Chapter Text
The ghouls were still snickering to each other by the time Clawdeen deemed it appropriate to speak up. She was not one for biting her tongue, and she had found that she never needed to when she was around Toralei anyways. But now that she was back at Monster High, the pressure of senior year building on her shoulders, Clawdeen had fallen into the habit of keeping her jaws shut. It was something her friends had yet to notice, something she could see that Toralei had.
It was unnerving how well the were-cat knew her. Even before they had made their relationship exclusive, Toralei seemed to know all these little secrets that Clawdeen had thought she hid well; How afraid she was of not making it as a fashion designer, how hurt she was when Clawd and Draculaura got together, how she had never really found guys all that interesting. Toralei had noticed it all. Of course, back then, it had been used against her, small remarks, quips that set her heart racing beneath a flush of angry embarrassment. But watching Toralei get shut down? It infuriated Clawdeen more than any prank Toralei had ever pulled. Yes, they were taking their relationship slow. And yes, the two were supposed to be enemies. But Clawdeen could not just stand by.
”Ghouls,” She began, very tentatively. She could feel the anger still simmering in the air, sitting heavy on her leaden tongue. “I think we should give her a chance.”
“Have you forgotten everything she’s done to us? Everything she just said?” Cleo, of course, spoke first, with as much fervor as she could manage. Still, her tone was drowsy, uncaring. She had already made up her mind.
”But think of all the good she’s done, too.” Clawdeen turned to Lagoona, whose brow crinkled at the sudden interest in her. “After our trip to the Scarrier reef, you let Toralei stay at your party.”
Lagoona frowned, her head bobbing in distant agreement. “She also made me freeze up in front of the whole school.”
Right.
“People can change.” Clawdeen’s ears flattened against her head in a moment of desperation, grasping for straws that only came up short.
She could mention all the times that Toralei helped lead them into fear-leading victory, but that would only bring up memories of sabotage while she was forced off the team.
Clawdeen could argue that Toralei helped them save the fashion program in Scaris, but she was sure someone would mention her selfishness at the start of the trip.
There was nothing left for her to say. Every good thing Toralei had ever done would be overshadowed by the bad- and who was she to try and override that? Her ghouls hadn’t seen how tender Toralei could be, how gentle her touches were in the dark of night. They didn’t know that she was smart and talented; that she enjoyed math despite putting up a front, that she was truly insecure and afraid of people leaving her. And how could they? Draculaura couldn’t recount the sound of Toralei’s laughter. Cleo didn’t know that Toralei’s eyes were an impossible shade of green- the color of fresh-cut grass and water lilies. Lagoona hadn’t held her while she cried. Frankie never saw excitement as it flashed across her features.
They didn’t know her.
People can change. She just had to prove it.
”I’m gonna go scope out my Biteology class, pick a good seat, y’know?.” Clawdeen said it so suddenly that her friends bristled, swapping glances before offering gentle smiles.
“Okay ghoul.”
”Let us know if you’re alright, Mate?”
”We’ll see you for lunch!”
————
Clawdeen could hear her crying before she reached the bathroom door. There was something so specific about it, like Toralei was actively trying to stifle it behind a closed fist, forcing the falling tears back into her eyes. It wasn’t working.
”Tor?” Clawdeen asked, though she knew exactly where her ghoulfriend was. All her hiding spots were some of the first secrets the two ghouls swapped: Toralei recounting the best places to spy and cry, Clawdeen saying where on campus was best to draw.
“In here.” She said between sniffs. The door clicked open, and Clawdeen rushed inside at the invitation.
Toralei sat with her feet perched on the toilet seat, her back pressed against the wall. Her tail flicked back and forth, almost wildly, as her claws grasped at the wild curls that framed her eye-liner smudged face.
Clawdeen gently coaxed her hands away, and began to softly swipe at the running makeup on her cheeks with a dampened piece of toilet-paper. Toralei leaned into the touch for just a moment then, as if remembering who she was, pulled back with a hiss building in her throat.
“I talked to them.” Clawdeen said, stepping back to give her ghoulfriend some space. She knew Toralei would reach out when she was ready for comfort again.
“And?”
Clawdeen ran her hands through her hair before she spoke, which prompted Toralei to let out a groan. She folded over, placing the top of her head indelicately onto Clawdeen’s stomach, something akin to a dissatisfied purr rumbling in her chest.
“They’re never going to like me.” She said, clawing at her eyes, “And they have every reason not to.”
Clawdeen pulled the were-cat’s paws away from her face, which glowed red and warm from the many tears. She made sure to kiss some of the stray ones away, which at least earned a smile.
“I told them that people change- you changed.” She continued to wipe at the streaks of mascara against her ghoulfriend’s fur. “You’ll just have to prove it to them. I know you can do it.”
Toralei purred loudly now, the sound of it echoed in the empty bathroom, and utterly melted Clawdeen’s heart. She allowed the moment to stretch on, even when she heard the first bell scream out in warning- Biteology could wait, especially if it meant spending a few extra minutes holding on to Toralei.
The were-cat shuddered, pulling her head away and nuzzling it against her ghoulfriend’s neck. “Thank you.”
Clawdeen laughed beneath the mound of Toralei’s hair pressing against her lips. “For what?”
”For giving me a chance.”
The silence of the restroom stretched on, the air thick with a feeling she couldn’t quite place- was it longing that stirred in her gut? Or trepidation that was beginning to build? There was nothing easy about their relationship, and it was going to get harder the longer the two kept it secret. From their friends. From their families. From the entire school who knew them as enemies. Clawdeen had never once cared what others thought of her, but knowing that Toralei would face the same scrutiny was enough to stop her in her tracks. In her mind there was no grand declaration, no crowd of confused students, just her and Toralei.
And a plan.
”Bone Coming.” She said suddenly, rousing Toralei out of her drowsy stupor.
”What about it?”
”We tell everyone at Bone Coming. It’s in a few months, we’ll have time to redeem you to my friends.” Clawdeen steadied her voice, which began to tremble with excitement.
“And I’ll have time to explain to Meowlody and Purrsephone.” Toralei continued, grasping her ghoulfriend’s paws in her own. “I love your mind.”
She pressed a kiss to Clawdeen’s temple, leaving a smudge of bright orange lipstick on her dark fur.
“This is going to be fang-tastic!” Clawdeen said, just as the bell began to scream. Their time was up.
Slowly, she clutched Toralei against her chest, holding her in a fierce hug full of promises she intended to keep. She unlocked the stall door, stood at the opening for a second, before thinking better of it. The door creaked closed for a moment of privacy, in which Clawdeen stooped down and planted a kiss on the were-cat’s unsuspecting lips. It was quick, but it said more than Clawdeen ever could.