Work Text:
“Hey, Vi, that Piltie chick is staring at you.”
Vi glances up from her bruised knuckles and down toward the end of the bridge. A group of girls dressed in Piltover Secondary Academy uniform are lingering on their way home from school. Not one of them is looking her way.
“Hilarious, Mylo,” Vi says. She goes back to readjusting her wrappings.
“Vi, he’s right,” Powder says from where she is perched on the bridge railing. “That girl is staring at you.”
“Which girl?” Vi huffs, feeling irritated. She looks up and down the bridge to indulge them, impatient for Claggor to hurry up so they can finally head home.
“The girl with the dark hair,” Powder elaborates. “Over there.”
Vi follows the direction of Powder’s finger, which is pointed toward the group of Piltovan students.
“Behind them, sitting on that bench.”
Vi cranes her neck, and yes, there is indeed someone staring at her. The girl averts her gaze at being caught, quickly lowering it to the book open in her lap. Vi shrugs, but in truth, she feels a bit flustered at being watched.
“She’s probably wondering why you ever considered that haircut,” Mylo sniggers, then yelps as Vi elbows him in the gut. He grabs the support cable attached to the bridge railing to stop himself from falling backward into the river. “What the hell, Vi?”
Powder giggles. “Or she just likes you.”
Vi scoffs, running a hand over her hair to smooth it back. “Stop messing around, you two. Keep an eye out for Clag.”
She can feel Powder and Mylo exchanging smirks behind her back, and she rolls her eyes. Unfortunately, they both know about her past crushes. Apparently, she is bad at hiding her attraction to pretty girls with dark hair. Even now, she cannot help but glance back at the girl at the end of the bridge. She is still reading her book, so Vi takes the opportunity to stare at her in turn. She looks around her own age, with fair skin and straight hair cut evenly below her shoulders. She clearly comes from wealth. Her posture is painfully straight, her uniform pressed and polished, and Vi can just make out a sigil on her leather satchel—the daughter of a House, it seems.
The girl suddenly looks up again, but it’s towards a newcomer she focuses her attention on, not Vi. The man is older than them, maybe in his early twenties. His embroidered waistcoat and neat haircut also suggest wealth or at least a typical Piltovan fortune. The girl smiles broadly, gathering her book and satchel. Vi is too far away to hear what her voice sounds like as they greet each other, and she catches herself feeling almost disappointed as they turn to leave. But then the girl peers back over her shoulder and finds Vi’s gaze. They share a long look, or perhaps it just feels long to Vi. Then she turns around and disappears off the bridge into the city.
“You like her!”
Vi jumps in alarm. Powder’s face is hovering over her shoulder, displaying a big toothy grin.
“Don’t be stupid, Powder.” Vi crosses her arms and frowns.
Powder giggles again. “I wonder if she’s here each day. Ooh, I’m gonna write her a love note and say it’s from you!”
Mylo snorts. “Yeah…roses are red, violets are blue, you’re so rich, and I fancy you…”
They both burst into laughter and Vi scowls, knowing she is beat. Claggor finally turns up, the rucksack slung over his large shoulder full of stolen medicines.
“About time,” Mylo announces, hopping down off the railing. “You missed all the action, Clag.”
The four of them begin walking in the opposite direction from Piltover, heading for an entrance to the Lanes.
“Yeah,” Powder agrees, skipping ahead of them. “Vi’s got a girlfriend!”
Vi groans. “Seriously? I can’t even look at a girl without you guys thinking that I like her!”
“Well, yeah,” Claggor points out, trudging along beside her. “Cause it’s usually true.”
“I'm thinking pink roses,” Powder says, making a checklist with her fingers. “Rainbow confetti, a huge diamond ring...”
Vi shakes her head but cannot help a tiny smile at her sister's excitement.
“Oh, and cupcakes!”