The woman took Alastor's hand, as if they were coming together for a dance, and they locked eyes for just a moment before she shut them tightly, inhaling. Exhaling.
Charlie's hair whipped around her, the usual excruciating screams now a hushed whisper in the void that opened up around them.
"Careful now, my darling demon, belle," Alastor said gently without the shrill of radio static.
Charlie kept her posture and within moments they were on another plane- the whispers shutting off to the faint sound of wind blowing at their feet.
"My my, you've become quite the natural," Charlie's eyes fluttered open and there they were, in the familiar dreamlike pastures she'd longed to be in again. It really was stunning that such an infamously treacherous demon could come up with beauty quite like this.
Arm still outstretched, Alastor squeezed her hand before folding both of his neatly behind him, looking proudly at his company. There was something else within his eyes that Charlie couldn't quite put her finger on.
"Al, maybe we can try something different today," she pitched confidently.
The princess summoned in her trident and caught it casually as it spawned, familiar with its structure and weight so she wasn't knocked off her posture upon catching it.
"Hm? And what might that be," the demon rebutted with static, head cocked to the side.
"Fight me," she challenged, pointing her trident towards him, her lips pursed in a tight line.
The demon's ears perked and his shoulders straightened, taken aback by her offer.
"Ambitious today, are we," he screwed his eyes up, his eyebrows knitted with question.
Alastor raised one of his arms, a pit of tentacles forming near his feet. From the black tendrils grew several of his shadowed henchmen, each about four feet tall. Some wielded weapons, others did not.
She was ready. She had to be.
It was peculiar and perplexing the way the princess was acting all of a sudden. She had been an emotional mess just hours ago and took it upon herself after dinner to continue her practices with him on their training grounds.
Alastor studied her, mildly confused yet proud nonetheless to see Charlie taking initiative as much as she was in the past few days. She'd come leaps and bounds from the sniffling mess she was in the graveyard nearly a week ago despite how rushed it felt.
His henchmen faded in and out of existence, the princess skewering some and batting off others with the butt of her weapon, taking on several at a time. She did this for a while, tiring herself with Alastor's endless rounds of shadows that formed in and out of sight.
She raised her hand, "PAUSE!"
The princess huffed, bent over, a hand on her knees while she caught her breath. She undid her bowtie and threw it into the air with a "pop" where it disappeared. She continued unbuttoning her shirt past her collarbone in an attempt to catch more air.
The Radio Demon glanced away at the sight of her undressing, feeling his neck radiate heat at the sight of seeing something so scandalous. "Er, Charlie-."
"Okay, now how about YOU fight me?" The woman called out, straightening her back and pacing, twirling her trident in one hand.
Alastor looked back over and caught her gaze, some of her hair had come undone and it clung to the sweat on her face. She beckoned him again, "I mean it, Alastor. Let's go," she summoned him with a flick of her trident towards her.
The demon gave her an incredulous look, "are you certain? There's still so much you have left to learn and I don't want to hurt you," Alastor ran a hand across his chest, feeling his old wound that was mostly healed and scabbed over. He was fully capable of fighting, but it was Charlie he was more concerned about.
"I lasted long enough in the last Extermination to be a worthy opponent, don't you think? Or do you really think I'm that weak," the princess argued, the slight tone of irritability revealing itself in her voice.
She planted her trident in the grass and crossed her arms while she waited on Alastor.
Begrudgingly, he shrugged off his coat and threw it to the side where it fell into a hole of shadows. He usually fought with his radio staff but it was still out of commission so he opted to use a simple baton that he spawned moments later.
"As you wish," he bowed, hand outstretched.
It was much like dancing, Alastor thought to himself. Attacks, parries, blocks, and evasions were all intricate parts to their battle, much like the intimacy of a waltz.
Surprisingly enough, he was able to help coach the princess during their attacks, leading her during moments he saw her weakness and allowing her the foot up in the battle. He could physically see her anger bubble at times as she'd forget that this was, in fact, just their agreed training and not a real battle.
Charlie was learning how to handle dexterity with her weapon and maintain speed despite the length of their drill. This was the first time Alastor had attempted his hand in combat since his one-on-one battle with Adam and Charlie had proven to be quite the challenge despite her newness.
"It's important to utilize your powers during your melee combat," Alastor shouted, dodging Charlie's swing of her trident, "this allows you a foot up from your opponent but depending on your life force, can inhibit you later in battle."
Alastor rolled away after blocking another strike from Charlie, summoning black tendrils to flow from his back and carry him upward, now hovering almost ten feet above her.
The princess stepped backward, considering her next move carefully before dropping her trident and spreading her arms out to either side then bringing them together in front of her with a loud "clap," sparks of fireworks shooting from her hands and propelling outwards before her.
It took Alastor off guard, the smell of gunpowder and smoke filled his lungs as lights crashed all around him, caught in the fiery dazzle. His body felt like it was on fire and he was caught unable to breathe.
He shrunk back and found himself propped on the ground, coughing up smoke, dazed. He felt the sharp prong of her trident knick the edge of his jaw as he peeked through the ash, his eyes burning, and saw Charlie kneeling over him, a brilliant flash of color crackling behind her. Her weapon was at the ready and she was panting, a triumphant smile on her face merely a foot away from his.
He'd been defeated.
The princess withdrew her blade before flopping down to the ground next to him, chest heaving, watching the remainder of the fireworks with Alastor who lay speechless next to her.
He peered over at his partner who was starting to laugh; Alastor found it infectious and chimed in, the two following each other into a fit of hysterics.
After some time, their laughs trailed off and Charlie pulled herself up off the grassy bed with Alastor following suit. He brushed off his trousers and adjusted his suspenders moments before donning his baton.
"Again."
It had seemed like hours had passed, both demons playing a role in the dangerous dance of battle. Charlie grew tired by the minute, drawing on her powers at every chance so as to push her limits and learn new techniques.
Caught in the ebb and flow, Charlie didn't even realize she'd hit her breaking point until her legs gave out, nearly missing her evasion from Alastor's volley of tentacles that shot out towards her and whistled past her ear.
Her arms and legs quivered as she hovered over the ground. She willed her body back and sat on her legs, propping her upper body to face Alastor who had subdued himself and went to check on her.
With half-lidded eyes and a face full of sweat, she huffed, "I think I'm done, Al. I can't," she panted and looked around at the landscape, closing her eyes before collapsing on the ground again, catching her breath before falling into darkness.
"Charlie? Charlie, dear?"
Alastor knelt next to the princess, grabbing her by the shoulders and tried shaking her awake but she was out like a light. He warned her about the use of her powers and now that she was completely spent, he'd have to carry her back.
He looked around and dismissed their weapons out of sight so it was just the two of them left.
He got back on his knees and gathered her up in his arms, surprised at how light she was despite his own body being drained from their training. Her head ragdolled and rolled onto his chest as he readjusted her in his hold.
The thump of her head hitting his chest drew on the familiar sensation he'd felt before. Her eyes were shut and her long lashes fluttered in the wind, curling his stomach into knots at the sight of her.
He wanted to drop her as he realized the association to the feeling.
The intrusive thought forced him to hold her tighter which made Charlie inadvertently sigh, drawing on a hefty blush on the deer demon's face.
Alastor opened the door to the realm and he covered the girl's ears, hoping the portal's noise wouldn't wake her, which thankfully it didn't.
Several painfully long moments passed before the portal fastened off above them and he was stationed at her bedroom door, the sound of Angel's voice echoed from down the hallway.
Alastor whipped his head around to see the spidery figure turn the corner and catch sight of them. The spider's eyes bugged, Angel stood speechless with his phone in hand.
The lights in the hallway flickered and Alastor shot his unsuspecting company a daring look, red dials glowing in the dark. Angel turned an about face and exited the hall promptly, pretending he saw nothing.
The deer demon was able to prop the door open and wandered into her room quietly. He stood for a moment at her bedside, feeling the rise and fall of her chest on his as she slept soundly in his arms.
Carefully, he laid her out on her bed but she stirred upon leaving his embrace. Her eyes peeled open and she inhaled deeply, glancing at her company with half-lidded, glazed eyes when her head hit her pillow. She frowned and accidentally caught her hand in his suspenders as she curled inward, pulling him down face first into the covers with her.
Alastor grunted in shock, his face now beet red in the pillow next to hers. Alastor cursed himself, groveling. Had he been wearing the protection of his jacket, he wouldn't be in this position.
He was able to undo her clawed grasp as she was mainly still unconscious during the whole ordeal, allowing Alastor to pull himself away from the woman and gather himself. He pulled at his collar, feeling heat travel all over him into a full-body blush.
He hated this feeling. It worsened since he made his debut back at the hotel after his horrible defeat from Adam; the moment Charlie threw her arms around him at his reappearance, it was an entirely different sentiment they seemed to share.
Moments he saw her in distress threw him into shambles. He found himself caring entirely too much and he found himself getting repeatedly enchanted by her amicability, her ferocity, her hope, her smile, her…
He inhaled sharply, gritting his teeth and rubbing his face, turning away from the sight of the sleeping beauty.
What absolute sop.
With his face flushed crimson, he excused himself, falling into a flurry of hushed shadows.
Author's Note:
Two chapters in one day? Let's GOOO!
I've been DYING to introduce a lil fluff.
I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I loved writing it!
xxx