A/N: Hello! This is a continuation of Righting Wrongs, which is my Lisa lives AU. There's stuff in there that changes the situation and how the characters behave here, so keep that in mind if you haven't read it. -u-

Rough woolen texture was not pleasant when pulled over fresh skin, but Trevor wasn't going to be bothered by something like that. It was damn cold out, and he wouldn't have blazing fires or thick, downy bed covers to protect him in the wind and snow.

He finished pulling on his socks and grabbed his new boots. Though he had been reluctant to accept them, he eventually gave in, as he always did when Adrian or his mother presented him with gifts they called "necessities."

Considering he was going outside though, he could appreciate the solid leather and warm fur. They went higher than his old boots, just past his knees; At least the laces only went up his shins, and he could fold over the extra material.

"Going somewhere?" Trevor heaved a dramatic sigh at the smooth voice. Adrian stood in the doorway, looking far too dressed up for wandering around the castle.

"Why? Going to stop me?"

"Not as such." Adrian invited himself into the room, standing before Trevor as he finished tying his boots. "Though it does depend on where, exactly, you are planning on going."

"Out."

"Very specific, Trevor."

Trevor snorted and stood. Even with the extra height of his boots, he was still shorter. Goddammit.

"I'm not staying in this fucking castle forever," he said, trying to subtly stand taller. Adrian responded by looming over him with a smirk. Bastard.

"We don't expect you to. Actually, that is one of the things I've come to talk to you about."

"Well, talk to me outside."

When he got a nod, Trevor moved to the wardrobe. Inside was a thick cloak, roomy and made with warm wool and fur; another gift. When he'd clasped it around himself, his hand hovered over his whip, hung on a peg. Despite being told he was welcome, and despite his experiences at the castle so far proving it, he still felt safer with the family whip at his side. More complete, maybe. He hooked it to his belt.

"Expecting trouble?" Adrian questioned. Trevor shrugged as he headed for the door.

"Not really. Just feels wrong without it."

They walked side by side down the halls, Trevor occasionally getting a glimpse of thin winter sunlight through windows. Though it had likely been only a couple weeks, it still felt like months since he'd been out in the sun. When he looked to his side, Adrian in perfect poise as he walked, sunlight touching him like a marbled garden pool, it felt like another lifetime.

A double door came up as he rounded the corner, thick oak decorated in reds and carved spiraling bats.

"Lovely," Trevor said. He didn't remember the door. Then again, he hadn't explored much of the castle. But he was certain he had gone in the right direction for a staircase.

"It seems you're having some trouble navigating," Adrian said.

"Shut up." Trevor pushed against one door, slowly levering it open. "I know exactly where I'm going."

Sure enough, a wide set of stairs lay before him, curving down. On the outside of the castle. A brisk breeze blew across the stone and into Trevor, prompting him to curl into his cloak.

"You coming?" he asked, not waiting for an answer as he descended.

Adrian sighed, but Trevor still heard the clack of footsteps behind him. "I'm not sure how you plan on using this staircase to get to the ground floor."

"By walking down it. Obviously." Trevor swore he heard Adrian snort, but couldn't be sure over the wind.

"And how, exactly, did you plan on walking when there are no more stairs?"

"...On whatever floor they connect to?"

"I'm not sure that is the case with this set." Adrian's voice had gone thoughtful, like he was pulling at memories which escaped him. "Though I could be mistaken."

Trevor turned his head to scowl. "Well if it doesn't go all the way to the bottom, what's the point?"

Adrian hummed. "The castle is a creature of chaos, Trevor. Though my father keeps its form stable, for the moment, not every room has a door. Nor does every hall have floors, nor every staircase two entrances. The places that are the most finished are those where you have stayed. If you're going to explore, exercise some caution."

"Sounds pretty shitty if you- Whoa!"

Trevor tipped forward as his foot met air, his core muscles burning as he attempted to go backwards. A large gap rent the stairs, dividing them in two. As he leaned, he felt a firm tug on his cloak and fell back into a strong grip.

"I did say to be careful, you know."

"Fuck off," Trevor said, no heat in the words. With his balance back, he stood face to face with Adrian. "You could have told me I was about to plunge to my death."

"I thought you knew exactly where you were going?" Adrian's smirk grew.

"Christ," Trevor muttered.

Peering over the gap, he could see almost all the way to the ground, some hundreds of feet below them. "I can't believe you nearly let me fall down that."

"You know perfectly well that was your own fault." Adrian crossed his arms out of the corner of his eye.

"Two weeks of healing and recovery, almost gone to waste with a Belmont splatter on the ground," Trevor bemoaned. Adrian gave an aggravated sigh, and Trevor hid his grin by examining the area around the steps.

To one side was the outer wall of a tower, stones weathered smooth. On the other, a waist high railing followed by imminent falling-to-your-death. Trevor placed on hand on his hip, thumbing at his whip absentmindedly. He wasn't completely sure if his whip could reach the railing on other side of the gap, or if it would hold under his weight. The edges looked like they might crumble, so he'd have to aim farther back.

"No." Trevor jerked his head to see Adrian's disapproving stare.

"What? I haven't done anything."

Adrian crossed his arms, looking reminiscent of his mother. "I know what you're thinking, and it's foolish."

Trevor unfurled his whip. Adrian tensed.

"Trevor-" The whip arced through the air and wrapped around part of the railing. "Don't you-"

Trevor jumped.

He heard several curses behind him as he swung, some of which sounded like different languages. Laughter bubbled up in his gut, flowing out into the cold air which stung his face. His momentum forward eventually reversed, and he started to climb up as the swaying back and forth lessened.

"You are hopeless."

"Fuck!" Trevor grabbed the whip firmly with his hands and swung his feet out, planting them firmly in the gut of one floating dhampir. To his credit, Adrian didn't look the least bit winded.

"You have a fascination with kicking me," Adrian observed, bringing his hands up to remove Trevor's boots from his abdomen.

"And you won't stop being a cockward, Adrian." Trevor's heart was pounding in his chest, both from the previous jump and the sudden, appearing dhampir. "What the hell? You should know better than to sneak up on a hunter."

"Rather than walk right up to them and introduce myself?" Adrian said, voice wry. Trevor blinked and really took him in.

His loose hair blew in the wind as he floated-floated-mimicking his fine coat. He held himself with poise, accentuating his sharp features and sharper eyes. Even if he hadn't been a hunter, he was certain his instincts would have repeated 'inhuman'. He imagined Adrian waltzing up to the Belmont manor in its heyday, greeting his father and mother in a sweeping bow before joining Trevor in his training.

The image made Trevor snort back some laughter, but it also set a tiny ember in his heart. Some small spark of desire for something which had never been, and never would be.

A crack brought him back to reality, dangling hundreds of feet over the ground. Oscillations from his whip warned him of the stone's fragility.

"Shit shit shit..." Trevor had time only to get a foot further before the railing broke and his whip uncoiled. "Whoa-!"

His stomach flew up into his throat. He fell for but a moment before he felt arms under him and a grunt in his ear.

"It's a marvel you survived as long as you have." Adrian sounded disapproving, but his eyes shone with relief. "Are you so foolish, or do you put yourself in these situations on purpose?"

Trevor sighed and began wrapping up his whip. Adrian's hold was steady, never wavering even as Trevor shifted in his grasp. "Haven't you noticed? I'm the luckiest man in Wallachia."

Adrian cackled. "You just might be."

"What do you mean?" Trevor asked, winding an arm behind Adrian's neck.

"You aren't dead," he said pointedly. Trevor chuckled nervously as Adrian floated up to the stairs. "Even still, one might think you enjoy being carried like this."

Trevor punched his chest, making Adrian chuckle. The vibrations in his chest did some unfair things to Trevor, so he wiggled until he was set down. With his whip secured back on his hip and his feet on solid ground, he turned away from the grinning dhampir, smiling himself even as he tried to deny it.

"No, no. The only reason that was even necessary is you nearly let me fall in the first place."

Adrian made a sound of aggravation and stomped after him. "You keep saying that-"

"Because it's true."

"Though it is up to you to pay attention-"

"Nope. Completely your fault." Trevor grinned with guile. Adrian looked ready to smack him, though he raised his nose and turned it instead, looking only partly offended.

"So then, you're falling for me."

Trevor paused, each foot on a different step, to look-actually look-at his companion for the day. Adrian came to a halt as well, a question lingering in his eyes for all but a few moments before realization shot through them.

Deep guffaws broke out of Trevor's chest, causing him to lean over in an attempt to contain them.

"D- Didn't think you had it in you, fangs," Trevor managed, still laughing. "Coming on to me, then?"

"You are perfectly aware that wasn't what I meant," Adrian insisted, but the delicate pink blush across his cheekbones made Trevor laugh harder.

"Is that why you wanted to hold me?"

Adrian hissed, but his lips still held a pout. "I can still throw you right off this staircase, if you prefer."

"It's the beard, isn't it?" Trevor teased, completely ignoring the way gloved fists tightened. Eventually, Adrian let out an exhausted and resigned snort.

"What beard? That scruff growing on your chin wouldn't impress a child."

"Hey!"

Adrian returned his earlier smirk. "Truly, only a boy at his coming-of-age would brag about such an amount."

Trevor crossed his arms. Growing a beard took time. It's not like he had scruff because... Well, maybe it was because he hadn't had a proper shave in weeks. Not like he'd say it aloud. Coming-of-age, really, what would a dhampir know-

A mischievous thought wiggled into his mind.

"Oh, I see," Trevor said, watching golden eyes narrow on him in suspicion. "You're jealous you can't grow such manly scruff."

"What?" Adrian said, stunned.

"That's it, isn't it?"

"I- I could if I desired to." Adrian kept his face turned up and away.

"Yeah, sure," Trevor said with sarcastic understanding. He moved close enough to tug at a lock of ridiculous golden waves. "But it would ruin the baby-faced vampire mystique, wouldn't it?"

"Baby-?" His hand smacked Trevor's away from his hair as he leaned in. "I wasn't aware you thought of me as so young."

Trevor swallowed. The distance and low voice were making it harder to formulate words.

"Aren't you?" he asked. Adrian leaned closer.

"Is nineteen so young?"

Nineteen. Trevor's mind boggled. His mother was human, of course, and she didn't seem old. He supposed he simply hadn't thought much about it. Adrian was younger than he was. Not by much, but to not even have reached his twentieth winter yet...

"For vampires, yeah," Trevor muttered.

"And for humans?"

When heat spread slowly across his neck, threatening his face, Trevor started back down the steps. "I guess not," he said, so soft he wasn't even sure Adrian heard.

At the bottom of the stairs was a door, thank god. With one shoulder and firmly planted feet, Trevor shoved it open and stumbled into the hall. Light footsteps followed him, a silence seeming almost thoughtful surrounding the two. Adrian hadn't spoken the rest of the time down the staircase. He wasn't upset, right? Trevor slowed, just a bit, and walked next to him.

"What are you thinking about?"

Adrian looked at him from the corner of his eyes. "You."

It was so unexpected it startled a scoff out of him. "What's there to think about? I'm a pretty straightforward guy."

"So one would think," Adrian said, "Until one spends any measure of time with you."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Trevor's voice was a mumble, distracted by opening another large door. Thankfully, it lead to a normal hall with spiraling stairs visible at the end.

"Hm. Your reactions, for example." Adrian gestured with one hand as he spoke, drawing lazy circles in the air. "You seem to ignore them. Though I can't tell if it's to hide them from others or yourself."

Trevor's brows furrowed as he watched Adrian. "What?"

"How to explain it..." Adrian paused, eyes thoughtful, before speaking again. "When your hearts jumps, you tense your muscles to still yourself. When your pupils dilate or blood rushes to your face-" He moved right next to Trevor, brushing shoulders and looking straight into his eyes. "-You look away from me."

Trevor cursed as he did exactly that, willing the heat away.

"My point. Thus, I am attempting to understand... you."

"Yeah? Don't see the point." Trevor rubbed at the back of his neck.

"Don't you? Hm. Perhaps not. I have forgotten to tell you what I wished to speak with you about. Though I feel that should be understandable, considering your penchant for danger." Trevor frowned. "Regardless, it is likely we will be spending more time together, and I do not wish to come to the wrong conclusions."

More time? What conclusions? Trevor humphed, releasing a big gust of air. He was lacking a lot of context.

"What sort of conclusions would these be?" Adrian stared at him, long and hard, before a small smile graced his lips.

"I believe I shall keep those to myself, for now."

"Of fucking course. Can't be straightforward."

Adrian clapped him on the shoulder. "No less than you. But it is not as important as what I initially came to ask you. Would you like to speak of it now?"

Having made it to the bottom of the spiral staircase, the throne room appeared before them. Ceilings soared high overhead, tall windows on either side of room let in pale light, the whole room a dismal storm grey with the exception of the throne itself. It sat like a bright red drop of blood at the pinnacle of the elevated portion of the floor. No outdoors in sight.

Trevor ran a hand down his face. "Unless I can get out from those doors at the other end of the grand fucking hall then you can tell me now." A small snicker came from the side.

"Yes, Trevor. Let's go outdoors before you do something unnecessarily dramatic again."

"Oh, like you're one to talk. You decided to float over a huge gap just to reprimand me for my decisions."

"You're welcome."

"And your father became a giant flaming skull to reprimand a bishop."

"You can hardly count his decisions as mine."

They both walked across the room, what would usually be intimidating, echoing silence broken with their banter. Adrian allowed Trevor to push at the doors for several long moments before pulling him back.

"These doors open inward," he explained, and placed a hand at the center.

With no further prompting, the massive stone doors swung inward, and the two before them stepped back. Light shown in, bright and unfiltered by windows. Trevor squinted into the gap, muttering, "Unnecessarily dramatic. Hypocrite."

Only a little snow had fallen so far, but it covered the landscape in pockets of white, clinging to the shadows under trees and bushes. Crisp winds ruffled the branches of the trees, their hollow sounds and dried leaves providing a counterpoint to the few birds still singing in the cold. Very little color remained, but Trevor tramped out anyway, happy to see anything beyond stone and opulent finery. Taking a deep breath, he was able to smell the chill in the air: some combination of snow, bark, and biting wind only winter was able to bring.

"Right," Trevor said, letting his eyes close as the sun's rays tried to warm him. "What did you want to talk about?"

There was a small, hesitant pause before Adrian spoke. "I am going to get right to the point. I would like your assistance in warning or rescuing Mother's contacts in the medical field of study."

Trevor let it sink in. He swallowed down the feeling of his stomach trying to crawl up his throat. "Wait. You want me, to go out there on some sort of adventure, with you, in an attempt to tell the good people of Wallachia that, what, the church has gone more demented than usual?"

"It could save many lives-"

"And where were they when the Belmont estate was burned?"

His words lingered only a moment, then were swallowed by a faint gust. The silence was no longer comfortable. Without opening his eyes, Trevor spoke again.

"I'll tell you exactly where they were. They were at my home, watching as it burned down around my family, yelling death for the users of dark magic to go to hell." Trevor clenched his fists and jaw. "Where we belonged."

A hand on his shoulder startled him out of his reverie, and he spun around with a hand fisted to punch. Adrian turned his hand with the punch, for which a small part of Trevor was grateful; he might have broken a finger otherwise. However, the majority of Trevor was still angry, still burning like his lost home.

"And now you want me to go save their sorry arses from the very thing they worship? The people they followed to burn down the only place I knew?"

"Trevor-"

"Stop-" Trevor backed up. "I'm not- I can't believe this."

Adrian's eyes drooped, like he was disappointed. Trevor found he was regrettably used to the look. "Mother believed it would do you good to leave-"

Trevor interrupted with a strained laugh. "What happened to staying as long as I want?" His words sounded too sad, too pathetic to his own ears, so Trevor turned to the forest. "Whatever. Forget it."

"Trevor, wait."

"Don't follow me," he warned.

"Trevor, stop being a pig headed fool," Adrian said, loud enough to carry from where he had stopped.

"Or what? You'll force me to gallivant about the country to save people that couldn't give a shit?" Trevor ignored the other calls for him and kept his pace as he walked into the forest.

Loneliness was a usual companion of his, no matter how much it pained him now, the final shout of his name echoing behind him.

A/N: *Casually slips a pun into the title*

...Yeah, I'm sorry. I wanted to come back with fluff and, idk, this happens? Uhh, I'm not sure exactly, but Trevor just... stormed off and neither Adrian nor I could stop him.

Um, anyway, I'm also doing NaNoWriMo right now, so updates will be sparse. I should be writing, not going back and editing. ^^; Buuuut that means I'll have plenty of content once I'm done!

So please lemme know what you think, and if I missed anything.