The Unknown (Alastor x reader)

Hot Embers in the Dark of Night

It was very dark due to the storm, blocking your view from the stars, much to your disbelief. Honestly, you wanted to see the stars, they remind you of your late mother. Like eyes in the sky, you wondered if your mother was watching over you through their twinkling light. The lights of the nearby town slightly lit up the clouds near the horizon, a cryptic reminder that life will go on, no matter the situation. 

In the corners of your vision, you tried to ignore the shifting darkness, moving almost like smog around your ankles before you drew your legs up, trying to warm them. You wondered if your father was ever going to be caught, the killer of your mother, a wanted murderer, your family. Rubbing up and down your arms with your hands, you did your best to ignore the chill in the air, possibly created by your own worry. 

Just as fast as you had tried to warm yourself, you felt a warm blanket get tossed over your shoulders, though you didn't flinch this time. You knew who it was. "Are you alright, darling?" Alastor's radio-like voice spoke as a wind swept around the porch you sat on, the smell of rain and wet leaves tugging at your nose. You turned to look at him slightly before turning your gaze back to the raindrops that fell from the roof's edge. 

"Yeah, I'm okay, Al, thank you," You said, hugging the welcomed blanket to your chest, encasing yourself in cloth from the neck down. When he didn't say anything else, you took that as a cue to keep talking, since he didn't seem to buy your words. "I had a nightmare, that's all, it wasn't anything important." 

"A nightmare that is 'nothing' doesn't make one a few shades paler, fawn." He said back, grinning out at the rain as he put a hand on your shoulder, his crimson gaze looking out at the falling water. Only now did your gaze falter, looking downwards for something to hide your (e/c) orbs, before your eyes landed to rest upon the gloved hand on your shoulder. It was the same glove that his human(er) form wore, so you assumed he looked the same as before. "What was it about?"

You paused, not really wanting to say, but found yourself doing so anyways. "It was about my mother, I had dreamed about her death again, but this time he shot me too." You answered, your tone soft, just above a whisper. You had tried to be as vague as possible in order to keep yourself from getting upset again, though Alastor seemed to notice. Your eyes lifted from his hand to his form as he let you go and walked around the bench and sat down next to you. Butterflies of nervousness erupted in your stomach, though you didn't know why, and you offered him half of your blanket, which he had declined.

"Why do you worry so much about him, darling? I told you that I'd keep him out of your way," He asked, looking back up at the rain after studying your worry ingrained face. This question made you think for a moment or two, opening your mouth a few times to answer, but not finding the words for the first few times. 

"Well," You started, rubbing circles in your forearm softly from under the blanket. "It's not just me I worry for. I worry that he may turn to one of my friends to draw me out. I worry that I'll do something dumb and get you hurt or worse. I worry about what he would do if he doesn't find me. It's just a lot, Alastor, between losing someone, running from someone, learning about demons existing, even the harming of those people at my school..." You trailed off.

It was silent for a long while after you had spoken, just the sound of the rain hitting the roof and falling into puddles met your ears. It seemed to you that Alastor was mauling over your words, a silent grin and half-lidded gaze frozen on his face. And, for a moment, you had thought that maybe you had some something wrong, though that was proved wrong. As he looked out at the rain, he started to speak.

"Well, I might be able to assist you with those worries, my dear," He echoed back, ripping his gaze from the falling water and towards you. Despite having been around him, only now, sitting side-by-side, did you notice how tall the demon really was-- a good foot or so. "I have a few friends down in Hell who seem to be quite interested in meeting you, you know." 

As you turned to look at him with a curious gaze, your eyes locked onto his red ones, glowing crimson like dying embers in the cold night air. "Oh? When did you go back? And why me?" You asked, knowing that there was more than he told you, and you were hoping he'd say something to ease your curiosity. Leaning down, you sipped your tea quietly, listening intently as he began to speak once more.

"Because I don't spend a lot of time up here, in the living world. And, I don't just make random deals either, ones that I think would be interesting or are for mutual benefit are rare to come by. And yours, well, was one of the few I've been offered that take place in the middle world, which had sparked my interest. I go back when I can find the time, mainly when you're away or asleep since those aren't normally times I have to be too worried about anyone getting in." He spoke with a chuckle, looking back out at the hazy woods before the two of you. 

His words stung a little bit in your heart, though, and you didn't quite understand why. He saw you and your situation as mere entertainment from the sound of it, and he didn't care about the outcome nor after-effects. But, you said nothing and ignored yourself silently, sipping your tea once more as you finished it off.

"Alright, well, after Ashe and Maple leave, maybe we can plan for their arrival?" You prompted, turning towards your cup to find it now empty. You guessed that was your cue to head to bed, now that your drink was gone and the conversation ending.

"Splendid, my darling," He answered back with a coo, watching as you stood up gently.

"Then I'll go try and get some more sleep, thank you for the chat, Alastor," You said with a soft smile as you clutched the blanket closer to your body. "Good night, my deer."