Soft conversation and the smell of coffee filled the could not make out the words as she registered the sounds on the edge of her consciousness. The voices became distinct from one another but not enough to discern what was said. She opened her eyes, still feeling the drag of sleep, and saw the coffee table and brown carpet before her. She stretched through aches in her neck and back and bumped into the arm of the couch. She sat up slowly, her blanket falling to her lap. She looked around Vander's place, Vi's place, she remembered. Vi and Ekko were in the kitchen leaning against the counters. Ekko nodded to Vi, who looked over and gave a small grin, as she noticed Caitlyn.
"Hey, coffee?" Vi asked, already turning to grab a mug from the cupboard.
"Yes, that would be lovely," Caitlyn said, as she stood up folding her blanket and leaving it on the couch.
Vi poured the dark liquid into the white mug, "Milk? Sugar?"
Caitlyn walked into the kitchen and stood beside Vi, "No milk and a bit of sugar."
Vi nodded and followed the request, stirring in a teaspoon of sugar before handing the mug over.
"Very domestic," Ekko said, grinning knowingly.
Caitlyn laughed and moved to smell her coffee.
"At least she drinks coffee like an adult," Vi said, nodding to the bottled smoothie Ekko held.
He stuck his tongue out briefly but kept grinning at Vi.
She ignored him as she turned to Caitlyn, "So what's the plan for the rest of the day?"
"Probably head home, and do some homework with Jayce," she shrugged as she sipped her drink.
"Fun," Vi said dryly before offering, "Do you need a ride?"
Caitlyn was about to respond when Ekko said lightly, "That would be lovely."
Caitlyn felt her cheeks warm and Vi smiled, looking to Caitlyn for confirmation.
She was going to turn it down initially, but if she was being honest she really didn't want to do that. Instead she nodded, "It would."
Outside the bar, Ekko left, walking down the street. Vi offered him a ride, but he shook his head with a grin and a thumbs up. Caitlyn felt her cheeks burn while Vi flipped him off. They turned to get into Vander's truck. The cab felt a bit too small with just the two of them. Caitlyn sat with her hand on the worn bench seat between them. Vi started the truck and flipped through the presets on the radio. She settled on a channel playing a rap song Caitlyn had never heard. They pulled onto the street and began the drive to Piltover.
Vi drove the truck comfortably, with her left hand on the bottom of the steering wheel and her right arm thrown over the back of the seat. Caitlyn wondered if she had learned to drive in this truck. Once they got into the city, Vi started asking Caitlyn for directions. She guided the other woman to the apartment she shared with Jayce, just off the main campus of the University.
"Thank you for the ride," Caitlyn said as they pulled into the parking lot of the polished building.
"Never a problem," Vi smirked.
"What are you doing after this?" Caitlyn asked.
"Dunno. Vander and my boss said to take a day off, so I don't really know what to do."
"Do you want to come upstairs? I was just going to do homework with Jayce but I'm sure he wouldn't mind the company."
Vi considered the offer for a moment before shrugging, "Where do I park?"
Stepping into the apartment, Caitlyn and Vi were greeted by the smell of toast and coffee. Jayce was in the kitchen, leaning over the counter that looked into the living room. Across from him sat the beautiful woman he had been sort of seeing throughout the semester. Mel was a business major who had taken a liking to Jayce. He stood up straight as the toaster popped and moved to grab the toast. He sat it on two plates between him and Mel.
"How was the fight?" He asked, finally turning to them.
"She won!" Caitlyn said excitedly.
"Congrats!" He said, moving to grab a bottle of champagne that had been sitting on the counter, "Are celebratory screwdrivers in order?"
"Is this how you guys do homework?" Vi teased.
"I wasn't actually sure when you were coming home so Mel and I were going to do homework together," Jayce explained. A closed event, Caitlyn realized.
"Oh, that's fine," she said, trying not to appear disappointed.
"Cait and I can entertain ourselves," Vi said, leaning in to bump Caitlyn's shoulder.
Caitlyn flushed. She had never heard Vi call her that.
"Wanna show me your room?" Vi asked.
"Oh, yes, of course!" Caitlyn jumped at the opportunity to leave.
Before they did, she waved to Mel, "Nice to see you."
Mel gave a polite smile and waved back.
Caitlyn walked Vi through the living room to one of two rooms in the back of the apartment, separated by a small bathroom. She kept her room fairly clean, but her desk was cluttered. Her laptop sat open with numerous pens scattered around an open notebook. She had forgotten to clean it. Her bed was still made from the day before, a blue and gray floral duvet with matching pillows still untouched. Vi moved to sit on the foot of Caitlyn's bed,
"Are you actually going to do homework?" Vi asked, leaning back on her hands as she looked at Caitlyn.
"At some point today. I have some readings to do, but I don't have to do that while you're here."
"Probably not as interesting as the homework they're doing anyway," Vi smirked.
Caitlyn rolled her eyes
"Aren't they just the dream couple?" Vi laughed.
"I don't actually know if they're official," Caitlyn said as she moved to sit at her desk.
"How about you, Cupcake? Any prospects?" Vi asked, appearing to look disinterested.
"Nothing serious," she said thinking of the few casual flings she'd had since starting university.
"That what you're looking for?" Vi questioned, looking up at the dark floral poster above Caitlyn's bed.
Caitlyn thought on the question for a second as she picked up the pens on her desk, "No. Not really."
"No time or no interest? On your part, I mean." Vi asked before correcting, "Let's be real Cupcake, you're hot."
Caitlyn laughed looking at Vi, "Both, I suppose. I don't really have time and I wouldn't want to divert my focus like that."
"How about you," she asked before Vi could ask another question.
"What about me?"
"Are you seeing anyone?"
"No," she shrugged, "A casual thing here and there, but I don't get out much anyway with training."
"Really?" Caitlyn teased, "Being a big fighter doesn't have everyone throwing themselves at you?"
"Oh yeah," Vi took on a cocky tone, "Of course, but I gotta stay focused."
"Of course," Caitlyn agreed.
"Sounds like we're both too busy for anything serious," Vi said, looking back to Caitlyn.
"Yes, it does," Caitlyn agreed, fighting a smile at the implication.
"And I can be less than serious," Vi said nonchalantly.
"I suppose I could be too," Caitlyn said.
Vi stood up from the edge of the bed and moved closer to Caitlyn, a relaxed cocky smile on her lips.
Caitlyn stood up as well, facing Vi as she looked her over. Something she'd done so many times, but this time felt different.
"My eyes are up here," Vi teased.
Caitlyn's eyes snapped up to meet the blue ones intent on her, they were sharp and observant, but that smile never left Vi's face.
"So, Cupcake, what do you say?" She asked, her voice lower than usual.
"About this?" She questioned, resisting the urge to take a step back, "Us?"
"Yeah, what do you think?
She looked back up to Vi's confident smirk and took a small step closer nodding slowly.
Vi reached out and placed a hand on Caitlyn's hip before gently pulling her forward, closing the last of the gap between them. Caitlyn let out a sharp breath and lifted her hands to place on Vi's chest. Caitlyn looked up from Vi's mouth and met her eyes. Those deep blue orbs were dark with desire that was not there before. Distantly she wondered what her own looked like. She pushed aside the thought as she leaned her head down and pressed her lips to Vi's. A shock went through them as they met.
Vi's lips were soft as she kissed Caitlyn back, letting the taller woman take the lead. Both of her hands began on her hips, but began moving to Caitlyn's back and behind as she pulled her against her. Caitlyn moaned softly into Vi's mouth and she felt that damned smirk against her lips. She wanted to wipe it off. An impulse drove her as she took a half step back and pulled her shirt off revealing a black bra. She was proven correct as she looked at Vi and saw the other woman's thoughts still processing. Her smirk had indeed disappeared. In its place was a feral look of desire. Her nostrils flared and her eyes were wide when she finally looked up to meet Caitlyn's own. Caitlyn did her best not to shy away from the look; instead, grabbing Vi's hand and leading her to the bed.
Caitlyn sat on the edge of her bed and pulled Vi in front of her. She kissed the woman's stomach and looked up to her. Her hands trailed the hem of Vi's shirt, before pushing the fabric up. Vi responded by reaching down and pulling her own shirt off. Caitlyn's heart sank as she saw the red and blue that had painted the other woman's body. She reached up and gently ran her fingertips along Vi's ribs. When the woman winced, she jerked her hand back.
Vi brought her hand up to her side but quickly dropped it, "It's fine, we can still-"
"Absolutely not! I could hurt you," Caitlyn shook her head.
"It takes a lot to hurt me," Vi said haughtily, sitting next to Caitlyn.
"Come here," Caitlyn said as she scooted back on the bed toward the wall and patted the space beside her.
Vi kicked off her shoes and laid down, turning to face Caitlyn.
Caitlyn reached out a hand and ran her fingertips along Vi's side, just above her hip where there was no bruising.
"I've seen you looking," Vi said quietly.
Caitlyn's hand paused for a moment before continuing its slow journey. "That's understandable, I look a lot," she flattened her palm against Vi's muscles before moving her hand to her hip.
"Ekko thought I was making it up to look at you," Vi laughed.
"Well, now you can tell him you made a move," Caitlyn hummed playfully.
"If I remember correctly, you kissed me, Cupcake."
"Oh, did I orchestrate this?" She asked, laughing.
"Basically threw yourself at me," Vi said laughing along with her.
Caitlyn did not see Vi again until her next morning gym session. She made a concerted effort not to show up until she normally would. She waited patiently and certainly did not text the woman who had left her apartment the next evening after her fight. They had spent most of the day in Caitlyn's bed, kissing, touching, and Caitlyn even got her readings done while Vi fiddled on her own phone. But now she was back to her usual routine, and she had told Vi that she would not be distracted.
Vi at least had the decency to let Caitlyn finish her warm up before she started flirting with her. To a passing onlooker it may have appeared to be anything from friendly chatter to professional advising, but Vi had thrown modesty to the wind with the new developments in their relationship. There were only two other people training in other parts of the gym but Vi kept her voice low as she sat on one of the weight benches and teased Caitlyn.
"You're barely lifting anything, you should go up five pounds," Vi suggested, giving a know-it-all smirk.
"I just got up to twenty-five," Caitlyn exhaled as she lowered her weight.
"Well, you're barely breaking a sweat," Vi said, "If you really want to sweat I can make it happen."
Caitlyn looked at Vi shocked before glancing around them, checking to see that nobody had heard. When everybody else remained preoccupied, she turned back to Vi.
"Just a professional offer, Cupcake," Vi said innocently.
"You're ridiculous," Caitlyn scoffed, a small smile pulling at her lips as she continued her set.
"And you're hot, but I don't see what those facts have to do with you going up five pounds."
"I'm not going up yet," she said firmly, but her voice softened as she continued, "You certainly don't want me too burnt out."
Vi's eyes darkened and her smirk grew mischievous as she watched Caitlyn finish her set and return her weights to the stand.
"Come to the office," Vi said, her voice lower than before, "I can give you some drills"
Caitlyn laughed and walked past the other woman, heading toward the locker room.
"And more professional offers?" Caitlyn teased.
"Maybe even a demonstration," Vi said casually following Caitlyn,
"Thank you for the offer but I'm only taking drills on the floor today," Caitlyn said as they reached the locker room. Caitlyn headed toward her locker and opened it, looking for her handwraps.
"I do pretty good on the floor for a boxer," Vi said, holding out a hand.
"I can wrap my hands," Caitlyn said, almost defensively.
Vi laughed, "I know, you've gotten much better. I used to worry you'd break a finger."
Caitlyn hesitated but gave the wraps to Vi and held out her left hand.
Vi pocketed one wrap and took Caitlyn's hand gently into her own. She hooked the loop at the end of the wrap around Caitlyn's thumb and began passing it around her wrist and knuckles. As she moved the fabric under her palm and wrist, Caitlyn felt Vi's fingertips brush the sensitive skin until it was completely covered. Vi guided the wrap through each of Caitlyn's fingers, checking with her to make sure they weren't too tight. Vi finished the last length of material around Caitlyn's knuckles and wrist, and as she did she turned her hand over, running her fingertips from Caitlyn's covered palm to the bare skin below her wrist. She looked up and met Caitlyn's gaze with dark eyes before pulling the next wrap from her pocket and holding her hand out for Caitlyn's other one.
Caitlyn led Vi to the mirrors, where Vi leaned casually against the glass, beside Caitlyn's own reflection. She had been trying to get used to the practice of shadowboxing. She flexed her hands between punches, trying not to focus too much on the memory of Vi's hands gently holding hers as she expertly wrapped them. Instead, she threw that energy into her blows, but found herself distracted by Vi smirking off to the side, looking her over. A part of her questioned if the woman would be willing to get in the ring with her, but she remembered Vi's bruised body. She stopped her distracted attack, turning to Vi, when another gym regular approached them.
"Vi, two of the speedbags feel off."
"Gotcha," she said, moving off the mirror to follow the man to inspect the problems.
"Keep your elbows in," Vi said as she passed Caitlyn.
"Keep your eyes up," she replied.
Vander told Caitlyn and Jayce that they could restart training at any time. They both opted to begin again two weeks after Vi's fight. They restarted with a new vigor. Caitlyn had certainly kept up with her training, and utilized the drills and exercises she got out of Vi. Jayce, despite his time away from the boxing gym, had kept up with his own training in his time working out on campus. Even Caitlyn could see the new fluidity of his movement and the confidence he had developed. For their first session back, Vander ran them through various drills and exercises. He seemed pleasantly surprised, but complimented them both before they finished the session. Vi and Ekko trained separately that day, but Caitlyn was happy to see Vi back in the ring. She even looked happy to be in the ring, not that she'd shown much disappointment in Caitlyn's presence lately. After training, Caitlyn was glad to run into Vi in the locker room.
"How are you healing up?" Caitlyn asked, looking down to Vi's white compression tank top.
Vi smirked and lifted her shirt up to her chest. The blue and red marks had faded to dull green and yellow splotches, "Doing great and healing nicely.
Caitlyn still winced, but she had to admit they looked better than before.
"What are you and the boy wonder doing tomorrow night?"
"I think Jayce was going to see Mel but I was just going to-"
"Do homework," Vi said at the same time as Caitlyn, "I don't know why I asked."
Caitlyn rolled her eyes and moved to her locker.
"Why don't you come to the bar?", Vi asked, leaning on the lockers beside hers.
"Are you asking me on a date?" Caitlyn teased as she unwrapped her hands.
"No, it's not a date because I don't pay at the bar," Vi assured.
"Ah, so if you pay it's a date," Caitlyn asked, tossing her wraps into the locker.
"I like to think of myself as progressive, so you can pay if you'd like," Vi offered.
"What time?"
"8-ish too late?"
"I can do 8-ish," Caitlyn laughed.
Vi left the locker room with a bounce to her step that Caitlyn tried not to think too much about. She grabbed her bag and changed into her regular clothes quickly. She left the locker room to find Jayce by the exit, glancing around for one last look at the pink haired woman who'd made her way back to the ring. She watched her talk with Vander and Ekko briefly before she went to the stairs to find her friend. He had been lavishing the updates on Vi since the evening after the fight.