Stitched Up Hearts (Alucard X Fem! reader)

Honey And Wax

My scar has faded by now. What was once an open wound, aching and splitting, was now a pink scar, lined on both sides with pink dots from the needle and thread piercing my skin. I am glad for my inability to see my reflection in mirrors, for I would hate to see that scar staring back at me when I passed one. Eventually, it would go away. It would fade as the seasons gave way to each other, and perhaps one day, after so many years dripped away, it too would fade completely. But the memory would not, they never did. The scar was permanent in my mind, still fresh as ever. The pain burned into my skin's memory. I could sometimes hope that perhaps it too, would dwindle with age. And on good days sometimes I convinced myself it would. But on those days, I still knew that it would take far longer than any physical wound. I had the time to wait. I was only on this earth a decade and a half. That was nothing compared to Dracula, who had been alive for centuries I did not want to even count. I wondered how he waited so long, in this world alone. Would I have fared so well? In the dark walls of this castle alone, with only my thoughts for company? I knew I would not have. I would have given way to the dust and the earth long before I even reached one century, let alone however multiple Dracula had lived.

The days are getting longer once again, which means Adrian and I return to romping around the woods and fields surrounding the palace, waiting for the shadows on the tree's to grow long and signal it's time for us to return, sweating and dirty, back to the palace. Tension hung in the air between us like a thick smoke that threatened to choke us. It was present in the lingering touches, the glances that lasted a few moments too long, the gentle touches of his hand on my waist. It was in an eye's twitch, quicker than the flap of a butterfly's wings, down to his lips or mine, as if pretending we didn't want the other to notice, while secretly hoping they did. It was in the way I would rest my head in his lap under the shade of a big weeping willow, and in the way he played with my hair when I'd do so. We were comfortable, in the haze of our unspoken feelings, happy to let our affections peek through the smoke in actions, unspoken and thus, hidden to the world. Plausible deniability, in the short but sweet taste of our touches. A stolen kiss here or there, in a quick moment on an early summer evening. A subtle lock of our pinkies when we walked through the brush and trees. It was our secret to keep, even from the haunting, all knowing eyes of Dracula that watched over his castle like a carnivorous bird. In its unspokeness, our situation seemed as delicate and beautiful as a spider's web.

"Do you like to dance?" Aldrian asked me, while the two of us layed on the rug in his room, staring up at the ceiling. I could feel his long fingers resting just over mine. Not quite holding my hand, simply laying his hand on mine, feeling my skin on his. We would lay here and stare at the ceiling, then he would ask me to tell him a story. So I would. Or sometimes we would simply lay there and talk, spinning an endless string of words into the liquid hours that flowed by as we spoke.

"I've never danced before." I admitted, embarrassed that I did not know how. "I probably wouldn't like it." I had never danced before, I did not know if I would like it or not. I suppose it was natural to assume dislike of things I didn't know. Dancing, trust, love. All things that I feared, because they were unknown to me.

"Oh." he sounded almost disappointed. That made me frown a bit.

"You did not ask me if I wanted to dance with you." I told him, turning onto my side, admiring his side profile. I had the urge to trace a finger along every line of him, to feel my hands dip with every curve of his body. I wanted to feel every divot, every ridge of his skin.

"Would you want to dance with me?" he turned on his side, golden fox eyes looking at me. When I first came here, they were so off putting. I had never seen anything like that before. Yet, now I found them more beautiful than anything I had seen before. With his question came his touch, a soft touch of his hand on the curve of my waist.

The first time Adrian had done this, he had asked, is it alright for me to touch you here? The question struck me, made me stop for a moment. Nobody had ever asked that of me before. My permission, an unnecessary additive. Permission was always assumed to be given. In the times it was not assumed, it was not needed. They did not care to have my permission, my yes or my no. They only cared for an opportunity. I had given him my permission then, and the words felt foreign in my mouth. I realized they were heavy with disuse, dusty words I had not said in a long time, perhaps not at all. I told him he could always touch my waist, if he desired. Touch my hands, my face, my arms, my shoulders, my scars. His touch did not feel sticky, it did not feel uncomfortably hot, burning. His touch healed what scars it touched, leaving them with less of an ache than before.

"Yes, I want to dance with you." I told him, and it was the truth. I would not have wanted to dance otherwise. I had not wished to dance before, but at the thought of dancing with him, I leapt at the chance.

Adrian smiled, and I felt myself smile in return. "You have such a beautiful smile." he said, his voice spilling over me like honey. He must not have seen his own smile, for surely mine was nothing in comparison. He was golden, bright and full of light like the sun. Before, I had thought he was unreachable. Appearing close enough to feel his warmth, but ultimately unable to reach it. I was a flower, stretching up toward him, trying to glean anything from his glow that I could. Did I think that still? My thoughts from the flower field came back to me, growing like a thorny weed of doubt in my stomach. The further you climb the harsher your fall. Would I be Icarus? Would getting too close to this sun melt my wings, and burn my skin? 

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Auhtors Note: See? I'm not dead! I thought I would have WAY more time to write once school was out, but I'm taking some summer classes, working full time, and trying to maintain a social life, so apparently that was incorrect. I'm trying to get back to writing more, I swear. I have a bunch of stuff I want to write, including a second Kyoya fic, a Zuko fic, and a Dio fic. I swear I'll get to all those eventually. sorry for the short chapter, the next ones should be a bit longer? I'm avoiding writing smut still so, trying to stall. Also, thank you all so much for 5.5K reads! my writing does not normally get reads this fast, so thank you all for reading I love you guys <3 remember to stay hydrated!