[Very perfect. Alucard's laugh is more like a whisper on the breeze at those declarations, but the sound is there and he can do nothing more than whisk her off to their bed to ensure she's comfy and snug and can rest far more comfortably than she ever would on the couch.
(He leaves her there alone for a few minutes. Just enough time to see to the fire. Then he is in bed, both arms around her, pulling her nearly atop him, and resting.)
An early night. A late morning, because the world is cold and quiet still, and while snow does not happen so far south, the feeling of it can take hold from time to time. The sense that there is a warm blanket muting the world.
He isn't up until ten in the morning. Alucard stirs only slightly, eyes going to the clock that rests on one of the nightstands that flank the bed. There's a soft sigh, then he looks to see if Sypha's awakened before him.]
[Very rarely is Sypha ever up before Alucard is, and today is no exception. Granted, she'd woken up before he had, probably owing to the fact that she'd been dozing already before he'd put her to bed, and thus ran the necessary length of her sleep cycle before him. But in the course of the night they've shifted around, just from natural moving and rearranging, such that she's on her side facing him, trapped snugly between the wall and his body, like a barrier between her and the rest of the room.
She's still half-dozing herself, or at least lounging around in bed, but she's managed to find herself a loose section of his hair and has been methodically working tiny braids into it while he slept, each a slightly different weave — some three strands, some four, this one a herringbone, that one a rope, and all left unfinished at the ends, at risk of unraveling with the slightest jostling.]
[Alucard's voice is thick and very much struggling to the concept of being awake. It takes a few moments for him to even register how they've shifted over the night (the patterns are very different from when Trevor is home).
His hair's heavier than normal. Strange.]
Comfy?
[Because he can feel fingers in his hair, and that means Sypha is at a truly weird angle or she's found a nice way to do this and lounge at the same time.]
[Rather than bat the braid away, Alucard does nothing more than wiggle his nose. The braid slips out of place, falling to hang where it ought to. There's no move to undo it, but there is a move for Alucard to turn over onto his side.]
I did. You were barely awake on the sofa, and there was no point in letting you rest there. Your back would be very unhappy now.
[He is much comfier now. Lounging is best done like this: too many pillows to support his head. Side lounge. One arm under all of the pillows, and his free hand creeping to Sypha's side.]
[She laughs at the face he makes, reaching just enough to tug lightly on the strand of braid he's just repositioned. Then that in itself gives her an idea, and she picks up three of the braids she's already done and absently starts to weave them together in their turn.]
Let's see...I remember I was watching the fire, and thinking.
[That's a good start. She hums, as she continues to sift through her drowsy recollection of the previous night.]
You came in. I remember you seemed...so happy.
[Hmm. Her brow furrows, as she ponders a little more.]
[Too many, clearly. Alucard can't believe he slept through that much hairbraiding. He's impressed in a way, Sypha's touches have become defter over time. That or he needed more sleep than he thought, which is possible.
He listens though. Is quiet and then....very blushed, for his definition of it.]
Nearly this whole side. If I'd had some beads, I would have strung them on as well. Did you know in some cultures, important life events are commemorated by carved beads threaded onto braided strands of hair?
[She finishes off her plait, then gives that a tug for good measure.]
...I wonder if I dreamed it, then. Heartfire...
[Denying it may prove even worse than admitting to it, because now she's going to SOLVE THIS MYSTERY.]
...Hearth fire? Hmm. It sounds like a spell, or —
[Wait a minute.]
What do you mean, it's nothing? Then you do know what it is!
[The question is gentle, and if anything, Alucard's impressed. Sypha's fingers work fast, which he knows from other experiences anyway, but it's always worth marveling at talent, as well as enjoying it. There's a shift, a slight one, as Alucard gets comfortable.]
How big are the beads then? I can see people working at a small scale, but only just so.
[He'll have to undo the braids later. For now, they stay. Stay and watch Sypha solve a pointless mystery.]
Long enough. I tried to go very carefully, so that I would not disturb you.
[And she's clearly proud to have succeeded, even if god forbid he see himself in a mirror right now, with half his hair loose and the other half this braided monstrosity.
She raises a hand, though, making a circle with her thumb and forefinger about the size of a cherry or small grape.]
About this big. The carving is very delicate, and the material has to be lightweight so as not to weigh the hair down too much.
[...But.]
You realize I will sit on you and extract a confession, don't you?
[Maybe he'll shower first this morning. And make up for getting rid of all the braids by asking Sypha to brush his hair.]
I see. And it's all done with delicate tools as well, I imagine, otherwise the material would break. I'm sure the practice is ancient and...
[On one hand: oh no, don't throw him into the briar patch. On the other: this is a pretty dumb thing to be getting into briar patches about in the first place. So confession it is, soft and embarrassed.]
There's precious little I dislike more than patronizing names for you both. But that is, I suppose, how I see you at times like last night. It simply is not something I voice.
[For her. So that's what it was, then — her explanation, colored by his bashfulness, offered up in mitigation once she'd coaxed it out of him. A patronizing name, or so he calls it. A bit of affection, spoken, to go with the expression that she remembers him wearing while he looked at her.
Hearthfire. That's how he sees her, he says; that's the word that comes to mind when a moment passes between them like the one last night. As though she is the fire that warms his home, a light to make his shadows withdraw, burning red-orange in tandem with his own gold and moonlight white.
He always compares her to fire, doesn't he? And not just to flames in particular but to heat, to the sensation of being warm. Sometimes he teases her about it, with more unflattering nicknames than this one, but always he acknowledges her as the warm spot in the room, his foil when he himself is so often cold.
(It surprises her, a little, to consider that. In his worse moments, she sometimes perceives him as a deep well of sadness, withdrawn in a way that gives off a chill. It's never really occurred to her that he might harbor similar thoughts of her in return, perceiving her as the warmest place in a room, a burning flame that night moths couldn't help but be drawn to.)
His fire, but not just any fire. The one that burns in his hearth. The one that burns in his heart.
And he thinks such a thing is patronizing.]
Why don't you voice it?
[She's barely even noticed that her cheeks have flushed; now even her face is hot, further proving his point.]
There are many terms of endearment used. Thousands of others who response to all of the same ones. There is only one Sypha, same as there is only one Trevor. [There's a terribly large amount of Trevors, but that's not the point.]
Your names are yours and yours alone. Why would I use something else that is not fully you?
[At the end of the day, he cares about them being them. They mean the world to Alucard, he's shown that in all ways great and small. But they are unto themselves, people in their own right, and that is something too much of the world around them seems keen to forget or ignore. (Pets. He hates it.)]
[Is it possible for her to flush any redder? It turns out that it is, and she has to press her lips together, chewing on her lower lip because her mouth is aching with a smile that pulls unbidden at the corners of her lips.]
...Yes. But for me, there is only one Alucard to call me such sweet things.
[And she really does shift now, nudging the blankets aside just enough that she's able to climb on top of him, forearms braced on either side of his head so that she can look down into his face. If her hair were long enough, it would make a curtain around the two of them; as it is, it's too short to do her that courtesy, but given the way she holds his gaze, in Sypha's mind there's nothing else in the rest of the world but the two of them right now, anyway.
(And Trevor, of course. Always Trevor. He's always there as a part of them, even when he's not there in reality.) ]
And Sypha is my name that everyone has the right to use and to call me. But only you have the right to call me that endearment.
[Oh. Oh that's cute. Alucard may be very flustered about this, but the look on Sypha's face eases so much. He forgets that his Overthinking sometimes means he misses obvious things, like terms of endearment being something others like. Or that he can make Sypha smile like that with just a word.
He likes doing that last thing whenever he can, after all.]
All the same.
[He sighs, but then Sypha's climbed atop him. He's still on his side, so he shifts to change that. Make it easier for her to look at his stupid, embarrassed face. It's about as red as his face can ever get, although maybe sillier for all of those tiny braids.]
You'd get sick of it if I used it constantly anyway.
Well, yes. I like the sound of my name in your voice, too.
[She ducks down a little, stealing a kiss from the corner of his mouth, very lightly and very fleeting. What a pair they make, both red in the face for related yet differing reasons.]
But could you, just once? While I'm awake, so I can appreciate it.
[And yet, here she is, cuddled up with him beneath the covers, her half-braided overly sentimental blushing beau of a vampire, letting him haggle with her about the whens and the hows of calling her a pet name.]
I don't want to get up yet. We can stay a little longer, can't we?
Mmm, is that why you watched me sleep for an hour?
[They are so very warm like this, Sypha being where she is. Snug for the blankets piled atop them both to keep out the chill. Alucard looking ridiculous for Sypha's efforts and his own...everything, because he's a disaster.]
You're the one atop me, Sypha. I don't see how I can get up unless you allow it.
No, I watched you sleep for an hour because you are very handsome when you sleep.
[She is nothing if not honest. Also warm. Also settling down over him because holding herself up isn't as comfortable as just draping herself over him, and she's probably light enough that it's not a massive burden on him, anyway.]
And also because you watched me sleep last night, I think. Or at least saw me when I was close to it. Fair is fair.
When you're awake, you are very beautiful. A slight but significant difference.
[There's no way he'll resist that bait, but that's sort of the point. Baiting clarification through deliberate ambiguity is always an enjoyable game to play, especially on a lazy morning in bed.]
Are you warm enough? Comfortable? I am not crushing anything?
Hm, I hadn't been aware of that. How, precisely, do you define that difference?
[He shifts a little, just to make it clear to Sypha that he is, in fact, very comfortable indeed. She's the warmest weight. The best weight.]
You'd know if you were. But this does beg the question of how long do you wish to laze here versus how much do you want me to go and make coffee? [Some routines are important. And moreover, he really, really needs it.]
A force of nature is not handsome, but it can be beautiful.
[She bends, kissing the tip of his nose, because she's in reach for it and he hasn't tried to gracefully rearrange her, so why not.]
When you sleep, you are soft and content, like a picture from out of a storybook, very handsome. But awake, you become like a diamond. Your wit, your resolve, your sadness and joy both. Your different facets shine depending on how the light hits you. Beauty is a more nuanced thing, than simply being handsome. And you are much more than the pretty face you show when you are asleep.
[She settles back down again, resting her head on his shoulder.]
Just ten more minutes, now that we're both awake. I just want to enjoy being with you.
[His nose wiggles just a little from that touch. He had a planned response to this, he really did, but leave it to Sypha to stun him into complete and utter silence. Make him as red as he can possibly get. To want to melt into the bed for all of the warmth in those words, in how she says them.
The most she gets is a little strangled noise of surprise and delight, which is to say she's bested the vampire, and neither of them have gotten out of bed yet.
What else can he do in this moment but tuck a few stray strands of Sypha's hair back where they ought to be when she settles again? Kiss her gently on her forehead, because that's what's in reach? Hold her fast where she is, because what other place ought she be but there?
Alucard sighs, content. Murmurs some noise that's agreement, because really, how does one follow up words like those?
But ten minutes do pass. Become fifteen, and there's a cry from Alucard's stomach that interrupts the peace and quiet. Rather than nudge Sypha, he kisses the top of her head to reclaim attention.]
I'll make something we can both have up here. All I intend to do for the rest of the day is to stay in bed, tending to the fire.
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(He leaves her there alone for a few minutes. Just enough time to see to the fire. Then he is in bed, both arms around her, pulling her nearly atop him, and resting.)
An early night. A late morning, because the world is cold and quiet still, and while snow does not happen so far south, the feeling of it can take hold from time to time. The sense that there is a warm blanket muting the world.
He isn't up until ten in the morning. Alucard stirs only slightly, eyes going to the clock that rests on one of the nightstands that flank the bed. There's a soft sigh, then he looks to see if Sypha's awakened before him.]
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She's still half-dozing herself, or at least lounging around in bed, but she's managed to find herself a loose section of his hair and has been methodically working tiny braids into it while he slept, each a slightly different weave — some three strands, some four, this one a herringbone, that one a rope, and all left unfinished at the ends, at risk of unraveling with the slightest jostling.]
Good morning, sleepyhead.
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[Alucard's voice is thick and very much struggling to the concept of being awake. It takes a few moments for him to even register how they've shifted over the night (the patterns are very different from when Trevor is home).
His hair's heavier than normal. Strange.]
Comfy?
[Because he can feel fingers in his hair, and that means Sypha is at a truly weird angle or she's found a nice way to do this and lounge at the same time.]
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[She finishes off another braid, this one another herringbone, and lightly tosses it so that it falls across his face up near the bridge of his nose.]
It's funny. I do not remember falling asleep in bed, and yet here I am. Did you perhaps have something to do with that?
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I did. You were barely awake on the sofa, and there was no point in letting you rest there. Your back would be very unhappy now.
[He is much comfier now. Lounging is best done like this: too many pillows to support his head. Side lounge. One arm under all of the pillows, and his free hand creeping to Sypha's side.]
What is the last thing you remember?
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Let's see...I remember I was watching the fire, and thinking.
[That's a good start. She hums, as she continues to sift through her drowsy recollection of the previous night.]
You came in. I remember you seemed...so happy.
[Hmm. Her brow furrows, as she ponders a little more.]
...What is 'heartfire'?
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[Too many, clearly. Alucard can't believe he slept through that much hairbraiding. He's impressed in a way, Sypha's touches have become defter over time. That or he needed more sleep than he thought, which is possible.
He listens though. Is quiet and then....very blushed, for his definition of it.]
It's nothing.
[HE'S A LIAR.]
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[She finishes off her plait, then gives that a tug for good measure.]
...I wonder if I dreamed it, then. Heartfire...
[Denying it may prove even worse than admitting to it, because now she's going to SOLVE THIS MYSTERY.]
...Hearth fire? Hmm. It sounds like a spell, or —
[Wait a minute.]
What do you mean, it's nothing? Then you do know what it is!
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[The question is gentle, and if anything, Alucard's impressed. Sypha's fingers work fast, which he knows from other experiences anyway, but it's always worth marveling at talent, as well as enjoying it. There's a shift, a slight one, as Alucard gets comfortable.]
How big are the beads then? I can see people working at a small scale, but only just so.
[He'll have to undo the braids later. For now, they stay. Stay and watch Sypha solve a pointless mystery.]
I've no idea what you're talking about.
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[And she's clearly proud to have succeeded, even if god forbid he see himself in a mirror right now, with half his hair loose and the other half this braided monstrosity.
She raises a hand, though, making a circle with her thumb and forefinger about the size of a cherry or small grape.]
About this big. The carving is very delicate, and the material has to be lightweight so as not to weigh the hair down too much.
[...But.]
You realize I will sit on you and extract a confession, don't you?
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[Maybe he'll shower first this morning. And make up for getting rid of all the braids by asking Sypha to brush his hair.]
I see. And it's all done with delicate tools as well, I imagine, otherwise the material would break. I'm sure the practice is ancient and...
[On one hand: oh no, don't throw him into the briar patch. On the other: this is a pretty dumb thing to be getting into briar patches about in the first place. So confession it is, soft and embarrassed.]
There's precious little I dislike more than patronizing names for you both. But that is, I suppose, how I see you at times like last night. It simply is not something I voice.
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[For her. So that's what it was, then — her explanation, colored by his bashfulness, offered up in mitigation once she'd coaxed it out of him. A patronizing name, or so he calls it. A bit of affection, spoken, to go with the expression that she remembers him wearing while he looked at her.
Hearthfire. That's how he sees her, he says; that's the word that comes to mind when a moment passes between them like the one last night. As though she is the fire that warms his home, a light to make his shadows withdraw, burning red-orange in tandem with his own gold and moonlight white.
He always compares her to fire, doesn't he? And not just to flames in particular but to heat, to the sensation of being warm. Sometimes he teases her about it, with more unflattering nicknames than this one, but always he acknowledges her as the warm spot in the room, his foil when he himself is so often cold.
(It surprises her, a little, to consider that. In his worse moments, she sometimes perceives him as a deep well of sadness, withdrawn in a way that gives off a chill. It's never really occurred to her that he might harbor similar thoughts of her in return, perceiving her as the warmest place in a room, a burning flame that night moths couldn't help but be drawn to.)
His fire, but not just any fire. The one that burns in his hearth. The one that burns in his heart.
And he thinks such a thing is patronizing.]
Why don't you voice it?
[She's barely even noticed that her cheeks have flushed; now even her face is hot, further proving his point.]
Am I not always that to you?
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Your names are yours and yours alone. Why would I use something else that is not fully you?
[At the end of the day, he cares about them being them. They mean the world to Alucard, he's shown that in all ways great and small. But they are unto themselves, people in their own right, and that is something too much of the world around them seems keen to forget or ignore. (Pets. He hates it.)]
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...Yes. But for me, there is only one Alucard to call me such sweet things.
[And she really does shift now, nudging the blankets aside just enough that she's able to climb on top of him, forearms braced on either side of his head so that she can look down into his face. If her hair were long enough, it would make a curtain around the two of them; as it is, it's too short to do her that courtesy, but given the way she holds his gaze, in Sypha's mind there's nothing else in the rest of the world but the two of them right now, anyway.
(And Trevor, of course. Always Trevor. He's always there as a part of them, even when he's not there in reality.) ]
And Sypha is my name that everyone has the right to use and to call me. But only you have the right to call me that endearment.
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He likes doing that last thing whenever he can, after all.]
All the same.
[He sighs, but then Sypha's climbed atop him. He's still on his side, so he shifts to change that. Make it easier for her to look at his stupid, embarrassed face. It's about as red as his face can ever get, although maybe sillier for all of those tiny braids.]
You'd get sick of it if I used it constantly anyway.
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[She ducks down a little, stealing a kiss from the corner of his mouth, very lightly and very fleeting. What a pair they make, both red in the face for related yet differing reasons.]
But could you, just once? While I'm awake, so I can appreciate it.
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[Is he bargaining? About this??? Really????
He is. Even if there's a faint glow from that kiss.]
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[And yet, here she is, cuddled up with him beneath the covers, her half-braided overly sentimental blushing beau of a vampire, letting him haggle with her about the whens and the hows of calling her a pet name.]
I don't want to get up yet. We can stay a little longer, can't we?
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[They are so very warm like this, Sypha being where she is. Snug for the blankets piled atop them both to keep out the chill. Alucard looking ridiculous for Sypha's efforts and his own...everything, because he's a disaster.]
You're the one atop me, Sypha. I don't see how I can get up unless you allow it.
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[She is nothing if not honest. Also warm. Also settling down over him because holding herself up isn't as comfortable as just draping herself over him, and she's probably light enough that it's not a massive burden on him, anyway.]
And also because you watched me sleep last night, I think. Or at least saw me when I was close to it. Fair is fair.
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[The question is asked in only mock horror. He knows the answer will be better than his smartassed remark deserves.
Besides, he gets Sypha right in the best space she can ever be. All over him, exactly where she feels like it, and nothing more.]
I can't argue the law of equivalent exchange. And you were very charming in those moments.
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[There's no way he'll resist that bait, but that's sort of the point. Baiting clarification through deliberate ambiguity is always an enjoyable game to play, especially on a lazy morning in bed.]
Are you warm enough? Comfortable? I am not crushing anything?
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[He shifts a little, just to make it clear to Sypha that he is, in fact, very comfortable indeed. She's the warmest weight. The best weight.]
You'd know if you were. But this does beg the question of how long do you wish to laze here versus how much do you want me to go and make coffee? [Some routines are important. And moreover, he really, really needs it.]
I have no intention of leaving this house today.
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[She bends, kissing the tip of his nose, because she's in reach for it and he hasn't tried to gracefully rearrange her, so why not.]
When you sleep, you are soft and content, like a picture from out of a storybook, very handsome. But awake, you become like a diamond. Your wit, your resolve, your sadness and joy both. Your different facets shine depending on how the light hits you. Beauty is a more nuanced thing, than simply being handsome. And you are much more than the pretty face you show when you are asleep.
[She settles back down again, resting her head on his shoulder.]
Just ten more minutes, now that we're both awake. I just want to enjoy being with you.
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The most she gets is a little strangled noise of surprise and delight, which is to say she's bested the vampire, and neither of them have gotten out of bed yet.
What else can he do in this moment but tuck a few stray strands of Sypha's hair back where they ought to be when she settles again? Kiss her gently on her forehead, because that's what's in reach? Hold her fast where she is, because what other place ought she be but there?
Alucard sighs, content. Murmurs some noise that's agreement, because really, how does one follow up words like those?
But ten minutes do pass. Become fifteen, and there's a cry from Alucard's stomach that interrupts the peace and quiet. Rather than nudge Sypha, he kisses the top of her head to reclaim attention.]
I'll make something we can both have up here. All I intend to do for the rest of the day is to stay in bed, tending to the fire.
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