reposing | a world without logos

a world without logos | stoneup

The conclusion of the mission in the heart of Paris had finished by Alucard's lone hand -- technically, in any case. The building in which Millennium was inhabiting and running tests, evidently, had already seen its blood bath from someone else: one of their own, more or less. Alucard returned to the Hellsing manor with the blonde-haired vampire, covered in dried blood and wearing clothes that don't fit him, scrubs and a lab coat -- and a giant scar on his chest that he could not hide.

The vampire's name is Adrian. Beyond being a pet project, he doesn't remember anything else outside of a life of Millennium. It begins there, and ended with circumstances Alucard only described in a laugh and a Don't interrupt his reading time.

The elusive new vampire is not seen for another day. Then, as if he has always belonged in Hellsing manor, he walks the halls with a regal elegance, fully dressed this time and certainly much more put together. There is almost always a suspicious look in his golden gaze, skeptical as he looks at most people, but significantly less lost than when he'd first arrived.

Reluctantly, he does approach one Trevor Belmont, a book under one arm.

"Alucard has instructed me that I should be introducing myself to the rest of the organization," Adrian says, sounding bland and distant.

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That is actually much more comforting than he was expecting. To know that this is different, even for Trevor.

As gently as he can manage it, he slips out of Trevor, sighing at the loss of his heat wrapping around him. He closes his eyes, letting him touch as he'd like.

"What is it supposed to be, then?"

Trevor can't help the soft chuckle; he turns his head to nuzzle into Adrian's hair.

"Oh, I don't think anyone in their right mind would complain about it being like this every time. Most people just aren't that lucky." Now that the vampire has slipped out of him, he shifts to settle an arm around Adrian's waist in turn.

Lucky. He doesn't think he's really ever been, not until he was found, not until he made his way into Hellsing. Not until now, luckily uniting with someone so unexpected.

Adrian shifts so that the two of them fit into the coffin better. Not that he can sleep; he hasn't really been able to in a long time, and certainly can't right now.

"Then I'm glad," he says quietly. "Would you... do this again with me? Sometime."

For now, at least, Trevor's content. The overall stickiness between them does remind him of something, but he has to settle Adrian's mind first, he's sure.

He leans in to kiss Adrian once, lightly, before he draws back and answers. "Shit, I'd very much like to do that again with you. Maybe even with a proper date beforehand."

He glances sidelong out of the coffin. "We ought to clean up, though. Wouldn't want to ruin your ... bed?"

The kiss is so light and soft, making Adrian smile before be ducks his head sheepishly. He's allowed to decide when he bathes, allowed to have his own space. Sometimes it's easy to forget.

"You're right." Adrian slips his hand into Trevor's, helping the both of them up. "This way."

Through another door is his personal shower. There's an unused toilet, but present for, evidently, visitors. Not unlike Trevor, really.

For what it's worth, despite the fact that the Geese aren't known for their cleanliness, a real shower is always something Trevor appreciates. They just don't always get them out in the field, all right?

He lets himself be led into the bathroom, decides not to mention the pristine condition of the toilet, and moves to start setting up the water to the shower to warm.

"So you ... drink wine, yeah, do you eat what the rest of us do, too? For, you know, date planning purposes."

"I... don't know. I don't think I can," Adrian admits. "But I don't remember ever trying human food at any point. We could try?"

Date. Date planning. That is a thing that's actually going to happen. He's read only one romance novel ever, and it wasn't very good, but he likes the idea? It seems nice, but he quietly worries he wouldn't be good at it.

Though he steps into the shower, he waits for Trevor to join him as well. "You really want to do that. Take me to a date." Adrian sounds likes he's not bothered but rather just trying to wrap his head around the idea.

"Maybe we'll try out a cracker or two before we leave." Because he doesn't think -- whatever Adrian's reaction might be to eating food would be the best thing to bring it in public if his plan is to not embarrass the vampire.

Trevor steps into the shower behind the other man, brings his hands to lightly rest on either side of Adrian's shoulders with a soft chuckle. "I'm sure it shocks you to know that I actually like going out and doing things other than participating in mercenary missions."

"That would probably be wise." Adrian is in quiet agreement; he'd rather not end up being sick by trying something he shouldn't.

But there is a bit of giddiness in knowing that Trevor actually wants to take him somewhere? In the bits of his memories, he thinks that courting has been a thing of the past, but he can't recall ever experiencing it himself. Not that he can recall a lot.

He breathes in just at the warm hands on his shoulders, and he gradually reaches up to touch one of Trevor's hands. "Maybe a little. But I know I like to read and... that's about it, I suppose. You know yourself better than I know myself." Quietly, he murmurs, "You know me better than I know myself."

Trevor spreads his fingers and carefully takes Adrian's hand in his own, over the vampire's shoulder. He settles in closer, resting his forehead against the back of the blonde's neck.

"Still, I don't know a lot." He frowns to himself where Adrian can't see; he knows the easiest way to get the vampire's memories back, and it -- well, it involves breaching one of the very things he'd spoken about never doing again just this evening: going back to Romania.

He rubs one hand absently across Adrian's ribs, teasing forward to rest against firm stomach muscles. God, he really is too handsome for his own good. It's distracting, even now.

The closeness is nice, it's soft and it's warm; comforting, in a way. Something he thinks he could very easily fall into. The Wild Geese are still a group of ruffians and scoundrels, but he does like Trevor anyway.

"I didn't even know where I was from," he says a bit wryly. "You've... given me something incredibly important, Trevor. Thank you."

The contact makes him hum, pleased, enjoying the attention. Hesitantly, he turns his head, placing a kiss to Trevor's cheek.

"...I guess you're right about that." Just that tiny bit more willing to take praise at face value, this Belmont. He chuckles, the hand on Adrian's hip applying very light pressure in hopes of getting the vampire to turn and face him more properly again.

"You've already given me more than enough thanks, anyway." Pleasant company could go a long way in Trevor's books -- any of the Geese's books, honestly -- and Adrian's pleasant in spades, it seems.

It wouldn't be hard to fight against Trevor's hand, but he follows his guidance anyway, turning and facing the mercenary once more. He slowly reaches out, draping his arms around Trevor's shoulders. He should properly clean, but he wants to bask just a bit more with him under the warm spray of water.

"I suppose it just seems massive in comparison to what I've had before," he confesses softly. "But I'm still grateful, nonetheless."

This time, he does press in for a kiss on Trevor's lips.

"I'm sure once you end up in Romania and remember how the whole place smells vaguely like damp potatoes, you'll be far less grateful."

He leans into the kiss without hesitation, draws back after a moment with a slight grin. "I admit, though -- this whole after-sex bit, it's usually more slapdash than this."

He gives Adrian's hip a gentle squeeze. "Not a complaint."

"Do you think we will?" he asks, looking startled. "Go to Romania, I mean."

Not that he's eager for the scent of damp potatoes, but if there was a way to reclaim his old self-- he wonders.

"I..." Adrian ducks his head a little. "If I found someone willing in Millennium, it was fast. Hardly anything, but a quick mount. ...We might as well have been dogs, I suppose. But I like this much more."

"Ah, I mean..."

He rubs his neck. He's stepped in it again, hasn't he?

"There's a good chance we could end up near enough that you could always hop across, right? Especially if it would help with your memories." It would help with his loyalty too, Trevor would argue.

He pauses, considering, and then places his hand on Adrian's shoulder again. "Lean your head back into the water and get it wet. I'll wash you up."

The aversion to Millennium seems sign enough to him: Trevor doesn't want to discuss it, which he can't blame the man for. So he glances down and keeps that in mind, nodding once before he leans his head back.

"I suppose so," he murmurs. "If Alucard gives his permission, we could try."

And they are bound to travel plenty.

Once Adrian's gotten his hair wet, he slips in behind the vampire again to grab a few pumps of shampoo.

Then he's settling his hands to lathering at the scalp, fingers rubbing light circles.

Okay, this he's done before. The term for it is, according to the woman he'd indulged it most with, a 'hygiene kink'.

He wants to say that he didn't mention a 'we' when he said Adrian should go to Romania. In fact, it's on the tip of his tongue, but then he's looking sidelong at the vampire again and -- well. He keeps his mouth shut.

"Right, got to check with the boss. Makes some sense." As long as you actually respect your leader, which -- fortunately for both of them, they do.

Oh.

Adrian looks a bit startled for a moment when he feels Trevor's fingers working through his hair, lathering and fingernails at his scalp. It's surprising how nice it is. He sighs, closing his eyes, letting Trevor do as he'd like right now.

"Do you know where in Romania I would need to go?"

"Mm," he mumbles thoughtfully, working the shampoo in to the ends of Adrian's hair while he continues to talk, "Roughly. I can think of a few places that might jog your memory based on things that Leon passed down, at least."

It's unlikely they'll be able to find the castle, but -- well, there were other locations, other places they could go, and the more that Adrian talks, the more that Trevor realizes he does want to help him. If that means going to Romania ... maybe he can just drink himself stupid while he's there.

"Is it..." Adrian hesitates, then glances down. "Is it all right if I ask you to come with me? It seems to involve a lot of unfortunate memories for you."

Not that Trevor's been subtle with it. He's mentioned as much, and perhaps it was too presumptuous to have thought that the mercenary would go with him. But he'd-- like that. The company, the help. Someone who knows him in this way.

Trevor's rarely subtle with anything that he does or says; it avoids ambiguity, most times.

He nudges Adrian back against him to rinse his hair, dropping his cheek to the vampire's shoulder once he asks him the question he'd assumed was coming. Admittedly, he doesn't answer right away -- rather, he draws in a deep breath through his nose and lets it out slowly.

"-- I will. Go with you, if that's what you want." He's not going to deny that the place holds awful memories for him, but they'll at least be avoiding the places with the worst of it for him personally, Trevor thinks.

It seems a difficult thing to ask. Yes, he wants Trevor to go with him, this man who by some circumstance -- be it coincidence or more -- has a link to him, a bond. He likes this man and would prefer him at his side, but...

Adrian closes his eyes as his hair is rinsed out. The sensation is pleasant, but he thinks about what this must mean for Trevor.

"I do. However..." Once he feels his hair is substantially rinsed, he tips his head forward to look at Trevor. "I would not ask you to suffer for me."

He seems startled that Adrian's looking at him when he says these things, and in fact has to pause before he responds.

What is this?

"Well," he starts, still resting against Adrian in the warm spray of the shower, "I've suffered more for less." Whatever that was supposed to mean -- that he'd suffered greatly for people he felt less connection to, maybe. At the heart of things, Trevor Belmont still held his family's values at heart -- protecting people from what wanted to harm them.

Slowly, he slides his arms to wind tighter around Trevor, as if he might somehow protect him from what terrible memories must wait for him in Romania. But it's a silly notion, nothing could change that, could keep him from hurting and remembering.

"I would not refuse your company," he says softly. "Thank you, Trevor."

To him, it seems this man is more noble than he lets on.

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