The Unknown (Alastor x reader)

Hot Embers in the Dark of Night

Edited on Sept. 24th, 2021

It felt nice for things to feel more normal, at least for right now, that is. Within the past week, you had run away from home, moved into a large mansion in the woods, met a demon, watched that demon take down several people at your school, and have been living in constant fear of your own father. But now, here you were, playing cards with two of your long-term friends and Your newest friend, Alastor.

The three of you had done all sorts of things throughout the day, some of which even the deer demon himself joined in on. Things like hide-and-seek, scavenger hunts, board games, movie reviews, dance parties, and teatime gossip are what you had focused your time into. And shortly after the four had started their second card game round, the idle storm outside had started to pour. 

The occasional roar of thunder outside would cause you to jump from time to time, much to your demon companion's amusement. Every rumble seemed louder than the last, making you come to the conclusion that Alastor was making them louder on purpose, just for the purpose of watching you jolt in your seat. Whenever you would grin wider and even let out a soft chuckle at your actions, you found yourself reaching over to punch him playfully in the arm.

And, after a few of these actions, Maple and Ashe had started to do the same. Mirroring the two of you, Ashe (being the taller of the two), would pose at the male beside you and let Maple punch her in the arm lightly, not looking up from her hand of cards. This would allow the demon to let out a soft laugh, adding more to your playful annoyance as the storm rolled onward high above. 

Soon, it had begun to get dark, and the storm showed no signs of stopping still. Heavy sheets of rain coated the windows of the library as you reached over to turn the movie off. Maple had brought her computer with several movies downloaded (all of which you watched) while Ashe read in a chair nearby. Currently stationed in the Library, Maple had fallen asleep a while ago while watching the beginning of  The Greatest Showman, and shortly after, Ashe had as well. The book she was reading rested on her chest softly, face down, with her legs over the chair's arm like a baby being held by their mother.

You, however, were wide awake and laying on the floor on your back, staring up at the ceiling silently. After having fallen asleep during Finding Nemo, you had woken up from a short-lived nightmare, which now haunted your brain. The once loud thunder was now softer and more comforting since it seems that the worse had passed. Finding yourself unable to fall asleep once more, you got up after a while to go find something to do, and a place to think. 

Standing up slowly, you tiptoed out of the Library as quietly as you could, slipping out into the hallway and down the stairs. Every time the steps let out small creaking sounds, you cringed slightly, jumping over the last step since you knew it was the loudest. After walking into the kitchen softly, you made yourself a cup of hot tea, leaning on the counter while the water boiled. The sound of rain, soft thunder, bubbling water, and your own breathing is all that masked the silence, the room lighting up every now and again from the lightning outside.

After You had poured the hot water into its cup with a teabag, you pushed yourself up from the cold marble and towards the doorway. You hadn't seen Alastor since the last dance party you and the girls had had, though instead of the crazy dance moves you thought were going to break out, he had taught the three of you several olden dances. Moves like the Rumba, the Foxtrot, and the Lindy Hop were still fresh in your mind as you chuckled softly at the memory. Maybe you should have tough his some of the dances of this timeframe, it would have been rather funny to watch. 

Having used the record player instead of the radio, you found out that he was a fan of Jazz, which wasn't shocking given his normal voice and the cane you saw him with occasionally. You wondered if he may have gone to bed for the night, though you couldn't say for sure, since you didn't know if demons slept or not. As you made your way out of the kitchen, through the dining room, and to the front door, you took a deep breath before starting to open it. To your luck, you had gotten it open enough for you to slip through without it making a sound. You had grabbed a small knife from the kitchen, a safety measure, which you had tucked into one of your pant's pockets for safekeeping. Seeing as it was still raining, you had ended up settling yourself on the bench that sat upon the porch, leaning back into the pillows that lined it.