Ch.3 Vanadia

 

Their walk was mostly silent, the two of them simply enjoying being close to each other. Vanadia didn’t take her hand from Holly’s arm as they left the bar, and Holly never moved to separate them. So they walked like that the whole way back to Vanadia’s house.

 

The Artemis Orbital’s enormous living area was organized into hexagonal “tiles”. Theirs was currently simulating autumn. The air was crisp, but not so cold just yet that Vanadia was uncomfortable in just her dress. Night had truly fallen by the time they’d made their escape from the bar, their path now illuminated by the ghostly glow of holo ads, and the pale light of the street lamps.

 

Neither of them spoke as they walked. A simple, comfortable silence existing between them. Holly seemed to be somewhat withdrawn if Vanadia was reading her right. Well, more so than usual, anyway. The encounter earlier clearly weighed on her companion’s mind.

 

Vanadia herself was horribly embarrassed about her reaction. She couldn’t believe she’d acted that way in front of Holly. She supposed it made sense that she hadn’t thought before reacting with an instinctive response, even if perhaps its implication wasn’t entirely appropriate.

 

The silence stretched on for a moment as they stepped up to Vanadia’s door. The two women simply looked into one another’s eyes as they stood together in the pool of light amidst the darkness. Holly’s eyes glimmered darkly in the overhead light, like murky pools pulling Vanadia in. It struck Vanadia just how close they were standing as she could feel Holly’s breath caress her skin. She couldn’t help her gaze from wandering to Holly’s lips for just a moment, her heart pounding.

 

“Would… would you like to come in for a drink? I mean, since we were interrupted and all,” Vanadia said, her cheeks glowing, and her ears flushing so intensely, it felt like she might just combust. She knew this obviously wasn’t a date. It wasn’t like Holly would be into her. Vanadia was pretty sure she’d have noticed something. But she just didn’t want this night to end, particularly not on such a sour note. She very much wanted Holly to stay. Vanadia cringed, preparing herself to be let down gently. Holly was so kind, Vanadia was sure even her rejections would be gentle. Though perhaps hurt no less, regardless.

 

“Yeah. Yeah, I’d like that,” Holly said, her pouty lips shifting into a smirk that sent a spark of feeling shooting through Vanadia. The small home Vanadia had been assigned was still sparsely furnished. She hadn’t been here long, and what little time she’d had was spent at work. Often working hours so long that Vanadia had been told to go home and not come back for a few days. The difference in work culture between the corporate rim and the Union was taking a bit of adjustment for her.

 

“Well, this is home, I guess,” Vanadia said, her tail flicking nervously.

 

“It’s beautiful,” Holly said, her gaze never leaving Vanadia. The Vel woman spluttered, her ears fluttering under the attention. Surely Holly didn’t actually mean?

 

“You can um… would you… oh gosh. I’ll, uh, get us some drinks?” Vanadia finally managed, gesturing towards the simple, if comfortable sofa that had come with her home. Holly bit her lip in a way Vanadia found very interesting, even if she didn’t really know what it meant before nodding.

 

Vanadia leaned against the counter as she stepped into the kitchen. She forced herself to take slow, steady breaths to center herself. Holly was here, in her home. It really shouldn’t be this big of a deal, it’s not like Vanadia has known her that long, or really knows her that well honestly. But Vanadia couldn’t help but feel like she was about to vibrate apart with sudden nervous energy.

 

Holly looked up as Vanadia stepped back into the living room a few moments later, drinks in hand. Holly’s hair was a dark purple this evening, fading to a near black near its tips. She changed the color pretty regularly, having gone through several shades in even the short time Vanadia had known her. This shade might be Vanadia’s favorite so far. The way it contrasted with Holly’s dark honey skin was very pleasing to Vanadia’s eye.

 

That nervous energy built inside Vanadia again as she moved to where Holly had seated herself. The human continued her habit of not sitting in anything like the correct way, her limbs sprawled out, her legs crossed. Her messy posture fit nicely with her now somewhat messy hair, the thought of which brought a giggle to Vanadia’s lips.

 

Holly cocked a dark eyebrow, a gesture exaggerated enough for even Vanadia to pick up on. Vanadia handed Holly one of the glasses before taking a seat on the other side of the couch, curling her legs beneath herself, and wrapping her tail about her waist. It was a small sofa, more of a loveseat really, so it left little room between the two of them. There wasn’t anywhere else to sit other than the floor, though. Vanadia didn’t exactly mind their proximity.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry. Just the way you always seem to sit in the strangest ways is very amusing for me,” Vanadia said, finally getting her giggles under control.

 

“What can I say, I’m just too gay to sit straight,” Holly said. The human’s seriousness made the line all the more amusing for Vanadia. Her giggling recommenced, the soft tinkling sound of wind chimes.

 

“I’m… I’m glad you decided to come in for a little. I didn’t really like the thought of our… outing ending on such a sour note,” Vanadia said, taking a sip of her drink to try and hide her rather obvious flush.

 

“I’m glad you asked. I wasn’t quite ready for the night to end either.” Holly turned herself to face Vanadia more, which shrunk the already small distance between them just a little more. It was quiet for a long moment as they each sipped at their drinks. A mix of some locally distilled spirits and fruit juice. Simple, but tasty.

 

“What did you do before finding your way to this little corner of the universe?” Holly asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had stretched between them. Vanadia squirmed slightly, conscious of the rather deservedly negative opinion of the Corporate Rim people in the Union. And while she didn’t honestly think Holly would judge her, it was never easy to dredge up the painful past.

 

“Well… I uh, I grew up in the Corporate Rim. My family moved there as indents a couple generations back. Chasing the line they feed outsiders about hard work making success. Turns out, ah, not so much. I did what I had to, and when I saw a chance to get out, I took it.” Vanadia’s voice was flat as she spoke, drained of its musicality. And the subtle glow of her spots dimmed a bit.

 

The warmth of Holly’s hand on her shoulder pulled Vanadia out of her fugue. She leaned in slightly, pressing her cheek to the human’s hand. Vel ran much hotter than other species, humans included. So Holly’s hand felt wonderfully cool against Vanadia’s skin, and she couldn’t help but sigh as the distraction let her put those old memories away.

 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be such a downer,” Vanadia said, her voice still quiet, but no longer entirely emotionless.

 

“Hey, it’s alright. I get it. My past ain’t none too happy either.” Holly squeezed Vanadia’s shoulder gently, smiling warmly down at her. Vanadia couldn’t help but find herself warmed by Holly’s steady assurance, the Vel’s long ears lifting back up from their drooping depressed position.

 

“Tell me about it,” Vanadia said sarcastically, letting her eyes flutter shut from the comfort of Holly’s gentle touch.

 

“Oh, uh. Well, I guess you could say it all started when I was born, heh. But yeah, it was the back during the start of the Independence War, and yeah, it was desperate times. So I guess the Minds decided they needed an edge, and little ol me got swept up in part of that. You could say I’m pretty far from a baseline human, I guess, and not all of it is fun stuff, to be honest. And I guess long story short It was a bad time, and I saw some bad things.” Holly’s rich voice was a little stilted as she spoke, as if she had to pause and think through what she was saying. Vanadia could feel her stiffen beneath her, wound tight by what she was dredging up in turn.

 

“Aaannddd I’m just now thinking that maybe you weren’t actually asking…,” Holly said with a groan, and tried to pull her hand away. Vanadia held Holly close, though, taking the human’s hand in her own. She didn’t want Holly to pull in on herself anymore than Holly had let herself do so.

 

“Hey, I might have been mostly kidding, but I… I think you’re pretty amazing, and I’m glad I got to hear more about you. Okay?” Vanadia met Holly’s eyes, their vibrant alien green shimmered like gemstones to Vanadia’s eye.

 

“Okay…” Holly said quietly, her eyes blinking rapidly before she quickly looked away.

 

“Good. Now how about we watch something while we finish these? I think maybe we could both do with a distraction.” Holly only nodded in response. Vanadia squeezed Holly’s hand as she gestured for the wall display to turn on the nature documentary she’d been watching. It was actually a really remarkable filming of xenoechology, and Dr. Fisher’s narration for these things was always top notch, Vanadia thought.

 

The two slowly relaxed into each other, neither moving to change the closeness they’d slipped into through their conversation. After a while, Vanadia let herself curl into Holly ever so slightly, resting her head on the human’s shoulder. Holly was just so cool against her, it almost made Vanadia want to purr.

 

The rest of the documentary passed with a comfortable silence between them. Vanadia stayed pressed against Holly the whole time and couldn’t quite decide if it was the best thing ever, or absolute torture. She couldn’t help but feel a hit of disappointment as the credits finally began to roll, and Holly stirred beneath her.

 

Vanadia glanced up at Holly and found Holly looking back at her. It struck Vanadia just how close they were, their lips only inches apart, Holly’s cool breath whispering across Vanadia’s skin sent a shiver down her spine. It seemed to stretch on into a gentle eternity, as Holly glanced down at Vanadia’s lips and shifted closer ever so slightly.

 

Vanadia could feel her whole body flush, her spots shining a brilliant shade of pink as her tail writhed against her leg. Oh goddess, was Holly actually going to kiss her? Was the feeling mutual? Vanadia’s lips parted, and her eyes fluttered closed. Her whole body was flooded with warmth, and she felt like she just might melt. It all came crashing down though as Holly jerked away, letting out a shuddering breath.

 

“I… I should go. I um, I’m sure my roommate is expecting me, and…” Holly said, her almond skin flushed slightly darker than usual at her cheeks. And most tortuously of all the short sleeve of Holly’s black shirt stretched tight over her bicep as she rubbed the back of her neck.

 

“Oh, I’ll uh, walk you to the door then,” Vanadia said, trying not to let her disappointment show through. She could always feel sorry for herself later. It served her right for getting her hopes up like that.

 

The wind ruffled Holly’s short hair as she stepped out into the night, turning back to face Vanadia. Holly’s lips were stretched in a way Vanadia couldn’t quite place, not quite a smile as the human let out a sigh.

 

“I’ll see you tomorrow then?” Holly said, picking at her nails.

 

“Yeah, I’ll see you.” Vanadia did her best to not let her ears droop, but couldn’t help the way her glow faded as Holly gave her farewell. And with one last wave, Holly slipped out into the night. Vanadia just wanted to cry as she shut the door. It hurt feeling like no matter where she went, she was never quite good enough for someone to actually be close to, for someone to care about. It seemed like every time she put herself out there, and tried to get to know someone, they either pulled away, or worse, just wanted to use her.

 

Vanadia’s rapid spiral was cut off by a sudden knock at the door. And she was sorely tempted to just ignore whoever it was and go slump into bed. But with a sigh, she straightened her dress and did her best to quickly pull herself together.

 

Whatever self collection she’d managed flew right out when it was Holly waiting on the other side of the door. Her dark hair windblown, and her eyes wide.

 

“Hey,” Holly said, slightly breathless.

 

“Um, hey.” Vanadia’s tail twitched behind her, and her spots slowly brightened with the slight inkling of hope mixed with confusion. Now she was completely lost as to where things stood.

 

“I uh, I think I was pretty dumb back there,” Holy said, running her fingers through her hair, only making it more of a mess.

 

“Huh?” Vanadia would only be getting more lost, it seemed.

 

“I, gosh. I really like you Vanadia, like, romantically. And I’m really bad at this stuff, so maybe I’m way off base, and you can totally just tell me and I’ll never bring it up again, but I kinda hoped maybe you felt the same way?” Holly said, wringing her hands together. They stood close enough together that Vanadia could see the subtle flickering of the human’s lips, and the way her eyes wandered around, never staying on any one thing. Was Holly nervous?

 

Then it hit her what Holly had just said. Holly liked her! And not just in a confusing friend way! Warmth bubbled up inside Vanadia so strongly it felt like she might explode as her spots shot to full brightness in a cascade of pink, and honey golden joy.

 

Before she could even think, she’d stepped forward, and thanks to Holly’s height, barely had to tilt her head at all to pull the human into a kiss.

 

Holly stiffened under her touch for just an instant, as if stunned, before the muscular human melted into the kiss, her strong arms wrapping around Vanadia’s back. Holly's lips were so incredibly soft. Softer than Vanadia had expected. And the woman kissed Vanadia gently, like she seemed to do almost everything.

 

Vanadia mewled as their lips moved against one another’s in soft, wet motions. Holly’s lips cool against the feverish heat of Vanadia’s own. Holly groaned low in her chest as the kiss dragged on, the rumble sending a tingle shooting down Vanadia’s spine as Holly’s hand traced its way up it. Fingers slipped into Vanadia’s hair, loosing the ivory strands from the careful chignon she kept them in.

 

They were both panting by the time they came up for air. Holly’s pupils were blown wide, and her lips were puffy in a way that Vanadia found absolutely delightful, and wanted to do to Holly all the time.

 

“So, that’s a yes?”

 

“Fuck yes.”