SO- i've always liked ConradxToni because i believe in the power of het- BUT NOW it's all like ConradxLamont is so cute in canon and i can't handle it and iM CONFLICTED.
((Wow I'm really good at titles guys! Also I would have put this in Applez' submit box but she doesn't have one for Lamont so you guys get to see it too weee.
Basically this is a birthday fic for her, involving her Lamont, Sarah's Connie, and a token Adelaide which could really be anybody (but I like to this it's Kou's XD)
Summary: Connie and Lamont have a nice birthday night together until Adelaide comes to stir things up.
Lamont's birthday was always a big deal for Connie, no matter how much he insisted she didn't have to do anything special for him. Another year passing only reminded him of the fact that he was getting on in years and, while he wasn't old by a long shot, his joints still ached sometimes and he couldn't do some of things he used to be able to. He'd settled down and begged for a relaxing night between the two of them, one where he didn't have to worry about contacts or his phone buzzing or anything else.
She tried to keep to his wishes and make his birthday as low key as possible, but she cared for him and still fussed over the little details, trying to make it special. How she wore her hair, whether he'd seen her in this dress before or that one, whether a cafe was too informal to wear heels to. After about a half hour of fretting in the bathroom, Lamont came up and wrapped his arms around her from behind, burying his face against her neck and breathing out warm and soothing.
"You okay?"
She relaxed back into him with a shy little smile, ducking her head and bringing her own hands up to cover his. "Sorry. We should go."
"We can just stay home, if you'd like." Said in the wrong tone this could be seen as insulting or impatient. But she knew he was sincere. He always was, with her. Her smile widened and she glanced at him in the mirror.
"And let you miss Georgio's world famous tiramisu? I wouldn't dare, not on your birthday."
Georgio's was a little place about three blocks down from their house that could have passed as an actual Italian cafe, complete with a little closed off area outside with pretty little chairs and tables under wide umbrellas, where you could eat and watch the world go by. Since it was so close they decided to walk, and Connie couldn't help but look away and giggle a little bit when Lamont's hand found hers. He still had that effect on her, like she was some kind of school girl. He just chuckled and held onto her, weathered hand as solid and reassuring a presence as he himself had ever been.
Since it was a calm, cool night he asked to sit outside under the stars, and she obliged. She ordered a cup of coffee to keep up appearances and he ordered his dessert in Italian. The waiter looked a little shocked, but took in stride, coming back in what seemed like an extra short time with their orders. Lamont flashed him a smile and he tried to return it, looking a little flustered. Her Lamont, charming people without even trying.
Once they were alone (the outside of the cafe was quiet and so were the streets that night) Lamont reached into his coat pocket and brought out a little packet of blood. Connie was about to protest, tell him to put it away, what if someone sees, but quick as a flash he emptied it in her cup and gave the now drinkable coffee back to her. She hid her face in her hands for a moment, still running on the tail end of sudden anxiety and coming up on a warm feeling that centered around the fact that he'd thought of her, even though this night was for him. She looked through her fingers at him, a wide smile on her face that one might describe as dorky, and poked his leg under table with her shoe.
"I can't believe you did that!"
He just shrugged and smiled back. "I can't believe you thought I'd let you just sit there and watch me eat."
Finally she came out of hiding and tentatively sipped at the coffee, slipping off her shoe and rubbing her toe against Lamont's ankle without looking up at him. He reached across the table and took her free hand in his own. "I love you, butterfly."
She practically glowed. "…I love you too."
"Oh isn't this precious!" The voice itself was an intrusion, shattering their illusion of privacy and striking an almost instant fear through Connie's veins. She recognized that voice, silky and smooth and treacherous. Adelaide strode right over to their table, as if she belonged there, and Connie's eyes flickered from her to Lamont's face.
Lamont looked… annoyed, as she would have expected, but also trapped in some way. Like he'd been caught doing something illegal. Adelaide's hand found it's way to Lamont's shoulder, grazing her fingers over his shirt in a way that almost looked possessive. Lamont flinched almost instantly and started his trademark nervous laughter, but didn't move away from the touch. "And what do we have here? A little birthday celebration?"
Connie's jaw set, her hands curled into little fists in her lap. She was more frightened than angry. "Wh- What are you doing here?"
Adelaide ruffled Lamont's hair and practically glided to the other side of the table, hovering over Connie and making her want to bolt right then and there. But she was with Lamont, she reminded herself. He wouldn't let anything happen to her. "Just here to wish Eyebrows here a happy birthday! What else?"
"Adelaide this uh…" Lamont rubbed the back of his neck, looking down at his half finished dessert. "This really isn't the time."
"Oh, but it's the *best* time, don't you see?" The other vampire, her sire, was close enough to touch her now and Connie leaned away from her presence. Adelaide sat on the table, careful to move Connie's cup of coffee out of the way first, and crossed her legs toward Lamont. "I wanted to be able to catch the two of you together. How else would I be able to give you your present, silly?"
Oh no. Nononono. There was no way Connie was letting Adelaide give Lamont anything. She started to get up, ready to say… Well something. Something threatening, she was sure. But Adelaide raised a hand and touched one finger to her nose, guiding her back down. "Tut tut, no need to get upset dear, I'm sure you'll like it too." Connie would have totally smacked that finger away and stood back up. That is if she could stop shaking so badly. She glanced at Lamont, eyes pleading.
And he came through, cleared his throat and pushing his dessert away. "Alright, that's enough. We're having a nice night, and you're not invited. And for that matter, you're making a scene. People are staring." Connie had no idea if people were staring but the thought just made her anxiety worse. "So c'mon, get outta here. Leave Connie and me alone."
"Oh, silly~" She waved a hand at him and that grin that had never seemed to leave her face widened. "I'll be out of your hair soon. But first…" She turned her gaze to Connie, and if the vampire still had a working heart it would have skipped a beat. Adelaide leaned closer and tilted Connie's chin up with one finger. Connie stared up into her sire's eyes, like a deer in headlights, hands raising about chin height but proving to be useless otherwise.
"Adelaide…" Lamont growled out her name in a warning tone, but Adelaide didn't pay him any attention. Instead she brought her other hand up and brushed a thumb gently across the sensitive bite marks on Connie's neck, marks that she herself had made, and Connie flinched violently under the soft touch. It brought back memories she didn't want, fear and feelings she couldn't handle, but at the same time she… couldn't deny it felt interesting. Not very good, there was too much bad attached to that touch for the good to outweigh it, but it was interesting enough for her body to take notice, a blush creeping up onto her pale cheeks.
Adelaide chuckled, and it sounded predatory. "I can see why he likes you. You're so… sensitive."
Connie shut her eyes, wondering why someone wasn't stopping this, not wanting Adelaide to touch her at all but unable to move away. When her sire spoke again, her voice was a hot breath against Connie's ear that made her flinch again. "Hush now, it's alright dear. I'm not here to hurt you." And then that mouth was against her own and she wanted to run, run far far away because this was so not right, but she stayed rooted in her seat. "This time, anyway~"
The kiss was gentle at first, just cool lips against her own, and her whole body tensed with the contact. Then she felt a warm tongue and let out a little gasp, unwittingly allowing Adelaide to deepen the kiss. All the while she kept her eyes closed, trying to not feel the other vampire's nails dragging across her oh so sensitive bite marks, trying to deny how amazing it felt, and failing. Her hands clenched and relaxed in the air, before finally falling on Adelaide's shoulders, unsure of what else to do. She was completely lost in that moment, and only wanted it to stop.
It did, after what seemed like too long, leaving her panting needlessly and shaking. She looked over to Lamont, her only life preserver in all this, reaching out blindly to him.
He was staring at her, face red and hands somewhere under the table where she couldn't see. His breath was quicker than normal, and she could hear his heartbeat thump in his chest like a nervous rabbit's. Finally one hand snaked out and took hers, and he stood up and went over to her, wrapping an arm protectively around her shoulders. "Alright that's enough." There was a sternness in his voice, but also something else that Connie recognized but ignored.
There was sound of derisive laughter, like dark bells, and Adelaide kissed Lamont's cheek. "Happy Birthday, delivery boy." And with that she was gone, sauntering away from the cafe with more than a few people watching her go. Connie slumped back against Lamont, drained almost to the point of exhaustion.
"What did… What did she even mean? I don't…" Birthday present… "Is that something you actually… wanted?" The last word came out a little more shrill than she intended, but she felt Lamont's hold tighten around her and he pulled her up against his chest.
"N-no baby. Never." To anyone else that slight hesitation might mean something, might mean that he was lying or bending the truth a little to spare her feelings. But she knew he was sincere.
