miraclewhip | for cryptsleeper and adamic

for cryptsleeper and adamic

[ It hadn't been long before the attacks had become nightly occurrences. There were close calls, a few too many of them, especially once they rejoined Sypha's caravan and were travelling with the very young and the elderly and those who simply could not fight. Before long, one thing became clear.

This was not coincidence, and something knew how to find them.

And so drastic measures had to be taken. The speakers had wards for this, magics that they had used since the start of their oral history, apparently to keep the eyes of god turned away from them. Whatever was being used to track their movements, it wouldn't be able to find them any more. Herbs were burned, spells were cast, and the attacks stopped. They traveled with the speakers for some time, until their path led them close to Belmont lands, and then they returned.

They returned to closed doors.

That in itself wasn't overly surprising. Keeping one's front doors open at all times was hardly the wisest of ideas. But they didn't open, no matter how Trevor shoved at them. No matter how much Sypha knocked nicely, like a normal person.

(there were tiny dents in the wood, dents that nobody would notice if they didn't know what to look for, where a knife handle had struck it years ago) ]

Let us in, you brooding vampire fuck.

[ And he takes his own knife, slamming the handle of it against the door. It worked once, right? ]

I swear to god, if you've decided to pull that 'grave' shit I'm going to get in here and wake you up with the fucking vampire killer.

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[The mirrors had been working. And then they hadn't.

The last discussion had over the viewing mirror had been tense. Nightly attacks. Too many people to keep an eye on. A million other little factofs that made being stuck in the castle so very, very infuriating. The worry was something Alucard tried to temper with a simple fact: Sypha and Trevor were more than capable of this work. Trust them.

And the part of him that was, is, and always will be a Ţepeş, one who has seen what inaction can cause, worried. He went away from that last conversation reassuring himself that all was fine and then there was silence.

Not just silence, but no images in the mirror at all. Just his own reflection, expression shifting between fear and anger that something might have gone wrong, and then fear at the anger because it's a horrifyingly familiar path. One day was nothing. They were busy. The magic of the mirrors were misbehaving.

Two days was worth being upset over. They forgot. The mirror got left in a bag.

Three days was worth panicking. Alucard knew where they had last been, their contacts, all the other details they had shared. He'd find them, ignore any chastizement about leaving the castle to fend for itself, and if they went home mad at him they went home together.

It's why the two are faced with closed doors now, the castle looming in contrast to the greenery around them all. It's June, with all the promises of the warm summer months and long, long days. Bad for vampires. Good for everyone else.

Alucard's voice doesn't come from the castle or from the communicators. It comes from behind Trevor and Sypha. He's just broken from one of those overpowered vampire runs, and there's no playing it off casually. There's relief on his face, like there were questions about their safe return.]

You're here.

[Two simple words and all the relief that there could ever be in them.]

[As wonderful as the mirrors were--as wonderful as it was both to be not alone and to ensure that Alucard was not alone--they were not without flaws.]

[At first, it'd just seemed to be the usual flaws of mirrors (tarnishing, brittle, the concern of an accident resulting in seven years bad luck [which honestly had a risk of being fatal for Trevor])... but then came the attacks. Every night, without fail, soon. And then--only a few more Strange Coincidences were needed for her to guess that their wonderful mirrors were part of how whatever-it-was behind these attacks tracked them.]

[So she'd temporarily disabled them. Just to test her theory.]

[And very soon, it stopped. So, problem being solved--why should Sypha re-enable them? She'd talk it over with Alucard on their next visit. Maybe he'd have some insight on how to improve that.]

We are. [Sypha sounded very slightly nonplussed--she was used to Alucard being overdramatic, but usually not quote like this.] Where else would we be?

[ He has questions. Or- one question, really. And that question is what the fuck happened? Because it's unusual for Alucard to leave the hold empty and unprotected. It's happened once or twice, to his knowledge, when something horrible got too close and too ambitious, or when people approached with torches and pitchforks and needed to be led astray for their own protection. Never for long. ]

Shit. [ And his hand automatically goes to the whip. Alucard's being away from the castle, even if he managed to return in the blink of an eye, and his concern - that means they have trouble, doesn't it? ] Is there something out on the road? We didn't see anything.

[In about 630 some odd years, Alucard will know the exact right response to all of this, and it is you didn't respond to any of the texts I sent you for over three days and I panicked. But that future is far, far off, and so the only recourse available to him now is to feel the creeping sensation of total and utter embarrassment about said freak out. The tense posture in him dissapates, but now he's just standing where he was, knowing full well that this? This is a never live it down moment, coupled with at least one you overdramatic fuck.

Which is probably the chiding he deserves. As it stands, the only thing he can do is offer up the catalyst for all this ugh, being over dramatic. Because that's what this is, and he isn't exactly proud.]

The mirrors had ceased to work and given our last conversation, I was concerned. [He's trying to play all of this off too easily.] That's all.

[Yes, that's all. All running around for two days on end to try and retrace steps, only to be beaten home by just a few minutes when he could act like he didn't go through all these motions.]

[Initially, Sypha is surprised.] It stopped working? How? I--

[...and then she realizes. Alucard back at the castle wouldn't have a way to distinguish between their mirrors being disabled because of her own will, or disabled because something had destroyed them. Oops.]

... Ah. Ah, yes, that, that... [She is now blushing and looking at anything other than Alucard.] That was me. Sorry.

[ Oh. Oh. That. He is quiet, for just a moment, and then snorts with laughter and elbows Sypha lightly in the ribs. If Alucard wants to play this off as something silly, he's on board. At least for now. ]

You went and made the mother hen all worried.

[ Because this is entirely Sypha's fault. Not his. Nope. ]

[Trevor's ribbing gives Alucard just enough time to recover his total loss of dignity (to be clear, that's been gone for a while, he's just the only one who hasn't noticed it), and walk over to the front door.]

Regardless of where my concerns do or don't lie, I'm not sure what you thought stabbing the castle would achieve. Please don't do it again, even though I'm sure your family crypt just let out a round of applause.

[With no effort at all, he plucks the damned thing out of the door, offering it back to Trevor. It doesn't escape Alucard's notice that the stab is close to a few other markings (his mother showed them to Alucard once), and that gets a soft smile across his face for just a moment.

His free hand rests on the door of the castle itself, and so begins the overdramatic whirring and grinding of gears that means welcome home. Alucard's attention, however, is on Sypha, concern now coloring his voice.]

Why did you disable them?

Not intentionally! ...And not as much as you do. [Sypha, unused to being the troublemaker in this dynamic, attempts to reassert dominance via a very pointy elbow in Trevor's ribs. En guarde, Wallachia Man.]

And that was because those attacking monsters were tracking us by the mirror's magic! Or I think they were. Do you know why? [No offense, she just thought the son of Dracula could help out on that front. You know.]

[ Is this an ELBOW FIGHT? Yes, it is an elbow fight. And- maybe Sypha does have a point. He's usually the cause for concern out of the two of them. ]

Only way you ever mentioned to open the door. Figured it was worth a try. [ And the whipping threats were just because Trevor likes making threats. ]

The castle knows if I am home and you're on the doorstep, then it can open. If I'm not here, it won't move. It's a newer security feature.

[Because there's a different pattern to security now. The doors open enough for them to pass through comfortably without opening all the way (it takes too long, damn Dracula's overdramatics) and Alucard steps over the threshold first.]

What kind of creatures were you dealing with? At the time neither of you had enough information to go on. My first instinct is that it was sniffed out through some natural ability, but...

[He trails off, because they've already slammed into talking shop. There's a moment where he shakes his head, chiding himself.]

Welcome home.

It's good to--

[she cuts herself off because she needs the wind for one last, vicious jab into Trevor's ribs before skipping ahead, next to Alucard and out of retaliatory range.]

It's good to be home.

[Sypha too would like to enjoy the feeling--unlike either of her two companions, the certainty of a home was a new feeling, and she had decided she liked it (at least for short periods at a time).]

Ow-! That's not fair, you're all bones.

[ He might be rude and smelly and hairy, but at least his elbows are blunt. GOSH. He follows, hanging back a little in the way that he does when they return home, watching fondly as Sypha runs up to Alucard. ]

She missed you, you know. Sulked for a day straight after the first day that we couldn't talk to you.

[ That was supposed to be confidential information. But his ribs were supposed to remain unbruised, so nobody's getting what they want. ]

[Sypha's ducked around him first. Sure, it's because now he's a buffer, damn them both, but that means Alucard's arm finds it's way around her shoulder first. Draws her close enough to kiss the top of her head, because that's how it should always be when they walk through those doors.]

You know, Sypha, you yell at us about how we behave and then...

[And then you two stand around stabbing each other with elbows. Alucard laughs, warmth rolling off of him, then turns to Trevor to silently question why he's loitering behind them.]

I can believe that much. I can also believe that neither of you two have actually answered my question of what it was you were dealing with.

Hey--! [Sypha blushes and pouts at her feet. Low blow, Trevor. Low blow.]

[But head-kisses are always good, so she leans against Alucard, into his hug. For a vampire (well, half), he can really be very warm and soft, when he wants to be. It's odd, and sometimes she thinks it could bear investigation. Right now, though, that isn't terriblyimportant.]

It was night creatures, mostly. [But there's a lot loaded into that one word, "mostly."] And--some ...things. Strange little serpents...

[ He just shrugs at Alucard. It's nice to watch Sypha return home - there's always an element of wonder to it, even now. It's good to see the way the weight lifts from Alucard's shoulders, the way the sharp angles of his frame seem to soften with their presence.

Fine, fine. He moves a little quicker to catch up and take his place at Alucard's other side, wrapping an arm around his waist. ]

Nothing that should have been able to use the mirrors. [ No vampires remains unsaid, because it isn't quite true. None that attacked them, but- ] Which means they're taking orders from someone. So that's your bad news for the day.

[The moment that Trevor's arm is around his waist, there is a kiss on his cheek. Trevor's too tall to kiss on the top of the head like Sypha, so this is what Alucard always does instead. They're home. They're home, he's greeted them properly now, and they've all already fallen into step as they walk through the main entry hall. Behind the three, the castle doors close, and the sunlight shines in through every window.

They smell like the road, of course. All woods and musk, and the faintest hint of the June flowers that now wave in the soft breezes as one approaches the castle. All the panic is gone (they'll talk about it, of course.) There's just warmth and contentment for the most important moments of returning.]

If it isn't a new dead thing to add to the collection or one of you with a horrible injury, it's something new and concerning. [He fake sighs, because even for that news, there is real joy.]

Snakes are new. Not something the night creatures deal in. Maybe there's an ally with human intelligence.

[ The room is not yet whole again, but all of the things that were wrong are gone from it. Flakes of burned paper and burned skin, one left there out of malice and the other entirely accidentally, have been swept away. Scorch marks have been scrubbed from the walls. Ruined books have been removed from the room and their titles placed on a list of things that ought to be replaced. What did not feel right after being cleaned has been discarded, and what was broken and irreplaceable has been set aside for later.

And there have been exactly zero corpses in this bed, which is the proper amount of corpses for a bed as far as Trevor is concerned. Depending on how one counts Alucard, anyway.

The blankets would be too warm for the season, if Alucard's back was not so cool against his chest. Even as flushed as he is, his skin is cool to the touch. It's pleasant. Trevor's breathing is still heavy and it is deeply, deeply tempting to pull both soldier and speaker so close that no nightmares can crawl between them and to just sleep, all of them safe and content with heavy heads and nothing to be afraid of.

But there is work to do. So much more work. And today- today work consists of making sure that there is not an inch of skin on the vampire's body that hasn't been kissed more recently than it has been hurt. They only got about halfway through that task before his reactions became a little too distracting and they became sidetracked. Sidetracked in a wonderful, perfect, highly overdue way. But still sidetracked. This is important.

(And Alucard does dislike it, if he leaves tasks half-finished.)

He pulls Alucard tighter against himself and buries his face in the vampire's hair, pressing his mouth against the skin behind his ear. ]

Not finished yet.

Edited 2018-12-07 23:45 (UTC)

[Sypha is, as ever, the smallest of their set of spoons or cups, pushed up against Alucard's front--thus Trevor pulling Alucard towards him means he is pulling him away from her, and she will not just let that happen.]

Mmmnghnh? [is all the sound of protest she made, not wanting to scoot or roll over much (their distraction had already had her clothes half-on, half-off and ridden up in new and interesting ways, if she moved too much they'd turn into trusses.]

[For once since this entire clusterfuck nightmare hellscape and a million other descriptive words aside began, Alucard's brain is switched off. It'll come back in a few more minutes, inevitably (or else it won't and they'll be a perfect, glorious mess of limbs again), but for now he's squished between them both, all warmth and relaxation and feeling as if there has not been week after hideous week of stupid bullshit.

(He had tried to protest this at the start, because he's the one who should be doing all the kissing, they saved him and there's gratitude to show for it in all the ways they didn't get to do before, but. Dry spells. And natural reactions. And how good it all felt to not just be smothered in affection but taken aback by it.)

Trevor's chest is where his face is right now (comfy, right amount of muscle and fat, always has been, always will be). His hands are lazily wrapped around Sypha's waist because that part was unencumbered by annoying robes (he had gotten rid of all his clothes. Unfair.) A pile like they always are after this, warm and contented and whole.

And there's just enough of him to be a jackass.]

Could've fooled me a moment ago.

Mm. Could've fooled you into thinking that the sky was down, a moment ago. I don't think you were paying that much attention.

[ And just for a second, he digs his fingertips into Alucard's ribs. Not enough to tickle, not enough to be painful, just enough to be kind of a shit.

And then he's back to his task. Since Sypha is feeling work shy. He moves his mouth a little lower, as far as he can comfortably manage while Alucard's head is still resting against his chest. It finds his neck. Where that awful silver necklace was. They've already more than attended to it, between the two of them. But his choices are limited right now. ]

[Fine, Treffy. Be like that. Sypha resigns herself to legs tied together and scoots back into the not-exactly-warmth of Alucard's chest. Her hair is likely soon to be tickling Trevor's nose as she presses her lips to Alucard's collarbone, one arm slung over his ribs.]

Can vampires even be tickled? [she wonders aloud--aloud and slightly muffled by said vampire.]

[There's a pretty immediate and obvious response to Trevor being an ass, but uttering fuck you is absolutely pointless in their current positions. Already happened. And he'll get shit for it.

He'll get shit for elbowing Trevor too (not that it's possible to even accomplish right now), and all of this is on Alucard for bringing smart-assery into this situation. But he doesn't mind, it actually feels rather nice to fall into such a familiar pattern.]

You two make it very hard to pay attention at certain points in time.

[Sypha's arm's moved, and Alucard moves one of his hands just enough to rest one on her side. Rub soft little circles there, a smile on his face.]

Apparently I was very squirmy. Outgrew it, of course.

[There's also some effort to not just squirm as two very warm pairs of lips brush against a spot far too sensitive right now to handle any more attention. Not that it'll be refuse either, but...]

Of course you did.

[ Alucard can't see the big, shit-eating grin when he very-obviously-does-not-squirm. But Sypha can, and it's meant for her. Either she'll join in with bullying the vampire, or she'll kick him out of bed for bullying the vampire. It's always hard to tell which will happen.

He kisses again, no more forcefully than before, but this time makes sure that his stubble drags across Alucard's neck. ]

Of course.

[Sypha is emphasizing that by trailing her hand down Alucard's chest, with feathery touch--down his chest, down his belly. She shares Trevor's shit-eating grin.]

[There's an unspoken unfair! when there's the familiar and ever elcome scratch of stubble along Alucard's neck. And he squirms just enough from that and the timing of Sypha's hand on his chest because bully the vampire is the worst game ever. It is laser targeted! Utterly unfair!

There's a whine though, playful and willing to admit that he knows they're being asses, but also it's the best thing in this moment.]

You two are rude, you know that?

And here I thought that it was just me.

[ The neck is about as far as he can reach with Alucard's head resting on his chest, and so there it remains, kisses still light. His hand trails down Alucard's side - heavier than Sypha's, but also slower, so that the two don't blur together and instead both demand focus at once.

They've all become fairly good at this 'teamwork' thing over the years. ]

So you hear that, Sypha? You're as rude as I am now.

[ And then one of the kisses becomes very much not light, because Trevor has a title of 'most rude' to regain now. ]

No I’m not.

[Her voice is far, far too playful for that to be a serious protestation. Besides, both of them know when she is being serious, anyhow, and this place is almost never one where she is.]

But maybe... [She doesn’t say “now I am,” but only because she’s pressed her lips to Alucard’s chest, and is angling her head as she does so that he can feel the feathery brush of her short, mussed hair against his chest.]

[Alucard is all set to point out that they are absolutely proving him right about being rude. He even opens his mouth to start the protest, because those hands moving at different speeds, both demanding attention is so damn rude.

But then there's Trevor's lips on his neck, there's Sypha's lips on his chest, and every part of him is still much too sensitive to do anything else but squirm in absolute contentment.

The hands wrapped up in Sypha's robes tug just a little bit more (why are they still here?) and the part of Alucard's face that's mushed against Trevor's chest picks up just a little bit more. Because if everyone's going to be rude here, he's going to let his all too blissed out face distract too.]

[ He is beautiful like this.

He is beautiful all of the time. Both of them are, whether they're covered in fire and blood or starlight and cold air or sweat and each other's limbs. He's had to get used to it, at least a little, else he'd be staring and distracted every minute of every day. But then Alucard decides to look like this and he knows that no, he is never going to fucking get used to this. ]

You're never going to convince either of us to behave, looking at us like that.

[ But damn if it isn't a convincing argument to stay.

He can't reach Alucard's neck quite as easily anymore, not with his head turned like this. But he can reach his lips, just about. He bites down on Alucard's lower lip (softly, because they were supposed to be being gentle) for just a second before releasing it and kissing it lightly instead. ]

[Her robes were a tremendous nuisance only when she tossed and turned on restless nights—or at least that is how it used to be, then she started sleeping with the vampire and the Belmont... After a moment more struggle, she simply gives up and, with a weirdly graceful twist tucks her head under Alucard’s arm and her back to his front. Now they might need real help to be disentangled... but also makes squirming in the process much better.]

[Alucard wants to just be an ass to Trevor. That's instinct one, always has been, always will be. Even if the kiss is good. (It is well beyond that.) Even if they're just going to stay here and be like this for hours. (The ideal.)

Then Sypha's doing something that he can't quite clock beyond it's very confusing, and he shifts just enough to look at the total twisted mess he's found himself in. And there's just a laugh, because there's an easy way to fix this problem. Probably with bonus squirming]

You could have just taken your robe off at the beginning.

She could have. But then this wouldn't be happening. And this shit is hilarious.

[ Is he going to help to untangle them? Of course not. In fact, he's going to make this more difficult by reaching over Alucard to put an arm around Sypha's waist and pulling them both in closer until there's barely any room at all to try to free themselves.

His very own captive vampire and magician. ]

I like having it on, [Sypha retorted, not for a moment stopping the press of her buttocks against Alucard’s groin. Just because a dhampir doesn’t seem to fear the cold and Belmont is a literal honest-to-God bear...]

[(There were other reasons, too)]

[When Trevor adds his arm around her waist, she stills—but only because now she has to figure out how to trap his hands too. Hmm...]

It gets in the way! If I shred these by accidents, the blame lies on you. [The boys are both very naked! Something-something-unfair!

Speaking of unfair. That pressure from Sypha is going to be a problem in about ten more minutes.]

I admit, the hilarious comment might warrant retaliation.

[This has to be turned around somehow. That stillness in Sypha is the right way to go.]

Retaliation? Shit.

[ He says, with exactly the tone of someone who is not particularly concerned about retaliation. ]

Well- if I'm going to be in trouble no matter what, I may as well earn it.

[ By which he means it's time to dig fingers into Sypha's sides and tickle. ]

[Alucard, you foolish dhampir. What makes you think that wasn’t part of the plan all along?]

[But before she can explain her master plan like a real villain, Trevor has started tickling her and she’s gasping with laughter.]

No—no fair! [Instead of trying to free herself, Sypha’s reflex when tickled is to wiggle even harder, her arms clamped around Trevor’s wrist and Alucard’s arms and hands so tightly they couldn’t pull away even if they tried. Not really a beneficial reflex, really...]

[There's just going to be no escaping this. Alucard's too stuck in the middle here, Sypha's absolutely wiggling against all the right parts, so.

Okay, he's super stuck. At least as far as upper bodies go. His legs, however, are free agents, so he tries to reach back and hook one leg around Trevor's in what's probably the worst attempt to get leverage known to man.]

Sypha's right, this is downright scandalous Belmont.

[Is that too much faux authority? Hell yeah it is. And is he nearly laughing as the words escape his mouth? Also yes.]

Let go, I bet I can free you from that grasp.

You're planning to fight me two on one, and I'm the one who's being unfair?

[ ...as if this hasn't been two on one since the start. The only difference is that this time he's the 'one'. He lets Alucard's leg tangle around his and bring it forwards, trapped between his cool legs and Sypha's warm ones as he continues to tickle in the hopes of keeping himself from becoming further captured. ]

Aha...aha... [She can't stop laughing, though at least it is not painful, and--well--look, thesituation is clearly desperate. At last she manages to loosen up enough to allow Alucard to pull his hands free, while maintaining her reflexive vise-like grip on Trevor's hand, as if she just held hard enough, he'd be immobilized and unable to tickle her further.] Ahahahaaaalucard, c'mon, I'mahaha--haaaa...

We are, yes.

[How is sort of in the air right now. But Alucard has his hands free, and with Sypha's squirming there's just a little big of wiggle room for him to turn around veeeeery carefully so his back is to Sypha instead. And now he can also grab Trevor's hands, and start to (carefully, no broken wrists allowed) break Trevor's tickle attack.]

Like so!

[ Alucard is careful, though you wouldn't know it to watch them. You wouldn't know it because Trevor turns back onto his back, feigning being pushed over and pinned down even if Alucard and Sypha's hands on his wrists are doing no such thing. ]

Well shit. Foiled.

Belmont, foiled at last! [Now she's no longer being tickled, but still smiling, clinging to Trevor's wrist with both hands as Alucard moves it (and her) to pin him down.] The forces of magic and regular bathing triumph again.

Hm, if we're going to fuss about regular baths we could ensure that it's well earned for a second time in a week.

[It's 200% time to both bully and maybe turn the tables on the Belmont.]

Feels like he's hardly worked up a sweat.

Of course I've not. Takes barely anything to make the two of you squirm.

[ He can't do much else with his hands without breaking the illusion of being pinned down, so he drags his fingers lightly against the inside of Sypha's thin wrists. ]

You could have asked, if you wanted me to put some effort into it.

Hmmm...

[Sypha is having a ball. After a brief shudder at how Trevor touches her (it’s strange, and she wonders if it always will be, how gentle he can be from time to time), she rolls over atop him, between them—precisely the right size (by which is meant: tiny) to tuck her head under Alucard’s chin while folding her arms across Trevor’s wide chest, to better give him a judgmental look.]

Do we want him to put some work into it, Alucard? [She grins lazily.]

Well, my understanding of this situation was that you two did have a plan in mind, and now it's been very derailed.

[Actually, Alucard's sure that getting the vampire into bed was the plan from the get go. He doesn't mind at all (he opposite of minds). But now, now there are options. There's a low, thoughtful noise as he puts one hand on Sypha's hip (he's not rude, there's no tickling), and the other proceeds to tangle up into Trevor's hair.]

So while I'd like to see that plan through to the end, I am also now much too curious about what qualifies as real effort in this particular case.

[ Hey rude, this was meant to be an entirely chaste, healing thing, an extension to the stupid scar game. It was just very difficult to keep it that way once it became clear that logistics meant clothing would need to be removed, and that the only place this could be done comfortably was the bed and the whole thing stated looking less like healing and more like something more familiar. He grins when Sypha effectively proves his point. ]

Well shit, wasn't expecting you to call me on that. [ TREVOR THAT WAS THE OBVIOUS RESULT OF YOUR ACTIONS WHY WERE YOU NOT EXPECTING IT. With his hands now free, he brings them up to Alucard's hips, pulling him down against Sypha more closely. ] Now I have to figure something out.

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for cryptsleeper and adamic

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i'm sorry

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ALSO USES THIS POST FOR CUDDLES

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I’M SORRY

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