Work Text:
For Caitlyn, there was an expectation, an obligation.
Always unspoken, of course, her mother respected her enough to never outright say it or force it upon her. But, alas, Caitlyn was a Kiramman. The portraits that spanned generations that lined the walls of the manor underlined that and what that entailed.
This name doesn’t end with you.
Of course, that meant children. Caitlyn was certainly, by no means, ready or even in a place to think about starting a family. She was still young and her life was only starting. She was seeing more of the world, the good and the bad and everything in between. She wanted to keep doing that, to continue to grow and expand her horizons. Children, or even a single child…that could and would wait, but she still wished to grow the Kiramman family tree in the meantime.
She is going to ask Vi to marry her.
It is something that she has been planning for a while. Officially, for months - she’d only just received the ring from the master jeweller in Ionia that she’d tasked with crafting a very special design for her very special woman. Kiramman family diamonds were sent to Ionia. Sent back to Piltover was a platinum band with those very same jewels embedded in the band. Not one solid obvious diamond, as per a perhaps more traditional style of engagement ring, that wouldn’t really be Vi’s style. Instead a more subtle design, even with seventeen individual diamonds.
Why seventeen?
Honestly, Caitlyn asks herself this.
It’s seventeen for the number of months they’ll have been together when Caitlyn proposes.
Yet Caitlyn cannot fathom why it is, why it has taken her so long to ask a question she has wanted to ask for a long, long time.
When you know, you know.
As cliche as it may seem, Caitlyn had known very early on that she couldn’t imagine a life without Vi. Heavens, she had lived that life and she’d known it was something she would never be able to adapt to. Vi was the one, her only. And she wants to make that as official as officially possible.
Now. Caitlyn knows marriage was only a piece of paper, a legal agreement ultimately.
She doesn’t care.
Because it’s also a last name; a family; and, should shit hit the fan, then that bloody legality offers a security like none other. Vi deserves all of that.
Vi deserves the whole world, Caitlyn wishes she could give her more.
If Vi wants her last name, that is.
It’s silly, completely unfounded but a part of Caitlyn worries that she doesn’t. And Caitlyn knows that isn’t the case because there’s been numerous times in which the Kiramman name has mistakenly been attributed to Vi and Vi cannot hide her smile and blushes at being called Violet Kiramman.
Yet Caitlyn worries.
Fears, even.
Because someone like her was never meant to be with someone like Vi.
Vi's exciting.
She's tattoos, more ink on her cheek than all the other attendees of those awfully boring Piltover parties have combined.
She can bloody parkour from one end of the city to the other while barely breaking a sweat.
She has her fucking nipples pierced, she was infinitely more interesting than anyone at any gala that Caitlyn, as a Kiramman, was obligated to attend.
Those people saw Vi as a curiosity, something different.
Caitlyn just saw Vi as Vi, and loved Vi and wanted to spend the rest of her life with Vi.
She plans on doing that.
Really, she plans - oh how she plans .
A week away at the family cabin.
A ring - that ring - safely in her possession and hidden away in a secret compartment in her purse that Vi would never find even if she looked - and she wouldn't even look anyway, Vi never went through her things without permission, she respected her too much to even think of that.
An elaborate crossword puzzle, one that Caitlyn had sat and curated herself for the moment.
That moment, the moment was imminent.
Caitlyn has impressed herself with how she has bided her time so far this vacation. It’s day three, evening, pretty much the halfway mark. Of course, there’s no limits on how long they can stay here, it’s her family cabin, they could live here for the rest of their lives if they so chose to. But, alas, real life obligations were a thing. She was the Sheriff, and proudly so. Her life was in Piltover.
Her world was here in this cabin, wearing matching red flannel pyjamas with her.
Sometimes Caitlyn couldn’t comprehend loving Vi anymore than she does, then she goes and does something like suggest and buy matching pyjamas and that love somehow intensifies even more.
It’s oftentimes overwhelming to feel like this, to love and be loved in such quantities that it feels so much. Though, when it comes to loving Vi, her Violet, she wants to love her even more, to make sure she receives the love she was worthy of and more.
Matching pyjamas.
To matching last names.
Caitlyn is ready to ask.
Not yet though.
Vi is sat quietly, brow furrowed, tip of her tongue adorably sticking out. She’s sketching, something she loves to do and something Caitlyn loves to facilitate at birthdays and Christmas and moments of Just Because with gifts of pencils and sketchbooks. Sometimes it’s little doodles, other times it’s still life.
Occasionally it’s portraiture, something Vi admits she’s not very good at.
In her opinion at least, because when a sheepish Vi shows Caitlyn what she’d been working away at for the last half hour or so, Caitlyn would readily disagree with Vi’s assessment of her skills.
Though Caitlyn wishes Vi hadn’t been so forthcoming about sharing her work-in-progress because Caitlyn hadn’t been planning on crying before proposing. ‘Beautiful.’ If Caitlyn could frame that little sketch of her and hang it besides those paintings of her ancestors, she would. ‘Maybe we could commission you for the next Kiramman portrait.’
‘Eh. i wouldn’t go that far.’ Though Vi smiles, her cheeks turning a little rosy. ‘Thanks. It’s hard to do someone like you justice.’
‘Well I think you did a pretty good job.’ Caitlyn comes over and decides against sitting besides Vi on the couch, instead plonking herself down onto the woman’s lap.
Calloused hands smudged with pencil happily welcome her. ‘You're still doing that crossword?’
‘Kinda.’
‘So, yes.’
‘What can I say, I was too busy trying to be a perfect model for the artist.’ Of course she’d felt Vi’s eyes on her, the constant looks up and over. It was purely coincidental of course, yet it was working out perfectly, the perfect sort of excuse for why she hadn’t finished such an awfully easy puzzle. ‘Help me finish?’
‘Oh, I love helping you finish,’ Vi grins knowingly, swapping her sketchbook for Caitlyn’s puzzle book and pen.
Hands now free, Caitlyn runs one through Vi’s hair, fingers scratching at the shaven side. ‘And I love when you do.’
Vi hums.
Caitlyn wonders if she’ll catch on and realize that page is a little different from the others in the book.
‘Three down. Everlasting.’
Vi is smart after all, already rattling through the remaining clues with ease.
‘Seven down. Union.’
Caitlyn detests the misconception that her girl was anything but, either because Vi was a fighter or because of where she came from.
‘One across. Dedication.’
Especially the latter. Caitlyn knows that sort of prejudice still ran rampant amongst certain folk in Piltover. She hates it. Hates, hates, hates it.
‘The one underneath. Love.’
Caitlyn’s heart picks up pace, her moment is fast approaching. She plays along, playing dumb. ‘Yes, darling?’
It pays off, she’s rewarded with a kiss that’s stolen. ‘Shut up.’ And then another, one that’s not quite as chaste after Vi looks at her as if she hung all the stars. ‘The answer is love .’
Caitlyn smiles. ‘I know.’ Because she bloody well wrote it, an entire evening spent wondering if the entire thing was too obvious. ‘One more.’ Then it was go time.
‘What’s the clue?’
Caitlyn looks down to read it word for word, pretending that she hadn't spent ages on that particular prompt. ‘What are counted to measure a tree's age?’ Truth be told she was proud of it, it seemed the most subtle.
‘Oh…rings.’
‘Done. Easy.’
‘Uh, yeah it was.’ Vi still seems oblivious.
That only makes Caitlyn smile more. ‘I know.’
‘So.’ Vi’s eyes narrow. ‘What’s my reward for helping you?’
‘You,’ Caitlyn leans in close to whisper into Vi’s ear. ‘Can stoke the fire.’
‘Is this--.’
She pulls away. ‘Please? I’m cold.’ It’s a lie, an innocent one but a lie. And lies feel dirty coming out of her mouth. She doesn’t lie to Vi, she’s surprised at how natural that very small one sounds. She’s not used to it, and she certainly doesn’t like it…even when it’s for a good reason.
The best reason.
She’ll forgive herself for it later.
Vi pouts, adorably so. ‘Are you going to move or do I have to move you?’
‘Please.’ Licking her lips, Caitlyn has no intention of moving herself when that offer is there.
‘I see that.’
‘See what?’
‘That tongue.’
‘My lips are dry.’ Another lie, much more blatant, borderline nonsensical as Vi had very much just tasted and felt those lips against her own mere moments ago. ‘Because I’m cold.’
‘Oh yeah?’ Vi stands, lifting Caitlyn with ease.
Caitlyn had never felt safer or more at home in these arms, and she’s set back down on the couch so gently. Precious Cargo , Vi would often quip and Caitlyn always feels like it, knowing no harm would ever come to her. Even when the world was a scary and confusing place, being in those arms made everything better.
And when those soft lips were pressed against hers, like they were once more? Everything didn’t just feel better, everything felt right .
‘One down. Hydration.’ Vi was playing along, though she didn’t quite understand the game.
‘Oh you are.’ Caitlyn smirks. She has Vi. ‘Down bad for me.’
A brow is raised. ‘I’d rather be down on you.’
She absolutely has her. Caitlyn hums. ‘Well then darling, stoke that fire for me and I’ll see what can be arranged.’
Vi very dutifully sets about her task, not hesitating with that sort of incentive.
Caitlyn springs into action.
Vi tosses a couple of logs into the fire.
Caitlyn reaches under the couch.
Vi grabs the metal poker.
Caitlyn pulls out the little leather box she’d stashed there.
Now .
‘Can I be honest with you, Violet?’
‘Always. You know that.’ Poker amongst the flames, Vi was still occupied enough.
Caitlyn gets down on one knee. ‘I lied.’
‘About?’
She’s proposing in red flannel pyjamas that match with Vi, it really does feel right. ‘Being cold. I’m not actually that cold.’
Vi goes to set down the hot metal stick. ‘Then why would you--.’ Turning, she almost stumbles as she sees Caitlyn. Her eyes go wide.
Almost as wide as Caitlyn’s smile. ‘Tricked you.’ And she’s proud of herself for doing it, for fooling the smartest person she knows who is now realizing just how Caitlyn had planned everything out from the crossword to the whole notion of escaping the city for a week.
Because Caitlyn rarely took vacation time and, when she did, was more than happy to spend lazy days at home with Vi - truly, she was the happiest cuddling and fucking and cuddling and more fucking, and everything in between so long as it was with Vi, her sweet and beautiful and perfect Violet.
Yet one day, months ago, Caitlyn had suggested this little vacation.
A vacation during which Caitlyn had made her solve the easiest and most obvious puzzle ever.
Vi has realized that now.
‘Cait…’ And Vi is…overwhelmed.
‘Violet.’ So Caitlyn is going to be patient with her.
‘I am going to cry. Just so you know that, okay?’
Caitlyn lets out a little laugh. She she feels the same. ‘I will too. It’s okay.’ She has her answer already, she already knew the answer before even getting down on one knee. Yet still her heart hammers, the butterflies dance and her hand holding the box shakes. ‘Vi--.’
‘Wait. I-I just…I need to be able to remember this, can I…have a second?’
Caitlyn understands, completely. ‘I’m not going anywhere. Take as long as you need.’ She’s not concerned, nor is she impatient. She watches as Vi closes her eyes and takes a breath, knowing that she’d stay down here for as long as Vi needs. She loves that girl so, so much. She was going to spend the rest of her life loving her and with her - waiting a few extra seconds or minutes right now was nothing.
Those beautiful eyes reopen.
‘Ready?’
Vi nods.
Caitlyn reaches for the hand she’s going to hold for the rest of her life. ‘Violet. I have lived two lives. One with you, and one without.’
One good, and one bad.
‘I know which one I prefer, and which one I will always choose.’
It wasn’t even remotely difficult, those lives not even remotely comparable.
She squeezes Vi’s hand. ‘You, Violet. I choose you. My love for you is unlike anything I have ever known. It amazes you, like you do, every single day.’
Her big strong fighter was the kindest, softest soul. A girl that liked to spend her freetime exploring fictional worlds in literature and creating her own through art. An excellent chef that liked to listen to rock and soft jazz. A girl that told some of the corniest jokes but still made Caitlyn’s belly ache from laughter.
‘When I found you, I found my missing piece. When I lost you, well…I lost myself.’
She’d already been on very shaky footing. Vi had been a lifejacket, keeping her head above the water and keeping her afloat. Losing her…Caitlyn had begun to drown, the water became deeper and deeper, the ache in her chest got worse and worse. Struggling, suffocating. Caitlyn didn’t recognise herself when she’d looked in a mirror.
‘You complete me. You make me, and everything, so much better.’
So good that it didn’t seem real. She’d found love, her partner and her best friend.
Soon to be her wife…if she was capable of opening the ring box that she only realized now she’d been holding the wrong way as she’d fumbled with it. ‘Don’t laugh.’
Naturally Vi laughs - giggles actually, in the way she only does around Caitlyn. ‘Oh babe…’
‘I said don’t laugh.’
‘I’m sorry, I--.’
The sight of the ring shuts her up, makes those tears that’d been shimmering in her eyes to finally trickle down a tattooed cheek.
‘Violet…my beautiful Violet. May I have the privilege of being your wife? Will you marry me?’
The puzzle may have been easy, but the certainty Vi answers with solidifies this as the easiest question Caitlyn has posed.
‘Yes.’
Not four up or four down.
It's forever.