Chapter Text
“Blinky, you asshole!” Laura shouted as she watched Pac Man die on the screen in front of her, “That’s the third time that asshat has killed me since we got here, Carm. The third time. Why? What does he have against happiness?”
“It’s just programing Laura,” Carmilla stated, “I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have a vendetta against you.”
“Hah. That’s what you think,” Laura said, turning around to face Carmilla. “The other ghosts haven’t even come close to killing me but then Blinky the dick comes along like, ’heh you thought you were doing good?’, and then proceeds to fuck everything up. So yeah, I think he hates me.”
“Laura — ” Carmilla started, rolling her eyes.
“I know you’re gonna tell me to calm down, but I can’t. I’m a tiny ball of rage.”
“Aren’t you always though?” Carmilla teased, “I was going to tell you to lower your voice, I’m pretty sure the soccer moms don’t want you swearing around their kids.”
“Well, Helen can fight me. They clearly don’t know the persistent asshatery that is Blinky the ghost.”
“You’re not getting into a fight Laura,” Carmilla sighed. “I kind of don’t want to get kicked out of the arcade, you know? This happens to be one of my favorite places.”
“Pff,” Laura exhaled, “Maybe.”
“You know you’re lucky you’re cute, right?” Carmilla teased as she put an arm around Laura’s shoulders.
“If only Blinky saw me like that.”
“Are you trying to leave me for a video game character?”
“No…well not this one anyways. I’m just saying that because maybe he’d treat me nicer if he saw me like you do. And besides, if I were to leave you for a video game character it wouldn’t be that asshole…maybe Lara Croft? Or maybe the entirety of the USWNT?”
“They’re not
—
”
“Yes they are, they were in FIFA 16. It counts.”
“I’m pretty sure it doesn’t, Laura. They may have been in a video game, but they’re not characters, they’re real people,” Carmilla said, shaking her head with a smile.
“Sure go ahead and crush my dreams Carm. The USWNT is hot and I am thirsty.”
“I’m standing right here, Laura. Aren’t I hot enough for you?” Carmilla teased, pouting a little.
“Oh come here,” Laura said, pulling Carmilla to her,”You are very hot, Carmilla. Although maybe too hot for me.”
Their lips connected as Carmilla fell into Laura’s embrace. The warmth of her body against the cold air of the arcade sent electricity down Carmilla’s spine as she reached up to cup Laura’s cheeks.
The kiss almost distracted her from her goal. Almost. Carmilla didn’t want to pull away from Laura. Infact Carmilla wanted to kiss her forever, but she had an ulterior motive in planning this evening. She could feel the eyes of both the kids and the soccer moms on them and she figured at least a good portion of them were homophobic.
“Harry, let’s go. I don’t want you to see that anymore. I don’t want it influencing a good Christian boy like you,” one of the soccer moms called from a corner. Carmilla and Laura broke away abruptly, and Carmilla didn’t have to look at Laura to see that she was brimming with anger.
“But Mom…” one of the kids, presumably Harry, whined, “Why do I have to go? I was so close to beating my highscore on Rampage!”
“Now can I fight the soccer moms, Carm? ‘Cuz I’m gonna kick their asses.” Laura said, just loud enough for the moms to hear.
“Harold, they’re lesbians. I, or rather we, don’t support that sinful lifestyle. It’s bad enough that they can marry, but to have them showing their twisted affection in public. Especially around children! It’s awful, I don’t know why it's allowed. Kids are too easily influenced to see things like this, you are too easily influenced to see things like this. I don’t want you to start thinking this is okay, or even thinking you’re gay.” she said with a glare in Carmilla and Laura’s direction.
Laura was torn between laughing hysterically at “Harold, they’re lesbains” and punching the soccer mom square in the jaw.
“Seriously,” Carmilla laughed, clearly not as enraged as Laura was, ”Harold, they’re lesbians? If she wasn’t a homophobe I would have thought she was in on the joke. Maybe I should have taken you to see Carol instead. I don’t think that you could find anyone despicable enough to hate or fight in there. It would have been just cute old couples and queer girls; my two favorite types of people.”
“How can you not be mad? I mean, subtle homophobia is one thing but I mean blatant stuff like that? How can you not be mad?”
“Oh, believe me Cupcake, I am mad. Do you think I appreciate us kissing being called twisted or people saying we shouldn’t show affection in public and saying that we influence kids? No, I don’t, but I don’t become a tiny ball of rage over it,” Carmilla said, tucking a piece of hair behind Laura’s ear and caressing her cheek, “I might have a snarky quip or something to basically tell them to fuck off but I don’t react further than that.”
“Harry hurry up!” the mom called, seemingly growing impatient at the sight of Carmilla showing Laura affection once more.
“I just wish there was something we could do to piss them off, to flip a big ass metaphorical bird. Only because I can’t fight them.”
Carmilla smirked, this was her chance to reveal the real reason for this date night. She was certain that it would have the effect that Laura wanted, the only question was, would Laura say yes?
“Well Cupcake, there is something that I can do.”
“What would that be?” Laura asked with a grin
Carmilla wiped her sweaty palms on her pants before steeling herself. Why was she so nervous? This wasn’t the time to trip up.
She took a deep breath, “Alright, here it goes,” she whispered to herself.
“I was going to do this later, but I suppose now is as good a time as ever, especially if it means pissing off a couple of homophobic soccer moms. Laura, you are the light of my life. You brought warmth to the coldest parts of me and showed me love that I wasn’t sure I’d ever find. You are my partner in crime who can think for herself and defend herself. You can kick ass as well as anyone I’ve ever met. You are the light to my dark, you showed me how to feel again. You make me laugh, you make me smile, you frustrate me, you make me cry. Before I met you I hadn’t done that in a very long while. I almost forgot what it meant to have emotions and feel things other than the basics like hunger and thirst.” Carmilla said as Laura was beginning to catch on.
Carmilla fished the ring box out of her purse and got down on one knee infront of her blushing girlfriend.
“Laura Hollis, will you make me feel for as long as you live by marrying me?” she said opening the box to reveal the ring she had picked out the week before.
“H-Holy shit C-Carm. A-are, we-well, uh.” Laura said as Carmilla grinned, “Yeah, I-I think I will,” Laura beamed.
“You think?” Carm teased.
“I-I will. I will marry you Carmilla.” Laura couldn’t hide her smile as Carmilla slipped the ring on her finger.
“Harry we’re going right now,” the mom stated as she walked briskly out of the arcade with some of the other soccer moms following suit and herding up their kids.
“You guys are really cute!” Harry shouted to the happy couple as he raced to catch up with his mother.
“I can’t believe you did that Carm,” Laura said, still blushing as she helped Carmilla up from the floor.
“I had been planning to do it tonight, I was just looking for the right time. I was so nervous, you know. I’m pretty sure that’s the first time I’ve felt nervous in practically forever. I didn’t know how you’d take it, like if you’d think it was a joke or if you’d reject me.”
“How could I reject you? You make my heart hammer whenever you even look at me. You keep me safe when I do stupid stuff. You keep me from fighting soccer moms.”
“Well someone has to do it. You can’t fight every mom you come across who is homophobic, transphobic or just nasty in general. You make sure to tell LaF that too.”
“LaF does what they want, I can’t tell them anything. Perry texted a little while ago to inform me that LaF almost got kicked out of the movies for fighting with some dudebro. That's just LaFontaine I suppose, I don’t know how Perry manages to handle them.”
“Oh I have a few ideas,” Carmilla smirked, “I think we’ve terrorized the kids and the moms long enough, do you want to go get ice cream or something to celebrate?”
“Of course, my fiancee. I still can’t believe I get to call you that now.” Laura looked down at her ring and grinned. “I love you Carm.”
“I love you too.” Carmilla said, giving Laura a kiss on the cheek as she grabbed her hand and walked out the door.
“Come on Carmilla, skip with me!”
“I still have a little self respect left, I’m not making another scene in front of another crowd.”
“Please Carm,” Laura pouted as she lifted Carmilla’s hand up to her lips and kissed it, “don’t make your fiancee sad, Carmilla, or I will leave you for Lara Croft.”
“Rude,” Carmilla scoffed as Laura shrugged.
“Fine, I will skip on my own but it won't look as cute.” Laura said, skipping across the crosswalk, completely ignoring the car that seemed to be ignoring the red light.
“Laura look out!” Carmilla screamed as she raced toward her fiancee, pushing her out of the way. There wasn’t enough time for Carmilla to get out of the way before the car hit her, throwing her on the car, resulting in a sickening crunch as Carmilla rolled up the hood of the car and over it.
Laura was utterly helpless as she watched the scene unfold next to her. She didn’t want to watch, who would want to watch their loved one get hurt as they couldn’t help, but she couldn’t help it. Her heart broke as she watched. The world was too quiet, all she could hear in that moment was Carmilla’s body breaking and there was nothing to distract her from the painfulness of it all.
“Please be okay you stupid vampire,” she sobbed as she raced over to where Carmilla lay on the pavement. Her head gushed blood and multiple limbs appeared to be at rather strange angles.
“P-Please, please don't d-die on me. Y-y-you can’t l-leave. N-not after p-proposing to m-me. I-I want to m-marry you.”