Peeker's Advantage

Vi starts her pistol round in Connector as Caitlyn has instructed. She holds for an enemy push from Palace while creating a crossfire with Loris on A site. But after seeing no movement for the first 15 seconds, Vi relays the information to Caitlyn, who immediately instructs her to rotate to B site and help fortify the defense there. Sure enough, with one minute left on the clock, the enemy floods out of B Apartments with the help of smoke grenades and flashbangs. Thanks to early rotation and perfect crosshair placement, Vi instantly headshots an enemy swinging onto her screen—killing them in one bullet with the USP pistol. The rest of the enemy’s push is easily wiped clean with Steb and Maddie’s help.

“Nice shots.” Caitlyn’s compliment comes through her headset, to which Vi replies a quick thanks. “Good call too with the early rotation.” She extends her arm to offer a fist bump to Caitlyn, who takes it immediately and gives a firm bump back without looking away from the screen. Caitlyn is seemingly unrattled by their earlier conversation about Vi’s full name and has already moved on to talking about strategies for the next round. A loose strand of hair trails down her face, and Vi catches herself doing the one thing she shouldn’t be doing when Caitlyn tucks it back under her headsets—staring.

Focus Vi. She reprimands herself. You’ve got a girl to impress.

They cleanly convert the next two rounds—mopping up second-round force buys and the following full eco. Come fourth round, Caitlyn has a good spawn for the Window position, so she drops her gun to Loris and buys herself an AWP. “I’m going to fight Mid at the start of this round. Can you flash for me Vi?” 

“I got you, Cu—Caitlyn.” 

Vi does as she was told, throwing a high flashbang over mid early to help Caitlyn. The flashbang explodes, and a second later Caitlyn’s kill feed pops up on the top right corner. “Great shot—”

“They are swinging mid together!” Caitlyn’s yell floods Vi’s ear—that’s her signal to help her out. But before Vi could even rotate, the deafening BANG sound an AWP rings through as Caitlyn’s kill feed pops up on the top right corner again. 

BANG. And A second. 

BANG. And a third. 

By the time that Vi finally arrives on scene, Caitlyn has collected four frags in less than seven seconds. “LET ME ACE LET ME ACE!” Vi hears Caitlyn’s shrill through and over her headphones. She backs off from her hunt for the last player, letting Caitlyn have the chance to find the last kill. Sure enough, a BANG from a distant corner of the map signals the end of the round. Caitlyn has got all five kills that she wanted.

“Niceeee!” The team cheers in unison. “That’s another round of drinks from you, Cait.” Steb reminds his captain enthusiastically. Caitlyn smilingly takes off her headset and lets out a relieved sigh. As she re-ties her ponytail high and tight, Vi’s eyes catch hers and Caitlyn shoots back a wink and a smirk. “Getting cocky already?” Vi jokingly gives Caitlyn’s shoulder a light jab. “That’s just how I play, Vi. Enjoy the show.” 

Vi isn’t sure entirely how Caitlyn was able to get four kills so quickly, but lucky for her, she doesn’t have to wait long to find out. The next round Vi’s aggressive play towards Tunnel is punished by the enemy’s Deagle, and she is taken out early into the round. Sitting back, frustrated, Vi flicks through her teammates’ POVs until she settles on Caitlyn’s. 

Caitlyn’s movement is clean. Exceptionally clean. There is nothing fancy about the way she moves, but Vi feels like she is flying as she watches Caitlyn rotate between positions. Then there is the efficiency of her gameplay—every action feels deliberate and not a single input from her keyboard seems unnecessary. On top of all this, Caitlyn’s voice is constantly flowing through the team chat. Asking for information from teammates, calling for rotations, predicting the enemy’s next move…all while using the weapon that demands the most amount of concentration and reflex. 

Vi is enjoying the show. 

They lost that round in the end, but Vi already knew then and there that Caitlyn is the one that she wants to play side-by-side with. 

————

The game has ended in a comfortable 13-7 win. Vi’s name sits at the top of the scoreboard with 21 kills to 11 deaths. The enemy was able to put together a small rally early into the second half, but Vi’s T-side entry prowess ensured that, once they got AKs in hand, the game was effectively over. 

They played two more games after that, and it’s now a little past eight. The Last Drop is just starting to get busy. Dim blue lights pulse in the PC room after the sun goes down, and the previously empty seats surrounding them are now filling up with students ready for some action. The team, however, is already packing up—apparently Caitlyn and Maddie have some student homeworks for their TA class that they need to finish grading tonight.

Vi wouldn’t mind at all if they played a little more, but she knows that it’s better to take it slow and not overdo it on the first day. Vander is on closing duty today, so Vi’s looking ahead at a relaxed night of Netflix and leftovers—just what the doctor ordered. She can’t wait to kick off her shoes and sag into her creaking couch, letting her small apartment be filled with the aroma of reheated Lo Mein as she picks out a cheesy romcom from Netflix. This is Vi’s guilty pleasure that she’ll take to her grave. Perhaps a lesbian meet cute story. Vi muses over her options as she walks towards the exit, but a voice stops her in her tracks. 

“Do you want to grab dinner together? My treat.” Caitlyn catches Vi just as she has one hand on the door handle. 

Vi thinks about the offer. Dinner—free dinner sounds great. But she has a feeling that Caitlyn’s offer wasn’t entirely free per se. There is something that Caitlyn wants to talk about, and that thought makes Vi’s heart race. 

“Yeah let’s do it. But I get to pick the place.” 

“Alright then.” Caitlyn nods. “Wait here.”

Vi leans against the front door, propping it open with her body and waits for Caitlyn’s return. The summer breeze gently floats her hair as she watches Caitlyn sling her backpack over her shoulder and say goodbye to her teammates. 

“Your place or mine?” She barely hears Maddie’s question from a distance.

“Let’s do yours this time.” Caitlyn responds. “See you later!”

Vi wishes that she was hallucinating. But the next second Caitlyn reappears by her side.

“Lead the way!”

And Vi does just that with an absent mind.

Your place or mine?

————

Vi pushes open the heavy door to Jericho’s, and her mood lightens up as the mixed smell of skewers and seafood instantly floods her nostrils. Caitlyn looks a little hesitant as she trails behind—the greasy floor, broken neon sign, and unkempt man behind the counter seem to be not doing any wonders for her appetite. They have the contrary effect on Vi though, whose stomach lets out a timely growl. 

“Can’t believe you have never been here before.” Vi waves at Jericho behind the counter and grabs them a corner seat by the window. “You must be new at the University.” 

“I am indeed. Good thing I have a local guide with me huh?” Caitlyn tries her best to look at the menu without picking up the greasy sheet.

“What looks good?”

————

“So…about your name.” Caitlyn begins hesitantly.

Vi has been expecting this conversation since they left the Last Drop—she knows that Caitlyn would be eager to explain herself. And sure enough, the moment food is brought onto the table, Caitlyn breaches the subject. The sizzling skewers create a veil of steam on the table, and the two women’s gaze meet each other halfway through it.

“You looked me up online, didn’t you?” Vi replies slyly, picking up the grill squid without missing a beat and starts attacking it with both hands. 

“I did.” Caitlyn admits with a sigh. “Not my proudest moment, I’m afraid. I’m sorry if that was too intrusive.”

“No offense taken.” Vi casually licks her fingers clean of the sticky dipping sauce. “You like what you saw?”

“You mean what I’m seeing right now—you double-fisting a squid into your mouth with juices running down your fingers?” Caitlyn huffs with amusement. “It’s certainly a…sight to behold.” Vi grins back heartily with a small piece of cumin stuck on her teeth. Caitlyn carefully picks up a piece of chicken wing with her chopsticks and bites into it. She hums her approval with a tinge of surprise. Vi watches attentively as Caitlyn lays down her chopsticks and opt for her hand instead, this time taking a much larger bite. 

Caitlyn finished the whole wing before continuing. “But—” she takes a drink from her sake “—if you are referring to what I saw in those articles about you…I did like what I saw, as a matter of fact. Why didn’t you tell me that you have won the Zaun Invitational before? We could have skipped the whole tryout if you told me that you are that good.” 

“You didn’t ask.” Vi tries to play it off cool. “Besides, you told me to impress you before our first game, didn’t you? Can’t pass on an opportunity like that.” A little blush flashes across Caitlyn’s face. Or is the flickering diner light playing tricks on Vi’s eyes? Vi can’t tell.

“For what it’s worth, you did a marvelous job at impressing me.” Now it’s Vi’s turn as color rushes to her cheeks. Caitlyn’s compliment makes Vi’s playful confidence vanish in an instant, and she swears that Caitlyn’s gaze lingered on her a split second longer than necessary. Caitlyn—seemingly unaware of the little crisis she’s causing in Vi—now picks up a grilled fish from the center of the table. Her appetite seems to have improved dramatically. “And the rest of the team loves you too. I know you already said you’d love to play together before our game, but I just want to double check that your feelings haven’t changed.”

“No they haven’t.” Vi reassures her. She stuffs the last piece of her juicy squid in her mouth before looking up at Caitlyn. The pair of blue eyes look back attentively. Her gaze is soft and quizzical. “But…I see that you still have questions.”

“Just one.” Caitlyn shifts in her seat. “Why did you stop playing after you won the Zaun invitational?”

Vi lets out a dry laugh to mask the weight of Caitlyn’s question on her. For Caitlyn it is an innocent enough question. For Vi it’s anything but. 

For a moment, Vi drowns herself in the perfect, chaotic Symphony that is the noise of Jericho’s. The never-ending metallic sound of tongs cooking on grills is the drum beat—faint yet distinct from a distance. The crisp clicking of plates, utensils, and used skewer sticks on each other is the main accompaniment. Boisterous conversations and laughter are the main organs. And at the center of all this—the sizzling grill, the smoke screen of steam, and the deafening silence between two women.

Vi is the first one to break. “So I take it that whatever online article you were reading about me didn’t explain that part?” She deflects with a question of her own. 

“No it didn’t. Again…sorry about the snooping.” Caitlyn bites her lower lip. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t feel like it. I didn’t mean to get so personal.”

“Yeah that’s more of a third-date question if you ask me—not that I’m considering this a date or anything.” Vi hurries to explain herself as she sees Caitlyn’s eyes widen at her response. “I kind of have a ‘no dating with teammate’ rule.”

“Must be a very new rule then.” Caitlyn hums. “Since you haven’t been on a team for so long.” 

“It is.” Vi takes a swig of her beer. Desperate to change the subject and, with the help of some liquid courage, Vi speaks about what’s bugging her mind in the most nonchalant tone that she can manage: “it’s just a rule for myself though. You and Maddie seem to have a good thing going on, so don’t break it off for my sake.”

Caitlyn raises an eyebrow: “since when did Maddie and I become a thing?”

“Didn’t she ask you ‘your place or mine?’” Vi’s voice comes out steady, her tone suggesting that she’s just trying to make conversation rather than probing at something personal. She has surprised herself a little bit with such a composed performance.

Caitlyn bursts out laughing—loud enough for the people next to them to shoot them a curious glance. “I’m sorry.” She tries to bring herself under control with some sake. “It’s just the idea of me and Maddie being together is way too funny to imagine.”

Caitlyn takes another sip of her sake before explaining. “We are going to grade our students’ homework together, and Maddie hates working in public places. So we usually do it at one of our places.” 

Vi laughs sheepishly at Caitlyn’s response, but the other woman puts down her sake glass and fixes her gaze on Vi. Vi feels her cheeks burning under the intensity of Caitlyn’s stare.

“Didn’t pick you for the kind of person who eavesdrops, Violet.” There is no accusation in Caitlyn’s voice, only a hint of playful reprimand.

Vi’s brain short-circuits. She doesn’t know what game Caitlyn is playing at, but it’s too damn fast for her to keep up. Time for a one-eighty.

“Changing…changing the subject completely.” Vi swallows. “Going back to your question earlier, maybe I’ll tell you why I quit being a pro on our fifth ‘friend date.’ Deal?”

“Third date.” Caitlyn counters.

“Third date, but it’s not going to be for free. In exchange I’ll think of something personal to ask you too.”

“I hope you think of a good one then, Vi.”

————

“I feel bad that you have to grade those homeworks.” 

“I know. I feel pretty bad too.”

They are walking side by side on an empty street, the dim yellow streetlight barely illuminating the way they are heading. The winds blow gently—humid and warm. Caitlyn is wearing a long sundress that day. A light green one that looks well worn but really goes well with her hair color. It must be one of Caitlyn’s favorite dresses. Vi notices these little things. Just like she notices how the hem of Caitlyn’s dress grazes the side of her leg when the wind picks up a little, leaving an invisible burn mark that only Vi can feel. 

“What is the name of that class that you two are TAing for?”

“Intro to Microeconometrics.” 

“Whew, that's a long name.” Vi lets out a whistle. 

“And even longer PSets, I’m afraid. But sadly such is the life of a first-year PhD student. Being a TA is non-negotiable.” Caitlyn exhales loudly through her nose. She continues after a little pause: “thank you for walking me to Maddie’s place though. You really didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to. Didn’t want the night to end so soon.” 

“Me neither. I had such a good time at dinner. If it were up to me, we could be dancing right now rather than heading to my impeding torture.”

“Dancing?” Vi laughs lightheartedly. “Like how?”

“Like this.” Caitlyn takes a big step to get in front of Vi, raising her hands above her head, and spins with a wide grin. Her eyes meet Vi’s whenever she’s facing her. Her dress flutters in the wind like a field of meadow.

Vi holds her breath. More accurately, Vi loses her breath. Her feet are moving on their own to match Caitlyn’s speed, but the rest of Vi is watching Caitlyn spins and turns and laughs under the dim streetlight. Vi’s whole world seems to have disappeared, retreating back into the shadow while only Caitlyn remains at the center of the stage. 

A moment passes. She laughingly returns to Vi’s side, panting a little. Still dizzy from her spinning, Caitlyn grabs Vi’s left arm for balance, leaning heavily on the woman. 

“Wow, easy there Cu—Caitlyn.” Vi reaches out her other arm to help steady the woman. She feels Caitlyn’s fingers laced tightly against her bicep. “I think you might have gotten a little drunk from the sake earlier.”

“No I certainly am not.” Caitlyn responds indignantly. “That would be very, very irresponsible. To grade your students’ homework drunk. Also—” her tone suddenly softer, voice lower “—you don’t have to stop calling me by that nickname if we’re not playing.”

Vi looks at Caitlyn, whose grin is quickly freezing on her face after finishing her last sentence. Sensing Vi’s lack of an answer, she coughs loudly and straightens herself, freeing Vi’s arm from her hands. They continue to walk alongside each other, a little further apart than before.

“If it were up to me, we would go to the pier.” Vi starts speaking without turning her head to Caitlyn. “I’ll take you to where my sister and I used to sit and watch ships come and go. And at this time of the year, there would also be a night fair. We can go play games, grab ice cream together, ride the ferris wheel…”

Caitlyn listens attentively as Vi’s voice trails off. “That sounds lovely.” She murmurs. “I would have loved to do that instead of grading homework.”

“Sounds like a second ‘friend date’ to me then, Cupcake.”

End note:

“Friend date” smh. Who are they kidding?