Work Text:
Vi watched her closely, only her, as she stood by the door of her office.
Caitlyn’s guests cackled but her lips only shifted into a tight lip smile, not sharing their humor. She could fool them, but she couldn’t fool Vi that she was uncomfortable, all the little tells showing themselves one by one the more Vi watched; the way her folded hands on the desk tightened, her straight back and tense shoulders so different from the way she always carried herself, elegant yet calm. To the right eyes, she looked like a spring ready to burst.
It wasn’t long before Caitlyn cut the meeting short and shook her guests’ hands with a firm but short gesture. Vi merely jutted her chin at them as they walked past her, not really caring about protocol or any of that Enforcer shit they always spouted at her. They would live.
Caitlyn let out a sigh of relief when Vi closed the door and locked it, didn’t say a word when Vi approached and perched on the desk by her side. Caitlyn had thrown her head back, palms covering her eyes.
Vi chuffed a laugh at the abrupt change in her body language, “What happened?”
“I don’t know, I’m—” She clicked her tongue, as if the thought bothered her – or maybe embarrassed her.
“Exhausted?” Vi filled in, barely containing her amusement, “Would you know why?”
Vi would know a thing or two about that.
Caitlyn gave a faint laugh, a tint of red coming up her neck at the implication. “I was going to say distracted, but tired works too, I guess.”
It was impossible to not let it get to her head seeing her flushed face.
“Just tired or exhausted? Because those are two very different things.” Vi arched her eyebrows playfully and Caitlyn dropped her hands, a smile tugging at her lips.
“Don’t flatter yourself now.” She laughed, giving Vi’s knees a gentle pat as she stood to open the doors to the balcony behind her, “Come with me?”
Vi shrugged and followed her.
“Needed air?” She asked as she surveyed the balcony. There was only a lone chair and side table with wooden case on top, the place seemingly visited by only one person frequently.
“Something like that.” Caitlyn hummed noncommittally as she sat down and Vi couldn’t stop her frown at the ambiguity.
“Mysterious today, aren’t you? What’s up?” Vi leaned against the railing, arms crossed over her chest, watching Caitlyn with interest. A small smile played on her lips as she gently opened the case and retrieved a thin, black tube that Vi immediately recognized for what it was: a cigarette holder.
Vi raised an eyebrow, not shocked but still surprised, “Well, that explains a lot.”
“It explains what exactly?” Caitlyn didn’t seem uncomfortable to share this part of her as she pulled a perfectly rolled cigarette out of the case too.
“Your clothes smell from time to time and last night I thought I tasted something like tobacco.” It was the faintest taste in her mouth lingering all night that caught her attention, and she hadn’t been wrong, “Didn’t know you liked to smoke.”
It wasn’t meant to judge, but it never struck her as something Cait would do, but then, there were several of those statements that were completely proven wrong in the last year.
“I’m not particularly proud of it, it just…happened once and I took a liking to it.” She sighed, her fingers carefully placing the cigarette in the chamber by the end, “Around a year or so ago.”
Okay.
Vi tried to keep a neutral expression, but she felt her eyebrows furrow by inertia at the mention of the timeframe. Without realizing, her fingers came to caress the scar on her nose, the reminder of the dark place she used to be back then. There were still things that weren’t completely in the open between them, and this seemed to be one of those.
“Does it bother you?” Caitlyn asked, the mouthpiece already between her lips and a hand shielding a burning match, ready to ignite, her blue eyes expectant of her reaction.
Vi scoffed, “Nah, it’s good.”
She pushed away from the railing, pacing around as she watched Caityln take the first drag, long and deliberate, her eyes following Vi as she exhaled a thick cloud of smoke through her nose, the aroma curling around them.
Years living with Vander had gotten Vi used to the smoke of tobacco and whatever vile shit he mixed it with in his pipe, so this smell, much weaker and aromatic, was almost soothing.
It didn’t feel like her lungs would dissolve if she inhaled it.
The remnants of smoke still swirled in front of Caitlyn when Vi leaned on the back of her chair, her fingertips playing with the collar of Caitlyn’s uniform, her nose grazing her cheek playfully.
“Sheriff Kiramann doing naughty, naughty things, who would’ve thought?” Vi closed her eyes and trailed her jawline, feeling the reverberation of Caitlyn’s deep laugh against her skin.
“Why didn’t you say anything if you could smell it?” She asked, bringing up her free hand to curl her fingers into Vi’s hair when her skimming lips brushed her ear.
“It never bothered me, but also didn’t think you had it in you. I thought the smell could be smoke from someone else.” Playfully, she bit Caitlyn’s ear as she took another drag. There were many things she would rather Caitlyn tell her instead of asking, especially about that specific time in their lives, yet this one wasn’t even a thing she thought could be possible if she was honest. Again, the surprises never end.
“Had it in me to smoke a cigarette?” Caitlyn scoffed and gently pulled at Vi’s hair, the motion followed by more smoke and now the smell was stronger in their closeness.
“It smells strange, what’s the taste?” It wasn’t normal tobacco, that Vi knew.
Caitlyn let the hand in her head fall, a soft smile tugged at the corner of her lips when she offered up the holder to Vi, “Want to try it? It is somewhat strong.” A moment of hesitation, her gaze wavered, “Only if you want.”
It couldn’t be that bad, right? “Sure, it’s not gonna kill me.” Vi shrugged and went to grab the holder but Caitlyn pulled it back.
“Wait, let’s do it differently.” She looked suspiciously confident as she turned to face her fully.
Vi raised an eyebrow, curious at the change, “Alright, how?”
Caitlyn took a deep drag of the cigarette and her free hand cupped Vi’s face with soft care, “Follow my lead and—” Their noses brushed, lips grazing tentatively and Vi didn’t dare to breathe, blue eyes keeping her in place, “Don’t choke.” Caitlyn whispered, eyes glinting with mischief as the smoke escaped her mouth.
Vi chuckled, “Try me.”
Caitlyn closed the gap and their lips met gently, Vi savoring the haze on her lips and the unmistakable taste of her, same as last night. It didn’t take long until the heady warm feeling made her blood burn, urgency buzzing in her touch. Caitlyn reciprocated in the same frequency, her lone, wandering hand more demanding as it sneaked behind her neck, pulling Vi down to her, closer. But then, the pleasant taste shifted in her mouth to something foul, much stronger and danger flashed in her mind. Vi pulled away from Caitlyn’s lips before her throat closed completely on itself and a fit of violent coughs shook her chest.
“What the fuck, Cait?” Vi choked out, hand on her raw throat, “That thing is vile.”
“Can’t say I didn’t warn you.” Laughter shook Caitlyn’s shoulders as she twisted around to face Vi, who was still coughing, thumping at her chest to see if it helped with something.
“Sure didn’t smell like it. Fuck.” And at first it didn't taste like it either. Talking was painful and tears were running down her face, but she could still make out the way Caitlyn put away the cigarette and the holder by its case even with her hands on her knees, struggling for air.
“You get used to it.” Caitlyn simply added with a smug chord to her voice that couldn’t fool Vi. Soon, she was by her side, rubbing soothing circles on her back as oxygen came in and out easier.
Vi groaned, relief and amusement with a tint of embarrassment mixing, “You like this, don’t you?”
Caitlyn hummed as she helped Vi stand straight again, fixing the lapels of the uniform as she barely could suppress the smile tugging at her lips.
“I do enjoy being better than you at some things, yes.” She said, brushing away some of the tears with her thumbs, “Although I like your smug face.”
“Take your wins where you can get them.” This was embarrassing. Vi cleared her throat, still feeling the effects of the smoke in her body, “And you can definitely take this one.”
She was not smoking that thing again, whatever it was.
Caitlyn simply laughed, gentle but genuine humor in her expression. Despite everything, it was nice to hear that sound again after being deprived of it for so long. Vi sighed, her hands patting Caitlyn’s still cupping her face.
Despite making a fool of herself, it was still worth it.