Chapter Text
Caitlyn hurried down the University halls, terribly close to being late for her next class. She’d been working ahead on her midterm social studies assignment–a truly fascinating study on the role religion played in war. It was a difficult paper to write, denying herself the obvious impulse of writing off the idea of god as a frivolous control tactic people came up with to unite the masses in a pseudo-cult.
Though she did agree with that sentiment, she wasn’t sure if her professor was religious himself, and she refused to be marked down simply because someone was offended she thought they were a little asinine to dedicate their lives to an imaginary friend. To take that fully seriously offended Caitlyn’s intellect.
However, she could shove that aside and focus on the community aspect, the driving force, the something to believe in. To die for. And of course, the ever-convenient heaven. What better way to reassure young soldiers as they marched to their deaths? A false hope was better than none, she supposed.
Suddenly, Caitlyn felt herself knocked to the ground, her bag falling open and her books falling around her as she let out a sharp gasp. How she missed running into the wall of muscle directly in front of her bordered on impressive, though fell directly into the category of ‘very fucking stupid’.
“Shit, shit, shit,” The young woman she’d run into scrambled to her knees gathering the scattered textbooks, muscular, tattooed arms reaching in a frenzy.
Caitlyn’s frown soured deeper as she faced the girl. Vi.
Vi was the kind of person that made Caitlyn feel like a snob for disliking. But how could she not? Vi was known for a few things: skipping her classes more consistently than showing up, showing up drunk or completely stoned when she did, partying constantly, getting in fights, fucking every queer woman she could get her hands on… The behavior was simply embarrassing to watch. She was probably drunk now, running into people in the hallways…
“It’s alright,” Caitlyn said curtly, pushing her blue hair out of her face, standing up, and taking her books from Vi. “My fault. I should’ve watched where I was going.”
Vi nodded, stepping back. God, she looked like an obnoxious frat boy. Wearing sweatpants and a white wife beater with arms so loose it completely showed her black sports bra–it was probably against the dress code–not that Vi would ever get in trouble for anything she did against the rules anyway. The university needed her too desperately for their women’s boxing team to care about much else.
“Yeah, me too,” she sniffed, wiping her nose with her wrist like a toddler. “Where are you off to in such a hurry?”
“Advanced Calculus,” Caitlyn replied, shoving her last book on her bag and standing up straight, pleasantly pleased by how she towered above Vi by a solid five inches.
Vi grimaced. “Sounds awful. Wanna ditch? I got a friend outside rolling joints, we can share one.”
Caitlyn couldn’t hold back her look of disdain. What about her, in her ironed button-up shirt, blazer, matching pencil skirt, and neat tights, on her way to Advanced Calculus, gave Vi the impression that she’d want to join her for a smoke? Ridiculous.
“No… Thank you. Vi, right?”
“The one and only,” She grinned obnoxiously. “And you are?”
“Late for class,” Caitlyn started to head away, not in the mood to speak to this delinquent of a woman any longer.
Caitlyn felt her blood curdle as footsteps followed behind her. For a brief moment, she fully understood religion, because she’d pray to a fucking wall right now if it made Miss Undercut McQueer leave her alone.
“Okay, hardass,” Vi taunted, striding beside her. “I can play the guessing game, too. You’re that Kiramman girl yeah? Your mom’s on the school board right?”
Caitlyn didn't dignify a response. She could make it to class and only be two minutes late if she didn’t interact, and quite simply put, she cared a whole lot more about getting to class before facing the awkward looks of everyone watching her find her seat after class had already started than she did about sparing Vi’s feelings.
“You look just like her, got that same no-nonsense RBF,” Vi continued assaulting Caitlyn’s ears with her incessant yapping. “Caitlyn? Yeah? Weren’t you Valedictorian last year? Suppose that’s easier when your momma’s on the school bo–”
“My mother had nothing to do with that,” Caitlyn snapped.
“So you are Caitlyn Kiramman!” Vi grinned. “I’m good at this game.”
That… that fucking bitch was trying to get a reaction. Purposely trying to get Caitlyn worked up for a response for… for what? For a sick little game? Was she that emotionally wounded from being turned down a smoke that she felt the need to now torment her? How absolutely… childish.
“You’re so clever,” Caitlyn glared, thankful she was at least close to the door.
“I’m just playing with you, Kiramman,” Vi shoved her hands in her pockets, pacing slightly faster to stay in her line of sight. “No need to get your panties in a twist.”
Caitlyn’s mouth gaped at that, nearly stopping in her tracks. She did not just say that. Her stubbornness refused to let Vi get the last word in, not after that. “My panties are just fine, thank you very much.”
“I’m sure they’re lovely,” Vi smirked, her eyes dropping to the back of Caitlyn’s pencil skirt for a half second before she spun around, leaving Caitlyn fuming with her mouth open.
What an absolute dolt.
Caitlyn decided from that point on, that she really didn’t like Vi.
She was loud, obnoxious, and obscene. She cursed like a sailor, drank like a veteran, smoked like a hippie, and dressed like a teenage boy. Everything about her made Caitlyn seeth. She’d walk the long way around Uni to avoid running into her and she made a point to look anywhere but at Vi whenever she was forced to share a space with her. She simply didn’t like her. They didn’t mesh. She didn’t see what anyone saw in her.
So one can only imagine her absolute abhorrence when Jayce informed her that he was making friends with her.
Caitlyn had to bite her tongue as Jayce mentioned the object of Caitlyn’s deepest petty indignance, sitting idly on Caitlyn’s couch, practically raving about how “cool” Vi was for downing shots at a party. How abysmal.
“I’m not fond of her,” Caitlyn stated abruptly, taking a sip of her tea as she seethed in her armchair.
“Why not?” Jayce glanced up, puzzled. “She’s nice.”
“She’s a complete delinquent.”
“No kidding. She left like halfway through the party to some room upstairs, came back down like an hour and a half later with a girl who could barely stand,” He laughed as if that behavior was anything but repulsive. “She’s a real party animal.”
“Charming,” Cait deadpanned, setting down her tea cup with a light thud. “Does she even go to class? Or does she just spend all her time sneaking upstairs for quickies in houses that aren’t even her own?”
“You’re just jealous you haven’t gotten any since Maddie your freshman year,” Jayce teased, reaching to shove Caitlyn playfully.
She was not amused.
“Oh, quiet, you,” She rolled her eyes at the mere mention of her ex. “I’m not jealous of some… thug,” she scoffed, wishing she could think of a harsher term.
“What do you have against her?” He chuckled, clearly amused by Caitlyn’s vendetta against a girl she’d only spoken to once. “Okay, she’s not the most academic, but she seems nice. She just knows how to let loose. You could learn a thing or two.”
“What, like how to roll a blunt? No thanks. I prefer to focus on more practical things.”
“Yeah, right, because—” Jayce lifted one of Caitlyn’s textbooks. “—Advanced Calculus is gonna come up so often on your day-to-day after Uni.”
Caitlyn glared at Jayce, snatching the textbook from his hand. “At least I’m prepared for my future, unlike some ruffians who are only concerned with their next drunken hookup,” she snapped, setting the book back on the shelf with more force than necessary.
“Why are you so concerned for her future, I thought you didn’t like her,” He rolled his eyes.
“I don’t! It’s just… frustrating to watch. I don’t understand how anyone lives so carelessly. She could do so much more if she quit wasting so much time.”
“You seem to care a whole lot for this girl you supposedly hate,” Jayce snorted. “Are you sure you don’t just think she’s hot?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Cait couldn’t hold back her laugh. “Just because I’m a lesbian doesn’t mean I’m attracted to every woman I come into contact with. Unlike some…”
“Okay, okay… my bad, my bad…” He raised his hands in defeat, still seeming irritatingly amused.
She sank back into her armchair, her heart pounding for no reason other than to piss her off. “I just... I don't understand why everyone idolizes her. She’s trouble everywhere she goes,” she muttered, picking up her abandoned tea cup, and swirling around the liquid in her hands.
“She’s fun, Cait, it’s that simple,” Jayce shrugged, playing with the empty teacup he’d downed within five minutes of it being poured. “Maybe… You’re a little resentful to see someone who lets loose so easily when you force yourself to be so disciplined you forget to have fun,” Jayce offered tentatively.
“I can have fun! I have friends. I… go out,” Caitlyn tried.
“Your friends are my friends, and you only go out when I make you. Otherwise, you’re holed up in Cait-land,” Jayce set down the cup, sitting up and kicking his feet onto the coffee table. “Speaking of which, Vi–”
“No,” Cait shut down instantly.
“Hear me out, hear me out,” He raised a hand. “Vi–I know you hate her–but she’s having a little bonfire party at one of her friend’s backyards. It’s gonna be chill, and lowkey… She invited me and told me to bring a friend… And Viktor and Mel are both busy, and if I go alone I’m gonna feel super awkward–”
“No,” Caitlyn rolled her eyes, not even needing to consider.
“Please?” He folded his hands together.
“No.”
“Pretty please?”
“Oh my god,” She covered her face in her hands. “You’re insufferable.”
“I’ll fix that broken stereo in your car.”
“You said you were gonna do that anyway,” Cait scoffed, feeling a little offended.
“We both know I planned on procrastinating on that for at least a month. You come with me and I’ll fix it before this Saturday. Promise.”
Caitlyn chewed the inside of her cheek. She did want to be able to listen to music or audiobooks in her car again without that awful fuzzy crackling sound. And Jayce was desperate for her to come…
“Fine… I’ll come on two conditions. One, you fix the stereo. Two, we drive separate cars and I’m allowed to ditch at any point I want, even if it’s only twenty minutes in,” Caitlyn was regretting her words as they came out of her mouth.
“Deal. It starts in three hours,” Jayce grinned, texting Cait the address.
God, she was going to regret this.
She chose to dress warm, going for her black turtleneck sweater and some simple trousers. They were form-fitting, showing her curves, while not being anything vulgar. She’d even taken the time to toss on some makeup. She wasn’t sure what she was dressing up for, but she rarely went out so she might as well while she had the chance.
She felt anxiety the moment she arrived, purposely coming late, and texting Jayce to come out and bring her to the backyard himself. She simply refused to have her first interaction here be with a stranger, or worse, Vi.
God, why did she do this? She didn’t need a stereo that bad. Her dad would purchase her a new better one if she just asked, but she did hate spending her parents’ money more than she had to. Them paying for her University made her feel dependent enough.
“Let’s go, sprout,” Jayce smiled, holding out his arm to link hers. He knew her well enough to know she was anxious in these social situations. And yet here he was, dragging her into another one.
They stepped past a small old-looking house, which couldn’t have been more than a three-bedroom, to the backyard, where Caitlyn was assaulted by the scent of fire, marijuana, and alcohol. There weren't more than ten, maybe fifteen people there, but Caitlyn still found it to be far, far too much.
Thankfully, the backyard was large enough that she’d be able to easily disappear if she needed to. It was really less of a backyard in the urban sense and more of a partially fenced private woods. The back part of the yard led directly into a cozy forest; which worried Caitlyn a tad, as it wasn't far at all from the massive bonfire set in the center of the yard. Though, they were a good month out of fire season, so she let it go.
Her analysis of the new environment was rudely interrupted by Vi’s unnecessarily dramatic approach, arms raised as if Caitlyn would want to see her, her gray hoodie reeking of weed. “Kiramman? I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Jayce made me come,” She chuckled politely, tugging Jayces shoulder, trying to play nice.
“I didn’t know you guys knew each other,” Vi shoved her hand in her pockets, facing Jayce.
“Yeah, Cait and I go way back. She’s basically my little sister.”
“Aw, that’s sweet,” Vi’s eyes found Caitlyn’s again, her gray-blue stare strangely intense as she looked her up and down. “Don’t you look sweet as a cupcake?”
Caitlyn was sure other girls found Vi’s flirting charming, sure they fed into her big fat ego with every ridiculous quip they giggled at. Caitlyn, ever unable to control her face, made a quite deliberate scowl at the comment. But, of course, being the absolute menace she was, it only made Vi want to push the line further.
She stepped between Cait and Jayce, spinning around and draping an arm around one each, putting them both in the awkward position of having to crouch slightly to meet Vi’s height. “Come on, you guys gotta meet everyone. They’ll love you.”
Caitlyn decided the stereo was very much not worth this, though she feared it was far too late to back out now.
She somehow found herself sitting on a log, facing the fire, sandwiched between Jayce, who was uselessly making conversation with some stranger, and Vi, who was manspreading so aggressively that Caitlyn had to cross her legs to prevent Vi’s knee from banging against her legs. Rude.
“Oh, sick, thanks, little man,” Vi grinned, taking a pipe from a man a little shorter than her, with dark skin and white locs. Vi eagerly lit the bowl, taking a long hit before passing it and the lighter to Caitlyn.
“No, thank you,” she curled her nose in distaste. Vi just shrugged and passed it to Jayce, who wordlessly passed it to the next guy.
“Cupcake,” Vi lightly swatted her shoulder, making Caitlyn irrationally angry. They were not on nickname terms.
“This is Ekko. Ekko, this is Caitlyn,” Vi introduced quickly, before standing up and wandering somewhere else.
“Hey,” Ekko nodded his head, holding out his hand and giving her a firm, friendly, handshake. “Nice to meet you.”
“Pleasure,” Caitlyn smiled awkwardly. Ekko seemed nice, and chill, but Caitlyn abhorred meeting new people. “I’m Caitlyn.”
“Yeah, she said,” Ekko teased lightly, letting out a soft laugh.
Caitlyn was mortified. She couldn’t do anything right.
The pipe made its way around surprisingly fast, already back in Ekko’s hand as he offered it to Caitlyn. Or maybe it was a different pipe? She politely shook her head, grabbing it to pass to Jayce. She was pretty sure that was the etiquette. Right?
“Not a smoker?” Ekko asked nonjudgmentally, clearly just trying to make conversation.
“No,” She chuckled awkwardly. “I’m more of a stay-in-at-home than a go-out-and-smoke kinda girl.”
“Yeah, I’m more of a stay-in-and-smoke kinda guy, but Vi and her sister are always dragging me out places,” Ekko laughed.
“Vi has a sister?” Caitlyn looked around.
“Yeah, a younger one. She’s not here, Vi doesn’t take her anywhere with drinking and smoking, ironically enough,” He rolled his eyes.
“Well, that’s not hypocritical at all,” Cait rolled her eyes, glancing up at Vi taking shots with a tall, curvy, blonde-haired girl. Figures.
“Eh,” He shrugged. “That’s Vi, she’ll take care of anyone but herself.”
“Are you guys close?” Caitlyn asked, feeling comfortable for the first time since arriving, there was something calming about Ekko. He seemed the opposite of Vi.
“Yeah, we go way back,” He nodded, pausing to grab a pipe that was passed to him, taking a quick hit before passing it past Cait. “We met in the foster system as kids. Thick as thieves since.”
Caitlyn watched as Vi laughed loudly with that blonde girl, her eyes softening slightly at Ekko's words. “I... I didn't know that,” she said quietly, suddenly feeling like she’d been unfairly judgmental about Vi. “That must have been tough.”
“It’s alright. Vi and her sis got put in a pretty good home. She pretty much forced her foster dad to find someone to take me,” He chuckled, shaking his head. “but it worked out. And I got to go back to my folks eventually, they just needed a divorce and a lotta rehab.”
Caitlyn nodded sympathetically. That was a lot of information to take in from a stranger. “It’s nice that you were able to stay in touch.”
“Family isn’t always blood, Vi’s a big sis to everyone she meets,” he smiled, cringing slightly as he glanced over to Vi pushing up the blonde girl against a tree, making out rather scandalously for being in public. “Well… maybe not everyone.”
“Oh… Goodness,” Caitlyn’s eyes widened. Weren’t those two just talking? “That escalated very quickly.”
“That’s Vi for you,” He shrugged. “I give it five minutes before they disappear.”
“I’ll bet,” Caitlyn muttered, watching as the crowd seemed to part, allowing Vi and the blonde to slip away unnoticed. “Where do they go, do you think? Some secret make-out spot?”
“There’s no secrets back there, it's my backyard,” He laughed. “She’ll go finger fuck her in a bush or something.”
Caitlyn gasped at the boldness of his words. “Excuse me?”
“Sorry,” He snorted softly, shaking his head. “I have a tendency of oversharing while high, I didn’t mean to dump my life story and Vi’s sex life within ten minutes of meeting you.”
Caitlyn chuckled at that. “That’s alright. I’m not used to being around people who are so… unreserved.”
“We’re all undercity kids, it’s the way we roll,” Ekko smiled, taking another hit as the pipe came his way again. “Do you drink? I can grab you some wine if you’d like.”
“That sounds nice actually.”
The next half hour was surprisingly pleasant. She had two glasses of wine, introduced Ekko to Jayce and they all chatted about random idle topics, enjoying the buzz of being a little less than sober and the warm crackle from the bonfire.
Despite enjoying herself, Caitlyn’s social battery wore thin fast, and she found herself making a quick stroll into the woods for some space. It was surprisingly well-lit, Ekko and his roommates had decorated the place with colorful lights and lanterns, as well as spray paint and tapestries on some of the trees. That combined with all the fireflies that zipped around the area made for a quite phenomenal little stroll. The breeze in her face… the light of the stars… the crunch of the falling leaves… the… the sounds of heavy breathing?
Caitlyn curiously rounded a bush, hearing strange noises further down. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw it.
“Vi… fuck…”
The blonde girl from earlier was sitting on a log, trembling, Vi sat behind her, one hand wrapped around her neck, the other disappearing down her bunched-up skirt, her wrist movements doing nothing to hide her actions.
“Yeah, baby? You like that?” Vi murmured in her ear, barely audible from where Caitlyn was frozen in shock. “You getting close again?”
They were fucking in the woods. The woods. Her friend’s fucking backyard. Who does that?
“Please, Vi… Please, please… please let me come… I’m so close…” She let out a broken moan as Vi pulled her hand away for a half second before pushing it back, shockingly deep. “Fuck!”
Caitlyn’s heart dropped into her stomach and her face burned. This was… pornographic. She’d heard from whispers in the hall that Vi was… well… like this… but…
“Shhh, shh, someone could hear… know what a good slut you are…” Vi trailed her hand down from her neck, up her shirt, groping her breast. “Bet you’d like that wouldn’t you…? You’re gonna go back and everyone's gonna know what you did… How bad you needed me… Couldn’t even wait for a drive back to your house… had me fuck you right outside… desperate slut.”
Caitlyn came to her senses, she had to get out. She was not supposed to be listening in, and she really didn’t want to think about the ache between her legs. She wasn’t attracted to that. It was… disgusting. Unsanitary, and unruly, and foul, and nasty, and inane… and… fucking hot… really fucking hot.
Caitlyn felt her head and heart pounding as she quickly walked away, trying to shut out as she heard that blonde moaning in what sounded like a very intense orgasm.
She was tipsy. She hadn’t been laid in a long… long while. She rarely watched porn. That’s why she found it…
She didn’t find it anything! She was disturbed. She froze in shock. Like a deer in headlights. It was so vulgar anyone wouldn’t know how to feel. She was only trying to take a walk. She didn’t consent to seeing a live erotica. The way Vi had taken her hoodie off, arms flexing as she manhandled that girl, the tattoos on her shoulders rolling with every–
–It didn’t matter! It was gross, positively foul, the way her hands were so large they circled almost her entire neck, fingers digging into skin. How her broad shoulders completely overcast the other woman’s frame. Or how her red hair fell in her face as she leaned in to say filthy things in her ear.
Okay, so maybe it was a little attractive. Maybe Caitlyn was a little turned on. Who could blame her? She still thought it was completely unacceptable, unbecoming behavior. She still strongly disliked the woman. Still had absolutely no interest in being the next girl she chose to fuck in a forest. But… she did have eyes and could admit that Vi… regrettably… was incredibly fucking hot.
Caitlyn rejoined the party and tried to focus on sobering up as quickly as possible. Eating as much as she could manage, drinking three glasses of water. She really wanted to go home. To get away from the party. Into her bed. Maybe have a date with her vibrator…
“Hey, cupcake.” Caitlyn jumped at the sound, backing up as Vi was right there, chugging down a beer in her hand. The same hand that was just... “How are you enjoying the party?”
“It’s… nice,” Caitlyn stood up straight, trying not to feel terribly flustered.
Vi tossed the bottle into a waste bin, absentmindedly licking at those two fingers before she reached for a bottle of something she didn’t bother to read the label of, pouring it haphazardly into a glass and taking a gulp. “Want anything to drink?”
“I’m alright…” Caitlyn stepped back again. Could Vi do anything in moderation? “I drank earlier. Trying to sober up now so I can get home.”
“Already?” Vi frowned, wobbling, grabbing the table behind her. “The night’s still young, cupcake.”
“My name is Caitlyn,” she felt her usual annoyance slowly replacing her fluster. This woman was such a mess.
“Yeah…” Vi’s eyes fogged, and she drifted slightly.
“I think you’ve had enough to drink…” Caitlyn could smell the alcohol on her breath.
“No, this is the edible… I think… It’s hitting now…” Her eyes drifted closed and open. “Wow…”
“Vi…” Caitlyn felt a spark of concern as Vi finished off her drink, reaching to grab another.
“That’s enough,” Cailtyn snatched away the bottle as Vi reached for it with an unsteady hand. “You’re gonna make yourself sick.”
“Hey…” Vi stumbled forward, almost falling onto the ground.
“Let’s find you somewhere to sit…” Caitlyn sighed, begrudgingly wrapping an arm around Vi to keep her upright.
“Grass is good… I like grass…” Vi mumbled.
Caitlyn helped Vi down, crouched in the grass as Vi laid back flat on her back, watching the stars. She was a wreck. Smoking and drinking, taking edibles, fucking a girl in her friend’s backyard. She couldn’t be the only one who thought this behavior was… excessive at best. Reckless enough to tease the line of self-harm.
“The stars are pretty…” Vi mumbled.
“Mhm,” Caitlyn rolled her eyes, tempted to get up and leave Vi there.
“Sparkly,” Vi continued, words slurred. “My mom used to sparkle like that…”
“What?” Caitlyn felt her heart skip a beat at that, was Vi’s mother dead? Ekko had said that she’d grown up in the Foster Care system. Honestly, it would explain a lot…
Vi hiccuped, already forgetting what she’d just said. She was plastered. “I’m gonna stand…”
“I think you should get home…” Caitlyn got up off the ground, lifting out a hand to help Vi up, mind still reeling over the comment about her mother.
“The night’s still young…” Vi mumbled, barely able to stand, even with Caitlyn’s help. “I’m fine I just…”
“Just…?” Caitlyn tugged Vi’s shoulder as she went silent. “Just, what? Vi?”
Vi suddenly doubled over, the sound of retching making Caitlyn gasp as the putrid scent of alcohol and vomit filled the air.