Chapter Rating: Mature (Explicit in future chapters)
Warnings: Manipulation
It had been five days since your arrival in Hell, and you were no closer to finding a way home than you were when you had first arrived. Charlie and the rest of the hotel staff were being as helpful as they could be, but it wasn't easy running an entire hotel rehabilitation center on top of trying to find a way back to an alternate dimension. There was also the small fact that Charlie was the Princess of hell and had regal duties to attend to on top of everything else.
Their methods of research were bizarre and not at all what you were expecting. The hotel had its very own library, filled with enough books to last you a lifetime of reading. Charlie had shown you sections of books based on travel, magic, and other strange things that were not the norm in your dimension. However, because magic was so common here, it was difficult to narrow down exactly what powerful source had brought you into Hell. The possibilities were endless.
Since you really didn't know where to begin, you skimmed through a bunch of books to see if anything stuck out to you or jogged your memory. By day five, your head hurt, you were exhausted, and you felt like you hadn't made any progress.
It wasn't all bad, though. The others enjoyed keeping you company while you read, often times helping you sift through the mess of books themselves. If you were being honest, sometimes having them around was more of a distraction than an actual helpful resource.
Charlie would randomly burst into song about whatever chapter she was reading about. Vaggie would make noises of disgust and complain about the inhabitants of Hell. Husk pretended to read through the books, but instead would drink booze and fall asleep, snoring loudly. Niffty could never stay still long enough to read, and instead would start cleaning. Angel Dust just wouldn't shut up about his sex life.
Surprisingly, the only person who didn't drive you crazy was Alastor. He had no problems sitting calmly with you and reading in silence. He wasn't so much interested in the magic portion of the books as he was in the torture and carnage-filled parts. He was an enigma.
Later in the afternoon, the two of you were seated next to each other on the couch in the library. He was captivated by a book in another language with what seemed to be a sacrificial cow on the cover, while you were reading about magical portals for the umpteenth time.
No longer able to concentrate due to frustration, fatigue, and boredom, you closed the book and looked up at the Radio Demon. His normally taut and wide smile was relaxed into a closed-mouthed grin as he sat, relishing in whatever gruesome thing he was reading about from the twisted book in his hands.
Unaware of your staring, your gaze rested on the top of his head where two little antlers stood prominently next to two tufts of hair. "I can't tell if that's just the way your hair is styled, or if those are actually your ears," you found yourself blurting out, focused on the pointed shapes on top of his head.
His crimson eyes flickered to you, seemingly unfazed by the interruption, though he remained eerily silent.
Nodding towards the top of his head for emphasis, you pressed further. "So? Which is it?"
"Curious little thing, aren't we?" he mocked in a sickly sweet tone, baring his teeth in another smile. "Why do such things concern you?"
Pursing your lips slightly and shrugging your shoulders, you replied, "Like you said… curiosity." He released a short burst of laughter before turning his attention back to his book, not bothering to answer your question.
Unable to stop yourself, you asked, "Can I touch them?"
The look he gave you sent a shiver down your spine. His eyes flashed in what you could only assume was anger. For one brief moment, the corners of his mouth turned down into a scowl before it was quickly replaced with another toothy smile. "I don't much care for that," he answered, his heated gaze still focused on you.
"You don't much care for what? ...To be touched? You don't like to be touched?" you found yourself babbling and repeating yourself, bemused by his statement.
His lip curled slightly as he digested your words. "No. I do not."
Your face flushed with embarrassment as you looked down at your lap. What kind of person asks another person if you can just outright touch them? How insensitive-especially considering he apparently had an affliction with personal contact from other people, which honestly confused you after having recalled how many times you had seen him pressing himself against others.
A few moments of uncomfortable silence passed between the two of you as you chewed your lip and drummed your fingers along the arm of the couch awkwardly. Not long after, Alastor relieved an annoyed sigh before he murmured, "Go on, then."
"What?"
Closing his book with a sharp snap , he set it down beside him, folding his hands together and turning to address you. "If it will satiate your incessant need to know what lays atop my head, you may touch me."
Instead of immediately jumping at the chance, you resisted. "Um… that's okay. I don't want to make you uncomfortable just because I apparently have no sense of boundaries."
"Darling," he drawled, clearly amused by your reluctance. "You won't get this opportunity again. Touch me."
You hesitated only for a moment, not wanting to miss out on what was clearly an exclusive invitation, which he didn't often allow. His eyes fell to your mouth as you bit your bottom lip, causing him to smirk at your unease.
Quickly giving in, you sat up and kneeled on the sofa to get better access. Slowly, you reached for his head, careful to avoid the sharp tips of his antlers.
Finally, your fingers came into contact with the top of his head. What you felt was difficult to describe. You never really thought about what animated hair would feel like. It felt very similar to actual hair, which mystified you. On top of that, his hair had an odd texture to it-wiry but soft, like actual fur, which made sense considering he was a zoomorphic being.
The intensity of his gaze felt hot against your skin as you continued to explore his mane, running your hand up along the part you were most curious about. The tall mounds on his head seemed to be a mix of ears and also hair. There weren't any openings like a typical ear would have, but they were too stiff to be just hair.
"I still don't know what these are," you commented, more to yourself than to him.
"Perhaps their purpose is simply to mystify. I was just drawn this way, I suppose," he jested, playing off of your talk of animation. It was a concept that you had to explain to the hotel inhabitants over and over again. Alastor was able to understand it more only because he had seen what your actual world looked like inside of your head.
Ignoring his jab, you couldn't stop yourself from continuing to explore the top of his head. You began to rub tenderly at a spot near the base of his ears. He then closed his eyes as your fingers worked against him. At first, you thought his eyes were closed due to disgust until you had noticed a low hum from deep in his throat. It sounded like an electrical current, but you soon determined that it had to be his own demonic version of a purr.
"Very… peculiar," you commented, finally retracting your hand and sitting back on the couch.
"Are you satisfied, my dear?" he inquired with an obvious underlying meaning underneath.
"Not really," you answered promptly. "But I'm not going to pet your head again, if that's what you're worried about."
His grin widened as he chuckled, which sounded more like static feedback than an actual laugh.
Just as you were about to return to your book, he added, "My turn."
Puzzled, you asked, "Uh.. for what?"
"It's only fair, don't you think? You fondled me, now I get to inspect you. A little tit for tat, hmm?"
Gawking at him, you tried to find the words to convey your emotions at that moment. "Fondled?! I didn't… I… I don't… what?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," he clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "No reason to be nervous, sweetheart. I mean you no harm."
His words of comfort only made you more anxious as you watched him lift himself from the couch and into a standing position. He then extended his arm and offered his hand for you to take with a wicked gleam in his eye.
Your hand was noticeably shaking as you rested it in his, allowing him to grasp it tightly as he pulled you from the couch and onto your wobbly legs. What was happening? Why was he making you so nervous? He had even told you before that if he wanted to hurt you, he would have done so by now. He hadn't shown any prior aggression towards you, and he had been nothing but docile for the past few days. Why were you suddenly so nervous?
Interrupting your internal turmoil, the demon stepped closer, bringing you back to the situation at hand rather than letting you get lost in your thoughts. His eyes flickered across your body from your head to your feet, his smile widening even further.
He then gently grasped a bit of your hair and twirled it slowly around his fingers, seemingly fascinated by its movement. Once he was finished, he stepped behind you. Instead of following him, you stood still, your nerves locking up your joints and preventing you from moving.
The tip of his finger rested along your right shoulder before he slowly dragged it across your back onto your left shoulder. The action caused your entire body to tremble, giving you goosebumps.
"Calm yourself," he whispered in your ear, making you even more nervous.
Returning to your line of view, he was once again in front of you. Swallowing thickly, you narrowed your eyes as his hands gripped your hips, bringing you closer. He then trailed a slender finger along your collarbone, down to your sternum and to the top of your breasts.
His piercing red eyes shot up to gauge your reaction, but you managed to keep your expression neutral and your breathing even as he smirked and continued to explore.
Guiding the palms of his hands alongside your breasts, he used his thumb to lightly brush over your hardened peaks, not bothering to linger before moving on. "Quite fascinating," he huffed, clearly enamored with you.
He continued to touch further and lower until one of his hands abruptly cupped your sex, and you couldn't take it anymore. Slapping his hand away, you barked, "That's enough."
Cackling, he snapped his fingers and his staff appeared next to him, which he used to balance on as he eyed you with an amused expression. "I assure you, my dear. I have no nefarious intent with your body. Merely your mind."
"The fuck is that supposed to mean?" you barked back, simultaneously embarrassed and insulted.
He took a step closer to you, placing a finger under your chin to lift your face to meet his. Your initial reaction was to smack it away, but his gaze held you captive as you hung onto every word that he said. "It means, my dear girl… that you're mine."