Chapter Text
"You gotta be shitting me."
Vi turned off the car and dropped into the seat as if she had suddenly ran out of all her vitality. She looked at the neon sign that glowed with eye-stabbing pink, and then at Powder sitting in the passenger seat with her arms folded over her chest.
"What?" she asked, shrugging her shoulders seemingly indifferently, but that silly smirk was lurking out there somewhere. She unbuckled and tapped Vi's shoulder as if they were just going out shopping. "Ready to go?"
Vi snorted in disbelief as she watched her sister put the phone in the pocket of her shorts.
"I'm not going in there," she protested, pressing her fingertips against the bridge of her nose. She closed her eyes for a moment, as if hoping that the neon would disappear from view and she would see her own block in front of her instead of the parking lot, but unfortunately that didn't happen, and they were still stuck in the car in front of the building, which was supposed to be a surprise . "What's the point anyway?"
Powder sighed heavily as she flopped back into the seat.
"You've been taking turns training, eating and sleeping lately. I wanted you to have some fun, okay? Just move your ass."
Vi gasped with the shock.
"How are you talking about it so casually?" she groaned in disbelief, pointing her hand at the building in front of her.
"Because it's an casual thing?" Powder replied, raising an eyebrow. "Come on, everything is for people."
"But why... Why this particular one?"
The sime thought of entering the go-go club made Vi feel a wave of heat pour over her face. She wasn't often in such places, moreover, it would not even occur to her to cross even the threshold, but she heard a lot. Skimpy outfits, women leaning against a pole, gestures emphasizing their features, alcohol, money, music, men drooling on the floor and far too many thoughts that are better not to be revealed.
Powder looked at her as if Vi had just mocked her.
"Since when do you feel so saint to not see a pretty woman in sexy lingerie?" she chuckled, earning a poke from Vi. "Don't be fussy, just come on. I'll buy you a drink and you'll cooperate better."
***
It took only half a minute for Vi to seriously wonder why she had even stepped out of the car. Not that she was always so holy, but the whole… atmosphere of this place made her uncomfortable in an indefinite way. If that was what she could say.
Trying to get used to typical club lights or music, Vi stared straight ahead as she passed one of the waitresses, because God knew that the woman's clothes revealed more than they covered. She didn't even grunt when someone accidentally nudged her as they left the box-separated tables. She was just following her sister, who... actually acted like she walked into a restaurant instead of... a fucking nightclub.
"What do you want?" Powder flopped down on the couch, picking up a laminated drink card right away. "I will drive."
Vi sat up and stuffed her hands into the pockets of her black jeans as if afraid to touch anything. Powder didn't seem to notice Vi's disbelieving look at her or her fidgeting in place. In fact, looking at it from the side, the boxing trainer was sitting so stiffly as if she wasn't able to relax her muscles even the slightest way. Which, in fact... was true.
She really didn't know where to look to not see too much.
'"Something strong" she said, finally giving up.
She dug her back into the seatback, squeezing into the corner between it and the wall separating it from the other tables. Powder, unlike her, was sitting higher stool, waving her legs and seemed satisfied with the answer.
Vi could have a look around. But, to be honest, she would rather stare at the table top the entire time she was there than dare to even glance at the stage. She had guessed to see a dancer there in something that could be fragmented underwear, but she still wasn't going to check it out for herself.
"Will you ever loosen up, or will you sit here like at the police station?" Powder lowered the drink card with a mocking look.
Vi snorted.
Powder set the menu down on the table and rested her head in her hands. Time to throw out some truth.
"Vi, I understand your training, your clients, your whole boxing life, but it feels like you're barely getting enough sleep, not to mention having fun." She shrugged, and Vi cringed into herself, though she still kept a slightly offended expression. There was a grain of truth in that. "When was the last time you read a book? Did you go to a cafe to talk to a nice girl? What did you do for yourself? "
"It is not like that…"
"It's your evening and I'll take care of it. Now you will have a drink, look here and there, and stop thinking about beating up people on the ring."
The blue-haired girl raised her hand, waving to one of the waitresses. The woman nodded, took her notebook from her apron tied at the back of her neck, and marched extremely confidently to the table in cosmic-high heels.
Vi didn't even bother to remember the name of her drink, as she tried to focus all her attention, mental strength and will to stay alive not to act like a hungry dog walking past the butcher's shop.
She knew there were rules in strip clubs, that maybe the staff dressed differently than the dancers, but in Undercity a lot of things worked a bit… worse. City were profit-oriented in every industry, so this district had its own laws that made it possible for people to survive.
The more body exposed, the more tips, and the more tips, the more profit. A simple calculation, which just with this simplicity made this place even more dirty than it already had. She didn't want to learn the other modified rules.
The waitress, blonde with long hair, was used to it. With a practiced smile, she wrote down the order, then returned to the bar after a few moments.
Powder took the phone out of her pocket, then put it away. According to the screen, it was almost midnight and the club was clearly filling up with people. Vi never wondered who attended places like this, but when she finally pushed herself and looked around a bit, she could see… well, practically everyone.
There were older men, in ties, still with black briefcases by their legs, whose tired faces were reflected in empty vodka glasses. Young people, with a group of friends; they waved their cash in front of the stage towards the red-haired beauty, who accepted the gift without blinking an eye. The female guests were unlikely to come alone, quietly sipping martinis or other drinks, enjoying the show and the slightly dull music.
Vi swallowed as the red-haired dancer's smooth thigh wrapped around the pole like a snake. She looked at her sister.
"I guess I could have ordered you two at once, don't you think?"
"Who do you think i am?"
"A lesbian for sure."
Vi rolled her eyes at that joke, but the corner of her mouth lifted involuntarily. Powder always knew the answer to every question, with an answer containing typical sisterly tone.
"How's The Last Drop?" Vi found the inner strength to sit down more comfortably. Her sister shrugged, letting the long braid slide down over her shoulder.
"As always. Sometimes some idiots will fight, sometimes they accidentally tip more than they intended, and sometimes I works as a therapist, which I'm completely unfit for," she laughed. "It's alive on all four walls"
Vi nodded in understanding and didn't have time to ask another question as a blood-red drink was placed right in front of her. A single slice of lime rested on the edge of the glass, and the black straw swayed from side to side. Powder ordered a non-alcoholic one that was an angry blue color, but the older sister didn't even try to guess what it contained. Powder was the one she had to choosing alcohol.
"Ekko probably got us to perform on the other side of town." Vi was surprised until she pushed her drink away from her mouth. "It's still nothing for sure, he has to work out the details with his friend. But we could start to be more recognisable."
"Wow, that... sounds really cool." Powder smiled in response. "You deserve some applause."
The band formed with Ekko has always been one of the many ideas that ran through the mind of the younger sister. And just like so far, 'Firelights' mostly shared their music with mice in the boy's aunt's garage, so the vision of a solo performance in a pub seemed to be just a fantasy of dreamy kids.
"Hope it works out. We're supposed to play for free because it's kind of a... A rehearsal show or something, but we're happy anyway." Powder took a sip of her drink, then twisted the paper umbrella in it with her fingertip. Then she took her phone out for a few seconds, checked the time, and put it back again. "It will probably be a day trip, someone will have to look after The Last Drop."
Vi waved her hand. The alcohol was tasty, unlike what she expected from a place like this. Even though the red-haired dancer was still doing her best, and Vi unfortunately noticed these efforts out of the corner of her eye.
"I'll take care of it."
Powder smiled in thanks. Immediately after that, she sighed heavily and with a hint of embarrassment.
"Maybe we'll change the place? Those two behind us are about to choke on each other's tongues." She winced slightly, and Vi agreed to the idea.
They took the drinks from the table.
***
Vi was pretty sure Powder had kicked her into some trouble. Or, she was just pranking her. Or someone kidnapped her, but that's worse for the kidnapper.
Okay, the place was much more private, though Vi wasn't convinced that the row of couches around the smaller version of the main pole stage was intended for guest use, as Powder assured her. So this way she put both drinks on the table and collapsed on the couch. She took out the phone.
Vi(olence): did you drown in that bathroom? I've been waiting for ages!
The message has been delivered. And her sister was last active two hours ago. Great.
The beam of dim light did not allow her to look around very well, but she didn't seem to mean to. She tried to call her sister. She rejected her call.
She cursed under her breath.
Vi(olence): answer me or I will change the WiFi password in The Last Drop.
The answer came right away.
Powder (like a drug): I'm waiting at the car. Have fun and you're welcome xoxo
Have fun? In what sense? Chilling on the couch? Vi rolled her eyes and tucked the phone into her pants pocket in frustration. She grabbed the back of the couch to get up and show Powder what 'have fun' meant, but stopped half a step as if she had at least stepped into the freshly spilled cement.
"You must be Vi."
The voice was soft, delicate with a hint of something like cat's claws. Violet stared at the person in front of her, feeling her fingers go numb from clenching them into fists. Only after a few seconds she did loosen them.
Oh, for fuck's sake.
"Yeah, I... That's me."
The woman cocked her head, lifting the corner of her mouth. A red strand of a wig ran down her collarbone. The dark burgundy, bloody tight suit glistened in the light of the lamps as she took two steps towards Vi, twining a strand of hair around her finger.
"I assume you aren't the one who made the reservation."
There were only two of them in the room. No one else. Except for a few shafts of light and a stage. Violet knew she was turning red, so she scratch the back of her neck in a habit. Should she apologize to her? Escape? Call Powder and explain all possible options for a perfect murder?
"My sister... I think she wanted to surprise me. I don't quite know what she means, though..." she muttered, forcing herself to smile apologetically. Oh god, she really didn't know where to look. "I think I will murder her, really, whenever -..."
"Violet."
Vi shut up exactly that second. She didn't know if Powder had told her her full name on purpose, or if she had figured it out, but there was something about that tone that almost made her swallow her own tongue. She had a strange need to lean against something to not bend under the pressure of the bright eyes peeking out from behind the decorative mask. Instinctively she reached behind her, her fingers brushing the armrest of the couch. A few centimeters and she would colapse on the floor. Well, at least she would have passed out.
"Yeah?"
"You can call me Ava and I'm here to help you relax, okay?" WHAT WAS SHE SUPPOSED TO ANSWER?! "Could you sit back for me?"
Oh yea, Violet was fucked. It was downright embarrassing how easy her knees gave up and Vi flopped back onto the couch. Why did she even listen, and why was that damn costume reflecting the club light so well? No. Stop. Stop fucking staring.
Those drinks were too strong.
"Listen, I... I don't really know what are you doing-"
Ava smiled slightly, letting herself stand so close her calves touched Vi's knees, trying to hold her breath as the woman leaned over her, never letting go of that strange, imperious aura.
"You don't have to know."
Vi felt surrounded by the silhouette of a woman, both hands resting on the sides of her face, long fingers gripping the backrest. She felt her lungs take shallower breaths of their own accord, and the floral scent of the dancer's perfume whirled in her head.
"Do you want my company?"
She looked around as if searching for the answer written on the wall. Despite turning her head, she didn't manage to completely pass Ava's character in front of her.
"I have... no idea, actually."
It was true. She didn't know, she didn't know anything. All she knew was that she felt strangely tiny compared to her companion.
She could have sworn Ava smiled at that incoherent sentence, as if she was waiting for it. Her fingertips lifted Violet's chin, and the sudden warmth of her thighs wasn't cut off even by the material of Violet's jeans.
Only now have some remnants of Vi's senses registered the warm, snaking tones of music in the background. Ava swayed slowly to the beat, her hips almost brushing Vi's, as she sat on her lap, acting as if no one was around, including Violet herself.
"Want to tell me something about yourself?"
She tried to focus on something else, to see the umbrella drifting in the drink on the glass table, or to count the beat of the song in her mind, but Ava muffled everything, blocked it.
She was dancing. In front of her. On her laps. Something must have collapsed inside Vi and crumbled to pieces as her eyes focused on every streak of LED light under the ceiling, analyzing her collarbones, neck, and cleavage.
Stop, you useless lesbian, she is not an object,she reasoned herself.
"I'm not much of an interesting person."
Long fingers caught on tight bodysuit, blue eyes gleam, provocative. Hands on her sides, on the bottom of her bra, just to move away from them, though she could see Vi's eyes drawn to her every move perfectly.
"I think the opposite. Why the tattoos?"
Ava was direct and apparently felt comfortable as a conversation leader. Instinctively, Vi brushed a hand over the side of her neck, as if to cover the gear pattern.
"Why not?"
She could also see Violet's knuckle, white from the grip, holding the armrest with a force that could almost break it. She smiled slightly under her breath and easily moved Vi's hands to her moving hips. Vi let her do it and Ava saw her swallowing too well not to be satisfied with it.
"Playing tough?"
Vi snorted, almost forgetting her choking panic for a few seconds.
"I am not playing."
Her statement was ignored.
"You can touch me, you know that?"
Oh yea, the panic is back.
Ava did it for her before Violet could think of anything.
Vi looked up from her own hands on her body, staring at her as if Ava was persuading her to commit a crime that Vi cannot resist and knows it well. She almost silently seemed to scream not to say things like that, because she knew she would obey. The glare from beneath pink fringe was fiery.
"I don't know if it's a good idea."
"Why not?"
A smirk.
Ava moved her hips to hear that almost painful groan, while Vi's fingers tightened on her skin. Her hands were warm. A bit rough, but in a nice sense. She could see every twitch in Vi's face as she moved from her hips to her breasts, carefully covered with a slippery cloth, but so thin she could feel the underwires of her bra underneath.
"Oh i can clearly see it is even great, Vi." Satisfaction, pride. Of course she was proud. "You're close with your sister?"
Violet had a storm in her head. She was hot, her throat had long since gone dry and she must have forgotten how words are formed. She had the impression that she was merely a puppet who obediently followed the strings, although it was she who took control in "such" situations. Why all this talk anyway? Not that something was wrong, she just had the impression that it was some kind of prepared formula that the woman repeats to each client.
"Yes. She is my closest family, but I still have to... talk with her about that."
She might blame it on the shock, the rush of emotion, or the booze, but with hungry eyes she watched the top of her outfit slide down to Ava's waist, revealing a pale body bathed in a dull, club-like light. Oh my fucking god.
"Do you?"
Did she? Could she really lie to herself about an adrenaline level completely different to the one in the ring?
She shouldn't be thinking that, God, she shouldn't be doing anything what she's doing, and why is she letting a woman clothed only in a bra and a shabby scrap of fabric put all her soul into the best way to move to the beat of the music while sitting on her lap? And why was it so fucking sinful, as her blood was thickening and boiling and boiling in her veins when she didn't even want to come here?
"Ava-..."
"Tell me what you want."
Ava saw the longing gaze on her breasts. It gave her some kind of satisfaction because... Vi did look tough. Confidence shone from the gray eyes when she saw her still with Powder, the tattoos and hairstyle giving her a sharp note that... It was an achievement to break her.
Violet seemed like she didn't like orders. There was stubbornness in her eyes, as if the lack of answer was the result of her own barrier, not that she didn't really know the answer.
"I will talk with my sister, you know?"
Vi revealed a card Ava wasn't expecting. It was true that Vi's voice was still trembling, but she tried with all her strength to look down at her, even while being underneath her. The dancer nodded, put two fingers on the collarbone of the pink-haired woman, walking them higher and higher, along the lines of the tattoo.
"And what are you going to tell her?"
Vi watched the woman's other hand as she slowly pulled the material covering the top of her body away from her skin. She lost the thread for a moment. Hell, she was really going to undress in front of her.
"That she should discuss such plans with me next time."
The answer was barely 'mhm'. Vi felt Ava's thighs tense as she leaned closer to her ear, fuck, close enough that her breath thundered in her ears and the mask material almost tickled her cheek.
"If that was such a bad idea, you, for sure, don't want to take this thing off me, do you?"
Woman moved Vi's hand by herself on her waist, then her breast, earning an almost painful grunt.
Violet never followed orders.
And yet, devil himself knew why she wanted to see more of that pale, soft skin.
"I think you're wrong," she murmured, unable to focus her gaze at one point, constantly moving it between blue eyes and Ava's clevelage with her own hand on it.
A smile, well-knowing one.
"Oh, am I?" The hand that had been holding Violet's so far reached for the clasp, never taking her eyes off the trainer's face, who twitched slightly. As if Vi was collecting herself to stop her but losing.
Quick breath, she could feel Vi tremble under her, eyes flashing in the stage light her skin so damn marked in the red light with hickeys.
"Scared of pair of boobs?" Ava raised one eyebrow, fingers fiddling with the clasp even though she knew exactly how to undo it. Vi snorted nervously, shaking her head. Her head was buzzing.
"I'm not scared of boobs."
The idea came too quickly for her to think about it. She had to regain at least some control, and the quick movement of her shirt being tossed off her, gave her that. The plain black t-shirt landed on the back of the couch, leaving Ava to see a sports bra with a white elastic band and a body way too sculpted for that light.
"But maybe you are." Vi ran her tongue over her lower lip, shrugging. She was proud of herself. Yes.
She widened her legs as she shifted on the couch. The dancer bit her lip, running a single finger along the abdominal muscles with a neat fingernail. Violet smiled under her breath.
She rested her hand next to her, straightened up, staring at the woman in this remarkably small, stuffy room. She tilted her head. Ava only now noticed the scar on her lip.
The nose ring glistened, and the other two in the left ear were also gleaming. The tattoo on her cheek made with a thin type, ones on the shoulders, wide, bold.
Vi grabbed her masked cheek, pulled it towards her. Oh yeah, that's what she wanted, that glimpse of shock, perhaps misunderstanding and anticipation in the eyes that jumped all over Ava's face.
Vi didn't want to wait, the tension between them taut like a rope that squeaked with every movement of their bodies, ready to break. The thumb on the lower lip was soft.
"I will kiss you now, okay?"
And that purr of satisfaction when their lips finally collided as if there had been no conversation before, no game or chatting. Vi was kissing, biting, and sucking, fighting fiercely for that spark of domination she desperately needed, and the grunts of the woman made her ego grow steadily.
Vi's hands on her waist, Ava's ones in Vi's hair, pulling occasionally until Vi's sense of craved control burst like a soap bubble. Pushed on her back, she landed in the corner of the couch, propping herself up on her elbow, still responding to kisses as much as the shock and position would allow. Hopefully she still rules.
"Are we... Allowed... To do that?"
She didn't know the rules of nightclubs. She didn't know if she could do more than look as a client at all, she didn't want trouble. Instead, warm lips kissed her neck tattoo, bit it and sucked it, and Vi was damn sure there would be traces.
"We still have time."
She heard the thud of her bra falling to the floor. Oh fuck, they were so soft.
"Just don't leave any mark," Ava instructed, feeling the sharp edges of Vi's teeth against her collarbone as she stretched her neck trying to reach more.
Vi was definetly not liking being a bottom, but she looked too good under her, on that goddamn couch next to the table where drinks were still standing, wrapped in club light on every curve of her body, scarred, squirming restlessly under her gentle hands. Her fingers moved gently over her nipple and, pleased with the achievement, she gripped it a little tighter.
"Easy, easy, easy..." Muffled groan of frustration went down Ava's throat. Violet's hips went upward to meet hers, but she could only growl when instead of Ava's hips, her knee was in the way. "We will take care of that."
Ava's finger made a circle on Vi's hip, moved down her thigh, savoring every inch of this path. She hooked slowly on the leather strap, the buckle that gleamed in the warm light, a little higher, on the lower abdomen, falling and rising as she breathed.
Vi was fed up. She reached for the belt buckle, unfastened it with a few jerks, and pulled it out of the nearest belt loops.
She thought about what she was doing, what crossed her mind, why she was so hot and the millions of remaining raging questions whirling in her head. She couldn't distinguish one song from another anymore, the dancer's hands seemed to be everywhere and nowhere, sliding under her bra once to stroke the inner part of her thigh or play with the zipper. Ava liked the way Vi pressed her lips together every time she thought she would eventually get close to that one place, then let out a trickle of air in frustration.
Suddenly Vi grabbed her wrist. Ava raised her eyebrows as Vi put her hand on her partially unbuttoned pants, but then surprise was replaced with an expression of understanding as she met Violet's razor-sharp gaze, almost with a hint of anger. She was screaming silently for her to stop playing, her knuckles white from the grip on the pale skin.
"This is where you want me?" she whispered, never losing that predatory note.
She needed Ava to touch her. In the most literal, obscene way possible, in the most contradictory to herself, she desired the touch of a strange, beautiful woman in just a few minutes. She needed to look at her, admire her, touch her, all at once.
"Just touch me already." Vi was almost out of breath, her voice had a hoarse.
She still held her thin wrist in a tight grip, a strand of her bangs falling over her forehead. If not the light, the blush spread over the neckline would be clearly visible.
Only a glimpse of a smile before her neck arched back, and fingers clasped on the leather couch. She returned to Ava's face, smiling with the corner of her mouth. Relief, contentment and... Suddenly, a bloody burning desire for this woman. She nodded quickly as the dancer seemed to hesitate.
"Oh, fuck."
It was the hottest 'fuck' Ava had ever heard. The fact that Vi herself had unconsciously widened her legs, muttering to herself for the first few moments, that she was watching the tendons in Ava's hand work steadily, escaping shy moans from between her lips.
She felt a rough hand on her neck, obediently leaning in for a kiss that had no delicacy in it. They had too little time to do it calmly, and the world was ending forbidding them that kiss.
Two fingers easily slipped into Vi, who could just let out a whine, mumble something, maybe a curse or a few. Ava's movements sped up, thumb caressing Vi's cheek, hot, burning cheek.
"Faster... Please, I need -..."
A curse would be cried out if she wouldn't hold back.
A view was more than filthy. Ava wished she could have it imprinted, this toned body shuddering under her, strong thighs shaking from time to time, full lips half open, eyes closed, brows furrowed in pleasure, dear God...
"Cupcake... I will..."
"Let go, Violet. Let go for me."
So she did, almost on command. Her back arched off the couch a little, like she was trying to hold back some of it, thighs clasped together. Her neck was decorated with single droplets of sweat, going down on tattoo, collarbones and more down.
She automatically reached her hand to her hair, brushing it back as she swallowed. Her throat was dry, her eyes dimmed.
And so she stuck them on a woman she didn't know.
***
"Oh, shit..."
Powder covered her mouth with her hand as the car door slammed.
Vi fell back into the seat. Her hair was messy, there were maroon marks on her neck, her T-shirt was obviously on the wrong side, and her belt looked like she was fastening it in a hurry. She didn't answer, staring blankly at the windshield.
Powder started the engine.
"Well, you're, damn, welcome."