hellzabeth (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
hellzabeth) wrote2011-02-10 11:45 pm
hellzabeth) wrote2011-02-10 11:45 pm
Entry tags:
[Fanfic] Monster Mash 11
Title: Monster Mash 11
Characters: Francis, Alice, Arthur, Roderich, Elizaveta, Alfred, Matthew
Rating: 15
Warnings: Alfred is still a creeper.
Summary: Originally inspired by this. (Link to pic for those who don't have Pixiv here.) Due to popular demand, what was a oneshot has now spawned a fic.
“Any idea what caused this in the first place?”
“Other than Alfred using his head as a football? No, not really.”
“Well I’ve done everything I can for now. There are no other injuries left, thanks to Miss Vermeulen.”
“Hahaha, you’re too nice, Roderich. Sorry to deprive you of your fun, Elizaveta.”
“Oh, it’s alright really! I got to play with the human boy, that was fun!”
“You’d better replace those rose bushes.”
He cracked open his eyes to find himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. Where was he? Who were these voices?
“Oh, he’s awake!”
A blonde head came into view, the lamp on the bedside table not illuminating much, though his eyes remained clearly visible by the way they glowed in the dark. Someone moved behind him, a girl with blonde hair that bobbed around her chin in soft waves. Atop her head was a large, pointed, purplish-black hat. Her smile was catlike, olive eyes curious.
“Hey Francis, you okay?”
Francis...?
Oh!
Suddenly realising he was not, in fact, Phillipe Fournier, Francis Bonnefoy sat up in bed, blinking at the bedroom. Standing at the end of his bed were Roderich and Elizaveta, chatting away in a language he couldn’t understand but which contained sounds that shouldn’t be possible with a human tongue. Which was fine, because they weren’t human. The demon doctor’s unusual purple eyes were complimented by a shirt of the same colour, worn under a white coat. Dark hair was combed back, such a similar colour to his short, black horns that they were nearly indistinguishable.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Francis asked, voice slightly scratchy from disuse. He smiled over at the young blonde witch beside him. “Certainly, seeing you again was unexpected, mon petite Alice.”
The girl pouted. “I’m not little any more! It’s been years since you saw me!” she protested. Ah yes, Belgium; a beautiful country with beautiful cities and beautiful women. And also a witch’s coven. “I’ve got my full license and everything now, and it’s thanks to me that you woke up at all!” She poked his shoulder with a broom that must have appeared from nowhere. “You could say thank you, you know.”
Spotting his mildly confused look, Arthur explained. “You went into a coma while I was researching, pretty much as soon as I left the room. So I called in some help.” He shrugged one shoulder, looking away. Francis chuckled.
“Ah, Sourcilles, you needn’t have worried. I put myself in that coma.” he smiled up at the vampire. A blush quickly rose in Arthur’s cheeks.
“I wasn’t worried! I just want you out of my house and the fastest was is to get you healed.” He huffed, folding his arms, then paused. “Wait, you put yourself in a coma?” Roderich raised his eyebrows at him, and Elizaveta made an intrigued noise. Francis smiled, and explained what he’d done. Arthur’s impressively large eyebrows climbed higher and higher.
“You saw… Alfred’s past?” he said incredulously.
“I saw Phillipe’s past.” Francis corrected. “It’s an important difference. I’ve gained no more insight into Alfred’s psyche than you have over the past 8 months he’s stayed with you.” He grimaced, flashes of that young boy with the piercing eyes filling his head and making him shiver. “All I know is that he’s always been the way he is. And that your Matthew is certainly similar enough to his Mattie to support his delusions.”
Now it was Arthur’s turn to pull a frustrated face. “Well that’s just wonderful. He’s been impossible to get rid of, poor Matthew’s at his wit’s end. It doesn’t help that he…” the vampire swallowed, frown deepening. “… he really does look like our Alfred.”
“Ah, such a pitiful situation.” Sighed Elizaveta. Roderich seemed completely unmoved by their plight. Typical of him. “Should I call Gilbert so he can laugh at you?”
“Oh spare us, please.” Roderich droned sarcastically. Elizaveta giggled at him.
“Anyway, we should go save him.” Arthur cut over them, walking towards the door. “You’ve been unconscious for a while. It’s December 3rd now.”
Francis’ eyebrows climbed. Wow, reviewing a whole lifetime, even with a fast forward button, really did take a long time. He swung his feet out of bed feeling much stronger than he had before he’d been beaten to a pulp. “Arthur, how can you be sure that he’s not going to beat me half to death again?”
The vampire paused. “He said he wouldn’t.”
Francis stared, gobsmacked. Elizaveta burst into laughter, while Roderich tutted disapprovingly, shaking his head. Alice made gesture up around her head.
“I can’t believe you sometimes Arthur. You are something else.” The young witch said with an air of exasperated wonder. “Always the pick the weird ones. And always humans. Makes you seem kind of weird yourself.”
Arthur sniffed in a manner so haughty it made Roderich seem humble. “Don’t you have a coven to get back to.” He grumbled at her. The cat-like smile returned.
“I do, and I should go before my brother messes something up~!” she cheered. Behind her, the window flew wide open. “Have fun with your thingy that’s coming up, Arthur! I think Lars is running security~ so I might see you there!” And with a flourish of her long purple skirt and cape, she hopped on her broom, and rocketed out of the open window. She reached a great height, then looped back round to hover outside the window. “Oh yeah, and I almost forgot, I’ve got a letter for you! From werewolves though, so dunno if you want it.”
Arthur eyed the envelope she produced from apparently nowhere, then walked to the window and took it off her sulkily, handing it to Francis to read. The Frenchman opened it up, and found two hastily scrawled notes.
Dear everyone!
Lud Alpha and I are in Ohio now, isn’t that cool? The food here is kind of bad but there’s loads of forests for us to spend the full-moon. There’s two of us so don’t worry about us biting people, we can keep each other busy with lots and lots of se
The note stopped there, and then continued in different, neater handwriting.
I wish to thank Arthur Kirkland for his hospitality despite our differences. In my decision as Alpha I found it too dangerous to stay any longer, considering the vampires now outnumber the werewolves, and the power balance is disturbed.
I wish you luck with Alfred.
You may need it.
Somehow, Francis felt that last part was addressed to him specifically. He folded the note into his pocket, and noticed Arthur had already walked out of the room. Elizaveta and Roderich were back to talking in their demonic language, and it was starting to make Francis’ head hurt, so, with a due sense of dread, he made his own way down the hallway to where light shone through a crack in the door of the library. Alfred’s voice, as ever, preceded him.
“Wow Mattie, you look good in a suit.”
“Eheheh, I guess so, but everyone was wearing them back then so it wasn’t very special.” After hearing the human Matthew’s voice, Francis could certainly see the supports for Alfred’s mad delusions. They were so similar. Hard to believe it was all simply terrible, terrible coincidence. “Arthur’s always liked suits, haven’t you Arthur.”
“They make people look more respectable.” Said Arthur’s voice, almost defensively. “I liked my coven to look respectable.”
“Even Brooke?”
“Especially Brooke.” And there, an odd kind of affectionate exasperation, mixed with sadness. “God knows if the boy couldn’t act like a grown up he could at the very least look like one.”
“Looks like a fun guy. And the ginger dude at the back.”
“Oh good lord. That’s my older brother, James.”
“There are people older than you?”
“Francis, for one.”
Silence fell. The man in question waited at the door, still and quiet, waiting for the response.
“Oh yeah, he’s like 700 isn’t he?” said Alfred brightly. “But how can you have an older brother if vampires don’t have parents?”
“I was human once.” Arthur said, sounding a little bit affronted by the memory of being so low on the food chain. “I had a mother and a father. Last of four children, I was. A vampire attacked my family, killed our mother and father, and then proceeded to turn my siblings and I. In age order, as a matter of fact.” Now Francis peeked through the gap in the door, it seemed that Arthur had actually gone as far as to bring the large group painting down from the storage room, leaning it against the bookcase and pointing out people. “Aine, the eldest and my only sister, with the red hair here. Looked a lot like our mother, but didn’t have her gentleness. James, second eldest, was a drinker even before he was turned, after which he tended to drag home intoxicated kills straight from the pub. Easiest way to get a vampire drunk. Darren…” he stopped, hand lingering above the image of a man who looked similar to Arthur, but was more stocky and had a softer face and curly hair. “… quite frankly, too kind for his own good.” He finished quietly.
“How do you mean?” Alfred pressed. Francis, even from the door, felt the atmosphere become suddenly uncomfortable. Matthew shifted in his seat.
“Alfred…” he murmured, voice hushed. “Maybe you shouldn’t ask Arthur-”
“When the Hunters found my coven, I was visiting Matthew and his new coven in Quebec.” Arthur cut over. Francis couldn’t see his face, still looking at the painting. “They demanded to see the coven leader… I wasn’t there. Darren posed as me, and received a brutal death in exchange… for stopping the torture of those the hunters had already caught.” Fingers brushed down over the painting, over the faces of Brooke and several other younger members.
Matthew got up out of his chair, and laid a gentle hand on Arthur’s arm. He didn’t say anything. Francis chose that moment to walk into the room before Alfred said something extremely stupid. The door creaked as it opened and drew attention on to him. He made a point of noticing that Alfred’s glasses definitely detracted from his terrifying gaze.
“Good evening.” He greeted them all. Arthur turned his back on the painting. Matthew’s gaze flickered to Alfred for a moment, but then returned. His expression told nothing. “What did the note say?”
Note? Oh, the one from the wolves. “They’re in the states having lots of sex.”
Alfred laughed, Matthew choked on nothing, and Arthur’s face took on an expression that Francis didn’t even have a name for, besides hilarious. He somehow managed to continue without chuckling.
“They also send their thanks for letting them stay here. Ludwig did at least.” Seemed the German man was the more polite of the two, or a least one more likely to pay attention to social niceties, even between vampires and werewolves.
Arthur turned his nose up. “Hmph. Good riddance.”
“Hey, come on, they were cool.” Alfred said, flapping a hand at Arthur. “Even if they did freak out and run off without even saying bye.”
Something hit the window of the library with a thud, drawing the attention of the room to the scene outside. Snow was falling in thick clumps, and for the first time Francis realized that he must have slept through the start of the snow. There had to be at least two feet of it out there. They had been right to go get food after all, even with the consequences it had. The light from the house reflected off the snow to make nearly the whole area outside the house visible up to the trees of the forest that surrounded the estate. Fluttering at the window and regularly being blown into it by the wind, was a large bat.
“Oh do let the poor thing in, Francis.” Arthur said, but strode over to the window himself, undoing the latch and letting the extremely damp and snow-covered bat into the room. It fluttered about until it landed on a bookshelf. On it’s back was a small letter. Arthur raised his eyebrows. “Hm? What’s this?”
He plucked it off the back of the bat, and opened it himself. Everyone waited silently for the verdict, Alfred absently flicking through a book he clearly wasn’t interested in. Francis was watching Arthur’s expression, which turned from interested, to exasperated, to slightly blushing, and then to outright panicked. He crumpled the letter in his hand, looking straight to Matthew.
“The Ball!” he cried, one hand going up to his head.
Matthew blinked. “Eh?”
“The cursed Winter Solstice Ball! His Majesty Dracula is holding it and Carmilla just wrote to wonder how we were traveling there tonight! Matthew, we have to go!” He grabbed the younger vampire by the wrist and dragged him towards the door. Alfred grabbed his other arm, lightning quick.
“Woah there Arthur, what’s goin’ on? Why does Mattie have to go?” Francis may have become more sensitive to the subtle changes Alfred’s moods went through, now he’d seen him as he was as a child. Certainly, he could feel the dangerous jealousy in how he clung to his new “brother”. Arthur looked frustrated.
“Matthew is a Sire, he represents his coven as their leader and not attending a party like this would be disastrous for his reputation.” He explained in irritated tones. “And I’m going because Carmilla will come over and drag me if I don’t and good lord, nobody wants that.”
“Is this Carmilla as in the vampire with strange tastes?” Francis asked. He’d certainly heard of her, a vampire who only went after young girls, and chose not to kill them immediately, but “play with her food” as it were. More than once, she’d fallen in love with her prey, in particular a young lady called Laura. She was quite a scandalous figure. Strange that Arthur would be associated with her. The vampire in question shot him a look.
“Yes, that would be her.” He said gruffly, pulling at Matthew again. “We really must go.”
It hit Francis that moment that he’d be left all alone in the house in this situation. Alone. With Alfred.
“Do they allow guests?” Please take me with you and don’t leave me here with this madman.
Both Arthur and Matthew gave him a look like he’d grown a second head. “You’re in a human body. They’d eat you.” Arthur said bluntly. And there went Francis’ escape attempt. The Englishman seemed to get the sentiment, however, and looked over to Alfred. “If you kill him while I’m gone, I’m kicking you out.”
Alfred pouted like a child. “Mean.”
“Promise you’ll behave.”
The teenager shrugged. “Don’t I always?”
’No,’ Francis thought in his head. ’No, you really, really don’t.’
“I’m not gonna kill Francis, promise. Cross my heart.” He motioned crossing his heart, holding his hand up like a boy scout. He really was just an overgrown child sometimes. “Have I ever lied to you?”
’Probably.’
A heavy hand landed on Francis’ shoulder, Alfred grinning and standing a good few inches taller than him. “Don’t worry and go party, Arthur. Maybe it’ll make you act like you’ve got less of a stick up your ass.”
Matthew covered his mouth to hide a snigger, making sure not to look when Arthur shot him a glare. “Fine, we’re going then. Try not to get into too much trouble while I’m gone.”
“Yeah yeah, just go already. You stay safe, alright Mattie?”
“I’ll be fine Alfred.” He still hesitated on the name, not that Alfred really noticed around his delusions. He followed Arthur out of the room, and straight outside. Francis watched from the window as both vampires stood on the snowy front porch, and spread their arms out in front of them. Nothing happened for a few moments, before Francis picked up the familiar sound of a thousand flapping wings. Like a cloud of pure, leathery blackness, Arthur’s bats descended on him, soon followed by ever more bats enveloping Matthew. As soon as they completely vanished from sight, blocked by the whirlwind of bats, the animals quickly dispersed, leaving nothing left. It was an impressive form of teleportation, but nonetheless, it still left one terrifying fact.
He was alone in the house with a serial killer who had a grudge against him.
The hand Alfred still had on his shoulder tightened painfully. Francis wondered if he was planning to snap his collarbone. “So.” The teen said in a cheery tone. “Still sure you’ve never heard of Phillipe Fournier?”
All those weeks ago, when Alfred had told him about the man he’d been searching for, he’d stumbled on the name like he was unfamiliar with it. How Francis didn’t figure his act out from the start… he felt like hitting his head against a wall.
“You promised Arthur not to hurt me.” Francis said slowly. Alfred’s grin showed off an awful lot of straight, white teeth.
“I promised not to kill ya.”
Francis managed to pull his shoulder out of Alfred's grip, backing as far away from the boy as he could while also edging towards the door. "Look, Alfred, I'm not who you think I am. I'm not this Phillipe person."
The teen's hands went into his pockets, a lackadaisical move that on anyone else would make them seem more relaxed, rather than more intimidating. "Familiar enough with him to be on first term basis, though." he said lightly, taking his time in pursuing Francis as they made their way out of the library and into the front hall. "And I think by now you've caught on to the situation. I'm not an idiot, Francis." The light of the hallway reflected off his glasses, hiding his eyes but highlighting his smirk. He stopped, posture neutral and non-threatening but terrifying regardless. "An idiot would get caught on their second or third kill. Me? I've killed a hundred and fifty people, give or take the ones that were accidents. Do something like that, takes blind luck, and some smarts." He gave a short laugh. "And gee, I seem to be the only one with a brain around here sometimes. That's kinda sayin' something."
Francis felt his back hit the wall, but Alfred wasn't coming any further forward. Not that he probably needed to. Anyone in the same room as him was probably in grabbing distance for a kid who could lap an American football pitch in under a minute. His baseball team must have loved to have him at bat.
"So now what. You'll take your anger out on me just because I look like Phillipe?" Francis said, sounding stronger than he felt.
Alfred said nothing for a long moment. "That depends entirely on your next answer."
Francis swallowed.
Alfred opened his mouth.
And there was a knock on the door.
Both the hallway's occupants froze, looking at the large wooden door. Arthur and Matthew had only just left. The wolves were in Ohio. Alice had flown all the way back to Belgium by now. Roderich and Elizaveta were upstairs and hadn't come past. And nobody should be able to find this house without some considerable magical skill.
"Hi?" Alfred called, posture not shifting from it's lazy form but some sort of strange tenseness to him all the same. "Who's that? My parents aren't in so I'm not supposed to open the door!" It was a blatant lie, one he told with a completely straight face. Had Francis been removed from the situation and unaware, he would have believed every word.
"Witnesses for the Lord, sir!" came a voice, female and cheerful. Witnesses in this weather?
"Oh man, happy clappies." Alfred grinned widely. "I love messing with the happy clappies."
"I wouldn't open the door if I were you." Francis mumbled, feeling a sense of foreboding that nearly matched what he felt from Alfred. There was something behind that door that repelled him. These witnesses had very holy items on them, or something like it. He moved as quietly as he could away from the door. The knock came again, softer this time.
"Um, please? It's really cold out here, the three of us are freezing."
"Three?" Francis muttered, voice barely above a whisper. "Merde. Merde, I'm getting out of here."
"Why you off in such a hurry?" Alfred asked, voice surprisingly quiet. Francis didn't think he had a setting below 'obnoxiously loud'. "I thought crosses and shit didn't affect you."
"They don't, not the kind you put up." The feeling of foreboding, of rejection, came in pulsing waves from behind the door. "I don't think those are normal witnesses. Normal witnesses don't have holy items that powerful."
Alfred's eyes widened, not with shock, but with delight. "You mean Hunters? Real actual hunters?"
"It's alright for you to be excited, you're in no danger!" Francis hissed, feeling like Arthur as he did. Alfred walked over to the door, grinning excitedly.
"You go hide like a pussy then, I'm gonna have me some fun."
"If you kill them, it'll bring the whole organisation down on this house." Francis warned, already making his retreat upstairs. "So don't."
"I don't take orders from you." Alfred said, and opened the door.
Monster Mash 12
Notes:
- DUN. DUN. DUUUUUN.
Characters: Francis, Alice, Arthur, Roderich, Elizaveta, Alfred, Matthew
Rating: 15
Warnings: Alfred is still a creeper.
Summary: Originally inspired by this. (Link to pic for those who don't have Pixiv here.) Due to popular demand, what was a oneshot has now spawned a fic.
“Any idea what caused this in the first place?”
“Other than Alfred using his head as a football? No, not really.”
“Well I’ve done everything I can for now. There are no other injuries left, thanks to Miss Vermeulen.”
“Hahaha, you’re too nice, Roderich. Sorry to deprive you of your fun, Elizaveta.”
“Oh, it’s alright really! I got to play with the human boy, that was fun!”
“You’d better replace those rose bushes.”
He cracked open his eyes to find himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. Where was he? Who were these voices?
“Oh, he’s awake!”
A blonde head came into view, the lamp on the bedside table not illuminating much, though his eyes remained clearly visible by the way they glowed in the dark. Someone moved behind him, a girl with blonde hair that bobbed around her chin in soft waves. Atop her head was a large, pointed, purplish-black hat. Her smile was catlike, olive eyes curious.
“Hey Francis, you okay?”
Francis...?
Oh!
Suddenly realising he was not, in fact, Phillipe Fournier, Francis Bonnefoy sat up in bed, blinking at the bedroom. Standing at the end of his bed were Roderich and Elizaveta, chatting away in a language he couldn’t understand but which contained sounds that shouldn’t be possible with a human tongue. Which was fine, because they weren’t human. The demon doctor’s unusual purple eyes were complimented by a shirt of the same colour, worn under a white coat. Dark hair was combed back, such a similar colour to his short, black horns that they were nearly indistinguishable.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Francis asked, voice slightly scratchy from disuse. He smiled over at the young blonde witch beside him. “Certainly, seeing you again was unexpected, mon petite Alice.”
The girl pouted. “I’m not little any more! It’s been years since you saw me!” she protested. Ah yes, Belgium; a beautiful country with beautiful cities and beautiful women. And also a witch’s coven. “I’ve got my full license and everything now, and it’s thanks to me that you woke up at all!” She poked his shoulder with a broom that must have appeared from nowhere. “You could say thank you, you know.”
Spotting his mildly confused look, Arthur explained. “You went into a coma while I was researching, pretty much as soon as I left the room. So I called in some help.” He shrugged one shoulder, looking away. Francis chuckled.
“Ah, Sourcilles, you needn’t have worried. I put myself in that coma.” he smiled up at the vampire. A blush quickly rose in Arthur’s cheeks.
“I wasn’t worried! I just want you out of my house and the fastest was is to get you healed.” He huffed, folding his arms, then paused. “Wait, you put yourself in a coma?” Roderich raised his eyebrows at him, and Elizaveta made an intrigued noise. Francis smiled, and explained what he’d done. Arthur’s impressively large eyebrows climbed higher and higher.
“You saw… Alfred’s past?” he said incredulously.
“I saw Phillipe’s past.” Francis corrected. “It’s an important difference. I’ve gained no more insight into Alfred’s psyche than you have over the past 8 months he’s stayed with you.” He grimaced, flashes of that young boy with the piercing eyes filling his head and making him shiver. “All I know is that he’s always been the way he is. And that your Matthew is certainly similar enough to his Mattie to support his delusions.”
Now it was Arthur’s turn to pull a frustrated face. “Well that’s just wonderful. He’s been impossible to get rid of, poor Matthew’s at his wit’s end. It doesn’t help that he…” the vampire swallowed, frown deepening. “… he really does look like our Alfred.”
“Ah, such a pitiful situation.” Sighed Elizaveta. Roderich seemed completely unmoved by their plight. Typical of him. “Should I call Gilbert so he can laugh at you?”
“Oh spare us, please.” Roderich droned sarcastically. Elizaveta giggled at him.
“Anyway, we should go save him.” Arthur cut over them, walking towards the door. “You’ve been unconscious for a while. It’s December 3rd now.”
Francis’ eyebrows climbed. Wow, reviewing a whole lifetime, even with a fast forward button, really did take a long time. He swung his feet out of bed feeling much stronger than he had before he’d been beaten to a pulp. “Arthur, how can you be sure that he’s not going to beat me half to death again?”
The vampire paused. “He said he wouldn’t.”
Francis stared, gobsmacked. Elizaveta burst into laughter, while Roderich tutted disapprovingly, shaking his head. Alice made gesture up around her head.
“I can’t believe you sometimes Arthur. You are something else.” The young witch said with an air of exasperated wonder. “Always the pick the weird ones. And always humans. Makes you seem kind of weird yourself.”
Arthur sniffed in a manner so haughty it made Roderich seem humble. “Don’t you have a coven to get back to.” He grumbled at her. The cat-like smile returned.
“I do, and I should go before my brother messes something up~!” she cheered. Behind her, the window flew wide open. “Have fun with your thingy that’s coming up, Arthur! I think Lars is running security~ so I might see you there!” And with a flourish of her long purple skirt and cape, she hopped on her broom, and rocketed out of the open window. She reached a great height, then looped back round to hover outside the window. “Oh yeah, and I almost forgot, I’ve got a letter for you! From werewolves though, so dunno if you want it.”
Arthur eyed the envelope she produced from apparently nowhere, then walked to the window and took it off her sulkily, handing it to Francis to read. The Frenchman opened it up, and found two hastily scrawled notes.
Dear everyone!
The note stopped there, and then continued in different, neater handwriting.
I wish to thank Arthur Kirkland for his hospitality despite our differences. In my decision as Alpha I found it too dangerous to stay any longer, considering the vampires now outnumber the werewolves, and the power balance is disturbed.
I wish you luck with Alfred.
You may need it.
Somehow, Francis felt that last part was addressed to him specifically. He folded the note into his pocket, and noticed Arthur had already walked out of the room. Elizaveta and Roderich were back to talking in their demonic language, and it was starting to make Francis’ head hurt, so, with a due sense of dread, he made his own way down the hallway to where light shone through a crack in the door of the library. Alfred’s voice, as ever, preceded him.
“Wow Mattie, you look good in a suit.”
“Eheheh, I guess so, but everyone was wearing them back then so it wasn’t very special.” After hearing the human Matthew’s voice, Francis could certainly see the supports for Alfred’s mad delusions. They were so similar. Hard to believe it was all simply terrible, terrible coincidence. “Arthur’s always liked suits, haven’t you Arthur.”
“They make people look more respectable.” Said Arthur’s voice, almost defensively. “I liked my coven to look respectable.”
“Even Brooke?”
“Especially Brooke.” And there, an odd kind of affectionate exasperation, mixed with sadness. “God knows if the boy couldn’t act like a grown up he could at the very least look like one.”
“Looks like a fun guy. And the ginger dude at the back.”
“Oh good lord. That’s my older brother, James.”
“There are people older than you?”
“Francis, for one.”
Silence fell. The man in question waited at the door, still and quiet, waiting for the response.
“Oh yeah, he’s like 700 isn’t he?” said Alfred brightly. “But how can you have an older brother if vampires don’t have parents?”
“I was human once.” Arthur said, sounding a little bit affronted by the memory of being so low on the food chain. “I had a mother and a father. Last of four children, I was. A vampire attacked my family, killed our mother and father, and then proceeded to turn my siblings and I. In age order, as a matter of fact.” Now Francis peeked through the gap in the door, it seemed that Arthur had actually gone as far as to bring the large group painting down from the storage room, leaning it against the bookcase and pointing out people. “Aine, the eldest and my only sister, with the red hair here. Looked a lot like our mother, but didn’t have her gentleness. James, second eldest, was a drinker even before he was turned, after which he tended to drag home intoxicated kills straight from the pub. Easiest way to get a vampire drunk. Darren…” he stopped, hand lingering above the image of a man who looked similar to Arthur, but was more stocky and had a softer face and curly hair. “… quite frankly, too kind for his own good.” He finished quietly.
“How do you mean?” Alfred pressed. Francis, even from the door, felt the atmosphere become suddenly uncomfortable. Matthew shifted in his seat.
“Alfred…” he murmured, voice hushed. “Maybe you shouldn’t ask Arthur-”
“When the Hunters found my coven, I was visiting Matthew and his new coven in Quebec.” Arthur cut over. Francis couldn’t see his face, still looking at the painting. “They demanded to see the coven leader… I wasn’t there. Darren posed as me, and received a brutal death in exchange… for stopping the torture of those the hunters had already caught.” Fingers brushed down over the painting, over the faces of Brooke and several other younger members.
Matthew got up out of his chair, and laid a gentle hand on Arthur’s arm. He didn’t say anything. Francis chose that moment to walk into the room before Alfred said something extremely stupid. The door creaked as it opened and drew attention on to him. He made a point of noticing that Alfred’s glasses definitely detracted from his terrifying gaze.
“Good evening.” He greeted them all. Arthur turned his back on the painting. Matthew’s gaze flickered to Alfred for a moment, but then returned. His expression told nothing. “What did the note say?”
Note? Oh, the one from the wolves. “They’re in the states having lots of sex.”
Alfred laughed, Matthew choked on nothing, and Arthur’s face took on an expression that Francis didn’t even have a name for, besides hilarious. He somehow managed to continue without chuckling.
“They also send their thanks for letting them stay here. Ludwig did at least.” Seemed the German man was the more polite of the two, or a least one more likely to pay attention to social niceties, even between vampires and werewolves.
Arthur turned his nose up. “Hmph. Good riddance.”
“Hey, come on, they were cool.” Alfred said, flapping a hand at Arthur. “Even if they did freak out and run off without even saying bye.”
Something hit the window of the library with a thud, drawing the attention of the room to the scene outside. Snow was falling in thick clumps, and for the first time Francis realized that he must have slept through the start of the snow. There had to be at least two feet of it out there. They had been right to go get food after all, even with the consequences it had. The light from the house reflected off the snow to make nearly the whole area outside the house visible up to the trees of the forest that surrounded the estate. Fluttering at the window and regularly being blown into it by the wind, was a large bat.
“Oh do let the poor thing in, Francis.” Arthur said, but strode over to the window himself, undoing the latch and letting the extremely damp and snow-covered bat into the room. It fluttered about until it landed on a bookshelf. On it’s back was a small letter. Arthur raised his eyebrows. “Hm? What’s this?”
He plucked it off the back of the bat, and opened it himself. Everyone waited silently for the verdict, Alfred absently flicking through a book he clearly wasn’t interested in. Francis was watching Arthur’s expression, which turned from interested, to exasperated, to slightly blushing, and then to outright panicked. He crumpled the letter in his hand, looking straight to Matthew.
“The Ball!” he cried, one hand going up to his head.
Matthew blinked. “Eh?”
“The cursed Winter Solstice Ball! His Majesty Dracula is holding it and Carmilla just wrote to wonder how we were traveling there tonight! Matthew, we have to go!” He grabbed the younger vampire by the wrist and dragged him towards the door. Alfred grabbed his other arm, lightning quick.
“Woah there Arthur, what’s goin’ on? Why does Mattie have to go?” Francis may have become more sensitive to the subtle changes Alfred’s moods went through, now he’d seen him as he was as a child. Certainly, he could feel the dangerous jealousy in how he clung to his new “brother”. Arthur looked frustrated.
“Matthew is a Sire, he represents his coven as their leader and not attending a party like this would be disastrous for his reputation.” He explained in irritated tones. “And I’m going because Carmilla will come over and drag me if I don’t and good lord, nobody wants that.”
“Is this Carmilla as in the vampire with strange tastes?” Francis asked. He’d certainly heard of her, a vampire who only went after young girls, and chose not to kill them immediately, but “play with her food” as it were. More than once, she’d fallen in love with her prey, in particular a young lady called Laura. She was quite a scandalous figure. Strange that Arthur would be associated with her. The vampire in question shot him a look.
“Yes, that would be her.” He said gruffly, pulling at Matthew again. “We really must go.”
It hit Francis that moment that he’d be left all alone in the house in this situation. Alone. With Alfred.
“Do they allow guests?” Please take me with you and don’t leave me here with this madman.
Both Arthur and Matthew gave him a look like he’d grown a second head. “You’re in a human body. They’d eat you.” Arthur said bluntly. And there went Francis’ escape attempt. The Englishman seemed to get the sentiment, however, and looked over to Alfred. “If you kill him while I’m gone, I’m kicking you out.”
Alfred pouted like a child. “Mean.”
“Promise you’ll behave.”
The teenager shrugged. “Don’t I always?”
’No,’ Francis thought in his head. ’No, you really, really don’t.’
“I’m not gonna kill Francis, promise. Cross my heart.” He motioned crossing his heart, holding his hand up like a boy scout. He really was just an overgrown child sometimes. “Have I ever lied to you?”
’Probably.’
A heavy hand landed on Francis’ shoulder, Alfred grinning and standing a good few inches taller than him. “Don’t worry and go party, Arthur. Maybe it’ll make you act like you’ve got less of a stick up your ass.”
Matthew covered his mouth to hide a snigger, making sure not to look when Arthur shot him a glare. “Fine, we’re going then. Try not to get into too much trouble while I’m gone.”
“Yeah yeah, just go already. You stay safe, alright Mattie?”
“I’ll be fine Alfred.” He still hesitated on the name, not that Alfred really noticed around his delusions. He followed Arthur out of the room, and straight outside. Francis watched from the window as both vampires stood on the snowy front porch, and spread their arms out in front of them. Nothing happened for a few moments, before Francis picked up the familiar sound of a thousand flapping wings. Like a cloud of pure, leathery blackness, Arthur’s bats descended on him, soon followed by ever more bats enveloping Matthew. As soon as they completely vanished from sight, blocked by the whirlwind of bats, the animals quickly dispersed, leaving nothing left. It was an impressive form of teleportation, but nonetheless, it still left one terrifying fact.
He was alone in the house with a serial killer who had a grudge against him.
The hand Alfred still had on his shoulder tightened painfully. Francis wondered if he was planning to snap his collarbone. “So.” The teen said in a cheery tone. “Still sure you’ve never heard of Phillipe Fournier?”
All those weeks ago, when Alfred had told him about the man he’d been searching for, he’d stumbled on the name like he was unfamiliar with it. How Francis didn’t figure his act out from the start… he felt like hitting his head against a wall.
“You promised Arthur not to hurt me.” Francis said slowly. Alfred’s grin showed off an awful lot of straight, white teeth.
“I promised not to kill ya.”
Francis managed to pull his shoulder out of Alfred's grip, backing as far away from the boy as he could while also edging towards the door. "Look, Alfred, I'm not who you think I am. I'm not this Phillipe person."
The teen's hands went into his pockets, a lackadaisical move that on anyone else would make them seem more relaxed, rather than more intimidating. "Familiar enough with him to be on first term basis, though." he said lightly, taking his time in pursuing Francis as they made their way out of the library and into the front hall. "And I think by now you've caught on to the situation. I'm not an idiot, Francis." The light of the hallway reflected off his glasses, hiding his eyes but highlighting his smirk. He stopped, posture neutral and non-threatening but terrifying regardless. "An idiot would get caught on their second or third kill. Me? I've killed a hundred and fifty people, give or take the ones that were accidents. Do something like that, takes blind luck, and some smarts." He gave a short laugh. "And gee, I seem to be the only one with a brain around here sometimes. That's kinda sayin' something."
Francis felt his back hit the wall, but Alfred wasn't coming any further forward. Not that he probably needed to. Anyone in the same room as him was probably in grabbing distance for a kid who could lap an American football pitch in under a minute. His baseball team must have loved to have him at bat.
"So now what. You'll take your anger out on me just because I look like Phillipe?" Francis said, sounding stronger than he felt.
Alfred said nothing for a long moment. "That depends entirely on your next answer."
Francis swallowed.
Alfred opened his mouth.
And there was a knock on the door.
Both the hallway's occupants froze, looking at the large wooden door. Arthur and Matthew had only just left. The wolves were in Ohio. Alice had flown all the way back to Belgium by now. Roderich and Elizaveta were upstairs and hadn't come past. And nobody should be able to find this house without some considerable magical skill.
"Hi?" Alfred called, posture not shifting from it's lazy form but some sort of strange tenseness to him all the same. "Who's that? My parents aren't in so I'm not supposed to open the door!" It was a blatant lie, one he told with a completely straight face. Had Francis been removed from the situation and unaware, he would have believed every word.
"Witnesses for the Lord, sir!" came a voice, female and cheerful. Witnesses in this weather?
"Oh man, happy clappies." Alfred grinned widely. "I love messing with the happy clappies."
"I wouldn't open the door if I were you." Francis mumbled, feeling a sense of foreboding that nearly matched what he felt from Alfred. There was something behind that door that repelled him. These witnesses had very holy items on them, or something like it. He moved as quietly as he could away from the door. The knock came again, softer this time.
"Um, please? It's really cold out here, the three of us are freezing."
"Three?" Francis muttered, voice barely above a whisper. "Merde. Merde, I'm getting out of here."
"Why you off in such a hurry?" Alfred asked, voice surprisingly quiet. Francis didn't think he had a setting below 'obnoxiously loud'. "I thought crosses and shit didn't affect you."
"They don't, not the kind you put up." The feeling of foreboding, of rejection, came in pulsing waves from behind the door. "I don't think those are normal witnesses. Normal witnesses don't have holy items that powerful."
Alfred's eyes widened, not with shock, but with delight. "You mean Hunters? Real actual hunters?"
"It's alright for you to be excited, you're in no danger!" Francis hissed, feeling like Arthur as he did. Alfred walked over to the door, grinning excitedly.
"You go hide like a pussy then, I'm gonna have me some fun."
"If you kill them, it'll bring the whole organisation down on this house." Francis warned, already making his retreat upstairs. "So don't."
"I don't take orders from you." Alfred said, and opened the door.
Monster Mash 12
Notes:
- DUN. DUN. DUUUUUN.
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I see what you did there with Dracula and Carmilla.:P Tried to read Dracula once, couldn't get through it though.T_T
And I'm sorry, but I pity the fool that tries to kill Alfred.
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Ahh, I kind of have a thing for vampire stories in general... to the point where I read all the way through the Twilight Saga just to get a vague fix. orz;;;
Why did I imagine that in the voice of Mr T.
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Oh god, Francis, tell him the truth already! D: Just tell him you just ran into the guy and he buggered off before you even knew his name! And he's not inside the body anymore so Alfred can't get his revenge on him by beating you! Seriously!
.... also oh shit hunters. O__O (Wonder who they are anyway? OCs or someone familiar?)
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And ruin the dramatic tension? /shot
Ah, two OCs and someone familiar. Though, if you read FT, the OCs will be a little more familiar.
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I hope Ludwig and Feli have puppies. They would be so cute~.
I can't believe hunters knock. I mean what would happen if no one answers? Would they just turn back and leave? Kinda rude to just barge in if they take the time to knock. Either that or they got one heck of a warped mind. Oh well, Hunters vs Alfred. It'll probably be a tough match. Unless they aren't prepared for killer humans.
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It would be cute. Unfortunately, they're both boys.
They knock if someone's in, and they probably heard Alfred. If nobody opens the door, then nobody's in, which means they can break down the door with nobody to stop them. 8|b You better believe Hunters are like scouts; Always Prepared.
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Fridge Logic
Good chapter as always, please update soon.
-Mregent2
Re: Fridge Logic
Thanks for reading!
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This story continues to be great and I'm sorry for Francis, being stuck with a crazy teenager, two demons and a band of possible hunters. The guy can't get a break.
Arthur showing Alfred those family portratits break my heart. It must be so hard for him and Darren's death! So sad.
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Thank you! Poor Francis, eh? While Alfred has all the luck, it seems like Francis and Phillipe have none of the luck.
Matthew probably let something slip around him, and thus he demanded to see the picture. Poor Arthur. And poor Matthew too, those were the people he grew up with.
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Belgium would be such a cute witch too X3
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Himaruya did draw her as one, so I thought, why not include her? XD
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Oh it's good to know Ludwig and Feliciano are alright. heh heh More than alright.
...I really want to see what a drunken vampire is like now. I bet it'd be hilarious and yet godawful frightening at the same time.
-dances around- Return of the bats! Yes!
What was Alfred going to ask? Will we find out at some point?
...Well cripes. Alfred don't do anything stupid! Think of what'll happen when Arthur gets back!
I'm sure the two demons will be fine, yes? Lizzie and Roddy can just teleport or whatever to wherever they came from, I'm sure.
And I obviously need to read Carmilla. It sounds like an awesome story.
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Save a horse, ride a werewolf! /shot
Probably a lot like a drunken human but with superstrength and speed. 8|a So bar fights are quite destructive.
Sounds like a movie title... RETURN OF THE BATS like a batman movie...
You will see in time~ be patient my dear~
Asking Alfred not to do anything stupid is like asking grass not to grow. Arthur is going to flip EVERYTHING most likely.
Hehehe.
Here it is! They have it online because it's so old it's not copyrighted. It's quite short, so you could probably read it in an afternoon.
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Apparently Arthur's house is now full of gatecrashers. I'll get the glowsticks. Bawww bless him, he was so worried about Francis he had to call for backup. |D And lsdkfjf Bel-Bel, you're the most adorable little witch ever. ;n; Commenting on Arthur's strange tastes in humans, and his association with someone as scandalous as Carmilla? I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE.
...so does this mean Netherlands is some kind of wizard rent-a-cop? /shot
Wow, the wolves made it to the States pretty fast though. I wasn't aware they even had anything like passports. XD Ludwig you are such a diplomat buhyoo. I WILL MISS YOU GUYS.
*imagining James dragging home a pair of drunks so he can get smashed ffff* But oh man Arthur explaining some aspects of his family at last sob. It's so sad...and yet once again Alfred fails at reading the atmosphere.
I can only imagine what Carmilla wrote in the contents of that letter to make Arthur's face change so, but at the mention of THE BALL, I started thinking of Cinderella. Only difference is they have to be back before dawn. |D
Oh my god guys why did you leave Francis alone with Alfred? He should barricade himself upstairs with the demons aaaah. I'm sorry Alfred but you're like a rabid dog and need to be put down. ;;
HUNTERS LFKJSLDJF HUNTERS. WORDS CANNOT EXPRESS MY JOY. Even though this is a very bad thing. Sure Alfred, go right ahead and bring the HAND OF GOD right down on top of your heads. BT Who tipped them off that there were still people in that old house I wonder? 8|a /dun dun duuuuuun
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Netherlands; the Warlock Bouncer. /also shot
Francis has been out for a good week, you know. That's plenty of time to get to the states. As for passports... there are plenty of back-ally ways that I'm sure they have access to by way of Ludwig being big and scary and Feli being charming and slightly mafia-esque. 8|
That is kind of exactly what he did, why do you need to imagine. XD Arthur, despite all pretenses to the contrary, was very attached to his siblings. Alfred always fails at reading the atmosphere, it's part of who he is.
Probably a lot of flowery language with the occasional tease and "so how's that sexy human you had last time I was there? |D" Now you've got me thinking of Arthur in Cinderella's dress. Thank you Cande. >>
Vampire get-togethers are srs bizniz, especially when organised by Dracula himself. Sorry, Francis, you're on your own. XD
HUNTERRRRS and I bet you can guess which ones, from my clue to Tuulensisko futher up the page. Alfred likes a challenge. Hand of God? He'll take you all on >] (oh god). Probably the lights that were on? And Alfred, most likely. XD
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I can't wait to see what Alfred does to the Hunters... should be wonderfully bloody. Francis, Roddy and Eliza better run tho!
I'll miss the wolves, but I'm curious as to what Ludwig means about the power balance being disturbed. Matthew's arrival makes 2 vampires, 2 werewolves, 1 ghost and 1 Alfred :-P How do the vampires now outnumber the werewolves? (Or is Ludwig admitting that Feli is useless and doesn't count?)
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We'll see, we'll see~! All supernatural creatures, evacuate the building! Move move move!
Ludwig assessed Alfred as a threat on level with the vampires, since the teen was clearly sided with them, and that's what he meant by power balance shifting. Besides which... yeah, Feli's useless. XD;;
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I hear wolves howling at night... Now I know why.
> u > Ahh~~ First time commenting on your story, so lets see if I can be coherent.
I. FIC. LOVE. YOU--
Yeah.. no. I can't. :I
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Ffff thanks for your comment anyway! I think the message got across, coherence or none. XD
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But stupid Alfred, he's so smart, why not listening to Francis once?
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He's smart, but he kind of hates Francis a lot. Do you listen to your sworn enemies?
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((Epic story, btw. GO ALFRED. KICK SOME HUNTER ASS. WOOO. X3))
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((Thanks very much for reading so far!))
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stalkingfollowing and loving this fic since the beginning, but since I tend to be shyer than your average LJ user, I haven't commented at all. I have to break my silence now, though, because CARMILLA. So much love for you for mentioning her. ♥♥♥Alfred continues to simultaneously impress and terrify me in this fic (I know that's kind of the point of horror fiction, but still). I think this sentence is probably the best example I can give for this chapter:
Anyone in the same room as him was probably in grabbing distance for a kid who could lap an American football pitch in under a minute.
You've gone into detail about Alfred's superhuman strength earlier in the fic (and with that being a canon characteristic of his, it's not hard to imagine), but this really drove home the point of how fast Alfred is for me. Like, if you're human, and he's serious about killing you, you basically have no chance of survival. None. Again, impressive and terrifying.
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If he knew that I'm sure he'd be quite proud of himself (and then kill us all).
Ahhh~! People picking up on these little things is what makes me smile and feel like a good writer. You've kind of made my day with that! And yes, he's very, very fast. Like Usain Bolt fast. Freak of nature, seriously. Half the reason he's so fast is because he's so strong. He has more strength to push at the ground and ergo move faster. So basically, yeah, you're screwed if you're in the same room. Or the same town.
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X'D Alfred...I dont even know your delusions any more...really. HES SO CONFUSING.
Also.../facepalm