.•What Once Was•. (vixreader)

Heartfelt & Corny Convos.

The Last Drop's neon sign practically shined in your face, and you had to squint a little to even read the sign.
"Holy cow. This place is bad-ass up close."
"It sure is. But that's because it has one hell of a bad-ass owner."
Vi replied with a wink, and immediately you were distracted as Powder pulled you towards the entrance.
"You're going to love it in here, Y/n! And Vander will like you very much, I'm sure of it."

She practically dragged you along with enthusiasm, and thankfully you didn't hit your forehead this time.
When you entered, your mouth fell to the floor.
It was so cool. There were plenty of people, all drinking and enjoying their time.
There was a jukebox in the corner, playing smooth tunes that rung out in the cozy room.
Nonetheless, you really couldn't stay to gawk at the scenery since Powder was still dragging you along.

She finally stopped in front of a bar, and plopped you down on a seat. She sat next to you eagerly, and soon the rest of the gang did too.
Vi managed to sit next to you, which you weren't complaining about. In fact, her seeking you out as a stool buddy made your heart flutter.
"Vander! We've brought you a new guest."
Exclaimed Powder, hoping Vander would emerge from wherever the hell he was.
And that he did, popping up from behind the wall of liquor, turning to face the direction of his daughter's voice.

The man was rather tall, scruffy beard with white streaks of age in it. He was built, making you wonder if he was the blueprint of Vi, and if maybe he passed on the talent of fighting to her.
"So I see. Nice to meet you, young lady, I'm Vander."
He stated with a rather thick accent, as he held out his hand, to which you clasped firmly.
"Nice to meet you Sir, I'm Y/n; at your services."
He nodded.
"Please, call me Vander. Sir makes me feel older than what I already am, and if we're being honest, I don't need more years added. But anyways, what brings you here? Did these kids kidnap you?"

You laughed. They basically did, but you weren't complaining. You opened your mouth to reply, but ended up being stopped abruptly.
Vi was quick to respond, as she wrapped her arm around your shoulders and brought you close.
"We actually found her on the streets. We felt bad, so we decided to keep her. Isn't she adorable?" She stated, patting your head as though you were dog.
Powder and the others laughed, and even Vander did too.

"That is so not true. I actually met them when I-"
You were cut off as Vi's hand clapped over your mouth.
"When we were wandering about in the streets. Duh, it's like I was telling you. She's just a little shy, aren't you Y/n?"
She intervened, a rather threatening look in her eyes as she subtly let go of your face.
"Yeah! Yeah. Totally."
You stated, nodding your head. You didn't know what the hell was going on, but it was clear that they didn't want him to know the full story.
Vander's brow shot up in suspicion, but before he could even say anything, Powder swiftly conversation.

"She even brought me these tools! Y/n shares my interest; she also likes to build stuff. It's great!" Powder exclaimed as she took a tool you gave her from her pocket and showed it to Vander, which allowed him a bright smile plastered on his face.
"That is wonderful Powder. Well, I've got to head out to tend the customers, kids. Stay out of trouble will ya'? Lovely meeting you Y/n."

And with that, Vander left, and Vi finally let you go. You wished she hadn't, the feeling of her hands on you was kind of comforting.
"That was Vander for you, in the flesh.
By the way, what happened at the market stays between us, he doesn't need to know about it..."
She muttered, Powder nodding along.
"He doesn't like us stealing things from that area. But, what he doesn't know wont kill him."
Powder replied with a mischievous look on her face.
"Jeez you guys seek trouble instead of staying away from it huh?"
"Yup!" Exclaimed Ekko.

•.                                      •.                   •.

Everyone parted ways once heading inside their hideout. Ekko bid Powder his farewells, and the sight was rather adorable. It was clear the two kids had tiny crushes on each other, and you could only hope for the best.
Though, Vi had been quick to whisk you away, grabbing your hand enthusiastically before pulling you in a different direction that the one Mylo and Claggor headed off to.
She showed you up onto the rooftop, the sun slowly beginning to set over the ragged rooftops of the city.

"Thank you for putting up with me this whole time, by the way. I enjoyed it, and I appreciate it too."
You stated, eyes never leaving the view in front of the both of you.
"Don't mention it. You were pretty fun to hang out with, I see some great potential in you."
You giggled.
"Potential? What, to become your next fighting student? Or maybe, your next partner in crime?"
Vi rolled her eyes playfully, before turning to you.

"Potential for you to be a friend. Someone who I can trust, bond with. Believe it or not, I have never gotten this comfortable with anyone before. Sure, Powder has been close, but I can't really be my true self with her; it's always been a facade of someone who is strong and put together all the time. Someone I'm not. I need to be her role model. That's just... kind of how it is, being her older sister and all. Same goes for the others,"
She huffed, rolling her shoulders as her feet dangled over the tall edge.

"I have to look over them. They all look up to me, trust me with their lives. I can't fuck it up, y'know? I can't share my burdens with them, I can't be seen as weak. They'll be let down the moment my facade cracks."
She fiddled her bandaged fingers, gently picking at the corners as she notably let her guard down.
"But, I have a feeling that with you, it won't be that way."
She stated, her bright cerulean eyes turning to look at you with utter vulnerability.

Your eyes softened, and soon you realized she was being heartfelt, sincere. A warm, fuzzy feeling bloomed inside your chest, and you hummed in response.
"Thank you for trusting me, Vi. I won't let you down, I promise. You just gotta promise you wont let me down, either." You said, brow raised in attempts to lighten her mood up slightly.
She breathed out a laugh, nodding her head in response.

"Of course not. I don't do that. That's not within my 'Vi' logic."
"Hm, I could've sworn heartfelt moments were not apart of Vi logic. Oh, and, 'corny' conversations."
"Gah, stop using everything against me! Why are you so sneakily smart?!"
"Oh, I dunno. Guess those are the perks that come with being an outsider, perchance?"
"You suck, you know that?"
"You know you like me 100%."

"You have got to be kidding me! Quit doing that."
"Never."

•. ゜★。・゜☆ .•