Chapter Text
Alastor side-eyed the window above the desk. The moon was still high in the sky but noticeably drifting towards the west, signaling how late it was. He knew his little human love required sleep much more than he. As eventful as the night was for her, he figured she was probably exhausted. It was time for him to depart this world for the time being. After all, there were books that needed gathering and assignments that needed planning.
Alastor shifted his gaze back to the girl swinging her legs back and forth off her bed. Her stare held wonder and amazement. Her (e/c) eyes sparkled with the little bit of moonlight seeping through the glass panes. She was the most beautiful thing he’d had the pleasure of viewing in his entire afterlife. The demon made sure to take a mental image before he opened his mouth and potentially changed the scene.
“Darling, I must take my leave now. It is time for you to rest and for me to get your lessons ready.”
“Oh? Already?” Alastor’s heart ached at the tinge of disappointment he detected in (Y/N)’s voice. She tried to laugh it off before he had a chance to reply, “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. I better get started cleaning up this mess if I want to sleep at all.”
Alastor’s teeth flashed themselves in a smile as his hand rose up. In one snap all the candles were blown out and everything was placed exactly where it was originally. His chest couldn’t help but swell up with pride as (Y/N) gasped excitedly.
“Where did it all go? How’d you do that? Would I be able to learn to do that too?” The questions rapidly fired out of her mouth. Her smile ran a mile wide and it took all the self-control Alastor had to not caress her soft cheeks and stay.
A short chuckle rumbled from his chest. “Be patient, dear. We’ll have to see what you’re capable of over time. For now, rest.”
The girl pouted slightly and mumbled a response. Alastor couldn’t quite make any of the words out but he could tell it was something along the lines of ‘fine. Goodnight.’ She then turned her back to him and nestled under the covers.
She waited until she heard a quiet woosh before she flopped onto her back. There was no way she could sleep now. She had just experienced the craziest night of her life. She met two spirits for goodness sake. The weirdest part? She agreed to be the student of one.
One could argue that the weirdest part was crying in front of him and (Y/N) definitely considered that when she mentally ranked each section of the experience. She decided that maybe that was justified though. Crying is a completely valid response to overwhelming situations. One thing she didn’t understand is why she would cry at the appearance of a spirit who looked ‘normal’. She had just dealt with a Loa who was far more alarming than the second yet she had almost no response. At least, not one that wasn’t triggered by something. But, all it took the second experience was the spirit appearing for her to feel a strong surge of emotions. She hoped that this wouldn’t be a recurring reaction. It could get quite troublesome if she cried every time at the sight of her tutor.
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Alastor faded himself out of human sight and used the key he had gotten from Lucifer. The door opened to his home hallway. He caught sight of his appearance in the glass reflection from a hanging picture. He stopped midstep. It had been a long time since he’d seen that face. It almost seemed foreign to him. He held the face of a failure. This time he would fix his mistake. He would reunite with his only love for eternity. He would redeem the long lost features of the man he no longer was. Promptly, the demon transformed himself back into his true form. He didn’t want to be in that face for any longer than he had to be. He didn’t want the memories he’d worked so hard to bury to resurface themselves.
It was nice to be in his own skin again. The other body was cramped and uncomfortable. This one felt just right. Not too small and not too roomy.
Alastor hummed his way down the dimly lit hall to the in-home library. The entrance was doorless, signified only by three dark wood columns. Two of which framed the sides while the third met the others at the top. The room was spacious and the ceiling held high. Dark bookshelves lined the walls, chock full of knowledge. A small set of stairs led to a square pit in the middle of the room. Alastor had carefully crafted this space to provide the maximum amount of comfort when reading. It had two large velvet chairs with a small round table in between them for casual skimming. For intense studies, there was an oak desk pushed to the back with a cushioned rolling chair.
The moment Alastor walked into the room, a large chandelier bursted to life. The light of flames danced across the spines of books. The demon’s eyelids drooped as he revelled in the scent of the old paper. A warmth overtook his soul as he thought about his love’s potential reaction to his collection. He knew she loved reading and she loved old things. Combining those two would be like ecstasy for her.
The shelves weren’t labeled but Alastor had the sections memorized by heart. He was the one to set them up after all. He hummed in thought as his eyes scanned the spines of books. The first three shelves to the left held voodoo instructions. He frequently visited this genre so he chose to keep it within arms reach of the entrance. The deer finally settled on a book and used his index finger to carefully pull it out of its nestled place.
The hardcover book was patchy with multiple spots rubbed bare of the dark green cloth. The title was lost to time. The pages were yellowed and warped with age. Alastor thumbed through the book fondly as he made his way to his desk. Demons were very possessive over their belongings. He’d never thought he’d share this book with anyone. Yet here he was, pulling cardstock and a pencil out of his desk to write instructions on how to use his childhood book of voodoo and nothing could make him happier than sharing this experience with his beloved.
Of course this calm couldn’t last long. All it took was a ring from his candlestick telephone for Alastor to feel the annoyance creep up into his chest. With a sigh, the half written instructions marked his place in the book and the earpiece was placed gently against his ear.