Work Text:
Laura followed about three paces behind, simply observing.
Carmilla for her part, carefully clasped her hands behind her back, approaching the painting nose first.
Her eyes followed the abstract curves of color and she held her breath for a full minute, or at least she appeared to do so to Laura.
Laura came to stand by Carmilla's right. She glanced at the painting before looking at the information plaque.
"Sasquatch. 1979. Acrylic, palette knife on glass," Laura wrinkled her nose and whispered, "who comes up with these names?"
Carmilla smirked, her proximity and focus on the painting not changing, "the artist I suspect... I really love the volume they've achieved here". She gestured towards a curl of paint where pink and blue met at the crest, "just beautiful".
"I'm still not sure what it has to do with a Sasquatch..."
Carmilla pulled her nose away from the glass and snagged Laura's hand, laughing gently, "c'mon cupcake, I think realism might be more your style".
Laura giggled and followed haplessly, still unsure why they were looking at art, when all Laura really was doing was looking at Carmilla. "If you say so!"
------
"Creampuff, if you fall..."
"Then your stupid vampire face is going to get squished and you'll feel exceptionally useless... And mean". She let out a huff of exertion, before her tongue found its most favored position of concentration; poking out from the corner of her mouth. She balanced on her tip toes and stretched a little further to the right, hammer in hand.
Rolling her eyes, Carmilla held her tongue and gripped the ladder a little tighter.
"Useless vampire. You are an inch taller than me you know," she teetered precariously, hammer poised. "You could have always voluntee...gah!"
With a swing of her hammer, she had finally pushed her center of gravity too far, and it all came apart spectacularly in under a second.
The hammer slipped from her fingers and the momentum carried her hand forward into the wall. Nope. Through the wall.
And then she slipped off the ladder and started falling. Down the stairs.
From where she landed, the first thing that Laura could really grasp was the floor underneath her was far softer than it should've been.
She looked down and saw a disgruntled Carmilla grimacing beneath her. A moment later, a magically levitating ladder balancing in Carmilla's palm flew directly overhead and onto the bottom landing.
"I think it's better if I stay on rescue duty, Hollis," she grit through her teeth.
"Shut it, Carm," she swatted gently at her shoulder and made to get up off the pained vampire.
"Mother fucker," Carmilla growled, grappling at her back where Laura's shifting weight was pushing her further into the stair, whilst stilling the squiggling human with the other
In one swift maneuver, she leapt to her feet, Laura still in her arms, and she groaned - though only lightly. "C'mon, cutie, let's get you cleaned up before you bleed on you're little animal print shirt there. Or you know, succeed in actually breaking me". She started up the stairs.
"Nice work by the way," she nodded toward the tiny fist sized hole in the wall, "shall I phone your father and tell him how talented you are, putting holes in his rental house?"
Laura's eyes went wide, "you wouldn't! You know that he'll lecture me for hours on safety in the home!"
"I'd have to agree with him," Carmilla smirked, "you are a klutz"
"Hey! You're the one who let this klutz put a ladder on a stair case."
"Oh yes, my mistake that; was absolutely all my idea," she rolled her eyes.
"If you don't stop me, you are consenting!" Carmilla grumbled loudly in response, before Laura continued, "Besides which, if im a klutz, I'm your klutz. Sucker".
"Ugh," Carmilla sagged her shoulders, "don't remind me". She set Laura down on the bathroom counter top.
"Hey!" Laura wrapped her legs around Carmilla's hips and pulled her in for a kiss, "you take that back!"
"Make me," Carmilla leaned down for another kiss, whilst simultaneously ripping open an alcohol swab, "ready?". She grinned malevolently and wiggled her eyebrows.
"Ugh, meanie," Laura pouted and held out her hand, "don't forget to blow it afterwards". She squeezed her eyes shut and worried her bottom lip.
Carmilla wiggled her eyebrows lasciviously and chuckled lightly, "as you wish, buttercup".
------
Laura woke at 8am the next day with a throbbing right hand, "mother of a fire truck," she whispered, before grappling around the sheets.
They were empty.
"Carm?", her call echoed throughout the house.
"Downstairs, little one" came the distant response, "making pancakes when you're ready".
"Oooooh pancakes!!!" Laura squealed jumping out of bed, "I'm totally ready!!"
She tripped whilst trying to pull on pants and hit the floor.
"I heard that!" Carmilla yelled up the stairs, "try not to break yourself before midday, Hollis!"
"Whatever, meanie," Laura huffed and ran out of the room tugging a shirt over her head, bolting for the stairs.
Three steps from the bottom, she realized she had just passed a big black frame hung on the wall. Carmilla must've finished the job and hung the photo up this morning.
Negative.
She backed it up a half a dozen steps, as a slow wave of embarrassing realization washing over her.
No picture. Just a big frame. Around a tiny fist sized hole in the wall.
Just below the bottom right hand corner of the frame was small printed placard.
STAIRS AND LADDERS
LAURA HOLLIS - 2016
MEDIUM: FISTS AND DRY WALL
"Are you kidding me?" She breathed out, incredulously.
"Like it?" Carmilla was standing at the bottom of the stairs, arms crossed, grinning like the devious cat she was.
"You are the meanest girlfriend that ever girlfriended," Laura whined, her eyes turning back to the plaque.
"Uh-uh," Carmilla admonished, "I think wonderful girlfriend who tirelessly catches you when you fall is what you mean"
"No," Laura screwed up her face, "I really don't. You are that too, but still a total meanie"
"Vampire" Carmilla shrugged as her only explanation.
Laura turned back towards Carmilla and slowly descended the steps towards her, pouting like a petulant child, "besides which, I thought artists got to title their own work"
"True. But artist is a bit of a strong statement in this instance, don't you think?" She leaned her head back as she slew her arms around Laura's waist where she stood on the last step.
"I made it with my own hands... Hand. it's mine, I bled for my art Carmilla, I get naming rites."
"Fine," Carmilla pressed a kiss to Laura's sleep creased cheek, "what do you want to name it?"
Laura cast a glance over her shoulder, back up at the awkward hole.
"We really have to fix this shit before my dad visits next"
Carmilla laughed loudly, "ok, I'll get the real plaque made up at the earliest opportunity, mademoiselle artist." She grabbed Laura's uninjured hand and started to lead her into the kitchen.
Carmilla gave the girls knuckles a kiss, before laughing again, "Geez, artists can be SO obnoxious when it comes to naming their art!"
"Oh shut it, Carm!"
------
Fin.