Chapter Text
Eve was slowly absorbing her surroundings of the painfully familiar area. It was the same old stores selling the same old merchandise. The same Christmas decorations decorated the streetlights and display windows. And Christmas music playing over the crackling, aged speakers. The only real changes were the seasonal stores that closed for the winter season. But she would make the most of it. But she knew that she would much rather be at school again. She wanted to go check the crime scene, surely there was something there that Scotland Yard had missed.
But she also wanted to see Villanelle. There was an addicting mystery about her. She was so intense while she was affectionate with Eve. Then other times she could be teasingly aloof. It kept Eve on her toes for sure. But in a good way.
“Welcome!” a voice called, pulling Eve out of her thoughts. She had walked into one of her old favorite boutiques. There was Christmas décor up everywhere. And even the seasonal clothing. Most were chic, others were well not so much. But she needed to kill time and buy some gifts for her parents. So she went straight for the clearance section. You could find some good pieces if you looked hard enough. So, Eve started to browse. And so far nothing seemed to catch her eye. But she would just keep perusing.
When Villanelle saw Eve walk into the clothing store, she just had to follow. It was just big enough for her to sneak in and avoid being seen by her. But just close enough for the risk of getting caught. The thrill was too inviting. So she snuck in and started to look around. The Russian noticed that Eve seemed to be having a hard time finding something. Which was obvious, because she was in the clearance section. Sweet baby. The blonde vowed to never let Eve shop in the clearance section again once they married. She would be the most spoiled wife in the world.
She started at the other end of the store but slowly made her way closer to Eve’s side. But along the way, she picked out a few shirts that she thought Eve might like or look good in: plus even better on her apartment floor. But the only issue was the dressing rooms. There were two, and the return rack was just outside of the stall that Eve had chosen. Not to mention the cameras. But, it looked like there was only one, and it was facing the register. Okay, she could work with that.
Villanelle, keeping her back to the camera, skulked around the store and when she reached her destination. She just barely managed to miss Eve, as she came out of her stall. So with quick thinking, she pivoted on her foot and turned into the closest aisle, which thankfully had a row of puffy jackets with fur lines. She watched the Asian beauty come out in a rather blasé sweater. Honestly it did her no favors in Villanelle’s opinion. What she needed was form fitting.
A piece that hugged her in all the right places and showed the world that she was art. To be looked at by many. But claimed by only one. The blonde licked her lips subconsciously at the thought. Oh, how she longed to claim the woman. Honestly, the second the holidays were over, Villanelle planned to keep Eve in her bed for a week. But business is before pleasure.
Eve honestly didn’t know why she was trying clothes on; she didn’t plan on buying anything. But it was comfortable at least. A winter only sweater. But comfortable. She happened to turn and saw that someone else was in the store. But didn’t think much of it. So she went back to the changing room and decided to text Villanelle with a picture of her in the sweater. The time difference wasn’t too terrible, so the blonde should be up.
Hey! Do you like this sweater I found?
-E
The message came surprisingly quick. The blonde must have had an early training or something.
It is a cute color
-V
So she didn’t like it. Well, Eve wasn’t too fond of it either honestly, so that was a relief. While she waited for Villanelle’s response, she went to take the hoodie off. But just as she was about to take it back, there was a faint scraping sound and a quick knock on her stall door. Eve froze for a second. She paused, wondering if she should open it. But she also realized that she wasn’t the only person in the changing rooms. So the knock could have been one of the others. So, when she shook off the initial fear she opened the door. But to half her surprise, the knocking had in fact been on her door. And there was some surprisingly cute clothing there. She was about to tell the attendant that she didn’t ask for these. But saw three cashmere sweaters. She remembered briefly seeing them in the window. They weren’t really her style, but eh, why not?
The first was a sleek black with a wispy white flowing down the shoulder and wrapping down to the waist. Very slimming. Eve liked it very much and it was so soft. She felt sophisticated. Was that the word? Maybe Villanelle would know. She tried the other two sweaters. A warm beige and a flattering winter blue.
Villanelle had left the shop to avoid detection. But she didn’t stray too far. Just across the street There was a coffee shop run by some indifferent plebians. She was sipping on a subpar hot chocolate when Eve sent some photos. Initially she had thought that Eve was going to be bold and give her some eye candy to work with later tonight, but instead Eve had asked which of the sweaters she picked out looked better. She had told her that the attendant must have given her some new options. But she really loves the blue and black ones. And while Eve raved about the sweaters, Villanelle practically purred in approval. Eve was essentially wearing her choices. An off branch of her claim.
One step closer. But patience would still need to factor in. Eve was still just a little mouse in the maze. But little by little the exit was slowly disappearing. And she couldn’t wait for the final wall to go up.
Eve ended up buying the sweaters and taking them home. Her mother even complimented her on her choices. She spent the better part of her evening reading more about Psychopathic tendencies. And while some of the information was recycled, the situations involved with psychopaths varied in some shape or form. Stalking, murdering, kidnapping. So many horrifying yet fascinating stories. But in the middle of her reading, a thought occurred to her randomly. Where was her wallet?
“Ah damn” Eve cursed. It was still at the boutique! She checked her phone. The store was open for another forty-five minutes. And despite the time of day, Eve decided to take the walk. She needed to get her steps in anyway. She told her parents about her wallet, and they offered to drive. But Eve was determined to go now. It was a fifteen-minute journey. She decided to call Villanelle, hoping that it wasn’t too late. And while she wasn’t too worried about walking alone. It was getting dark. May as well look busy.
Villanelle had tailed Eve back to her family home. It was a charming little number. Probably a three bedroom and two-bathroom establishment. Nice, but could use a more pampering touch for her little gazelle.
She watched from the rooftop of the neighbor’s house. Where was Eve going? And at this time of day? The boxer’s phone suddenly buzzed. Eve was calling her! A foreign thrill went through her body as she answered, trying not to sound as excited as she left.
“Hi Eve” she grinned, even though her little Asian beauty couldn’t see it.
“Hey, how’s your break going?” she asked. Ah, this was one of those “make yourself look busy calls”. Well she was fine with that.
“So boring, going to the gym has been the only thing keeping me sane” Villanelle lamented as she hopped back into the tree she had climbed to spy on Eve. She was out of sight, and the blonde needed to follow her.
“I thought a trip to Paris would be exciting for you?” Eve reminded her. Right she was supposed to be on vacation.
“Well, the food is delicious, but I keep craving Korean, and they don’t have quite what I want” she purred teasingly. Eve squeaked on the other end of the line. Making Villanelle grin. They kept talking, and slowly but surely, Villanelle was catching up to Eve. But making sure to keep her distance. The brunette was in a hurry to get somewhere. But the more she looked around, the more she recognized the area. Was she going back to that boutique? Was there something she forgot? Or did she want something else? Well, she would just wait for her nearby.
But that would be a slight mistake on her part. She had noticed a few blocks back that someone else seemed to be tailing Eve. The blonde had dismissed him at first. Not worried in the slightest. But the more she thought about it, perhaps this could be more of an opportunity. So, she decided to take a step back and see how this would play out for her.