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Caitlyn grabbed her overnight bag, slinging it over her shoulder before jumping out of the side of the deep blue car that her mother used when she wanted to be inconspicuous. Her mother gave her a hard look from the passenger seat. “I heard that this ‘Vi’ person might be, you know, a lesbian.” She spat out the word, like it was poison in her mouth. “I don’t like the idea of you hanging out with their kind. If she does anything, and I mean anything, we will pick you up immediately. You have Jayce’s number, he can pick you up if needed.” Her mother, Cassandra, turned back to face the driver. “We can go now.” She never said “have fun”, and she never really cared about anything but how Caitlyn was perceived. Caitlyn knew Vi was a lesbian, and it didn’t bother her in the slightest. She didn’t follow along with her family’s old fashioned views. Vi could date whoever the hell she wanted, it wasn’t Caitlyn’s place to decide. She sighed, walking up the cracked sidewalk to Vi’s apartment complex. It wasn’t much compared to Caitlyn’s penthouse but Caitlyn honestly preferred it. It was more homey, felt more lived in. Vi lived with her two brothers, Mylo and Claggor, her sister, Powder, and their adoptive father, Vander. Caitlyn sometimes envied her family, because even though they didn't have a massive amount of money like Caitlyn’s family had, they were always there for and cared for each other. Her family wasn’t really like that. She was closer to her best friend, Jayce, then she was with her parents.
She was pulled from her thoughts as she reached their apartment by the door banging open, and Powder ran out, followed by a grinning Vi. Powder sprinted towards her, jumping into a hug. She laughed, holding the smaller girl to her chest. “Hi Powder. How’s your project going?” Powder liked to build things, tinkering around with scrap parts she found. Recently, the blue haired girl had shown Caitlyn her plans to create glitter bombs.
She looked up into Caitlyn’s eyes, a huge smile on her face. “Me and Ekko made one that worked! We don’t currently have any more, but we're making a whole ton!”
As if summoned by his name, Ekko, Powder’s white haired friend, popped his head through the door. “Hey Powder! Benzo’s letting us go through his spare parts! Come on.” Powder stuck out her tongue before running towards her friend who promptly flipped her off. Caitlyn rolled her eyes. They were twelve, but already swearing like sailors. She re-adjusted her overnight bag on her shoulder before walking over to where Vi was watching the younger kids with a fond look on her face.
“Do they ever calm down?” Caitlyn asked, genuinely impressed by their energy at this point. Vi turned to her, pink hair capturing the sun’s rays perfectly. She let out a small chuckle.
“Not really. They give until they have nothing left. Then they just collapse on the couch. Shoulda seen them last night,” Vi pretends to shudder. “They tried to glitter bomb us but only ended up getting Mylo who then used pretty much the entire dictionary of curse words while blindly punching the air. It was hilarious.” Caitlyn smiled, picturing it.
She then remembered something she had to tell Vi. “Well, we’d better go inside. I do have something to tell you.” Vi raised her eyebrows, smirking.
“Ooh, scandalous. Let's go then, Cupcake.” Caitlyn smiled softly at the nickname as Vi took the bag from her shoulders. When Caitlyn started to protest, Vi shushed her and said, “Hey, you’re my guest, plus I need to show off my spectacular muscles somehow!” She staggered and groaned theatrically as she lifted the bag, pretending to try really hard to pick it up. They both laughed for a second as Vi almost bumped into Claggor. She followed Vi through the hallway down to her room that she shared with Powder. Vi threw her overnight bag onto the floor beside her bed, which she then flopped onto. Caitlyn moved to sit beside her friend, settling down on the bed next to her. Vi was sprawled out over the mattress, taking up as much space as humanly possible.
“Okay,” Vi sat up slightly as she spoke, adjusting so her back was against the wall. ”What's up, Cait?”
Caitlyn chewed her bottom lip, wondering what Vi would think. “Well, you know George right?” She started.
Vi nodded, tilting her head. “Yeah, your boyfriend? Did you get laid?” Caitlyn groaned, covering her face with her hands.
“Seriously Vi? No, no. He’s not my boyfriend anymore. We broke up.” Vi’s head snapped up, concern swimming in her grey eyes.
“Shit Cupcake, sorry. Are you okay?”
Caitlyn felt a weight lift off her chest that she hadn’t even known was there at Vi’s words, feeling so much better now that she was with someone who actually cared about how she felt.
“Yeah, I’m fine, Vi. I’m just… confused. I thought I would care more, but it almost felt like a relief! And he was kind too, he didn’t weigh me down or anything, I don’t know why I don’t feel sad. Is there something wrong with me?” Caitlyn could feel the pinpricks of tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes, and she rubbed them away with her sleeve. Vi caught her arm and held it by her side. She felt Vi’s rough hands on the side of her face, urging her to look up. She met Vi’s eyes, stunned by the compassion she saw there.
“It’s not your fault, you may have just liked him as a friend and mistook it for a crush, Cait, nothing’s wrong with you. You are so kind and you care so much for others, you don’t have to feel bad for not feeling sad.” Vi carefully ran her thumbs over Caitlyn’s cheeks, brushing tears off her face. Vi’s own face was filled with empathy and kindness and Caitlyn just wanted to hug her and cry into her shoulder. So she did. A sob escaping her throat, she surged forward, burying her face in Vi’s neck. Her best friend’s arms wrapped around her back, strong arms holding her when she herself was not strong enough to. They stayed like that for a few minutes, Caitlyn with her face buried in Vi’s shoulder and Vi holding Caitlyn against her. Slowly, Caitlyn raised her head, feeling that most of her tears had dried, and she was feeling significantly better. Vi unwrapped her arms from Caitlyn, finding her face to make sure she was okay.
“Well, if you want to, we can talk about it…” Caitlyn hesitated for a moment, before nodding her head quickly. She fiddled with the hem of her shirt, kind of nervous for whatever reason.
“I… I don’t know if I ever really liked anyone…” It was the first time she’d even admitted that to herself. Her ex, all her crushes, she wasn’t sure if she’d ever truly liked any of them. She felt stronger about Vi than she had ever felt about them. Wait a fucking minute…
Vi looked at her, her expression soft. “You could be aroace, you know. Not everyone gets crushes.”
Caitlyn turned the idea over in her head, but something in the back of her mind says that’s not what she’s feeling. Then what the fuck am I feeling? She peered up at Vi, deep in thought. Vi’s hair falls on the side of her face, on the other side, her lip scar is prominent and for a brief second she finds herself wanting to know what it feels like under her tongue. The thought surprises her, never having felt that way about her friend before. Or anyone for that matter. But then, she recalls a moment in middle school when she was at a sleepover and they were watching Mean Girls. Regina George came on screen and she had felt a similar pull, thinking it was jealousy, she had brushed it off.
“Hey Vi, um, weird question but, do you think I could… kiss you, uh, just to see if it feels different?” Goddamnit, why am I so flustered??? She was pretty sure she was turning tomato red. She actually meant to see if it felt different, it wasn’t just an elaborate scheme to kiss her best friend. Vi appeared to be almost as flustered as her, blush coloring her cheeks.
She cleared her throat. “Um yeah, sure Cupcake, if you want. Were they really that bad?” She said the last bit with a laugh as if trying to make the situation a bit less awkward. Caitlyn remembered back to the few times she had kissed her then boyfriend, George. She shuddered.
“Yeah it was shit. Dunno if it was his fault or mine though.” She said with a shrug and a nervous smile.
“Damn, I better be better than him, I don’t know if I can live with being beat out by a dude… and it was probably his fault the kiss sucked, but I’ll be the judge of that!” Caitlyn smiled, Vi’s assurance making her feel a little less nervous.
“Thank you, I’m so sorry for making this awkward…”
“It’s okay, Cupcake. My first kiss was with one of my friends because they were afraid they wouldn't be able to do it right and they were about to go on a date with this guy. They ended up realizing they were a lesbian, so, seems I have a history of turning people gay. Careful, Cait or you’ll be next.” She said that last sentence with a wink that made Caitlyn never want to stop smiling. What is happening to me? She shifted nervously.
“Umm so when…?” Just then Powder burst through the door, face covered in paint and glitter.
“Dinner time, bitches!!! We’re having mac n’ cheese, and if you don’t come soon, we’re gonna eat it all!” She’s gone as quickly as she appeared, leaving a trail of glitter behind her, and Caitlyn and Vi were alone again.
“I guess… after dinner? If you’re still up for it, that is.” Vi offers a small smile.
“Yeah, yeah I’m still up for it.” She stood up, turning back to look at Vi before holding out her hand to help her friend up. Vi takes it, pulling herself up, then letting go. For some reason, she noticed this fact, noticed the absence of her warm hand even though it had only been in hers for a moment. She follows Vi out the door of her room to where the family had already gathered.
Ekko was in a similar state as Powder, multicolor glitter and paint littering his face and clothes. The rest of the family was—as of right now—unscathed by the pre-teen’s inventions. A large pot of steaming homemade mac n’ cheese was in the center of the table, with a smaller pot of green beans next to it. Caitlyn breathed a sigh of relief. Finally some good fucking food. Her family had the fanciest food to ever exist, and she really missed having burgers, mac n’ cheese, hotdogs, and other foods her parents deemed “cheap and childish”. She pulled out a chair next to Vi, quickly grabbing a plate and started spooning mac n’ cheese onto it. It was almost empty seeing as she and Vi were the only ones that hadn’t got any yet. She blushed slightly, embarrassed at how rude she must have looked. Vander waved his hand at her dismissively.
“Ah, manners don’t really exist in this family, take as much as you want, but don’t let Vi starve.” Caitlyn smiled, grateful for the reassurance.
Once they had all eaten their share, She and Vi headed back to Vi’s room. Powder was going to the movies with Ekko and probably wouldn’t be back for around three hours. Caitlyn’s heart was beating so hard she would be surprised if Vi couldn’t hear it and all because she was going to kiss her. Unless Vi changed her mind. She already said she was fine with it, but she still could change her mind. The thought made a pang of disappointment through her chest for an unknown reason.
After they walked through the door, Vi closed it firmly, making sure if someone bumped it it wouldn't just open.
“Vi…?” Vi turned around to face her, and Caitlyn felt kind of timid.
“You wanna kiss now, Cupcake? We’ve got the room for a while.” Vi smiled, it was a genuine smile, and it made Caitlyn smile back. She feels her cheeks heat up as Vi steps closer to her.
“Yes.” She whispered, looking down, slightly embarrassed. She feels hands cup her face, urging her to meet her best friend’s eyes.
“C’mon, where’s the confidence?” She made large gesturing motions with her arms. She leaned in and whispers in Caitlyn’s ear, making her shudder. “This won’t change anything between us, and now I really wanna know what George missed out on!” The outburst does somehow lift her confidence a bit. It won’t do any harm, I mean this is what friends are for! Helping your friend sort out what they feel, and then supporting them how you can.
She smirks. “Oh, confidence? Okay.” Caitlyn moves, threading her fingertips through Vi’s hair, her palms resting on the other girl’s cheeks. She pulls their faces closer, waiting for Vi to nod before she presses their lips together.
Vi’s lips are surprisingly soft compared to what Caitlyn expected, against hers. Butterflies erupt in her stomach and she wants to kiss her forever. It felt shockingly different from when she had kissed George. No other kiss had ever come close to what this felt like, she hadn’t even known it was possible to feel this way. Oh if her parents could see her now. The kiss continues for a moment before Vi pulls away.
“Wow Cupcake, it was definitely his fault…” Vi looked flushed, scratching her head and looking to the side, not meeting her eyes. Vi also looked… pretty hot… oh .
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
It had been roughly three weeks since she had gone to Vi’s for that sleepover and kissed her. She had been in full-fledged gay panic mode ever since she had realized she might actually like her, and as Vi promised, nothing had really changed, except for the fact that Caitlyn now blushed while hanging out with her significantly more. Caitlyn was still exploring her newfound gayness, trying to sort out who she could tell… She planned on telling Vi tonight, as they were having another sleepover, and she’d be the most supportive. She was also nervous, wondering if Vi would guess she was Caitlyn’s crush and not want to be friends anymore. Somehow she knew that was kind of irrational, as Vi didn’t seem like the type to be upset by that, but who knows.
A knock on her door yanked her out of her thoughts, and she got up to answer it. Jayce stood outside her door, probably going to drop her off at Vi’s as both her parents were very busy, and honestly, she preferred Jayce. Even though he was roughly six years older than her, they were pretty close friends, just like her and Mel.
“Hey, Sprout! Ready to go?” Jayce was grinning like he won the lottery.
“Umm, yeah… hold on, let me grab my stuff. You sure look happy today,” She noted suspiciously. Jayce just waved her off, but she could see the slight flush in his cheeks. She made a mental note to ask him about it sometime when he couldn’t escape. Caitlyn made sure everything was ready one more time before following Jayce out of the penthouse and out of the complex into a polished black limo.
“I could say the same for you.”
She looked up, confused. “What?”
Jayce just laughed.
“You also seem a bit extra happy… find a new guy?” She internally groaned, both at the use of the word ‘guy’ and at the fact that she was being so obvious.
“No. Well, at least not exactly… I don’t know… I might tell you sometime soon, but not now.” Caitlyn sighed. Jayce looked mildly confused and excited, but didn’t push it. His hands moved idly on the steering wheel, driving out onto the main road on the way to their normal meetup place.
She watched the city buildings pass, eyes following the shoppers going about their daily lives. She wished she could have even a fraction of the anonymity they had, but instead she was the daughter of the biggest lawyer and media reporter in Manhattan. She couldn’t step outside without being photographed or recorded. Vi and her family are the only ones who could see past the media’s image of her, they really knew her, not the perfect picture of her that Cassandra and Tobias painted.
Jayce seemed to notice her mood but thankfully didn’t press. The car pulled up to the shop around the bend from The Last Drop, which is where she was usually dropped off to “protect” her family image because apparently it wouldn’t be very proper of her to visit the Zaunite-run coffee shop, let alone be dropped off directly at Vi’s. Her mother had only dropped her off there last week (in a rental car, chosen to be inconspicuous) because their normal limo was being repaired. Jayce turned back to face her, smiling. “Have fun, Sprout! Oh, and I saw the blue-haired girl and white-haired boy’s inventions… tell them I’d like to invite them to HexClub if they’re interested.”
Caitlyn’s eyebrows raised. Jayce had a private high-end science club that he ran with his lab partner, Viktor, but it was all by invitation. People had tried to buy their way in before, but Jayce and Viktor never wavered. Why would Jayce invite my Zaunite friends? The whole class is Piltovan and I think most people in Piltover would like to keep it that way. He may lose supporters and attendees… Why would he risk that for Pow and Ekko? She shook her head to clear it. “Of course, Jayce. I’ll pass on the message.”
“Oh stop being so professional. It’s just us here!” She bit her lip. Being professional helped her keep her emotions in check, slip into that perfect daughter mask that she could never truly be. Jayce picked up on her uncomfortability, ever her most perceptive friend besides Vi.
He turned in his seat, using his arm to support him as he looked at her. “Hey, Sprout, it’s okay. Whatever is going on you don’t have to talk to me about it yet. But I do think it would be healthy for you to talk to someone- EVENTUALLY. But preferably soon.” Caitlyn just nodded and looked down. He sighed before unlocking the doors, and Caitlyn pulled up the hood on her hoodie, quickly grabbed her bag and got out.
“Thanks for the ride, Jayce.” She murmured, slipping into the crowd before she could be recognized. She saw him give a double-thumbs up from the driver’s seat and she returned the sentiment. She moved through the crowd, careful not to touch anyone. She passed the fancy shop, rounding the corner to The Last Drop where a familiar figure with pink hair was waiting. Vi was dressed casually, for her at least. She was wearing a roughly torn crop top that hung loosely off one shoulder, and sandy colored jean shorts with a belt kind of hanging off her hip.
Caitlyn nearly tripped.
Vi’s face lit up when she spotted Caitlyn, and Caitlyn rushed over to meet her. Vi hugged her, as usual, and Caitlyn hugged her back, smiling stupidly. “Finally! I was gonna explode if I didn’t get out of that penthouse soon!” She laughed into Vi’s shoulder, finally letting her facade fall away.
“Aww, that desperate to see me again, Cupcake?” Vi smirked, and even though Caitlyn knew she was joking, it still made her flush slightly.
“You try being stuck with my mother while she tries to set you up with all the local red flags.”
Vi’s eyebrows raise. “Damn, Cupcake, sounds like your mom is a real treat.”
Caitlyn scoffed. “Tell me about it.” She absentmindedly tucked her hair behind her ear. “Well we should get going, didn’t Powder say she had something planned?”
“Oh yeah, that's later, after dinner, but we should go. Vander will be wondering where we are.” She held out her hand to Caitlyn, smiling at the taller teen. She took Vi’s hand gratefully, letting her lead her through the crowd. Caitlyn squinted, not being able to see Vander’s beat up truck at the curb.
“Where’s the car?”
Vi chuckles. “Oh Vander is visiting someone across the city. He let me take his motorcycle.”
Motorcycle?
…
Fuck.
Her eyes widened, noticing the somewhat new-ish looking black motorcycle parked near the street. “W-what? Are you sure that’s safe???” She gaped at it, terrified but excited at the idea of riding it. Vi twirled the keys on her index finger.
“Oh, yeah. I rode it all the way here, and Vander taught me when I was 13. I’m basically a pro.” She slipped around Caitlyn, walking her fingers over Caitlyn’s shoulder. “You’ll be perfectly safe, Cupcake… just hold on to me.” Vi said the last words with a wink, sending Caitlyn’s heart into overdrive.
Double fuck.
Vi moved around the motorcycle and picked up two plain black helmets, wordlessly handing one over to Caitlyn. Caitlyn fitted it over her head, shifting it until it was comfortable. When she could see without the helmet blocking her view again, she saw that Vi had already put hers on and was straddling the motorcycle, and when she looked up Caitlyn almost exploded into a huge rainbow of gayness. Vi looked like a female version of all those ‘punk boys’ every straight girl always went crazy for and honestly she kind of got it now. Caitlyn stepped forward nervously, partly because her mother would kill her if she knew Caitlyn was about to ride a motorcycle, partly because the other person on it was extremely hot, and partly because she’d never done this before. She slipped her leg over the seat, settling in before Vi had to remind her to put her hands around the other girl’s waist since there were no handles on the back of the vehicle.
Right.
She took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for it so she didn’t freak out and confess to her startlingly strong feelings for her best friend. Before she took too long and made herself look stupid, she wrapped her arms around Vi’s waist, and she had no time to comprehend anything before Vi started the engine and checked in with her one last time, and then they were off. Everything was sort of blurry even though they weren’t going very fast, and Caitlyn wasn’t sure why until she realized her eyes were watering from squeezing her eyes shut too hard. She blinked slowly, in an effort to clear them. Once she was better adjusted, she realized the death grip of a hug she was giving Vi and immediately loosened her grip, embarrassed.
Once she got over her initial fear, she straightened up and looked around as they sped past buildings. It felt oddly freeing to be able to do this kind of thing without her mother policing her every move, and it felt nice to be able to do it with Vi. Hanging out with Vi always felt like a break from expectations, a break from being Caitlyn Kiramman, where she could just be Cait and have fun without repercussions.
The motorcycle slowed down as they approached the light, and when they stopped, Vi was able to turn back to look at Caitlyn. “You good? You were giving me a death grip there near the beginning.”
Caitlyn smiled. “Yeah, it's actually not that bad.”
Vi seemed satisfied and turned back just in time for the light to turn green and the cars in front of them to move.
Maybe 10 or so minutes later, they pulled up in front of Vi’s apartment building. Vi parked the vehicle and turned it off, taking off her helmet in one smooth motion revealing her slightly messy pink hair. She got off first, turning and helping Caitlyn dismount the motorcycle. When Caitlyn took off her helmet, she felt like her hair was sticking up all over, and she quickly smoothed it before handing her helmet to Vi.
Caitlyn took a deep breath of city air, which somehow felt crisper and cleaner away from the penthouse. She looked up, watching a group of pigeons flock to the top of a shorter building and smiled, savoring the moment.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when Vi appeared in front of her, turning to say, “I put the motorcycle away, come on Cait, don’t just sit there like a fucking rock, Powder planned something for all of us!”
Caitlyn shook off the moment, curiosity replacing it. “Really?” Oh, wait, Jayce wanted me to ask… “I also have to talk to her and Ekko about something important!”
“Oh damn. Something happen?” Vi looked slightly concerned.
Caitlyn gave her a reassuring smile. “In a way. Very exciting, actually. I’d like to tell them first though.” Vi still seemed curious, but she accepted that answer, at least for now.
“Let's get going then, it seems it’s going to be a busy night.” Vi started jogging toward the apartment steps, and Caitlyn followed, worries left behind.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
While Vi had gone to grab take-out from Jericho’s, Caitlyn took the opportunity to corner Powder and Ekko. They were all seated in Vi and Powder’s room, on poofy bean bags.
“Um, Pow, Ekko, I have something to tell you guys-”
Powder looked up. “Cait, you sound kinda serious. What’s going on?”
Caitlyn fiddled with her fingers for a second before just spilling it all out, not knowing how else to really say it.
“My friend was impressed by your inventions that I told him about, I even showed him one or two, and he wanted me to extend you each an… invitation. To HexClub. He will fund your projects, and give you many more resources. So if you would like to go, you can.”
The two kids just sat there for a second, trying to take in all the new information.
Ekko was the first to break the silence. “Hex…Club? Like, THE HexClub? Hold on, you said we were given invitations, they’re only given by the leaders, Viktor and Jayce right?”
Caitlyn let out a small chuckle. “Yeah. I’m friends with both of them, but mostly Jayce. He’s the one that extended the invites.”
Powder looked like she was going to pass out, and Ekko looked like he was trying to aggressively plan out every little detail of everything they’d ever done.
Ekko got up and began pacing, speaking to either himself, or everyone. “We need to make sure everything is perfect… must impress them…”
Caitlyn stood up, and Powder finally seemed to snap out of her trance.
“Are you serious? Like, completely serious, like you're not joking, right?”
“Yes, I’m completely serious, Pow. If you want, you can go.”
“Of course we wi-” They both said at the same time, before they were interrupted by the door banging open, signaling that Vi was back.
Powder jumped up and down excitedly. “Let me tell her, motherfuckers!!” She said as she sprinted through the doorway to find Vi. Caitlyn chuckled to herself, and followed Powder out the door. When she caught up to them, Ekko had somehow already made it there, and Vi and Powder were embracing, Vi looking slightly startled, and holding the take-out bag in one hand.
When Vi and Powder broke apart, the blue-haired girl grinned, and snatched the paper take-out bag from her sister. Holding the bag up above her head, Powder screamed at them all, “Well we’ve got things to do, eat the fuck up!!”
Ekko laughed as she tossed him a wrapped burger. Caitlyn smiled, and sat down on the carpet leaning against the couch, waiting for everyone else to get theirs first. To her surprise, Vi grabbed her burger too, and walked over to sit next to her. She handed Caitlyn her food, and leaned her head back onto the couch.
“Did your friend really invite them to HexClub?”
Caitlyn unwrapped her cheeseburger. “Yeah, he was impressed with their inventions. I guess I told him about them without thinking.”
Vi looked at her and smiled. “Well I’m so glad you did. They seem really happy.” She took a big bite of her burger before speaking again. “I think Powder has been wanting to try out some new makeup she got for her birthday, I think that’s gonna be something we’ll do tonight.”
Caitlyn looked over at Powder who was already more than halfway done with her food, and was currently trying to shout at Ekko to hurry up with her mouth full. “Oh, cool. My mother doesn’t really let me or anyone do my own makeup but my stylist. And what they choose is always boring.” Caitlyn said the last word in a fake posh accent her mother usually used, waving her hands dramatically.
Vi chuckled. “Well lucky for you, we’re at your service, madam.” She bowed, and Caitlyn smacked her arm lightly.
Powder emerged from the hallway balancing a few makeup pallets and boxes in her arms.
“Hey Vi! You do Cait’s and I’ll do Ekko’s! Then we’ll switch.” She dropped a few pallets next to Vi, and sauntered over to Ekko.
Vi grinned. “Ey, little man’s gonna look so prettyyyyyy!”
Ekko glared at her. “Shut up. I’m only doing this because it’s Pow’s birthday present.”
Vi rolled her eyes and turned back to Caitlyn. “What do you want?” She gestured at the makeup.
Caitlyn surveyed the make up, shifting some to see the ones underneath. “Um, I don’t know. Surprise me.”
Vi picked up two eyeshadow pallets, comparing them before picking the one with shades of blue and purple.
“Hold still, I don’t like fucking up anyone’s makeup except my own.”
The other girl cupped Caitlyn’s face with one hand, wielding the makeup brush with the other. Vi’s hand felt warm against her skin and she had to stop herself from leaning into it too much. She lightly applied royal blue eyeshadow onto Caitlyn’s eyelids, her own eyes scrunched in concentration.
When Vi shifted her attention to the other eye, she moved the hand that had been cupping Caitlyn’s cheek to hold her chin, and Caitlyn’s eyes fluttered as Vi’s hand grazed her nose. When Vi finished the eyeshadow, she picked up an eyeliner pencil. As she traced the edge of Caitlyn’s eyelids with the eyeliner, Caitlyn noted how there was more tenderness and care when Vi did her makeup compared to her stylist. Vi’s hands were soft and gentle where her stylist’s were strict and calculating. Next, Vi moved on lip gloss, picking out a slightly sparkly almost see-through shade of pink.
When Vi completed the look, she capped the lip gloss, exclaiming “Done, Cupcake! You wanna see?”
Caitlyn smiled. “Yeah, of course.”
Vi handed her a palm-sized circular mirror, and Caitlyn rubbed it with the edge of her shirt to clear it before she took a look.
Her eyeshadow perfectly complimented her eyes, not looking too strong and obnoxious, but also not too subtle. The eyeliner was a great addition, done in Vi’s usual style that she used on herself, and the lipgloss wasn’t overly aggressive, and despite the differing colors, it was working with the eye makeup, not against it.
“Thank you, Vi! This is really good… uhm I’m not very good at makeup it’s okay if you don’t want me to do yours-”
“No, it’s fine, I don't mind. Plus, practice makes perfect, Cait.” Vi smiled reassuringly.
Just then, Powder jumped up, looking at her phone. “Ekko! Sevika says she has some spare parts from her last arm design that she can lend us, and she’s also letting us use the shop while she’s out tonight!” She turned to Caitlyn and Vi. “You can put the makeup on my bed when you’re done, but it better fucking still be intact-”
Ekko pulled his friend out the door, rolling his eyes.
And they were alone.
“Hey at least there’s no witnesses to your self-proclaimed terrible makeup skills now.” Vi was smirking at her, speaking in a teasing voice.
Caitlyn rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah.”
She picked out a few products, occasionally holding one up next to Vi to check if it would look okay. Once Caitlyn had a few she liked, she set them out in front of Vi.
“Is this fine?”
Vi scanned the products, nodding. “Yeah, looks good to me, Cupcake.”
Caitlyn picked up the eyeshadow palette, taking a makeup brush and lightly gathering darker magenta colored eyeshadow. She carefully brushed over Vi’s eyelids, having to hold the side of Vi’s face to make sure it went on correctly.
She could have sworn Vi shivered at her careful touch, but it was probably her hands shaking slightly before she began to apply the eyeliner. She managed to make it look okay, the eyeliner coming out in a surprisingly not fucked up line. She had chosen the same black eyeliner pencil Vi had used for Caitlyn’s makeup a few minutes prior. She tried to do as she had seen her stylist do, a little thicker on the edges, before she put the eyeliner down, satisfied. She looked over the assorted lip gloss she had picked out, frowning.
“What’s wrong, Cupcake?” Vi looked at the lip gloss Caitlyn had chosen.
Caitlyn rolled the lip gloss into some of the others, pushing it back and forth. “I don’t know, I don’t think this would go very well with the look.”
Vi let out a low chuckle. “Well you don’t need to use any lip gloss if you don’t want to. It’s fine like this.”
Caitlyn twisted her fingers, knowing what she still wanted to bring up. “Hey, uh, Vi?”
“Yeah Cupcake?” Vi shifted, sensing the change of conversation.
“Remember the thing we talked about? Like, the George thing?”
Vi’s expression changed from serious to concerned. “Yeah, you didn’t really like him, right?”
She sighed. “Yeah. I think… Uh I think I figured out why.”
Vi moved a little closer to her, wrapping an arm around Caitlyn’s shoulders. “Okay. You can tell me, I promise I won’t tell anyone if you don’t want me to.”
Caitlyn offered a small smile. “Yeah I know. You’re the first one I’m telling.”
“Well, I’m honored.” Vi put her free hand on her chest, bowing her head quickly, in an effort to make Caitlyn feel more comfortable with a touch of their normal goofiness.
“Vi…” Caitlyn laughed.
She composed herself with a smile, turning back to Vi. “It’s just… I think I’m a lesbian. I mean, I’ve thought so for a little over a week, but I’m pretty sure that I am now.” Caitlyn faltered slightly on the word lesbian, still hearing her mother’s voice in the back of her mind. “Being gay is a sin! They will all burn in hell, Caitlyn. We don’t associate with them.”
Vi’s voice pulled her back to the present, calm and collected. If her best friend was surprised, she didn’t show it. “That’s great that you figured that out, I’m proud of you, Cupcake. Whatever your identity, I’ll always be here for you.”
Caitlyn hugged Vi, feeling a little bolder now. Vi hugged her back, asking a simple question.
“If you don’t mind me asking, how did you come to that conclusion?”
Caitlyn felt the blood drain from her face. Had she guessed? “Umm…” She needed to be confident. She’ll find out sooner or later, Caitlyn was sure. “What do you think, Violet?” She said Vi’s full name, daring to sound a little flirty.
Vi looked surprised for a split second before grinning playfully. “Hmm lets see… Could it have been my kissing expertise?” She leaned in a little, teasing.
Caitlyn blushed a bit, feeling her heart speed up. “It was a one time thing, how am I to know if it was expertise or just coincidence?” Caitlyn also leaned closer, pushing Vi back lightly.
“Well there’s an easy way to tell, isn’t there!” Vi put her hand down firmly as she said it.
“Oh so that’s how we’re gonna play.” Caitlyn’s grin widened, and she narrowed her eyes. “Game. On.” She put her hand on top of Vi’s in the same manner.
“Well there’s the confidence I was looking for,” Vi smirked, somehow both appearing flirty and careful. “But are you positive you want that?”
Caitlyn took a deep breath. “Yeah.” She was kinda disappointed that was all she could come up with, but it really didn’t matter to her right now.
A flicker of surprise crossed Vi’s face, but it turned into a smirk as she grabbed Caitlyn’s arm and pulled her a little closer.
“You sure?”
“Yes, I’m fucking sure-”
Vi crashed their lips together, nearly tipping them over as Caitlyn got pulled towards her. Vi’s lips were so amazingly soft and rough at the same time, and though Caitlyn had thought it impossible, it was even better than the last. They pulled apart, breathing heavily, before Vi shifted so she was criss-cross applesauce and pulled the other girl onto her lap. Caitlyn was momentarily surprised, but quickly regained most of her wits before their lips found each other again. She traced Vi’s scar with her tongue like she’d wanted to do from the start, enjoying the sigh that the pink-haired girl let out before opening her mouth in response. Caitlyn’s tongue slipped into her mouth, groaning into the kiss as Vi returned the favor.
They sat there for a while, making out like the two teenagers they were, a quiet love story in Manhattan, not too unique from others, but remarkable all the same.
As for what Jayce was so happy about, Caitlyn had discovered that his lab partner, Viktor, and him were dating.