It's funny, really - he has never considered himself to be a particularly brave man, but he has always been able to do the right thing under pressure when he trusts himself. Dashing through the woods. Moving fast to defend himself.
And now here he is, jumping off the roof of a castle. Go figure.
He's been working on his flight for some time now, and having never been particularly scared of heights, he took pretty naturally to it. That said, part of his stomach does a little flip at the feeling of diving down towards the dark woods, accelerating towards Seras's retreating form when he folds his wings tight to his body. His tail coils through the air behind him, helping to fine tune his steering.
He can do this. He can do this.
He's getting closer to her now, flinging out his arms to try and gather her against him....
Even through the curtain of blonde whipping about her face, she can see the bright ember glow of her demon companion streaking through the darkness toward her. He didn't hesitate for even a moment, he didn't freeze nor fret before following after her. We're her heart not so preoccupied with doing flips during this fall, it would swell with pride from this courageous act. He really is a hero, isn't he?
In seconds he's close enough for her to read the determination in his expression, a second later close enough to grab onto him as he reaches for her. She swings her arms around his neck as he pulls her into him, shutting her eyes tight.
Seras trusts him with her life, but the ground is approaching fast... Will they have enough time to slow down?
He's got her! He's got her in his arms, cradled against his chest, and now he just has to slow the descent. Except...even as he tries to pivot, they are still coming down too fast, MUCH too fast, and colliding at this rate is going to shatter his legs even if he DOES land on his feet -
"Hold tight to me-!"
It's all Alfred can get out before he whips his tail in a coil below them both, the whip of scales igniting in a circle as it connects with the ground. There is a rush of flame, a burning column that rises from the singed grass up around the both of them...and then the sickening sensation of gravity flipping as the pair reemerge from a matching wreath of fire a few feet away, popping up with no loss of momentum...quite upside down.
Twisting awkwardly around in midair, the young man rights them both about thirty feet off the ground, trying desperately to get his bearings back as he manages to slow their now-ascent to a reasonable rate with strong, insistent wingbeats.
Her hold on him tightens, now accompanied with the squeeze of her legs around his waist, clinging to him like the lifeline he is.
We're going to hit the ground her mind screams, but before she can even finish the thought her stomach has flipped with the sudden shift in gravity, making her just a bit nauseated but luckily not enough to ruin her dinner. She finally opens her eyes at his questioning, blinking a few times and glancing around to take in their surroundings. They're... still in the sky. Clearly, she missed how he managed to pull this off, but god is she glad he did.
"I-- I'm fine? I think?" Nothing burns at the moment, but really the adrenaline is pumping too hard for her to tell. Once they're back inside with the light, she'll notice some of her hair and tail fur burnt at the ends, but being this close to him seems to have kept her safe overall.
"H-haha, you-- you did it!" she laughs off the anxiety, gratitude and relief washing over her. "You did it, Alfred! I knew you could!"
Pardon the puppy-levels of excitement, but she absolutely must smooch all over his face now. If she's not careful she'll wag right out of his arms, but luckily she realizes that quickly enough to at least reign that part in.
The kissing is met with giggles - and very palpable relief, his arms around her loosening from a terrified death grip to a firm, sure embrace. Now that he's got his bearings properly (and is sure Seras is fine), Alfred smoothly ascends back towards the rooftop of the castle, eager to get them both onto solid ground again.
"I - am glad that you trusted me, Seras," he murmurs, soft and sweet. "It...it helps me to trust myself. You, and Phil, and - well - and the Fog."
The last bit is spoken lightly, gently - like something he's still trying to understand himself.
"But - I would never let anything happen to you anyway. Not if I can help it. I - I couldn't."
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2022-09-04 06:21 am (UTC)It's funny, really - he has never considered himself to be a particularly brave man, but he has always been able to do the right thing under pressure when he trusts himself. Dashing through the woods. Moving fast to defend himself.
And now here he is, jumping off the roof of a castle. Go figure.
He's been working on his flight for some time now, and having never been particularly scared of heights, he took pretty naturally to it. That said, part of his stomach does a little flip at the feeling of diving down towards the dark woods, accelerating towards Seras's retreating form when he folds his wings tight to his body. His tail coils through the air behind him, helping to fine tune his steering.
He can do this. He can do this.
He's getting closer to her now, flinging out his arms to try and gather her against him....
no subject
Date: 2022-09-04 07:32 am (UTC)In seconds he's close enough for her to read the determination in his expression, a second later close enough to grab onto him as he reaches for her. She swings her arms around his neck as he pulls her into him, shutting her eyes tight.
Seras trusts him with her life, but the ground is approaching fast... Will they have enough time to slow down?
no subject
Date: 2022-09-04 08:06 am (UTC)"Hold tight to me-!"
It's all Alfred can get out before he whips his tail in a coil below them both, the whip of scales igniting in a circle as it connects with the ground. There is a rush of flame, a burning column that rises from the singed grass up around the both of them...and then the sickening sensation of gravity flipping as the pair reemerge from a matching wreath of fire a few feet away, popping up with no loss of momentum...quite upside down.
Twisting awkwardly around in midair, the young man rights them both about thirty feet off the ground, trying desperately to get his bearings back as he manages to slow their now-ascent to a reasonable rate with strong, insistent wingbeats.
"I - did - are you okay? Nothing singed?"
cw: nausea mention
Date: 2022-09-05 05:56 am (UTC)We're going to hit the ground her mind screams, but before she can even finish the thought her stomach has flipped with the sudden shift in gravity, making her just a bit nauseated but luckily not enough to ruin her dinner. She finally opens her eyes at his questioning, blinking a few times and glancing around to take in their surroundings. They're... still in the sky. Clearly, she missed how he managed to pull this off, but god is she glad he did.
"I-- I'm fine? I think?" Nothing burns at the moment, but really the adrenaline is pumping too hard for her to tell. Once they're back inside with the light, she'll notice some of her hair and tail fur burnt at the ends, but being this close to him seems to have kept her safe overall.
"H-haha, you-- you did it!" she laughs off the anxiety, gratitude and relief washing over her. "You did it, Alfred! I knew you could!"
Pardon the puppy-levels of excitement, but she absolutely must smooch all over his face now. If she's not careful she'll wag right out of his arms, but luckily she realizes that quickly enough to at least reign that part in.
no subject
Date: 2022-09-09 03:57 am (UTC)"I - am glad that you trusted me, Seras," he murmurs, soft and sweet. "It...it helps me to trust myself. You, and Phil, and - well - and the Fog."
The last bit is spoken lightly, gently - like something he's still trying to understand himself.
"But - I would never let anything happen to you anyway. Not if I can help it. I - I couldn't."