Ahhh, I Need To Get Back Into My Hellsing Brain So I Can Start Writing Again Next Week! Please Send Asks.

Ahhh, I need to get back into my Hellsing brain so I can start writing again next week! Please send asks. Can be about Sabine, Hans, Barrett or anything to do with my hellsingverse please 🙏

A Night for Hunting Ch.9- Courtship

T/W: Alucard(Ultimate) x F!Reader, fluff alert!, romance, heights, “kidnapping.” Lonely, mild vampire. Alucard is a shithead and you can’t even be mad.  Words: 4120 On AO3

Thank you for over 250 kudos! Not to mention all the comments and (mostly private 🤣) bookmarks and subscriptions! And the likes and reblogs too! The reception this story gets continues to astound and humble me. An incomplete fic getting all this attention! Who would have thought?! This chapter is one of the ones I wanted to write for several months. It took so long to post because I saw a scary movie trailer (“The Exorcist”) and then I was too spooked to sit in the living room alone to write at night for over a week.  I hope you guys enjoy it! As of this chapter, this story is now my longest piece of writing.

“This place is incredible.” Everywhere you inspected continued to inspire awe. From the paintings on the walls, to the details on the ceilings, or the shininess of the floors, the restaurant was lavish in the most tasteful of ways from every angle.

You finally accepted Alucard’s invitation to the Shangri-la. Fortunately, you never took him up on his prior offer to feed you properly every night. You were like a duck sitting in a nest of swans. You could dress like the rest of the patrons and act gracefully enough, but this sort of grandeur would never suit you.

A portion of the restaurant was sectioned off for your private use with Alucard, which brought about another problem. While you were thankfully shielded from the prying and admiring eyes of other guests towards your companion, you were also stuck in a public setting where you were forced to interact with him. 

You were on a date with a freaking vampire. This just wasn’t how you envisioned life would turn out.

Most of the meal consisted of him watching you eat while he sipped wine from an engraved crystal glass set on a stem of gold. Such extravagance. You weren’t one to complain though. The food was divine, the complex flavours melted into your tongue and you nearly moaned as you swallowed. 

“I see you are enjoying your meal,” he observed. The light reflected off the orange lenses of his sunglasses at such an angle that you couldn’t see his eyes through the glare. But his grin was ever-present.

Honestly, it didn’t even seem like the vampire was attempting to impress you with the fancy scenery. He was completely at ease and disinterested in the setting, like he was born into grandeur such as this. Opulence was simply a natural backdrop he was used to being surrounded by.

"Soo…vampires can turn opposite sex virgins into baby vampires, but if they bite a non-virgin, they become zombies instead?"

"That is correct."

"Who decided on this? Why does being a virgin change anything?" Maybe he was a pervert who was insecure about his sexual prowess.

The said ‘pervert’ chortled and set down the wine before his glasses followed, mirth glittering in those liquid pools. They were the colours of the autumn leaves that filled the lush treeline with spectacular shows of foliage a month ago. "You will never cease to amuse me little one. I assure you, I didn't create this rule, but it is the one we must abide by."

Damn vampire getting in your head again. The lack of mental privacy was aggravating, especially when you recalled the night he glimpsed your moment of insanity, when the briefest thought of intimacy with him flitted across your mind. 

"This rule is stupid," you told him defiantly.

The grin stretched wider, the tips of two sharpened canines poking through. “I am inclined to agree.”

You had the feeling he was reading your mind again and while you didn’t want to verbalize how much it bothered you, knowing it would predispose him to doing it more frequently, you couldn’t keep your mouth shut.

“Stay out of my head! You’re being rude!” You stabbed a morsel of meat with a fork.

He merely chuckled at your reaction. “I can attempt to refrain from doing so, but humans are so fascinating.”

“You were human! Have you forgotten what that was like? Anyways, you are planning on turning me into a zombie?!” If that was the goal, with his superpowers, he could have done so already, with or without your consent. But that didn’t make sense because he saved you from a crowd of ghouls!

An elegant brow lifted. 

So you elaborated. “You keep trying to convince me to sleep with you and you just drank my blood! You want to bite me!”

Alucard howled with laughter and pinned you with a pointed look. “You truly are fascinating, little human.”

You bristled with indignance at the way he found humour in everything you said and did, irritation making your skin turn hot. What was the point in coming here tonight if all your date did was mock you? Ever since you met this creature, it was one supernatural encounter after the other. It was all made worse by how he was privy to your myriad of thoughts. Slamming a vexed glare back to him, you found the vampire with his face propped up on a fist, staring at you with a soft expression. A tiny smile tilted the corner of his lips.

He was teasing you. And you fell for it. You felt like a foolish schoolgirl as your ire deflated, but goodness, how can anyone look so gorgeous? It was too unfair. Your fork slipped from your grasp and fell to the floor with a metallic clatter, not that you wanted to stick cutlery in his face anymore.

One moment he antagonized you and the next he gazed at you like that. You swallowed your displeasure and sat up straight, eager to recover some face.

"Then how about you? Do you have a sire?"

Something changed in his expression. His eyes dulled and the smile fell a fraction, as if he really didn't like thinking about this aspect of his past. Recalling how comfortable he was with the brutal slaughter of the undead, you realized he must have an extended history with violence and bloodshed. Alucard was dangerous, and you didn’t mean what he was capable of doing to you. It seemed there were secrets in this world larger than the existence of vampires and ghouls. Concern about what you were getting yourself into if you spent more time with this vampire crossed your mind. 

But as you studied his face carefully and his mild gaze slid back to yours, suddenly you felt guilty for asking about things he wasn’t ready to share.

“Um, you don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to.”

"To be or not to be, that was the question," he finally murmured cryptically.

Huh? Shakespeare?

Was Alucard referring to his decision to turn, to become a vampire? But you doubted someone so sophisticated would miss the deeper meaning behind those words and misquote Hamlet. 

…Did he too wish for death? Ironic for someone who already died once. His choice of words bothered you, but you weren’t in the headspace to ponder this point further at this time. The orangey-yellow in those mesmerizing pits swirled slowly as he studied you. The silence stretched long during this intimate moment, when you felt closer to him than he probably ever allowed anyone. You didn’t want to let it simply slip away.

“Do…do you ever miss being human? Or seeing the sun?” You ventured cautiously, not wanting to push him away when he was letting you view this other side of him, so different from his usual cockiness and menace.

“Silly child, you do not comprehend the preciousness of your humanity, nor the curse of so-called immortality.”

Your mouth opened to protest, but no, he was right, you never stopped to ponder your humanity. It was such an intrinsic part of you that was taken for granted.

“Alucard, how old are you?”

His expression once again filled with amusement despite his gaze remaining warm. “I have seen over five centuries come and go.”

Okay that was really old. Much older than you assumed. Your eyes dropped from his piercing stare as you thought back to all those times this ancient creature chased you around and attempted to woo you. Was it strange for something so old to court someone your age? Then again, were there many other ancient vampires for him to choose from? Human standards probably didn’t apply any longer.

“I haven’t lived through the ages like you, and I don’t know where I was trying to go with this conversation, but maybe I was just trying to say that I miss the day. It’s…sometimes difficult to always work at night, especially now that it’s winter. The nights are long –it’s dark when I leave home and dark when I return. And then my body is so confused once the shifts are over and too soon, it’s time to switch back to a daytime schedule.”

Alucard leaned back and crossed his legs, his chin tilting up as he regarded you. “The garish light of day will never compare to the beauty of the black night. Her generous velvet wakes the imagination and makes the senses come alive.”

“The blanket of night hides creatures such as yourself,” you stated flatly.

In his eyes, a mysterious light shone. His attention was entirely devoted to you. This vampire was genuinely interested in your words. You squirmed in your seat under the intensity of that sparkling gaze, totally unprepared for the weight of his scrutiny and you wondered what he saw in you. Unlike him, you weren’t made to live in darkness.

“When the sun rises above the horizon and beats back the darkness, or when its dying rays fade away for the night, it paints the most dazzling gradient of colours across the sky. Even at high noon, the world comes into sharp contrast through a sea of cerulean. Daylight is warm, bright, comforting.” 

“...”

You sighed in exasperation. “Do you truly not miss the beauty of daytime at all?”

"No. I despise the sun. It is a mercy that each day must die." 

You laughed sheepishly. "Ahaha. I guess debating this point is moot. You're a vampire after all."

--------------------

The rest of dinner flew by smoothly. Alucard could wield his words like a dagger, yet there was artistry in the way he spoke, an old world pattern to his speech that at times sounded like riddles holding profound meaning beyond your understanding. His intellect was captivating. You were surprised by how pleasant the conversation was when he wasn’t intentionally seeking to get a rise out of you.

He wasn’t so bad at all.

Besides the server who occasionally came to check in on the two of you, you were alone. Before you knew it, you reached out to brush away the stray strands of hair hiding an eye that gleamed like the fiery sun he so hated. Your hand twitched when you caught what you were doing, yet you don't pull away. Neither did he. After a moment, your hand dropped to cradle his cheek.

The vampire’s eyes widened fractionally before dropping to half-open. He sighed and leaned into your touch. His skin was cool, but it wasn’t unpleasant to touch. You traced circles on that strong jaw that captivated you the first time you got a good look at him in your kitchen.

Alucard was crooning and purring, nuzzling his face into your palm. The back of your fingers on your other hand rubbed up his throat to stroke his chin. 

Distantly, the server returned with something you asked for. You couldn’t remember what it was, but they left promptly when Alucard’s gaze fell on them. His hand gripped yours to keep it on himself when you tried to pull back.

"More. Touch me," he demanded. 

So you played with his hair, twirling the lustrous tresses between your fingers and massaging his scalp. You boldly traced a finger down one of his fangs, grazing the sharp tip with the lightest touch. He stayed very still for you with his lips slightly parted and lidded eyes glowing fiercely. 

It occurred to you that he was very much like a cat. He liked to nuzzle his face on you, purred like an engine, and was constantly sniffing around. He loved body heat and being pet, and had slit eyes that often blinked slowly at you. 

Would he let you? You lifted a finger at him, making the rumbling vampire follow it curiously with his head tilted. You gingerly pressed the pad to his nose before pulling away. His eyes opened up before a content grin spread over his face, and he brought his face closer to bump the tip of his nose against your fingertip again.

--------------------

It was getting late, but Alucard insisted on having you stay up with him, stating there was somewhere he wanted to show you. Imagine your shock when he immediately scooped you into his arms before you could rescind your begrudging agreement and began leaping impossible distances from building to building. The wind cut through your jacket and chilled you down to the bone. It was not meant for the weather of these late winter nights. 

Your hair billowed into your face and filled your mouth. You barely heard yourself shriek through the howling wind as you clung to the vampire’s shoulders while he took you soaring through London from up high. You peered down at the sea of lights at your feet and gulped nervously. The ground was so far away! 

This wasn’t the kind of commute I had in mind! You desperately thought to him.

His smirk was devious when he gazed down. You are safe with me. He told you with a squeeze to your legs for reassurance.

With no other warning, you were suddenly thrown into the air and you screamed bloody murder at the loss of your anchor as you started to free fall –the wind whistled into your ears and slipped past your splayed fingers. The loose ends of your clothing flapped uselessly as you plummeted back to the earth…only for your flailing body to be quickly bundled into Alucard’s red duster to protect you from the winter chill. 

He was grinning like a maniac as you landed back in his arms with a squawk. You stared back in betrayal with huge frightened eyes and resisted the urge to smack him, but only because you didn’t want to risk him dropping you again for fun. 

Still he ran, jumped, and landed on various structures, sometimes sideways or even upside down. The rapid changes in direction was disorienting and made the cutting wind slap against you, so you clenched your eyes. The laws of gravity did not apply to him. With your arms trapped within the heavy jacket, neither were you able to grab onto him for safety as the two of you hung from another overpass while Alucard traversed its underside. You were forced to trust the vampire not to let go of you. 

Somehow, you barely felt each landing before he jumped again. The longer you lay in his embrace, the more apparent it became that the ride was surprisingly smooth. 

Land. Jump.

You must now be nearing the outskirts of the city. How did he know where you were going? 

You felt the derisive snort in your head. Humans today, so lost and helpless without your electronic devices. He stopped on the rooftop of a house.

"Look there, little one," his fingers weaved a pattern in the air and you followed their trail without seeing the constellation. "Do you see that? That is Ursa Minor, which may be hard for your mortal eyes to visualize with the city lights, but that bright star at the end is Polaris. It has many names dating from antiquity. You might also know it as the North Star or Guiding Star."

He looked at you expectantly like he wanted to tell you more, but sighed and hopped off and continue his jumps when you stared at him blankly, unable to pinpoint exactly which specks in the sky he was pointing at.

Gradually, you abandoned the light pollution of the city and the sky became inky black. There was no longer any light at your feet, only the darkest abyss that was entirely opaque. Your racing heart and gasping breaths eventually eased during Alucard’s leisurely journey through the city. Together, you sailed through the sky, ascending and falling in an endless loop. It was intimidating, but the vampire’s grip was strong. You huddled into his chest, at last feeling secure cradled like treasure in his arms. 

You were blind to what was below, but up above, the vast, glittering expanse of sky stretched to infinity. Billions of twinkling stars smiled down. You considered the planets that surrounded them, as well as the moons that orbited those. You thought of the galaxies out there, yet knew what was visible was only a tiny window into the universe that existed. It was all so close when Alucard leapt into the air again, and you reached out to grasp it. 

You were so small in this world. The existential humbling was profound, yet also exciting. The night sky promised adventure and filled you with vigour. The wind still stung your face, but you screamed in joy, at the freedom granted by the stars themselves as you drifted amongst them.

That exhilaration ground to a halt when you finally arrived at your destination with Alucard.

A private airport? 

--------------------

“What are we doing here, Alucard? Where are we going?” You faced him in alarm.

“Faroe Islands,” he instructed the pilot waiting by the aircraft as he sauntered up the ramp to a jet with you in arms. You started kicking your feet in protest.

“I-isn’t that Denmark? Y-you’re just going to spirit me away to another country in the middle of the night?!”

The vampire finally set you down on a plush seat while he settled in the one across from yours. You jumped up and attempted to unroll yourself from Alucard’s duster in a frenzy, only to get tangled in the lengthy garment pooled around your feet and nearly tumble over.

“I don’t have my passport!” Any reason to dissuade him from his crazy idea. This was madness!

“Don’t worry about it.” A wine bottle floated up to arm’s reach and uncorked itself. He tipped it into a long-stemmed glass and offered it to you. You didn’t take the drink.

“You are afraid, Sweet?” He cocked a brow at you with a challenge.

You sputtered and glared at him with disbelief. “What? You’re acting like you didn't suddenly drop this trip on me! You can’t just steal me away to a different country! And I’m going to freeze to death! Do you know how far north that place is?! When are we coming back tonight? Are we returning to London tonight? Is this even allowed?!”

The vampire paused to consider, “Integra may be displeased, but there will be no issue,” he chuckled to himself.

You continued to gawp at the ridiculousness of the situation before opening your mouth to argue again. This was definitely not how you envisioned any first date, even with this creature, would proceed.

“You are fretting over nothing, Dear.” He placed a finger to your lips gingerly and strapped you into the seat for takeoff, still mostly bundled like a burrito in his jacket.

Eventually, your indignance and dismay passed. It was just like Alucard to do whatever he wished and force whoever was part of his plan in line. ”We’re going to fly past all of Scotland, and not even visit Edinburgh Castle or Loch Ness. Or the Isle of Skye!” You pouted wistfully. 

The vampire sipped his wine, his legs crossed and posture casual, until you decided to join in. After all, he already had a bottle to himself earlier. Wriggling out of the encasing scarlet prison, you took hold of your glass with a stiff fist and gulped it down in one mouthful, much to the vampire’s amusement.

You continued to grumble about being dragged out to the middle of nowhere in the freezing cold and dead of winter. 

Two hours and several glasses of wine later, the jet was landing. You felt the pressure in your ears. Alucard stood and headed for the side of the jet where the storage was, revealing a bundle of winter attire. He returned to offer everything to you.

You walked out together onto a snowy field atop a cliff, overlooking…well, it was too dark to see anything. No doubt the sight would have been spectacular if this was during the day. Waves crashed down below from what you heard and the skies were clear.

“So? You brought us here. Now what?” Displeasure at being kept awake at this hour made you snippy. The feeling was accentuated by the frosty puffs with every breath you took. There was no way Alucard brought you to the middle of nowhere only because he could, right? Right?

”Patience. They are supposed to appear tonight.”

The jet rumbled in the silence. Staring in the direction of its beam of lights, you rubbed your eyes to refocus and made out vague shapes of something. Edging closer in that direction, you gasped at the dramatic mountainous landscapes in the distance. They were marvelous, even in the dimness. The jet lights died abruptly, leaving you in darkness, except it wasn’t black. The canvas that made up the heavens came into even starker contrast than in the suburban cityscape. Glimmering starlight splattered every visible inch in the sky.

This was also a desolate location. You were far from any other souls, in a world belonging to only you and him (minus the pilot). You hunkered down in your jacket and boots, glad to finally be in proper winter attire, then looked back at Alucard with a questioning stare after glancing up to admire the speckled expanse again.

The air was too crisp. The tip of your nose stung and was beginning to run. It was freezing. The wind was even worse than the subzero temperature. Burying your gloved fingers within the crook of your crossed arms, you sniffled, resisting the urge to wipe yourself on the back of the hand. 

Your eyelids started to droop. What time was it? It shouldn’t have been long since you arrived.

“There.”

Your eyes shot up and were blessed by the most miraculous vision. A translucent layer of green light undulated in the heavens. The ribbons of light swayed ever so slowly, a ghostly apparition haunting the land. Your eyes widened at the extraordinary show, a feeling of tranquility overcoming any prior exhaustion, and your lips fell open slightly in awe. Coherent thought ground to a halt.

How can anything in the world be so breathtaking? You took back every negative comment you made during the trip here. Everything Alucard put you through tonight was worth experiencing the Northern Lights.

"Isn't it remarkable?" The vampire also appeared to be at peace, a small smile gracing his lips. When did he come this close? His large palms went around your hips as he found his place at your back. He unexpectedly placed a kiss to your neck under the scarf and you jumped from the frigid caress.

His affectionate laughter subsided as you huffed. “Rest assured, I have no intention of biting you. You will not become a ghoul with me.” His whisper sent cold air tickling your ears. He withdrew from your side to let you enjoy the view.

Having trusted him the entire night already, the vampire behind you was no longer a cause for worry. The lightshow remained enchanting. You basked in the carefree, electric dance of the auroras above and felt your tension releasing. This was transcendent. 

Your eyes finally adapted to the faint lighting. In this darkness, the aurora borealis casted a sublime glow on Alucard. His features were pale, yet refined. You blinked. His silky midnight tresses reflected the light’s radiance in a circle, almost like he was crowned by a halo. He looked like an angel.

What were you thinking? You weren’t.

You took the half-step needed to close the distance between you and leaned towards him, your head barely reaching halfway up his chest. But you craned your head way up to drown in those ruby irises, for the first time seeing him in a new light. Getting up on your toes, you initiated the kiss softly, tentatively. It was exploratory and chaste when you brushed up against his chest with a feathery touch.

His lips were cool and smooth and tasted like fine wine. Your fingers found their way into his lapels to tug him in as his palms found your hips. He was just too tall and your neck hurt. Starting with a light peck, like you were seeking permission, you deepened the kiss when he didn’t protest. Again and again, you pressed gentle kisses to his mouth.

It was an eternity until you pulled apart. There was no need for additional words. You turned to take in the heavens on earth again. His arm draped around your shoulder to pull you nearer and you leaned in with your face resting on his chest. His chin dropped on top of your head.

For now, this was enough for both of you.

~To be Continued~

Next Chapter- What Makes a Meal?

A Night for Hunting Ch.5- Obsession isn't Love

T/W: Alucard (Ultimate) x F!Reader, yandere, jealous vampire, centipedes, alcohol consumption & intoxication. Please take the Uber or stay over with your host after a night out and don’t try to walk home alone when you’re almost blackout drunk.

Btw I believe vampires like Alucard are extremely smell-driven. I hope the wait for this chapter was worth it! Happy long weekend Canadian and American readers! Words: 5029 On AO3

A rustle of cloth, a merging with the outer brick walls. With the grace of a summer breeze, the mass of blackness was inside, brushing past the quaint decor of a modest apartment. The vampire was one with the darkness, crawling along the walls, skimming the surfaces of your home to survey his territory. His findings were immediately apparent. He scented the elaborate floral arrangement upon phasing through the walls and making his entrance and approached to inspect it. It was a lovely display of blossoms, dense clusters of blue hyacinths in full bloom threw off their sweet, earthy smells, mixed with orangey-pink roses and dramatic peonies. The arrangement sent a gentle fragrance, which was quite pleasant, wafting throughout your home. The only issue was it also carried the hint of an unfamiliar male's scent. The vampire frowned.

You weren't there, unexpectedly. Alucard spent several minutes poking around, checking the windows and locks as he did the very first time he invited himself in to ensure they were secure. Everything else was as they should be. He glanced once more at the neatly arranged bundle of cut flowers in a vase. 

With a swish of his duster tails, the vampire vanished from your home without a word, setting out to haunt the streets and look for his human.  ---------------------

“Cheers!” You laughed heartily as you and your family clanged your glasses together. Dinner unfurled over the course of hours, where you noisily exchanged recent amusing stories to catch up. One of them retold the story of their nurse colleague telling the unit administration of a patient’s family complaining about wanting reimbursement for the deceased patient’s bursted breast implants after CPR, only for the admin to find out it was a joke the nurse made up when they were finally ready to go talk to the family. You were howling in laughter because they couldn’t not take such a complaint seriously! In retaliation, the admin arranged for one of the most serious attending physicians to inform that nurse they were being reported to Legal, freaking the nurse out, only to find out immediately that that was also a prank. It was brilliant. You nearly snorted your drink in laughter. The restaurant atmosphere was raucous and electric, but alas, all good things came to an end.

Finally, you had to bid your family a bittersweet goodbye with numerous embraces. Everyone was too drunk to drive home, which was to be expected after not seeing each other in so long. It was a splendid gathering, but maybe you overdid the drinks despite having eaten so much. You waved off their suggestions to book an Uber, stating it was still much earlier in the night than when you normally headed home after work. They were worrying for nothing. The walk will help you clear the alcohol.

You exited at the bus stop nearest your home. For once, there were people around. They chattered with the same excited buzz that mirrored your own earlier. The local shops remained open at this hour to serve the nighttime crowd, yet you couldn’t place what it was that felt off. Brushing the vague feeling of apprehension aside, you rode the high off the fantastic get-together with a feverish spirit and a spring to your steps.

It was now warm day and night. The streets were pleasantly calm despite the occasional clamour. It was nice to see signs of life as you headed home earlier for once. Even if that irritating vampire came to stalk you, so what? You felt as if nothing could dampen your glow tonight.

You were only tipsy, which was the best state of alcohol consumption to be in, in your opinion. Your steps remained steady as you thought about a multitude of things –what activities to pass the time with tomorrow, what to eat, whether you should work extra shifts this week. 

Slowly, almost imperceptibly, you felt the blanket of inebriation fall over you. Your thoughts wandered and seemed less your own. Your gait grew unsteady with more stumbling and weaving as you continued the journey. 

You swore you were only tipsy not too long ago. It was an interesting sensation when your mind was still aware of the body not entirely obeying. Luckily, you were able to place one foot in front of the other to take the nearly automated path home, which you knew like the back of your hand, even with the mind becoming clouded and not operating completely voluntarily. 

The excitement of the day finally caught up and you were spent. You wanted nothing more than to take off your makeup and fall naked into the welcoming softness of your bed. Closing your eyes briefly felt great, but you abandoned that after a few attempts. You were so much more nauseous with your closed eyes. Uh oh.

Step. Step. Placing a hand on the wall to steady yourself, you looked around. Good, there was the supermarket, followed by the stop sign with an ad for a dog walker nailed to it, as you expected. You were almost home.

It was so quiet now that you reached this part of the neighbourhood. Normally, you were hyper-aware of your surroundings during your nighttime commutes, especially after that vampire started following you around last year, but tonight, you didn’t even hear the leaves rustling or the typical sounds of wildlife and cars. Were you just too drunk tonight to notice the things you should?

How much did you drink? When was the last time you found yourself in this sorry state? Now that you focused on it, you felt the wind blowing and finally rustling the thick foliage of the trees overhead, only gently, yet it fed the nausea. You shoved it down and kept stumbling. Almost there. --------------------

Alucard drifted through the skies, occasionally landing to survey your usual commute routes before alighting once more. It was too soon for you to be coming home on a work night, yet he hadn’t detected your scent at all along your preferred routes to work earlier. It seemed you were free tonight, but weren’t home either. 

Twice his supernatural senses identified the signs of ghouls in the vicinity and he made a detour to dispose of them. Several shots to the head each, before he continued his search silently. In truth, only one bullet was required to end either of the ghouls, but Alucard was never one to be frugal with his silver. His jaw tightened. Where there were ghouls, there were usually more, maybe even a vampire.

As he circled restlessly back into your neighbourhood, he happened upon your scent in the air after too long and closed in on his little one, only to be overcome by the sweet smell of alcohol and the stench of vomit. He crept up to examine the sad sight of you hunched over and heaving to dispel the poison in your body. It seemed you were empty, so you stood to continue shuffling along as if nothing had happened after a swipe of the mouth. He was strangely irritated. Were you even aware of the risks you took tonight?

“How pitiful. And utterly stupid of you.”

Oh. You felt so ill. Did someone say something? Very belatedly, you turned to address the noise. Something huge and red was approaching from behind and you tensed up, fearing the worst. Oh. You tried to focus. It was only Alucard. A confusing feeling of relief washed over you, which was almost comical. Since when did seeing your stalker feel reassuring?

The vampire caught the passing sentiment before his attention snapped back as you started giggling. “I can see your eyes in the shadows. You don’t scare me anymore.” Your palm pressed against your lips as you kept laughing to yourself.

Crimson eyes narrowed slightly as he loomed near. “You were not home tonight,” he murmured.

"No really? You aren’t my dad. I don't have to justify where I am to you," you slurred and wagged a finger at him, then turned and sashayed away like a queen with the vampire following a few paces behind. 

Step, step, step.

Perhaps you weren’t as close to home as you thought. Did you remember the path wrong? No, the supermarket, the stop sign. You sighed. So tired. It felt like your mind was wrapped in cotton candy. Squinting, you sat down gingerly on the curb to think about where you were.

“I’m only taking a short break,” you garbled to your companion.

You fell asleep sitting on the curb, leaving the nightwalker staring incredulously, even if it wasn’t apparent on his face. Now that you were away from the pool of vomit, he detected the scent of other men on you. He frowned again. He didn’t like waiting, and the irritation grew stronger with each whiff.

You eventually came to and started to walk again, only to sit down with crossed legs in the middle of the street for another break not long after as you wondered why this was taking so long. 

This was ridiculous. Alucard stood over you, bent down, and plucked you off the ground, swinging you smoothly into a bridal carry. You were already blacked out. Distaste that even the vomit didn’t elicit nipped at his consciousness, but with your comfortable weight in his arms and his scent rubbing off on your body, everything became more tolerable.  

Your eyes were shut and being off your feet was comfortable, but the repetitive up and down movement was jarring. Why were you sloshing around up and down? Overcome with nausea, you couldn’t hold it anymore. “!!!” You threw up against a velvety, solid surface and felt instant relief before fading away. 

Having arrived at your building, Alucard huffed at the odor and the inconvenience of your vomit on his chest. He gently placed you on the ground and turned immaterial so that the emesis puddled at the ground before he reformed a few paces away and picked you back up. 

A silver vehicle slowed as it passed him. What a bother. He seemed to be quick to aggravate tonight. Alucard slipped off his orange-tinted sunglasses with an extra hand and held the driver captive with his bewitching gaze when they ignorantly made direct eye contact.

There is nothing wrong.

T-there is…n-nothing wrong. A small voice repeated.

The vehicle drove off, leaving the two of you alone once more. He stared at your delicate features. Disregarding the show you put on earlier, you looked peaceful now. The handsome vampire sauntered to the side of the building and casually strolled up the wall under the cover of darkness before stepping onto the balcony. With just a thought, it unlocked itself and he brought his cargo inside to carefully unload onto the couch.

He was on the other couch as he watched the gentle rise and fall of your chest and listened to your rhythmic breathing. Somehow you managed to spare your clothing a bath in your own stomach contents. His eyes narrowed, his lips a thin line as the stench of foreign males on your body invaded his senses again. The flowers only annoyed him now. His fingers tapped along the armrest as he kept taking in your features. --------------------

It must have been only around a quarter hour later when you stirred. You were dazed and jumpy when you made out the glowing crimson orbs fixed on you. With a nervous glance back at Alucard's inhuman gaze, you stumbled through the dark, making your way to the washroom for a quick shower and to remove the makeup. You experienced an episode of dry-heaving, but thankfully, there was nothing left to hurl. You brushed your teeth.

You were indeed less intoxicated now. How humiliating to be seen the way you were. Still…Alucard helped keep you safe tonight while you floundered about the streets like a proper drunkard. You glimpsed yourself in the mirror and acknowledged how you looked as terrible as you felt. Some food would help settle your stomach right now.

As you made your way down the hall, the lights came on for you. Alucard’s doing. There he was, staring imperiously at you with his legs crossed. The hat and jacket were still on.

“I…um…”

“...”

“Would you like anything to drink? Coffee? Tea? Um, I don’t want to look at alcohol right now haha,” you stated sheepishly.

“...” His eyes were so very red and luminous. Did he look displeased?

Unsure of how to act right now, you broke eye contact first and looked everywhere except in his direction. “How about something to eat?” You awkwardly stuck a hashbrown and some frozen nuggets into the small countertop convection oven and waited for him to say something.

“Attempting to come home alone in your state was unwise, human.”

Part of you wanted to argue, only because that was how you were used to interacting with him, but he was right. You’ve made better life decisions before.

“It was…” Your head hung low. “Thank you for bringing me home tonight,” you mumbled.

Alucard’s gaze softened, even if the tingle of vexation remained at the back of his mind. His eyes closed as he exhaled. “Coffee. Just black.” Crimson irises spun into a lovely sunset hue.

Your brows lifted at his sudden change in demeanor as you looked back at him before rushing to prepare his beverage. French press was your preferred method. Soon enough, you had a steaming cup of black in front of him.

You sat by yourself at the table while nibbling on your small portion of greasy comfort food. It was stranger than ever tonight when you didn’t feel like snapping at your guest. Was this creature worried about you? Why did he help you? Was it so that only he got to have you? All he ever did was torment you, but tonight, through the fog of the fragmented pieces you remembered, he was almost…kind.

The coffee smelled a blend of smoky and nutty, a heavenly mixture nearly as good as what Walter served. The taste…Alucard smiled bitterly. It must be delicious, but it was nothing more than piss water to his vampiric taste buds. The joys of food consumption were a distant memory from lifetimes ago and one of the few things he missed about his human life. Watching the effort you put into preparing each meal, studying your eating habits and your enjoyment of your meals truly made him nostalgic.

“How is the coffee?” You ventured a question.

“Excellent.” Alucard finished the glass without a hint of betraying his true thoughts on your first demonstration of hospitality towards him.

So vampires can drink coffee. You wondered what else he consumed besides the obvious. Chewing lightly on the corner of your lower lip, you crossed your ankles, then uncrossed them immediately when it didn't feel as comfortable as expected. There was a spider crawling across the corner of the ceiling. You brought your gaze back down from the arachnid to stare at the cuticles of your nails. 

It was so quiet tonight, you realized as you shifted your weight again. Was there no one else at home on the floor? As always, he was staring so intently, like he was trying to bore holes through your head. You swallowed before getting up and going over to your new flowers, missing your guest's deep frown. 

His human was anxious. You were, as was often the case, intensely uncomfortable in his presence. Not only did the sour tang waft off your pores, you wouldn't stop fidgeting in your seat, although he wasn't even attempting the things he usually did to distress you. Alucard's frown grew as he watched you put your nose in the blooms to sniff and then sigh.

How nauseating. "Lovely blooms, little one."

"Yes they were a gift from a friend." Your expression was soft. 

You were recalling another man fondly, one you were barely acquaintances with. A friend. His eyes hardened into slits, nostrils flaring at the scent he was forced to inhale a thousand times more powerfully than you ever could, even from a distance.

His satisfaction about your new hospitality was gradually fading away, only to be replaced with inexplicable agitation. Gloved fingers drummed restlessly against the plush armrest. 

"Human courtship is such a delicate ritual, entirely lacking in creativity or passion," he commented.

You tensed. "It was a sweet gesture. Not everyone is as uncouth as some."

A challenge? A devilish grin painted his lips and he chuckled in anticipation. He loved when you fought.

"Your florals, the prized jewels cut from their mother plants at the height of their prime? Doomed to perish within the week. Elegant as they are, they're a fleeting beauty, nothing more than the living dead clinging pathetically to a semblance of life," he stated wryly.

There it was, the vampire's freaky smile. Reminding yourself that nothing had changed between you, that he was still an infuriating ass, you retorted, "Human courtship should be slow. Morbid as your comparison was, flowers are a symbol of romance and love, not that someone like you would know about those things, even if you were human at some point."

"Love?” He cocked his head. "I do know of that emotion." His eyes flashed dangerously as he rose from the couch to stalk closer with his fangs bared, causing you to stagger backwards from your spot in alarm. The chair you sat in earlier fell over with a clatter, and for several seconds, you stared at each other silently. You didn't dare blink in those moments as your breath hitched, your pupils were dilated and veins coursing with adrenaline, the entirety of your attention focused on the supernatural creature who stood like a reaper in your living room.

The truce was over, you realized, and you fought to blink back tears. Alucard didn't do more to threaten you, but the situation took a nosedive for the worse during the last few minutes of exchange. Feeling like you were backed into a corner with no way to turn the conversation around, you excused yourself meekly and headed for bed, exhausted, the vampire luckily not pressing you more for now, though he tracked your movement with predatory precision as you brushed past him.

Alucard watched the bedroom door shut, followed by the distinctive click of the lock turning, as if that would keep a monster out. But you knew as well as he did that the locked door was merely symbolic. He was unwelcome in the inner haven of your refuge. He tasted the salt of your tears as clearly as he heard the sobs from beyond that door. The trail of fear you left in your wake annoyed him right now, with this revelation only serving to annoy him even further in a cyclical loop. What was this feeling? For him, your fear was normally a reliable source of arousal and delight. 

He redirected his thoughts away from the troublesome emotion and replayed tonight’s events. You unknowingly put yourself in danger, not only from the undead. The night streets were not a place for a naive little human such as yourself. There were plenty of unsavoury outcomes he listed to himself when he was combing the streets for signs of your presence, only to finally find you delirious from drink and vulnerable. It was a relief no one else got to you first.

After the shower, you were thankfully cleansed of the filth of another male's touch, yet you also removed his scent from your skin. He couldn’t find the word to describe the feeling, but he was malcontent with tonight's turn of events.

Historically, he was not averse to sharing his human companions. Man, woman, something else, it mattered little to him. There was a hedonistic gluttony to enjoying the flesh of multiple humans simultaneously. It wasn't completely true when he said he didn't eat human flesh. Through lidded eyes, he imagined the taste of your skin and salivated. How sweet would the slick of your flower be? What did your petals look like? Yet the idea of another’s touch on your skin was simply distasteful. He growled in a low, threatening pitch that was nearly imperceptible to human ears.

He was a king. But he could be an uncouth savage as well.

---------------------

You woke up in the middle of the night feeling parched. Despite the snack earlier, you still felt the hangover developing. There was a pounding headache in your temples and persistent nausea that made it feel like your stomach was going to devour itself. The clock read 0440. Even if your room was pitch black thanks to the blackout curtains, it was almost sunrise during these warm summer months and the vampire surely must be gone. You needed some water.

It was still dark outside when you emerged from slumber and felt around along the wall for where you expected the light switch to be, only to have something hairy rush across your fingers. You pulled back in shock. What was that? Something small and fuzzy brushed against your foot and you shot backwards, crushing another little thing underfoot with a quiet crunch. 

Then you heard it, the eerie scuttering of legs…like millions of tiny taps that coalesced into a symphony of rustling noise. You stood frozen in the middle of the hallway, trying to make sense of what was going on to cause such a disturbance when the lights suddenly came back on by themselves. 

You stayed frozen as you blinked blindly in the garish light before letting out a soundless gasp at the disgusting sight that greeted you. Unable to process it, you only trembled in horrified disbelief. They were everywhere, thousands, no, possibly hundreds of thousands or more, of centipedes scampering freely, covering every surface in your home. They formed a writhing, undulating mass of scurrying legs that made the walls come alive with movement. More daring specimens ran across your feet and you madly kicked your feet to keep them clear.

It was revolting, truly a thing of nightmares.

Finally, you screamed. 

“A-ah…AHH. AHHHHH. AHHHHHHHH.” With your lips tremoring, you caught your breath as the realization of what you were looking at settled in. Centipedes. Why centipedes?! You hated the nasty critters –the more legs, the more harrowing they were. Several leggy abominations tried to scurry up your legs.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHH. AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!”

If this was a joke, he went way too far. You screamed and screamed and screamed, until the damned beast stole your voice to silence you, and still you tried to scream.

Thousands of eyes opened on the walls and floor of your home, and he appeared in the middle of it all, surrounded by an ominous crimson aura and a gigantic eye on his chest, his pet centipedes crawling up his torso.

You clenched your eyes to protect yourself from the sickening sight, your revulsion rolling off of you in waves as your throat finally gave in. You were coughing and hyperventilating as he approached with a frown and furrowed brows while you batted wildly at the air to keep him at bay. At last you found your voice again and you shrieked for him to leave with a hoarse voice.

“What is wrong with you?! Nevermind, just get out! I don’t want to see you!” Your eyes snapped open and you stared at him with a frenzied look. “I’m not yours or your toy! You’re just this thing that follows me around and won’t let me be!” You sobbed, your hands flapping in the air as you gestured to make your point clearer.

When the monster didn’t say anything, you continued. "I don't want you! You can have anyone you want, just leave me alone!" Your voice broke and you trailed off with a whimper as you buried your face in your hands and wept in despair.

The centipedes dissolved into nothing like they were never there. The eyes disappeared. Alucard took another step towards you awkwardly, intending to provide comfort, only to realize he didn’t know how. Your tears bothered him, confused him, and he was stung by the rejection. He somehow didn’t like how he upset you this time.

“Why can’t you just find another toy to play with? I don’t want to be part of your twisted games anymore.” Your face must be so swollen from the crying. Your vision was blurred from the tears and you could hardly breathe through the snot and the hiccups.

There was banging on your door. “Is everything okay in there?” It must be the friendly neighbour down the hall coming to check in on the commotion. You gasped and turned to Alucard with a distraught expression as you swiped at your eyes, hoping against all odds he wasn’t going to retaliate against the good Samaritan for the disturbance.

His face was shadowed. All these disruptions tonight. All is well. Leave us. He directed the thought towards the nosy human outside in the hall.

The neighbour knocked again, albeit more hesitantly while calling out your name. Alucard’s lips curled. He strode to the entrance, shocking you out of your stupor and you rushed after him in dread, grabbing his hand to stop him from…you weren’t sure. Was he going to kill your friend on the other side of the door? All you knew was that Alucard was extremely dangerous right now, but your weight did nothing to slow him.

He ripped open the door and glared at your neighbour while you dangled off his arm. The smell hit him. This…was the same man who gave you those fucking flowers, who you thought of fondly earlier. He hissed and the man lurched back from the towering menace in front of him. The hiss warped into a growl and the vampire took another step forward, sadistic pleasure filling his mind as the scent of absolute fear from the craven piece of rubbish permeated the hall.

“Alucard! Alucard!” A familiar voice called him with urgency. It was a voice he dreamt of when his dreams weren’t filled with violence, pain, and humiliation. It was you.

Alucard came back to himself and saw you. He glanced at the man outside, who had fallen over on his ass and urinated himself, before looking back at you. You were still tugging at his gangly arm, staring at him with huge frightened eyes, an imploring look in your face that begged him to stop. He composed himself. His human was begging him for something only he could provide, even if it was something as simple as ‘not ending the life of the other man in front of him.’ You even used his name.

He nearly laughed, the crimson in his eyes were molten. “There is nothing wrong here. Forget everything that happened,” he ordered the beleaguered human man sitting in rank piss, who gawped at the profane beast in a trance before the door shut on his face.

Inside the condo, Alucard turned his attention back to you with a sideways glance. You thought he didn't want you, Alucard realized. You assumed he was still only toying with you, that you were just a quarry animal for him to trifle with in his spare time. What was this feeling? This unpalatable feeling of distress at the thought of you by another’s side without him? 

“...You…are not a mere toy.”

You remained petrified after just narrowly averting one disaster. Your puffy red eyes met his. “Then what am I, if not a toy? What is this?” You asked with a whisper and released his arm.

His gaze flickered briefly to the floral arrangement, but you caught it. Realization dawned as you suddenly understood what just happened tonight with clarity. All this, because of some bloody flowers? He was silently looking at you with his hands at his side, his head at a slight tilt.

You went rigid. It was with trepidation regarding any more confrontation when you started speaking again, trying desperately to put your rambling thoughts into coherent sentences. “No, no, no, no, no, don’t say it. What you’re feeling, it’s just possessiveness and jealousy. You don’t actually care about human life. A selfish monster with no obligations or morals, as if something like you would ever understand what love is. You can pretend, but in the end, your obsession is nothing but a poor imitation." 

The creature’s expression fell the tiniest fraction. It was indiscernible if you weren't already looking at him through glassy eyes. You would feel guilty about it if you weren't so incensed by his idea of a joke and drained by all that transpired. 

He brushed away the disappointment from your rejection. Possession. Yes, it was what the vampire King wanted, to have you. He needed to show you. Pushing down the discomfort, he reacted aggressively to your words, a gloved hand shooting out to scruff you by the front of your shirt and pull you roughly to him.

“You are mine.”

Cold lips slammed against yours with a growl. You slapped him and staggered away, the sharp sound of the impact cutting through the muted background noises of your home. 

"Get out," you ground out. His three simple words confirmed everything you said moments ago.

The vampire stalked towards you and you felt the chill down your spine. Hellfire. Those were the eyes of a remorseless murderer, but you didn’t back down from the threat. 

“What? Are you going to kill me?”

He snorted and caged you against the wall with his arms. “As if you are worth killing. Treat your life with more reverence, foolish human.”

Wearing an aggrieved smile, his gaze ran slowly down the contours of your face. The rising sun casted a rosy hue across the sky, his body backlit by the gentle golden rays of promise. You couldn’t help but stare. The vampire looked nearly ethereal in this light.  

Alucard closed his eyes and withdrew. There was nothing more to be said and he should be returning. A new day was dawning. Sparing one last look back at you, he disappeared and left you alone, as you had wished.

~To be Continued~

Next chapter: The Living Dead

The cover of Hellsing Reminiscent is finished, I know I need to start to doing comic pages, but they aren't easy ^^; This is a much better cover than the other one

The new chapter will be coming soon on wattpad.

Thank @michi-tala and everyone on here have been helping me and supporting me *hugs*