lemon lime lips [they been on my mind]

1;

Skye was still a rather new recruit, Brimstone insisting she was perfect for the protocol and would provide much needed support both on the field with her totems, and off the field with her knowledge of field medicine. Viper was skeptical. While the shorter woman was certainly built like she could handle herself, there was this sort of light in her eyes, one that indicated hope– something Viper knew was pointless. She was convinced this would get her killed, which would be a shame, as Skye really was rather handsome. Strong features accentuated by wide eyes and her long orange hair, not to mention she looked like she could bench press about three of Viper. All of that aside, Viper didn’t think she was ready for her first mission. 

Brimstone had sent Skye, Jett, Raze, Killjoy, and Viper herself on the mission, so at least she’d see first-hand how Skye performed in the field. When the Vulture landed, Viper was the first off of it making sure the others had their weapons and equipment in order, before sending Raze and Skye to the site coded ‘A’ and Jett and Killjoy to the site coded ‘C’, explaining that she would take the site in the middle on her own, as she doubted when– or if– the enemies would arrive they would attempt to take the middle site. She set her poison orb up at the entrance, pulling out her larger comms device that included a digital map, noting that Killjoy had set up her alarm-bot in the area known as garage with her turret guarding the main entrance, Jett readying a peek next to the bot. Raze had pushed up just barely off of her site, standing flush behind some boxes, hoping to take the enemies by surprise and Skye was holding what she presumed to be from heaven window. Viper nodded to herself stowing her comms device and pressing a finger to the earbud they used to talk and making sure they understood to communicate every single noise they heard, satisfied when they all individually agreed. 

After about three minutes she was unsurprised to hear a marshall shot sound off before Jett called out that she got one on her site. Viper activated her smoke and was about to walk over to help, when Raze came over saying that she had also picked one and saw at least one more. 

“Okay, everyone, hold your positions, it seems like they are splitting up,” she said, pausing for a moment to consider her options before continuing, “I’m gonna head over to Jett and Killjoy’s site, if you see the spike, call it.” 

Everyone confirmed, and she quickly picked up her poison orb, before pausing as another marshal shot sounded off and Raze called that she heard the enemy that was near her leaving. Viper quickly brought her weapon up, hackles raised. There was something off in the air, and she alternated from the rifle she had brought to the sawed-off shotgun she kept on her side. She turned, looking towards garage where Killjoy had her bot set up. Surely, no one could sneak past that, right? She slowly took a step forward before she heard a bucky shot sound off and felt a burning blooming in her side, quickly spinning and letting off both of her shotgun shots directly into the enemies face, wincing at the way the body of the enemy Brimstone fell. 

“I got the spike Viper! Seems like their Cypher was tryin’ to make it to you through our site. There’s one more right?” Skye’s voice filtered through the earbud, and Viper breathed out a sigh of relief, bringing a hand up, and wincing at the stretch it brought to her side.

“No, I took care of the last one. Grab the spike, and we’ll meet at the, at the,” she paused, suddenly feeling light-headed and realizing she had no clue how much blood she had lost, “the, the, ah fuck,” was all she managed to get out before dropping to the floor, leaning her back against the metal construct in the middle of the site. 

She forced her eyes open, knowing that she needed to do her best to stay awake. She thought she heard shouting in her ear from her comms device, but it was fuzzy and distant. She brought her hand up to apply pressure to her side and winced at the pain, distracting herself by reciting the periodic table in her head, a habit she kept from all the way back in college.

Hydrogen, Helium, Lithium, Beryllium, Boron, Carb-

"Healing over here!”

A strongly accented voice cut through her mind and she wrenched her eyes open, unaware she had closed them, to find Skye kneeling in front of her and a small ball of flowers suspended in midair, surrounded by her hands, which she moved as though she was trying to pull them apart without touching them, a look of concentration on her face. Vipers brow furrowed, the only instance she knew of radiance being used to heal was Sage, and she was just about to say so when she felt the pain in her side ease up. She gasped softly as rather rapidly her side seemed to stitch itself back together, leaving nothing more than the phantom of an ache. She pulled her hand away, shocked to find that she truly was healed. She looked back up at Skye who had a wide smile on her face.

"I gotcha," Skye said, holding her hand out. Tentatively, Viper reached out and allowed Skye to take her hand, surprised when the other woman pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from her palm, before turning her hand around and helping her up. Viper was about to pull her hand back when Skye carefully pulled it closer to her, bringing it up to her mouth and gently placing a kiss on the back of her hand, before finally relinquishing her hold on it. "Couldn't let the most gorgeous woman in the protocol die now could I?" 

Vipers jaw dropped slightly before she caught herself and quickly snapped her mouth shut, looking away even as she felt her cheeks warm.

"Did you remember to grab the spike?" Viper asked, crossing her arms.

"Raze brought it back to the rendezvous point, I came to retrieve you," Skye responded, clasping her hands behind her back with a proud look on her face.

"You left the incredibly expensive violently explosive tech with a trigger-happy demolitions expert?" Viper clarified, raising an eyebrow. Skye's face seemed to fall slightly as Vipers words sunk in, and suddenly a slight panic began to set in Vipers core. She tried not to think too much about its origin. Viper sighed and turned to walk to the pickup point. "I'm sure the other two are making sure she's being safe with it. You did well, and…thank you." Viper said, before walking off, the sound of Skye falling instep behind her, a reassuring sound. 

2;

Viper had mostly put the whole hand kissing incident out of her mind after a few weeks. She hadn’t had too many opportunities to talk to Skye, the aussie spending an exorbitant amount of time at the gym, something Viper had little to no interest in, knowing her work was far more important, and their interactions became rather limited to short greetings in passing, with the occasional flirting on the side coming mostly from the side of Skye, Viper always ending up far too flustered to respond before Skye left in a flurry. 

Sitting now at the island in the communal kitchen, waiting for her coffee to brew and reading up on her notes, the last person she expected to see was Skye. Normally the girl left for her morning runs by now and wouldn't be back for at least a half hour. Not that Viper was keeping track or anything. Regardless of whether or not she expected to see Skye, that was who walked through the door, hand towel around her neck, and in what appeared to be workout gear; a sports bra paired with shorts, and her hair was up in a rare ponytail.

“Hiya Viper!” Skye said cheerily, moving to the fridge, and Skye’s voice shook Viper out of her reverie, not realizing she was staring. She brought her gaze back down to her work, feeling her face grow hot. She rubbed at her forehead slightly, trying to bring her focus back down to her work, with little success. 

“Whatcha workin on?”

Viper startled suddenly at the unexpected voice next to her, turning to see that Skye was standing next to her, in between the empty stool and Viper, leaning in just slightly against the bar, eyes flitting between Viper and her work. Skye gently set a mug down in front of Viper, turning the handle towards her and smiling slightly. She had her own glass, orange juice, prompting Viper to raise an eyebrow at the mug.

“I noticed it finished,” Skye said with a shrug, a small smile teasing at her lips, and Viper was struck with the beauty of the woman before her. 

“Skye, you-”

“Skye! Where are you! You made me wake up, you can not just ditch me!” 

A voice interrupted the two women, and Viper pulled back slightly, wary of someone seeing them and getting the wrong idea.

“I’m sorry, but Jett will kill me if I take any longer,” Skye said, righting herself, and Viper nodded once, pushing her hair back behind her ear. She expected Skye to leave without any further commotion, when suddenly, she felt a soft kiss being pressed high to her cheekbone. It was so featherlight she almost thought she imagined it, but there was no mistaking the feeling of Skye's hand on Vipers shoulder, supporting herself. 

"Catch ya later!"

Viper sat there unmoving, stunned for at least twenty minutes afterward. She's pretty sure Phoenix had come in at some point, but she just sat dumbfounded with her hand pressed to her cheek, as if trying to memorize the feeling of Skye’s lips on her cheek. 

3;

Skye had started inserting herself into Vipers life more often. It was subtle at first, and before Viper knew it, Skye had her own little corner of Vipers lab dedicated to her. It made the whole place feel more… alive, so to speak. Viper hadn't added anything crazy or extravagant, it was really just a small bookshelf with a houseplant and a lava lamp Skye had materialized out of nowhere, along with a large beanbag atop a larger, soft rug. Oftentimes Skye would sit there, carving something or reading, Viper had even caught her napping a few times, yet she would never try to start an unnecessary conversation with Viper, and when she did start a conversation, she somehow knew exactly how long to make it last.

All in all, it was nice.

Viper had missed working around someone and to be honest this was the most human interaction she had had in a long time, so she allowed it, even when she was frustrated and it would be so easy to blow up on Skye, put the walls back up, force her out– she didn't. She couldn't find it in herself to ruin the gentle comfort Skye had started bringing into her life.

Around the time she had come to this realization, that she genuinely enjoyed hanging out with Skye, she came to another.

She was falling for Skye. Quickly.

The thought terrified her at first. It left her feeling rubbed raw and exposed. Thinking of Skye though, warmed her to her core and she found herself anticipating the moments they'd have together and dreading when they were separated. 

She was pondering these feelings while attempting to do work, to little success, before eventually giving up, tossing her pen down with a sigh. Running her hands through her hair, she leaned back in the chair, gaze flickering over to the empty bean bag in the corner. Skye had left a blanket there last night, complaining about how cold Viper kept her lab even after Viper explained it was to help preserve her samples. The area really did look rather cozy. 

Sighing deeply, Viper stood up, taking her lab coat off to let it rest on the back of her chair. She walked over to the bean bag, rolling up the sleeves on her turtleneck slightly, before picking up the blanket and awkwardly clambering her way into the bean bag, pulling the blanket back over herself and shuffling down deeper into the chair. Viper pulled the blanket up to her shoulders, taking in a deep breath and smiling at the smell that lingered, earthy and floral, with a hint of the coconut shampoo Skye uses. A soft smile made its way onto her face, and she let her eyes drift shut, intending to just rest for a moment, but before she knew it, she was fast asleep. 

“Viper? Are you in here?” Skye called out as she finished punching in the door code to Vipers lab, eyebrows furrowing in confusion when her initial scan of the room showed no sign of the chemist. She glanced around the room once more before spotting her, tucked underneath the blanket Skye had left on top of the bean bag, passed out. A smile stretched across her face as she walked over to the beanbag quietly, careful not to bump into anything or step too heavy so she didn’t wake her. Closer now, she could get a clearer look at the woman and she looked peaceful. There was a relaxed expression on her face that wasn’t often there, and like this, Skye could see every little line in her face, all the small scars and the way her hair was tousled. She really was one of the most beautiful women Skye had ever seen. 

Skye bent down carefully bringing a hand up to gently hold Viper’s cheek and laughed softly at the way she leaned into it. Before she could stop herself she leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss to Viper’s nose, smiling fondly at how Viper’s nose twitched, not unlike a rabbit. She stood there for a moment, just taking in the sight of Viper before straightening up. Walking out of the lab, shutting the light off on her way out. 

4;

It had been a few months since Skye had found Viper asleep in her lab, unbeknownst to the chemist. There had been a few new recruits, but no one that either of them considered truly of note. 

That was, until Viper had come storming into her lab in her mission uniform, startling Skye from where she had been waiting for the other woman, causing her to fumble with her book slightly before righting herself.

"You alright?" Skye asked, setting her book aside and standing. 

"Augh! The audacity! I mean, who gave him the right to even think it was okay to speak to me like that!?" Viper fumed, throwing her hands up as she paced around the room. Skye raised an eyebrow slightly, the only thing she had known about the mission was it was near where the Fracture tragedy had occurred, and was supposed to be simple reconnaissance with Brimstone.

"Viper, love, what're ya talking about?" Skye asked, leaning up against the desk Viper so often worked at. 

"It's a… long story," Viper said, sighing as she slumped down in the chair at the desk just next to where Skye stood. Nodding for Viper to continue, Skye adjusted her stance just slightly, so she was facing Viper better. Viper began in on a rather heated tangent about how there was someone there when they arrived, and he saved them and in return Brimstone offered him a position in the protocol– something Viper tried to deny vehemently– to which the man responded by flirting with Viper, a word she spat out like it was toxic. 

"Oh, wow, d'ya want me to rough him up for you?" Skye joked, but sombered when she saw the pondering expression on Vipers face. Eventually though, Viper sighed and shook her head.

"No, no. Thank you though little bird," Viper said, patting Skye's thigh gently before standing and walking to the door. "I'm gonna head to bed Skye, you should get some rest yourself, we've got a mission tomorrow."

Viper walked out, leaving Skye alone in her lab, both women's hearts racing at the intimacy they just shared. 

Typically, Viper loved missions with Skye, and not just because of the growing crush she had on the woman thank you very much. Skye was an incredible asset, able to keep people alive for long enough to get further treatment from Sage, and subsequently, Sage had needed to revive far fewer agents, so all in all, it was great having her around.

This mission, however, she was dreading. Brimstone had insisted the new agent– Chamber, he called himself– come along, seeing as he was far more familiar with Fracture. Viper thought she was being punished. She was thankfully saved from his lovely conversation on the way to the site, as she was in the cockpit, but she knew the second they landed, she had no further protection. And as if to prove her point, the second they landed, Chamber was sidling up to her, a grin on his face. 

"Viper, you must let me take you out sometime," he started in that grating accent, "dinner, dancing, I know the perfect place!" he finished with a flourish, no doubt proud of himself. 

"Chamber I would rather drink my own poison," Viper said, cocking her rifle and walking to one of the sites. Smirking at the boisterous laughter of Breach behind her. Arriving on site, however, she felt cold. She wasn't interested in Chamber, except maybe for one of her more dangerous experiments, but his flirting reminded her of who she would much rather flirt with. 

"Viper!" 

Speak of the devil. She turned to see Skye walking up to her, a smile on the aussies face that dropped when she saw the expression on Vipers.

"Hey, you okay?" Skye asked, bringing her hands up to Viper's shoulders. Viper didn't trust herself to speak, so she just shrugged and looked away. "Hey if it makes you feel better, I'm pretty sure Breach propositioned him after you left to fuck with him."

Viper smiled softly at the thought.

"Not sure it actually worked in messing with him though," Skye muttered to herself, "If anything he seemed more interested in Breach."

Viper laughed at that, now that was a thought. If it kept Chamber off her back though, she could see it. When she calmed she realized Skye was still standing just in front of her, staring at her.

"What? Is there something on my face?" Viper asked, self-consciously bringing her hand up, suddenly aware that Skye could see the tooth gap she attempted to keep hidden, moving her mask into place. 

"No, you just," Skye paused, looking at Vipers face like she held the secrets to the universe in her eyes, "You look really gorgeous when you laugh."

Vipers face flushed at that, and she averted her gaze, suddenly aware of just how close they were. Skye had a slight height advantage as she was standing at the top of the step down to site, and before she realized it, Skye was leaning in pressing a soft kiss to Vipers forehead, before letting go and moving onto site, leaving Viper standing there, blushing like an idiot. 

+1;

It was raining when Viper got back from a solo mission. She had to meet with their inside agent that worked at Kingdom, and had been gone for about a week gathering intel and working through it to figure out what was important. 

That was apparently too long. 

Brimstone was waiting in the hangar when she got back, and he had a look on his face that couldn't mean well.

"Hey Sabine. Something happened," Brimstone said as Viper hopped out of the Vulture. 

"I'm listening."

"Just before you left I received a threatening email. I didn't tell you because it was entirely nonsensical, and I didn't think anything would come of it, but then these data pads started showing up when our agents would go on missions, and well. It's better if you see for yourself," He handed her a tablet that likely contained all the info on the data pads he had mentioned, and she took it, concern lacing her features. On the screen was an email, paired with her real name, and referencing things that no one but her and Brimstone should know about. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she closed the email, only to be greeted with a large dossier detailing every single event that happened in her life before Valorant. Everything she was trying to avoid. 

Everything she did.

She felt sick to her stomach.

"How many of these are there?"

"We've received one for every agent," Brimstone said. Viper felt dizzy. Then she realized.

"Wait, you said these were at mission locations? Who's seen these?" She asked, panic rising in her chest.

"I'm sorry. I tried to keep anyone from seeing it but by the time they had brought the dossier back-"

"Oh god," Viper whispered, fear and anxiety coursing through her veins. Skye. Skye had seen it. Skye knew what she did. She knew about the test subjects. About Reyna's sister. About it all. She shoved the tablet back towards Brimstone, and started to walk to the hangar door. The massive room suddenly felt incredibly suffocating. 

"Viper, wait," Brimstone called out from behind her, but she couldn't really hear him over the pounding of her heart. She pushed open the hangar door out into the rain and took a deep breath, the heavy rainfall successfully drowning out some of the noise of her heartbeat. 

She was going to be sick. She ran her hands through her hair, gripping tight at the strands when she got to her scalp before releasing and keeling over, supporting herself with her hands on her knees. She wasn't sure how long she was out there, rain chilling her to the bone when she heard the door open behind her. She whipped around, and standing there, just outside the hangar door was Skye. 

"Skye what," She took a deep breath, "What are you doing out here?"

"I came looking for you. Are you okay?" Skye asked, taking a step toward Viper, and she sounded so sincere and something in her voice broke a dam in Viper, and she was crying without even realizing.

"Why are you here? You know what I did. How could you not hate me?" Viper said, voice growing in volume to a near shout, and Skye closed the rest of the distance between them, pulling Viper into a hug, arms tight around her as Viper went almost boneless in her embrace, sobs wracking her body. 

"You are more than the sum of your past actions, Sabine," Skye said softly into Vipers ear, and Viper felt another wave of tears threatening to spill out. She took a deep shuddering breath and stood there, relishing in the embrace until she felt alright. She straightened up, one of Skye's hands falling to rest at her waist and the other coming up to brush Vipers wet hair out of her face before resting on her cheek.

"Skye, can-"

"It's Kirra," Skye said, interrupting Viper.

"What?"

"My name. I know yours because of the dossier and I figured you probably hadn't taken the time to read mine yet, and I'd rather tell you on my own terms. So it's Kirra Foster," Skye said, cheeks tinged with pink, and Viper couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. 

"Kirra then. Kirra, can I kiss you?" Viper asked, forcing herself to keep eye contact. 

"I thought you'd never ask," Skye said, and Viper smiled at that, leaning in to press a soft kiss to Skye's lips. There weren't fireworks like in the movies, it wasn't some life altering event, but it felt right. Like the one thing Viper was truly meant for in this life was to kiss Kirra foster. 

And she'd be damned if she was gonna defy that.