#supposedlysapphicdrabbles

[supposedlysecretlysapphic]

"Quickly!"

Vi splashed through the puddles of the Lanes, Caitlyn and Ekko at her heels. A distant howl echoed off the rooftops, and Vi tucked her head down, pushing herself to run faster. Her arm throbbed, the claw marks still oozing into her wraps, but she bit through the pain, climbing up the guttering of the next alley.

She spun around, frantic as Caitlyn and Ekko dodged between loose crates and overturned carts. The Lanes were completely abandoned, it made Vi sick to her stomach. Caitlyn had almost caught up, but Ekko was further behind, the weight of his hoverboard slowing him down.

A huge, hulking mess of fur and tear broke from the shadows, tinged with vibrant, sickly green. It bounded across the Lanes with impossible speed, tearing through bricks and metal as if they were tissue paper. The shock of its footfalls vibrated through the Lanes, and part of the roofing ahead collapsed.

"Agh!" Ekko threw his hands over his head, forced to stop dead. It was enough for the monster to catch up. It roared, thick saliva dripping from blood-stained fangs. It stomped the ground, and Ekko yelped, knocked onto his back. The beast towered over him, snarling, but when their eyes met, it hesitated.

"Ekko!" Caitlyn snatched her rifle to her shoulder. She held her breath, the creature's head within the crosshairs.

"Wait, don't shoot!"

Caitlyn squeezed the trigger.

But her rifle jerked upwards. The bullet soared into the sky, and she cried out. Vi had her hand on the barrel, her grip like iron.

"What the hell, Vi?!" Caitlyn spluttered

Vi didn't answer. She jumped down to street level, sprinting to Ekko's side. The wolf-beast growled, heaving heavy breaths, and Vi staring right into its demonic green eyes.

"Vander," she said softly, "it's us."

[supposedlysecretlysapphic]

Duet

Muffled piano notes drift through the midnight air, and Vi blinks. Her arm reaches out, only to find cold sheets. A lurch shifts in her stomach, and she claws out of the blanket. Moonlight dances through the window, playing over the patch which still holds the imprint of Caitlyn’s body. Bleary-eyed, Vi stumbles to her feet. She almost trips on the threads of the floor map, cursing when she stubs a toe against a stray pin. Eventually she barges opens Caitlyn’s door, and the music soars. The delicate notes soothe Vi, the throb in her toe forgotten. Curious, she follows her ears, her barefoot steps matching the tempo of the music. The door to the music room is ajar. Vi pokes it open, and her breath catches.

Caitlyn sits at the piano. The warmth of an oil lantern bathes her shoulders, her fingers flying over the black and white keys. There’s sheet music in front of her, but her eyes are closed. Her head bobs, lost in the rhythm, a song she must have played many times to know so intimately. Vi taps her finger against her bicep, resisting the urge to hum along. She’s heard Caitlyn play before, but this is something else. There’s no hesitation, no stumbling; a perfect flow. The melody climbs, about to reach its crescendo. And suddenly it stops. Caitlyn huffs, blowing a strand of loose hair out of her face. Her hands still, and she stares at the sheet music. Her eyebrows crease, yet this isn’t the frustration of a perfectionist.

Something’s missing. “And when it was just getting good.” Vi siddles into the room, putting her arm around Caitlyn. “Did I distract you?”

“No.” Caitlyn doesn’t turn around, but she does lean into Vi’s touch.

Vi strokes her shoulder. “So why’d you stop?”

“I reached the end.” Caitlyn reaches for the piano lid, but Vi catches her wrist.

“I don’t know, Cupcake. Still sounds...unfinished to me.”

Caitlyn falls quiet. She plucks the sheet music, offering it to Vi. Vi takes it, squinting. She recognises some of the notation- thanks to Claggor’s teaching after he fixed up an old saxaphone- but this looks far messier and more complicated.

“It’s a duet,” Caitlyn explains. “It was one of the first songs I played with Mother.” She runs her fingers across the keys. “I was...awful. Mother refused to play it again until I got better. So I practiced and practiced, but time always eluded us. I kept telling myself ‘there’s always tomorrow’. And now...”

Her voice trails off.

Vi sucks in a breath.

“I’m sorry.” Vi lets her fingers trail down Caitlyn’s arm. “Still sounds beautiful to me.”

Caitlyn catches Vi’s palm with her own, squeezing.

“Thank you.”

“You know...” Vi rubs the back of her neck. “Why don’t you teach me the other part?”

Caitlyn quirks a brow. “You want to learn how to play?”

Vi flashes a lop sided smile. “Sure. You know I’m a fast learner.”

Caitlyn smiles back. Before she can respond, a long yawn grips her.

“Perhaps tomorrow.” She closes the piano lid.

“It’s a date.” Vi winks, kissing Caitlyn’s temple. “Now come back to bed.”

Caitlyn doesn’t protest, allowing Vi to lead her back to her room.

[supposedlysecretlysapphic]

Scars

Lightning cracks across the midnight sky. Vi flinches. Though she's in the warmth of Caitlyn's room, she stands by the window, her hand curled around her shoulder. The sinews and bone are as charged as the air outside, keeping her from sleep.

It shouldn't hurt, now. Not after seven years. But whenever the pressure fronts roll in, when quiet clouds burst into rumbling rain, that dull ache would start to gnaw. A starving dog grating its teeth, desperate to spill the marrow inside.

A permanent reminder of what happened that night.

The low groan of thunder echoes, shortly answered by Caitlyn's own grumble. Her hands find empty sheets, and her eyes open. It doesn't take long for them to find Vi, and her brow creases.

Wordlessly she rises, joining Vi's side. Vi rubs her shoulder, and Caitlyn rests her hand over inked skin.

"It's hurting again?"

Vi nods.

"Always does when it rains." She watches the pelt of droplets, set ablaze by the distant glow of the Hexgate. "Least I could always tell the weather when they put me in solitary."

Caitlyn slides her other arm around Vi. Her cheek nestles against Vi's neck, ruffling her hair. Her elegant fingers start to massage Vi's shoulder, and Vi leans into her. It takes the edge off barbed fangs, eliciting a sigh of relief.

"How are you so good at that?"

"I have a knack for striking my targets dead-on," Caitlyn answers. "Or, as someone decided to put it, I'm an alright shot."

Vi snorts.

"You'll never let me live that down, will you?"

"Probably not." Caitlyn smiles into Vi's hair. "But you can't say it's not coming in handy, hmm?"

Vi plants her palm over Caitlyn's fingers.

"Was pretty handy back then, too." She turns, softly kissing Caitlyn's temple.

A sly grin creeps across Caitlyn's lips.

"Still haven't learned to say thank you, either."

A playful elbow grazes her ribs.

"Maybe we'll get there one day," Vi teases. "If you ask nicely enough."

A sweet caress of lips dances up her neck.

"Oh, but I have a far better idea..."

[supposedlysecretlysapphic]

Sockless Wonder

Vi never had time to consider the little things.

Not down in Zaun. Certainly not in Stillwater.

Until one evening she limped into Caitlyn's room, blisters upon blisters on her calloused feet. Something she was used to. Unlike Caitlyn's reaction.

"You never wear socks?"

Vi scoffed.

"Socks just get wet and shredded," she shrugged, unlacing her boots. "Easier to go without them."

"You're going to shred your feet to pieces instead," Caitlyn chided. "Wait here."

Perched on the bed, barefoot, Vi did as told. She peered at the insoles of her boots. They still smelled of new leather, a recent gift from Caitlyn after her old ones fell apart.

Yet in her eagerness to try them out, she'd forgotten to break them in. Never had to before, since she'd never owned anything that wasn't already second hand.

Soon Caitlyn returned with a shallow bucket, filled with steaming water.

She set it under Vi, adding some scented oil and antiseptic, then tapped Vi's knee. "In you go."

Vi rolled up her trouser legs, then submerged her toes. The warmth washed away the burning sensation of too-many-rooftops crossed in one day. She sighed in relief.

Something else dropped into her lap. A pair of soft, cotton rich socks, black with white patches on the heel.

"Those should fit," Caitlyn said, sitting on the bed beside her. "At least until the boots wear a bit more."

Vi brushed her thumb over the fabric. "You're too kind, Cupcake."

"You need to be kinder to your feet, too."

"I know, I know." Vi held up her hands. "No more sockless wonder. I get it."

Caitlyn snorted back a laugh.

"Sockless wonder, indeed." She nudged Vi's shoulder with her own. "Come on, let's take a look at you, then..."