Friday Kiss Tag
Shout out to @oh-no-another-idea for tagging me in this! I have not written a kiss in a while. It's mainly just been slow burn and angst over here. I also did lazy editing so excuse any errors please. Also ignore the fact it's not Friday, whoops!
It's been a while since I've tagged anyone in anything... I'll go ahead and tag: @starlit-hopes-and-dreams @kitcatling @winterandwords @sunset-a-story, and anyone else who wants to join in.
Title: Beneath the Indigo Skies Pairing: Vesper/Larissa Rating: G Summary: 12-year old Larissa and Vesper discuss a werewolf custom that piques both their interests. Tags: First Love, Awkward Crush, Friends to Lovers, First Kiss, Awkward Kissing, Werewolf/Vampire, Werewolf Mates, Puppy Love, quite literally in fact, LGBTQ Character, Trans Female Character, Nonbinary Character, they/them pronouns for Vesper
AO3 Link
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“Larissa?” Vesper asked, not turning to look at her as they balanced on a fallen log, nimbly walking across it.
“Yeah?” She followed a step behind the vampire, her paw pads noiseless against the forest floor as she trailed behind.
“I have a question about something. But I dunno how to ask it.”
Larissa tilted her head to the side. “Oh, okay. Well… if you don’t ask, I can’t answer, you know,” she said, the corners of her lips quirking up in amusement.
Vesper snorted. “Fair!” They jumped off the edge of the log, turning on their heel to face her. Their pale features glowed softly under the crescent moon. Instead of the usual mirth Larissa found in Vesper’s gaze, apprehension met her instead.
Larissa frowned.
“Earlier today, when we were hanging out near the Mess Hall, I saw two of your, uh, pack do something weird? With their faces,” Vesper said.
Larissa tilted her head to the side, her large ears bouncing as she did so. She scrunched up her nose in thought. “Weird? With their… faces…?”
“Yeah!” Vesper said, a little louder than before. “Like, they were putting their lips together. And just standing there doing that—”
Before Vesper could finish their thought, Larissa burst out in laughter.
Vesper scowled at her, crossing their arms. “It’s a serious question!”
“Oh, I’m sorry—!” Larissa said between bouts of laughter. “It’s just—” she snorted again. “—do vampires not kiss each other?”
Vesper tilted their head to the side, their curtain of blonde hair catching in the wind as they did so. “No?” But they did not sound so certain, their brows pinched together and mouth twisted to the side in thought.
Larissa stepped closer to Vesper, her peasant dress swaying around her ankles. She gestured for them to sit as she flopped onto the log, stretching her legs out in front of her.
Vesper sat with more grace than Larissa, perching on the edge of the log like they sat at the head of a table rather than on something growing multitudes of white mushrooms.
“It’s a way mates show affection,” Larissa said with a shrug. “At least, that’s what Momma said. When it’s on the lips. But wolves also kiss each other on the cheek or on the head, too. At least my momma does.”
“To you?”
“Yeah. Like here,” Larissa pointed one of her claws toward her forehead. “But!” Her voice dropped to a whisper. She scooted closer to Vesper, a small smirk playing on her lips. “Although that’s what the adults say, that’s not reality.”
“How do you mean?”
“What I mean is—” Larissa licked her lips, her warm brown eyes alight with mischief. “—Some of the older pups kiss each other, too. On the lips, I mean.”
Vesper, still staring at where they watched Larissa’s small, pink tongue dart back inside her mouth, forced their gaze back up to her eyes. Heat pricked their face. “So, it’s not just something wolf mates do,” they muttered.
Larissa shook her head, her ears bouncing as she did so. “No. I haven’t talked to any of the older pups about it, but there’s no way they’ve already met their mates yet. The pack would have made an announcement and celebrated. And I’ve only ever seen it when about in the woods,” Larissa said, gesturing to the forest around the both of them. “Probably so no one else can see them.”
“Then why are you watching them?” Vesper asked, amusement coloring their voice.
“It’s not like I look for it. I’m looking for herbs and reagents for my apprenticeship. Not just meandering around for the fun of it,” Larissa said with a huff, her cheeks glowing pink. “It’s not my fault they’re not paying attention.”
Vesper nodded, still thoughtful.
Their parents did not kiss. Certainly not on the lips. But also not on the face, or on their head either. But their parents were also not a love match.
“Maybe it’s because vampires don’t really have mates like that,” Vesper said.
“What do you mean?”
“Well… some vampires choose one another to stay with each other. Those are called love matches. But most of the nobility are not love matches. They’re… arranged?” Vesper frowned a little. “Yes, arranged.”
“Arranged? By who?” Larissa asked.
“By the head of the family, whoever that is,” Vesper said. “Two families will join and will offer their progeny to the other. A contract is written up to bind the families, I think. Then the two vampires will join.”
“That’s… so weird,” Larissa muttered.
Vesper snorted. “Weirder than saying a goddess determines who you’ll be with for the rest of your life? If the arrangement does not work out, I think it can be broken off. There was this one vampire who broke off his arrangement with another. Quite the scandal. Mother was quite unhappy when I questioned her about it.”
“So, even then, it’s frowned upon….” Larissa murmured, more a statement than a question.
Vesper nodded. “Something like that.”
“So, how do vampires show affection?” Larissa asked.
Vesper cast their gaze upward, toward the twinkling stars above. Lazy, smoky clouds drifted across the indigo night.
Their father would offer his arm to their mother when they walked together, but only in public, typically.
Infrequently, and only at home, their mother would walk by their father, drifting the tips of her fingers across his shoulders.
He would sometimes wrap his arms around her from behind.
And often, Vesper would see them sitting together before the fireplace. Both would bathe in the warmth and orange light beside one another. Their mother would read a book, keeping her legs on the love seat, tucked against their father while their father smoked his pipe, eyes lost in thought.
“Hugging?” Vesper finally said, their voice pinched with uncertainty. “And they spend time together, I guess.”
Larissa hummed in thought. “Wolves hug too. But I guess it still counts.”
Vesper chuckled. “Well, your kissing does sound weird. Putting mouths together… doesn’t the other person’s breath stink? I mean, with all the meat and food you eat.”
“Better than having blood breath,” Larissa shot back, but there was no heat behind her words.
Vesper rolled their eyes.
Larissa snickered to herself. She kicked the soft ground with her bare paws, dragging small grooves into the soil with her claws.
Staring at her profile, Vesper bit their bottom lip. One day, Larissa would find out which mate her goddess had sent her. And then—and then what would happen? Would they both still run and explore the woods, pushing the boundaries of her pack’s territory? Climbing trees, poking their heads into old dens and foxholes long forgotten?
Would she still write to them for the rest of the year? When they both were miles upon miles apart?
Vesper shifted, uncomfortable with the thought. Their chest felt tight, and their muscles tensed despite the lethargic night which surrounded the two of them.
They had no mental image of what Larissa’s mate would look like. No idea on that wolf’s ideals or truth. Yet, the idea sickened Vesper.
“Have you ever kissed anyone before?” Vesper found themself asking. Heat flushed across their cheeks, up to their ears. Why did they ask that?
But Larissa was looking over at them, her paws still swiping through the forest soil. Her ears were perked up, her own face pink as well.
“No,” she said, her voice soft. “I haven’t.”
Vesper nodded, their tongue darting out to lick their suddenly dry lips.
Larissa’s brown eyes followed the movement before tearing away. She sucked her bottom lip inside her mouth, her small fangs poking out.
Before Vesper could think of something else to say, something that would not sound weird or strange or anything at all, Larissa asked, “Do you want to?”
Vesper froze. Their heart thrummed in their chest, too hard and too fast. Their budding fangs, which still had not dropped yet, throbbed.
“I mean! Unless that would be weird, right?” Larissa suddenly said with a gasp. Her ears flattened, her tail tucked close to her body. “I was just thinking, I mean, I’m just curious, right? And—”
“Sure,” Vesper interrupted. “I want to know what it’s like. I mean, isn’t that the point of us coming to these diplomatic visits, or whatever? To, uh, learn about each other and stuff?”
Larissa bobbed her head in a nod. “Yup! Exactly. So, this is just part of that, right?”
“Yeah.”
The two preteens turned to look at one another, staring at one another in uncertainty.
Vesper breathed in deeply, allowing Larissa’s scent to wash over them. She smelled of cloves and patchouli; a sweet and spicy scent that Vesper had only scented when near her. They ran the tip of their tongue across their teeth, wincing at the throb of their fangs.
Their fangs always seemed to throb now.
The other vampires always scrunched their noses around the werewolves. The vampires did not opine to said werewolves, but when Vesper stayed with mother and father in the cabin given to them for their stay, their parents would always complain of the scent. Comparing such smells to feces, musk, and skunk.
Vesper never noticed such smells on any of the werewolves. But especially not Larissa.
Shifting closer to her, Vesper dug the tips of their claws into the soft wood.
Larissa sucked in a deep breath. “Okay,” she muttered to herself. Her brow furrowed with determination. With her ears still pressed back with uncertainty, she leaned forward, her eyes closed, and quickly pressed her lips against Vesper’s cheek.
Her lips were warm and a little moist. But she pulled away quickly.
Vesper blinked slowly.
Larissa threaded her fingers together, rubbing her palms together. “It’s- it’s something like that.”
“Okay,” Vesper said.
“Well?”
“Well, what?”
“How was it?”
“Different,” Vesper admitted. “But not bad. You’re so warm.”
Larissa’s tail swished a few times as she perked up. “You’re chilly,” she challenged.
“Is that bad?”
“No. Just… different. Like you said.”
Vesper nodded. After a moment of silence, they asked, “Can I try to kiss you now?”
Larissa nodded. “Okay.”
Vesper shifted even closer to Larissa, the sides of both their thighs touching. He could feel the air being displaced across his spine as Larissa wagged her tail slowly.
She was so warm. Like being near a small fire.
Vesper’s eyes darted across Larissa’s face. From her wide, brown eyes to her sloped snout and wet black nose. Fine, thin tan fur covered her entire face and neck.
It looked so soft.
Larissa’s lips were full, and she was sucking her bottom lip into her mouth again, the tips of her canine fangs poking out.
They leaned forward and found their eyes closing.
“Oof!”
Vesper’s nose collided with Larissa’s. Her nose was wet against theirs.
Vesper quickly pulled back, embarrassment washing over them.
Larissa stared up at them and snickered, her eyes alight with amusement. “That didn’t quite work.”
“Well, I’m not sure what I’m doing,” Vesper said with a huff.
“Neither am I. Here, let me try,” Larissa said. She tilted her head slightly to the side.
Vesper did the same in the opposite direction. They stared into Larissa’s warm brown eyes as they leaned closer to her.
But as their noses brushed against one another, their lips a hairbreadth apart, Vesper’s eyes fell closed.
Larissa’s lips were just as warm as before. And a little moist.
Vesper’s heart raced in their chest, energy surging through their body. This close, all they could smell was Larissa. Her cloves and patchouli scent. They could hear her heartbeat, racing just as fast as their own.
Her tail swished back and forth so fast.
Gently, Vesper wrapped their fingers around her biceps, resting their palms against her.
Her breath did not smell of food or meat. It was simply her. All her.
Larissa, their best friend. Their only friend.
Larissa pulled away first, her chest heaving for air.
Unlike vampires, werewolves could not hold their breath as long. Vesper had not realized they had stopped breathing too.
Vesper stared down at her, their hands still wrapped around her arms. Larissa’s ears flicked, her entire face red with a blush. Vesper knew their own face glowed just as red.
“You don’t stink like blood,” Larissa said quickly. Her tail stilled, and she shifted back and forth. “Well, a little like blood. But not bad! Not- not blood breath.”
Vesper snickered. They gave Larissa’s arms a squeeze before pulling back themself. “And you don’t smell like meat. Or food.”
Larissa grinned. “Good! So, uh, what did you think?”
Vesper flushed. Suddenly unable to sit still, Vesper rocked themself up onto their feet.
The night still surrounded them; dusk wrapping its warm arms around the forest, tempting the nocturnal animals to chatter and sing. The crescent moon grinned down on the two of them, ever watchful.
But the stars, somehow, seemed to twinkle brighter. The small wisps of clouds looked so soft; almost as soft as Larissa’s brown hair and fur.
And Vesper’s heart continued to beat hard against their ribcage. It refused to slow down or stop. And their skin still flushed red, the heat from Larissa’s touch lingering on the palms of their hands and on their lips.
“Perhaps vampires need to take up this werewolf custom,” Vesper finally said to Larissa, shooting her a grin over their shoulder.
Larissa snorted. She hopped up, her tail swishing back and forth. “I think so, too.” Her ears flicked back and forth; her cheeks still glowed pink. “C’mon, the night’s still young. And I bet the fireflies have come out near the lake now.”
Vesper’s eyes brightened at the prospect. “Lead the way.”
