Prompt by Anon:
Since you're asking for prompts, I've always wondered what would happen if the rakshasa has the ability to control cat demon forms that Alastor wasn't aware of -similar to bloodbending. The rakshasa could've used it to take husk as hostage in exchange for the stolen artifact.

I don't fancy doing a real AU here, because that'd set a precedent I don't want. So instead it's "more nightmares for Alastor" o'clock! : D

Warning: mild violence and gore, character death

This chapter happens sometime during their last couple of months at the hotel.

Alastor was half concentrating on disabling the magical traps without alerting his enemy, and half keeping an ear out for the voices coming from Husker's Walkman. So far both endeavors, his and Husker's, were going very well: he was making steady progress and Husker was keeping Ishita distracted. His smile widened and he had to refrain from humming in exhilaration while he worked, as he needed to keep a low profile.

Finally, after a few minutes, he could open the door to the treasure chamber safely and scan the insides for more traps, and for the magical presence of his prize. The traps were scattered around to protect specific items, and thus he could ignore most of them and concentrate on the one that was bound to the pedestal his target was resting on.

Now all he had to do was disable one last trap. He practically skipped over to the pedestal and… simply stared at his prize with no want for it whatsoever.

Why did looking at the item he had desired for a good long while fill him with such a deep feeling of resentment and utter dread? Just looking at it made him want to hurl it to the deepest, fieriest, most Eldritch horror infested pit he could find in Hell, and then crumble down and cry his eyes out while laughing hysterically. Why?

"Alastor!" Husker's voice suddenly rang loudly in his ears. But that was all. No follow-up, no sounds of struggling, no sounds from Ishita, nothing.

Alastor's blood ran cold. Without a second thought, he used Husker's Walkman as a pathway and transmitted himself to its location via the radio waves.

What he saw filled him with confusion. He had expected… something else, but he wasn't sure what. Somehow he was relieved by what he saw instead. For now anyway.

Ishita was standing in front of the gates, her right paw lifted up with a finger pointing at Husker. Husker was standing further away from her than made sense, considering that they had been having a conversation earlier. He was very rigid and had his wings flared out, but the way they were positioned looked off. Alastor couldn't for the life of him read his body language, which was strange.

Alastor, obviously, had appeared right beside him. Husker's sharp, orange eyes darted to him, but he stayed unnaturally still otherwise.

"I see I was right", Ishita said, smiling sweetly at Alastor. "Hello, Alastor. Such a displeasure to see you."

Alastor forced his eyes off of Husker and his weird behavior in order to focus on his enemy. He gave her a pleasant smile. "Ishita. Charming as always."

The rakshasa laughed, her voice sounding like daggers clinking together; beautiful and dangerous. "Now that the small talk is over with, why don't you return to me that which you have no doubt stolen? I know what you're after – you're very predictable."

Alastor's smile tightened. "I'm afraid I cannot do that, my dear."

After all, he didn't have it.

Suddenly Husker moved. Alastor didn't turn his eyes away from his enemy, but he saw from the corner of his eye how Husker's paw rose up to own his face, and-

Husker screamed from behind tightly closed lips as he pierced his own right eye with his deadly claws, blinding it and splattering blood and eyeball fluids everywhere.

Alastor turned towards him in pure alarm. "Husker!"

Husker's face and claws were covered in blood. He tilted his head back and positioned the bloody claws to his throat threateningly. His entire frame was shaking and his remaining eye was leaking tears of pain and fear.

"I'm only asking once more", Ishita's voice said from the background. "Return the item or your pretty little kitty will tear his own throat out."

Alastor turned towards Ishita. Her hand was still pointing at Husker, but now her claws were crooked the same way as Husker's.

She was somehow controlling him. If Alastor wanted to stop Husker from harming himself, he'd have to stop her.

"Let's not be hasty, my dear!" Alastor said, and lifted his hands up in a placating manner. "I didn't have the time to take anything. All your treasure is exactly where you left-"

"Wrong answer", Ishita said, and clenched her claws. Alastor heard a distressed gurgle from behind him, and felt something warm splash against his back-

Alastor gasped as he opened his eyes and looked at Husker, who stood unnaturally still but unharmed beside him.

Ishita laughed, her voice sounding like daggers clinking together; beautiful and dangerous. "Now that the small talk is over with, why don't you return to me that which you have no doubt stolen?"

What?

"Ishita, there is a misunderstand-" Alastor said, turning towards her.

That was a mistake.

He heard movement from behind him, and then felt long claws sink into his back painfully. He saw Husker's face from the corner of his eye before there were fangs on the side of his neck, piercing the flesh-

Alastor clutched at his throat as he opened his eyes. Husker stood unnaturally still beside him.

Ishita's laughter sounded like daggers clinking together. "Why don't you return to me that which you have no doubt stolen?"

"Wait! I don't have it!" Alastor said, turning halfway towards her.

He saw the movement as Husker jumped at him again. He brought his microphone stand up horizontally to block the attack, but then noticed that it now had sharp, jagged edges for some reason, like a saw, and they cut into Husker's flesh like a hot knife to butter-

Alastor opened his eyes. Husker was unnaturally still.

Ishita's laughter cut him like daggers. "Why don't you return to me-"

Alastor used his shadow path to appear next to Ishita before she could finish the sentence. However, she had a protective magical sphere around herself that blocked his attack, and Husker's large wings took him there in a matter of seconds, more agile than his age would let on, a flurry of claws-

Alastor opened his eyes, noticed that everything was the same again, and simply tackled Husker immediately. He tried to grab Husker's wrists to stop him from harming either one of them, but Husker's strong feet were equipped with the same deadly claws as his paws and his mouth was full of sharp fangs and he was much more flexible than Alastor could ever hope to be-

Alastor opened his eyes and used his shadow path to vanish to the roof of the mansion so that he could observe the situation and plan properly without provoking Ishita.

Ishita made Husker walk over to her and there was a lighting bolt that shot out from her finger right between Husker's eyes-

Alastor opened his eyes-

And blinked.

It was dark. He was lying down and there was a blanket tangled around his legs. He was breathing rapidly, his heart was beating fast, and he was drenched in sweat.

Husker was lying on the other end of the bed with his back towards Alastor. Ah, right. Alastor hadn't wanted to be touched, but had wanted the company. They were in Husker's room.

It had been a nightmare.

It hadn't been real.

Most of that had never even happened.

Just one of his recurring nightmares. The damned what-if rabbit hole where he couldn't save his sheik no matter what he tried.

This unreal spin for this particular dream had started shortly after the two of them had entered into a relationship.

After he had had to face the fact that he had manipulated Husker into working at the hotel the exact same way he had made him accompany him to Ishita's mansion.

After he had harshly been reminded of the lesson he should have learned decades ago but hadn't, and Husker had, again, suffered for Alastor's stupidity.

After Husker cemented his place in Alastor's damn soul as the one absolutely irreplaceable person.

Alastor's eyes were glued to Husker's back, trying to discern whether he was breathing or not in the darkness. He didn't think he'd be able to deal with it if he went in for a hug and Husker was limp and cold to the touch like he had been-

Alastor focused on the fact that Husker's wings quivered softly with each breath he drew in and then exhaled. He was alive. He wasn't dead.

Probably. Maybe he imagined it and Husker would feel cold to the touch. Maybe there would be an entire week where Alastor would feel lonely and despairing and rotten and desperate, but Husker wouldn't hear him, couldn't talk to him and his fur came off in dead clumps when Alastor just wanted a small measure of comfort…

'Husker, stop being dead, I need cuddles! Please wake up!'

No. Focus. Husker was breathing. Just a nightmare. Breathing breathing breathing.

Alastor's smile was dangerously small and wobbly and he couldn't-

He crawled to Husker's side of the bed and brought a shaking hand to Husker's rising and falling side…

Warmth.

Husker was warm.

Alastor wrapped himself around Husker's warm and soft figure like an octopus, squeezing him with both his arms and legs, and pressing his face against the furry shoulder blades between the beautiful wings.

"Hnngh? Al? Whazzat?"

Alastor brought a hand up to stroke Husker's throat and under his chin, and got a contented sigh and quiet purring in return. Unsuspecting. Or too sleepy to question it.

Warm. Soft. Purring and slightly vibrating with it.

Alive.

Alastor pressed his face tighter against Husker's back and focused on the physical sensations, and nothing else.