A little oneshot showing the antics of the trio set during their travels in early season 2 :) enjoy!
"And poof! The turtle disappeared!" Sypha laughed excitedly, finally delivering the weak punchline of her poor joke.
Alucard cracked a smile most probably driven by sympathy.
Trevor rolled his eyes, "Oh please, Sypha, tell us another one."
"What?" she raised a brow, hand on her hips, "You did not like it?"
"It was a very good joke, Sypha," Alucard tried to preserve the conversation, prodding the embers of their small fire with a large stick.
They trio were camped in the middle of a forest for a brief respite on their quest to kill Dracula. The moon hung high above them and the woods were quiet. However, the three were on high alert for any prowling night creatures, vampires, or other terrors of their world.
Though Trevor would rather die a fiery hero's death than admit it to her, Sypha's good natured (but poorly expressed) humor was a comfort in their troubles. Alucard, who rarely showed any emotion apart from cryptic silence, even seemed a little lighter with her enthusiastic presence.
They had endured a long day of travel. They had hiked miles through rough terrain, defending themselves against the occasional monster. Trevor's family spent generations monster hunting, but even he could get tired at the end of a long day. Sypha agreed. Alucard's immortality was immune to corporeal troubles like theirs, but he saw no harm in resting for the night.
And here they were.
They had eaten a meal of hunted rabbit which Sypha overcooked with her fire and now they had digressed to jokes.
"So, would you like to hear another one then?" Sypha asked Alucard excitedly.
It didn't seem possible, but the vampire paled even more, "Uh...perhaps it would be best to save them for another night. We do have a long journey ahead after all."
Trevor smirked at that and turned over on his bed roll. He concealed a wince. To his relief, neither of his cohorts noticed.
"That would be best," Sypha nodded innocently, "that way, I can remember more too."
"Goody," Trevor said sardonically. He was lying on his back on his rather uncomfortable thin mattress roll, but his heavy coat adorned with the Belmont crest provided him more warmth and comfort. It also covered his blood.
It happened midday by a river. Trevor offered to take the next shift as the scout and forge the path ahead. The night creature emerged out of nowhere, but he was a Belmont - he was born to fight. He used his trusty chain whip to send the creature back to hell, but was tackled at the side by a crouching night creature. It knocked him in the river, its claws managing to rip through his abdomen. He stabbed the beast in the water and watched it sink downstream. By the time Alucard and Sypha caught up to him, he had pulled himself out of the river and was ready to continue. It wasn't until after the adrenaline wore off that he felt the wound on his side.
It had been hours since the incident and the pain was starting the creep up more intensely. Trevor was good at managing it, having had years of injury in this profession, but he had not given the wound the proper care it needed. In fact, he had not even looked at it yet. He knew the claws went deep upon impact, but his wet clothes and coat acted as a tight compress over the cut. Now that his clothes were dry, he could feel the wetness of his blood start to seep through the layers.
"More rabbit?" Sypha offered.
"I'm fine," he shook his head.
Her brows furrowed, "You have had nothing to eat all night. You usually love my cooking."
"I usually love it when my food isn't burned to a crisp either," he huffed.
She rolled her eyes, "That has never stopped you before."
"I'm not hungry," he turned over again slightly and hid a grimace. Sypha didn't notice, but Alucard perked up and watched intently.
"What do you mean? You eat at least two rabbits for breakfast!"
"I smell something," Alucard spoke up, concentrating.
Trevor pulled his coat tighter around him, "It's probably the rabbit."
In truth, he had no appetite. His injury was taking over his mind and his body's demands. He didn't need food, he needed medicine. He could feel the cold sweat engulf him and the fever of infection starting to creep in. He'd wait until Sypha was asleep, then he'd tend to it. He'd ask Alucard to turn a blind eye to save his pride. He knew it was idiotic to leave a gaping wound untended like that, but he knew Sypha would only fuss over his wound and insist the trio stop their quest and wait until Trevor had healed, but they had no time. Their mission was time sensitive. They needed to find and kill Dracula before his hordes of night creatures destroyed the world further.
"No," Alucard stood, "this is fresh."
"Night creature?" Sypha turned to him.
The vampire shook his head, "Blood. I noticed it slightly earlier, but now it's stronger."
Sypha's eyes widened in alarm. Trevor felt a pit grow in his stomach as Alucard's golden eyes settled on him.
"Remove your coat."
"Excuse me?"
"Remove your coat."
Trevor grew wittily defensive, "This isn't a peep show, Alucard. You wanna see someone undress, head to the brothel the next town over."
"What's going on?" Sypha leveled her intense gaze on him.
"Nothing, it's probably a dead animal somewhere nearby. We are in a forest after all."
Alucard challenged him, "You're bleeding. I smell it. The thick fabric of your coat must have masked the scent, but now it's rancid."
"That's a little overdramatic," he muttered.
"Trevor," Sypha stared at him firmly, "Do what Alucard says."
There was no escaping this. He was cornered by a Speaker Magician and a vampire. Trevor relented. In his half-crouch and half-lying position, he opened his coat to reveal the grisly wound on his side.
Sypha gasped, "Trevor!"
It was the first time he had gotten a good look at the wound. Four sharp, bleeding scratches cut across his ribcage so deep he could see muscle. The blood had stained his white tunic crimson and the injury was still bleeding profusely. The exposure to the cold air sent a slight shock through him and he realized how cold and tired he felt.
"When did this happen?!" she knelt beside him, eyeing the wound, not knowing where to begin.
"With that night creature at the river," he said through gritted teeth, "the bastard got it easy."
"Dont-don't talk," she fretted, "I'll make a poultice! Does anyone have marigold? I'll-"
Trevor reached out and grabbed her wrist with his hand, "Sypha, you need to calm down."
"Calm down? Look at you!"
"He's right, Sypha," Alucard agreed, "Trevor will heal. For now, let us do what we can."
They got to work. Trevor was ordered to lie down flat on his bed roll, coat open, wound exposed. Sypha threatened to puncture him with ice shards if he moved. He didn't test her and welcomed the rest and care. His wound was burning for treatment. Alucard roamed the nearby woods, searching for the herbs Sypha requested. Sypha had stoked the fire once more, keeping him warm. She couldn't meet his eye. It was like she was mad at him.
"I'll be alright, Sypha."
"I know," she said tersely.
"Are you mad at me?" he gaped, incredulous.
"How could you keep this from us?"
"It's a little scratch-"
"That has almost cut to your bone! Enough jokes, Trevor, this is serious!"
"If you should be upset at anything, it should be that night creature floating in the river!"
"You are impossible, Trevor Belmont!"
She crossed her arms and turned away from him. Trevor huffed and lay back down, grimacing.
Alucard waded into their camp, "Is this a bad time?"
Sypha snatched the herbs from his hand and started grounding them against a rock. Alucard sat by the fire next to Trevor.
"How do you feel?" he asked quietly.
"Splendid."
"Does it hurt?"
"What do you think?"
"I'm only trying to be polite."
Trevor sighed. He felt guilty and because he felt guilty, he felt angry, "It does hurt."
"It should. A night creature ripped through your chest."
"Thank you for keeping the mood light, Alucard."
Sypha approached them holding a green, gooey liquid. It smelled like rotting egg. She stared at Trevor, standing over him.
"Hold still," she said curtly.
"What do you think you're going to do with that?" he was on high alert, leaning away from the awful poultice.
She knelt by him, "It will help."
"It looks like snot."
She twirled a twig into the substance, lathering the end with the poultice to spread over his wound.
"You are not getting near me with that stuff."
"Stop being a baby," she inched closer.
He scooted away, "Stay back I tell you."
"Trevor," she said indignantly.
"No. I'd rather die."
"You're feverish. You're hurt. You don't know what you're saying," she insisted.
"That's tough luck. It's not going anywhere near me."
"Alucard?" Sypha turned to the vampire.
"Enough nonsense, Belmont. Surely you've endured more harmful creatures than a healing salve."
"If you're so keen, why don't you help yourself?" he retorted.
"Are you going to let me put this on you or not?" Sypha asked one last time.
Trevor scrambled back in disgust. Blood poured from his wound. He was pale as a sheet, and his two cohorts knew the monster hunter needed the revolting salve sooner rather than later.
Alucard angled himself behind Belmont. Trevor knew where this was heading.
He stared at the vampire in displeasure.
Dracula's son smiled, "I've been wanting to do this for a while now."
Trevor gripped Alucard's pant leg, "Watch the cheekbones and try not to enjoy this too much."
"No promises."
Alucard delivered a hefty punch across the head and Trevor was out like a light.