"Oh, here's a good one: 'We all know this is just the flavour of the month. This nobody will be tossed away by our Queen soon. Watch.'"
Riven snorted in response to Evelynn's reading of a tweet from one of her more 'enthusiastic' Deeva fans.
"Queen! Please!" Her voice was full of melodrama and laced with amusement. She nestled further into Eve's side, from which she had been watching Evelynn scroll through her socials. "Don't throw me away!"
Evelynn simply rolled her eyes at Riven's overdramatic pleading, but the smirk of mirth creeped onto her face nevertheless.
It was late morning of the day following Riven's return. While they had both been awake for a number of hours, neither had any urgent need to leave the bed. Instead, since Riven hadn't checked, plus still wasn't savvy with social media, they were looking through reactions to their relationship. Evelynn had seen plenty of comments herself, both online and in headlines.
The response was mixed. There were plenty of articles questioning the legitimacy of Riven's rise in popularity, highlighting both their relationship and the fact that K/DA and now Riven were both signed under the same label. Other articles, mainly tabloids, simply jumped at the opportunity to gain clicks any way they could by using Evelynn's name. Some barely even mentioned Riven and instead focused on Evelynn's mysterious relationship history.
Then there were the Deevas, her revering fanbase. Much like the one she had just read out, there was a vocal minority of her fans that believed Evelynn was too good to be 'dragged into a relationship with some no-name who'd just ride on her coattails'. There had been no fear in showing Riven the bad comments towards them. She knew Riven would get a kick out of seeing them more than anything else.
Most though, just like those who spread Riven's music online at Evelynn's request, were fully supportive and frankly overjoyed at the development and showed such. The support extended from just her fanbase, too. Other celebrities who knew or followed Evelynn had offered manners of congratulations, as well as wishing Riven luck in her newfound career as an artist.
And, of course, their close friends made sure to openly announce their support. On behalf of all of Pentakill, Karthus spoke out in support for his long-time friend's new relationship, though Mordekaiser gave his own succinct word, and Sona offered a series of happy emotes.
Ahri sang praises for the pair of them and Kai'Sa, polite as always, had asked their fans to support them just like they had her and Sivir. Akali, more brusquely, offered the flatten anyone who spoke shit about her friends.
As she returned to scrolling, Evelynn was silently pleased with Riven's revitalised self now she was well rested. Clearly, being able to sleep properly and lie in for once was doing her wonders.
Though, Evelynn couldn't ignore the memory of what Elise had spoken to her about. How much it seemed to affect Riven in the moment.
As the pair of them had turned in for the night as soon as Riven had returned home, and with them just cosying up and reading comments of their relationship that morning, Evelynn hadn't found the time to bring it up. Seeing her in such good spirits was wonderful, but still…
"Elise told me about your issue at the shoot."
She felt Riven jolt, looking up from her place by her shoulder with wide eyes at the out-of-the-blue statement. Just as quickly, though, she turned away.
"Y-Yeah…"
Evelynn didn't miss the forced smile Riven adopted, nor did she let it fool her. So it was still bothering her.
"She did say you two share everything, I guess… Elise, I mean." There was uncertainty in Riven's timbre. It was clear she wasn't too keen on thinking about it. "It threw me a little, but I'm alright. Honest."
"If you say so, Honey. Sorry for bringing it up like that." Evelynn apologised, nuzzling into Riven's hair. She caught herself breathing in a deep breath, relishing in Riven's pleasant, natural odour after over a week of being without it.
"Nah, it's fine. Really." Riven shrugged and gave an awkward laugh. "Knew you were gonna bring it up at some point."
They shared her laughter briefly before settling back down in comfortable silence, until another query rose to Evelynn's mind. "What did Sarah say? About the interview?"
"Ha! Well." Riven gave a well-humoured scoff, then began to list a brief summary of what the owner of their label had said on the matter. "Great ratings! I'm sure to be in headlines now! All exposure is good exposure! 'I'm impressed'!"
"Of course." Evelynn rolled her eyes and shook her head, unsurprised at Sarah's response, then made to leave the bed.
The sudden lack of support had Riven flump down into the space occupied by her girlfriend up until that moment. The impact of her torso against the soft mattress earned a grunt of dissatisfaction, but the following complaint wained in her throat when Evelynn began unclip the bra she had slept in. A blush dusted her cheeks as she beheld her girlfriend's bare assets, but she didn't look away even as she pulled down and stepped out of her underwear.
By this point, she had grown accustomed to Evelynn's brazenness and instead just settled for contently drinking in the sight of her enrapturing body. That was until Evelynn pulled out a fresh set of underwear from the small drawer she a previously claimed as her own, slipping into them. It earned another grumble, and pout, from Riven.
"Oh, hush." Evelynn chastised with a well-humoured tone, though purposefully gave Riven a show as she bent over to pick up her clothing from the night before from the floor. "I didn't end up making dinner last night, so I was going to cook breakfast."
At the promise of food, Riven held her grumbling and flailed her hand behind her towards her bedside table, too lazy to move her body. She collected her phone and turned it on. Still not having a good grasp of her socials, she hadn't managed to work out how to stop the overwhelming flood of notifications that buzzed through every minute, so it had been shut off not long after she'd left the interview. She was relieved to find she wasn't greeted with each individual ping the moment it turned on, instead a single tab stating the number of received notifications.
…100…
Shivering, she readily ignored them all and continued from where Evelynn had left off, choosing to browse headlines. Thankfully, the ones including her and Evelynn were a handful amongst many. The Yunalai sisters were ever present. More drama as always…
"Why don't we do something today?"
Riven blinked and looked back over to Evelynn, who met her gaze while shuffling into the same pants as last night. The jigging movement made her… Riven's eyes fell. Wow.
"Eyes up, Honey~." Evelynn regained her attention with a teasing tone.
"Sorry…" The rocker still lingered a moment longer before returning to Evelynn's amused face. "Like what?"
"Well…" Evelynn pondered for a moment. "We're both free, I made sure of that. I haven't been able to treat you in over a week…" She ended with a faux, sad pout.
"I'm paying half." Was Riven's blunt response. As well as the two times Evelynn had 'treated' her to Rell's guitar and her clothing, both of which she had bartered some form of repayment, Evelynn had treated her to numerous things since the beginning of their relationship. Though, the only reason she successfully did so was by not asking Riven for permission. Returning to her newsfeed - Co-Stars Playing Dire Enemies; Lovers IRL! - she continued. "But sure. What do you have in mind?"
"Halloween's soon. The market opened yesterday." The Diva suggested as she finished pulling down her camisole. "And since it's nearly winter the main plaza has set up an outdoor ice rink. I'd like to go."
"I've never skated before." A chuckle left Riven's chest while she continued slowly scrolling. New Rising Star In Music Refuses… blah blah…
The mattress moved beneath her as Evelynn leant forward. She instantly garnered Riven's attention, her arms either side of Riven's slumped form and her mussed, unbrushed lavender hair cascading down to tickling Riven's face, leading her gaze up to her teasing amber orbs. And the upper slopes of her generous bosom with a trailing glance.
"I could teach you a thing or two..?" She offered with a sly smirk.
Redness returned to Riven's cheeks, finding herself struggling to fix her gaze on Evelynn's face. "I… didn't say no…"
"Wonderful~!" Evelynn smiled and stood back up - not before gracing Riven's lips with a quick kiss - and picked up a hand mirror from her own side table, beginning to go about her make-up.
This time Riven didn't return to her phone, instead choosing to watch her girlfriend. She spent the moment, with a warmth in her chest, simply appreciating how much Evelynn had been happy to do for her the moment they reunit- wait.
Riven's thoughts froze, her blood running cold and her eyes widening, now unfocused.
Evelynn had distracted her. What did..?
Snapping back to her phone, she returned back up to the previous headline she had passed over and read it fully:
'New Rising Star In Music Refuses To Show Her Body; Something To Hide?'
She felt herself stiffen, a sickening feeling growing in her gut as she opened up the article and began to read. It only took a few seconds for her blood to boil instead.
"That bitch!" Not looking away from her phone, she shot up from her slouch at a speed that, along with the uncharacteristic venom in her voice, startled Evelynn.
"Riven..!" She started at the look of hatred on Riven's face and any further words caught in her throat.
Riven read the article aloud. "'While we were unable to catch the latest face in the music industry, we had a chance run in with the director of Riven's first photoshoot. We asked her about working with our newest rockstar. Interesting things were learned!
"Allegedly, Riven acted unexpectedly reserved when asked to wear certain types of clothing when requested.' Requested!?! 'Specifically, crops that would expose her midriff! What would cause her to act in such a way to something so simple?'"
Riven had to pause to swallow nothing, feeling the same, all too familiar anxiety begin to fill her being.
"We believe it has something to do with some other notable features: The scar on her cheek and the covering on her wrist! Does her reluctance to show skin mean she has more to hide? Some horrible disfigurement? Wh-"
Chink!
The sound of glass cracking had Riven cease her reading and snap her head up in the direction of Evelynn. The Diva's face was tense, lips pursed as she held back a rage that was roiling beneath a weakly held façade. Her eyes betrayed her, the bright ambers practically glowing with fury.
Riven nearly flinched, not expecting such a reaction, but was quickly distracted by the source of the sound. The broken hand-mirror clenched within Evelynn's white-knuckled fist, now leaking a small line of red from her enclosed palm.
"E-Evie! Your hand!" Riven's eyes shot wide open at the sight, concern washing out the building anxiety within her upon sighting the wound.
Her girlfriend's alarmed voice broke Evelynn from her seething state. Opening her hand, she looked quickly to Riven then down. A shard of the fractured mirror had dug into the width of her palm. Not deep, but notable enough to draw blood. The stinging pain set in but it wasn't enough to cause her issue.
Riven disagreed, however, and had bounced out of bed. "Let me look at that!"
Evelynn half-laughed at her, in her opinion, excessive concern. "Honey, this is nothi-!"
"I'm looking at it." There was no 'if' or 'buts' to find in Riven's tone as she took a firm but careful hold of Evelynn's wrist and began to guide her out of her bedroom and across the halfway into the bathroom. "Can you sit on the edge of the bath?"
For a moment, Evelynn remained standing while Riven released her to rummage underneath the sink.
"Honey-"
This time she was cut off by a long sigh of effort, Riven soon standing from the low cupboard. In her hand was a first aid bag, and an expression on her face that would often be seen on a mother towards her stubborn child.
"Evelynn."
The lack of her usual nickname and stern tone threw her, but Evelynn didn't let it show. She did, however, finally oblige and sat, observing Riven silently as she came to kneel before her and unzipped the kit.
"Seriously, and you're the older one..?" Riven chastised, pulling out disinfectant and spraying some onto a cotton ball. "It won't take long."
Red tinged Evelynn's face. It was admittedly touching how Riven had instantly prioritised her over what was being by spread about her in the tabloid article. In her opinion, a minor wound was nary a thing to worry about, but Riven did so nonetheless simply because it was her.
Flinching at the sting of the anti-septic against her wound, Evelynn looked down at their hands to watch the cloth being dabbed against her palm. Riven's focus on her wellbeing brewed an antithesis of emotions in her chest. She'd learned early on in their friendship that Riven was the type of person who always held those she cared about a tier higher than herself. If any of them needed help, she would instantly volunteer, sometimes not even needing to be asked. Then there was her relationship with that girl Riven often spoke fondly of; Rell.
She was just a kind soul, and there were people who would exploit Riven and her insecurities for clicks and a meagre story. It infuriated Evelynn.
"I'm used to patching people up like this, you know?" The nostalgia in Riven's voice brought her out of her riled mind, looking up. Reminiscence was clear on her face while she pulled out a roll of bandage and began to wrap around the cut. "Whenever Marit would beat up some sexist bastard in the barracks, I'd be the one on the sidelines. No use trying to stop her. Least I could do is fix her up afterw-"
"I'll ruin her."
Riven's hands paused mid-knot as she looked up, her surprise at the statement clear on her face. She spyed the same anger in Evelynn's eyes from back in the bedroom upon meeting her stoic gaze. A solemn smile graced her face and she returned to complete the knot.
"You don't need to do that." She said simply with a shake of her head. "I admit I got angry too but how was she to know?"
"It doesn't matter." Evelynn insisted, her brow creasing into a dark frown, glaring at her hand that had now taken Riven's covered one into a tight, possessive grip. "It's going to harm you. I know how tabloids work. People won't stop talking about you and focus on the wrong thing and forget about anything els-!"
"Hey..." Riven's free hand found gentle purchase against Evelynn's cheek, cutting her words short.
The same smile was offered along with her gentle tone, but in Riven's mind a multitude of questions surfaced. They'd known each other for a number of months now, nearly half a year, but unlike Evelynn for her, Riven didn't know much of anything regarding her past. She couldn't help but wonder if what Evelynn was speaking off came from experience.
Granted, Evelynn's presence in mainstream media was often prolifically bad as it was good. She'd earned the title 'Diva' for a reason. But the picture of a young Evelynn side-by-side with Tobias came to mind, with Evelynn smiling with a freedom she was still yet to see on a regular basis. It had to be more than just the awful way that relationship ended that caused her to gain such a practised poker face.
"I'll be fine." Riven assured, storing her curiosity away to focus on the woman in front of her. "I'll work something out."
Evelynn's own free hand rose to cover Riven's, allowing herself to calm. "We'll figure something out."
Riven's smile widened and she rose on her knees to gently touch her forehead to Evelynn's affectionately, then pushed forward to press their lips together. It was readily reciprocated, both of them eagerly deepening the kiss as their respective needs from the previous night reemerged.
Only for a guttural grumble to rumble loudly from Riven's stomach. She pulled away, eyes wide in shock and cheeks reddening at the noise her body had just made.
"Ah, so…" She laughed sheepishly. "Breakfast?"
One of Evelynn's eyebrows rose in amusement and she stood from the edge of the bath, stepping around her evidently hungry girlfriend. "I'll get started. You go get dressed, Honey."
"Alright~!" Riven obliged, also standing from her position on the floor, wincing slightly as her feet regained proper blood flow. "Careful with that hand!"
With just a nonchalant wave in acknowledgement, Evelynn disappeared around the doorway. As Riven crossed the hall and returned to her room, she heard the Diva rummaging in the fridge for anything suitable for breakfast. Evelynn had brought steak for the dinner that never happened; not exactly something to be wasted on breakfast.
In fact, the only food in would be whatever Sivir bought.
"Sorry, Evie." She chuckled to herself at the impossible task Evelynn faced and began to undress.
When her oversized tee was half-pulled over her head, a loud buzzing sounded from the direction of her bed. Alarmed by the unexpected noise, she awkwardly wiggled the shirt over her head and reached for her phone that lay on her pillow, where she had tossed it after seeing Evelynn's wound.
She scooped it up and raised a brow at the caller; the landline number for the orphanage, saved for when she needed to organise Rell's lessons. Answering, she placed the phone to her ear.
Odd. Why would they be calling?
"…Hello?"
Evelynn's purple saloon drove through the streets of the city, the rumble of the engine cutting through the quiet morning of a working day. While, of course, Evelynn was focused on the road, every so often she would glance across to Riven who was slouched in the front passenger seat. Her girlfriend wore a troubled expression and couldn't pry her eyes away from her phone, going over the same series of texts displayed on the screen.
Rell
Can I call?
Please?
I need to talk.
Missed call from this number at 14:13.
Missed call from this number at 14:29.
Missed call from this number at 14:42.
The messages had been sent the day before, right in the middle of Riven's last hectic day of promoting and, since her phone had been turned off, they had been lost amongst the slew of notifications when she had switched it back on.
"I'm such an idiot…" Riven reiterated for the fourth time that journey.
It had only been around ten minutes since she answered the call from the orphanage, the third attempt that morning, which happened to also now be the destination set into the car's navigation.
"No you're not." Evelynn countered firmly. "How were you to know?"
"I should have checked." Riven didn't even acknowledge Evelynn's words. "I told her to message whenever she needed me. How could I not think to check."
"You had a lot on your mind." The Diva reinforced.
A heavy sigh signified a deepening of Riven's slouch into her seat, and the remainder if the journey held a tense quiet. The only sound other than the engine was her tapping foot on the floor of the car.
They eventually pulled into a parking bay outside the Black Rose and Riven exited the car before Evelynn had even turned the engine off, leaving her girlfriend to catch up. She made sure she held a modicum of composure upon reaching the entrance and let herself in, making a beeline for Rell's room where the usual carer - who she now knew was named Layka - was waiting for her outside. Down by her side was Annie, sat on the floor by the door, Tibbers clutched tightly to her chest. Upon seeing Riven, the young girl stood to meet her, frowning angrily, though it could only be described as adorable.
"Did you upset her?" She accused Riven, confronting her with her bear raised over her head, wapping the bear into Riven's thigh. "Tibbers is gonna beat you up!"
"Um… Sorry..?" Riven apologised awkwardly, never entirely sure how to interact with the quirky child whenever they crossed paths. She let herself be nudged repeatedly and looked to the carer, nodding to the door. "She really hasn't left since yesterday?"
Layka shook her head, concern in her azure eyes. "We can't open the door either. It's blocked somehow. She's been refusing to come out ever since…"
"The Directress?"
"…We're to deal with the matter…"
Her voice trailed off defeatedly, and Riven's lips pursed as she switched her focus to Rell's room. She walked up, Layka taking Annie by a hand and keeping her next to her. Despite what she had been told, Riven still futilely tried the handle and push, only to be instantly stopped by something on the other side. She knocked, but earned nothing in return.
Behind her, Evelynn had caught up after being directed to their location in the building. She remained silent upon seeing Riven attempt to resolve the issue, but caught Layka in her periphery. The carer was beholding her, wide-eyes looking her up and down.
"What? We were in a rush, Darling." She challenged, begrudgingly aware of her attire. She had planned to change at the penthouse before appearing in front of people.
"Ah, sorry…" Layka shifted on her feet meekly and averted her eyes back over to Riven. It was more that there was a superstar stood next to her rather than the clothing, but she didn't want to get on the Diva's notorious bad side. She instead tried her own chance at calling for Rell after seeing Riven knock. Please come out, Dear…"
"Fuck off!"
The abrasive yell in response to the carer's voice startled everyone present. Layka bit her cheek in worry, Evelynn frowned and Annie gasped, holding Tibbers to her mouth.
"Rell said a naughty word…" She mumbled into her bear's fluffy head.
"Rell." Riven spoke firmly but received no response - better than what Layka earned, she supposed - and knocked again. She sighed. "You need to talk to me. Come out?"
There was silence yet again. She shared a look of worry with Evelynn.
"Can you force your way in?" Evelynn queried, then raised a hand at Riven's look incredulity. "Just checking..."
"How strong do you think I am, Evie..?" Riven retorted with weak amusement, leaning back to prop herself against the doorframe. "Come on, brat…" Riven clicked her tongue. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't see-" Riven reconsidered her words, remembering Layka was there. "I should have been able to speak with you when you needed me."
A buzzing filled the air and the three onlookers watch Riven jolt and hurriedly fumble the phone still in her grip, look at the screen and hold it to her ear.
"Do you not think you could call them back at a later time?" Layka requested politely.
Riven sheepishly met the carer's eyes as she spoke into the phone. Apparently checking her words was moot. "…Hey, Rell."
Layke bristled. "You gave her a phone!?"
Frowning, Riven's eyes hardened. "Yeah, I did. That rule is awful and she was gonna be lonely as hell!"
"Hey…" Rell's voice spoke into Riven's ear, quiet and wobbly and Riven instantly gave her full attention to her.
"You want to talk like this?"
"Mhm."
"Is it so no-one else can hear you?" She asked with a small teasing lilt in her tone.
"…Mhm…" A more reluctant, delayed admission came through in response. There was a small pause while Riven gave Rell the time she needed. "They took him."
A wistful expression graced Riven's features. "Gabriel?"
Rell weakly hummed another confirmation, dejection clear in her voice. "That lady adopted him. He left me. Just like the rest of them."
"Hey, come on." Riven tried to reason with her, knowing this was Rell's emotions speaking for her. "You-"
"What am I even saying?" Rell did the job for her, cutting her off and letting out a bitter laugh. "I even knew it was coming but I acted like a total bitch. I didn't even say goodbye…"
"I know how that feels, believe me." Riven said empathetically, but she wasn't sure what was best to say otherwise. She didn't really see cheering people up as a strong suit of her's, and she knew Rell hated being pitied. "It… sucks."
"…Yyyup." There was another small pause before Rell spoke up again, voice monotone. "You're bad at this, aren't you?"
A snort of laughter left Riven at the blunt statement before she had a chance to hold it back. "Yeah. But, I do give good hugs. Evie's here, too, and she's an even better hugger than me." She looked up to Evelynn with a silent request, to which her girlfriend nodded knowingly. "We were planning on doing some stuff today. Why don't you come with us? Take your mind off things?"
"…"
Riven took the silence as indecision. "You shouldn't be alone right now. Take it from me. Alright?"
The call was hung up from Rell's end, and scuffling was heard beyond the door, soon followed by the scraping of furniture along the floor. Judging from her exerted grunts, Rell must have blocked the door with the spare bed.
Riven righted herself from resting by the door at the sound of the handle being turned and faced it just in time for a blur of sun-fire blonde hair to impact her in the shoulder, along with the rest of Rell's body, winding her. A gasp of air left her lungs at the collision, and the pair of hands that had now tightly wrapped themselves around her waist. She recovered quickly, placing one of her own hands around onto Rell's back, her gloved one resting comfortingly on the teen's wild mop.
"I needed you yesterday." Rell's voice rose up, her face hidden as she looked away from everyone present.
"I'm sorry. I had a lot of-" Riven considered her words again. "I wasn't thinking about you. That was selfish. I'm so-AH-ry…" She heaved as the arms around her waist tightened, forcing the air from her chest.
A snort and a snigger followed from the teen. "You were right. You give very nice hugs."
Riven grimaced, glaring down at the bright hair, that obscured the rest of the girl. "…Brat."
A gurgling sound cut through the air and Riven felt Rell stiffen.
"…I don't suppose you guys were gonna grab some food..?" She asked meekly, obviously embarrassed by the noise generated by her hungry stomach.
"I'm sure we can."
Releasing her grip, Rell stepped away and met Riven's gaze. The was a smile on her face, but Riven could tell it was for show. Prank aside, she was still hurting, and her smile did eventually waver.
"I'm, um, sorry for yelling." She apologised, fidgeting with her hands, obviously not used to doing so. Rell looked over to the others, spotting Evelynn, and raised a hand in greeting. "Hey."
"Hello, Dear." Evelynn offered a warm smile. "It's nice to meet you." She watched as Rell also took a long once over, then bunched her lips together to stop herself from commenting. "Clever girl."
Annie had stepped away from Layka's side, presenting Tibbers to Rell's gut in a rather forceful manner. "You said a naughty word! Tibbers'll eat you!"
"About taking her out for the day." Layka spoke up as she came forward to once again take Annie's hand. "I agree. It'll do her some good. The Directress isn't here today so I can sort the paperwork for that while you're gone, but…" She hesitated, a hand playing with one of the two bangs of pinned brunette hair on either side of her head. "…I will have to tell her about the phone…"
"Yeah, I guessed." Riven sighed, having expected as much, and looked to Evelynn. "Where do you want to go first?"
"Home. Penthouse." Evelynn answered immediately. "I'm not risking anyone else seeing me in this outfit…"
"Is it really that bad?" Riven questioned earnestly.
Evelynn had already turned to lead the way back to her car, inwardly thankful she'd brought one with four seats.
"No offence, Honey, but…" The Diva twisted round whilst still walking to indicate to Riven's own attire: the old khaki jacket she used to wear regularly, zipped up, and a pair of jeans with tears at the knees. Worn, not a style choice. "That doesn't fill me with confidence."
"H-Hey..!" Riven weakly protested, but didn't argue otherwise.
"…Broke~…"
The rocker sent a half-hearted glare towards Rell at her side for her goading, then faced Layka.
"Back by 6pm?" Layka nodded in acceptance, and Riven indicated for Rell to follow her out of the building.
Once they were out of earshot of all third parties, with Evelynn being too far ahead and Layka and Annie remained where they were, Riven nudged Rell's side gently.
"I'm sorry for not being there." She said remorsefully with a hushed voice.
Rell leaned into the contact warmly. "No. It's okay. I heard about the interview. I knew you might be busy." She looked up with a small smile. "Thanks for coming."
They shared a bittersweet smile as Riven wrapped an arm over Rell's shoulders.
"Don't mention it."