#( ᴺᵉᵛᵉʳ ᵀᵃᵐᵉ ᵞᵒᵘʳ ᴰᵉᵐᵒᶰˢ // ᴬˡʷᵃʸˢ ᴷᵉᵉᵖ ᴱᵐ ᴼᶰ ᴬ ᴸᵉᵃˢʰ | IC )

[frcmshadcws]

@warwxlf​​​  ❤’ed  for a lyric starter   —

      ❝ It feels like we’re going nowhere fast. ❞

[frcmshadcws]

❛  —  “Somehow, the stench of death never seems to belong in a bakery.”   |   @cursedsunlight​​​​  —   ❜

«  —   🦇   —  »

    ❝ There are places it doesn't belong? ❞  The words are mostly intended as some cheap caricature of humor, a mockery of amusement flickering in sunset colored eyes. Lips curl back into that vicious grin, mouthful of fangs on full display, glinting dangerously beneath the fluorescent lights of the bakery.

The entire thing is a little fucked up, right from the start, but haven't all their meetings been? Not that anyone should be surprised, considering that 'a vampire and a witch walked into a bakery' already sounds like an unfinished joke.

[frcmshadcws]

❛  —  "What's up, ANGEL FANGS?"  —   ❜   |   Harass My Muses For Valentine’s Day   |   @deathbefriended​​

«  —   🦇   —  »

Why didn't he hate that?

       ...Genuinely, why didn't he hate that?

Thoughts stopped, momentarily short-circuited, reaction like an old record scratching across an outdated player  —  silence that lasted a few too many heartbeats, before the vampire's attention properly turned to her. Sunset gaze shifted, flickered across her features, searching for some sort of context... Not context that she could have offered, mind you. Simply a reason why he hadn't immediately wanted to backhand the woman over the newfound nickname.

    Why didn't he hate that?

          All the same, he didn't. How unusual.

Head tilted, gloved fingers tugging at that damned red jacket, adjusting it  —  absent fidgeting, a pointlessly human reaction.

   ❝ Angel Fangs. ❞  A low chuckle that didn't fall quite right, that came out a little too soft; with a touch too much fondness, perhaps.  ❝ That's a new one for you. ❞

Silent boot-steps as he stepped over, finding a place at her side  —  leaning against the nearby wall of the estate, arms crossing. What had started this...

     Oh, right. That was today, wasn't it?

And the twitch of a smile found its way onto deathly pale lips.

         ❝ — Happy Valentine's Day, Ember. ❞

[frcmshadcws]

@dasurteil​​  ❤’ed  for a lyric starter   —

     ❝ Do you even remember who you were back then? ❞

[frcmshadcws]

@vampirege​​  ❤’ed  for a lyric starter   —

      ❝ If we have each other, then we’ll both be fine. ❞

[frcmshadcws]

@hawkinsgoth​​​  ❤’ed  for a lyric starter   —

     ❝ It’s a fucked up world  —  what do you get from it? ❞

[frcmshadcws]

[pick up lines / from kai to walter] "Is that a stake in your pants or are you just happy to see me?"

Harass My Muses For Valentine’s Day  ||  @theabandonedones

Send my muse the worst pick up lines your muse you can think of!

   ❝ I don’t even use stakes. Next to nobody actually, legitimately uses stakes anymore, for that matter. I know you know this. ❞   That was hardly the point of such terrible, cheaply crafted flirtations  —  but exasperated words fell from a tired tongue, all the same. Leave it to this confusingly sweet day-walker, to end up rattling off one of the worst vampire/hunter pick-up lines that he’d heard in decades.

(  Had he heard much for pick-up lines, in decades? No, but that also wasn’t the point here.  )

Stormy eyes rolled, defeated amusement outweighing the   ( equally-outdated )   annoyance of his younger years. Perhaps Kai had gotten into the wine already, or something. Or maybe he was actually this much of a wreck whilst sober, which wouldn’t have been surprising either.

   ❝ While I’m always glad to see you, Kai  —  there are better ways to try to get into my pants on Valentine’s Day, than throwing out the most cliche joke that comes to mind. ❞

[frcmshadcws]

[pick up lines / from kassi to alucard] "Once you go Drac, you never go back." (this counts as a pick up line right)

Harass My Muses For Valentine’s Day  ||  Accepting!  ||  @theabandonedones

It’s almost Valentine’s Day! Send my muse the worst pick up lines your muse you can think of!

A tiny human that liked to see exactly how far she could push her lover’s patience? Check. An annoyed vampire who hadn’t had nearly enough wine, to deal with the girl’s antics? Check.

      ❝ I’ve told you not to call me that. ❞

Exasperation laced every syllable, the words followed by a heavy sigh. Sunset gaze flickered, head lulling to peer at where Kassi had perched on the counter  —  where she was now expectantly grinning, of course. Though he had to imagine that she was expecting to get hit.

  (  Make no mistake, that option genuinely crossed his mind.  )

   ❝ And of course not. Because if you ever leave… ❞

A thought that could have been left there, and still carried weight; the words trailed off only briefly, before Alucard was spinning around properly  —  snagging the damned girl by her jaw, grip edging on ‘too tight’.

               ❝ I’d have to kill you. ❞

He wasn’t meant to kill people for such things anymore. Evidence of that was given readily  —  by the immediate, sharp glow of those goddamn seals, ever present to keep the beast on his leash.

Be that as it may… Kassi knew all too well the ‘loopholes’ he’d found over the decades, and so, he liked to imagine that the threat still registered.

[frcmshadcws]

❛  —  💔 for any muse! Surprise me! :> (if that’s alright)  —   ❜   |  Fucked Up Kisses   |   @gctita​​​​

«  —   ✘   —  »

20.  a kiss that won’t be remembered.

An evening together drawn out for too many hours  —  tea and easy conversation, comfortable silence at times, and... discussion of everything and, at the heart of the matter, nothing. Certainly nothing of consequence, beyond the young woman's absent inquiries and the retired hunter's attempts at advice. The recipe for a night without sleep, for a man that was likely getting too old for all-nighters, and before long? A groggy vampire, as the sun rose and gloved hands moved to tug the curtains of a nearby window closed.

He'd meant to shoo the girl off to rest, but they'd never quite gotten there, and now here she was: effectively asleep on the sitting room's sofa, looking all too innocent for the likes of Hellsing's newest monster.

She wasn't a monster  —  just a sweet girl that had met an unlikely fate. He wasn't certain Seras was capable of being anything short of wonderful, actually. Quite the opposite of everyone else in this damned household.

Quiet sigh passed the butler's lips and, in a moment of impulsive compassion, he was moving to scoop the sleepy   ( kitten )   vampire up into his arms. She had stirred, of course, but a gentle hush passed between them, gloved fingers combing through messy hair.

     ❝ Go back to sleep, Miss Victoria. I'm simply taking you to your room. ❞

And so, Walter carried the newest agent of Hellsing down the winding hallways of the estate, down the stairs to her sleeping quarters. By the time he was laying her down, he couldn't have guessed if she was asleep or not  —  and really, he didn't care either way. At this phase, she was far too tired to be coherent, for her memory to even be trusted.

     ❝ You aren't going to remember this, I don't think, and that is... ultimately fine. But if you remember anything from tonight? ❞

Whisper-soft conversation trailed off, hands moving to tuck her into blankets that undead skin hardly required. No response came, a pause followed, and then he was leaning down  —  smiling lips brushing across icy ones, fleeting, a moment lost in time.

     ❝ Remember that I do care. No matter what happens. ❞

Words murmured against her lips, in a butterfly-soft kiss. And like that, he was gone  —  turning away from her and quickly stepping out of her room.

Seras wasn't likely to remember this, and she didn't need to.

   (  She was better than everyone else here.          She didn't deserve the additional heartbreak later.  )

[frcmshadcws]

@gctita​  ❤’ed  for a lyric starter   —

   ❝ You don’t gain a single thing from misery  —  take it from me. ❞

[frcmshadcws]

'clink' / kai + walter

Tipsy On New Year’s  ||  @theabandonedones  ||  Selectively Accepting

Send me ‘clink’ to see my muse tipsy on New Year’s Eve.

Perched on the railing of their porch, a gloved hand idly pressed into icy metal for the habitual sake of balance, Walter’s gaze was momentarily turned to the sky. There weren’t many stars out, the winter’s temperamental weather leaving it a cloudy cascade of dimmed light, but that wasn’t all too unusual for the area. Besides, the moon had remained visible this year  —  not quite full, but close enough to bring about sentimental echoes of old conversations.

A certain captain’s subtle nod toward a nearby window, before exiting an emptying hideout to enjoy the moonlight. Silent bids goodbye.

The smile of a soldier, always far too akin to a child’s grin, forming across the features of that damned Werecat.  “Look, Valter! It’s a full moon out tonight.”  Cheerful laughter, and an excuse to stray outside the base momentarily.

Integra, still a child, looking out the Manor’s window, ever curious of the creatures of the night she’d been raised to hunt, and what they might be doing beneath skies like these.  “Do vampires enjoy the moon?”  Of course, she’d been correct.

“A little moonlight is good for the sanity.”  Fleeting thoughts that had been spoken in that arrogant, baiting voice; that damned Count’s grin curling viciously across dead lips, and fangs flashing beneath the referenced sky.

(  And other years, gloved hands tugging the hunter closer  -   “It’s a beautiful night. Dance with me.“  Hushed tones, softer smiles, something closer to care  —  affection that he’d later pretend to not believe.  )

— That last one finally managed to jar Walter from the clutches of bittersweet nostalgia. Or maybe it was the quiet clearing of his lover’s throat, in the background, that had startled him.

              ❝ Kai. ❞

A soft breath, sipping laced wine to collect his thoughts, and then the glass was lifted towards the sky  —  a silent ‘cheers’ to the past. To his once-employer’s childhood, and to the pieces of his own that were worth remembrance. To certain ghosts of Millennium, even. And to that blasted beast, and all the years they’d spent together.

Respectful nod towards the moon, and then his gaze finally flickered  —  looking over at where Kai had stepped to stand nearby. Somber, but not miserable  -  intoxicated enough to think about it all, but far from drunk. It was a decent balance, all things considered.

   ❝ Happy New Year. ❞  The words were soft, another sip of wine lacing them, and then a tipsy smile curled the little vampire’s lips.   ❝ Did I lose track of time out here, then? ❞

[frcmshadcws]

‘clink’ / walter + cody (empathystricken)

Tipsy On New Year’s  ||  @empathystricken  ||  Selectively Accepting

Send me ‘clink’ to see my muse tipsy on New Year’s Eve.

The sound of the door opening brought with it a slight jolt, muscles reflexively tensing and a near-curse forming silently across the old hunter’s lips. Quickly turning, the standard professionalism was already at the ready  —  it was hardly appropriate for the household’s butler to be off drinking, holiday or no, but he hadn’t really had that much to drink, and ——

( And he wasn’t a child that was about to be scolded for such, now was he? )

        … And more than that, it was just Cody.

Realization brought with it a soft breath, fond smile curling his lips and  -  for once  -  following through to his gaze.   ❝ Cody, dear. ❞

Warmly spoken, the greeting came after only a second’s pause to evaluate, and then a soft chuckle was bubbling up from an intoxicated throat. Silly, being so on edge over such insignificant things  —  no matter, now. A glass of red wine  (traded out in favor of the ‘traditional’ champagne, for the sake of nostalgia)  was lifted, a caricature of a ‘cheers’, before he settled back into leaning against the wall.

   ❝ It’s a touch early, but Happy New Year’s. ❞

According to the old television set, left on to play the live broadcasts in the background, they still had another hour before midnight… But that was hardly the point, where celebrations with one’s partner were concerned.

[frcmshadcws]

«  —   cnt.  ||  @maggiestein   —  » 

Vibrant eyes widened with alarm at the woman’s reaction, unnatural heart pattering uncomfortably as it occurred to the boy that his comment hadn’t been received as intended. Carefree smile melted off his lips, what had originally been a thoughtful, surprised expression, shattering away into one that bordered on apologetic.

   ❝ Don’t look so pale, Mutti. ❞

It wasn’t the best start to comfort, but when had the ex-soldier ever gotten practice with such? Exactly never. A quick shake of his head, still perched on the other’s counter-top, cat ears laid flat with displeasure for several seconds.

   ❝ I didn’t mean zat I forgot about you. Just zat I couldn’t recall your name. ❞

A brief pause, listening to her upset heartbeat, he loosed a soft sigh.

   ❝ Maggie — ❞   Another second, searching for the formality that his Captain’s mind so often seemed to prefer.   ❝ — Margaret. It vasn’t a bad zing. I only meant zat I forget vat I’m actually supposed to be calling you occasionally. ❞

Perhaps he’d gotten a little too used to these familial terms, after all.

[frcmshadcws]

“god you make me feel alive” / adelaide + alucard

Intimacy.  ||  @theabandonedones  ||  No Longer Accepting

Bittersweet laughter, falling just on the right side of sweet, filled the space between them, before he shifted his hold on the woman’s hand  —  twirling her in another graceful, though otherwise lazy, spin. Absent dancing on the moonlit grounds of the Hellsing Estate, it wasn’t quite the same as the perfected, courtyard dances of the previous century, but…

Well, he wasn’t exactly that faux-polished count anymore, and she was hardly his property  maid  now. So really, it was only appropriate that the ‘air’ of their affairs had shifted a little. Not too much, of course not, but enough to make up for modern times and the ways they both had changed.

A moment of silence, apart from that initial chuckle, before a gloved hand pulled her closer once more, free arm looping loosely around the maid’s waist.

       ❝ That’s a bit ironic even for us, isn’t it? ❞

Lips curled into the sharp grin of the modern century, fangs flashing beneath the light of the moon. There wasn’t effort made to lighten the expression, but sunset eyes still managed to soften a bit  —  old affections ringing true, even when newfound mannerisms did not.

  ❝ You’re alive all on your own, Adelaide.           My presence simply brings out that spark of yours. ❞

[frcmshadcws]

In Another Life.  ||  Drabble

     ❛  Is this the end?  ❜   

Lifetimes later, her voice still managed to ring in his ears. An echo of what once was, distorted by the sands of time and warped by his own suffering, it somehow never failed to bring back flashes of those bittersweet memories.

Countless people, obediently following a MAD KING.

Men fallen in battle, for the glory of whatever God they had all believed in. Women ravished and murdered, without any prayer for a savior left. Children killed without anyone's hesitation; babies burning to a crisp under the fire of a fight that they had never truly understood.

Enemies and allies alike.

Traitors or loved ones, it had barely even mattered.

Lambs led directly to a slaughterhouse.

Time and time again. A catalog of war-torn history, victories and failures; it was all a horrific, God forsaken blur after this many years. After this many deaths.

     ❛ Is this the end, Count? ❜

She had been so calm, when her death finally came. It had barely felt as though she'd cared about her own demise, that adoring smile somehow managing to grace her lips. Sad eyes, misty with concern for her master, still seemed a touch too bright under the circumstances.

Another lamb, brought to the slaughter.

     ❛ In another life, then. ❜

Other memories flickered  —  the ghost of fleeting affections, of that endeared smile twisting across perfect lips. Worried eyes and a touch to the arm, sideways glances that would have seemed mocking from anyone else.

In another life.

Old wine for two, and some war story spun for the maid's amusement; it had usually been one that she'd heard a dozen times, and occasionally she had been right there with him. If not in reality, then in spirit. They had never been new stories, not in any real way, but she had been company. Consistency, in an otherwise tattered world.

In another life.

Armor traded away for a blackened cloak, enough faux-deaths for the pair later that he'd certainly already lost track. Ribbon tied securely around her gorgeous throat  —  occasionally tugged away to reveal vulnerable flesh and the lovely blue of abused veins. Beautiful, kind, always willing to lend whatever he required of her  —  even as her soul shifted to another form and his own rotted away.

In another life.

Crimson tears left vibrant tracks down his cheeks, and for all the world, the vampire couldn't have told you when they had started falling. When sunset eyes had grown murky with sadness, or when his dead heart had begun to ache. Throat tightened with old emotion, a snarl curling across bitter lips.

             Adelaide.

It had been a century or more now, and wherever her soul had ended up this time? She wasn't here. For the first time in what felt like forever, she wasn't there to lend stability to this tattered existence. Perhaps he should have been happy for her, grateful in that her ghost may have finally moved on...

But he was selfish.

   ❝ I never wanted it to be the end. Not for you. ❞

Words that should have been said a collection of lifetimes ago, long before he'd forgotten how to admit such things to people. Back when he'd had some faux excuse to care about people, when people had still genuinely cared about him. Before the words had become so misplaced, that the only thing to hear them were his own shadows as they cascaded miserably across a dusty subbasement.

   ❝ Not for you. I loved you. ❞

He hadn't ever said that one, either. No matter how many reincarnations passed, how many times she'd loyally fallen back into step with him. A hundred moments where it may have even been appropriate, at least behind closed doors, as fangs brushed milky skin and affection coiled into a rotten heart  —

The count hadn't ever told her.

     ❝  I loved you.  ❞

What formation of love, even Alucard wasn't entirely certain anymore. Depending on the lifetime, sometimes varying from one moment to the next. That didn't matter  —  he had loved that damned, beautiful, stubborn woman. But somehow, he'd never taken the time to tell her that.

Years late, millions short. Even if he had managed to find her again now, there wouldn't be any point in saying it anymore. It would have been absolutely useless.

He wasn't her king anymore; he wasn't her count anymore.

Wasn't someone that deserved her affections, or had any right claiming to love anyone.

He was NOTHING.

   ❝ In another life. ❞

He wanted to sob, he wanted to laugh, he wanted to scream, and all that came out was a heartbroken chuckle.

Bittersweet laughter fell from the king's mouth, sunset eyes blinking back the remnants of scarlet tears. A sad smile, not all that different from her own so many centuries ago, though a monster's fangs corrupted the expression.

    ❝ In another life, Adelaide...                   God's sake, I miss you. ❞

«  —   @theabandonedones   —  »

[frcmshadcws]

‘ where’s my goodnight kiss? ‘ - Benjamin (empathystricken) & Alucard

Good Morning / Good Night   ||  @empathystricken

First thought landed sharply on distaste, the human’s words processing out of context and bittersweet at best. Crimson eyes narrowed slightly, eternally troubled mind a whirlwind of connections and connotations that didn’t even inherently apply.

Petulant  —  childishly needy, in how abruptly sulky the man had gotten over the current lack of affections.

Expectant  —  and wasn’t Benjamin supposed to pride himself on not being that, when it came to their romantic affairs?

The descriptors carried on and on, none of them quite right; though none of them fell entirely flat either. Briefly came the mental image of cracking the darling fool’s head into the wooden headboard of his bed  —  breaking his skull open and letting him choke out an apology through a deliciously bloody mouth.

Preciously enough, there wasn’t a doubt in his mind in how that scene would play out  —  that he’d get the apology, and misplaced forgiveness too, all wrapped up into a neat little bow.

That reaction wasn’t appropriate, of course, but it hardly mattered. The thought passed only seconds later, after all, leaving behind the beginnings of that feral grin.

   ❝ Precious little pest. ❞

It wasn’t perfectly in line with the typical banter, he knew. That absent fact was buffered by endearment and a calm tone, contrasting Alucard’s smile as it twisted onto pale lips.

Gloved fingers shifted, curling against the human’s jaw to tilt his chin up as sunset eyes peered down at him. Another heartbeat, and then he was leaning down, pressing icy lips against Benjamin’s and allowing the moment of affectionate indulgence. The kiss lasted breathes longer than was inherently necessary, acting as silent proof to himself that all was correct in their world  —  and in the end, no violence came.

When they broke apart, the monster was still smiling down at him  —  lips grazing across a vulnerable jaw, before a sickly sweet tone filled the air between them.

   ❝ And don’t be presumptuous, darling. It really isn’t your color. ❞