Archive of Our Own

"You never said it was a middle school team!" Vi blurted on the phone as she came out of her car, she was all alone in the parking lot.

Vi didn't even know the guy really well, no more than knowing he was sleazy and the nephew of one of Vander's old regulars, who, knowing of her long career in sports, had asked her to keep an eye on his soccer team for an afternoon, something about choosing her to show a good female role model to the girls' soccer team. Vi smelled bullshit miles away but took the gig once Vander brought up the "aging father asking for a favor" card, the sneaky old man.

''And what's the issue? You work with kids all the time,'' a distracted voice said from the other line.

''Yes, high school freshmen and up, but these are kids, kids! And this is a bougie school! Imagine a kid breaks a nail, and I get sued into oblivion.''

''It is not a bougie school! If it were, my ass wouldn't be employed in there''

VI knew this school; Claggor had mentioned it as one of his choices for when his oldest, Cathy, started middle school in a couple of years. A public school favored and populated by the upper middle class of Piltover, with one of the best sports programs in the city, it offered full scholarships to Zaunite children. It had quickly been taken out of the list, as Claggor didn't want to expose his daughter to any potential mistreatment by piltie teachers or brats. The last few years or so this school had been ''all about inclusiveness'' wasn't enough to heal the scars of their childhood.

"Is fine; just watch out for Callie. She is gonna be mad, that kid takes everything way too seriously and is bossy as hell anyway. Her mom is loaded, so, rich kid stuff, you know?'' He remarked, interrupting Vi's thoughts.

''I'm supposed to know who you're talking about?'' 

''Is all on the game plan I gave your old man'' 

Vi rolled her eyes, placing her phone between her shoulder and cheek to fish the game plan from the window of her car, raising her brow when she noticed it was filled with clean, youthful handwriting in blue glitter pen.

''Oh man, I didn't know you drew hearts as the points of your i's, cute stuff.'' 

''My very productive captain filled it out. I'm telling you that kid has control issues.''

''The kid is really that bad?'' Vi rubbed the bridge of her nose, returning her phone to her ear. The idea of a fun-sized, entitled piltie brat scrutinizing her every breath and move was making her regret agreeing to this whole ordeal. Had she really cancelled lunch with her sister and niece for this?

''Wait until you see it,'' he vaguely warned, almost excited. Fucking asshole.

Vi hung up the phone and walked into the field, where the girls were already waiting in line in their practice clothes on.

''What are they putting on food these days? Middle schoolers keep getting tinier and tinier,'' she huffed under her breath as she approached.

One of the kids ran to her. It was a tiny thing, with lanky, long limbs but graceful and balanced, with a face full of sharp angles under the remnants of baby fat on her cheekbones and jaw. Her hair was navy blue, pin straight, and long, held in two low, shiny pigtails; her bangs were clipped to her temples with metallic silver star clips, while her eyes were a particular streaking shade of blue, her expression solemn and grumpy.

''Are you our new coach for the day?'' The kid asked bluntly but politely, with a marked posh accent and a deep frown on her eyebrows.

''Callie right?'' Vi identified right away, raising her brow with a soft, amused smile.

Was this the walking nightmare Paul had warned her about? She didn't seem that bad, just mildly annoyed and grumpy. She didn't even flinch or grimace at the sight of her rough build or tattoos, unlike some of her teammates who were already gossiping in the back.

''Calliope for you,'' the kid clapped back, fuming at not being taken seriously right off the bat.

''Calliope,'' Vi said, trying not to laugh, not wanting to keep teasing the girl further. ''I'm Vi.''

''Never mind, that sounds weird, but moving on, it's nice to meet you. I appreciate you being almost here on time," the kid said, regardless of her obvious feeling of irritation, with all the grace of someone who had studied etiquette from birth.

''Did you fill this?'' Vi asked, eyeing the carefully crafted game plan. Her amusement turned to amazement now that she was taking an actual good look at it, impressed by how meticulous and well thought out every little detail was, considering every possible variant from sickness to weather.

The kid nodded proudly. ''We are going to playoffs in a few weeks! Everything must be done to a T! If only our coach bothered to show up...'' she grumbled, rolling her eyes.

Not that Vi was anyone to contradict her, but she was sure the season had just begun.

''Alright you, Miss Captain... Calliope K., would you mind introducing me to your teammates?'' Vi asked, reading the name chart.

The tween nodded, walking her towards the team, which was composed of about 15 girls, a mix from both sides of the river, whose names and positions Vi forgot as soon as they left Callie's posh mouth.

''Alright, girls, I'm gonna be real with you. I think you all can handle it. How old are you girls anyway? I assume all of you are 13 or something?'' Vi began after a quick introduction.

''Callie is 12.'' A girl with light-brown hair pitched in, punching a shocking amount of venom for such an innocent sounding claim.

''I'm a summer baby,'' Callie protested but paid no mind to the venom, used and unbothered by it.

So that was what the kid was overcompensating for...

''As I was saying, I don't know a thing about how soccer works,'' Vi said, looking through the folder, not understanding a damn thing about all the strategies and terminology Callie had plastered on the game plan.

Callie actually gasped, flabbergasted at the idea, along with a few of the other girls, but it was unclear to Vi if they were mimicking their captain, or if the idea was just that outrageous.

''Great! So our couch is doing I-don't-know-what, and the replacement doesn't play soccer," the captain protested, and Vi actually felt a little bad at how genuinely frustrated the kid sounded.

''Yeah, so let's start by warming up.'' She clapped to grab the attention of the girls.

''To do what?'' Callie asked, crossing her arms, trying to hold back a pout.

''I dont know, any suggestions?'' Vi turned to the rest of the team, all of them had been quiet as a mouse, intimidated by her size and appearance.

''We should switch positions!'' the same brunette from earlier said.

''Why would we do that?'' Callie huffed and turned to face her classmate; by the look of her eyes, she was thinking that was a stupid idea.

''Coach said it was good for us to try different formations.'' The opposite tween took a step closer, trying to gain the upper ground from the very first second.

''Yes, at the start of the season, not now when we are actively training,'' but Callie refused to back up, and tension immediately fired up.

''But we are not training right now, are we? Who says we should switch positions for today?''

''You will throw off the whole formation. We just established our roles for the season, and some of the newer girls don't know their roles very well yet; you will confuse them.'' Callie fired back immediately before her teammate had a chance to continue.

''You are not the coach! You believe you are so much better than all of us."

''Neither are you! But I'm the captain, and if you want to be the goalkeeper that badly, you should train harder.'' Callie wouldn't budge, making apparent how this was a constant ongoing issue.

''Alright, both of you step back,'' Vi said, getting between the two, knowing her intervention was long overdue. 

''C'mon, Coach, it's not like we are gonna do anything useful here,'' the girl, already knowing Callie would not give in, turned to Vi for support.

Vi knew nothing about the sport nor the team dynamic. It would be easy to agree with the whining girl—Hanna? Was there any other name that started with an H? —that Callie was obviously the issue, and it was only middle school soccer. It wasn't that serious. They could totally switch positions for today.

But it was that serious; for Callie it was, and the respect and love she held for the sport was something Vi understood and respected. Just by looking at the expression on her face, it was clear she was used to adults stepping on it, maybe because of her privileged life, maybe because she was a kid, but Vi was not going to be another name on the list, nor did she want to do anything that might throw off the very delicate balance of the middle school girls hierarchy.

''So who wants to learn how to throw a mean punch?!'' Vi quickly changed the subject, and all the kids but the unamused captain and the sulky tween cheered, ''Wanna go first, Cap?''

''So crude,'' she said in her posh accent, uninterested in anything that wasn't soccer, but she stepped in front, willing to set an example for her team.

Vi taught the girls the basics of how to safely deliver a punch and let them practice on the bare palm of her hand. In line with her experience, girls this age were brutal. She knew how much strength and rage girls this young and tiny managed to accumulate, but she definitely was not ready nor had the right equipment to manage 15 of them.

''Alright! Good job, girls, take a break. It was a good session.'' Vi dismissed the tween army, shaking her hands, her calloused palms starting to feel the effects of the punches.

The team happily obeyed, dispersing among the field in small circles, excitedly talking about the lesson.

''She really likes soccer, right?'' Vi confided in the last girl left in the center of the field—Sophie, if she was remembering right—eyeing the captain, who was sitting in the middle of the field by herself, working on her game plan.

Sophie laughed around her water bottle, thinking as she twisted the bottle shut. ''Yeah, but that's Kiki for you; she can get a little lost inside her own head. Let me go snap her out of it,'' the kid said, fidgeting with the half of a matching friendship bracelet charm as she walked away.

Vi let the girls do their thing. They mostly just sat in small groups and stretched under the sun like cats, giggling and talking in hushes, some of them seemingly materializing items out of thin air, as they had started to paint their nails and show each other shiny rocks like crows, guessing their futures using paper fortune tellers, so different yet so the same from her own childhood.

''Alright, you girls can go to the showers and get ready to leave,'' Vi said after 20 minutes or so of watching the girls hang out.

''There is an hour left of practice!'' the captain huffed, quickly standing up to protest, blowing the polish on her nails dry.

''Is Friday kid! i think your coach said something about a pizza day, right?

''Yeah, we go out biweekly or so as a bonding activity; my mom is driving some of us this time,'' the kid's tightly frowned brow only softening when mentioning her mother.

''That's nice, kid,'' Vi said, wondering what a middle upper class Piltovian would say seeing a tattooed brawler, ''I hope she doesn't see me and pass out...''

Callie's head whipped back, looking up at Vi with a foaming mouth like a rabid baby bunny. 

''My mom is not like that!'' Callie said fiercely, willing to fight Vi in her mother's name, Vi being 3 times her size be damned.

''My bad for assuming.'' Vi just kept getting on the bad side of this kid. ''Sorry, cap.''

After contemplating the sincerity of the apology, Callie deemed it as good enough, walking with her head up and a satisfied smile behind the rest of her team, proud of herself after standing up for her family.

Once the field was empty, Vi walked back to her car to sneak a sip of whisky from her flask, hunching over to ease the pressure on her torso. She had been lazy that morning, binding her chest instead of taking time to tape it in place, and now, about to hit eight hours in, she was starting to resent it, her nipples screaming as the piercings dug painfully into her areola.

She tried to ignore it, quietly observing as a gray minivan clumsily entered the parking lot, the engine revving as it made multiple attempts going back and forth to get into a parking spot. The struggling driver was a very unhappy woman that was cursing every decision that led her into her cumbersome vehicle choice.

''Need some help, ma'am?'' Vi offered, straightening her back and lowering the flask

"No, thanks, I have this," the woman replied in a familiar posh accent, her attention too fixed on the task at hand to be able to look at her.

From her profile alone, Vi could see this woman was gorgeous, with a chiseled nose, and a jaw and cheekbones she would go as far as to call exquisite, as cheesy as it sounded. She got off the minivan with a tired sigh, annoyed by the sheer size and force she had to use to close the door, finally looking up to meet Vi's unwavering gaze.

"Pardon me, but I believe I have never seen you here," she said, sliding her sunglasses to the top of her head, and Vi felt a warm, tingling feeling on her abdomen.

Her eyes were different shades, one a striking blue, the other a cloudy baby blue; that eye crossed out by a fine scar on her lid, the contrast made her eyes look even more impossibly blue altogether.

''Why do you ask? Come here often?'' Vi said with a flirty smirk, having to shoot her shot, trying to deny the bubbling in her stomach.

The woman huffed, amused. She was... incredibly well proportionate, with a heavy bust, a tiny teeny waist, and legs that went on for miles and miles... Vi felt her mouth dry, making her feel like a prepubescent old timey boy getting off on ankles and wrists. The woman was fully covered, for Janna's sake! dressed in high-waisted pants and a black turtleneck.

''Have you any idea of where the team is?'' The woman asked, turning her head to observe the empty field.

''I sent them to the showers to get ready 15 minutes ago''

''Then you must be the new coach for today. I must say it's an upgrade,'' she said, trying and doing very poorly in hiding her disdain.

''Don't like the old one?'' Vi asked, resting her arm against the hood of her car. Was she flirting back? 20 years in the field of dating, and Vi suddenly forgot how to read social cues.

''I'm just not a fan of him fully allowing my 12-year-old to do his job; that sounds awfully convenient for him'' she said, displeased, crossing her arms around her chest

''Let me take a wild guess on who your kid is,'' Vi chimed in

The woman laughed, the clear sound sending a rush of happy chemicals through Vi's brain.

''Oh, really? Are you confident you got it right?'' She smiled, amused, showing off the cutest tooth gap.

''I can very confidently say the grumpy mini you that likes to micromanage everything is your kid,'' 

''She really likes soccer,'' the woman said, like it was self-explanatory.

''I could tell,'' Vi said abruptly, making the woman laugh again.

"It's cute, actually. Calliope is passionate about her sport; I can get behind that." Vi continued.

''She asked you to call her Calliope? So I take she didn't like you very much,'' the woman said apologetically, her smile tensing a bit.

''She wasn't a fan of my coaching abilities.'' Vi joked dismissively.

''Was she impolite to you? Installing manners on that one has always been a tough spot for me. I love how outspoken she is, but that's not an excuse to be mean, and she knows it.''

''Nah, I understand her frustration; your couch does not bother to show up and sends a new one that has no idea of what she is doing. Let the kid be.'' Vi said, sharing a smile with the woman. My god, there was so much to look at; Vi was torn between staring at her bright eyes, her stern mouth, her elegant neck. She looked away after that, knowing better than to lower her gaze.

''Coach Scott once told me she is too intense,'' she said after a short pause, still looking at Vi, ''and he is not the first one; her previous coaches, at least half of her teachers, my parents' acquaintances—they all say the same, but I can hardly be bothered by the so apparent issue that my daughter cares too much.'' She continued, and Vi instantly knew where all of Callie's passion came from and the reason the kid had remained so authentic and bold.

''You are a good mother, cupcake.'' Vi said in a soft voice, her voice down so as not to wake herself from the wonderful dream she was having.

''Excuse you?'' she arched one of her perfectly straight brows.

''You got frosting on your...'' Vi vaguely gestured to her own chest area, biting her tongue.

''Oh goodness,'' the woman said, mortified. ''I'm so sorry.''

''Nothing to worry about, here'' Vi smiled reassuringly, reaching and offering her a wet wipe from the glove box of her car. After 10 years of being an aunt, she knew to better keep a full stock at hand. 

''I'm sorry, I got guilt-tripped into participating in a bake sale next week,'' she said, lowheaded, as she did her best to clean the frosting stain, leaving a wet patch on her shirt.

''So you bake?'' The brawler asked

''No, I cheated and bought cupcakes at a bakery; I just redid the frosting so they looked homemade,'' she mumbled, taking her offense really seriously.

Vi sneezed, ''Is that bake sale mandatory or something?''

The blue-haired woman sighed. ''No, it's just that, the parents in this school are very involved; it makes me feel so neglectful for not being able to attend every school event and fundraiser. It's hard enough being a working single mother; now I have to bake and volunteer on top of all of that. It's like going back to school, and unlike for Callie, that was not a good time for me.'' The words rolled all at once; this woman was in desperate need to vent.

''Why don't you just tell them to fuck off?'' And Vi was more than willing to offer a listening ear

''I feel inadequate enough already. All the other mothers are so good at this of being ''soccer moms'' with the fun snacks and the goody bags and team trips. I feel I'm putting my daughter at a disadvantage by not taking part in those events, and if the parents start talking about me more than they already do, I'm afraid they will drag my Callie into it, and the last thing I want is for her teammates to see her differently, especially when the team is getting a little relentless this season.''

''Are we talking about the blonde kid whose name I forgot?'' Vi asked, doing everything she could think of to keep this goddess talking to her.

''Her name is Hazel, and as you may have noticed, she and Callie arent the best of friends. Hazel is always trying to antagonize Callie and tries to make the other members of the team gang up on her. I have talked to her parents, so it seems things are okay for now, but it worries me, so no, I don't want to do anything that may make other people look down at my child even if I keep humiliating myself.''

Vi was trying hard to keep the stupidest smile off her face. As this woman couldn't get more attractive, she had to be so caring and family-oriented.

''I'm so sorry; I don't know why I keep telling you all of this. I must be boring you to death.'' The woman blushed, rubbing her forehead as an excuse to look down.

''Not at all, who would think middle school could be this exciting?'' Vi said, succeeding in making this beautiful vision of a person smile, ''And, if you asked me, I think you are doing a good job, the only time I saw the kid relax was when she mentioned you. She adores you, cupcake.''

''Stop calling me that. My name is Caitlyn, by the way,'' she said with a witty smile.

It was up until that point that Vi realized she hadn't asked for her name. For some reason she felt she didn't need it, like she already knew this perfect stranger; she wanted to know everything about this perfect stranger.

It was like every single thing on earth shifted by an inch, finally, satisfyingly clicking into place. Was she getting too ahead of herself?

''But you are so sweet, like a cupcake,'' Vi winked, eliciting a small laugh from the woman.

''And you are?'' Caitlyn asked, and Vi knew she would replay the sound of the smile in her voice in her mind again and again. 

''Vi,'' she smiled, and was she imagining the way she and Caitlyn stared into each other's eyes for far longer than it would be comfortable between total strangers?

''Is that... short for something?'' the woman asked tentatively. 

''Would you like to know?''

''I just said I would,'' Caitlyin said plainspoken, taking her question literally.

Vi snorted but lost no time to shoot her shot ''I will tell you if you come get a drink with me.''

The woman's sharp cheeks filled with an unexpected blush. Caitlyn seemed so uptight and controlled. Was Vi making her react like this? Was this as rare and legendary for her as it was for Vi?

"Is that so?"

''Well, I don't see a ring on your finger, so I think that's allowed.''

''You are aware I'm a mother, right?'' Caitlyn declared slowly, locking eyes, making it clear her role was non-negotiable.

''Yes, and I quite like your evil twin, so would that be a yes?'' The brawler kept her tone light and teasing.

Caitlyn relaxed, smiling with that cute tooth gap of hers. "Mind if I add some ink of my own?" the woman asked, coming closer and slightly leaning in to write her cellphone number on Vi's wrist. 

Vi smiled. Caitlyn smelled so good, like coffee and soap. "Text you later."

''Don't make me wait too long,'' Caitlyn smiled, her half-lidded smile and flushed cheeks making her look like the picture of every wet dream Vi had since she was a teenager.

''Wouldnt dream of it.'' 

The woman blessed her with another smile, taking a step back.

''I have an audience at the principal's office; it was really nice to meet you,'' Caitlyin said, stepping back.

''It has been real, cupcake''

Vi stood there watching her get away, trying to control her speeding heart. It had felt different; she had spent all of her 20s jumping between arms and lying on different breasts, yearning to give her whole heart but never finding a place she felt safe enough to do so. Now in her mid-30s, she had almost given up on finding hands she could melt in and take down her walls. This time there was no need for trying.

''Mom! Can you help me do my hair?'' Callie yelled from afar, and damn, the kid was fast, reaching the car in a few seconds.

Callie's expression soured in disappointment once she noticed her mama wasn't next to the car, and her hands dropped to her side, holding an assortment of hair ties and a brush.

''She went to the principal's,'' Vi told her, slightly twitching her arm so Caitlyn's number wasn't visible.

Ultimately, Vi underestimated how sharp the kid was, as she immediately noticed the number on her wrist. 

''That's my mom's handwriting!'' The young girl announced out loud.

''Geez, you seem surprised. Is that difficult to believe?'' Vi raised her eyebrow, opening her car door to sit on the frame of the car, next to the seat, so she could be at Callie's eye level.

''What? My mom dating yet another woman? Is the sky blue?'' the tween rolled her eyes.

''Just what every guy wants to hear before a date,'' Vi tried to joke with the pouting teen.

''Good luck with that; it takes ages for her schedule to clear up for a date. Being the sheriff doesn't leave a lot of free time.'' 

"... Pardon me?" Vi felt her blood freeze.

''Oh, so you didn't know who she was?'' Callie's demeanor changed, becoming softer and less judgy.

''Your mom is Sheriff Kiramman?"

''... Duh'' it was nice the 10 seconds it lasted.

''Your last name wasn't Keke or something?'' Vi asked frenetically, trying to make sense of things.

''Spelled K-I-K-I, and is a nickname, short as in 'KI'ramman''

''You got lots of nicknames, kid!''

''Are you freaking out?'' Callie took a step back, not willing to work in that circus, or anywhere for that matter.

Of course, Vi knew about Sheriff Kiramman and had seen her plenty of times in the newspaper or on the news channel; she knew the Sheriff was a private woman. She had to be, after the countless assassination attempts against her, earned after burning the whole enforcement law team and starting all over again, working along with citizens and closely following the requests from the Zaunite members of the council- virtually eliminating the enforcers from Zaun.

''Didn't recognize her without the eyepatch and hat,'' Vi attempted to sound casual, not wanting to make the child aware of her discomfort.

She couldn't, however, stop the sharp bitterness in her mouth. No matter how much Piltover painted themselves as heroes for suddenly remembering the people aside the river were people too, it wouldn't ease how entire generations of her people had been lost to violence and poverty.

Vi turned to the young girl beside her, who still had her brow raised in confusion, for one last question.

What was this kid doing in public school in the first place?