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The heavy Kraber sniper rifle fell to the soft soil of King’s Canyon but its thud was drowned out by the impact of Caustic’s defeated body. Though beat up and bloodied, Natalie and Renee had notched another victory. They were announced as champions and swarmed with camera drones, and as they always did, they played it up for the fans. Wraith lifted Natalie onto her shoulder as the bubbly engineer waved to the cameras, blowing them kisses and laughing. Out of the corner of her eye Wraith saw the recovery ship swooping in and there she found her reason to smile. A rare smirk from the stoic skirmisher was always a fan favorite. In a show of strength she effortlessly carried Natalie on her shoulder to the now landed ship, the duo ducking inside with waves and smiles. The moment the door closed, both collapsed onto the soft couches.
Natalie leaned into Renee and nuzzled against her arm as the skirmisher kicked off her boots and stretched her exhausted legs. Amid gentle touches, she helped Natalie out of her overheating jacket and unstrapped the mounts for her expended fences. Their discarded gear clumped on the floor next to a table with the victory basket. They were too tired to even open the champagne.
It seemed every second of the match was a pitched fight for survival with the duo constantly low on heals and ammo. Their outfits were tattered by battle and the exhaustion tensed in their muscles. When they flopped onto the shuttle’s comfortable sofa, they wondered if they’d ever have the will or energy to get up again. With the same absent minded, practiced routine as their fighting, Natalie snuggled up to Renee. They’d been on this shuttle countless time and there was no better remedy for exhaustion than each other.
“You missed all your Mastiff shots.” Natalie mumbled into Renee’s arm. Those whiffed rounds nearly cost them the match in the end. “But I forgive you.” Renee playfully nudged her with her elbow.
“Maybe I was having an off day. Your fence coverage in the bouncy house was pretty bad too.” She adjusted her pose to kiss Natalie on the head.
A misplaced fence in Octane’s Gauntlet newrly ended their match right off of drop. Mirage snuck in and knocked Natalie but his decoys didn’t fool Renee or her wingman. And Renee would admit that after that mishap, the fences were perfect for the rest of the game. So was Natalie’s use of her pylon. The engineer knew the criticism was in good fun snuggled up to her duo partner and girlfriend. After the match they’d have the weekend to watch the tapes and deconstruct every tiny detail of what they could have done better. They’d find each bad call and missed corner, then train to make sure that was a one time mistake. But right now Natalie wanted to be cozy.
“Victory dinner is at eight tonight. That’s plenty of time for a shower and a nap, and I definitely need a nap.” Renee whispered and wrapped her arm around Natalie. It was like their bodies were puzzle pieces, perfectly shaped to fit next to each other and stay locked like that. Natalie rubbed her cheek on Renee’s shoulder and whined. “What? I carried you half the match cherie, I have a right to be tired.” The tease was both literal and figurative. After one chaotic firefight where Natalie went down, Renee lifted her onto her back and phased halfway across King’s Canyon. If it weren’t for the bullets narrowly missing them it would have been quite the fun ride for the engineer.
“We are the champions, Renee and I don’t need a party to prove that. I want to spend today with you. Let’s skip this one and stay home with the kitties.” Natalie mumbled. The cat roster had expanded to three: Nikola, Vauban, and Curie.
Renee would admit, they were all cute and lounging at home on their bed, surrounded by purring cats sounded just about like heaven right now. There was no shortage of movies to catch up on at home either. Besides, the champions party wasn’t really about them, it was a chance for Elliot to throw a bash and everyone would have fun without them. It wasn’t the first time the champions had skipped.
“Mmm, you convinced me. Let’s order sushi when we get home, I get the champions discount.” Renee kissed Natalie’s head. Her eyes wandered to the gift basket from the Syndicate. There was a bottle of champagne they’d certainly enjoy at home, cash, and odds and ends from the sponsors. What Natalie couldn’t pull apart and use for her projects they’d give away or sign for fans. But in the middle of the basket was a bouquet of flowers just out of reach, and Renee was not getting up. A portal brought a blue flower to her hand that she tucked into Natalie’s hair.
Natalie smiled and laid her cheek against her girlfriend’s. Even as the champion of bloodsport, Renee was cute. All the bloodlust and violence was gone from her and with it seemed to go the exhaustion. Instead she found only comfort and love with Natalie. She portatled in another flower.
“What are you doing silly?” Natalie whined as Renee pushed yet another flower into her messy blonde hair. The skirmisher seemed very focused on the task.
“Making a crown for my champion.” Renee whispered in reply and kissed her cheek. And in return Natalie stole a kiss from her bruised knuckle. “And because you smell.” She smirked.
Natalie giggled and playfully shoved her. That was all the more reason to shower together at home before slumping into each others arms on the bed. Natalie could almost feel Nikola’s soft fur snuggling up against her and Curie’s paws pacing up her leg. As always, Vauban would be partial to Renee and lounge at her feet. But most of all she was envisioning Renee’s arm around her waist as she sat in her lap. The skirmisher's hair would smell of her favorite citrus shampoo and she’d idly trace her fingers along Natalie’s scar. That bottle of champagne would be put to good use while they watched some terrible comedy. A night with her girlfriend was the greatest prize imaginable. Natalie looked up at her and laid her head on Renee’s chest while a loving arm pulled her in close to her strong heart. With her girlfriend, she felt like a champion every day.