Chapter Text
Vaas leaned against the rusted hood of the old jeep, trying to balance his machete across his knees while he watched his boys gear up. The air was thick with cheap weed and that kind of anticipation that came right before they went out to remind the island who ran shit. Vaas stood in the middle of it all like he owned the night- which, for the most part, he did. The group tonight was small- just the ones who could keep up without pissing themselves or ask too many questions.
One of them, a wiry bastard named Rico, was already bitching. “Fuck man. Been too long since I had something warm and wet to sink into. My hand’s starting to get ideas.”
While the others laughed, Vaas grinned, slow and short like he was considering it. “Yeah? Be careful what you wish for, hermano. You want me to bend one of you over the hood and-” His words cut off mid-sentence. His eyes had drifted past the circle, scanning the scattered mess of his (and Hoyt’s, he supposes) people lingering near the edge of the compound lights. And there she was.
She wasn’t doing anything special. Just standing there, really. In that bored way plenty of the men do when they stay still too long. But something about the way she held herself made his brain stutter for half a second.
“Look at that one,” Vaas jerked his head toward her, voice dropping into a casual, cruel drawl that he used when he wanted to entertain the boys. “Bet she’d make the prettiest little noises if you bent her over something. Face like that? Probably cries real nice too.”
A couple of the men chuckled. One let out a low whistle. Vaas didn’t take his eyes off her. He brought too fingers to his lips and whistled- sharp and loud.
Her head turned, eyes bored but curious. He crooked a finger, beckoning over like she was already his to call. She came- no hesitation, no nervous glance around. Just pushed off the post she’d been leaning on and walked straight toward them. Her hips rolled with that loose, easy gait of someone who was already riding something good in their bloodstream. Vaas clocked it immediately, of course he did. The glassy shine in her eyes, pupils blown wide even in the shitty lighting. Not falling down fucked- but she was definitely floating.
When she stopped in front of him, close enough he could smell the faint trace of whatever she had been smoking lingering on her. He looked her up and down likehe was deciding whether or not she was worth the effort.
“You, Trouble,” Vaas finally spoke, voice low and rough. “You look like trouble tonight. Like you know how to have a good time. Or at least how to fake it real convincingly.”
Rico chuckled, one of the other boys huffed like he isn’t sure if he was allowed to laugh or not. Vaas ignored them.
“We’re going out,” He continued, tilting his head toward the dark treeline beyond the compound. “Gonna go make some noise. Break some shit. Maybe break some people if they’re stupid enough to be in the way,” His eyes dragged back to hers, bright with something manic. “You in, Trouble?”
“Yeah, I’m in.” She didn’t even hesitate, her voice a little rough, a little dreamy.
“Good girl.” Vaas pushed off the jeep, machete swinging loosely in one hand as he started walking. He didn’t glance back to see if she or the others were following- he already knew that they would. His people would follow him everywhere like little fucking puppy dogs if they thought that’s what he wanted.
But she sped up to match his stride, falling only a little off to his side while the others trailed behind- still laughing and talking shit. But Vaas’s attention had narrowed. He could feel her there. Could feel the way she was already buzzing, already halfway gone on whatever she had taken earlier. He spared her a quick glance. The way her pupils were blown wide- fuck, just her entire presence- made something hot and ugly twist low in his gut. He liked it.
They moved through the dark in a loose pack. Vaas kept his pace even to hers. Every now and then, he’d hear her stumble. He wouldn’t stop, wouldn’t turn to catch her, just slow his next step to stay the same length ahead.
After a while, he glanced at her sideways. His voice pitched low so only she can hear. “You’re already flying, aren’t you chica? Can see it all over you. What’d you take?”
She didn’t answer right away, just smirked at him like she was letting him in on a secret. Vaas didn’t push. He liked that she didn’t spill easily.
They hit the first target twenty minutes later. It was a shitty little outpost some local smaller smugglers had been using to move product. Vaas didn’t care about the product. He knew they didn’t have enough shit to bother his kingdom none. He liked the noise. The fear. The way people look at him when he steps out of the dark like the devil himself had come calling.
He let the boys have most of the fun at first. Let them kick in doors and drag people out. But he kept her right there beside him, one hand loosely gripping the neck like he was guiding her through it. Everytime she flinched at a gunshot or scream, he felt it under his palm. And every time she didn’t flinch- something inside him lit up hotter.
At one point, he leaned in close, lips brushing the shell of her ear as one of his men dragged a screaming man past them. “You like this, Hellcat?” He muttered, voice thick with something between amusement and hunger. “All this pretty chaos?”
She didn’t say a word. Just turned her head enough to meet his eyes. And she smiled. That was it for him.
Later, after the outpost was ablaze and the boys were hauling whatever they wanted to keep- Vaas pulled her away from the main group. Deeper into the trees, far enough that the screams and laughter became background noise. He pushed her back against a thick trunk, one hand braced beside her head, the other already gripping her hip hard enough to bruise. He had tucked his machete into his belt on the way over here- he hadn’t even realized. His mind and body had burned him more than the outpost was burning.
“You’re trouble,” He rasped, eyes blaziing into hers, “I can already tell.”
She didn’t deny it. Didn’t say anything- not that he thinks she’s spoken more than a couple words since they’ve been out here. But that was fine with him.
Vaas laughed, low and delighted albeit maybe a little unhinged, and then he was kissing her like she wanted to devour her whole. It was messy and rough. Her lips tasted like smoke and whatever she’d been smoking earlier. She kissed back just as hard, fingers twisting into his shirt and pulling him closer.
They didn’t even make it back to the compound. Instead, he fucked her against that tree, rough and fast and filthy. One hand clamped over her mouth to muffle the sounds she made. Not that he didn’t want to hear them. Fuck- he really did. But the other men were still close enough to hear her if she was too loud- and he didn’t want them spoiling his fun. He didn’t bother being gentle. Didn’t ask if she wanted it slow. Just took what he wanted and gave her enough in return that she came hard around him, nails digging into his shoulders hard enough to draw blood.
This one was going to be fun. He could already tell.