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Eskel rubbed his eyes and rolled over in bed. A quick peek towards the window showed that it was still deep into the night. He’d managed to get a little sleep, but promptly woke up when his room got a little too cold. His face chilled during the short sleep, enough that his scars tightened up and ached unpleasantly. He rubbed roughly at his cheek to force circulation into the damaged parts of his face. He hated the sudden cold snaps like this. They always made his scars ache, the places where the bones were broken sending pangs of discomfort through his body. It was nothing that could stop him in a fight but it did leave him feeling miserable during moments like this.Kaer Morhen was fairly well insulated, but it was still the dead of winter and Eskel’s room was large enough that his little fire place couldn’t quite warm things up. He rolled up in his blankets for a moment and wished that he’d thought to bring another fur with him. Maybe once morning came, he’d see if anyone had extra. He hadn’t planned on wintering there this year. Too many good winter jobs had come calling. When Geralt had requested they all come home, he’d just packed his regular travel gear and headed out. Because of that, he hadn’t bothered to stop and buy extra supplies for the stay. Then Geralt had shown up to the keep with his two unusual lovers in tow and plans had changed. Within a couple days of that first meeting and the subsequent drinking binge, Yennefer had portaled out, taking Dandelion with her. Both of them claimed that they had other responsibilities to tend to; Yennefer had her special projects and Dandelion was still hired through the winter at some noble’s estate. Privately, Eskel also suspected that Yennefer wasn’t really comfortable yet seeing Geralt so seriously in love with someone else. It was also clear that both her and Dandelion were more than a little anxious about Dracula. So the fact that they’d left within a day or two was no shock.The rest of the group had agreed to stick around. They all wanted to observe things for a little while longer, just to make sure everything was as it seemed. So Eskel, Lambert, Ciri, and Triss had settled into the keep to stay for at least a few weeks more. Winter seemed to oblige them because no sooner had they all decided to stay, than an extra few feet of snow had dropped onto their heads. A bitter wind had followed it in and the group had dug in to wait it out. If they really needed anything they could send Triss or Ciri off with a portal to get it but for now they were fine. Witchers were used to getting by.But the cold still seeped in and it was enough to wake Eskel up.He stared at the ceiling, debating for a moment. Despite his loose pants, soft shirt, and the small pile of thin quilts on top of him, he could still feel the cold soaking in to his bones. There was frost starting to creep up the window, too. With a muttered curse, he forced himself up out of his mostly warm bed to go tend the fire. Better to take care of the issue now than wait for the room to get colder. It didn’t take more than a moment to toss a few more logs onto the small blaze, but even that short amount of time was enough to give him a chill. He prodded the flame for a moment and tried to warm up his cold hands. The light chafing didn't help much, though. The room was just too chilly around him. Eskel knew it would take a little while for the room to heat up again, so he pulled on a pair of low boots, grabbed an extra blanket, and headed for the kitchen. The fire there was huge and always kept burning. He’d warm up there while he waited for his room to heat.But when he got there, the bench in front of the fire was already occupied. Alucard sat there, cuddled up in a plush red quilt. Only his face and the very top of his head was visible under the thick comforter. Strands of his snowy white hair fell down around the thick blanket and his black and golden eyes stared into the fire, unfocused and distant. He looked so soft and quiet; Eskel hated the idea of interrupting him.But before he could back out of the room and head back up to bed, Alucard turned and smiled at him, slow and easy. “Eskel.” Alucard’s voice was low and rough. It matched the quiet mood of the dimly lit kitchen. “Come sit with me.”The thing was, Alucard looked so damn happy to see him. Not overjoyed, but just deeply pleased. So despite the request feeling a bit odd, Eskel moved to comply. Over the past week of interaction and after that first cold, miserable hunt where they met, Eskel had found that he liked Alucard a great deal. They weren’t close friends yet, but Eskel could see the beginnings of it. As soon as he stepped closer, he caught Alucard’s scent under the smell of the fire and the ambient food smells in the kitchen. It was enough to stop Eskel in his tracks, because Alucard smelled like sex. Not just the hints of arousal that Eskel and Lambert had teased Geralt so mercilessly about. No, this was full on sex. It wasn’t terribly strong, so perhaps Alucard had at least cleaned up a bit. But the sharp smell of sweat and lust mixed in with the personal scents of Geralt, Alucard, and what Eskel had to assume was Dracula. But Alucard was still looking at him entreatingly, so Eskel slowly walked forward to sit next to him on the bench. It wasn’t news, after all, that the three of them had been fucking like crazy. Eskel knew how enthusiastic Geralt was with his trysts and from conversation it seemed like Dracula was just as bad. He sat down on the bench a comfortable distance away from Alucard. Close enough to talk quietly, but not really touching. Sure, they’d spent some time cuddled together on that first hunt, but Eskel had been wounded and freezing and Alucard had been in his wolf form. That was drastically different circumstances and Eskel didn’t feel comfortable pressing in on anyone’s personal space. Especially considering how jealous Geralt had become when Eskel gave Alucard a mock kiss. It was in good fun, and just a hot headed reaction to all the teasing Alucard was doing, but Geralt had reacted shockingly badly. Well, for Geralt, anyways. Normally, he wouldn’t have cared and they all damn well knew it. Before that night, Eskel would have sworn there wasn’t a jealous bone in Geralt’s body. He had many lovers, after all, and shared well. But whatever Geralt shared with Dracula and Alucard was different. Special. He’d lost his cool when Eskel stole a kiss. His outrage only lasted a heartbeat or two, just long enough to separate them, and he was incredibly embarrassed afterwards. But that was far more than anyone had ever seen before. On top of that was the knowledge that Dracula was even more possessive than Geralt, a fact that made Eskel shudder in his boots. Added into that was the fact that Alucard tended to hold himself in quiet reserve.All of that ran through Eskel’s head as he sat down. It was all a moot point, because the moment his butt hit the bench, Alucard scooted right over to him and plastered himself along Eskel’s side. That was when Eskel noticed that Alucard’s eyes weren’t quite tracking correctly. There was a lazy fuzziness to his gaze and a loose tilt to his head. Something was off.“Alucard? Are you...well?” Eskel asked quietly, trying to fight off worry. What could possibly affect a vampire as powerful as Alucard, and how did Dracula allow such a thing to happen?But Alucard didn’t bother answering. He just leaned harder into Eskel’s tense body and tried to wrap him up in his blanket.When Alucard loosened the tight curl of the quilt around him, Eskel was agan hit by the smell of old lust from him. Above the familiar scent of Geralt, the smell of come and dark power all but stung his nose. He could tell the scents were hours old, but the warmth of Alucards body was giving life to the scents again.He shifted, feeling strangely agitated. The remnants of sex he could smell on Alucard triggered his own response, just a biological reaction, but it was enough to make him feel uncomfortable. Especially when he realised Alucard was shirtless under the warm quilt.“So you’re the wolf, huh?” he asked, feeling a little awkward. There was this terrifying moment where Eskel wasn’t sure what to do with his hands. It seemed like Alucard had no problem wrapping his arms around Eskel. Which was fine. Strange, but fine. He mentally hemmed and hawed for a moment trying to think of what to hold on to. Just to be safe, he kept his hands on his knees.“I like the wolf form,” Alucard said softly, leaning harder into Eskel. “It’s the only warm form I have.”“Why didn’t you change though?” Eskel asked, thinking back to how much hassle it was to work with a wolf, where as a human would have been so much easier.“Hmmmm.” Alucard rubbed his nose along Eskel’s shoulder, the one that now bore Alucard’s teeth marks. Even though Eskel was wearing a sleeping shirt, he knew that the scar tissue could still be felt through the material. “I can best tolerate the sun in wolf form. It is…unpleasant in this form.” He paused. “Maybe even deadly to me. I don’t know.”Right. Vampire. Granted, Dracula and Alucard both were some of the strangest vampires that Eskel had ever run into. It was comforting to know that at least some of the same rules applied. That did explain the wolf form during the day but not later that night. When Eskel was barely standing and probably babbling nonsense. “But you could have changed as soon as the sun went down.”“You were angry enough at me.” Alucard rested his head on Eskel’s shoulder, his curls tickling Eskel’s neck. “I didn’t think you would deal with a vampire better than the familiar wolf.” He took a breath and exhaled slowly. “And I’m always cold in this form. Wouldn’t have been much use anyway.”Without even thinking about it, Eskel found himself leaning in a bit towards Alucard. Maybe it was something left over from their night of sharing warmth but despite the lingering scents of sex and power, Alucard smelled familiar and safe. Like frost and fur and heat. The added heat and scent of the kitchen fire only encouraged the comparison in his mind.“You could have healed me the way you healed Geralt,” Eskel ventured out, remembering how recovered Geralt looked when he came back from wherever he was taken. The castle probably. There had to have been a spell or a potion that worked its magic on him.Alucard giggled.“Dracula took him to bed. I’m not sure what else they did, but I doubt my Father would have let him leave the castle without breathing his power into him. And he likes to do that in bed.”A tiny shiver raced up Eskel’s spine and he grimaced. Yeah, no, having Dracula’s amorous attentions was not something he was comfortable thinking about. But still…“Breathing power?” Eskel asked, reluctantly curious.Alucard hummed against his shoulder.“His power is too…corrosive. Intense. Breathing is the easiest way to control how much he gives. And it’s sensual.” Alucard paused to rub his cold nose against Eskel’s shoulder. “Father likes it that way.”Somehow, that wasn’t shocking. No wonder Geralt was so enamored. Eskel loved him like a brother but Geralt was very much a seeker of pleasure. Or maybe just experiences in general. All witchers worked hard and played hard, but Geralt in particular excelled in both of those things.Eskel thought back to the imposing, dangerous figure Dracula made in their kitchen with his easy mastery of his power, and was caught anew by the sheer strangeness of Geralt falling for such a man. Alucard was easy to figure out. He was pretty, sweet, and obviously competent. He could be dangerous, yes, but he didn't flaunt his power. Dracula was such an obvious danger sign it wasn't even funny. Guiltily, and only in the privacy of his mind, Eskel wondered about the way those two ended up while in bed. He had no doubts that Geralt was the one getting fucked. Considering how damn much Eskel knew about Geralt’s many, many exploits, that was only a mild surprise. Eskel knew that normally Geralt liked to be the one taking care of his partner. But Dracula had an aura of somebody who loved to dominate his surroundings, delighted in it even. That surely carried to the bedroom. Geralt didn’t seem like the type to mesh well with that at all.Considering that after Geralt, Dracula, and Alucard had gone to bed that first night at Kaer Morhen, the rest of the group sat around speculating on just that very thing, Eskel was confident in thinking the rest of them agreed with him. Not that it was any of their business. But it was curious. And very much out of character for Geralt.He tried to put it out of his mind. The last thing he needed to think about with Alucard half naked in his arms was Geralt and Dracula fucking.“I didn’t get a chance to say thank you,” Eskel said finally. “For staying.”“I’m sorry the scars are so harsh,” Alucard murmured, rubbing his cheek against Eskel’s shoulder. The same shoulder he bit. His face rested right against the lively circle of scars that perfectly matched his wolf’s maw.That made Eskel laugh a little bit. “It’s nothing to worry about. After people see my face, they don’t even blink at the rest of me.”“I like your scars,” Alucard assured him sleepily. He was very relaxed against Eskels side, barely any tension in his body at all. Eskel moved his arm to support the vampire’s back, half afraid he would just slide right off the bench eventually.“Not many do. But it’s not so bad. I get a lot of sympathy points with the ladies, and it's easier to scare the idiots off.” The truth was that sometimes Eskel was bothered by how he looked. But in the end it was just another aspect of being a witcher that he’d come to accept and ignore. “I think they are pretty,” Alucard told him earnestly.Eskel’s face heated up a bit because he knew damn well that Alucard was telling the truth. “You must have liked Geralt’s too, then,” he said, wishing suddenly to move the subject away from himself.“I did,” Alucard confirmed, suddenly more animated. “I was sad to see them all fade away when he took in my Father’s power.” Alucard sounded hilariously disappointed, like it was the worst thing in life he experienced. “Father doesn't have any scars,” he added mournfully.Eskel blinked and tried very hard not to think about that. He almost wanted to ask if Dracula really was Alucard’s father, but stopped himself. That might be taking things a step too far. And, really, he wasn’t sure that he wanted to know anyways.“I keep hoping he will add some, for me, you know?” Alucard pulled his head up from Eskel’s shoulders and did his best to catch Eskel’s eye. He managed to stare somewhere around Eskel’s left eyebrow. “But he never does,” he complained. “It’s not like it would be such a hardship. He remakes his body every few minutes anyway.” The vampire huffed, all grumpy and offended, and decided to go back to snuggling to Eskel’s shoulder.For lack of any better idea, Eskel patted him consolingly on the shoulder. “Maybe have Geralt ask him? See if you two could ask together?” What was he even saying? He had no idea. Relationship advice to an ancient vampire was sort of beyond his skill set.“They team up on me,” Alucard grumped again. “And then I end up stoned,” he added with a kind of implied see? that made Eskel very carefully keep his face blank else he start laughing.Now Eskel was trying very hard not to think of Geralt and Dracula teaming up on Alucard. He blinked, banishing the thought from his mind, and patted Alucard’s shoulder again. “That’s...uh, rough?” Alucard exhaled, his body sagging dangerously against Eskel’s side. “Yeah, it is,” he agreed dreamily.“Hopefully they at least made it good for you?” He couldn’t imagine Geralt leaving any lover wanting. That was more unbelievable than anything else about this crazy situation. He thought about it and frowned. “If not, I’ll have a talk with him. They shouldn’t leave you...wanting, when you’re like this.”Again, Alucard picked up his head from Eskel’s shoulder and made a stab at looking at him. His eyes were hazy and soft, definitely not tracking much.“You would?” he sounded…astonished.“Part of being a friend, a good friend, is helping point out when your brother is fucking up.” He frowned a moment, considering it. “And I think that Geralt doesn’t want to mess up with you two.”“That’s so nice of you.” Alucard nodded sagely. “You are a good man.” He nodded again. “I don’t think I could stand more sex though,” he added after a moment of heavy thought. “Maybe later.”The blush on his face grew hotter as Eskel avoided that thought, too. He shouldered on, though, because this might be important. “You know, being taken care of isn’t all about sex, right? You’re---” he struggled with the words for a moment. What Eskel wanted to say was, you’re stoned out of your fucking mind and maybe you need a watcher, but he wasn’t sure how well that would go over. “You deserve to be treated well even when you all aren’t fucking.”Yeah. Because that was the better way to phrase this. Fuck, Eskel wanted to bash his head into a wall. Talking was never his strong suit. He licked his lips and tried again.“What I mean, is, you’ve had other lovers take care of you, right? Outside of Dracula and Geralt?” Maybe he could grab some common strand of normalcy and compare it to what was currently going on.“My wife was raised as a ward of the church, and we were both just kids when we married,” he sighed. “Not like we knew what we were doing. Father is…a creature of passion but he tries. Geralt is nice,” he nodded thoughtfully to himself again, humming softly.That settled it. Eskel was definitely giving Geralt a talking to. For fuck’s sake, what was he doing letting his stoned vampire lover wander around alone? Also, seriously? Wife, then Dracula, then Geralt plus Dracula? “Yeah, I’ll talk to Geralt. Maybe tomorrow,” Eskel muttered. Not that he didn’t appreciate Alucard’s warm body against his but this was really something Geralt should be doing. Dracula, too, but might as well ask the moon to come down for afternoon tea, it would be just as likely. “You are nice too,” Alucard murmured softly, straightening out from his slouch suddenly and reached for Eskel’s face.He froze, strangely stunned by the soft touch on his cheeks. The cool fingertips that barely touched him held him still in ways no manacles ever could.“I like you,” Alucard said softly, eyes watching Eskel with an expression he didn’t understand. Then Alucard leaned in, messy hair falling over his eyes, and he kissed him.That tiny little kiss made Eskel freeze in place, stunned stupid at the soft press of lips to his. It wasn’t much more, really, just a dry, gentle slide of skin against him. Alucard was so close that Eskel was all but enveloped in his scent, in the mix of frost, sex, and power that poured off of his skin. His fingers were cool but the kiss felt warm. Gentle. Something clenched tight in Eskel’s chest at the strange feelings that raised up under that careful, slow touch. Alucard wasn’t trying to deepen the kiss, wasn't trying to make it sexual. He was just kissing Eskel, without any more purpose than that he just wanted to. Later, Eskel would never be able to explain why he leaned into the touch, why he didn’t pull away. It had never even crossed his mind. Instead, he tilted his body ever so slightly towards Alucard. He raised his arm to hold them both steady and tilted his head enough their noses weren’t bumping into each other. Alucard hummed, soft and happy, and kissed him again. It was so light. Just a close mouthed slide of lips against Eskel’s mouth, touching the scars that cut through it on the right side. Alucard didn't flinch from the scars, but he didn’t make a big deal out of them either. He just continued kissing Eskel in those same gentle, steady, dry kisses that filled Eskel with wonder. He couldn’t remember ever doing this. Just sitting in front of the fire, pressed close to another person, and sharing tender touches for no other purpose than closeness. The hand that curled into his hair felt good, it felt nice and safe. The warmth of the fireplace was pleasantly baking his front and his ears were full of the sounds of their slow, steady breathing. Alucard's eyes were half closed, his kisses trailing off to just a press of a smooth cheek against his own scarred one. A hand carded through his hair meditatively. Eskel could feel the curls of Alucard's hair tickling his forehead and neck. They ended up tucked in together, so close that Alucard was pressed into him from hip to shoulder. One of his legs had wormed in between Eskel’s and the quilt was wrapped as much around Eskel as it was about Alucard. One of Eskel’s hands was pressed to the side of Alucard’s neck, feeling the steady heartbeat there. His other was pressed to Alucard’s back, the vulnerable bumps of his spine sliding gently against his scarred palm. Alucard felt young and fragile in his arms, yet at the same time he was offering Eskel something no one ever did. He closed his eyes, breathing in the odd mix of power and sex, both underpinned by the aroma of frost that was Alucard’s unique scent. A shudder worked through him as he tried to deal with conflicting reactions. He was half hard, all the sex he could smell and the touch on his lips speaking to the primitive part of his brain. At the same time he knew there was no sex to be had here. Alucard didn’t want him; he didn’t smell interested at all. But he did smell soft and happy. Accepting. Peaceful, even.Something old and hurt shifted and crumbled in Eskel’s chest. He didn't realize how much he wanted this, wanted acceptance and touch without strings, without expectations. The teachers at the school touched him to teach him, their touch purposeful and often painful. The monsters touched him to harm him, the women touched him to fuck him. Nobody ever touched him just for touch alone.He pressed his face into the crook of Alucard’s neck, chasing the faint heat of his body, and breathed. Eskel let himself have this. The closeness. Acceptance. Warmth.“Are you cold?” Alucard asked sleepily. He probably felt the intermittent shudders wracking Eskel’s confused body.“Yeah,” Eskel answered, wishing his voice didn't sound like a dogs growl.“I’m always cold, too,” Alucard said softly, and dragged his smooth cheek against Eskel’s scared one before pressing his lips there. Then his arms snuck around Eskel’s chest, doing his best to cuddle Eskel’s bulk and pull the quilt more around them both.This time it was Eskel who initiated the kiss. Just a dry press of his scarred lips against Alucard’s. He liked the way Alucard exhaled through his nose. The soft sound of it and the feel of warm air washing over his face. The soft, messy hair under his hand and the faint taste of skin he got from the kisses. He pulled them closer and Alucard did his best to melt into him, his tall body somehow managing to fit into the embrace as if it was meant for it.“Well, don’t you two look cozy.” The low voice behind Eskel sent a jolt of terrifying surprise down his back. Instantly, Eskel’s heart started beating a thousand times a minute. He turned out of the soft kissing to stare in horror at the kitchen entrance. Geralt stood there dressed only in a loose pair of pants. He leaned against the door jamb with his arms crossed, looking both casual and menacing. While Eskel’s mind flailed his body stayed frozen in place, still clutching Alucard tight to him. Alucard didn’t help the situation one single bit because he just nuzzled into Eskel’s neck, humming contentedly. Eskel opened his mouth to speak but the words died right in his mouth. What would he even say? This isn’t what it looks like? Because it most certainly was what it looked like. Eskel really was just caught red handed making out with Geralt’s lover. I didn’t mean to? Well, that was flat false, too. Eskel very much meant to, and very much enjoyed it. While he quietly panicked, Geralt just watched. His eyes were narrowed in calculation and the fingers of one hand tapped ominously. Finally, Eskel managed to stammer out, “This isn’t a sex thing. I wasn’t-- I mean, we weren’t-- I just!” He cringed and waited for Geralt to pull out a knife. Or worse, call for Dracula. It was quiet for another moment as Geralt thought this over. Then the line of tension went out of his back. His shoulders slumped a little and he sighed.“I know,” Geralt said softly. He looked to Alucard and a sweet fondness spread across his face. The expression held a hint of sadness too, though Eskel couldn’t have said why. “Alucard fed from Dracula tonight. He needs to be held afterwards.”As if to confirm those words, Alucard nuzzled in closer to Eskel and pulled them together a bit tighter. Oh.That…that did not explain things at all. Geralt padded over silently and stood in front of them. He ran a hand through Alucard’s hair, causing the vampire to arch into the movement. “Why did you leave, pretty wolf?”The pet name nearly caused Eskel to choke. He thought back to the first time he laid eyes on Alucard’s wolf form and how he’d off handedly mentioned that it was a very pretty wolf. Fuck, no wonder Geralt had nearly coughed up a lung with that comment. “The bed is too small,” Alucard grumbled. “I fell out.” Eskel couldn’t help but smile at how grumpy Alucard sounded at that. “Got cold. Came to the fire.” His head leaned into Geralt’s soft petting and he hummed in pleasure. That didn’t change the fact that he still clung to Eskel. His arms were curled around the bulk of Eskel’s chest and one of his legs was still between Eskel’s. They were entwined together like lovers and the fact Geralt was standing above them did not help Eskel relax at all. He was still half convinced he was going to get killed any second now and Geralt was only luring him into a false sense of security so as to finish him off easier.“And you?” Geralt asked, looking at Eskel. The question didn’t sound accusatory, though. Just curious. Regardless, Eskel was still internally panicking. Geralt was his friend, his good friend, and the very last thing he wanted to do was interfere with what seemed like a really good thing. On the bright side, it looked like Geralt wasn’t planning on murdering him out of hand. On the not-so-bright side, that didn’t mean that there wasn’t some well deserved punishment ahead in Eskel’s future. “The fire was dying in my room. It was chilly, so I, uh, I came down here…” He looked at Geralt with wide, worried eyes and bit his lip.But all Geralt did was hum to himself as he ran his fingers through Alucard’s hair. “And decided making out with Alucard in front of the fire was a good way to warm up?” Geralt asked very calmly.Eskel swallowed.“It is very warm,” Alucard said sleepily. His eyes fluttered as he leaned into Geralt’s hand. “He feels nice. Safe.”Eskel could see how Geralt’s outward calm crumbled into helpless affection. Gods, the man was so gone on the vampire it wasn’t even funny. Then Eskel remembered just where he was and what he was doing with said vampire and decided he wasn’t much better off. He might not be in love with Alucard, but after tonight he definitely had a soft spot for him a mile wide.“You gonna let me untangle you two?” Geralt asked kneeling on the warmed up stone in front of them them.Alucard tightened his grip on Eskel and pressed his nose into Eskel’s neck. “No,” he said stubbornly, if still sleepily. “Feels nice.”Geralt hummed again and his brow furrowed. It took everything Eskel had to not start babbling apologies. A tiny part of him had to agree with Alucard, though. It did feel very nice. Though he knew Geralt had every right to get in between them, Eskel couldn’t help but be disappointed that the touching would end so quickly. Some of that must have shown on his face, or maybe in how he held his body, because Alucard ran a hand down his back, soothing him. Geralt’s eyes followed the movement under their quilt and his gaze turned thoughtful.“Alright, pretty wolf. Stay and be warm. Come back to us when you’re ready,” Geralt said with a sigh and stood up. But before he could turn to leave Alucard reached out, moving shocking fast for somebody mostly out of it, and grabbed ahold of Geralt’s waist band.“Stay.” Alucard looked up imploringly at Geralt through the strands of his lovely, long hair. The movement opened up the quilt that had been wrapped around them and let loose another wave of scent that Eskel tried very, very hard to ignore. Again, he could see Geralt melt a little. “Alright, little wolf.” Geralt glanced at the bench under them, already filled to the brim with Eskel, Alucard, and their blankets. He furrowed his brow and thought for a moment. Finally he said, “Eskel, hold on to him and get down here.” Geralt pointed at the warmed up stone between the fireplace and the bench. “There’s no way I can fit in on that bench with you.”Eskel was still mostly confused by what was happening, by how good it felt to just be held, and Geralt’s seeming acceptance of it. But he was damn good at solving problems. All witchers were. It was barely any effort to reach for Alucard’s legs and arrange them over his lap. Alucard merely hummed and let himself be moved like a toy. His slow breaths snuffled up against Eskel’s neck and sent little shivers down his back.Then Eskel heaved them both up off the bench and did his best to fold gracefully to the floor. His ass still landed heavily on the old stone. Alucard might have acted as if he was small enough to curl into Eskel’s arms without problems but he was tall and muscular. He weighed a lot. The ache of Eskel’s tailbone was soothed by the warmth emanating from the stones. He paused for a moment and let out a breath, trying to figure out how to arrange Alucard’s tall form now that they were both on the floor.Geralt grabbed Alucard’s quilt and arranged it around Eskel, draping one end over Alucard’s legs and lap. Then he sat down on the floor next to them and molded himself to Eskel’s side, pulling the quilt around himself, too, and wrapping the other end over Alucard’s shoulders. Alucard squirmed happily in place and wriggled back a bit so that Geralt was sharing his weight; his head rested right in the space where Geralt and Eskel’s shoulders touched. “Comfy?” Geralt asked Alucard. It was a serious question but there was a hint of humor in it too. “Mmmmh,” Alucard mumbled out. “There’s enough hands now…”Heat blazed across Eskel’s face and he knew damn well it wasn’t just because of the fire. He took a deep breath and tried not to say anything. The breath might have been a bit of a mistake, though, because now he caught the scent on Geralt, too. It was so similar to Alucard’s that it was a little startling. While Alucard had obviously made an effort to clean up, Geralt not so much. He all but stank of sex. Layered into that was the smell of pine and blood and power, a burning kind of smell that made Eskel’s nose tickle. Mixed in was Alucard’s sharp frost scent. It was a heady mix and one that only served to confuse his body more. His mind knew there was nothing sexual here, not even a sliver of intent, but his body kept reacting to the primal scents and warm feel of arms around him. Just to be sure, he twitched and tried to make sure Alucard wasn’t pressing anywhere he shouldn’t be.Geralt laughed, a soft, quiet noise that shocked Eskel anew with how easy it sounded, how uncomplicatedly…happy. The Geralt that Eskel knew was always easy with his affection and charm, sure, but he was seldom happy. “You have me so whipped, pretty wolf,” Geralt said, smile obvious in his voice.“Eskel needs to be held.” Alucard still sounded sleepy but he wasn’t getting any closer to sleep. Eskel wondered if it was because of how high he seemed.“He is being held,” Geralt answered wryly. Eskel could feel Geralt moving, petting Alucard’s back. His hand brushed over Eskel’s from time to time, where he had it wrapped around Alucard’s ribs.“No,” Alucard complained, pulling away from their shoulders and looking muzzily at Geralt. His eyes were all liquid black and gold with not much focus in them at all. “You need to to hold him,” he said with a strange kind of emphasis. “Too.”A strange sort of panic came back over Eskel and he looked at Geralt out of the corner of his eye. It wasn’t that he was opposed to the idea. More it was just not something they’d ever really done. The occasional quick hug, sure. A back slap here and there. But actual touch…it made him nervous, which was utterly ridiculous. Geralt wouldn’t hurt him. Wouldn’t dream of it. But that knowledge still didn’t stop the slight tremor that raced through him. What was worse was he knew that Alucard and Geralt had to feel it, too.“You should kiss him,” Alucard stated, trying to look from Geralt to Eskel but mostly missing his mark. “He looked cold before,” Alucard explained. “He looked warmer after I kissed him.”Eskel bowed his head, hiding for a moment as much as he could. The kissing was very nice. It soothed an ache he hadn’t even realized was there. But he didn’t want to force anyone into touching him. Alucard might be tactile and soft, but Geralt had never been that way, not to Eskel’s knowledge anyways. Plus, the thought of kissing Geralt made him want to run and scream a little. “You don’t have to,” he said softly. “It’s not. I don’t need…” The words died in his throat and he shivered again. As much as he wanted to protest, Alucard’s soft kisses had felt like the best kind of comfort. He couldn’t deny that he wanted more but he felt absolutely pathetic because of it, craving a touch he shouldn’t be allowed.“Look,” Alucard huffed, somehow both sleepy and annoyed. “Like this.” And then he was leaning in, pressing his warm, dry lips against the scarred part of Eskel’s face and dragging them slowly to Eskel’s own lips. He spent a moment there, just brushing their closed mouths over each other, stealing all words from Eskel. The simple closeness, the uncomplicated pleasure of affection, put all thoughts of what was proper or expected out of his mind and Eskel leaned into the gentle kiss before he knew what he was doing.They stayed there for a long moment, just savoring the soft touch. Eskel’s eyes had fluttered closed and all the tension seemed to flow out of him. Long before he was done with the feeling, Alucard pulled away and leaned back into Geralt’s chest. Then he just looked up, his eyes wide and pleading. Geralt looked down to Alucard and sighed. Then he looked over to Eskel. The reluctance was plain on his face and Eskel was right there with him. This was not how he expected his night to go. Not even close. He liked Geralt, hell, he even loved him like family. He did not want to kiss him though.“You won’t?” Alucard sounded small and incredibly unhappy, somehow shrinking in on himself.Eskel watched Alucard withdraw without actually moving a muscle and thought, fuck it. He was going to goddamn kiss Geralt no matter what the other witcher wanted because he couldn't stand the sad look on Alucard’s face.He turned to catch Geralt’s eyes and felt some of the fight leave him. Geralt was looking a him with the same kind of wide eyed, resigned expression on his face that Eskel suspected he was sporting too.“I will pretty wolf, I will,” Geralt rushed in to reassure Alucard. “No need to be sad. I’m kissing him. See?”Geralt turned his still wide eyes to Eskel and they had a moment of sharing unique embarrassment about what was going to happen. Because yes, they very much were going to kiss because neither one of them would stand Alucard looking like a kicked puppy.He looked up to the ceiling and tried to mentally prepare himself. He’d just lean in, give him a peck on the lips, and they’d be done. It would be fine. Hell, in some countries, everyone kissed each other hello. This wouldn’t be any different. Right as he was building up to a fine bit of stress, he felt Geralt’s callused hand on his neck. Gently and slowly, it moved across to cradle the base of Eskel’s skull, tilting him in towards a soft, sweet kiss. Geralt wasn’t as good at it as Alucard, there was too much tension in his body for it. But the hand on Eskel’s neck radiated heat and his lips were soft as they slid gently against him. It wasn’t a long kiss, just a dry press of lips and surprising intimacy. He became aware of the length of Geralt’s body pressed against his side and the carefully banked strength in the hand cradling his skull; some small knot of tension in his chest uncurled and released.When Geralt pulled back, Eskel felt a blush raise up on his cheeks from an embarrassment that never quite went away. He’d closed his eyes and he sensed that Geralt wasn’t looking at him either. The kiss was sweet, yes, and felt good. But it wasn’t as easy as it was with Alucard, nor as natural. Geralt’s hand was still cradling his skull carefully, radiating heat. It tugged at him, and Eskel let himself be rearranged until his head was resting against Geralt’s shoulder.Alucard sighed contentedly and wriggled around on their laps until somehow, impossibly, he managed to curl himself up on top of them. He fit his head under Geralt’s chin. One arm was still holding on to Eskel’s chest, and his fingers were tight against Eskel’s ribs.Now that Alucard’s weight was distributed evenly between Eskel and Geralt, it felt very comfortable. The quilt was warming up Eskel’s back and the fireplace was radiating heat against his front. Geralt’s sturdy body was bracing him on his left, giving him something to lean on. Eskel found himself relaxing into it all. The warmth, the kisses, the companionship. He let the tension go out of his neck, listening to Alucard’s slow, deep breaths, and felt himself start to drift off.Time floated by for a bit, though it didn’t feel like very long. Everything was warm and good and the strong arms around him felt comfortable in a way that he’d never experienced before. His head filled up with the sounds of slow, steady breaths and he found himself breathing in sync with them.There was a bit of a shift as Geralt leaned them back against something firm. Maybe the bench? Eskel couldn’t find it in himself to care much. His eyes had drifted closed ages ago and he was content to lean wherever Geralt wanted. Then something touched his head. Something sharp. The faint prickling of five wickedly sharp points rested right on the crown of his skull. Every muscle in Eskel’s body seized and his eyes flew open. The room had grown just a touch darker and the smell of blood was thick on the air. That’s when he realized that he and Geralt were leaning back against Dracula’s legs.“I went to bed with two lovers,” Dracula said in that low, slightly gravelly voice of his. The claws in Eskel’s hair moved lower, just barely brushing the back of his neck and making his heart double up on speed. “Woke up alone.” The clawed hand spread against the back of Eskel’s neck, the wickedly sharp tips resting one by one against his carotid artery as Dracula slowly closed his hand around Eskel’s neck. “And tracked you down only to find out I was replaced?” There was a lilt at the end of the sentence, almost questioning, but Eskel was afraid to speak, to even breathe too deeply. The claws against his artery felt so sharp, the points so wickedly thin, that he was afraid they would sink into his flesh with barely a twitch from him.Dracula did not smell like sex; he only smelled like power. Like embers and old ash. His body radiated a wicked heat.“Eskel is nice,” Alucard said, unbelievably sounding chiding. Eskel could feel the claws press that little bit harder against his neck and he made a short, aborted eep.“Don’t tease,” Alucard grumped, untangling his hand from Eskel’s chest and reaching up.Eskel didn’t expect the way the claws loosened as the grip on his neck withdrew to meet Alucard's reaching hand. Dracula’s hand didn’t have a hint of claws as he wrapped it around Alucard’s and pulled it to his lips, kissing the palm.“Teasing hmm?” Dracula hummed. He let go of Alucard’s hand and bent down to grab a fistfull of his hair. Eskel watched from a distance of just a few short inches as that strong hand gathered up those white tresses and pulled them back, exposing Alucard’s face and unfocused eyes.Then Dracula was kissing Alucard, hard and wet. Eskel could clearly see the way he pushed his tongue inside. There was nothing but sex in this kiss, this slow, absolute possession.Alucard whined softly into it. He gave in and opened up without a shred of resistance. Dracula was so close that the ends of his dark hair fell against Eskel’s face. It only served to heighten the scent of him, the power that all but stung his senses. Gods, how did Geralt stand it, to be so close to something that felt like a supernova of pure power all the time?“Alucard got cold and came down here,” Geralt said quietly. Eskel couldn’t tell what he was feeling from his tone alone. “He said that Eskel felt safe. Said he needed to be held, too.” There was a quiet shifting as Geralt tightened his hold on both Alucard and Eskel for a brief moment. “I know what that feels like.”It startled Eskel for a moment to realize that Geralt did know what it felt like. He’d gone through the same training, the same life, almost. Fighting and wandering all the time. Fucking anyone that offered a warm circle of arms to fall into. He’d know exactly what it was like to be so empty of softer feelings. A shudder ran through him. Witchers were said to be without emotion. Eskel himself had been accused of that many, many times. Things like this proved the lie in that idea. Yes, Eskel and Geralt had survived, even prospered, without such soft affections. But finally getting that need fulfilled after so long of nothing was a revelation. It must have been the same for Geralt.Dracula broke the kiss slowly, licking at Alucard’s lips in goodbye before straightening out. It took a long moment for him to let go of Alucard’s hair and their gazes stayed connected the whole time.“Witchers, huh?” There were things in Dracula’s voice Eskel couldn’t read, some depth of emotion that escaped his understanding.“Yes,” Alucard said softly, eyes still focused on the demon lord. “I like him. He’s nice.”“Very well then.” The hand came back into Eskel’s head. The claws were very much back again too, dragging slowly, threateningly down his neck.It was the way Geralt relaxed against him that clued Eskel in that something had changed, that Dracula accepted the status quo for the moment. He couldn't help but thank the gods that Dracula didn’t come in earlier and see him kissing Alucard. And Geralt. He closed his eyes, not quite believing how the evening turned out. Did he really just make out with his brother and his brother’s lover? Was that a thing Eskel did? The thoughts circled around in his head, chased back and forth by the slow drag of claws over his neck and scalp. He was extremely alarmed to note how Geralt actually seemed to lean into the set of claws on his neck and how his smell changed to something definitely interested. Despite the warm arms around him, Eskel’s body sang with a tension he couldn’t quite shake. “Relax,” Geralt whispered to him. “Don’t think so hard. Close your eyes. Just feel for a minute.”Since Eskel was pretty much stuck where he was for as long as they decided to keep him, he figured he might as well give it a shot. He closed his eyes and forced his head to relax onto Geralt’s shoulder. He felt the slow rise and fall of Geralt’s chest, moving them both as he breathed. Then there was the soft feel of Alucard’s hair trailing over his arm and the warm skin under his hand. The arms that held him were firm, keeping him close and steady, and the legs at his back let him slouch without effort. The feel of the claws was the hardest to get past, but he tried. He tried to ignore what they were and who they belonged to and just focused on the light tickle down through his hair. He breathed deep, surrounded by a multitude of scents, and wrapped up in warm blankets and skin. The weather wise ache in his bones and scars had eased up, soothed away by the heat all around him. Nothing hurt.Little by little, the tension in him eased. He focused on the sensations. Geralt was right. They could think about whatever this was in the morning. Now was the time for breathing and being warm.Despite all expectation, Eskel fell asleep. The End