Chapter Rating: Mature (Explicit in future chapters)
Warnings: Language, unwanted flirtation, manipulation, asexual elements
Your head felt heavy as you started to regain consciousness. Waking from a deep sleep, you felt fully rested, as if you had been asleep for days. It was a nice reprieve considering the stress that had awaited you when you awoke.
Groaning softly, you lifted your arms and stretched your limbs, releasing a sigh of relief before your eyes began to flutter open.
Oh.
It wasn't a dream. You were still very much in your own animated Hell. Great.
"Welcome back, my dear!"
Your heart almost leapt out of your chest at the unexpected voice next to you. There, in your bed, was Alastor, casually laying beside you on top of the blankets with his hands folded behind his head, completely relaxed.
In a split second, you jumped out of the bed, your entire body trembling with fear. "A-Alastor?"
"Good to see you, too!" he winked, smirking at your response.
"Y-you… your face…" You couldn't get the words out. His horrifying and distorted face was the last thing that you remembered seeing before you blacked out. It would forever be etched in your memory as one of the most terrifying things that you had ever seen and will probably ever see. It was now very apparent why Vaggie had warned you to stay away from him.
"I regret if my appearance was jarring. I hope it wasn't too much for you." The juxtaposition between his apologetic words and his menacing smile only fueled your nervousness and did nothing to put you at ease.
Noticing your uncertainty, he chuckled and rolled off of the bed, dusting off his jacket before giving it a slight tug to straighten out the kinks in the fabric. He then summoned his staff out of thin air, setting it down with a loud thunk. "Darling, I've already told you. If I had any ill-will towards you, I would have already acted on it. No, no, no, you have nothing to fear. I'm curious about you! You are one of a kind!"
Ignoring his compliments, frustration welling up inside of you, you snapped. "What the hell did you do to me?!"
"Why, I took it upon myself to see what's inside your mind! Quite fascinating, indeed. I've never seen anything like it! Extraordinary!"
"What do you mean?" you pressed, your cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "You read my mind?"
"Not quite," he countered, clearly enjoying your reaction. Sadistic bastard.
Taking a few strides towards you, he attempted to close the gap between the two of you before he spoke again. It was apparent that this guy had little-to-no personal space. "I merely caught a glimpse of your world through your eyes. It's no wonder you were overwhelmed with hysteria! Your mortal world is quite appealing."
"Ugh," you scoffed, wrapping your arms around yourself protectively. "That's so… violating! What makes you think that you have the right to sift through my head!"
His smile widened as he stepped even closer, now only a few feet away. "If you recall, sweetheart, you offered me your hand. I simply obtained information I thought was pertinent to your cause. No harm, no foul."
Still seething and trying to calm yourself, you asked, "Okay, well… did you at least find anything helpful?"
He hummed sinisterly, creeping you out even more. "I believe that you and I can benefit from one another. I'd like to offer you my services and assist in your escape from this world to return back to your realm. What do you think?"
"I think you're shady as fuck," you quipped, unable to stop yourself. Much to your relief, he simply chuckled, amused by your comment. Sighing, releasing some of the tension you had been holding onto, you added, "If you really want to help me get back to my world, I guess… I'd be grateful for the help."
Twirling his staff in his hands, he urged, "So, it's a deal, then?"
As he extended his hand, a gust of wind swirled around the room, nearly knocking you off of your feet. A green glow seemed to emulate from the demon, indicating his ominous, dark intentions.
Slowly beginning to gather more courage, you shook your head and waved your hands to signal your refusal. He retracted his hand, still smiling at you. Once the green haze and the wind died down, you asked, "How exactly do you think that I can help you? I'm not really in the position to be helping anyone right now."
"No need to bore ourselves with the details! Why don't we cross that bridge when we come to it?" There was something about the way he was avoiding the subject that made you feel uneasy-even more so than you already did.
"No, Alastor," you refused, surprised at your own assertiveness. "If I'm being honest, the thought of being indebted to you gives me the heebie jeebies. I want to know exactly what I'm getting myself into if I decide to accept your help. What do you want from me?"
"What a clever girl," he purred, sending a shiver down your spine. "Very well then, my dear. In exchange for my assistance in returning you to your world, I would be much obliged if I could tag along for the ride."
Quirking your brow, you couldn't understand what he was getting at. He cackled at your obvious confusion and clarified further. "Darling girl, I want to accompany you to the mortal realm! It seems to be quite a remarkable place, just oozing with potential! I would be remiss if I didn't get a taste for myself, don't you think?"
Oh shit. He wanted to hitch a ride back to your world. To stay. And wreak havoc. And god knows what else.
"Get out," you demanded.
Caught off guard, the demon tilted his head, all the while maintaining that damned smile. "I beg your pardon?"
"You heard me," you seethed. "I've seen your real face. I'm aware of your reputation. You really think that I would willingly subject the people in my world to whatever evil plot you have in store just to get me home? No way. Not happening."
Your response was almost childish. You couldn't help but cringe at your own words like ' evil plot' , but you supposed that it was fitting considering your wacky environment.
The demon stepped closer to you, now less than a foot away from you as he towered over you, his height even more intimidating when he was this close to you, but you held your ground, refusing to appear weak.
He sneered, closing his mouth for a moment to smirk before once again showing off his pointed teeth in another smile before speaking again. "I'm sure that we can come to an agreement. I can make your stay far more comfortable for you… if you wish."
His voice was dripping with alluring sin, making you want to agree with whatever it was that he said, but your sense of reasoning was on high alert, preventing you from falling victim to his game. "What exactly are you getting at?"
He hummed thoughtfully, eyes raking over your body before extending a finger to twirl a loose strand of hair near the side of your face. "It looks to me like you could loosen up a bit, sweetheart. Let me help you with that."
"Are… are you flirting with me? Are you seriously trying to seduce me into cooperating with you?"
A part of you wondered if that was even possible. Was that something that cartoons were capable of? You made a mental note to check your own body later to see if your anatomy remained the same, or if you had been recreated without those parts of you, forcing you into celibacy.
Oh god, your childhood innocence was shattering. Granted, this universe didn't appear to be a family-friendly animation. You were, after all, in Hell, so it was fitting that everyone here would be fueled by sex, but the thought of it was still nearly unfathomable.
On top of that, could you even be attracted to an animated being? A cartoon? Was that a thing? Especially one as terrifying as him? He was a charmer, that much was evident, but there were way too many unknown variables here to be making assumptions.
"Oh dear," he began, with a wry smile. "No, no, no, no, I'm afraid you've misinterpreted my intentions. I have no interest in that sort of thing. I only wish to tend to you, sweet girl." Manipulative asshole. Of course he wouldn't be upfront about what it was he wanted and would dance around his response.
Cringing, your eyes darted to his groin region. He obviously noticed your lack of subtlety and stood proudly, never altering his proper posture. Swallowing thickly, you murmured, "Please tell me that you're not expecting anything… sexual in return."
"Ha!" he cackled. "Not at all. I've never been one to indulge in receiving physical stimulation, but it's a gracious offer," he jested, winking at you.
"I wasn't offering!" you barked back at him, fuming.
"My mistake," he snickered. "Allow me to elaborate. I am not enthralled by the idea of receiving sensual touch." He edged closer to you then, his face so close to yours that you could feel the heat radiating from his body. "However… that doesn't mean that I do not delight in providing it to others."
Holy shit. This guy was coming onto you so hard.
Rage was bubbling up inside of you, threatening to boil over as you bellowed, "Are you fucking kidding me?! What do I look like to you?! A hooker?!"
"You called?"
Turning your attention to the doorway, you saw a tall, rose-colored spider demon, grinning salaciously at you and Alastor. "I was on my way out, but I couldn't help but overhear. Al, baby, was that an open invitation? 'Cuz, uh, I'll happily take you up on that," he finished with a wink.
Brushing past you, Alastor casually addressed the spider. "Angel Dust, my good fellow! Good of you to drop by! I was just exchanging pleasantries with our new guest."
Raising an eyebrow, Angel replied, "Hm. Kinky."
"If you say so," Alastor surmised coolly. "My dear, I think this conversation is better left for another time. I do hope that you'll consider my offer. It wouldn't hurt to have me as a friend."
Crossing your arms defiantly, you refused to acknowledge his comment as he paused, gauging your reaction for a moment before gliding out of the room, his cheery disposition never faltering.
"He's a peach, ain't he?" Angel jeered, flashing his teeth at you, showing off a prominent golden tooth. "His positive attitude is exhausting. I dunno how he keeps that up being sober."
No longer wanting to talk about Alastor, you changed the subject. "So, um, you're a guest at the Happy Hotel?"
"Toots, I'm the guest here," he countered, running a hand through his fluffy hair. "And, hey-want some free advice? Don't underestimate the most powerful demon in this place. Got it?"
With that, the spider flipped his hair casually before strolling out of the room, leaving you in a daze.