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The Academy’s Grand Library was built during the days of Osha Va’Zaun, before the calamity struck and the earth was split for good. The texts that were able to be salvaged were preserved here for centuries. Everything from the early years of the Noxian Empire to the religious endeavours of the Bilgewater was recorded in those texts.
There was a sense of reverent antiquity within the halls of the Grand Library. For this reason, Caitlyn found herself all but living in this library. She had practically built a nest in the west-wing of the library: the walls of this nest were made of tomes and textbooks, and the floor was littered with notes. Caitlyn had always had a thirst for knowledge ever since she was a child.
Being the scion of an ancient higher house, Caitlyn found her lineage within the pages of these texts. The name Kiramman popped up several times, often tied to royalty and merchant companies. It was so jarring to see her own surname in texts older than the nation she was born in. It reminded her of the legacy she now carried.
These days, Caitlyn found herself hunched over her textbooks with ink-smudged fingertips and squinting under the lamplight. It was winter in Piltover now, and no amount of sweaters bundled around her shoulders could warm Caitlyn’s fingers.
The wind howled outside the window Caitlyn sat near. No one except Caitlyn lingered in the library this late at night, which was what she preferred: a person like her had no need for friends.
Well. She had no need for them, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want friends. It was just that the Kiramman heiress was apparently unapproachable by people her own age. She had tried several times to make friends with her fellow officers in training, to no avail. She was either too awkward or too stern, too eager or too cold, too much or not enough.
Caitlyn realised long ago that she was better off alone and left to her own devices.
“Well, well. Look who’s hiding in the library again.”
Caitlyn sighed. Mostly alone.
She looked up. Standing on the opposite end of the table and smirking down at her stood the bane of Caitlyn’s existence: Corina Veraza.
Corina was the youngest daughter of the House Veraza, a lower house in Piltover. They were a recent addition to Piltover’s nobility and originated from the burning deserts of Shurima. Caitlyn knew them well: she and Corina had gone to the same school as children, and now again the same university.
Fate never seemed to want to separate the two of them, despite their relationship being tainted with petty insecurities and bullying. Well, on Corina’s part anyway.
“Hiding would imply fear. I simply prefer to be here than anywhere else.” Caitlyn said, returning to her notes.
Corina let out an airy laugh and asked, “Including your own dormitory? According to your roommates, they haven’t seen you in days.”
Caitlyn glanced at her and raised an eyebrow. What an odd thing to confess to. Under the lamplight, Corina’s brown skin and green eyes seemed to glow as she glowered down at Caitlyn.
“Keeping tabs on me?” Caitlyn asked, “I never thought you’d be the stalking type, Veraza.”
“Don’t be so dramatic, Kiramman. I’m only keeping tabs on my rival,” Corina said, a mirthless smile on her face.
Caitlyn shook her head and said, “You say that like it’s an official title. I don’t remember agreeing to any form of rivalry with you, academic or otherwise.”
It had been like that since the beginning, hadn’t it? Corina had always wanted things her way. She wanted the best grades and the prettiest friends, ever the spoiled brat. When she had extended her hand to Caitlyn all those years ago, declaring that the two of them would become best friends, it felt more like a threat than an offer.
Caitlyn had turned her down that day, trusting her gut instinct and not realising the chaos she would invite into her life from then on. The chaos currently standing before her.
“So formal. No wonder you nestle yourself into books all day long. You’re a walking textbook.” Corina said as she ran a slender finger down the cover of a tome. She flicked off the dust that collected on her fingertip, her face scrunched up in disgust.
Caitlyn sighed, asking, “Was there a point to this conversation, or do you just plan on insulting me all night?”
With a tilt of her head, Corina asked, “Who’s to say that I don’t just enjoy your company, Lady Kiramman?”
Caitlyn shuddered at the title. She had heard this from Corina so many times before, but it never failed to rile her up.
“Don’t call me that. The lady of my house is my mother., Sshe is Lady Kiramman.” Caitlyn said.
Corina knew this, of course. She had known since they were children and Corina did the perfect greeting to Lady Kiramman, matriarch and current head of the Kiramman house. She had been the picture of politeness, and Cassandra had been quite fond of her since then. But the moment the adults turned their backs, Corina would direct a wicked smile Caitlyn’s way.
Caitlyn hated that smile. She hated the bodily reaction it caused more than anything. She was never good at hiding her emotions, but this was especially true around Corina.
“But that will be your title one day.” Corina said matter-of-factly, “Whenever you decide to stop playing hero and settle down.”
There it was: Corina’s consistent desire to bring up Caitlyn’s choices in life. Was it truly so wrong to want to make life safer in Zaun? Was the goal to become a detective and root out the crime ring in the undercity such an unrealistic dream?
She shook her head and said, “Your attempts to belittle my goals are useless. Feel free to leave through the same door you came through, Corina.”
With that, Caitlyn went back to her studies and ignored the older woman before her. She prayed to whatever deity that was listening that Corina would just leave for once. Just this one time.
No dice.
Corina hummed as she circled the table Caitlyn was sitting at. It was only a small round table so Corina’s heels didn’t click against the floor for long. She sauntered towards Caitlyn until she was leaning against the table. If Caitlyn’s elbow so much as twitched, it would hit Corina’s skirt-clad thigh.
She always smelled like flowers. Such was to be expected of a botanist major like Corina, who worked in a cultivair all day.
“You know, I’ll never become the head of my family. Not while my older brothers still draw breath, at least.” Corina began to say as she inspected her nails.
Caitlyn snorted.
“I’m sure you’ll live.”
Corina did not dignify this with an answer. Instead, she reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind Caitlyn’s hair. She could feel Corina’s nails lightly scratch against her scalp, and the feeling sent shivers down her spine. Try as she might, Caitlyn’s reddened ears spoke volumes even if she stayed silent.
Her fingers drifted down from Caitlyn’s ear, along her jaw and then across her mouth. For the briefest of moments, Caitlyn wondered how easy it would be to open her mouth and taste the fingertip that grazed over her lip. Would Corina taste like flowers, too? How would Corina even react? Caitlyn quickly pushed the thought from her mind. It was a useless thought, anyway.
Corina was almost snarling as she said, “You’ll never know what that’s like: not being the heir to the most powerful family in the country. Not being the golden child, or the perfect student. By the Sun, you’ve probably never been told no before, have you?”
She wondered what Corina’s gripe was this time. She was well aware of how jealous Corina had always been of her – even from afar; it, it was easy to spot the green in Corina’s gaze.
“I wonder what people would say if they knew you couldn’t even look me in the eyes. The youngest child of a lower house and you cower like a frightened animal,” Corina murmured, her eyes drifting across Caitlyn’s face.
Caitlyn slapped her hand away from her face and glared up at her.
“I don’t cower,” she spat, “and I care little for what they have to say about me. Make your point and be done with it, Corina.”
This dismissal seemed to light a flame under Corina. The Shuriman woman proceeded to grab Caitlyn’s face and force Caitlyn to look up at her, no matter how she struggled. Those perfect nails dug into the skin of Caitlyn’s cheeks like a warning, a dare . Daring Caitlyn to try and wrench herself free. And despite being pulled so roughly, Caitlyn held her gaze with a glower of her own.
“I despise you.” Corina growled out.
Her green eyes burned with passion as she said this. Caitlyn merely scoffed and asked, “Is that supposed to be new information?”
“You look down on the rest of us. We all see it. The way you sprint out of classes and never talk to anyone. You think just because you’re a Kiramman that you are better than us, right? The world is bigger than just Piltover, you know? Back in Shurima, my family were like royalty .” Corina snarled.
With the best grin she could manage, Caitlyn asked, “So why did they kick you out then?”
Corina gave her a mirthless smile and said, “We left. Piltover was ripe for the taking and we had exactly what your nation wanted.”
Oh, Caitlyn knew all about what Piltover wanted from the Veraza’s: their multiple businesses dealing in luxury exports like ivory, gold and more. It was said that it wasn’t blood that ran through a Veraza’s veins, but millions of tiny rubies.
Caitlyn snarled back, “I don’t give a fuck about your family. Or where you come from. And I don’t think I’m better than the rest of you, either.”
“You’re so full of shit,” Corina spat before letting go of Caitlyn’s face.
She was having none of that. In the blink of an eye, Caitlyn’s hand darted out and grabbed Corina’s wrist. The Shuriman struggled for a moment but she couldn’t overpower Caitlyn.
“I am better than you , though.” Caitlyn said, her blue eyes glaring up at her, “You, Corina, are so far out of your depth you can’t even see the shore anymore. And you cornered me here tonight for the same reason you keep tabs on me every waking moment: because you know I’m right.”
“I am studying for a doctorate . My research into the flora of Zaun and Piltover have revolutionised the field of botany, I have–” Corina began saying but was swiftly cut off.
Caitlyn laughed and asked, “Who cares?”
Corina sneered down at her for that comment. While Caitlyn was well aware of Corina’s internship with the PPD’s forensics team, she knew that the quickest way to wound Corina was to belittle her pride and joy: her work. Caitlyn just wanted to twist the knife in a little bit.
“You haven’t even graduated from the police academy and you have the nerve to think you’re better than me,” Corina said, seething and struggling against Caitlyn’s grip.
“You got a headstart with age. But you can feel me catching up, can’t you? That breath on your neck that keeps you up at night.” Caitlyn’s voice grew to a low murmur now, asking, “Is that it, Corina? Do you stay up at night seething over me? Do you close your eyes and see my face looking down on you? Is that why you came to me in the dead of night to rile me up?”
They had never crossed this line before. They had toed this line between antagonism and passion since they were children, but it had never gone this far. Never had Caitlyn been close enough to see Corina’s chest heaving or her pupils dilating like this.
Never had she felt Corina’s pulse slamming against her hand like this.
Corina spoke through clenched teeth, saying, “You’re so full of yourself.”
“If I didn’t know any better,” Caitlyn said with a grin, “I might think you’ve got a crush on me.”
Had the two of them not been in an empty library, otherwise silent and so close together, Caitlyn might not have heard what she heard. But she had caught it: the sharp intake of breath from Corina.
Bingo.
“Looks like I hit the nail on the head. Either shut your mouth and put it to better use,” Caitlyn snarled, “or leave me alone.”
Time seemed to come to a standstill in the little bubble they had created between them. Corina was breathing hard now, nearly panting, and Caitlyn could only hear the blood roaring in her ears. Had she said too much? Had she given Corina too much ammunition to use against her later?
There was a storm raging in Corina’s eyes. One almost as bad as the one outside the library. The world could have imploded around Caitlyn at that moment, and she still wouldn’t have been able to look away. What would be her answer?
In the end, Corina had no answer. She simply used her other hand to cup Caitlyn’s cheek and pull her into a searing kiss.
At first, Caitlyn had been stiff with surprise. Her brain had still been processing that oh my fucking god im kissing corina holy fucking shit– before Caitlyn dove into the kiss with every ounce of her being. She poured everything she had into this kiss, not knowing if it would be the last they ever shared. The tension that had brewed between them since they were children now spilt over the edges, and Caitlyn wanted to make sure it was unforgettable with what little time she had.
Caitlyn rose to her feet in one fluid motion and knocked her books off the table behind Corina. The chair Caitlyn had been sitting on was knocked back, and the sound echoed throughout the library. Neither of them seemed to care. Caitlyn lifted Corina up by the waist and sat her onto the table with ease, never once breaking the kiss. Her height and strength came in handy at that moment, although it wasn't needed with a woman as small as Corina was.
Caitlyn’s hands wandered along Corina’s body, exploring all the curves and edges she had been fantasising about for years now. The real thing was so much better than her imagination. Corina kissed just as Caitlyn had imagined she would: it was like Caitlyn was drinking the most delicious poison drip by drip, eager for more even though she knew it would kill her eventually. Corina's hands ran along Caitlyn’s back and torso, leaving a trail of fire and electricity wherever they went.
She smelled of roses, and Caitlyn wanted to drown in it.
“You’re much more tolerable when you aren’t talking,” Corina teased with hooded eyes when she pulled back.
Caitlyn could feel her smiling against her mouth. It was unbearably attractive.
“Funny. I was about to say the same thing.” Caitlyn murmured.
This earned her a grin from Corina. Caitlyn took this moment to drink in the sight of Corina: from the dark brown skin, the white teeth and the green eyes, she knew she was a goner. The woman she had been crushing on for a years despite their mutual animosity and rivalry was now unbuckling her trousers and breathing out moans in her ear: her fate had been sealed long before this moment.
Caitlyn knew she had been caught in whatever trap Corina had laid but honestly? The deadliest traps had the sweetest lures, and Caitlyn was content with submitting to her fate. Even if it was just for one night.