The important stuff first:
I DON'T OWN HAZBIN HOTEL!
ALL RIGHTS BELONGS TO VIVZIEPOP AND THE RESPECTIVE OWNERS OF THE SHOW!

Something much more serious from my side now, because why not?
I am very depressed myself recently and this is what happens when I try to write Fanfictions during these times of my life.

I love Alastor and since we saw a little bit of a breakdown from him in the end of Season 1, I had to write something like this, for I can imagine that he suffers so much but he doesn't shows it when he is around others. But I know from experience that you will break one day.

I tried to lighten the mood halfway through this story, because I can't stand it to see my most favorite characters suffer; even if they are fictional ;).
I want to see them getting all the comfort they deserve in these situations.

And since I am a little Charlastor fan (but platonic only. I see them much more as very close friends, because I respect Alastor's asexuality) a little warning for some Charlastor fluff right here ;). Also a little warning for all who fight depression too. The beginning is pretty sad. So read it at your own risk. Just saying. It gets much fluffier in the second half though ;)

If you are more a fan of fluff only then I can recommend you my tumblr (ask me for it in PM), because I have been sharing some much fluffier and funnier stories there, which I haven't shared here, because I am too embarrassed to do so.

And since I translated this from german into english, there might be some grammatical errors. Just saying. You have been warned ;).

I would also appreciate feedback in the form of a comment very much if you read it, thank you^^.

And now have fun reading.

When the smile fades

Solitude.

It was something he had always been familiar with.

He had already succumbed to solitude during his lifetime, when his beloved mother had left him far too early. He had never really known his father. He had never been the fatherly type to begin with. More the "I'm-leaving-and-never-coming-back-to-you-type" of father.

His mother had been a good soul, had cared for him all alone and always looked after him lovingly and despite her poverty, she had tried to give him a good life as much as she could afford it. It had been a hard life in Louisiana, especially during the time in which he had lived. But his mother had made his life as good as possible and to this day he thanked her for that.

Fortunately, she had rarely spoken of his father, because he had never been interested in this man at all. For him, he was just the guy who had made him and nothing more. He had never been interested in this abomination of a "father figure".

Until the day he had killed him...

A dark grin played across Alastor's features that day, as he sat in the hotel lobby and thought about his former life as a human.

He wasn't a human anymore and that for a long time by now, as his human body had long ago crumbled to dust. But just as the phoenix rose from the ashes, Alastor had also risen from the ashes of his mortal remains and had been reborn.

But he wasn't human anymore. Not at all...

When he had looked at his new reflection for the first time, a shiver had run down his spine. He hadn't recognized himself at all. Where the human from before had once stood, there was suddenly a creature twice the size of his human self. Strange ears adorned his head, along with small antlers that grew larger when his anger flared up inside him. His teeth had become fangs, igniting in him a craving for human flesh and his eyes...they shone red like jewels from the deepest depths of hell itself. Which was ironic, when he thought about where he had come back to life: in freaking hell.

He had died as a human and had been reborn as a demon; stronger than ever before.

He had quickly made himself a name down here once he found out the power he now possessed as a demon, for when anger took hold of him, his body changed, became a deadly weapon and his powers grew immeasurably and since his arrival, every demon down here had started to fear him and even many of the Overlords knew his name and respected him and so he had quickly risen to become an Overlord himself, had even become one of the most powerful among them.

And his radio broadcasts had become famous, filling the hearts of the denizens of Hell with fear and dread...just as the mere mention of his name did.

He, a mortal soul, had achieved something that no other mortal soul had achieved before him: he had attained great power. So great, that even the most powerful Overlords shuddered at the mere mention of his name.

And yet Alastor felt bad that day. Really bad…

He tried not to let the storm of emotions raging inside him show and his iconic smile was as wide as ever, as he watched the hustle and bustle in the hotel lobby.

Since the battle against Adam and his army of exorcists, a lot had changed in Hell and especially at the Hazbin Hotel.

The hotel had had to be rebuilt from scratch, but thanks to Lucifer and his powers as King of Hell, this hadn't been a big problem and Alastor had even gotten his radio tower back. Bigger and better than ever before!

And yet, he felt like shit.

His eyes watched Charlie and her girlfriend, Vaggie, standing slightly away from the bar, laughing heartily and even the former exorcist wore a small smile on her otherwise stoic face.

At the bar itself, he could see Angel flirting with Husker once again. The barkeeper rolled his eyes, but Alastor could see that he no longer seemed as annoyed as he had before the battle against the heavenly hosts and a small smile even played around his lips.

Niffty also sat on one of the bar stools and watched the two lovebirds with a broad grin on her face and the little Cyclops looked as cheerful as ever.

Lucifer appeared on the scene, showed him the middle finger, grinned broadly at him and then joined his daughter and her girlfriend, listening to their conversation with curiosity and interest and laughing happily along with them.

Everyone seemed more exuberant and cheerful than they had been for a long time.

And Alastor felt a knot in his stomach, which began to tighten more and more painfully the longer he watched the cheerful hustle and bustle around him.

For the first time in his life as a demon, he felt the smile on his face threaten to fade, as the sadness rose within him. A feeling, he was far too familiar with. A feeling, that had plagued him for seven long years and which had persisted to this day.

As he sat there, watching the others, he felt lonelier than he had ever felt since his mother's passing.

Secretly, he also wanted to be a part of this family that they had built up here in this hotel over the months, but he would never admit this out loud. His pride was simply too great for that and he had a reputation to lose after all. He was the Radio Demon and the Radio Demon didn't need anyone…

So, day in and day out, he cloaked himself in silence, swallowed his pain and loneliness, hid everything behind a smile that was far too wide and pretended that everything was fine. He laughed along with them, even though he wanted to cry. He smiled even though there was hardly any reason to. He made jokes to make others laugh, although he wished there was someone who could do the same for him.

So far, his masquerade hadn't been exposed.

Even his best friend, Rosie, hadn't noticed his pain and loneliness, because he managed to put on a perfect mask whenever he came to visit her. They drank tea, even though he didn't like tea, joked and laughed, even though he wanted to throw himself into her arms and cry. But he didn't. Rosie was one of hell's Overlords. A powerful one at that and also a cannibal, just like him. He didn't want to show any weakness in front of her, because something like that could end fatally down here in hell and mean his double death.

Only the strong could survive and Alastor wanted to be strong, not weak.

And so he dealt with all of his problems on his own, without a soul knowing about it and he took pleasure in the suffering and pain of others, because it showed him that he wasn't alone with this. In his own twisted way, he found something like solace in this disturbed, brutal world in which he had to spend eternity.

At least he told himself that this was how he sought solace, but deep down he knew he was only lying to himself, that it wasn't what he wanted. He wanted what Charlie had: friends and a family who were by his side, who would lift him up when he needed it, who would comfort him and make him laugh…who cared for him…

His not-so-cold heart longed for all of that too.

On the outside, he may have been the mighty Radio Demon who caused fear and terror among the denizen of hell, but when he was alone, this mask crumbled and the otherwise mighty Radio Demon became a small, abandoned fawn, lost in the loneliness of the day and the nightmares of the night. There was no one to help him up again when he fell. There was no one to make him laugh when he needed it. There was no one to comfort him when the sadness rushed over him like a tidal wave and swept him away mercilessly...

Always wear a smile on your face, my darling. No matter what may come.

His mother's words, coming so suddenly into his memory, made his eyes sting and he quickly blinked away the tears that threatened to well up in them.

It didn't get any better when he saw Charlie throwing her arms around her father's neck and the two of them laughing loudly and heartily.

The sight made Alastor feel a twinge in his otherwise cold heart. It was as if a sword blade was being driven through his chest and the knot in his stomach tightened even more.

Almost imperceptibly, his hand moved to his chest and clawed into the fabric of his coat and the shirt underneath. His claws irritated the still fresh wound under his clothes and the pain helped him to come back to the here and now, was strong enough to override his mental pain and let him put his mask back on, which had briefly cracked.

At least he thought he did, but when his eyes met Charlie's, he felt an unpleasant tingling in his stomach as the young demoness looked at him. She was still hugging her father and with Lucifer's back to him, Charlie got a good look at him and she didn't seem to like what she saw and only now did Alastor realize that his smile had almost disappeared from his face. It was a sight Charlie was not used to seeing and quickly the Radio Demon forced himself to put his fake smile back on, but the young hotel manager had seen enough.

But she said nothing.

Neither to her friend nor to her father and not a word about it left her lips later. Not even when Alastor walked past her, as he wanted to go back to his room, bidding them all a good evening.

The much too fresh wound on his chest still robbed him of his strength and made his situation worse, not better, because he felt weak and pathetic and caused a storm to rage inside him. He had only patched it up in a makeshift way and it was still tormenting him, but that pain was nothing compared to the pain that was torturing his soul.

"Hey, Bambi. Don't forget I'm cooking dinner tonight. You better get your ass to the kitchen on time so you don't miss it."

He could only roll his eyes as Lucifer threw those words at him with a wide grin on his face.

"Don't worry, your royal shortness. I'll be on time. After all, I don't want to miss a culinary highlight like yours. Even if it is most likely to be pancakes again..."

The words were dripping with sarcasm and were provocative enough to incite Lucifer to make another sassy comment, but he didn't even hear it as he simply switched to silent mode.

On any other day, he would have been happy to respond to the provocations, as he loved messing with this dwarf and enjoyed their verbal arguments. But not today. Today the loneliness in him prevailed and he preferred to retire to his room until evening. There was no work at the moment anyway, as he and Charlie had worked through all the important documents together in their office a few days ago and so he now had enough time for himself and his mental pain.

A sigh left his lips as he walked up the stairs, leaving the merriment of the others in the lobby behind and then shuffled through the dark corridor to his room.

When he arrived in his room and the door closed behind him, he was finally able to drop the mask. His smile faded and almost immediately his eyes filled with tears that he had held back for far too long. Tears, that had been trying to get out of him for years and which he had repeatedly denied the freedom to do so. But today he couldn't hold them back anymore. No matter how hard he tried, he could no longer hold them back. They pushed like a tidal wave against a dam and when it finally broke, all his pain poured over his face at once, running down his cheeks, his neck, soaking his coat and shirt, while sounds came from his lips that no one had ever heard before from the mouth of the otherwise dreaded Radio Demon.

Here, in the silence of his room, he could finally give free rein to his grief and tears without anyone noticing and he stood there and cried like a little child. A child, who longed for his mother's love. A love, that was denied him, however, because his mother hadn't been by his side for a long time and never would be again, because her soul was in heaven while his was down here rotting in hell.

For him, there would never be such a thing as redemption.

And it was this thought that forced more tears from his eyes and made him sob.

With trembling legs, he walked over to his bed, threw himself stomach-first into the sheets and pressed his face into the pillow, sobbing heartbreakingly into it. His claws dug into the silken fabric of his pillow, almost tearing it apart as he clutched at it tighter and tighter, while the pain in his heart almost tore it apart too.

How long he ended up lying there and crying, he couldn't remember later.

He was all the more shocked when he heard the door to his room open and only seconds later a shocked "Holy shit, Alastor! What's wrong with you?" reached his ears, clearly coming from Charlie.

Immediately his head jerked upwards and the young demoness backed away from him in fear as his eyes turned into radio dials and his antlers grew to their full size immediately, bore witness to his displeasure of being caught in such a vulnerable moment.

"Why in hell didn't you knock first?" Alastor growled at her, doing something he had never done in Charlie's presence before: he raised his voice and it sounded deeper and more sinister than ever before. His anger made the lights in his room flicker and he could feel the thin fur beneath his clothes bristling, as the rage in his belly tried to turn into a veritable inferno when it clashed with his shame.

"Woa, woa, woa, hey, easy there, Al. I did knock. You just didn't hear it, apparently. Please calm down."

He saw the pure fear in her eyes as his claws dug into the bed and he peered over at her like a wild beast. He was breathing heavily, had his teeth bared and a feral, inhuman-sounding growl emanated from the depths of his throat, as he let the Wendigo off the leash that lived within him. And yet he could still feel the tears rolling mercilessly down his cheeks, for he could no longer control them.

"Go!" he hissed at her and his sinister voice was broken by the sound of radio static, causing the lights in the room to flicker once more.

But Charlie didn't leave.

She stayed and when she seemed to have recovered from her shock, Alastor saw the fear in her eyes replaced by something else. Something he didn't like. Something that looked like...worry? No, not just worry. There was something else there too. Something he couldn't quite interpret. Pity? Yes, that had to be it. Pity...

"I said go!" he growled again, louder this time, as he watched Charlie close the door behind her and then shake her head.

"I don't think I should go and I don't think you really want me to. Don't you?"

Her voice sounded calm yet authoritative and she even dared to walk slowly towards him.

Something that made him growl dangerously once more and his muscles tensed, but to his horror he realized how his body wanted to back away from her the closer she came to the bed.

This couldn't be happening!

He was the Radio Demon!

Everyone feared him and Charlie should fear him too!

She did...didn't she?

When he had come to her hotel back then, she had even slammed the door in his face and hadn't even wanted to let him in out of fear. So why did she keep coming closer, even though he was now crouching on the bed in front of her in this form, on all fours and with his ears pinned back, looking at her as if she were the prey he was hunting just to devour her?

She should be trembling and whimpering in fear and yet...she wasn't.

He just didn't understand this at all!

"I'm not scared of you, because I know you won't hurt me," she said calmly but firmly, as if she could read his mind and she stepped even closer to him. And then, all of a sudden...she stood in front of him and looked him firmly in the eyes, in which the radio dials were still spinning. And she even had the audacity to put her hands up to his face, even though she knew very well that he hated being touched and...

His thoughts came to an abrupt end when she gently cupped his face with her hands and wiped away a few tears with her thumbs.

"I don't know what it is you're going through, but please...don't deal with it alone. You have friends who will help you...if you just let them."

Her calm words hit his otherwise cold heart like a bomb and caused a veritable inferno of emotions to flare up in his body.

The rage in his stomach subsided, the radio dials in his eyes stopped spinning and his face relaxed enough that he no longer stared down at her like a hungry beast.

Instead of anger, resignation now appeared on his face as he finally gave in after all these years and gave free rein to his true feelings, because he was simply too weak to keep up the act any longer and continue to fight against the storm of emotions. The burden he had been carrying around with him for all those years was too heavy and with each passing day, it crushed him more and today seemed to be the day when he finally broke under this heavy weight.

His head slumped forward, but Charlie was there, catching him and holding him, not even flinching as his arms wrapped around her fragile body and he rested his chin onto her shoulder. His Wendigo-like-form slowly disappeared. His antlers slowly shrank back to their normal size, the radio dials in his eyes disappeared and his growl was replaced by a heart wrenching sob as he finally let himself fall and let all his pain out and took off the mask he had been wearing for so many years, day in and day out.

Charlie sat down next to him on the bed and Alastor immediately pulled her close, burying his face in the crook of her neck and cried into it, trying to ignore the shame that immediately welled up inside him, making all of this much worse for him than it already was.

The devil's daughter said nothing, held him gently in her arms and let him cry, stroking his back so tenderly that he sobbed even louder.

He hadn't been in a situation like this since he had been a human child. The last person who had seen him so weak and pathetic had been his own mother and now he was lying here, in the arms of Lucifer's daughter, crying into her shoulder like a little child. It couldn't have been more embarrassing!

"Shhh, it's alright, Alastor. Let it out. Don't be embarrassed," she whispered to him and again he had the feeling that she could read his mind.

He pressed himself closer to her, wrapped his arms around her as if he was afraid that someone might snatch away the only demon in hell who really cared about him, who was there for him, who gave him comfort and didn't just see the monster he had become. The demon that truly cared about him...

"It's alright. I'll stay as long as you want me to and I promise I won't tell a single soul about this. When you've calmed down and you want to, then tell me what's bothering you. I will listen to you. I just want you to know that you are not alone."

Her words were like balm for his battered soul and yet they forced even more tears from his eyes.

Why was she so warm-hearted?
Why was she such an innocent little thing?

She didn't belong to hell.

But he did, because he was a monster. A cruel beast, that everyone was afraid of...right?

Well...Charlie didn't fear him anymore and neither did Vaggie. Not Angel Dust, not Lucifer anyway. Niffty had adored him since their first meeting and even Husker had become more relaxed towards him in recent weeks.

But why?

Why was everyone suddenly so different towards him?

Was it perhaps because he had protected the hotel when the angels had attacked?

Because he had stood up to Adam in an attempt to protect them all?

He still didn't know himself why he had done this in the first place, because he shouldn't really care about this hotel...right?

He flinched when Charlie's gentle touches on his back pulled him out of his thoughts. Her hands had moved to his shoulder blades, massaging them through his coat and the shirt underneath and he felt his muscles relax and he almost melted in her arms. His tears slowly dried up and his heartbeat slowed down too. He even allowed himself to close his eyes and simply concentrate on the gentle massage she was giving him.

It was such a small gesture in such an intimate moment for him...a gesture that filled his heart with a warmth he had almost thought forgotten. It calmed him down, made the Radio Demon fade into the background and ensured that all the negative energies disappeared from his body and all the negative thoughts disappeared from his head as well.

In that small moment, there were no more terrible things plaguing him.

His cruel deal faded into the background, the memories of Vox, Adam and all the others who had ever harmed him also receded to the back of his mind. And even the fact that he had come to this hotel to only take advantage of Charlie sounded completely wrong in his ears at that moment...

He winced briefly as one of Charlie's hands moved to his head and began to gently massage it. The other lingered on his shoulder blade. He even dared to take his face out of the crook of her neck, but he didn't look at her, instead resting his chin on her shoulder and closing his eyes with a soft hum. His arms also detached themselves from her, falling limply onto the bed and he simply ignored her amused giggle, that sounded like music to his ears in this tender moment.

"Hmmm...what are you doing to me, Charlie?" he murmured softly as he let himself fall further and further into the delightful massage she was giving him, soothing him.

"I'm making you relax. Is it working?"

He could practically hear the smirk in her voice and would have loved to growl because of it, but to his horror, only another soft hum came out of his throat in approval.

"You know...my dad used to be really sad too. He still suffers from depression today, but not as bad as it used to be. I once saw my mom do this to him and my dad calmed down every time and was much more relaxed afterwards."

"So you thought you could do the same thing to the only demon in hell who hates being touched?"

"It was worth a try and as you can see, I'm still alive and you're melting away right now."

The teasing words made the corners of his mouth twitch upwards a little.

"I can stop if it makes you uncomfortable though," she added.

"No, no... I'm not uncomfortable..." he mumbled softly and would have liked to purr like a cat, but he stopped himself because he didn't want to sink that low.

He concentrated fully on her massage, humming quietly to himself as the hand on his head moved in circles, carefully moving in between his antlers and he felt her cheekily touching his fluffy ears here and there and giggling, as they flicked away from her fingers. But he wasn't angry with her. He was rather fascinated that she had the courage to tease him a little and the corners of his mouth twitched upwards once more. He would have loved to arch into the hand on his shoulder blades, but he stopped himself from doing so, because if he did that, he was sure his reputation as the feared Radio Demon would be gone forever...if it wasn't already...

There was silence between them for a few minutes, which Alastor finally broke, because there was something that was still on his mind and that he really wanted to get off his chest.

"Charlie?"

"Yes, Al?"

"What happened earlier...I...I didn't mean to yell at you..."

"Shhh, it's okay. I know you weren't serious. It was very unpleasant for you that I found you like that. I'm also sorry that I just came into your room like that. I should have left when I didn't hear an answer to my knock."

Silence reigned again, until...

"I'm glad you didn't leave, my dear."

Alastor's voice was only a whisper, but he knew Charlie had heard him because she giggled shyly, which made the corners of his mouth twitch up a little more.

"And there he is again: the old charmer we've all grown so fond of and...wait...what's that?"

He perked up his ears when he heard those words and when he realized Charlie's hand slid down from his shoulders and lifted his coat and...oh no!

He remained in his position as she was still massaging his head, but he was aware of the situation he found himself in so suddenly and his face turned bright red as Charlie let out a delighted squeak as she exposed his little deer tail that he usually kept hidden under his coat. And the damn thing was wagging like a bloody propeller the whole time!

"Ohhhh Alastor~. You have a deer tail? Awww, that's so cuuuuuuuute~."

Yes, this was the moment where he wished some heavenly forces would strike him down right here and now.

"That's not cute..." he growled. At least, he tried to growl. But only a half-hearted grumble came out of him as Charlie continued to massage his head so deliciously, sending him into a completely different realm.

"Now don't be such a grumpy old stag!"

A cheeky poke into his side made his body flinch and Charlie squealed with delight once more.

"Ohhhh and you're ticklish too?"

Oh great. Could it possibly get any worse?

"I'm so going to try that out later! What is it that you always say? You're never fully dressed without a smile?"

A small growl escaped from his throat and he pinned his ears back, but he remained in his position and continued to avoid eye contact with her. It would be unthinkable if she were to see his bright red face now, which was already competing with his clothes.

"If you even try that, then the two of us will go to my radio tower and then I'll...then I'll...hmmm...oh, I don't know what I'll do then..."

His voice became softer and more relaxed with each spoken word as Charlie began to massage his shoulder blade again with her still free hand, increasing the massage on his head at the same time to silence him.

He simply ignored her amused giggles.

Just like his tail, which wagged faster and faster...

"So that's how quickly the terrifying Radio Demon can be tamed, huh?"

Of course she had to tease him about that.

But he knew what she meant. She just wanted to tease him a little, wanted to make sure that the mood relaxed, that he stopped thinking about what had happened just a few minutes ago and it worked. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but grumble quietly.

"Don't be like that, Al. I'm just having a bit of fun."

Another poke, this time into his stomach and he jerked back, growling.

"Charlie, my dear...you're playing with fire..." he said warningly, but she just giggled, not taking him seriously, knowing he was just bluffing.

"Fiiiiiine. I'll stop...for now."

He could practically feel her grin on his body and sighed in resignation before focusing fully on her massage again.

"Do you want to come downstairs with me later and join us for dinner? My dad's making us some of his pancakes."

A low growl escaped his throat, but it didn't sound as intimidating as he had intended.

"What a surprise..." he grumbled, trying to sound annoyed, but his stupid tail was saying something completely different, because it was almost hitting the mattress by now; so much was it wagging at the thought of a nice evening in the company of the others. And even those stupid, over-sweet pancakes almost sounded like heaven to him...

"I can see that you like the idea."

"I don't..." he murmured softly, ignoring her amused giggle and simply closing his eyes in pleasure as she intensified the massage on his head and back, making him forget about any further snippy comments.

As well as his pain and loneliness and yes, he really could get used to this.

Once again there was silence between them with only his comforting hum breaking the silence as he lay in her arms, enjoying the attention she was giving him and it was the very first time he had ever been completely relaxed and happy.

Of course, Rosie had also made him calm down before, but never had she managed what Charlie was currently managing. Rosie had always respected that he didn't want to be touched, but Charlie was different to Rosie, was cheekier and a little bold too, he had to admit, but it was exactly what he had needed today, because without Charlie's help he would have broken under all the mental weight today and most likely never fully recovered.

She had helped him up when he had fallen and he was eternally grateful to her for that and he wanted to show her that, so he gently wrapped his arms around her and hugged her.

"Thank you, Charlie. For everything..." he whispered softly into her ear and his smile returned to his face when she returned the embrace and hugged him as well.

And this time, it was a genuine smile that appeared on his face...

"That's what friends are there for, Al," she whispered back and his tail was now thumping loudly against the bedsheets, making her giggle once again.

"And after dinner, I'm going to take a look at that wound you've been hiding from us in all this time."

He winced at the words, not expecting her to bring it up or even to know about his wound. Was it really so obvious for her to see that he had been in pain for so long?

"If you don't want me to do this, then I can send my father to you, if you're more comfortable with a male person taking care of this?"

"No!" he replied quickly, his eyes widening as he just thought of how bad the teasing would get towards him when the bloody King of Hell found out about his wound.

He heard Charlie laugh as he stiffened in her arms.

"Husker?"

An annoyed grumble was the answer she got to this question.

Briefly, she held herself in silence until...

"Angel~?"

"Charlie!" he growled, his ears pinning back immediately and his tail stopped wagging briefly as well.

"Okay, okay, relax. I wasn't serious," she laughed and she patted him amicably on the shoulder to calm him down again.

He relaxed when he realized that she was just teasing him with her words. Friendly banter was something he wasn't entirely familiar with. Rosie had teased him a little here and there, but Charlie went straight for the jugular when it came to that.

Angel Dust...the porn demon...he was supposed to take care of his wound? Of course he was. He would most likely take care of something else...

Just the thought of it made Alastor shudder and he felt the fur under his clothes bristle.

"Do you already have some head cinema going on there?"

A grumble was the answer she got from him.

"Stop it already, Charlie..." he mumbled and he closed his eyes as she started to massage him a bit more firmly now, to calm him down.

"It's just a joke, Al. I'll take a look at your wound later if that's okay with you."

His smile widened and his tail began to thump the bed again, making the young demoness grin, but she said nothing more about it and continued massaging his head and shoulders.

This was actually something he could get used to.

If this was what it felt like to have friends, then he never wanted to miss this feeling ever again and he would treasure it like nothing else in this world.

Since living in this hotel, his life had really turned upside down.

Was this a bad thing?

No, it wasn't.

It was a good thing, because it seemed that he had finally found a new family here after such a long time.

A family, that was there for him when he felt lonely.
A family, who helped him up when he fell.
A family, who made him laugh when he was sad.
A family, that accepted him for who he was.

And there was no better feeling in this world.

Not even for the dreaded Radio Demon, Alastor...