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They’ve never been one for pomp and circumstance. Considering Laura’s version of “I love you” was just to say, “You know,” and their first Christmas was spent in a diner run by a cannibalistic witch, they stopped being surprised by the unorthodoxy of their relationship.
Their first Valentine’s Day was spent looking for an antidote for Laura after the Alchemy club had spiked the punch at a party with a potion that literally you lovesick.
Their first anniversary was spent in a parallel universe after the glee club had accidentally hit the wrong notes and opened a portal.
Laura’s first birthday with Carmilla was in the hospital when the birthday cake came alive and almost ate her (at which the latter commented, “I guess you can’t have your cake and eat it, too, after all”).
Moving into their first apartment involved trying to remove the poltergeist that apparently inhabited the space and didn’t want to give it up without a fight.
For the past few years, their relationship became founded on the concept of “it’s the thought that counts.”
So, when Carmilla decides she wants to do something very special with Laura, she wants to put as much thought into it as she can.
She sits at the table, waiting for Laura to join her for breakfast. She tries to keep herself from fidgeting, since it’d be a huge giveaway, but it isn’t working.
“Good morning, Carm,” Laura says brightly as she enters the room, making the vampire jump. Laura laughs. “You okay, sillyhead?”
Carmilla laughs too, but it came out more nervous than she intends. “Yep, all good, cupcake.”
Laura walks over and places down a mug of blood–– at body temperature–– on a coaster in front of Carmilla, and gives her a kiss on the cheek.
Laura sits down and opens her laptop, sipping coffee from her own TARDIS mug, and starts typing. She’s been at her dream job as a journalist at a paper with Danny for about a year, now.
“What are you working on?” Carmilla asks, trying to steady her hands before drinking some blood.
Laura types a little while longer before answering. “It’s the article about animal control.”
“The one about pet cats needing to be on a leash if they’re outside?”
Laura nods.
Carmilla rolls her eyes. “Would that law apply to me?”
Laura throws her head back in a laugh and shakes her head. “Only if you run away from me across a street,” she retorts.
Carmilla chuckles and watches as Laura goes back to work. Her tongue is sticking out the side of her mouth and every so often she stops typing to wave her hands around as if it gets the words flowing better. Carmilla realizes she’s smiling at Laura, who is as oblivious as ever to it.
Well, now’s a good a time as any.
Carmilla gets up and grabs a stack of newspapers and brings them over. “Hey, buttercup?”
Laura continues typing, her eyes trained on her laptop screen.
“Babe?”
Laura finally looks away and smiles at her girlfriend. “What’s up?”
Carmilla takes a deep breath and holds out the paper. “Read this.”
Laura’s eyebrows wrinkle in confusion. “Can it wait until I’m done with the article?”
Carmilla bites her lip. She’s trying not to lose her nerve. “Uhm, not really? Just look at it.”
“Carm, I’m in the middle of writing this, just wait until I’m done.”
Carmilla sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes. “For crying out loud, creampuff, look at the friggin’ paper!” She doesn’t mean to start yelling, but she swears sometimes she could just slap Laura. Carmilla slams the stack on the table and the drinks shake.
Laura narrows her eyes. “If this stupid paper is so gosh darn important to you, why don’t you read it?” She picks up the paper and throws it at Carmilla.
Carmilla takes a deep breath to try to calm herself down. “Read the paper, Laura,” she says gently. “Please?”
“Fine,” Laura huffs. “But only because you used my actual name.”
Carmilla rolls her eyes, but quickly tries to cut out the sass when she watches Laura unfold the newspaper.
“See?” Laura says, shaking the paper vigorously to make a point. “I’m reading your dumb paper!”
Carmilla raises an eyebrow. “Oh, are you really?”
Laura scoffs and her eyes wander over the front page. She gasps.
“Oh, my gosh, Carm,” she breathes out.
Carmilla grins as she watches Laura’s eyes scan over the headline a few more times before she squeals and throws the paper on the table.
The vampire smirks. “What’s it say, shortbread?”
Laura jumps up and does a little dorky dance in the middle of the kitchen. “‘Carmilla asks Laura, Will you marry me?’”
Carmilla stands up and Laura bounces over and throws her arms around Carmilla’s neck. She pulls her into a deep kiss. Eventually, Laura pulls away.
“I can’t believe you did this,” Laura says, beaming.
“I can’t believe you literally threw the proposal in my face,” Carmilla retorts. Laura blushes a bit and Carmilla laughs as she gives Laura another kiss. “I also can’t believe you haven’t given me an answer, yet. You really like to keep a girl waiting, huh?”
Laura playfully swats Carmilla’s shoulder.
“Of course it’s a yes, Carm.”
“Good, because I would hate for this to go to waste.” Carmilla gently removes herself from Laura and gets down on one knee, producing a small black box from her pocket. She opens the box and there is a beautiful ring.
Laura’s mouth drops open.
“Close that mouth, or all the vampire bats will fly in,” Carmilla teases.
Laura’s eyes begin to well up. “Carm, it’s beautiful.”
Carmilla stares up at Laura. “Yeah, you are.”
Laura blushes and Carmilla stands to slide the ring on her finger.
“Where’d you get it?” Laura asks softly.
“It’s, uh… It’s actually my mother’s–– my human mother’s. I stopped wearing it a couple centuries ago.”
Laura’s eyes widen. “Carm–– no, this is too much, I can’t.”
“If you say so,” Carmilla deadpans, pretending to remove the ring. Laura pouts and that only makes Carmilla laugh hard. “You silly little human.”
“And now I’m your silly little human fiancée,” Laura points out smugly.
“Oof, when you put it that way, maybe we should––” she starts to remove the ring again. Laura pulls her hand away with a fake scowl, which slowly changes into a smile.
Carmilla smiles back as Laura pulls her into another kiss.
Laura eventually looks down at the mocked-up newspaper and reads the rest of the headline.
“‘Carmilla asks Laura, Will you marry me? This lucky useless lesbian vampire bares it all–– fangs included–– to her tiny creampuff journalist.’”
Carmilla gives Laura a small peck. “My articles are way better than yours,” she teases.
“Oh, you wish.”
“I’m covering the important stories, hon.”
“I suppose you are,” Laura giggles. “Still, you’d better leave the journalism to me, because once you take that away from me, I might have an identity crisis.”
“Can’t have that, can we?”
“No, because I mean… then who would buy the cupcakes?”
“You’re one step ahead of me, sweetheart.”
Laura gives Carmilla a quizzical look as she holds up a finger to tell Laura to wait. Carmilla wanders into the pantry and returns with a red, shiny box. She opens it and in it are two cupcakes. One is chocolate and has red icing made to look like it’s bleeding. The other is yellow and has white icing all over it.
“This is too much, Carm,” Laura says, melodramatically fanning herself. “First you wrote a newspaper article, now you’re buying cupcakes–– I think I’m starting to feel that identity crisis coming on.”
Carmilla smirks. “I’ll just give you a new identity.”
Laura giggles. “And what would that be?”
“Mrs. Karnstein.”
Laura laughs and takes the box of cupcakes from Carmilla, setting it on the table. They kiss again.
“Dream on, Carm,” she remarks after they pull away. “I’m not going to be just ‘Mrs. Karnstein.’”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Nope.” Laura gives Carmilla a small peck on the cheek. “I’m going to be Laura Hollstein.”
“‘Hollstein’ sounds stupid,” Carmilla snaps.
“You don’t get to call a name stupid, Miss Carmilla Mircalla Millarca Arcillma Karnstein,” Laura fires back, laughing.
Carmilla stands there smiling at her little human fiancée, because she’d be content as Carmilla Mircalla Millarca Arcillma Hollstein, even if she’d never admit to it.
She’d do whatever Laura wanted. Forever.