A/N: Prompt by Deskdraik:
More with Alastor's tail.
This chapter happens between the last chapter of Fine, jackass! and the last chapter of Afterlife.
Alastor was nervous. He absolutely hated to admit it, but he was more nervous than he had been in a long while. A lot more nervous than the situation warranted, too.
It was ridiculous. Completely irrational. Thoroughly unnecessary. But not something he could help, apparently.
He sighed to himself and scratched the back of his right ear, which was absolutely not a private little nervous tick, thank you very much.
He could hear the clock in his room ticking, punctuating his need to make his decision, act on it, and stick with it. He didn't have all night if he wanted to do it right and not be a cowardly cheater who technically did it, but deliberately made it a secret that he did.
That, and Husker's request hadn't been to exist in the same space as Alastor's tail; it had been to see it.
See it again, to be precise. Husker had seen it once by accident. Shouldn't that make it easier? It wouldn't be a big reveal, it would simply be a show of being comfortable enough with his sheik to let it be visible.
He was the opposite of comfortable, however. He didn't let anyone see his tail, ever. It was too cute for someone of his status. It brought unwanted attention to his behind. It wagged when he got excited, shoot up when he was startled, sagged when he was nervous or disappointed, and had all kinds of other tells that he thoroughly despised displaying.
Most importantly, it had been grabbed way too many times when he had freshly arrived in Hell.
He sneered at the thought. He didn't appreciate unsolicited touching of any kind, but especially not anywhere below the belt line, or any unclothed part of himself. His tail filled both criteria. Needless to say, he had gotten very violent very fast in those situations.
But Husker? Husker wouldn't touch it. He had only expressed the desire to see it; there had been no mention of touching. The fact that Husker hadn't even brought up the fact that he had seen it for years spoke volumes of his understanding of how private it was. And even if Husker did desire to touch it, he would be respectful about it – Alastor knew this without a single doubt. It would be safe. Husker already thought he was cute, too, and it was acceptable enough for him to think that, so it wouldn't have a negative impact on Alastor's credibility. As for his tells… Husker could already read him very well most of the time, surprisingly so at times, so did it truly matter?
It was that knowledge, the unwavering trust he had in Husker, that made him consider displaying his tail tonight in the first place. And it was the fact that he had hid it from everyone, Husker included, for decades that made him nervous about it.
His mind was going in circles about it and he really didn't like it one bit.
Husker hadn't inquired about his tail even once during the few weeks they had officially been a couple. There had only been that one little mention in the initial list of things Husker wanted out of their relationship, and that was it. Alastor didn't have a deadline for it. Husker didn't know he was already considering it. He wasn't expecting it at this point. But it was in the list and Alastor wanted to be a good sheik for Husker, which meant following his guidance and instructions because Alastor didn't have a single clue how to go about this entire ordeal otherwise.
If seeing his tail was something Husker wanted, then he would get it. It was a very simple act, too.
A very simple little act that would bring them even closer by tearing down yet another wall between them. Another tangible difference to what their relationship had been before. A step forward.
Alastor wanted to take that step.
He took a calming breath, and let the magics hiding his tail become undone and let the red and black tuft of fur become visible to anyone who looked. He actually hadn't done that outside of the absolute privacy of his shower during his entire stay in the hotel – he hadn't wanted to risk it being visible if Charlie came knocking at his door for any reason – so it was decidedly odd.
It was kind of liberating, too. Almost like he was home.
With that calming thought he used his shadow path to appear in Husker's room, leaving his hesitation behind.
The lights in were on, illuminating the somewhat unkempt room, and the bed cover had been turned, so Husker should be around. However, he wasn't anywhere in sight. Alastor tilted his ears, and…
Yes, there came a sound brushing from the bathroom.
Alastor made his way over, and saw Husker running a familiar looking brush through his cheek tufts in front of the mirror cabinet. He looked as soft and cuddleable as always, and Alastor felt the rest of his anxiety unwind in his chest.
Husker's ears twitched towards his direction, and their eyes met via the mirror. Husker's pupils dilated a bit instantly, which was something that had been happening often lately.
"Good evening, Husker", Alastor said with his usual cheer, hands folded behind his back in a picture of faux innocence. "I have come to spend the night in your esteemed company, if you don't mind?"
Husker's eyes narrowed in blatant, well-placed and well practiced suspicion, and he turned around to look at him properly. Excellent. "Of course I don't, but that's some funny bullshit. You asking, that is."
Oh, noticed that right away, did he? That was just like Husker. And it had worked exactly the way Alastor had thought it might: Husker was facing him now.
It was time to go in for the kill.
"I'm always full of bushwa if you are to be believed, my dear", Alastor said with a purposefully light voice, and promptly turned back towards the bedroom with a bit of extra flair. He could feel Husker's eyes on him. "Take your time with your brushing. It wouldn't do for you to not be at your softest when I'm simply dying for a cuddle."
Just to be certain, he flicked his tail once as he stepped out of the bathroom.
He took one step, two steps, and then heard the sound of the mirror cabinet being opened and the brush being put away in a hurried manner. He chuckled to himself.
Why he had thought he needed to be nervous around Husker was beyond him now.