Bar Fights and Cleared Benches
During his time as the owner of The Last Drop, Vander witnessed his fair share of bar fights over the years. Most had been between patrons who needed to release some pent-up anger after throwing back one too many. Other fights had started when two parties had disagreements related to whatever sporting event was on the television. Then there was the occasional time it was just two assholes being assholes.
The evening’s bar fight, or truly the only word he could use to describe it was brawl, was because Maddie Nolen just couldn’t shut the fuck up and leave Vi alone.
Vander had watched as Caitlyn chased after Vi on her way out of the bar. He hadn’t heard the entirety of the conversation between Maddie and Vi, but he’d heard enough to know the Noxian was doing all she could to mentally get under Vi’s skin.
He’d expected his daughter and her fiancé to leave and head home for the night. They most likely needed to deal with whatever emotional turmoil Maddie had sent Vi spiraling into. Vander had also not missed the look of pain in Cait’s eyes at the mentioning of Alexis’s name.
Alexis and Caitlyn were totally different animals. Alexis was a free spirit who was good to keep Vi loose and have fun. Caitlyn was more controlled but allowed Vi to be herself. They’d both been good for his daughter in their different ways. He’d never choose between the two. All he cared about was Vi’s happiness. So, Maddie trying to force the issue of comparing them wasn’t part of the plan.
Before Vander can kick Maddie out, however, he watches as Caitlyn marches back into The Last Drop like a woman on a mission. Vi isn’t behind her, so he knows she’s either left or Cait has told her to stay outside. Either way, he knows the look that’s in the pitcher’s eyes, and he can’t wait to see what’s about to unfold.
Because controlled, proper, always centered Caitlyn Kiramman was about to lose her shit.
The ace strides towards Maddie, face furling in disgust and anger. The Noxian smirks, thinking she’s won the battle. Little does she know, she has simply started a war.
“Hey, Baby. Do I finally get to have you all to myself again?”
She purrs the words as though Caitlyn is still hers to claim. It fuels Cait’s rage even more, adding one final match before the powder keg explodes.
As soon as she’s close enough, Caitlyn wipes the smugness off the second baseman’s face with one solid punch to the face. The collision of fist to jaw garners a chorus of “oo”s and “oh shit”s from the crowd.
Caitlyn stands over the top of Nolen, who finds herself on the ground. “You don’t get to call me lovey-dovey names. You don’t get to talk to my fiancé like you have. You don’t get to be a part of my life anymore. You gave that up and I feel I’ve made that abundantly clear. So whatever mind games you’re trying to pull with Vi and me, quit it or there’s going to be hell to pay.” As Caitlyn’s anger takes hold of her more, she herself is struck by another Noxus player. At that moment is when all hell breaks loose.
Derst and Tutler attack the woman who attacked Cait. Nolen has once again joined in the mix with Graver suddenly jumping on her. Cait fires another fist in the direction of Maddie. Meanwhile, Jayce and Mel simply sit at the bar, sip their beer, and watch it all unfold.
Chuckling to himself, Vander finally decides enough is enough. Using his big, booming voice, he gains the attention of the entirety of the bar. “Alright, assholes, bar’s closed. Since none of the lot of you can play nice, I’m shutting it down. Everyone out!” He shouts, but points at Cait whose bottom lip and eyebrow are now bleeding. “Except you. You stay with me.”
The ace’s face instantly drops as she feels her stomach twist in a knot. The anger on her future father-in-law’s face was apparent and she knew she had been the source of the frustration. She feels the anxiety begin to course through her nervous and muscular systems. She was convinced everything would lock up on her and she’d be unable to move once she was alone with the intimidating bartender. When the last customer leaves, he locks eyes with her, points at a barstool, and simply commands, “Sit.”
She obliges, placing her hands, including bleeding knuckles on her pitching hand, on top of the bar. He eyes them before reaching down for a towel he wets. “Here, better clean off that blood before Vi or Sevika see you.”
Nodding, she dabs her knuckles until she sees the bleeding slow. Once she’s okay with what she sees on her hand, she follows up by doing the same with her lip and eyebrow. “Vander, please let me apologize. I acted…”
“Caitlyn, you don’t have to apologize to me. I know why you did it.”
An amused chuckle leaves Cait before her face turns serious. “I know Maddie told Vi she’s not good enough for me, which I’ve talked Vi off that ledge thankfully. What concerns me is her worry about me comparing myself to Alexis.”
Vander nods, “Well, do you?”
“How could I not? Alexis was the love of her life and the only reason I’m fortunate enough to get to have Vi is because she isn’t of this world any longer.”
“If I tell you something, you have to swear you’ll never breath a word of it to Vi.” The man lowers his voice as if there is some macabre spirit listening, waiting to strike the pair if he speaks ill of the dead. Caitlyn can’t help but eye the room, ensuring they are truly alone. Once she gives him a reassuring nod, the man continues.
“Alexis and Vi were only good together because they were wild and carefree. They lived not taking into consideration any consequences of their actions. Their relationship was built on acting impulsively and not properly thinking things out. That’s what shocked me so much when Lex asked Vi if she wanted kids. That’s not the lifestyle they had been leading. I’m not sure what got into her that night. Maybe it was her impending graduation and move to Ionia or maybe she had really changed, but I always worried about what would happen to Vi with those two. Vi’s problems with alcohol really started when they started dating. Her need to push away and drink herself into a bumbling mess, all Lex. When they’d argue I’d always find Vi down here at the bar, drunk off her ass.”
He pours them both shots of whiskey as if it’s second nature for him. His words continue to flow like the long-harbored confession it is. “They didn’t communicate well, never talking about their problems or the future. Lex was a live in the moment and whatever happens we’ll handle it type of person. Vi was okay with it until about the last 3 months of their relationship. She wanted to plan long term, see where life was going and Lex didn’t, until the night she asked about kids. I think Vi knew they’d never last and that’s really what her issue with the question was. Lex was too spontaneous for kids and I think Vi was worried if they brought children into the mix, Lex would end up disappointing them and Vi.”
Cait just sits and listens, watching as the man lays his heart out for her. “Caitlyn, I loved Lex, don’t get me wrong, but you are the grounding rod my girl has needed. She’s the healthiest and happiest I’ve seen in a long time. She knows what her future holds and as long as you’re in it, that’s all she wants. So don’t sell yourself short because of what the ginger said. She’s trying to get you guys off your game. Vi loves you because you love her, scars, flaws, and all. Take that as a win.”
Their glasses clink together before they throw back the liquor with ease. Before he sets the pitcher free, he adds, “I will say for someone who’s never boxed a day in your life, you’ve got a helluva right hook.” Finally, the tension eases and Cait lets herself laugh at the sentiment.
- - - - - - - -
Vi was sitting on the couch in the living room when she got home, a good sign that the conversation she’d had with her outside of the bar prior to the fight had calmed the catcher enough to just head home instead of seeking answers at the bottom of a bottle in a Zaun alleyway. In fact, when Caitlyn sat down beside her, she saw Vi was drinking milk instead of liquor, a sign she hadn’t been drinking at all.
“Milk?” Cait is thankful the word comes out lightheartedly. She doesn’t want Vi to think she’s upset because she isn’t. If anything, Vander’s speech has made her feel even more relaxed than she was prior to Maddie’s bullshit.
“It helped calm my stomach a bit,” she replies, looking at the floor. When she lifts her face so Cait can come into her view, the flash of anger that shoots into her eyes is instantaneous. “What the fuck, Cait! Who hit you?”
The pitcher laughs. “I’m honestly not sure, but I landed two solid punches into Maddie before Vander broke up the brawl that started once you left.”
She tries to hide it, but Caitlyn sees the prideful grin that Vi allows to curl on her face. “That’s my girl.”
The kiss they exchange is tender, Vi not wanting to cause any pain to Cait whose lip busts open anyway upon the pressure being exerted on it. Still lip locked, the two can’t help but giggle as they feel the warm liquid oozing down their lips. “Sorry. I should probably clean that up.”
As Cait stands in the bathroom cleaning up her face, Vi leans against the door, watching the other woman’s every move. Cait can see out of the corner of her eye Vi has the thoughtful look she gets when she’s thinking something and trying to figure out how to say it out loud.
“Whatever you want to say, you just say it, Love. I’m sure I’ve earned a verbal lashing or two for being reckless with my pitching hand.”
Shaking her head, Vi swallows so hard Cait can hear it. “It’s not that, though, yea now that I think about it, that was pretty fucking dumb.” She moves forward into the bathroom just enough that she’s standing beside Cait so her face is in the mirror. The sight of them sharing the smaller space sends some sort of shockwave through Cait that she can’t explain. They’ve been intimate in many ways, but there’s something about the way Vi’s facial expression projects a loving concern that makes the ace think this may be the most intimate moment they’ve ever shared. When Vi speaks, she suddenly understands why.
“What Maddie said, about you and comparing yourself to Lex, you shouldn’t do that.” Her words are softly spoken, but firm in the sentiment. Her eyes are locked on Caitlyn’s through their respective reflections. “I know you do because hell I compare myself to Maddie even though she’s a piece of dog shit. But seriously, this, what we have here, I never had with her. You have all of me and she never did because I never had all of her. I know I have all of you and that’s all I’m ever going to need for the rest of my life.”
Cait reaches over and takes Vi’s hand, turning to face her. “Likewise.” It’s all she needs to say because she sees the understand hit Vi. Vi has was always the breath of fresh air that Caitlyn needed. Still, she adds, “You’re the first person to make me feel like I am more than my name and that I am more than my past and my scars. So, likewise. No comparisons. Ever marching forward, we prevail.”
Vi groans, “Did you just seriously quote the fucking school motto to me?”
Caitlyn laughs and says, “It seemed appropriate.”
- - - - - - -
Game three of weekend series – Noxus (20-5) vs Piltover (20-3) Medarda vs Kiramman 52 Strike outs until record
“We are back at it on this Sunday afternoon as the Commodores from Piltover take on the Warriors from Noxus. I’m Toni Miller here with Janet Bills and today has already proven to be an exciting game. We are in the top of the third with no score so far. Noxus has their 9-hole hitter leading off before we return to the top of their batting order. So far Kiramman has 3 strikeouts which may seem like a slow day, but she has managed to get the Warriors hitters to hit into a good number of groundouts today. It’s not normally her style, but whatever gets you the win is what works.”
“Yea, Toni, it almost looks like Kiramman has been favoring that pitching hand of hers a bit as if there’s some discomfort, but it doesn’t seem like it’s been too much to pull her. I just wonder if it is in pain, if Sevika is calling pitches that she knows won’t put a lot of strain on her hand.”
Her hand was still sore from punching Nolen not once, but twice. She’d never admit that to Sevika, who looked curiously at the bar crew when they arrived the next morning for their noon game against Noxus. Unfortunately, Piltover lost a heart breaker on Saturday 1-0. After the game, Sevika had made her usual post-loss speech about not pissing away opportunities they’d been given and how they needed to come back on Sunday ready to go. “I’ll be damned if we let those fucking war pigs win this one.”
Vi took her turn at a post-game monologue about seizing the day and opportunities that the loss would grant them. She also made note they all hated certain people on the other team and no one in all of Piltover wanted to give the Noxus Warriors a single ounce of respect that they had yet to earn. From Ambessa down to the lowest Freshman on the roster, in the Commodores’ eyes, not one of them (other than Mel Medarda) deserved to win anything other than a one-way trip home with their asses rightfully kicked.
When the top of the third started I the Sunday game, the 9th batter in the Noxus lineup had struck out, flipping the lineup back to the top of the order. When Sevika sees Nolen strutting up to the box, she calls time and pulls her infield in.
“Alright, children, those of you that participated in Friday night’s barfight listen up. This bitch gets treated with the same respect that any one of us would want to treat some piece of shit human that likes to use words that they can’t physically back up.”
“We plunk her,” Derst.
“You’re damn right we plunk her and if any of you assholes rat me out I swear I’ll run your asses until you throw up your stomach. Any questions?” As the meeting broke, Sevika stayed a little longer to whisper to Cait from behind a covered mouth so no one could read her lips, “Make it count. Third pitch.”
Lanes squats and waits for the pitch call. It isn’t even a pitch, Sevika just throws out random numbers. The first pitch is a fastball outside, which Nolen foolishly swings out. The next pitch is a rise ball which Maddie manages to lay off. Finaly, on the third pitch, as Nolen inches just ever so slightly closer to the plate, Cait releases a pitch that curves inside and blasts Nolen in the hip. When the Commodores’ bench watches as Nolen chucks her bat into the ground and begin to make her way toward the circle, that’s all it takes for the tempers to fly once more and both benches to clear.
The game turns into pandemonium. Cait is immediately ejected. When Nolen arrives at the circle, she tries to take a swing at Cait, who manages to block the punch. Ambessa storms out to grab players from the dog pile as does Sevika. Vi manages to latch ahold of Nolen and ragdoll carry her away from Cait who simply throws her hands in the air in surrender and walks toward the dugout.
On her way off the field, she glances up into the cheering crowd. A woman stands at the top of the bleachers, staring back at her with the same prideful grin and glint as her own eyes. Cassandra offers her an approving nod and lifts her hands so she can clap them together. Cait’s smile grows just like the warmth in her heart.
“Well folks, if you stuck with us, you certainly got to witness a wild game. Piltover comes out the winner after Vi Lanes sent a 2-run homerun over the left field fence to clinch the deal in the bottom of the 6th. Obviously, everyone is going to be talking about the skirmish that broke out in the top of the third after Piltover ace Caitlyn Kiramman hit Warriors second baseman Maddie Nolen with a pitch. Kiramman was ejected as was Nolen, which I can only assume was because of the history these two teams seem to have this season. It’ll be interesting to see what the repercussions of today will be. Still, a 2-1 series win for the Commodores and Kiramman’s record watch is down to 48. The Commodores have a double header Wednesday with Zaun State before facing off again Ixtol next weekend. If you’re following the math, we may very well see Kiramman break her current coach’s strikeout record against her old team. This is why we love this sport folks.”