Chapter 8: Don't call me that

Morticia's dorm preparation was finally approved, though her mother didn't love the idea, as she wanted to see her every single day.

"It'll be fine. I'm sure I'm going to have a really nice roommate," Morticia said to her overreacting mother as they drove to her school.

"What if she's bad? What if she hurts you or influences you in a bad way?" Ava asked.

"They won't, and for the millionth time, I'm not a kid. I can handle myself," Morticia sighed, then recalled something. "Right, Mom, what does Morticia mean?"

"Morticia? Why are you asking about the meaning of your name?" Ava asked.

"Just curious," Morticia shrugged.

"I got your name from my favorite movie, The Addams Family. Since we have the last name Addams and Morticia Addams was my favorite character in the movie, I decided to name my daughter after her," Ava shrugged.

"So, you don't know the meaning?"

"Nope. It sounds nice, so it should be nice. Go online and search."

Morticia didn't like being online. Her phone's purpose was for calls, reading novels, watching movies, or playing games.

"Fine," she said, pulling out her phone to search.

"The name Morticia is most famously associated with Morticia Addams, a character from The Addams Family." Morticia looked at her mother, shaking her head lightly. Her name came from a character in her mother's show.

Ava smiled as she continued driving. "Go on."

Morticia continued. "The name itself evokes a sense of darkness and morbidity, as it is derived from the Latin word mors, which means death... Wait, death?!" Her eyes flew wide open. "My name means death?!"

Ava sat up, confused. "W-what? That's nonsense... What kind of site did you use to search?"

"It's AI."

"AI sometimes malfunctions... Check another one."

Morticia scoffed and searched again. "It's the same thing, Mom. My name means death? Oh God, I'm doomed!"

"Calm down, okay... Just be cool. You have other names."

"Everyone has been calling me death," Morticia pouted, her face contorting in shock.

"Stop overreacting, I'm sure it's not a big deal, Mortic-" Ava paused and pressed her lips together.

Morticia bit down on her lips. "Oh lord, I'm screwed."

When they finally arrived at the dorm, her mother got an emergency call from work and had to leave.

"Tell me all about your roommate, okay? Muah!" She kissed Morticia on the cheek. "I love you."

"Love you too, Mom," Morticia answered and stared at the building in front of her. She pulled her luggage, walking down the quiet hall, her eyes scanning for her room number.

When she finally spotted it, a frown settled on her face upon hearing loud jazz music coming from inside.

Sighing, she knocked but got no response. She knocked again. Still no response. Having no choice, she tried to open the door, and it did.

The loud music hit her ears, making her face contort with discomfort. Her eyes settled on the figure lying on the bed, fingers busy with a phone. It was a girl dressed like a guy with piercings. She was strangely familiar.

"Hi," Morticia greeted, but the loud music blocked her voice.

"Hello!" she called louder this time, but the person remained unmoved.

Sighing, Morticia unplugged the speaker, and the room turned quiet, finally catching the rogue-looking girl's attention.

"Who the fuck are you?" she snapped.

"Hi, I'm Morticia Addams, your roommate," Morticia forced a smile, then recognized the girl. "Oh... Valerie. You're Sienna's little sister."

A scowl formed on Valerie's face. "How do you know me?"

"I'm her boyfriend's sister," Morticia explained. "Nice to meet you."

"Fuck off," Valerie said coldly as she stood up. "I'm not Sienna's sister, and rule number one: don't fucking turn off my speaker." She plugged the speaker back in, and the music resumed.

Morticia stood frozen, watching as Valerie lay back on her bed, completely ignoring her.

'Oh shit,' Morticia cursed inwardly.

-

Getting home that evening, Morticia was glad her mother wasn't home. Otherwise, she would've asked about her roommate, and once she found out, she would throw a tantrum and force Morticia to commute from home.

She spotted Klaus and Vincent discussing in the living room. Klaus had planned to spend the entire weekend there.

"Hey, guys," she greeted them both.

"Hey, innocent demon. How's your roommate?" Vincent asked, and Morticia replied by throwing her bag at his face.

"I'll make dinner," she announced.

"I'll help you," Klaus said, and before she could reject him, he was already coming over.

She brushed the thought aside and went into the kitchen with him.

"So, what are we making?" he asked with a smile, clearly in a good mood.

"Lasagna," she replied, watching him grab the vegetables as she started to cook.

The kitchen was quiet as they both focused. Morticia suddenly recalled that she hadn't thanked him for helping her deal with Dimitri.

"Was your roommate cool?" he suddenly asked, and Morticia sighed.

"No, she was rude and harsh. I was so looking forward to meeting her... pheww."

"She'll get to like you. Don't worry, Bunnie," he replied.

"Thanks, Klaus," she said.

"For what?" he asked. His messy hair made him look even hotter as he glanced at her.

"For making me feel good," she replied, tasting the sauce, then brushing her tongue over her lower lip.

Klaus couldn't look away.

"Feel good? I've never made you feel good," he said, his words carrying a hidden meaning.

Morticia looked at him and licked the sauce from her lips again. Could she stop doing that?

"Yes, you did. Several times. Especially with Dimitri. Gosh, that was satisfying," she replied, licking the sauce off her finger. Why was her action affecting him so much?

He had seen her do this several times before, so why now?

"No, I didn't," he mumbled.

"But you did, Sin."

"Fuck, don't call me that," he almost snapped. Geez, the name sounded so forbidden in his ears. He wanted to hear her say it somewhere else... not in the kitchen, but...

Damn it, Klaus, what the hell is wrong with you?!

"Sin," she called again, and his eyes flicked to her. "Isn't that what your friends call you? Sin. Sin. Sin."

He suddenly grabbed her arm, pinning her against the kitchen counter.

Morticia gasped at his action, her eyes widened as it met with his dark eyes, filled with something she couldn't recognize.

But one thing was. Klaus had never gaze down at her with such intensity.

"Do.. not call me that" he pressured on his words, his voice commanding she remain trapped in his hold.

"W...why...?" She stuttered, her heart racing at the closeness. He whispered in a hoarse voice, his face inches from hers.

"Because it makes me want to do so many dirty things to you...."