#alucard: sometimes the silence is nice :)

[sunsmitten]

@groazei​ asked: they held no interest in speaking, the fresh night simply being used as a way to walk away boring times of the today. however, someone caught their attention, solely by noticing they had caught the stranger's eye as well. an arch of their brow and alucard would speak. "some things are better left unsaid."

              Night falls, and already he longs for the sun. The absence of rays on his skin leaves his mood fickle; A bittersweet longing that rises just as the reds and pinks fade into a blackened sky. It was a daily occurrence, and after twenty-four years, one would think he’d get used to it. But he hasn’t. And Aleksy is certain he never could. 

The air is warm when he steps out from the darkened bookshop, jingling his keys before locking the doors shut. The ex-spartan didn’t mind the nightshift, though, he’d much prefer mourning the loss of his love in private- dramatic, he knows, as the sun will rise again tomorrow. His apartment was walking distance away, and as he drops the keys back into his pocket, something red catches his eye. It’s barely noticeable, only semi-illuminated by the dimming light above the shop’s door. Aleksy thinks he’s imagining things when his gaze flickers, his fists tighten, and he sucks in a quiet, startled breath. Whoever ( whatever ) it was, Aleksy hadn’t even sensed their presence. A first, and the brunette could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Looking at this stranger hidden in the shadows set his nerves on fire, the warning signals go off in his brain and a hot flash of anger ( by his lack of awareness? His fear? Aleksy wasn’t sure ) coursed through his chest before it calmed. 

There was something discomforting when they looked at him. Stifling, and awkward. Aleksy felt like he couldn’t move in his own skin, and the side of his neck began to cramp. That anger was back, and Aleksy adjusted the strap of his bag in hopes it would loosen himself up. It did not. Lilac gaze flickered downwards, scowl deepening as he finally found the cause, and he considers his options. Does he follow the soft words of advice and remain silent? Or does he break the moment of stilled unpleasantness? 

Again, he looks up, meeting their leer with a raised brow. “Tsk-” his tongue prods the inside of his cheek, and Aleksy points directly towards the strangers boots. Determined, and shoveling any lingering hesitation and fear beneath his hotly attitude. “You’re stepping on my Daffodils.” He could feel the delicate little flowers, their ache by the odd way they bent and desperation to live. “Move it.”

[alvcrd]

𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬 .

1. What does your muse smell like?

Alucard smells like gunpowder and blood, but sometimes when he’s gotta present himself nicely he’ll wear a nice musky cologne. Otherwise, there’s not much scent to him.

2. What do your muse’s hands feel like?

They’re bitter cold unless he’s just drank, but they’re actually pretty soft since they’re covered by his gloves most of the time. His claws are pointy.

3. What does your muse usually eat in a day?

Blood of the innocents and wine baby. 

4. Does your muse have a good singing voice?

Yes.

5. Does your muse have any bad habits or nervous ticks?

Alucard has a bad attitude, he’s rude and unapologetic and even can be outwardly mean to people. He also has no concept of personal space and will loom/stare or just walk in uninvited. As far as nervous ticks go, the answer is none.

6. What does your muse usually look like / wear?

A red duster coat with a suit underneath, knee high leather boots and his ultra cool shades. Sometimes he’ll forego the coat and wear just the suit. His hair is generally kept pretty long but Alucard can look any way he wants.

7. Is your muse affectionate?  How much?  How so?

Very little. He has a soft spot for the likes of Integra and Seras, but cares very little for anyone else. In a romantic setting he’s generally very laid back and not the one to take much initiative. This isn’t laziness since he plainly doesn’t really know and has little interest in romance. Alucard prefers to show his affections with long strolls or quiet talks, instead of physical intimacy.

8. What position does your muse sleep in?

Flat on his back in his coffin. A lot of the time he’ll rest his chin on his hand and sleep in his chair. In fact, he mostly sleeps there.

9. Could you hear your muse in the hallway from another room?

It depends. If he’s not trying to be stealthy, then yes. His footfalls are heavy. Alucard also has the ability to move in complete silence as well.

Tagged by: @miasmalungs @monstriiss @judaspriested @mageshot @regnantlight and anyone else!

[johaerys-writes]

Where Blood Roses Bloom

Fandom: Castlevania

Pairings: Alucard/Trevor Belmont/Sypha, Hector/Lenore

Summary:

After Trevor gets grievously injured by a night creature, he and Sypha return to Dracula’s castle to seek Alucard’s help. The man they find there, however, is but a shadow of the friend they left behind.

Meanwhile, in far Styria, Hector does his best to survive in the vampires’ court, a lamb amidst wolves. Little do the wolves know, the lamb has fangs of its own.

Chapter 10: Higher Than Heartache is up, where Alucard leaves the ghosts of his past behind, with the help of his friends. Oh, and smut ;)

Part of the chapter here, the rest on Ao3! Or read from the beginning

“You don’t have to do this with me,” Adrian says. “You don’t have to be here for this.”

The wind whips at Sypha’s hair, bringing strawberry blond locks before her eyes as she turns to look at him. Her smile, when it widens her lips, is soft.

“Don’t be silly. Of course we do.” She turns to Belmont, who is already advancing towards the staked bodies. The thought of going near them has Adrian’s stomach turning in knots, but he makes himself follow, albeit reluctantly.

“She’s right,” Belmont says, grabbing the wooden base of the stake and pulling. “Some friends we would be, if we left you alone with… with that.”

“I did that,” Adrian says quietly. “It’s only fair that I take care of it myself.”

“Nice try, Alucard, but no,” Belmont says, casually waving his words away. “Besides, there has to be someone strong enough to lift those things, right? Wouldn’t want you to pull a muscle or something.” He makes a face as he pulls again, the stake budging only a hair.

Adrian rolls his eyes and huffs, and the faint loathing and apprehension that had coiled in his gut a moment before, when he was looking at the bodies, dissipates as he makes his way to Belmont’s side. He grabs the stake with one hand and easily plucks it out of the ground. “I am stronger than you, you know.”

Belmont grins, his face flushed. He brushes the back of his sleeve over his brow and winks at him as he says, “Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart.”

Sypha chuckles, and it’s such an odd thing for them to laugh and joke and smile, while doing something like this. Thinking about it, though, it’s not that odd at all, when it comes to those two. Belmont and Sypha have always defied the odds, have always done the impossible. Perhaps it’s one of the reasons, Adrian thinks, that he’s so drawn to them.  

Before long, the stakes with the bodies are on the ground, side by side. Adrian takes a step back, letting them rest for a moment while he catches his breath. Belmont is beside him, and Sypha’s standing on his other side, the three of them together gazing at the withered corpses. Adrian can still discern the traces of resemblance, but they’re twisted beyond recognition.

Even so, he can bring their faces to mind, as if he only saw them the day before. It still stings to look too long, to think of it too long.

It is Sypha that takes the first step forward. She lifts her hands, and the bodies burst into flames, the pikes with them. Adrian takes a sharp breath as he watches the black smoke drifting up in thick plumes towards the sky. They watch in silence as the flames consume them.

When all but ash remains, Adrian stares at the miserable, blackened pile on the ground, the sorry remnants of the people that betrayed him, that hurt him. Perhaps, in a different life, where their paths had not crossed his, they would have still been out there somewhere, hunting vampires and monsters, living their life as best they could. In this life though, they met their end in a place such as this, for a reason such as this —which was no reason at all, really— and there’s nothing Adrian can do to change it.

The thought is a dark one, depressing, boring down on him like a mountain. If only they’d believed him, if only they'd stopped to listen…

He shakes his head, refusing to let the thought linger. His skin feels hot with shame and the still hot embers of an anger he thought he had gotten rid of. The more he looks at them, the clearer he remembers the icy rage that had taken hold of him, that had led him to sharpening the stakes and mounting their lifeless bodies on them. He thinks that, in some way, his father still lives on in him, that part of him that’s eager to burn and kill and take revenge and consume. But it never brought him peace. The same way it never brought his father peace.

With a quiet sigh, Adrian reaches in his coat pocket for the rose he had stored there, the one he plucked that morning. The intensity of its crimson colour is stark against the drabness that surrounds it, and Adrian gazes at it for a moment too long. Then, he leans down, and places it upon the ashes on the ground.

He doesn’t know if he can find it in his heart to forgive, perhaps not yet. But he knows it’s what his mother would have wanted.

Belmont’s hand is warm when it falls on his shoulder, and so are Sypha’s fingers when they thread through his own. They stand there for a short while, watching the shadows of the late afternoon sun stretch along the ground.

~

The fire in the hearth of Belmont’s and Sypha’s room crackles merrily, flames licking up the blackened logs. A glass of brandy is in Adrian’s hand, golden, strong and aromatic. As he takes a sip, staring at the flames, Adrian idly wonders how fire is more or less the same wherever you find it, whatever it happens to be burning —plain logs or bodies on stakes— but it somehow feels so different.

Sypha is sprawled on the couch behind him, chatting with Belmont who’s by the liquor cabinet, pouring himself another drink. They all returned to the castle after the deed was done, and Belmont insisted on drinking on the whole thing being over— because of course he would.

“It just seems like a fine opportunity to celebrate,” he says, tipping the mouth of the bottle over his glass. Apparently, it’s one of the finer bottles of brandy he found when snooping around the place, and Adrian can’t disagree. It’s quite good, gliding down his throat like sweet, liquid fire. “You know?”

“Celebrate what, exactly?” Adrian says dryly, still staring at the flames. “We just watched the sad remains of two people that died horrible deaths being swallowed by the fire. A nice fire, all things considered,” he nods at Sypha, “masterfully summoned, but still. Not something worthy of a celebration, if you ask me.”

Belmont laughs and shakes his head. “It’s not the fire that we’re celebrating, you maudlin bastard.” He saunters to the couch, dropping next to Sypha and placing his arm over her shoulders. “It’s the closure. You finally got some closure on the whole thing, did you not? That, and your front door doesn’t scream: Keep out, danger of death anymore.”

“Perhaps it should,” Adrian muses dejectedly. He returns to the couch, sitting on Sypha’s other side.

Sypha slithers just a bit closer to him, her large, crystal blue eyes trained on him. “How are you feeling?”

Adrian lets out a sigh, glancing down at his glass. “I’ve been better,” he says earnestly. “But at the same time... it’s not quite as bad as I thought.”

Part of him knows it’s because Sypha and Belmont are there with him, holding his hand through it, but it’s more than that. It surely is. He had once thought that he wouldn’t have been able to even stomach the sight of Sumi and Taka again, and while that’s partly true, there’s another sliver of… something else rearing its head inside him. It’s almost like regret, almost like the guilt and shame he’s been carrying with him all this while, but it’s different even than that.

“Sometimes,” he says, “I think… I think I understand why they did it. Why they betrayed me, why they attacked, why they were so mistrustful of me. The life they had led left them with no other choice. They only told me a little of what they went through in Cho’s court  —just what was absolutely necessary, I presume— but even from that I could tell that their past was filled with hurt and injustice. I don’t think that anyone’s ever shown them kindness before, or respect.” He takes in a slow breath. “It makes sense, in a way, to bite the hand that feeds, if every other hand extended has held a blade, ready to wound. It’s only logical that they would… hate me. For what I am.”

Belmont clicks his tongue and shakes his head. “There’s always a choice,” he says sharply, with an odd sort of finality. “No matter what your life has been like before. Either one of them could have stood up to the other, told them to knock it off, made them see that you were only trying to help their miserable hides. They could have left this place better and stronger for it, and made the world a better place too. But guess what?” He fixes Adrian with a look that brooks no argument. “They chose not to do that. They chose to be sorry pieces of dung that lash out at every perceived wrong, that punish those that don’t deserve it. They chose, Alucard. Never forget that.”

Adrian returns Belmont’s gaze, and his pulse quickens at the surety and steadiness of his voice, the fury in his eyes.

He swallows thickly.

“I… I’m not sure it’s quite as black and white as that,” he says.

Sypha reaches out to him, placing her hand on his forearm. “They might have had a choice,” she says softly, “yet they left you with none. You couldn’t have helped them any more than you did. You did everything you could. You know that, yes?”

Her touch is so warm and comforting, that it eases his unease, his discomfort. Adrian takes heart from it, and manages a quiet, “I know,” before he falls silent again.

“So, no looking back. Alright?”

He sighs. "Alright."

"Promise?"

“Promise.” He has to smile a little at that. It’s so much like Sypha to give orders, even for something like this. Adrian has little control over what his mind and heart decide to do most days, but it's nice to dream, isn't it?

“Alright!” Belmont exclaims, filling all of their glasses yet again. “A toast then.” He raises his glass to Adrian, cheeks already a bit rosy. “To new beginnings.”

Adrian shakes his head with a laugh and tiredly follows suit. “To new beginnings.” He takes a sip of brandy, letting it warm him from the inside out, as he teases, “Does that mean you’ll start using soap, Belmont?”

“Shut up, Alucard,” the other man rolls his eyes, laughing in his glass.

Adrian turns to look at Sypha, and his smile is met by her grin. She sets her glass on the table and slithers closer to him still, and then her slender arms are around Adrian’s neck, her sweet and heady scent filling him to the brim.

“To new beginnings,” she whispers in his ear.

Adrian sets his glass aside too and hugs her tightly, taking a deep breath.

“Thank you for being here,” he whispers. “Thank you for everything.”

“Thank you for letting us be here,” she says, then leans back to gaze at him. “I can only imagine how hard it was for you.”

Adrian smiles, and prepares to tell her that they didn’t really leave him much choice in the matter, when she leans forward to kiss his forehead. Her lips are soft against his skin, and they send a shiver down his spine. It’s all too reminiscent of that night several days ago in his room, after he had returned to the castle, and he can’t help the beat of anticipation in his blood. She kisses his brow, each one of his eyes, his cheek, the angle of his jaw, cradling his face in her hands. It’s so tender and soft that Adrian almost whimpers with need when her lips skim the side of his neck, leaving him wanting more, infinitely more. He wants this closeness; he needs it.

When her mouth brushes his own, Adrian can’t hold back the sigh that leaves him. His lips part readily under hers, pulling her in before he can stop himself. Her tongue is warm and soft as it flicks over his own, and it tastes of the sweet spice of the brandy.

Adrian bites back a moan when Sypha’s teeth close over his bottom lip, sucking. He shifts closer to her, touch-starved nerves catching fire, his hand finding its way to her lower back. There is heat coiling inside him now, just with Sypha’s lips on him and her arms around his neck, the feel of her body against his.

He draws back abruptly, gulping down a breath as he does. “Sypha,” he croaks.

She blinks back, and her cheeks are flushed, her eyes glistening. Adrian can’t tell if it’s from the drink or their kiss or both, but he suddenly finds it impossible to look away. “Yes?” she asks softly.

Adrian swallows. He darts a glance at Belmont, who is gazing at them both with a sort of hunger in his gaze, his glass forgotten in his hand.

“Are you—” Adrian starts, uncertain what to say. His thoughts are hazy, and his tongue feels too thick in his mouth to form words. He takes a slow breath, and tries again. “Are you alright with this?” he asks him.

Belmont looks at him, a little confused, a small smile playing at the edges of his lips as he says, “Me? Yeah, I’m alright.” He nods at Sypha. “She, on the other hand, is more than alright.”

“Stop it, Trevor,” Sypha laughs, swatting playfully at his shoulder. Her face is bright pink now, but she doesn’t seem at all embarrassed as she leans into Adrian again and reaches out to run her fingers through his hair. “Oh, you’re pretty,” she sighs.

“I— thank you.” Adrian runs his tongue over his lips, trying to get his raging pulse under control. Sypha’s teasing comments over the past few days start to make sense as Adrian plays them again in his head. Adrian has been attracted to her from the start, almost ever since he met her, and the thought that she might be attracted to him sends a sharp thrill through him. Her fingertips, when they caress his scalp, make him shiver, and her breath that skims his skin as she leans in to nuzzle his nose sets the hair at the back of his neck on end. If he were standing, his knees would have surely given way by now.

But Belmont… He is watching them, and there is no jealousy in his gaze, and Adrian isn’t sure what that means. They are a couple, after all, aren’t they? Adrian doesn’t know of many couples that would welcome a third person in their midst so easily, like this.

Come to think of it, he doesn’t know any other couples at all.

He draws back just a little, pulling away from Sypha’s kiss, before his thoughts slip away from him completely.

“I wanted to talk to you,” he tells them, finally finding the courage to speak about what has been troubling him for days. “I wanted to talk to- to both of you.”

Sypha blinks, then raises her brows in question. “About?”

“About this. About you. About… us.” He takes in a breath, mustering his strength. “I like that you’re here. That we’re all together again. There’s nothing I wanted more than to… to be with you again. And now…” His heartbeat soars as the words tangle on his tongue. There is no way to give voice to what he wants the most, his most well-hidden desire. He glances at Sypha, with her clear-sky eyes and her soft lips and even softer hands, and at Belmont, with his dark bangs falling over his eyes, his sharp jaw, his broad chest. The fire that has kindled in Adrian’s core rages, images and sensations flooding his brain until he can barely think, just at the mere sight of them there.

Mad. He is mad, he is out of his mind, he is...

In love.

Damn it.

Adrian takes a breath, his hand gathering into a fist at the realisation.

At that moment, he knows with perfect clarity, and he admits it to himself for the first time: he wants them. He wants them both.

But it is wrong. It is selfish. It is asking too much. They’re his friends and they care about him, certainly, they agreed to stay with him, but this… asking for something like this would be unthinkable. He wouldn’t blame them if they thought him crazy, if they believed he’s lost his mind.

He’s not sure he hasn’t, himself.

“You are both so… important to me,” he says quietly, afraid to meet their gazes. “And I want… I want—”

“Yes.”

Adrian stops, blinks at Sypha. “I beg pardon?”

She returns his gaze calmly, tilting her chin up. “Whatever you were going to ask of us, the answer is: yes.”

“But— but you don’t even know—”

Her lips are on his own before he can say another word. He finds himself melting against her, helplessly, a soft moan escaping him as she deepens the kiss, threading her fingers through his hair to pull him closer. A quick moment later, and she has somehow found herself on his lap, straddling him.

When they part for air, Adrian stares at her, at the curtain of strawberry blond locks that’s falling around her face. “You didn’t even know what I was going to ask,” he tells her, voice hoarse.

She grins. “Trust me, Alucard, I know.” She nods towards Belmont. “Even Trevor knows, and he’s even worse at these things than you are.”

“Hey, that’s not true and you know it.” Belmont laughs, though his face is steadily turning bright red as Adrian’s befuddled gaze falls on him. He gives his head a small shake, then rubs the back of his neck. “I mean, I had an inkling. And… well… I might have given it some thought myself.”

“He has a crush on you,” Sypha tells Adrian conspiratorially.

“I do not! ”

“Yes, he does. Don’t let his antics fool you.”

Belmont groans and rolls his eyes, draining the last of his brandy. “Teenagers have crushes. I am not a teenager.”

“Hm, you’re right,” Sypha says. “Perhaps there’s another word for it. Let’s see…” She leans forward, pressing her forehead to Adrian’s. There’s a mischievous grin widening her lips, her thumb brushing over his bottom lip. “How about ‘lust’? It sounds much more mature, doesn’t it? You’re in lust.” She hums and bites her lip, her eyes alight. “You want him.”

Adrian lets out a shaky breath. His tongue darts out instinctively to lick his lips, and brushes over her finger, momentarily tasting the sweet saltiness of her skin.

“That…” Belmont’s voice trembles only slightly as he speaks, “that sounds about right.”

Adrian can’t help but turn to look at him, startled by his admission. Belmont shrugs and rolls his eyes with a helpless smile. “Don’t let it go to your head, alright?”

“Finally!” Sypha throws her head back and laughs. “Finally he admits it! I never thought I’d see the day.”

“That was meant for you too,” Belmont reprimands, but the bite has thoroughly gone out of his words. His face is red like a pomegranate now.

“You… you want me?” Adrian asks incredulously, his pulse thumping in his throat. Surely, he must have misheard. This can’t be happening.

“We both do.” Sypha reaches down to take his hand, her fingers threading through his. “Do you?” she asks softly.

Adrian gapes at them both, suddenly lost for words. Ever since they met, and even though they’ve both offered him their friendship and affection, he always felt like the third wheel. As if it was just the two of them, and Adrian was always on the outside, looking in. After they’d left the castle, leaving him behind in search of adventure, there were moments Adrian had thought his heart had been broken so thoroughly, that it would never mend again. And now they’re both here, offering him something like this, and… he doesn’t quite know what to say.

There are a million things he wants to tell them, but they all die on his tongue. They want him? Both of them? It seems so hard to believe, that Adrian wonders if he’s dreaming.

Both Belmont and Sypha are watching him now, holding their breaths, and Adrian isn’t sure what to tell them.

He opens his mouth.

“I—” I want you, I missed you, I never stopped, I can’t bear the thought of being without you , I— “I’m—”

Adrian closes his mouth again and swallows, taking in a deep breath.

“Yes,” he whispers, heart beating in his throat. “I do.”

Sypha beams at him, her countenance lighting up. She stands up, still holding his hand. She tugs at it, pulling him to her, and he stands up too.

“I never thought I’d see this day either,” she whispers teasingly, pulling him in for a kiss.

Adrian lets out a quiet, startled laugh, wrapping his arms around her. She’s shorter than he is and he’s looming over her, but she cups his neck and draws him closer to her.

“If I’d known you were such a good kisser, I would have done this sooner,” she says, a soft murmur against his lips. She reaches up to undo the laces of his shirt, and Adrian shivers when he feels the brush of her fingers on his skin.

“You’ve been wanting to do this for— for a while then?” He follows her as she steps backwards towards the bed, tries not to stumble over his own toes. He doesn’t have the heart to tell her how inexperienced he is at this, how little he knows how to act and carry himself with confidence. But something tells him he does not need to.

Sypha grins, pulling his shirt over his head, and proceeds to brush her palms down his chest. Her palms are even softer than he remembers, and he barely even thinks about the scars as she touches them. “You really had no idea, did you?” A soft sigh escapes her as she deepens the kiss, arching into his touch when his own palm skims the line of her spine, the curve of her waist. She feels so small and delicate in his arms.

“Not sure if you’ve noticed, Sypha, but he is kind of slow on the uptake,” Belmont remarks from his spot on the couch, nursing his glass of brandy. His cheeks are still flushed, and he looks vaguely embarrassed, like he doesn’t quite know what to do.

Adrian smirks. “You’re one to talk.”

Belmont scoffs and takes a large sip of his brandy, without offering a rebuttal, and if that isn’t evidence that the man is thoroughly out of his depth then Adrian doesn’t know what is. Sypha glances over at him with a smile.

“Come, Trevor.”

Belmont looks up at them, then at Sypha’s outstretched hand. His throat bobs as he swallows, and he hesitates for a moment before he tosses the rest of his drink up and stands. “I am not slow on the uptake,” he mutters darkly, frowning at them both.

“You may not be,” Adrian tells him, amused, “but your reply was definitely a few seconds too late. That’s so unlike you. Usually, it’s your tongue that moves first before your poor mind can ever catch up.” He tilts his head to the side, and is surprised by the affection that swells in his chest at the sight of him, red-faced and embarrassed and for once incapable of coming up with a scathing comment for practically everything that’s taking place around him.

“Aren’t you going to join us?” Adrian quirks a brow, “Will I have to challenge you to a duel?”

Belmont licks his lips and grumbles something under his breath before he straightens and walks over to them, reluctant yet still somehow eager.

He stands tall before him, his pale blue eyes searching Adrian’s. Adrian would never have expected someone who is so confident on the battlefield to be so timid in a situation like this. He always expected Belmont to be the energetic, brutish sort, the one to grab his mate by the hair and drag them to his lair like a caveman, but he is surprisingly guarded and reserved. It’s almost… adorable.

Or it would have been, had Adrian not been a mess of nerves and emotion himself right then.

Still, there’s something drawing him to Belmont, something that he fight any longer. He takes a tiny step forward, coming to stand before him. “What’s wrong, Belmont?” he asks softly. “Are you afraid of me?”

Belmont scoffs. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Am I? I could swear that you’re avoiding meeting my eyes. Why would that be?” He steps closer to him still. “Are you suddenly afraid of vampires now?”

Belmont’s eyes flick to his and stay there, penetrating. “You’re no vampire.”

“Oh?”

“You’re only a half-vampire,” he says, voice dropping low, “and I wouldn’t be afraid of you even if you were.”

“Odd.” Adrian tilts his head to the side, his pulse buzzing with the thrill of the challenge in Belmont’s gaze. There. That’s more like it. “Then why does it look like your tail’s between your legs?”

Belmont puffs up just a little, his bashfulness gone as he leans forward, their noses almost touching. “There’s something else between my legs. Care to find out?”

Adrian licks his lips, meeting his piercing gaze. “Please,” he says, thanking God that his voice is level. “Don’t be so crass. This isn’t a whorehouse.”

“You have a big mouth, Alucard. Pity you don’t know how to use it.”

“There’s plenty of things I know how to do with my mouth. Shutting you up is one of them.”

“Is that the best you can do with it? Because I could swear—”

“Oh, my goodness,” Sypha throws her arms up in exasperation. “Just kiss already!”

Adrian takes a breath, preparing to retort, but Belmont is faster. A strong arm winds around his middle, pulling him closer, and Adrian simply melts against him, like so much clay in his hands. Belmont’s lips are slightly chapped, tasting strongly of brandy, and the scruff of his chin tickles Adrian’s skin. Adrian reaches up as if in a dream, his hand finding its way to the back of his neck, fingers threading through his hair. His skin is so warm , it’s like he’s on fire. And his hand on the small of Adrian’s back, pulling— his chest, hard and taut underneath him, the fabric of his shirt pressing against his bare skin—

Just when he thinks his knees will buckle, he feels Sypha’s hand brushing down his back, her lips skimming the side of his neck. He glances down at her as his and Belmont’s lips part and sees her smiling, rising up on her tiptoes to kiss him again. In his haze, he feels Belmont moving closer, holding him tighter, pressing his mouth to the side of his head, nuzzling his ear.

Adrian closes his eyes, disintegrating into that kiss, those tender touches. He can’t help but think of all those nights he spent alone in this castle, thinking about them, both of them, pretending that he didn’t wish they were still there. He thinks of the drawings he made of them to keep the memory of their faces crisp in his mind, the dolls he kept in the kitchen, those lifeless toys that bore their shape; the only things to keep him company. He remembers the crushing emptiness of all those endless, identical days, and his heart thumps painfully with such intense longing, a craving that’s impossible for him to bear.

They’re both so close to him now, touching him, holding him, and it all suddenly feels too much, far too much. But he doesn’t want this to end. He doesn’t want this moment to end.

“I missed you,” he breathes into his and Sypha’s kiss. He leans back just a little to look at her, and he realises his eyes are stinging. “I missed you both so much. I—” He glances at Belmont, who’s gazing at him with so much warmth and tenderness now that it makes him ache, and the tears he has been trying so hard to hold back escape the confines of his eyes, gliding down his cheeks. “I missed you.”

“We missed you, too,” he says softly. “I missed you.” He reaches up to brush the tears from Adrian’s cheek. “Was there ever any doubt about it?”

Adrian smiles at him through his tears, shivering when Sypha’s arms wrap around his middle.

“We’re here now,” she whispers. “We’re here.”

Adrian sighs as he leans into them both, letting them guide him to bed.

Read the rest on Ao3!

[therewasatale]

for I have sinned

On Ao3. 

Summary:  Alucard likes to mess with other priests, not just with Anderson.

Note:  Maybe I'll write a second part. It's on your choice. Does anyone want a chapter two for this?

The morning sun's dazzling light shone through the window, the light was only amplified by the clean white wall. The shadows were forced to retreat into the corners of the room waiting for their time to come.

And yet it wasn’t the strength of the light that wake Father Anderson up, it was the warmth of the rays. He awoke with a pleasant sensation, or at least a much more pleasant one, than the one he had gone to sleep with.

He allowed himself to stretch lazily. His shoulders cracked with a satisfying sound, and they were soon followed by the joints of his legs. Finally, there was no burning sensation, aches, or throbbing inside him. He turned around carefully on the shaky bed. Every wound he got from last night's hunt were already healed thanks to his regeneration.

Reaching down carefully, he ran his fingers along the ragged edges of his cassocks. He found more than a couple bullet holes. On his trousers there was a dark, yet still distinctly red stain from dried blood. He had to get new clothes. Unfortunately, he was sure that he would not be able to change into anything else. His temporary accommodation, a smaller Catholic church housed a priest who was at least three heads smaller than him.

Luckily, the car will arrive soon, which will take him to the nearest plane. And there was always a change of clothes waiting for him on those. He just had to leave unobtrusively, as Maxwell used to say a long time ago, trying to be witty.

As he got out from the bed, he glanced out the window. There was a tidy little garden outside, it contained two chestnut trees. Thanks to being around late spring, they were full of white flowers. The priest remembered his home, where similar trees grew in the much larger garden of the orphanage. Those must be blooming by now too.

He missed his home, sooner or later he became homesick on every one of his missions. But there were things only he could do, and he always made sure he could return home again.

Closing his eyes, he slowly rubbed his face. It was time to leave.

Before heading out he took one last look outside. Beyond the ornately decorated fence, people walked the streets, focusing on their own thoughts, most of them looked at their phone. None of them suspected that there was a priest watching them, a priest who was officially declared dead 50 years ago. That was the same day he reborn, in a way.

Anderson was about to leave, but along the fence he saw a figure making his way towards the church, he was wearing a long red coat.

The priest froze in his movements.

The figure's footsteps slowed down a bit. His crimson eyes were clearly visible, as he looked not just at the church, but directly at him. Anderson felt the hairs stand on the back of his neck, but before he could do anything, the vampire walked away.

He knew full well that that damned vampire should have left the town long ago. He himself got back at the church at around three o'clock in the morning, after they finished off the vampire and almost finished off each other. Unfortunately, local police put an end to their deadly dance.

Anderson's hands trembled. That bloodsucker should have been with his master a long time ago.

It took a few moments for him to calmed down a bit. Whenever he was near the vampire, there was always a kind of tension in his blood. He didn’t know where it came from, but it helped him focus on the bloodsucker with each of his senses, so he relied on it more and more. And the mysterious tension rewarded him for it because he felt the movements of his nemesis grew more predictable with each time. Despite him thinking only a couple of months ago that he was just a monster fighting on instinct, he turned out to be so much more.

Adjusting his coat, he opened the door of his room. He got around the building, heading for the main entrance, taking bigger steps than necessary. The rays of the sun made the white paint shine as it towered over the ground. As he passed the wall, nearby laughter of children reached his ear. If he remembered correctly, the school belonging to the church was just a few blocks away. The spring sun continued to warm his dark coat, in other occasions he might have enjoyed this quiet morning.

The giant doors of the church were wide open. Approaching them was enough to feel the cool air flowing out from inside of the building. A chill ran down on his arm and he instinctively pulled his torn coat closer to himself. His footsteps echoed as he passed between the rows of benches.

"Morning." His throat felt dry, and he needed to swallow.

"Hm? Oh, good morning, Father Anderson...It's indeed a good morning. I mean the weather is lovely." Father Saw sat on the very first bench, his eyes fixed on the altar even as Anderson stepped beside him. "How did you sleep?" The man could not be more than 40. His thin, lean figure was clothed in priestly reverend. The black formal somehow made him look even thinner than he actually was. In his auburn hair one could already see a couple of graying hair.

"Good." The iscariot carried ran gaze throughout the building. Tidy, clean, welcoming, these words came to his mind. He found the place more than adequate. Father Saw kept the house of God and the flock of God in order. Anderson felt some satisfaction. He opened his mouth to speak again but the other man was faster.

"Tell me, Father Anderson. I don’t want to be indiscreet, but do you happen to know a tall man in a red coat? He looks to be around his mid-30s. Quiet a striking looking man with long black hair."

Anderson's body tensed up for the second time in the day. For a few moments, he could see the shape of the vampire and its glowing eyes clearly in front of him.

"Why are you asking?"

There was a brief silence in the church. The only thing that can be heard was the faint o laughter of children filtering through the walls. Then a bell rang in the distance, signaling the beginning of their class.

"Father Saw?"

The man cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry, my thoughts wandered off a little." He turned his dark brown eyes towards Anderson for the first time, those eyes were hiding something. When he spoke again, his gaze turned towards the altar again. "Just out of curiosity. You could say that at least... The young man was here this morning, after the morning mass." Father Saw nodded, mostly to himself.

"What did he want?"

"Well, your friend-"

"He's not my friend."

"Oh, then, you partner, perhaps?"

"Not my partner either. Why did he come here? What did he want?"

"He came to the church to make a confession."

Anderson expected all sorts of answers, just not that. "Make a confession?"

"Oh yes."

"That bloodth-" He bit the sentence before it could be continued. "That bloody…man...came here? To confess?"

"Yes."

"And what did he say?"

Father Saw looked up at him tellingly. "It remains between us and the Lord. It's after all His business."

Anderson's mouth twitched a little, but he knew it wouldn’t be any use to insist. He forced himself to nod slowly.

"I see. The point is, I know that person. At least since last year. Sometimes we meet, I think the Lord sets him in my way as a test of sorts."

"Now-now, Father Anderson, remember that everything is going according to His plans." Father Saw smiled faintly.

Anderson raised his eyes towards the sky. This was undeniably so.

"He seemed like an interesting, person." Father Saw could clearly recall the image of the figure. He could see him passing between the last row of benches after stepping out of the booth. He smiled back at the priest, eyes that glistening crimson. It must have only been the trick of the light, that the priest assured himself again.

"So he confessed his sins. I would assume not all of them."

Fater Saw sighed slowly, not really knowing what to say. So, he did what he usually does when the situation becomes too awkward. He skirted around the topic and started on another.

"Well, he did a confession but first he asked about you. I think he was worried about you, Father Anderson."

He had to swallow a snort back and just nodded.

"He was worried about me, well, he didn't need to, the important thing is that he left and he won't return." Anderson muttered. The thought itself that a vampire dared to step into the house of God, was infuriating. And between two growls, he tried to ignore the tiny yet existing part of his self that was curious about what the vampire exactly confessed. "Anyway, thank you for allowing me to stay in the church. Now it's time for me to leave, if I'm not mistaken my car has already arrived."

Father Saw's let his shoulders sag a little. He hasn’t even noticed how tense they became during the morning.

"You're welcome, Father Anderson. Thank you for visiting to help us." Even if I don’t really know what was that you actually helped with. But the bloodstained trouser leg and the bullet-torned clothes were pretty convincing for me to not ask too many questions. Thought the younger priest. "Have a nice trip home, Father Anderson."

"Yes, thank you." The Iscariot glanced around the building once more. His eyes settled in the confessional booth for a moment. Then sinking deep into his thoughts and headed towards the main entrance.

 After Father Saw was left alone, he slowly rubbed his face and sighed deeply. He had eventful days behind him. First the child disappearances, then Father Anderson, whose arrival was announced only a day before by the bishop. Blood and injuries, and that man returned at dawn. And to top it off, that strange man and his confession.

He couldn't say anything because of his oath. Though it wasn't as if he had been able to say anything to Anderson anyway.

For years he had already listened to many kinds of secrets and sins and absolved many kinds of people. But there were still things that were able to shake and confuse him completely.

'Every time I see him my blood feels like fire, and I can't focus on anything else. He makes me feel things I forgot about a long time ago. '

Father Saw squeezed the bridge of his nose. It will be a long time before he could get rid of those memories. He could still hear the man's voice, which sounded so deep one could hardly believe it belonged to a mortal.

'I know it's bad, father. But I want to make him mine. I want to taste every part of his body and make him cry out from pleasure. And I want to make him beg for more and the best part is that I would give it to him. '

He didn't even know the man's name, nor did he know where he had come from and why and how a Catholic priest would associate with someone like him. What kind of people were those two? And how did they appear here as if out of nowhere. Even more importantly, did he want to know the answer?

He needed to get outside for a breath of fresh air. Decided Father Saw as he rose from the bench. He needed a change pf pace.

'Maybe one day, he will be mine, but until then I can only just watch and dream, father. Maybe it's a bad thing, but I can't change it. I just want him. '

He stood up a bit shakily and slowly crossed himself.

 The next day

 Anderson opened the door into the ornate office, inside everything seemed garish to him. He took a short glance towards the huge painting, taking up the entirety of one of the walls. Nothing has changed since he left. Part of him was a bit disappointed, he always hoped that Maxwell would one day realize that this opulence was tasteless and did nothing to help his work. He once tried to point this out, but his former disciple said the room was decorated like this for a long time. He also stated that the painting that Anderson despised the most, was a gift.

Now, sitting at his desk, the bishop ran his eyes down a sheet of paper and rubbed his forehead.

"Is everything all right, Father Anderson?"

"Yes, everything is all right." He replied succinctly as he walked closer to him. "Why did you call me, Maxwell?"

The bishop's mouth twitched a little. Almost every time he needed to remind Anderson to call him according to his rank. But for once he decided to overlook this.

"If everything went well, what is the reason for Father Saw submitting the request to the local bishop to be reassigned to another region?"

Anderson shrugged honestly, so Maxwell continued.

"This is the fourth time, Anderson. The fourth time you and that vampire will show up and within a few days the local priest request to be transferred." A sheet of paper was put into a smaller pile. Maxwell folded his hands into his lap and looked straight into his teacher's eyes, the priest stood his gaze.

"What do you mean, it's the fourth time?"

"For the fourth time. In two months. Even a Protestant would notice the fact that there is a pattern to this thing. I just want to know why the pattern exist so we can pay attention to it in the future."

"What did they say?"

Maxwell didn't even have to glance at the page. "Overall, they feel like they can't serve God enough in their current place. Their flock became too big, and they want to be in a quieter place." The bishop shook his head. "So? What can you tell me about these four cases? I know you finished the vampire, and I also know you ran into Hellsing's dog. But maybe something else happened too?" He slowly looked the man in front of him up and down.

Anderson glanced towards painting. The angels circled the saint in the middle, who reached towards the sky with an almost cathartic smile. In the bottom of the picture people were bathing in blood, their faces reflecting pure pain. The father could not stand this painting. The features of the figure in the middle, resembled Maxwell too much.

"Father Anderson?"

He answered after a moment's silence. "I don't know. I think they were just shaken by the deaths. They would not be the first or the last to ask for reassignment after a tragedy. Very few have to deal with literal monsters in their lives."

"Well, if I have to stand before the pope with that as an answer, so be it." Seeing Anderson's gaze, he lowered the self-sacrificing edge in his voice. "Thank you for visiting me. That would be it."

The priest glanced at the picture once again.

"You can go, Anderson."

"All right." He walked slowly towards the door, then turned back with his hand on the handle. "Sometimes get out of there, Maxwell. This place is," he continued after some thought. "You spend too much time indoors. And try to eat properly."

Maxwell couldn't hide his embarrassment, which made him feel warm at first and then anger mixed with some pride, but when he spoke, he tried to completely suppress the latter in his voice. "I'll think about it, Father. But I'm very busy these days, but I'll see what can I do."

The young man nodded slowly.

Anderson's mouth trembled, then he walked out of the office, leaving Maxwell behind. The bishop glanced at the painting and did not even notice the satisfied smile that appeared on his lips.

 For once, the basement was not in complete darkness. And this was also one of those rare occasions when the vampire didn’t spend all his time shut in there.

"If you had seen the face of that priest, Walter!" Alucard laughed sincerely, holding his glass towards the butler. "And his voice. It became just as high pitch as the others when they realized what we were going to talk about. Or what kind of sins they needed to absolve me from."

"I can only guess what kind of horror he had to go through thanks to you." He filled the glass of wine and then sipped a little from his own cup, with a small smile playing on his lips. "How many priests was blessed with the chance to gain insight into your worries?"

"This was the fourth." The vampire grinned contentedly. "I have almost forgotten how refreshing it can be when a man is freed from the burdens of his soul." He drank slowly from the wine. "A fraction of them at least."

"Refreshing? You mean fun." Walter glanced at him and crossed his legs. He was sitting across Alucard in a comfortable armchair that had been recently brought down into the basement.

"Combining the pleasant with the useful?"

The butler snorted and then chuckled under his nose. "I don't even want to know what exactly you said to that poor soul."

Alucard's grin widened, his eyes gleamed brightly as he remembered back to yesterday morning. Even now he could clearly recall the stuttering voice of the priest. He was just as shocked as the three others when he entered the confession booth. But he had to admit, so far all four had endured and none of them fled from him.

"I wonder where you got this idea from?" Walter shook his head with a smile.

"Actually, we owe it all to Anderson. He was the one who told me a few months ago, during one of our hunts, that a monster of my own kind would never be able to cleanse itself of its sins. Even if I apologized all my life."

"And of course, you took that as a challenge."

Alucard chuckled deeply. "I took it as a good advice, Walter, good a good advice from a good friend."

"A good friend, I see." He put his cup back on the tray.

"In the beginning, I just wanted to upset a priest. But since then, more and more new things have appeared in mind, and whenever I confess, I think it will be the last one. But it never is."

"Oh, I wonder why that is."

Alucard raised an eyebrow at the butler but received only a small chuckle in response.

"Either way, I'm glad you managed to get yourself something to occupy your time. Of course, in addition to constantly upsetting Anderson and provoking every meeting of you two into a battle."

"Not every meeting." Corrected it, a little maybe arbitrary, Alucard.

"Oh?" Walter chuckled as the vampire just snorted. "Still, try teaching Seras something more useful over time if possible."

"As soon as she starts consuming blood properly." Alucard waved it off. "What?" He raised an eyebrow as he caught the look in Walter's eye.

"Nothing." The butler shook his head and stood up picking up his tray. "But it's time for me to go, the dinner won't serve itself."

Alucard finished his glass, murmuring slightly. "Always on duty."

"Well, not everyone is lucky enough to have fun at work." Walter left the basement with a telling smile. "Have another nice night, Alucard."

"Hm," the vampire refilled his glass, then began to swirl it around slowly, watching the red liquid splash around the edge of it.

The passage of time was hard to tell inside the cellar, at least for an average person. Alucard could feel it without mistake when the day turned to night, or the breaking of dawn. However, he hasn’t really bothered with the passage of time since long ago. He could afford his thoughts to roam freely.

'Forgive me Father, for I have sinned.'

Alucard still had to laugh. He doesn't need forgiveness, hell, he would never ask for it. But what would he say if Anderson would offer him forgiveness? How would he react? How soon would he stab the bayonet through the wall of the confessional? Or what if he would just listen? And if he could sit through it all? After all, he is still a priest, a bloodthirsty, fiery, and fighting priest.

The vampire's eyes flared up with an even more vivid red. His excitement was similar to when he fought with Anderson, be it side by side or against each other.

He drank slowly from his glass.

Maybe...there could be a way.

He placed his empty glass on his desk. Then, he got up from his chair and walked through the walls into the garden. Outside, he looked up at the clear sky and smiled at the silvery light of the moon. It was really beautiful today, - The thought ran through his mind. -, almost as much as Anderson’s eyes when he is fighting.

He paused for a moment.

"Well," he chuckled deeply. It seemed that even his own thoughts could surprise him from time to time. Well, he had a lot to think about.

[preciouslittlebhaalbabie]

Well because @twistedtrashposts wanted me too have this dumb Malleus scenario with reader.

✨"Okay but what if Lilia just like, walks in on Malleus and you showering because Lilia raised him so he's just chill about it but didn't realize you'd be there."

"Fucking gold."✨

🚩Some suggestive themes, nothing much though. 🚩

Enjoy. Idk give me more suggestions to write. I'll take Malleus (twisted wonderland), Dimitri (Fire emblem) or Alucard (Castlevaina) mainly.

Other people I simp for are

Sypha (Castlevaina), Tamaki (MHA), Elias (TMA), Ashe (Fire emblem), Kuro (Servamp), and probably more I am forgetting to mention.

It had been awhile since you and Malleus had private time together. College finals were coming and going as you two finished your semesters together. But finally you two got to spend alone time together. You debated what you should do together. You could have dinner together, see a movie, go hiking, a handful of amazing ideas you two would enjoy together.

Finally you two settled on something simple. Just a warm shower shared between the two of you. It has been awhile since you had been intimate and you two thought it would be nice just to spend some time together under the running water. Plus you liked Malleus shower so much more than your own so you would take any opportunity to shower in his bathroom.

You and Malleus had stripped yourselves of your clothes and simply stood in the water together. Sometimes this was all you needed with your relationship. You two were very simple with your needs and very vocal about your wants so you and Malleus worked well with each other. You both enjoyed just simply holding each other and letting the water run over the two of you.

But it was very short-lived when Malleus' paternal father, Lilia, stormed into the bathroom. You promptly let out a scream and hid behind Malleus to cover yourself, not expecting the male to just WALK right into Malleus' bathroom like he owned the place.

"Malleus-" He started but upon seeing you he quickly said your name not realizing you were there and apologized covering what part of your body wasn't covered by Malleus with his hand. "Stop screaming Malleus, I raised you." He said, you didn't even realize Malleus was screaming with you.

"I needed to remind you to study tonight for your potions final, you're really going to need it." Lilia said simply. He really barged into Malleus' bathroom while you two were both naked, even if it was just Malleus in the shower that would be awkward, just to remind Malleus about his final.

"Anyways you two have fun, but don't have too much fun because Malleus needs to pass, Tootles!" Lilia said quickly before waving his fingers and walking out of the bathroom, leaving you gripping Malleus' shoulder trying to make sense of what just happened and coming to terms with it.

"I think the moment has been ruined and I want to get out." You finally said after a few moments of silence.

"I agree." Malleus breathed, nodding his head, before grabbing towels for the both of you.

[onthesandsofdreams]

Begin Anew

Fandom: Netflix’s Castlevania Pairing: Alucard x Reader  Rating: T Summary: And so, it began a routine. You and Alucard would share your meals, then go your separate ways. It was rare that you spent more time together, he’d been very clear on some rules: you’d always had to make some noise when approaching, or call out to him before. He never told you were he slept, he’d given you a room, but his was a mystery to you. But even with all that, you could see traces of the man Trevor and Sypha had spoken. Quiet, educated, well mannered and mostly polite – he had hissed at you once, after you took him by surprise one day in the kitchen. And he was oh so handsome. His eyes were like amber, hair like spun gold and his elegant features made him all the more appealing in your eyes. He was tall too, strong and brave. And you fell in love with him. Words: 1527 Notes: Written for Fictober-Event, prompts #26. “how about you trust me for once?” & 31.“I trust you”

Read @ AO3

The past months had been hell. Almost literally.

First, you had joined Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades in their quest to kill monsters. You had an advantage that was very welcomed, you were a witch. Which meant that you and Sypha would spend some time debating the difference between you both. But in the end, you didn’t want to continue the fight, it wasn’t because you couldn’t, but simply because you didn’t had the temperament for it. You wanted to heal, not kill.

And so it was, that you made your way to where Trevor said was his old homestead. Sypha had written a letter and both of them had signed it, a way, they said, to make sure that Alucard would know that they had sent you. And that had been that.

Alucard, of course, had not been happy. His reception of you had been chilly. Near paranoid and you knew better than to ask about the two corpses at the front door. Being half a vampire, you’d expect that it would come with enemies and people actively trying to kill him. So, you let it go, as much as it made you uncomfortable, you knew that you shouldn’t be pushing for answers. Not yet, at least.

It was Alucard who did the hunting and made food and then, he’d disappeared into the castle. It was rare that he spent time with you. Most of your conversations occurred over food.

“And what exactly,” he’d asked, “is that you want to do.”

“Heal.” You said without hesitation. “I already have some training, I studied healing with plants. But Trevor said that your father kept a library that could be useful for me.”

Alucard had given you an odd look. One that you did your best not to flinch from, it was, as if he were trying to look deep into your mind and soul. He nodded once, lifted his fork and said, “That is true, I will take you there, so you know where it is.” And then, he spoke no more.

“Thank you. I’ll appreciate that.”

The rest of the meal transpired in silence. You didn’t mind, it had given you the opportunity to study Alucard. He seemed so… different from what Trevor and Sypha had spoken. The man in front of you was near paranoid. He was cold, far more detached than what you had expected. You sighed and finished your meal.

True to his word, Alucard had show you the library and then left. You thanked him, even if he was already far away enough that he wouldn’t be able to hear it. And then, you did what you wanted to do, dive right in into the books.

And so, it began a routine. You and Alucard would share your meals, then go your separate ways. It was rare that you spent more time together, he’d been very clear on some rules: you’d always had to make some noise when approaching, or call out to him before. He never told you were he slept, he’d given you a room, but his was a mystery to you.

But even with all that, you could see traces of the man Trevor and Sypha had spoken. Quiet, educated, well mannered and mostly polite – he had hissed at you once, after you took him by surprise one day in the kitchen. And he was oh so handsome. His eyes were like amber, hair like spun gold and his elegant features made him all the more appealing in your eyes. He was tall too, strong and brave.

And you fell in love with him.

Unfortunately, you knew that you had an uphill battle. It had been several months in, when you finally managed to get him to spend some time with him. You’d sit in one of the rooms, fire roaring and playing chess (he’d agreed to teach you), drinking wine and sometimes, talking.

It took him four months after that to speak of his near death. Of that betrayal that had left a deep scar on him. You had done your best to control your reactions, truth be told, you wanted to vomit. It’s one thing to face an enemy upfront, but wait until one of his most vulnerable moments to strike? You couldn’t wrap your mind around that. You were pretty sure the horror at the actions of those two were shown in your face. Alucard had looked away, ended the chess match and left without giving you a chance to speak.

It took you a while to get your bearings, but when you did, Alucard was gone and there was no trace of him. With a deep sense of defeat, you headed back to your room to try and make sense of everything. No wonder Alucard didn’t trust you. No wonder he’d asked you to announce yourself and more importantly, never telling you were his room was. You couldn’t blame him at all. And your heart ached for him. It’s been very clear for you that he was lonely, that he missed company, that he missed Trevor and Sypha.

You slumped in your bed, trying to think of something to do to help him. To make him see that you were not like them. But were completely unsure of how to proceed. That night, you fell into a dreamless sleep.

Alucard avoided you for a week after that. The only trace of his presence was in the food and dirty dishes. And you were at your wits end. It would not do, so you decided to do the only thing that came to mind, stalk the kitchen.

You didn’t beat him for breakfast, but you did for the meal. There was some left over rabbit stew that you decided to reheat, and opted to make bread with herbs to go with it. Your concentration was broken by footsteps and Alucard’s voice saying, “What are you doing?”

“Making bread.” As if that weren’t obvious enough.

“I can see that, but I told you. I take care of the food.” Alucard walked into the kitchen, still keeping a safe distance between the two of you.

Your hands shook at his tone, and you couldn’t help the bitterness that tainted your voice when you said, “How about you trust me for once?”

Silence.

You took a deep breath, trying not to cry. You were in love with that man, and he didn’t trust you. Perhaps he never would, all because of them. You cursed them, and while you weren’t a vindictive person, you hope they were in the darkest pits of hell.

“I am not going to poison the food,” you managed to get out, your voice breaking. “I’m going to eat it too.”

A sigh. “I know. And for what’s worth, I trust you.”

Your head snapped up, tears blurring your vision. “Then why…?”

“Because I am afraid.”

Well now, that made terrible sense. It gnawed at you, you had not given him any reason. “I – I have not given you any reason to be afraid of me.” You choked out. “I don’t want to kill you. I’m not a killer, that’s why I didn’t follow Trevor and Sypha. Even those creatures, killing didn’t appeal to me. I am a healer, Alucard. I’m not one who wants to take life. I want to cure it, make it better.” You hated that you were crying now.

Alucard said nothing for what it felt the longest time. Then he bowed his head and sighed, “Because you remind me of my mother.” His voice was quiet, barely above a whisper. “She came here, looking for knowledge, wanting to heal and… she died because of it. You are an actual witch, a healer yes, but a witch, can you see how that would give me pause of repeating the past?”

You hated that he was making sense, Trevor had warned you about the fate of Alucard’s mother. “I am not her and you are not your father.” You managed to get out, then dried your tears and wiped at your eyes, bread forgotten momentarily. “I – well, I care for you.” I love you, you didn’t say, even if you wanted to. It was not the time. “And it hurts that you keep such a distance.”

“For your safety.”

“I can take care of myself, thank you very much.”

Alucard smiled, “I know. But still.”

“Can we at least, try and be better friends?”

Alucard blinked, then, the corners of his mouth quirked up. “Friends? Yes, I suppose I could use of of those.”

You could use several, you though. “Me too, it’s been lonely. Can’t we try again, from the beginning?”

Alucard approached you then. Set what he’d brought into the table, then, extended his hands. “Well miss, I am Adrian Tepes, nice to meet you.”

You smiled softly. “Hello Adrian, it’s very lovely to meet you, I am Y/n. Thank you for letting me live here, I’m making herb bread. Sounds good?”

“You’re welcome, and yes, the bread does sound good.”

It may not be what you were hoping for, but it was a start. After all, hope springs eternal.

[jettingtothemoon]

Costume Party

➳ pairing: alucard x trevor x m!reader ➳ genre: fluff, modern au ➳ warnings: swearing, suggestive themes?, alcohol usage ➳ word count: 2337 ➳ rating: pg-15 ➳ summary: In which you and adrian throw trevor a surprise halloween party. ➳ a/n: a request from wattpad

What better place to throw a Halloween party other than Dracula's castle itself? Well, what used to be Dracula's castle. Now, it was your home but it wasn't like you lived here alone.

"Here?" Adrian questioned, looking at your for confirmation that he had chosen the correct place to hang the fake cobwebs.

You smiled, happy to see him taking this seriously despite originally thinking it might not have been a good idea, "Yeah, that's perfect."

It had been your suggestion to prepare a surprise Halloween party for Trevor when he arrived back home. He was in need of some fun, especially after such a long trip. Well, it was only a few days but those few days were very long without him. Both you and Adrian had missed him a great deal.

It's the 21st century so of course, you both called him while he was away but it just wasn't the same as seeing him in person. What better way to welcome him back other than with crazy costumes, fake blood and a keg full of beer? Well, he would at least appreciate the boose.

"Who did you invite again?" Adrian questioned, climbing down from the chair he had previously been standing on.

You finished putting up the last of the decorations in your hand and turned to him, "You know, a few people we know. The castle will be well filled out befitting a great party."

Adrian hummed and walked over to you, "Well, we better get you in a costume before they get here."

With a grin, you happily followed Adrian upstairs to the bedroom. He had already picked out a costume for you, although he made sure to keep it a surprise until this very moment.

"Is that a dress?"

Once again, he hummed and picked up the torn, tattered and bloody white dress, "Trevor will be Frankenstein and you'll be his bride."

After a very brief second of silence, you burst out laughing. It wasn't anything you would have ever expected from Adrian. Actually, you had expected him to make you dress up as a werewolf or a vampire-like himself but no, here he was putting you in a dress.

"Alright then, but doesn't that leave you out?"

"Well, I of course will be Dr Frankenstien himself. A vampire version, obviously. I think that makes me your owner." Adrian explained his idea behind the costumes and how he wasn't left out of it.

You raised an eyebrow and chuckled whilst eyeing up the dress he had prepared for you, "Our owner? I don't think Trevor will like that."

"No, but I'm sure he will be more than pleased to have you as his bride. Oh, and just in case you're not comfortable in the dress I brought some shorts for you to wear underneath."

You smiled and began to change, noticing how Adrian wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he was eyeing you up. When you had managed to pull the dress on properly, you tried to reach for the zip only to find that it was out of reach.

As if on cue, Adrian circled around you and slowly began to pull the zip up, "Don't you look pretty."

"I feel ridiculous. You know most of the people coming to this party are my friends right? I will never live this down." You sighed, although you weren't going to oppose wearing the costume Adrian had specifically picked out for you.

"They'll simply be too stunned to care. You look beautiful my love. Now, time for the make-up." He clasped his hands together excitedly.

It was nice to see him enjoying himself. A Halloween party wasn't something Adrian agreed to immediately but the second you told him that he could pick out a costume for both you and Trevor, well, his thoughts on the matter changed entirely.

Make-up was a must for Halloween. Even if it simply meant some face paint and a bit of fake blood. For Adrian, however, it was simply another fun activity to do with you. With a look of complete concentration on his face, Adrian worked his magic and made you look like a bride befitting the undead Frankenstein.

"There, now just let me spray some temporary colour into your hair and we'll be done."

Once your costume was complete, Adrian instructed you to go finish off laying out the snacks and drinks. And so, you left him to change into his own costume and started by lugging the beer kegs into place.

"What the fuck are you wearing?"

A familiar voice echoed from behind you as Trevor ducked under the spooky tunnel you had created at the entrance of the castle out of a few black sheets and lots of string.

You turned around with a smile, "We're having a Halloween party. I'm the Bride of Frankenstein."

"And where is this Frankenstein, huh? I might just have to duel him for his bride's affection."

It was embarrassing just hearing him say it but Trevor had always been a little possessive of you and Adrian. He was just like that with the people he loved.

"That would be you, actually. Come on, we don't have long and you need to get in your costume." Adrian explained, ushering Trevor up the stairs the moment he reached the bottom.

He was already in his costume, although he was only about halfway through spraying the white colour onto his golden hair. It was a simple costume. A white lab coat that was covered in splatters of fake blood, accompanied by the trail of red that ran along the side of his mouth. Of course, to top it off he was colouring his hair and donning a pair of long black gloves. Not to mention, his fangs were on full display for all to see.

"If you try to paint me green I swear to God Adrian..." Trevor grumbled as he followed after the blonde.

Not long after they disappeared upstairs, guests began to arrive. You were left to greet them all, laughing with them when they mentioned how great your costume was. By the time your lovers returned, the castle was flooded with a sea of people, all dressed up in gory costumes that matched perfectly with the decorations you and Adrian had spent the better half of the day putting up.

"I know what you're thinking, such a dashing monster. You know, I'm usually the one killing the monsters, not pretending to be one." Trevor chuckled as he and Adrian rejoined you.

He hadn't had much time to rest after coming back from his trip, if he had any at all, but he didn't seem the least bit tired. In fact, he looked ready to party. Music boomed through the castle, trembling through the very foundations and, like a leaf in the wind, Trevor was blown along with it. Well, blown over to the beer.

Adrian stood by your side, wrapping an arm delicately around your waist as he leaned into you, "You know, I think this is the best idea you've had in a while. Now, whilst he drinks himself into oblivion, why don't we have a little fun ourselves?"

Before you could ask what he meant, you were whisked away into the crowd of bodies. You certainly hadn't invited this many people but you weren't surprised that more people showed up. The news of a Halloween party in the haunted castle must have spread through town rather quickly.

Adrian took your hand in his and danced so slowly with you, despite the fast pace of the music. He wasn't dancing to the music at all. No, he was simply dancing with you. You rested your head against his shoulder with a smile, welcoming his embrace after such a long and tiresome day. Although, you suspected it would be an even longer night.

"Come on you two, stop being so boring and drink with me!" Trevor yelled over the music, interrupting you and Adrian as he grabbed both of you and pulled you over to where the drinks were.

Trevor was never one for romance, although he had his moments. Now, however, was not one of them.

He shoved a pint of beer into your hand and then passed one to Adrian, who sighed with a roll of his eyes and downed the drink in one. You soon followed suit. The pints soon turned into shots and, before long, the three of you were really rather drunk. With a hearty laugh, Trevor wrapped his arm around your shoulder, his entire weight falling onto you for a brief moment before he found his feet again.

"We should do this all the time."

You chuckled, "Do what? Dress up as monsters and party?"

"No. Drink, party and fuck to our hearts' content!" Trevor declared with yet another laugh.

It was nice seeing him having fun without any stress. He liked to stress. Too many monsters to kill, not enough monsters to kill. Not enough time at home with you and Adrian, too much time stuck at home. He was hard to please but always told the two of you how you made his life worth living, even if mostly when he was drunk or simply feeling extra sappy.

"You know, we haven't actually done that last one yet." You smirked.

Just because Trevor wasn't home for a few days didn't mean that you and Adrian hadn't, well, had sex. Of course you had but there was something about it when it wasn't all three of you, it just wasn't complete. Enjoyable, yes. But in the end you'd always wind up lying in bed wondering what Trevor was up to, amusing yourselves by joking about how he was probably lying in bed all grumpy because the two of you weren't by his side. He always missed you when he went on his trips and the two of you certainly missed him. Adrian went with him sometimes which meant that you were home all on your own until they returned, although they always made sure not to be gone for too long.

"That is true. Think we can ditch our own party and head upstairs?"

Before you could answer, Adrian stumbled past yelling out nonsense right before collapsing onto the sofa.

"Or not." Trevor sighed, although you simply giggled at the state Adrian was in.

Neither Trevor or Adrian were good at holding their beer but, when it came to Trevor at least he could function somewhat rationally no matter how smashed he was. Adrian, on the other hand, was and will always be a paralytic drunk.

"Let's get him to bed." You chuckled, dragging Trevor along to help you carry Adrian up the stairs.

The blonde grinned at you and extended his arms out towards you as if he knew what was happening, grabbing at the air between the two of you as he slurred, "Up, up. Let's gooooo."

You shook your head and went to help him up but, before you could, Trevor had beaten you to it, "Can't have my bride tugging this sack of potatoes up the stairs, can I?"

"Just get him to bed, I'll clear everyone out. What time even is it? One? Two in the morning?"

"Three. It's almost three in the morning." Trevor groaned and threw Adrian's arm around his neck as he gently picked him up.

With a nod, you headed over to the speaker, unplugging it before yelling at the top of your lungs that the party was over. You thanked everyone for coming as the left, sounding almost like a broken record as the swarm of bodies passed you and began heading home. There were a couple of people completely lying around but, after checking they were all still alive, you decided to just leave them to their sleep and sleepily began to head for your room.

When you got there, neither Adrian nor Trevor was anywhere to be seen. It didn't take long to find them though, you simply followed the sound of someone being sick until you reached the bathroom. And there they were. Adrian with his head down the toilet and Trevor, sweetly holding his hair back and rubbing circles into his back.

"This is your fault." Adrian sulked before throwing up what was left in his stomach.

Trevor simply continued to rub those soothing circles into his back and, once Adrian was done, allowed him to fall back against him, "I know, I know. I'm sorry."

"Let's get you to bed." You yawned, crouching down beside Adrian before you helped Trevor get him back on his feet.

The three of you staggered along back to your bed. Adrian was the first to flop down into it, his hair splaying out on the pillow as he landed on his side of the bed. 

Trevor noticed you were struggling with the dress and came to help you unzip it. Although he didn't stop there and also went as far to push it over your shoulders until it fell onto the floor.

"You had to be wearing shorts under it." He sighed and buried his head into the crook of your neck.

You chuckled, "That's never stopped you before."

He hummed against your skin, kissing it softly before letting go and allowing you to step out of the dress. For tonight the paint, fake blood, hair colouring and make-up with have to say but there was no way you were going to wear that uncomfortable costume to bed. Trevor seemed to agree, at least to some extent, and pulled off his shirt before climbing in beside Adrian, carefully pushing his long hair over so that he wouldn't lie on it.

"Come on then." He spoke with a soft voice and lifted his arm so that you could lie against him.

You didn't waste a moment and crawled onto the large bed, squeezing up against Trevor as you rested your head against his chest.

Adrian, who you had both expected to have already conked out by now, rolled over and placed a hand on the other side of Trevor's chest with a sleepy smile, "We missed you."

"Yeah, yeah. I missed you too." He spoke with a slight blush, although you were certain that was because of the alcohol.

And so, snuggled together in bed, you finally fell asleep as three once again.

[thirstyforlulu]

Alucard x Reader: For Your Convenience Chapter 6

All the rooms that were occupied were marked by a special sign hanging from the door. The signs had the occupant’s name written on it so everyone knew where they belonged and no one got confused. They were all in the same hallway too, so you wouldn’t have to walk far to check on them.

At the end of the hallway, sitting on a small serving table was a tray with several glasses surrounding a bottle of wine and a pitcher of water. You were worried you wouldn’t be able to lift it properly, but when you looked down you realized the serving table had wheels.

“Oh thank goodness,” You sighed, picturing how Alucard would have reacted had you dropped the tray.

When you gave it a push, it moved along with very little noise, not even an annoying squeak from the wheels caused by going years without being used. Approaching the first door, you set the cart aside to allow you to open the door if need be and raised your hand to knock.

“Housekeeping, is everything alright?” You asked.

“Yes thank you!” A male voice replied.

“May I interest you in a drink?”

“No thank you.”

“Alright, have a good night,” You said, taking the cart and moving on to the next door.

This door’s sign was labeled “Luke” a name which you recognized from earlier. Once again you knocked and were about to begin your greeting when the door opened, startling you.

Luke was standing at the door dressed in a pair of nighttime underwear with nothing covering his upper body. His hair wasn’t as neatly combed, probably from changing clothes or getting into bed.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” He said in a friendly, playful tone.

“It’s alright, I just wasn’t expecting that.”

“In truth, I smelled you coming. Your blood smells incredible,” He, you guessed, complimented.

Noticing the nervous look on your face, he quickly changed the subject.

“I just wanted to apologize personally for my brother’s behavior. He can get a little reckless sometimes when faced with someone so beautiful.”

That time you understood the compliment. Blushing you looked back towards the tray, gesturing at the two drink options.

“W-Would you like something to drink?”

“Yes, but I’m afraid you don’t have it on your little cart~”

You were so nervous, not knowing what to expect. The ringing in your ears completely blocked out the sound of the neighbor’s door opening.

“Keep it in your pants pervert,” Jan groaned at his brother.

“Stay out of this Jan.”

“Sorry, you brought me into this when you called me reckless.”

The two brothers glared at each other from their open doors. Caught in the middle of it, you didn’t know what to say or do.

“Although, I was going to ask our sweet little y/n for a little room service~ Just something to help me fall asleep,” Jan cooed, gracing your chin with his finger.

“Quiet you idiot!”

“My apologies gentlemen, but I’m afraid I must move on to the other guests. Can I interest either of you in a glass of wine or water before I leave?” You spoke up, coming up with an excuse for you to slip away on the fly.

Luke took a glass of wine and Jan took water. They both shot angry looks at each other before shutting their doors.

The next room contained a female vampire who kindly asked you for another pillow. At the end of the hallway was the linen closet, so after a quick detour you returned with the extra bedding. She thanked you kindly and asked for a glass of wine which you happily poured for her.

“Thank you darling,” She said before shutting her door.

Next was a male vampire, then Seras and Pip.

“Housekeeping,” You began but before you could say anything else Pip opened the door.

“Hello again y/n,” He said with a smile.

“Hello Pip, is everything alright with your room?”

“It’s perfect,” Seeing the cart he grinned. “My, my, more wine? Ours is a most gracious host,” He laughed.

“May I interest you two in some?”

“Of course, two glasses please,” He replied, leaning relaxed against the door frame.

Once they were made you handed him both drinks which he happily took.

“I hope you and miss Seras enjoy your drinks.”

“If I let her have any,” He winked, shutting the door.

With no other rooms left on that side of the hall, you switched to the other and began heading the opposite direction. After another random vampire you hadn’t met, you got to Integra’s room.

“Housekeeping, is everything alright?”

“Yes,” She replied blankly.

“May I offer you a drink?”

Without replying she opened the door, standing there in a pale blue nightgown. She picked up the bottle of wine and began pouring herself a glass before you could offer. Awkwardly, you stood there as she did your job, when she was done, she took the glass and begin to swirl it in her hand.

“Thank you again for helping me out,” You said to break the silence.

“Think nothing of it. I’ve told you, I suspect you’ll bring me a great deal of entertainment.”

“But still, I appreciate it. You’re one of the few people who’ve been nice to me since I got here, it’s refreshing.”

“Do not let my kindness go to waste,” She said grimly, taking a sip from her glass.

“Excuse me?”

“What I’m saying is, be careful. These vampires are dangerous, ruthless, they will show no mercy. Now that they know your blood is superb, there’s no telling what they might do to get to you.”

“B-But wouldn’t Alucard protect me?” You said, your fingers shaking.

You knew you wouldn’t be able to protect yourself if anyone came after you. They’d drain every drop of blood from your veins without a second thought. Unlike Alucard, none of them would show any type of restraint in order to preserve their food source.

“Would he?” She asked, raising her brow.

Not knowing what else to say, you put your head down and said “Goodnight”. The next room was Walter’s who took a glass of water without much conversation. He had a look on his face the entire time, one of those smug faces like the ones poker players get when they have an excellent hand.

He was the last person you needed to check on, so once you had said goodnight you returned the cart to its place at the end of the hall. You had not been given any other instructions other than to make sure all the guests were comfortable in their rooms.

After waiting a moment to make sure no one had any other concerns, you headed back toward your room. The skimpy maid clothes were growing more and more uncomfortable with each step and you couldn’t wait to remove them. Your pajamas were practically calling your name as you rounded another corner.

Suddenly, two hands wrapped around your shoulders and a chin rested on the crook of your neck.

“Y/N,” Alucard whispered, pressing against you.

“I did what you asked sir,” You tried, hoping that was all he was there for.

“Yes, you made such a perfect little maid for me, but watching you serving them all made my mind start to wander.”

“Wander? What do you mean?”

“Well, I began to think about how you’d react if I slipped my hand under your skirt like this,” He said, taking the hand that wasn’t around your throat and sliding it down your body till he reached the skirt.

Slipping under the hem, he reached up to feel your stomach right above your underwear line. His hand was ice-cold, chilling your flushed skin almost immediately.

“So warm, so full of life, it drives me mad knowing the incredible elixir that hides within your veins,” He said, placing a kiss on your neck.

You expected his fangs to dig in, but he merely sucked, leaving a bright hickey that’d last for days probably. His hand moved further up, pulling the skirt with it and exposing your lower body. If anyone were to come wandering through the hallway they’d get an eyeful they weren’t expecting.

Quickly you reached down to grab his hand. As hard as you could you pulled him away, but his hand didn’t budge, the only reaction you got was a laugh.

“Nice try, beautiful,” he said, twisting the hand on your stomach, so he could take yours.

His thumb rubbed across the back of your palm, caressing your skin.

“So weak, you don’t stand a chance. If I wanted to, I could snap your neck right here-”

“Then why don’t you?” You hissed in a momentary burst of boldness.

Alucard’s grip loosened in confusion. He had not expected you to reply with anything more than whimpers or cries. Your boldness was unexpected, but not unwelcome. It caused a reaction in him that he was not used to. That fight, that spark of life within you, he loved seeing it come out, and he needed to see more of it.

“Why don’t I? Because of our deal. I own you, and I’m not big on breaking my toys,” He replied, taking your hand and lowering it down to between your legs.

“I am not your toy, you don’t own me!” You continued to fight, despite the pleasure you felt as he manipulated your hand.

On your back, you could feel his growing erection. It pressed against you longingly, trying to tear through its cloth prison.

“Oh? You truly are a peculiar human, fighting me while I hold your life in my hands. Tell me the truth, do you like it when I’m rough with you?” He whispered, punctuating his words with a thrust of his hips.

You didn’t want to admit it but having him so close was starting to turn you on. A thought crossed your mind, that you should give up and beg him to fuck you, that you should fall to the ground and please him to your heart’s content, but you forced yourself to ignore your own growing desire.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? You want to believe I can’t resist you because you’re just so strong and handsome to make you feel less repulsive!”

There was no turning back now. This outburst would likely earn you some strange new punishment, but you refused to go easy. You refused to be a pushover, you decided that back when you first tried to use your body to save yourself.

“Naughty bitch~ You say that, and yet I can feel how your legs are trembling.”

You blinked, and when you opened your eyes you were back in your room with Alucard standing at the door.

“Now sit here and think about what you did, just remember to keep it down, so the guests don’t hear,” He teased.

You wanted to shoot back at him, but he had closed the door before you could reply. He was insane if he thought you were going to pleasure yourself after that. You promised yourself that you had no sexual desires for him, trying to deny the intense heat that still burned in your stomach.

[lilyharvord]

I’m not sure whether you take prompts in general and if you would for the shades of magic but here we go just in case :) you know in a gathering of shadows when alucard barges into lila and kell, I’ve always thought he would give her shit about it but never knew what the conversation would be so that idk?your writing is also amazing and you’re so talented

AAAHAHHAHAHAHAHA Okay I’m so excited because you’re the first person to ask me to do a Shade of Magic Prompt???!!! I am totally open to doing prompts, my ask box is always open ((((: . (hella nervous cause this would be my first intro to the fandom, but I’m so here for this!!!!) *cracks knuckles* I did it. ((((: 

Sometimes, Delilah Bard wanted to watch the world burn. It was nothing personal, never. But sometimes, it needed to burn. And right now, as she lost another round of Sanct to Alucard, it needed to go up like a tinder box. 

“You’re cheating.” She grumbled, tossing her cards unceremoniously onto the pile. Her old captain smirked, the little white scar above his eye where his sapphire used to rest crinkling 

“That is how one plays Sanct, Bard.” He laughed as he pulled the pile of loot towards him. Fingering a particularly nice precious stone that Lila had been loath to give up, he smirked. “I’ll play you in another round just to show you.” 

“I’ve already emptied my pockets, and I don’t plan to lose anything else.” Lila pushed her chair back along the plush carpet of his rooms. Reaching for her half full glass of dark red liquid, she gazed out at the Isle, glowing faintly in the evening light. 

Resting the rim of the glass against her lip, she tried to ignore the beauty of the view. She didn’t miss it like Kell did, but whenever they did return, she found herself having a hard time leaving it behind as the Nightspire pulled away from dock. While her mind had stopped chanting run whenever she felt that gentle tug she associated with staying put, she still refused to admit she wanted to remain in London. The sea was still her calling... and it didn’t hurt being captain of her own ship. 

The past few months they had been away had been harder on Kell than ever before. It had been almost three years since Osaron, and yet that pain had never left him. He waved her concern away at every turn, but it didn’t stop her from asking around in markets and taverns. Subtle questions about magic and it’s loss. She blamed Holland, of course, he had been the one still drawing on their magic in the end. A little warning could have saved them the pain Kell dealt with now. 

Her brow creased and her reflection in the polished glass mimicked it. The other Antari had long been quiet. Kell didn’t speak of him, and Lila didn’t exactly mind that. It still worried her though. 

“Gold for your thoughts?” 

“You have all my gold.” Lila forced a smirk, her short cropped hair shifting as she glanced over her shoulder. 

“Very well,” Alucard sighed as he leaned back in his chair and took up his own glass of wine, “I’m thinking that if those two don’t hurry up I’m going to die of boredom in this very room.” 

“How regrettable.” Lila bemoaned mockingly, before sipping at her drink. It was sweeter than any wine he had ever given her but just as rich, if not richer. Being a close confidant of the King certainly helped support her friend’s expensive tastes. 

“It is regrettable, Bard. Because I’ll blame that royal pain-in-the-ass for it, and then who will keep you company on those long voyages?” His lips curled into a rapier sharp grin as he gazed at her over the rim of his glass. 

Setting her glass back down on the table and standing over the captain turned noble turned consort, Lila frowned down at him. Her fingers danced to the knife strapped into her thigh, hidden beneath the lovely new coat she had bought today. It had even more pockets and straps for her to hang and hide knives, much to Kell’s chagrin when she showed him. Alucard didn’t appear the slightest bit swayed by her posturing though, in fact, his eyes burned with mischief at the sight of her reaction. 

“I do not need constant companionship, unlike you.” She ran her fingertip along the rim of her glass, calling up a bead of wine that she flicked his direction. He barely swiped it out of the way before it could splatter on his pristine white shirt. it plopped onto the table, and Lila laughed at his offended expression before lifting the glass completely to down the last of that delicious, honey sweet wine. 

“That’s not what I saw years ago.” Alucard’s grin returned in full force when she set the glass back onto the table, earning Lila’s full attention with those words. Her brow quirked in speculation, and she drummed her fingers on the table, awaiting a further explanation. 

Searching her memories for what he could possibly be referring to, she settled on a faint one of a closet sized cabin. A rush of heat bloomed along her cheeks, and she pushed off the table. “You’re insufferable.” 

Howling with laughter at Lila’s retreat, Alucard swept up the cards from their games and shuffled them once more. “Play me in another round of Sanct,” he said with a wink, “and if you win, I’ll pretend I never saw that little... interaction.” 

“There was nothing to see.” Lila slammed her hands on the table, furious that he would pick something she was so obviously poor at. If he had chosen something else, perhaps like magic, or knife throwing, or even pickpocketing she would have agreed to the wager. 

“I don’t know, I’ve never seen that royal bastard so flushed and bothered. Looked like there was plenty either about to happen or had just happened.” Alucard bridged the cards to shuffle them, lifting his eyes to Lila’s mismatched ones for a heartbeat. That glossy black orb she had for a black eye winked in the light as she jeered at him for his comment. 

“Nothing happened.” Lila reiterated as she picked up her glass to pour herself another one. Insufferable, he was so insufferable. Perhaps she should chuck him in the Isle, watch him paddle to the side and get out dripping wet. Then again, Rhy might thank her for that. On second thought, maybe she should bury him in the floor up to his waist, or perhaps open a door into a wind blown bluff and leave him there. 

The whisper of cards skidding across the table filled the silence as Lila lifted her now full glass back to her lips and drank deeply. When she glanced over her shoulder, Alucard waved an inviting hand to the table. “Tell you what,” he said before leaning his elbows forward and smirking at her, “if you agree to play another hand with me, I’ll stop bothering you about it.” 

It seemed a little too good to be true. Something like that was bound to keep Alucard entertained for years to come. He wouldn’t give leverage up so easily, unless he had gone soft during his time in the palace, which Lila very much doubted. 

Slinking back to the table, she sat with a grunt in her chair and tapped the cards she had been dealt. “What do you get out of it?”

“Well,” picking up his cards, Alucard shrugged, “just because I stopped annoying you with it, doesn’t mean I won’t go after our lovely black eyed prince about it.” 

Lila’s mouth opened to refute him, and tell him to leave Kell alone about the whole thing. He was like a skittish pony where topics like that were concerned. If Alucard brought it up... Christ help them all. She hesitated a moment though, a bright smile pull on her lips. Oh he would go as red as his hair if Alucard brought it up, and he’d stammer and stumble to try and defend himself, or her honor. Oh it might just be worth the entertainment. 

Chuckling to herself, Lila lifted up the cards and grinned at the three saints in her hand. “If I win, I want that hat you have hanging over there.” She pointed the midnight blue one, with the peacock feather sticking out of it. It would complete her new ensemble, and as a captain it was only fitting that she have nice things like that. 

Alucard frowned, and glanced warily in the direction of the hat. Chuckling to himself, he laid his cards face down again and reached for the lin in his pile. Tossing it to the center of the table, he winked, “if you lose, I bring that story up in front of the entire court.” 

Lila reached into her pocket for the remaining two lin she had and pressed them to the table. With a wicked grin, she slid them into the pile and said, “very well.” 

[aethes-bookshelf]

Forever || Alucard (Castlevania)/Reader

This is Part 2 of “Always”! Part 1 is here. I have a third part in my WIPs, so expect it soon. It’s going to be in a veeery different setting tho. (Honestly? At this point I’m expecting “Always” to become a full-fledged fic)

Pairing: Alucard/Reader

Warnings: angst, lots of angst

AO3 link

Before Alucard had the chance to properly start making dinner, he heard a crash. He turned around quickly and felt his heart stop for a moment. You were laying on the floor, holding onto your chest. He rushed to you faster than he thought he could move, stretching his arm out to touch you, help you up, but he didn’t know what he should do first.

“What is it? What happened?” he asked, looking you over. Alucard was more than painfully aware of how little time you had left. A part of him screamed to turn you, to forever keep you by his side, but he couldn’t bring himself to do that. That would mean stripping you of your humanity. He would never see you smile on a sunny day again; he would be forced to feed you the blood of your people instead of your favorite meals. He couldn’t do that. He couldn’t rob you of the warmth of summer days. So he opted for watching you age and giving you the best last years he could.

“I don’t know. Funny how often I fall lately. I’m starting to fear I won’t live to see another day.” You laughed humorlessly and looked up at him. “Don’t look so sad, love. We both know that day will come eventually. In the meantime, do you mind helping me up?”

Alucard carefully grabbed you by the arms and sat you up. “Are you sure you can stand?”

“Yes, I feel a bit better now, thank you.” You got up slowly, leaning on Alucard’s shoulder. “I think I’m going to go lay down for a bit. I bet a little nap will fix me up right away.”

He frowned slightly; hadn’t you just woken up from a nap not that long ago? A strange, heavy feeling squeezed his chest. The same feeling that haunted him each time something bad was about to happen. He didn’t like it one bit.

“Do you need any help going to your room?”

“Oh, please. I know I’m old, but I can walk on my own. I’ll be just fine.”

Alucard sighed. “Still, I don’t feel comfortable letting you go alone right after you collapsed.” You shook your head and smiled fondly. “You really need to stop worrying about me so much. I’m fine, really. It was just a moment of pain, I’m sure it wasn’t anything serious.” Still, you took him by the hand and led him out of the kitchen.

—–

Your room was big. So big, that you would complain about it sometimes. There was too much space, what were you supposed to do with it? You spent very little time there anyway.

Right the opposite of the door stood your bed. And even now, you would insist on changing the covers yourself despite losing strenght — though that meant Alucard would be here, watching your every move just in case something happened.

Alucard walked you right to the edge of the bed and held your hand as you were sitting down. He sat beside you and watched as you tucked yourself in with that fond look in his eyes. It used to fluster you when you were younger, but now it just made you feel safe. It was nice knowing he still loved you, despite your body being old and withered. It made your chest warm every time you thought about it.

You furrowed your eyebrows when you noticed he wasn’t getting up. Or leaving. “What’s the matter? Aren’t you going to eat?”

Alucard shook his head and reached for the book that laid on your nightstand. “I’ll stay here for now.”

“You can’t just not eat, love. You may be a dhampir, but it’s still unhealthy.” You insisted. “How about that — I’ll take a quick nap and you’ll go make dinner. Then you can come back here, and we’ll eat together, alright?”

“You really are stubborn, aren’t you? You won’t stop until I’ve eaten, right?”

“You know me so well.” You patted him on the hand. “Now shoo, you ought to eat.”

—–

Alucard was walking through the corridor with two steaming plates in his hands. He couldn’t help but notice that heavy feeling in his chest growing stronger. He was just worried because you’d collapsed earlier. That was normal, who wouldn’t be? Even though, he couldn’t help but walk faster.

“Dinner’s ready.” He said as he pushed open the door to your bedroom. “As I’ve said, I found the ingredients for your favorite, so…” He paused when he heard silence. No words but his, no movement… no breathing.

He dropped the plates as he rushed to your bed. He fell to his knees beside it and grabbed your hand. He pressed his fingers to your wrist. No pulse. He frantically leaned over you and checked your neck. Still, no pulse. That’s when panic finally set in. He pushed the covers out of the way and started to rhythmically press on your chest, just like his mother taught him to so many years ago. No matter that you were already starting to get cold and stiff. No matter that he just couldn’t get any reaction from you. No matter that some part of him already realized that you were gone. Forever. After what felt like nearly an hour, he finally stopped. His arms felt like they were on fire, but his chest hurt so much more. He felt like he couldn’t breathe. So what if the logical part of him knew this was a long time coming? It didn’t make the pain any lesser. Alucard collapsed on top of your body and let out a loud, heart-wrenching sob. Tears fell from his eyes freely as he held onto your cold hand. Gone, gone, gone. Just like everyone else. He should’ve turned you when he still had the chance. He should’ve, but he didn’t. And now his worst nightmare became reality.

—–

Alucard buried your body the next day, but he didn’t feel anything anymore. It was like the him from after the battle with his father was back again – and stronger than ever. As Alucard rhythmically moved his shovel, he tried to make himself feel something, anything, but his mind was empty. He knew that void — it was just the silence before the storm. He just had to wait until everything settled, and then his new reality would hit him. He was sure he would break apart, but that moment wasn’t now. Now he was burying the love of his life.

After he made sure your body was completely covered, he came back to the castle. He would have to make a tombstone for you tomorrow. But that was for tomorrow. He slowly walked to your room. Now was his last chance to fully take in the last pieces of your presence before it fully withered away and disappeared along with you. Alucard locked the door when he came in. He laughed a bitter laugh; as if there was anyone left to come in and disturb his mourning. He sat down in your chair and took in the entire room. Your closet, your desk, your bookshelf, your bed; everything was still the way you left it. He didn’t think he would ever find the strength in himself to clean everything up. If he didn’t, he could still pretend you would come back. He desperately wanted to believe that.

Then his eyes fell on the portrait he made you.

You were still young when he painted it. He would cringe while looking at it sometimes, insisting he could repaint it. He had got better with age after all. But you had denied every offer he made. You had loved that painting for some reason and hadn’t wanted to replace it no matter what he had said. And now, you were looking at him form that canvas with such warmth in your eyes.

That’s when he broke down for the second time.

He doubled over and clawed at his shirt. Everything was too much, he couldn’t go on anymore. He was alone. Everyone left him, even you. He felt like his heart had just been ripped out of his chest and stomped into the ground. So he cried harder than ever in his life. His sobs and heaved breaths were the only sound in the room; they echoed in the corridors of the castle.

It took a long time for Alucard to finally calm down enough to see properly. Occasional sobs still shook his body, but he didn’t have the strength to cry anymore. He stood up and walked over to your bed. He collapsed and grasped at your pillow. Your scent was the strongest here; he buried his nose in your blankets and hiccupped silently. As he calmed down, he felt a strange warmth, as if someone was hugging him tightly. A nice thought appeared — that you still were there somewhere, looking over him. He could only hope to join you someday, just like he hoped his father had joined his mother after death.

“I love you” he whispered, and he could’ve sworn that he heard a faint voice reply. He closed his eyes and let a few more tears roll down his face.

He slept a dreamless, restless sleep.

[ragingbookdragon]

To Challenge The Flow Of Fate PT. 2

An Adrian Tepes (Alucard) x Reader Story

Warnings: Explicit Language, Mentions of Violence Author’s Note: Since this is my hyperfixation ATM, Castlevania is all y’all are getting rn. So, have fun! -Thorne

She squinted as she stared into the clear sky. Most of the damage around the Speaker house had already been cleaned out, but the scent of the dead still remained, hanging in the air. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, careful to not move too much from her position. Trevor hadn’t been overly fond of leaving her alone with the vampire, and she had to admit, that on some level, standing with her back to him didn’t exactly bring fondness to her either. However, he was a warrior, and his swear to not kill them counted enough for her to trust it. The two hadn’t spoken since they’d left the crypt, but when he finally started to speak, it wasn’t to her. His voice was so quiet that she had to strain to hear him, and she held her breath, determined not to make a sound. “Alucard, they called me. The opposite of you.” He shifted, and the sound of scratching reached her ears. “Mother never liked that. Did you know that? She hated to idea that I might define myself by you…even in opposition to you. She loved us both. Enough that she wanted us to be our own people. Living our own lives. Making our own choices.” She drew her gaze from the sky to the ground, her own memories clouding her mind.

           “Mistress (Y/N), are you paying attention?” Her eyes darted from the window to the older man standing in front of her.

           “Not if I can help it Alders.” He frowned and placed the parchment down on her desk.

           “Then help it. You need to learn how to distinguish this monster from-” (Y/N) frowned, voice nonchalant as she cut him off.

           “Striga’s are distinguishable by their agility, strength, and the way they move as well as they look. All fours and gray skin. They sleep in crypts during the day, hunt at night, are resistant to steel but susceptible to silver.” She leaned forward, glaring at the scholar. “Have I missed anything?” He raised a white eyebrow and asked,

           “How do you kill one?” (Y/N) looked down at the parchment and murmured,

           “If you can keep the Striga from returning to her crypt by the third crowing of the rooster, she will turn to a human again.” The old man sighed, dragging a hand down his face.

           “Mistress (Y/N), you are apart of the Belmont family. It is your duty to kill monsters, not cure them. How would a something like that be capable of functioning after a life of being a monstrosity?” She glanced out the window, watching her brother fence with his trainer and whispered,

           “Probably the same way we’ve survived being murderers.”

           A sharp stab brought her back to reality, and she tipped her head to the side, listening to Adrian murmur, “And so here I am. Choosing to honor my mother by killing my father. No longer Adrian Tepes. Choosing to be Alucard of Wallachia, the name of my mother’s people. I’m sorry mother.” (Y/N) frowned at how heartbroken he sounded but wiped the look from her face as she saw Sypha and Trevor approaching. She nodded at them, flashing Sypha a sad smile. “And so, we begin again.” The two entered the house, and Sypha stepped forward asking,

           “So, how do we proceed?” Adrian glanced back at them.

           “Have the Speakers left?” Trevor nodded.

           “Yeah.”

           “I’m sorry,” He offered the Magician. “In success, you will see them again soon, in far happier circumstances.” At that, Sypha glared at Trevor, gesturing to the vampire.

           “See? He knows how to be nice.” She paused a moment. “Is it true, then? The castle can travel somehow? We know the stories, but sometimes it’s hard to separate myth from truth.” (Y/N) watched her brother bend over and open a box, beginning to rummage through it.

           “Tell her about Dracula’s castle, Alucard. Her day can’t get any more ruined.” Adrian looked passed them for a moment.

           “Dracula’s castle moves. How to describe it? It travels without moving. It appears at locations as if…well, as if my magic.” (Y/N) almost let out a laugh as Trevor picked up a broken bottle, but kept quiet as Sypha said,

           “There has to be some way to trap it. How do we start?” Trevor frowned and muttered,

           “I want to go home.”

           “Have you been drinking again?” Trevor glanced over his shoulder.

           “Some chance. But no. I want to go home. The old Belmont estate.” This caught (Y/N)’s attention and she stared at him as Adrian countered,

           “I was under the impression it was destroyed. Villagers, pitchforks, and torches, that sort of thing.” Both (Y/N) and Trevor’s faces drew dark.

           “It was. But the value of the old house wasn’t the house itself. It was-” (Y/N) cut him off.

           “The Belmont Hold.” Trevor glanced at her and nodded.

           “The family library and trove.” Adrian blinked, but then nodded.

           “The collected knowledge and material of generations of Belmont’s who fought the creatures of the night.” His golden eyes narrowed, and his tone took on a hint of intrigue. “That sounds interesting. If it survives…” Her brother raised his hands.

           “If there are solutions to the problems of finding and killing Dracula, they are in the Hold.” The vampire crossed his arms, turning his gaze to Trevor.

           “You’re guessing, though.” (Y/N) turned around, looking at the three.

           “He is guessing. Trevor can’t read or understand magic, but our family stored everything they found, books of magic, potions, weapons, and whatever other weird shit they came across.” Trevor nodded and she added, “He can’t do anything with it. But we three can.” For a moment, no one said anything, then Adrian quipped,

           “Fortunate indeed, then, that I choose not to kill and eat you two Belmont’s.” (Y/N) snorted unwilling to take the bait, but Trevor couldn’t resist it as he glowered at the vampire.

           “And that I decided against gutting you, flaying you, and,” Trevor bent over, motioning to his foot, “turning you into shoes, Alucard.” Sypha sighed, turning to leave.

           “Such a merry band we are. I will find us a covered wagon and horses, if you two can manage not to kill each other while I’m gone.” Adrian scoffed.

           “Oh please. We’re not children.” Sypha glanced at them over her shoulder with a look of doubt before turning to (Y/N).

           “Please keep them from killing each other.” She walked off as (Y/N) raised her arms in the air.

           “Wait! I am not playing mediator for these morons!” The Speaker simply waved a hand back at her and she sighed, propping up against the wall as Trevor muttered,

           “Eat shit and die.”

           “Yes, fuck you.” The two began chuckling as (Y/N) groaned, and after a moment of silence, Adrian questioned,

           “Do you two really believe we could find the tools to kill my father at your old home?” Neither sibling said a word until Trevor responded,

           “I’ll be honest with you…I don’t have a better idea. I just know that right here, right now, we are under-equipped for the job.”

           “And you, (Y/N)?” She looked at Adrian, her shadow obscuring his face; she shrugged and stated,

           “Trev’s right. None of us are equipped to fight Dracula and whatever horde he’s got in his castle. The hold has armors and weapons we can use, and knowledge we can learn.” She met his eyes. “We need into that hold if we want to win this.” Adrian went quiet for a moment, then nodded, looking between them.

           “I’m trusting you two Belmont’s. Don’t make me regret it.” Trevor scoffed, but kept silent, and (Y/N) announced,

           “A horrible decision really. You’re stuck with the two most annoying people in the world.” She caught sight of the smirk that played Adrian’s lips, and reminded, “It won’t take Sypha long to get the horses and wagon, and since it’s still midafternoon, we should probably wait for sundown to leave.” Her brother studied and asked,

           “Why?” Her eyes narrowed into a glare and she deadpanned,

           “Hmm, I don’t know Trevor. Maybe it’s because we’re traveling with a child of the night? Who can burst into flames if he steps into the sun? You know, what happens during the day? The sun is up. It would be counterproductive to kill the only one who could actually kill Dracula.” Her brother’s face pinched and he muttered,

           “I could kill Dracula.” Adrian and (Y/N) both glared at Trevor and retorted,

           “No, you can’t.” The two looked back at one another and laughed, then Adrian asked,

           “Is that why you’ve been standing there the entire time? To shield me from the sun?” (Y/N) nodded, but went still as he stood, walking over to her. He stopped and gazed at her as she stared in shock.

           “You can…you can walk in the sunlight?” He nodded and thanked,

           “Despite the fact that you didn’t need to, I appreciate you thinking of my safety.” When she didn’t respond, Trevor leaned over to look at her and barked a laugh.

           “Good job vampire. You’ve pissed her off.” Adrian barely had time to mutter, ‘what?’ before (Y/N) set into him, an annoyed look on her face.

           “You mean to tell me that I woke up at the ass crack of dawn, got into a position where I could block the sun from hitting you, only to find out like nine hours later that you can be in the sun?” She leaned forward. “It didn’t occur to you to mention that earlier?” Adrian blinked at her before shrugging.

           “You didn’t say what you were doing.” (Y/N) could feel her eye twitch as she took a step closer.

           “You didn’t think to ask me? Do I look like the type of person who stands around looking like a jackass?” Adrian opened his mouth, but she pointed her finger in his face and threatened, “That was rhetorical, and I swear to god if you answer that I will shove your head up his ass.” She ended the threat by pointing at Trevor who raised his hands defensively.

           “Oi, don’t drag me into this. I didn’t do anything wrong.” She ignored him, turning away from the two, and griped,

           “I can’t believe I skipped out on valuable sleep to shield a vampire that can walk during the day.” (Y/N) crossed her arms over her chest, tapping her foot impatiently when a hand rested on her shoulder; she looked over to see Adrian smiling at her.

           “Thank you (Y/N). Your concern is greatly appreciated. Truly.” (Y/N) swallowed thickly before clearing her throat, waving him off.

           “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” She pointed towards the way Sypha went off. “I’m going to check on Sypha and see if she needs help. Don’t kill one another while I’m gone.” The two men nodded as she left, then a moment later, Trevor warned,

           “Don’t touch my sister Alucard.” He turned around and scowled at him.

           “What are you her father?”

           “I will kick your ass.”

           “As if you could.”

Some Time Later:

           The fire snapped and popped as (Y/N) dropped another log into it before moving back to her spot between Adrian and Trevor. “I’m still not completely clear on why you don’t catch fire in the daylight.” Sypha’s words drew their attention to Adrian.

           “I am half-human.” He looked away from them as if remembering something important. “My mother’s name was Lisa, and she was mortal.” The speaker let out a laugh.

           “I would very much like to hear the story of how that happened.” Adrian chuckled softly and explained,

           “She actually showed up at his front door. She found the castle and banged the door with the pommel of her knife.” Sypha smiled.

           “She sounds interesting!” The vampire nodded, smiling faintly.

           “Oh, she was remarkable. She beat on the door until my father let her in, and then demanded he teach her how to be a doctor.” With the revelation, Trevor sat up and wondered,

           “Wait, Dracula taught a human woman how to be a doctor?” He scoffed. “What was first? Blood-letting?” Her brother broke into laughter, and (Y/N) reached over, socking him in the arm.

           “Would it kill you to not be a shithead for once?” Trevor stuck his tongue out at her, but she rolled her eyes, gesturing for Adrian to continue.

           “My father-” He was cut off as Trevor included, ‘Dracula’, but kept going. “is a man of science, a philosopher, a scholar, and knows things our society have forgotten three times over. Do you still not understand the enormity of what we’re doing?” Adrian turned his gaze to the fire. “He’s gone mad. And from that, there is no recovering him.” Trevor rolled his eyes and muttered,

           “Shame.” (Y/N) reached over socking him again, and he pulled away from her rubbing his arm, but Adrian nodded.

           “It’s a tragedy. He’s a repository of centuries of learning. He could’ve changed the world. I think he might have, if mother hadn’t died. She’d sent him out into the world. And that’s why he wasn’t there when the bishops took her.” (Y/N)’s lips pulled down and she whispered,

           “Oh god…they burned her at the stake…” Adrian didn’t respond, but she knew the silence was her answer.

           “She sent him away?” Adrian glanced over at Sypha and nodded.

           “She sent him to…travel. To learn the true state of the world, the true nature of humans and how they live.”

           “She was turning him.”

           “Imagine if he could have aimed all that knowledge at improving lives. If the religious inquisition hadn’t proved true all of his worst instincts about humans.” Trevor, who’d been silent up until that point, interjected.

           “And now he’s going to use her death as an excuse to destroy the world.” The vampire huffed, gazing away.

           “Oh, the world will still be here, Belmont. Trees will still grow, birds will still sing, animals will still hump away in the undergrowth. But you won’t be here Belmont.” He glanced at Sypha. “You won’t be here.” Finally, he turned his gaze to (Y/N). “And neither will you.” He paused. “The sun will still set, but you will not see it rise. There will only be Dracula, and his war council, and the hordes of the night. He writes in great books, you know. He hews the covers himself from oak, and wraps them in the preserved skin of the people who he hated most. And he writes plans. I’ve seen them. Ideas for darkening clouds and making them as permanent in the air as the frost of the north. Create strange flying machines that pull shrouds across the sky to block out the sun. Imagine it. A world without humans, under endless invented night. And Dracula in his castle, his revenge so horribly complete that there is nothing left to do but look out over a world without art or memory or laughter and know that he did his work well. That he did it all for love.” The silence was heavy and the atmosphere so awkward around them, that no one seemed to be able to break it until Trevor said,

           “He needs a hobby.” (Y/N) nodded, not even upset at his disregard. They fell silent once more, then a moment later, low growling sounded from a distance followed by rustling branches. Trevor looked at (Y/N). “Did you hear that?” She nodded, but Adrian simply waved a hand.

           “Animals humping in the undergrowth.” The growling seemed to spread, and (Y/N) reached beside her, pulling the silver sword from its sheath, and rose.

           “It’s not animals. I sense darkness.” She looked down at them. “Get up. Get up now and get ready.” Her brother kicked the fire out and looked at them.

           “Which is the nearest town? Is it still Gresit?” Sypha shook her head.

           “Arges is closer to us.” The snarling became louder, and (Y/N) turned, staring into the distance.

           “I can’t see them, but I can hear their steps. There’s at least twelve out there.” She looked at Trevor. “Go high, Adrian, you hit them head on, and Sypha…well, you do what you do best.” The three nodded, and (Y/N) turned, moving towards the trees.

           “What is she doing?” Trevor waved off Sypha’s question as he moved to the tree.

           “Don’t worry about her.”

           Minutes later, the three stood amidst the destruction. Adrian peered at the damage. “(Y/N) said there was twelve. I count eleven.” A dark snarl echoed in their ears and they turned, seeing a bigger beast moving towards them, it’s teeth and claws sharp and glinting in the moonlight. Trevor pulled out his whip, beginning to twirl it as the beast hurdled towards them.

           “There’s the twelfth one.” The three readied themselves when a silver chain shot out through the air, wrapping around the beast’s stomach. It recoiled, screeching as the chain burned into its skin. A figure appeared from the side and darted towards it, a longsword gleaming along with it. The figure wrapped their arm in the chain and pulled with such strength, that the creature slammed into the ground. Not wasting a second, the figure leaped to the creature’s backside, climbing up its shoulders. The beast raised its arms, but it was too late as the figure brought the longsword down in a large arc.

A moment later, the beast’s head dropped to the ground, and its body went limp. The figure jumped off and yanked the chain back, watching it recede into the handle before moving towards the trio. Trevor eyed the handle in their hands and quipped, “You know, I forgot that you had that, and I’m still jealous of it (Y/N).” She grinned at him, tucking the tool back into her belt.

           “Then you can stay jealous, because it’s mine.” She looked at the other bodies around them. “Sorry I wasn’t here to help you fight these ones.” (Y/N) nodded at the one she’d killed. “I sensed that one lagging behind, so I went to get ready for it.” She glanced back at them. “Is anyone hurt?” They shook their heads, and she moved past them. “Then we need to get moving. If he’s sending parties this far, chances are we’ll encounter more on the way, and we still have another day until we reach the estate.” Sypha followed after her, but Adrian nor Trevor moved.

           “You sister is powerful.” Trevor side eyed the vampire and nodded.

           “She is…she’s the most powerful person I’ve ever seen.” Adrian gazed at (Y/N)’s back and murmured,

           “She really would’ve cut my head off if I hadn’t stood down.”

           “Probably cut your cock off too.” The vampire turned to the brother who snorted at him. “I’m joking…mostly.” He coiled the whip around his arm and began walking off, leaving Adrian alone. The vampire gazed at the beast before turning away, heading to the wagon.

[thedailyimagines]

Imagine meeting Alucard during an outing with your friend.

Anon requested: “I read we can request for the fandoms not only from your list so I wanted to ask, can I request something for Castlevania (Netflix series)? How about an imagine with Alucard getting fond of reader who's always the third wheel in the group, the one left behind while tying the shoe, an invisible shadow, an odd number between people--you get the idea. How about him being the one who notices her and takes interest in her, prehaps during modern times?”

.

Y/f/n = Your friend’s name

~~~~~~~~

Sometimes y/n felt out of place in the university. Among all the fresh-out-of-high school students and the ready-to-leave seniors, she was a first year student at the ripe age of twenty-six. Y/n had been trying to raise enough money to attend since she graduated, and now all her friends had either graduated college or were, like her, late starters.

Her best friend y/f/n was in a similar situation, but they would be getting ready for graduation within the next two semesters. Y/f/n was a good friend but they had their own friend group, and y/n felt like an intruder whenever she tagged along.

It was at one of these gatherings that y/n met Adrien.

“Come on y/n! You’ve been couped up all week with your textbooks! Just a quick outing then you can go back to your books!” Y/n sighed and stretched her arms above her head, wincing at the cracking noise her spine made.

“Y/f/n, I get that you want to be nice but I’m really busy trying not to fail this class. Now—” Y/f/n draped themself dramatically over y/n’s shoulders, causing y/n to hunch over.

“It’s just a trip to the library! You could bring your books if you really need to!” Y/n tried to get away but y/f/n refused to move. With an exasperated sigh of defeat, y/n gave up trying to study.

“Alright! I’ll go, just let me clean up!” Y/f/n pumped their fist in the air and ran to grab their shoes. Y/n sighed and mentally prepared herself for a night of feeling like a third wheel.

<—>

The bar was loud and crowded with college students when y/n and y/f/n arrived, and y/n internally cringed at the noise. Of course y/f/n had lied about going to the library. Y/n was just glad she hadn’t brought her textbooks.

“Y/f/n!” A group called from the corner, clearing a seat for y/f/n. Y/n sighed when she saw she would have to find her own seat, and had a feeling she wouldn’t be very involved in the group’s conversation anyway.

“So, I nearly jumped out the window when the professor gave us the essay prompt an hour before it was due! Luckily he decided to bump the due date to a week later, but still.” Y/f/n was in the middle of telling a story by the time y/n got to the table with a chair. Some of the group gave y/n a quick glance, but otherwise ignored her presence.

“You know, I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. What’s your name?” Y/n glanced up and saw the group’s attention focused on a man with blond hair and gold eyes. One of the other group members (John? Jack?) spoke up.

“This is Adrian Țepeș. He’s from my literature analysis class. I invited him along since Tiffany couldn’t make it.” Adrian gave the group a closed lip smile.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He had a soothing voice, y/n observed. One she wouldn’t mind having a conversation with. Y/f/n stuck their hand out to shake, which Adrian shook gingerly.

“Neat name, where’s it from?” Y/n wanted to wince at y/f/n’s tone. She could tell y/f/n was just trying to be polite.

“It was my father’s name. It’s Wallachian in origin.” Wallachia...that was a Romanian country, right? Y/n was about to ask when y/f/n piped up again.

“Oh cool! Like where vampires are from, right?” At this point y/n wanted to sink into the ground from secondhand embarrassment. Adrian seemed thrown off by the question.

“Pardon?” Y/f/n didn’t seem to notice the blond man’s discomfort at the question.

“You know, vampires! The whole ‘blood bleh-bleh-bleh’ thing?” The group laughed and y/n put her face into her hands. Why did she agree to come out tonight? It seemed like the perfect time to leave.

“I’m going to step out really quick. Be right back.” Nobody in the group seemed to notice that y/n left. Except for one person.

The cool night air was refreshing from the stifling atmosphere of the bar. Y/n ran a hand through her y/h/c hair and sighed. It was pretty cold out and she really didn’t want to walk, but going back to the apartment she shared with her friend seemed better than staying.

“I apologize if I’m intruding, but I noticed you left in a hurry.”

“Holy—!” Y/n whirled around only to find the blond man from the table. Once her heart had stopped racing, she let out a nervous chuckle. “Give me a heart attack, will you?” The man gave y/n an apologetic smile.

“My bad. I didn’t mean to frighten you.” Y/n just waved off the apology. It wasn’t entirely his fault, she just wasn’t paying attention.

“No, it’s fine. You were just really quiet. It’s Adrian, right?” Adrian nodded and held out his hand. Y/n took it and nearly jumped at how cold his hand seemed.

“Yes, it is. I don’t believe I caught your name?” Y/n brushed a lock of hair out of her face.

“I’m y/n, nice to meet you. Sorry about y/f/n, they can be kinda...insensitive when they’ve had a drink or three.” Adrian gave y/n an understanding smile.

“It’s quite alright. I’ve heard all the jokes before.” Y/n shook her head in disagreement.

“Still doesn’t make it right.” Adrian laughed and the sound made y/n relax a little. She got the feeling he didn’t laugh a lot.

“Perhaps. Are you leaving now?” Y/n rubbed the back of her neck and glanced back at the bar. She could just make out the sight of y/f/n and their friends laughing and starting on what was probably a fifth round of drinks.

“Yeah. Noisy places aren’t really my thing. You?” Adrian followed y/n’s gaze to the bar and shook his head.

“I don’t find this establishment particularly entertaining.” There was an awkward silence, and an idea struck y/n.

“I know a place that’s not so busy this time of the night. Maybe we could grab a bite there instead?” Adrian smiled and held out an elbow, to which y/n linked hers through.

“I think I would enjoy that.”

~~~~~~~~

I don’t own the above gif or image, all credits go to the owners.

[annhellsing]

The Sawhorse.

Notes: this bad boy’s a direct, long-overdue sequel to the drawbridge which you can read right over yonder!!! Rating: she’s still sfw. Pairing: alucard / female reader. Word count: 3,321

“This place is a conspiracy,” you say with a half-glance over your shoulder. Adrian guides you from a decidedly rear position, you walk ahead of him with no idea of where you’re going. 

“In what way?” he asks, you can’t help your smile. He takes everything so seriously, it’s charming. 

“In the way that I don’t know for sure at any given point if the room I’ve just been in will exist once I’ve left it!” you exclaim and to your never ending joy, Adrian joins you in smiling. He seems bashful about the castle’s intricacies, disturbed by its strangeness. You like it here, absolutely, but it’s a learning curve. 

“When I was a child I wondered the same thing. But there are a few, key rooms that always manage to stay in one place.” You slow your steps enough to let him fall in line next to you. Getting close to him in any sense is impossible, but he allows it this time. 

“How polite of them,” you say. It’s honest facetiousness on your part, but you can’t help the little shiver that runs up your spine all the same. 

This place isn’t haunted, he is. Adrian walks with memories of the living and the dead, you hear him whispering to the shadows sometimes. But it never fills you with fear, you’ve found. Only sadness, deep-rooted sadness that you wish you didn’t understand. 

He’s sparse with personal details, but you’ve coaxed from him an admission that the large hole leading from the second floor corridor to the library was caused by a heroic attempt at patricide. 

Adrian’s caught you in a tiny children’s bed room with a hideous bloodstain permanently affixed to the floor. You were apologizing for weeks and the door is now locked. 

His home is largely, however, yours to explore. Despite the odd dissonance between  the mystery of what happened here and the way he seems unwilling to feel things, you could be happy here. 

All you wish for, you suppose, is a chance to help him. 

You’ve never seen him cry but the remnants of redness around his eyes is unmistakable. There’s a monster in your woods and he is so terribly alone. 

Perhaps it’s why you visit as often as you do. Your fascination with his mother’s life’s work is real, gripping you in a way you’re familiar with. But to say that the attraction is purely intellectual would be a blatant lie. 

He has friends, this Adrian. One of them wields a whip and is a Belmont, something you have to learn how to accept. The stories, despite their exaggerated details, run deep. The other friend is a woman, the magic user with the quick hands. You could smell the crackling electricity of her power despite never laying eyes on her. 

How difficult it must be for him to exist in the stillness of her wake with only a head full of too-realistic memories and lightning on the air. 

It isn’t as if you’ve experienced any grand adventures with him. But as you’re taken back to the library you’re reminded that may not be so terrible a thing. 

You watch the gaping hole in the wall. It does not move, never does but you can feel it watching you. You pick up books even still, months after the catastrophic battle and mourn a few, singed pages. 

“Will you stay with me?” You ask when he begins to look uncomfortable in the space that should be home. It’s unfair to ask this him, you know it, but you can’t help but feel an all-consuming urge to give him company. He meditates too much in his father’s empty chair. 

“If that’s what you wish,” he replies, “the filing here has certainly seen better days.” Adrian assumes the role of library catalogue and you don’t have the heart to let that stand.

“I know where things are,” you start, adding in at the last second, “but I wouldn’t rely on that, of course.” You hear a soft exhale behind you, a reserved laugh from your most esteemed companion. “I just wanted to talk to you.”

“Of course,” Adrian continues, but seems to consider what you’ve said more carefully. He hums, brief and tuneless as if contemplating the options before asking, “What about?” 

“Things,” you say, it isn’t very helpful. You place a book back on a shelf and look at him again. His expression is unsatisfied. “You’re very nearly a patron of my studies but I know almost nothing about you.” 

Only that he had a mother who died for what you’re attempting to continue. And his father was Dracula, wasn’t that a nasty shock? 

“Perhaps it’s better that way,” he replies. It’s a dark thing to say, but he delivers it with the air-light tone that accompanies most of his jokes. You grin at him, broadly. 

“I’d like to know you,” you aren’t sure why you decide on that, but it makes him break eye contact quickly. “Can I ask you something?” 

After a short pause, Adrian makes his decision. 

“Yes,” he says and he’s looking at you again. But the smile is gone from his eyes, they’re lukewarm and on the edge of confused. Rather than mill about between ruined stacks of books, you sink into a nearby armchair. 

“What’s your favourite colour?” it’s a safe enough question, the first that popped into your head. Bizarrely, you admit, you want to see that smile in his eyes again. It works with some success. 

“My what?” he puts thought into his answer when you repeat yourself with a childish giggle. The man makes a show out of it, sitting int he armchair perpendicular to yours and resting his chin on his fist. “I’ve never given it much thought. Perhaps burgundy, or purple.” 

You chime in with your agreement on purple just as he turns his head. Windows are scarce in the castle, something you find deeply oppressive, but one is angled perfectly facing the north wall. 

Adrian casts his eyes towards it and says, “Blue, actually. My favourite colour is blue.” 

The daylight outside shines with a benevolence that he’s missed for years. Adrian doesn’t stare at it for very long, looking back to you as if he hopes you didn’t notice a thing.

It calls another question to your mind, one with heavier implications than a favourite colour. The pause makes him uncomfortable as you debate asking, but ultimately decide it’ll do no harm.

“You can walk in the sunlight?” you ask. After another beat, he nods. “Are all dhampir’s so lucky?”

“I wouldn’t know, I’ve never met another.” he looks at you with a terrible uncertainty that you want to end. You restrict your questions to surface-level stuff. 

“Blue’s a good colour, it’s very heroic,” you say. You’re not sure why, but that makes him smile again. 

“If you think so,” the conversation lapses into a comfortable silence after that, with books returned to their proper shelves. Every so often you’re distracted by something anatomical. You’re shocked at the sheer volume of manuscripts.

“My whole lifetime’s passed in the space between when some of these textbooks were written,” you say over your shoulder. Adrian hums, but the bridge of his thin nose is stuffed in a book of poems. 

“It’s a shame,” he replies, as if to prove he’s listening.

“Isn’t it just? If there were more arguments about these sorts of things— perhaps a bit less fear of the church—” you’ve picked up a dusty-looking copy of Galen’s On the Natural Faculties and now sneer at the cover. 

A complaint about taboos surrounding the dissection of human bodies for scientific purposes dies on your tongue when you look at Adrian. He’s stiff at the shoulders, no longer reading his book but instead staring at the far wall. 

Something you said’s upset him, clearly. But he presents as otherwise unbothered a few seconds after you noticed. You frown and set Galen aside, ready to antagonize him another day. 

“Adrian?” you ask. There’s a minute flinch when the sound of his name lands on his ears. “Did I—”

The book closes with a hollow thunk, placed on the seat-side table very quickly. You’re almost afraid he’ll stand and leave, leave you without even a parting word. But Adrian looks to you, his head cocked to the side. 

“Did you what?” he asks. But you’re unfazed. Very few things your certain about, but you said something that concerned him. Still, if he doesn’t want to talk about it—

“Never mind,” you say, casting a sorry glance back at all the books. But you have to make up for whatever it is hurt Adrian. You hold out a hand and motion for him to follow you as you leave the room.

“Where are we going?” he’s beside you in a flurry of blond hair and black coat. It’s almost shocking, but you smile up at him and utter nary a gasp. You’re getting good at this. 

The library sets you on edge, you want to say. You do not. 

“Since you’re a daywalker, quite like myself, I thought you might want to walk. In the day, I mean,” you explain. You look at him so fondly, Adrian’s inability to speak for a few, precious seconds couldn’t have anything to do with that, right? 

“You did ask me to stay with you,” he replies. 

“Mhm,” you hum, “and you agreed. It’s too nice a day to be reading, I think I’d like to hunt for herbs.” 

There is no room in the castle identified as belonging to you, but a little alcove on the second floor has become something of a home-away-from-home. Your basket sits there in the late-afternoon sunlight and your battered journal sits within it. 

You take it on one arm and hold the other out for Adrian. That beaming, lovely smile makes him take it. He wants, quietly, not to see that smile fade. 

“Do you get out much?” you ask, walking through the throne room that smells like old dead and dust. “Not a judgement, just a question,” you add. 

“If you asked a handful of years ago, the answer would’ve been yes,” he replies. You’re nearly surprised he does. “It’s less true, now.” 

“All the more reason to walk. The castle is stunning, but—” Adrian cuts you off as he glances at the high-vaulted ceiling. You’re given a quick, casual smirk. 

“It’s as oppressive,” he begins, “as it is wondrous.” 

“I would never say something so insulting about your home,” you reply with an air of faux-offence. Adrian’s nudged gently in the ribs by your elbow, a gesture that brings back sudden memories of a woman in blue robes. “But you have all the right to, I shan’t disagree.”

He recovers, not wanting a repeat of the scene that played out in the library. You walk very close to him, it’s not unpleasant. 

The sunshine greets you when he pushes the heavy door open. It’s chilly, though lovely and you start off down the steps with Adrian in tow. If you were to look back, you’d see his momentary look of shock before it melted into sentiment. 

You’ve done your best to wear a path away from the castle, but you veer off into the woods instead of taking him home. 

You’re made happy by all the things meant to bring humans joy.  There are smiles given to every delicate touch of nature, the singing birds and the rushing river winding onward towards a lake. Adrian’s never been there, you suppose. Perhaps one day you’ll convince him. 

But not today, you tell yourself. This is just a short walk, something of an apology and a way to brighten his dour mood. 

Adrian lets him leave you, in spite of how much he was enjoying your warmth at his side. You rush to the river, journal in hand to compare botanical drawings. 

You left your pen in the alcove on the second floor, he noticed. It’s where you do your writing, the window with the best view to look out on. But, he knows as you skim through the pages of your mother’s medical journal, you’ve run out of space. 

Nothing his father ever did was right, Adrian knows that. But he can still admit that the human tendency to dangle knowledge just out of the reach of those who could do it best is thoughtlessly cruel. 

“Ah!” you exclaim and successfully pull him from his thoughts. Adrian’s not sure what it says about him that he assumes you’ve been hurt. 

You’re on your knees by the riverbed, however, delighting in some plant of intense fascination. You look at him over your shoulder. 

“Lavender bushes, Adrian!” you wave him over. “Not the most exciting thing in the world but exactly what I’ve been running low on.” 

“How interesting,” he says. There’s an unexpected truth to the way he says it, like he might actually be interested. “What do you use it for?” 

“Poultices,” you tell him, “something to ease aches and pains.” 

He hums again, still interested but unwilling to leer over your shoulder. You stand with a fistful of purple buds and look them over very carefully. 

“They’re good for sleep tonics, too,” you continue.

He can pinpoint the exact second another question pops into your head. It’s alarmingly charming.

“Do you sleep?” you ask. Before he can answer, you keep talking. “No,” you pause, before seeming to think the better of it, “what do I know?” 

“More than most,” Adrian admits it easily. He’s smiling though he hasn’t fully noticed he’s doing it. It’s a truly welcome sight. “But I do— sleep, that is. In a sense. I did for a year underneath a city named Gresit.” 

Your eyes widen, just as he expected them to. It’s uncommon he encounters fascination instead of horror. 

Adrian lets the sun warm his face as you ask him the how, the when, the why. 

“My father’s rage was limitless after the death of my mother,” he says. You tilt your head again, that curiosity abating for the sake of decency.

To your credit, you look genuinely sorry for his loss. 

“He lashed out against me when I tried to stop him,” Adrian continues, “I needed time to recuperate.” 

“You needn’t hear again from me how awful that sounds,” you say, “but you know your father was very sick when he hurt you.” 

“Yes,” Adrian says. The light and the warmth and the beauty around him feels very cold all of a sudden. It’s distant, untouchable. Even in the face of happiness, he finds ways to make himself miserable. 

You could read the sorrow on his face for miles, it’s what forces your hand. It makes you reach out, picking up not his arm but his cold hand this time. 

Adrian allows it, though he’s uncertain as to why. His hand is held, palm-up as if expectant of a gift.

You thought once that whatever lived in such a hellish place might demand offerings. Blood, bones, body parts came to mind even though all you carried were petals. But flowers, you find, suffice when you put the prettiest-looking lavender spring in the cup of his palm.

“Beautiful and practical,” you tell him with a knowing smile, “not unlike yourself.” 

Adrian stares at the flower to keep from staring at you. Its short, stiff petals are unbothered by the gentle breeze that’s blowing your hair away from your eyes. 

You’ve never seen Dhampir tears, but for a moment Adrian is terrified that you might. His long fingers close carefully around the little spring, he summons up a thankful smile and swallows the lump pressing at his throat. 

It’s difficult to describe, the way you speak about his father might be misinformed or lenient but they’re near-exactly how Adrian thinks of him. When you speak about a tired, lost, deeply ill man named Dracula it is with the full honesty that you’ve never in your life thought about killing him. 

You never wanted to do him harm, Adrian wonders if something like that could ever belong in such a giving heart. You listen to the breadcrumbs of information he drops about the man who raised him, you pick through the underbrush like a magpie searching for little treasures. 

Adrian misses Trevor every day, Sypha several times every day. But they never thought of his father as something once human. You do. You’re so very sorry. 

“My mother’s name was Lisa,” he says very suddenly. “It occurs to me I never told you the name of the woman who’s body of work you now learn from.” 

“Lisa,” you repeat, willing to let any prior topic lie still in the grass. Poor Adrian, you think. “I couldn’t find any names in the journals, they were all in first person.” 

You reach into your basket, dropping lavender springs too ugly for his hand on top of the leather cover of your hand-me-down journal. But you touch the torn cover so gently, like comforting an old friend. 

“She reminds me so much of the person I wanted to be— when I saw my mother work, that is,” you say. 

“There’s far too much knowledge shut up in Dracula’s castle for it to waste away,” Adrian admits. 

He’s managed to make eye contact again, his hand holding the gift of lavender is carefully placed in his pocket. It retracts, empty.

“I like to think it’s better for it to be read,” you start, “instead of ending up as bedding for the rats.” 

Alistair’s soft, strange laugh rustles like the tree leaves overhead again. You’ve heard it before and tend to when you make jokes more macabre than would be welcome in polite company. You allow yourself to smile alone. 

“It’s not my castle that’s infested,” he says, “but if it is, they likely crawled up from the old Belmont library.” 

You resist the urge to shudder again at the name. You can’t help that you’re most familiar with lies, although Adrian hardly seems to notice your bodily, negative reaction.

“You’re so mean to someone you’re so fond of,” you say, “I hope to meet this Trevor Belmont one day, if only so he can know just how much you care.” 

“And what makes you think I’m fond of him?” Adrian asks. His laugh’s died but his smile’s still there. He shows off two, white fangs without a thought towards scaring you. They never have before. 

In fact, you lean in with your basket of flowers and grin back. No fear in your eyes, it’s the most beautiful sight he’s ever seen. 

“You feel,” you tell him with a delicate huff. You’re moving again, stepping around his curiously tall form. At the last second, your shoulder brushes against him. “I’d have to be blind not to notice it.” 

Adrian doesn’t know if it’s mercy that keeps you from jabbing at the sore spot of his emotions. He was open with Sypha and Trevor, for the most part. But you’re painfully new, potentially not to be trusted. But he doesn’t like the confidence with which you make such a statement, even if it is true. He doesn’t know your intentions. 

You start off without another word, again. It’s becoming a habit, both you walking and him following. You take to the path again, swinging your basket. The half-turn of your head tells him you were at least slightly worried he wouldn’t come. 

That extra smile, the one that makes it look best like you care is a needless addition. It only serves to strike his sternum, to make the inside of his chest thump with a useless heartbeat. 

He’s never had need of it before, Adrian knows. He wanders back to the castle with you.

[viovio]

💕📌🎶 :) hehehe have a cube of mango too vio *mango cube appears beside you*

💕 tell us about one of your favorite characters and why you like them!

ok so I already did this one but I have a lot of faves so its ok. Mr jonathan morris like is just a teen that's most of his personality and I love it (daddy issues too which eugh maybe not so much, he needs charlotte to ground him which I feel sorry for), 18 years old brings along his 16 y/o childhood friend to kick draculas ass and they don't worry too much about it. They're banters quite funny too, even though the talk button in the menu just gives you tips on gameplay most of the time during boss battles they have a lot to say about them, it's a nice feature really. That and he's a whole dumbass, you could kill richter with fucking creampies and that's why por is best game hands down (it's not but a paper airplanes also a subweapon which gives it another point). I ALSO LOVE HIS LITTLE VOICE LINES if you complete the game I think starting a new one from the menu has u hear him saying "showtime!" Or when you successfully complete the motorcycle puzzle and he says "YAHOO!!" it's just so adorable. Have I mentioned that he's gay because he is, charlotte clearly shows interest in him throughout but bc he is gay and she is clearly a lesbian and they don't know it he treats her like a little sister and is also oblivious to a lot of romantic advances, hell the only time he's shown interest in a woman was during the astarte boss battle where he LITERALLY has to be mind controlled to do so, that boy *pointing at him* is gay.

📌 how did you find your hyperfixation?

So how I found it was very simple, as a kid (really young I think maybe about 5-7) we had a ds, was absolutely obsessed with it it had warioware kirby all that stuff, but then there was my first castlevania game: dawn of sorrow. Being the sequel to aria of sorrow (my favorite) and also being a kid I had no clue what was going on but I knew a few things, 1) somas surname was cruz and that made me think he was filipino so I liked him very much, 2) the music was really good!! And 3) some of the enemies looked terrifying and I was all for that. I liked looking at the enemy index and reading their descriptions cuz u loved the lore a lot, I always erased and made new files cuz frankly I had no clue what to do after the first or third levels. I also didn't know how the controls worked since I liked using the touch feature a lot. What I remember was when I beat the puppet master (a terrifying looking boss that was in a later level called the demon guest house), and since the magic seal (a feature added in cuz of the touch system, which you had to use after every boss or else they won't die) was kinda complicated to me and I somehow completed it I was proud of myself!! Showed off to my dad too (he didn't care). Later on he got order of ecclissia (another fantastic game) and i loved it even better than dos, the artwork was gorgeous and shanoa..... 😳 Was also very gorgeous. A lot of things were improved since it was the third and last cv game ever to be released by konami (a whole decade ago I'm so sad) and since this was getting too long I'll cut this short. Our ds broke sometime and I was sad but eventually my dad got a lords of shadow game for our pc, I forgot which one it was I think it was the one with victor in it, anyways it was the first game where I was introduced to alucard, I didn't really play it just watched dad or kuya play it and it was also gorgeous. After that id watch boss rushes or playthroughs of castlevania games on youtube for a nostalgia rush, I didn't really know about any of the other games other than the ds ones, at some point I heard they made the netflix series of it which I didn't watch yet. Until last year, cv was pretty much niche to me and far from my interests, it was August or June I think when dad put on an anime site on tv and watched it with us and needless to say I loved the first season, I didn't know about cv3 or any of the other games so the plot confused me but I did know alucard, after watching all of it I went on a huge rush and learned about all of it's lore (in all the games). Dad then taught us how to emulate games and ever since then I've been playing and loving castlevania a lot, so year long story short I played some of the games as a kid and got really into it after watching the netflix series. Although after s3 and being disappointed I could care less about it cuz all I think about are the games.

🎶 if your hyperfixation has songs/an ost, what is your favorite song from it?

oh my god you did NOT just ask me this bc *clipping from my seat* EHE THERES A LOT SO BUCKLE UP!!!!

Dawn of Sorrow: Draculas Tears (The laboratory theme, dunno how to describe it it's really funky but gets funkier later on, the melody later on kinda feels melancholic bit goes right back to being funky)

Portrait of Ruin: Piercing Silence (one of the 3 boss themes, I like it was better since it gets my heart racing but in a good way, has a REALLY good synth later on), Dance of Sadness (a boss theme saved for only the sisters, also really gorgeous with a melancholic vibe), Iron Blue Intention (13th street theme, a remix of the track w the same name in bloodlines)

Symphony of the Night: Dance of Pales (classical and makes you feel lost in wonder, olroxs quarters theme I think) Woodcarving Partita (VERY fancy library theme I absolutely love it), Rainbow Cemetery (ITS THE CATACOMBS GOD ITS SO GOOD, it makes you dance but also let you know that something's up deep in them)

Castlevania Bloodlines: Calling from Heaven (AUGH WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN... One of my top tracks and also 2nd to last level where Johns dying, rly makes u feel y'know)

Lament of Innocence: Leons theme (also called lament of innocence but GOOD GOD ALSO IN MY TOP TRACKS ITS SO FUCKING GOOD, despite not being my favorite gameplay wise the soundtracks absolutely gorgeous even though it's mostly remixes, save from this one. Absolutely funky theme and being my 2nd fave belmont it's also my favorite belmont theme)

Order of Ecclissia: An Empty Tome (The games main theme and also the first two levels in Draculas castle, it describes who shanoa is, being filled with powerful glyphs abilities and a great weapon against dracula but having no memory of who she is, she's an empty tome) Sorrows distortion (ABSOLUTELY KILLING IT albus's boss theme) Wandering of the Crystal Blue (gorgeous theme for the second water stage), Malaks Labrinth (I forgot what the stage name was but also very good), and also (Forgot the stage name but the credits deserve a spot here)

[just-castlevania-imagines]

Belief and Rainstorms

Alucard x Reader

I FULLY intended for this to be smut. I did, I promise. But somewhere along the lines I kind of lost the way and it became more romantic? Whatever, it works

“Fresh blankets and linens just for you.” Lisa said sweetly, fluffing the pillows and setting them down gingerly. You shuffled foot to foot nervously as she continued to prep the bed. Behind you, Vlad Dracula tepes stood in the doorway. He didn’t seem nearly as happy or as welcoming as his wife.

“After this evening, You will be leaving, yes?”

“Vlad!” Lisa lightly scolded. “That’s rude.”

“I do not open my home often, Lisa.” He said cryptically, walking away and down the gloomy hall.

“Forgive my husband.” Lisa said quietly, reclaiming your attention. “He may have changed enough to enjoy family life but he is still vary wary of people.”

“I’ll be out by morning-”

“Dear, this storm shows no signs of lightening up. I imagine it could go on for days. And you are welcome to stay here. Don’t let Vlad stop you.” She took to your side, putting a comforting hand on your shoulder.

“Everything will be fine.”

You truly appreciated Lisa’s hospitality but you stuck to your room in fear of upsetting the man of the house. The way he loomed over you was terrifying and you didn’t want to deal with that anymore. you just needed a place to stay while nature took out it’s anger on the land. Your doctor was kind enough to heal what ails you and give you a place to stay.

However, this castle is not what you were expecting. You were expecting the quiet little house you would visit sometimes. Everything in this home was so regal and elegant. You felt like a stain in it.

“Sorry to interrupt,” You heard at the door, making you bolt to your feet. The intruder stepped back a bit, not happy that he scared you. “My mother was worried about you.”

“Oh.” You said simply. “You’re Lisa’s son?” He entered the room a bit more and under the candlelight you got a better look at him. Like his father, he practically towered over you. His long blonde hair fell delicately against his shoulders. Your breath was a bit short just looking at him.

“I’m Adrian Tepes, it’s nice to meet you.” You nod, stuttering together an introduction. He seemed unphased or indifferent to your nervousness. He nodded and smiled, bowing slightly to you. “Well, my lady, I shall not keep you awake any longer. If you need anything you can always call for me.”

“Thank you.”

The storm rolled on through the night, constantly crashing thunder keeping you from laying your head down for longer than a few moments. You sat up in the bed fiddling with your fingers and staring out the window. It was pitch black outside. Not a single star in the sky.

You got out of bed, jumping to your feet and heading out of your room. A little walk could perhaps help you sleep a bit easier.

The hallway was dimly lit but at least it was light enough to navigate through. It unnerved you to walk along those vast halls. You felt as if something was skitting in and out of your blind spots. You would stop and look around but nothing seemed out of place.

You made your way further into the castle, coming across a dead end with a large window. You stated out of it, barely able to make out a landscape in the dark. The harsh winds and rain ripping apart small plants and fiercely shaking trees.

You settled here to watch the sight. Unaware that you, like the storm, are being watched.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it.” You gasped lightly, jumping a little to the side and away from Adrian, who was suddenly standing to your left. His eyes firmly watching the storm. “Nature is quite a beauty.”

“It is.” You agreed shyly. “I’m not very fond of being caught in storms but they’re beautiful to watch.” You forced a cute chuckle from him.

“I would have to agree.” Silence fell between you two for a while. You simply stared out the window together. You’d catch him glancing at you in the reflection of the glass. Before you could say anything you were caught if guard by him. “You have beautiful eyes.”

“Oh,” you said lamely, not sure how to respond to the sudden compliment. “Thank you.”

“I’m simply telling the truth. I couldn’t help but notice them.”

“I-I Like your eyes a bit more.”

“Thank you.” He said, amused as you nervously returned the compliment. “So, what do you do?”

“I am a servant of God.” You said proudly, smiling a little.

“A female priest? My, if the church isn’t progressing well. That’s rare. I’d previously say impossible.”

“It almost was. It was very hard to convince anyone that I was capable of doing God’s work.”

“And you get along with my mother?” Adrian said skeptically. “Considering her profession.”

“It is... a controversial decision, yes,” you said sullen, “But Lisa is a good woman. She heals what ails me and she has done no wrong. I do not see what the problem is”

“I think I might like you.” Adrian said, taking his eyes off you to stare back at the landscape. “ Your beliefs do not bind you from progress or discovery. More people need to be like you.”

“Maybe there are more and you haven’t met them. And we’re all simply weathering the storm together.”

It became a tradition in the in the coming months for you both to meet when it began to rain, simply so you could watch it together. You used to stand by one another, which evolved to holding hands, which turned to hugging.

Your embrace made Adrian even more fond of rainy days. However, it happened. It began two drizzle and he waited patiently at his doorstep...

But you never showed

He assumed you were busy and simply went to go find you. He knew it was dangerous to walk amongst men sometimes, especially to go see someone in your position. He deemed youworth the risk. He didn’t expect to find your home burned down. Your things broken and a couple flowers and candles burning in remembrance of you. He went to his mothers work almost immediately... to discover the same thing.

[rogue-jester365]

His Tears, Her Demons(Castlevania Fanfiction)

Author: Rogue-Jester365( on Wattpad with the same name and my account Deviantart called DecemberOwl)

Disclaimer: As all of you know, I do not own Adrien "Alucard" Tepes. He belongs to the creators of the Castlevania games and show.

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Chapter 1: Someone New

Alucard

It had only been seven days since my father's defeat, but it always feels like it was yesterday. His castle and the Belmont Hold was now mine to protect and to be sure none of it went to waste. Humanity still has a chance to go on. My mother could now rest in peace, maybe even my father since they are both likely together now. But despite all of that, I couldn't help but feel empty inside.

Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades, the only two friends I ever had were now gone, moving on with their lives. The only family I had was dead. I realized then that I was now alone. But at least every morning was a beautiful one. I found some bliss in that. It was one of the few things here that I would find enjoyable. It wasn't much but it did something for me.

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Before I exited the castle, I grabbed two buckets to collect some water. I had a small smile on my face as I felt the cool breeze against my face as I walked to the river near the castle. I heard a few birds chirping as the sound of the river grew louder. When I got there, I knelt down by the river and began to fill the buckets with water. I still kept alert of my surroundings, in case if anything happens. Just when I finished filling them both, I heard someone humming not far from where I was. I slowly stood up and turned my head to my left, which was the direction I heard it coming from. Out of curiosity, I began walking towards where the humming was, leaving both of my buckets of water behind.

As I walked, the humming grew louder. Which meant that I was getting closer. After half a minute of walking, I was close enough to see who was humming and stopped. My eyes widened slightly from the sight. It was a woman, a human woman. She looked to be only eighteen years of age. She had long, dark auburn hair that was held by a crown braid that was half up, pale skin that looked soft to the touch, but I couldn't see her eyes since she was looking down. She was dressed in black gown and a dark blue hood. She was currently filling a red pitcher with water from the other side of the river.

Without thinking, I took a step forward and heard something snapped. I looked down and saw a broken twig under my boot. I then looked back at the woman, but when I did she was running off. Her pitcher was laying ungracefully on its side by the river. The water within it was pouring out from it and was streaming back to the river.

I wanted to shout "Wait" to the woman but I didn't. I just sighed in response from what happened and turned away. I began walking back to get my water and head back to the castle. But I stopped after only four steps and turned my head back. I looked at the red pitcher that was now empty and needing to be filled.

" Perhaps, I should give the stranger a proper greeting and bring her that water she needed.", I said to myself.

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After I filled the pitcher with water, I followed the direction I last saw the woman take. She couldn't have been far, at least I hope not. As I walked, I noticed that it was much quieter here. No birds were out, no bees, no foxes, or deer. Only the trees and grass were here. Not a lot of sun here, even though it was the middle of the day.

I searched for fifteen minutes of where the woman was or at least where she might be. I then found a small stone cottage that was covered in vines and moss, surrounded by lovely flowers. I saw no one outside but I noticed a small silhouette of a woman in the window." This must be where she lives.", I thought to myself. I walked to the cottage and once stopped once I was at the door. I lifted one hand up to knock while the other held the pitcher. I knocked three times on the door and waited. Not a minute later, I heard footsteps approaching the door. The door then opened and it was her. She gasped then averted her eyes from me.

I looked at her with a calm expression on my face. We were both silent for a small moment until she asked," Something you needed, sir?". Her voice was soft and a bit shaky, like she was afraid of something or me.

" You left your pitcher by the river.", I explained as handed her the pitcher," I filled it up with water for you.".

She didn't take the pitcher at first. She just stood there, still averting her eyes from me. Her hands then slowly reached out a little and then finally took the pitcher." Thank you.", she muttered.

" You're welcome.", I returned. I just kept watch of her for a small moment then turned my head side to side.

My eyes then returned to her." You have a lovely home.", I complimented to spare us both from the awkward silence.

" Thank you.", she muttered.

We were silent yet again for a small moment. But she finally glanced up at me but only for a second. I caught a small glimpse of her eyes at that time. They were both as blue as the sky after a rainy day. Almost the same shade of blue as my mother's eyes.

" Pardon me for being rude, ma'am. But what is your name?", I asked her to satisfy one of the curiosities that's been on my mind.

" Cristine.", she answered with the same soft and shaky tone .

" Cristine.", I repeated to myself. I felt the corners of my lips curl up a bit as I said her name. I didn't understand why though. I then clear my throat and went back to having my clam and almost emotionless expression to keep me from smiling any further. Not that I didn't want to, but because it wasn't entirely natural for people to smile just from a name.

" Well then Cristine, I am Adrian Tepes. I live not far from here.", I told her.

" That's nice.", she responded as she looked down on the ground like she was searching for something. Probably still trying to avoid looking at me.

" Well...", I started but didn't finish. I didn't know what to say or ask. The curiosities on my mind were too invasive to ask and I only just met her.

I thought it was probably best to leave her now." Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Cristine. I hope to see you again soon.", I told her. I meant it when I said "pleasure". I was glad to not be alone in these woods.

" Best that you don't.", she responded. It surprised and confused me a little from hearing that. Before I could ask why, she closed the door.

I sighed to myself then began to head back to the castle. I was rather hurt when she told me that we shouldn't meet. I was looking forward to actually speaking to another person.

" Well, at least I've met someone today and I don't have to keep losing my mind.", I said to myself as I entered the castle.

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The next day, I was out collecting food and water for myself. The morning was still bright, birds were out again, animals going about their everyday lives. I still felt a bit of bliss in that.

I didn't even think of Cristine since yesterday. I only focused on my daily routines, which was nothing more than waking up, collecting food and water for the day, talking with my "two friends", wondering what might have been if things were different with everything that has happened, then I sleep.

Just when I finished filling up the basket with food and the bucket with water, I heard someone approaching in the distance. I slowly placed the food down and dashed to where this someone was. I heard the stranger squeal as I tackled her to the ground.

Just when I lifted myself up to look have a better look at the stranger, I was shocked from seeing it was. Cristine looked up at me with fear in her round sky blue eyes, almost looking like she'll cry at any moment." Please, don't hurt me.", she begged.

" Cristine, I-- I'm sorry.", I quaked before I quickly got off her. I then offered her a hand to help her up. She hesitantly took my hand and I help her back on her feet.

" Please, forgive me, I thought you were someone else.", I explained. I let her hand go and she held herself.

" It's alright, I understand.", she strangely reassured me.

" What brings you here? I thought you told me yesterday that we shouldn't meet again?", I asked her.

" Yes ... Well, that's what I came here to talk to you about.", she told me. I crossed my arms, listening to what she was saying.

" I wanted to apologize for my rude behavior yesterday. I was being unkind when you told me farewell.", she explained to me in a soft and less timid voice," I've just been distant from people for a while now with all the Church and the witch huntings and all.".

" Keeping your guard up from a world of madness, I understand entirely.", I calmy told her. Of course I did. My mother was burnt at the stake because of the Church accusing her of witchcraft. She was obviously hiding in these woods to avoid being accused. She had a good reason on being just as alone as I was.

" Well um... Adrian, is it?", she asked.

" Yes.", I responded.

" I was... Um... I was just curious, since me and you are probably the only ones in these woods...", she was nervously rubbing her fingers together until she finally finished with," Like to join me for tea sometime."

This began to intrigue me, a strange woman who actually wishes to know me. Most people would either want to hunt me or nothing to do with me. But offer was neither of those things. It could be a trap of some sort, but I didn't sense anything false about her. She doesn't seem like that kind of girl, despite the fact I didn't know anything about her other than her name. Perhaps this could be my chance to know her. Not for anything intimate, but so I could finally no longer be alone anymore, to have a friend again.

I smiled at her and said," I would like that.". Her lips twitched into a small smile back at me.

" Well, then till we meet again.", she said then turned away. She took only two steps before turning back at me to say " Bye" with a small wave. I waved back at her. She turned away again then walked away again, most likely back to her cottage.

I watched her for a small moment then turned my heads. My food and water were still at the same place. I walked to them and picked them up. I headed straight to the castle with a smile on my face.