[It's hard for Alucard to not react to the hand in his hair. The noise of delight is pressed into Hector's mouth, muted and hopefully with Hector not noticing.
But. Verdict. Yes, that, the thing that's important, not the loud noise of Alucard's heartbeat or Hector's.]
Human, mostly. [That sharp, wonderful bit of copper doesn't count.] Nothing of the grave. Just...a little bit of herbs.
[Hector has no chance with Alucard, he knows. But Alucard hasn't stopped him yet, so he's emboldened. Whatever consequences he faces for this, it will be worth it.]
Is that conclusive?
[His tone, the fact that his leg is still pressed against Alucard's, the fingers twirling through golden hair...it should be pretty hard for Alucard to miss the implication that Hector is more than willing to go through some rigorous trials to be sure.]
It's a surprising result that deserves another look.
[Why didn't he taste like spanikopita
He leans back in, and this time the muted hesitation, the idea that Hector might need an out isn't there. Alucard's far faster, far more forthright, his hand no longer going to Hector's cheek but to his waist, gripping the fabric of the robe.
Still, he's cautious of fangs as he opens his own mouth against Hector's, angling everything just so.]
[Because no one in Wallachia is willing to invest the time in making some damned phyllo, that's why!
Hector hums with delight as Alucard responds this time; it is not like the dhampir to tiptoe around so delicately. He leans his body back into the couch and hooks a finger in Alucard's collar to drag him along with Hector. He's not strong enough to actually move Alucard anywhere he doesn't want to be, but he can give him a suggestion of where he'd like him to be.
It would probably be smart to avoid the fangs, but when has Hector ever done the smart thing? He's curious, and curiosity is the driving force in his life. He wants to map out the length and width, to understand all the ways Alucard's bone structure differs from his own. He would very much like to keep kissing him for as long as he's allowed, but he can't help himself, like a moth drawn to candle light.]
[So Alucard is dragged along by a necromancer. He can't say that he expected such a thing to happen, but he's not expected a lot of things to happen in life. This is a lesser surprise.
But he licks his way into Hector's mouth with a composed steadiness, plenty aware of his own fangs and where Trevor falls in relation to them. It's not unpleasant at all, but the sudden grab has thrown the vampire off balance. His palm rests just on the outside of Hector's thigh in order to support himself at the current angle, the other hand just behind Hector's head and dangling off the back of the couch.
Hector's hell bent on going for the fangs though. Alucard, if he could think right now, would glom onto why but that isn't happening. Thinking he means, because the only thing that's taking up his vision is Hector and--
--oh, that's definitely blood in Alucard's mouth.]
[There are moments of dawning awareness in Hector's life, when he looks around and realizes that he's in the midst of danger of his own doing. He invited Dracula into his home, he followed Carmilla into her trap, and now he's currently dragging a dhampir down on top of him and giving him a taste of Hector's blood.
Does it taste normal, he wonders?
The pain of the bleeding nick on his tongue gives him no pause, but the strengthening taste of copper finally does. He is forcing blood on one who prefers not to drink from humans. Hector is many things- careless, rude, impulsive- but he is not inclined to be cruel.
He lets out a sigh and turns his face away from Alucard's.]
...sorry....[He murmurs somewhere near Alucard's ear.]
[Alucard won't lie that he is relieved when Hector pulls away. It's only because the taste of blood is overwhelming, and he at least needs a moment's worth of air to swallow it. So he does so, but the rest of him stays where he is.]
['Slowly' isn't the word Hector would use. He presses his tongue to the roof of his mouth and swallows the blood, trying to staunch the flow with pressure.]
Where's the fun in that?
[Here they both are, trying to catch their breath, neither backing down but both uncertain how to move forward.
Hector brushes Alucard's hair back behind his ear.]
[Hector draws further back, lets his wet hair form a veil around his face. Here it begins, the rejection that was inevitable from the first tentative press of lips. Alucard is an ethereal, radiant being, and Hector smells of grave dirt. He is a dark, flawed thing. Who would want to kiss that?
Alucard is being gentle with it, at least. That is something.]
You know me too well. It was worth a shot, at least.
[He shrugs, putting on a show of nonchalance he doesn't feel.]
[Alucard's not sure how this goes. Just that the way Hector is holding himself is a sign of something far deeper inside, and Alucard knows that he's already caused harm.]
Do we follow the joke that started all of this, or actually talk, Hector?
[Hector sighs. He would love to keep joking, but he doesn't think that will actually work.]
I have no expectations for this. You need have no worry of that.
[He knows that Alucard is attached to his two humans. There is no competing with that. He doesn't want Alucard to think he has any illusions about where he ranks in all of this.]
[Hector flinches at the word ‘feelings’. He doesn’t.... It’s not....
Look, anyone who has seen Alucard is at least a little infatuated with him. Hector is not alone in that. It isn’t a big deal, and Hector tries not to dwell on it.]
You don’t need to treat me gently. I’m not some besotted maiden. This doesn’t have to mean anything. It could just be kissing.
[Because they aren't enemies. Or friends. Or even work place associates. They are simply two people in each other's orbits and you know what? He's retreating into the joke for a moment.]
You don't smell like a besotted maiden anyway. You smell like yourself. And your pets. And whatever it was you ate earlier with all the herbs.
[Well, that seems to be all the talking they are doing about it. Hector shifts so he can sit up on the couch.]
It's tzatziki. I didn't anticipate the vein our experiment would take when I made my breakfast.
[Not that he does much planning in any aspect of his life other than his forging, so he can't say this particular day's poor decisions are atypical. But they are steering the subject away from that.]
Did Cesar help you get your answers from the Speakers?
[Talking food is one way to pivot, at least. Alucard lets out a soft sigh, but he reaches over to fuss at Hector's hair at least a little. Some of it is out of place.]
Not really. But he did get a lot of attention, so he was happy enough. Turns out Speakers are immune to cute animals. Developed defenses and whatnot.
It's yogurt with cucumber, oil, and herbs. Your father's library will have recipe books. You could make it.
[Hector is taking that 'quite good' and burying it very deep down to consider much later. He snorts as Alucard brushes at his hair, but he doesn't duck out of the touch. In his own way, he's just as needy and touch-starved as Alucard is.]
That just means we need to find something they haven't built up a tolerance to. Have you ever seen a baby otter? No one can resist that.
Is your kitchen stocked for cooking? You'll need yogurt made from goat or sheep's milk. It'll take time to set if we have to start from scratch.
[Hector doesn't know what exactly this is, but Greek food is the best and that is a hill Hector's willing to die on. So he can't refuse Alucard's request to learn to make it.]
I would need to take a trip to the coast, but I am sure I could find one. I could try to describe one, but it wouldn't do it justice.
Of course it is. I have a half-human diet, and I'm the best cook in the house when the other two are home. Even if they complain I serve too much blood sausage. [Sometimes, you gotta be a cliche.] I'm afraid we will have to start from scratch though.
[Cooking though, that gets Alucard up on his feet with enthusiasm.]
[Alucard's relieved he doesn't have to be the one to tell Hector to put clothes on. It'd be wrong, coming from him.]
Oh, is that the rule I have to play by to get an otter drawing? [This is in fact much more familiar. A relief in many ways, but also a good sign. They can get past whatever just happened. It's not going to effect anything.]
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But. Verdict. Yes, that, the thing that's important, not the loud noise of Alucard's heartbeat or Hector's.]
Human, mostly. [That sharp, wonderful bit of copper doesn't count.] Nothing of the grave. Just...a little bit of herbs.
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Is that conclusive?
[His tone, the fact that his leg is still pressed against Alucard's, the fingers twirling through golden hair...it should be pretty hard for Alucard to miss the implication that Hector is more than willing to go through some rigorous trials to be sure.]
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[
Why didn't he taste like spanikopitaHe leans back in, and this time the muted hesitation, the idea that Hector might need an out isn't there. Alucard's far faster, far more forthright, his hand no longer going to Hector's cheek but to his waist, gripping the fabric of the robe.
Still, he's cautious of fangs as he opens his own mouth against Hector's, angling everything just so.]
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Because no one in Wallachia is willing to invest the time in making some damned phyllo, that's why!Hector hums with delight as Alucard responds this time; it is not like the dhampir to tiptoe around so delicately. He leans his body back into the couch and hooks a finger in Alucard's collar to drag him along with Hector. He's not strong enough to actually move Alucard anywhere he doesn't want to be, but he can give him a suggestion of where he'd like him to be.
It would probably be smart to avoid the fangs, but when has Hector ever done the smart thing? He's curious, and curiosity is the driving force in his life. He wants to map out the length and width, to understand all the ways Alucard's bone structure differs from his own. He would very much like to keep kissing him for as long as he's allowed, but he can't help himself, like a moth drawn to candle light.]
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But he licks his way into Hector's mouth with a composed steadiness, plenty aware of his own fangs and where Trevor falls in relation to them. It's not unpleasant at all, but the sudden grab has thrown the vampire off balance. His palm rests just on the outside of Hector's thigh in order to support himself at the current angle, the other hand just behind Hector's head and dangling off the back of the couch.
Hector's hell bent on going for the fangs though. Alucard, if he could think right now, would glom onto why but that isn't happening. Thinking he means, because the only thing that's taking up his vision is Hector and--
--oh, that's definitely blood in Alucard's mouth.]
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Does it taste normal, he wonders?
The pain of the bleeding nick on his tongue gives him no pause, but the strengthening taste of copper finally does. He is forcing blood on one who prefers not to drink from humans. Hector is many things- careless, rude, impulsive- but he is not inclined to be cruel.
He lets out a sigh and turns his face away from Alucard's.]
...sorry....[He murmurs somewhere near Alucard's ear.]
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That's why I was moving slowly.
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Where's the fun in that?
[Here they both are, trying to catch their breath, neither backing down but both uncertain how to move forward.
Hector brushes Alucard's hair back behind his ear.]
Are you...are we finished gathering data?
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Alucard knows that he should back up at this point. The blood's ruined the mood, that much is clear, but fuck. He's far too touch starved right now.]
How deep is the cut?
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[Maybe if he goes and gargles the offending blood away, Alucard will let him have another trial....
...he has already put their friendship at risk. Why stop here?]
When it stops...I could be more careful.
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[Reckless tends to be Hector's trademark, after all. Besides, it's a little easier to joke at the moment, rather than try and be serious about this.
This, of course, being everything including the fact he's absolutely kissed someone who isn't Trevor or Sypha.]
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Alucard is being gentle with it, at least. That is something.]
You know me too well. It was worth a shot, at least.
[He shrugs, putting on a show of nonchalance he doesn't feel.]
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[Alucard's not sure how this goes. Just that the way Hector is holding himself is a sign of something far deeper inside, and Alucard knows that he's already caused harm.]
Do we follow the joke that started all of this, or actually talk, Hector?
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I have no expectations for this. You need have no worry of that.
[He knows that Alucard is attached to his two humans. There is no competing with that. He doesn't want Alucard to think he has any illusions about where he ranks in all of this.]
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Look, anyone who has seen Alucard is at least a little infatuated with him. Hector is not alone in that. It isn’t a big deal, and Hector tries not to dwell on it.]
You don’t need to treat me gently. I’m not some besotted maiden. This doesn’t have to mean anything. It could just be kissing.
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[Because they aren't enemies. Or friends. Or even work place associates. They are simply two people in each other's orbits and you know what? He's retreating into the joke for a moment.]
You don't smell like a besotted maiden anyway. You smell like yourself. And your pets. And whatever it was you ate earlier with all the herbs.
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It's tzatziki. I didn't anticipate the vein our experiment would take when I made my breakfast.
[Not that he does much planning in any aspect of his life other than his forging, so he can't say this particular day's poor decisions are atypical. But they are steering the subject away from that.]
Did Cesar help you get your answers from the Speakers?
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[Talking food is one way to pivot, at least. Alucard lets out a soft sigh, but he reaches over to fuss at Hector's hair at least a little. Some of it is out of place.]
Not really. But he did get a lot of attention, so he was happy enough. Turns out Speakers are immune to cute animals. Developed defenses and whatnot.
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[Hector is taking that 'quite good' and burying it very deep down to consider much later. He snorts as Alucard brushes at his hair, but he doesn't duck out of the touch. In his own way, he's just as needy and touch-starved as Alucard is.]
That just means we need to find something they haven't built up a tolerance to. Have you ever seen a baby otter? No one can resist that.
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[It's an attempt for whatever this is to not be a full out rejection. Just an experiment. Absolutely nothing else.]
But that begs the question of where one acquires a baby otter. Not that I've ever seen one.
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[Hector doesn't know what exactly this is, but Greek food is the best and that is a hill Hector's willing to die on. So he can't refuse Alucard's request to learn to make it.]
I would need to take a trip to the coast, but I am sure I could find one. I could try to describe one, but it wouldn't do it justice.
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[Cooking though, that gets Alucard up on his feet with enthusiasm.]
Can you draw it in the mean time?
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[Their experiment is over, so he can dress again. He has his answer on the initial premise.
He pushes himself up off of the couch and steps back into the bathroom to retrieve his discarded clothes. Through the door, he calls,]
I could draw it. I might. Depends on how well you listen to instructions in the kitchen.
[Hector doesn't know what they are, but they are back to it- orbiting and antagonizing one another.]
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[Alucard's relieved he doesn't have to be the one to tell Hector to put clothes on. It'd be wrong, coming from him.]
Oh, is that the rule I have to play by to get an otter drawing? [This is in fact much more familiar. A relief in many ways, but also a good sign. They can get past whatever just happened. It's not going to effect anything.]
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