~~Part 1: Bonding~~
~~~~~~~~~~~
"Fucking shitballs it hurts!"
"Five more, come on." You pressed encouragingly.
"It burns~!" Angel whined.
"I know it does. No one ever got good at this by quitting."
Angel was out of work and you had finished practicing for the day, so you figured you'd start easing him into training. He was less than prepared for the amount of pain the workout was giving him -consideration he was fairly athletic to begin with- but he was appreciative for your help none the less. Right now he was hung upside down, only about 6 feet off the ground; doing sit ups with the silks wrapped around his thighs. The extra gravity in the method of exercise was definitely more than he was used to, on top of the tightness and pressure of the taught fabric around his legs. You warned him it would hurt at first until he got used to it.
"Three, come on you got this! Four-"
"Can we be done after this?" He groaned, letting his upper half hang down again as he grit his teeth and tried to curl upwards a final time.
"Yeah I think you earned it." You chuckled. "One more, remember to breathe."
"I DID IT!! I am a KING!" He exclaimed with pride as he finished the set, relaxing his upper body and letting himself hang limp with his arms dangling. "I... Am gonna chill here, till someone cuts me down, because I don't have the strength to untangle myself."
You snickered and rolled your eyes, walking over to him. "Grab the silks with your hands, I'll hold your back up so you can unravel easier." He slowly pulled himself up and you supported his weight with your hands, spotting him until he unweaved out of the fabric and had both feet planted firmly upon the ground.
"Not bad for just starting out," you smiled at the spider, holding your hand up and giving him a high-five. "I remember when I started training with these, I had bruises around my thighs and waist for weeks. Don't be surprised if it happens to you too."
"The shit we do to look majestic." He huffed with a smirk.
"Tell me about it." You chuckled. "I'm kinda hungry, wanna walk with me to the kitchen?"
Angel greedily guzzled water from a bottle as the two of you walked off to the other section of the hotel, you listening to him ramble away about work. As you approached the room he steered the conversation.
"Say toots, what have you got going on today?" He asked, making a sandwich and handing it over to you before he began fixing one for himself.
"Thanks." You hummed, taking the food from him. "Uh, I'm free until 6. Why?"
"A friend of mine and I are going shopping today, you should come with!" He chirped.
You raised your eyebrows in slight surprise, swallowing the bite of food in your mouth before finally responding to him. "Really?" You chuckled. "I don't really have much for cash to shop with-"
"I got you." He interrupted. "Whatever ya want, consider it a thanks. Unless you wanna keep wearing my clothes, then just tag along for the vibes."
You thought for a second. You might as well, it was something to do and an excuse to get out for a little while. Sure you were going out again later anyway when Al would come by to get you, but, even then you'd prefer something to wear that was your own. Something a little nicer than the torn up shirt and jeans you fell into Hell with.
"All right." You shrugged. "Thanks."
~~~~~~later~~~~~~
"Hi!! I'm Cherri~"
"Hi, Cherri. I think I saw you the other day when I met Angel." You hummed, smiling at the pink and blonde cyclops in front of you. She furrowed her brow for a moment and then grinned widely in realization.
"Oh!! You're the one who showed off Angel at the club!" She exclaimed. You stifled a snicker into a mere smirk as you nodded, feeing Angels look of irritation boring into the side of your head.
"Yeah." You mused. "I'm Y/n."
"Angel's told me a bit a bout you! Well, what he knows anyway." She hummed in amusement and draped one arm over Angel Dust, who then grabbed your hand and pulled you along with him as Cherri lead the group off somewhere. "Come on then, let's go!"
The three of you had meandered around what one could describe as an outlet mall nearby, several stores consisting of clothes, accessories and attire as well as a few miscellaneous businesses. You spend maybe two, three hours out with them, surprisingly having a bit of fun with them. They seemed to appreciate a bit of mischief as much as you did. Especially Cherri. They told you stories of things they had done together and turf wars they had been in, and asked you about what your life was like.
You opened up a little, sharing a few things that had happened and the gist of how things were run but nothing exceptionally personal. You were still a little weary of getting close to people but you appreciated the opportunity to reminisce in your past. Besides, after all that Angel had done for you, you felt morally obligated to be kind to him and indulge him. He sort of reminded you of some of the people you used to know. So did Husk, for that matter.
"Hey toots?" Angel asked as you were walking out of another store. You adjusted the shopping bags that were hanging off your forearms and hummed in acknowledgment.
"Where'd you get the money for that outfit anyway?" Angel asked. "I figured when you said you didn't have much you meant like 20$. That was over 100-"
"I kinda won it off Husk and Alastor last night." You admitted with a sly smirk.
"You won it?" He reiterated.
"Husk and I were playing a card game, then Alastor joined in for a round and threw a hundred dollars into the bet, and... I won."
"You beat that fuckin' schmuck?" Cherri exclaimed, bursting out into a small fit of laughter. "I bet that hurt his ego. That's amazing."
"Honestly that's the only thing I cared about." You confessed. "The money was just a perk. I'm actually kinda nervous, he's the reason I'm supposed to be back soon. He offered to take me out tonight."
"Whyyyyy would you agree to that?" Angel asked, looking at you like you had told him the most absurd shit he had ever heard.
"Husk already gave me a lecture." You said. "I can't exactly back out of it now. But hey if I don't come out of my room tomorrow, you know who to interrogate."
"I'm rooting for ya." Angel sighed.
"Good luck." Cherri hummed, rolling a shoulder forward and feeling a microscopic amount of pity on your behalf before steering the subject to herself. "Man my thumb hurts. I think I fucked up my hand when I punched a dude in the face earlier." Cherri complained, examining her thumb as she flexed and relaxed it.
"Why?" Angel asked.
"Because he punched me in the face."
"Why?"
"Because I punched him in the face."
"Why?"
"Because he punched me in the face."
You snickered and shook your head, amused by the verbal loop they seemed to be stuck in. "Who swung first?" You asked, trying to break out of the cycle.
"Oh, he did." She chirped, with a surprisingly casual tone.
"Why?" Angel asked again.
Oh my lord. You thought to yourself, rolling your eyes fondly with a smile on your face.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Damn." You huffed softly, drinking in your appearance in front of the mirror. It wasn't anything extravagant, just a simple black dress; but you looked wonderful. Short sleeves with a sweetheart neckline, a cinched waist and reaching just above your mid thighs in length. It definitely wasn't something you were used to seeing yourself in, compared to something more geared toward athleticism-friendly or leisure. But you didn't hate it.
Your makeup was simple as well, winged eyeliner with mascara and a bit of highlight on your cheeks- hey, you liked a little bit of sparkle. The sight lilac tint complimented your skin beautifully, just shy of iridescent when the light hit right. A pair of black flats with tiny bows on the heels completed your look. You smiled softly at your reflection, feeling good about yourself despite your lack of enthusiasm for the situation.
Angel helped you pick out an outfit for this evening. You weren't really sure what to aim towards since you had no idea what to expect tonight, and Angel and Cherri both said you can never go wrong with a little black dress. Angel also insisted you get a pair of heels and you told him you'd have to learn how to walk in them first. Growing up how you did you never really had a reason or occasion to learn how to wear such attire. Which, of course, he took as a personal mission to teach you how to walk in heels in his free time.
Knock
Knock
Knock
You ears flicked in the direction of the sound, your chest feeling quakey as you knew who it was on the other side.
"Come back with a warrant." You called out, adjusting your dress and hair in the mirror one last time.
"Very funny, sweetheart."
His radio voice called back from the other side of the door, you felt heat rising to your face at his term of endearment despite you trying to suppress it. You sighed and put on a small, tight smile and walked over to the door, opening it and stepping out with the deer.
He wore his normal overcoat, which had been dry cleaned just that morning. Underneath was a black button up shirt instead of his typical choice of red, as well as black pants and his signature red tie and monocle. You could smell a faint hint of cologne, enough to notice but nowhere near overbearing. The skin on his cheeks looked exceptionally smooth, you half wondered if he shaved before coming over. You had to admit, he cleaned up well.
It was comforting to know that you weren't the only one who took a little extra care into their appearance for the occasion.
He thought the same, delighted to see you in something semi-formal. He thought your style was interesting -albeit flattering for you- but it was different. You looked wonderful.
"Ready?" You asked.
"Whenever you are, my dear." He smiled, extending his arm out for you to hold. You raised a brow and glanced down at it wearily, he seemed to notice your apprehension. "Go on, you're safe."
You took a quiet deep breath and took him up on his offer, linking your arm around his and allowed him to escort you off.
~~Part 2: Enjoy The Buzz~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Will you stop pestering me if I do this with you?" You asked, acid in your voice.
Bars, clubs, any venue of entertainment without booze in Hell was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. You figured that way before you had even left the hotel, and figured no doubt he'd have a drink or two in your outing. You didn't however expect him to order you a drink.
You two currently sat in a booth at a club, tucked away in the dim corner by the back wall. The various colors of LED lights that strobed over by the dance floor and occasionally gleamed over in your direction, giving a fair amount of lighting. Enough to see each other and the beverages in front of you. Alastor had ordered a couple glasses of straight bourbon, and a whiskey sour for you.
"Loosen up." He nudged gently. "I'm not going to enable your old habits and I won't let you get you black-out drunk. You have my word."
"Fine."
Begrudgingly and with an almost unnoticeable sigh, you wrapped your fingers around the glass and brought it to your lips. Swallowing the sour concoction of amber fluid. The familiar warm burn coated your throat on the way down and warmed your stomach.
You knew that sensation well.
The shame was almost worth the satisfaction.
"Why was it so hard to twist your arm? I'm genuinely curious. And I'll admit, a bit impressed by your perseverance."
"Because enabling and mockery aren't good motivations for me." You answered with a tight smile. "Then I realized, I might need a drink or two if I'm going to make it through tonight."
"You know darling," he sighed, leaning over the table towards you. "I don't have to be this courteous. I'm trying to be decent and make this a pleasant evening for both of us. I'd like for us to be able to enjoy ourselves. And I don't appreciate that you continue to try and belittle and berate me at every chance you find."
"...I'm sorry for being rude." You said. "But... Ya gotta understand where I'm coming from, here. Up until now you haven't exactly made me feel welcome, and you haven't been trying to hide the fact that you weren't, either."
"Admittedly, yes. I could have been more gentle in my approach." He said, clasping his hands together under the table.
"That's a way of putting it."
"Well, allow me to start over. Indulge me, please. I'm truly intrigued by the idea of how you grew up. You must have seen a lot of things, you must have stories of what your life was like, I'm dying to hear them." He insisted.
"You want a story?" You smirked, about to give the man a horror story. If he wants entertainment, you'll feed him a little. Might as well, had to talk about something other than listening to him jabber on about himself. "It's not mine, but one comes to mind."
"I'm all ears, darling."
"Once upon a time a woman by the name of Kyra once had a freakshow attraction turn into a freakshow accident." You said bitterly.
Your fingers curved and wrapped around the small glass once again, feeling the coolness of it against your skin. "A sword swallower, and a belle of the sideshow. A charmer for sure, with devil-may-care. One day she was performing her act, two 13 inch long blades; steel and cool, nestled comfortably within her upper half. A routine she'd done a thousand times, and knew it like the back of her hand. But life has a funny way of throwing the unexpected ones way when they're most comfortable..."
Your eyes trailed up from the glass and stared off into the crowd of bodies dancing. Alastor had kept his eyes on you, inching closer in the seat beside you and giving you his undivided attention.
"One night just like usual Kyra stood in all her glory, standing tall and straight as a rod at the finale of her performance. This time, however, in the small audience gathered around the show, a young man in the front felt a little bold. Perhaps encouraged by his friends, and, the contents of the flask in his coat. He took some cash out of his pocket and went to tuck it into the waistband of Kyra's costume. This of course caused her to become startled in alarm, as no one is supposed to approach or intervene with the acts unless one requests a volunteer for whatever reason. So Kyra stepped back, and instinctively tried to look back at the man who had invaded her space. The blades, although dull, had jostled several organs; basically scissoring her on the inside as her body jerked out of reflex."
"Did she make it?" He wondered aloud.
"She did." You nodded slightly, finally bringing the glass to your lips, speaking once more before letting the warm liquid burn your throat. "Miraculously. But she never did that act again."
"You... Saw this happen?" He asked. His smile was everlasting but small, and the look in his eyes was one of pure intrigue.
"I heard about it." You said. "I was getting ready to go on after her. I was maybe 14 at the time."
"So young... And you just, went on with the show like nothing happened?"
You nodded, pursing your lips and mindlessly swirling the contents of your drink with the tiny straw they gave you. "They didn't tell me until after, they... Thought it would affect my performance. I was just quickly ushered out on stage faster than I expected to be."
"Was it out of consideration for you, or for the sake of the show?"
You clenched your jaw, not appreciating such an accusation. Of course it was out of consideration for you, they didn't want you to slip up and get hurt due to a case of nerves, that's why they didn't tell you... right?
"Apologies." He suddenly said, noting the tension you seemed to be carrying from his words. He looked away from you and down at his glass. "That was bold of me."
The two of you sat in a short-lived quietude, the jaunty dance music fading out before switching over to a new one and people just kept dancing.
"Y/n?"
You perked up slightly at the sound of your name, looking over at the deer man beside you who called for your attention.
""Have you ever danced with your feet on the floor before?" He asked.
"No." You admitted.
"Would you like to?" He got up from the booth and extended his hand out for you to take. The idea was a little daunting, you could probably dance relatively fine given your trade but doing this with Alastor felt a little like swimming in uncharted waters. But never the less, you wanted to let go and try and enjoy yourself. And in that moment you felt like a better time was on the dance floor as opposed to sitting in the booth pouting.
"What if I'm not good?" You wondered, taking his hand and following him.
"Has that ever stopped you from learning?" He wondered. "Just follow my lead, do what feels natural." He hummed, taking both your hands in his gloved hands and started moving his feet as he walked you further in. He whispered lowly by your ear as you began to dance and step in time with him. "I have a feeling you'll be fine."
"There's a boy downtown from the club I know
He doesn't say a word, just hits the floor
The way he moves always caught my eye
Couldn't take no more, just had to try
I moved to the fours as he danced away
His feet like magic, then he looked my way
And in one swoop, he had my by his side
I knew I was in for a ride, as we-
Swing to the sound
Our feet tap-tappin' and our heartbeats beatin' and we
Spin 'round and 'round
We got lost in the rhythm, the lights, and the crowd
That look in his eyes made me sure
We'd be dancing 'til the dawn"
The longer you were out there, slowly the more comfortable you felt. Perhaps it was liquid courage helping a little, but you figured it was better to let go and enjoy the buzz. You surprised yourself a little, impressed at how quick you were to catch on as he swung you around and you pranced out and back with rhythm and ease. It helped that unbeknownst to you, Alastor had used his magic to help you a little so you didn't feel as lost.
His eyes lit up as they noticed the soft, genuine smile creeping on your face.
"Boy, I'll tell ya: that boy can move
Got me twistin' and turnin' around in my Jimmy Choos
Never knew I'd feel so alive
That guy sure knows how to twist and jive
I swayed around the club all night
Not once did he ever leave my side
No matter what, we couldn't stop
Dancing, waiting for that drop as we
Swing to the sound
Our feet tap-tappin' and our heartbeats beatin' and we
Spin 'round and 'round
We got lost in the rhythm, the lights, and the crowd
That look in his eyes made me sure
We'd be dancing, dancing, dancing 'til the dawn"
Alastor felt a little bold and curious and decided to put his skills -and your skills- to the test, knowing he could catch you with ease and make it look flawless to save you any embarrassment. He pulled you close and picked you up, you felt light in his arms as you instinctively kicked your legs up and then let him swing you around his back until you landed back on your feet.
"Heartbeats beatin' and the crowd
With our heartbeats beatin' and we
Spin 'round and-
Heartbeats beatin' and the crowd
We got lost in the rhythm, the lights, and the crowd-
Heartbeats beatin' and the crowd
With our heartbeats beatin' and we
Spin 'round and-
Heartbeats beatin' and the crowd
Swing to the sound
Our feet tap-tappin' and our heartbeats beatin' and we
Spin 'round and 'round
We got lost in the rhythm, the lights, and the crowd
That look in his eyes made me sure
We'd be dancing, dancing, dancing 'til the dawn"
By this point people had cleared some space around you two and marveled at the spectacle, wondering who the Radio Demon was tearing up a rug with, who the mysterious demon was, the vixen dancing with the deer as you two twisted and jived as if you were both in a trance. Like two well rehearsed puppets without strings moving fluidly to the music.
You and Alastor paid no mind to any attention you may have received from then others on the dance floor, focused on each other as he led you and you carefully followed. Toward the end you lifted your gaze and met his eyes, they peered into you with a sense of satisfaction. You could feel yours unintentionally match the expression. He was thrilled to see you seemed to be letting go and enjoying yourself, finally showing a glimpse of this side of you.
Alastor ceased the opportunity for a big finish and pulled you in again, leaning you back into a low dip. Cradling your upper half in his arms and against his legs while you posed with yours and held onto his arm for balance.
You and Alastor locked eyes once more while he held you like this, both of you panting slightly as you began to tune back into the world around you.
"Is there anything you can't do?" He teased.
"Can't whistle." You snickered. "Would you put me down please?"
"Oh! Of course, my dear." He chuckled, lifting you back up and holding your hand as you steadied yourself on your feet again. "Are you fed up with me yet, or would you like to sit and have another round of drinks?"
His eyes peered into you, displaying an emotion you couldn't quite decode. Curiosity, if you had to guess, but there was something else you couldn't put your finger on. You bit your cheek for a moment in thought.
"Another round." You said.