Despite what Alucard would have liked to claim, he had to admit he was getting at least a little tipsy.
Alucard was just tipsy far from drunk—definitely not drunk... Hopefully not drunk.
Between the absurd amount of alcohol he had consumed during dinner, Seishan's constant teasing, and the unusually peaceful atmosphere of the evening, his already questionable decision-making skills had degraded even further than usual.
Which was probably why his next action somehow felt perfectly reasonable to him at the time.
Without warning, Alucard suddenly bent down, sliding the stub arm beneath Seishan's legs and the other normal arm around her back, then effortlessly lifted her into his arms.
Seishan immediately let out a startled little yelp.
"Ah—!"
Her hands instantly wrapped around his neck on instinct while she glared at him with narrowed red eyes.
"Give me a warning next time you do something insane like that, you idiot!" she snapped while trying—and failing—to regain her composure. "Now put me down!"
Alucard slowly looked her up and down while a shameless grin spread across his face. The movement alone was enough to make her face heat up all over again.
"Oh?" he mused innocently. "You want me to put you down?"
His eye drifted toward the way she was clinging tightly to him.
"Because from where I'm standing, you seem awfully comfortable being carried around like the princess you are."
Seishan narrowed her eyes at him while trying to maintain some semblance of dignity.
"And I can tell you're enjoying this too," she shot back immediately. "You're practically crushing my thighs in your hand."
Alucard nodded proudly like he had just uncovered some profound universal truth.
"See? Win-win situation."
Then he adjusted his hold on her slightly.
"So just relax and enjoy the ride."
Before Seishan could even respond, Alucard manipulated the remaining alcohol bottles using blood tendrils and gathered them beside himself like some drunken wizard preparing for an adventure.
Then—
He jumped off the roof.
Seishan's scream immediately echoed across the night.
Meanwhile, Alucard calmly summoned the greaves of the mantle of the Underworld around his legs while simultaneously reinforcing his body with blood manipulation. Crimson blood also wrapped around his limbs moments before impact.
The next second—
BOOM.
He landed hard enough to crack the street beneath him apart. Stone shattered outward while dust and debris exploded around them in a violent shockwave.
The only thing unharmed in the middle of the crater was Alucard himself.
And Seishan.
Mostly.
Alucard glanced downward to check on her condition only to immediately pause.
Her perfectly arranged hair had become a complete mess, strands sticking across her face and even partially entering her mouth. Her fingers were digging into the back of his neck hard enough to nearly draw blood while her red eyes trembled somewhere between rage, embarrassment, and genuine terror.
"You..." she whispered shakily.
Her nails dug deeper into him.
"You absolute—when I get my hands on you..."
Alucard simply rolled his eye and smirked at her teasingly.
"Why are you always so obsessed with getting your hands on me?" he asked casually. "Not that I'm complaining."
He tilted his head slightly.
"You do have very nice hands."
The only response he received was an absolutely murderous glare.
Unfortunately for Seishan, her ability to remain angry didn't survive very long once Alucard suddenly began moving again.
At first, he merely ran.
Then Seishan realized something horrifying.
He wasn't running normally anymore.
He was skating.
Using blood manipulation, Alucard created smooth crimson trails beneath his feet that allowed him to glide rapidly across the ruined streets of the Dark City with terrifying speed. The movement was unnaturally fluid, almost graceful, as he slid between buildings and leapt over broken roads while carrying her effortlessly in his arms.
Which only terrified Seishan even more.
Especially once he suddenly threw her upward into the air for absolutely no reason whatsoever.
"ALUCARD—!"
Before panic could fully overtake her, he immediately caught her again with perfect precision.
Now holding a damn rose made from blood between his teeth.
Seishan stared at him in complete disbelief.
"I hate you," she breathed out weakly. "So much."
At this point, she was far too overwhelmed to even glare properly anymore. Her face was flushed, her breathing uneven, and she could practically feel the smug grin plastered across his face without even looking at him.
"Wow," Alucard replied dramatically around the rose. "Do you normally invite people you hate into your bedroom?"
He smoothly leapt over another ruined section of the city.
"Or invite them to romantic dinners beneath the moonlight?"
Seishan opened her mouth to retort.
Nothing came out.
Her brain simply couldn't process fast enough anymore.
And then she realized something even worse.
Alucard had begun climbing the massive black walls surrounding the Dark City itself.
"What are you doing?!" she asked immediately, panic returning in full force. "Please slow down!"
She instinctively clung to him even tighter, holding onto his neck like her life depended on it.
Which, considering the current situation, it probably did.
"Come on, Sei," Alucard said casually while continuing upward along the near-vertical surface. "Just hold on a little longer."
Then he grinned.
"I promise you probably won't die."
That did absolutely nothing to reassure her.
If anything, she held onto him even harder afterward, practically curling against him like a frightened cat trying desperately not to look down at the abyss beneath them.
"How are you even climbing walls right now?" she demanded breathlessly. "Are you sure I'm not already dead and in hell?"
Alucard shrugged.
"I'm using blood to anchor my feet to the wall."
He glanced downward briefly.
"It's actually pretty difficult, which is why we're climbing so slowly."
Then he thought about her second question.
"As for the hell part..."
He hummed thoughtfully.
"You're probably not dead."
A pause followed.
"Being dead is honestly pretty boring."
Another pause.
"And hell actually isn't on fire like people say."
He smiled lazily.
"It's mostly just covered in blood."
Seishan immediately decided she no longer wanted to participate in this conversation.
Instead, she simply buried her face against his shoulder and prayed for the climb to end soon.
Thankfully, after several agonizing minutes, it finally did.
Alucard eventually pulled himself over the edge of the colossal wall before stepping onto the ancient black stone overlooking the Dark Sea.
The moment Seishan opened her eyes again, she suddenly realized the position they were currently in.
Her legs were wrapped tightly around Alucard's waist.
Her arms were around his neck.
Their faces were close enough that she could feel his breathing.
And worst of all—
He was still holding her effortlessly like it was the most natural thing in the world.
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
The silence itself became painfully embarrassing.
Then, with shocking speed, Seishan immediately untangled herself from him and stepped back before quickly patting his shoulder like she hadn't just been clinging to him moments ago.
"Well," she said with forced calmness, "thank you for the ride, Al."
Alucard immediately recognized the desperate attempt to salvage her dignity.
Thankfully, for once, he decided to show mercy.
Offering her his hand with a small smile, he bowed slightly.
"Shall we begin our walk?"
Without thinking, Seishan instinctively grabbed his hand.
Then they started walking together along the massive wall overlooking the endless black ocean below.
It took both of them several seconds to realize they were still holding hands.
By then, however, neither of them really knew how to let go without making things even more awkward.
So instead, they simply kept walking forward together.
Two terrifyingly dangerous sleeprs.
Both reduced into blushing messes while quietly holding hands above one of the deadliest places in the Dream Realm.
Inside Alucard's mind, Gluttony practically wheezed with laughter.
"Wow," he mocked dramatically. "A romantic hand-holding session while walking through a death zone. Truly the greatest love story ever written."
Alucard immediately tried to ignore him.
Which was difficult.
Very difficult.
Especially because Gluttony clearly had no intention of shutting up anytime soon.
"Oh look at you two!" Gluttony continued gleefully. "Walking under the moonlight! Holding hands! Gods, are you going to braid each other's hair next?"
Alucard's eye twitched slightly.
"Please shut up."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Gluttony replied mockingly. "Am I interrupting your romantic stroll across the horrifying abyss of eternal death?"
Alucard kept walking while trying very hard not to react outwardly.
Beside him, Seishan glanced sideways suspiciously.
"Whats wrong Al?"
"Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself. Turns out I'm even more annoying in my head."
Seishan laughed softly beneath her breath before gently squeezing his hand once.
And for a brief moment, despite the horrors surrounding them, the endless black sea below, and the countless dangers waiting ahead in the future...
Things felt strangely peaceful.
"What are you going to name the kids Al?"
Just for gluttony to ruin it as usual.