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Lightning forked in the sky, creating patterns like ice did as jagged cliff faces and cracked stones. Rain followed quickly, startling the traveling trio and forcing them into an abandoned barn along their route. The sheets of rain obscured much, but they found room to put their wagon and shelter for their horses. A hayloft provided a place for Trevor, Alucard, and Sypha to sleep for the night. They had dry blankets, preserved food, and each other to cuddle with. All in all, not the worst conditions.
However, the musty smell of rain and hay and animals had Trevor tense.
Something about the barn, the rain, and the landscape outside, visible only through flashes of light, stirred Trevor's primal instincts. He wanted to run, he wanted to fight, he wanted to hide.
Only one of those would be acceptable with his companions on either side of him, so he settled down and stole some blanket to sleep.
Thunder rumbled, but it stayed far enough away for Trevor to close his eyes. Several moments passed, maybe an hour, and his mind began to settle.
A bright light, a loud crash, a flash and it was dancing, consuming more and throwing curling smoke into the air.
Trevor sat up, eyes wide and watering, vision filled with flames as his throat closed up.
Smoke blackened the walls, people were screaming. The doors were barred, there was no way out.
Someone grabbed him, he shook, he couldn't think, he needed to do something but his mind was full of too many things at once and he couldn't breathe.
"Go! Trevor go!"
A familiar voice spoke to him. He moved with the hands on him, face turning down to his knees, a blanket beneath him. He heard a cracking, splashing sound and the room went dark. All he heard was his own heartbeat, loud in his ears, and breathing next to him. He tried to hear more, but then there were two breaths, both in time with each other.
"That's it, in, two, three, out, two, three. Match Sypha and myself."
That… Trevor tried to think about only his breaths. When his heart began slowing, guided by the deep voice, the answer came to him: Alucard. Yes, Trevor rebelled with Alucard and Sypha, and they were headed home to Belmont from a short supply trip when rain forced them to stop.
"We're here," Sypha said. "You're safe."
"...Shit," Trevor whispered.
"It's alright, I took care of everything."
Trevor looked up a little, just enough to see the new little charred hole in the roof where a sheet of ice blocked the rain from entering.
"Wasn't a dream?" he muttered, hoping he was wrong.
"Lightning struck the barn," Alucard said, "but it's taken care of, as Sypha said. How are you feeling?"
"...Fine."
Sypha moved in closer to Trevor’s side. Alucard enclosed the other. Their arms around him felt less like a trap and more like a safety net-- he could fall, but always, always, they would be there to catch him. Trevor sighed, closing his eyes tight as memories floated to the surface.
He was either too young or the memories were too intense, too fast, because some things had faded into mere sensations--bright light, cold rain on skin, someone’s hands on him and then pain, and breathe stolen from his lungs as all his limbs pumped away, away, away into the forest, into a dry barn. Other things stood out in too much detail, like the smell of smoke choking him, screams ringing in his ears, or blood from his face dripping to the hay beneath him.
“This… is probably not the same place. Not that I would remember.” He didn’t want to think about it anymore; Two people--at least--cared about him, one on either side of him, and it was years later. “It doesn’t matter.” Shouldn’t matter.
“Your happiness matters, Trevor.” Sypha had a way of cutting through everything, like a precision knife.
Trevor felt tears welling up, spilling past his lids no matter how tight he held them closed. Soft soothing reached his ears from one side, on the other a head settled on his and hair waterfalled onto his shoulder. Rain kept pouring into the roof of the barn, some drops sounding almost metallic as they hit; the noise, despite the memories, calmed Trevor. Everything was over.
"We'll reach the town tomorrow," Alucard whispered. "I'm sure they'll be glad for what we found."
Trevor found his hand and laced their fingers together with care.
"The fabric will be a great help," Sypha added. "So many people need new clothes. I think we should get some sheep. There are benefits to staying within one area, so we should take advantage. The village can handle a few more animals, and we get milk and wool."
"We have a lot of trees…"
"Goats then."
Trevor huffed, sitting up to wrap his free arm around Sypha. As she leaned into him, Trevor felt the growing bump under her clothes--the sign of their child. Their child, the one who would have three living parents and a whole village too.
Alucard, who already played with and taught the orphans, and Sypha, who knew and helped everyone in the village. And him, Trevor supposed. He couldn't give much, but he would do his best.
His child would have a better childhood than he did--a real childhood with their full family.
A small hand curled over Trevor's, where he placed it on Sypha's belly. A longer hand wiped gently at Trevor's cheeks.
"We're here," Sypha repeated. "You're safe."
"We'll take care of everything, together," Alucard promised.
"Yeah," Trevor choked out, squeezing his partners close to him. "Our… our family isn't traveling much of anywhere for a while, huh?"
Sypha pressed a kiss to his cheek. "No. It'll be us and the village."
"Don't worry, you'll only go stir crazy after a whole month has passed." Alucard ran a gentle hand through Trevor’s hair, over and over in rhythm.
Trevor laughed, sucked in a sob, and allowed himself to be laid back down with his partners.
With their presence, the whole building felt warmer--in spite of Sypha’s cold little feet. Her arm wrapped over his stomach, her face against his chest, her wild hair smelling of dirt and sun and the safest storm Trevor knew. Alucard tucked an arm under Trevor's head, tangled one leg with his, and tucked his nose right above Trevor's ear. He swore up and down he didn't snore, but Trevor and Sypha knew better; Still, Trevor wouldn't have him anywhere else.
With his partners holding him, surrounding him with everything that felt of them, the memories seemed further away, unable to hurt Trevor. He'd think of that time again, but his partners would be there then, too.
With family, a village, Trevor knew a home once again--no nightmares could touch him.