[The centaur works with careful hands, his magic unfortunately a
thing that runs warm. Not hot, gods no, but warm enough to fill things
in. It's a little like having Sypha's fingers brush against exacting
spots, layer after layer after layer, and so it does.
Alucard keeps a hold of Trevor's hand, his eyes on the restraints, then
Trevor, and then the restraints. A pattern to make sure all is well, but
this is okay. Trevor communicated what was needed, and they were able to
provide. That's a blessing in and of itself.
Then Chiros' hand withdraws, there's a soft snort. It's matched by a whine
from Ellis, whose nose is finally overwhelemed.]
That should be it. But we'll let you rest half an hour before
inspecting the work.
[The ice melts away. Alucard walks over to where Trevor's head
rests, and there. A kiss, fleeting, to Trevor's lips.]
[ He's still. The kind of deathly still that people go when they don't want to be noticed. The smell of burning flesh is thick now, they've reached the last few. There aren't many people guarding those already branded. Not with all of them like Trevor is, immobilised by shock and metal chains, bodies shutting down in response to the trauma of the burns. He knows how this goes. There'll be a shout, soon, to drag them all to the gallows.
He'll be the strongest, the one who has had the longest to recover. He'll have time to break his own chains and those of the person next to him, to hoise them onto his back and to run. And he will run, faster than his body can truly manage, and he won't wonder why nothing stops him or what the small impacts against his back are. It'll only be when the pain takes over and his body starts shutting down again and he has to stop to vomit that he realises the boy he picked up is riddled with arrows, that he's inadvertently used them as a human shield. And he won't care.
So maybe it's better if none of that happens. If he just stays still and waits.
There's something cool against him. Lips. That's not right. That's not how this went. ]
Something smells like shit. [ He slurs his words slightly, not entirely present. It takes him a moment to even try to get his bearings, to go through a list of things that could logically be the source of a bad smell. Something dead. Himself. Animal droppings of some sort. People droppings of some sort. Or- ] -...it's Dog, isn't it?
[The dhampir can tell Trevor is in his own head. Deep in there,
memories that are far too painful coming to the surface. He runs his hands
down Trevor's face, trying to bring him back to the present.
Chiros has already left. A centaur can read a number of things, including
the room.
Alucard then laughs weakly as Trevor points out the obvious, and he peaks
under the table.]
...I'll clean that up.
[Ellis, for her part, is just nudging Dog to make sure he's okay.]
...no need. There'll be no- [ Possum shit. ] -he just makes that smell when he gets upset.
[ He's back in the present, at least. The smell is- actually very good for being sure of that. Dog continues to play dead, he'll be like that for a while now. Trevor doesn't get up, just lets his gaze drift from Alucard to the ceiling and back. He's here, safe. Those people died a long time again, all of them, in the fires of a war they wanted. ]
That's- uh. That's why I don't like the two of you touching it. Fucks with my head, and the last thing I want is to hurt one of you. [ And then quieter, because he doesn't want to be ungrateful. Because this will help, just maybe not in that way. ] I don't know if this'll change that. It's- fucking dragons.
[It's said with an exhausted sort of laugh, the kind Alucard almost
always makes when he's exhausted and in disbelief but so happy for it.
And for not having to clean up possum poop.
Ellis isn't happy though. She walks out of the room because her wolf nose
is too sensitive to deal. Alucard shakes his head as she goes, attention
returning to Trevor.]
In truth, I can't imagine what it does. [He can guess pretty well,
but.] I know. I know. But at the very least, there's freedom of
movement if you so desire it.
Yeah. It's- It's good. It's just hard. It's hard, and-
[ He sighs, tilting his head back so he's looking what would be upward if he were standing upright. Behind him, upside-down. There's less of the vertigo that would usually come from doing that one-eyed. ]
-I'm grateful. I'm more than grateful, I swear. I just- it's like it never happened. The official records are long gone. That's- the only real record that was left. It's like they were never there. Like I was never anything until I found the two of you.
[ And doesn't that last part sound just a little too close to the truth. ]
[Alucard debates just sitting down on the floor next to Trevor's
head. That doesn't feel right for the moment, so instead he just starts to
float, his hand finally settling on Trevor's cheek. His fingers move and
stroke it softly, but he does precious little more.
What a thing it is, being this tender and dealing with a smelly
possum.]
Surely some of the records survive.
[Says the man who lost his family's library.]
We could have something created just by us, if you'd like. [If only
to avoid that last little part that hits far too close to home.]
I'll think about it. Once my head's a less fucked up.
[ He sighs. ]
Maybe- maybe this is for the best. The Belmonts. The Speakers. Dracula. A bunch of shit the world forgot. That it never really wanted. That it doesn't need anymore.
There's just us, and we don't have to be anything at all unless we want to.
[ ...maybe that's the most terrifying part about this. With the removal of that brand? He can choose not to be a Belmont. Or he can get to choose, for the first time in his life of his own free will entirely, to be one. ]
[That feels like the most fair way to do it, as far as Alucard's
concerned. And as Trevor keeps talking, Alucard considers the weight of
what's really being said.
Speakers, well, maybe they should endure. Dracula's legacy, no. Best
forgotten. that of Lisa Tepes? That can change, but even then it can be a
small thing.
They've already spoken so much about what is owed to the world. That
they're just themselves, no strings or binds, that's been a powerful
thing. This? This just reinforces he freedom.]
[ He tries to sit up, groaning. He knows he wasn't sedated in any way, but it's still a massive effort. Like jumping between the past and present knocked all the energy out of his muscles. ]
Going to go to my rug.
[ And he doesn't say that he'll need help, but the effort involved in just sitting up and the amount of trepidation it seems to be taking just to push himself down from the table? Yeah, he probably needs help. ]
[ He takes a few unsteady steps once he's been 'helped' down from the table. He doesn't tend to get drunk enough for it to affect his coordination. It'd be expensive to, at his size. But this is probably a good approximation of how it would look. ]
Shit, maybe not the rug. Maybe the floor.
[ The rug seems so, so distant right now.But no. Alucard gets all upset about him lying down on florr, even though it's perfectly good and mostly clean, despite what the smell would suggest. ]
[ He takes Alucard’s hands, letting himself be led. He’s more steady like this, at least, and his steps become more certain. ]
I’m glad about this. Really, I am. [ He doesn’t want to be ungrateful. He knows how hard and probably costly it is to come by a healer with this sort of expertise. He knows what a massive thing it is that Alucard’s done for him. He wants to be visibly happy about it, to perform the reaction that Alucard must have been hoping for. He just can’t. ] It’s just a lot.
You don't need to apologize for having feelings, Trevor.
[It's a little bit of effort to tug a goliath along. Alucard does so happily, all the way to the room that is theirs. The one with the biggest fireplace, that they still light sometimes just for the flicker of the embers.
The one whose rug now has a large mattress parked beside it, not yet moved over top.]
...the timing of this is accidental. I...wouldn't overwhelm you on purpose, not today.
[ He sees the mattress. He understands that it must be for him, both because it’s massive and because otherwise its presence means that one of them doesn’t want to sleep on top of him anymore. But he doesn’t react. Just stumbles over to his safe, familiar rug. ]
I’ll- I’ll think about that later. I’m sure it’s- got good bed qualities.
[ Local giant does not know what qualities would be positive or negative in a mattress because he’s never used one. ]
That's been all Alucard's tried to demonstrate since they got back here, isn't it? That Trevor shouldn't just be some branded traitor. That he's worthwhile. Worth hanging onto. Theirs.
He moves as invited though. Settles in his spot against Trevor, small and cool and so content.]
[ This is normal again. This is good. Missing a pair of horns digging into one shoulder, but good. He'll try out the mattress, if only because he knows it means a lot to Alucard. But later. He's had enough new and exciting things for one day.
It takes him a while to answer. By the time he does, his heartbeat has slowed to something only a little faster than usual. ]
Yeah. [ A pause. ] Same rules as always.
[ Not at the eye, he means. Not yet. The healing hasn't changed that. ]
[In the long silence, all Alucard does is run fingers through Trevor's hair. It's a lot like a comb to Treovr, he imagines, since Alucard's fingers are so damn slender and Trevor is simply so large. But it's a comforting motion, even if it sometimes feels more like petting him than something more tender.
All the same, Alucard does it. Says nothing more, insisting Trevor take all the control.]
Of course.
[They're easy rules to abide by. Neither of them touch the eye unless they have to for an emergency. That's always been the rule.
But kissing other things are just fine, and so Alucard does just that. Moves one hand to settle against Trevor's cheek (below his good eye) and then puts his lips against the Belmont's.
Scale makes even this hard. But there's no mistaking the undercurrent of adoration in gesture, soft and loving, but still wanting to offer space if it is needed.]
[ This is good. Right. A new normal, yes, but still a normal. He doesn’t return the kiss, but sighs warmly into it and lets a hand settle on Alucard’s back. The stone floor beneath the rug is solid against his shoulders, a constant and immovable certainty. Above him, Alucard is almost as constant and about as likely to go anywhere as the floor is, so long as Trevor asks him not to.
He’s safe. ]
Think- think I’m going to take it easy for the rest of the day.
[ Now there’s a phrase you don’t hear from Trevor often. He says it againt Alucard’s lips, and so the words turn into a lot of tiny kisses. ]
[Maybe that's a touch too sentimental. But it's a true statement, one Alucard has no regret in expressing. There's another kiss, just as gentle as the ones before.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[The centaur works with careful hands, his magic unfortunately a thing that runs warm. Not hot, gods no, but warm enough to fill things in. It's a little like having Sypha's fingers brush against exacting spots, layer after layer after layer, and so it does.
Alucard keeps a hold of Trevor's hand, his eyes on the restraints, then Trevor, and then the restraints. A pattern to make sure all is well, but this is okay. Trevor communicated what was needed, and they were able to provide. That's a blessing in and of itself.
Then Chiros' hand withdraws, there's a soft snort. It's matched by a whine from Ellis, whose nose is finally overwhelemed.]
That should be it. But we'll let you rest half an hour before inspecting the work.
[The ice melts away. Alucard walks over to where Trevor's head rests, and there. A kiss, fleeting, to Trevor's lips.]
no subject
He'll be the strongest, the one who has had the longest to recover. He'll have time to break his own chains and those of the person next to him, to hoise them onto his back and to run. And he will run, faster than his body can truly manage, and he won't wonder why nothing stops him or what the small impacts against his back are. It'll only be when the pain takes over and his body starts shutting down again and he has to stop to vomit that he realises the boy he picked up is riddled with arrows, that he's inadvertently used them as a human shield. And he won't care.
So maybe it's better if none of that happens. If he just stays still and waits.
There's something cool against him. Lips. That's not right. That's not how this went. ]
Something smells like shit. [ He slurs his words slightly, not entirely present. It takes him a moment to even try to get his bearings, to go through a list of things that could logically be the source of a bad smell. Something dead. Himself. Animal droppings of some sort. People droppings of some sort. Or- ] -...it's Dog, isn't it?
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[The dhampir can tell Trevor is in his own head. Deep in there, memories that are far too painful coming to the surface. He runs his hands down Trevor's face, trying to bring him back to the present.
Chiros has already left. A centaur can read a number of things, including the room.
Alucard then laughs weakly as Trevor points out the obvious, and he peaks under the table.]
...I'll clean that up.
[Ellis, for her part, is just nudging Dog to make sure he's okay.]
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[ He's back in the present, at least. The smell is- actually very good for being sure of that. Dog continues to play dead, he'll be like that for a while now. Trevor doesn't get up, just lets his gaze drift from Alucard to the ceiling and back. He's here, safe. Those people died a long time again, all of them, in the fires of a war they wanted. ]
That's- uh. That's why I don't like the two of you touching it. Fucks with my head, and the last thing I want is to hurt one of you. [ And then quieter, because he doesn't want to be ungrateful. Because this will help, just maybe not in that way. ] I don't know if this'll change that. It's- fucking dragons.
[ Isn't that just the constant refrain? ]
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....Your Dog.
[It's said with an exhausted sort of laugh, the kind Alucard almost always makes when he's exhausted and in disbelief but so happy for it. And for not having to clean up possum poop.
Ellis isn't happy though. She walks out of the room because her wolf nose is too sensitive to deal. Alucard shakes his head as she goes, attention returning to Trevor.]
In truth, I can't imagine what it does. [He can guess pretty well, but.] I know. I know. But at the very least, there's freedom of movement if you so desire it.
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[ He sighs, tilting his head back so he's looking what would be upward if he were standing upright. Behind him, upside-down. There's less of the vertigo that would usually come from doing that one-eyed. ]
-I'm grateful. I'm more than grateful, I swear. I just- it's like it never happened. The official records are long gone. That's- the only real record that was left. It's like they were never there. Like I was never anything until I found the two of you.
[ And doesn't that last part sound just a little too close to the truth. ]
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[Alucard debates just sitting down on the floor next to Trevor's head. That doesn't feel right for the moment, so instead he just starts to float, his hand finally settling on Trevor's cheek. His fingers move and stroke it softly, but he does precious little more.
What a thing it is, being this tender and dealing with a smelly possum.]
Surely some of the records survive.
[Says the man who lost his family's library.]
We could have something created just by us, if you'd like. [If only to avoid that last little part that hits far too close to home.]
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[ He sighs. ]
Maybe- maybe this is for the best. The Belmonts. The Speakers. Dracula. A bunch of shit the world forgot. That it never really wanted. That it doesn't need anymore.
There's just us, and we don't have to be anything at all unless we want to.
[ ...maybe that's the most terrifying part about this. With the removal of that brand? He can choose not to be a Belmont. Or he can get to choose, for the first time in his life of his own free will entirely, to be one. ]
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Whatever you decide, I will abide by.
[That feels like the most fair way to do it, as far as Alucard's concerned. And as Trevor keeps talking, Alucard considers the weight of what's really being said.
Speakers, well, maybe they should endure. Dracula's legacy, no. Best forgotten. that of Lisa Tepes? That can change, but even then it can be a small thing.
They've already spoken so much about what is owed to the world. That they're just themselves, no strings or binds, that's been a powerful thing. This? This just reinforces he freedom.]
I think that is fair and wise.
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[ He tries to sit up, groaning. He knows he wasn't sedated in any way, but it's still a massive effort. Like jumping between the past and present knocked all the energy out of his muscles. ]
Going to go to my rug.
[ And he doesn't say that he'll need help, but the effort involved in just sitting up and the amount of trepidation it seems to be taking just to push himself down from the table? Yeah, he probably needs help. ]
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Careful, careful.
[For all Alucard resents being called willowy or being compared to a mosquito, the way he flits abou to just shove Trevor off the table? That's a lot.
...Shit.
About that rug.
Never mind, Trevor will see it when he sees it.]
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Shit, maybe not the rug. Maybe the floor.
[ The rug seems so, so distant right now.But no. Alucard gets all upset about him lying down on florr, even though it's perfectly good and mostly clean, despite what the smell would suggest. ]
-'s see if I can make it.
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[Alucard doesn't know how much he can do to help, but he'll do his best.]
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[ Walking straight is hard. He's exhausted. Dizzy. ]
Need to lie down. Close to the ground.
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[Sorry, Trevor.
Alucard sighs, and here he floats up a little, and offers his two small hands to Trevor.]
Grab onto one. I'll pull you along.
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I’m glad about this. Really, I am. [ He doesn’t want to be ungrateful. He knows how hard and probably costly it is to come by a healer with this sort of expertise. He knows what a massive thing it is that Alucard’s done for him. He wants to be visibly happy about it, to perform the reaction that Alucard must have been hoping for. He just can’t. ] It’s just a lot.
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[It's a little bit of effort to tug a goliath along. Alucard does so happily, all the way to the room that is theirs. The one with the biggest fireplace, that they still light sometimes just for the flicker of the embers.
The one whose rug now has a large mattress parked beside it, not yet moved over top.]
...the timing of this is accidental. I...wouldn't overwhelm you on purpose, not today.
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[ He sees the mattress. He understands that it must be for him, both because it’s massive and because otherwise its presence means that one of them doesn’t want to sleep on top of him anymore. But he doesn’t react. Just stumbles over to his safe, familiar rug. ]
I’ll- I’ll think about that later. I’m sure it’s- got good bed qualities.
[ Local giant does not know what qualities would be positive or negative in a mattress because he’s never used one. ]
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[Alucard follows though, the mattress left to the side. Waits for Trevor to settle on down.]
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[ He likes what he’s used to. Even outside of being spooked by memories, the slow drum of boring consistently suits him just fine.
...speaking of.
He raises one arm, inviting Alucard to settle with him. Same as always. Normal. Comfortable. ]
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That's been all Alucard's tried to demonstrate since they got back here, isn't it? That Trevor shouldn't just be some branded traitor. That he's worthwhile. Worth hanging onto. Theirs.
He moves as invited though. Settles in his spot against Trevor, small and cool and so content.]
May I kiss you?
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It takes him a while to answer. By the time he does, his heartbeat has slowed to something only a little faster than usual. ]
Yeah. [ A pause. ] Same rules as always.
[ Not at the eye, he means. Not yet. The healing hasn't changed that. ]
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All the same, Alucard does it. Says nothing more, insisting Trevor take all the control.]
Of course.
[They're easy rules to abide by. Neither of them touch the eye unless they have to for an emergency. That's always been the rule.
But kissing other things are just fine, and so Alucard does just that. Moves one hand to settle against Trevor's cheek (below his good eye) and then puts his lips against the Belmont's.
Scale makes even this hard. But there's no mistaking the undercurrent of adoration in gesture, soft and loving, but still wanting to offer space if it is needed.]
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He’s safe. ]
Think- think I’m going to take it easy for the rest of the day.
[ Now there’s a phrase you don’t hear from Trevor often. He says it againt Alucard’s lips, and so the words turn into a lot of tiny kisses. ]
Stay with me?
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[Maybe that's a touch too sentimental. But it's a true statement, one Alucard has no regret in expressing. There's another kiss, just as gentle as the ones before.]
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