Chapter Text
They armored up in the locker room, equipping their gear—the Atlas Gauntlets hissing as Vi checked them, Caitlyn running her fingers along the length of her Hextech rifle, checking all its pieces were in place. Then, the two scaled and sprinted over the rooftops of Zaun and Piltover to reach the lower levels of the Entresol, nearest the Sumps in record time; already, Steb was at the scene with a contingent of officers stationed in Zaun, and Vi spotted Mir and Zayne suited up in armored gear, guarding an abandoned warehouse where they heard the howls and screams of the madman inside.
“He fell for the trap, ma’am,” Steb said quickly, as he walked alongside Caitlyn and Vi. “We’ve closed off all escape routes in the building. He can’t come out without facing us.”
“Good. Let’s take him down, nice and smooth.” With a gesture, Caitlyn equipped the Hextech rifle at her back. “Keep the entrances locked down. Vi and I will head in from the rooftop, catch him unaware.”
“Understood, sir.”
Caitlyn and Vi then quickly scaled the warehouse, the two briefly pausing on the rooftop to make a plan. Through the dirtied glass of the skylight windows atop the building, they saw the madman throwing a tantrum in the center of the warehouse, lamenting the empty bottles of chemicals, his bonesaw whirring as he swung it left and right in his disappointment.
“You remember the maneuvers I taught you, right?” Caitlyn asked, double checking her rifle.
“Yeah, ‘course. What’s the plan?” Vi adjusted her grip on the Gauntlets.
“Maneuver seven, then switch to sixteen, and vary between nine and twelve depending on his movements—I need him to focus you so I can get a good angle to fire. It might take several shots to knock him out—his corruption from chemtech and Shimmer may make him more durable than others, but just keep him busy for me.”
“Copy.”
“Your helmet’s secure?” Caitlyn glanced at her.
“Yeah.” Vi nodded. Head protection. She’d learned her lesson. “I’ll keep him dancing, Cait. You take the shots.”
“Alright. I trust you,” Caitlyn said softly. “I know we only had a week of training together, but…”
“We got this, Cait,” Vi said. “I trust you too.”
They shared a look on that rooftop, in the dark lighting of the depths of Zaun. But it was enough.
And that was that. Vi lifted up the skylight, and they both dropped in, landing on the railing surrounding the top floor of the warehouse. The madman caught sight of them both on the ground floor, swinging his bonesaw, crying out how they’d ruined his chances for curing his ‘patients,’ and then Caitlyn and Vi split up, Caitlyn running along the railing as Vi jumped down to the ground, feet dancing on the floor, gauntlets braced up in front of her as she prepared to brawl with their opponent.
Vi’s first real mission back in the field with the Atlas Gauntlets proved to Vi that she was meant to be here, be with Caitlyn, be with the Wardens, be on the frontlines defending those she cared for most. Somehow, someway, she found herself shifting, dodging, ducking at just the right seconds to see a beat later that signature flash of Hextech blue, static lightning and magic and smoke lingering on the madman’s head as he howled and staggered from the impact of Caitlyn’s bullets—and a second later Vi’s fist came up, adding a second blow. They followed up on each other in a way that Vi could feel in her bones was right, brawler and sniper working in tandem, every inch of distance covered so the madman couldn’t escape from a bullet or a fist.
If Vi found herself too slow to dodge a swing of that lethal bonesaw, Caitlyn’s shot would deflect it away. If the madman staggered behind some crates, obscuring Caitlyn’s line of sight, Vi would blast the obstructions away with a brutal and strong punch.
It was a dance. Total, complete trust. Sparring was one thing. The real fight? The real, deadly stakes? This was a different level. They moved just at the right moments, the right beat, just so they wouldn’t touch or brush one another. Punch. Gunshot. One, after the other, a rhythm mixed with the chaos of a brawl, a kind of tango where the dance floor was an opponent. Vi would shift right, shoulders hunched, gauntlets up, and see that telltale flash of gunshot blue blaze past. When Vi darted back and forth, baiting the madman to roar and follow after, she’d see from the corner of her eye Caitlyn swiftly crossing the railings, getting a better angle, knowing where Vi would bring their quarry for the grand finale.
Vi had never felt more alive. Exhilaration. Her heart, pounding, her lungs, heaving. But the grin on her face—Vi couldn’t remember the last time she’d ever felt so ready for a fight. Brawling alone, solo, with henchmen all those years ago tamed in comparison to having a dance partner nearby, on hand, covering all the spots Vi couldn’t—this was a different kind of thrill, a different kind of high. This was knowing she teetered on the edge of danger, a hairsbreadth away from a deadly saw hacking her in half—and knowing it’d never happen. That kind of wicked security? That kind of lethal confidence?
Only a partner could do this. Only Caitlyn.
—-
Once Vi had landed the final punch that knocked the madman down for the count, she’d relished in the victory for a minute, panting, breathless.
She hadn’t quite ever pictured in her mind the ‘after,’ the things that happened after a victory, after a criminal got taken down and removed from the premises in cuffs—or, in this ‘Dr. Mundo’s’ case, as Steb put it, on a giant trolley, where the gigantic man was chained down by several manacles attached to his wrists and feet.
Vi could only watch, hurriedly keeping close to Caitlyn’s side as the woman ordered officers to search Mundo for any extraneous weapons, before sending a few down into the tunnels for a short length to check if there might be a hint of Mundo’s base—if he had any. ‘Thoroughness,’ as Caitlyn put it. Necessary to ensure not just the criminal but his tools and such were put away too. Officers moved quickly, following Caitlyn’s command, and soon enough, the area had been cleaned up, Mundo escorted away, and Caitlyn gestured for Vi to join her back topside.
As they scaled their way up buildings, hopping over rooftops, Vi listened to Caitlyn’s post-op routine; bag the criminal to the nearest holding facility, close down the area, investigate for any lingering remnants of crime and/or potential harm, then disband and head home. There were further processes and forms and documents and things to go through the next day to process said criminal, but for the most part, the action was over. It was time for a well deserved break—and sleep.
But Vi couldn’t help but go over the fight in her mind. Caitlyn’s shots. Her punches. The beat of it. The rhythm of it. The dance.
Back at the station, Vi followed Caitlyn into the locker room.
“Vi, are you going to change?” Caitlyn asked.
“What?” Vi stared. Just a second ago she’d watched Caitlyn pull her hair tie from her ponytail, those deft fingers threading through that dark hair in a staggeringly fluid motion.
“Are you going to change?” Caitlyn repeated. Concerned, Caitlyn took a step closer, hands reaching up to pull off Vi’s helmet from her head—and now Vi really stared, because Caitlyn, here, this close? Right in front of her?
“I don’t think you took any hits to the head, or any deadly hits at all,” Caitlyn muttered, moreso to herself than Vi, bending down and putting Vi’s helmet on the bench—this angle, Vi could see every curve and turn of Caitlyn’s hips, her waist, before the woman straightened up, her hands now reaching upwards to cup Vi’s face.
Tilting Vi’s head this way and that, Caitlyn said, “I think you’re alright. Are you…shocked?” Hesitant, Caitlyn pursed her lips. “That fight…was it too much for you? Too…violent? I…I hadn’t thought of whether or not your first fight would be too much.”
Even with all that Wardens armor on, the Caitlyn standing before Vi—looked like her. Unarmored. Open. Free.
Not that Vi could remember, but something about how openly Caitlyn came close to her, held her face in her hands, not a single bit of hesitation in her movements—or even, that tiny little shift of her left foot, closer to Vi, tapping against Vi’s own boot—something about it all, something about really, really seeing her, here, after all this time.
Vi had everything to say and no way to say it.
“I want to dance with you,” Vi blurted.
“I—what?”
“I want to dance with you,” Vi repeated. “I…tonight was…you’re incredible.” Breathless, Vi struggled to figure out how to ask this, how to do this. “You wanna, uh, celebrate, with me? That we did good?”
Caitlyn kept her hands on Vi’s face, but her thumb gently brushed the VI tattoo on Vi’s cheek; her expression was contemplative, bordering on a kind gentle amusement. Those blue eyes—bright. Happy.
“I’d love to, Vi,” Caitlyn said, and then she turned away, stepping over the bench towards her own locker, putting away her rifle before her fingers deftly began to undo the straps of her armor. “I’m assuming you mean, tomorrow night? Tomorrow we’ll have our day full wrapping things up with Dr. Mundo, but after, we can head down to the undercity together?”
“I—oh, together?” Vi asked, brain shot blank. “Tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow is Powder’s party, remember?” Caitlyn glanced behind her, but her smile was so cute, almost a smirk. “The Innovator’s Competition party, I mean. It’ll be a perfect time to celebrate two birds with one—dance, I guess.” She giggled, a cute little sound that made Vi breathless. “I hope you haven’t forgotten.”
“No, uh, no,” Vi said, and she shook her head, turning around to face her own locker. Dumping the Gauntlets down, Vi glanced behind her—wrong time.
Caitlyn had stripped off her undershirt, revealing only her sports bra—and every line, curve, dip of her back, the mole there, near the left of her spine.
Vi’s jaw went slack.
Then the sounds of other officers entering the locker rooms whipped her back to reality, and Vi jerked back around, facing her locker, hands trembling as she stripped off her own sweaty combat gear.
As Vi tugged back on her tank top, she felt Caitlyn’s hand brush her arm.
Knowing it’d be a mistake, but doing so anyway, Vi glanced over at the sun, the stars, the world and more.
Caitlyn, in her office uniform, smiled and said, “I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”
Then she leaned in, giving Vi a quick peck on the cheek, and then she was gone—Vi heard her congratulating the other officers on an operation well done, and then that was it.
Vi stood at her locker in a daze. That woman would be the end of her. And Vi would welcome her all the same.
—-
At least Vi had a bit of prep time to put her head on straight before tomorrow’s party. As she lie in bed, staring at the ceiling once again, she couldn’t help but think—think of how to make this first date of theirs special. She immediately went next door and woke up Powder, who blearily blinked up at her as Vi explained her idea, pacing back and forth, wringing her hands, to which Powder agreed ‘yes’ to helping before punting Vi out of her room and telling her to go the fuck to sleep.
Vi woke up the next morning, looked at herself in the mirror, and did a small pep talk with herself—that Powder obviously heard as she waited impatiently outside the door.
“Vi! If you don’t get your ass out here in the next thirty seconds, I’m blowing up the door—”
“Okay, okay,” Vi said, throwing the door open, pulling on the jacket to her uniform. “I’m just—I’m nervous, about tonight, Pow. I want it to go really well.”
“It’ll be fine, Vi.” Powder shoved past Vi, grumbling. “Seriously. Caitlyn’s gonna be happy with anything you do. You’re like, the only person in this entire world who’s crazy enough to date her, and she’s the only person crazy enough to date you. Perfect match in crazy.” Then, she gently added, “But for what it’s worth, though, Vi. I’m glad you found her again.”
“Yeah. Me too, Pow.”
—-
“Hey, I’m gonna head down a little early and help Pow set up? That cool?” Vi asked in the early afternoon the next day.
Caitlyn finished signing a paper. She looked up at Vi with a smile. “Of course. I’ll see you there, then.”
“Yeah.” Grinning, hands in her pockets, Vi said, “Yeah, I’ll see you there. Cupcake.”
With a quirked brow, Caitlyn said, “Cupcake?”
“I mean, that’s what I called you before, right?” Vi faltered. “Pow—Pow told me to call you that.” If Powder had lied to her for the hundredth time about something between her and Caitlyn, Vi was gonna kick paint all over her lab.
With a chuckle, Caitlyn returned to signing her forms. “It’s fine, darling. I never outright told you before, but I always thought the nickname was charming. If, a bit cheesy.”
“Did you ever call me anything?” Vi asked. “I mean, I like ‘darling,’ but was I ever like, ‘cheesecake’ to you? Or, ‘egg tart’?”
Pausing in scrawling another signature, Caitlyn tilted her head. “I—Vi, those options are ridiculously stupid.”
“They’re not stupid,” Vi said defensively. “I think they’re cute.”
“I know you don’t recall many things about me, but Vi, I’m not one for using nicknames,” Caitlyn said, and she resumed scrawling on her paperwork. “Especially corny ones,” she muttered.
“Okay, but what do you think of calling me, like, ‘teacup’? I think that’d be cute.”
Caitlyn gave her such a skeptical, ‘are you serious, right now?’ look that Vi hastily said, “Okay, uh, that’s a no, then. Uh, see you tonight.”
—-
Once Vi made it back home, she spent a good part of the afternoon and early evening helping Vander and the Firelights prep the place. She helped scaffold and decorate the DJ’s corner to be a bit more festive, checked all the lights and their configurations, and helped Powder and Ekko do sound tests with their new and improved sound system.
“Seraphine! Thanks for doing this so last minute,” Vi said, reaching out and hugging the woman as she hugged Vi back. “Glad to have you here.”
“Oh, it’s no problem, Vi,” Seraphine said, flashing a smile as she pulled away. “I’m just happy Ekko and Powder are willing to put aside some of their sets for my songs.”
“Anytime!” called out Ekko at the soundstage.
“Hey, I didn’t get to say it in my letter, but I know that we must’ve, uh, talked and hanged out a bit in the past few years,” Vi said awkwardly. “Pow told me we started hanging out a bit more the past few years with Caitlyn, but all I can remember is us kids fucking around in that abandoned arcade in westside, and how we’d rig up the karaoke machine there for you.”
Seraphine laughed. “Oh, that old thing. I remember it too, Vi. But don’t worry, we have all the time in the world to hang out some more. We’ll make new memories together. And,” she added, with a cute wink. “I know Caitlyn will love your date tonight, if I have anything to say about it. I have just the perfect songs for you two.”
With a wide grin, Vi said, “That’s what I’m counting on.”
—-
People began trickling in as the evening started, folks of all kinds stepping foot into the bar and listening to the casual tunes Powder had on or hanging out at the bar for a quick drink. Vi manned the bar with Vander, helping him field requests, but she kept an eye out all the while for Caitlyn. She wasn’t sure what Caitlyn would wear, or what she’d look like. Vi had only ever seen Caitlyn in uniform of some kind (except that five seconds in the locker room last night), and Vi had to admit she really, really wanted to know what Caitlyn looked like when the woman cut loose from the vestiges of work and high society.
Vi had opted to wear a black muscle-fitting crop top and her ripped black jeans, something to keep comfortable whenever she hit the dance floor. Mir and Zayne and other officers came by too, ready to party, already tossing cogs on the counter for a row of drinks. As more and more people crowded into the bar, Ekko and Powder amped up the music a bit, prepping for the grand opening. The lights dimmed, and Ekko manned the lights, flashes and bursts of color slipping and sliding over the entire bar to the whoops and hollers of the partiers.
Then, in the crowd, Vi saw her.
Caitlyn.
To anyone else, she looked like another standard fare party goer. To anyone else, she was just another person, a friend; Vi saw a few people in the crowd wave, grin, raise their drinks up in greeting as Caitlyn made her way to the bar.
Then, there she was. Here. In front of Vi.
Caitlyn had worn similar, revealing clothing like Vi; a dark navy halter top revealing a generous amount of her waist and navel, black shorts that only seemed to heighten just how much leg this woman was, boots, and a black loose jacket hung around her elbows, the sleeves bunched up.
To anyone else, the outfit would’ve been usual fare.
To Vi, Caitlyn was staggeringly beautiful. For the first time, Vi really got to see Caitlyn, all of her. Not just her as Sheriff, but her as Caitlyn.
“Hi,” Caitlyn said with a smile. “A usual, please.”
Grinning, tongue in her cheek, Vi crossed her arms on the counter, leaning forward into Caitlyn’s space. “You gonna pay for that, sweetheart?”
“Mm. Maybe,” Caitlyn said cheekily. “What’ll it cost me?”
“One dance with you will cover your tab,” Vi said, already at work with getting together Caitlyn’s usual—a rum and coke, that Vi took a generous sip of first.
“Have to test it, you know, make sure it’s good enough for you.” Vi held the glass out, and Caitlyn reached out with both hands, her fingers and palms brushing Vi’s as she took the glass.
Shifting close, over the music, Caitlyn said, “How gentlemanly of you. And I think I can offer you a dance. Maybe more.” Then Vi watched as Caitlyn smoothly and deftly drank the rest of the glass, never breaking eye contact with Vi the entire time.
“Well. One dance with you it is,” Vi chuckled.
She came around the bar, and held her hand out—Caitlyn slid the finished drink back on the counter, then put her hand in Vi’s, and the two joined the crowd on the main floor.
Just then, at the sound stage, Seraphine came up, mic in hand as she waved to the crowd.
“Hello Innovators! And supporters,” Seraphine said cheerfully. A few people whistled and clapped. “I, Seraphine, will be your host tonight, and I am delighted to announce the beginning of the annual Innovator’s Party, a get together for all you bright minded and talented people working for a better tomorrow, not just for one city, but for both! Give it up everyone for all these hardworking inventors! On behalf of everyone in Piltover and Zaun, we thank you for all your hard work these past few years. Let’s keep that rhythm up!”
Raucous applause, cheers, whoops, and Vi heard a bellow from Zayne in the back that sounded a lot like ‘Fuck yeah!’ Of course the man was already wasted, only a half hour in, but it did mean Vi got to see Caitlyn hold back a laugh with her hand on her mouth.
“And with that, let’s get this party started!” Seraphine sang the final word, and behind her, Ekko and Powder got to quick work starting up the track to her song. A classic—Vi had heard this before. Upbeat, the steady beat of a drum and tambourine to the sound of Ekko’s keyboard synths playing in sync with Seraphine’s voice, the woman a natural star on stage as the crowd all around them got to dancing to the catchy tune. Next to Ekko, Powder slipped a guitar around her shoulder, the woman grinning at Ekko and Seraphine as she strummed an accompaniment to the song.
“Show me your moves, Kiramman,” Vi said, and Caitlyn laughed next to her.
“Oh, I will. I hope you can keep up.”
And, finally, Vi got her wish.
Vi couldn’t believe she’d ever forget someone like this.
As the two circled each other on the dance floor, laughing, all grins, Caitlyn painted all the colors of a miracle, a dream, Vi once again tuned herself to Caitlyn’s movements, following the woman’s lead. Her hand, grasping Caitlyn’s, twirling her around, pulling her back in; the feel of Caitlyn’s body flush against her own, Caitlyn’s laughter in her ear. Caitlyn’s hands, at her waist, guiding them both around their spot of the dance floor, Vi getting a feel of Caitlyn’s footwork so her own feet could also shift in time to the rhythm.
Partners, once again. The dance between them both—Vi knew it to be familiar, even if she couldn’t remember.
They danced to more songs together. Seraphine kept the crowd hyped up and excited, and Ekko and Powder played in tandem with the songstress, tossing in sick solos and crazy beats at just the right moments to get cheers and hollers from the crowd. Vi saw Caitlyn laugh, boldly smile, the cascading colors of lights highlight the delight and joy in Caitlyn’s blue eyes as the two danced on the floor, moving to a rhythm and a beat that Vi felt down in the core of her bones, in the center of her heart.
They grabbed drinks when they were out of breath, joining friends and family at the bar, Vi ordering a tankard from Vander that she and Caitlyn shared, laughing with Mir and Zayne as the two got wasted at the counter (Zayne more so than Mir). Caitlyn took a moment to congratulate several inventors nearby, who were all puffed up chests and proud grins as they shook hands with one of the patrons of innovation. Scar threw an arm around Vi’s shoulders, the man grinning at her and telling her he knew she’d find her place in the world again before he brought Caitlyn in for a firm hug too. Vander told such a funny joke that Caitlyn choked in their tankard, and Vander hastily clapped her on the back.
Caitlyn belonged here too.
Soon after, the two hit the dance floor again, Seraphine calling out to the crowd that she’d play a bit of a slower song, let the crowd get a break from the hype and energy of her previous, more fervent songs. Seraphine winked at Caitlyn and Vi from the stage, drawing her hands together to form a heart, and Caitlyn shook Vi with excitement—Powder was not kidding when she’d said Caitlyn was a big fan of Zaun’s biggest songstress.
Ekko and Powder struck up the softer, more gentler tune, and Seraphine joined them with her voice. The crowd cleared a bit, letting couples take the floor, and Caitlyn and Vi had their moment together.
“Heard you learned how to dance from me,” Vi said as Caitlyn’s arms came up around her shoulders, the two of them flush against each other, chest to chest. The thrill in Vi’s heart as her hands came around Caitlyn’s waist—she’d imagined this a thousand times, and still she went breathless at how her fingertips almost touched all around the woman’s midriff.
“I learned some from you,” Caitlyn answered. “Some from others. You learned a few new moves too.”
“Hope you can teach me.”
That smile, that gap between Caitly’s front teeth. Vi would never get enough of it.
“Is this you asking me out to more dances?” Caitlyn asked.
“That’s me asking if you’d join me upstairs. Got something special for you, after this.”
Surprise crossed Caitlyn’s face. “Oh? Really?”
“Hey, I just hope our first date—well, our second first date is really good,” Vi said, a little sheepish. “Is that too much?”
“Never. You’re never too much for me, Vi.” Caitlyn’s hand came up, her thumb brushing across Vi’s cheek once more.
Hearing that out loud. Vi’s heart expanded in her chest, as big as the grin on her face.
Soon enough, Seraphine’s song came to a close, and the singer hopped up and down on stage to the roars and shouts of the crowd, also jumping in tandem as Seraphine started up another song with Ekko and Powder, this time more electric, techno, a beat that Vi’s heard in the bar a few times but never to lyrics.
“Come with me,” Vi said, tugging on Caitlyn’s hand.
“Alright,” Caitlyn said, breathless.
They escaped through the crowd, taking the stairs up to the second floor—before Vi gestured for Caitlyn to head down the hallway, to the door that led to the rooftop.
As Vi led Caitlyn across the rooftop, heart beating in her chest, she turned around and sheepishly gestured at the setup—a janky little table, two shittier chairs, and two drinks, colored the brightest blue.
“Oh, Vi,” Caitlyn said softly; her expression was wistful, but charmed, as well. “You didn’t have to.”
“I, well, I mean, I wanted to. I apparently told everybody and anybody about our ‘first’ real date, and uh, everyone else told me that it involved us taking a seat up here and drinking something I’d made for you. Apparently Ekko and Powder nearly threw up from how many times I kept having them taste test it,” Vi said, a little self-conscious as she rubbed the back of her neck. “But, I did find in the pocket of one of my jackets, the recipe for this. Your Sapphire Siren, Cait.”
“Oh, Vi. This is—this is so lovely,” Caitlyn said, pulling away from Vi to take a seat, and Vi did the same next to her.
“I mean, that’s kinda the point, right?” Vi said, picking up her glass, grinning.
Slender fingers picked up the glass, and Caitlyn smiled—Vi’s heart felt like it would burst in her chest—as she held the drink up in the air.
“Cheers, then?” Caitlyn asked.
“Cheers, to us, Cait. To me causing trouble for you, all over again.”
Caitlyn laughed. “I could say the same to you.”
They clinked glasses, taking sips—and Caitlyn hummed as she glanced down at her own drink, swirling the glass in her hand.
“Does it—taste bad?” Vi asked, brow furrowed. She’d tested it with Powder and herself to be sure. (Did Powder lie to her again? Son of a bitch.)
“No, not at all,” Caitlyn answered. “It’s—different, than before. But—it’s not a bad thing, Vi. I want you to know that you don’t have to do things like you used to,” she said softly. “This is sweet, Vi. Really. I love it.” Leaning forward across the little table, Caitlyn reached her free hand up, once more brushing her thumb over Vi’s cheek, knuckles brushing Vi’s jaw as blue eyes held Vi captive, bewitched. “You’re still you, with that big heart I fell in love with all those years ago. But we’re people too, Vi. We change. You don’t have to be exactly who you were before, or do the things you did before too. Just know that I want to be there with you, and for you, every step of the way. If you’ll do the same for me. Second chances are for new things, aren’t they?”
Strange, Vi thought, that people sometimes called being in a relationship being ‘tied down,’ or ‘settling down,’ or that even worse moniker of ‘ball and chain,’ because all Vi could see, as she stared into blue eyes softened with such tender kindness, was this feeling of freedom.
Choice. Caitlyn always gave her one. No matter what. Every time.
And Vi would make the same choice, each time.
Then, Caitlyn made a face as Vi shifted away, and shotgunned the rest of her drink.
It was sweet. But it surely wouldn’t be as sweet as—
“Cait,” Vi said, abruptly standing up, tossing her glass—it shattered somewhere—and bending down in front of Caitlyn, hand reaching out to grasp the nape of Caitlyn’s neck.
“Vi—” Caitlyn started, with wide eyes.
Vi kissed her, mouth crashing against Caitlyn’s, Caitlyn startled with a muffled umph—and then a heartbeat later, she’d tossed her own glass aside too, her hands all over Vi, her chest, her shoulders, her arms, everywhere, just trying to be close, trying to fit herself against Vi all over again, as Vi knew she’d done so, so many times before.
Pulling up out of her chair, Caitlyn and Vi stumbled on the rooftop, tangled up in each other, feet tripping over the other’s in their haste to bring themselves back close again.
Kissing her, kissing Caitlyn Kiramman—fuck. Vi did everything she could to try and burn the memory into her mind, sear the very sensation of Caitlyn’s nails scratching down her back, her own hands finally touching, touching Caitlyn’s bare skin, her waist, her midriff. They broke apart from a messy kiss and Vi slipped her mouth down Caitlyn’s jaw, to her throat, panting as she press opened mouthed kisses there too. Caitlyn’s hand fisted in her hair, another jerking at the belt loop of her jeans, a light huff of exasperation escaping her lips as she tried to drag Vi’s mouth back to her own.
Vi didn’t know how much time they spent on the rooftop, making out, Caitlyn pulling away to briefly wipe her mouth before Vi pulled her back in again, leaving them both panting and breathless once more.
Then, Caitlyn’s hand, on her chest, and a word—“Wait.”
Vi immediately pulled away, feeling hot all over. “Y-yeah?”
Caitlyn looked blinding. Her hair, tussled, Her neck, flushed red, remnants of Vi’s mouth left all over. No woman had ever looked so fucking amazing.
Her hands still on Vi’s shoulders, Caitlyn panted, “Let’s go home. You, and I. I want you, Vi, but I’m not heading downstairs and fucking in your childhood bedroom.”
“Did we do that once?”
“Once. It was uncomfortable. Your bed’s really small.” Caitlyn lightly shifted away from Vi’s hands, still on her waist, and the woman glanced over the edge of the rooftop. “We’ll have a better time at my place.”
“In our bed?” Vi asked cheekily.
A laugh. The creation of a star. “It can be, if you can keep up with me. Let’s take the scenic route back topside,” Caitlyn said, with a wink.
And then, just like that, Caitlyn planted a foot on the edge of the rooftop, and jumped off.
Vi was a step right behind her, laughing, grinning wider than she could ever remember.
The scenic route was just as Vi remembered it.
The two of them sprinted across rooftops, laughing, the clear skies of the night following them with moonlight, silver spilled onto Zaun’s crooked buildings like paint, graffiti, like all the other parts of Zaun that made it alive. At some points along their journey, Vi would grasp Caitlyn’s hand as they stood before massive murals, gigantic paintings, dazzling displays of Zaun’s culture resplendent before them—and then, breathless, they’d take off again, both their feet launching off a rooftop edge at the same time, the two grinning at each other in midair, red and blue fitting into the rainbow canvas of Zaun. As the two scaled up railings, fire escapes, ladders and pipes, they’d reach the top and Vi would pull Caitlyn in for another kiss, Caitlyn giggling against her mouth, or Caitlyn would pull Vi up over the ledge and tug Vi in close against her, embracing her, face buried in Vi’s shoulder. When Vi pulled away, hands reaching up to cup Caitlyn’s face, the backdrop of the two cities framed Caitlyn in a gorgeous way; golden, silver, blue, all the colors of their lives illustrated in Caitlyn’s silhouette, her frame, her body.
She was beautiful.
They took the underside of the bridge, the two trying to one-up each other on the metal framework beneath, slipping and ducking and dodging through the scaffolding, arches and cogs beneath with a finesse that had Vi having to call a timeout midway because damn, a younger version of her could’ve completed this whole trip without breaking a sweat but they were older now, more aches in their bodies, more creaks and protests in their joints as they sped through places no sane man would travel through.
Panting, hands on her knees, Vi said, “Shit, sorry. I didn’t think I’d be so out of breath by now.”
“Hah,” Caitlyn said next to her, also panting, back against the wall; they hid underneath an arch of the bridge, just one foot away from falling off into the waters below. “To be frank, we have been taking a lot of breaks to make out. That—that does take a bit of breathwork. I’m also a bit winded.”
“Hope you won’t be too out of stamina when we get back,” Vi said.
“Oh, trust me, Vi, I plan on having you the whole night,” Caitlyn said with a smirk. “Even if my body’s not like how it used to be,” she admitted.
“Ready to go, then?”
“Let’s go, love.”
They set out once more, pulling up over the bars, jumping over railings, and soon enough, they were in Piltover. Their feet pounded against the rooftops, their shadows dipping and rising as they hopped across gaps, rolling on the other side, before smoothly getting back up again; in Caitlyn’s form, Vi recognized bits of herself, her own practiced movements reflected in Caitlyn’s high jumps, the way she landed on impact, the swift dodge and turn of her body as she went around chimneys and towers. Caitlyn had watched Vi just as much as Vi was now watching her; in their very bodies, their bones, there was a bit of them in each other.
And then, with one final jump onto a balcony, Caitlyn turned—just as Vi landed right next to her, out of breath, but nonetheless grinning too. They cleaned up just a bit in the bathroom, wiping off the grime and dirt from their hands, Caitlyn giggling as she flicked water at Vi—and Vi did the same, before grabbing Caitlyn in a bear hug, not letting the woman go as she peppered more kisses on Caitlyn’s face.
“Come, you. I’m still intent on having you tonight,” Caitlyn said, dragging Vi into the bedroom. Caitlyn shrugged off the loose jacket around her arms, tossing it onto the floor, before her hands went to pull her halter top off—
“Wait, Cait.” Vi hovered a hand close to Caitlyn’s waist, not quite touching.
Caitlyn paused, turning around, standing at the foot of the bed. “Yes, Vi?”
Vi came close, swallowing, but never letting go of Caitlyn’s gaze. “Can I—I want to take your clothes off.”
“Oh.” Caitlyn blinked, and she lowered her hands. She studied Vi’s expression, lips parting slightly in realization—the request, in any other situation, would’ve sounded ridiculous, but for Vi…
“Sorry,” Vi exhaled. “I just…”
“You don’t have to explain,” Caitlyn said softly.
“I know,” Vi said. “It’s just that…” With one hand, Vi lightly pushed Caitlyn back onto the bed, crawling on top of her, looking down at the woman who’d always been her other half.
“I want to remember you again,” Vi whispered, and her fingers trembled as she brushed them over Caitlyn’s exposed navel; before, there’d been the cover of heat, of flame, the fire between them both unquenched, but there was something else entirely different about taking this so, so slow between them both, Vi getting the chance to finally really see Caitlyn, in her own way.
“Remember me however you want,” Caitlyn said, still gentle.
Choice. Again. Freedom.
That gave Vi all the confidence she needed; it wasn’t that she’d had doubts before this, but there was always that little bit of nervousness that came from doing something for the first time.
Vi’s hands pulled the halter top up and off Caitlyn—of course the woman wasn’t wearing a fucking bra—and Vi trailed her gaze down Caitlyn’s chest, tracing the shape of her breasts, the peaks of brown nipples that Vi immediately dipped her head down towards, taking one in her mouth and hearing the blessed sound of a low moan from Caitlyn, Caitlyn’s hand fisting in her hair once more. Vi slipped her hands onto Caitlyn’s waist again, just feeling that insane way her fingers could almost touch all the way around. Caitlyn’s legs hooked around Vi’s hips, pulling her in close.
Taking a moment to breathe, Vi took her tongue and mouth up off Caitlyn’s nipple, eyes half lidded as she stared down at Caitlyn’s chest; there, a mole, on the right side dip of her collarbone, then another, at her hip, a small one that Vi brushed a thumb over, pressing lightly down upon it, wondering if she’d done this before. There were hints of old scars, faded from time, battle wounds that showed Caitlyn’s history, that showed she was both a fighter and a lover.
“You’re so beautiful,” Vi whispered. “Fucking incredible.”
A breathless laugh. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you saying that to me.”
“I’ll say it as many times as you want, babe.”
“As much as I enjoy hearing you flatter me, Vi, I’d much rather you return to having your mouth on me. Anywhere.”
With a breathy chuckle against Caitlyn’s sternum, Vi said, “And here I thought I’d be taking this at my own pace.”
With a deliberately long inhale and exhale, Vi saw Caitlyn shiver underneath her—then another pull and tug of her hair, Caitlyn trying to get Vi to reciprocate on her other breast. Caitlyn’s impatience was cute—but it was another way for Vi to learn about the woman again, see just how much Caitlyn missed her.
Then, a whined ‘Vi’ in that tone between half-offended and half-amused. This woman really could say her name in a thousand different ways and Vi knew she’d never tire of it.
Vi brushed her nose over Caitlyn’s sternum, squeezing Caitlyn’s hips in between her hands as she took the other nipple in her mouth, hearing Caitlyn’s relieved sigh as a reward. To try and alleviate the own heat between her legs, Vi grinded her hips against Caitlyn’s, and felt Caitlyn buck against her in kind, those long, impossible legs of hers tightening against Vi.
Again, Vi took it slow and languid, just as the ultimate tease. She liked feeling Caitlyn try and roll her hips up against her, liked Caitlyn arching her back into Vi’s mouth, liked the taste of Caitlyn against her tongue, liked that hand threading through Vi’s hair with an uncontrolled abandon. This woman wanted her. Every part of Caitlyn needed Vi, wanted her, and that sent a thrill down Vi’s entire body.
Vi’s hands slid down from Caitlyn’s waist, to the waistband of her shorts, and then to the button and zipper there. Leaning back for a moment, the two worked together to tug off Caitlyn’s shorts and panties, Vi having all of a few seconds to just really look at how wet Caitlyn had gotten, that dark thatch of hair between Caitlyn’s legs glistening in the slants of silver spilling from the window, but then Vi looked up to see Caitlyn falling back on the bed, those blue eyes vivid, bright, trained on Vi with an intensity that sent another shiver down Vi’s spine.
Crawling forward once more, her hands planted on either side of Caitlyn’s head, Vi stared down at an impossibility, but there she was all the same, blue and brilliant.
“You going to take your own clothes off, handsome?” Caitlyn asked, shaking Vi out of her reverie.
“I—yeah. Was just a bit distracted,” Vi muttered, her eyes following the crooked curve to Caitlyn’s gap-toothed grin, the fan of her long hair around her head. Then Vi felt hands at the hem of her muscle-fitted crop top, and without thinking Vi easily let the thing get pulled up and over her head, Caitlyn tossing it to the side before those slender fingers were back on her chest again, a long, shaky exhale from Caitlyn showing her relief.
“Missed me that much, huh?” Vi chuckled, leaning down, pressing kisses first to Caitlyn’s jawline, then down the column of her throat, returning to the woman’s breasts again.
Caitlyn’s nails scratched at Vi’s shoulders. “Please. Less talking.”
“Got it, babe.”
Still, Vi enjoyed this. Underneath her, Caitlyn arched into her mouth again as Vi trailed kisses down the woman’s chest, towards her navel, slipping further until her head and shoulders were bracketed by Caitlyn’s thighs. Vi entertained the thought for a split second of taking off her own jeans, but she could see the slick wetness between Caitlyn’s thighs, feel the heat from the woman’s skin.
Tilting her head, Vi lightly nipped at the skin of Caitlyn’s thighs, and Caitlyn twitched underneath her touch; again, that hand in her hair, grabbing a fistful.
A low whine from Caitlyn, throwing her head back against the bed. Vi had to chuckle.
“So, I know you don’t want me talking, but that doesn’t mean I want you to stop talking,” Vi said. “So. Tell me about all the times we fucked. If you stop talking, I stop.”
“You can’t be serious,” Caitlyn huffed.
“I’m serious. You said I could remember you however I wanted.”
“You always were such a tease,” Caitlyn said under her breath. “Fine.”
That was all Vi needed.
Then Vi dove in, tongue stroking up and down Caitlyn’s cunt, smearing her mouth and chin with slick—when she heard a relieved moan from Caitlyn, she pulled away, immediate, and Caitlyn fumbled with words—
“We—we fucked in one of the Council Tower closets,” Caitlyn rambled, and Vi pressed her mouth back against Caitlyn’s folds, nose brushing against the wetness there, Vi using one hand to lightly press the pad of her thumb against Caitlyn’s clit; Caitlyn’s hips bucked straight into Vi’s mouth, and Vi had to resist the urge to grin too wide, to stop her rhythm as she kept going. Strokes of her tongue came with Caitlyn’s pants, and Vi couldn’t help moans of her own—Caitlyn tasted so, so good.
“And—and, on the roof, of the L-Last Drop,” Caitlyn continued, her hand still fisting tightly in Vi’s hair. “I-in my office, a lot—in the gym, in my family’s mansion, in J-Jayce’s lab—”
Vi wasn’t really paying attention anymore. Any noise from Caitlyn was its own reward; her moans, her whines, the sharp buck of her hips against Vi’s mouth, the way the woman’s hand pressed down hard against Vi’s head, trying to grind Vi’s tongue more deeply against her cunt.
Maybe Caitlyn mentioned more places they’d fucked, maybe Caitlyn wasn’t talking at all or saying anything comprehensible—all Vi knew was that she could feel Caitlyn pushing up against her, her slick hot and wet, coating the entirety of Vi’s mouth and chin, dripping everywhere but Vi didn’t care. Vi’s tongue demanded more and more, the strokes and licks coming in faster as she felt Caitlyn come close to her own climax.
Finally, as Vi slid her tongue into Caitlyn, breaching her, her thumb pressing harder against Caitlyn’s clit just one last time—
Caitlyn’s hand in Vi’s hair pulled, hard, a loud moan escaping Caitlyn’s mouth as she came, and Vi tasted even more of her.
Vi kept up her rhythm for a moment, then slowed it down, her licks become more languid and slow as Caitlyn came down from her high.
Pulling away to breathe, Vi pushed herself up on an arm, grinning down at Caitlyn below her, who had her eyes screwed shut, her whole body glistening with sweat.
“Good?” Vi asked.
One blue eye opened, Caitlyn breathing hard. “Come here.”
Vi obeyed, instantly, pulling forward on the bed, arms bracketing Caitlyn’s head again; their mouths crashed together, Caitlyn arching her back, pressing her chest up against Vi’s, her hands palming at Vi’s breasts, then slipping lower, jerking at Vi’s jeans now.
It didn’t take long to get Vi’s jeans and boxers off, Vi kicking them off of her before returning to Caitlyn, the two now fully naked on the sheets, hands all over each other’s, mouths meeting again in deep kisses. Caitlyn’s hand pushed on Vi, rolling Vi to the side so they were facing each other, and then Caitlyn’s slender fingers trailed down Vi’s chest, those blue eyes half-lidded, her gaze turning down to the happy trail of hair on Vi’s navel.
“With me, please,” Caitlyn murmured, and she grabbed Vi’s hand, slipping it down between her legs, and Vi got the message.
Caitlyn’s fingers slid into the folds of her cunt just as Vi’s did the same to hers; she’d been just as soaking wet as Caitlyn the whole time, and Vi bucked against Caitlyn’s hand, a low whine escaping her mouth at finally being touched. Vi could barely think; half her thoughts were on trying to focus on her two fingers curled inside Caitlyn and the other half of her thoughts were going crazy at Caitlyn’s fingers in her, thrusting to a perfect rhythm, curling inside her in a way that was just right.
Their breaths were hot against each other’s mouths, the both of them panting heavily, eyes on each other’s, never looking away.
It didn’t take long for either of them to come; not when they both knew each other now. Caitlyn’s climax came first, prepped by the prior; as her walls clenched around Vi’s fingers, her sharp gasp tearing from her mouth as she jerked her head forward, smashing her mouth against Vi’s—and that was all it took for Vi to come undone too, kissing Caitlyn right back with a fervor as she jerked her hips against Caitlyn’s hand, riding out the rest of her orgasm.
Vi slid her fingers out first, rolling onto her back, panting heavily. Caitlyn did the same next to her, and for a moment, the two lie there, staring at the canopy of the bed.
“How many times did we fuck?” Vi panted, glancing over.
“Vi. I just told you of all the places we had sex.”
Cheekily, Vi said, “Just wondering if you kept count or anything.”
“Your bedside manner needs work,” Caitlyn said, rolling her eyes. “I’m not going to stroke your ego, but Vi, I found you attractive all the time. There was never a moment when I didn’t desire you.”
Vi could see the obvious blush down Caitlyn’s throat, how red she got when prodded and poked. It was so cute.
Vi, tongue in cheek with a growing smirk, said, “Hey, you should know…I want you just as bad. Like, been thinking for a while about strapping you down. If you’re down for it.”
Caitlyn sat up, turning around and leaning on one hand as she looked down at Vi with an amused look. “Darling. You know I won’t say no to that.”
They slipped off the bed, Caitlyn grabbing a box underneath and opening it up; there were far more toys in here than Vi anticipated, all of course, the finest quality, and though Vi eyed the fine shibari rope, she still had her original intent in mind.
“Right, ‘course you’d have a Hexstrap,” Vi said, chuckling. “Alright, let me put it on.”
Except, as Caitlyn lie prone on the bed, a pillow underneath her hips and Vi made to line herself up behind her, Vi pressed her right hand down on the bed next to Caitlyn’s shoulder—and immediately felt a stinging pain in her shoulder.
“Fuck, ow,” Vi hissed, and Caitlyn looked behind her, alarmed.
“Vi? Are you alright—?”
“Ah, might’ve worked this shoulder too much running here and, uh, earlier,” Vi said, grimacing as she sat back on her knees, reaching a hand behind her to try and massage out the stinging knot in her right shoulder. Fucking old age or whatever. Vander wasn’t joking when he said hitting a certain age made shit just happened to your body.
“I could massage it out for you again,” Caitlyn offered, pushing herself up.
The pain began to lessen in Vi’s shoulder as she continued to press and massage down on it with her fingers. It’d fade in a moment or two, Vi was sure, but probably no more bracing herself on her arms above Caitlyn for the rest of tonight.
“Nah, I think I’ll be okay. Uh, didn’t mean to kill the mood,” Vi said.
“It’s not like we have to stop,” Caitlyn pointed out. “I could always just ride you, if you’re open to that.”
And that was how Vi sat down at the head of the bed, back against the headboard, Caitlyn straddling her waist, the woman’s hands gripping Vi’s shoulders as she slowly brought herself down onto the tip of the strap’s glowing, runed-shaft; Vi grunted, getting used to the sensation, the feeling, her hands once again on Caitlyn’s hips because they were such a perfect place for her to put them.
“Oh, right, you don’t remember using this,” Caitlyn breathed, pressing her brow against Vi’s, sinking further down on Vi’s strap and Vi involuntarily bucked her hips upward; she could feel it, Caitlyn’s tight and slick heat, feel every inch of the way Caitlyn’s walls clenched around her cock.
“H-heard about it, can’t remember using it, y-yeah,” Vi panted, blinking, already seeing stars because fuck, Caitlyn not only tasted sweet but she felt amazing. The pleasure was insane, and Vi withheld a whine in the back of her throat, trying her best to control jutting straight up into Caitlyn’s still wet cunt, wanting to take it slow, let things go at Caitlyn’s pace. “Fuck, Cait.”
Caitlyn’s entire face was flushed red, and she too breathed hard as she sank herself fully down onto Vi’s cock, panting as her nails dug hard into Vi’s shoulders—the two took a minute to adjust to the feeling, be used to each other again, their brows pressed against the other’s as their gazes met.
“Just know, Vi,” Caitlyn murmured, her lips brushing the corner of Vi’s mouth. “I’ve missed you.”
Here, like this, Vi could see all of Caitlyn, every curve, every softened angle of this woman’s body, the silver of moonlight casting a glow against the woman’s skin—and there, Vi could spot all the cute moles, the perfect imperfections on Caitlyn’s body, and all the scars, proof of Caitlyn’s ever ongoing pursuit for a better future.
“I missed you too,” Vi whispered. She meant it.
Then, Caitlyn rolled her hips, and every thought got blasted out of Vi’s mind, replaced only with the urge to push her cock deeper into Caitlyn’s cunt, Vi meeting Caitlyn’s movements with her own as Caitlyn rode Vi with every intention of never letting her go. Hot, tight walls clenched around Vi’s cock, slick with arousal, and Caitlyn arched her back, teeth digging into her bottom lip, eyes screwed shut as she tried to focus on bringing herself over the peak, tension building up between them both as they both rocked their hips against each other.
Vi couldn’t help herself. She brought a hand up, panting hard, a trembling thumb brushing Caitlyn’s cheek.
Blue eyes opened, looked at her with all the love in the universe and beyond.
Then, they both unraveled.
Stars fully burst into Vi’s vision just as Caitlyn collapsed against her, the woman barely even pulling herself up the shaft of Vi’s cock anymore; she jerked her hips against Vi, erratic and without rhythm, riding out her own high, walls clenching so hard around Vi that Vi almost thought she’d come a second time around.
Caitlyn’s lips found Vi’s, hungry, wanting, and they coasted down from their orgasm with deep kisses, moans slipping from each other’s mouths as Vi wrapped her arms around Caitlyn, pressing every inch of the woman’s body up against her own.
Finally, after a few minutes, Caitlyn gingerly pushed herself up off Vi’s strap, collapsing onto the bed. Vi quickly undid the straps of the harness, blinking and huffing as the runes turned off on the Hexstrap and the strange sensation of its magic faded away. She tossed it aside.
After a minute, Caitlyn lightly brushed her fingers over Vi’s arm. “Shower with me, love? Then we can sleep.”
“Yeah.”
They stumbled out of bed together, fingers threaded in each other’s, before getting into the shower.
“Can I touch you?” Caitlyn murmured, hot water coating them both, Caitlyn’s fingers already trailing up Vi’s chest, the woman standing close.
“Touch me all you want,” Vi chuckled, thinking about how this entire night Caitlyn couldn’t have enough of her. The thought was what counted, though. Despite Caitlyn’s forwardness earlier, her little moments of hesitation told Vi that truly convincing Caitlyn that she’d stay would be a journey.
Caitlyn first took hold of both of Vi’s hands, bringing them up to her lips; there, she gently pressed kisses to Vi’s roughened knuckles, a gentleness and care to her touch that had Vi leaning her head forward, lowering her hands so she could capture Caitlyn’s lips in a kiss again.
The softness of something like this. Vi had never imagined she’d ever be able to share a moment like this with…anyone. Caitlyn, lathering shampoo into her hair, the woman’s blue eyes rapt and attentive. Caitlyn’s hands, then, on her back, scrubbing down, fingers pressing down and massaging that one sore spot on Vi’s shoulder. Vi returning the favor, laughing a little as she got soap suds on Caitlyn’s nose, Caitlyn giggling, pushing Vi up against the wall so they could share another kiss, and another.
Their hands were all over each other, not in a way that could be purely sexual or sensual but moreso just Vi discovering Caitlyn again, all the parts of her, the shape of her, her curves and lines and angles, Vi’s fingers tracing the outlines of scars as Caitlyn murmured their stories in her ear, Caitlyn’s nails lightly dragging down Vi’s arm, her back, her torso. As Vi pressed her palms against Caitlyn’s back, fingers splayed as she traced the line of Caitlyn’s spine, Caitlyn shivered against her, whispered how she’d missed Vi’s embrace more than anything else. The water coated them both but Vi didn’t care as she cupped Caitlyn’s face in her hands, brought the woman in for another kiss, then another, and another, Vi memorizing the sound of Caitlyn’s giggles, her joy made manifest.
Caitlyn did the same in kind for Vi, long slender fingers brushing Vi’s own battle scars, faded from time, a hero’s journey marked on her body just like the ink of her tattoos. Vi noticed the tremble of Caitlyn’s hands, the shaky breaths, the choked back emotion in her words as Caitlyn too indulged herself, let herself touch Vi again in the way she’d always done. To reassure her, Vi murmured permissions and agreements in Caitlyn’s ear, told Caitlyn that every part of her was Caitlyn’s, and Caitlyn’s alone.
But time. The tick tock of their aching, aging bodies. Caitlyn eventually reluctantly pulled Vi out.
Once they dried themselves off, Vi whipping Caitlyn lightly with her own wet towel to which Caitlyn indignantly started batting at her with her towel, it was late enough that the two stumbled back into bed, happy, full of joy and love, but totally and completely exhausted.
“We’re gonna be really sore tomorrow,” Vi yawned, settling onto her side; Caitlyn cuddled up behind her.
“Mhm.” Caitlyn nuzzled into Vi’s shoulder, wrapping her arms around Vi’s torso; then, lips pressed against Vi’s shoulderblade, and Vi repressed a shiver. “But it would’ve all been worth it,” she said softly.
Closing her eyes, Vi mumbled, “Night, Cait. Love you.”
“I love you too, Vi.” For a brief minute, Caitlyn’s fingers traced the outlines of Vi’s back tattoo, soft, relaxed and relieved sighs tickling the nape of Vi’s neck as Caitlyn indulged herself just one last time—and Vi let her, knowing that Caitlyn must’ve done this so, so many times before.
They fell asleep like that, cuddled close, knowing that they’d have tomorrow together—and tomorrow after that, and every day after.
—-
Vi awoke the next morning, predictably, incredibly sore. Stupid shoulder pains would probably haunt her for the rest of her life. But if the sex was that good each time then maybe fucking up these aging bones and muscles might be worth it.
Rolling her shoulder as she blearily opened her eyes, Vi saw golden sunlight blanketing the room, the sheets of the bed—but when Vi glanced over, she saw absence at her side, no sign of Caitlyn anywhere. Pushing herself up to sit, Vi squinted in the brightness—Caitlyn’s clothes from last night were still on the ground, but her closet door was left ajar, and the bedroom door was open too.
Vi got off the bed, wincing a little at how her body protested with some aches and pains, and pulled on her boxers. Then she left the bedroom.
Walking down the hallway, Vi found Caitlyn in the kitchen, standing at the counter, wearing her own bathrobe—a gorgeous silk one that revealed a generous amount of cleavage as Caitlyn turned around.
“Oh, Vi,” Caitlyn said with a shy, but warm smile. “I—um, I was making you coffee. And myself, tea. I—I don’t know if you still like coffee, the same way. You used to like it a certain way.”
Vi paused by the kitchen island, taking everything in; taking Caitlyn in, seeing her stand in the golden sunlight from all these windows, hair messy and tussled, blue eyes brilliant and bold, the coffee machine next to her whirring at work. On the counter lie a teacup in a saucer—cute—steam rising up off its surface, a porcelain teapot next to it.
There was a strange feeling of déjà vu, nostalgia hitting Vi just then, and she wavered slightly, taking a step back, blinking.
There must’ve been so, so many mornings like this. Her, waking up. Caitlyn, making tea and coffee for them both. Maybe vice versa. Maybe Vi had been the one in the kitchen first, cooking breakfast for them both.
“Vi?” Caitlyn asked, hesitant.
“I…got to have mornings like this, with you, every day?” Vi whispered.
A beat. The two of them on opposite ends of memory. They met in the middle.
“Every day,” Caitlyn said softly.
Vi came forward immediately, joining Caitlyn’s side, pulling Caitlyn into her arms once again. Leaning her brow against Caitlyn’s, Vi couldn’t help a trembling exhale, Caitlyn lightly cupping Vi’s face in her hands.
“I never wanna forget this. You, ever again,” Vi whispered. “You. Me. Us. I—I want more mornings like this. I want—I want more, with you. I want to remember you, Caitlyn.”
Caitlyn’s lips brushed Vi’s, a kind, soft smile on her face. “We have all the time in the world, Vi. I won’t go anywhere. And I know you won’t leave either. We’ll make a future together.”
Vi kissed Caitlyn then, soft, sweet, warm in the morning sunlight. This was bliss. This was peace. And Vi found it all again, in Caitlyn. This was where she was meant to be.