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“Argh, we fuckin’ had ‘em!!” Angel exclaimed loudly, angrily.
“That rat bastard wit his stupid, frickin’ tricks!” He continued, gritting his teeth in a snarl and sitting up from his place on the floor. Angel grunted in discomfort from the quick movement and the subsequent pull of previously injured muscles that he’d barely felt in the heat of the moment. Now they kinda stung as the adrenaline slowly eased out of his veins and gripped his burning shoulder as he sprung up to his feet. The spider paused for moment, blinking as the wrath cleared from his mind and he took in his unfamiliar surroundings. His heart leapt up for a moment when he realized he didn’t recognize where he was and he didn’t see his current companion until he turned around and Alastor’s bright red frame came into view. He’d be lying if the sight didn’t provide him with a profound sense of relief.
“..Where the fuck are we??” Angel cursed more quietly now as he finally looked around at the desolate, wooded area they had both ended up in. The air he breathed in was cold and dry, the trees brittle and endless around them; all devoid of leaves. Something felt off about this place to Angel. Even for hell, it just felt.. empty.
Minutes earlier, both the spider and the Radio Demon had been unceremoniously thrown into by a portal created by their most recent enemy and landed wherever they were.
Alastor’s speakers crackled and his ears twitched from his position in the dirt after he’d landed. The terrain was rough, so there was no soft and easy landing. The Radio Demon clenched his jaws in his fixed, wide smile as he sat up. The red-eyed demon subtly winced, his radio changing frequencies rapidly as he felt the crunch of electronics underneath him as he shifted. His microphone. How unfortunate. Alastor’s static noises evened out as he kept his dismay internal and his gaze followed the sound of his companion’s uproar.
Alastor stood up, making the evidence of his grievous misstep disappear before Angel could see it. He took a breath and the air in his lungs felt thin. The atmosphere was abnormal; he could feel it in his bones. His smile became more rigid with uncertainty as he continued to track Angel’s erratic pacing movements, attempting to retrace their steps.
The two of them had gotten into a rather involved scuffle with an electric eel overlord while doing some holiday shopping on Charlie’s behest. She had specifically instructed them to go together to pick up Christmas lights and a few other goodies for their rather unique second annual celebration of the holidays as a group.
Their ragtag little Hazbin gang had grown a bit together over the past two years and Angel specifically had come to terms with some things about himself. He certainly still wasn’t a star patron, but over time, he had learned to respect their hostess and her lofty goals. Enough so that Angel rarely fussed when being tasked with a job for the hotel anymore. Charlie had put herself on the line for him more than once and even the Radio Demon had saved Angel’s ass on a handful of occasions this past year.
Angel had gotten somewhat closer to the red-haired demon as well, so his company really hadn’t been so bad. They were alive during a similar time period, so Angel actually understood all of his wonky colloquialisms. Sure, Alastor talked too much and his sense of humor was on a level the rest of them usually didn’t quite understand, but he was loyal. He seemed to have proven his dedication to the hotel and his sincere boredom with his own life even if he was quite shady about anything involving him personally.
Anyway, it was just Angel’s luck that a simple errand run with the other demon would end up like this. Hell was always a bit more odd in the ‘winter time’. Time didn’t work quite the same way down here as it did on Earth, but there still seemed to be ‘seasons’ if you could call them that. The rain was pretty smelly and acidic, the heat came burning hot in the summer-like period, and while it didn’t snow in Hell, it certainly got cold enough to freeze.
Demons seemed particularly stressed out during this icy time of the year, likely because it was so related to the holiday season which was not always associated with fond memories for sinners, and tensions were often high.
This wasn’t the first time that the Radio Demon and Angel Dust had gone on errands together. It had actually become a more common sight to see them together out on the streets. So sue Angel, if the other demon was maybe, kinda fun to be around and he liked talking to him when the mood was right. And so what if he actually enjoyed the fact that no one bothered him out on the town when he was walking along with the powerful overlord in public. Angel was too damn noticeable sometimes in his circle of fame and his fans could be irritating and downright invasive when they wanted to be.
As much as Angel enjoyed the spotlight, there were times when Angel was truly up to his neck in unwanted attention, and he was tired of being used up and spit out by his clients. He was sick of having his ass groped in public when he wasn’t on the job, the cat-calls, the. having to smack some goddamn sense and manners into assholes with his baseball bat who wanted to play rough. His ass wasn’t free and people didn’t seem to get that simple notion.
Other demons usually stayed clear of Alastor if they could. Fear and rumors often had them running before the Radio Demon could get within 10 feet of them. Angel wished that he could have such a presence sometimes. So having him around was like a demon-deterrent and Angel could enjoy that freedom for the short time it lasted. At least usually.
This eel demon they came across - Angel hadn’t ever even heard of before, but he had certainly heard of Alastor, the Radio Demon. But clearly, he’d never met him or seen him in action before. It took only a few minutes before a nice day out had turned into a pissing contest.
Now, Alastor was used to few other demons posturing in front of him when they met for the first time. He had a reputation that preceded him and it intimidated others when there were so many warning signs around the city and demons that went white at the sight of him or even just from the sound of his name.
While Alastor despised rudeness and did not appreciate the showboating one bit, he had learned that, mostly for his sake and the continued cleanliness of his wardrobe, it was best to let small transgressions against him slide for the sake of a peaceful day.
Unfortunately, despite having a decent day prior; getting into the holiday spirit with the rest of the hotel and chatting it up with the Radio Demon, Angel Dust wasn’t as likely to let secondhand comments against him or Alastor slide without a fight. Angel had a nasty little habit of speaking his mind.
Even with Alastor’s attempt to salvage the afternoon, the eel and his men were unfortunately looking for an opportunity to brawl. While Alastor could have a temper on an occasion which meant blood when it reared its head, Angel’s temper was red hot and easy to trigger. It surfaced ten-fold when anyone insulted those close to him. His fiery mouth also made him a target of the already sparked eel’s aggression.
After some heated verbal arguing that ended with the eel yelling at Alastor to ‘control his fucking loud-mouthed whore’, their day was effectively ruined by violence.
The eel and his gang of henchmen unexpectedly possessed rather advanced weaponry and some decent combat training, but it became very clear, very quickly, that they were no match for Alastor’s magic and Angel’s bullets. Angel and Alastor hadn’t fought together very much previously, but they actually worked together quite well.
Bleeding, wounded, and clearly beaten, one of the few surviving of the eel’s men had pulled out a rather shiny, unusually advanced-looking gun out of his coat aiming for Alastor while the Radio Demon’s ruby eyes were filled with static and he was directing his shadows to slaughter the rest of his party. Angel seemed to see it before Alastor did; even if Al was usually very perceptive, he used a lot of his focus when he was controlling his otherworldly shadows.
Alastor knew the henchman was there and he sent his shadow out to disarm him, but the henchman let off a quick shot in the split second he had the weapon. It all happened in the blink of an eye - Angel shoved Alastor aside without even thinking about it, Alastor’s eyes widened as a bolt of brightness shot from the gun toward them. Angel took the brunt of the hit with his upper arm and it burned like hell, but before he knew it, a white light coming from the blow enveloped the both of them and they were suddenly transported somewhere else entirely.
That’s how they ended up in some kind of frigid, outdoor woodland territory that had a strange feel to it; beyond what either of them were familiar with.
“..What the hell is this place?” Angel muttered out loud, now more to himself after having a moment to compose himself and looking around the clearing they were in in confusion. He took stock of his partner who he realized was staring straight at him.
Alastor blinked at Angel Dust, studying him with unnerving, unblinking red eyes and a tight grin for a moment before closing the distance between them.
“Angel!” Alastor finally let out with a breath of coiled air that had lodged in his throat as he recalled the tense moment before they were teleported.
In just a moment, Alastor was right in front of Angel, head cocked to the side and looking him up and down in a studying sort of way that had Angel Dust alarmed at the unexpected proximity of the other demon who usually liked his personal space. Surprised, Angel instinctively took a step backwards, his multi-colored eyes widening. Alastor’s eyes looked him over like he was looking for something, in a way that was making even Angel, used to eyes all over every inch of him, blush.
Their height difference was even more obvious when they were this close together and Angel was stuck gazing at the deer demon’s big, flicking ears in his face when he leaned in to look at his right shoulder.
What the hell was he being so weird about? Alastor was certainly a hyperactive oddball at times, but he usually avoided this kind of close contact with another. If Angel didn’t know any better, he would say the red-haired demon looked almost worried.
“Al? What-” Angel uttered, looking down at Alastor with his eyebrows drawn together.
Soon Alastor found what he was looking for in dark, burnt edges of his torn jacket sleeve on his arm where he took the brunt of the bolt of light from the ‘gun shot’ they were sent away with. His smile nearly faltered on his face for a moment and then his hands reached out, grazing across the scorched wound and the singed fabric around it as Angel winced and yanked his right arm away.
“Wh- ow! Cut that out!” Angel grumbled in alarm as Alastor inspected the burn on Angel’s skin; pulling the torn edges his suit sleeve’s fabric further apart to inspect it further. Alastor’s crimson eyes stared intently at the burnt patch of bleeding skin where his pure white fur had been lost; tearing further at Angel’s blazer.
“Hey- hey! Al, what the fuck are ya doing?! That hurts, ya jerk!”
Alastor’s dark, red eyes flicked upwards to meet Angel’s like he was just realizing the rest of Angel Dust was still present, and his neck cracked menacingly as he tilted his head slightly. His smile was wide, sharp, and insincere. The spider’s pulse increased as he realized that the other demon was angry. Angel was further confused.
“Angel,” The Radio Demon started, radio overtones crackling front and center in his tone, grinning almost maniacally.
“Do not do that. Ever again.” Alastor forced out darkly, mechanically, with his static highlighting a growl. Angel blinked at him blankly, rather dumbfounded at the whole bizarre display.
“..Do what?” Angel questioned genuinely, taking another step back and using his left arm to cover the wound on his right to protect it from prodding. This was increasingly odd behavior for even the normally unpredictable, antlered demon. This seemed personal, but Angel didn’t know where the distain was coming from.
Alastor’s radio static grew in volume and the inauthentic smile on his face widened. Angel grew concerned.
“This!” Alastor grunted, his speaker voice warbling as he leapt forward and started to pull Angel’s suit jacket off entirely. Jesus-fucking-Christ, in any other scenario in any other universe that this was happening in, Angel was sure he’d be thrilled and equally enthralled at the treatment, but he still had his dignity.
To say that he wouldn’t have the Radio Demon in the most carnal way at the drop of a hat would be lying. Even he had fantasies of the unachievable. Alastor had never looked at him that way. Never looked at anyone like that. Skittish at close contact and downright off-put with dirty jokes. Angel was good at keeping his crushes secret.
Either way, this was weird. Angel was also reminded, as his arm extended, that his shoulder hurt like a motherf-
“Ow, ow!! Alastor, what the hell-!“
Alastor yanked the jacket off of the taller demon’s limbs with a small struggle that Angel lost. Alastor then managed to lean upwards on until his face was inches from Angel’s own. Angel leaned back cautiously, his heart fluttering bafflingly. Alastor’s smile was so jagged that it could cut diamonds.
“That shot was meant for me and I was prepared to take it. Do not ever place yourself in front of me.” Alastor growled out, voiced pitched and charged. Angel let his mouth fall open in surprise at the strange chastising. Angel rubbed his bare arms in the cold. He only wore a black v-neck t-shirt underneath his suit jacket most of the time.
Angel raised an eyebrow before looking at the other demon more seriously. He watched Alastor fixate on his wound when it was fully exposed, tsk-ing and actually reaching out and touching him again.
“I will not accept the liability of you killing yourself for me. Ludicrous.” The red-haired demon continued on angrily, manifesting a handkerchief from his own suit pocket and dabbing at the oozing wound gently, cleaning the singed fur around the burn with his gloved fingers.
Angel found himself frozen and tongue-tied by the odd, contradictory behavior and how it didn’t seem to match his words.
Angel had a pretty damn stoic mobster family in life. Not the touchy-feely sort and they didn’t wear their emotions on their sleeves as much as tucked into their back pockets. He understood how to read between the lines of another’s actions and Angel’s gaze grew softer. Holy shit, Angel had actually scared him by shoving him out of the way and taking the brunt of the hit from the teleportation beam. What a wild thought. A twinge of delight pulled on Angel’s lips as he realized how truly flustered Alastor was.
Angel tried to hold still as winced as Alastor’s gloved hands went even further to palpate the bone and muscle of his upper arm, seemingly looking for any deeper injuries. Everyone at the hotel knew about his ‘no touching’ rule, but that didn’t generally apply to Alastor himself.
“..You worried about me, Al?” Angel asked quietly with a small smile, letting Alastor do what he will. His discomfort was minuscule compared to the warm feeling he received when he saw that Alastor gave a shit about him; despite the bizarre tantrum he was throwing.
The Radio Demon scowled through his grin at the implication before Angel saw Alastor try to manifest something in his clawed hand before looking at the still empty appendage, pausing entirely.
Alastor blinked before looking around him intently, almost as if seeing where they were for the first time. He chose to ignore Angel’s comment, eyes darting around at the trees that swayed in the breeze surrounding them. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously before closing his fist.
“..I am limited in my magic, I’m afraid.” Alastor then suddenly stated lowly, more seriously. Now Angel’s eyebrows flew to his hairline in shock. Now he was worried.
“What? What happened? Are you alright??” Angel asked, now his turn to look the Radio Demon up and down. Alastor’s eyes shifted to the side almost sheepishly. When he remained silent other than some radio tuning Angel pushed him for answers until he held out his broken microphone, still sparking with electric magic. Angel’s face fell.
“Al! What- ya broke yer microphone? Ya worrin’ about a little burn when ya got a- ain’t that thing a part a’ you? Are you okay??” Angel asked worriedly. He wouldn’t deny that he was worried - Alastor’s microphone was like his second set of hands; you barely ever saw him without it. It clearly had something to do with his magic and Alastor looked disgruntled to say the least.
“No need to fuss, my dear!” Alastor said, straightening as he made the broken mic stand disappear.
“Only limited, that’s all. Let’s focus on finding out where we are, shall we?”
Angel wasn’t convinced, but he barely had the energy to argue. They both glanced around again. Grass, leaves, dirt, and eons of spindly, tall trees with many branches. Grey, cloudy skies and chilly atmosphere. Nothing special, but it sure didn’t seem familiar to Angel.
“I don’t know where this is. Don’t think we’re by the Pride ring anymore. Any a’ this ringin’ a bell for you?” Angel asked finally, gesturing to the environment around them as he turned to the Radio Demon.
Alastor’s natural radio buzzed with thought and he rubbed a finger against his chin before scenting the air with his nose upwards. After a few sniffs, Angel watched his left ear flick as he came to a conclusion. Alastor didn’t generally seem to enjoy his animal traits, so Angel had only seen him do this a handful of times.
“..We are not near the radio tower or the hotel.” Alastor stated with finality. Angel’s shoulders drooped at the news. Well, fuck.
“Huh. Well, that’s not comforting.” Angel muttered. He looked to the sky when it seemed to grow acutely more dark. Murky clouds drew around the tall trees above him. They were in a small clearing, and the branches of the trees creaked and swayed in the wind as if groaning. Angel could see his own breath in the cold. Something really didn’t feel right about this place.
Alastor looked around one more time, listening with his big ears perked up and alert, keeping his own uneasiness under wraps. His ears tilted before he turned his head to look Angel over again before stepping away.
“No matter. We’ll find our way home. Come,”Alastor said before he took the bottom of his own coat in his gloved hands and tore a strip of scarlet fabric clean off of it. To Angel’s bewilderment, he tied the fabric in a neat bow around Angel’s arm over his wound. It wasn’t even really bleeding anymore or anything, just oozing a bit. Alastor then gave him his jacket back and then abruptly stepped away from him again.
Angel tried not to gape and stare like a fish at the unexpected gesture. He’d managed to pick up from the curtness and quiet static from the other demon that Alastor was still a bit cross with him for shoving him out of the way earlier.
The wind suddenly sped up, whooshing through the trees and bending and cracking their dried bark. Angel put his blazer back on hurriedly to protect himself from the chill and crossed his arms.
“Come along, it’s only getting colder he-“ The air caught in the Radio Demon’s throat and a sudden record scratch sounded as his gaze caught on something in the distance. Angel startled and looked up at him.
“Al,-“ Angel started, before his eyes followed Alastor’s line of sight and his eyes widened.
Thick snowflakes has started to drift down from the sky, gingerly landing on the ground. Angel’s throat dried up and his mouth dropped open; he nearly recoiled in shock.
It didn’t snow in hell. Angel hadn’t seen snow in over 60 years.
His breathing quickened, wide eyes remaining skyward as he reached out to the side of him in the general vicinity of where the Radio Demon stood, panicking until his claws grasped onto the fabric of his red coat tightly as his heart clenched in his chest.
Alastor was too busy frozen in place, gazing at those fat snowflakes falling to scold him for the grabby touch.
“..Al, what-? A-are we..?” Angel stuttered quietly, unable finish the thought or to keep the tremble out of his voice. He couldn’t speak the forbidden thought any louder, lest he make it true. He couldn’t even stop himself from clinging to the other demon.
Alastor stood silently in place, looking up at the sky, making an idle buzzing noise for a few moments until he suddenly let out a manic laugh, startling Angel Dust again.
“Ha! What an unpredictable turn of events! I thought it felt quite unusual here.” Alastor exclaimed, making Angel jump and grip his companion’s jacket even harder with the tense state he was in. Angel shivered as another gust of wind blew across them.
“We need to find shelter, lest we catch our second deaths.” Alastor said, picking a direction and starting to walk with Angel, still a bit shell-shocked, hanging on to him.
“..What the fuck is happening? Can we even die again up here? Then what happens? We go ta hell again??” Angel questioned, feeling slightly lightheaded at the thought that he was back in the land of the living. He shook his head as he started to feel even colder with the feeling of the snow catching on his fur. He would be soaking wet soon and that meant finding shelter was top priority or he’d freeze out here.
They walked in silence for a while, stepping through brittle sticks and rocks. There were so many questions and so few answers, so what was the point in voicing them. The flat land turned more steep and found themselves on the edge of a very tall rock formation at the edge of the trees.
It seemed like hours until they found anything resembling a shelter, finally stumbling across a break in the coarse, solid wall of rock. The small hollow in the stone resembled a cave and it was their only option. A survival skill reared it’s head from Angel’s memories and he started collecting any dry foliage and sticks that he could - barking at Al to do the same before they entered the crevice.
It was still freezing inside the small space, but even just the physical blockage from the wind was a weighted relief. Angel couldn’t hide his shivering anymore, it was fucking cold. He thanked a higher power for his addictions as he pulled out a lighter from his pocket and piled up the sticks with shaky hands. Alastor watched him, his radio noises stuttering strangely as Angel kneeled down and tried to start a fire.
Well, that didn’t work like the movies and was much easier said than done. After a few measly sparks, Angel couldn’t get the damn sticks to stay lit for longer than a few seconds. He growled in frustration, muttering to himself as the flame kept failing.
Suddenly, Alastor stepped closer, pulled his coat sleeve up and drew a sharp claw across his forearm, making it bleed. Before Angel could say anything, he used his own blood to draw a symbol on the dirt floor. His eyes glowed red and he grunted, but a fire acutely sparked and thrived before them on their pile of rubbish, Making Angel lean back in surprise before leaning forward toward the heat with his hands in relief.
“Oh fuck, thank fuck. Al, I don’t know what the hell ya just did, but yer brilliant.” Angel said gratefully, rubbing his arms with one set of limbs and reaching closer to the fire with his other set. Soon they were both sitting by the fire trying to keep warm as the wind howled outside, both shaken. The Radio Demon was oddly quiet for once aside from electric glitching noises he seemed to experience every so often. He looked pale. Angel knew something else was wrong with him, but unsure if it was related to the microphone. Though Alastor’s smile was fixed and present, clearly trying to play it off as nothing.
Angel scooted closer to the other demon, being bold enough to press himself right up against his side despite the record scratch and his rigid posture, knowing that they wouldn’t have much of a choice soon. It was too cold and Alastor was clearly.. off.
“Look, I don’t know how this works for us up here, but it sure feels like I could freeze ta death. We gotta conserve body heat and all that. I was neva a Boy Scout, but even I know that much. I got fur and I’m freezin’, it must be even worse fa you.” Angel explained, side-eying his partner who didn’t move or become any less tense. The Radio Demon sat cross-legged; playing the same idle buzzing noise with the occasional static.
“..You gunna tell me what’s up? Aside from the whole, bein’ in the living world thing? ‘Cause I’m still pretty messed up about it. ..Is it cause a’ yer microphone? Are ya hurt?” Angel asked more gently, trying to gauge any more normal response from the side of the other demon’s face. Alastor blinked and then finally turned to face him with fake ease, but real enthusiasm.
“Ha! You’ll have to excuse me being unpleasant company! Something about the.. earthly winters had gotten me rather unfortunately nostalgic!” Alastor trailed off for a moment, one of his eyes spiraled with black for a moment before he blinked again. He shook his head and continued to speak just as jovially.
“Nothing at all to dilly dally over! My misfortuned microphone, however, is a bit of a hiccup. It is a piece of myself that allows me to access my shadows and souls and, well, the magic has to come from somewhere, after all; so if it doesn’t take from them, it’s from yours truly. However, traveling between realms - that requires a fair amount of magic.” Alastor explained, making Angel’s hopes sink. The fires crackles and Angel sighed in resignation.
“..So we’re really in trouble, huh?” Angel asked solemnly. He felt the slight warmth seep in from the Radio Demon’s side against his own. He huffed out a sardonic laugh.
“It figures. Back to the human world only to die a second time. Fuck me. I actually missed the snow too..” Angel said wistfully, watching a thin layer of white accumulate on the ground outside the cave.
“I do not see death in our near futures, my dear.” Alastor replied simply. “I will not allow it.”
Angel chuckled against another shiver.
“What, are you all-seeing now? Or are you secretly weather-proof?” Angel asked drearily. He slumped slightly against the other demon, rubbing his gloved hands together as he racked up the thoughts in his head and couldn’t avoid the ones at the top.
“..Ya know, I died the first time in the winter too.” Angel said quietly, now somber. He remembered feeling the chill in his bones before he lost consciousness. He remembered having the thought that he might be dying. It was so long ago, but he still could feel what he felt then. He’d been so, so tired..
“Ha! I did as well. We didn’t get much snow in New Orleans, though.” Alastor chimed in. When Angel Dust didn’t respond, Alastor continued on.
“I haven’t seen snow since.. well, since I was a boy! Lived in the South all my life.” The deer demon said. Angel glanced up at him, broken out of his reverie by the words. Alastor did not often give out information about his past, so this was unusual. It was like he was inviting Angel to chat with him.
“..Y-yeah? Yanno, I hear yer accent come out every now an’ again. Now it makes sense. Should let it out more often, it suits ya. It would snow in New York every winter so I got my fair share a’ snow when I was alive.” Angel responded, feeling himself smile. It was better to focus on this than the cold and their inevitable doom.
“I neva been to Louisiana. Anywhere, really. My whole lousy life I spent in the city, which is a- a shame, yanno? I regret it. Not travelin’.” Angel continued. Alastor brightened and jazzy music filtered out through his speakers.
“Ah, La Nouvelle Orléans! To see the town in its prime - what a treat that would be! Not a lot of money there back then, but it was a city of culture and dreamers; the art, the poetry, the music! And how could forget the food! I believe you would have enjoyed it, my dear fellow.” Alastor exclaimed proudly. His excitement was often contagious and it was honestly difficult to ignore. Angel had half a mind to think that the deer demon may actually be trying to cheer him up. Even in their dire circumstance, he supposed that Alastor was still an entertainer at heart.
“Think so?” Angel asked with a smirk, turning fully toward him and meeting the Radio Demon’s bright eyes.
“Ya sure do make it seem tempting. Heh. Maybe we coulda even met in a past life if I’d only traveled a few days south. Ain’t that s-somethin’? Probably coulda used a friend like you back then. I was a gullible chump.” Angel said playfully. Alastor looked back at him for a moment with unblinking eyes.
Angel hadn’t mentioned it, but he’d felt the other demon start to tremor against him because of the cold a few minutes ago. The antlered demon finally blinked after a minute and tilted his head slightly.
“..You would consider us friends?” The Radio Demon asked curiously. Angel had the wherewithal to not be immediately offended by the statement. He knew Alastor a fair amount by this time and while he spoke oddly sometimes, it was usually clear when he intended to wound with his words. The question seemed genuine enough and Angel shrugged, trying not to reveal that it would actually sadden him if Alastor didn’t consider them at least friends as well.. Christ, if he wasn’t even worth that much to Alastor, how could he ever have a flying chance to be anything more-
“Well, yeah. What else would we be? We hang out sometimes - not always against our will. We talk and laugh and stuff, and I like yer company..” Angel sniffed nonchalantly, looking away, trying to brush off the sting of rejection.
“Y-ya don’t gotta feel the same way. I get it. We’re pretty different..” Angel insisted, just talking to fill the air because now he felt daft and it felt awkward between them. Angel tried to rebel against the sad feeling growing in his gut. Maybe he shouldn’t have said anything. Maybe his feelings were stupid. I mean how could could he really think-
“I don’t think I have any friends.” Alastor said suddenly, knocking the wind out from Angel’s self-deprecating sails. Angel tried not to look surprised at the blanket statement. Alastor paused, looking around the small cave briefly.
“Friendship was never very entertaining for me. Even in the land of the living. I was quite the pompous devil, but other people were just ho-hum and got in the way of my work. I was a killer, you know. The papers called me a psychopath.” Alastor explained. But this only made Angel chuckle unexpectedly.
“I don’t think yer that bad.” Angel said simply. One of Alastor’s red-furred ears flicked and he stilled.
“Pardon?” Alastor replied with a slow blink, turning to him like he was caught off guard.
“Ya heard me. I don’t think yer all that bad. Ya know, I heard that there’s quite a few people that you put down here personally? Meanin’ they were sinners before ya killed em.” Angel explained, continuing with Alastor just continued to blink at him.
“Ya protect the hotel and my sorry ass a lot even when ya hated me.. I heard about the lamb demon too - Yvonne? How ya saved her from the butcher? She’s the girlfriend of a friend a’ mine. She still sings yer praises ta this day, yanno.” Angel listed off, watching the Radio Demon appear more and more uncomfortable with everything he said as his head leaned back and his sharp smile tightened.
Angel tried to suppress a smile at the other demon’s nearly offended face. Oh no, it looked real cute. Was he blushing? Satan, help him. Angel couldn’t stop his wide smile.
“..Ya ain’t a psychopath either. I met those.” Angel said confidently in a quiet voice as another shiver ran through him. Alastor was buzzing. He still hadn’t said a word in response. The flush on his face made Angel’s heart skip. Angel sighed internally at his own useless emotions.
Angel reminded himself where they were with no plans or means of escape, but instead of feeling hopeless, he suddenly felt a surge of conviction grow in his chest. What the hell did it matter anymore?
“Look, Al, if we’re gunna die here, I just wanted ta let ya know-“ Angel started, but Alastor cut him off.
“There will be no fatalities tonight! This is merely a simple setback and there is no need to be theatrical-“ The deer demon exclaimed.
“You can’t know that and don’t interrupt me, I got somethin’ ta say!” Angel cut him off, scoldingly, making Alastor’s ears stand straight upwards.
“I wanted ta thank you for all the times ya had my back. All the times ya lied ta Charlie fa me-“
“Angel-“ Now Alastor was starting to look alarmed, his radio noises amplified, but Angel didn’t let it faze him, because what difference did it make? They were as good as dead.
“All the chats about the good old days, the cookin’ tips; I know we didn’t always get along, and I don’t always act it, but-“
“Cease this!”
“I really like ya, Al,-“
“You are my friend!!” Alastor suddenly exclaimed with microphone feedback. Surprising Angel enough that he paused, eyebrows lifting. The were still sitting pressed right up against each other, so it was difficult to see his face fully.
“We are friends! So trust me, my dear, when I say that nothing will harm you in my presence again, and anything you need to say to me, you can say when we are soundly back at the hotel.” The Radio Demon explained sternly with wide, bright red eyes, almost exasperated. Angel’s mouth dropped open and he felt butterflies flutter in his stomach. That was unexpected. Something about his tone and his pledge made Angel’s face feel warm.
“…B-but Al,” Angel started, very swiftly interrupted by a piercing static noise, an odd jolting of his entire body, and suddenly the air was warm.
Angel blinked once, twice. They were sitting on the floor and all around them were-
“Where in the hells have you been??” Vaggie asked suspiciously. All of a sudden Alastor popped up from next to him.
“My dear, Husker! It takes longer and longer each time! Dilly-dallying, are we?” Alastor greeted loudly, ignoring Vaggie’s outburst.
The rest of the hotel’s members stood Al around them expectantly and they were in the hotel lobby.
“Do you know how long it took to find your location? Fuckin’ radio wave broadcast shit or not, yer lucky Charlie was able to put together a summoning circle for your asses.” Husk explained, grumbling and crossing his arms. Charlie’s expression was worried. Angel was still shell-shocked.
“How did you manage to get to the living world? The Goetia could have caught you.” The princess said tilting her head, looking both curious and nervous at the same time.
“It’s a long story, Charlie..” Angel sighed, his whole body sinking in relief, feeling the warmth creep back into his bones.
It took some explaining to get the girls off their case, but eventually they quit the third degree and left the two demons to their own devices. However, Angel didn’t let Alastor sneak away when everyone had finally left them alone.
“Alastor!” Angel called out from his seated position on the couch wrapped in a blanket. Angel stood up as the other demon turned around, his smile calm and still inconspicuous on his face.
“Are you quite alright, my dear?” Alastor asked simply, hands behind his back as if they hadn’t narrowly escaped death just and hour earlier.
Angel walked toward him and met his eyes.
“Al, I don’t know how ya did it, but,”
Angel threw his arms around the other demon once he was within range, not giving Alastor the option to move or pull away. He made a record scratch noise and stiffened in Angel’s grip.
“Thanks fer savin’ my ass again.” Angel muttered sincerely against Alastor’s nape, hugging him tightly with all four arms. Alastor’s static grumbling melted into a low hum.
“I told you, my dear. Nothing to fret about.” The red-eyed demon stated gently. Angel didn’t have it within him to let go just yet, and Alastor was letting him cling.
“..What about yer microphone? Will ya be alright?” Angle asked curiously, nearly squeaking when he felt a hand pat and hold his back very lightly.
“It will heal with time.” He replied. They both stayed where they were, breathing against each other, the warmth of the other’s body heat familiar now.
“Good.” Angel responded. They remained silent for a tic, Angel pondering his words and whether he should speak his mind.
“..I meant it, you know.” Angel finally mumbled into Alastor’s shoulder. “What I said. And that you have a friend in me.”
There was a few moments of comfortable silence interlaced with Alastor’s resting radio tuning. And warmth, so much pleasant warmth.
“..You also mean a great deal to me, Angel.” The Radio Demon finally said, very quietly. Angel’s heart leapt into his throat and he squeezed Alastor even tighter. He felt the hand at his back hold him more firmly as he sighed in content. This was different, but so, so very welcome.