Love Bites

Sapphire Shores was someone who, in her own eyes, was a good person. She was charitable. She loved all of her fans. And when the going got tough, she was certainly not one to resort to turning against her ethics, no matter who tried to goad her into doing so.

But for all of her love and affection, she was out for one thing in particular.

Long had she grown tired of drinking tomato juice and eating tomatoes just to get by. At first, she savored the taste. The juiciness of the fruit, the way it dribbled down her chin, the little seeds inside. The organic ones, while far more expensive, tasted especially delicious. She craved everything that had tomatoes in it -- canned tomato juice, diced tomatoes, and of course, bruschetta. Bruschetta was her favorite thing to make, especially when paired with a good baguette.

But as the years went on and she became involved with all sorts of lovers, the lust of tomatoes wore off. Blood was sweet and metallic in a way that tomatoes weren't. It was a natural part of her to desire blood, because it was what she needed to live. While going after any random person for their blood would land her in massive trouble (as she had found out the hard way in her early years), she found comfort in seeking out someone who could willingly offer up their blood in an act of pure romance. And the sexier the person, the better the blood was. It didn't matter to her if they were one-night flings or there to stay, so long as she got enough blood out of it. If they didn't have good blood, they were sent off to go play in the pool of romance once more with some flimsy excuse like "it's not you, it's me" or "I'm just not into your type".

The sex was just an added bonus. On the ladder of acts of intercourse, though? This girl, laying right next to her, was up there.

Her broken-up, wall-shattering snores and weird-looking pose didn't faze Sapphire. What caught her attention was the bite mark in her neck, the dried blood still running down it in a neat trail. Sapphire hungrily licked her lips, thinking back to just how magnificent that blood tasted. It was heavenly. It was something that made her heart beat faster and faster. It was like a child who ate candy for the first time and then began to crave it immensely.

Her body moved on its own. She rolled over onto her right to face the other girl, then ran a finger along the corner of her mouth to clear away the trail of drool. She wiped it on her clothes, then went for the kill, her sharp teeth digging into the flesh of the girl's neck. The sensation of that divine blood washed over Sapphire's tongue, and she moaned in pleasure, her eyes rolling up in the back of her head. About the only thing that ruined the epicurean act was the girl being completely oblivious to it all, muttering something in her sleep that Sapphire didn't care to translate.

The pair stayed in bed for several minutes, Sapphire sucking up some more blood while Coloratura snored away. Her conscience told her that drinking the blood of someone who was unconscious and was going to wake up with a really crappy hangover was a bad idea, but she didn't want to stop. Slowly, she made her way up to Coloratura's ear and nibbled on it, drawing just a little bit more blood.

A loud snort marked Coloratura's arrival to the waking world. Her eyes slowly opened, and Sapphire could see just how glazed-over they looked. She let go of her ear. "Good morning, sleeping beauty."

"Mmmmmornin', Sapphieeeee..." droned Coloratura in response, her voice heavily slurred.

Sapphire smiled at the cutesy nickname, finding that it could grow on her. "How are you feeling?"

A one-note hum was her answer, but it soon turned into an aching groan as Coloratura clutched her forehead.

"Ah. I see you've met my old friend 'the hangover'." Sapphire nodded. "Been there done that, darling. I'll take you to the bathroom."

As soon as Sapphire's feet hit the floor, the crushing feeling of having more than one Bloody Mary that night hit her like a truck. She wasn't as put out of commission as the slowly-rising Coloratura was, but she could feel the throbbing headache as it pulsated like the beating of her heart.

Of course, Coloratura making oral deposits into the toilet wasn't helping her case.

After the second go-around of vomit, the girl turned around and met Sapphire's gaze. "What...happened last night?"

"Weeeeell, it's a funny story, really. I ordered a Bloody Mary for you, 'cause I figured you could use one, but..." Sapphire grit her teeth. "You got addicted. You just kept ordering them until you blacked out." She sighed. "Good thing I only had two, but that didn't stop your snoring from nearly making me crash the car."

She could see Coloratura's face twist into anger, but she threw up again before she could respond. "I..." She spat. "So why...am I here?"

There was really no easy way to break the news to her. Sapphire knew that much. Her methods of doing the deed were a little unconventional, because it wasn't just sex. It was a chance for Sapphire to feed. And on top of that, she wasn't even sure if Coloratura was a virgin or not.

With a deep breath, she decided to lay it on her straight.

"Took you back to my place for a little lovin'. Hope you don't mind."

It was like someone hit the pause button on Coloratura. She froze, hands on the sides of the toilet, barely breathing, staring at its interior.

Sapphire, thinking she was just in shock and was done being sick, slowly reached for the handle to flush the toilet.

And then hell let loose.

It wasn't that Sapphire kept track of the worst hangovers she'd ever experienced. But the amount of puke that came out of Coloratura's tall thin body made her wonder just how much was in her. It only lasted for a few seconds, but it left both girls completely shocked.

"You..." Coloratura twisted her upper body around. "We had sex together?"

Sapphire took a few steps back, if only to avoid any gross spittle getting on her clean pajamas. "Yes, but-"

"YOU TOOK AWAY MY VIRGINITY?!"

A blink. And then another one. "Y-yes...?"

"Oh God."

"But you wanted to! The second I pulled into my driveway you wanted to book it straight for the bedroom," Sapphire pointed out. "Me, I wanted-"

"What? To get me shit-faced drunk and then fuck me until the cows come home?"

"No! I wanted..." Sapphire pinched the bridge of her nose. "I wanted your blood."

The room fell quiet. Coloratura's fury was replaced with sheer confusion, and Sapphire could already sense what she was going to say.

"What, like a vampire? Are you serious? Vampires aren't real."

Right on the money.

"You know I actually considered you a friend and not my rival? Because I actually thought you were a nice person and wanted to make a new friend?" Coloratura stood up and flushed the toilet before making her way to the sink. "So you..." She paused. "You hit on me, you try and kiss me, then you...God, the signs were so obvious, weren't they? I should've known how this would end."

Sapphire, her body going partially limp with despair, watched as Coloratura reached a hand to her neck and began feeling around, then focused her attention on the mirror.

"...Oh my God. This is...you..." She slowly turned around. "You really are a vampire."

A nod.

"You aren't bullshitting me."

Another nod.

Coloratura turned back around and looked into the bowl of the sink, gripping its sides.

Sapphire had dealt with this before. After all, it wasn't just anyone that decided to take the term "love bites" a little too far. But most of her lovers were indifferent to it or, in the case of Blue Wave, awed by it -- it wasn't a dealbreaker for them. Coloratura, on the other hand, was acting like someone had just told her she has three months left to live, and Sapphire couldn't help but wonder what kind of fantasy world she was living in, especially with everything that had happened in the world with Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer and their friends. Being a vampire didn't hold a candle to the kind of stuff they'd experienced.

"I'm sorry. It's just...you probably think I just want you as a blood source..."

She stopped, and thought back to all the love she had received over the years. People hitting on her, stalking her, wanting to take her out for a nice dinner or two, not realizing that the love was purely one-sided and that she just wanted their blood. Combine that with all of the blood drives she hosted, and it was clear that she was wrong.

She was just greedy. Greedy for blood, with no regard to the body that produced it or the mind that made that body owned by a unique person. It was natural for her species to desire it, but could they also want more than that? Could they also desire romance from a person without thinking of their next meal?

Sapphire wanted Coloratura. But did Coloratura want her?

With a sigh, Sapphire leaned against the wall. She had to choose her words carefully. "You probably think I just want you as a blood source. And the truth is...I did. Your blood is savory. I can't get enough of it. And you certainly aren't the first one I've wanted just for their blood." Her head angled towards the ceiling. "But talking with you last night, taking you home, our...lovely night of passion..." A blush, creeping across the cheeks. "It made me wonder if we could have a future together. A future where I'm in love with you, and not just with the blood in your body."

Coloratura sighed and straightened, only looking at Sapphire through her reflection in the mirror. "Name one thing you like about me. Besides my blood."

The answer was a little unexpected. On top of that, it was oddly short. Sapphire blinked a few times. "Uh, well...you're very talented. It's almost a pity you aren't higher up in the charts!"

"...Name one more."

"You're one hell of a social butterfly."

"One more."

"You look very cute, even for someone who just threw up in my toilet."

Sapphire almost thought she heard Coloratura snicker. The girl's body was heaving, and for a moment Sapphire wondered if she was going to have another wind of vomit.

The uproarious laughter that echoed throughout the entire bathroom proved her wrong.

"Oh God..." Coloratura wiped her eye. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh, but your love life must be pathetic. No offense."

Feeling a little insulted, but also relieved that Coloratura didn't go off on her, Sapphire responded with a simple "None taken."

"I mean, hooking up with people just to bite their necks? That's crazy! Those blood drives you've been hosting every month would be a better way to get blood. You know, without turning people down." Coloratura turned around. "How did you break up with all your past lovers, anyway?"

"It was...rather easy," Sapphire answered, fiddling with a lock of her messy blue hair. "I simply told them that they weren't my type, or that they had some kind of quality that was a dealbreaker for me."

"Yikes. And they didn't even question the bloodsucking?"

"Most didn't."

"Mm." Coloratura heaved a sigh and crossed her arms. "Well, if I'm being honest, love isn't exactly on my list of priorities. I wanted to become a successful pop star first."

"Well you're gettin' there, baby!" Sapphire smirked as an idea formed in her head. "But I know a way you can really rocket to fame."

"What?"

Sapphire took a few steps forward, grabbed Coloratura by the shoulders, and yanked her closer to her.

"Let's use the power of love."

Coloratura blushed and looked away, a sheepish smile forming on her face. Sapphire, meanwhile, was patting herself on the back for coming up with such an ingenious idea. If neither one of them viewed each other as industry rivals, what was stopping them from teaming up and becoming the fabulous Ladies of Pop? And, on top of that, Sapphire had a chance to restart her love life with a girl she actually appreciated from head to toe.

Though it was only less than a minute, it felt like hours before Coloratura made eye contact again and grinned. And the answer she gave made Sapphire walk on air.

"You, Sapphie, have a deal."