Work Text:
Steam filled the bathroom so thick it was hard to see Caitlyn hunched over the claw bath tub. If Vi was to turn around and look into the mirror hanging on the wall, just above the hers and hers unit of sinks she was leaning against, she wouldn’t be able to see her own reflection.
Vi, of course, was exaggerating, the steam was only partially obscuring her vision.
The overhead lights were switched off, the only light coming in the form of a soft glow from the scented candles that were meticulously placed around the bathroom.
Caitlyn was clad in a fluffy white towel, waiting for the purple, shimmering bath bomb to disolve enough before she got in. Her hair was in a bun, styled in a way to keep it from getting wet once she had settled in the water. Vi had yet to undress. This whole hot, relaxing bath was Caitlyn’s idea and Vi wasn’t yet fully onboard. She was afraid of the things she’d do for Caitlyn at this point, unable to say no to her at this point.
(“We both have Saturday off, how about we do something relaxing together?” Caitlyn’s legs were resting over Vi’s knees, giving her full access to her ankles where she was rubbing soothing circles, just above where her socks ended.
“What did you have in mind, love?” Caitlyn stopped reading the book in her hand to look up at Vi.
“I was thinking we order food from the Vietnamese place down the street, cuddle up on the sofa and watch the new Marvel movie you’ve been wanting to see,” Caitlyn hummed along as Vi spoke, “Then we can have a hot, relaxing shower together and go to bed and… you know?” Vi wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
“As tempting as a relaxing shower sounds, why don’t we have a bath together, hmm?” Caitlyn paused to gague her reaction, when she didn’t get one she continued on, “We could use one of the bath bombs I’ve been saving. Lie back in the hot water together, I could even give you a massage with the bath oils my mother gifted us a while back.”
“I don’t know Cait, I’m not much of a bath person.” Vi couldn’t help keep the distaste out of her voice as she spoke. It was true, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a bath. Probably when she was younger, her own mother bathing her with Powder together in the kitchen sink, if you could even count that as a bath. “I’m more of a 3-minute-cold-shower kind of person.”
Caitlyn’s eyes softened as she realised what Vi was referring to, her time in Stillwater still a fresh memory.
“I won’t push you if you don’t want to, love, but I think a bath could be good for the both of us. I could prepare everything, you wouldn’t have to lift a finger. And if you hate it, we can hop in the shower instead.”)
With the bath bomb fully disolved, Caitlyn turned off the taps. The water was a bright purple-pink, almost matching Vi’s hair colour, with small flecks of glitter, or some sort of shimmering substance scattered throughout, Vi wasn’t quite sure.
“I’ll get in first, and you can sit in between my legs for that massage I promised.” Caitlyn removed her towel as she spoke, letting it pool at her feet. She stepped into the water and settled at the far end, opposite the taps.
Vi wasn’t quite convinced they’d both fit together, but it was worth a shot.
She peeled off her tank top, followed by the sweatpants she’d been wearing all evening. Her sports bra and boxers were next, dropping in a heap on the floor. Vi kicked them off to the side, far enough out of the way that they wouldn’t get wet from any stray splashes of water.
Vi stepped in, mindful of where Caitlyn’s legs were placed. She simply stood there, the lower halves of her legs submerged in the scalding water, waiting to adjust to the temperature.
“Jeez, Cupcake. This water is like a thousand degrees.” Vi joked, her calves stained a bright red from the heat but she could feel herself getting used to it already.
“Sit down, you’ll adjust quicker.” Caitlyn grabbed onto Vi’s hand from her seat in the tub, pulling lightly. It wasn’t enough to force her down, but the contact was nice enough for Vi to want more.
Finally giving in, she settled in the bath. Vi rested her head back on Caitlyn’s shoulder, arranging herself in between her legs. Caitlyn scooped up some water and splashed it around Vi’s torso, spreading some warmth over the skin that was exposed to the air.
Not finding anywhere to put her hands, Vi dangled her arms over the side of the tub and allowed herself to slip further under the water, sighing as she did so.
“Nice, my love?” Caitlyn asked as she rubbed her hands up and down Vi’s arms, droplets of water dripping onto the floor. Vi could barely comprehend what Caitlyn had asked, only felt the breath against her neck as she spoke. Vi could only manage a hmmm in response.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Caitlyn laughed silently to herself, “Let me grab the oils and we can massage the tension out of your back and shoulders before you fall asleep.” Vi jostled a little as Caitlyn reached for the oils before resting back comfortably again.
“Lean forward a bit for me, love,” Caitlyn directed. Vi reluctantly pulled herself out from the space between Caitlyn’s legs, hunching over slightly to expose as much of her back as possible.
Vi wasn’t sure if Caitlyn warmed the oils up beforehand, or if they had naturally heated in the warmth of the bathroom, but the feeling of Caitlyn’s hands on her skin forced out a shaky sigh of relief. Vi didn’t know she could feel this relaxed, didn’t know she was allowed to feel this relaxed.
“Fuck, Cupcake, that feels nice.” Caitlyn was lightly applying pressure on her upper back, digging her thumbs into all the right places, undoing the knots that had formed.
Once Caitlyn deemed her back fully attended to, she continued her path down Vi’s arms, as far as she could reach in her position.
When she ran out of oils to massage into her skin, Caitlyn lightly trailed her fingers up Vi’s arms, causing goosebumps to rise wherever she touched.
Her fingers eventually came to a stop at the back of Vi’s head, scratching lightly on the shaved side of her hair. Vi wouldn’t admit it aloud, but the low groan that escaped her was downright sinful . She allowed herself to sink back into the water once more, deep into Caitlyn’s embrace.
Repositioning herself, Caitlyn wrapped one arm around Vi’s stomach, keeping the other arm free to give her hands enough space to continue the motions in her hair. Vi had to fight to keep herself above the water, not wanting to dip low enough that her hair would get wet, as it was always a nightmare to dry and style to her liking.
Vi’s eyes seemed to have shut closed at some point, drifting open at the sound of a shower gel bottle spurting liquid into the sponge Caitlyn held in her hand.
“Lean forward a bit for me again?” Vi did as told, her body so relaxed it was like she was moving on autopilot.
Caitlyn followed the same path from the earlier massage, washing Vi’s back and down her arms. When she got to her hands, she paid close attention, individually washing each finger, before moving onto the other hand and repeating the same motions.
Vi had never felt so loved as she did in that moment. Caitlyn washed her clean, careful of any cuts or bruises that seemed to permanently mark Vi’s skin. When she finished and rinsed away the lingering suds, Caitlyn pressed a gentle kiss onto her shoulder.
Wordlessly, Vi managed to turn herself around without spilling water over the edge of the tub. She positioned herself with her back against the taps, jerking forward at the unexpected coldness of the metal.
“Let me do you,” Vi said, taking the sponge out of Caitlyn’s hand she poured a generous amount of shower gel to be lathered.
Vi worked with the same gentle touches Caitlyn displayed. Not being able to help herself, she ran a thumb across her nipple, earning a hiss out of Caitlyn’s lips and a ‘ behave’ whispered under her breath. Vi chuckled to herself, raising her hands in surrender.
Eventually they had to get out, the water beginning to run cold and the residue of the bath bomb creating a pink-purple rim along the edge of the water. The tips of Vi’s fingers had long since pruned, Caitlyn’s not look much better.
With fluffy towels wrapped around themselves, they managed to drag themselves to the bedroom, where they dried and dressed in mostly silence. The sound of the water draining in the bathroom was the only thing that could be heard.
Vi slipped on her pyjama bottoms with sluggish movements, her left leg getting caught in the pant leg twice before accepting defeat and sitting on the bed to try again. Caitlyn wasn’t faring much better, her head getting stuck in the hole of the matching pyjama t-shirt.
Once dressed and without needing to speak to one another, they lifted the duvet and crawled beneath it. Still warm and relaxed from the bath, they fell into their usual position of Caitlyn spooning Vi, legs intertwined.
Vi hummed to herself, “That wasn’t awful.”
“ Not awful ?” Caitlyn quoted, “High praise.” Vi barely felt the kiss pressed into her hair.
Vi’s sleepy laugh was almost inaudible. “We should do this again sometime, Cupcake.”
She was asleep before Caitlyn could respond.