Walking home with the Radio Demon felt like holding a loaded gun.
Alastor had waited for her outside of the door, standing with his back to the windows and leaning on his microphone while Clover argued with Cyrus to let her help clean up the chaos she'd caused before she went home- She'd only been there a week after all, and this was hardly a good first impression. Her stubbornness won out in the end, Cyrus throwing up his hands and going to grab a mop while she did her best to soak up the worst of the coffee and cream that coated the countertop; It had all ended up on the floor with a sweep of his arm, and any questions of what else she could do were shrugged off with a noncommittal grunt as Cyrus continued to clean. Once she'd gathered her things and covered the torn sleeve of her shirt with her sweater, Clover made a cup of tea, hoping that perhaps she could use it to excuse the awkward silence that was sure to come on her walk home with the Radio Demon while also helping to heal the shaking of her hands at the prospect; As much as she enjoyed Alastor's company, he still made her nervous, but not in the ways most would have assumed.
It had become increasingly obvious that Clover was developing a dangerously curious infatuation with him, and that there was little she could do to stop it.
This song and dance was not new to her, Clover's crushes formed quickly and often at the most traumatic times of her life- She'd meet someone new, someone exciting when moving on to new prospects, or at the tail end of some terrible turn of events, and the rush would cause her to develop confusing feelings about that person. It would turn her life upside down for a while, and then the person would attempt to move the relationship in a more romantic direction or Clover would realize that their touch made her skin crawl- They'd either end up as incredibly close but platonic friends, or they would part on less-than-amicable terms; Clover expected that this would be much the same, that she and Alastor would end up as good friends, or that her curiosity would be sated enough that they would stop interacting entirely and whatever had transpired between them would fade into the non-existence of eternity.
But for now, Clover valued that she'd somehow managed to find herself in his good favor, and was content to be completely entertained by him for the time being.
Alastor's ear twitched at the chime of the bell above the door, but he'd waited until Clover had crept up beside him to turn his attention to her. He'd given his microphone a twirl as he greeted her, and regarded her changed attire and the drink she was holding with a small raise of his brow before bowing at the waist and sweeping an arm down the empty street as if to say "After you" with a large smile; It was only by sheer dumb luck that she did not trip while walking past him, if the warning wobble in her knees was anything to go by. The street was surprisingly empty for this time of day, the scattered people who passed quickly crossing over to the far side of the road and disappearing into dark alleyways as they began their stroll home. Hell's red sky deepened with every passing moment, casting twisting shadows around them and tinting the already red city pink; It was oddly pleasant, despite the day's circumstances. As she'd expected, they'd spent the last two blocks in near silence, the only sound the click of Alastor's shoes and the soft melody he'd begun to play from his radio-
And Alastor had seemed to have enough of it.
"Well, that surely was exciting!"
Clover jumped at the sudden addition of his boisterous voice to the equation, nearly spilling her tea as she rushed to catch up with him again and rejoin the budding conversation.
"Never a dull day in hell, huh?"
"Quite so! Forgive me for bringing up such an unpleasant turn of events, all I wish to say I do wish to say that I apologize for not interfering sooner. I-"
"Don't take kindly to those who prey on those of fairer means?"
It was Alastor's turn to fumble, the demon stopping dead in his tracks- It took a moment for Clover to realize he was no longer at her side, the sound of static growing distant turning her head to find him still standing a few feet back from the curb. He blinked at her as she backtracked, the brightness of his eyes beginning to glow in the low light of the early evening and his head tilted sharply to one side.
"You heard my broadcast," He said, his smile slowly growing with every word.
"What gave it away?"
He laughed, the sound short but honest in a way that shoved her heart into her throat and squeezed as they began to walk again. When they'd reached the curb, Alastor sped ahead of her, stepping down off the steep curb and stopping to offer her his arm to help her; Clover felt her raw nerves protest, the sensation all the more unpleasant when combined with the fluttery feeling that stirred beneath her shock at the offer, and she could feel the ache of overstimulation clawing at her already temperamental feelings about her personal space.
Trauma was a bitch.
Clover took it anyway, unwilling to learn what outright denying his chivalry might mean and steeling herself for the few seconds of discomfort; She placed her hand against his elbow, allowing him to guide her safely across the street before she let go and clutched her cup between her palms. Alastor paused, watching as she took a long sip of her tea before his gaze dropped to the arm left hovering between them; He tucked it behind his back with a small quirk of his brow when they began to walk again, following alongside her nervous momentum with ease. The silence that followed gnawed at her, every spike of switching static from his radio causing her ears to twitch in anticipation of a commentary that never came.
"I'm sorry, I- I didn't mean to offend you. I just-" She said suddenly, clearing her throat of its creaking with another long sip of her tea before she tried again. "Sometimes touching people is hard for me- And that's nothing to do with you! I just get a little... Overwhelmed."
"I understand, truly I do- This is not an attempt to clear your conscience. I do not enjoy how freely others' hands find themselves to wander, especially when it's without my permission or proper reason. I was only concerned that you had lied to me."
Clover's confusion was clear as she looked up at him, and Alastor was quick to clarify.
"You said you weren't afraid of me."
"I'm not," She said it too quickly, and she worried it had sounded as if she was being short with him; Which was neither a good idea nor what she had intended. "I'm not afraid of you- I respect you, and as you so gently pointed out before, I'm curious about you."
"I see."
Alastor went quiet again after that, eerily quiet aside from the soft humming that accompanied the constant soundtrack to his afterlife. Clover took to listening to the melody, attempting to place where she'd heard it before to pass the time, but she was too distracted by the soft timbre of Alastor's vocal accompaniment to properly focus; The longer she listened, the heavier her fondness for her weighed against her chest, spreading it's warmth to rival that of the cup clasped in her hand and threatening to turn her skin scarlet if she wasn't careful- Watching where she was walking was an easy enough distraction to keep herself from looking at him, but the combination of radio static and humming was too endearing for her to endure.
She had to keep him talking.
"Despite the- Weight of the topics you talk about, you're very good at what you do."
"I suppose you're referring to my broadcast."
"I am," Clover said, ignoring the screeching of his radio as a demon mistakenly stepped onto their path in favor of their conversation. "It was entertaining, to say the least."
"The very least! I know the macabre is not to everyone's tastes- But! Flattery will get you everywhere, my dear!"
The smile he sent her way as he leaned into her side nearly knocked her off balance, her head beginning to spin slightly and her heart trying its best to become one with her small intestine- The stupid fluttery feelings that the term of endearment falling so easily from between sharp teeth had caused her aside, his comments stirred the other, more nagging emotion she had towards him;
Curiosity.
So, Clover kept him talking.
"Your morals are- Unconventional, but not as deranged as I think people assume them to be. I stand by my decision to not take the fairytales to heart before getting to know you."
"Don't let Vaggie hear you say that, you'll be locked in that hotel room until she's satisfied that you've come to your senses."
Clover laughed at that, a bubbling sound that made her want to clap a hand over her mouth. Alastor didn't seem to mind, the grinning demon continued to do just that as they waited for a group of rumbling motorcycles to speed past; It did not go unnoticed that he'd taken a small step in front of her, placing himself in between her and the road until all was clear. She wondered whether he would offer his arm again since his manner seemed as integral to his personality as his aesthetics, but he simply watched as she hopped down from the curb and kept himself on the traffic side of the streets as they continued on their way. The hotel was rising on the horizon, its rickety sign slowly rising to the sky as they drew closer at an alarming pace- The walk felt so much shorter when there was someone to entertain along the way, Clover mused to herself.
"A 'fairytale' is an interesting choice of words for someone such as myself," Alastor dove back into the conversation again with a fresh skip to his step as they began to climb the hotel's hill. "You're a peculiar woman, Clover, even more so than most modern ones are."
"You're not the boogeyman, Al, not to me-"
The moment she realized her misstep, Clover's word froze on her tongue, too terrified that she'd overstepped by using the familiar nickname she'd heard around the hotel too soon- But Alastor hadn't stopped talking, seeming more emboldened by their humorous turn of conversation than concerned with her casual slip of the tongue as his radio switched to a more mellow tune with a fizzle of static.
"Perhaps not, but I am surely no prince."
Alastor playing along with her humor further fueled her, and Clover paused just shy of the front door with a sharp twist of her heels as she turned to face him. His brow rose at her, but since he made no move to usher her inside or leave her beneath the marquee, she assumed he was interested in exploring this storybook metaphor as she was.
"Not in the classic sense of the word, no, but maybe that's for the best- Those men are either nameless nobodies who simply serve to save the princess, or they're as awful as the villains in those old tales. You could be- Let's see..." Clover tapped her chin with the tip of her finger, thinking far too hard for such a silly conversation. "A shadow man seems too on the nose, as well as it fits- But it's too easy! You could be a specifically wicked warlock, but maybe an anti-hero, scorned by others but on his own path we've yet to discover- Or perhaps, a mad king?"
"Luck willing."
The playful grin that crossed his face was too charming to be legal, even in Hell, but Clover's eyes rolled at it anyway. He was a rascal under all the theater, and a horrid flirt at that- And it was making her infatuation with him grow worse by the second, his overwhelming presence weaving into a thin string she could feel tying itself in knots around her tender heart. Clover could only hope that she'd not already fallen for his façade and that she'd made the right decision not to judge him too quickly; The thought pulled her towards the door so she could seek some reprieve from his contagious smile before he'd swallowed her completely. Clover found the door handle behind her and pressed her weight into it until it clicked, but she hesitated when Alastor didn't move to disappear into the shadowed streets- Their conversation wasn't over yet.
"Are you-" Clover wished he'd just say whatever he was waiting for, but the teasing tilt to his head told her that he was all too content with watching her struggle. "Are you staying, or out for more business?"
"Well, as I said before, I do have some things to attend to."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I-"
"No need! This was a worthy detour."
Clover was surely blushing, her shoes shuffling back to hide her in the shadows just in case the warmth that burned beneath her skin had finally made an appearance. Before the motion became too impolite, she tapped her empty cup against her knee and cleared her throat of the timid squeak that was threatening to show itself.
"I will see you around then, hopefully before the hotel collapses."
"Of course! And perhaps by then, you will figure out what my role in that 'fairy tale' of yours is!"
They stood in silence for a moment, something that was becoming far too frequent for her liking, and she realized that he was waiting to see that she made it safely inside before he left.
He was an odd gentleman, really.
The creak of the door opening sounded like a banshee as she pushed it open behind her, feeling reluctance sitting heavily in the shift of her weight backward into the lobby. She was struck with a notion that stilled her hand, her fingers wrapped tight around the door handle before it had the chance to close- It was a specific sight to watch the "Radio Demon" stop in his tracks, his head sharply turned to look over one shoulder and his frequency silenced to soft static. Clover had to speak fast, before she burst into embarrassed flame and turned to dust on the doorstep.
"Ya' know, I don't think anyone could figure out where you'd fit in. Tropes and labels are so limited, I don't think there's a single title that could clearly describe you besides- Well, besides 'Alastor' ."
Alastor stared at her for a long moment, his ears perked upwards and his brow furrowed in a curious, confusing fashion- And the last of her resolve shattered. The door couldn't close fast enough as she waved farewell, cursing the nervous crack in her voice as she fled.
"Night, Al!"
She watched his shadow linger through the window and waited until she was sure he was gone.