For You, My Dear, Anything (Radiodust)

Waking Up

"I don't know what happened to him, he came back to the hotel like this."

"What do you suppose we do? He can't continue living like this. One of these times he's going to come back too far gone even for Alastor to save."

Angel shifted as the voices drifted through his mind without meaning. He wondered if he was dead again, listening to memories, but realized, that memories don't make you hurt when you move. He jolted, throwing himself up as fast as he could, but flopped back down when pain and nausea scorched through him. A loud gasp made him open his eyes and look around. His gaze landed on Charlie, Vaggie, and Alastor standing a few feet away from the bed he was lying in, which turned out to be his own.

"Angel!" Charlie cried, running to his side with tears streaming down her cheeks, "You're awake! I was so worried about you! What happened?!" Angel groaned, sitting up again, slower this time, and looked down at himself. He was wearing a pair of boxers that weren't his and each of his wounds had been bound with white bandages, showing how severely underweight he was, as well as making himself look like a mummy.

"What time is it?" He questioned, throwing the blanket off him.

"It's just a little past noon," Vaggie answered, "You slept all morning."

"Noon?!" Angel jumped up and rushed to his closet unsteadily, "I have to go! Val's gonna kill me if I'm late like this!"

"Angel stop! You're in no condition to work." Charlie placed a hand on his shoulder, but he shook her off. Alastor, who had been quiet until now walked up behind her.

"Let me talk to him, darling," he cooed comfortingly, "I'll talk some sense into him." She nodded, a hurt expression falling on her face as she and Vaggie walked out silently. "She's right you know," Alastor said calmly, leaning against the wall next to the frantic spider, "You could die if you go back."

"Ya don' understand," Angel whispered, his voice layered with fear that Alastor had never noticed before, "I 'ave to go or Val will kill me." He looked at Alastor, his face soaked with tears and scared.

"Well if you go back, you will die anyway," Alastor said firmly, "I don't know how you got that wound, and I'm not going to ask," he added when he saw the look on Angel's face, "But if you don't take care of it, it will kill you, again. Stay here until you're better. I'll take care of Valentino."

"Why would you do that for me? You hate me," he replied angrily, "And don't try to deny it, I see the way you look at me. You hate me so much, I'm surprised you're even still in this hotel." Alastor sighed, placing both of his hands on Angel's shoulders to show that he was serious.

"Because even though I'm the All-Mighty-Radio-Demon and a serial killer, I have feelings. And when I held your dying body in my arms, grasping to me with all your weakened strength, begging for me to help you, I couldn't ignore someone so desperate to live," he turned away, glancing back to see the shocked expression on Angel's face, "Stay here until you get better, I'll keep you safe." He walked out of the room, shutting the door behind himself, and placed a hand over his mouth. What just happened? His face flushed a deep red as he remembered the fear that had swept through him when Angel fainted, No! I will not fall for him! He is nothing more than another useless demon here in hell. But even as he walked into the kitchen to make lunch for everyone telling himself that, he couldn't help being relieved that Angel was still alive.