AN: Sorry I haven't posted anything in a long while. I've been busy with school and a crossover fic between two of my other fandoms. Because of this, you guys get two fics for today! I hope you guys like them!
Disclaimer: I do not own Carmilla: The Series. U by Kotex does.
There were a lot of things that Laura Hollis could do.
She could hunt down an ancient vampire cabal with her friends and bring it to its knees. She could make sure, on a daily basis, that none of her friends killed each other or random strangers passing by-a task that no one envied her for. She could even keep an A GPA (with some help from her amazing TA). There was a lot that she could do.
Cooking was not one of them. Something Perry was constantly trying to change, for she was more than convinced that Laura's inability to find her way around the kitchen was directly responsible for her horrible diet and lack of energy when not packed with sugar.
She might have been right, but that didn't change the fact that Perry's constant attempts at cooking classes were incredibly annoying.
"Are you listening, Laura?"
"Yes, Mom," Laura groaned, rolling her eyes as she focused back in on the half prepared meal Perry had started. Vegetables-carrots, she knew, and maybe spinach?-had been cut and put into a pan off to the side with some garlic and oil to sauté later. A handful of eggs had been cracked into a bowl, and were warming to room temperature for custard (the only part of this lesson she was excited about). Almost a dozen raw chicken breasts were waiting to be cut, and it was this pile of meat that Perry drew her attention back to.
"Now, I know there's only going to be seven of us, and Carmilla isn't really that big of an eater, but Danny and Kirsch spent the entire day sparring, and you know how much those two can put away when they get going. And I've never really had to cook for Betty before, so I can't really say anything about her appetite, but from what Danny has told me about their dates, it seems like she has a healthy one." All while Perry talked she cut, trimming the fat and turning the breasts into perfect squares 'for even cooking time.'
Perry was scary in the kitchen. If they ever met a monster that needed to be cleaned or cooked to death, Perry was their secret weapon.
"So," she continued, "I figured that it was better to be on the safe side and make some extra, just in case." Pausing to press the back of her clean hand against the underside of the egg bowl, Perry chewed on her lip for a moment before kicking at Laura's chair, causing the younger girl to sway as she tried to regain her balance. "We need to get started on the custard so it can bake and still have time to set in the fridge before the others arrive. Can you get out the soy milk and sugar, please, Laura?"
"Sure, sure," Laura said, nodding absentmindedly as she slid of out her chair and walked over to the pantry. "Do we need the vanilla?"
"Not yet, but go ahead and get it out," Perry replied, setting the knife to the side and scooping up a handful of chicken flesh cubes. Plopping them into a bowl next to the pans she had set up, she quickly covered them in the flour and herb mixture they had prepared earlier before laying them neatly in a row on the metal sheet. "Better to be prepared early then to want later."
Turning away so she could wash her hands, Perry wasn't watching as Laura-who herself was focused more on the sweets she would sneak later than her actual task-pulled the pink bottle of "soy milk" from the fridge instead of the blue, plopping it next to the bowl of eggs and returning to her seat.
It wasn't until Perry bit back a shriek and dropped the measuring cup, spilling the thick, red liquid over the counter, that Laura realized what she had done.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry," Laura quickly said before Perry could scold her, jumping up to grab the paper towels as the red-head moved to save what she could, transferring food and still clean tools to the other counter before the blood reached and ruined them.
"I'm going to have to scrub this with bleach to make sure it's clean," Perry signed, gingerly picking up a knife that had been attacked, its blade coated in a thin red sheen. "Why did you even bring the blood with you?"
"You told me to bring everything in my fridge," Laura replied, handing her a paper towel, "so I brought everything."
"I meant people food, Laura," Perry said, sounding harried as she tried to mop up the blood before it could continue to spread, the knife still in her hand. "Not that Carmilla isn't a person," she quickly added, "but her dietary needs are…well, you know. Not necessari- Careful, Laura!"
So focused was Laura on getting the cleaning supplies to Perry, she didn't notice that the chair she had previously been occupying had been moved by the other woman out of her way so she would have a clear path between the counters. The chair Laura's foot now caught on, sending her stumbling towards the counter they were trying to clean.
Grasping for anything that would keep her upright, Laura's hand landed right in the puddle of blood, sending it skidding across the counter, into the open pink container that had been causing all their problems. Knocking it over so its contents spilled all over the floor-and Laura as she hit the ground, the wind knocked out of her as her back slammed into the tile.
"Laura, sweetie, are you alright?" Perry's voice was panicked, her eyes wide as she righted the container so no more blood spilled out of it, though it made no difference. Laura's clothes were already soaked, the blood cold and sticky against her skin. Perry, for once uncaring of the mess, wrapped her arm around Laura and helped her sit up, the girl's head resting against her shoulder. "Can you speak to me, sweetie?"
"I'd be better if you put down the knife," Laura wheezed, trying not to laugh as Perry stared at the knife she had kept ahold of. The red head let out a little chuckle as she placed it on the ground, sharp side facing away from them. Her free hand went back to checking Laura over for injuries, her glare anytime Laura tried to move keeping the girl still.
"It doesn't look like you were hurt," Perry finally proclaimed, gently lowering Laura back to the ground and pressing on her shoulder to keep her there. "A few bumps and bruises, but nothing that won't heal with time. Just don't move, okay? I'm going to go get some towels, we'll get this place and ourselves cleaned up, and then we can get back to cooking dinner, alright?"
"Sure, Per," Laura laughed as the red head stood, picking up the knife so she could put it in the sink. "Whatever you say."
"Gla-"
Whatever Perry had been about to say was cut short by a snarl, a blur of black leather and teeth, and a hand clenched around the front of her shirt as she was raised into the air and slammed against the wall, the knife knocked from her hand to clatter to the floor.
"What did you do to her, witch," Carmilla growled, her words slurred from too many teeth, eyes narrowed, free hand unable to fully close from the claws that threatened to pierce flesh and spill the blood of any who crossed her. Which, at this moment, she believed was Perry.
"Carm, it's okay, I'm okay!" Laura, despite the pain in her neck and the ache in her back, sprang to her feet, pulling hard on Carmilla's arm. "We were cooking and I tripped and spilt the blood milk and it's okay. I'm okay, Carm, I'm okay."
"Why was she standing over you with a knife then," Carmilla demanded, though even as she spoke her claws melted back into hands. Hands that were still keeping Perry in the air, but hands nonetheless.
"I was moving it to the sink," Perry wheezed, trying to keep calm even as her face turned red and the collar of her shirt made it harder to breath. "Just, you know, trying to get everything clean again."
Slowly, ever so slowly, Carmilla lowered her arm, her features returning to human norm as she set Perry back on her feet. "Sorry," she said sheepishly, taking a few steps back to wrap her arms around Laura, ignoring the bloody mess to pull her into a hug. "I smelt the blood and saw the two of you and just…"
"That's…it's alright," Perry eventually said into the quiet, her face returning to its normal color as she rubbed at her throat. "I'm sure, had the rolls been filled by you and LaFontaine, or anyone in the group, really, I would have had a…similar reaction."
"We should really get cleaned up," Laura said, glancing apologetically at Perry as she tried to quietly clear her throat. "I think there's some more paper towels-"
"I will take care of it." Although Perry smiled, her smile was tight, making it clear she just wanted them gone. "I like to clean," she quickly said when Carmilla began to speak, "and doing so will help me…calm down. Go take a shower, Laura. I'm good here."
The two quickly scurried out, Perry's sigh as she began to clean up the mess following them out the common kitchen's door.
By the time Laura had cleaned herself up and returned with Carmilla, the kitchen had been cleaned, dinner had been cooked, and the rest of the group had already arrived, their plates piled with food as they waited for the two of them to join in.
Perry said nothing about what had happened, but the entire time she kept a close, watchful eye on Carmilla, and the next time she decided that Laura needed a cooking lesson, Perry taught her how to boil an egg.
Because there were no knives, no blood, and the worse that could happen was a slight burn and an overcooked yolk.
At least, that was what Perry had believed, until the demon who apparently ran all systems that used heat decided to start setting things on fire.
Cooking lessons became rare and off campus after that.