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I.
Caitlyn wasn’t all too excited at the prospect of potentially being force-fed ice cream and having her ear fondled with neither warning nor consent given again, but she chalked the bad experience up to being one of the rare misses that came with limiting her dating pool to women she shared mutual friends with. Her most recent blind date had subjected her to such atrocities and then some — Maddie was eager to hold hands despite them only just having met that night, and she had been particularly fiending for a goodnight kiss that Caitlyn was absolutely not going to indulge.
Mel had apologized profusely for the poor matchup, confessing that Maddie was a family friend that she didn’t know too well but who had seemed sweet and respectful of boundaries whenever their families spent time together. After that abysmal failure of a date, Caitlyn went to Jayce’s to drink away her annoyance with a nice gin and tonic in a gorgeous, glass-blown tumbler that she didn’t recall him having before and that she subsequently thought about stealing. The Roman numeral for six was engraved underneath, and Caitlyn’s finger idly traced it as she nursed her drink.
Jayce promised that her next date would be different, and if it was disastrous, he’d cover any bar tab she’d run up for the next month. All Caitlyn knew about Vi was that she was a contractor that Jayce had hired to help redo his kitchen and she had bright pink hair that could be seen from a mile away.
Vi’s texting habits gave little of her personality away — while she was prone to typing exclusively in lowercase while they arranged to meet up for lunch at Jericho’s Diner on Thursday, there were no acronyms, emojis, or shorthand for Caitlyn to glean even a hint of what this woman’s personality was like. She did respect the Oxford comma when listing out places they could go for lunch, though, which worked in her favor for Caitlyn. The bar was just slightly above the floor.
She waited outside the diner, fifteen minutes early since her criminal law course let out sooner than usual, and scrolled mindlessly through Jericho’s menu even though she’d already decided what she’d be getting as soon as they agreed on a restaurant. The sound of boots pounding on the pavement drew her attention and brought her gaze upward to a slightly out-of-breath woman in a red leather jacket and with — sure enough — bright pink hair.
“I didn’t make you wait too long, did I?” she panted out while running a hand through her hair. Caitlyn glanced quickly at her watch and noted that though Vi clearly jogged over, she was still ten minutes early.
Caitlyn looked back up to respond smoothly that she hadn’t waited long at all, but as her eyes fully drank in the sight of the woman before her, her pesky heart lodged itself into her throat. Cool, gray-blue eyes gazed unflinchingly and warmly back at her, the VI tattoo under her left eye crinkled upward by a crooked smile with a scar that crossed Vi’s upper lip. A silver nose ring winked at Caitlyn, whose motor function continued to fail her. An eyebrow with a scar slashing through it lifted in question.
“You’re Caitlyn, right?”
“Yes! N–no, I—Sorry,” Caitlyn breathed out with an embarrassed laugh. Her bumbling would serve her well in court. “Yes, I’m Caitlyn, and no, you didn’t make me wait. I just got here even earlier than you.”
“That eager to see me, huh? Well, I better not disappoint.” Vi winked at her and pulled the door open, gesturing for Caitlyn to head in first.
The wink, the teasingly cocky attitude, the fact that she caught Caitlyn off guard and made her stutter — with anyone else, these were all valid enough reasons for Caitlyn to cut things off here and leave no chance for a second date. But this was Vi, who she’d only just met and who already felt different. Caitlyn reasoned that she at least owed it to herself to figure out why.
Though Caitlyn was perfectly content with her French dip sandwich, Vi was an absolute nuisance in badgering her to try the Seafood Lover’s Delight that she’d ordered — some kind of white fish in an electric blue sauce. Caitlyn thought about the spoon of Thai tea ice cream pressed to her lips, held up by an over-eager Maddie who was so certain that Caitlyn would love it, and for the life of her couldn’t summon that same sense of annoyance in this scenario. She relented and poked at the fish until a small piece came apart, made sure that it was slathered in enough sauce as Vi advised, and brought it to her mouth with a grimace.
Caitlyn should've been more annoyed about how her eyes go wide at the fish’s tender and flaky texture and how well the rich and bright sauce complements it. More than that, she should've been furious about her newfound inclination to abandon her French dip entirely to help Vi polish off the neon fish. For some reason, she didn't have the heart to feel anything but shyly joyful at the sound of Vi’s unbridled laughter and insistence that Caitlyn can trust her when it comes to good food.
Caitlyn’s resolved to chase the thread — just what is it about Vi that makes her feel different? She owed it to herself to find out, which is why when Vi paid the tab — Caitlyn made an attempt to pay, only for the other woman to say she can get the next one — and asked if she wanted to go for a walk, she said yes.
True to her word, Vi let Caitlyn pay for the Ionian takeout they ate on the banks of the River Pilt after they spent six hours ambling through Zaun and lower Piltover talking about the myths of Janna, the difference between airships and blimps, and everything in between. Their night only ended because Caitlyn had an early contracts class the next morning, and Caitlyn let Vi walk her back to the Piltover side of the bridge before they parted ways.
When Caitlyn made it back to her apartment, she made to text Jayce about the date going well and found a notification from Vi.
had a great time today, would love to see u again :)
Caitlyn felt the corner of her mouth turn up fondly at the smiley face and even the “u” shorthand, which would typically make her wince.
II.
Caitlyn couldn’t wait to see Vi again — for self-research purposes, of course. Vi and her crew were getting situated with their new job on Friday, so after her classes Caitlyn crammed as much studying as she could into Friday night so she and Vi could go out on Saturday. They’d made plans to watch Logan, and Caitlyn learned from a quick search online that it was some action movie that involved a werewolf-type man who had retractable blades embedded between his knuckles. The movie was already several years old, but a theater in Zaun was re-screening it as part of a week-long comic book celebration. It wasn’t something that would typically interest Caitlyn, but Vi spoke so animatedly about it that she said yes in a heartbeat. Frankly, Vi could have pitched watching just about anything — a documentary on the invention of spoons, a three-hour foreign film with no subtitles, a highly-produced film version of Monster Bug Wars — and Caitlyn would have agreed to it without a second thought.
On her way to the bridge where she and Vi had parted ways on Thursday night, Caitlyn stopped short when a flash of pink caught her eye. In the window of a narrow bakery, a chocolate cupcake with pink frosting and a cherry on top beckoned her in. She proceeded to the bridge in a slight daze with a box in hand, only brought out of her stupor when Vi’s figure entered her line of sight.
“For you,” Caitlyn blurted in greeting as she held out the box.
“Hello to you too,” Vi replied with a goofy grin, and a pink tinge crawled up her neck and graced her freckled cheeks. She flipped the lid of the box open and plucked the cupcake out. “You’re sweet,” she said before licking at the frosting. “Like a cupcake.” Another infuriating, playful wink. Caitlyn filed away the heat simmering low in her stomach for further investigation later.
They shared the cupcake during the previews, chatting mindlessly about how their Fridays went. Caitlyn fully expected to pay minimal attention to the movie and mostly direct her focus towards Vi, but she found herself absorbed in the story of a man weathered by time and loss and pain putting his life on the line to protect a young girl that had similar powers to him.
During a particularly harrowing fight scene, she had a hard time tearing her eyes away from the screen when Vi leaned over to whisper something. “Sorry?” Caitlyn asked with her eyes still glued to the screen. Vi repeated the question, something about a hand, but the sound of metal and gunfire drowned her voice out. “What was that?” Caitlyn finally looked at Vi, who just shook her head with a small smile and turned back to face the screen. Talking during a movie — surely this was enough of a pet peeve for Caitlyn to lose her rose-tinted glasses when it came to all things Vi. But then a warm, calloused hand slid into the hand she rested on her knee, and an onslaught of butterflies took flight in her stomach and her heart rate ratcheted up. Oh, Caitlyn thought. She had been asking if she could hold my hand. Caitlyn looked over at Vi, who still had that charming little smile as she kept her eyes on the screen.
At some point, Vi had to step out of the movie to take a call from someone on her crew — Caitlyn conceded that this was the right move if one had to take a call during a movie — and when she returned, Caitlyn reached over the armrest to take her hand. When she cried at the movie’s ending, Vi brushed at her tears with a gentle thumb before rummaging through her jacket pockets for a tissue.
They made their way back to Jericho’s for a late lunch, where — amidst aimless chatter about childhood hobbies — Caitlyn shared what she thought was a harmless admission. On the contrary, Vi thought it was an outrage that Caitlyn didn’t know how to ride a bike.
“Cupcake, how did you miss out on such an essential childhood experience?! Did your parents even try to teach you?” Even when she groused at Caitlyn with a mouth full of half-chewed burger, Vi was endearing.
“I don’t think my parents know how to ride a bike either, to be honest. Jayce did try to teach me once, but he gave up after about a week. I’ve pretty much accepted that I’m incapable of learning how to ride a bike,” Caitlyn admitted sheepishly before attempting to sip at her absurdly thick milkshake. Her cheeks hollowed and her eyebrows knitted together in frustration at the drink’s slow progress up her straw when Vi interjected, “I can teach you!”
Caitlyn tried to coax her heart back into a steady rhythm, but her efforts were fruitless against the cliché but nonetheless sweet offer. “Oh, Vi, I don’t think that’s necessary. I’m perfectly happy walking and taking the tram—”
“No way, Cait, this is a necessary skill! I’m teaching you tomorrow. I’ll bring Jinx’s old bike and we can try it along the river.”
III.
For once, Caitlyn wished that her date wasn’t so dependable. Sunday morning, Vi had a shit-eating grin on her face as she dismounted from a bike that was in all likelihood too small for Caitlyn. She also came prepared with a helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads. Caitlyn held her breath as Vi helped her secure the helmet and made sure it was tight enough. Her thumb brushed Caitlyn’s chin, and the involuntary gasp that Caitlyn let out gave Vi a glimpse of the tooth gap that she was growing to adore more every time she saw it.
After Vi adjusted the bike seat, Caitlyn climbed on nervously, her hands gripping the handlebars that had blue and pink tassels dangling from them. “Is this safe?”
“Safe as life,” Vi responded breezily, but Caitlyn’s form remained rigid and her mouth set. As Vi moved to Caitlyn’s side, she placed her hand at the small of the other woman’s back, which relaxed slightly at the touch. “Hey,” Vi leaned over to face Caitlyn. Worried blue eyes peered back at her. Born to one of the oldest and most influential families in Piltover, Caitlyn was used to navigating the world with a surety and confidence that was instilled in her from birth. However, that didn’t make something that most people learned as children — when they had a shorter distance to fall and were less familiar with fear — any less daunting. Caitlyn bit her lip in frustration at her own hang ups around something as simple as riding a bike, but her mind cleared at the gentle touch of Vi’s hand to her cheek. “I won’t let you get hurt.” She said it with a confidence and warmth that made Caitlyn feel brave.
Though her stomach lurched at the wobble that came of her first few pedals, Vi’s firm hand on her back and one of the handles steadied her. They made their way up and down the river with what Caitlyn would normally consider frustratingly slow progress, but she couldn’t think of it as frustrating when it meant laughing with Vi when she stumbled or panic-squeezed the brake too hard. Somehow, Caitlyn had even managed to shrug off her self-consciousness at the gaggle of schoolgirls that watched them, turning to each other to chatter and giggle before cheering Caitlyn on. When they burst into even more giggles after Vi winked and saluted the group, Caitlyn could hardly blame them.
By early afternoon, Caitlyn had successfully biked without Vi holding onto her for about five seconds before she lost her nerve and had to plant her feet back on the ground. When her stomach growled loud enough that Vi heard, she let her off the hook for the day and they made their way to a Noxian eatery that Caitlyn had been itching to try. Vi kept her right hand on the bike and let her left hand hang between her and Caitlyn, their knuckles brushing on occasion. A few brushes later, Caitlyn tucked her hand into Vi’s, safe as life.
IV.
When Caitlyn got the summer internship offer at Heimerdinger & Associates, one of the most prestigious law firms in Piltover, she could’ve called her parents first, or Jayce, or Mel, but instead she called Vi. She’d gone to voicemail — understandably, Vi wasn’t the most accessible when she was on the job — so Caitlyn just left her an excited message about calling her back. She texted her parents, Jayce, and Mel, who all congratulated her and offered to celebrate, but Caitlyn couldn’t wait to hear back from and make plans with Vi. She could get drinks with Jayce and Mel tomorrow night, and dinner with her parents operated on a much more flexible schedule. For now, whether she liked it or not, her calendar was governed by her heart — which meant it was governed by Vi.
After Caitlyn's civil procedure course, she had a missed call from Vi. Her pulse thrummed as the phone rang, and when Vi picked up with a slightly breathless “Hey there, Cupcake.” Caitlyn felt warm all over.
“I got the internship!” she cheered, and Vi whooped in delight. “That’s amazing, congrats!”
Caitlyn heard Vi call out more faintly, “Hey, she got the job!” and then back at a normal volume, “Ekko and Clagg say congrats too. But seriously, that’s some tough shit to pull off. I don’t get off till late tonight, but would you still be up to celebrate?”
“I’d love to! I know a great spot in lower Piltover that’s open late, would you want to meet there?”
“It’s a date,” Vi confirmed. “I gotta run, but I’ll text you about the time. See you soon!”
Though Caitlyn had enough sense to not smile dopily throughout her classes, she floated to her legal writing course, buoyed by the thought of seeing Vi tonight. Things really were different with her, and as she spent more time with the other woman, she was seeing less of a point in questioning why.
After class, Caitlyn slowly meandered her way back to her apartment. She invited Mel over for dinner — Ionian takeout that made her think back to her first date with Vi — and filled Mel in on what it was like seeing Vi, her internship paling in comparison. She told Mel about their first date stretching into the night when they’d only made plans to get lunch, Vi taking her hand during the movie and how they held hands as much as they could for the rest of the day, the bike lessons, and the burning ache to spend more time with her.
“This girl is really something, huh?” Mel asked, her chin in one hand with a glass of red wine in the other.
“It’s so bizarre — ever since we met, she’s done all these things that normally I’d write someone off completely for. She talked to me and took a phone call during a movie and that is horrendous movie theater etiquette, but she held my hand and smiled and then it’s like she can do no wrong. What is wrong with me?” Caitlyn rambled. Mel looked at her pitifully.
“Are you sure the question isn’t what’s right about her?” Caitlyn paused at the question.
The effortless winks that Vi handed out like flowers; the playful vanity rooted in self-assuredness; the way she chattered away with her mouth full of food; how she made Caitlyn believe that with her, at least, life was safe. Vi didn’t try for a goodnight kiss after the first date, or the second, or the third, and for once, Caitlyn found herself really wishing her date would make a move. Everything was charming. Everything made her heart race and her mind quiet. Caitlyn was bewitched by it all.
Things felt different with Vi, and different felt closer to right than Caitlyn expected.
She startled when her phone buzzed against the table.
i can be there around 10, good w u?
Mel sipped at her wine, watching a slow smile spread across Caitlyn’s face like a reflex while she typed out her reply.
Yes, I’ll see you soon :)
“I’m seeing her tonight,” Caitlyn confessed to Mel after hitting send.
“Oh really? I couldn’t tell,” Mel teased with an arched brow.
Caitlyn loved Mel dearly and could’ve spent hours chatting mindlessly, but now her eyes were on the clock, waiting for the little hand to inch its way closer to ten.
At 10:15, Caitlyn and Vi huddled under the awning of the tiny crepe stall while waiting for their orders.
“Oh, uh, before I forget, I have something for you.” Vi ducked her head to rummage through her bag, but Caitlyn didn’t miss the way her cheeks bloomed pink. She found what she was looking for, quickly closed a fist around it, and withdrew her hand from her bag. When she looked up at Caitlyn and asked, “Can you close your eyes and hold your hand out?” Caitlyn melted a little at the unfamiliar sight of a shy Vi.
She closed her eyes and extended her palm towards Vi, who set a dainty little object in her hand. Caitlyn’s eyes opened to see a small glass cupcake with pink frosting and a cherry on top resting in her hand. “This is so cute, thank you!” Caitlyn cooed at the figurine and considered this was grounds for her calling Vi Cupcake as well.
“I do some glassblowing on the side.” Vi rubbed at the back of her neck, as if that was a suitable explanation for the sweetest gift that Caitlyn had ever received.
“Wait, you made this?” Caitlyn asked as she marveled at the detail. Even the edges of the cupcake were ruffled like it was in a liner. “Glassblowing on the side… Did you make Jayce a tumbler?” She thought back to the VI engraved on the bottom of the glass and felt like an idiot — the Roman numeral for six, the tattoo she saw every time she looked at Vi, and the name that was being etched deeper and deeper onto Caitlyn’s heart in capital letters.
“Yeah, that was me,” Vi’s crooked grin returned just as a bell rang to indicate that their orders were ready.
They walked to a nearby park to eat on a bench and chat about their days, neither of them ready to talk about anything substantial just yet. After they finished, Vi got up to throw their trash away while Caitlyn continued to admire the glass figure. Upon her return, Caitlyn was ready with questions about Vi’s glassblowing — she was already more than interested in getting some of Vi’s tumblers for her own kitchen — when Vi blurted out abruptly but endearingly nonetheless, “Can I kiss you?”
Laughter bubbled out of Caitlyn as she nodded emphatically. Vi leaned in, a full smile breaking across her face, and for one frozen moment, Caitlyn tried counting the freckles adorning Vi’s nose and cheeks. She got to six when their lips met, and their kiss tasted like caramel.
V.
Caitlyn woke to the smell of sugar, the sunlight breaking through the curtains, and the tune of Vi humming in their kitchen. She blinked blearily at the clock on her nightstand, which read 7:24 AM. While she would typically go back to bed — weekends were for sleeping in since her internship kicked her ass at ungodly hours during the week — she couldn't resist the siren call of breakfast with Vi.
She slinked out of their bed, pulled on a purple robe, and shuffled into the kitchen where Vi was at the stove. A stack of plain crepes sat on a plate beside a bowl of sliced fruit, a tub of chocolate ganache, and a bottle of caramel.
“I was just dreaming about that night,” Caitlyn mumbled as she wrapped her arms around Vi’s waist.
“Oh yeah?” Vi asked, pausing in between crepes to hand Caitlyn a glass of water. This glass — the one she made with Vi’s help — didn't sit as well in her hands as Vi’s glass did, but Vi reassured her that she’ll get better with practice.
“Yeah, it was like I was watching a movie about us.” Caitlyn detached from Vi momentarily to take a sip before she set the glass back down on the counter. Her arm snaked back around Vi and she nuzzled into the crook of her neck.
“Was it better than Logan?” Vi joked with a dry laugh, pressing a kiss to Caitlyn’s head.
“Definitely,” Caitlyn replied with a smile then turned her head upward to kiss Vi, whose lips tasted like cherries.