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“You’re going to make me come all this way out, and you still won’t tell me what the surprise is, Cupcake?” Vi asked Caitlyn, trailing behind her in uphill strides. The steep incline proved to be a long walk to climb, but her partner had promised her before they left that the trip would be well worth it. They began their journey in the early afternoon, and it took them half an hour’s worth of walking before they made it outside of Piltover’s city limits. The hill Vi followed Caitlyn through was surrounded by towering trees and blooming shrubbery.
“It’s only a bit further,” Caitlyn replied encouragingly. Vi’s little nickname no longer bothered her. In fact, it started to grow on her in the past year of living under the same roof and working together as enforcers. She didn’t intend on letting Vi know that just yet though. A smirk appeared at the corner of the sheriff’s lips as she began to poke fun at her deputy. “After all, what’s a surprise if I tell you before you see it?”
Vi sarcastically rolled her eyes at the question. She could beg her to let the cat out of the bag all day, and Caitlyn still wouldn’t budge. She was always standing firm on her positions. It was the same characteristic that led her to gain such a high rank in the Piltover Wardens despite her young age, Vi presumed. Accepting her defeat, the deputy let it go. “Let’s hurry up then so I can see it already!” She exclaimed.
The two continued their travel up the dirt path, but this time with a little extra vigour in their steps to appease Vi’s impatience. It wasn’t long before the trail diminished, leading them to a clearing at the top of the hill. Vi curiously glanced around. The land was scarcely decorated with a large oak tree and a lonely rusted bench that had definitely seen better days.
Vi looked over to Caitlyn, who was excitedly pulling at her hand, urging her to follow along. As they stood together at the edge of the overlook, the taller woman gently squeezed the hand of her partner, protectively as if she would somehow fall. They looked over the edge to see the bustling city of Piltover just beyond the horizon in all of its vast glory. The gilded buildings appeared to glow in the sun’s bright rays, a beautiful light that never dared to touch the pits of Zaun.
It reminded Vi of the days that she would sneak Powder into the overcity, often without Vander’s permission. She would steal trinkets and treats for her little sister from the Pilties, and hoist her upon the rooftops of the ornate buildings. In those days, Vi promised Powder that they would one day have a brighter future than the one that was destined for them in the lanes. It was a promise that she deeply regretted not being able to keep.
Vi pulled her thoughts away from the faraway memory before tears began to well in her eyes. Remembering what she was there for, she quickly changed the subject in her mind. “Was this the surprise?” Vi asked, raising a brow at Caitlyn. The woman softly chuckled and shook her head in response.
“Not quite, although it is part of it,” Caitlyn began to explain. “This overlook has been lost to time since Piltover’s development. I’ve been coming here since I was a little girl, often when I needed to get away for a moment to recollect myself. I still do so sometimes,” She looked away from the city and returned her attention to Vi. Her expression was soft, warm, and welcoming. “I wanted to share it with you.”
Vi’s face reddened under her partner’s tender gaze. Caitlyn’s eyes were as bright and blue as the infinite sky above them, but the way that they gleamed when she looked at Vi was a trait truly unique to Caitlyn Kiramman.
The sheriff, seemingly having forgotten that she was still holding her partner’s hand, looked down in shock. She suddenly let go, using the same arm to stifle a nervous cough. She took a few steps back from the edge of the overlook, setting down the basket that she had brought with her. Caitlyn opened the flaps at the top and pulled out a blue blanket. She handed two of its corners to Vi. Together, they spread it on the ground underneath the shade of the oak tree. After kicking off their shoes, they sat together on top of the blanket. Vi was already trying to snatch the basket from Caitlyn.
“Ah, so this must be the surprise then!” Shouted the deputy while her hands were ever-so-smoothly sneaking under Caitlyn’s arms. “Come on, let me see!”
Caitlyn playfully batted Vi’s hands away, trying and failing to fight back a smile when she spoke. “Alright, alright. So eager. I suppose you have waited long enough.” She set the basket onto her lap and reached her hands inside. She pulled out a few porcelain trays, setting two glasses and a bottle of wine on one of them.
“Ooh, how fancy!” Blurted Vi, who was peering over Caitlyn’s shoulder, trying to peek into the basket.
By the time she was done, Caitlyn had pulled out an entire lunch spread. Two sandwiches, two salads, some appetizers on mini skewers, and an assortment of desserts were laid out on the different trays.
“Did you make all this yourself?” Vi asked, her jaw agape in disbelief. During her time at the Kiramman manor, she had only ever seen the maids prepare the family meals.
Caitlyn nodded proudly at her partner’s question, flattered that she was able to strike her with awe. “After thumbing through a few of the maid’s cookbooks, I think I managed quite well!” She responded. Vi was impressed by how well Caitlyn could pull off anything with flying colours, even something as simple as a picnic lunch.
As Caitlyn poured themselves a glass of wine, Vi wasted no time in grabbing a sandwich from the pile. She hastily took a bite and almost immediately wolfed it down. Caitlyn hadn’t noticed until she handed the deputy her glass.
“I’d ask you if it was good, but I don’t think you had enough time to even taste it,” she joked.
“Trust me, it’s incredible!” Vi declared with her mouth full. As she accepted the glass from Caitlyn, a small bead of mustard fell onto her chin. “If you ever choose to give up your badge, I’ll hire you to be my personal chef. One funny, tall hat profession to another!”
“You’re too kind, but I’ll have to reject your offer,” Caitlyn said as she pulled out a napkin from the picnic basket. She gently rubbed it under Vi’s lip, causing the pair to simultaneously blush at the close stroke of contact. “Fortunately for you, however… I wouldn’t mind doing this for you again.”
“For me?” Vi repeated after the sheriff. She took a sip of the wine before gently swirling the glass in her hand. “Sounds like I must be pretty lucky then.”
Vi seemed to pause for a moment to think. Her brows furrowed, and her eyes became fixed to the movement of the red liquid. The abrupt silence caused Caitlyn to panic. She began to wonder if something was wrong, but her worries were quelled when the deputy spoke once more.
“Why did you choose to do all this for me?” Vi asked her partner. Her eyes didn’t move from the glass. The question caused Caitlyn to freeze in her tracks. She expected that Vi would ask and had prepared a well thought out answer, but it escaped her as she tried to remember what it was.
“I… Well,” she stumbled over her words, unsure of which would be the right ones to say. The confident aura of the sheriff began to crack. With a heavy sigh, Caitlyn decided to let her heart, instead of her brain, speak for her. “I know adjusting to Piltover life has been difficult, especially after all that’s happened in such a small span of time.”
“Caitlyn,” interrupted Vi. Her tone was soothing and sympathetic. It was almost a whisper. She looked at her partner with concern. “You didn’t have to. You’ve done so much for me. I should really be the one thanking you instead.”
“I have plenty to be thankful for as well though, Violet,” Caitlyn retorted defensively. “Since my mother’s passing, you’ve remained at my side. You left your home for me. You’ve become my partner, but most importantly, you’ve given me a reason to fight; to undo the decades worth of wrongs done by the enforcers.” She took a deep breath before she finally made her true intentions clear.
“If you would be willing to do so, I would like for you to be at my side forever. Not as my friend or my partner, but as my girlfriend.”
Vi’s heart began to pound at the utterance of Caitlyn’s last word. Girlfriend? Did she really say girlfriend? The tempo of each heartbeat reverberated like a beating drum in her ears. She could have sworn that the entirety of Runeterra stopped moving at that very moment. For just a few seconds that felt like an eternity, the world revolved around only her and Caitlyn.
“Cupcake, do you mean that?” Vi asked. She knew that her partner would never lie to her, but the reality of them being together seemed like nothing more than a distant dream that she held onto since she joined the enforcers. The deputy simply must have misheard her.
The sheriff carefully began inching closer towards her partner. She stretched her hand out to lovingly caress Vi’s cheek, gliding her thumb over the tattoo underneath her eye. Caitlyn moved her finger downwards until it reached the corner of the deputy’s mouth. She held her hand there while she surveyed Vi’s scarred lips, battered from years of fighting.
“May I show you how much I mean it?” Caitlyn queried. Vi nodded without hesitation. It was all the permission that the sheriff needed before she closed her eyes and hastily crashed her own lips into the deputy’s. The immediate pressure startled Vi and caused her to fall onto her back, taking her partner along with her. The blanket softened the impact of them hitting the ground.
“Apologies for that,” whispered Caitlyn bashfully. “I intended for it to go a lot smoother.” She held herself up with her hands above her partner’s shoulders, keeping her steady as her face hovered over Vi’s. Vi was speechless as the woman’s long, blue hair cascaded around her head. They could feel the heat from each other’s flushed cheeks. The taller woman’s torso was just barely brushing against her own. She was so close, but she wasn’t close enough. As Caitlyn started to peel away, embarrassed and ashamed for pushing her crush to the ground, Vi placed a hand on the side of her waist.
“That was so dorky.” Vi snickered before bursting into boisterous laughter. “Do it again, Cupcake.”
Caitlyn smiled and returned to her original position above Vi. Once more, she shut her eyes and began planting kisses on the deputy’s lips with the same hungry ferocity. Caitlyn’s lips were glossy and smooth like the expensive satin fabric she loved to wear. Vi kissed her back with fervor, gradually building up the intensity. Still holding her by her waist, Vi pulled Caitlyn closer, allowing the taller woman to rest her weight on top of her body. They could feel the beating of each other's hearts become more rapid with touch that was shared between them.
Vi was the first to pull away to catch her breath. She gave Caitlyn a sly smile. “What do you think the other wardens will have to say about the sheriff and the deputy hooking up, hm?” She asked, still panting as she spoke. “Seems a bit controversial, don’t you think?”
Caitlyn pondered the thought for a moment before she made her decision. Smirking, she tenderly pressed her forehead against Vi’s. “Let them draw their own conclusions.” The sheriff responded. “As long as I know that you are mine and you know that I am yours, then that is all that truly matters to me, Violet.”
The new couple spent the rest of their picnic date enjoying the food that Caitlyn had made. They took turns feeding each other, taking the opportunity to kiss each other again and again in between every few bites. They shared conversations from the past and present, some causing the other to erupt into laughter. When the sky darkened, they watched the sun set over the skyline together. Vi put her arm around Caitlyn. Calm and content, her eyes fluttered and closed when she sunk into the deputy’s muscular shoulder. After so many years of fighting to stay alive and trying to find where she belonged, she had finally found a place to call home. Her home was not in Zaun or Piltover, but in the comfort of the enforcer who saved her and wherever she may lead her to.