Fandom: League of Legends
Genre: Fluffy gen I guess
Characters: Riven/Karma (/Janna)
Warnings: 0
Word Count: 655
Tag: Riven is more than the bits and pieces which people tend to mistake for the whole.
I’ve been kind of unfocused and lazy for quite a while and it took me over a week to get from point a to point b on this and I could spend more time on it but I won’t. I’m asleep right now but I’m alive. Have some OT3.
Greater Than the Sum
Riven had been born with a soft voice; a feminine voice, a weak voice. As a child sprouted from the streets of Noxus, she learned what people were wont to expect from a voice like that; she learned it hard but she learned it quick.
She learned just as quickly that she had plenty of alternate methods to get her point across. The streets were eager to teach her that the work of thirty words could be just as easily accomplished by twisting an arm past its breaking point.
Soft-spoken by nature became outright taciturn by nurture as the years left their mark. Laconic. Terse. Riven kept her thoughts to herself beyond those which could be expressed through deed and carriage and reputation.
Her superiors certainly appreciated the way she came into the spotlight ready to be seen and not heard.
As a soldier, then as an invader, and finally as an exile, she retains the voice of a girl half her age. It never fails to put Ionians on edge, these steadfast people so moored to tradition that even their villains are expected to bow to caricature. Funny, she thinks, that they'll hate her for being both Noxian and not Noxian enough.
Karma, of course, sees Riven not as a symbol of strife and sullied honor but as a human who has come so far and has yet a ways to go. Karma's never been one to hold the particulars of an individual’s birth against the person they eventually become.
She's in the garden now.
One arm is poised overhead and the other wields a paper fan, flared open and firework red, just above her raised knee. She is a statue for one, two slow breaths before stepping forward with a precise sweep of her arms. Limber as the pond’s bowing willow, Karma twists through the next phase, curling and uncurling her body with a fluidity punctuated only by the crisp snap of the fan.
Through her circling periphery she sees Riven enter the courtyard, but the new arrival passes into the house without a greeting. By the time she re-emerges, stripped of her armor and the grime of a week in the field, Karma's fan is folded and her focus re-centered.
"Janna?" That not-Noxian voice poses a not-Noxian question. It's only one word, but Karma hears all the little emotions crowding into the empty spaces surrounding the name.
"She meant to be here for your return," Karma reassures, holding out a hand in welcome. She smiles, offering something more constructive than condolences. “Since business spirited her away sooner than planned, she did give me something to give to you.”
Riven’s hand is rough and dry and familiar and the creases at the corners of her eyes are just starting to show. Her head tilts, memories of Janna’s previous parting gifts no doubt coloring her curiosity, lending a certain knowing weight to the gesture. “Hm?”
Karma’s smile deepens. “Close your eyes.”
They close without a thought. Karma sidles forward, her hand moving to trace the lines of Riven’s face. The backs of her fingers breeze under a solid jaw, her thumb tracks neatly down an eyebrow from one side to the other, her palm buzzes along Riven’s cheek where it comes to rest.
Riven’s lips part in anticipation.
Karma hums a happy note, rich and deep and warm, and kisses Riven with a barely-there touch of lips to the other cheek.
Then, studying Riven’s face with bright eyes, she steps back.
It takes Riven a second to puzzle this out, brow furrowing before one eye cracks open. And battle-scarred as she is, as damaged and jaded and wise as she is, her delicate voice manages to convey the kind of innocent naiveté she’s never known for a minute of her life:
“That’s it?”
Karma’s laugh is full and honest as she throws her arms around her companion, pressing close and loving everything Riven is.
Riven needs a new kidney and both Karma and Janna are a match. Go ham, buddy!
Soraka slides the test results across the desk. No one moves.
Finally, Riven reaches out and flips open the cover. Karma drops her eyes to give her privacy with the news; Janna bites her thumbnail but can’t read it from over Riven’s shoulders without her glasses.
Riven swallows hard and reads it again.
“Oh,” she says, “Okay.”
She closes the folder and leans forward, scooting it back towards the doctor. Soraka’s smile is professionally thin, neither causing undue worry nor encouraging rash optimism.
Karma’s hand goes to Riven’s shoulder, but she doesn’t know what to say, what to ask. All she wants is for Riven to know she’ll have all the support she needs no matter the journey.
Janna’s anxiety prevents her from accessing her usual tact. “Bad news, or?” She doesn’t want the bad news, but she doesn’t want the heartbreak of expecting the good news and not getting it.
Riven’s smile is quick and sour, everything Soraka’s is not. “Both, I guess?” She looks to Soraka before continuing, a silent plea to carry on if her own words fail her. “Kidney’s not gonna make it. It’ll have to be a full transplant.”
Her next breath is shaky, but she’s a fighter, she’s a survivor. She looks to one side and then the other, that smile twisting wider on her face as she studies Karma’s somber expression and the deep creases in Janna’s brow.
“But there’s a match. There are,” she corrects, a flustered glance to the doctor, “matches.”
Karma lets out a sigh that sounds like she’d been holding the weight of the world on her shoulders and Riven’s news has released her from the burden. Janna opens her mouth to say anything but all that comes out is this half-sob-half-laugh monstrosity and she quickly closes it again.
Riven’s smile goes unnaturally tight and her voice breaks when she speaks. “It’s you guys. Both of you match.”
Karma's flat on her back with her face turned away, trapped by the covetous press of Janna’s body against hers. Her free hand clutches at the bedding, tighter and tighter as Janna explores every familiar contour.
They’re both fully clothed and Janna’s only touched one side of her face and still Karma feels so exposed because they’re not alone. When Karma’s eyes flutter open she focuses on Riven, sitting there so dutiful and attentive, an exemplary student. Riven shoots her a pleased smile when she notices Karma’s eyes on her, and Karma reciprocates with a stuttered moan because Janna’s lips have found a delicate earlobe.
Riven’s smile takes a hungry turn and Karma releases any pretense of composure.
Teeth. There’s suddenly teeth pinging a sharp trill of pleasure straight through her and Janna backs off to give her a moment. A light hand comes to rest on top of an ink-stained thigh and Karma flushes as her leg bucks into the smooth palm, opening for her lover without being asked. Riven laughs.
“Do you want to try?” Janna asks of Riven, though it’s less a question and more an invitation. Karma blinks up to see Riven licking her lips and it makes her head spin.
Janna’s hand lifts from her leg to take a firm hold of Karma’s chin, rooting her with a promise, the pad of her thumb dragging over her lips. Karma melts, allowing Janna to easily turn her head, presenting unmapped territory for Riven to chart.
Karma drowns in the kindness of Janna’s eyes as Riven reaches out with rough fingertips to caress softly the shell of Karma’s ear. Her touch is tentative and curious, but she’s a quick learner and soon Karma is thoroughly unwound beneath them, claimed by shy lips and confident hands.
Janna notices the way Karma eyes follow Riven. (+200)
Troll fill:
At first Janna thought that, pardon the pun, her eyes were deceiving her. Verily, Runeterra was a world of unchained magic and supernatural forces beyond the control of science and order – take Janna herself, imbued with such immense power that she hardly ever needed to walk among the common man. (Literally walk, she preferred to hover all over the damn place.)
But no, as she (again, apologies) looked into the matter further, Janna had come to the conclusion that a pair of Karma eyes were actually and truthfully following Riven as she went about her daily tasks.
Yes indeed, that disembodied ocular orbs were levitating at a fixed point from Riven’s back was unusual in its own right; that they were clearly and unmistakably Karma’s was something altogether bizarre.
At last Janna approached Riven, humbly and carefully so as not to give her a start. “Riven, are you aware that you are being followed by Karma eyes?”
Riven gave Janna a puzzled look. “Yeah, she said something about wanting to keep an eye on me.”
“But, don’t you think, that this is a pretty odd way to do that?”
“You’re not her real dad!” Riven shouted, running away back home.
Real fill:
The air is ice and early snow dusts the path with a crust that crunches underfoot. Karma leads, Riven takes her dutiful place at the rear, Janna floats serenely between.
“The pond looks dignified this season,” Janna comments as the path winds them alongside the reflection rock towards the veranda steps. “Although I think the fish will be pleased to see the spring.”
Karma nods. “They surely will. I know of someone else who would like to sleep off the winter, if she could.” A brief glance over her shoulder – bypassing Janna altogether – speaks to the person in question.
“They don’t have snow in Noxus,” Riven confirms, grumbling along behind. “Not much point to it.”
They come to the veranda and Karma steps up, out of her winter shoes. Janna drifts to the raised edge and takes a seat.
“I like the cold,” she says, looking up at Karma with a smile. “It brings out the best in people.”
Only Karma, the perfect host, isn’t listening. She’s watching Riven gather a few cords of firewood to heat the water for tea. “Sorry, what was that, dear?”
Janna shakes her head. “Suddenly thinking that this winter might be cozier than expected.”
thegadgetfish and I just spent three hours discussing the uh intimate details about the Karma/Riven/Janna ship and how it would work. I've come to realize that this is a serious OT3 of mine, comprised of a triangle of OTPs that are beautiful and functional in their own right. But I mean, I shipped it before; now I well and truly ship it.
Under the cut is my surprisingly large body of work related to these three (and minor supporting cast), put into a kind of chronological order. I'm kicking around some ideas to fill in certain gaps, so I'll keep this updated if I remain productive.
I also threw in some single-character-centric ones, to flesh out the timeline and add depth to their interactions. Most of these are speedwrites from my prompt blog.
EDIT: updated 01/22 and added more Karma+Irelia interaction as well as Janna's dalliances with PF because life is complex.
Irelia has always had a thing for Karma's legs.
Bringing reform to Zaun is difficult, especially when no one thinks Janna is capable of such "serious" matters.
Irelia's rage unsettles her and Karma isn't sure it is of this world any longer.
Janna teaches Karma wind forms.
Janna considers Zaun
Sometimes Irelia will do something she hasn't done since her death and Karma will feel her hope rekindle.
Janna occasionally sends light breezes towards Karma's dress
Janna seems to wear less and less every time Karma sees her
Some brief karma/janna because idk (sfw bedcanon)
Janna likes to watch Karma meditate.
Did You Just (NSFWish)
She finds the Ionian captain the opposite of everything Karma stands for.
Five Times They Kiss and One Time They Doesn't #0
Riven scares Karma, sometimes. The shadow of her past self appears, posture rigid and eyes burning with killing intent.
Although they have no obligation towards each other, it hurts when Janna isn't there when she needs her most.
They've always enjoyed having tea.
Janna notices the way Karma's eyes follow Riven. (not the troll fill)
Riven has taken to meditating under waterfalls.
Five Times They Kiss And One Time They Doesn't #1
Karma introduces Riven to Ionian desserts
Riven has some inspiring words of her own.
Riven tries to hide the fact that she has a soft spot for cute fuzzy animals.
Riven's still functioning on her old military schedule. Some habits are hard to break.
Karma's smile is as soothing as her voice.
Five Times They Kiss and One Time They Doesn't #2
Riven understands. They are tied by shared goals of making their city states better.
Karma goes to great lengths to convince Riven to try something.
The "difference" between Noxians and Ionians.
The Time for Talk is Over (NSFW)
Riven allows Karma to see the extent of the melters' damage for the first time.
Riven gets Karma to waterfall-meditate with her. She gets distracted.
Riven brings a cat home. Karma is allergic.
Five Times They Kiss and One Time They Doesn't #3 (NSFWish)
Riven and Karma have a fight - the biggest one they've ever had. It takes time for the dust to settle and the wounds to scab over.
Five Times They Kiss and One Time They Doesn't #4
Karma wakes up one morning to find Riven fishing in her koi pond.
Five Times They Kiss and One Time They Doesn't #5
Live By The Blade/Facing Zaun
Brief karrivan bedcanon (NSFWish)
Tea Party (NSFWish)
Janna confronts Riven about her wardrobe choice
Sleepover (NSFW)
Storm's Center (+NSFW extra)
Greater Than the Sum
And Janna Makes Three (Piltover's Vijanna)
The one thing Janna regrets about spending the night with Piltover's Finest.
Janna, Vi and Caitlyn meet face to face, in public, for the first time since the three of them shared a bed on a whim.
There's nothing that could have quite prepared Vi for the moments of lounging side by side with Caitlyn and Janna, but whatever she had imagined, it can't have been as nice as this.
Janna keeps what scars she has hidden.
Riven needs a new kidney and both Karma and Janna are a match. (???)
Karma uses a phrase that Riven's heard from other lips long, long ago, and it drags her back to the past
