Work Text:
No Rest for the Wicked
Aka the author is on her period and felt like writing about period cramps. Enjoy.
CW: alcohol used for medicinal purposes, menstruation
Vi hurt. She did her best not to grimace when Powder hugged her fiercely as she always did before heading out, “Be careful!” She warned her, giving her hair a gentle ruffle.
“I will.” Powder whined, dramatically pulling her head back and pulling on Vi’s already sore midsection. She did her best to keep herself from cringing away out of reflex. It felt like her innards were twisting, the familiar dull pain drummed into her lower back. Vi was just glad that it hadn’t started while she’d been at the neighborhood tutoring group this morning, that would have been mortifying. Besides, Vander would have killed her if she’d missed that—education was rare in the Lanes.
“Remember what I told you?” She met Powder’s eye contact.
Her sister huffed dramatically, “You’ve told us a million times!”
“Hey!” She let Powder hang on her as she usually did, setting her cleaning rag down on the table so she could rest her hand on the surface to steady herself. Normally she’d pick her up and swing her, but right now, Vi would be happy if she could get the world to stop spinning and the pain in her lower abdomen to subside enough to pull in a proper breath.
It usually got worse before it was better, and she was at the beginning of her shift. She had to suck it up and hope she lucked out this month.
Usually she’d been lucky enough that this happened at night so she could stay in her bunk and not have to interact with anyone.
“Fine, fine.” Powder relented, happy to now be allowed to run errands on her own and do work for the family’s business, “If anyone weird is talking to us, don’t be nice.”
“That’s right.” Vi nodded, “And?”
Another sigh while Powder pushed off her, giving a sing-song voice when she answered: “Don’t tell anyone our business.”
“Good!” Vi called after her, watching her bolt toward the door to meet Ekko who would join her for the errands, “Be home before dark! Both of you!”
Vander had only started sending Powder and Ekko on grocery runs, as he had with Vi and their brothers when they were younger. It was always the first assignment he gave to the kids when he put them to work at The Last Drop—fetch the groceries from the market down the street.
Vi returned to her own task at hand, clearing the tables and trying not to die of cramps. Piece of cake.
Sevika, Vander’s right hand, gave her a fleeting look up from her card game. The two exchanged a nod and Sevika returned her focus to whoever she was hustling. They were some men Vi didn’t recognize.
“Rotten luck.” She heard Sevika bark.
Rotten luck indeed that they’d been roped into playing against her. Sevika was good at cards. She’d tried to teach them all once but had gotten too frustrated with being asked questions that it had only lasted five minutes.
Vi figured it was more that the cards were Sevika’s hustle, and she wanted to hoard her knowledge rather than impatience.
Whatever, that didn’t matter now. She paused to take in a breath before lifting the bin filled with glasses.
Vander, locked in an intense conversation with one of his business partners who sat at his usual place on the end of the bar, paused to look at her, “You okay, kiddo?”
“Never better.” She answered. She didn’t talk about these kinds of things with Vander beyond the minimum— he’d sent Babette to give her the safe sex talk.
There were meds and things that the Piltie girls had, apparently, but Vi didn’t have meds. She had cloths and her bunk to lay in if it got bad. She was working now. She needed to suck it up and deal with it.
Vi scowled as she accidently pressed her palm into a puddle of spilled beer, her stomach immediately rolling at the feeling.
Pull it together.
She shook her head, ignoring the fresh throb of pain.
Don’t puke.
Vander watched her from the corner of his eye, and he made a familiar motion. He and Sevika had a non-verbal arrangement in their communication. It was important for someone who did business such as Vander did.
“Check on her.” Vi heard him say.
“Mmfine.” She managed, leaning against the counter to catch her breath, and hoping that everything would stop echoing.
Sevika wasn’t exactly warm and fuzzy, but neither was Vi, and Vi didn’t care to share her personal issues with her.
Claggor had helped boost her into her bunk last time the cramps were like this and had made sure dinner was cooked for everyone even though that was usually Vi’s job. Where was he, anyway? Probably running a different errand for Vander. Vander had multiple meetings today.
“You look awful, kid. What’s up?” Sevika stepped behind the bar.
“I’m fine.” Vi lied, leaning harder on the bar.
“Sick?” Sevika asked without looking at her, which made it less awkward.
“Nah. Just…cramps.” Vi lowered her voice. Everything was echoing. The bar felt far away. A cold sweat seeped into the back of her collar and prickled on her chest.
Sevika gave a little nod of understanding, eyeing her up and down and apparently deciding that Vi was in no shape to continue her shift.
“Need her still?” Sevika asked.
“She okay?” Vander sounded concerned and Vi felt guilty. She didn’t need to worry him. He had enough on his plate.
“She’s fine. I’m taking her downstairs.”
Vi hated when people talked around her, but she was busy focusing on keeping herself on her feet.
Sevika took her by the elbow, “Come on, kid.”
Vi managed to untangle herself from Sevika’s grasp and mustered her best glare as she limped down the stairs and the woman eyed her as if she was going to fall. In Sevika’s defense, she felt like she might fall, but Vi would rather die than admit that.
“Lay down. I’ll get you a shot of bourbon.”
Vi flattened herself onto her bed once she managed to haul herself onto it, curling her knees up and letting out a groan when she knew Sevika was gone. Just had to breathe and to rest. It would pass eventually. It always did. It just sucked always on the first day.
She heard heavy footsteps return down the stairs, and did her best to push herself up on her elbows so she didn’t look so pathetic in front of Sevika.
“Shot of bourbon and a hot water bottle.” Sevika grunted, stuffing the glass into Vi’s hand. She unceremoniously flopped the rubbery water bottle over Vi’s waist.
The smell of the bourbon made her stomach churn harder.
“All at once. Take it.” Sevika told her, and damned if Vi was going to look like a little girl in front of Sevika. She coughed and gagged, but managed swallow most of it. It burned enough down her throat that it distracted her from the pain in her abdomen, “Powder know about this?”
“Yes.” Of course Powder did. What kind of sister did Sevika think Vi was? Of course Vi had taught her these things!
“Good.” Sevika looked pleased at that, “I’ll tell her that you’re alright, and to fetch you more hot water when you’re like this. That way you’ll get a new bottle when she gets home.”
Vi wasn’t sure what to say to that and she felt awkward with Sevika in her space, “Okay.”
Sevika gave another nod, slapped an awkward pat onto Vi’s shoulder, and turned around to pound up the stairs.
--
Vi hadn’t felt like this in a while. The dull ebbing in her lower back that she’d initially thought was from the past evening’s workout was increasing. She was no stranger to interrupted sleep. Her nights were usually restless, even as she learned to feel safe curled beside Caitlyn in her bed.
But this was something distantly familiar—rare due to stress or low body fat or poor diet or something in Stillwater. At least according to Stillwater’s low paid medical staff. Vi wasn’t sure that they had the best of knowledge, but she’d assumed they were right about her cycle.
Ah, shit. Her abdomen clenched, and Vi sat up as quickly and quietly as she could, steadying herself against the edge of the mattress.
Fuck, fuck. Pain seared around her middle as her uterus contracted.
Piltie girls had pads. She’d seen them in Caitlyn’s bathroom, under the vanity that they now shared. Vi slid out of bed as quietly as she could, walking hunched against the pain as she made it to the en suite. She sighed in relief as the flow hadn’t started yet, and she was able to stick one of the pads into her briefs and limp herself back to bed.
She curled against Caitlyn’s side, hoping her warmth would soothe her. It would pass. It always did. It just hurt. Pain never killed her before.
“You alright, lovely?” Caitlyn stirred.
“Fine.” Vi answered.
Caitlyn’s palm landed on her cheek, then moved to her forehead, pushing overgrown bangs back, “You’re sweaty.”
“Period cramps. It’s….” She paused to exhale as her abdomen contracted again, “Been a while. Took one of your pads. I hope you don’t mind.”
“No, no. I don’t mind. Have you taken any meds?” Caitlyn’s fingers sorted through her hair, brushing over her cheek bones and eyebrow.
Vi shook her head.
“I’ll get you some.”
“Bourbon should be fine.” She muttered against Caitlyn’s rib cage.
A pause, “Sounds more like a stomachache. Is that what you use? I don’t think we have any.”
“Sevika poured me a shot when I was a kid and having cramps at The Last Drop.”
Caitlyn untangled herself from Vi’s limbs, “From my limited knowledge, that sounds like Sevika. Did you know her well?”
“Sort of. She worked for Vander. Was always around.” Vi shrugged her shoulders, closing her eyes and trying to fight down another wave of pain. This time it stayed, and she exhaled through her teeth, tossing her head backward and trying to find a comfortable position.
“Oh, Violet.” Caitlyn cringed with her, making a sympathetic exhalation sound, “You look like you hurt. Trust me. I think this might work better.”
A kiss pressed to her forehead before Caitlyn left her again, jumping up and padding away on the carpet. She returned with a pill and a glass of water. Normally Vi would argue with her about it, but right now, she’d try just about anything. She swallowed the pill and sipped the water.
“Tea?”
“No, no. It’s the middle of the night, Cupcake.”
“I’ll make you some—”
Vi caught her arm, “No. I don’t need you to be up and fussing over me.”
“But I want to fuss over you.” Caitlyn nuzzled the side of her head, “Heat pack?”
And Vi remembered laying in her bunk. The long lost memory of Sevika tossing a hot bottle over her middle while they didn’t look at each other, the way Powder must have taken Sevika’s advice to heart, because later that night, she’d come to her with a warmed hot water bottle and had sat and braided Vi’s bangs while she rested, “Okay.”
“What are you thinking about?”
“Just how Sevika taught Powder how to treat cramps with hot water bottles and bourbon because she was irritated with me sulking around the bar looking like shit, I think.” Vi shook her head, “It’s so fucked up looking back. Especially with what she did now.”
“People change.” Caitlyn frowned, “Maybe she worried about you. You were a kid.”
“I was a kid when…when she betrayed Vander.” Vi pushed back.
“True.” Caitlyn conceded, “That is very true. Let’s not talk about her.”
Vi nodded in agreement, “I wish you would have gotten to meet Powder back then.”
“Me too. Let me get you a heat pack.”
“Thanks.” Vi smiled, reaching out to brush her thumb over Caitlyn’s knuckles. Caitlyn smiled, pushing Vi’s bangs away from her eyes.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
Caitlyn returned as promised, handing Vi the warm pack and curling back on her side of the bed. She opened her arms, and Vi took the invitation to rest her head against Caitlyn’s chest, “Better?”
“Better. Thank you.”
Caitlyn rested her chin down into Vi’s hair, “Of course. I can’t have you hurting. It should take a few minutes for the painkiller to work.”
Vi nodded and curled harder in on herself, clenching her jaw, and focusing on Caitlyn’s fingers working though her hair while she waited for the cramping to subside.
---
Thanks for reading this silly little fic. I’m not exactly known to greatly proofread my hastily typed ideas before I post, so I appreciate all of my readers who stick with me and flail over fictional lesbians with me. Love you all : )