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The sun beamed brightly against the most unnaturally clear blue sky. A gentle breeze travelled through the trees, the birds were singing, and Vi hated her life.
"Would you stop being such a grump!"
"I'm not being a grump," Vi protested, glaring at Powder, who was currently stretching her hamstrings.
"Tell that to the scowl on your face," Mylo piped in.
"I'll do that when you finally get the balls to ask Gert out instead of drooling after her like a puppy."
"Fu—"
Vander swooped in before the family friendly event was terrorised by Mylo's colourful vocabulary. "Behave, all of you." Their father narrowed his eyes at his grown children, although any power that stern look held was instantly undercut by the ridiculous t-shirt that featured one of Powder's childhood drawings of the family.
"Why are we doing this again?" Vi questioned, raising an eyebrow, her arms firmly crossed over her own copy of Vander's shirt.
"Pretty sure it's for goodwill," Ekko commented, somehow managing to stay standing while Jinx used him as a barre. "Humanise the council to the public, so we overlook the next time they pass a ridiculous policy that screws over Zaun."
"Arguably, if we help Vander get on their good sides then they won't pass policies to screw us over." Claggor adjusted his riding gloves.
"I'm just here to show these Pilties how it's done." Powder pumped her fist into the air, looking way too fresh for how early in the morning it was.
Around them, other 'well-established' families were gathered into their own groups, donning uniforms that made them look more like soldiers, and less like they were participating in friendly day of harmless competitions for charity. Every so often, the lines of cameras would click, or one of the audience members who, for some reason, paid to watch the display would walk up to a councillor of their choosing to 'socialise'. It was sickening.
"Powder, why are you stretching? All you have to do is stand in place, and shoot at a bunch of targets."
"Moving targets!" Powder huffed, settling her hands on her hips. "With a rifle, instead of my pistol by the way. Speaking of getting ready, you better have gotten some practise in, fat hands."
Vi rolled her eyes, adjusting the binding on her wrists just a little. "Why would I do that? I could take these Pilties in my sleep."
"Uh, because this isn't the pit?" Powder lowered her voice when Vi whirled around to stare her down, but that didn't stop her from making her point. "You can't just knock these prisses down, there are rules." She spat out the last word.
"C'mon, Powpow, do you really think I need to warm up? Have a little faith in me." Vi couldn't help the cocky smirk that stretched across her lips.
"Ought we be concerned?" A lilting voice chimed in, coming from a gorgeous looking lady, followed by a Ken doll lookalike. She held out a hand. "Mel Medarda. We thought we'd come wish you luck. I think Powder already knows Jayce?"
Apparently, Powder did. The two got to chatting about something that was beyond Vi's purview.
"So… you taking part in the festivities?"
Mel laughed as though Vi told a joke. "I'm afraid not. But I have many patronages, and smaller houses I help occasionally. You'll be seeing them in the field in my stead. In fact, Jayce is going to be going up against you in the ring."
That piqued Vi's interest. She stood up straight, instantly categorising Jayce's weaknesses, not that the Golden Boy seemed to notice. He didn't hold himself like a fighter, nor with the self-awareness of a person who would be ready for surprises. Vi forced herself not to react as she realised that she had been right; this would be a piece of cake.
"Oh, good timing!" Mel said to… someone. Vi wasn't paying attention, too engrossed in figuring out how to best defeat Jayce. "Vi, may I introduce you to another one of your opponents?"
"We've met already."
Vi snapped her head towards the source of that smooth, velvety voice. Her heart stopped in her chest. She wasn't sure when she had met the celestial being standing before her—she cursed her memory with every expletive she could think of.
"Oh… Yeah!" Vi laughed weakly, shaking the supposed stranger's hand. "How have you been?"
"Quite well, I think. I see you kept up with the fighting." They smiled at Vi, displaying the cutest tooth gap she had ever seen. Fuck. Why the hell did Vi have no memory of this person? She added the flaw in her memory to the reasons why she hated her life. "I'm quite nervous to be going up against you."
"Don't worry about that." Vi shrugged. "I'll go easy on you. Just don't tell the others."
The stranger laughed, pushing a small, wavy tuft of hair behind their ear, and Vi wanted to melt into a puddle. Before they could say anything else, the loud screech of microphone feedback cut through the park. "Would the participants kindly join their teams so we may begin the games?"
That was that. Vi felt herself droop with disappointment as she returned to her family's tent.
"You were getting along with Kiramman, huh?"
Vi stiffened at the implication of Powder's question. "Kiramman?"
"Yeah," Powder responded in that nasally 'duh' voice she had adopted since hitting her teens. "Caitlyn Kiramman, you guys were in the same football league in middle school? I think they were in Ionia for their undergrad, but just came back. Do you seriously not keep up with the tabloids?"
The realisation hit Vi like a ton of bricks. Caitlyn Kiramman had been the awkward kid on the Piltover Academy team, with long, gangly limbs, hair that was always coming in their eyes, and big eyes that were slightly too big for their face. How had they gone from that to the confident, six foot Adonis who had made Vi's knees tremble? Vi looked at them again, happening to catch the moment they pulled their hair into a stubby little ponytail, revealing the undercut hidden beneath. Somehow that only made them hotter.
A loud buzzer sounded. The first competition was over. Vi snapped back into reality, still dazed as she clapped for whoever won whatever round. She shook her head, deciding that she couldn't let Kiramman get into her head. There was just one plan of action left. Defeat her opponents, defeat Caitlyn nicely, win the dumb plastic trophy for her family, and then get their number during the after party. Easy peasy.
Vi spent the most of the following day cheering on her family, whistling from the crowds as both Ekko and Claggor won the drag with the car they had restored themselves—which was the real victory for her brothers. She soothed Powder's hurt ego when she came in close second, to Caitlyn's mother of all people. Unlike Mylo however, Powder bounced back quickly, declaring that she would build herself a rifle so she could train for next year. Vi even stood by and supported Vander as he attempted to down 50 hot wings in under fifteen minutes, even though she was pretty sure his age and medical history didn't allow for that.
Since her matches were one-on-one, unlike the other games, Vi only occasionally had to duck away from her family to win a few rounds, leaving her free to enjoy the day more than she had thought she would.
Every so often, she'd catch sight of Caitlyn, but she hadn't been able to actually approach them yet, which kind of made her feel like a stalker. So what if she had taken special notice when Caitlyn had shrugged off their jacket to reveal sculpted biceps, and a purple top wrapped so tightly around their body that Vi could see the outline of their abs? It was perfectly natural to scope out your competition. Vi only wished she had been able to stick around and watch their fights, but she always pulled away by her brothers or sister.
Finally, it was time for the last match. All the other games had winded up, and so a decent crowd had gathered around the vinyl mat, eagerly watching the showdown between the Zaunite and the Kiramman heir. Vi, for her part, couldn't give a fuck about that if she tried. Her main concern was not falling flat on her face, or accidentally hurting who could potentially be the future love of her life.
"Still going to go easy on me?" Caitlyn teased as they shook hands before match.
"I'm flexible." Vi gave them a relaxed smile. "Why don't you set the pace?"
Clearly, they had no issues with that. Caitlyn attacked first, using those very long legs to their advantage, already forcing Vi towards the ring. Defence had never been her strong spot. Still, she squared her shoulders, preparing for a blitz attack that never came. Instead, Caitlyn pulled back, eyes glinting with mischief as they circled Vi.
Vi supposed this was how prey felt. Caitlyn was a mystery. Never making any predictable moves, rarely ever following through the set-ups they executed with perfection. Before Vi knew, the first round was over and neither of them had gained any points at all because they had spent the entire time dancing around each other.
"Please tell me this is just some dumb strategy of yours," Mylo shot at Vi as she settled into the stool in the corner. Vi didn't respond, her gaze locked onto Caitlyn, who was wiping the sweat off their face and body. Never before in her life had Vi felt the desire to be a towel more than that moment.
"It's just friendly competition," Vander interjected, rubbing Vi's shoulder in that comforting way when he wanted to let his kids know that it was okay to fail. "Have fun, kid. That's the important part."
"That, and the trophy!" Powder felt the need to add.
The bell rang again, signalling the beginning of the next round. This time, Vi didn't let Caitlyn lead, jabbing twice to distract her opponent before sweeping them off their feet. She dropped to her knees, pinning Caitlyn down.
"What happened to letting me set the pace?" Caitlyn didn't seem too disturbed by the change. The new angle allowed Vi to appreciate the angular cut of their face, slightly red from exertion. A wisp of hair came loose from their messy updo. Without thinking about it, Vi reached up to tuck it back in.
Vi had made dumber mistakes in her life. She couldn't find it in herself to regret this one, especially not when Caitlyn used the moment to apply a sharp leverage with their hips, switching their positions. Her lack of repentance only grew when she realised something was pressing against her thigh in Caitlyn's pants. For the second time in the same day, a stark realisation knocked the wind out of her.
They were wearing a packer.
Caitlyn must have noticed the look of sheer surprise on Vi's face, because they winked at her before dismounting and casually sauntering away. That was when Vi realised that the round was over, and since she had failed at both, keeping Caitlyn pinned down, and escaping their hold, she had lost. She didn't feel like a loser.
"I feel as though I should apologise to you."
Vi chuckled awkwardly, stepping to the side to make space on the balconet. Caitlyn fit into that space like a glove, their shoulder pressing against Vi's. The after party had turned out to be more like some fancy ball, and after spending half an hour mingling with the upper echelons of Piltover, Vi had escaped to the little corner.
"Apologise for what?" Vi dismissed the idea. "You won, fair and square."
"Was it fair?" Caitlyn mused, their lips pursing. Vi wanted to kiss them. "You seemed a little… Is diverted a good word?"
"Good as any." Vi's gaze flicked down, taking in the way Caitlyn's suit fit them. She had never thought that someone could look that good in a waistcoat.
"You're not subtle, you know?"
"I wasn't trying to be."
Caitlyn blushed, shifting their eyes to the sky. The bright sapphire colour of them reflected the stars. "Strong words coming from someone who didn't even remember me."
Vi froze. Caitlyn snorted—not exactly the kind of undignified noise you'd expect to hear from a Piltie.
"It's alright, you're not the only one. I know I look… different now."
"Different isn't always bad."
Caitlyn nodded quietly, a tiny smile creeping up on their face.
"So… come here often?" The joke worked, much to Vi's relief as they burst into laughter.
"That cannot be your best."
"I can try more, if you're willing to stick around."
Caitlyn's face softened, shoulders dropping just a little. "I think I might."