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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Sure does.

[ He pulls the blankets up the rest of the way. And it is awful. He wants to just let Alucard and Sypha take care of him - he's only just started to accept that doing so isn't some horrible burden, just as it became impossible. But right now it won't work. And in all honesty, in the absence of comfort he just wants to sleep. Recover quicker.

And he wishes he could be more help, but he doesn't know how to make it better. This kind of bittersweet victory is just the best that one can hope for in his family. ]

Go have Sypha ice the burns. I'll be back with you in a few days.

I'll leave dinner for whenever you're up.

[He has to eat. And that's an excuse to check on how things are healing. It'll have to be enough. He'll train himself to accept this for now, just as Alucard's done for so many other shitty parts of this job.][He withdraws slowly. Gathers everything up, and lingers at the door to make sure that Trevor at least closes his eyes.]

[ He does close his eyes, shifting on the bed to settle into it. ]

'ppreciate it.

[With that, Alucard withdraws. Sypha does yell at him.

And then yells at him for the next several days, because Alucard cannot help but confirm how long it is until the oil has stopped clinging to Trevor in full. There are actual reasons for it, like checking on Trevor's hand and his side. Everything else is terrible and selfish.

So it is a relief when he takes Trevor's hand to examine it and there is no reaction at all. There's also no hiding that relief, there is only the sigh of contentment.]

About time.

[ His guess is just about correct. By tuesday night, there's no burning, only what seems to be the sensation of a nettle sting. And by Wednesday morning, it's nothing more than an occasional numbness. The cold iron poisoning has faded almost entirely as well, just a horrible black bruise around the stitched wound.

He squeezes Alucard's hand gently - he knows how raw the skin must be. ]

Told you. Wednesday.

[The skin is healed, mostly. His natural healing abilities are slowed due to the oil, but they are still there. He lets the hand be squeezed, then holds it closer so he actually can examine it.]

You were right.

[He turns the hand over, careful to inspect the palm as well.]

How does the hand feel? Any traces...?

Still stiff, but mostly back to normal.

[ The discoloration had moved back past his wrist by the time he woke up after applying the yew ash. The stuff works well, even if it's not instant. ]

I've been able to write just fine, for the most part. No lasting harm.

Squeeze again? Full strength.

[He's using his non-bandaged hand anyway.]

I need to know exactly how many days it takes for normal operation to resume in full.

[ He does so. His grip isn't quite as powerful as it might be normally, but it's hard to tell how much of that is the remains of the iron and how much of it is just the result of spending the last few days resting. ]

It feels okay. Probably wouldn't trust myself with the whip in that hand yet.

I think it'll need a day or two more.

[Alucard squeezes back gently, but he doesn't let go. Instead his fingers entwine with Trevors, and there's the stupidest look of relief on his face.]

The good news is that it's a quiet weekend. No outings for once, except monthly spell club, and that's not me acting in an official capacity.

[That's Theodora hosting the local covens and other nerds to talk shop for an evening.]

I have church, and- I probably ought to look over the shit I retrieved, make sure none of it's trapped before I bring it back home.

[ Home. Shit, home. It's been less than a year and this is home. ]

Other than that, I am at your disposal. And free, it seems- [ He punctuates that by bringing Alucard's hand up to his lips. ] -to touch you as I please.

I'll have to call Agatha after this and give her an update. [Because of course Alucard's been on the phone with her daily about this. Playing it off as just a bad side wound, not your adopted grandson is a fae and got smacked with cold iron in the form of an arrow. That is not his information to tell.

He does catch that word home. He catches it just as Trevor's lips hover, and there's such a sigh from Alucard that it sounds like he might swoon in another second.]

I've no objections to however you want me.

[ He pats the bed beside him. ]

Sit with me, for now?

[ He's become spoiled. A few days with only the bare minimum of physical contact and he's already basically demanding hugs. The worst of the pain has passed, but that doesn't mean he doesn't want to comforted and looked after and feel protected. If anything he's been looking forward to it for days now. ]

[Easily done. Done without letting Trevor let go of his hand, because it's so easy to just move onto the bed beside Trevor and wait for the Belmont to make himself comfortable.

Sypha will be glad to have them both in bed tonight. They'll move Trevor to the middle, as he ought to be, and cling much too tightly for it.]

Did I ever tell you the stupidest thing she made me fall for, early on?

[ He curls up against Alucard, head resting against his shoulder. And he laughs, looking up at his perfect vampire. ]

You're saying that I'm not the stupidest thing you've ever fallen for? I might get jealous.

You're not that stupid. [He tries to drive the point home, pressing a kiss to Trevor's forehead. It doesn't escape Alucard that his hand is still in Trevor's. Which, good. That's right.]

I gave her the townhouse address by disguising it as patronage for her tarot reading, since the castle was...not an option, after we first met. Too raw. [It still is, and that damned anniversary will be coming up soon.] I had bled all over her robes, and owed her recompense for that and the fact she managed to stitch up the thing on my chest.

Recompense also became dinner, and we spoke of what cards I had pulled. [Alucard remembers which three, but they're not the point.] She did nothing to influence it, and asks for my palm to see if there might be something there that aligns with what was pulled instead.

[He squeezes Trevor's hand again.]

She just wanted to see if I could be fooled into letting me hold her hand.

[ His free hand falls onto the great nasty scar in question, stroking over it softly. It's a wonder that he didn't reopen it when he attacked. He almost certainly would have if he'd taken even a tenth of the precautions that he did for this job.

And he laughs. Not one of his stupid enormous laughs, not right now (he'd rather not tear his stitches open over a sweet anecdote). But it's warm. It's the right sort of laugh for being sat like this, all soft and safe. ]

Of course she did. She's- [ wonderful. perfect. beautiful ] -ridiculous.

Yes. [Alucard has mastered the art of not reacting to the horrible thing across his chest. It's a part of him now, he sees it every time he looks down. The luxury of getting emotional about it is denied to him, has been denied since the blow was dealt.

All the same, it's hard not to react when one of them brushes against it intentionally. The swell of emotion depends on the context, and in this moment, Alucard just lets softness reign. He doesn't have Trevor's what ifs in his head. Just a quiet and important point to make.]

So this...[He inclines his head to their hands, still holding onto each other] has more weight than you could have possibly known. And now you do.

Hmm.

[ He's always been a little weird about having his hands held. It was what started to break him out of that melancholy after the first execution, wasn't it. Something so stupid and small. It explains a lot and also nothing, because Sypha's done so many ridiculous things since. Only their over-emotional vampire would assign that kind of weight to any specific one of them. ]

It sounds like you're just blaming her for your being emotional about this. Take a little responsibility.

[ It's warm and soft. ]

Said as if I'm not keenly aware I assign to much emotion to tiny things.

[His tone is as soft as Trevor's, but it also betrays a greater truth. Alucard is well aware that he's an emotional mess about stupid little things. He knows why, because some day it will be all that matters when some horrible thing befalls them. They'll weather Carmilla, but what then? The fae lurk in the shadows of each year. All the small gestures, they matter.

He nuzzles the top of Trevor's head, trying to memorize every part of this moment. The weight of Trevor against his side, rough hands over smooth ones, the natural Belmont musk that always seems to be entwined with a faint hint of incense most days.]

I missed you.

You've been so subtle about it. I couldn't tell.

[ His eyes settle on the bandaged hand. He's trying not to feel too guilty over it, but it's difficult. If nothing else, it's a sign of a failed system. Telling Alucard to stay away and let him fend for himself for a few days doesn't work. The alternative is- he doesn't know. The gloves were a decent idea, even if they didn't work. Maybe he can figure out a way to treat them, or a material they could be made from to lessen the effects. But even that would mean asking Alucard to test and hurting him further.

It's difficult. ]

I missed you, too. Been looking forward to today the whole time.

My strongest suit, as you well know.

[In the future, Trevor won't be coming home injured. Just covered in oil and it will cling to him for several days. The need to touch will be there, the desire for it still fierce, but it will not be a matter of Trevor's health.

His grip on Trevor tightens. There's a terrible and fierce kiss pressed to the top of Trevor's head, I was so scared.]

That makes three of us in total.

[ Okay, so it may not be declaring that this Belmont is his in front of a room full of vampires, but the kiss is still protective and he sighs contentedly, going limp against Alucard. Safe. So very safe. ]

I hope you understand that this is my plan for the entire day.

Yes. Which means the only question I have is if you'd prefer a different room for it.

[He's safe. He is protected, and woe unto anyone who disturbs the day's plan. Alucard's displeasure will be even more severe than normal.]

It'd be nice to be back in our own room.

[ His room is basically a storage room for his spell components at this point. It's not bad, it's just essentially a work room. Not the best place for this. ]

I can walk, but-

[ But he kind of wants to be carried. It doesn't happen often. ]

20s AU Post

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