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Vi was not easily persuaded. Maybe only by Caitlyn.
The Sheriff was deeply fond of her job, and equally proud of the product of her work - rightfully so. The city turned quieter despite the rumble of Zaun; and even then, with the help of the Firelights, things were calmer. It took a lot of effort to make it so. Vi, Ekko, all of the enforcers, even Jayce would gladly follow any of Caitlyn’s leads. The path she was carving had a bright light at the end, and they all gladly followed her.
But Vi could see it, day after day; how tired Caitlyn was, how she dragged herself out of bed for work, how the shifts kept turning longer. The Sheriff was growing restless and tired but the city was safe; a break was very much needed. She could afford it. Cait needed to rest if she wanted to continue all the incredible work she was doing for Piltover and Zaun alike. No one could fight non-stop. Not even her.
Not even Vi.
It was a busy Wednesday when she first mentioned the idea. As her girlfriend was sipping her third cup of coffee of the morning, hands visibly fidgeting as she held the cup, Vi had enough.
“We’re taking some time off,” she announced. Her partner smiled lightly in between sips of caffeine.
“Are we, now?”
“You’re tired. I’m tired. The city isn’t burning down - for now. Come on, ” she replied with a low voice. They were alone in the small cafeteria of the station, but other enforcers passed through the corridor, making her uneasy. They had gotten a lot of good work done in this place, a lot of necessary change. But they were enforcers, and she was Vi. It was hard to dismiss the stares thrown her way, the comments she still overheard, despite her best efforts to collaborate. Fissure folk. Trencher. Undercity trash.
Maybe she needed a break, too.
“What were you thinking of?” Caitlyn had asked, as she noticed Vi’s thoughts drift away.
“Dunno. A couple of days of sleeping in, we could go to the shops you like. I could take you to dinner in Zaun. We can think of… other activities.”
“Gods, no,” she replied, which made Vi arch her brow. “Not to the… activities, Vi. That’s hardly a holiday. I’m on it, okay? We can take next week off, then.”
Vi nodded, though unsure of what she meant. But the Zaunite trusted her, and knew Cait was onto something. Her partner couldn’t stop smiling when she left the room.
Which is how they ended up here, lying on a sunbed, staring at the ocean.
It was nice. Gods, she had to admit, it was really nice.
Initially, Vi was very skeptical. Caitlyn had them both stay in a beautiful, small hut by the beach, completely undisturbed. The only people who they would see were the staff that would bring their meals. She was very fond of this indoor haven that had been presented to her as a place to stay for a full week. But then she realised that Caitlyn also wanted to go and spend time outside.
Since the heat was much stronger than in Piltovian summers, they had gotten shorter, fresher clothes to cope. She was inside the bathroom, trying on a couple of items as Caitlyn was finishing breakfast. One of them was a high-neck bra - the material felt odd in her hands. It was slippery and soft. The cleavage, she noticed, was square and higher than regular bras, even the sportier ones she preferred. The underwear was also high-waisted, and equally slippery. This fabric was made for swimming. Both were a beautiful shade of burgundy, looking a little like wine. She liked them a lot, even though it was different to anything she’d ever tried. It crossed her mind that Cait might like it, too.
After brushing her teeth, she put on a sleeveless shirt and long shorts. It was the early morning, and Caitlyn had been up and running for a while. She was easing into her break, even though she hadn’t been that willing to sleep in like Vi had. Vi had begged her, but so far, it wasn’t working.
(“Cait. Stay.”)
(“If I do, it will disrupt my sleep schedule.”)
(“That is the most Piltovian bullshit I’ve ever heard. Sleeeeeeeeeeep”).
Outside, gleeful after breakfast, Caitlyn was already enjoying the sea breeze. They walked together through the wooden walkways until they reached a little spot reserved for them, with a large, white sunbed, and thankfully, shade.
Cait lied down next to Vi. The sunbed was far more comfortable than any of the places where she had slept when she was younger. And the view was just… unbelievable. Whenever she had been close to the water, it just… wasn’t like this. She remembers playing with the kids, with Ekko and Powder and their goofy smiles on hot days. She and Claggor always spent hours trying to find a corner of the river that was the least polluted.
Nothing like this. Vi had never seen anything this blue.
With Caitlyn’s eyes staring at hers, maybe she could think of a thing or two.
“Could you apply it on my back?” Caitlyn asked. The request dragged her from her thoughts back into reality. She was holding a bottle of sunscreen that she had been applying slowly.
“Sure, cupcake,” Vi replied.
She poured a bit of the cream onto her palm before spreading it on Cait’s back. The cream had a very unique scent, one Vi had never smelled before, and it was sticky. Still, she took her time rubbing it in, massaging. If she was taking too long, Caitlyn certainly didn’t complain. With a smooth smile, her partner looked more relaxed than she had for weeks.
Beautiful. She wanted to thank Caitlyn for agreeing to her idea, this beautiful, peaceful idea, and the memories she’d keep forever. There was a warmth of pure affection invading her chest, and she felt content. Lost in the dizziness caused by the heat and love, Vi kissed her shoulder, softly. And immediately regretted it.
The ill, sour taste of the cream invaded her lips immediately. As Vi began frantically spitting air, Caitlyn giggled and patted her back.
“Darling, you’re not supposed to eat sunscreen.”
“Well you could have told me that before.”
“I thought it was implied?”
Vi drank some water they had packed. Caitlyn turned around to face her, crossing her legs in front of her.
"I know what sunscreen is, I just didn't know it tasted that bad. It's expensive, we didn't buy it when I was growing up."
"I could imagine you red as a tomato from the sun," Cait said, giggling. "Gifted with all the freckles."
This made Vi smile. "Just stayed in the shade as long as possible. Hardest part was making sure Powder did as well."
"A challenge, I imagine," Cait replied.
It had been. Summers in Zaun were long and hard, but still better than winters. The air grew thicker, the smell of pollution and sweat was unbearable, sometimes. But she had fond memories of her siblings rushing to find a safe spot to dive at night, when the temperatures dropped to a reasonable heat, maybe even swim a little. Those hot summer nights - Mylo doing silly jumps, Powder and Ekko splashing each other with water, Claggor skipping stones… these were all treasures she carried with her.
She had a feeling this week was going to become a treasure, too.
“Close your eyes,” she whispered. Vi smiled at this and arched her brow, but complied. She heard the rumble of Cait going through her bag, but quickly got her attention overturned in the most perfect way. Her partner pressed her lips against hers, soft and warm. Cait followed with a kiss on her eyebrow, another on her cheek, another on her nose, one on her chin. Vi was happy. The perfect distraction.
Then, Caitlyn took out a white stick, a little bigger than lipstick, and began spreading it all over Vi’s face, focusing on her nose and forehead.
"Is this edible?" Vi joked.
"We have all the food in the world in this place, and she asks to eat the sunscreen stick."
“Caitlyn, I’m much paler than you. I don’t think a fancy cream will help with that.”
“You’re still wise to stay in the shade, but this protects your skin. Just trust me on this one. And don’t eat it.”
The pink haired woman grumbled, but was again easily distracted. Cait’s long fingers kept running on her face, focusing more of the cream on her nose and forehead. After, she poured from another container the more liquid version of the cream and put some of it on Vi’s hand. Caitlyn started spreading more on her arms and Vi mimicked her, happily.
But after that, Vi thought Caitlyn had truly lost her mind. The blue haired woman sat next to her, took off her hat and started removing her dress. Vi was watching the movement with a pleased smile, until it occurred to her how public it was.
"Cait, Cait," she said, placing her hands on her partner's. Caitlyn pushed her dress back down, ruffling her hair in the process. "I love what's happening, but I think the heat has made you finally lose your mind."
Caitlyn smiled, looking extremely confused. "Darling, we're at the beach?"
Vi looked around. The sand stretched out in a long area before reaching the sea, and a lot of families and groups of young people were hanging out. She noticed some kids running around with water guns, and it warmly reminded her of Powder – she would love this place. She also noticed how almost everyone was indeed wearing similar swimsuits to the one she and Caitlyn had, in different colours, shapes and sizes.
"Culture shock. Sorry," she said, a little embarrassed. Caitlyn started to draw circles on Vi's arm with her fingers.
"It's okay. You didn't swim when you were a kid?"
"Oh, we did," Vi replied, unable to stop herself from smiling at the memories. "But we swam clothed. Wet clothes help you stay cool for longer as they dry. But we took our shoes off, and took turns to guard them so no one would steal them."
Cait nodded. She then took off her dress again, the movement so swift Vi was hypnotised. It then became very hard not to notice her purple bikini, the straps crossed on her chest, and all of her exposed skin. The line of her legs. Her very long, very shiny, very bare legs.
Caitlyn noticed where her attention was, and smiled. Intertwining her legs with Vi's as she sat closer, Cait started pulling her shirt to help her feel the warmth, she realised. Which also meant having her skin exposed. In front of a lot of people.
She quickly placed her hands on top of Cait's, and pulled her shirt down.
"N-not yet. Is that cool?" Vi asked. People were busy enjoying the sun, their attention elsewhere. She still found it hard. It was a lot of exposure. A lot of skin. A lot of the public eye.
Cait fixed her shirt. Her hands smoothed out the fabric, landing lovingly on Vi's shoulders. "Yes, it is. You look amazing."
“Thank you. You picked these clothes.”
“My best decision, if you ask me.”
"Oh, stop it."
"Look at these arms," she said, gripping her biceps in a way that she knew would make Vi melt. "And these strong legs. I rarely see them with the trousers you wear to work. You're handsome, Violet."
Violet did indeed feel handsome, but she also felt every single ounce of blood she had rush into her cheeks. She turned around to lay down on the bed, flat on her stomach, facing the opposite direction of Caitlyn, unable to contain her giddiness. Caitlyn started laughing instantly.
"I see how it is," she said, still giggling. And for Vi? Well, that sound was better than the waves crashing at a distance.
The warmth felt nice. She turned her head to the other side as she heard Caitlyn ruffle through her bag again, and eventually, the sound of pages turning; she felt a strange comfort overtaking her. This was safe, and it was warm. On a rare occasion, she did in fact let go.
***
When Vi opened her eyes, she was sure it was much later. The sun had moved and it was now bathing over her. It felt amazing. It wasn’t hot enough to burn her skin, but she was boiling. Definitely not used to the heat. Cait was happily basking in the sunlight.
“You’re staring, darling,” Caitlyn said, her nose buried in her book.
“I got a good view.”
Caitlyn rolled her eyes and snorted so hard, Vi thought they probably heard it in Piltover. “Ok, I think the temperature got to you, too. In the shade you go.”
She placed her book down and sat up. Vi lazily got up and sat in the middle of her legs, her back turned against Cait’s stomach.
It was a really, really hot summer day. And this was the safest she’d ever felt in her entire life.
“Hold on, cupcake.”
She peeled off the sleeveless shirt and threw it onto the other side of the bed. The warmth immediately greeted her exposed skin. She didn’t see Caitlyn, but knew the woman was smiling.
Cait kissed her, slowly, lazily, kindly. First on the back of her neck, then on her shoulder.
“So many freckles. These ones are new,” she said, greeting the new additions with her lips, one by one. Vi couldn’t help but smile. Caitlyn wrapped her arms around her partner’s torso and held her gently, placing her chin on Vi’s shoulder.
The waves crashed slowly.
“This is nice, Cait.”
“It is”.
“Don’t think we should ever return to Piltover.”
“A few more days here, and I might just agree.”
“Wanna go for a swim before lunch?” Vi asked. That got Caitlyn’s attention.
“Bet I can race you to the water.”
Oh, and Vi loved a good bet.
The sand beneath her was so hot, it hurt the soles of her feet. She took Caitlyn’s hand - who seemed to be much more at ease with the temperature of the ground - and started running towards the clear, cool water.
Part of her hoped that the race would never end.