Oil and Water

Caitlyn felt her heart pounding in her chest. She stared at Vi, and for the first time in months, had a clear head on what Vi was to her.

She had fallen — hard — for Vi, and there was no denying it any longer. But in that moment, on one hand she was completely happy with Vi, wanting nothing more than to stay there with her forever, locking lips in the silence of the night. On the other hand, however…

Being the fumbling, bumbling girl that she was, Caitlyn immediately leaned back, eyes wide, and the first thing that came out of her mouth was, “What the fuck?”

Immediately, she got up, flustered. It wasn’t that she hated Vi, just…her emotions seemed to be driving her mad at the moment. She kissed Vi. She had always wanted to kiss Vi, but it was all so…unexpected, so unforeseen.

Her eyes widened in shock as she stepped back, before turning and fleeing into the woods.

~~~

FUCK.

Caitlyn screamed at herself internally. Why did she run? The moment had been so quiet, so intimate, so perfect for them both. And the kiss…Caitlyn’s soul seemed to melt into her shoes at the thought of it. It was what she wanted, what Vi wanted. So why did she run?

What the hell was I supposed to do? 

She imagined Vi would be hurt, embarrassed right now, surely thinking that Caitlyn did not see her the same way she saw Caitlyn.

But that’s not true!

Caitlyn ran her fingers through her hair. For a moment, she saw her mother’s disapproving eyes, the way she would turn her nose up if she met Vi. She could only imagine the number of Ionian plates that would be shattered if her mother saw what had just happened.

But Caitlyn had more immediate problems to worry about than parental approval. She had just dashed her chances of getting together with Vi, the same charismatic girl she had been obsessing over for months. What now? Go back and kiss her again? Apologise?

She chose her default solution — avoid Vi.

~~~

It was easier said than done.

Vi constantly tried to approach Caitlyn about what happened that night, but Caitlyn refused to acknowledge it. She was always awkwardly skirting around the topic, cautiously avoiding bringing it up with Vi, until one day, Vi could not hold her confusion in any longer.

“What is wrong with you?” she demanded.

Once again, Caitlyn was in the library, this time studying for the finals, which she had used as an excuse to constantly avoid Vi. She looked up, and her face immediately reddened.

“What?” 

“After that…you know, during the camp, you literally just ran away. What’s that about? And now you’re avoiding me? What is wrong with you? You made me look like a fool, you know!”

Caitlyn shut her book, bracing herself for another long talk with Vi. “I’m…sorry, it’s just…”

“Do you not like me?” Vi asked, and Caitlyn’s head snapped up in surprise, preparing to shut down Vi’s question instantly.

“No! I-I mean, I do like you. It’s just…”

“I meant romantically, Cait.”

“I know! And I do. It’s just…” Caitlyn sighed. Her shoulders stooped, and her back hunched.

“Look,” Vi said gently. “I’m sorry if I went too far. It’s just…I want to know where we stand in our relationship. What’s happening? Why’re you avoiding me so much?”

Caitlyn shrugged, but she herself didn’t really understand why she had run away either.

“Was it too much?” Vi asked. She reached across the table and cupped Caitlyn’s face in her hands. Caitlyn closed her eyes and shook her head.

“I…didn’t want to admit it, Vi,” she said, the words slipping off her tongue like butter, “but…I fell for you. I just didn’t want to come to terms with that. It was all so unexpected. For me, I mean. I didn’t expect you to just…do that. I didn’t think you…liked me.”

As always, the double-edged sword came into her mind. She was glad to have gotten it off her chest. The question now was, how would Vi react? Caitlyn didn’t want to know if Vi didn’t like her. What if the kiss was on impulse? What if Vi had been drunk? What if it had always been and would always be a painful, one-sided love for her?

Vi leaned forward. “Are you kidding? What’s not to like? You’re hot, smart, athletic — why shouldn’t I?”

Vi suddenly withdrew, realising that she had inadvertently spoken her mind. She’d simply spat out whatever was on her tongue with absolutely no filter. For a moment, time froze, and she simply stared at Caitlyn in shock. 

Caitlyn couldn’t help but smile. At least she knew Vi would always be brutally honest with her. And that was, to Caitlyn, one of Vi’s greatest attributes.

Right there in the school library, it was Caitlyn’s turn. She cupped Vi’s face in her hands and slowly pulled her in for yet another kiss.

~~~

Miraculously, Vi made it through the school year.

As she sat there wringing her hands anxiously, she thought about the very first day, ten months ago, that she had walked into this school for the first time. She thought about all her ups and downs with Caitlyn as they sat together, ready to receive the results of their finals.

In the final months of the school year, the two of them had been inseparable. They had spent almost every waking moment together and now were both comfortably settled into their relationship as a couple. Caitlyn’s mother was surprisingly open with regards to them being an item, and had given them her blessing just before the finals.

Staring at the report card in her hands, Vi could scarcely believe it. A’s and B’s, as it had been at the beginning of the year. She had expected much worse. She had maintained the scholarship throughout the year and would have her college tuition paid for by the Council entirely.

Of course, Caitlyn had scored straight A’s, but honestly, who was surprised?

Caitlyn and Vi sat in the dorm room the night after the graduation. As part of the Founders’ Grant, Vi had been offered a room at the university’s dorm, but she had declined and chosen to stay here, in Piltover High’s dorm, with Jinx, until the latter graduated.

Caitlyn chuckled lightly. “If you told me one year ago that I would get together with the most brash, hot-headed, stubborn person I’d ever met…good luck trying to convince me. But I guess…our prom dates are settled, hm?”

“Mmm.” Vi brushed a strand of hair out of Caitlyn’s face. “I’ll admit, cupcake. When I first met you, everything about you pissed me off. The way your hair fell so perfectly. Your eyes. Those contours.” She brushed her thumb over Caitlyn’s cheekbone. 

Then she squeezed Caitlyn’s hand. “But I’m happy with you now. Nothing could ever take that from me.”

“Thank you, Vi.” Caitlyn flashed her a smile — small, fleeting, but genuine. It was the most sincere thing Vi had seen in a while. 

“You too, cupcake.” Vi placed her hand on Caitlyn’s neck, and they both knew what was about to come next. As Vi said, “It’s been real.”, Caitlyn tilted her head to the left and leaned in.

Jinx and Ekko turned their backs to the lovebirds, but Ekko nudged Jinx and whispered, “I called it. A kiss on grad night. You owe me ten bucks.”

Jinx scowled. “Shut up before I rig your drone with explosives.”

~~~

Finally, the day arrived.

Prom night, the day Vi and Caitlyn had been dreaming of for the longest time, had descended upon them.

Vi stood in Caitlyn’s doorway silently, watching as Caitlyn clasped a golden necklace around her neck. Her hair had been styled in soft waves, with a few tendrils framing her perfect face. Her long, figure-hugging navy dress shimmered as it moved, catching the light of the chandelier. Her eyes sparkled.

In Vi’s eyes, Caitlyn was the most beautiful person in the world. In that moment, the house could have collapsed around the, and Vi would not have cared less. 

The most beautiful girl in all of Piltover, and she’s all mine.

Then, Caitlyn finally noticed Vi, and her jaw hit the floor.

Vi was dressed — almost casually — in a deep navy tailored suit that complemented Caitlyn’s dress perfectly. The first few buttons of her coarse white shirt remained open. Her navy coat hung casually off her shoulders. Her hair looked as though she had simply run her fingers through it, and yet it somehow framed her face perfectly. Her eyes sparkled with mischief, and a grin — the very one Caitlyn had fallen for — appeared on her lips.

Caitlyn could barely comprehend it. How could anyone look so effortlessly perfect, yet at the same time give the impression that she didn’t care about how she looked? Vi would have appeared to be barely dressed to the untrained eye, but Caitlyn knew it was a style that suited her best. Those messy, casual, almost unkempt clothes, along with the hair that Vi had hardly bothered to touch was the perfect representation of Caitlyn’s girlfriend.

And Caitlyn had no problem with it.

“What do you think?” Vi asked, her voice a low and smooth baritone. Caitlyn’s heart skipped a beat. She was at a loss for words.

“You look…” Caitlyn’s words stuck in her throat. “Unbelievably hot.”

“Mmm.” Vi walked closer to Caitlyn, and something about her charisma made Caitlyn take a step back, with her back now to the wall.

“You look gorgeous, cupcake,” Vi said, her voice washing over Caitlyn like a cool waterfall. “Perfect.”

She slammed her hand onto the wall, right next to Caitlyn’s face, almost as though she was cornering her, but yet, nothing about it felt threatening. Caitlyn’s skin tingled with anticipation.

Caitlyn felt the blood rising to her face as Vi leaned in. “I would not have this any other way,” Vi whispered, her voice leaving Caitlyn’s ears ringing.

Caitlyn smiled as she and Vi shared a kiss.

“I love you so much for this,” Caitlyn murmured as Vi pulled away.

Vi scoffed. “Only this?”

Caitlyn raised an eyebrow. “Oh, please. Don’t play that game with me now.”

Once upon a time, neither of them could stand the thought of being together in a room. Now, all they wanted was to be there for one another, to never leave each other’s sides. They had come such a long way, and Vi could not have wanted the past year to go any differently.

Vi shrugged. She pulled her jacket around her shoulders a little tighter, as it was starting to slip off and offered Caitlyn her hand. “Let’s make an entrance, shall we?”

~~~

As they walked up the steps to the school hall, Vi took a moment to take in Caitlyn one more time.

She couldn’t believe this was the same girl as before — the smart, beautiful marksman, Piltover High’s student council president — but now Caitlyn was all that and more. Vi smiled at the thought of their many adventures and mishaps together, the way she had fallen so hard for Caitlyn without even realising it.

As they stood together before the closed doors, ready to make an entrance that would sweep the school off its feet, Caitlyn squeezed Vi’s hand. Both of them knew what was going to happen next. People had been whispering for weeks now, about how close they were and what a strange duo they made.

But Vi knew, they were more than just a duo. They were more than just friends. They were a couple, and neither of them could care less about what the rest of society said. 

The doors swung open, and the whole school turned to look at them. Vi grinned, and Caitlyn shot her a look — an expression that conveyed a message so clearly Vi could almost hear it in the air. I love you so much but please don’t make me look like a fool.

Oh, cupcake, Vi mused to herself. I don’t even have to try to make you look like a fool.

For a moment, tension hung in the air. The pair felt the weight of every rumour, every pair of eyes, every whispered question on their shoulders. And somehow, at the same time, they both felt nothing but their fingers interlacing at their sides.

“Is this enough of an entrance for you?” Caitlyn asked Vi, her soft, smooth accent gliding over each word effortlessly.

“We’re missing something, cupcake, and you know it,” Vi answered, a cheeky yet knowing gleam in her eyes.

Right there, in front of the entire cohort of 300 students, Vi cupped Caitlyn’s face in her hands and pulled her in for an electrifying kiss.