I've never played any of the Castlevania games, but I watched the Netflix series on a whim and enjoyed it, to be honest, more than I thought I would. So . . . here I am with another new fandom.

Adrian's blood rushed hot as Trevor's mouth slanted over his own demandingly, broad hands sliding down to his hips, thumbs catching in one of his belts. Adrian's hips tilted into that almost-harsh hold before he could stop himself, swaying into the solid warmth of Trevor's broader body.

Trevor's hands tightened, pulling Adrian in close against him. His stubble scraped Adrian's lips and cheek, sending a shivery tingle racing just under his skin. It was a sensation that had grown familiar, but one unique to kissing Trevor.

Adrian tugged lightly at Trevor's belt in return, and when he broke away, breath coming heavily, stayed close to trail kisses along his roughly-defined jaw. Trevor groaned, pulling a little harder at Adrian's hips, hands tightening, and he smiled. Adrian tipped his head, moving down and finding a soft, vulnerable space just under the jut of Trevor's jaw, pressing another warm kiss there.

Trevor groaned again, the sound deeper and even rougher this time, and pushed against Adrian.

He purred quietly and returned the pressure, nuzzling a little lower and opening his mouth against Trevor's skin. He tasted faintly of sweat and the purer tang of holy water, even after the bath he'd taken when they arrived at the inn, but the mild sting of the latter on Adrian's tongue was easily enough ignored. Adrian shifted his hips, angling his body in against Trevor, and dipped his head lower still.

Trevor's forearm slammed into his chest and the impact knocked a huff of air from Adrian as he fell back, one of his fingers wrenching against the thick leather of Trevor's belt with a brief flare of pain. Adrian lifted his jaw and caught his breath, shaking his hair out of his face as he straightened and eyed Trevor, settling at the edge of the bed.

"I know what you're after." Trevor snapped gruffly, reaching up to his shoulders as though he would find the shelter of his discarded cloak's huge fur ruff there, instead of only his loosened shirt. He ran his knuckles over the column of his throat, eyes dark as he cut a look sideways at Adrian.

In return, Adrian arched an eyebrow at him in a well-bred glare. "If I was after your blood," he said drolly, "I would have it by now."

Trevor bared his teeth, and Adrian stifled a rising burble of amusement before it could show on his face. "You think me so easily bested?" Trevor demanded, shoulders squaring like a challenge, though he didn't rise to his feet.

Adrian shook his head slightly. "I think you trust me." he said softly, coming to settle near Trevor again, though not too near. "Even if you do not always wish to do so."

Trevor glowered at him. "You're spawn of the creature wiping out all of Wallachia in a sea of blood and entrails, and as good as any other vampire, even if you're on our side - for now," he sneered as though it were in doubt, "why would I trust you?"

Adrian sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "If you did not, you would not allow me at your throat at all." he pointed out. By now he really wasn't sure who Trevor's posturing was meant to impress - only himself, perhaps. "Your family have made pacts with creatures spawned of the darkness before." he added more graciously - it had been something of a curiosity for him when he was younger, learning about the Belmont family. "And I am. . ."

"Your mother's son?" Trevor said, still gruff but those words offered a little more softly.

Adrian swallowed the pang of hurt thinking of his mother always brought, now. "Yes." he said achingly. "At least. . . So I have always tried to be."

"Your father must have liked that." Trevor said, with a bit of the sneering note returning to his voice.

"My father was not always like this." Adrian said before he could stop himself. He pressed his lips together.

Trevor gave him a half-curious, dubious look.

"He truly loves my mother." Adrian said with a sad smile. "This is not how she would have wished him to remember her . . . she begged for us, for me, to spare the people who killed her. But my father does love her. Even if he holds little love for humanity beyond her." He bowed his head. Little love even for Adrian, it seemed, now. His mother's murder had broken something in his father, something for which Adrian thought now, sadly, there could be no healing.

"I suppose he had to feel something for her, for all this to be happening now." Trevor said, not quite apologetic.

Adrian's mouth twisted. "My mother . . . swayed him, after decades, centuries, which he spent alone. She wanted to learn, to help people, and legends told her that the man who lived in the castle beyond the mountain held knowledge no one else could touch, so she sought him out. It . . . intrigued him. She did. And more." His lips quirked. "We were a family." he added with an aching regret for something now lost forever, looking up to meet Trevor's eyes again. "My mother raised me teaching the advanced knowledge of my father and her love for her people. Our people."

"I didn't know her," Trevor said, probably as delicately as he was capable of speaking, "but I think your mother would be proud of what you're doing. Fighting with us. Saving the people you can . . . even from your father."

Adrian swallowed hard, tilting his head back and looking at the ceiling. He couldn't quite bring himself to force out any words, not even a murmur of gratitude. Trevor was right, he hadn't known Adrian's mother, but . . . it still meant something to him. And he thought . . . he hoped, that his mother would indeed be proud of him. Of his actions. Even if he hadn't been able to stop his father before it came to this.

Trevor shifted and slid an arm behind Adrian's shoulders companionably. He leaned against it, sighing, resting a hand on his own chest as he lay back, where the scar - the wound - from his father's blow was still only partially healed.

"You still can't have my blood." Trevor said after a few minutes, though it was lazy bluster now rather than a real argument. His fingertips trailed circling patterns over Adrian's far shoulder absently.

"And who says I would even want it?" Adrian countered, smirking. "You smell like an old distillery, I daresay you wouldn't taste any better."

Trevor made an affronted noise, but stopped short of defending how delicious his blood might be. Pity - it would have been amusing if he had. Adrian's lips curled.

"It wouldn't be so bad." Adrian said, though, his voice low. He'd barely thought before speaking. Trevor had that effect on him, and it was disconcerting.

"What? Being bled?" Trevor sounded affronted, and he stiffened a little, but he didn't draw away from Adrian even so. "Being fed from like an animal?"

Adrian thought of pointing out that humans were animals, technically, but he suspected truth or not that wouldn't help in this instance. "I have never hurt anyone." he said instead, honestly. "I am not a monster and it need not be like," he paused, lips curling in a wry smile as remembered feelings from shapeshifted hunts ran through his mind; running on four paws, bringing down deer with his jaws, blood soaking into thick fur, "a wolf taking down prey."

"Oh, I'm sure." Trevor said dryly. "Plenty of humans walk willingly to their deaths at a vampire's fangs. Much easier prey, I'm sure."

"Plenty of humans walk away from a vampire's bite." Adrian countered. "Unharmed. Are you saying you've never been injured, never lost blood before?" He scoffed. "If done with care for the mortal offering blood, such a bite is no more traumatic than losing a little blood. Much less than most injuries, in fact."

"I'll believe it when I see it for myself." Trevor said flatly.

Adrian pursed his lips. "Wouldn't that require you to-"

"No." Trevor said, pushing up on his elbow and pointing a finger down at Adrian. He laughed, and Trevor wagged the finger at him. "No. No experiments."

"It wouldn't be an experiment." Adrian said dryly as his laughter faded, amusement still curling his lips, and reached up to wrap his hand around Trevor's. "But I wasn't trying to talk you into anything. You're far too stubborn, in any case." he added with a scoff.

Trevor scowled down at him, and Adrian pushed his hand away, leaning up and kissing him softly. Trevor might be scowling, but he didn't push Adrian back.

"I wouldn't want to try and make you do anything you would not willingly." Adrian said, shrugging one shoulder and settling gracefully to the bed beneath Trevor again. "Even if I thought I could actually do so." he added, lips quirking.

Trevor huffed, but after a moment he settled down close beside Adrian again anyway, with a companionable warmth that put Adrian in mind of a hunting hound. He tipped his head, rolling towards Trevor and letting himself relax again, soaking in the warmth and closeness he offered, gruff as it might be.

It didn't exactly fit into Adrian's thoughts, but it's Sypha's turn for a bath, thus her extended absence.