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Everything was juts a simple facade to the public.
Trivial conversations in front of strangers, negotiations, the way they acted and spoke during important meetings. Even thought they always took seats near each other, it never raised much suspicion or curiosity in the twisted minds of those Overlords.
But the secret glances exchanged between dances and songs, the little tingling that turned into tranquility when they felt each other’s touch, their private conversations, the dark nights where they shared their most intimate desires, and what they appreciated the most was their loyalty. In the hell they lived in, no one could truly trust anyone, loyalty is a valuable treasure that could not be found easily in such an infernal existence.
She is his greatest treasure.
And to keeps saving his greatest treasure, Alastor decided to married her.
They married in the moment Alastor let his feelings out, on a night when Rosie was taking her nightly walk through her large flower garden, specially after stressful days, because those walks brought her peace. She had taken off her usual hat, letting show her short but delicate and well-groomed hair. The breeze began to mess it up a little, but that was the least of her concerns.
“Dear Alastor!” Rosie had no trouble recording his presence around her. After decades of adventures, night talks, songs, and dances that shared together, she knew exactly who it was. The cannibal turned quickly to what she already knew.
“My dear Rosie! It surprises me every time how you always know it’s me without even turning around. How do you do it?” Alastor asked playfully, widening his smile that revealed his yellow teeth. When he has to greeting her without someone else around, he adjusted his voice filter to his natural voice. Rosie laughed softly; the question was silly. She kept her gentle smile without showing her teeth.
“What is brings you here, honey? You mostly visit on weekends, and today is Wednesday.” Rosie asked with curiosity, not only knowing that he is busy man, probably he was there just to ask for a simple favor, but weekends were the only moments they were less tired or stressed by their responsibilities.
“Is a lady like you kicking me out?” Alastor joked
“Oh please Alastor, don’t be silly”
“ I’m just joking, you should known that” Alastor said, but Rosie just crossed her arms, giving him a puzzled look, and Rosie always trusted her intuition, she wondered: Was Alastor nervous? Today is something different, but I don’t know what it can be. The Radio Demon responded with a sightly distorted tune, though he changed the voice filter this time.
“Today was a splendid and quite entertaining, dear. I got many things done, and everything turned out wonderfully! I finished my tasks early and decided to end my day by visiting you, my dear Rosie.”
“Oh? And what’s with the sudden desire to see me, Alastor? I am surprised by what you’re saying.” Rosie tucked a strand of hair behind her left ear. “After many years together, it’s good to know I’m still someone you like”
“Of course! We shared so many similarities, my beautiful lady” Alastor nodded once as he continued playing with his cane. Even though his smile remained wide, Rosie could still hear that nervous crack in his tune. Something inside in that deep soul of Alastor was eating him alive. He couldn’t completely control that bad tune when he is speaking to Rosie normally.
“Besides… I’m not just here to see you, my dear Rosie”
“Oh?”
“I also came to ask you to marry me!”
There it is.
That explains the derailed melody in his voice, he was really nervous! After so many years together, her empty dark eyes still managed to deceive her, because she could not believe what she was hearing.
Rosie was more surprised by Alastor’s nervousness than the actual marriage proposal offered to her by one of the Hell’s most powerful and terrifying gentlemen. For sure later she would definitely tease him about his nervousness for the proposal. And Alastor already accepted that he would become the subject of her future jokes. It would be a pain, but he loved her deeply, so anything coming from her could be less than annoyed.
Alastor still waiting firmly for Rosie’s answer. He stopped playing with his cane the moment he finished speaking, trying to calm that stupid tune which threatened to ruin his proposal. He had nothing to lose, nothing between them is going to change if she rejected him. After so many years of companionship, he could finally allow himself to be carried away by something called loved.
Then Rosie laughed loudly, breaking the short silence that followed by the proposal. Alastor knows her so well, that it wasn’t a surprise by her reaction.
“Oh for Lucifer’s sake, should have heard yourself, my dear Alastor!” She said after trying to recovered from her laughter, but her weakness of recovery herself ends immediately that she keeps laughing.
“Ha, ha, I can imagine, Rosie” Alastor replied sarcastically.
“You know it was so funny, Alastor” Rosie looked at him, but his looked at her which clearly told her that she needs to answer the important part of the conversation. “Oh, don’t look at me like that, dear” “I’ll accept your proposal…” She paused, then smirked “If you tell me why you want us to get married”
“Rosie…”
“Come on, Alastor. You make a proposal, but now you can’t even give me a reason of why we should get married?”
Alastor rolled his eyes, she didn’t need an actual answer, she only wanted to bother him. And honest, he would do the same thing to her if she would asked him for a formality relationship.
But he knew he had to give in. Otherwise, they would go in circles forever. He hated showing vulnerability, however, he kept his expression neutral. Rosie probably already sensed everything anyway. With a sight twitch of his eye, he forced his smiled, while she waited patiently with a touch of teasing in her expression.
“My sweet and charming Rosie”
“I’m listening, Alastor” She smiled even more.
“It’s been years since we met, and you know I can’t be openly romantic in the way other’s are. It’s something I’ve never been interested in.” Rosie nodded, fully aware. “However… I care about you, in my own way of course. But in the darkest, rotten parts of myself. After many adventures and talks, I must admit that I love you.”
Rosie didn’t speak. She only raised her eyebrows slightly surprised, but her genuine smile never left.
“I want to marry you so we can continue doing what we’ve always done together, but now showing what I truly feel for you. And since you are the woman I love, maybe, just maybe I might change my view of romance. But only if you agree to be my wife.”
Those words come from the deepest part of Alastor’s corrupted soul, probably he would be disgusted of his own feelings, but now this hits different.
For centuries, no one had seen her as anything beyond a friend, or a ruthless, feared Overlord. Her ex Franklin could never showed her love or respect; she never received reciprocity of kind and love.
Until she met Alastor.
Rosie looked down, trying to hide the slight blush coloring her cheeks, wondering who can even imagine seeing her in this situation of vulnerability. It wasn’t the proposal itself, it was being genuinely loved, and finally by someone who knew her deeply and cared in a way that mattered.
“Well, Alastor… I’m more than pleased to accept your feelings. You are really full of surprises today.” Rosie said with a littler laugh in the end.
Alastor proud, he tapped his cane into the ground, leaving it standing upright so he could have his hands free. Rosie was watching, expecting for his next moved. He pulled out shiny golden rings from his pocket. He had originally wanted pure black rings, but this time he decided to follow a human tradition. He delicately took Rosie’s left hand and slipped the ring onto her finger. Rosie with a little bit of nervous but with confidence as well, did the same for him.
She admired her hand with fascination, while Alastor smiled without showing his teeth. His deer ears twitched lightly. Rosie had never imagined being speechless, but tonight was an exception.
Alastor took both her hands, staring into her empty eyes. His memories flooded him, Rosie had been by his side through countless events in their infernal lives. The feeling that once bloomed like a seed planted in his rotting soul had now grown into a full rose.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you.” Rosie finally said, pulling him out of his thoughts. “I love you too, Alastor.”
She squeezed his hands a littler tighter, carried away by the emotion of the night.
“More than eating the limbs of angels?”
“Please, Alastor, know your place” She replied sarcastically, but there was truth in it. Her answer made him laugh briefly as he shook his head.
Alastor looked up at the big red moon, and Rosie followed his gaze. That crimson moon was the only witness to their marriage, and it was more than enough for them. No one else needed to be present; they felt safe inside a bubble that no one could break.
Alastor had been sure this would end in complete failure. Being rejected wouldn’t have changed much, but he knew he couldn’t keep those feelings hidden forever. If she had rejected him, maybe they would’ve simply laughed it off together.
But after marrying Rosie, that “flower” insides him bloomed even more, spreading through the parts of him that once felt empty.