Trapped In Flames (A Shivian fic)

Coffee date | 2 ❥

content warning, homophobia & domestic violence

Siobhan had been waiting all week for Saturday to arrive, and it was finally here. Over the past 5 days, her and Vivian had called another few times, and she'd grown surprisingly fond of the presence of the brunette. She found herself constantly clinging to the cosy blanket of joy she felt wrap around herself whilst speaking with Viv, using their phone calls as motivation to get through the days that would usually feel futile and overwhelming.

She carefully applied her makeup, taking time to paint layers of bronzer and blush onto her cheeks to create the illusion of the warmer, happier woman she wished she could've been.
It was then that she realised how much she cared about what Viv thought about her. Was this what it was like to have friends, people in your life whose thoughts of you you valued? Siobhan rolled her eyes, ashamed at herself for letting herself grow any sort of attachment to Vivian, even if it was small. With friends came drama and responsibility, and Siobhan was way too tired to handle any more of either.

༻❥༺

A nervous swarm of butterflies fluttered clumsily inside of Siobhan's stomach as she stepped into the quiet coffee shop that she and Viv had arranged to meet at. 
Her blue eyes shone the colour of a midwinter sky as she inspected each table, looking eagerly for Vivian.
With no luck, she decided to go and find a small and welcoming looking table to wait at. Each second that passed by felt excruciatingly long, but soon enough Siobhan glanced upwards to see Viv enter the café, her dark hair falling perfectly around her neckline.
She watched in soft admiration as Viv's pupils searched the coffee shop for her, a small grin landing on her face as she locked eyes with her.

"Hey, Shibby." Began Vivian with a wink.
"Don't call me that again." Siobhan replied, rolling her eyes despite the small smile seated on her lips.
"Fine," Viv laughed, "I prefer Siobhan anyways, it has a nicer ring to it." Her grin grew bigger and she winked again, this time a tiny glint illuminated her eyes.
"So, how was your evening?" Viv asked cautiously, "We didn't call yesterday."
Siobhan shuffled uncomfortably in her seat. "I couldn't, Roger was home all day." She told her as the blood drained from her face and she apprehensively began to pick at her nail cuticles.
"Siobhan," Vivian said quietly, noticing how stressed the blonde seemed to have become, "you've made it clear that you don't want to talk about your partner, and I promise I'll respect that, but I really need to know. Is he hur-"
Viv was cut off abruptly as a young waitress with long auburn hair and startling green eyes came to take their orders; an expresso, a vanilla latte with extra oat milk, and a dark chocolate muffin that Viv insisted Siobhan had to try.

After the waitress had left, Viv sat there, assessing the situation, her face twisting in worry.
One glance into Siobhan's pale blue eyes told a lifetime of a struggle that had never been put into words.
Viv wanted more than anything to finish her sentence and tell her that she was there for her, and she would listen to her story with no judgment of any kind. But she could see before her that Siobhan was hastily gathering herself together, and she knew that if she was to ask again she would probably be met with a similar snappy answer to the one she received when asking about 'Mr. Relentless' during their first phone call a few nights ago.
She sighed defeatedly and decided to strike up a conversation about something else that would be less difficult to talk about.
Viv had been in a similar situation to the one she assumed Siobhan was currently in, and she decided that even if all she could do to help was try and distract her new friend from the horrors she was experiencing in her home, then she would do it.

"I'm intrigued," Viv started, "tell me some stories about your time managing the sister nursery."
A slight smirk returned to Siobhan's face, she was more than happy to dive into the world of childcare and share her tales of the disrespectful parents she would face each day, and of Marjorie's infinite collection of irritating staff members that would often have to cover at her nursery.
The waitress returned with their food and drinks, and Vivian sat listening contently as she chuckled at the many encounters Siobhan had to tell her about.
Siobhan also soon began to ask Vivian about her own life, and she found herself basking in the relief she found to have somebody to talk to, relishing in Vivian's humour and kindness.