cryptsleeper | 20s AU Post

20s AU Post

Current Carmilla plot outline
--Post-fire, Carmilla and Mr. Peanut team up mostly to use each other. Carmilla's spent the past several months (since November, it is now February 1925) networking, and it's clear to her that Alucard's not suited for the position and that the other two are the obvious weakness. Mr Peanut needs something back, so this is perfect on her end. Mr Peanut can only imagine the joys of vampire blood in his work, and he'd like an army of vampires for his own ends.
--Shit stirring from Mr Peanut (all of March?)
--Mr Peanut also begins to sell mis Miracle Serum, which has vampire blood in it.
--Gang is very much trying to murder Mr Peanut during this.
--Start of April, vampire gets a call from one of the blood bank contacts that 3 patients have come in and are displaying some bizarre signs. Investigation yields the fact that they're in process of turning, and they've all taken the same serum.
--Additional investigation reveals O FUCK IT MR PEANUT
--Meanwhile Carmilla's been made aware of a familiar she didn't sire, so she knows something's up. Big fight with Mr. Peanut and thus Mr. Peanut is left depowered
--Gang commits a murder
--Carmilla's well sured up on her contacts now, and it's time for open rebellion (mid-April)
--In a more subtle attempt to let Alucard just step aside, she cuts the breaks on demon car and shows up to gloat/suggest he not pull a dad and go to deal with his grief quietly while she runs the city. The how he wants to do it is up to him (black widow joke goes here.) Treffy and Sypha walk in.
--1 week of straight up rebellion; feedings, no help from allies, need to do damage control instead of fight carmilla, every dracula rule is
--MEANWHILE IN GRAVITY FALLS, triangle shows Vlad what's up to try and psyche him out, somehow this finalyl snaps Vlad out of his depression and he heads home
--Just in time for Alucard and Carmilla to be tearing each other to bits in one of the bayous, it's not going well
--Vlad coming in means the king of vampires is accosted by a belmont with a pair of blessed knitting needles and a speaker with a fucking gun and he's just like what the shit happened to the world while i was gone
--Wards around the fight means that only demon car can break the wards, everyone has to pile in.
--Carmilla gets her ass kicked AND SENT TO THE JUSTICE DIMENSION

THEN THERE WERE FAERIES.
--Prior to all of this the vampire and Sypha have done a shit ton of research on how to get their Belmont back
--Sypha has also been practicing debating with dad, which leaves everyone Very Tired.
--When Trevor is actually snatched up (1 year after marriage, it takes fae effort. Taking Arn's shape fails, so it's a lot more kidnapping by force), Sypha and Alucard go into Faerie
--But they're playing this as politics, not as heroes rescuing their damsel, so that means the faeries are just "wait what now excuse u?"
--There are 3 gates and 3 trials (the particulars we're still bullshitting.) Each is asked to sacrifice 3 things. (Alucard: voice, his titles as bestowed upon by his father and his people, i forget the third; Sypha: her human form (she's a birb), fuck what were the other two)
--They enter the court at the end of the third trial. After LITERALLY ALL THE TITLES Sypha declares she Speaks for Trevor Belmont
--Claim debate over Trevor, turns out that the rules are in Sypha's favor.
--But that means debating to leave Fae without giving up what they've chosen.
--Sypha lawyers it all out, Alucard is a safety deposit and hangs out with Fae!Trevor
--In the end, safe passage out of Faerie consists of Sypha giving up her memory of the necromancer (billed as a great mage she studied under), the vampire gives up his immortality, and Trevor is replaced with Carmilla (dad was aware of this option and OK with it), but Trevor has his ability to swear taken. He now soundslike a rubber ducky when he tries
--Everyone gets home okay, except for the AU of this AU where the gang fails, but Trevor's on their doorstep like a bat out of Hell because time doesn't work right and he's been in Hell for a WHILE.

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I'm not sure that food would impact your verbal ability this much.

[Alucard folds his arms over his chest, giving Trevor a look that is, in fact, worried. His eyes are concerned, his eyebrows are raised, and there's a slight tilt to the vampire's head, like he can divine the problem here by just looking at Trevor for long enough.]

Do you need a hand out of the car? I need to start to winter it, and I don't want you in there just in case something goes awry.

I can car.

[ HE CAN CAR.

He proceeds to demonstrate his ability to car by successfully getting out of the car all by himself, thank you very much. ]

D'you need to winter it? Doesn't seem like- cold. Happens. Here.

I use it as an excuse to take stock of all it's parts, change the oil, and any other repairs that require my attention. Oh, speaking of.

[The vampire moves past Trevor for a moment, heading toward the garage's work bench and the two sets of drawers that are underneath. He opens a top drawer, and he pulls out honest to God laboratory goggles. That he proceeds to just put on.]

That's better.

[Satisfied, Alucard walks back over to the open hood of the car, and just leans the hell down.]

As you can see, I can also car.

Ah. You're. Car-ing.

[ He needs to sit down. There's a few boxes that are solid enough to hold his weight, and he perches on one of those, and he doesn't really need to watch Alucard work but-

-he's watching Alucard work. He's very much watching Alucard work. From the perfect angle to see up his shirt when he leans down and the front of it flops forward. To see the thin line of pale skin between where his trousers end and where it's bunched up at the back. And the goggles are fucking ridiculous, but only in that way that makes it seem all the more appealing to anticipate him pulling them away from his face and resting them on his head the reveal his face and- ]

Any bad car that needs to be- made good car?

[ This is expert technical language from a man who can drive and repair most things. ]

Are you sure you're okay?

[The vampire does not sound convinced, even as he begins to talk into the car's innards. He's careful not to speak when he's actually touching components of the hood, and there's a low noise as the vampire notes a few things to himself.]

Because honestly Belmont, you are starting to worry me.

[Trevor's speech is very not-Trevor. Alucard doesn't like it, it sounds like he's had some mini-stroke. He hasn't shown any other sign of some medical emergency though, so forcing the Belmont to keep talking is a way to find the root of the problem.]

Looks like there's a few parts with small cracks in there, that demands ordering new parts.

[The vampire leans in more, which means that the gap between trousers and shirt widens by accident.]

'm just. The bad food. And tired, maybe.

[ Very convincing.

The shirt pulls forward a little when Alucard leans in further, and- shit if he isn't apparently some kind of caricature of someone who is far too repressed, gasping in shuck at the sight of an ankle. It's maybe an inch of skin, being generous, and yet here he is, torn between dousing himself with cold water and just going straight to his room and making sure to remember to lock the door. ]

Safe to drive it in the meantime?

[ It's a blessing, he supposes, that the car requires so much of Alucard's attention. His face has been too-flushed since the start of this, and it's only getting worse. ]

I'd tell you to just go to bed, but I'm terrified you'd fall down halfway en route.

[The vampire's genuinely concerned about that fact, if his tone is anything to go by. Alucard's not moving to go help Trevor up and to bed, because there's something over in the front right corner that needs his attention instead. That means his shirt inches right back down to where it was before, but one of the vampire's arms is hanging loose, sleeve rolled up.]

Perfectly fine to drive in the meantime. I'll have to call the manufacturer tomorrow though and request the parts.

Mm. I'll be fine.

[ He'd really rather Alucard not be concerned, because that means he won't drop the subject and-

-this is his own fault, really. He's an idiot who can't maintain a professional relationship with a vampire, of all things, and the woman said vampire is practically married to. (Alucard's arms are different to his. Paler. Unscarred. All muscle, instead of the muscle and fat of his own. He looks like a fucking painting more than he does a real living thing, even in a pair of ridiculous goggles and gradually becoming more and more stained with grease.) An idiot who can't just accept normal kindnesses for what they are and be grateful, who always has to want and want and want.

(That's the difference between humans and monsters, there. Humans can be happy with what they have, monsters will never stop wanting more.)

He's pathetic, isn't he? A useless thing that grasped onto the first kindness it was shown and demanded more from people who had no more to give. ]

Want me to let you be?

You're certain?

[Alucard's tone makes it clear that he has some doubts to the veracity of Trevor's claim. But he still has his head under the hood, and that means he can't give Trevor disapproving looks. The most he can do is murmur a few doubting noises, and then get his head out of the car entirely.

There's some grease on his left cheek, and his hands are going to be gross soon. He looks down at said hands, offended, and then walks over to where Trevor is.]

Forgot gloves.

[Which, helpfully, are right next to where Trevor's sitting. He takes out a pair of leather gloves, but they're thinner than most and pretty gross looking. Work gloves. He then squats down next to the Belmont, grabbing one of those sliding planks so he can get under the car.]

Besides, it's useful to have a second person around when I'm doing this.

You can use salt for it. The grease.

[ That, at least, comes out fairly normal. Because if there's one thing he can manage even when weighted down by self loathing and useless, pointless attraction it's discussing the virtues of salt.

He makes a point of turning away when Alucard approaches, because he can feel his ears burning red and he can't imagine the rest of his face is much better, and the old work shirt isn't fitted like his others and hangs off him, making his frame look narrower and-

-it really isn't helping to think about how well his arms would fit around Alucard's (his boss! a vampire! dracula's fucking demon son!) chest. ]

Not- [ And he struggles to keep his voice steady, even as he can just about manage words on the topic of salt. ] not in the bullshit Belmont way, just in the using it to scrub the shit off your hands way. Sugar works, too.

Hm. Makes sense, since it's an abrasive. I'll keep it in mind for later.

[The lack of eye contact is...weird. But Alucard is smart enough to know that prodding the Belmont about it is just going to make him angry and huffy, and tonight's been rather nice overall. Neither of them need that right now.

With the board in hand Alucard moves right back to the car, crouching down so he can get the board under the car, and then lowers himself down onto it.]

Thank you for helping get Sypha around this evening without any broken glass being involved.

[With that, the vampire just slides under the car, only his legs visible from where Trevor sits.]

Ah, you saw-

[ Shit.

Shit, shit shit. The vampire saw him carrying around his girlfriend. Which means he saw his girlfriend kissing him.

Which means, at least as far as he can tell, that it's shamefully obvious what the problem is here.

It's easier to talk, at least, with most of Alucard being hidden. Easier to not think too hard about how with his hair tired back like this, his long pale neck is exposed and inviting. Or how soft his hands look, despite apparently doing this sort of work with them. How pretty they must look, long and pale against Sypha's rosier skin, all unmarked and ethereally beautiful against her more human body.

Shit, he thought about it. ]

-I wasn't going to just leave her there. I'm an asshole, not cruel.

I never accused you of being either.

[Lately, he means. The vampire is well aware that in the past that he has accused the Belmont of a great many things, namely wanting to sacrifice Alucard to the city's political machine. Such as it is, Alucard and Sypha were both privately hoping that tonight Trevor would get it through his head that any affection he had would be returned, but...

...they'll have to talk to him about it. Set a deadline for themselves on when to have the talk, plan it out properly, then either alienate Trevor utterly or have a halfway decent resolution.]

You are very bad at accepting gratitude, Belmont.

I'm- sorry? I'm sorry.

[ His face falls forward into his hands, voice becoming mumbled from it. He sounds confused at first, then soft and genuinely apologetic.

He doesn't know when he fucked up, but he must have fucked up somewhere. ]

Sorry.

[Right, none of this is normal. The vampire slides himself out from under the car at that, and when he does, he moves his goggles up so that they're resting on his forehead. It looks deeply silly, the vampire staring at the Belmont like this, but he's also careful not to move closer either. Alucard's back braces against the front of his car, and his feet are flat on the floor, forcing his knees to be more or less parallel to his shoulders.

There's naught but genuine concern on his face.]

You're not okay.

[That's just a statement of fact.]

I shouldn't have-

[ Shouldn't have touched her. Shouldn't have held her like that, like she was something precious to him. A thousand ways to get a body from one place to another, and he chose the only one with too much meaning behind it. And it was a spur of the moment choice but it was still a choice he made. He wanted to pull her against his chest, to feel if she really was light and delicate as a little songbird, to feel like she was his for a few minutes of navigating glass and spilled food and drinks.

Shouldn't have buried his face in Adrian's fur all of those times. Shouldn't have pulled him close and rested his head against him. Shouldn't have touched him at all, regardless of the form. Shouldn't have pushed him into sparring in case it was ever needed, and certainly shouldn't have let the sparring end with the vampire pinning him down with one hand to his chest.

...there are a lot of things he shouldn't have done. His face is bright red when he withdraws his hands from it, and he really, really isn't meeting Alucard's gaze. ]

I'm so sorry.

[The vampire just sighs. There is clearly too much going on in that head of Trevor's, and none of it is something he's going to talk about. Oh, Alucard could try and drag it out inch by painful inch, but he remembers full well what it was like when Trevor first started living at the castle and what an awful thing it was.

But he does get up, and walks over. Settles down on the floor next to Trevor instead, hoping that proximity but not looking at the man will help.]

Trevor, whatever you're apologizing for, you probably don't need to issue the apology.

I-

[ -he does. He needs to apologise for so much. He needs to just wait two more weeks, let this situation resolve itself.

That's a dark thought, isn't it? ]

-did she seem well, to you? I was worried.

[ She's fine. She's been fine the entire night. The incident barely even shook her - it might have been between vampires, but it's probably hardly the first time she's been privy to drunks squabbling over stupid things. But it's an attempt to deflect Alucard's concern, because he's been here long enough to know that making that concern go away is a fruitless task.

(It's endearing, how hard he tries to make she they're both well, and that's another big old pit of emotions to fall down.) ]

Please. She's Sypha. It takes far, far more than that to shake her.

[He says it all too warmly. The vampire's never hidden his affection for Sypha. If anything, Trevor's probably seen the more genuine side of it living with them, rather than simply observing the two in public. Alucard's an absolute idiot for her, and it's all the more reason he bristles when he hears Alucard's witch muttered among other vampires.

Alucard knows that answer doesn't help though, so he tilts his head at Trevor.]

Do you need me to not be a person for a little while?

No, I- really don't.

[ Or maybe he does. But- in truth that's been an excuse to wrap his arms around Alucard's shoulders and pull him close and be near to him for a while. There's something wrong about that, something filthy about taking something that's being offered as comfort and turning it into something different.

(It's him. He's the 'something filthy'.) ]

You're probably right. She's. [ Impossibly beautiful. The loveliest thing in this country. The brightest, kindest thing that he has ever seen. ] Probably fine.

[He's not convinced by that response. That much is clear when the vampire sighs and forces himself to look back at his car rather than at Trevor. This is a disaster, and he's not exactly sure how it can be resolved.]

I think she'll be in the library if you want to check on her. Said something about working on a old poem she found.

[Another fae saga. One that's entirely about their contracts.]

I shouldn't.

[ He'll fuck up again if he's in the same room as her right now, won't he? Stand a little too close, or let her attach herself to him, or mistake any of her kindness for more than it is.

He looks his hands over (too rough, too scarred, compared to the smooth skin of both of them). ]

I- thank you. For your hospitality. For everything.

Believe it or not, we enjoy having you around. Deeply. We're glad to give it.

[The we is important. Because if it was just Sypha or just himself with this annoying thing for the Belmont, that would be a problem. But it isn't. They both like him. Want him as more than a guardian for the city that happens to live in the house, want him to be viewed as more than a political prize. He should just be theirs to love.]

You know that, right?

[ He stares at Alucard, and he is so close to understanding. He does understand, for just a moment. And then he snatches the answer away from himself, because that's fucking presumptuous and ungrateful.

So no, he doesn't understand. Won't let himself. ]

I'll- [ And so he doesn't know how to answer. ] -I'll miss you both at the end of this.

[ Wait, no. That was the wrong thing to say. He shakes his head, mumbling something very insulting aimed at himself in french, and tries again. ]

I need to sleep, I think. Fucking parties always suck the life out of me.

[There's no good response to your Not-Yet-Boyfriend reminding you he's got a good chance of being kidnapped by the fae at the end of the month. Alucard flinches at the reminder though, and that means he doesn't make out whatever Trevor mutters to himself.

But sleep would help. Hopefully.]

Do you need one of us to at least see you to bed?

[Does he trust Trevor on his own two feet at the moment? Absolutely not.]

20s AU Post

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