"Ugh, look at this HMZ article. 'Coloratura and Sapphire Shores Outed as Lesbian Vampires'. Why does everyone think I'm a vampire too?"

"Wait'll you see our children, honey."

"Shut up. That's a long way away and you know it!"

Both girls shared a laugh as Coloratura put her phone down. "I really need to stop reading the news so much. It's so bad for my health."

"Tell me about it," Sapphire responded, sitting down in front of the mirror as an assistant grabbed the makeup kit on the countertop. "Paparazzi's been goin' craaaaaa-zaaaaaaay since we got together."

"Eh, if I know them, they'll move on to the next thing soon enough. Svengallop made sure he slandered me all over the tabloids when I fired him. It really put a dent in my career for a while."

Sapphire closed her eyes as the makeup was applied. "I can imagine. But on the bright side, you managed to bounce back! And honestly, that's the best kind of revenge."

"It is, isn't it?" Coloratura sighed wistfully. "You're so insightful, Sapphie."

"Thank you, darling."

The room fell silent. Once the assistant was done with Sapphire, he moved on to Coloratura, who decided to break the silence with a simple question. "Hey, you want to feed before you go on stage?"

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Sapphire raised an eyebrow. "Though I do require a looooove toll fee."

"A love toll..." Coloratura would have blinked if she hadn't closed her eyes. "Ah. A kiss, you want."

"And a kiss I shall get!"

"So demanding. All right, fine. As soon as my makeup is done, then you shall receive a kiss."

Sapphire giggled and began to examine herself in the mirror, only half-listening to the television that was broadcasting the concert live.

"Thank you, Broken Record." Coloratura hopped off of the chair and went over to Sapphire's, grabbing it and spinning her around. The dizzy look on the other girl's face didn't deter her any. "Now, let's hurry up and pay that toll."

As soon as Coloratura's lips locked with Sapphire's, sparks began to fly. The pair engaged in a long and passionate kiss, ignoring the Record who was trying not to look and ignoring the television that was now broadcasting the departure of the penultimate act.

"Sapphie thanks you for your payment," Sapphire whispered in a shamelessly erotic manner. "Perhaps later on, you can have me pay a love toll."

"Oh, definitely." Coloratura stared at Record. "Sorry, but do you mind?"

Record stammered. "Uh...y- I was just going to remind you that...you two are up next. B-but I'll leave. I'm sorry."

Before either of them could respond, Record quickly slid out of the room.

"Huh. You'd think he'd be used to me kissing my dates by now, considering he was my assistant." Sapphire shrugged. "But some boys can't handle the heat."

Coloratura laughed. "All right, all right. Let's get this party started."

The pair moved to the door, holding hands tightly. With unisonant nods and heads held high, they stepped out and began making their way towards the stage, ready to begin a new era of romance and music.

In one corner, a pop star who finally began looking for love with a little push from a fellow artist.

In the other corner, a pop star who finally began looking past her need and desire for blood and started to see people as more than just sources of food.

Truly, it was a match made in heaven.

And now, it was time to take that love and passion to the adoring fans who had come out to see them.

"Now presenting: our Ladies of Pop, Sapphire Shores and Coloratura!"

The crowd cheered. To both girls, they seemed louder than any concert audience either of them had before, and it filled their hearts up with excitement. Though it had only been a few weeks since they had gotten together, it felt like most of their audiences had blended together upon hearing that two of their favorite pop stars were joining forces.

"Thank you, everyone!" Sapphire called, stepping to the center of the stage and waving her free hand. "It is an honor for us to be performing for you tonight at the Rose Colosseum. As you might have heard, Coloratura and I are now dating, and we have now become the united Ladies of Pop!"

Any other words were drowned out by the crowd erupting in applause. Though she was somewhat used to Sapphire's desire for flair and dramatics, Coloratura still blushed in embarrassment at just how loudly Sapphire was willing to throw their relationship status out there. As soon as she was yanked forward, though, she hastily attempted to hide her emotions and look somewhat fit for the stage.

"Um...yes! I want to thank you all for coming out tonight, and, uh, I hope you all enjoy what we have in store!"

Sapphire raised both of their held hands into the air, took a deep breath, and shared a smile with Coloratura, who eagerly returned it and took the liberty of announcing their first song.

"And now, without further ado, here is our newly revised single, 'Love Bites (But So Do I)'!"

Author's Note

The nickname "Sapphie" is a wondrous reference to the Jewelpet franchise and its adorable Cavalier King Charles spaniel mage of the same name. Coincidentally enough, Sapphie is also the Jewelpet of Friendship, though Sapphire Shores leans towards the romance side of things here. The reference to an incredibly niche IP within the FiMFic userbase scope was an opportunity I couldn't pass up, and I'm not sorry for making it.

And FWIW, Record's full name is Broken Record. I initially came up with it while writing a few practice dribbles for a different character who was trying to break a record, but felt the name could work in a musical sense as well.

Using these two characters specifically was not the way I was planning to go for either contest, but at the time of writing this A/N I only have less than two weeks to complete an Odd Squad 10th anniversary anything, and I have done nothing on that side of the productivity spectrum for the entire month except work on a one-shot. Fun little experiment, though.