• 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲'𝐬 𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 • Alastor x Reader

𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞.

A cigarette hung from Alastor's lips as he stood outside the café in the snow. It was the middle of the afternoon; he had finished his second of three daily broadcasts and he was now just waiting for you to show up. It had been a couple of weeks since your last get-together — a few weeks more since you had started your job — and the both of you had settled on meeting for a quick coffee before heading to his abode for supper, but you hadn't shown up yet. In fact, it was already half an hour past the time you were supposed to be there, so he was beginning to worry...or wonder if you had lied to him and run off with somebody else.

The man pulled the gasper away with his index and middle fingers, a river of smoke pouring out from between his lips and mixing with the fog his breath created. It was unlikely that you changed your plans, but not entirely impossible given you had this new job of yours and you had most likely started making new friends. Leaving him in the dirt. Hm... That wasn't a very pleasant thought.

Quick footsteps made his head turn to the left, his gaze landing on your small form running down the sidewalk with your bag over your shoulder. So you hadn't abandoned him after all! Smirking, he extinguished the cigarette between his thumb and forefinger and flicked it away after he took one last, deep drag at it. His whole being silenced as you finally managed to arrive in front of him, the last hints of smoke leaking from the corner of his lip.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry, Al!" you cried out, panting like you had just run two courses around the whole earth. "Work got crazy and my boss, he-"
"Don't worry yourself now, darling," he cooed, taking a mint from a small box in his coat pocket and tossing it into his mouth to clear the foul stench of tobacco. "You can tell me everything later. I'm just glad you could make it!" He held the door to the coffee shop open and you walked in with a thankful nod, choosing a table and quickly seating yourself.

Your lungs ached and your throat was thick with saliva from how fast you had been running, a weak smile being all you could muster, while Alastor's sly grin never fell away from his perfectly carved features as he, too, sat down. "Calm yourself, doll," he cooed, taking your hand in his and rubbing circles along the back of it with his calloused thumb. "I'm sorry," you rasped through your heavy breathing. Guilt was prominent in your mind. You had kept Alastor waiting for well over half an hour after and it looked like he had been waiting out in the cold that entire time.

"Stop apologizing," Alastor drawled and gave your hand a light squeeze, allowing you to realize your hand was still in his larger one. Your face flared up and you hurriedly jerked yourself out of his touch, the man's brow lifting curiously. "Everything alright?" He prompted while retracting his own hand and folding both his arms onto the table. "Listen, Al," you started, keeping your gaze off him. "I have to head back to work after this. I won't be able to come for supper." Your friend's face dropped like a stone in a river, his signature smile falling.

"But we made plans, my dear," he tried to force a laugh out. "I mean, how long has it been? Weeks?"
"That isn't too bad, Al. You can handle a little while longer, can't you?" Truth was, he wasn't sure if he could. He wanted to have you around to make him laugh. To make him feel special for being him and not for being some voice on the radio. "Of course, but what's so important at work that you're working from six in the morning until midnight?" he hissed, clenching his fists around the tablecloth.

"It's nothing you need to worry about."
"It's fucking insane, (Y/n)!" he cried out, the cafés mingled conversation falling silent at his sudden outburst. "It's unhealthy! Don't think I haven't noticed your loss of weight — you barely have time to eat, not to mention sleep!" The man slammed his fist against the table angrily.
"Alastor-"
"No! Don't give me that! The last time we made dinner plans, you had to cancel then as well!"
"Please-"
"Please what? Start digging your grave!? Because you're slowly killing yourself, (Y/n)!"