps,” Caitlyn responded with a half-smile. “Mentally, however, I’m not sure I’d be as content as I am now.”

The plane was close to lifting away from the pavement, and Vi began to shuffle through her backpack. She pulled out two wireless headphones and handed one to Caitlyn. “Here,” she offered. “I have a playlist downloaded for flights. I’m not sure if you’ll like my music, but it’s probably still better than listening to any of the kids on this flight cry.”

Caitlyn accepted the headphone with a closed-mouth smile, “Thank you.”

After her ears popped from the plane reaching the clouds, Caitlyn put the headphone in her ear and Vi started the first song. It had a slow, charming melody, and Caitlyn found herself connecting to the lyrics.

I can feel your eyes / Wondering through time / You said “will we ever get it right?” / Honestly I don’t know

She thought of herself in the beginning days and months of sobriety. They were days when she would vent to Jayce, asking him what the point of all this was when her parents never cared enough to notice in the first place. It was a time when she’d often sit, itching in her own skin, and think of days with numbers, a quantifiable amount of time since her last taste of nothingness and everything.

You don’t have to hide / from your dark grey sky / You said “Is there meaning in anything?” / Honestly I don’t know

But Jayce never judged her for reflecting on those times, even wishing to relive them or partake once more in those past vices. It was a process. They both knew that, and Jayce was always there to be her support system when she felt she had no one. Even with him, Caitlyn still asked herself what the point was in it all, and while Jayce never had a straight answer, he never let her lose hope in brighter days.

This house is haunted like / Your memory as it leaves your mind / Water it, morphine drip / Mind floating toward the uphill climb

With Vi unaware of Caitlyn’s past, sometimes those memories would push through to the surface again, such as Vi’s comment about the pills. When it was rocky with Vi, Caitlyn did question whether the uphill battle was something she could conquer. A lot was riding on their partnership flourishing, contracts, money, pride, and connection. The what-ifs were the fuel of anxiety, and anxiety acted as a catalyst for her faults. But it had been years now since Caitlyn fell into old ways, and she was stronger than she was back then; however, she wasn’t naive enough to ignore the way her mouth dried and her veins ignited when she was thrown back into an old memories.

You’re kinda fucked up / and I love you for it / You’ve got a sweetheart / don’t you dare forget it

There was no way in the world Vi could possibly know how these lyrics were touching Caitlyn’s soul. Her past felt validated by Vi, unknowingly, and her present was a muddled mess of questions left unasked and dirty wishes better left alone. Regardless, it was hopeful and comforting as Caitlyn found herself in the song as her eyes settled on the clouds out the window. Her eyes lingered there before drifting to Vi. The redhead was also lost somewhere in the sky, too, picking gently at her fingernails and cuticles.

What Caitlyn did next may have been a foolish thing to do, but she didn’t care. With the song playing and the peacefulness of an open, clear sky, it felt right, and so often Caitlyn denied herself these feelings. She stretched out her legs as best she could and slouched down a little in her seat. With the lessened height, she leaned and rested her head on Vi’s shoulder. At first she felt the startled jump of the fighter, but after a few seconds, Vi’s shoulder relaxed and the pulling at her fingertips ceased.

The two fell asleep. They woke up to the announcement of the descent with slightly stiff necks and eyes refusing to meet.

*****

Growing up in Piltover, Caitlyn was used to the grandiosity of a city like Demacia. The glittering white stones of the buildings didn’t draw her in anymore than the lightly golden bricks of Piltover did. It was all a showboating. It didn’t seem to impress Vi either, even with the early morning sun still rising through the city streets in shades of yellows and oranges. As they sat in the taxi on their way to the hotel, she glanced over to find Vi shaking her head at the immense structures and brightly lit shops.

Vi broke the silence that had been sitting patiently between them since their flight, “You know, Fiora grew up here.”

“Hm, I was trying to place her accent,” Caitlyn replied. “Why did she leave?”

Vi shrugged, “She said something about Demacia being past its golden age.”

“Zaun is quite a change of scenery.”

With a huff out of her nose, Vi said, “No shit. I think she likes the thrill of the underground though, especially as a fighter. Danger doesn’t bite the same in a place like this. It’s all suits and fake smiles, but in Zaun, you know what you’re in for.”

She couldn’t help but think how Vi’s words held some truth. Places like Piltover and Demacia painted a pretty picture. The shiny exterior never matched the oozing corruption or the stagnation of status-quo hierarchies held in place by power structures past their need. Even in her own way, Caitlyn once resonated there as an adolescent who showcased the Kiramman name but battled a constant volcano on the verge of erupting inside. In some ways, she guessed she always would be. At least when she was in Zaun there were no funhouse mirrors to distort anything. Even in terms of Vi, Caitlyn had no disillusions about the girl. She was as much of a wildfire in person as she was on camera.

*****

Caitlyn and Vi walked up to the front desk at their hotel, The Lightbringer. It was just as opulent as everything else in the city, with high ceilings, silver and gray accents against white marble. Paintings of landscapes with mountains covered in snow and clouds hung on various walls as callouts to the geography of Demacia. Clearly, Mel did not skimp out on booking them one of the nicest hotels in the city.

The woman behind the gray oak desk greeted them in a pleasant, practiced tone, “Welcome to Lightbringer. Are you checking in?”

“Yes,” Caitlyn replied as Vi continued to scoff at their surroundings. “The reservation should be under Medarda.”

After momentarily scanning the computer screen in front of her, the woman grabbed two room keys. “Ah, yes, Mel Medarda. One double room. Here you are,” she said as she handed the keys to Caitlyn. “If you have any questions or concerns, we’re always available to help.”

“Thank you.” Caitlyn handed one room key to Vi. “Let’s go.”

The pair were on floor twenty-eight, which Caitlyn was happy about because it was high enough up to give them a wonderful panoramic view of the city. She found cities like this nicer to enjoy from above, away from the crowds and nonsense. When they opened the door and walked inside, however, Caitlyn could only notice one glaring problem.

There was one bed.

One.

This was supposed to be a double. The woman at the desk confirmed as much.

Caitlyn stopped dead in her tracks and stared, wide-eyed in panic at the single mattress. Already she had been to close to Vi, allowing herself to practically cuddle on the plane, so there was no way she could make it through three nights with Vi’s perpetually warm and rugged body next to hers. Fantasies at home in the tub were one thing, but to have the temptation within an arm’s reach was another entirely.

Vi turned on the light on in the overly large bathroom, whistled, turned it off, and then walked past Caitlyn. She shoved her luggage next to the desk, which was a few feet from the window, and then tossed her gym bag onto the couch nearby. When she looked over at Caitlyn whose eyes were still fixated on the bed, she started, “Cupcake, are you—”

Oh, no, she could not even handle the idea of being in the same bed as this woman if she turned over and stared at her with those smoldering, silver eyes and called her a damn cupcake.

“This was supposed to be a double room,” she stated matter-of-fact.

“Okay?”

“Okay?” Caitlyn felt her brows furrowing. “Do you see two beds in here?”

Vi looked at the bed in front of her with it’s white, downy sheets as though she needed confirmation that there was in fact only one bed. “No, I see one giant, king-sized bed though.”

“Precisely.” She waved the room key toward the door. “I’m going to go down there and tell them there has been a mistake.”

Turning to her side, Vi motioned to where her bag sat on the sofa and asked, “Do you want me to sleep on the couch?”

“What? No.” The crease between her brows grew deeper. “You need to be well-rested for your matches. I wouldn’t have you sleeping cramped on a sofa. I’m just going to see if another room is available.”

Vi chuckled. “Look,” she took a few steps toward Caitlyn, “This bed is massive. Jinx and I used to share a bed way smaller than this when we were little, so I think you and I can manage sharing. There’s no need to make a fuss when we’re going to be on polar opposite ends.” Her eyes shot between Caitlyn and the pristinely made bed and that up-to-no-good smile appeared. “Or do you want to cuddle, Cupcake? Like how you did on the plane.”

“I—wha—no,” Caitlyn blurted out before pushing Vi’s stupidly toned arm.

Crunching into her side, Vi pretended to be hurt by the action before she plopped onto the bed. She extended her arms wide open and beamed at Caitlyn. “Aw, come on. Don’t you want to snuggle?”

Caitlyn shook her head and attempted to stifle the laugh that wanted to emerge. Instead she settled with a closed-mouth grin on firmly puckered lips. She tossed the keycard onto Vi’s face, resulting in a grunt. “Quit fooling around. Weigh-in is tonight. Get yourself ready so we can head down to the gym for a run.”

“All work and no play,” Vi teased as she grabbed her workout clothing from her bag.

This girl was going to be the death of her.

____________________________

There were far more cameras present at this weigh-in than the ones Vi had in Zaun. She figured the added attention was due to her loss against Janna. Now there was pressure to see if this pair was going to put in the work and actually act as the joining of Piltover and Zaun that everyone seemed to want it to be. The cameras didn’t bother Vi though. She was feeling very confident after training for the week with Caitlyn. It was leagues beyond how she would train with Claggor, and she was starting to see how Jayce made his way to the top. There was intent in every move Caitlyn had Vi practice, a reason behind everything. Even when they gathered around her phone to watch recordings of their trainings or videos of other fighters, Vi never felt like her time was wasted. The question became if she could apply what was being imparted upon her, and she refused to let anyone, especially herself, down.

Vi stripped into her boxer shorts and sports bra and stepped on the scale. After Quinn did the same, the dark-haired woman came to stand in front of Vi for the typical pre-fight photo ops. Vi stuck her arms up, fists drawn in front of her while Quinn stood firm, chest out and hands at her sides. Her nose tilted upward and those golden eyes stared down at Vi. A smirk appeared on her face, and when it did, Vi felt her own grow.

“Say it, bitch,” Vi toyed.

Quinn let out one quick chuckle, “It’s all a waste of breath.”

“Try me,” Vi persisted.

Her nose stayed upturned. “You’ll be back with the scum of Zaun soon enough.”

Vi’s smirk grew wider and her eyes narrowed. “Running your mouth is easy.” She dropped her fists and stood tall to match Quinn. “Hope you have the same energy in the ring.”

The flashing of cameras went off around them, and once they finished, the two fighters stepped away to their respective sides. Caitlyn was as tucked away in the corner as she could be, hugging the darkness; she stepped out of it toward Vi as the announcements wrapped up and touched her shoulder.

“How are you feeling?”

Vi kept her gaze out to the crowd. Her voice was steady, “It’s going to be a good fight.”

******

That night after the weigh-in, Vi and Caitlyn ordered room service. Vi insisted on being comfortable and eating her chicken tenders and fries in the bed, which absolutely appalled Caitlyn. Her coach sat at the desk and ate her salad, and she cast her cell phone to the television. After the third video of Quinn fighting, Vi finally dropped a chicken tender into the container on her lap.

“I know you want to be over-prepared for the match, but I promise you I feel really good about everything. We’re going to crush it tomorrow. So, can we watch a movie or something?”

She watched Caitlyn’s face alter into something like surprise. “Oh. Um, yes, I suppose we could then.”

Vi pat the other side of the bed, extending her arm dramatically to show how far Caitlyn would actually be from her. Though she had been poking fun at Caitlyn earlier that day, Vi was also a bit weary to be in a bed with her exceedingly hot coach, particularly when Caitlyn’s legs looked so satiny soft in those pajama shorts. But Vi had self-control. At least that’s what she convinced herself. It should be easy enough since there is a damn mile between them.

When Caitlyn stood and walked over to the side of the bed, she paused. “There better not be crumbs in this bed.”

“I’m a Zaunite, not a pig.”

The two decided on a random rom-com since Caitlyn wasn’t interested in watching action, and Vi believed that a rom-com would be able to put her to sleep, which was welcomed with her fight tomorrow. But Vi didn’t fall asleep during the movie. In fact, she’d never been more attentive — but not to the movie. Vi couldn’t stop peering over every time Caitlyn laughed, and her gap-toothed smile was contagious. It was the cutest fucking noise Vi had ever heard, and she wanted to hear it every day. Her chest warmed every time their eyes connected and they shared giggles at whatever the hell was happening on the screen.

When the movie ended, they turned off the light and shifted so their backs were to each other. The silence was deafening. Vi couldn’t stop her mind from replaying Caitlyn’s smile and rosy cheeks from laughing. She wanted to cup Caitlyn’s face. Wanted to kiss those reddened cheeks and the lines that pinched at the outer corners of her eyes when she smiled. Wondered if she’d be able to feel that little gap in Caitlyn’s teeth if her tongue slipped over when they—

No. Stop it.

She just had to make it through three nights. Three. That was all. Easy. Until she had to do it again when they went to Noxus.

Fuck. This will be fine.

________________________________

Four rounds passed and Vi was only bleeding minimally from her right nostril. Quinn landed one hook on her in round three. Caitlyn had tried stopping it on the last break with a roll of cotton shoved up her nose, but it had started up again as Vi breathed heavily through found four. There was a minute and ten seconds remaining in the break, and Caitlyn was kneeling in front of her shoving a new piece of cotton into her nose once again. One of the random Demacia corner men got her water bottle ready.

“You’re doing really well, Vi,” Caitlyn praised.

Vi was giving Quinn everything she had in the tank. Based on their training, Caitlyn and Vi gleaned that staying in the pocket and moving quickly would make it very difficult for Quinn to keep up and use her reach, and the tactic was working in Vi’s favor. Quinn used a lot of energy to try and back away from Vi and block her attacks, but due to Vi’s speed, Quinn struggled and couldn’t keep up defensively.

When Vi glanced past Caitlyn in Quinn’s corner, she could see the mess of dark purple hair. Her braids were frayed from constant movement and sweat. Blood was running down her upper lip as well thanks to the uppercut Vi snuck in during round two. The bump seemed to be as persistent as Vi’s. Her opponent’s stomach and ribcage were battered with red blotches from Vi’s uppercuts and hooks she landed to the body. If she had to guess out of the two, Vi was definitely winning in points.

“She’s been pulling a lot to back away and attain some reach. I want you to fake a jab and follow her into it with another. It should startle her a bit and open her up for a power shot,” Caitlyn explained as she dabbed the remaining blood from around Vi’s lips.

She watched Caitlyn so concentrated on her lips. The brushes were so gentle. When her blue eyes angled up to meet Vi’s stare, Vi nodded, “Fake a jab, follow, power. No problem.”

Caitlyn removed the blooded cotton from Vi’s nose, tossing it in the bucket next to them, and as Vi accepted the water from the corner man, Caitlyn grinned in approval and pat Vi’s knee.

“You’ve got this,” Caitlyn assured her.

The bell rang, and Vi was up and out. After a few body shots, staying close to Quinn, Vi took a small step back and worked out what Caitlyn had told her. She went in for the fake jab, and sure enough, Quinn pulled away. But Vi followed her into it and landed her next jab. With her opponent off balance from the snappy hit, Vi went in for the power shot. Her right hook connected with the side of Quinn’s face, and she threw in a lead hook to the ribs for good measure.

Quinn went down. She stumbled back and her ass hit the canvas with a thud. Sitting upright, her glove touched the side of her face where Vi connected, and Vi could see the stars blinking in the girl’s golden eyes one by one. Vi backed up and watched as Quinn stumbled back onto her feet. The fighter shook her head and put her arms back up to block, though the form was lacking severely.

Vi dashed in. It was easy to land a few more body shots and a cross to the head when Quinn was still dazed. With each hit, she could hear the wind escaping her mouth through the mouthguard. When Vi hit her with the cross, Quinn was down on the mat again. Vi gave her credit for still sitting up. This time, however, she was slow to come to, and the ref headed over. He examined her and Vi could hear him asking if she felt fit enough to continue. His lips turned to a hard line. Standing up, he called the fight, announcing Vi the win by TKO.

Unfortunately, Vi wasn’t at home, so the cheers weren’t really in her favor, but she didn’t give a shit. After weeks and weeks of piss poor fights winning by the skin of her teeth or, even worse, losing altogether, she was fucking ecstatic to win with a technical knockout. She ripped off her gloves and threw her arms up in victory. With a huge smile, mouthpiece stretching her skin, she pointed at Caitlyn. Her coach was beaming from just outside the ring, hands clasped together tightly at the bottom of her chin.

___________________________

Sitting on the edge of the tub, Vi tilted her head back as Caitlyn removed what she hoped was the final goddamn piece of cotton from her nose.

“Is it finally done bleeding?” Vi asked impatiently. Her ass was practically numb from the hard, cold, edge of the tub.

Caitlyn chucked the cotton into the trash can. “I believe so.”

“Damn. Her one hit she actually landed got me good I guess.”

Standing above her, Caitlyn took a damp washcloth and wiped under Vi’s nose. “I’ll say.” The fingers of her free hand gently pressed Vi’s chin upward. It sent chills down her spine. So gentle, yet so demanding. “I know I already told you, but I’m quite proud of you. It’s gratifying to be your coach out in that ring, especially with a performance like that. A technical knockout is a big deal.”

When Caitlyn stepped away, Vi stood and stretched her back. “It is. I haven’t had one of those in a while. Who knew we’d make such a good team, huh?”

“Well, I’d say Mel did.”

Vi rolled her eyes, “She doesn’t count.”

Caitlyn chuckled, “Oh, of course not. Now, get in the shower. I’ll go pick us up some food in the meantime.”

The steam from the hot water filled the confines of the shower, and Vi could hardly see out of the glass doors. The stream of water felt like heavy rain against her back, and the warmth of the water soothed her aching muscles. She used some of Caitlyn’s body wash, and she should’ve known it would be lavender and eucalyptus — the ultimate calming duo. Thinking about Caitlyn in the shower was not what Vi intended to be doing, yet here she was. She couldn’t shake the image of Caitlyn smiling and laughing while they watched the movie. Then Caitlyn happily standing by after the fight. The way Caitlyn’s fingers delicately lifted her chin up to look into those cerulean pools. The firm press of those fingers on her knee.

It was undoing. The touches that sent Vi’s skin into a frenzy were on her mind as she let her hand travel down wet skin, nails tracing down abs to hip bones. She moved past the tuft of hair, and her fingers dove down into her folds, slippery with water but warm from her own wanting heat. Slowly, she swirled her fingers around her bud, letting the sensation build.

She let her mind drift to thoughts of Caitlyn’s never-ending legs and all the things she wanted to do between them. Biting her lip, she imagined the way Caitlyn would open up for her, slick folds she’d run her tongue through, and how she’d close down on her, tight, pulsating heat around her fingers as a rush flows out. She thought of how Caitlyn would moan and call out her name based on the exhales and grunts she’d heard escape her in the gym.

With her imagination running wild, Vi’s fingers created more friction between her legs. She knew she was getting closer to her peak, and she placed one hand up against the shower wall. Vi could feel her clit stiffening under her fingertips. Tingling flooded out to her thighs. The sparks crept up her body and reached her eyes, forcing her to jam them closed as she rode out her high, chasing her own fingers. She came silently, clutching at the stone wall.

When she came to, Vi rinsed herself and tried to clear her mind. She told herself that this was the best way to keep everything appropriate between her coach and herself. It released the pistons of pressurized gears. Kept the urges tucked away by diverting the routes.

Just a couple more nights.

________________________

Vi kept Morgana at bay for the better half of this match. For the first two rounds, Morgana was on the attack and using up a lot of energy. She probably expected Vi to fight in the way she had with Quinn, close and speedy, which wasn’t far off from how Vi fought normally besides being more refined. But Vi wasn’t a one-trick pony. Caitlyn was teaching her how to adapt. That’s why, now in round three, Morgana already appeared tired as her deep plum hair bounced up and down in the tight ponytail. Vi could see her movements were uneasy and her chest heaved with each breath. With so many kicks unloaded early on, it took its toll on Morgana. Frustration was clear on her face as Vi continued to dodge her legs.

With two fake jabs, Vi could tell Morgana was attempting to close the distance. From the videos she watched with Caitlyn, Vi found this was Morgana’s tell. Her opponent was trying to set up for either a front kick or roundhouse, and Vi had a plan in mind for both.

After the second false jab, Morgana leaned back and thrusted her hips forward for a powerful front kick, but Vi spotted it happening. She moved close enough to grab Morgana’s leg while it was still bent. It caught her opponent off guard and off balance, and Vi drove forward with an uppercut to the body. With the wind knocked out of the other fighter, Vi followed up with a power knee to the gut, which pushed Morgana backward. As she stumbled back, Vi connected with a strong cross to the head.

Morgana went down, but unlike Quinn, her entire body fell with its full weight onto the canvas. The ref ran over and kneeled down next to Morgana and counted.

It was officially a KO.

Elated, Vi ran a lap around the ring, yelling through her mouthguard. Like before, the cheers were not quite on her side, but the gasps and shouts from witnessing a knockout were enough for her. As she rounded the octagon one more time, basking in her victory, she saw Caitlyn had walked in and stood timidly in her corner. Vi made her way over, still bouncing on her feet, and wrapped an arm, shiny from sweat, around Caitlyn’s shoulders. She felt Caitlyn’s hand hold onto her shoulder and watched her coach’s other arm raise into the air. This would no doubt be a picture for the articles and talk shows, and Vi knew this was not something Caitlyn usually partook in. But the fact that she was putting herself out there like this because she was proud of Vi, meant more than she probably realized.

________________________

Somehow Vi convinced Caitlyn to go out to celebrate the wins. Maybe it was the puppy dog eyes that Caitlyn couldn’t say no to, but whatever it was, Caitlyn know sat in a booth at a loud bar staring at a menu while music muffled the conversations around them. It wasn’t really her scene. Well, not anymore, but Vi appeared to be right at home as she tapped her fingers to the music on the glossy, wooden table.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed. Caitlyn lost track of how many times the songs changed. Between all the information on the menu and the way the dim light hit Vi’s side profile so perfectly every time she turned her face toward the bar she was very distracted. It was a long enough amount of time that their server appeared next to their table.

Caitlyn was still so distracted by the way Vi’s faintly bruised markings on her face looked like a piece of watercolor artwork in this light that she missed the server’s name entirely. She only caught the end of his remarks.

“The beer we have on tap is on the back of that menu. Can I start you two off with something to drink?”

Vi answered first, “I’ll have a water and a whiskey sour.”

“Just a water for me, please.”

When the server walked away, Vi gave Caitlyn a dissatisfied stare. “We’re celebrating, Cupcake. A TKO and a KO. That’s huge. You’re seriously not going to share a drink with me?”

Caitlyn gave a patient, apologetic smile. It wasn’t Vi’s fault for assuming she would drink. It’s not like it’s public knowledge that she’s sober, nor did Caitlyn ever mention it. “I don’t really drink anymore.”

Vi lifted an eyebrow, “Have a bad night back in the day or something?”

She chuckled, “More like some bad months.”

The waiter came back with their drinks, and asked if they were ready to place their entrees. Once the two gave their order, he was off.

Vi sipped her whiskey sour with a curious expression focused on Caitlyn. Under different circumstances, it was a look that may have made Caitlyn want to jump over this table and dig her fingers into Vi’s hair and up her back, but this was definitely not the time.

“You got a story?” Vi asked.

“Sorry?”

“About the bad months.”

Caitlyn’s lip formed into a line and she pulled at the skin on her knuckles. “It’s a rather sad story, and we’re supposed to be celebrating. In short, I simply don’t partake in drinking any longer.”

Vi put her drink down on the table. Her face became more serious as her brows started to come together. “Are you sober?” Vi’s eyes darted down to Caitlyn fidgeting, and when her gaze returned, those silver eyes were wide with recognition. “Shit. I don’t have to drink if—”

“Vi, it’s all right.” She lifted her hands up in a reassuring gesture. “You can drink. It doesn’t bother me.”

“Okay. You sure? I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

The words were so sincere, and Vi’s face softened with concern. It was actually so incredibly sweet for Vi to be so considerate when she knew nothing concrete about Caitlyn’s past. With such a good heart, Caitlyn decided it may be time to finally share this burden with someone other than Jayce.

“It’s fine, Vi, really. Drinking wasn’t really the problem for me.” Her eyes still fell to the table and her stomach dropped.

“What was?” Vi’s voice was slow and cautious. Caitlyn could tell she didn’t want to overstep.

Before she said the word, she could feel her heart slamming faster and faster against her ribcage like it wanted to break through. Her mouth suddenly felt dry, but she managed, “Pills.”

She lifted her eyes toward Vi. Her heart hadn’t calmed down quite yet, but Vi wasn’t giving her a judgmental or cold glare. Gray eyes morphed from shock to sadness as they finally focused on her. Vi spoke slowly, her tone matching the change in her visible emotions, “Oh…fuck.”

“Yeah,” Caitlyn drew out the word, nodding her head. “Fuck.”

Those silver depths were still testing the waters. “How’d you get started with that?” Before Caitlyn could say anything, Vi added speedily, “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to by the way.”

Caitlyn gave her a thankful smile, “I know, but I don’t mind sharing. You shared about your family, so I think you deserve to know more about me. But are you sure you want to hear about this? We should be having a good time celebra—”

Vi cut her off with a wave of her hand, so Caitlyn continued, “Okay, okay. Well, I was a teenager about seventeen, and my girlfriend at the time was an addict. I didn’t know it when we first got together. It took a few months for her to tell me…or show me. Looking back, I think she liked that I was a bit broken. I never felt like I fit in, and I constantly felt like a failure to my parents because I couldn’t quite live up to their standards. My mother was very outspoken and overbearing, which was a brutal combination as an only child, whereas my father was a complete sweetheart but withdrawn at times with work. For as demanding as they could be of me, they never seemed to notice how I changed. When Seraphine started feeding me pills, it numbed everything. I didn’t worry about a thing. For the first time, I felt what I thought was happiness. But our relationship came to an end, and I was forced to face what life was without her, the girl that had been my supply, my pusher, my world for two years. It was a downward spiral fairly quickly. There was never enough to shut it all out, my parents, the loss, responsibilities, and I was a shell of myself. It wasn’t until Jayce pulled me out of my stupor that I realized how far gone I’d become in such a short amount of time. It was frightening.”

She didn’t expect to let so much go, but it felt amazing to share it with someone. Of course, Caitlyn was still terrified of Vi’s possible reaction to her story, and when she spoke, she mainly focused on anything but Vi, letting her eyes dance around their surroundings. But when her words ended, she allowed herself to look upon her fighter, and Vi was sitting across from her with nothing but compassion written across her face. Her brows were pushing together in concentration and empathy, surely knowing what it was like to feel like a broken toy no one wanted. For years, Caitlyn had been too nervous to tell anyone about her past, but Vi made it feel like a comfort as her hand reached across the table and fingers wrapped around Caitlyn’s. It dawned on Caitlyn that in the silence, the emotional weight that dropped and then lifted caused her eyes to become hot. She felt a tear slide down her cheek, and she quickly wiped it away with the hand Vi was not holding.

She exhaled a short laugh, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I’m generally not a crier.” With another shaky exhale, she added, “I guess I didn’t realize how good it would feel to share that with someone else.”

A tight-lipped smile appeared on Vi’s face, but her eyes still held unyielding empathy. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”

The waiter came over and placed their plates down in front of them. Vi thanked him, but her eyes didn’t leave Caitlyn until she eventually picked up her utensils and began to eat. The way Vi had stared at her made her feel naked. Completely seen. It was so new. No one had ever looked at her that way. It was terrifying but refreshing all at once.

Partway through their dinner, Caitlyn was made aware that Vi had never really stopped thinking on her words when she broke the silence between them. “Someone like that, someone who drags you down with all that shit just so you can be miserable together, thinking you’re chasing some high, never deserved your love.”

The remark caught Caitlyn entirely off-guard, and she stopped mid-chew to gaze upon the redhead whose captivating eyes were back on her.

Vi continued, “I never got into that stuff, but, trust me, I thought about it a lot, especially when I got locked up for a bullshit petty theft and assault charge. One of the main things that kept my head on straight enough was the fact that Jinx needed me. I had to provide for her for so long, and when Vander took us in, I still needed to help out. When I was taken away from them, I never felt like more of a failure. So, I get it…feeling like you’re useless…like shit’s hopeless. But we’re not. You’re not. I’m glad you found your way,” Vi’s eyes averted to her plate, and her next words were a touch softer, “and…I’m glad it’s here.”

Caitlyn remembered to swallow the food that had been sitting in her mouth as Vi talked. She stabbed at the meal in front of her with her fork, twirling it in the pasta. Though they were no longer looking at one another, Caitlyn smiled, “Me too.”

Before they left the restaurant to head back to the hotel, Caitlyn noticed Vi hadn’t touched her whiskey sour.

________________________

The two were back in their hotel room, both in bed and staring at the ceiling in the darkness. Caitlyn knew Vi wasn’t asleep. Just from the few days they’d spent lying next to each other in this bed, Caitlyn could pin point the moment Vi fell asleep. Vi’s body would twitch a few times and a deep exhale would follow, but neither had happened yet. The fighter’s limbs were restless. Caitlyn tried to remain still. She felt lighter after dinner having shared her past with Vi, but now, as the two were alone in the darkness, the only thought on Caitlyn’s mind was making it through this last night without doing anything she’d regret.

There was a shift in the weight on the mattress, and when she looked over, she could make out that Vi was now on her side facing her. She could feel the woman’s stare on her.

“Hey,” Vi whispered.

“Yes, Vi?”

“Want to keep celebrating by sharing fucked up stories from our past?”

Caitlyn chuckled, “Is that how we celebrate? That’s awfully dismal.”

She could hear the comforter wrinkle with Vi’s shrug. “I told you the story about my dad was for another day, so might as well be today.”

Vi coiled her body into a ball, and Caitlyn swore the body heat was closer to her. It made her heartbeat thump harder in her chest.

She heard Vi breathe out heavily, “When the hospital in Piltover told us that they no longer accepted my mom’s insurance, my dad tried everything he could to scrape up more money for treatments. I think his hope was that he’d somehow make enough to eventually get her back to the doctors topside. He worked crazy hours, and toward the end, since I started working too, I rarely saw him. One night, he went out to bring some stuff, like jewelry and other collectible shit, to a pawn shop. Someone must’ve been watching him because when he left and started walking home, he was attacked. They stole the money, and they could’ve left after that. Instead, they stabbed him and left him to die on the street.” Vi sniffled, “All he was trying to do was save his wife. He just wanted his daughters to have a mother.”

Caitlyn adjusted onto her side to face Vi, and when Vi let the words fade around them, Caitlyn reached her hand out and grazed Vi’s cheek with the back of her fingers. She could feel the balmy warmth on her cheek before Vi grabbed her hand and held it tightly.

“I always resented Piltover because I blamed the whole fucking city for ripping my parents away from me.”

“That’s understandable.” Caitlyn meant it. All Vi’s anger toward Piltover made sense to her now. She imagined an adolescent Vi attempting to reconcile the extreme loss happening around her. It was unfair and undeserved, and how was a girl so wrecked with pain supposed to feel?

“But you didn’t do that,” Vi stated. “I…I’m sorry I treated you like such an asshole. I had this image in my head of every topsider being self-serving, self-centered douchebags, but you’ve challenged me at every corner by being nothing like I expected. You’re actually really sweet…like a cupcake.”

Caitlyn giggled, and she could feel Vi’s smirk through the darkness. “And you’re not what I expected.”

The flutter in her chest was ever present as Vi continued to hold her hand, running her finger back and forth over Caitlyn’s knuckles. It was such a pure moment, this night, when two opposites came together to share pieces of themselves. They let each other understand from where the pain and hurt stemmed, tossing aside the misunderstandings.

After a few minutes, Vi’s fingers stopped ghosting along Caitlyn’s, and she felt the twitches begin to emerge from the shorter woman. Vi had fallen asleep. Caitlyn removed her hand slowly from Vi’s grasp and ran her fingers along the shaved side of Vi’s hair. It was innocent, and Caitlyn would be content to live in this moment for a long while, listening to the steady breathing of the woman next to her. For the first time in a very, very long time, Caitlyn felt the envelopment of the safety and acceptance she once believed only available to her in the form of white tablets held by the fingers of a hollow girl with flowing, pink hair.

****

Caitlyn’s alarm sounded off next to her head, and she grabbed her phone with her eyes still closed, turning it off from muscle memory. When she went to stretch her long limbs, something heavy stopped her, and that’s when her eyes shot open at the realization. Vi was sprawled out on top of her. The redhead’s face was jammed in the crook of her neck, and her tattooed arm was thrown across Caitlyn’s stomach. Vi’s leg was tangled between Caitlyn’s, and with such closeness, Caitlyn could feel Vi’s chest rising and falling on her.

She froze. She had no idea what to do in this situation. Her insanely hot fighter was strewn across her body, and Vi’s furnace-like skin was pressing firmly into her because of course this girl only slept in a sports bra and shorts. Could she find a way to torture Caitlyn more with gay panic?

A large part of Caitlyn wanted to start tracing all the ink that lined Vi’s forearms and triceps and traveled onto her back. Geometric shapes. Gears and smoke. She wanted to run her fingers over every bit of skin Vi had exposed and lull her into the sunlight of the morning. Caitlyn imagined the way Vi would huddle further into her as Caitlyn sent goosebumps over her skin, only to be secured by a kiss on her forehead. They were thoughts Caitlyn had to forcibly remind herself were entirely inappropriate as her fingers hovered over Vi’s shoulder.

The snooze on Caitlyn’s alarm ended, and the noise blared next to her head again. This time it was enough to make Vi stir, and when the fighter gradually woke up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she stopped halfway through her movements. Lifting her head up, she regarded Caitlyn with sheer embarrassment. Caitlyn could see it in her pink cheeks just before she twisted in the sheets to scoot away. Vi tried to break away so quickly, however, that she lost sight of the end of the bed and ended up flopping the upper half of her body off the side. In an attempt to recover, she jolted upright and planted her feet on the floor and stretched as tall as she could to crack her back, facing away from Caitlyn the entire time.

“Good morning,” Caitlyn said with an air of amusement.

“Uh, morning. Sorry about…that.” Vi rubbed the back of her neck. “So, um, what time is our flight?”

Chapter Text

Vi was sweating head to toe. She didn’t get the knockout until round four, and the bright lights around the octagon don’t help a damn thing. Honestly, she didn’t really care because she got the fucking KO. Every time it happened was like the first time. A bit of astonishment, a realization of power, and a shit ton of relief and thrill from the win. It’s the rush of all these feelings passing through her bones that made Vi’s eyes pop open and mouth break into a wicked smile before she tore off her gloves and cheered her fists toward the crowd that yelled back in excitement.

The announcer ushered her over to the center of the ring, and when she got there he huddled closer next to her to begin his quick post-match interview.

“Vi, congratulations on that win. I think fans of the UFC have really been enjoying watching your fights and the way you’re breaking through so quickly in this sport. What motivates you to consistently come out here and get KOs and TKOs?”

He held the mic in front of her. “I’ve been through a lot of shit in my life, but being from Zaun,” she started with a cheer from her hometown crowd, “I have nothing but love for this city. There’s nothing more I want than to make a crowd full of Zaunites proud. It really is the fans of this sport and the people who support me that keep me hustling at the gym and giving my everything to this game.”

He nodded as Vi spoke. “I know your city has your back because watching you in the ring is nothing short of impressive. How are you preparing for these matches?”

“Well, Claggor and I are doing what we do best and train daily, really working on my speed and firing out combos that none of these fighters see coming. I don’t want to say too much and give away my secrets,” she ended with a wink.

The announcer chuckled and gave his final question. “Any final comments you have for the crowd before you head off to the locker room?”

Vi, with her love of grandstanding, grabbed the microphone and begin to walk a small circle to take in the crowd as she spoke, “Next week, I’m headed topside.” Boos sporadically sounded off at the mention of Piltover, which only made her grin burn brighter. “I’ve never been more ready to kick some Piltie ass!”

The crowd roared, and after returning the mic, Vi raised her hands and walked around the octagon one more time in victory, taking in every bit of the energy. After so many years of feeling hopeless and worthless, this is what made her feel alive again. The shitty nights spent in a cell, pacing the same four walls for hours, seemed like light years behind her when she was out there, glove to glove with another fighter. It was so fulfilling to finally know that this was what she wanted, and she was ready to fight like hell for it.

___________________________

Vi was putting away her belongings from her luggage, but her mind felt clouded from the plane ride home. Since Caitlyn shared her troubled past with her, Vi was a jumble of emotions. Caitlyn opening up to her the night before, which led to Vi’s own unearthing of childhood trauma, was a step in a new direction for both of them. Growing up, she convinced herself she would always hate topside. They were to blame for every hardship she faced. All the while, Piltovans had it easy in their cushy lives and stately homes, but Caitlyn opened her eyes and forced her to realize how flawed her views were. Someone that seemed as perfect as Caitlyn had battles, and Vi was beyond surprised to find out those struggles included drugs. Looking at Caitlyn, a woman with beautifully, bright crystal eyes, pristine skin, smooth hair, and one hell of a body, she would’ve never imagined a world where Caitlyn was broken and filling her mind with highs and false hopes. Vi didn’t judge Caitlyn for it; she would never. She was all too familiar with what it felt like to be at the end of the rope, and she made enough mistakes in her own life.

Knowing Caitlyn was far more than an icy Miss Perfect made Vi want to uncover more, but even more than that, it made her feel comfortable around her. It made her believe she could open up and share more about her own life. As Caitlyn once stated, their success would be partly based on their chemistry as friends, and Vi could see the logic in that now. It was like her friendship with Claggor; it made working together easier.

However, there was an added complication for Vi and Caitlyn. This wasn’t just chemistry as friends. There was something forbidden there. It was the reason Vi freaked out and fell off the bed this morning when she realized she was cuddled on top of Caitlyn. She was becoming too close, quite literally. Having a male coach prior, Vi never experienced an attraction like this, but she knew it could only spell disaster. Vi knew she needed to find the balance in their connection, but Caitlyn made it so fucking impossible when she leaned her head on Vi during the flight home. The smell of Caitlyn’s lavender and vanilla shampoo and conditioner was torture for Vi because all she wanted do was lean back into her and run her fingers through that raven hair. She wanted her closer. But that was so not an option.

In a few hours, she would be heading to the gym for training with Caitlyn. Her coach stressed that they needed to utilize today because their three days home before heading to Noxus were going to be choppy thanks to Mel. Vi’s manager decided it would be great to schedule an interview for them, so that would take away a lot of the second day home. It wasn’t the greatest move, but after Vi’s wins, Mel said it was imperative they ride out the win and create hype for the next round of fights. At least Vi would have a little time to unwind and clear her mind from inadvisable thoughts of Caitlyn.

When Vi finished putting away her clothing and changing into her outfit for training later, she heard her front door click open and close with a careless slam.

Jinx.

Vi walked out into the living room to find bright blue braids charging toward her with outstretched arms for an incoming hug. The force with which Jinx ran into her made her stumble backward a little.

“Vi! You killed it!” Jinx exclaimed as she squeezed around Vi’s shoulders. “Fucking bravo, sis!”

She chuckled, “Thanks. It’s a damn relief.”

They separated and Jinx grabbed inside her small, pink and blue backpack. A beaming grin tore across Jinx’s face as she shoved a UFC Magster inches from Vi’s eyes. She squinted in an attempt to make out words on the cover and grabbed the magazine from her sister’s hands. On the margin in bold lettering, it stated there was an exclusive interview with the unlikely pairing of Caitlyn and Vi.

Vi flipped to the page as Jinx kept talking, “Have you seen your pictures in this thing?” Vi shook her head, and Jinx continued, “Not going to lie, you two look effing hot together.”

With a scrunch of her nose, Vi glanced up at her with a mixture of disbelief and disgust, “Please. Stop.”

Jinx plopped down on the couch. “I’m just saying. I know she’s a Piltie, but you have to admit...”

Finally, Vi reached the page, and on the left hand side, the title was overlayed on top of the photograph of the two of them together. Vi was sitting in the chair with a nonchalant air about her, but her eyes immediately locked onto Caitlyn. Her coach was standing next to her with a boxing glove hovering off her finger. The look in her eyes was serious enough to shoot daggers, but oddly enough, Vi also found it to be tad seductive with her partially opened button-down. She studied the way her cheekbones and the small bump in the bridge of her nose caught the light, features of a high-end fashion model, unique but desirable. Vi suddenly became aware of the salivation that increased in her mouth and the way her cheeks heated up at the sight of Caitlyn’s décolleté.

Clearing her throat, Vi placed the open magazine on the coffee table. “Yeah, the pictures turned out nice.”

Her sister cocked an eyebrow at her. “Nice? They’re stunning. I can see why the whole CaitVi ship is sailing off into the sunset.”

Vi furrowed her brows and shook her head at the ridiculous name. “The what?”

“Right. You don’t check your socials a ton. People lived for these pictures. You two are like the lesbian brainrot of the year.”

This actually got a laugh out Vi. “Shut the hell up.”

Jinx shrugged her shoulders, “Hey, I get it; you’d never date a Piltie, but it’s a good way to build up the buzz around you. Why not lean into it?”

Caitlyn being from topside was actually not high on the list of what would stop Vi from considering a more…physical relationship. It was the fact that it was her coach they were talking about that made Vi know the thought was off limits. Her career was not something she wanted to meddle with by admitting there might be any possible feelings there. Ultimately, it would be better for everyone if Vi just continued to keep things at a distance, even though she was clearly doing a pretty shitty job at that.

Vi rolled her eyes, “How about I wouldn’t date her because she’s my coach?”

“The scandal!” Jinx dramatically called out as she splayed her limbs across the cushions of the couch. “I’m not telling you to actually do anything. I’m saying you should lean into it to get more attention. It’s totally your thing. Playing to the camera, you eat that shit up.”

Well, Jinx wasn’t wrong per say. Vi did definitely love limelight, but she wasn’t sure Caitlyn would actually appreciate the stunt. As fun as it might be to torture Caitlyn like that, acting like there was something more between them could end up seriously messing with Vi’s head, which is not what she needed when the championship was on the line.

She walked over to the couch and lifted Jinx’s shoulder so she could sit, and her sister slumped her head back down into Vi’s lap. “You’re ridiculous,” Vi stated as she tossed a braid onto Jinx’s face.

“You love it.”

A minute of silence fell between them. Vi began to think about the apparent fawning happening around the prospect of her and Caitlyn being a couple…or at least the idea of them hooking up. If people knew how close they were last night, the internet would be losing their shit. Jinx had a point. The attention it would garner, playing into the more-than-friends idea, would be insane. But then Vi’s eyes fell onto the open magazine on her table. It was still on the page with the photograph of her and her coach. Again, Vi’s stare was stuck on Caitlyn. It was as though those blue eyes were following her, and Vi couldn’t tear her gaze away. Whether it was on paper or in real life, there was something about Caitlyn Kiramman that drew in Vi. Something she wanted. Something she needed. And it occurred to her then that if she did listen to her sister, if she did go along with the rumors or romantic hopes of random fans, she may not be able to stop with playful flirting for the cameras. Innuendoes might turn into intentions.

Fuck.

Jinx broke through her panicked mind. “So, got plans for the rest of the day?”

Vi leaned back and stretched her arms along the top of the couch. “I’ll be heading out to the gym to train with Caitlyn in a few. Why? What’s up?”

Her sister turned onto her back and looked up at her. “Might stick around here and paint for a bit. It’s so much more peaceful here than dealing with Mylo barking up a storm about nonsense I don’t give a crap about. I’m working on something for Caitlyn, and I need to make sure everything is perfect.”

That last bit caught Vi’s attention. “Oh, yeah? You’re actually painting her something?”

A grin appeared on her face, but she was clearly holding back. “Way more than something. It’s going to be amazing. You’ll see. You’ll be home on holiday when it happens.”

Every season, fighters got a week break for the holidays. It was the sliver of time where most fighters didn’t worry about training or press and instead, spent time with family and friends. Previously, with Claggor as her coach, Vi and Clag still spent a lot of the week together, but it was filled with family time, drinking, cooking, and shooting the shit. With Caitlyn, Vi wasn’t sure that girl was going to cut her any slack, but now hearing she had been planning something with Jinx without her knowing, left her with plenty of questions.

“Hold up. You’ve been planning something with Caitlyn for over the holiday? For how long? And since when did you two talk?”

“I gave her my number after your fight with Zeri. I figured she’d need at least one of us on her side, and it didn’t seem like it was going to be you.”

Vi shook her head and rolled her eyes. She should expect nothing less of her little sister, endlessly involved. “Of course you did.” Vi sighed, “Well, what are you two doing? Clearly, it has something to do with your paintings.”

Jinx popped up into the seat and excitedly cupped Vi’s cheeks, smooshing her face inward. “You’ll just have to wait and see! Didn’t you hear curiosity killed the cat?”

With her face still smashed by her sister’s hands, she managed, “This is something that’s going to kill me?”

“No, but I might if you keep asking,” she answered with a deadpan stare.

*****

Vi whipped the sweat-drenched hair out of her face as she rolled under Caitlyn’s hook. The two finished a five mile run on the treadmill and now Caitlyn was wearing her sparring pads calling out combinations for Vi, dividing the movements between upper and lower body. Vi was practicing the transitions between staying at a distance and diving into the pocket. She was honestly impressed by how well Caitlyn was able to keep up with her speed, moving the pads right where they needed to be for Vi to land the hit.

After about a half hour of practice with break in between, Caitlyn switched to her regular gloves. Vi was doubtful about this. Yes, Caitlyn could keep up, but Vi didn’t enjoy the idea of actually landing a hit on her with full power. Sparring pads were one thing. Glove to glove was another entirely.

From the bench, she watched the taller woman putting the gloves over her manicured hands. When those hypnotizing crystal blue eyes locked with Vi’s, she raised her eyebrows and asked, “You sure about this? I know we’ve sparred before, and last time you were cocky because I was in southpaw. But, one, my southpaw has improved.” She saw Caitlyn lift an eyebrow and smirk. “Don’t you try and take that away from me. And, two, I won’t be in southpaw this time, which means you get a taste of the real deal.” Vi immediately regretted the word choice but pushed forward, “Like I said before, not trying to concuss my coach.”

“I assure you, Vi, I will be fine. If I can spar with Jayce, I can handle you,” Caitlyn said as she stepped into the middle of the ring.

Vi shrugged and stood up, “If you say so, Cupcake.”

Yet again, the way that Caitlyn moved surprised Vi. Granted, when Vi did go for any shots near the head, she did not use her full force. Still, Caitlyn was able to use defensive moves to dodge most incoming hits or used her gloves like the pads. Her coach had reach on her, so Vi slid into the pocket just like when they used the sparring gloves. After Vi tapped her with a few speedy uppercuts to the body, Caitlyn backed away, but Vi was watching how she moved and waited for an opening.

With patience, the moment arrived. Caitlyn went in for a jab, but Vi slipped past it. The next punch came in her direction, a cross. Vi pulled away and shot out a sidekick. Her coach didn’t anticipate the move, and it connected with Caitlyn’s abdomen; however, Vi didn’t celebrate the hit as she watched Caitlyn’s lean frame fumble backwards off balance. She was worried Caitlyn was going to stumble and fall from the force of her kick. It was far more force than she intended.

“Oh, fuck! Shit, shit, shit, shit,” Vi exhaled in a panic.

Her eyes widened and she lunged forward, wrapping her right arm behind Caitlyn’s slim waist. Vi’s left hand, still gloved, awkwardly held onto Caitlyn’s right shoulder. The grip around her was firm and protective while she waited for Caitlyn to rebalance and catch her breath.

In those few seconds, Vi realized how close they were. Still holding her waist, Vi was practically flush against the woman. She saw the droplets of sweat building at her hairline. She felt the breaths steadying out against her cheeks. She smelled the lavender dulled by the saltiness of her skin. And when those deep blue eyes found her, mere inches away, Vi swore her own breath escaped her lungs entirely, and she had to remind herself to inhale.

She loosened her grip slightly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to kick so hard. Are you okay?”

Caitlyn was still catching her breath, but her gloved hands found Vi’s hips as she nodded. “I-I’m okay.”

The pressure on her hips made Vi want to pull Caitlyn in even closer, and if it wasn’t for the small smile that crept onto Caitlyn’s face, she might’ve. But the fact that this woman, who just got kicked square in the stomach, was now smiling totally baffled Vi.

“What?” Vi asked in confusion.

With that goddamn adorable little gap in her front teeth poking through, Caitlyn responded, “That was excellent. Save that move for a real fight.”

Surely, Vi looked like a deer in headlights at the comment. “Y-yeah.”

Caitlyn’s smile stayed for two more beats before it slowly faded. Her lips stayed parted, and Vi couldn’t help but continue to glance down at them. They were the perfect faint shade of pink, and even after ragged breathing, they still managed to appear incredibly soft. It’d be so easy for her to lean in and find out if that were true. So easy. So stupid. So foolish.

Instead, Vi let out a rasp in her throat as she slowly pulled away from her coach. “So, stretch and meditation, right?”

When she glanced back up at Caitlyn, Vi thought the woman was staring at scar on her top lip, but she dismissed that, believing her coach just lost in thought about her upcoming fights.

At the question she posed, Caitlyn’s eyes blinked back to the present. “Yes, let’s stretch.”

The stretching went by with Vi in a daze. She was still trying to figure out what the fuck just happened. For a second time in less than twenty-four hours, she found herself entangled in Caitlyn, and neither time did Caitlyn try and pull away. On the contrary, the topsider was drawing Vi in with her touch. It was…concerning…unreal…compelling…complicated.

By the time they started meditating, Vi was really trying to let go and concentrate, but she felt like she hardly had the mental capacity for it. Sitting cross-legged next to her coach, she was restless. She felt the beads of sweat falling down her back, and with her eyes closed, she tried to focus on them.

One.

The image of Caitlyn’s arms tensing as she took one of Vi’s punches on the pads. They were willowy but strong. Her skin glistened in the fluorescent lighting.

Stop.

Two.

The sound of Caitlyn’s quick, exhales and grunts replayed, floating between her eardrums. Vi wondered if it was at all similar to how she would sound pressed up against a wall with a hand between —

Why? Stop.

Three.

The dreamy memory of her morning with Caitlyn waded to the surface. Before Vi was fully aware of the body under her, she felt warm under the blankets. Content in the moment. Her mind was at ease from having let go of heavy burdens. Sharing traumas that haunted her on random days. Her coach had become someone she felt she could confide in, and it made her…vulnerable, but in that bed, she wasn’t worried. But the moment was meant to be just that — a moment. Fleeting. Whatever she felt, she had to run away from it.

Just concentrate, Vi.

Four. Five. Six.

It seemed to work until the echoes of Jinx’s words broke her rhythm. They had been talking. For weeks. Without her knowledge. Planning something. And Jinx wouldn’t spill.

Eyes remaining closed, Vi blurted out into the silence, “I know you’ve been talking to my sister.”

Caitlyn deflected, “Vi, please, take this meditation seriously.”

She couldn’t. It was hopeless until someone told her something. “What are you two planning over the break?” Vi opened one eye to peak in Caitlyn’s direction.

Her coach opened her eyes and looked over at Vi with an unamused stare. “I can’t tell you because not even Jinx knows all the details. All she knows is that I need a variety of paintings to display.”

Vi regarded her curiously. “Okay. Well, am I invited to whatever it is?”

“Of course. Once I work out all the details.” She gave Vi a side eye. “Now can we please get back to meditation?”

Returning to a deliberate silence, only guided by occasional directions from Caitlyn, Vi tried to ease her mind into a meditative state, but every now and then it would fixate on trying to guess what Caitlyn had planned and about what else Jinx and Caitlyn discussed. She tried to do what her coach reminded her of often and not judge the runaway thoughts. This was all a process, and there would be speed bumps — and on some days, potholes.

When they wrapped up their training session, the two walked out to the parking lot together. It was late in the day now, and Vi’s gym bag felt heavy on her shoulder, as heavy as her mind. Looking past the cars, neon signs around Zaun were starting to light. The air had become cool and crisp, and it left a chill along her skin.

Parked next to Caitlyn, Vi spoke as she shoved her bag into her back seat. “You ready for this interview tomorrow?”

The topsider’s shoulder dropped as she opened her car door. “No, but I don’t really have a choice thanks to our wonderful manager.”

Vi chuckled, “Yeah, Mel sure is the best.” She stood in between her open driver’s side door. “You’ll be fine though. You killed the other interview. Did you see the pictures?”

Caitlyn shook her head, “No, I didn’t actually. I felt ridiculous during that entire photoshoot.”

“Well, you definitely didn’t look it,” Vi stated too quickly. She hurriedly tried to pivot, “Jinx came over earlier to show me our feature. That’s also when she told me about you having something up your sleeve.” Her eyes narrowed playfully. “You’re seriously still not going to tell me what the plan is?”

With a laugh, Caitlyn smiled genuinely, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Vi.”

****

After Vi was home and showered, she lounged on her couch and grabbed her phone. The magazine was still open on her table from her sister’s visit earlier that day. She snapped a quick picture of the photo of herself and Caitlyn. First, she sent it to her coach. The reply was almost instantaneous.

Caitlyn:
Oh god

Vi:
What?

Caitlyn:
I look absurd

The next two texts were sent simultaneously.

Caitlyn:
You, however, appear to be made for the camera

Vi:
Pshhh you’re hot cupcake

Vi stared at the exchange. The second she sent hers, she was worried it was too flirty. Too weird of an exchange in a professional relationship, but reading Caitlyn’s words made her a little less concerned…but also conflicted. What was she supposed to say when her coach pretty much called her hot, too? If she let it, this could spiral all too quickly, and Vi was typically not known for her great self-control. A minute passed, and the dots on the screen that indicated the other person was typing did not appear. Vi’s fingers hovered over the keyboard.

Vi:
At least there’s no photography for the interview tomorrow

Caitlyn:
No, but it is a recorded interview. I’m not sure which is worse: seeing posed pictures like this or having to watch and listen to myself

She laughed reading Caitlyn’s message. If Jinx was right about this whole shipping them together crap picking up online, Vi had a feeling this recorded interview was going to be worse. Unlike Caitlyn, Vi did enjoy the attention, so why not feed into it a little more.

[A picture was posted to Vi’s socials. It was of the photograph of Caitlyn and Vi from the UFC magazine. The caption read: Eat your heart out.]

_________________

Caitlyn wished she could’ve been done makeup in the same time as Vi. The logic, apparently, was because Vi was a fighter, and a rather androgynous one at that, they left her appearing far more natural. But Caitlyn felt like she’d been sitting in the chair for an eternity as the makeup artist grabbed more contour. It made her wonder exactly how much more defined did she really need her cheekbones. Since when did the beautification of a coach matter?

Optics, darling.

At least she was still able to dress in all black in her feeble attempt to blend into the background and hope Vi took the brunt of the interview questions. Vi was in her red leather jacket that matched the vibrancy of her hair. Maybe that would be enough to take any attention from her. As she took her seat next to Vi, it took her a moment to accustomed to the bright lights that surrounded them. She could already feel the heat pouring from them, and she prayed she wouldn’t start sweating off the pound of makeup. Workers buzzed around them, making final adjustments to the set and cameras.

While they did so, Caitlyn’s mind felt foggy, entirely out of her element, but she was brought back into the moment by a pressure on her thigh just above her knee. Looking down, she saw Vi’s hand with its calloused knuckles giving a reassuring squeeze. A new heat rushed through Caitlyn’s body. She wanted to place her own hand on top of Vi’s, but she didn’t dare make the interaction feel more intimate, especially in front of all these people and cameras. The moment was cut short anyway, and Vi’s hand left her thigh as the interviewer began their introductions.

“Welcome to Sideline Report. My name’s Chuck, and I’m thrilled to be joined today by two very special guests. This pair has been making waves since their entrance into to UFC years ago, and that hasn’t changed with their contracts this year. From Zaun, we have a crowd favorite, Vi Lanes, and from Piltover, we have Caitlyn Kiramman. It’s an honor to have both of your here for this interview. Thank you for doing this on such a short notice. I know you two just returned from Demacia not too long ago. Congratulations on those wins by the way.”

“Thank you,” Vi interjected before the interviewer continued on.

“I’d like to start with a question for you, Vi. You’ve been in this sport for some time now, and you took off with a huge following. You’ve come close to that championship title before, and you haven’t given up no matter the setback. I think it goes without saying that takes real dedication. With all of your history in mind, what does it mean for you to be a fighter?”

Caitlyn watched as Vi’s smile faded and her eyes turned serious. “Some of my fans may know a bit about my backstory, but I know I’ve been getting more attention now with Caitlyn by my side. I grew up in Zaun. Those streets raised me for better or worse. When I started fighting, I was out to prove that Zaunites are worth something.” Her voice fell off, and after a brief pause, she added, “That I’m worth something. Kickboxing has been my escape, my comfort, my proving ground, my battlefield. So, it means more than I could explain. Everything I have today, I have because of this sport and because I have an amazing team at my back supporting me.”

“Speaking of having a great team, how has Caitlyn been helping you realize that?” He asked, gesturing to Caitlyn on Vi’s right.

Vi looked over at her, and Caitlyn felt in that moment Vi revered her in those glinting silver eyes. “Caitlyn is unbelievable, and I mean that in the best way,” Vi laughingly smiled. “When I was told I would have a Piltie as a coach, I was less than welcoming, but getting to know Caitlyn as a coach and as a person has been so eye opening.” Their eyes connected in between Vi’s words for a millisecond, but it was enough to melt Caitlyn’s heart. “Not only does Caitlyn help me improve in my technical abilities, she forces me to be introspective, which I think has changed me fundamentally as a person. And I’m better for it.”

Never did Caitlyn think she would hear words such as those come out of Vi’s mouth. She parted her lips because Caitlyn wanted so desperately to ask Vi if she truly meant all she said, but she couldn’t do that here. Again, Vi met her gaze, and Caitlyn swore there was a tangible spark that passed between them. It was too much to process when cameras were rolling, not that she had the opportunity because Chuck flung a question her way.

“Touching words, Vi. Caitlyn, what has it been like for you to train a fighter like Vi?”

With eyes now on her, Caitlyn forgot how to speak. The lights seemed to blast hotter, and her mouth felt drier. Somehow the ticking of the clock in the distance infiltrated her eardrums, but within seconds it was being drown out by the thump of her heart in her throat.

But Caitlyn was a good poker player, so she relaxed her hands on top her her crossed legs and cleared her throat, “Much like Vi, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew I had my work cut out for me because Vi has a reputation as a woman of impulsive action to put it mildly.” That earned a huff of a laugh from Vi, which calmed Caitlyn’s nerves. “Vi challenges me daily, but she also impresses me more than any fighter out there. It’s easy for people to ask me to compare this to training with Jayce, but I can’t do that. They’re two very different people, and I respect both of them immensely. What Vi brings to the table requires me to be even more strategic in the way I train, and that’s actually a positive. As much as Vi feels that I make her a better fighter, she makes me a far better coach.”

“I know you say you can’t compare her to Jayce, but can you tell us what separates Vi from other fighters in the division?”

Caitlyn’s eyes fell pensively. “Her heart. I’ve never met someone with heart like Vi. She invests her whole self into this sport. She is there one hundred and ten percent. When I push her outside of her comfort zone, she adapts. When she struggles, I know she’s going to dedicate the time to improve. Vi is passionate and honest, sometimes brutally so, and I don’t think everyone gets the pleasure of seeing that. This all means more to her than just a belt and a title. She’s always been a fighter, and I’m so appreciative she’s allowed me to be on this journey with her.”

Chuck nodded his head at the end of Caitlyn’s response and then turned to Vi. “And, Vi, what makes Caitlyn standout as a coach?”

Caitlyn could see from the corner of her eye that Vi had to tear her gaze away from her and back to the cameras before she answered. “Caitlyn is the most dedicated coach I’ve ever seen in my life. This girl eats, sleeps, breathes her job. It’s kind of intimidating. I mean if you could see her notebook,” Caitlyn interrupted Vi’s sentence with a giggle, causing Vi’s expression to light up. “I mean we were training for like a week, and she already had half a journal full of notes. But I wouldn’t trade that commitment for anything. It was makes her so amazing at what she does, and somehow she keeps it up all while dealing with me, which also only proves how resilient she is, honestly. You’d never know it, but she’s been through a lot of shi—stuff, and yet she took all the terrible experiences and channeled them into becoming one of the best coaches in the UFC. It’s all respect from me.”

Once again, Caitlyn was floored. Over their weeks together, she hoped that Vi felt even a modicum of what she expressed here, but to hear it out loud was shock, relief, and happiness all compiled into a match that struck in Caitlyn’s chest.

“Now, I’d like to transition us to something a bit more lighthearted, if you two wouldn’t mind.”

“Not at all, Chuck. Shoot,” Vi responded for the two of them with a camera-ready grin. Caitlyn wished she could have half the charisma, but she also wished Vi would’ve denied the request so that Caitlyn could escape her nightmare.

He smiled in return and glanced down at his notecard. “As we know from previous coverage on your pairing and your interview in UFC Magster, many people had their doubts about you two working in the ring, but given your last few answers and the past two outstanding wins, we’ve seen the conversation shifting. What are your thoughts on the CaitVi trend we’ve been seeing online recently?”

Caitlyn leaned forward a bit and felt her brows coming together in confusion. She’d never heard this term before, but given the smirk and overall casual disposition from Vi in her periphery, she assumed Vi knew what this meant. It was as though Vi knew this was coming and decided to leave her in the dark. Caitlyn’s voice almost sounded offended, “I’m sorry. The what? CaitVi?” She glanced over at Vi who was still smirking. “What is that?”

Chuck laughed, “Have you heard of it, Vi?”

“Oh, yeah.”

Of course she has. Why didn’t she tell me about this?

“Care to explain?” Caitlyn chimed in with her eyes centered on Vi.

Flashing a canine, Vi answered her, “Prepare yourself for this one. Our lovely fans started calling us CaitVi because they think we are or should be together, you know, as more than coach and fighter…more than friends.”

She felt her brows furrowing even more, and with one arched, she shot her gaze between Vi and Chuck, a man she really wanted to curse. “You cannot be serious.”

“Serious as a heart-attack,” Vi stated. She turned back to Chuck. “While it’s flattering, I assure you, Chuck, there’s nothing happening here. It’s strictly professional.”

“That’s correct,” Caitlyn blurted out.

“Yeah, I’ve denied all of Caitlyn’s advances,” Vi said with a devilish smile.

Caitlyn’s eyes turned wide at the words. “You what?” She slapped Vi’s arm, and the redhead laughed at the outburst.

“I’m kidding!” Vi teased with a wink to the camera. “Although, who knows, maybe that ship will find its harbor one day.”

Caitlyn’s mouth fell ajar and her cheeks flamed as she stared at Vi in disbelief. “Excuse me? You—what…I never…this—no. I fail to see the necessity in asking such a question. This is absurd and unrelated.”

Chuck laughed at their banter and raised up his hands to calm them, but Caitlyn was long past being subdued.

“Apologies, Miss Kiramman. I’ll let you both off the hook. I just have one more question for you. Fans are eager to see you square up against Riven and Katarina in Noxus. What holes do you see in your next opponents’ games?”

Thankfully, Vi stepped in because Caitlyn was still seething. “Well, Chuck, I’d share that sort of information with you off camera. We don’t want to give away any of my strategies for these upcoming fights.”

Chuck finished up his sign off for the show, and when the cameras finally cut, Caitlyn stood up and told Vi she would see her tomorrow morning before rushing out of the studio. She didn’t feel like sticking around and pretending that she wasn’t utterly over Chuck’s bullshit or put a wedge in the flow of her and Vi’s training by being upset. When she got into her car, she called Jayce.

“Hey, Cait, what’s up? You had that interview today right?”

“Yes,” she responded stiffly.

“Sounds like it went well,” he said sarcastically. “What hap—”

“Have you heard of this CaitVi phenomenon?”

He had the audacity to laugh, “Oh, boy. I’m guessing they brought it up during the interview.”

“Yes! And I had no idea what it was, but do you know who did know? Vi. She left me blindsided. And, on top of that, she had the gall to make jokes about it, claiming that she denied my advances.”

“Well, we both know that’s a lie. She definitely wouldn’t say no to you trying to hook up with her.”

“Jayce!”

“Sorry. It couldn’t have been that bad,” he tried to console her. “Vi knows what she’s doing when it comes to working a camera. I’m sure she’s doing it to bring attention to you two and the upcoming matches. All publicity is good publicity. Besides, Cait, you can’t be surprised that people are creating their own fantasies of you two together. Have you seen those pictures in the UFC Magster?”

“Yes,” Caitlyn answered deflated. She recalled Vi sending her the picture last night, and they were both right. The pictures were drool-worthy eye candy of two enticing lesbians.

He sighed, “Don’t dwell on it, Cait. I know that’s hard for you because you like to fixate, but I’m sure the rest of the interview went well. All of this, as much as you hate it, is good for your pairing. Mel knows what she’s doing, and so does Vi, surprisingly.”

“Sometimes I really doubt that.”

****

The next day, Caitlyn was relentless on Vi during training. After their five mile run, Caitlyn moved Vi into stretching, conditioning exercises, weights, and then sparring. She hardly gave her a break. Throughout practice, Caitlyn could see Vi not only becoming more tired but more frustrated. After seeing Vi grunt painfully through the last few hits before walking away from Caitlyn’s sparring gloves, she decided it in their best interest to cool down and let Vi rest. Just because she was emotional and annoyed from the interview yesterday did not make it fair to take it out on her fighter, and she knew that would only be a detriment for the next match in their end.

“Take a break, Vi,” Caitlyn called out.

Vi wiped the continuous beads of sweat from her face. “Oh, gee, thanks. Only about fucking time. What is with you today?”

Caitlyn took a few steps closer, tossing her gloves to the side. “Why didn’t you tell me about the CaitVi thing?”

Throwing her head back, Vi exhaled, “That’s what this is about? You still have your panties in a bunch about that?”

She rolled her eyes at the crudeness. “Yes. It was an inappropriate question, and I didn’t like feeling clueless about it.”

Vi threw off her gloves and took a large gulp of water. “Look, Cupcake. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but it’s not like I was expecting it to be part of the interview. Maybe we should play into it a little. It’ll give us exposure.”

Caitlyn could not believe that Vi was actually considering creating some fake relationship for views. Not only did that seem out of character for her but it also was extremely dangerous for Caitlyn. She wasn’t about to tell Vi there were multiple nights she had to stifle feelings and vibrators at the thought of those toned muscles and snarky grin, but it was enough for Caitlyn to know pretending there was something between them would lead to a lot of poor choices. It would leave a door open that was better off closed.

She raised an eyebrow at Vi, “What makes you think I want that?”

Vi sat on the bench next to them. “I know you don’t like being in the public eye, but having a fan base that’s devoted to me kind of depends on that.” She rested her elbows on her thighs and tilted her head, and those gray eyes, full of apology, met Caitlyn. “We don’t actually have to do anything. I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable, so why don’t we just drop it, Cupcake, okay?”

“Okay,” Caitlyn said as she took a seat next to Vi. “Want to wrap up watching these videos on Riven and Katarina?”

Vi joked, “Can I sit down while we watch, or do you want me to do burpees the whole time?”

Caitlyn sat down next to her and shoved her as she pulled up the playlist of videos.

___________________

The following comments were found using the CaitVi hashtag:

This interview is just Caitlyn and Vi giving off wife vibes the entire time

Five minutes of Caitlyn and Vi being girlfriends. They’re gay, your honor

Um, hello? We stopped talking about this photoshoot way too early. Vi’s abs? Caitlyn’s fingers? Their eyes? Their poses? I’m living

Oh my god! Did you see the way Caitlyn slapped her! She’s so embarrassed and it’s so adorable

I’m still not over this picture of these two. It lives in my head rent-free

They’re together. You can’t tell me otherwise

Thank you Chuck for asking the hard hitting questions, such as are you two fucking yet

_____________________

“Well, Russell,” Raelle started, “Color me impressed. Vi is really pulling all the punches in these past matches. I mean, the last two fights she wins by a technical knockout and a KO, and now tonight, we see her with another KO against Riven.”

Jack nodded, “She does seem to be on the up and up.”

Russell chimed in, “That’s right. It’s great to see. Vi really does look like a new fighter out in that ring lately, so we’re definitely seeing the outcome of a well-oiled fighter and coach machine here. Why don’t we take a look at the match against Riven.”

“It’s going to be a quick one,” Tressa laughed as she motioned to the screen. The video began of Vi and Riven from the first round as Tressa commentated. “This first round, we see Vi on the defensive. Riven is southpaw, but that didn’t throw Vi off at all. There’s a great duck from one of Riven’s hooks. Very well-timed. Vi follows that with an uppercut to the body before going back to defense. She slips that jab here.”

“An impressive roll from Riven’s cross, and again, she lands another uppercut to the body,” Raelle added in. “Riven was reminding me a lot of how Vi fought a few years ago. It was a very aggressive style.

The footage from the second round begins, and Jack begins the discussion, “In this second round, after about thirty seconds in, Vi pulls away from an incoming jab. From here, watch her footwork. You can see her shifting the weight as she thrusts in with that side kick.”

Raelle picks up the recap, “With Riven hunched from the hit, Vi pivots back into her fighter’s stance, and, like you said Jack, you can watch the set up as that back leg shoots forward. Her gloves pull Riven down more, allowing her knee to connect with Riven’s head.” The screen shows Vi’s platinum blonde opponent slump downward. “And she’s out.”

The video fades and the camera is back on the panel. Tressa continues, “It is interesting to see the influence of Caitlyn’s training. We’re seeing Vi clearly far more comfortable throwing in lower body attack moves.”

“Plus her defense has improved ten-fold, which is something she was often criticized about over the years,” Raelle stated.

“In their latest interview, Vi and Caitlyn did both mention that they focus on aspects of fighting that challenge and push Vi, so we can see from just this match alone that Caitlyn is putting a focus on Vi’s guard,” Russell asserted. “Frankly, it’s a joy to watch the improvement, and I’m looking forward to her match against Katarina.”

“Indeed,” Jack agreed. “Now, let’s take a look at Janna’s last fight. She had a win against Morgana, and if she keeps this up, we might see her fighting against Vi again in the championship rounds.”

“We might see a handful of Zaunites vying for the title this year.”

____________________

Vi was bouncing on the balls of her feet in her corner of the ring, warming up her body, and she was glaring at the Noxus fighter, Katarina, on the other side. Red hair, almost matching her own, bobbed in it’s ponytail as her opponent stretched briskly. Vi could never stand Katarina. She felt like she was staring at a want-to-be version of herself every time they squared up. The hair, the eyebrow scar, tattoos. They say imitation is the highest form of flattery, but it was fucking weird.

Caitlyn leaned in close so she didn’t have to yell over the announcer. Vi could feel her breaths on her ear, and it was oddly comforting given the circumstance.

“Remember, like Riven, she’s going to charge in at you. It’s a trend amongst Noxian fighters. But, unlike Riven, Katarina is calculated in her strikes, so have your guard strong as ever in this match, Vi.”

Vi turned to face her, and for some reason, the way the bright lights on Caitlyn’s face hit every angle just right, creating the perfect shadows to make her face look like a painting fit for a modern art museum. Beauty like that didn’t belong in a place like this, but Vi wasn’t complaining about being able to enjoy it so up close.

Instantly, a goofy smile flashed onto Vi’s face. “Don’t worry, Cupcake.” She put her gloved hands on Caitlyn’s shoulders. “We got this.”

A closed-mouth smile crept onto Caitlyn’s face, and she proceeded to put Vi’s mouthguard in place. Vi swore she could feel the slight brush of Caitlyn’s soft fingertips on her bottom lip. She forgot how to move as Caitlyn glanced down before checking and securing Vi’s gloves for the fight.

When the announcer finished and the two fighters stepped into the ring to tap gloves, Vi caught Katarina looking over Vi’s shoulder in Caitlyn’s direction.

“What?”

“Close with your coach?” Katarina mumbled through her mouthpiece.

“She’s my coach,” Vi grumbled back, ignoring the accusation in the tone of the question.

Katarina grinned, “She’s really pretty. If that CaitVi rumor isn’t true, maybe I’ll try my luck.”

They tapped gloves, and Vi was swinging.

This match was brutal. It was the last round, and both women were battered and bloodied. Caitlyn had to slice into Vi’s brow after the third round, questioning if that’s why she has a scar there, which actually got Vi to laugh through the pain. Vi gave Katarina a cut above her green eyes in return and a bloody nose on top of it, but the girl was tough. No hit Vi landed was enough for a knockout, so she knew she was going to be relying on points here for a technical win.

The round ended with even more blood. Vi gave Katarina a busted bottom lip with a rear uppercut. Katarina landed a few speedy body shots, but it was nothing like the power hits Vi snuck in on her.

Overall, Vi was feeling confident about the match as Caitlyn rubbed a damp washcloth over her left eyebrow, stamping out the last of the bleeding. When Caitlyn caught Vi staring at her as she worked, both silent, Caitlyn halted her movements. The towel stayed pressed against her brow. Caitlyn’s free hand was glued to Vi’s right forearm. Vi watched her lips part. It was subtle, but Vi couldn’t stop staring. It wasn’t until Vi saw movement behind Caitlyn that she snapped back to the present moment. Katarina was taking her place at the center of the ring for the final scores.

Vi licked her bottom lip, and she knew Caitlyn noticed it when her eyes flicked downward. Her now ungloved hand squeezed Caitlyn’s hand that was still gripping Vi’s forearm. “I have to go up there,” Vi said.

Caitlyn’s cheeks flushed pink, and her hands finally released their positions. “Yes, of course.”

As Vi made her way to the center of the octagon, Katarina didn’t even look at her. The girl was sucking at her bottom lip, which Vi assumed was still bleeding. The two watched the screen above them as the scores began to broadcast onto it. Receiving ten points for three of the five rounds, Vi was declared the winner.

A wave of relief rushed over her as her arms were raised into the air. She hardly cared about the cheers or boos around her. Instead, she let the reality of her sore body kick in. Her ribs throbbed, her calves felt ready to burst out of the skin, her shoulders ached. Vi was more than ready for the holiday break, but all she really wanted after this win was to celebrate with Caitlyn.

Rather than taking her usual victory lap around the ring, she headed back to her corner where Caitlyn was smiling about their win, and Vi bombarded her into a hug. With the rest of her strength, she lifted Caitlyn off the ground and squeezed her arms around her back. Caitlyn’s arms were wrapped around her neck, and everything else faded to a hum around them.

Vi spoke into Caitlyn’s neck, “Told you we had it.”

She set Caitlyn down and those blue eyes tore through to her core. “I never doubted you for a second.”

They were still so close. Caitlyn’s arms slowly fell from Vi’s shoulders, and Vi let her own slide down and away from Caitlyn’s waist. In the chaos of the post-match, they stood bashfully grinning at one another. Vi knew this would be a new headline, a new image for the CaitVi fans to run away with, but Vi didn’t do any of that to play into the rumors. She did it because she wanted to, and that’s when she realized just how fucked she was.

*********

After the fight, Vi and Caitlyn went down to the hotel bar to grab a bite to eat, but the entire time, Vi’s head was a shipwreck. She was drowning in her thoughts. She was growing closer and closer to Caitlyn, and that hug they shared in the ring made her realize she needed to take a step back. She needed a distraction. Vi believed maybe it was just all her pent up sexual frustration getting the best of her. Since she started training with Caitlyn, she hadn’t had a chance to sneak off and relieve herself with anyone. A name she wouldn’t remember. Small talk that wouldn’t matter. An orgasm that would fade into a forgotten memory. It had only been training with Caitlyn, matches, more training, and even sleeping next to Caitlyn.

Time to change that.

When they finished their dinner, Vi went up to the bar while Caitlyn ran to the restroom. She ordered a shot. Typically, she would refrain from drinking in front of her coach. Even though Caitlyn said it didn’t bother her, it still felt like rude to shove it in her face, but right now, with Caitlyn away and Vi on the prowl, she needed something to calm her jitters. Vi downed the shot and studied the bar.

Spotted. Vi found her. A girl with dirty blonde hair that cascaded halfway down her back like a waterfall. Those green eyes were fixed on her, and Vi was willing to bite. She nodded, and the girl followed the motion, sauntering over to Vi like a fish being reeled in.

“You’re Vi. Thought it was you,” her voice was languid. “Nice wins.”

“Thanks,” Vi didn’t bother to get her name. It was irrelevant. “Want to help me celebrate?” When the girl nodded, Vi asked, “You got a room here?” No way she could bring her into a room she was sharing with her coach.

“Mhm,” the girl hummed.

“Lead the way.”

When Vi turned back around, Caitlyn was just sitting down back at their table next to the bar. Her coach made eye contact, but then she saw her cerulean eyes notice the girl with her fingers locked around Vi’s hand. Vi watched Caitlyn’s expression falter. Then harden. She didn’t expect that, and it sent a pang through her chest. It shouldn’t have, but it was so sudden and sharp that Vi wanted to clutch at the pain. She broke away from the girl’s grip and walked over to the table.

“I’ll uh…meet you back in the room…okay?” Vi stammered awkwardly.

“Yeah. Have fun,” Caitlyn’s voice was cold. It had been a while since Vi heard a tone like that from her coach. It made this feel far less fun.

Once Vi and blondie were out of the elevator, they began their walk down the hallway and stopped in front of a door. Before the girl put the keycard into the slot, Vi pressed her up against the wall and kissed her. She tasted like an cosmo, artificially sweet. Cotton candy. With an aftertaste of smoke. The girl gripped at Vi’s back, digging onto the red material of her jacket.

Vi pulled back a few inches, and when she opened her eyes, she was looking into the emerald eyes. There was long blond hair in between her fingers. It felt…wrong. Vi’s throat felt tight and her desire to do anything with this woman drifted away because it wasn’t what Vi wanted.

No. What Vi wanted was raven hair. Blue eyes. Long legs. Lean, deceptively strong muscle under porcelain skin. A small tooth gap in the sweetest smile.

Vi dug her fingertips into her closed eyelids until she saw the bursts of deep blues, yellows, and reds.

Fuck.

“What? What is it?” The blonde woman asked, trying to coax her hand away.

Vi took a step back. “I’m sorry. I can’t do…this. You’re probably a great girl and a fun time, but I just…can’t. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us.” But Vi didn’t mean it wouldn’t be fair to this unnamed girl. She meant it would be unfair to Caitlyn. Why that is or whether that was true, Vi didn’t know exactly, but she felt it in her gut. “Have a good night.”

She walked back to the elevator with her hands in her pockets. Leaving a girl like that was not something Vi ever did. She swore she wanted the distraction, needed it, but when she got there, everything was wrong. The smell, the taste, the sounds, the feelings. None of it was clicking. It was all a heavy foot on the brake. All she could think about was how this girl wasn’t Caitlyn fucking Kiramman. Caitlyn fucking Kiramman. Her coach. The one person in this world she wasn’t supposed to want.

_______________________

Caitlyn was back in their hotel room. She had changed into her t-shirt and shorts and sat in bed jotting down notes about Vi’s last fight. It’s not that she wanted to even be thinking about Vi, but she figured she might as well put the free time to good use. Also, she couldn’t help but think about Vi. That infuriating redhead who was probably railing some random woman right now. Not that that mattered. Caitlyn shouldn’t care because she couldn’t do anything with Vi anyway, even if she wanted to, and she didn’t want to. It would be unprofessional and messy.

So why did it hurt so bad to see some other girl dragging Vi away from her? Some woman who probably didn’t know a damn thing about Vi was allowed to be intimate with her, and that was maddening. Caitlyn hated that this even upset her. It shouldn’t. It so shouldn’t.

She stared at Vi’s name written on the page in front of her, and the thought of when Vi walked up to her at the end of the fight and wrapped her tired arms around her. It played over and over again in her mind. In that moment, Caitlyn didn’t care about the sweat that coated Vi’s body or the blood. She basked in that embrace and let Vi lift her up. For the first time, Caitlyn didn’t care about the audience or the cameras around them. It was just the two of them.

Caitlyn groaned and threw her head back into the piled pillows behind her. This was pointless. Vi could never be hers.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Vi emerged from the little hallway. Her eyes were big and sheepish. It seemed like she didn’t really want to make eye contact with Caitlyn as she walked over to her bed that was next to Caitlyn’s. This hotel at least had not made the mistake of only giving them one bed.

Caitlyn checked the time on her phone. It had only been about twenty minutes since she left the restaurant downstairs. That was odd. Truthfully, she didn’t expect to see Vi again until morning.

“That was fast,” Caitlyn remarked.

Vi rifled through her suitcase, taking out her sports bra and shorts that she slept in. “Nothing happened.”

“Really? You didn’t—”

Vi turned around, the bundle of clothes being strangled in her grip, and cut Caitlyn off, “I know I have this stupid reputation about being a womanizer or whatever, but that’s not all there is to me, okay? I don’t just go around looking for my next lay.”

“Vi, I didn’t mean—” Caitlyn tried, but Vi was rambling on.

“I give a shit about people, and it’s not always about sex. That’s probably surprising to people like you or Mel. Sometimes I make a bad judgement, and that was tonight. I couldn’t do it. When I looked at her, she wasn’t—” Vi stopped herself mid-sentence. Her eyes were wide again, and her cheeks began to blush. It was a curious reaction to watch.

Caitlyn turned in her bed to fully face her. “Vi, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.” She put her hand on top of Vi’s, easing the fingers that were tensed around the clothes. “I know you care about people. I don’t view you as being shallow.”

Vi let out a deep exhale through her nose and looked down at Caitlyn’s hand. “I’m sorry I abandoned you down there.”

“It’s okay. We all have urges.”

“No,” Vi whispered.

Caitlyn couldn’t help but think that Vi looked sad, and Caitlyn knew that look. Vi was battling something inside herself. There were words on the tip of her tongue that she kept biting down. All she wanted to do was pull Vi in close, but she was worried about the potential that Vi would pull away from her.

“I’m going to get ready for bed,” Vi said, and she headed to the bathroom.

When Vi came back out in her sports bra and shorts, Caitlyn could see the bruises along her ribs. She really took a minute to take Vi in. This girl was in rough shape. Aside from those bruises, there were more that lined her legs, and there was the cut along her brow and a very slight swelling along the brow bone. For a moment, Caitlyn thought maybe Vi didn’t want the girl to see all of this, but if Vi was known as a bit of a womanizer, Caitlyn determined this couldn’t have been the reason.

A knock sounded at their door, and both women turned to face the noise.

“I’ll go check,” Caitlyn stated. “You can get comfortable. You need to rest.”

Vi nodded and began to move her bedsheets so she could get into the bed while Caitlyn made her way to the door. She looked out of the peephole and could make out bright red hair. This had to be Katarina, but Caitlyn was puzzled as to why this fighter would show up at their room at this hour.

She opened the door and stepped out, using the latch lock to prevent the door from closing fully. When she turned to face Katarina, the woman was grinning warmly at her. She definitely looked worse than Vi. Various cuts lined her face, and a bruise was forming along the bridge of her nose.

“Katarina, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Caitlyn asked curiously.

“Well, I know this is probably really awkward since your fighter just beat the hell out of me earlier, but,” she rubbed at the back of her neck, “I saw Vi leaving the bar with some chick, and I thought maybe you’d be looking to score, too?” Green eyes glanced up at her timidly. “Why should Vi have all the fun, right?”

This was not at all what Caitlyn anticipated. She tried to form a sentence, but she was honestly at a loss for words.

Instead of waiting in an uncomfortable silence, Katarina continued, “You’re really beautiful, and I think it would be a shame if someone didn’t make you feel that way.”

“Katarina,” Caitlyn started, “I am flattered, truly. That’s all very…sweet of you to say, but I’m not really looking to partake in any sort of relations like that.”

The fighter stuck her hands in the pockets of her sweatpants. “Right,” she said sadly, “I get it. Well, if you change your mind, I’m down the hall. Room seven forty-two.”

Caitlyn gave a kind smile toward the girl for her attempt. “Have a good night.”

“You, too.”

After closing and locking the door, Caitlyn made her way back into her bed, fully aware that Vi was watching her the entire time. She was waiting for the question.

“Who was that?”

“Katarina.”

Vi’s head perked up from her pillow, “I can’t stand her. I swear she wants to be like my carbon copy. Why the hell was she here?”

“She…well, she wanted to see if um…if I wanted to—”

Vi leaned up on her elbow. “She wanted to fuck you?”

“If you’d like to put it so crudely, yes.”

There was a minute of silence between them. Within that time, Caitlyn turned off the light, and the only illumination now came from the slivers of moonlight between the curtains.

“Why didn’t you?”

“Why didn’t I want to have sex with her?”

“Yeah.”

Caitlyn thought on it for a few seconds. It had been many, many months since she had sex with someone, but that wasn’t because she didn’t want to have sex or didn’t like it. She was often a homebody, which made it difficult to meet people. In reality, she probably could’ve had some fun with Katarina, but she held herself back. Whatever excuses she thought up now were useless, however, because Caitlyn knew deep down that she didn’t want to do anything with Katarina because she wasn’t Vi. It was so foolish to deny herself pleasure like that because it’s not like she would ever actually get any of that from Vi anyway.

She settled on, “I’m not really big on one-night stands.”

_____________________

Vi didn’t believe that for a second. This insanely attractive woman didn’t partake in one-night stands? No way.

“You’re trying to tell me you’ve never had a fling? One spicy night to never see her again.”

Caitlyn laughed, “No, I’m not saying that, but I haven’t done that in a very long time. It’s not really what I’m looking for I guess. Well, not with Katarina anyway.”

That last comment hung in the air between them and left Vi spinning. Did that mean if it wasn’t Katarina that she would’ve done something with someone else? What if that someone was…Vi? She shook her head in the darkness. She was so sick of her own incessant thoughts about what it would be like to be with Caitlyn. This was all probably because it was forbidden. People always want what they’re not supposed to have, right? Had to be it.

Vi rolled over in her bed, wrinkling the excessively puffy comforter. She couldn’t stay still. Couldn’t get comfortable. Couldn’t stop thinking. She rolled back on her side and stared in Caitlyn’s direction. With the fragments of moonlight, Vi could just make out the shape of Caitlyn under the covers in the bed next to her. It would be so easy to find out what it’d be like. So easy to quench the thirst. To simply get it out of her system so they could both move past the pesky what-ifs. She figured Caitlyn had to have had these thoughts. The way she looked at her during the match and let her eyes drift down to Vi’s lips said enough.

“Cait?” Vi whispered into the darkness.

“Yes, Vi?”

She swallowed heavily, “I bet you were pretty good at those one-night stands.”

Caitlyn giggled, “I never got any complaints.”

Vi smirked, even though she knew Caitlyn couldn’t see it. “You weren’t really sticking around to hear any.”

She could practically hear the returning smile in Caitlyn’s words, “I suppose that’s a fair point.”

A few beats of silence passed between them again as Vi debated her next words. Her next actions.

Fuck it. Let’s play our hand at this CaitVi shit.

“I bet you still are though,” Vi said in a hushed tone.

“Still what?”

“Good at one-night stands.”

Caitlyn didn’t say anything, but Vi heard her shift in the bed. In response, Vi slowly set her feet to the ground and closed the short distance that separated their beds. She moved the covers and began to slide her legs under the blankets. Her leg bumped up against Caitlyn’s, but still the taller woman didn’t say a word.

Vi continued to ease her way into the bed, and once she was there, she ushered forward until she could feel the heat of Caitlyn’s skin against her own. Vi then adjusted herself over Caitlyn’s body, propping herself up on her forearms. She was close enough now to make out the shape of Caitlyn’s face, her slender nose bumping up against Vi’s. On top of her, Vi could feel the way her breathing had sped up with each second Vi got closer. And still Caitlyn hadn’t uttered a sound.

She wondered if Caitlyn could feel her heart pounding against her ribcage, the way her breath shook with each exhale, or if she knew how desperately she wanted more.

Vi leaned closer and ghosted her lips along Caitlyn’s. Just from the minimal contact, Vi could feel how soft they were, but she needed a full taste.

“Is this okay?” Vi asked. Her lips grazed against Caitlyn’s with each word.

Finally, Caitlyn spoke, and if Vi hadn’t been so close, she wouldn’t have heard it.

“Yes.”

A simple confirmation.

Vi ran her lips along Caitlyn’s jaw until she bumped up against her earlobe. She whispered, “Good…because I don’t want to stop.”

She tugged gently at Caitlyn’s earlobe between her teeth, and she heard Caitlyn’s breath catch in her throat. Vi planted kisses back along Caitlyn’s jawline, and then she pulled away for the briefest of second when she reached near her chin. Opening her eyes, even in the sparse dim light from the moon, she could see Caitlyn’s half-lidded eyes staring at her wantonly, and it made Vi ravenous. She crashed her lips into Caitlyn’s unceremoniously with enough force they could bruise. Her lips were as soft as she imagined, and when Caitlyn opened wider, creating an entry for Vi’s tongue to meet her’s, Vi dashed her tongue along that perfectly imperfect gap between Caitlyn’s front teeth.

The more they kissed, the more Caitlyn let out breathy little moans and scratched at Vi’s back, and it only made Vi want to draw more out of her. She wanted to hear the full chorus of sounds Caitlyn had in her.

Vi nipped at Caitlyn’s neck, switching from pulling the skin between her teeth to gently sucking at the tender skin, and simultaneously, she ran her hand down Caitlyn’s body until she found her shorts. Her fingers moved the shorts and underwear out of the way, and when her fingertips ran through Caitlyn’s folds, Vi let out a deep moan at how wet Caitlyn was. Slick coated her as she moved up and down before circling Caitlyn’s clit under her fingers. She added more pressure to the movement and bit at Caitlyn’s neck, and the moan the woman let out was enough to make Vi feel her own wetness spilling onto her underwear.

She needed more. Vi removed her hand, earning a whimper from Caitlyn, and began scooting her body downward. In between Caitlyn’s legs, Vi removed the topsider’s shorts and soaked underwear with haste. She slid her fingers through the folds once more, gathering some wetness on her fingertips, and glided her middle and ring fingers into Caitlyn’s entrance. As she hooked her fingers inside, Vi leaned her face in and rolled her tongue over Caitlyn’s bud. The response from Caitlyn was immediate; long fingers entangled in Vi’s hair and guttural moans escaped her. With each hook of her fingers, Vi could feel the warm walls grow tighter around her. Every second Vi could feel Caitlyn growing closer, so she flicked up and down with her tongue, building up the pressure by sucking on the swelling area. She couldn’t help it, and she added a third finger to thoroughly fill Caitlyn. The fingers in her hair pulled harder, but Vi didn’t care. She was enjoying herself too much.

Caitlyn was on the edge. Vi could tell because she started grinding motions on Vi’s tongue and her fingers were straining each passing minute to continue their pulse. Lifting her head quickly, Vi spoke, “Come on, Cupcake. I need to really taste you.”

Those words sent Caitlyn over the edge.

“Nnngh, right there! Vi! Oh my god! Vi! Don’t…Don’t stop…”

Her entrance tightened around Vi’s fingers, and Vi felt the slick gathering as Caitlyn let out an enraptured moan. Her body shook from head to toe in quakes of orgasm, and her toes curled in the blanket next to Vi’s legs.

Once Caitlyn stopped trembling, Vi wasted no time burying her tongue into Caitlyn’s folds, lapping up her mess. Caitlyn let out a gasp from the sensation. At the taste, Vi moaned into her, sending vibrations through the topsider.

“Vi,” Caitlyn’s eyes closed and back arched in euphoria. Another breathy, “Vi,” escaped her lips, and her hands dug at the bedsheets. It was as though Vi’s name was the only language she knew. She wanted to hear Caitlyn sound like this every single night, calling out her name between needy whines and breathless moans.

With one last lick, Vi stopped and looked up at Caitlyn, and the view was exquisite to say the least. Caitlyn’s folds were glistening from the mixture of her slick and Vi’s saliva. Even though Caitlyn still had her shirt on, she could see the heaving of her chest rising and falling rapidly as she worked to catch her breath. At the sight, the heat was heightening between her own thighs, and Vi was suddenly aware of the clothes that still clung to her own skin.

Caitlyn’s eyes slowly refocused onto Vi. She sat up and pulled at Vi’s chin, drawing the fighter up to her. With force, Caitlyn pressed her lips against Vi’s, taking in the taste of herself as her tongue danced with Vi’s. When she broke from the kiss, Vi was met with Caitlyn’s bewitching smile, and she felt her breath hitch in her chest. It was unbelievable how irresistible Caitlyn was to her in this moment.

“Your turn,” the words were velvety smooth from Caitlyn’s lips.

With swiftness, Caitlyn wrapped her legs around Vi and rolled her onto her back like she was a damn MMA fighter. Now with the roles reversed, Caitlyn kissed down Vi’s abdomen before stopping at the hem of her shorts. She lowered the fabric down Vi’s legs, taking the underwear with it. Vi’s hand drifted into the dark hair, and she tenderly tucked the mussed locks behind Caitlyn’s ear.

In response, Caitlyn leaned forward, placing a kiss against Vi’s muscular thigh. Her lips grazed over the smooth skin, and Vi could feel each little exhale along her thigh, which sent goosebumps up her spine. A long kiss marked Vi’s inner thigh, and as she bit down on her lip, she locked eyes with Caitlyn and watched with eager anticipation as Caitlyn’s mouth met the most sensitive part of her.

Vi’s head leaned back and hands tangled in long, blue hair. She closed her eyes to concentrate on every movement that flowed from Caitlyn’s lips. Never had someone worked Vi up like this, and never had someone understood what her body needed as well as Caitlyn did now. It was like Caitlyn knew her body better than she did. Her tongue reached Vi’s entrance, and she could feel the vibrations from the moan Caitlyn let out at the taste of her, which sent Vi into a frenzy of arousal. When Caitlyn’s tongue returned to Vi’s clit, she felt the brush of fingers around her entrance, and slowly, Caitlyn slid two fingers inside, never stopping her tongue.

Rapt in all that was Caitlyn, Vi let out a moan from the deepest parts of her body. She felt Caitlyn’s free hand move its grip from her thigh and up Vi’s abdomen. Caitlyn’s arms were so long that it was easy for to reach under Vi’s sports bra and squeeze at her breast. The pull at her nipple made everything in her light up like a switchboard. Everything was on.

Her body shivered and her orgasm rushed past her lips shutters of breaths and moans. At the intensity, Vi’s body curled forward and everything moved through her in a blur. Her hands were still in Caitlyn’s hair, but as Caitlyn’s lips gently departed her lower ones, Vi’s fingers loosened their grip.

Caitlyn sat up on her knees and flung her shirt off of her, which allowed Vi to see her fully nude, and it was like witnessing the unveiling of an artist’s finest work. Her stomach was smooth with the etching of abs just visible. Her breasts were full and nipples delicately raised. Vi was in awe at the woman in front of her.

Vi watched as Caitlyn positioned her body so their legs crossed in a way that allowed Caitlyn’s wet slit to press up against Vi’s pulsing one. Caitlyn began to rock and rub back and forth, and Vi was in pure ecstasy. Caitlyn held onto Vi’s thigh to anchor and balance herself. Her long, lean body flowed like waves in an ocean. The longer she watched Caitlyn enjoy the ride, the more Vi let go, letting every push against her folds bring her closer to another release. She clawed at Caitlyn’s thighs and cupped her breast, all while continuing to match the rhythm of Caitlyn’s hips.

She moaned, “Fuck, Cait, I’m so close.”

Caitlyn grinned with glassy eyes as she continued to grind on Vi, “Me, too. Keep steady with me. Don’t stop.”

Vi shook into Caitlyn, grabbing at her hips as she came. Caitlyn’s orgasm followed in suit, and when it passed, she rested on top of Vi. Their bodies were both damp with sweat, but neither of them cared. Vi worked to calm her breathing as Caitlyn’s chest heaved on top of her’s.

After a few minutes, they were lying side by side, and Vi began to gently kiss up Caitlyn’s neck and jaw until she reached her lips. Their kisses were slow and sloppy. Tired but unwilling to give each other up just yet.

In this peaceful bliss, Vi realized she’d never felt so connected to someone before, and that quick realization rippled through her like molten lava, setting her insides on fire. She’d worry about the destruction it left in the morning.

Chapter Text

Her body felt loose, fully at ease, and she was enveloped in warmth in the cocoon of hotel blankets. The incoming sunrise began to peak through and brighten the dreamy escape of their room. Caitlyn’s bleary eyes fluttered open slowly in the slivers of sunlight that crept through the curtains. As she wiped the sleep away, her vision adjusted, and the blurry swirl of bright, warm colors in front of her sharpened.

Vi.

Inches from her, Vi was sleeping soundly under the covers. At first, Caitlyn’s eyes widened in shock at the proximity, but then as she took in how peaceful Vi appeared, she calmed down herself. It was the most serene Caitlyn had ever seen her. The longer she stared, watching Vi’s nostrils flare gently with each breath and her eyes slowly dance under their lids, the more her chest lightened and fizzed, and the memories of the night flooded back to her.

All the ways Vi touched her throughout the night were etched onto her skin as each grip from those fingertips and every press of those scarred lips left behind a trail of fire. Burning, destroying, and creating something new in its wake. Vi took hold of her body like no other, and for the first time, Caitlyn felt like she knew what intimacy was really supposed to feel like, being so close to someone that they become a part of you. It wasn’t even what Vi did between her legs that made her feel this way but rather the way Vi breathed her in. Calloused hands were so gentle yet firm along her body, taking time to make her feel cared for. Gray eyes saw into Caitlyn’s very core, accepting every flaw and matching every desire and adoration. It was the way Vi kissed her neck and jaw so tenderly in only the way a true lover can that left Caitlyn melting. It was the way Vi said her name as though for first time and made Caitlyn want to hear it spoken just as it was then over and over again.

Cautiously, Caitlyn stretched out her arm and hovered her hand over Vi’s lips. She could feel the slow exhales on her fingertips. As lightly as she could, she grazed her finger along the scar on Vi’s top lip. Then her thumb brushed over the Roman numeral “VI” on her cheek, which was surrounded by lightly-colored freckles. She finished by tucking the red strands of hair behind Vi’s ear, still decorated with piercings. All the while, Vi did not wake. She hardly stirred, only pressing deeper into her pillow at the end of Caitlyn’s caress.

She wanted to stay in this moment with Vi for eternity. She wanted to forget that the rest of the world outside existed. She wanted to nestle into Vi’s arm and fill the space between her neck and shoulder. She wanted to have Vi’s lips all over her again and feel the warmth every touch would leave behind.

But she couldn’t.

Those dreams, that kind of life, was for a different time. A time when responsibilities and fear of complications would no longer hang over their heads.

And, so, Caitlyn removed her hand from Vi’s hair and tore herself from Vi’s side to start getting herself together for the day. However, the entire time that Caitlyn got ready, her head was a jumbled mess of thoughts about what to do once Vi awoke. She questioned everything. Would Vi act like nothing happen? Would Vi ask to continue their…whatever this was? Was there even something there between them from Vi’s perspective? How could she go back to being just Vi’s coach? Could she handle pretending none of this happened and just be friends? Her brows continued to furrow with anxiety as she spit her toothpaste into the sink and rinsed her mouth. When she finally stepped out of the bathroom and looked over at Vi, who was still fast asleep, Caitlyn decided she would grab them breakfast as an attempt to prolong waking up Vi and having to have a likely very awkward conversation.

Once down in the lobby, Caitlyn made her way to the breakfast bar. There was a line filled with impatient and hurried travelers grabbing a bite to eat before heading out to the airport, which was where Caitlyn and Vi would be in a few hours. As she waited in line, Caitlyn pulled out her phone and called the only person with whom she could share her troubled thoughts.

Jayce’s voice was groggy, which didn’t surprise Caitlyn since it was still quite early in the morning. He yawned, “H-hello?”

“Good morning, Jayce.”

“Caitlyn, it’s…” he paused, “seven in the morning.”

“I’m aware,” she responded, timidity creeping into her voice.

“What’s going on?”

She exhaled, “I’m ready to be honest.”

After a beat, recognition filled his words, “Oh, you do like her.”

Caitlyn narrowed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Jayce, I slept with her last night.”

That caught his attention. All form of sleepiness disappeared from his speech. “Whoa. That was fast.”

“Well, I suppose technically she slept with me since she made the first move.”

“That technicality so does not matter, Cait. You had sex with your fighter,” he stated as a fact. Jayce was always good at not sounding accusatory or judgmental so as not to upset Caitlyn. “I knew you obviously had a thing for her, but I wasn’t actually expecting you to let this happen. At least not during the season.”

“I know,” she said defeatedly.

There was a few beats of silence. She could hear the smirk in his voice, “So, how was it?”

He’s ridiculous.

“Jayce!” She chided.

With a laugh, he asked mockingly, “What? Sorry, is it too crude to ask?”

Still, she couldn’t help but grin and blush in return. “It was…absolutely unbelievable. It’s like she was the maestro and my body was the orchestra.”

He groaned, “Only you would make a reference to classical music sexual.”

She laughed, “Hold on one second.”

Caitlyn ordered some breakfast sandwiches and two iced coffees and walked over to the side counter to wait for her order.

Caitlyn continued her conversation with Jayce as she waited, “Sorry about that. I was just ordering some food for Vi and myself.”

“And speaking of Vi, what are you going to do about that?” Jayce asked.

With an exhale, Caitlyn responded, “I…I don’t know. That’s kind of why I called you to get your opinion.”

“It could get messy, Cait, you know? You start dating and say you have a fight. What happens during training? Is it going to affect her matches?”

“I…we wouldn’t…it…” Caitlyn’s words trailed off. He had a point. If anything disturbed Vi’s progress, Caitlyn would never forgive herself. She could in no right mind say she and Vi would never fight, particularly when Jayce thought Vi was a hothead, a point he was not totally wrong about.

“Look, Cait, this might be easier for both of you if you two just end it here.” He quickly added, “That’s not to say you can’t try something after the championship.”

Caitlyn grabbed her order when it came up on the counter and gave a silent nod of thanks to the workers. “I suppose you’re right. We could just put a pin in it for the time being.”

But even as Caitlyn said the words, she didn’t fully believe she could keep her word at putting her feelings on hold. When Vi climbed on top of her last night, Caitlyn knew she should’ve stopped then. When Vi’s lips ghosted her own, Caitlyn knew her answer should’ve been no, but she couldn’t stop it. She didn’t want to. It was too late, and she wasn’t confident enough in her resolve to believe she’d have the wherewithal to keep everything platonic. All she could do now was try.

“Anyway, I’m heading back up to the room. Thank you for listening, Jayce.”

“Any time, Cait.”

“Wish me luck,” she exhaled.

________________________

Vi stretched out fully on the bed. The muscles in her limbs unwound with each extension, and for once, she felt completely relaxed. Granted, her body still ached in spots where too many punches landed from the previous nights, but overall, she felt relaxed and content. Squinting her eyes open, adjusting to the light of day, Vi turned back onto her side and noticed Caitlyn was gone; however, the smell of bacon had reached her nose. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and propped herself up on her elbow to find Caitlyn standing by the window, peering out to the horizon and sipping on coffee.

Leaning against the wall, the woman looked deep in thought. Vi watched her tuck hair behind her ear. It was such a delicate gesture, and Vi could’ve watched it a thousand times over. She wanted to get up and mimic it. She wanted to brush the hair behind Caitlyn’s ear and follow her finger along her narrow jawline and cup her chin to pull her in for a kiss. She wanted to let a simple touch like that lead into recreating last night again so she could get lost in everything that was Caitlyn Kiramman.

But at the thought of last night, Vi realized it might not be that simple. Hours ago, Vi said to hell with it all and gave in to every desire she knew she was supposed to bury away, but now where did that leave them? This wasn’t a relationship that was conventional given their work situation. Was it even a relationship anyway? Vi knew what she wanted. She wanted Caitlyn six ways to Sunday, whatever the label. But would Caitlyn want that? It’s not like she stopped Vi. How was Vi supposed to even bring any of this up casually? She had to begin somewhere, and letting Caitlyn know she was awake seemed like the best place to start.

“Breakfast in bed?” Vi asked playfully, grabbing the wrapped sandwich that was next to her on the nightstand.

Caitlyn turned around to face her, and Vi could tell there was something amiss in her eyes. While Vi’s words brought Caitlyn back to the present, her gaze still seemed distant. There was a troubled cloud brewing behind them. Vi got up from the bed, quickly throwing on her shorts that had been tossed to the floor, and walked over to Caitlyn.

She tenderly placed her hand on Caitlyn’s cheek and thumbed under her eye. “What’s wrong?”

“Vi,” Caitlyn breathily started, “last night was…”

Fucking incredible. Hot. Amazing. Exquisite. Perfect.

“…wonderful.”

Vi dropped her hand down and smiled as she dropped her gaze to her fidgeting fingers.

“But you and I…”

She swore her heart stopped. It stopped and dropped down into a cavernous pit in her stomach that threatened to swallow her whole. Vi knew what came next.

Can’t happen.

“…we can’t afford to distract ourselves.”

Why does it have to be a distraction? Why can’t it be an added bonus?

“We have a goal. If we continued anything between us, it could become messy and difficult to navigate.”

Vi still couldn’t make eye contact. She wanted to shrink away back under the covers and restart to see if she could find a different outcome to the morning after it all. She wanted to tell Caitlyn how it didn’t have to be difficult or complicated.

It could be beautiful.

“We shouldn’t keep doing any of…that,” she motioned toward the bed.

But you’re all I’ll be able to think about. The way you tasted. How you sounded. Your body. The way you understood me. Got me. The way we listened to our body language. How perfectly you molded to me.

Vi’s eyes were beginning to lose their focus on her hands, and her vision was getting blurry. They didn’t feel hot, but they were empty, cold and dry with disbelief. And, yet, somewhere deep down in Vi, part of her expected this as the response Caitlyn would have because she was, in the end, a professional, putting their careers above careless wants. Vi knew rejection was always a possible option.

That didn’t make it hurt any less.

Caitlyn’s shaky accent broke Vi’s thoughts. “You understand, right?”

She lied, “Yeah, of course. Totally.”

Finally, she looked back up at Caitlyn, and her expression was filled with shock. Her brows were raised up her forehead above wide eyes, and her mouth was left parted in a small circle, contemplating how to form her next words. Something else swirled in those blue pools. Sadness?

“Y-you know, Vi, if the circumstances were different, perhaps we could—”

If the circumstances were different we would’ve never talked to each other in the first place.

Vi cut her off, “Don’t sweat it, Cupcake. It happened, and it’s done. We’re adults. We can move past it like adults. That’s how one night stands work, right?”

Caitlyn set her lips into a short line, and her eyes fell to the ground as she answered, “Right.”

Vi found it an odd reaction considering Caitlyn was the one proposing they end everything here. Still, seeing Caitlyn’s demeanor deflate, all Vi wanted to do was embrace the taller woman and tell her that they didn’t need to call anything quits. They could make it work. She wanted so desperately to move closer, reach for her cheek again, but she didn’t. Instead, she let the disappointed look on Caitlyn’s face burn into her mind, and she turned away to get herself together for their flight.

They packed up silently. Their flight home was mostly silent aside from the few passing comments shared between them, and Vi hated every second of it. When she awoke this morning, she didn’t expect to feel so far from the one person she’d felt the most connected to a night before. She wasn’t sure whether or not to hope the holiday would give her the break from Caitlyn she needed to get over her or make Caitlyn realize she wanted Vi.

When they got off the plane and headed out to wave down their taxis. It was a brisk afternoon. The weather would progressively start to get cooler now as they entered winter. Caitlyn hesitantly swiveled to face Vi.

“Do you have plans for the break?” Caitlyn asked.

Vi shrugged, “Not really. Probably just a big dinner with the family.” She paused, “And I guess whatever you and my sister have planned is on the list, too.”

Caitlyn smiled timidly, “Yes, there is that.”

“What about you?”

“About the same. Jinx’s surprise…” Her lips downturned and eyes fogged over, “and then seeing my parents at some point.”

A taxi pulled up between them. Vi gestured to it and said, “You take it, Cupcake. I’m fine waiting for the next one.”

She nodded with a halfhearted smile, “Okay. Thank you.” Caitlyn took a step toward the taxi, but then paused to glance back at Vi again. She took one step toward Vi, but stopped herself as her eyes dropped to the ground. “Have a merry Christmas, Vi.”

It was searing the pain Vi felt in that moment as she restrained herself from scooping Caitlyn up into her arms and jumping in that taxi with her. Nothing would’ve been sweeter than to have spent the plane ride planning their week off together and heading to Caitlyn’s house to binge watch some shitty television series, but instead, they had to do this. Vi clenched her fist until her fingernails dug into the skin hard enough to leave crescents.

“You, too, Caitlyn.” She was unsure if she masked the upset well enough. Regardless, she watched Caitlyn get into that taxi, and her eyes stayed glued to it until it rounded the bend and was out of sight.

*******

Three days passed at an agonizing snail’s pace. Each day would start the same. Vi checked her phone, foolishly hoping for a text or phone call from Caitlyn, and each time, she was let down. She’d trudge to the bathroom to get herself together, eat a quick breakfast, and wait about an hour to let it digest, which usually led to aimless scrolling on the internet, reading stupid fucking article after article about the UFC until her eyes locked on the name Kiramman. That also would spiral into her searching up that hashtag CaitVi where she would see absolutely insane fan edits or pictures of her and Caitlyn together from the matches and weigh-ins. People had a way of finding every minute detail, every glance the two stole no matter how quick. She tried to stay away from the fanart. Vi decided she rather not see the creative and passionate work from fans. Besides, none of it matched up to the real deal, which only made Vi think of Caitlyn more.

Once she tired of all that, Vi put on her running shoes and a jacket and headed out. She would head to Dynasty Trails, the spot Caitlyn showed her, and run with no mapped out course, no tracking of miles. She just ran until her lungs felt burned from the chill and ice picks stabbed inside her chest. If she had to guess, she ran about five miles up and five back to her car. While she was on the trail, her mind was focused on the movements. The way her foot hit the ground under her. The way her arms kept slack at her sides to conserve energy. How she breathed in through her nose and out of her mouth, trying to keep a steady breath. The sound of frigidly crisp leaves that crunched under her. It was the one activity that helped her clear her head.

Until she stopped running.

The past three days, she would run until she hit a plateau. It was a different spot each time, but it always gave her a great view of the surrounding area. She could see trails that seemed unending, the vast landscape of tall pines around her, and a river that split the land in two. On the third day, she took her rest on a hill that gave her a picturesque view of the Piltover skyline. As she studied those tall, pristine buildings in the distance she could only think of one person who resided there. When her mind found it’s way back to Caitlyn, she tried to convince herself she wasn’t just on these runs with the sick hope that she’d bump into Caitlyn, but the more she stared at those buildings and the more she thought about where Caitlyn was in those city streets, Vi found it harder to calm her breathing.

Caitlyn Kiramman wrecked havoc in her brain like a tidal wave. The memories of their trainings, their talks in the ring, their heart-to-hearts about their pasts, their one intimate night spent together, the way Vi fell asleep on Caitlyn so easily in Demacia, the way Caitlyn laughed when she watched that movie, and how Vi couldn’t get enough of her smile all washed to the surface. It was maddening the way this girl somehow made Vi an anchor, and Vi could only watch as Caitlyn tried to drift further to sea.

Of course, as she always did, Caitlyn had a point. Yes, continuing any sort of relationship could make their professional one complicated, but Vi wanted them to be each other’s lighthouse. A return to something familiar. The routine they’d built over their weeks together. The security they felt opening up to one another about their darkest times. However, what she hadn’t thought of was how sailors are actually meant to avoid the lighthouse so as not to crash upon the rocks. Vi was already shipwrecked.

With her mind a violent ocean, Vi threw her head back and yelled out to the sky. Her scream echoed around her. She interlocked her fingers behind her head leaning into them as she circled the space on the hill, no longer wanting to gaze at the city that mocked her because it held what she could not.

“What the fuck is wrong with me?” She asked to no one but herself, wiping her hands over her eyes.

When Vi made it back to her car, she decided she needed to go punch some shit, so she went to the gym. Normally on holiday break, Vi would actually keep out of the gym, but she could not imagine going home in with her mind in the state that it was. Luckily, thanks to the cooling weather and people traveling for the holidays, Vi was able to enjoy the space almost exclusively to herself.

Just as she began to land a few punches on the bag, Claggor found her.

“What the hell are you doing here? It’s your break,” he asked as he leaned against the beam next to her.

“I’m not allowed to exercise on break?” Vi asked, not bothering to look over at him.

He shrugged, “Didn’t say that. It’s just not like you.”

“Well,” she started, still avoiding eye contact, “getting closer to the championship rounds. I have to stay on top of my shit.”

“Sure,” he replied, giving her a curious once over before walking away.

With Claggor gone, Vi punched harder. Every hook, every uppercut, each cross came with as much power from her core as she could manage. She exhaled with every hit, letting the follow through make a dent in the bag.

She wasn’t sure how long she’d been at it, but it was long enough to work up a sweat. She could feel the trickles running down her neck and could see the beads forming on the end of her hair. It felt good to unleash without a care, without scrutiny. Though, if Caitlyn was here, she would tell her it’s never a good idea to train alone because it only ingrains your mistakes furth—

God, stop it!

Annoyed with her wandering, useless mind, Vi turned away from the bag and reeled her head back. When she straightened up and opened her eyes, she was suddenly hit in the face with a towel.

“How long have you been here? Geez, you’re sweaty.”

Jinx.

Ugh, Claggor must’ve texted her.

“I don’t know. An hour, maybe. Why are you here?” She asked as she used the towel that was so rudely thrown at her to wipe the sweat away.

“Just checking in on you. I’ve haven’t really heard from you since you’ve been home, which isn’t really like us,” she said with concerned, furrowed brows. Jinx took a seat on the nearby bench. “The surprise Caitlyn planned for me is all set up. It’s happening tomorrow night. Are you going to be there?”

Vi sat down next to her. “Of course I am. Are you going to tell me where there is?”

“It’s in Piltover. But, Vi, you have to dress up. Like fancy shit.”

She groaned and rolled her eyes, “I should expect nothing less with it being in Piltover. Do you even own fancy shit?”

“Psh, yeah,” Jinx leaned in teasingly, “Caitlyn and I went shopping.”

Vi felt her lips part marginally and her brows come together. “Seriously?” She asked incredulously. The last thing she could picture was her sister out shopping with a Piltie.

“Mhm. We’re going to look so damn good tomorrow night. So, what are you going to wear? You got fancy shit?”

Her breath caught in her chest briefly at the thought of Caitlyn in a gown or something of the sort. She imagined Caitlyn’s beautifully curves wrapped in a sparkling fabric, stealing the gazes of everyone in the room. These thoughts of a forbidden woman were incessant, and Vi caught herself still needing to answer her sister.

In an attempt to stifle thoughts about the topsider, she stood up and started putting her gloves and wraps back in her gym bag. “Yeah, I got fancy shit,” Vi smirked. In fact, Vi knew exactly what she was going to wear.

“Good,” Jinx said as she stood up. “I’ll send you all the details tonight.”

_________________

“Correct, Caitlyn. Excellent job.”

“Psh. Fucking know it all,” Marcus remarked loud enough for the rest of the class to hear.

It was people like Marcus that made Caitlyn hesitant to do anything in her classes. If she gave the wrong answer, which was never an option anyway, she’d be ridiculed, and if she gave the correct answer, they would harass her as a teacher’s pet. It was a lose-lose situation for her. As a Kiramman, she had a ton of weight on her shoulders to always be the best, in both academics and extracurriculars, especially with a mother like Cassandra Kiramman, but pushing herself so hard didn’t always win her favors with classmates. It wasn’t uncommon for Caitlyn to feel like a misfit in school.

At Marcus’s rude comment, Caitlyn felt her shoulders hunch forward and her back slide down in her chair. Her face felt warm, and she wished she could just disappear than have to listen to the bits of laughter from the boys around her.

An unexpected voice broke through the snickers, “Shut the fuck up, Marcus. You’re just mad because there’s nothing going on in your damn head.” This comment earned a new round of jeers.

“Marcus! Seraphine! Enough!,” Mr. Heimerdinger called out, “The next curse out of either of you will land you both in detention.

Caitlyn turned to her right to see a self-satisfied grin on the slender girl’s face. The pink blush applied to her cheeks was the only reason they appeared fuller than they really were, and the color nearly matched the pink of her long hair. Her smug stare left Marcus seething a few feet away. When those blue eyes glanced over in Caitlyn’s direction, they softened, and an endearing smile flashed her way.

Caitlyn turned back around in her seat before her cheeks got any hotter. She wasn’t used to receiving much attention, particularly not from girls as popular or beautiful as Seraphine. Truthfully, she wasn’t even fully sure what her physical reaction or the fact that she found Seraphine attractive meant. For years now, she knew when she felt something toward girls she had never felt when it came to boys; however, she never acted on any of those feelings. But for the rest of her class period, she couldn’t stop thinking about Seraphine’s candied smile.

“Seraphine,” Caitlyn called out as she walked over to the girl’s locker after class.

“Hey, Kiramman.” She gave that sweet smile again.

“I wanted to thank you for standing up for me in class.” Caitlyn was surprised at herself that she even found the words past her heart thumping loudly in her chest. “You didn’t have to do that, you know.”

“I know, but I wanted to. Besides, Marcus is a loser, so don’t listen to him.”

Those words caught Caitlyn completely off guard. She genuinely wanted to help her. It was almost an incomprehensible thought for Caitlyn. Annoyingly, she felt her face heating up once more. As quickly as she could, she averted her gaze to the ground.

Seraphine giggled, “Anybody ever tell you how cute you are when you blush?”

Her lips parted slowly in shock, and she was trying to decipher if Seraphine meant to be flirting with her. It had to be some sort of mistake. She had to be reading it all wrong. No way would Seraphine be serious. But when she glanced back up at those crystal eyes, they were still sincere. What she said next nearly floored Caitlyn.

“Want to go out and get some food or something after school? I know this cute coffee shop nearby.”

“Yes,” Caitlyn answered far too fast. She tried to slow it down and be nonchalant, “Yeah, that’d be cool.”

Another sugary giggle, “Cool. I’ll meet you by the main doors at the end of the day.”

Seraphine leaned in and gave Caitlyn a kiss on the cheek, erasing all doubts from Caitlyn’s mind about whether or not she meant to sound flirtatious. When those lips, slightly sticky with gloss, pressed lightly on her cheek, Caitlyn’s heart beat like a hummingbird’s. Her mind was dizzy like she was drunk, and her knees felt ready to give out underneath her as she watched Seraphine close her locker, smile, and walk away down the hall.

The curious voice of her best friend cut through the fog clouding Caitlyn’s mind. “Um, what was that?” Sky asked.

“I…I think I have a date,” she replied, still stunned.

Sky grabbed her arm, ready to rip it out of its socket, “Holy shit, Cait! She’s like one of the most popular girls in school. Do you know what that means?”

____________________

Vi opened the doors to the venue and was met with a burst of warm air, which was welcomed from the chill outside. She checked her coat and adjusted her outfit before walking into the main area. For her “fancy shit” outfit, Vi chose something that paid homage to the recent photoshoot she had with Caitlyn. It was a burgundy suit jacket and pants, and she left the jacket unbuttoned in order to see more of the satin black dress shirt underneath, which was also purposefully left unbuttoned enough to show a tasteful amount of cleavage, not that her rack was that large but still. Her sleeves were rolled to the elbow to display the tattoos along her toned arms. This was an outfit that she prepared to turn heads.

When she walked through the lobby and into the event hall, Vi was blown away. Jinx had left all the details out, so she had no idea what to expect. A song played lightly throughout the buzzing room, likely from a playlist created by Jinx. The walls of the hall were lined with her sister’s artwork, and the large room was filled with people, all appreciating the various pieces. From the looks of it, there seemed to be a good mix of Pilties and Zaunites, a crowd gathered by both Caitlyn and Jinx. The attention being shown to her sister’s art made Vi’s heart fill with pride and jumped to her throat. This was exactly what she deserved: recognition for all her tireless work.

Does she have somewhere to display her work? Like a school art show or a gallery of some kind outside of college?

This is why Caitlyn asked all those weeks ago. She, too, believed Jinx deserved the attention. The praise she was owed. Vi couldn’t believe that Caitlyn pulled this off. She actually found a space to rent out during the busy holiday season, got Jinx to finish all her pieces, and required it to be a formal event with everyone dressed to the nines. The further into the space Vi went and the closer she got to one of the hung paintings, she noticed a number and price tag next to it. Not only was this a gift for Jinx, it was an auction. For the first time, her sister was going to be able to sell her artwork and truly feel like a professional. Words could not express how excited Vi was for her or how grateful she was for someone like Caitlyn to take this on.

It didn’t take long for her to scan the room and find her sister. Jinx spotted her at the same time and waved like a maniac with a huge smile ripping along her face. She split from her group, which consisted of Vander, Ekko, Mylo, and Claggor who were all dressed in varying styles and colors of dress pants and shirts.

When Jinx ran over, Vi was yet again amazed. She wasn’t kidding when she said she was going to look good. Her dress was like nothing Vi had ever seen. It was a halter top that split down the middle in two pieces of black fabric connecting at the waist, which like Vi, had Jinx’s chest and midsection exposed up to just before her belly button. Her back was completely open, giving everyone a view of her cloud tattoos that went up her right side and onto her arm. What made this dress so special was the lower half. It flowed out like an airy gown, and on top of the black, splatters of neon colored paint decorated the bottom. It was truly unique and could not scream Jinx any louder if it tried.

Vi wrapped her arms around her sister, “Jinx, this is amazing.” She moved back, resting her hands on Jinx’s shoulders, taking her in. “You’re a real artist. Big leagues, selling your work.”

She snorted, “Hardly. Selling requires a buyer, and who knows if any of this will actually go. But it’s still crazy to have so many people laying eyes on my artwork. It’s validating, you know?”

They both looked around the room at the paintings lining the walls as Vi spoke, “Yeah. You’re definitely going to have people buying your stuff. They’d be stupid not to before it’s all worth thousands. ‘A Jinx Original,’” Vi ended, her hands framing out an imaginary title card in front of her.

“Wild to think none of this would’ve happened without your coach.”

“Yeah,” Vi agreed absently. She already felt her mind beginning to swirl at the mention of her. “Is she here?”

“Duh, of course she is.” Jinx popped up on her tiptoes and craned her neck around the crowd before pointing to a spot to their left. “There she is!”

It was as though the crowd separated like a sea being split in two when Vi finally saw her. Caitlyn was wearing a flowing baby blue dress that, like Jinx’s dress, was form-fitting at the top and flowed out at the waist. Past the corset style top, the thin chiffon fabric cascaded down its length in rippling, spiral pieces, breaking up the solidness of the dress and making it far more elegant. A portion of the translucent chiffon also wrapped around her arm to create an off-the-shoulder loop for the strapless dress. The color of the dress made her porcelain skin glow, her hair look a deeper blue, and her sapphire eyes pop in contrast, which Vi was only able to realize once Caitlyn’s eyes found her across the room.

They stared at one another mirroring similar expressions. All talking to their accompanying party ceased as they concentrated on only one another, as though they were the only two in this crowded room. Their eyes would shift from studying the length of each other’s bodies to locking eyes for a few seconds, both their chests halting to let out a breath.

Caitlyn was perfect.

Jinx definitely took notice of the wordless, exchange happening between the two women, and she stepped directly in front of Vi to end it. “Oh my god. Are you two done eye-fucking each other? If I didn’t know any better I would think you two actually did.”

If Vi was at a poker table, everyone would have been able to call her bluff. She could feel the flush breaking across her cheeks and onto her ears. Her eyes were marked with with ripe embarrassment.

Her sister seemed to know exactly what that look meant. She exclaimed, “Holy shit! You did!”

“What? Don’t be ridiculous,” Vi tried to play off, poorly, gripping the back of her neck.

Jinx’s eyes turned half-lidded in a disbelieving stare, “You cannot look me dead in the face and tell me you didn’t bone. You totally shat where you eat.”

Vi placed her hand over Jinx’s mouth, “It was one time! Now can you not scream about it?”

When she took her hand away, Jinx was smirking at her. “Tsk, tsk, sis. That’s like fucking your boss.”

She rolled her eyes, “No, it’s not. That would be Mel, which ew.”

“Whatever. Well, are you two dating now or what?”

“No. I can’t date my coach, Jinx.”

Her sister snorted again, “Well, that look said otherwise, so it looks like you have a lot to figure out.”

Before Vi could reply, a well-dressed man tapped Jinx on the shoulder. He was definitely one of the Piltover crowd. His suit was tailored perfectly and even his fingernails looked manicured. It definitely lacked the pull-them-up-by-their-bootstraps character of a Zaunite. This was someone who Vi probably would’ve tried to pickpocket in her youth.

“So sorry to interrupt,” he politely started, “but I wanted to find you before someone else had the chance. I would love to buy your piece over there. FireStarter. It is breathtaking.”

Jinx’s eyes lit up and bounced between Vi and this man, “R-really?”

“Oh, absolutely,” he grinned.

“Okay, I’ll be right there,” Jinx said before she turned back to Vi. “Big leagues, right? I’ll find you later. Go say hi to the boys,” she started to walk away but then turned back around to yell once more, “And don’t try to fuck her in the coat room.”

Vi wanted to wring her sister’s neck. Instead, she settled with a scowl as she watched her skip through the crowd.

She did as Jinx asked and went to find her brothers and Vander, putting off an encounter with Caitlyn for as long as she could. The two of them had not talked since they’d been home, and Vi certainly had no idea what she would even say to her. The thought of it made her stomach twist.

As she approached her family, Mylo called out, “Can you believe this, Vi?”

“What? That rich Pilties want to buy her shit? Yeah, I can, Mylo, because it’s actually good.”

“Yeah, sure, whatever,” Mylo hurriedly rush through. “I more so meant that Caitlyn helped her set this all up.”

Vi’s churning stomach dropped. She was never going to escape this woman.

“Yeah,” Ekko agreed, “who knew a Piltie had it in ‘em to actually do something like this for a Zaunite.”

“Caitlyn’s not like them,” Vi interjected, which caught the attention of her brothers.

“Oh, someone has a crush,” Mylo teased, earning him a punch from Vi. Claggor just regarded Vi curiously, and she felt her cheeks reddening.

“Shut up, Mylo. I’m just saying that Caitlyn actually cares about people,” she deflected.

“Hey, if she does stuff like this to get my girl recognized,” Ekko said, “I’m all for her sticking around, so maybe don’t just hit it and quit it, huh, Vi?”

Her eyes narrowed. He had the same affect as Jinx sometimes. Vi wanted to clock him. Instead, Vander broke it up.

“Boys,” he stated sternly, “why don’t you go get yourselves some refreshments.” Once they dispersed, Vander turned his attention to Vi. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

He chuckled, “Your brothers can be handful, but they’re right in the sense that this is quite the event Caitlyn organized.”

She exhaled, calming down, “Yeah, it is.”

“You and your sister are both doing phenomenal work. Your last few fights were impressive, Vi.”

“But?” She asked given his tone.

“No buts,” he replied. “I just want to make sure you’re getting the recognition and taking care of yourself. I haven’t heard from you since your break started. None of us have. And Claggor told me you were at the gym by yourself yesterday going ballistic on a punching bag.”

Since when did Claggor have a problem keeping his mouth shut?

“I promise I’m doing just fine, Old Man,” Vi said as she clapped his shoulder. “Everything’s good. I’ve been keeping up with some conditioning training since I’m inching closer to the title, but I’m sorry I didn’t contact anyone sooner.” She could tell Vander’s eyes held skepticism, but she wasn’t about to go spill her guts here and now.

“Are you still coming over on Christmas for our family dinner?”

“Of course I am. I wouldn’t miss tha—”

“Vi?”

That voice. Vi turned and, sure enough, Caitlyn was staring at her. She was even more stunning up close. Her gorgeously sharp features were heightened by the minimal makeup she adorned. Vi’s chest tightened as Caitlyn took another step closer to her, and Vi took drank in every detail, from the sudden smell of lavender to the delicate way the few pieces of loosely curled hair from Caitlyn’s updo bun swayed around her neck and jaw.

She finally remembered to speak when she noticed next to Caitlyn stood a man with the same midnight-blue colored hair, though his was graying. Some of his features matched Caitlyn’s precisely, the angular face, eye shape and color, their height. It was an easy guess that this was her father.

“Hi, Caitlyn,” Vi greeted stiffly as she extended her hand out.

Caitlyn looked down at it with an arched eyebrow and a confused lift at the corner of her mouth. She placed her hand lightly in Vi’s before speaking. “Vi, this is my father,” she stepped to the side to allow him to come forward, “Tobias.”

“A pleasure to meet you, sir,” Vi extended her hand out to him, which was a less awkward exchange.

He gripped it firmly and shook, “The pleasure is all mine, Vi. I’ve heard a great deal about you.”

From the corner of her eye, she saw Caitlyn’s head angle downward and cheeks turn the lightest shade of pink. It was outrageously adorable.

Tobias continued on, “Your fights have been exemplary.”

She was surprised to find that he watched the sport, but perhaps she should not have been since his daughter was the one ringside. “Oh, only thanks to your daughter, sir,” Vi replied with a charming smile.

“Please, you can call me Tobias.” His eyes moved to Vi’s side, “And you are?” He asked as he extended his hand.

Vander took it, dwarfing Tobias’s hand, and Vi answered, “This is Vander. He’s my old man.”

Tobias smiled warmly, “It’s wonderful to make your acquaintance. You’ve raised an excellent fighter.”

Vander’s expression only faltered for a moment. Vi knew it was always odd for Vander to hear about his raising of Vi since he didn’t do the majority of the raising; he only picked up where her parents left off untimely. She would never take away any credit from him, however, because he had to deal with her through some of her roughest years, and that definitely counted for something.

“You’ve raised one hell of a coach,” Vander stated in his burly voice, gesturing toward Caitlyn. “They’re lucky to have each other.”

“Indeed. We’ll have to cheers to that later,” Tobias grinned.

While the their fathers talked, Vi stole glances at Caitlyn and was eventually caught. Caitlyn stared back and held Vi’s gaze, and the smallest of smiles appeared at the edges of her lips. It was enough to make Vi’s own lift upward. She wished she knew what to say to this raven-haired woman in front her. She wished they were alone so she could tell her that these past four days without her had been abysmal, but then she realized that even if they were alone, it would change little. They were still in the midst of the season and meant to keep everything professional. It would be unlikely she would change Caitlyn’s mind now from only a few days apart.

Suddenly, the music stopped, and Vi heard Ekko’s voice over a speaker.

“If everyone could please join us. We have a special word from the artist, Jinx Lanes.”

A light applaud of welcome filled the room. Caitlyn and Vi made their way over to the small stage, which only housed a podium and a few feet of empty space next to it. In that space was an easel draped with a gray covering. A new song started playing over the speakers as Jinx walked up to the stage and grabbed the microphone. Without a doubt, chosen by her sister as an anthem.

She waved and laughed as she made her walk up to the stage, bubbly as ever. Her sister was beaming as she stared out at the audience. “Hello, everyone.” She cleared her throat, “I want to start by saying thank you for coming out to this gallery tonight. Honestly, I don’t think I’d ever have the right words to describe how much this means to me. My journey as an artist began when I was very young as a response to the many hardships I faced at such a young age. As my life crumbled around me, this,” she motioned to all her painting around her, “helped keep me together.

Well, this and my sister, Vi,” her arm extended out into the audience. She paused, “Vi, I know I never told you this enough when we were kids because when we were so little, it was easy to take things for granted, but you were my rock. When the paintbrush fell short, you were there to pick me up and keep us going. So, thank you.” She lowered the microphone and mouthed the words ‘I love you.’

Vi mouthed the words back. She’d rarely, if ever, heard her sister be so sincere and grateful for having her during their mess of a childhood, and it tore at every heartstring, plucking them one by one. Her eyes steamed and she refused to blink out a tear. A cool hand wrapped around her forearm, and when she looked over, she saw Caitlyn giving her a warm, closed-mouth smile that fully reached her eyes. Caitlyn’s slender fingers squeezed firmly around Vi’s arm, and instinctually, Vi placed her hand on Caitlyn’s. In that instance, she felt so close to her, like the morning after never happened.

Jinx sniffled and brought the mic back to her mouth. “And another thanks to you, Vi, for being a kick-ass fighter in the UFC because that brought me Caitlyn Kiramman, and without Caitlyn, none of this would’ve been possible.”

The attention back in their direction caused both of them to bashfully drop their grips and gaze from one another.

“Caitlyn,” Jinx continued, “thank you for believing my artwork was good enough to deserve a chance to be on display like this. I could have people tell me every day how much they enjoyed my work, but this makes me feel like a true artist. Saying thank you really isn’t enough, so I did something else. Remember when you asked my sister if I could paint you something?”

Jinx removed the sheet from the easel to reveal a painting. In the top left hand corner were swirls of shades of blue, and from the bottom right were strokes of reds and oranges and pinks. The two sides met together in the middle to form splatters of violets. Iridescent paints were used throughout to create a unique depth to the abstract piece. It was visually striking. Vi heard Caitlyn audibly gasp at the showing, and she couldn’t help but look over and grin. This woman was so genuine in every regard, and Vi wanted to swallow her sweetness up whole, to keep it forever for herself.

“Merry Christmas, Caitlyn,” Jinx added as the audience finished a light applause and hushed whispers. She moved away from the painting and faced the general audience. “Once again, it is a delight to have you all here, and an accomplishment that I’ll always remember. I hope you all enjoy your time. Remember, refreshments are along the wall to your left, and if you have any questions about any of the pieces, I’m happy to explain. Also, my work is for sale tonight, so I’ll take any inquiries about purchases. And if you post anything on socials, use the hashtag Get Jinxxed!” She blew an exaggerated kiss and hopped off the stage to the sound of claps from the audience.

As the crowd began to clear, Caitlyn and Jinx walked up to the stage to get a closer look at Jinx’s gifted painting.

Caitlyn’s hand clutched at her chest as she spoke, “It’s remarkable.”

Vi watched her as she inspected the artwork. She studied the ways her sinew moved under pale skin while she reached out to touch the dried brushstrokes, how her hips swayed with each step, how her eyes glinted under the lights, the way her hair bounced when she tilted her head, the slight shadow of her collarbone, and the flowing of her dress that glided along the floor. It was deafening the way Vi wanted to be near her. To drink her in so badly she’d be perfectly fine with drowning.

When Caitlyn turned back to Vi, they stared at each other in silence. Neither had actually really said anything since the initial greeting and introduction of their fathers, and there was so much hanging in the air between them. Heavy and palpable.

“Can we talk?” Vi asked. “Just…not out here. Bathroom? I’ll meet you in there in like a minute?”

Caitlyn nodded cautiously, “Okay.” She walked away toward the restroom.

Vi spent that minute garnering the courage to go meet Caitlyn with words that meant anything. She had no clue what she would say to her. Words seemed insufficient. Pointless. As the options ran through her mind, the more hopeless she felt. Each line sounded less meaningful than the last.

She took a deep exhale and opened the door to the bathroom. Walking down a short pathway, she turned to see the counter lined with sinks to her left, and Caitlyn was standing in front of them, arms folded in front of her with her hands cupped to her elbows. They stared at one another with enough electricity dancing between them to spark.

“No one’s in here,” Caitlyn managed.

Vi nodded slowly. She took a sharp inhale, “Thanks for doing this for Jinx. It’s really amazing.”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Caitlyn waved off. “This was easy enough to set up with my father’s connections at the Academy.”

She took a step forward, “Don’t downplay it. It means a lot that you did this for her.”

Caitlyn glanced down as Vi took another step. When her eyes landed back on Vi, she asked quietly, “Means a lot to you or to your sister?”

“Both of us,” Vi answered.

Silence fell once more.

“Vi,” Caitlyn started, and Vi loved the way her name sounded on those lips, “Why did you want to talk in private? Surely it wasn’t just to say thank you. If that were all you meant to say, I’d half expect you to make some grandiose speech out there to one-up your sister.”

She chuckled, “No, that wasn’t the only reason I wanted to talk.”

With another step, Vi was now inches from Caitlyn. She could see the goosebumps that lined Caitlyn’s skin from the chill of the air in the restroom compared to the busy area of the gallery. It occurred to Vi that she still didn’t really know what to say. She hadn’t actually figured that part out before she made it this far, and even if she had, her proximity to Caitlyn would’ve left her dumbfounded anyway.

She went with the only words that naturally wanted to topple out of her mouth since the moment she laid eyes on Caitlyn. “Has anyone told you that you look absolutely stunning tonight?”

Caitlyn narrowed her eyes, but a coy smile appeared, “Vi. Honestly.”

“Oh, I’m being honest, Cupcake, you look ravishing in this,” she flicked the fabric that hung around her bicep. “Delectable, even,” she added as she moved to be flush against Caitlyn.

Well, it’s not the coat room.

Vi could feel Caitlyn’s unsteady breath escaping her. She could see the color creeping onto her cheeks, and she watched as Caitlyn’s pupils dilated at their closeness. This was exactly what Vi had been craving, the feel of Caitlyn’s cool skin against her own blazing. Leaning forward, Vi traced her lips along Caitlyn’s exposed neck. When she reached the area behind Caitlyn’s ear, she planted a kiss and let it glide to the point where Caitlyn’s jaw hinged.

Caitlyn let out a breathy, “Vi…”

Continuing on, Vi peppered a few more kisses down Caitlyn’s neck to her collarbone. She had Caitlyn pressed back against the counter, and the woman’s hands were clawing the edge of the hard surface while Vi gripped at Caitlyn’s waist, pulling her in even closer, hip to hip. All Vi could breathe in was the flowery scent that was Caitlyn’s skin.

“Touch me,” Vi cooed into the crevice of her neck.

“Vi, we can’t,” Caitlyn weakly protested.

Vi backed away only enough to meet Caitlyn’s stare. “Look me in the eye, Caitlyn, and tell me you don’t want this. Tell me you don’t want this as much as I do.”

Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest as she searched those sapphire eyes for any indication to stop. But she didn’t find any. All she could see was the glassy marvel of want and quivering lips that dared not to speak those desires into existence.

Carefully, Vi leaned in and let her lips hover over Caitlyn’s, and they brushed hers as she continued, “I think you do.”

Vi closed her eyes and committed to the movement. She slowly pressed her lips fully onto Caitlyn’s, and Vi’s heart nearly burst in her chest when Caitlyn reciprocated the pressure back. With another firm kiss, Caitlyn’s hands left the counter and found their way up Vi’s back, digging in to keep them together. Vi’s hands ran up and down Caitlyn’s sides, adding force when the kiss deepened. As though they’d practiced with each other countless times, their mouths opened in rhythm to allow their tongues to dance.

Just when Vi felt like it was heating up to a dangerous temperature, they heard the door to the restroom swing open and the tapping of heels hitting the floor. The two separated quickly, and Caitlyn turned around to face the mirror, fixing her hair and wiping at her reddened mouth. Meanwhile, Vi was readjusting her shirt and suit jacket as the woman walked past them and into a stall.

Once the unexpected guest was out of sight, Caitlyn turned to her and whispered, “Vi, we really shouldn’t—”

Vi cut her off. She didn’t want to hear the rest of that sentence. She preferred to live in the previous few minutes before they were interrupted. “You head out. I’ll wait a few minutes before I go out there so no one gets suspicious, okay?”

The expression on her face was full of hurt, and it reminded Vi so much of the morning at the hotel. But Caitlyn simply nodded and turned on her heel to leave. Vi watched the dress flow behind her with each step.

When Caitlyn left the room, Vi placed her hands on the counter and leaned forward with her head down. Her mind was racing with uncertainties. What was she supposed to do now that she couldn’t even manage to keep her hands off Caitlyn in the few minutes alone they had together? They were going to have plenty of time with just the two of them from training to hotel stays. Did she even want to try to deny herself that intimacy? Did Caitlyn mean it when she told her this had to stop? If she did mean it, why did her eyes say otherwise? Was this some fucking point of no return that Vi royally fucked up?

Fuck me.

Vi ran her fingers through her hair and made for the door.

___________________

Caitlyn rushed out of the bathroom. Away from Vi. Away from those silver eyes that broke her down. Away from those intoxicating lips. Away from temptation of exploring hands.

This was not how the night was supposed to go. For the past four days, Caitlyn had kept herself thoroughly distracted organizing this event. When she wasn’t doing that she was watching more kickboxing videos or going to her own kickboxing classes in Piltover with Jayce, and he knew better than to bring the topic of Vi up if she didn’t first. Keeping the thoughts of Vi at bay was all she could do over the break because the way they left one another replayed in her mind all too often.

The nights were torturous. Many times she grabbed her phone and began to construct a message to Vi, detailing how she didn’t want anything to be awkward and meant for them to perhaps try a hand at romance when the season was done, but this wasn’t something deserving of a text message, a halfhearted attempt at communication. So, she’d delete her words over and over until she tossed her phone onto the bedside table.

When Vi was up against her moments ago, all rational thinking went out the window. Vi was right, she did want it. She wanted Vi’s lips and hands all over her and vice versa, but not like this. Caitlyn convinced herself it wasn’t the right time, but why couldn’t she voice that then?

Granted, in truth, Caitlyn had no idea what she was planning on doing or saying when she finally saw Vi, especially when Jinx said she hadn’t even heard from her all break. Something was clearly going on, and Caitlyn knew she was part of the reason for that. Knowing this troubled Caitlyn greatly, but when she saw Vi, dressed to drop jaws, it’s like her brain was fried and needed to reboot. But there wasn’t enough time for that before Vi had her pressed against the counter and her tongue was pushing past her lips, and gods it felt so good.

Stop, Kiramman.

Now out in the gallery, Caitlyn grabbed a glass of water from the refreshments table. She decided that before this break was over, she needed to carve out time to really have a serious talk with Vi and get everything off her chest.

“Caitlyn?”

No. It can’t be.

When Caitlyn turned around, she nearly choked on her water. Staring back at her was a thin face, almost too youthful, with bright, crystal blue eyes and a head of thick, long bubblegum pink hair. She was dressed in a white blouse, black short, velvet skirt, and dark gray tights with a crisscross design on them. The longer Caitlyn stood there and let reality hit her in the face, the more she wanted to throw up. This was really not how tonight was supposed to go.

“Seraphine?” Caitlyn asked in absolute disbelief, hoping that this was some sick hallucination.

“Yeah, hi, Caitlyn.” She smiled, and it made Caitlyn sick. “You look wonderful.”

Ignoring the compliment, Caitlyn asked bluntly, “Why are you here?”

She hadn’t seen or heard from Seraphine since they broke up, which was not long after their high school graduation. It had been a decade, and now this woman, a woman that brought Caitlyn into the throws of hell with her, shows up out of the blue and wants to compliment her. Was she mentally unwell? Did she not see the complete absurdity in this?

Seraphine seemed caught off guard by the question. “I…I enjoy collecting art. I came back to Piltover for the holiday, and you marketed this event pretty well around town.”

Caitlyn took a sip of her water. She was seething. Uneasy. And she was trying so hard to control herself. Seraphine was watching her, clearly searching for the appropriate words when there were none.

Across the room, she could see her father found her. He was staring at the pink hair, and then his eyes widened with recognition before narrowing in disapproval. She knew he wouldn’t intervene, however. He was not as forthright as his wife.

“Speaking of the holiday,” Seraphine continued, “if you don’t have plans, would you maybe want—”

Oh, these were definitely not the appropriate words in any sense. The feeling of wanting to vomit returned to her throat. She could feel her eyes widening at the utter ridiculousness of this whole situation. Five minutes ago she was sticking her tongue down the throat of a woman she wanted to thoroughly rail, even though she totally shouldn’t, and now she was face-to-face with her former addict ex who she hadn’t seen in so many years.

What is happening?

Luckily, before Seraphine could finish her question, she was interrupted by the voice of a godsend.

“Cupcake, what’s taking you so long? I thought you were just going to grab a drink,” Vi questioned with an air of nonchalance. She turned to Seraphine, and Caitlyn knew Vi was sizing her up. “Oh, hi, I’m Vi,” she introduced herself, sticking her hand out as she’d done earlier that night to Caitlyn and Tobias.

Seraphine was caught of track by the interruption — and probably the nickname, which Caitlyn was all the more grateful for now. Confused, she took Vi’s hand, “I’m Seraphine.”

“Hm,” Vi breathed out, “beautiful name. Almost musical.”

This cannot be real.

Caitlyn’s heart was ready to crack her ribs, and she was unsure how she was keeping any bile down at this point. All she could hope for was that sweat didn’t start to appear on the back of her neck.

Vi glanced between Caitlyn and Seraphine. She continued, “Listen, Seraphine. Would you actually be able to take a picture of me and Caitlyn? If you don’t mind, that is. I’ve been trying to get a picture of us together all night. We both look so good, you know? Especially Cupake here…” Caitlyn realized Vi’s eyes on her were ravenous still.

Seraphine stammered a response, “Oh, ah…um, yes, sure.”

“Great!” Vi handed her the cell phone, “Thanks a million.”

Vi put her arm around Caitlyn’s shoulder and smiled at the camera. Caitlyn forced as much of a smile as she could. Then Vi turned her head so her face was buried in Caitlyn’s ear. She could feel the heat of Vi’s breath against her earlobe as she spoke, and even in such an awful situation, she still managed to make chills run through her body. Or maybe that was just the culmination of how sick she still felt at this whirlwind of a shitstorm.

“Not sure who she is, but I can tell you’re not thrilled to see her. Is this distraction working?”

When Caitlyn gave a small nod, Vi backed away from her ear enough to make eye contact. Her stormy eyes, filled with concern, sucked Caitlyn in. Vi brought up her hand and gently cupped along Caitlyn’s jaw. It almost did the trick at making her forget what was going on around her.

“Okay,” Seraphine awkwardly exhaled, “I took a bunch, so here you go.” She extended the phone back out to Vi.

Vi grabbed it and began to look through the pictures, “Thanks again,”

“Yup,” she said shortly. Her eyes dashed back to Caitlyn. “Maybe I’ll see you around, Caitlyn,” she said before walking away.

Caitlyn’s lips formed into a hard line and she arched her eyebrows up with a silent nod goodbye.

When she was gone, Vi asked hesitantly, “So…who was that?”

Everything that just happened hit Caitlyn like a ton of bricks at Vi’s words. She felt suffocated. Her head throbbed. All she wanted was air. The concept of forming any coherent words to explain anything to Vi right now felt like a daunting and impossible task.

“I…I have to go,” Caitlyn managed.

She practically ran out the of the gallery, into the lobby, and out the door to her car in the parking lot. She entirely forewent waiting to get her coat. The entire time she could hear Vi calling her name after her. It didn’t matter. She needed to find an escape and get away from the triggering thoughts surrounding Seraphine. She didn’t want to think about that syrupy-sweet smile that once lured her into the darkness or the way her voice lulled her in and out of consciousness at the drop of a pill. No, what she needed was her to get the hell out of this confining, flashy dress and get into her bed and start over.

_____________________

Vi sat on the couch in her plaid pajama pants and black muscle tank, staring at the painting that leaned against the opposite wall. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been staring at it, but it was long enough for her eyes to feel dried out and her vision to blur. It was the painting meant for Caitlyn. But after the encounter with whoever Seraphine was, Caitlyn stormed out of the gallery, leaving Vi alone and confused. She told her sister she would hold it for Caitlyn until she saw her again, but she had no idea if that would happen again over break, which did not make Vi feel any better.

Running her hands over her face and pressing firmly into her eye sockets, Vi groaned. She would’ve liked, at the very least, an explanation from Caitlyn before she took off like Cinderella leaving the ball.

Uncovering her eyes and letting the speckles of colors dissipate around her living room, Vi grabbed her phone. She scrolled through the pictures of her and Caitlyn together, the pictures this illusive Seraphine took. Vi studied intensely the way Caitlyn smiled. To someone who hardly knew Caitlyn, It probably appeared like a normal, reserved smile, but to Vi, it was meager and didn’t reach her eyes. Truthfully, neither did Vi’s in those first few pictures. When she got to the couple that showed Vi’s mouth up against Caitlyn’s ear, she saw the way Caitlyn’s face changed as she listened to her words. It was intense, grateful, and something more. Something yearning. The final photo was of Vi caressing the side of Caitlyn’s cheek and jaw. Their eyes were focused on one another. It was intimate. If she didn’t know better, she’d believe they were a couple.

As she stared at the picture, a knock sounded at her door. Vi put her phone down on the table and got up to answer the door. When she opened it, cold air crashed into her first. Then Caitlyn. It took a second for Vi to register that Caitlyn was suddenly wrapped around her body. Her long arms were squeezing onto Vi like a life jacket. With wide eyes, Vi slowly let her own arms fall around Caitlyn’s body, and she realized how cold Caitlyn must’ve been. Her skin was like ice. She was still in her dress from the gallery, but it had been two and a half hours since it ended. Reaching one arm out, Vi managed to close the door behind Caitlyn.

They stayed in that embrace for a few minutes, every so often tightening their grips. Vi didn’t dare to break away until Caitlyn seemed ready. When she felt the topsider’s body start to slacken with relaxation, Vi created a small gap between their bodies so she could look at her.

Caitlyn’s eyes were red and puffy, and her skin was ruddy. Vi wondered how long she’d been crying. She wondered where she went for these past few hours. There were a lot of questions she wanted to ask.

“Caitlyn,” Vi said softly, “what happened?”

She sniffled, “You looked so handsome tonight.”

Vi’s brows furrowed in bewilderment. “What?”

“I couldn’t take my eyes off you,” Caitlyn said as she leaned forward and tried to kiss Vi sloppily.

Vi kissed her back once before pulling away. She held Caitlyn’s bare shoulders firmly in her hands, making sure Caitlyn made eye contact before she spoke again, “Caitlyn. What is going on?”

She watched Caitlyn’s eyes shatter and break in front of her. A tear slid down her cheek, and Vi quickly but gently wiped it away. “I’m so sorry, Vi. I’m sorry.”

Vi brought her back into their embrace. “Shhh. It’s okay. Why don’t we get you out of this dress so you’re not freezing cold, yeah?” When she felt Caitlyn nod against her neck, she brought her into the bedroom to find some pajamas for her.

***

Once Caitlyn was changed into one of Vi’s t-shirts and a pair of red pajama pants that luckily just hit Caitlyn’s ankles, they sat on the couch together in a calm silence. Vi was almost afraid to broach any of her many questions because she didn’t want to upset Caitlyn again. She figured she would wait for Caitlyn to begin. After a few minutes, as though reading her mind, Caitlyn let out an exhale.

“Seraphine is my ex.”

Vi nodded slowly, “Well, I guessed she was either someone that wanted to fuck you or had fucked you.”

Caitlyn shook her head, “Vi…she’s the one that got me addicted to pills.”

Well, that explained a lot. It was a justification for her running away in such a rush.

She continued, “I haven’t seen her in years. Not since we broke up. A decade, really.”

“Why was she there?”

Caitlyn shrugged, “I don’t know. She claimed she collects art. Said she was home for the holiday, heard about the event, and decided to stop by, but with Seraphine you can never really know if she’s telling the truth.” She let out a deep exhale and brought her knees to her chest. “Honestly, I don’t care why she was there. She’s not someone I ever wanted to see again. There’s too much trauma attached to her. When I was with her, I convinced myself I was happy and in love, but I was just letting her destroy me from the inside without even realizing it.”

She wiped at her eyes and then glanced over at Vi. “Thank you for what you did back there, by the way.”

“Of course.”

“How’d you know to step in?” Caitlyn asked curiously.

Now Vi shrugged, “Your body language. I like to think I know you well enough to tell when something is really bothering you.”

Caitlyn reached out her hand and held Vi’s as a gesture of gratitude. She gave it a squeeze and gave a tired smile, but it wasn’t forced.

“Caitlyn, where did you go after you left?”

Her hand stayed in Vi’s while she spoke, “I drove. I meant to go home. I wanted to change out of that damned dress and just go to sleep, but I drove past my house and kept going without any plan. It was almost like I didn’t have control over what I was doing. At one point, I remember thinking I should have gone to Jayce’s house, but he spent so long helping me out of my Seraphine rut that I didn’t want to do that to him again. Eventually, I stopped at Dynasty Trails and sat in the parking lot for a while. When I did get out of my car, I just screamed into the sky. Yelled at nothing, at no one.”

That almost made Vi want to laugh. It reminded her of how she acted yesterday on her run. But what Caitlyn said next took away all of Vi’s breath in her lungs.

“I guess I didn’t trust myself to be alone, and I wanted to feel safe. You were the only person I kept thinking about,” she paused and looked over at Vi with glossy eyes. “So, I came here.”

Vi couldn’t help but let the grin come through once Caitlyn’s eyes fell to the floor.

“I hope that’s okay,” Caitlyn added timidly.

At that, Vi scooted toward her, closing the gap between them. She put her arm around Caitlyn’s shoulder and drew her in closer. “Cupcake, that’s always okay. I would never in a million years turn you away.”

Caitlyn leaned her head against Vi’s shoulder, and all Vi wanted to do was make sure Caitlyn was going to be alright. This wasn’t about hooking up. It wasn’t about the way Vi wanted to profess every feeling she had since that night in the hotel. This was only about Caitlyn because Vi knew that having an age old trauma drug up to the surface was never an easy battle, and Caitlyn chose her to be the anchor that kept her safe and steady.

Vi whispered, “You want to stay over tonight and watch a cheesy Christmas movie and have hot chocolate?”

“Vi, I don’t want to impose. I can head home. I’ll be fine,” Caitlyn reassured her.

“No, no. It’s not an imposition, Cupcake. There’s nothing that would make me happier than watching a mind-numbing Christmas movie with you on this eve to Christmas Eve.”

Finally, she got hear Caitlyn laugh, and it was such a heartwarming feeling after knowing how distraught she’d been. She caved, “Alright, Vi. Do you have marshmallows for this hot chocolate?”

“Psh, what kind of animal do you think I am?”

Chapter Text

“Vi! Violet! Wake up, Vi!”

The sound of Jinx’s high pitched squeals filled their bedroom, and at the sound, Vi started rubbing the sleep from her eyes and groaned. Little hands shook her arm.

“I’m up, sis. I’m up,” Vi sleepily slurred.

“Come on! There’s gifts by the tree. We have to get down there.”

Vi sat up in bed and grabbed her stuffed bunny. “Jinx, we have to wake up mom and dad.”

“On it!” Jinx exclaimed as she ran out of the room and down the hall.

Vi stood up and headed out to the hall. She could hear Jinx’s innocent whines begging their parents to come downstairs so they could start opening gifts. Vi laughed at her sister’s relentless enthusiasm. When she got to her parents door, all three of them were snuggled in the bed, and then her mom saw her leaning against the doorframe, and those deep blue eyes, gentle in the early morning, held her.

Her mother extended her arm out and beckoned her forward. Carefully, Vi climbed into the bed, and her mom wrapped her arms tightly around body.

“Good morning, sweetie,” her mother warmly greeted next to her ear before planting a kiss in her messy red hair. “What a special morning. We get both our girls here with us.”

Jinx wiggled her way out of her father’s arms to sit up on her knees. Looking upon her parents and her sister, Jinx groaned, “Come on, Mom.” She grabbed and pulled at her mother’s hand that was laying on Vi’s arm.

Their parents smiled and chuckled before their father finally sat up, “Okay, monkey,” he said with a grin, standing and turning toward Jinx, “let’s go see what gifts are down there.” He picked her tiny body up in his arms and started walking toward the door, “Or did you get a bunch of coal?”

“Dad!” Jinx protested as she was carried away.

Vi giggled, still wrapped in her mom’s arms. She felt the press of her mother’s kiss through her mess of red hair.

“Ready to join them, my Violet?”

“Yeah. If we don’t, I think Jinx might lose her mind.”

Once downstairs, Vi watched as her sister tear apart the wrapping paper on each gift, and while they didn’t have much, Jinx was over the top about each and every second. Vi happily unwrapped her gifts, but her favorite part wasn’t the present itself. Instead, the moment that meant the most to her was after the smile appeared across her face, she would look up at her parents and see the love and joy that shown through their eyes. Unending and unconditional. Even young as she was, she knew those moments were special.

**********

“Open up your gift, loser,” jibed Jinx.

Mylo tore off a piece of wrapping paper, balled it up and threw it at her, but Jinx dodged it and stuck out her tongue.

“Missed me!” She laughed.

Vi rolled her eyes with amusement and handed her present to Vander, “Here ya go, Vander.”

He accepted it with a warm smile in an oversized hands. “I told you not to get me anything.”

She lightly slapped his shoulder, “It’s the holidays. Besides,” she paused, “I had to get you something after everything you’ve done for us.”

It had officially been two years since Vander took Vi and Jinx in, and over that time, he’d become the best father figure he could be. To Vi’s surprise, he didn’t do it begrudgingly either, even when Vi was more than a handful. Not long after he took them in, he found another child in need, Mylo, orphaned like them and lost in the streets on Zaun. Vander did all this while raising his nephew, Claggor. He was a remarkable man, gentle and caring while stoic and determined. It was thanks to him, Vi found herself trudging through the loss of her parents with a new family at her side.

“Vi,” he breathed out in surprise as he held up the box. Opening it, he carefully removed the ornate tobacco pipe. It wasn’t a healthy habit, but it was Vander’s one vice, and Vi didn’t get on him about it when her family of misfits was always busy bothering him about one thing or another. “You didn’t have to do this.”

“I know,” she stated with a glint in her eye. “But you’re my old man, you know? You deserve that and a hell of a lot more, but that’s all I can afford.”

He let out a hearty laugh and drew her in for one of his all consuming hugs. “You’re alright, kiddo. You have a good heart. Don’t ever lose that.”

When he released her, she sniffled and stifled away a tear. She wasn’t sure what came over her in that instant. All she knew for sure was that she had missed hugs like those.

___________________________

As her arms stretched forward and out of the blanket, the chill in the air crept along her skin. She drove her arms back under the covers and let out a soft groan at the thought of waking. Her eyes, which she tried to force to stay closed, were still sore from hours of crying the night before. Of course, staying up for hours with Vi to watch nonsensical Christmas movies and drink hot chocolate and bask in the presence of that beautiful scarred smile didn’t help. Trying to stay in the embrace of sleep, Caitlyn rolled onto her side and felt the heat radiating under the blanket next to her.

Vi.

She was there soundly asleep with her mop of red hair sticking up in every direction and splayed against the pillow. Caitlyn stared at this marvelous woman next to her, the woman that spent the entire night comforting her and making her laugh. Vi made her feel safe, and she didn’t belittle her for being such an embarrassing mess at the encounter with her ex. Thinking on it, Caitlyn was honestly astounded by it all because she never thought she’d find comfort in the arms of a Zaunite that once held such contempt for Piltovans.

Unlike when she woke next to Vi in the hotel room, Caitlyn gave in and reached out and moved the strand of hair out of Vi’s face. She hardly stirred at the light touch of Caitlyn’s fingers. The only movement was a small twitch of her nose, and Caitlyn smiled as she watched the freckles move up and down in the crinkling of her skin. A morning spent snuggled up next to Vi, being able to memorize every scar and every mark, sounded perfect.

Before Caitlyn could even make that possibility happen, she heard her phone vibrate on the nightstand next to her. Reluctantly, she turned away from Vi and grabbed her phone. When the screen lit up, Caitlyn nearly had a heart-attack.

It was almost one in the afternoon. Her parents were coming over for their usual Christmas Eve dinner, and the notification that popped up on her screen was a text from her mother asking if five o’clock was still a good time for them to come over.

Fuck. Shit. Shit. Shit. Fuck.

Admittedly, Caitlyn was not the best cook, so for her to put together almost an entire meal before her father came over to help with finishing touches and a few side dishes, took her an excruciatingly long time. Normally, she was up early in order to start preparations and get herself together. Just waking up, still needing to get home and get herself ready, made panic shoot through her entire body. If she wasn’t ready, she had no good excuse for her mother. She had to go.

As quickly yet quietly as she could so not to wake Vi, Caitlyn got out of bed and gathered her belongings. Hastily, she tip toed out of the room and made it to the front door. Before she headed out, she made sure to grab the painting gifted to her from Jinx, making a mental note to think of the best spot in her home to hang it.

When she opened the door and stepped outside, she immediately regretted never stopping to grab her jacket from the coat check last night. While she may have been too lost in her emotions to have noticed how truly cold it was as she stormed out of the gallery, the weather had taken a turn overnight. There was a light dusting of snow on the ground, and the slow flurries were still falling all around her. She thought about turning back around and finding one of Vi’s hoodies or jackets, but it was bad enough she was running off in her pajamas. Besides, time was not on her side to go aimlessly in search of more clothing, especially now that she had to clean off her car.

Her drive home was a blur as she tried to map out the courses she needed to prepare for dinner, and it wasn’t until she was halfway home that she cursed herself for not leaving Vi a note. She made another mental note to try and remember to send her a text when she got home.

_______________________

Vi stretched out her limbs and let out a deep exhale as she slowly let her eyes adjust to the cool light coming through the window. Plopping her arms out next to her, she realized the absence of a body next to her. The blankets were tossed to the side and the area that Caitlyn had occupied was cold. She propped herself up on her elbow and listened closely to the empty air around her, straining to hear if Caitlyn was in the bathroom or in the kitchen.

“Caitlyn?” Vi called out, “You here?”

There was no reply.

Vi hung there in the silence and felt the drop in her stomach and the disappointment in her chest. She turned on her side and found her phone on the nightstand. It was quarter to two. No texts. No phone call. Nothing. Dropping her head back onto her pillow, she opened her messages with Caitlyn and began to type.

Hey. Why did you le—

Deleted.

Hey is everything oka—

Deleted.

Cupcake where did y—

Deleted.

Sorry I slept so lat—

Deleted.

Hope you made it home

Deleted.

Hey…

Deleted.

Defeated, Vi tossed her phone onto the bed and rubbed at her eyes. It was difficult to quell the thoughts that plagued her. She knew it was late in the day, and she hadn’t expected Caitlyn to stick around all day on Christmas Eve while she slept. At least, that’s what she told herself. Regardless, Caitlyn could’ve at least texted her or something…anything. Then she began to wonder if she’d done or said something wrong at any point throughout the night. Or maybe it was something she didn’t say.

Caitlyn laid down on the couch and placed her head in Vi’s lap as the movie played on. Most of the time, Vi was preoccupied with looking down at the raven haired woman who giggled at whatever was happening in the movie. Eventually, Vi mustered up enough courage and began running her fingers through Caitlyn’s silky hair and tracing those fingers down her neck. She relished in the moment as Caitlyn arched her neck to give Vi more access for her goosebump enducing touches. At some point, unbeknownst to Vi, the movie ended, but she was still entangled in an ocean of blue locks.

Catching Vi off guard, Caitlyn turned onto her back and met Vi’s stare, and Vi could feel her cheeks burn a tad hotter at being caught. But she couldn’t tear her gaze away. Those sapphire eyes stunned and melted her to her core.

Caitlyn broke the silence with a simple question. A soft and curious word, “What?”

Only the answer was not so simple. Vi’s mouth dried up and her heart raced up into her throat. With Caitlyn resting on her back, Vi’s fingers lost their path in her dark hair. It was as though her brain short circuited, and her lips parted but lacked any words to go along with it. She couldn’t find her footing in the blue pools of her eyes, and Vi’s heart sped up at the way Caitlyn’s pupils dilated. At her lack of response, Caitlyn sat up to face Vi head-on, putting her weight on her left hand. Vi felt her stomach clenching in anticipation with Caitlyn inches away from her face.

With a tilt of her head and a raised eyebrow, Caitlyn repeated, “What is it, Vi?”

She swallowed hard, searching for words with no avail. “N-nothing.”

Vi wanted to punch herself in the face because it wasn’t nothing. It was the way Caitlyn entranced her with every laugh. The way the corner of her eyes wrinkled when she smiled ear to ear. It was how her hair slipped through Vi’s fingers. And it was the impossible pull Vi felt to lean in and kiss Caitlyn’s cheeks that were still reddened and ruddy from the hours she spent in tears. It was far, so far from nothing.

But Vi couldn’t say any of that because the way she felt, the constant beat of a metronome that kept Caitlyn in her mind, was too much for a night like tonight. It was out of place. It was a pressure that Vi didn’t want to add to the fragile woman in front of her.

Caitlyn’s eyes fell downward. Vi could feel the tinge of disappointment in the air between them. “If you say so,” Caitlyn spoke quietly, and she turned once more so her feet touched the floor and stretched her arms upward toward the ceiling. “Ready for bed?”

Vi shook her head and leaned against the headboard. Caitlyn couldn’t possibly have left because of the words that went unsaid. She had to understand when she was the one that put boundaries on their relationship in the first place, and even if Vi did want to say screw it to those restrictions, Vi couldn’t bring herself to make any moves given Caitlyn’s shattered state.

“Yeah, come on,” Vi answered, standing up from the couch and extending a hand. She hoped to move on quickly from the letdown of a staring contest.

“Oh, Vi, I can sleep on the couch. Really,” Caitlyn replied timidly.

She moved her hand closer to Caitlyn, “With those long legs? They were hanging off the armrest the whole movie. You’re not going to be comfortable, and part of the point of you being here was to get you to relax. Come on.”

The edge of her mouth lifted. “Fine,” she agreed, taking Vi’s hand.

In bed, the moonlight was the only illumination, and it was just enough to make out Caitlyn’s narrow facial features. It didn’t take more than a few minutes for Caitlyn to fall into a deep sleep. As her eyes wandered behind her lids, Vi stared at the woman who was a frantic mess just a few hours ago. But now she was so peaceful, carried off to a blissful sleep, and Vi couldn’t peel her eyes away. She didn’t want to. It was torture to have Caitlyn so close and feel unable to touch her the ways she really wanted to, but she would rather spend an eternity like this than not have her there at all. For the moment, Vi let her gaze roam around Caitlyn’s face, lips, bridge of the nose, cheekbones, and she wondered how such sharp features could be so soft. The more minutes that ticked by in the silence, said for Caitlyn’s steady breaths, Vi’s own breath hitched in the essence of how they were everything and yet nothing.

Stuck in the afternoon haze, she pinched at her eyes, remembering the way she wanted to scoop Caitlyn’s face into her hands and kiss her delicate skin last night until she herself gave in to the throws of sleep. When she opened her eyes, Vi groaned and stared up at an all too stark white ceiling. The one thing she knew now was that she couldn’t stay here and wallow, so she made the decision to get the fuck out of there.

And wallow somewhere else.

***

It was like the temperature dropped at a record pace overnight, giving way to snowfall. Vi hated driving in the snow, but luckily, The Last Drop was an easy walk from her apartment. She would rather bear the cold than deal with Zaunite and Piltie drivers in the ice and snow, and bundled up in her coat, gloves, scarf, and beanie, it was tolerable for the thirty minute walk.

When Vi entered the bar, she could feel the defrosting of her skin at the rush of warm air. Music played from the jukebox and gruff voices filled any gaps in the notes. She wasn’t surprised at all to see some of the regulars surrounding the bar and nearby tables, even on Christmas Eve. As she removed her layers and mussed up her hair to reshape it, one of the large men sitting at a table swiveled in his hair to look at her.

“Vander,” Benzo called out while still watching Vi cross the room to the bar, “get this girl a shot on my tab.”

“Do you plan on paying that tab, brother?” When Benzo laughed and waved his hand, Vander added, “Besides, she doesn’t need a shot.”

Vi patted her hand on Benzo’s shoulder as she passed by. Moving a barstool out from under the counter, she took a seat in front of Vander. “Aw, come on, Old Man. I could use something to help me warm up.”

“Get her one on me, too,” another skinnier, short man with glasses rang out. “You’re doing great in the ring, Vi!”

She nodded toward him, “Thanks, Huck.” Turning back to Vander, she said, “Don’t want to disappoint the man.” Vi threw her hand forward and curled her fingers, gesturing for a drink. When he rolled his eyes at her and leaned against the counter behind him, Vi added, “If you don’t get it, you know I’ll just go back there and pour it myself.”

He laughed at that and poured her two shots, not giving her the choice of alcohol. She finished the second shot of rum and sucked her teeth. Thankfully, Vander poured a beer for her, so she had a chaser readily at hand. While she sipped, she watched him pull out that same pipe she gifted him all those years ago. It showed minimal signs of wear and tear. The rim of the bowl had darkened with use, but the etched sides still shined. Vi still felt the corner of her mouth twitch upward at the sight of it.

When Vander’s eyes focused back onto her, she averted her own. He was frustratingly too good at reading her, and she came here to wallow and drink and forget. Not for therapy.

***

Vi had been working at The Last Drop for a few months now after school to help with bills around the house. Technically, she wasn’t supposed to handle alcohol at her age, but Vander was a family friend, so he let it slide. Besides, no one in Zaun actually gave a shit.

She was in the middle of pouring a round of shots and asked, “What’s the big deal anyway? Why do people like this stuff? It tastes like shit.”

“How would you know what it tastes like?” Vander asked in return, focusing on her instead of the glass he was pouring beer into.

She looked away and shrugged her shoulders. A non-answer.

He let out a huff from his nose, almost allowing the chuckle to escape, and shook his head. It wasn’t disapproving. More so amused. Then he spoke, “These people are here for this swill for all sorts of reasons.” He passed the drink to the man sitting a few seats down at the bar, and then he leaned on the counter next to Vi as she finished pouring, “Some are here to celebrate. Others are here because they’re bored. A few might be here because they’re itching for a fight. Then you have those that can’t help but seek out this piss.” He swirled the contents of a bottle, “But most of them, you’ll find, are here to forget.”

She wrinkled her nose at his explanation, “Forget?” She paused and let that word sit on her tongue. “Yeah…I get that.”

He sighed regretfully and took the small tray of shots from her. “I know you do.” He came back with an empty tray and put a hand on her shoulder. “But don’t start. It’s a shit habit.

***

“Shouldn’t drink when you’re upset. Nasty habit. Hard one to break,” Vander told her in the middle of her gulp of beer.

She sucked her teeth again and tilted an ear toward her shoulder, lifting her eyebrows through the shrug, “Then why are you serving me?”

He leaned forward on the bar, blowing a puff of smoke away, “Same reason you gave me this pipe.”

In unison, they stated, “We all have our vices.”

The two of them grinned. Vander continued, “You’ve never taken it too far at least. You have a halfway decent head on your shoulders.”

She exhaled a laugh, “Gee, thanks.”

Unfortunately, for Vi, Vander’s eyes turned serious. Fatherly. “What’s eating at ya, kiddo?”

“Do we have to do this?” She asked, downing the last of her beer.

“If you want another one of those, we do,” he replied, motioning to her now empty glass.

Vi pushed it toward him. “Fine,” she answered in defeat. When he returned with her beer, she took a sip and proceeded to answer his initial question. “I don’t know what I’m doing with Caitlyn.”

He studied her curiously, “What do you mean? Did she terminate her coaching contract?”

“No. I wish it was that simple.” Vi let out a deep exhale and rubbed at her closed eyelids. She could not believe she was about to tell Vander this. If she’d eaten anything, she might’ve felt it coming up. The only upside to drinking all this alcohol on an empty stomach was that it gave her enough of a buzz to deal with the situation. “I think I like her, and I don’t know what to do about that. Also, I don’t know if I fucked up because I—” She caught herself. Vi was not about to spill that Caitlyn spent the night. That was a bit more than she was willing to share right now. “I haven’t talked to her since Jinx’s gallery. Is there something wrong with me, Vander?”

Vander shook his head, “No, there’s nothing wrong with you, and there is nothing wrong with caring for someone.”

“But it’s my coach, Vander.”

He took a puff from his pipe and nodded slowly. “That does complicate things. Does she know how you feel?”

Vi shrugged, “I don’t know. I mean…I never outright said anything.” Other than saying I wanted her when she was pushed up against the sink in the restroom. “Should I say something?” Vi questioned genuinely.

Smoke filled the space. “Not really an easy answer there. You two are together often because you have to be. There’s a goal set in motion. Feelings could, well—”

“Make it messy,” Vi interrupted, quoting a word Caitlyn used to describe them.

“Vi, you’re someone who was denied a lot in life. You’ve had plenty taken away from you. Only recently have you been able to start to get a leg up in this world because of what ties you and Caitlyn together. What you two do together matters, and feeling, yes, could bring their own set of complications. I wish I could say that everything got easier, kiddo, but I’d be lying.” He inhaled his tobacco pensively. “Why don’t you invite her to our Christmas dinner tomorrow?”

Vi’s eyes widened, “What? You’re serious? Vander, first off, it’s Christmas. She’s probably going to be with her parents. Secondly, I don’t even know if she’s actually mad at me or if I’m overthinking.”

“Well, you could use the occasion to smooth things over so that you know after this break you’re starting off strong in the ring. Would it hurt to at least ask her?”

“Yo, Vander, can you grab me another bottle?” Ekko called out as he made his way up to the bar. Every now and again, Ekko would work at the bar when he wasn’t slammed with college coursework. When he noticed Vi, he greeted her. “What’s up, Vi?”

“Hey, Little Man,” Vi replied with a halfhearted smile.

Any other time, Vi would’ve struck up a conversation, but she wasn’t particularly in the mood. She continued to drink her beer, letting the tipsy tingling run through her body, and pondered on Vander’s words. Maybe having these feelings toward Caitlyn were stupid. Reckless with so much on the line. Maybe she was wrong in the hotel thinking that everything could work out if she tried to keep hooking up with her coach. Memories of Caitlyn’s serene sleeping form from last night flashed in her mind, but she shoved past it. Vander was right. She needed to squash any misunderstandings before they got back to training, and with Christmas tomorrow, Vi had to do it now before they were both too busy.

Vi downed her drink and stood up. “Vander, can you take me to Caitlyn’s?”

“Now?”

“Yeah. Now. You want me to invite her to dinner right?” She started putting on her various layers.

“I meant with a phone call.”

Vi shook her head, “I have to do this in person.”

He sighed, “Ekko, watch the bar for me. I’ll be right back.”

“I get paid double for this, right?” Ekko joked back.

Vander laughed at that, “You’re funny, kid.”

***

In the car, Vi kept ruminating on how she was going to form any coherent sentences when she saw Caitlyn. Her goal was to keep it short and simple. She was just going to tell her that she was sorry for complicating their relationship and that Caitlyn was right when she said they needed to be professionals. Then she would ask if she wanted to come over for dinner tomorrow, which she expected the answer to be no anyway. It all sounded so easy to do, but her heart was threatening to escape her ribcage the closer they got to Caitlyn’s house. Vi knew this was the right course of action, cut romantic ties before it went past a point of no return, before feelings could get hurt, before it started affecting her fights, but it felt so gut-wrenchingly final that it tore at her insides. She tried to focus on the here and now, the way Caitlyn coached her, but the only piece of anything she could focus on was how disgustingly sweaty her hands were becoming. With everything happening in her head, didn’t even notice the car stopped.

Vander mumbled something next to her, but she didn’t register any of it.

“What?” She asked distractedly.

“Do you want me to wait here for you?”

Vi should’ve said yes. It would’ve given her an out in case the conversation took any uncomfortable turns, but Vi didn’t want Vander to have to sit for her like she was some adolescent in high school being driven around by a parent.

“Nah, it’s fine. I’ll get a ride home.” She was about to put her hand on the door handle when she frantically turned to face Vander as though she forgot something important. “Fuck. Vander do you have gum in here or a mint or something?”

He dug his eyebrows down in question, “Probably. Why?”

Vi was rifling through the center console. Tipsy fingers fumbled random objects. “Because my breath smells like fucking alcohol. Caitlyn’s a—” She stopped, unsure if she should divulge further. It wasn’t her story to tell. “I don’t want her to smell it on me and think that’s the only reason I came over or whatever.” She pulled out a pack of gum, “Ah, yes!”

Popping a piece of gum into her mouth, she turned back to the door and opened it. The cold air shocked her system. Turning to close the car door behind her, she waved back at Vander to say goodbye. “Thanks, Vander. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

She shoved her hands in her pockets and began walking up to the front porch. The snow crunched under her feet, and snowflakes gently landed on the hair that poked out from under her beanie. When she finally reached the door, her balled fist hesitated in the air. She felt her heart begin to race again, and with a shaky exhale, she committed to a knock. Vi took a step back and tried to calm herself by focusing on the few snowflakes that settled on her hair and coat. They melted the same way her mind frame did when Caitlyn opened the door.

Vi had every intention of showing up, apologizing, and agreeing to call off her pursuit of anything even remotely romantic with Caitlyn, but when Caitlyn stepped onto the front porch, Vi’s mind went blank and her mouth dried and her heart jammed its way into her throat. Caitlyn was wearing a long sleeve red shirt, a black skirt that was form fitting to her thighs, and thin black stockings over her long, lean legs. Her hair was up in a bun, similar to the way it was styled the previous night at the gallery, which accentuated her artfully contoured cheekbones. It was enough to almost make Vi blurt out that she looked beautiful, but when she opened her mouth, her nerves made the words lost to her. Part of her couldn’t even remember why she showed up here in the first place as the memories of Caitlyn in her arms and the various ways she wanted to press her lips against Caitlyn’s skin surfaced.

Caitlyn’s eyes were filled with surprise. “Vi? What are you doing here?”

Suddenly, she had no idea. “I—I needed to talk to you.”

“Okay, Vi, but my—”

The word vomit began, and it was completely not what she intended to come here to say. “I just need to know if I did something last night because when I woke up you were gone. And then I check my phone and there was nothing. No text. No call. I was worried. I —”

“Vi,” Caitlyn tried.

“—need to know if I fucked up. Or did I not do something you wanted me to do? I—I know there was that moment. We both felt it. But I don’t want to mess up this, whatever this is or means. I’m not sure what you—”

“Vi, can we—”

“—want. Well, I mean I know you said you didn’t want to do this, but then last night made me wonder if it would be so bad. There’s a lot riding on our teamwork and all, so I get where you’re coming from when you pull away. And then today Vander said—ah, that part isn’t important. The point is I came here—”

“Please, Vi—”

“—to make sure we’re good and that you’re okay. This, uh, partnership means a lot. Maybe I’m too in my own head about everything” She huffed, “Caitlyn, fuck, I think I actually—”

A new, unfamiliar voice broke through the crack Caitlyn left in the doorway. “Caitlyn, who’s at the door?”

Caitlyn’s eyes slammed shut as the door swung open fully to reveal an older woman dressed in a white shirt with a fashionable black cardigan and stylish red pants. The silver streak ran over the top of her pulled back hair, and when Vi reached her face, she knew exactly who this was before Caitlyn needed to say anything. Vi thought Caitlyn and Tobias shared numerous features, but she was her mother’s carbon copy.

Slowly, Caitlyn swiveled enough to face her mother, “Mother, this is Vi, my…fighter from the Undercity.”

Vi was made cruelly aware of the fact under her jacket she was in athletic joggers, a plain long sleeve shirt, and high tops as Caitlyn’s mother shamelessly gave Vi a critical once over. Not really holiday attire, and clothing certainly not up to Piltover standards…or at least the Kiramman matriarch’s.

Her mother answered, “Yes I see that. You do have a habit of strays following you home.” Before Caitlyn could retort, she added, “Do come inside, Caitlyn. The table is set, and your father and I are waiting.”

When her mother turned back and walked away, Caitlyn was pinching the bridge of her nose in very obvious annoyance.

“She seems like a real joy,” Vi snorted in her attempt to make light of everything that transpired in a matter of minutes.

Thankfully, Caitlyn smirked and rolled her eyes light-heartedly as she replied, “Oh, she’s a ray of sunshine.” She let out a long exhale, “I’m sorry about her, Vi. She’s never been thrilled about the type of people I’ve hung around with because this, fighting, isn’t what she would’ve chosen for my life. Even with Jayce, Piltover’s Perfect Boy, it was a struggle winning her over.”

I wonder if Mrs. Kiramman knows this is what kept her daughter away from way worse shit.

Vi gave a quick chuckle and devilishly daring smile, “I bet I could win her over in half the time it took Jayce.”

“Vi,” Caitlyn stated, deadpan, “you don’t know how charming Jayce can actually be and how impossible my mother is the majority of the time.”

With her hands in her pockets, she shrugged her shoulders, “Doesn’t matter. I could do it.”

Caitlyn’s posture changed. Her spine extended fully and her shoulders straightened. An equally playful grin crept across her face. “Join us for dinner then.”

Her stomach dropped and eyes widened. This was not the reaction she expected, but then again, Caitlyn was never what she expected. Despite the frigid cold, Vi remembered her hands were clammy all over again. She tried to find any semblance of a joke in Caitlyn’s eyes, but she couldn’t. “You’re serious?” When Caitlyn nodded, Vi added awkwardly, “I’m not dressed for a family dinner.”

The taller woman disregarded the comment. “So?”

Then Vi stated seriously, “I highly doubt your mom is going to like this idea.”

That smile on Caitlyn’s face grew wider. She bit down on her bottom lip, a look that made the topsider impossible to resist. Caitlyn opened the door further and motioned for Vi to enter, which made Vi shake her head with a flashing canine and reluctance in each step.

__________________

“Sera, what are you doing? Come on, we have to go now. We can’t be late. You know how my mom is,” Caitlyn called out as she knocked on the bathroom door. “Seraphine?”

Looking at the time on her phone, Caitlyn determined Seraphine had been in the bathroom with the door shut and locked for about forty minutes or so. Frustratingly, this wasn’t an unusual occurrence for her. Caitlyn had asked her before what she does in there for so long, but it always led to the same answers. She was distracted scrolling on her phone. She was experiencing cramping. She was fixing her hair or makeup. Every time, Caitlyn let it go.

She knocked again and tried turning the door handle with no luck. “Seraphine? I’m serious. Open the door. We need to go.”

Something fell. There was a slam, some shuffling. Then the door opened and the frail body with bubble gum pink hair was wrapping itself around Caitlyn’s shoulders. She began to kiss up Caitlyn’s neck and onto her cheek. It was slow but sloppy.

“Babydoll, I’m sorry. My stomach was all in knots because I made myself so anxious about having to see your parents. It made me sit in there longer than I anticipated,” Seraphine explained.

When the girl pulled back to face Caitlyn, she saw the way the black of Seraphine’s pupils ate up her normally vibrant blue.

***
A few days later, after a truly awkward family dinner in which Cassandra Kiramman berated Seraphine with plenty of questions about her plans for the future — questions Seraphine didn’t seem to have answers or seemingly the energy for — Caitlyn snuck out to Seraphine’s house after school. Cassandra was not too keen on Caitlyn’s choice for a girlfriend, so she had to be crafty about when the two of them would hang out.

Again, Caitlyn found herself alone on Seraphine’s bed. She was between staring at the ceiling and the bathroom door. Yet again, Seraphine was in the bathroom for what felt like hours. With a grunt, Caitlyn stood up and quietly walked over to the door, unsure why she felt the need to sneak or why her heart was racing a mile a minute. A shaky hand grabbed the door handle and turned. Her mouth went ajar when she realized it wasn’t locked.

When Caitlyn opened the door, her jaw only fell further. Seraphine was on the floor, slumped against the sink with an absent smile on her face and eyes that were barely there. Pills bottles lined sink counter. One bottle was still in the girl’s hand with the cap thrown to the floor. Caitlyn felt sick to her stomach, and her mind didn’t know how to relay words or even letters to her mouth. She just stood there, dumbfounded.

Seraphine somehow managed to speak first. “Baby, don’t be upset,” she slurred. “It’s not as bad as it looks.”

“Not…not as bad as it looks?” Caitlyn could feel her brows coming together in shock and frustration. “Are you serious, Sera? You’re on the floor of your bathroom high out of your mind. You left me — no, you leave me most days we hang out here to come in here and do this, and then you lie to me. But I’m meant to believe this isn’t so terrible?” Caitlyn knew she should voice her concern about the fact that Seraphine was using in the first place and the damage that could and would do to her, but her own hurt feelings, selfishly took precedent.

“I never lied to you, Caitlyn.” Her eyes were almost fully black, but they still managed to hold a regretful sadness. “I was worried about how you would react, especially since I want you to do this with me so bad, babe.”

That was not what Caitlyn was expecting. “You what? Why in the world would I want to do that?”

Seraphine finally stood up. She was unsteady at first, but then she gently held Caitlyn’s arms, settling on her elbows to bring her in closer. Caitlyn could feel the slender pill bottle still in Seraphine’s right hand pressing up against her skin.

“Baby,” a honeyed smile appeared, “you know how shitty your mom makes you feel. You know she gets under your skin, tears you down from the inside. I watch it. I see you try to live up to these bullshit standards she sets. I can tell when you’re in class, you’re anxious about what everyone else thinks because that’s how you’ve been conditioned. This,” she brought the pill bottle in between them and shook it once in front of Caitlyn’s face, “this is how you make all that go away. You’ll stop caring about all the crap your mom says, and you won’t even notice the assholes like Marcus at school anymore. None of them will matter. You, me, and these magic pills are the only ones that’ll matter.”

Caitlyn’s eyes danced between Seraphine and the bottle. “What if I don’t want to?” She paused, “W-what if I don’t want you to do that anymore?”

Seraphine giggled, “Caitlyn, this isn’t about me. It’s about you. You’ve spent your whole life having people tell you what you should want and who you should be, but I would bet that if you had the chance, you would let loose and finally be the real you. These will help with that, and for once, I just want to see you be the real you.”

Somehow the words sounded so sincere, and it left Caitlyn staring at the bottle in Seraphine’s hands. Her heart rate was spiking again, and her mouth was dry as she tried to swallow. What if Seraphine was right? What if she would be a freer version of herself, one that was controlled by her mother or the anxiety the word Kiramman brought on? She’d only ever heard terrible things about drugs, but she loved Seraphine. If she could still love Sera like this, could it be worth a shot? It could be something they could share. However, the thought of giving in to some uncontrolled state of being both thrilled and terrified Caitlyn, who was so used to structure and rigidity, no matter how damning it was.

“I…I’m scared,” Caitlyn whispered.

Seraphine squeezed her hand, “That’s normal, but I’m here with you, baby doll.”

“What if I don’t want either of us to do this, Sera?”

“Come on, Caitlyn,” she said with a serious stare. “You don’t want to give up on us, do you?” When Caitlyn meagerly shook her head, Seraphine continued, “Try it. Just once.”

***

“Vi, how unexpected! It is wonderful to see you again!” Tobias stood from his chair and shook Vi’s hand as the two of them made her way into the dining room and Caitlyn trailed behind. Caitlyn had almost forgotten she had introduced them the night of Jinx’s gallery.

Her mother raised a curious eyebrow. “When did you meet her, Tobias?”

He moved out his chair to sit down next to his wife. “At the gallery showing that Caitlyn organized for Vi’s sister, which was wonderful by the way. It was very brief.” He shot a smile toward Vi, who was sitting across from him, “But I’m excited to be able to share an evening getting to know our girl’s fighter a bit more.”

“Same here,” Vi smiled back as she took her seat next to Caitlyn.

“Caitlyn, you didn’t tell me about this gallery,” Cassandra said in a mildly offended tone.

It took everything in Caitlyn to not roll her eyes. She stated as neutrally as she could, “I did. You brushed it off saying you had work to finish, so I didn’t press any further.”

Cassandra’s brooding eyes left her daughter and returned to Vi. Caitlyn’s heart was pounding while she watched her mother continually size up Vi. When they were outside, the idea of having Vi stay for dinner made Caitlyn daring and impulsive. It was a way she could annoy her mother, but now she was simply worried for what Vi was going to have to endure.

The first minute or so of the meal was silent except for the few moments where someone asked to have a dish passed to them. Tobias eased into conversation.

“So, Vi, are you looking forward to getting back into the ring? I know Caitlyn here is always eager to get lost in her work.”

“Mm,” Vi hummed as she finished her bite, “I am. I feel like I can taste that championship title, you know, so I’m ready to get back to the gym. During this break, it was hard for me to sit still actually. I was going on runs and hitting the bags a few days.”

Caitlyn raised her eyebrows at that. The two of them hadn’t really talked before they reconnected at the gallery. It was normal for Caitlyn to fill idle time with work, and that was in fact what she ended up doing. When preparations for the gallery would end, she spent free time engrossed in videos of upcoming opponents and the videos they took during practices. The latter was harder for Caitlyn to sit through. She would watch Vi during those training videos and have to stifle thoughts about the way her body moved, especially now knowing exactly how her body can move. In truth, she hadn’t expected Vi to be utilizing her break at the gym instead of resting.

The voice of her mother cut through her thoughts. “Speaking of your fighting career, why did you choose to accept the contract with Caitlyn as your coach?”

Oh gods. Here we go.

“I almost didn’t, but luckily for me, I had plenty of people knocking some sense into me,” she grinned. “Between my family, my manager, and every source on the internet, they all told me that Caitlyn is the best at what she does.” Vi quickly peaked over at Caitlyn. “She is. Her analytics are unmatched, and she understands what I need as a fighter when we’re training to get me to the next level.” Vi took a quick bite of the food in front of her before adding, “You should be really proud of her.”

“We certainly are,” Tobias chimed in.

On the other hand, Caitlyn’s mother seemed to ignore that final comment and instead, continued her questioning. “It doesn’t bother you working with someone from Piltover, especially given your past?”

The question was brimming with accusation and judgement, and Caitlyn was furious with her mother for overstepping. It was beyond frustrating that her mother used her position on the council to dig into Vi’s personal matters, and Caitlyn didn’t want Vi to think she confided in her mother about Vi’s upbringing or her run in with the law.

“Mother,” Caitlyn scolded in a hushed voice. She turned quickly and moved her hand along the table to reach out toward Vi. “I didn’t tell her anything. I swear.”

Vi enclosed her hand over Caitlyn’s and said earnestly, “I know.” She turned her attention to Cassandra and answered, “If you would have asked me months or even weeks ago, I would have told you there was no way in hell that I was going to let someone from Piltover coach me. Like I said earlier, I initially didn’t even want to accept the contract. But now, I can tell you with no doubt in my mind that I have no problem having Caitlyn in my corner, and frankly, I wouldn’t want any one else there.

I know what topsiders probably see when they look at me. Some punk from Zaun with a hell of a lot of resentment and anger bubbling up inside. And you know what? That’s right. I was troubled growing up. Dead parents, barely enough money to scrape by, being a parent to my little sister when I was still a kid, blaming Piltover for my problems, and a rap sheet that would follow me forever because of something I did as a stupid teenager.

But I got into this career to make something of myself, to prove that I’m worth it, and I know that probably sounds crazy to some outsider who doesn’t know much about the sport because, hey, I go into a ring and get hit for a living. Being in that ring is exhilarating. It’s a proving ground.

I know that when Caitlyn’s training and when we’re in that ring during a match, she feels what I’m feeling because she taught me that no matter where someone is from, they have problems their dealing with, just the same as me. And, like me, it’s easy for people to look at her and write her off as someone who has everything, an easy life. But I know Caitlyn has her own struggles and battles she’s overcome. She has those same moments where she doubts herself. I mean, how could she not with the name Kiramman, right? A dedicated councilwoman for a mother and renowned professor as her father must be a ton of pressure, especially when this isn’t the path you would’ve chosen for her. Still, every single day, Caitlyn goes out there and shows all of us that she’s worth it. She’s worth everything and deserves everything.

So, no, Caitlyn being from Piltover doesn’t bother me at all,” Vi finished with an air of nonchalance, popping another forkful of food into her mouth.

Caitlyn was in awe. Somehow Vi managed to take her mother’s targeted and underhandedly rude question and turn it into a beautifully honest answer. She had to consciously make an effort to close her mouth and return her gaze to the plate of food in front of her. Each word Vi spoke was so sincere it ripped a hole in Caitlyn’s chest, bigger with every syllable. The way Vi said she was worth everything made a flutter sound off so wildly in her chest she swore she’d be able to float away. She could feel her cheeks burning, and she wished her hair was down so it could hide the reddening.

Suddenly, Caitlyn felt a light pressure on her thigh, which made her jump. She looked down to find Vi’s hand there in a reassuring gesture. When she met Vi’s grey eyes, she could’ve melted right there. They spoke a thousand words without her saying anything. That look told her everything was okay, and she wasn’t leaving. Caitlyn returned it with a heartfelt, soft smile.

Her mother sat quietly with eyebrows raised, but aside from that, it was impossible to read any concrete emotion on her face, which wasn’t surprising because that’s where Caitlyn got her own poker face from. Truthfully, Caitlyn was just surprised that Vi was able to quiet her mother.

Tobias cleared his throat, “Perhaps we shouldn’t talk business at the table. Vi, have you ever been to the Elora’s Restaurant here in Piltover? It’s near the Academy.”

“Can’t say I have. Is it a personal favorite of yours?”

“My father would eat there every day if he could,” Caitlyn entered in with a grin.

***

At the end of dinner, Tobias and Caitlyn huddled next to the sink to do the dishes. Tobias would wash each plate, and Caitlyn would dry them. It was hard for Caitlyn to focus because across the room, Vi was sitting in the living room with her mother talking at an inaudible volume. Every so often, Caitlyn’s curiosity would get the best of her and she’d peak over her shoulder. The entire time, Vi sat in a relaxed posture on the couch, her arms extended along the top cushions. Her mother sat in the armchair, sipping her tea while she listened to Vi, and Caitlyn swore she caught her mom smiling more than once. It was so odd, she believed she must have been imaging such a thing.

Her father raised an eyebrow and gave an intrigued smile toward his daughter. “Do you like her?”

Caitlyn scoffed, “Dad!”

He put up a soapy hand in defense, “I’m just making an astute observation, dear.” When Caitlyn didn’t respond, he said with an inviting smirk, “Well, I do like her. She’s got character, and from what I can tell, she cares about you.”

Her hands stopped drying the plate halfway through her circular motions as she stared at her father with disbelief. “You…you do?”

Tobias nodded, “Of course I do. She’s leagues beyond your last girlfriend.”

Caitlyn knew he was talking about Seraphine. It’s not exactly like she had some plethora of girlfriends to choose from anyway. Her father was never a fan of her ex, and she can’t say she blamed him. During her years spent with Seraphine, Caitlyn was reclusive to say the least. It was the most distant she had ever been to her father. While he was right, Vi was far better than Seraphine would ever be, she had to make sure he understood the two of them were not actually together. Caitlyn didn’t even know what they were, especially after Vi’s very hectic display on her front porch, but all she could say for sure was their partnership as coach and fighter was the only one they should technically be concerned with, particularly so close to the run for the title.

“Oh, dad, we’re not dating. We couldn’t. I’m her coach.”

“Right,” he agreed. “Best not to complicate anything.” He waited a few beats before he said, “But, darling, should you and Vi decide to be together after this fighting season, you have my approval.”

“I didn’t know I needed it,” she said jokingly.

Tobias flicked a soapy finger at her nose, “You always need it because you will always be my little girl.”

Caitlyn wiped the bubbles from her nose and giggled. She stole another glance toward Vi, and when she did, the red head turned to meet her gaze. When their eyes locked, Caitlyn couldn’t help but feel the electricity sparks lighting up the air between them. It was almost enough to make her turn, but she stayed there. Until Vi winked. That damned wink made Caitlyn’s face feel like she had third-degree burns while simultaneously threatening to start a flood in her underwear. As quickly as she could, she returned back to grabbing plates and drying them with a washcloth in order to maintain some level of level-headedness and decorum while her parents were still around.

When her parents finally said their goodbyes, Caitlyn closed the front door and leaned with her back against it while she finally had a moment to take Vi in. The fighter was definitely not dressed for the occasion that Caitlyn threw her into, but she was nevertheless her, such a perfect mess in gym clothes and disheveled hair. As the seconds passed, Caitlyn remembered the way Vi spoke about her earlier, telling her mother that Caitlyn was worth everything. She felt that tingling of a flutter run freely through her chest again. Then she recalled Vi spending the latter part of the evening conversing with her mother and that it seemed to go rather well…a mystery yet to be unpacked.

Vi was took a seat back on the couch and looked over at Caitlyn with a shameless grin as she said, “Well, Cupcake, color me impressed. I didn’t think you could actually cook up a meal that was edible, let alone one that tasted good.”

Caitlyn sauntered over and took a seat next to her, crossing her long legs as her skintight skirt rode up slightly. She definitely noticed the way Vi tried — and failed — to ignore it. “Har. Har. Very funny. I will admit that I did have some help from my dad. He always loved to cook.”

“Yeah, your mom doesn’t strike me as the type to get her hands dirty in the kitchen.”

With a hum, Caitlyn found her segue, “Speaking of my mother, you two seemed to be getting along well tonight.”

Vi displayed a canine and leaned in to jab at Caitlyn’s arm. “Told you I was a charmer.”

“Oh, no doubt there.” She paused to let Vi soak in her triumph. “What did you two talk about while my father and I were doing dishes?”

A flush of pink burst across Vi’s cheeks. She squirmed in her seat as she answered, “A little bit about my childhood, but uh…you, mainly.”

Caitlyn raised her eyebrows. “You shared pieces of your past with my mother?”

Vi shrugged, “Yeah, I didn’t tell her my life story. I just told her about my parents and my mom being sick. She seemed to really empathize with me, which was surprising…and nice. Like I mentioned during dinner, you showed me that maybe I’m too quick to judge someone just because they’re a Piltie, so I wanted to get your mom to understand not every Zaunite is a piece of garbage by choice.”

She frowned at Vi’s wording. It was so degrading. Caitlyn leaned slightly to grab her hand. With a squeeze, she told her, “You’re not a piece of garbage. You weren’t then, and you most certainly aren’t now, Vi.”

The free hand she had ran along the back of her neck. “If you say so, Cupcake. It was just a turn of phrase.”

A silence fell between them, and the two leaned their heads along the back of the couch. The evening, dealing with parents, always drained Caitlyn, and she was sure that Vi likely felt the same. After a couple minutes, Caitlyn stared at Vi sidelong and asked, “So, what did you say about me?”

Without looking back at her, Vi took a deep breath. “I told her that I really admire your work ethic, but mostly, I admire you as a person because of how strong and compassionate you are. I…I didn’t tell her everything you told me about Seraphine, obviously, but I did say that you don’t deserve to have anyone treat you like shit. Okay, and maybe I said that part a bit more eloquently.”

“Hm, that I do doubt,” Caitlyn gibed, which received a laugh and shove from Vi. She continued, “For the record, you also deserve to be treated like your someone’s entire world.”

Vi averted her eyes again and fidgeted with her fingers. She exhaled, “Someday, yeah, maybe.”

A quiet filled the air around them. Caitlyn suffocated in it. She want to reach over and shake Vi and tell her that it didn’t need to be someday. It could be today. Right now. Vi was already all she could think about at every free moment, and it didn’t help that her work consisted of focusing solely on Vi, as well, but quite honestly, she didn’t hate any of that. Caitlyn would happily change her tune from a week ago and let Vi consume her every waking moment, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t speak any of it into the heavy space between them. The cinder blocks in her gut weighed her down to heavily to let any such words surface. Deep down, she knew part of her still held onto the idea that letting Vi be so much more could jeopardize what they were working toward.

While Caitlyn let the conflict wage war in her mind, Vi fumbled around on her phone. When she locked the screen, she finally turned to face Caitlyn. “Vander dropped me off earlier, so I just ordered a ride home.”

“Oh, okay,” Caitlyn managed.

“Come to dinner with me tomorrow. I’m going to Vander’s to have a family dinner for Christmas.”

It was so abrupt, Caitlyn wasn’t expecting the offer. “I wouldn’t want to just invite myself over during a holiday like that.”

“You’re not inviting yourself. I’m inviting you. Well, really I’m telling you. And you forced me to have dinner with your parents, so you kind of owe me.”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes with a smile, “I suppose I do.”

***

Caitlyn was sitting in the passenger seat and watched the way Vi’s left knee shook up and down at every stoplight. The red head was also biting at her cuticles as she drove. It wasn’t a long drive, but it was long enough for Caitlyn to pick up on the movements.

“Should I be worried?” Caitlyn asked with a curious grin and arched eyebrow.

“What?” Vi’s voice sounded like Caitlyn pulled her out of a rabbit hole of thoughts.

“Should I be worried about something? You’re shaking like you want to give your car hydraulics,” Caitlyn mocked.

Vi placed her left hand on her left knee firmly. “No, no. I’m more so worried for myself.”

She raised an eyebrow again, “Why? It’s just your family. You dealt with my mother, so I imagine this should be a walk in the park.”

Vi huffed a laugh, “You give my family too much credit. They can be…a lot. I’m just wondering how much they’ll try to embarrass me or get on my nerves in an attempt to entertain you.”

With a shrug, Caitlyn responded, “I’m sure they can’t be that bad. Maybe you don’t give them enough credit.”

That familiar canine peaked through. “Ha. Right. We’ll see, only child.” Vi put the car in park and cut the engine. She let out a long, deep exhale, “Okay, let’s go.

Vander’s home was smushed in the middle of a row of houses. Just from an outside view, Caitlyn couldn’t imagine a house of that size fitting the broad Vander, loose cannon Vi, a boisterous Jinx, wild Mylo, stocky Claggor, and an adventurous Ekko. From the exterior, the house appeared to be as well kept as any home in Zaun could be. Nothing was falling off the facade, but it wasn’t particularly pristine as the houses Caitlyn grew up around. She walked with Vi, who was holding a bag filled with some gifts, up to the front door, which was decorated with chips and scratches from years of use.

Vi went to open the door but it was locked. She cursed, “What? Why the hell did they lock this? Of course, I forgot my damn key.” Annoyed, she landed a few knocks on the door.

After the sound of a lock clicking open, Jinx swung the door wide. Her eyes were closed and mouth wide as she sang, “I saw Violet kissing Santa Claus underneath the—” When she opened her eyes, those magenta pools moved quickly between Vi and Caitlyn and shone with clear regret. She gave an apologetic smile toward her sister. “Whoops. Sorry.”

It took a moment for Caitlyn to process what Jinx was apologizing for exactly, but then the dots connected. The younger girl used her sister’s full name, which Caitlyn had not known or heard up until now. She realized it never occurred to her to even ask if Vi was short for anything considering everyone, from her family to her manager and even news outlets, simply used Vi. But now that she knew her full name, it seemed so strange to her that she was unaware before, especially when Violet was so fitting. Beautiful yet powerful.

Caitlyn could see that Vi was pinching her brows together. After a few beats, she threw her head back and groaned. Turning to face Caitlyn, she looked utterly unamused. “Well, we’re off to a good start.”

She knew better than to ask, but she couldn’t help it. “Your full name is Violet?” When Vi begrudgingly nodded, Caitlyn asked, “Why didn’t you ever tell me that?”

Vi lifted her shoulders, “You never asked. Besides, no one calls me that expect Jinx randomly. Unfortunately.”

They took a step inside to get out of the chilly, winter air, and Caitlyn continued with her questions. “Why is that unfortunate?”

Dropping the bag to the floor, Vi looked back at her with defeated eyes, “Because my parents called me Violet. No one else. Hearing it now feels…weird.”

“As though it’s wrong?”

“I…I don’t know,” Vi answered hesitantly, averting her gaze.

“If you heard it more often, perhaps you wouldn’t feel that way. It’s a wonderful name. I believe it suits you.”

Vi asked her deadpan, “Gonna start calling me Violet now?”

Caitlyn felt the heat on her cheeks, but it wasn’t the same as the rush from yesterday. This one made her want to hide her head in the sand because she couldn’t tell if she offended or if the woman was kidding. Softly, she started, “No, not if you prefer ‘Vi.’ I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“Ah, fuck,” Vi muttered, taking a step toward her, and grazed her thumb along Caitlyn’s cheek, which sent a fire down her entire body. “I was just messing around, Cupcake. You can call me whatever you want.” She scrunched her nose, “Well, maybe let’s keep it as Vi in public.”

Caitlyn was too consumed in the way Vi’s fingertip continued to brush slowly against her cheek to notice Ekko had strolled upon them. It wasn’t until he cleared his throat that the two women jolted apart abruptly.

“Little Man!” Vi exclaimed breathlessly. She closed the gap between them and brought him into a hug. “Is everyone eating already?”

“Were you expecting Mylo or Benzo to wait for you?” Ekko asked with a wry tone.

Vi chuckled, “No, not at all.” She turned to grab the bag of gifts. “I’m going to go put this in the living room. Can you bring Caitlyn into the dining room?”

“Yeah, sure,” he replied as Vi exited the room. Ekko gave her a charming smile, “Ready to eat Vander’s signature cranberry apple pork chops?”

She practically felt her mouth start watering at the mention of food. “That sounds absolutely delicious.”

With a grin, Ekko nodded. “We all look forward to this dish every Christmas. Come on,” He beckoned her to follow.

When she walked into the dining room, she was amazed that somehow all of these people managed to cram around what looked like an absurdly small table in comparison. Everyone was wearing an ugly Christmas sweater, and the atmosphere was loud and jovial, a stark contrast to the dinner she had last night with her parents. Along one side, Mylo was crammed in between Claggor and a large, older man she hadn’t met before, but Caitlyn made the logical assumption it was Benzo based on Vi’s comment earlier. His hair, which was about the same deep brown color as Vander’s, was speckled with grays. Next to him was Vander, and Caitlyn wondered if the two were brothers given how they seemed to be getting along. Ekko took his place next to Jinx, and when he sat down, Vander took note of his return and turned to see Caitlyn timidly standing in the archway.

He stood, his body towering over the entire scene. “Caitlyn!” He greeted her heartily, swooping an arm around her shoulders. “I’m so glad you decided to join us.”

She smiled back at him, “It was very kind of Vi to invite me. Though being so last minute, I hate to admit that I didn’t bring any gifts for you all.”

Vander waved her off, “Ah, that’s not a problem. We don’t want for much down here anyway.”

“Speak for yourself,” Mylo interrupted. “I’d never say no to a gift.” He turned and whispered, or rather attempted to whisper, to Claggor, “Besides, a Piltie could afford to actually get me something nice.”

“Not like you deserve anything, Mylo,” Vi stated with an eye roll as she entered the room next to Caitlyn, which made Jinx laugh in agreement as Mylo grumbled under his breath. She grabbed Caitlyn’s hand and motioned to the seats left open for them next to Jinx.

“Didn’t know you had access to the nice and naughty lists, Violet,” Mylo spit out her name with clear intent to get under her skin. Caitlyn gathered that Jinx must have mentioned her slip of Vi’s full name.

Vi took her seat and glared at him. “Didn’t know you still believed in Sandy Claws,” she sneered. “Aren’t you a little old for that?”

Claggor laughed at punched Mylo’s shoulder.

Vander began plating everyone’s dish with the pork chops, and side dishes were passed down the table from hand to hand. By the time everything made its way around once, Caitlyn’s dish was filled to the edges, mainly because Vi wouldn’t let her pass up on anything and scooped more onto her plate than she needed.

Vi watched Caitlyn with anticipation as she took her first bite of the pork chop. The flavors burst and her tastebuds were sent to culinary heaven as sweet and savory danced together perfectly. She closed her eyes, relishing in the tenderness of the meat and the way it melted in her mouth.

With a low laugh, Vi asked, “Good, right?”

“Oh my god. Good doesn’t even begin to describe it. This might be the best meal I’ve ever had.”

“You hear that Vander?” When he lifted his head to look at her, Vi continued, “Best meal she ever had. Compliments to the chef.”

He grinned mid-chew and raised an appreciative glass in their direction before taking a swig.

Caitlyn did the same, taking a sip of her water. “This blows my dinner from last night out of the park.”

Vi crinkled her nose, “Not for nothing, Cupcake, but that doesn’t take much.”

They both laughed, and Caitlyn slapped her arm.

Suddenly, Jinx grabbed Vi’s opposite arm. “I’m sorry. Did you just call her cupcake?”

With a sigh, Vi answered, “Can we not?”

“Mm, yeah, Jinx, might as well drop it,” Ekko said. “We already know Vi has a sweet tooth.”

The red head’s muscular arms leaned over the table in order to angle herself to see Ekko. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

***

After dinner, which was filled with sibling banter, it was time for the gift exchange. Caitlyn took her seat next to Vi on the sofa, and everyone began tossing wrapped boxes to one another. To any outsider, Caitlyn was sure this would appear chaotic. She certainly believed it to be at first, but after a few minutes watching, Caitlyn found the joy and love in every moment. The laughter behind catching a gift. The jubilant smiles upon opening even the smallest of items. Everyone was so grateful for any thoughtful present. It was refreshing to be around a group of people that didn’t feel the need to hold back their feelings.

To Caitlyn’s surprise, amidst the exchanges, Vander handed her a small envelope. “It’s not much.”

She opened it and found a gift card to a place named Jericho’s. She had no idea where that was, but she thanked him nonetheless. “Thank you so much, Vander. .You really didn’t have to get me anything.”

“Ah, it’s just a gift card to Jericho’s. I figured if you’re going to be in Zaun with Vi, you should try a local favorite. His skewers are probably the best in Zaun.”

“Vi and I will have to go then.”

She wasn’t aware that Vi was even paying attention to the exchange until she chimed in. “Oh, we definitely are.”

Jinx walked over to Caitlyn and Vi and handed them each a gift bag. “I got you both ugly Christmas sweaters. Put them on. I want to take a group picture.”

Caitlyn pulled hers out of the bag. It was a green sweater with an adorable kitten on it that was tangled and playing in Christmas lights and tinsel. She put it on over her shirt, and when she turned to look at Vi, the fighter just finished donning her own ugly sweater. It was red and said in white letters ‘one two,’ followed by a picture of a tree, and then the word ‘four.’

“One two…tree…four,” Caitlyn said out loud.

Jinx snorted, “It’s so good! Fucking classic.” The lanky girl crossed the room, hopping over gifts and wrapping paper, to prop her phone on a ledge. “Everyone gather around the couch. I want to take a picture!”

“Do we have to?” Claggor asked.

She placed her hands on her hips, and leaned toward him, “Don’t be a Debbie Downer.”

The timer went off and took the group picture, and after taking several more, including a ‘silly pose,’ Jinx released them.

Vi sat on the edge of the couch and swiveled in her seat. Her fingers pressed into Caitlyn’s forearm. “Hey.”

“Hi.” Looking into Vi’s silver eyes, she was instantly breathless.

“Come with me. I want to show you something.”

Catching a minuscule breath, she answered, “Okay.”

Vi stood and guided Caitlyn out of the room and up the stairs. She opened the door to a room that was filled with boxes and other random items. Vi made her way past some of the objects and toward the window on the far side of the wall.

As she maneuvered through the room and began to open the window, she told Caitlyn, “This used to be my room. Now Vander uses it for extra storage. When Claggor and I moved out, they rearranged things so Jinx and Mylo could have their own rooms.” She slid the window open as far as it could go and looked back at Caitlyn. “But this isn’t what I wanted to show you. Are you good at climbing?”

Caitlyn’s eyes widened, and she stammered, “Cl-climbing? Sorry?”

With a smirk and laugh, Vi extended her hand. “It’s easy. I promise.”

Hesitantly, Caitlyn put her hand in Vi’s. The Zaunite pulled her in close, so close that Caitlyn’s shallow and quick breaths mingled with Vi’s steady breathing. She could feel her heart ramming against her ribcage, and she wasn’t sure if it was because of the proximity or the fact that she was about to have to climb out of a window.

“Trust me?” Vi whispered. When Caitlyn nodded slowly, Vi continued, “Good. Follow my movements. You’re going to sit on the windowsill like this and let your legs rest on either side.”

Caitlyn did as she was told. Vi began to show her the ledges and lips that stuck out from the side of the house. She listened as Vi explained how the buildings in Zaun, being made mainly of stones and bricks and various metal, were often worn down from years of environmental stressors, and this made them perfect for climbing, which was apparently something she did a lot in her youth. Vi pointed out exactly what spots Caitlyn was going to grip and told her she would be going up with her at the same time to help. Thankfully, the majority of the snow had melted from a full day in the sun, which only made Caitlyn feel a pinch better.

There was little Vi could’ve said to ease her nerves at this point, with one leg hanging outside of the building. One wrong move could be a broken limb…or worse. She tried to keep those thoughts far out of her mind as she leaned out to grab the first stone.

“Your tall so you have an advantage. This should be a piece of cake for you.”

Shakily, Caitlyn replied, “Right. Yeah, piece of cake.”

Vi followed her out of the window and moved with ease up the stones. “Don’t worry. I have you.” She stuck out her hand and helped Caitlyn pull up to the next ledge.

When they reached the roof, Caitlyn hunched forward with her hands on her knees and heaved in and out. “You said that would be easy.”

“Caitlyn, my little sister could do that and then some when she was seven. All us fissure folk can.”

“Was that supposed to be some sort of initiation?” She asked, finally straightening up her back.

Vi beamed, “I guess you could say that.” She stepped forward and took hold of Caitlyn’s hand once more. It was becoming astonishingly second nature to hold Vi’s hand. “Anyway, this is what I wanted to show you.”

Following Vi, Caitlyn’s eyes were immediately drawn to the horizon in front of her. From this rooftop, they had the perfect view of Piltover’s skyline. The lights of the city shone like the stars that were absent from the city sky. Even from here, one could see how the city radiated pristine beauty, contrasting greatly to the smog filled streets of the Undercity. Speaking of which, the smoke from the industrial buildings of Zaun poured up and out into the sky, as though the city was angry it could not reach the unsullied land above it. Neon lights scattered around under them, and Caitlyn found them characteristically unique and beautiful in their own right. Where Piltover prided itself on outward perfection, Zaun embraced what was different, and it was, Caitlyn thought, even more enticing. The longer she stared out at the contrasting skylines, the more she wondered how many nights a younger Vi spent on this rooftop staring out and cursing those in the city above her for her life’s woes.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Vi asked lightly.

“It is,” Caitlyn said as she kept gazing upon the horizon.

As though Vi knew what she was thinking, Vi said, “I used to come up here a lot when I was younger, looking out there with so much anger boiling in me. It was toxic. When I started fighting, I would climb rooftops in Zaun and think how I was going to show Piltover what I was made of. Show them that what makes you different makes you strong.”

Vi took a long pause, and during that silence, Caitlyn let her gaze fall upon the woman next to her. In the dim lighting, Vi’s features were shadowed perfectly from the colorful city lights around them. They were fierce upon first glance, but Caitlyn knew them well enough to find the soft edges. The spots that she would linger in, the scars on her lip and brow, the smooth skin on the hollows of her cheeks, the slope of her asymmetrical jawline. Vi was right. Her differences gave her a strength that Caitlyn admired, but it also gave her a vulnerability that Caitlyn wanted to hold in her hands and keep safe. It was a duality of which Caitlyn couldn’t get enough. When their eyes met, Vi’s pale iris reflected the purples and green of the neon lights in the distance, and it was mesmerizing. On this rooftop, those eyes were Caitlyn’s whole world.

“Now, when I look out there, I think about us and how you’ve awakened this…this thing…this drive in me to reach parts of myself I didn’t know I could. You’ve become part of what makes me strong.”

Just as she spoke at dinner last night, these words were filled with an earnestness that Caitlyn didn’t know could exist. Growing up in Piltover, she was used to the niceties from others being part of their mask. Only Jayce ever showed her true openness and compassion. Vi made her want to tear down the walls she spent years building.

Her knees felt weak and chest buzzed, filled with wings of firelights. When her mind couldn’t find the right words to match Vi’s, she fidgeted with her fingers. “Vi…I…I don’t know what to say.”

Of course, that wasn’t entirely true. There were phrases that ran through her mind at a rapid speed. Words she’d forbidden herself from saying for years. They were words that she exclusively locked away when it came to this woman in front of her. Those sorts of sentences could threaten all they’ve worked toward. Her head spun with an uncertainty of how to convey what she felt appropriately.

Caitlyn settled on, “This has been the best Christmas I’ve had in an extremely long time.”

Vi smiled, “I haven’t even given you your gift yet.”

Now Caitlyn’s stomach, which was still all too full, flipped. She felt unbelievably foolish for not having gotten a gift for Vi. Truthfully, she didn’t think she would see Vi at all over the break given how they left each other at the airport. That seemed like eons ago now.

Tripping over her words, her protested, “Oh, no, Vi. You—you didn’t need to get me a thing. I feel so awful I didn’t get you anything. Goddess. I am the worst.” She placed her palm onto her forehead in humiliation.

“Cupcake,” Vi laughed, “You didn’t need to get me anything. You trusting me enough to climb up the side of a building and share this view is a gift in itself.”

“Vi…” Caitlyn let out defeatedly.

“I’m serious.” Vi took a step closer, bridging the gap between them.

Vi pulled out a tiny, velvet bag from her back pocket. Carefully, Vi reached in and pulled out a delicate gold necklace, and in the middle hung a charm. Caitlyn squinted to make it out and realized it was the crest of Zaun, swirling at the top, with intricate twists in the middle, and coming to sharp point at the bottom. It was gorgeous craftsmanship.

Vi motioned for her to turn around, and as Caitlyn did, she pulled the hair up and away from her neck so Vi could clasp the necklace on. The brushing of her fingers along the back of her neck sent a fire throughout her body.

When Caitlyn turned around and put her fingers up to the crest, Vi spoke, “You’re an honorary Zaunite now, Cupcake.”

For some reason, Caitlyn could feel heat welling behind her eyes. Perhaps it was because, for the first time, Caitlyn felt like she belonged somewhere…with someone. Or maybe it was because Vi regarded her with such warmth, and she wished she could say the words that burned the tip of her tongue. Whatever the reason, Caitlyn rushed forward and hugged Vi with such intensity that it knocked them both a bit off balance, but Vi wasted no time in wrapping her arms around Caitlyn’s waist to steady them.

“I love it, Violet,” Caitlyn mumbled into her neck.

Vi brought her in tighter. Caitlyn wanted to stay in this moment forever. She wanted to feel Vi’s embrace, pulling her in closer always. It was like coming home, a feeling Caitlyn thought she would never really find.

She felt Vi’s breath hitch against her chest before the words came out. “I…I love…that you love it. I know there’s all this talk about us being Piltover versus Zaun, the merging of opposite sides of the same coin or some bullshit, but this is more to me than that.”

Caitlyn pulled away, leaving her arms resting on Vi’s shoulders. “I agree. We’re more than that.”

There was a moment, a beat, where Caitlyn swore Vi would close the distance between their lips the way she did at the gallery. Caitlyn was yearning for it, wishing for it, dreaming of it. She wanted to feel the rush of Vi’s full lips on hers. For a week, she tried to get the memory of her tongue grazing Vi’s scarred lip out of her mind, but now she let it return in full force.

But Vi didn’t move forward. She didn’t cup Caitlyn’s face in her hands and kiss her like they wouldn’t have another chance. Instead, her eyes danced around Caitlyn’s face before returning to the skyline and then to the ground. Her hands were still gripping Caitlyn’s waist, but the conflict in her body language was evident.

“Ready to climb down?” Vi deflected.

“Shit,” Caitlyn muttered as she turned to face the edge of the roof they climbed up.

Vi tapped her waist before she moved toward the edge and sat down. “I’ll go first and guide you down step by step.”

“You just want an excuse to stare at my ass,” Caitlyn joked.

With one cheek pulled up into a smirk, Vi replied, “I don’t need an excuse.” She adjusted her body so her feet found a ledge under her and her elbows and forearms were leaning on top of the roof. “But that view might be nicer than the skyline.”

A wink.

An eye roll.

Habit. Second nature.

This is why I love you.

And why I’m doomed.

Chapter Text

“Well, Russel, what were your thoughts on this last fight? She won, but…” Raelle sucked her teeth with an arching eyebrow in a concerned fashion.

He shook his head, “But it wasn’t a great match.” Russel sighed, “I don’t know what happened. Honestly, after Vi having such strong fights, this one was tough to watch.”

Tressa nodded in agreement. “If she carries on like that in the championship rounds, she’s going to be in trouble.”

“I think I speak for all of us here when I say the way she was fighting reminded us of the old Vi, pre-Kiramman,” Jack added, which earned nods all around.

___________________

The five days after the holiday brought Vi and Caitlyn back to their usual training schedule, running followed by some combination of sparring, bag work, and weights. It was a welcome return for Vi, and she imagined Caitlyn felt the same way. Vi was more than happy to be back to punching every stress out in the ring alongside her coach, and the flirty and playful banter with Caitlyn was a definite plus.

“Jab, cross,” Caitlyn commanded, holding up the pads. She took some steps backward. “Teep me.”

“Oh, I like the way you say teep, Cupcake,” Vi mocked her accent. “Keep talking dirty to me.”

Vi was aware that she had to keep her distance on anything physical, but she wasn’t going to cut out flirting altogether. Caitlyn didn’t seem to mind, trying to play off her flushed cheeks as a result of pad work instead of Vi’s words.

“Vi. Take your training seriously,” Caitlyn deflected, bracing for Vi’s foot to make contact with the pad.

After Vi hit, she followed up with a cross and a knee. The knee had enough force to push Caitlyn back. Wiping away the sweaty hair on her forehead, Vi smiled, “I’m always serious as a heart attack.”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes, “Hardly.” She slipped off one of the pads and wiped her own forehead. “Let’s wrap up with a stretch. And, no, please do not stand behind me while we stretch.”

With a laugh, Vi threw her wraps and gloves into her bag. “You know me so well. Still rude of you to deny me that view.” Vi caught the cheeky grin on Caitlyn’s face.

They both began with a double hamstring stretch while Caitlyn asked, “Do you still want to come over tomorrow and watch some of the videos on Nidalee after we run?”

Nidalee was another relatively fresh face to the fighting scene. Vi fought her last year, and, if her memory served her well, she didn’t recall the fight being terribly difficult; however, given the fact that Nidalee was so close to the championship rounds, Vi figured it couldn’t hurt to see how the fighter had developed. There was no one better to analyze the growth and capabilities of a fighter than Caitlyn.

“Of course,” Vi answered as she moved into a runner’s stretch. “It’s been a long time since I’ve fought her. I can’t pass up on your expertise advice.”

****

Vi walked out of the bathroom in her fresh t-shirt and joggers and rubbed a towel over her damp hair. Post-holiday break, Vi started leaving a few extra outfits at Caitlyn’s house so they could just head there after a run if they planned on going over videos and such, like they did today. It made more sense. It was logical and time-efficient. And Caitlyn’s shower had way better water pressure than her own at home. There was definitely no other reasons Vi wanted clothes stashed away in Caitlyn’s house.

“Refreshed?” Caitlyn asked without turning away from her computer screen.

Vi leaned against the doorway of the office and was captivated by the way her slender, porcelain fingers ran over the keyboard. Her eyes followed Caitlyn’s arm up to her shoulder and neck, which was exposed since she had her dark hair up in a wet bun. She was fixated on the thought of kissing and nipping on that soft flesh, leaving marks from her collarbone to her ear.

“Vi?” Questioned Caitlyn, finally turning from the screen to raise a brow in her direction.

She blinked herself back to the present. “Yeah, yeah. I used that exfoliating scrub. Hope you don’t mind. My skin is as smooth as a baby’s butt. I need to get that for my apartment. Feel.”

Vi raised her forearm up in front of Caitlyn. The feeling of her cool fingers over Vi’s warm, newly smooth skin made Vi want to close her eyes and be lulled into a tranquil sleep, but Caitlyn’s giggle made her ears perk up.

“Are you ready to focus now?”

“Yes,” Vi tossed the towel on the back of the chair and settled in next to Caitlyn. “Analyze away.”

“I’ve been watching some of Nidalee’s fights while you were in the shower. I only found a few quick clips from your fight with her last year. She was definitely learning her style.”

Caitlyn started a video, and Vi was watched herself dash toward Nidalee. She threw punch after punch. Some of them Nidalee blocked or slipped, but this was a time when Vi’s fighting relied heavily on her speed and aggression. So much so that looking back now, Vi could see the way her technique improved. Her footwork wasn’t as sloppy, her moves were calculated, and she was aware of her guard. Nidalee fumbled keeping up, but there were a few hits to Vi’s open side that she landed.

“Now, this is from earlier this year,” Caitlyn clicked on her next queued video. “She’s fighting against Katarina, and she’s definitely come into her own. Watch her eyes. She’s studying every move Katarina makes.”

Vi leaned in. Caitlyn was right. Nidalee was taking in the way Katarina moved, allowing her to start the attack. She’d slip and duck and roll, but she wasn’t afraid to block a hit to feel out the other fighter’s rhythm.

“She’s trying to find a weak spot,” Vi observed.

“Precisely,” Caitlyn affirmed before switching to another video.

She let this one play longer, and they watched the same tactic. Nidalee watched, defended, and then dove in. She found the perfect spot, kneeing her opponent to tear their guard downward before landing a hook to the head.

“She is deliberate and vicious when she goes in. Like a huntress watching her prey for the best opportunity,” Caitlyn noted.

They continued watching a few more videos, and it was generally all as Caitlyn said. Nidalee studied and then went in for her strikes, targeting openings, no matter how small. She watched for patterns before attacking.

Vi sat back in her chair and firmly planted her hands on her knees. “I need to do something she wouldn’t be expecting, so more kicks. People still don’t expect me to throw roundhouses and front kicks and shit often, so that could work, right?”

“That…could work,” Caitlyn said contemplatively.

With a nod, Vi stated, “Okay, so tomorrow when we train I’ll focus on my kicks. And then,” she pulled out her phone and when the screen lit up, she paused, staring at the date. “Wait a minute. It’s New Year’s Eve?”

Caitlyn was quietly watching another video. At Vi’s question, she tilted her head. “Yes. Are you just realizing that?”

“How the hell is it already New Years? It was just Christmas.”

“Vi, Christmas was a week ago.”

“Huh,” Vi huffed with a shining canine toward Caitlyn, “Time flies when your having fun.”

She smirked back, “I didn’t know you panting through a ten mile run was what you considered fun.”

“Well, it’s with you, so…” Vi spun around in the desk chair, trying to make those words and the ones that followed seem nonchalant. “You got any plans for New Year’s Eve?”

Caitlyn clicked on another video and shook her head. “No. New Years is a big drinking holiday, and obviously that isn’t really my thing.” She sighed, “Jayce normally comes over and we spend the night inside, but Viktor invited him to a party.”

“So he bailed on you,” Vi interjected.

She frowned, “He didn’t bail. I don’t expect him to stay in with me every year. He deserves to go out and have fun. Jayce isn’t the one that has to worry about controlling himself.”

Biting down on her lip and digging her nails into the seat of her seat, Vi hesitated. “You should spend the new year with me. Come with me to The Last Drop.”

“Vi, that’s a bar. That’s the exact opposite of what I’m trying to do,” Caitlyn said with a slight air of hilarious disbelief.

“Yeah, I know it’s a bar. My family is going to be there, and they’ll probably all get shitfaced. But I’m training, so I really shouldn’t drink anyway. You should come with me and we can be sober together.”

“You don’t need to babysit me, Vi.”

Vi scooted closer using the wheels on her chair. She squeezed at Caitlyn’s knees. “I’m not trying to babysit you, but you’re also wild if you think I’m letting you spend New Year’s Eve alone at home. That’s like the saddest shit I’ve ever heard.”

She rolled her eyes, “You and I both know there’s been far sadder events in our lives.”

“I’m not talking about any of that. Don’t deflect, Cupcake.”

“You’re not going to let me stay home, are you?” Caitlyn smiled sweetly.

Shaking her head, Vi answered, “Nope. So get dressed.”

When Vi stood up and started to head toward the door, Caitlyn called out, “What am I supposed to wear?”

*****

They showed up at The Last Drop well into the night with only two hours until midnight. Vi figured the less time they spent in the bar, the better for Caitlyn, but that meant her family would be properly off their ass.

When they walked in, the bass of the music was thumping through the speakers, which meant everyone was talking loudly above it. It was a bustling night and everyone seemed to have a drink in their hand. Through the crowd, Vi caught a glimpse of Vander pouring drinks behind the bar while intermittently taking puffs from his pipe. To the far side of the bar, she spotted Mylo’s wild hair situated next to Claggor’s broad shoulders.

“Vi! You’re—” hiccup “—finally here!”

Yup. Jinx was absolutely wasted. Her sister ran into her and swung her arms around Vi’s body. Even with her weight heavily on Vi, she could tell Jinx was wobbly. She held her sister’s shoulders to steady her. Jinx’s magenta swirl eyes were wavering in their sockets.

“How much did you have to drink?” Vi laughingly asked.

“I’m fine, mom.” Jinx peeked curiously over Vi’s shoulder. “Caitlyn, hiya.”

“Hi, Jinx,” Caitlyn shyly waved.

Jinx’s eyes moved between the two women in front of her. “Do you mind if I steal my sister for a second?”

“Uh, sure,” Caitlyn squeaked. Vi showed her a table along the far way to grab before she was dragged away by her sister.

They stopped in front of the hallway that led down to the bathrooms, giving them a bit more seclusion. Vi swiveled her head around the corner to make sure Caitlyn was settled at the table. She hated that she had to leave Caitlyn at all, especially when she promised her they would spend the night together sober. When she saw Caitlyn timidly take her seat, Vi turned to face her sister.

Jinx gripped at Vi’s biceps while she spoke, “Are you fucking Caitlyn?”

Her eyes were ready to pop out of her skull at the blatant accusation. “What? Why do you think—”

“Vi-o-let,” Jinx interrupted, “first she comes to your apartment, then to our Christmas dinner, and now she’s here for New Years. What am I supposed to think?”

Vi switched their stances, and now held onto Jinx’s shoulders again. “Whoa. First of all, she showed up to my apartment unannounced, but it was just to drop shit off. Inviting her to dinner was Vander’s idea, not mine. And, yeah, I asked her to come tonight because Jayce wasn’t able to hang out with her tonight, and I wasn’t going to let her spend the night alone. What did you want me to do?”

Jinx’s eyes studied Vi carefully, looking for holes in her words. She pouted, “Don’t lie to me. You’re my sister. I know you. You wouldn’t just invite some girl to all this if you didn’t actually like her.”

And that’s the problem: You’re my sister. You know me far too well, and now I have to attempt to convince you otherwise.

Shrugging her shoulders, Vi countered, “Of course I like her. She’s my coach. If I didn’t like her, this wouldn’t work in the ring. That’s what this is about, and you know that, Jinx.”

Her hands went to her hips and she squinted, “Well, I know that’s part of it, sure, but there’s something.” She pointed her finger at Vi, “Look, I don’t care if you are or aren’t screwing her, but you better not let it mess with all your work.”

She smirked, “Now who’s mom?”

Jinx pushed at Vi’s bicep, “Shut up, shithead.”

“Love you, too. I gotta get back to Caitlyn, okay?”

“Fine,” Jinx waved her away. “I’ll find you later. Go get your cupcake,” she mocked as Vi sped around the corner.

Vi pushed through the crowds and made her way to Caitlyn as quickly as she could. She jumped into her seat so quickly that it nearly toppled over. She smoothed her signature red jacket and fixed her hair.

“Sorry about that,” Vi choked out.

Caitlyn had gotten them both waters in the time it took Vi to get to her. She took a sip and then replied, “Not a problem. What did Jinx want so urgently?”

Vi took a drink from her glass and swallowed hard. “She…uh…she asked if we were fucking.”

Caitlyn’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets and she choked on her water. “She what?”

“Yeah,” Vi stated with a waver in her voice as she ran her hands through her hair again. “I told her we weren’t — obviously.”

“Right, yeah. No, of course not,” Caitlyn stammered. To Vi, it sounded almost disappointed, but perhaps it was just the blaring music and loud conversation around them.

“I told her that I invited you here because Jayce couldn’t come over, which isn’t a lie.” Vi tilted her head as an idea sprung into her mind. “Speaking of Jayce, I should train with him one day.”

“Pardon?”

“Me and Jayce.” She leaned a bit onto the table, “I want to spar against someone you’ve trained. He was a former champ, and I’m getting closer to the title. Why not?”

Caitlyn narrowed her eyes playfully and smiled, “Vi, he’s probably close to double your weight. If you plan on sparring fairly, I don’t know that it would—”

Vi waved her hand dismissively, “You used to spar with him, didn’t you?”

“I mean that was different. We focused on technical—”

“I’ll be fine, Cupcake. Think he’d be down to train?”

She sighed, “I’m sure he would love to get back in the ring with someone who could actually be a challenge for him.”

“See! That’s the vote of confidence I need,” Vi beamed.

The next two hours were spent with Vi and Caitlyn happily sober and people watching, and frankly, for Vi, the best thing about not being hammered when everyone else was, was having someone with her who could appreciate the ridiculousness of all the drunk people surrounding them. As the night went on, more drinks flowed from behind the bar, and people were losing their faculties. Speech slurred and steps teetered on barely standing.

Vi nodded to a man sitting at the bar. His wild blonde hair reached his wide shoulders, and his beard was almost lighter than his hair. When he turned to the side, they could see his skin was worn, likely from working outside, perhaps in the fissures when he was in his youth, and his nose had a bump in the bridge that Vi attributed to a break. As far as Vi could tell, he was solitary at the bar, laughing at conversations happening to his left and right, chiming in randomly to drunken jests.

“What about him?” Vi asked.

“Oh, he spends his days working tirelessly, and he came here tonight hoping to unwind and take advantage of New Year’s drink specials. Always conscientious of his wallet, that one. He doesn’t drink often, but he enjoys the camaraderie found amongst strangers in a bar.”

“Mm…A rare thing in Zaun. You can only really find it here. Vander makes sure his lot are taken care of,” Vi remarks.

Caitlyn nods, “He’s overly friendly, though. With all the drunken faces around him, he’s also probably looking for someone to spend the night with, but he’s actually too afraid to—”

Before Caitlyn could finish the thought, a burly man with curly brown hair and a clean shaven face walked up behind the blonde gentleman. He pinched his ass and whispered something in the man’s ear before leaning down to bite at his neck. The blonde fellow turned and laughed before introducing the brunette man to the group on his left.

Caitlyn’s mouth was left agape. “N-never mind.”

When the two women made eye contact after watching the exchange, they burst into a fit of laughter.

Wiping away a tear from the corner of her eye, Caitlyn added, “Wow. I didn’t see that coming.” Her eyes scanned the room. They’d lost count now of how many times they’d done this, but she was nevertheless looking for new targets. “Them. The couple across the room,” she pointed to her right at a couple seated by the window.

Vi studied them for a moment. He was a scrawny man, maybe in his early twenties, and this was clearly not his scene. His hair, light brown and wavy, hung around his ears, and he nervously tucked it behind them before he took a sip of his mostly full glass of beer.

The woman he was with, however, was attractive and bubbly. She lifted a brow as she watched the girl now. Not Vi’s type, but she could see why someone would find her enticing. Vi’s type was someone with dark, blue hair and blue eyes and cheekbones that put marbled artwork to shame and—ugh stop. Anyway, her green and black hair hair danced around her arms as she bounced up and down to the beat of the music. The drink in front of her was almost gone, and when she looked over at the man in front of her, sympathetic brown eyes shot him a weak smile. This was clearly her idea for the night, and he was hopelessly following her tail.

Vi leaned back in her chair, “Well, they’re not actually a couple.”

Caitlyn scoffed and tapped her palm to the table. “What? Please, look at those nervous movements. He’s enamored by her.”

“Yeah, but,” Vi leaned in but kept her eyes on the not-couple, “she’s not really into him. Sure, she likes him as a friend, and he would kill to have a shot. But he doesn’t. She looked at him like a sad puppy. That guy doesn’t want to be here, but he came because she said she was going to The Last Drop. When he showed up, she put on her best face, but now she feels like she can’t mingle, which totally goes against every fiber of her bright disposition.” Vi sat back in her chair and interlocked her fingers behind her head. “I guarantee you at midnight she doesn’t kiss him.”

“We’ll see about that,” she replied with resoluteness. Caitlyn’s eyes searched over all the drunken bodies once more, but her stare landed on Vi. Her blue eyes only dropped for a split second before she asked, “What about us?”

Vi put her arms back down at her side and raised her brows. “What about us?”

A bashful smile began to slide along her slender face. “What would people say about us?”

“That we’re two weirdos sober in a bar on the holiday meant to blackout.” Vi raised her glass of water in a cheers motion and drank.

“Do you,” she hesitated.

Please don’t ask.

“Do you think anyone would say…we’re a couple?” Her voice was so unbelievably delicate that Vi was surprised she heard it at all.

She felt her cheeks growing increasingly warm at the question, and she didn’t need to see her face to know it’d likely become as red as her jacket. Her eyes focused on the Zaunite necklace that hung around Caitlyn’s porcelain neck. Anyone from Zaun who saw that charm would never believe Caitlyn was actually a Zaunite when every feature read high and mighty Piltover, but Vi didn’t care about that. To her, Caitlyn was so, so much more, and the fact that Caitlyn continually wore that necklace was not a detail Vi missed.

Vi cleared her throat and readjusted in her seat. “I don’t know, Cupcake.” Quickly, she tried to think of a way to deflect, “Do you want people to think we’re together?”

It was Caitlyn’s turn for her face to flush pink, but the coy smile remained. “Well, if they did, it wo—”

“Vi!” Jinx’s drunken screech saved Caitlyn. “It’s about to be midnight! Come on!” Her sister’s hand pulled at her jacket sleeve.

She knew that Jinx wanted her to come to the bar to watch the countdown on the television screen behind Vander. They did this together every year. There was unlikely strength in the inebriated pull from Jinx, but Vi turned swiftly to grab onto Caitlyn’s arm, too. The pair followed Jinx into the crowd, ending up right beside Ekko.

“Ah, she found you!” He smiled brightly.

“She always does,” Vi returned with a grin, mussing up her sister’s long side bangs.

“Ready?” Jinx exclaimed. “In ten…nine…”

As Jinx continued to count, Ekko shot a glance between Vi and Caitlyn. Both women stood stiffly next to each other as the slurred countdown around them continued on. All Vi could think about was how this was a terrible idea, bringing Caitlyn up to the bar with her when people are expected to kiss in, oh, five seconds.

Ekko raised an eyebrow and silently mouthed, “Just kiss her.”

“Four…three…two…”

Vi turned so quickly to Caitlyn that she somehow managed to slam her whole body into her. Maybe someone pushed her. It didn’t matter. What did, in fact, matter was that now they were face-to-face. Two hopeless lesbians with wide eyes at one another, unsure of what the other really wanted, unsure of how to proceed.

“One!”

Jinx grabbed on to Ekko’s jacket and had her tongue down his throat in seconds. Gross.

Suddenly, Vi remembered a bet. She put Caitlyn’s chin between her fingers and directed her to look at the not-couple they were talking about earlier. Sure as shit, the girl gave a small smile and kissed the boy quick as she could on the cheek. Totally not a couple.

Vi brought her attention back to Caitlyn and watched as her mouth fell open and she began to giggle, and as Vi took in the breathtaking way that Caitlyn’s eyes crinkled as she laughed, she couldn’t help but dwell on Caitlyn’s question about them.

What about us?

Why was Vi so scared to let this happen when she was ready to commit after that night at the hotel? Of course, there was the fear of angering Caitlyn by doing exactly what she asked Vi not to do: Continue…this. She remembered how she forced herself to hold back that night on the roof, and she knew she could unhappily do that again. But when Vi looked at that guy who didn’t have enough balls to make a move and suffered for it, Vi realized she didn’t want that to be her. Maybe this one New Year’s kiss would mean nothing. Maybe it would only be for tonight, but Vi would make tonight be enough.

Besides, Jinx is too drunk to remember any of this anyway. Ekko wouldn’t pester her about it. He knew better. When she glanced at the bar, Vander’s, Mylo’s, and Claggor’s eyes were all focused on the television screen with drinks in hand. She doubted they even saw her come over.

With all the courage and possible stupidity she could muster, Vi cupped Caitlyn’s face. Immediately, the taller woman seemed to melt in her touch. Her shoulder slackened, her eyes glossed over, and her cheek pressed against Vi’s left palm. She wasn’t saying no.

Vi leaned forward and pressed her lips against Caitlyn’s, and it was as though the rest of the world faded into oblivion. She was there in that eclipse again, nothing and everything. As Caitlyn’s lips matched the slow, tender speed, Vi inhaled her sweet breath, letting it make her dizzy. It felt like she was soaring, light and full of air only Caitlyn could provide. She decided there that she would never tire of the soft touch of Caitlyn’s lips against her own or the way Caitlyn simultaneously emptied and filled her lungs. When she slowly, pulled away, Caitlyn took a moment to fully blink her eyes open, and they were still glassy. Vi pressed her forehead against Caitlyn’s, grounding herself.

“Happy New Year, Caitlyn.”

She rubbed her thumb against Vi’s cheek and spoke softly, “Happy New Year, Violet.”

******

The next day they were back to training at the gym, and both women acted like nothing happened at The Last Drop. It was probably easier this way. Vi knew that.

She also hated it.

***

“Teep, jab, jab. Close the distance. Roundhouse.”

Vi threw every punch and kick onto the pads that Caitlyn held. After that last kick, Caitlyn put the pads down. They took their position back in the center of the ring to run new combinations.

“You’ll be training with Jayce tomorrow, by the way,” Caitlyn said before bring the pads back to shoulder height. She didn’t exactly sound thrilled.

Vi raised her eyebrows, “Are you ready for me to kick your champ’s ass?”

Caitlyn shook her head, “Don’t underestimate him, Vi.”

******

Since their training began, Caitlyn always went to Vi’s gym in Zaun. This was the first time that Vi had to go to the gym in Piltover, and she was not a fan of being topside because she never felt like she could fit in. Whenever she ventured to Piltover, she felt like the snooty eyes of the upper class looked down upon her. Judging. Full of disdain. Maybe they didn’t actually care, but something in Vi made her believe that no one wanted her there to dirty their immaculate world. It made it difficult for Vi to get comfortable in her own skin.

As they walked down the street toward the Piltover Golden Gym, she stuffed her hands into her pockets and turned her eyes downward to the sidewalk.

“Are you alright?” Caitlyn asked in a genuinely concerned voice.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Vi mumbled as she readjusted her gym bag on her shoulder.

When she shifted the weight of her bag, she accidentally bumped shoulders with a well-dressed Piltovan who walked past her. He grunted and turned to glare back at her.

Aggressively, he called out, “Watch where you’re going.”

Snapping around, Vi threw up her middle finger, “Are you kidding me? Fuck you, dude.”

“Excuse me?” He retorted, insulted.

Vi took a step toward him, “You heard me. Fuck off.”

Caitlyn pulled at Vi’s shoulder. “Vi,” she said sternly, “Come on. Vi.” She yanked again, and Vi turned around on the second tug. When Vi turned back around and took her spot next to Caitlyn, her coach asked, “What’s gotten into you?”

In response, she just shrugged.

The pair entered Gold Gym, and Vi hoped that being in this setting would put her more at ease; however, scanning the facility, she was in awe. It made her home gym in Zaun seem like everything in it was hand-me-down equipment. Everything in Golds was new, shiny, and state-of-the-art. It put her gym to shame. Even the dumbbells were neatly stored in weight order, unlike what she was used to back home where weights were more often than not haphazardly tossed to the side.

“Whoa,” Vi breathed out. “Why did you even keep coming to my gym when we could’ve come here?”

“I knew you’d be more comfortable in Zaun, and given your outburst a few minutes ago, I’d say I was correct,” Caitlyn stated.

She shot a remorseful look in Caitlyn’s direction, but the feeling was drowned out when she caught the eye of some of the Pilties in the gym. They regarded her with wary stares. Instinctively, her hand went to rub the back of her neck, and she could feel the bricks stacking inside her, ready to form that protective wall and shut out everyone.

“Caitlyn!” A male voice called out to their right.

Turning toward the sound of the voice, Vi was met with Piltover’s Man of Progress himself, Jayce Talis. He was taller than Vi expected him to be, having a few inches on Caitlyn. Jayce really was Piltover’s perfect boy with his tan skin, perfectly styled brown hair, and golden eyes. Even though he hasn’t been in the ring for a while now, his muscles were still clearly sculpted through his t-shirt.

He picked Caitlyn up in a bear hug, and after he let her go, his attention was on Vi. “And you’re Vi. It’s a pleasure to meet you in person.” Jayce extended a hand out to her, which Vi took. “Your matches have been really great to watch, but I’m excited to go toe-to-toe with you.”

“Yeah, I’m surprised you agreed to this.”

“Why is that?” He questioned with a cocked eyebrow.

“Because I’m totally going to kick your ass,” Vi replied with a arrogant grin.

This only made Jayce laugh, “We’ll see about that.”

***

Vi insisted on treating this sparring match like a regular match, even though Caitlyn protested and wanted Vi to wear more protective gear. The only reason Vi agreed to at least put on the head guard was because Caitlyn brought up how it could ruin everything if she got hurt so close to the title. She had to admit her coach had a point. No matter how confident she may have felt, there was always the chance for a mistake.

They treated this session like a traditional match, and after two rounds, Vi was growing frustrated. She could tell Jayce was going easy on her. When he did land a punch, she knew he was holding back power behind it.

During their minute break, Vi snapped, “What the hell? Why are you pulling your punches?”

He stared back at her in surprise. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, come on,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “I can tell you are. I asked you to fight me, Pretty Boy, not dance.”

“Vi,” Caitlyn chastised from the corner.

She swiveled to face her coach, “Hey, I put on this head guard so we could actually fight. That was deal, right?” Vi turned back to Jayce and took her fighter’s stance. “So quit holding back.”

He shook his head, looked over Vi’s shoulder at Caitlyn, and shrugged his shoulders before rejoining Vi in the center of the ring.

After they touched gloves, Vi charged at him, ready to unleash her frustration at him for not taking this seriously, at the Piltie’s that gave her side eyes, and at that douchebag that bumped into her outside. But she only grew more annoyed when she couldn’t land a clean hit. She spent the round fumbling to find a spot wasn’t blocking. In the midst of her punches, Jayce managed to fake a jab and land a hook to the side of her head guard, but part of his glove slid and brushed against her nose. The impact was just enough to get a small trickle of blood to make its way onto her lip.

Caitlyn called the time for the round just as it happened, and when Vi turned and Caitlyn’s eyes went wide at the sight of the blood, she scowled at her former fighter. “Jayce!”

He lifted up his arms in conflict, “What do you want, Cait? She wanted this.”

When Caitlyn started to dab away the blood, Vi snuffed her hand away. “It’s fine. I can do this.”

“Can you?” She asked with doubtful raised brows. “You aren’t calculating anything. You’re just swinging. I trained Jayce for years, far longer than I’ve trained you, so if you plan to stand a chance, you need to take your time.”

Vi huffed but continued to let Caitlyn wipe away the blood. She wasn’t about to tell her that she knew she was right. Vi was not about to tell Caitlyn that coming topside just broke something in her that she thought she was past. When those judgmental eyes watched her and Jayce’s doubts in her took root, she receded into old habits. As she sat, her knee began to shake wildly. Caitlyn placed a hand on it, but Vi refused to make eye contact. Instead, she exhaled, stood, and made her way back to the center of the ring.

“You good?” Jayce asked.

“Let’s do this,” Vi stated curtly.

They began again, and Vi tried to remember what Caitlyn taught her about being deliberate and precise. In the beginning, it seemed to work. Vi was more aware of dodging incoming punches and finding open spots, but it wasn’t enough to keep Jayce away. Vi went in for a lead hook to his body, but Jayce shot his elbow down to block it. He followed with an uppercut of his own to Vi’s head, and when she went to move her gloves upward, he stepped to his left quickly and snuck in a lead hook to her right side. It wasn’t with his full force, but it didn’t need to be.

Caitlyn caught where his glove landed immediately, and she was up and climbing into the ring.

It took Vi’s body longer to register the hit. But when it did…oh, when it did…

Her liver.

She staggered back two steps, and without even realizing it, her right hand was holding onto her midsection. The breath escaped her lungs like someone bursting a balloon. Nausea rippled up her throat, and she was dizzy. She wasn’t sure how she got there, but suddenly, she was kneeling on the ground. When the static in her ears finally subsided, she could hear Caitlyn was closer to her now.

“Jayce, are you out of your mind? She’s heading into the championship rounds and you decide that’s a good time to go in for a damn liver shot?”

Vi could tell she was seething behind clenched teeth without even looking up. If she wasn’t hunched over recovering from excruciating pain, she would’ve laughed.

“Caitlyn, you know she’s going to be fine. If I was sparring and left that open and someone hit me, you would’ve told me I needed to pay attention to my guard. You know that’s true, and you’re only acting this way because—”

“Jayce!” Caitlyn cut him off with bite.

Because why? Did she tell him…

Vi’s nausea subsided enough to lift her head up to stare at the two Piltovans arguing above her. When Jayce noticed, he took a step forward and knelt in front of her.

“Have you ever been hit in your liver before?”

She coughed, trying to find the words, “Y-yeah. Years ago. W-when I was st-starting out.” She gave a shaky exhale, “Been a while.”

“Well, it can still happen, and it ends a fight. You can’t get cocky,” he stated seriously. “You can’t forget your positioning. Your guard. The way you protect yourself is just as important as the way you attack.”

While his words were correct, it didn’t help how badly she wanted to punch him in his own stupid, goddamn liver as she stared at his annoying golden eyes. He stood and extended his hand out to her. Reluctantly, she grunted and took his offer. When she was on her feet, it was as though she could feel her stomach lengthening like an accordion, and her organs were settling back into their proper positions. It was still instinctual to want to hold and protect her weakened right side.

Jayce glanced down at her glove. “Sorry about that.”

She shrugged and murmured, “I asked for it.”

“You’ll remember next time, and I’m sure you’ll be tougher to take down.”

Unrelated to her reeling liver, Vi hated feeling this way. She couldn’t stand how she wanted to hate this Piltie for showing her up but also felt his words to be enticingly sincere. It made her uneasy, unsure how to respond.

Caitlyn stepped in before Vi had to say anything, however. “Yes, well, I don’t anticipate any sort of next time until the season is over.” Her scowl at Jayce could kill, but he seemed to only find it humorous as he stifled a grin. She chose not to reproach him further; instead, she climbed out of the ring and addressed Vi, “Let’s go, Vi. We need to stretch and take care of your side before your actual fight.”

There was a hiss behind her words. Vi knew she wasn’t pleased with her either for pushing Jayce and essentially causing her own pain.

As they walked together toward the door in silence, knuckles tapped Vi’s arm quickly as the Piltovan man passed by her. “Saw you sparring back there,” he spat out. “Couldn’t handle a real Piltovan champ in the ring, huh?” He chuckled as he continued walking.

That was the wrong remark.

Vi pivoted on her heel like a rubber band snapping. “You want to say that shit again?”

“W-what?” The man breathed out. Clearly, he wasn’t expecting Vi to take his joking tone so seriously.

“You heard me.” Vi took a few steps closer as the man froze in place. “Jayce got lucky,” she spat through gritted teeth. “You won’t.”

“Vi,” Caitlyn scolded and tugged on her shoulder.

“I-I was just playing around. I’m not trying to start anything,” he said sheepishly.

Caitlyn stepped in front of her. Her eyes were piercing into Vi’s skull, and her fingers dug into both Vi’s shoulders like knives. In Caitlyn’s grip, Vi felt like a small chid that made some horrible mistake. Vi’s eyes trailed downward to see her lips in a hard line before she spoke.

“Turn around. We’re going to the car. Now.”

This was not going to be a fun car ride.

***

“I cannot believe you egged Jayce on like that. Actually, no, I can. And then you get him to go all in and you forget to properly guard your right side. That’s the most important area of the body, Vi. I know you know this. Blocking and evading is crucial, and you need to keep your defense sharp with every fighter, especially Jayce.” She shook her head, and her grip on the steering wheel tightened. “This was a terrible idea. I don’t know why I even asked him. It’s like you threw half of what I taught you out the window trying to prove some point that no one asked you to prove. Maybe we should go back to some basics before your next fight, hm?”

Vi knew it wasn’t a real question for her. Caitlyn was droning on about this the second they reached the bridge to go back to Zaun. Honestly, Vi was surprised it took her that long to start reprimanding. The worst part is that Vi knew how she fucked up. She knew she let her emotions get in the way and forfeited proper technique, and she didn’t really need Caitlyn to explain any of that to her. It chewed at her insides, at her self-control to keep her mouth shut and not tell Caitlyn to shut hers. That wouldn’t have been right to hurt the woman she…cared for so deeply because she couldn’t move past the blocks in her own mind. The whole day went to shit, and Vi just wanted to sleep and restart.

“You’re about to go up against an opponent that will view you like prey and seek out weak points. She’s good at figuring out where she can obtain the upper hand. If you go into that ring like you did today with Jayce, we won’t make this. We need to be strategic. This is the last fight before everything really, really matters. There’s no time for error.”

“I know,” Vi stated in a low voice with her eyes out of the window.

“Maybe you should act like you do.”

At that remark, Vi’s shoulder twitched. Struck a nerve. She bit down on her bottom lip so hard she thought she might draw blood. Thankfully, Caitlyn pulled up and parked at Vi’s apartment, and she couldn’t get out of the car fast enough. She didn’t say a word when she opened her door and climbed out. Nothing she could’ve said would’ve fixed anything, nor would it have been particularly nice. Unfortunately, Caitlyn wasn’t about to let her go so easily.

The taller woman opened her door and stood beside it as Vi closed her own. “Vi.” The name only sounded a modicum gentler. “Don’t you have anything to say? You had a mouthful for those Piltovans earlier, but you can’t say anything to me?”

Vi stopped walking and threw up her hands, letting them fall with a slap on her thighs. “What do you want me to say, Caitlyn? Do you want me to scream at you? Tell you how I was wrong and you were right? You’re always right, okay? Training with Jayce was a mistake. Going into Piltover like that was stupid of me because all it did was bring up,” she heaved, trying to catch her breath, “past bullshit.”

It all made Vi feel so unbelievably unworthy of Caitlyn, of a life that mixed top and bottom, Zaun and Piltover. Oil and water. How could she give Caitlyn anything when she had nothing good to give her? When Caitlyn had everything in her shiny house, what could Vi possibly provide? Even if Caitlyn made her feel like the boundaries of their cities no longer mattered, the other members of high society would make it clear that Vi didn’t really belong.

Vi averted her gaze from Caitlyn. “I have two days to train before this match. We’ll train. Go to Demacia and win this fight, and then we get ready for the championship. After that, you don’t need to deal with any of my shit, okay?”

She put her back to Caitlyn and started walking toward her apartment, and she ignored the pained sound of her name from Caitlyn’s lips, those lips that she kissed just days ago. The memory of that night at The Last Drop rushed before her, but she couldn’t let that sway her to turn around. It seemed so far away now. She reminded herself that that night was one time. It had to be enough because there couldn’t be anything more. Her feet trudged forward, her lungs felt full with mud, and her heart sunk to the bottom of the sea.

*****

On their second day of training, the day before they were supposed to head off to Demacia, Caitlyn finally tried to start a real conversation as they were packing up their belongings.

“Vi, can we talk?” It was pleading.

She shoved a glove in her bag. Her stomach dropped. Vi refused to look at Caitlyn. She knew if she looked into those eyes, she would cave. “There’s really nothing we need to talk about. What’s important is that we stay focused.”

That was more than an honest word. During the last two training sessions, Vi had a particularly hard time keeping a strong guard while sparring, and her combinations weren’t as smooth. Something was off, and she knew it was because of Caitlyn. The only hope she had was that being up against Nidalee would be different. Maybe the pressure would shake something awake in her, clear her head.

“But, Vi, I think talking about help with tha—”

“Let’s just get through this fight, okay? Then we can have whatever little powwow you want.” Vi swung her gym bag over her shoulder and headed for the door.

*****

Vi’s heart was beating like a hummingbird. Yeah, adrenaline before and during a fight was totally normal, but this wasn’t that. No. This was nerves bundled up and whipping around in her body like a live wire trying to find something to ignite. It wasn’t the sort of feeling that made for a fight in her favor. As she bobbed and weaved around the ring, careful of her footwork, she kept reminding herself that she had a plan for Nidalee, but it wasn’t really helping.

After the first round, she sat in her corner, and Caitlyn wiped the sweat from Vi’s forehead and sprayed the water bottle for her. Her knee was bouncing wildly, and Caitlyn always noticed.

“Okay, you have a feel for some of her movements now. Are you ready to start baiting her?” Caitlyn asked. Her eyes darted from Vi’s shaking knee to her eyes.

Vi nodded, but she didn’t say a word. She gnawed on her mouthguard. She knew the plan was to make Nidalee think she was planning to go in heavy with her kicks before switching and getting close to the pocket to land heavy hits.

Round two began, and Vi put up her guard. Nidalee threw her few jabs and uppercuts toward her, and her black hair swayed with her movements. Bright green eyes studied the way that Vi blocked and hunched to avoid hits.

Working her defense, Vi moved back to create distance and speedily pivoted her foot to throw a rear roundhouse. She started low in an attempt to knock out Nidalee’s knee, but the fighter turned her leg forward so the front of her thigh took the brunt of the kick. When Vi’s foot landed, she immediately followed it up with a sidekick, but her opponent blocked it with her forearms. Nidalee grunted as she got pushed back a bit from the force, and her eyes focused in on Vi’s footwork.

When her eyes switched downward briefly, Vi shot forward and started unloading on her. She knew Caitlyn would probably have rather her waited for a later round to make the push, but Vi hoped desperately for a knockout. Falling back into her old ways, Vi wanted to end this fight early. The desperation did not work in her favor, however. The punches were sloppy, and Nidalee kept her gloves close to her head. The confidence of knowing that she got a knockout before the holiday break began to wane with each hit Nidalee evaded.

The bell rang and the two headed to their corners. Caitlyn’s brows were already coming together as Vi took her seat. Vi could hear the reprimands before they even began.

“Why did you rush in already?”

Vi shrugged, “I thought I could confuse her early on…get the KO.”

Caitlyn shook her head. “I know you got the knockout against Morgana, but Nidalee is not the same kind of fighter. On top of that, your punches are sloppy. I’m not telling you to get a KO. I’m asking you to fight smarter.” She gave Vi some water. When Vi swallowed, she spoke again, “Maybe we can still keep her guessing.”

“How? I gave away the whole bait and switch,” Vi said, annoyed at herself. Caitlyn was right, per usual. Vi was trying to find a shortcut and neglecting form and forfeiting patience.

“Make her come at you next round. She’s probably anticipating you’ll fire off again, but make her get close and wait it out. Find your opening.”

“I’ll try,” Vi doubtfully said as she stood to return to the center for round three.

Vi was watching Nidalee like a hawk, only throwing occasional jabs. Nidalee’s eyebrows furrowed. She didn’t understand why Vi wasn’t firing off as she had before, and Nidalee fed into it as Caitlyn predicted. She pushed toward Vi, attempting to land hooks and uppercuts into the pocket, mainly at the body. Vi blocked, taking care of her right side as Jayce reminded her a few days ago, but her focus on her sides made her neglect her face. Nidalee spotted the opening and gave a quick cross.

Warm trickles ran down her lip, and Vi was pissed she left herself open. She shoved Nidalee away, and the referee stepped closer, ready to make a call. Vi caught herself…sort of. She put her hands back up to her face as she stepped toward Nidalee, but once she got close, she lashed out with a flurry of punches again. It left her open to more hooks and uppercuts, but Vi was generally pretty good at eating punches. Vi’s cross connected to Nidalee’s jaw just as the round came to an end.

Caitlyn shoved cotton up Vi’s nose. “You really need to stop using your nose to block.”

“Not really the time for jokes,” Vi grumbled.

“No, it’s not,” Caitlyn stated flatly. “So, why are you treating this fight like a joke?”

Vi had no idea what to say to that. It stung. She was fucking trying, trying to ease out the tangles in her mind so she could put everything into this match, but something unresolved was there plucking away at her nerves.

When Vi didn’t answer, Caitlyn wiped around Vi’s mouth and continued, “I see her struggling, but then you give her easy openings. It undoes the point. Perhaps you go back to kicks. Remember the combination we did that started with the teep? I believe that could work.”

Round four began. The beginning of the round was rather light. Both women had heaving chests but were feigning that they weren’t tired. A few jabs were thrown out here and there. Nidalee would come forward trying to land hooks and crosses, but Vi stayed relatively locked tight.

It grew closer to the end of the round, and Vi had enough distance between them to go in for her teep. Caitlyn miscalculated. Vi misjudged the distance and her leg was slightly bent, which allowed Nidalee to hook her arm under Vi’s knee and hold her captive. She wasn’t expecting it, and being off balance is the one thing a fighter does not want to be during a match. Vi hopped on her one foot and blocked incoming shots as best she could with one leg still under Nidalee’s grip. Her opponent was only able to slip past her elbow twice

Thankfully, the ref stepped in to break them up at the end of the round, and the women stepped to their respective corners. The annoyance on Vi’s face was not well hidden.

“What the fuck, Caitlyn?”

Caitlyn struggled to look at her head on. She check Vi’s ribs and dabbed a towel under her nose. “I…I miscalculated.”

“Fuckin’ clearly.” Vi wasn’t sure why she was so angry. Maybe it was was everything from the past few days tearing their way to the surface. Maybe it was the fact that Piltie’s liked to act like they knew everything when, in reality, they could make mistakes, too. Or perhaps it’s because she knew the pressure on her was only going to get worse. Whatever it was, Caitlyn was in the crossfire. She shook her head, “I got this.”

Now in the final round, Vi was ready to knock Nidalee’s head loose. Fuck kicks. She’d win this with upper body. Sometimes the ring called for old Vi.

Vi lunged forward, getting right into Nidalee’s space and began throwing hooks and uppers, letting all her power come from the turning of her hips. Full power fists flew toward Nidalee’s body and face. Her opponent crunched to block her body, and that occasionally left her face open, much like what she did to Vi earlier in the fight. It may have been sloppy, but it was effective because it didn’t give Nidalee a chance to regroup. The problem was that Vi knew she would gas herself quickly.

And she did. She slowed and stepped back and brought her hands up.

Nidalee’s chest rose and fell hastily, and she wiped blood from the edge of her brow with her forearm. She bounced on her feet, regaining her footing, headed toward Vi. She went in with a hook to Vi’s body, and when Vi scrunched downward, tired from her outburst and lazily attempting to keep her hands up, Nidalee connected an opposite hook to Vi’s jaw. Biting down onto her mouthguard at the pressure, Vi saw Nidalee coming in with a cross, so she slipped out of the way, pushed the woman’s arm to the side, and followed up with a cross of her own. She mustered up enough strength in her cross to knock Nidalee back a couple steps.

Vi didn’t charge forward. Rolling her shoulder, she brought her gloves back up to her chin. Unlike her opponent, Vi wasn’t watching footwork as closely as she should’ve been. With a grunt, Nidalee closed the space with a low roundhouse. The shin of her long, lean leg connected just above Vi’s knee, and it took everything in Vi to not dip down to the floor. Numbing shockwaves ran through her leg. She knew she couldn’t let the fighter across from her see any sort of disadvantage so late into the final round, so Vi gritted her teeth behind bloodied lips and rolled under a hook. As she came up from her roll, she gave a final uppercut of her own as the bell sounded.

____________________

“Her head definitely wasn’t in this match. Luckily, she still managed to stay in control for the majority of it, but like you said, Russel, it was dicey,” Raelle stated.

Russel went back to Tressa’s remark, “Vi won by a hair. The championship rounds are going to be far more of a challenge than this fight against Nidalee, so I can’t say I’m not concerned, especially when we’re going to see her face up against Janna again.”

“Ah, that was a tough loss for her early on with Kiramman,” Jack mentioned.

Another nod from Russel, “Yes, and any minor mistake, like the one we saw that first time around with Janna where Vi dropped her guard, can cost her the possibility of obtaining that title. Vi was really on a roll before the break, so I hope we see her able to hunker down and find those deliberate sniper movements again. Consistency is going to be key.”

Tressa pointed exaggeratedly at the camera, “You heard us, Kiramman! Whip that girl into top tier fighting shape!”

Light laughter filled the room as the camera zoomed out.

_____________________

Caitlyn stood in the shadows next to the platform where Vi sat at the interview table. She could tell that Vi’s knee was shaking aggressively as she leaned back in the chair in attempt to be calm and collected, even though her face was still ruddy and slightly swollen. In the locker room, Vi was back to being a fireball, cursing herself for not doing better and telling Caitlyn that they were completely screwed. When she was reminded that she needed to head out to do the post-match interview, a slew of curses followed.

“I’m not going to be ready for the championship. I’m just not. You saw me out there. I was a fucking mess. You know it, and you’re trying to be fucking nice. But you need to just say it. Say I majorly shit the bed and we’re screwed and you don’t want to coach me anymore. It’s going to be a recreation of my title run from last season. I get into the bracket and then I throw it away like an asshole. I’ll go back to being the misfit Zaunite that nobody expects anything from in the long run.”

Caitlyn put her hands on her hips in frustration at Vi’s self-deprecation. “Vi, what has gotten into you? Ever since that day with Jayce you’ve been off. I’m not going to sit here and act like I was impressed with this fight. I wasn’t. It was full of carelessness, but that doesn’t mean we should give up. And it definitely does not mean that I don’t want to be your coach. If anything, it means I need to step up and be a better coach. I need to be whatever you need me to be because I believe in you. That’s why I’m here and why I’m staying put.”

She moved closer to Vi, who was sitting on the bench, and reached out her hand to brush it against Vi’s cheek, but Vi flinched and turned her face away. The rejection was a dagger through Caitlyn’s chest.

A voice echoed from behind them by the door, “Vi, you have five minutes left before you need to be out here for the interview.” The door clicked shut.

Vi’s head tipped backward. “Fuck me. Goddamn shit fuck. This is the last fucking thing I need right now. Ugh!”

That knee started up again.

She knelt down in front of Vi and placed her hand on the shaking leg. “Let me at least clean you up a tad bit more before you go out there.”

Her eyes gave away that her mind was somewhere else. “Fine,” she answered in defeat.

Caitlyn knew that this interview was not going to go very well given how on edge Vi was in the locker room. She tried not to take any of it personally. Vi was clearly battling something internally, some voice telling her she wasn’t meant to be anything, a voice telling her she couldn’t do this, and Caitlyn knew that feeling all too well. Her hope was that Vi would kick the self-doubts sooner rather than later because the championship rounds were right around the corner.

Breaking her out of her thoughts, Caitlyn heard the announcer open the floor up for questions. Various hands raised in the air, eagerly awaiting Vi to call on them. Looking out at each hand, Caitlyn almost laughed to herself. These journalists were fools if they expected Vi to be hospitable toward them.

The first few questions were pretty general, and it was nothing that Vi was outwardly hostile about answering, though her answers weren’t very elaborate either. It wasn’t until the fourth question that Caitlyn’s chest tightened and her heart sped up with worry over what Vi’s response would entail.

“Given this last fight,” the haughtiness in his words implied how unimpressed he was, “and your last, short-lived run in the bracket, are you worried about your chances in the championship matches?”

Vi’s body leaned forward, and Caitlyn could tell she was clearly ready to go on the attack. Her fists balled on top of the table, and some of her weight shifted onto her toes as though she was gearing to lunge into the crowd.

“Excuse me?” She asked, tilting her head.

He gave a pompous shrug. “Are you concerned about your odds? This match was a regression in what we’ve seen from you, and you’re first opponent toward the title will be Janna. We saw you struggle and lose in that match, so I was curious how you’re feeling about all this?”

“Shouldn’t every fighter be focused on their upcoming matches?”

“Well, yes, I suppose, but are you focused enough? What’s the game plan in terms of your training? It’s a fact that your…Zaunite flair sometimes gets the better of you, even with Kiramman at your side. I think today was a perfect indication of that.”

Caitlyn’s mouth fell ajar at this man’s rude line of questioning. The audacity to make the inquiry about her commitment was unbelievable. There was no tact. It was all blunt and arrogant. She felt her own nails digging into her palms. Never had she heard an interviewer be so blatantly prejudiced.

“Are you fucking serious?” Vi’s back tensed and forearms weighed down heavily on the table. “Because I’m a Zaunite I couldn’t possibly have what it takes? What about Sevika? She’s from Zaun. You don’t think she deserves the title?”

“Sevika has trained a long time to achieve what she has, but I do believe her match against Orianna, which won her the belt, was questionable.”

Vi’s head snapped back. “Questionable? Sevika outperformed her in every round. Orianna’s head practically spun off her shoulders. Where are you from?”

The journalist straightened his back. “Piltover.”

From where she stood, Caitlyn could hear Vi scoff. The fighter shook her head, “Of course you are. We’re not good enough for you because we’re from the Undercity, right? You want to question my drive, my ability, my worth because I’m from Zaun? There’s no shot I could do this shit without my Piltovan coach, huh? Or are you worried my filth will ruin her impressive reputation?” Vi’s words flew out of her with venom. Her body language only became further hardened. She shook her head again. “Fuck this.”

Vi stood up, letting the chair fall backwards with a clang, and walked off the platform toward the door. She didn’t even spare Caitlyn a glance when she stormed by her. This entire interaction left Caitlyn feeling like she was watching a car crash, frozen and unable to help. The whispers in the room began to pick up, and Caitlyn’s gut began to churn. She knew she had to do something to diffuse this situation before headlines ran totally untethered.

She shook out her hands at her side and took a deep breath, exhaling and closing her eyes. When she opened them, she turned on her heel and began to walk up to the table. She hated press. Being in front of the camera was something she despised, but Caitlyn could see no other option. Mel Medarda would be up their asses if Caitlyn let this interview end with Vi leaving in a fit, albeit warranted.

Her hands were shaking as she picked up the chair that Vi let slam to the ground. Gracefully as she could, she took a seat at the table and prayed that she looked collected and not like bile was bubbling in her throat.

The hushed voices slowly ceased, and three hands hesitantly lifted into the air. Caitlyn called on one of the women sitting in the second row.

“Coach Kiramman, what are your plans for the championship matches? This was a rough fight for Vi, so how will you two be moving forward?”

Caitlyn nodded and smiled, hoping to mask her nervousness. “I want to thank you for the question and I will answer it in just a moment. First, I would just like to say that I found the previous interaction appalling. Yes, Vi had a tough match today, but I think to question her dedication or presume that because she is from Zaun that will be an issue for her is absolutely uncalled for. Her ‘Zaunite flair,’ as you put it, is a quality in her fighting that makes her unique. Vi could do this without me, and she’s fought quite well for years before I joined her. I’m here to help her strengthen aspects of her fighting, but make no mistake that Vi has natural talent. These next matches will be tough, yes, but I assure you that Vi is tougher.”

She watched the man who was responsible for Vi’s disappearance slump down in his chair. Caitlyn lifted her own at the sight.

“Now, as for your question,” she turned her attention back to the woman, “Vi and I have a schedule set. As I said, my goal is to strengthen her skills, which includes defense. I know in the past many sports analysts and journalists, such as yourselves, have commented on her defense being one of her weak points, but with some dedicated time focused there, Vi will excel. We saw her guard improved against Morgana and Katarina, and even though this fight against Nidalee was difficult, we still witnessed her attention to her guard, much more than we would have even just a year ago. It’s really about us working together and trusting each other to find those areas that need refining and fine-tuning them.”

****

The rest of the interview went on without a hitch. Caitlyn answered the questions respectfully and made it a point to speak highly of Vi and her abilities as a fighter. Wherever she could, she put a positive spin on the match against Nidalee. The fight may have been a low, but if Caitlyn could find the moments that worked well, she hoped she could vanquish the doubts that anyone had about Vi, including the fighter herself. Once the session was over, she headed toward their shared hotel room. She was unsure what sort of state she was going to find Vi in, and her heart sunk into her stomach with great speed as she approached their door and tapped the key to the handle to unlock it.

As she walked into the room, leaving her shoes at the door, she noticed both beds were empty. Her head swiveled to the bathroom door. Light was emitting on the floor from the bottom, but the room was silent. All she could hear was her heartbeat thumping in her ears. Cautiously she pressed her hand up to the door.

“Vi?” She asked out into the emptiness of the room. Caitlyn slowly opened the door.

When the door slid open, she saw Vi standing there in front of the mirror, which was coated with a layer of condensation aside from the small area Vi wiped away with her hand. She had a white towel wrapped around her body and her hair was roughly towel-dried and disheveled. Her arms had a sheen to them from the light reflecting on damp skin, naturally highlighting and contouring her muscles, and Caitlyn let her eyes trace down the tattoos are her arms until she reached her hands, which her firmly gripped the edge of the counter in front of her. To look at Vi like this, vulnerable yet hardened, felt oddly intimate; although, Caitlyn knew it shouldn’t because the atmosphere between them was still tense. This was only pronounced further by the shaking of Vi’s leg. Her head was angled downward, and it seemed like she was unaware of Caitlyn’s presence, but Caitlyn knew better. She knew Vi was choosing to ignore the intrusion.

She took a few steps into the room. The heat and humidity wrapped her up.

“Vi?” Caitlyn asked again in a hushed voice.

The red haired woman turned to face her. Caitlyn could see the bruises forming by her left eye from the hit to the nose, but what caught her attention more was the puffiness of her eyelids. She didn’t expect Vi to be one to cry. Vi seemed so far from that sort of expression of emotion, and it twisted at Caitlyn’s insides to see it. But there was also something else lingering behind those eyes. Anger? Frustration? When Vi took a step toward her, the fighter’s brows furrowed.

“I’m done,” Vi stated.

Caitlyn cocked her head in confusion. “Done with…what?”

“All of this,” Vi said, throwing her arms in the arm and letting them fall heavily at her sides. “Fighting. You as my coach. I’m done.”

“You can’t be serious, Vi,” Caitlyn said in a whisper of disbelief.

“I am. That fight was terrible, and you know it. I can’t keep kidding myself that I have a shot at becoming some award-winning fighter.”

“You had one bad match. That’s no reason to think you need to throw in the towel. We simply need to—”

Vi cut her off, “No, Caitlyn. You think I don’t see the way they all look at me? When we went up to Piltover, those guys wanted to write me off as Zaunite scum. Jayce thought he was better than me and not just at fighting. I could feel it.”

“He does not th—” Caitlyn tried, but Vi kept pushing.

“And the way that journalist thought I was nothing because I’m just some Undercity trash. People are always going to look down on me like that because that’s what I am. I’m a criminal Zaunite that thought she could make a name for herself. I fooled myself. The only reason anyone wants to give me the time of day now is because I have a Piltie coach…just like he said…like everyone says. Coach Kiramman has to tame the wild Zaunite. When I fuck up like I did today, it reflects on you. All I’m doing is bringing your image down.”

“I thought the Zaun-Piltover stuff didn’t matter to you anymore?”

Again her hands lifted and hit her thighs. She answered exasperatedly, “I don’t know, Caitlyn. Maybe it does because apparently it still matters to everyone else.”

“It doesn’t matter to me.”

Vi crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Well, maybe it should.” She groaned and pressed her fingertips onto her closed eyelids. “Why do you even give a shit about some trencher like me? It doesn’t make any sense. If I quit, you get to go back to training some topsider or even a prissy fighter from Demacia. It would be a better match for you. Maybe you’d even have a champion fighter again. All I am is a giant fuck up, and I’m trying to spare you from the damn trainwreck.”

Caitlyn took a step toward Vi. Her frustration with this stubborn woman was growing with each word. Surely, Vi couldn’t really believe any of what she was saying, not after all they’ve shared together.

She felt her own eyes narrowing as she spoke, “What makes you think I want someone else?” Caitlyn wasn’t even sure she was talking about fighting anymore. “Vi, why would I want to abandon everything we’ve done? It doesn’t make a difference to me whether you were from Zaun or Ionia or the goddamn moon. I’m not giving up on you.”

Vi let out a scoff, an angered, disbelieving laugh. “Why?” She was almost yelling at Caitlyn. “Why do you keep trying? I can’t fucking do this Caitlyn! Why can’t you just let me go?”

Is she talking about kickboxing anymore?

While she was ranting on, Vi had taken more steps in Caitlyn’s direction, closing more of the space that was between them.

They were only a foot apart, and Caitlyn could see the pleading anguish behind those turbulent gray eyes. While Caitlyn had ways to answer Vi’s question by telling her she truly believed she could obtain the belt, telling her she was a natural at kickboxing, telling her the words of magazines and sports shows didn’t mean anything, she didn’t say anything of that. Her teeth were set together and her eyes still narrowed. She could feel the tension that built around them. It was palpable, and Caitlyn had to find a way to cut through it. She was irritated knowing that no matter what she said, Vi would be unwilling to listen in her current state. But she was also maddened by the way her knees trembled and her breath shallowed as she stared at Vi’s face. It was the face of a woman who was continuously knocked down and over and over again built herself back up. It was broken, harsh with the scars as proof, but it was also the most bewilderingly stunning face Caitlyn ever laid eyes upon.

When Caitlyn didn’t answer right away, Vi asked once more, her voice breaking, “Why?”

Caitlyn bit her bottom lip. Her heart was jammed in her throat. Her words were lost. They couldn’t find her tongue. Instead, she gave into the magnetic pull that her body had been trying to resist. In a blur of movement, her lips crashed against Vi’s, and her hands were holding onto Vi’s shoulders for balance, to ground both of them. The spark was ready to light Caitlyn aflame. It reminded her of the way Vi melted every bone in her body with that New Year’s kiss, but this wasn’t a romantic moment; it was one filled with apprehension, and Caitlyn’s nerves were running haywire with the uncertainty of how Vi would respond.

As their lips parted and her hands left Vi’s shoulders, the two opened their eyes slowly. Vi stared at Caitlyn with a look of incredulousness. Her brows came together as the seconds passed. Caitlyn wondered if she should apologize for the kiss, realizing how out of place it must have been for Vi, but she didn’t get the chance.

Vi rushed in, cupped the sides of Caitlyn’s face in her hands, and let her lips collide against Caitlyn’s. It was breathtakingly forceful, and Caitlyn let it empty her lungs over and over again as Vi continued to meld their lips together, opening and closing, tongues running together. Their breathing hastened and the sounds of their short gasps filled the room. Caitlyn trailed down Vi’s neck and kissed along her tattoos until nothing else mattered but her and Vi.

Between stolen breaths, Vi managed, “Take off your clothes.”

The fighter’s hands found the edges of Caitlyn’s shirt and lifted up. She helped by lifting up her arms, allowing Vi to take the shirt off with ease. Vi let her towel fall to the floor and stood in front of Caitlyn entirely naked. She saw the bruises along Vi’s torso and on her legs from the recent punches and kicks she endured. They were colorful splotches on a work of art. Somehow Vi made them look beautiful. Vi turned around and walked to the shower and turned it on while Caitlyn continued to shed her clothes.

Once she was undressed, Caitlyn walked up behind Vi and wrapped her arms around Vi’s waist. It felt so natural to be holding Vi this way as though this was what she was always meant to do. Vi turned in her arms to face her. Skin to skin, stomach to stomach, breast to breast, Vi kissed her again. It was hungry. When she pulled away, her eyes were ravenous. Black pupils were blown wide. Caitlyn’s chest felt like that stare was a match waiting to ignite her. Vi was a flame looking to devour, and Caitlyn was so ready dance in the fire and to let Vi make her anew.

Vi pulled Caitlyn into the shower behind her. The shower head was situated in the middle of the shower, and the water fell from it like droplets of rain. Warm water sent chills through Caitlyn’s body. She dunked her head under it to adjust to the temperature, but that didn’t last very long.

Vi put an arm around her waist and pushed her up against the tile wall. Caitlyn’s palms pressed against the cool wall, and Vi leaned into Caitlyn’s back. Her chin rested over Caitlyn’s shoulder, and she nibbled on Caitlyn’s earlobe, which trickled goosebumps down her spine and ignited a heat between her legs. As though Vi sensed it, her right hand slid along Caitlyn’s hip, to her stomach, and down further until it was her grip on Caitlyn’s thigh. She pushed them aside and glided her fingers into Caitlyn’s folds.

At the touch, Caitlyn melted to mold against Vi’s body. Vi’s fingers began to swirl with pleasant pressure against Caitlyn’s sensitive bud. The longer Vi’s fingers moved between her lips, the more she sunk into Caitlyn like she was her second spine, keeping her up against the wall.

Caitlyn felt herself grinding against Vi’s hand, and she was heading closer to the edge. Her breathing quickened and moans began to escape her in closer intervals. A haze was falling over her eyes. But Vi’s fingers slowed, and Caitlyn practically whimpered.

“You don’t get to come just yet, Cupcake,” Vi muttered in Caitlyn’s ear.

Her hand went back to Caitlyn’s thigh and then her hip, and she put a passionate force in turning Caitlyn around to face her. With her back to the wall, Caitlyn gasped as Vi’s hands moved to either side of her head, cornering her, before leaning in kissing her with sloppy passion, sucking Caitlyn’s bottom lip into her mouth between kisses. The way Vi consumed her made Caitlyn feel wanted in a way that she never had before.

Vi’s mouth moved down to Caitlyn’s collarbone, to her breasts, stopping to care for each pink mound, and then her hips. Caitlyn looked down to see Vi kneeling before her, and when their eyes met, electricity shooting between them, Vi inclined and her mouth met Caitlyn’s folds. Her tongue adeptly parted them and the sensation on her already sensitive clit made her legs quiver immediately. Vi moaned into her, and the vibrations caused Caitlyn entangle her fingers in Vi’s hair.

The feelings rippled through her all at once, the pressure of Vi’s fingertips digging into her thighs, the way her tongue lapped against her wet folds, how she sucked at Caitlyn’s bud to tease her and draw her closer. She pulled tighter on Vi’s hair, and her moans grew louder.

Still pressed against Caitlyn’s body, Vi commanded, “Not yet.”

Caitlyn wasn’t sure how she was going to stop herself, and she had no idea for what Vi was making her wait. An answer was given right away. Vi’s fingers found their way to Caitlyn’s entrance. As her tongue still worked, those dextrous fingers entered her center. Two fingers hooked and pumped while Vi’s mouth continued to envelop her.

It took no time for Caitlyn to unravel. She felt herself tighten around Vi’s fingers and powerful shockwaves run up her body. Involuntarily, she hunched and her legs shook. Slowly, she opened her eyes as Vi’s fingers left her. When she looked down, Vi sucked her fingers clean. She kissed Caitlyn’s thighs a few times.

Their eyes met, and Vi smiled intoxicatedly. “You look as good as you taste, Cupcake, and you taste fucking amazing.”

Caitlyn put her hands along Vi’s jaws and beckoned her to come up. She kissed Vi’s slightly swollen lips, tasting herself on Vi’s tongue. Water streamed onto them, plastering their hair to their faces. Their hands explored each other’s curves. Nails traced along one another’s muscles. Between breathy moans, Caitlyn switched sides with Vi, letting her lean against the wall this time.

“You don’t get to have all the fun,” Caitlyn smiled against Vi’s lips.

Her hand moved down Vi’s body, taking care not be too rough against her bruises. Fingers dipped into the folds. Vi’s slick coated Caitlyn’s fingers. She slipped in to her easily and let her thumb rub against Vi’s clit as she moved in and out. Their lips locked and tongues fought for space in each other’s mouths as Caitlyn’s arm tensed as she sped up, drawing out deeper moans from Vi.

“Come for me, Violet,” Caitlyn hummed.

“Fuck,” Vi drew out the word.

She watched Vi close her eyes when she grabbed at Vi’s supple breast, letting her thumb run along and pinch gently at Vi’s nipple. The back of Vi’s head pushed against the tile. One of her hands was wrapped in her own hair, and the other was grabbing Caitlyn’s waist. Caitlyn took advantage of Vi’s position; her mouth attached to Vi’s neck, and she occasionally bit and sucked at the tender skin.

Within minutes, she felt Vi swelling under her thumb and she was caving in on Caitlyn’s fingers. Still kissing along her neck, Caitlyn felt the way Vi’s throat vibrated as she moaned through her release.

When Vi quieted, Caitlyn pressed her lips against Vi’s and grinned, “Good girl.” They kissed a bit longer, slow but heated. Caitlyn asked languidly, “Ready to go to bed?”

“Mmm,” Vi smirked, “To bed.” When Caitlyn turned around to walk out of the shower, a hand smacked her ass, and Vi added, “But I’m not done with you yet.”

_______________________

Vi woke up before Caitlyn. She was on her side, gazing at Caitlyn, who she believed looked like an angel, soft, elegant, and ethereal with her long, raven hair that Vi tucked behind her ear. Caitlyn was entirely unexpected. Vi never imagined a world where someone would have a hold on her the way this woman did, and she didn’t expect to crave it so much.

She wished her mind would let her stay in this blissful morning, but it didn’t last. It couldn’t. Caitlyn was her vice, her drug of choice. The way Caitlyn touched her, muddled her mind, made her heart want to bolt out of her chest, was troubling given what they were here to do. All of her wanted to give everything to Caitlyn, but Vi knew there were matches looming on the horizon that required them be serious in their intentions and responsibilities.

Her mind lingered on the way she’d felt judged over the past few days, the way she felt like she was losing herself. Part of her worried she would give too much to conform to be what Caitlyn, a Piltovan, deserved. Who was she trading for these lipstick stains? Would she lose her roots? Who she was?

The body next to her stirred. Caitlyn’s voice was raspy, “Mm, good morning.”

Vi didn’t look at her. She was still lost in her mess of thoughts. “Hey.”

She felt a hand touch her forearm. “Vi, what’s wrong? Where are you?”

Still, she did not turn. “We should…stop.”

There was shifting in the sheets.

“What do you mean?” Caitlyn asked, “You mean last night? Vi, look at me, please.”

When she refocused on Caitlyn’s curious, blue eyes, all her foolish worries washed away. She knew she was trying to find excuses to run, never wanting to blame her own dysfunction. Caitlyn accepted her, wanted her. Caitlyn wouldn’t run from this, right? So why should she?

There was only one reason Vi could think of to keep this, whatever this could be, on hold: the championship. They needed to get through that first.

She sighed and run her thumb along Caitlyn’s cheek. “Cait, if I could be in bed with you all day, every day, trust me, I would.”

“So,” Caitlyn’s eyes danced around Vi’s face, “why don’t we?”

Vi gave a breathy laugh, “You said it yourself the first time this happened. It’s risky. You know we can’t. Look,” she sat up a bit more, “I want this. Whatever this is to you, I want it. I’d take anything you’ll give me, but…not now. We have to finish this season.”

Caitlyn’s lips set into a hard line, and she nodded. “And win you that belt.”

She smiled, “Yeah, Cupcake. I’ll be your champion.”

Vi sat up straight and flexed her muscles. Caitlyn slapped her arm and giggled, and in response, Vi climbed on top of her and buried her face in Caitlyn’s neck, causing her to laugh more.

Curled in the topsider’s neck, Vi asked, “What time is our flight?”

Grabbing her phone, Caitlyn answered, “We have a later flight, so about five hours.”

Vi lifted her head, “Okay, so you agree we should table…us?”

Hesitantly, Caitlyn nodded.

“Right. Okay. Can we start that in about three hours?”

“What?” Caitlyn asked, raising an eyebrow.

“There’s a lot I can do in three hours,” she winked. “And then I’ll behave.”

“Violet!” Caitlyn called out playfully disapproving, but Vi stopped her mock protest with a needy kiss, which Caitlyn didn’t refuse.

She could get used to hearing her full name on those lips. In every tone. At all hours of the day. For now, she’d make this be enough.

Chapter Text

“Vi,” Caitlyn laughed as a bed head of red locks trailed playfully down her stomach. “You’re insane.”

“Vi, are you insane?” Mel’s annoyance was clear in her voice, and her hands were folded in front of her firmly on the desk.

She shrugged, “Isn’t that why you keep me around? My sunny personality.”

With a devilish grin, Vi stared up at the beautifully bare body before her. She could tell from the way Caitlyn’s chest rose and fell and how the black devoured the blue of her eyes that Caitlyn was only protesting in jest.

“Isn’t that why you keep me around? My sunny personality.” Vi pressed her lips onto Caitlyn’s hip.

“Other than me being contractually obligated to be around you?” Caitlyn answered breathily, closing her eyes at the pressure of Vi’s kiss on her skin. Her hips dipped at the sensation, and a soft moan trickled past her lips.

“Vi, we’re contractually obligated to be here together,” Mel answered deadpan.

“And here I thought you liked me,” Vi slouched in her chair. She could feel Caitlyn’s eyes on her.

“And here I thought you like me, Cupcake,” Vi spoke, continuing to kiss down and down onto Caitlyn’s inner thigh.

Her lips found their way to the heat between those long legs, and Vi grinned as the slip of her tongue between Caitlyn’s folds caused the woman to moan. With another swipe, clawing fingers made their way to Vi’s tangle of hair.

“Oh, I assure you,” Caitlyn exhaled, “liking you isn’t in question.”

Those words, the confirmation of Caitlyn’s feelings, sent a raging, burning fire through Vi’s chest, and she couldn’t control it. Her fingers clamped down tighter into Caitlyn’s thighs, and she buried her tongue deeper, harder, faster. With every movement, Caitlyn unraveled further in the morning light.

“Oh, I assure you, Vi, I do like you,” Mel’s eyes narrowed at her, “when you don’t cause a scene at a damned press briefing.”

Still dug into her seat, Vi averted her gaze to the floor while the acid in her stomach lurched up to her throat. Venom. She couldn’t stand when Mel got like this, ordering her around. Maybe it was foolish of her to feel such a way because Mel was her manager after all. Vi knew this reprimand was all because any and everything Vi did reflects back on her, and she did not want to be the one Piltie manager that couldn’t control a Zaunite.

Her knee must’ve started bouncing because breaking her out of her sour thoughts was the sudden touch of Caitlyn’s hand, holding her knee lightly in place.

Vi’s eyes moved from the delicate fingers on her leg to those tender, blue sapphire eyes. She held her gaze there, letting the way Caitlyn seemed to understand her wash a calm over her like ocean waves on the shore.

Caitlyn broke the stare first and turned to Mel. “With all due respect, Mel—”

Mel slowly raised up her hand to stop Caitlyn, leaving the coach perplexed. Curious eyes studied them.

An unsteady hand raised up from Vi’s hair to tap under Vi’s chin, and she looked up at Caitlyn with inquisitive eyes.

“S-stop,” the word escaped Caitlyn, who was out of breath and still shaking slightly. “Hold on, Vi.” Her hands wiped at her eyes and chest heaved.

Vi could watch the way she moved on a loop. She kissed at the swollen bud between Caitlyn’s thighs, which caused her to squeeze her legs closer together involuntarily.

“Goddess,” Caitlyn sighed in post-orgasm haziness.

Vi laid her cheek against Caitlyn’s warm inner thigh. “You can just call me Vi.”

Caitlyn giggled as she rolled her eyes and tucked some of Vi’s hair behind her ear, leaving her fingers to trace softly on Vi’s reddened cheeks. “That was four times in a row. If I keep letting you go on, I think we’ll miss our flight.”

“Would that be so bad, Cupcake?”

She beckoned Vi to move up toward her face, and she obliged. Once they were face-to-face, Caitlyn pulled her in for a kiss that made the flames in Vi fully melt her through to the core. It was bewildering to Vi how this topsider managed to have such a hold on her, mesmerized her with every move, every word. Once she believed it so simple to cut someone off, spend a night and leave, but now…now she couldn’t imagine saying no to her.

“Only if I don’t have time to taste you,” Caitlyn whispered.

Mel’s eyes widened. “You slept together.”

Caitlyn’s hand fell away immediately from Vi’s knee, and she began wringing her hands together in her lap nervously. With that, she began protesting, “Wh-what? No. No, we have not. I would never…Mel, you’re joking, correct? This is completely professional. Vi is…I’m…we don’t even—”

Vi started rambling about the same time. “What the hell, Mel? I wouldn’t sleep with my coach despite your best effort, giving us a hotel room with one bed for that first fight away. You think I’m crazy enough to bring that kind of drama into this when I’m heading to the championship rounds?”

Her manager stopped them both with another commanding hand. “Vi, you act as though I haven’t grown to know you over these years. And that,” Mel pointed from Caitlyn’s hand to Vi’s knee, “was enough of a tell.” She grinned and shook her head, “But, fine. If you’d like to pretend neither of you have feelings for one another, I’ll play along with the charade. While I would rather not know what you two are doing in the bedroom, I will remind you, however, that feeding into this CaitVi nonsense could help garner an even bigger following.”

Vi rolled her eyes, “Right, whatever. You didn’t drag us here to chat about our sex lives, so can we just go back to you yelling at me.” She’d be much more comfortable being scolded by Mel than having her pry about her feelings she totally shouldn’t have for her coach.

“Ah, yes, for you being unnecessarily combative during your interview.”

“As I was trying to say before,” Caitlyn cut in, leaning forward in her seat, “Vi had every right to feel the way she did during that interview. The journalist’s questioning was out of line and quite frankly—”

“That journalist was doing his job,” Mel stopped Caitlyn in her tracks. “While you may have perceived him as rude, his questions were valid. I know neither of you wanted to hear him ask if Vi was ready for these matches, and I’m sure having him blatantly state that the last fight was pitiful compared to previous fights stung. But there was a truth in his words.” She leaned back in her chair. “Could we have done without the Zaunite comments? Yes, but you can’t deny that your bat-out-of-the-Undercity attitude hasn’t made you a favorite over the years.”

Her stare turned to Caitlyn, and Vi was glad to have to attention shifted. “I commend you, Kiramman, for stepping in and cleaning up a messy situation. As much as the two of you probably despise it, we need the pundits on our side. Vi is going to have plenty of articles and comments about her fumbling her past chance at the title, and we need to turn the tide, show them why you and I believe in her so deeply.”

It was a rare thing for Vi to actually hear Mel state out loud that she took Vi and her capabilities so seriously. Being her manager, it shouldn’t be a surprise, but it chipped away at the doubt Vi still harbored.

Mel continued, “We need to keep her on track and keep the press in our corner because I do not fall into the group that believes all press is good press. Caitlyn, you have a large task at hand. I picked you because I know you can do this. You can make our girl a champion.”

With a sigh, her hazel eyes studied Vi again. “Are you ready to devote everything you have into this?”

“You know I am,” Vi stated seriously, juxtaposed with her still slouched posture.

With a sly smile, Mel asked, “Are you ready to show these pig-headed, stuck-up Pilties what’s what? Zaunite flair be damned.”

She felt the shift in the room. Playful smiles shot across each woman’s face, and the lightness was exactly the reprieve Vi needed.

Canine flashing, Vi sat up taller and responded, “Now you’re talking. That I can do.”

“We’re counting on that.” Mel straightened up in her seat and shuffled a paper to the front of her small stack. “Last bit of business. You’ll have a photoshoot a few days after your fight with Janna. Together,” Mel finished, shooting her eyes over to Caitlyn.

Both women groaned at the news.

A cheeky smile slipped across her manager’s lips. “I booked it under the assumption you’ll be winning.” Her eyes lit like a match. “So, you better win.”

___________________

TRAINING DAY ONE
“Ready to rewatch this match?” Caitlyn asked as they sat side by side in cushiony office chairs. Her eyes darted along the screen to find the video.

Vi watched those delicate fingers glide and tap on the mousepad, attempting to not think about the other things those fingers could do. Very well, in fact. Yeah, she was failing miserably. It didn’t help that being in Caitlyn’s house just filled her nostrils with every single smell that was Caitlyn. Lavender. Vanilla. Sweet and floral. A perfect mix. She would rather wrap herself in those scents like a blanket and spend the day skin-to-skin than watch her abysmal match against Janna. Unfortunately, that daydream was not in the cards for them.

With a long exhale, Vi closed her eyes, leaned her head back, and answered, “Oh, yeah, I’m so excited to watch how I got my ass kicked.”

“While you did lose, there were good aspects to that fight,” Caitlyn encouraged.

She let out a short snort of a laugh. “Enlighten me, Cupcake.”

The video began. Round after round, Janna blocked and dodged and countered better than Vi. When the on-screen Vi rushed to face Janna chest-to-chest and shoved her, she momentarily looked away, scrunching her nose at the memory. She remembered the anger and annoyance that flared through every part of her body. As that incident passed and the fighting started up again, Vi was internally criticizing her guard and the way she spit out punches without much of a thought. Caitlyn had definitely rubbed off on her.

The woman next to her hummed, “That was an excellent hook to the body.”

“If I could get her liver with that hook, she’d be out.”

A slight pop in Caitlyn’s shoulders gave away that she wanted to chuckle at the comment, but when she was in analysis mode, the word playful was not in her repertoire. Her reply reinforced as much.

“Yes, well, let’s not depend on that to get us the win.” She rewound the video and pointed to the screen. “Do you see this movement here? A roundhouse may have jostled her. See that?”

Vi leaned in. “Yeah. Right after that hook?”

Caitlyn nodded. “Are you ready to work on your lower body?”

She couldn’t help it. A smirk inched across her face. “Do you want to work this lower body?”

Clearly that was not the response she was expecting. Caitlyn’s mouth fell open, cheeks reddened, and stammered, “Do I—wha—are you…” When Vi burst out laughing, Caitlyn rolled her eyes and gave an unamused, “Violet.”

TRAINING DAY TWO
“Speed roundhouses, Vi.”

The fighter was panting, and sweat flew off the strands of hair in front of her face with each swing up of her rear leg.

“Now switch your stance, and do roundhouses for speed on the left.”

A groan. Shuffled feet. Pivoted front foot. Up, down, up, down, up, down. The only thought running through her mind was wondering when the fuck this would be done.

“Two roundhouses one leg and two the other. No shuffling in between. It should be a quick, clean swap,” Caitlyn instructed.

Breathlessly, Vi complained, “Are you kidding me? Ever heard of a break?”

“Have you ever heard of conditioning?” Caitlyn sarcastically whipped back with an annoyingly sweet smile.

“I hate burnouts,” Vi grunted before doing exactly as she was told.

TRAINING DAY THREE
Caitlyn bounced around Vi, throwing hit after hit toward her. She forgot how much power this girl actually had behind her punches all thanks to that impeccable form. Those punches were powered from her core, her hips. Mmm…those hips. Rarely did Caitlyn dress in anything revealing, but since they were going to spend the majority of their training today sparring, she opted for skintight shorts and a sports bra, which left that glistening abdomen out in the open for all of Vi’s admiration.

Stop it. Concentrate.

“Good. Keep your guard high. Only dip when you see I’m going for the body.”

Jabs and crosses high. A few more. Uppercut coming in near the ribs. Vi dropped her elbow down to block it. She felt Caitlyn’s glove connect with her arm at full force.

“Excellent!” Her coach called out moments before her timer for the round went off.

After their minute break, Caitlyn instructed, “Same idea this round, keep up the defense, but I want you to time a deliberate roundhouse or front kick.”

Vi was distracted by the way the sweat trickled down Caitlyn’s neck and onto her chest, held so perfectly in that black sports bra.

This is totally unfair. She dressed like this on purpose. Shit…am I staring?

“Vi?”

“Hm?” Vi snapped back to the present. “Yeah, sorry. Roundhouse. Got it.”

“Are you okay?”

“Perfect cupcakes—I mean, uh, yeah, great, Cupcake.” Vi could feel the embarrassing heat tingling in her cheeks, but hopefully sparring was enough to disguise that.

Caitlyn looked away and smiled bashfully, shaking her head. Turning back to Vi, her gloves went up and it was back to business.

Before they began, Vi snuck in a final question, “You sure you want me to kick you with full power?”

“Throw the kick however you would if I was Janna. This is for you. I can take a kick.”

Vi was not a fan of the idea, but Caitlyn was right. Vi needed to feel out the movements against an opponent. Pad work wasn’t going to cut it now that they were into the fights that would make or break her. With some hesitation, Vi lifted her gloves to her chin.

Caitlyn began throwing combinations, and if Vi had to guess, she studied the video with Janna even more and memorized some of the combinations Vi’s opponent used. When Caitlyn went in for a jab and cross, Vi rolled out of the way and followed the defensive move with a speedy roundhouse, hitting Caitlyn in the leg. As soon as her foot hit the floor, she pivoted again into another roundhouse, but Caitlyn blocked it. The round continued with a few more failed attempts of kicks that were meant to knock Caitlyn back. When the timer sounded, Vi began to remove her gloves defeatedly.

“You’re nearly there, you know,” Caitlyn stated sincerely as she brushed a sweaty elbow against Vi’s upper arm.

“I barely knocked you back,” she replied without looking directly at Caitlyn. She kept herself busy by unraveling her wraps.

“That’s not true. Your front kick pushed me away.” Caitlyn leaned against the ropes, forcing her long, toned legs into Vi’s periphery. “I told you to use kicks, so I was expecting them. If you did this against any other fighter who didn’t know your strategy, you would excel.”

Vi knew there was truth in her coach’s words. She let the corner of her mouth tinge upward a bit. “Don’t you mean when I do this?”

A wistful smile appeared as Caitlyn said, “Mhm. Poor Lee.”

TRAINING DAY FOUR
Endurance training. It was Vi’s least favorite part of training, though Caitlyn found a way to make it relatively pleasant thanks to her location choice. The view on their run along Dynasty Trails always gave Vi a sense of calm and reverence for the beauty of the nature around her, which lacked in the Undercity. Even in these colder months, Vi could get past the bite in her throat from the cold air and lose herself in the surrounding landscape. In the thick of trees, Vi could let her mind clear and simply take in the sounds of birds singing, the crunch of compact snow under their sneakers, and wind whistling through the branches. The crisp, clean smell of the air around them filled her lungs as she ran. While they were out there, the smog of the cities they resided in didn’t exist. Expectations of being a Piltovan and a Zaunite didn’t matter. Even the stress of her upcoming match seemed miles away as she actually lost track of how many miles she’d put between her and that reality. Here, it was just her and Caitlyn and the sounds of their breathing, and Vi realized that was what actually made running a little less shitty.

TRAINING DAY FIVE
Strength training. Barbells in hands, pressed against calloused palms, Vi lifted for curls rep after rep. She relished in the tensing of her abs in leg raises while challenging herself to simultaneously do a chest fly, the slower the movements the better. Set after set of every weight lifted, every crunch, each leg press, Vi felt tremendously better. Stronger. This was far more comfortable ground for Vi.

For Caitlyn, not so much.

Vi wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked over at Caitlyn who was straining under a barbell squat. Her coach was good at hiding it, but Vi could see the intense concentration was masking the struggle. With the amount of weight Caitlyn had on there, hardly changing it from the weight Vi used, it didn’t surprise her to see Caitlyn’s very slow ascension.

Smirk ever present but unseen by Caitlyn, Vi sauntered up behind her. “Need some help there, princess?”

If Caitlyn could’ve whipped her head around and glared a hole into Vi, she no doubt would’ve. Instead, Vi received a dulled venomous, “No.” She came up fully from the squat and gave another deep exhale as she descended. Vi really, really tried not to look down at Caitlyn’s ass in those tight shorts, but how could she not when she just wanted to make sure Caitlyn’s form wasn’t slacking due to the weight?

As Caitlyn came back up and returned the barbell to its slot on the rack, she added, “And I do hate that nickname.”

TRAINING DAY SIX
When they sparred earlier that week, Caitlyn said that Vi would be able to land those kicks and win against a fighter who wasn’t suspecting the tactic, and that’s where Lee came in to play. The only instruction Caitlyn gave to him was to really focus on his defense, heavy guard just like Janna. Reluctantly, he agreed.

Vi was feeling out the movements in the beginning, getting used to her feet moving light and quick, prepping for the pivots and hip thrusts. She and Caitlyn had been practicing kicks that afternoon, so her hips were warmed up already.

One. One, two. A few punches to throw him off. One. Three.

As her lead hook went toward the head, Lee moved to block. Concerned with her incoming punch, Vi took advantage of the opportunity and shifted her attack. A rear roundhouse came in quick and hit just the right spot on Lee’s thigh, forcing him to crumble. She brought a rear hook to the head but left out the power, letting her glove only lightly connect with the headgear, but she knew that if this had been a real fight, it would’ve been in the bag.

And that was fucking exciting.

Through her mouthguard, she cried out, “Fuck yeah!”

From her corner, she could hear Caitlyn’s elated voice yell out, “Vi! You’ve got it!”

TRAINING DAY SEVEN
Caitlyn told her this was a day to meditate. A time to reflect. A day to mentally prepare. According to Caitlyn, Vi’s body was ready, but her mind needed to be on the same page. If this had been the beginning of their training, Vi probably would’ve laughed in her face and told her this was a bunch of horseshit, but with Caitlyn having gotten her this far and the respect Vi had grown to have for her, she trusted that her mind needed the training as much as her body did.

They started with some yoga because, as Caitlyn put it, Vi had a hard time just sitting still. No matter how many times Caitlyn got Vi to meditate in the past, it always started as a challenge for her to just let go and clear her mind. When her body was restless, so was her mind.

When the two came to the end of the yoga session, Caitlyn asked her to simply lie on her back, close her eyes, and concentrate on her steadying breaths. In and out, slow and controlled.

Next to her, Caitlyn said in a hushed voice, “This is your time to let go of all your worries, all your doubts, and all insecurities. In this moment, I want you to take time to reaffirm for yourself that you are capable, you are strong, and you are deserving.”

There was something in that last word that sent a ripple through Vi’s entire chest.

Caitlyn continued, “Vi, you deserve to have this success, and you deserve to have come this far…in the ring and in your life. You need to believe that. Every word of it down to your very core. Breathe in and out and in your head, repeat that mantra until you feel it in your bones.”

That initial pang in her chest found its way to her eyes, and each minute that passed in silence made her eyes grow hotter and hotter behind their lids. For so long, Vi did feel undeserving of any progress, any success in life. When she had the setback in her career, flunking her first chance at the championship, she figured that’s the way it had to be because no criminal trencher could come up like that. It was too good for her.

But then comes Caitlyn. This girl shows up and flips everything she thinks she knows on its head. She kicks her ass every day, and Vi enjoys it, craves it. Somehow, Caitlyn made her believe that she’s more than some Undercity trash kid. She forced her to believe she could do this and, crazier yet, deserved it. That magic was always in her, waiting for its time, waiting for Vi to cease it. How did Caitlyn do this? How did she find a way to make Vi so vulnerable and yet so strong at the same time? It felt so good to know someone believed in her, and it hurt realizing she hadn’t truly believed in herself for so long. But, now, that changed.

She felt the warm, saltwater trickle past her temples and into her hair. Slowly, she wiped them away. Her eyes were still closed. She had no idea if Caitlyn was watching and saw the tears, but she didn’t care. They were honest.

After a few more minutes, Caitlyn whispered, “Are you ready for this match?”

Vi turned her head to look over at Caitlyn. Those deep blue eyes stared back and swallowed her whole like the riptide pulling her out to sea. That feeling was there again. That ripple…no, a wave…ushering her to believe she deserved this.

With the most genuine smile Vi ever wore, she wrapped her hand around Caitlyn’s. “With you, I could take on the world, Cupcake.”

_______________

After spending so long in the corner for Jayce’s fights, Caitlyn developed a collected demeanor, appearing composed to onlookers regardless of any anxiety from a match.

However, with Vi it was different.

Caitlyn was twisting her fingers in her hand like she wanted to disconnect each digit from its socket. It wasn’t until nearly half the round passed that she noticed her subconscious fidgeting when a knuckle finally cracked, and she hastily folded her arms in front of her chest. That did not unravel the knots in her stomach or stop her heart from racing. If a spectator watched her now they’d no doubt notice the once stoic coach had cracked.

In this first round, Caitlyn instructed Vi to throw strategic punches in order to make Janna believe this match would go similarly to their first fight. As predicted, Janna heavily guarded and countered occasionally. When the round ended, Caitlyn could see the smirk on Janna’s face as her hands came down before walking to her corner, and after seeing that, a weight released from Caitlyn’s shoulders. She knew that Janna was going to approach this fight in the same way.

Vi plopped onto the seat in front of Caitlyn. She wiped away the sweat with a towel and took Vi’s mouthguard out. After a swig of water, Vi started, “You see that smug fucking look on her face?”

She answered deadpan, “Yes, and I do appreciate you not trying to fight her past the bell. That cockiness she displaying is actually a good thing for us.”

“What’s the plan?” Vi asked as a bag of ice was placed on the back of her neck.

“She’s expecting this fight to be the same. Next round, I want you to make her come to you. Make her go on the offense, use up energy, and then we show her what you’ve been practicing.”

“You got it,” Vi grinned before Caitlyn popped the mouthguard back in place.

When the bell rang for round two, Vi stayed back, and Janna was visibly confused. With such few strikes being thrown, the ref began to gesture for them to bridge the distance and attack. Janna gave in and began throwing some jabs and crosses. Vi kept up a strong defense, and when Janna came in with a roundhouse, Vi stopped her with a high knee block like second nature. Vi snuck in a few counter hits to the body, but Janna was the one doing most of the work. At the end of the round, Janna’s once confident smirk twisted into an annoyed glare. On the other hand, Vi remained levelheaded.

Mouthguard out, Vi burst, “Did you see that face? Ha!” An abrupt ice pack to the back of her neck shut her up.

“Yes, we have her questioning your next move. She’s frustrated. Round three I want you to keep her on the offense, but add in those kicks you’ve practiced. Got it?”

Vi’s lips formed a tight line, and her eyes held determination. But Caitlyn saw her knee shake ever so slightly. She placed a firm hand on top of her knee and gave an encouraging squeeze.

“Hey.” Their eyes locked. It felt like no one else in the arena mattered, and if Caitlyn was frank, they didn’t. “You trained for this. You beat Lee doing this. You want this.” She slid Vi’s mouthguard past her lips, and instead of returning a hand to her knee, Caitlyn’s palms cradled Vi’s cheeks. “You deserve this. All of this.”

Again, Caitlyn watched Vi’s lips tighten around the mouthguard. When she stood, Vi pounded her gloves together and rolled out her shoulders. Without a doubt, Caitlyn knew Vi was all in.

Round three was rough for Caitlyn because every second was nail-biting, edge-of-the-seat tension. Both these women wanted this, but Caitlyn knew no one deserved this the way Vi did. That drive was a match to oil, and the torch Janna held couldn’t compare to the blazing fire that Vi embodied. There were blasts of ones and twos, powerful hooks, and speedy uppercuts in the beginning coming from Janna. Her punches thrown likely surpassed Vi’s by now, but Vi didn’t let that sway her. She held firm and countered where she could, and timing those punches aided her well. Janna’s body was red from the hits Vi did strike.

The fight took a turn with roughly forty-five seconds left in the round. Janna’s rear hook met Vi’s cheek. Caitlyn saw the slow trickle of blood began to fall from Vi’s left nostril.

“Vi!” Caitlyn called out. For the first time in her coaching career, Caitlyn called out to her fighter, not with commands or advice on a move. No, she cried out as a spectator, as a concerned…whatever they were. Perhaps it was unprofessional, but it felt utterly involuntary. Caitlyn bit down on her lip, crossing her arms across her chest once more.

She thought this would break Vi’s concentration, but surprisingly, thankfully, Vi shook it off and returned her gloves to her chin, maintaining her defense. Janna threw a jab then cross. Vi slipped out of the way and used that positioning to her advantage. She landed an uppercut to Janna’s body, and when she went in for a second punch, Janna turned her body to block it, crunching her elbows into her pocket. Quickly, Vi, light on the balls of her feet, let out a rear roundhouse. It connected with Janna’s leg, and it sent shockwaves through her nerves, causing her to lose her footing. Vi followed it with a teep that sent Janna backward, attempting to catch her breath, and Vi didn’t let up. She shuffled forward and threw jab followed by a lead uppercut to the body, causing Janna to curl into her side, and then a rear hook to the head. Janna was able to stay upright with that first hook, but when Vi connected with a second hook, Janna stumbled back. Then a third. Then an uppercut. She hunched forward onto her hands and knees. Caitlyn could see blood had splattered onto the mat in front of her.

The referee stepped between them and helped Janna up. Caitlyn knew he was checking her over and beginning his count. Her heart was in her throat as she watched the ref asked inaudible questions and Janna shook her head. Seconds felt like minutes, and her eyes darted from Janna and the ref to Vi over and over. Vi’s chest heaved madly, and her brows were pulled together while she waited.

Finally, the ref began waving his hands side to side, indicating he was calling an end to the fight. It was officially a TKO.

Caitlyn’s wide eyes found Vi’s and both women began to cheer. Caitlyn climbed into the ring and watched with a smile ear to ear as Vi made her laps around the ring with her gloves up in the air. Her lips were pulled back against the mouthguard as she beamed and shouted out to the roaring crowd, which was filled with a mix of Piltovans and Zaunites since the championship rounds were taking place in the Piltover Stadium.

“Fuck yeah!” Vi screamed out, and Caitlyn had never been so thrilled to hear obscenities in her life. “That’s what I’m fucking talking about!”

Vi jogged over to Caitlyn, and once Caitlyn took Vi’s mouthguard out, her fighter pulled her into a sweaty, bloody, bone-breaking hug. Neither of their smiles faded.

“I told you you could do this,” Caitlyn said into Vi’s shoulder, trying not to linger too much on the thought of how warm Vi’s chiseled muscles were against her.

Vi chuckled, and Caitlyn did a poor job of ignoring the way that felt against her chest. “You’ve officially gotten me further in the championship than I’ve ever been before, Cupcake.”

***

In the locker room, Caitlyn was kneeling in front of a gym bag as she helped Vi pack up her belongings. It was hard for the fighter to move quickly while on a very animated phone call with her sister, who Caitlyn could hear halfway across the room.

“It was fucking insane, right?” Vi tossed Caitlyn a boxing glove to put away. “Caitlyn was like, ‘Now, is when you add in kicks. Show her what you’ve been practicing,’” Vi mimicked Caitlyn’s accent…poorly. “And then BAM!” She laughed and shoved her wraps in a gym bag, “I know, I know.” Vi placed a towel down on the bench next to her coach and turned to face Caitlyn and said, “Hey, Jinx says hi by the way…and that we crushed it out there.”

Caitlyn warmly smiled, grabbed the towel from the bench, and stood up, “You can tell Jinx hello and thank you, but you were the one out in the ring putting in the real work.”

Unexpectedly, Vi brushed her knuckles and thumb against Caitlyn’s cheek as she softly spoke, “Don’t sell yourself short. I wouldn’t even be in this fight if it wasn’t for you.”

Vi’s hand fell back to her side and she continued on with her phone conversation, turning and whirling around the room as she spoke animatedly, but to Caitlyn, everything Vi said was muffled by the buzzing in her ears from Vi’s touch. Her hands were frozen around the towel that she was about to place in the gym bag. That simple graze against her cheek sent a brushfire across Caitlyn’s face. It felt like Vi’s fingers were still lingering, burning her skin, and Caitlyn wanted the flames to thaw her and consume her entirely.

In her pocket, Caitlyn’s phone began to vibrate. She pulled it out to see Mel’s caller ID floating at the top of the screen. Caitlyn dropped the towel and snapped her fingers in Vi’s direction to get her attention, and when Vi looked over she showed her screen to her.

“Jinx, I gotta go. I‘ll call you back later tonight. Yeah, love you, too.” When Vi hung up, she exhaled and nodded at Caitlyn to answer Mel’s call.

Caitlyn answered and put the call on speaker straightaway. “Hello, Mel. You’re on speaker.”

“Hi, Mel,” Vi joined in.

“My darlings!” Mel gleefully exclaimed. “What a show!”

“How’s that for a Zaunite, huh?” Vi playfully asked as she took a mirror selfie, flexing her bicep and sticking her tongue out with a wink. Caitlyn had to stop herself from biting lip while pretending not to watch. She would definitely be saving that social media post for later.

Mel laughed, “Vi, Caitlyn, I could not be more proud of the two of you. Truly, you’ve stepped up.”

Vi interjected, “You know, Mel, I’m a little disappointed you weren’t here to watch considering the title bracket fights are in Piltover.”

Caitlyn did find it odd that Mel didn’t bother showing up. Whenever Jayce had his fights in Piltover, Viktor was always present and sitting in his corner.

“Don’t worry, dear. I will make my appearance in later fights.” Before Mel continued, Caitlyn heard Vi scoff under her breath, which made Caitlyn grin. “I wanted to remind you that you’ll have your photoshoot in a few days, for which I will be there.” Vi rolled her eyes. “Caitlyn, I’ll be sending you the details.”

“Understood,” Caitlyn said, less than thrilled at the reminder.

“Are we going to have to get all dressed up and shit like we did for the other photoshoot?” Vi asked.

Caitlyn could practically feel Mel’s returning eye roll. “There will be a makeup and hair team, Vi. However, the attire will be what you would wear in the ring and, Caitlyn, ringside.”

“Thank god,” Vi sighed.

“But I will be putting a bit of a spin on this shoot,” Mel teased. Neither of them had any clue what that was supposed to mean, and they looked at each other with confused expressions, furrowed brows and scrunched noses.

Mel continued, “In the meantime, I anticipate you’ll both be hard at work training for the next match. It’s against Leona. Caitlyn, I presume you know what that means.”

“Yes,” Caitlyn answered. She already did her own research on all the fighters that made it to the championship. “Much like Janna, she has a heavy guard. We’ll be ready.”

“Good. As for now,” Mel’s voice sounded lighter, “enjoy your win tonight, but do keep your head in the game, girls…and physical activity out of the bedroom for the time being.”

“Mel!” They yelled out in unison. The two could hear Mel laugh before she hung up.

She could feel the rush of blood flowing to her cheeks after Mel’s comment, and she refused to meet Vi’s gaze, which she could feel barreling into her. When Caitlyn placed her phone back in her pocket, she grabbed the towel she had abandoned before the call and placed it in the gym bag. In silence, Vi followed suit, putting away the remainder of her items before changing into her sweats and t-shirt. The entire time, Caitlyn wished she didn’t fluster so easily at the mention or the thought of what she and Vi had done…what she wished they could still do…what she wanted to do right now as she watched Vi slip off those boxing shorts and pull on her sweatpants. Again, her hands seemed frozen to the zipper of the gym bag.

“You want to go out tonight?”

The words from Vi’s lips sounded distant in Caitlyn’s twisted thoughts. She refocused on Vi, who was now standing in front of her. “Sorry?”

“To celebrate?” Vi rocked on her feet. Caitlyn wondered if she was trying to make it seem like a casual, platonic offer rather than a date. Of course, it wasn’t a date. Couldn’t be. “I know a place in the Undercity that’s always a fun time if you’re down.”

Caitlyn stood and slung the bag over her shoulder. “I’m down as long as we can shower first.”

“Cupcake, you heard what Mel said about physical—”

She punched Vi’s arm. “Separately, Vi.”

_______________________

[ A picture was posted to Vi’s account. It is a post-fight mirror selfie. Vi’s face is still visibly reddened from punches, but she has her tongue out. She is winking at the camera with her bicep and abs flexed. ]
VIctorious_VI0lence: That’s how Zaunites fucking do it! Round 1 down baby! I’m coming for that belt.
Special thanks to the most amazing (and patient) coach out there. Wouldn’t be able to do any of this without you in my corner 🧁

KBoxViFan1: Making trenchers proud everywhere! What a fucking fight. That belt is going to be Vi’s in no time

KirammanStan: Glad to see the shoutout to Caitlyn considering how much she’s helped you improve…but are we all going to just ignore that cupcake emoji or…

LeilaLuvsLux: THE CHEMISTRY IS UNDENIABLE LIKE I’M SORRY

Eff23CC: TKO TKO TKO! This was the best way to start off the bracket. My money is on Vi

_______________________

The Hound’s Lair sounded menacing to an outsider, which was only confirmed by Caitlyn’s raised eyebrows and “I thought you said this place was fun” comment, but this really was a go to spot for any Zaunite. When they entered, the place was packed. Dim lighting, upbeat music in the background, people eating, drinking, and laughing, the smell of delicious food in the air, it was exactly the kind of place Vi wanted to be when she was on cloud nine after her win. She turned back to look at Caitlyn, and luckily her coach’s eyes lit up as she took in the atmosphere. They exchanged soft smiles and waited to be sat.

“Vi, look.” Caitlyn was so close Vi could feel the words against her ear, but she tried to focus on the direction Caitlyn was pointing as her long arm stretched past her.

There was a large screen being set up and a mic next to it. “Oh, nice. It must be karaoke night. Explains why it’s so busy.”

The host sat them at a table near the karaoke setup and handed them menus. When she left, Vi glanced up from her menu at Caitlyn and asked, “You sing?”

“What?” Caitlyn almost laughed.

“I’m just asking because you sounded excited when you saw it.”

“Oh, gods no. Outside of singing in the shower, I don’t sing. I don’t think I’m terribly good.”

“The Caitlyn Kiramman not good at something?” Vi jested.

Caitlyn nudged her under the table, and, gods, the way she scrunched her nose at Vi only made Vi want to tease her more.

“I’m more excited to see you sing.”

Vi raised her eyebrows, “What makes you think I’m going to sing?”

Caitlyn grinned and her eyes returned to her menu as she spoke. “Because you love attention.”

****

The two women didn’t drink. They didn’t need to because Caitlyn’s company was intoxicating enough for Vi. Much like on New Year’s, Vi found herself studying, admiring the way Caitlyn spoke. The glimmer in her eyes when she talked about something she loved. The way she wiped her mouth delicately with a napkin before she was about to speak, as though she made a mess when she ate. She totally didn’t. Vi would get lost in those ocean eyes that were so deep and so blue that she’d forget there was food in front of her. When Caitlyn excused herself to run to the restroom, Vi scarfed down most of the food left on her plate.

After a few minutes, Caitlyn sat down at the table and a mischievous smile laced her lips. This was a new look for her, and Vi had questions.

“What’s that look for?” She asked curiously.

Caitlyn took a sip of her water and slowly, temptingly licked her lips. “Do you know the song ‘Pretty Please?’”

Her brows came together. She answered with suspicion, “Yeah…”

Caitlyn’s smile grew even wider. “Wonderful.”

Before Vi could say another word, she heard her name being called over the speaker by a male voice. She knew exactly what Caitlyn did.

Her eyes widened and she dropped her fork onto the table. “Caitlyn, no.”

The topsider, still grinning, nodded her head at Vi.

“No fucking way,” Vi protested.

“Oh, come on!” Blue eyes pleaded.

“Is there a Vi? Is she ready?” The same male voice questioned into the mic.

“Please, Vi? Do it for me? Pretty please?” Caitlyn tauntingly emphasized the last words.

Vi groaned, “I go into the ring and get punched for you. Is that not enough?”

Caitlyn shook her head. “Please?” She drew out the word.

Over the speaker, “Vi? Going once. Going twice…”

“Ugh! Fine! You’re going to pay for this.”

“Promises, promises,” Caitlyn quipped.

Vi pushed out her seat, a bit more aggressively than intended. “I’m right here,” she exclaimed, waving her hand.

As she walked up to the makeshift stage area, her heart was beating wildly. Getting into the boxing ring was a cakewalk compared to this shit. If Caitlyn wasn’t so hot with those begging puppy dog eyes, she would’ve told told her to piss right off. Turning to stand in front of the mic, Vi wanted to vomit up all the food she just inhaled, and she wondered why the fuck people put themselves through this sort of torture. Funnily enough, she imagined people probably say the same thing about her getting hit repeatedly for a living.

She wasn’t even aware of the guy standing next to her until he tapped her on the shoulder. “This song starts right away, so just let me know when you’re ready to go.”

“Yeah, I know how it starts,” she retorted.

His brows arched upward and hands went up defensively as he walked back to his computer setup.

Vi let out a deep exhale. Before she cued him to start the song, she heard a “woo” ring out from the audience, and she knew that it was from none other than Caitlyn. I’m going to get her back for this.

“Somewhere in the middle,” Vi sang. Her voice was a bit shaky with the first few words, but as the verse went on, she calmed. “I think I lied a little. I…I said if we took it there, I wasn’t gonna change. But that went out the window, yeah.”

A few lines into the hook, Vi’s eyes met Caitlyn’s. She was turned in her seat, and those sapphire eyes were glued to Vi and only Vi. There was no jeering smile plastered on her face. The only emotion Vi could seem to read was reverence…then…desire? Somehow, the meaning of this song had escaped Vi before this moment. She felt so stupid for not realizing why Caitlyn chose this song. Caitlyn wanted to hear her sing these words, and this understanding altered Vi’s demeanor. She made her voice more sultry, let the words hang in the air for Caitlyn, and she made sure her focus stayed on the woman that captivated her all the same.

“Put my mind at ease, pretty please. I need your hands on me. Sweet relief. Pretty please. Exactly where I want me, yeah. Underneath your body, yeah.” Vi gave a wink toward Caitlyn, and she could see the way the woman’s cheeks became flush with a deep red.

As the song broke with instrumental beats, Vi removed the mic from its stand and began to saunter toward the topsider. Stopping in front of Caitlyn, who was now completely confused, she pulled on her hand, beckoning her to stand.

“Vi, no. Absolutely not.” Her face was beet red, eyes wide, and head shaking in protest.

“What did I say? I was going to get you back for this. Get up here. Finish the song with me, Cupcake.” Vi gave one more tug. “I will carry you up there.”

Knowing better than to doubt that statement, Caitlyn reluctantly stood. Vi tried to be mindful enough not to pull Caitlyn’s arm out of its socket as she dragged her to stand in front of the screen.

Vi started, “Put my mind at ease.”

She turned the mic toward Caitlyn, who sang nervously, “Trickle down my spine.”

Now, Vi held the mic between them, forcing Caitlyn to lean in closer when it was her turn as they alternated between the lyrics.

“Oh, you look so pretty, please.”

“Every single night.”

“I need your hands on me.”

As the song continued, their eye contact intensified. Inches apart, Vi forget anyone was watching. The words they sang made Vi’s stomach drop and a heat grow between her legs as Caitlyn grew more comfortable with each enticing word. Caitlyn was right — Vi loved attention but only when it came from this drop dead gorgeous woman in front of her.

In unison, they ended the song with the word ‘please,’ and the crowd in The Hound’s Lair cheered for them. They were so close that Vi could feel Caitlyn’s breath on her lips, but the sound of the people around them was the only thing that pulled them away from one another. Awkwardly, Caitlyn waved a hand quickly up in thanks before rushing back to her seat. Vi, on the other hand, gave a huge smile and bowed to show appreciation before heading back to the table.

She took her seat across from Caitlyn. Vi slouched in the chair with an amused smirk, watching Caitlyn cup her cheeks in her hands, trying to ward off the redness of embarrassment.

“So, Cupcake, think a girl would fall for that?”

When Caitlyn glared over at her, Vi let out a laugh and waved over their server to order dessert. She figured she might as well end the night with the only sweet treat she could actually have.

__________________________

TRAINING DAYS

The two women started their training analyzing videos of Leona’s previous fights. As Caitlyn mentioned, Leona had a strong guard just like Janna, but it had holes. They pointed out where Leona would lower her guard, leaving her open. Vi would use her speed to her advantage in this upcoming match.

***

In the gym, Caitlyn pushed Vi with drills and conditioning. There were plenty of burnouts. Ten seconds on jab crosses and ten seconds off, and those felt like they went on forever. Vi’s shoulders would thoroughly work up a burn.

***

Sparring, Vi found that perhaps Caitlyn was training her too well. Caitlyn kept her guard up constantly, but even she had trouble maintaining Vi’s pace. After a few rounds, Vi landed a hit to Caitlyn’s ribs that made her double over. Immediately, Vi stopped and knelt down beside her, apologizing profusely, but she was only met with a breathless smile as her coach applauded her for finding a break in her guard.

________________________

“Well, at least my cleavage isn’t out for this photoshoot,” Caitlyn sighed as she stood next to Vi waiting for the photographers to call them onto the set. “The fact that they felt the need to leave the top of my blouse unbuttoned for that was unnecessary.” This time her coach was in a black athletic t-shirt and red, spandex gym leggings that matched the color of Vi’s hair. It was still flatteringly form-fitting but not outwardly revealing.

Vi shrugged her shoulders, but her eyes were still straight ahead, watching the crew set up the blocks they would use to lean or sit on during the shoot. “I thought that was the best part.” She felt a fist hit her bare arm, and her scarred lip lifted in the corner at the contact.

The photographers called Vi over first. She took a series of shots with her arms crossed in front of her chest, then some with her hands on her hips, and finished posing by flexing her biceps. Next, she sat on one of the cubes and rested her arm on her bent knee nonchalantly. In her periphery, she could see Caitlyn watching her. Vi turned her head and looked in her coach’s direction. Her lips parted slightly in a warm smile, and she heard the sound of the camera clicking.

“Let’s get Kiramman in the shot,” the shoot director called out.

Caitlyn walked over with a serious expression, and if Vi didn’t know better, she would’ve never guessed that Caitlyn hated being in front of a camera. They took their positions next to one another and did as the photographers asked. Caitlyn rested her arm on Vi’s shoulder while Vi once again crossed her arms. Then they stood back to back, which to Vi felt a bit cheesy, and she really hoped they didn’t decide to use this shot. Next, Vi sat back down on the cube. Caitlyn put one foot up, her leg pressed against Vi’s side, and hunched over, leaning her arm on her knee. Vi didn’t mind the feel of Caitlyn’s leg resting against her, but she couldn’t help but feel that the poses were robotic. They were too rigid, too planned, but who the hell was Vi to tell professional photographers how to do their job.

“May I, gentlemen?” Mel appeared from the shadows.

Oh, right, that’s Mel’s job.

Mel strolled up to the two women and began to direct them herself. “Ladies, I know how you feel about one another, and I want you to act that way.”

It was so matter-of-fact that it caught both of them off guard. Vi could see Caitlyn startle back the same way she did.

“Meaning?” Vi asked with raised brows.

“That you like each other,” Mel answered with her hands on her hips. “These are promotional shots. We want the attention to be on this pairing. We want fans out there rooting for you. The media needs to be talking about Vi and Kiramman — Piltover’s Finest.”

“But I’m not Piltovan,” Vi said seriously.

“But you are Caitlyn’s finest fighter, and mine.”

Honestly, Vi wasn’t really even sure how to respond to that comment. She tried to snap back, but her mouth opened and shut at a loss for words. Mel didn’t wait for rebuttals.

“For these next few shots, I need you both to play into CaitVi.”

“You can’t be serious,” Caitlyn scoffed.

“Dead. I need you two to face one another, look into each other’s eyes, and do what comes naturally.”

“Mel, I don’t know about th—” Vi attempted before Mel cut her off.

“Think strong and sensual.” At that final direction, her manager walked off the set.

This can’t be ethical.

Vi turned to face Caitlyn, and they exchanged disbelieving looks. Caitlyn shifted on her feet, and Vi could tell she was unsure how to go about this situation now. Vi remembered how uneasy she was when the mention of fans shipping CaitVi came up in their first interview, and she guessed her coach was just as flustered by it still, especially after both agreeing that everything between them needed to remain professional.

“Hey,” Vi whispered. “It’s just for the pictures.”

Caitlyn met her eyes. There was something in them that Vi couldn’t fully place, but she could tell she was battling in her thoughts. Her lips parted and eyebrows came together questioningly. She whispered back, “Is it?”

There was a tidal wave that crashed against Vi’s ribcage. It wasn’t, and Vi knew that. She wished she didn’t because it would make everything so much less complicated. This would all be so much easier if she didn’t want to hop in the shower with Caitlyn after training, if she didn’t want to kiss her when they said goodbye or just ask her to stay the night, if she could stop thinking about their nights in hotel rooms, and if she didn’t want to exactly what that fucking karaoke song talked about. But she did want all of those things. All the time. Caitlyn was simultaneously the best and most frustrating thing to happen to her.

But, she’d never trade it for anything.

Slowly, Vi brought her hand up to Caitlyn’s face and traced her fingers along her cheekbone. Caitlyn’s face relaxed at the touch, and her eyes fell heavy onto Vi.

“Maybe not,” Vi admitted, “and, yeah, maybe we shouldn’t be doing this, but I’ll take what I can get.”

To her surprise, Caitlyn smirked at her. Vi dropped her hand, and they both rolled their shoulders and shook out their arms, relaxing in the moment. Afterward, Vi witnessed Caitlyn exhale and turn on for the camera. Her eyes shifted, lips parted again, and she angled her chin up slightly, forcing Vi to look up at her even more. It was…impressive. And totally hot.

As if reading her completely depraved thoughts, Caitlyn brought a single finger under Vi’s chin and applied just enough pressure to lift Vi’s face up to meet her half-lidded gaze. A brick dropped in her stomach, and it was as though the reverberations woke up every butterfly that rested in her chest. The flutter sent a warmth through Vi’s core, and she melted onto that single fingertip.

“Then shall we?” Caitlyn breathed out.

Vi didn’t even notice the shutter sounds of the cameras because her mind was racing a million miles a minute. The way Caitlyn looked at her was deafening, all-consuming. She needed something to anchor her. Anything. Without thinking, she gripped Caitlyn’s hip. Unaware of how much pressure she used to press into the skintight fabric, Caitlyn’s hip dipped toward Vi and a ghost of a moan escaped her still parted lips. Caitlyn’s finger fell from Vi’s chin, and now her arm rested on Vi’s shoulder, her hand dangling in the air behind Vi’s back. A smirk glided along her face, and Vi returned it.

Caitlyn sucked her teeth in a tsk. “Violet,” she reprimanded at a volume low enough for only the two of them to hear.

The heat returned. The knocking against her ribcage was at liberty to bruise.

Oh, fuck. Is…this love?

Chapter Text

“What a way to kick off the battle for the belt!” Jack said with a smile. “Vi really set the tone for her run.”

Tressa nodded, “That she did. She’s looking strong out there, ending the match with a TKO. Why don’t we take a look at the recap?”

“I will say,” Raelle began as the video started on screen, “I was concerned during the first round. We see Vi here fighting reminiscent of her first time against Janna, but luckily, that doesn’t last long.”

The video continued on, showing Vi’s combinations that led to Janna’s TKO, as Russell spoke, “I was glad to see Kiramman trained her more with lower body attacks. It paid off. She was able to really throw Janna for a loop.”

“It does make me eager to see Vi’s next match against Leona,” Jack chimed in. “Leona did just win against Sona, though it wasn’t in the exhilarating TKO fashion.”

“Still a great unanimous decision,” Tressa added.

“Speaking of future fights,” the camera panned over to Raelle, “Russell, as our designated Vi fan, you know I have to do it. I have to play devil’s advocate.” They all chuckled before she continued on. “Vi showed us she’s capable of learning, adapting, and being versatile enough to comeback against Janna, and I think it’s safe to say that most of us believe that kind of strategy will serve her well against Leona, who, while not a former MMA fighter, does, in some ways, remind us of Janna. Let’s say Vi makes it to the final round. She’s up against Sevika. Do you really believe she has what it takes? Now, Vi is clearly able to learn new tricks, and Kiramman is in her corner, which is a huge advantage, but Sevika is a fighter like no other. Broad and brutal, sheer power with each punch. Could Vi really withstand it and come out victorious?”

Jack and Tressa raised their eyebrows, waiting for Russell’s response.

He grinned, “Absolutely. A strong defense is going to be key there, but even more important will be Vi’s speed. While Sevika does have immense power, she’s slower than Vi. Plus, we know she’s still avoiding that injured arm. Kiramman is good at finding techniques that will put her fighter a step ahead, and as long as Vi works with her to find weaknesses in her opponents, which they’re obviously on the road to doing, I think that belt is on its way to switching hands.”

Now it was Raelle’s turn to raise her eyebrows with a smirk, impressed with Russell’s confidence. “This is going to be an eventful few weeks.”

________________________

@KBoxViFan1: Leona better watch her back. The Enforcer is on her way [a GIF of Vi taking her victory lap around the ring after defeating Janna attached]

@Tally_Roxx: So are we not going to talk about these pictures? HELLO? THE CHEMISTRY? #CaitVi [attached are the pictures from Vi and Caitlyn’s latest photoshoot]
@NatalieNatCat: @Tally_Roxx I can talk about these all day. I mean the hand under the chin…you can’t tell me they aren’t totally into each other
@ViSupremacy561: @NatalieNatCat @Tally_Roxx and the tagline — Piltover’s Finest. Like YES YOU ARE THE FINEST
@KirammanStan1: @ViSupremacy561 @NatalieNatCat @Tally_Roxx Vi isn’t even Piltovan though??
@Tally_Roxx: @KirammanStan1: @ViSupremacy561 @NatalieNatCat Can I just say how much I don’t care that she’s not from Piltover? With those arms and that bone structure she could be from another planet and I’d still fall to my knees

@PunchMeVi: As a lesbian, I can confirm that Caitlyn definitely moaned in this picture #PiltoversFinest #CaitVi [photo attached from latest photoshoot of Vi gripping Caitlyn’s waist and Caitlyn’s arm on Vi’s shoulder]

@UFCNerd853: Wow! Can’t believe we got a TKO in the first bracket. Vi is going to crush it during her next fight! Watch out Sevika! Zaunite vs. Zaunite let’s goooo

@LeilaLuvsLux: Heard a rumor Vi and Caitlyn had a spicy karaoke night at The Hound’s Lair singing Pretty Please of all songs
@Clem-In-Time: @LeilaLuvsLux Stop I need proof. I must see this. NOW. #CaitVi
@Effff_CC23: @Clem-In-Time @LeilaLuvsLux I have an even better rumor that they were spotted sharing a New Year’s kiss at The Last Drop
@LeilaLuvsLux: @Effff_CC23 @Clem-In-time Oh damn that is a better rumor. I won’t be satisfied until they finally confirm they’re dating

________________________

There was a knock on the door, followed by Jinx’s voice literally calling out, “Knock, knock!”

Vi rolled off the couch and trudged to the door. Her hope to have a quiet, calm morning was clearly about to be thrown out the window. She wanted to have some downtime to sort through her mess of emotions. All week she was training with Caitlyn nonstop for the fight against Leona, and they were brutal, exhausting days. The intense sessions didn’t leave much time to talk about anything but the match. It certainly didn’t allot them any time to discuss what happened at The Hound’s Lair. But the more Vi thought about it, usually at night when she was trying to think of anything else, she realized maybe there wasn’t much to talk about. They both agreed to pause anything possibly romantic until their season ended. Regardless, that didn’t make any of this feel less complicated for Vi.

When she opened the door, Jinx barged right past her and headed for the kitchen.

“Hi to you, too,” Vi sarcastically greeted.

Jinx opened up the cabinet and shoved a snack-sized powdered donut into her mouth. Smacking her lips together, she turned behind her and opened up the fridge.

“No, yeah, it’s fine. Help yourself to whatever you’d like.” Walking toward her, Vi watched Jinx grab the almond milk. “Please use a glass and don’t just drink right out of the carton.”

She placed the milk on the counter and mockingly raised an eyebrow at Vi as she went into the cabinet to get a glass. “I’m your sister. We share the same cooties.”

“You also regularly make out with Ekko, so glass, please.”

She started to pour the drink and gave Vi a goading smirk. “Do you regularly make out with Caitlyn?”

Vi’s eyes widened. “What? What are you talking about?” Her lands fell onto her hips. “I told you on New Years that there is nothing romantic between me and Caitlyn.”

“Mhmm,” Jinx hummed as she dug through her backpack. She threw a magazine on the table in front of Vi.

Looking down, Vi was now seeing the outcome of their latest photoshoot for the first time. Caitlyn’s finger seductively placed under Vi’s chin, tilting her head up as they stared at one another like only the two of them existed. On the cover of UFC Daily. The fucking cover. This looked like a picture for some erotic lesbian novel, not a kickboxing promotion. How the hell did Mel manage to convince anyone to make this the cover of the magazine? She saw written by the margin it stated that more details about Piltover’s Finest were on page twenty-three, but Vi couldn’t even bring her finger to flip past the cover. Her eyes were stuck on Caitlyn, remembering the way those blue eyes made her melt that day. It’s like she could feel the ghost of Caitlyn’s fingertip applying pressure under her chin there in her kitchen as she fixated on the photo.

Jinx’s voice broke through the vivid memory. “If that’s true, why the hey mamas thirst trap?”

Vi’s eyes shot up, disgust in her face. “I am not a hey mamas lesbian.”

Her sister snorted, “Ha. Okay. Sure.” She took a sip from her glass before leaning on the table over the damned magazine. “I get it, sis. Play up the whole CaitVi ship for the attention. Hell, say you’re all in for Piltover. But…this…” her finger stabbed at the cover, “is not nothing. Cough it up, Vi. Drunk me on New Years might have accepted bullshit excuses but not after seeing this.”

She bit her lip and glanced away from those blue and magenta swirls that were so demanding. “The truth is that there isn’t anything going on between us currently.”

“Oh, come on!” Jinx groaned as she reeled backward.

“No, I’m serious. Right now, we aren’t doing anything.”

“But you have?”

Vi tried to hide the smile that was inching its way onto her face.

Jinx squealed, “Ah! I knew it!”

Vi pulled out the chair and sat down at the table. She ran a hand exasperatedly through her hair. “Yeah, well, so will everyone else when they see these pictures.”

Her sister took a seat across from her. “Wasn’t that the point? It gets everyone talking about you. Gets ‘em interested in who you are, in the fight.”

She ran her hands over her eyelids and exhaled, “Yeah, I guess. I don’t know.”

Jinx studied her, watched her movements closely. With a pensive stare, she said softly, “You want more don’t you? With Caitlyn? This was…more, wasn’t it?” Her bony hand laid on the magazine.

“Fuck.” Vi’s knee started shaking. “I don’t know, Jinx. I guess it was. But it can’t be. There’s too much on the line, so it doesn’t matter what I want. You get it, right?”

With a contemplative nod, Jinx answered, “Yeah, I do. I just haven’t seen you this into someone since—”

Vi cut her off, “Ahri was a long time ago. I was young and stupid.”

“Still stupid,” Jinx interrupted.

“Shut up.” Flipping her the bird, Vi continued, “Anyway, this is totally different. With Caitlyn, it feels…real. God, that sounds so ridiculous.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Jinx said in a small voice. Her eyes looked distant.

There were a few beats of silence before Vi added, “Well, once Caitlyn sees these pictures, I’m sure she’ll lose her mind.”

“But she agreed to do these shots, so clearly, she must feel the same way about you.”

“Maybe.” Vi chewed on her cheek anxiously. “We haven’t really talked about any of that in a while.”

To their left, a loud vibrating sound ripped through their conversation. Vi stood up to grab her phone from the coffee table only to see a picture of Caitlyn lighting up the screen. It was a photo Vi snapped of Caitlyn laughing from New Years as they joked about patrons in the crowded bar. Caitlyn was trying to hide that gap-tooth smile behind her hand, but Vi was trying to pull it out of the way, teasing about how cute she looked. Her fingers were visible, reaching out onto Caitlyn’s wrist.

“Shit. It’s Caitlyn,” Vi announced. Something piercing in her gut told her Caitlyn saw the “promotional” photos, too. She cleared her throat and picked up, “Hey, what’s up?”

________________________

The doorbell rang just as Caitlyn finished putting her last dish from breakfast in the dishwasher. She wasn’t expecting anyone to come over today. Vi wanted to have a late training day today, which Caitlyn was a tad reluctant to agree to doing. From karaoke to the photoshoot to being up close and personal with Vi’s body during trainings, glistening with sweat, Caitlyn had a surplus of emotions to attempt to parcel out, and that was not exactly something she looked forward to. When they were sparring or working on conditioning, Caitlyn could distract herself to an extent. But as she thought more on the subject this morning, she realized that maybe it shouldn’t be so complex. They decided that while they did like one another, to put it mildly as far as it went for Caitlyn, it was wiser to hold off. Though torturous, given that most of her days were spent around a half-naked Vi, it was the smarter choice. At least, that’s what she kept trying to convince herself. If it wasn’t supposed to be complicated, why was it?

Caitlyn opened the front door, and to her surprise…and dismay…she was now staring at the stern face of her mother. The only word running through her mind was why. It’s not that she didn’t love her mother, but for Caitlyn, time spent with Cassandra was best taken in small doses. Their once a week dinners were plenty enough.

“Are you going to invite me in or simply stand their gawking?”

Ah, there it was…that itch under the skin. Prickling. Prodding.

She stepped to the side to allow Cassandra to walk by her. “What are you doing here?”

Cassandra hung her coat on the coat rack next to the door, and Caitlyn took note that she held on to her purse. “Am I not allowed to stop by and see my own daughter?”

Caitlyn knew better than that. It was never that simple. There was always a motive, a purpose. What she did find odd was the way her mother seemed to be delaying her point.

“Of course you may. Though I don’t have a very long time to stick around. I’m supposed to be meeting Vi soon to train.” It was a bit of a white lie. Caitlyn was, in fact, meeting up with Vi to train, but that wasn’t happening until later in the evening. What Cassandra didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.

Her mother nodded and walked over to the island in the kitchen and set her purse down on the counter. She nodded slowly as she took a seat on the barstool. “Yes, I do want to speak with you about Vi actually.”

Oh, here we go.

Words began pouring out of Caitlyn like a sieve. “We already had this conversation months ago. I didn’t appreciate you digging into Vi’s past then, and that hasn’t changed. I’ve gotten to know her on a personal level, and I know all I need to know about her past. She’s a good person that’s had a difficult upbringing. You know, I thought we made progress on Christmas Eve when you met her, but I—”

As though not even listening to Caitlyn’s protest, Cassandra stated, “Your father finally cracked and told me that Seraphine showed up at that art exhibit you hosted for Vi’s sister.”

Complete confusion erupted along Caitlyn’s face. “What?”

“Have you been in contact with her again?” Her mother’s voice was solemn and concerned.

Her brows narrowed, appalled at the question. “No, of course not. I was just as shocked to see her there as dad probably was. Honestly, seeing her made me sick.” Caitlyn crossed her arms in front of her stomach, holding her elbows and shrinking into herself in an attempt to hold herself together at the horrible memory. Then she remembered what her mother said before bringing up Seraphine. “What does this have to do with Vi?”

Looking up at Caitlyn with a serious expression, Cassandra replied, “Caitlyn, you dive into your relationships headfirst, with unyielding commitment and loyalty. And love. It’s an admirable trait, but it’s also dangerous.”

A pit dropped into the center of her gut. She felt like her heart was beating into a hollow void.

Casandra continued on, “As you know, I was wary of you taking on this partnership with Vi, particularly given her history, but, yes, as you said, the holiday spent with her did sway me. When I heard about Seraphine showing up, I was immediately worried, Caitlyn, because that was a hard time for all of us. That girl caused a rift in our family.”

Her mouth was dry. “Again, how does this concern Vi?”

“I didn’t want your past with Seraphine to jeopardize your partnership with Vi. I’m aware you’ve worked tirelessly to get her to this point in her career.”

“Well, it didn’t,” she cut in shortly.

Cassandra went on, “However, I also don’t want to see your feelings toward Vi be a detriment to that path either.”

Again, Caitlyn’s brows furrowed. “M-my feelings? What are you—”

Her mother went into her purse and quickly pulled out a magazine. She placed it on the island in front of Caitlyn. It was UFC Daily. And right there on the cover was the photograph of her and Vi for the world, including her mother, to see. Finger under Vi’s chin. Eyes locked. A picture that heavily fed in to the rumors of a brewing romance between fighter and coach, which was something Caitlyn had tried so hard to deny. She couldn’t believe it. What was she thinking posing like this, listening to Mel’s absurd command? How could she let her emotions take the reins so fully? If she knew this picture of them would be on the damned cover of one of the most prominent fighting publications, she would’ve tiptoed cautiously during this photoshoot…right? The longer she stared at it, the deeper the burning sensation grew in her cheeks.

“Yes, Caitlyn, your feelings,” Cassandra stated as a fact. “Diving headfirst.”

She swallowed thickly, trying to think of sufficient words to convince her mother that this was all nothing. “This was just a ploy by Mel Medarda to get attention for Vi’s future fights. There’s people online who believe there’s something romantic between me and Vi, which is utterly ridiculous, so she wanted to use that for press. But there isn’t actually anything going on. She’s my fighter. That’s all there is.”

Cassandra raised her hand as a gesture for Caitlyn to cease her babbling. “Caitlyn, I, like the rest of the world, have eyes. I can see this picture. I saw the way you two looked at each other during dinner and the way she spoke about you. Despite what you may think, I did not come here to scold you or stop you. Throughout your life, you’ve proven to me that I cannot stop you from pursuing something you desire. What I did come here to do is to just tell you to be careful and protect your heart.”

Left in a state of shock, Caitlyn watched her mother stand up and fix her dress, flattening the lines at her waist from sitting. Those were not the words she was expecting from her typically stoic mother. It was so uncharacteristic that it left her jaw dropped slightly, unsure of a proper response. Her mind was left full of static.

“I won’t pester you any longer, darling.” She checked her watch. “I have meetings to get to, anyway, and you must get to your training. Do tell Vi I said hello.” Cassandra draped her purse over her shoulder. “You can keep the magazine.” With that, she headed to the door to grab her coat and leave.

Alone once again, Caitlyn took the time to fully examine the cover. She studied the way Vi’s muscles were defined even when her arm was relaxed, the inches of tattoo peaking out from the sides of her arms, back, and neck, the chisel of her jaw, the subtle parting of her lips, and the way her eyes wanted nothing but Caitlyn. She remembered the way she felt in that moment with the devouring look on Vi’s face. The same hungry expression laced in every inch of her own body language in this photo. How could she hope to convince anyone that this wasn’t full of real, raw emotion? Two magnets being pulled together without any power to stop it.

However, the words of her mother lingered in her ears. When they took these pictures, Caitlyn didn’t think. She just dove in, disregarding the depth, letting her attraction to Vi guide her. Was her mother right? Was she too quick to attach herself to someone who showed her any affection? Was that the curse of having once had her mind twisted and her heart shattered in more ways than she could count?

No, she refused to believe the warning of danger her mother tried to instill in her. Vi admitted wanting something more. Caitlyn didn’t need to fear what she felt. Words of warning be damned. With fumbling fingers, she grabbed her phone.

Pick up. Pick up. Come on.

The ringing stopped, and Vi’s voice filled the air, “Hey, what’s up?”

“Did you see it?” Caitlyn asked in haste.

“The cover?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah, Jinx brought it over to show me.”

She heard Jinx in the background shouting, “To interrogate her—”

“Whatever,” Vi shushed her. “How did you find out?”

“My mother,” a mix of embarrassment and dread coated the words.

“You can’t be serious.”

“I wish I wasn’t.”

“What did she say?” There was genuine curiosity, but also, Caitlyn swore it sounded a touch nervous.

Caitlyn bit her lip, unsure how to phrase her response. “Um, well, she said I obviously have feelings toward you, and when I tried to deny that and say it was all Mel’s idea, she told me she has eyes and can see there’s something going on between us…more or less.”

There was a pause on the other end before Vi asked in a small voice, “What’d you say to that?”

Caitlyn sat down, slumping her elbow on the counter, and resting her chin in her palm. “I didn’t really know what to say. When it comes to my mother, I’m not exactly open with any feelings. She did catch me completely off guard with all of this.”

“Yeah, not really what I was expecting to see this morning. How the fuck did Mel get them to make that the cover?”

A faint grin appeared on her face knowing they shared a similar mindset. “No idea. But I would say it’s guaranteed you’ll get the attention Mel was aiming for.”

Both women let out a short chuckle. Only Vi could calm her nerves like this after that unexpected visit, and to think, the idea of her calling Vi to vent would’ve sounded insane not so long ago.

“Think I ruined my chance at having your mom actually like me?”

Caitlyn couldn’t tell if Vi was being serious or not, but she answered genuinely. “No, I don’t think so. You seemed to make quite the impression on her during the holidays.”

“It’s my devilish charm.”

The corner of Caitlyn’s mouth pulled toward her ear. She rubbed her fingers over her eyelids. “Yes, well, perhaps it would still be smart to refrain from any more salacious photos.”

“Fair.” There were a few beats of silence. “You can’t deny those pictures of us are pretty hot.” There was another pause in which Caitlyn smiled and rolled her eyes. Vi added, “What if we just took those kinds of pictures for ourselves?”

This flirtatious joking was definitely not helping make matters any less convoluted for Caitlyn.
“Violet,” Caitlyn playfully reprimanded, “isn’t your sister with you?”

“She’s not listening.”

Jinx’s voice broke in faintly over the phone. “I am listening. And gross. Get a room.”

“You’re the one in my apartment,” Vi corrected. “Anyway,” she brought her attention back to Caitlyn, “you still up for training later?”

Truthfully, after listening to Vi’s voice, Caitlyn didn’t want to have to wait four more hours to see her. “Actually, would you want to meet up at Dynasty Trails now for a run? I need to clear my head.”

“Sure thing.” There was no hesitation, not an inkling. “You need to meditate away the stress from your mom’s visit?”

“As much as I know you’re trying to joke and be funny, I actually think I might need to do that.”

“You’re just looking for an excuse to hold my hand.” Caitlyn could hear the smile.

“I hope you can feel my eye roll through the phone.”

_______________________

Jab. Jab. Cross. Jab. Rear hook.

Vi’s movements were speedy in succession. Quick and venomous attacks, keeping Leona on her toes. This is where Vi’s quickness was a major strength, and since she improved with Caitlyn’s coaching, her sharpness made her feel all the more confident in this match,

Low rear roundhouse. Slip. Roll. Lead hook. Rear Uppercut.

She was lightening with each strike. Leona’s broad form couldn’t block every punch fast enough, and she wasn’t as light on her feet as Vi.

Pull back. Jab. Slip. Cross. Rear hook.

For as heavy as Leona was, Vi had to give it to her that when a punch actually did land, there was definitely power in it, but those were few. Caitlyn was right. Leona concerned herself so much with form, that she didn’t give herself the leeway to loosen up, which is where Vi shined. Vi’s movements were fluid in comparison, and though she moved quickly, she made her power shots count.

Round two, like round one, seemed to fly by. When she sat down in her corner, an bag of ice rolled on the back of her neck, and Caitlyn popped down in front of her, taking her mouthguard.

“How did this girl make it to the championship? I’m running circles around her,” Vi questioned.

“It’s only been two rounds. Are you feeling tired?” Caitlyn asked in return.

Vi inhaled deeply through her nose and exhaled with an open mouth. She shrugged, “Maybe a little, but nothing I can’t push through.”

“She waits for her opponents to gas out. You and I both know how much more energy it takes to do what you’re doing than being on the defense.” Vi took one last sip of water before Caitlyn shoved the mouthguard back in place and continued, “I know speed is key to this, but keep it controlled and strategic. Don’t lose yourself.

Vi nodded and stood. She rolled out her shoulders and headed for the center of the ring.

***

“I’d say this was a pretty even match between Leona and Vi,” Raelle stated. “What’s the head shake for, Russell? Do you disagree?”

“Even, how so?” He asked with a quirked eyebrow. “It was a unanimous decision.”

“Well, I suppose what I mean is they both did well. They played to their strengths. I know you’re our designated Vi fan, Russell, so don’t ring my neck,” Raelle ended with hands up in surrender, earning chuckles all around.

Tressa added, “Though, I will say, Vi was definitely not at the top of her game by the middle of round four, and round five was her weakest.”

“Of course it was,” Russell said obviously. “Could you imagine taking all that tenacity and fire out punch after punch at the pace she was going for five full rounds while taking punches? I think what this showed viewers was how far Vi has come in terms of her endurance.”

“Absolutely,” Jack agreed. “Why don’t we take a look at our highlights from the match.”

***

Vi took a hit to the ribs. Then another. Then one to the head. She shuffled back and readjusted her guard. Her eyes glanced down at her gloves and the floor. Good, no blood from her. Not yet. But it was creeping to the end of the fourth round, and Vi was tired. She could feel the exhaustion creeping up from her legs, making its way to her arms. Holding up her arms was progressively getting harder.

Leona’s ponytail of brown hair bobbed up and down and she stepped in closer. She threw a roundhouse, but Vi shifted her leg so the brunt of the hit was on the front of her quad. When Leona planted her foot, she went in for a rear hook. Vi ducked it, and when she popped back up, her opponent was coming in with another roundhouse, but it was higher this time. To block, Vi put up a high knee, and as soon as her foot was back on the ground, she threw her own roundhouse at Leona, making contact with the woman’s body. She pressed forward with a cross, but Leona rolled and countered with a hook to Vi’s ribs.

Then the bell rang to signal the end of round four.

In her corner, ice packs covered her and water was poured into her mouth and then through her hair. Vi’s breathing was labored as she leaned back, focusing on the trickles of water that fell and mixed with sweat.

“You’re doing an excellent job out there, Vi,” Caitlyn assured.

“Mhm,” Vi hummed, eyes closed.

“That knee block and roundhouse was well placed.”

There was a pause as Caitlyn checked areas where Vi was hit. Her gentle fingers ran over Vi’s damp skin, sticky with sweat. She let her eyes pull shut again and let the examining trace of Caitlyn’s fingers steady her. Caitlyn grazed over the right side of her ribcage, and Vi couldn’t help but lift the side of her lips in a huff of a laugh.

“Tickles,” she murmured. Narrow slits in her eyes opened, just enough to see Caitlyn trying to hide a smile. Vi could see a flush of pink appear on her cheeks.

“You’re tired,” Caitlyn finally said.

“Yeah. First three rounds were nonstop.”

“It all comes down to this. Whatever you do, make sure your guard stays strong. Leona has to have a miracle to beat you in points. Don’t give that to her,” Caitlyn commanded.

Vi rolled out her neck and shoulders. “You got it, coach.”

***

@KBoxViFan1: Our girl is headed to the next round! One more till she’s up against Sevika! WOO!

@UFCNerd853: That was one hell of a fight. Vi really pushed through to the very end. Can’t wait to see what else Vi has in store for us

@Clem-In-Time: Are we not going to talk about that moment the cameras picked up in Vi’s corner?
@Tally_Roxx: @Clem-In-Time You mean the one with Caitlyn caressing Vi’s side and Vi smiling like a goof?
@KirammanStan: @Tally_Roxx @Clem-In-Time Pretty sure she was just examining her since you know Leona punched her
@Tally_Roxx: @KirammanStan @Clem-In-Time Pah-Tae-Toe Poe-Tae-Toe totally caressing and Vi liked it

@Annie_Bananie: I know everyone is talking about this fight, but I’m still not over their last photoshoot [picture of Vi and Caitlyn standing face-to-face, Vi’s hand on Caitlyn’s hip, Caitlyn’s arm over Vi’s shoulder is attached]

_______________________

This was a match Caitlyn was not looking forward to watching. Everyone joked about this being the battle of the redheads, but Caitlyn knew this would be the most challenging fight of the championship, not counting Sevika, of course. Zyra had the speed of Vi with a slightly longer reach, putting Vi in the disadvantage. Caitlyn had to hope that Vi’s stamina was better so she could outlast Zyra. They studied her videos extensively and worked on conditioning and endurance all week, but the very thought of this match up still left Caitlyn biting her nails.

She watched Vi tap gloves with Zyra, and the round began. Both women shuffled around for a bit, feeling each other out, throwing light, snappy jabs back and forth. Caitlyn watched their feet. They stepped in with their jabs, but Vi had to come in closer to make up for her reach, which could be a dangerous move, particularly later on in the match as she tired, but they prepared for this. She made Vi practice with her since she had a longer reach. Caitlyn would stress her pulling back and rolling to stay out of range.

As the first round went on, Vi was using the defensive moves they’d practiced throughout this first round, rolling and following up with a hook or pulling back followed by a cross. Both fighters were landing clean hits, but Caitlyn could tell they were studying one another. When the round ended, Vi slumped onto the stool, but it wasn’t out of exhaustion. Her eyes were working. Staring down to the ground, she was focused on something distant.

“What do you think her move is going to be?” Vi asked, eyes still lowered.

“What would yours be if you were her?”

“I’d probably rush me. She’s seen that my defense is solid, so she has to be quick enough to make that moot.”

Correct. Caitlyn was glad to see Vi really paid attention when they studied videos and strategy.

“Right, so keep moving. Don’t get stuck in the mud. You want her to come after you so she wears herself out before you do.”

Vi hummed in agreement, but Caitlyn could see her eyes were still working.

The second round was brutal, and Caitlyn had her arms crossed and was gripping into her skin so fiercely she was leaving nail imprints. The two women were throwing punches back and forth, only taking breaks to regroup and throw the next. Blood flew to the floor, a mix from them both. Caitlyn’s heart raced, but she tried to stay composed as she watched, which was easier said than done, especially given how much was riding on Vi winning this match. By the time the bell rang, Caitlyn knew that this round was a toss up for points. It could go either way.

When Vi sat down, Caitlyn could tell her body was exhausted. She took a damp towel and began wiping away the blood from her nose and above her eye, the common areas Vi somehow always managed to take a blow. Next, Caitlyn picked up the eye iron and began rubbing the slightly raised areas. She watched Vi close her eyes and bite her lip at the pressure.

“Hey,” she said calmly, “don’t bite your lip. Breathe. In and out. Slow your heart rate.” Vi did as she was told, and Caitlyn continued, “This is going to get tricky. If she sees you this tired out there, she’s going to go on the attack again.”

“Yeah, that’s what I would do. Try to get a knockout. So, the plan?”

Caitlyn thought for a moment, wiping away blood again. “Try to stay on the defense. You’re going to need your energy for the final two rounds. Four and five is where you need to make your push for points.”

Round three was exactly as Caitlyn and Vi predicted. It started slow, punches exchanged at an easy pace, but then Zyra amped up. She fired off jabs and crosses to close the space. At first, Vi was able to dodge them, but Zyra didn’t let up, causing Vi to back up. And back up again. And after a few more steps, Vi was up against the ropes.

Caitlyn’s stomach dropped to unfathomable depths as the gravity of what she was watching set in. The crowd around her echoed the emotions she couldn’t bring to her own lips. Gasps and yells drowned the space.

Zyra was firing off hook and upper one after another as fast as she could. When Vi would dip her elbow down to block her body, Zyra would come in with a jab or cross up high, aiming for Vi’s head. Caitlyn watched Vi slip and block as much as she could, but she knew she couldn’t keep this up for the rest of the match. Her eyes studied Zyra’s movements and noticed that the more she exerted herself, the lower her own guard became.

Word erupted from Caitlyn. “Vi! Push her back!” She scrambled as close as she was allowed to go. “Elbow!”

Blood dripped from Vi’s nose when one of Zyra’s jabs connected with her cheek.

Caitlyn yelled out one more, “Vi! Elbow!”

Zyra fired out a jab, and Vi slipped to her right. Vi used to shift in her weight to drive an elbow right at Zyra, and since her guard was down the elbow connected to her side of her head and cheek with no problem. It took Zyra by surprise and stopped her onslaught.

The relief in Caitlyn’s chest was brief. Vi couldn’t stop here. Caitlyn called out to her again, “Teep! Keep her away!”

Vi spat blood away from her lips, adjusted her stance, and brought the ball of her foot up to Zyra’s gut, pushing forward with power from her hips. Her opponent staggered back, and Vi shuffled in to land a rear hook to Zyra’s body as the round came to an end.

As soon as Vi sat down, Caitlyn was on her with towels and eye iron. The cut men behind her bombarded her with ice as Caitlyn worked. Vi must’ve noticed the anxious contorting of her face and the frantic movements with which she wiped away blood because she put her gloved hand out onto Caitlyn’s shoulder, applying a touch of pressure. Their eyes met, and if it wasn’t for the blood still visible on some of Vi’s skin, Caitlyn would’ve forgotten they were even in a boxing ring.

“I’m okay,” Vi spoke through her mouthguard.

Caitlyn nodded and kept cleaning Vi’s face. With an exhale, Caitlyn said, “You have to stay at a distance. Only go in for snap punches. Wait for an opening. I noticed when she went to run in at you, her guard lowered. She still winds up too far for punches. You could sneak in there.”

Vi nodded and drank water. Her eyes were busy again, but Caitlyn was glad to note the absence of a shaking knee.

The bell tolled for the end of their break, and Vi was up on the balls of her feet with her gloves by her chin, shuffling like she didn’t just take on a barrage of punches two minutes ago. Caitlyn couldn’t help but admire Vi’s tenacity.

Zyra and Vi started the round in a similar fashion, but Vi was far more strategic, dropping in only when she could easily roll in and out from a hit. Caitlyn could see the annoyance peaking through in Zyra’s bright orange eyes. She prayed that Vi knew how to handle what she guessed was about to come.

After a few more times of Vi baiting her, Zyra tried to block her against the ropes again, but Vi kept moving. When Zyra brought her hand away from her face for a front hook, Vi came in with an uppercut right under her chin, followed by a hook to the body, and cross. Zyra snarled and shook off the punches. For the latter half of the round, it continued on like this. Zyra would come after Vi with punches, but Vi would pull back, shuffle away, find her opening, and pop in a combination before getting back out of Zyra’s reach.

Caitlyn took out Vi’s mouthguard, and as soon as she did, Vi said, “That was exactly what we needed. I think I’m going to rush her next round.”

Her eyebrows raised. “Are you sure about that, Vi?”

She nodded, “I know she had me cornered in round three, but I wasn’t ready for it. I didn’t have a chance to get my footing, but if I initiate, if I get close in the pocket, I can do some damage. Remember, you said these last two rounds are about me taking the points.”

“I know, but—”

“You trust me?” Vi asked sincerely.

Caitlyn gently wiped sweat from Vi’s brows. “Of course I do.”

Vi pressed her forehead against Caitlyn’s. She could feel the heat emanating from her entire body, and Caitlyn could’ve melted were they alone.

“We made it this far. I swear I wouldn’t suggest doing this if I didn’t think I could.”

“I know.”

“It’s now or never, Cupcake,” Vi said as she slowly lifted her forehead away.

“Go get ‘em, tiger,” Caitlyn encouraged with a wink as she popped and placed the mouthguard back in Vi’s mouth, letting her thumb linger on Vi’s bottom lip for a half second longer than it needed.

The final round was the most intense yet. Blows were exchanged left and right. Zyra would fire out a jab, jab, and cross to which Vi would slip and counter with a hook and upper. Caitlyn’s stomach was in knots as she watched the sweat and blood fly onto the mat. Her nails dug into the palms of her hands every time Zyra landed a hit, and the tense feeling that ripped through her lungs only dissipated momentarily when Vi struck punches and kicks of her own. But for the life of her, Caitlyn couldn’t definitively say what way this match was going to go, and that worried her far more than the blood trailing down Vi’s chin.

At the end of the final round, Caitlyn cleaned off Vi’s bloodied face and décolletage. Caitlyn undid Vi’s gloves, allowing the fighter to stretch out her fingers. Neither of them said anything. Both were too nervous, waiting for the outcome.

Vi put her hands on her knees, forced herself up, and walked to the center of the ring. The two fighters stood on opposite sides of the referee and waited. Caitlyn stood by the corner, and her eyes never left Vi’s back. Trying to tame her jitters, Caitlyn brought her fist up against her lips and held it there. Her elbow dug into the top of her opposite hand.

“Winner by split decision is…” the ref began. To hear it was a split decision didn’t surprise Caitlyn, but it felt like the pause to hear the actual name took years to come. Caitlyn’s breath was stuck in her throat.

The referee lifted Vi’s hand into the air and announced, “Vi from Zaun!”

Caitlyn’s heart felt like it lifted out of her chest and a weight flew off her shoulders so she could lift her back a bit straighter. While she couldn’t see Vi’s face from this angle, she could imagine the relief and disbelief that washed over her face as her fighter dipped at her knees, being held up by the ref’s grip on her wrist.

Then Vi did something that Caitlyn had never seen her do in all the fight videos she’d watched of her throughout the months. The ref let go of her hand, and Vi turned to face Zyra. She took a step toward her opponent and wrapped her in a hug. In return, Zyra’s arms, tattooed with winding green and deep burgundy vines, closed in on Vi’s back, patting her shoulder blades in congratulations. Caitlyn could see whispers being said back and forth as they embraced, and for the first time, Caitlyn saw Vi’s development in sportsmanship. It was wholesome after such a battle, even inspiring, leaving a smile on the coach’s face.

As the crowd continued to cheer, Vi turned back to face Caitlyn, and Caitlyn felt the fizz of infatuation buzzing in her chest as she stared at a beat and bloodied Vi smiling at her like she was the entire world. Vi walked over and put her arms around Caitlyn’s waist, lifting her off the ground. Typically, Caitlyn wasn’t one that enjoyed the fanfare, but with Vi, it was so easy to give in and enjoy the moment. She put her hands on Vi’s shoulders, and they smiled, laughed, and cheered with the crowd, lifting a hand to wave at everyone in the stands. She didn’t care what anyone speculated about them. Caitlyn was too happy to care, and Vi’s proximity bolstered her.

When Vi put her down, hands still burning into her waist, Caitlyn put her palms against the sides of Vi’s reddened face. “You did it.”

“We fucking did it, Cupcake,” Vi corrected. “Now the real battle begins.”

That it does.

__________________________

This girl definitely did not belong here. In Zaun or in a bar. Vi was cleaning glasses behind the bar of The Last Drop, but her eyes were focused on this pretty, mischievous little thing heading her way. Black hair and wondering, curious amber eyes on an almond face. Oh, Vi totally had a type.The mystery girl sat down at the bar a two seats away from Vi, and when she did Vander, who was on the other end of the bar, smirked and lifted his chin up at Vi as an indication for her to handle it.

Vi set down her glass and walked over, leaning on the bar counter in front of this mesmerizing girl. “I don’t think you’re old enough to be sitting at bar,” she said with a grin.

The dark-haired girl fluttered her lashes and grinned. “I doubt you’re old enough to be working behind a bar.”

Technically, she wasn’t wrong. Vi was about to be eighteen though, and she’d been working at The Last Drop since she was fifteen. Regulars knew her situation, and in Zaun, no one was going to bat an eye about her working here anyway, but it was a totally different ballgame to have a minor drinking openly at the bar. That was a no-go for Vander. That’s also why Vi snuck drinks back in the kitchen when she was feeling daring on occasion.

“I’m older than you are,” Vi stated.

“I just turned seventeen. Can’t a girl celebrate?” That pearly smile and bewitching eyes made it tough to look away.

Vi flashed a canine, “Not when you just admitted to the bartender that you’re not of age to drink.”

“I won’t tell if you don’t tell,” she said, leaning in closer. Vi could smell the citrus and bergamot.

She leaned back. “Hmph. Have to make it worth my while.”

Her orange eyes glanced down at the counter, but when they resurfaced, the look was so vexing. “Oh, I think I can do that.”

Vi chuckled, “We’ll see. Name’s Vi.”

The girl smiled wide, “Ahri. A pleasure.”

****

It had been about a month since Ahri wiggled her way into Vi’s life and started chiseling away at the stone heart in her chest. Vi wasn’t used to giving a shit about someone who wasn’t family. Since her parents passed, her attention was focused on her chosen family with Vander, especially and always Jinx. But every text shared between them, every phone call, every stolen moment in the night made Vi’s attention to home life wane slightly.

She was laying in bed with her phone illuminating her face, waiting for an incoming text from Ahri. Vi could feel Jinx’s eyes on her. She looked over at the bed on the opposite wall, and sure enough, magenta swirls were staring.

“Who ya texting?” Jinx asked.

“Who said I’m texting someone?”

“That goofy smile on your face,” Jinx answered. “And the fact that there have been multiple nights you’ve snuck out the window.”

“You’re supposed to be sleeping,” Vi scrunched her nose at her sister.

A mop or short blue hair shot up in the bed. “So are you.”

Vi shuffled in her bed to fully face Jinx. “Hey…if I end dipping out of here tonight, promise not to tell Vander?”

“I haven’t said anything before, have I?”

“No,” Vi observed. She got up and crossed the room to ruffle Jinx’s hair playfully and give her a hug. “That’s why I love you.”

“You love me so much you’ll tell me who she is,” Jinx teased in a sing-song voice.

Vi laughed and ignored the heat present in her cheeks as she said her name. “Ahri.”

***

“Come on, babe. The view is killer,” Vi encouraged. She was hanging from a ledge a few feet off the ground. It wasn’t as good as Vander’s house, but this apartment building was a close second. She couldn’t bring Ahri around Vander’s in the middle of the night because she wasn’t even supposed to be out of the house right now anyway.

Ahri’s face was not convinced. “Uh, yeah, I think I’ll pass.”

“I’ll have you every step of the way, Ahri,” Vi tried again. Her fingers stretched, pleading.

“Why don’t we just go sit by the river?” She asked instead of accepting the offer.

Vi dropped down from the side of the building and wiped her hands on her pants before lacing her fingers with Ahri’s. She hoped she was hiding the disappointment well enough.

“Okay, okay. But one day,” she said as they meandered through the street, “I’m going to get you to climb with me.”

“Don’t hold your breath,” Ahri said with an air of light-heartedness.

Vi didn’t.

***

Days like these made Vi forget any of the times when she and Ahri didn’t necessarily click. They spent the day out exploring Zaun. Vi watched Ahri shop, gaining plenty of amusement when she’d put on a little fashion show for her. She had even more fun when she slipped into Ahri’s changing room and helped her out of said outfits, saying how Ahri didn’t need to spend a time to acquire Vi’s attention. But Ahri liked anything new, and she liked it more when she could get a five-finger discount. There was a thrill they both shared, though Vi usually stole out of necessity, not fun.

They grabbed food at a hole-in-the-wall diner since Ahri wasn’t a huge fan of Jericho’s, which no one in Vi’s family could wrap their head around. Frankly, neither could Vi, but if you put food in front of Vi, she wouldn’t complain. Besides, Vi filled her belly chowing down on whatever Ahri didn’t finish.

As the evening approached, Vi and Ahri found a pedestrian footbridge that overlooked the industrial city and marveled at the neon, flickering colors. Ahri told her how when her family came here from Ionia, she was worried she’d feel trapped in the stone walls of a city like Zaun, but what she found surprised her. The colors, the ambiance, the hustle, and especially the people made her enjoy her new home.

Vi told her that even though she loved Zaun and being here with family, she did dream of getting away. Not far, but just out. Something different. Somewhere that she would be able to relax and not carry such emotional baggage that came with this place. One day, she said, she would get out of here and see the world. Find a place just right for her. Ahri told her that’s a big dream. A good one, but big. She finished by leaning her head on Vi’s shoulder and told her that if she did leave, she better come back and take her. It was a childish wish, but it brought a smile to Vi’s face, feeling wanted.

People tend to want what they don’t have.

***

After a year, Vi was finally bringing Ahri by Vander’s. He joked and asked if this was the troublemaker that tried sitting at the bar. Vi rolled her eyes and told Ahri to ignore him.

Thankfully, Jinx was out with Ekko and Claggor for the day, so she had the room to herself. And Vi wasted no time.

As soon as they walked in, Vi closed and locked the door behind them. Ahri turned around and lifted an eyebrow curiously. Knowingly. Vi closed the space between them. She grabbed Ahri’s slender hips and pulled her in close. Their lips collided together, hurriedly, as though they’d never get another chance for time alone.

Ahri was on the bed in seconds, and Vi was working her way down her body with her hands, tearing away clothes that no longer served a purpose. Vi’s fingers inched down the soft, smooth skin of her stomach and curled under her lace underwear. She could feel the heat, the way Ahri welcomed her. When she arched her hips up into Vi’s fingers, it drove Vi wild. Slick coated her fingertips. Wasting no time, Vi slid the underwear down Ahri’s porcelain legs and settled between them. Now, Ahri’s hips arched into Vi again, and this time it was her tongue that matched in rhythm. The closer she got, the more heavy breathing turned into moans. They might have this room alone, but the house was not empty. Vi stretched her arm up toward Ahri’s mouth, covering her mouth with her palm as she continued to glide her tongue between smooth folds. She felt Ahri’s moan vibrate against her hand and waited till her breathing steadied to let go. When Vi finally looked up at her, cheeks flush and pupils blown, lovesick laughter filled the humid room.

***

“You what?” Ahri said on the other end of the line in utter shock.

Vi was sitting on her bed, leaning with her back against the wall. She’d been dreading this phone call since the incident topside. “I got arrested. I have to go to court in a couple days. They got me on bullshit fucking charges, and this Zaun appointed lawyer is trash. Basically, it’s court and then figuring out bail, which probably won’t even matter, not like Vander could swing it, and then whatever time I get.”

“For…pickpocketing?”

Vi was frustrated having to repeat herself. “Did you listen to me? Petty theft and assault. They fucking pulled that assault charge out of their ass because of where I’m from.”

There was a pause, and Vi looked across the room at Jinx. Her timid little sister was sitting on the bed opposite with sad, wide eyes and knees tucked into her chest. Vi couldn’t imagine what it must be like for her to feel like she was going to lose another piece of her family. At the thought, Vi pinched her eyes closed under her fingertips.

“You going to be here for me when I’m out of Stillwater?”

There was silence. Vi’s stomach knotted up and bile burned her lungs at the absence of speech giving her the answer. Still, she tried and foolishly hoped to be wrong.

“Ahri?”

“I…I don’t know, Vi.” Her words were coated in upset. “You’re going to have a real record. What then?”

“Are you serious?” Vi spat out. She knew these were legitimate concerns. She was concerned with them herself, but to hear someone she cared about — loved — say that was too much, that it would completely alter the way they felt about her forever, well, that stung deep.

“Vi, what do you expect me to do? You don’t even know how long you’ll be in Stillwater.”

“What do I—? I didn’t murder someone. It’s theft and assault. Do you think I’m going away for years?” Now there was some heat boiling in her voice.

“I don’t know! You can’t be mad at me. I’m the one that should be hurt here. How do you think this will affect me? The way my friends and family look at us? At you?” Ahri’s words were frantic.

Vi had enough. If anyone deserved a fucking pity party, it was her. “Fuck you, Ahri. What, huh? Now you’re too good for a Zaunite? I’m just some criminal trencher you can’t be seen with? After all this time, you’re just willing to throw it away? Fuck you and your stupid fucking high horse.” She hated the way she could feel tears brewing in her eyes. As one escaped, she quickly wiped it away and said, “I wish I never fucking met you.”

Then she hung up.

Behind hot, blurry eyes, Vi could see Jinx fixed on her. From one pain to another, Vi was losing it. Losing herself. She hurried off her bed and headed for the window, opening it fully. With ease, her fingers found their pockets on rough stone and she was climbing to the roof. When she got to the top, she let out a gut-wrenching scream that tore at her throat the entire way out. She fell to her knees on the rooftop, and slowly, she lifted her head in defeat to stare at the Piltover skyline above. Anger bubbled inside her, and she was filled with another reason to hate this fucking city that wanted nothing more than to destroy her for existing.

***

“You ever going to learn to shut your fucking mouth and just behave?” Asked the guard to her right.

Another guard was behind her, holding her cuffed hands in place behind her back, directing her down the hallway. He snorted at his colleague’s question.

Vi made it a habit to get into fights in Stillwater with other prisoners and every now and then a guard or two. Usually a verbal altercation would escalate into a fist fight, and it didn’t take long for Vi to realize how much she liked fighting. It felt good to get some aggression out through her fists, and she had plenty of anger to go around. Since being thrown in this place, losing her family, her sister, her girlfriend, friends, herself, pissed off didn’t even seem to cover the half of it.

In response, Vi turned her head to the right and spat. She was aiming for the guard’s boots but missed. Only specks of spit and blood hit the toe of his boot. The guard behind her yanked her backward by the cuffs.

“You think you’re fucking funny?” The guard at her side asked rhetorically while she smirked, pleased with herself that it got a reaction. He snarled, “You miss solitary that much?”

If looks could kill, the daggers in Vi’s eyes would’ve done this man in.

He grinned smugly, “No? Then fix your attitude. Come on. Let’s get to your cell. Can’t wait to see how many more weeks this last fight added to your sentence.”

A shove came from behind her, and she walked on in silence, seething under her skin.

***

Her knee was shaking the entire time Vander drove. It had been three and a half years since Vi stepped foot in Vander’s home, but it felt like a lifetime ago. Time moved differently in Stillwater. Slower. Strained. When Vander opened that door, it was like she never forgot the familiar smell of that place — the smell of home. With a deep inhale to fill her lungs, Vi closed her eyes to hold back the tears that begged to be released.

“Welcome home, kiddo,” he said as he clapped his hand on her shoulder. They shared their hug earlier at the prison gates, but somehow this was even more emotional for her.

“Vi…?” It was so small and disbelieving. Vi had missed that voice so much.

Blue hair poked up from the couch. Her braids grown so long they practically touched the floor. When their eyes met, everything happened in a rush. Jinx leaped up from the couch, and the sisters reunited in a rib cracking hug. Waterworks followed. Stormy gray eyes gave way at the same time as her sister’s magenta and blue pools.

“Are you real?” Jinx asked behind teary eyes.

Vi wiped away the saltwater on their cheeks. “I’m real, Jinx. I’m here. I’ve missed you.”

“I missed you too, sis.”

“Jinx,” Vander said from over his shoulder, “Why don’t you take Vi up to your room so she can get settled in while I make dinner?”

When Jinx opened the door to what was their shared bedroom years ago, Vi’s steps were slow as they took in everything that had changed…and what hadn’t. They’d left Vi’s side of the room untouched. Her bed was made and all her knick-knacks, books, and clothing were just as she left them. The memories of all she’d done in this room, what felt like a past life, surfaced. Looking at her bed, only then did she remember Ahri, and the pangs of ruined first love returned. Vi averted her eyes, running from unwanted thoughts, and instead turned to look at Jinx’s area of the room.

Jinx’s side had become covered with artwork, from hanging pieces on the wall to what collected around her bed and desk on the floor, but Vi could see the shift in her work. It was still abstract, but she didn’t need a dissertation to see it had become progressively darker. The slashes of color were deep and angry and full of pain. Her heart ached and bled knowing how her absence must have hurt Jinx.

“You’ve been busy,” Vi said casually, masking her heartache.

She hummed, “Mhm, I changed when you left. We all did. It was…empty without you.”

Vi put her arm around her sister’s shoulder. “I promise I’ll never go that far from you again.”

***

Vi sat in the bedroom and stared at the ceiling. She lost track of time. She felt lost herself. Being out of Stillwater came with new challenges, such as how to fill her days, how to stay motivated, how to live a life where her body was free but her mind still felt trapped. On days when she didn’t pick up shifts at The Last Drop, which she’d only just begun doing here and there, her mind was left to battle against itself.

She stood from her twin-sized bed and walked over to the collections of Jinx’s paintings. Looking through them, feeling all the loneliness and sorrow they conveyed, Vi felt suffocated by her own torment. Guilt of being gone and not doing enough then or now for Jinx, for her family, for herself. Anger at stolen time. Rage with no outlet.

Balling her fist, she grabbed her red jacket and headed for the front door. Her entire walk to the gym that Claggor and Mylo worked at was fueled by the hope that this was where she’d find an answer to her pent up frustration and self-deprecation.

When she walked into the gym, she headed past the front desk where Mylo sat, effectively looking like he was doing nothing, and searched for Claggor inside. He was standing outside the boxing ring watching two of the athletes sparring.

“Try the combo,” he called out. “One, two, one, four, five.”

“Clag,” Vi addressed at his side, startling him.

“Shit, Vi, don’t sneak up on me like that.”

She jammed her hands in her pockets. “Sorry.” After a beat, she asked, “Are you coaching kickboxing?”

“Sometimes I do, yeah. Why? You looking for some personal training sessions?”

“Sort of. Know anything about amateur kickboxing matches?”

He bit the side of his cheek for a moment in thought, “I might know some guys.”

“You want to be my coach?”

“Coach? What are you trying to do, break into the UFC?”

She shrugged her shoulders and smirked, “Yeah, pretty much.”

__________________________

On their way to the gym after a run at Dynasty Trails, Caitlyn asked Vi about a hundred times if she was sure about this, and a hundred times Vi reassured her that this would help her prepare to fight Sevika. They were on their way to the gym in Zaun, and Caitlyn gave one more concerned check-in before they arrived. Honestly, her worry was kind of adorable.

“You definitely want to do this? Because I can call him and tell him not to come.” Caitlyn pulled into the parking spot and put her car in park.

Vi laughed, “You gotta chill, Cupcake. I want to train with Jayce again. It’ll be different here. Promise.”

With a sigh, Caitlyn grabbed the door handle and began to crack open door. “Fine, if you say so.”

She meant it. Vi’s mental state was entirely different going into this training session with Talis. He was on her turf, which helped her feel more confident, but what made her feel even better about this was the fact that she’d taken a few pages out of Caitlyn’s book and studied his past fights from years ago. On top of that, Vi and Caitlyn watched a ton of Sevika’s fights, and the point of this was for Jayce to mimic Sevika’s movements to an extent. Whether Jayce stuck to Sevika’s style or fell into his own rhythm out of habit, Vi was ready to take him down and prove herself.

They took their time stretching and doing some light shadowboxing before Jayce showed up. When Vi saw him walking through the gym, she tried to hide a smile at his evident discomfort. Just like when she walked into the gym in Piltover, Jayce felt out of place. None of the equipment here looked brand new and unused. It was all well-worn and well-loved. Pretty Boy himself looked too put together for this space. Vi was sure that he could feel some onlooking eyes wondering what the former champ was doing in a place like this.

“What’s up, Pretty Boy?” Vi greeted as she wiped sweat from her forehead with her shirt.

He shook his head at her as he set down his gym bag. “You’re really not going to let that nickname go, are you?”

“She does love her nicknames,” Caitlyn chimed in.

“Yeah, I know, Cupcake,” Jayce joked with a self-satisfied smile.

“You told him I call you…” Vi trailed off surprised at the news.

He started putting on his wraps, still smirking, “Oh, she’s told me plenty. But even if she didn’t, that magazine cover told me a great deal abou—”

Caitlyn stepped between them. “Let’s stay focused, shall we?”

Vi could hear Jayce laughing as she stepped into the ring. She knew they were like brother and sister, and the jabs he threw at Caitlyn’s expense only helped solidify that. But Vi would still enjoy shutting him up.

She shuffled in her boxer’s stance and rolled her shoulders and neck as Jayce made his way into the ring. The first time they sparred, Vi was in her own head and overly cocky, but now she felt relaxed, loose, and ready to show everyone she meant fucking business. Getting this far in her career, being so close to the championship belt that she could taste the leather, put a fire under her feet that she’d never felt before. It was a new determination. She was in this for herself, her family, her city, and Caitlyn. That last reason may have weighed on her more than she anticipated it ever would. Vi was here to show Caitlyn this whole journey changed her for the better.

Jayce and Vi tapped gloves and Caitlyn began the timer for the round. Starting off, Vi could see how he was trying to mix his own style with Sevika’s. His feet were a little heavier and his movements boxier than before. He waited for her to make the first move, which is what Vi expected when she does eventually go up against Sevika. She treated this sparring practice like the real deal, and obliged Jayce by coming at him with a few jabs. He slipped out of the way and countered with a cross, but Vi ducked under and hit him with an uppercut under the chin.

This back and forth went on round after round. Vi kept pace with him the entire time, and she held a tight-lipped smile against her mouthguard during each break as she watched him grow more and more exhausted. Her stamina was outlasting his, and part of her hoped Sevika would be similar in this regard. Vi never knocked him out, but she gave him one hell of a run for his money.

At the end of their five rounds, Jayce came up to her at the bench outside of the ring and gave her two firm pats on the back. “Quite the improvement.”

“I wouldn’t be so close to that belt if I didn’t figure shit out,” Vi grinned while she put her wraps away.

“Very true.” Jayce sat down next to her and peered past her at Caitlyn who was sitting on Vi’s left. “Must be a good feeling knowing you’re about to be a coach to two champion fighters, huh?”

Caitlyn nodded with a genuine smile, “I couldn’t be more proud.”

When Vi looked over at her, both their smiles grew wider. The words gave Vi a lightness in her chest.

Her coach continued, “You seemed significantly more prepared than almost any other sparring match I set up for you, actually.

“I learned from the best and did a little research of my own beforehand. I watched some of Jayce’s fights and Sevika’s since I knew the plan was for him to copy her as much as he could.”

“Very smart. Sounds like you’re a step ahead on your training,” he commented.

Caitlyn’s eyes lit up in a mixture of excitement and shock, and Vi watched with intense focus as Caitlyn’s lips parted just enough to show that slight gap tooth, words alluding her. Vi never tired of her unique beauty,

Vi tried to act like Caitlyn’s pout wasn’t totally distracting. “Yeah, speaking of watching your past fights,” she turned her attention back to Jayce, “that fight against Garen was insane!”

“I would ask which one, but I know the exact match you’re talking about,” he chuckled lightly, reminiscing. “That one was a bloodbath to the end.”

“No kidding! And a KO in the last five seconds of the fourth round! I can’t believe I never saw that matchup before.”

Jayce glanced over at Caitlyn again. “Vi’s fight against Zyra must’ve brought you back there.”

Caitlyn raised her eyebrow and gave a shake of her head in agreement. “You have no idea.”

“Hey, Vi,” Jayce nudged her shoulder, “Want me to show you some useful combinations that might come in handy against Sevika?”

“Sure, why not,” Vi stood with him. “I have a few days before this fight. You want to meet up again to spar?”

“I’m in,” he said with a spark in his eye. Clearly, he did miss having days in the ring.

“Remember, Vi, Mel does have our reservation for the hotel in three days,” Caitlyn stated, still seated on the bench behind them.

“Pretty Boy and I still have some time then, but I do still find it kind of stupid that we have to be in a hotel when we both live so close to the stadium,” Vi complained.

Jayce shook his head, “No, trust me, it’s for the best. On the big day, you don’t want to be worrying about meeting up with Cait or dealing with traffic or any of that stuff. Being stationed in Piltover in one place where your manager handles everything just takes unnecessary stress off your plate.”

“Whatever you Pilties say,” Vi shrugged.

“It’s not about us being Pilties. It’s about being former champs,” he quipped.

Vi shook her head playfully and rolled her eyes. “Okay, former champ. Show me your moves.”

__________________________

In their hotel room, Caitlyn sat on one of the beds, which frankly surprised Vi that Mel even bothered to book a double given all her comments. She was writing in one of her notebooks, but Vi could feel those crystal eyes on her when she heard the pen cease it’s scratching against the paper.

Vi was pacing in front of the window across from the other bed. To say Vi had pre-fight anxiety was an understatement. Even if she tried to will it so, her legs wouldn’t stop moving. What she found strange was how no specific thoughts were running through her mind. It was like a constant flow of static that whispered worries, insecurities, and you’re-not-good-enough in her ear. She couldn’t even picture what this fight with Sevika would be like. She couldn’t imagine losing or winning. It all still felt so unreal still and yet…terrifying all the same.

“You’re going to burn a path in the carpet,” Caitlyn said, knocking Vi out of her cage of woes.

She stopped in her tracks and ran her hands through her hair and over her face. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “Were you always this calm before the championship fight, or is it just all the practice you had?”

Caitlyn placed her journal on the nightstand. “Who says I’m not nervous? How can we not be? But, I do believe you will win this.”

Vi dropped her hands to her sides, and her brows wrinkled. “Will I?”

She straightened up on the bed. “Yes, you will. You’re just tense.” Caitlyn scooted to the edge of the bed and pat the mattress. “Come here. Lie down.”

Without question, Vi trudged over to the bed. Before she laid down, Caitlyn told her to lie on her stomach, and Vi did just that. She let out a long exhale into downy hotel bedsheets and thought maybe she could just stay here like this forever.

Suddenly, Vi felt shifting in the bed and a weight on her ass. Once she felt Caitlyn’s legs on either side of her, the confusion subsided, but this was definitely not helping her feel any less tense. Feeling Caitlyn’s body on hers sent tremblings of uneasiness through Vi’s body for an entirely different reason. For weeks on end, Vi was trying to not think about all the ways she wanted this closeness, and now here Caitlyn was serving it to her on a silver fucking platter in tiny shorts and an oversized t-shirt. Vi’s brain was short-circuiting, asking to send help, and all Vi could do was shut her eyes and pretended to not feel the heat of Caitlyn’s legs against her.

Caitlyn’s nimble hands were on Vi’s shoulders, applying pressure and pressing down into the muscle. Because Vi wore sports bras to bed, this was more skin-to-skin contact, and Vi felt like live wire was blazing across her skin at every touch.

“Vi, you’re insanely tense. Relax,” Caitlyn said in the most calm and sultry voice Vi had ever heard.

Another heavy exhale left her body, and as it did, Caitlyn pushed down and up onto Vi’s back, which cracked her spine.

With her voice muffled in the sheets, Vi mumbled, “A warning next time?”

Caitlyn giggled, which did not help Vi because she could feel the jiggle on top of her. “Okay, apologies. Now, relax. Stop tensing your muscles like I’m going to kill you.”

“Not really what I’m worried about.”

“Well, you should be because I absolutely could,” Caitlyn taunted. She ran her fingers up the nape of Vi’s neck and into her hair, pulling slightly on her wild red hair.

Vi groaned. Moaned? No, groaned. “Cait…”

She let out a small huff of a laugh, “Sorry. I’ll behave.”

Oh, I wish you wouldn’t.

Vi closed her eyes once again as she concentrated on the way Caitlyn rubbed at her aching muscles. Her hands magically loosened knots that had probably embedded themselves in her since her Stillwater days. Every so often, she would stop kneading and glide her fingers up and down Vi’s back, lighting off goosebumps like fireworks. Vi didn’t know she needed this. She never had someone massage her like this before, and she found herself silently remarking how this was such a caring act. It was more intimate than Vi expected it to be, and she wished she could have more of Caitlyn like this — tender, passionate, slow.

Caitlyn kneaded into Vi’s muscles so long and so adeptly that Vi felt like gelatin by the time she finally plopped onto the bed next to her.

“Feel better?” Caitlyn asked sleepily.

Vi wondered how late it was. She lost track of time under Caitlyn’s hands. “Mmm. Yes, I feel like a new person.”

When she rolled onto her side, she saw a warm closed-mouth smile on Caitlyn’s tired face. “Good,” she replied softly.

“Was Jayce this lucky?”

“Ha! He wished he had someone to do this the night before his fights.”

“I’m that special?”

Caitlyn looked at her like she was the sun. “Of course you are, Violet.”

Her breath caught in her throat. This woman across from her was like a dream. No, Vi couldn’t have even dreamt of someone as good, as perfect as Caitlyn. After so much of her past felt like a life sentence, pain and trauma that would follow her to the grave, Vi never thought she’d find someone that understood her or could truly care for her. Caitlyn gave her a light, a renewed hope in herself.

Love.

She couldn’t say that though. Not yet. Not now.

Instead, Vi tucked Caitlyn’s hair behind her ear and sweetly smiled at her. “You’re pretty special, too, Cupcake.”

She let her fingers linger by Caitlyn’s ear, rubbing gently behind it and on her earlobe, and she watched as Caitlyn leaned into the touch and closed her eyes. Vi knew sleep wasn’t far behind.

When Caitlyn finally fell asleep, Vi grabbed her phone and found the picture of her and Caitlyn after the Zyra fight from one of the ringside photographers. With so much online circulating about them, thanks to Mel, she knew this photo would be easy to find. She saved it to her phone and opened her socials.

[A picture was posted to Vi’s socials. Vi is holding up Caitlyn, while her coach extends one arm up into the air cheering with the crowd. Vi, still somewhat bloodied post-match, is smiling and staring up at Caitlyn in admiration]
VIctorious_VI0lence: This is it everybody. Tomorrow night is the fight of my life, so I want to take a second to say some thank yous to people who deserve it and then some…
First off, thank you to my family for having my back through every fucked up curveball life threw my way. And a special shoutout to my little sister. @Get_Jinxxed I love you so much. You’ve always been my world. You make me so proud, and I can’t wait to do the same.
Next, Clag. Without you, I wouldn’t have known where to even begin in the UFC. I know I was a huge pain in the ass during most of your time as my coach, but no one else could’ve handled me back then. I appreciate everything you did, dude.
Mel, you drive me insane, but you’re also such a kick ass manager. I don’t tell you that enough. After all these years, you never gave up believing in me.
To my fans, you guys all rock. It’s still weird to say I even have fans! I wouldn’t be where I am without any of you. I hope I do right by you all.
And, finally, Caitlyn Kiramman. Where do I even begin? Honestly, no amount of words will ever be enough to convey everything I’m feeling, but for you, I’ll try. You have honestly changed my life. When I first heard you were going to be my coach, I didn’t want any part of it. I swore I was never going to let you kick my ass the way Jayce said you kicked his, but I did. And you know what? I’m so glad I did. You got me here. You made me a better fighter. You made me a better person. Without you, getting to the Championship would’ve still been just a dream. There is no one else I would rather have in my corner, and I’m so happy it’s you by my side for the end of this long, exhausting journey. Caitlyn, win or lose, I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us. Coach Kiramman, it has truly been my greatest honor to be your fighter 🧁

Chapter Text

The lights were blinding as cameras flashed one after another with every step she took up to the scale. Vi wasn’t used to this amount of press at weigh ins. The attention never bothered Vi, but this was on an entirely different level. Normally, she never stressed about the the weigh in, never thought much of it. It was just a quick event to play up tension of a fight, but each flash from a photographer was a prod at anxiety she didn’t know she had. The clicks of cameras made her realize this was really happening. She was right there. A day away from the most important match of her life. Tomorrow was her make it or break it day, but today she had to get past dealing with Sevika’s cocky fucking mug standing across from her.

As she removed her shirt to reveal her red sports bra, Vi hoped no one could see her heart beating like a racehorse under her ribcage. Her bare feet pressed against the cold metal of the scale, and when they recorded her weight, she flexed her biceps for the cameras. She figured she may as well make the most of it.

Vi stepped off the scale and headed back to her side of the stage and took her spot next to Caitlyn, handing her coach her shirt.

“This is insanity. I’ve never been in front of so many cameras,” she whispered into Caitlyn’s ear.

“Too much for even you?” Caitlyn questioned.

“Me?” Vi breathed out a short laugh. She hoped it masked the white lie. “Have we met?”

“Of course, who am I kidding?” she answered with a wry expression.

Turning back to center stage, Vi’s grin slowly faded as she watched Sevika walk to the scale where she previously stood. Vi had to bulk up a few extra pounds for this, and now she could see why. The deep tan skin towered at the front of the stage, and muscles were very prominent given how much Sevika likely had to cut. Once the weight was recorded, the short black bob whipped around her head as she turned to head back to her side.

The announcer called Sevika and Vi center stage, and Vi’s heart was ramming against her ribs again. She’d never felt this type of anxiousness at a weigh in before, and maybe part of it was having to be face-to-face with the current champ. But that wasn’t the entire reason. This wasn’t just another fight, and she wasn’t an amateur anymore. There was pressure, promise, pride. This all meant more to her than she was ever prepared to feel, so how could she deny her heart the hummingbird beats?

Now center stage, neither woman went into a fighter’s stance for photo ops. Instead, they stood with their chests held high and arms tensed at their sides with balled fists. Vi was staring up at Sevika, who had about two inches on her, with studying, serious eyes. Sevika was looking down on Vi. At first her brows were close together and a scowl painted the lower half of her face in her attempt to be intimidating, but then it formed into a smug smirk.

When Vi saw the shift, she asked with a bite, “What?”

“Nothing,” Sevika’s voice was gruff, a slight rasp present. “You look well-rested.”

Vi knew this had to be a hidden insult, but she kept her mouth shut. The old Vi would’ve pried, tried to egg the bitch on, but she was trying to control that side of her. It would be wasted energy. Hype around this fight was as big as it needed to be. However, the slight tilt of her head at Sevika’s statement asked the question without any words.

Sevika’s grin grew a touch wider. “I would look well-rested, too, if I were a Piltie bitch’s lapdog. How’s it feel to be a sellout?”

Vi knew what she was doing because she used to do it all the time. She was dangling a match up to kerosine, looking to start an explosion. It was clear to her that Sevika wanted a reaction. She wanted the explosion to make Vi look like an unhinged lunatic. But, fight after fight, Vi now expected comments like this with someone from Piltover as her coach, so she wasn’t going to give in so easily anymore.

She stood up straighter next to Sevika and responded, “You spend all night thinking of that one? Gotta say, really original.”

“Better than using my night to fuck my coach,” Sevika retorted.

That pinched a nerve, but Vi tried to quell it. “Mm, yeah, well, I wouldn’t want to sleep with Silco either.” Vi sucked her teeth, “Your arm still as bum as his eye?”

“At first, when I thought about the beating I’m going to give you, I felt sorry, but now I don’t feel bad about handing you your ass. You’ll have a silver platter for me to throw it on,” Sevika spat at her behind gritted teeth.

Vi shook her head and smirked, “Right. I’ll be sure to display my new shiny belt on that platter.”

Thoroughly annoyed, Sevika took a heavy step toward her, almost close enough to press her chest against Vi’s. The cameras flashed wildly like firelights across a night sky. She could feel the fighter’s hot breath against her skin as she gave her final snub. “I’ll see you in the ring, traitor.”

She smirked and narrowed her brows. “Looking forward to it.”

Vi turned on her heel and headed back toward her side of the stage. After throwing on her shirt, she walked off and toward the door, and Caitlyn fell in line beside her. On stage, she kept her composure, but inside, she was bubbling and boiling like a pot on the stove. She heard comments like Sevika’s, read them online, saw the eyes of Zaunites and Pilties when they regarded her position next to Caitlyn, and even though they were tired remarks, it still aggravated a thorn in her side. It bothered her because Caitlyn didn’t deserve these words. Caitlyn was too good for being reduced to a snobby Piltie or just some lay for Vi. They didn’t know her. They didn’t know either of them, especially not Sevika. Vi couldn’t wait to punch her damn lights out.

It was the gentle, accented voice to her right that brought her blood pressure down a few notches.

“I’m proud of you,” Caitlyn said softly. Her eyes were focused on the ground as they walked. “You held your composure well.” When the only answer she received from Vi was a quiet nod, she asked, “What did she say?”

Vi shrugged, not really wanting to divulge. “Called me a sellout. Traitor. You know, creative shit.”

As they turned the corner, she hummed, “And what did she have to say about me?”

“Nothing.”

She felt Caitlyn’s eyes zero in on her.

“Really, Vi?” She asked, deadpan.

Vi held open the door to the parking lot for her, and when Caitlyn passed, her eyes were unamused as she awaited a real answer.

“Said I used my night to sleep with you instead of preparing for this fight.” She said it unwillingly, quick to end the sentence.

Caitlyn didn’t appear angry or annoyed, rather contemplative. She opened the driver’s side door, and when they both sat down, she responded, “Sorry to disappoint her then.”

***

Jinx:
[screenshot from the weigh-in attached, Sevika and Vi are mere inches from each other, tension evident in Sevika’s scowl and Vi’s narrowed eyes]
I cannot wait to see u beat the hell out of this ogre
How ya feeling after that weigh in? Surprised u didn’t beat her ass then n there

Vi:
Trust me I wanted to
Right now I’m just trying to not totally lose my mind
Idk sis my nerves feel shot…I’ve never felt like this before any fight

Jinx:
What did she say to u that got under your skin?
Even though I know u r gonna kill it this fight is like HUGE so I don’t blame you for having jitters and shit

Vi:
She brought up the whole CaitVi thing…trying to use it against me…like saying this was all handed to me as if I didn’t grow up in Zaun like she did

Jinx:
Did she even see any of your fights this season?

Vi:
Dunno. Maybe she doesn’t watch fights the way Caitlyn and I do

Jinx:
Speaking of your baked good, have you two talked about anything yet?

Vi:
Like I said before there’s not much to talk about. We’re on a pause

Jinx:
Well maybe you need a distraction to calm the nerves if ya catch my drift

Vi:
As my sister, respectfully — gross

Jinx:
IM JUST SAYIN
At least talk to her about how u r feeling
She’s been here before so she’s probably better at dealing with all this than I am

Vi:
Fair enough point
I just feel like an asshole for having all this self doubt and shit

Jinx:
I will tell u this until my face is as blue as my hair
YOU ARE GOING TO FCKN KICK HER ASS AND BE ZAUN’S CHAMPION
We all got ur back tomorrow <3 U know that

Vi:
Love you J

Jinx:
Love u V

Jinx:
And proud of u

_______________________

Back in the hotel room, Caitlyn sat on the bed, back resting up against the ridiculously fluffed pillows, and in her hands was her phone. She’d been texting her father, and he told her that he and her mother would be in the audience tomorrow, which was a huge surprise to Caitlyn. Tobias attended all three of Jayce’s championship fights, but her mother never bothered to make an appearance. She attributed the absence to Cassandra not being particularly thrilled about her daughter’s choice in career, so Caitlyn wondered what caused the sudden change of heart. Had Vi truly made that much of an impact on her? It was baffling.

Aimlessly scrolling through her phone now, Caitlyn opened Vi’s social page once again. She already saw Vi’s latest post earlier that day, but she hadn’t tired of it yet. The picture of Vi hoisting her up amidst the cheering crowd lit up her screen. A warmth spread inside her chest as she fixated on the way Vi was staring up at her in the photo, full of elation and admiration. Caitlyn had experienced being ring side in so many fights that she lost count, but this was one that she would never forget. The caption underneath, Vi’s message to her, hadn’t ceased to leave a lingering smile across her face, particularly the words “I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.”

Breaking the quiet, Caitlyn heard a gnashing sound from the bed next to hers, and she glanced over at Vi who had begun anxiously biting her nails in between sending texts to her sister. If it wasn’t the knee, it was the nails. Vi may have been able to hold her own up against Sevika at the weigh in, but here, in the comfort of their hotel room, she put her guard down. It was clear she was nervous and with good reason, but it was Caitlyn’s job to keep her steady.

So, naturally, Caitlyn grabbed one of the extra pillows beside her and chucked it at Vi’s face.

“Biting your nails is a terrible habit, Violet,” Caitlyn said nonchalantly.

With a grunt, Vi sputtered, “Oh, so that’s how you wanna play, huh?”

Before Caitlyn knew it, Vi was lobbing a pillow back at her and jumping onto her bed to pin her down and pinch at her sides like they were playful teenagers with crushes on one another, and Caitlyn didn’t mind it at all. She enjoyed the weight of Vi’s body on hers and the feel of her muscles tensing as she writhed under her, failing to get away from Vi’s tickling fingers.

The two women laughed, and she begged Vi to stop. To Caitlyn’s relief, even though Vi stopped grabbing at her sides, she didn’t leave the bed. A disheveled mop of red hair plopped down onto Caitlyn’s chest. Their bodies rose and fell together in heaving breaths until they settled. She closed her eyes and let her arms rest across Vi’s back. Absentmindedly, she began to twirl some of Vi’s hair between her fingers. Vi’s throat thrummed at the touch, and Caitlyn felt Vi practically melt into her. The weight of her was comforting, a blanket of warmth that Caitlyn didn’t want to leave.

A few minutes of content silence passed between them before Caitlyn whispered, “I saw your post. It’s a good thing I kicked your ass all these months. You are going to win tomorrow.”

Vi’s head perked up a tad off of Caitlyn’s chest. “You saw…? I thought you didn’t have socials.”

A breathy laugh escaped her lips, “I have my ways.”

Storm gray eyes peered up at her. “Do you have a secret account? Have you been spying on me this whole time?”

“Spying?” Caitlyn asked with a raised brow. “It’s hardly espionage when you’re a public figure posting for the whole world to see.”

Vi huffed, “Fair enough.” Quiet fell amongst them again for a couple beats, and Vi let her cheek rest again on Caitlyn. “You really believe that…that I can do this?”

“Of course I do. Don’t you believe that yourself?” She felt the jostling movement of a shrug against her. Caitlyn lifted Vi’s chin delicately with her forefinger so she could stare into those silver pools while she reassured her. “We’ve talked about this. We didn’t come this far to only make it this far, right? You can absolutely do this. You’re ready.”

“Right,” Vi agreed in the smallest voice Caitlyn possibly ever heard from her. She shuffled her torso on top of Caitlyn. “Was Jayce like this before the final match?”

“Lying on top of me like this? I told you the other night, he was not fortunate enough to have me rub his back, so no, he was definitely not like this,” she said in an attempt to make light of the situation.

“You know what I mean,” Vi responded plainly.

Caitlyn exhaled thoughtfully, remembering the nights spent with Jayce during the championship rounds. He was, indeed, a bundle of nerves the same way Vi was now. He’d pace the room, write in his journal, and groan about every article written prior to the match, which got rather tired. Caitlyn was grateful that Vi’s uneasiness was simply in the form of nail biting, knee shaking, and uncharacteristic silence. She didn’t mind Vi’s need for proximity during this time either.

“Yes, he was,” Caitlyn answered. “But, I will say, you handle this all much better than he did. Vi, it is entirely normal to be anxious before a fight like this. Frankly, I would be more concerned if you weren’t a bit nervous. Yes, you’re prepared, but blind confidence isn’t always good. It can make you sloppy when you’re too cocky.”

“I know,” she agreed, letting out a deep breath out.

When Caitlyn’s fingers left her chin, Vi placed her head back down and snuggled her arms against the side of Caitlyn a little tighter. It was sweet and innocent, and moments like this healed Caitlyn’s heart. She hoped it did the same for Vi.

A murmur reached her ears.

“Could you…rub my back? Like…trace your fingers along it?”

Even though Vi couldn’t see, a smile tugged at the corners of Caitlyn’s lips. She ghosted the tips of her fingers up and down the smooth, tattooed skin of Vi’s back. Slowly, rhythmically, Caitlyn drew small circles and long lines along every inch of bare skin not covered by Vi’s sports bra. She could feel the tension releasing from her fighter’s body with every drag of her fingertips. Goosebumps rippled along Vi’s warm skin.

While Vi’s breathing slowed to a pace that hinted at the cusp of sleep, words burned Caitlyn’s lips. Phrases she wanted to say to Vi. Something she wished she said during the holidays, but she couldn’t then. And she definitely couldn’t now. She wouldn’t dare to bring a heaviness like that onto Vi before this match. So, instead, she let them sear her throat, pierce her tongue, and threaten the parting of her lips.

Tomorrow would be Vi’s day. It would be about prepping her, keeping her calm, strengthening her confidence in herself, and reminding her of their strategies and techniques. Anything Vi required, Caitlyn would see it done. The less stress her fighter had to deal with, the better.

Tonight, this moment, was for Caitlyn. The weight of Vi’s languid, sleeping body on hers, the smell of jasmine and clover, the heat of Vi’s naturally warm skin. This night was exactly the maintenance Caitlyn’s soul needed.

***

When the morning light broke into the hotel room, Caitlyn stirred in the bedsheets, and she immediately noticed the lack of weight on top of her. Last night, Vi had fallen asleep on her, and soon after, Caitlyn slipped into sleep as well, comforted by the human weighted blanket. Caitlyn pat the space next to her, assuming Vi rolled off of her during the night, but she didn’t feel Vi’s body next to her. That forced her fully awake. She sat up in bed, wiped the sleep from her eyes, and turned to face the windows, finding Vi standing with her back to her. The fighter must’ve heard the shuffle of the sheets because she turned around and flashed a quick closed-mouth smile her way. Vi made her way over to the bed, grabbing two drinks from the table.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed next to Caitlyn, she handed the drink to her. “Morning. I got you your favorite. Iced mocha latte with oat milk. Consider it my apology for falling asleep on you.”

She took the drink and returned Vi’s smile before taking a sip and saying, “You never have to apologize for that. Honestly, it helped me fall asleep.”

Pink swept across Vi’s cheeks as she looked away and readjusted her fingers around the to-go cup. “Noted.”

_________________________

Vi sat on the bench in the locker room with her elbows firmly planted on her knees. She was listening intently to the song in her headphones that blocked out all the background noises of all those around her, employees of the venue, her team, Caitlyn, Mel, her sister, and Vander.

Who will you become? / What are you made of?

She thought back to her first year in the ring. That initial year was filled with fumbles and fuck ups…but also growth. With Claggor helping her harness her strengths, she was able to find a part of herself that was buried deep inside, a version of herself that wanted to strive for something more than the hand she’d been dealt, but she lacked the ability to remove the pain that made her reckless. Careless. Spitfire.

Are you the run away type? / Or the run into the fire type? / Are you a put the gun away type? / Or did you come here looking for a fight?

For so many years, she ran. She thought she was running toward success, but in actuality, Vi ran from herself. She was too afraid to face who she was and what she’d dealt with so she masked it with her fists. Her path led her toward fights in and out of the ring and loveless encounters after a night of fury. Untapped potential stayed locked away in the depths of a lost, angry soul. Hot headed temper flared and fists flew, especially when crowds cheered. Physical pain was far easier to deal with anyway. Bruises faded. A broken nose healed. Emotional pain? That shit required real work, and for a very long time, Vi didn’t even know where or how she was supposed to begin mending those wounds.

Do you believe right now? / Will you unleash right now?

It wasn’t like that anymore though. One woman came along and turned her entire world on its head. Caitlyn showed her the power behind taking her time, forgiving herself, being compassionate, utilizing control, and truly listening. Everything Vi lacked, Caitlyn found a way to give her what she needed, and it got her here. This was a day Vi didn’t fully believe was possible. Why would it be when she was just some ex-con, a trencher with a wild reputation that preceded her? But Caitlyn made her believe she did deserve this. A goal. A dream. Success. That crisp leather belt she’d put on that shiny goddamn silver platter.

She balled her fists together in front of her and cracked her knuckles. Her eyes closed as she concentrated and listened to the song continue to build.

‘Cause this is your day. / Some wanted to break you. / You gotta be brave. / No one’s gonna save you. / Take it straight to the vein. / Do what you’re afraid to. / Don’t show ‘em your pain. / Show them who it made you.

With white knuckles, Vi focused on the colors that sparked and danced on her eyelids. She took a moment to feel. Feel everything. The way her skin felt taut around her brows as they pulled together. The strain of the skin under her wraps and the dig of her fingernails in her palm, forming crescents. How her elbows dug into her thighs, pushing down her knee that begged to shake, refusing it. The way her lungs filled, first shaky but now full, deep, and steady. She let out a long, slow exhale.

No song could’ve given her truer words. This was her day. When she stepped out of those double doors and into the arena, it was her time to prove herself. All the bullshit, all the trauma, all the work led her here. It wasn’t by luck, and it certainly wasn’t handed to her. Vi was ready to show everyone out there that she fucking earned this. No amount of fear would compromise her in this match; she would use it to fuel every punch and each kick tonight. Nothing was going to take this away from her.

When she took out her headphones and stood up, the sounds of locker room flooded her. Hushed voices, Caitlyn’s unmistakable soft chuckle, opening and closing of doors behind her. She stretched her arms out in front of her and focused on the pull of her muscles, letting all the stress release. She shook out her arms and rolled her neck and shoulders before turning around to find Caitlyn’s sapphire eyes on her. She was exactly where she wanted to be.

___________________________

“I want to congratulate you, dear, on getting Vi this far. When I picked you to be her coach, I knew you would turn her career around, but I never imagined it would be so quickly,” Mel said with a genuine smile and hand on Caitlyn’s back as the hustle of preparations buzzed around them. “I’m certainly glad I listened to Viktor’s counsel.”

“Vi was more than capable of reaching this point. She needed proper direction,” Caitlyn stated. “Viktor was a wonderful mentor, and I’m grateful that he took me on at Jayce’s word. He taught me a great deal about how to be an effective coach.” Her eyes met Mel’s emerald green ones. “And you, Mel, have pushed me out of my comfort zone, and while I may have dreaded it at the time, I do thank you for it.” The words were honest. Caitlyn did believe that those moments of apprehension at the thought of being in front of a camera or doing an interview made her more confident in herself each time, and Vi needed to have someone next to her who could take the publicity and share in the victories.

Mel gave a honeyed smile. “I do hope to work together in the future, darling.”

Caitlyn couldn’t tell if this came with the clause of “we’ll work together if you win” or not, but she smiled and nodded in return anyway.

From behind them, Caitlyn heard the somehow simultaneously squeaky and raspy voice of Jinx.

“Caitlyn!” She exclaimed and wrapped an arm around Caitlyn’s shoulder. Swinging onto her side, Jinx’s smile grew wider once Mel’s eyes settled on her and were very unenthused. “Mel! Have you missed me?”

“Of course. Although, I’d miss you more if you stopped showing up, darling.” The comment soured Jinx’s impish expression, and Mel’s deadpan stare returned to Caitlyn as she spoke again, “I’m going to see to it that all the preparations for Vi’s entrance are ready. I’ll see you ringside.”

Once Mel departed, Jinx lowered her arm from Caitlyn’s shoulder. She swung her long blue braid in a circle, wrapping it around her arm. Words poured out of her in a rapid succession. “How ya feeling? You ready to go out there are kick some ass? Well, not you. My sister. Where is my sister?”

Caitlyn pointed to the bench across the room. Vi was hunched over. She’d been like this for a bit now. She glanced at Jinx before refocusing on Vi’s back. “I figured she wanted some time to be with her thoughts.”

Jinx nodded slowly, dropping the hair that twirled around her arm, and hummed, “Yeah. Probably best to let her focus. She used to get like this sometimes when Clag was training her. She’d pop on a song to get her ready.” Her lanky body shifted, and Caitlyn could see out of her periphery that Jinx was now watching her. “Thank you, by the way.”

She turned to face Vi’s sister, her brows scrunched in confusion. “For what?”

“Getting her here. Being there for her. She needs you,” Jinx paused for a beat, “and not just in the ring.”

Her gut dropped at the words and her heart fluttered. Caitlyn should’ve guessed that Vi would share details about their relationship with her sister, but hearing that from Jinx made it feel all the more real. Knowing Jinx approved apparently held a weight Caitlyn was unaware it carried until this moment. Before she could respond, lost for the appropriate words, Jinx continued.

“I don’t want to bother her. Can you let her know I stopped by to wish her luck?”

Caitlyn gave an appreciative smile, “Of course, I will.”

Jinx pulled her in for a hug. “Thanks, Kiramman. I’ll see ya out there.” As she walked toward the door, waving goodbye, she called out, “Kick some fucking ass out there!”

She shook her head and quietly laughed to herself as the younger girl burst through the doors out into the hallway. With Jinx gone, Caitlyn turned again to find Vi standing now. Her fighter’s arms extended in bicep, tricep, and forearm stretches. She watch intently as Vi’s rolled out her neck and shoulders. The tattoos on her skin crinkled and lengthened with every pull. It was captivating, and her muscles, which were striking under black ink and olive skin, were truly a work of art in their own right. They made Caitlyn understand the phrase of artwork taking one’s breath away.

But she knew this was not what she should be thinking about in the slightest. Her eyes shifted to the red hair as she wondered what was going through Vi’s mind. She hoped that Vi was feeling confident and ready and that, as Jinx mentioned, whatever song she listened to put her in a self-assured fighter’s mindset.

When Vi turned around and faced her and their eyes locked, a storm meeting her ocean, Caitlyn’s chest fluttered foolishly. A smirk lined Vi’s lips, and seeing the familiar expression put Caitlyn’s mind at ease. She grabbed Vi’s gloves from the gym bag on the bench to her left and made her way over to Vi. Without a word, Caitlyn began fastening Vi’s left glove into place. As she did so, she could feel Vi’s eyes studying her face. Looking up, Caitlyn bashfully met Vi’s gaze. It seemed silly to feel so shy at a time as serious as this, but Vi’s flirtatious grin grew.

“Jinx stopped by earlier, but she didn’t want to bother you. She wished you luck.” After a few seconds, Caitlyn asked softly, “You ready for this?”

“Born ready,” Vi stated confidently.

She studied Vi’s face for a few seconds before starting to adjust her right glove. Her freckled face looked calm and prepared, a very different demeanor from what Caitlyn saw last night. She was more than relieved to see Vi seeming to be back to her old self, but she couldn’t help to wonder what altered her attitude.

“I know,” Caitlyn said with a small smile. “I’m glad to see this confident you again. I’ve been missing her, but what’s the reason for the sudden change?”

Vi’s canine gleamed, and she shrugged her shoulders. “I realized life’s got sprinkles, Cupcake.” She winked, “Let’s go win us that belt.”

________________________

Vi stood facing the double doors that led out to the ring with Caitlyn at her side. Behind them stood her ringside team, which included Ekko this time around. She felt knuckles encouragingly push her shoulder, and she reared her head to see Ekko grinning at her. Vi met him with a smile before returning her eyes to the doors that were holding her in from the impending battle that awaited her. Subconsciously, Vi began to bounce lightly on the balls of her feet, roll out her shoulders, and shake out her wrists that felt snug in her boxing gloves. Never before had Vi seen doors that could illicit such a visceral reaction in her.

Beyond the doors, Vi could hear the muffled sound of the announcer on the mic. The door handles clicked, and as they began to slowly open before her, Vi felt Caitlyn’s hand firmly squeeze on her shoulder. This was it. This was the moment they worked so hard to reach. There was absolutely no one else Vi would want at her side for this.

As her foot crossed the doorway, her entry song began and bright lights illuminated the entranceway. The crowd erupted in a massive cheer with each step Vi took into the arena. Hearing the wild hollering and clapping made Vi’s fear and worry disappear, at least for the moment. It was deafening. Electric. Her body felt like lightning. She threw up her arms above her head and yelled proudly back at the crowd, feeding on their energy.

Vi reached the ring and entered, dipping under the ropes. She did her lap around the ring, waving, pumping her fists, and calling out to the crowd. After a few laps, letting her song play out a little bit longer, she headed back to stand in her corner.

The music stopped, and the announcer began his introduction for Sevika. Vi stood in her corner with her chest high. Caitlyn popped the mouthpiece into her mouth, and the proximity of Caitlyn and the press of her fingertips on Vi’s lips helped to ease the jitters running through her bones. When her coach moved out of the ring, Vi lightly bounced on the balls of her feet, awaiting her opponent.

“And in this corner, your current Champion: Sevika of Zaun!”

The song started, and Vi tried to peer toward the door to catch a glimpse of Sevika making her way into the arena. The crowd cheered just as they had for her. Vi wasn’t surprised by this because the crowd was a mixture of mainly Pilties and Zaunites, and those from Zaun had no problem cheering on both women. Most of them were probably just excited to have two competitors from Zaun. It was a major victory in itself for the Undercity.

Finally, Vi could see her. Deep skin and dark hair appeared in the spotlights. Unlike Vi, who fed into the crowds energy around her, Sevika walked with little emotion visible on her face. She appeared uninterested in the whole affair…almost annoyed to have to be here to fight Vi. When she entered the ring, Sevika’s muddy grey eyes glared at Vi. There was a palpable tension in the ring now.

Behind Sevika, Vi caught sight of her coach, Silco. His one eye was murky, and it contrasted greatly to his sky blue eye. Sometimes for press, he would wear an eyepatch, but Vi heard that he liked having his bad eye visible, claiming that he enjoyed the way it frightened and intimidated others. Combined with his eye, his slender features gave him a roguish appearance. And who the fuck wears a button down as a coach to a match? Silco’s look was not one that Vi would ever associate with a kickboxing coach.

The two fighters were sizing each other up across the ring, and Vi was hardly paying any attention to what was being said over the speakers. She had one goal — to win — and she was zeroing in on it.

They stepped into the center of the ring to tap gloves, and Vi was more than eager to punch that smug fucking look right off Sevika’s face.

But this was going to be about control.

Both women took a step back as the bell rang, bouncing on their feet, setting into their rhythms.

Sevika stepped in first and threw a quick couple of jab crosses, but Vi knocked her back with a well-timed knee to the abdomen. She followed up with a cross and lead hook, both connecting, but Sevika could eat a punch, especially in the beginning. Vi was expecting that, but she wasn’t expecting how easily Sevika would bounce back. A hook came her way, and Vi didn’t duck down in time. It rocked her, and her opponent followed with a side kick. The kick knocked her back, and she tried to catch her breath by going back to her boxer shuffle, taking a few steps away.

Sevika’s chest and shoulders lifted as she huffed a quick laugh past her mouthguard. She nodded upward with her chin up, egging Vi to come closer with a look that got under her skin.

Bitch.

Vi rolled out her shoulders and steps toward Sevika. She threw a cross, but Sevika slipped it. Then a jab. Sevika blocked. Another cross. Blocked.

After that last block, Sevika shuffled to Vi’s side and threw an elbow, which broke through Vi’s guard and clocked her on the side of her right cheek. It was followed by a punch to the gut, and Vi was hunched over.

This was not the position Vi wanted to be in, gasping for a breath and doubled over, open for a knee to the temple. Her eyes darted up to see Sevika heading toward her, and Vi knew she needed to act fast if she wanted to last longer than the first round.

Vi could read from the pivot in Sevika’s stance and the rounding of her arm that a hook was in motion. She ducked the hook and countered with an uppercut to the body.

Sevika must not have been expecting Vi to retaliate because that hit jolted her back slightly, and Vi took advantage with a cross. Her glove made contact with Sevika’s jaw. It wasn’t strong enough to knock her out, but it gave Vi the chance to readjust. She flicked a jab at Sevika, pushing the slightly taller woman backward a step.

The bell rang. First round was done, and to Vi, it felt pretty even with the amount of hits exchanged back and forth.

Sitting in her corner, ice packs were immediately placed onto Vi’s shoulders, and Caitlyn kneeled before her and gave her some water.

“You’re doing really well, Vi,” Caitlyn reassured her. “You landed some clean hits, and your defense is holding up against her.” She checked Vi’s cheek where Sevika connected. “Round two, I want you to make her come to you to start and try to start off more aggressive.”

“You sure?”

Caitlyn nodded. “I guarantee Silco’s thinking I want you to step up defense, so let’s confuse them and get you on the offense. We need to make her keep up with you.”

Swallowing the stream of water from the water bottle Caitlyn held out, Vi returned a nod. “Yeah. Worth a shot.”

“You can do this,” Caitlyn stated and placed a hand gently on Vi’s cheek.

Her grounding touch brought Vi into the moment, and she realized how much the crowd was cheering when the bell rang to signal the end of their break.

Vi walked out to the middle of the ring and began to bounce lightly on the balls of her feet. She moved closer the edge of the ring, but Sevika just watched her with narrow eyes. Similar to the first round, Vi taunted Sevika in a similar fashion, lifting her chin and smirking against her mouthguard.

Sevika fed right into it and walked toward her with her guard up. As she reached her, Sevika shot out a jab to close the gap, but Vi slipped out of the way and shot an uppercut under Sevika’s arm. It hit right under her chin. But Sevika ate it and attempted to counter with a cross. Again, Vi slipped and threw a cross of her own. A rush of adrenaline hit Vi when her cross met Sevika’s nose and blood began to trickle from her nostrils.

Vi shifted her stance, creating the slightest distance between them. Heart thumping with exhilaration, she cocked and fired out a powerful cross that almost leveled Sevika.

Foolishly, Vi let herself hope that maybe this would be it.

Doubled over from Vi’s punch, Sevika raised her head, and Vi could see pure anger etched in every line of her face. In that moment, Vi felt her stomach drop. Her mind raced knowing whatever Sevika was about to throw her way, she needed to be able to evade it because it was going to be fueled with the intent to destroy.

Vi slipped and blocked the first combination of a double jab and cross. She ducked under the hook, but Sevika landed the uppercut to her ribs. The pressure forced Vi’s arms to drop downward, and even though it was a minimal amount, it was enough to give Sevika an opening to land an elbow to Vi’s nose.

Vi needed to break away. She use her hips to send Sevika back with a knee drive to her stomach. Thankfully it worked, and it gave Vi a chance to shuffle out and catch her breath. With her first deep exhale, trying to steady herself, Vi noticed the spattering of blood from her lips. Her nose was bleeding from that last hit.

Sevika stayed firm in her stance, and when Vi rushed forward to close the distance with a hook, Sevika rolled out of the way. Vi followed it with a lead hook to the body, enough to knock some wind out of her opponent, but this time, however, Sevika was quick to recover with feet planted to the ground.

In rapid succession, Sevika fired back with a hook, which Vi blocked. Vi countered with a cross, but Sevika pulled back. Using that shift in her weight, Vi felt the power behind Sevika’s rear hook that connected with her jaw. It was an instant pang of pins and needles throughout her jaw and up into her cheeks.

Aware of the danger a hit like that could put her in, Vi shuffled backward two steps, causing Sevika to just miss her jab. Pouncing back into action, Vi attempted a super cross, but Sevika’s guard was still up too high. Sevika retaliated with a jab, hook, jab, and hook. All of which Vi was luckily able to duck and slip.

However, the onslaught wasn’t done there. Glimpsing to Sevika’s face between punches being thrown, Vi could tell the current champion was annoyed that this match was still dragging on, likely thinking this should’ve been a quick and easy win. Punch after punch Vi blocked some, dodged others, and ate a few. It was exhausting.

Sore as all hell, Sevika managed to land a cross, striking Vi’s nose again and causing a rush of blood to flow onto her lips. It was followed by a rear hook and another cross. Each one landing harder than the first. In her exhaustion, Vi tried to stop Sevika with a cross of her own, but she was too slow, too tired. Sevika easily rolled out of the shot.

Suddenly, a knee drove into Vi’s abdomen, and before she could even register what happened, a glove was under her chin. The uppercut made her see stars.

Stumbling backwards, Vi was gassed. Her arms were lead. Heavy. Stiff. Her legs were wobbling. Uneasy holding up her own weight. She could feel herself unsteady as she backed away. So close to falling. Her vision blurred and eyelids wavered, begging to close. How easy it would be to give up. She feared this was the end of it all. Everything she worked toward was for naught. The hard work would amount to nothing. So many people would be let down. Caitlyn…

Then…a saving grace. The bell rang, calling an end to the second round.

__________________

The camera zoomed out to show a wide panel shot of the hosts commentating live during this championship match. Each one visibly on the edge of their seat at the end of this second round against Vi and Sevika. In the corner of the screens, live video feed played showing both fighters in their respective corners.

Jack wiped at his mouth with wide eyes and began, “Well, folks that was a nail-biting round to say the absolute least. These women definitely need a breather.”

“Vi is really giving it everything she has out there,” Tressa chimed in. “The beginning of that round was strong for her, definitely in her favor, but as it continued, we saw Sevika strike back with unrelenting force.”

“Honestly,” Raelle jumped in, “I’m amazed Vi stayed standing. That last combination from Sevika really hit hard. You could tell by the end, she was close to a possible KO.” She turned to her right. “Russell, what are your thoughts here? We know who your money is on.”

His elbows were on the table, and his chin and mouth were covered by his hands that pensively and anxiously tapped and gripped at his skin. Slowly, he removed them to speak. “That was…difficult to watch. I think you’re right, Raelle. If that bell didn’t ring when it did, we might have seen an early end to this match. It’s not that Vi was reckless either. It’s that this fight it so evenly matched. Both these women are strong and determined and want that belt. This is going to require a level of coaching from Caitlyn I don’t think we’ve seen before.”

__________________

Caitlyn’s lips were set in a hard line as she watched that last round. Despite the blood gushing from Vi’s nose, she did well. Her defense was there. She was timing her shots. Her opponent was simply just as ready to keep this belt as Vi was determined to take it. It was a recipe for a bloodbath, and the mat of the arena showed as much, with droplets of blood flowing both fighters.

As Vi’s coach, Caitlyn tried to keep her emotions out of this. She wasn’t here to spectate. She wasn’t here as Vi’s lover. She was here to do a job. That job was to make it possible for Vi to win this, and to do so, she needed to be level-headed, logical, and deliberate in her instruction because Vi was coming to her battered and on the verge of calling it quits.

She took her place in front of Vi, who sat on the stool with her arms outstretched on the ropes and head leaning back. Ekko gently placed an ice pack on top of Vi’s head to cool her down, slowly rotating it from hair to forehead in calming motions. Caitlyn grabbed towels and gauze to clean and quell the bleeding that streamed from her nose while Ekko began to bring the ice down to Vi’s cheeks for a few moments at a time.

Quickly, she took in Vi’s condition. Exhausted, yes, but not entirely defeated. Through half-lidded eyes, Vi met her gaze and the corner of her mouth lifted ever-so-slightly. How she managed to still have a smart ass smirk through all this Caitlyn would never fully understand.

“How do I look, Cupcake?” Her speech was muffled from her mouthpiece, which Caitlyn removed.

Caitlyn rolled her eyes and went back to cleaning her face. “Could you be serious now?”

“Sorry.” Vi winced at the pressure Caitlyn applied around her nose. “She got me good. If that bell—”

“I know,” Caitlyn cut her off. “I wish I could tell you that this is going to get easier, but it isn’t, Vi. You’re tired, but so is she. I was watching her, and while those punches had power, she put everything into trying to knock you out last round.” She gave Vi some water as she continued, “If we play this right, maybe we can finish this early.”

Her eyebrows raised. “You think I can KO her?” When Caitlyn nodded, Vi asked, “So, what’s the plan?”

“Remember her injury? Focus her left side. Wear her down. Body shots will come in handy there. Speed is your ally against her. When her guard wains, go for the head.”

Vi’s eyes were contemplative. “Think kicks will work?”

“I doubt she’s expecting roundhouses from you,” Caitlyn admitted.

The blood finally slowed to a stop. They both knew that a hit would spring open the fountain again, but for now, this would do. Caitlyn inserted the mouthguard.

“I believe in you,” she finished just as the bell rang to announce the end of their break. “Go kick her ass,” Caitlyn commanded as she stepped out of the ring.

She watched as Vi stood, ache present in every muscle and bone. But her fighter wasn’t throwing in the towel yet. Her fighter was the underdog, but Vi was the one willing to put every once of herself, every drop of blood and sweat, into this match. If Caitlyn ever had to place a bet on anyone, it would be Vi, and she meant every word of that.

__________________________

Rising from her side of the ring, Vi rolled out her shoulders and began her walk toward Sevika. As the two closed the space, Vi took time to study her. Caitlyn was right. She looked fucking haggard. That gave Vi the jolt of confidence she needed to push her through this third round.

Sevika and Vi exchanged a few jabs and crosses back and forth, each evading the other fighter. After finally hitting Sevika with a cross, Vi listened to Caitlyn and focused in on the body. She drew power from her hips and brought a few hooks and uppercuts to Sevika’s body, mainly her left side as Caitlyn instructed. The more that Sevika blocked with her left arm the better for Vi because she could tell the hits to the arm were taking a toll. On the last few, she heard the sharp inhale when her glove made contact.

Trying to counter, Sevika went for a jab, but Vi slipped to the side, avoiding it. Using the slight angle of her body, Vi threw a rear hook toward Sevika’s head. It hit. Next an uppercut under the chin. Another hit. She kept up the momentum with a lead hook. Her glove caught Sevika’s cheek.

Clearly, the blows were more than Sevika anticipated having to keep up with, and she was looking for an out. She tried to land a hook, but it was sloppy. Vi easily blocked it with her forearm, and, feeling better now than last round, Vi let another hook fly.

But Sevika was keeping her guard tight now, trying to fight off the exhaustion that was creeping into every inch of her body. She blocked Vi’s hooked with a grunt. Remembering Caitlyn’s words, Vi went in for speedy body shots, unloading a shoeshiner move. She pummeled Sevika’s stomach with uppercut after uppercut, and when her body crunched to block and her guard fell, Vi went in for the heavy hits.

She wound up with another successful hook to the head, but she wanted Sevika down. Her rear leg shot up into a roundhouse. It connected with Sevika’s leg, shooting through the nerves, causing her knee to buckle.

Now that she was lower to the ground, Vi threw a knee toward her head. Sevika managed to throw up her forearm to block it as best she could, but her hands didn’t stay up. She was on empty. As soon as Vi’s foot touched back down on the mat, she fired off a snappy roundhouse, and her shin smacked against the side of Sevika’s head.

Sevika’s body slumped to the floor.

The ref jumped between the two fighters and knelt to the floor to check on Sevika.

Vi took a step back. Her heart was racing in her chest. Her lungs stung with each breath she inhaled. Her eyes narrowed as she watched the ref. Vi’s body was on fire. Tight and on edge. It was like she could feel every minuscule movement pull on muscles and tendons, stretching them to capacity.

But when the ref straightened up and raised his hand and called the knockout, all that tension dissipated, and her legs felt like gelatin. Her eyes grew hot. Her shoulders loosened. It all unraveled in an instant. Disbelief, gratitude, pain, joy, she was a jumble of everything that culminated to this point.

The crowd around her roared with an energy she’s never felt before. It was damn near ready to blow out her eardrums. In response, holding back the well of emotions bubbling inside her and forcing herself to remain upright, she tossed her gloved hands above her head and let out a raspy yell from behind her mouthguard.

Amidst the cheering, Vi was suddenly flooded in the ring by her team. They surrounded her with smiles and exclamations and congratulations. Ekko pulled her in for a gigantic hug, and in her weakened state, he could’ve broken her in two. When he pulled away, he offered to free her of her mouthguard, which she happily accepted.

While the elated chaos surrounded her and Sevika was being helped to her corner, Vi’s eyes searched for the only person she wanted to find. It didn’t take long. Caitlyn was inching forward cautiously around rambunctious bodies. When their eyes met, a smile tore across Caitlyn’s face, and when Vi saw that gorgeous gap-toothed smile, the only sight she wanted to look upon from here on out, she felt her cheeks raise in a returning smile of her own.

Vi pushed through the people and closed the gap between them. She enveloped Caitlyn in a hug. It was soft and warm, heartfelt, and as Caitlyn’s fingers applied the slightest pressure against Vi’s skin, damp with sweat, it was exactly what Vi needed. They separated slowly, and Vi put an arm around Caitlyn’s shoulder, leaning into her side. With the arm that was slung around her, Vi put her glove up against the side of Caitlyn’s temple and nudged her in closer until the side of her face was up against Vi’s nose. She planted a heavy kiss on Caitlyn’s cheek and let it linger there for a few beats before resting her forehead by Caitlyn’s ear.

“Thank you, Cupcake,” Vi whispered into her hair. “I couldn’t have done this with without you.”

Caitlyn adjusted herself to be able to look into her eyes. “You simply needed someone to believe in you. Everything you unlocked in that ring was all you. It was always in you. I was just here to be in your ear.” Her hand went up to Vi’s cheek, and her thumb lightly brushed the tender skin under her eye. “I think the ref needs you in the center for the official announcement.”

Vi didn’t want to leave Caitlyn’s side. She wanted to relax in Caitlyn’s arms, get lost in her blue eyes, and do what she’d been missing for weeks on end and kiss every inch of Caitlyn’s body.

Her cheek nestled into Caitlyn’s hand. “Screw him.”

“Violet,” Caitlyn tsked and rolled her eyes. “Go get your belt.”

Vi bit her lip, eyes darting from Caitlyn’s eyes to her mouth and back. “Yes, ma’am.”

Leaving Caitlyn, Vi headed toward the center of the ring and played to the crowd, waving, pumping her fists, and smiling to them. She stood next to the announcer. Sevika was on the opposite side of him. Her face was sour. She was battered and disgruntled, refusing to acknowledge Vi.

“Ladies and gents,” the announcer began, “winner of this match by KO, your new champion, Vi!”

She felt him hold her wrist and bring it up into the air. The crowd around her didn’t let up and continued to cheer. This was a moment she never believed she would get to experience, and when they handed her the absurdly oversized belt, it felt even more surreal. Next, a mic was in her face and she was being asked how she felt and if there was anything she wanted to say to the fans and people watching at home.

“Uh,” she laughed and looked out into the crowd, her smile refusing to fade. “I honestly can’t believe I’m here and that I did this.” She turned to find Caitlyn, who was watching with adoration in her eyes. “We did this. It was a tough match, and I’m just honored to have shared this arena with someone as powerful as Sevika. But, uh,” she chuckled, “I plan on keeping this fucking belt for a while, so whoever comes for it, watch out.” The crowd responded with excited hollers all around. Vi raised the belt up into the air and said her final parting words. “Zaun! My trenchers! It’s time to celebrate!”

********

Vi strolled into the club with Caitlyn on her arm. She’d had a hard time wanting to leave the hotel room with the way Caitlyn looked in her dress. Frankly, it only got worse when Caitlyn was leaning over to apply some concealer and foundation to Vi’s bruises.

“You’re really going to put makeup on me?” Vi groaned as she slouched in the chair that Caitlyn brought into the bathroom because of the superior lighting.

Caitlyn nodded and grabbed a makeup brush. “Only a little. Or do you want to match your blazer when people take photos with you?”

Vi was dressed in a suit reminiscent of their first photoshoot. The wine red suit fit snuggly around the curvature of her muscles, and she left it open to display the neatly tucked, black button up shirt. Looking at herself in the mirror, she could see the shadows looming under the skin around her nose and eyes.

She leaned back and shrugged. “Who’s taking pictures with me?”

Caitlyn put her hand on her hip, from which Vi could not rip her eyes away. The other hand with the makeup brush swayed around her as she spoke. “You’re the new champ, Vi. I imagine many people at the after party will want to take pictures with you.”

With a playful smirk, Vi leaned forward and wrapped her hands around the back of Caitlyn’s thighs, causing her to step closer between Vi’s open legs. The material of her deep blue dress was silky smooth under Vi’s hands. The color nearly matched Caitlyn’s hair. Vi’s eyes moved up Caitlyn’s body, taking in the way the dress fit every inch of her, hugging all the edges Vi wanted to sink her teeth into. The thin straps of the dress accentuated her collarbones, the toned muscles of her arms, and the lovely length of her neck.

“I think more people will want to take pictures of you in a dress like that. I know I would.” Her fingers dug in against the back of Caitlyn’s thighs. “Though…I think I’d rather see you out of it.”

They hadn’t talked about any of…that for a long, long while, and given the whirlwind of shit that happened post-match, they hadn’t had a second to themselves yet. But Vi figured she might as well shoot her shot.

A deep pink spread across Caitlyn’s cheeks, but she tried to keep her composure. Her hand rested on Vi’s shoulder and pushed her back in the chair. She held the concealer brush an inch away from Vi’s bruised skin.

“Perhaps later, darling. Wouldn’t want to be late for your own party,” she teased

“The gays are always late,” Vi protested. All she could think about was slipping those straps off of Caitlyn’s shoulders and running her tongue up her sternum until she reached those collarbones and could trace kisses up her neck.

The brush began to tap away on Vi’s face, and Caitlyn stated, “Consider me an anomaly then.”

Upon entering the club, Vi was instantly aware of the eyes that all seemed to turn and land on them. She removed her arm from Caitlyn’s and hooked it around her waist instead. Pulling Caitlyn in a little closer, she brought her mouth up to her ear so Caitlyn could easily hear her over the song blasting through the speakers. The loose strands of hair from Caitlyn’s updo tickled Vi’s nose.

“Look at all these eyes on you. I told you you look stunning tonight.”

“They’re on you,” Caitlyn replied, moving an inch away so they could lock eyes, and the fire in Vi’s chest surged upward.

Before she could retort, bright blue hair was in her periphery, and Jinx jumped into her with an enthusiastic hug and squeal, breaking her connection with Caitlyn.

“You fucking did it! You did it! You did it! You kicked her ass into another fucking dimension!” Jinx exclaimed.

Vi laughed, “Hey, sis.” She wrapped her arms around Jinx’s small frame.

“Mom and Dad would be so proud, Vi,” she softly added.

“I know,” Vi said earnestly, giving her sister a squeeze. “Where’s the rest of the fam?”

“They’re all at the table over there,” she pointed across the room. “And the always pleasant Mel,” she said laced in sarcasm, “is over…there.” Jinx motioned to a booth close by. “But come say hi to everybody first and take a shot.”

“Jinx, I…” Vi hesitated. She loved having a good time with her family, drinking and being stupid with them, but she didn’t want to make Caitlyn feel left out. She looked over at the taller woman with uneasy eyes.

Caitlyn shot her a smile and rubbed her hand over her tricep. “Go have some fun with them. I’ll keep Mel occupied.”

Vi nodded, “Thanks. I won’t be long, Cupcake.”

_____________________

Caitlyn watched Vi walk away with her very animated younger sister. She knew Vi didn’t want to make it any more difficult for Caitlyn, being around alcohol, a club wasn’t really her go-to scene, but Caitlyn didn’t want to deny her the normalcy of having fun with her own family just because she didn’t partake. Her eyes stayed on Vi for a bit longer, admiring the way those dress pants hugged her thighs and ass, before pivoting and heading to Mel.

And Mel was a sight to see. Her dress was white with brilliant inlays of gold, and her makeup matched with gold sparkles along her eyes and cheeks. She was absolutely beautiful, even in the dim lighting of the club. Every time the lights swiveled and hit her, she sparkled like she was a walking disco ball.

When Mel recognized her, she swooped her in for a hug. “My dear Caitlyn! Have I told you how truly amazing you are at your job?”

Oh, goddess, she’s trashed.

“Thank you, Mel,” she said politely.

“Where is Vi? I didn’t think she would ever leave your side.”

Caitlyn ignored the latter half of her comment. “She’s at the table with her family. She’ll be over here in a few minutes.”

Mel motioned for her to sit in the booth and grabbed a drink from the table. “Would you like a drink, darling?”

She shook her head, “No, thank you. I don’t drink.”

“How odd you’d bother coming to an after party at a club then, but I suppose it makes sense actually. You do seem devoted to her to tolerate the setting.”

Caitlyn cocked her head, “Sorry?”

Before she could answer, Jayce, of all people, interrupted. Caitlyn knew he was going to be at the fight tonight, but she didn’t realize he was sticking around for the after party. However, she realized she shouldn’t be so surprised. Jayce always loved a party. And attention. She had a knack for attracting people like this apparently.

“Caitlyn,” he called out and leaned down to wrap an arm around her, “you sure as hell did prove yourself as a coach tonight. What an amazing way to end the championship.”

“Thank you, Jayce. I appreciate it. But you and Vi made my job easy with natural talent in the ring.”

He scoffed, “I know for a fact that Vi was not always easy to deal with.”

“Hear, hear,” Mel let slip.

Caitlyn’s eyes widened and brows raised in Mel’s direction, and Jayce also turned her way with an interested grin on his face.

“You must be Mel Medarda,” Jayce spoke smoothly, he extended his hand to take hers and brought it up to his lips for a kiss.

Caitlyn could’ve puked.

“I’m going to get some water,” she said to excuse herself.

As she walked toward the bar, a hand grabbed her wrist abruptly, and when she turned, she found herself staring at Vi’s wide smile and hungry eyes.

“Where are you going, Cupcake?” Vi asked as she slid her hand down to Caitlyn’s hand and interlocked their fingers. She pulled Caitlyn in toward her, and Caitlyn could smell the alcohol on her breath now, but she didn’t care. She’d happily let Vi’s presence intoxicate her.

“Away from Mel. Jayce found her, and they’re dynamic is…more than I care to handle. She won’t notice your absence for a while is my guess.” Vi found that bit amusing at least. “How’s your family?”

“They’re good. Happy as can be for me, of course.”

“Of course,” Caitlyn responded breathily as Vi continued to close the gap between them. She was swaying to the beat of the music, moving her hand to the small of Caitlyn’s back. Her nose brushed against the crook of her neck, and Caitlyn closed her eyes at the touch, lost in the electric tingles it sent up her spine.

Next thing she heard was the soft command that left Vi’s lips. “Dance with me.”

Wordlessly, Caitlyn followed her out to the dance floor. They found a space in the middle of other dancing bodies that they carved out for their own. The song changed just as they settled in, and Caitlyn could tell that Vi enjoyed the beat just as much as she did. At first, they were facing each other, hips mixing together. Caitlyn’s arms rested on Vi’s shoulders as they rhythmically rocked side to side, and Vi’s hands left burns along Caitlyn’s body as they roamed up and down her waist and back. Part way through the song, Caitlyn turned her back to Vi, keeping with the beat, and began to grind against her. She could feel the heat of Vi’s body against her back. The way Vi danced her hands up and down her body sent her mind into a frenzy. Vi was an all-consuming fire and Caitlyn was fodder. When Vi placed her lips against Caitlyn’s neck, she knew she was done for, burnt up in the flames.

They danced for a couple more songs, and when Caitlyn turned back around to face Vi, they swayed flush against one another. Their noses brushed against one another they were so close. It’s not like they hadn’t been this close before. Caitlyn had felt Vi’s lips against hers a handful of times. She could place the way they felt, remembered the way they moved, yearned for the way they tasted. But this time, their closeness felt different. It felt heavier. By taking away the weight of the championship belt, it seemed that more was weighing on them. Making a move here, made a statement.

She knew Vi felt it, too. The way those silver pools searched her own eyes, studying her face, trying to search for the right move, an answer. Was this the right place? Would their be a better time? Were they right to do this? Did either of them care to wait? They’d been waiting for so long already.

Vi broke first. She cleared her throat and looked down to the floor briefly.

“What?” Caitlyn nudged, just loud enough to hear over the speakers.

“Nothing.” She paused. “I’m…I…uh,” she cleared her throat again. “I’m going to get a drink. Do you want anything? Water? Soda?”

Caitlyn set her lips in a line, trying not to show disappointment. She shook her heard, “No, I’m okay.”

“Okay. I’ll be right back.” Vi quickly made her way through the dancing people toward the bar.

Caitlyn awkwardly stood and moved back and forth slowly to the music playing. Every now and then she made eye contact with another patron and smiled back at them, praying none would approach her while she waited for Vi.

Across the dance floor, she saw Ekko and Jinx dancing together. They both had impeccable rhythm, which coming from Jinx, surprised Caitlyn a tad, especially knowing she was probably a couple drinks in by now. Actually, that may have helped. If Caitlyn drank, she thought maybe she would’ve had more confidence to close the centimeters between her and Vi earlier. Liquid courage, as it were.

From where she was, she could just make out Mel and Jayce still at the booth. Mel had her elbow on the table and was leaning on her hand, fully entranced by the former champion. Caitlyn wasn’t shocked. He had a way of winning people over with his charm, which was why he made such an excellent media head. Plus, there were many that said Jayce was attractive. Caitlyn was neutral on that point considering he was like her brother…and she was a lesbian.

She turned to the bar to see if Vi had acquired her drink yet, and when she found that red hair, she wished she hadn’t. Standing next to Vi was a woman with jet black hair in long curls down her back. She was in a form-fitting hot red dress with plump red lips to match it. By all accounts, she was someone Caitlyn imagined many people would find appealing, but right now, Caitlyn wanted to rip the girl’s head off. Unable to pull her eyes away, Caitlyn watched as the dark haired woman smiled, laughed, and spoke, putting her hand on Vi’s forearm. Even from here, Caitlyn could tell the girl squeezed Vi’s arm, surely trying to get a taste of the muscles underneath.

Caitlyn’s eyes darted to Vi, and she watched as Vi looked down at the woman’s well-manicured hand. She laughed in response, but her eyes were sultry. Vi leaned on the bar and said something to the woman, but Caitlyn couldn’t help but inspect the flirtatious body language in the entire exchange.

She felt sick to her stomach as a pit opened up at her core and bile scorched in her throat. She held back the urge to throw up and instead, stormed off the dance floor and headed toward the door. The entire time she couldn’t help but think how stupid she had been this entire time. It was so ridiculous to think that she was anything more to Vi than a score. A notch on her belt. Vi was at the top of her game. Everyone wanted her. She could easily have anyone. It was absurd for Caitlyn to think she was special enough to be exclusively hers.

Pushing open the door, Caitlyn headed back to the elevator to make her way up to the hotel room. She hardly remembered how she made it into the room or the process of packing up her suitcase. When she came to, she was standing in the middle of the room with the handle of her suitcase in her hand, and she stayed there for a few minutes, unmoving, debating if she should go or stay and actually talk to Vi. But when she thought of her fighter, her stomach churned and her eyes began to burn again. She couldn’t possibly face her. It would be too much. Vi was too much.

She tossed her room key onto the table and walked out the door.

______________________

Vi stood at the bar waiting for her shot and mixed drink, and she kept replaying what just happened in her head. Over and over. The way Caitlyn felt grinding against her body. How it made her want this woman like she never wanted anyone else in her entire life. It was maddening. But when Caitlyn asked her “what,” Vi blanked. She wanted to say everything. She wanted to tell Caitlyn that she was absolutely, undoubtedly everything to her, and she knew and believed that wholeheartedly. But that felt like too much. It was too much to say here. Not the right place. So everything became nothing. Then it became a drink to calm the nerves.

The bartender put the drinks down in front of her, and after taking her shot, a voice approached on her left. It came from a woman with long, black hair in a red dress that made it hard for your eyes not wander.

“Hey, you the fighter everyone’s going on about?”

Vi raised her brows at the question playfully, trying to keep it light. Most of the people here were, in fact, here for her, and most came up to her as soon as she was at her family’s table to congratulate her. This woman, however, Vi definitely didn’t recognize either.

“You saying you don’t know who I am?” Vi asked.

“Nope,” she said with a pop of her lips at the end.

“Well, I just won the kickboxing championship belt, so I’m kind of a big deal,” she joked…partly.

The unnamed woman laughed and replied, “Oh, is that so?” Her hand reached out for Vi’s arm. “Do you know what else you are?”

Vi chuckled at the brazen flirt, curious as to where the next line was going. She leaned onto the bar and asked, “And what’s that?” Vi took a sip of her drink.

“My next mistake,” the woman told her with a coy expression.

If this was Vi in the beginning of her career, she would’ve bagged this girl no problem, but Vi couldn’t even think of this woman in that capacity. There was only one person on her mind, and she was still reeling over her, trying to think of how she was going to say how she really felt.

Vi leaned in and took another sip of her drink. “Unfortunately, I’m not. I’m actually here with someone who I need to be getting back to, but that was a good line. You’re good looking though, so I’m not sure you need it.” Vi drank again and took a step away from the bar. “Have a good night.”

When she looked out onto the dance floor, she didn’t see Caitlyn anywhere. Vi took a lap around the place with no luck. Perplexed, she walked over to Mel’s table, thinking that maybe Caitlyn didn’t want to stand out on the dance floor alone. She took a seat opposite Mel who was still talking with Jayce.

“Have you guys seen Caitlyn?” Vi asked as she sat down across from them.

“Vi!” Mel exclaimed. “Where have you been all night?”

“We haven’t been here that long,” Vi said dryly.

“I haven’t had a chance to make a proper toast to you, my dear. You’re fight was riveting, and I am so proud of you.”

“Yeah, thanks. Have you seen Caitlyn?”

Jayce’s brows came together, “Figured she was with you since we haven’t seen her for a while.”

Vi leaned back against the booth seat and mumbled, “Shit.”

“Maybe she went back up to the hotel room,” he offered. “A bar isn’t really her idea of a good time.”

Vi nodded. “Right. Yeah, I’m going to go check and see—”

Mel interrupted her, “Hold on! If she’s up in your room, she can wait. Maybe she’s up there making herself presentable for you, darling.” She finished that sentence with a wink, and Jayce laughed, shaking his head.

She continued, reaching across the table, “Stay with us for a bit. An hour tops. This is your celebration after all. Enjoy it.”

Begrudgingly, Vi agreed. “Fine. An hour.”

********

After an hour passed, Vi rushed up to the hotel room. Every second she spent down in that club was sitting through torture. The only thing she wanted to do was find Caitlyn, but Mel held her hostage. And Jayce was no better, asking her questions about the fight that she really didn’t fucking feel like answering.

The elevator couldn’t go fast enough. She barely waited for it to open fully before she squeezed out of the doors and tore down the hallway. Vi tapped her key against the door’s card reader and swung the door open.

“Caitlyn?” She called out before even making it a foot into the room.

Vi walked fully inside and saw no trace of Caitlyn. She called out her name again uselessly. Then she realized that she didn’t even see any of her things. No clothing. No toiletries. No suitcase. Nothing. The keycard was left on the table.

Hollow, Vi sat on the edge of the bed. She pulled out her phone and opened her messages.

Vi:
Hey. Where’d you go?

Minutes ticked by slower than ever. Vi watched the screen, but there were no dots indicating typing, no new message. Nothing.

She was lost. This night was supposed to change everything. She was supposed to have the belt and the girl, but here she sat alone. Empty and unwanted. Maybe Caitlyn realized this was a horrible idea. It was too dangerous to mix romance with business in any means. Perhaps she realized that she deserved more than Vi. Like the girls before her, Vi was fun for a night, but she was too damaged to be the one. A Piltie like Caitlyn couldn’t really be seen with trencher trash like Vi, and a champ’s belt made no difference.

________________________

First Week

Caitlyn was a shell of herself. Most hours of the day were spent either in bed or on the couch. Either place, she was wrapped in a blanket. Hair not washed and up in a godawful bun. Multiple days in the same pajama set. Stomach growling in protest. She was a wreck. Her days began and ended thinking about all the times she shared with Vi, and those thoughts were usually accompanied by tears.

Second Week

Caitlyn dared to turn on the television, which was a mistake. The last channel she had on was UFC TV, and plastered across her screen was Vi. It was some sick joke by whatever cosmic gods were watching her. Slowly, her eyes adjusted to the brightness of her tv, but her stomach had not calmed down since Vi appeared across from her.

Her former fighter was on screen being interviewed about her final fight against Sevika. Caitlyn expected her to be glowing. She was always a natural in front of the camera. Loved attention. But something was off. Vi didn’t smile the same…or really much at all. Her sentences were short, little interest in banter. It wasn’t her.

It made Caitlyn feel even sicker. Had she known this woman at all? Was this all someone she made up in her head?

She grabbed her phone and looked on Vi’s socials, something she’d avoided up to now. No new posts.

Caitlyn opened her messages and clicked on Vi’s name. She reread the last messages she received from Vi.

Hey. Where’d you go?
Are you okay?
Did you want to talk?
Did I do something wrong?
Cait…?
At least tell me you’re okay.
Jayce told me he heard from you. At least you’re alive…
Come on, Caitlyn
I have an interview in two days. Mel was wondering if you were joining me. I told her not to bother you.
Guess I’ll see you when we have to meet with Mel about our contracts for next season

She locked her screen and cried.

Week Three

She knew they were there this whole time. They practically mocked her from the safe in her closet. Every night she would stare at it, imagining entering the numbers. She’d been doing so well, though.

But opening Vi’s socials last week was like a ticking time bomb. She kept going back. Spending hours on each picture. Reading comments. Watching videos. Hearing her voice. She was cracking.

She sat in front of her safe and entered the code. It clicked open, and it sounded even louder in the silent room. It felt even more dangerous. Wrong. But tempting.

Years ago, she told Jayce he’d gotten rid of all her pills. At the time, he did, but an addict new how to find a new plug. She only did it once. She connected with someone while she was in school in a moment of weakness, but she never used anything then. Instead, like all logical users, she stashed the pills away for a rainy day.

And today, it was fucking pouring.

Slowly, with trembling, frail hands, she opened the safe and reached inside. She felt the crinkle of the baggie she left them in under her fingers, and she let out a deep exhale with closed lids. When she opened her eyes, she pulled out the clear bag and looked at the rainbow array of pills inside. Old friends. They knew how to comfort her. Numb her.

She brought them out to the kitchen and placed the bag on the island counter. Caitlyn stared at them for some odd minutes. The longer she looked down at them, the angrier she became, and she began to pace back and forth. Rage boiled in her. She was pissed that she felt this way, angry that she wanted to use, mad at herself for even keeping these pills around for so long, and annoyed that she was still stuck on thoughts of Vi.

Without much thought, Caitlyn screamed, picked up the bag, and threw it against the wall. It tore open and pills spilled across the counter and onto the tile floor.

She fell to the ground and wept. Next, she did the only thing she could think of doing and grabbed her phone.

“Ja-Jayce…?”

Week Four

“Glad to see you’re awake and dressed,” Jayce said as he closed the front door.

Since the phone call, Jayce came over every day to check on Caitlyn. He cooked for her and forced her to eat. Overeat most times because she’d lost weight. Eventually he started integrating some workouts to keep her active and give her a burst of dopamine, which she definitely needed. Overall, she was surprisingly starting to feel better.

“Ha-ha,” she replied plainly. “Are we going for our run today?”

“As long as you’re up for it, yeah.”

They ran at her usual spot, Dynasty Trails. It had been a long time since she’d been there. Her last run on the trails was with Vi, but she tried to push that out of her mind. It was working fine. She concentrated on just putting one foot in front of the other. Inhaling through her nose and out through her mouth. Keeping her body loose.

It was working…until they stopped at a certain lookout point. This was where Caitlyn and Vi often stopped. It was where their shared lengthy conversations and meditations. Seeing the horizon from here, brought up a flood of emotions to which Caitlyn fell unsuspectingly victim. Waves crashed over her relentlessly. Suddenly, her eyes burned and her chest heaved as it became harder to breathe. She could feel warm tears streaming down her cheeks. She was drowning.

“Cait?” Jayce asked, voice full of concern.

She fell into his arms. He held her there for as long as she needed and rubbed her back as she cried, shuddering with each new crash against the rocks. Jayce always made her feel safe, and she wished so badly that her other lifeboat hadn’t strayed so far from shore.

_________________________

Vi was sprawled out on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. She spent a majority of her days like this when she wasn’t at Vander’s house trying to distract herself. Going there worked for a bit until her family started questioning why she kept coming by…every day. The only one that was unbothered by her presence and would likely never question it was her sister, which was why Jinx now sat painting at the desk across from her.

While they sat, unspeaking, Vi had control of the music. The next song on her list began, and while it played, she aimlessly scrolled through her phone. She opened her texts and clicked on Jayce’s name to reread their conversation from last week, hoping it would make her feel better.

Vi:
How’s Caitlyn doing? I haven’t heard from her in a while

Jayce:
Probably for the best. She’s not doing great right now

Vi:
Is there anything I can do to help?

Jayce:
Honestly doubt it. I’ll take care of it.

Vi:
Okay but if that changes, please tell me.
I’m serious
I…I really do miss her Jayce

Jayce:
I’ll let her know

It didn’t make her feel better. And she didn’t believe he actually told her a damn thing.

The song ended, and the next song in her queue started. After the first verse, Jinx dropped her paintbrush, threw her head back, and groaned up to the ceiling.

It shocked the hell out of Vi, who was used to the silence. “Geez, what the hell was that about?”

Jinx wheeled around and faced her. “If I have to listen to one more sad song, I’m going to lose my damn mind. Can you stop with the heartbreak anthems and just go talk to her?”

“What are you talking about?” Vi tried to play dumb.

“Vi, seriously? You’ve been at Vander’s all the time, and when you’re not, you’re hold up here doing absolutely nothing but sulking. You haven’t even mentioned Caitlyn. I’m not an idiot. We’ve been through this, Vi.” Her voice was sincere through it all. “Just go see her. Fix whatever you fucked up.”

“I don’t even know what I fucked up,” Vi stated as she sat up on the couch.

“Well, that sounds like the first problem. Why don’t you go find out?” Jinx wheeled back around in her chair.

Vi stopped the music and opened her texts again. She clicked on Jayce’s name and hoped for a speedy answer.

Vi:
Hey. Do you know if Caitlyn is home?

Jayce:
I’m not sure. I couldn’t go there today.

She figured he must have his phone readily on him to answer Caitlyn since he couldn’t physically be there. Vi couldn’t help but wonder what would require him to be so quick with responses.

Jayce:
But I wouldn’t just go there unannounced Vi

Vi:
Why not?

Jayce:
I probably shouldn’t even be telling you this but Caitlyn almost relapsed the other week. She called me before anything happened. She’s finally doing better but I worry if you go there that it could mess up her progress

Vi’s stomach lurched and her eyes widened as she read the words on her screen. What the fuck was going on? What made her feel like she needed to use? Where did she get pills from? How could Vi have not known this? Why wouldn’t Caitlyn come to her? Why would seeing her make this worse? No, Vi had to make this right. Her mouth felt like a desert, and her fingers trembled as they typed.

Vi:
Jayce what the fuck happened?
Why would I make it worse?
And don’t fucking ignore me dude

Jayce:
She was upset about you. She wouldn’t really tell me exactly why, but I guess you should know that part right?
I know Caitlyn can be intense and not everybody gets her, but she deserves the best. If you’re not going to give her that don’t bother trying to see her is all I’ll say

No, I get her. That’s the only thing I know for certain.

Vi’s heart was pounding at a rate that she thought it would explode. She stood up with such acceleration it was practically a jump. Sloppily, she put on her hoodie and slid her feet into her running shoes. She needed to get to Caitlyn’s house as fast as she could, so she grabbed her keys and b-lined for the door. Vi had no idea what she would say or do once she got there, but she’d figure that part out later. All she knew was that she needed to see Caitlyn.

As soon as her hand touched the door handle, she realized Jinx’s big eyes were on her. She fumbled speech until the right words came out, “I gotta go fix this.”

“Finally!” Jinx exclaimed while Vi ran out the door.

Chapter Text

@KBoxViFan1: VI FUCKING DID IT! THAT’S OUR FUCKING CHAMP RIGHT THERE! HELL YEAH!

@UFCNerd853: Holy shit! I did not see that roundhouse coming. She floored Sevika! What a win!

@ViSupremacy561: Vi out here making trenchers everywhere proud ❤️

@TallyRoxx: Did we all take note of all the ridiculously soft moments between Vi and Caitlyn? And I mean hello the kiss at the end?

***

@KirammanStan1: Where has Caitlyn been? She isn’t even interviewing with Vi?
@Clem-In_Time: @KirammanStan1 she never really interviewed with Jayce either. I was surprised how much she was in front of the camera this season actually
@NatalieNatCat: @Clem-In-Time @KirammanStan1 Same! But she’s a natural. Camera loves her 😉
@Clem-In-Time: @NatalieNatCat @KirammanStan1 so does someone else 😏
@NatalieNatCat: @Clem-In-Time @KirammanStan1 I’m waiting for them to announce they’re dating. Like come on!
@KirammanStan1: @NatalieNatCat @Clem-In-Time Vi hasn’t even posted anything. My detective skills are running wild. I sense trouble in paradise
@Clem-In-Time: @KirammanStan1 @NatalieNatCat Don’t say that! I can’t handle it 💔

_______________________

Vi’s feet couldn’t move out of the door fast enough. She fumbled the keys in her hand opening her car. Her mind was a total mess and her heart couldn’t focus on a single emotion. It was a tug of war being pulled every which way between worry and upset and anger and uncertainty. Her car engine revved to life, and her heart jumped in time with it.

Jayce told her not to just show up out of the blue, but she couldn’t not run to Caitlyn after hearing news like that. For days, weeks, she wanted to go there and find out what drove her away. She wanted to confess how she felt, tell Caitlyn how miserable she was without her. But the more Caitlyn ignored her, the more Vi thought that maybe she realized Vi really wasn’t the right fit for her. Top and bottom. Oil and water. So she left it alone. The same way that she decided to say nothing in the various hotels, during the holidays, at the gym, in the club. Did she drive her away by not giving her enough? Calling off what they were. Hiding the way she really felt.

When she reached Caitlyn’s house and pulled into the driveway, she hopped out and left her car running. She almost ate shit on the front porch steps. Her fist pounded against the door

After a few beats and no response, she knocked again and called out, “Cait?! Caitlyn?!” She panted. “It’s me! Please, open the door.”

Still nothing.

She craned her body over the stair’s railing in an attempt to peer into the windows. From what she could see, the lights were off.

Vi raced back down the stairs and looked into the garage window to find Caitlyn’s car was gone. Her mind whirled wondering where she would’ve gone as she sat back into her car. She decided to go to the only other place she could think Caitlyn might venture. It was the one place Vi found herself escaping to when Caitlyn said being together would be too messy.

Dynasty Trails.

Good thing she wore her running shoes because as soon as she turned off her car, she was out and running their usual trek.

It was just hitting early spring. The only snow that still lingered was in patches between thickets of trees. The air was still crisp with a slight chill, and Vi could feel it under her light hoodie and jogger track pants. Her cheeks grew pink from the mixture of cool air and cardio. She didn’t hear any other footsteps while she ran other than her own sneaker against the hard dirt trail.

But something in her gut told her that Caitlyn was here. The thought of Caitlyn made Vi’s heart pound harder than the running. Vi was still unsure what she was even going to say to her, and that was even more nerve-wracking. She was angry at her, but she was also so concerned for her well-being it was hard to grapple with both sides of the coin.

She approached the first lookout point. No one was there. Vi stopped to take a breath and looked out at the landscape, and in some ways, she was relieved. The pressure weighing down on her made it hard to want to pick back up the pace. Each breath in her lungs felt sharp. It was a challenge to breathe and push forward.

Another mile and a half passed, and she was close to the next outlook. This was where the two would often stop for a break or meditate. Vi remembered countless minutes ticking by on conversation, enjoying being able to really open up to someone that wasn’t her sister.

She slowed to walk up to the outlook. Her legs were burning from running on an elevation. Suddenly, Vi heard what sounded like a twig snapping. She glanced down at her own feet to make sure the noise wasn’t somehow caused by her, but when she looked down, there were no twigs near her feet. It had to be someone up ahead. Vi’s heart palpitated, and she could feel it in her throat.

She picked up her pace a hair, uncertainty still coating every action. Her throat felt dry and irritated, but she pushed past it and called out, “Cait?”

She heard the faint response of her name. It was shocked.

“Vi?” Undoubtedly Caitlyn’s voice.

Vi found more traction against the dirt path to move even quicker up to the lookout. She yelled out again. “Caitlyn!”

___________________________

Caitlyn’s chest had finally slowed from its heaving in search for a respite after running for the past hour. The sweat along her forehead and neck had mostly dried, but she still swiped at her brow with the bottom of her shirt. The chill in the air pricked at her warm skin when she lifted the shirt. This was something Vi made her unashamed to do. Her former fighter had little care for manners. If there was sweat, find a way to wipe it off with whatever. Finding herself now doing such a thing, Caitlyn couldn’t help but quietly chuckle to herself, but it didn’t take long for that smile to fade as she stared out at the horizon.

In the distance, she could see the Piltover skyline. It was the view that she and Vi had looked out at many times during their runs. Moments here were spent either in deep conversations or comfortable silences, both of which Caitlyn missed.

She didn’t want to miss them anymore. She didn’t want to feel pain or sadness or loss. She didn’t want the ache of loneliness finding new ways to make her sick. For the past week and some odd days, Jayce swooped in, the way he tended to do, and picked up her pieces. Again. And she was grateful, but she was also tired. Tired of being on.

On this hill, she was able to be alone and open to shed all the feelings she felt required to repress. But she wasn’t even sure where to begin. Looking out in the distance, she felt…nothing. Empty and void, and yet, overwhelmed and consumed. Her vision began to blur. Trees turned to a green fuzzy mist, and the buildings started to lose their distinctive points. Suddenly, a heat burned her unblinking eyes, and she felt warm trickles down her cheeks.

Before she could even try to feign self-control, she broke. She let the tears fall freely as she hugged her arms around her ribs, hopelessly wishing for more comfort than her own.

In that brief moment, she wondered where Vi was, what she was doing, who she was with, and if she was happy. Despite everything, she really did hope Vi was happy. Caitlyn thought of Vi’s smirk, her lopsided grin, and it could still make a thin smile alight across her own face. Tears slid past the corners of her lips, and she wiped them all away, wondering if this is how the slow healing process would be.

After wiping her eyes, Caitlyn swore she heard rustling amongst the trees near her, which was odd because she hadn’t run into any other joggers out on the trail. Curiously, she swiveled her head. Then she heard it, the voice she’d been missing for weeks, the one that brought her heart slamming upward into her throat and her stomach turning on end.

It can’t be.

She called out hesitantly in disbelief, “Vi?”

Caitlyn heard the voice yell her name again. Her eyes widened at the sight of bright, pinky red hair coming up toward her. It was as though she’d been punched in the gut and all her breath left her at once. With a dry throat and uncertainty, she asked the only thing she could think.

“What are you doing here?”

____________________________

She almost tripped reaching the plateau, and when her eyes landed on Caitlyn, all the breath she had left in her lungs was ripped out of her. Caitlyn’s eyes were wide with surprise, but Vi could still see the light shadowing of blueish circles under her eyes. Her cheeks appeared slightly more gaunt than she remembered, especially with her hair back in a ponytail, and her skin was pale, snow white. It all pulled at Vi’s heartstrings to see Caitlyn look so frail.

Only a few feet away from her, Vi tried to focus on calming her breathing, slowing it down, but even that right now was a struggle when her heart kept ramming against her ribcage. She still had no clue where to even begin with Caitlyn.

When she did nothing but stare, Caitlyn asked with a shaky voice, “What are you doing here?”

The only thing Vi could manage was, “Looking for you.”

Just a few feet away from each other, Vi could see Caitlyn’s eyes were red and glassy. She bit at her lip and looked away briefly before turning back to Vi to quietly ask, “What if I wasn’t here?”

Vi shrugged her shoulders and placed her hands on her hips, answering wryly, “Well, I would’ve taken one fucked up run I guess.”

Both women lightly chuckled at Vi’s response. It almost felt normal, as though they hadn’t been disconnected for so long. But Caitlyn’s next question brought Vi back to the reality of their situation.

“So…can I help you with something?”

It caught Vi off guard. She mumbled in disbelief, mainly to herself, “Help me?”

She felt her face contort in confusion at how oblivious Caitlyn seemed to be acting by asking such a casual question. Vi swallowed hard trying to figure out how to address her, and once she started, she couldn’t stop the word vomit that poured from her lips. “Caitlyn what is going on? I win the belt and should be celebrating with you, but you disappeared. I don’t hear from you for a month. You don’t answer my texts, my calls, nothing.”

Vi could see the pain resurfacing in Caitlyn’s face at having to hear exactly what she did and the hurt in Vi’s voice. It occurred to Vi that maybe she hadn’t considered the way her abrupt absence affected Vi. She continued, hands gesticulated madly, “I’m left wondering what even happened, and I have to fucking find out from Jayce that you almost relapsed. Fuck, Cait. Seriously? What happened? How’d you even get those pills? What made you feel like you needed to use them?”

Caitlyn averted her gaze. Her words were hushed. “I had the pills for a while. Years. No one knew, not even Jayce. They were just a safety net, which I’ll admit was stupid.”

“But what even made you feel like you needed to use again?” She asked frustratedly and took one step toward her.

Blue eyes shot up at her, full of sadness. “The same reason I left the club. You.”

Vi’s brows furrowed and her eyes searched the area for an answer that wasn’t there. Her heart was beating so loudly she could hear it in her ears. With confusion, she muttered, “Me? W-what? Why? We were having a good time, and then you were gone. I don’t understand.”

Focusing back on Caitlyn, Vi could see her eyes were filled with a mixture of pain and annoyance. She spoke as though Vi should have understood without an explanation. “I saw you having a good time with that woman at the bar.”

That’s when she remembered. The red dress, dark haired woman. A slow chuckle left Vi’s lips at realization. It was a sound of almost disbelief that Caitlyn would even think such a thing. “Cait, I never did anything with her.”

Now Caitlyn’s face scrunched with puzzlement. “But…I…you were…”

Vi crossed her arms in front of her chest and cut off Caitlyn’s trail of trying to connect dots. “In fact, I told her I was there with someone. After that, I went to go find you. I wanted to run right up to the hotel room, but fucking Mel…” At the mention of Mel, Vi pinched the bridge of her nose.

“So…you never did anything?” She asked. Her face softened, but her brows angled up in woe.

Vi couldn’t help but innocently laugh at Caitlyn’s reaction and the absurdity of the situation. “No. That’s why you left?”

“I thought you’d want to celebrate the way you used to in the past.” As she spoke, Vi noticed the way her facial expression became more distressed.

She cocked an eyebrow. “By sleeping with random women in hotel rooms?”

Caitlyn looked away, almost embarrassed, and nodded. At first, Vi wanted to be mad that Caitlyn would think so little of her, but the more that she thought of it, the more she realized she hadn’t given Caitlyn everything she needed to convince her otherwise. They hadn’t talked about their…relationship…in a long time, and when they did discuss it, it was about them not continuing sex. Vi never told Caitlyn her real feelings, and it hit her that she should have. It didn’t help that from the get go, Mel made her seem like some goddamn womanizer with no self-control.

Fucking Mel.

But, also, she had to be annoyed at herself for her own ridiculous behavior when she thought back to the night she ran off with that girl in the hotel. It felt like so long ago now the days when she tried to deny her feelings toward Caitlyn. Her attempt in vain, however, because she crawled back to Caitlyn and into her bed that same night, but surely her willingness to run off with some random that night planted some inkling of doubt in Caitlyn’s mind.

She exhaled. It was now or never. There was no reason to hold back then, and there sure as hell wasn’t any now.

Vi started the buildup slowly. “No, Cupcake. You were and still are the only one I want to celebrate with. You always were.”

At the nickname, tears welled in Caitlyn’s eyes. Her body began to crumble, and her voice quivered, “Vi, oh, no. Vi…I..I ruined this…I ruined all this for you. I’m such an idiot.”

Seeing Caitlyn so utterly upset, Vi didn’t care how furious she was maybe supposed to be. She rushed toward her. “Hey,” Vi comforted, “no, no. Don’t talk like that.”

She held Caitlyn’s face in her palms gently and shushed to calm her. Vi felt the weight of Caitlyn shift into her hands, and she continued to fall apart.

Tears fell down her cheeks, and her voice broke, “It’s true. I ruined your win because I didn’t let myself simply trust you. After all this time…I acted like such a fool. I trudged out all my past like I was carrying it with me on my back.”

Wiping away Caitlyn’s tears, Vi’s lip formed a hard line. Even though she felt she had every right to hold some kind of resentment, she couldn’t do it. She hated seeing Caitlyn in shambles like this. Vi decided the best thing to do was be honest.

“I can’t lie and say I wasn’t pissed off and upset with you. I was. I really was. You had me so worried, and I felt so alone day after day. It fucking sucked. But I don’t want you to be so hard on yourself because that isn’t going to help either of us. Caitlyn, I want to move past this, move forward…together.”

“But…how can you still accept me? It doesn’t make sense. I destroyed everything we worked so hard for, and I didn’t even see it through to the end with you,” Caitlyn heaved out more tears.

Vi applied more pressure with her thumbs to Caitlyn’s cheeks, continuing to swipe gently at damp skin. “Don’t worry. Mel has me signed up for PR for a couple more months to prep for next season. So, you still have plenty of time to suffer with me.”

Thankfully, Vi’s quick, dry humor made both of them chuckle. She was glad it worked to give Caitlyn the slightest reprieve between tears.

“But, I may have other motives for being so nice.” She paused and peered up at her with curiosity, “Are you…going be in my corner next season?”

Caitlyn sniffled, “If you want me there.”

Now that her tears slowed to a stopped, Vi affectionately thumbed Caitlyn’s cheek and stared deeply into her red, glassy eyes.

“Of course I want you there. But, I might make it a bit complicated for you.” A playful smirk began to tug at the side of her mouth. Her hands moved down to hold Caitlyn’s delicate hands.

Caitlyn didn’t seem to notice the change in her expression, and she said with a hint of unease, “I probably deserve whatever you’re going to throw at me.”

A short wry laugh left her. “Ha. Um…remember when we said we weren’t going to get…uh…involved while you were my coach?”

There was a brief beat of silence between them, a moment where Vi hesitated out of nervousness to give life to the words she’d only thought for so long. The beat of her heart was jammed in her throat at words she didn’t believe she’d ever say to someone again.

She exhaled, gripped Caitlyn’s fingers a little tighter, and let it finally pour past her lips, “Well, I can’t follow that rule anymore because I’m so in love with you.”

It was finally out there in the open, and the words felt so natural rolling off her tongue. A weight lifted from her chest, and after saying it to Caitlyn, she wanted to say it a hundred times over. It was astonishing how healing three words could be.

Seemingly baffled but the declaration, Caitlyn’s puffy eyes widened. “You are?”

A light giggle preceded Vi’s words. Her hands still held Caitlyn’s tight. “You couldn’t tell? Yes, I am. And I should’ve told you sooner. I should’ve said something in all those hotel rooms, during the holidays when we were on the roof, at the club, at The Hound’s Lair, at the gym. Fuck, I should’ve screamed it from this mountaintop.”

Caitlyn’s eyes were once more filling with tears as she tried to comprehend everything Vi had said. Her words couldn’t keep up with the thoughts in her mind as she stumbled, “I didn’t think…you…I’m just such a wreck. It didn’t…this is…”

Vi wrapped her arms lovingly around Caitlyn’s waist. “Caitlyn, I want every single part of you, even the bits that you think are broken. For so long, I felt like I was in a dark room. I was stuck there because I thought that was all I deserved, all I was meant to have. But you came in and opened every door and every window and made me realize there’s more out there for me. There’s no one that lights up a room for me the way you do, Cait. I am so madly in love with you, and I don’t ever want to lose my light again.”

During the entirety of Vi’s confession, Caitlyn watched her intently. Her own arms carefully hugged Vi’s hips, and she smiled as a single tear fell. Quickly, she wiped it away and returned her hand to Vi’s waist, applying a gentle squeeze with her fingertips. Vi relished in the way Caitlyn visibly calmed.

“I…I love you too, Violet. I have for a long while now, and I suppose I should have told you sooner. Subconsciously, I think, that word also scared me because of how long it had been since I’ve said it and the way that that ended, but you’re not from my past. You didn’t deserve to treated as though you were because you are far better than that.” Caitlyn drew out a deep exhale, “It’s quite difficult for me to convey how imprudent I feel for causing all of this for the past month. Clearly, not my best moment. Vi, I’m so terribly sorry for what I put you through because of my utter foolish—”

The heartfelt words of Caitlyn’s confession lifted much of the air around them, but Vi didn’t need Caitlyn to continue any sort of apology. She could see the sincerity in Caitlyn’s eyes, and for her, right now, that was enough.

Vi’s hands moved up to cup along Caitlyn’s jaw with a passionately firm grip and pressed her lips against Caitlyn’s with a fiery carelessness. She could taste the saltiness that lingered along Caitlyn’s lips. This kiss was long-awaited, and Vi couldn’t resist any more. When she parted her lips to continue to deepen the kiss, she was drawn into Caitlyn even further. The tickle of her tongue quickly swiped Vi’s upper lip while those long fingers dug into Vi’s waist.

Separating only a centimeter, still letting their mouths ghost and noses brush, Vi tried to hold back any panting. She grinned, “So…how about we celebrate my win the way we should’ve that night?”

Caitlyn hummed, “I have a lot to make up for.”

****

The two women drove to Caitlyn’s house in their separate cars, and the distance for that short drive was like a time bomb ticking away. During her entire drive, the only thing on Vi’s mind was Caitlyn and all the ways she wanted to make up for lost time and missed opportunities. When they pulled up and exited their vehicles, it took no time for Vi’s hands to find Caitlyn’s waist and her lips to press against her neck. She inhaled deeply, lavender and subtle saltiness of stale sweat. At the contact, Caitlyn’s hand floundered her keys, missing the lock once, twice, and her left hand went flat against the door and fingers sprawled out as Vi applied pressure with her grip on Caitlyn’s hipbones.

Vi smirked against her neck, just under her earlobe, before whispering, “You already worked up, Cupcake?”

The lock clicked, and Caitlyn managed, “You’re quite the tease.”

She huffed a laugh in response, fingers still holding Caitlyn with a tenacious grip, “Oh, I won’t be teasing for very long. Like you said, you kind of owe me, so open that door and find out what I have in mind.”

With anticipation and excitement, Vi watched Caitlyn’s hand turn the door handle and push the door wide open. When they stepped inside, Vi quickly closed and locked the door, and in the blink of an eye, she had Caitlyn’s back pressed up against the wall. Fuck turning on lights. Fuck beds. Fuck the windows. It could all be damned. Vi spent too long aching for this embrace to care where it happened. Her hands ran the length of Caitlyn from shoulders to waist, pausing sporadically to grab onto her like her life depended on it, hardly coming up for air between sloppy kisses. Every dig Caitlyn returned drove Vi to feel even more ravenous. Their tongues danced and breathing grew heavier by the minute.

The ghost of a moan escaped Caitlyn’s mouth and entered into Vi’s lungs. It was shamelessly needy, and Vi was more than happy to feed into all that Caitlyn desired. Her tongue slid back into Caitlyn’s mouth and at the same time, she nudged Caitlyn’s legs apart with her own and nestled her right thigh in between, giving Caitlyn a surface for some friction. To Vi’s pleasure, Caitlyn caught on quick, and Vi could feel her start to bear down and grind her hips back and forth against Vi’s leg, just above the knee. Through their thin exercise clothing, Vi felt the heat emitting from Caitlyn as she pushed her leg a touch higher to give Caitlyn better leverage.

With the adjustment, Caitlyn’s kisses became sparser and her breath became ragged. Vi watched her through half-lidded eyes, and seeing Caitlyn start to lose herself for Vi without even taking a single article of clothing off was fucking unbelievably hot. But Vi didn’t want Caitlyn getting ahead of herself too quickly. Vi wanted this first time after restricting themselves for months to be skin-to-skin.

She removed her thigh, which earned her a desperate whimper from Caitlyn, and scooped her thighs under her arms. Vi’s hands happily held up Caitlyn’s ass, and long legs wrapped around her torso. Their mouths crashed again, almost slamming teeth against teeth in the haste, and Vi could feel the heat of Caitlyn’s core against her lower stomach, almost damp through the thin spandex of Caitlyn’s running leggings. Trying to let her brain totally short-circuit then and there, Vi began to carry Caitlyn toward the bedroom, hoping that Caitlyn hadn’t moved anything around since she was last here. The last thing they needed was for Vi to topple over something in her romantic whisking; however, given the heaviness surrounding them, she doubted even a stumble would stop them.

Luckily, she reached the bedroom without incident. One hand slid up to rest between Caitlyn’s shoulder blades, and carefully, she laid Caitlyn onto the bed. Still standing, Vi reached forward and began to remove Caitlyn’s pants and underwear. Bunching the cloth under her fingers and dragging, she couldn’t do it fast enough. It was only made tricker by the wiggling of Caitlyn’s upper body as she hastily removed her top and sports bra. Once Caitlyn was naked, and, goddess, it was a sight, porcelain skin and long, lean limbs practically glowing in the dim lighting of the bedroom, Vi raced to disrobe herself, haphazardly throwing clothing around the room.

Vi climbed onto the bed, peppering Caitlyn’s body with kisses as she made her way up to the woman’s lips. When their mouths collided, Vi’s chest buzzed with elation. This was exactly where she wanted to be. Her hips went flush against Caitlyn’s when fingernails scratched up her back and into her hair.

Her hand that was cupping Caitlyn’s jaw while they kissed left it’s post and began to explore the rest of her now unclothed body. Vi knew from the first day she saw it that she would never tire of her, and she was right. Even now, knowing what Caitlyn looked like underneath every layer, Vi was still rapt by her very being. It was hard not to be greedy, not to want every ounce all at once.

The wandering hand stopped at Caitlyn’s perked nipple and pinched lightly and tugged before cupping her full breast in her hand. Vi’s lips trailed down to the crook of Caitlyn’s neck, nibbled on her collarbone, and planted kisses down to the cupped breast. Her tongue flicked at the pink mound, causing Caitlyn to let out a moan mixed with a whine. While she enjoyed the attention, this was clearly not enough, especially not after the way they were downstairs.

“Not a tease, huh?” Caitlyn annoyedly breathed.

Smirking at the sound from the woman under her, Vi toyed with her, teeth playfully bit at the nipple. “I have to. Just a little.”

Her mouth planted heavy kisses down Caitlyn’s ribs and then stomach. The slender body under her writhed into each imprint. Vi sat on her knees in between Caitlyn’s legs, admiring every slope, every curve, every subtle movement. She licked her index and middle fingers, and as she did, she heard Caitlyn shutter.

Those fingers left her tongue and slid between Caitlyn’s folds, which were already slick and ready for her. She circled Caitlyn’s clit a few times, and as her fingers worked, she leaned down to kiss her sloppily, lips mashing together between Caitlyn’s moans. Continuing the movements on the swelling bud, Vi’s lips following the trail that her hands previously took, down her neck, onto her breasts, the sweet skin of her stomach, before her face was between her thighs. Nowhere in the world could quite compare to this spot.

Her fingers moved down to her entrance, glistening and ready to be filled, but she dare not remove any attention from Caitlyn’s most sensitive area. So, as she glided two fingers inside, her mouth covered Caitlyn’s clit, and her tongue began to flick up and down, applying pressure to give Caitlyn the friction she needed while fingers still hooked inside her.

Vi missed this. She missed the way Caitlyn felt against her tongue and on her fingers, the way she moved against her tongue, how she tasted, sweet and tangy with sweat, the way her breathing grew heavy as Vi brought her closer and closer to the edge, the feeling of her walls tightening on her fingers, how she balled up bedsheets in her fist when Vi was doing exactly what she liked, and —

“Vi…oh, fuck…Violet…”

And that. Yeah, that. The way she said Vi’s name just like that. Breathlessly. Needy. Pleased. That was perfection.

Hearing the way Caitlyn was at the point of unraveling, a guttural moan left Vi’s throat, vibrating through Caitlyn. She felt herself growing wetter by the second knowing how close her lover was, and Vi’s own vocal interest brought Caitlyn right to the brim of overflowing.

Her fingers pushed as far in as her knuckles would allow, and her tongue moved fervently against Caitlyn’s swollen bud. She felt her tighten around her fingers, and her body quaked and legs shook. When the shaking slowed, carefully, Vi removed her fingers and slowed the movements of her tongue, allowing Caitlyn to ride out her orgasm.

When Caitlyn’s ragged breathing calmed, Vi sat back onto her knees. She put her thumb and index finger around Caitlyn’s chin and guided her to sit up and pulled her in for a kiss, letting her taste herself on Vi’s lips. They both took each other in like they were one another’s only source of air.

But Vi wasn’t done with her yet. She spent too long waiting for this moment, wanting to make Caitlyn lose all composure under her. While they lips locked, Vi’s fingers trailed down once again between Caitlyn’s folds. The sudden touch to the still slightly sensitive area made Caitlyn jump at first, but she melted into the touch in an instant. Vi had no trouble coating her fingers in the slick that had gathered and inserted her fingers. She made her palm flat against Caitlyn’s clit to add that friction she knew she desired.

Caitlyn’s mouth opened in a gasp against Vi’s, and a breathy moan escaped her. Vi could feel the way she sunk into the touch, and her hips began to rock, grinding against Vi’s palm. Fingers scratched at Vi’s back, and Vi returned the gesture by wrapping her free hand in Caitlyn’s hair and angling Caitlyn’s head to the side so she could kiss and bite into her neck.

One of Caitlyn’s hands left Vi’s back, and before Vi knew it, it was between Vi’s legs. Long fingers pressed in between her folds, causing a slight jolt at the touch.

Caitlyn whispered through her exasperated gasps into Vi’s ear, “You’re so wet for me. Do you want to be a good girl and come for me?” As she spoke, Caitlyn’s fingers slid inside. Mimicking Vi, she made her palm flat, too, giving Vi a surface to grind upon.

There was only one thing Vi could seem to utter at the moment. “Holy shit.”

The two fucked themselves on each other’s fingers, grinding back and forth on the other’s palm while fingers crooked inside. It was frantic. Sometimes they got ahead of themselves and lost rhythm, but a hand would find a hip and bring the movements back into a controlled, chaotic ecstasy. Their mouths, often open as they moaned and tried to catch their breath, would meet occasionally in a sloppy kiss.

When their eyes locked, Vi managed, “I want to come with you.”

In response, Caitlyn’s free hand grasped Vi’s jaw and pulled her in for a forceful kiss. Her hand lowered around Vi’s neck with a light pressure, and Vi was so done for. She was disarmed and dissolving into Caitlyn’s every touch. Vi held Caitlyn’s long hair firmly in her free hand and hoped that her tightening grip wasn’t hurting Caitlyn as she grew closer.

Both their breathing became short and raced. Vi could hear the squelching of the slick against their hands. The air around them was hot and heavy, and the smell of sex enveloped them. Hearing Caitlyn’s raspy moans grow closer together and seeing her pupils fully blown, made Vi clench around those fingers still hooked inside her. She was so close; she was on the edge right there with Caitlyn.

Vi toppled in toward Caitlyn, and within the beat, Caitlyn was forehead-to-forehead with her. Both women slowed their movements, released their fingers to rest their sore hands on each other’s waists, and panted breathlessly with bare chests rising and falling. In their shallow breaths, Vi’s hand that was in Caitlyn’s hair moved to cup her jaw, and her thumb rubbed against Caitlyn’s cheek, before pulling her in for a wanton kiss. Sex was never this intimate before her. This good.

When their lips separated, Caitlyn looked upon Vi bashfully. “I…have something for you. I thought maybe we could try it.”

Vi raised an interested brow. “Oh, yeah? I’m down for whatever you want to do, Cupcake.”

Caitlyn scooted over to her nightstand and opened a bottom drawer. Vi watched curiously, while also taking in the way Caitlyn’s muscles stretched and thought about how she’d like to make sure her lips tasted every single inch of this woman. When Caitlyn sat back up she was holding a…a strap-on.

Normally, much of Vi’s intimate encounters happened in hotel rooms, so she wasn’t traveling with a harness and dildo. She’d never actually used one of these, but how hard could it be?

Her eyes must’ve widened at the sight because Caitlyn asked, “Is…is this alright?”

Vi smirked. “You mean for me to wear that, right?”

Caitlyn bit her lip and nodded.

“Good. Yeah,” Vi said. She grabbed the harness and stood.

When she figured out the way this thing pulled on and tightened, which embarrassingly probably took slightly longer than it should have, she looked down at the hot pink dick now bobbing between her legs. She’d never seen a real one in person, thankfully, so she guessed this would be considered…big.

She gripped it in her right hand and looked at Caitlyn with a frisky grin. “You think I’m packing, huh?”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. Gods, Vi missed that. “Would you just get over here and fuck me?”

“You don’t need to ask me twice,” Vi responded as she climbed back onto the bed.

Caitlyn was on her back again, and Vi situated herself between Caitlyn’s legs. She could see the slick still gathered at her center. Vi had to restrain herself from diving down and cleaning her up. She held the strap in her hand again but wasn’t sure if she should just…go in.

“Uh,” she hesitated, “Should we like…I don’t know…lube this thing up or…”

“Oh, um,” Caitlyn’s doe eyes peered up at her.

She sat up and leaned forward and angled her mouth down and onto the silicone dildo. Innocent eyes were so deceiving. Glancing up at her, Caitlyn took this new extension of Vi in her mouth, and as she sucked, she left a shiny coating of spit behind.

“Oh, fuck,” Vi muttered, unaware that that would be so hot.

“There you go,” Caitlyn whispered seductively. She stretched upward to kiss Vi softly but ended it biting on Vi’s lower lip and tugging. “Now, fuck me.”

Vi had to break through the short circuit that Caitlyn just caused in her brain. She lined up the slick dildo with Caitlyn’s center and pressed into her. There was little resistance, and upon entering, Caitlyn exhaled deeply and dug her nails into Vi’s back. Vi pulled out and thrust back in, filling Caitlyn even more, becoming flush against her and the cock fully engulfed. Each thrust earned a moan, an exhale, a curse, a scratch, and Vi was completely enamored by Caitlyn and the way she looked and sounded as she took her.

As Vi leaned down to kiss her, hips still pumping away, she took Caitlyn’s wrists and held them above her head, locking her arms there, and nuzzled her nose against Caitlyn’s ear. It was there again, the familiar smell of lavender mixed with sweat. Home.

“You like the way I fuck you? You like the way it feels inside you?” Vi asked shakily, fucking her deeper.

With an unrestrained moan, Caitlyn answered, “Yes, Violet. Don’t stop.”

Vi tightened her hand around Caitlyn’s thin wrists and thrust her cock into Caitlyn as deep as she could go. Each push also gave Vi friction that continued to build, and she could feel herself beginning to swell again. She chased the pressure, but an even lighter feeling filled her chest when Caitlyn unexpectedly commanded for her to lie on her back.

She did as she was told and carefully exited Caitlyn before swapping spots and placing her head amongst the pillows. The dildo comically flopped around as she adjusted on the bed, but before Vi could even think about how ridiculous it looked, Caitlyn was straddling her, taking the piece in her hand and positioning it.

When she slid down onto the shaft, Vi felt so connected with her that she swore she could feel it, too, as Caitlyn sighed in pleasure at the sensation of being filled. Vi’s hands naturally fell onto Caitlyn’s hips when she began to ride up and down Vi’s cock. Her hands then found their way to Caitlyn’s ass and squeezed handfuls, gripping and guiding her motions. The wet sounds of sex filled the room, and Vi was overcome with the pure euphoria that was being this close to someone, this comforting, this safe, this vulnerable. Beautiful. Her eyes were captivated by the way Caitlyn’s body was so expertly rode her.

Vi brought her hands back to Caitlyn’s hips and then removed a hand to lick the thumb. She pressed that thumb against Caitlyn’s clit, so every time she moved, the friction would be there. Then Caitlyn drags her hips back, hard, and her rhythm stutters, and she gasps at the stretching Vi is causing. The swell under her thumb is hardening, and Vi realizes Caitlyn must be close.

“Fu…fuck Vi. You’re so good. Y—yes, I’m right there. Fuck, Violet.” Her name on Caitlyn’s lips sounds like a prayer. It sounds so natural, and it’s so needy.

Caitlyn leaned forward, planting her hands on Vi’s chest, fingertips dipping and pressing into her collarbone, unable to fully control her weight without Vi under her. Watching Caitlyn fall apart at the seams brought a fire into Vi’s chest and a throbbing of her own under the harness. Taking advantage of Caitlyn’s hunched position, Vi firmly gripped Caitlyn’s hips and raised her slightly. She bent her knees to give her some leverage with her feet settled on the bed. Mercilessly, Vi fucked her, deep and hard and fast, arching her back to hit that spot, the one spot that Caitlyn needed. She gave it to her like it was second nature, like taking her was the only thing she ever knew how to do, like her life depended on making Caitlyn feel good, making her come, making her call out her name.

“Come for me, Caitlyn. I want to see you fucking unravel, baby. Show me how much you’ve missed me,” Vi practically growled, continuing her relentless pounding.

The sounds of flesh against flesh mixed with Caitlyn’s cries and moans. It drove Vi mad, and what did her in even more was the wet sucking sound of her cock against the tightening of Caitlyn’s walls. Vi ignored the burn in her abdomen and glutes and pushed through it all to stuff Caitlyn full to reach her climax.

She knew the exact moment Caitlyn lost control. Dark raven hair fell into Vi’s face the second Caitlyn’s arms gave way from the intensity of her release. She moaned and whined into Vi’s skin, clutching around Vi’s shoulders, and Vi fucked her through the whole orgasm, letting her come down in waves, milking every second.

Her thrusts steadied slowed as Caitlyn’s cries began to quiet. Vi’s legs stretched back out in front of her, lowering Caitlyn’s rear and knees onto the bed. Giving into the exhaustion of the orgasm, Caitlyn collapsed onto Vi, not even bothering to remove Vi’s cock. Their bodies, damp with sweat and warm from excursion, melded into one another. Vi let out puffing gasps, attempting to catch her breath, and she could feel Caitlyn’s equally strained breaths on top of her.

Eventually, Caitlyn’s head rose, and she nosed Vi’s cheek before kissing her fully on the mouth. Their lips, somehow still hungry, found an ardent pace. Tongues danced and hands explored as though they’d just begun all over again. Vi wasn’t sure how she ever lived without this, how she allowed herself the restraint to not have this every night with Caitlyn.

With ease and Vi’s lips still attached to hers, Caitlyn’s body rose and slid the strap out of her. Vi could feel it comically plop out before springing back up as if ready for action, but Caitlyn’s mouth parted and her body lifted up and off Vi.

“Let’s get this off of you,” Caitlyn spoke. She dragged the harness down Vi’s hips and legs and dropped it to the ground.

Vi was expecting Caitlyn to come lie back down, but instead, her fingers delicately grazed Vi’s slick folds. The touch surprised Vi, and she shuddered, her clit still sensitive from not finishing prior, focusing all her energy on the woman she loved.

“May I?” Caitlyn asked bewitchingly between Vi’s legs.

Vi licked her lips. There was little in this world that Vi wanted more than Caitlyn’s lips cupped around her clit. Caitlyn’s half-lidded eyes were beyond seductive. This woman could’ve asked Vi to do anything, and Vi would’ve obliged without a second thought. Vi nodded, “Absolutely.”

Within an instant, Caitlyn’s head dipped lower. Vi felt Caitlyn’s fingers separating her lips, stretching them out to get ample access to her bud. Lips circled around it, and Caitlyn took Vi deep into her with a suck, which made Vi reel her head back into the pillows. She drew upward as Caitlyn’s tongue flattened and rubbed against her. With her free arm, Caitlyn reached up and grabbed at Vi’s breast, kneading down before pinching the stiff nipple between her nimble fingers.

She was so close, and she knew this wouldn’t take long, not after the way she railed into Caitlyn mere minutes ago. Caitlyn had to have sensed it because her pace quickened. Vi’s hands clutched at Caitlyn’s tangled hair. Her hips began to grind against Caitlyn’s flattened tongue. The build ached every muscle in the most delicious way.

“Fuck—fuck Caitlyn. I’m right there—right…there,” Vi’s voice broke.

Her legs shook uncontrollably, eye slammed shut, and abdomen convulsed in blinding release. Vi was all-consumed and completely unaware of what sounds she was making through her orgasm. The only thing she was aware of was that Caitlyn slowed to let her enjoy the euphoric ride down.

When Caitlyn lifted her head, Vi could see the glint of her slick running down Caitlyn’s chin. Even the way she wiped it away was fucking irresistible. Vi reached out her arms and pulled her on top of her into an embrace. Their legs interlocked, and Vi felt the wetness of Caitlyn’s core firmly against her thigh. Likewise, Vi’s was pressed on Caitlyn’s thigh that rested between her legs. The dampness of their skin made their chests slide against one another. Caitlyn brought her lips tenderly onto Vi’s. She could taste herself on her lover’s lips, tangy heat mixed with her sweet salt.

Gradually, their kisses began to ignite into a deeper fire that begged to consume them whole. Their tongues drove passionately past lips. Groans of pleasure slipped out of open mouths. For them, it seemed the night was just beginning again.

“We should shower, right?” Caitlyn muttered between ravenous kisses.

“Mmm, yeah,” Vi hummed into her. She angled and tensed her leg under Caitlyn, giving her a source for friction. The heat from between Caitlyn’s legs was radiating. “We should totally shower. Maybe after…”

“After?” Caitlyn cooed.

Vi’s hands traced down to her waist, and she guided Caitlyn’s hips in a rocking motion against her thigh. Her eyes were closed, but she felt the smile ripple across Caitlyn’s mouth mid-kiss, along with a not-so-subtle moan.

“Oh. Mhmm, yes. After,” Caitlyn slurred in blissful agreement.

__________________________

[Multiple images were uploaded in a carousel post to Vi’s social account.
The first was a picture captured from the final fight against Sevika. Vi had her arm around Caitlyn’s shoulders with a glove held up to her temple, and her lips were planted against Caitlyn’s cheek.

The second picture was of Vi holding up the championship belt in celebration.

Third was a picture Vi snapped from their night out at the club. It was before they went out.
The two women stood in the mirror, looking dashing, Vi in her burgundy suit and Caitlyn in her dark dress.

The final selfie photo was more recent. Vi and Caitlyn were in bed, heads against the pillows, with Vi’s arm under Caitlyn’s neck. Caitlyn’s hand cupped Vi’s jaw. Though the snapshot cut off at their shoulders, it was clear they were likely not wearing shirts as their shoulders were bare of any straps or cloth. Their skin was glowing, perhaps from sweat, and Vi’s lips were against Caitlyn’s forehead in a loving kiss.]
VIctorious_VI0lence: It’s been a minute since I posted on here, but life has been pretty crazy since the win to say the least. That’s right, in case you’ve been living under a rock for the past month, I WON. Say hello to your new Champion! I would not have been able to make this dream a reality without my amazing coach by my side.
OH speaking of Caitlyn Kiramman. You drive me wild. From day one, I knew I was a goner. We’ve already said all there is to be said in person, and I know you’ll see this post…and probably be super annoyed I added that last picture…BUT I’m so happy that this season is done, we won, and I get to kiss you. Officially. In front of everyone. ♥️🧁

___________________________

Vi and Caitlyn sat in Mel’s office quietly, watching the manager shuffle through papers on her desk. It was odd. Mel hadn’t said much of anything since the two sat down across from her. Normally, she was all pleasantries mixed with snarky comments. Hell, Vi at least expected some excitement from her since the win. Anything really.

Finally, Mel stopped rustling packets of papers and broke the silence with a sigh. “Are you two sure you want to sign these contracts?”

The two women looked at each other in confusion and then back at Mel.

“Why would we not want to sign it?” Vi asked with perplexed, furrowed brows.

Mel motioned between the two of them. “Well, you’ve officially revealed your relationship.”

Caitlyn chuckled, “I’m sorry, but wasn’t that the point of all those photographs you made us take? You wanted everyone to believe there was something salacious happening behind the scenes, and now that we are actually together, it’s an issue?”

She shook her head, “No, not an issue necessarily. I just want to make sure that you are both sure about working together while being…intimately involved. It could become tricky. Wouldn’t want you bringing household spats into the ring and it affecting your performance.”

Vi had a feeling that was Mel’s only hesitation in this, but maybe she should’ve thought about that before she wanted them to grope each other for photo shoots.

“That won’t be a problem,” Caitlyn affirmed.

“Hm, yes,” Mel raised her brows, “we shall see.” She turned the packets toward the two of them. “Anyway, my dears, that just means a few extra signatures. Once these packets are all filled out, you’ll be continuing your journey next season.”

They grabbed the papers and pens from her desk and settled into their chairs to begin the lengthy process of signatures and initials.

Vi glanced up at Mel and cocked an eyebrow. “So, you’re not even going to ask us how the sex is, like scale of one to ten?”

She felt a slap on her bicep, and Caitlyn’s voice whispered reproachfully, “Vi.”

Unable to help it, Vi smirked and stretched out all her fingers on both hands, mouthing ten.

_________________________

Vi usually dreaded the night of the UFC Awards. It was a bullshit ceremony Piltover loved to put on to bring glitz and glam into the world of fighting, and it meant absolutely nothing. And she didn’t think this because she was bitter or anything like that. In fact, she won awards in the past as best upcoming fighter and best KO. Vi just didn’t see the point of it. She fought because she depended on it, needed it, loved it, not because she could win some shiny little trophy. Her prize was the belt, and since teaming up with Caitlyn, she’s kept that belt for three years now, just like Jayce.

This year, the UFC Awards were going to be different for her. There was an added pressure, unrelated to the awards themselves. This high anxiety, gut churning feeling all stemmed from the tiny, velvet box in Vi’s pocket. Every time she stuck her hands in her dress pants pockets, she could feel it there, and her heart would begin to fire off at breakneck speeds.

“Are you ready, love?” Caitlyn asked as she placed delicate fingers on the small of Vi’s back.

Even that gentle touch startled Vi, and she jumped forward with wide eyes.

Caitlyn held Vi’s forearm. “Vi, are you okay?”

“Yeah, sorry,” Vi choked out. “I just didn’t hear you come up behind me. Surprised me is all. I’m ready, Cupcake. Let’s go.”

***

Vi and Caitlyn were seated at a table with Jayce, Viktor, and Mel. All of them were in conversation in between the announcers and winner’s speeches. Vi rarely joined in, but her eyes were captivated by Caitlyn’s beauty all the while. She was so effortlessly elegant in a black, skintight dress. The gold necklace, the one with the Zaunite symbol that Vi gifted her all those years ago, shined brightly against the dark fabric. Vi tried to stay in this moment, admiring the woman she loved so deeply, watching her smile and laugh amongst friends, but the object in her pocket was burning a hole into her leg.

The longer this night dragged on, the more Vi began to shake her knee. It bounced up and down violently. She hadn’t done this in so long that she really believed she broke the habit. It didn’t escape Caitlyn’s watchful eye either. Her perfectly manicured hand rested on Vi’s restless knee.

“Vi, what’s the matter?” Her voice was sincere, and it melted Vi.

She smiled at her, while simultaneously praying the little box in her pocket wasn’t at all noticeable. “Nothing, Cupcake. These award shows are just boring, and I can’t wait to go home and get to fu—”

“Vi, you won!” Caitlyn interrupted.

Her eyes shot open in shock. “W—what? I won what?”

Everyone at the table and surrounding her cheered and hollered. Vi hadn’t been paying attention to any bit of the award ceremony, and she certainly wasn’t listening to whatever the category was she apparently won. But Caitlyn was pushing her to go up to accept it, so she hesitantly got out of her seat and began her walk to the stage.

Once in front of the audience and cameras, Vi put on her best show-face, all smiles and flashing canines. Russell and Jack handed her the award. Before she stepped up to the mic, she turned around to look at the screen and peek at what award she actually even won. It was Best KO. Honestly, she wasn’t sure why she even bothered looking. She didn’t care.

Vi approached the mic and cleared her throat. Her palms were clammy. She didn’t think they’d ever been this sweaty, not even before her championship fights. Her heart was about to break completely through her ribcage, and her stomach was in her goddamn throat. The main thing she was focused on was not throwing up on stage. She wasn’t sure how she was going to make out any words because her mouth was insanely dry.

Here we fucking go, Vi. You deserve this. We deserve this.

“Hey, everyone. Uh…” She looked at the little boxing glove trophy in her hand. Great fucking start to a speech.

“Thanks for this,” Vi lifted the trophy and heard snickers in the audience. “Honestly, I don’t really care about this award. Uh, no disrespect to the…academy…or whatever…whoever picks the winners. It’s just…I have something else that’s far more important on my mind tonight.” She let out a deep, shaky exhale. “And that’s Caitlyn Kiramman.”

Past the lights, she could almost watch the sea of people turn in their chairs to find the table that Caitlyn was sitting at. She was likely turning beet red because she hated attention.

“Caitlyn, you are the reason for all of this. All my success. All my happiness. My growth as a fighter and a person. You’re my reason to wake up and give a damn about life. After all this time together, I cannot imagine a world where I don’t have you by my side.”

Vi stepped away from the mic and started walking off the stage. The room was quiet enough to hear a pin drop as the eyes followed her through the maze of tables.

When Vi approached her table, she placed the stupid award down and moved her chair out of the way so she could be directly in front of Caitlyn, who was, as Vi guessed, sporting very pink cheeks. It was actually adorable, and it helped minimally calm Vi’s speeding heart.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the small, black box. Slowly, Vi got onto her knee, and she watched as Caitlyn’s sapphire eyes grew immensely wide and hands shot up to her cover her mouth that was now agape.

“So,” Vi started as she couldn’t help but grin, “will you be in my corner…forever?”

The box opened to reveal a bright, sparkling diamond ring, and the crowd around them collectively awed.

Caitlyn’s arms dropped to reveal the brightest smile Vi had ever seen. Those ocean eyes were filled with warm waves, threatening to crash and fall down her cheeks. Her hands dove forward to cup both sides of Vi’s face, and she pulled Vi up toward her.

“Yes, Violet,” she answered with a trembling voice, still trying to hold back an outburst of tears. But the second their lips collided, the tears unleashed, and Vi could taste the saltiness hit her lips. Caitlyn laughed through the tears, “Yes, I’ll marry you. But, can we get away from all of these cameras?”

Vi returned the chuckle and smiled like it would never leave her face. She kissed Caitlyn once more and replied, “Gladly. I don’t want any prying eyes for what I’m about to do to you.”

“Violet,” Caitlyn reprimanded, but the chastisement didn’t mean much when Caitlyn kissed her like she couldn’t fucking wait.

She slid the ring onto Caitlyn’s finger, and when the announcers began back up, Vi and Caitlyn said goodbye to their table and snuck away to thoroughly enjoy their night.

________________________________

While Caitlyn didn’t partake in any of the drinking last night, the room was still too bright. She stretched out her limbs, feeling sore muscles yell back at her and bones crack. Turning to her side, she saw Vi sprawled out on the bed next to her, naked, as was her custom, and Caitlyn didn’t mind the sight. She took a moment to appreciate the muscular form next to her, covered in all its tattoos and scars. That’s when she saw the ring on Vi’s left hand and the night flooded back to her clear as day.

The morning was spent in stressful preparation. Vi complained the entire time about how ridiculous it was that they were trying to keep her away from her soon-to-be-wife.

The ceremony was perfect. Her mother made sure it all went off without a hitch, of course. They shared their vows and kissed like they were each others only source of oxygen.

The reception was one for the books. Caitlyn realized very quickly that Zaunites really know how to throw a party. She was surprised by how well Caitlyn’s mother got on with Vander. It was the first time she ever saw her parents really let loose. Her new family made sure the brides had their fun too. Dancing, shouting, laughing, taking pictures, singing.

But the slow dances were some of Caitlyn’s favorite moments. She loved being up against Vi, swaying back and forth to the music, intermittently kissing, being hers. It was in those moments that Caitlyn got to pretend they were the only ones who existed.

When they party was over and they went up to their suite, Caitlyn anticipated Vi to be insatiable and excitable the entire night, and while Vi’s appetite didn’t seem to let up until the very early hours of the morning, it was far more intimate than Caitlyn expected. In fact, Caitlyn had never had sex with such care behind every single movement before. She didn’t know it could be like this. Vi made sure every part of her was touched and cared for before moving on to the next. When their eyes would meet, it was like a thousand fireworks exploded in Caitlyn’s chest. The night could’ve last forever and Caitlyn still would’ve begged for more.

Reminiscing in the memories of their wedding day, Caitlyn scooted closer and wrapped her arms around Vi. She began to tenderly kiss down Vi’s back, along all the tattoos that marked her perpetually warm skin. It gently roused Vi awake, and the redhead stirred under the blankets and turned to face Caitlyn, eyes still full of sleep but a smile emerging.

“Good morning, Mrs. Kiramman-Lane,” Vi slurred into the still morning air.

Caitlyn returned the smile, “Good morning, my love. How’d you sleep?”

She exhaled and stretched. “Like a brick. What about you? Did I wear you out?”

“Out like a light,” Caitlyn grinned in reply.

There was a comfortable silence between them as Vi wrapped her arms around Caitlyn and traced her fingertips along Caitlyn’s back.

“What a night. We really did that, huh?” Vi said like her mind was somewhere distant.

Caitlyn nuzzled her nose into Vi’s neck. “When this started, did you ever think this was how it would end?”

Vi chuckled lightly, “No. You annoyed the shit out of me. You still do, but I love you for it.” Caitlyn bit Vi’s neck. “Ow! Hey!” Vi laughed, “I said I love you.”

Caitlyn looked up at her and scrunched her nose. “I know. I love you, too.”

Vi started trailing kisses down Caitlyn’s neck. They were soft and loving and left tingles behind on her bare skin. Her mouth reached Caitlyn’s sternum, and her hands teased down her sides.

“How many hours until we have to leave for our flight to Ionia?” Vi asked.

Their honeymoon was to be in Ionia at a luxury resort along the coast. Vi had only ever been there for her fights, and Caitlyn was excited to show her around the rest of the island…so long as she could convince her to leave the bedroom.

“We have to leave in about,” Caitlyn glanced at the clock on the wall, “three hours.”

Vi lifted her head up and smirked, “Well, you already know what I can do with three hours.” She kissed down to her waist. “Imagine what I can do for the rest of our lives.”

Caitlyn gasped. She couldn’t wait to find out.

Chapter Text

“Welcome back,” Jack greeted the audience through the camera. “Tonight we are joined by our new UFC champ, Rell. It’s an honor to have you here.”

The video shifted over the Rell. Her deep tan skin contrasted with the light blonde hair that flowed wildly in a bob around her heart-shaped face. Amber eyes sparkled at the table of commentators. “It’s a pleasure to be here.”

“Your rise in this sport has been incredible to watch,” Tressa stated. “That fight against Irelia was not only entertaining but, also a technical wonder. Your growth has been truly impressive.”

“Thank you so much. I appreciate those words,” Rell smiled. “Hours of training paid off, but still paying my amazing coach, Draven.”

They all shared a quick laugh before Russel went on, “I’m not sure if my colleagues felt this way, but your come up reminded me a great deal of one of our previous belt holders, Vi. Both tenacious and driven, rocky starts with outstanding outcomes. But, that being said, I know you’ve recently put out a proposition for the retired fighter, correct?”

Rell’s smile turned to a hard line. “Vi had an undeniable reputation as being the best in the ring during her career and has sustained that well after. I know so many people that view her as the champ. But, I earned this title, and I want to show everyone out there that there’s a new fighter in charge of this ecosystem. It’s time to move on. Only way I see me gaining that level of respect is to take on our still reigning retiree.”

“Has she accepted the fight?” Raelle asked.

A cocky half-smile appeared on the fighter’s face. “Haven’t heard anything yet. Obviously, Vi has been out of the game for a while now, so my people reached out to her manager.” Her hands flitted up before settling back down on the desk. “It’s a waiting game. Maybe she’s nervous,” Rell chuckled confidently, “but when I get that win, you all will have my first exclusive interview.”

******

[ A carousel of pictures was posted to Vi’s social account.
The first pictured a close up of her face as she smirked and winked at the camera.
The second was of her in a fighter’s stance, gloves up and face half hidden, against a dark backdrop.
Third picture included Caitlyn Kiramman. Vi sat in her sports bra with Caitlyn’s arms wrapped around her shoulders and chin propped on the top of Vi’s head.
The last photo was of boxing gloves hanging from the edge of the chair.
VIctorious_VI0lence: Been a while…but that spitfire is still hot 🔥 Who’s ready for more?
Photo cred: @ChrisFort.ography ]

****

kboxvifan1: HOLY SHIT IS IT HAPPENING?! VI IS ACTUALLY COMING OUT OF RETIREMENT FOR THIS MATCH?

Marco731: Rell is going to be a tough fight when Vi hasn’t fought in so long

UFCNerd853: Word is Vi has already started training with Caitlyn. She’s taking this call out seriously.

PunchMeVi: Caitlyn is so lucky she gets to touch Vi on the daily. #CaitVi

ViSupremacy561: OH MAN! Vi is going to destroy Rell! Pop, Pop! 🥊

FtheAuthority: damn I didn’t see this fight coming

KirammanStan: I knew Caitlyn wouldn’t be able to stay away from the sport. And she looks damn good ringside

******

The warm morning sun baked Vi’s bare back. She was nestled in bed with her wife. Vi was lying on Caitlyn’s stomach as the unbelievably gorgeous, naked woman twirled her fingers in a bed head of red hair. It had grown a bit longer now, but Vi still kept the left side shaved, enjoying when Caitlyn’s nails etched through it. Mornings like this were her favorite. Slow and gentle and playful mornings where they melted into each other. The fingers in her hair that scratched softly at her scalp made goosebumps ripple along her back and arms.

Caitlyn asked in almost a whisper, “Are you still in this fight, Violet?”

They officially talked with Mel three days ago, even though Rell had been running her mouth about wanting to fight Vi for weeks. Her former manager told Vi to think about it and get back to her, but Vi and Caitlyn had yet to really talk about the prospect of getting in the ring again. The idea of getting those gloves back on after years of retirement was both parts exciting and terrifying. Still an avid watcher, Vi kept up with the sport and knew Rell was a powerful fighter. Did she really want to come out of retirement to potentially look like a jackass? She shook the thought from her mind quickly. With Caitlyn as her coach one more time, she knew Cait would get her back into shape and ready for a fight in no time.

“‘Course I am. With you in my corner, I could take anybody.” Vi kissed her stomach and grinned against it, “You know, Mel is thrilled at the idea of this face off.”

Vi didn’t even need to look up to feel Caitlyn’s eye roll.“Well, of course she is. It’s so she can torture us with more press.”

“I know, not your favorite.” She remembered all the times they had to pose suggestively and how torturous it was at the time. The memory of Jinx showing her the UFC magazine cover resurfaced. “But, you looked so hot in every photo, Cupcake.”

“Always the flatterer, you are.”

“Nah, just telling the truth,” Vi winked up at her and kissed her skin again.

As if ignoring the press of Vi’s lips, Caitlyn went on, “If you’re one hundred percent sure you want to take this on, we should start watching her fights.”

Well, Vi couldn’t have that. Sure they had to talk about the proposition, but Vi could only think about one very important thing right now and that was Caitlyn currently being naked underneath her. Work could wait. Vi peppered kisses from Caitlyn’s hips up to her chest before tracing her nose along Caitlyn’s sternum. She could feel her shudder under her as her lips met Caitlyn’s collarbone.

“Vi…” she reprimanded with no real threat of stopping her.

“Sorry. Got me thinking about those pictures we took all those years ago. Remember ‘em?” Vi muttered into Caitlyn’s neck. The smell of lavender and vanilla floated into her nostrils.

She chuckled briefly, “How could I forget? My cleavage was out for the world to see, and then we pretended to be a couple…”

“Again — hot.” Vi licked up Caitlyn’s smooth neck, feeling her pulse quicken as she lingered. Moving up against her ear, she nibbled on Caitlyn’s earlobe and whispered, “Wanna know what I wanted to do to you when I originally saw those photos?”

It was clear Vi was winning here. Caitlyn’s fingers went from being tangled in Vi’s hair to digging into her muscular back. Their legs tangled under the sheets, and she could feel Caitlyn’s hips arching and searching for purchase, which made the heat between Vi’s own legs surge.

Still, Caitlyn pretended to protest, “Vi, it’s already half past nine.” Her breath hitched as Vi kissed and nipped from ear to jawline. “We…we should really get a move on if we want to catch Mel while she’s…in her office.”

Finally, Vi’s mouth smashed against Caitlyn’s with fervor. The last thing on her mind was leaving this bed without tasting her wife. Her tongue rushed past Caitlyn’s lips and both couldn’t help but release small, wanton moans.

“You know what’ll happen if you give me a time limit,” Vi teased, followed by slotting her leg between Caitlyn’s and feeling the wet heat against her thigh.

She caved, digging her nails into Vi’s back, “Two hours.”

Vi smirked against Caitlyn’s lips. “A quickie it is.”

“You’re ridiculous,” she murmured.

Vi pressed solidly between Caitlyn’s legs again and let her grind against her thigh while she dived down to kiss behind her ear. Just as she had worked her way up Caitlyn’s body, her mouth retraced its path down, only deviating to suck and playfully bite at each perked nipple, which elicited the most mouthwatering sounds of the woman under her.

No matter how many countless times Vi found herself gladly between these thighs, the feeling never failed to give her that heady fizzing in her chest. It was like a molten core being reawakened. Her tongue lapped fueled by desire. Her fingers easily slid inside and hooked, filling Caitlyn while she herself clenched around nothing. The moves were practiced and mastered, but it was never stale — not when the woman above her looked like a piece of artwork handcrafted painstakingly from one of the gods. Vi worked her tongue and fingers like she owed Caitlyn this orgasm. Truthfully, she did. Nothing and no one could have made Vi so happily content in life as her wife, so she had plenty for which to reward her.

As Caitlyn’s first leg shaking orgasm was drawn out of her, Vi slowed and the corner of her mouth pulled up toward her ear. Oh, there was a lot she could do in two hours.

___________________________________

Communication with Mel was far and few between once Vi retired. The former manager was friendly, but all three women led busy lives. After holding the championship for three years, fighting for a few after that, and winning the belt once more, Vi and Caitlyn opened up their own UFC training gym. It had become a passion project they could both share. Situated right on the border of the two cities, encouraging both Piltovans and Zaunites to come in and train alongside one another. In the beginning, Vi had her work cut out for her, quelling a few potential fights, but years later, the gym became such a success. Caitlyn believed this would be their life. Manage and run the gym, live their normal, domestic life outside of the spotlight, and have really amazing sex. And, while all of that is true, she did not have sitting in Mel Medarda’s office on her bingo card the year.

Caitlyn peered over at Vi, who was slouched in the armchair next to her, and was immediately jolted into the past. She could see the younger version of this spunky, brash fighter sitting there reluctantly willing to be the only Zaunite the room. Like those old times, Vi’s leg began to shake, and just as she used to then, Caitlyn placed her hand reassuringly on Vi’s knee and gave a gentle squeeze. When their eyes met, Caitlyn softly smiled and winked.

Vi gave a half-smile back and straightened up in the chair. “Sorry. I don’t know why I’m shaking like that.”

“Old memories.”

She chuckled, “Ha. Yeah, guess so.”

Suddenly, the door behind them swung open and the sound of heels on hardwood echoed in the room. Mel strutted to her desk, dressed in a white and gold dress and looked as elegant as Caitlyn remembered.

“Ladies,” Mel greeted, “It truly is such a delight to see you both. It has been ages. You look well.”

“As do you,” Caitlyn complimented.

Her dazzling eyes drifted over to Vi. “I’m glad to see you still appear to be in shape and retirement is treating you well given what we’re all here to discuss.”

Vi’s nose scrunched, “I’m thirty-six not sixty-five, and I run a gym helping aspiring fighters. Did you think I was immediately going to let myself go when I left the ring? Damn, Mel, it hasn’t been that long.”

Caitlyn could attest that Vi’s muscles were still very much still present and stamina had not declined. She had to quietly clear her throat and keep her mind from wondering to mere hours ago, otherwise she feared her cheeks would grow warm and red.

Mel went on and shrugged her shoulders, “Well, you never know with retired athletes. Still, you’ll need to be at your best again to take on Rell. Have you seen her in the ring?”

They answered simultaneously.

“Yes.”

“Yeah.”

“Then you’re aware that she is going to be a powerful opponent.” She leaned forward a bit on her desk. “Are you positive you want to take this on?”

She was correct. Recently on days when Caitlyn had free time, she had been studying Rell’s fights from the past few months. The girl was a beast in the ring. She knew how to control the space and pour in power when it made a difference. It would be a challenge, but they weren’t starting from scratch. Caitlyn could confidently say she did not miss those very first few fights and the painfully resentful training sessions from her fiery counterpart.

This question, however, no matter how assured Caitlyn was in their ability, was up to Vi. She was the one devoting the time and putting her body on the line. Her eyes settled onto the redhead next to her and waited for her to be the one to answer. Immediately, she noticed that Vi’s leg wasn’t shaking, and Vi was sitting straighter with squared shoulders.

“I’m sure,” Vi stated firmly.

An imaginary weight that Caitlyn was unaware she was even holding lifted from her shoulders as a breath rushed past her lips. She turned back to face Mel who was beaming ear-to-ear.

“Ah, this is fantastic, girls!” Mel clapped her hands together and shuffled through some papers on her desk. “I’ll set the fight for…what do you say…six months out?”

Again, Caitlyn looked at Vi. Her fighter wasn’t completely out of the game since she worked in their gym often training other athletes, but Caitlyn didn’t want to be the one jumping the gun. Frankly, she was always of the mindset that the more time they had to prepare the better. Oddly catching her off guard, Vi’s pale blue nearly silver eyes, which never ceased to be stunning, focused on her. Silently, they communicated, weighing pros and cons of the timeframe. Then Vi nodded and turned back to Mel.

“We can do that,” Vi confirmed.

“Perfect.” Mel made a note on a paper. “Well, you ladies have much work to do to prepare. As do I.” Her scheming gaze went to Caitlyn, and that look made Caitlyn’s stomach turn a bit. “You’ll begin with a promotional photoshoot tomorrow.”

A pit formed in her stomach. Caitlyn did not miss that part at all. Her eyes closed and mouth fell into a hard line, and even with her eyes shut, she could feel the two other women regarding her with smugness.

“Fine,” Caitlyn exhales.

With an airy laugh, Mel concludes, “I’m so excited to be working with you both again. Before you leave, here are contracts.” She passed them both a packet and a pen. “Sign those and you can be on your way. I’ll be in touch, darlings.”

After signing said contracts, Caitlyn and Vi stood and walked out of the office hand in hand, which was in stark contrast to their first year in their partnership. A squeeze of Vi’s fingers made Caitlyn look down at her, and the fighter smirked up at her as they walked out of the building and out into the sunny day in Piltover.

“What?” Caitlyn questioned with an arched brow.

“Just thinking about how I’ll have more photos that will, uh, inspire moments like this morning,” Vi nudged her arm.

Oh.

Immediately and intensely, Caitlyn felt warmth alight in her cheeks and cleared her throat. She couldn’t help but think that maybe another photoshoot wasn’t the worst way to start this journey.

_________________________________

“I have exciting, exclusive news,” Russell announced.

“Do share,” Tressa responded.

“We’ve received word from a trusted source,” Russell continued, “that our former champ, Vi, has accepted the fight against Rell.”

“Amazing!” Jack exclaimed.

Pictures and videos of some of Vi’s old fights flashed across the screen as they continued to speak on the news here.

“How are you feeling about this, Russell?” Raelle asked. “I know when Vi was in it, she was a favorite fighter of yours. You believed in her ability to win the belt long before many of us did. How do you think she’ll fair against Rell?”

He nodded, “Of course, I’m ready to see our spitfire back in the ring. Her retirement was on the earlier end, so I’m sure she still has fight in her. As we said, Rell’s come up was quite similar to Vi, but,” he paused, “I’ll admit I didn’t want to say this while Rell was here. I think Vi is absolutely going to give her a run for her money — if not win.”

Tressa’s head went side to side contemplatively, “Vi does have the years of experience that Rell does not.”

Now, pictures of Rell played along the screen. Her deep skin covered in glistening sweat and muscles tensed as she threw a punch at the fighter before her. The next photo showed her mid-celebration after a win, charming smile despite the blood dripping from her nose, frayed blonde hair coming out of short braids against her head.

“Both coaches have unique training practices from what I understand. They clearly know how to challenge their fighters and make them stronger,” Jack added. “I think this will no doubt be one entertaining fight.”

“Should we make some bets again?” Raelle lightly jabbed Russell’s arm.

“Well,” he grinned, “you know who my money is on.”

______________________________________

Over the next months of training, Vi and Caitlyn fell into a solid routine. Normally, their days post retirement and creation of their gym, Ironclad Gauntlet, were loose in their schedule. They’d wake up, eventually head to the gym, Vi trained or lifted, they handled paperwork, and head home for the night or see family. Vi didn’t realize how much she actually missed this. The structure, the challenge, the strain on her muscles, the stretch, the time spent alongside her coach, her wife.

The beginning days started off easy with studying Rell’s fights. Vi could see a lot of herself in those videos. Fast punches, risky defense, and a crowd pleaser. Caitlyn, as always, pointed out Rell’s tactics with logic, and gave her opinions on the best way to counterattack and find openings. Vi pointed out the dramatics of Rell’s coach at the sidelines. He was often shouting commands and waving his hands. It was very much the opposite of Caitlyn’s ringside demeanor, and if Vi could hone in on that and listen to his shouts, maybe she could spin it to her advantage. From the fights they’d been watching, it didn’t seem like he was using any deceiving shouts, and Rell generally followed up with his yelled suggestions. Given how speedy she was in the ring, most fighters were probably too preoccupied with keeping up and blocking to bother listening to Draven spouting punches.

One night, Vi was prepping dinner and the smell of spices filled the kitchen, giving a warmth she always loved when cooking. She tossed chicken around in the pan and then stirred around veggies in the other. Amidst the sizzling, Vi heard the footfalls on the tile floor behind her.

Caitlyn was holding tablet in her hands and was concentrated on the screen. “Listen to this,” she said as she pulled up a few videos and queued them to specific spots. “You mentioned the showmanship of Draven, and I found something.”

In each clip she played, Vi could hear Draven exclaim from the corner the word “showtime.” Each time he did, Rell would throw a combination that rarely deviated. It only changed if the opponent was still swinging toward her, but for the majority of the clips, Draven yelled and Rell threw a quick double jab, cross, upper, and finished with a powerful hook that would KO her opponent. If the challenger was still punching at her, she would add in some defense and a few extra jabs, but the main combo would rear its head at some point soon after the shout.

“You see it?” Caitlyn asked.

“Mhm,” Vi hummed. “The combo right after he yells. These fights are recent?”

“Yup.”

“So, we have a tell,” Vi observed.

“Yes, we do. This means you need to have your ears open in the ring,” Caitlyn pointed out.

“I know.” Vi tapped her hip against Caitlyn’s. “You think we should come up with our own little catchphrase combo?”

Caitlyn laughed, “Gods, no. My aim is not to make your fighting predictable.”

She smiled in return, “Fair point. Good catch, by the way.”

Caitlyn shrugged with an air of pride, and Vi scooped up some of the seasoned veggies with the spatula and blew on them to cool them down before offering the bite to Caitlyn. Accepting the offer, Caitlyn’s eyes closed taking in the full delicious flavor of Vi’s cooking.

“Delicious,” she complimented before giving Vi a quick kiss and heading back to her office.

Vi called out after her with a mischievous tone, “Can’t wait for dessert!”

******

Running at Dynasty Trails had also begun as part of Vi’s new routine. Before this, the two of them still ran but not as often and the miles were shorter. Caitlyn asserted that it was imperative with a fighter like Rell, Vi needed to have solid stamina, especially with the defense she’d likely need to have in this upcoming fight. Vi remembered being told many times from Caitlyn that a good defense was just as tiring as an offense.

Her feet kicked up pebbles and leaves as she ran the path behind Caitlyn. She had to keep reminding herself to keep her arms loose at her sides and inhale through the nose and out of the mouth. The sound of a gentle wind rustling the branches in her ear were calming as they mixed with the sound of their footfalls.

After some time, they reached the first viewpoint. It was one Vi stopped at so many times on their runs, enjoyed the peaceful warbling of the river below. She slowed and approached the edge, steadying the rise and fall of her chest and quelling the slight burn in her lungs. In the past few years, their runs typically ended here with an easy walk back down, and it had been a while since Vi had prepared to run for additional miles. A few minutes rest and sip of water was a restful welcome.

“Vi,” Caitlyn’s voice called out from over her shoulder.

She turned and grimaced, “I know, I know. Three more miles. Can’t we hang here for a second like we used to during my regular seasons?”

Caitlyn smiled and shook her head. “We also had more consistency then. This is a short stretch of time. The goal is increasing stamina, so,” she strutted over and placed a hand on Vi’s shoulder, “sorry, honey, no breaks.”

Her deep ocean eyes looked out over the open valley and the corners of her mouth lifted up. The way the breeze blew the wisps of hair that didn’t make it to her ponytail was dreamlike. Or, maybe Vi was getting used to the altitude. Either way, her wife was undeniably gorgeous.

“Never gets old, though, does it?” Caitlyn remarked in a hushed voice.

It didn’t matter how many days, moths, years it had been with Caitlyn, Vi still felt her breath hitch while she tried to tear her gaze away. “No, it doesn’t.”

*******

Vi was coated in a sheen of sweat as she bounced around the ring in her fighter’s stance. Caitlyn finished running Vi through warmups, some lifting, and practiced combos before this, so she was absolutely feeling the burn. But, she also felt so good. Alive and enjoying the familiar tension in her muscles. Four rounds had passed in her matchup against the one and only Jayce. Over the years both pre and post retirement, the two of them would occasionally spar at the Ironclad Gauntlet, but never with this much intensity.

Though Jayce did not participate in the same warmup as Vi, she could tell he was also feeling the workout. The former champion had kept up a decent physique, but not to the extent that Vi had. His abs were a little less defined, and his breathing was rougher than Vi’s breath. Caitlyn and Vi both instructed him not to go easy on her, and he was looking for that powerful punch to get her to cave.

They exchanged a few blows mainly to the body. Then Jayce lunged quickly in with jabs and crosses high, forcing Vi to bring her gloves up to block, but Vi could see the pattern and could anticipate his move. As his glove came up for that punch to the abdomen, Vi quickly brought her arms down to block her body, preventing a shot that would’ve knocked the wind out of her. Jayce let out a grunt of frustration.

Vi shuffled back away from him. Her lips went tight against her mouthpiece in a smile, and she wagged a glove at him. “Tsk, tsk, Pretty Boy. Not so fast.”

The alarm on Caitlyn’s phone went off to signal the end of the round. Vi went to her corner and Caitlyn approached with a water bottle, shooting the stream past Vi’s mouth guard.

“Excellent work,” Caitlyn commended her. “That was a variation of one of Rell’s ‘showtime’ combinations. Let’s work on you not only defending but following with a counter.”

“Sure he doesn’t need a break?”

The two of them stole a glance at Jayce. His brown hair was tousled and sweaty. He was hunched sitting on the stool, and he ran a towel over his winded face before grabbing his water.

Caitlyn snorted and returned her attention to Vi, “He’ll live. Now, my thought is when he comes in for the uppercut, block and pull back the same way you did but follow with a teep to set up for that combo we practiced earlier. You remember it?”

“Yup.”

“If he gets the upper and goes in for that hook, roll under it and throw your own hook or uppercut,” she explained.

Vi stood, stretched, and headed to the middle of the ring to tap gloves with Jayce. The round played out with Vi equally running through her defense and offense. When Jayce came at her with that telling combo, Vi did exactly as Caitlyn suggested and rolled under the hook and countered with her own uppercut and hook. Jayce shuffled back and put his hand out to cease the fight. Feeling confident, Vi hopped on the balls of her feet with a smile before going to Jayce and patting him on the shoulder. While Caitlyn praised her afterward, she also made sure to remind her that Rell would move faster than Jayce, and Vi assured her she handled bigger threats than Rell.

******

The fight was now a month out, and, thanks to Mel, Vi had to participate in a mandatory press screening with Rell. It was all to hype up the fight and acquire even more interest, so Vi assumed it was going to be a little chaotic. Every now and then Vi would hop onto socials and see Rell’s posts or recent interviews, and the fighter was a big talker. Vi found herself laughing at the ridiculousness of Rell’s ranting about how she would destroy Vi in this fight, and she wondered if she sounded the same way when she was a young fighter.

Currently, Vi waited in a hallway with Caitlyn outside of the room where the interview would be taking place. Both women were dressed in clean gym attire befitting the event. Vi ran her hands over the spandex top and pleated joggers before bouncing on her toes and shaking out her hands to get out the jitters. She turned to Caitlyn and saw her coach leaning against the wall. Her head was back and eyes closed. It was obvious to see that Caitlyn was dreading this. She always hated doing PR, but Vi knew the idea of doing a live interview with the opponent on the other side of the table more than likely sounded like a pure nightmare for Caitlyn.

Vi walked over and rubbed Caitlyn’s upper arms soothingly. When those blue eyes opened to her, Vi whispered, “It’ll be over before you know it, Cupcake.”

Caitlyn only nodded silently in return.

Past the doors, they could hear the announcer begin. “Thank you all for joining us here today for our Clash of the Champions pre-fight interview. We have a microphone set up here in the middle, and we ask for a line to calmly form as our fighters take their seats. Now, let’s get started, shall we? Give a warm welcome to our first fighter and current belt holder, Raging Rell!”

From beyond the door was a muffled round of applause and cheers, but at her side, Vi heard Caitlyn let out a shaky exhale. Vi wrapped her hand over Caitlyn’s and gave an encouraging squeeze. As the sound from beyond the door died down, the announcer started up again.

“And, now, put your hands together for our former champ, spitfire in the ring, Vi!”

It was an odd rush to hear her name over loudspeakers again. The adrenaline kicked in even more as the doors opened and the two stepped out side by side before Vi took a tiny lead up the stairs to the raised platform. Lights pointed at the small stage were blinding, and the flashes from numerous cameras definitely didn’t help. It had been many years since Vi dealt with this kind of eclipsing attention, but holding her composure, she energetically hopped up the steps and walked across the stage with a smile and wave at the press junkies before her. She made a point to stop and pull out Caitlyn’s chair before heading to her own. Settled in now, Vi could feel the heat of the lights, and she turned to look at Caitlyn and give a comforting smile accompanied by a squeeze of her hand under the table.

On the opposite end, she was finally seeing Rell in the flesh. Her short bright blonde, almost white hair was styled in a purposefully disheveled way to give her an edgy appearance, and she made sure to wear something that had the muscles in her arms on full display. She was totally trying to intimidate Vi, and this veteran fighter couldn’t care less. Her coach, Draven, next to her was an interesting man. His black hair fell elegantly just past his chin, and he sported a perfectly shaved goatee. Draven wore a casual suit with the button up underneath open enough to show off chest tattoos that ran up the side of the neck. Those green eyes sparkled in limelight, and Vi could tell instantly that he enjoyed being in front of the camera. If Caitlyn was a shy, flighty kingfisher in front of cameras, Draven was a dramatic, showy peacock.

The announcer thanked both fighters for coming here today, as though either really had much of a choice, and opened the floor up to questions from the journalists. Most of the questions were pretty standard, and, of course, Vi eventually got the questions about if taking years off would affect her in the ring, which she could insanely stupid because who would say yes when training to fucking win? For the most part, answers were pretty tame, and that surprised Vi more than anything considering this was blown up as some intense rivalry sort of brawl.

“Vi,” the next journalist began, “you’ve been out of the ring for a few years now. How do you feel going up against a younger fighter, particularly one that has been compared to a younger version of you no less?”

She chuckled, “Again, lemme point out, I’m not some washed up seventy year old stepping back into the ring.” Vi stopped the journalist before he could try to apologize or correct himself, “And, I know, you meant no offense. It’s fine. Yeah, she’s younger than me, but even though I removed myself from competing in the sport, I didn’t stop working out or training. Caitlyn would’ve kicked my ass if I let myself go simply because I didn’t have a belt to defend, and I would be miserable not in a gym anyway.”

Vi heard mumbling from the other end of the table, but she ignored it and continued on, “As far as Rell being compared to a younger version of myself, that doesn’t frighten me with this matchup. Age and years holding the title brought me a lot of wisdom, confidence, and patience in the ring and also respect for other fighters. Younger me made a lot of mistakes until I found Caitlyn, so we’ll see what version of the spitfire Rell is influenced by soon enough.”

There was a cackle from the other end of the table. Rell spoke into her mic, “I keep hearing this ‘you’re like a young Vi’ and ‘Vi definitely influenced your style,’ and I just want to say, I forged my own path to become the champ. She’s not the champion anymore, okay? I am. And, I’m here in this position because I rage in the pit. No one does it like me. There’s so much talk, Vi this, Vi that, but Vi was how many years ago now?”

Oh, here we go.

Her brows confusedly scrunched together, and Vi leaned back to her mic to respond, “You wanted this fight, right? You pulled me out of retirement, so why are we acting like I’m irrelevant when you called me out?”

Ignoring the question, Rell kept spewing, “You were only relevant then because you couldn’t keep your hands off a Piltie. Made it like a sideshow act.”

Vi’s eyebrows raised and her mouth fell open before anger overtook her and pulled them back together and hardened her lips into a line. She could handle shots fired at her all day. That was part of the job, but Caitlyn was not in this sport to be dragged through mud. As she prepped for a brutal comeback, a firm hand pressed her shoulder. She didn’t have to look at Caitlyn’s face to know her coach would be begging for her to not feed into the show.

“I see respect for other fighters is not a trait of mine that rubbed off on you yet. That ‘Piltie’ you’re talking about is my wife. Now, she’s too sweet to run her mouth the way you do, and you’re lucky she would prefer me not embarrass you here. So, you’ll have to settle for me shutting your mouth for you in the ring.”

There was a tension filling the space between the table, and instead of fueling it further, Vi leaned back in her chair and looked for the journalist to whom she was previously responding. Unfortunately, they stepped away from the mic, so she just finished by stating, “To go back to that question, how do I feel — ready. And eager.”

Another journalist walked up to the mic and faced Caitlyn. “Coach Kiramman, what as this process been like for you, getting back into the ring with Vi?”

Vi could see Caitlyn’s eyes widen as a question was thrown her way, and she watched a nervous swallow as Caitlyn carefully scooted up to her mic. This was not her scene in the slightest.

“Well,” she started timidly, clearing her throat, “I always enjoy training Vi. She puts her all into everything she does, and I think that’s evident given how long she maintained the belt. When a challenge is set in front of her, she takes it on completely with unmatched determination. In many ways, that makes my job easy because all I have to do is help her focus that energy and those techniques for the fight at hand. The years of experience we have add to the ease of picking up where we left off.”

The way Caitlyn spoke about her and their partnership made the embers in Vi’s core warm and ignite. For someone who hated being in front of an audience like this, Caitlyn found a way to be so enthralling with her gentle and articulated speech. But, then her levelheaded coach did something Vi was not expecting. She leaned forward, looking past Vi and down the table toward Rell and Draven.

Her blue eyes were big with a mocking sincerity as she spoke with a softness, “Though, I am curious, Draven what is this process like for you? You’re coaching such a young fighter, one only newly a champion, against one with mastered skill. I’d imagine that would be nerve-racking. Or, is this about the theatrics of it all? When it’s showtime, I suppose you’ll show us.”

Vi’s mouth fell open and then turned into a huge, proud smile as she watched Caitlyn sit back in her chair calmly. She was fucking stunned by those disarming remarks. And…maybe a little turned on by Caitlyn being a total badass. Actually, Vi wanted to grab Caitlyn’s face and kiss her so bad in that moment that she hardly heard Draven’s reply.

“I assure you this is not about ‘theatrics,’ though it will absolutely be quite a show. My fighter has the tenacity of youth, but do not mistake that for a lack of wisdom, Ms. Kiramman,” he spoke in a languid fashion, giving off the air of a stuck-up prick.

“Mrs.” Caitlyn corrected before adding, “We shall see.”

The rest of the interview went on without anymore hiccups or outbursts, and the announcer let everyone know the official date of their final weigh-in. At the very end, Vi and Rell came to the center of the table and stood face to face. It was meant to be a sportsmanlike handshake to conclude the press conference, but that tended to not be how things went in the fighting world. Both women stood with broad shoulders and chins tilted up. Stone-cold stares remained unflinching as cameras flashed on them. Sizing each other up began then and there.

The fighters and their coaches walked off the stage and out the doors from which they entered to their respective green rooms to gather their things and head out. Vi walked behind Caitlyn, and her eyes fell to the sway of Caitlyn’s hips. Her mind drifted back to how Caitlyn surprised her by firing a shot at Draven. That quick tongue was something Vi thoroughly enjoyed when Caitlyn let it loose…both figuratively and literally.

So, when they entered their dressing room, Vi locked the door behind her and watched Caitlyn head toward the vanity to grab her bag. With the hand on her bag, she turned to look back at Vi and curiously narrowed her brows with a small grin. Her hands moved to her waist as she popped her hip. Vi smoldered and believed Caitlyn knew exactly what she was doing.

“What?” Caitlyn asked coyly.

Vi began taking steps toward her with eyes half-lidded in desire. “What you did out there,” she responded, still moving to be flush up against Caitlyn, “was so fucking hot.”

Her hands curled and cupped Caitlyn’s jaw as her lips crashed furiously against her. They parted and pressed with a hurried, heady need. Caitlyn’s lips chased hers when she dipped down to drag a line of kisses on her neck. The unsteady, raspy breaths of her wife filled her core with a molten heat that drove her wild and ravenous. Caitlyn’s fingertips pulling along her back only added to Vi wanting more.

Having her up against the counter of the vanity, Vi used her leg to spread Caitlyn’s thighs. Vi’s hand searched for the waistband of Caitlyn’s pants, and when she got there, she was so glad Caitlyn also decided to wear pleated joggers because the elastic material gave Vi much easier access. Her fingers slid past the fabric and underneath the hem of her underwear. The tips of her fingers met with a warm, damp folds, and Vi moaned unabashedly into Caitlyn’s mouth between their fervent kisses. As she rubbed against Caitlyn’s swelling clit, like instinct, Caitlyn’s fingers tangled into Vi’s shaggy hair.

The way Caitlyn was losing her composure, so ready to unfold like the petals of a budding flower, made Vi’s chest catch fire and the heat between her legs throb. Giving into her carnal lust for this woman, Vi pulled Caitlyn’s pants down to her knees and turned her around to face the mirror of the vanity. Vi’s hand grabbed Caitlyn’s ass, and her teeth tugged at Caitlyn’s ear. She watched the raven-haired beauty’s cheeks flush and eyes close in the reflection.

In her ear, Vi whispered, “Such a naughty girl on that stage, but you’re gonna be a good girl for me now.”

Her hand released her grip on Caitlyn’s bottom and slid between her legs again while her other hand grabbed at Caitlyn’s breast over the fabric, in too much of a hurry to care to remove it. She gathered slick on her fingers before gliding inside. Vi’s pumps were slow at first, but Caitlyn’s whimpers indicated that she wanted and was ready for more. More than willing to please, Vi added another finger to start stretching her.

Again, she pushed Caitlyn’s thighs apart a little wider with her own leg so she could fuck her properly — the way she deserved. They hadn’t indulged in a quick and dirty quickie like this in a long time, and honestly, the pleasure and the challenge to get Caitlyn off in public made Vi not only feel young again but also, untouchable. When she was between Caitlyn’s legs, she felt like she was on top of the goddamn world. She had absolutely everything she needed.

Vi could see in the reflection that Caitlyn had begun touching herself, circling her own clit while she held herself up on the vanity with the other. Caitlyn was biting down on her lip and her cries started to grow louder and more frequent. Vi felt about as wrecked as Caitlyn looked, and she could feel the pool gathering in her own underwear, especially when she looked down and saw her fingers coated well up to the knuckles as they thrust in and out of Caitlyn’s slick, tight heat.

“Ah, fuck, Vi,” Caitlyn breathlessly let out, “I am so close.”

A firm hand gripped around Caitlyn’s throat, and Vi added another finger, which made Caitlyn’s breath catch in her throat. Her mouth pressed close to her ear again, “Fuck my fingers, baby. I want to watch you unravel and come all over me.”

She picked up the rhythm of her pumping fingers, and Caitlyn’s rubbing sped up, as well. Both their breathing was ragged, and Vi could feel Caitlyn growing tighter and tighter around her fingers. She was bending and Vi wanted to make her fucking snap and come completely undone.

“That’s it,” Vi encouraged.

Then she could feel it. Caitlyn clenched down. Her back arched and her legs shook. She fucking gushed onto Vi’s hand. Vi watched her in the mirror and never saw a woman more beautiful and sexy than Caitlyn in her come down. She waited a moment before slowly pumping in and out a few more times, earning destroyed whines from Caitlyn.

Suddenly, a knock rattled against the door. Vi’s hand, which was still gently cupped against Caitlyn’s neck, slid up to cover Caitlyn’s mouth to stop the very needy sounds escaping her.

A voice called past the locked door, “Uh, hello, Mrs. Kiramman-Lanes, your car is out front and ready for you both.”

Vi cleared her throat, still three fingers deep in her wife, and shouted back, “Thanks. We’ll be right out.”

She let a few beats pass before removing her hand from Caitlyn’s lips and sliding it down her her hips. They looked at each other in the mirror and smiled and giggled, and then Vi kissed Caitlyn’s shoulder. Carefully, she removed her fingers and gently ran them through the dripping folds so Caitlyn could finish riding out her orgasm. Afterward, Caitlyn turned back around to face Vi and kissed her deeply.

“Come on,” Vi stated in a hushed voice as she help pull Caitlyn’s pants up. “We’ll finish this at home.” She planted another kiss on Caitlyn’s parted lips before backing away to the door, and with a wink, she added, “We have endurance training today, yeah?”

_______________________________

Caitlyn stood just off to the side in front of the massive UFC background next to Claggor and Mylo. During the fight they would be in her corner, so they wanted to be present for the weigh-in. The lights overhead and before her were making her uncomfortably warm. She crossed her arms and chewed on her bottom lip. Claggor clapped a hand on her shoulder and squeezed, and they exchanged a brief smile. She admittedly was grateful to not be here on her own. Weigh-ins were another big show, and even after all these years, Caitlyn still hated the attention, especially after that press conference when she stupidly put herself front and center confronting Draven.

Speaking of, she looked across the stage and saw the man there in his burnt orange blazer and and tan slacks. He glanced over and saw Caitlyn staring, and his smug face somehow became even more so as he shot a wink Caitlyn’s way. She scoffed and rolled her eyes, focusing her eyes forward once again. Truthfully, she wanted Vi to come out and defeat Rell to wipe that cocky grin off his face.

As she thought of her champ, the announcer came out and called on the fighters to join their respective team on stage. The two women walked out from opposite sides, and with each step onto the stage, the crowd erupted in cheers and camera flashes. All of the cameras made Caitlyn have to squint, but the blinking lights paused as a figure stood in front of her. A shock of red hair braided back into a ponytail and knee-weakening smile appeared that made Caitlyn have to remember to breathe.

Vi spoke low, “Let’s get this done with, yeah, Cupcake?”

Caitlyn nodded and watched Vi fist bump both Mylo and Claggor before strutting to the front of the stage. She was a natural, raising her hands up for the crowd to cheer louder. Rell certainly didn’t lack for being an entertainer either. Caitlyn watched Vi’s competitor feed into the excitement into the room, as well, bringing her hand to cup her ear to incite an uproarious round of applause before the announcer reigned in everyone.

It had been quite some time since Caitlyn witnessed one of Vi’s weigh-ins. The man on the mic was muffled droning in the background while Caitlyn lost herself in memories of those first few times she watched Vi strip down to her spandex shorts and sports bra. It was criminal for a woman to look that good. Her muscles were unreal, and the way her tattoos moved when she flexed was enough to bring embers to a flame. When she finally snapped to the present and looked over at Vi tugged off her shirt and pulling off her sweatpants, Caitlyn realized her thoughts hadn’t changed, even after all this time. Vi’s body was a wonder, and Caitlyn was a well traveled explorer still in awe.

These events were generally quick, but when they were meant to garner attention for big fights like this was set out to be, they often milked it for as much as they could, which meant face-off photo-ops. This was the part that Caitlyn was uneasy about. No matter how many times she watched Vi either manage to keep her cool or shove her opponent or be pushed by them, it always made Caitlyn’s stomach twist with anxious anticipation. Knowing cameras abound, however, she made every effort to remain focused and neutral.

The two women took their posing fighter’s stances. She could see Rell mutter something, and then Vi’s jaw moved in response. Rell retorted. Vi laughed and shook her head before holding her chest high and tilting her chin up as intimidation. The younger fighter faked a push, but Vi remained like stone, unmoving. Rell turned around and waved a dismissive hand, but then she whipped back around to throw a punch Vi’s way. Caitlyn stiffened and took a step forward instinctively, but Vi was quick. Her fighter bounced back out of the way the jab and let out a boisterous, mocking cackle.

“You’ll have to be faster than that,” she called out to the Noxian fighter who was now being held back after lashing out.

Caitlyn finally exhaled and watched Vi flex for the cameras one more time before grabbing her clothes from the ground and heading back to her. Mylo clapped her on the back as they departed from the stage.

“You okay?” Caitlyn asked mostly out of habit.

Vi grinned, “Yeah. Feelin’ good. Awake. Alive.”

********

This fight was set for the championship standard of five rounds, and the first round ended with what Caitlyn assumed would be a draw. These two fighters were smart and spent the majority of their first round against each other feeling the other out, testing reach, defense, and speed. It wasn’t an unusual tactic, but Caitlyn could hear the crowd around her egging on for more action already. Vi sat on the stool while Caitlyn knelt in front of her. Mylo grabbed a water bottle and pour water into Vi’s mouth while Caitlyn spoke.

“Your reach is comparable. We knew that going into this fight. She’s going to pick up the pace next round, and you need to defend,” Caitlyn stated. “Run her stamina down, get her tired, and wait for the right shots.”

Vi nodded, “We got this.”

“We do,” she agreed. Caitlyn encouragingly pat Vi’s knee before they both stood with the end of the break.

Holding her arms across her chest, hands rubbing her triceps, Caitlyn watched Vi shake out her arms and roll her neck as she headed for the center of the ring. She tapped gloves with Rell and the two were off. Caitlyn didn’t even notice she was biting down on her bottom lip until the pressure became too much and registered in her brain.

Vi was doing well this round following Caitlyn’s commands. From their corner, she shouted out reminders to keep her hands up, pull back, and use her lower body. An impressive combo from Vi of a speedy double jab, low roundhouse, duck, and an uppercut to the body rocked Rell about halfway through. Caitlyn, normally composed and stoic if this was a real season, found herself cheering on a bit, but those proud exclamations were short-lived because not long after that combination, Rell managed to clock Vi with a face shot. Vi’s nose began to trickle blood, and the more she moved, the faster that stream became.

Damnit.

She called out one more time to stay on her guard, and Vi took the time to defend and wear down Rell’s endurance for the rest of that round. Again, if Caitlyn had to call it, the round could go to either fighter.

Back in the seat, Claggor worked to plug up Vi’s nostril to quell the bleeding. Mylo gave sips to Vi so she could breathe from her mouth in between. At this point in the fight, Caitlyn gathered Rell could be seeking the knockout and it’d be time to listen for that tell from Draven. Explaining as much to Vi, she nodded in acknowledgment.

“Remember how to counter if you hear Draven. Keep your guard high.” From years of practice, Caitlyn’s face remained neutral. “How are you feeling? It’s been a while since we’ve been in this.”

“I’m good, Cupcake, but I might need a really good massage tomorrow,” Vi joked before Mylo popped her mouthguard back in and Claggor pulled out the cotton from her nose.

“Focus, Vi,” Caitlyn stated with a half-smile.

She was glad Vi could at least find a way to make light of this because, truthfully, Caitlyn was a bundle of nerves. There was no doubt in her mind Vi was capable of winning, but she was also aware that Vi took a long break from consistent rounds like this, particularly against someone who was aiming to knock her out. All she could do was hope that she trained Vi enough to make a difference. To her right, she could hear the distinct shout of Vi’s sister, Jinx.

“Fuck her up, sis!”

Caitlyn turned to see the bright blue hair, of which Jinx recently decided to chop off. Those long braids were gone, and now she rocked an edgy chin length cut. She styled it with two little buns on either side of her head. Next to her was her fiancé, Ekko. The two women locked eyes and smiled wide at each other before Jinx returned to cheering on her big sister.

Vi dodged an onslaught of incoming punches right as the round began, weaving and bobbing around and under Rell’s gloves. Vi had it in her, but still, Caitlyn found herself impressed by the speed and tenacity of her fighter. Rell was throwing punches ruthlessly, but somewhere in the maelstrom, Vi found an opening. While she ducked down, she slugged Rell with a couple of hooks to the body, but in her retaliation, Rell managed to connect with a knee push that was just enough to force Vi to stumble backward. With her feet teetering back, Rell swooped in with a cross and hook. Both made contact.

Vi fell to her hands and knees.

Caitlyn’s heart dropped to her stomach. She could see the blood spouting onto the mat. Vi was slumped over, and the ref knelt down next to her. He was about to start counting down. There was a deafening ringing in Caitlyn’s ears. Jinx’s cries and the roar of the crowd sounded muffled beyond it.

Her mouth felt dry as she yelled out, “Vi!”

The ref’s hand slammed once on the mat. It began.

“Vi! Get up!”

________________________________

She swore she had it. A quick couple of body shots before backing off and regrouping with some defense. But, it was a stupid mistake. A miscalculation as Caitlyn would say. The knee threw off her balance, and, gods, she was tired. She felt heavy. That was all it took. Here she was on her hands and knees, blood pouring down to the mat, and her head in a daze all because of one mistake.

Vi felt the presence of a body next to her, but it was hard to make out the words. She tried to shake out the pounding in her skull, and when she shook her head, the blood speckled the mat in each direction. Trying to focus, she saw the hand come down next to her.

Fuck me.

“Ten…nine…”

The doomed countdown had begun. Vi groaned. If she didn’t get up here, Rell would win by TKO.

“Eight…”

She would have done all of this — all the months of training — for nothing. Her body begged to hang it up. This didn’t really matter. She didn’t ask for this fight. It wasn’t for a belt. She already had that for three years consecutively and once more before she hung up the gloves. This was purely a show, so she could listen to her body.

“Seven…”

“Vi, you need to stand up! Get up!”

She loved that voice, even as it screamed at her. No, it was pleading.

“Six…”

What the fuck am I doing?

Of course she could do this. Caitlyn fucking Kiramman the coach of all coaches trained her. In that, her mindset shifted. She had to stand up. She had to win this because Vi still had fight left in her. She’d taken worse hits than this and would still rise up. Swinging her head again, watching blood fling around, tensing her arms and shoulders, Vi remembered the words repeated by her coach time and time again: Your mind quits before your body does. She wasn’t fucking quitting.

“Five…”

Vi pushed off the ground and slowly stood, rolling out her neck and shoulders. The crowd burst into applause and hollers. She brought her gloves up to her face and assumed her fighter’s stance. Across from her, she watched Rell turn around and the grin that was plastered on her face melted away. Her expression turned from shock to annoyance as her brows pulled together. If anything, getting up was worth it solely to see the expression on Rell’s face.

The ref had them tap gloves and the rest of the round continued. It was the most excruciating thirty seconds of the fight so far. Vi was focused on staying on her feet and blocking every punch thrown her way. These thirty seconds were about conserving as much energy as she could before the break and next round. To her surprise, she didn’t hear Draven call out at all.

When the bell rang, Vi could not be happier to sit her ass in that seat. Immediately, Claggor was tending to her nose and the small incision he needed to make above her brow. Caitlyn firmly held onto her forearms as she squatted in front of her. Looking into those ocean eyes, Vi could see the swelling of conflicting emotions, worry and hope, pain and pride.

“I fucked up,” Vi winced at Claggor’s pressure.

Caitlyn shook her head, “You got up. You’re still in this fight.”

Frustrated, Vi asked, “Why didn’t Draven call it? She could’ve ended the fight right there.”

“He’s running this for all it’s worth,” Caitlyn stated sourly.

Claggor chimed in, “He wants old Vi to come out. They want you to lash out. They want my Vi, so they can show her up.”

A light went off in Caitlyn’s head. “He’s right. They want to defeat that Vi to prove Rell isn’t like you — she’s better.”

Vi almost laughed if she wasn’t focusing so heavily on pushing past the physical pain. “Well, that’s not happening.”

“Keep it steady. If he doesn’t call it in this round, he absolutely will in the fifth,” Caitlyn asserted.

Claggor finished with his patch up, and Vi nodded firmly. The way Caitlyn regarded her here, proud of her, respected her, believed in her, Vi couldn’t let her down. This wasn’t about a belt. It wasn’t about Rell’s weird vendetta. This night was about them. It was for them. If Vi came out victorious, it would be sprinkles on a cupcake. And, the second she rose from that stool and stepped center ring Vi held her shoulders high and made the continued strength of her presence known. The crowd exploded.

Rell begrudgingly tapped Vi’s gloves, and the moment the bell rang Rell came in with a flurry of punches. Vi found a refreshed lightness in her step from the adrenaline. Rell came after her with a jab and cross but Vi rolled and slipped out of the way, and when her punches failed, Rell attempted a roundhouse. Vi was ready with a knee block and followed with a front kick, which knocked Rell back. The look in her opponent’s eyes was pure frustration. She could practically hear the internal screaming asking why she wouldn’t go down and lose already. That only put more fuel in Vi’s gas tank.

While Rell kept firing off combos, Vi kept an ear open as she listened for the tell word, but Draven wasn’t budging. Regardless, Vi countered Rell whenever she could safely. At one point, she landed a handful of strong hits, and now Rell’s blood found its place next to Vi’s on the mat. Vi rolled under another cross and hit Rell with another body uppercut and popped up with a hook. Ducking under a punch, Vi got in with one last cross before the bell tolled.

The crowd continued to shout as the fighters headed to their corners. This was it. The final break. A weight suddenly fell heavy on her shoulders. She only had one more round to make either the score swing in her favor or get that knockout. Vi realized she hadn’t felt pressure like this in quite a while, and even though a biting nervousness gnawed at her side, there was also a resolute fire burning inside her making her yearn for the win.

As usual, Caitlyn’s face was stoic in front of her. She always told her she would be an ace in a poker game. Vi teased, “Penny for your thoughts, coach?”

“He’s going to call it out. He has to now,” Caitlyn responded seriously.

She nodded, “I know. I’m listening. I remember the combo.” After a sip of water, she added, “And, even if he doesn’t call it out, I’m making this count.”

“You did really well out there last round, Vi. She’s feeling it.”

“I know.” Vi gave a half-hearted smirk, “I’m feeling it, too, but I won’t let her know that.”

Once more Claggor spoke up, “Let her think you’re gassed. She’ll be reckless.”

He was right because he saw Vi do the same time and time again when he coached her.

Caitlyn considered the play, “A bluff…could work. Use your best judgement. I know you’ll sense the right move.”

Towards the end of her time in the ring, Caitlyn deferred to Vi’s instinct more and more because Vi earned that trust. She proved herself against opponents hellbent on knocking her on her ass. Vi didn’t take the gesture lightly. It was a show of their bond and confidence in each other. She was also a bit excited to see Caitlyn and Claggor working together, even briefly, like this. That didn’t happen during her regular seasons because Clag was pushed out by Mel, but Vi was enjoying having both of her coaches present for her today, especially because Clag could bring a different perspective to this match.

Caitlyn looked up at Claggor and then at Vi and gave a nod with a small grin. Her hand lightly brushed Vi’s cheek. “Now, go get her, champ.”

The buzzer sounded and, for the final time, Vi tapped gloves with Rell. This round contradicted the last. Rell started slow, mainly defensive. Vi would have to goad her before she could bluff. She came in with a few punches, cross, hook, cross. Jab, cross, jab. Jab, upper. Rell was able to block the majority. Vi tossed in a roundhouse, and that opened Rell’s side up for a hook.

After a couple more hits, Vi took some steps back and put on the farce. Her shoulders sagged and her gloves went from blocking her face to hanging a touch lower than they should. She took deep breaths and started rolling out her shoulders. Rell inched closer.

“It’s showtime, Rell!” Draven yelled out, “Showtime!”

Vi smirked. Yes, it is.

The look on Rell’s face turned to a feral animal ready to pounce for the attack. Immediately, Vi’s gloves went back to properly guard. Vi blocked the first double jab and cross of Rell’s combo, and knowing that the uppercut was next, she dipped her body and arm down to block the body shot. Rell followed with the hook, but Vi rolled underneath. Countering, Vi pushed Rell away with a teep, and just like before, Rell took a couple stumbling steps backward. Her amber eyes went from wild fury to disbelief that an opponent got through that combination so flawlessly without taking a hit. In that split second of realization Rell was having, Vi charged forward with jab, which Rell blocked. Didn’t matter. Her next move was a low roundhouse, and that made Rell buckle just enough to set Vi up.

She could hear Draven from the side, “No, Rell! Block! Get out!”

Vi used the opening to hit her with a cross, and she directly followed up with an elbow on her rear. Blood spattered out into the air and droplets decorated the mat. Rell toppled over and hunched to the ground. Her arm reached up, as though trying to grab at Vi, before she fully collapsed.

The ref ran to kneel next to the fighter. Vi’s eyes went wide as he checked on Rell, and she could see this wasn’t going to be a countdown like she faced earlier in the match. He was about to call it — a knockout. Before the ref had a chance to stand up, Vi turned her back to the fighter and threw her hands in the air. Her lips went tight against that mouthguard as she screamed triumphantly out to the crowd. The bright lights made it hard to see past the first few rows, but Vi could see enough to know they were standing in celebration. She could feel the energy like electric currents pumping her up. When she turned back around, the ref was now standing, arms slashing outward calling the fight.

Caitlyn, Claggor, and Mylo rushed the ring, and they all encircled Vi in momentous hugs. In some ways, in this particular match, Vi was the underdog, and she hadn’t been that since her first year with Caitlyn. It was a fight where she had to prove her worth again, and while championship wins felt good, but there was something special about this. It was such pure happiness, relief, and pride that it filled Vi’s chest in a way that few other win had.

When they separated, Claggor quickly wiped away the blood and sweat, and Mylo unwrapped Vi’s gloves and wrist wraps. Cleaned up and with free hands, Vi scooped up Caitlyn into a rib-breaking embrace. Caitlyn garnered enough space to rub along the frazzled but still tightly braided hair and then ran her fingers through the shaved side of Vi’s hair. She stared lovingly into Vi’s probably bruising eyes.

“I could not be more proud,” she smiled.

Vi nestled her nose into Caitlyn’s neck and kissed up till she reached her cheek. There were moments in that first year where all she wanted to do after a fight was exactly this. She relished in being able to do so now. Vi could hear the cameras clicking, and the presence of video cameras began to climb up into the ring. While staying in this moment would’ve been preferred, she knew she had to get on with the formalities.

Detaching from the hug, Vi went to the center of the mat where the announcer now stood. Rell slowly hobbled over to them, as well.

“Winner of this fight by knockout,” the announcer rang out over the mic, “our former champion, Vi Kiramman-Lanes!”

He lifted her arm in the air, and Vi gave her smiles and winks for the cameras and crowd. When he released her arm, she walked over to Rell and wrapped her arms around her shoulders.

“You put up one hell of a fight,” she said as she pulled away and clapped a hand on her shoulder. “I can see why you’re the current champ. Wear that title with pride.”

A corner of her mouth lifted, “Well, you definitely humbled me.”

“You’re young. Plenty of time to keep learning. If you ever want to train together, you know where to find me,” Vi offered before walking back to her original side next to the announcer.

He turned to Vi and asked, “Vi, how do you feel after this win? There was a moment many of us didn’t think we’d be seeing you as the victor.”

She chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck, “There was a second I didn’t think so either. But…I feel alive,” she smiled. “This wasn’t for a belt. This was for me. To prove I still had it.” She shook her head, “No, that we still have it.” Her eyes wandered to the side where Caitlyn was standing out of the shot of cameras. Vi extended her arm out toward her, “Come here, babe.” Caitlyn took Vi’s hand and was pulled closely into her side. Vi kissed the top of Caitlyn’s head.

He went on, “Caitlyn, I’m sure it goes without saying that you are thrilled with the outcome of this match. What was running through your mind as you watched alongside all of us here and at home?”

Caitlyn’s eyes darted around in thought, and she took a big inhale before speaking, “If I told you that my stomach didn’t drop when Vi did, I’d be lying, but I will say that through any of her fights, no matter what turns they took, I’ve never doubted Vi’s capability. She showed us all, once again, why this sport is so loved and why she has remained such a key figure in it. It’s an honor to be able to do something like this at this scale with Vi again.”

“Vi, was this your call to come out of retirement?”

She flashed a canine and laughed, “Sorry to disappoint but afraid not. This was a one time deal. I’m so grateful to have been able to come back for this and have fans that still show up and cheer me on. You all make this a dream, seriously.”

Vi blew a charismatic kiss out to the crowd, pulled Caitlyn in tighter, and together they walked out of the ring. Claggor and Mylo joined them, both patting Vi on the back as they departed. This fight was done and now came the celebration.

******

[ A group of pictures was posted to Vi’s socials.
The first was post-fight Vi holding Caitlyn at her side kissing her on the forehead.
Second picture was of Vi with her gloves up above her head just after knocking out Rell.
The final picture was from the weigh-in. Rell and Vi stood face-to-face.
VIctorious_VI0lence: What a wild night. I am beyond grateful this opportunity and this win. This would not have been possible without my team. Having my former coach, Clag, able to work alongside Caitlyn was the perfect way to come back into the ring. Cait, you are my rock. My world. You push me to always do my best, and your belief in me got me through this fight.
Finally, I want to give a shout out to Rell. Calling me out took guts. You’re an amazing fighter. You earned your spot among those who wore the belt. I wish you nothing but the best in all of your future matches.]

****

Mel already scoped out a place and had a reservation set if Vi won, which, of course, she made sure to point out she knew Vi would. It was at this swanky restaurant and club in Piltover. Typically, this was not Vi’s scene, but Mel swore to her that she’d love it. How could Vi say no to her manager when this was likely the last celebratory event she’d host for her? She couldn’t, especially when she invited Vi’s family and said she’d cover the bill. So, Vi and Caitlyn dressed up to party through the night. She wore a deep forest green blazer, white button-up, sleeves rolled up obviously, and black slacks. Caitlyn looked drop-dead gorgeous in a simple but elegant matching green dress with an off-the-shoulder design.

Everyone gathered at a table with their food and drinks. Jinx, Ekko, Claggor, Mylo, Vander, Benzo, Mel, Jayce, and Viktor were all talking and laughing while they ate and drank. At the head of the table sat Vi and Caitlyn opposite Mel. Vi’s hand was rubbing Caitlyn’s knee, and she sipped her drink slowly and observed the table with a unparalleled content. It was amazing to have all of these people she cared about here in this one spot after such a tiring but tremendous day.

Eventually, Mel made eye contact with Vi, and there was an exchange of smiles that ended with Vi raising her glass toward her manager. To this, Mel’s lips parted and eyes widened. She stood and raised her own glass, which quieted the table.

“I realized this escaped me at the beginning of this dinner, so I’d like to quickly make a toast. Vi, you are an unbelievable fighter. Your prowess is undeniable, and from the many years we worked together up to now, you continue to surprise me. It has been my greatest joy to work with you all these years. We are here to celebrate your success, but I’m going to stop now because none of us need your head to get any bigger than it already is,” Mel ended with a jesting grin and twinkle in her eye in Vi’s direction.

“Hear-hear,” Jinx called out. Sitting next to her sister, Vi leaned over and shoved her shoulder playfully.

“To Vi,” Vander toasted.

After everyone repeated the words, Vi stood to add, “And, to Caitlyn. Without her, I wouldn’t be where I am today — or the woman I am. You make me better.”

“Hear-hear,” Mylo tossed out this time, and as Vi sat down, she threw a napkin at Mylo’s face.

When everyone finished a delicious dinner, Mel encouraged everyone to head to the dance floor. Vander, Benzo, and Viktor turned in for the night and headed home, but everyone else followed Mel to the club and bar area.

The music thrummed through Vi’s bones, and she let the beats guide her movements. Her hands glided along Caitlyn’s dress, tracing the outlines of her curves. She brought Caitlyn in closer and turned her around to have her backside grind against her hips. Her mind swam into thoughts of getting Caitlyn out of this dress and flowing into this rhythm between the sheets. Vi let her lips ghost over Caitlyn’s neck as she tilted it to the side for easier access.

When Caitlyn turned to face her, their lips collided and Vi tasted the sweet warmth on her breath. Her hands dug into Caitlyn’s waist and deepened the kiss. Though the music was loud enough to mask it, Vi could feel the vibrations of a moan from Caitlyn break, and she smiled against Caitlyn’s mouth.

“Get a room,” Jinx jeered from a few feet away.

Still smiling against Caitlyn’s lips, Vi flipped the bird in the direction of Jinx’s voice. She pulled away slightly and exhaled deeply through her nose. Honestly, the moment was getting a bit steamy, and Vi could feel the yearning heat growing at her core.

Biting her lip, Vi told Caitlyn, “I’m gonna grab a drink. Want anything?” When Caitlyn shook her head, Vi smirked, “You gonna run out on me again, Kiramman?”

Caitlyn’s jaw dropped and brows pulled together, but Vi could hear the frivolous truth in her tone. “What? I’d never dream of it.”

Vi went up to the bar and ordered her drink, and within a few seconds there was a bump against her hip. Jinx’s short, bright blue hair appeared at her side. Her blue and purple eye shadow sparkled and shifted in the changing lights of the club.

“Having a good time?” Vi asked.

She nodded, “Mhm. I can see you are.”

Vi hip checked her lightly back, “Shut up.”

When the bartender brought Vi her drink, Jinx ordered her own. There was something on Jinx’s mind. Vi could see it in the way her sister’s fingernails tapped on the bar. She had a good idea of what it was given how close the date was to approaching.

“What’s on your mind, sis? Having cold feet?”

“What? No. No, never.” Her fingers stopped, and she leaned back gripping the edge of the bar. “I’m just…I’m really good at creating art. Give me a brush and paint and I can transform a blank canvas into something unique. But…words…I think I struggle. I’ve thrown out so many drafts of my vows. How did you write yours? When did you know you got it right?”

Vi’s leaned forward on the bar and chewed at her cheek in thought before taking another sip of her drink. Her wedding felt like ages ago. “Well, I’m not really great with words either. I actually…” she huffed a laugh, “I never told anyone this. When I had to write mine, I went to this running trail Caitlyn and I used during my trainings. I sat at this one outlook. It was the first place Caitlyn and I really connected. I sat there and let those feelings and those moments flow through me and just wrote what came to me.”

Jinx’s eyes glazed over running through her past. They popped open wide when they landed on something. “Thanks, Vi. I think I have an idea.”

_________________________________

Caitlyn leaned back against the bar, and the cool metal on her back felt good since she drew hot from dancing. Even in her dark navy dress with a fully open back, sleeves that billowed out and tapered at the wrist, she managed to grow hot on the dance floor. Some of the little hairs at the nape of her neck stuck to her skin, and she was glad the rest of her hair was up in a bun to feel the breeze. She drank some of her mocktail. It was fruity and the bubbles tingled on her tongue. She’d have to thank Jinx for making this an option at for the reception. It was a little detail like this that helped her feel normal amongst a crowd.

In the sea of people on the dance floor, Caitlyn could see the love of her life dancing with her sister. Pink and blue hair jumped and twirled with the upbeat music. A smile rippled ear to ear, and in a few moments, as the song came to an end, Vi locked eyes with her and danced her way through the guests. She looked dashing in her suit that matched the color of Caitlyn’s dress.

Vi strutted up to the bar and propped herself on the edge next to Caitlyn. With that look that could steal every heart in the room, Vi flirted, “Fancy meeting you here.”

Caitlyn played along and hummed, “Mmm. Who do you know at this wedding?”

Scooting closer, Vi tilted her head in toward Caitlyn and lifted her chin toward the direction of Jinx. “Oh, ha, well, I’m actually related to the bride. She’s my sister.”

“Oh?” She mocked surprise.

Vi nodded and placed a hand on her chest, “Yeah. Best woman. What about you?”

“Me? Oh, I’m crashing this wedding,” Caitlyn stated, shooting a mischievous glance toward her.

“No? A sweet looking thing like you?” Vi pushed off the bar and stood in front of her.

“Are you going to kick me out?” She questioned with puppy eyes.

A roguish smile made Caitlyn’s knees buckle. Vi’s voice was an enticing purr, “Not if you dance with me.”

Placing her nearly finished drink on the bar, Caitlyn took Vi’s hand and went out to the dance floor. The music was switching from a pop song to a softer mood — a song perfect for a slow dance. Some guests cleared out, which made room for the two of them. She felt Vi’s hands settle on her lower back, and her warm hands on Caitlyn’s bare skin sent a heatwave through her body. Caitlyn placed her own on Vi’s shoulders and they swayed to the music.

She looked over and saw Jinx and Ekko dancing, too. Jinx’s wedding dress was undeniably hers. It was a white, A-line dress, and the lace overlay on the fabric was painted in a gorgeous smattering of colorful flowers. As it reached her chest, the flowers became less abstract but more sparse. Her hair was loosely curled, framing her face, and Ekko had tucked a beautiful orange flower behind her ear. The couple molded to each other and rocked unhurriedly. It reminded Caitlyn of her first dance with Vi at their wedding.

Vi must’ve been thinking the same. She broke the quiet between them and told her tenderly, “I could marry you all over again.”

Caitlyn’s hand caressed Vi’s cheek, running a thumb over that tattoo. A day did not go by where she wasn’t stunned by the beauty and gentleness of this woman. She pulled Vi in for a slow, breath-stealing kiss, and when their lips separated, she whispered, “I love you.”

Pressing her forehead, against Caitlyn’s, Vi said the words that remained unchanged, “I love you more.”

__________________________

Vi’s hands shook as she pulled the scrap of paper from her pocket. She just listened to Caitlyn’s ridiculously well-worded and heartfelt vows, and now she had to somehow get her own out of her mouth when she was being partially blinded by tears that welled in her eyes. After a sniffle and a giggle shared between them and their officiant, Ekko, Vi took a deep breath, blinked back the flood, and began.

“Caitlyn, I struggled finding the right words to express how much our love means to me because I don’t think there are words that could hold the weight of that feeling. Every single day, you help shape me into a better person whether you realize it or not. You challenge me. You care for me. You believe in me. And, I believe and trust in you.

I know there was a time when we didn’t think we’d get there — let alone here. But, I want you to know when I tell you ‘I love you more,’ I don’t mean that I love you more than you love me. I mean I will love you more than the summation of any bad day. No matter how difficult or how long or how trying, I will always love you more than that. No matter much time passes, no matter what changes, my love will remain unchanged.”

She looked up and saw Caitlyn with her own tears threatening to run down her cheeks. Vi folded the paper and shoved it back in her pocket and grabbed Caitlyn’s hands.

Vi whispered, “Fuck, I really want to just kiss you now.”

The two of them laughed and dabbed away the happiest of tears.

“I love you,” Caitlyn whispered back.

Vi’s heart felt so full that she’d never forget how lucky she felt in this exact moment to be standing across from a woman she wanted to spend the rest of her life with until her last breath. She settled for kissing her hand until Ekko said the damn words.

“I love you more.”