Work Text:
It was time
Nikki had been watching the house for three days now, and it was finally time to act
He knew they were home, they had been home, the lights were out, and although it was early in the evening, that seemed to not be unusual
Angel's little guard dog seemed to be an early riser, and although it was only a little after nine, he still believed he'd have the element of surprise on his side
True, it would probably be smarter to wait until they were good and asleep, but the nervous energy was starting to reach a fever pitch, and something was pushing him to just.... pull the plug and stop dragging his feet already
He couldn't keep putting this off, it was time to act
As quiet as a mouse, he exited the car, grabbing his backpack and shrugging it over his shoulder and grabbing the lockpick out of his pocket, he crept up the steps to the house, shoving the pick into the lock and jiggling it a little, listening to the satisfying sound of the lock coming loose
He pushed down on the handle carefully, successfully getting the door open, and crept inside as quietly as he could, observing that, indeed, there wasn't a single light on inside, wich was..... odd.....
He knew they were home, it was barely after nine, they couldn't already be asleep could they?
Maybe they were upstairs doing something..... else....
He shuddered at the thought, but carefully closed the door behind him, toeing off his shoes so that he could make lighter, quieter footwork, and taking a few steps towards the staircase as he slid the lockpick back into his pocket, eyes narrowing, his hand gripping the rail, when suddenly there was a sharp stinging pain in the back of his neck
Quickly, he tried to turn, only for a hand to come across his mouth, a cloth pressed over it, the smell of chloroform entering his nose, and before he could possibly fight back-.....
Lights out
~+~
"-oo mu-... or i-... overdi-... don-..... ink so-....."
"I don't think I overdid it at all,"
Groaning, the voices began to become louder and clearer, his head spinning a little, Nikki tried to move, to shift a little, but.... he was totally paralyzed....
"Ah there you are,"
Glancing up as much as he could, he glared (or tried to glare) at Angel's little guard dog, the sick, twisted grin on his face the only thing that Nikki could truly see in the moment
"That chloroform wore off pretty quickly, good thing I had the forethought to go ahead and paralyze you hm?" he purred, eyes gleaming with excitement
"Don't worry, the doxacurium will only be lasting a little over an hour longer, but luckily for you, I had the forethought to have several vials on backup, so if you start feeling it wear off before I'm finished with you, I'll just give you another dose,"
Sauntering forward a step, Alastor grabbed Nikki by the hair, yanking his head back and unintentionally giving him a veiw of a slightly unnerved, sickened looking Angel lingering just behind the shorter man
"Doxacurium.... one of the drugs used in executions, did you know? Oh but it isn't the pain reliever, just the paralytic, so... you won't be able to move at all, but... you will be able to feel every. last. BIT. of what I have in store for you!! Nerves... are a fascinating part of the brain and body, don't you think?" he cooed, giving Nikki's cheek a rough, taunting pinch, the sensation made only worse by the feeling of the latex gloves against Nikki's skin
Dropping his head suddenly, Alastor moved a step back, adjusting the black gloves adorning his hands before leaning against the dishwasher, as if preparing to torture a man in his kitchen was just a regular Friday night for him- and honestly, with what Nikki knew, it probably was
"I do find lethal injection distastefull, as a matter of fact, I'm against the death penalty, I think it's crude and cruel and most often falls into the valley of miscarriages of justice, but... it has made it a little easier to get the doxacurium, though Georgia doesn't use it so I still had to have it delivered... oh well,"
"Al," Angel huffed quietly from behind him, clearly far more impatient than his partner
"Enough of the dog and pony show,"
"Whaaaat? I'm just having a little fun~" Alastor practically beamed, turning towards his partner and immediately letting the smile drop from his face, the look Angel was giving him was enough to sober him up, despite how badly he still wanted to ride the thrill of the hunt
Sighing quietly, he reached out, taking his lover's hand and pulling him closer, pressing their foreheads together and wispering something to Angel that Nikki couldn't quite hear, but whatever it was, it seemed to put the blonde more at ease
"You.... should go ahead nextdoor darling, I don't want you to see this,"
Angel took a breath, slow and deep, rolling his shoulders and swallowing hard
"....What're you gonna do to 'im?"
"...Do you really want to know?"
"No, but.... but I-... I need to know,"
Angel had been firm about not letting Alastor kill him, even if Angel himself had no emotional attachment left for his brother, their sister certainly did, and she would find out much sooner than later that something terrible had befallen Nicholas, Angel.... couldn't let that happen
He couldn't put her through that greif, knowing that he was the one who caused it, even if indirectly
But Angel was also far from stupid, if Nikki had come looking to kill them- and given the bag that they had confiscated upon nocking him out, there was no doubt in that at all- then Angel couldn't just let that ride either
Something had to be done, but.... what?
Alastor hadn't been all that clear when he had said the day before that he would "handle it"
Angel had been avoiding asking to this point but... that avoidance couldn't last much longer
"....Quintuple amputation,"
Angel balked, jerking back with horror
"...Y-You.... you're gonna-?!? ...Wait, ain't 'quint' five? What else would you cut of-.... oh.... god, fuck, Alastor, you're not cuttin' off his dick!"
Nikki felt a bead of sweat roll down the side of his face
"....I was thinking tongue, but I suppose I ought to say 'sextuple' then-"
"No," Angel protested quickly
"No, no, nope, you are not-... no!"
"Why not? This beast aims to have you dead, he's lucky enough you're letting him live at all,"
"Because I-... because no!"
"Not a very convincing argument," Alastor teased, earning a sharp glare in response
Eek, maybe he had overstepped..?
"Alastor, he may be a sack of shit but he still has to be half-ass presentable to my sister! If you go full Hannibal on him-"
"Oh I wouldn't eat such rotten meat, it'd be uncouth-"
"Alastor. LE'REY. DEVILLE."
Alastor growled lowly in his throat, but he sounded more like a chastised puppy than a roaring creature of danger
....And this was what Nikki had been so afraid of all this time?
...
No, more tragically, this was what had gotten the best of him?
Fuck...
"You're not cuttin' off all his parts!"
"...You would be upset with me if I said I'd leave him his cock, wouldn't you?"
"YES,"
Alastor only sighed, CLEARLY put out, and leaned up against the counter behind him
"What is your suggestion then?"
"I-... I dunno... break some bones?"
Alastor gave his partner a flat look, completely unimpressed, before leaning forward, pulling Angel into a gentle hug
"Come now, you can do better than that cher, I know who you really are,"
"....He's still my brother Al.... and..... and I still gotta be carefull 'cause o' Mol...."
Alastor wasn't sure how much of that was true- or perhaps better worded, he wasn't sure how much of that was accurate
How much of Angel's hesitation really came from his own attachment to Nicholas? How much came from wanting to preserve their brother for Molly's sake? How much of it was grounded in something else that either hadn't been brought up at all or that, maybe, Alastor was just.... incapable of understanding?
He wasn't sure, and if he was being completely honest, he didn't need to be
He didn't need to understand the reason behind it, what mattered was that this was personal to Angel and it should ultimately be up to Angel to decide the parameters of his brother's punishment
.....
But.....
Alastor still couldn't risk letting him off too easily
He was a threat- and Alastor needed to eliminate that threat
It was one thing to say Angel should decide a consequential punishment, it was another entirely to give him the reins to preventing future incidents if Angel wasn't going to properly do so
It was a fine line to walk, but Alastor needed to make sure his toes stayed perfectly flat against it
"I understand," he promised gently, giving his partner's hand a tight, adoring squeeze
"But Angel, he aimed to kill us, you can't take that as lightly as you're wanting to, this isn't reprimanding a child, it's eliminating a threat,"
Angel looked away, lips pressed into a thin line as Alastor sighed, shifting a little and moving to place a hand on his lover's lower back
"....When..... I was a child.... my mother found a nest of baby snakes in the yard, we lived in an area that was prone to Cottonmouths and.... when my mother saw them, she.... worried that that was what they were, she..... got rid of them... on sight,"
Angel flinched, staring up at Alastor with a look of twisted pain on her face
Angel wasn't exactly a snake person, but... but still......
"Oh she felt horrible," he continued, shifting with his own discomfort
"But they were right outside our door, and she was afraid of what would happen to me if she let them grow into adulthood,"
"...Were they... even Cottonmouths...?"
Alastor shrugged, trying his best to look indifferent
"Who knows? I never found out, I don't know Mama ever did either, I don't think she wanted to know.... she never wanted me to know about that story either but when I was a teenager she...."
He paused, taking a few deep breaths, clearly starting to fall towards his typical level of discomfort when discussing his mother- Angel was honestly shocked he'd made it this far
"She decided to tell me, so that I would understand how important it was.... to..... do things, that.... sometimes aren't very nice, but.... are very necessary.... would you even believe me if I said I used to have a hard time dealing with the concept of necessary evils?"
"'Course I would," Angel said effortlessly, wich took Alastor by a great deal of genuine surprise
"Al.... underneath all the murder and cannibalism and lack of social skills..... you've got a real big, soft heart, you're like a lil' baby deer in there, 's'why I like callin' ya' Bambi, ofcourse you weren't always able to pull the trigger,"
.....
Alastor hadn't expected the tables to turn and end up being the one to feel so suddenly emotional.....
He needed to pivot before things got even more sensitive
"...My point, darling, is that you're seeing this snake for the helpless infant he is now, tied up and drugged in our kitchen, one of your rare remaining blood relatives who you maybe have an emotional connection to even if you keep saying you don't- but I am seeing him for the Cottonmouth he'll grow up to become and I will not let you be bitten by him in the future,"
Taking Angel's hand again, he delicately kissed his partner's fingers, pressing them up against his cheek in a mark of affection
"You don't have to be part of this mon sucrette, you can go on nextdoor and leave it to me,"
The offer, Angel had to admit, was tempting....
But he ultimately shook his head, taking a deep, shaking breath and squeezing his eyes shut
"....No..... no.... I mean, I will, but just.... not yet, I can't let you make this decision by yourself, if you go too far I'll never forgive myself,"
"And if I don't go far enough, I will never forgive myself," Alastor pointed out gently
".....Then it sounds like we gotta try harder to compromise," Angel said softly, earning a nod in response
".....I still ain't gonna let ya' go cuttin' shit off, so.... how about.... ya' break his legs?"
Alastor gave her an unimpressed- if significantly more pitying- look
"Sweetheart, you might as well just give him the gun and a running start- no," he corrected
"How about I break both legs, cut off his hands but leave his arms, break his ribs, and cut out his tongue?"
"...That in zero ways sounds better than your last suggestion,"
"Oh I beg to differ!! There are many ways that I've given mercy to the-........ man...... in this new scenario!!"
Angel only shook his head, completely unimpressed
"Break his legs, one hand, and nock out a few teeth,"
"He can do alot with one hand cher- both legs, both hands, ribs, tongue,"
"Both legs, a few fingers, two ribs," Angel compromised
"Both legs, both hands, half of his ribs, tongue,"
It was slow, but atleast it was going somewhere
"Ya' ain't breakin' both his hands Al, the guy's gotta have somethin' goin' for 'im in the realm of like.... pissin' on his own an' shit,"
"That's what live-in nurses are for,"
"Nope, not givin' 'im a fuckin' BLESSING like a live-in nurse thanks,"
Alastor.... could actually see where he was coming from if he stopped to think about it for a moment.....
But still
"....Both legs, one hand, five fingers, four ribs, tongue,"
"Both legs, one hand, three fingers, three ribs,"
"Add the tongue and you have yourself a deal cher,"
"Christ almighty, what is it about you an' wantin' to cut his tongue out?"
"So that he can't call for backup,"
Angel's shoulders lowered, a look of realization flittering across his face as Alastor continued
"Unfortunately cher, your brother has quite an army at his disposal- he won't for long, believe me, but in the mean time he could call for them at any moment and have them here in a flash, not only at our doorstep, but to aid him as well, if I destroy his phone he won't be able to text them, but if he can still speak, he can use any phone to call them, without a tongue however, he'll lose any ability he has to communicate with his lackies, allowing us more than enough time to accomplish our goal of dismantling the mob, long before he can contact them for help,"
Alastor..... was right
If Nikki could still speak, he could easily bark an order at someone somewhere to call one of his favorite goons, explain the situation, and before they knew it, send a small army to Angel and Alastor's doorstep, not to mention pick Nikki up and nurse him back to health wile plotting their next attack
When Alastor had initially explained the situation to Angel the day before- that there was a strange car that had been parked outside for two days, that he'd traced the license plate and found it registered to a fake name in New York, their plan of attack- or, more like defense, Angel supposed- had relied heavily on Alastor calling in a favor with some "freinds" of his to remove Nikki's backup from play, because leave it to Alastor to have connections with the fucking yakuza and trade them a prime powerplay opportunity for their help in wrecking the Salvatore crime family
Because that was where the threat really was- Nikki wasn't much without the rest of the family to back him up, get rid of the mob and you get rid of the mobster, but the yakuza are smart, the oyabun of the family had been firm in his decision not to strike until a few days after Nikki had been removed from play, that would give him and his family adequate time to plan rather than going in guns blazing
But if Nikki called for backup before the yakuza got the chance....
Taking in a deep, deep breath, Angel rocked back on the balls of his feet, squeezing his eyes shut as his stomach churned
Could he..... really do this?
Could he really just let Alastor cut out his brother's tongue?
He felt sick just thinking about it, even with the fact that Nikki was clearly there to kill him.... he was still Angel's brother.....
"...Angel dear, not to rush you... but...."
"I know I know," Angel said quickly, bracing himself against the counter behind him and glancing at Nikki, just for a moment, before looking back at Alastor, shifting uncomfortably and wringing his hands
"....What if you wire his jaw shut? Same results, just.... not so permanent,"
Or ghastly
....
Arguably
"I'm.... not an orthodontist dear, I don't think I have the skills for that, or the tools," Alastor prefaced carefully
Angel bit down on the tip of his tongue, looking more and more distressed by the moment
"...Al...c'mon.... isn't... isn't there some way? I mean, ya' ain't wrong but.... but.... he's still my brother, and... and cuttin' out his tongue-"
"Is the safest option," Alastor concluded
...
He wasn't wrong
"You wanted me to keep him alive, mon cherie, I'm doing that, but I'm not going to put your life at risk for it, would you prefer if I gave him a quick death? I can make it painless,"
There was a little glimmer of "I can, but I won't" in his voice, but Angel knew if he asked, Alastor wouldn't really have a problem with a painless death
...
But....
"I... don't want to-.... Al, please, isn't there some way you can do this? Somebody you know maybe?"
Alastor took a deep, deep breath, glancing away, jaw set tight as his hands rested on his hips
"There.... is a small chance that I may know someone who can help," Alastor reasoned slowly, earning a sigh of releif from Angel
"BUT," he continued
"If it comes down to it, I will cut out his tongue to keep us safe, you have any my word that I will try my best to avoid that and try your first choice before I do, but-"
"I understand," Angel promised tightly, swallowing hard and glancing away
Alastor's jaw tightened, nose wrinkling and eyes narrowing as he gently cupped Angel's face and tilted it down
"Go nextdoor darling, try to rest and relax, I'll take care of things here,"
Angel wanted to protest, but....
"....Yeah ok,"
Alastor offered him a gentle smile, leaning up and giving him a loving kiss
"Go watch some Bluey with Blitz or something mon sucrette,"
"Yeah," Angel mumbled, wrapping his hand securely around Alastor's and giving it a little squeeze
"You sure you can do this by yourself Al?"
"Positive dear, you don't worry about a thing, alright?"
Nodding, Angel reluctantly pulled away, offering his lover one last glance before finally leaving the house
As soon as the door shut, Alastor's lips ticked up, a spark of joy flittering across his face as he made his way back to Nikki
"I love my Angel dearly," he hummed, picking up the hammer laying on the counter amidst a cloth full of tools
"Wich is why I'm going to deeply enjoy what comes next~"
~+~
"Thanks again for this Stol, I really appreciate it,"
"Oh sweetheart, ofcourse! You don't need to thank me! Family can be the worst.... and your brother calling you out of the blue to harass you.... I wish I could say I was surprised but I'm really not,"
Angel only nodded, but was mostly quiet, just hugging a pillow and absently staring at the TV screen
"Octavia dear, do we really need to watch Moana again? Aunt Angel doesn't feel very well and would probably-"
"Oh no no no no no, it's ok," Angel insisted quickly, sitting up a bit
"I'm good, I'm for it, we're shiny, let's go,"
Octavia, already in her pajamas, climbed out of the floor and onto the couch, right into Angel's lap
"'Cause you're shiny~" she sang, almost seeming placating, as Angel wrapped his arms around her, murmmering a soft "Mm-hm" that sounded barely present
For a few minutes, they were completely quiet, before Octavia suddenly reached up, gently patting Angel on the arm
"Auntie Angel? I'm really sorry your brother is so mean to you...."
"Y-Yeah.... me too kiddo," Angel wispered, hugging her back tightly
Angel... didn't know how to feel, everything ached, his stomach felt queasy, full of spiders crawling around, and yet somehow he was also.... numb, like he was having some sort of out of body experience, like... he was experiencing it but... not really? Like the entire thing was little more than a hallucination
Dissociating
That's what this was right?
Feeling something settle on his shoulder, Angel startled and glanced up at a concerned looking Stolas, who was offering him a cup of something
"Are you alright dear? You zoned out there for a bit,"
"...Oh.. yeah.... sorry," Angel mumbled, taking the cup and sipping it- ah... hot chocolate....
He glanced down to see if Octavia wanted a sip, only to find his lap surprisingly empty
"Oh... hey, where's Via?"
"She went to bed already darling,"
Angel frowned a bit, checking the clock and cursing under his breath, he'd lost thirty minutes huh...?
Fuck....
He wondered how far along Al was in his.... procedure...
"Why don't you come upstairs with me and relax hm? I think you'll feel much better,"
Angel, choosing not to even question it, just nodded, allowing Stolas to help him up and guide him up the stairs
"Where's Blitz anyhow?" he asked quietly, curiously
"On his way home, he had to drive to Alabama this morning,"
"Oh...." Angel mumbled, taking another sip of his hot chocolate
Stolas helped him to the top of the stairs, rubbing his back soothingly and steering him towards the bedroom
"What would you like to watch darling? Or perhaps would you prefer to listen to some music? Or-?"
"Um.... can we watch cartoons or somethin'?" Angel asked softly
"Ofcourse sweetheart!!" Stolas chirped, pulling back the blankets and gently ushering Angel to sit down
"Mm.... don't'cha gotta work? I'm not distractin' ya' am I?"
"Ofcourse not darling, don't you worry about that, I would be quitting around now anyway, it's getting rather late,"
Angel didn't question, it only giving a little nod in understanding
"Now what sort of cartoons would you like to see?"
....Good question.....
Angel didn't watch them that often anymore, when he was first stuck out on his own- well, when he was first stuck out on his own and had an apartment and a TV rather- he'd watched almost nothing but cartoons, Drag Race, and shitty reality fashion competitions, but it had been a long time since then, at some point he'd just.... stopped....
For a wile he barely watched any TV at all, he just kept it on for background noise sometimes wile he got high, or puked his guts up, or...
And then by the time he reached his peak of bad days he'd met Alastor, and his interests had shifted, Alastor didn't seem to like cartoons- hadn't at first anyway- so Angel just didn't really watch any, even when he was living on his own for that painfull six months, he had kept circling back to the things Alastor liked as a way to comfort himself, like he could pretend they were still living together if he kept the TV on shit like SAW and American Horror Story all the time, sometimes he went out of his way to look for things Alastor might like just to have an excuse to tell him to come over, he still hadn't actually told Alastor any of this, he didn't want his boyfreind to know just how much he had started to slink towards the cliff's edge of depression from living alone, worried that would only cause Alastor alarm and push him further away, cement his concerns that Angel had gotten far too attached and needed space to be his own person
Angel hated that thought, even now, even after months of pretending like he'd gotten used to it and been ok with it, but....
The point was, he hadn't watched cartoons in a wile, not other than Bluey, or having something on for background noise when Alastor was out of the house like Miraculous Ladybug, but.... he didn't think he could stand the loud noises and bright colors that stemmed from that at the moment, he needed something a little more subdued, something older and a bit quieter, like-
"Oh! Uh, hey, think we could watch Scooby Doo? One of the old movies like Zombie Island or somethin'?"
"You and Blitz share a taste, you know that?" Stolas laughed, walking over to a cabinet under the TV and shaking his head with clear fondness
"We just watched that very thing two nights ago, haven't even returned it to Via's room yet,"
"O-Oh... then... ya' don't have to-"
"No no I love it, it's Blitz's favorite, mine too, it makes you think of Alastor doesn't it? With all of the New Orleans background?"
"....Actually I hadn't even thought of that," Angel confessed as Stolas fetched the disc
"I just... always liked it as a kid,"
"Mm, I wonder if it's some sort of precognitive thing, like...you knew back then that New Orleans would have a connection to you, and that's why you got attached to it,"
"Maybe," Angel shrugged back, grabbing the pillow behind him and hugging it tightly as Stolas put the disc in, his eyes drooping a little
That feeling was back again- pain and numbness, somehow blending together, but....
The ads playing before the movie were so familiar, so reminiscent of his childhood, it was.... easier to focus on, to let himself get lost in nostalgia, rather than focus on that feeling
He just wanted to be lost for a wile
Stolas returned to his side, and without even thinking about it, Angel reached out, pulling him down and wrapping himself tightly around the silver-haired man
He needed to hold onto something- to someone- if he didn't....
His stomach churned, sank, he felt suffocated, this wanting to be lost... it was always he'd felt before he had taken a hit
He was doing so much better with not feeling this way lately, he didn't want to feel it again, he didn't want to crave again
There was a little tickle in the back of his head, an itch begging to be scratched, wispering for powder, begging for smoke, desperate for the needle
Anything would settle it, the voice tempted
It didn't have to be PCP
Stolas probably had booze somewhere right? Or sleeping pills? Sleeping pills sounded so good.....
He shook his head, squeezing a little tighter and trying to focus on the movie, had it started yet? He was zoning out,he couldn't focus...
"Angel?"
Startling, he looked up, a pair of red-copper eyes, warm and full of compassion, staring back down at him
"Sweetheart, did you ever like coloring books when you were a child?"
"....Yeah...? I mean, I was never obsessed with 'em or anything but.... they were alright....."
Smiling, Stolas shifted out of Angel's arms for a moment, stepping over to the cabinet again and pulling it open- grabbing a couple of adult coloring books and a large box of professional colored pencils
"I know this sounds a little silly but... I think this might help you take your mind off of things,"
He was right- it did sound a little silly....
But Angel had blindly followed much stranger ideas from Alastor and they'd usually worked, so why not give it a try?
Smiling tiredly, he held his hand out for the pencils
"Can I have the witchcraft one?"
"Oh absolutely," Stolas beamed back, handing it over and taking the astrology one for himself
"Blitz has been coloring in that one recently,"
"Oh yeah? Didn't know Blitz was much of a-.... oh...."
Angel had to bite down on a laugh when he opened the book
Yep, it was Blitz's handiwork alright
There was quite clearly effort put into it, but the colorings were outside the lines and more than a little messy
It was cute, charming, and brought just a little bit of warmth and light to Angel's heart, diminishing the ache just a little bit
"Oh yes he's quite artistic," Stolas mused as he flipped open his own coloring book
"I was surprised too but he seems to be very fond of doodling and coloring,"
"Ya' know so is Al, I wonder if it's an autistic thing," Angel mused, grabbing a couple of pencils
"We should have like, a colorin' sleepover someday,"
"Ohhh, that sounds like so much fun!" Stolas chirped
"We'll have pizza and pajamas and watch cartoons, it sounds like a blast and a half!"
"Add a pillow fort and you've got a Little's fuckin' dream," Angel snickered, earning a confused look from Stolas
"A what now?"
"Oh... uh, nothin', I'll explain it later," Angel shrugged back, moving a little bit closer as Stolas pressed "play" on the DVD, leaning his head against Stolas's shoulder
"....Thanks for this Stol,"
"Ofcourse dear," Stolas smiled gently, giving him a little kiss on the head
"It's what I'm here for,"
~+~
"Jesus Christ, Stol!!! You've got no idea what I've just been through!" Blitz called, sighing as he trudged up the stairs, rubbing his face tiredly
"You are not gonna FUCKING believe what Fizz-..."
Pausing, he tilted his head, surprised to see Angel snuggled up with his boyfreind and... coloring...?
"Oh hey Ang, you ok...?"
"Yeah, uh-"
"Angel's brother contacted him out of the blue to harass him," Stolas huffed with obvious irritation
"Ohh...."
"So he's understandably a bit upset,"
"Understandably," Blitz agreed slowly, moving closer and sliding into bed next to them, eyes narrowed and jaw tense
"And.... where is Al?"
"Home, takin' care of... a work thing...."
Ah... Blitz understood
"He almost done?"
Angel only gave a little shrug in response
"Don't know, he started a couple hours ago so... I hope so,"
Blitz only nodded, climbing into bed and snuggling up against Angel's other side, earning a weak little smile in response
"Hey, Scoob! Awesome! You wanna watch Witch's Ghost next Angie?"
Angel nodded quickly, giving a slight little chuckle
"He already suggested that as a matter of fact,"
"Ah, look at us, on the same wavelength," Blitz chuckled, glancing down at the book Angel was coloring in
"Hey, is that the witchcraft book I was coloring?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry, I didn't-"
"No it's fine! I think it's great! Now it'll have some of me and some of you, like a cute couples thing,"
"Ya' think so?" Angel chirped shyly
"Fuck yeah I think so! In fact, ya' know what we should do? We should get a coloring book that all four of us work in, it'll be like a scrapbook of our relationship but like, through avant garde dogs or somethin'!"
"Oh I love that idea!!" Stolas gasped with clear excitement, lighting up like a Christmas tree
"That does sound pretty great," Angel agreed with a grin, feeling lighter and better than he had all day, wich wasn't by alot admittedly, but it was something
"Then it's settled, Stol, you'll find one for us right?"
"Yes!" Stolas agreed eagerly
"Perfect, then in the mean time, Ang, you keep that one, and I'll get the horror anime one I bought last week," Blitz concluded, sliding out of bed to get the aforementioned book
"Sure," Angel nodded, feeling a wave of ease fall over him
"Sounds good to me,"
~+~
So this was the place huh?
Turning off the engine, Alastor pocketed his keys and got out of the car, approaching the storage unit and giving three taps on the door as previously instructed
Surely enough, moments later, the door was raised, a rather displeased looking woman, a good head or so taller than Alastor with flowing white hair and a complexion about three shades darker than Alastor's, standing before him
"Ah, good to see you again-!"
"The pleasure is not mine," the woman interrupted quickly
"Let me make something clear to you Alastor, I'm here to repay my debt to Zestiel and get him off of my back once and for all, we don't all like being on a leash like you do,"
"You think I enjoy being in debt to Papa Z?" Alastor huffed, nose wrinkling
"Why else would you accumulate so much of it?" the woman huffed back, earning a glare in response
"Are you still holding that old grudge from years ago? Or is this distaste towards me given tonight's circumstances?"
"Both," she replied dryly
"In case I haven't made it clear yet Alastor, I don't like you or what you do, my prior enlistment of your services was-"
"Abundant,"
"Necessary, but what you're asking me to do tonight is just cruel,"
"Oh trust me dear," Alastor cackled coldly
"This is mercy.... now then!! Where shall I leave him, Sera?"
~+~
"Angel?"
Perking in damn near euphoria, Angel dropped his pencil and jumped over Blitz, hurrying to give Alastor the world's tightest hug
"Oh my, someone sure is happy to see me," he chuckled fondly as he returned the hug
"Ofcourse I am dimwit! Sei ancora la mio persono preferito..."
"Mmm.... you too angelito mio," he cooed back, kissing his cheek sweetly before turning his attention to Stolas and Blitz
"Thank you both for taking care of him during this difficult emotional time,"
"Ofcourse dear, you two are our partners, you don't need to thank us," Stolas insisted sweetly
"Still..." Angel mumbled
"No, not 'still', you're our's now bitch, get used to it," Blitz interrupted
"Pft, yes Sir," Angel teased
"OOoh, call me that again, I like it~" Blitz teased back
"Maybe later cowboy," Angel chuckled back, practically hanging on Alastor like a little sloth
"I think Angel needs to go home and get a bit of a break from people," Alastor noted, an arm wrapped tightly around his lover's waist
"What, you're not 'people'?" Blitz grinned playfully, already knowing the answer- or atleast thinking he did, before watching in slight discomfort as Alastor's grin widened, a strange little glimmer of joy flickering in his eyes
"No, I'm not,"
.....
Ok, that was fucking weird-
"Anyway, we'll see you two tommorrow morning before the party,"
Angel's expression of ease suddenly dropped, not that anyone seemed to notice now that their attention was on Alastor, but..... shit.... he had forgotten about Octavia's birthday being the next fucking day-
"We'll get out of your hair now," Alastor added, gently nudging Angel towards the door
"Ofcourse, don't worry about a thing, you just get some rest sweetheart," Stolas called with a little wave as Alastor pulled his boyfreind down the hall
"Y-Yeah, thanks guys!" Angel called back over his shoulder, pale as a ghost as he followed Alastor like a puppy on a leash
Fuck fuck fuck.... he didn't have the emotional stamina to go to fucking Walmart right now, how the hell was he going to get through a kid's birthday party...?
"Angel dear?" Alastor cooed, quickly getting his lover's attention as they made their way out of the house and across the yard
"Y-Yeah...?"
"You seem very unwell,"
"....I feel very unwell," Angel agreed quietly, licking his dry lips, wondering at what point that day he had forgotten to put on lip gloss
"...Would you like me to help you feel better?"
"Yes,"
It wasn't even a question, the moment the words were out of Alastor's mouth, Angel was answering
"Yes, please Al, I... I really.... fuck, I don't care what ya' have to do ok? Just.... I feel really..... fuck.... I need this to go away, I... I started havin' that itch earlier? Before Blitz got back? Ya' know-"
"To use,"
"Yeah...."
Angel paused, taking a shaky breath as Alastor's grip on his hand tightened, leading him into their yard
"And I just feel so.... so guilty and depressed and anxious.... and... and I don't think I can get through some.... fuckin'.... social thing tommorrow like this, 'specially not with kids ya' know? Can you help? ..Please?"
"Darling, you didn't even need to ask," Alastor insisted softly, pulling Angel to a stop on the porch and giving him a soft, chaste kiss, before opening the door and ushering him inside
Everything looked.... almost disturbingly normal
The chair in the middle of the kitchen was back at the table where it belonged, the lights were off, everything was clean but not in that creepy, sterile way that always reeked of evidence disposal, it looked hauntingly like it had the day before, just..... clean, but still casually lived in
In fact, it looked so normal, that for a breif moment, Angel wondered if he had just hallucinated the entire thing, had Nikki ever been there at all? Had any of this shit even happened?
Alastor gave him a little nudge towards the stairs, silently trying to move him away from the kitchen, wich was the only confirmation he needed to know that yes, indeed, it had
"Shoes off lovebird," Alastor instructed softly, gently nudging Angel to sit down on the steps and taking his boots off for him
"Do you trust me, mon sucrette?"
"Ofcourse I do Al," Angel answered quickly, watching him with... the same kind of unyeilding, unwavering trust that a child had for their parent, that a follower had for their prophet, that was so easy utterly impossibly to blemish but so cruelly easy to break
Alastor cupped his face gently, smoothing his thumb across Angel's cheek and watching his eyes dilate a little, lids falling a bit
Alastor could have him under his full control with a wisper, it would have been terrifying if it weren't for the fact that it was a two-way street
For as blindly as Angel trusted Alastor, Alastor trusted him just the same
"Let's go upstairs doll, we're going to have a nice warm bath ok?"
"Mm-hm..." Angel nodded simply, fingers curling around his partner's again as he followed his lover up the stairs, allowing Alastor to undress him in the laundry bay and toss the dirty clothes into the hamper before leading him to the bathroom
"I'm going to put you under a nice hypnosis alright? Get some of this emotional weight off of your shoulders, is that ok darling?"
Angel gave a quick nod, leaning down to snuggle his partner a little as they walked
"Can you... make it go away?"
Alastor's lips ticked up into the softest little smile, brushing his thumb along Angel's bottom lip and leaning up to give him a soft kiss
"I think so.... will you trust me dearest?"
"...Always," Angel wispered back, allowing Alastor to guide him as he started the water, then gently helped Angel into the tub, gently pushing him down to settle into the water as the tub began to fill
Humming softly under his breath, he stroked Angel's hair for just a moment before standing up, rolling up his sleeves and grabbing some candles from the cabinet under the sink, lighting them and placing them delicately around the room, just enough to give it a little light, without potentially overwelming Angel's senses
He made sure only one of the candles was scented- a light strawberry fragrance his lover enjoyed, not enough to overwelm, but enough to set the mood
Settling back on the floor by the tub, he grabbed a washcloth from the bowl in the corner and folded it neatly, pressing it over Angel's eyes and tugging him down a little, more laying than sitting now, as Alastor's warm hands wandered along Angel's upper arms and shoulders, his humming becoming a bit louder, before it turned into a soft, quiet song
"Des yeux qui font baisser les miens, un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche,"
Angel's body lost any tension, sinking like a weight in the ocean as Alastor's fingers traced softly over the blonde's collarbone, traveling up the apple of his throat with tenderness
"Voilà le portrait sans retouche, de l'homme auquel j'appartiens,"
With a soft kiss punctuating his lover's cheek, Alastor's fingers continued their ascent, tracing along Angel's lips, the blonde's eyes fluttering as Angel's head tilted back with only the tiniest bit of pressure, allowing Alastor to carefully pull the cloth back and confirm that Angel's eyes were still closed
"Quand il me prend dans ses bras, il me parle tout bas..."
With great care and gentleness, he peeled back one of Angel's eyelids, confirming that he was quite truly out of it
Sweet creature, he didn't even get to the chorus yet....
~+~
Angel felt.... soft..... warm.....
The world around her was so gentle and....
And yet....
There was something else.....
Sitting up carefully, she pursed her lips, finding herself in a strangely empty room
Well, maybe "empty" wasn't the right word for it- the room was actually pretty full, the bed was incredibly soft and there were stuffed animals stacked up everywhere, so comforting and peacefull, so.....
...
Something wasn't right though....
"...Alastor?" she called, realizing with despair that she was alone
"....Al....?"
The room was dark- not an uncomfortable dark, quite the opposite actually, the room was very comfortable, part of her just wanted to clutch her pillow close and go back to sleep, but there was this other part... this... pounding, aching, hyper alert part that wouldn't let her
It was burried deep, under the heavy curtain of sleep and peace, but it was there
"Al...?" she repeated to the darkness, as if expecting him to just.... show up all of a sudden
Pursing her lips, she climbed out of bed, her feet covered in cute ballerina-esque slippers, but they weren't actual ballet slippers, just... costume imitations- all of the cuteness, none of the rigidity
She swallowed hard, reaching out for the door and pausing as her fingers wrapped around the handle
"Don't go," a familiar voice wispered to her
"Stay here, it's safe here, stay..."
"But I-....... I don't..... wanna be alone...." she argued back, just as quietly, as she carefully pulled the door open and stepped out of the room, finding herself immediately in front of a mirror
She was wearing a dress she knew she didn't own, white and soft pink in one of those fancy lolita styles, full of lace and innocence, with decorations in her hair and a bow around her neck, she looked like a porcelain doll- but not in a bad way, not in the way she always used to hate looking like a doll for.... what was his name again? She couldn't really remember....
She liked being this kind of doll
She liked being Alastor's doll
She never felt like she was being used like this, or ogled at, or made into something she wasn't, or fantasized, or sexualized, or forced to be something she had never wanted to be to begin with
She just felt...... delicate
Padding softly around the corner, she glanced around the house- an old Victorian mansion she knew wasn't where she really lived... but... also sort of felt like it was?
She was familiar with it at this point, she stayed here sometimes
The floors creaked under the weight of her feet, her voice echoed through the otherwise empty house as she called for her partner, she felt safe here.... but she wanted Alastor
Suddenly, out of nowhere, thunder cracked outside- loud enough to shake the house, loud enough to ache her head, she winced and covered her eyes as lightning flashed, a headache was brewing and she felt suddenly dizzy
"Al...?" she called, a little louder now, less out of innocent wandering, more out of sincere distress
"Alastor?!"
Lightning flashed again, and the house was suddenly different
It was all the same but..... but..... not...
The darkness was no longer inviting, it felt cold and frightfull instead
The creaking of the floorboards didn't put her at ease anymore, it sent pinpricks of anxiety shooting through her bones
The large grandfather clock down the hall didn't chime with a soothing boom like it usually did, instead it was an out-of-tune clang that made her ears ring
She spun around, heart clenching as the soft colors and lacy, old timey decor began to take a more cryptic, creepy aura to it
The colors bled into darker tones, pastel pinks and creamy whites sinking into bloody reds and ichor blacks, the lace no longer looked soft and innocent, but now more like meshes of spider webs, porcelain dolls that had looked sweet and teddy bears that had seemed wonderous turned to creepy antiques and even the curtains, that had before seemed to be keeping her snug safe inside the house, now were billowing around her, threatening to let the storm in
"Alastor?!?!"
And then-.....
It was all dark
"Oh sweetheart, how did you get down here?"
Angel blinked, her mind fuzzy, full of radio static as she looked around her, the mansion- both it's wonders and it's horrors- gone for now, her kitchen was before her, plain and.... and....
"Did you start to come up a bit in your sleep?"
Alastor...
She glanced down at him, blinking, nodding slowly
Come up..... yes?
Yes
She was coming out of something, a fog, a haze, she kind of....
There was a pain in her head, an ache in her heart, she wanted to go back....
"Ah.... well, that's not going to do, come on sweetheart, let's go back to bed, I'll put you back under so you can sleep,"
Sleep... had she been asleep?
Sleep
The false memory of that warm place in her mind, where everything was warm and peacefull and pleasant, where she could sleep in peace with her partner untethered to the crueler world around them, practically begged her to return, but.... she didn't know how
"Come on," Alastor urged gently again, giving her a little tug as her bare feet fell into natural step, letting him guide her back up the stairs
"I don't..... what did....?"
"Shh, try not to think, you'll feel better in the morning," Alastor insisted softly, his voice so kind and warm and sure... and yet.... underneath, there was something else, something almost..... commanding.....
Like he wasn't predicting she would feel better in the morning, but instructing her to feel better in the morning
"...Headache...." she mumbled, letting her head fall against his shoulder as they walked
"I'm so sorry little lamb, that will fade in a moment, I promise,"
She didn't question him, she never did when her mind was so..... off.... like this.....
Instead she just let him guide her back to bed, push her down gently and cup her face, staring at her with love and adoration as the headache intensified
"Relax mon cherie... close your eyes, we weren't finished yet,"
Finished with... what...?
"Des yeux qui font baisser les miens, un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche,"
Oh.......
Her eyes fell shut, her headache vanished, and when she opened her eyes again, she was back where she wanted to be, in that gentle, soft place, warm in bed with her lover beside her, stroking her hair and singing to her so very sweetly
Yes, she thought as she listened to her lover's song
She very much suspected that she would feel better in the morning