Work Text:
It started at tea-time. Velvette was pacing a few feet from the table where her two lovers sat, screaming into the phone that was tightly lodged into her hand. Her plate and cup, untouched, were left abandoned in front of the empty chair where she had been sitting. Rosie and Carmilla were at the adjacent table, sipping from their own cups of tea while they pretended not to listen in on her conversation.
“She’s been particularly agitated lately,” Carmilla remarked, glancing at the smallest of them. She watched as she nearly crushed a rose in her hand, but took a moment as if willing herself not to. Rosie would have the biggest fit if she did.
Rosie nodded, biting into her cucumber-sinner-fingers sandwich, “Do ya know what’s going on?”
The taller overlord shook her head, “She’s grown a penchant for storming off and muttering every time I ask.”
"Is it a work thing?” she asked, adjusting the large brim of her hat. She looked pointedly at Velvette who was still furious at the person on the other end of the phone, feeling bad for whoever was having to face her wrath.
“I don't bloody care if it's-” she howled in a short beat of silence.
“Maybe,” Carmilla said.
“Is that a no?”
“Probably.”
Rosie hummed thoughtfully, “Then what could it be?”
She huffed, flicking her wrist in the air in frustration, “You think I know? I’d be doing everything I could right now to fix it if I did.”
Velvette’s phone suddenly slid across the wood of the small table. She nearly growled as she yanked her chair back and plopped into it. The delicate wood screamed against the pavement of the porched area.
“How was it?” Rosie asked sweetly, propped her chin on the back of her hand.
“Fuckin’ mess,” she snarled. “Stupid model says the dress suddenly doesn’t fit her for the pageant. I mean, she doesn’t have to make it my fuckin’ problem that she didn’t stick to her summer diet. Now what am I to do?!”
She paused speaking to take one bite of her turkey sandwich before nearly spitting it out and screeching, “Is there fuckin’ mayo in this?!”
Rosie and Carmilla exchanged a look. The Victorian-age woman swallowed, “I thought you liked it like that, sweetie.”
She mouth turned downward in a scowl, “That’s how I like my *ham* sandwiches. Fuckin’ idiot!” She snatched her phone from the table, stood, and stormed away, still muttering about her lunch meat preferences.
Carmilla made a move like she was going to go after her. Rosie grabbed her hand, stopping her.
“It's okay, darlin’. I know it's just her bein’ her an’ not her bein’ mad at me,” she said, though the interaction was clearly still affecting her.
Carmilla frowned, brushing a white curl back from her temple. “Are you sure?” she asked in a thoughtful murmur.
She nodded, taking another sip of her tea.
Later that night, Velvette apologised. She even set up a movie night and cuddled between them both until it ended.
But Rosie and Carmilla still stayed clueless until at least a week later.
Carmilla was washing the dishes from their dinner. Velvette had quickly eaten, thanked her, and then retired to her room with an urgency like no other. Rosie came up from behind Carmilla, snaking her arms around her waist. She kissed the nape of her neck.
“Love, you made dinner. I can do the dishes,” she murmured against her skin.
“Nonsense. I can’t have you doing any work tonight,” she said, squinting down at the grime on the plate she was scrubbing. Rosie glared at the sink filled with cutlery before a smile smoothed over her expression.
“Well,” she scraped her teeth slowly along her skin. Her index finger trailed down her lower back. “Why don’t we go take a shower then?”
Carmilla straightened at that, shutting the water off immediately. She whirled around, taking Rosie’s hand. “Let’s go,” she commanded.
She giggled and happily followed her to the bedroom. Rosie was no stranger to either of her lover's aroused sides, and she'd be lying if she said it didn't turn the heat up at least a little for her when Carmilla was so vocal about what she wanted.
When the weapons dealer opened the door, she expected to find Velvette laying in bed on her back, scrolling on Sinterest. She expected to meet her eye for a second, share a nod, and then move on. Velvette may decide to join them in the shower, but she much preferred to get clean whenever she was there, not have sex. That wasn't even to take into account how small the space was when it only fit two people, let alone three.
What Carmilla did not expect to find was Velvette sitting on their bed, legs tucked under her with a collar around her neck and a headband with attached bunny ears situated on her head.
The smaller woman squirmed a little, pawing at a fake ear and snuffling, before she noticed the two women standing dumbfounded in the doorway.
She blinked twice, a deer in headlights, then let out a scream, face going scarlet, “GET OUT!!” The Vee grabbed a pillow and threw it as hard as could before scampering behind the cracked door of the bedroom closet.
Rosie barely caught the pillow before it could collide with her chest. Stepping into the bedroom, she set it on the foot of the bed and made her way to the closet. She opened the door and sat on the floor, crossing her legs. Carmilla slowly came up behind her.
“Vel?” she murmured. Rosie pretended not to notice the little bundle of fur strapped on her butt.
She whimpered out a little embarrassed sound, quivering.
The older woman reached out, trying to coax her onto her lap. Velvette tried to wriggle free, but after a moment, stopped trying to pull away, instead allowing her to inch closer. Carmilla sat down a foot away from them both.
“Baby, do ya wanna tell me an’ Milly what’s going on?” Rosie asked, reaching out for her hand before stopping herself.
Velvette quickly shook her head. Her collar jingled.
Finally, after a few more seconds, Rosie spoke up again, “Velvette, how about ya come sit on my lap? I promise that it’s real nice an’ safe an’ comfy for ya.”
She glanced over her shoulder to find the older woman smiling softly. Slowly, Velvette turned around and hopped into her lap, only causing her smile to brighten.
The older overlord thumbed the fur of her fake ear, adjusting the headband slightly so it sat even on her head. Her smile remained. “Now, what’s this?” she asked. “Have ya been hiding this from us all this time?”
Velvette whined. Carmilla made her way closer, running a hand down her back like she would a cat. The fashion overlord went alert, immediately going still before slowly relaxing into the touch.
The Victorian-age woman took the pendant of her collar and peered at it. The collar itself was made of a bright red leather bejeweled with ruby-coloured gems. It had a little golden clip on the side with a matching size adjuster right beside it. The pendant was the same shade with ‘Velvette’ etched into it.
“I-” she finally began in a flustered mumble. “I do this every now an’ again. When things are too much.”
Rosie clicked her tongue, cooing, “Ya become a little bunny?”
Velvette ducked her head to hide her flustered expression. Carmilla tipped it back up.
“Do you want us to help?” the weapons dealer asked.
Velvette squirmed. She made a little snuffling sound. “I have some stuff in my drawer for it,” she muttered.
When Rosie had first given them a semi-permanent place for both her and Carmilla to stay, she had also given them each their own little spaces in her bedroom. That included drawer sets. Rosie had seen Velvette using hers so little that she assumed she hardly had anything in there at all. When Carmilla crossed the room, and pulled out dozens of objects — another collar, another headband with its matching tail in a different colour, treats, a bowl, a folded-up foraging mat, a number of little crinkly toys, and paw gloves — she was relieved to see she was mistaken.
Carmilla selected a few toys and a bag of freeze-dried fruit before returning to her lovers. Rosie had taken to slowly stroking the smallest demon’s back, smiling each time she leaned into her touch. The weapons dealer kissed her nose upon her arrival. Velvette’s foot began to hurriedly thump against the carpet of the floor.
“Good bunny,” the tallest of the three cooed, looking to Rosie for permission before picking her up and placing her on her lap. Velvette worked to make her nose twitch, happily squealing once she got it, but her mouth was soon occupied with wrestling the crinkly toy out of a chuckling Carmilla's hand.
Rosie opened the package of treats and placed one on the floor. Velvette dropped the toy with wide eyes, gobbled the dried strawberry down, and took it back in her mouth.
“How about we get this little bunny to her bed?” she asked Carmilla.
She smiled and then addressed Velvette next, who was perked up, “Would you like that, bunny girl?”
She eagerly nodded before bounding off her lap and toward the bed. On all fours, she couldn't get up onto the bed. Her fingers clawed at the sheets in a very pitiful attempt to climb it. Her bottom lip pushed out under the pet toy.
“Poor bunny,” Rosie tsked before lifting her up and setting her down to roam on the bed. Velvette, again, happily thumped her foot while the cannibal slid beside her. Carmilla followed not a moment later, joining on the opposite side of the smaller woman.
Velvette dropped the toy onto the bed, nuzzling more like she was a cat high on catnip. She ended up on her back, body tilting side to side while she pushed against it. Occasionally, she'd bite down on it and shake it around, causing a cacophony of sound in the room. Rosie and Carmilla watched her with adoration, though it was no surprise that they couldn't help but touch her.
The Vee jumped, having been startled, when she felt a warm hand slide against her bare belly, tips of fingernails ghosting over her skin. Her shirt had ridden up with all her wrestling and wriggling she'd been doing. Velvette let out a distressed squeak.
Rosie’s expression softened, eyes filling with concern. “Shhh. It’s okay, little bunny. It’s just me,” she said, brushing her thumb back and forth against her mocha brown skin in an attempt to soothe her back into the playful mood she had been in. Velvette's head dropped back onto the mattress as she slowly relaxed. Her eyes drifted shut as a soft purr emitted from her.
“Looks like someone's getting sleepy,” Carmilla commented teasingly, causing her hellish eyes to pop back open.
“Need nest!!” she declared, jumping up. The doll demon looked around at all the bedding in the vicinity, assessing it. She grabbed a pillow and dragged it to the center of the bed.
“Oh, that's okay, bunny. We can help,” Carmilla said, chuckling as she gestured between her and Rosie. She reached for a blanket and placed it over the pillow.
Velvette gave a loud screech, pushing the blanket off, then shoved Carmilla right off the bed. The older overlord fell on her ass, air knocked out of her. After gathering her bearings, she looked back up to the bed to find a very angry bunny glaring down at her. Velvette plopped onto her bum, giving the mattress one particularly large thump.
“*My* nest. Now, stay!” she growled before turning around and going back to her nest.
Carmilla scowled. Rosie burst into a fit of giggles.
“Glad to hear you're enjoying this,” she grumbled, brushing off her skirt.
“Sorry, love,” Rosie wheezed, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. “It was just too cute.”
Carmilla rolled her eyes, but she was smiling, “Yeah, yeah, traitor.”
Velvette was now adjusting all the pillows, blankets, and stuffed toys to the center of the bed. She draped the blanket down, soft-side up, and then arranged the rest of blankets and pillows into a circle. Her bunny toy was left in the little spot where she was meant to sleep.
Rosie inched closer to the nest, watching her closely. Velvette began to ferociously rub her neck and cheeks against each object in the bed. It wasn't until they were thoroughly rumpled that she moved onto the next one. However, when the older overlord got too close, she was immediately alert again.
The same fate Rosie was to suffer.
She rubbed her lower back after falling onto the floor, speaking as she winced, “Ouch. Velvette, dear, ya know these old bones can't handle all that rough play.”
Velvette gave her the same expression as she did Carmilla. Then she turned around and hopped back to her nest. After sufficiently circling the space, she laid down on her side and closed her eyes.
Carmilla, who had given a light chuckle, stood, and made her way to her lover. Helping her up from the floor, she spoke, “Don't worry, love. She's just being a protective little bunny right now. She'll apologise later.”
Rosie smiled, kissed her on the cheek, and leaned against her, “I know. It's quite alright, dear.”
They made her way back to the bed just as Velvette drifted off, her tiny snores filling the silence between their words.
Rosie and Carmilla smiled, perched on the foot of the bed, and leaned against each other until the smallest of them woke.
“Oh, no. Ohh, no, no, no,” Velvette cried when she first woke, causing her two lovers to look over their shoulders. She had her fingers tangled in her hair.
The Vee's ear headband had fallen off during her nap and was laying on the squashed pillow she'd been draped across. Her eyes were wide with panic while she looked up from it to Carmilla and Rosie. “Please tell me I didn’t…” she trailed off.
Rosie smiled and clapped her hands together, “Oh, you sure did, sweetheart. Let me just be the one to say how utterly *cute* ya were!”
Carmilla nodded, “Adorable and fiesty.”
Velvette buried her face in her hands, cheeks hot against the palms of her hands, “That wasn't supposed to happen.”
The oldest demon, sensing her distress, crawled across the bed to her. Her hand found her back, rubbing up and down, “Don’t fret, darlin’, we’re not kiddin’. Milly an’ I didn’t mind at all. We just wished we knew what was goin’ on.”
Velvette squirmed, whimpered, and shifted closer. Carmilla joined them both, pulling her into a loose embrace.
“It was nice to see you all relaxed like that, baby girl,” she promised, tipping her chin up to kiss her nose. “Rose is just trying to explain that we just want a little bit of an explanation.”
She pressed her head into the crook of her neck. After a long hesitation, Velvette's words coming out muffled, “It jus’ happens when I'm stressed. My bunny headspace. My regression.” She shrugged, trying to downplay her embarrassment, but her hands were wringing together.
Rosie chuckled, kissing the top of her head, “That's okay, baby.”
“I'm sorry,” she mumbled, causing two pairs of eyes to widen.
“*Mi amor,* it's nothing to apologise over,” Carmilla responded, pulling her closer.
“It's just your bunny space. We're here to help,” the oldest of them said, winking. “We're just a little worried why ya didn't tell us.”
She grew redder, trying to hide herself more against Carmilla, who was stroking down her back, “I thought maybe I could, but I was embarrassed about asking you to take care of me. I'm kind of — really — a mess when I'm all bunny brain.”
The weapons dealer hummed, trailing absentmindedly on her thigh, “You're always a mess. It's nothing new for us.”
“Oh, fuck you too, then,” Velvette said, rolling her eyes, but she was clearly thankful to have some relief from herself.
Rosie scooted closer, “Vel, Milly an’ I would be happy to help ya, even when you're a mess.”
She peeked out at her. Rosie stuck out a pinky finger for a promise. Velvette quickly met it and they were soon joined by Carmilla.
“Jus’ don't chop my finger off. I've seen your tea snacks,” the fashion designer grumbled. Rosie grinned, showing off her sharp teeth, which wasn't exactly reassuring.
“Of course not, little bunny,” Carmilla chimed in, kissing her tenderly. “We're only here to take care of you.”
Velvette smiled, slowly relaxing into their touch. Rosie wrapped her arm around her lower back while Carmilla's arm went a few inches higher.
Velvette suddenly jolted, eyes filled with concern, “Oh, shit. Did I push you both onto the floor? Fuck, I'm so sorry!”
Rosie only laughed. Carmilla joined only a moment. Velvette sat there, confused.