A/N: Prompt by P-lom:
How about Alastor's POV of one of these scenes?:
-Ch. 6 of Afterlife (specifically, when he tells Husk he knows he's a handful)

So. As the prompt states, this happens during Afterlife chapter 6 (and a little bit in ch 7).

Alternative chapter title: Alastor dealing with his hella squish on this cat.

Alastor watched discreetly as Husk scarfed down the freshly made Po' boy like he had never had food in his entire life. From what Alastor had observed today, he probably had gone without proper food for a while now, even if not quite that long. There had been nothing in the fridge when he put the excess ingredients away, Husk had clearly been starving when he ran into him behind the Hellmart, and now that Alastor had the time to really look he noticed that Husk's fur had lost its luster and was shedding more than usual. How long had he been on a poor diet? A couple of days? A few days? Had it been longer than a week? Had he already been eating poorly when Alastor last saw him?

Why hadn't he said anything? Asked Alastor for help?

It was because he wasn't sure if that was an acceptable thing to do, wasn't it?

Honestly, befriending this cat was a challenge and a half as he had a tiresome habit of resisting it every step of the way. Yes, he was clearly allowing friendship to happen despite the resistance, but he had walls so thick and high that Alastor couldn't help but wonder if he would be able to reach the top in this afterlife or even the next.

But he wanted to. Oh, how much he wanted to. Husk was quite honestly the most fascinating person Alastor had met in a long while, and he wasn't going to give up. There was just something about him that had Alastor endlessly captivated and made him want to learn what made him tick. Something about his gruff attitude, his keen intellect that he seemed to try to hide at times, the warmth that he definitely attempted to cloak in profanities and dismissive words…

He was perfect. Alastor could just tell that this creature here would make a loyal and fun friend if only he allowed him in. He was lazy and wary, but he was clever and patient. He didn't like coming out of his comfort zone, but he could be coaxed out and he adapted beautifully to any circumstances thrown at him. He let Alastor push and prod him, but only if he wasn't actually against what was happening.

He would be able to keep up with Alastor when he wanted to, but he didn't seem to feel like he had to, as he was mostly content to simply go with the flow at his own pace. He would let Alastor be the hurricane to clear up the path, and then he would catch up with him afterwards. Or he might even open his magnificent wings and glide along when it suited him. But he didn't exhaust himself running alongside it, like most people did until it became too much for them.

Husker was without a doubt the kind of friend his mother had told Alastor to look for when people kept leaving him for easier friendships. Friendships with someone who wasn't as weird and exuberant as Alastor. Friendships that didn't get them in trouble. Friendships that were less exhausting.

Husker could be his ticket out of eternal loneliness.

He just needed to make Husk understand this, too. He needed Husk to know this wasn't a game and he wasn't a temporary source of amusement. He needed Husk to realize he could rely on him and trust him. He needed Husk to understand he was in this for the long haul and he would do next to anything to make this work.

Husker couldn't turn out to be another person who left. He just couldn't.

Alastor noticed that Husk was finally done eating, so he cleared his throat to gain his attention. Husk turned his now much livelier eyes on him, giving him a questioning look.

"Just so you're aware, Husk", Alastor said, feeling reassured from the way Husk focused his attention entirely on him and nothing else. "You can ask me for help if you're in a jam. You can ask favors of me. There will only be consequences if I outright say so, and you have the option to change your mind at that point."

Hah, there would be no consequences. He only tacked that part on because he didn't want Husk to get defensive and suspicious from getting too good a deal. Nobody ever believed him if he seemed too generous. But with Husk? He couldn't think of a single circumstance where he would feel the need to ask for something in return for anything Husk asked of him, at least nothing other than a steadfast friendship.

"I'm actually right aware of the fact that I'm not easy to get along with", he said. "I have… an exhausting personality, as someone once put it."

He couldn't blame Mimzy for her words. She wasn't the only person to have said something to that effect, and she was correct with her words. He considered himself lucky she still stayed by his side, even if they had to keep a certain distance for both of their sakes. He hoped such a distance wouldn't be required with Husker.

"Yours seems to be the polar opposite, so it must be even harder for you than it was for her", he continued. "I will not apologize for it, but I consider you putting up with my whacky behavior to be plenty enough payback for practically anything you'll have the guts to ask of me at this point."

He watched as Husk's expression went from baffled to thoughtful, and then he could almost see the questions popping into his friend's mind one after another as concern etched itself onto Husk's features.

Husk understood. Maybe. At the very least he seemed to be on his way there and made the attempt. That was more than most people were willing to do.

Alastor felt his shoulders relax as an invisible weight was lifted from them. He had said his piece and now it was up to Husk to think it through and accept the offered hand. He could take his time.

ooooo

"I was fucking lonely, okay?" Husk muttered, avoiding eye-contact, soft looking ears turned back, and his tail sweeping the ground agitatedly. "I was going spare in my stupid house but nothing I usually do felt right. I couldn't concentrate on anything other than needing to see you, since you're my only fucking friend. I suppose I could have drank myself into a stupor but-"

Alastor pulled Husker into a side-hug, clutching his precious friend against his side in a feeble attempt to match the warm tightness he felt constraining his chest – the overwhelming emotions that he didn't really know what to do with, but felt this to be an appropriate outlet for.

His hand had finally been accepted and he could simply die from happiness.