A myriad of conversations from the waiting audience leaked backstage, merging together to form a low drone that filled Riven's ears. It made it that much more difficult for her to focus her mind on all the jargon-ridden instructions she'd just had listed to her. It also didn't help matters that her mind was still clouded over what had occurred at the shoot earlier that day; she was never going to have been able to focus enough.

Behind her, a stage crew was busy coordinating any last minute adjustments they needed to make before the beginning of the show, communicating between one another with hushed shouts and flurried hands. A hulking man sporting a braided tail of hair carried multiple cases of what looked to be sound equipment over to a woman with a blonde mane of hair, dwarfed in comparison to his stature. They held a conversation that Riven couldn't hear, though could easily take a guess of it's subject matter based on the doe-eyed looks they shared. A young boy, presumably an intern or something of that ilk judging by his skittish enthusiasm, was hurried away towards the dressing rooms by a short, weedy man with a rather extravagant pink mohawk. The one who had been the one leading everything behind the scenes.

Riven couldn't keep still, shifting her weight between her feet. She was stood only a few steps away from the threshold of the talk show set she'd be welcomed onto in less than a few minutes. If not for the fact that it was a live show, Riven would have been feeling relief that this was the last big event on her packed weeklong schedule.

Live, spar a few minutes of delay should anyone on camera blurt out something they weren't supposed to. An expletive or any form of spoiler. Live. As in she could look like a complete idiot and they wouldn't be able to edit it out. That relaxed her nerves slightly, but…

An audible groan left her throat, carrying her anxiety along with it, and her fingers rolled into her sweaty palms.

Shit, what if she has to shake someone's hand?

As subtle as she could manage, she patted her hands against her jeans. She checked her surroundings carefully as she did so, and spotted the apparent manager making his way over.

"One minute and we're live! The talent is on his way as we speak!" He shared as he reached her, slapping a hand on her shoulder in a friendly manner. His voice held odd intonations but sounded incredibly clear, ringing true to that of an announcer or radio host.

Riven raised an eyebrow. Speaking of talent - a.k.a. talk show host - she hadn't seen said person since she had arrived at the studio where the show was filmed. Had he been preparing himself this whole time?

"He likes to make sure he's perfect for his adoring fans!" The man explained, correctly guessing at the quizzical look she wore. "Do you remember what I explained before?"

"Ah…" Riven blanked, the instructions she had been struggling to keep a hold of in her head now truly eluding her.

"Don't sweat the small stuff!" A loud, boisterous voice cut the manager off before he opened his mouth to repeat himself, and a tall, broad man was soon upon them.

Riven nearly had to squint as she was confronted with what was possibly the most garish, vibrant red suit jacket she had ever laid eyes, hanging open to show off the clashing blue shirt and slightly deeper blue tie beneath. The man wore a wide, exaggeratedly toothy grin, and if the clothing didn't blind her, the shockingly white teeth definitely did. Brilliantly blond hair defied gravity, seeped with hairspray, it's colour betrayed by the well-groomed, dark facial hair that framed his lips and chin. Behind him was the intern, having successfully fetched him, and Riven blinked, realising the boy's attire was the spitting image of the confident new arrival. Only… cheaper.

His eyes were locked onto Riven and he held out a hand in greeting, not waiting for her to reciprocate and instead reaching down to snatch her hand up into his to shake in firmly.

"The name's Draven. Of course, you'll have already heard of me. I'm me! Glad to meet you too. C'mere, I always get a selfie with me guests for my Inst* before we go live!"

Riven couldn't help the yelp that was forced from her along with the air from her lungs as her host abruptly wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in, raising his phone in his other, outstretched limb.

…His cologne smelled so stro-

"Smmmile~!"

"…Er-!" She flinched as she was officially blinded this time by his phone's flash.

Thankfully, she was given time to recover while Draven inspected the photo. Though, he only really seemed to focus on only his own likeness. Riven guessed she should be thankful, considering the 'deer in headlights' look she had achieved.

"Damn, I look good…" He muttered to himself proudly, tossing his phone over to the intern who hurried away before the rumbling of speakers took both their attention.

"HELLO AUDIENCE! IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN! IT'S 'BETWEEN THE AXES'!"

The familiar voice caught Riven off guard and she realised that the man she had been speaking with before Draven's arrival had split off. She spotted him a few metres away yelling passionately into a microphone.

Draven laughed openly to himself, raising both hands to smooth out the whiskers above his lips. "Draven-time..!"

"GIVE IT UP FOR THE BEST SHOWBOATER (self proclaimed!) OF ALL TIME! ONCE A NEWSCASTER, NOW YOUR FAVOURITE HOST..!"

"Best of luck out there!" Draven shook his arms as if he needed to limber up. "Ah, just to you. Aha, I won't need it." He said brusquely, jostling his tie - was that a clip-on..? - into place and turning in her direction while backing towards the open set. A hand ran through and fluffed his brightly dyed hair. "How do I look? Great, right?"

"IT'SSSS DRAAAAAAAVEEEEEN~!"

Riven could only watch, dumbfounded, as he shot her a pair of finger-guns then spun on his heel to swagger out onto the set, hands high and proud. Both his pleasantries to the cameras and audience and introductory talk failed to register while she was still in the midst of processing the whirlwind that just blew past her. She'd been warned by Sarah of the eccentricity that was Draven in a nutshell but… wow… she was almost too stumped to feel nervous anymore.

Eventually, she zoned back in as he finally rounded off talking about himself.

"Now, enough about me, if that were possible! Ha!" She heard him slap his desk at his own bad joke and suppress the need to roll her eyes. The audience laughed along with him, so she guessed it must work. "Just a month ago she only performed in a run-down, downtown bar!"

Her eyebrow twitched at the comment towards Kimmy's establishment. This guy…

"She was a mere nobody before ploughing through the ranks of internet stardom overnight! I've gotta say, she reminds me of myself!"

…Dear god.

"Give her a warm welcome! Riven!"

Riven let out one last breath to settle any remaining nerves, plus newfound irritation, and subconsciously made one last adjustment to the hem of her Pentakill tee and fiddled with the wrist-length glove she now wore in place of her bandages. She stepped out, the instructions she'd received returning to her just when she needed them, and she followed them to the letter.

Walk out. Stop and - wow those lights are bright - wave at the crowd. Draven will stand up. Walk over. Smile. Shake his… so sweaty..! He'll offer you to sit… Sit.

Both her seat and Draven's desk were at angles facing the main central camera, with two ornaments behind and to the side of them in the shape of bladed microphones. She took a moment while the audience were still clapping to attempt to find a comfy way to sit on the surprisingly, and delightfully, plush armchair. From his own perch, Draven silently conducted the them to quieten down and turned to his guest.

"How're ya doing?" Draven addressed her casually, charm raised to the max for the viewers. "Thanks for coming on."

"Thanks for having me." She replied, cringing inwardly at how stiff she sounded. Nerves gone or not, this was still all very new to her, and daunting.

It seemed Draven also noticed her awkwardness. He laughed. "I can see you're still getting used to this. Your first live interview?"

"Yeah, first live. And second ever…" Riven admitted.

"Well, you won't have to worry about small talk here. We're going straight into asking what people want to know!" Draven announced. "Your music, your songs; most people watching today will have heard at least some of them. Many have mentioned that almost all of your songs hold quite the sad tone to them. Why is this? What inspired these songs?"

A moment was needed for Riven to fully process the long-winded question. Full on from the start…

"Well, they're all, to some extent, inspired by my past." Riven made sure to avoid going into any detail. The silence of the audience made her hyper aware of just how much attention was focused on her. "I've had… a rough few years until just recently. All of my songs were written in that time. They were a good outlet."

Draven hummed in acknowledgement, then continued with more questions. "And all these songs are a part of the first album you'll be releasing. It's name; 'Exile'? Tell us about that."

The was a hesitation in Riven's reply, suddenly feeling inhibition at the idea of sharing such information so openly to so many people, but she persevered. "The same inspiration, really. I spent a lot of time alone in that time. I had my dog, which helped, but I only joined a group in the past year, a band. Even then, they kicked me out eventually. It was lonely. I felt exiled."

"You say your band kicked you out?" Draven reiterated with a level of incredulity for the camera, and laughed again. "They must be regretting that decision!"

Riven shrugged. "I haven't given it much thought. Things didn't exactly end on good terms, but I hope they're doing alright." She meant it. She was never one to hold a grudge.

The back and forth of the basic interview process continued on, with Draven firing off questions constantly and Riven answering in turn.

He asked her about her planning to record the album in the coming weeks, which she confirmed, mentioning the hope that the fact the songs were already written would result in quicker production. And, as Sarah had heavily urged with regards to advertising herself as much as she could, she made sure to mention the shoot she had done earlier that day that had the purpose of promoting the album, due to release in just over a week.

Next, Riven's intention to keep the current recordings of her music open and available for free access on her page was brought into question. Riven stressed that, while her first album would be a more professional re-record of her existing music, the quality will be much better and if any fans would be willing to support her she would be grateful. But she felt removing or blocking access to the music that gifted her the majority of her new fanbase for the sake of selling the same music would just push those fans away. She knew that there would be people out there who may not be able to afford to buy her music, adding that she herself likely wouldn't have some months ago.

Her explanation earned her an applause from the watching audience so she guessed she made the right decision.

"Admirable." Draven mused to himself. "And I suppose your label is okay with that?"

"It took some convincing, but eventually, yeah…" Riven laughed sheepishly, some of the audience laughing along with her, and found herself gradually relaxing into the rhythm of the interview.

"I can imagine!" Draven said mirthfully, choosing then to move the interview on. "Now, if you don't mind me bringing this up; you had found yourself in the news a number of times before your big break."

"That I did…" Riven confirmed slowly. She could see where this way going.

"I, and I'm sure our viewers do to, would love to know how you got into cahoots with K/DA of all people. Hanging out at their pad, and even," he indicated to the signed Pentakill Tee she was still wearing, "going with them to meet with Pentakill!"

Riven knew that this particular line of questioning was inevitable. What could she expect, having been seeing socialising with the group still pulling headlines with every small movement they make?

"Like you said at the start, I sang at a bar downtown. Evie went there a lot and saw me sing. We ran into each other and talked a few times. The rest is history." She answered simply, not wanting to give details on how they actually became amicable. That wasn't something she wanted to mention on a talk show.

"So it would be sensible to say you're buddies? Did this have any part to play in you-?"

"Not at all. I refused help when it was offered, actually. This I wanted to know I could achieve on my own." Riven knew what was being implied and shut him down quickly. "If I had to say a name, the person at fault is my best friend, Sivir; Kai'Sa girlfriend." She chuckled, the memory at the bowling alley now a fond one. "Though, I guess Evie did open her big mouth too."

The following gasps that rose from members of the audience at her words took her by surprise. She scanned the stands, seeing many a surprised mug, not entirely sure what she'd said to garner such a reaction.

"I gotta say, you certainly must be close to be able to address the 'Diva' so casually." Seeing her quizzical expression, Draven, seeming a tad taken aback himself, spoke up. "That must mean she's happy for you to do so? We all know you would feel her wrath otherwise!"

Riven blinked as it dawned on her. She did just casually insult Evelynn on live TV, didn't she?

"Yeah we're-"

This time Draven was the one to interrupt her. "If you are, maybe you're able to shine some light on a subject your dear friend 'Evie' has yet to comment on?"

Whether it was the sudden veer in focus or the fact that Draven used hers and Akali's nickname for Evelynn, Riven suddenly felt apprehension return in the form of a twisting in her gut. "…Okay?"

"For a while now, Evelynn has been in the news for her reconnection with an old flame. One Tobias 'Twisted' Fate. Is it true what some headlines suggest? Is the flame rekindling?" Draven hadn't seemed to miss the subtle souring of Riven's expression, but didn't let it stop him.

Riven let out a single, mirthless laugh, openly showing her skepticism at the direction the interview was taking. "Is it really relevant?"

"Just this one and we'll get right back on track." Draven pressed, undeterred. "This is desired info, think of the ratings!"

He actually said it outright. Completely transparent and shameless… She sighed. If it got this out of the way.

"Fine, well, no. Nothing's going on there…" She didn't bother to hide her irritation, her voice coarse with annoyance. "You can trust me on that, so-"

"So you two are close enough to discuss love lives, huh?" Draven leaned forward on his desk, instantly going against his word.

"I thought that was going to be it..?" She muttered.

"Come on, can you blame me?" He asked. He had turned to the audience, as if asking them over her.

The returning cheer of encouragement wasn't a good sign.

"It's not my place to say anything." Riven explained as sensibly as she could. She could feel all of the knots in her stomach and stress that had resulted from the shoot begin to return. "Besides, this-"

"Hear that? It's not just me wondering what's going on between those two!" He spoke over her for a third time, raising a hand to the spurring onlookers.

"There's not a lot else I can say…" She uttered through a clenched jaw.

"You mean to say you don't know anything else or won't say anything else?"

God. That big, shit-eating grin on his face was becoming irritatingly punchable… She just needed to move the topic away from this.

"Look, there's nothing going on betwe-"

"But how can you for sur-?"

Interrupted again. That was it. Her patience was shot.

"Because she's my girlfriend, alright!?"

— K/DA Penthouse, Start of the interview —

"Come on, Eve!" Ahri's voice rose over the jingle playing on the TV. "You're going to miss the start!"

The lead singer was twisting her body on the couch to yell over towards Evelynn who had just exited the kitchen. A glass of red wine was held in one hand and it's parent bottle in the other.

"Yes, yes…" Evelynn waved her off and calmly made her way to perch next to her friend. "Apologies, I couldn't decide which Gran Reserva to break out for this."

"Apologise to your girlfriend when you need to explain how you nearly missed the start of her interview…" Ahri chastised. "I can't believe you have a stock of fifty different brands of that stuff. Damn alcoholic."

"I simply know what I like, Foxy." Evelynn retorted.

"Exactly, alcohol." Ahri stated bluntly, sparking an clash of narrowed eyes.

On the central couch, adjacent to the pair of bickering besties, were Kai'Sa and Sivir. The former had been occupied for the past several minutes, indulging herself with Second who had previously been resting underneath the coffee table. The dancer was holding a plate of beautifully cooked sirloin in one hand and was feeding chunk after chunk of the chopped up meat to the eagerly receiving hound, cooing and squeeing each time he devoured a piece. Lounging slobbishly beside her, Sivir watched on, bemused, while chowing down on a slice of her own self-delivered pizza.

"That dog's gonna come back home a hell of a lot chonkier than when he came here…" The Egyptian delivery girl commented, earning a side-glance of scorn from her girlfriend.

"Says the alleged fitness enthusiast chowing down on her second pizza in two days..?" Kai'Sa shot back.

"Meh." Sivir shrugged.

"The game finished I'm oN MY WAY!"

The thundering of feet from beyond the staircase signified the approach of the final member of the group. Akali practically skidded to a halt at the top of the steps before clearing them all in a single bound, continuing her pace and launching herself onto her favourite bean bag.

"Am I late!?" She hurriedly asked anyone who would answer.

"…No." Sivir answered the tardy rapper after swallowing her current mouthful.

"Yessss..!"

"Hush. It's starting." Evelynn commanded them all as the announcer started the show by introducing Draven, the host.

In the obliging silence, Ahri leant over, touching shoulders with Evelynn.

"You must be proud of her. Doing all of this on her own." She whispered, careful to keep it between the two of them.

Riven was introduced on the show, and laughter from Sivir and Akali filled the air upon witnessing how robotic Riven seemed to carry herself. Second had begun to react excitedly after recognising his owner on the screen and had to be held back by Kai'Sa tight grip on his collar.

Evelynn took a drink of her wine to stubbornly hide the warm smile that threatened to break her neutral demeanour. "Of course I am, Foxy."

Ahri wore a knowing smile. "You don't fool me, 'Evie'~"

"Hmph." Her lips wavered.

Quiet officially fell while they all attentively watched Riven go about her first televised, and live, interview. Everyone present knew how tough their first interview had felt, thus understood her apparent stiffness. Even Sivir; such was one of the 'perks' of being a celebrity's partner.

"Awh!" Kai'Sa cooed again in a motherly tone once Riven had finished explaining her reasons for leaving access to her music. "She's doing really well!"

"She kinda is, actually." Sivir mused. "I was sort of hoping for some blackmail material to be hon-Ow!" A chastising slap to the arm cut her comment short.

Evelynn agreed with Kai'Sa. Riven was doing well. Admittedly better than she had expected her to. Not that she expected her to do poorly, but she certainly seemed to relax into the interview rather-

Ahhnn~

All eyes turned to Evelynn, specifically the phone that rested next to her on the arm of the couch.

"…What was that?" Akali asked, baffled, craning her head back in her bean bag over in their direction.

Ahhnn~

Ahri's lids twitched. "Eve. Please."

Instead of responding, Evelynn glanced at her phone's lit screen to see two messages from Elise and quirked an eyebrow curiously.

Elise

Hi there, Precious~
I've just finished up for the day, how about a quick chat?

Evelynn rolled her eyes at the use of her old pet name. Her old attitude had earned her that one. As for the request to call… She returned her attention to the TV. Draven had just begun asking about Riven's friendships with K/DA. She thought about just ignoring the messages until the interview had ended, but she knew Elise never made small talk. There was a reason for her being in contact and it would certainly gnaw at the back of her mind if she waited.

She hesitated a while longer, not wanting to miss a moment of seeing Riven in her interview, but stood. Hitting quick-dial, she brought the phone to her ear and stepped around the couch, close enough to still be able to half-listen to the TV. She ignored the confused looks of the other women present, and Ahri's frown, and waited until Elise picked up.

"Long time so speak, Dear." Came Elise's silken voice.

"Is this just for a catch-up?" Evelynn asked bluntly, hushed so she wouldn't speak over the show. "Riven's on TV."

"It's about her, actually. We ran into each other when she was doing that little shoot of hers." The model explained. "You still have good taste in women…"

"Complimenting yourself, how classy." She shot back lightly, though the mention of Riven certainly gained her attention. She had never received a reply from her earlier text. "How was it? Was she okay?"

"She handled herself marvellously during the shoot. I was impressed." Elise praised.

From the TV, Evelynn overheard Riven calling her a big mouth, and Sivir's unabated laugh reached her ears. She rolled her eyes, able to picture the looks on listeners faces. True enough, there was only a handful of people she wouldn't scorn for insulting her.

"But…"

The change in tone in Elise's voice was disconcerting. "…But?"

A click of a tongue barely sounded through the speaker. "Yes, well. Today's director was rather pushy in what she wanted your dear to wear; not listening or taking no for an answer. She seemed to get quite uncomfortable, so I stepped in but…"

Evelynn's eyes and nose flared, the only giveaway of the fury that had quickly begun to brew within her body.

"What was the director's name, Darling?" She inquired, her voice sickeningly sweet.

"Ah, no. I'm not telling you." Elise said with certainty. "I know what you're thinking and I'm not enabling you!" She sighed. "I know how much you care for her, Evelynn, but I'm not going to let you start doing that again."

Evelynn's lips pursed as she held back the scathing retort on her lips, tempering herself after the last thing her friend said. Behind her, she heard both Ahri and Kai'Sa complaining, and she realised that'd completely tuned out the interview.

"Anyhow." Elise continued. "I just wanted to let you know. She seemed off."

The troubled Diva paused a while longer. "…Thank you, Elise. I appreciate the thoug-"

"Because she's my girlfriend, alright!?"

Her lips froze upon hearing Riven's irate voice and what she announced. Having calmed, the sounds of the interview were once again registering in her head.

"Um… Eve…"

She spun her head round to lock wide eyes with Ahri, who had uttered her name gingerly, then looked up to the screen. It was so silent it took a moment for her to realise it hadn't been muted. The camera had focused on Riven, who's expression was steadily switching between annoyance to realisation, to then glaring daggers at Draven off-camera.

A low whistle rose from the central couch, Sivir frowning. "The bastard got it out of her."

"What did we expect?" Kai'Sa asked grimly, already having been critical of Draven's antics. "She's new to this. He baited her in so easily."

Evelynn's mind was racing. Worry flooded her mind as she thought about how much attention Riven's statement would draw to the rocker. It would be overwhelming, and not necessarily good.

As Draven began to speak again, Elise's voice rose from her phone, still held to her ear.

"Evelynn? Everything alright?"

"Sweetheart… I need to go."

The entire studio had fallen into a deathlike silence, spare some sparse whispers between members of the audience. Even Draven was silent but, instead of being a result of shock like everyone else present, he wore a victorious smirk in response to what she had just bare-faced announced live on his show.

Announced… Live…

The force of the facepalm Riven was struggling to refrain from making would have had a fair chance to bruise her nose, her hand physically twitching from it's resting state on her thigh. She cursed herself mentally, screaming inside now she realised how easily she had been reeled in. Any queries of a relationship with Evelynn past friends hadn't been brought up even once, despite the rumours and speculations that had been prevalent even before they started going out. It would have been impossible for Draven to have not heard them. He hadn't mentioned them once and lulled her into a false sense of security, then used the other existing rumours drawn from Evelynn meeting with Tobias to goad her into blurting it out herself.

"There it is…"

The slow, drawn out utterance from Draven wasn't picked up by his mic, only audible enough for Riven to hear. She narrowing her eyes dangerously but his sneer only stretched further across his face.

"Now I just want to double-check in case I, or any of my wonderful viewers, misheard." He leaned forwards on his desk with anticipation, projecting his voice for all to hear. "You're saying the rumours that have been flying around, what those articles have been saying for over a month now, have substance?"

Riven didn't reply instantly, continuing to stare him down, but also found herself surprised. Once the anger at herself for being so blatantly tricked had wained, she didn't actually feel that distressed at what she had revealed. After all, she'd wanted to be public from the start and be done with it. It was Evelynn who had recommended keeping it on the down low, even if it was with Riven's best interests in mind.

She swapped her gaze from her smug host to her close-up camera, knowing Evelynn would be watching. The image of Evelynn showing concern for her right now was easily pictured in her mind but, in the end, it would have come out one way or another. With a single, deep breath, she looked back to Draven.

"Yeah. We're dating." She admitted simply.

The change in volume of the studio shot from silent to deafening. The audience erupted at the confirmation, with cries ranging from surprise and shock to elation.

"Did you hear that folks!?" Draven turned to address them and the cameras, arms outstretched. "Don't forget! You heard it here first! My show!"

Riven rolled her eyes. If course he only wanted the focus on him and the boost to his ratings that he was anticipating from this. What an ass.

She adjusted herself in her seat, ensuring she could wait out the excitement comfortably and endure the rest of this car-crash of an interview.

It had been a long week, and that wasn't about to change.

The pattering of feet was the only sound that filled the air. In the centre of the kitchen space, the dining table was illuminated from above, the only light turned on in the small apartment. On her umpteenth lap, Evelynn was pacing around the table, barefoot on the cheap vinyl flooring. Her arms were folded with one hand up by her frowning face, her thumb rubbing across her soft lips in heavy contemplation.

Antsy as she was, for a number of reasons, it could barely describe how she felt.

Any moment now, Riven was due to walk through the door and it would be their first interaction since their call on the morning of Riven's photoshoot. Her following text still remained unread and any attempt to contact her since the interview had proven fruitless. At the very least, her actions being tracked by the media gave Evelynn the piece of mind that she was okay. If the media had only shown some interest towards the new artist in the making, the reveal of their relationship definitely made Riven a keen subject of intrigue.

That being said, due to Riven's lack of communication, the only reason she knew to come here and wait for her was thanks to a text from Fortune. Sent after the label owner's meeting with Riven, the final planned item on the weeklong itinerary, she'd let Evelynn know Riven would be being driven home any moment.

'She looked tired.' The message had said. Sent at 21:43.

Evelynn had left the penthouse within a minute of receiving the message. Sivir had agreed to let Evelynn in before making herself scarce to allow the two time to talk through how best to deal with the situation, resulting in her being alone in the apartment.

She halted her pacing by the kitchen countertop and pulled her phone out from the pocket of her jogging pants. There hadn't been an effort made to dress up, unlike what was the usual for her. Gym pants, a thin camisole and a pair of designer trainers that were now discarded by the front door beneath a jacket of a differing brand. Whatever she picked up first she had thrown on, not caring what the resulting attire was. She wasn't even wearing half the amount of make-up as she normally did.

Opening up her messages, her eyes lingered on the thread with Riven, the last message still unread, then dropped to the thread below it.

Tobias

I saw the interview
Seems like you're gonna be busy
Forget about our meet ups for a while, hun

No 'Hun'.
But appreciated.

She lingered on her response, realising how mild she had reacted to Tobias using his old name for her. It was almost as if she was tolerating him now.

The clacking of the door to the flat being opened snapped her from her musings.

"God damn it, Siv, you left the door unlo-"

The weary voice of Riven caught in her throat as she paused mid-step across the threshold to her home, spotting Evelynn by the countertop. She was now returning her phone to her pocket.

"-Oh…" Riven uttered simply, the reaction seeming purely neutral. The backpack that was lazily slung over one shoulder was half-dropped, half-placed onto the floor without her looking away.

"Hi, Honey." Evelynn resorted to offering a small wave, finding herself tongue-tied by Riven's muted reaction to say much else.

Had she been wrong in coming to greet her? Maybe Riven just wanted to sleep; spend some time to herself after such a chaotic week. Evelynn knew she was a person of impulse when it came to those she cared about, and when it came to Riven, well…

Her retrospections tempered as Riven shuffled her shoes off, shrugged away her leather jacket and began to trudge towards her. She didn't move and just let her approach.

Upon reaching her, Riven practically leant her whole weight against her and let out a heavy sigh. Evelynn felt Riven nuzzle into the nape of her neck, her strong arms encompass her slim waist. A barely audible breath of effort left her lungs and Evelynn thanked the countertop behind her for helping her superficially fit physique support Riven's definitely-not-superficial and dense frame, mirroring her girlfriend's actions and bringing her arms around and up, behind Riven's back. Relief was what Evelynn mainly felt under Riven's embrace, selfishly revelling in what she had missed for over seven days.

"How are things, Honey?" She asked softly, lips almost grazing Riven's ear. She felt Riven's body shiver in response.

"Mmmfine…"

Bless. Never mind tired; exacerbated by her muffled voice, she sounded exhausted. Evelynn let out a small laugh, her amusement and affection both carrying in her words.

"You never replied to my message~."

"It's not the same…"

"I was worried~."

"'Mmsorryy…"

"Not even a call~..?"

"It's not the sameeee..! I'd rather just…" Riven words petered out and she tightened her hold around Evelynn's frame. "I missed you."

A warm smile settled across Evelynn's face as she allowed herself to melt into Riven's arms, copying Riven in resting her head in the rocker's own olive-skinned nape. After a moment, she pulled her head away from it's place nestled into Riven's collarbone and took Riven's head gently in her hands. She lifted her girlfriend out from her nape and craned her neck to look up into her tired eyes. Their proximity made the angle uncomfortable, but she didn't care. She pulled Riven down and met her halfway with a tender kiss that was happily reciprocated. It was brief, but rejuvenating for both of them. Their foreheads rested against one another once they pulled away.

"Why are you here?" Riven questioned, speaking up first.

Despite how it sounded with her fatigued lilt, Evelynn knew she was simply curious.

"A text from Fortune after you left." She explained. "I came as soon as she told me."

Riven's eyes dropped down to scan the length of Evelynn's form. "…Does that explain the outfit?"

A forceful pat to her neck where Evelynn had still been holding her caused her to wince, despite the small grin that tugged at her lips.

"Oh, hush." Evelynn chastised, her own smile betraying her scorn. "Be happy I'm here."

"I am, I am..!" Riven insisted.

"Well, initially," she continued, "I was going to offer to cook for you or, if you had missed me enough…" She trailed off, giving a slow, suggestive wink and earning a small smile from Riven. "Looking at you though, maybe we should just head to bed and cuddle?" A slow but definitive nod was her answer. "Alright, Honey. You go and get changed. Call me in when you're done."

Riven nodded again, unwrapping her arms from around Evelynn and stepping back. She left for her bedroom, but not before landing another quick peck onto Evelynn's lips.

Evelynn watched with fondness as Riven heaved herself down the small corridor to her bedroom and waited patiently after the door shut behind her. With Riven still adamant against even her seeing her scarring, doing such was just part of their nightly routine, whether it be at either of their abodes. She didn't mind, knowing better than to force Riven to do things at anything other than her own pace.

While she was waiting, she walked over to lock the apartment door with the keys Riven had dropped onto the countertop, then whipped out her phone again to let Ahri know, as per her request, that Riven had arrived in good health. Aside from sheer exhaustion.

After a while, it began to feel like too long of a wait just for Riven to change. Evelynn walked up to the bedroom door and rapped against it lightly.

"Honey?" No response. "I'm coming in, oka- awh…"

Her own mewl of endearment cut her off after she had begun to slowly edge open the door. Instantly, she had spotted Riven already changed into one of her usual baggy tees. She was, however, flat out across the width of the bed, sound asleep on her back.

Evelynn had to bite her lip to contain herself, letting herself in and closing the door behind her. Gently stepping over to the bed, she leant down to shake Riven awake, as least enough to assist her in sluggishly reorienting herself. Once Riven was settled, she pulled down her cloth joggers and lifted the camisole over her head, leaving her in just her laced underwear, then entered the other side of the bed after turning the lights out. She could already hear the light breathing that she had come to recognise as Riven being sound asleep and curl herself up between bedsheet and pillow, on her side.

The ruffling of the sheets behind her had her go to twist her head only to feel Riven's body against hers, having unconsciously moved towards the new source of warmth. Riven's right arm snaked over the bare skin of her torso and around to hold Evelynn's body even closer, inadvertently nestling between the inner slopes of her breasts. A subtle shiver of her own ran through her as Riven's face came to rest against the back of her neck, nuzzling her lavender locks, hot breath spreading down her spine.

Now pressed right up against her, Evelynn could feel Riven's own cloth covered chest pleasantly cushioning against her upper back and, contrasting wonderfully, her firm, worked stomach against her behind. Paired with the arm pinning her into the embrace, Evelynn had to bite her cheek and force herself to swallow the sigh of arousal that threatened to escape and tried to ignore the heat that had begun to settle below, cursing herself mentally.

While she was by no means the sexual deviant the media gained such apparent enjoyment making her out to be, she certainly had her desires. With the current object of such desires currently lying against her so intimately, and with over a week of no physical contact at all having just passed, it was certainly testing her willpower to not attempt any form of initiation right that moment.

If she was to be completely honest, despite playing it off as a half-joke earlier, she had come with the full intention of advancing their physical relationship. As she had resolved, she wouldn't force in any way, but she held some hope of convincing Riven that her scarring didn't change anything in the slightest.

The need was becoming overpowering, especially after hearing Riven claim her on live TV for anyone watching to hear. Once the worry had washed away, she had found herself reddening like a schoolgirl at the memory of the brazen announcement. A complete outlier to her usual behaviour that she couldn't quite explain, but it only made her want Riven even more.

But, seeing how purely and utterly tired Riven had been, she again set her as priority number one.

And so, she blocked out her body's cravings until they had passed, eventually falling into the clutches of sleep herself.

Against her back, however, Riven was desperately trying to controlling her breath to retain her slumbering façade. While she had fallen asleep the moment she even sat on the bed after changing into her sleepwear, she had been roused enough once she had been reconfigured on the bed to be acutely aware of Evelynn's semi-nude state next to her.

Even more so after their time apart.

Riven hadn't been able to resist the urge to cuddle up close to her, and had heard the few small noises Evelynn had been unable to fully suppress. It had her mind racing, despite it's wearied state

She was so soft. Her perfectly sculpted backside against Riven's firm lower torso and the two pillowy mounds that were enveloping her arm. They nearly had Riven act on her cravings and initiate what she knew Evelynn would eagerly reciprocate if she was to do so.

But what if it happened again? What if Evelynn saw her- or even touched it again? Just the existence of that possibility in the back of her mind held her back.

She settled herself against Evelynn, resigning to simply enjoy they bodies' shared warmth. It comforted and healed her tired everything, and sleep quickly found her again.