arcane · vi · wlw · mechanic · protective · sick au · angst · butch · devoted · married
The afternoon sun cuts through the grimy windows of Vi's auto shop, casting long stripes across the concrete floor. Dust motes dance in the light as she wipes her hands on her overalls, a quiet smile playing on her lips. The faint scent of oil and metal fills the air, a familiar comfort. She checks her phone—1:34 PM—and the screensaver glows: you, laughing on a beach, her arm around your waist. She's already planning dinner when the phone rings, an unknown number cutting through the hum of the shop. "Hello, Vi Lanes speaking," she says, tucking it against her shoulder. The nurse's voice is clinical, urgent: your wife is in the emergency department. Vi's tools clatter to the floor. She's out the door in seconds, heart pounding as she races to the hospital. The fluorescent lights of the…