I Remember You

-5-

Days would pass as the radio avoided the spider. His conscious was clear and there were no more illusions to break. However, timing was key. Some days, he'd have the courage to at least seek out the spider, but on those days, he just wouldn't be around the hotel. Then he'd be discouraged and doubt himself again. The pattern would continue, and Husk would watch from his usual spot, seeing Alastor pace back and forth without end.

"Now that I finally know what to do, this happens! Just my luck!" Then, the cat would listen to the ramblings. He didn't mind, considering it was a choice between being alone with the bottles or this, but he really hoped this could all end soon. He was supposed to fear Alastor. But, now he was seeing a different side. One he could sympathize with. "When you talk to him, I'm pretty sure everything will be all settled." The deer blanched at this, but nodded. It would finally blow over. But in which direction? "Have you by chance seen him around?" A shake of the head made Alastor groan. It was truly killing him inside. He was feeling all the emotions in the spectrum. It was a gross, discomforting feeling, like he'd throw up at any moment. Hours, he'd wait at the bar and search, all to no avail. "You know... you could just go to his room. Or you could summon him. Etcetera. You need to stop sidestepping if you really want all of this to end."

This was true. He was hoping he could take this to the bar so Husk could be around to make him feel even a little bit comfortable, but that could backfire, and maybe Husk did not want to be involved. Sighing, he leaned against a wall. "I just don't know when the right time is. And I don't know how to say it." The cat once again shook his head, but smiled. The way the radio demon was acting right now was already hard evidence of his feelings. "When the time comes, you'll know how. You'll just know."

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Staring out the window that night, he cried for hours. He hated himself for doing so, but memory was not something you could ignore. 'I thought someone loved me for who I am.' He repeated this to himself, and the pain would return. The spider even thought to himself that maybe he would've been better off executed the day he was saved. It wasn't true, but he'd think it, and feel it anyways.

The next day would come, his sadness with him all the way until he slept. His eyes were puffy, and he felt even weaker than after the battle from the other day. Emotional exhaustion was quite different than physical exhaustion, as you could still feel relatively well when simply tired. Angel did not even feel like getting up. Feeling rather disgusted with himself from not having showered the other day though, he forced himself. He needed to think, but held off on any thoughts until he got into the shower room. 'Damn it, don't cry again. You've cried enough.' Suffice to say, the shower was long, and this cycle repeated for much longer.

The following days were long and slow. Angel was careful not to run into him, even though he was certain if the deer demon truly wanted to, he could just teleport right to his face. Thankfully, he didn't. He just wanted to erase the past few days from his head, his heartache insistent, and his mind frazzled from the constant emotions. He had lost motivation to do anything. He didn't feel like doing any of the things he usually did. How could he focus on anything else except that dull feeling, like a bag of rocks had replaced his heart. It came to the point where he'd imagine footsteps or that dreaded, trademark static. Anything vaguely related to him became a painful memory.

"No hunting. The blood will remind you of him. No drinking. The bar will remind you of him. No sweets. Somehow, you'll remember him." Angel felt like he was going insane. He had nowhere to go. Going anywhere else would simply be dangerous. In the end, he resorted to staying in his room, only going to the lobby if he absolutely knew that Alastor wasn't there. 'I'm going to make myself go insane...'

On the 7th day, someone approached his door. They knocked. Tentatively, he opened the door.

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