Charlastor Fic: A few months into their courtship and Alastor is convinced that itās all still a game.Ā
His heart had stopped beating years ago yet, somehow, looking at her made him feel something stir deep in his chest, a tiny ember lit aflame. At first, he had assumed that it was borne from amusement or perhaps even anger or annoyance; however,Ā the unfamiliar feeling didnāt disappear. Instead, it festered inside of him, growing as the months passed.
One day, upon entering the building, he was hit by something. Well, two things to be specific. The first being the comparatively tiny slip of a girl he was courting (who was, in reality, rather tall and larger than life if she allowed herself to be). The second thing that hit him was not annoyance, as would have been his usual reaction to such an action, but what he tentatively recognized as fondness.
The... thing in his chest only seemed to grow larger the more he took in her smiling, excited demeanor, unable to help but wrap his arms around her tightly after dematerializing his cane.
āYouāre finally here! I missed you!ā The last part seemed almost unconscious and her smile faltered for a split second in a moment of hesitation before brightening the room once more with a small dash of hesitation. Despite the past few months they had been courting, she was still more than a little nervous around him (rightfully so).Ā
The only thing that kept her from stepping out of the embrace was his own arms, wrapped tightly around her, and the claws that dug themselves slightly into her coat.
Alastorās own smile grew bigger and brighter without his permission in response to her reaction. The flame in his chest grew unnaturally at the slip of tongue and he was quick to encourage the greeting.
āIĢø Ģøm̶i̵ssed you too. Every hour Iām away from you is an hour I spend dreaming of you, my sunsh̶iĢ“n̵eĢø.̵ā He couldnāt keep the amusement out of his static affected voice, pairing naturally with his charm. Ā
āAhh,ā the blush on her face overtook the ghost white pallor of her skin. āI-I It hasnāt really been that long u h m, oh! Iāve finally got the list of improvements for the hotel ready for you to see!!ā
And she was off like a rocket, taking advantage of his loosened grip while still grabbing his hand to pull him along. In the past, the action would have sparked an indignant anger at the audacity of anyone presuming they could touch him, much less move him.
These days, he looked on it as a sort of achievement of how far theyāve come. In the first month, Charlie had been extremely hesitant to even touch him, much less guide him or hold his hand. He found it particularly endearing and filed it away to tease her about it later when she was more comfortable with āthemā.
Her previous hesitation came back full force when she seemed to realize that she was still holding onto his hand when she went to grab her paper.
Disappointment and annoyance nearly dimmed his smile when she took a small step away from him before he forced himself to smile wider. He neatly stepped back into her space, putting an arm around Charlieās shoulder and leaning in under the guise of looking at the paper she had presented him.
Absently, Alastor skimmed the sheet of paper. The draft had some good talking points but was unorganized and had too many colors and drawings for Alastor to take seriously. Regardless, he gave a few comments, adding some points to consider, and gave suggestions for expansion on other topics. He relished in the fact that she often leaned back into him without realizing it when she was addressing him.Ā
When he felt like they had gotten to a decent ending point for the moment, he led the conversation to what he had originally come to discuss.Ā
āSĢ“p̵eĢ“aking of the futurĢøe̶,̵ā he paused to present a rose with flourish, lightly glowing green from the use of his magic, āhĢøoĢ·w̵ Ģ·w̵ould you like to go out tonight. I found the most fabulous little restaurant in the east side of Pentagram city. It is absolutely to dieĢø ̶fĢ“oĢ“rĢ·.!ā He casually pushed the paper Charlie had shown him away and positioned them so that Charlie was inches away from planting herself directly into his chest.
āI... uh I had a great time last week!ā She gave him a big smile that looked a bit too fake for him to believe. āBut, I donāt think Iām ready for another restaurant after last time.ā
Alastor cocked his head at that. āA̵hĢ“,Ģø ̵mĢøy apologizes. Was the food not to your likĢøi̶n̵g̶?Ģ“ā He made a mental note to visit the owner after he left the hotel.
His intentions must have shown on his face because Charlie was quick to respond.
āNo! The food was great! There was just...ā Charlie looked unsure, glancing down at the vibrant red rose with not a single spot of decay before looking back to his grinning face.
āTĢ·h̶eĢ“y̶ ̶hĢøave a band and it will be oh so fun my̶ ̶dĢ“e̵aĢ“rĢ·,̶ā He teased, the arm around her shoulder squeezing slightly.Ā
Charlie blinked and visibly seemed to struggle with herself. Alastor took it upon himself to take her arm and press the rose into her hand, carefully avoiding the thorns (though he wondered how gorgeous blood red would look against her pale skin, he preferred it not be her blood).
āAĢ“ ̶r̵oĢ“se for a demon beaut̵yĢ·.Ģ“ā He raised the hand that was around her shoulder to cup her cheek. āIĢ“tĢ“ ̶p̶a̶lĢ·es in comparison to your charm but, then again, I would be looking for an eternity if I were to try and find a flower that compared to your stunning smiĢ·l̶e̵.Ģ·ā
Hearts practically flooded her eyes as they gazed into his own. A charmed smile melted into her features, taking over nearly her entire face.Ā
Pride and, to his chagrin, warmth overflowed within Alastor. It burned through him and he suddenly had the thought that, yes, he would do anything to have her keep smiling at him just like that.
Despite reason and how his heart had ceased to beat many decades ago, he found something of the like burning inside of him for this girl who was naive, yet had so much potential that she was practically brimming with it. The ember had turned into an inferno and he burned for this girl who had somehow taken a part of him that he didnāt know he had needed to guard.
He almost frowned at the stream of thoughts and shoved them out the figurative window. The demon wanted her the same way he wanted everything else: entirely. He would have her. All of her. It was as simple as that.
What did it matter if he lost a bit of himself if it just meant that he would get it back in the end?Ā
(Hint: he doesnāt get it back)