Monster High: Dead Ghoul's Curves

Monster High is copyright of Mattel

This little story was inspired by a few posts on Tumblr, which suggested that Draculaura might actually look better if she was more full figured. (And given that her love of sweets is well documented in canon, it's possible she could have such a figure.) I felt inspired to write about how she might feel about her figure, and why she would appear skinny in the webisodes/movies

This lovely picture ( post/34384967865/q-hey-owls-its-almost-halloween-what-kind-of) was also a great source of inspiration.

Hope you enjoy the story.

Given the choice between helping his siblings clean the seemingly endless piles of laundry they generated, or helping carry his ghoulfriend's shopping bags as she toured the maul, Clawd would always take the latter. Sitting outside changing rooms while he waited for her to change into a new outfit wasn't the most fun activity, but it was the lesser of two evils.

And at least he got to spend some quality time with Draculaura. In between the treks to the next store and stops at the food court, the two chatted about their various goings on, and their plans for things to to in the future. Laura's stories could always make him laugh, which made carrying several bags of clothes much more tolerable.

It was late into the afternoon, after they left the sixth or seven store that he noticed something was wrong.
Laura was sweating, and she had a pained look in her eyes.

Hey, are you ok?"

She looked up at him. "I'm fine.. just a little tired." She seemed to be having trouble taking a breath as well.

"Are you sure? We should sit down." He wondered if maybe she had gone too long without one of her iron supplements.

"I'm fine, don't worry..." She suddenly stumbled, falling against his side. As she straightened herself up, a loud noise was heard, like the sound of fabric tearing apart.

As soon as she heard it, Laura pressed a hand to her stomach, a frightened look on her face.

"Are you feeling sick?" He asked.

"No no, I'm not sick!" She answered a little too quickly. "It's just.." She looked around frantically, focusing on a Grot Topic store. "Ooh look! I wanna try that one on real quick!"

She dashed into the shop before he could stop her, grabbing a Doctor Boo t-shirt and racing into the changing room, slamming the door behind her. He followed her in and stood next to the door, mystified. He knew enough about Laura's favourite styles to know she would normally never touch this store with a barge pole.
Within the changing room, his keen ears could hear Laura moving about inside... and moaning. Grunting and wincing with great effort, as well as the sound of fabric creaking as it was pulled taut. It certainly didn't sound like she was putting on a t-shirt.

"Seriously, are you okay in there? I'm starting to worry."

Laura's voice sounded ragged. "I'm okay.. nggh.. really! The shirt's a little tight. Please.. ow.. just relax, I won't be long."

He fell silent, unsure what to do.

"Ahhhh!"

The painful scream she let out sent his protective instincts into overdrive. He flung open the door, not caring if she saw her in a state of undress or not. She could whack him with a newspaper later, she needed help.

What he saw was utterly unexpected.

Laura had removed her pink top and lowered her skirt to her ankles, revealing what she was wearing underneath. Instead of underwear, she wore a white girdle around her hips, a corset around her waist, and several bandages wrapped around her chest. All three of these garments looked extremely tight on her. He could see red marks on her chest and legs where the tight fabric was rubbing her skin.
She was pulling on the back straps of the corset, trying to pull it even tighter, cinching her waist. Tears dotted the corners of her eyes as she tried to bear the pain.

"What the hell?" He uttered. Laura spun to face him, a look of total surprise on her face.

For a few moments they stood staring at each other, Clawd trying to understand her odd get-up, Laura wishing she could just vanish.

Finally, she let out an ear-splitting shriek. "DON'T LOOK AT ME!

She shoved him out of the changing room, displaying surprising strength for someone of her height. He stumbled backwards into a pile of plush My Little Bony toys.
He extracted himself from the pile just in time to see Laura pull on her clothes and run out of the shop, crying.

After several ignored texts and messages, Clawd decided to confront Draculaura at her home that evening. He was met by the family butler Renfield, who informed him that Miss Dracula had requested to be left alone with no visitors. He then led Clawd to her bedroom, let him in, and then politely informed an angry Laura that looking after the mental well being of the family superseded any orders he was given, including hers. He then left the two of them alone, claiming he had cleaning to do.

She sat inside her coffin bed, holding the blankets close to her body. Next to the bed he could see the girdle, corset and bindings, dumped in a heap on the floor as if she had ripped them off her body. She stared at him with an apologetic look.

He coughed. "So.. are you okay?"

"Yeah..." She lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry about shoving you and running away. It's just.. I panicked. I didn't want you to see me like that. I didn't want you to know the truth."

"What truth? That you truss yourself up like a howliday turkey under your clothes?" He edged closer, eventually sitting on the far end of her bed. "Please Laura, I want to understand what's bothering you. Just tell me."

"I can't... if you see what I really look like, you won't want to be with me.."

"What does that mean? What does it matter how you look?"

Laura's face was one of frustration and anguish. "It matters, because it's wrong! I'm wrong!"

She flung the covers aside and stepped out of the bed, standing before him in her pajamas. Right away, Clawd noticed that there was something different from the slender ghoul he had spent the day at the mall with.

She was curvy. One might even say she was plump. Her chest was a lot more ample than he remembered, and her waist was rather thick, with a small potbelly and slight bulges over the waistband of her shorts. This led down to a pair of wide, rounded hips with a set of thick thighs to match.
For a moment he wondered if something had happened to her since leaving the maul, like some kind of allergic reaction or Cleo zapping her with a curse. How else could she have put on that much weight so quickly?

But then he remembered the corset and girdle, and he put two and two together. She had been confining her curves, squeezing them in to attain the slim figure she was known for. This plump figure before him... she actually looked like this.

She stood with her arms crossed over her chest, looking like she would burst into tears at any moment, waiting for him to respond.

"I... don't understand." He spoke carefully. "What do you think is wrong with you? You look great."

Her eyes seemed to flare in anger. "Great? Great?! This isn't great! I'm FAT!"

He had to balk at the ridiculousness of that statement. She hardly looked overweight, just a little bit thicker than most ghouls. But she reacted as if she was bigger than Mr Ogrethor the school janitor.

"Don't be silly, you're not fat. You're just really curvy." He spoke, trying to take her hand. She turned away from him, hunching down as if trying to hide from his gaze.

"It doesn't matter how you say it. I'm fat and revolting. I always have been, even since Father turned me. And I hate it! I hate looking like a freak!"

"How can you say that?"

"Because I am! Vampires are supposed to be tall and slender and exotic. They're not meant to be short and fat and dumpy like me." She fell back onto the bed.

Clawd sidled up and gently placed his palm on her back. "As I recall, vampires are also supposed to drink blood, sleep all day, and generally be all dark and mysterious. You don't do any of that, and you're a happier monster because of it."

"You don't understand." She spoke tearfully as she sat up. "When I first started going to vampire schools, I felt like such an outcast. Every ghoul I met was utterly beautiful, tall and pretty, just like I would never be. They could hardly believe someone like me was actually the daughter of Dracula. Wherever I went, I could hear students making snide remarks and jokes about my weight. It was horrible. I felt like such a failure to my family."

Clawd felt his fur bristle as he listened, growing angrier. It was bad enough that there were monsters out there willing to sling hatred and abuse towards other monster races, but insulting one of their own people because she didn't look like a regular vampire?
He clenched his fists for a few moments, silently wishing he could go back in time and give everyone who had insulted her a good punch in the face.

"When the corset was invented, I leaped on it instantly. I finally had a way of looking slim, and it actually helped. Less people made fun of me and I became more accepted. Or course, as the years went by, I needed to wear the corsets and girdles more and more.. until I barely felt I was wearing them at all."

She sobbed. "But ever since my family moved to America, I've been putting on more weight. It's all these damn cakes and sweets, they're just irresistible. And the more I put on, the harder it is to wear the corset..."

"So don't wear it." He spoke matter-of-factly. "You don't need to."

She looked at him as if all his fur had suddenly fallen out. "Are you serious?! I can't let anyone see me like this!"

"Why? Do you think Clawdeen and everyone else is going to reject you if they know what you really look like? Do you think everyone's going to forget about everything you've achieved just because you're a little chubby?"

"Maybe... I mean.. I would look so out of place next to them. And what about fearleading? They won't want a fatty like me cramping their style..."

"Don't tell me you've forgotten every damn lesson about acceptance Bloodgood's been drilling into our heads ever since we started at this school. You friends don't care about your looks. They like you because you're an amazing friend."

Laura mulled this over. "Okay, I guess they won't care... but what about everyone else? I just know someone's going to make fun at me."

"So what?" He held her shoulder in a comforting manner. "People make fun of other people all the time. I can't tell you how many times I've heard someone make some kind of 'dumb jock' joke or some other insult about werewolves behind my back." He grimaced. "Don't get me started on the things people said about us wolves when that last Twilight book came out..."

He shook his head and continued. "Point is, we all get made fun off sometime in our lives. But that still doesn't change who were are and what we do. Maybe some jackass will call you fat or whatever, but in the end they're just words. They can't change who you are,or all the things you can do, or all your dreams and ambitions. You just gotta rise above it and remember that you're so much more than what you look like."

Laura finally smiled. "Wow... that's the most amazing thing I've ever heard you say."

He grinned proudly. "Hey, it's not just Frankie who can do the inspiring speeches, you know."

"And... what about you?" Laura turned away shyly. "Aren't you worried about how it will look if the captain of the football team is dating a chubby girl?"

"Nope! And you know why? Because I'll be too busy dating the most gorgeous gal in Monster High." He leaned in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek."

She blushed. "What... you seriously find this.." She prodded her stomach. "Attractive?"

"I fell for you for more than your body." Clawd replied. A sly grin crossed his face as he looked her over. "But I'd be lying if I said I didn't think you look a lot sexier like this."

Laura crossed her arms over her chest. "You're not just saying that? You really like this?"

Clawd shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a wolf. We love a bit of meat on our bones."

Laura couldn't help but giggle at that.

"And I'd love..." Clawd leaned in closer, placing his hands on her hips. "To be able to hold on to you if we ever get... you know"

Laura didn't miss the gleam in his eye, or the way he was looking at her figure. She knew very well what he was thinking, and she was very tempted to oblige him.
She leaned closer to kiss him, but at the last possible moment, there was a knock on the door, followed by Renfield's voice.

"Miss Laura, your father has just arrived."

"Thank you!" Laura called, pulling back with a pout on her face. "Daddy always has the worst timing."

Clawd sighed with sympathy. "I'd better make myself scarce."

He held Laura's hand. "Listen, if you want to keep wearing the corsets and stuff, I'm cool with it. But I think you'd be a lot happier without them. You shouldn't have to worry about trying to look a certain way all the time. Just worry about being yourself. We'll all still love you regardless."

"Let me think about it..." She replied, giving him a reassuring smile.

She gave him a quick kiss before he headed to the window and started climbing down the brickwork before her father entered the room.

That night, while the rest of her family were busy or asleep, Laura sat on the chaise lounge inside her huge closet, reading from her diePad. Surrounding her were the clothes she had bought that day, as well as several others dug out from the depths of the closet.

She flicked through the windows on the tablet's browser. Each one displayed a blog or article about plus size fashion and photography, some about monsters, some about normies.
She looked through the pictures, admiring the models as they posed in their outfits. She felt quite awed, some of these ghouls were even larger than she was, and yet they all looked so happy and confident as they posed in their fabulous outfits.

Maybe... it was time to feel happy about herself for once.

As she walked through the corridors of school that morning, Laura felt more comfortable and relaxed than she had felt in decades. And it wasn't just because she had left the corset and other restraining garments at home.

When she had met with her friends that morning, they were rather surprised to see that she had suddenly gotten curvier overnight, and believed that Cleo had done something to her with one of her magic idols, much to Cleo's irritation.

She explained to everyone about the corsets and bindings, even showing them a picture of her wearing them. Even though she didn't appear on film, it was plain to see how tight they were on her figure. Her friends were stunned.

"Hold up." Clawdeen raised a hand. "You mean you were wearing this stuff under your fearleading outfit? And your SKRM outfit? And when we were running for our lives in that magic lamp?"

"All three, yes." Laura replied.

"And you were still running and flipping and... geez, I can't imagine even just walking in this getup!" Clawdeen shook her head.

"Believe me, it's possible. It just hurts like hell afterward." Laura sighed. "I became very good at hiding it."

"I don't understand, love." Lagoona spoke. "Why would you want to hide a fintastic figure like yours?"

"I was afraid you'd wouldn't want to hang with a fat ghoul and..." Laura blinked. "Wait... did you just say... are you serious?"

"Course I am." Lagoona reassured. "I would kill for a pair of legs like yours. I always think mine are too skinny."

"Gurrrrgh." Ghoulia pointed at her chest, then at Laura's.

"Figure like yours is very desirable in mountain." Abbey explained. "In cold weather, body fat is vital for keeping warm. Was never able to put on weight in time for winter."

"Oh my..." Laura was stunned. "You really don't mind this?"

"Why in Ra's name would we mind?" Cleo spoke incredulously. "You're our friend. We love having you around, even if you do drive us batty sometimes. That's not going to change if you put on a few pounds."

"Come on.. If we turned away every ghoul who looked a little different, we'd never make any friends at all." Clawdeen smirked.

Laura trembled. "But... won't it look strange if I hang out with you? You can't possibly still want me to fearlead with you..."

"We're all strange in this school love." Laughed Lagoona. "This will hardly make a difference."

"And if you think I'm kicking you off the squad when I know you can do stunts wearing all that..." Cleo pointed at the picture of Laura's restraining garments. "...you can think again."

You're one of us, ghoul. No matter how big you get." Frankie grinned.

Laura didn't say anything. She just rushed forward and gathered her friends together in a large hug.

After that, Laura had carried on with her day, walking toward the library for study hall. For the first time in a long while she walked with a spring in her step and a sway in her hips. It felt so good to not feel the tight fabric pinching her and to be able to breath without bindings restraining her lungs. Her loose pink top and fluffy black skirt felt more comfortable than ever.

And as she walked, she noticed how the other students she passed down the hall were reacting. Most of them didn't really notice her, too wrapped up in their own lives. But she did notice a few ghouls and guys pausing to take a look at her, from quick glances to long stares. And most of them seemed to be looks of admiration or interest, instead of disgust like she had imagined. She'd almost forgotten just how accepting this school could be.

Of course, she knew eventually someone would insult her. Toralei most likely. But knowing that her friends still cared about her, she knew name calling wouldn't hurt as much as it had in the past. People could insult her all they wanted. Knowing what she knew now, their words wouldn't matter.

"Hey, looking good." She turned to see Clawd approaching her from behind. She smiled and took his arm.

"So, how are you feeling?" He asked.

"Oh I had forgotten how good it feels to not be constrained." She sighed happily. "I can't believe I was so afraid of going out like this."

"See? I told you it would be alright."

Laura cuddled against him. "Thank you. I know I don't say it enough, but you're a wonderful monster."

"My pleasure." He cuddled her back. "So, I guess this is the last we'll see of those corsets and stuff, eh?"

"Weeelll.." Laura looked thoughtful. "I think I'll still wear the bindings and girdle for fearleading. Just so I'm a little more streamlined when I'm flipping through the air, you know?"

"Okay."

"And I'll keep some of the corsets. Because I have some lovely lacy negliges at home which would look fangtastic with them."

Clawd blinked as those words sunk into his head. He looked down to see her smiling impishly at him.

Would you like to come over and see how I look in them?"

Clawd's entire face turned red as he contemplated that. "Er.. that would be.. nice."

Laura giggled and stepped on her tiptoes to kiss him. "Well, Daddy's away on business again, so you can come over tonight if you want. And I really hope you do.."

He didn't miss the innuendo in that last bit of that statement.

"Well, gotta go! Text you later!" And with that she bounced off toward class. Clawd watched her go, pleased to see her so happy... and to see how her hips had a lot more swing in their step.

He headed to his next class, a little spring in his own step.

END