Winterfest in July (All Bingo): Catching Starlight; Alucard/Trevor

[rogueprince]

Title: Catching Starlight
Fandom: Castlevania (TV)
Character(s): Alucard/Trevor Belmont
Prompts: Wild Card (Stars)
Rating(s): PG
Warning(s): None
Summary: Trevor remembers spending nights beneath a sky filled with diamond dust, stretching as far as the eye could see, and all tonight can offer him is some painful nostalgia and an even more painful wound on his neck. Alucard comes to check in on his charge after feeding from him for the first time and indulges Trevor's reminiscing, surprised himself when he gets an unexpected dose of healing.

Checking to be certain that his other companions are asleep, or at least faking it, Trevor carefully forsakes the warmth of the dilapidated barn for a spot on some soft hay outside. In spite of the carnage wrought by Dracula's horde, this small part of the country remained untouched. The smells of green grass and fresh night air lingered around him, lulling him into a reminiscent security.

"Each star in the sky represents a soul that has since passed into Heaven, Trevor."

Snorting at his own ignorance, Trevor tries to erase the still images of his father's rough, kind face in his mind, but more persist.

"Your mother and I, someday we shall burn just as brightly, but you mustn't waste your time regretting our passing."

An unsettling lump sinks into his stomach.

"Should you wish to see us again, all you have to do is look up. We'll be right there with you, son. Ever at your side, watching over you."

"It's as if you knew what would happen," he says to no one in particular, folding an arm behind his head as he cranes his neck to get a better view of the stars. The dull ache inflicted by Alucard's fang still hadn't passed and he grunts, shifting around on the hay until it fades again. "A lot of good all those fairy tales you told me did, too."

"The wound of losing a loved one never quite heals, does it?"

Trevor scrambles around on the hay and reaches for the short sword at his belt, pausing once he catches a glimpse of the intruder behind him. Sighing, he collapses onto the hay again. "You could have announced your presence."

"I'd much rather risk your surprise than your ire," Alucard says softly and walks over. "May I join you?"

Shrugging, Trevor scoots over a little on the pile of hay he's resting on. "Why not? Misery does love company."

Alucard nods graciously and takes a spot beside his companion, sitting in silence until he notices the dark marks on Trevor's neck. He sits up a little and moves to touch the wounds, but Trevor quickly jerks away with his hand clapped over them. Taking his hint, Alucard withdraws and lies on his back again.

"My mother and I used to stay awake all eve just to chart the stars and call them by name," he starts, folding his hands over his stomach as he speaks. "Father would join us sometimes, too. They'd regale me with tales of the Zodiac and their origins, fill me with wonder just before sending me off to bed. My dreams were rife with these exploits and grand romances, so much that it pushed me to explore the world outside the safety of the castle."

Clicking his tongue, Trevor loosens up some and taps into the lighter mood Alucard has presented. "My parents made up their own philosophies and theories about such things. In the end, it's all rubbish and nonsense."

"I discovered both the beauty and ugliness of human nature because of such nonsense," Alucard adds, catching Trevor off-guard yet again. He smiles softly at the mortal man and continues, "You and Sypha are good examples of what my mother saw in humans, something worth fighting and protecting."

That oath, Trevor knows, also once bound his family to their sacred duties. To be taking up that heavy mantle once more frightens Trevor more than anything, still visited by demons of his family's demise in forms of dreams and day terrors. The same could very well befall them all, the same that Alucard's mother suffered, and it terrified him. At the same time, though, he also knows that there is goodness left in Wallachia that's worth dying for.

"I'm sorry," Trevor murmurs at length, casting his gaze momentarily on Alucard. "Your mother deserved better than what she was given."

Alucard sighs a little. "As did your family, I'm sure." He turns his head to meet Trevor's wandering gaze and manages to hold it steady for a moment. "The Belmont clan has always been of the greatest aid to Wallachia; I'm proud to be serving with one among their ranks."

Wincing a little, Trevor attempts a little smile. "I don't deserve that kind of praise; my deeds hardly measure up to those of my forefathers."

"Neither do my own," Alucard adds, sitting up again with a wry smile himself. "Does it still hurt?"

"What, this?" Trevor boasts, tugging at the skin around the bite marks. "H-Hardly."

Narrow eyes and a deadpan frown are enough to convince Trevor that his lie is as transparent as Sypha's dry sarcasm.

"Well, maybe a little," he says more truthfully this time. "I'll be fine, though. It's nothing I can't handle."

Alucard moves in closer, slowly so as not to startle his charge. "I could soothe the wounds for you." He gingerly moves Trevor's hand to inspect them again. "You've offered yourself as sustenance so it's the least I could do."

Curious as to what Alucard is offering, Trevor ceases fidgeting and remains still instead. His fingers dig into the soft earth beneath him as Alucard leans in closer to his neck. His muscles are all rigid and sweat beads along his forehead while he waits for something to happen.

It's no small wonder why he yelps after Alucard's lips make contact with the wounds again, caressing them, tongue and all.

"Should I stop?" he asks, looking up from his task.

Trevor has a long frown drawn across his face and he just sits still, clawing the dirt behind him. Alucard takes that as his cue to continue and the seconds drag painfully by as he goes about his work. Eventually, the lapping along his neck softens into something warmer than Trevor cares to acknowledge, and he lays back against the hay without another protest. Alucard climbs over him and straddles him for a more comfortable angle, and that's when Trevor feels a frigid breeze sweep across the field.

"Hm?" Alucard brushes his long hair back a moment and stares up at the sky. "It's snowing."

Swallowing hard, Trevor eases him off and wraps his own cloak around him for effect. "And cold," he finishes. "We should head inside."

"I imagine the lady wouldn't take well to you catching a cold, no." Alucard smiles at the thought of it, amusing indeed. "She would scold you for sure."

"Something I already get enough as is," Trevor says with a grin, clapping Alucard on the back. "Although, it will still be cold inside the barn, too..."

Alucard's eyebrows rise into his forehead at the implications of that. "Shall I share your bed, then, Belmont?"

"Where the hell did you get that idea?!" Trevor barks, stiffening as Sypha stirs a little from her own slumber across the barn. He turns to Alucard again and whispers, "There's no way I would share my bed with another man! I don't...i mean, I..."

Chuckling, Alucard pats his cheek and saunters across the barn to take up his post beside the rear door again. "The offer is always available, should you come to your senses and cast your pride aside."

"Hmph." Trevor huddles in his corner of the barn and turns his back to Alucard, blood drumming in his ears. "Cheeky bastard..."

He really hates being wrong.