Work Text:
It had been a long day. Scratch that– it had been a long week. A long month– long year , even. As you fumbled for your apartment key you lightly cursed under your breath, finally untangling the metal from its brethren and exhaustedly opening the door. You locked it behind you, walking with purpose towards your room before hesitating a moment. The soft sound of a familiar voice hummed from within.
You knew he’d be in there. In all honesty it was part of why you came home. Although, now, as you stood in front of your bedroom door you wondered if this was really what you needed. He could be a bit… unpleasant at times. Perhaps he would take this opportunity to push you even further into your misery. It sure seemed like something he might do. A little game is all it would be to him. God, he was a prick.
Even still, some part of you managed to find comfort in his presence. You had managed to somehow accidentally summon him from Hell, thus he had been essentially stuck with you until you figured out how to send him back. It had only been smart to try getting along with him since he’d be spending an unusual amount of time with you for the foreseeable future. On occasion you found yourself watching him as he reclined in your desk chair, head tilted back with a lazy smile as he hummed along to the radio you’d bought him. He hadn’t been pleased to discover the “drivel that tainted the airwaves these days”, but luckily you were able to connect it to your laptop via bluetooth and set him up with a 24/7 classic jazz station. That seemed to make him happy. He was clearly listening to it now as his static-y voice hummed along with the tune. It seemed he was in a good mood. Maybe he’d be nice today.
You finally gave the door a careful knock, calling out softly to him through the wood. “Alastor? Am I good to come in?” His quiet humming stalled for a bit as you spoke. A moment passed before he responded, “Go ahead, dear.” You attempted to ignore the pleasant warmth that trickled into your heart at his voice. You knew he didn’t mean anything when he called you ‘dear’ or ‘darling’ , but it still made your pulse quicken. Curse him and his casual terms of endearment.
Pushing aside the pang of resentment mixed with longing, you nudged open the door. As usual, Alastor was sitting at your desk beside the little radio as music softly flowed from the speaker. He flashed you a chipper smile as you entered, one long leg crossed over the other as he rested his staff against the desk. It was essentially useless in this realm, acting more as a reminder of what he was trying to get back than anything.
“Anything useful in those books yet?” You knew what the answer would be before you asked, and yet it was routine at this point. Every now and then you’d check out whatever books you could find at the library on Satanism or Witchcraft– or anything occult really –hoping that Alastor could figure something out from there using his firsthand knowledge of Hell. Well– kind of hoping. Part of you didn’t really want him to leave. The company was nice, and having someone who was stuck with you made it so there was no fear of him leaving. If he was already sick of you, what did it matter? At least he was still there, even if he was annoying. And rude. And rather cruel, at times…
“Nothing yet,” he shook his head, still smiling. “You’ll be the first to know when my luck changes, dear.” A quiet chuckle followed his words as he glanced back towards the desk, one of the books still opened atop it.
You nodded at him before turning to your bed, throwing your work bag down and flopping face-first onto the blankets. The sound of static emanated from your demonic roommate as he tilted his head in your direction.
“Tired?” His voice had a hint of mischief to it as he eyed your collapsed form. All you could muster for a response was a quiet grunt, the stress of everything weighing down on you as you sunk into the plush fabric of your comforter. Another soft laugh carried through the air, a slight gravely texture to it as Alastor’s voice dropped a bit lower than usual. Was he trying to be quieter? That was… surprisingly considerate of him.
“Something the matter, darling?” Alastor’s voice was soft as he asked the question, that mischievous tone still present all the same. “You’re peculiarly unresponsive,” he continued. “How ever will I talk your ear off if you’re barely even paying attention!”
You let out a quiet snort at that, slightly amused at his selfish spin on checking up on you. You couldn’t tell if he was genuinely interested or simply just wanted to talk as he normally liked to do when you came home. Said he missed getting to do his broadcasts and that this was the next best thing. You were his wall to talk at.
“You don’t really care,” you mused, lifting your head just enough so that your speech wouldn't be muffled. “So why should I tell you?”
Alastor huffed a bit, putting a clawed hand to his chest in mock offense. The fabric of his red suit folded stiffly with his movement. “How do you know? Perhaps I’m genuinely asking!” His grin was enough to tell you he wasn’t, but you decided to entertain him all the same.
“Alright then,” you shot back, a dry smile tugging at the corner of your lips for a brief moment as you propped your head up. “Are you?” He threw his head back in a laugh, waving his hand dismissively at you. “ Heavens no, my dear,” he answered, still chuckling to himself. “What do you take me for?”
You let out a quiet sigh. Had part of you been holding onto the hope that he might’ve been serious…? God, you really were pathetic…
Alastor’s smile seemed to lose some of its jubilance as he followed your eyes, dropping towards the floor as your face fell back into a distant, melancholy expression. He cleared his throat, leaning forward in the chair towards you. “You’re welcome to tell me all the same,” he added softly. It still didn’t sound as if he cared. More likely he realized that he would be in for an unpleasant time himself if his roommate was so down in the dumps. Still… it was nice of him, you supposed.
A few moments of silence passed as you contemplated your choices. Either you bore your soul to a man who couldn’t care less, or you kept it bottled up even longer with no way to expel these feelings. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, as it were.
“Alright,” you sighed. “Not like I have anyone else to talk about it with.” Alastor hummed, seemingly amused by this admission.
With a quiet grunt you moved to sit up on the edge of your bed, keeping your gaze on the floor as you chose your next words carefully. The last thing you wanted was for this asshole to start making fun of you.
“Everything’s just… a lot right now,” you began. “Work is stressful, life is stressful, and– Hell, the only person I consistently talk to is… well, it’s you.” Another soft chuckle escaped from the demon, his red eyes trained on you. “What a truly awful fate,” he joked. “Having to talk to me .”
You looked up at him for the first time in a little bit. His smile was still present, resting on his lips as it always was. “That’s not the point,” you continued, brows furrowing as your thoughts raced. As everything crashed over you, you fought to maintain your composure. You didn’t want to get too worked up in front of him and start yelling– or even worse, crying .
“The point is that… I’m so alone that it hurts, and that combined with everything else going on is… well,” you looked back down, biting your tongue in an attempt to stop tears from welling in your eyes. “It’s too much,” you whispered. The room was quiet for another moment, save for the quiet jazz still playing through the speaker. “I don’t know how much longer I can take it,” you finished softly, still unable to meet his gaze despite it boring holes into you.
The awkwardness that followed your silence seemed to drag on for eternity. Neither of you moved for a while as the music droned on. At least the room wasn't dead quiet.
“I’m sorry,” you finally murmured, daring to glance back up at the demon. “I’m the reason you’re stuck here, I’m sure the last thing you want to hear about is my mental health.” Alastor was staring back at you, expression unreadable as his hands rested in front of his mouth, fingers interlocked as he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees.
“It’s quite alright, dear,” he finally responded, sitting back in the chair as he let his hands rest in his lap once more. “I suppose I did ask, though that was a bit more than I expected.” You let out a dry laugh in response, falling backwards into the blankets once more as your legs dangled off the edge.
The sound of your desk chair scooting backwards was swiftly followed by soft footsteps on the carpet as Alastor approached the bed. He sat down beside you before reaching out with a clawed hand and flicking your nose. You swatted his hand away, sputtering a bit before you shot out a surprised, “Hey! What’s your problem?!” Alastor chuckled a bit as you propped yourself up on your elbows, looking up at him in confusion.
“Stop being so miserable,” he shrugged, crossing his arms. “You’re no fun like this.”
You glared at him, eyes raking over his face as his expression remained as relaxed and jovial as always. What a prick.
“Gee, thanks,” you muttered dryly, rolling your eyes as you turned away from the tall demon. “Why didn’t I think of that?” With a huff you lay on your side. Your legs scrunched up to your chest as you cradled them, not wanting to look at his smug face a moment longer. Maybe coming home was a mistake…
After a moment you felt something gently brush over your shoulder, turning your head ever so slightly at the sensation. Alastor’s clawed hand was softly brushing hair away from your arm before it came to rest on the crest of your shoulder. Was it a trick of the light, or… had his gaze softened a bit…?
“I mean it,” he spoke softly. His eyes remained fixed on his hand, his lack of eye contact somewhat out of character for him. “You seem unwell. I don’t like it.”
What in the Hell did that mean?
His hand slowly dragged along your shoulder blade, a single red claw ever so delicately tracing a pattern over the fabric of your shirt as he absentmindedly stared down at his lap. “I may not enjoy the fact that I’m trapped here with you,” he continued quietly, smile still on his lips despite its now pensive appearance, “however, I do believe I’ve grown accustomed to it.”
You turned a bit more to face him, eyes squinted in confusion. What was he trying to say? It’s not like he cared .
…Did he?
“What,” you began, a slight scoff to your voice as your earlier annoyance tainted your tone. “You wanna help or something?” A dry laugh forced itself from between your lips as you watched something dance behind his eyes. His hand stuttered in its movements, claws going still against your back as he continued staring down for what felt like a few minutes. It was most likely no more than a moment or two, in reality.
Finally, he looked back to your face, once again making that burning eye contact he so loved to creep you out with. “Perhaps,” he replied, his voice still quiet. It was almost soft– kind , even. What a strange sound to hear from him… And his radio effect was practically gone, come to think of it.
“If it will bring you back to normal, ask of me what you need.” The words nearly felt like a sucker punch to your psyche. Had you heard him right? He was offering to help you?!
He chuckled a bit at what you assumed was the rather befuddled expression on your face. “Don’t take it as an ego boost, my dear,” he began, filter back on his voice as his smile returned to its usual fake-looking demeanor. “You are merely my only company for the foreseeable future. It would only be in my best interest for you to be as palatable to be around as possible,” he finished with a pat to your back.
You almost sighed as he pulled his hand away from you, bringing it to rest in his lap with the other. The soft sound of jazz still played in the background, lulling your mind into a sense of ease. Thoughts that whirred around your head began to calm as you pondered what the demon might be able to do to help, finally zoning in on something that hopefully wouldn’t be too objectionable.
“Alastor?” Your voice was quiet, nearly a whisper as uncertainty twisted your gaze. You turned around to face him fully, lying on your other side as your legs uncomfortably fell back over the side of the bed. He hummed in acknowledgement, quirking a brow as he tilted his head ever so slightly to the side. It mirrored that of a dog listening for a command. As if to prove that point, one of his ears twitched a bit. It was rather cute.
“I… I have an idea of a way you can help… If– of course, only if you want to.” He let out a soft chuckle, crossing his legs. “I’m all ears, darling. I did offer, after all. I’m a man of my word, you know!”
You smiled a bit at his returned enthusiasm even though you knew it was performative. It still made your heart flutter that he would want to help at all. Even if it was only for his own gain.
“Could you just… hold me? For a bit?” His eyebrows seemed to shoot up in confusion at that, smile widening with shock. “ Hold you?” He repeated the request, head cocking once more to the side as he stared at you. “What ever do you mean, dear?”
You stared at him for a moment, unable to fend off your own slight confusion. Was he joking? He had to know what you meant, right?
“Yeah,” you confirmed. “You know, like… like wrap your arms around me? I hesitate to use the word cuddle , but… You know…?” He stared at you for a bit longer. His expression didn’t change, and neither did his posture as his blank eyes gazed into your soul for a bit. The man seemed completely baffled by the idea, as if he couldn’t understand why anyone would want such a thing. It seemed a rather innocuous request, wasn’t it? You hadn’t expected it to be such an opposed idea. Perhaps you shouldn’t have said anything. Perhaps you should have just acted as if you were fine this whole time. What did he care how you were doing, anyhow? Again, perhaps you should have sat outside for a while before coming home. Or even just stay out of your room until your mood improved. Anything would have been better than the wide eyed stare you were faced with now.
But then he blinked. And he moved a hand from his lap again to rest on your shoulder, gently rubbing circles over it with his thumb.
“That’s really what you want, dear?” The question surprised you a bit. “Yeah,” you replied softly, staring up at him. It was impossible to tell if his expression was soft from kindness or relief. Maybe he wasn’t as put off by the request as it initially seemed. A quiet laugh sounded from him, his eyes shutting softly as the sound flowed smoothly from his throat. The filter was gone again. He sounded almost sweet like this…
“That’s really all, dearest?” He looked you over, rubbing his palm over your upper arm a bit. “I honestly don’t know what I expected,” he continued jovially, “but that certainly wasn’t it!”
You blinked up at him, unsure of what to say. You simply nodded to him, his smile looking almost warm as he let out another short chuckle. “Alright then,” he murmured gently, retracting his hand again and scooting back towards the headboard. He beckoned you over, opening his arms as he sat atop the comforter, legs slightly parted in a way that left you space to curl up against his chest in a way that was comfortable for the both of you.
Surprise lit up your face as you blinked up at him, unable to move for a bit. Really? It was that simple? He stared down at you, rolling his eyes a bit as he let out a huff. “ Now , before I change my mind,” he commanded. Although… his voice held a hint of endearment to it as he spoke.
Without any further dawdling, you crawled over to him. You slotted yourself between his thighs, sitting on your knees as you hesitated in front of him. His arms were outstretched, shaking a bit in a motion that practically yelled ‘hurry up before I regret this.’
You finally wrapped your arms around the stiff fabric of his suit, curling into his chest as your hands rested on his back. Thin arms closed around you as clawed hands gently traced along your spine. A relieved sigh escaped your lips as you gratefully nuzzled against the lapel of his suit. He was surprisingly warm, his arms making you feel secure as they lazily wrapped around your body. Fuck it– you knew it wasn’t true, but the way he held you made you feel loved for the first time in ages . You felt relief wash through your tensed muscles, the stress ebbing away for the first time in what was most likely years.
The gentle rumbling of Alastor’s voice buzzed against your cheek as he began to hum along to the tune of whatever old song was playing from his little radio. His voice was nearly angelic in that moment– at times it was hard to believe it belonged to such a powerfully wretched demon.
His claws ghosted along your back as he hummed, causing a shiver to run through your body at the touch. It was a wonder he had the ability to be so gentle, really. Though, you weren’t complaining. It was nice for a change. It had been ages since you had felt anything this pleasant…
“Thank you,” you managed to whisper against his shoulder, nuzzling your face into the padding beneath his suit. He smelled faintly of a forest at night just after a storm, the slightest hint of firewood mingling in alongside it. The scent was rather pleasant.
“Of course, darling,” his voice rumbled quietly, buzzing against your face as you remained pressed against him. “As I said,” he continued warmly, “I hate it when you’re no fun. It truly makes my days quite a bore, dear.” A chuckle shook his frame ever so slightly before he rested his chin atop your head, patting your back with a large hand. For a moment you stiffened at the suddenly affectionate movements, though it didn’t take long for you to melt into his touch. A smile spread across your face as you hummed softly, giving his torso a light squeeze.
“Feeling better now, darling?” His voice was slightly muffled by your hair as he murmured the words against your scalp. You were tempted not to answer– to drag this moment out for as long as you could –though after a moment of thought you finally replied.
“ Yes, but… Please don’t tell me you’re done so soon.” The desperation was practically visible in your words, your voice breathy as you almost begged to hold onto the moment. Well– more so to hold onto him .
He let out another soft chuckle as he gently ran his hand along your back, giving your side a gentle squeeze as he rubbed his cheek against your hair. “I had a feeling you’d say something like that,” he murmured quietly. He sounded so… different . It was probably all an act, sure, but that didn’t stop the butterflies from swirling around your chest as he spoke to you with that almost loving tone.
As you were lost in thought, you felt something you nearly assumed you had imagined. The light press of lips to the crest of your head was barely a memory by the time you registered that it had happened. Had it happened? Perhaps you had imagined it– but, no. No, it had to have occurred. You could feel the tip of his nose brush past your hair, his cheek nuzzling against you. And yet you dared not mention it. If he knew you’d noticed perhaps he’d throw you off him. If you questioned him it might put an end to the moment. Maybe even he himself hadn’t realized what he’d done.
Either way, you let yourself curl as close to his chest as possible, a long yawn drawing itself from your mouth. You felt a claw trace up your spine and twirl through a lock of your hair.
“Tired, dear?” The demon’s voice was soft, almost sounding sleepy himself. It sounded as if he were fighting off a yawn of his own. You nodded against him, eyes drifting shut as the exhaustion of your day slowly crept up on you now that you were finally relaxing.
“Do you wish to rest, then?” You knew if you said yes it would mean an end to the affection. Alastor didn’t sleep– you had never once seen him rest even for a nap. Maybe it was a demon thing? Or, hey, maybe he was just a freak. No matter what it was you knew that going to sleep would mean losing the only closeness you had felt in years.
You shook your head, arms tightening around him as your brows furrowed. Creases formed around your closed eyes as your face twisted into a worried frown. You clung to the demon as if he were your lifeline– a rather pathetic display, you were sure, and yet you were too tired and miserable to care.
Alastor sighed softly, adjusting his hold on you so that he could bring a hand to your chin and tilt it upwards. You forced your heavy eyelids to open in order to look up at him as he’d intended. “Did you only shake your head ‘No’ so I wouldn’t let go of you?” He sounded amused as he stared down at you, eyes half-lidded as his gaze was filled with the warmth one would hold when looking at a pet.
Reluctantly, you nodded, breaking eye contact as shame washed over you. How truly pathetic . And yet, as another sigh drifted from the demon’s lips you felt yourself being gently laid down on your side. Alastor, astoundingly , remained beside you as you hit the covers.
“May I get up for just a moment without you throwing a fit?” He chuckled a bit as he asked the question, clearly amused by how quickly you had gone completely docile in his arms. “Alright,” you croaked out, throat suddenly dry from exhaustion.
Alastor hummed triumphantly before pulling away from you, sitting at the edge of the bed as he kicked off his dress shoes. He stood, hooves padding against the carpet as he stepped towards your office chair– which might as well be his at this point. He unbuttoned his suit jacket and shrugged it off, draping it over the back of the chair before undoing his bowtie and resting it neatly atop the red fabric. A huff escaped him as he stretched his back out a bit, then his arms, and finally clasped his claws together and stretched them out to crack his knuckles.
Finally, he turned back to you and made his way back to the bedside. He delicately removed the monocle from his eye and placed it on the bedside table before reaching for the comforter. His claws grabbed the soft fabric, urging it out from beneath you before he crawled back in at your side. The thick cloth draped over the both of you as he reached toward you once more. His arm wrapped itself under you before it pulled you close to his side, the demon once again allowing you to curl up against him. You took full advantage of the opening, resting your face on his chest once more as you wrapped your arms around his skinny waist. His arm remained around your shoulders, red claws ghosting over your upper arm as he held you to his side. It felt so nice .
“Thank you… Thank you for this, Alastor,” you whispered gratefully into the red fabric of his dress shirt. Warmth spread through your tired body as you heard him hum again, the vibrations tickling your cheek. “Of course, dear,” he murmured. “I suppose I could use the rest myself.”
You nuzzled your face against his chest, smiling widely at the comforting presence of another body beside you. You felt the world begin to fade as sleep threatened to overtake you, the exhaustion making your limbs feel heavy. And so, as you drifted all around the edge of consciousness, perhaps you dreamt it when Alastor breathed out a soft, “ There’s that darling smile.”