#she’s not even that mad at alastor she just feels snarky enough to not take his bs this time 😭

[a-h-li]

DND!Hazbin Hazbin AU: Alastor makes his character sheet

Part 1/?

Original post with everyone’s characters

[ourloveisforthelovely]

In Love and Death Part 2

Harry Potter 

Link to Chapter 1

Pairings: Regulus Black x Reader 

Rating: M- light  smut

_____

Hot water washed over your sore joints. The heat was a welcome change from the chill of the hotel room. You rubbed a hand through your soaking hair. Regulus hadn’t joined you yet. You frowned. Normally it would take him all of three seconds to hop into the shower with you. Heat plus your naked bodies being pressed together was enough to entice the man into anything that you wanted.

Your mind went back to the previous conversation. Regulus’ aversion to going back to the order and coming out as a couple made sense. You knew that your friends, Moody, in particular, wouldn't take it well. Hell, your own father probably wouldn’t take it well (had he been alive). You didn’t remember much about his temper but from what your mother said Evan could go off over the smallest thing. His best friend dating his daughter would be a sure way to set Evan off.

Thinking back to Evan Rosier, you couldn’t help feeling a little sad. You were four when he was killed by none other than Moody himself. The world didn’t know the same Evan that you knew. They didn’t know the man who gave up most of his own dreams in order to be a dad at 16 or the man that would sit on the floor of the Rosier family manor to play dolls with you (he wouldn’t admit the latter part but you knew it happened.) The world only saw the death eater that thought it was smart to come up against Mad-eye Moody and didn’t live to see the next day.

You closed your eyes trying to remember what you could about Evan. As you got older you were beginning to forget the little things like his voice, the way he held you as a child, and the way that you would sit on his foot in some pathetic hope to keep him home. Pictures only went so far.

After you grew up and got away from your family’s ignorant ideals, you began to realize how crazy your father really was. He never should have been out running around with Voldemort. Evan should have been at home being a good father. Your grandmother was kind enough to raise you for the first year while Evan and your mother finished school. Running around with a maniac and getting killed was a pretty shitty way to repay her.

Regulus was another source of confusion for you. You could only remember bits and pieces of him. You were two when he technically “died.” The most you could really remember about him was pulling his hair when he would come to visit your parents.

Grandmother would die if she knew…

You could already see the horrified expression on her face when you would bring Regulus in for the first time. The old woman would probably think that she was losing her mind.

That would be slightly desirable

You thought with a smirk. Your grandmother was just like the rest of your family. Snarky purebloods who thought that they were better than everyone else. Maybe it would do her some good to come back down to planet earth.

Regulus’ arms wrapping around your waist pulled you from your thoughts.

“Took you long enough.”

You said as Regulus shoved his head under the water. Flipping his hair over his shoulder, he shoved you back against the wall. He wrapped both of your wrists in one of his hands and held them over your head.

“Sorry.”

Regulus said before trailing his nose down your neck to your shoulder.

“Is it bad that I don’t want to go back?”

He asked, softly. You lifted a leg over his hip trying to pull Regulus closer.

“We don’t have to.”

You replied. Regulus stood back up straight. He stroked a finger down your cheek.

“And we will be hunted down like dogs.”

“They’ll have to get used to it...you and I. I’m not giving you up to appease anyone.”

Regulus let your hands go so he could cup your face.

“I think that I’ve been a bad influence on you. Before you and I got together you were this sweet little girl that wouldn’t say the word fuck now you are talking about sassing Mad-eye Moody. I have to say that I’m impressed.”

You smiled as Regulus peppered kisses down your cheek.

“You’re the first guy that I have ever given a damn about.”

Regulus lifted you enough to align himself to your entrance. You didn’t wait for him to tug him down instead you sunk down onto his length. Regulus groaned, holding his head back. He was going to miss being able to have you whenever the hell he wanted. Since Regulus started sleeping with you, he began to see why his brother was such a manwhore. Sex was actually very nice!

Maybe if he played his cards right, the two of you could get away from Grimmauld Place soon enough. Being back home was the last place that Regulus wanted to be. Between Mad- eye watching his every move, his mother’s portrait profeessing her undying love for him, and Kreacher holding onto his leg sobbing like an emotional toddler; being home was exhausting.

“What a coincidence, you are the first girl that I have ever given a damn about. Now pay attention to what I am doing to you.”

Regulus said with a grin before leaning in for another kiss.

(The next morning)

Both Regulus and yourself stood outside of Grimmauld Place staring at the door handle with matching frowns.

“So, we are on the same footing here?”

You asked. Regulus nodded.

“Yes, if they give you a hard time. I’m coming in and cleaning things up. They won’t want that.”

“Then we apparate the fuck out of there���”

Regulus nodded.

“Sounds nifty.”

Before you could say anything else, Tonks opened the door and pulled you into a fierce hug that left the two of you on the floor. She wrapped herself around you like an oversized cat. You ignored Moody who was muttering about “did they forget how to open doors?”

“Y/n, I have missed you! I missed your face! I missed everything about you!”

Tonks held your face in her hands as she looked down at you from your place beneath her. It took all that you had not to laugh at your best friend's over the top dramatic greeting. You couldn’t have expected anything less from Tonks.

“I missed you too.”

You said with a smirk as Tonks started stroking your hair. The moment that her eyes landed on the love bit that Regulus left on your neck, her mouth dropped. She glanced over her shoulder at Regulus. He didn’t make any facial expression upon realizing that Tonks had put the “secret” together.

“It was then that they realized that neither one of them needed a man.”

Both Tonks and yourself jumped up the moment that Sirius spoke. You have Sirius a scowl.

“In your wildest fantasies.”

Sirius grinned. He enjoyed the fun back and forth banter that the two of you had when it came to sex.

“Let me go get a drink and I will gladly sit here and watch. Neither of you has to touch me.”

Both Remus and Regulus were glaring at Sirius now.

“Shut up, Sirius.”

Regulus snapped. Sirius grinned even wider before his vision stopped on the love bite too. You watched as his mouth dropped before he glanced between Regulus and yourself. He leaned over to Remus and held out his hand.

“You owe me a ton of chocolate.”

“It's not what you think.”

You said, assuming that Sirius figured that Regulus and yourself were just sleeping together. What you didn’t know was Sirius and Remus had made a bet that the two of you would end up in a relationship. Knowing Sirius the way that you did, you assumed the bet was just sex-related.

“It's exactly what he thinks.”

Regulus replied. Tonks had her hand over her mouth and you went to stand beside Regulus. You wrapped your hand around his as Moody walked in.

The older man automatically frowned. Your goal was to tell your friends in a “soft” calm manner but now you weren’t surprised. Nothing in your life ever went according to plan.

“Both of you in the living room. NOW!”

Moody snapped. He stormed in the room fighting the urge to wipe that sneer off of Regulus Black’s smug little face. Moody waited until the both of you sat down before speaking.

“How long?”

You were the first to speak. It was probably a good idea that you did the talking. If it were Regulus doing the talking, hexes would start flying in seconds.

“Right after we got to Greece.”

Moody growled. His attention locked on Regulus.

“I told you to leave her alone.”

Regulus rolled his eyes. He wasn’t about to back down from Moody.

“Let me tell you something about Y/n. She doesn’t do a damn thing that she doesn’t want to. Besides, it's not your decision upon how she lives her life.”

“Did she do you too?”

Tonks asked. Both Regulus and yourself turned to stare at Tonks. Had the situation not been so serious, you would have laughed at the expression on her face. You were thankful for Sirius who was giggling so hard that Remus had to reach out and pinch him.

“Sure. Tonks. I have sex with every guy that I go out with!”

You snapped. Tonks frowned.

“And Regulus is okay with this?”

Remus put a hand on his girlfriend’s back.

“You aren’t helping, love.”

You quickly stood up.

“I am going to say this once. It isn’t anyone in this room’s decision on who I am going to be with. I’m an adult.”

“He was there when you were born. That is messed up.”

Moody snapped. Regulus’ scowl intensified.

“Remus is older than Tonks and I don’t see you bitching about that. Apparently, you are forgetting the fact that I was 18 when I died and look at that...still 18.”

“Fine, it's because you are a death eater. You should have stayed dead.”

“Alastor!”

You snapped his name as Moody turned to face you.

“I’m not watching you throw your life away on some death eater because you have unresolved daddy issues from your father's death.”

Everyone in the room became instantly silent. You blinked a few times before Regulus reached out for your hand.

“Love…”

You shook yourself loose and stared at Moody with heartbroken eyes. This was by far the cruelest thing that he had ever said to you. That comment was worse than how he treated you when you became an auror. He didn’t trust you then because of whose daughter you were and it took you forever to gain his trust. Once you did, however, he adored you and treated both Tonks and yourself like his own daughters. Now you felt as though you had been slapped in the face.

“I don’t have daddy issues. My father made his decisions. You were the one that blew him away. He made bad decisions in his life but that isn’t Regulus’ mess to clean up. That was Evan’s fault not Regulus’.”

Moody frowned.

“Let me make this simple for you, Y/n. You are an auror and a brilliant one at that. You have potential...a spark. Don’t throw your life away for some death eater with a bad attitude.”

You stood in silence for a moment not looking at anyone but Moody.

“That's enough.”

Regulus said, in a warning tone. He had no issues with hexing Moody. Whether the two men were on the same side of not, Regulus was not going to let him upset you anymore. The comments about Evan were below the belt. You didn’t ask your father to make poor decisions.

You recovered after a few moments of trying to keep your Rosier temper under control.

“Fine. I quit. I’m done. You can take this auror job and shove it.”

“Y/n…”

Tonks said, gently. You shook your head brushing off your best friend and partner’s attempt of trying to “smooth the situation over.”

“I’m done.”

You turned and walked from the room leaving everyone in silence. Regulus smirked at the shocked expression on Moody’s face. That was one way to shut the man up.

“You’ve been most helpful.”

Regulus said coldly before standing up and going in the direction that you had gone in.

You stood in his bedroom angrily staring at the wall when Regulus finally caught up to you. Kreacher was busy whispering to you in some hope of cheering you up.

“Kreacher, that will do.”

Regulus said as the elf looked up at him with those teary eyes. At the moment, the last thing that Regulus wanted to do was deal with a pissed off girlfriend and a sobbing elf.

“Yes, master Regulus.”

Kreacher muttered before popping out of the room. Regulus was a bit surprised that Kreacher didn’t beg to stay. Since Regulus had come back, Kreacher was finding any excuse to be in the same room. Regulus figured it was because he was the one person (except you) that was remotely nice to the elf.

Regulus closed the door behind him and cast a quick silencing charm. The last thing that he wanted was for anyone downstairs to be listening at the door.

“You sure showed them.”

Regulus commented before kneeling down in front of you. Your blue eyes met his and Regulus had to fight the urge to stomp back down the stairs and chew everyone out individually. He wasn’t for sure why he was so mad at Sirius and Remus. They had been mostly quiet through that whole fiasco but Regulus could find something.

“What was said when I left?”

Regulus shrugged before gently pushing your backward on the bed and planting himself on top of you.

“I really don’t know. I made a snarky comment and left too. I’m sure they are tearing us apart right now. You know, I really didn’t expect you to go and quit your job. Watching Moody look so stunned was rather amusing though. I wish that I had one of those muggle cameras.”

You smirked.

“Your cell phone has one.”

It took all that you had not to giggle at the unamused expression on your boyfriend’s face.

“I hate that thing.”

“You’ve gone through 4 in two months so I kind of got the idea. Was I wrong down there?”

Regulus shook his head.

“No. It took all that I had not to open my mouth. Look, I don’t need any of those idiots downstairs to make my life happy.”

“I make you happy?”

You questioned. Regulus raised an eyebrow before leaning down and kissing you. The sugary sweetness of the moment would have made him gag years ago now it was welcomed. Now Regulus was ready to soak up any bit of love that you had to offer him.

“Of course. All I need is these blue eyes, these full lips, and this smart mouth.”

You laughed.

“I’ve never heard anyone say that they enjoyed my smart mouth.”

Regulus took your hand and placed it on his crotch. Giving you a small smile, his fingers started on the buttons of your dress.

“That should answer your question, silly girl.”

“I would rather do this than be downstairs.’

Regulus nodded and tugged his shirt over his head.

“For the record, I have never had a girl in this bed.”

You quickly started unbuttoning your dress.

“Maybe you should take that silencing charm off of this room so we can make everyone very uncomfortable?”

____

@fairywriter-oracle

@amelie-black

@velveteencurls

@swinginsoulbailiffrascal

@brokencasbutt67-writer

@authoressskr

@fandom-trash-worth-it

@summer-novak

@hankypranky

@li0nh34rt

@tas898

@marichromatic

@maggioli-m

@untoldshortsofthefandoms

@deanwherescas

@sprnaturallover

@shadows-and-padlocked-hearts

@knight-of-gleefulness

@stuckinsaudi1

@shitfaceddaniel

@shaylybaby2032

@wontlookaway

@emiwrites3reads

@mycuddlycorner

[syntaxeme]

Sugar is Sweet (and So Are You) ch.3

[First Chapter] [Next Chapter (coming soon!)] [Read on AO3] [Support me on Ko-fi] Rating: T Summary: Plagued by jealousy toward the men Angel sleeps with, Alastor comes up with a plan to keep Angel from having to work the streets. He wasn’t planning on becoming an actual client, but having Angel all to himself might prove too sweet to give up–for as long as he can afford it, that is.

— — —

Niffty was as apt and eager a sous chef as one could hope for, not only happy to follow directions to a T but intent on keeping their workspace neat at the same time. Concentrating on cooking had the desired effect of keeping Alastor too busy to fret over Angel’s absence (or anything else regarding him), and it wasn’t until around 7, as he was finishing up his cooking, that he was forcibly reminded of those concerns.

“Mm, it smells amazing in here,” Angel called as he entered the room, and Alastor had to force himself not to look back at him. Niffty had already gone off to set things up in the second floor ballroom, so they were alone in the kitchen. “Whatcha makin’?”

“Etouffee and rice. Blackened snapper filets. Maque choux.” He indicated each dish on the stove and counter respectively. “Though that has tasso in it, so someone who isn’t comfortable eating pork should probably avoid it.” It was still somewhat amusing that Angel eschewed pork products purely because he had a pet pig, while Alastor himself had never been squeamish about meat from any source. To each his own, he supposed.

“Shit, you musta been at it for hours, then.” The spider came over to lean against the counter at his side and leaned toward the pan of etouffee Alastor was stirring with a wooden spoon, opening his mouth expectantly. “Aah…”

The Radio Demon’s eyes narrowed, and instead of complying, he used his free hand to push Angel’s chin upward and close his mouth again. “You’ll be able to try it when everyone else does. Assuming you didn’t have dinner while you were out.”

“Aw, c’mon, I don’t get any special treatment? Are ya mad at me or somethin’?”

“Where have you been?” Alastor asked, ignoring the question, then added, “If you don’t mind my asking.”

“Ooh, you are mad. Ya gonna punish me?” Angel purred. When he saw that Alastor’s expression was utterly devoid of amusement, he sighed and shook his head. “Take a better look at me and see if ya can’t guess.” Posing against the edge of the counter, he ran one hand through his hair (which Alastor now noticed had been styled and formed into loose curls) and used the lower pair to smooth the magenta dress he was wearing (a daring halter number that covered his chest but bared his shoulders—not a familiar part of his existing wardrobe). His nails were painted to match, and the shoes looked new as well.

“You went…shopping?”

“Among other things. Just a little self-care day, a little pampering. Because I deserve it. Don’t I, Daddy?” he concluded with a playful smirk that said there was only one correct answer.

“I suppose.” Alastor wasn’t sure what it was about that new title Angel had given him that flustered him so. It wasn’t any sort of disconcerting Freudian paraphilia, he was sure. Maybe it was the way Angel said it, as an indication of familiarity and the role he’d been cast in this relationship. An admission of authority. It made him feel…powerful. Powerful in a way he wasn’t used to feeling.

“What’d you think, I was runnin’ off to meet some other guy?” Angel asked, hitting the nail exactly on the head. “Why should I when you already said you’re takin’ care of me? I wouldn’t’ve figured you were the kinda guy to get jealous that easily, but it’s sweet you wanna keep me to yourself.”

You have no idea. “And the woman you were with?” the Radio Demon prompted, finally deciding that his etouffee was ready to be served and taking it off the heat. As he was arranging the various dishes on a catering trolley to take them upstairs, he continued, “The one who pulled you out of your meeting with Charlie for all this?”

“She’s my manager. Or she was, I guess. I told her about this”—Angel gestured between the two of them—“earlier, and she wanted the details. Then I was already out, I had some cash to burn, and I figured I should show ya what you’re payin’ for here.” As Alastor was rolling his sleeves back down and readjusting his cuffs, Angel stepped in close to drape his arms over the Radio Demon’s shoulders. He also caught Alastor’s hands to pull them around his own waist, drawing their bodies close together and demanding his attention. “So, you like? Or should I be tryin’ harder?” If he tried much harder, Alastor’s poor heart was likely to give out from overexertion.

“You do look nice, cher,” he confessed, allowing his hands to rest tentatively on Angel’s back and forcibly withholding his full opinion on the subject—that he enjoyed the idea of Angel getting dolled up to impress him, that he loved knowing his support had bought the spider a few hours’ indulgence, that he was terribly tempted to blow off the dinner he was supposed to be serving and spend the time alone with Angel instead.

“Look all ya want, honey.” As he leaned in for a kiss, the tension in Alastor’s body only heightened, but he forced himself not to retreat (or maybe he was so deer-in-headlights frozen that he couldn’t have fled if he’d wanted to). As much as he wanted what Angel was offering, he was equally afraid of embarrassing himself with his inexperience.

“Alastor, do you need—oh!” Just as he’d gathered his courage and tilted his head upward to meet Angel’s lips, Niffty’s voice rang through the kitchen. He reflexively stepped back at the sound, breaking the spider’s hold on him and leaving about two feet’s distance between them.

“What was that, dear?” he asked, unsure whether the smile he flashed her was intended to intimidate or reassure. It made little difference, as she was pointedly avoiding looking at him, her cheeks flushed.

“Uh, everything’s ready upstairs. I came to see if you need any help taking stuff up.”

“No. Thank you. Go on ahead and we’ll be up shortly.” She wasn’t eager to argue and zipped out of the room as quickly as she’d appeared, leaving Alastor to clear his throat awkwardly as he swept his jacket back on.

“Why does it bother you if the others know?” Angel asked, strolling along behind Alastor as he pushed the trolley out of the kitchen and toward the elevator. He didn’t seem offended, just curious, likely because he himself had no issue about being open with his sexual dealings.

“I don’t know that it bothers me, per se. But whatever goes on between you and me is none of their affair.” Especially Charlie.

“Sure, I guess, but it still seems kinda shitty to hafta act different just because someone else is around.” When Alastor didn’t answer right away, Angel quickly went on, “I mean, at the end of the day, it’s whatever you want. Just knowin’ you, I woulda figured you wouldn’t care what anybody else thought of it.”

When they got to the ballroom, true to Charlie’s word, everyone was gathered already, hovering around the handful of tables scattered throughout the room and sipping cocktails (provided by Husk, who had set up a sort of half bar by the door). Luckily, Alastor’s cooking experience in life had given him plenty of experience with serving large groups, so this was nothing he couldn’t handle. “Sorry to keep everyone waiting; I’m sure you’re all starved by now!”

“Nope, you’re just in time.” Charlie sidled up to him as he was setting out the dishes along the banquet tables lining the far wall. “I can’t blame you if you got a little distracted.” She nodded heavily toward Angel, who had been crowded by a few of their female patrons all ooh-ing and aah-ing over his outfit.

“What, this old thing?” he purred, posing deliberately and beaming from the attention. His smile was one of the first things the Radio Demon had come to admire about him, and knowing he himself had caused it was even more satisfying. Angel was beautiful; there was no denying that. So why, Alastor wondered, should he even bother trying?

“Yes, maybe I was,” he agreed with Charlie’s statement as he finished up setting out the spread. He ignored her wide eyes and delighted grin as he swept the trolley to one side and gestured to the table with a flourish. “Well, here we are! There should be plenty for everyone, so don’t be shy.”

Dinner didn’t go exactly the way he’d expected. He and Angel shared a table with Charlie, Vaggie, Niffty, and Husk, and although the conversation was the sort typical of the group, he couldn’t help feeling Angel was paying him more attention than usual. Of course, ever since the hotel’s opening, the two had developed a certain chemistry, a sort of quick-fire volley of snarky comments and clever comebacks, but it felt softer on this particular evening. Different. And Alastor found he didn’t mind it.

He still hesitated and drew away when Angel got overtly affectionate—stroking lightly along his hand, leaning close to speak into his ear, playfully toying with his hair—but it was more for his own comfort than out of concern about what anyone else might think. Angel was right in saying that their opinions shouldn’t matter, and if it meant Alastor didn’t have to deliberately maintain his distance, he didn’t mind dealing with their curious glances and whispers.

When everyone had eaten their fill, the other patrons dispersed gradually until only the hotel’s staff was left in the ballroom, chatting long past dark. Husk was the first one to retire, followed soon by Vaggie gently leading a somewhat tipsy Charlie toward the doors as well.

“Wait, wait,” Charlie insisted, “shouldn’t we help clean up?”

“Nope!” Niffty answered cheerfully, waving her onward. “I’ll take care of it, don’t worry!” In fact, she was already up and starting to gather plates, apparently no less energetic after dinner and drinks—or at least not enough to keep her from happily working.

“I suppose we’ll leave you to it, then,” Alastor agreed, getting to his feet as well. Angel followed along without prompting.

“Y’know,” he started as they took the stairs to the third floor, where Alastor’s room was located, “you’re a pretty good cook, Al. But I think that meal was missin’ somethin’.”

“Oh? What’s that?” The notion was actually a bit insulting.

“Don’t get me wrong; you make a helluva dinner. But”—he caught Alastor’s hand as they reached the door labeled 313—“now I’m in the mood for somethin’ sweet. So what’s for dessert?”

In literal terms, Alastor had never cared much for overly sweet things. Somehow, he got the feeling Angel wasn’t talking about beignets. He froze up for a moment, having failed to consider this aspect of the evening. Of course, it was only logical that Angel’s newly affectionate attitude toward him would include an offer like this, based on his usual interactions with clients.

“I hadn’t thought about it,” he answered. “I’m typically not much for sweets.”

Angel hesitated, tilting his head to one side, then his expression changed. Pouting slightly, he ran a hand through his hair to loosen his curls a little more. “But you can make an exception for me, right? I’ll get so cold up in my room all by myself, Daddy,” he whined, batting his eyes, looking strangely smaller and more fragile than usual. Raising Alastor’s hand up to his cheek and nuzzling against it, he suggested, “Lemme sleep here with you instead.”

Alastor didn’t respond right away. Although he wanted to believe that Angel had a genuine desire to be near him, something about this proposition felt artificial, almost like a game, like he was putting on an act for Alastor’s benefit. And if that was the case, he had no interest in it. He wanted Angel’s genuine self, the confident, assertive, clever individual he’d come to know and enjoy, not whatever persona he put on to please his clients.

“If you want to be here, cher, then by all means, stay. If you’re offering purely for my benefit, however, you can go back to your own room,” he said plainly, and Angel frowned.

“I dunno what that means,” he sighed, crossing both pairs of arms. Even in his irritation, he seemed more like himself, which was an improvement. “D’you not get how this works? You’re takin’ care of me, so I’ll take care of you. I don’t like to welch on a deal, but you gotta tell me what ya want if I’m gonna do it.” The prospect of being ‘taken care of’ by Angel, even if not in the way he had in mind, was immensely appealing. But only if there was a good reason behind it.

“I just did. I’m paying for your time so that you can choose what to do with it. If you’d like to stay, that’s fine. In fact, I think I would like you to,” he confessed, his gaze lingering somewhere around Angel’s right shoulder so their eyes wouldn’t meet. “But if you see this as a professional obligation, if you’re only doing it because I’m paying you, let me say that you have no need to. I don’t want you to make it a chore to be around me.”

The sound Angel let out was sort of a laugh, sort of a scoff, sort of dismissive and uncomfortable at the same time. “C’mon, Al, we both know what this is; ya don’t hafta feel guilty about it. You paid already, so whatever ya want from me is yours fair and square. This is what I do. It ain’t a big deal.”

Yes, that’s what I was afraid of. Refusing to let his smile slip or otherwise betray how much the statement bothered him, Alastor instead answered, “Good night, Angel.”

The spider stood by in silence while Alastor turned to unlock the room and step inside, but when he tried to shut the door, Angel caught it with two hands to stop him. With a note of something almost like guilt in his voice, he conceded very quietly, “I wanna stay.”

Although it was difficult to believe given the sadness on his face, Alastor found himself a bit shaken by seeing Angel so uncomfortable. Continuing to argue just wasn’t worth upsetting him more. So he took a step back out of the doorway and motioned for Angel to come inside, gesturing absently at the lamp in the corner so it flickered to life and bathed the room in dim red light.

Angel shivered as he crossed the threshold, lending some credence to his excuse of being cold, and his gait was noticeably less self-assured than usual as he made his way across the room to Alastor’s bed. Another moment’s hesitation, and he gestured to the bed. “Can I…?”

“Of course.” Alastor concentrated on shrugging out of his coat and removing his shoes and tie as Angel sat on the bed and toed his own shoes off, then crawled onto the mattress on all fours, coming over to meet Alastor where he stood at the other side.

Sitting up on his knees, sliding the edge of his dress up slightly, he asked, “You wanna help me outta this?”

Oh. Somehow, Alastor had failed to realize that in allowing Angel to stay the night, he was agreeing to something more than just enjoying his company. But at this point, it seemed too late to change his mind.

It took a moment for him to compose himself enough to form a response. “If you like.” His hands came to rest on Angel’s hips, only shaking slightly, and slid slowly downward to the skirt’s hemline, where he froze up again. Angel must have noticed his hesitation, as he tried to smooth the process by leaning in for a kiss. It was quick and soft, as if inviting Alastor to take more if he wanted. And he did.

Since this was something he felt much more comfortable exploring, he focused all his attention on it, capturing Angel’s lips with his own more firmly this time. It felt surprisingly natural to slip his tongue into the spider’s mouth, and the breathless moan Angel let out only encouraged him further. He did have a taste, Alastor found, but it wasn’t actually sweet. Enjoyable nevertheless. Every aspect of this experience was so foreign and fascinating, from the softness of Angel’s chest pressed against his to the heat of his mouth to his hands grasping at Alastor’s shoulders. He tried to pull away at least two separate times before Alastor realized that he should let go. As Angel was catching his breath, the Radio Demon realized he’d been so absorbed in the kiss that he hadn’t noticed deft hands unbuttoning his shirt, and he hastened to close it up again.

“Are you gonna…get in bed with me or what?” Angel managed, collapsing to sit and still panting softly, open-mouthed. The position he was in, long legs folded against the bed, forced his skirt even higher up his thighs. Alastor was utterly beside himself, torn in a way he’d never been before.

He had no idea what he wanted out of this moment. No, that was wrong; the problem was that he had entirely too many ideas. Part of him wanted to pin Angel to the bed and keep his mouth thoroughly occupied for the next hour. Part of him wanted to tear that dress off him and explore every inch of bare skin with his eyes, his hands, his lips. Part of him wanted to pretend he had no anxiety about this matter and spend the rest of the night satisfying his many curiosities about how it might feel to share that kind of intimacy with Angel.

Yet another very loud part was insisting that all the other parts were insane, that allowing anyone that close was asking for trouble, and that the best recourse was simply to throw the spider out, lock the door, and pretend none of this had ever happened. His mind was giving so many imperative all at once that it was impossible to choose which to act on.

“Al?” When Angel’s hand found his arm, he was so high-strung that he immediately jerked away from the touch, reeling back a step or two and struggling to get a hold of himself before he said or did anything he’d regret. Worst of all, Angel looked confused, guilty, even worried about him. “You okay?”

“Yes. No. I—” He let out an entirely mirthless laugh, simply because he didn’t know what else to do with himself. “I’m sorry. You…maybe you should…go.” It was stupid of him to have expected that he could change his stripes, so to speak, that easily. He knew what he was. He knew it didn’t lend itself well to affection of any sort. No one should be forced to put up with that, especially not one of the few people Alastor genuinely cared for.

“Go? But I thought… I mean, did I do somethin’ wrong?” Angel asked, shifting to sit on the edge of the bed but mercifully not making any move to touch him. “I dunno what happened.”

“Nothing. It’s not you.” There he was, making an absolute fool of himself, just as he’d feared. But at the same time, it wasn’t right to make Angel feel as if he were in the wrong. It took all Alastor’s effort to force himself to keep smiling as he continued, “I’m sorry, cher. I’ve never…done this before.”

“What, paid for sex?” Angel laughed, and although it didn’t seem ridiculing, it didn’t help, either. When Alastor didn’t respond, he quickly sobered and realized: “Oh, y’mean you’ve never…at all? Uh, shit, I just figured—hey, it’s fine, though! I been with virgins before; it ain’t a big deal. We can take it slow if ya want.” Somehow, although they were probably meant to be reassuring, the words did nothing to ease Alastor’s anxiety.

“That’s probably for the best.” It wasn’t that he didn’t want to try. Eventually. He was always interested in a new experience, and he did want to be close to Angel. But this evening had already made it quite clear that he had some mental blocks to work around before anything like that would be possible. “I don’t mean to make this difficult for you. I’m sure you were expecting—”

“Alastor.” Angel leaned his head down to catch the Radio Demon’s gaze (which was directed toward the floor), and although his smile was much softer than the wicked grin he usually wore, it still felt genuine. “It’s fine. You’re payin’ for my time and my company, but it’s up to you what you wanna do with it. If ya wanna fuck me, I’m up for it. If ya wanna kiss me again and then see where it goes, I’m fine with that too. If ya just want me to sleep here, I can.” After a moment’s hesitation and with somewhat dampened enthusiasm, he added, “Hell, if ya want me to leave ya alone and go to my own room—”

“I don’t,” Alastor answered quickly, “want that.”

Angel seemed pleased with the concession. “Point is, it’s up to you. Whatever you pick is fine by me. So don’t worry too much about what I ‘expect.’ I’d rather be here with you than off at some shithole motel with a john I can’t trust.”

Meaning he trusts me? That notion made Alastor feel a million times better about the night, all awkwardness and uncertainty included. At the same time, Angel’s assurance that he was in control of their interaction was an immense comfort in itself. Maybe these feelings—comfort, control, confidence—were what he was actually paying for.

Feeling at least somewhat steadier now, he seated himself on the bed next to Angel and leaned in to kiss his cheek, causing his slight smile to widen into something more playful. ‘Something sweet’ indeed. “I do want you to stay the night, ma sucrette. And I wouldn’t say no to more of those kisses.”

“Sucrette? What’s that?”

Tilting Angel’s chin upward and running a thumb lightly across his lips, Alastor replied, “Why, it’s you, sweetness.”

It may have been a trick of the light, but it certainly looked like Angel was blushing as they settled into bed.

Charming.

He moved close under the covers to put himself in Alastor’s arms, and after a moment of figuring out how their bodies fit together in an embrace, there was another kiss. And another. Knowing he wasn’t expected to go any further made it easier for Alastor to relax and enjoy their nearness for what it was. And there was no shortage of things to enjoy about it. He looked forward to discovering and further exploring each one in the days to come.