Chapter Text
Piltover during Snowfall holidays made Caitlyn want to throw up.
The already too clean streets were pompously decorated with white, blue and golden lights everywhere ; around tree trunks, hanging in perfect zig-zags along the streets, on the frames of store windows, wrapped around balconies.
And the fact that decorations were put up way too goddamn early in the year only soured her mood further. The last week of October would hit, and the city looked like someone had vomited fairy lights from an airship down onto the streets.
Caitlyn grumbled under her breath when she saw a man carrying a tiny dog in his arms, dressed in an ugly sweater typical of the season with a yordle’s face stitched on the back.
On another time she would have melted at the adorable sight of the clueless, happy animal enjoying the attention from strangers as its owner walked down the street.
But this time of the year, Caitlyn hated anything that represented Snowfall.
She quickened her pace, ready to go back home, bundle up under a blanket and forget what day it was until new year day, when the view at the other side of the river made her pause.
Surely Zaun celebrated Snowfall as well, but Caitlyn rarely went down there, and never during the holidays. The eerie green glow of Piltover’s twin city looked like Piltover’s polar opposite.
Before she knew it, Caitlyn was turning on her heels and heading towards the bridge.
“Happy Snowfall, everyone!”
Vi scrunched her nose, mutering the ways she would like to kick yet another customer to the curb. Thieram had chided her about it; not letting people express joy for the holidays would definitely kill her business and leave her out of a job.
Then Vi had retorted that she’d rather work full time in the mines than hear another cheerful ‘happy holidays!’ or see any more white and blue sweaters.
The front door rang open again.
“Welcome to the Last Drop.” She said in a robotic, bored tone.
Vi kept wiping the glass she was holding while she watched over the corner of her eye the stranger that had walked in, who hesitated at the door before deciding to sit at the bar. When Vi looked up, the young woman offered a forced smile that didn’t quite reach the eyes.
“What can I get you?”
“Uh… bourbon?”
Vi raised an eyebrow. Looking at the way she dressed and the slight accent from just the one word, the woman was from Piltover. Vi had expected her to ask for wine, but she welcomed the surprise.
When she placed her drink on the counter, the woman slid a card over and said, “Keep the tab open.”
Vi laughed, picking up the card and sliding it into her register.
“Rough day?”
On cue, Huck, an old friend of Vander’s, walked through the door sporting a blue fluffy winter hat with a gold pom-pom, cheerfully exclaiming “Happy holidays!”. Vi rolled her eyes and groaned, surprised to hear the woman echo her sentiment with her equally frustrated noise.
“I thought I was escaping from that down here.” She mumbled, raising the glass to her lips.
“There’s no escaping this bullshit anywhere.” Vi grumbled back.
The woman looked up, holding Vi’s gaze and freezing her to the floor. Her eyes were startlingly blue, her stare so intense that made Vi’s stomach jump. She was quite beautiful; sharp cheekbones, long neck, and now that she’d shed her coat, Vi could spy a healthy amount of curves.
A smile pulled at her lip, one that Vi returned.
“I’m glad I’m not the only one that isn’t fond of this time of the year.” The woman said, staring at her glass as she swirled it in her hand, watching the liquid swish around.
“Fucking hate the holidays.” Vi muttered.
The woman didn’t say much after that. She had a second drink and stayed quiet, watching Vi and Thieram walk back and forth the bar. Then she went home, leaving a hefty tip on the counter.
Caitlyn returned to the Last Drop two days later.
She was a creature of habit, so she sat on the same stool and ordered the same drink, sipping on it while she observed her surroundings, and more than anything, the handsome pink haired bartender.
Caitlyn had been surprised to find a similar sentiment in a total stranger. Around her family, she felt forced to pretend she didn’t rather be home reviewing a case, watching a comfort show with comfort food, or wanking herself stupid. So it was quite refreshing to quietly be in the company of someone that felt the same as her.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket, and when Caitlyn fished it out, the preview on the lock screen of a message from her mother had her rolling her eyes. She didn’t even bother opening it, because just with the first few words she already knew what it was about. So she shoved the infernal device back inside her jacket and took a long drag of her drink.
“Let me guess,” The bartender’s husky voice called her attention, before she leaned her tattooed forearms on the counter with a knowing smile. “Family dinner.”
Caitlyn raised her glass in affirmation. “Family I never see all year. Why would I want to see them now? We never talk. We have no relationship. It’s absurd.”
The bartender chuckled, and leaned back to wipe the surface with a rag.
“That’s funny. I’m the opposite. Have no family to celebrate with.”
Caitlyn’s stomach dropped that way she felt when she knew she’d said the wrong thing, and despite the bartender’s crooked smile never wavering, Caitlyn scrambled to apologize.
“I’m sorry.”
She shrugged. “Don’t be. Not your fault. I get how it can be annoying to be forced to see your creepy uncle.”
“Try a racist grandmother.” Caitlyn muttered into her drink.
They exchanged a long look that filled the air between them with something pleasant, like a form of camaraderie. Caitlyn opened her mouth to ask for the bartender’s name, when another patron at the other side of the bar called her attention.
She took a couple steps, but stopped, turned around and leaned in to say, “I’m Vi, by the way.”
Caitlyn smiled, but not wide enough to show her teeth. “Caitlyn.”
Vi walked away as she mouthed Caitlyn’s name, like she was trying out how it felt in her lips, and the image made her stomach flutter.
Caitlyn kept coming back to the bar, having a drink or two, chatting for a bit, then going home.
Vi enjoyed her company; even when they didn’t say a word to each other her sole presence felt comforting, like a warm blanket on a cold winter morning.
One day, she slid on the stool more chipper than usual, and Vi was already fixing her drink.
“If you could change the holidays,” She started, drumming her fingers on the counter with barely contained energy. “to be to your liking, what would you do?”
Vi raised an eyebrow, amused by the woman’s sudden icebreaker.
“Uh… I dunno, never thought of it.” She replied, placing the glass of bourbon in front of Caitlyn. “I kinda hate the whole color scheme thing.”
Caitlyn groaned. “Gods, yes. And they really go all in with the gold in Piltover. It’s so gaudy.”
Vi chuckled. “What would you do?”
“Besides burning the sweaters?”
Vi barked a laugh that pulled a smile on Caitlyn’s mouth. She caught the glimpse of a tooth gap between her front teeth. It was cute. Then Caitlyn propped her head on her hand, a flash of sadness crossing her beautiful features.
“Spend it with someone I like. Doing things I like.”
Vi reached for another glass to wipe it down. “What things do you like to do?”
Caitlyn sighed forlornly. “I like to bundle up and watch very long and stupid shows that are easy to digest while I snack on garbage food.”
“My kinda gal.” Vi husked. She could swear she saw a blush creep up Caitlyn’s cheeks.
She cleared her throat. “And you?”
“I like to take walks. Play music. Sometimes take a dip in the ocean.”
She watched Caitlyn visibly freeze, glass halfway to her mouth hanging open.
“With this cold?”
“Yeah, it’s fun.”
Caitlyn barked a disbelieving laugh. “Are you mad?!”
“It’s good for blood flow.”
“So is doing cardio.”
“Don’t knock it ‘till you try it.” Vi replied with a wink. Silence fell over them for a moment. Vi watched the quiet bar, pondering over Caitlyn’s original question. “I think I would like to do that too, I guess.” When Caitlyn cocked her head in question, Vi clarified. “Spend the holidays with people I like. Doing things I like.”
Caitlyn toyed with the rim of her glass. “There’s no one you like you can spend your time with?”
Vi felt a knot in her throat. “The only two people I remotely like either won’t talk to me or they left.”
There was a twitch on Caitlyn’s hand on the counter, like she was itching to reach over to Vi. Suddenly she was very aware of how vulnerable she became with a stranger, and turned around to busy herself with the ice maker.
She didn’t hear Caitlyn get up and leave, not before tucking a tip inside the jar.
Caitlyn felt like her last conversation with Vi had left a sour taste in her mouth, so she decided to try and make up for it by buying a sweet treat and a card.
Unfortunately for her, the greeting card theme was either Snowfall or birthdays, so she opted for the safer option for someone who also hated the holidays. She guessed Vi would at least find it funny.
But when she got to the bar, Vi wasn’t in.
“She’s off today.” Thieram said. His eyes flicked to the gift bag in her hand, and nodded towards it. “Is that for her? I can give you her address.”
Caitlyn hesitated. Just showing up to Vi’s home without warning felt like a violation, but Thieram was adamant that she would appreciate Caitlyn’s gesture.
So she left the bar and navigated the unknown streets of Zaun with some difficulty, before finding herself at the foot of a very old, industrial building that looked like a warehouse converted into apartments.
She balked at the door for a solid few minutes before she gathered enough courage to knock. Vi took two minutes to open the door, dressed in a threadbare shirt that hinted at two small, perky breasts that Caitlyn definitely didn’t stare at, and a pair of sweatpants that looked equally worn.
“Caitlyn?” She scratched her head, tussling the already messy pink hair. “What are you doing here?”
Caitlyn stuttered, suddenly nervous. “I, uh… Your coworker gave me your address. I hope it’s not too forward of me, he insisted you’d like this.” She raised the gift bag with clammy hands. Vi simply stared, looking between the bag and Caitlyn with pinched brows like she was trying to solve a puzzle. Caitlyn started to panic. “I’m really sorry, I’ll go.”
“No, uh… come in?”
Vi stepped aside to let Caitlyn through, who walked in with another quiet apology.
Vi’s home was a tiny, cramped studio with tall walls and a small second level nook where the bed was pushed against the wall. There was a fish tank with glowing jellyfish in one corner, lighting it up with a pretty pink glow, and a pair of very old, patched up hextech gauntlets with missing plates sitting on a living room chair.
Upon noticing Caitlyn staring at them, Vi explained, “I fill in for odd jobs at the mines sometimes.” She shrugged. “Good extra cash.”
Caitlyn turned to her, remembering the reason she was here in the first place, and handed Vi the bag. She pulled the birthday card first, and her brows furrowed.
“Okay, you are starting to freak me out.” She said, holding the card up. “How the fuck did you know it’s my birthday?”
Caitlyn snorted, but seeing that Vi’s serious expression didn’t change, she realized she wasn’t joking.
“Are you yanking my chain?” Caitlyn asked, dumbfounded.
“Are you yanking my chain?” Vi replied. “How did you know? Did Thieram tell you? Or are you a cop?”
Something in her tone of voice read that Vi was one of those Zaunites who didn’t like Enforcers. To Caitlyn’s dismay. So she deflected that particular question.
“I- no! I just wanted to get you a card and the only other option was Snowfall themed.” She chuckled nervously. “I had no idea it was actually your birthday today. I promise I was just trying to be funny.”
Vi kept staring, mouth parted, with the hand holding the card frozen in the air. Then she let out a squeaky laugh, and shook her head.
“Is it really your birthday today?” Caitlyn asked quietly.
Vi scratched her head sheepishly. “Yeah. December nineteenth. Is why I took the day off.”
Caitlyn drew a smile. “Seems like you’re partying hard.”
“Ha-ha.” Vi laughed sardonically as she reached inside the bag to pull out a frosted cupcake. “Well, thanks Caitlyn. This is sweet of you regardless of the reason you brought it.”
Caitlyn cleared her throat. “I felt bad about our last conversation. I wanted to cheer you up.”
Vi’s shoulders sagged, but her smile didn’t falter. “You don’t even know me.”
“Yes, but I like you. And we were talking about how we would spend our holidays with people we like, so…” She shrugged. “I brought you a cupcake.”
“On my birthday.” Vi added.
“On your birthday.” Caitlyn grinned with all her teeth. “And since it’s your birthday, is there anything you would like to do? Unless you want me to leave.”
Vi put the cupcake and the card back inside the bag, and carded a hand through her hair.
“Wanna go for a walk?”
“Of course.”