Chapter Text
Syndra abruptly snapped her book shut with one hand and sighed. She’d known for a while (a lie, she knew exactly to the hour) that Sarah and Ahri were fooling around together but they were getting more and more obvious as time was going on.
At first it started with more subtle things, like looking at each other for too long, sweet little shared smiles. Then it progressed to Sarah staying over for longer, being way too lavish with gifts for Ahri and lingering hand touches. Of course, Syndra was in no way annoyed by it, not at all, but spending time with Ahri was important to her. She wasn’t particularly close to Sarah, their attitudes and personal views conflicting with strong personalities, but Syndra felt that Ahri complemented her in a way that Sarah couldn’t.
Well, whatever. It’s not like the small giggles coming from the other room made her eyebrow twitch.
For all she knew, they could be doing something other than being ‘together’ and Syndra was just overthinking the situation this whole time. Unlikely, though. She’d been trained to recognise people and these people are definitely into each other.
None of my business, I suppose.
With another large sigh, she opened her book again and leafed through to the page she was on before and leaned back into her chair. She successfully managed to get two pages into it before she heard yet another giggle. Closing her eyes, she willed the ability of calm to crash over her and turned her attention back to her page.
Another giggle, this time followed by a small crash and a louder laugh. Apparently tonight was not the night to read Othello. It’s not like she hasn’t read it before (of course she knew a large portion of the lines, she could recite some chapters with her eyes closed) but it was her time to relax and this...wasn’t relaxing.
Suddenly, Ahri’s door burst open and a slightly ruffled looking Sarah fell out of it, smirking and holding onto the door frame.
“We totally need to do that agai- oh, hi, Syndra.”
Ahri’s head popped round the door, hair perfectly tousled and necklace askew.
“Hey girl!” Ahri said with a surprised look on her face, like the fact that Syndra was sitting in her own home was a shocking thing that had never happened before.
It was hard not to notice Ahri’s vest strap falling off her shoulder and the slight pink that tinted her (soft looking, pretty) cheeks. Syndra cleared her throat and shut her book. “Hi. I got home an hour ago. I see you’re busy and I’ll leave you to it.” Before either Sarah or Ahri could react, Syndra swept out of the room, leaving a wake of confusion behind her.
The next time it happened in front of her, there was no doubt in her mind: they were being far more overt than Syndra has had the displeasure of seeing before. She had walked into the kitchen to see Ahri nuzzling her perfect, peach coloured locks into Sarah’s hands as she delicately massaged Ahri’s head and ears.
“Oh! Syndra! Hi, girl,” Ahri giggled, looking absolutely delighted.
“Yo,” Sarah said. She had a pretty deadpan voice unless she was killing things which always made Syndra slightly wary of her.
“We were gonna watch this super cool show if you wanted to join us, babe? It’s about ‘Ze Musketeers’”, Ahri said in an attempt at a French accent, flinging her arms about dramatically. “Sarah’s just braiding my hair - I did hers too! Isn’t that right, honey?”
Sarah just smiled and flicked the bright red braid of her hair over her shoulder so Syndra could see it better. The purple haired girl just inwardly cringed at the lovey-dovey nickname and decided it was better if she just left them to their own devices.
“I apologise but there are things that need doi-” Syndra got out before Ahri got up and cut her off.
“No way, girl - you can spend some time with your friends, right?” Looking hopefully into Syndra’s eyes, Ahri took hold of her hand and all but fluttered her eyelashes to persuade her friend. Feeling her resolve crack like marble, Syndra sighed.
“I mean. Yes, ok,” she said, rubbing the back of her head. Ahri’s face lit up like a candle on a birthday cake at her word and suddenly, Syndra didn’t think it was too bad to hang out with them after all.
“Great. I can do your hair too if you want, Syndra. I brought cake,” Sarah said and picked up a white box with a gold bow wrapped around it.
Syndra’s eyebrows raised and she tried to peek at the box. “What...kind of cake?”
Ahri smiled and waved her hand. “Chocolate of course, what else do you take us for? We live in luxury, darling.”
Well. Cake was really difficult to refuse.
Syndra flipped a lock of dark hair over her shoulder and sighed. “I guess I can partake in the frivolities of man. Or Star Guardian, as one would call it.”
“Good!” Ahri clapped her hands together and abruptly stood up.
Setting up the show was pretty easy and Ahri and Sarah didn’t seem to be overly affectionate with each other (or affectionate at all). Sarah took the cake into the kitchen to cut it into mouthwateringly smooth slices whilst Ahri and Syndra busied themselves pouring drinks and popping the popcorn in a large bowl.
She began to feel almost at ease because she was used to living with these two - they were her friends, after all. But seeing their relationship change made her feel unsure of where she stood; would it affect the team? Would they have to fight differently because they favour each other more than the team overall? Ahri also held a very strong stance on having nothing more to lose than she already had and she was quite prickly when it came to getting very close to her. It’s not like that also didn’t apply to Sarah - she was a year older and she had endured an incredibly rough past that she didn’t like to bring up with her fellow Guardians.
Syndra was honestly just worried for them and the team more than she was annoyed about the possibility of them being together.
“Hey. You ok?” Ahri startled her out of her inner monologue, stopping her from spiralling any further.
“Y-yeah. Just tired, you know.”
The peach-haired girl didn’t look satisfied with her answer, but nor did she push her for more. “Well, you know where we are if you need to talk, right?”
Syndra could only nod, feeling slightly embarrassed. It wasn’t really her business what they did or didn’t do with her relationship but it sure felt like it was.
“Good - let’s go. Sarah, which Musketeer is the hottest one?” Ahri yelled over at the sofa where Sarah sat.
“None of them.”
“Aw, you’re no fun.”
“Ahri, they’re sweaty medieval men that probably don’t wash very often. The concept of a dirty man is not attractive. Plus, you know what my type is. They aren’t it.”
Ahri just pouted and brought her bowl of salted caramel popcorn over. “So mean. Syndra, sit,” she continued pouting, as she patted the plush brown sofa and sat down with an ‘oof’.
Syndra made a face. “Do I have to sit squashed next to you? I could just sit on the floor, you know.”
“Please. That’s so undignified. I’d let Jinx sit on the floor like a little puppy, but not you.”
Syndra wasn’t quite sure how to react to that. Was that more derogatory to Jinx or her?
“If I must. Move up, please.”
“Ooh, you said please. Are we gonna get a thank you?” Ahri teased, shaking her popcorn bowl at her.
Syndra glared at her and unceremoniously plonked herself onto the sofa with her bowl. “There. I’m sitting with you, play the show.”
“Wow, anyone would think you loved hanging out with us,” Sarah needled as she reached for the remote.
Ahri just huffed a small laugh and put her arm on Syndra’s shoulder. “It’s ok, I’m just teasing. Important to have a bit of banter now and then, right? Plus you would look super cute with a braid. Right, Sarah?”
“I’d be more than happy to do it.”
“There you go. Solved.”
“I didn’t even ask for you to do my hair,” Syndra grumbled. Ahri just raised a brow in a ‘we’re-done-talking-about-this-now’ way and turned back to Sarah.
“Come here, I’m not comfy,” she said, trying to organise her and Sarah’s limbs in a comfortable manner. “Wait, no, put your head on my lap and then I can lean back on Syndra - yeah, like that- wait, ow, move your head off my hip bone!”
“Hey, wait, I didn’t say I wanted to be leaned on!”
“You have no choice in the matter,” Sarah mumbled from down where her red head was firmly nestled in Ahri’s lap, long hair splayed about everywhere.
“Honestly, why do we all have incredibly long hair. It makes doing stuff like this difficult. Ow,” Ahri whined as Syndra moved her elbow and snagged her ear. “Syndra, if you pull on my hair or my ears again I will personally see to putting thumbtacks in your bed. I mean it, girl.”
“Was that your best impression of a threatening voice?” Sarah teased.
“Wow. You too, bitch. And I’ll pull on your hair, too.”
Sarah laughed loudly, shaking Ahri who then shook Syndra. “You don’t know if I’d like that or not.”
Smirking, Ahri reached down to grab the back of Sarah’s head. “Well, I’ll just have to try.”
“Guys. I’m still here, believe it or not,” Syndra moaned.
“Oh, Syndra - could you be a dear and undo the braid? You’ll need to detangle my hair too but it’s only a small braid so it shouldn't hurt. Unless you pull it. Which means thumbtacks in the bed, remember.”
Syndra sighed dramatically. “Yes, yes. It’s almost as if you enjoy ordering me around.”
“I mean, I am the leader of the team after all. You should know by now I like calling the shots,” Ahri turned to her and winked.
This was honestly a new experience for her - she thought she was going to combust. Syndra hadn’t been quite this close to anyone for a while and now she was basically spooning two of her friends that she lived with. Was this normal for women? Not having that many friends at school due to her relatively cold, aloof attitude, she wasn’t really sure how much closeness was normal.
“I am not a hairdresser,” she grumbled. “Don’t be displeased if I do it wrong.”
“Girl. It’s undoing a braid. Not rocket science. Just be gentle,” Ahri admonished.
“Can you do mine, Ri, I’m not moving for a while. Comfortable.” Sarah punctuated her words by backing her head further into Ahri’s lap, her hair splaying all the way onto Syndra’s leg.
“Who said you could nickname me without asking me first? Guardians these days, so rude,” Ahri fake huffed.
“Can I start it now? I won’t be able to eat lying down like this but we could at least watch the thing we came here to watch,” Sarah asked in such an emotionless voice. Syndra thought that she sounded dry and devoid of passion sometimes but compared to Sarah she would say she was pretty good.
“I mean, you could eat lying down but then you’d choke and who wants that?”
“Depends on the situation,” Sarah practically purred. “Probably not this current situation, though.”
Syndra coughed. The flirting was absolutely incessant, unrelentless sexual and couple-like remarks constantly in front of her and it took all of her will not to just up and leave. She did say she was going to stay, after all. It’s not like she normally breaks her promises.
“Can someone pass me my drink please,” Syndra asked far too loudly, hoping it would break the relatively intimate vibe that had just settled over the room.
Ahri prodded Sarah on the back of the head. “MF, go. You’re closest.”
“Now who’s the one nicknaming without asking first? Which one’s yours, Syndra?” Sarah asked, reaching over with what looked like enormous effort. The table really wasn’t that far away from her hand.
“The black one with the knife on it. It’s berry cider,” Syndra explained unnecessarily.
“Edgy, I like it. Here.” Sarah passed the drink to Syndra but before she turned back she briefly looked straight into Syndra’s eyes and it was slightly unnerving. It’s not like Sarah was very scary or intimidating but something about being allowed to see this softer, more domestic side of her made Syndra feel strange. It was an unexplainable feeling - almost the same kind of unexplainable feeling she has just being in Ahri’s presence. Outside of battling together, Sarah and Syndra didn’t tend to see each other much. Sure, they lived together, but it was quite easy to avoid someone you lived with. Going on missions with her was tolerable - neither of them spoke to each other unless necessary.
They coordinated well together in fights, but that was nearly all because of Ahri’s incredibly accurate shotcalling and Soraka and Ezreal’s ability to get to work. Ahri had suggested a couple of times for them to do something together so they can try and get on, but neither of them normally had the time, what with college and First Star’s orders. Syndra felt almost...guilty for not having taken the time to build a bond with Sarah like she had with the others.
The only problem was that she had never felt like she was liked by Sarah. Gruff, terse replies and an unbetraying tone of voice don’t lend themselves well to a blossoming well of conversation.
“Thank you,” Syndra replied, suddenly feeling incredibly nervous and slightly ashamed at the lack of effort on her part. She cleared her throat, turning the attention onto her. “I...mean it. The gratitude, I mean. I appreciate the effort to include me. I know I seem a little...standoffish.”
Ahri snorted. “A little is an understatement, girl. But I know you, and we’re close.” She reached back to flick Syndra’s nose and smiled. “We wouldn’t invite you to hang out with us if we didn’t like you, dumbass. Right, Sarah?”
“When have you known me to do anything I didn’t want to do?” Sarah called over her shoulder.
“You have quite the point there,” Syndra acknowledged.
“Good. Does this mean I get to press the play button now, guys?”
Ahri just giggled and ruffled Sarah’s hair. “Oh, go on then. Oi, Miss Purple, I require hair maintenance ASAP okay?”
“Alright, alright. I will not be here for a long time, I have rehearsals tomorrow evening and I have to practice my lines later.”
“Oooh, Miss Fancy Actor. Will you still remember us when you’re famous and wearing ghastly but incredibly elegant posh clothes?” Ahri laughed.
Syndra gave her a small smile and nodded, feeling like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
“Yes, of course. Although none of my clothes will be at all ghastly.”
She noted that the intimate atmosphere of the room hadn’t lifted but it just felt slightly different. Is this how third wheeling feels? It wasn’t incredibly uncomfortable, she did feel less anger towards Sarah. Maybe she was starting to fit in.
The opening credits for the show started, a heavy upbeat song that made Ahri start singing and dancing rather loudly, moving so sharply she was jolting both Sarah and Syndra every time she moved.
“Guys, come on, this is such a classic! Wait, Syndra’s never seen this before, sorry. Isn’t this a tune though? Yesss, I love watching them ride on their little horses.” Stuffing popcorn in her mouth, Ahri’s caramel ears and tail kept twitching (presumably from excitement), making the task of actually getting to her hair almost impossible.
“Ahri,” Syndra ground out, both in an effort to stop her from moving and to be quiet so she could pay attention to the show.
“Whaat? Killjoy. Fine, I’ll stay still.”
“Pfft. That’s a first,” Sarah snorted. Ahri, true to her word, leaned back in between Syndra’s legs and didn’t respond and was obviously presenting herself to be worked on. Syndra reached out to card her fingers through Ahri’s unbraided peach and dusky pink curls. It was amazingly soft (unsurprising, Ahri always takes great care in her appearance) and smelled like vanilla (surprising, Syndra had never been this close to her before). Being this close meant she could feel every part of her; soft wisps of hair on her arm, a warm back, an elbow in her side, a large tail fluffed up next to her hip. A light flush came to Syndra’s face - she didn’t normally overthink appearance when it came to her friends. Why was she taking so much notice? The way Ahri smelled hadn’t interested her before.
Sarah cut her off her inner (distressed) monologue. “Look! There’s sweaty man number one.”
“That’s Porthos. Big sexy bear.”
“Is she always like this?” Syndra moaned to the red head.
“Oooh yes. Every day, every time we watch this.”
It happened so fast, Syndra couldn’t squash the curl of jealousy that snaked up her ribcage and suffocated her heart. They sit intimately together and watch stuff every day?
“Ah. Do the rest of the team join in? I didn’t think Soraka was into...this kind of show.” Syndra was secretly hoping that the whole team sat together and bonded because she was incredibly jealous of Ahri spending alone time with Sarah, but she wasn’t sure if the whole team except her having fun was worse than the girls being alone together.
“Sometimes. It’s mostly just us, though. Gives us some time to relax together away from school and work, you know.” Sarah had managed to procure a small blanket from underneath the sofa, a one person sized light blue blanket that she chucked over herself, tucking it in under her sides and sighing. Ahri reached down to brush a stray lock of red hair off her forehead and their eyes met, Ahri’s hand moving slowly on her face, revelling in the touch of Sarah’s skin. The red head gave Ahri a small smile and suddenly, Syndra’s throat felt tight. None of what she shared with any of the closest people in her life matched up to the bond these two shared, apparently. She’d had enough flirting and googly eyes for today - if she wanted to watch the show she’d do it by herself, not surrounded by this nonsense.
Syndra sighed and nudged Ahri. “Sorry you just got comfortable, but I need the toilet.”
“Aw man, fine. Don’t be too long, though, babe,” Ahri responded.
Too bad for her - Syndra planned on not returning to the sickly sweet cuddle fest.
“You want me to pause it?” Sarah mumbled from underneath her blanket.
“Not necessary,” she said as she exited the room.