Beauty in Love

by KibaElunal

A compilation of various romantic one-shots, both canon and not, from the ABAHF universe. These, for the most part, focus on odd ships that do not normally occur in the stories themselves, but were too cute not to give them at least something. Feel free to submit your own ships for my characters, but it won't be a guarantee they'll appear. They will certainly be considered though.

1. Caitlyn X Kiba

Beauty in Love: Caitlyn and Kiba

Author's Note: Hey everyone, I know, I know...another new series? Yes, but this is more like A Boy and His Fux and Lusty Ionian Butler. And by like, I mean absolutely the opposite of it. These are all one shot romances, some canon, some not. Most of them will be between different ships that people have made between characters and OC's from my stories, even if they aren't official. That being said, by all means send me suggestions. I can't necessarily promise it'll show up, but they'll certainly be taken into consideration. Since they are one-shots, these will be much longer.

My fingers drummed nervously on the table as my eyes once more glanced to the door. Where was he? He had promised that he'd show up around this time. Holding my watch up to confirm my suspicions, I lowered it just as he entered the door, looking fervently around the restaurant.

When our eyes met, he smiled at me, waving politely and quickly sliding into the booth opposite me. "Hello Sheriff, sorry I'm late." He apologized, scratching the back of his head as he always did when he was embarrassed. It was cute, really.

"It's impolite to keep me waiting on a meeting you called." I pointed out, knowing that he could already read me like a book. It was one of the things that made our talks so interesting. Not even Vi or Thane could see through me the way that Kiba did. "Anyway, what was it you wanted to talk about. I know you didn't ask me all the way out here to just pretend we're on some sort of date."

"N-no! Of course, not." He stammered again, his cheeks turning a bright red. "I'm working on a story and I was hoping to get some information from you." I smiled at him, though inside I almost partially wished this had been unrelated to work. The two of us had known each other for a long time now, and yet as close as we were, we never really spent time together outside of our careers.

I sipped the tea from my cup, setting it politely onto my saucer. "You should know by now that's not how this works." I reminded him, our eyes meeting. "What's the saying that you use often? Quid pro quo?"

He visibly sank, pausing to signal to the waitress for a glass of water. So he was out of information? No surprise there, he'd called in his favors not even a week ago on a previous story. Whatever he was working on now must have really stumped him. "It's umm...not that sort of information." He tried nervously, his hand trembling as he reached for the glass of water.

"Oh? What sort of information are you looking for pray-tell?"

Once again the blush returned to his cheeks. What was it that had him so flustered? "So...hypothetically speaking, if you were to return to your work in the League, what would you hope for with a summoner? I'm doing a story based on a romance between a champion and her summoner."

"Kal and Ahri, correct?"

It seemed that I hit the nail on its proverbial head. "Yeah." My silence seemed to make him nervous as he quickly added, "I asked their permission, of course! I'd never print something without it." He'd have continued rambling on about journalistic integrity had I not held up my hand to stop him.

"So, you wish for me to tell you what sort of things interest me in a romantic partner?"

He quietly nodded his head. I could tell that he was uncomfortable about the prospect, but it did cause an idea to come to mind. He must have seen the gears turning in my head because his expression immediately intensified. "You're plotting something. What are you thinking?"

"Well, I tell you what. I don't value that information so highly, so I'll still make a trade with you even if it's information that isn't too important."

"Go on."

"If you show me how you'd treat a lady on a real romantic outing, I'll tell you what sort of man it is I'm attracted to. Do we have an agreement?"

He seemed perplexed by my offer, as if he couldn't comprehend why anyone would want to know such a thing about him. "Why?" He asked, confirming my suspicion.

I simply shrugged. "You clearly need the information, and I don't intend on giving you any freebees." I applauded myself on my quick thinking. This would be the best way, I felt, to open his eyes without putting myself on the line. If he didn't have any feelings, I'd have to move on, simple as that, but if he did...well, who knew where we could go from there. "So?" I urged him.

"Deal." He nodded, reaching out to shake my hand. The irony of the gesture struck me enough to bring a smile to my lips as I reached for his. What I wasn't expecting, however, was when he brought it towards himself and kissed the back of my hand. "Lesson one, Sheriff. Chivalry is never dead, so long as I am still around."

Now I was the one who was flustered. "It may not be dead, but I still suspect that it is badly beaten in an intensive care unit." I teased, causing him to signal the waitress once more. "So when shall we schedule this 'date'?"

"Tonight." He replied. I quirked an eyebrow at his forwardness. "We're both already out and ready, we may as well make the most of our time."

"You could at least let me change out of my uniform." I grumbled, but he just flashed me that same silly grin.

"I hardly think that your 'uniform' could be classified as such."

I scoffed. "I will have you know that this is indeed an efficient uniform!"

"Efficient, yes. Modest, not so much." He teased, causing me to fold my arms over my chest. "No need to be sour. Between you and me, I think you are absolutely stunning in your uniform. I'm sure many of your victims...I mean suspects, agree."

I giggled to myself, sipping my tea again. "You're such an ass."

"So unlady-like." He declared dramatically, just as the waitress took our order. He truly was a most interesting individual. "So then, milady, where would you like to go after we've had our dinner?"

"Oh no." I lectured. "You're not pulling that trick on me. This is how you would treat a woman on a date. If I tell you what I want, you get your information and thus have no more obligation to treat me. I'm afraid you'll be the one deciding everything tonight."

He placed his hand over his mouth. "You insult me, madam. How could you think me so crass?"

"Because I know you all too well."

"Not well enough, it would seem." He shot back. "For your information, my intention is always to please the lady, which is why I asked. You should have more faith in me, Sheriff…"

"Caitlyn." I reminded him. "It's impolite to refer to me by my title while we're on a date."

"But of course, my apologies. Well, Caitlyn, I suppose we should start with a movie first, once we're through with dinner."

"Dinner and a movie? How cliche!"

"They are cliches for a reason." He argued. "But I did say, first. You had better prepare yourself Caitlyn, for tonight is the night a man finally sweeps you off your feet."

"Confident, I see. Very well, I suppose I'll play along. Just don't forget that you and I both have work tomorrow. I can't be out all night."

Our meal was shared in silence, for the most part. Sure we talked, but it wasn't anything serious. Truthfully, it was a nice change of pace from our normal professional banter. We talked about the cases we'd both worked, the sort of movies we watched, the music we listened to. We had much more in common than I'd thought we would.

He was an investigator, just like myself, but his life, other than that, was one that was entirely normal. Divorced parents, went to school, became a writer, studied education, if you could believe that.

"So you wanted to be a teacher." I chuckled. "I didn't take you for the child caring type."

He nodded his head. "You could say that. To be honest, it's not that I care particularly for children or anything like that. I wanted to leave my mark on the world. At the time, I thought if I could change one child's life, maybe they'd change someone else's and then as time went on I'd make a larger impact on the world. But I also discovered that I loved writing, almost more than I even liked teaching. When I write...it's like...like…"

I smiled. "Like you can tell that others look to you to make a difference. It's no longer an aspiration, but an expectation." He seemed surprised by my words. "We're really not so different, Kiba. I feel the same way about my job. Being Sheriff of Piltover, at first it started out as catching the bad guys, making the streets safer for people like my father, but then it became about something more. It wasn't just a job any more, it was a lifestyle."

The two of us shared a smile as we finished our meal. Just as I reached for the check, he immediately swatted my hand away. "No, no. You know the rules. Chivalry. I'm paying for everything."

"Very gentlemanly of you. I'm amazed you're going all out on this."

"I've always like the saying 'if you're going to do something, do it right.' I don't half-ass things, Caitlyn."

Standing from the table, the two of us walked out into the warm summer air. To my surprise, there was a carriage drawn by a mechanized horse. I looked at him stunned, there was no way he could have planned this. "How did…but when…" He just beamed at me, opening the door to the carriage before offering his hand to help me inside. Even Thane had never done anything like this before, for Vi or otherwise. "I've never ridden in one of these before." I admitted shyly, taking his hand and stepping into the cabin.

This had gone a lot farther than I expected. In the restaurant, while it felt natural, there was still an awkward rigidity to it, as if we were simply pretending we were on a date, but this went above and beyond that. I quickly shook my head, steeling myself once again. I couldn't let him win me over so easily. So he'd managed to surprise me, that didn't mean he could continue to do so. "Please state destination." A mechanized voice requested from the front as Kiba closed the door behind him, sitting beside me so that our legs were touching.

"The movie theatre on Spanner please." He replied, before turning to me. "Sorry about our legs. It's hard for me to ride in these things without touching someone else." My cheeks turned a bright red. I'd hoped he hadn't noticed.

"It's alright." I murmured back. "But, I'm confused...there's no movie theatre on Spanner."

He grinned smugly. "That's what you think."

As the cart took off, I felt my hat tumbling from my head, causing me to quickly turn to catch it. However, just as the brim rolled off my fingertips and I was concerned it was gone forever, he managed to snag it from the air with his much longer arms. Drawing it back to us, he smiled at me, offering it back. "Th-thank you." I whispered, my unusual shy side starting to peer through my rough exterior.

"Not a problem." He answered, his hand brushing against mine as I took it from him and placed it in my lap. "It must be very important to you."

"How did you know that?"

"I'm not investigating into your private life, if that's what you're asking. I just noticed that I've almost never seen you without it."

"Oh...right." I hadn't even thought about if people had ever noticed it before. I suppose others thought it was some sort of symbol, even if I'd never intended it to be so. "It was a gift from my mother when I first took the job. It's fit with all sorts of scopes and lenses to help with my investigation."

"What is she like?" He wondered.

I curled my hands politely on top of my hat. "Well, that's an interesting question. My mother didn't want me to take the job originally. When my father was robbed, and I intended to get revenge on the man who robbed him, I was so angry that I grabbed my father's rifle and I intended to bring him in dead or alive. She told me not to go, as did my father, it wasn't worth it and they didn't want me getting hurt." I was surprised when I noticed him looking at me intently, listening eagerly to what I had to say. Was it my imagination, or was he actually becoming invested in our interaction? "Well, long story short," I continued, "I managed to find him. With my barrel jabbed in his back, I marched him down to the police station at the age of fourteen. Imagine his embarrassment! He was able to evade police for years, only to be captured by a young girl with a rifle."

"A young girl with a rifle and a brilliant mind." Kiba corrected me. Now I knew I was blushing as the wind ran through my dark raven hair. "It can't be denied that since you took office, the streets of Piltover have been much safer. But anyway, I'm sorry to have interrupted. Please continue."

"It's alright." I quickly forgave him, before kicking myself for my missed opportunity to knock him down a peg. "Anyway, I was offered an 'honorary badge' by the city. Of course it was just a weak little plastic thing. One of the ones they'd give out to school children when they did PR visits. Even still, I used it as grounds to continue investigating and solving crimes until they gave me the job I still have today." I fell slightly quiet. "The day I took the job, my parents and I got into a huge argument. They didn't like that I'd been investigating in secret without their permission. It went on for nearly two weeks, during which time I was so distracted I couldn't solve anything. They noticed, and immediately, they decided that if they couldn't stop me from investigating that they'd support me instead. My mother designed this hat and the lenses and my father designed my original rifle. 'The Piltover Peacemaker' as he called it. Admittedly, my rifle now isn't the same one as the one he gave me, but I kept the name to honor it."

"Ah, right. I remember, that was about the time you dyed your hair black as well." Before I could even form the question he raised his hands in surrender. "I have a good memory; it's not as creepy as it seems, I swear."

His quick response made me chuckle. "I'm just surprised anyone noticed."

"If it helps, I think it looks rather nice on you."

"Well of course you'd say that, you're trying to make me happy." I pointed out, but he just shook his head.

"No really, I mean it. It makes you look more...sophisticated. You may not need it, of course, you look very sophisticated as it is with your 'uniform'," he teased, putting air quotes around the word, "but even still, I swear I'd never lie to you Caitlyn."

"Oh really?" I asked, leaning closer to him so our faces were close to one another's. My hand slid to rest upon his as I stared into his eyes with a smirk. "Then why won't you tell me where this carriage came from?"

"Not telling you isn't the same thing as lying." He retorted.

"I think they call that a lie of omission. You know it's a major crime to lie to an officer of the law, even one that's a lie of omission." My voice was barely a whisper now as we inched ever closer to one another.

"Then I guess you'd better put me under arrest." Kiba purred.

Right as I was about to deliver a witty comeback, the carriage came to a halt, causing him to bashfully straighten up from me. As I did the same, returning the hat to my head, I looked around myself to see that the movie theatre he was referring to looked very old. Even one of the doors was boarded up as he stepped out of the coach to help me down. "This is the movie theatre you brought me to?" I quizzed.

He looked at me in surprise. "Why Caitlyn, do you not know your history? This isn't your typical, run of the mill, movie theatre. This," he gestured with a wave of his arms, "is the oldest movie theatre in all of Valoran! It was the very first one of its kind. Over a hundred years ago, people from all over flocked here in order to catch a glimpse of the magical moving pictures of Piltover." As he gave his explanation, I had to cover my mouth so he wouldn't see me laughing. He truly would have made an excellent teacher the way he carried on about the theatre's history. "Hey, pay attention." He lectured, causing me to burst out laughing again. "What? What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing." I quickly replied, wiping a tear from my eye. "You just seem like such an old man, despite that you're younger than me."

"I take that as a compliment." He said, playfully sticking out his tongue. "That just means you secretly realize I'm more mature than you."

"Says the one who called me out here for a history lesson." I protested. "And shouldn't this thing be heading back to...wherever?" I jerked a thumb over my shoulder at the carriage.

"It's not magical Caitlyn, it can't just disappear. It'll wait here for us to be finished, then it will take us to our next date location. And no, this isn't just a history lesson, we'll actually see a movie. But not just any movie. We're going to watch Untouchable."

My eyes narrowed as I folded my arms over my chest. "Seriously?"

"What?"

"Don't 'what' me! How in the Hells did you manage to somehow swing a showing of my favorite movie in some big fancy antique theatre…"

"In original 8mm." He interjected.

"Yes, that as well. I have been with you the whole time, there is no way you could have set this up in advance!"

He smirked. "Ever think maybe you're not the only genius here?"

He was beginning to make me flustered which, while cute, was beginning to become very irritating. Seeming to sense this, he just gestured for me to follow him. Opening the door, he led me into the grand glimmering golden foyer that looked as if it hadn't been stepped foot in since it was originally built. "Welcome." A group of ushers called to us, all with cheery smiles on their faces.

The manager came from the back, his eyes lighting up when he saw my date. "Ah, Kiba! Welcome, welcome. It's such a pleasure to see you again."

"The pleasure's all mine Frank." He assured him, shaking his hand excitedly. "I really appreciate all of this. I see that you refuse to let this old ship go down."

"And waste all your hard work keeping it in my family? Not a chance!" He laughed before turning to look at me. "Do you know who this man is? This man here is a saint."

"Frank here is the great great grandson of the original owner of the theatre." I explained. "A year or so back, the city threatened to shut this place down because they didn't feel it fit well with the 'current design' they wanted. I managed to pull some strings and get a judge to declare it a historical landmark, meaning that not only did Frank get to keep the theatre, now it'll be here for his kids, assuming he ever gets married!" The two of them laughed together as I stared in awe at the large room, until I came to a realization.

"So that's how you're doing it!" I declared with excitement. "You're calling in favors to try to impress me! I bet you knew someone at the carriage warehouse too that owes you a favor, so you probably called them from the bathroom or something at the restaurant to set this up!"

"Great theory, Sherlock. But you're forgetting one thing: I've been with you the entire time. How could I possibly have called them if I've never left to go to the bathroom or anything?" The color drained from my face as the pieces that had fallen into place began to shatter apart again.

"So help me, I will figure this out." I assured him, jabbing my finger in his face as he sympathetically pat my back.

"Of course you will, Caitlyn."

"Don't patronize me." I argued, before I realized that we were standing in front of a group of people and clearing my throat. "Sorry," I apologized bashfully, "so I believe you have a movie set up for us?"

"Yep. I'm afraid our popcorn machine is broken, but our Soda Jerks are functional and for any date of Kiba's completely on the house!" The two of them shared a grin that sent a shiver up my spine. It was like they'd co-ordinated this entire thing behind my back, and they knew it too! Gods, it was so frustrating, but at the same time so incredibly sweet. "So, milady, what will it be?"

I paused for a moment, scratching my head. "Well...uhh...I've never really drank soda before." I muttered in embarrassment. Both men were completely stunned by my announcement. "What? Is it really that shocking?"

"I mean, I expect you to have never had a classic soda, but not having one at all? So you've never had any sort of cola or anything?"

I shook my head. "It's just really sugary and unhealthy." I murmured. "My parents never really bought it and I've never been curious enough to taste it…"

"Two Catawba Flips." Kiba stated signaling Frank to grab them, causing me to look at him in confusion. "Be sure to twist it, choke it, and make it cackle."

"Catawba Flips? Twisting, choking, and cackling? I'm so confused."

"A Catawba Flip is basically like a Grape Ice Cream Slush. When someone asks for a Soda Jerk to twist it, choke it, and make it cackle, it means that they need to add something else to it."

"What sort of something else?" I asked suspiciously.

"I'm not going to tell you until after you've tasted it." He replied, gesturing for me to follow one of the ushers. "They'll bring us our drinks in the theatre. You'll be happy to know that we are the only ones there."

I glared at him. "I'll admit this is impressive Mr. Elunal, but don't think for one moment that you'll be allowed to try any funny business just because the lights are down."

"Kiba." He reminded me. "Mr. Elunal is far too formal for a date. Besides, I have far more respect than that."

"For me?"

"For the theatre." He laughed before I punched him hard in the shoulder, only serving to make him laugh more. "Either way, I'm teasing Caitlyn. I do have a lot of respect for you. Truth be told, I'm actually excited to be able to go all out like this for you. I've often worried that you work far too hard, so I think it's good that you're letting your hair down."

"I do not work too hard!" I protested. "I always have my hair down. I'm actually a very laid back individual." That was a lie, I knew, but even still I would never admit such a thing to myself, much less to Kiba. Even still, I knew he probably saw right through it. I sometimes wondered why I even bothered trying to fool him.

As the lights dimmed, we both took our seats, and it wasn't long before the drinks arrived on either side of us. Sipping it, I was impressed by the odd mixture of flavors and textures. It was certainly grape and the seltzer felt rough on my throat. But in addition to the ice cream, there was something else in it that made it almost...fluffy. I wasn't entirely sure how to describe it. "Give up?" Kiba whispered to me as the almost thirty year old commercials ran through the screen.

"Fine. What is it?" I asked, taking another sip.

"A raw egg."

I began to cough, looking to him as if he was insane. "A raw egg? Really? Isn't that dangerous?"

"If the egg's bad maybe. But trust me, Frank is a professional. He'd never serve us something that could make us sick." He swore, causing me to grumble before drinking more of the soda. Despite my attempts at appearing irritable, I felt Kiba's hand run along my arm, his fingers weaving through mine to hold my hand as the movie started.

I smiled to myself, eagerly complying with the gesture. "How often do people watch movies here?" I wondered out loud.

"Not very." He admitted. "It's mostly for special occasions...like this one."

"That means that in order to get the raw eggs, Frank would have had to go buy them in advance. How did he know that he'd need them, I wonder?" Subconsciously, I leaned towards him, laying my head on his shoulder with my hat on my lap. Inside, I knew I'd caught him in his game.

"Frank knows how I like my soda." He explained. "Anytime I'm coming to the theatre he goes out and buys them fresh. But of course, he can't just buy one egg." I was surprised when his head rested back on mine. I felt warm inside, more so than I'd even felt with Thane. So this was what it was like to be taken on an actual date.

I decided not to push the issue further. Instead, I wanted to enjoy the movie as we sat like that, through the entire thing. Part of me found myself wishing this were real. I knew that Kiba had self-esteem problems, and despite that I wanted to, I found myself too embarrassed to offer him my help. It sounded stupid, I knew, but if I admitted to him how I felt, that would mean having to admit it to myself.

It seemed like no time at all before he nudged me gently. "Caitlyn." He whispered in my ear, causing a soft yet sleepy smile to cross my lips.

"Hmmm?" I groaned, not wishing to budge. I was surprised however, when I felt someone lift me into the air, causing my eyes to shoot open. "Kiba, what are you doing?" I asked confused.

"You fell asleep." He explained, slowly lowering me to my feet. "You didn't seem like you wanted to wake up, so I was going to carry you to the carriage outside and take you home to put you in bed." After another moment, he muttered a bashful, "Sorry."

"It's alright. I appreciate the gesture." I yawned, stretching my arms above my head, noticing that he looked away as I did so. The smile on my face grew bigger. So there was a way to pay him back for how flustered he was making me. "What's wrong, Kiba? Having trouble keeping your mind from wandering into the gutter?"

"Don't insult me." He uttered. "I'm a gentleman. I will have you know that there have been four separate occasions where I could have kissed you and wouldn't have been punched in the nose for it."

"Somehow, I doubt that greatly. I'd have punched you in the nose no matter what the circumstance was." I teased, stretching once more. This time, however, I noticed that there was a look of sadness on his face. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Listen, Caitlyn. You're beautiful. Really, you are." He whispered to me, and immediately I could feel my heart beating fiercely. Was this the moment where he affirmed that there could be nothing between us? "But even still, I'm sorry for looking at you the way I did. It's not an excuse for me to behave that way. I just…"

My heart went out to him as I began to understand. "Kiba, you didn't think I was actually upset, did you?" He looked at me, and I could see the sorrow in his eyes. I couldn't just stand there and watch that. I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him tightly. He seemed taken aback, flinching as my grip tightened around him. "It's alright." I murmured in his ear. "I was only teasing you, I know you're a gentleman. I'm sorry if my teasing really upset you."

He shook his head. "No, it's just…" He took a breath. "Guys have a reputation of being perverts, you know? Everyone assumes we idolize the guys who go out and get one night stands every night. I've always hated those people. They're the reason everyone thinks that chivalry is dead, but what about the guys like me?" Was he trembling now? "It's like...we're supposed to be programmed to be these lust-addled sex machines, eager to pounce on the nearest willing woman like she's a piece of meat. But...I don't want that."

"Come on." I urged him, changing the subject quickly. "You still have something else to surprise me with on our date, right? I doubt that even you could get something prepared so quickly that it'd impress me more than this place."

Seemingly noticing my intention, he took a deep breath to collect himself before flashing me a smile. "Yeah? Well, prepare to be amazed Caitlyn, because I have saved the best for last."

"Lead the way." I instructed, wrapping my arm assuringly around his. I hadn't even thought about how he may consider this date. I chastised myself. I thought this was just some sort of game to him, despite the amount of effort he was obviously putting into it. I still wasn't sure if he felt the same way that I did, but either way, I had no intention of making him feel like I wasn't taking this seriously.

Soon, we were in the carriage again, rumbling through the streets of Piltover. The mechanized horses let out echoing 'clops' as their hooves pounded on the cobblestone road. "Please state destination." It chirped, causing me to look at him expectantly.

"The Ice Dome." He stated. Another place I'd never been to? I was beginning to suspect that he had perhaps done research on me. As the carriage suddenly veered to the side, I found myself toppling over on top of him, my hat once more tumbling towards the exit before he snagged it and returned it to me. "You alright? Sometimes this thing makes really sharp turns. Sorry."

"I'm fine." I muttered. straightening my skirt as I sat up again, staring ahead at the dome-shaped structure that peered out over the skyline. "At least I've heard of this place. It's a hockey rink, right? Are you taking me to see a hockey game?"

"Better." He chuckled. "I'm taking you skating. I hope you're pretty coordinated."

A flush of humiliation rolled over me as I realized the likely outcome of events. I'd never been skating before, something I'm sure he was banking on. He'd hold my hands, while my knees wobbled awkwardly and my heart pounded in my chest.

I'd start to lose my balance and topple forward, his arms outstretched to catch me , thus causing me to press against him as I scrambled to keep my footing, only for us to stare longingly into one another's eyes. Oh it was a clever gambit, to be sure, but I had no intention of being tricked into it like some doe-eyed girl next door. He'd flustered me enough already, he wouldn't be doing it again.

As I contemplated my plan, a small gleam caught my eye from my peripheral vision. Turning towards him, I saw him quickly tuck his far hand from my view. "What was that?" I asked.

"What was what?" He repeated, looking around himself. "The chimichanga stand? Don't tell me you don't know what a chimichanga is."

"Of course I know what a chimichanga is, I meant what was that in your hand!" I snapped at him, causing him to raise his hand, showing it was empty. "I know I saw something. There was a gleam."

He turned his hand to reveal a metallic ring. "Maybe you caught a glimpse of this?" He suggested. "It can reflect a lot of light sometimes."

"Why the heck are you wearing a ring on your left hand?" I pressed. "That's something only married couples do."

"Says who?"

"Says everyone! I think you're wearing that ring to hide what you're really up to."

"I'm really not up to anything." He laughed, as I reached for the far side of him.

"Show it to me!"

"I don't have anything, I swear!"

"Liar, what's in your pocket?"

"Nothing, honest!"

"Lying is a federal crime!"

"Then arrest me!"

I glared and pounced on him, the two of us wrestling before I managed to get his arms behind him and handcuffed them together. He put up a good struggle, but I'd taken down guys much stronger than him. "Now we'll see what you're really up to." I laughed triumphantly, slipping my hand into his pocket to feel around.

"This is by far the kinkiest encounter with a woman I've ever had." He muttered, causing me to immediately pull my hand away. "Satisfied? Now if you could please uncuff me, I'd like to have free use of my limbs."

I frowned. I knew he was hiding something now. "Not until you tell me what you had."

"A magic wand. Now will you let me go?"

"Shut up." I retorted, turning him around so his back was to me. "Where is it?"

"It's a magic wand. It disappears." He replied, just before I realized that he was sitting on something.

I grinned. "I found your 'magic wand'." I gloated, reaching for the object, causing him to squirm as I reached for it. As my hand brushed against his butt, he quickly moved, allowing me to snatch his phone from him. "So this is how you've been doing it!"

"You haven't seen me on my phone all night. I couldn't have called anyone."

Turning it on, I realized that his phone required a fingerprint to unlock. "Unlock it." I instructed him.

"No." He protested. "You handcuffed me. You know, most guys would use this as an excuse to end the date. You're lucky I'm so forgiving."

I leaned closer to him to whisper into his ear. "Don't pretend you're not enjoying it."

"I'm honestly not. Seriously, these cuffs are not of fuzzy variety. I can feel them cutting into my wrist, so please? The jokes kind of run its course." Suddenly the phone buzzed in my hand, showing a text message from someone.

"Everything is set for the girl?" I asked, reading it aloud. "Ha! You've been caught red handed."

"Who said 'the girl' is you?" He protested.

I fished into my pocket for my handcuff key, unlocking them and letting him loose. He pulled his hands in front of him rubbing his wrists as he stared daggers at me. "Now will you unlock the phone?" I asked, holding it up for him.

"Let me answer your question with another question. Would finding out that I'd actually managed to plan everything we've done tonight on the fly by calling in half a dozen favors really make it worth it, or would it ruin the mystery and magic of it all by shattering the possibility that maybe, just maybe, all of this is spontaneous and that fate has set this all up just to make you happy?" The two of us fell quiet, as I looked down at the phone in my hand then back to him.

"Oh, just tell me!" I whined. "Ugh, I can't stand mysteries that I can't solve, it's so irritating!"

"Can I offer a compromise?" He asked, reaching for his phone before I pulled it out of his reach. "What if I tell you how I did it, after our date is over? That way, it preserves the surprise and you'll get the answer to your mystery."

"Fine." I surrendered, tossing him his phone. "But whatever our next stop is, you'd better make it worth my while if you're going to do this right."

"Oh don't worry. I've got it all planned out. Trust me, it's going to blow you away." Despite his assurance, I could see a sly grin creeping on his lips that sent shivers down my spine. I couldn't shake the feeling. He was definitely planning something, but I doubted it was what I expected.

As we finally reached the skating rink, the first thing I noticed was the way it seemed completely empty of life. No one came to greet us at the door, though it was unlocked, and whoever he called a favor from (assuming he did) was not present.

He led me, rolling my eyes, through the dark lit corridors, until we came to the locker room where I assumed he'd be acquiring our skates. "Give me a second." I told him. "I...uhh...need to powder my nose." To be honest, I had no idea what that meant, but it was something I'd heard women use before to excuse themselves.

Whatever the meaning, Kiba nodded his head, allowing me to run off to a side corridor where I could have some privacy. Opening my own phone, I quickly punched in the numbers and called Vi. "Hello?" She answered. "Caitlyn, is that you? Where are you?"

"I'm on a date with Kiba." I whispered into the phone. There was a second of silence before the line erupted into laughter. "Vi, I'm serious! I need your help here."

"S-sorry Cupcake. You're right, I shouldn't laugh. It's just too funny. Alright, what do you need help with? The condom rolls downward. He should know how to do this by now though."

"Shut up, Vi. Listen! He's dragged me to an ice skating rink, but I don't know how to skate. Do you?"

"Seriously? You've never gone ice skating?"

I rolled my eyes. "Judge me later, for now, tell me what to do."

"Alright, it's really simple cupcake. It's like exaggerated walking. Just shift your weight to one foot, letting it carry you, then shift your weight to the other. Back and forth. Point your toes where you'd like to go and then that's where you'll go."

My eyes glanced back at the entrance. Was that really all there was to it? "Alright, thanks."

"Good luck out there cupcake. Be sure you do a little twirl for me, kay?"

I hung up the phone without responding. Returning to the room, I found him waiting patiently for me, beside him were two pairs of skates. "Really?" I asked. "You know my shoe size?"

"Still not creepy." He tried, before sighing. "Okay, so it's a little creepy."

I just sat beside him, slipping on my skates with a grin. "In a way, it's kind of sweet that you've memorized all these things about me, even if I'm not sure when that information came up."

"Ah...I think it came up when we worked one of our first cases together. You were so suspicious of me because I'd manage to get a tip off, and you thought that I was the suspect. All we had to go on was a foot print and you accused it of being mine, but I proved it wrong because my feet were too big. Our argument became so heated that I demanded you tell us your shoe size, and you did. I just remember is all." He explained, causing me to smile.

"Oh yeah." I chuckled to myself. "I do remember that. I remember thinking that you were such a belligerent man. I even mistook you for a detective at first. I had a lot of men from the Police trying to tell me how to do my job like I was some kind of rookie, just because of my age."

"What changed your mind?"

"Who said I changed my mind?" I teased. "You're still as belligerent as you ever were. But…" I paused, lacing up my skates. "I can't deny that I'm glad you're around. Things would be boring if someone wasn't there to challenge me every now and again. So thank you, for that."

"Is the great and powerful Caitlyn actually calling me a challenge?" He asked in faux flabbergast. "But the Sheriff of Piltover is never wrong! There must be some sort of mistake."

"I never said that." I argued. "I know I can be wrong...sometimes."

Having finished his skates, he stood up, offering me his hands to help me up as well. However, I ignored it, electing to stand up on my own in an attempt to show him that I wasn't some uncoordinated klutz. I wobbled a little, but I managed to remain upright as he just grinned. "Well, even if that is the case, I don't think you'll be worrying about me catching you on that very often. I usually just like to play the devil's advocate. Your job is to be right, Caitlyn. My job is only to make people think I'm right."

"I don't think so." I called after him, hobbling closer to the ice. "I think your job is much more important than that. As much as you like to play Devil's Advocate, I've never seen you print any sort of smear piece that wasn't completely tongue in cheek. Like with the baking contest a while back between Morgana and Pantheon. You didn't insult Pantheon, you just pointed out inconsistencies with his cooking and the ingredients he used. You didn't call him a cheater, you showed he was a cheater."

"Show don't tell is the first rule of being a writer." He commented, sliding himself along the ice before turning back to face me. I was shocked by what I saw as I entered. In the center of the ring was a large table covered in roses that framed him in crimson as he stretched out his arms. "Tada."

I covered my mouth, my face turning a bright red as I tried to conceal my smile. "You're such a jerk! I knew you had something crazy planned."

"Oh it gets better. Watch this." He clapped his hands twice causing soft music to settle around us. As the sounds of flutes and saxophones filled the air, the lights dimmed, causing one pale shaft of light to come down onto him like a spot light. He moved gracefully, more than I thought possible as he swirled around the table, plucked a rose from the vase, and stopped just before me, sending a small spray of ice in my direction, causing me to shield myself.

"That's so not funny." I giggled, brushing the ice from my face before reaching for the rose he was offering me. He stepped back a bit , making it so I'd have to come on the ice to get to him. Hesitantly, I made my way closer, finding that it was much more difficult than Vi had insinuated. I flailed my arms, trying to maintain my balance as he just stood there, the grin plastered on his face. I'd finally manage to find my center of gravity before shooting him a look that warned him of the danger of teasing me about this.

"What's wrong?" He asked, the smile never fading. My only reply was to flip him the bird, causing him to put his hand over his chest in shock. "Such foul gestures, coming from a lady no less!"

"Shut up! I've never done this before." I snapped, slowly making way to him. As I began to move, I was happy with myself, until I realized I didn't know how to stop. "Catch me, catch me, catch me." I cried over and over again as I came closer to him, grateful when he finally opened his arms and caught me. The two of us stood there, sliding even more gently together as he then offered me the rose once more.

"Congratulations. You made it." He beamed, causing me to smirk before reaching up to take it from him. Just as my fingers wrapped around the stem, the lights all turned back on, and there was a loud cheering from the stands, followed by an applause.

The color drained from my face as I looked up to see Vi and Thane sitting there clapping their hands. I couldn't believe him! I couldn't believe them! "You son of a bitch." I growled to him, shoving him away before losing my balance, causing them to laugh hysterically. Now I was even more humiliated. I sat on the ice, commanding myself to hold it together as he came closer to me.

"I'm sorry Caitlyn," he laughed, "when I told Vi what was going on, they just had to see it." He offered me his hand, but I quickly slapped it away from me. Turning over and carefully sliding towards the exit. I could still hear my deputies cackling in the stands, though now Kiba's had faded as he came after me.

I sat on the bench, working to untie my skates with trembling hands. I'd managed to prick myself on one of the rose's thorns while I was skating, so my fingers burned when I'd grasped the laces. Taking them off, I threw them towards the lockers before burying my face in my hands.

"Caitlyn?" He called.

"Go away." I demanded. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing me like this.

"What's the matter?" He asked, sitting down beside me. "Did you get hurt when you fell?"

"What's the matter?!" I shouted at him. "You pull your bullshit stunt, and then ask me what the matter is?! I'll tell you what's the matter, since it so obviously eludes your intellectual grasp. You humiliated me, Kiba! You've dragged me with you all night, just so you could bring me here and have a laugh at my expense! That's what's the matter!" My eyes were glistening before I shook my head, still trying to hide my tears.

"But they're your friends…" He murmured, causing me turn on him.

"That's right! So you didn't just embarrass me, you did it in front of the two people I care about most. Don't you get it?"

I felt him wrap his arms around me in a protective hug, but I quickly shoved him away from me, sliding to the other end of the bench. "It's not like that." He finally said. "I didn't do all this to embarrass you. Really, I didn't." He took out his phone, tapping it against his leg for a moment before using his thumb to activate it. "You can read the last few messages, but that's it, okay? Nothing else."

He slid the phone to me, where I caught it on the bench, my gaze finally looking down towards it.

"Kiba: 'Hey Kyle, I've got a special girl I need to take out on the town tonight. Can you hook me up?'

"Kyle: 'Sure thing. When and where?'

"Kiba: 'Cogwheel Cafe, ASAP. I'll stall her for as long as I can. Thanks again.'

"Kyle: 'It'll be there. Just tell it where you want, we'll consider it even.'

"Kiba: 'Frank, I need to ask you a favor. I'm going on a date with a girl.'

"Frank: 'You on a date? Ha! Pull the other one.'

"Kiba: 'Thanks for the vote of confidence. Look, I'm trying to show her a good time. Her favorite movie is Untouchables. Can you make it happen?'

"Frank: 'How much time do I have?'

"Kiba: 'We'll be leaving in about fifteen minutes. Then it's a 30 minute ride. Think you can manage? I can try to stall more.'

"Frank: 'Already got the kids out searching the city. If push comes to shove, I got another crime movie for you.'

"Kiba: 'Hey Vi, can I ask your advice?'

"Vi: 'Advice?'

"Kiba: 'I have a running thing with Caitlyn right now. I have to take her on a date and impress her enough so she'll agree to tell me what she likes in men.'

"Vi: 'So you have to find out what she likes, without knowing what she likes. That's going to be tough. What do you have planned?'

"Kiba: 'I'm taking her to an old cinema to watch Untouchables.'

"Vi: 'Ooh, her favorite. Good call.'

"Kiba: 'Oh my Gods. She just fell asleep on me. What do I do?'

"Vi: 'Lol, typical Cupcake. You should carry her. She'll find it sweet. Have you figured out what to do next yet?'

"Kiba: 'I'm thinking taking her ice skating.'

"Vi: 'Cait ice skating? This Thane and I have to see.'

"Kiba: 'Ooh. Pick up two dozen roses and place them on a table in the middle of the rink. We'll make this the most romantic date she's ever been on.'

"Vi: 'Try the only date she's ever been on. You're doing well, Kiba. Try not to make her fall too hard for you, okay? I still need my partner.'

"Kiba: 'Haha, very funny.'

Vi: 'Seriously though, thanks for this. I'm sure she'll love it.'"

I slowly placed the phone back on the bench. "Well?" He asked. "Did it help?"

"A little." I replied. "I'm sorry you went through all this trouble."

He just chuckled. "For you, Caitlyn it wasn't any trouble at all. I don't know why guys avoid you. Maybe it comes with the badge, maybe you just intimidate them. Either way, you deserve to be treated better."

"Great." I laughed through my tears. "Now I'm even more embarrassed than I was. Those two will never let me live it down."

"They're your friends, Cait. If they can't love you for who you are, then maybe you should find better friends. Anyway, come on. Our date isn't over yet." He stood in front of me, again offering me his hands to help me stand up. I looked up into his smiling face, his deep blue eyes almost mesmerising in the way they glimmered in the locker room's dim light. "Besides, I didn't exactly call in a favor to use this place, so who knows how long it'll be until the Sheriff shows up to arrest us. I've heard she can be kind of a bitch when it comes to law breakers."

That was all it took to make me smile again. I took his hands, getting to my feet. "Yeah well, that's what you get for being an ass in the first place." I whispered as he led me back towards the ice. "So what are you planning now anyway? We can't very well skate in our shoes."

"Nah, I've got a special kind of carriage for us." He laughed, pointing to a zamboni that waited by the rink. Already the table was packed up and gone, along with Vi and Thane. The only thing left over was the vase of roses that sat perched upon the wall. Following my gaze, he leaned towards me to purr into my ear. "Don't worry, you get to keep those."

The two of us clumsily made our way to the Zamboni, giggling and laughing every time one of us lost our balance, only to have to be held up by the other, or in the worst case, pulling them down with us. The pressure didn't seem so intense without an audience, and after finding out the things he'd said to set things up...it didn't feel so humiliating to be pampered any more. When we finally got there, he helped me to sit on the back of it before joining me. "Do you know how to drive one of these?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Hey, we're both fairly intelligent people. I'm sure we can figure this out, right? I mean, obviously I'd have to do most of the work, but I'm sure your suggestions will give me some help, even if they are wrong most of the time." I playfully swatted at him before brushing the hair from his eyes.

"Just be sure to keep your eyes on the ice, hmm?" I teased, crossing one leg over the other. As he started it up, there was a loud grinding noise before the engine seemingly died. He frowned, trying again only for the same thing to happen. "Having some trouble there, Mr. Genius?"

"Hold on...I think I've got it." Suddenly the thing let out a low rumble before a cloud of black smoke erupted from its front and the hood caught flame. There was suddenly a really loud alarm as the sprinklers began to go off. "Erm, I think we should go." He muttered, causing me to nod in agreement. The two of us made our way much more swiftly off the ice before leaving an anonymous tip to the fire department.

As we stood by the carriage, I came to a realization that made me frown. "Oh no! I left the roses."

"It's alright." He assured me, pulling out a single rose and presenting it to me. "It's not much, but it's the second best rose I've seen all evening."

"Such a charmer." I joked, stepping back into the carriage. "So, where to now, lady killer?"

"Your place."

"Forward." I commented. "Most ladies see that as a turn off."

"Funny, but if you recall I am a gentleman, and a gentleman always sees a lady safely to her home." I smiled at him as I leaned forward and gave the carriage my address, sending us off into the night. I clung on to the rose, holding it to my chest. I knew then that this wasn't a night I'd ever forget. My first real date, even if it wasn't a 'real' real date.

As the coach came to a stop outside of my house, Kiba opened its door for me and helped me down one last time. This time, with his hand in mine, he walked me to my doorstep, where we stood in the light. "Well...here we are." I stated.

"Yep. I'm sorry if I'm not great at good byes. It's the one thing I've always struggled with."

"You mean other than your subpar intellect?"

He stuck out his tongue at me playfully. "Cute. But in seriousness, I'm sorry about the end there. I really wasn't trying to embarrass you. I really hope that it didn't ruin the rest of the time we had tonight. If you really need help seeing the bright side, at least you had a good nap at the theatre."

My lips curled into a smile as a light pink reached my cheeks. "No, if anything tonight was perfect. I wouldn't have changed a thing about it. Except for the fire, the fire probably could have been a bit more romantic. You know, some marshmallows, make some s'mores or something."

"Don't be silly," he laughed, "if both you and a fire were in the same room, it would be waaay too hot. We'd have set off every fire alarm in all of Piltover."

"Perhaps so. Either way, thank you for tonight. It was wonderful." I stood there, fiddling with my keys for a moment, neither of us sure where to go from there. "Listen, I'm sorry I was such a bitch earlier. I just didn't know what was going on, and I…"

He held up his hand to stop me. "No, no. It's alright. I understand completely. To be honest, I was worried that you were just going to give me some bullshit answer when this was all over with. Like 'a good personality' or some such. I guess we were both a little untrusting of each other."

"How did you manage to send all those text messages without me noticing anyway?"

I grinned. "It's a useful skill to learn how to type in one's pocket when someone's having a conversation. It lets me interview people without them realizing what I'm doing. Now, what did you say your bank information was again?" He asked, slipping his hand in his pocket.

"You really are some kind of jerk. Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to be on your phone when you're with a beautiful woman?"

"Oh, so you're beautiful now? Glad to see that the ice didn't unswell that ego of yours." He teased back as we just stood there, until our laughter again subsided. "So…"

"So…" I echoed. "I hope you don't think I plan on asking you in."

"Well, I was kind of hoping you'd hold up your end of the bargain."

"So sex is a bargain now, is it?"

He frowned. "I was talking about the information."

"Oh! Oh, the information right. I'm sorry, all this fluster you've given me made me kind of scatter brained. I blame the roses. I always loved those. Very well, you've shown that you're pretty good at doing your homework. I suppose I'll tell you what I like in men." I paused for a moment, trying to think about it.

"Okay."

"Yep, going to tell you."

"You've never really thought about it, have you?"

"Of course I've thought about it, who hasn't thought about what they find ideal in a date?"

"Fair enough. So…?"

"So, what?"

"Your ideal date."

I realized this wasn't something I'd be able to stall for time for. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to think of all of the things I'd combine together into the perfect man for myself. "Well, he'd have to be smart…"

"As expected."

"And, I'd like it if he was cute. Not physically cute, but more of a cute personality. Someone kind of sweet and unassuming. They'd have to be caring and genuine. Gods know they couldn't have a double life, I do not envy Vi. That must be so stressful." I shook my head as he ran his hands through his hair bashfully. "I suppose where I'm going with this is that it'd have to be someone I knew I could trust and love unconditionally and who would feel the same about me."

"That's a very noble dream." He commented with a smile. "I hope that you find who you are looking for someday. You've been a big help Caitlyn, I hope you sleep well." He brought my hand up to kiss the back of it one last time before letting it fall through his fingers and turning to walk back to the coach. That fool, I couldn't believe he was so oblivious. Then again, I suppose I wasn't much one to talk. His words echoed in my mind: 'show, don't tell'.

That's it then. I didn't have any choice but to show him. "Kiba." I called after him.

He stopped, turning back to look at me. "Yes?" Before he could react, I threw my arms around him, placing my lips against his in a soft yet passionate kiss. He was so surprised by my action, he actually froze up, unsure of what was going on. His arms wrapped around my waist, drawing me closer to him as I did the same, kissing him deeply.

Surely, if anything could convince him of my feelings, this was it. As the two of us finally pulled apart, I smiled softly at him. "Now it's a perfect date. If I could make someone to be my perfect date, well...he'd be a heck of a lot like you."

He turned a bright red, scratch the back of his neck bashfully. "Thanks." He replied. "Really, I doubt I'd deserve such an achievement as winning the heart of the famed Sheriff of Piltover. But even still, your words mean a lot, Sheriff."

His words made me sink like a stone. It wasn't Caitlyn, anymore. Now it was Sheriff, again. Did he not feel anything about me? Was he truly just oblivious, or maybe he was trying to let me down easy? I didn't think any of those were the case, but I could tell that whatever dreams I'd had of something being between us had been dashed, all with just one little word. Yet, somehow, I was okay with that. I wasn't heartbroken, just disappointed. "Kiba." I repeated, causing him to turn back to look at me again, this time bracing himself in case I pounced. I walked up to him, turning his head and placing one last kiss on his cheek. "From now on, it's Caitlyn, understand? You don't call me Sheriff."

He grinned and nodded. "Very well, Caitlyn. I'll keep that in mind. But just so you know, if you make me mad, I'll probably still call you Sheriff every now and then."

"Get out of here." I teased, walking back to my door. As the carriage took off back towards his home, I took a deep breath, unlocked my door, and stepped inside of my new life to sleep.