Work Text:
That did not just happen.
Laura watched the back of her roommate as Carmilla sped out of their room. She was holding her neck tight, almost scared to to release it in fear of what she'd see. Sure, she knew her roommate was a vampire, and sure, she also knew there was a decent chance she'd get bitten at some point or another. But not like this. Not tonight.
Laura slowly pulled her hand away from her neck and grimaced, partially due to the air stinging the pair of needle sized holes in her neck, and partially because of the blood that was smeared across her hands.She stared at it intently for a moment or two, as the realization of what just happened washed over her.
"Oh my god, ohmygod, Oh. My. God" she said aloud.
She got up, found a towel and quickly wiped off her hand and held it to her neck to try and sopping up the blood beginning to run down her neck.
"Think, Hollis, think" she berated herself. "There has to be a logical explanation." She grabbed her phone, and flipped it open, her hands shaking. She needed to text...who?
Danny would be furious ("Are you ok? Which way did they go? I'll show her seduction eyes!") and probably get herself killed in the process. Not an enticing thought for Laura.
LaFontaine would probably be so intrigued she would drag Laura down to the Bio lab ("Come on, Laura, how many times do you think I'll have the chance to study a real, live vampire bite victim?? At least let me get some blood samples.").
Perry would just look at her like she had grown a second head and tell her not to worry ("Honestly, Laura, it was probably just some mistake. Maybe Carmilla fell and accidentally bit your neck. I'm sure there's some kind of rational explanation.").
No. This one, Laura had to figure out on her own.
Laura walked over to the webcam, the light still blinking red. She craned her neck, gingerly removing the bloodied towel, and carefully examined the image of her wounds on the computer screen. She paused for another moment, took a deep breath, and looked straight into the camera.
"As I see it, there are four reasons she may have bitten me," she conjectured, refusing to let her voice shake or show any sort of fear.
"First, she was so hungry - or more likely - pissed from her recent stint as our captive. The bite could’ve been purely out of revenge." She looked away thoughtfully for a beat, then redirected her gaze back to the camera. Making a face, she shook her head.
"If she'd wanted revenge, she would've let Will take me or would have bitten me herself prior to punching him."
"Option number two is that my blood is some kind of heroin that she can't resist." She cocked an eyebrow and smirked at the webcam for a moment before continuing, "Except nothing that was ever referenced in that sparkly vampire tome has yet to come true, so why would that?" She looked guiltily into the camera, "As much as I might flatter myself into thinking that could be the case".
"Three," she continued, her expression growing darker, "Carmilla could be trying to turn me into one of her... vampire thralls? Or maybe even a vampire?" At that realization, she could feel the blood drain out of her face (not exactly a good sign), and the room grew very warm. "Sure, I've read a lot of stuff about vampires, but in this world, what exactly has to happen in order for someone to turn into a vampire... or a thrall?" She paused again, touching the palm of her hand to her neck.
She closed her eyes and visualized Carmilla there with her, and she imagined Carmilla was telling her to do something ("Cupcake, be a dear and go fold my laundry for me. And while you're at it, throw me that yellow pillow of yours I like so much"). She imagined her reaction ("You wish" complete with an eye roll), and was content that she had no desire to do Carmilla's bidding - for the moment - imaginary or not.
She felt the panic, however, when she considered herself turning into a vampire. She didn't want to live forever, or become some sort of blood sucking fiend bound to the other girl for centuries upon centuries. She just wanted to be Laura Hollis - normal girl extraordinaire.
As the panic began to rise, she got out of her chair and began pacing back and forth. What she needed was a pro/con list.
"If she is turning me into a vampire, maybe it won't be so bad" she spoke aloud trying to convince herself.
"I mean, I never have to worry about looking old. My skin will always be perfect. I'll have super strength and super speed," she continued, starting to feel a bit better about the prospect.
"What are the cons to being a vampire, exactly?" she questioned, stopping her pacing for a moment before grinning at the camera. The grin slowly faded away when she thought about the more unpleasant side of vampirism. "Except needing to drink blood and watching all of your loved ones die before you while you remained the same." She paused. "That part I could do without." Her gaze grew blurry and wistful as she thought about how lonely it must be to live as Carmilla has for centuries.
"The fourth option," she continued, refocusing herself as she walked back over to her desk chair and sat, "would be that she's trying to protect me. She bit me because she's..." Laura searched for the words, "marking me. Proving to Will and the Dean that I'm under her protection." Laura contemplated this as it came out of her mouth and thought back to when Carmilla had leaned down sunk her teeth into the soft flesh of her neck.
Laura's eyes glazed over as she reflected on the scene that had unfolded around her just a few moments earlier. First, Will was a vampire (she had definitely NOT seen that one coming) who was kidnapping girls and taking them to his (and presumably Carmilla's) Mother, who is THE DEAN, for some undoubtedly nefarious purpose. Secondly, she had held her own for a moment against a vampire (Laura grinned triumphantly at the thought briefly) until, thirdly, Will had caught her (to take her to THE DEAN for the aforementioned nefarious purpose), and fourthly, Carmilla had Vampire!Punched him in the face when he threatened to feed off of her.
None of that compared to the moment that Carmilla stood over Laura, and looked down at her with a gaze so intense, so conflicted, so... lustful, that Laura stopped breathing. She had thought that Carmilla was going to lean down and kiss her. As she saw Carmilla's head move towards hers, she had felt the familiar draw that she often identified with more intimate moments she had with the other girl. Those moments were breathtaking and exciting, and at times she found herself longing to be kissed by Carmilla and feel her own body covered by the brunette's and feel flesh on flesh. In that moment, she hoped beyond hope that Carmilla was going to kiss her, and she would finally feel those perfect lips upon her own. But instead...
She can't think about that now. She had to figure out the meaning of... well, everything.
She stood up, bloody rag in hand, and started pacing back and forth across their floor with renewed vigor.
"I mean, what other purpose would she have to bite me?" she questioned towards camera. "Maybe that's how vampires tell you they like you?" she joked weakly as she walked towards the sink to wash off the bloody rag.
She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand at attention, and instantly knew Carmilla was back, standing right behind her.
"He got away. I'm sorry" she said dejectedly. For the first time, Laura realized that the other girl didn't really know what to say. Words weren't going to fail her now. She felt a fury building up inside of her, one that she had pushed deep down inside her since the first day Carmilla waltzed into her and Betty's room.
"Really? That's all you have to say about all of this?" she spun around and stepped closer to Carmilla, menacingly holding the bloodied rag out "'He got away?' You’re ‘sorry’? That's it?"
"I... I..." Carmilla began to sputter, slowly backing away, refusing to look at the blood in Laura's outstretched hand.
“You… you…” Laura shot back, “...you what, Carmilla?” The brunette hung her head and put her hands up, starting to turn around.
“No, you don’t get out of this that easily.” Laura spat as she grabbed Carmilla’s arm with one hand to spin her around and slammed their bedroom door, effectively locking Carmilla in the room with her.
“You don’t get to just leave when you want. Actions have consequences.” At that, while looking at the floor, Carmilla rolled her eyes.
“Now tell me. Right. Now. Why did you bite me?”
Carmilla shrugged and continued looking at the floor, scuffing her shoe back and forth across the tile. For being more than 300 years old, her actions resembled those of a toddler being reprimanded.
“I got scared” she murmured.
“You got scared? YOU got scared? What about me? What about me finding out that one of my supposed friends is your accomplice..”
“He isn’t my accomplice” she stalked around me, stopping by my bed to pick up my pillow, before sitting on her bed and clutching the pillow to her chest.
“...who is kidnapping girls, a tiny detail you forgot to mention last night when you were trying to get me to trust you. And on top of all that, he TRIED to kidnap me and feed off me..”
“Until I stopped him.”
“But then YOU fed off me.”
“I didn’t feed off you.”
“Then what would you call the bite marks on my neck?”
“Protection.”
Laura didn’t expect that admission.
“Humans are so naive, they don’t understand how our world works. For as many subtleties and nuances of the old ways that we cling to, this one is a little more, shall we say... boorish. I marked you”
Laura started to speak, but Carmilla raised an eyebrow and a finger, and for once, Laura decided to listen. Besides, she was still reveling on the fact that one of her theories was correct.
“It’s an old tradition, one that Mama still respects, and Will does as well. I have put you under my protection, and they should no longer attempt to pursue you. For now at least. Look, I’m sorry, I suppose it was -”
Carmilla was cut off by Laura swiftly moving aside the pillow she was cradling and crawling on top of her and capturing the vampire’s lips with her own. She closed her eyes and reveled in the feel of the other girl’s lips, moving roughly against her own. Laura didn’t know she had it in her as she struggled for dominance, but the other girl drove her crazy on a whole new level. She channeled her frustration and desire into the kiss, pulling Carmilla’s hair and causing her roommate to groan and pull away for a brief moment, Laura gasping - partly for air, and partly because Carmilla’s eyes had grown dark, which both terrified and excited Laura.
Several hours later, as Laura nestled into the back of the other girl, she thought that maybe - just maybe - getting bitten wasn’t the worst thing ever.