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Music from the radio wakes you. You sit up and yawn, looking at it blearily with a scowl. Now that you're wide awake, the music clicks off and your roommate's static-laced voice fills your mind.
Rise and shine, darling! It's time to start the day!
You huff out a breath, tempted to flop back down and pass out again, but he'd get unbearably annoying if you did. Instead, you stretch your arms above your head and slide off the bed. You wrap your arms around yourself as you make your way into the bathroom.
"'Morning, Al," you yawn, squeezing yourself before letting go. You absentmindedly pick up your toothbrush.
Did you have sweet dreams?
Don't pretend that you weren't peeking. you think since you couldn't speak with a toothbrush and toothpaste filling your mouth.
Why, I would never!
You roll your eyes. If anything, the bastard would ever. You rinse out your mouth before going into the kitchen, humming a tune.
Opening the fridge, your eyes catch sight of the pizza from last night.
No. His tone lost its cheer, sounding disapproving and horrified. You smirk mischievously.
"Yes~" you sing-song, taking the box out. "I'm in charge today so I can eat whatever I want."
I don't care if you're in charge right now. We are not eating leftover junk food for breakfast.
Before you could put the box down, your body moves on its own and Alastor attempts to put the box back in the fridge. You fight for control, managing to tug the box open and tear a slice from the leftovers and shove a bite into your mouth. It's cold but worth it.
"A-ha!" you cry out triumphantly while Alastor sighs heavily in your shared mind. "Victory!"
Is it really? Alastor sounds like a disappointed mother. You are quite literally poisoning us.
"Your misery is worth the trouble."
He's going to get back at you for that, but for now, you relished in it.
You didn't really have pizza for breakfast. It was just the one bite. On second thought, you put the greasy slice back in the box and set it back down in the fridge. French toast seems a lot more appealing.
You can indulge now and then, but Al's been putting a lot of care in making sure your body's in tip-top shape. Even with how much you liked messing with him (and vice-versa), messing with your health and his hard work wouldn't be beneficial for either of you.
As you make your breakfast, Alastor's good mood returns and music plays around you, prompting you to sing along. You still don't know how he does it even when a radio isn't around. You just chalked it up to Demon Magic and enjoyed the background track as if you were in a 'picture show'.
Before long, the pleasant smell of French toast fills your apartment. You arrange the slices neatly on a plate with butter, syrup, and some chopped up strawberries on the side. Sitting in front of the TV, you brandish a fork and stab a piece of cut up toast to pop into your mouth. Now comes the anticipation.
Alastor hums in your mind.
Not perfect, but you surely are improving, my dear! he cheers and an invisible audience applauds you. Your chest swells with pride at his praise. Between the two of you, Alastor was undeniably the better cook. He was straight up a culinary artist, somehow whipping out five-star dishes from within the comforts of your shared home. Whether it's Demon Magic or he's just a really good cook is still up in the air.
You enjoy your not-Alastor-made breakfast while watching some cooking show that he really liked and had roped you into enjoying as well. His commentary throughout makes you laugh. He was quite the comedian, which isn't really surprising considering he used to be an entertainer (specifically a radio show host, which made you go "OH!" when he told you because it explained so much about his strange radio-voice).
Your day goes on pretty uneventfully. Nothing interesting happens at work. You'd be dead of boredom and stress if Alastor wasn't constantly with you to prattle on and on and gossip with you about your coworkers and entertain you. Actually, you're pretty sure you'd actually be dead if he hadn't come into your life when he did.
Impulsively buying his radio was probably the best thing you ever did. Sure, making a deal with a demon is not recommended, but your life only turned out for the better when you did. You managed to just barely graduate college and avoid from getting evicted thanks to him. Not to mention, you were even able to reconcile and mend your relationship with your mother with his help. All it cost was your body and a few human lives.
Alastor's cannibalistic tendencies had unnerved you at first, but you're desensitised by it at this point, which you should probably be worried about but hey, he's a demon. What're you gonna do? You did make a rule that he was only allowed to go after the scum of the earth, which sort of made the two of you like a real-life Venom symbiote and Eddie Brock (the 2018 movie version, specifically). Nevertheless, life couldn't get any better.
Ooh, it appears to be that Dana's husband is cheating on her! Alastor exclaims excitedly. He had these shadow minions everywhere that can hear and see things and report back to him. Looks like we're winning that bet after all, fair and square, without any meddling!
You sigh, twirling your earphone cord around your finger. "You meddled, didn't you?"
Alastor laughs heartily. His shadow's fingers curl away from the surface they're on and lace themselves with yours. Fondly, he purrs, You know me too well, darling.
He goes silent, and you continue with your work, muttering to him as you did. He'd occasionally go away for long stretches of time, doing whatever in the Underworld, but you can still feel him with you, bound to your soul. He always comes back no matter how long he disappears for. You'd hear the sound of a radio turning on in your head every time he did.
Darling, he begins, sounding thoughtful. You would never cheat on me, would you?
You sputter out a laugh. You're holding his shadow's hand again and so you squeeze it.
"Who'd I even cheat on you with?" His rival demon overlords come to mind, but no, you couldn't imagine making a deal with anyone else. You brush the side of your finger on your cheek affectionately. "You're the best demon roommate I could ask for, Al. I'd never cheat on you." You pause for a moment before saying, "Would you 'cheat' on me?"
I would sooner die a second time than do such a thing to you, my dear. The response came less than a second later without a hint of hesitance. I can't imagine sharing a body with any other human.
Your heart flutters and your stomach flips. Your smile widens on its own, stretching across your warm, red, face. You hug your shared body tightly, willing all your fuzzy feelings to forcefully flood over him. Alastor makes a strange noise, something between a gasp and a startled squeak.
That's what you get for being such a sweet, charming bastard. you think. He sends back a wave of affection and fondness as revenge. You have to hide your face between your hands so that your coworkers wouldn't see you so flustered and overwhelmed.
You were an idiot and he was a bastard, but you were his idiot and he was your bastard for the rest of eternity. You refused to admit that you were terrified of and happy with the notion.
As you drive home, the pop song playing from your car radio fizzles into static. There's a click and a different song replaces it.
"Hey, hobo man, hey, Dapper Dan
You've both got your style
But brother you're never fully dressed
Without a smile..."
Your fingers tap the wheel, the corners of your mouth twitching upwards almost reflexively.
"Your clothes may be beau brummelly
They stand out a mile
But brother you're never fully dressed
Without a smile!"
You're such a dork.
You find yourself bobbing your head and moving your shoulders to the rhythm, singing along under your breath.
"Who cares what they're wearing
On main street or Seville row
It's what you wear from ear to ear
And not from head to toe... that... matters!"
He'd made it clear early on in your relationship that it was one of his favourites if not all-time. This led to you scrounging for different Annie films and musical performance recordings to binge and the two of you bonding over singing loudly with the characters. You fuzzily remember dancing, too, and an angry knock on the door from your neighbour.
You don't think you'd get along with him as well as you do if it weren't for that night.
"So, Senator, so, Janitor!
So long for a while
Remember, you're never fully dressed
Without a smile!
Ah, my darling human belle!"
The music stays with you even as you step out of the car, faint but there, emanating all around you. You slot your earphones into your ears, curving the cord around your finger as you sing louder,
"Your clothes may be beau brummelly
They stand out a mile
But brother you're never fully dressed
Without an s-m-i-l-e!"
Few of your neighbours cast you looks as you pass by them, twirling and skipping as you make your way to your apartment. They can hear it, too, but for all they know you were just playing it loudly on your earphones.
You swing your hips as you unlock the door to your apartment. Once it's open, you spin as you enter, the music growing louder when the door closes. The two of you continue singing together, lost to the music. His shadow tears away from your own, jumping up to stand vertically and solidifying into a misty, shadowy figure. He offers his hand and you take it, letting him lead you into a slow waltz.
The music changes, becoming smoother and slower. The shadow grins at you, and you smile back.
"I don't want to set the world on fire
I just want to start a flame in your heart
In my heart I have but one desire
And that one is you, no other will do..."
The shadow leads you around the living room and you follow. You giggle, saying, "I'm in charge today, but of course, I'm doing something that you want to do." Not that you mind. If you could sing and dance with Alastor forever, you would.
"I've lost all ambition for worldly acclaim
I just want to be the one you love."
"Remember when I couldn't even do one twirl without falling on my face?" You laugh again, shaking your head. Your cheeks are growing warmer. You try to disguise it. "That was so embarrassing."
"And with your admission that you'd feel the same
I'll have reached the goal I'm dreaming of, believe me."
"I don't want to set the world on fire..." The shadow twirls you and then lowers you down into a dip. He leans down until your noses are touching--It was a strange, wispy feeling. A warmth spreads through you, a mutual feeling from both you and him. You close your eyes and let yourself be swept away by it. "I just want to start... a flame in your heart."
You're lifted back onto your feet. He spins you around and pulls your back into him, wrapping his arms around you in an embrace. You hum the song, tilting your head back to rest on his chest. Together, you sway slowly to the rhythm.
"I don't want to set the world on fire, honey," Alastor's voice is slightly muffled in classic early 1900s radio show host fashion. You notice that it's actually clearer than usual. "I love you too much."
You're being twirled again, and then both of his hands are holding yours, your fingers laced together. His grip is gentle, claws lightly poking your skin. His knuckles, and then his thumb, brush your cheek, prompting your eyes to flutter open. Instead of the shadow's glowing white ones, red eyes look back at you. A gentle, yellow-fanged smile widens. The arms around you are clad in red.
"I just want to start a great big flame down in your heart." The world around you is red, your surroundings bright but dark at the same time. You're still in your apartment, but you're not on Earth. The demon standing before you and not with you wraps his arms around you, pulling you close. You feel him press his lips to the top of your head, the touch lingering. "You see, way down deep inside of me, darling..."
You should be scared. You should be terrified that your life is in the claws of a demon, but you're not. Instead, you feel fuzzy, warm, and... happy. You wrap your arms around his neck and pull yourself closer to him.
"I have only one desire,"
With your face nuzzled into Alastor's chest, his claws combing through your hair and his other hand on your back, holding you against him while you sway together, you couldn't feel more safe and content.
"And that one desire is you.
And I know... nobody else ain't gonna do."