The song Burn from Hamilton made me do it. (Doesn't have anything to do w/ the chapter, just an idea I had)
Alastor's POV
I spun around in my office chair, bored. Earlier when I'd gone to check on Aria, she wasn't home.
She left a note, though. It said she was going out to the store to try and find a, and I quote, "stupid fucking book about ghosts."
I don't know how many times I have to tell her I am not a ghost.
I blew air from my nose in a sigh, and leaned my head back. Should I go see her? I feel like bothering someone, but no one here sounds as appealing as her.
I'd already wrapped up my evening broadcast.
I thrummed my fingers against my office desk, my relaxed smile slowly falling by the second.
Maybe I should just go-
My eyes widened, a tingling feeling shooting up my stomach and making my smile snap to attention.
She broke something.
Oho, It's time to go have some fun...oh what shall I do to her. My smile widened sinisterly as I thought over all the things I could do with her.
The more I thought, however, the more my smile faded once more. Any thought of physically harming her made me immediately switch options.
As if my brain had already decided that was out of the question.
But if I can't have her peel her own fingernails off, or walk on hot coals, what can I do?
I pondered this question, teleporting to her living room where she'd broken something. I quickly fixed my face into a smile, "oho, darling you've-"
My eyes snapped wide open and my breath caught in my throat.
All I could do was stare.
There one the floor, bleeding and black and blue...with her jeans around her thighs...was Aria.
And above her was a big, house sized man. He stood up, still standing at about a foot shorter than me.
He fumbled with his pants that he'd pulled down, and my blood began to boil. My teeth grit and a deep growl rolled through my chest.
I couldn't stop my powers from acting up, mentally apologizing to Aria when I saw her cover her ears and whimper.
She curled up and shimmied away until she was against the bookshelf, rocking back and forth.
"What the fuck is that!"
My eyes snapped back to the man, a low snarl escaping my throat.
I was on him before he could even say another word.
My claws dug into his neck as I lifted him off the ground easily. He choked and sputtered, clawing at my hand.
"What is wrong with men these days..." my voice was barely understandable, "absolutely no respect."
The brute only choked, desperately trying to get air.
I growled again, tightening my grip.
I threw him down, then pounced on him and ripped his arm off of his body, "this is for the way you touched her..." I seethed at him.
He cried out, thrashing beneath me. I dug my knee into his side, feeling his organs crush beneath my weight.
"And this..." I growled out, grabbing his other arm and slowly pulling it taught, "is so you can never do it again!" I yanked hard, the arm pulling off satisfyingly.
He was gurgling at this point. I tskd, getting up and waving my hand. His body fell into a portal that opened beneath him.
It snapped shut and I quickly turned to find Aria.
She was in the same place.
Her little broken sobs made a weird feeling rise in my chest. I'm not sure why seeing her like this was pulling such a visceral reaction from me.
I walked over, lowering to my knees in front of her. I reached down, gently touching her arm.
I was shocked when she flinched away, her entire body slamming back against the bookshelf behind her as she cried out and started screaming.
I grabbed her by the shoulders, hoisting her up in front of me. She was thrashing around, crying pitifully. Her hands were weakly clawing at my suit.
"Stop! Stop! I can't do it again!" She cried out, covering her head.
Again?
That one little word made malice bubble within me, and suddenly I was sad I'd killed him so mercifully.
"Shhhhh..." I whispered softly, trying to hold her still.
That was all it took for her to stop, her eyes snapping open. They were wide, and she blinked, causing a few stray tears to fall.
My initial reaction was to wipe them away, but I couldn't seem to move. I just looked back at her.
"Shhhh..." I made the same soothing noise, loosening my hold on her shoulders. I hope that doesn't bruise her...I just needed her to sit still.
"He's gone..." I whispered softly.
She just gazed up at me, her eyes big and glossy. Then her face scrunched up and my eyes widened when she threw her body against mine.
Her jeans were still around her hips, I wanted nothing more than to help her fix them.
However, she seems to need this more at the moment.
She sobbed heavily into my shoulder, and I rested my hands on her back.
"You actually came..." she sobbed out. My eyes widened, my lips parting slightly.
She broke that vase...
On purpose.
For some reason my chest hurt then, and I couldn't help but think if I'd only been here in the first place...
My teeth grit and and I tightened my hold on her, "dear, of course I did," I said, forcing a chuckle and running my fingers up and down her back, "you broke our agreement after all."
My smile faltered, and my voice fell quiet, "but I suppose I can let it slide...just this once."
She pressed into me further, nearly crawling into my lap. In return, I looped my arm beneath her thighs and hoisted her into my lap, sitting back slightly.
I also used that moment to tug her pants back up, using a bit of magic to help them fasten properly without me having to touch her in that area too much.
I'm not sure how aware of her situation she is...but by the looks of it she's been badly beaten. Her arms were bleeding, and her lip was split.
I ran my fingers through her hair, trying to mask my rage and disappointment with myself. My voice came slightly shaky as I started to sing.
Her body slowly relaxed.
You must be so tired...
My arms tightened around her, my head falling into her shoulder when her body went limp in my arms. She's passed out.
I'm so sorry I wasn't there...
My muscles trembled and I creased my brows. Taking a deep breath, I picked her up, walking her to the couch and laying her down.
I'll deal with the stains later.
I saw she was wearing my "kiss the cook and die" apron, and my smile softened to nearly a relaxed state. I gently removed it from her body, folding it and setting it aside.
Using my claw I sliced her shirt, quickly peeling it away from her body to see the damage. Her body was black and blue, her stomach seeming to have taken the most of it.
I held my hand over her wounded areas and winced. This is bad.
But nothing I can't fix.
I started healing her, my body beginning to feel tired as I used my energy to lift her ribs back into place.
The bruises slowly faded, and after about 5 minutes she looked relatively ok again. Some scarring on her arms, and some faint bruising was all that was left.
I sighed, slumping forward and resting my forehead against the soft skin on her stomach. One of my hands rested on her stomach as well, and I brushed my thumb over her skin.
"All better, cher..." I said tiredly, the exhaustion from how much power I just used setting in.
Before I knew it my eyes were failing me, closing slowly.
I suppose it's my turn to pass out now, cherie...