Work Text:
"With... me & Cleo… possibly?"
It rattles around Cleo's head for a moment. They knew Drift's intent the moment she showed up. If there had been even a flicker of doubt, Owen all but escorting her into town had more than snuffed it.
Still, they hadn't expected Drift to take this particular angle.
It claws them at first, the jealousy. Pearl is hers. Not hers & Drift's. Cleo's.
But Cleo doubts that they alone would be able to convince Pearl. Not before their puppy is on death's door; & even then, Pearl is stubborn enough to bleed out before giving in.
So: Drift. Cleo will just have to make sure they worm their way well into Drift's bones. They entertain the idea of killing her, should that not happen—just for a moment—before deciding it'd be far too shortsighted. Drift is easily influenced. I won't be an issue.
Then Legundo marches up to them, & Cleo is torn from those thoughts. Before she has to throw her weight around, she spots the flames licking up Oakhurst's outer walls. Cleo doubts luck has anything to do with it.
They come around to the idea of sharing Pearl once Drift manages to convince the human(?) to follow the pair deeper into the woods for isolation. All while Cleo is too busy reassuring Pearl that Oscar will be fine.
Drift is being too obvious, having changed tact on the group's stroll under dark boughs. She won't gain any ground by expunging on how cool vampire powers are. Still, Cleo is patient, holding off until they deem their location suitably remote.
"Pearl," Cleo eventually says, like they care. Like they know best. "There's no way that we all get out of this alive,"
Pearl, predictably, refutes. She paces about, muscles taut, posture like that of a predator trying to bluff its way out of becoming prey. Cleo has lived with her for long enough to know this isn't a normal amount of restlessness for her, the werewolf blood in her system has rendered her far more fidgety.
(Cleo tries not to think about how it felt, drinking from her. The feeling of fangs no longer itching to do the one thing they wanted most, ever since she was turned. The warmth flooding under their tongue, lathing at Pearl's pretty neck. Having her. Consuming her. Making her very life essence a part of Cleo.)
"No," they continue. Whatever Pearl says is just a kneejerk reaction, Cleo needs to keep things on-track. "No, someone has to die." They spew some words out of their mouth, taking their time to ensure Pearl will take it the way Cleo means it to. Something to make her feel guilty for hunting people she knows. People she's already decided were good when they were human.
"The only way everyone survives this is by being vampires," they finish, letting it land like a stake through the heart.
"I don't know!" Pearl exclaims. Good, she's second-guessing her instincts. "Or maybe- You know, they- people could just leave each other alone?"
Cleo winds up to deflect this round of protest, but Drift beats her to it. "But they're not gonna! Look at everything that's happened."
"We can't leave," The vampires say in unison.
"Even in town," Drift says. "I stepped foot in there, & I wasn't even welcome. You know?" She's very good at sounding concerned. Sounding frail.
Cleo has always projected bravado, always kept themself hidden. They're not someone who people instinctively want to take care of. This is useful, Pearl likes to protect people. Cleo just needs to make her want to protect Drift more than the few humans left. Then Pearl can be hers forever.
Pearl stills, taking on a casual affectation. Her nerves shine through in her sudden stillness. "Can we just make our own little house in the woods, you know? Our own little cabin?" She fills the air with another echo of Drifts words, making satisfaction curl in Cleo's gut. "Just like Renhardt did."
Prey in reach, the vampires sink their teeth in.
Drift steps closer into Pearl's space. She runs her knuckles along Pearl's arm soothingly. "I mean, we could. But like," She bites her bottom lip, peering up through her lashes. Coy, but not seductive. "We could do that, as vampires?"
Cleo fights very hard not to react to that. Drift keeps pushing their luck.
Meanwhile, Pearl throws her arms up dramatically. "Why do I have to be a vampire? Why can't I just be who I am, you guys be who you are?"
Cleo cuts off Drift's response. Gently, they cup Pearl's cheek, careful of claws. "Because other people won't leave us alone, Pearl," they say gazing into those eyes that seem much more reflective than they were yesterday.
Pearl's arm is lifted as Drift speaks, the fledgling's hand curling loosely around Pearl's wrist. "& we wanna keep you safe. I worry that if you stay a human, you might not make it out of here."
"Geeze," Pearl won't meet either of their eyes. "The faith in my abilities is definitely waning, isn't it? That's what I'm getting from this whole conversation."
Both vampires stammer for a moment, wanting to reassure her, without directly contradicting the careful groundwork they've been laying
The hand at Pearl's cheek finds its way to the back of her head, interweaving into her hair. Cleo moves her head to look at them, only painful enough to snap her attention back. "No, I still think you're strong, & I think you're capable; but I think that vampires are…" Cleo rises on their toes, pulling Pearl's head lower, gently this time. Just before their noses touch, Cleo continues. "We have o-" Dammit. "They have overwhelming numbers, at the moment."
"They do." Drift seems to gain some confidence, placing her hand on the small of Pearl's back. She takes another half-step closer, shrinking the space between all three of them.
"But look," Pearl almost pleads, "I have- I have things now." She holds up her claws, as if that alone would make a difference. "I have pointy things now."
Cleo threads their free hand with one of Pearl's. "I know. I know; your claws are amazing, but you'll have claws as a vampire too."
Drift mirrors Cleo's action with Pearl's other hand. "Yeah, & you've got us."
Cleo presses a chaste kiss into the corner of Pearl's mouth. They pull her hair back, revealing the bite mark they left this morning. Cleo wishes it could never fade. "Think about it." They press closer in, body molding against Pearl. "Just the three of us, together, off in a corner where no one can bother us."
They press a kiss against Pearl's knuckles before letting go to pull Drift in closer. She's stiff under her touch, but shakily relaxes into their collective embrace.
Pearl is babbling nonsense at this point, clearly overwhelmed with the sudden attention.
"Do you want that, Pearl?" Drift asks, breathy. Her hand travels up the woman's back, cresting along the skin uncovered by her bodice. Featherlight fingertips trace the line of her neck, then her collarbone. "Do you want us?"
Cleo, now somewhat jealous, brazenly places a hand on Pearl's sternum. The thrum of her heart beats rapidly against their palm. "We'll still have to tell everyone that you've been turned, to make sure we have our privacy." They place a kiss against her neck. "Just tell us, & you're ours."
"Yeah," Drift agrees a little too quickly. A little too eager. "I won't even get upset if you want Cleo to be the one to do it."
The image crashes into Cleo unbidden, now that it's been spoken aloud. Pearl, sprawled out on her back, open & willing for Cleo. Neck unguarded, arching into them. Fangs in flesh, blood flowing eagerly into her mouth.
Pearl whines, snapping her head to Cleo. Not to their eyes, far lower than that. Her nostrils are flared, eyes slightly glassy but locked, as if in a trance.
Cleo lifts Pearl's chin with a finger, until she's looking at their face. "What is it, puppy?"
Pearl makes a strangled noise. Then several more, but two words can be made out within the jumbled mess. "Smell good."
"I smell good?" Cleo asks, half to tease, half in genuine curiosity. Pearl only hums in agreement. "What brought that on so suddenly?"
Pearl's face goes red, once again staring at their body. At their crotch.
"Oh." Cleo fights off her own blush, & it's all too easy to ignore her own feelings in order to prod someone else's. Especially when that someone is Pearl. "Do you smell me, puppy? Can you smell how wet I am for you?"
The strangled noise comes from Drift this time,. When both gazes snap to her, it looks exactly like a child caught stealing sweets.
Pearl's jaw slackens, tongue threatening to pool out. She's staring at Drift's lower body now. "I think she liked that, Cleo."
They chuckle darkly. "Is that so? Well, Pearl, whatever shall we do about that?"
Drift's eyes dart between them, suddenly looking scared. "Uh, guys? Weren't we-" She pleads wordlessly. "Cleo?"
"You know," Cleo states faux-conversationally, "I was gonna hold back, until I knew Pearl would be safe. But it doesn't look like Drift will last all that long, does it?"
"She certainly smells like she's well-along." Pearl's voice becomes gravelly.
Cleo ignores Drift's stammered out protests. It's all too fun to see her eyes bug out. Cleo trails a finger along her flank, & Drift's monocle falls from its perch.
Pearl noses against Drift's neck, while Cleo lazily unbuttons her vest. Hands wander, stuttering reluctance makes way for breathless pleading. Pearl kneads Drift's chest through her shirt. Cleo teases a hand under the hem of her trousers.
Until suddenly something is wrong. "Pearl, stop," Cleo says.
"What?" the human says, actively backing away from them both.
"Um. I think we need to go."
"Yeah, I think we need to go."
"Wh- What? Why?"
The vampires hum & haw for an awkward moment.
"Someone else."
"Somebody else."
"I don't like the sound of that."
Cleo tries to be rational. "Until we know who that-"
"Did somebody else what?"
"You know, Pearl. You know."
"You know."