Chapter Text
“Daydreaming about me again, Riot? Turn and burn his ass!”
Vi grins wide as she slams the yoke left, sending her F-14 Tomcat into a barrel roll. From the comm in her mask, her RIO, Sarah, whooped and hollered at the sudden maneuver.
She almost has the bogey in her sights, but before her radar can lock, it manages to slip away.
“Stop teasing me, Riot! I’m close!” Sarah hollers, her energy sky-high since the start of the hop. She’s always been a fiery ball of energy, but as RIO, she’s a calm and calculating support. That steadiness balances perfectly with Vi’s aggressive, instinctual flying. Sarah loves to rile her up, but when the time comes, she centers them. They suffered through four years of basic training, then another two years of flight school together, side by side. By now, Sarah feels like an extension of Vi in the cockpit, her literal eyes, the one saving her ass day after day.
There’s no one Vi trusts more in the world– that’s what makes them the best at what they do.
“You better work on your stamina, Bandit. We don’t have time for you to fire off prematurely,” Vi calls back, eyes narrowing on her radar. “I’m moving in, Kelvin, you hook him.” Vi takes the lead with her wingman sliding into position.
Just as they begin closing in, the bogey ahead swiftly changes course.
“Shit, he’s vertical! Contact, 20 left at 30 miles, four-hundred knots closure.” Sarah shouts, tone suddenly serious.
“Got that, Kelvin?”
“Roger,” his voice crackles through the headset.
“He’s not getting away again,” Vi mutters.
The radar struggles to lock as Vi steadies the Tomcat in a vertical climb, nose tipped toward the ground. Sarah knows when to joke and when to focus, so the only sound breaking Vi’s focus is the radar’s incessant beeping.
She rolls a shoulder as sweat drips down her spine under her flightsuit. Her brows are furrowed and her jaw is clenched as she takes a deep breath.
“There’s two of them!” Sarah shouts. “I’m picking up another bogey on the radar. Two hundred and fifty miles out.”
“Fuck. Kelvin, stick with bogey one. I’m going after bogey two.” Vi yanks the yoke, following the coordinates that Sarah is reading off.
“I lost him in the sun, Riot! Shit, I can’t see him! Where is he, Carnie?” Kelvin shouts at his RIO.
“He’s coming around on our tail!” the RIO responds.
Vi glances towards her teammate, but her focus remains on the bogey in her sights. “You gotta lose ‘em, Kelvin.”
Vi’s close to locking on bogey two.
“Come on. Lock up, baby,” Vi mumbles to her radar.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
She stabilizes her jet, a bead of sweat dripping down her forehead. Then–
Beeeeeppppp
“Tone!” She shouts when the radar finally locks, and her finger hovers over the missile release.
“Fuck yes! Casper down!” Sarah shouts, fist-pumping in the cockpit. They hadn’t expected the second instructor to enter airspace, and no one caught on until he was almost on top of them. His callsign is very fitting.
Vi eases the throttle back, allowing the jet to coast now that the target has been neutralized.
Muttered curses from their flight instructor, Casper, crackle in their ears through their headsets as he heads back to base.
“How goes it, Kelvin?”
“Kelv, he’s going to get a lock on us! Get us out of here!” Carnie shouts, panic bleeding through his voice.
“I see you right below us, Kelvin. I’m on my way.” Vi dips the plane, angling to get the jump on the bogey.
Kelvin’s jet falters, his flying unsteady and anxious. At 300 knots, there’s no room for nerves–– that’s how pilots get killed.
She knows the maneuver she’s about to pull won’t earn her any points for technique, but it will get her unofficial points for style.
“Hold on, Bandit,” is the only warning she gives her RIO before she slams the yoke left, turning the plane upside down so she can circle around and get behind the bogey.
He’s not expecting it. He doesn’t have time to react before–
Beeeeeeeep.
“Got him!”
“Fuck yes!”
“Great work today, lieutenants. And Bandit, for the love of god, I can hear you the entire time. Keep it professional,” their instructor reprimands, though there isn’t an ounce of seriousness in his tone. Vi knows Sarah is the highlight of every hop.
Sarah explodes into cackles. “Sir, yes sir!”
“Alright, Kelvin. Let’s bring it in,” Vi says, grin evident in her voice.
“See you on deck,” their instructor says before he peels away.
But before Vi can follow, Kelvin’s position makes her pause. His jet hasn’t slowed, and he hasn’t turned back towards base. “Kelvin?”
“We’re running low on fuel, Kelv. We gotta get out of here,” Carnie says. The plane still doesn’t move.
Fuck. He’s losing it. Vi can hear Kelvin’s heavy breathing through the comms.
“Kelvin, we have to land. We’re way low on gas. You alright, man?”
Carnie sounds desperate.
“Bandit, Kelvin’s in trouble,” Vi says, easing back the throttle.
“We’re too low on fuel, Riot. We need to land.”
All Vi hears is Carnie’s voice shouting at Kelvin through the headset, calling his name and begging him to turn the plane around.
“Fuck,” Sarah mutters when she realizes what Vi is about to do.
Vi doesn’t think twice about her actions before she swings the jet around, gunning the throttle to close the distance on Kelvin.
The tower commander’s voice cuts in instantly. “Ghost Rider, you are instructed to land immediately.”
She ignores him.
“Talk to me, Carnie. What’s going on up there?”
“Kelvin shut down, Riot. That surprise attack really freaked him out. I don’t think we can make it back and we’re running on fumes.”
Vi slides her jet up alongside his. “You’re okay, Kelv. Stay on my wing. I’ll take you in, okay?”
Kelvin doesn't respond, but he falls into line. Vi keeps talking to him. “Almost there, buddy. Pull up a bit for me, okay? You’re below glide path, three-quarters of a mile. C’mon Kelv, call the ball.”
He’s unsteady– the landing is shaky at best and entirely too low. The gear snaps off the jet on impact, but he still manages to skid onto the deck.
Vi grunts out a breath of relief, feeling the tension leaving her shoulders.
“You did good, Riot, but they’re going to kill us for disobeying orders.”
And just like that, the tension is back. Fuck. She wasn’t thinking that far ahead.
***
Vi stands outside her captain’s office with Sarah at her side, looking bored, as the commander loses his shit over the stunt they pulled fifteen minutes prior.
But she doesn’t regret it.
“–those twinkle-toed flying monkeys disobeyed a direct order and almost ran out of fuel in the air because of it!”
He’s been yelling for a while in the meeting with the captain, while Vi and Sarah stand at attention outside the door.
Vi snorts quietly, muttering to Sarah, “Twinkle-toed?”
“That one’s new. That must be you, Lieutenant Undercut Mcqueer.”
“Shut up, Bandit. You’re the reason we’re about to get our asses chewed out,” Vi tells her.
Sarah’s eyebrows shoot up, mouth falling open. “You were the one with your hand on the throttle! I didn’t do shit.”
Vi smirks at her. “Every good pilot knows, when something goes wrong, blame the RIO.”
Sarah turns to fully face her, crossing her arms petulantly. “You’d better hope I don’t “accidentally” press your eject button next hop and let Matilda nosedive into the drink, Riot. I can always find myself a new pilot.”
“You wouldn’t dare let anything happen to my aircraft, Bandit. I love her more than you, more than life itself. Only I know how to touch her, how to please her. She’s never let me down, and when you meet a woman like that, you cherish her,” Vi replies, hands on her hips.
Sarah groans, rolling her eyes. “I can’t believe you got even gayer just now. This love affair with your aircraft has gone on too long– you need to get laid. By a real woman, not a hunk of metal.”
The loud voice of the tower commander interrupted their back and forth. “I’ve had it with these flyboys!”
The office door slams open, and they snap to attention as the furious man storms out of the office in his beige uniform. He collides with a bustling office secretary rounding a corner, sending her tray of hot coffee down the front of his shirt.
“Fuck!” he snarls, tearing down the hallway and leaving the frazzled woman to clean the mess by herself.
Vi instantly stoops down with a sheepish smile, helping her gather cups and lids that had clattered to the floor.
“Sorry about that, ma’am,” she says, words smooth as velvet. “A beautiful woman should never have to clean up after someone like him.”
The woman blushes furiously, mumbling a thanks.
“Riot, Bandit, get in here,” the captain calls from his office, and Vi immediately snaps up. They step into his office, standing at attention in front of his desk.
“What you did was incredibly brave,” he says, not looking up from the desk.
He pauses to let the words settle, then he slowly stands.
“What you should have done was land your plane,” he seethes, each word louder and angrier than the last. “Every time there’s a problem, you two are in the middle of it. You’ve been a pain in my ass since day one. Riot, your ego is writing checks your body can’t cash. You’re reckless, and you have no respect for authority. You went against a direct order from your tower commander today. You’ve lost your qualifications as section leader three times. You have a history of high-speed passes over five air control towers, and one admiral’s daughter,” he spits the words like venom.
“Ahri?” Sarah leans over to whisper.
Vi answers with a tiny shrug of her shoulders and a furrow of her brow. She can’t remember the girl’s name at all.
“You’ve got some fucking nerve going against orders like that. I’m not going to bullshit you– you’re one of the best teams to ever leave this program. You’re a hell of an instinctive pilot, Riot. Maybe too good. I’d like to bust your ass, but I can’t. You showed some damn impressive flying today. That’s why you’re headed to TOPGUN to fly against the best in Runterra.” He rounds his desk to get in Vi’s face. “If you fuck up even once, Lieutenant, you’re done. This is your only warning. Don’t let yourselves down, don’t let your country down, and Riot, don’t let your mother down. You owe it to yourself and to her to make the most of this opportunity. There won’t be another one.”
Vi remains at attention, eyes forward and avoiding contact with her captain, but a muscle in her jaw clenches. He knows that’s a sore spot for her, which is why he takes pride in twisting the knife.
As a kid, Vi’s mom taught her how to make paper airplanes so she didn’t feel too far away when she was off on a mission. Vi used to sit on her back porch and meticulously fold colorful paper that would soar through the air. Her sister would chase them across the yard, kicking up grass with her bare feet. Vi always knew she would fly like that one day– just like her mother. It wasn’t just the adrenaline or the challenge, it was the freedom she craved. She wanted to be like those planes, swept away by the humid air and soaring above the trees.
People around her usually don’t mention her mother. All of her superiors know, of course, and they might allude to her, but they never mention her so directly. Vi doesn’t even know all the details of how she died. Classified. Neither the plane nor her body were ever recovered.
Grief pokes uncomfortably at her ribs and settles in her throat, sharp and present. Before she can dwell on the feeling, she nods once and clears her throat. “Yes, sir.”
“Dismissed, lieutenants. And good luck out there.”
“Thank you, sir,” Vi gives him another curt nod, then she follows Sarah out of his office.
Sarah exhales loudly a few paces down the hall. “Could have been worse. He could have called us flying fairies again. Pretty sure that one was a gay joke.”
“Mm,” Vi hums, thoughts drifting to that horrible day eight years ago when a somber trio in Navy whites walked up to her front porch with a folded flag. Less than a month later, her father died from an explosion in the mines, leaving her and her little sister alone.
“Are you okay, Vi? Seriously.” Sarah asks, muttering.
Vi doesn’t lift her eyes from the ground. Sarah isn’t asking as her RIO or as her partner. She’s asking as her best friend.
“I’m good, Sarah,” she says with a half smile.
Sarah understands. This is the one thing they never talk about, the one thing Vi won’t share with her.
“Right. Let’s get out of these sacks, then. I hate how my ass looks in them,” Sarah says with a nod, hand yanking at the loose-fitting flight suit.
“Hey, be nice to your ass. It saves mine all the time up there,” Vi says in a lame attempt at a joke. Sarah, who Vi is forever grateful for, laughs anyways.
When Vi and Sarah first met, they instantly clicked. Vi loves Sarah, trusts her with her life every single day. Even though their playful banter often includes flirting, it’s never been like that for them. They aren’t that for each other, they’re something more. Call it platonic soulmates, call it twin flames, call it whatever– Vi doesn’t know what she would do without the fiery red head. She couldn’t have made it through flight school, that’s for sure. There’s no one else she would want by her side at TOPGUN.
***
The military base where TOPGUN is located is off a small coastal town in Ionia. On the flight over, Vi could only make out miles of green surrounded by a slate blue sea. It’s a foggy morning so she can’t see much of anything else, but the place already feels like home.
Here, Vi can finally take the last steps into her mother’s shoes. That’s the entire reason she’s here, carrying on her mother’s legacy and honoring her memory by following her path in life. When she’s flying, she can feel her mother’s presence– always there, always steady– guiding her, pushing her.
“Remember, Violet,” her mother had said one summer when Powder was still a baby, “The sky is freedom, but it’s never home. Home is what you land for.”
Beside her, Sarah snores on Vi’s shoulder. Vi smiles fondly, adjusting her head so she isn’t sore by the time she wakes up.
Outside the window, the ground steadily approaches. “I won’t let you down, Mom,” Vi whispers into the sky.
“Passengers, please fasten your seatbelts. We’re making our final descent into Fort Khanjuul.”
Vi can just barely make out the buildings that dot along the coastline, weathered by the wind and waves from the raging sea. Fort Khanjuul is right outside the town of Thanze, its access to seaports making it a desirable location for TOPGUN.
In the distance, she can see the airstrips of the fort. There’s no better feeling than the burning anticipation of an idling aircraft on the runway– that’s the feeling that Vi fell in love with when her mother took her in a plane for the first time.
“Wake up, Bandit,” Vi says, shaking her shoulder. Sarah’s head is tilted back, lips slightly parted as light snores escape.
‘Wha…” Sarah mumbles, eyes still closed.
“We’re here.”
Vi feels antsy all over. It feels like when she would get in fights, back when she was younger. Her knee bounces to release some of the tension, hands itching to grab hold of a yoke.
This is it. This is where she was always meant to be. Her mother was here, at this very school, top of her class. She’ll be walking the same streets and flying in the same airspace that her mother did in all the tales she told of her beloved flight school by the sea. She can’t believe she actually made it here.
“Holy shit. We made it,” Sarah beams beside her, considerably more awake but head still resting on Vi’s shoulder. “What’s on the agenda today?”
“Today is for getting settled into our cabin before the first day of classes tomorrow. We have a brief meeting with the other pilots, but nothing other than that. This is probably the only free time we’ll have for the next five weeks.”
“We need to make it count, then,” Sarah says, rubbing her hands together like she has a secret plan. It’s not a secret, Vi knows she wants to get shitfaced at the nearest bar.
Vi rolls her eyes, but she’ll allow it. “We need to focus on sizing up our competition when we meet the other pilots.”
“It’s not really a competition, you know. We’re playing for the same team,” Sarah states.
“They give us rankings, which means we’re competing. And we’ve always been at the top, Bandit. We have to fight to stay there,” Vi says, hands fidgeting in the pockets of her leather flight jacket.
“And we will, because we’re the best. But don’t let the pressure of the competition and the rankings get to you just because this place makes you think about her.” Sarah instantly freezes, biting her lip knowing she has stepped over the invisible boundary. Before Vi can reply, she continues speaking to cover up the slip. “We’re going to kick ass, and those other pilots won’t know what hit ‘em. Right?”
Vi nods at her, corner of her mouth lifting. “Right.”
“Hoo-rah! I was doing some research, and there’s a pub off of Shimon Street that’s really close to base. We should round everyone up and have a drink tonight, one last celebration before we’re at each other’s necks.”
“Sure, Bandit.” To be honest, Vi would follow Sarah anywhere.
Sarah just grins, shoving Vi over so she can get a better view out of the window as they land at the fort.
The nearby town of Thanze is small, barely a blip on the map that would be easy to pass over. It’s mostly remote, and it would be a ghost town if it wasn’t for the constant influx of flyboys attending the school. The cobblestone streets were almost as weather-worn as the small houses dotting the shoreline, and it lacked anything that could be classified as entertainment besides a single pub.
Which was probably good for keeping hotshot pilots like herself from getting into trouble and flunking out of the rigorous program.
What it does offer, however, are a few quaint businesses and beautiful scenery. That’s what Vi notices the most on the short walk down Shimon street where she and Sarah were meeting up with the rest of the recruits. Even though it was dark and mostly deserted, the town still seemed warm and inviting.
The pub has low ceilings, sticky floors, mismatched wobbly chairs, and scratched wooden bartop. The sign had been faded almost into oblivion by the sun. The walls are covered in ripped, crooked posters, fliers, and newspaper clippings– some advertising various local brews, some bearing the name of sports teams, and some are a shrine to bands Vi has never heard of before. This place has definitely seen more than a few barfights, but Vi kinda loves it.
It’s also absolutely packed, jammed wall-to-wall with townspeople and aviators alike. It seems like the whole town came to welcome the new class to Thanze.
“To flying with a hangover tomorrow!” Sarah calls to the other pilots and RIOs gathered around the bar top, most already looking well on their way there. She is met with a boisterous cheer, with several people raising their glasses towards her.
Vi manages to flag down the bartender while Sarah mingles like she’s known everyone for years. She orders a local brew on tap for herself and a gin and tonic for Sarah. Vi’s RIO has saved her ass so many times she should never have to buy her own drink, in Vi’s opinion.
When she rounds back to where Sarah is already holding the attention of a group of pilots and other hanger-ons, she can tell Sarah has already charmed them into spilling all of their secrets. She has the other recruits eating out of the palm of her hand, latching on to her every word as she exaggerates whatever story Vi is sure she is spinning.
Vi slides the glass over to her, and Sarah takes it with a wink as she finishes her highly embellished storytelling with her admirers.
“Don’t get shy on me now, Bandit,” Vi teases when Sarah peels herself away from the crowd, collapsing into Vi’s space in the booth.
“You wish,” she retorts, throwing back the rest of her drink. “Oh. My drink’s empty.”
She’s drunk already. Vi rolls her eyes. “I swear I’ll fly Matilda upside down tomorrow if you even hint at a hangover,” Vi mutters as she squeezes past Sarah to get out of the booth and order her another. Sarah is a lightweight who drinks like she’s got something to prove, but somehow, Vi just can’t say no to her.
Vi has to wait a bit longer to catch the bartender this time. She uses the time to survey the bar, taking in the patrons and her fellow recruits dressed in their Navy whites.
The other patrons seem to be a bit older, grizzled working people. This town gets most of its revenue from the fisheries, so it makes sense that most of the residents are fishermen and women. They smile at her, though, some raising their glass to salute her, and she introduces herself as Riot.
As she’s casually taking in her surroundings, her eyes snag on something, like a radar locking onto a bogey.
A woman. A beautiful, tall woman that makes all the people, all the noise, all the clutter around her fade into nothing. Her endlessly long legs are framed by a short black skirt, paired with a dark blue top. Her long hair cascades down her back like a silk waterfall as she turns, allowing Vi to look at her head-on now. She’s absolutely stunning, with chiseled cheekbones and a jawline sharp enough to be dangerous. She laughs at something the woman beside her says– the other woman is also strikingly beautiful, what the hell– and the sound lights up every nerve in Vi’s body.
She’s gorgeous, but not only that– she’s electric. Vi feels herself being pulled towards her, like gravity has a favorite.
Vi is shamelessly checking her out, probably with a stupidly awestruck expression.
“What can I get you?” the bartender asks, and something about his voice lets Vi know it’s not the first time he’s asked. It’s the only thing that draws her attention away from the woman across the bar.
“Oh, uh– anything with vodka, please,” she stammers, trying and failing to sound intelligent.
The bartender follows her gaze, smirks, and slides her a fruity drink with a side shot of something dark. “Welcome to Thanze.” Vi nods, downing the shot in one go. She mumbles a thanks and pivots on her heel to head back to Sarah.
Before she turns fully around, though, she glances back toward the captivating stranger– only to find her already watching Vi with an amused smirk.
Fuck. Had she known the entire time that Vi was completely eye-fucking her?
Vi doesn’t linger, she just musters all the confidence that she can fake and saunters back towards Sarah. In her haste, she almost bumps into someone, and then over-corrects right into a barstool, causing it to clatter onto the ground.
“Oh my god,” she groans, bending down to yank it up off the ground.
She doesn’t need to turn around. She can feel the gaze of the beautiful woman following her and mocking her from across the bar.
“You look like you saw a ghost,” Sarah says with a raised eyebrow when Vi hands her the drink.
“Close. I think I saw an angel, and then I made a complete ass of myself in front of her,” she grunts, raking a hand through her hair.
“Way to go, Lieutenant Casanova. Already trying to sample the local cuisine, huh?”
Vi just rolls her eyes, not even justifying that with a response. She isn’t sure if the other woman is local, but she doesn’t seem like a pilot. She’s… different. Vi can’t put her finger on it, but she refuses to look back again.
“What did you find out about the other pilots?” Vi asks, leaning in a bit closer and changing the subject.
Sarah grins around her straw, like she’s been waiting for this. “See that guy built like a fridge at the jukebox? That’s Garen Crownguard, call sign Tank. He got the name because, well… look at him.” Sarah gestures with her drink, sloshing some of the pink liquid over the sides.
Vi nods. He is built exactly like a tank. Vi wonders how he manages to fold himself into a cockpit.
“And that beautiful woman with the red hair at the bar? That’s his RIO, Katarina Du Couteau, or Blade. They were just deployed in Noxus before they came here. Blade is from there, apparently. I’m also definitely hooking up with her before we leave here, just by the way, so I call dibs.”
“You can’t just call dibs on a real person–”
“Dibs, Vi. Respect it.”
Vi blinks at her. Not that she had any intention of sleeping with her fellow recruits, and she really should give Sarah a lecture about staying focused. But Sarah barrels on.
“Anyways. The short girl, ginger bob? Maddie Nolen, call sign Pluto. Apparently, she has a habit of sneaking up on people and she was the smallest person in her squad, so they called her Pluto. That tall skinny guy next to her is Steb, call sign Gill. He’s a quiet guy, so I couldn’t get much out of him. They’re nice, though. They seemed surprised they were selected for TOPGUN, so I don’t know what to make of them quite yet.”
Vi nurses her beer as Sarah talks, rapid-firing information at her. “Who’s left?”
“Two more teams. That tall guy with the glasses is Claggor, or Clang, and his RIO is Mylo, or Zap. Apparently back in flight school, Claggor had a landing so rough, the jet permanently makes a clanging noise when the landing gear deploys. Thus, his call sign.”
Vi snorts. Of course, doing something stupid like that would follow him all this time. She’s just glad Sarah was too drunk to suggest any of her ridiculous ideas of a call sign for Vi, or else Vi would have to introduce herself as something stupid like Dykatron 3000. Sarah’s real creative like that. Her call sign came from a verbal lashing, one of her instructors saying that she was the type to start a riot. It stuck.
“What’s the story behind Zap?”
Sarah grins at her, well past tipsy. “He tried to hotwire a toy plane to fly faster, and ended up lightly electrocuting himself.”
She’s going to like those two, she can already tell.
“Now the last team, they’re our competition,” Sarah says, motioning with her glass at the two men sitting close to each other and surrounded by other recruits, the broad-shouldered one holding court in a booth. “Jayce ‘Hammer’ Talis and his RIO Viktor, called Herald. The way they move together, I can already tell they’re ace in the air. We need to be careful when they’re up there with us.”
Vi eyes them, taking in the odd pair. Viktor is quiet, lithe and angular as the corner of his lips quirk up at whatever story Jayce is telling the group, but he isn’t quiet like Steb seems to be. Jayce, however, is the total opposite– broad shoulders, built like a brawler. He slams a shot back, then resumes his story like the life of the party that he is.
She knows they’re competition, but she can’t help but be drawn to them.
Also, her gaydar is firing on all cylinders right now. She raises an eyebrow at Sarah, who seems to be thinking the same thing.
“Pair of fruitcakes, I know.”
A startled laugher tumbles out of Vi, nearly causing her to drop her pint. “You really think so?”
“I see everything. I’m your eyes, remember? I wouldn’t miss something like that.” Sarah pauses for a moment, smile turning sly. “Just like I didn’t miss you making eyes at that woman across the bar.”
Vi groans, slumping back into her seat. “It’s not happening, Bandit.”
“What, have you lost your edge already? Cool, hot, flirty Vi thinks she’ll crash and burn with a girl in a bar?”
Sarah is trying to rile her up. Vi knows this. Unfortunately, Sarah also knows Vi.
“The bet is $20. You have to have carnal knowledge of a woman. On the premises.”
Vi rolls her eyes, but she’s smirking. “It’s just not fair, Bandit– for you.”
Sarah eyes her, her gaze flicking between Vi’s and where she remains firmly planted in the booth. “And yet, you’re still here, Lieutenant Blue Balls.”
“Bandit.”
“Lieutenant Abstinence.”
“Sarah.”
“Lieutenant Chastity Belt.”
“These are getting worse.”
“Lieutenant Coital–”
Vi abruptly stands with an almighty groan. “Fine! Just stop.”
Sarah grins like she won. Vi supposes she did, but not for long.
“You know…” Vi trails off, the tip of her tongue flicking over an incisor. “I wonder if she believes in love at first sight.”
Sarah’s eyes widen. “Absolutely not–”
Vi snatches her wrist, ignoring Sarah’s groans in protest behind her.
Her feet automatically steer her toward the beautiful woman, who is now leaning against the bar chatting with her friend.
She can do this. How many women has she successfully chatted up in bars? This should be a walk in the park. There is absolutely no reason her palms should be sweating right now.
Vi glares at Sarah with a look that practically screams I’m going to make tomorrow’s hop the most vomit-inducing ride of your life if you screw this up for me right now.
“Excuse me, ladies,” Vi says, confidence dripping off her tongue. “Can you help us settle an argument? My friend here has tried the ‘do you believe in love at first sight’ line five times this evening. Please tell her how awful that one is.”
The two women glance at each other, laughing amongst themselves.
“Out of all the lines you could have chosen, that one really is terrible,” her friend supplies, sparing Sarah a pitying look.
Vi’s eyes lock on the blue-haired stranger, her eyebrow slightly quirked. “That’s what I’ve been telling her. Help me out, now, can you tell us the best way to start a conversation with a beautiful woman?”
The words land exactly how they should. Cool, confident, and over-the-top flirty. The woman instantly gets it.
“How many times has that song-and-dance worked for you?” the woman’s silky voice asks, words curling around an accent. She smirks, clearly amused and maybe even impressed.
Her eyes are big and blue, lined in black that makes them look even brighter. Her lips are slightly parted, caught on a breath.
She’s so fucking gorgeous, she practically glows.
“I’ve only tried it twice. Crashed and burned on the first try,” Vi says with an easy smirk.
“And the second?”
Vi’s expression turns hungry. “I don’t know, I’ll tell you tomorrow. But it’s looking good so far.”
The woman looks her up and down, gaze considering. “What’s your name, hotshot?” she asks, now fully turning her body towards Vi.
“Riot– my call sign.”
Her eyes catch on something over Vi’s shoulder, and her expression shifts from confusion to amusement. “And your friend? The one making lewd gestures behind you?”
Vi turns around and promptly flips Sarah off when she sees her making a scissoring motion with both of her hands.
“I’m doing barrel rolls until she vomits, I swear to fucking god,” Vi grumbles under her breath. “That’s Bandit. I’m killing her tomorrow.”
And then, the beautiful stranger laughs. At something Vi said. Vi actually stops and stares, chest feeling a little lighter at the unrestrained sound.
“I’m assuming that get-up isn’t just something you wear when you attempt to impress women in bars, hmm?” The beautiful stranger asks, eyes flicking to Vi’s Navy whites. She leans on the bar with one elbow, not quite in Vi’s space. Not as close as Vi would like.
“That depends, is it working?” Vi quips, plastering an easy smirk on her face.
“Not even close,” she hums over the rim of her glass as she throws the rest of it back, mirth filling her eyes. “But I’ll let you buy me another drink anyways.”
Vi chuckles, the response catching her off guard as she slides into the empty seat beside her. “I’m a pilot, actually.”
“No,” the woman teases, tapping one slender finger on the bartop to signal for a refill. Her eyebrows raise in mock surprise. “With those biceps? How do you fit guns that big into the cockpit?”
So she has noticed Vi subtly flexing. The curve of Vi’s brow matches the curve of her smirk as she leans in, just slightly. “Years of experience. I’m a woman of many talents, I’d love to show you sometime.”
The woman leans forward, a breath away from Vi. “Let me ask you something, hotshot. Are you a good pilot?” she asks, smirking.
Vi pretends to think, not letting her confident veneer drop even an inch. “I can hold my own.”
“Great. I won’t have to worry about you making your living by relying on those so-called talents of yours, then.” She stands, winking at Vi. “Thanks for the drink, Rookie.”
Fuck. Crash and burn.
“It’s Riot,” Vi says dumbly. She internally cringes– fucking idiot. Vi hadn’t expected this to go downhill so fast, and her brain is sputtering on idle.
Without a glance backwards, the beautiful woman saunters away, hips swaying with the motion.
After a few moments, Sarah slides into the now empty seat. “I believe you owe me $20.”
“Shut up, Bandit.”