#stolastor

[smolstarthief]

Why am I thinking of crack ships at a time like this man?? XD

[dreaminonao3]

2. "it's been a long time" - Alastor/Stolas

Fandom: Hazbin Hotel & Helluva Boss

Triggers/Warnings: None

Rating: T

Rebound (AO3)

“Alastor, there you are. I … er … heard you were back. It’s been a long time.”

Alastor stiffened at the familiar voice. He was keeping to the shadows in one corner of the ballroom of the Hazbin Hotel and had hoped no one would dare speak to the infamous Radio Demon but his luck had run out. The room was bursting with sinners, overlords, Goetia, and even the Sins and it was only the threat of punishment from Lucifer that kept the various groups from being at each other’s throats. Most people were simply happy to dance or drink the night away, the celebration of the Hotel’s restoration and its residents' defeat of the exorcists secondary.

Alastor turned around to address the speaker. “Seven and a half years, Your Highness.” His ever-present smile was stiff and he hoped the other man would read it correctly.

No such luck. “It’s good to see you,” Stolas said with a soft smile of his own. “And you used to call me ‘Stolas.’”

He sighed quietly. The sad thing is that he’s being honest -- he’s probably the only person in this room who is happy I came back. Charlie appreciates my contributions but I wouldn’t say she’s ever happy to see me. He relaxed as much as he dared in a room that contained multiple enemies. “How are you?”

The prince sighed sadly. “Not well, my friend. My marriage to Stella ended badly.”

Alastor raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that a good thing?” That woman is a harpy, I would think he’d be glad to be rid of her.

“It would be except that it ended over my affair with a man I thought was the love of my life, only for him to run when I told him I wanted our relationship to be more than just … physical.”

Ouch. “When was this?”

“Five months ago.”

“And you’ve given up hope already? That’s not like you.”

“You didn’t hear the things he said. It’s as if he never knew the real me at all.” He finished the glass of champagne he was holding.

“You need something stronger than that.” Alastor changed it to a glass of the finest whiskey with a wave of his hand. “How have you kept yourself occupied since he left?”

Stolas stared down at the whiskey sadly before tossing back the entire glass. “I reconnected with my daughter.”

Alastor remembered the girl, a gangly preteen the last time he’d seen her. “How is Octavia?”

The bird demon smiled proudly. “After so many ‘angsty’ teen years, she’s finally happy. She’s continuing her studies in astronomy and botany and, if you’ll forgive a father’s pride, I think she will do very well. The, uh, the divorce was, well, it was hard for her. Very hard. I’m not proud of how I handled it but Via and I are moving forward.”

He nodded. “Have you been seeing anyone?”

“No. No one could compare to him and the last thing I want is a rebound relationship.”

Alastor tilted his head as he regarded him. “Has it occurred to you that that is actually exactly what you need?”

Stolas stared at him. “I … I couldn’t possibly-”

“As my friend Angel Dust would say,” Alastor rolled his eyes, “‘the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else.’”

“I … I’ll have another whiskey, if I may.”

Alastor nodded and another glass appeared in Stolas’ hand. “Find someone interested in a one-night stand, or even a brief, torrid affair. By the time it’s over, you’ll have forgotten all about the one who hurt you.”

Stolas took a sip then smiled weakly. “For someone not interested in sex or romance, you seem to know a great deal about both.”

Alastor chuckled. “My friend, I’m living under the same roof as the Pride Ring’s premiere porn star – learning all things sexual quite against my will was inevitable. As for romance, it’s not that I’m uninterested, it’s that I have yet to find someone who would make becoming a fool over worthwhile.”

The prince chuckled. “That’s one way to put it.” He moved the glass from one hand to the other and back again before taking another sip then he said, his eyes anywhere but on Alastor, “Are you … are you completely opposed to sex?”

It took less than a heartbeat for Alastor to understand what the man was really asking. “No, I even have it on rare occasions, I just never feel the need like others do.”

“Would you … that is … if you … er…”

“If you’re asking if I’ll be what helps you to get over him, I would be honored.” He gave him a slight bow.

Stolas’ face lit up for a moment then he smiled softly. “Thank you, my friend.”

Alastor couldn’t help thinking that Stolas was a very pretty bird when he smiled.

*

“‘Gumbo?’” Octavia asked skeptically as she poked at the bowl of stew with her spoon. “What’s in it? And if the answer is ‘people,’ I’m leaving.”

Alastor rolled his eyes fondly at his stepdaughter’s wariness. “The answer is ‘deliciousness.’”

Stolas chuckled as he joined them at the table. “Now, Via, you’re well past the age that you need to be told to clean your plate. I can’t force you to eat it but I would think you’d want to show your appreciation for Alastor’s hard work by at least trying it.”

Octavia poked the gumbo one more time and Alastor sighed loudly. “If you truly don’t like it, the second course is Creole Rat Fricassee.”

She looked up at him, surprised. “You hate rats.”

“I did, but as the husband of one owl and the stepfather of another, I’m learning to appreciate them.”

Stolas leaned over to kiss his cheek, a gesture that made Octavia smile.

“Alright,” she said, “I’ll try it, but no promises.”

Three bowls later, she was begging for the recipe so she could share it with her friends. Alastor made a show of reluctantly conjuring a recipe card and while Octavia posted it on social media, he smiled at his husband.

“Not bad for a rebound relationship, wouldn’t you say?”

Stolas hooted his laughter.

[hazbincalifornia]

Just seen another stolastor art, wonder how Stella would react?

She'd probably be kind of grossed out, tbh, just because Dad and Boyfriend Together Like That is weird.

[smolstarthief]

Supernatural, like an oracle... When darkness starts to call, you'll find me after all. A face that could emanate, a stare like a spotlight... If you guide me into your space, I'll be there at the first light...

[smolstarthief]

My mother said I'm too romantic... She said, "You're dancing in the movies..." I almost started to believe her... Then I saw you and I knew.

Just felt like adding more to my crackship pile. Both are adorably flustered!