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Clarice hummed a bit as she looked through the Happy Hotel, her hooves clopping softly against the carpeted floor. The ewe was currently looking for her significant other, Alastor but hadn't been able to find him at all this day. Her heartbeat increased as she raced to her library within the building and found nothing.
"Al, where are you?" she mumbled, leaving the vast, book filled room.
After searching and searching with nothing to show for it, she decided to return to her room for the night, figuring the stag would return when he's ready to. He had a habit of disappearing from time to time so she wasn't too surprised when he didn't return right away from his meeting with Lucifer and the other Overlords, but she still couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling that something was wrong. A defeated sigh departed from her lips as she opened the door to her hotel room, but as she switched on the light her violet eyes widened at the sight before her. Alastor was slouched over on her bed with her inky cat perched upon his lap, but he didn't look quite right. Aside from his slouching his ears were drooped slightly, he seemed to be breathing a little hard and his clothes were ripped and bloodied. Snapping out of her trance, Clarice closed the door behind her and stepped lightly towards her beau, causing the man's head to snap up and his fiery red eyes to glow. Clarice froze.
"Oh. Hello, my dear," Alastor hummed, the glow fading away.
"Hey, Al," Clarice spoke softly, tentatively taking a seat beside him.
As she sat beside him her cat made it's way to let her pet it before returning to Alastor, where he was greeted with more petting. After a few moments of silence, Clarice decided it was time to work her way up to ask Alastor what happened. He always seemed to do better when she didn't address things right away but started with light-hearted small talk.
"Chez really likes you," she commented with a smile.
"Hmm, it would seem so. I'm honestly surprised to be honest," Alastor quipped, stroking the feline's back.
"Why are you surprised? Husker really likes you," she hummed.
"Yes, but he's a sinner like you and I. Chez here is a regular cat," he stated.
"I wouldn't say that. He's a cat made from my ink magic so he's anything but regular," she chuckled, wiping some of the feline's ink from her hands.
As if to agree with his owner, Chez mewled in delight, causing Alastor and Clarice to chuckle. It was short lived, though and the stag quickly sunk into silence again, seeming to be deep thought.
"Alastor...." Clarice started.
"Yes, my dear?" he inquired.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Of course," he replied.
"You're lying," she murmured.
"Why do you say that, my dear?" he asked.
"Your right ear flicked," she stated.
"So?" he shrugged.
"So, it only does that when you're hiding something. Plus, I can see it in your eyes," she stated.
Alastor touched his right ear, purposely making it flick, "It doesn't do that," he protested.
"It does so and like I said I can also see it in your eyes," she quipped.
"Nothing's wrong," he protested, giving his usual sharp toothed smile.
Clarice glared at him.
Alastor gently tugged the corners of her mouth up, "Smile, my dear. You're never fully dressed without one!" he exclaimed.
"Don't do that," she said, smacking his hands away.
"Do what?" he asked, feigning innocence.
"Don't try to act like nothing's wrong," she replied.
"But, nothing is wro--" he started.
"Alastor! You're sitting here disheveled with ripped clothes that have blood on them and you're telling me nothing's wrong!" she exclaimed.
"Yes, I--" he tried.
"I'm not finished!" she growled, her ram like horns appearing.
Alastor's eyes widened and his words died on his tongue at the usually soft spoken ewe's outburst.
"I spent almost the whole day looking for you after you didn't return from your meeting. When night fell, I started to worry and by the time I came up here I was trying to tell myself that.... that you were okay. That you were probably just being you somewhere else and not dying somewhere or Heaven forbid, erased. Then I came in here to you looking like that and my heart stopped...." she cried, wiping at her tears as they fell.
Realizing the pain and torment he had caused the ewe, Alastor wrapped his arms around her in a tight but gentle embrace, stroking her hair as she cried into his chest. He didn't mean to hurt her, especially like this.
"There, there, Mon Cher. Everything's okay," he assured, trying his best to comfort her.
She continued to cry as he stroked her dark, slightly curled hair and back. Gently lifting her onto his lap, the stag released a soft sigh.
"It was Vox and Valentino...." he mumbled.
Clarice stopped for a moment to catch her breath, glancing up at him.
Noticing he caught her attention, Alastor continued, "It was after the meeting. I decided to walk home instead of teleport because I wanted to get some fresh air. It was a long meeting," he stated.
Clarice nodded, knowing very well that he had told her before that the meetings sometimes go on into the night.
"Well, as I was walking Vox ambushed and electrocuted me. We began our usual dance after that, of course but as the battle was ending Valentino emerged from a nearby alleyway...." he continued.
Clarice's eyes widened at the mention of the pimp's name and she began to tremble.
Noticing her reaction, Alastor began to rub her back in an attempt to comfort her, "I know, I know. It's okay," he assured, pressing his lips to her temple.
At this, a slight smile graced the ewe's features and she snuggled into his chest. Alastor hummed contently.
"Do you want me to continue?" he asked.
Clarice nodded before resting her head on his chest.
Alastor gave a reluctant sigh, "Alright. Well, Valentino began fighting me. He used his red smoke to make me powerless so I had to use my trusty microphone instead. I don't know how but at one point he was able to get ahold of me. He took this as an advantage to.... mess with me, mess with my mind...." he continued, his gaze becoming distant.
Clarice gulped, "Alastor?" she carefully placed her hand on his cheek, sighing in relief when he came back to her and placed his hand upon her's.
"It's okay, little lamb. I'm still here," he assured, kissing her temple again.
"You.... you don't have to continue if you don't want to," she said, knowing that he has bad connotations with what the pimp is all about.
"No. I need to tell you at least," he protested.
"Okay. Take your time," she encouraged, squeezing his hand gently.
Alastor nodded then took a deep breath, "Alright. Valentino had gotten ahold of me and started to touch me.... greedily and.... hungrily...." he continued, shuddering at the memory.
"Oh, Alastor...." she started.
"Please, let me finish," he said, his embrace on her becoming tighter.
Clarice nodded, squeezing him back.
"He was touching over my clothes but I could feel his disgusting, lust filled gaze digging into me so before he could go under them I bit him, allowing me some time to escape. I barely made it to my radio tower before I passed out. Probably due to mental exhaustion...." he stated, his ears drooping.
"That's understandable. Do your injuries hurt much?" she asked, carefully caressing his bruised cheek.
Alastor winced, "A bit, but I'll be alright," he assured.
"Okay," she said.
"As I was saying, I passed out in my radio tower and when I came to, I realized that I should get back so, here I am," he said, his cheeks burning with shame.
Clarice wasn't really surprised when he finished. She knew that Alastor hates appearing weak to anyone so of course he went to hide away at his tower until he felt a little bit up to par. And, now that she had her answers to what happened and everything she could perform damage control, so to speak.
"Al, there's no reason for you to feel ashamed," she assured, caressing his cheek.
"Yes, there is. I appeared more human to them than Radio Demon at that moment. I'm.... weak." he admitted, albeit reluctantly.
"So, is that really a bad thing?" she asked.
"Of course it is. They already tease and taunt me for having a moral compass and now they have this to hold over me," he stated, averting his eyes to his lap.
"Personally, I think it's a wonderful thing that you have a moral compass. It separates you from all the other Overlords," she said.
"That's the problem, though. Even though it's a twisted one they still don't consider me a true Overlord. I'm a misfit among them, among everyone...." he lamented, his ever present smile disappearing.
"Alastor, I'm glad, no, happy you're not like the rest of them. It's because of your personality that I've learned to smile again," she stated.
Alastor lifted his head to glance at her, "What do you mean by that?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Remember when we met for the first time?" she asked.
Alastor nodded, his ears perked to listen better.
"Well, when we first met I didn't know how to smile genuinely anymore. I had been in Hell for almost as long as you have and everything was sinking in, especially the fact that I had most likely gone to Hell for abandoning my faith...." she said, her voice growing softer near the end as she rubbed her fingers against the cross hanging around her neck.
"Clarice...." he said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
Clarice shook her head, "Sorry. I'm okay. My point is that I had just given up just like when I was alive but then.... I met you," she hummed.
"I don't quite understand, darling," Alastor admitted, tilting his head.
"You were the one who greeted me at the Happy Hotel's door. Can you imagine how I felt when I saw you, the Radio Demon, answer the door?" she asked.
"I don't know exactly how you felt, but I know how you looked. Your eyes were wide, you had your arms wrapped around yourself and you were trembling. A fitting reaction to seeing me," he stated, chest puffed out slightly.
Clarice rolled her eyes at his haughtiness, "Yes, that's how I looked because I was simply terrified. I had heard the rumors about you before and had accidentally stumbled upon one of your broadcasts before so, I knew a little about you. For the longest time I thought that was everything about you but after awhile that started to change," she said.
Alastor quirked an eyebrow, unsure of what she meant by that.
"For the first few months of me staying here you teased me a lot. You would hide my books, pull my hair, say my name like Hannibal Lector would in that movie and invade my personal space every chance you got even though you knew I'm kind of touch averse," she quipped.
"Ah, yes I remember. Good times, my lamb," he hummed, reminiscing.
Clarice chuckled, "I suppose it was for you, but I had no clue why you were picking on me so much and at that time you didn't even know why either is what Husk told me," she said.
"No, I didn't know...." he admitted.
"Come to find out you were just trying to express your feelings towards me but you didn't know how. No one ever taught you the proper way to court," she said.
"No, but my mother did teach me to be a gentleman. Something my father would've never been able to teach me," he quipped, a hint of sadness in his eyes.
"She truly taught you well with that, sweetheart," she cooed, sneaking a kiss onto his cheek.
At this, a small smile tugged at the stag's lips and his fluffy tail wagged, but after a moment his smile fell again.
"I still don't see how I helped you to believe again. After my mother died of sickness, I left my faith behind. I hated God because I thought for the longest time that He had killed her. That's what my father would say and then he would blame and beat me...." he said, shuddering at the memories.
Clarice carefully wrapped her arms around him in an embrace, stroking his messy crimson hair and back. She knew Alastor had less than pleasant memories concerning his father. Some even haunted him at night in the form of nightmares. It was during these times that Alastor's mask would crumble and reveal how truly broken he was. She always tried to be there for him when that happened, knowing that kindness and soft words were what he needed most.
"There, there, Alastor. He can't hurt you anymore," she comforted, nuzzling his neck.
Alastor wrapped his arms around her in a careful embrace back and gently pressed his forehead to her's, "How did I get a blessing like you in a place like this?" he asked, almost in a whisper.
"I ask myself the same question everyday," she hummed.
"You flatter me, darling. But, I'm more of a curse than a blessing," he said with a chuckle, his shadow counterpart winking behind him.
Clarice shook her head, "To me, you're a blessing, Alastor Willows. A beautiful blessing in such a wretched place," she hummed, her fluffy tail wagging.
A wide, sharp toothed smile spread across Alastor's face, "Ha! A beautiful blessing? Little lamb, as I've said before, you're the blessing and I'm the curse," he chuckled, his own tail wagging.
"Well, you're a curse I'll always want then," she chirped.
"I'm truly happy to hear that, darling because you're a blessing I'll always want. An angel that comes from above," he hummed, his smaller, more genuine smile showing.
A deep blush painted the ewe's cheeks at his words and caused a soft bleating to escape her throat, making her cover her mouth in embarrassment. Alastor chuckled.
"So cute," he cooed.
"No...." she protested weakly, averting her eyes.
"So pure...." he purred, lifting her head to look into her eyes.
"Not true...." she hummed, entraced by his piercing gaze.
"May I kiss you?" he asked, leaning closer.
"You don't have to ask...." she purred, leaning in.
Having her permission, Alastor closed the distance between them, their kiss starting out soft and gentle and turning more passionate within minutes. Clarice couldn't help herself as she peppered her sweetheart's scarred neck with kisses, making his cheeks burn red. Alastor happily obliged with his own round of special kisses to her neck and shoulders, leaving what Clarice considers "love bites" on her soft skin. After awhile Alastor gently but reluctantly pulled away, much to his darling's dismay.
"That... hah.... that's enough, l-little lamb," he stated, his breath heavy.
"Y-yes, I.... I believe so, too...." Clarice agreed, a deep blush painting her cheeks.
Alastor hummed contently, "Darling...." he purred, his tail wagging.
"Yes, Al?" she tilted her head.
"Hmm, I just wanted to say it. Still feels like a dream," he replied with a smile.
"You can be such a romantic, Alastor," she hummed.
"Me? A romantic? Oh, no, no," he protested, wagging his finger at her.
"Yes, yes," she chirped, mimicking him.
"So cute," he quipped, booping her nose.
"No!" she bleated, much to her dismay.
"Correction. Very cute," he cooed, caressing her cheek.
A blush coated Clarice's cheeks and she averted her eyes, allowing her dark hair to fall over them.
"Well, I think a much needed shower is in order for the both of us," Alastor suggested, smirking as he brushed the hair away from his darling's eyes.
Clarice paused for a moment then her eyes widened as she realized what he said, "Wh-what?" she stuttered.
Alastor chuckled, "Separate showers, of course," he stated, helping her off the bed.
"O-of course," she stuttered once more, her cheeks burning from embarrassment.
"After you, little lamb. Ladies first," he purred, opening the bathroom door for her.
At that, Clarice grabbed herself some fresh clothes and dashed into the bathroom, wanting nothing more than to get away from the devilish deer's teasing. After awhile, she emerged wearing especially comfortable looking pajamas and came to find that Alastor was already cleaned up and in the bed already.
"Aww, my darling, don't you look so cute?" he cooed, patting the spot beside him.
Clarice smiled, "And you look handsome as ever," she cooed back, sliding in beside him.
"Mmm, you smell nice, too," he hummed, nuzzling into her hair.
"Oh, really?" she chuckled.
"Yes. Like flowers and old books mixed together harmoniously," he chirped, pulling her closer into his embrace.
"You smell good, too. Like the forest after it rains," she hummed, breathing in his scent as she nuzzled into his neck and chest.
"You flatter me, darling," he purred, his tail wagging.
"You also have a hint of coffee to your scent," she observed.
"What can I say? I'm addicted to the drink," he quipped, beginning to stroke her hair.
"Hmm, I know. Black coffee courses through your veins," she chuckled.
"Yes, just as sweet tea courses through your's," he teased, playing with one of the curls in her hair.
"Guilty. Should we see if Charlie can help us with our addictions, too?" she joked.
"Nah. I'm happy with mine and need it to work," he stated.
"Same here," she murmured, her eyelids starting to grow heavy.
Noticing this, Alastor's smile softened, "I think it's time we get some shut eye," he suggested, pulling her even closer.
"I agree," she mumbled, snuggling into his chest.
"Good night, little lamb," he purred, resting his head on her's.
"Good night, sweet smiling deer," she purred back, her tail wagging.
Within minutes, she was fast asleep with her beloved watching over her as she drifted off, making sure no harm comes to her. A soft, genuine smile graced Alastor's features as he glanced at his darling one last time that night before allowing sleep to claim him as well.