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Summer
Vi had been to Piltover before. Not very often, but she’d seen the city, seen its wonders of progress and technology, its opulent houses and clean streets. And ever since the day Caitlyn had released her from Stillwater and she’d purposely breathed the air from the top of the bathysphere, she secretly craved it.
Zaun was so very different. Of course it was cold in winter and hot in the summer. But it was always damp and almost no natural sunlight ever reached the Lanes. This was just the way of things.
And for Vi, who had stayed in Stillwater for most of her youth, forty stories below ground, it was even worse. The open sun was something she had more experience with from books than from the real thing. She had never really considered it to be a problem.
But that changed when Vi made the decision to live in Piltover. The moment she chose to live with Caitlyn.
It wasn’t a big deal, she told herself. Everything felt so natural when she was with the young enforcer and soon-to-be Sheriff of Piltover. She would have happily followed her to the end of the world. Though she soon realized, it would take some unpredictable adjustments.
Obviously, the Zaunite had to get used to the different living standard. Even for Piltover, the Kirammans lived in exuberant luxury. And because Caitlyn was Caitlyn, she sensed her girlfriend’s discomfort. They chose a much more modest apartment, even though it still felt like it was made for a king in comparison to the Lanes. But Vi was thankful for her understanding.
Another unfamiliar thing was the unrestricted availability of all kinds of food. Though she would never admit it to her girlfriend, in her early youth when Vi did her first forays around the roofs of Piltover, she’d sometimes stolen a fresh bread or a pastry, left out to cool on an unoccupied balcony.
But the one thing she completely underestimated was the power of the sun, unfiltered from the thick smog that covered all of Zaun. Of course it was warm and comforting, but at the same time it also caused malaise. Being outside for only half an hour caused a stinging pain behind her retina, sometimes growing to a serious headache.
If Vi hadn’t had the most perceptive and caring girlfriend in all of Runeterra, she would have regretted her place of living within days. But not as long as she was with Caitlyn and Caitlyn was with her.
On the first day of summer the young woman from Zaun chose to spend the day under the covers of their bed, her head nearly killing her. Her Piltover girlfriend did everything in her power to ease the pain.
It was early evening when Vi finally woke up. The covers felt strangely heavier than when she’d laid down. She moved a little only to notice it wasn’t the covers keeping her down, it was her beautiful girlfriend pressed to her chest, breathing slowly and evenly into her neck. She allowed herself to indulge in the embrace for a moment, until the pressure in her bladder became almost unbearable and she had to move.
Caitlyn stirred and Vi gave her a peck on her forehead before she wound herself out of the bed.
“I’m right back, babe.”
When she returned, the bluenette was already sitting upright on their bed. Her eyes were still a little swollen, but they glowed in excitement. On her lap lay a wooden carved box.
“I got something for you.” She patted the box. “You cannot spend every sunny day in bed.”
Vi sat down at her girlfriend's side and tilted her head to nibble at the other woman's neck.
“Hmmm… I think I could spend every single day of the rest of my life in that bed if you stay with me.”
Caitlyn giggled like a schoolgirl and squirmed.
“Stop that!” But the way she leaned into the touch betrayed her feelings. “Ok, stop it! I have something for you.”
Vi raised her eyebrow and looked at the box. “Is that something we can use when we stay in bed all day?”
Caitlyn rolled her eyes and smirked. “No, for once this is something you can use outside of this apartment.”
This time, both of Vi’s eyebrows shot up. “Whaaat do you have in mind?”
That received her a gentle slap on the forearm.
“Seriously, you are shameless, aren’t you? This will hopefully prevent your headache.”
“The painkillers do their job. What else do I need?”
“I said prevent, not relief. You shouldn’t take painkillers on a daily basis. And you won’t need to if you wear one of these.”
With a swift motion, the box sprang open and Vi’s eyes widened in surprise and then in amusement.
“Are these supposed to be protection glasses?” She picked out one rather delicate piece. “Because they won’t protect you from anything.”
“They don’t need to protect you from anything other than the sun rays that are hurting your eyes.” Caitlyn answered with a slightly offended tone.
“I’m sorry, Cupcake, thank you so much for taking care of me. I just… I don’t know if they will suit me.”
“That’s why I brought a selection, choose whatever you like. And if you don’t like any of them, we can go to the shop together or we can let you do your own design.”
“You know I really appreciate it, but… this is too much. They look really expensive…”
Caitlyn shifted in her position to look at Vi and took her girlfriend's face in both of her hands.
“Babe? Listen to me, because I don’t want to repeat this speech everytime I’m buying stuff.
First, there is nothing wrong with just accepting a gift from your girlfriend even if there is no special reason for it and you don’t have to have the feeling to give anything back to me other than your thanks.
“Second, you will soon have a job, remember? You will be an enforcer, working by my side, get a real wage, and then you will be able to buy yourself stuff.
“Third, you can’t call in sick everytime the sun comes out. I need you by my side.
Is that understood?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The bluenette gently squished both of the other woman’s cheeks and kissed her lips.
“Good girl.”
Vi felt heat rising up in her cheeks.
“Don’t you dare call me that when we’re on duty.” She mumbled under her breath.
Caitlyn leaned in and pecked her on the cheek.
“Only when we’re alone. Now, will you at least go through them?”
“Sure, let me see.” The magenta woman blinked, sat up and took the box to the vanity.
One by one, she tried every single of the sunglasses Caitlyn had brought her, until she had selected two of them. The glasses of the first pair were perfectly round and almost black with a black frame, the second pair were classic pilot sunglasses. They were not as dark as the others and the frame was golden.
“What do you think?"
When Vi turned her head, she briefly saw her girlfriend bite her lower lip.
"You like it?" She raised an eyebrow and the bluenette only nodded.
She closed the box and laid the two glasses on top. But something was still missing.
“I fear I might break these. They are a bit… fragile… to wear on duty, don’t you think?” Vi looked up.
There was a triumphant smile on Caitlyn’s face.
“That’s what I thought.” She grabbed with her hand behind her back and produced another pair of sunglasses. But these were very different from the others.
Vi’s eyes widened in surprise. “Goggles?!?”
Brightly smiling she grabbed the glasses and tried them on.
“I saw them and thought Vi would choose them .” Her girlfriend shrugged and smiled smugly.
“I love them! I mean, the other two are great, but these… They practically scream ‘Zaun’ . Thank you so much, babe!”
She grabbed the bluenette by her forearms and pulled her into a tight embrace while kissing her bare shoulder until she squirmed in her arms.
“Seriously, they are awesome! I think they could become my signature feature. On duty at least.”
Caitlyn brushed a strand of magenta hair out of Vi’s face and they shared a long kiss.
“Now let us go make some dinner, we can try out your new sunglasses tomorrow.”
Arm in arm they went to the kitchen.
Fall
Vi wasn’t clueless, she had read books all her life. Even in Stillwater she would gladly pick up any fight to get something of the rare resource of entertainment. But she couldn’t deny that it didn’t fully prepare her to actually see and experience the wonders of Runeterra.
Before she’d moved to Piltover, the only real tree she had ever seen close-by was the marvelous specimen the Firelights had managed to grow in the heart of their sanctum. It was still one of the most beautiful sights she had ever seen in her life, but when she first walked through the Main Park of Piltover, where hundreds or rather thousands of trees grew, she’d thought about changing that ranking.
On the outskirts of the park, all plants and paths looked neatly trimmed. But the farther one walked into the heart of the site, the wilder the surroundings became. Vi always enjoyed those areas more. She felt as if they gave an image about how forests outside of large cities like Piltover might look like.
And the view became even more breathtaking when summer left and fall was here.
First, there were only hints. The leaves of a few trees started to turn brown or yellow, but within mere weeks the whole park had turned into a paint pot of red, brown and yellow shades. It was breathtaking.
With the storms of fall, the trees let go of their leaves and the whole city was sprinkled in their colors.
Disappointingly, the city's cleansing department was extremely quick in picking up and cleaning every single reminder of nature within the luxurious streets.
One day after another storm had spread leaves all over town and the streets had been cleaned of them within the hour, Vi sat at the window of their living room and brooded over this behavior, while Caitlyn watched her from the kitchen island, a warm cup of tea in her hands.
“It’s like they want to erase every single evidence that they share their space with plants at all. Yeah, I know the leaves can be slippery, but that doesn’t mean they need to be eradicated like an infection.”
The bluenette walked up to her girlfriend, placed a light kiss on her forehead and gently stroked her back.
“Hm… we could go to the park in the afternoon. There should still be some trees left that haven’t lost all their leaves.”
“I bet it looks just as clean as the streets.” Vi grumbled.
Caitlyn tapped her forefinger on her lips. “You know, maybe they don't clean up the whole park.”
Her girlfriend's head shot up, hope sparkling in her gray blue eyes. “You think…?”
The bluenette shrugged. “We’ll have to go there to be sure. Come on, we grab our jackets and have a look.”
Vi practically jumped up and went swiftly to the wardrobe to pick up Caitlyn’s dark blue trench coat and her own favorite red jacket.
…
“You were right!” Vi beamed, first at the beautiful landscape around them, and then at the beautiful woman standing beside her. “This is mesmerizing! Why should anyone not want to see this every single day? How is it even possible that so many different colors exist in nature?”
When she spotted a pile of leaves at the side of the path, she couldn’t resist. She grabbed Caitlyn around the waist, clutching her arms to her side, and pulled the squealing woman with her when she let herself drop in the middle of the pile.
“Ugh, Vi, these are wet.” But Vi didn’t let go. She pulled her floundering girlfriend on top of her, shielding her from most of the wet leaves.
Caitlyn struggled to get out of her girlfriend's strong grip, until she finally relaxed into the embrace, locking their eyes in a deep gaze. The magenta haired woman took one of her hands and removed a stubborn leaf from her girlfriend's hair.
“I love you, Cait. Thank you for showing me all those things.”
Tears rose in the bluenette’s eyes.
“I love you, too. So much.”
They shared a loving kiss after finally confessing their feelings for each other.
“I must admit, Vi, I haven’t done this before…”
The shorter woman moved a little to get a better look on her girlfriend's face.
“You can’t mean kissing, we did that like a lot . So do you mean saying these-”
“No… I mean, yes, I never said it before, to anyone. But what I meant is laying in a pile of leaves.”
“Didn’t you spend a lot of time in the woods doing your shooting thing?”
“I did, but there never was the time. And even if there had been, it was never appropriate for a councilor’s daughter… I’m starting to believe I was missing out…”
Vi placed another tender kiss on her lips. “That means we get to experience so many new things together.”
Caitlyn smirked. “I suppose…”
They stayed in this position for a little while, until Vi started to feel the cold creep through her clothes.
Back home they quickly got rid of their damp clothes and spent the rest of the day in bed, indulging in the magical new feeling of their love confessions.
Winter
The coldest season had always been the most cruel time in Stillwater. Insulation didn't exist. Sometimes even the water supply in the cells froze, especially in the solitary cells. Nobody wanted to risk spending time there.
Still, it was the most peaceful time between the inmates, a unique consent not to cause trouble, only to endure until the temperatures rose again. During the winter months, more than half of the inmates were sick anyway. Some of them wouldn’t see spring again.
Vi had survived every single year. After spending some days in solitary in her first winter, she’d learned to keep her head low for the coldest weeks. Her pride hadn’t been worth freezing to death in one of those refrigerators.
Spending the winter in Piltover though, was something completely different.
The nights were longer, which meant Caitlyn and her spent more time on the couch or in bed, cuddling or making love to each other under warm blankets or in front of the hearth. Vi had never thought she would be able to experience that aspect of cold. The warmth of a loving embrace or a mug of hot chocolate.
Ideally, she had both at the same time.
When the first snowflakes fell from the clear sky, the Zaunite pressed her face to the window and gazed down the streets.
“Is this real snow?”
Caitlyn looked at her with a loving but sad smile. “Of course it is, darling. It won’t take long until all the streets are filled with it. In some years, the snow is so high, people can’t even exit their houses until the clearance department plowed some paths.”
Vi rolled her eyes. She still didn’t understand why everything needed to be so clean .
“Can we go outside? The only snowflakes I have ever seen were on the rooftops of Zaun, and they weren’t this white.”
Her girlfriend had already grabbed their winter coats.
By the end of the week a solid layer covered the pavement. Caitlyn had called it a day at the office (a privilege of her being the Sheriff), and they went right to the Main Park.
All the meadows and trees were glistening in white and the air smelled of cold and unfamiliar spices. The snow crunched under their soles, as they walked straight through the low snowdrifts. People were looking their way, but they didn’t mind.
When they came to a clearing in the wilder part of the park, Vi grinned mischievously. She let herself fall behind some steps, grabbed a handful of snow, pressed it as solid as possible and aimed at the back of her girlfriend.
Splash .
Caitlyn turned around instantly.
“Hey!”
The snowball had hit the heels of her boots.
Splash .
Another one missed her leg by a hand’s width and hit the ground.
“Are you trying to strike me?” Caitlyn stemmed her hands in her hips.
“I’m trying.” Vi squinted her eyes and threw again.
Her girlfriend ducked her head.
“Hey, not in the face!”
“I was aiming for your chest!”
Caitlyn shook her head and laughed. “You’re a terrible aim.”
Vi spread her arms in challenge. “Ok, then let me see what you can do. I bet you never threw a snowball in your whole life.”
The bluenette pouted her lips for a moment, but when she held the ammunition in hands, her lips formed a smug smile.
“And I bet I’m still a better shot than you.”
Splash .
She hit her collar, which Vi had forgotten to cover with a scarf.
Splash .
This time she hit her stomach. Vi took a step back.
Splash .
She hit her chest. Vi grabbed her own jacket where the snowball had hit her and in a dramatic motion and let herself fall back into the soft snow cushions.
“I yield!”
When she looked up, she saw her girlfriend approach with a triumphant grin.
“Alright, you're a good shot, babe.” And when the bluenette raised an eyebrow, she added. “An excellent shot.” Imitating Caitlyn’s accent to perfection.
Before the other woman could even react, she grabbed her arm and pulled her down and into the snowdrift beside her. At the same time, she grabbed a portion of snow with her other hand and shoved it into the taller woman’s neck.
The squeak that escaped the lips of the all so serious Sheriff of Piltover was definitely worth it.
They spent the rest of the day in the park, strolling around mostly. Vi attempted to build a snowman, and with the help of her partner, she actually managed to pile up three large balls of snow. The facial features were created by sticks and stones.
But Vi was not ready yet. She grabbed some more snow and formed elongated structures on the snowman’s sides.
Caitlyn tilted her head. “What are these supposed to be?”
“Arms obviously?”
“But why are the hands so… fat?” The bluenette frowned.
Vi gesticulated with her hands. “Hey, can’t you see? These are gauntlets!”
Her girlfriend bursted out in a full belly laughter, and Vi just had to join.
When they finally calmed down, Caitlyn took her partner by the arm. They walked back to the outskirts of the park.
On their way, they saw a couple of kids running, throwing snowballs, forming snow angels and just being free of any responsibility. The sight made Vi stop in her steps and she grew quiet.
Before Caitlyn could ask what was on her mind, Vi started talking to herself, almost inaudible.
“Our kids could be like them…” It took her a moment to realize she actually said those words. When she did, her eyes shot up to meet Caitlyn’s with shame and regret, but the other woman’s gaze was only surprised and full of love.
“Did… you think about it?” The bluenette asked.
Vi swallowed. “Not really, not until now. I mean, I always wanted to adopt kids, like Vander. Give them a better life, better than begging on the streets. But that was… only a daydream, dunno.” She shrugged and looked at her feet, not willing to let her eyes betray how deep that daydream started to take root in her mind.
Caitlyn watched her for a moment, and when Vi still didn’t look her in the eyes, she stepped in front of her, placed her forefinger under the shorter woman’s chin and pushed it upwards. Their gazes finally met.
“There is still so much to do, we need to bring peace to Piltover and Zaun. We need to dry out the remaining distribution lines of shimmer.” Caitlyn’s words let a sadness grow in Vi’s eyes. “ But when things are settled and more stable, I promise we will have that conversation. I want to build up a life with you. And if there is one person in this world I could imagine raising kids with, it is you.”
A warmth grew in the Zaunite’s chest. This was the love of her life, she realized. There was nothing they couldn’t accomplish when they were together.
The kiss was soft and reassuring. They didn’t mind that they were standing in the middle of a public place. It was only the two of them and the silent promise they had given each other.
Splash .
A snowball hit Caitlyn’s arm. Both looked up and saw the group of kids running away, giggling excitedly.
Caitlyn shook her head and they both laughed.
“Now come on, let’s get warmed up. Do you want some hot chocolate?”
Vi smiled lovingly. “I could never say no to that.”
Arm in arm they left the park.
Spring
Achoo !
A loud sneeze startled Vi from where she stood in the kitchen, preparing their dinner.
“Baaabe? Are you ok? Are you getting sick?”
A moment later, Caitlyn came around the corner, eyes reddened and a tissue in her hand to cover her equally red nose.
“Oh no, babe, where did you catch that? Go to bed, I’ll bring you something to eat.”
“It’s not achoo I’m not sick… it’s just achoo my allergy.” She cleaned her nose.
Vi frowned. “Are you sure? You don’t look healthy…”
“It’s just the pollen. Will be over in a few weeks. I’m fine.”
Vi went around the kitchen island and took her girlfriend's face in her hands.
“Is there anything I can do? I hate to see you suffer.” The Zaunites said, deeply concerned.
“Maybe, there should be medicine, achoo but I never tried it. It makes you sleepy and I can’t stand that.”
“There is nowhere we need to be for the next two days. First thing in the morning, I’ll get you those pills. And in case they make you sleepy, you’ll finally get the restful weekend you always deserved. And if not, well, I guess we can keep each other occupied when you’re not sneezing every second sentence.”
The insinuation got completely lost in another violent attack of sneezes, followed by a not so ladylike sound of Caitlyn cleaning her nose.
“Ooookay…”
In Zaun she would have spent hours searching for a vendor who sold the pills and she still couldn’t have been sure she hadn’t been duped. In Piltover though, the first chemist Vi visited had the requested pills in stock.
Caitlyn was still a bit reluctant to take them, but her partner ensured she would be at her side all the time, in case she should sleep too deeply or lose accountability (Caitlyn’s biggest fear). Being vulnerable was something they both had hated before they’d gotten to know each other. Their first adventure in Zaun had forced them to let down their guard more than once, but the trust they had developed thereby was so deep and steadfast, a little dizziness from taking a pill couldn’t shake it.
Vi had to admit, her girlfriend was a little more relaxed than usual, but more importantly, her sneezing stopped and her red eyes vanished slowly. It was such a relief to see her feeling much better.
But she couldn’t deny that the pills made the bluenette sleepy. Caitlyn took a nap on the couch while reading a book, laying backwards against her girlfriend's chest. When she woke up, she still felt tired. Vi decided to keep her occupied. They played board games, cooked, did some cleaning around the apartment, but Caitlyn’s eyes stayed heavy all the time. In this state, she wouldn’t be able to work.
Vi was worried. Would her girlfriend really need to choose between constantly sneezing or adamant tiredness?
“If only I knew how to help you. I’ll go back to the chemist. There has to be another option!”
“It’s ok babe, I’m feeling much better, trust me. I’ll go to bed early today and tomorrow we will see how it is. It will be fine.” Caitlyn caressed Vi’s cheek and the magenta haired woman leaned into the touch giving her the cutest puppy eyes.
“But you can’t stay in bed for weeks. You remember what you told me when I had these headaches? I need you by my side…”
Caitlyn kissed her.
“Let’s wait until tomorrow, ok?”
Vi only nodded and followed her girlfriend to the bedroom.
The next day, Caitlyn woke up at her usual time. She felt much better and not the hint of an itch inside her nose. She took a deep breath and directed her attention to her girlfriend, still sleeping by her side. A loving smile spread on her lips.
She lifted the covers, snuggled to her side, and decided the Zaunite would deserve a special kind of wake-up call to thank her for taking care of her.
In the afternoon of the same day, the symptoms started to return. Vi was already halfway out of the apartment to go to the chemist, but Caitlyn held her back.
“Wait, let’s give it another try. I felt much better today than yesterday. Still a little bit dizzy, but I was able to focus. I’ll take the pills today before bedtime, sleep well through the night, and tomorrow I’m hopefully feeling nearly normal. I can handle it, babe, trust me.”
“You really sure?”
The bluenette locked eyes with her partner. “I am, I promise.”
And just as expected, on the next day Caitlyn felt much better. Her allergy that had troubled her for half of her life, was finally relieved. And only because she finally found someone she trusted, she’d allowed herself to feel vulnerable under the effects of the pills in Vi’s presence.
Both of their lives had changed completely within a single year. And they both knew there would be even more years to come.