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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--Hm?

[Alucard takes the flask, then opens it just a little.

The scent of chocolate is rich. Heady, even, and Alucard sighs a little, taken aback by how wonderful the smell is. He then realizes how many mugs there are, and oh. Oh.]

I feel like finding a bakery a Frenchman approves of is an almost impossible task. Should I be saying congratulations?

Only took me- what, the better part of half a year? Fucking pullman loaves. 'Bread', my arse. What you have there is a puffed up flour-tube.

[ It's jovial, at least. Exaggerated. He doesn't hate square loaves that much. Just wait another five years for him to encounter wonderbread. There's going to be fireworks.

He doesn't know how he can tell that Alucard's counting the mugs, but the short silence has a quality that tells him. ]

I wanted to bring her with us, but she was much more interested in kicking me for waking her up.

Yes, Trevor, tell me more of your opinions about bread.

[He loves the bread rant, Alucard thinks it's the funniest damn thing.]

Her loss. And more chocolate for us.

If that’s not sarcasm, you don’t know what you’re inviting upon yourself.

[ Local man has so many opinions about bread. He drives until he finds the bakery in question. It’s a small one, close enough to everything to attract a modest amount of business, but far enough out of the way to be one of those little precious things he can be proud of finding. And, for the next six minutes, not yet open. ]

They’ll be ready soon enough. Anything in particular you want?

It was sarcasm, I assure you.

[Alucard cannot believe this is where he has laid his affections

But now that they're in front of the bakery? He just releases the seat belt and climbs over so he's in the passenger's seat.]

Surprise me. And get bread for yourself

[ He leans over to kiss Alucard’s cheek. It’s- shit, he keeps changing his mind about which part of all of this is the best part. Right now? It’s the little casual things like this. The stupid things that don’t really mean shit, that he doesn’t even think Alucard will really remember fully after a good day’s sleep. ]

Something sweet okay? I always make the chocolate on the bitter side.

[Alucard smiles. That kiss is lovely, and he turns his head so he can catch Trevor's lips for a fleeting moment.]

Very well. But not overly sweet, please.

[ Shit. He’s so, so lucky. The kiss is brief and he doesn’t prolong it, letting it just be what it is. Quick and soft and perfect. ]

Your loss.

[ With that, he hops out of the car.

When he returns, it’s with truly obscene amounts of paper bags and the smell of baking clinging to him slightly. Three smaller ones, a larger one containing a round loaf and a still larger one filled with scraps of yesterday’s bread. He pushes one of the smaller bags into Alucard’s hands, and the butter of the pastry is already starting to render the paper shiny and partially see-through. ]

Can’t say I envy anyone who works with an oven all day in this heat.

[Alucard watches Trevor from the car window. It's a stupid, smitten smile that's on his face as he watches Trevor talk to the staff trough the window and--

--and then there's so much pastry in Alucard's hands that he wants to be surprised but somehow can't.]

...It's lucky we all settled in New Orleans and they still honor the French baking traditions.

[ohgod this car smells too good.]

Drive. I may eat everything if you don't.

Bunicuta would say that you need it all.

[ One last kiss, and he gets back into the driver’s seat. Aftera few turns, it becomes immediately clear that he’s making another stop before they head home. ]

Of course, the chaussons are for Sypha once she wakes up, so you might be taking your life into your own hands there.

Bunicuta doesn't understand my metabolism.

[He sniffs, reaching for the day old bread instead.]

Fine, fine. I'll eat the scraps.

Unless those also have a purpose that don't involve them being eaten?

They’re for pain perdu, if you’ll let me in the kitchen for long enough.

[ He’s usually content to let Alucard handle the cooking, but bread. ]

Just hang in there a few more minutes, I’m not going to starve you.

[ The park is practically deserted this time of the morning, so finding a good space is the easiest thing in the world. He parks up, taking his own bag of baked goods and the flask, and motioning to one of the bags he handed to Alucard. ]

That one’s yours. Not far to walk.

Today the kitchen is yours. How's that?

[Alucard doesn't starve. But he does open the window and puts his nose out the window so he isn't taunted by smell. It works, and--

--oh.

This is a date.

Alucard's smile widens as he takes the bag, opening it just a hair to see what's within.]

Thank you.

[ It’s not a date! He’s just having breakfast with the vampire. Alone. And trying to be romantic about it.

Okay, maybe it’s a date.

The bag contains croissants. Sweet enough to take the edge off the bitter hot chocolate, but not too much. The bag certainly isn’t sneezing out clouds of powdered sugar the way Trevor’s is. ]

Down this path a bit, then left between those trees. There’s a nice place to sit just behind them.

[ Not mentioned: he’s been checking out potential date spots while doing his hunting work, or he’d never have come here. ]

[It's a date!!! And Trevor's paying and????

This is so much. Alucard can't stop smiling as he trails behind Trevor.]

Ah, I see it.

[It is a nice spot. Alucard makes his way to it all while at Trevor's side, pausing to stick his nose over Trevor's bag to see what's in there.]

Is that mostly sugar?

Pretty sure it's entirely sugar.

[ It's a little bridge over what could not even charitably be described as a stream. It might have been a more than a tiny trickle of water at some point, but now it's just a fuckload of deep mud with a tiny line of water running through it. Butting down the flask and holding the bag between his teeth, he lifts Alucard to sit him on the stone handrail. It's wide, for such a small bridge. Enough to sit on, and enough to put the flask on without worrying about it falling down and into the mud. Through a few trees, the sky is starting to lighten behind the universities in the distance.

He hoists himself up before opening his bag to show Alucard the beignets inside, buried somewhere in all the powdered sugar. ]

Like I said, your loss for not wanting something too sweet.

[Alucard settles, his legs dangling off the edge of the bridge. His feet almost skim the top of the mud, but not quite. He's happy, settled down here. Placing his bag on his lap, he's careful to undo the twine so the cups can be set up.

Then he leans over and gets a puff of powered sugar in his face.]

It is indeed. But I once ate twenty of them in one go...

Well shit. That sounds like it'd be great for about three minutes.

[ Once Alucard's set up the cups, he pours the chocolate. It's irresponsibly thick, closer to the consistency of honey than of anything meant for drinking. All attempts he makes to dismiss this as just wanting to have a normal breakfast are kind of ruined by it, because if this was the kind of thing he made for breakfast everyday then he'd actually be dead. ]

Not really the right weather for it, but better now than when the sun's up. This is the coolest the weather's going to get.

I was five and it was amazing.

[Alucard laughs softly at the memory, and then watches as Trevor pours out the cocoa. It...good lord. From that laugh a smile settles on his lips. The crossiant comes out of it's bag, and he breaks it in half. Smart creature he is, he dunks some of it into the cocoa.]

It's more than enough. Thank you.

[There's no one around, so he leans over, kissing Trevor's cheek.]

[ It's- a little silly, how easy it is to make him stare at his feet, stretching them back and forth little, ears going red, mumbling something about being glad Alucard liked it. Like a flustered child, just from a tiny chaste kiss. Doing something for someone and having them notice and respond is precious. Nice. A tiny little form of affection aimed so precisely that it slips through his armour in a way that grander things never could.

He doesn't kiss back, but he reaches over to place a hand on Alucard's leg, just for a moment. ]

Last chance I'm going to get to touch you without getting sugar all over your clothes.

[ ...let's be real, they're both going to get covered in powder sugar no matter how little he touches Alucard and no matter how careful he is. ]

And all over the car.

[Alucard knows how bad it can get. He doesn't care, and just kisses Trevor once more.

Then he finally takes a bite of the crossiant - the part covered in chocolate - and chews thoughtfully.]

That is rather bitter.

Shit, right. I'll clean it, promise.

[ It's in good humour, at least, rather than immediately beating himself up for forgetting that detail. He's getting better. Slowly, but surely. He returns the kiss this time, then attends to his own pastries. He extracts one of the beignets carefully from the bag, only to end up with sugar all over his lap anyway. Ah, well. ]

I'll make it with sweeter chocolate next time. Didn't expect you to go for a less sweet pastry, so I made it to offset the beignets after seeing how they serve them. [ A pause. ] ...If you need sugar, we have plenty

I know you will.

[Oh. That's a good kiss. Alucard's not blushing, but he does pause to see exactly how much sugar Trevor gets over himself.]

Actually, I enjoy this level of bitterness. Don't change it.

[Another moment to dunk, and then a larger bite.]

The level of thickness is perfect too.

[Not a euphemism.]

I'm glad.

[ He dips his own pastry into his hot chocolate, then, and enough sugar falls into it that the bitterness is probably well and truly offset already. Once he's taken a bite and paused to savour it, he smiles. ]

I've not missed the little things from the old country, per se. [ The old country. Countries. There's a few of them. It's complicated. But that's what his grandmothers call it, and it's no less complicated for them. 'Home' doesn't sound right anymore. Home is here, with all its heat and expanse and newness and wendigos. ] But I've wished I could share them with the two of you. It's- difficult, a little, when all the things you have to give belong to a whole other world.

...I can't imagine.

[He can't. Alucard's been in this city his entire life. It makes him happy to have that stability if nothing else. Trevor's been through a world war, and....it's striking, how wide some of their differences are.]

What else do you want to share with us? I want to know everything.

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