Chapter Text
“Can you believe his wife just died, and he’s already looking for a stepmother for his kids?” Professor Anemone and Lady Lesso stand together taking a break from the festivities to gossip about Clarissa’s date.
“Some people mourn less than others. I just don’t understand why Clarissa’s entertaining him.” Duke Dilwin had a face that could only be described as androgynous. He had a blunt short hairstyle with no facial hair to speak of and ghostly pallor.
“He’s been trying to get her under a mistletoe all night.” Emma says bumping her shoulder against Leonora’s arm goadingly. The winter banquet was finally coming to an end, and the enchanted mistletoes that floated over the heads of the guests were dwindling.
There were about twenty when the night started, now there were only two, and Duke Dilwin was not so subtly trying to corral Clarissa underneath one. An enchanted plant that trapped people underneath its berries until they kissed. And they said that Never’s lacked morals.
Leonora herself had been avoiding the cursed sprigs all night whilst keeping a close eye on her Fairy Godmother counterpart. Clarissa’s date ‘The Duke of Ale’s’ was up to no good.
“I’ve noticed.” Leonora says with a frown as she finishes off the rest of her apple cider. “He shouldn’t be here.”
“Apparently Clarissa and the late Duchess Donna Dilwin went to school together.” What a mouthful. “That’s why she invited him.”
“He invited himself.” She scoffs glaring daggers into the visiting duke. “I was there, he practically begged to be her plus one. Pathetic.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I would say you sounded jealous.”
“It’s a good thing you know better then.” She retorts sharply, her glare flitting over to the beauty teacher. She wasn’t jealous at all, just annoyed.
Across the room the Fairy Godmother laughs merrily. Leonora looks up just in time to see the Duke lean away from Clarissa’s ear. They were standing far too close for comfort, and the mistletoe…
Leonora glances over to the plant to find a different couple underneath the sprig. They kiss and the mistletoe disappears, berries falling silently to the floor.
“He almost got her that time. All she needed to do was step back.” Emma says, gesturing up to the sole remaining mistletoe in the room. “Poor thing. It’s his last chance at a kiss goodnight.”
“Poor thing? You were just talking shit about him.” Emma shrugs indifferently as Leonora continues. “And he’s a grown man, not a child. If he wants to kiss her so badly he should just say so instead of relying on a stupid plant.”
“Maybe someone with repressed feelings could chime in right now.”
“You’re not talking about me. If I wanted to kiss Clarissa, I would just ask. It wouldn’t be our first.” Leonora watches with an immense amount of satisfaction as Emma chokes on her drink. The beauty teacher takes a second to recollect herself before demanding answers.
“When? Where?”
“She kissed me right on the lips last week. She was wearing that cherry flavored lip gloss. Delicious.”
Anemone squints suspiciously at the statement, shaking her head. “Lies.”
“Fine. She kissed me on the forehead. But I almost had you didn’t I?” Leonora grins, eyes flitting over to Clarissa, before she frowns again. The Duke had Clarissa standing next to the last mistletoe.
“Almost.” Emma says tilting her head at the couple. “You know, if you step in now, you can get another one.”
“Another?” Leonora questions glancing over at the mistletoe as she puts the pieces together. “Why would I want that?”
“Aside from the obvious, it would ruin the Duke’s night.” The obvious being what exactly?
“Duke Dillweed would probably be torn apart if Clarissa kisses a woman in front of him.” Lady Lesso feels a grin slowly overtaking her face.
Emma snorts at the insult. Dillweed.
“I do so love fostering misunderstandings. And If we’re lucky, he’ll go home early.” Leonora continues squaring her shoulders.
“We?” The beauty teacher questions but Leonora doesn’t respond.
Instead, she shoves her empty glass into Emma’s hand fixing a bored expression on her face as she stalks over to the… couple. The two were standing very close are having a whispered conversation.
Neither notice her approach until she is already underneath the magic mistletoe. It hovers above her and she pretends not to see it, instead she interrupts their conversation
“Clarissa.” The woman looks up at her presence, giving her a bright smile. “You’ve really outdone yourself this year.”
“Thank you! I had a lot of help though.”
“It was all those late nights we spent together planning.” She says smiling. “But you did most of the heavy lifting Princess.”
Duke Dilwin clears his throat causing Clarissa to refocus on him.
“You’ve met Donald, of course.” Leonora’s smile tenses on her face. Donald? Why was she using his first name?
“We’ve met, yes.” She can’t help but project disinterest with her tone. She winces, rubbing her head, and that’s all it takes for Clarissa to take a concerned step forward.
“Are you alright?” She asks, placing a warm hand on Lady Lesso’s forehead as she comes to stand directly beside her.
“A bit of a headache. That’s why I’m leaving actually.” Just like that, Leonora accomplished what Duke Dillweed had been aiming for all night.
“Oh no. Do you need me to escort you back to your room?” Clarissa asks and Leonora almost feels guilty for what she’s about to do. Almost.
“I’d hate to interrupt your… festivities. I’m sure I can manage.”
“Well-“
“It seems you’ve trapped my date underneath a mistletoe.” Duke Dilwin’s even tone interrupts. Even his pitch was neutral. He looks between the two women with an unreadable expression. Clarissa blinks up at the mistletoe and Lady Lesso takes the opportunity to glance over at him mockingly.
“Trapped? Oh my, I hadn’t even noticed.” Leonora says touching her chest in ‘surprise’ the moment Clarissa looks back at her.
The man grins and Leonora feels her irritation rise. “You didn’t? I find that hard to–”
“It’s fine Don, accidents happen.” Clarissa cuts off Duke Dilwin before Lady Lesso could goad him into an argument.
“Yes. It’s fine, ‘Don’ , accidents happen.” If the man is displeased by her usage of his nickname he doesn’t show it. Her next statement was sure to get a rise out of him. “Besides, it’s nothing we haven’t done before.”
The Duke looks over at Clarissa, clearly waiting for her to deny the statement. Leonora has a hard time keeping her face straight at the look on his face.
“She’s joking!” Clarissa looks back at her confused before whispering. “Are you okay?”
“A little dizzy.” She keeps a steady glare on Duke Dilwin as she responds. “Can you help me out here, Princess? My headache’s getting worse by the second.”
Clarissa glances up at the mistletoe then back at Lady Lesso as the taller woman leans down. “Yes, of course.”
She aims a kiss directly for her cheek and Leonora frowns. It wouldn’t be enough. She had to crush this man's dreams properly.
“Wait.” She says, causing the other woman to pull up short.
“Wait?”
“Are you trying to give me a year of bad luck?” She asks, crossing her arms. “Kiss me like you mean it.”
Dillweed makes a noise like a strangled cat and Leonora barely manages to stop Clarissa from looking over at him.
She presses their lips together tilting the shorter woman's chin as she does so. She watches as Clarissa’s eyes close, and much to her surprise the other woman kisses her back. Leonora grins triumphantly, taking her time to memorize the feeling of soft lips rubbing against her own.
Lady Lesso swipes her tongue across Clarissa’s lips just before pulling back, getting a taste of fruit flavored lip gloss. The Fairy Godmother chases after her lips, and Leonora wants to kiss her all over again. Instead she waits for the other woman to open her eyes.
Above them the mistletoe disappears, berries dropping noiselessly to the ground.
“Strawberry?” She asks, though she already knows the answer. Clarissa stands in a daze for a second before nodding her head slowly. “Tastes nice. Almost as good as the cherry.”
The Fairy Godmother stares blankly, continuing to nod. Lady Lesso had never tasted the cherry, but Clarissa was in no state to deny her claim. “Thanks. I– Thanks.”
“You take such great care of me, Princess.” As much as Leonora disliked public displays of affection, she wanted to make sure to run the duke off completely. She pulls Clarissa into a tight hug smirking sharply at Duke Dillweed over the woman’s shoulder. “Goodnight. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She breaks away from the embrace, taking the dukes hand in her own with a tight grip. He winces at the unexpected move frowning at the pain. His soft palms were unlike hers. They were fragile, lacking the calluses of someone who did their own dirty work.
“Duke Dilwin.” She says flatly, looking the man up and down haughtily. She steps closer growling near his ear so that Clarissa couldn’t hear. “You’re wasting your time. She’s not interested.”
Leonora releases him and departs, headed back to her rooms with a sly smirk. Another blossoming relationship ruined, she can’t help but pat herself on the back.
~~~
Kissing Lady Lesso last night had been a mistake. She should have just dealt with the year of bad luck.
She and the Duke had been in the middle of an important discussion when when Lady Lesso—
“Lesso!” She growls opening up the door to their shared office.
Leonora looks up smiling. Smiling! At her, as if she couldn’t detect the displeasure in her tone.
“Yes, Princess?”
“Did you do it on purpose?”
“What?”
“Donald. Were you trying to intimidate him? That’s what he thinks!”
“You think I purposely got you underneath that mistletoe just so that I could ruin your little date? Do you really think so little of me?”
Clarissa stops short blinking at the sincerity in her tone. She studies Lady Lesso for a second before responding flatly. “Yes.”
Lady Lesso has the audacity to look surprised by her response. “How-”
“‘It tastes almost as good as the cherry’? You wouldn’t know how the cherry tastes! We only kissed the one time, Lady Lesso!” She says sharply flames dancing on her fingertips.
“We only kissed on the lips that one time.” Leonora smirks, correcting her. “But if you’re wearing cherry lip gloss right now, we could fix that.”
Was it mere coincidence that she was wearing cherry right now? “This isn’t funny. I’m serious!”
“I am too. I want to know how it tastes.”
“You’re impossible.” Clarissa says, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Are you upset with me? Is that it?”
Lady Lesso raises her eyebrow at the question “For what?”
“What happened last week. Is that why you—”
Leonora cuts off her question with a sharp laugh. Clarissa finds herself frowning, embarrassed that she had even brought it up.
“Right. Of course.” She sighs in frustration. “I have to go attend to our guest.”
Lady Lesso's boisterous laughter stops in an instant.
“Guest?” Leonora asks as she catches her breath. She wipes a stray tear from her eye as she refocuses on Clarissa.
“Duke Dilwin. You couldn’t have forgotten him so quickly.”
“He’s still here?” Lady Lesso couldn’t look more disappointed if she tried. What was her problem?
“Of course he’s still here. Look I have to go, we’re having tea.”
“Tea?”
“Yes. Tea.” Clarissa frowns at the sudden interrogation, responding through gritted teeth.
“I’ll come with.” Lady Lesso stands up stretching her back as she reaches for her cane.
“You’re not invited.”
“Excuse me?”
“After that show you put on last night, I think it best you stay away from Don.”
“You think it best? What gives you the right to tell me what to do in my own castle?” As if they didn’t live here together!
“Don feels threatened. He’s concerned that someone might harm him.”
“I’ll give him a threat. If he’s not gone in the next 2 hours, I’ll kill him.” The intensity of the statement makes Clarissa blink.
“You don’t mean that.” Leonora’s silent glare speaks for itself. “You actually mean that?!”
“I don’t make idle threats.” Leonora growls picking up her cane. “Besides, there’s nothing here for him.”
What was she even talking about? “I asked him here, Lady Lesso.”
“Well, ask him to leave.”
“But I need him to stay! At least until–”
“Need? ” In the blink of an eye, Clarissa finds herself looking up at the angry woman. “You need him?”
“Yes! Need. So long as he’s here I expect you to stay out of his way.”
“You have a lot of nerve—“
“And in exchange...” Clarissa smooths out the creases in her dress before finishing in a low tone “the cherry.”
“The cherry? What—”
“I'll give you my cherry lip gloss. You said you wanted to try it.”
“Give me the cherry lip gloss?” Leonora blinks down at her with a furrowed eyebrow. “Do you really think a tube of lipgloss is going to offset my homicidal urges?”
“It’s a high quality product, though I have to warn you, it wasn’t made for eating. Besides, you just asked to taste it.”
“No, I asked to taste you , wearing it. That experience would be completely different.” Leonora states, shaking her head. How could she say something so— lewd!
“Let’s do that then.” Clarissa says unthinkingly, and she’s stunned by her own words. She takes a deep breath gesturing between her lips and Leonora’s before continuing. “I kiss you, right here, right now, and you promise to keep away from Duke Dilwin.”
Leonora scoffs looking her up and down. “You think one kiss is enough to keep me from killing that guy? That prick’s life—”
“Then how many would it take!?” Clarissa watches as Lady Lesso takes in her offer. It was almost alarming how quickly the woman went from angry to interested.
“I’ll let you know when we get there.” Lady Lesso says after a moment of contemplation. That number could range from one to like a dozen!
Clarissa bites back her instinctive negative response, instead nodding her head in acquiescence.
“Fine. Stay away from him and I’ll kiss you as many times as you ask for the duration of his stay.” Lady Lesso would lose interest quickly, of this she was certain. All that mattered was that she and Don managed to get everything in order before the wedding. “If that’s all—”
“No that’s not all. Why are you in such a rush to get back to him?”
Clarissa crosses her arms looking away from the demanding gaze. “My affairs are none of your concern. Is that all?”
The veins on Lady Lesso’s temple throb at her response. There’s a mild satisfaction in knowing that they are both irritated right now.
“No, it’s not. Actually, while you’re here…” Leonora trails off staring down at her lips.
“Right now?” She asks in disbelief. Suddenly her rushed offer felt a bit more real.
“If not now then when? Unless you’re scared, Princess.” Only a child would fall for such blatant goading.
“I’m not scared! I have no problem fulfilling my side of the bargain.” But Lady Lesso was making it difficult on purpose, not bothering to lean down at all. Clarissa reaches up, tugging the other woman down by the ear causing her to wince.
This kiss is far more intense than yesterday’s, Leonora’s lips pushing hard against her own. Leonora wastes no time swiping the gloss from her lips.
Clarissa keeps a tight seal on her lips, steadfastly ignoring the other woman’s tongue as it demands entrance to her mouth. They had never discussed tongues.
Leonora leans back and Clarissa sighs in relief as the kiss comes to an abrupt end. She barely notes the disgruntled expression on the redhead's face.
“Open.” Clarissa raises her brow confused at the demand.
“Huh-” she stumbles backward as Leonora kisses her again, shoving her tongue into her mouth. She chokes back a moan as the flavor of cherries brushes her taste buds, though she can’t stop herself from pulling the woman closer.
Her nails dig into the thick fabric of Leonora’s coat and the redhead hums as she sucks on her bottom lip.
She ignores the alarm ringing in her head as Leonora draws her in deeper. Clarissa comes to a realization the moment they come up for air.
A mistake.
A trembling touch to her tender lips confirms her theory. She wanted—
“I was right. The cherry tastes good.” Leonora says gloatingly, interrupting her thoughts. The woman focuses a concerned stare down at her. “Clarissa?”
She had made a mistake.
Clarissa looks up to meet her eyes questioningly. “Yes?”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Now if you’ll excuse me.” She states with a tense smile as she opens the door.
“Wait!” Leonora says, stopping her gently by grabbing her shoulder.
“What?”
“Are you… uncomfortable? You don’t have to—”
“No!” Was Lady Lesso trying to back out? The very thought made her upset though she had no idea why. Clarissa cuts her off hurriedly.
Leonora blinks at her loud tone and Clarissa clears her throat embarrassed, running the tip of her tongue over her bottom lip.
“It was just unexpected. I’ll be ready next time.” Clarissa says, stepping away, with a nod. “I really must be going though, or I’ll be late.”
“Fine, but if—”
Clarissa ignores her stumbling her way out of the office, and down the stairs as quickly as her feet could carry her.