Arthur paced his study, looking up at the shelves that stretched from floor to ceiling – filled with lore that most humans should never begin to imagine – but not a one of them could tell him how to handle this problem with his young servant.
"Walter…" he began, and then stopped, shaking his head.
How was he supposed to tell this boy/man/killer to stay away from the only individual who gave him any sort of companionship?
Walter stood silently on the other side of the desk watching Arthur's discomfiture. It would have been amusing under almost any other circumstance – the hopeless reprobate at a loss for words after catching his young butler and his servant vampire with their mouths inches apart from a kiss.
The point and problem being that Arthur had caught Alucard and Walter inches away from their first kiss.
After years of propositions and refusals, advances and retreats, Walter had made the choice to at least try the barest taste of what the vampire was offering, and Arthur had chosen then to walk in to the library. The butler made a mental note to forget to order more of Arthur's favorite cigars for a while.
"I know that Alucard is seductive," Arthur tried. "But he's dangerous."
Walter smirked and shook his head. "Sir, I think I know that." What did the man think he and Alucard had done in Poland? Played hopscotch?
"Don't do it, Walter." Arthur cleared his throat uncomfortably and poured himself a drink. "Trust me. You'll regret it for the rest of your life."
He looked haunted as he swirled the amber liquid in his tumbler before downing it in a single swallow. "Nothing is ever the same after."
"Is that why…?" Was that why the hookers? The alcohol? The slight unhinged look that Arthur perpetually wore?
"Nothing is ever the same, Walter. I can't order you to stay away from him because you two must work together, but I warn you – think of your future. If you ever want to have a normal relationship with a human, don't let the vampire seduce you."
"I'll think about it, Sir," Walter promised, frowning as Arthur poured another drink. "But don't drink yourself into a stupor over it. Sir Penwood is arriving in an hour and I promised him that you'd be sober."
Arthur waved a hand at his servant and turned away. "I'll be ready when he gets here. Dismissed."
Alucard leaned against the wall outside, giving his master and the butler the illusion of privacy. He pushed away from the wall and matched his pace to Walter's as the young man strode away from Arthur's office to continue his day.
"Did he scare you off, Angel? Are you frightened of the big, bad vampire now?" Alucard fluttered his lashes and gave Walter an almost coquettish smile.
"I'm not scared, but I think Arthur has a point." Walter stopped and turned to face Alucard. There'd been a time when they'd been the same height, but now the young man was half a head taller than the petit vampire. He changed, Alucard did not.
"Taking the advice of a man you have to hound to be responsible?" Alucard's face barely changed as the mockery in his voice made his opinion obvious. "What does Arthur know?"
Walter shook his head, remembering Arthur's face. "What it's like to kiss you, for one. I have work."
Alucard watched Walter walk away, only the angry red of his eyes hinting at his reaction to the young man's rejection.