Archive of Our Own ^beta

"You really think I'll be any good at dancing?"

"Oh ofcourse baby~ You're so naturally talented, you're going to be a beautifull dancer~"

Angel felt his heart flutter, smiling like he had the world at his fingertips, leaning back in his seat as he watched the telephone poles pass by outside

He glanced over at the driver's seat, staring at his boyfreind, manager, boss.....

Valentino was alot of things, and his was one of them

But.... his smile started to fade a little, a strange, sinking feeling starting to wrap around his heart, dragging down, down, down.....

Valentino smiled at him, warm and loving, and Angel smiled back, but... he couldn't shake this odd, haunting feeling, like... like this was the last time they would be happy together....

"Nuggsy, c'mon baby, please eat, Mama's gotta go in a min-"

So sip, the gossip, drink till you choke, sip the gossip, burns down your throat-

Cursing under his breath, Angel hurried to grab his phone from the kitchen counter, setting the pig down in front of the bowl one last fucking time- at this point it'd be up to him to eat or not- and checked his messages

I'm here

Angel hurriedly typed back a quick Coming! <3

God, if this had been Val he'd been texting, that would have been quickly followed by a crude joke, but instead, he received a heart emoji as a response

Angel just.... exhaled, slipped his phone in his pocket and hurried down the stairs, taking little time to sprint out the backdoor-foregoing a sweater even in the middle of January- and bouncing out of the yard, towards the driveway where a sleek black car was now parked

The door opened as Angel bounced in place, too much nervous energy to contain, watching his companion's gaze focus on his tights-glad feet, and then travel up his body

"Really darling? No sweater? No jacket? It's just bare shoulders and middrift for the cold to sink into hm?"

"I mean it ain't like I'm gonna be out here long," Angel reasoned as the other man stepped out of the car, nudging the door shut behind him and taking a couple of steps forward to open the trunk

"You're going to catch sick and die mon petite, please take the extra five seconds from now on to throw something over your skin," he reasoned, grabbing the rather pretty deep red lacquer cane that rested inside

"I'll be fine," Angel repeated, resisting the slight urge to shiver as the cold, did indeed, start to raise goosebumps over his skin

"Can I help ya' take anything in?"

"No no dear, I'm quite alright," the other man insisted, grabbing a large tote bag to hoist over one shoulder, giving Angel a quick, studious glance

"...Please wear an outer covering next time dear, for me?"

And what the fuck was Angel supposed to say to that?

"...U-Uh.... y-yeah, ok, sure Al, I mean... I just... didn't want'cha waitin' out here any longer than necessary, ya' know?"

Alastor shook his head, shutting the trunk and heading for the gate

"Darling, it's a few seconds, I hardly mind, besides, it isn't as though I'm moving at the speed of light here," he promised with a snort

"I.. guess.."

"Besides, if you ever do need an extra few minutes you can just tell me and I'll simply let myself into your house, it isn't a big deal," Alastor insisted, Angel following close behind and shutting the gate as he moved

"I guess that's a good point, just... I dunno, that feels like a bad hostin' sorta thing to just leave ya' to your own to let yourself in,"

"Sweetheart, we're freinds, we're partners-"

God, the way he said the word "partners" made Angel's heart leap into his throat

"-it isn't as if I expect you to act like a hostess, you don't have to be so tense," Alastor promised, restraining a chuckle as Angel hopped past him to open the door for him

"I know, it's just... habit, I guess?"

"You need to break that habit- like the other seven or eight dozen I've been trying to break you of," Alastor smirked, stepping into the house with Angel close behind

"Y-Yeah, I... definitely need to be broken a few... dozen... times..."

Fuck, Angel knew how it was being phrased and he did not care

Alastor glanced over his shoulder, chuckling a little as the two headed into the living room

"You certainly did choose a marvelous way to phrase that, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I definitely did," Angel smirked back, heading over to the big burgundy chair in the back of the room, grabbing his shoes and plopping down

"Such a naughty little thing aren't you?" Alastor smirked, setting his bag and cane next to the chair and pulling his phone from his pocket

"Yeah but you know that about me," Angel smirked back, pulling one of the shimmering pink Pleasers over his foot

"Oh trust me, I do," Alastor chuckled back, all low and deep in his chest

It was such a soothing sound... it was kind of driving Angel crazy....

"I have your wig by the way, it isn't fully styled just yet as I need to see where it sits on you to trim the bangs properly,"

"O-Oh, yeah! Absolutely!" Angel nodded, buckling the strap of the show and grabbing the other one as Alastor crouched down and started to sift through his bag, and as he he did, Angel... noticed a little something...

"Is that a hickey?"

Alastor, who had his hand wrapped around the wig, tilted his head up and to the side, like a confused pug

"Where?"

"Right there on your chest, there's a little bruise," Angel pointed out, bending closer and ever so narrowly avoiding actually touching his skin

"Oh, that, no, that would be Ella's doing, I was sketching some designs for your dress and she nocked a little statue off of the bookshelf above me, it fell right on my chest,"

"Ouch," Angel winced, leaning back as Alastor shrugged and finally tugged the wig out

"It wasn't that bad, with cats pain is to be expected to a point, but then I also just have a high pain tolerance,"

"I'll bet,"

Alastor's lips ticked up, as if Angel had just made a joke that only he understood, but apparently he wasn't going to let the blonde in on the secret

Instead, he merely grabbed a wig cap and pointed to the floor

"Come here,"

Angel dropped like a ton of bricks, crawling closer and eagerly settling between his legs, staring up at him like a puppy waiting for a treat

"You know what I meant," Alastor huffed with obvious amusement, nudging Angel's shoulder for him to turn around

"You just love being between my legs, don't you?"

Angel bit his tongue, turning obediently, face pink as he shifted on his knees to face away from his partner

"...Yeah, yeah I do..."

"I know,"

Oh fuck him entirely, Alastor knew exactly what he was doing, and he was doing it on fucking purpose

It really didn't help when he slipped one hand against Angel's throat, tugging him backwards just a hair, then slid his pretty fingers further towards his chin to tilt Angel's head up

God, he felt like he was going to suffocate trying not to breathe too... weirdly.....

Alastor was ace, he knew Angel had a crush on him, but had gently explained that he had never felt anything remotely sexual or romantic towards anyone in his thirty years of life, it wasn't impossible for him to fall in love or be interested in a relationship he had supposed, he wasn't going to say "never", but he had also made it pretty clear that Angel shouldn't get his hopes up, the answer was more than likely going to stay "no"

And Angel understood that

Angel accepted that

Angel could be normal about this

The problem was that Alastor liked to fucking tease

And with so much of their professional relationship being somewhat reliant on romantic chemistry and interactions, the lines between what was an act, what was just teasing, and what was real, were barely there, the general rule was "If one of us gets uncomfortable, they just need to say so", and until that moment, anything goes

Including the consensual torture that Alastor was very aware he was fucking inflicting

His hands moved up to Angel's hair, gently slipping the wig cap over his head, letting it drop down to Angel's neck, and-... surprisingly, not pulling it back up, instead, his hands moved to Angel's hair again, combing through it lightly as he made a quiet humming sound in the back of his throat, like a light judgement

"...Oh no, what've I done?" Angel teased, well aware that Alastor was about to critique something- that didn't bother him though, Angel was a model-....... used to be a model, he was used to every fucking eyelash being criticized, and atleast Alastor was nice about it

"Oh it's not anything you've done, I'm just.... fascinated by your hair texture..."

"Really?" Angel asked in confusion, resisting the urge to look up at Alastor's expression, he'd rather sit still so Alastor would keep playing with his hair, if he moved he might jostle the other's hands away

"Yes.... your hair is incredibly fine, but it's also very curly, granted I only have a small number of people who's hair I touch, but I've never... quite known anything like it,"

"I... didn't even know my hair was curly? My mom always just called it 'wavy',"

"Well.... you could call it that I suppose, the same way you could say a Cocker Spaniel's hair is 'wavy' but I don't think that's really accurate... it's just a very interesting texture.... I don't suppose you have a curl care routine then hm?"

"Uh, no, definitely not,"

"Get one, it'll help,"

"Uh... you got any reccomendations?"

"Oh absolutely," Alastor hummed, fishing around in his bag again, the sound rattling around behind Angel's head, a brush appearing in Alastor's hand moments later

"I think a leave-in conditioner will do wonders for you my dear, do that about once a week, give that a month and you'll be thrilled with the results, now we obviously can't use the same products, but I can do a bit of research and find something that'll do well for your texture,"

Warm fingers slid against the back of Angel's neck, and the brush met his hair a second later

"If I get too rough, darling, you must let me know, hm?"

"Oh don't worry, I like it rough,"

Alastor gave a quiet snort, lips ticking into a grin

"Ofcourse you do,"

But joking aside, Angel doubted there would be any problems- Alastor's touch was outrageously gentle

"Are you tender-headed love?"

"Yeah, actually, I uh... got pretty used to havin' my hair pulled though, both in the sexy way and in the unfortunate way, so don't worry if-"

"Oh no no," Alastor interrupted

"If I pull your hair wile brushing it, tell me, I don't wish to do that, that's not the fun kind of hair pulling,"

Angel was tempted to ask if he had any first-hand experience with the fun kind of hair-pulling, but resisted the urge, they may love to tease eachother, but Angel was still trying to be atleast mostly normal about this situation and overdoing it might go too far

"Yeah... that definitely ain't the same as the fun kind," he agreed with a quiet sigh

He was used to it though, people never treated models gently, and if they complained, they were either barked at or fired for someone more compliant, Angel had learned to keep his pain to himself and just endure it

But... Alastor didn't want to treat him that way.... he wanted to treat Angel with so much kindness that the former model didn't quite know what to do with it all

"...Do you bleach your hair?" Alastor asked abruptly, his tone surprised

"Huh? Uh no, actually, fuck all knows how I ended up blonde with how dark my dad's side's hair is but uh...."

"Your ends are awfully fried..." Alastor noted, sounding almost as if he were pouting

"Oh, yeah I know, I let Val talk me into dyin' it years ago, just lightenin' it a little bit for more of a frosted look, the box color absolutely fried it though and I've been tryin'a fix it ever since, but alas, it ain't workin' all that great, I mean it's WAY better than it was but I guess the salon products I'm usin' now can only go so far,"

"Ofcourse this is Valentino's doing," Alastor griped in annoyance, smoothing his fingers through a few pretty locks

It honestly amused Angel just how against his ex Alastor was, given they had never met, but apparently all it had taken was a few conversations to turn Alastor into one of Valentino's biggest haters

It was charming... and sweet....

"I would like to look at your products before I leave if that's alright,"

"Oh yeah, have at it, you can change anything ya' want and I'll just... go with your say,"

Alastor sighed, his fingers traveling down a bit lower, slipping ever so breifly along the edge of Angel's shoulder

"You're far too trusting...."

"Well that's the real funny part, I'm really not, I get told alot that I'm way too cynical, it's just.... you...... I know we ain't known eachother very long but I feel like I can trust you with fuckin' anything, ya' just... give off that vibe,"

"Well I'm quite glad to hear that you feel that close to me, but do try to keep your trust close to the vest hm? Be carefull who else you share it with,"

"Don't worry, I am, promise,"

"Good boy,"

Fuck.... Angel felt his heart jump into his throat, he wanted to soak those words in until they had been absorbed into every fucking vein

Alastor was so gentle, so warm, he felt like a little space heater in a truly frigid world, and Angel had been cold for so long... he desperately just wanted to warm up

"You're really good at this ya' know," he commented softly

"I usually am flinchin' by now,"

"What, from having your hair brushed?"

"Yeah.... in fact I usually end up cryin' by the time people are done with me,"

Ofcourse he usually had to blot the tears away quickly, but still...

"That's.... shocking, I'm not trying to be especially gentle, what in the fires of hell are people doing to your hair that you're in that much pain?"

"I'm just tender-headed, like I said," Angel shrugged

And much to his surprise, there was suddenly a sharp, rough tug that spread across his scalp, yanking his head backwards, slowly increasing the pressure, but it was far from unpleasant, in fact, it had Angel gasping and biting his lip, his face red as he shyly glanced up at Alastor, who had a fist full of hair and was staring down at him like the goddamn menace he was

"Does that hurt?"

"No..." Angel managed to breathe, insighting that fucking smirk of his companion's

"Do you like it?"

"Yes...."

"Then.... I'd hardly call you tender-heaed,"

Alastor let go, much to Angel's severe disappointment, and repositioned the blonde to return to brushing, gliding his fingers through the curly strands as if to soothe any discomfort before bringing the brush against them again

"I imagine people are just being too rough with you, they probably aren't used to hair that's as fine as your's being thick and curly as well and are just using brute force to get through any tangles, wich is never the way to go about things, but unfortunately I'm familiar with people who don't know what they're doing touching hair they're not used to,"

"You've let white people touch your hair?" Angel asked with mild surprise

"Let? HA! No, but it's happened plenty all the same,"

"I'm sorry...'

"For what dear? It isn't your fault,"

Alastor's fingers glided through his hair again, and Angel just wanted to curl up in his lap and never fucking move

"....Would you like me to brush your hair for you when I come over?"

Angel's mouth fell slightly open, taken aback by the offer as Alastor suddenly pulled the wig cap up to start putting it in place

"U-Uh... y-yeah, yes, I'd love that!! I... w-why...?"

"Well, I seem to do a good job of it and it doesn't seem to hurt you, and I've always rather liked playing with people's hair myself, plus once I get a good grasp of your's then I can better help you take care of it, and I may even find it easier to style wigs for you, if I get a sense of what strains you too much,"

"O-Oh.... uh..... y-yeah, yeah that sounds great,"

"Excellent!"

The next thing he knew, the familiar pressure of a wig being secured over his head took over Angel's focus..... or atleast it tried to, his thoughts were still clenched pretty heavily onto Alastor and that new offer though....

"How does that feel dear?"

"Oh it feels fine,"

"Good, and how are the bangs?"

"Uh..."

Angel didn't have bangs himself, he wasn't used to them, but even with that said....

"They're a little long, I can't see,"

Alastor hummed in the back of his throat, giving the wig a few tugs in one direction here and the other direction there, trying to make sure it was sitting right, before fishing into his bag again

"An easy fix, you don't mind my having something sharp near your face, do you?"

"Not at all,"

Because Angel trusted him

If it had been anyone else, except Cherri, it'd be a much different story, but in this specific case...

"Perfect, hold still for me then,"

Angel didn't need to be told twice he arguably didn't even need to be told once, sitting as still as a statue as Alastor ever so carefully started to trim the bangs

They were peacefully quiet during the process, it wasn't something Angel was used to, silence around him was usually tense and unpleasant, but with Alastor, it just felt normal

"How's that?"

"Better, I think this'll work,"

"Excellent! Give your head a nice big shake like a dog trying to dry yourself off,"

Angel did as he was told, nose wrinkling immediately

"Does it feel secure?"

"No, it feels like it's gonna come off,"

"Another easy fix," Alastor said simply, reaching into his bag again and grabbing a pack of bobbypins

"Let me know if I poke you alright?"

"Yep, I will,"

There was a sex joke in there that Angel was eager to jump on, but he felt so relaxed with Alastor's hands on him that he couldn't keep up with the train of thought enough to do so

One bobbypin slid into the wig

Then another

Then another

Then another

Then another....

"Shake for me again,"

Again, Angel shook his head quickly

"Still kinda loose in the front,"

"Not for long," Alastor insisted, sounding almost as if he was threatening the wig, wich was kind of hilarious to think of...

A few more bobbypins, and....

"Shake,"

Another rugged shake of his head, and this time...

"I think we're good,"

"Excellent! Is that the dress you're wearing to film in tommorrow?"

"Yeah,"

"Shorts under it?"

"Yep,"

"Perfect,"

Alastor gave Angel a little tap on the shoulder, a signal for him to get up, wich he only did with heavy reluctance, but he complied all the same

"Where's your broom dear? I'll sweep up the wig trimmings, trust me, you don't want to roll around on those, they itch,"

"Oh uh, I'll grab it," Angel promised, giving a little thumb's up before heading into the storage room off to the side and grabbing a broom and dustpan

Upon his return, he found Alastor to be busy on his phone, so rather than interrupting him to clean up the trimmings, Angel just bent down and swept it up instead, Alastor glancing up a moment or two into said action

"....Didn't I say I would clean it up doll? You're in heels,"

"And you're busy," Angel shrugged, sweeping a little more into the dustpan

"I don't mind it,"

"....You're going to be quite the little housewife someday aren't you?" Alastor teased, prompting Angel to very nearly fall over in the process

"....Yeeeeeep, that's the goal," he squeaked back, honestly not even sure himself if he was joking or not

He'd be Alastor's housewife in a fucking heartbeat-

"So where do you want to start today?" Alastor asked, clearly unaware- of maybe all too aware and choosing to ignore it- of Angel's distress as the blonde stood up and went to pour the little smatterings of hair into the trash

"Uhhh.... oh! Oh, uh, how about we start with a full run so I can show ya' the transition I figured out? And I'm sure somethin's wrong with it so you can just like, tell me what, and then we can work on that?"

"Sounds good, do you want to fill up the blood squibs tonight before I leave or tommorrow after I arrive?"

"Oh... good question...." Angel winced, setting the broom and dustpan back in their place and making his way back to the center of the living room

Either way they'd be cutting into practice time, but...

"Tonight, anything could happen tommorrow between leavin' and gettin' to the studio so it'd be smarter to take care of as many things tonight as possible and leave that space open,"

"Agreed, I'd like to come over fairly early tommorrow as well, say around eleven?"

"That works for me, I'll make sure I'm good to go," Angel promised with a thumb's up, before settling into his starting position, Alastor adjusting his glasses as he pulled the music up on his phone and stood up, making his way closer to the blonde

"Ready?"

"Yep,"

The moment the music started, Angel began to move

They were doing a Murder Husbands sort of show, the concept of a serial killer rescuing a "damsel in distress" and awakening a bloodlust that his new companion had never realized he had before, becoming a formidable pair of killers who loved eachother endlessly

It was a romantic notion, but like many relationships, it would take them a moment to get to that point- it had to start a little ugly before it could grow into something so beautifull, and the first time he and Alastor would be on stage together involved Alastor killing Angel's captor and setting him free- well, "free" being within Alastor's custody that is- before prompting him to start alleviating his hurts through murder as well

Angel started on the floor, sliding backwards and kicking wildly as Alastor approached with a bloody axe tossed lazily over his shoulder, he bent down to offer Angel a hand up, only to be rebuffed once- then twice, then on the third try, Angel finally took his hand, rising to his feet and letting Alastor twirl him romantically and pull him close

Angel feigned fear, looking away and trying his best not to make eye contact or spend hardly any time at all looking directly at Alastor- wich was mostly to be in charector..... and partly because seeing him looking so.... confident and tempting was sending Angel's heart racing

The music picked up, Angel turned to run, only for Alastor to grab him by the hip, pushing him forward in the direction he wanted Angel to go in, the entire time Angel was flushed and felt his heart in his throat

The nervous energy he was supposed to be faking came far too naturally as he faux stumbled across the room, staring down at the couch

In practice they couldn't put any of the practical effects to use, Angel's house just didn't have a room that they could readily clean up blood from on a regular basis, and the ground outside was too uneven and rough for Angel to safely dance in between sending blood flying, they had to practice the routine and the effects separately and just hope that things went well enough when filming that it would come out ok

Wich meant that for now, Angel had to pretend that there was a body on the couch that he was supposed to murder

Alastor soothed a hand down his shoulder, snaked his fingers up under his chin, brushed his touch along his back, and Angel wished he could say that the comforted exhale and hypnotized sway in his body were just good acting but... Angel had only ever been a moderate actor

Alastor played the role of an overly confident psychopath far too convincingly, wich was doubly unfortunate considering that Angel's fictional crushes included the likes of Lestat De Lioncourt and Hannibal Lecter....

The music picked up again, Alastor pushed the plastic axe forward, and Angel tried desperately to push it away, only for Alastor to grab his hands and force the axe into them, ghosting his breath along the back of Angel's neck in a way that made his legs tremble, the disoriented look on Angel's face only half pretend as his focus sank into every movement his partner made, and as soon as Alastor moved away to give him space, he rose the axe up high, and swung it down onto the couch with a loud *BANG*

Over and over again, feigning heavy breathing as he struck the cushion again- again- again

The axe was starting to wobble, having broken twice and been both glued and taped back together as many times, but Angel didn't let that detour him, if something went wrong during filming they couldn't go back and fix it, that was the biggest problem with blood effects, once you started setting them off, there was a point of no return, it just wasn't practical to try to completely clean up the space, change clothes into an identical outfit that wasn't covered in blood, completely reset the scene, and start over

And due to time constraints, Alastor had only been able to reserve three hours at the studio, they couldn't try it again later either, they needed the demo done in a week in order to apply to several of the conventions and festivals they wanted to perform at, it was going to be an all or nothing sort of thing, so Angel was already trying to prepare himself to push through even when things went wrong

Once the axe murdering was finished, he tossed the prop aside, twirling and panting as Alastor reapproached, lifting his chin up as Angel practically fell all over him, the glee in the blonde's eyes was utterly sincere as Alastor walked them in a slow circle, taking Angel's hand and delicately slipping a push-in dagger into it

Angel grinned maniacally, approaching his marked position and sliding the dagger into his mouth, cracking his nuckles, and just as the beat dropped, dropping to his nees, spitting the dagger out into his waiting hand and rising it high above his head before slamming it into the cushion in front of him

He play-acted his way through the chorus, dropped to his side and kicked his heels into the air as he rolled over to the next marked spot, slamming the blade down into that cushion as well

Now this was what he had wanted to show Alastor

They had spent the entire previous practice period trying to find a transition that would work to get Angel from one marked spot to the next, the way the blood squibs would be angled made it an awkward place to move, and nothing was really working, everything was either too slow or too awkward or too outside of Angel's capabilities, he had never been formally trained in dance, after all, and had only been trying to learn a few moves here and there for the past several weeks, mostly copying some burlesque dancers he had met on a few occasions, but even that was usually working with bits and peices of capabilities and faded memories, this was where his lack of skill really showed, but he was determined to try to impress Alastor, or atleast not disappoint him, so he threw himself onto his side, tucked his legs, rolled to the next spot, and slammed the blade down again, before finally the last mark was in sight, dramatically dragging himself towards it, half-collapsing onto the floor and exhaustedly stabbing the final cushion, rolling onto his back and lifting his hips in ecstasy as he dropped the prop blade, seeing Alastor peering down at him, taking his partner's extended hand, and tugging him to the floor as well, the two of them panting exaggeratedly, before Alastor pulled Angel back to his feet, spun him-.... and got stuck in the wrong position

He spun Angel the other way, attempting to get the ending pose he wanted, but still-

"Damn.... what is it about this that I'm not grasping?" Alastor asked with a quiet huff

He twirled Angel again

Again

Again

Again

But no matter what he did, his arms weren't ending up around Angel's waist like they were supposed to, instead it had the two of them criss-crossing in an awkward half-hold sort of thing that had them off balance as well

"I know I know how to do this...."

But then, Alastor had spent a significant amount of the last time they practiced this part trying to figure out how to get his arms where he wanted them as well

"....Can I uh... make a suggestion?" Angel offered shyly, eager to help

"Gladly," Alastor agreed, letting him go unfortunately as Angel took a step back

"Ok so.... what if, instead of the twirly thing, we make it a little more slutty, and when I get up, I come towards you instead and like..."

He draped his arms around Alastor's shoulders, then hooked one leg around his waist, making sure he was supporting all his weight so he didn't accidentally nock Alastor backwards, but his partner didn't seem quite content with that, instead wrapping a hand just under Angel's thigh and jerking him closer to make sure he was better balanced

Unfortunately, Angel hadn't been prepared for that in the slightest..... and the stuttering gasp that left his throat sounded more like he was in a porno than a dance sequence

Alastor looked fucking elated

"....Did you just moan?"

Fuck

"I-... well.... n-no,"

"You absolutely did,"

"Y-You took me by surprise jackass!"

"And I'm sure you'd like that,"

"I-..."

Fucking-.....

Angel hung his head, pressing it into Alastor's shoulder before slowly wiggling away, his face as red as the fake fucking blood they'd be using, hanging it with humiliation and hating that the humiliation was it's own kind of turn on, why was he fucking like this?!

"You're gonna have to do this alone Al, I've gotta go find a dark corner to crawl into and die,"

"No no no," Alastor chuckled, grabbing Angel by the shoulder and gently tugging him backwards

God, why was he so wonderfully handsy?!

"I love that idea, it works beautifully mon cherie, but ah.... do you think you can do it without moaning?"

He looked so fucking smug about that too....

Angel cleared his throat, nodding eagerly and trying to fake his way into confidence

"Yeah, totally,"

"Perfect, then let's stay standing, we'll do it again, I think I can still twirl you when you get up, I like the movement of that, so..."

He spun Angel closer, Angel wrapped his arms around Alastor's neck and one around his hip, Alastor jerked Angel closer and-

"Ah-..."

FUCK

Alastor snickered, Angel turning red again

He couldn't even use the excuse of it being unexpected this time....

"So..... about that...."

"...Leave it in," Angel grumbled under his breath, tucking his head against Alastor's shoulder

"Beg pardon?"

"L-Leave... the moaning in... I think it works thematically..." Angel explained

"Are you sure it's not just because you can't do this without it?"

"Y-Ya' know what pal-?"

Alastor cackled, setting Angel down and reaching up to teasingly pet his head, wich, much to Angel's quickly diminishing ego, absolutely worked as a means to shut him up and calm him down

Fuck....

"It does work though," Alastor hummed, letting his fingers graze down to stroke along Angel's cheek

God help him....

"Yeah... I mean, it's kinda horny... and this entire thing is kinda horny, so..."

"Oh my darling, this entire thing is VERY horny," Alastor corrected with a chuckle, earning a cringe from Angel as he stepped away to go pick up the props and reset

"Is it really...?"

"Oh absolutely, but bloodlust is still a type of lust so it works," Alastor brushed off with ease

Angel supposed that was true....

"Now, about those transitions, the last one is perfect, but are you intending to be half-crouching, or laying down entirely?"

"Nah I'm meanin' it to be half, because if I keep one leg bent then when I flip over it'll look more gracefull,"

"That's... actually very true, good boy,"

Fuck, Angel could live on those "good boy"s....

"Perfect then, I just wanted to make sure that was intentional, and the second transition..... question dear... what.... exactly is your goal from a visual standpoint?"

Angel blinked, not quite sure what he meant

"Uhh..... it's supposed to look like...... ok, I'm not sure, I just needed to find somethin' to get me to the second spot faster that I couldn't mess up...." he confessed, chewing his lip a little and picking at the bottom of his skirt, unintentionally pulling the fabric up a little

"That's fine, but what-..... what.. is on your leg...?"

Angel tilted his head, eyebrows pinching, but then-

"OH!"

Somewhat excited, he yanked his skirt up a bit higher, revealing that one leg had BEND written on it in red ink, with the other having a bright blue STRAIGHT scrawled across it

"I kept fuckin' up wich leg I'm supposed to bend when I go down on the last transition so.... ta-da..."

"...Did that help?" Alastor asked, clearly trying to restrain a laugh

"It did actually! I don't even need the cue anymore, I think, I just uh... well, I wrote it in Sharpie and it... didn't come right off..."

"That's.... that makes sense for Sharpie..." Alastor snickered, biting his lip and shaking his head slowly

"Well good job, whatever works for you dear,"

"Thanks..." Angel preened, eyes practically glowing from the praise, as minimal as it was

"Back to the second though, let me rephrase this, can you explain to me what the motion is supposed to look like to the audience? Describe what your body is supposed to be doing,"

And immediately, Angel's expression fell

"...I'm guessin' if you have to ask it ain't lookin' right...."

"Well... just explain it to me and we'll go from there,"

In other words- yep

"It's just... supposed to be flopping over to my side, like I'm exhausted, and using that momentum to roll to the next body, ideally my legs will stay tucked in to make it look smoother and make it easier to get up on my knees,"

"I see.... and what angle are you attempting to face the audience at?"

"Uhh.... my head...?"

Alastor placed his fingers against his mouth, pursing his lips tightly

Angel knew that look

"....Ok Dance Daddy, how badly did I fuck up?"

"I-... you know, the amount of times you call me 'daddy' is really quite something," Alastor huffed, barely masking a chuckle, an almost embarrassed one at that

....Wich was exactly why Angel kept doing it, he couldn't be the only one in this room getting flustered all the time, it just wasn't fucking fair

"And I wouldn't say you're fucking up, just.... let me try something,"

Nodding, Angel shifted out of the way as Alastor moved onto the floor into the start position

"So you want your head to be facing this way, you want to have your legs tucked, and you want to dramatically flop to the side... so.... are you wanting it to look something like this?"

And, as elegantly as a swan, Alastor did exactly what Angel had in mind, he fell gracefully to his side, tucked his legs, rolled across the floor, and sat up in one pretty fluid motion

Angel wasn't jealous, he just..... felt a little embarrassed that his own skills were so dreadfully lacking....

"Yeah, basically that,"

"That's.... not what you're doing my dear, what you are doing is this,"

The second time Alastor demonstrated was...... hard to watch

He fell gracefully still, but turned his body in a very strange way, no longer facing forward but now vaguely to one side, one leg was askew, and it was less of an elegant roll and more of an embarrassing florp

".....Fuck,"

"That's why I asked," Alastor assured as gently as he could

"Why is it.... doing that?"

"Well I have a few theories, but first, do you have a reason for wanting to move like this other than it seeming easy to learn and getting you where you need to be on beat?"

"Yeah, we're runnin' outta time so I had to make a quick decision,"

"That's fair, alright.... how important is it that your legs are tucked?"

"...I guess not very? Why?"

"Because it looks bad,"

...Alastor could never be accused of mincing words

"I say this lovingly,"

Angel knew that but he still appreciated the reassurance

"It creates awkward visual language, how would you feel about keeping your legs straight? Would that be harder for you to stab on beat?"

"....Pooossssiiibly not? But won't that look bad too?"

"Not if you change your angle and lift your ass a little, but changing the angle is the other thing, you said you're facing the audience when you do this, but you're not, you're sort of angled sideways, when you tuck your legs you're shifting your body just enough that it's changing the angle and presenting a weird direction, you should be able to get to the next location in one movement without angling your body differently, then use the momentum of sitting up to face the body and stab it,"

Angel nodded a little, biting his tongue

"Do those words make any sense?"

"Yeah, I mean.... yeah, just.... not so sure I can.... actually do it...."

"You should be able to, what you're doing now is harder than what I'm suggesting, so watch, copy me,"

Crawling closer, Angel's eyes practically glued themselves to Alastor as he moved back to the starting position, fell gracefully to the side, and, moving with intentional slowness, shifted his legs out straight, rolled to the next cue, and sat up on his nees, ushering for Angel to do the same

Angel copied as exactly as he could.... but not only did he end up not facing the body, he somehow found himself significantly distanced from it

When he glanced over his shoulder at Alastor, the bemused, if confused and almost pitying, look on his face said it all

"........Interesting,"

That was never good

"You went in the complete opposite direction,"

"...I realize that,"

"....But that.... wasn't intentional, was it?"

"No, definitely not,"

"......Huh,"

Dammit

"Ok, we're going to do this at the same time, start back where you were,"

Angel followed the instruction immediately, watching Alastor like a hawk

The first part was the easiest- or... so Angel thought

He thought he was flopping the right way, but when Alastor sat back up, he realized that must not be quite the case

"When you fall, you're shifting the angle of your torso, wich is part of the problem," he explained, crawling closer and gently placing one hand on Angel's lower back, the other right under his ribs

Angel didn't mean to hold his breath.... but he still fucking held it

"Here, fall against me,"

Oh that was such an easy request, Angel let himself fall and so badly didn't want to get back up, but he didn't resist as Alastor gently angled his body in the right direction, his hands keeping the blonde's torso straight rather than letting it shift, just as he had explained

"Do you feel the difference?"

Oh he felt something alright

"Y-Yeah... it's uh... a little tighter, but I should be able to do it,"

"Good," Alastor purred, wich Angel fucking swore he was doing on purpose

He moved his hands away, much to Angel's severe disappointment, and reclaimed his position across from his partner, demonstrating a second time

Angel fell correctly this time, a praising little "There you go," supporting that theory

Alastor made it look so easy then, to straighten his legs out in the air and roll, sitting up in one fluid motion

Angel.... kicked the couch and got stuck on his shoulder like a turtle

"....How are you doing that?" Alastor laughed, crawling closer to him

And that was the thing about Alastor, even when he was critiquing, even when he was strict, he was never mean, he was never cold, he never made Angel feel bad, he always seemed so genuinely bemused at Angel's mistakes, like he was trying to train a puppy to do tricks and the poor dog just kept falling on his face

Alastor was great, Angel was the problem

Angel hated himself on the best of days, but he really felt like shit for wasting Alastor's time over and over and over again because they spent hours on one stupid fucking little move that Angel was pretty sure a toddler could master in less time

Alastor treated Angel's mistakes like water under the bridge, Angel saw them more as a hurricane threatening to destroy everything around him

"Lay on your back and put your legs in the air,"

"Ooh, say it slower Daddy~" Angel grinned, following the instructions immediately and watching pink-tinged as Alastor rolled his eyes, but that grin of his stayed firmly in place

"Really sweetheart? Are you that easy?" he teased as he climbed to his feet

"...For you I am," Angel confessed, a little too honestly, a little too sincerely, but if Alastor caught that sincerity, he brushed it off

"...Please, darling, have higher standards," he sighed instead- a chant he had been begging for Angel to follow since practically the moment they met

"You sayin' it like that would imply that you're somehow low standards, but you're like.... you're like fuckin' Louis Buittons in a sea of cheap ass Walmart sneakers,"

Alastor stared down at Angel, looking genuinely- if mildly- disconcerted

"....You say that so seriously that I have to believe you mean it, wich is terrifying, no one should think this highly of me,"

"You deserve it..." Angel muttered, face darkening a little as Alastor gently placed a hand under his ankle

"No no," he corrected simply, but didn't bother to elaborate

Angel wondered about that sometimes, he wanted to pick at that scab that Alastor occasionally brought up, how Angel somehow thought better of him than he deserved, but he knew now wasn't the time or place

"...Is it your shoes....?" Alastor hummed, seemingly to himself, as he gently moved Angel's leg, his free hand placed against the blonde's heel as he shifted the position, Angel allowing him to do as he pleased, because why on earth would he ever stop him? Angel was getting attention in a way that didn't hurt, he'd be crazy to make that stop

Alastor gently lowered Angel's leg forward, clicked his tongue in thought, and stroked a line down from the top of Angel's ankle down to the base of the shoe's long, slender heel

Angel had a hard time not perceiving it as sensual...

"May I take these off for a moment dear?"

"Y-Yeah, go ahead,"

Permission obtained, Alastor unbuckled the shoes and set them neatly aside, giving Angel's leg a little tap as a cue to put his feet back on the ground

"Alright, try again,"

And Angel did try again, this time managing to avoid the couch, but.... still ending up face-first on the floor instead of half-way across the room

"Alright so we'll move your starting position up a little to avoid kicking the couch, but why are you still...?"

"Turtling?" Angel suggested, earning a snort in response

"Yes, why are you still turtling?"

Alastor walked closer, gently pulling Angel up into a sitting position again

"...From this angle... how high can you raise your leg?"

Angel shrugged, raised his leg up.... and watched Alastor's face contort

"....That's... it?"

"Well it's easier when I'm on my fuckin' back," Angel grumbled back with embarrassment, watching with mild satisfaction as Alastor finally turned red, clearly not as immune to their little banter as he assumed

"That's-..... wait, really?"

"..Uh... yeah?"

"Show me,"

.....

Alright, Angel hadn't expected that

"Pull your leg in against your chest as far as you can without using your hands,"

"....Ya' know if you weren't ace as fuck....."

"I know," Alastor chuckled, motioning with his hand for Angel to just get on with it, wich, obediently as a puppy, he absolutely did, trying not to feel flustered or aroused as he fell into the admittedly familiar position

Truth be told, his leg did extend considerably more... but clearly not enough to impress Alastor

"......That's....."

Suddenly, Angel watched as Alastor dropped to the floor and copied him, the blonde now flushing for a slightly different reason- because Alastor could press his leg all the way against his fucking chest like a fucking contortionist

"......Why am I surprised?" Angel blurted out

"Well, this is the hypermobility," Alastor explained, shifting onto his side and squinting at Angel's own quickly discomforting position

"But you should still be getting more flexibility....."

"...You do realize I have a dick, right?"

"I do, and the fact that you think that has anything to do with this is hilarious,"

Oh...

Angel... had definitely been under that impression....

And then Alastor's hands were on his thigh, and he was biting his cheek to keep from fucking moaning

"Does this hurt love?"

"...Uhhhhh....... no......?"

"I meant your muscles, not my hands,"

"OH, oh, then yeah, yeah this is burnin' like a little fire,"

"How interesting......"

Cocking his head, Alastor gestured for Angel to sit up, then extended his hand

"Spread your fingers out like this for me,"

Confused, but knowing by now not to bother questioning it, Angel did as he was told and spread out his fingers

"....You have some hypermobility," Alastor observed, gently taking Angel's hand caressing his fingers along the side and up Angel's wrist

Angel was just trying not to fucking lose it at this point

"I-I do?" he asked belatedly

"Mmm-hmm.... see how your fingers bend backwards a little?"

"...Uhh... they do...?"

"They do, normal people can only extend their fingers out flat, but see how our's point backwards?"

"Oohhhh I never noticed that before...."

Well, to be more correct, Angel had never noticed that other people couldn't flex their fingers as far as he could, it was actually kind of odd now that he thought about it, he had never paid much attention to it, but did people really have that limited range of motion...?

"Mm-hm, can you also touch your forearm with your thumb?"

Angel had never tried it, but upon attempting-......

Nope

"...Interesting.... I'm going to put my hands all over your body,"

Weather it was a statement or a question of permission, Angel didn't know or care, he was just happy to participate, more than delighted to sit still and let Alastor experiment with him like a ragdoll

"Hold out your arm,"

Angel did so without question, starting to feel a little cloudy headed, wanting to fall into this, to soak up Alastor's attention, to forget the rehearsals and the performances and the business aspect of everything and just bask in this forever instead

"Alright, relax your muscles,"

"...I am relaxed,"

"....Are.... you sure...?"

"Uhh... yeah? Yeah I'm pretty fuckin' sure,"

"This is relaxed to you?"

"...Yeah....?"

"Then you are an INCREDIBLY tense person, good lord...."

"I've been told that," Angel confessed with a little cringe

He'd been told that.... sort of alot..... by photographers, by freinds, by Val....

He'd always been able to fake looking relaxed in photos but it never actually sank into his muscles

"...Alright then.... that's um..... just a little bit concerning mon cherie...."

"Yeah, I've been told that too," Angel sighed in agreement

Ofcourse no one had ever tried to help him be less tense, but-

"Turn your ankle inwards,"

Blinking in surprise at the new instruction, Angel followed the direction..... but it was clear by Alastor's expression that he wasn't doing it well

"...Is that as far as it goes?"

"...Y-Yeah...?"

"Your ankles are incredibly inflexible... aren't you a toe-walker?"

"Yeah?"

"Fascinating.... how the hell do you walk on your toes when your ankles can't bend correctly?"

Angel snorted a laugh, honestly a little amused by Alastor's bluntness

He liked it though, he was so used to people being overly concerned with niceties that it left him feeling off center and insecure all the time, always wondering if they were being sincere

There was no room to wonder with Alastor, he just said whatever he meant and made no efforts to sugarcoat things

...

Well, maybe that was a bit untrue, he did try to sugarcoat things.... by his own standards atleast

"Uhh.... can't say as I know,"

"And you walk in eight inches..... I'm sorry dear, I'm just so impressed...."

Oooh that word was so head

Angel could spend the rest of his life walking on tightropes every day if it meant impressing Alastor even a little bit

"Thanks...." he breathed, damn near hypnotized by the words

Alastor's fingers traced up his calf, Angel's face burning pink as he dragged his fingertips along his muscles

He could fall asleep like this....

"I do worry about your ankles though, I'm going to have to teach you some stretches so you don't hurt yourself,"

Angel made a pained sound in the back of his throat, wich only managed to get an amused laugh from Alastor

"It's to ensure that you don't break your fucking ankles the first time you fall dear,"

"I know, I know, I just fuckin' hate stretching, I hated it when I was modeling, I hate it double now,"

"I'll teach you some way to enjoy it, I promise,"

...

That...

Angel just sort of blinked, surprised by the comment

"....Really?"

"Mm-hm," Alastor hummed, not remotely taken aback by his own words or by Angel's clear surprise

Angel though.....

Historically, people had just never tried to make anything more pleasant for him, he wasn't used to people extending the effort

It made his heart beat faster

"I wonder what your hip mobility is like..."

Clearly undeterred by the heartbeat of a pause in their conversation, Alastor shifted to sit behind Angel, his hands dragging down to rest on his hips

"Can you turn your hips towards me?"

Angel... just blinked

"...What's tripping you up? The direction or the movement?"

"The movement,"

"Alright, fair warning that my hands are going to be very close to your crotch,"

"Then whatever happens is on you pal," Angel warned in kind, earning a bright, if somewhat startled laugh from his partner

"I should have seen that coming,"

"Well if they get too close you're gonna see somethin' coming," Angel blurted out, face burning red as Alastor's hands froze, squeezing his hips just for a breif moment before letting go, his head tossed back with.... pain? Amusement? Silent wishing for death? Angel wasn't sure

"You..... really missed your calling mon ange,"

"....The fuck does that mea-oh!"

Fuuuuuck he hadn't been counting on Alastor just physically shifting his hips like that, the feeling on it's own was strangely pleasant, like a muscle unlocked somewhere, and the fact that Angel already had a manhandling kink just made things worse, but the slight humiliation from accidentally moaning a-fucking-gain just.....

If Alastor's hands moved any closer to his dick they were going to have A Problem

"Does this hurt at all?"

The words implied that Alastor didn't even hear Angel moan

His fucking tone on the other hand assured Angel that he very much had

"...No...." Angel managed to breathe in response, a little unsteady, a little shaky

"Mm...."

Alastor's hands glided back a little, Angel held his breath, he shifted again and Angel bit his lip as hard as he could to prevent another moan

"Now?"

"N-No...."

"....Are you sure?" Alastor teased, his voice low, purring, driving Angel fucking insane

"I'm sure...."

"Good.... then your hips can move the way I want them to, I just need to figure out how to get you to do as I ask..."

"Trust me Daddy, that ain't gonna be hard,"

"Oh I think it's going to be very hard for you in particular,"

Angel froze, heart practically in his throat as he glanced over his shoulder at Alastor

"Did you just make a fuckin' sex joke?"

"Mm-hm,"

And the fact that Alastor hadn't even stuttered when he heard Angel call him "Daddy" like he usually did...

Either he was getting used to it or he was so focused on everything else that he missed it this time, Angel wasn't sure wich option he preferred

"Now I'm going to just try one more thing, this isn't for this move but I need to know what your flexibility is like for the future, I'm going to move your hips, but try to keep your ass on the ground as much as you can alright? Try not to move,"

"O-Ok...." Angel practically choked back, head spinning still

Alastor's hands shifted again, he twisted Angel's hips, and Angel tried his best to keep himself on the ground as Alastor requested, the sensation of his hips turning kept going though, longer and further than Angel had anticipated, until he felt a burning sensation

He wasn't quite sure that it was supposed to burn, but he sort of liked it, he kind of... wanted to experience that sensation in a more intimate-

"Does this hurt?"

"Y-Yeah..."

"It shouldn't.... how about here?"

Alastor stopped where he was, shifting Angel's hips back a little bit

"...Just a little..."

"....Your body is so interesting.... here?"

"N-No, there is good," Angel breathed in response, his heart practically in his throat at this point

"And ya' know, usually when people say shit like that to me, they're tryin'a get laid,"

"Well aren't you glad that that isn't a problem for me?" Alastor teased, prompting Angel's expression to wrinkle into a pout

"....Oh yeah, fuckin' delighted..."

Alastor just laughed, rising to his feet before helping Angel up as well

It just fucking figured, the one guy he wanted to lust after him, and Alastor couldn't possibly care less....

~+~

"Ok, what am I doin' wrong?"

Alastor winced, nose wrinkling a bit

"Well... you're still doing the weird turn,"

"But it feels the same..." Angel pouted, knowing damn well that wasn't actually going to help him at all

"Oh I know doll, wich... if anything is just more concerning..."

Sighing quietly, Alastor rubbed the back of his neck in consideration

"Could you-...? ...Mm.... no that's a direction, you won't understand that..."

He chewed his lip a bit, head tilting from side to side

"Well-...... wait... no that's another direction...."

"Sorry," Angel winced, wringing his hands

"No no, you have no reason to apologize dear, you can't help it,"

Angel still felt bad though, he felt horrible for constantly creating more work for Alastor just because he was so.... fucked up.....

He couldn't do much right, he wasn't talented or skilled, his autism presented in weird ways that didn't quite line up with Alastor's, it made everything difficult, he made everything difficult....

"Alright let me try something,"

Angel just nodded, watching curiously as Alastor walked over to the table in the corner and started to rifle through some of his sewing supplies, pulling out a small pink ribbon

What he had it for, Angel wasn't sure, but he also wasn't about to ask

"If writing on yourself helped, then...."

Crouching down, Alastor delicately tied the ribbon around Angel's ankle, making a cute little bow, wich Angel was attempting to ignore the touch from...

"Alright, so-"

*SNORT*

Blinking, Angel turned around, giggling a little and giving the pig behind them a gentle little push away

"Sorry, go ahead,"

"Oh that's alright," Alastor chuckled, reaching out to gently stroking Nuggets' head

"Alright, so if you move your bow leg-"

*SNOOORT!*

Both men paused, snickering a little as Nuggets pushed against Angel's hand

"...Should you get that?"

"I-"

*SNORTSNORTSNORTSNORTSNORT*

And because he clearly wasn't making himself clear enough, Nuggets even climbed into Angel's lap and started to paw at him

"...I really think you should get that," Alastor snickered, earning a dramatic sigh from Angel as he picked himself up and scooped up the little piglet

"Yeah yeah, somebody wants dinner," Angel laughed, easily rising to his feet, glancing down at Alastor and shifting Nuggets to one arm, extending the other to his freind

"Need some help babe?"

"Oh no no I'm fine, just.... your heels.... I can't believe you can get up so smoothly in them,"

"Aw well than-"

"Especially considering you can't stretch your ankle even a quarter of the way it's supposed to,"

Ahh....

"I guess that's one thing that came outta modeling, I've been wearin' shoes that shouldn't be walked in for years, atleast Pleasers are made so ya' can walk in 'em but I've had waaaay worse,"

"Really?" Alastor asked curiously as he carefully climbed to his feet, grabbing his cane and following Angel towards the stairs

"Oh yeah, and I've had like... hold standin' poses in 'em, walk around outside, I've fallen I don't know how many times but I always had to just get back up and pretend it didn't hurt,"

"....I hate that for you,"

Angel glanced over his shoulder as he started up the stairs, face dusting pink at how truly perturbed Alastor seemed

"I know you miss your career, love, but.... I really am very glad that you're not doing that anymore,"

Angel's expression eased into a smile, face darkening as he turned his attention back to getting up the stairs in six inch heels- just because they were easier than others, that didn't make them easy

"Thanks Al.... and thanks for... ya' know.... makin' me feel better about.... my job and Val and all that shit... not just now but I mean like... all the time... I appreciate it,"

"Ofcourse dearheart, you deserve to feel at peace regarding all that garbage, I know it's going to take you quite some time to heal, but the more I can help you get there, the better,"

Angel was so tempted to ask him for the millionth time why he cared, but he held back the urge

Alastor just.... cared for some reason

The story was complicated and messy, Angel had been a model since his late teens, but he really took off right before turning twenty-one, when he came into new management

Valentino had been much more than just a photographer-turned-manager though, he'd laid eyes on Angel during a shoot and decided to make him his

Angel hadn't seen the relationship as predatory until he started recounting it to strangers, but back then, it seemed sweet, almost like a fairytale, Angel had felt like a talentless nobody who only came alive under makeup and bright lights, photographers loved his beauty but they often struggled with giving him direction so he stayed in the small ponds until Valentino had come along

And Valentino had seen everything in him

He had felt like Cinderella, being wisked away from his small time agency and into the bigger world of fashion by a photographer who really saw him and gave him the time of day and gentle instructions to bring out the best in him- because Valentino was good at that, coming across as gentle and warm and loving to get what he wanted

But it was all an act

The relationship took years to fully sour, by the time Angel had reached his mid twenties he was trapped, he couldn't leave because if he did his entire career would go with him, but the more he stayed, the more he hurt

And he tried to convince himself that wasn't true

He told himself every day that he loved Valentino and that if you love someone, you stick it out and make it work

So he got frustrated often, big deal

So he stopped giving Angel affection freely, they were just out of the honeymoon stage, that's all!

So he made Angel feel like he had to earn affection, and he starved for every scrap he was given until he actually felt embarrassed by his own desperation, it.... happened, right?

So he lost his temper more and more, and turned less and less kind when he did, he was just stressed.....

So Angel was crying all the time, upset all the time, never happy anymore, he was just... going through a rough patch....

So Angel had to cover up some bruises before leaving in the morning..... so....

But Angel stayed

Modeling wasn't an eternal career, he knew that, he needed to milk it for as much as he could until he was too old for it and once he hit thirty he would start looking into back up careers so he could make the transition smoother

He had always loved dancing, ofcourse thirty was far too old to start but maybe he could get into something that involved dance, maybe he could do something else with fashion, he hadn't started really looking yet, and then....

Then it had all ended

To this day, Angel didn't know why Valentino ended things

He showed up to work one morning and was told that his agency had let him go, his contract terminated, he'd gone home and found all his stuff on the sidewalk, and Valentino wasn't returning his calls or speaking to him

He'd managed to get ahold of Valentino's smarmy asshole of a business partner a few times, Vincent had made some cheap jabs and gave him no real information

Cherri, Angel's only real freind, had helped him collect what scraps remained of his life, told him Valentino had done him a favor- he didn't see it now, but he had, he had set Angel free, and that was the best thing for him

Her reigning theory was an affair though

That Valentino and Vincent had crawled into bed together, and Valentino, being opportunistic sleeze, had seen Vincent as the better longterm financial goal, atleast for the time being, but he knew cheating wasn't going to fly with either one or both of the men so he had just tossed the one that was "giving him trouble"

"That was the best thing he could've ever done for ya' love," she had promised so sincerely as she drove Angel to her apartment

But even as Angel watched the last bruise disappear from his thigh, he hadn't really believed her

Angel's last gig had been signing autographs at some convention, he'd already been booked and even though he was no longer with the agency, he was still signed up for it

He had spent all day shaking and dissociating, scared to death not to have income, consumed by the destruction of his life, haunted by the last several years of a relationship that had only left him high and dry with nothing good to show for it

Alastor had happened across him by chance, didn't even know who Angel was, but had dropped his bag in front of Angel's table, and Angel, acting on reflex, had picked it up for him, Alastor had commented on how much he liked Angel's nail polish, and somehow the conversation had just..... taken off

The last thing Angel had expected that morning was to come out of it with career prospects, but then Alastor had landed in front of him like some sort of Angel and everything was different

Alastor, as it so happened, was in desperate need of a model- all the time

He had a cosplay business that had started getting off the ground, but for a handfull of reasons, he had a hard time modeling his own creations, so he had been attempting to scout professional cosplayers to hire, when Angel crossed his path

It wasn't like it would be a career saver, but it was absolutely better than nothing, and Angel had jumped at the opportunity

An opportunity that had quickly started expanding- first it was modeling, then there were performances added, then Angel had started talking about making some creations of his own to sell, and Alastor was so, so eager to help

Angel, by sheer dumb luck, had money to fall back on for the time being

He was only able to live on his own in the first place because his parents had died a couple of years prior, and his twin sister, bless her fucking heart, had made sure he got his share of the inheritance, even though his father had tried to write him out of the will

It was the only way Angel had afforded a house, or a car- considering the one he'd had before was in Valentino's name- or to fucking survive

He'd have a couple of years before things started really getting tight

A couple of years to push the pedal to the metal hard enough that he might as well break his fucking foot, a couple of years to make things with Alastor work

And maybe that was why Alastor cared so much

Because he had known from the first conversation they'd had that Angel was hanging on by a thread, that this was his only chance to keep going without completely changing his career course- because it had been made obvious that Valentino had blacklisted him from the industry, there was no way another agency would take him, if Angel didn't find a way to make this work on his own, he'd just have to start from scratch....

Or maybe he cared because he was the first person Angel had told this entire wretched story to, start to finish, and the first person to react in utter horror at the way he and Valentino had met to begin with

Cherri had known from the start, she hadn't approved by any means, but she had known

Alastor got it all fresh in one massive info dump and had point blank said that Angel had the potential for quite a good horror movie on his hands

Angel had laughed

Alastor had been serious

Either way, ever since, they'd been stuck to eachother like glue, Alastor had seemed to be making it his mission in life to help Angel, he was so determined not to let Angel drown, and wile Angel had reasoned in the beginning that it was a purely selfish motive- Alastor needed him too, needed a model, needed the help, he'd started his career before his disability had shown up and doing conventions on his own was impossible now, scraping one or two favors together from freinds could only extend so far, he needed Angel to be as all in on this as he was because Alastor's livelihood was also at stake- it was.... harder to justify that reasoning now

He could justify so many things about it as Alastor needing Angel

Needing him to be attentive

Needing him to work hard

Needing him to stay

Needing him to be beautifull, wich meant needing him to be healthy

Needing, needing, needing....

But there was a point where all of that stopped and Angel just had to admit that Alastor fucking cared about him

He had reached that point a few weeks ago

"We should get food as well, take the opportunity and all," Alastor suggested as Angel set Fat Nuggets down on the kitchen floor, nodding to himself and heading over to the fridge

"Yeah, I've been starvin' for the past hour so that's probably a good idea,"

Alastor froze mid-step, stumbling a little and turning around to give Angel a bewildered look

"...Why didn't you say anything!?"

"Because I wasn't about to stop us in the middle of practice....?"

Alastor rolled his eyes so hard that he must have glimpsed his fucking ancestors, shaking his head slowly and rubbing his face

"Angel.... sweetheart.... I...... I am going to break you in half.... if that's what it's going to take to break you of your bad habits from professional modeling....."

Angel swallowed hard... and tried to cross his legs to force the other affect from that sentence to go away

"I don't care if we're in the middle of a dress rehearsal, if you're hungry, tell me, certainly don't let yourself be in pain from it, and for an hour?"

"It ain't a big deal," he brushed off as he grabbed the pig food from the fridge

"....I know I say this often dear, but please, please, in all respects of your life, have higher standards..."

Angel knew he wasn't going to win this, and truth be told, he didn't want to, it felt good having someone fuss over him like this, having someone care so deeply, someone other than poor Cherri, who seemed like she was going to drive herself into an early grave from worrying about Angel so much

Alastor's flavor of worrying about Angel didn't go in quite that direction though, the direction of trying to convince Angel to make changes for his own betterment- rather, his was the type to enforce the changes he wanted to see wile making Angel fully aware that it came from a place of love and not a place of control like it had with Valentino

Angel... kind of needed the force at this point in his life, he'd been under Valentino's thumb for so long, he was struggling to learn to be in control of himself now....

But still, that didn't mean he knew how to accept being cared for like this, he didn't even know how to accept it from Cherri, and she was practically his platonic soulmate

...

How the fuck was he supposed to take it from the very ace and uninterested guy he had a fucking crush on?

"Yes Daddy, whatever you say~"

Apparently that's how

Alastor huffed, eyes rolling as he looked away

"I really do hear that far too often for a man of my nature...."

"Do other people call you Daddy?" Angel snickered with disbeleif, setting the container on the counter and grabbing one of Nuggets' bowls as Alastor grabbed a chair to settle into

"Oh yes, for quite some time,"

....

"Wait for real?!" Angel shrieked, practically flinging the bag of food as he turned to face Alastor in astonishment

"Oh yes, that's been going on for quite some time, God only knows why but I get it alot,"

"From... fuckin' WHO?!"

"Mmm.... clients, freinds, sometimes strangers at conventions,"

".....Stunning," Angel said flatly, going back to preparing the food

"I mean, I call ya' Daddy to fuck with ya', but I get the feelin' other people ain't doin' it to be funny,"

"You're quite right! I'm also rather perplexed by it, I could understand it more if I looked the type, if I looked like, say, Idris Elba, then sure! But I know what I look like, I'm young, scrawny, and clean shaven, what part of me makes them think like that?"

Angel hummed quietly, moving to set the food on the floor, much to Nuggets' gratitude, before returning to put the remaining food away

"Well.... I guess it's just all attitude based, you've got Daddy energy, if we were actually fuckin' I'd probably call ya' that sincerely, ya' know, if that was your kink,"

"I have 'Daddy energy'? ......I look like a squirrel,"

Angel choked on a snorting laugh, shaking his head as he rounded over to the cabinets to grab some cooking utensils

"Uhh.... first of all, what a wild fuckin' critique of yourself, I have no idea what you mean by that... but I also kinda see it? Second, that's why I said 'Daddy ENERGY', not 'Daddy BODY', you take care of me in this...... half forcefull, half warm, very loving kinda way.... it's very attractive,"

"You've mentioned," Alastor teased, crossing his legs and bouncing one over the other tauntingly as Angel rolled his eyes

"Anyway jackass, I doubt I'm the only person ya' do that with, so I guess your freinds and maaaaaaybe even your clients make sense? Total strangers though? Now that one I can't figure out, that's just people bein' way too fuckin' horny all the time and like.... smellin' the caretaker on ya' and shootin' their shot,"

"....Unfortunate, how do I scrub that particular scent off of myself then?"

"Oh you can't, it's in your skin babe," Angel snickered, filling a pot with water and turning the stove off

"I hate to believe you but evidence does tend to support that notion...."

Angel burst into laughter, setting the pot on the stove and sparing Alastor another glance

It.... really was cruel of the universe, to put someone so perfect right in front of him and completely seal off the chance of anything happening.....

They delved into one conversation after the other, easy and simple, some lighthearted and some serious, as it always tended to be with them, one minute it was musical taste, the next it was politics, the next it was fucking dolphins of all things

It was what Angel loved most

How.... easy everything was

How, with Alastor, it felt like the world was a gentler place again....

"I could've gone my entire life without seein' a fish give a dolphin a fuckin' blowjob but ya' know, that's how Val fuckin' was,"

"Horrible," Alastor shuddered, rubbing his face

"You're right, of everything that.... neanderthal did, that has to be at the top of the list of 'bad',"

"Oh yeah, I care waaaaaay more about the fact that he ruined my image of dolphins for the rest of forever than I do about like, smackin' me around, I think if I had to rank it, takin' my career is worst, spreadin' rumors about me bein' a homewrecker-.... ok no, no, spreadin' rumors is worst, 'cause that..... cost me all my freinds 'cept for Cherri.... uhh takin' my career is second, ruinin' dolphins for me is third, ruinin' my chance of bein' married by thirty is fourth, aaaaand the physical shit is fifth," he laughed, not even putting any venom into the words, just stating facts

Sure, the physical abuse had been painfull, his trust in people was broken- especially when it came to healthy sexual relationships, he wasn't sure where or even if some of what Valentino did had managed to creep into the category of "rape", he didn't.... use that word.... he didn't want to, but sometimes the way Cherri looked at him when he talked about it.... he was pretty sure..........

Anyhow, all of that, he figured, was more recoverable than the rest of it

A body usually heals, a bank account only sometimes heals, and a social stigma...... never heals.....

He didn't even realize that Alastor had gone silent until he heard his companion's fingers snap, glancing over at him and watching him point to the floor again, his expression darker, more distressed, and for a moment, Angel worried that he had said or done something wrong

Still, he dropped to the floor without a second thought, crawling closer and coming to a stop a little further back than usual, waiting for Alastor to direct him

He'd already brushed Angel's hair, so Angel wasn't sure what this was all about

With a gentleness that wasn't showing on Alastor's face, the smaller man reached out and carefully took him by the upper arms, dragging him in closer and reaching down to cup Angel's face

Angel's face, wich by this point had turned quite thoroughly pink

"...Uh....... A-Al...? ....Is... everything ok....?"

"You really... don't value yourself at all... do you....?"

"Are ya' just catchin' onto that sweetheart?" Angel teased with a little laugh

But... Alastor wasn't laughing....

Instead, he merely sighed, rubbing his face, much to Angel's immediate displeasure

"....I've never.... had a romantic relationship before... I barely have platonic ones, I don't know if my presence in your life as a potential romantic partner would harm you or not, but I fear that it would, I fear that... I may do something at some point, that even though I don't mean it to hurt you, it ends up doing just that, and... I would simply never forgive myself if I hurt you, dear,"

Angel was quiet for a moment, slowly blinking, before squinting in confusion

"...What.. are you sayin' Al?"

"I'm saying that.... I don't know this for sure or not but.... I do feel that I.... I am... I may be..... there's a chance that-"

"Are you havin' feelin's for me?" Angel blurted out, unable to listen to this painfull attempt at a confession drag on any longer

"...I do believe so yes," Alastor finally said, earning an exhale-

"But that wasn't my point, my point is that I already was uncertain about ever advancing on those feelings but the more I see of you, the more I get to know you, the more I fear that-"

"Al, shut up," Angel said quickly, sitting up a little higher on his nees and reaching out, ever so gently cupping Alastor's face

"You're afraid of hurtin' me? Honey, it don't matter if you've got experience with romance or not, that ain't gonna automatically make a relationship good or bad, and I.... I get it, ya' know? I get it, I'm... not the best or brightest with relationships... or self-respect.... or.... apparently fuckin' anything that makes a romantic relationship healthy... so you were already scared of hurtin' me and the more you get to know me the more ya' worry 'cause the more ya' feel for me and the more ya' see how damaged I am and the more that old fear from before just amps up,"

"....Yes pretty much, what's your-?"

"Stop worryin'," Angel insisted

"Please, please, I'm an adult- and like, three years older than you, for that matter- andd it should be my choice if I wanna risk gettin' hurt or not, I mean granted if you don't want to pursue a romantic relationship you're havin' feelin's for then that's your choice, but... don't.... don't make that choice outta some misguided attempt to protect me, ok Al...? That ain't fair to me, I know you mean well but.... look, you know I don't... I'm... prepared for you to reject me, if you do then it ain't gonna change anything between us, but don't use my own fuckin' weakness as your only reason for not tryin' with me, in the end, that's what would hurt me,"

"....It isn't a weakness, my dear," Alastor said with a quiet sigh

"Being.... so trusting and wanting of affection doesn't make you weak, it just makes you vulnerable and I... don't want to risk taking advantage of that vulnerability- not now, not in the future, even if it weren't intentional, it would be so... easy.... to completely break you.... my touch has never been a gentle one, and Angel, my dear, you deserve the gentlest touch one could imagine,"

Angel sighed softly, slowly pushing himself up to his feet

"Sorry baby, gotta check the pasta," he explained, stepping over Alastor's extended legs to get to the stove

"I understand, and I ain't gonna push- I promise, but... I do wanna just correct a couple of things,"

"Oh?" Alastor asked, head tilting as he watched Angel move

"Yeah, first of all your touch is waaaaaay gentler than ya' think it is, way gentler than anything I've ever had before, if you think you're so scary and rough then I obviously ain't seen that side of ya' yet,"

"Oh, undoubtedly my dear, you haven't," Alastor agreed

"I get it," Angel shrugged, grabbing a wooden spoon off of the sink

"You ain't seen my bad side either, or even my rough side," he agreed, shrugging a little as he stirred the pot

"But that's the other thing- you forget Al, I like a rougher touch," he added, glancing over his shoulder and winking playfully

It wasn't anything unusual for him to say- he made sex jokes at Alastor all the time, they were just little teasing comments, they both had made that known pretty constantly

Angel was a little surprised by the lack of reaction from Alastor, there was no laugh, no teasing comeback, nothing...

For a moment, Angel had worried that he had gone too far, especially as a beat or so later, he just faintly heard a little "Fuck it" coming from Alastor's position on the floor

A moment passed, breif and worrisome, as Alastor climbed to his feet, but before Angel knew what was happening, the smaller man was lifting him up and setting him on the counter before pulling him into a kiss

Angel had kissed Alastor before a couple of times, both of them very committed to the idea of stage kisses and not minding at all practicing that, but this.... this felt different somehow

Still soft and gentle, wanting and insistent, but somehow.... more

More of... something that Angel couldn't quite manage to identify

He struggled to keep up, his mind was just running too slowly to fully catch just how.... much the kiss was, how much he felt, how much love was there, how much he wanted it to continue, how much he wanted to reciprocate...

And when Alastor did finally pull back, a little flushed and panting, Angel peered up at him, blinking slowly, melting a bit

"....Stage kiss....?" he assumed breathlessly, only to feel a flash of hope when Alastor shook his head

"...No, mon cher, not..... a stage kiss,"

".....Reeeeaaaaaal.... kiiiiisss....?" Angel guessed hopefully- albeit with uncertainty, fuck he really didn't want to be wrong....

Alastor huffed a slightly breathless laugh, rolling his eyes

".....You sound so pleased," he teased, grinning with delight as Angel immediately flushed red

"...Yes, dear, a real kiss," he confirmed a beat later, only waiting just long enough to make poor Angel simmer in the light humiliation for a moment

"S-So.... does.... does this mean we're...?"

"Yes," Alastor interrupted, unable to listen to the poor thing stutter for a full sentence much longer

"We'll... try... but if things start to sour I don't want to risk what we have just in the pursuit of more... I would rather play this cautiously than-"

"Yeah sure absolutely anything you want just.... can.... can I have another kiss? Please?"

Typically Alastor would have teased him for that, he was so eager, so desperate, it was cute, and a little amusing, but... Alastor didn't quite want to tease him this time

Instead, he wanted to indulge the poor thing- god knew Angel had suffered enough

"...Ofcourse, cher," he promised, tilting Angel's chin up and kissing him again- lighter this time, softer, still filled with emotion but just.... wanting to show affection more than stake a claim on something

Angel looped his arms around Alastor's neck, tugged him closer, practically clung to him for dear fucking life

For the breifest moment he figured that, with them now being a couple, perhaps he could manage to get through a practice session without becoming unreasonably flustered

...

It only took half a moment for him to realize, with his face already tinging pink, that no, if anything, this development would only make that little problem worse

Alastor was a fucking menace to queer society when he was firmly out of the dating game and had nothing to lose, Angel realized with a sudden near fucking heart attack that he was going to be a much bigger threat now that he had something to win