Work Text:
Vi sits on the cashier counter. She’s leaning back on her hands and her legs swing every once in a while. She’s staring up at the ceiling, squinting at the yellow stains that litter the surface. There’s a spot in the corner where the mineral tile crumbled and crashed to the floor, exposing electrical wires and whatever else was living up there. Jinx has yet to get around to fix it. Vi shakes her head and brings a hand to her lips plucking the cigarette from between them after she takes a long drag from it.
The store is a shit hole. Vander let it fall off once he got sick and as much as Vi wanted to, she couldn't bring herself to sell it. It’s not like she’d get anything from it anyways. She grew up in these aisles, stocking shelves at first and then once she got a little older, Vander let her pump gas. Meanwhile her sister spent most of her time shadowing Benzo in the garage learning everything there is to know about cars and how to fix them. She was taking apart engines soon after. Took her longer to figure out how to put them back together. Now, Jinx is antsy. Spends most of her time tinkering—building trinkets in which Vi is sure are made up of stolen parts. Not many cars come through here for tune ups now that it’s just the two of them.
Though if anything, everyone needs gas once in a while.
So, working here is less than ideal. Monotonous as fuck—Vi spends most of her day staring at the clock, burning her way through a pack of cigarettes. Not much else she could do. Besides, she can’t imagine she’d be able to get a job anywhere else, not after her stint in jail. All she could do was come crawling back.
Vi is so tuned out, reveling in the buzz from the nicotine, that she doesn’t notice that anyone’s entered the store until she hears clatter and then a whispered curse. He looks over his shoulder in her direction before he gingerly steps over the can he kicked across the floor. Vi easily clocks that this guy is not from the Lanes. He’s groomed. His hair is slicked back and he has a semi-clean shaven face. There’s not a speck of dust or oil on him or his clothes. He’s tall, but he’s not trying to blend in even a little—instead, he shrinks in on himself and his hands stay close to his pockets, where Vi can only assume his wallet rests. Vi lazily follows his movements as he weaves through the store. She drops from the countertop and takes one last drag of her cigarette before she puts it out in the ashtray she keeps next to the cash register. She doesn’t bother to wave away the smoke.
He grabs a few things from the shelves and then he disappears further into the store and Vi hears the cooler shut and then a few seconds later, he drops his finds in front of Vi and looks at her expectantly. She waits a few beats, enjoying that he wrinkles his nose at the cigarette smoke that lingers in the air—permanently set into the walls. Normally this wouldn’t bother her usual customer base.
“You got a problem, pretty boy?” Vi can't help herself and this guy's eyes have nervously flickered down to the tattoo on her cheek one too many times.
He pales. “Uh… no.” Clears his throat. “Nope.”
Vi grumbles and reaches forward to pull his collected items closer to her to scan. In her peripheral vision she sees him glance absentmindedly outside. Vi nearly follows his gaze except—
“Six?” he asks, then touches his own cheek, mirroring where Vi’s ink sits on her face.
She chuckles but it comes out more like an annoyed puff of air. “Letters,” she says simply.
“Does it stand for something?” he pries.
The corner of Vi's lip pulls up. Her favorite question. “Violence,” she tells him.
His breath stutters. “O-oh. Sure, sure. Very cool,” he says, his fake praise trailing off. He doesn't try to make conversation again.
Vi is just finishing scanning his items when the bell rings and another customer walks in.
“Jayce,” an accented voice says. Posh. “I thought you said we were in a hurry. That my parents were going to kill you if you kept me out late again.” There's humor in her words and obviously so because she drops her pitch towards the end, doing her best to match the voice of her companion it seems. She’s not very successful but the point comes across.
When the new arrival realizes that Jayce is still engaged at the counter, she pauses. “Oh. Excuse me,” she says politely and Vi opens her mouth to say something snarky back because it could not be any clearer that these two were not from around here except her eyes raise from the cash register and then they keep raising as they follow a fucking mile of milky skin that disappears under the fabric of a tight skirt.
Vi gulps but she doesn’t get to continue her thorough observation because someone is clearing their throat and Vi’s mouth clicks shut and she’s sure she’s about to be reprimanded except when her eyes find this woman’s face she’s blushing.
Well, Vi thinks, that’s interesting. She fights the urge to smirk by turning back to the guy with the jawline. “Seventeen fifty-four,” she tells him and holds a hand out expectantly.
He reaches into his back pocket, fishing out his wallet. Before he can hand her the bills though, his companion speaks up. Her throat sounds dry when she says, “Gas.”
Vi’s gaze flicks back to her and the woman quickly averts her eyes from Vi to her friend. “You’re um… almost out of gas.”
“I am?” the guy—Jayce—asks.
“Don’t want to be getting stuck down here, yeah? It’s getting late.” Vi’s fucking with them though there is truth in what she says. Two out of place Pilties milling about in the Lanes? Easy targets.
“Right,” he says through gritted teeth. “No we don’t.” He hands Vi a crisp fifty dollar bill and she makes a show of holding it up to the shitty fluorescent lights. The one to her right flickers. Jayce taps his foot in annoyance while his friend watches her, a curious look on her face.
“On pump two,” the girl speaks up once Vi finishes and begins punching the numbers into the register. “Why don’t you go fill the car?” she says to Jayce. Vi feels her eyebrow quirk up at that.
He takes a step towards the door before Vi comes to her senses and stops him, “Eh, things work a little differently in the Lanes.” She pushes away from the counter turning slightly to shout through the doorway behind her. “Pow! Gas!”
“What do you mean?” the woman asks, raising her voice to be heard over the clatter suddenly sounding from the back of the store.
“Fire hazard,” Vi responds. “Can’t trust you Pilties to not blow this place up, unfortunately.” Her tone shifts to something sarcastic. “First time?”
Jayce’s eyebrows furrow and his friend frowns and then opens her mouth to respond and Vi isn’t sure if she’s about to get a verbal lashing or what but she finds that she’d love to test this prissy Piltie’s limits.
“Fuck off , Vi.” The voice is raspy and despite what was said, Jinx now appears next to her sister, though not before hip checking her on her way by. Vi doesn’t much acknowledge the physical assault and other than the scoff Jinx lets out when she sees their customers in their pressed, unblemished clothes, she doesn’t say anything else, just pushes past them, throws both her hands in front of her and shoves the door open in her exaggerated, lanky way. The door swings open, violently smashing into the side of the building where the brick is chipped. The bell rings out louder than usual though the only reason Vi even notices is because Miss Legs-for-Days flinches at the noise.
As the door comes back around to close Jinx calls out, “Heh, this your fancy car out here all on its lonesome? Bet it’s got some shiny new parts to—”
The door just barely shuts when Jayce takes off after her, visibly sweating. “I knew we shouldn’t have stopped,” he grumbles as he goes.
Except Vi can’t take her eyes off this girl. She watches her face first and when Vi is sure that her attention is focused on the pump station outside, lets herself explore. Her dark locks are tied up in a messy ponytail leaving the creamy expanse of her neck on display and she can’t help herself when her eyes drop lower. Though the woman’s blouse is fastened nearly to the top it doesn’t leave anything to Vi’s imagination because her chest strains against the buttons and Vi feels her mouth fill with saliva.
In front of her, the woman shifts, crossing one arm to rub at the other and it pulls Vi’s attention away long enough for her to feel ashamed of her leering yet… this girl is still standing in front of her, the bottom of her loafer kicking at the linoleum floor—nervous?
Vi swallows the excess liquid in her mouth and then clears her throat. “Anything else I can help you with, Cupcake?”
The woman’s head whips back towards Vi. “No! I—Cupcake?”
Vi simply shrugs and tries to fight the pull of her lips. She leans forward on the counter and crosses her arms in front of her, resting on them. Her eyes bounce around, studying Vi and Vi stares back. A challenge.
As suddenly as it feels that it lasts, it ends. “Hey, toots! Your boyfriend is ready to tear out of here. Might even leave you behind,” Jinx taunts as she reenters the store. She doesn’t wait around to see the outcome though and instead breezes by Vi to head into the back room.
“Mm,” Vi hums, their eyes not breaking from each other. “Can’t have that can we? A Topsider getting stranded in the Lanes. Alone,” she says.
Something shifts in the woman’s face. “There are worse things,” she says and Vi suddenly feels out of her element.
Fuck.
She looks like she might say something else except she suddenly jumps as her phone vibrates in her hand. She almost looks apologetic as she slides a finger across the screen to answer. Vi pushes off the counter and rubs a hand across her face. She’s buzzing and she needs to snap out of it.
“Cait! What’s going on in there? Can we please leave?” Vi hears Jayce’s muffled voice call from the phone. Cait rolls her eyes then glares through the glass.
“Yes, yes. I’m coming,” Cait responds, her voice low. Then, “Drama queen,” she adds before she hangs up with a sigh.
“Sounds like a piece of work,” Vi says.
“He can be,” Cait responds. She rights herself, opens her mouth to say something more but seemingly stops herself.
As much as she's enjoying the view, Vi can't figure out why this girl is still standing here, in this dump of an Undercity gas station, her boyfriend antsy in the running car outside. Why Cait seems to be stalling when Vi can't imagine these two will ever step foot in the Lanes again.
That's what's on her mind when Vi says, “See you around, Cupcake.” Though she doesn't actually believe that and she can tell that Cait knows that she doesn't. If anything, it’s a dismissal and it serves its purpose. The last thing Vi wants is to be hit with more unsavory accusations. To leave her sister behind, again.
“Right. See you,” Cait says and then spins to make her way to the door. Vi is already turned away, pulling a new cigarette from behind her ear and fumbling with a lighter when Cait speaks again. “And Jayce… He isn't my boyfriend.”
But before Vi can even process the implications, the woman is out the door and soon after, the click of the car door sounds—though muffled through the walls—and then the Piltie sports car is on its way topside where it'll probably stay.
The cigarette hangs loosely from Vi’s lips and her hands are raised, frozen where she was cupping the flame as she studies the formerly occupied space. If she focuses hard enough, blocks out all the other shit—gas, smoke, motor oil—she can smell the lingering scent of whatever perfume Cait was wearing. Something floral, Vi thinks. Sweet.
“Heh,” Vi lets out in a breath, amused by whatever has just finished playing out in the store. Though she's not super experienced, she'd recognized the look on Cait’s face. The one that said, interested. And Vi has eyes—this Cait is hot.
Vi shakes her head, flicks the lighter twice more, and the flame finally catches. She lets any of those thoughts dissipate with the first exhale of smoke.
Oil and water.
***
So color Vi shocked when only a few days later, Cait struts into the station and this time, she’s alone. She almost doesn’t notice from where she’s stocking the cooler on the opposite side of the store, music blaring from the buds nestled in her ears. Vi reaches down into the crate at her feet, picks up a bottle of soda in one hand and tosses it into the other before she pushes it into its place on the shelf, her head bobbing to the beat. She left Jinx to watch the register so she expects not to be interrupted but she feels a tap on her shoulder and she huffs, takes a second before she turns, pulling at the wire in one of her ears as she goes.
“Can’t you see I—” Vi’s eyes widen and she nearly drops the bottle in her hand. It’s the topsider—Cait. “I…” Vi draws out, searching for something to say. Cait watches her expectantly “Hi,” she lands on lamely. Jesus Christ, Vi thinks to herself. Idiot.
“Hello,” Cait answers simply and then the two of them are just sort of staring at each other. Now that they’re face to face, Vi notices that Cait is nearly a head taller than her. She feels her throat go dry.
Cait clears her throat. “Excuse me,” she says and then before Vi can react, she rocks forward and reaches past her. Cait’s scent fills her senses as her hand just brushes the top of Vi’s shoulder grabbing at something just a hair above her and suddenly they’re standing chest to chest. Or, well… Cait’s already got height on her and now that she’s on her toes it’s more like chest to…
Vi holds her breath.
She hears the other bottles on the shelf slide forward, replacing the space of whatever it is that Cait plucked from it. And then the moment is over. Cait spins on her heels and makes her way to the cash register.
“What in the shit?” Jinx exclaims from the front of the store. “You’re back! Can’t say I expected that.” She chuckles. Vi thinks she hears Cait respond but she’s quieter than her sister so she can’t quite make it out.
Vi only gets back to her task once she sees Cait’s car pull out of the parking lot.
***
Over the next few weeks Cait sporadically makes her way into the store, only buying one thing at a time. One time it’s just a pack of bubble gum. Another time, she does a slow lap around the store, her eyes flicking over to where Vi stands behind the counter, before she wrinkles her nose and fills a jumbo size cup with red slushie. Vi makes a mental note to clean the machine more often. They don’t speak that day but Vi’s eyes follow her outside where she sees Caitlyn do a quick glance over her shoulder before she tosses the cup into the trash.
Vi raises an eyebrow, curious at first and then she can’t help but chuckle, amused. She doesn’t tear her eyes away until Jinx speaks behind her. “Are you two fucking yet?” She sounds like she’s teasing, but when Vi turns to scold her, her eyebrows are furrowed and Vi realizes the question is sincere.
Vi rolls her eyes and steps back from the counter to make her way to the garage. She flicks Jinx on the forehead as she goes. Jinx rubs at the spot. “Ow,” she says quietly, an exaggerated pout on her face.
“Shut up, Pow,” Vi says.
Jinx follows her. “Well why else would she be coming here? This place is a dump. What else am I supposed to think?”
Vi shrugs. “Don’t think. It’s none of our business.”
“Yeah right,” Jinx says. “I bet you don’t think about her at all.”
Vi tries her hardest not to blush. “I don’t,” she says and even Vi can admit she sounds completely unconvincing.
“Liar. You replaced the ceiling tile the other day. It broke, like, a year ago,” Jinx challenges.
“That’s because you never did,” Vi says with a roll of her shoulder. “Fixing things is like… you’re whole thing.”
“Uh-huh. You’re trying to impress her,” Jinx says, ignoring Vi’s accusation. She glances down at Vi’s ripped jeans and tattered t-shirt. “Good luck, sister.”
Vi pretends she doesn’t her stomach sink at Jinx’s words. She grunts. “Topside and bottom. They don’t mix.” Oil and water.
“Hmph.” And Vi thinks that that’s it except Jinx gets that mischievous look on her face. “Did you just admit to being a bottom?”
Now, Vi does blush. She storms ahead and hopes that Jinx doesn’t notice, but if her sister’s cackles are any indication… Vi’s failed.
***
It's a slow day. Vi’s parole officer had stopped by earlier to check in and she’d been impressed by how put together the station looked—or at least compared to its previous state. “Keep it up, kid,” she'd told Vi before leaving.
Now, Vi smokes at the counter, working to calm her nerves from the surprise visit. She's fine, she tells herself. Jinx is fine. She doesn’t notice when Cait steps into the store, not until she hears, “That's a nasty habit.”
Vi pretends she didn't jump at the unexpected voice. She hopes the topsider will do the same. “Yeah, well. There are worse things that can kill me. Even nastier habits to be had.”
Cait purses her lips, thoughtful. “Yes, I suppose that's true.” Vi notices Cait has yet to look away from the stick hanging between her lips.
“What brings you in this time, Cupcake? A keychain. Milk. Just a candy bar?”
Cait doesn’t seem to realize Vi is making fun of her. She considers Vi’s list and Vi feels bad, flinching at her own attitude. “No, actually. I—” Caitlyn starts and then her eyebrows furrow, her gaze meeting Vi’s. “Stop calling me that, my name is Caitlyn,” she says instead.
Vi smirks and lets out an amused huff, smoke expelling from her nose first, then her mouth.
Caitlyn looks like she’s going to spin to maybe walk deeper into the store or leave even except she pauses and looks down at her feet. Vi realizes she’s muttering something to herself. Then abruptly, Caitlyn turns back to her. “Keen on sharing?” she asks in a rush.
“What?”
She makes a wide motion at her own mouth. “Can I have one? A f—” she clears her throat. “Cig.”
Vi’s eyes widen. “For real?”
“Well, I…” Cait’s eyes bounce around the room. “Yes. For real.”
Vi is stunned. She pushes past it. “Fuck yeah,” she says.
Caitlyn doesn’t move. Not at first. Not until she realizes that that’s Vi’s version of an invite. Vi directs her to the opening at the counter and then Caitlyn’s standing next to her. “You smoke?” she asks as she opens her pack and offers it to Caitlyn.
Caitlyn takes one. Her movements aren’t practiced but she seems… familiar at the least. “I have.”
“Heh. Not as prissy as I thought,” Vi says.
At that, Caitlyn smiles and Vi’s eyes are drawn to the gap between her front teeth. “You think about me?” Vi’s attention snaps back up at Cait’s words.
“Pfft I… you—what?”
Caitlyn giggles at Vi’s fumbling. With a pout, Vi drops to the ground and then she’s sitting, her back to the counter, one leg folded under her and the other bent, her foot planted on the ground. Caitlyn follows, arranging her long limbs into a comfortable position across from Vi. Once she settles, she places the stick in her mouth, holds it there, and leans forward. “Light?”
It’s innocent enough but there’s this look in Caitlyn’s eye. A challenge maybe. Or, maybe Vi’s seeing things.
Her mouth is dry when she obliges and the tip of the cigarette turns orange as Caitlyn takes a puff, sucking in smoke. Her eyes fall shut as she holds it and Vi takes the opportunity to study her companion—high cheekbones, long, thin nose. Her hair is pulled back except for the bangs that fall in front of her face and end just at her jaw. Full lips.
“That’s your name, right?” Vi blinks at Caitlyn’s question. She’s running her thumb against her own cheek, just under her eye. “Vi?”
“Yeah.” And already, Vi’s ready to deflect. Ready for all of the usual follow up questions.
“It's a nice name,” Caitlyn says instead and here she is again, surprising Vi.
Vi’s so thrown off the only thing that comes out of her mouth is, “Hmph.”
Caitlyn raises an eyebrow. “Do you ever say thank you?” she asks. She’s dishing back all of Vi’s earlier teasing and Vi can’t find it in her to be annoyed.
She shrugs and her lips pull into a playful grin. “I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”
Vi’s eyes dart to Caitlyn’s mouth—she’s biting her lip. “I guess I will.”
***
It’s late, just past midnight. The gas station doesn’t really have hours—it just opens and closes whenever Vi or Jinx feel like being there. Vi’s just finished locking up. She clips the keys to the carabiner that hangs from her belt loop and then leans against the shitty brick wall and pulls a pack of cigarettes from her back pocket. It’s a new one she’d pulled off the shelf behind the counter before calling it a night. She flips the box over and smacks it against the palm of her hand a few times—packing the sticks. Her fingers aren’t catching the plastic, her nails short and useless—at least in this moment—so she brings it to her mouth and rips it open with her teeth. She decides the trash can is too far away. She shoves the discarded plastic into her pants pocket then finally pulls one out, placing it in her mouth. Vi bends her neck and cups her face to light the cigarette.
It doesn’t take too long—there’s no wind to put out the flame. It’s humid in the Lanes tonight. She takes a long, drawn out puff then rolls her head back against the wall. And however fleeting it is, she feels the stress leave her body with her exhale.
That is until she hears tires grind against the gravel of the parking lot. “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” Vi grumbles. She lifts her head and squints at the car as it approaches. It stops and the engine stops, but the headlights don’t shut off.
The door opens and someone steps out. “No,” she raises her voice. “Go away. We’re closed,” she tells the silhouette. But then the door shuts and after a beat the lights go out and then… It's Caitlyn.
Vi furrows her brow. She looks around the parking lot, checking their surroundings. “Cait?” Vi pushes off the wall, suddenly alert. “What the hell are you doing here? It’s fucking late. Too late. You shouldn’t be down here.”
Caitlyn’s in loungewear, like maybe she’d been ready for bed or already in it—a loose tank-top and cotton shorts that are tied at her waist and stop in the middle of her thighs. Vi doesn’t notice.
Caitlyn pauses, takes the smallest of steps back at Vi’s tone but then she shakes her head. “I can take care of myself,” she says.
“I’m fucking serious!”
Suddenly Cait is right in front of her. “Vi?” she says. Her expression is calm. Cool. There's something about the way Caitlyn says her name—Vi can’t help it when her eyes flick down to Caitlyn’s lips. And Caitlyn clocks it because when Vi’s eyes return to her face, Caitlyn’s eyes drop to Vi’s lips and Vi feels the breath leave her.
She remembers that Caitlyn asked a question. “Yeah?”
Caitlyn’s hands come up to rest on Vi’s breastbone and though there’s no pressure behind it, Vi finds herself falling backwards against the wall again. Caitlyn follows and Vi’s hands instinctually lift to grasp at Caitlin’s hips. Their faces are only a hair away from each other when Caitlyn says, “Don’t tell me what to do.”
All Vi can do is nod dumbly and then Caitlyn’s lips are on hers and there’s no build up—not really. Caitlyn’s mouth is rough against hers and for the first few beats all Vi can think about is how chapped her lips probably are but then she hears Cait moan and any other thought leaves her. Caitlyn’s arms find more comfortable purchase around Vi’s shoulders and Vi’s grip on Caitlyn’s waist is more firm once Vi feels Cait nip at her bottom lip and then it’s her turn to groan.
Then, Caitlyn slows down. She leaves a short, comforting peck where she’d bit her and then moves to her top lip—kisses at the scar there.
Vi melts.
“Vi?” Caitlyn says into her mouth.
“Hmm?”
“Can we go inside?” She pulls back, looks Vi in the eyes when she asks.
It takes a second for Vi to comprehend what’s been asked of her. Fuck. “Yeah,” Vi croaks and then with more conviction, “Yes.”
She reaches down, her hands searching for the keys. It’s an accident when her knuckles graze Cait’s bare thigh but it causes Caitlyn to shiver and then she falls forward and rests her head against the side of Vi’s.
“Are you… okay?” Vi asks. She sounds breathless. She wonders if Caitlyn notices. God, she hopes not.
Vi feels Caitlyn nod. Vi finds her hand rubbing soothing circles on Caitlyn’s back. “Keys,” Caitlyn breaths into Vi’s ear.
“Right,” Vi says and Caitlyn steps back to give her room to grab them this time, but she’s watching Vi’s hands closely as she does so.
After what feels like forever, Vi finally gets the door unlocked. She keeps the light off as she steps in, not wanting any unwanted attention. Caitlyn follows her in and locks the door behind her. Whatever they’re going to do, they can’t do it here—the windows span one entire wall and while they’re foggy from the humidity (and not the cleanest), it’s not enough to have any privacy. Caitlyn must have the same thought. She grasps Vi's arm and pulls her in a direction she’s familiar with and then suddenly Vi finds herself pushed against the sink in the bathroom and then their lips are reattached.
Vi thanks her not-so-far-in-the-past self for deciding to clean in here before close. She’s not sure if Caitlyn would have noticed either way.
Caitlyn’s hands run along Vi’s body. She grabs the bottom of Vi’s shirt and starts to tug. With that—it all starts to feel real. Maybe too real.
“Mmm,” Vi hums into Cait’s mouth and then she’s pulling away, “wait,” she says.
And Caitlyn does. She steps back, takes her hands off Vi completely. “Sorry,” she says.
“No you—” Vi searches for what to say, “you don’t have to apologize. It’s just…” Caitlyn’s watching her, her eyes kind. Vi feels safe. “I’ve never done this.”
Caitlyn’s eyes widen for the quickest of seconds, but then she schools her expression.
“I mean—I have. But it’s… well, it’s never mattered before.” She’s looking at the ground when she finishes, “This matters to me.”
Caitlyn steps forward but she doesn’t reach out. “It matters to me too,” she says. “Would it help if you touch me first?”
Vi lets out a breath. Her nerves go too. They barely know each other and yet somehow Caitlyn knows her. Maybe more than anyone else has because yes, that's the easy part. Vi knows how to touch. “Yeah, Cupcake, it might.” And then Caitlyn lights up and she smiles wide and Vi decides that Caitlyn’s tooth gap is maybe her favorite part about her. She steps into Vi’s arms and then they’re kissing again like Vi didn’t nearly ruin this. At some point, they spin and it’s Caitlyn’s turn to be pressed against the sink. Vi’s hands make their way under Caitlyn’s top and she finds the ridges of Caitlyn’s lean abs.
“Fuck,” Vi groans. “You’ve been holding out on me.’
Caitlyn laughs. “I really haven’t,” she says. “I’ve been flirting with you for weeks. You didn’t notice?”
Vi kisses at Caitlyn’s jaw. “I did. I just couldn’t figure out why.”
“Why what?”
“Why you’d want me.”
Caitlyn grabs at Vi’s cheeks and pulls her out of her neck. She makes sure Vi can’t avoid her eyes. Somehow, it’s enough—she doesn’t even have to say anything. Vi sees everything in Caitlyn’s eyes, her own bouncing back and forth between the two of them. “Come here,” Caitlyn says, her sentence trailing off as she drags Vi’s face back to her own. For the first time that night, it’s slow; their kisses languid. Then, Caitlyn undoes the knot at her waist, her hands bumping into Vi’s front and then she’s leading Vi’s hand into her pants and then she’s gasping into Vi’s mouth at the first touch.
Vi’s forehead drops onto Caitlyn’s shoulder, her breathing ragged. She runs her fingers through Caitlyn’s slick heat. Caitlyn does her best to hold back her noises but she can't seem to help the whimpers that escape.
Vi turns her head and leaves kisses on the skin she can reach. “What do you like?” she asks.
Caitlyn’s eyes are squeezed shut when she answers, “A-anything.”
Vi’s amused by this but she decides it isn't a good enough answer. She bites into the juncture between Cait's neck and shoulder. “Come on, baby,” she says. “Tell me what to do.”
At that, Caitlyn’s head falls back, one hand grips the sink, supporting her weight. The other tangles in Vi's hair. “Shit,” Caitlyn says.
Vi chuckles. “The lady cusses,” she teases.
“Oh, please. Shit is barely a curse word,” Caitlyn argues through heavy breaths.
“I wonder what else I can get you to say,” Vi muses as her thumb circles Caitlyn’s clit. Caitlyn's breath hitches when Vi adds more pressure.
“Yes. Like that, just like that,” Caitlyn says. A quiet chant.
“Yeah? What else?”
Caitlyn pauses. Then, “I don't want to make you uncomfortable.”
Vi nuzzles her nose into Caitlyn's neck, just below her jaw. “Tell me.”
“You're tongue,” Caitlyn says.
Vi feels her own walls clench. Her hips jerk and she hisses, “Yesss.” She kisses lower—pulls the neck of Cait's tank down so she can suck on the top of her heaving chest but then it seems Caitlyn’s grown impatient because she's pushing Vi’s head to her center.
Vi thinks she could spend the rest of her days down here on her knees. She kisses at Caitlyn’s bare legs first. She's got a hand wrapped around her calf as the other paws at Caitlyn's shorts, wanting them off. They fall easily to her ankles and Vi guides Cait's legs out of them. She isn't wearing underwear—one less barrier—and Vi is in total awe. This woman deserves to be worshiped.
Caitlyn doesn't have to direct her. Vi noses into the neatly groomed hair between Caitlyn’s legs and Vi can't help herself—she's the first of them to moan at the contact. When her eyes raise, following the lines of Caitlyn's body before they find Caitlyn's face, Caitlyn is watching her back with lidded eyes. Her hand is no longer tangled in Vi's hair, instead she's using her nails to rake back Vi's unruly bangs. Gentle petting. Vi closes her eyes and takes it all in. Despite everything, she feels at peace. Cared for.
Vi takes an eager lick at Caitlyn's slit and Caitlyn jerks. When Vi looks up again, Cait’s got her tank top bunched up in her hand, exposing her chest where she pinches at one of her nipples.
Vi moans again suddenly unsure of who is pleasuring who. She runs a hand up to grasp at Caitlyn's other breast just as she sucks Caitlyn's clit into her mouth. Uses her teeth.
Caitlyn gasps, now back to tugging at Vi’s roots. “You're doing so good,” Caitlyn tells her. “So good.”
And fuck if Caitlyn's perceptive. Vi isn't sure how Caitlyn is reading her in the middle of all of this, but Vi must have reacted to the praise because the next words out of Caitlyn’s mouth are, “Good girl.”
Vi lets out an open mouthed moan into Caitlyn and it's at this moment that Vi realizes she's been humping the air and the only reason she notices is because she's stuttered out of rhythm and holy shit did she just come?
She's not sure if she should be embarrassed or not and Caitlyn won't be clearing that up for her—she’s thrown a leg over Vi’s shoulder and flexes, bringing Vi deeper into her cunt. Her moans are muffled and Vi doesn't even have to look up to pull Caitlyn's hand away from where she's covering her mouth though she does pause long enough to say, “Let me hear you.”
Caitlyn doesn't disappoint. Both hands are on Vi's head now as she bucks into Vi’s face. “Vi! I'm—come. I'm gonna come,” she babbles. “Oh, fu—”
Vi works her through it, helps her ride it out and then Caitlyn is twitching away, the pleasure falling off into oversensitivity. Vi rests her cheek on Cait’s knee, massages at the leg still slung over her shoulder as she watches Caitlyn catch her breath. She's back to petting at Vi’s head and Vi can't help but hum, content. “That was hot,” Vi says from her place on the floor.
“Hmm? Yes. It was,” she says though it's absent minded. Her hand drops to cup Vi’s jaw and gives the slightest of tugs. Vi takes the hint and stands, quickly leaning in for a kiss. She's still soaked to her chin in Caitlyn's wetness and when Caitlyn moans on contact, tasting herself, Vi licks into her mouth to give Caitlyn more.
“See? Sweet,” Vi says through pecks. “Like a cupcake.”
Caitlyn shoves her face away. She looks mortified and Vi can't help but laugh. “Oh, proud of that one are we?” Caitlyn asks.
“I am, yeah,” Vi says, wiping her chin with the back of her hand. “That didn't do anything for you?” she teases.
“Not in the slightest. Why must the pretty ones speak?”
“Mustn’t I?” Vi does her best to imitate Caitlyn's accent. She's not even close. But then, “You think I'm pretty?”
Caitlyn’s expression softens, their ribbing already past them. “I think you're gorgeous.” She reaches forward and a long, lazy finger brushes Vi’s bangs out of her face. “Handsome too.”
“Gee, Cupcake.” There's no hiding her blush this time. The best Vi can do is take it in playful stride but Cait can read her like an open book. Can see how much her declaration affected Vi. “Back at you.”
Caitlyn smiles. She runs her hands down Vi’s arms, then back up. She watches her own movement until her fingers brush against the bottom of Vi’s shirt. Vi knows what that means.
“My turn?” she asks.
“If you want it to be,” Caitlyn tells her.
Vi’s heart is pounding but she feels far less nervous than she had been. She has no reason to not trust Caitlyn.
Caitlyn’s hand comes to rest on Vi’s cheek and Vi relaxes into it. God, did it feel good to be touched. Vi’s been so afraid for so long. She turns her head and presses her lips to Caitlyn's palm. “I do,” Vi says. And she means it.
Caitlyn pulls away, watches to see what Vi will do. Vi crosses her arms, grabbing at the bottom of her shirt. She hesitates for a beat and then looks shyly at Caitlyn. “Help me with this?”
Caitlyn does. The moment Vi’s head is free and her shirt is tossed to the side, they fall into gentle kisses. Caitlyn's hands start at Vi’s back, following the contour of Vi's muscles and then they travel—make their way to her front, claws at Vi’s abs, and then raise higher, finding purchase on the rough fabric securing Vi’s chest. Other than a vague hump, the one unnoticeable outside of Vi’s baggy clothes—she’s flat.
Caitlyn detaches their lips to glance down and where her hands lie—over the tape binding Vi’s chest. “I um…” Vi starts, not quite sure how to broach the subject.
Caitlyn shakes her head and kisses softly at Vi’s temple. “I get it,” she whispers into her hairline. “You don’t have to explain.” From there, her lips travel to Vi’s cheek and then her jaw and then her neck. Sometimes the kisses are only the ghost of one. Sometimes she pulls Vi’s skin into her mouth, sucking before she pulls away with a gentle lick. Her hands grasp Vi’s waist. “Can you turn around for me?”
Vi doesn’t question it and really, once she nods, she doesn’t have to do anything. Caitlyn guides her. She faces the mirror, her hips resting at sink level. Caitlyn stands behind her and mutters, “Good girl,” into Vi’s neck and Vi closes her eyes with a groan. Her head lulls to the side. Her hands continue their exploration across the expanse of Vi’s body and it takes her a beat, but Vi notices that Caitlyn’s tracing the shape of her tattoo.
“Cait,” she says in a breath. “Will you touch me?”
“Hmm,” Cait says. “Aren’t I?”
“Caitlyn,” Vi whines. “Please.”
“You’ll have to be more specific, darling.” Her fingers are toying with the button on Vi’s jeans—they’re riding low.
Vi’s impatient enough to reach down and guide Caitlyn’s hand past the elastic of her boxers and then Cait’s exactly where Vi wanted her.
She’s soaked. Can feel her own stickiness matted to her pubic hair as Caitlyn runs her fingers through it. Vi flinches when Caitlyn runs over her clit, worked up and sensitive. “How do you want me?” Caitlyn asks her.
“Outside,” Vi says through gritted teeh.
Caitlyn hums in acknowledgement and nips at Vi’s earlobe. “Will you be good and watch yourself for me?”
Vi’s thoughts are so clouded by Caitlyn that she almost doesn’t comprehend what she’s talking about but then one of Cait’s hands snakes over Vi’s shoulder and grabs at her neck, applying the lightest of pressure and lifting her head just so from where it’d been hanging limp and then Vi’s face to face with herself in the reflection of the mirror. “Yes,” she moans. “I’ll be good.”
“Promise?”
A shaky breath escapes through Vi’s nose. “Promise.”
Then, Caitlyn's pinching Vi’s clit between her fingers and then rubbing in wide circles and then smaller, tighter, faster ones. All the while Vi grunts, her sounds quiet, as her hips buck against Caitlyn's fingers and knock against the lip of the porcelain sink. Vi is being good—she watches herself just like Caitlyn told her too—but as she feels her walls clench around nothing, feels that tightness pull at the bottom of her stomach, her body undulating into Caitlyn’s as Caitlyn’s grinds into Vi’s backside, Vi can’t help but find Caitlyn in the mirror instead. Caitlyn is watching back, her gaze hot. When their eyes meet, Caitlyn opens her mouth, a warm puff of breath hits Vi’s cheek and then, “Come for me,” Caitlyn orders.
Vi’s breath catches in her throat as she does. She can’t tell if Caitlyn is even moving her hand anymore, Vi chasing her own release, her hips thrusting uncontrollably. She chokes when she feels a gush of wetness and as much as she wants to squeeze her eyes shut, she doesn’t. Her reflection still stares back at her, eyes glazed in pleasure.
As she comes down, her body twitching in a more staccato rhythm, Caitlyn resumes her light kisses at Vi’s cheek, her neck, her shoulder. “So good,” Caitlyn mutters. “Exactly what I asked.”
Vi grunts when Caitlyn moves her hand then shivers as her fingers inch up her body, leaving a trail of wetness in the valleys of her abs. Her hands avoid Vi’s chest and instead she slides them along her ribs to her back, runs her thumbs deep into the ridges of her shoulder blades and then move up to squeeze at her traps. Vi feels as if her limbs are made of jelly.
“This is beautiful,” Caitlyn says, kissing at the tip of the ink that spans Vi’s back—just at the top of her spine.
“Thanks,” Vi croaks, then, “Holy hell. You’re pretty good at that.”
“Mm. I’m excellent at that.”
Vi drops her head between her shoulders with a laugh. “Of course. My bad.” She shifts and Caitlyn takes it as her cue to back away, leaving a gentle pat or two on Vi’s upper back. She bends down to pull her pants back on while Vi pulls hers down.
Caitlyn raises an eyebrow. “What are you doing?”
Vi motions to the toilet. “I mean we’re already here. Besides, you kind of made a mess of me.”
Caitlyn clears her throat. “Right, well I’m…” She side-steps her way out of the bathroom as Vi does her business.
Vi is still catching her breath as she empties her bladder and then she takes her time washing her hands. When she does a quick survey of herself in the mirror, she sees that quite a few marks will bloom in the morning and she’s sure Cait isn’t faring much better. She scoops her shirt off the floor, tugs it back on, and finds Caitlyn leaning against the wall outside the room, waiting for her.
Neither of them speak until they’re back outside and Vi is finished locking the door. “Well…” Vi says and it looks like they’re back to being awkward. “Thanks for the orgasm. Er, orgasms,” she corrects. “It was…”
“Good,” Caitlyn finishes for her. Vi doesn’t even think that covers the half of it—it was great, mind blowing even. In the few times Vi’s partaken, she’s never felt even an ounce close to the way she feels now.
Safe. Protected. Lo—
No.
“Yeah,” Vi agrees instead. “We should… do it again sometime. Maybe.”
Caitlyn’s eyes widen for the quickest of seconds and she looks to school a smile that starts on her face. Her lips fall to a more neutral placement. “I would like that.”
“Cool.”
“Yes. Cool.”
Silence falls over them again. Vi starts to back away towards her bike, though she doesn’t want to leave until she sees Caitlyn on her way. “Get home safe, okay?”
Caitlyn nods. “You too,” she says over the car door, not quite stepping in yet.
“No need to worry your pretty little head about me, Cupcake.”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” Caitlyn repeats and before she gives Vi a chance to respond, she ducks her head and the car door shuts behind her.
Vi catches herself on the seat of her bike as she watches Cait drive away.
***
Yes, well, they do do it again sometime. More than a few times even. The bathroom sort of becomes their spot, at least for a while. Until one night, Caitlyn eats Vi out so good that they hear the sink crack under Vi’s weight and Caitlyn is too mortified to return. They consider the couch in the connecting garage, but Vi quickly vetoes it, wrinkling her nose at the thought of having sex in Jinx’s space. Besides, if Jinx were to find out, Vi would never hear the end of it.
They settle for Caitlyn’s car. It’s not the best or most comfortable idea, but well, Vi can’t take Caitlyn back to her place, not with her sister around, and she sure as hell doesn’t expect Caitlyn to invite her to hers. Vi doesn’t blame her.
Oil and water, she reminds herself.
***
Caitlyn pops a tire on her way into the Lanes one day—honestly Vi’s surprised it hasn’t happened sooner. She debated calling Jayce, she tells Vi as she steps out of the car she’s pulled into the garage at Jinx’s direction, but remembered that Vi once raved about how talented a mechanic her sister was.
Jinx's eyes get big and doe eyed at that, hearing that Vi brags about her, but she quickly shakes it off, not wanting Caitlyn to see. “Heh,” Jinx says as the three of them stand staring at Caitlyn’s car, “you topsiders got magnetic tires or somethin’ or are you just this unlucky?” she teases as she bends down to count four nails lodged in the deflated rubber.
It’s really not unheard of for there to be unsavory things in the middle of the roads down here. Vi just hopes this is a coincidence—that there wasn’t someone out there paying enough attention to notice a Piltie in an expensive car making constant trips to the undercity and then back topside.
“Can you fix it?” Caitlyn asks.
Jinx taps her finger against her chin and juts her lips out. “Hmm… I dunno…”
Vi rolls her eyes. “She can fix it,” she answers for her sister. Jinx pouts.
“Well let’s not ruin all the fun. Nothing wrong with a little mystery,” Jinx says. When neither of them seem amused, she sighs and the hair blows her bangs up. “Yeah, I can fix it. I’ll have it done in a jiffy for ‘ya, toots.”
Caitlyn nods, still in serious mode. “And I’m happy to cover any cost. Please don’t worry about that.”
Jinx gets that mischievous glint in her eye but she tampers it when she sees Vi narrow her eyes at her. “Uh huh,” Jinx says instead.
“Well, thank you,” Caitlyn says, holding a hand out for Jinx to shake. “Powder…? Was it?”
Jinx smirks. “Only to Vi.” She takes Caitlyn’s hand, giving it an enthusiastic shake. “That’s Jinx to you, Cupcake,” she corrects and Caitlyn blushes.
“Her name is Caitlyn,” Vi says, speaking up from behind them, embarrassed that her sister’s picked up on her nickname.
Jinx waves her off. “Yeah, yeah. Just messing around. Now will you two please go somewhere else so I can work? You’re all…” she makes a disgusted noise but doesn’t elaborate. “It’s distracting.”
Caitlyn looks to Vi for clarity but all Vi can do is shrug her shoulders and lead Caitlyn through the short hallway back to the storefront. “Give me a shout if you need anything, Pow-pow,” Vi says over her shoulder as they go.
“Sure thing, sister!” She doesn’t give them room to say anything else. She clicks her speaker on and music fills the space, far louder than it probably needs to be—something punk rock.
Vi leaves the door behind the counter cracked to drown out the music mostly but also in case Jinx needs her. Vi pulls a stool out from the corner and offers it to Caitlyn. “Jinx seems… nice,” Caitlyn lands on and she takes a seat and folds her hands over her lap.
“Oh, she’s a monster,” Vi says with a chuckle, “but she’s my sister and I love her. She’s just wary of strangers. She’ll warm up eventually.” And Vi finds that she likes that—the thought of Caitlyn being around for a while.
“Good. I’d like to get to know her better,” Caitlyn says.
Vi raises a brow. “Yeah?”
Caitlyn shrugs and then like it’s the simplest thing in the words, she says, “She’s important to you.”
Vi has to turn away, going soft at Caitlyn’s words. She stretches her arms out in front of her and plants her hands on the counter top.
“And Jayce, well, he’s somewhat of an inventor, I suppose,” she smiles to herself. “I think Viktor’s the true mastermind but I digress…” The way she talks about Jayce—they’re family. “He and Viktor—that’s his business partner—they teach at the academy now. Engineering and mathematics and science and such. Maybe, well… we can all get together. I’m sure they’d love to show Jinx around their lab.” Caitlyn’s excited at the prospect but she composes herself. “Unless that’s not something she’d be interested in. I… don’t mean to presume.”
Vi gets this feeling in her stomach—flutters—as she listens to Caitlyn talk. She… cares. And not just about her, but about the whole package. Vi would be hard pressed to find anyone else who does. “No, I… I’m sure she’d be. I’ll make sure to ask her. Thanks.”
“Of course.”
They spend the rest of the day like that, Caitlyn keeping Vi company as she works. She watches the front the few times Vi has to head out to pump gas. Caitlyn’s friendly with the customers, Vi notices. And to the few that eye her warily, Caitlyn doesn’t seem to let it bother her. Only twice does Vi have to shut down unsavory comments.
Deckard turns away from the counter that Caitlyn mans, muttering, “Piltie bitch.” He runs into Vi on his way out. He pales.
“You want to say that again?” she says, a threat in her tone.
He sours, but doesn’t respond. Merely pushes past her, leaving the store and heading towards the street. Vi shakes her head and walks around the counter, returning to her place. Caitlyn doesn’t move away.
“Don’t ruin your reputation on my behalf,” Caitlyn scolds.
“Heh. Kind of you to think I have a good one,” Vi says. “Besides, Deckard’s a dick.”
Caitlyn doesn’t pry. “My hero,” she says instead, amused at Vi’s name calling.
Vi smiles wide, winking at the girl next to her. “You know it.”
***
It’s only a day or two later when Caitlyn returns. She doesn’t pull into a parking space, rather turns her car off next to one of the pumps. Vi bends over the counter to get a closer look at Caitlyn as she steps out, waiting.
“I got this one,” Vi says to Jinx, who stands next to her lazily leaning on the counter and noisily chewing on a wad of bubble gum as she rolls an allen wrench between her fingers.
“Oh, no…” Jinx says, drawing out the “o’s,” her tone dry. “Guess I’ll have to get the next one. Too bad.” Vi glares at her from over her shoulder and Jinx’s head lulls in her direction. “It’s cute that you thought I’d keep you from your girlfriend.”
Vi doesn’t bother responding. No reason to rehash a conversation they’ve already had too many times. She vaults over the counter rather than walk around Jinx to find the exit.
“Gosh, thirsty?” Jinx says incredulously and then before the door can close behind Vi, blocking out her sister’s teasing, Jinx calls out in a rush, “And will you please tell her to clean her car before she gets it serviced? I thought topsiders are supposed to have tact.”
Jinx is referring to the fact that when she got in Caitlyn’s car the other day to pull it out of the garage, she’d come across discarded… Well, Vi is still horrified knowing that her sister knows that she and Caitlyn are having sex. She shakes these thoughts out of her head as she makes her way to the pump.
“Hello, Violet,” Caitlyn greets as Vi approaches. She’d recently learned Vi’s full name and seems to enjoy getting away with using it.
“Cupcake,” Vi returns as she uncaps the fuel tank. The other woman is stiff. “Doing okay?” Vi asks then looks down at the repaired tire. Jinx had only patched it for the time being. She’d ordered a new one and told Caitlyn to come back for install once it came in. Vi kicks at it. “Tire holding up?”
Caitlyn doesn’t respond, just watches Vi’s hands as she works.
“Caitlyn?” Vi asks slowly and Caitlyn seems to snap out of it. She blinks.
“My parents…” Caitlyn starts and Vi’s eyes widen. Caitlyn had mentioned them a few times, enough for Vi to know that her father is a doctor and her mother is someone… important in Piltover. Vi didn’t want to think too hard about it.
“What about them?”
“Well, they…” she takes a breath. “I’ve told them about you. They’ve invited you to dinner.”
Vi’s hand loses its grip on the pump and the leaver snaps down, stopping the gas. The noise makes them both jump. Vi apologizes and rights herself. The laugh that escapes her is humorless. “Why?”
Caitlyn frowns. “They want to meet you.”
“I—” Vi’s mouth opens and closes uselessly. She glances down at herself—takes in the shirt draped across her body that she’d cut the sleeves off of, rotates her arm to see the dark tattoos that line them. Remembers that she has a face tattoo, piercings, scars. “Don’t they… I don’t know, know who I am? That I have a record? Why in the world would they want to meet me?”
Caitlyn’s frown only deepens. “They know you're my girlfriend,” she says. “Sure they can be difficult sometimes, stuck in their ways, but they know that I care about you. And that’s enough for them.”
“That I’m your…” Huh? Fuck, Vi thinks, did she seriously miss that they were dating? No. Surely, she would know. Right?
Vi’s reaction is enough to make Caitlyn shift on her feet. She suddenly looks unsure. “Aren’t we? Dating, I mean.”
When Vi just sort of gapes at her, Caitlyn's eyebrows raise and her cheeks turn pink. “Oh my god,” she breathes out. “I’m such an idiot!”
Vi lets go of the handle of the pump for good now. “Hey, no you’re not,” she says, rushing towards the other woman.
“It’s just we’ve…” she lowers her voice, “We’ve had sex. A lot! We said it meant something. I just thought… I’m so embarrassed.” Her back falls against her car. Vi steps in front of her.
“Seriously, don’t be. I’m the idiot! I assumed you didn’t want to.”
“Want to date?” Caitlyn guesses. “Why?”
“Oil and water,” Vi recites. “I… it’s not meant to be.” Caitlyn’s shaking her head but Vi continues, “I can do the sex thing, Cait. I just don’t think I’d be any good at the girlfriend thing.”
“But you are,” Caitlyn assures. “All this time I thought we were dating. You’re perfect.”
“Really?” Caitlyn brings a hand up to rest on Vi’s cheek and Vi can’t help but nuzzle into it. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
Caitlyn’s distressed look has melted into something kind. “Charmer,” she says, a playful lit in her voice. Then she ducks her head and places a kiss on the side of Vi’s mouth. “Be my girlfriend?”
Vi smiles, a feeling of genuine happiness filling her senses. “Well, if you insist…” she says, her sentence trailing off as their lips connect. They stand against Caitlyn’s car, Vi between her legs in the parking lot of the shitty gas station Vi runs but loves so much. All that matters is that she’s here.
She’s safe.