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If it was up to Caitlyn, Jinx would be hers and hers alone. She would be hidden away from the rest of the world. Taken care of and pampered, of course, but not for anyone else’s eyes. They didn’t deserve her.
Every time Jinx went out with Caitlyn in Piltover, people stared. No one said anything—at least, not in their presence—but their eyes spoke volumes. Sometimes they were merely curious, or even going so far as to look at them in awe. War heroes walking among the common man. More often than not, though, they were judgemental. And they never looked at Caitlyn like that. Just Jinx.
It was irrational. Caitlyn understood this, and she did her best to keep herself in check. Still, she couldn’t entirely quell the possessiveness, the overprotectiveness. Once upon a time, she had been obsessed with hunting Jinx down and making her pay for her crimes. Though the thirst for vengeance was long gone, the obsession never left. Jinx occupied her thoughts at all hours of the day. Every time she got a spare moment she would find herself thinking of her lover—sometimes innocently, and others in a manner most immoral.
As much as Caitlyn wanted to have Jinx to herself, the woman was a force of chaos that would never be contained. She deserved to live freely. She deserved to experience as normal of a life as Caitlyn could give her.
Despite that, Caitlyn wanted nothing more than to whisk her away from the prying eyes of the public after they had made their official debut as a couple at the gala celebrating the completion of the Reconstruction. Either that or pluck the eyeballs right out of the sockets of everyone in attendance.
Caitlyn had asked for simplicity with her outfit. A navy blue suit with high waisted pants and a cropped jacket, laced with golden trim. A black, high collar shirt beneath. Sharp, shining, heeled boots that clicked against the floor when she walked. Fitted leather gloves. To top it all off, a cavalier cape draped over her right shoulder—asymmetry intended to balance her missing eye, which was covered by a much nicer eyepatch with an embroidered design. Overall, the look was crisp and clean and reflected Caitlyn’s utilitarian sense of style while still displaying her status.
Jinx had been given the opportunity to design a custom dress for the outing with the help of the Kirammans’ personal tailor. She had elected to match Caitlyn in color and patterns, though the style of the dress was very Zaunite. The dress was all one piece, though it appeared to be disconnected. There was a black bandeau around her chest that attached to a navy sash trimmed with gold, which sat over her right shoulder and descended diagonally to her left hip, exposing as much of her tattoo as was appropriate. At the hip, it connected to the skirt of the dress: black, floor length, with a dangerously high slit up the right leg. Blue clouds peeked out from the top of the slit on her thigh. In lieu of gloves, her hands were dripping with gold. She was wearing some sort of bracelet with chains that connected to rings.
She was beautiful, and these people didn’t deserve to look at her.
“Introducing Ser Kiramman and her partner, Miss Jinx!”
The master of ceremonies announced both of them properly and without pause, but the way he said Jinx’s name made Caitlyn bristle. She felt Jinx squeezing her hand as they strode into the event hall.
“Relax, baby,” she whispered. “You look like you’re going to bite someone’s head off.”
“I might,” Caitlyn said through gritted teeth as she forced a smile and waved politely at the other guests.
People were already staring, and many of them were doing so unkindly. Caitlyn slipped her hand out of Jinx’s and looped their elbows together, adopting an even more formal posture to display the nature of their relationship. Jinx felt ridiculous hanging off of her arm, but she let Caitlyn do this. She had been warned beforehand that it would be an evening of uncomfortable moments, and that they would just have to deal with them as they came.
Once they were through with the entrance, Caitlyn returned her hand to Jinx’s and led her through the crowd to the back of the hall where the food and drink was being kept. Of course, they found Sevika there, nursing a glass of wine and chatting with Ekko, who had a stranger on his arm. She had shocking green hair and a buzzing energy about her. Caitlyn could almost feel sparks of electricity coming off of her.
“That is…?” she asked, leaning down to whisper in Jinx’s ear.
“Zeri. A fellow activist. Got involved with the Firelights and got really involved with Ekko, if you know what I mean,” said Jinx, wiggling her eyebrows.
Their private aside was cut short as Sevika noticed them and waved them over.
“Kiramman! Shocked you didn’t have them introduce you as Sheriff on your way in,” she said, smirking and raising her glass.
“I’m representing the house tonight.” Caitlyn glanced down at her love. “And Jinx is as well. I’d rather her be introduced as being with a Kiramman.”
Caitlyn swore she saw Jinx blush, but she tilted her head away too quickly. Sevika rolled her eyes at them.
“Yeah, yeah, the twin cities’ infamous lovebirds.”
“I love your dress,” interjected the girl—Zeri—as she stepped forward towards Jinx.
“Thank you! It’s custom,” said Jinx, giving a twirl.
She lifted her hand and her fingers brushed against the Kiramman crest—the old one, with the keys—emblazoned on the navy sash. Caitlyn couldn’t deny that she loved seeing her partner wearing it, and loved even more that they matched, with Caitlyn having the crest on her cape as well. It left no room to question why Jinx was here or who she was here with. Caitlyn would use everything in her power to protect her, including her name.
A name that she hoped she could give to her one day.
Jinx Kiramman…
Caitlyn closed her eyes and inhaled sharply, dismissing the distant sound of wedding bells. This had been a recent fantasy of hers that she had begun to entertain as she watched Jinx grow more comfortable in the manor. With her father gone and Vi having moved out, Jinx had become more relaxed. She had avoided Tobias as best as possible while he was still living with them, and though she and Vi were doing much, much better nowadays, she behaved differently when her sister was around, like she was pulling out a bit more of Powder for her.
She didn’t have to do that for Caitlyn. When they were alone together, she saw the real Jinx. The one she had first seen that night in the temple. The girl who didn’t want her to leave after their unceremonious and illicit first time.
As if on cue, Vi emerged from the crowd, approaching from behind them and placing both her hands on her sister’s shoulders to startle her.
“Boo!”
Jinx did not startle.
“Very funny, fat hands.”
“I thought we were past all the mean names?”
“It’s not mean! It’s affectionate.”
Vi circled around and stood beside Caitlyn, closing the gap between her and Sevika.
“Evening, Sheriff,” she said, pretending to tip a hat that she wasn’t wearing.
“Evening, Vi,” said Caitlyn, letting her expression show her disdain for the way she had been addressed.
“You two look lovely,” she said, nodding both towards Caitlyn and her sister. “Never thought I’d see Pow dolled up like this.”
Surprisingly, there was no snarky comeback from Jinx, nor a correction regarding her name. She made a face that implied she was annoyed, but Caitlyn could tell that her sister’s words had touched her and she was staying silent to avoid showing too much genuine emotion.
“It’s really quite lovely,” said Caitlyn, reaching down to tuck a stray lock of electric blue hair behind her ear.
Jinx’s hair had grown out quite a bit since she had shaved it during the war. It was just barely brushing against her shoulders now. She still kept a pink streak in it, and Vi had gotten a blue one to match.
“Thanks,” Jinx said softly, glancing up at Caitlyn out of the corner of her eye.
The way she looked at her made Caitlyn’s heart leap out of her chest.
If even I could learn to love you, how could anyone else hate you?
Caitlyn swallowed the emotions bubbling up in her throat, desperate to keep her cool. She realized she had been standing there for quite some time, and there were guests that were expecting to chat with her. Knowing Jinx loathed those kinds of noble pleasantries, she pulled her lover close and kissed the crown of her head.
“I need to go make the rounds, love. You can stay here, have some actual fun.”
Jinx laughed a little. “I’ll certainly try.”
“No mischief,” said Caitlyn, tracing her jaw with her fingers.
“I promise I’ll be good,” she replied, looking up at her with doe eyes.
The way she said it sent a pulse of head through Caitlyn’s stomach. Images of Jinx beneath her, naked, begging and pleading flashed before her eyes, and she had to work to ground herself in the present moment. Not one to be outdone, Caitlyn responded.
“Good girl,” she said, her voice low and dripping with lust.
She turned and left before Jinx had a chance to say anything else, keeping the image of her lover’s flustered face at the forefront of her mind as she dived into the crowd to make nice with the nobility.
In the aftermath of the war, it was decided that the new Sheriff would work more closely with the Council than her predecessors. After all, it was a lack of oversight over the past decade that had led to most of their recent troubles. Despite her aversion to the idea of getting involved with the governing body, Caitlyn agreed that this was the right decision. While they kept a close eye on her, she would be given more of a say when it came to policy and legislation. Unfortunately, it also meant that all of her plans to reform the force had to be voted upon before being instated, which slowed down the process quite a bit. The Council rarely ever rejected her proposals, and if they did, it was to raise valid criticisms that she was happy to address.
The City of Progress had always moved forward at blinding speeds that kept them from properly considering the consequences of their advancements. They would remain a bastion of innovation and a haven for the greatest minds Runeterra had to offer, but they were focusing on slowing things down. It was a controversial stance, but the general public had little room to make a fuss over it after having just suffered through a war with Noxian forces.
All of this meant that Caitlyn was being forced to behave more like a politician in some respects. On top of her duties as Sheriff, she was also a head of house now, which somehow made her more important than she was when she was ruling over the city under martial law. She had hoped to fade into the background after the war, but she was in the spotlight more than ever.
But she knew how to deal with it. She had watched her mother do this same dance all her life, and she followed the steps perfectly. Said her hellos, his, how are yous. Kept a mental rolodex of important people like she would memorize criminal case files. That’s Shoola’s wife, they just bought a new vacation home, ask about their travels. This man is the intelligencer of House Holloran, be careful what you say when he’s around. Avoid Camille Ferros at all costs.
After what felt like hours of conversing, Caitlyn had hoped to slip away from the chatter and find Jinx, but as she tried to find her way back to the corner where the refreshments were being served, she was approached by a man she recognized as Abraham Morichi, one of the newly elected Councilors who actually deigned to vote against her proposals on a regular basis.
“Sheriff!” he cried, throwing his arms wide as he drew near.
“Please, Lord Morichi, just Caitlyn is fine.”
He smirked. “Not ‘Ser Kiramman’?”
“If that’s what you’d prefer,” she replied politely but robotically.
“Just ‘Caitlyn’, then,” he said, taking a sip of his drink. “Enjoying yourself this evening? I’m sure you’re eager to celebrate, seeing how much you partook in the Reconstruction efforts.”
Caitlyn had dedicated a large chunk of the force to helping rebuild the twin cities, and she had regularly gone out herself and joined them when she had the time. She liked doing hands-on work where the results were immediately apparent.
“Yes, I am. More than that, I’m happy to see the cities made whole again.”
There was a slight twist in his expression—a disagreement with her word choice. He stayed civil, though, raising his glass towards her. She raised hers in kind and they both drank.
Abraham was not a fan of Zaun. Never had been, even when he was just a regular noble. For decades, his family had relied on investments in the mining industry. Zaunites were workers, to him, and they hadn’t been doing their jobs properly for quite some time. Silco’s takeover had decimated the workforce, turning half of them into shimmer addicts while the rest of them invested more time in the late industrialist’s plans than their work in the mines. The war and subsequent Reconstruction had halted all mining operations, and even though they were set to resume in the coming weeks, Sevika had been a staunch advocate for stronger safety regulations and workers’ rights that would keep men like Abraham from exploiting their labor. Less output and higher pay meant lower profits. Not so low that they would drive the investors out of business, but they could no longer live the extravagantly lavish lifestyles that they had grown used to.
Her mother used to tell her, “We have money, but we are not gluttons.” They had a large manor filled with nice things and they lived comfortably, but never wastefully. Caitlyn was even more practical than her mother, never one to care for trends or spectacle. When she balanced their finances, she put more into their contributions and donations, and left plenty for her to comfortably spoil Jinx. The less money that was sitting stagnant in the vault, the better she felt.
“I see your companion is not with you.”
“No, she’s not one for these types of conversations. I didn’t want to bore her.”
It was a roundabout insult, and the sour look Abraham gave her showed that he had understood it.
“Mmm, of course.” He sighed and straightened his posture. “Never thought I’d see the day when we would start inviting trenchers to these things. Progress indeed.”
The use of the derogatory Zaunite moniker irked Caitlyn.
“Yes, it’s a wonder they’d even want to spend an evening surrounded by Pilties, ” she responded.
He raised his eyebrows. “I dare say the girl is rubbing off on you. Hopefully not too much!” He raised his drink to his lips and mumbled into the glass, “Don’t need another maniac running around.”
Caitlyn clenched her fists, leather gloves creaking under the strain. She did her best to calm herself.
“She’s rubbed off on me quite a lot, actually. Probably will again later tonight,” she said, grinning wickedly. “I seem to recall your most recent paramour broke things off? Instead of chatting me up, you should be looking for someone to rub off on yourself.”
The man sputtered into his drink, cheeks flushing.
“Th-that’s…” He coughed wetly. “Wise advice, Sheriff. In fact, I think I’ll go mingle some more right now.”
“Wonderful. Enjoy your evening, Lord Morichi.”
“Likewise.”
Abraham hurriedly disappeared into the crowd and Caitlyn breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t like her, and he especially didn’t like Jinx. The man would clearly do anything to find some kind of dirt on the two of them to knock Caitlyn off of her pedestal, but he was thankfully alone in that endeavor. His way of thinking was quickly falling out of favor in Piltover as they reconnected with their sister city. The gap would not be bridged overnight, but the people were building solid foundations for a better future.
It was, indeed, progress.
Caitlyn walked with purpose this time, her stride deterring anyone from trying to speak to her as she made her way back to where she had left the coterie of Zaunites. She spotted Zeri’s bright hair first and followed it, leading her to the group, which had been joined by a mix of folk from both topside and undercity. Sevika was chatting up a gorgeous Piltovan woman, while Vi was talking with Ekko and Zeri. Jinx was nowhere to be found.
“Did you scare her off?” Caitlyn asked as she approached Vi.
“She went out on the landing to get some fresh air. Can’t blame her—all the perfumes mixing in here is giving me a headache.”
“Deterring you from trying to court any ladies?”
Caitlyn regretted the words almost as soon as they left her lips, knowing that Vi was still sore with her over their fraught and short-lived relationship. She saw the woman’s brow twitch slightly, but the smile never left her face.
“No, there’s actually a pretty blonde wallflower over there.” Vi pointed across the hall with the same hand she was using to hold her drink, then took a sip from it.
Caitlyn glanced over her shoulder to see who she was referring to and immediately scowled.
“Do not flirt with anyone from House Ferros,” she said sharply as she drove her elbow into Vi’s side. “Trust me when I say you don’t want to open that particular can of worms.”
Vi was ready to push back, but she could tell Caitlyn was being serious.
“Alright, alright. Note taken.” Vi shifted her weight to her other foot. “Jinx is that way,” she said, pointing a thumb over her shoulder.
Caitlyn looked past Vi and out a set of double doors where Jinx was leaning against a railing, looking out over the cities below. No matter how many times she saw her, she would always be struck by how beautiful she was. The visage that had once haunted her nightmares now lingered in her dreams. Blue hair flowing like water, pink eyes glowing in the dark like neon signs. She loved how they looked in the dark, pupils wide and eyelids low, looking up at her, begging for more. Caitlyn felt herself growing hot again, but not just with lust. There was a lump forming in her throat as a cocktail of emotions swelled in her chest. Pride, joy, love. Hope. Looking at Jinx right now felt like looking at her future.
The words fell out of her mouth before she could think about what she was saying.
“Do you think she would want to get married?”
Vi sputtered, choking on her drink and spraying some of it as she coughed. She hammered her chest with her free hand and looked at Caitlyn in shock. Caitlyn came crashing back to reality and went still as a statue, wiping all the emotion from her face.
“You don’t have to answer that, I’m sorry,” she said very quickly. “I’ll just… go.”
“No, no—” Vi coughed again, expelling the last of the liquid from her windpipe. “Don’t you go anywhere. We gotta talk about this.”
“We really don’t. I didn’t mean to say anything. I don’t know what came over me.”
“I do.”
“Excuse me?” Caitlyn turned to face her.
“I see the way you look at her.” Vi was wiping her mouth. “And I know how you treat her. Cait, I still might not be entirely on board with it, but I don’t think anyone has ever loved her like you have.”
Caitlyn felt her jaw go slack. That was the last thing she had expected to hear from Vi of all people.
“You… You never knew Powder. You don’t remember things like I do. What she used to be like. You only ever knew Jinx, and you saw her at her absolute worst and still… I’ll never claim to understand it, but I know the two of you understand each other, and that’s enough for me.” Vi paused, eyes narrowing. “That’s not me giving you my blessing, though.”
“I didn’t ask for it.”
“You better.”
“I find the practice to be outdated. A woman does not need to be given away by her family—”
Caitlyn stopped short when she saw the look Vi was giving her. It was time to shut up.
Vi closed her eyes and sighed before downing her drink. She looked at Caitlyn as if she was sizing her up, taking her measure.
“I can’t say that I trust you, Caitlyn, and I don’t know if I ever will. But I do believe you love her, and that’s enough for me.”
“I’d do anything for her,” Caitlyn said quietly, looking at Jinx once more. It was less of a confession to Vi and more of a promise to herself.
“You would.” Vi was silent for a moment. “Just don’t talk to me about getting married. Yet. ”
Vi smiled, and so did Caitlyn.
“I understand. As I said, I really didn’t mean to—”
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Go get your girl.”
Vi gave Caitlyn a hard slap on the ass, causing her to stumble forward. She kept the momentum and continued towards the door, quickly flipping off Vi as she went.
Caitlyn stopped in the doorway, admiring Jinx once more. She looked peaceful, albeit a bit bored.
“Sick of the charade?” Caitlyn asked as she approached, sliding an arm around her lover’s waist.
“You left me alone for so long,” Jinx whined.
“I’m sorry, love. Duty calls.”
“Duty is annoying.”
Caitlyn leaned down and pressed a kiss to her neck.
“It is,” she murmured. “Keeps me from you far more often than I’d like.”
“We could always just leave, y’know. Take all your cash and go travel the world.”
Caitlyn lifted her head to look her in the eye. “Oh? And where would you want to go?”
Jinx paused, thinking it over.
“Bilgewater. And maybe Demacia? Ooh, and I hear Ionia’s lovely this time of year.”
“I have a house in Ionia. A whole estate, actually.”
“Of course you do.”
Caitlyn laughed. Jinx laughed with her. As they both settled, Caitlyn stared at her, smiling. Jinx gave her a curious look, tilting her head to the side.
“Cat got your tongue?” she asked, reaching up to poke her nose.
“No. I just think you’re beautiful.”
She said it so earnestly that it genuinely flustered Jinx. Her mouth opened and closed a few times as her cheeks flushed, but Caitlyn saved her the trouble of responding by leaning down to give her a kiss. Soft, gentle, sweet, loving. When their lips parted, Caitlyn hadn’t had enough. She kissed the corner of her mouth, then her cheek, her jaw, her neck, before raising her head to kiss her forehead. It was driven by some form of cuteness aggression, as she couldn’t help but shower her lover in affection, holding her as close as she could.
“You’re ridiculous,” Jinx muttered as she nuzzled Caitlyn’s neck.
“You’re gorgeous.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere.”
“I don’t need to flatter you to get what I want,” she said, almost growling.
Jinx feigned shock. “Caitlyn! We’re in public!”
“I’ll behave. For now.” Caitlyn let Jinx go and held her hand, looking back inside the event hall. “Could I trouble the lady for a dance?”
Jinx hooked her elbow through Caitlyn’s arm.
“I guess we should show off. Something interesting needs to happen tonight.”
Caitlyn escorted Jinx to the dance floor where they easily fell into a waltz. Caitlyn had taken hours of dance lessons as a child and Jinx was an expert at following her lead, moving smoothly and perfectly anticipating their next steps. They moved in tandem like two halves of a whole, mirroring each other perfectly until they didn’t, until Caitlyn would dip her low or give her a spin before pulling her back in.
Caitlyn had always hated these kinds of events. They were dull and contrived and involved doing a lot of things she didn’t enjoy doing. She hated politicking, she hated displaying herself in public, and she hated wasting her time.
However, with Jinx, it didn’t seem all that bad. Sure, the prior conversations had been a pain, but everything else was bearable. Getting all dressed up was much more fun when she had control over her style and someone to match with. Dancing was more enjoyable, too. Rather than being passed around by other houses’ heirs, she had a partner—one that she wanted to be with.
Gods, she wanted to be with her so badly. The idea of being apart from her was unbearable. Caitlyn wanted to do everything in her power to tie the two of them together.
Jinx Kiramman.
She liked how it sounded. The idea of her lover bearing her name excited her so much that she dipped Jinx low and then lifted her up, holding her in a princess carry as she spun her around before setting her back down again. Jinx was startled but giddy. She loved it when Caitlyn manhandled her, carrying her around like she weighed nothing.
The song came to an end and they bowed to each other, as did the other couples. Caitlyn took Jinx’s hand and bent further to kiss her knuckles, looking up at her as she did. Then, she righted herself and put an arm around Jinx’s waist as they left the dance floor.
“Shall we head home?”
“This early?” Jinx asked in surprise.
“I thought you said you were bored.” Caitlyn forced a yawn. “I am as well. There are much more entertaining things to be done in the privacy of our own home.”
She watched a genuine, heartfelt smile cross Jinx’s face as she said “our own home”.
“Yeah, let’s go home.”
They made quick rounds to say goodbye, Caitlyn feigning tiredness the entire time. They called a car and were soon on their way back to the manor.
Once they were in the back seat and the driver was focused on the road, Caitlyn let her hand slip under the slit in Jinx’s skirt, wrapping her gloved hand around the inside of her left thigh. She felt Jinx go tense and shiver under her touch.
Caitlyn leaned in close and whispered, “The dress is lovely, darling, but I think it will look better on our bedroom floor.”