Chapter Text
Caitlyn decided to leave the office early and call it a day after another morning full of mind numbingly bureaucratic meetings.
It was one thing to sit behind her desk and deal with paperwork, but another thing entirely for Caitlyn to sit and listen and argue without anger for hours on end. The endless debate. The way the councilors and other city officials talk about Zaun, about its people. And Caitlyn tries, but she is still struggling to make them see the people of Zaun as their people. As part of Piltover. As a part in desperate need of care and attention. That the only way the cities can heal is together.
She could have gone back to her office and spent the afternoon working through mountains of approval forms and correspondence. Just generally keeping an eye on the Enforcers. But Cait was weary by noon, and she felt the ever growing need to decompress.
She wasn’t entirely sure if Vi was home. Since her arm healed and the doctor cleared Vi to work, she’d been spending many of her days down in the Lanes helping to clean, repair, and rebuild. Basically doing whatever needed doing. Whatever was useful. But when Vi was at the estate, which was still a fair bit more than Caitlyn, she usually kept to Caitlyn’s bedroom, the library, or the training room.
Cait didn’t have to wonder for long. Just as she was making her way down the main hall towards the bedroom, pulling off her boots, she heard the faint murmur of music. It was definitely coming from the library. Cait is smiling before she knows it, bottom lip trapped between her teeth. Looks like Vi is home afterall…
The library was likely Vi’s favorite room in the estate. Caitlyn never would have guessed Vi was such an avid reader. But one day early on when Caitlyn was still on bedrest from her stab wound and Vi’s arm was still in a cast, she’d woken from a drug-addled sleep to find Vi sprawled out next to her with a worn adventure book perched on her chest.
She’d started reading aloud to Cait after that. Nothing heavy or academic. Just the fun westerns and romances and adventure stories that Caitlyn hadn’t picked up in ages. In fact, Caitlyn had been delighted to see Vi picking up those she really thought of as her mother’s books. Cassandra Kiramman’s guilty pleasures.
So finding Vi in the library is starting to feel like a given, though the music is new. Caitlyn can’t remember the last time she heard music drifting through these halls. Surely they use to play it all the time… before . They must have.
When Caitlyn thought about her family, small though it was, she thought of them happy. B ut when was the last time we listened to music together? When’s the last time she heard her mother laugh? Caitlyn halts her train of thought there, swallows the welling grief.
She finds Vi in the middle of a field of records. The player in the corner hums and croons something deep and smooth, instrumental, but moody. Vi is laying down on her belly, examining an album, facing away from Cait. Her long unkempt mane of hair is tied back into a messy bun at the back of her skull, a long stray bang hanging across her left cheek. Her feet are in the air, crossing and uncrossing over her gorgeous ass. Caitlyn takes a moment to lean against the sofa and just appreciate the view, but Vi is already aware of her.
The redhead throws a curious glance over her shoulder, craning to see Cait, and her mouth cuts into a grin.
“Hey, you’re home early. What are you doing over there?” her right eyebrow arches and her gray eyes make a slow appreciative assessment of Caitlyn. Barefoot in a dark blue pants suit, white button up underneath, and an eyepatch to match.
“Admiring you.” Caitlyn says, teasing and true. Both Vi’s eyebrows go up then, and she flips over onto her back, leaning up on her elbows, a smirk pulling at her pink lips.
“You could admire me up close, ya know?” Vi says, her eyes roaming over Caitlyn again, an obvious invitation. Caitlyn has to suppress a girlish giggle.
“Is that so?” She tries to stop from smiling, tries to be even a little bit cool. But she‘s already climbing into the floor to straddle Vi. Easy. Simple. Perfectly slipping over Vi’s lap. Her hands sliding up Vi’s arms, over her shoulders, tracing the warm black ink over her skin.
Vi’s hands stay planted on the rug behind her, holding her up. But she drinks Caitlyn in with her eyes. Lips parted, breathing already heavy, and that handsome smirk lingering.
“This close enough for you, Violet?” Cait finally breaths, keeping her lips just out of Vi’s reach.
“Almost.”
Suddenly, Vi’s arms come up to encircle Cait. She falls flat on her back pulling Cait down with her into a hard playful kiss. Caitlyn makes an undignified noise of surprise, but Vi swallows it. Her tongue licking indecently into the Kiramman heir’s mouth, drawing a pleased moan.
Too lost in the wonderful attentions of Vi’s mouth to care much about anything else, Caitlyn doesn’t protest when Vi pulls at the pin holding her no nonsense bun in place. A curtain of dark blue hair falls around their faces, and Vi cards her hands through Cait’s hair, gently scratching at her scalp. Caitlyn hums into their kiss, resisting the urge to do something similar to Vi’s messy bun.
Before they can get too carried away in the library, not for the first time. Caitlyn comes up for air, sitting up in Vi’s lap, and resting a firm hand on Vi’s sternum to ensure she doesn't follow.
Nonplussed, Vi just smiles sweetly below her, kiss-swollen lips caught between her teeth. Her hands resting on Caitlyn’s hips, squeezing gently, clearly resisting the urge to dishevel her further.
Vi looks so good here like this. Not just unbearably handsome and tempting in her black sleeveless tee. But also healthier than she had been when they’d first reunited. Or even when they’d first met in Stillwater. Her face fuller, her frame packed with muscle as always, but not gaunt. Her hands and knuckles are scarred, but not bloody and bruised for the first time since they met. She looks happy, pinned there beneath Cait. Taken care of. And Caitlyn is the one who gets to take care of Vi this way. Who gets to watch her heal and thrive. Who gets to be with her. To have her.
It’s only when the song comes softly to an end and the room fills with the static at the end of the record, that Caitlyn realizes she’s been staring. Just drinking in the sight of the girl she loves. And Vi has been letting her. Patient, content. Only running her hands up and down Cait’s thighs soothingly.
For some reason, Caitlyn's face flushes and she feels suddenly caught, almost embarrassed by her obvious ogling. And for that whispering possessive part of her that wanted to have Vi. Here. Just like this. In her house. In her library. Trapped as she was between Caitlyn’s thighs. Mine. She often thought of growling. Which was absolutely ridiculous .
Shaking herself to dispel her heated thoughts, Caitlyn makes a show of rolling her eyes and tucking her hair behind her ears so she can see properly. She looks around the room at the array of albums Vi has taken from the cabinets and fanned out across the floor.
“What are you doing with all these?”
Now that Caitlyn isn’t holding her in place and staring like a wanton fool, Vi sits up on her elbows again. She manages to look bashful when she confesses.
“I honestly just got a little carried away when I found the records. I had noticed the player of course, but I guess I’d always been so caught up with the books, I never bother to open any of these drawers.”
Caitlyn only hums, stretching carefully to the left to snatch up an album she recognizes.
“My father is a bit of a collector of these. He has a bunch of Ionian albums.”
Vi beams and shifts her weight, jostling Caitlyn in her excitement.
“I know! I’ve been through a few already. Here, let me up.”
Caitlyn’s lips pull into a pout before she can even think to stop the childish expression. But Vi only laughs, rumbling beneath her in a way that is not easily ignored. She sits up and pecks a quick kiss to Caitlyn’s still pouting mouth. Caitlyn dismounts Vi’s lap, settling on the floor even as Vi gets up and goes over to the record player.
She quickly flips through a stack right next to the player. Likely the records Vi has already listened to today. Judging by the size of the stack, Vi had been enjoying the music for quite a while.
“Here, check this one out.”
Vi finds what she’s looking for and swaps out the albums. Caitlyn sits up and crosses her legs underneath her, staring at Vi’s ass again. Vi looks over her shoulder, clearly sensing her gaze again.
“Did you come home early just because you missed me?” Vi says, with only a half teasing smile.
“I think I did, actually.” Caitlyn says unashamed, holding eye contact.
Rolling her stormy gray eyes to hide a slight blush, Vi turns back to her task. After a moment Caitlyn hears the needle catch.
The song is something of a surprise. Caitlyn recognizes it though she’s not quite sure from where. It’s Ionian, a love song. A soft yet jaunty ballad about devotion and enduring affection. A song about growing old together.
Vi is smiling and swaying, and humming softly along as she makes her way back over to Caitlyn. Careful not to accidentally step on any of the albums that are laid out.
“I was surprised to find something I actually recognized. Vander use to play this at The Last Drop. For weddings mostly. It was like one of those songs that everyone knows, but no one knows the name of.”
“Yes, that’s exactly it. I know, I’ve heard it before. More than once.” Caitlyn says, listening, trying to place it. But Vi holds out her hand, looking down at Cait sort of shyly.
“Dance with me?”
Caitlyn can’t help her huff of surprise, even as she takes Vi’s hand and allows her to pull her up off the floor.
“You dance?”
One of Vi’s eyebrows arches thoughtfully and she shrugs a little. “Mostly when I’m drunk, but...” She pulls Caitlyn to her, bringing Caitlyn’s hands to her gently swaying hips. “My mom use to say something about not wasting good music.”
Well Caitlyn definitely isn’t going to protest. Not with Vi’s body pressed to hers. Not with Vi humming and smiling, curling her up in her arms just to twirl her out with a flourish.
Caitlyn knows she processes a certain amount of learned grace. She’s grateful for it when she’s fighting, being lithe and flexible works to her advantage. And Caitlyn knows how to dance, though applying her natural grace to numbered dance steps was another matter entirely.
This wasn’t that. This was playful and sweet. Vi moving and manipulating her body in silly and exciting ways. Caitlyn found herself laughing and allowing herself to be led as the song played on.
As the song crescendos, they end up twirling together in a giggling tangle. They’re both a little dizzy and flushed, when Vi brings them to an abrupt halt.
“The song’s not over.” Caitlyn says, a little breathless as she searches Vi’s face for the reason they’ve stopped. She notices Vi’s bewildered expression and turns to see what’s caught her attention.
“Oh.”
Caitlyn can’t help the way her voice catches at the sight of her father standing in the doorway, watching them.