A/N: Oneshots set over the course of Dracula and Ericka's relationship. Please mind that this work will feature mature/adult content
The first time Ericka kissed him, she was taken aback by how cold his lips were.
She had almost pulled back with a startled gasp, too expectant of a warm smooch to consider anything else. Over time however, she grew accustomed to the feel and looked forward to it. Drac on the other hand was enamored by the warmth of her lips, preventing himself almost every time from gently nibbling its soft pink flesh. He loved it when she kissed him, sweet and innocent but still with love all the same. Even so, he couldn't help but want more. He began to notice that the way that she kissed was the way that a child would kiss. The way Mavis had kissed his cheek when she was only 83 years old. Or the way Dennis would kiss his parents goodnight. It was a simple pucker of lips, a fairly quick peck that sometimes had a smoochy sound effect, and then that was it. He couldn't say he was frustrated at her for it. With how Van Helsing probably raised her, she had a limited knowledge on how kissing should be like, especially between two lovers. Still, Ericka's inexperience left him wondering if he should push her for more. He did not want to scare her off though, so he decided to let things continue as they were until she gave him the right signs, if they would come. And come they did... just not in the subtle way that Drac had figured she would present them.
It was nearing sunrise as Dracula and Ericka returned back to the hotel. They had been out from yet another date together, their fourth or fifth since the return from the cruise. And what a magical date it had been for them. They talked and laughed as they exchanged stories of their lives and in doing so continuing to learn much more about each other. Dracula was in a swoon to see his love so content, and Ericka's heart felt as though it was bursting with how much love she had for the vampire as they strolled, hand-in-hand, underneath the beautiful moonlit sky.
"I had a wonderful time," Ericka whispered to him as they got off the elevator on the thirteenth floor.
"I did too my love," he replied back, taking hold of her hands and squeezing them lightly as she turned to face him. "Any moment with you is worthwhile."
She giggled as he lightly nuzzled his nose against her hers, a practice they had been doing on each of their preceding dates. She knew what came next, and puckered her lips as she leaned up to give him a kiss on the lips. As always, it was sweet and chaste, and usually enough to keep Ericka satisfied for the rest of the night. But tonight wasn't like most nights. Tonight something was different. Tonight there was a feeling that coursed through Ericka that could not be ignored. The feelings intensified moreso after she parted from their kiss. Her body was tingling with energy all throughout her body, and she couldn't help but quickly pull him down for another kiss. This one lasted several moments longer, and Dracula found himself completely intoxicated by it as well. It was he this time who pulled her in for yet another kiss after she parted again, and they both were breathless when they finally broke apart for air. The Count grinned a little more widely in that moment staring at his beautiful zing. But then he saw the flustered look in her eyes, and quickly remembered his promise to hold off until she gave him the right signs to become more intimate. He awkwardly cleared his throat and began to excuse himself.
"Well," he said in a soft voice. "Good night."
Drac turned to leave but Ericka grabbed him by the sleeve before he could go.
"Wait! Drac, don't go. I…" she paused for a moment as she struggled to find the words. "I love you." She blushed profusely once she finally got out that confession and looked down sheepishly.
Drac's face broke into an adoring smile as he looked back at Ericka and her adorable confession. "I know that my love," he laughed, gently caressing her cheek. "And I love you too, remember?"
"I know," she said softly. "And because you do, I... well, I'd like..." she paused again, trying not to look embarrassed, but she just couldn't help it. It wasn't her fault he made her so nervous.
The Count raised a brow in question, curious to see where she would take this conversation next.
Ericka took a deep sigh and simply continued on, embarrassment forgotten. "Drac," she said, looking up into his eyes with a look of seriousness and speaking slowly. "I want you to show me... how to kiss."
Dracula's eyebrows shot up even higher and he looked at her with disbelief. "W-wha? Honeybat, what do you mean? Of course you know how to kiss."
"No, I don't," she insisted. "I'm not blind Drac, I can see that you want more, and that must mean there is something missing from what I'm doing. Please, show me. I'm sure you've had plenty of experience teaching new staff what they have to do at the hotel. This should be a piece of cake."
"But sweetheart," Drac started, "training staff is a lot different than… than this!" He gestured between them, taking a moment to gather his thoughts before continuing. This was all so awkward, for her to just ask this of him so suddenly. It was so blunt, so straightforward, so… Ericka. She was never one to beat around the bush, a stark contrast to himself. But how could he say no to her face? To the woman who had captured his heart so entirely in only three short months?
He sighed and let go of her hands, bringing his hands up instead to cup her face. Ericka's heart began to race as she felt his thumbs gently brush against her cheeks and leaned his forehead against hers.
"Close your eyes."
She closed them, feeling her heart swoon at his gentle words and warm breath ghosting across her skin.
"Okay," he said, still feeling a little awkward. "I eh… um… I guess I'll start?"
Ericka giggled, the sound making his chest flutter. "Do you want me to help you get started?"
She tilted her head up and with an exaggerated pucker began to make an equally exaggerated kissy noise. It was enough to throw the both of them into a fit of laughter. "Alright, alright," Drac said when they calmed down from their giggles. "I'm ready if you clearly are."
Ericka grinned and reclosed her eyes. The Count took another breath to calm himself and then leaned in. Ericka anticipated the tender feel of lips against lips, but was slightly confused when she felt a familiar light nuzzle against her nose as his nose pressed against hers. He pulled away after a moment and she opened her eyes to look at him. "Well, there's your first," he said.
"First?" she asked. "First what? That wasn't a kiss!"
The Count chuckled. "Actually, it is. An Eskimo kiss. Johnny may have been the one to tell me about it."
Ericka gave him a look. "And you say Johnny's ideas are terrible."
Drac shrugged, a little embarrassed. "Eh, well, most of them are!"
Ericka lightly punched him in the shoulder and urged him to continue. Drac quietly laughed and leaned in to seemingly kiss her. Only at the last moment before meeting her lips, he turned his head to her left cheek and very lightly, almost barely, kissed it and did the same action with the right. The look on Ericka's face this time almost made Drac laugh out loud.
"Alright, sneaky pants, what happened there?" she demanded, crossing her arms.
"Air kiss," he explained nonchalantly.
"Draaaaac…"
He shrugged. "Well, I would say that you have the standard kiss down for the most part, wouldn't you?"
"I don't know, do I?" she asked playfully.
"Hmmm… " Drac said, tapping his chin with a finger and going along with it. "Let me make sure." He carefully reached forward, his fingers grazing Ericka's jaw and landing on her chin. With a gentle tug, he pulled her closer towards him. Their lips met gently, as though he was testing to see her reaction to the gesture. She hummed contentedly at the contact and relaxed into the kiss. Her eyes still glinted with a hint of mischief when they pulled apart, and Drac could easily identify it. "How was that?" he asked.
"Eh," Ericka replied with a smirk. "I think you'll have to try it again."
Drac pretended to roll his eyes and then sank down to kiss her. This time, he made sure to linger longer, blanketing her lips with slow deliberate smooches in succession. Ericka's head was in a whirl. They had never shared a kiss like this before, and she felt in bliss at how soft and pliant his lips felt in that moment. She wanted nothing more but to continue, for hours on end even as they pulled away for a breath of much needed air.
"That was…" Ericka started slowly, "amazing."
"Just wait until the French kiss," Drac said with a cheeky grin. "It's - "
But Ericka stopped him before he could continue, pressing a finger to his mouth. "Less talking, more showing."
"I can do that," Drac agreed as he leaned into her, kissing her passionately once more. Ericka moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him impossibly closer while he enveloped his arms around her waist and tugged her body until it was firmly pressed against his. A moment later, she shuddered as he slipped his tongue past her lips and deepened the kiss.
A small whine escaped from her throat as she let him take control, feeling herself relax in his arms and allowing him to lead her along through all that passion. Instinctively, she allowed her own tongue to seek and explore his. His kiss tasted of something sweet and warm and she savored it, not wanting to stop just yet. Ericka's mind continued in its euphoric haze as Drac trailed kisses down her jaw and along the column of her throat, and she barely noticed his fingers brushing against her breasts through their clothes. She gasped out as she suddenly felt the unmistakable feel of a bite on her neck, more of a nip really. Ericka jerked with surprise as Drac released her neck, his eyes flashing with concern.
"I-I'm sorry," he mumbled, "is everything all right? I didn't hurt you did I?"
Ericka shook her head quickly, her hand moving up to cup the side of his face, trying to steady his frantic gaze as she smiled reassuringly. "No! Nothing's wrong. It was just unexpected. That's all."
He seemed to relax slightly after she said that, though he still felt guilty. "I'm sorry, I should have told you I was moving on to the, uh... love bite." The Count winced a little at the word, knowing that as a vampire the term was bound to unnerve her.
But Ericka only looked at him curiously. "Love bite? Is that a common thing for vampires?"
"Uh," Drac blushed, realizing that he hadn't actually explained exactly what he meant by it. "Well, from what I heard it's actually common for humans too, so it's not really like a bite. More like..." He paused as he tried to figure out how to explain. But how could he explain it without making it seem like he was going to sink his fangs and suck her blood? She'd never trust him again if he did anything of the sort. He sighed inwardly, marveling at the strange but completely new experience of having a human lover. Finally, he sighed and looked deeply into her eyes. "Ericka… do you trust me?"
She blinked for a second as if confused by the question, but then slowly nodded. "Of course."
Drac returned the nod before continuing. "Okay. Well, the bite is more like this." He demonstrated by leaning forward into the crook of her neck once more, briefly inhaling the sweet scent of her skin before pressing his lips to a spot just on the base. He tenderly kissed her there, letting his tongue gloss over the delicate skin and then bringing his fangs to it. Her breath hitched as he carefully nipped, his canines barely scraping against the fragile surface of her flesh. It wasn't painful in the slightest, but the feel of his sharp teeth grazing her soft flesh still sent shivers down her spine. He was a vampire, and she a human. Despite all the misteachings her great-grandfather had told her about monsters in her youth, there was still one thing that wasn't so inaccurate. And that was the food chain. Vampires fed off of blood as their primary source of sustenance. Drac had told her earlier that very night when she inquired about his feeding habits that, despite the near-accuracy of Blood Beaters and Near Blood, the substitutes could never compare to the real thing. If this neck kiss of sorts turned out to be anything less than completely innocent, she could get hurt. But then Ericka remembered that this was Drac - her Drac - the vampire who had saved her life on the cruise, saved her from a "family legacy" that was suffocating, and loved her unconditionally. She told him she trusted him, and that was true.
Ericka was startled out of her thoughts as she felt another featherlight nibble at her pulse point, and a quick suckle. The sensation sent a delicious thrill through her body and she couldn't keep from humming softly.
As Drac withdrew, a look of awe passed across his pale features and an adorable blush bloomed across his cheeks. She licked her lips absentmindedly, still transfixed, and Drac smiled bashfully back at her.
"There," he said, sounding satisfied with himself. "Like that."
Ericka didn't reply, too enthralled with how incredible it was to feel the cool press of Drac's fangs on her skin and hear that husky undertone in his voice.
She ran a finger along the newly formed indentation on her neck, feeling the faint ridges where his teeth had pressed against her and feeling amazed that he'd marked her in that way. The sensation made her stomach swoop pleasantly and a crimson flush crept its way into her cheeks. Drac watched her closely, almost nervously, seemingly ready for rejection if she found his actions distasteful or embarrassing. But as she looked up again, he could see that she wasn't repulsed.
"Don't stop now," she encouraged, gently massaging the back of his scalp with her fingertips. "You're doing great."
He smiled - a wide sensual smile that made her toes curl from within her booted feet - and resumed work on her body. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, savoring every moment as Drac continued to mark her with his mouth, the tips of his fangs gliding smoothly along in a mesmerizing path. There was nothing more thrilling as they worked their way down her neck, resting briefly on the jugular vein and making sure not to press down hard enough to break skin, but to simply explore. The result was an intoxicating rush of warmth and pleasure that left her weakened in a pleasant haze and aching for more.
She moaned quietly as she felt his lips travel over her collarbones, following the curve of her breasts and kissing the valley between them. "Drac..." she breathed, practically trembling as he moved back upwards slowly, languorously peppering her skin with smooches one last time along her neck and jaw before finally returning to her lips. Ericka reveled once more in the sensations, drinking in his taste as his tongue met hers again in a whirl of passion. He traced her upper lip with the tip, tugging gently with his teeth on the bottom as the much-needed make-out session drew to a close. She leaned into him as they rested their foreheads together, breathing heavily through slightly parted lips that were only inches apart from one another. They remained like this for a few seconds, just enjoying each other's presence and the silence between them. Her fingers reached up to thread softly through his hair. She didn't want anything more than to be lost in this moment; she wanted more than his kisses. More than being kissed by this man.
But sunrise wasn't the time, and the middle of the hallway where anyone could walk in on them wasn't the place for that matter. So instead, she broke the spell and pulled away gently.
His hands fell from her hair to cup her cheeks, stroking his thumbs across the soft skin beneath her eyes. "We can practice more tomorrow, okay?"
She nodded silently and allowed him to pull her closer so he could kiss her forehead tenderly. "Good night," he whispered into her hair, his breath caressing against her skin. "Sleep well."
"And you too," she replied, smiling a little drowsily up at him. With one last lingering look, he detached himself from her and turned to make his way out of the corridor and to his quarters. She watched his form retreat until he was completely gone from the hallway, his hooded eyes giving her one last glance as he rounded the corner. Ericka quickly entered her suite afterward, slamming the door shut and leaning on its frame for support. She was trembling from excitement, a little lightheaded, and giggling like a 5-year-old girl rather than the 35-year-old woman she was. But she couldn't help it, not when Drac treated her the way he did. Not when he gave her things and made her feel special. When she let herself imagine what it would be like if the two of them did more than just kiss...she almost felt giddy. Almost. Because the truth was, as prepared as she was to try something more intimate with him in their relationship, Ericka had never actually been physically intimate with anyone before.
And even with her confidence boosted by the newness of everything going on between her and Drac, Ericka didn't think she could handle the disappointment if she found she wasn't able to deliver. Still, despite her reservations, she couldn't stop thinking about the different kisses that they shared, and how she wanted to feel those lips on more than just her mouth or forehead or cheeks. She flushed as she imagined them on her body, kissing every dip, curve, and hollow from her bosom down to the place she wasn't completely sure she wanted to show him, but still felt drawn toward doing nonetheless. Ericka sighed dreamily, practically waltzing over to the bed and landing upon it with a thud. The mattress groaned a little under her weight, and Ericka had barely begun to sink into its warmth before she was fast asleep, her mind blissfully clouded by happy thoughts. She wasn't sure what she'd dream about tonight, but she was certain that it would likely involve a certain vampire with dark hair and welcoming blue eyes.