Repairing the ruins of an old life was much easier with superhuman strength and agility. Alucard found his heritage more a blessing than a curse for once, mending what was to be his new home with relative ease. Manual labor was a vital distraction, Alucard finally able to process his grief as his hands remained busy. The magnificence of the castle slowly returned, as memories surfaced and slowly faded. Images of his mother, his father, and himself rose in his mind like waves, building an ache in his chest that as soon as he could move on, another would crest and break over him.

He reshelved books and swept the main library, collecting debris and dust from the scuffed floorboards. He could still feel himself running around happily, giggling as a small child as Dracula picked him up and set him on a table beside an open book he'd been reading.

"Libraries are meant to be quiet, Adrian." Dracula's voice was soft, almost teasing. Adrian obviously could sense he wasn't in trouble, just grinning and holding his mouth open.

"I'm getting baby fangs! Look look!"

Adrian swung his legs excitedly as Dracula looked inside his mouth for the tenth time that week, amused at his son's excitement. "You're only half vampire. They won't be true fangs until you're an adult."

"Woof!"

"Vampires do not woof, child."

"I'm gonna learn how to turn into a wolf!"

Dracula chuckled. "Much better. I expect you'll be able to transform into a bat too."

Adrian happily picked up a book too heavy for a normal child and hugged it to his chest, slipping off the table to go somewhere else to read. "I'm gonna go tell Mom I'm working on trigonometry! Bye!"

Alucard sighed deeply. He missed the excitement of every new day, of piles of books he couldn't wait to read for pleasure. He yearned for his projections to be real, to see his mother and father again. New knowledge was hardly exciting without another to share it with. His heart clenched painfully and he rubbed his eyes, wincing at the soreness from crying.

If he was honest, he missed Sypha and Trevor just as much. His newly found family who gave him the precious gifts of their friendship were gone to adventure in the outside world. Dracula's, or rather, his castle and the Belmont vault were just as much their homes as his, but the emptiness still stung. It felt as if they'd never come back. In Alucard's heart, he'd already tried to make peace with it, telling himself he'd be fine alone.

A couple weeks passed, and the repairs to the structure were going well. Alucard found himself sleeping in one of the very few guest rooms with any furnishing to speak of. His childhood bedroom was too much to look at, from the broken bedpost, to the toys and belongings from a past life, to the scorched rug he hadn't the heart to move. He woke up one morning and stopped dead in the kitchen at a creature lounging on the counter as if it owned the place.

Only one thing could be so arrogant. A cat.

"How'd you get in here, little thing?" mused Alucard. The company was more than welcome. Even having an animal around made a sense of relief flood Alucard, his own voice finally having a purpose in the empty halls.

The cat was a long haired and fluffy tabby. It was large for a housecat, and given some mats and lack of collar Alucard had the feeling he'd just been adopted by a stray. The most striking thing was it's unnaturally blue almost glowing eyes. He reached a hand out and patted the cat's head, pleased by it's purring and lack of aggression. It was short lived, however, as the cat stretched, jumped over to another counter, and smugly knocked a crystal glass to the floor.

"Hey!" Alucard scowled. "That's it, your name is Trevor!"

Trevor meowed at him, suddenly upset he wasn't being spoiled despite being the one to run away and leapt back to Alucard, rubbing up against his boots and loudly complaining that he needed petting immediately. Alucard picked Trevor up and carried him to a washroom and found a suitable comb for his long fur. "You're taking advantage of me, all depressed in my solitude." he admonished. Alucard groomed the cat carefully, grimacing at the amount of hair that had already been shed on him.

Trevor was content to let Alucard brush him, still vibrating with pleasure as his eyes closed. Alucard found the soft, warm creature's presence soothing in a way he didn't realize he needed. He'd never had pets as a child, always too occupied with schooling and everything that went with living in Dracula's fortress. Alucard's fingers brushed against scar tissue on the base of the cat's skull and he frowned. He parted the fur and was shocked to see even more deep scarring, as if the cat had somehow miraculously recovered from a fatal injury. "Hector made you, didn't he? You've been neglected since the fight, huh? I'll love you just the same," he promised. Alucard tucked the comb away and scratched Trevor under his chin, smiling until the cat suddenly bit his finger.

"Trevor!" Alucard yanked his hand away and groaned. "You had better be a good mouser!" Trevor bolted away and Alucard sighed. Now that the castle belonged to a cat, he expected to only run into the new master of the house when he urgently needed his ears petted.

A few months passed, and Alucard had most of the interior outside of his living area cleaned out, if not repurposed. He had no desire to keep any accommodations for the members of Dracula's court, and the castle had a baffling number of coffins that he mostly broke into kindling, a large pile of them shoved into a storage room. He figured the empty rooms would be useful someday. The stationary nature of the castle had made it part of the landscape, and other creatures aside from his cat were starting to explore it too. Birds could be heard singing high in the rafters and towers, woodland creatures occasionally poked their heads in and rodents provided Trevor with prey he proudly dissected and gave Alucard the most intact bits to. "Another rat skull. How did you know I desired this?" Alucard snorted and pet Trevor fondly, sweeping the cat up into his arms to survey his latest work. "You aren't allowed in this room anyway, Trevor. You know what you did."

The castle becoming one with nature had given Alucard the idea to leave a somewhat wrecked ballroom open to the sky as a sort of courtyard. Sunshine streamed in through the crumbled ceiling of what Alucard had turned into a plant nursery. Native wildflowers, herbs, spices, and a few vegetables were potted in many of the vases, jars, and a few coffins he had left around the castle. Bees hummed around him and a few hummingbirds frequented his flowers and water bath. Tending to his plants had become a routine welcome part of his days. The lush potted garden was a far cry from Dracula's dark halls, and Alucard couldn't have been happier with how different the place already felt.

A loud clang from the main entrance had Alucard's hair stand on end, followed by his heart pounding with anticipation as he burst into the foyer, bolting down the stairs at top speed with a shout of joy.

"Alucard! I- oof!" Sypha laughed and stumbled as Alucard and a bundle of fluff collided with her. Her voice was like a sip from a lonely oasis for his soul, someone he'd longed for and needed finally with him again instead of just an echoed memory in vacant corridors. "We came to see you! Oh, we have so much to tell you, I missed you so much- oh who's this?" Sypha took Trevor from Alucard's arms and cradled the cat in her arms. "Awwww, he's so cute!"

Hector apparently did such a good job that Sypha didn't notice the cat wasn't on the first of its nine lives. Alucard saw no reason to point it out.

Trevor stood next to her with a wide cocky grin and his hands on his hips. Everything from his bracers to the whip on his belt was exactly the same old Trevor, albeit smelling more potently of soap than ale. "Hey, you ass. We decided to- oh!" Alucard hugged Trevor tightly, practically tackling him. "Aaaah. Hello. It's been awhile, and we're sorry about that. Uh. How's it been?"

Alucard fought back a sob of delight, stepping back to smile at them. "I think you'll like what I've done with the place. Please, stay as long as you like."

Sypha snuggled the tabby cat against her, the usually bratty cat of course showing no signs of biting or scratching her, as if Hector was spiting Alucard from afar. "We will! I've never had a place to call home before, and I've been so ready to return to it. I've been hoping to do some reading and get to visit you awhile! Ooooooh, you never did tell me this kitty's name!"

"I should've known you'd get a cat- seeing as you're both aloof asshole types," commented Trevor.

Alucard smirked, eyes sparkling. Oh, it'd been far too long since seeing his friends his chest felt like it'd combust. "I named him Trevor."

Trevor gaped at the cat as Sypha giggled. "What?! Is that an insult or a compliment?! Either way, now I KNOW you missed me!" He went to scratch Trevor behind the ears and the cat hissed at his namesake, earning a heartier laugh from Sypha.

"He's my cat now! Awwwwwww, what a good boy!" Sypha kissed the cat on the head as Trevor acted offended, their antics making Alucard smile wistfully as they made their way into the castle. He always knew Sypha and Trevor would be a couple. It was so obvious watching them, Alucard was half surprised they hadn't had a ceremony already. Saving the world made time stretch into an eternity, life and death made intimacy and truly knowing someone happen so quickly. If they felt anything like Alucard did, it was proof there were some things you couldn't do together and not fall in love. Alucard almost jumped when Sypha put a hand on his shoulder. "Things look much better! Discover anything interesting?"

Alucard savored the simple touch. "Rediscovered, more like it. How I survived as a child in a castle that has caltrops traps in the dungeons and sentient books that'll attack anyone not Dracula is beyond me. My father had a wicked sense of humor."

"The Belmonts can attest to that." Trevor whistled lowly as they passed through Alucard's new garden. "You turned coffins into planters, how poetic."

"I thought scattering coffins in the woods wouldn't create a very welcoming atmosphere."

Trevor chuckled. "Yeah, it would match the rest of Wallachia. Speaking of being welcomed, is there somewhere for Sypha and I to stay?"

Alucard swallowed hard. In truth, he hadn't given any thought to company, only seeing his disjointed mansion as an island of isolation. "Well. There's my mom's bed-"

Sypha grimaced. "No, way too personal."

"-my old bedroom, which is still a crime scene-"

Trevor groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Ugh, with Dracula's ashes all over, and all the memories of your childhood? Nope."

"-Dracula's coffin-"

"Eurgh!" exclaimed Sypha and Trevor together.

"Or, uh, the guest room I've made my new room." Alucard rubbed the back of his neck. "I only have the one bed that isn't tainted with belonging to my dead parents or not damaged in the fight."

Trevor folded his arms. He didn't seem upset- no, the barely contained smirk didn't match the passion in his voice. "You're shitting me. There's only ONE bed in this huge entire castle? Just one? I'm sleeping on the floor."

Sypha beamed. "I can't wait to cuddle all night with Trevor!"

"Hell yeah, we-"

Sypha interrupted Trevor. "I meant the cat."

Alucard joined in. "You're Human Trevor now."

Trevor sulked. "Human Trevor? Is that supposed to be an insult, vampire? You know, I bet Dracula was so grumpy because no one ever invited him places. Cause he has to be invited. Get it?"

Alucard was grateful for the lightheartedness and bantering, even if it was partially aimed at him. "I think he preferred it that way. Dracula wouldn't have been a great addition to most birthday parties or church luncheons."

The three companions wandered through the castle halls and down into the Belmont hold, Sypha excited to have access to the laboratories upstairs and Belmont library down below, and Trevor keen on getting in more sparring practice and learning from his ancestor's journals.

"You'll learn more from me." Alucard watched Trevor mimic a stance from one of Leon's books. "Care to go a few rounds?"

"Go a few rounds? My, you're very forward!" teased Trevor. Alucard's face heated and Trevor laughed. "Sure, after I study."

"You, studying? Sypha's rubbed off on you."

Sypha brushed between them with a huge pile of books with Cat Trevor sitting on them. "Oh, you bet I have!"

The day passed in a blur into nightfall. Good company made time almost nonexistent before Sypha and Trevor were yawning and Alucard had the decency to not press his latest sparring win in against Trevor's whip too hard. Alucard showed them the washrooms and retreated to his bedroom, pondering his full size bed. Two people would be cozy, three and they'd be a tangled intimate mess.

He secretly wished for that, even if only for one night. Alucard sighed and brushed his hair, tending to his own nighttime ritual before crawling under the blankets only in soft shorts. Sypha and Trevor walked in a few minutes later with damp hair and sheepish grins. Alucard raised his eyebrows. "Enjoy yourselves?"

"Hmmm. Shut up." Trevor plopped onto the floor and rested against the bedframe. "Sypha?"

"Wheeeee!" Sypha took a running leap and Alucard yelped as she landed on the bed, giggling and flopping over Alucard. She snuggled intimately close, ducking into the covers to hug his back to her chest, their legs twisted together as she buried her face in Alucard's hair. Her warmth and affection made a lump rise in Alucard's throat, so breathtakingly purely what he needed he was startled he didn't cry. Alucard wished he could hold them both, indulge in the love it seemed only humans were allowed to have. "Do what you will, Human Trevor. I'll never decline sleeping in a bed." She looked around the guest quarters with a frown. "Where's Trevor?"

Trevor sighed deeply. "The cat?"

"Who else?" said Alucard. "He ah, doesn't sleep. It's complicated."

Trevor stretched out on the fur rug Alucard had scavenged from a richer part of the castle. "One bed. Demon cat. Didn't you know we were coming back?" Trevor's voice was casual, but Alucard's silence was too telling. He sat up better to look at Alucard, unsurprised that Alucard had hidden his face in his silky pillow with dignity. "Hey. You didn't think we'd abandon you, did we? We're on top of my house, if you didn't notice."

Sypha squeezed Alucard into a closer hug, feeling how he tried to curl up into himself. "Alucard? It's alright. Too many memories in one place must've made it hard. We missed you so much. We- want you too."

Alucard longed to hold her properly and she must've sensed it. Sypha urged Alucard onto his back and rested her head on his chest, letting him hold her close. "Your relationship is something special, I would not intrude, no matter how I may feel-"

"Hey." Trevor smirked at Alucard. "If you kiss Sypha, you have to kiss me too."

Alucard blinked. "Is that a promise or a threat?"

"Whatever you'd like it to be, vampire boy."

Sypha looked up at Alucard from his chest, a hand running through his long blond hair. "Kiss me. You've been invited."

Alucard's breath left him as he gazed into Sypha's eyes. He hadn't even dared to hope or dwell on his affection for both of them. He rested his hand on her cheek and leaned forward, chaste and gentle. Sypha swung her leg over him and straddled Alucard's prone form, cradling his skull and kissing with intent. Alucard fumbled around before settling his other hand on her waist, heart racing as her warm lips coaxed sparks of forbidden heat to fly up his spine. "I- ah. Um. I should be a gentleman, Sypha, I-"

"Don't worry, I can slow down." Sypha kissed along his jaw and trailed down his neck, delighting in making the half vampire blush. If anything, it was more intense feeling her explore him than simply kissing, and from her playful caresses, she knew it. "Better?"

"Hnnnnnnnnnffff." Alucard's rebellious hips bucked up instinctively and he whimpered embarrassingly. "Oh my god- how long were you planning this? How'd you know?"

Trevor watched them eagerly, eyed wide as he snacked on a handful of trail mix from his backpack. "Wasn't hard, that's for sure. I want a turn!"

Sypha patted Alucard's chest, grinning as his breath hitched under both of their stares. "Come and get him!"

Alucard gave Sypha one last kiss before Trevor threw off the blankets and was sitting on his lap. Trevor's weight was comforting, calloused hands a new sensation against Alucard's skin as he embraced him, palms sliding up to Alucard's shoulders. Trevor smirked and tossed his head, playfulness knowing no bounds. "So, Alucard- tell me everything you like about me! I'm dying to know. Sypha doesn't flatter me enough."

Sypha being on top of Alucard had made him feel secure and doted on. Meanwhile, Trevor ignited something deeper in Alucard's core. Alucard grasper Trevor's hips. "How about how lightweight humans are?"

Alucard's reflexes were lightning fast, flipping them over so Trevor was pinned under him. Their mouths met in a clash of teeth, moans, and heat. Now that he was allowed to feel for his beloved friends, it was like Alucard's passion bloomed until he couldn't get enough, panting and grabbing at any part of Trevor he could from his coarse hair to his muscled chest. Trevor was still mostly clothed and Alucard hissed, diving under his shirt to touch him.

Trevor didn't seem upset by the turn of events. "Hey, the shirt's pretty high threadcount for my pay grade, so just take it off of me, would you?" he teased.

Alucard shoved his hands up Trevor's shirt and threw it to the floor, kissing him again hungrily. Was this how all lovers felt? Alucard was dizzy and heated all over, almost ashamed of himself for wanting such physical intimacy. He kissed Trevor deeply, clumsy at first until he learned how to better mesh with his partner. He pulled back after another minute of kissing, ears twitching as he listened to Sypha also helping herself to Trevor's trail mix while watching the show. "What- what do we do now?"

Trevor lightly ran his fingertips up and down Alucard's back, delighting in teasing him. Alucard was eternally grateful neither of them was throwing around the word 'virgin', or he'd have fled with embarrassment. "Something you didn't learn from books, apparently. Didn't you know my family is proud to own a box of penis spells?"

"If you're a 'sexpert' yourself, I haven't seen a certificate," quipped Alucard with more confidence than he had, still stunned this was happening.

Trevor winked. "Luckily, I don't need one. How about we, as you suggested earlier, 'go a few rounds?' Sypha and I can demonstrate."

Sypha bent down to their level with a mischievous grin. "With audience participation of course, dear Alucard."