The Warrior Games
Vi isn’t sure when Caitlyn fell asleep but was glad when she felt the slow rise and fall of her chest. Slowly she releases her tight grip on her girlfriend, trying not to wake her from her slumber. Once she’s successfully exited the bed, she walks over to the dresser, pulling out a change of clothes and a small satchel hidden underneath her shorts.
Closing herself in the bathroom, she presses her back against the door, allowing her body to slide down to the floor. She lightly taps the back of her head against the door. Her eyes are closed, which she hopes will keep the tears at bay. Unfortunately for her, it does not. Vi reaches down and picks up the small satchel, pulling out the tiny box that hides inside.
When she opens it, she’s greeted with a small diamond that glistens in the light of the bathroom. Her mother’s engagement ring. It had been hidden in Vander’s office, waiting for one of Felicia’s daughters to claim it for themself or a partner. Powder agreed as the oldest it should go to Vi. It was originally meant for Lex, but something told Vi it wasn’t the ring for her. When she’d started thinking about proposing to Caitlyn, Vi knew it was the only ring for her. Now, it sits in a box waiting for Vi to decide what comes next.
Her chest tightens and she slams the box shut, tears now free falling from her eyes. All along she knew Caitlyn would never follow her to Ionia. Even with her parents' approval of leaving Piltover and being with Vi, Caitlyn couldn’t return to the land where her heart had been ripped to shreds. Vi couldn’t blame her, but it still didn’t make the pain hurt any less. Perhaps her dreams of family life with Caitlyn were just that…dreams.
A soft knock wraps on the door, “Vi? Are you okay?” Caitlyn groggily asks. Vi instinctively sniffles, wiping away the tears that she’s allowed herself to cry.
“Yea,” she manages to choke out. “I thought the beer was going to visit again, but I was wrong. Go back to bed, Cupcake. I’ll be back out soon.”
She waits until she hears the squeak of the bedsprings before standing. Feverishly she washes her face, wanting to hide any emotion that her brief respite in the bathroom has allowed. Letting out a heavy sigh, she steps back out into the apartment and returns to bed.
- - - - - -
“Happy Wednesday 6-4-3 nation! Toni Miller here and you all know what this week is. It’s the biggest week of the early part of the season. Almost the entirety of the major players in the Runeterra Atheletic Conference will be traveling to Noxus for the Warrior Games. With that said, we are guaranteed to see some great games this weekend. Jane Bilts joins me today as we prepare for what is honestly my favorite weekend of the regular season. Jane let’s talk matchups first. What games are you most looking forward to?”
“Honestly, Toni, I’m looking forward to Piltover taking on Ionia and Noxus. The last Noxus game was obviously heated with a fight breaking out between Lanes and Nolen. I’m interested in seeing how they react to seeing each other once again. And with Piltover and Ionia, rumors have started swirling that Kiramman intentionally went after her old catcher when they played in Demacia. She’s coming off an outing where she had a perfect game, and I’m interested in seeing how she holds up to the continued pressure of the strikeout record.”
- - - - - - -
It’s still dark out when the plane lands in Noxus. The Commodores have a tough schedule ahead, Ionia on Thursday, Ixtal and Demacia on Friday, and finally Noxus on Saturday. Somehow, they’d been lucky and avoided a Sunday game. The team praised any deity that would listen because they all knew they’d need to rest after the intense schedule they were about to face.
Caitlyn and Vi stood side by side, waiting for their luggage to arrive on the carousel. Things hadn’t been great between the two, but it hadn’t necessarily been awful. Since returning to their apartment Sunday morning, they’d avoided talking about Ionia, about what it meant for them. They’d maintained surface discussions such as their shared excitement for the Noxus trip and upcoming assignments. They’d made love every night, with each session being longer and more passionate than the last. Caitlyn felt it was Vi’s way of starting to say goodbye while Vi felt it was her way of trying to show Cait how devoted she wanted to remain to her.
Even though they both told Sevika she could separate them, when rooming assignments came out, they saw they’d been paired up together at the hotel. As much as she loved Vi, the arrangement frustrated Cait a bit as she knew it would end up being a distraction during a weekend she needed 100% focus.
VI tosses her suitcase on to the bed closest to the door. They still had a little over an hour before they’d need to return to the bus. Cait placed her bag down and started unpacking her clothes for the next few days when she felt Vi’s arms wrap around her waist from behind.
“You know, there’s plenty of time to warm up just the two of us before we have to leave,” Vi whispered into Cait’s neck as she began placing kiss after kiss down the side of the pitcher’s neck until lips met fabric.
Cait chuckled, “You need to save your energy in the event I decide to beam Sarah Fortune again and you have to save me.”
Two hands grab Cait’s pelvic bone and flip her to where she’s facing Vi. The catcher wears a devilish grin that gives away the thoughts running through her head. Leaning in for the kill, she mutters softly, “Oh I think I have plenty of energy for both.”
Before their lips connect, Cait feels her body fall back into the bed. Just like at The Last Drop, her mind races, still clinging on to the hope her brain will process the emotions she’s feeling. Just when Vi is about to make her move, Cait’s hands fly up and halt her forward motion. “Tell me you love me.”
“Cait…” the one syllable sounds desperate and needy.
“Tell me. You haven’t said it since the other night. Please.”
“You know I do.” Vi once again tries to lean forward, but Cait’s arms stiffen, keeping the other woman’s body at a distance.
“Then why won’t you say it,” her voice shakes and breaks off at the end.
Vi, on the other hand, explodes. “Because if I say it then it feels like a resignation! A goodbye! And I’m…I’m not ready for that. I don’t want that.”
Cait looks up and watches as Vi’s demeanor cracks and falls apart. The woman collapses into the ace’s embrace, and they just lay there. The end of the season wasn’t for another three months and somehow everything seemed to be falling apart and ending now.
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First game of The Warrior Games Ionia (6-1) vs Piltover (6-0) Barnard vs Kiramman 100 strikeouts until the record
“Folks we knew this was going to be a good weekend for ball and we’re starting out strong by witnessing a classic between Ionia and Piltover. Ionia leads 2-1 going into the top of the sixth. Kiramman has struggled today, allowing 6 hits and 3 walks. She’s only racked up 5 Ks, but that gets her count to get to the record down to double digits with 95. I don’t know how much longer Coach S will leave her in as we’ve seen action in the bullpen the last two innings when the ace has landed in hot water, but somehow managed to always find a way out. She’ll start off in difficult territory with the hard-hitting catcher Sarah Fortune stepping back into the box, having laced an RBI double earlier in the game to right center.”
Vi knew Cait would never make it through the inning. She was too erratic and not on her game. The catcher also knew the pitcher’s woes for the day were none other than her own fault.
“What’s her problem? I’ve never seen her look so rattled?” Fortune quipped stepping up to the plate.
Vi said nothing in response initially, but something in her made her say “Girl trouble.”
Cait gets the sign from Sevika and readies herself. What should be an outside fastball hangs a little too much over the plate, allowing Fortune to foul the ball back into the protective screen behind home plate.
“Damn. You must have broken her heart if she’s missing pitches like that.” Vi rolls her eyes and readies herself for another pitch from Cait. Another outside fastball which again misses leading to another foul ball. This time, however, Sarah sends the foul sky high in playable territory. Derst at first tracks the ball and eventually catches it right at the wall.
Vi had stood from her squat and watched as the ball fell into the first baseman’s glove. Before she retreats to her position behind the plate, she glances at Fortune who is wearing a smirk. “If you want to talk later, I’m in room 602. I’m a very good listener.”
For a moment she lets the invitation settle over her body. When she looks up, her eyes catch blue sadness and pain. Cait knows what’s been said somehow. She may be 43 feet away, but she knows. Vi is sure of it. The catcher calls time and jogs to the mound.
“Cait, are you good?”
“I landed wrong on the first pitch. I can’t put much weight on my right leg or my knee buckles.” She speaks through a clinched jaw. Vi’s eyes flash wide as the realization hits her chest like a hammer. She motions for Sevika, panicked at the news.
“Cait, you need…”
“I’m done, Vi. I can’t keep going. It hurts too much.” Their eyes lock and Vi sees the tears. She’s sure the sentiment has a double meaning.
“Kiramman, what’s wrong?” Sevika questions as soon as she reaches to the battery.
“When I landed after the first pitch, I felt something weird in my knee. I can’t put weight on my right leg. I thought I could keep fighting through it, but I can’t.”
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It’s 2 in the morning and Caitlyn sits alone in the hotel room. Vi won’t answer her texts or calls. The only thing running through the pitcher’s mind is the way Fortune looked at Vi on the way back to the dugout.
“Vi would never,” Caitlyn scolds herself. Picking up her phone, she once again pulls up the text string with Vi to shoot off another location request. At that moment she hears the beep of Vi’s keycard unlocking the door. She starts to breathe a sigh of relief until she hears another woman’s voice.
“Kiramman, are you here?” It’s Sarah Fortune.
Caught off guard, the words lock in Caitlyn’s throat and all she manages is to make an “Mmhmm” sound.
When they come around the corner into view, Caitlyn sees Vi is slouched over, getting practically dragged into the room by Sarah. “I think this belongs to you. I found her passed out in the alley behind the hotel with two finished bottles a whiskey beside her.”
Sarah chucks Vi onto the empty bed which causes Vi to groan and curl into herself. Caitlyn flashes a look to her lover and then to Sarah, unsure of what to think. “Did you…”
“Gods no. I only flirt to fuck with people and get their minds out of the game. Besides, she was clutching this when I found her.” Sarah tosses the box that Vi has been hiding away on her person since the night at Vander’s bar. When Cait opens it, she nearly throws up.
“She just kept saying she had to find you and tell you she’s sorry. Wouldn’t elaborate. So, I thankfully found some of your team in the hotel lobby and they told me where to bring her.”
Cait can’t look away from the ring. Her thumb gently rubs the diamond, obviously a treasured piece of jewelry. Her head shoots up to Sarah, mind racing with thoughts. “Why’d you help her? Help me?”
“Because I’m not a total asshole. Plus, we all saw what Nolen did to you. We just didn’t know how to help you, so we gave you space. This one here seems different though. The minute I tried to touch her she freaked telling me she couldn’t let you think you’d do what Nolen did.” Sarah pauses, looking over at the sleeping lump of a catcher on the bed. “She loves you, Caitlyn, and I’m pretty sure she’s proven she’d do whatever it takes to protect your heart. Don’t let her go, yea?”
As the woman turns around, Cait calls to her, “I’m sorry for the last game. I lost myself in my emotions and shouldn’t have hit you.”
She hears a chuckle. “Water under the bridge, mate. How’s the knee?”
“I’m flying out in the morning to see a specialist. They’re hoping it’s just a severe sprain, but they need an MRI to make sure. I’m worried I’ve torn my ACL.”
Sarah hums and finishes the walk to the door. As she opens it, she says, “I really hope it’s nothing. I’d love to see you get that record, Cait. You of all people deserve it.” The door closes and leaves nothing but silence once more.
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“Toni Miller here with your recap of the weekend. Quite a lot of surprises as Ionia comes out of the weekend as the only team to go undefeated. Piltover was dealt a huge blow as they lose Kiramman for at least 2 weeks to a severe sprain in her knee. They went 2 and 2 on the weekend losing to Ionia and Noxus! It will be interesting to see how they recover and what they do next week at the Bilgewater Bash and then the Ixtal Invite. Two more weekends of tournament play before we get into the heart of the season where teams play their 3 game weekend series against the major players and their mid-week match up against an out of conference schools. Stay buckled up folks because things just got a lot more interesting.”