Alucard x Male!Reader ~ Mistletoe

Mistletoe

"Are you sure there's nothing you can do to warm things up? I thought you were supposed to be a magician." Trevor's whining cut through the stillness of the brisk winter air around the trio, and Alucard let out a long-suffering sigh, trying to ignore them in favour of the snow crunching beneath the wagon wheels, or the rabbit creeping through the undergrowth nearby, anything but them. He had to admit though, his companions provided a welcome distraction from the task at hand.

"I could always set you on fire, that would do the trick," Sypha replied drily, earning herself a frustrated growl from the taller man. "Baby."

"It's not my fault, my coat is in Gresit," Trevor grumbled, his mind clearly moving on to other things.

"It clearly is your fault, if you left your coat in Gresit," Alucard contributed from the back of the wagon, watching the sun as it made its descent towards the western horizon.

"Okay, look, there's a town not far from here. Awful place, awful people, but great tavern."

"We're not stopping there for their tavern, Trevor," Sypha huffed, but the Belmont shook his head insistantly.

"That's blasphemy, but beside the point. I have a friend there, he can set us up in some real beds for the night at least. Maybe we can even stay there for a few days, I'm getting fucking frostbite over here."

His companions both sighed at his complaining, and Alucard leaned back in the wagon as the sun and earth met, the skies glowing red around them with their union.

"It would probably be for the best to find a place to spend the night," he agreed. He didn't exactly need the sleep, but his human companions did, and there was no point in making them sleep on the frost-hardened ground yet again when there was a healthier alternative available.

"All right," Sypha gave in, but he could hear in her voice that she too was relieved by the prospect of a night's sleep in a real bed. Or perhaps it was the opportunity to be surrounded by people again that she yearned for, he knew being separated from the other speakers had hit her hard.

Pleased with his companions' agreement, Trevor clicked his tongue at the horses, adjusting their course slightly in order to head into town.

*****

You shivered with the cold as the sun disappeared almost completely beyond the horizon, grateful that Dracula's night hordes didn't seem to have reached your local areas yet and it was still vaguely safe to exist at night. The wind picked up a little, blowing snow in through the stable doors, and you shivered, wrapping your threadbare coat a little tighter around yourself in an attempt to ward off the cold as you continued mucking out the stables behind your father's inn and tavern. Honestly it stank, but the atmosphere in the stables had always been a calming one to you, so you didn't really mind.

"Hey, _____!" you looked up as one of your father's waitresses poked her head in, clearly freezing. "There's a small caravan by the north gate, apparently they're asking for you."

You frowned in confusion, but thanked her anyway, letting her go back to the warm fires of the tavern as you leaned your shovel across the wall and left. You hugged yourself against the cold as you followed the winding main road through town until you came to the north gate, raising an eyebrow as you saw the wagon stood just outside.

"Gareth?" You called as you reached the guard post, poking your head in and offering a smile to the night guard, only just on duty. You'd be back out here again in a few hours, bringing him a warm meal from the tavern's kitchen when midnight rolled back around. "Vanessa said you called for me?"