Chapter Text
Vi feels awful.
Like shit, actually.
Like someone kicked her in the stomach then shot her in the stomach over and over and over again.
Maybe that's a little dramatic.
Maybe.
What she does know is that waking in the arms of a beautiful woman made her feel like she'd pull through.
Those arms were Caitlyn's.
And those arms held her so tight that Vi knew she would be okay, that nothing bad would ever happen to her there.
Caitlyn had sensed she'd felt off yesterday almost immediately, throwing aside the first attempt at anything work related she'd done in seven weeks. ‘What's wrong, love?’
‘Noth--.’ The way Caitlyn had looked at her, all concerned and tender and lovingly stopped Vi from shrugging it off, especially as she had encouraged Caitlyn to be open about how she'd felt as she recovered.
And Caitlyn had lost an eye: bruised her ACL; broken half her ribs; and nearly bled to death from a dagger that'd been stabbed into her abdomen.
Caitlyn had fucking fought with that dagger in her.
She'd also broken two toes this past week as she was trying to adapt to having lost thirty percent of peripheral vision, her foot tripping over a stool that she would've otherwise seen before.
Vi's sudden sore stomach and nausea was so very incredibly minor in comparison.
‘I feel funny.’
Yet Caitlyn hadn't seen it as so very incredibly minor.
No, no.
Caitlyn had treated it as so very incredibly major, rubbing Vi's back softly before the hand snuck around Vi’s waist. ‘Let's go lay down for a little while, hm?’
That was late afternoon.
Vi had slept pretty much solidly since, minus the instance she'd woken to throw up and the instance Caitlyn had woken her up to hydrate and take some painkillers.
It's now morning.
Vi can't see the time, too comfy with her face buried in Caitlyn's neck to look. The sun is up and streams in through half open curtains, warming the arm Vi has resting on Caitlyn’s stomach.
Vi's own sun is up too, running fingers through Vi's hair, the tenderness of it prompting a contented mumble. ‘Good morning, darling.’
The name only makes Vi snuggle in more.
‘How are you feeling?’
Vi groans in response.
‘That good I see.’
‘Yeah.’ They’d ordered takeout a couple of nights ago. It was unhealthy, that was exactly why they'd ordered, craving the treat of greasy fast food. Vi wasn’t sure if it was the cause as they'd shared everything and Caitlyn was totally fine - unless Vi's stomach had just decided to betray her instead of being grateful for the greasy feast.
Fucking stomach.
Stupid fucking stomach.
‘Do you think you can manage some breakfast?’ Caitlyn’s hand had slipped down to Vi's cheek, thumb gently running over her tattoo.
‘I can try.’
‘Good, I'll try to make you something.’
Try. Vi lets out a small laugh at Caitlyn’s honesty, the woman had learned more about cooking the past few weeks from Vi than she had her entire life. ‘I can probably do it my--.’
‘No.’ It’s firm.
‘But--.’
‘No buts.’ Firmer.
‘I--.’
‘No.’ The firmest yet. ‘Darling, the past two months you’ve looked after me.’
She had. It wasn’t an obligation or a chore or anything of that kind.
It was Caitlyn.
She’d do it again if, gods forbid, there was ever a reason to.
‘Let me look after you.’
It wasn’t the worst idea in the world. The way Caitlyn was tenderly stroking her cheek was making Vi think it would be entirely possible all her ails would be cured within minutes. Vi still looks up to meet Caitlyn’s gaze, a beautiful eye awaiting her.
The other one, that brilliant blue one, was just as gorgeous.
And the smile? The smile that seemed to be reserved for her? Fuuuuuuck.
Vi nestles in even more, eyes already closing. ‘I guess I can...let you.’
Caitlyn hums. ‘Quite bold of you to assume you even had a choice to begin with.’ She kisses the top of Vi’s head. ‘But thank you for letting me, even though I do very much suspect you aren’t letting me out of this bed anytime soon.’
‘You suspect right.’ Vi’s hand slips under Caitlyn’s shirt, fingers skimming over a surgical scar that was now starting to fade. ‘You’re comfy.’
‘Would you like to be comfier?’
‘Don’t think that’s possible.’
At least, that’s what she thinks until Caitlyn shifts onto her side, pulling Vi’s face into her chest. ‘You sure about that, darling?’
So comfy.
So warm.
So...
Shit.
Vi huffs.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘In here? Nothing.’ Not a damn thing. She could, and she would if she could, live here with her face buried, absolutely buried, in Caitlyn’s bosom. She’d pay her rent with kisses and nuzzles and nibbles, the things Caitlyn loved...and she very much loved all that, there’d be no possibility of eviction. It was just... ‘I need to pee.’
‘Then go.’
‘I don’t wanna.’
‘They aren’t going anywhere, they'll be waiting for you.’
'But-.'
'What did I say about buts?'
Vi resurfaces. ‘Okay.’
‘Go.’
‘I am.’
‘You’re not.’
Guilty as hell, she smirks as she stares. ‘I just think they’re neat, you know?’
Caitlyn is unable to fight the smile on her face as she gently shoves Vi. ‘Go. Now.’
Begrudgingly, Vi rolls out of bed, feet landing on the soft rug that leads the way to the ensuite, rug becoming cold marble.
She sits, pees and--.
‘Oh...fuck.’
The word summons Caitlyn, who sticks her head around the door. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘I, uh...know why I’ve been feeling like shit.’ Vi sighs. ‘I got my period.’
She hasn’t had a period since Stillwater.
Early Stillwater.
It’d been so long that she’d just assumed that was it, she’d never have one again.
In all honesty, she'd kinda forgotten they existed.
Then she moved in with Caitlyn.
Almost two months of sleeping and eating properly and, perhaps more importantly, of her body not being beaten within an inch of her life on a daily basis.
Almost two months of rest.
Almost two months of being loved, incredibly so, by a woman who rushed to offer a change of clothes and a variety of supplies. ‘Use whatever you want.’
‘Cait.’ Vi catches her arm before she dashes off again.
‘Yes?’
Take it a little easier. That’s what she wants to say, knowing that just yesterday she'd lost her balance on the last step of the stairs. ‘Thank you,’ is what she settles on, never wanting to patronize or suffocate.
Caitlyn smiles. ‘I’ll go and get you something for your cramps. It’s easier now I know what’s up with you.’ She meets Vi’s lips with hers. ‘Freshen up a little bit, I’ll be back shortly.’
Shortly Vi estimates to be no longer than ten minutes.
Shortly couldn’t be any longer than fifteen.
When shortly becomes twenty minutes, Vi goes looking.
And finds Caitlyn with her hand under one of the kitchen faucets, tears streaking her cheeks.
It’s Vi’s turn now to rush over, testing the water temperature before adjusting the temperature from cold to cool. She doesn’t mention the hot water bottle that lays in the sink that was obviously dropped after spilling boiling water on her hand.
A shaking hand that Vi steadies with her own.
‘I’m an idiot.’
‘You’re not.’
‘I am.’ Her voice trembles with every word. ‘You’ve done everything for me, I can’t even help you with bloody cramps.’
Vi lets a few moments pass before pouncing on the opportunity. ‘Pun intended?’
‘What?’
‘Bloody cramps?’
‘Vi, I--.’ She snorts.
Caitlyn fully snorts before allowing the laughter to take over her body, the hand Vi is holding under the running water now shaking for a whole other reason.
‘Babe, stay still. You’re making me wet.’
‘Oh? And since when was that an issue?’ Caitlyn bumps her hip into Vi’s. ‘Never heard you complain about that before.’
‘You’ve never got me wet in your family kitchen before.’
A brow rises. ‘Is that so?’
Vi smirks.
‘Is that a fact or a challenge?’
And Vi then shrugs. ‘It is what it is.’
‘And it is...what, exactly?’
‘Whatever you want it to be, Cupcake.’ At the very least, it was a happy distraction right now and one that would make the next however long they stood here easier.
It worked until Tobias wandered in and over.
‘Caitlyn? What happened?’
‘I burnt my hand trying to fill the hot water bottle,’ she shrugs, trying to shrug him off. 'It's okay.'
‘It isn't. Why couldn’t Violet have done that?
Vi steps that bit closer to Caitlyn.
‘No, father, she couldn't have because I was filling it.’
‘But Vi could’ve,’ he continues. ‘And should’ve.’
It’s not malicious. Vi knows that, she knows that Caitlyn does too. It didn't mean it was the right thing to say. ‘Tobias. Caitlyn was filling it.’
‘And why couldn’t you?’
‘Because she’s an adult that’s capable of doing things herself?’ She was surprised at how calm the words were coming out of her mouth when the urge to tell him to fuck off was rising, and she wasn’t necessarily sure she could blame her period hormones for it. ‘Accidents happen, it’s cool. She said it was okay, and it is.’
‘You need to be more careful Caitlyn, especially now.’ He tries to get close to see the damage but is stopped by his daughter’s other hand.
‘Violet is handling it.’
He looks at her then at Vi before he leaves.
Vi touches Caitlyn’s back. Ignore him.
It prompts a small nod before Caitlyn blinks, gaze returning to her injured hand. ‘How much longer?’
‘A little bit.’
That translates to a little over five minutes before cleaning the wound out. Vi opts to apply honey before wrapping a bandage around it.
Caitlyn is curious. ‘Honey?’
‘Yes, darling?’
‘No, I meant--.’
Vi grins.
‘I hate you.’
‘Sure, that’s why you told me you loved me.’ And had done every day, multiple times and sometimes repeatedly, since that first time a week ago.
‘I hate you sometimes.’
‘Sure, sure.’
‘But, again...honey?’
‘What is it, baby?’
The cute little furrowed brow and the puffed cheeks as she pouted...how was it possible for a woman to be both so gosh darn adorable while also being so fucking sexy? ‘Violet.’
‘Caitlyn.’
‘Why did you use honey?’
‘Was that so difficult?’
‘Why are you so difficult?’
‘Because it’s fun?’ Vi laughs. ‘And honey can help. Kills bacteria and reduces inflammation, used a few times when I was--.’ She stops herself, not sure if she should tell Caitlyn.
Fuck it.
No secrets.
‘Uh, fighting...in the pits.’
‘When we were--.’
‘Yeah. Then.’
‘I did wonder when we brought you back here and I saw...’
A nod, and gratitude for the way Caitlyn had looked after her then when they were two lost souls, both unsure of what the future held. Caitlyn had taken her in and gave up her own bedroom, the creased pillows and duvet that lay at the other side of Vi when she finally woke up, a sign that Caitlyn had also given up her own time to be there, next to her. ‘And washed that shit out of my hair.’
‘That wasn’t easy, so you know.’
‘I can imagine,’ Vi laughs. ‘That shit wasn’t regulated dye.
‘Do I even want to know what it was?’
‘Probably best you don’t.’ Vi finishes off by bandaging Caitlyn’s hand, kissing each knuckle so fucking obnoxiously, as if it was a fucking xylophone, knowing it would make Caitlyn giggle. ‘Now. How do you want to spend today?’
Caitlyn’s plan is unexpected.
Though, given the little incident with her father in the kitchen, made sense.
‘It used to be a storage room,’ Caitlyn explains as she leads Vi down one of the many corridors of the Kiramman house, one Vi can’t yet say definitively say she’s been down before, their joined hands swinging as they walked. ‘Still, technically, is. It’s just been forgotten about and,’ she brings them to a stop outside a door, bringing a key out of the pockets of the joggers she’d stolen from Vi. ‘I’m the only one that has the key.’
The lock clicks open.
‘I used to come in here to hide from my parents. Well, my mother. As much as I love...loved her, you could probably tell from your brief meeting that she had the tenacity to be overbearing sometimes.’ Caitlyn pushes open the door, flips on the light switch. ‘This was my little sanctuary when being Caitlyn Kiramman got too much.’
That much was obvious as Vi steps inside, the room distinctly different from every other room she’d been in so far. No fancy decor, no real theme.
An old tattered couch sits in one corner, with a bunch of different colored blankets stacked on it.
A wooden desk sits against a wall, the once probably well maintained - and expensive - whatever kind of wood chipped away at, scribbles and drawings graffitied all over.
Artwork on yellowing white, creased paper were taped to plain white walls.
Most interestingly was a set of small wooden targets all lined neatly against another wall
Caitlyn sees that has caught Vi’s eye in particular. ‘Jayce got me those. And this,’ she picks up a plastic rifle that was leaning against the desk, loaded with orange foam bullets. ‘My mother wouldn’t let me practice as much as I wanted, she was always adamant that school was more important.’
‘Because she didn’t want you to become an enforcer.’
‘Yes.’ She checks her plastic clip before raising the rifle.
Pop.
Pop.
Pop.
Pop.
Pop.
Pop.
All targets hit.
All bullseyes.
‘Not bad for someone who can’t be trusted with a kettle, apparently.’ Caitlyn sighs. ‘It isn't quite the real thing though.’
‘It’s a start,’ Vi counters.
‘Or is it just muscle memory?’
‘Wouldn’t that be the same thing?’
‘Maybe.’
‘Tell me when you feel up to firing the real deal and I’ll come with you.’ Vi holds out her hand. ‘My turn.’
‘Okay.’ Caitlyn reloads and passes it over.
‘Prepare to be blown away.’
‘Mhm. Go for it, darling.’
Pop.
Pop.
Pop.
‘The bullets seem slow in coming out.’
Caitlyn laughs. ‘They seem okay to me.’
Pop.
‘Are you sure? It’s like they’re sticking.’
‘And it’s like you’re inventing excuses.’
Pop.
‘Yeah! I got one.’
‘Congratulations on getting one.’
Pop.
‘That was slow. Again.’
‘That’s an excuse. Again.’ Wrapping arms around Vi’s waist, Caitlyn nuzzles her neck. ‘I can show you how to do it, if that’s something you’d be interested in?’
‘I might be.’ The tight grasp around a stomach that was beginning to settle...felt just right. ‘How do you propose teaching me?’
‘Hands on.’
Breath hot against Vi’s ear, her teeth nibbled at the lobe.
‘And intensive.’
Fuck.
How could Vi possibly say no?
They spend the rest of the morning in Caitlyn’s sanctuary, and the afternoon too.
Shooting practice ended abruptly after Caitlyn shoved Vi onto the couch, her mouth finally shutting up Vi’s.
‘You’re so fucking annoying sometimes. Are you aware of that?’
Vi was more than aware, thriving on being so when the payouts were this good. ‘And yet, here you are. On my lap.’
‘Shut up.’
‘Make me.’
‘I’m fucking trying to.’
And she did, kinda. As the kisses and bites calmed down into softer cuddles, Caitlyn eventually pulling one of the many blankets over them, they lay there, Vi in Caitlyn’s arms, both finding the peace to nap.
Vi wakes up and all earlier pains seem gone.
She’s stricken only by an overwhelming feeling of love, and another of feeling loved. ‘I like this place.’
‘This room or this house?’
Your arms. That's the real answer.
‘This room,’ is what Vi gives.
‘And the house?’
‘It’s...’ She tails off, not so sure how to answer. It’s a beautiful house, she wouldn’t and could never deny that, much like how she couldn’t deny or downplay her gratitude for getting to live in it. The gardens were gorgeous, an entire world of calm and quiet in itself, one that went on for days. Much like the house itself, Vi had barely scratched the surface of what she’d seen so far, it was--. ‘Big. Very big.’
Caitlyn hums. ‘Too big?’
‘Yes?’
‘I think so too.’ A sigh follows that sad tinged tone. ‘And it’s mine now. Technically.’
‘But it’s too big?’
‘I know how fortunate I am to have this and to have grown up here but I...I don’t know if I want to spend my entire life here. I’m supposed to...I have to.’
‘You don’t have to do anything.’
‘I’m a Kiramman.’
‘You’re Caitlyn Kiramman. Your own person. If you don’t want to live here then you don’t have to.’
‘I don’t know if it’s that simple.’
‘No, it can be. It--.’ Vi tries to twist and turn to face Caitlyn... tries. She underestimates how narrow the couch is for two people, gravity does the rest.
Her ass takes the brunt of the fall.
‘Are you okay?’
A thumb is raised in the air. ‘I’m good.’
‘Good. Now I can laugh and not feel bad.’ So Caitlyn does.
Vi huffs as she pushes herself to her knees. ‘Maybe I hate you sometimes too.’
‘Oh darling don’t be absurd.’
It was absurdity. Absolute absurdity in fact. Merely saying those words felt so unnatural, the fattest lie to ever leave her lips. ‘Yeah, yeah. You got me. I love you.’
Caitlyn reaches for Vi, a hand on either cheek pulling her closer. ‘Good, because I lied earlier.’
‘About?’
‘Hating you sometimes,’ she says before her face scrunches in the fucking cutest way. How it was humanly possible that this woman led an army into a war? This woman perplexed Vi daily, being the most impossibly beautiful enigma. ‘Actually, no. I rescind that. I do hate you sometimes, you can be infuriating.’
‘Excellent, I aim to be.’
Caitlyn chuckles. ‘Oh I know. So I do hate you sometimes.’ Gently, she guides Vi's lips to meet hers. ‘But I love you, always.’
‘Even when I'm infuriating?’
Another kiss. ‘Especially when you're infuriating.’ She smiles. ‘You still owe me that date by the way.’
Vi does, she hadn’t forgotten. ‘And you still owe me your, and I quote, finest bottle of wine.’ She hasn’t forgotten that either. How could she forget what they’d both feared could be their final moments together, holding on to each other so fucking tightly in their respective sets of armour before they headed into the battlefield, about to fight a war in which casualties were guaranteed?
They’d both put on a brave face, making promises they weren’t sure they’d be able to follow through on.
‘I’ll take you on a proper date when this is done.’
‘I’ll crack open the finest bottle of wine we have, just for us.’
Watching Caitlyn walk away...Vi had truly thought that would be the last time she’d see her, truly thought she’d lose another person in her life - or that Caitlyn would lose her. At least one of those scenarios had seemed likely.
Yet they’d survived.
They could have that date, that bottle of wine.
‘Where do you wanna go?’
‘Right now?’ Caitlyn caressed Vi’s cheek. ‘I...I don’t want to go anywhere. Not like this, I- I’m not ready yet.’
‘And that’s okay,’ Vi reassures. They’d made a few tentative ventures into the outside world, a few walks around more secluded and quieter routes near the house. Caitlyn hadn’t made any real public appearances besides that but they were working on it.
‘I don’t want to ruin our first proper date by people...staring.’
‘And I don’t want to ruin it by telling those people to fuck off.’
Caitlyn chuckles. ‘Yes. That too.’
An idea comes to Vi. ‘Tomorrow.’
‘What about it?’
‘We’ll have our date tomorrow.’
‘Where?’
‘In this house somewhere, just the two of us. We'll have that wine, dress up nice...I’ll try to dress up nice too, I’ll figure that out.’ Her wardrobe was, admittedly, very limited at the moment. Mostly sweats and tanktops, some stuff borrowed from Caitlyn and whatever she had left behind here from previous visits. Nothing much, and certainly nothing fancy. She’d find something. ‘What do you say?’
‘I say that sounds excellent.’
For the rest of the day, Vi's mind swirls with ideas about how to reach the lofty standard of excellent.
Caitlyn deserves excellent, she fucking deserves extraordinary.
Her mind’s so focussed on thinking what to do, she almost doesn’t register the fact Caitlyn has slipped into a little red silk slip for bed that evening.
Almost - if her heart didn’t race at catching a mere glimpse of that then she’d definitely be in some sort of severe cardiovascular predicament, on the cusp of death.
Fuuuuck.
She slips out from the duvet she’d just made herself comfortable under, wanting a closer look as Caitlyn heads into the bathroom to sort her hair.
She nearly sprints in pursuit.
Though Vi wasn’t the hunter.
Ideally, she’d like to be the prey.
She pushes herself onto her tippytoes to be able to reach Caitlyn’s shoulder with her chin, her arms snaking around--.
The brush clatters into the sink.
Caitlyn spins, grabbing Vi by the throat and slamming her against the wall.
‘C-C-Cait?’ She's in a vice grip, struggling for air but Vi doesn’t struggle.
It’s Caitlyn, she's not fighting her.
Except it’s not Caitlyn.
The eyes aren’t kind or soft or alluring or...anything, they’re completely devoid of everything.
Until Caitlyn blinks, her expression changing instantly as she stutters. 'I-I-.'
She lets go, eyes filling with tears as she backs off, shaking, then retreats into their bedroom.
What the...?
‘Cait?’