𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝘿𝙀𝙑𝙄𝙇'𝙎 𝘿𝙀𝘼𝙇 - 𝙔𝘼𝙉𝘿𝙀𝙍𝙀 𝘼𝙇𝘼𝙎𝙏𝙊𝙍 𝙓 𝙍𝙀𝘼𝘿𝙀𝙍

11.

━━━

𝘼/𝙉 - 𝙏𝙒 - 𝘿𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙪𝙚/𝘿𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙗𝙖𝙡/𝙥𝙝𝙮𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙚. 𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.

━━━

"You know how I am, Y/N..."

"I know, I know..."

Angel-Dust's apologetic, soft tone wavers over my building guilt, my regular styling room, now perfectly cleaned, surrounds me. Yet the oblivious joy of hollow promises of fame and fortune don't religiously dwell across my manipulated thoughts anymore.

I remember the first time Valentino ushered me into this room; how exhilarated I was to work under someone such as him, and his wide-spread fame across the town. Now, what could be considered to the be the only minuscule droplets of trust I have for the man, have completely evaporated long ago.

Though, I carry no shame in those feelings.

"I...I just don't want you to get hurt, ya know? you've been in this game... longer than I have... the showbiz and all, but I'm still gonna worry about you," Angel Dust's heel sits against the edge of my makeup-splatter-coated vanity, uncleaned, massed by piles of spilled product, shimmers and shades in which I always forget to clean.

His fingers curl and slither his laces through his latex, black heels which catch the ceiling's glaze, though the form in which his physique displays such self-deprecation and genuine, raw emotion truly worries me.

"I would never shame you for worrying about me, Angel, I'm just as weary as you are... I'm sorry Angel, I know I've worried you, but I will promise you this, alright?" I sigh, turning towards Angel Dust within my spinning styling stool, the gentle creak playing upon the muffled music that lowly buzzes by the outside which oozes within the room.

Angel-Dust's head gently perks from his heel, eyes lifted enough to peer through his lashes as he glances with curiosity.

"I promise you, Angel, I'm not going to make the wrong choices with Alastor, I'm figuring something out - a plan, an escape of some sort. And I'm afraid to admit it, but... Alastor may be the only thing which might open that gateway for me. At least within the slightest," I explain softly, my lungs lifting and lowering heavily.

Angel-Dust's eyes fixate upon my face for a short moment, before lowering back towards his heel in which he continues to slither the lace through, adjusting to comfort and tightness.

"Those powers of yours are amazing - don't get me wrong, it's just, I don't think that creepy radio dude would've offered a deal with you if you didn't have those abilities, ya' know? and besides, as amazing as your powers may be, you know how easily Val overpowers us... I just don't want to think of that red creep takin' advantage of you and your abilities,"

I hum and nod in slow, understanding intent, lifting a blush brush towards my cheeks before gently layering and patting on soft rosiness across my cheeks, Angel-Dust disappearing from my view as his towering figure shifts around my styling room. I cannot see him, though, I can hear him. He's most likely sorting through his costumes - reorganising his bags while I prepare my face.

"May I ask... has... Alastor done anything considerably worrying towards the hotel occupants before I've begun staying there?" I break the silence and cave into a question in which irks me and pinches my skin with nagging need, the sound of Angel-Dust's body shifting before pausing silently deafens the still air.