Work Text:
i.
It was autumn in Piltover.
Leaves ran down from the sky in torrents, colorful showers of red and orange that seemed to sweep away some of the filth of the city, or at least cover it up for a few days. The breeze blew softly across the trees, as if they were a hot meal in need of cooling off before being devoured by the stronger gusts to come in the following weeks. It was serene; it was peaceful. One could almost call it perfect.
Unless, of course, one were Vi.
Pink hair standing out even among the vibrant hues of the leaves around her, her voice pierced the tranquil calm like a hextech glove smashing through a wall.
“Finally!” Vi groaned. “How many leaves can fall in one person’s yard? We’ve been raking and bagging for days.”
“Firstly,” said Caitlyn, primly tucking her scarf around her shoulder, “it’s been precisely one and a half hours since we began. Secondly,” she said, ignoring Vi’s eyeroll, “we would have been done much faster if you hadn’t destroyed half of the finished leaf bags practicing your vault-breaker.”
“Hey! I needed something to practice on. They were...what’s that word you always use? Opportune. They were opportune punching bags.”
Caitlyn sighed wearily. “They were leaf bags, Vi. Not punching bags.”
The Piltover Enforcer winked. “All bags are punching bags, cupcake. Haven’t I taught you anything?” Her grin was electric and Caitlyn had to turn away to hide her smile. When she looked back, Vi expression had turned from gleeful to genial. “I’m sorry, Cait. Buy you a hot chocolate?”
The sheriff felt a hint of blood rush to her cheeks, the way it always did when her subordinate surprised her. Vi’s situation had gotten better, a lot better, since she started working for the police department, but she still didn’t have money to be throwing around -- certainly not in Caitlyn’s neighborhood, where there were no less than three gourmet hot chocolate cafes. One even referred to itself as a “hot cocoa brewery.”
However, a decade as the first female sheriff in Piltover hardly left Caitlyn lacking for tact. “Hot chocolate sounds wonderful,” she said. “But I’ll pay, if you don’t mind. As a thank you, for helping me today.”
Vi, true to form, did not bother to hide her delight. “Sweet! Hey cupcake, if you need any more leaves raked, I’m your girl, alright?”
Caitlyn smiled again, but this time, she didn’t turn away. “Yes,” she said. “You’re my girl.”
ii.
Caitlyn had always loved the winter. For her, it conjured up memories of curling up on a sofa next to the fireplace, a hot drink in her hand (despite her occupation, she'd always been a tea kind of girl), watching the snow fall out the window. There was so much to do, too. She had spent many an afternoon out with her friends, ice-skating, sledding, throwing snowballs -- even then, her accuracy was renowned, and everyone always wanted to be on her team.
For Vi, it was a little different. The outskirts of Piltover, never the most welcoming of places, were cruelest in the cold, where heat was just another resource to be coveted, saved, and stolen. For a homeless orphan, even a tough one like Vi, a night that wasn't spent shivering uncontrollably next to a sputtering fire built of scraps and discarded newspapers was a good (but rare) night.
Once, she found her way into the stables of a rich Piltoverian noble. For one glorious, golden week, she stayed warm every night, curled up in the hay next to the horses. She overslept one night, though, unused to the comfort, and was discovered by the owner's son -- she narrowly escaped arrest for trespassing, but knew she couldn't come back.
As the snow fluttered down in the city of progress, Vi watched, transfixed, from the police department's window. It looked different from above than it had from below; it was hard to believe that the same flakes that caused her so much discomfort looked so harmless now.
"No two snowflakes are the same, you know," Caitlyn murmured, walking up to stand next to the Enforcer. Vi jumped a little, both at her sudden appearance -- Caitlyn was never exactly loud, but it had been a long time since someone had been able to sneak up on her -- and her words. She had often suspected that Caitlyn could read minds. Watching her dissect criminals in the interrogation room was almost scary. A quick look at the soft, guileless face of her partner was enough to assuage her concerns, however.
"Really?" she asked. "That can't be true. There's so many of them! They're all just little blobs of...cold."
Caitlyn laughed warmly. "That's what the scientists say, anyway. I'm inclined to believe them."
Vi shrugged, unconvinced. "If you say so, cupcake." They lapsed into a comfortable silence, gazing out the window at the frozen precipitation.
It was Caitlyn, oddly, who broke the quiet. "Your shift's over, right? Any plans?"
Vi shook her head. "My apartment's got central heating, so I don't need to look for firewood or anything." Caitlyn began to laugh, then abruptly stopped when she realized the pink-haired woman wasn't joking.
"Come on. An adventurous young woman like yourself, and no plans for fun in the snow? Piltover has some of the best ice-skating rinks in all of Valoran. You like ice-skating, right?"
Vi shuffled uncomfortably. "I've, ah, never been." She never liked when her past came up -- she wasn't ashamed of it, but she hated the pitying looks her coworkers and friends gave her. Her life was hard, but it made her who she was, and it wasn't something to be sorry about. When she looked back at Caitlyn, however, she realized that she had not given her partner enough credit.
"Never been!" the Sheriff exclaimed in mock indignation. "Well, we can't have that. Grab your jacket. You're coming with me." Vi trailed after Caitlyn, marveling yet again at the person she was lucky enough to call her boss.
Vi had always hated the winter. But skating, laughing as she struggled to stay upright, her hand clasped tightly in Caitlyn's (just for balance, of course), she was willing to admit that it had potential.
iii.
Vi rapped hard on the door to Caitlyn's office. "Cupcake, open up!" She knocked again. "I know you're in there!" She waited for another few seconds, and just as she raised her hand to knock again, it opened.
"What is it, Vi?" Caitlyn sounded tired. She had been pulling long nights at the station recently, wrapped up in casework for a burglary spree that had many of Piltover's richest people in a panic. She was always a hard worker, but this time seemed more extreme than the others, and Vi was worried.
"I was just going to grab some lunch, and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me?" Vi offered, a little unsure. Her and Caitlyn having lunch together was hardly a rare occurrence, but recently the Sheriff had taken most of her meals in her office.
Her fears were confirmed as Caitlyn shook her head. "I'm sorry, I've just got so much work to get through. Another time, okay?" She moved to close the door, but Vi stuck her foot in the way.
"Please, Cait. You've been cramped up in here for ages. It's beautiful outside. It'll take thirty minutes, max." She could see Caitlyn inwardly debating it, and pressed onwards. "Your window's not even open! How are you going to experience the," she paused, putting on a mock rich Piltoverian accent, " 'exquisitely blooming foliage' if you don't come outside?"
Caitlyn sighed, but there was a faint smile on her face, and Vi felt a surge of triumph. "I suppose half an hour won't hurt." She stepped out the door and let Vi lead her to the exit of the station. "Where did you have in mind? We should go somewhere close."
The Enforcer bowed. "If it pleases you, my lady, it would be my pleasure to escort you to that bakery on 4th Street that you so enjoy." She offered Caitlyn her arm.
Caitlyn laughed, a real, genuine laugh this time, but she put her arm through her partner's compliantly, and Vi's heart soared.
Piltover was not the most colorful of cities, with more scientists and hextechnicians than florists, but there were more than a few flowerbeds coming into bloom on the sidewalks, and one of the city's many parks was located right across the street from the bakery. They ate there, sitting on a bench. Vi wolfed down her sandwich, crumbs flying, while Caitlyn took more measured bites of her pastry.
"So which one's your favorite?" Vi mumbled through a mouthful of ham and cheese, loosely gesturing towards the flowers around them. Caitlyn gave her a look. Vi rolled her eyes, swallowed, wiped her mouth, and repeated herself.
"My favorite flower? I don't think I've ever really thought about it," she answered hesitantly, examining the buds around her. "What about you?"
Vi shrugged. "Dunno. I like cactuses, I guess. They're kinda tough."
Caitlyn nodded. It was a very Vi thing to say. "I suppose...I've always loved lilies. My mother kept a small garden of them when I was young. I used to want some dashing prince to come sweep me up with a bouquet of them, just like in the storybooks." Her voice was filled with mirth, and Vi smiled. It was good to see Caitlyn like this -- she'd been under so much stress recently that her softer side hadn't come out. "Why do you ask?"
"Just making conversation."
Caitlyn nodded, standing up. "We should get back to the station. I wasn't kidding about my workload." Vi begrudgingly followed her.
Right before they reached the door to the station, Caitlyn stopped and turned to Vi. "Hey," she said, resting her hand on Vi's arm. "Thanks for looking out for me today."
Vi flushed faintly, and grinned sheepishly, the way she always did when she was trying to hide how pleased she was. "Aw shucks cupcake, it was nothin'. Just going out to lunch with my favorite boss!"
Caitlyn smirked, then leaned in and planted a kiss on the Enforcer's cheek. "Thanks," she whispered again into Vi's ear, before abruptly making her way up the stairs to her office, leaving Vi standing outside the door, blushing beet-red in the spring air.
The next morning, Caitlyn arrived at her office to discover the window open, and a vase filled with lilies on her desk. There was a note attached, in Vi's unmistakable (if scarcely legible) scrawl -- just a reminder to take a break once in a while, cupcake. She smiled.
"Hey Vi," she called out the door. "You free for lunch today?"
iv.
Vi would be the first to admit that doing paperwork was not her strong suit. Put her on a criminal's trail and she could track him down and apprehend him, no problem. But deal with the ensuing bureaucracy? She just wasn't cut out for it.
She sighed, glancing longingly out the window. Maybe if it wasn't so nice outside, it wouldn't be so hard. But Piltover was gorgeous today. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and cloudless, vendors were selling little hextech gadgets to children on the street, and if Vi concentrated, she could see the individual leaves on the trees blow in the wind as the--
"Vi." She jerked her head up. Caitlyn stood in front of her desk, arms crossed. "Maybe a little more working and a little less daydreaming, okay?"
Vi nodded glumly. "I'm sorry, boss. It's just so perfect outside! And so..." she paused, trying to find the words, "not perfect... in here. And paperwork is sooooooo boring."
Caitlyn hid a smile behind her hand. "Be that as it may, it still needs to be done. I see your point about the weather, though." She raised her voice, projecting to the whole station. "Hey guys, if everyone finishes their work by 3, I can get us the official police bus to go the beach. Anyone interested?" A chorus of joyful affirmation rang through the office (Caitlyn was a good boss, but a tough one, and times like these were few and far between). She turned her attention back to Vi. "Sound good?"
Vi beamed. "You know it, cupcake!" Her smile quickly faded. "I don't know if I'm going to be able to finish all this by 3, though."
"Well, I hope you can," said Caitlyn, heading back in her office. She paused for a moment, then turned around with a coy look on her face. "After all, I need someone to rub sunscreen on the places I can't reach."
Vi had never finished paperwork so quickly in her life.