"All right, all right." He opens the door and carefully leads Alfred in, keeping one hand over his eyes even though he knows Alfred will keep them closed. It's part of the fun of it, after all.
He closes the door shut behind them and rests his hands on Alfred's shoulders. Trying not to be too nervous. Oh, what if he hates it? He'd be too polite to say so, surely.
But it's now or never and Georg is happy to not have a heartbeat, or his heart would be hammering in his chest.
Obediently, Alfred follows where he is guided...stepping out into the room.
When indicated, he opens his eyes - and he GASPS, hands flying to his mouth. It's so BIG, and it's nice, and it's thoughtful, and - it's for HIM. A space...just for him to ENJOY, not a space for utility, not for necessity.
"Oh, GEORG," he squeaks, stepping forward to lay a hand on that huge table, running his long fingers over the surface a moment before turning to Von Krolock with a massive grin and huge, tearful blue eyes.
"This - this is - this is for me? This is really - you did all of this for me?"
"Oh -- " He brings his fingers to his mouth, surprised but pleased at Alfred's pleased reaction.
It takes him a moment to find his voice again. "You like it? Truly? If there's anything missing, please let me know and I'll find it for you. But I wanted you to have this space for yourself. To work, to play. Ah, I even found -- "
He gestures to some of the dressmaker's dummies in the corner. "From when I had a valet who mended my suits."
There are tears rolling down Alfred's cheeks - he paces a little, side to side, looking it all over again for a moment - before he sharply turns, rushing over to Georg to practically tackle him with a tight hug.
"I don't like it, Georg, I LOVE it - it's - it's perfect, it's just perfect!"
He knows how Georg frets, how he second guesses...and so he shows his appreciation in the best way he knows how. He opens his mind, his heart, letting his giddy excitement spill out of him for the older vampire to FEEL.
Georg freezes for a moment, unsure what to do with himself. Then slowly, slowly, he wraps his arms around Alfred to return the hug.
He presses soft kisses to Alfred's cheeks, nuzzling the tears away. "It's all for you, my magnificent boy. I want you to have a place wholly your own. For any project you could possibly dream of."
No amount of time has broken Alfred of the habit of crying at any strong emotion - he's simply got too big a heart to contain - but it's with joy that the tears are running now, grin unbreakable under those soft little kisses.
"It's - I've never had anything like this before. You have no idea what this - what this really means to me, Georg. I'm used to being stuffed into corners, mending at dinner tables - but this - THIS-"
He's at a loss for words - and so he tugs the older vampire into a kiss, full of love and happiness and feeling very much like he is HOME.
Georg looks positively enchanted at the excitement Alfred is showing, at the waves of it coming off him. The happiness that is radiating off the boy. And then Georg is pulled into a kiss and he makes a small noise of surprise at it. At least he knows what to do with his hands this time and sets them at Alfred's waist.
"I'm just happy you're happy," he sighs, nudging their noses together. "You will never be forced into corners or tucked away somewhere out of the way, here. No matter what you need space for, we will find it for you."
Giggling a little, Alfred nuzzles a little at Georg's face - how far they have come, really, is still astounding to him. It doesn't feel that long ago that he was cowering, jumping at shadows.
Now here they are, and his heart is full of nothing but love for Georg, for Herbert, for everything about being here.
"You're - so good to me. You and Herbert both. I feel like...like my life didn't even get to start, until it...well, until it ended." He spares a glance out into the room, but remains twined with Georg. "I...I never could have imagined anything like this. It makes me feel - I feel like I...fit. I fit, here, and I've never felt that before."
It must be difficult, to realize something like that, he's sure. That one's life didn't properly begin until after death. And he's proud of Alfred, for being able to accept that.
"You do fit, darling boy. You're here with people who love you. Who want only the best for you. Who will give you the best. This is your home now, Alfred. And anything that you could want we will give you. If you want a room for your music, or your painting, you'll have that as well."
All of this has Alfred moving back in for another tight hug, breathing in the scent of Georg's perfumes. (He absolutely does not smell of decay, no matter what the Professor had tried to say. Alfred presumes the old man's nose had stopped working.)
"I love it here," he finally murmurs, voice soft. "I love you. I don't know what I would do without you or Herbert, I really don't."
"There is nothing we would not do for you, Alfred. I know Herbert feels the same way. You could ask us to fetch you the moon from the sky and we would gladly do so."
He takes a deep breath; he find the act, the motion helps steady him, even if it does nothing else. "I should warn you, though you've likely discovered this on your own. My son and I do not love lightly. Perhaps it is our nature, or the nature of a vampire, I'm unsure. But when we love, we love with our entire beings. It is a possessive sort of love. Obsessive, even."
It takes literally everything Alfred has not to laugh. His lips twitch upward at the corners, his voice a little strained as he pulls back to look up at Georg.
"...Really?
I hadn't noticed."
Dear Reader: Alfred had noticed. He had noticed repeatedly, in fact, multiple times in one night after Herbert smelled Georg's perfume on him. He had noticed thoroughly until he was absolutely exhausted and damn near had to be carried into the casket come morning.
"Yes, well. Perhaps that much is obvious." He answers the attempt at a hidden smile with one of his own, pushing his fingers through Alfred's hair. Raking his nails across his scalp and scratching gently. "But it also means you have our unwavering loyalty."
"Don't think for a moment that we take that lightly, my magnificent boy. Loyalty is surprisingly rare among immortals. And we appreciate yours immensely." He scratches his nails lightly across the back of Alfred's neck, liking the way it makes him weak in the knees.
"We consider it an honour, you know. That you came back to join our fold."
It's too easy to get the better of Alfred, and he knows it - a little whimper escapes him and he wobbles a little at the thrill of nails against his neck.
His smile turns a little sheepish.
"Well it - it was the only thing that felt right. Even at the ball, I actually...well, I sort of...didn't want to leave. If it hadn't have been for Sarah, for what I thought I had to do, I...I might have just...stayed."
"I think we might have let you. Had you not come at me with a candle, it might have been a very entertaining evening." But he slips his fingers below Alfred's collar to continue petting him, to show there are no hard feelings. Not anymore, at least.
"I'm glad you stayed, in the end. Things happened in a bit of a roundabout way, but I think they turned out how they were meant to."
"It provided us with amusement, at least." The coven still talk about it. Pretend to scare each other with mimed candles. It's the least they can do to entertain themselves.
He cups his hands over Alfred's jaw and kisses him softly. "Then welcome home, dear Alfred."
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2022-03-31 03:21 am (UTC)He closes the door shut behind them and rests his hands on Alfred's shoulders. Trying not to be too nervous. Oh, what if he hates it? He'd be too polite to say so, surely.
But it's now or never and Georg is happy to not have a heartbeat, or his heart would be hammering in his chest.
"All right. Open them."
no subject
Date: 2022-03-31 03:30 am (UTC)When indicated, he opens his eyes - and he GASPS, hands flying to his mouth. It's so BIG, and it's nice, and it's thoughtful, and - it's for HIM. A space...just for him to ENJOY, not a space for utility, not for necessity.
"Oh, GEORG," he squeaks, stepping forward to lay a hand on that huge table, running his long fingers over the surface a moment before turning to Von Krolock with a massive grin and huge, tearful blue eyes.
"This - this is - this is for me? This is really - you did all of this for me?"
no subject
Date: 2022-03-31 03:34 am (UTC)It takes him a moment to find his voice again. "You like it? Truly? If there's anything missing, please let me know and I'll find it for you. But I wanted you to have this space for yourself. To work, to play. Ah, I even found -- "
He gestures to some of the dressmaker's dummies in the corner. "From when I had a valet who mended my suits."
no subject
Date: 2022-03-31 04:14 am (UTC)"I don't like it, Georg, I LOVE it - it's - it's perfect, it's just perfect!"
He knows how Georg frets, how he second guesses...and so he shows his appreciation in the best way he knows how. He opens his mind, his heart, letting his giddy excitement spill out of him for the older vampire to FEEL.
no subject
Date: 2022-03-31 04:19 am (UTC)He presses soft kisses to Alfred's cheeks, nuzzling the tears away. "It's all for you, my magnificent boy. I want you to have a place wholly your own. For any project you could possibly dream of."
no subject
Date: 2022-03-31 04:32 am (UTC)"It's - I've never had anything like this before. You have no idea what this - what this really means to me, Georg. I'm used to being stuffed into corners, mending at dinner tables - but this - THIS-"
He's at a loss for words - and so he tugs the older vampire into a kiss, full of love and happiness and feeling very much like he is HOME.
no subject
Date: 2022-03-31 08:15 pm (UTC)"I'm just happy you're happy," he sighs, nudging their noses together. "You will never be forced into corners or tucked away somewhere out of the way, here. No matter what you need space for, we will find it for you."
no subject
Date: 2022-04-01 04:25 am (UTC)Now here they are, and his heart is full of nothing but love for Georg, for Herbert, for everything about being here.
"You're - so good to me. You and Herbert both. I feel like...like my life didn't even get to start, until it...well, until it ended." He spares a glance out into the room, but remains twined with Georg. "I...I never could have imagined anything like this. It makes me feel - I feel like I...fit. I fit, here, and I've never felt that before."
no subject
Date: 2022-04-01 04:38 am (UTC)"You do fit, darling boy. You're here with people who love you. Who want only the best for you. Who will give you the best. This is your home now, Alfred. And anything that you could want we will give you. If you want a room for your music, or your painting, you'll have that as well."
no subject
Date: 2022-04-01 04:43 am (UTC)"I love it here," he finally murmurs, voice soft. "I love you. I don't know what I would do without you or Herbert, I really don't."
no subject
Date: 2022-04-13 11:27 pm (UTC)He takes a deep breath; he find the act, the motion helps steady him, even if it does nothing else. "I should warn you, though you've likely discovered this on your own. My son and I do not love lightly. Perhaps it is our nature, or the nature of a vampire, I'm unsure. But when we love, we love with our entire beings. It is a possessive sort of love. Obsessive, even."
no subject
Date: 2022-04-16 07:07 am (UTC)"...Really?
I hadn't noticed."
Dear Reader: Alfred had noticed. He had noticed repeatedly, in fact, multiple times in one night after Herbert smelled Georg's perfume on him. He had noticed thoroughly until he was absolutely exhausted and damn near had to be carried into the casket come morning.
no subject
Date: 2022-04-16 07:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-04-16 07:36 am (UTC)Still, he smiles, even if his knees weaken a bit.
"I know. I know I do. And the both of you have mine."
no subject
Date: 2022-04-22 02:01 am (UTC)"We consider it an honour, you know. That you came back to join our fold."
no subject
Date: 2022-04-22 02:39 am (UTC)His smile turns a little sheepish.
"Well it - it was the only thing that felt right. Even at the ball, I actually...well, I sort of...didn't want to leave. If it hadn't have been for Sarah, for what I thought I had to do, I...I might have just...stayed."
no subject
Date: 2022-04-22 02:48 am (UTC)"I'm glad you stayed, in the end. Things happened in a bit of a roundabout way, but I think they turned out how they were meant to."
no subject
Date: 2022-04-22 03:00 am (UTC)"In hindsight, I...do not know why I thought that was going to work."
But he leans into the touches. Leans into Georg, drawn in, as usual. "I'm...certain. That I was always meant to be here. I'm absolutely certain."
no subject
Date: 2022-04-22 03:16 am (UTC)He cups his hands over Alfred's jaw and kisses him softly. "Then welcome home, dear Alfred."