Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Maybe it all started because of Caitlyn’s lack of water intake, causing her awful headaches. The anxiety of going back to school after enjoying winter break made her forget to drink water, though she was typically good at managing things like that.

Caitlyn usually didn’t stay home from school. She would rather go to the bathroom to cry about her headache between classes than stay home and have to ask classmates for notes the following day, but her father was insistent upon it.

“I can’t miss a day,” Caitlyn pleaded. “It’s the first day back- I can’t miss a day.” The more she talked, the more her headache worsened.

Caitlyn’s father, Tobias, tsked while pouring her medicine. “Caitlyn, no. You look in no state to learn regardless.” He said with a slight smile on his face.

She scoffed though she knew it was true. The bags under her eyes made it look like she was about ready to up and leave for weeks, and her eyelids weighed down as if she could drift off into sleep at any moment.

Tobias slid the medicine cup across their kitchen counter and his gaze softened. “You work hard enough Caitlyn. Rest.”

So she slept the entire day and woke up the next in the same state, sans headache.

Her father drove her to school trying his best to engage in small talk about her mother's job and upcoming events, but if Caitlyn was good at anything, it was holding a grudge. She joked that she could hold a grudge better than eye contact.

When they reached the school gates, Caitlyn walked out of the car without saying a word to her father, but by the time she reached the door to her homeroom, she felt guilty enough that she decided she would make his lunch the following day. Without saying anything of course. Caitlyn was soft for her father, but still Caitlyn all the same.

Her first four periods went fairly smoothly, with Caitlyn only having to ask for notes in two of the classes and getting the last pick for seating because of her absence. That was fine with her, she didn’t want to sit with anyone in particular regardless.

For lunch, she ate with her science teacher's aide, Jayce Talis. Her family had supported him when he first moved to Piltover, and she had grown up with him always there, like an older brother.

“Y’know we aren’t allowed to have students in the classroom. I should make an example of you.” He mumbled through chewing, pointing a fork at Caitlyn.

She rolled her eyes. “You would be so lonely without me,” Caitlyn said, fully knowing that she would be eating alone if not for him. “Who else would correct you every time you said something stupid?”

Jayce chucked. You aren’t the only one who can appreciate how amazing I am Cait. I’m not saying anyone in particular but…” He trailed off.

“God, I could not have less interest in hearing about your love life Jayce.” Caitlyn neatly took her sandwich out of its bag, picking off the note from her father.

Don’t worry Caity <3

Caitlyn didn’t think he was talking about anything specifically, he just said things like that sometimes. Things that Caitlyn would ponder for a moment, but weren’t relevant enough to consume her time. She was a busy person.

“Any resolutions for the new year?” He asked pointedly. “Maybe branching out a little? Letting loose?”

Caitlyn shifted in her seat at the thinly veiled intervention.

“I don’t need to do either of those things. I am perfectly content with my life as it is.”

Jayce frowned a bit and took another bite of his salad. “That’s okay Caity Cat. Just- I don’t know- just try. It can’t hurt”

At the sound of her old nickname, Caitlyn smiled a bit. “Maybe it will hurt,” Her tone bordered on joking. “Maybe- maybe they’ll give me a cold, or they’ll push me.” Caitlyn started talking frantically, giggling between words. “Maybe they’ll break my heart” Caitlyn whispered, suddenly somber.

Jayce stared at her, unable to tell if she was serious until she erupted into more giggles.

“Jayce, not gonna happen, it's a nice thought though.” Caitlyn's laughter simmered down to a slight smile.

“Just try. For me.” Jayce mock begged.

Caitlyn scoffed. “Fuck off”

Caitlyn walked fast to her fifth period, hopeful to talk to her math teacher about yesterday's assignment, but she was stopped by her art teacher on the way.

“Ms. Kiramman, glad I caught you.” Ms. Medarda pulled her aside from hall traffic into her empty classroom. Caitlyn glanced longingly out the door, praying that the detour wouldn’t use up all her time.

“Good to see you again Ms. Medarda. How was winter break?” Caitlyn managed an impatient smile as her eyes darted to a colorful head of hair passing the window. She sharply exhaled and thought distantly, “Please don’t let me be late.”

Ms. Medarda pursed her lips and breathed for a second before speaking, clearly thinking about a way to break some news.

“Right, well Caitlyn- You know that I appreciate your efforts in my class, and this is not intended to be a punishment by any means.” Caitlyn stared at her blankly, blinking twice in the silence.

“You were absent yesterday when we picked partners for the semester project,” She started with more confidence. “The only person left in class was Vi Lane.”

Caitlyn squeezed her eyes shut as if to wake her from a dream. “What?” She exhaled.

“I know she isn’t the first person you would have picked, but there are virtually no other solutions. It is what it is.” Ms. Medarda looked uncomfortable with the way the conversation was going. “Caitlyn I recognize what a good student you are and I think this could be a great opportunity.”

Caitlyn’s eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean Miss?”

“I want every student to succeed in my class, and I think that Ms. Lane could benefit from your tutelage, however, I understand that the project in of itself is a large undertaking and your partner may… make things difficult, so I am more than happy to consider this more harrowing period in my course, a trial.” She said, biting down on the last few words.

Caitlyn watched the seconds go by on the clock and followed a map in her head from the art room to her math classroom. She was losing seconds like sand through an hourglass every moment she stood there looking dumb.

“Yes, that’s no problem- though I’m not sure what you mean, Miss.” She measured the speed of her voice and the pauses between each word to make sure her tone was appropriate. She knew exactly what her teacher was referring to.

Ms. Medarda smiled, looking genuinely delighted, and Caitlyn was a bit taken aback. “The University of West. With my endorsement and a quality project, you could get in. I am sure. I believe that it is the least that you deserve dear. After seeing your work change all these years, I know that an opportunity like the University of West could only encourage growth.

Caitlyn was holding her breath. A small hope she held in her chest was screaming through her skin, and she felt it up to her fingertips, swirling around her eyes. This was it. Ms. Medarda was notorious for her sponsorships and good words that practically guarantee any student the future they desire. She handpicks one student per year, and Caitlyn has been waiting for this moment since she walked into the Art room Freshman year.

“Ms. Kiramman?”

She became aware of the fact she hadn’t said anything and took a shaky breath before saying, “If I don’t misunderstand, you mean to award your sponsorship to me if I work well with Vi Lane.” She spoke so delicately now as if the very idea would break with too harsh a syllable.

Ms. Medarda smiled gently. “Not quite. Of course, you have all the same candidacy as anyone else without agreeing to my conditions, but managing such a large project with… well another large project would impress me greatly. I am asking you to get Ms. Lane’s grades up.”

Caitlyn stiffened. Vi would never want her help. She couldn’t imagine any scenario where she would ask, or even say yes to an offer from Caitlyn.

Upon seeing Caitlyn’s hesitance Ms. Medarda said, “If this is too much, do not feel inclined to say yes. I understand what I am asking of you.”

“No. No, this will be fine. Thank you so much for considering me. Would you mind writing an email to me detailing the conditions exactly?” Caitlyn hoped she wasn’t being too bold but she needed to get this right,

“Of course, I’ll have it sent by the end of the day,” There was a lull in her speech as if she wanted to say something more, reveal another angle, but instead said, “Perfect. I’ll be seeing you last period then.” Caitlyn made a beeline to the door feeling her teacher's eyes on the back of her head.

This wouldn’t be a big deal, it’s only a project. They wouldn’t even have to talk really. Caitlyn could do anything she set her mind to.

However, the concept of sitting next to Vi Lane every day made her palms sweat and her head go foggy for a moment. She thought about it all the way to her class, making it just before the bell.

By the time she sat down, she had forgotten that she wanted to talk to her teacher at all.

Chapter Text

Vi slumped back in her seat in the back of the art room, close enough to the door to leave quickly, but far enough from the teacher's desk that she could do whatever she wanted. Her science class was right across the hall, so she was the first one in the classroom, despite her purposefully slow walking.

Fuck, she was tired. She had stayed up until almost four the previous night trying to calm Powder down after a nightmare.

She had fallen asleep thinking of rain on the beach. Vi had never been to the beach. Once she asked her parents to take her and Powder, but they told her the tides were bad, and she didn’t ask again.

In her dream, grey plumes of ash and wind swirled around on the pale sand, clouding anything past three feet in front of her. She thought about her dream while riding the bus to school.

When she’d woken to Powder sobbing her name she thought she had choked for a second. The smoke had gotten too thick.

She laid her head on the desk with such force that she heard ringing. “Fuck!”

Vi had looked up to Caitlyn Kiramman watching her close enough that it made Vi’s skin itchy and her face hot. Caitlyn looked away quickly and a dusting of red covered her cheeks.

“What?” She managed to clench her teeth.

Caitlyn looked as if Vi had lunged at her. Wide-eyed and red she almost whispered, “Nothing, I’m sorry.”

Vi scoffed. At least this boring-as-shit class could provide her with some entertainment.

Ms. Medarda stood at the front of the class and talked more about this project that she couldn’t seem to hear the end of. The whole idea of the piece is supposed to be a compromise. Taking the passions of either person and making them into one.

Vi thought about her passions while Ms. Medarda droned on. She liked playing guitar and going to the arcade. Those weren’t really passions were they? She loved her family more than anything. That's not a passion though either.

Vi could have sworn the class was almost over when Ms. Medarda said, “Alright, well you now have forty-five minutes to talk and brainstorm with your partner,” Vi frowned when Ms. Medarda looked right at Caitlyn. “Maybe get to know them a bit better.”

When Ms. Medarda sat down, Vi watched from the corner of her eyes as Caitlyn reluctantly turned toward her. She pretended to be infatuated with some dried paint on the desk in front of them.

Caitlyn just sat there for a bit until Vi got bored and faced her.

“Hi, I’m Caitlyn Kiramman.” She said, almost breathless.

Vi didn’t say anything. Of course she knew who Caitlyn was. Everyone knew who Caitlyn was.

“So we’re partners! Maybe we can talk to get better acquainted with each other.” Vi studied Caitlyn in the silence that followed. Her long hair tucked behind her ears and the way that her shoulders were facing her but her hips were facing forwards. Caitlyn didn’t want to be here either.

“What do you wanna know?” Vi said flatly.

“Oh. Well, where are you from?” Though Vi knew the question was asked in good faith, Vi couldn’t help the shift in her attitude. She hated that question.

“Zaun.”

Caitlyn bit her lip before offering, “I’m from Piltover.”

Vi rolled her eyes and turned back to her desk, picking at the dried paint once again.

Vi really didn’t have any reason to feel bad. Caitlyn was rich and pretty and stuck up. She didn’t need a random Trencher’s kindness to be happy. But Vi noticed the frown at the sides of Caitlyn’s mouth and felt a twinge of guilt.

Fuck, she really was being rude.

“I’ve never been to Zaun. Do you like it?” Caitlyn stuttered slightly, irritating Vi just a little bit more.

Vi ignored Caitlyn’s question. “Look Kiramman,”

“Caitlyn.”

“I’m not up for girl talk today. Maybe we can be giddy tomorrow.”

“Alright. That's fine. I’ll look forward to it.” Caitlyn stumbled over almost every word again. She turned back to the desk and took out a notebook and her laptop.

“Well actually I was really hoping to-”

“Kiramman—“

“Caitlyn,”

“—I’m really fucking tired. I could not be less in the mood. I told you we could talk tomorrow, and we will. I’m good for my word. ” She put heavy emphasis on each word, hoping the shut up implication was obvious.

Vi put her head down in her arms before she could see Caitlyn’s face.

For the next half an hour so soon Vi slept soundly to the quiet background chatter of the art room until Caitlyn gently nudged her awake.

“Whaddya want?” Vi rasped drowsely.

Caitlyn was wide eyed. “Ms. Medarda. She said that if we didn’t look like we were participating we would be docked points.” Her gaze flitted over Vi’s face, stopping on her nose ringe and scars.

“Maybe you could just stare at me some more and she won’t know the difference.” Vi felt her neck get hot from the attention.

Caitlyn got so red that Vi thought she may faint. “This doesn’t have to be hard. Really, we just have to know a bit about each other by the end of the week.”

Vi looked over at what Caitlyn had been writing. Calculus notes were written in neat hand writing with small drawings decorating the page.

“I already know things about you, Cupcake.” Vi pointed to the drawing in the corner of the paper closest to her.

“Caitlyn. My name is Caitlyn.” Her eyebrows furrowed and she went to close her notebook before Vi reached her hand out to it open palmed.

“I wrote slowly today. Can I copy yours?” Vi asked, almost bored.

Caitlyn hesitantly placed her notebook in Vi’s hand and turned back to her backpack looking for something.

Instead of copying down notes as she said, Vi quietly tore out the cupcake, careful to not ruin any actual words.

When she was done, Caitlyn watched her, bewildered.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Vi didn’t really know. She pocketed the drawing and rolled her eyes.

“I’m sorry, do you have a problem with me? I have been nothing but kind to you. I just want to complete the assignment.” Vi was almost enjoying this. Caitlyn was getting so flushed when she was talking and she only seemed to get more annoyed as she went on.

“We have known each other for, what, an hour? And you're already stealing from me?” Vi hardened.

The quiet that followed was killer.

“What? Expected me to start tomorrow or something?”

Caitlyn looked horrified. “Oh Vi, I really didn’t mean it. I’m not—”

Vi had grabbed her bag and gotten up before she had finished talking. She wasn’t going to sit there like an idiot while being insulted for some Topsider’s sake.

Screw this.

“Vi! Where are you going?”

The bell had rung just then and Vi practically sprinted towards the door and out of school.

She walked home in the rain.

Chapter Text

Caitlyn gazed absentmindedly out of the car window from the backseat. Her mother’s chauffeur was driving her from school. Cassandra said that the idea of Caitlyn walking home, although only two blocks away, was a preposterous idea in this rain.

She was glad that the chauffeur didn’t try to make conversation. She was in no mood.

Caitlyn squeezed her eyes tightly at the thought of her words to Vi.

She had watched as Vi’s expression went from cocky to pained so quickly, almost as if Caitlyn had stabbed her without warning.

How could she have been so stupid?

What a thing to say. Fuck.

Caitlyn opened her eyes and watched the passing trees through a haze of rain.

It wasn’t completely unprovoked. Vi acted childish. What was she doing anyway, ripping off the drawing on her notes?

Caitlyn was good about watching her words. She thought carefully about every phrase. Something about Vi just impeded her ability to think.

When the car rolled to a stop, Caitlyn had barely noticed until the driver cleared their throat and mumbled, “Ma’am, we have arrived.”

“Right, thank you.”

Dinner that night was quiet. She wasn’t speaking to her father, and her mother barely had anything to say regardless. The sounds of cutlery and quiet chewing gagged Caitlyn.

“So Dear, how was school?” Her mother asked.

“Good.” The conversation was already stiff. She chewed her food thickly.

“Are you feeling better? Your father expressed to me some concerns about missing schoolwork and such. Have you worked it all out, Caitlyn?”

“Of course. I ask about any work I might have missed.”

“Good.”

Caitlyn frowned at the strained conversation.

“I was assigned a partner for the semester art project.” The words jumped out of her mouth before she could catch them.

Her parents looked up with equally surprised looks on their faces.

“And?”

“I was partnered with Vi Lane. We came up with ideas today. I was having a hard—”

“Vi Lane? Remind me.” Her mother disregarded the ‘less important’ parts of her sentences.

“Vi has gone to Progress Daybreak since Freshman year. She didn’t attend our middle school.”

Her mother stared at her blankly, clearly waiting for more details.

“She has a little sister that now goes to the middle school named Powder. Pink hair?”

Cassandra continued waiting.

“Vi is from Zaun.”

“Oh. I’ve heard much about her.” Cassandra said slowly.

“Yes, well. Now we are partners.”

She watched Cassandra narrow her eyes. “Do I need to make a call?”

“It will be fine. I don’t think she’s that bad, Mother. Maybe just misguided.”

“Have you been acquainted with this Vi before?”

“No. Today was the first time.”

“It wasn’t a lie.” She thought, turning in her bed.

They had never even talked before

Caitlyn, fourteen, waited in the main office to meet with her school's principal. Her parents sat rigidly on either side of her.

This wasn’t Caitlyn's first time in the upper school building, but she felt scrutinized under the eyes of the older students as they passed. She sunk back into her mother’s shadow whenever their gaze lingered too long.

Of course, Caitlyn was not there for any sort of punishment. Her parents had desperately wanted a position for Caitlyn in the Advancement of Natural Gifts program or ANG for short. Although Caitlyn was practically guaranteed a spot, there was no harm in assurance, her father had said.

She fidgeted with her small bracelet as she watched the clock. Her mother looked stoic as always and her father wore a passive face. She decidedly mirrored her mother and straightened her spine.

In walks the brightest head of hair she had ever seen.

The girl looked her age with hot pink hair and a glinting nose piercing. She sat opposite Caitlyn’s father and slumped down into the seat with an exhale.

Caitlyn looked down at her hands again, careful with her staring.

She watched out of the corner of her eye as her father rested his eyes and her mother opened a book out of her purse and thumbed through the pages.

This was boring, even for Caitlyn who has had to sit through countless board meetings as her mother wielded power over the room.

She sighed and looked up again to find the girl sitting horizontally in the chair with her legs now hung over one armrest and her back pressed against the other. She massaged her temples slowly and blinked every four or so seconds.

When Caitlyn realized that she knew the cadence of the girl’s breathing, she knew she had been staring for too long again.

Not long after, a young man stepped out of the principal’s office looking rather defeated and called her surname.

Caitlyn forced herself to not look back to see if the girl was watching when she stepped into the room.

The meeting was only fifteen minutes, but Caitlyn had a hard time not checking her watch every few seconds.

She smiled politely at Principal Hiemerdinger’s jokes and nodded her head every few sentences.

Finally, she left the room trailing behind her parents. She wasn’t aware that she was holding her breath until she sharply exhaled, seeing Vi soundly asleep in the chair Caitlyn had been sitting in.

Caitlyn almost stepped quieter across the reception office, and her heart nearly stopped when she dropped the purse she was carrying, making Vi stir and flutter her eyelids awake.

She was so beautiful. Caitlyn didn’t know someone could be that beautiful.

She watched the girl come to herself and look at Caitlyn for a moment. Caitlyn froze, mesmerized by her gaze when the girl’s eyebrows furrowed and she held up her middle finger to Caitlyn and promptly looked away and crossed her arms.

“Caitlyn.” Her mother called from in front of her.

She picked up her purse and walked quickly to catch up with her parents.

She distantly heard the same young man chuckle and say, “Vi, here already? Principal Hiemerdinger is ready for you now.”

“It wasn’t even my fault-” Caitly strained her ears to hear, walking further away. “God, he was fucking asking to be punched. He’s lucky that…”

And that was how Caitlyn met Vi.

Chapter Text

Vi was drenched when she finally stumbled onto her doorstep after trudging home in pouring rain.

She usually took the bus home, but she was already running past the stop and couldn’t will her legs to stop. She needed to clear her head anyway.

This Kiraman girl was already fucking her up. This girl.

Vi was aware that she was known as unapproachable. It was intentional, to say the least. She had her friends. Although only Mylo and Claggor were old enough to go to her school, Powder and Ekko still hung around sometimes.

Vi had no reason to care about Kiramman, and she didn’t. She was human and that’s it. Anyone would feel a bit guilty if they- fuck, she didn’t even do anything.

“Hey, Vi? Come help out in the kitchen.” Vander called, “And wipe your feet for God’s sake.”

Vi brushed past her father making her way to the kitchen. “Hey Pow,” She ruffled her sister's hair. “No robotics today?”

Powder smoothed out her hair and made a face at Vi. “Canceled. The rain ruined some of my parts anyway so it’s fine. I have more time to fix it up.”

Vi walked over to wash her hands before pulling out a box of mac and cheese and putting water to a boil.

“How was your day?” Vi turned to face her sister who was occupying half of the table space with papers. When she didn’t get a response she tapped Powder on the shoulder, who startled with a confused look on her face. “What’s up?”

Vi smiled. “I asked how your day was Pow.”

“Oh. Yeah, it was good. Me and Ekko ate lunch together again. He gave me some of his chips because I forgot to pack mine.”

“Cool. I can give you some money for tomorrow if you want to buy your own.”

“Hell yeah.” She went back to doing her homework, furrowing her eyebrows.

“Need help Pow?”

Powder ignored her for a moment until she looked up, noticeably amused.

She did a once-over on Vi. “What happened to you? Bus driver decided not to let dirty trenchers on anymore?”

Vi feigned a hurt expression before walking closer to Powder and her sprawled homework at the table, before shaking her head, spraying Powder with rainwater. “Vi!” She shrieked.

“I’ll be working late tonight, girls. Empty the dishwasher or get the boys to do it.” Vander stepped into the kitchen.

“Yeah alright. Don’t forget about dinner tomorrow. Family night.” Vi chided.

“Be there or be square,” Powder added.

“Sounds good kiddos,” Vander pat Vi’s shoulder and stepped out the door into the noise of faint conversation and clinking glasses.

“Hey Pow, you know that one girl?”

“No.”

“The Kiramman girl. She’s a senior too?”

Powder didn’t look up, but hummed.

“We were partnered on an art project and she is just the most typical Piltie you can imagine. I almost choked on all the entitled air surrounding her.”

Powder hmmed again in response.

“Yeah, and also she like, kept trying to make nice. Got actually pretty fucking annoying by the end of class…” she trailed off.

Powder looked, nose scrunched.

“Vi. I love ya but I’m not sure what you want me to say,” Vi huffed. “Maybe drop the class? You know you don’t have to deal with her if you don’t want to. Anyway, this question has been stumping me, so unless you want to grab some of your old textbooks and brush up on Algebra, please shut up.”

“Love you though!” She added.

“Oh fuck off,” Vi laughed, sticking one of her fingers into Powers ribs, and smiling as she shrieked.

Mylo and Claggor were playing video games in their room when Vi finished making dinner and called them to the kitchen.

“Sweet,” Mylo sang, pushing Claggor to the side as he barreled down the hall.

“You guys can serve yourselves.”

They both rushed to the pot and fought over the spatula while Vi sat down at the table.

“Why’d you walk home Vi? We waited for the next bus, just in case you were being slow.” Claggor said gently.

Vi winced at the thought of her heavy footsteps, hood pulled up to remain unnoticed by her brothers.

“I dunno. I just wanted to. I got assigned to be partnered with Caitlyn Kiramman and she’s already bugging me.”

“No fucking way Vi. She is loaded. You should mooch.”

“As loaded as she is stuck up. I had known her for an hour and she already insulted me.” Vi couldn’t keep the distaste off of her expression.

She smiled to ease the worried expressions on her brothers faces.

“It was just dumb. She seems like a nice enough person but it makes it worse in a way. I dunno.”

“Y’know I kinda like prissy girls,” Mylo grinned. “And she’s a pretty one.”

Claggor hit the back of his head.

“Gross.” Vi picked up her plate and glanced at Powder, who was infatuated with the same math problem.

“Y’all need to unload the dishwasher. Vander said so.”

“Fuckin’ lame.” Mylo groaned.

Vi closed her eyes, lying in her bed, trying to erase the vibrant blue seared into her eyelids. Kiramman wasn’t someone Vi should be concerning herself with. She had other things to worry about.

God, she was barely graduating. Medarda offered her the class as a hail mary to push her over the edge and help her GPA.

Their meeting seemed screwy to Vi. Medarda had called Vi into her classroom and asked about her grades and skills. Just as Vi was getting comfortable slouched in the chair, glad to be skipping English, Medarda told her that if she didn’t take art she wouldn’t graduate. Vi wasn’t one to question a stern woman.

Vi slipped off of the top bunk and laced on her shoes, yelling that she was going to take a walk and getting mumbles of acknowledgment.

She wandered on the sidewalk until she reached her usual clearing and sat down on a rotting picnic table with her feet resting on the bench.

She suddenly wished she had asked Powder to come. Or Claggor. Or even Mylo. She was cold and her walk seemed stupider the wetter she got in the rain, although it had let up compared to earlier that day.

She stuffed her hands into her pockets when she met a little piece of paper jammed with a stick of gum and a ten-dollar bill.

Vi pulled it out and examined the faded cupcake drawing. It was simple but it really did remind Vi of Kiramman. She laughed to herself.

She didn’t want to switch out because of another asshole topsider. She was going to pass the class and graduate.

Vi laid back on the table and closed her eyes, letting the raindrops smear her eyeliner further.

“Kiddo, Whatdya doing out here in the rain?”

Vi sat up so quickly that she lost her breath for a moment. “Hey, Dad?”

Vander sat next to Vi on the bench and it swayed a bit beneath the extra weight. She put the paper back in her pocket hastily, not really sure what she was hiding.

“Kids told me you had a rough day. I’m on my break if you want to talk.”

Vi raised her legs and rested her head on her knees.

“Nothing major,”

“You’re out here in the rain, looking into the distance sullenly, over nothing major?”

Vi let out a dry laugh.

“I’m partnered with this topside girl on an art project.”

Vander let her continue.

“She seems nice but, I dunno, implied that I would steal from her. Bothered me a lot for some reason.” Her eyes stung with the recollection.

“Now why would she imply that?”

Vi leaned into his shoulder.

“I may have ripped off the corner of her paper after telling her I needed notes.”

Vander chuckled, “Kiddo,”

Vi groaned with a laugh, and Vander reached forward, wiping a lone tear from Vi’s cheek. “Whatever! Still uncalled for.”

Vander smiled down at Vi. “Maybe so, but do you really think she meant anything by it?”

“No…”

Vander wrapped his arm around Vi’s shoulder before stepping off the creaky table and offering his hand to Vi, helping her down.

“I think you gotta be a little patient, kiddo. Most people aren’t used to such Vi confidence.”

Vi nodded and the pair started to walk back to the house.

Vander talked about his day with Vi as they walked back, sharing stories of the drunkest people Vi could imagine and the most harrowing deals Vander mediated on a bartop table. She wasn’t sure that it wasn’t all bullshit, but she didn’t care much regardless.

Later that night Vi listened to the breaths of Powder on the bunk below her.

She hugged a pillow close to her chest.

Vi hates to let other people see her cry. She hasn’t cried in front of her siblings for years but Vander tends to catch her in her worst moments.

She thought about it for a bit and concluded that no one else has seen her cry. She wouldn’t allow it.

Maybe Kiramman had seen angry tears pool in her eyes, but she never saw them fall, so it didn’t count. Vi must have worn her hurt blatantly because she looked so regretful to have caused it. Her eyes burned through Vi every time she looked at her for too long, and in that moment she was set ablaze,

Mylo wasn’t wrong. Kiramman was pretty. If she was a trencher, Vi would go for it. She had managed to build a reputation as a ladykiller of sorts, without ever dating anyone in high school.

Powder told her it was because she was such a flirt, even with guys. Vi enjoyed seeing them swoon until they made a move and Vi was awarded the pleasure of telling them she was a lesbian.

Did Kiramman know she was a lesbian? The thought made her face hot.

She fished out the piece of paper with Kiramman’s cupcake on it and slipped it into her black phone case before plugging in her phone and turning in her bed, drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

Chapter Text

Caitlyn couldn’t help her nerves leading up to sixth period. She could barely hold a pencil or even eat, so for lunch, she sat in the courtyard reading, and texted Jayce that she was busy.

She stopped in the bathroom before the bell to buy herself some time to think, although it had been the only thing she had been doing since yesterday.

She splashed some water on her face and tied her hair in a loose braid behind her.

Vi wasn’t sitting down when Caitlyn quietly sat at their desks. Instead, she was hunched over the sink behind them cleaning off some paint brushes.

Caitlyn watched Vi inspect each brush before cleaning them, the way her grey eyes would narrow before she gently scrubbed them against the pad of her fingers. She watched the way she was taken off guard when she turned around to see Caitlyn sitting down staring at her.

And she watched how she stiffened and her slight careless smile faded into something sharp.

For all Caitlyn had planned this moment, she had nothing to say, so she faced forward and waited for instruction.

Vi tugged her chair underneath her and sat down, pulling out a piece of paper and a pencil from her bag.

“Kiramman. I wanted to talk to you.”

Caitlyn thought that all of her air had been knocked out of her lungs. Once again, no words came out of her mouth.

She wished desperately that she could move. That she could say anything at all. That she could take her eyes off of Vi.

Vi’s expression changed from indifference to confusion and her eyebrows furrowed. Caitlyn remembered seeing her grey eyes glassy with tears.

She wished she could assure her that she had cursed herself every second since then. But again, Caitlyn couldn’t do much of anything.

“I’m a busy person Kiramman. I don’t need another chore, but I’m gonna to do this assignment and pass the class. I was making things… difficult yesterday I think, and-”

“No, Vi, I am just-” Caitlyn looked at the floor.

“Hey, no hard feelings.” She cleared her throat and tightened some bracelets around her wrist before turning to face Caitlyn.

Vi changed her expression once again. God, this girl was hard to read.

“Kiramman, I don't need new friends. But we don’t have to have problems, right?”

“You can call me Caitlyn.”

Vi frowned and Caitlyn felt her cheeks heat up.

Medarda stood and spoke clearly over the bustle of the students. “Class, your project ideas are due by Friday. I am giving you so much time for quality. If I get lackluster ideas, they will be returned and docked points. Understood?”

The class echoed something incoherent, but Medarda looked pleased enough to go back to her book that she was enthralled in.

“I was thinking we could make a T chart about what we like.” Vi moved the paper over to Caitlyn’s desk, but close enough that she could still write on it.

“Good idea.” Caitlyn looked up to smile at Vi, but she avoided her gaze in favor of the paper below them.

“Right, well I like writing. And I love plants.” Caitlyn smiled thinking about the garden that lived on her windowsill.

Vi leaned in closer to write each item on her side of the chart.

Caitlyn observed her handwriting as it bled out of the pen. It was harsh and some spots looked just like Vi. The swoop of Vi’s letter ‘g’ reminded Caitlyn of Vi’s jaw. And her ‘w’ had the same personality as the scar on her eyebrow. Her ‘t’s were strong, comparable to Vi’s arms.

Under her own category, Vi wrote guitar and family. She didn’t say either out loud.

“Maybe this should be a venn diagram,” Vi glanced at Caitlyn.

She continued without meeting her eyes. “In case we have something in common, we should put it under both of us.”

Vi handed her the pen and nudged the paper further toward her.

“You probably have better handwriting than me. So…”

Vi kept her eyes on the desk while talking, and Caitlyn could have sworn she saw the ghost of a smile on Vi’s face.

“I think you’re handwriting is very pretty. But, yeah, okay, I can write if you want.”

Caitlyn made the venn diagram as perfectly as she could, and wrote their names and “Both”, slowly. She suddenly felt insecure about her handwriting. Vi watched her write and Caitlyn wondered if she felt this scrutinized when she was writing.

“Do you like cooking?” Vi asked.

“Uhm, no, I’m not very good.”

“But do you like it?”

Caitlyn looked up confusedly.

“I’m not sure. I can’t remember the last time I cooked.” Something in her statement made Vi look away and scoff.

“You like cooking right?” Caitlyn asked.

Vi nodded and Caitlyn wrote down cooking under her name.

“I like music.”

“Oh yeah?” Vi asked. “Who do you listen to?”

It was Caitlyn’s turn to not meet the other girl’s eyes. “Worn Table Band, The Eggshells You Walk On, Gatche, I Know She Knows,”

“Well fuck me,” Vi leaned back in her seat.

Caitlyn looked up so quickly that her neck cricked. “Excuse me?”

Vi laughed a tune so lovely, that Caitlyn wished she could record it and play it everyday.

“I didn’t peg you as that type of girl. I love those bands, ‘IKSK’ is my favorite.” Vi picked up the pen and wrote music under the both category with her messy handwriting.

Truthfully, Caitlyn wasn’t that type of girl. She saw pins on Vi’s bag and listened to each band’s entire discography after she got home. The music was intense for her taste. She could appreciate Vi’s liking though. The songs weren’t bad, just not for her.

Vi perked up since hearing about their supposedly shared interest.

They talked in short sentences like table tennis, but it was better than not talking at all.

At some points, Caitlyn would make a remark that made Vi smile or laugh and all Caitlyn wanted to do was say something funnier, something that would make Vi look at her more or scoot a little closer in her chair.

Sometimes, Vi would flirt a bit. Caitlyn knew that was just her personality, but it made her neck hot and her face red.

When Medarda told the class she was changing the due date of project ideas to the end of class tomorrow, due to “obvious slacking”, Caitlyn pulled out her planner to write it down.

Vi had taken notice and said cooly, “Hand too pretty to be written on?”

Caitlyn didn’t know how to flirt back, or if she should, so she finished writing and put away her planner wordlessly. She hoped Vi couldn’t hear how fast her heart was beating, though she thought it might be impossible not to.

Maybe it wasn’t even flirting. Caitlyn didn’t know anything, she concluded.

After talking for a bit, Caitlyn realized they didn’t have any solid idea.

“Vi, would you want to discuss more about our idea after school today?” Caitlyn said it before thinking and regrettably watched Vi’s eyes widen in shock and her lips part in an exhale.

“Not sure. Where would we meet?”

Caitlyn willed a grin off her face as much as she could.

“My house?”

Vi didn’t say anything.

“We could go for ice cream?”

Vi relaxed. “I like ice cream.”

“We could walk there. I know a place not too far from here.”

“Yeah okay. Cool.”

They settled into silence and growing anticipation.

Caitlyn glanced at the clock and decided to take advantage of the ten minutes they had left.

“Do you have Viktor for math?”

“Yeah, second period.”

“I need help on the homework, do you have the packet?”

Vi pulled her backpack onto her lap and started to rummage through the crumpled papers and beat up textbooks.

“Uh, I think so, but I don’t think I’ll be much help,” She said unsurely.

Caitlyn waited with her hands in her lap, thinking about the right words to help Vi.

“Here Kiramman.” She put the packet on her desk and sighed exasperatedly.

“Vi, you haven’t done any of them.”

She snickered. “Yeah, no. I didn’t think that I had.” She reached to put it back in her bag when Caitlyn grabbed her hand.

“Wait, I, uh, I did number four. I could help you with it so you have at least one.”

Vi stared at Caitlyn’s hand on top of her own and slowly looked up at Caitlyn.

The air between them was almost too thick to breathe.

Finally gaining back her nervous system, Caitlyn hastily pulled back and apologized. She could feel how red her face was and let down her hair to provide some protection from Vi’s piercing eyes.

“I’ll take free help. Free, right?”

“Of course.”

Caitlyn explained the problem twice before Vi got it and smiled triumphantly.

“I think you’re too smart to not understand the homework.” Vi teased.

“I guess I can’t live up to your expectations,” Caitlyn signed.

“Well at least you know how much help I am now.”

“It’s alright. Maybe we can do the rest together after school?”

“Yeah,” Vi cleared her throat. “Yeah, sounds good to me.”

Caitlyn put her homework away and handed the venn diagram paper to Vi.

Ice cream with Vi. It felt surreal.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Vi pick at her short fingernails and briefly wondered what it would be like to touch her calloused fingertips, presumably from playing guitar.

She grazed her own fingertips and snapped out of whatever trance she was in, watching Vi’s hands.

“What the actual fuck, is wrong with me?”

Eating ice cream and doing math is easy enough. Therefore, such activities with Vi: easy. This would be easy.

Chapter Text

This girl talked a lot. Every silent moment on their walk to Caitlyn’s ice cream place was replaced with some useless fact or small-talk comment.

Vi was comfortable with quiet. It didn’t make her feel awkward, but relaxed. Caitlyn didn’t feel the same way apparently.

“I’ve been going to this place since I was little.”

Vi nodded and kicked along a little pebble as she trailed slightly behind Caitlyn.

Caitlyn also walked real fast. She stopped every few seconds and waited for Vi to catch up.

“Do you like milkshakes, Vi?” Caitlyn looked over to Vi and was met by the back of her head as she looked out to the road, away from Caitlyn on the inner edge of the sidewalk.

“Sure.”

“This place has great milkshakes. It’s called The Palace, did I mention that?”

“Yep, you did.”

“Right.”

Vi shivered against the cool January air. “It’s fuckin’ freezing.”

“Oh, it is, isn’t it.” Caitlyn unwrapped her scarf and handed it to Vi who had a beyond confused look on her face.

“You can wear it, my coat is heavy enough.”

“Oh,” Vi breathed a short noise, almost a laugh. “Okay.”

Vi wrapped the scarf around her neck and her senses were flooded with the smell of chocolate and orange. Is this how Caitlyn smells?

Caitlyn kept walking but Vi just stood there for a moment, suddenly very warm. Some scarf. She had to jog a bit to bridge the gap in their distance that had formed after just a few seconds of Vi being still.

“It’s just up ahead.”

Vi rushed to open the door for Caitlyn and winked. “M’lady,”

Really, she didn’t want to be the first one to walk into this rich joint. She pictured shiny waxed floors and elegant dishes that a small dollop of ice cream would be carefully spooned on. She wasn’t dressed for such an occasion, so she hoped Caitlyn could make an impression for both of them.

Caitlyn rolled her eyes, but a small patch of her neck reddened.

Vi just loved making Caitlyn blush, she learned from just two days with her. Not in a weird way. She wasn’t into Caitlyn, but something about making her flustered was just— entertaining. It made Vi want to say the next bold thing to see just how red she could get.

Vi followed Caitlyn in and tried not to drop her jaw at how fucking fancy this place was. Floor to fifteen-feet-tall ceilings, candy she had only ever seen in films were stacked on top of one another. A large screen was next to the scooping station that displayed every flavor imaginable. Pretty much what she expected.

Caitlyn hung up her coat at a tall coat rack and Vi followed suit, taking off her jacket and scarf.

“You know what you want?” Caitlyn asked, nudging Vi.

“No, I’ll uh, I’ll need a minute.”

“No problem. I’m gonna go say hi, you can look over the menu and just walk over when you're ready.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Vi watched Caitlyn walk up to some girl behind the counter and greet her in a casual hug. Like they were friends. Well, they must be friends. Caitlyn wasn’t going to hug some girl she didn’t know. Vi hadn’t seen Caitlyn hug anyone, now that she had thought about it. Really, she hadn’t seen her talk to anyone else.

She watched the girl say something that made Caitlyn laugh and saw the girl looking at her. Vi quickly whipped her head away and pretended to mull over the flavors while straining her ears to hear the conversation.

She couldn’t hear anything though, over the old-timey music. Only Caitlyn’s laugh.

She wanted it over already.

Vi walked up to them and stood tall in the silence that ensued.

“You picked?” Caitlyn asked, walking around the counter to stand next to her.

“Yeah, I did.”

“You can order first.”

She felt something of a plan bubble up inside her. Vi looked at the girl behind the counter wordlessly and made an effort to look as entranced as possible.

She was a pretty girl. Dark brown eyes and soft purple hair that went just past her shoulders.

The girl blushed as Vi stared at her with the ghost of a smile pulling at her lips.

“Can I,” She cleared her throat. “Can I take your order?”

Vi grinned fully. “You can, and hopefully my number.”

The girl’s blush deepened and Vi saw Caitlyn look bewildered between the two of them in her peripheral.

“Yeah, I would like that.”

Vi grabbed a pen from a glass jar on the counter and reached for the other girl’s hand.

She was mindful of her fingers as she penned her number, slowly brushing them over her skin as she lightly wrote.

“My name is Vi, by the way.”

The girl smiled. “Aliah.”

“I’d like to order please.” Said Caitlyn, very clearly annoyed.

“Caitlyn, we were talking.” Aliah managed, furrowing her eyebrows.

“Right, well you can make friends later.”

Vi laughed at winked at Aliah who blushed again.

“I’d like a chocolate milkshake with whipped cream and extra cherries please.”

“My usual,” Caitlyn said as practically pulled Vi to a hightop with two chairs before returning to the counter with her credit card.

Vi immediately moved to stand up and pull out some cash.

“I got it.”

“No, I’m paying for myself.”

Aliah looked uncomfortably between them.

“Vi, let me pay.” Caitlyn pleaded, resting her hand on Vi’s arm, just for Vi to shake it off with an offended expression.

“No, fuck that.” She handed Aliah a twenty before going back to sit down.

“It’s my treat. You don’t owe me.”

Vi circled back and talked lowly into Caitlyn’s ear, “I’m not a damn charity case, let me pay for myself.”

Caitlyn sighed. “How much do I owe you?”

“Thirty-two fifty.”

Caitlyn cocked her head before nodding and inserting her card.

“I’ll be back with your food in just a moment.”

Aliah went to the back and Vi made a show of watching her walk away.

“What was that about?”

“Like I said. Not a charity case Kiramman.”

“I mean that thing with you and Aliah. What was that?”

Vi slouched back into her seat and laughed before catching a genuinely confused expression on Caitlyn’s face.

“It was, y’know, I was talking to her.”

“No, it was weird. You don’t talk to me like that.”

For all Vi’s pride about making Caitlyn blush, she could feel her own face reddening.

“No, I don’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because that’s not- I was-” Vi was tripping over her tongue. “It was flirting.”

Caitlyn immediately blushed and looked away, but it did her no favors as Vi could see the pink reaching down the side of her neck.

“Actual flirting,” Vi added.

“Actual. In comparison to what?”

“Y’know, joking around”

“Oh.”

After a short pause, Vi said, “I can flirt with people if I want.”

“Sure you can.”

“It’s none of your business.”

“You were doing it right in front of me, Vi.”

“Do you have a problem with it?”

“With what?”

Is she that fucking clueless?

“With me liking women. Being a lesbian.” Vi held her breath. This moment had gone wrong before. She had been heartbroken in silence just like this one before. She hated herself for weeks after it before.

But Caitlyn didn’t look angry or repulsed. More shocked than anything.

Here Vi was, laying herself out to be scrutinized, and Caitlyn was silent with an open mouth and wide eyes.

“Kiramman?”

“I don’t have any problem. Thank you for trusting me.”

Caitlyn closed her mouth and looked down at the table. A soft warmth bloomed in vi’s chest, though she wasn’t sure why this girl’s acceptance meant anything at all to her.

“Caitlyn, Vi,” Called Aliah from behind the counter, and Vi hopped off her stool to grab the ice creams and relieve Caitlyn of some of her obvious discomforts.

Vi hadn’t expected Caitlyn to be totally cool with her being gay. This was the ideal reaction truthfully. It still felt a bit empty though, like Vi was waiting for Caitlyn to say something more.

Compared to Vi’s milkshake, Caitlyn’s sundae was huge. It had four scoops of ice cream and multiple fix-ins.

No wonder it was so damn expensive.

“Here,” She said, placing it down in front of Caitlyn, who was redder than Vi had left her.

Caitlyn was silent, but took out her spoon from the side of the bowl and scooped ice cream into her mouth.

“So, uh, are we gonna get to business?”

“Excuse me?”

“The project, Kiramman.”

“Right. Well, I was thinking we should take some elements of art and things we like and combine them. A true compromise.”

“Yeah, okay. I don’t know much about art though.”

Caitlyn quickly said, “There’s a library just around the corner if you can stay out later.”

“I’ll text my dad.”

Vi pulled out her phone and was reminded of the drawing underneath her phone case.

“Are you okay?” Caitlyn asked. “You look hot.”

Vi shook her head quickly, evidently turning more red.

“You’re not okay?”

Caitlyn pressed her fingers onto Vi’s forehead.

“You feel warm.”

“I’m alright. I’m gonna get some air. I’ll be back before my milkshake melts.

Vi stepped outside and sat on a wooden bench just outside the shop. It didn’t sway beneath her, good fucking craftmanship.

She wished she had grabbed her coat before leaving. Or Caitlyn’s scarf.

This was becoming too much, and Vi felt whiplash the previous day compared to this one. Being on polite terms with the richest— and straightest— girl at school and then immediately telling her she was a lesbian, Vi felt dumb.

And as much as she didn’t want to, Vi felt shame.

The cold started to make her shiver so she stood up from the fancy bench and went inside.

Caitlyn looked up with a worried expression.

“Are you feeling alright?”

“Yeah, no, I’m fine.”

She sat done and took and grabbed for her milkshake but Caitlyn pulled it away from her.

“What the hell?”

Caitlyn giggled. “This is going to be the best milkshake you’ll ever have. I want you to be ready.”

Vi rolled her eyes and slid it back to her side of the table.

She made a show of pulling a cherry into her mouth by the stem and Caitlyn scoffed and looked away.

Vi took a long sip of the milkshake and as good as it was, she shrugged her shoulders, just to piss Caitlyn off a bit.

“Oh, come on. That’s the best milkshake you’ve ever had.”

“It’s pretty good. But no, not the best.”

Caitlyn shook her head. “Tell me where you’ve had a better milkshake than here. And bring me because I’d like to experience heaven.”

“Place down by my house. You’ll lose your fuckin’ mind.”

“Will I now?”

“You’re gonna have to beg me though. I don’t bring people around there often.”

“We’ll see when I’m in the mood to beg.”

Vi raised her eyebrow and Caitlyn smacked her arm with a smile.

“Don’t.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

Vi drank the rest of her milkshake and Caitlyn finished off her sundae in between light conversations.

Vi talked a bit about her sister and Caitlyn mentioned a cat she wanted. It was almost fun.

In Caitlyn’s final bites, Vi picked a cherry off of Caitlyn’s bowl and ate it.

Caitlyn met her with a shocked expression, but the corners of her mouth were turned up.

“Vi!”

“Yes?”

“I save that cherry for the end. I was going to eat it.”

“Now I ate it,” Vi smirked.

“Vi.” Caitlyn now frowned.

“Relax Cupcake, I’ll get you a new one.”

“That’s not necessary.”

Vi just smiled and once again hopped off the stool that was clearly meant for someone taller than her.

She walked up to Aliah and explained the situation, adding a, “You just have such kind eyes, I thought you’d be willing to help me out.” For good measure.

“Oh, stop,” Aliah said, blushing.

She went to the kitchen and came back with ten cherries on a literal silver platter.

“God, you are just an angel aren’t you.”

“I don’t know about that,”

Vi winked and climbed back onto her stool and gave Caitlyn the cherries.

“You’re quite a wonder, you know that?”

“This isn’t the first time I’ve been told.”

Caitlyn finished her ice cream and ate one cherry leaving the rest for Vi to eat.

“So fuckin’ good,” Vi mumbled through chewing.

Caitlyn laughed as she watched her eat, partly in amusement, partly in disgust.

“I believe you.”

Vi finished off and they walked to the counter to say bye to Aliah.

“Oh, you’re leaving already?”

“Unfortunately, we’ll have to plan something,” Caitlyn said, taking Aliah's hand, whose gaze flitted to Vi.

“Let's,” Aliah smiled.

Caitlyn went off to the coat rack.

“Don’t be shy to use my number.”

“Am I a lucky girl or are you this charming with everyone?”

“Just you, sugar.”

Aliah blushed and waved goodbye to the girls as they left the shop.

“Library?” Caitlyn asked.

“Yeah, we’re on.”

Chapter Text

Caitlyn was, in a word, stunned.

It wasn’t like she hadn’t heard the rumors, but she just didn’t believe them.

She really couldn’t picture Vi liking women, until she could, of course. Now her palms were clammy and all she could think about was how close she and Vi were sitting next to each other at a library table.

Her logic was fairly straightforward. If you want to learn something, you go to the library. Therefore, she would take Vi to the library and help her learn. This plan didn’t include Vi coming out to Caitlyn minutes beforehand and simultaneously flirting with her childhood friend.

Caitlyn wasn’t an idiot, so she wasn’t homophobic. She considered herself a strong ally, matter-of-fact. This made her all the more confused by the way she was reacting to Vi being lesbian.

“Helloooo?” Vi called, poking Caitlyn’s arm with her eraser.

Caitlyn felt her nerves ignite all around the small spot and focused her eyes which were already looking at Vi, who was wearing a displeased expression.

“You zoned off. Either that or you really like looking at me.”

“No, of course not. Not that you’re not good-looking, or I mean, I’m not saying—” Caitlyn felt her face flush. “I’m just tired, is all.”

“Hm.” Vi looked down at the paper between them.

“Are we gonna look for books? Since we’re here. At the library. Y’know I don’t really know where anything in here is, or I would go by myself.” Vi talked slowly as if Caitlyn was three.

“Yes, we are. I just wanted to pick out a spot first.” Caitlyn stood and Vi followed. “We can leave our stuff here.”

“You sure?” Vi grabbed her phone and slipped it into her back pocket.

“Yeah, it’s safe.”

“Right.”

Caitlyn led the way through the aisles of books and felt more than heard Vi trailing behind her.

“You come here often?”

“You could say that.”

“I guess you seem like the reading type.”

“Do I?”

Vi laughed and walked faster to catch up with Caitlyn. “Massively.”

After what seemed like endless walking, Caitlyn saw the art section that would hold all the information she could dream of, but Vi gasped and ran in the opposite direction, to the kid's section.

“Vi? What are you doing?”

“C’mon Cupcake,”

Caitlyn followed Vi to an area with tiny tables and even tinier chairs with thick computers perched on the tabletops.

“This is so fuckin’ cool.”

Vi pulled out a chair clearly meant for someone a fraction of her size and sat on it, clicking rapidly at the keyboard to wake the monitor.

Caitlyn watched Vi excitedly toy with the mouse and pulled out the chair next to her, resting her head in her palm.

“I didn’t know libraries actually had working ones.” Vi laughed, “When I was little I thought they were decorations or something.”

“No,” Caitlyn giggled. “They work.”

“What to play? Starfall? Learn with Dora?”

“I think that one’s fun.” Caitlyn pointed to a colorful sphere icon in the corner of the screen. “Or, at least I did when I was little.”

Vi clicked the program twice and was greeted with a cheery opening and login screen.

“Oh shit, do I have to have an account?”

Caitlyn reached over and typed a plausible account name for her eight-year-old self and guessed a password.

The computer angrily beeped in response. “Nope, lemme try again”

She tried eight different usernames and passwords before stumbling upon CaityCat1124 with the password qwerty7890.

When she managed to log in she grinned and looked up at Vi, only to realize how close their faces were. Close enough to feel Vi’s breath on her cheek, if she were breathing. But she wasn’t, she was frozen in place looking slightly down into Caitlyn’s eyes.

Vi’s lips parted and Caitlyn glanced down at the movement before catching herself, but Vi had already seen it.

Fuck.

Still, inches apart, neither of them moved until Welcome to the library CaityCait1124! chimed from the computer, startling her backward into her seat.

Caitlyn felt extremely hot suddenly and slipped off her coat and flung it over the back of her chair.

“Which game did you say again?” Vi spoke clearly but Caitlyn could have sworn she saw pink dusting her cheeks accompanied by her freckles.

“The circle in the bottom left.” Caitlyn wasn’t going to reach across Vi to point again.

Vi opened the program and it worked this time, making her smile.

“It’s nothing special. I think you just try to get the ball into the hole. It can get hard though.”

Something about what Caitlyn said made Vi laugh, but she didn’t say anything.

Vi used the arrow keys to move the ball around and flew through the levels. Caitlyn took the time to count the freckles on Vi’s face, though every time Vi would complete a level she would nod, making Caitlyn lose count.

“Vi, we have to find a book to help out with our project. And didn’t you want help with math as well?”

“Oh, man. Yeah, alright.”

She logged out and stood, stretching her arms above her head.

Caitlyn grabbed her coat and led Vi to the correct section, hopefully without any distractions.

She was careful with her distance as she thumbed through the books, not finding much of anything.

“How about this one?” Vi asked.

She handed Caitlyn The Art Revolution, Again and Again.

“Looks good. Let’s head back.”

Their backpacks were left untouched as Caitlyn had promised, but Vi exhaled in relief when she saw them.

“Do you have any idea what time period you like?”

“Nope, no idea.”

Caitlyn dropped the heavy book on the table before sitting down.

“How about we go through some specific pieces and see what you like.”

Caitlyn flipped through the pages until she found A Thorn Amidst Roses that she showed Vi.

Caitlyn watched Vi’s eyes widen and her mouth purse a bit.

Caitlyn wasn’t really sure why she chose this work to show Vi. It was shrouded in subtext that she would be stupid not to see. The painting was of two women sitting close to each other, one leaning on the other as she pulls a thorn out of her hand.

Maybe it isn’t an intimate painting, Caitlyn realized. Maybe I’m going crazy.

“Yeah,” Vi cleared her throat, “It’s, uhm, nice, I guess.”

“Any more thoughts?” Caitlyn couldn’t stop herself from pushing Vi, but she could tell it caught Vi off guard.

“Not really. The colors are pretty.”

Caitlyn frowned and flipped through more pictures. She didn’t find anything else that stuck out to her, so she gave the book to Vi to look through.

“This one,” She said, “is sick.”

Vi was referring to Saturn Devouring His Son.

“I think it’s cool. Not really what I would hang in my house but I can appreciate it.”

Vi didn’t seem to be listening but traced her finger across the picture.

“It’s Romantisism. The era.”

“Oh. What does that mean?”

“It’s a time period that goes along with a style of art. As you flip through there should be more like it.”

Vi slowly turned each page, considering each painting as if walking through a gallery.

Sometimes, her expression would change or her lips would move, and Caitlyn wished she knew what Vi was thinking, to be in her head.

“You like it?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Easy. That’s one part done.”

Vi closed the book but kept her hand resting on the cover.

“You can keep the book for a bit if you want to. I’ll just check it out under my name and you can give it back in three weeks.”

“Really?”

“It’s no problem.”

Vi smiled in a way that deepened the scar on her upper lip. “Thanks.”

“Do you want to start on math?”

“Mhm,” Vi pulled out her homework and waited for Caitlyn to do the same.

The rest of the time flew by and Caitlyn only realized she had to get home by the setting sun outside the window.

“Fuck, I have to go.”

Vi looked surprised at Caitlyn’s words, a smile pulling at her mouth.

“Right, I do too.”

They walked out of the library together and stood awkwardly outside the entryway, a chill nipping at Caitlyn.

“So—” Caitlyn started.

“Thanks for—” Vi interrupted.

Vi paused so Caitlyn could keep talking.

“This was nice.” Caitlyn looked down, suddenly nervous.

“Yeah, very nice. Thanks for checking the book out for me.”

They fell into silence again.

“Do you need a ride or,”

“No, I’m gonna walk home.”

“Great. Well, I’ll see you around.”

“Yep.”

Caitlyn turned to walk towards her house, which was only a few minutes, away when Vi called out.

“Caitlyn,” She said, “Your scarf.”

Vi unwrapped the scarf from her neck and stood on her toes to tie it around Caitlyn’s.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it,” Vi said, walking backward before turning around and melting into the shadows.

Caitlyn stood there, warmer with her scarf, and pressed it to her nose.

It smelled less like her perfume and more like something new. She couldn’t place her finger on it, but she would pay good money for it in a candle version.

Distantly, she realized that Vi had called her Caitlyn for the first time.

Chapter Text

Vi had gotten home late. Late enough that Mylo and Claggor were already in their rooms bickering over something and Vander was outside, smoking a pipe, watching tv.

She poked her head into her room to find a displeased Powder tinkering with something over the cold tile floors.

She knocked on the door to alert Powder but she didn’t look up.

“It was family dinner night.” Powder stated. Her tone was something close to forgiving. Like she was already on her way to saying “I understand,” before Vi offered up an excuse. The armor of irritation and anger that coated her words, however, did not go unnoticed.

“Oh, shit Pow. I’m really sorry I totally forgot.”

“Yeah. Dad had to run to the bar to get us food.”

“I was-” Vi wasn’t sure what to say next. Getting ice cream? Going to the library? Hanging out with Caitlyn Kiramman? No. She couldn’t say any of those things.

“It doesn’t matter. Gives me more time to work.”

“It won’t happen again. I promise.”

This time, Powder doesn't respond. She just prodded at some mechanics in her small robot and scowled at the ground.

Vi stood in the doorway, watching her sister work, waiting for words to come to her. Powder’s fingers started to become clumsy and she ended up breaking off a leg of the robot, so she stood and closed the door in Vi’s face.

Guilt gnawed at her chest, creating a chasm where family dinner usually rested. Did she really ditch her sister for Caitlyn? Vi swore at herself under her breath as she made her way to the kitchen, grabbing a banana.

Vi walked away from Caitlyn as if the ground beneath her was clouds.

She hadn’t felt this way in a while. Some juvenile feeling sprouted in her chest when she wrapped Caitlyn’s scarf around her neck, going up onto her toes just to see the way Caitlyn flushed.

She felt the feeling bloom, and the most surprising part, She let it.

Vi let her heart flutter when she thought about Caitlyn, a stark contrast to how she was welcomed into her life.

All of it was new and scary, though some part of her whispered how fun it was. While, sure, teasing Caitlyn, confusing her, Vi enjoyed, there was something different about the butterflies flitting in her stomach.

Vi watched the lines on the sidewalk, listening closely for Caitlyn's footsteps to fade, though she never heard them.

Maybe it was a leap, but Vi got the idea that Caitlyn was standing there, blushing, watching her walk away.

The heart believes what it wants to.

Something scarier yet was that Vi knew this feeling and she knew the name well.

Vi could call the novel ache by its name and feel giddy.

As she walked away from Caitlyn, the words of a poem, not yet written, laced themselves loosely together, and Vi knew she had something of a crush on Caitlyn.

Vi chewed on her banana as she looked through the book she had gotten at the library, careful not to get the pages dirty. It would be under Caitlyn’s name, after all.

At the thought, Vi smiled and then shook her head at how quickly she had ended up here.

She traced her fingers over the pages as she thought.

Nothing will come of this, no harm in entertaining the idea. As long as I remember what it is and what it can’t be. Fuck, she is pretty

Yes, that was pretty much the depth of Vi’s thoughts. Emphasis on the last part.

Vi realized Caitlyn hadn’t told her what her favorite art style or era was, so she looked through the other chapters and made a game of guessing, writing down specific titles of works that drew her attention and reminded Vi of Caitlyn.

She pulled out the cupcake drawing once again and analyzed the art as if it was hung in some world-renowned museum.

Truthfully, it was a simple drawing, easily replicable with no defining features. But Vi, nursing her newfound affection, found bits and pieces of Caitlyn hiding in the graphite.

She changed her mind then and realized this was her favorite art style.

Vi went through her school day distracted, only looking forward to sixth period. When she wasn’t checking the time, she was thinking about Caitlyn. Her laugh, her eyes, her blush, her pretty blue hair.

Unexpectedly in hall change, she saw Caitlyn leaving a classroom, smiling to herself about something.

Vi felt her feet stop and her hands go limp, dropping papers on the ground. Vi, however, decided this was much less important than watching Caitlyn’s ponytail bob across the hall until she turned around, meeting Vi’s eyes.

Immediately, Vi ducked down to grab her papers and felt a furious blush greeting her face. She begged the universe to let Caitlyn keep walking, to not see her looking frazzled and really fucking gay. The universe has never favored her though.

“Vi?”

She watched Caitlyn’s tell-tale boots with the tall heels approach her and stop before Vi where she knelt on the floor.

“Yes?” She scraped out, staring at the floor.

Caitlyn crouched on the floor and gathered Vi’s scribbled-on papers, handing them to Vi. In the process, their fingers brushed, only reddening Vi’s face.

“Are you alright?” Caitlyn asked. “Did something happen?’

Yes.

“No, I uh- got distracted.”

Caitlyn’s eyebrows drew together, her eyes searching for something in Vi’s. Vi wondered if she was finding it.

Only then did she realize they were still on the floor surrounded by the bustle of students.

“All set. Do you usually drop everything when you see me?” Caitlyn asked, a smile pulling at her lips.

“That wasn’t for you,” Vi managed cooly, “I just remembered the night I had with your mom last night. Pretty earth shattering.”

“Oh Fuck off.” Caitlyn laughed, gently shoving at Vi’s shoulder.

“No, I remembered something I have to do at home. You had nothing to do with it, I assure you.”

“Convincing.” Caitlyn stood and grabbed Vi’s hand in the process to pull her up, successfully short circuiting Vi’s brain.

“What’s your next class?”

“Moors.” Vi half-whispered, hyper-aware of the fact Caitlyn’s hand was still on hers.

“I’m heading in that direction.”

Neither of them made a move to walk, only looking at each other.

Vi cleared her throat, “C’mon.”

Although making Vi useless, she appreciated the warmth of Caitlyn’s soft fingers that rested on Vi’s hand. When Caitlyn let go, Vi felt like Caitlyn had taken her whole hand with her.

“So, Viktor impressed you did the homework?” Caitlyn asked lightheartedly as they walked.

“Big time. He actually smiled while grading it.”

“We should do it again sometime then. Homework together, I mean.”

Vi felt her heart ache, a fishhook pulling at her very being. “Yeah, if you want.”

She watched Caitlyn smile before turning to her right. “This is me. I’ll see you around,”

“Yeah,”

Vi’s next period went by much easier than her previous, suddenly very motivated.

And Vi felt her blood move through her fingers, her fingertips humming when Caitlyn crossed her mind. She felt her heart beat as if she was running, her self-respect doing laps to stay present.

Vi couldn’t help but notice the little things Caitlyn tends to do and the details you would miss if you looked at her once.

The tooth gap you could only see when Caitlyn smiled, how light reflected off of her dark gemstone earrings, the wearing on her bottom lip from being bit on.

“What?”

Shit.

“Nothing.” Vi quickly lied. “Just, you never mentioned your favorite art period. I was just thinking about it.”

The corner of Caitlyn’s mouth pulled up. “Interested in me?”

“It’s for the project Cupcake. Don’t get yourself worked up, or we’ll have to get out of here to wind you down.”

That made Caitlyn blush, satisfaction winding in Vi, though she knew she might be blushing just as hard and hid behind her hair to conceal it.

Caitlyn, though, ignored Vi altogether, prompting Vi to ask again. “Favorite period?”

Vi watched Caitlyn consider before smiling slightly and looking at Vi, the shocking blue of her eyes surprising her, infatuating her into Caitlyn’s gaze.

“I like symbolism. It’s all so poetic. The emotion is so tangible, you feel it echo when you look at a piece.”

“Mhm,” Vi managed.

Through the period, they composed a rough draft of their piece, combining their favorite elements and styles. The biggest challenge, Vi found, was keeping herself at a good distance from Caitlyn despite how gravity seemed to shift, pulling them together every so often.

The paper they turned into Medarda was fine thirty minutes before they handed it in, but Caitlyn seemed to critique every pencil stroke, changing each detail until some parts of the paper were raw.

It almost made Vi nervous.

After they were done and, somewhat, satisfied with the results, Caitlyn smiled at Vi, sending an arrow through her heart.

“Easy part’s over.” Vi said, doing her best to keep eye contact.

She earned a small laugh from Caitlyn. “Right. We’ll have time.”

Silence ensued, and Caitlyn grew fidgety, Vi watching her through the corner of her gaze.

The days had begun to grow warmer, longer. More seconds of sunlight to enjoy the look in Caitlyn’s eyes when Vi would make her laugh or smile.

Seconds more Vi had to remind herself of what was real and what wasn’t.

It had started to get pretty fucking tough when the look in Caitlyn’s eyes stopped leaving after she was done laughing. Vi reasoned that there must be some logical explanation of why Caitlyn’s smile would grow inexplicably when she saw Vi. She tried to get the image of Caitlyn’s expression out of her head when Vi would look over at Caitlyn in class to find her staring at Vi already, emotion in her eyes that Vi could only describe as adoring.

She really had tried to get it out of her head.

At the dinner table, the usual chatter and occasional yelling took place, only Ekko had joined the group. Powder was making a point of being quiet, but Vi didn’t miss the small exchanges she had with Ekko.

“This is really good, Vi,” Ekko said through bites.

Vi smiled and nodded at him. She had worked hard on dinner, still repaying the debt she had to Powder from missing family night a few weeks ago.

“S’alright,” Powder said, also while chewing. Clearly Powder did not consider the debt yet fulfilled.

Still, Vi took the small victory and added it to the list of good in her day. Many items of which went along the lines of Caitlyn liking her idea, or Caitlyn’s blush when she says something bold.

“What’re you thinking about?” Claggor startled Vi from her thoughts.

Vi hadn’t realized she was zoning out, but her eyes were focused on him.

“No one,” She felt a blush rise on her face. “Nothing.”

Mylo smirked and started to talk, but Claggor stole a fry off of his plate and that was enough to let Vi off. Ekko, however, stared at her, unwavering and disbelievingly.

Powder, fortunately, was too busy glaring at the table to notice, or let on that she noticed anything.

“Guess what,” Claggor started, laughing a bit as he talked.

Mylo shot him a look but he continued anyway.

“Mylo,” Claggor laughed some more, almost struggling to breathe, “was thinking about,” He paused again to gain his composure, “asking out your girl,”

Vi furrowed her brows in confusion while Claggor continued to gasp for air and Mylo rolled his eyes.

“Caitlyn Kiramman.”

All at once Vi felt the blood from her face drain and she almost dropped her fork.

“What?” She smiled and laughed a bit, trying her best to remain light and unclench her fists.

“Prom is coming up and she’s pretty and rich.” Mylo defended. “S’not crazy.”

“You’re kidding.” Vi chewed the words. She hated how stupid the words sounded coming from his mouth. Hated how stupid her own thoughts sounded swirling around in her head.

”What’s the problem? Sure she’s a little,” He tensed his shoulders dramatically, “uptight, but we all have our flaws.”

Vi had nothing to say.

”I can be very convincing” He waggled his eyebrows and Claggor snickered.

“Caitlyn wouldn’t date someone like us.” She snapped, scowling at Mylo.

The table went silent. The tension in the air must’ve been thick enough for her siblings to know she needed a minute, and each looked somewhere— anywhere but her. Ekko, however, searched for something in her eyes, his expression, despite his lack of years, warning.

It was warning enough. His little talk afterward was overkill.

“Look, Vi, I really care about you. And I know you.”

“Ekko,”

“I don’t want to see you get hurt is all,” He continued, “Powder’s told me about how she’s all you can talk or even think about. I see it for myself now. It seems to me like it looks like you know what’s gonna happen, but I also know you enough to know that it isn’t enough to stop you or even slow you down.”

Vi avoided his eyes, playing with the hem of her shirt, shaking her head.

“Caitlyn is straight, and even if she wasn’t, you were right. She wouldn’t like someone like us. Maybe you could entertain her for a week, two, but there would never be anything there. You deserve more.”

She wanted to tell him that he didn’t know what he was talking about, but of course, it was her own thoughts mirrored back to her. And she liked to gloat about always being right.

“I’ll think about it,” She tried a smile. “Thanks, little man. You’re pretty smart.”

“Having smart people around you only makes you smarter.” He smiled back.

Powder was not smiling when Vi came back into the living room from the kitchen. She sat on the couch frowning, facing the kitchen entrance.

Well fuck me.

Chapter Text

Caitlyn doesn’t curse around her parents. In fact, she finds it disrespectful to curse around adults at all. Despite this, her tongue was just about to fall off from how hard she must have been biting it to refrain from saying words that, later, she would surely regret.

“Caitlyn, it’s only a formality. Maybe you’ll have fun,” Her mother provided, optimistically. “He’s a very handsome boy.” Caitlyn groaned.

What was she supposed to say? No, Mother I’m not going to the dance with a random boy I don’t know. I would rather go alone or not at all?”Well, yes, that would have worked in hindsight.

“What’s his name?” She asked defeatedly.

Her mother’s face lit up as it does, with a passive expression and the corners of her mouth slightly upturned in a polite smile. Caitlyn could feel her crawling pleasure as it dripped from her voice.

“Frond Ishka.”

“Like a palm frond?”

“That’s what I said, is it not?”

“Yes, Mother.”

“So you’ll go with him?”

Caitlyn weighed her options. Get in with her mom, or have her mother be passive-aggressive to full-on aggressive for the coming months.

“I suppose if my plans don’t change.”

“Wonderful,” She sipped her tea neatly and pulled out her phone, presumably to call the coworker who is related to ‘Frond’.

Caitlyn took the opportunity to leave the suffocating air of the tea room to go drown in her schoolwork instead.

She didn’t really have to work on art. There weren’t any deadlines coming up, but she needed something to hold on to. Her art project was there, ready to be grasped.

Distantly, she was reminded of Medarda’s deal. Her work with Vi, on Vi. Her fists clenched around the blanket.

It felt like betrayal, like in the movies. Maybe it was. She didn’t want to betray Vi, not when she was just starting to like her, and more importantly, trust her. But that's just it, isn’t it? Vi was a means to an end.

Caitlyn repeated it over and over, silently moving her lips, convincing herself. A means to an end.

Caitlyn reminded herself of this when she walked into art class. How Vi wasn’t supposed to be her friend, and she probably didn’t consider Caitlyn a friend anyway. Probably. Hopefully not. Hopefully. God, she ached.

She reminded herself of this when she decided to walk home just to get a few more minutes with Vi before they reached her bus stop.

She reminded herself of this, more even, when Vi smiled, her eyes glinting in the winter sun, and gently brushed an eyelash off of Caitlyn’s cheek.

It became a regular occurrence. Because art was their last period and they had to walk in the same direction, it seemed natural they would walk together.

Caitlyn, though, was more nervous than she should have been to meet Vi’s brothers.

“Sup,” Mylo greeted, back straight and chin practically to the sky in order to allude height.

“Nice to meet you.” Claggor said, nudging her, he added, “Vi’s told us all about you,”

“You’d think you were on the council or something,” Mylo added, snickering.

Vi turned red immediately, shoving Claggor into Mylo. “Fuck off, I haven't,”

For some unknown reason, Caitlyn felt her pulse quicken and a blush bloom on her cheeks.

“They’re fucking with you,” Vi didn’t meet Caitlyn’s eyes.

“I didn’t know I had such a fan,” Caitlyn said, straight-faced, making Vi look up at her, pleading.

“You should start a club,” She leaned in to whisper in Vi’s ear. Vi laughed a bit too loud for what the joke was and turned away, not facing Caitlyn again until they said goodbye.

And so the highlight of Caitlyn’s days got just five minutes longer.

“The composition of your art piece is a step that absolutely needs planning beforehand. Not just the actual work, but what it’ll be made of, the colors, etcetera. I want you to be thinking about that. Last semester I gave you all you’ll need to know, so you’ll be using those techniques in whatever you choose. Once you feel prepared enough, you can come to me and I’ll give you the go-ahead so you can start. No later than the twentieth or points will be deducted.”

“Medarda can really talk,” Vi whispered, making Caitlyn smile.

“Jayce says she’s nice, but-”

“Jayce?”

“Mr. Talis. He’s a family friend.”

“Oh, shit?”

“Yeah. Don’t tell anyone, but they actually dated.” Caitlyn grinned, eager to share something with Vi that she didn’t already know.

“No fucking way. You’re fucking with me.”

“No,” Caitlyn giggled, “I’m serious.”

“They’re not together now?”

“No, they ended it a while ago. I’m banking on him getting with Viktor.”

Vi’s mouth hung open, making Caitlyn laugh. “They’re not official or anything, but y’know, there’s something there. I can always tell.”

“Talis is gay?”

“Uhm, no, not that he’s told me. But I have a sense for these things.”

Vi raised her eyebrows and smirked, making Caitlyn blush, oddly enough.

“Right. A sense.” Vi teased.

Caitlyn could feel how warm her face was.

“Yes. You were a fluke.”

Vi looked at her confused, and then completely surprised.

“You couldn’t, I dunno, tell?”

Caitlyn shook her head, embarrassed and Vi continued to stare at her with a disbelieving expression.

“Really. The hair, clothes, nothing gave it away?”

Caitlyn shook her head again.

“And here I thought you were into me.” Vi batted her eyelashes.

“Who says that I’m not?”

Caitlyn watched Vi blush and her eyes widen. Truthfully, she was in shock as well. Caitlyn didn’t know what she was saying or why she said it. Seconds passed like hours in silence and every moment made Caitlyn more nervous, her confident demeanor melting away into fluster.

“Sorry.” She said quickly. “I just-”

Vi seemed to come back to herself saying, “Don’t worry about it cupcake. I don’t complain when a pretty girl flirts with me.”

Caitlyn got suddenly warm and defended herself by stammering, “I wasn’t flirting.”

“Mhm,” Vi hummed, but Caitlyn could still see the flush on her skin behind her freckles. And, God, she never wanted to stop seeing it.

“Please. You, are constantly flirting.” Caitlyn chided.

“Cupcake, if I was flirting you would know it.” Vi lowly drawled.

“No, I know.”

“What would you know about flirting?”

“Well,” Caitlyn hesitated, “You do this thing,”

Vi looked at her bewildered. Embarrassed? Dark.

“Go on.”

“You turn your body to face whoever you’re flirting with.” Caitlyn reddened as she talked. “And your voice changes,”

Desperately, she looked at Vi, hoping that was enough, but by her expression, she knew Vi wanted more.

“And, uhm, you suck in the corner of your bottom lip, just a bit.”

Vi was wide-eyed.

“No, I don’t.”

Caitlyn grinned. “You do.”

“And your eyes change. Sometimes, when you flirt, they get darker, or different. I’m not sure how to explain it.”

“You’re imagining things, Caitlyn.”

Caitlyn froze and Vi must’ve caught herself because she turned away instantly and picked at her fingers.

She called her Caitlyn again.

Caitlyn didn’t want to ruin the moment, it already felt like it was fleeting, dissipating in the air.

Delicately, she murmured, “Alright,”

Vi cleared her throat. “So, what do we wanna do for the ‘composition’?”

“I like the idea of blue and pink. Like our hair, but, it’s just an idea.”

Vi slightly smiled. “Alright. That sounds good.”

“We are doing a painting, correct?”

Vi nodded.

“Okay,” Caitlyn exhaled. “Good. I suppose we can start tomorrow if Medarda likes it.”

Vi got up to wait behind Medarda’s desk and Caitlyn followed. In the line to consult the teacher, Caitlyn realized just how much taller she actually was than Vi. Several inches, five at least. Vi barely came up to her chin.

Just before their turn, Vi turned around and met Caitlyn’s eyes, motioning her to walk in front of her to talk to Medarda.

“Caitlyn. Vi. What can I do for you?”

“We were wondering if we could start the project tomorrow. We have the basic idea and figured out the direction we want to take it.”

Medarda considered and nodded her head. “That sounds fine then.”

Caitlyn smiled, “Thank you,” She started to walk off with Vi but Medarda called after her.

“How is everything going, Caitlyn?”

Caitlyn bit her lip and looked down.

“It’s all fine. I’ve been, uh, studying with her a bit. Getting her to trust me and such.”

Medarda looked pleased. “Glad to hear it. This will all be taken into consideration, I remind you.”

There it was. What Caitlyn was chasing, why she got into this in the first place.

“What’d Medarda want?”

“Oh, she was just telling me about something. Nothing, really.”

Vi’s eyes narrowed. “You,” She said, “are a terrible liar.”

Caitlyn’s throat went dry.

“But I don’t actually care so,”

Caitlyn scoffed. “What if it was something unbelievable and amazing?”

“I guess I’ll never know,” Vi shrugged.

“Asshole,” Caitlyn laughed.

Though it had started to warm up, this day was particularly cold and Caitlyn couldn’t help but shiver as the wind blew through her dark hair, whispering goosebumps onto her skin as the group trudged towards the bus stop.

“You good?” Vi asked.

“Fucking freezing.”

Vi smiled and started to take off her jacket.

“Oh, Vi, that’s alright. My walk isn’t that long.”

“I’m returning a favor, Cupcake. You can give it back to me tomorrow.” Vi reached out to hand Caitlyn the leather jacket, her muscles visible now that Vi was in a tank top. Caitlyn observed goosebumps spread across the expanse of exposed skin and hesitated before reluctantly agreeing.

Caitlyn wrapped herself in the jacket, just a bit too big, to hide her flush. The jacket was warm from Vi wearing it and smelled like her scarf after Vi gave it back to her.

Lost in memory, she almost didn’t notice Vi looking at her in some odd way. She also nearly missed Claggor staring at them disbelievingly.

“What?”

Vi shook her head and looked away. “Nothing,”

“Do I have something on my face or what?”

“No, the jacket suits you, is all.”

“Oh,” Caitlyn felt the red return to her face. “Thanks.”

Caitlyn forgot she was even wearing the jacket for how aware she was of it right after Vi had given it to her.

“Caitlyn,” Her mother said over dinner. “What on Earth are you wearing?”

Caitlyn looked down to remind herself. “I was cold. Vi let me borrow it.”

“Please, Caitlyn. That jacket was probably stolen.” She looked over the table at Caitlyn disapprovingly.

Caitlyn frowned.

“Cassandra,” Her father warned.

“It’s fine. Just— don’t wear it again.” Her mother put more food into her mouth and pointed her index finger at Caitlyn, indicating she was going to say more. When she was done chewing, she said, “Give it back as soon as you can. It makes you look homeless, dear.”

Caitlyn bit her tongue again.

“That reminds me,” Her mother started again, “I confirmed with Denia, and Frond was thrilled to hear you would go to prom with him.”

Caitlyn had to physically restrain herself from rolling her eyes. “Great, Mom. You told her that if I got other plans I would cancel, right?”

Cassandra laughed. “Of course not dear. We will go dress shopping this weekend. You can bring along a little friend if you want.”

She thought about it over dinner while that ate in silence. She didn’t know who she would bring, even if she wanted to.

She didn’t really have friends. Of course, she was nice to everyone. She had girls in her class that she liked enough to smile in the hallways, but no one she wanted to come with her and her mother to the mall.

Besides Vi. She could picture goofing off with Vi and losing her mother through the endless racks of clothing while she and Vi giggled. She could imagine walking out in a beautiful dress and Vi’s eyes lighting up, telling her that she looked gorgeous, Vi hiding a blush behind her hand.

For obvious reasons, she could not bring Vi.

“I’d rather it be just us,” Caitlyn said. “I don’t want it to be a thing.”

“Fine.”

The weekend came faster than anticipated, Caitlyn’s mother ushering her into the car with five different color strapless bras stuffed into her purse and an entire binder of fabric and color samples.

So much for not being a thing.

“Isn’t this exciting?”

“I suppose.”

“Caitlyn, you’ve waited years to go to prom.”

“You have waited years for me to go to prom. I am indifferent.”

“You’re indifferent for now. Just wait until you’ve seen the dresses I had set aside for us.”

Her mother was right. She was no longer indifferent.

“I am not wearing this,” Caitlyn cried, pounds of tulle wrapped around her body.
“Caitlyn, you look beautiful.”

“I look like a run over cream puff.”

Her mother walked up to her and prodded at the fabric, gently stretching it in some places, stuffing it in others.

“It would need alterations, of course.”

Cassandra snapped at a sales associate. “Get me on with Piltover Seamstress, yes, the one just down the road.”

The girl looked positively terrified, so Cassarda sighed that she would go to the phone herself and left Caitlyn in the boutique dressing room alone.

She could have cried. Caitlyn was not one to obsess over fashion and such, but this was awful. Worse than awful. She imagined how her classmates would snicker when she walked in with a boy she’s never met on her arm. How Vi would laugh.

She tried to take the dress off herself, but the mountain of fabric made it impossible, so she was forced to stand in the cold room alone, itching to peel the dress off.

Not much later, her mother came back into the dressing room without knocking and a short woman followed after her.

“Mira, this is my daughter Caitlyn. Caitlyn, Mira. She will be taking your alterations. I’m going to look at shoes in the meantime.”

Just like that, she left.

Mira was an older woman with a round chubby face. “Hello darling,”

“Hello Mira.” Caitlyn greeted.

Mira wrote down some measurements and pinned the dress in some places, careful not to prick Caitlyn.

“Do you have a date?”

Caitlyn tried to smile. “Yes, his name is Frond.”

“Oh, how exotic.”

Half an hour later, Mira stood from kneeling and brushed imaginary dirt off of her hands.

“Looks good, sweets. It’ll be ready by Friday evening.”

“Thank you, Mira. Would you mind helping me out of it?”

“No problem.”

At least her mother was happy, this ought to keep her off of her back for a few days.

Monday morning was just as cold as Friday afternoon, if not even colder. It wasn’t Caitlyn’s fault that the weather was so cold, so she slipped Vi’s jacket on, feeling the warmth cover her.

Caitlyn wished she could keep it, she wished she could have Vi’s warmth around her all the time.

The jacket's warmth. It’s a warm fucking jacket.

Vi was leaning over their desks when Caitlyn walked into art class. She had already picked out a canvas, some paint, and other miscellaneous supplies.

“Oh, hey Caitlyn,” Vi smiled. “I just picked some things out. I hope the canvas is alright. I wasn’t here first semester when y’all learned about it so,” Vi trailed off when she looked up again, focusing on Caitlyn cozied up in her jacket.

“Hey,” She said with a grin, “That’s my jacket.”

Caitlyn flushed and took it off, folding the arms neatly and handing it to Vi.

“Thanks for letting me borrow it. People on the street must’ve thought I was cooler than I am.”

Vi laughed, “Oh, so you think I’m cool?”

“Absolutely not. I think I looked cool.”

“Yeah, I guess you did,” Vi smiled, moving around more supplies aimlessly.

“Anyway,” Vi said, interrupting Caitlyn from her thoughts. “Medarda said we could start today so I thought we’d get the sketch done. I also saw this technique where you paint the entire canvas one color before starting. It makes it look better or something.”

“Yeah, sounds good. Do we do that before or after the sketch?”

Vi shrugged her shoulders making Caitlyn giggle. “After, I suppose.”

“Yes, I do suppose,” Vi said, teasing Caitlyn’s accent.

Caitlyn lightly pushed Vi into the counter next to them, effectively getting the bottom half of her shirt wet due to the sink someone had just used.

“Caitlyn!” Vi half-laughed.

Caitlyn frowned, “I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to,”

Vi ineffectively brushed some of the water off of her shirt. “S’alright Cupcake.” Vi smiled. “It’s only water.”

Caitlyn grabbed some paper towels and tried to dab off some of the water while Vi stood awkwardly with her arms raided so Caitlyn could slightly kneel under them.

“Y’know,” Caitlyn started, “This wouldn’t have happened had you been a few inches taller.”

Caitlyn look up to see Vi’s mouth open in shock and a bit of a smile near the corners.

“I am plenty tall. It’s not my fault you’re seven feet tall.”

Caitlyn stood, her full height only aiding Vi’s case.

“I’m six feet tall.” Caitlyn smiled.

“Exactly.” Vi slipped herself into her jacket, it looking longer on her than it did on Caitlyn. “Ladies love how tall I am. It’s a common topic of conversation in fact.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It’s just most chicks I pick up aren’t giant.”

“You only date short girls?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You’ve dated girls taller than you then.”

“No, but I wouldn’t be opposed or anything.”

“Hm,” Caitlyn hummed, taking her seat.

As they worked on the painting, first giving it a coat of watered-down acrylic paint per Medarda’s instructions, and then starting the sketch, Caitlyn smiled at how well they worked together.

Like they were meant to be partners.

“Caitlyn, I was wondering something.” Caitlyn looked up to see Vi fidgeting her fingers, looking down.

“Shoot,”

“Would you maybe want to come over to my place after school to hang out? Friday?”

Vi flushed and didn’t look up from the canvas between them, though Caitlyn wanted nothing more than to meet her eyes.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. We’re having a family dinner and Dad invited you to stay. Stay the night, I mean. A sleepover I guess.”

Caitlyn felt her chest just about explode. “Yes, I would love to.”

“Really?”

Caitlyn smiled, trying to contain herself. “Yes, sounds great.”

“Cool,” Vi said, nodding her head.

“It’s a plan then.”

“Yes.”

“Cool,”

Caitlyn had seemed to forget her mantra, “means to an end,” by then.

Chapter Text

Vi had worked herself up to it the entire day. She wrung out her hands and stressed her earlobe before seeing Caitlyn, trying to think of a way to invite her over.

It was a huge step, and in all honesty, she wouldn’t have done it if not for Powder’s smugness and Dad’s insistent invitation.

“Why do you let Kiramman walk with you guys?” Powder asked, catching the group off guard. The question was for the three of them, but Powder looked intently at Vi.

“Kiramman can walk wherever she wants. It’s not really in my control, Pow.” Vi said from across the countertop.

Vander closed the bar that day so the kids could help out around the building with chores and such without being heckled. Despite this, Vander allowed the kids to sit droopily around the bar while he replenished their shirley temples and chocolate milks while listening to their stories.

“The Kiramman girl again?” Vander asked.

“You act like you two are friends.” Powder stated before taking a long sip of her milk, leaving her with a mustache just above her lip.

“I dunno,” Vi shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe we are. Why does it matter?”

“Kids say you talk about her a lot. You should invite her over for family dinner on Friday.”

“What?” Vi and Powder echoed.

“That’s nice and all Dad, but I don’t think she’d wanna come all the way down here just to have dinner and then go all the way across town again.”

“That’s alright. Invite her to sleep over.”

Vi shook her head quickly, warmth crawling up her neck. “I dunno.”

“Yeah,” Powder added. “Vi doesn’t hand out with people like that.”

Vi glared at Powder. “Yes, I do.”

Powder rolled her eyes. “Name one person- one girl- that has ever had a sleepover with you.”

“People my age don’t have sleepovers Pow. They just, kinda, sleep-over.”

Vander and Powder’s expressions prompted an exasperated sigh from Vi.

“You wouldn’t get it.”

“My point stands. Give me a friend that has ‘slept-over’” Powder said mockingly.

Vi huffed. “Caitlyn. Friday.”

Vander smiled. “Attagirl. I’ll make a good dinner. We’re not serving a guest any of your shit,” he ruffled Vi’s hair and he filled her soda.

And it still felt surreal. Caitlyn formally meeting her family, sleeping over, them staying up late. Having fun.

Friday couldn’t have come slower, though, by Friday morning, Vi was a bundle of nerves and anxiety.

There were slight bags under her eyes from staying up so late cleaning her room until it was spotless. She also spent about an hour begging Powder to sleep in the living room for the night so Caitlyn could take Vi’s bed and Vi would sleep in Powder’s.

When Vi saw Caitlyn approach in art with two bags, it confirmed this was happening. This was real.

“Hey,” Vi breathed.

“Hello,” Caitlyn responded, settling herself into her chair.

A panic rose in Vi, a premonition that the rest of the night would be awkward and stiff, but then Caitlyn said, “Nervous?”

And Vi said, “If anyone should be nervous, it's you. My family’s a tough crowd.”

Caitlyn laughed and everything was okay.

Throughout the period, they didn’t really get anything done. While they indulged in conversation, their painting sat in front of them waiting to be added to, anticipating a brushstroke. A change.

Just before the bell rang, Caitlyn got a notification on her phone and looked up at Vi, panicked.

“Shit.”

“All right, Cupcake?” Vi smirked, the appeal of Caitlyn swearing not yet worn off.

“Do you mind if we pick something up before heading to yours?”

“Yeah, no problem.”

Caitlyn smiled. “It’s on the way, don’t worry. Just past the bus stop by a few minutes.”

“The bus stop isn’t actually the way to my house,”

“Oh, right.” Caitlyn faltered. “Does that mean we’d have to walk?”

“The next bus after the one I take comes hours later, I’m pretty sure.”

“Oh,” Caitlyn frowned.

“A little walking never hurt anyone.”

“Right.”

They walked to the bust stop mostly in silence with Mylo and Claggor following sheepishly behind them.

Enthralled in something or the other concerning Caitlyn, Vi didn’t notice Mylo start to walk next to Caitlyn until he tapped her on the shoulder, making her lower her gaze to match his eyes.

“Caitlyn, I’ve been thinking, well, I’ve seen you ‘round, right,” Vi went still. “and I was wondering if you would want to go to prom with me.” He smiled and waggled his eyebrows, making Claggor, who was walking behind them, snicker.

Caitlyn was speechless. She didn’t say anything for a bit and Vi’s heart stuttered a breath of hope.

“Oh,” She laughed a bit, lightheartedly, “Mylo, I can’t,” She rested her hand on his shoulder. Vi tensed again, but the rejection was still fresh on her mind, leaving her to very clearly hide a smile.

“It’s nothing against you, I actually already have a date.”

Everyone went quiet and Vi actually stopped walking for a moment before continuing to walk behind Mylo and Caitlyn.

“Who’s the lucky guy?” Mylo asked, smirking.

“His name is Frond.”

Vi snorted. “Like palm frond?”

“Uhm, yes, I think they’re spelled the same.”

“That’s alright,” Mylo shrugged. “Pretty girl like you’s bound to be taken.”

Vi shook her head at the ground, thoughts she never knew she had swirling through her clouded mind. What had she been hoping for? Caitlyn would suddenly like girls, ask her to prom, and they would show up as the hottest couple in school? Fuck, she has been stupid. It really isn’t all that disappointing. Vi knew Caitlyn was gorgeous and she knew she was straight. This made sense.

“You alright?” Caitlyn asked, lingering behind the boys to talk to Vi.

“Yeah, just, I dunno, got real tired all of the sudden.”

“Hm.” Caitlyn hummed.

They parted from Mylo and Claggor and kept walking toward the shops.

“We’re actually picking up my dress,” Caitlyn said lightly.

“Oh,” Vi cleared her throat. “Yeah, cool.”

“It’s ugly. Really ugly.” Caitlyn laughed quietly. “Quite the spectacle. I suppose I’ll be turning heads when I walk in the room for once.”

Vi looked up at Caitlyn against the stubbornly setting winter sun. “You already do that.”

Caitlyn’s eyes widened and Vi knew she should cover up her sincerity, crack a joke, dramatically flirt, but god Caitlyn was kidding herself if she didn’t know how beautiful she was.

“Oh,” was all Caitlyn said, and Vi smiled to herself as they continued to walk.

“So, how’d you meet Frond?” Vi said with an awful accent on his name.

Caitlyn shook her head. “My mother arranged it. His parents work with her I think. I’ve never met him.”

“He cute?”

“My mother seems to think so.”

“You don’t know what he looks like?”

“Nope.”

“Huh.”

“She thinks I’ll have fun, my mother, I mean. How am I supposed to have fun in a horrific dress with a boy I’ve never met?”

“I’m sure the dress won’t be that bad.”

Caitlyn laughed. “You are lucky that you don’t have to deal with all this. I mean, prom? God, it's just an excuse for kids to get drunk and lose their virginity behind the gym.”

Vi raised her eyebrows and looked at Caitlyn, still unable to make out her features against the light.

“What makes you think I’m not going?”

“Oh,” Caitlyn laughed nervously. “I just— it doesn’t really seem like you’re ordeal. Y’know getting a date, wearing a dress…” Caitlyn trailed off.

Vi’s cheeks burned. “I could get a date if I wanted.”

“Sure. Yes, I mean.”

“There are plenty of people who’d love to be asked to prom by me.”

Caitlyn didn’t say anything and walked a bit faster so Vi grabbed onto her wrist to slow her down. Effectively, Caitlyn stopped and looked at her, making Vi feel suddenly vulnerable with her hand pressed up against Caitlyn’s speeding pulse.

Vi wanted to say something more, but what was there to say?

“Are we almost there?” She asked instead.

Caitlyn nodded and Vi let go of her wrist. They kept walking.

The cold was just starting to get to Vi when Caitlyn nudged her. “We’re here.”

Of course, Vi should have expected how fucking fancy this place would be. Just because she was comfortable with Caitlyn didn’t mean she was anywhere near comfortable with Caitlyn’s world.

She must have looked a bit awestruck because Caitlyn took her by the hand and slowly pulled her into the boutique. This point of warmth, Caitlyn’s hand on Vi’s, occupied all of Vi’s mind until Caitlyn pulled away, smoothing her thumb against Vi’s palm as she did.

Vi walked with her up to the counter in the front of the store.

“Hi, I’m here to pick up for Kiramman,” Caitlyn smiled.

The man behind the desk smiled stiffly, maybe that was just his smile, and said, “Great. I hope you don’t mind trying it on before leaving. It is for you, correct?”

Caitlyn’s smile faltered. “Yes, it’s for me.”

“Perfect.” The man gestured to some seating near the fitting rooms and disappeared to the back of the store.

“Great. Let’s get this over with.” Caitlyn rigidly sat in one of the chairs and Vi slumped into one next to her.

The man handed Caitlyn a hanger with a dress cover on it and she wordlessly went to the dressing room, leaving Vi alone, longing for her bed.

Vi listened to the rustling coming from the dressing room with her eyes closed, teetering on the edge of sleep when Cailtyn called for her.

“Vi?”

“Yeah?” She called, her heart spiking.

“Could you zip me up?”

Vi stood and went for the handle before awkwardly saying, “You decent?”

She heard Caitlyn laugh. “Yes, Vi. Please come in and zip this up for me.”

Alright.

Caitlyn stood with her back to the door surrounded by ample fabric. So much fabric, in fact, that Vi couldn’t even find the actual body of the dress.

“Don’t laugh.”

Vi shook her head with a smile and then looked into Cailtyn’s pleading eyes and smoothed out her expression, stepping closer to find said zipper.

“It’s, uhm, here.” Caitlyn stiffly reached behind her to a gap in the bodice.

“Right.” Vi cautiously stepped forward.

She first tried to zip it up with one hand, like Cailtyn’s skin was lava, but when that proved not to work, she rested her hand on Catlyn’s back to steady the dress, and pulled back, startled by the cold.

“You’re freezing.”

“C’mon Vi.”

Vi put her hand back and zipped the dress up, trying the small clasp on the top of the zipper.

“One second,” She muttered, stepping closer to get a better look.

She fidgeted with the clasp for a bit saying, “Sorry, I don’t have nails. Guitar.”

Caitlyn didn’t respond, only straightened her back, which proved only more difficult for Vi, considering their height difference.

Finally, she whispered, “Got it.”

Caitlyn turned to face Vi, making her realize just how close she was standing to Caitlyn. Mere inches apart.

“How do I look?” Caitlyn breathily said, almost in a whisper.

Vi slowly nodded, not glancing at the dress once, saying everything but nothing at all.

“Yeah?”

“Beautiful.”

“Huh,” Caitlyn breathed.

Vi watched a blush spread across Caitlyn’s face, watched her eyes sparkle and her tongue dart out to wet her bottom lip.

She cleared her throat and quickly stepped back, only then taking in the dress for what it was.

What it was, was the ugliest thing Vi had ever seen. She fought the urge to laugh or pull Caitlyn into her arms to comfort her.

“Oh, Caitlyn.”

Caitlyn stressed her bottom lip. “What am I going to do?” Her voice came out weak like Vi had never heard it.

Vi nodded her head, coming up with a plan. “You’ll take the dress home, put it on for your mom, and change into another dress before the dance.”

Caitlyn laughed in shock. “I can’t do that!”

“Sure you can.”

“How would I pay for it.”

Vi raised a brow. “Like you don’t have a credit card your mom pays for?”

“She’d find out.”

“It’ll be too late by the time she does.”

Caitlyn hesitated, then nodded. “Get this dress off of me Vi.”

When Vi struggled with the clasp again, then the zipper, she tried her best not to replay the words in her head until they just sounded like noises, but by the time she was done, they just sounded like noises.

Caitlyn came out of the dressing room in her school clothes, which Vi always thought were rather plain, but in comparison to the monstrosity Cailtyn had been wearing, Vi appreciated them.

The man behind the counter came up to them and asked if the alterations were to Caitlyn’s liking, to which she nodded and thanked him. Then she asked to see their spring collections.

Vi was skeptical. If a shop produced something that awful, it was unlikely they could make anything that wouldn’t look as bad as that dress. She was proven wrong when they were led to another section of the store, beautiful dresses lining the walls.

“You ladies can call if you need assistance with anything. My name is Eugene and I’m here to help.”

“Thank you, Eugene.”

Vi walked along the racks of clothes, occasionally pulling out a color that caught her eye and deciding whether it was pretty enough to show Caitlyn.

“What type of dresses do you like?” She asked.

“I’m not really sure,” Caitlyn answered, sifting through another wall. “I want something form-fitting. Nothing in yellow or orange. Red is alright.”

“Sparkles?”

“Hm?”

“You like sparkles?”

“Not really. It’s a texture thing.”

“Noted.”

Eventually, they both had around three dresses for Caitlyn to try on, so they made their way back to the fitting room.

Vi took in the first dress as she zipped Caitlyn up. It was a deep plum dress that clung to her body beautifully.

When Caitlyn turned to face Vi, a vulnerable look in her eyes, Vi smiled and gave her a once over.

“It’s real pretty, Cupcake.”

She frowned and Vi immediately worried she had said something wrong.

“It’s pretty. You look nice in it.”

“No, it’s not the one,” and Caitlyn turned so Vi could unzip it and step outside.

The last dress Caitlyn tried on, she didn’t need help zipping up.

“Oh,” Vi breathed.

She was stunning. The dress was a shimmery dark blue, but from different lights, there was a flash of light blue. It had inch-thick straps and a neckline just low enough that Vi was certain Caitlyn’s mother wouldn’t approve. The fabric gently hugged Caitlyn’s curves and stopped a bit shy of Caitlyn’s ankle. It was as if all the beauty and essence of Caitlyn were made into a dress.

“That’s all?” Caitlyn nervously said, smoothing out her hair.

“Caitlyn. You are- I mean,” Vi stood, suddenly feeling awkward sitting.

Caitlyn laughed. “That bad, huh?”

Vi smiled, stood, and walked closer, taking in the details.

“You look perfect,” Vi said. She meant it.

Caitlyn blushed and looked away. “I wonder if Frond will like it.”

All the warmth in Vi’s skin disappeared, her smile going with it.

“I bet he will.” She said, hoping the bitterness in her voice was less obvious to Caitlyn than to herself.

Caitlyn nodded and asked Vi to ring her up, handing her card and the dress to Vi through the crack in the curtain and the wall.

“I bet you’re excited. She looked good in that dress.” Eugene said while ringing her up. Vi tried not to wince at the price.

“Excited for what?”

He laughed. “Prom. Where are you getting your dress? Or suit, I should add. If you contacted us, we could match you and your date up perfectly. That dress has plenty of options for whoever is lucky enough to be their date.”

Caitlyn walked up next to Vi with her school bag and the huge dress in hand.

“Oh,” Vi said. “We aren’t going together.” She felt her face get hot.

Eugene frowned. “Oh. You two would make a lovely couple if you did,” He smiled again and handed Caitlyn the receipt.

Neither girls responded, Vi furiously blushing and Caitlyn, curiously, doing the same.

“Have a good day!” He called as they wordlessly left the shop, Vi leading the way to her house.

Vi’s hands shook as she unlocked the front door, keys rattling in her fingertips while she struggled to turn the metal.

Caitlyn stood behind her looking around. Vi watched as Caitlyn took in the new environment, a look of awe on her face.

Vi almost flinched when she pushed the door open with her hip, Caitlyn’s dresses in her arms, and was welcomed by the loudness of pre-family dinner. Claggor and Mylo yelled over a video game, both boys standing in front of a couch, shoving each other often. Powder was nowhere to be seen. The noise of cooking, or more accurately, the smell of cooking drew Vi into the house, her motioning for Caitlyn to come to her room so they could drop off their things.

“So,” Vi said uncomfortably, nervously, “this is my room.”

Caitlyn dropped her backpack at the foot of Vi’s bunk bed and sat on the end.

Vi neatly hung up Caitlyn’s dresses and put her own backpack next to Caitlyn’s.

“It’s pretty,” Caitlyn stood and wandered around the room, observing the trinkets, posters, and such that Vi and Powder had collected. “It reminds me of you.”

Vi tried not to read into the sentence and stood next to Caitlyn while she fiddled with some small objects on a shelf.

“We got that our first time going into the city alone. Dad told us to pick up some sort of package and come right back, but I think he knew we weren’t going to do that.”

Caitlyn took the metal box into her hand. It was ornate, swirling walls housed two small dancing figurines. Something they could never have afforded, but Caitlyn didn’t say anything so Vi wasn’t going to either. Caitlyn flipped the box over and winded a knob, and turned it back over to see them dance.

They stood motionless with the same gleeful expression painted on their face.

“Stopped working a couple of years ago, I think.”

“That’s alright. It’s a memory. Memories don’t move. It’s fitting.” Caitlyn put down the box and smiled at Vi, who couldn’t help but smile back at the pretty girl standing in her room.

“You can sleep on the top bunk, that’s mine, and I’ll sleep in Powder’s bed.”

Caitlyn’s eyes widened. “Oh,”

“Is that alright?”

“I can’t do the top bunk. What if it falls?”

Vi smiled at this new information. “I’ve slept up there for years and it's never fallen. And if it does fall, wouldn’t it be worse to be on the bottom bunk?”

Caitlyn shook her head. “I mean, sure, if you need me to. I can just, hmm, maybe if I—.”

Vi pushed down the soft warmth in her chest. “That’s alright. I can talk to Powder and you can take the bottom bunk. You’re taller anyway.”

Caitlyn smiled softly and Vi just begged herself to look away. To not give up what piece of secrecy she was holding on to. It proved hard when Caitlyn was looking down like this, a smile on her face, exposing the adorable tooth gap that gives Vi butterflies every time she sees it.

Vi told Caitlyn to follow her and she led them out of her room to dinner.

“Kids!” Vander called from the kitchen. It would take at least ten minutes before everyone in the house got off their ass to show up, but Vi knew Vander was accounting for that.

“Ah, Vi,” Vander said when then entered the kitchen, hunched over the stove.

“Hey, Dad, this is Caitlyn,”

Vander turned with a great smile and dirtied apron.

“Caitlyn. You’re the girl Vi won’t stop talking about.”

Vi felt her cheeks go pink and watched as Caitlyn’s eyes widened and a shy smile worked its way onto her face.

She held out her hand and Vander took it in a brief, but sturdy handshake.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Caitlyn said. Vi stood next to Caitlyn dumbly, afraid to breathe the wrong way. By the look of it, Caitlyn was just as nervous, a fact Vi would recount again and again.

“Likewise,” Vander said, gesturing for Vi to get Caitlyn a glass of water.

She moved quickly and stumbled a bit before making her way to the counter.

Vander chuckled. “We need to work on your hosting skills, Kiddo,” He said while roughing up Vi’s hair. From the corner of her eyes, she watched Caitlyn smile warmly and giggle behind her hand.

“Caitlyn doesn’t mind,” Vi said, careful not to let their fingers touch while handing her the glass of water.

“I think I do. I’ll have to find someone else to take care of me.”

Vi posed her face with a shocked expression, making Caitlyn laugh. All the while, Vander watched them and their banter plainly. When Vi noticed, she stepped away from Caitlyn quickly and scrunched her face.

“What’s for dinner?” Vi asked.

“Vander’s world famous burgers. That alright with you Caitlyn?”

“Sounds perfect.”

“Caitlyn!” Mylo yelled, going in for a high five, to which Caitlyn awkwardly raised her hand before Mylo pulled away and laughed.

Vi smacked him on the back of the head.

“Hey Caitlyn,” Claggor said, walking into the kitchen past Mylo, who made it his job to glare at Vi.

“Hello,” Caitlyn nodded to both of them.

Vi watched Caitlyn regard the boys with poise, a stark contrast to the comfortable way she held herself around Vi. Her spine was a steel rod, and Vi wanted to run her fingertip along it and calm its ridgid nature. Vi scoffed and thought sourly that love has made her quite the poet.

Immediately, she cringed at the idea of being in love with Caitlyn, what a disaster that would be.

While Caitlyn indulged her brothers in conversation, Vi saw Powder linger at the edge of the kitchen doorway, deciding whether or not to come in, so Vi beckoned her in to stand next to her.

“Cait, this is Powder.”

Powder pushed her shoulders back and pursed her lips, running her eyes down Caitlyn’s frame. Their height difference almost made Vi laugh out loud.

“Hey,” Caitlyn said casually, “Nice to meet you,”

Powder didn’t say anything, but nodded curtly and walked over to Vander in the same nature that a cartoon robber would sneak out of a bank.

Vi smiled at Caitlyn to reassure her. Her breath caught when Caitlyn leaned in close enough for Vi to smell her chocolate orange scent, and whispered in her ear.

“I have a nickname?” Caitlyn said in a teasing tone.

“Sure you do, Cupcake.” Vi said, desperately hoping the blush she felt wasn’t visible in the poorly lit kitchen.

“I think it was— Cait? Right?”

“You tuned the rest out. I said Caitlyn.”

“Mhm,”

Vander interrupted the conversation with a pat on her shoulder.

“Go ahead and put your plates on the table.”

Vi grabbed the third biggest burger for herself and asked Caitlyn which one she wanted, then grabbing the one with the toastiest bread for her.

“It’s soda day,” Vi said, walking to the table. “We have everything. What do you like?”

Caitlyn sat in the seat Vi put her food at and smiled up at Vi, making her stupid fucking heart skip a beat. “Cherry coke.”

“We got it. Gimme a minute.”

Vi calmed her nerves while getting the soda, pressing the chilly can of Jupiña to her face.

“There you are Cupcake,” She said hading the soda to Caitlyn. Vi intently watched as she gracefully opened the can and pressed the lip to her mouth. Even closer, Vi watched Caitlyn’s eyelids flutter as she took in the cold drink, a small smile on her face as she pulled it away and set it on the table.

“Good?” Vi asked, sliding into the chair next to Caitlyn while the others filled in with their food.

“Very.”

Vi cracked her own can open and took a sip.

As she did, she managed to hold eye contact with Caitlyn who was watching her almost as observantly as she was.

“What’s that?” She asked.

“Jupiña. This girl I was talking to put me on.”

Vi watched Caitlyn’s face falter just for a moment before asking, “Can I have a sip?”

For a moment, she just froze. Stupidly. It didn’t mean a single thing. Was she in kindergarten? It wasn’t like they were kissing.

But as Caitlyn repeated the ritual, but adding a content hum at the end of her sip, Vi felt as though it was kissing. Inexplicably, she realized she had brought her fingertips up to her lips and parted them. As if she had been kissed. Stupid. Vi quickly caught herself and thanked whatever god there was that Caitlyn didn’t catch her.

Instead, she handed the can back to Vi with an innocent expression. Not a single other person at the table looked as convinced.

“Thanks, Caitlyn.” Vi said, almost curt.

Mylo and Claggor stared at each other with wide eyes and Vander softly smiled at the window in the next room over. Powder glared daggers at the two of them so Vi shot her a look and she knocked it off.

“Fuck, that is good,”

Everyone’s heads shot up, in shock of Caitlyn’s swearing, Vi still not use to it.

“I’m sorry, do you not curse?” She smiled at the way Caitlyn’s cheeks got pink.

“We don’t give a shit.” Mylo supplied, making Caitlyn relax.

“I do.” Powder said, speaking for the first time. “I’m young.”

“Powder, stop.” Vi said shortly.

“Well she comes into our house and pollutes our family values. Not okay with me.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“Stop, stop, Powder doesn’t care.” Vi tilted her head at Powder in reprimand.

“Whatever.”

Caitlyn frowned at her plate and Vi could have killed Powder for making Caitlyn look as sad as she did now.

What a night they were in for.

Chapter Text

Caitlyn was used to loud environments with people she barely knew. She had been raised at galas, she knew how to make light conversation with whoever happened to be next to her. She knew how to slowly eat a dish and how to make it last through a never ending speech. This was different.

For all the time she had her guard up, it was nothing compared to now. As she ate the food, she tried to still her hands as they wouldn’t stop shaking. She was practically floating off the chair for how stiff her posture was. The only thing that relaxed her was Vi. She could feel her warmth without ever looking over.

Vi, who, when Vander asked Caitlyn a question and she froze, gently rested her hand on her leg, just above her knee. Caitlyn didn’t know you could feel so strongly about a friend. She’s never felt a deep connection to anyone like this.

So she answered Vander's questions, entertained Mylo and Claggors boyish humor, and ignored Powder’s glares, instead, gracefully smiling at her. She didn’t look at Vi. Tried not to at least. She found herself looking at her enough already, no need to add anything purposeful.

“Vi says you’re smart,” Vander said, and Caitlyn heard Vi stutter to defend herself, but Vander continued, “She says you guys have studied together.”

It was an innocent enough comment. Most people study with their friends. Caitlyn’s heart sank at the underlying truth of the phrase. Nevertheless, she smiled.

“Vi’s a good person to study with. She makes it fun. I tend to get in my head while studying.”

Caitlyn hoped the crawling eat she felt on her neck wasn’t evident to her company. She swallowed thickly.

Vi didn’t say anything next to her, but Caitlyn looked up to see Vander smiling.

After the initial adjustment, dinner was easy. These people she barely knew welcomed her easily, molding a space in their usual dynamics for Caitlyn’s tendencies and conversation. Vi spoke mostly when directly spoken to, Caitlyn noticed. She seemed nervous, which Caitlyn’s mind kept returning to throughout the meal. She wished she could be there for her like Vi was there for herself.

Caitlyn smiled at Vi’s protest when she was told to clean the dishes.

“Yeah, alright.”

She followed Vi to the kitchen, arms full of plates. Vi gently took each plate from her full arms, washed and loaded them into a rickety dishwasher, seemingly avoiding touching Caitlyn.

“I can help. I’ve done this before y’know.” She carefully lowered the dish into the sink.

Vi laughed and said, “Really princess?”

Caitlyn weakly shoved her shoulder and ignored the way she could feel her pulse through her fingertips.

Vi sidestepped and Cailyn moved to fill the space she made, though when she stepped closer, Vi practically stumbled back. Despite the way her heart ached, Caitlyn smiled and laughed.

“When I was fourteen, my housekeeper taught me.” Caitlyn offered, taking up the silence aside from the quiet clinking of glasses and running water.

“Taught you how to do the dishes?”

Caitlyn nodded. “I forget her name but she was young. Only a few years older than I was— maybe sixteen? I didn’t really talk to any of the help— or anyone at that age— but I always smiled at her and she smiled back.”

Vi was quiet as Caitlyn talked. “I remember her having shoulder length, blonde hair, and deep brown eyes. I’m not sure why, but after she had worked at the house for a couple of months, I offered her help while she cleaned the kitchen. She accepted and asked if I knew how to do the dishes. I felt stupid saying no, but she said that she would teach me and I followed her to the sink.”

As Caitlyn replayed the next part of the story, her voice grew strained as she realized how similar the memory was to where she was now. She swallowed and continued.

“Then she taught me how to scrub off a stubborn patch of grease and how to efficiently wash the excess amount of silverware my family went through in a day. We talked, and it was nice. I learned that she was working the job to save up for school and that she used to be a dancer. We were there for a while, I’m sure there was more but that’s all I remember now. I just know I kept thinking,’ This girl is something special. I can’t talk to anyone else like this.’ I was just asking for bits and pieces more of the most interesting person I had met.”

Caitlyn smiled in melancholy. “My mother walked in, furious at the housekeeper for ‘making me clean dishes’, and fired her on the spot.”

Vi looked up at Caitlyn, Caitlyn could see her in the window’s reflection in front of them, but she couldn’t look back, biting her lip before continuing.

“I wanted to say something. I looked into the housekeeper’s eyes in apology because no matter how much I wanted to, I never thought I could. While she gathered her things, my mother frowned at me and said something like, ‘Caitlyn, you should have called for me,’ and, really the thing I remember the most vividly was the look in her eyes when she caught me with her. We weren’t doing anything wrong, neither of us did, but thinking about it makes me sick.”

Caitlyn turned and watched Vi process her story while Caitlyn kept working. “No,” Vi said meticulously, “you didn’t do anything wrong.”

Caitlyn exhaled a little breath and gripped the plate she hadn’t realized she was holding a bit harder. It was the reassurance she needed, because the act of cleaning dishes with the girl, being walked in on by her mother, and refusing to stand up for the housekeeper, all brought her terrible shame. And guilt beyond what Cailtyn thought was there.

As Caitlyn stared into Vi’s understanding eyes, for a moment she could forget it. She felt her stomach turn in the moments after she was with Vi, whenever her mother brings up Zaun or even when she thinks about art class, but when she was with Vi it was different. Quiet, safe.

Then she thought she was falling. Caitlyn’s heart spiked to something impossible and her eyes widened as Vi’s face inched impossibly closer. She wasn’t sure if she was leaning in but it came to the point where she involuntarily parted her lips and her eyelids fluttered closed.

Vi, however, reached past Caitlyn and grabbed the last dish in the sink, the bowl, which Caitlyn was holding onto for dear life. She loaded it into the dishwasher, pressed some buttons, and turned to Caitlyn with a soft smile on her face.

Caitlyn was inexplicably bright red. Her breaths had shortened and her pupils were blown wide.

“You alright, Cait?”

Stupid, stupid, stupid. Had Caitlyn really just..?

“Fuck yeah, just got dizzy or something,” Vi raised her eyebrows and frowned, pulling out a chair for Caitlyn to sit on.

“You need some water?”, Vi asked crouching down to meet Caitlyn where she sat. Caitlyn was desperately trying to avoid eye contact, staring at the ground, Vi’s hands on her knees, and Vi’s mysterious scar that adorned her upper lip.

Caitlyn nodded and Vi patted her leg as she stood, going to grab Caitlyn a glass.

As she took in the cool water, she closed her eyes, telling herself to get it together. She handed Vi the glass with a polite smile and a thankful, but impersonal nod. There it was, she knew how to fucking do this.

Silence stretched as Vi clearly waited for an explanation, but all Caitlyn had to offer was, “Movie?”

Caitlyn willed her heart not to leap when Vi smirked and said, “What’dya wanna watch?”

“Something scary? Whatever you have.”

She didn’t miss how Vi’s eyes widened and her throat bobbed before she agreed and led her to the well-loved couch in front of a small tv.

Caitlyn smiled as she waited for her favorite part in the movie, beyond anticipated to see Vi’s reaction.

So far, Vi had held her breath and audibly sighed, gasped, cursed, and jumped. Each reaction entertained Caitlyn in just the slightest bit, because who would have guessed that tough-looking Vi would be so scared of a movie?

“Thank fuck,” She whispered as the protagonist neared the window, the only way out of the dingy room.

Caitlyn bit her lip in excitement as the girl safely climbed out, hearing Vi sigh in relief, only for the monster to grab her ankle and rip off her leg, letting go of the rest of her body as it fell to the ground with a disturbing crack.

Caitlyn, so enthralled with the movie, didn't notice how Vi had clung to Caitlyn’s arm with one arm and harshly squeezed Caitlyn’s hand with another.

The pain made Caitlyn wrench her eyes shut, her face contorting in discomfort.

“You can’t tease me about being a baby if you’re gonna close your eyes,” Vi said.

“‘M not, you’re squeezing me.”

Vi frowned and let go of Caitlyn, pink dusting her cheeks. “Didn’t realize, sorry.”

She scooted further and Caitlyn immediately missed her warmth. “C’mere,” Caitlyn mumbled, “I’m freezing.”

Caitlyn caught Vi’s small smile as she scooted in closer, pressing their thighs together and folding her hands in her lap. Caitlyn maneuvered her left arm under Vi’s right and gently held onto Vi’s forearm. Where all this courage was coming from, she didn’t know.

“You’re always cold,” Vi said, her words coming out as a whisper, prompting her to clear her throat.

“Thank you for always warming me up,”

“Can’t have a pretty girl like you walking around cold, now can we?”

Caitlyn’s cheeks reddened and she scoffed. “Watch the movie, Vi. It’s about to get good.”

“I doubt that,” she grumbled, making Caitlyn’s chest glow.

Hypocritical as ever, Caitlyn barely watched the movie. She was too busy watching how pretty the light looked dancing across Vi’s eyes. The blue-gray shifted to whatever color was onscreen, alongside the slight changes in Vi’s expression as the movie unfolded. Caitlyn watched her lips quirk at a joke and her eyebrows scrunch at a moment of tension. Again fixating on her freckles, she thought then that she could just look at them forever.

"It's over?" Vi asked.

Oh, she'd missed it. "Looks like it."

"What a crap ending,"

Caitlyn had bet herself Vi would have something to say about the open-ended nature of the ending. It's actually why she chose this movie out of the few Vi hadn't seen in the family's collection.

"It's supposed to leave you thinking" Caitlyn supplied, still comfortably tucked under Vi's arm, feeling the muscle flex as she reacted.

"Yeah, thinking they're all dead and that one guy fuck'n murdered them all,"

"Perhaps that's what happened," Caitlyn smiled, "It's up to you."

"Bullshit. I hate these types of movies."

"I think that Ali escaped with Rooney. It makes sense when you rewatch it. There's like a whole online community just about them escaping together. I've looked into it but it's mostly theory-based, nothing solid. I like it, gives room for other ideas."

"Huh."

Only then did Caitlyn wonder how they would move from Vi's room. With her arm wrapped around Vi's, it's not like she could just stand up. Untwining herself would be so awkward, she could just hear the silence in premonition. Did she put Vi in an uncomfortable position by holding her like this? Vi was too nice to say anything, that, Caitlyn knew, so how could she have just assumed Vi would be okay with this?

They hadn't touched all that much in the past, they hadn't even hugged. The idea sent warmth to Caitlyn's face that she hoped Vi wouldn't be able to feel.

She was brought back to reality by Vi clearing her throat.

"So..."

Caitlyn stood roughly, harshly pulling Vi's arm with her for half of the way, before facing Vi, who sported a shocked expression, and said, "Where is your powder room?"

Why would she say it like that? Why was she standing so incredibly straight? Why was her heart racing? These are all questions Caitlyn would ask herself as she splashed water on her face and recalled Vi's amused smile before giving her directions.

She stared at herself in the mirror, analyzing herself as her mother would. That's all she needed, to embody her mother. Her problems would be solved.

"Think about your words before you say them, Caitlyn." She whispered.

"Control your thoughts. There is a time and place for everything, even an idea."

"Keep your acquaintances at arms distance. You will know who you can trust when you know."

Caitlyn didn't know. She didn't know anything.

She absentmindedly wandered back to Vi's room.

"All good?"

"Mhm. What're you doing?"

"Lookn' through my music." She answered thumbing through CDs.

Caitlyn joined Vi on the floor of her room and watched.

"D'you have a preference?" Vi held up two CDs, both of which Caitlyn knew from her, admittedly weird, google spree. God, was she thankful.

She looked between the two and pondered, deciding on ‘I Know She Knows' first album.

Vi looked pleased and popped it into a CD player, the first notes of the song hitting Caitlyn's ears as she remembered.

Vi smiled softly at her, and it took everything in Caitlyn not to melt.

"I can play this song on guitar," Vi said.

"Can you?"

"Mhm," She fidgeted with her fingers, "First song I learned."

"Maybe you could teach me sometime."

Vi nodded. "Yeah, I'd love to."

After a few moments, the intimate lyrics of the song were sung softly by the lead singer. Caitlyn forgot how she blushed when she first heard it.

Take my hand
Put it where you need it
I will understand

Her face reddened slightly, remembering how graphic the next few lines got.

"Can we turn off the music? 'M tired." She said abruptly.

"Oh, sure."

The silence that followed Vi pressing the stop button made Caitlyn feel embarrassment shake her core. Vi was used to cool girls, girls that not only listened to these types of songs but did all the things described. Caitlyn wasn't that girl and she felt like a fraud.

Vi must have seen Caitlyn's shift because she offered, "Hey, it's fine. It's getting late. Why don't we go to bed?" Was it late? Caitlyn hadn’t been watching the clock, but the silence from every other room in the house indicated a dead hour of night.

Caitlyn nodded and gathered her things to get ready for bed, not missing Vi's perplexed look as Caitlyn avoided eye contact like the plague.

When Caitlyn returned, Vi was at a small dresser with a sticker-decorated vanity mirror, taking off eyeliner. She wore flannel pajama pants and a white wife-pleaser, and she just looked so warm; Like a hug from her would solve all this unexplained turmoil within her.

"You look tired, Cupcake," Vi said, looking at her through the mirror.

Caitlyn stood next to her and watched Vi continue cleaning her face.

"Been a long day,"

"Sure has. You need anything before bed? Tea or something?"

Caitlyn shook her head and Vi nodded, climbing up to her bed. Caitlyn did the same and tried to get comfortable.

"Cait, can you turn off the light?" Vi said.

She reached over to the lamp next to her and whispered, "G'night Vi,"

"Night, Cait."

Almost immediately, Caitlyn heard Vi's soft breaths get a bit softer, and slow to a drowsy rhythm.

Caitlyn didn't have the same peace. She stared at the glow-in-the-dark stars under Vi's bunk and the juvenile artwork that she could make out if she squinted.

She tried to close her eyes, find herself in a quiet place, but she just kept coming back to where she knew she shouldn't be.

And she thought of Frond. Prom with a stranger, dancing in his arms. She couldn't even picture it, as she didn't know what he looked like, but she could picture someone there with her. Someone close to her, hands placed on her hips as they swayed to the music. Blue-gray eyes sneaking shy glances at her. Scars glinting in the evening light as the night came to a close. What she wouldn't give.

But it wouldn't be her first time dancing with a stranger, it wouldn't be the first time she plastered on a smile, and it definitely wouldn't be the first time she gave up what she denied herself even wanting. The things that keep her up at late hours, staring at the ceiling, or in this case, the bottom of a mattress.

As she screwed her eyes shut, she heard a soft thud above her. She looked to the right to see Vi's arm hanging off the side of her bed, close enough for Caitlyn to touch.

So, she sat up and she did. Caitlyn traced the soft lines on Vi's palm and softly rubbed the calluses on her fingers. Her heart stopped for a moment when she heard Vi stir. After waiting a few moments, she brought her own hand flush against Vi's and interlocked her fingers through Vi's. It sent a shiver down Caitlyn's spine.

She sat there for a moment, just holding Vi's hand until the warmth lulled Caitlyn's eyelids to a sleepy position and her heartbeat slowed to normal.

Finally feeling familiar, she let go of Vi's hands and soundly fell asleep.

Slowly, sounds coming from the hallway jostled Caitlyn awake, pulling her away from her comfortable slumber. She got up to investigate and noticed Vi wasn’t in the bunk above her.

In a half-awake state, she wandered out of the room to see shadows dancing across the wall, two people casting them out of Caitlyn’s view. What she could feel rather than see, was the tension that simmered from where they were standing.

“…Kiramman is loaded, apparently brilliant, and pretty. What do you think she’s doing sleeping in the undercity? Making fuckin’ friends?” Caitlyn made out Powder’s hushed voice and her stomach plummeted to the ground.

“What? It’s so impossible that maybe she just likes me?” Vi’s words cut through her heart, guilt spilling onto the scene.

“Fine, Vi! Maybe she likes you, but you like her a fuck ton more.”

“The hell does that mean?”

Powder scoffed. “Like every single person at the dinner table didn’t see you practically get on one knee every time she spared a glance your way.”

No, no, no.

She heard Vi huff. “I don’t know what you’re talking about Powder. Caitlyn is a good person, a good friend! You’re the one saying I need more.”

“I didn’t mean someone like her.”

“Someone like her?”

“Someone who has been trained to hate everything we are! You’re gonna get hurt Vi. You’re in it too deep.”

“We’re friends, Pow! That’s all.”

Caitlyn’s eyes begun to sting and a stubborn lump formed in her throat, persistent despite Caitlyn’s desperate attempts to swallow.

“You’re her friend. Maybe not even that. You need to figure out what she is to you, because right now, you look at her like you’re ready to make out at the snap of her fingers,”

Caitlyn’s eyes widened and she flushed a sorry red.

“And we both know that’s not gonna fuckin’ work for either of you.”

God, it was too terrible. Caitlyn backed up and all but ran back into Powder’s bed, wiping her tears on the way.

She felt the truth about what she was doing gnawing at her from the inside, harder than ever before. The worst part is that she could have told herself every bit of what Powder said, and yet she still cuddled up to Vi during the movie, still smiled at her and gave her hope. All the while, she was directly benefiting from the arrangement, Medarda’s might-as-well-be promise seared into her eyelids like a neon sign.

She heard footsteps nearing from the hall and turned so her tear-streaked face was away from the door. The door clicked closed and the bed creaked above her.

This time, she couldn’t rely on Vi’s warmth to lead her to sleep.

Chapter Text

Caitlyn doesn’t curse around her parents. In fact, she finds it disrespectful to curse around adults at all. Despite this, her tongue was just about to fall off from how hard she must have been biting it to refrain from saying words that, later, she would surely regret.

“Caitlyn, it’s only a formality. Maybe you’ll have fun,” Her mother provided, optimistically. “He’s a very handsome boy.” Caitlyn groaned.

What was she supposed to say? No, Mother I’m not going to the dance with a random boy I don’t know. I would rather go alone or not at all?” Well, yes, that would have worked in hindsight.

“What’s his name?” She asked defeatedly.

Her mother’s face lit up as it does, with a passive expression and the corners of her mouth slightly upturned in a polite smile. Caitlyn could feel her crawling pleasure as it dripped from her voice.

“Frond Ishka.”

“Like a palm frond?”

“That’s what I said, is it not?”

“Yes, Mother.”

“So you’ll go with him?”

Caitlyn weighed her options. Get in with her mom, or have her mother be passive-aggressive to full-on aggressive for the next months.

“I suppose if my plans don’t change.”

“Wonderful,” She sipped her tea neatly and pulled out her phone, presumable to call, the coworker who is related to ‘Frond’.

Caitlyn took the opportunity to leave the suffocating air of the tea room to go drown in her schoolwork instead.

She didn’t really have to work on art. There weren’t any deadlines coming up, but she needed something to hold on to. Her art project was there, ready to be grasped.

Distantly, she was reminded of Medarda’s deal. Her work with Vi, on Vi. Her fists clenched around the blanket.

It felt like betrayal, like in the movies. Maybe it was. She didn’t want to betray Vi, not when she was just starting to like her, and more importantly, trust her. But that's just it, isn’t it? Vi was a means to an end.

Caitlyn repeated it over and over, silently moving her lips, convincing herself. A means to an end.

Caitlyn reminded herself of this when she walked into art class. How Vi wasn’t supposed to be her friend, and she probably didn’t consider Caitlyn a friend anyway.

She reminded herself of this when she decided to walk home just to get a few more minutes with Vi before they reached her bus stop.

She reminded herself of this, more even, when Vi smiled, her eyes glinting in the winter sun, and gently brushed an eyelash off of Caitlyn’s cheek.

It became a regular occurrence. Because art was their last period and they had to walk in the same direction, it seemed natural they would walk together.

Caitlyn, though, was more nervous than she should have been to meet Vi’s brothers.

“Sup,” Mylo greeted, back straight and chin practically to the sky in order to illude height.

“Nice to meet you.” Claggor said, nudging her, he added, “Vi’s told us all about you,”

“You’d think you were on the council or something,” Mylo added, snickering.

Vi turned red immediately, shoving Claggor into Mylo. “Fuck off, I haven't,”

For some unknown reason, Caitlyn felt her pulse quicken and a blush bloom on her cheeks.

“They’re fucking with you,” Vi didn’t meet Caitlyn’s eyes.

“I didn’t know I had such a fan,” Caitlyn said, straight-faced, making Vi look up at her, pleading.

“You should start a club,” She leaned in to whisper in Vi’s ear. Vi laughed a bit too loud for what the joke was and turned away, not facing Caitlyn again until they said goodbye.

And so the highlight of Caitlyn’s days got just five minutes longer.

Chapter Text

Mornings in Vi’s house were usually quiet, her brothers too tired from a night of gaming to wake up before one and Powder simply needing an immeasurable amount of sleep.

The comfortable silence blanketed over Vi as she quietly gained consciousness, softly breathing. She glanced at powder’s clock that hung on the wall, one modified to set off a small glitter bomb on the hour, but it had been out of order for a while.

Ten in the morning. Late. She stifled a groan at the middle-of-the-night argument she had with her sister. The pang in her chest was notable.

Vi hated being in fights with Powder. Her sister would neglect her chores, neglect the family, and eventually start neglecting herself. None of which Vi liked. However, Powder was way out of fucking line and she was sure both of them knew that. She flopped back onto the mattress and rolled out her side, leaning over the railing to see Caitlyn, wide awake, looking back at her.

“Oh—”, Vi quickly sprung back up as a flush colored her cheeks, the picture of a sleepy and beautiful Caitlyn immediately clouding her mind. Vi waited for her to say something, but she didn’t, so instead she rubbed her exhausted eyes, tried to tame her hair, and climbed down the ladder.

“Didn’t know you were up, Caitlyn,” She stood by the foot of Powder’s bed, looking down at Caitlyn who just stared blankly at the ceiling, lips pulling into a tight line.

“Only for a minute,” She said.

Weird.

“You hungry?” Vi asked quietly.

Caitlyn closed her eyes and pulled the covers up a bit higher. “Not really. You go ahead, I’ll eat later.”

“Oh,” Vi said, brows furrowing, “Yeah, alright.”

She left Caitlyn in her room, turning around to close the door before seeing Caitlyn with her back to the entrance pulled tightly under the blankets.

By this time, Vander would have been in the city running errands. She practically had the house to herself. The rumble in her stomach distracted her from her thoughts.

She eyed the box of sugary cereal— but no— she wanted to do something nice for Caitlyn.

Besides milkshakes, she didn’t really know what Caitlyn liked. She rummaged through the ends of ingredients in the refrigerator and settled on pancakes, because who doesn’t like pancakes. It might just lift both of their spirits.

It shouldn’t have taken as long as it did to make some simple pancakes, but by the time Vi had neatly plated the second-try-batch of the almost fluffy pancakes, Vi was exhausted, the rumbling in her stomach motivation enough to grab Caitlyn and eat.

Vi made her way to her room with a smile on her face at imagining Caitlyn’s reaction to the meal.

What she didn’t expect to see was Caitlyn, fully dressed, hair combed and shoes laced. She was typing madly on her phone, but turned around when Vi cleared her throat, feeling like a creep for looking at her so long.

“Hey Cait,”

“Good morning Vi”

They each looked at each other for a moment before they tried to speak at the same time.

“You go first,” Caitlyn offered, and Vi smiled softly.

“I made us pancakes,” Caitlyn’s mouth opened, but Vi continued, “Took two tries, but I think this batch’ll be good. Made the whole house smell like a bakery or something.”

“Vi,”

“Mhm?” Vi stopped her rambling with a dreamy look in her eye, just basking in how beautifully the morning light painted Caitlyn.

“I’m leaving now.”

“Oh,” Vi’s face fell and she swore she saw Caitlyn flinch in the slightest.

“Yeah, I have a busy day today— my Mom will be wanting me home soon.”

Vi couldn’t help the pang that echoed in her chest at Caitlyn’s words, but she smiled and shrugged.

“More pancakes for me right?” She internally cringed at the sad cadence of her voice, praying that Caitlyn wouldn’t notice it, but by the way her lips twitched and eyes glanced away, it was apparent.

“I’m sorry you went through the effort.”

Vi shrugged again awkwardly. “You need a ride?”

“No, thank you, my driver should be here any second.”

Vi’s chest panged again, harder this time, and she felt something slipping from her fingertips, working its way out of her grasp.

“Well, uh, I’ll see you Monday then.”

Caitlyn smiled tightly, “Yes, see you then Vi. Thank Vander for having me.”

She picked up her bag and followed Vi to the door. Vi opened it with shaky hands, reluctant to say goodbye to her friend, but it seemed Caitlyn couldn’t get out the door faster.

“Wait!” Vi called as Caitlyn started to walk to her driver.

She sprinted to her closet, grabbing Caitlyn’s dresses, handling the one they picked out together with special care.

“Can’t let you forget these,” She said, handing the dresses inside their garment bags to Caitlyn, making sure she had a good grip on them before saying, “Frond would be missing out if he didn’t get to see you in it,” Vi joked, scratching the back of her neck.

Caitlyn had some sort of sorrowful look on her face before meeting Vi’s eyes. “Thank you, really. Yesterday was really fun.”

To Vi’s surprise, Caitlyn pulled her into a stiff hug, the bags between them, but Caitlyn’s warmth made up for it.

Vi pulled away before Caitlyn let go, squeezing her just a little tighter before breaking off with a flushed face.

“Bye Cait.”

“Goodbye Vi.”

Vi tried not to watch as Caitlyn warmly smiled to her driver before sliding into the car, not sparing Vi another glance. She watched the black car disappear off her street and made her way back into her house, her hunger reminding her of the uneaten pancakes she left on the table.

She passed Powder on the couch, sleepily draped across the arm, light snores only able to be heard when Vi strained her ears.

Vi dragged her feet back to the kitchen and slowly pulled out a chair, just to sit and look at the pancakes as their whipped cream slowly melted.

Now, everything she put on the pancakes seemed too much, the intricately placed berries, the swirling mountain of whipped cream, and the stagnant puddle of maple syrup. Vi felt a pang at the idea it would be too sweet for Caitlyn.

Her appetite dissipated and she got up to clear a space in the fridge, organizing the two plates so they fit appropriately. She’d tell Powder and the boys to help themselves when they got up.

Morning tiredness overtook her and she stumbled her way back to her room, eyes stinging inexplicably when she saw the neatly made bottom bunk. It seemed Caitlyn tried erasing every trace that she was even here, but the carefully tucked sheets only made it obvious she had spent the night.

Powder never made her bed, not unless begged, so now the tightly folded blanked only served as a reminder that Caitlyn had peacefully slept underneath Vi’s deafening turmoil, until the pent up frustration of her and Powder’s argument fizzled out, leaving her with sleepy yawns and tired eyes.

Vi tried to remind herself that it was nothing against her, they had a big day. Buying Caitlyn a new dress, dinner with VI’s family, a movie- really they had kept quite busy. Maybe she just got overwhelmed, Vi could understand that. Still, it hurt just a bit how Caitlyn had run out the door, leaving Vi and her pancakes behind.

Despite this, Vi smiled a bit at the idea of seeing her on Monday, working on their piece that, truly, was starting to shape into something beautiful.

Vi climbed back onto her bed and wrapped herself under the covers, quickly drifting off into a dreamless rest.

About an hour later, Vi was still soundly asleep, unaware of Powder hovering over her body, watching her breath. That was, until Powder got bored and poked Vi awake.

“What?” Vi said, muffled into her pillow.

Powder didn’t respond, only poked her side some more as Vi contracted her body away from the touch.

“Whaaaaaaaaat?” Vi groaned again, eyes still screwed shut in tiredness, not completely voluntary.

“Your friend is gone.” Powder said, disdain obvious in her tone.

Vi opened her eyes lazily to look at the ceiling. “Yeah. I know.”

“She left without saying bye?” Powder still loomed over Vi’s body, leaning closer so Vi’s eyes would land on her.

“No, Pow. She didn’t leave without saying bye.”

“She left early.”

Vi didn’t respond.

“Places to be?” Powder offered, her tone accusing.

Vi groaned. “Yeah, I guess.”

Powder huffed and laid down next to Vi, which proved to be a tight squeeze for the small bed.

“What is it Powder? You need something?”

“I can’t just want to hang out with you?”

“Not now you can’t.”

Powder groaned and rolled her eyes. “Don’t be like that.”

“I can be however I want.”

Maybe Vi felt a little immature by the way the conversation was going, but the feeling of unrest sat somewhere inside of her and the person it was actually directed towards wasn’t there.

“Vi, if I was really upset I wouldn’t be here right now.”

Vi sat up and looked at Powder, who’s as the picture of innocence, waiting for Vi to accept her almost-apology.

“Maybe I’m upset.” Vi scoffed at Powders indifference. “Not everything has to be about you Powder. I have the right to my own emotions.”

“You’re the one who’s ditching us, Vi.” Vi frowned. “Ditching us for a topsider who doesn’t even like you in the same way.”

Vi shook her head. “I am not ditching you! I just got a friend. A friend who I care about, that cares about me. Maybe I don’t even care that she doesn’t like me in the same way. I don’t have to take care of her Powder. I don't have to set myself aside when I’m with her. That’s enough for me.”

“You don’t have to do that with us either!” Powder sat up and her voice bordered on a yell.

“I do. You know I do. And I’m glad to do it. But I’m allowed to have a space where I don’t have to.”

Vi couldn't make out the tears that fell down Powder’s cheeks in the darkness of their bedroom, but she heard her weak sniffles.

“You missed family dinner. Then the next family dinner you’re too preoccupied thinking about her. Then the next. You barely speak, just stare into the distance with lovey-dovey eyes, and the same thing happens for the next. Then the next family dinner we have, she’s there.”

Vi didn’t have anything to say to that, so she laid back down and Powder did the same.

“I just miss you is all. And I don’t want you to get hurt.” Powder's shaken breaths steadily calmed any feelings of anger she had been harboring.

Vi sat up in a criss-cross position and patted the space in front of her, Powder happily obliged, placing herself in the space in front of Vi.

Vi hadn’t braided hair in a while. She had been assigned the task ever since Power’s hair was long enough to be braided, in an attempt for the day's wear and tear to not get it too messy. Vander, for his part, tried his best, but he never had the dexterity Vi did. Eventually, Powder learned how to braid her own hair and Vi’s duty was relieved.

Now, Vi raked through the occasional tangles that adorned Powder’s bed head and pulled any loose strands behind her ears, careful to not get any caught in her piercings.

“You want one or two?”

Powder considered before requesting a pigtail that would turn into two braids after being tied off. Vi smiled softly in the dark, it was always her favorite.

As Vi worked, she thought about a way to reassure Powder, a way to tell her that she wasn’t going to get hurt, but she knew she couldn’t promise that, not with the way her pancakes sat defeatedly in the fridge.

“Pow, I need you to understand how premature this all is.”

Powder hummed in question.

“Me and Caitlyn have been friends for a couple months now. I don’t even know if there is something more there. If there is, it's something I’m going to have to figure out on my own. If not, that's nothing you or I can blame her for.”

Vi reached in front of herself and slipped a hair tie off of Powder’s wrist, finishing off the first braid.

“What if you leave us behind?” Powder shrugged, looking down at her hands. “Even without meaning to, it could happen. Already started y’know.”

Vi weaved the second braid and sighed. “It’s my senior year Pow,”

“I know that.”

“M’gonna have to get my own place eventually— you know that.”

“But you’re here now Vi.” Powder’s voice broke on her name.

“I’m always gonna be here- just- maybe not here here.”

Vi willed her own voice to stay strong. “I really like her Pow. And—” She allowed herself to verbalize something she never had before, “I think she might like me.” Her heart fluttered as the universe took in the sentence, braiding it into something real. “It doesn’t mean I’m leaving. Not at all, it just means I’m changing. She’s changing me. It’s normal Pow, a healthy part of life.”

Vi reached forward and grabbed the second hair tie, tying it thrice around Powder’s vibrant blue hair, the color shining through the dark.

Powder turned to face Vi, the remnants of tears streaks down her cheeks, reflecting the sliver of light from the doorway.

“I like you the way you are.”

Vi smiles softly. “Part of me wishes I could stay the same,” She almost whispers. “But I get closer to it every time I’m with her. To something new. It feels nice.”

Powder lays down on Vi’s lap and sighs. “She’s been good for you. I can tell.”

Vi breathes and softly plays with Powder’s braids. “I know.”

Powder grins. “Tell her that if she's planning on hurting you she’d better lock her windows.”

“I’ll let her know.”

A comfortable silence settled between the two.

“I love you Pow, always will.”

“Love you too Vi. Forever.”

Vi went to school the following Monday feeling lighter, less anxious about Caitlyn, happy with where she was with Powder.

This was all good— fine— perfect even, until Vi searched for Caitlyn in the halls and couldn’t find her. Until Vi waited by her locker after lunch, heartbeat fluttering in anticipation, but no Caitlyn in sight— aside from a flash of a long black ponytail whipping past the corner. It was all going alright until Vi waited for Caitlyn in art, but when she entered the classroom she flashed Vi a tight smile that didn’t reach her eyes and instead approached Medarda’s desk. Vi waited like a puppy for Caitlyn to approach, but instead felt her heart sink when she turned to exit the room. Before leaving, Caitlyn smiled at Vi and mouthed, “Nurse”, before waving and jetting off.

Okay, fine, she’d see her the next day.

But Tuesday rolled around and Caitlyn was almost as distant, her eyes not meeting Vi’s once throughout class and laughs turning into resigned breaths whenever Vi made a joke.

Vi held on to hope and fell asleep that night with it grasped between her fingers, refusing to let go.

Wednesday morning Vi decided to take action. She had texted Caitlyn asking to meet up by Vi’s bus stop, Vi telling Caitlyn that she'd wait there until Caitlyn came, but she didn’t get a response. Still, it wasn’t like Caitlyn was going to miraculously take a different route to school, so Vi waited anyway.

She ignored the off looks of her siblings when she said she was going to wait on the bench for a bit, and told them she wanted to enjoy nature, like they believed her at all.

Still, she waited and waited on the bus stop bench, the breeze of spring warming as the sun crept further and further up into the sky. She watched the quiet street liven up as busy people rushed to wherever they were going. The melodic song of bird calls and people pulled her into a light sleep, until she was lightly jostled awake.

“Vi?”

Vi rubbed her eyes and smiled when she saw pale skin and blueish hair.

“Cait?”

Her vision focused and her eyebrows drew together. “Pow, what are you doing here?”

“Getting to school, dummy.”

Vi squinted in confusion and grabbed Powder’s wrist, checking the time, which just so happened to be two hours after her first period bell.

“Oh shit. Ohhhhh shit.”

Vi sprung up and grabbed her bag as Power watched her with a perplexed expression.

“What’s going on Vi?”

“Vanders gonna be so pissed— fuck,” She muttered to herself.

Vi started in a sprint towards school, Powder calling after her, “See you I guess!”

“See ya—”, and back to sprinting she went.

Vi tried to calm her labored breaths as she waited for her third period door to open, her cheeks slightly red from the running.

Her teacher, clearly annoyed, opened the door. “You’re late.”

Vi smiled slightly and shrugged.

English pulled her in and out of reality, her consciousness wading as she thought about Caitlyn.

Had she done something wrong? Made her mad? Maybe it was too much, the pancakes and all. Maybe her mom found out about the dress and told Caitlyn to never talk to Vi again. Her heart sank a little bit more with each idea, but she couldn’t stop herself until she came to the conclusion that she would just have to talk to Caitlyn.

Vi passes the art classroom twice every day, once to get to her second period, and once to get to her fourth. Each time, a little spark of happinesses ignited in her, but the second time, when she usually would look through the window and pretend she was in art class already, she stopped in her tracks.

Caitlyn. There. Caitlyn and Ms. Medarda having a talk of sorts, one that made Caitlyn frown and wring her hands.

Vi couldn’t help her curiosity when she noticed the door cracked open, and the bustle of the hallway seemed to fade away as she leaned in, her ears tuning into Caitlyn’s voice.

“…I didn’t think it’d be like this. I wouldn't have agreed.”

“I simply offered it to you because I saw the spark— the one I always look for. I don’t mean to impede on your personal relations. If you’d like, I would be happy to reconsider my offer, it’s really up to you Ms. Kiramman.”

Caitlyn offered silence, then, “…not sure if… but I would understand…”

Vi couldn’t make out the rest, but it was clear something was bothering Caitlyn. The feeling settled in her stomach and gave her the urge to burst into the classroom and sooth Caitlyn, give her a hug that would leave Vi smelling chocolate and oranges for weeks. She didn’t though, and instead rushed off to her fourth period with a plan in the works.

Vi usually sat with Claggor and Mylo during lunch, and there had never been any natural transition that would prompt her and Caitlyn to sit together, trust in the fact that Vi had tried very hard to come up with one.

Vi wasn’t actually sure where Caitlyn ate lunch. She’d always look around for a glimpse of her hair, midnight against a sunbeam of a day, but she’s never been able to find her.

She did, however, know Cailyn’s fourth period, and rushed out of her own to find her.

She felt a bit like a creep, scanning the faces of each person that exited the classroom, but her hesitant feeling dissipated when her eyes met Caitlyn’s, her heart swelling when a sweet smile met Caitlyn’s features.

The swell dulled though, when Caitlyn’s smile faltered, just a bit, and her eyes fell to the ground as she approached.

“Vi,”

”Hey, Cupcake,”

Vi tried to meet her eyes again, but Caitlyn seemed intent on looking over her shoulder every few seconds before moving on to stare at the wall beside them.

”What are you doing here?”

”I thought we could talk?” Vi tried to sound light, she really did, but Caitlyn just seemed so somber.

Caitlyn turned to walk down the hall and Vi walked with her.

”Sure, what's going on?”

“I just wanted to check up on you, Cait. Everything has seemed like such a blur the past few days. Haven’t seen you.”

Again, she tried to meet her eyes, to no avail.

Caitlyn had nothing to say at that.

”I heard you talking to Medarda.”

That caught Caitlyn’s attention. She stopped walking in the middle of the hall, facing Vi.

“You listened to our conversation?”

Vi couldn’t help but flinch at her accusatory tone.

”Well not really. It was loud. But you seemed upset, I just wanted to see if you were okay.”

Caitlyn was clearly more upset than Vi had imagined, worrying her all the more. She stepped closer and tried to ignore the sting of Caitlyn stepping back.

”I can’t believe you listened to my private conversation.”

Vi felt warmth crawl up her neck. “I’m sorry, it looked like something was wrong. I didn’t mean to—“

”Well you did.” Caitlyn snapped.

”Did I do something wrong? Something else? Because ever since you slept over you’ve been avoiding me and if I did something wrong I just want you to tell me.”

Caitlyn went back to not meeting Vi’s eyes.

”No, Vi, everything is fine. Just back off.”

”Please Cait.” Vi felt the sting of unwelcome tears burn her eyes and throat.

”God, just—” Caitlyn spoke in an almost whisper. “Just leave me alone. I can’t do this.”

And she took off down the hall, leaving Vi alone with fears she didn’t want to think and anger she couldn’t manage.

Vi didn’t stay in school. She wasn’t that brave to face Caitlyn during the last period.

Instead, she went to the library, surprising herself more than anything.

When she reached the steps of the entrance, she remembered the last time she was there and couldn’t bear herself to enter the house of memories. She settled for making a space for herself in a shady spot on the stairs, alternating between clutching at her chest to stop the ache and biting her lip to stop from doing something else she’d regret.

She waited and waited until it was around time she could head to the bus stop without prompting questions from her siblings.

When their heads tilted just a bit and eyes narrowed at her face, she knew it didn’t matter.

The rest of the day consisted of Vi laying in bed, staring at the ceiling.

She didn’t cry again, she knew someone in her busy house would hear and she just didn’t have the energy to lie. Didn’t have the energy to ignore the confusion and embarrassment she felt.

But she replayed Caitlyn over and over in her mind, flipping through each recent interaction they’ve had.

What did she do wrong?

Vi shot up in bed when the thought crossed her mind.

What if she knew?

What if Caitlyn had deciphered how Vi felt about her? What if she had let her gaze linger seconds too long?

Hot shame burned through her lungs as she willed the silent tears to not roll down her cheeks. But the hard clenching of her jaw did nothing to stop them from coming.

She fucked it up. She fucked it up. The only real friend she’s had in god knows how long and she fucked it up.

She knew it was stupid to like Caitlyn. Even dumber to think she might like her back.

Then an anger she couldn’t explain seeps its way into her mind, replacing the hopeless and devastating heartbreak.

She was mad at Caitlyn for doing this to her. She didn’t have to be her friend. She didn’t have to go out of her way to make conversation. They just had to work on the project. Caitlyn was the one to make it something more and now she’s disgusted by Vi.

She was mad at herself more than anything. Because she knew the risks. She knew Caitlyn was unattainable. The kind, brilliant, beautiful topsider. She was the one to ignore everyone’s warnings. She was the one who let Caitlyn meet her family. Let her into her home, into her room. Fuck she was so mad, Power had just warned her.

Vi’s breathing heavied as she slipped from the bed and put on her shoes.

She was pissed and needed to do something about it.

That’s how she ended up walking in the cool of the night, her feet carrying her to school.

Which she knew might have been the dumbest fucking idea she could have had.

But the universe must have wanted her to go through with her plan, she reasoned, when she saw a hole in the fence, big enough for Vi to slip through. Which also happened to be right in front of her locker.

Vi’s heart picked up when she turned the lock to its combination, Powder’s birthday, and the locker door slightly creaked. Relief flooded her when she was met with the silence of night.

Vi rummaged past her bandages and dormant textbooks to pick up what she was looking for.

Black spray paint and one of Mylo’s old lock picking devices.

Vi stepped quietly through the halls and considered that this idea might be ill-advised. Her heart panged when she imagined the look on Caitlyn’s face when she would see the painting they had both worked so hard on, effectively destroyed. Though, that same pang is what led her to right in front of the art classroom door.

The idea that the universe was on her side brightened when Vi went to unlock the door before turning the handle with ease.

She smiled to herself, pulling her hoodie off her head and walking into the classroom, paint can in hand.

She didn’t bargain for Caitlyn to be standing opposite her, wide eyed and clearly shocked, mouth ajar.

Vi felt her breath leave her for a moment before the hurt she had earlier relied on returned. “What the hell are you doing here?” Vi accused.

Caitlyn must have overcome her surprise when her brows furrowed, eyes running over Vi’s dark clothing and hand holding the spray paint.

Stupidly, Vi hid it behind her back, internally rolling her eyes.

“I could ask you the same.”

“Could you?” Vi remarked.

”What are you doing with that?”

Vi pursed her lips.

”You weren’t going to..?” Caitlyn looked back at the painting behind her, which Vi noticed was just a bit more detailed than it was the day before.

Vi let her eyes take Caitlyn in.

She had paint streaks all over her hands and apron. The light behind her illuminated her silhouette, creating a halo of soft light around her head. Her hair was pulled up messily, and Vi thought she looked more beautiful now than ever before.

Then she cursed herself for thinking that.

Embarrassment at being called out hit Vi and she rolled her eyes.

”Doesn’t matter, Cupcake. Just a stupid painting.”

”Doesn’t matter? That’s our painting.”

Vi’s eyes fell to the floor.

”Like I said.”

Her chest tightened when Caitlyn drew closer.

”Vi,” She said tentatively.

“Caitlyn.” She answered.

“Talk to me.”

Vi’s eyes remained trained on the ground.

“Not much to talk about, is there?”

”Why are you being like this?”

Vi scoffed.

The world stopped for a moment when Caitlyn’s soft fingers lifted Vi’s chin to face her, desperate eyes meeting Vi’s wide ones.

Vi became aware of just how close they were and just wanted to lean forward, close the gap. The faint smell of chocolate and oranges flooded her senses. But she remembered why she was there in the first place and took several steps back, missing the look of destruction that Caitlyn briefly wore.

”Why am I being like this? You’re the one who practically told me to fuck off earlier today. You’re the one who's been making excuses not to see me. You’re the one who practically ignored me since you slept over.”

Vi felt the tension inside her loosen just a bit as she spoke the words. They needed to be spoken.

Now, Caitlyn looked down.

“I’m sorry.”

”That’s it? You’re sorry? after all this time of us being— ” Vi paused. “friends, you act like you don’t know me and all I get is a sorry?”

Vi kept speaking, stepping closer as she bore her heart.

“I get no explanation, no reason for you being this way. Y’know, I don’t make friends easily. Maybe I could, but people don’t give me a lot of reasons to let them in. But I let you in.” To Vi’s utter horror, her voice broke on the last word.

Caitlyn met her eyes once more.

”Vi, really. I’m sorry. I can’t explain—“

”Can’t explain? Really, you’re serious?” Disbelief and anger coated her words.

The emotions she felt were in danger of spilling over. Her tears too.

Instead, she reached over to the paint can next to her and grabbed the thick brush inside. Logically, of course, the next thing to do would be to paint a wide, long, bright pink stroke from Caitlyn’s ear to her mouth.

So she did.

Chapter Text

Caitlyn stood in shock as she felt the cool sensation of paint dripping down her cheek, drops landing on the apron that hadn't been put to much use until then.

Her mouth slightly agape, eyes wide, and hands raised, as if under arrest.

Vi, for her part, looked equally as shocked.

Her eyes were like saucers as Caitlyn watched Vi’s eyes flick from the paint on Caitlyn’s face to the paintbrush in her hand.

Caitlyn didn’t have words. But she was mad. Really fucking mad.

Because sure, Caitlyn hadn’t been the most communicative. Sure, she snapped at Vi, and sure, she knew she should've come up with something— anything— to justify the way she’d been acting. But leave it up to Vi to sneak into school looking to vandalize the project that her and her partner had both been working so hard on and to end up covering said partner in paint. Vi Lane, everybody.

Wordlessly, Caitlyn carefully took the paintbrush from Vi’s hand with ease, placing it back on the bench she had grabbed it from. She then grabbed a can of open, bright blue paint and stepped closer to Vi, who stared up at her, motionless.

She lifted the can above Vi’s head and flipped it over.

Caitlyn had decided to take a walk to clear her head, passing the school, just in time to see Medarda exit the art room.

Caitlyn called after her, explaining that she wanted to talk, though when Medarda let both of them back into the art room, Caitlyn simply burst into tears, inconsolable.

“Ms. Kiramman,” Medarda soothed.

Caitlyn could only sob in response.

Medarda pulled up a chair by her desk and motioned for Caitlyn to sit down.

Caitlyn was utterly a mess. She couldn’t believe how unprofessional she was being, and a small part of her wondered if this would cost her the sponsorship.

“Breathe, darling,”

She tried, really.

Medarda stood from her desk chair and Caitlyn glanced at the time, only then realizing that she had held her teacher up for almost ten minutes after she was going to leave. Guilt bubbled inside her.

“Ms. Kiramman, why don’t you stay here for a bit? You have my full permission to work on your piece. Whenever I feel lost, I find it helpful to just express what my words cannot, through art of course.”

Caitlyn weakly nodded, grateful for her kindness

Now, she stood, covered in pink and blue paint, across from Vi, who was practically fluorescent in the dim studio light.

Both of their jaws hung open, Vi’s eyebrows furrowed. The night was quiet aside from the soft pants escaping both of their mouths and the faint pitter-patter of rain falling on the dry ground beneath.

Her anger dissipated into revolt at her own actions. Her neck warmed as she realized just how childish that was.

“Fuck, Vi,” She begun.

But Vi stepped closer now. Close enough that Caitlyn was forced to tilt her head downward to maintain eye contact. Close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating off of Vi’s body.

As the paint continued to trickle down Vi’s face, Caitlyn watched a lone drop snake its way from her temple to the corner of her mouth. The drop continued down, but Caitlyn’s gaze did not.

Caitlyn could feel something in the air. Something unsaid, desperate to make itself known. She watched Vi’s furrowed brows relax, then raise. The sound of the rain whispered the secrets Caitlyn hadn’t yet told herself.

“Caitlyn?” Vi whispered.

Caitlyn didn’t look up. “Yes?”

Vi didn’t respond. Maybe she didn’t know what she was going to say.

Caitlyn stared at the still-mysterious scar adorning Vi’s upper lip. She suddenly wondered what it would feel like to run her finger over the groove.

Instead, shakily, she reached up with both hands to wipe away the bright blue streaks as they neared Vi’s eyes. Her fingers gently combing into Vi's short hair as her thumbs caught the droplets.

She’d be lying if she said a part of her didn’t sigh in relief when Vi let her.

Caitlyn’s pulse hammered so much so that she was almost positive Vi could hear it. If she could, though, she didn’t seem to mind. Her eyes fluttered once, twice, then closed, cheeks resting in Caitlyn’s cool hands.

Caitlyn just about thought her heart would burst.

“Come with me,” She spoke, soft, as if Vi would blow away if her voice was too loud.

Her thumbs brushed from Vi’s under eyes to her cheeks before sliding her fingers out of the sticky mess of hair she’d created.

Caitlyn’s arm slipped around Vi’s waist and Vi’s arm rested across the back of Caitlyn’s shoulders, as Caitlyn led her to the sink before pulling up the same chair she had been crying on earlier.

“Sit.”

She knew Vi wasn’t normally the type of person who enjoyed being bossed around, but this wasn’t a normal night and they both knew it.

Vi’s arm slipped from Caitlyn’s body and she slumped in the seat. Caitlyn missed the warmth immediately.

Caitlyn stared at Vi for a moment who was staring at the floor between them. For once, Caitlyn was glad not to have her piercing blue eyes staring at her, which usually seemed to be able to read her thoughts.

Caitlyn grabbed a towel from the materials cupboard, feeling each one to test their softness. She then walked back to Vi and wet the towel.

Caitlyn’s fingertips buzzed as she neared Vi, dropping to her knees between Vi’s legs. Caitlyn was just below eye level and let out an unsure breath before continuing. Shakily, she reached up, damp towel in hand, and started to gently wipe away at the paint.

Vi wouldn’t look at her, and Caitlyn could only assume she was pissed. Still, she let Caitlyn take care of her.

Caitlyn’s left hand held Vi’s head still, her fingers finding a place just above the nape of her neck. First, she tenderly scrubbed at the bright blue on the tip of Vi’s nose, meticulously trying to erase any sign of her action.

Her left thumb rubbed back and forth as she worked, and her right soothed the signs of tension in Vi’s eyebrows with the first stroke.

Caitlyn almost got lost in Vi’s comfort after a few minutes of her working. The whispers of rain kept her in the moment.

Caitlyn reached Vi’s jaw, and she gently turned Vi’s head to the side as she carefully wiped. Something inside Caitlyn stirred as she cleaned the skin on the sharp line.

Finally, Caitlyn turned Vi’s head back to face her and let the moment breathe.

Despite the fact she had been silently tending to Vi for the past five minutes, she felt the need to announce, “You've got some on your lips. Can I just-?”

She hovered the towel inches from Vi’s mouth. Vi nodded, pupils dilated, Caitlyn noticed.

Caitlyn cupped Vi’s cheek with her left hand and softly wiped at the corner of Vi’s mouth before becoming bolder, discarding the towel.

With her thumb, she brushed Vi’s bottom lip, maybe a bit longer than the paint was there for.

Her index finger gently pressed against Vi’s upper lip scar, running along its ridges.

”How’d you get this?”

Vi scoffed, but not maliciously.

”Pow was working on a new invention and a gear flew at me. Bled for about thirty minutes but she cried for longer.”

Caitlyn could see her reflection in Vi’s eyes.

“I like it.”

“Do you?”

“Mhm.”

Caitlyn tried not to notice that their breathing had matched. Or that she was close enough to realize that.

“Can I do your hair now, Vi?”

“You don’t have to do that, Cupcake.”

Caitlyn stood and walked around Vi’s chair, gently pulling her shoulders back to rest on the plastic.

“I want to.”

And Vi let her. Caitlyn soaked Vi’s hair and lightly worked the clumps of paint that were stuck to the strands. When she tipped Vi’s head back to work on the front, she noticed that her eyes were closed, mouth relaxed in a small smile.

She threaded her fingers through her hair and cradled her head until Vi’s soft, blue eyes looked up at her.

“I’m sorry I poured a bucket of paint on you,”

Vi smiled again. “I’m sorry I gave you a reason,”

Caitlyn’s heart skipped a beat and sudden courage overtook her.

She leaned down, face opposite to Vi’s. She watched as Vi quickly exhaled and her eyes widened, impossibly so.

Softly, she pressed a kiss to Vi’s forehead, just above her eyebrow.

Caitlyn swore it was just—

Just—?

It was becoming hard to come up with excuses for herself.

Vi let out a nervous laugh. “Apology accepted kiss?”

”Something like that,”

Vi stood up from the damp chair, hair dripping and wild, and the pair stared at each other in the dim light.

Caitlyn’s heart skipped a beat when she watched a small smirk pull at the corner of Vi’s mouth.

“Think we need to clean up, Cait,”

Caitlyn looked around at the mess they’d created.

Paint was practically everywhere, mostly blue, slightly pink.

“Shit.”

After the two cleaned, talked, and laughed— sneaking small glances at each other, when they could— for what seemed like forever, Caitlyn had bit back enough yawns that she knew she needed to go home. Her stomach churned at all the trouble she would be in when she got back.

”You think it’s good?” Vi called, as they inspected their work.

”She’ll never know,” Caitlyn smiled.

Caitlyn almost banged her head on the underside of the table when she heard Vi’s gasp.

”Vi? Are you okay?”

“Our painting.” Vi nearly whispered.

Caitlyn approached, already expecting the worst.

Their painting, which consisted of hundreds of carefully planned, thought out brushstrokes by Caitlyn, and hesitant, uncertain brushstrokes by Vi, was thoroughly splattered with bright blue paint.

Caitlyn bit her lip, tears stinging her eyes. “Shit, this is all my fault,”

Vi looked up, bewildered. “What’re you talking about, Cait?”

Caitlyn stared back bewilderedly.

“It looks sick.” Vi said seriously.

Caitlyn huffed out a laugh as a lone tear slid down her face, quickly wiped off by Vi.

“Now we’ll always remember tonight. Right, Cupcake?”

Caitlyn smiled, gazing into Vi’s mind-reading eyes for the millionth time that day.

She knew it didn’t matter. What Powder said, what her mother would think, her agreement with Ms. Medarda.

This was it.

For once, she hoped Vi’s physic eyes really were able to understand what Caitlyn was feeling.

Chapter Text

So, Vi had a problem.

A beautiful, kind, brilliant, blue-eyed, and utterly hopeless problem.

The closer Vi seemed to get to Caitlyn, the less her eyes seemed to focus and the less she understood.

What she saw in front of her was a blurry and unsolvable problem that she knew she couldn’t live without.

Vi went home walking on air, a stark contrast to how she left the house.

Her mind raced over the small smiles Caitlyn offered, the glints in her eyes as they brushed over Vi's features, landing on her lips, the soft feeling of her slender fingers as they cleaned the paint off of her face.

Her skin still burned from where the contact had been.

Vi would make more rash and ill-advised decisions if they all ended with a pretty girl giving her forehead kisses and massaging her head.

Vi and Caitlyn said goodbye rather dramatically. They walked together until they absolutely had to part and the pair stared silently at each other, illuminated only by a nearby lamplight.

Vi had stepped forward and reached up, smearing off a neglected strip of pink paint on Caitlyn's cheek.

“Sorry about that again,”

Vi warmed in the spring breeze when Caitlyn’s small tooth-gap became visible between her rosy lips.

“I’m not,”

Caitlyn was cold as she hugged Vi, but Vi’s cheeks still burned.

As they parted, Vi brushed her hands on Caitlyn’s forearms.

“Want me to walk you home, Cupcake?”

She watched Caitlyn weigh her options for a moment.

“That’s sweet, but I don’t want to keep you. I have some thinking to do anyways.”

So Vi slipped into her own house soon afterwards, breathing a sigh of relief when Vander’s lights were off.

Vi tossed in the night, sighing in frustration when she glanced over at Powder’s clock reading 4:13 a.m.

When she got home, she silently slipped into an old t-shirt and sleep shorts and climbed into her bed, cheeks still tinted pink from her constant thoughts of Caitlyn. Powder didn’t stir when the bed creaked under her weight, and Vi smiled.

She was glad Powder was sleeping so soundly, her nightmares usually had her turning and twisting until morning. She deserved a good night's sleep.

Vi, however, couldn’t will her mind to shut off. Despite the sweetness of the night, bitter fear lodged itself behind Vi’s heart as she wondered what was going through Caitlyn’s mind.

Would she just be cold to Vi once again? Did Vi read the entire night wrong? Maybe Caitlyn just doled out forehead kisses to all her friends.

She glances at the clock again. 4:14 a.m.

She stared out the ceiling in despair, predicting the long night she was in for.

Vi has miraculously woken up on time after falling asleep hours after she got home, finally not bothering to check the clock any longer.

She pulled out a hoodie and jeans, but decided the days had been warm enough for something lighter.

She settled on a faded blue t-shirt, some band she had liked when she was younger, and a pair of jorts. And her converse. Obviously.

Recently, she had found herself taking more care into her appearance. She styled her hair in the morning as opposed to taming it with water and calling it a day. She had even started to carry her eyeliner with her to fix it up before last period.

As she stared into the bathroom mirror, hair finally laying how she wanted, she pulled at the deep eye bag her late night thoughts had seemed to cause. Oh well. Before she went to the kitchen to grab breakfast, she applied a thin layer of cherry-chapstick and suppressed a small smile, wondering if Caitlyn would like the taste.

“What’s got you so pink?” Vander asked gruffly, morning-voice evident.

”Nothin’,” Vi smiled as she grabbed a bagel from the pantry, popping it into the toaster.

”Want coffee? We’ve got caramel creamer.”

“Mm, I’m alright. Not that tired,”

Vander chuckled, ruffling Vi’s hair as she shrieked, twisting away.

”Spent thirty minutes on that!” She cried.

“On that?” He laughed, teasing.

”Oh ha ha. Very funny.”

Mylo sleepily sauntered into the kitchen as Vi slipped out, rushing to the bathroom.

“Another victim!” She chided from the other room.

Vander chuckled again into his coffee. “Morning kiddo.”

Vi had begun to regret her coffee-refusal about five minutes into her math class, Viktor’s voice blending with the air conditioning until it all sounded like background noise.

When he came around the classroom, he tapped on her desk, starling her from her near-sleep.

“Do I get homework from you this week, Ms. Lane? It is a quiz grade.”

Vi relished his disappointed expression morphing into surprise when she pulled out a fully completed— fully by her!— homework packet.

“‘Course you do professor,”

He smiled and nodded, moving onto the next desk.

Caitlyn’s help a few days ago did pay off. Despite Vi’s bored groans, she was actually enjoying getting the problems right more and more frequently. She learned that she actually wasn’t bad at math.

Caitlyn’s, “You don’t want to be worrying about homework at our sleepover, now do you Vi?” provided some encouragement as well.

Lunch with Mylo and Claggor was as noisy as usual.

The pair joked and snorted while Vi rolled her eyes, joining in on the conversation when Vi deemed it to lack its usual brainlessness. Usually evident by a lack of ur mom or butt jokes.

Vi wolfed down her sandwich as the boys discussed who in their grade they would least like to have on a deserted island. Mylo commented that he wouldn’t mind the hot redhead in his chem class and Vi rolled her eyes.

As she silently nursed her soda, she scanned over the school field, her heart just about stopping when she noticed a dark blue ponytail blowing in the wind from afar. Though she seemed to be getting closer.

Like an idiot, Vi suddenly pretended to be very involved in the boy’s conversation until Caitlyn climbed up the bleachers, obviously right towards Vi.

Her heart seized when Caitlyn gave her a shy smile and polite waves to her brothers.

“Hi,” Caitlyn prompted.

“Hey, Cupcake,” Vi answered, clicking her tongue at the boys’ snickers.

“Can I talk to you?” Caitlyn asked, hand shielding her eyes from the spring sun.

Vi stepped down the bleachers and nodded, anxiety creeping inside her chest.

“You look tired,” Caitlyn said as they walked.

Vi smiled and wiped a hand across the side of her face. “We had a late night,”

Caitlyn looked up and Vi winked, earning her a playful shoulder shove.

“So, I’m not going to be in class today. Mother has some prom pictures she decided were more important than my last two periods, and I figured I should let you know.”

“Oh,” Vi relaxed before tensing. “Will Frond be there?”

Caitlyn and Vi had made it halfway around the field by then, a sheen settling on the exposed skin of Vi’s arms which she, sheepishly, caught Caitlyn staring at,

Caitlyn groaned. “Not sure. Didn’t want to ask too many questions.”

“You even want to go to the dance, Cupcake?”

“Sure I do. Maybe, just not with Frond.”

“Really?”

“I mean, I don’t know him. Maybe it’d be fun with someone I know.”

Vi held her breath as she asked, “You have anyone in mind?”

Caitlyn looked up at her and Vi bit her lip, the sun illuminating a halo around Caitlyn’s face.

“Someone.”

Vi wanted to ask, so desperately she wanted to ask, but more than her desire, she feared the answer. So she fell into a comfortable silence.

They had almost made a full lap around the field, Caitlyn asking about Vi’s day and smiling widely when Vi proudly told her about Viktor’s reaction to her doing the homework.

Caitlyn slipped off her sweatshirt and held it in her hands, revealing a very soft-looking baby blue camisole.

Vi held out her hand and Caitlyn responded, “Oh, that's okay, Vi.”

“Wouldn’t offer if I didn’t want to,” Vi assured, and Caitlyn handed the sweatshirt for Vi to hold.

“I’ll be there if anything goes wrong y’know?”

“Hmm?”

“At prom I mean. If you need anything— or just better company,” She smiled.

“Wish you could just take me,” Caitlyn sighed before inhaling sharply.

Vi glanced to her, noticing her wide eyes and pink cheeks. She was sure her face was a similar shade.

“I mean— it’s be easier, is all. I didn’t mean—“

Vi cocked her eyebrow and smirked softly.

“S’okay, Cait.”

Caitlyn met Vi’s eyes with a pleading expression. She opened her mouth before a chipper ringtone startled them both.

Vi said, “That’s you.”

“It’s mother. Here to cart me off.”

“Already?”

Caitlyn shrugged. “Prom waits for no one.”

Vi laughed and watched her walk back towards the school doors, chuckling to herself as Caitlyn pulled heavily on the push doors before waving embarrassedly back at Vi.

Vi realized she was still holding her jacket and went to walk towards her, holding up the fabric, but Caitlyn waved her off.

“Too hot anyways,” Caitlyn called, earning a couple paserby’s attention.

“See ya, Cupcake,” She called back, even more of her classmates turning their heads.

Vi shook her head softly as she made her way back to her brothers, teasing expressions on their faces.

Vi tried hard to stay awake during her next period. Really.

Science had become easier for her since Caitlyn had taken an interest in discussing the material with her.

She found it a bit boring to be talking about science with someone she didn’t even share the class with, but Caitlyn was pretty so Vi decided she could talk about anything she wanted. Recently, though, whenever Vi would bring up schoolwork, how her grades had been getting better, Caitlyn would change the subject, something unreadable dancing across her face. Truthfully, she had only helped with math because Vi had begged. Still, she appreciated it.

Even though she did want to comprehend what was reading, more to talk about with Caitlyn later, even if it was the electronegativity of elements, she found that the words were just clumps of letters the longer her eyes stayed trained to the page.

The bell ringing brought her back and she eagerly rushed to art, only to remember that Caitlyn wasn’t there, leaving her to slump against the wall.

Though she knew Caitlyn was busy, she couldn’t resist texting her, just to check up.

- hey cupcake ;)
Hey yourself vi
- no wink?
No wink AND an eye roll
Just for you
- haha
- i know you’re smiling anyways
Maybe ..
- ;)
How's art?
- hasn’t started yet
- waiting outside
And you missed me soooo much you had to text me
- something like that

Vi didn’t look up from her phone as she walked into the classroom, murmuring a good afternoon to Ms. Medarda as she slipped past her and into her seat.

- medarda says project is due the week before prom
Vi…
- caity cat
That's in three weeks…
- three weeks is a long time
Five days a week minus one we have off
Is fourteen days
- plusss today and tomorrow!
Okay, sixteen days.
To get a project worth almost our entire semester grade done
- you worry too much cupcake
- promise you ill get stuff done today
Hm
Do I like the sound of that
- you’ll have to see tomorrow ;)
Liking it less and less by the second
- :P
- wyd cait

Caitlyn sent a picture of her in the mirror, hair and makeup the same as Vi had seen it earlier, but awful dress surrounding her completely. Vi stifled a giggle.

- cute
Very funny
- yes
- yes i am
Frond is here
- oh?
He’s nice
- take a picture
Are you going to be mean?
- nooooo :(
Fine

Vi zoomed in on the picture, scrutinizing the poor guy as he was clearly in the middle of enjoying a sandwich.

- well.
You said you weren’t going to be mean
- i didn’t think he would look like that
He’s not that bad
- really cupcake?
He’s objectively attractive I would argue
- and i would argue back
- get a room
Vi.
- yes??
Try again
- hes not my type
Well…
- okay from a non lesbian objective standpoint
- he is alright
I agree
- but even if i was attracted to men i wouldn’t be attracted to him
How can you know for sure
- well are you attracted to him??
That won't help
- wdym
Nevermind
- wdym
- wdym
- wdym
- wdym
Nothinggg!!
- ur killing me
;)
Oops
:)
- ughh cait.
Go paint Vi
- ask nicer
You are a pain in my ass
- that was actually not nicer
Please go paint my sugar pumpkin angel baby Vi
- okay :))!

Paint she did. Without Caitlyn there, she relied mostly on her own judgment, some on what she thought Caitlyn would say if she was there herself.

She smiled to herself when she noticed the bright blue paint splatters, now dry from the night before.

When the period was almost over, she had gotten a good bit done, but the weight of the project and the fact they only had over a dozen days left gnawed at her, just a bit.

- you gonna be busy all day?
Hmm
I’ve got some homework
Not too much
- any chance you’re free to work on the painting
How exactly would we manage that
- i couldddd take it over to yours?
You would have to talk to Ms. Medarda for that
- but she's scary :(
Sorry to say
But the plan doesn’t get very far without her permission
And I was looking forward to showing you my room :(
And meeting cookie
- wut
Cookie is my cat!
Thought I told you lol
Vi?
- sorry
- just talked to her
- ill be there at 4:30 with it
Perfect <3

Chapter Text

Caitlyn couldn’t help but open her phone about every fifteen seconds on the off chance that Vi had sent her a new message, though she knew that she would’ve gotten a notification. She ended up rereading the texts Vi and she had exchanged over and over again, to the point that her mother threatened to hold onto her phone until they left.

“You’re being rude, Caitlyn.”

Caitlyn frowned and rolled her shoulders.

“To whom, Mother?”

“To Frond, obviously, darling,” her mother muttered, like it could not be more apparent.

Caitlyn glanced at Frond, who was sitting across the courtyard with his mother and staring at the ground, and who, like her, quite clearly wanted to be anywhere but there.

They had spoken less than twenty words to each other since meeting, mostly consisting of “Hello,” “Hello,” “I’m Caitlyn,” “Frond,” “Right,” “Right,” and not much else. As the pair shook hands, she tried very hard not to roll her eyes at how her mother had gotten suddenly teary, and how Frond’s mother had not-so-secretly snapped a picture.

He wasn’t bad looking, Caitlyn had kept telling herself. In all fairness to Frond, disassociating in a white suit, lathered in hair-gel, was not the best look for anyone. She herself knew she looked ridiculous. There was probably a girl out there who was scrutinizing a sneakily-taken picture of Caitlyn and telling Frond how she wished she could go to prom with him, instead of some cream-puff-looking rich girl.

Still, Caitlyn knew there were people out there who she would find attractive no matter what, even covered in hair gel, and she smiled to herself, opening the text messages again to read them.

She had just gotten to Vi’s second winky face when her mother snatched Caitlyn’s phone upwards out of her grasp and let it fall into her purse.

”You’ll get it back when the photoshoot is done.” Her mother said, gesturing at some foliage to the photographer and squinting against the sunny day.

Caitlyn knew better than to protest, so she stood up and followed instructions.

For her part, she did try very hard not to cringe at Frond’s hands holding her waist, or his arm around her side. He was just a little soft around the edges and smelled just a little bit like the italian vinaigrette that must’ve been in his sandwich. And he wasn’t Vi.

Caitlyn smiled a real smile when she remembered that she would be seeing Vi later that day and her mother sighed in approval.

When the torture was finally over, Caitlyn and Frond shook hands again and Frond said, “I’ll be seeing you,”

Caitlyn played with her fingers during the silent car ride back home with her mother, who was furiously emailing the florist who confused, angel-white and pearl-white in Caitlyn’s corsage.

“My friend is coming over later today,”

She stopped typing.

“Vi?”

“Yes, Vi.”

“From when to when?”

“I think I’ll meet her at the market around 5:00 and we’ll be home about 6:30 to work on our painting.”

“I’ll have an extra plate prepared for her.”

The silence afterwards was palpable and Caitlyn bit her lip.

“You’ve grown quite fond of her, haven’t you?”

“What do you mean, Mother?”

“I hear the way you talk of her, the way you smile when she’s brought up, darling. I don’t think you are quite as subtle as you believe yourself to be.”

Caitlyn’s cheeks turned pink against her deepest wishes.

“We’re friends,” she reasoned.

“I was friends with a classmate once. Granted, we were in university, but it's a tale I know well. Do you know what his name was?”

Caitlyn shook her head and smiled. “Tobias Kiramman?”

“Tobias Kiramman,” her mother agreed.

Caitlyn’s blush spread to her neck as she glanced at her phone, once again in her possession, and found herself checking if she had received another message from Vi once more.

“I’m looking forward to meeting her,” her mother said.

Caitlyn took care to hang up her dress, zipping it in its garment bag, all three tons of fabric, and hanging it up in the very back of her closet. Actually, not the very back. That spot was reserved for the secret dress that made her nerves hotwire every time she thought of it.

As quick as she could manage, Caitlyn got dressed, throwing on a sunset-pink baby tee and a denim skirt. She braided her hair into a long plait and carefully pulled it over her left shoulder, deliberately pulling out sections from the front, and pulled on some baby-blue lacy socks.

Finally, she touched up her mascara, put on some extra lip-gloss— cherry flavored, her favorite— and even tightlined her lower lash line with some black eyeliner, which she thought Vi would appreciate.

She adjusted her outfit in the mirror, smiling at the fact that she had seemed to find her style recently, and slipped on some brown leather boots.

Before grabbing her purse, Cailtyn did a once-over of her room, which was spotless as usual, but she felt the need to fluff up a few pillows anyways. You never know.

Despite her best efforts, on her way out of the house, she ran into her mother again.

“You look different,” she commented accusingly.

”It’s going to be hot out, Mother. Just trying to dress accordingly.”

“Right. Well don’t be back too late. Your father is making his famous salmon and it’ll be plated at 6:45 sharp.”

“We won’t be,” Caitlyn called, and shut the door behind her.

Caitlyn had to remind herself about every five steps not to walk too fast, because her feet seemed to be racing towards the market that she told Vi she would meet her at.

The breeze blew against her hair and the sun warmed her skin, and Caitlyn couldn’t think of more perfect weather for a spring evening at the market.

Caitlyn passed the vendors, selling fresh fruits, wind chimes, honey, photographs, jewelry, clay— everything one could imagine.

It was one of her favorite things about her part of town: just a ten minute walk away from her house were real people selling things they grow or make, ready to hold a conversation and get to know a person. About twenty minutes in the other direction was the mall she was so often dragged off to, but sometimes she could convince her mother to go to the market instead, and the two of them would enjoy shopping together.

She had passed the fabric stand and exchanged pleasantries with Marnie, the sweet older woman who tended it, and smiled at the father and his twin girls who ran the jam stand a couple tents down, Jacob, Avery, and Lola.

Her heart fluttered when she saw a vibrant head of hair staring up at the flags and fairy lights above her, with a large, rectangular package strapped to her back.

Seizing the opportunity granted by the bustle around them, Caitlyn crept closer until she could lean down into Vi’s ear.

“You lost, Violet?”

Vi just about jumped out of her skin, eyes wide and cheeks a bit flushed as she whipped around.

“God, Cupcake,” Caitlyn giggled as she watched Vi press a hand against her own heartbeat before heaving, “You could've killed me,”

Caitlyn smiled, “Good thing I didn’t,”

“Really?” Vi smiled back, her canines glinting in the sunlight, making Caitlyn’s stomach do a brief and casual backflip.

“Really. It’d be hard to explain to my mother that you couldn’t have dinner with us because I killed you.”

Vi’s eyebrows shot up. “Dinner?”

Caitlyn sighed and walked towards the beginning of the market that Vi had passed, and Vi followed, a bit exasperated.

“My father is cooking. It's a rare occasion.”

“I didn’t know there would be dinner,” Vi said.

“You’re very welcome to watch the rest of us eat,” Caitlyn chided.

“I’m not dressed,” Vi pleaded.

Caitlyn gave Vi’s tee shirt and jorts a once over, pulling her to the side of the market between two stands.

“What’s the grand plan here? Don’t tell me that your parents won’t care how I look or act, because I know they will.”

Caitlyn pulled at Vi’s sleeves a bit until satisfied, and then straightened the bottom hem of the tee shirt, trying to smooth out the slight wrinkles.

“They will most definitely care. My mother at least.”

Vi blew out a breath and raised her arms as Caitlyn bent down, glad to be shaded by the canopy of trees above them, as Cailtyn herself was getting a bit warm.

“Well that's great. Would've liked just a bit of a warning before meeting your parents.”

Caitlyn smoothed out Vi’s shorts and undid the folded hem at the bottom, tugging them up, just a tad.

“I think she’s going to like you.”

Caitlyn stood, assuming her full height once again.

“How do you reckon?”

Caitlyn glanced down between them and noticed Vi’s carabiner, hooked her finger into it and pulled Vi in a few inches closer by her hips.

“Because I like you,” Caitlyn smiled.

“Is that right?” Vi breathed.

Caitlyn let go of Vi’s carabiner and tugged on a bit of disheveled hair near Vi’s ear until it lay a bit tamer.

“Maybe so,”

Caitlyn turned around and rejoined the crowd, leaving pink-cheeked Vi a bit bewildered. She found her way to a fruit stand and smiled when she felt Vi’s warmth next to her again.

Caitlyn reached out and handed the vendor a ten dollar bill and picked out a carton of blueberries.

“Thank you, Gemma, you’re the best,” Caitlyn said, and Gemma smiled back.

“Come back soon, Caitlyn,”

Caitlyn continued walking down the flow of people, popping a blueberry into her mouth and offering the carton to Vi, who grabbed a small handful and nodded in thanks.

Caitlyn guided them to one of her favorite stands, the flowers, and looked over the buds and blooms. When a vendor she didn’t recognize walked out from behind the tent, she smiled and reached out her hand.

“Hi, I’m Caitlyn. They’re looking beautiful today,”

The vendor, a fair complexioned boy, maybe a year or two younger than her, shook her hand.

“I’m Luke. This is my grandmother’s stand.”

“Right, Molly. Is she well?

An older woman, Molly, walked out from behind the tent, wearing a matching joyful expression as her grandson.

Caitlyn felt Vi watching the whole interaction with a smile.

“I’m doing great honey, how are you?”

Caitlyn leaned down and smelled a bucketful of tulips, inhaling deeply and grinning.

“I’m doing just as well. This is my— this is Vi,”

Caitlyn even managed to keep the blush off of her cheeks at her stutter and Vi held out her hand to shake Molly’s.

“In the market for another bouquet, dear?”

“I’m afraid not. My lilies are as vibrant as ever on my windowsill. I could use a flower for Vi here though,”

Vi shot her a surprised glance and opened her mouth to say something.

Molly’s face broke out with joy like Caitlyn had just shared news of winning the lottery or being appointed councilor.

“Take your pick, dear,”

Vi put her hand on Caitlyn’s arm as she reached for a pink tulip near the back of the display.

“You don’t have to do that,” Vi said lowly, clearly a bit embarrassed, which Caitlyn couldn’t help but find a bit adorable.

Caitlyn pulled out the flower and held it up.

“But it matches your hair,” Caitlyn smiled.

Vi rolled her eyes playfully and took the flower from Caitlyn’s hands.

“How much do I owe you?”

Luke clicked open the cash register and looked up at his grandmother expantantly.

“Nothing, on the house, honey,”

“You’re too sweet,”

“Just promise that you’ll come to me next time you need flowers,”

“You know I will,”

Caitlyn waved goodbye to Molly and Luke and kept walking

“You’re different today,” Vi commented, twirling the flower between her fingers.

Caitlyn slowed her walking to match Vi’s pace and continued down towards the end of the colorful stands.

“Am I?”

“Way different.”

“Good or bad?”

Caitlyn looked over to catch Vi shrugging, a smile tugging at her lips.

“Neither? You’re always good company.” Caitlyn ignored how her heart thudded a bit louder and Vi added, “But this is fun,”

Caitlyn pulled Vi by her hand towards one of the last stands, giggling as Vi bumped into a pole with the painting after tripping over her own feet.

“Now, the best part,” Caitlyn prompted. “Ice cream.”

Vi nodded in approval, scanning over the list of flavors on the blackboard in front of the stand.

Caitlyn greeted the scooper and ordered a cone of cake-batter before stepping aside so Vi could order.

Vi cleared her throat in a way that Caitlyn could tell she was uncomfortable.

“I’m not getting anything,”

Caitlyn cocked her head.

“Didn’t bring cash,” Vi explained quietly.

Caitlyn nudged her with her shoulder. “We’ll share then,”

Caitlyn paid and pulled Vi off to a shady table behind the market, sitting on top of the grill and motioning for Vi to join her.

Caitlyn’s blood still seized a bit when Vi sat, thigh pressed against her own, and placed her backpack and the painting next to them.

“You gonna let me get a lick anytime soon, Cupcake?” Vi teased.

Caitlyn held out the ice cream and Vi leaned it, heating Caitlyn’s cheeks up as she held her eyes contact while licking a stripe up the ice cream. Caitlyn couldn’t will herself to look away, but regained her senses when Vi playfully winked, and jerked the cone just a bit so ice cream got into the tip of Vi’s nose.

“Hey! No fair,” Vi whined, licking her thumb and wiping off her nose.

“All's fair in love and ice-cream,”

“Mhm,” Vi picked up the flower from next to her and twirled it again.

Caitlyn watched, taking another lick of the cone.

“This flower may match my hair,” Vi said, “but I think it’d look pretty in yours,”

“What a line,” Caitlyn laughed, but took down her hair and let Vi tuck the tulip behind her ear.

They two fell into a comfortable silence, watching the sun slowly set over the sea and children playing in the maze of trees behind the stands.

“Can I tell you something, Vi?”

Vi took a bite of the cone and nodded.

“You’re my best friend.”

Caitlyn watched Vi’s pupils dilate and a small smile pull at the side of her mouth.

“You’re mine by a long shot. You have been for a while. How’d that happen?”

Caitlyn smiled and took a bite. “Not sure. Don’t even know when it happened.”

Vi held Caitlyn’s eyes and Caitlyn felt them reading her like a book. Vi rested her head on Caitlyn’s shoulder and Caitlyn leaned into the warmth.

“Y’know you smell like oranges,” Vi said.

Caitlyn turned towards Vi, who was looking up at her and much closer to her face than Caitlyn anticipated.

“Oranges?”

“Mhm. And chocolate.” Vi turned her face to Caitlyn’s skin and softly inhaled, raising goosebumps all over Caitlyn’s body.

“Funny,” Caitlyn remarked, her heartbeat spiking again for the thousandth time that day.

On the walk back to Caitlyn’s, which she timed to land them at Caitlny’s front door at precisely 6:45, Caitlyn noticed Vi worrying her fingers and stressing her rings more than usual.

It partially warmed Caitlyn’s heart that Vi would be so nervous to make a good impression, but really, she just wanted to take Vi’s hands and make her take a deep breath. She wanted to hear Vi’s shaky exhale as Caitlyn promised that it would all be okay.

She didn’t do that though. Instead, Caitlyn opted to tell stories of her family to prepare Vi for what she was walking into.

“So, I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned, my father is a surgeon. He works in general surgery and he usually works nights. Also,” Caitlyn paused, “my mother is on the council.”

“What?”

Vi stopped in her tracks and looked up at Caitlyn with eyes almost as wide as Caitlyn had ever seen them.

“I sort of thought you knew,” Caitlyn smiled, feeling red creep up the back of her neck.

“Knew. You thought I knew your mother was a counselor?” Vi looked at Caitlyn dumbfounded.

“I thought everyone knew,” Caitlyn said airily.

Vi snaked her hands into her hair and turned around, paced behind Caitlyn, and turned around again, just to look at Caitlyn as if she had just slapped Vi across the face.

“Right,” Caitlyn watched Vi pace again. “Right, so your mother is one of the most powerful people in the city,” Vi did a little spin in place and covered her face with her hands, “And I’m not even wearing my good jorts,”

Caitlyn laughed and stepped towards Vi, grabbing her hands in her own.

“I meant what I said earlier,” Caitlyn smoothed her fingers over Vi’s calloused knuckles and listened to her exhale slowly, “she’s going to like you.”

“And if she doesn’t?”

Caitlyn looked up, catching Vi’s baby blue eyes, almost squinting against the setting sun. She took in the way the Vi’s eyes brows furrowed and her bottom lip was sucked just barely between her teeth.

Caitlyn settled on, “Hasn’t often stopped me before,” and threaded her left hand fingers between Vi’s right, and kept walking.

“My mother appreciates passion, respect, and confidence,” She continued. “Quiet confidence though, humility goes a long way as long as you know your worth.”

Vi’s rings were cool against Caitlyn’s skin, but her hand was warm and her skin was soft in most places, but tough in others.

“I was nervous to meet your family too, Vi,”

“Were you?”

Caitlyn exhaled a laugh. “Terrified.”

A beat passed. “You left after you did,” Vi said quietly.

“I know,”

“I was worried. Thought it had been too much. Or…” She trailed off.

Caitlyn didn’t need to hear the rest. She knew what she was thinking, it was exactly what she had overheard Powder assert.

“You couldn’t be too much for me.” She breathed in. “I thought I wasn’t enough for you.”

Vi laughed. “Not enough for me?”

“Not… I don’t know? Not sure enough? Not pure enough?”

“Cupcake, you’re about the purest thing I’ve ever known,”

Caitlyn was reminded of her situation with Miss Medarda, how dirty she felt whenever she reported back, how hollow her chest got when Vi excitedly told her how her grades were going up. She squeezed Vi’s hand tighter.

“I’m really, really glad that you broke into school,” Caitlyn said.

Vi huffed. “Glad you poured a bucket of paint on me,”

“You look good with blue anyways,”

Just as Caitlyn had planned, Vi and Caitlyn were staring, unmoving, at the Kiramman front door at exactly 6:45.

“Here goes,” Caitlyn breathed, nerves finally traveling up from the tips of her fingers.

She reached into her purse and pulled out the keys, though the front door swung open just before Caitlyn could put them into the lock.

“Mother,” Caitlyn said, mouth pulled into a tight smile.

“You must be Vi,” Her mother said.

Vi smiled a similar, i’m-about-to-shit-my-pants, smile and reached out her hand. Caitlyn watched, impressed by the fact that it didn't shake like a leaf in a windstorm.

“Mrs. Kiramman. Pleasure to meet you,”

Caitlyn watched her mother’s eyes glint before she said, “Please, call me Cassandra,” and took Vi’s hand, shaking it firmly.

“Do let us in, Mother. It's sweltering out here,” Caitlyn said, though it seemed that the sweat on her upper lip had only appeared within 10 feet of her house.

Her mother tutted in disapproval, but pulled the door wide open. “Your friend has better manners than you, darling.”

Vi stepped into the house, thanked Caitlyn’s mother for holding the door, and wiped her feet on the mat, before looking back at Caitlyn with wide, powder-blue eyes. Adorable.

Caitlyn stepped in the house and had a look around.

“Dinner isn’t ready?”

Her mother walked towards the kitchen and called, “I figured you’d be late, Caitlyn. Your father will begin preparing it in about thirty minutes. Tell me you can survive until then, Darling.”

Caitlyn drew her mouth into a tight line, but, knowing better than to argue, mumbled, “That’s just fine,”

“Perfect. Why don’t you go show Vi around?”

Caitlyn led Vi past the foyer and up the spiral staircase, watching Vi take in her surroundings.

“This you, Cait?”

Caitlyn looked back at Vi pointing at a family portrait, Caitlyn front and center with chubby cheeks and big, blue eyes.

“That’s me,”

“God, you’re so fuckin’,” Vi smiled, Caitlyn could hear it in her voice, “so fucking adorable,”

Caitlyn shook her head and kept walking, “My rooms up here, Vi,”

Showing Vi he room was more intimate than Caitlyn anticipated. Apart from Vi blowing air between her lips and telling Caitlyn that her room was massive, Vi quietly took in the details of Caitlyn’s room while Caitlyn lay down, draped over her bed, watching.

Vi walked around, inspecting every item that Caitlyn owned, before her head shot up.

“I need to meet your cat right now.” Vi said with a grave expression.

“She’s around here somewhere,” Caitlyn got up to check in her closet, “Sit down, I’ll be right back,”

Caitlyn walked into her closet and found Cookie curled into one of Caitlyn’s old sweaters. Caitlyn had just gotten Cookie the past Christmas, and she was only about five months old. Caitlyn adored her with all her heart.

Caitlyn re entered her room with Cookie snuggled up in her arms, barely awake, and found Vi criss crossed with her back against Caitlyn’s pillows, smile wide on her face.

Watching Vi coo to Cookie, pet her little head softly with her index and middle finger, look to Caitlyn as if to say, “Are you seeing this angel?”, was something else for Caitlyn. She felt her heart grow a couple sizes every time Vi would let out a little, “Awe,” and all Caitlyn could do was sit next to Vi and Cookie, quietly admiring them.

When her mother called them down to dinner, Vi leaned down and gave Cookie one last kiss on the top of her little fuzzy head, and Cailtyn didn’t even try to ignore the chasm of yearning within her.

Pink cheeked, Caitlyn led Vi down to their dining room and sat her across from her at the table, much too far away for Caitlny’s liking, though she couldn’t imagine justifying having Vi sit next to her at a fifteen-foot long dinner table with only two other people dining with them.

“So, Violet,”

Vi looked up at Caitlyn’s mother, who was carefully cutting her salmon and gliding it onto her fork.

“Caitlyn tells us that you have a sister,”

Caitlyn had already grown tired of the meal. It was one of her favorites, her dad rarely cooked, so it was always a treat, but the conversation was stiff, and all Caitlyn wanted was to take Vi back up to her room and paint.

“Her name’s Powder. I also have two brothers, Mylo and Claggor, adoptive brothers actually.”

“How interesting,”

Silence fell again and Caitlyn wished that everyone could just eat a little bit faster, though Vi was admittedly almost done.

“This is delicious Mr. Kiramman,”

“I’m glad you think so, Violet,”

“My dad cooks too, but it isn’t this fancy,”

Caitlyn smiled softly at Vi’s attempts at bonding with her parents, which was really a hard task. Caitlyn failed to do so most times anyway.

“What does he do for work?” Her father asked.

Caitlyn watched Vi swallow her last bite before speaking, “He owns a bar. Well, really it's more of a restaurant. It’s called The Last Drop, which I guess does sound more like a bar,”

“How,” Caitlyn furrowed her brows while watching her mother struggle for words, “nice,”

Caitlyn caught Vi’s eyes from across the table and Caitlyn wondered again if they really could read her mind, because Vi smiled, small and soft, at Caitlyn, and it felt like breathing.

Part of Caitlyn was embarrassed about the dinner. She recalled how lively and warm Vi’s family had been, and hoped that Vi did not pity her now for how cold hers is.

Vi was quiet as they climbed up the stairs together. Caitlyn wondered what was going through her head, and of course, she could’ve asked, but a part of her didn’t want to know the answer.

Caitlyn broke the silence, “Ready to get work done?”

Vi looked up at her as Caitlyn opened her bedroom door and groaned. “Can’t we just cuddle Cookie some more?”

“’Fraid not. Maybe once we have the biggest grade of the semester in the grade book with a one-hundred,

Caitlyn pulled out two chairs from her desk and put them next to each other, grabbing the painting and placing it on the surface. Vi sat down and watched as Caitlyn dug into one of her drawers for all of her supplies, reddening a patch of skin behind her ears.

The painting really had been coming along. The concept of a combination of their favorite elements of art had been developed in art class when he pair of them had still been as weary of one another as they could be, but the idea of the actual subject of the painting came to Caitlyn soon after, when she sat on her floor and listened to music she knew Vi liked. The painting now depicted a vanity with a diverse array of objects and decorations adorning it. CDs, hair dye, various stickers, guitar picks for Vi, and nail polish, hair clips, stationary, and flowers for Caitlyn. A handful of pictures could be found around the painting, some blurrily displaying a small blue haired girl, a sunset, the ocean, and one of a cupcake, which Caitlyn pretended not to notice Vi waiting to be scolded for.

Of course, there was still plenty of work to be done. The blue splatters had grown on Caitlyn, but there was still what felt like miles of white space that needed to be dealt with, and she found that Vi was better at large shapes and colors, and she was better at details.

Caitlyn pointed to a large white space on the left side of the canvas, near Vi, and asked, “What are you thinking for this area?”

Vi considered, and answered, “How do you feel about candles? Or books? Either,”

“Do you read much?”

“No,” Vi paused and Caitlyn watched her think, “but you do,”

That made Caitlyn smile. “How about both?”

“You are just insatiable, aren’t you?” Vi said, teasing tone not going unnoticed by Caitlyn.

“Let’s see those candles Vi Van Gogh,” She teased back.

They worked mostly in comfortable silence, every so often asking each other's opinion about something or complimenting each other's work, but Caitlyn always felt like she was being recharged when she was with Vi. She didn’t need to fill the silence anymore, she could just be.

Once Caitlyn had refined a trinket that was strikinglyha ha. No, but seriously,”

Caitlyn’s expression softened and she held out her pinky finger. When Vi took it, Caitlyn felt small sparks between their skin until she let go.

“Girl Scout’s honor,”

Caitlyn watched Vi bite her lip in hesitation, before popping out her phone case and pulling out a small, torn, lined piece of paper.

“What’s that?”

Vi wordlessly handed Caitlyn the mysterious scrap of paper, and Caitlyn gasped softly.

“Is this…”

On the paper, Caitlyn quickly recognized her own art style, the strokes of a .5 lead mechanical pencil forming a cupcake. The same cupcake that Vi had torn out of her notes all those months ago, the one that led Caitlyn to insult Vi and Vi to hate Caitlyn, though short lived.

“Don’t know why I kept it. Maybe a part of me knew that we’d be here, together, just a little ways into the future,”

Caitlyn brushed the cupcake with her thumb and felt her eyes go a bit misty, despite her best efforts.

“It’s been with you all this time?”

The air around them seemed to still, the lighting seemed to dim, and Caitlyn could’ve sworn that the entire world around them stopped, waiting for them to paint the next stroke of their connection.

“You’ve been with me from the moment I saw you, Caitlyn. Your cerulean eyes and pretty, long hair, and your sweet, brilliant mind,” Vi’s voice was quiet, but steady.

Caitlyn couldn’t have stopped it if she wanted to. It was as if the gravity of the world had shifted, and Vi was the new center. She leaned in slowly, eyes closed and breath held, and her heart just about shattered when she didn't meet Vi’s lips.

She opened her eyes and saw Vi, mere centimeters away, but still leaned back. Humiliation and rejection reddened Caitlyn’s cheeks and wet her eyes, because, fuck, had she really misread everything?

She was just about to pull back, stand up, apologize profusely while gathering her things to flee the city forever, when Vi snaked her hands into Caitlyn’s hair, holding her gently but firmly at the nape of her neck.

“Caitlyn,” She whispered.

“Vi,”

“Are you sure?” Vi asked, desperation in her voice, tone almost begging, and Caitlyn understood why she had pulled back.

“I don’t know.” She answered in all honesty, the idea of the friendship that Cailtyn had grown so fond of, blowing up in their faces in the back of Cailtyn’s mind.

“So no?”

“So yes.”

Caitlyn leaned in, and finally, finally, their lips met.

The sparks that Caitlyn had felt earlier were nothing compared to this. Vi’s lips were soft and tasted of cherry, and Vi gasped softly, and Caitlyn was electrified. It was soft, and delicate, and beautiful, until Vi pulled back again and Caitlyn couldn’t help but groan.

“You— I didn’t— when did—,”

Caitlyn smiled, cheeks hot and entire body on fire.

“Questions later. Please,”

Caitlyn watched a smile pull at the side of Vi’s mouth, and Vi leaned in again. This time, though, it seemed that Vi could not get enough of Caitlyn, and fair enough, because, god, did Caitlyn like it.

Vi’s other hand moved onto Caitlyn’s waist, and pulled her closer, and Caitlyn threaded her hand into the back of Vi’s hair, believing that if there was a heaven, she had found it.

“I would’ve,” Kiss, “done this,” kiss, “so much,” kiss, “fucking,” kiss, “sooner, kiss, “Cupcake,”

Caitlyn smiled into the kiss, and she felt Vi smile back like sunlight in the morning. It was Caitlyn who pulled back then, practically gasping for air, and her stomach did something stupid when Vi chased her mouth for a moment before looking up at her with eyes like the sky.

“I wish you had. I didn’t know though,” Caitlyn brushed her thumb back and forth across Vi’s cheekbone, and swooned when Vi leaned into her touch. “Only figured it out when I realized that a day without you is a year long, and that seconds with you are pages and pages of detail that I couldn’t stop re reading in my mind.”

“Oh yeah?” Vi smiled, face just as red as Caitlyn expected her own to be. “When would you approximate you realized that?”

Caitlyn sheepishly looked away until Vi’s hand on the nape of her neck moved to her chin, and guided her face back to her own.

Vi gave her another slow and tender kiss before Cailtyn said, “You remember when you gave me your jacket?”

“You have got to be kidding me,” Vi said, and Caitlyn laughed.

“Well, I didn’t know, know. That happened at your house.”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t look so cocky,”

Vi grabbed Caitlyn’s hand and kissed it, short-circuiting Caitlyn’s brain for a moment, and said, “You like me,”

Caitlyn beamed.

“You have no idea,”

Vi went home a little while after, begrudgingly admitting that she had better headed to the bus stop before the last one left, after they pair had painted a bit, and kissed a lot.

Caitlyn watched her walk away from the front door, heart glowing like a million suns, and giggled when Vi looked back and gave her a wink before she turned the corner.

Caitlyn fell back on her bed holding her pillow, cheeks sore from smiling, and sighed in content.

She hugged the pillow closer to her and whisper-screamed for a bit, until Cookie climbed onto the bed next to her, clearly a bit concerned, and brought her back to reality.

Now, Caitlyn realized, she had a real predicament.

The agreement she had made with Miss. Medarda followed her like a shadow, and brought an all-consuming guilt with it.

With no answers of her own, she called Jayce.

“You’re telling me you made out with Vi Lane?”

“A few times, yes,”

“And you like her?”

“More than I knew was possible,”

Caitlyn spoke quietly into the receiver, weary of being overheard, even from her own bedroom.

“Well, that's great Caity Cat. What’s the issue?”

Caitlyn groaned, not quite knowing where to start.

“Miss Medarda partnered us together, offering that if I worked well enough with her and even managed to get most of her grades up, she would give me this year's sponsorship.”

“Shit,”

Caitlyn chuckled humorlessly, dry shame flaking onto her skin.

“How long has that been going on?”

“Since before I really met Vi. Then I decided it’d be easier if I befriended her and—,” Caitlyn frowned, tears stinging her eyes, “now I’ve just fucked everything up and i don’t know what to do.”

“You definitely didn’t fuck everything up. She just made out with you, so there’s that.”

“She’s going to hate me when she finds out,” Caitlyn sobbed.

“She’s not going to. Email to Medarda. Tell her you don't want the sponsorship and that you’re sorry for wasting her time. Problem solved,”

Caitlyn considered. This would solve the issue of Vi and her relationship. On the other hand, this was her future they were talking about. Everything she’s ever wanted since she was taught to want the best. The sponsorship would practically guarantee it.

But Vi. Her sweet freckles, sweet voice, sweet, sweet mouth.

“I’ll email Miss. Medarda, tell her I’m done. She’s worth it.”

“Proud of you, Cait,”

Caitlyn sent the email and heard back almost immediately.

Ms. Kiramman,

I don’t quite understand your motivations for no longer wanting the sponsorship, though, to be clear, it was never officially promised. Truly, Caitlyn, you are a phenomenal artist and you were a high contender whether you accepted helping Ms. Lane or not. Is there any way we could discuss this further? I have promising information that I thought you would’ve wanted to know.

Mel Medarda

Caitlyn’s fingers moved faster than her head when she typed:

Miss Medarda,

I’m open to discussion. Thank you for your continued investment in me.

Sincerely,
Caitlyn Kiramman

And, shit, did her head reel when it caught up to the fact that her thumb had already pressed the send button.