No Rush

Charlie definitely couldn't get to sleep.

Not now. Not after that insane realization.

On the one hand, she was losing her mind. Holy hell, did she not know what to do! When did this happen? How did this happen? When did she suddenly start to have feelings for him?

On the other hand, she shouldn't feel surprised at all.

Over the last couple months, she and Alastor had only continued to become closer and closer. They ate meals together, swapped stories, occasionally bantered, and had even shared a dance. He had seen her sorrow and pain, and she had seen his subtle vulnerability in those instances. They'd made each other smile and laugh.

But…Speaking honestly, how was she to know whether this was all in her head or not? How was she to know whether Alastor even felt the same way?

Why would he? He saw everyone as beneath him, never respecting or treating anyone as his equal. And even if he seemed to respect her and even if he did seem to see her as an equal, that didn't automatically mean romantic intentions. Still…

The moments they'd shared, and the moment they'd had just now, sitting on his bed, close enough to…

Well. It certainly seemed that he…

Charlie frowned deeply, pressing the side of her face against his pillow and almost greedily inhaling his scent.

She couldn't say for certain whether Alastor liked her like that. And in all honesty, it might not be best to even ask. Charlie had a horrible habit of over-thinking things, especially where other people were concerned. With her realization in regards to Alastor, it reminded her of a topic she hadn't thought of in quite some time.

Their deal.

Alastor was such a selfish and chaotic being, and she didn't want to kid herself into thinking that he was staying here just for her. He wanted entertainment, and now he was slowly getting it given that they now had new residents.

She couldn't be selfish, though. She cared far too much about him at this point. She should've brought up their deal a long time ago. She should've as soon as she'd been disowned.

'As Princess of Hell and heir to the throne, I hereby order that you help with this hotel, for as long as you desire. Sound fair?'

Their deal had been null and void for months now. She cringed. Why hadn't she brought it up to him yet? How could she have been so selfish?

Tensely, she swiped away a stray tear and slowly turned to face him. "H-hey, Al?"

He was still sitting up and reading, not looking the least bit tired. She did a quick glance at the clock and she almost gasped. It now read five-thirty-five in the morning.

At hearing her groggy voice, he put a marker in his book and placed it on his lap. "Yes, my dearest," he asked, giving her a wide grin.

Charlie flinched. There was that word again. 'Dearest'. She loved it. She loved hearing that word so much.

She felt a lump forming in her throat. She tried to swallow the guilt as she moved to sit up. "Um…" But she trailed off, as she now had the large blanket around her to contend with. It was so big and bulky, and she had managed to wrap it around herself rather tightly at some point.

She heard Alastor chuckle at watching her struggle to untangle herself from it. She expected him to be amused by that, but what she did not expect was for him to set his book aside, and then to slide downward, until he too was lying on his side facing her.

"Now," he said, with a residual chuckle in his voice. "What is it?"

"Um," she repeated, a blush spreading on her cheeks for quite possibly the hundredth time this night. He was once again very close to her, almost the same proximity as before. Charlie's mouth moved up and down, trying to find the right words to start with, trying to find the correct way to set things right.

"My parents disowned me," she blurted out. She managed to free one of her hands to slap it to her face in embarrassment. Well, that's one way to make myself look like an idiot in front of my new love interest.

A confused smile stretched Alastor's face. "Last I checked, this was still so," he replied slowly, as if speaking to someone who was slow on the uptake. "Or am I missing something here?"

"No," Charlie grumbled in frustration. "I-I mean…" She twirled her hand in a vague, fidgety gesture, as if to encourage herself to keep going while miraculously making sense at the same damn time. Oh, what a feat that'd be, if she could only accomplish it. "Well, it's just…I'm no longer a princess. And, well, we made our deal while I was a princess."

He tilted his head. "Our deal?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "When you first arrived at the Hotel."

"Oh," he said. He suddenly laughed loudly. "Quite honestly, I forgot all about that. Why, would you look at that! Me, forgetting a deal! First time for everything, no?" He laughed again. "But, yes, what about it?"

By this point, his fingers had found her jaw again. His touch felt so gentle, so nice. She bit her lip hard, and she unwillingly leaned back slightly. Though not completely away from his touch, otherwise she would've fallen off the bed.

At once, he took his hand off her skin, letting it hang questioningly in the air next to her head. His movements, his facial expression, his smile…Everything about him had completely frozen up.

Charlie blinked at this sudden change. It took her a moment, but she realized that Alastor had no idea what to do next, much less how to respond to that. For some reason, her moving back ever-so-slightly thoroughly blind-sided him.

And not in an arrogant why-won't-you-let-me-touch-you kind of way, but more like… He looked extremely confused, and very disheartened, as if he now assumed that this simple gesture on his part was him going too far. He…almost appeared guilty.

Charlie bit her lip so hard she knew a bruise would show up later. She glanced at his hand still hovering stiffly in the air. She debated on whether to bring that hand back to her face, to show him that he most definitely hadn't crossed a line, but she had to tell him what was on her mind. She had to get to the point so she could give him that choice.

Charlie closed her eyes. "I'm no longer a princess of Hell. O-our deal is…no longer valid anymore. There's nothing keeping you here anymore."

She exhaled shakily, and began rambling. "B-because let's be real here, I mean, we have a few more sinners here now, bu-but no one really expects this idea to work. And even if I think it will, even if we do have more sinners, there's nothing really chaotic about this place or anything, and that's what you like, and, uh…" She trailed off when she realized he had yet to say anything.

Slowly, she opened her eyes. He had taken his hand completely away at some point, but he was no longer as tense as before. He stared at her with that soft smile. "I see," he said. "All very simple, then, yes?"

"Uh-"

"My dear, I may be a deal-maker and I'm very dedicated to holding up my end of any bargain, but if I'm ever faced with a deal that I no longer wish to be a part of, you can bet anything that I'd figure a way out of it." His hand twitched, but it didn't leave its position where it now lay on the bed. "Perhaps our deal wasn't even a deal to begin with. That's all a matter of opinion, I suppose. But in any case, I have no desire to leave."

Charlie felt her breath catching hopefully. "Y-You don't?"

"Goodness, no," he laughed. "Husker and Niffty are still under my command, my shadows still guard your hotel, and we now have new residents. My job is the same as before, to help with this hotel, and to watch these miserable sinners desperately cling to the hope of redemption."

She chuckled emptily. She was ridiculously happy he was still intent on staying, but she still wasn't quite smiling. He wanted to stay for the Hotel's sake and to get entertainment out of it. No other reason. Yeah… She had definitely read too far into things. Of course he didn't have any romantic intentions. After all, this was Alastor they were talking about here. "So, you haven't been too bored or anything? Th-That's good to know."

"You think I've been bored? Around you?" He laughed. "My dearest, how such a thought has occurred to you is beyond me! Did I ever give any indication, even once, that I found you to be boring?"

Charlie blinked. "I-I was referring to the Hotel."

"Hmm," he hummed vaguely. "I wasn't. Though, I admittedly don't find your hotel as boring as it should be for me, no, I was not referring to that. I was referring to you."

His statement was definitely a little awkward by his standards, and it took Charlie a moment to process it. When she did, her blush came back, and she looked away to try and hide how giddy she was slowly beginning to feel. As she looked away, his hand came into her view. It twitched towards her again, but it ultimately didn't leave its position on the mattress.

Charlie flexed her jaw, thinking carefully about this next move.

She took her time, slowly sliding her hand across the bed, until she could gently take his. He flinched sharply when she touched him, so much so that he lifted his hand straight into the air again. Charlie flinched as well, not really knowing how to respond to that. She could feel his eyes on her. Many seconds passed by, and she was about to look at his face to better understand his reaction. However, Alastor finally moved, hesitantly placing his fingertips over her knuckles.

He waited.

Charlie gently took his hand. As much as she simply wanted to hold it in hers, to tangle her fingers through his own, she instead placed his palm against her jaw where he'd originally had it. He immediately cupped her face again, and his thumb resumed its stroking.

She finally looked at his face. She was expecting him to have frozen up again, or to even be grimacing at her boldness. Instead, he was looking at her with that wonderfully soft smile, but there was something else tied in with it. The corners of his eyes were very relaxed, almost relieved.

She smiled back at him, and she felt herself finally relax some as well.

He briefly paused his stroking to push some of her hair away from her face, which meant that it probably got a little disheveled during her uncertain rambling. "I do hope all of what I said put your mind at ease," he said.

"It did, yeah," she murmured. They were lying so close to one another, to a point where there was barely any distance left to close. "…It really did."

Charlie leaned forward and pressed her lips against Alastor's.

It was only meant to be a small kiss, not lasting long at all. She was already slowly pulling back, but she hastened when she realized Alastor had not even reacted in the slightest.

Well, actually, he was reacting.

His eyes were the widest she'd ever seen them, and the small smile on his lips conveyed complete and total shock. His hand was still against her face, but it trembled immensely. And, for the first time that night, his background noises were much more prominent. Radio static droned around them, rapidly fading in and out, as if someone was struggling to find the right frequency.

Charlie waited many seconds for him to respond, to give him as much time as he needed to process it. She knew that if the situation was reversed, she'd probably be reacting similarly. However, as seconds turned into minutes, and as those minutes went into the double-digits, and as he continued to have no further reaction whatsoever…She felt her heart beginning to sink into her stomach.

She…She'd misread him after all. Clearly, she'd misread him.

She stammered, quickly trying to find the words for a proper apology. "I-I-Well-I-Just. Uh…That was…I thought…Well, I mean, obviously, I thought wrong," she managed to get out as she placed her hand over his, which was still trembling against her face. "I-I crossed a line, and I'm sorry. W-we can pretend that that never even…" A tear slipped down her cheek as she stroked her thumb over his knuckles. She wanted to look away from him, but she couldn't. "And y-you can let go of my face. I-It's fine."

The moment she tried to gently pry his hand away, the radio static ceased.

He finally moved.

His thumb drifted across her face until it was resting against her lips. Charlie immediately stilled. Alastor's eyes were still as wide as they could be, and his smile hadn't shifted, but he did start speaking.

"I…Yes," he muttered. "Hmm…" Charlie could see that his eyes were finally moving as well, as if looking for something, but not looking directly at her. He muttered a few other things that Charlie couldn't quite make out, and she could see just how thoroughly distracted he was, so much so that she wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't heard her disjointed apology at all.

With his thumb still over her lips, she opened her mouth a little to try again, to make sure he'd heard her, but he spoke again. "Yes," he nodded once. "That will take some getting used to. Most definitely." On that note, his wide eyes relaxed, as did his smile.

"Uh," Charlie stammered a little.

His thumb fell away and his hand left her cheek, gliding through her hair to the back of her neck. Charlie's heart hammered in her chest, expecting him to lean in for his own kiss. He was looking at her lips, and her eyes, too. His gaze kept drifting between them. Instead of a kiss, though, he cautiously pressed his hand against her until their foreheads slowly bumped together.

Her relief was palpable. As soon as Charlie felt this new kind of touch from him, her shoulders sagged and a breathless chuckle escaped her as she smiled brightly at him.

He was smiling at her as well. It was wide, and still held notes of bewilderment, but it was a happy one nonetheless. "You feel the same way," he sighed, his voice also breathless.

"You feel the same way," she chuckled again. "I…I thought I'd…"

He hummed to encourage her to continue.

"W-well," she said. "When I kissed you…"

"Ah, yes, that. I suppose I didn't respond properly to that, did I?"

Charlie instantly shook her head. "No! No, you responded fine. No, it's not that. I thought I'd…really done something you didn't like."

His hand had now returned to the side of her face, which seemed to be his preferred position. "It wasn't exactly that," he explained. "You have to understand. No one has ever done that to me before."

Charlie tilted her head. "You mean kissing?"

He nodded.

Her eyes widened a little. "Oh," she said. "Did you…not like it?"

He shook his head. "Also not that. I just don't yet know what to do in that circumstance." He paused, a flash of thoughtfulness in his eyes. "But, here, let me try again."

Charlie squeaked, a surprised sound in the back of her throat that was quickly smothered as his lips crashed against hers.

It was abrupt, with one of his sharp teeth nearly nicking her in the process. His movements weren't rushed or even overly passionate for that matter. However, there was a lot of uncertainty. His lips shifted clumsily against hers, as if unsure of how or where to even place them.

It was a little harsh, but not forceful. The hand on her face was still as gentle as ever, not manipulating her, not deepening the kiss, not even holding her in place. This kiss wasn't him trying to push any limits.

This was simply him trying.

This was a completely new experience for him.

It was now Charlie's turn to freeze up. Only two hours ago she was completely ready for him to kiss her. Now, she couldn't even believe that it was happening, and it took her completely by surprise. It also shamefully took her too long to respond.

His kiss only lasted a few seconds. By the time she had gotten out of her stupor, by the time she could actually respond to him, he was already pulling back with a breathless gasp.

For a long second, he wore a wide, elated smile at having just done that. Then, upon seeing Charlie's disoriented expression, his smile faltered and a half-cringe mingled with it. "Not quite, I take it," he asked carefully.

Charlie nibbled her bottom lip contemplatively, not wanting to discourage him or say the wrong thing. However, when she came up short on words, she took a leaf from his book and opted for honesty. "No," she sighed. "Not really. It…was a little rough."

His cringe sharpened, nearly overtaking his smile. His hand caressed her neck again, connecting their foreheads once more. "Forgive me for that, my dearest," he sighed, sounding thoroughly frustrated with himself. "As I've said, this will take some getting used to on my part."

"That's okay," Charlie smiled. "We…We can figure it out together."

He raised a brow. "As in…?"

Charlie paused, because now it was a matter of making sure he didn't feel insulted. "Well…If I'm your first kiss, then…Well, it's not fair of me – of either of us – to expect you…to…"

His brow remained raised.

"Because, if you've never gotten a chance to, um, practice…it?" She stopped her suggestion. "Ugh, I'm sorry. None of that made sense at all," she groaned, closing her eyes. "A-and besides, we don't have to do any kissing right now. We-"

"I want to," he interrupted calmly. "I enjoyed it."

Charlie looked at him. "Huh?"

"I enjoyed it," he repeated with a nod. "Kissing. Especially when you were the one to initiate it."

"Oh." She blinked, and then smiled. "Th-that's good!"

He chuckled at her. "Oh, believe me. You would be the first to know if something was done that I didn't like." He brushed his thumb over her lips again. "You felt nice," he murmured. Then, he cringed again. "But my kiss clearly did not."

"No, but that's okay," she assured. "It's something that…we could figure out together, to make it nice for both of us."

He tilted his head. The cringe was gone, being replaced with something just a little perturbed. "Are you suggesting to help me?"

"Only if you want me to. You just seemed…really disappointed."

He stared into her eyes for many seconds. "It's been many years since I've accepted help from anyone," he said, his voice sounding strangled. "Since I've trusted anyone like that."

After another many seconds passed by, his forehead was no longer against hers. Charlie almost thought he was pulling away altogether. She frowned at the loss, but she understood, knowing that he was probably feeling too frustrated and proud for such a suggestion.

However, Alastor surprised her. He only pulled back slightly, to get a better look at her face while smiling widely. "I shall leave everything up to you, then!"

"Huh," she repeated dumbly.

He began to explain. "When it comes to romance, the only thing I'm familiar with is courting, but I never even partook in that. Romance was not something I pursued, in general."

He briefly lifted his hand from her face in a vague, grandiose wave. "All of this is very foreign to me," he continued. "I don't know what's natural, what's expected, and what are only simple urges."

He placed his hand back on her jaw. He was delighted when she subtly shifted against his palm, involuntarily leaning into his touch. "I'll accept your help," he announced. "Gladly."

Charlie smiled from ear to ear, and her blush was now most likely going to be a permanent fixture on her face. "Okay," she said, voice barely above a whisper. "So," she cleared her throat a little to compose herself. "Do you just…If you want, we can just…take it slow?"

"I…Yes. That'd probably be for the best." His eyes had drifted to her lips, his smile slipping a little.

Noticing that he was still conveying some guilt from his kiss, Charlie searched around to find his other hand, the one not on her face. When she realized it was lying beneath the pillow under his head, she wormed her hand between the linens. When she found his hand, she placed her fingers over his knuckles, but didn't take it or try to move it. Alastor seemed intent on keeping that hand protectively hidden, and while she definitely took a risk by seeking it out, she didn't want to be too insistent.

For a split second, he froze when he felt her touch, and a guarded tension flashed in his eyes. Then, upon realizing that she wasn't interested in doing anything further with it, and because he was slowly beginning to crave her touch, he very quickly relaxed. So quickly that it almost startled him.

"Yeah," Charlie murmured. "We can take it as slow as you want."

Alastor's heart sped up. For some reason, her words were exactly what he wanted to hear. Sighing heavily, he nuzzled his face against her forehead. He wanted to kiss her again, now specifically there, as well as her lips, but not now. His heart was still going at a speed he wasn't used to, and he wanted a breather. Goodness, he needed it. He should at least let go of Charlie to do so, but he couldn't fathom doing that either. Despite how flustered he felt, he also never wanted the feeling to end.

"I appreciate that," he murmured against her skin. "More than you know."

Charlie slowly took her hand away. Alastor's hand moved as well, snaking out from underneath the pillow as if to chase her gentle touch. He leaned back a little to get a better look at her face, wondering why on earth she'd taken her hand away.

"That's good," she smiled. Alastor smiled back, but he was distractedly looking down at her hands, both of which she had tucked demurely against her chest. It was as if she couldn't find anywhere else to put them. Alastor then realized that she must've sensed how overwhelmed he had gotten, and that she was now keeping her hands to herself for his sake.

He grimaced, looking at his other hand that was freely caressing and exploring her face. How absolutely unfair.

Stiffly, but excitedly, his other hand found hers again, wrapping tensely and awkwardly around it. Charlie's reaction was immediate and smooth as she curled her fingers to tighten their hold on each other.

This sensation – just like kissing – was also new to him. He'd never held the hand of another so delicately before. He didn't even realize that word was a part of his own vocabulary. But he liked it. He was overwhelmed by it initially, but now that he had her hand back, he was much more comfortable with it this time. His heart slowed down into a more steady rhythm, allowing him to better process her touches, more than ready to become familiar with her.

For the next while, they lazily took in each other's company. They kept a consistent grip on each other's hands, with Charlie stroking her thumb over his knuckles every now and then. She occasionally tilted her cheek against his other hand that was still cupping her face.

They took their time studying each other, taking in their subtle physical reactions and facial expressions. In all honesty, there wasn't much to learn quite yet. This was all still new for the both of them and it would be impossible to learn everything about the other in one night. Alastor once again sighed, relieved that Charlie was more than happy to allow him as much time as he needed.

He was happy that she was happy.

Alastor tilted his head at thinking that. How simplistic, sappy, and oddly comforting that thought was to him.

Charlie opened her mouth to break the silence, and also to stifle a yawn at the same time. "You…You said something about courting, and that that's the only thing you know about romance."

He nodded. "Let's use the word 'know' loosely, shall we," he suggested. "As I said, I never partook, never felt the need or desire to court anyone. I only know of what's needed to be done because it was something expected of men during that time. It was a tedious step-by-step process."

"What all goes into it?"

"If you're wondering if I considered courting you, the answer is no," he said, and watched as her expression fell. He quickly explained himself. "Your parents would be a necessary part of the formalities."

"Oh," she muttered bluntly, understanding.

"Also," he continued. "Everything is different now, so modern. By the time I died, courting was already becoming a thing of the past. Dating, casual romance, and such things related are much more common now." He sighed through his nose. "The expectation of romance nowadays – Well, romance in general…I truly am at a loss."

Charlie grinned. "That's why you have me."

He chuckled at her playful smile, but didn't respond to that. He noticed her eyelids had become droopy, barely keeping open. He smirked pointedly at her. "You're trying to keep yourself awake," he accused lightly. "I think you'll find that won't work, though."

"Oh yeah," she raised a brow. "Why's that?"

"Because I won't let you," he stated matter-of-factly. "Go back to sleep, my dearest."

"Can…I kiss you goodnight, then," she asked with a shy smile. Then, her smile faltered into something hesitant. "Only if you want to."

Alastor's eyes widened and he blinked rapidly. "Is it evening once again," he asked, almost in shock. He propped himself up and faced the direction of one of his windows. "Goodness, time is slowing down one minute, then speeding up the next!"

"No, no," Charlie shook her head, placing her hand over his raised fingers. He was probably about to snap them in order to magically push aside the curtains from that distance. She chuckled awkwardly. "I was trying to be funny, I guess. It's still morning." He nodded once at her and shifted to lie down again. "You've been losing track of time?"

Instead of answering that – Goodness, he didn't want to discuss how embarrassing that particular subject was – he simply stroked his thumb over her lips and chose to address her previous question. "That sounds lovely."

Charlie waited for a moment, chewing on her lip. She was waiting to see if Alastor wanted to make the first move, but he didn't. She shifted closer to him, so that there wouldn't be any straining on her part. She wanted this third time to be as relaxed as possible for them. She had to stop because their chests were now pressed against each other, much like how their dance in the living room had ended. There was no more space left between them.

Charlie gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, and she tilted her head forward, brushing her lips against his. Once again, Alastor froze and his hand on her face started to tremble. However, his reaction wasn't as dramatic or as long-lasting. After a long second, he relaxed and slowly pressed his mouth back against hers, this time without the roughness.

Charlie sighed. They worked their mouths together, slowly and meticulously. These kisses were small and light. And even though Charlie could still feel how hesitantly and awkwardly Alastor was moving against her, she wouldn't trade this careful, tender moment for the world. Especially when his hand moved from her cheek to the back of her neck again. He didn't press her closer, though that seemed to be the original intention. Instead, he seemed to decide to just contentedly stroke the skin of her nape.

Eventually, their lungs demanded something other than these loving gestures, and they had to separate. Their chests moved up and down as they took gulps of air, but not rapidly, both taking their time to breathe and to soak this moment in.

Charlie, in her daze, hadn't realized that she had moved one of her hands to his chest. It was placed high on his upper body, almost to his shoulder, as if she had been ready to wind her arm around his neck. As much as she would've liked that, she was happy that hadn't happened, as she didn't know if Alastor would've like that.

Alastor didn't seem to mind the current placement of her hand though, and he certainly didn't seem to mind that kiss. His eyes were half-lidded and he was smiling softly at her. He had begun to lazily comb his fingers through her hair by this point.

"Was that better, dearest," he asked, his voice a murmur.

"Mhm," she responded sleepily and yawned. "Was it good for you?"

"Yes," he breathed. He rested his mouth against her forehead and placed a sound but still-hesitant kiss there. "Absolutely perfect."

"Mhm," she repeated. Indulgently, and oh so slowly, she shifted to rest her face against his chest. "And…What about this?" She cautiously nuzzled her cheek against him to emphasize.

There was an incredibly long pause. Charlie's eyebrows came together worriedly, and she was about to pull away, fearing that being this close would be too much for him for one night.

"More than I can even describe."

His voice was barely above a whisper, and even though the room was quiet, Charlie had to strain in order to hear it. But she definitely heard it, and it instantly put her mind at ease, to a point where she was now ready to fall asleep.

"Good night, my dearest Charlie," he said, and with a hint of humor in his voice. "Or should we say good morning?"

She chuckled against his chest, yawned widely one last time, and fell asleep.

She woke up again before noon. She shifted a little, and she realized that Alastor had adjusted himself a little at some point. There was still one hand cupping the back of her neck. The other hand, though, had released hers, and was now resting over her waist.

She could feel his steady breathing drifting over her hair, and she came to the conclusion that he had also fallen asleep. She closed her eyes and breathed contentedly, inhaling his odd but wonderful scent. She glanced briefly at the clock, and decided to close her eyes again. She normally wasn't one to sleep in, always an early riser, but she was far too content right now. What's a few more hours?

Her eyes fluttered when the hand on her waist shifted. Alastor, still sleeping, exhaled into her hair. His hand moved again, as if ready to wrap around her torso, but remained where it was anyway. Even in his sleep, the prospect of romance still made him hesitant.

Charlie smiled warmly against him. This was fine.

No rush.

* You guys might not see an update for a while. I already have the next few chapters completely typed out, but there are some plot points that I need to address in a future chapter before posting them.

Also, my wi-fi was glitching while doing the final edits for this chapter. I think it's fine, but I'll reread it a little later and edit anything that might need it. So I apologize.

Once again, thank you all so much for the support you've given this story. And also, a shout out to my editor. Without him, this story would not be possible.