You go to bed with a toothache,
You wake up in the morgue,
You gotta roll
All over the floor!
That's what I said!

I got Dracula Blood!
On my face
I got Dracula Blood!
On my face
Dracula Blood!
On my face
I'm gonna sweat it all over the place!

Dracula Blood, by Zombina and the Skeletones

The world held no color, everything in shades of grey; or at least that was what it seemed. On such a drab and dreary day, locked to the confines of a shaded room of rotted wood and creaking floorboards, Ruby let out a sigh.

Her sun had forever departed, and yet it seemed as if, to her, that that wasn't necessarily the main problem. She paid no mind to simple matters such as blood no longer pumping through her veins. Her current issue was much more… vain.

With her eyes shut tightly, she turned to the nearest mirror and opened them only to find nothing of consequence. "Ugh… can't even look at them, stupid jerkface mirror…" She jumped back onto her bed, swiping at her now elongated canines with her tongue.

It had been like this for days, ever since she had woken up like this. It was like she had a sore tooth and she couldn't stop poking at it, probably making her own situation worse. She stuck her fingers in her mouth just to feel them. Whining as the residual ache sounded through her head like a pulse.

She jumped as she heard her bedroom door opening, accidentally yanking at her tooth that was still firmly clutched between her fingers. She cringed in pain as the fang aches came back full force.

She calmed down a few seconds later as she gave whoever it was that came in the side eye. Oh, was it that time already? She visibly brightened up as she saw his face. "Jaune! I wasn't, uh… expecting you so soon?" She looked over to the clock on her bedside table, blinking when she saw that it was much later than she had thought.

"I always come at the same time," he laughed. "Are you feeling alright? You're messing with them again…" He moved to sit right beside her on her bed, placing his book bag on the floor next to him. "You know not to mess with them, it just makes the process a lot worse. Maybe."

Ruby turned her head sheepishly, drumming her fingers against her mattress. "I know, but… you know. They're new to me and they feel weird. And I'm pretty sure they look weird and stuff." She looked down at the floor, feeling more than just a little bit miffed that she couldn't look in the dumb stupid mirror. She wasn't even sure if she looked cute. And she always wanted to look cute for Jaune.

"Look weird? I can't even see them half of the time, but when I can see them I can assure you they're actually kind of cute." He pushed her slightly as if to insinuate that he was kidding. Slightly. But Ruby went blank.

Like, cute? Did he really think that they were cute? The deadly weapons that were permanently in her mouth for all eternity? Cute?! That was new. How could anyone think those killing machines are cute? They were so awkward and long and sharp and scary and she had no idea how to even use them properly…

Cute… Cute? CUTE. C U T E…

She blinked out of her mini freakout, realizing that he had just been staring at her for a few seconds while she had shut down. If she could have blushed she would have been doing so horribly. She coughed into the back of her hand. "Are you kidding me? No, they totally look weird. They're definitely obviously not normal and I get weird looks from people all the time!"

"Ruby, you can only go out at night, I highly doubt most people are looking at your teeth unless they're right in their face. I mean, so yeah, some people are gonna be afraid of them. You know. When they're at their necks or something. But that's besides the point! They're not weird!" Jaune just chuckled, trying to alleviate the sullen mood in the room. "Look, I don't think they look weird at all. For whatever that's worth."

Ruby turned to look at him with doubt in her eyes. She knew he was trying his hardest to convince her, but she didn't need jokes to lighten things up. She needed to be convinced, and she was sure in the moment that that was impossible.

Jaune scratched the back of his head, his smile dropping as he searched his brain for the right thing to do in the moment. But every conclusion he came to just seemed to die off before he could accept it as the right thing. He needed something direct if he was going to get through to her. He knew she wasn't the type of person that would feel satisfied without proof. So... he would prove it to her.

"Ruby, look at me." She did as he asked, and he kissed her. Her eyes sprung wide open, and then gently fell closed a few moments later. For a few seconds there was only silence as the two of them enjoyed bliss. Jaune reached up to place his palm against her cheek, pushing her down gently onto her bed. Their lips parted for a brief moment before returning to their embrace, enveloping the moment in the sweetest cotton, a moment as red and passionate as blood.

Her tongue darted forward like a hunter, swift and strong, seeking a mate to dance with along to a bolero of pure emotion. She gasped when his answered the call, her chest rising and falling along with a mounting crescendo of drums.

All of her doubts washed away as if caught in a massive tidal wave that pulled her entire being under, a cold and dark place that felt as inviting as a well lit room and as warm as a lover's embrace. It wrapped her in the softest fabrics, ensuring not a single sound was heard except the beating of a single heart.

And just as fast as it all began it had ended. She was thrust back into reality, and her vision returned to the cool blue of her boyfriend's own calming eyes. Her insecurities, too, came back into the limelight. Her eyes darted right, away from his. She gasped out once again as he suddenly grabbed her jaw gently, and used both of his thumbs to open her mouth.

Still panting from their heated exchange her hot breath collided against his face again and again, her breath smelling sweet as candy and as cool as mint.

"Show them," he said firmly. "Show me your teeth." She stopped fighting, giving up with another deep breath. She let him inspect her mouth freely, his thumbs sliding deeper into her mouth. She could feel the effects of the action on her body, but suppressed them as he pressed his thumb against the very edge of her left canine. He winced slightly, but smiled through the sharp pain. A tiny bit of blood dropped down on her tongue and she savored the flavor.

"Hah… I…" He removed his thumbs and she immediately darted in for another kiss, her own hands moving to his hips. "Stop looking at me like that! You make me feel small…"

"You're much stronger than me," he pointed out with a smile and a laugh. He pressed his forehead against hers. "I don't understand how you could ever think you look anything less than adorable. Anything less than beautiful."

"S-shut up…" she whined. "I'm gonna die again if you keep saying things like that." She kept her eyes planted firmly away from him but couldn't hide her beaming smile that was forming underneath her false scowl. He just kept laughing.

It wasn't often that he turned her into putty, but he always savored the moments he had her like this. He snuggled into her neck, shifting down into a much more comfortable position. He smiled into her pale, soft skin. "Just don't say anything else about your wonderful teeth looking weird and we're good."

"...F-fine."

Maybe the world didn't really feel so grey… Because her sun hadn't really gone away after all.

Author's Notes: TEEFS.