... oh, how interesting. The young vampire seems to have picked up a not dissimilar gift. But, being so young, is still getting used to it. Georg will let the boy test the waters on his own. Stretch his wings, so to speak.
"There is something in you, Alfred. Something that draws you to the darkness. To our way of life. I spoke of your curiosity, which is perhaps why you felt compelled to join the professor, but never could quite turn yourself against us. Had you ever wondered why you were so good at learning about us, but when it came to destroying us, could never bring yourself to do so?"
Naturally, Alfred is clueless to the revelation - he just listens now to what Georg has to say, twiddling his fingers about in front of him. His nails are growing faster, he's noticed, so he files them every night...but tonight, he hasn't yet, and he's acutely aware of the sharp edge.
...Drawn to the darkness. This sentiment gives the young vampire pause. He's always thought of himself as a morning person, someone who is productive, shining in the light of the day -
But when he stops to think about it, really think about it?
It's always been by night that he's been himself, darning and reading by candlelight with no expectation as to what he should be doing, what he should be thinking. The days have always been for everyone else...but the nights?
The nights have been his for a long time now.
"...Oh." Another word more breath than sound - a soft hiss. His expression goes from anxiety to something altogether different, a sort of contemplation he doesn't normally wear in front of others.
"Yes, now you see it." Georg gives Alfred a smile, wide and full of fangs. "You have always belonged with us, Alfred. It just took you some time to find your way to us." He reaches out to stroke his finger lightly over Alfred's jaw; first one side, then the other. Watching his expression.
While the whole concept is alarming - it should be alarming, shouldn't it? - Alfred finds himself...calmer, now. There's a moment where he wonders if he's being mesmerized again, especially at the touch, looking up at the Count curiously; but no, he feels like himself. Just...at peace.
It feels right, this, doesn't it? His eyebrows furrow, but he doesn't cringe away, meeting Georg's eyes dead-on.
"...Thank you," he murmurs, voice quiet, fangs still new enough to make him lisp a little. "I...I told Herbert, the first night. I want to stay here. I...I'm...thankful, after everything, that you let me."
"You did make this year's ball very interesting," he says with an amused half smile, tapping Alfred's chin lightly before he takes his hand away completely.
"Herbert..." the Count sighs, spreading his hands in a What can you do? sort of gesture. "I spoil him, I know I do. But he's treating you well, it seems like. And he is absolutely smitten with you. You were all he talked about, after he first saw you. How the snowflakes clung to your lashes, how delicate and lovely you looked. He is... very used to getting what he wants. And I will admit, I do not deny him much."
When the hand is pulled away, Alfred clears his throat a little, a nervous little sound as his posture closes back up to his more common, slightly pigeon-toed stance. Taking up as little space as he can.
And he reddens when he is told about how much Herbert adores him...still unused to being wanted, let alone coveted.
But something about the way Georg is speaking about his son needles him, and he can't quite place what. "...Well, I'm grateful for him. For his help."
A pause.
"...What has he...told you? About the night I turned?"
The Count gestures broadly, indicating everything and nothing at the same time. "He did say what Sarah had done to you. My fledgling's actions are... regrettable. I am deeply sorry that she left you there in the snow. I've spoken with her since then about not acting so impulsively. I will continue to teach her to try curb her appetite, as we all do.
He told me you turned up at our doorstep, and he was able to help you to his crypt before sunrise. I cannot express how pleased I am, that he was able to assist you that night."
Ah, there it is. Like Alfred suspected...he doesn't know the whole of it. Herbert didn't tell him, and so the Count is only surprised he was any help.
For a moment, he purses his lips. Thinking. (And trying to brush off any thoughts of Sarah. Not the point.)
"... It's more than that," he begins, slowly, his tone level and serious. "He fed me his blood, because...Sarah didn't. I almost didn't wake up. I turned...a little bit wrong, I think, because Sarah was new too." Emboldened by hypothesis, he continues, gesturing with his hands while he talks.
"I saw Death. They asked me to come with them, and I saw Herbert crying over me, and I...I found a tether. We're connected. He didn't just assist me...Herbert saved my life. Er. You know what I mean."
Maybe that was.....a little mouthy, he realizes, going a little red.
A tether. Something linking Alfred to his son. How interesting. He hadn't realized that his son could be so... well to weep over the boy shows a lot more depth than George thought his son capable of. Perhaps Herbert truly does love the boy. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
"She shouldn't have done that, and I hope you can accept my apologies on her behalf. I am glad, truly, that my son was able to bring you back. That is how a vampire is meant to turn, all things being ideal. To be bitten, and then to drink their maker's blood. I suppose that makes Herbert your maker. Your true maker."
Georg rest a hand against his chest, eyebrows arched in surprise at the outburst. But not displeased, not really. The first few days are an adjustment.
"There's no need to apologize, dear boy. I know you weren't turned under the most ideal of circumstances, so it's good that you have someone to guide you.
He is treating you well, yes? Attending to your needs?" His son can be a little selfish at times, Georg feels. A little self-centred. And he'd never had a lover who had been turned, before. It's quite a big commitment, after so long of having strings of fleeting affairs.
It's plain from the twitch across the young man's face when the hand shoots to Krolock's chest that he is waiting for admonishment - and when it never comes, his shoulders drop in relief and guilt in equal measure.
"O-okay. It's - it's been so confusing, even with the guidance. I feel...out of control, sometimes."
A long, steadying breath - that, of course, he absolutely does not need, and that makes him cough a little. Whoops.
"He is. He really is, and then some. I'm actually... I'm not used to it all. I'm used to being the one to take care of everyone else. But he's been...."
Alfred looks off into the middle distance for a moment, lost a little in thought with a tiny smile crossing his lips.
Not the look of someone putting up with someone, for certain.
"Of course. You're very young. Both as a mortal, and now as a vampire. It's understandable that your emotions are running wild. You body is going through changes; soon you won't need to breathe at all. Or feel the desire to. Soon, you'll crave the moon and its darkness as though it were the sun. You'll learn to appreciate the stars in all their beauty.
But it will take time."
That smile. Oh, he's seen that kind of smile; soft and sweet and utterly fond. Perhaps this boy loves his son, then, too. "I'm happy to hear it. He is a sweet boy, at his heart. Though he has a tendency towards the dramatic, I fear."
He knows he has time, he knows that. And getting to know the moon, the stars...that all sounds lovely. The newness, though, the flares in his temper and the sharp edges on her personality becoming more and more obvious? He's less sure how he feels about those. He's always been known for being sweet, soft, kind; it's unsettling, knowing......there may be something darker inside himself.
Alfred doesn't know what he feels for Herbert yet - it's confusing, a muddle of guilt, shame, hope, and joy. But if the Count peeks into him, he will definitely detect the scent of roses, winding in and out of all stray thoughts in the boy's mind.
A laugh escapes him, nervous as it is, at the Count's joke.
And then he realizes it isn't a joke.
"Ahem. Ah. It's all right. It's...it's never boring."
Georg laughs as well, perhaps because he feels he should, his fangs flashing in the candlelight. Though he's not quite sure what they're both laughing at.
"Boring is not a word I'd use to describe my son, certainly." And at the mention of Herbert, the scent of roses that seems to settle like a haze over Alfred's mind grows stronger. "He's always been just as he is."
Okay, good, he's laughing too. That at least takes some of the embarrassment off of Alfred, who eases a little.
And yes, sure as anything, when he thinks of Herbert, talks about him, there is a surge within him - a warmth, thoughts that nag and coil and don't seem to want to rest.The heady scent of roses, the flash of his smile, the feeling of his arms as he spent the darkest moments of his young life wondering if it was over.
Absently, he reaches up to rub at his throat, where the tether had been.
All thoughts that feel so different than his thoughts of Sarah had been. Why? He still doesn't quite know.
Now isn't the time, but still, that wistful little smile grows a bit.
"I can't really...imagine him another way. I feel...like he is just... comfortable in who he is. And has been for a long time."
Alfred is jealous of that, actually, if he admits it to himself.
"You care for him." His smile this time is soft, fond. Not judging in the least, for how could he judge? He's loved many men, in his centuries on this planet. He's happy for Herbert, he truly is, to have found someone who thinks about him like this. Someone who always has him in mind, in some way. How wonderful.
"And from the way he talks about you, I can see how much he cares about you, in return."
The young vampire snaps his attention to the Count with a start, pausing for a long moment. The sentiment said out loud, hanging there, all those complicated feelings wound up into simple words.
His eyes flick this way and that as he processes them...and then, softly, as if admitting to himself as well:
"Yes...I do care for him."
There is a rush in saying it for himself, a little color rising to his cheeks, but not in embarrassment. Thoughtfully, he takes a step forward, towards the Count, looking up at him.
"I don't know if you know this, but...before this, I didn't have anyone. No friends, unless you call the Professor one. My mother died some time ago, and my father...we grew apart. I have no siblings, I have never dated anyone. I was alone. So to have someone who cares... it's new. It's nice."
"Yes..." His expression turns sorrowful. Wistful. Brows raising as he turns his gaze upward, staring at something unseen. Memories, perhaps. "We get so lonely here, Herbert and I. The brood are... entertaining, I suppose, but they keep to themselves for the most part. So all we have is each other. And sometimes not even that.
When one has eternity, one can hold a grudge for a very long time, but -- " He waves a hand, dismissing the thought. "You needn't hear about our petty squabbles. Suffice it to say I'm happy he has someone, now."
Alfred watches this patiently, allowing the Count's words to meander off in whatever direction they are headed. He had gotten the picture, even the night of the ball, that he is a lonely person. And over the last few days, it's been...well, it's been evident that this place is quiet, without the ball happening.
He purses his lips, wondering what he should say, and then, drawing himself up as best he can (but still a little shrunken in on himself).
"...Not just Herbert, you know. You have me, too, Georg."
And then, impulsively, before he loses his nerve, he darts forward -
Wrapping his arms around the Count's body under the cape, pulling him into...a hug. Something still very human, indeed, but...something warm, and well-intentioned.
He freezes for a moment. Arms held out like he's forgotten what to do with them. Then slowly, carefully, he folds his arms around Alfred, engulfing the boy in his embrace.
"Thank you," he whispers, his voice choked with emotion. "You're a very sweet boy, Alfred. I'm glad you've come to be with us."
There is a moment where he wonders if he did the right thing - but when the embrace is returned, he relaxes, leaning his head against Georg's chest and tightening the embrace (but just a little - he knows he is stronger now, and his control of it is a little bit...shaky).
His voice is soft, the smile in his tone even though his face is obscured.
"...I'm glad to be here," he admits, resolute. "Thank you for...for giving me a home."
"I'm happy to have you in my home." His answer is just as soft. Perhaps a little befuddled. Not at Alfred, exactly, but at this entire show of affection. He and Herbert haven't hugged in -- years. Decades, perhaps. He can't remember the last time, if he's honest with himself.
He rests his cheek against the top of Alfred's head, running his hand over Alfred's back. "I... apologize for not being more attentive to you. For not guiding you more. I will, in the future, take you under my wing better."
Something like a little purr escapes Alfred, a pleased little rumble in the back of his throat as his back is rubbed. This is nice. His own father really hadn't been much of a hugger...in point of fact, his father had been chilly in demeanor, chiding his boy for wearing his heart on his sleeve as much as he does.
Maybe having the Count as a father figure wouldn't be so bad, after all.
"It's all right," the boy replies, turning his head so his cheek is resting against Georg's chest. No heartbeat. He's getting used to that, thanks to cuddling up to Herbert for the days. "You have...you have more than just me to teach. And Herbert really has been answering every question I've had. But I...I would...like to get to know you a little better, too."
"Get to know me?" Again, that surprised, slightly confused tone. He hadn't thought -- why would anyone want to get to know him? Of what interest is he?
But he supposes that, yes. If this boy is going to be courting his son, living with them, being a part of their lives, then... then yes. That makes sense.
"You may, of course, ask me anything you like. I will be an open book to you." After a moment, he remembers his manners and adds, "I'd like to know you better, as well."
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2021-12-11 05:48 am (UTC)"There is something in you, Alfred. Something that draws you to the darkness. To our way of life. I spoke of your curiosity, which is perhaps why you felt compelled to join the professor, but never could quite turn yourself against us. Had you ever wondered why you were so good at learning about us, but when it came to destroying us, could never bring yourself to do so?"
no subject
Date: 2021-12-11 06:07 am (UTC)...Drawn to the darkness. This sentiment gives the young vampire pause. He's always thought of himself as a morning person, someone who is productive, shining in the light of the day -
But when he stops to think about it, really think about it?
It's always been by night that he's been himself, darning and reading by candlelight with no expectation as to what he should be doing, what he should be thinking. The days have always been for everyone else...but the nights?
The nights have been his for a long time now.
"...Oh." Another word more breath than sound - a soft hiss. His expression goes from anxiety to something altogether different, a sort of contemplation he doesn't normally wear in front of others.
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Date: 2021-12-13 05:27 am (UTC)"The night is yours, Alfred. Embrace it."
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Date: 2021-12-13 06:24 am (UTC)It feels right, this, doesn't it? His eyebrows furrow, but he doesn't cringe away, meeting Georg's eyes dead-on.
"...Thank you," he murmurs, voice quiet, fangs still new enough to make him lisp a little. "I...I told Herbert, the first night. I want to stay here. I...I'm...thankful, after everything, that you let me."
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Date: 2021-12-14 02:36 am (UTC)"Herbert..." the Count sighs, spreading his hands in a What can you do? sort of gesture. "I spoil him, I know I do. But he's treating you well, it seems like. And he is absolutely smitten with you. You were all he talked about, after he first saw you. How the snowflakes clung to your lashes, how delicate and lovely you looked. He is... very used to getting what he wants. And I will admit, I do not deny him much."
no subject
Date: 2021-12-14 02:47 am (UTC)And he reddens when he is told about how much Herbert adores him...still unused to being wanted, let alone coveted.
But something about the way Georg is speaking about his son needles him, and he can't quite place what. "...Well, I'm grateful for him. For his help."
A pause.
"...What has he...told you? About the night I turned?"
no subject
Date: 2021-12-14 02:56 am (UTC)He told me you turned up at our doorstep, and he was able to help you to his crypt before sunrise. I cannot express how pleased I am, that he was able to assist you that night."
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Date: 2021-12-14 03:08 am (UTC)For a moment, he purses his lips. Thinking. (And trying to brush off any thoughts of Sarah. Not the point.)
"... It's more than that," he begins, slowly, his tone level and serious. "He fed me his blood, because...Sarah didn't. I almost didn't wake up. I turned...a little bit wrong, I think, because Sarah was new too." Emboldened by hypothesis, he continues, gesturing with his hands while he talks.
"I saw Death. They asked me to come with them, and I saw Herbert crying over me, and I...I found a tether. We're connected. He didn't just assist me...Herbert saved my life. Er. You know what I mean."
Maybe that was.....a little mouthy, he realizes, going a little red.
no subject
Date: 2021-12-14 03:19 am (UTC)"She shouldn't have done that, and I hope you can accept my apologies on her behalf. I am glad, truly, that my son was able to bring you back. That is how a vampire is meant to turn, all things being ideal. To be bitten, and then to drink their maker's blood. I suppose that makes Herbert your maker. Your true maker."
How interesting, indeed.
no subject
Date: 2021-12-14 03:50 am (UTC)The words come out a little more forcefully than he is expecting - he himself looks startled afterward, eyes darting downward in a measure of shame.
"S-sorry, Georg, I don't know what just came over me. I just...I mean I'm glad it was him. He's been very helpful, and so kind, a-and patient."
Briefly, he looks a little unwell, rubbing his temple. His ears are ringing, whether it be from embarrassment or...something else.
"...Sir."
no subject
Date: 2021-12-14 08:16 am (UTC)"There's no need to apologize, dear boy. I know you weren't turned under the most ideal of circumstances, so it's good that you have someone to guide you.
He is treating you well, yes? Attending to your needs?" His son can be a little selfish at times, Georg feels. A little self-centred. And he'd never had a lover who had been turned, before. It's quite a big commitment, after so long of having strings of fleeting affairs.
no subject
Date: 2021-12-14 09:03 am (UTC)"O-okay. It's - it's been so confusing, even with the guidance. I feel...out of control, sometimes."
A long, steadying breath - that, of course, he absolutely does not need, and that makes him cough a little. Whoops.
"He is. He really is, and then some. I'm actually... I'm not used to it all. I'm used to being the one to take care of everyone else. But he's been...."
Alfred looks off into the middle distance for a moment, lost a little in thought with a tiny smile crossing his lips.
Not the look of someone putting up with someone, for certain.
"... He's been...very sweet."
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Date: 2021-12-15 01:46 am (UTC)But it will take time."
That smile. Oh, he's seen that kind of smile; soft and sweet and utterly fond. Perhaps this boy loves his son, then, too. "I'm happy to hear it. He is a sweet boy, at his heart. Though he has a tendency towards the dramatic, I fear."
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Date: 2021-12-15 04:02 am (UTC)He knows he has time, he knows that. And getting to know the moon, the stars...that all sounds lovely. The newness, though, the flares in his temper and the sharp edges on her personality becoming more and more obvious? He's less sure how he feels about those. He's always been known for being sweet, soft, kind; it's unsettling, knowing......there may be something darker inside himself.
Alfred doesn't know what he feels for Herbert yet - it's confusing, a muddle of guilt, shame, hope, and joy. But if the Count peeks into him, he will definitely detect the scent of roses, winding in and out of all stray thoughts in the boy's mind.
A laugh escapes him, nervous as it is, at the Count's joke.
And then he realizes it isn't a joke.
"Ahem. Ah. It's all right. It's...it's never boring."
no subject
Date: 2021-12-15 09:21 am (UTC)"Boring is not a word I'd use to describe my son, certainly." And at the mention of Herbert, the scent of roses that seems to settle like a haze over Alfred's mind grows stronger. "He's always been just as he is."
no subject
Date: 2021-12-15 11:21 am (UTC)And yes, sure as anything, when he thinks of Herbert, talks about him, there is a surge within him - a warmth, thoughts that nag and coil and don't seem to want to rest.The heady scent of roses, the flash of his smile, the feeling of his arms as he spent the darkest moments of his young life wondering if it was over.
Absently, he reaches up to rub at his throat, where the tether had been.
All thoughts that feel so different than his thoughts of Sarah had been. Why? He still doesn't quite know.
Now isn't the time, but still, that wistful little smile grows a bit.
"I can't really...imagine him another way. I feel...like he is just... comfortable in who he is. And has been for a long time."
Alfred is jealous of that, actually, if he admits it to himself.
no subject
Date: 2021-12-15 11:53 am (UTC)"And from the way he talks about you, I can see how much he cares about you, in return."
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Date: 2021-12-15 07:51 pm (UTC)His eyes flick this way and that as he processes them...and then, softly, as if admitting to himself as well:
"Yes...I do care for him."
There is a rush in saying it for himself, a little color rising to his cheeks, but not in embarrassment. Thoughtfully, he takes a step forward, towards the Count, looking up at him.
"I don't know if you know this, but...before this, I didn't have anyone. No friends, unless you call the Professor one. My mother died some time ago, and my father...we grew apart. I have no siblings, I have never dated anyone. I was alone. So to have someone who cares... it's new. It's nice."
no subject
Date: 2021-12-16 03:13 am (UTC)When one has eternity, one can hold a grudge for a very long time, but -- " He waves a hand, dismissing the thought. "You needn't hear about our petty squabbles. Suffice it to say I'm happy he has someone, now."
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Date: 2021-12-16 03:24 am (UTC)He purses his lips, wondering what he should say, and then, drawing himself up as best he can (but still a little shrunken in on himself).
"...Not just Herbert, you know. You have me, too, Georg."
And then, impulsively, before he loses his nerve, he darts forward -
Wrapping his arms around the Count's body under the cape, pulling him into...a hug. Something still very human, indeed, but...something warm, and well-intentioned.
no subject
Date: 2021-12-16 03:31 am (UTC)"Thank you," he whispers, his voice choked with emotion. "You're a very sweet boy, Alfred. I'm glad you've come to be with us."
no subject
Date: 2021-12-16 03:39 am (UTC)His voice is soft, the smile in his tone even though his face is obscured.
"...I'm glad to be here," he admits, resolute. "Thank you for...for giving me a home."
no subject
Date: 2021-12-17 12:13 am (UTC)He rests his cheek against the top of Alfred's head, running his hand over Alfred's back. "I... apologize for not being more attentive to you. For not guiding you more. I will, in the future, take you under my wing better."
no subject
Date: 2021-12-17 12:52 am (UTC)Maybe having the Count as a father figure wouldn't be so bad, after all.
"It's all right," the boy replies, turning his head so his cheek is resting against Georg's chest. No heartbeat. He's getting used to that, thanks to cuddling up to Herbert for the days. "You have...you have more than just me to teach. And Herbert really has been answering every question I've had. But I...I would...like to get to know you a little better, too."
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Date: 2021-12-17 01:27 am (UTC)But he supposes that, yes. If this boy is going to be courting his son, living with them, being a part of their lives, then... then yes. That makes sense.
"You may, of course, ask me anything you like. I will be an open book to you." After a moment, he remembers his manners and adds, "I'd like to know you better, as well."
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