AN: I'm back with another Letty/Mia oneshot! It's been awhile since I've published anything.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Fast and The Furious.
Warnings: AU, mild swearing (I think there's one damn), mentions of sex, femslash.
Pairings: Letty/Mia, mentioned Dom/Letty.
Warmth
Letty loved Dom. Dom loved Letty. That was one of the immutable facts of the team, one of the many bonds that forged them into a solid unit. They'd been a couple since the teen years, and many times the team thought that nothing could ever split them up.
Then Dom was thrown into Lompoc.
Letty loved Dom, she really did. But two years is a long time for her to wait.
There was an aching black hole in Letty's heart now, where Dom had resided, that tried its best to suck her in and devour her from the inside out.
Dom had gravity too, but where Dom was like the sun, pulling her in but warming her at the same time, this black hole was nothing but the cold emptiness of space.
Letty needed something to fill that hole. She knew Dom would understand. They were too alike sometimes, creatures of fire and wind, and they could not abide the cold.
She needed the warmth, but she missed Dom so much, and no one else could ever measure up to Dominic Toretto.
After the first six months, everything began to remind her of Dom. More than ever, she needed something to fill the hole the loss of her sun had created. And that was when her eye fell on Mia.
She had seen the looks the girl had thrown her way when she thought no one else could see. The younger woman had somehow developed a raging crush when Letty wasn't looking.
Mia Toretto was beautiful example of womanhood. She certainly had Vincent panting after her heels. But more than that, she looked like Dom. Oh, it wasn't overt, and at first glance there was nothing to link the hulking man with the slender woman, but the resemblance was there, in the shape of their noses, and their shared smile. Oh God, their smile was enough to light up a room if you let it.
But more than that, the biggest similarity was in their eyes. Both had eyes that burned, as if the fire they kept inside them was just too great for the two Torettos' bodies to contain.
Letty knew already that Mia was perfect for what the racer needed, and the fact that Mia should have been a forbidden fruit only made the thought of seducing her all the sweeter.
It was almost shamefully easy for the more worldly woman to slip into Mia's bed. The other female had put up some resistance, pointing out Dom and their connections to him, but Letty was determined, and Mia's attraction to the other woman made it impossible for the girl to say no.
Letty was gone when Mia woke up the next day.
As far as Letty was concerned, nothing had changed. She was still Mia's friend and Dom's lover. The fact that she had slept with Mia was inconsequential compared to those bonds, and besides, it was just a onetime deal.
Or so Letty told herself, but it wasn't long before the ice began to gnaw on her soul again, and the gravity of the black hole drew her back to Mia's arms.
At first, Letty never stayed after they were done, choosing instead to return to the bed she and Dom had shared. But it was cold there, and Mia was so warm. It wasn't long before Letty began to stay the nights. Mia welcomed her with open arms.
They were three months into their strange not-a-relationship when Letty began to notice. Her shampoo was in Mia's private bathroom, and her favorite shirt lay on the chair. If she had lost a piece of clothing, Mia's room was the first place she checked, and it could usually be found there. She began spending more time with the girl, until it was usual for the guys to find one where they found the other. Mia was teaching Letty how to cook, and when Letty made the food right, Mia's praise was the sweetest thing in the world.
Somehow, Letty was falling in love with the younger Toretto. Mia had that same fire that had drawn her to Dom, but she was also softer.
If Dom had been the sun, Mia was a torch. Both burned, giving light and heat, but a torch can often reach even where the sun cannot trod.
They had been unofficially together for close to nine months when Letty let it slip. She was in bed with Mia again, the two women having just finished a particularly long, slow round of sex when Letty, drifting off, whispered "I love you," to her partner before falling asleep.
There was no going back now, Mia thought as she looked down on the fiery women, her face softened in slumber. "I love you too," she said softly, before giving in to her own need to sleep.
The day Letty heard Dom was getting out of Lompoc was both the best and worst day she'd had in a long time. After all, she did want Dom out of that place, but at the same time, she knew that his return would upset the fragile status quo Mia and her had finally settled into.
All the same, she was the one to pick him up when he walked out of the gates.
At first glance, he hadn't changed a bit, was still the strong man she had known and loved. It wasn't until he reached her that Letty could see the changes Lompoc had wrought.
It took all her self discipline to not gasp in horror and even slight revulsion, because as he met her gaze, his eyes were cold.
All the fire that she had loved so well had been snuffed out, and in it's place was unyielding ice.
She could barely remember getting in the car and speeding home, that brief look etched into her mind's eye.
Everyone could tell that Dom was different, the team tiptoeing around anything they feared might set him off. But even with the coldness in his eyes, Dom knew his team, and bit by bit they relaxed, as their sun soothed them with his return, even though they could all see he burned with a cold fire now.
And Letty? Letty was just happy to be back within Mia's warmth, the other woman's presence calming as Letty tried to figure out how to tell Dom that she had fallen in love with his baby sister.
Finally, it got to be too much, and grabbing Mia's hand she stood, addressing the object of her turmoil with a confidence she did not feel.
"Dom? We need to talk to you in private."
The big man looked up from his Corona, eyes measuring before he nodded and stood, following the two females as they led the way to the kitchen. Once in, Letty turned to face Dom, presenting a united front with Mia.
"I'm not really sure how to say this, but... Dom, I'm breaking up with you." He voice was determined but strangely flat. A flash of hurt raced the man's eyes before they blanked out.
"Why, Letty?" His voice was soft but pained. "I thought you loved me?"
Her shoulders slumped before she jerked them back up, gripping Mia's hand for strength. "I did, Dom, but... It's been two years! Love can't live on memories and dreams alone. I need flesh and blood." Letty admitted, watching her ex closely.
"Who is it?" The coldness in Dom's eyes chilled further until they burned with anger. "Who took you from me?" He was fierce, a barely controlled predator waiting to strike. "Tell me so I can destroy them for touching what is mine." He didn't shout. He didn't have to.
Mia's hand trembled faintly in Letty's grasp, but she spoke up. "I'm sorry, Dom." she whispered, unshed tears glinting in her warm brown eyes.
Dom's face crumpled. "Mia?" The resolve in his eyes shattered, leaving only stunned betrayal behind. "Why, Mia?" He almost whispered.
"I'm sorry, Dom." His sister repeated. "I love Letty. I always have. And then you were gone, and she was so sad, and I just..." The girl started babbling. Dom listened to his sister for a few moments before cutting her off with a sharp motion of one hand.
"It doesn't matter any more." His voice rumbled out of his chest in a way that once would have made Letty shiver in desire, but now did nothing. He turned to leave.
He was already halfway out the door when Letty finally found her voice. "Dom? Where are you going?"
"Away from here." His voice was harsh and cold in a way Letty had never heard directed at any of the team, and especially not her.
"Why?" It was Mia's turn to ask. Dom paused mid step.
"I love you, baby sister. I'd give everything for you, but Letty... I love her too. I don't want to let her go, and I don't want to hurt you. There's no place here for me anymore."
Mia's eyes filled with the tears at the endearment. It had been so long since she'd heard him call her that, with that almost-not-there tone of affection.
"How can you say that, Dom!" Letty exploded. "We're a team. Your team. We need you."
"No, you don't." Dom contradicted softly, still facing away. "You've done fine by yourselves while I was in Lompoc."
Letty snorted. "We survived. Nothing else. Damn it, Dom, we need you!"
The three stood in the silent tableau for moments that stretched endlessly. "Maybe you're right." Dom seemed to relent.
Letty had just opened her mouth to deliver a witty retort when Dom began walking again. "But I can't stay here right now." He threw carelessly over his shoulder as he strode right out of their lives for the second time in two years..
"Dom!" Mia nearly screamed. "Big brother!" Powerful shoulders tensed at the nickname Mia hadn't used in years, but he kept walking.
Letty grabbed Mia around the waist, hugging her tight, trying to take comfort from Mia's warmth. "I'm sorry, Dom." the woman repeated one more time, tears glittering in her eyes. God, she felt so useless! The only answer was the distant sound of the Mazda's engine flaring to life.
The couple just stood in the kitchen clinging to each other for several minutes before a noise made them turn around. The rest of the team was there, disappointment in their eyes.
"What a way to celebrate his release from prison." Leon finally said, shaking his head.
"We had to tell him." Letty defended herself, eyes flaring at the censure in his tone.
"And ya couldn't have just visited him in prison, told him when you actually started this thing?" the brunet drawled scornfully.
"Dom..." Jesse started, "Dom means a lot to us too, and we want him around." The kid was frowning. Letty had never seen the energetic kid so downcast. "We just got him back." He finished softly, closing his eyes.
"He trusted you, girl," Vince said flatly, turning away and walking out, following Dom's path. Another car roared as the rough man headed out after his best friend.
"If Dom's imprisonment couldn't break this team, what makes you think you have the right?" Leon demanded before leaving, dragging Jesse with him.
The women watched them go, Letty' face impassive as salty liquid streamed down Mia's.
"Letty?" Mia asked softly, twisting around so she could look her lover in the eyes. "Are they right? I never wanted to break the team, but..." She broke off, voice cracking as she tried to control her tears.
"No, baby. This is right, and I don't care what anyone else says. You and me..." She trailed off, before beginning again, voice rough. She rested her forehead on Mia's. "I love you, and that's not something I'm willing to lose. Maybe we'll work things out with Dom and the boys, maybe we won't, but I don't care as long as I have you." And it was true, Letty realized. Mia was everything to Letty.
A small smile appeared on Mia's face. "I love you too," she whispered, twining her hands around Letty's neck.
The two had curled up together hours ago, yet Letty still couldn't sleep. She lay there, stroking the sleeping Mia's hair with a gentle hand, just thinking. As much as she hated the fact that Dom had gone to Lompoc, she had to admit that what had occurred as a result of it had made her happier than she'd had ever been in her life.
Finally, Letty sighed and closed her eyes, instinctively curling closer to Mia's warmth.
Her sun.
AN: I'm really starting to get into this pairing. Honestly, Dom/Brian is my OTP, but Letty/Mia is a close second. I suppose I should try to update my Insanity drabbles soon, but this little nugget was bouncing around my head and just wouldn't leave. Sheesh.