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“Hey, Spark!” Charlie called, her voice a little too loud for the rabbit’s ears. “Spark! Spark! Hey, I have an idea I want you to look over!”
The clicking of the woman’s heels moved far too quickly for Spark’s liking. She was normally fine with dealing with the princess’s whims, but today she was mentally exhausted. She’d been doing so much to assist with the hotel that she needed a break. But here came Charlie with that bright, shining face of hers. How could she say no? Spark tried to put a smile on, willing herself to be attentive for one last thing before she retired for the evening.
In reality, all she wanted was to fall into Alastor’s arms and forget the rest of the world existed. It seemed, however, that she wouldn’t have to wait long. Before Charlie could accost her with her rambling, the deer’s hand shot through the air to grasp the rabbit’s own. In one fluid motion, he pulled, twirled, and dipped her so he was the only thing holding her above the ground.
“Spark, my dearest heart,” he purred. “You didn’t forget our little date, now did you?”
Charlie stopped in her tracks. Heat rushed to Spark’s cheeks. They hadn’t planned a date that evening, but it wasn’t something she was about to deny. She smiled and Alastor’s gaze softened. That was all it ever took for him to melt. Just seeing the way her lips pulled up made him tighten his grasp on her.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Charlie muttered awkwardly. “I didn’t realize you two were… uh… I’ll just come back later.”
The princess scooted away, chewing on her bottom lip as she did so. Charlie was happy Al found someone he cared for! Really and truly. The only problem was that she didn’t know when she was in the way, and when it was alright to intervene. The last thing she wanted to do was take a moment away from the two of them.
That currently wasn’t one of Alastor’s worries. His smile widened and he pulled Spark up enough to nuzzle their noses together. The woman returned the motion with a soft giggle.
“And what exactly was this date I forgot about, hmm?” she hummed sweetly.
“Oh, you know, a little drinking, a little dancing… the usual night on the town.”
As adverse to the idea of letting go of her as he was, Al pulled his rabbit back to her feet. With a little twirl of his cane and a little two-step, he offered her his arm.
“I thought you could use a break from the hotel life, if only for an evening, my sweet.”
With an excited wiggle, Spark let her fingers slide up his arm to link them. The motion was enough to make him shiver, though only she would notice it. He wasn’t sure how, but her touch always managed to make him as giddy as a schoolboy. It got his heart beating in ways he wasn’t used to feeling, even now. He loved this. He loved her.
“Well then, lead the way, my love,” Spark cooed.
And lead the way he did. Spark felt all of her worries melt away the instant they left the hotel. It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy being there. It could simply be overwhelming at times. Charlie was so excited and wanted so much from the establishment that the weight on the staff could feel crushing.
Alastor’s charm, humor, and conversation were always the things that saved her. Any day that felt too hard was made instantly better with his love. Laying in his arms in the middle of the night, just feeling his warmth was enough for her. The way he ran his fingers through her hair made her feel more comforted than she ever had, in her living life or in death. Nothing made her heart beat faster than the sound of him humming softly against her ear. She didn’t even have to know the melody. His voice alone was pure magic.
The walk went by in a flash. Between their chatter and Spark getting lost in her appreciation for the man, she’d hardly noticed them arriving until he was pulling the door open for her.
“Such a gentleman,” she teased.
“Only for you, my dear,” he replied with a wink.
Alastor would have stated that he was always a gentleman, but he had to admit to himself that it depended on the person. He was more often than not a bit of a brat when it came to Vaggie, among others. Spark would always be given special treatment, especially in comparison. He led her gently to a standing table, only releasing her once she was comfortable.
“This bar isn’t up to my usual standards,” he admitted. “But they have quite the lovely dance floor, don’t you think?”
With a flourish of his hand, he motioned to the shockingly well-kept wooden floor. A stage rested against the farthest edge, and a very small, black jackalope with a shimmering blue dress sang sweetly. Her voice called fourth illusions of blue smoke and stars, setting the mood of the bar to a dreamy state. This was why Alastor brought her here. He wanted to dance with his beloved in the magic of the stars, surrounded by lovely music.
Alastor gave the jackalope on stage a little wave, wiggling his fingers at her. Though she didn’t stop singing, her eyes sparked in recognition. The two of them obviously knew each other. A flash of jealousy stirred in the white rabbit’s chest. Who was this? How did they know each other? Why had Alastor never mentioned her before? The way the two of them gazed at each other made Spark uncomfortable. She tried her best to push down her feelings. Alaster was an overlord, after all. He held connections with many different demons.
The Jackalope’s eyes flicked to Spark, then back to him again. In her dance moves, she pointed to the rabbit at his side. Al nodded, and she lit up even more. Her gaze turned to Spark, she pressed a hand against her chest and gave a small, respectful bow.
“Lydia is an absolute doll!” Al mused. “I think the two of you would get along quite well. I also maaaaay or may not have bragged about my beautiful, lovely darling to her.”
His words made Spark’s cheeks redden. However, the motion of his slender fingers running up her neck to tilt her chin up made her tremble. That was all she needed for the flames of her jealousy to extinguish. The two of them were friends. Nothing more. The idea of him having a drink with the other rabbit and talking non-stop about Spark excited the white rabbit.
Alastor moved his hand to tap her nose, and she quickly leaned enough to press a kiss against the tip of his finger before he pulled it away.
“You wait here, my sweet,” he crooned. “I’ll go and retrieve us some drinks. You can tell me about your day, and then the two of us shall hit the dance floor!”
“Thank you, love,” Spark cooed in return.
Little did the two of them know, a quartet of eyes had long since landed on the curvy woman. The sinner waited for Alastor to leave, and then he took hold of his chance. One of Spark’s ears tilted backward when a sound called her attention. Someone sidled up behind her, and a graceful pink hand slid down her shoulder toward her hand. The motion made her cringe, snatching her hand away as quickly as possible.
“Well, hello beautiful,” purred a sickeningly sweet voice.
The rabbit did a side-step away from him. A grinning face and a set of four yellow eyes met her gaze. Despite her avoiding his advances, the blond sinner leaned his elbows against the table - his tail swaying in amusement behind him as he rested his chin in his hands.
“Jumpy little thing, aren’t you?” he asked wickedly. “You’re adorable.”
Eugh, this was gross. Spark didn’t enjoy his tone of voice, nor his lack of personal space. Even now, he was trying to slip closer to her. Every time he moved toward her, she slid away. To her, it was a polite way of trying to turn him down in body language alone. To him, it was a game.
“Thank you, but no thank you,” she said, holding her hand up to try and stop him. “I’m not interested.”
“Oh come on, sugar tits,” he insisted. “What do you say you and I get out of this dump? My friend Hot Head already has the party pumpin’ at my place. I’d love to show up with a hottie like you on my arm.”
Sugar tits? Spark’s hands clenched so hard, she was sure she could hear her knuckles cracking. Couldn’t this guy take a hint?
“The name’s Vinnie, by the way,” the sinner added before she could speak. “You’ll need to know it so you can scream it later.”
Nope! No no no no, absolutely not! His words made all of her fur stand on edge, and her stomach do an uncomfortable lurch. Once more, he reached for her. This time, Spark slapped his hand away. She was trying to be cordial, but her body moved on its own.
“Listen,” she said, trying her best to be firm. “I’m flattered, really… but I’m happily taken.”
“Not anymore,” Vinnie purred. “Trust me, babe, one night with me and you’ll–”
His words were interrupted by a yelp when something grabbed him by the collar. Vinnie’s body was flung at full force into the nearest wall, making the wood crack and splinter under him. Alastor’s body shielded Spark’s own. The sight of his back made relief flood through her body. However, it was tinged with worry when she noticed the dark aura surrounding her lover. Red sigils flickered around him, and his neck cracked unnaturally.
Oh, she knew what this meant.
“What the hell, man!” Vinnie shouted.
He fought to pull himself up. God, his back hurt! He’d have to have Hot Head check it out later. The sinner opened his mouth to speak, only to have Alastor’s hand clasp over his mouth. Again, his body made contact with the wall. Okay, now he was afraid.
“Alastor,” Spark called. “Please come back to the table. He’s not worth it.”
“Don’t worry, my dear. I just want to talk with him,” Al insisted.
“It’s fine, really.”
“I just want to talk.”
Alastor wasn’t taking no for an answer. Not now. Not after that.
“I am also going to help this fine establishment by taking out the garbage.”
“Wait. Wait!” Vinnie tried to shout.
Tried was the key word, there. Alastor yanked him, dragging him toward the back door. The sinner kicked and squirmed. He attempted to claw Alastor’s hand away from his face, but it was no use. He was doomed. Lydia watched it all go down from the stage, flinching when the door slammed. She looked to Spark, shrugged, and then made a motion to the stage hand to increase the volume of her microphone and the band.
Even with the heightened volume, the sounds of the thrashing out back could still be heard. Vinnie begged, something crashed, and then a loud shriek rang out so loudly that Lydia’s microphone picked it up. The rest of the bar went silent. The jackalope’s song came to an end. All eyes were on the door until it finally creaked open. Behind Alastor, everyone could see one of Vinnie’s legs hanging out of the dumpster. The state of the rest of his body was a mystery.
The sound of a radio crackle made everyone return to their business, looking away from him as quickly as they could. He dusted off his shirt and straightened his lapels and finally made his way back to Spark’s side.
“Forgive that intrusion, my dear,” he crooned, offering her his hand. “And the lack of drinks. I’m afraid I was a bit distracted.”
The shorter woman put her hands on her hips, giving him a disapproving look. It only lasted for a split second. How could she stay mad at that handsome, smiling face?
“You didn’t need to do that,” she said, taking the hand that was offered to her.
“Oh, but I did!” He insisted, leading her to the dance floor. “He touched you.”
Not only had he touched her, but he hadn’t taken no for an answer. That simply wasn’t something Alastor could tolerate. He gave his love a little twirl on the dance floor, then made eye contact with Lydia and gave her a nod. The woman returned the nod in turn, then motioned to her band. A very particular song began; one that Spark knew well. Even with it being slowed, it matched the tune of the vinyl record Alastor had played for her in his tower.
“You're my morning star shining brightly beside me
And if we keep this love
We will last through all eternity.”
Spark’s knees went weak. He’d arranged all of this just for her. While she sang, Lydia’s arms swirled in the air. Galaxies surrounded the two lovers, leaving only the dance floor under them. The rest of the bar melted away into a sea of stars. Alastor lead her into their waltz. Spark felt like she was flying. They weren’t in hell anymore. They were in a world all their own.
“I love you, my dearest heart,” Alastor said.
The look in his eyes was so soft, so sweet. All of her love and affection showed clearly in Spark’s eyes, even as they fell half-lidded. There was that smile he loved so very much, gracing her beautiful lips.
“I love you too, my darling.”