Work Text:
first kiss
“You've never what?” Cleo gasps.
Draculaura shrinks, peeking up over the lip of her magazine. Her undead cheeks flush in embarrassment. “I mean, it's not a requirement, right? I'm only 1600! Plenty of ghouls my age haven't had their first kiss yet!”
“But most have.” Cleo appraises Draculaura for a split second across the room, brush poised over her half-painted pinky, then shakes her head in disbelief. “While you're no match for me, you're certainly not unattractive. So that can't be the reason...”
That was some sort of roundabout compliment, right?
“Um, thank you...?”
Cleo cuts her off with a sharp laugh. “Pfft, wait—Are you waiting for your first kiss to be with the love of your life? Like from all those silly romance novels you like to read?”
Draculaura feels herself heat up further even as she furiously shakes her head. “W-What? N-No! I'm just...that's not...there's never been a right time!”
Cleo raises a perfectly-curved eyebrow. She seems to consider something. After a moment, her smile softens ever-so-slightly. “Would you like to start now?”
All of Draculaura's thoughts screech to a halt. “What?”
“I'll do you the honor of taking your first kiss, Draculaura. What do you say? This isn't something I offer to just anyone, you know.”
And Cleo's staring Draculaura down with her hypnotizing cerulean eyes, plump red lips pursed as she waits. Draculaura scrambles for a reply.
“B-But D-Deuce—”
“—won’t care." Cleo rolls her eyes, capping her nail polish and setting it on her nightstand. "It’s just a kiss between ghouls, after all. It’s not like I’m asking for your hand in scarriage.”
Now that is certainly an image: Cleo all dressed in white, strutting down the aisle to meet Draculaura at the altar. They'd put on each other's rings. Say their vows. And then they'd lean in to k—
Draculaura jumps up off the floor, sending the magazine she'd been reading flying, along with a bag of unopened veggie chips. “O-Okay, fine! I'll do it! If you're really really really sure it's totes cool with you and Deuce...?”
“When am I not sure about something? A de Nile is always absolutely certain in her decisions.” Cleo gestures Draculaura over with one perfectly-manicured finger. “Now come here before I change my mind.”
“C-Coming…!”
Draculaura fumbles over her creeping bag, nearly trips on Cleo's slippers, then catches herself on the edge of the bed frame before she's finally in front of Cleo. She carefully climbs atop the bed so that she's face-to-face with the mummy. An awkward silence hangs between them as one of Draculaura's hands comes up to rest on Cleo's cheek, feather-light so as to not mess up her makeup. Draculaura opens and closes her mouth, unsure of what to say or do past this.
Cleo sighs, but it sounds fond. She brings a hand up to Draculaura's cheek; the other grasps Draculaura's free hand. “Close your eyes, Draculaura. It'll be much more pleasant that way." Then, as an afterthought: "It should also help to calm your nerves. I don't want you accidentally biting me when I lean in.”
Draculaura nods maybe a bit too eagerly. “Okay! I'll close my eyes and try to stay still.”
“Good. Now pucker up.”
Draculaura does as she's told. A second later, there's a press to her lips. It starts out insanely soft, barely any pressure. But then Draculaura pushes back, and the lips against hers respond. And then they're really kissing.
By the time they pull away from each other, Draculaura's practically melted into a puddle on Cleo's silk sheets. She blinks open her eyes and is surprised to see Cleo looking just as flustered, though she hides it far better than the vampire. She pulls her hand back from Draculaura's cheek, and Draculaura mirrors her. Their other hands remain interlocked.
“Well? Am I a scary good kisser or what?" the mummy asks haughtily, as if her cheeks aren't a rosy red and she's not avoiding looking Draculaura in the eye. "You don't have to say anything, I already know the answer.”
“That was...wow.” Draculaura can barely form words.
"I have been described as such."
And then they go back to their sleepover like they hadn't just kissed, like Cleo hadn't made Draculaura realize something very large about herself for the first time. Which, well, there was time to explore that another day, right?
For now, Draculaura resumes her place on the ground and opens her bag of veggie chips, which she proceeds to devour like a starving vampire. And, well, if she can still taste Cleo's expensive grape lip gloss on her lips afterwards, that isn't necessarily a bad thing.