Disclaimer: Hellsing and its characters belong to none other than Kouta Hirano.
Author's Note: This is the milestone I promised. I'm sorry it took me this long (because I'm still busy preparing for my internship god these things just never end) and I'm hoping it's good enough. This is from Pip's and Seras' perspective because I love them both so much and they deserve this. Enjoy.
P.S For the sake of the story, let us say that vampires are able to have a panic attack.
Pip walked in to find Seras staying vigilant near both her masters.
Alucard had been unconscious for three whole days, Integra just went into the deep end six hours ago, and Walter was down in the library for answers.
It was strange not seeing Big Red popping in and out of their practice and scaring the shit out of everybody, and seeing the Director of Hellsing sleeping away and not being her usual commanding self was weird in itself. She was always so busy, either scribbling furiously on her desk or yelling at Alucard for being a menace.
Life at the Hellsing Manor was always full of life and vigor, no matter that two of the inhabitants were already dead. Now that Big Red and The Boss were away—Pip thought of them as going away because the other option seemed preposterous—the place had been so quiet and gloomy Pip thought it wouldn't make a difference if he lived in a graveyard or a freaking mausoleum.
But the worst of all was not seeing Seras' smile.
The Police Girl had been down in the slums since Alucard went tumbling down, and it was worse now that there was no Integra to keep things under wrap. He knew Seras must be sad but he would—could—never understand the depth of the relationship between a fledging and their master.
"Mignonette," he called, watching as Seras looked up from her seat on the ground and cocked her head to the side. "It is already morning." The implication that she should be asleep was clear in his words.
Seras seemed to get the message and shook her head. "I can't."
Pip stood still for another second, holding the warming blood bag in his hand and knew that it was a futile gesture. She wouldn't drink the blood. Not when she was so engrossed with both prone bodies on the bed, her eyes unblinking.
He rubbed the back of his head and sighed before sitting down on the floor, his back against the wall and his eye on the vampire girl.
—
Seras felt this before, this fear and desperation. Many times.
The first time she remembered clearly (wasn't it like that with most of your first times?) because it was the day her parents died. Murdered. Gone. The day she saw all those horrors, realized how ugly the world really is at such an early age, and she wasn't sure how she could grow up like a normal person.
Well, she thought and ran her tongue over her fang. Not anymore.
The second time was when she saw Father Anderson behead her master, seeing his head rolling down the floor, lifeless, as the way it should be. Another one she held dear—as dear as Alucard could be—died. She thought her world had ended, that Death would finally take her soul because it failed last time, that she would die as an abomination, only leaving dust in her wake.
But then Sir Integra was there, holding Father Anderson back, and her master resurrected and everything was well. Everything was back to normal.
Then this.
This would be the third time she felt this kind of feeling, this sense of loss and despair that were so great they almost crippled her.
She could still clearly see the way her master fell down. Then silence. Just… silence. Not just in that building but in her head as well. She was so used having Alucard in her mind, just teetering at the corner, that it felt really vacant and quiet when he wasn't there.
Mentally, Seras tried to convince herself that they would get through this. She would get through this. She did it before. She would do it again.
But then again, the sayings said that third time's the charm.
Her ears picked up the creak of the door opening. She didn't have to turn around to know it was Pip. Her third eye did the job for her. God, her master would be so proud to see her using it so easily now.
He called her name, she cocked her head, he told her it was morning, and she knew she should be resting. Those berserk vampires wouldn't take a vacation just because Sir Integra and Master weren't available. Hellsing was vulnerable right now. She and the Wild Geese had to be prepared for anything.
She felt Pip taking a seat against the wall and her nose caught the scent of blood but she couldn't focus on that. She was too absorbed on both her masters.
Walter said this process could be dangerous. What if it failed? What if Sir Integra failed? What if they couldn't bring her master back? What if… what if he couldn't wake up again? What would she do? What could she…
Seras knew panic was about to overwhelm her. She wasn't sure how that worked since she didn't need air anymore. Hell, even hear heart was stagnant now. But she heard herself heaving. She could feel her blood running cold and her lungs working overdrive, like they hadn't been used in years, and each breath she took was so heavy it was like moving rusted wheels.
Just before she could fall off the edge, warm hands gripped her shoulders, and a familiar voice filtered through her muddled mind. "Seras, ma Cherie, take a deep breath. Come on." She did as told. "That's it. Again…"
She wasn't sure how long she did it but her breathing gradually slowed down, her mind clearing itself from the fog. But the hands stayed and warmth slowly spread across her body and curling itself deep into her heart.
This kind of treatment was unnecessary for vampires, she knew, but between the rhythmical breathing, Pip's gentle back rub and his kind voice, Seras found peace.
Word Count: 971
Prompt: From LJ 100-prompts, Table 50-C [025 – Breathing]