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Out of all the time she spent with Velvette, Carmilla thought nighttime was the easiest. On nights that she stayed over at the fortress, often joined by Rosie, she'd happily settle in bed in some new fancy nightgown and cuddle close. If she was lucky, she'd get to scroll on her phone, sandwiched between her two lovers, as she sipped on a pink ‘That Bitch’ mug of relaxing sleepy-time tea. Rosie was, of course, the one who had roped them into having a cup of tea before bed, and, even though Carmilla didn't have any urge to do it without her around, it had soon become a staple for Velvette as work often kept her from properly decompressing at night.
The social media overlord was currently snuggled up to the larger woman now, Rosie having excused herself for the night as she was off on some hungry escapade with Alastor. Carmilla was reading a book, her own nightly ritual, with her arm wrapped around the fashion overlord. For the first fifteen minutes or so, they had sat in a comfortable silence. Velvette had been playing some random Voxflix soap opera in the corner of her phone, listening to it in the background while she tried to puzzle out some sort of insidious water sorting game. From the first moment she had gotten into bed, a pink bunny stuffie sat wedged in the crook of her arm, taken from its usual resting spot against the headboard and between the two pillows there.
Eventually however, Velvette had stopped paying attention to the show or the game. She had closed her phone, popped out her wireless earbud to replace in its case, and nuzzled against Carmilla, who had a pair of reading glasses perched on her nose. An arm came to rest against Velvette's side while her eyes trailed to the pages of her book. The words were too fuzzy for her to make out. The gums of her teeth ached slightly, longing for some sort of pressure, and after several minutes of trying to hold herself back, Velvette opened her mouth and sank into Carmilla's side.
At first, the older woman, though startled at the unexpected sensation, paid her no mind. The easiest way to get Velvette to stop something was just to ignore it, a trick she had learned after years of parenting. It didn't exactly work as Velvette continued to treat her as a chew toy, but each bite was far enough apart in time that it wasn't too bothersome. She continued to read, flipping a page every few minutes.
Velvette pressed her nose against the older overlord’s ribs, wiggling her hips as her teeth pleaded for something more substantial to sink into. She bent forward, craning her neck upward just enough to bite the patch of fat a few inches under her arm. Her hands, balled into loose fists, dug into the mattress in a rhythmic motion as if she were a cat making biscuits.
Carmilla yelped as the space beside her breast was chomped into. She pulled Velvette’s head away and tipping her chin upward to shoot her a displeased glare, “*Muñeca!* Enough!”
At her chastisement, Velvette visibly shrank, snapping her jaw shut. “Sorry,” she mumbled, scooting backward as she squeezed the stuffed bunny against herself.
The weapons dealer, suddenly feeling guilty, closed her book and placed it on her bedside table along with her pair of glasses. She turned back around, taking one of her hands in her own, “You've never been the biting type. What's troubling you, *amor?*”
She let out a small whine, settling herself back against the headboard and leaning back against her, “Nothing…” Her head felt like a noisy bee's nest, buzzing as every nerve in her body urged her to continue.
Carmilla clucked her tongue, adjusting the headband that held back her curls, “Are you sure?”
A quick glance to Carmilla told her that, no, she was not sure, but she refused to admit it, instead muttering out, “Yeah.”
She regarded her with a look, dropping a kiss onto her forehead, “Lies. You're a cute liar, but a liar nonetheless.” She glanced down at the plush toy, observing how protectively Velvette held it, one ear grasped tightly in her hands.
Velvette followed her gaze, scowling down at the bunny as she stubbornly refused, “No. I'm not.”
Carmilla gave a loving sigh, then scooped her up and plopped her in her lap. She gave a lopsided smile holding her close, “Yeah. You are, *conejita.*”
Velvette seemed to melt, the fierce front she put up disintegrating. She childishly held up the plushie, a question in her eyes, “*Conejita?*”
The weapons dealer chuckled, pressing tiny kisses to the tip of her nose, “No, you. You're my baby bunny. *Mi conejita.*” She stroked a hand down her back.
“Nooo…” Velvette protested, shaking her head. Her eyelids were drooping shut and she was swaying back and forth as if the act of holding herself up was taking an overwhelmingly taxing toll on her which made her words seem a lot less believable.
“Oh, sweet one,” Carmilla squeezed her tightly against her body. “Looks like you won't be needing any tea tonight. You're so sleepy already.”
She nodded, resting her head against her chest as a rhythmic bouncing picked up under her. She grabbed Carmilla's shirt tightly to steady herself.
“How about this,” Carmilla premised, cupping her cheek. “You can go get in your bunny jam-jams and I'll make you a cup anyway? Then, we can go to bed.”
The doll demon, after taking one hard look at her nightgown, a pink frilly thing that would only reach her knees if she tugged, stared up at her with newly widened eyes, “Jammies?”
The weapons dealer nodded.
Her scarlet eyes affixed themselves back on her nightgown, lip pinched between her teeth. “Want Mama to help…” she trailed off, unsure of if she could even ask.
She let out a chuckle through her nose, “Okay, my darling. Mama would be so happy to help her sweet *muñeca.*”
Velvette beamed, clambering out of bed. Carmilla was close behind, cooing as she watched her rub one eye with her fist while the other stuck up in the air to hold hers. The elbow of her occupied hand still had the stuffed bunny nestled in it.
Slipping two large fingers into her hand, Carmilla bent down, “Okay, my love. I'd be more than happy to help you get changed, but bunny has to stay here and guard the bed until we get back.”
Velvette pulled it back to look at it, then back up at Carmilla, “Bunny?”
She nodded, gently taking the toy from her hands, “It might be hard to change you if you have to hold him. I promise it'll only be a moment, *amor.* Just enough to get you into new pyjamas.”
Carmilla really hoped she wasn't assuming the wrong gender of the bunny, which could cause a whole tantrum in itself, but Velvette seemed unbothered by her use of pronouns, so she considered herself safe.
Velvette made a very sad sound in the back of her throat, but she carefully took the stuffed bunny back and set him upright on the edge of the bed so his stubby legs would hang over the side. She waved him goodbye while Carmilla got to her feet and led her to their closet.
Only a few minutes later, Velvette was dressed in a matching pyjama set. The top was a thin long-sleeve shirt with a mix of carrots and paw-prints dotted along it. Attached was a small hood that had pastel blue and purple flopsy bunny ears on it. The shorts matched in pattern, but they also had a stitched-in smiling bunny on one leg and a fluffy bunny tail on the back.
Velvette had a big toothy smile on her face as she bounded back into bed. She already had the hood pulled over her head and was messing with the ears, hopelessly trying to get them to stick upright.
Carmilla followed close behind, helping her get back into bed. The first thing the social media demon reached for was her bunny, scooping him back up and against her side. The second thing was a blanket that she promptly settled herself under.
“Cute and fuzzy!” Velvette happily declared herself, tugging on Carmilla's hand.
The older woman booped her nose, sliding onto the bed and pulling her close, “Of course you are, *muñeca.*”
She grinned, snuggled Carmilla's chest with the bunny plush pressed between them. A large hand rested atop her head, fingers scratching in and out. The touch was a bit dulled from her curls, but once Carmilla's fingers found the spot between the back of her ear and her hairline, Velvette's body went alight. She pushed back into the pressure, grinding her teeth and wiggling with joy. Her eyelids drifted shut and by the time a minute had passed, she was yawning.
Carmilla glanced at the clock, which only confirmed her suspicions. It was getting late. Too late for a small bunny like Velvette to stay up.
She ran her opposite hand down Velvette's back, “Darling, it's bedtime. Do you want me to read a story before I tuck you in?”
She shook her head, which Carmilla was grateful for. She, herself, was getting tired, and was far too comfy to get up from bed. She watched Velvette as she settled down for sleep. The smaller woman pressed her face into a pillow while her little hands found the taller overlord's sides, her fingers digging into her flesh.
“Good bunny,” she murmured, finding a gentle spot to rub her where her neck met her head.
Velvette snuffled, grunted, and curled herself around her stuffie. With one last murmur for her mama, she finally slipped easily into a peaceful slumber.
Carmilla followed not long after, clicking off the lamp on her beside table and holding her precious love close while trying not to wince at the lump of stuffie pressed against her ribs.
Carmilla woke the next morning to a still-sleeping Velvette and her endless wiggles. The first thing she noticed when her eyes opened was the hood of Velvette's pajamas had slipped down. Her thumb had found its way into her mouth and she was sucking on it with ferocity. Sometime during the night, the bunny stuffie had somehow been unceremoniously flung to the opposite side of the bed.
She smiled softly, eyes still fuzzy with sleep she was trying to blink away, and pulled the hood back up to Velvette's hairline. She pressed a tender kiss to her cheek. Quietly, she pulled back and twisted her upper half around to grab her forgotten book and reading glasses from last night. She carefully placed the glasses on her nose and cracked the book open to her placemarker, setting it aside and beginning to read.
About an hour later, somewhere not a long ways away from ten, Carmilla closed her book and set it back down to peer at the sleeping woman next to her.
Velvette didn't often get long nights of restful sleep, so Carmilla always felt bad waking her up on the few occasions she did, but she also knew she couldn't put the whole morning on hold for it. Gently, she reached over and shook the doll demon's shoulder.
After a few more firm shakes, she woke with a start, then a glare as she cut her eyes to Carmilla.
“Still sleepy,” she muttered around her thumb, burying her face deeper into the pillow. The ‘l’ of her ‘sleepy’ sounded much more like a hissy ‘w.’ “Leave alone.”
“Such a grumpy bunny so early in the day,” Carmilla couldn't resist chuckling. “*Conejita,* it's time to wake up. You're usually out of bed by now.
Velvette turned over onto her other side, pressing her face against the softer side of her blanket. “Sleepy,” she insisted, screwing her eyes shut.
Carmilla sighed, pawing around behind her to reach for her phone which she hardly used, but had gotten it at Velvette's, and later Rosie's, insistence. She held up the infernal device threateningly, finger poised as if it was hovering over a button and not s black screen, “Now, sweetheart, must I call Rosie?”
Velvette screeched out a noise so loud that one would think would have done a perfect job waking her up, “No! No Mommy Rosie!!”
She fixed her with a stern look, “Then it's time to wake up, baby Vel.”
She pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. In a whine, she repeated once more, “I'm still sleepy!”
Well, that wasn't going to work at all. In reality, Rosie, the kind and darling demon she was, would probably take Velvette's side.
“Carmilla, she's regressed. Just let the poor girl sleep,” she would say lovingly before hanging up.
It seemed they were at an impasse.
With a sigh, she set the phone back down on her nightstand, watching as Velvette pawed at the bedding around her, getting comfy as if she was already ready to fall back asleep.
Carmilla was the mother of twins and the lover of a very bratty social media influencer, so if there was anything she knew, it was when and how to handle a situation without causing an even bigger ruckus.
Reaching over to remove her thumb from her mouth, Carmilla spoke, “Baby bunny, I know you're sleepy, but I know you're probably also hungry and those pretty toothies are not going to brush themselves, are they? So, don't you think *maybe,* it's time to leave bed and wake up?”
“No!” Velvette said, tone firm. “Sleepy!” She pulled her blanket over her head in what she hoped would hide her from view. The ears of her pyjamas stuck out.
Carmilla sighed and pulled the blanket down just enough to see her eyes, “Does my baby bunny want carrot bits in her pancakes?”
Her eyes widened as she thought long and hard. Slowly, she nodded, but her bottom lip wobbled against the fleece material, “But… still sleepy.”
The weapons dealer's heart melted with empathy. Tenderly, she watched, her shoulders slumping, “Oh, dear. I know you're so tired, but I promise that if you get up and have some breakfast, you'll have much more energy and no more sleepy feelings. How does that sound?” She reached over her to grab the bunny and wiggle his arms and legs about.
Velvette thought again for a moment, then perked up, shifting to sit upright. “Okay, Mama,” she said, making grabby hands. “Pick up now.”
She chuckled, easily lifting the Vee up into her arms. “Yes ma'am,” she cooed, tapping her brow.
Velvette beamed, taking her bunny and hugging him close. “Happy!” she cried before burying her face in Carmilla's neck. “Carrot pancakes! With syrup!”
Carmilla began bouncing her in her arms again, holding her close, “Maybe not with syrup, *mi vida,* but I appreciate your enthusiasm.”
“Yay!” Velvette exclaimed and she wiggled the whole way to the kitchen.