"Morning, Cupcake." Carmilla smiles as she's woken up by her girlfriend physically launching herself on to their bed. Their relationship has become a lot more physical of late, but even Carmilla is surprised by the fevered way Laura starts to kiss her. She doesn't get so much as a 'hello' before the younger girl is on top of her.
"It's four o'clock. Morning was over hours ago." Laura points out, still breathless from running all the way home. Her first instinct had been to head for somewhere safe. Some people might say that running from one vampire to another was quite literally jumping from the frying pan in to the fire – Laura would tell them all to go to hell.
"It's morning somewhere." Carmilla shrugs. She stretches out languidly, like a cat lying in the midday sun. Laura lies down beside her, cuddling in to her side and kissing her neck. "You're affectionate today. Not that I'm complaining."
"I missed you." Laura moves in even closer, until she's almost lying on top of her girlfriend. It's not an outright lie. She just omitted part of the truth, that's all. The teenager knows that if she keeps talking she'll spill every last detail of what happened between her and Mattie.
Laura can't let that happen. She can't come between Carmilla and the last of her family. She can't take any more away from her; Carmilla has lost enough already. So Laura stops talking. She puts her lips to better use, silencing whatever questions Carmilla can come up with next. It's easier that way.
Laura's hands tangle in the other girl's hair as their bodies melt together. Her lips taste of coffee and blood. It's a strange combination, but Laura has gotten used to it. The taste is as unique as Carmilla herself.
The vampire lets out a soft purr as Laura nips at her bottom lip. She knows where this is leading, and she's more than happy to help it along as she pulls Laura on top of her, sliding her hands under the teen's sweater. She tugs it over her head, tossing it carelessly aside.
"Carm!" Laura frowns. She hates her throwing clothes around the room like that. Of course, she isn't bothered by it enough to stop kissing Carmilla long enough to go and pick her sweater back up.
Their kisses become even more feverish as the rest of their clothes get tossed to the floor. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Laura worries about Perry coming in later and trying to do laundry while she and Carmilla are still in bed. She snorts with laughter at the mental imagethat thoughtconjures up.
Carmilla gives her a questioning look, but Laura just laughs more. "Never mind." She chuckles in to Carmilla's bare shoulder. She feels so much more at ease now she's with her. Laura doesn't feel the need to worry about Mattie's mind games – and she's pretty sure that's all earlier was – not when her hot as hell, bad-ass vampire girlfriend is peppering her stomach with a trail of feather-light kisses.
No, Matska Belmonde is the farthest thing from her mind right now.
"Carm, Carm wake up." Laura groans as she rolls over to shake her girlfriend awake. "We fell asleep. It's morning...Actual morning."
"Too early." The vampire grumbles back at her, burying her face in the crook of Laura's neck. Her arms snake around the younger girl's waist, keeping her close.
"Carm! I need to get up! I have class. It's...Oh my god, it's lunch time!" The amusement in Laura's voice fades. "Shoot, shoot, shoot! I'm supposed to be recording a broadcast!" She dives out of bed, tugging on the first items of clothing she manages to pull out of the closet. She's running a comb through her hair and pulling it up in to a messy pony tail by the time Carmilla sits up in bed.
"I'm sure you're adoring fans can wait. This adoring fan would quite like another hour, or two, of your time." She gives the younger girl a sultry look that, under any other circumstances, would have had Laura jumping back in to bed with her.
"My fans might be willing to wait, but I doubt that the new Dean of Students will be." Laura scowls at her reflection in the mirror on the wall. She looks like she just woke up and threw on some clothes. Even if she had, it wasn't the best look for going on camera.
"Oh, Mattie's doing another broadcast with you?"
"Yeah. She wants to...Wait. You knew she was taking the job as Dean? Why didn't you tell me?" Laura can't help but feel a stab of betrayal as she realises Carmilla isn't remotely surprised by her 'big' news. That hurt turns in to anger as Carmilla responds with a shrug.
"She's my sister, Cupcake. She tells me stuff."
"And you didn't think to mention this to me? Your sister is taking over your mom's job as evil overload of Silas, and you didn't think to-"
"Mattie's nothing like mother! She's not the enemy, Laura! If you'd put aside your prejudices for two damn seconds you'd know that!"
"Prejudices?" Laura spits. "Are you serious? For your information, your sister –"
"Is right here." Mattie announces from behind her. Laura jumps a foot in the air.
"Jeepers! Would it kill you people to knock?"
"'You people'?" Mattie's eyes narrow. She folds her arms over her chest, the shoulder pads of her fitted black jacket bunching up. "Silas University does not tolerate discrimination of any kind, be that gender, race, religion...or species."
"Go stake yourself, Mattie." Laura shoves past her, leaving the two vampires alone in her bedroom.
"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." Mattie rolls her eyes as she watches Laura go. "I get the feeling your little play-date doesn't like me."
"She gets grouchy before her first morning cookie." Carmilla dismisses the younger girl's outburst as nothing more than crankiness from low blood sugar. "Give her a chance, Mattie. She'll warm up to you."
An hour later, things are still as frosty as ever between the two.
"I think we should do another take. You were a little flat on that last one. You're supposed to be happily declaring my appointment as Dean...You sound more like you're announcing your own execution." Mattie comments dryly.
"Maybe it's because that was the fourth take you've made us do!" Laura growls out, frustrated by how long this broadcast is taking. "You know what, I'm done! Just pick one of the other recordings. I've got classes to get to."
"Anthropology 101, right?" Mattie doesn't miss a beat as she stands and flicks out her hair. "I'm heading that way myself. I'll walk with you." Laura's jaw drops open as her escape plan backfires. She looks to Carmilla for some kind of way out, hoping she'll offer to distract Mattie. The younger vampire is absolutely useless though, she's too engrossed in her book to help.
"Fine." She huffs out through gritted teeth. Mattie follows her out at a leisurely pace as the teenager storms out of the apartment. The sound of clicking heels against the concrete sidewalk has Laura's nerves on edge. She doesn't even think about slowing down to let the new Dean catch up to her – That's definitely not an option.
It's dark when Laura's last class gets out. Styria in the middle of January might as well be the North Pole after five o'clock. Laura regrets not grabbing a jacket on her way out earlier. She hunches over against the wind, wrapping her arms around herself in a bid to keep warm.
The rain starts halfway back to the apartment. The sky seems to literally crack open and start falling around the already frozen teen. There's a roar of thunder, followed shortly by a crack of lightning that hits a tree in the middle of the quad. Laura yelps, diving for cover in the nearest doorway.
Had she known whose apartment she was standing outside of, Laura would have run a mile in the other direction. As it is, she stands huddled under the porch light, the dimly lit bulb barely making a dent in the surrounding darkness. Another bolt of lightning strikes nearby, cementing Laura's feet where they are. There's no way she's going to risk a sprint across campus in this weather.
The heavy noise of the rain thudding against the ground masks the approaching clicking sound of expensive heels. The umbrella is the first thing that Laura notices. It's owner has it slung down low, covering her full head and face until they've joined her in the doorway.
"What do you want?" Laura growls as Mattie lowers the umbrella, shaking off the excess water before folding it back up. Despite the downpour, the new Dean looks as glamorous as ever. Laura, however, looks like a drowned rat. Her clothes are soaked right through, and her hair is plastered to her face.
"Well, for starters I would like to get in to my home." Mattie pulls out her keys, dangling them in front of the smaller girl's face. She smirks as Laura shuffles aside. The porch at the top of Mattie's stoop isn't that large, so she can't go very far without being exposed to the rain again.
Mattie deliberately lets her arm graze against Laura's side as she unlocks her door. "Are you coming in, or would you prefer to swim home?" She shoots over her shoulder, not even bothering to look back to see if Laura is in fact following her. Laura has every intention of refusing to go inside; but a well timed rumble of thunder has her darting inside after her.
The door closes behind her, leaving Laura standing alone in a dark passageway, dripping on to the plush carpet. "Mattie?" She calls after the vampire, hesitant to venture in to the encroaching darkness. A flickering of candle light at the bottom of the hall lures her forward.
Walking through an open door, she finds herself in a parlour similar to the one in the Dean's apartment. The décor is a little more tasteful, but the furniture is just as old and expensive. Mattie is standing with her back to the younger girl, lighting a pair of candles sitting on the mantle above the fireplace. There are half a dozen more candles already lit around the room.
"Wow, you're really taking these budget cuts pretty far, aren't you?" Laura scoffs. Mattie still hasn't said a word yet, and it's starting to unnerve her. Maybe that's the point. "Is this your place? Or is it for visiting professors?"
The vampire ignores the petulant tone of the human girl's voice. She ignores her question, but finally turns and speaks. "Take off your clothes."
"Excuse me?" Laura splutters in disbelief. Mattie looks so calm and collected as she stands there by the fire, her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed on the teenager.
"You heard me. Strip." There's no hesitation to her voice. Matska Belmonde is a woman who is used to making demands. "You're soaked through. You look like you're about to catch your death. Strip off and I'll get you a towel."
"I'm good." Laura squeaks, waving off the older woman's concern. Mattie doesn't take no for an answer though. She fixes Laura with a heavy stare, her overly pleasant smile looking even more unnerving than usual.
"I insist." Mattie pushes. "Kitty would never forgive me if I let you catch pneumonia... We didn't exactly get off on the right foot, but we both care about Carmilla. I'm trying to extend an olive branch here, Laura...If it's your modesty that is the problem, then you're welcome to use the bathroom upstairs. Leave your clothes outside the door and I'll have them dried for you."
"You can't switch on a light bulb, but you have a dryer?" Laura doesn't give in without one final dig; but she can't deny that she'd kill for a hot shower and some dry clothes right about now. "Fine...but there better be a lock on that bathroom door."
By the grace of god there is a lock. On the flip side, there's no shower. There's an old fashioned claw-foot bathtub in the centre of the room. It's almost as deep as Laura is tall. She starts running the hot tap and strips off her wet clothes while the tub fills up.
There's a bottle of something that smells like lavender on a shelf above the bath. Laura pours a generous amount in to the water. The room begins to fill with steam, and the sweet, heady scent of the bubble bath.
Laura makes sure a towel is wrapped tightly around her as she opens the door and dumps her wet clothes in a pile in front of it. She turns the lock again, ensuring she won't be interrupted as she slips the towel off.
The water is searing hot as she steps in to the tub. It laps against her aching body, soothing some of the aches and pains of the day away. The lavender makes her eyes feel heavy. They start to drift closed several times after she's washed her hair. There's a good possibility she might drown if she doesn't get out soon; but Laura just can't summon the energy to pull herself out.
Until the bathroom door swings open.
She sits up, realises her mistake as Mattie's grin widens, and then slinks back under the water. Laura gathers an armful of bubbles around her to protect her decency. "What the hell? That door was locked!" She glares at the older woman as she walks right in, completely unabashed.
"It's an old lock." Mattie shrugs, a devious expression playing out across her face. "Maybe it broke. I didn't think you were still in here. I'd never have walked in if I'd thought you were." It's a bare faced lie and they both know it.
"Well, now you know. Now leave!" Laura grunts. She can feel Mattie's eyes raking over the parts of her body that aren't covered by the water. Thankfully the tub is deep, so it's only her head and shoulders that are showing.
"My humble apologies. I've found you a robe for when you're ready to get out, and I've brewed a fresh pot of tea. You're clothes shouldn't take long to dry." Mattie lets her eyes linger for a while longer, before leaving and shutting the door behind her.
She bends to pick up Laura's clothes from the floor, making sure to pocket her cell phone – She'd rather they not have any pesky interruptions tonight.