Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I think I want to try,” Alastor said.

Little did he know that those words would change his life forever.

“Try what, darling?” Rosie, who was sitting across from him asked.

The two had been drinking for the past couple of hours at Rosie’s Emporium. She had decided to close early that day so that she could spend some quality time with Alastor, or at least that was what she had told him. Alastor, for his part, had some free time for the first time in a long time. Instead of going out and finding people to make deals with or working to build his empire, he decided to enjoy this time before things inevitably got hectic once again.

Alastor looked down at his glass, half-filled with amber-colored whiskey. He slowly and lightly traced a clawed finger around the rim before eventually speaking up once more.

“Kissing someone, I suppose? I’ve never kissed anyone and I don’t understand the appeal… but I want to,” Alastor confessed, his voice soft and unsure.

This was something that Alastor had thought about many times before but never brought up. For years he watched as the people around him, including Rosie herself, got into relationships. They seemed happy but even so, it wasn’t something that appealed to him. To him, the thought of going on dates, being in a relationship, or even a simple kiss was too much effort for what it was worth at best and disgusting at worst. That didn’t stop him from wondering why people liked it. What was he missing? It was mere morbid curiosity that had a grip on him.

Rosie owlishly blinked at Alastor a few times before asking, “With me?”

Her voice was filled with confusion and a little bit of surprise, something Alastor had expected. He could completely understand why she would feel the way she likely was. He had never expressed a desire to do anything of the sort. He was determined to at least try it. He doubted he would enjoy it or feel anything but that didn’t matter. He wanted to know what it was like, whether he liked it or not was secondary.

Alastor looked up so he was gazing into Rosie’s wide eyes. He needed her to realize how serious he was about this.

“Do you see anyone else here?” Alastor questioned, keeping his tone steady and sincere.

Rosie hesitated for a moment and Alastor could practically see the way she went back and forth in her mind. She didn’t seem against the idea, which was as positive a sign as any, and yet something was holding her back. He wanted to reassure her, let her know that it was okay and that this was what he desired but he struggled to find the words to express himself. So, instead of trying to explain himself, he chose to say something else, something he believed would put her mind at ease more than any justification ever could.

“I trust you, Rosie, more than anyone. You’re the only person I’ve ever considered asking this of. If you don’t want to, I completely understand but know that I do want to try. So if you’re holding back because you think I don’t want this or will blame you when I don’t like it, don’t. I promise this is what I want.”

Rosie breathed a soft sigh before nodding her head minutely and standing up from her chair. Alastor did the same and moved to stand in front of her. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest but he pushed that to the side, explaining it away as part nervousness and part excitement to finally get the answers to the questions that had plagued his mind for years.

Rosie took a step forward and placed her hands on Alastor’s shoulders. He tensed slightly under her touch but after a moment, he forced his body to relax. Rosie’s eyes searched Alastor’s for any sign of discomfort or uncertainty but he didn’t show any. He gave her a small nod, allowing her to continue however she saw fit. She was the expert here and he trusted her implicitly.

Rosie slowly slid her hands down Alastor’s arms, removing his jacket as she did so. She placed it over one of the pink, metal chairs they had been sitting on previously before turning her attention back toward Alastor. She placed one hand back on Alastor’s shoulder while the other made its way to the back of his head. Alastor’s breath hitched when Rosie ran her fingers through his hair. Alastor, on the other hand, was unsure where to place his hands so he simply let them awkwardly hang by his sides.

Everywhere Rosie touched him felt as though it was on fire. Alastor’s breathing was shaky and he was sure he was blushing, something he hoped Rosie dismissed as him being drunk. His heart was beating rapidly and for the first time, he wondered whether this was actually a good idea.

Before he could rethink his decision, Rosie was already leaning forward. The closer she got, the more overwhelmed Alastor felt. This was supposed to be a mere test to see whether he was able to comprehend why people sought out these things and yet it felt so much more significant like this was the beginning of something new. He felt a spike of genuine fear course through him. This was more than Alastor could handle.

Just as Rosie’s lips were about to collide with his, Alastor suddenly pushed her away. He couldn’t do this. He didn’t know what had changed but something had. A couple of moments ago, he would’ve sworn that nothing would make him reconsider doing this but what he imagined this would be like was a lot different than how it really was.

Alastor couldn’t look at Rosie as he moved away from her and grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair. He didn’t want to see the surprise, shock, and anxiety that she had done something wrong. That didn’t mean that he didn’t spare her a few words in an attempt to explain away the situation, even if it was a lie.

“Never mind, the moment passed. Forget about it,” Alastor said his words coming out as a quick, slurred mess.

Alastor didn’t give Rosie the chance to respond as he hurriedly grabbed his coat and rushed out of the room and into the cold, dark streets of Cannibal Town. He had run away, there was no two ways about it. Alastor slipped his arms through the sleeves of his jacket and pulled it on. He began walking along the sidewalk, distracted as the events of what just happened played on a loop in his head. He had a very specific destination in mind, the only place in Hell where he’d be able to be alone with his thoughts. His heart was pounding hard and fast in his chest the whole way there.

Chapter Text

The sound of a door slamming echoed throughout the room as Alastor entered. He leaned his back against the door, both his heart and mind racing from the events that had just transpired. He almost kissed Rosie, however, that wasn’t what sent his thoughts into a tizzy. Instead, it was the fact that he had longed to kiss her.

When Alastor had asked Rosie to kiss him, he hadn’t meant anything by it. He had merely wanted to try the physical act of a kiss without any feelings behind it. The only reason he had asked her in particular was that she was his friend, she trusted him, and he believed that out of anybody, she would understand. However, now he was wondering whether he had ulterior motives behind his question that he hadn’t realized until he had come face to face with what he craved. Had he wanted to kiss her the whole time and just hadn’t realized it? The thought of what would have happened if he hadn’t stopped her still made his blood pump a little quicker.

Alastor shouldn’t yearn to kiss Rosie, he couldn’t. She was his best friend, she’d been there for him through everything. He needed to halt whatever this was in its tracks as soon as possible. He’d do anything to eliminate his desires for Rosie, including disappearing, which was exactly what he planned on doing. It was why he had come here, after all.

This place was a small, abandoned cabin that Alastor had restored many years ago. It was where he went whenever he had to be alone as it was a ways away from any residential area. He rarely came here and when he did, he never stayed for more than a few days at most, and yet, this time, he would be staying for far longer.

Alastor had never truly considered kissing Rosie, not like he wanted to at the moment, but now he couldn’t get the thought out of his head. He needed to though. He couldn’t go back without putting a stop to these desires before they affected his feelings for and his relationship with the woman he cared for most.

Luckily for Alastor, he had prepared for a day like this, a day when he would need to stay here for a prolonged period of time. There was enough food, water, and supplies to last him months as well as a small kitchen and a bed big enough to fit his large frame. He would have to take a break from his radio show but it wouldn’t be the first time, and at least this time he knew he would be coming back. He didn’t know how long it would take to get rid of these desires but he would keep his distance and hope that he would soon be able to put a stop to them or, at the very least, figure out the reason why he had them to begin with.

Chapter Text

Alastor placed his hand on the golden doorknob that led to where he was supposed to meet everyone. He knew about the others but he had never had a conversation with any of them. He was still rather new to this whole thing but there was one thing he was absolutely certain of, he deserved to be here. He was strong, he was powerful, and he was only getting more so by the day.

Alastor twisted the knob and pushed open the heavy, oak door. The sight he was met with was rather underwhelming. It was a typical meeting room with nothing special about it. In the center of the room was a rectangular table surrounded by a few chairs, all of which were empty. The only notable thing about the room was the woman who stood near the sole window from which one could get a decent view of the city.

The woman was tall with short white hair and large black eyes that looked in his direction the moment he opened the door. She wore a long, intricately beautiful pink dress with a large-brimmed hat to match. The first thought that entered Alastor’s mind upon seeing the woman was that she was gorgeous and had an aura that made him want to learn as much as possible about her.

However, Alastor kept his guard up. She was an overlord, after all. It was why they had been called there in the first place. She may have been alluring but she was also dangerous. That was something he couldn’t forget.

Alastor slowly sauntered over to where the woman was standing and held out his hand for her to shake.

“Name’s Alastor. It’s a pleasure to be meeting you.”

The woman smiled a toothy grin before placing her hand in his and introducing herself.

“Oh, so you’re the infamous Radio Demon everyone’s been talking about lately. My name’s Rosie and I assure you, the pleasure’s all mine.”

Alastor let out a soft, genuine laugh that while only lasting a few moments, made him feel lighter. It was the first time he had truly laughed in months. He had been so focused on making a name for himself in Hell that he hadn’t had time for anything else. He was grateful to finally be given the opportunity to meet the other overlords like this. He could only hope that all of them were as darling as Rosie seemed to be.

Alastor brought Rosie’s hand to his mouth and placed a chaste kiss along her knuckles. He watched as Rosie’s cheeks flushed a light shade of pink, causing his smile to widen just a bit more.

“Nonsense, it’s always a pleasure for a gentleman like myself to meet such a beautiful dame like yourself, if I may be so bold that is.”

Alastor slowly lowered Rosie’s hand from his lips and let go of it. She didn’t seem to mind the attention if her smile and blush were anything to go off. While a smile was a valuable tool to hide one’s true emotions, hers appeared to be as authentic as they came, or so he hoped.

“You may,” Rosie responded before continuing. “In fact, I must say that you are quite the attractive man yourself.”

Alastor took a step closer to Rosie and placed his hand on the window behind her, effectively trapping her. He wasn’t sure why he was doing this. He barely knew this woman and yet something about her drew him in. Of all the people he had met in Hell so far, he understood that if he had someone he was going to be weak for, she’d be it.

He leaned in close until their faces were but a few inches apart, never taking his eyes off hers.

“If you like how I look now, you should’ve seen me when I was alive. I was much more handsome back then,” Alastor whispered, his voice low and gravely.

Instead of backing down like Alastor thought she might, Rosie’s eyes gleamed with a mixture of determination and… interest? He couldn’t deny the fact that he liked that. It was rare he found somebody so willing to go toe to toe with him, let alone one he actually liked. There had been a few other overlords who had stood their ground against him, of course, but not only were they life-or-death scenarios but they also either annoyed or disgusted him to no end. This, however, was different, and he liked it.

“I don’t think that’s possible, dear. Looking at you now, there isn’t a single thing I would change,” Rosie replied, her words filled with a truth that made his heart race.

Alastor leaned forward just a little more, their lips practically grazing against one another at this point.

“You don’t know the first thing about me,” Alastor said, trying to gauge just how far her resolve would take her.

“Do I need to?” She asked and that was it. Alastor was unable to stop himself from capturing her lips. He needed to kiss her at that moment more than he had ever needed anything in his life. She was perfect and he wanted to have her all to himself.

However, the moment their lips touched, Alastor shot up in his bed. His ruby eyes scanned the room, trying to figure out where he was. His heart pounded loudly in his chest as he took in his surroundings. This wasn’t the overlord meeting room, nor was it his room back at the hotel. That was when he remembered where he was and what had led to him coming here. Right, the cabin.

Alastor breathed a soft sigh that was filled with emotion. He was disappointed that it had all been a dream and yet a part of him was relieved that it was. He knew now that doing such a thing would ruin everything that he and Rosie had built up over the years. He only wished that he realized that sooner.

The dream had caught him so off-guard as it was the first one he had in years. He honestly couldn't remember what the last dream he had was about or even when the last time he slept was. He didn't typically sleep but the whole situation had been taking such an emotional toll on him, leading him to be exhausted enough to need the rest.

Thinking back on the dream, Alastor recognized it as a memory. It was the day he and Rosie met, albeit with a few key changes. He almost couldn’t believe that such a precious moment to him was now fodder for his growing desire for Rosie.

That was what made Alastor truly comprehend how much he wanted to kiss Rosie. He had hoped his wanting to kiss Rosie was a one-off ordeal but the dream he just had proved otherwise. It was something he longed for both in his dreams and real life.

Alastor didn’t only want to kiss her in his dreams. He wanted to make it a reality, his reality. Yet this was something that wasn’t meant to be, not in this timeline anyway. Perhaps if they had met at a different time, in a different place, he would have been able to kiss her like he wanted but they weren’t. In this timeline, they were friends. Now if only he could get his urges under control.

Chapter Text

The days turned into weeks and no matter how hard he tried, Alastor was unable to get Rosie out of his mind. The number of dreams and fantasies that he had about kissing her was growing concerning. However, despite how much he thought about her, Alastor had yet to come up with a reason why he wanted to kiss her so badly. What he had been able to discern was that there was something special about Rosie.

During the past few weeks, Alastor had tried thinking of what it would be like to kiss anyone aside from Rosie, hoping that there was something about the act of kissing itself that was making him feel this way. It would’ve been so much simpler. He thought about kissing a wide variety of people: male, female, tall, short, thin, thick, but none of them gave him the same butterflies he felt whenever he thought about kissing Rosie.

Alastor had even imagined kissing a few of the other overlords, thinking that perhaps it was powerful people he was attracted to. It was halfway through thinking about what it would be like to kiss Vox that he realized how far he had fallen from grace. Alastor had, of course, quickly pushed that thought to the side, vowing to never visualize that particular image again.

Whenever he thought about kissing someone aside from Rosie, Alastor felt nothing at best and disgusted at worst. Though when it was Rosie he thought about, his heart would beat a little harder, his cheeks would flush, and his breath would hitch. The way she made him feel was overwhelming in the best possible way and he hated it. He shouldn’t feel this way about his best friend nor did he want to, and yet he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t even put a label on his developing emotions for the woman he cared about most. Maybe if he could’ve, it would’ve been easier to accept.

The word to describe the way he felt came to him one night after an especially pleasant dream. In it, he and Rosie were a loving, married couple. They were making dinner in their shared home in Cannibal Town, sharing kisses as they did so. While nothing interesting occurred in the dream, it was soft and sweet, to the extent that when Alastor woke up, he was able to admit to himself that the idea of being married to Rosie wasn’t so bad. In fact, he kind of enjoyed the thought.

Rosie would be a lovely wife and he would try his best to be a dutiful husband. They cared deeply about one another and he… he didn't love her, no, not like that. It was impossible. He merely… had a crush on her, one that would go away in a matter of a few months. Soon enough, things would return to normal as though none of this ever happened.

Perhaps one day, when all of this was but a distant memory, he would tell her how he felt once upon a time and they could share a laugh about how things could’ve been different, but then again, maybe not. He knew the kind of person he was and that he’d likely just end up pushing these feelings down until he forgot they existed.

However, if there was one thing he was certain of, it was that he wouldn’t let these emotions interfere with the friendship of his most trusted confidant. No matter what Alastor had to do, whether it be stay here for months or distance himself from Rosie for a little while, he wouldn’t let his little crush come between them.

Chapter Text

With Alastor having figured out his feelings toward Rosie, it was only a matter of time before he left the cabin to rejoin the rest of Hell. While he may not have been able to get a handle on his emotions just yet, he couldn’t stay here forever. He had responsibilities that he had practically abandoned when he left, even if, at the time, it was for the best.

Alastor doubted he would’ve figured all of this out had he not taken the time to truly think it through. So while he wasn’t sure what kind of chaos he would come back to upon returning that would’ve certainly been caused by his sudden absence, he would deal with it. He had dealt with much worse in the past than fixing a few minor things with the hotel. He’d be sure to reassure everyone that everything was fine and he was still fully committed to that little project of his.

When Alastor did leave, the first thing he wanted to do was go see Rosie. He had left in a hurry and he was sure she was feeling confused and disheartened, especially after he was gone for so long. However, that wasn’t the true reason he wanted to see her. While he would be sure to quell any worries she may have, the reason for his visit was much more selfish. He needed to know if he was still able to act the same way around her with this new development. Could he still act amicable toward her or would he be a love-struck fool in the face of his crush?

His thoughts and behavior when around her would give him some indication of how to move forward. If he could still pretend that the only thing he felt toward her was friendship, then there would be very little to worry about and he could live his life the way he normally did. But if he couldn’t control himself, if he acted like an idiot around her, he would need to rethink some things.

He may not be able to spend as much time with her as he would’ve liked and he may even need to miss a few overlord meetings, at least until this small crush went away. It would probably only take a couple of months at the most, but he would still need a good excuse as to why he was acting distant and neglecting his duties. Alastor was hopeful that he would be able to act normal around her nevertheless he was also prepared for the possibility that he couldn’t. Whatever happened, he’d be sure to take it in stride. What was the worst that could happen?

Chapter Text

Alastor learned exactly what was the worst that could happen when he visited Rosie for the first time since the night they almost kissed. He was standing outside her place, his heart racing as he mentally prepared himself for what he was about to do. It had been seven weeks since he had last saw Rosie and he was sure that she was going to have a few questions, especially as he had disappeared so suddenly. He hadn’t wanted to worry her like he was sure he did but he hadn’t seen any other choice at the time. Now it was time for him to explain himself all the while gaining insight into his feelings for her.

Alastor took a slow, deep breath in an attempt to ground himself. It didn’t work nearly as well as he thought it would. Even so, he forced himself to place his hand on the metal handle of the door that led to Rosie’s Emporium and pulled it open.

A soft bell chimed as Alastor stepped inside, signaling his arrival. The first thing he noticed was the temperature change between the streets of Hell and the inside of Rosie’s place. She always had the air conditioning turned on high, which he appreciated even if it was a little cold at times.

As Alastor looked around, he was met with the familiar sight of pinks and reds that he had seen a thousand times before. He knew her place like the back of his hand and always would, no matter how much time passed between his visits.

There was a swarm of people crowding around the glass counter. They were the familiar faces of the residents of Cannibal Town. He may not have conversed with many of them before but he did recognize most of them.

As Alastor made his way further into the building, there was one person in particular whom he had never seen before. He was a tall, slim-figured man with long, black hair pulled back in a ponytail and light-gray eyes. Alastor had to admit that the man was handsome, which was exactly why he would remember seeing someone like him had they ever met before.

The man’s appearance wasn’t the only thing that stuck out about him. In fact, there was something else, something much more pressing that had caught Alastor’s attention the moment he laid eyes on him. The man was standing much too close to Rosie for his liking. He was practically pressed against her right side. It caused a spark of jealousy to flare up inside Alastor, one that he quickly suppressed.

Alastor’s eyes shifted over to Rosie. She looked much the same as she did seven weeks ago, stunning and perfect. He wanted nothing more than to cross the room, take her into his arms, and kiss her and he may have done so were there not so many people around. He quickly shook his head to rid himself of such thoughts. They weren’t helpful and would only make things worse.

Alastor watched as Rosie’s eyes widened at the sight of him. The smile that followed shortly after made his heart skip a beat.

“Alastor!” Rosie shouted excitedly.

Rosie moved out from behind her desk and hurried over to him. When she was standing no more than a foot away from him, she wrapped her arms around his body in a firm hug. Alastor gasped softly and his heart picked up its speed in his chest. He stood there awkwardly for a moment, unsure of what to do or how to act. Everything was different now and yet not a thing had really changed.

Once Alastor got his wits about him, he slowly and gently wrapped his arms around her waist. He held her close just as he had imagined doing countless times over the past few weeks. It was a small moment but one he would cherish for the rest of his afterlife.

Rosie buried her face into the crook of Alastor’s neck. He could practically feel her smile against his skin.

“Alastor, you had me worried. I didn’t know if I was ever going to see you again,” Rosie said, her voice containing a small tremor that betrayed just how scared she had been.

“I’m sorry, my dear. I’ll try not to do it again.”

Rosie was the first to pull away and while he would’ve loved nothing more than to keep her in his arms for just a little while longer, he stepped back, to a more amicable distance.

The man who had previously been standing beside Rosie had apparently walked over to where the two of them were standing during their hug as in one moment he was behind the counter in the center of the room and in the next he was placing his hands on Rosie’s shoulders. He massaged them softly, lovingly, something that didn’t sit right with Alastor. Alastor hadn’t even noticed the man approach them, he was too wrapped up in the feeling of Rosie’s arms around him.

“Who’s this, sweetheart?” The man asked.

Rosie glanced behind her and smiled at the man in a way that had Alastor’s stomach twisting in knots. He needed to know what the deal was between Rosie and this man. The sooner he understood the situation, the sooner he could deal with whatever feelings would come along with the knowledge. He could only hope that the two of them were just friends but Alastor rarely got what he wanted these days.

“Len, darling, this is my friend Alastor. The one I was telling you about,” Rosie told the black-haired man before turning her attention back toward Alastor. “Alastor, this is Len, my fiancé.”

Chapter Text

“Your what now?” Alastor asked incredulously.

Alastor’s heart shattered at the knowledge. He could hardly believe it. This wasn’t the first time Rosie jumped into a relationship like this but it had never been this quickly. A mere seven weeks ago Rosie was single, not a man in sight. She hadn’t even told him about going on a few dates with anyone before he left, something she would’ve done had there been anything to report. She enjoyed discussing her love life with him and while it wasn’t his favorite topic, he still listened.

When he came back, Alastor wasn’t naive enough to think he had a chance with her, especially since he had no plans of telling her how he felt, but he hadn’t expected this. His mind ran through the things to come, events he would be there for as he had many times before. Rosie’s bachelorette party, her wedding ceremony, and the reception that would follow afterward. The fact that he had been through this again and again made the illusions all the clearer.

Alastor never minded doing these things. Rosie was a classy woman and never forced him to do anything he didn’t feel comfortable with. She didn’t celebrate her bachelorette party by doing drugs and hiring strippers like many others he knew. Instead, she invited those close to her for an evening on the town, one that was often spent dancing and drinking. He loved those nights and cherished them even to this day. However, everything was different now and Alastor didn’t know how he would be able to handle it.

“My fiance,” Rosie said, her voice as bright and sweet as always, snapping Alastor out of his thoughts.

Rosie looked over her shoulder at Len while gesturing a hand toward Alastor.

“Go on, honey. Introduce yourself.”

Len slowly released Rosie’s shoulders and took a couple of steps forward until he was standing directly in front of Alastor. Len held out a hand toward Alastor. It was thin and bony with sharp nails not completely unlike the claws of Alastor’s own hands.

“My name’s Allen but you can just call me Len.”

Alastor let out a sharp bark of laughter before shifting his gaze to Rosie.

“Really, Rosie? Again? First, it was Alexander, then Alvin. Alfred, Alton, Aldric… Soon you’ll be asking me to marry you,” Alastor joked but there was a small lilt of hope in his voice that kept it from being entirely unserious. A part of him, the part he hated but was learning to live with liked the idea of being married to Rosie, no matter how impossible it was.

Rosie giggled softly and for a moment Alastor felt as though he was on cloud nine. It was a beautiful sound, he had always thought so, but now it was also one that sent his heart racing.

“I wouldn’t dream of it, darling,” Rosie responded, and while it should’ve disappointed him to hear, he was still coming down from the high that her laughter gave him.

Alastor turned his attention back toward Len who was glancing between him and Rosie in confusion.

“Sorry, it’s just that Rosie’s past few husbands have all had names beginning with Al. I can’t help but find it a funny coincidence. But anyway, my name’s Alastor. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Len. I can only hope you treat Rosie right,” Alastor said before taking the man’s outstretched hand in his own and giving it a firm shake.

“I will, trust me. I love her more than anything. I would never do anything to hurt her,” Len replied and Alastor couldn’t help but agree with the sentiment.

Chapter Text

After the brief conversation with Len, Alastor decided to take Rosie aside and talk with her for a bit. There were so many questions that he had that may have been considered rude to speak about in front of her fiance. However, she wouldn’t mind, she never did. She didn’t judge or shun him no matter what he did - how many people he killed, souls he owned, people he tormented, so he didn’t think she would mind him asking her a few questions about the man she was about to marry.

Alastor took Rosie by the hand and practically dragged her to a small, secluded corner where they could talk without interruption. When they arrived, he took a deep breath before starting his mini-interrogation.

“Okay, so, when did the two of you meet? It’s just that I don’t remember you telling me anything about a man in your life before I left and while you don’t need to tell me, I know you would’ve.”

Rosie offered Alastor a soft, wistful smile. She had a far-away look in her eyes as though she was remembering something special to her. While his heart dropped slightly, knowing it was Len she was thinking about, he didn’t let it show on his face. He was supposed to be the supportive best friend. That was his role in all of this and the one he would perform without complaint.

“It was a couple of weeks after you left. I was eating lunch at a cafe near here when he sat down at my table and struck up a conversation. We chatted for a while and really hit it off. He even paid my bill afterward. He really is so kind We’ve been dating ever since,” Rosie said, her voice soft and loving, betraying how much she cared for Len.

Alastor nodded his head, taking in the information that she provided him with. It hurt to hear her talk about another man like this but there was little he could do aside from grin and bear it. It was what he had been doing for a long time, he just never thought he’d have to do it around her.

Whenever Alastor was with Rosie, he was able to forget his worries if only for a short time. He didn’t think about the fact that he didn’t own his soul or his quest for power. He didn’t have to put on a facade for her or be the infamous Radio Demon. When he was with her, he could just be Alastor. That wasn’t the case anymore, not when he was desperately trying to cover up any indication that what he felt for her was more than friendship. He didn’t know when, or even if, things would return to normal but he hoped it was soon.

There was one other pressing issue on Alastor’s mind, at least right now. Everything else could wait until a later date. However, this was the question that Alastor was a little more nervous about asking, considering it could be seen as him doubting her judgment. It wasn’t his place to ask such a thing but he would anyway because he needed to know if she was sure about this.

“Don’t you think it’s a little early to be getting married? You’ve only been dating for five weeks. You should do what makes you happy just… we’re immortal, darling. You shouldn’t rush into something if you’re not absolutely certain this is what you want.”

Rosie gave Alastor a gentle smile that made his heart skip a beat. He truly wished it would stop doing that already.

“I appreciate the concern, dear, but I’m sure. Len is important to me and I want to get married to him.”

Alastor nodded once more before replying. “So long as you’re sure.”

All at once, everything went quiet. Alastor had no more to say on the topic. His worries were satiated and he didn’t want to keep talking about Rosie’s fiance. He didn’t want to even think about him but it would be the only thing on his mind for a while. He’d need to reevaluate the situation when he got back to the hotel as it was much more complicated than he had originally believed.

Eventually, it was Rosie who broke the silence between them.

“Changing the subject, there’s been something I’ve been thinking about lately. Me and Len haven’t done much of anything in terms of wedding planning and he’s not interested in it either. He’s letting me have full creative freedom but… I would still like some help. It was a bit of wishful thinking on my part as I didn’t know when you’d be coming back but I really wanted your help. I know you might have other things going on and if you do or if you just don’t want to help, I’ll completely understand-” Rosie said, her request quickly turning into nervous rambling but before she could utter another word, Alastor cut her off.

“I’ll help.”

The way Rosie’s face lit up was well worth the eventual heartache he would suffer. Seeing Rosie get married to another man was going to be tough, something he already recognized but with any luck, spending more time with her would help rid him of the crush he had on her. It was a small and stupid thing, one he was positive would go away with time.

Alastor may not understand why he was reacting this way around her at the moment but once it was all over, he was sure he would come to realize the cause. Perhaps he had missed her more than he thought during his seven-year absence, it was certainly possible, or maybe the near kiss was all to blame for this.

Rosie flung her arms around Alastor’s shoulders and pulled him in for a tight hug. He was left floundering and gasping for air for a moment as his heart raced, a feeling he was slowly growing used to despite still hating it.

“Thank you, Alastor. You don’t know how much this means to me,” Rosie responded, her voice filled with glee.

This decision was bound to lead to suffering later on down the road but for now, Alastor simply appreciated the feeling of Rosie’s arms around him, not thinking about anything else. He would cross that bridge when he came to it. The time he spent with Rosie was precious to him, even before his little crush. He acknowledged the fact that his future self would likely blame him for this decision, for not separating himself from the situation when he had the chance, but the him of today would do all in his power to make Rosie happy, whatever the cost may be.

Chapter Text

Shortly after the conversation he had with Rosie, Alastor left Rosie’s place and headed back to the hotel. Along the way, he thought about everything he had learned over the past couple of hours and tried to figure out ways to navigate the road ahead. While spending time with Rosie may prove useful in getting over his small crush on her, it may very well have the opposite effect, especially with her plans of getting married to another man. There were so many emotions swirling inside him. Disappointment and jealousy were the main ones but there were a few others that lay just below the surface that he didn’t quite know how to identify.

Alastor wanted Rosie to be happy and if she thought she could find that happiness with Len, he wouldn’t get in their way, no matter how much it hurt. He’d suffer a lifetime of heartache if it meant her being happy. That didn’t mean it still didn’t hurt to see her with another man but he would try to push those feelings down. He’d never let them show. Good thing he was so used to hiding his true emotions, even if he’d never felt anything like this before.

Before Alastor knew it, he was standing in front of the hotel, only a mere few feet away from the large, wooden door. He forced a smile onto his face, one he was sure was strained before making his way inside. He wanted to get to his room as soon as he could and he could only hope he wasn’t met with any distractions along the way.

Looking around the lobby, he was a little surprised to see that everyone was there. Typically around this time of day, they would be out somewhere as Charlie tried to teach them a lesson about trust, compassion, or a myriad of other things. Even Lucifer, who had been visiting the hotel more recently although it had yet to turn into a common occurrence, was there.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Charlie sit up on the sofa upon seeing him. He was sure she had a lot of questions, none of which he wanted to answer right now. So instead of stopping to chat with her for a bit, he continued to follow through on his original plan. He walked up the grand staircase and toward his room.

Alastor entered his room and closed the door behind him, leaving him well and truly alone for the first time since he woke up that morning. He wasn’t sure whether it was a good thing or not. On the one hand, he was free to relax and express his feelings however he saw fit, knowing nobody would see and his facade would remain intact. Although, on the other, he didn’t have any work to get done and nothing to distract him from his thoughts and emotions.

He toed off his boots at the door and placed them to the side. He took one slow step after another, walking toward his bed in the center of the room. When his thighs hit the mattress, he collapsed onto it, burying his face into the covers. They were soft and warm despite him having been gone for a few weeks. They felt the exact same as when he left, everything did. The residents of the hotel were still trying to live their best lives, Rosie was still as darling as ever, and Hell was still the same wretched place it had always been. It was he who had changed and not for the better.

None of this would be happening if Alastor never expressed interest in kissing someone. He would’ve lived his afterlife blissfully unaware of the feelings lying dormant inside him, waiting for the right opportunity to blossom. Then again, maybe not. Perhaps this was always meant to happen and he didn’t realize it until it was too late.

Even if Alastor hadn’t almost kissed her there likely would’ve been something else that would’ve triggered these emotions. He didn’t know and he wasn’t sure if he ever would. Things were too complicated for him to view them from an outsider's perspective. He was used to taking advantage and toying with other people’s emotions, which he wouldn’t be able to do if he didn’t understand how people functioned. When it came to his own feelings, however, he was absolutely clueless, especially when it came to romance, and he never claimed to be otherwise.

Romance had always been Rosie’s area of expertise. It was why Alastor had taken Charlie to see Rosie when she was having a crisis over her relationship. Five minutes with the woman could sort things out between pretty much anyone. He wished he could talk to her about this. He was sure that she’d have some great advice to give but he couldn’t, not when she was the reason he had such feelings to begin with. Beyond Rosie, Alastor didn’t have anybody he trusted to talk about these kinds of things with so, for now, he would keep these feelings to himself.

After a few minutes of ruminating about the present situation, Alastor heard the sound of someone knocking on his door. He hadn’t the faintest clue about who it might be but he didn’t care much as he wanted to be left alone no matter who it was.

“Go away,” Alastor said loud enough for whoever was on the other side to hear.

“Charlie wanted me to check on you.”

Alastor recognized that voice. It grated on his nerves like nothing else. It was Lucifer. Why would Charlie ask Lucifer of all people to check in on him? They’ve never gotten along before. If it was Charlie herself he may have put up with her long enough to open the door but he had no plans of inviting Lucifer in.

“Go away!” Alastor repeated, letting his annoyance seep into his tone.

As much as Alastor had hoped Lucifer would listen, he didn’t. Instead, Lucifer opened the door and entered his bedroom, which was a huge breach of his privacy even before the prying into his private life he was sure Lucifer was about to do. He didn’t want to talk to Lucifer about this. He didn’t want to talk about it with anyone, in fact. He had come to peace with suppressing his feelings and putting them out in the open wouldn’t do that.

“As much as I don’t understand why Charlie cares about you so much, she does. I don’t want to see her worry about you and your sudden disappearance certainly didn’t help anything. So just tell me what’s going on because I’m not leaving until you do,” Lucifer said as he made his way into Alastor’s room.

Lucifer, very clearly, was not going to leave until Alastor told him what was wrong. While Alastor would simply leave if it were anyone else, Lucifer was powerful enough that if he wanted to keep him here, he could. It only served to anger Alastor more because at this point he had no choice but to tell him something to relieve his daughter’s worries. Alastor liked his privacy. His secrecy was a large part of his reputation and these feelings didn’t fit. He thought it was best to eliminate them but here Lucifer was, wanting to discuss them instead.

Alastor shifted his position so that he was sitting on his bed with his legs dangling over the edge. He didn’t want to tell Lucifer anything but if he did, he’d rather look at him while he did it. This was not a conversation to have with his face buried in the blankets like it had been.

Alastor needed to find some way out of this predicament, if only for his own sanity. He couldn’t allow Lucifer to know what was happening in his personal life, especially not when he was sure he would tell Charlie soon after leaving. Charlie would then want to talk about them and from there, who knew where things would lead? It could lead to the demolishment of his reputation and the concept of the Radio Demon. He couldn’t have that. However, what else was he to do?

That was when an idea popped into his head. What if he were to tell Lucifer what was going on without saying that he was the one it was happening to? It would help to separate himself from the situation and he’d be able to maintain the facade he wore around others. Seeing no other solution, he gave it a try.

“So I have this friend-” Alastor began before being interrupted.

“Yeah, right,” Lucifer said condescendingly with a roll of his eyes, clearly not believing Alastor already.

“Do you want me to tell you or not?” Alastor asked, trying to hold back the irritation in his voice but his glare spoke volumes.

Lucifer raised a hand in a placating gesture, which Alastor took as his signal to continue.

“So a few weeks ago this friend almost kissed his best friend. He only stopped it before it went too far because he got overwhelmed. He… doesn’t want to admit it but he ran away. He later realized that he had a small crush on his friend, no big deal. When he saw his best friend again, she was engaged. There wasn’t even a man in her life a few weeks ago but now she’s going to get married. She even asked him to help with the wedding preparations. He agreed, of course, but now he doesn’t know what to do. Well, aside from burying his emotions as he’s prone to do.”

It was only through getting everything out in the open that Alastor was able to comprehend how hopeless the whole situation was. There was nothing he could do to change things even if he wanted to. If Alastor could go back in time and redo the past few weeks, he genuinely didn’t know what he would do. He still longed to kiss Rosie but he had been a coward then, who’s to say he wouldn’t be one again? He didn’t want to make everyone worry him because of his disappearance, especially Rosie, and yet he needed that time to discover what his feelings meant. Maybe, just like his feelings, this situation was inevitable.

“Wow, that’s… a lot. It almost reminds me of the situation I was in when I first met Lilith,” Lucifer told Alastor.

There was a mix of emotions in Lucifer’s eyes, some that Alastor could discern and others not so much. There was shock, nostalgia, and a bit of… pity? Alastor didn’t want to be pitied. He hadn’t told Lucifer what he did so the other man would pity him. He just wanted Lucifer off his back.

“Hmm?” Alastor questioned, not quite seeing what he meant.

“Well, when I met Lilith, she was still supposed to be Adam’s wife but I fell in love with her anyway. But-” Lucifer started but Alastor was quick to cut him off.

“Wait, he’s not in love with her. It’s just-”

“Just a small crush. I got it. Can I continue?” Lucifer asked, a hint of vexation beginning to seep into his tone.

“Go ahead,” Alastor responded, ready to hear whatever it was Lucifer wanted to tell him. Whether he’d take his suggestion remained to be seen but there was no downside in hearing him out.

“The difference between me and Lilith and this situation your ‘friend’ finds himself in is that Lilith never wanted to be Adam’s wife. She was forced into that role. Now unless your friend’s best friend is being forced to marry her fiance, I recommend that he doesn’t say anything. If she wants to marry her fiance, the only thing telling her about his feelings would do is make things more complicated. Even if he told her and even if she did break up with her fiance for him, then what? You said multiple times that he only had a small crush on her. She’d be trading a possible afterlife of happiness, or as close to that as someone can get down here, for a relationship of a few months at most. Your ‘friend’ will be heartbroken for a little bit but, if it actually is a small crush, he’ll get over it,” Lucifer advised.

As much as Alastor hated to admit it, he agreed with Lucifer’s recommendation. It’d hurt not to act on these brewing emotions but he’d forget all about them in a matter of months. If he was lucky, his feelings for Rosie would go back to being strictly platonic before she got married to Len. He could only hope that would be the case. He didn’t want to imagine how he’d feel seeing Rosie walk down the aisle to get married to another man.

Alastor wasn’t going to thank Lucifer for the advice he gave as he had already known he wasn’t going to tell Rosie anything. The only thing Lucifer had done was force him to admit to something he didn’t want anyone to know about. That wasn’t something to be appreciative of.

“Now will you please get out?” Alastor asked, trusting that Lucifer would leave him alone now that he had gotten the answers he desired.

“Fine, alright, I’ll leave,” Lucifer said. He turned his back to Alastor and walked over to the bedroom door. Before he left, however, he made a promise that eased Alastor’s worries, if only slightly.

“I won’t tell Charlie about this conversation. This is between your ‘friend’ and his best friend. It’s not a situation I want to involve either myself or my daughter in.”

With that, Lucifer exited the room and shut the door behind him, leaving Alastor alone and more assured of his decision. This would all be over soon, it was only a matter of time.

Chapter Text

The next time Alastor saw Rosie was a few days later. She had called him to ask whether he had the time to come over so they could begin arrangements for her and Len’s wedding. A part of Alastor wanted to say that he wasn’t. He could’ve easily come up with some excuse that would make him seem busy. Nevertheless, he didn’t want to lie to her, at least not any more than he was already doing by hiding his newfound feelings for her.

So instead, he went over. On his way there, he prepared himself for whatever he might see or hear about Len and his relationship with Rosie. Would Rosie describe the romantic dates the two have gone on? Would she gush about him? He didn’t want to hear it. However, he forced himself to accept the fact that he was going to hear about these things sooner or later.

The only upside to all of this was that Len, seemingly, had no interest in helping with the wedding preparations. Alastor saw that as a bit selfish, dumping all of that work onto an already very busy woman, but it wasn’t his place to say anything. It wasn’t like he was any better, anyway. While he would never pressure Rosie, or anyone he cared about, into doing more work than they could handle, how many times had he forced the people whose souls he owned to do things they didn’t want? It was the whole reason Husk was at the hotel, to begin with.

When Alastor arrived, Rosie was quick to usher him over to a table, on which was an assortment of documents neatly tucked away in folders in a variety of colors. Alastor was almost overwhelmed by it all. Rosie had clearly been thinking a lot about this. Despite that, Rosie wouldn’t have asked him to help had she already known exactly what she desired for her wedding. She would want his opinion on pretty much everything, from her dress to the venue to the cake. Alastor realized this when he agreed to help, but he wasn’t about to back out now.

“So the only thing I was really set on was having you as my Man of Honor. I know it’s a lot of responsibility, but I promise to make it as painless as possible. The only thing I would need you to do for that is write a short speech and read it out during the reception,” Rosie said, her eyes filled with hope.

He wouldn’t be able to say no to her, even if he wanted to. He wasn’t ecstatic to be as big of a part of the union between Len and Rosie but he cared about her too much to refuse her.

“I know, Rosie. This wouldn’t be the first time I was your Man of Honor. Besides, it’s not like me to turn down an opportunity to work an audience,” Alastor responded.

A small smirk formed on his lips as he thought about the way he would be able to enrapture the entire room with a few words. He could have them laughing, crying, or even both if he wanted to. It was all dependent on what he was going for and the emotions he tried to convey.

“Thank you, Al. I was also wondering if you could ask Charlie and the others if they’d be comfortable being a part of the wedding ceremony as well. I was thinking of having Charlie and her girlfriend bing bridesmaids and Niffty being the flower girl. I just know those three would be perfect for it. As for the guys, I’m not quite sure what I want to do with them yet, but I’m sure I’ll figure something out.”

“Of course, my dear. I can’t guarantee that they’ll say yes, but if I were to make a bet, I’d say that they’d be delighted that you even thought of them.”

Rosie pulled a chair out for herself before moving to sit down at the table covered in papers. There was a soft yet determined smile on her face. Alastor sat down in the chair opposite her, ready for the long day ahead of him.

“Alright, let’s get to work,” Rosie told Alastor before picking up a folder and pulling out a couple of the papers it held

Over the next few hours, Alastor and Rosie were able to narrow down their options in a few areas and make a concrete decision in a couple of others. There was still a lot of work to be done, but they did pretty well for their very first day. Although the day took a lot out of Alastor, he had fun with Rosie by his side.

However, there was one thing nagging at the back of his mind. Alastor didn’t know much about Len, but the choices he and Rosie made were more in line with what he would expect if he and Rosie were the ones getting married rather than her getting married to someone else. One would think that, despite Len not desiring any part in the wedding preparations, Rosie would still want to include aspects of their relationship and his personality. Yet there was nothing to be found. Alastor could count on one hand the number of times he was so much as mentioned that day.

When Alastor departed for the hotel at the end of the evening, he left knowing as little about Len as when he arrived. Nonetheless, Alastor wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. If Rosie didn’t want to talk about her husband-to-be, Alastor was more than happy to forget he existed, if only for a little while. Perhaps this wouldn’t be nearly as difficult as he once believed. He had anticipated a lot of heartache on his end, but as Alastor made his way back to the Hazbin Hotel, he found himself genuinely smiling. He was looking forward to spending more time with Rosie like this, despite understanding that the good times couldn’t last forever.

Chapter Text

Over the next few weeks, Alastor visited Rosie many times to help her with the planning for her wedding. While Alastor had been positive during the first day that not hearing much about Len was a fluke and the more time he and Rosie spent together, the more she would gush about her husband-to-be, it never happened. She would mention him off-handily once in a while, but he seemed to be the furthest thing from her mind.

It allowed Alastor to enjoy his time with Rosie without too much heartache but he also didn’t comprehend the reason why Rosie didn’t talk about her fiancé more. If he were able to be open about his feelings for Rosie, he’d be telling everyone how great she was and how much he adored her. Rosie had been the same way when he first met her, and while he didn’t understand her obsession with romance, he enjoyed hearing her talk about something she was passionate about. However, as time went on, she mentioned the people she was dating less and less around him.

While this kind of behavior wasn’t uncommon when it came to Rosie’s love life, it was never this extreme. He usually knew something about the people she was dating and yet, he didn’t know anything about Len or his and Rosie’s relationship aside from his name. Her lack of enthusiasm about her fiancé made Alastor wonder whether Rosie truly wanted to get married to him. She told him she did, so he didn’t say anything. It wasn’t his place to question her relationship, something he forced himself to remember.

When Rosie had invited him to come over that day, he hadn’t known what they were going to do. She told him that she had a surprise for him, but he couldn’t begin to guess what that might’ve been. He knew they were going to be planning some aspect of Rosie’s wedding and yet he didn’t realize why she seemed so excited when she called him that morning.

When Alastor opened the door of Rosie’s Emporium, the delicious and sweet smell that wafted in the air made his mouth water. He now understood why Rosie had kept this a secret and also why she seemed so happy about what they were going to be doing today. Alastor and Rosie loved food, and it was one of the things they had bonded over as they first got to know each other. Without food, they may not be as good of friends as they were. Anytime Alastor got to share food with Rosie, whether it be a full meal or a simple snack, it brought forth memories of those early days in their relationship.

Alastor entered the building and began searching around for Rosie. She was here. The lights were on and the front door was unlocked. So, unless she had grown forgetful in the span of a few days, she was here somewhere.

It wasn’t long until Alastor found her. She was sitting at the same table they had been using to do all of their preparations and planning so far. However, instead of the usual papers and folders piled high on their work surface, there were many different slices of cake. So that had been the sweet smell that made his stomach rumble. They were picking out Rosie’s wedding cake today.

Alastor walked over to the table and pulled out the chair opposite Rosie before sitting down. His eyes scanned the buffet before him, wondering which he should try first. They all looked so good. There were many different flavors to be had, from the classics like vanilla and chocolate to the more exotic, such as espresso and caramel.

Alastor glanced up at Rosie, a wide smile graced his features as he spoke. “I must admit, darling, when you said you had a surprise for me, this hadn’t been what I was expecting, but I am in no way disappointed.”

Rosie giggled softly, and the sound made Alastor’s heart race a little faster in his chest. It was a feeling he was growing accustomed to, even if it still wasn’t one he enjoyed.

“I thought you’d like it,” Rosie responded with a smile matching his own.

Alastor didn’t waste any more time. He was hungry, and having such an appetizing platter lying before him was only making him all the more so. He scanned the table for a moment, trying to find something to eat with. He quickly noticed the fork that had been neatly placed on a napkin in front of him, and he picked it up.

He let his eyes roam over the options before him and eventually settled on the slice of plain, white cake with buttercream frosting. It wasn’t the most exciting flavor but it was one that most people would enjoy if they ended up deciding upon it. He carefully cut a small piece off the cake and placed it into his mouth.

Alastor couldn’t help the soft moan that sounded at the back of his throat when the delicate and delectable flavor of vanilla cake hit his taste buds. It was so good. It was soft, sweet, and spongy, everything one could want out of a slice of cake, and there were still so many other flavors to try.

The two spent the next half an hour eating cake while chatting about whatever came to mind. This had been a nice break from the stress of planning a wedding. He acknowledged there was still much they needed to do before Rosie’s wedding, and not all of them would be as fun as eating an assortment of cakes. However, for now, he let himself enjoy the moment.

As they conversed, Alastor saw a small bit of frosting on Rosie’s bottom lip. He had figured she would notice and wipe it away herself, but when she didn’t, he decided to take matters into his own hands. Alastor reached across the table and cupped her face. The moment he touched her, Rosie sucked in a soft breath. Alastor gently wiped away the icing with his thumb before calmly pulling his hand back and licking the frosting off his finger. Alastor acted casually throughout the whole ordeal, treating it as if it were no big deal because he didn’t think it was. That was until he looked back over at Rosie.

Rosie’s eyes were wide and unblinking, and he didn’t know whether it was his mind playing tricks on him or not, but her cheeks almost looked flushed. Was she embarrassed? Surely not. They had always been rather affectionate with each other. In fact, she more often than not was the one to initiate it. Nevertheless, if he had made her feel uncomfortable in any way, it was only fair that he apologize.

“Sorry, you had a bit of frosting on your lip. I didn’t think you would mind if I wiped it away for you,” Alastor said, his tone low and regretful.

“Thank you, dear. I hadn’t noticed,” Rosie replied, allowing a kind smile to grace her lips.

After that, everything returned, relatively, back to normal, although Alastor still wasn’t able to get the memory of her beautifully reddened face out of his mind. It made his heart beat a little faster whenever he thought about it. Even when he left that evening, he still wasn’t able to put it out of his head. He was probably thinking too much into it but even so, it made him happy to know he could make her blush.

Chapter Text

The next time Alastor and Rosie met up, it wasn’t at her emporium; it was at a dress boutique. They had come to the point where everything they could decide upon in the comfort of Rosie’s home had already been chosen. Yet, there was still much to do. One of those things was picking out Rosie’s wedding dress as well as the outfits of those in the wedding party. The dresses and suits of the bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girl, and the ring bearer still needed to be picked out. Thankfully, that wasn’t something that Alastor or Rosie would have to do for them. Rosie had decided that her guests should be able to wear whatever they wanted so long as it was semi-formal and fit into the color scheme they had chosen, red and black.

While Rosie did have some of her wedding dresses from previous marriages, she didn’t want to reuse them. All of them were either white or off-white, pretty yet basic. This time, however, Rosie had told him that she wanted something different. She wanted a red wedding dress.

Alastor and Rosie were sitting on the large sofa in the waiting room. They had both shown up a little early, and now they were just waiting for their appointment with Rosie’s bridal stylist.

It only took a few minutes until a short, slim young woman came over to the pair with a clipboard in her hands. She had long, brunette hair tied back in a bun and three purple eyes, two where a person’s eyes normally were and the other at the center of her forehead. Her skin was an almost sickly pale, and she had a pair of small purple wings sprouting from her back. She looked up at the two, a smile gracing her lips.

“You must be Rosie,” the bridal stylist said. “My name is Faelynn, but you can just call me Fae.”

The bridal stylist then turned her attention toward Alastor before continuing.

“And are you the husband-to-be? Oh ho, you should know that you’re not supposed to see the beautiful bride in her wedding dress before the ceremony.”

Alastor’s eyes widened at the misunderstanding, and his heart picked up in his chest. His cheeks were flushed pink, and his brain stopped working, making it impossible for him to think of what to say. He quickly looked over at Rosie, and he was surprised to see that she looked almost as flustered as he felt.

Alastor knew why he was reacting in such a way. This was what he desired deep down. He wanted to be the one she was getting married to. His crush on her still hadn’t gone away despite how hard he tried to ignore it or push his feelings down. However, while the reason behind his reaction was clear, the same couldn’t be said for Rosie.

Alastor couldn’t come up with why she was reacting in much the same way he was. He eventually landed on the assumption that she was embarrassed that someone mistook them for a married couple. She was getting married in a matter of weeks, it was only fair that she would behave this way when someone, instead, mistook him, her best friend, for her fiancé, right? At least that was what he tried to force himself to believe, even if his conclusion didn’t seem quite right. He merely brushed that feeling off, presuming it to be nothing more than wishful thinking.

It was Alastor who spoke up first, needing to correct the bridal stylist for her mistake.

“No! We’re just friends,” Alastor responded. His voice was much too loud, and words came out much too rushed for his liking.

Fae laughed softly. It was a light, tinkling sound that almost reminded Alastor of a bell. When Fae spoke once more, her tone contained a lilt of awkwardness to it, betraying her own feelings about her misunderstanding.

“My apologies, but you don’t know the number of times we’ve had women come in with their fiancés. We have a rule about it but people down here don’t always take too kindly to it. We know it’s nothing more than a superstition, but to us, it’s so much more. We want our women to feel comfortable picking out what they want to wear on their special day. However, seeing as you are her friend, you are more than welcome to join us.”

“That’s why I’m here,” Alastor responded, and that marked the end of that conversation.

After that, Alastor and Rosie were led by Fae further into the building. There were dresses of all different colors and styles hanging up on racks that lined the walls. While there was a section for white dresses, the bridal industry in Hell was much different from what it was back on Earth. People didn’t feel nearly as pressured into doing things the traditional way and so there were many unconventional options, including wedding dresses in unique colors and styles that one could only dream up back in the land of the living.

It wasn’t long until the two were shown to the section of the bridal studio that contained their red dresses. They were all different shades, and the design of each was as distinctive as the last. There were large, poofy gowns, slim-fitting mermaid dresses, and even a few shorter options, which he wasn’t sure whether they were for smaller people, such as Fae, or whether that was just how the dresses were.

“Here are our options for red dresses. If you find something you like, don’t worry about whether or not it’ll fit. We have several different sizes of each dress in our storehouse. It’d be impossible to stay in business if we didn’t,” Fae explained before adding, “Please let me know if there’s anything you want to try on or if you have any questions.”

Over the next half an hour, Rosie and Alastor perused the racks, picking out several dresses for Rosie to try on. Some were picked out by Alastor, others by Rosie, and a few they even chose together.

Eventually, when the two had searched through the racks and picked out the dresses they liked, they asked Fae to prepare a dressing room for Rosie. Alastor was made to wait outside and give his opinions only when she came out of the dressing room to show the dresses off.

Rosie tried on dress after dress, and while many of them were pretty, especially on Rosie, none had yet to truly capture her beauty. Rosie was far too gorgeous to wear a dress that was anything less than perfect, and she deserved a dress she felt that way in.

When Alastor heard the sound of the dressing room curtain open, he turned to face it again.

“Woah,” Alastor whispered under his breath.

The dress Rosie was wearing made her look absolutely stunning. It was a red, off-the-shoulder mermaid-style dress with long, sheer sleeves and lace adorning the entirety of it. His heart had already picked up its speed in his chest the moment he saw her in the dress, but what made his heart really race was when he noticed the dress was his color, the exact same shade, and she looked so alluring in it.

Rosie did a little spin in front of him, showing off every angle of the dress, and there wasn’t a single aspect of it that Alastor didn’t like. The back was open but in a way that exuded elegance. The skirt was long but not so much that she would be tripping over it while moving around. It was perfect. She was perfect.

“So, what do you think?” Rosie asked with a wide smile that lit up her features.

Alastor tried to think of what to say, a compliment that would do the dress and Rosie justice. Simply saying it was pretty felt like a massive understatement, but so did everything else he could possibly say. The dress was beyond exquisite, it had been exactly what they were looking for. For what felt like hours, but was, in actuality, only a matter of seconds, all he could do was stare at her in the dress, his heart beating fast and mind racing as he tried to figure out what to say. When he opened his mouth, he didn’t know what was about to come out of it, otherwise, he would’ve thought some more before speaking.

“I love you,” Alastor said, his voice soft and filled with affection.

Well, that certainly startled him out of the trance he had been in. That wasn’t what he wanted to say at all. He was supposed to talk about her and how good she looked in the dress, not confess his feelings for her. Alastor’s mind ran a mile a minute, processing what he had just admitted to.

Hadn’t he been the one saying this whole time that his feelings for her were nothing more than a small crush? Where had the word love come from? And yet, it felt right. At that moment, he desired nothing more than to make his way over to her and kiss Rosie until they were both breathless. It hadn’t been the first time he wanted to do something like that, but there was something about the dress and about her right then and there that made him want to do it all the more.

At the same time, however, Alastor also wanted to run away. To vanish like he had done the day they almost kissed. He wouldn’t do that, though, not again.

“What?” Rosie asked, her eyes wide, cheeks flushed, and surprise clearly written across her face.

Alastor stuttered for a few seconds, trying to find some way to salvage the situation, but the way he was feeling made it nearly impossible to form a coherent sentence. When he spoke once more, his words came out in a rush, not paying any mind to the content of what he was saying, so long as she believed that his earlier confession had been nothing more than a slip of the tongue.

“I love you… In that dress! It looks good, really good, the best one you’ve tried all day by a long shot. It fits you perfectly, the color suits you, and you look absolutely gorgeous in it. I promise, your guests won’t be able to take their eyes off you. They’ll be talking about how good you looked in this dress for years to come.”

While Rosie’s blush died down with Alastor’s clarification, her smile never faltered. That had been the second time that day Rosie blushed over the insinuation that he may have feelings for her. He wasn’t sure what it was about, but he couldn’t focus too much on that, not when he was mentally berating himself for almost confessing to a soon-to-be married woman. No matter what he felt for her, he had to remind himself that she was taken, and so long as she was, he shouldn’t, he couldn’t do or say anything that might be seen as him coming on to her.

“Why, thank you, Al. I’m glad you like this dress. I was really hoping you would because I love it. I think this is the one.”

“Then you should get it.”

That was when Fae exited the dressing room she had been helping Rosie in. She looked between the two of them for a moment as she tried to gauge their reactions.

“So, what do we think?”

Rosie turned to face her bridal stylist, her smile still ever-present. Alastor loved looking at it. It was almost blinding, but in the best way possible.

“We love it. This is the perfect dress for the occasion. I can’t wait to wear it on my wedding day,” Rosie answered, excitement lacing her tone.

“Lovely! Let’s get you rung up then,” Fae responded before leading the pair over to the checkout counter.

As Rosie checked out, Alastor thought about his feelings for her. He loved her, there was no denying that now. He had thought, no, he hoped his feelings were nothing more than a small crush that would die down in a few weeks, but it hadn’t. In fact, they were only growing stronger with each passing day. He was well and truly in love with Rosie, and he had no clue where to go from here.

Should he continue helping her plan her wedding? Should he go to the wedding? He wasn’t sure, but what he was positive about was that there was a lot he had to consider. This was a messy and complicated situation on his part, and he didn’t know where to start. However, he knew someone who might, even if he was reluctant to get them involved any further.

Chapter Text

After spending the day helping Rosie pick out her wedding dress, Alastor made his way back to the Hazbin Hotel. As soon as Alastor entered the lobby of the hotel, his eyes landed on the person he didn’t want, but felt he needed to talk to, Lucifer. He was the only one who knew anything about what he, or well his “friend” was going through, and as he didn’t desire to let all of Hell find out about his feelings for Rosie, he was the only one he could talk to. The last thing he wanted was for someone else to get involved, and even if he did, he didn’t have much in the way of friends to talk to about this. Lucifer was the only option, despite how much the man irked him.

Alastor walked over to where Lucifer was sitting at the bar and, without a word, he forced the king to stand up from his stool. Alastor dragged Lucifer away to a more secluded part of the hotel, Lucifer protesting all the while. It was only when nobody else was in sight that he let go of Lucifer.

“What was that about?!” Lucifer asked. The mix of emotions he was feeling was evident from his tone of voice alone. There was confusion, annoyance, and a bit of disappointment, likely because he wasn’t able to finish his drink.

Alastor paid Lucifer’s question no mind, instead focusing his attention on wiping the hand he had touched Lucifer with on his coat in disgust.

“Would you be quiet? You’re going to draw the attention of the entire hotel?” Alastor asked in a hushed whisper, but his irritation was no less prevalent than it would have been were he speaking at a normal volume.

Lucifer let out an exasperated sigh before finally relenting. “Fine, what do you want?”

“So, do you remember my friend I was talking about a couple of months ago?” Alastor asked, not knowing how else to start. There was so much that he could say and he wasn’t sure how much he wanted Lucifer to know. He may have needed advice, but wanted to keep these feelings a secret at the same time.

“Are we still doing this? I thought I said I didn’t want to get involved,” Lucifer responded deadpanned.

Alastor was quick to reply, not fazed by Lucifer’s reluctance for even a moment. “Yeah, well, you’re the one who pried in the first place, so whether or not you want to be, you’re a part of this now.”

“Fine, but can we at least drop this whole 'friend’ nonsense? I know it’s you. Even more so, I know the person you have feelings for is Rosie,” Lucifer said.

While Alastor hadn’t been distracted by any of Lucifer’s remarks so far, this caught him by surprise. Lucifer had met Rosie a couple of times in the past, and while the two of them got along well enough, he didn’t think Lucifer would remember her enough to figure everything out like he had.

“Wait… you knew?”

“Obviously. When someone says that their friend is dealing with something, it’s always just them,” Lucifer replied as though it was the most indisputable thing in all of Hell.

Alastor shook his head slowly before responding. “No, I’m not talking about that. I meant about the person I… have feelings for being Rosie.”

“Yeah, I kind of figured it out when you asked my daughter to be a bridesmaid for her wedding. I doubt many people put up with you enough to be considered your friends, and nobody really gets married down here. So the chances that you’d have multiple friends who were getting married in the near future are slim to none. I’m not stupid,” Lucifer explained.

“Debatable,” Alastor retorted.

While Alastor hated to admit it, even to himself, he had been rather obvious about his romantic interest in Rosie. If Lucifer figured it out, he was honestly a little surprised that she had yet to figure it out. Or maybe she had, and she was just pretending to spare his feelings. He didn’t know at this point. His whole life had been turned upside-down. Everything he thought he knew wasn’t true, and he didn’t know where to go from here.

“Do you want to talk about this or not? Because if you’re going to keep insulting me, I’ll just leave. I don’t want to be a part of this anyway, and nothing’s keeping me here. Truthfully, I don’t know why I’m even listening to you talk in the first place,” Lucifer said before turning to leave.

“Wait,” Alastor began. He forced himself to swallow his pride, it was doing nothing good for him at this moment. It’d be best for him to bite his tongue and not insult the person he was seeking help from.

After a couple of seconds, Alastor continued. “Stay. I’ll stop just… I’m not used to needing help from other people. I’m supposed to be untouchable, unfazed, so this… feelings stuff is all so new to me. I may be lashing out because of it, and if so, I… I apologize.”

That had been difficult for Alastor to say, not just the admittance that he wasn’t as unaffected by the world around him as he appeared to be, but also apologizing to Lucifer of all people. His feelings for Rosie were changing him, and he wasn’t sure whether it was for the better.

Lucifer turned back around to face Alastor. His face still contained a bit of annoyance but the main emotion that Alastor was able to read was shock. Alastor couldn’t be too surprised. He never thought he would admit these things to Lucifer, let alone apologize to the man. He was positive Lucifer felt the same way.

“Fine, continue.”

Alastor breathed a soft sigh of relief. He honestly didn’t know whether Lucifer would be willing to listen to him after everything. He felt a sense of gratitude toward Lucifer that he would likely never express. He couldn’t have Lucifer lording too much over him. Confessing his vulnerability was already too much.

“Well, you already know much more than I originally thought you did, so there isn’t a lot to say. However, there is one update that you probably don’t know about. Today I learned that instead of my feelings for Rosie only being a small crush, I… I’m in love with her,” Alastor disclosed, trying not to act as affected by his emotions as he felt.

“It took until today for you to figure that out? I knew you were in love the moment you told me about the ‘small crush’ your ‘friend’ had on someone. I didn’t know who it was at the time, but I know now,” Lucifer responded, his words leaving no room for argument.

“You knew?!” Alastor asked, caught off-guard once more by how much of a handle Lucifer seemed to have on the situation. “Of course you did.”

Alastor didn’t know why he was so surprised. Lucifer was able to figure out that his ‘friend’ was actually Alastor himself, and he was able to discern that Rosie was the one he had feelings for, so it made sense that he understood that Alastor’s feelings went far beyond that of a regular crush.

“Yeah, I mean, nobody disappears for seven weeks because of a simple crush,” Lucifer answered, and Alastor couldn’t disagree with his assessment. It was all true, there was no use hiding anything, it appeared.

“Fair enough,” Alastor began before proposing his question, the reason he came to Lucifer in the first place. “So what do I do? I thought my feelings for her would go away in a couple of months, but it’s been a couple of months, and my love for her is as strong as ever. I didn’t think I’d watch her get married while still having these feelings. I thought I’d be over her by now. I know I’m a big part of her wedding and there’s still so much to do, but I’m thinking about not even goin-”

“Don’t you dare finish that thought,” Lucifer said, growing deathly serious all of a sudden.

“Wha-?” was all Alastor could say before Lucifer cut him off once more.

“Rosie is going through a major life change right now. She needs you by her side as her best friend. I don’t care if you’re in love with her; if you feel any amount of loyalty towards her, you’ll go to her wedding. You’ll fulfill your role as you promised her you would and act as though everything is normal. From the little I’ve interacted with her, she seems to be one of the only good people down here so she deserves that much at the very least.”

“I can’t just act as though everything is normal. It’s not-” Alastor said, but Lucifer interrupted him yet again. Alastor was beginning to grow aggravated, and a part of him wanted to lash out at Lucifer for not letting him speak, but he held his tongue.

“You can and you will, even if I have to force you myself,” Lucifer threatened, and although Alastor wanted to brush it off, if Lucifer really wanted to, he could force him to go to her wedding. There was little he could do besides attend Rosie’s wedding, even if he already knew how much it’d hurt to see her get married to another man.

“Alright, I’ll go,” Alastor declared, and with that, their conversation was over.

There was more that Alastor had originally wanted to ask, but the way Lucifer reacted when he said that he may not want to go to Rosie’s wedding gave him his answers. He was going to ask what Lucifer’s advice for him was, but he likely would’ve said the same thing he did the first time Alastor opened up to him. Lucifer’s opinions regarding the situation hadn’t changed, especially as he seemed to have comprehended everything from the very beginning.

Alastor’s feelings were growing more complex by the day and yet the situation remained the same. If things stayed as they were, with Rosie wanting to get married to Len, Alastor really only had two options: do nothing and suffer the heartbreak that would come eventually, or make himself out to be the bad guy and possibly ruin his and Rosie’s friendship in the process.

The choice was clear. He couldn’t ruin everything they had built over the past few decades. Even if he couldn’t have her the way he wanted, at least he could still have her as his friend. So he would watch from the sidelines as Rosie gave herself away to another man, wishing that it was him instead.

Chapter Text

Weeks passed, during which Alastor and Rosie put the finishing touches on Rosie’s wedding. Alastor was rather proud of all the work the two of them put in, and it was going to be beautiful. She was going to be beautiful, and he was sure of it. The hours they put in were long at times and could even prove to be difficult, but at the end of the day, it was all worth it.

Ever since Alastor’s conversation with Lucifer, it had become even more difficult for Alastor to be around Rosie. He loved the time he spent with her, of course, but there were so many things he wanted to do and say that he had to stop himself from acting on them. There were so many times he thought about simply leaning forward and kissing her or telling her that he loved her, but he held himself back every time for her sake. He didn’t want to make things even more complicated or make her even more stressed than she already was about her wedding. It was fine, he would be fine so long as she was happy.

It was the day of Rosie’s wedding, and Alastor and Rosie were standing in Rosie’s dressing room, waiting for the ceremony to get started. The moment Alastor saw Rosie all dolled up in the dress that he helped her pick out, he realized that today was going to be difficult. Her short, white hair was curled and styled to perfection. A long, red veil cascaded down to her mid-back and would eventually cover her face when she flipped it over for the ceremony. She looked so gorgeous, and watching her get married to another man was going to be rough. However, he’d get through it. He would just need to remind himself that today wasn’t about him. Today was about Rosie, her happiness, and the love she had for her husband. His feelings were secondary, unimportant even. He only wished it were that simple, that his reminding himself of such would lead to him feeling as such.

Alastor, on the other hand, was wearing a simple but classy red suit. He felt comfortable in it but seeing as it was very similar to what he wore every day, he didn’t see any reason he would be anything but. There were a few key differences between the suit he was wearing now and the one he wore on a daily basis, mainly the lack of stripes and that it had a straight hem. If he were being honest, he wouldn’t mind adding this suit to his wardrobe to change things up once in a while.

Rosie was pacing around her dressing room, looking nervous. It had been a long time since he had seen her act this way, but then again, it had also been a long time since he had seen her get married. While he didn’t quite understand her anxiety as she was usually so composed and of everyone he knew, she was the person most experienced in romance, he would be there for her either way. He would comfort her because he cared about her, he would be there for her no matter what because they were friends, and he wouldn’t stand in the way of her happiness because he loved her.

Alastor stepped closer to Rosie until they were standing no more than a foot away from each other before gently placing his hands on her shoulders. He squeezed them gently in what he hoped was a reassuring gesture. The smile she gave him in return took his breath away. She was absolutely stunning, and he was reminded, for not the first time, how much he would do to get her to smile at him just like she was doing now.

“Rosie, there’s no need to worry. We planned everything to the best of our ability. Things will go well, I promise. But even if something goes wrong, something unforeseen, the guests won’t remember it. They’ll remember how beautiful you look, how gorgeous the venue is, and the love between you and Len,” Alastor said, his words coming out slowly, steadily, and filled with encouragement.

“Thank you, Al. I really don’t know what I would do without you. You’ve been there for me this whole time, helping me plan all of this. This wouldn’t be possible without you and I don’t even know how to begin to thank you, to repay you but I am very grateful for everything you’ve done for me,” Rosie responded, her voice filled with a sincerity that left no doubt in Alastor’s mind how much she meant every word.

Alastor let out a quiet chuckle before replying, “Rosie, darling, there’s no need to repay me. I did this not because I thought I was going to get anything out of it, but because I care about you. You’re my… You’re my friend, Rosie. This is just a fraction of the things I’d do for you. So don’t worry about repaying me. So long as you’re happy, that’s more than enough for me.”

Rosie’s smile only brightened, making him fall in love with her all over again. He should be used to the way she made him feel by now, and he was sure he’d get there, but the way the small things made him feel still caught him off guard.

Rosie leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on Alastor’s cheekbone, causing a faint blush to bloom.

“Thank you, dear.”

Rosie stepped away from Alastor, and for the first time in the past couple of minutes, he was able to breathe freely. She didn’t just affect his emotional state but his physical one as well. Increased heart rate, quickened breathing, blushing, and skin tingling wherever she touched him were all things he experienced around her. He didn’t know if they’d ever stop or when or if this was just something he had to deal with because of his feelings for her, but it was something he was slowly growing accustomed to. She made him feel weak, but he cared about her too much to leave again.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door to Rosie’s dressing room. It was the signal that the wedding was about to begin. Alastor shot a smile in Rosie’s direction, and the way her face softened in response only made his smile grow.

“Are you ready?” Alastor asked, unsure of how he’d respond if he were asked the same.

“Yeah… I am,” Rosie answered with a nod.

“Then let’s do this,” Alastor replied.

Alastor walked over to the door and opened it before stepping out, leaving the dressing room. Rosie followed closely behind, watching her every step. Her face looked contemplative, but Alastor didn’t say anything more. He assumed that she was merely nervous about something going wrong. He was sure that it would subside when the ceremony began, and he saw how happy her guests looked. There was nothing for her to worry about, and even if there was, he’d see to the problems himself if need be. He would be there for her, no matter what.

Chapter Text

Alastor parted ways with Rosie when the wedding ceremony was about to occur. He made his way to the altar, one slow step at a time. If it weren’t for Rosie’s husband at the end of the aisle, he could almost imagine that he was the one about to get married to Rosie. It was a nice thought that was about to be crushed into pulp when the ceremony began. When Alastor reached the altar, he moved to the side where Rosie’s bridesmaids stood. To his left stood Charlie, and on her left was Vaggie. On his right was Angel Dust, just a little too close for his liking. Although he supposed any distance would be too close for his liking.

The groomsmen stood opposite the bridesmaids at the altar, several feet away from the two parties. The groomsmen were all leopard demons; if Alastor hadn’t looked closely, he would’ve thought they were triplets. They were all of similar height and build, and each of them was dressed up in a black tuxedo. The only thing that truly separated the three was the pattern of their spots. Not only were they practically carbon copies of each other, but their outfits were too, especially compared to Rosie’s bridal party. He, Charlie, Vaggie, and Angel may all have been wearing the same color, but their outfits were vastly different.

Charlie was wearing a suit that at first glance may have looked similar to his, however, it was much more form-fitting. Angel and Vaggie were both wearing dresses. Vaggie was wearing a halter dress whereas Angel was wearing a revealing, bodycon dress with a slit in the skirt, revealing his upper thigh. He was grateful that they were allowed to wear whatever they wanted to long as it fit the color scheme, and he was sure the others were as well. They all had such different styles that he couldn’t even imagine a world where all of them could decide on one outfit they all wanted to wear.

When Alastor and Rosie were first coming up with ideas for her wedding, she decided that she didn’t want a large one. Rosie had plenty of big weddings in the past, ones where she invited every resident in Cannibal Town and not a single citizen had it in them to refuse her request, not after everything she had done for them. However, this time she decided against it. She had said that she wanted it to be a small and quiet ceremony. Hence, the only people she invited were those at the hotel, Carmilla, Zestial, Carmilla’s daughters, and a few citizens of Cannibal Town who she was particularly close to. Len didn’t invite many people either, and as Alastor’s eyes scanned the venue, he wasn’t sure if he recognized a single one of them.

As he looked around, Alastor made eye contact with Lucifer. Alastor quickly looked away from him, not wanting Lucifer to catch wind of how he was feeling at that moment or how he’d likely feel during the entire wedding. However, even if Alastor didn’t look at Lucifer, he was positive the king knew the thoughts swirling in his mind and the emotions brewing inside him. This was going to be one of the most difficult things he had ever had to suffer through. He’d be heartbroken when Rosie walked down the aisle, crushed when she said ‘I do,’ but he’d get through it. He was a master at masking his feelings, after all.

Alastor thought through everything that was about to happen. Everyone should be in their place. Niffty should be at the back of the aisle, just out of sight. The ring bearer should be with her. The bridesmaids and groomsmen were all here, standing at the altar. The groom was here, a mere few feet away from him. Everything should be in place, and so long as nothing went disastrously wrong, it should be a beautiful ceremony. Even if something did happen, just as he had reassured Rosie, he would step in if need be. It was his job to make sure everything went smoothly.

The sound of the piano and various string instruments filled the air, almost immediately silencing the guests' quiet chatter. Alastor merely appreciated the music for a moment, even swaying softly from side to side as the musicians played their piece. While the wedding he and Rosie had planned was far from traditional, when it came to the song that would play as Rosie walked down the aisle, they kept things simple.

Niffty and the cannibal boy who was serving as the ring bearer made their entrances one after another. Alastor smiled genuinely at the sight of Niffty in her dress. She was wearing a simple, shiny, red, a-line dress that was made from the highest quality of materials. There was a sash around her waist that was the same color as her dress, and it was tied into a large bow in the back. Niffty looked adorable as she threw rose petals into the aisle, and if Alastor hadn’t trained her in advance, he’d be almost surprised at how normal she was being.

The moment Rosie made her entrance, Alastor froze. She looked absolutely gorgeous in her dress, carrying the bouquet of red and black roses that they had picked out together. She was beautiful. He had seen her all dolled up in her dressing room, however, there was something almost ethereal about the way she looked in the venue itself that the dressing room couldn’t begin to compare to.

The way the seats for the guests were divided into two, with the aisle down the center, drew everyone’s gaze to her, and the light shone on her in a way that seemed to create a halo around her head. Were this any other situation, any other person, people may have been put a little on edge at the sight, as the only time people saw halos was on the angels during the exterminations, but as things stood, Rosie didn’t look anything less than perfect.

Rosie took one slow step at a time down the aisle, and Alastor didn’t take his eyes off her the whole time. She had captured his attention, his heart, and she didn’t even realize it. She didn’t realize how beautiful she was, how perfect she was, and if things were different, he’d tell her every day just how wonderful she was, inside and out.

When Rosie reached the altar and faced away from him, a wave of disappointment washed through him. Alastor could only wish that he was the one getting married to Rosie today, that she was facing him instead of Len, but that’s not the way things were, and he doubted they ever would be.

The music stopped, and everyone turned their attention toward the happy couple and the officiant about to wed the pair. The officiant was an older man who had features similar to those of a coyote. He had long, pointed ears, tan fur, sharp teeth, and a fuzzy tail. Alastor may not have fully understood how the man became an officiant in the first place, but according to his connections, he was the best in the business, and Rosie deserved only the best for her wedding.

Alastor wanted to look away. He wanted to pretend as though none of this was happening, but he couldn’t, not when it was happening right in front of him. He had worried about this day for months, and now it was finally here. He was coming face to face with the reality he had wanted to pretend for many weeks was no more than fantasy, but he couldn’t pretend anymore.

The day had arrived, and there was little he could do to change the situation without hurting Rosie in the process. If the choice was between hurting himself and hurting Rosie, he’d suffer through the pain all the while forcing a smile in an attempt to mask it.

“We are gathered here today to join together Allen and Rosie in matrimony,” the officiant said, garnering the attention of everyone there.

When the officiant stopped talking, that was Len’s cue to give his vow. Alastor had no idea what Len was going to say. This was the only part of the entire planning of their wedding that he had no part in. Alastor could only hope that the speech that Len had prepared would be worthy of his dangerous and darling Rosie.

“Rosie, when I first met you. I knew you were the one for me. You are so incredibly kind and patient even to people who may not deserve it. I always believed myself to be one of those people, but you made me feel loved. Sometimes I wonder why you’re in Hell and I’m sure that if you weren’t a cannibal, you wouldn’t be. You are the nicest person I’ve met in a long time, and there isn’t anyone I’d rather spend my afterlife with. I love you, Rosie, and that’s never going to change,” Len said, giving his vow, and Alastor agreed wholeheartedly.

Rosie was kind and patient with him even when he didn’t deserve it. Sure, she could be manipulative at times, but most of the time it was in the best interest, if not only for her but the people around her as well. She was nice to everyone around her, even those she didn’t like, namely Susan, though she never let it show. While some may think that she was fake because of it, in Hell, it was more than anyone could ask for.

It was Rosie’s turn to give her vow next, and before she even began talking, Alastor knew it was going to be painful hearing her speak so highly of the man she loved. However, he didn’t realize how much until she gave her speech.

“Len, you’re an amazing man. One I met during a difficult time in my life. You entered my life, and from the moment I met you, I knew we would be standing here today. Perhaps it was presumptuous of me to think that at the time, but here we are, standing at the altar just like I knew we would. I haven’t known you for a long time, but you’ve provided me with a comfort I haven’t known in years. You make me feel loved and shield me from the things I can’t handle on my own. You’re always there for me, and I cannot express just how grateful I am to have you in my life. Thank you for loving me. You don’t know how much it means to me.”

An expression of confusion made its way to Alastor’s face for a moment. He wasn’t sure what this ‘difficult time’ Rosie had been going through was, as she never told him about anything of the sort. He didn’t give it too much thought, though, merely equating it to something one said during their vows, whether or not it was actually true.

After both Len and Rosie had said their piece, the officiant began to speak. He turned to Rosie, addressing her first. The ring bearer stood in front of them, holding the rings out to the soon-to-be-married couple.

“Rosie, with this ring, do you take Len to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do promise to love and cherish him, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, for better for worse, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him, for so long as you both shall live?”

“I do,” Rosie said, her voice soft, but it held a conviction that made Alastor feel as though his heart was being ripped out of his chest. She shifted her bouquet to one hand before taking a ring from the pillow with her other hand. Gently, she grabbed hold of Len’s left hand with the same hand that held her bouquet, his fingers brushing lightly against the petals of the flowers. Rosie then carefully slid the golden band onto his ring finger before letting him go.

With that, the officiant turned toward Len and asked the same of him.

“Allen, with this ring, do you take Len to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do promise to love and cherish her, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, for better for worse, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her, for so long as you both shall live?”

Alastor couldn’t help himself and without thinking, he mouthed the words he wanted to say more than anything.

‘I do.’

And after a moment, Len replied with the same.

“I do.”

Len did the same thing Rosie did only moments ago. He took the other ring from the ring bearer and slid it onto Rosie’s left ring finger, on which she also wore her engagement ring. The ring bearer moved off to the side so that he was standing on Vaggie’s left. After a moment, the officiant spoke once more, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

“If anyone sees any reason that these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

It took everything in Alastor not to object but he wouldn’t, not only because he wasn’t sure whether he was ready to tell Rosie, let alone everyone here, that he loved her but also because he’d never want to take away her happiness, no matter how much it hurt him in the process.

“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss the bride!” The officiant said, his voice louder and with a lilt of happiness for the newlywed couple.

While Alastor watched just like everyone else as Len peeled back Rosie’s veil, when he leaned in to kiss her, he couldn’t watch any longer. He may be determined to get through the wedding, but that didn’t mean he had to torture himself more than necessary. He looked to his left, toward Charlie, and was a little surprised when he saw her looking back at him.

Charlie’s face was flickering back and forth between confusion and shock, as though she was on the precipice of realizing something. Alastor felt as though he was being scrutinized under a microscope. He quickly turned his head so he was no longer facing Charlie. He had no clue what the princess was thinking, and he didn’t want to imagine what could be running through her mind. It was best if he didn’t think about it.

However, when he chanced a glance back at her, a look of shock had settled on her face. She was no longer confused by whatever she had been wondering about, instead merely surprised. But even so, he still didn’t know what she was thinking.

After the wedding ceremony had concluded, the guests began to rise from their seats and slowly make their way to where the party was being held. Luckily, it was only a short walk away, so they wouldn’t have to go too far. As Alastor made his way out of the venue and toward where the rest of the gathering would occur, he felt Charlie’s eyes on him the whole time. It was strange and uncomfortable, but he was sure that if she had something to say, she would confront him about it sooner or later. As to whether he would tell her the truth, well, that was another matter entirely.

Chapter Text

When Alastor arrived at the venue where the wedding party would be held, he got a drink from the bar and made his home in the corner. He slowly sipped on his glass of whiskey as he looked around the room. It was a rather small party room with several round tables covered in red tablecloths. Four wooden chairs, painted black, surrounded every table. Placed on the tables were bouquets of red and black roses, similar to the one that Rosie was carrying during the ceremony. There was a small dance floor at the front of the venue, and the musicians set up shop close by.

A few minutes after everyone had filed into the party room, the newlyweds were invited onto the dance floor to share their first dance. They slowly walked to the center of the dance floor, hand in hand. He could see their soft smiles from where he stood. Alastor didn’t want to watch, but he still would out of the corner of his eye. He liked seeing Rosie happy, although he wished he were the one making her so.

Most people moved to stand closer to the dance floor, making it difficult to see them from where Alastor was standing, but he didn’t dare move closer. It was painful enough even to be here, let alone standing close enough to see just how happy and in love Rosie and Len were. Standing so close to others may also lead to someone finding out about their feelings. He was already a little worried that Charlie had come to that realization during the ceremony. The last thing he wanted was for everyone else to figure it out.

The musicians started to play the song that he and Rosie had picked out together, Blue Skies. It had always been one of his favorite songs, but it brought on a whole new meaning to him now. When he listened to it before, he never thought much about the lyrics, instead enjoying it as a piece of music from his era. However, now he understood the feelings behind the song and the love Irving Berlin inscribed into the piece

As Alastor listened to the song and watched the two dance to it, he felt torn between smiling and crying. He was thankful that Rosie had found someone she cared about, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but wish that he were that person. However, so long as she was happy, he could at least pretend to be happy for her. It was the least he could do as her friend and as someone who loved her.

Halfway through the song, Alastor began to look around the venue, trying to find something else to focus on than the feelings that coursed through him. That was when he saw something curious. Charlie and Vaggie were talking to one another. That wouldn’t be strange on its own, but every few moments, they would glance in his direction. It was clear that they were talking about him. The only reason he could think of why that would be the case was that they were discussing whatever Charlie was thinking about during the wedding ceremony.

Alastor’s suspicions that the two women were talking about him were confirmed when they began walking in his direction. He perked up slightly, standing just a little bit straighter as they approached.

When Vaggie was standing in front of him with Charlie standing a foot or so behind her as though she wasn’t sure whether to get involved in the conversation or not, Alastor spoke up before either woman got the chance.

“Whatever may I do for you? Something not to your liking? I promise, I can fix it right away,” Alastor said, deciding to play dumb for the moment. He realized the reason they had likely approached him, but he didn’t want to get either of them involved, so pretending he didn’t was his best course of action right now.

“You know, Charlie told me something rather interesting. I’m here because she wanted to see whether she was right or not. I don’t have much of an opinion on the matter, but I’m here to support her. So if she is embarrassed to ask, I’ll do so in her place,” Vaggie explained.

“Alright, well, ask away, I suppose.”

“During the wedding ceremony, Charlie said that she saw you mouth the words ‘I do’ after the officiant asked whether Len wanted to marry Rosie. I didn’t see it myself, but I believe her. We’re pretty sure we know the reason why, but she wanted me to ask you because she didn’t want to make any assumptions. So, I guess I’ll just be blunt about it. Are you in love with Rosie?” Vaggie asked, not showing a lot of emotion as she did so. It was a question born out of pure curiosity.

Alastor didn’t let anything show. His smile didn’t fall, his eye didn’t twitch, he didn’t so much as look away as he answered. He kept his face neutral, not betraying anything about his true feelings.

“Me? In love? What a ridiculous notion. Do I seem like the kind of person to fall in love?” he asked, trying to brush off their accusations. He couldn’t let them realize just how close to the truth they were. He needed to keep this a secret, at least to all except Lucifer. He was the only one who knew, and he would like to keep it that way.

Charlie took a step forward from behind Vaggie. She raised her hand to her chest and placed it over her heart in what Alastor recognized as a display of sincerity and a desire to connect with him on a more personal level.

“I know what I saw, Alastor. It’s okay if you are; there’s no need to hide it from us. I- We would be there for you if you were. We could talk about it. We could-” Charlie began, but Alastor was quick to cut her off.

“Darling, even if I was in love with Rosie as you say, what could be done? As you know, she’s a recently married woman. Even if I wanted to be with her, I can’t. The only thing telling anyone would do is risk the possibility of it getting back to her. Besides, you know I’m not really one to talk about my feelings. Of course, that is given that I was in love with her, which I simply am not.”

Charlie opened and closed her mouth a few times. She looked like a fish out of water. He could tell she had more to say, but whatever was on her mind, she didn’t voice it.

Charlie let out a soft sigh before responding. “Okay, just know that if you ever wanted to tell us anything, we’d be there for you. You can trust us, Alastor.”

“I know,” he said, but he didn’t mean it, not really.

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust them two in particular, but as he said before, he wasn’t the type to open up about his feelings. He didn’t like the thought of people believing he had weaknesses, especially when they would likely be used against him. He had only told Lucifer because he had essentially forced him to. That wasn’t what was happening here, and so, he wouldn’t let them acknowledge the fact that Charlie’s suspicions were more accurate than he would like to admit.

As the song the musicians were playing ended, people made their way to their assigned seats. Alastor lifted his tumbler to his lips and finished off what remained of his drink. He placed his glass on the counter of the bar behind him before turning to Charlie and Vaggie once more.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I would like to congratulate the newlywed couple,” Alastor said with a small nod of his head.

He walked away from the two women, ending the conversation before either of them could say anything more. He didn’t want to hear about Charlie’s presumptions or the ways they would support him were he to open up to them. It wasn’t his style. No, he was a push one’s feelings down until everyone, including themself, forgot they existed kind of person. Was it unhealthy, harmful even? Perhaps. But it was how he’d gotten this far, and he wasn’t about to change his ways now.

Chapter Text

As the party went on, Alastor wasn’t able to spend nearly as much time with Rosie as he would’ve liked. He had been able to give her a brief congratulations on getting married, but other than that, he hadn’t seen much of her at all. He couldn’t mind this too much as she was a busy woman, even if there weren’t many guests. It would make sense that she would want to catch up with those she didn’t see as often. The two of them hung out all the time, especially lately with all of the wedding preparations, so he’d get to talk to her about whatever he wanted in a few weeks at most.

There were people here that Rosie hadn’t seen in a long time, Clara, Odette, and most of the residents at the hotel, and others that she only ever really saw in a professional setting, Carmilla and Zestial. He wouldn’t blame her for wanting to spend this time with them instead. He looked forward to dinner as he was sure that when they sat down to eat, he would get the chance to talk to her about how she was doing. He was sure that she was fine, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t worry about her. This was a big day and one that could easily stress someone out. If there was anything he could do to help her relax, he wanted to do it because he cared about her and because he loved her.

In the time between the invasive conversation with Charlie and Vaggie and dinnertime, Alastor mingled with the other guests. They had made lighthearted conversation about a number of topics, but it always led back to the happy couple. While Alastor could go on and on about Rosie for hours if given the chance, it wasn’t a good idea. It’d give the rumor of him having feelings for her more traction, and before he knew it, everyone here would know. So, whenever the conversation began to stray in that direction, he would excuse himself.

During the time when he mingled with others, Alastor got a few drinks from the bar, not enough to get him drunk but enough to make him feel a little tipsy. He had, thankfully, found the perfect number of drinks where the party became more tolerable but not too many as to make him loose-lipped. He still had his wits about him, and it was integral that he kept them. He would need them for the rest of the party, especially as he had his Man-of-Honor speech coming up. He had everything he wanted to say written down on a few pieces of paper folded up in his pocket that he wanted to stick to. If he drank too much, he would go off script and likely end up confessing way more than he had ever meant to.

It had been difficult deciding exactly what he wanted to say in his speech. He had given several before at Rosie’s weddings, but this time it felt different. He understood that this feeling was all due to his love for her. It had been easy writing about his and Rosie’s friendship before and how he wished her luck in her marriage, even if, deep down, it likely wouldn’t last. However, when he was writing this speech, he felt as though he needed to hold back from saying what he actually wanted to.

Alastor couldn’t begin to count the number of scripts he had thrown away because he didn’t think they were good enough, many of which could practically be considered love letters. There were several that were too impersonal, ones where it was as though he didn’t know her at all, as though he was just some stranger, and their decades of friendship didn’t exist. There were others where he poured his heart out onto the pages. He ended up burning those, not wanting to chance anyone happening upon them. Lucifer, knowing about his feelings for Rosie, was already too much; he didn’t want any nosy person finding them and pestering him about it.

It had gotten to the point where Alastor had considered reusing an old speech. He still had them all saved, and he doubted anyone would remember it. There wasn’t anything preventing him from doing so, except that to him, it felt ingenuine. It disregarded years of their friendship and while he supposed he could rewrite one, at that point, it was better to write a wholly original speech. So he ended up deciding against it, even if it would be the easier route.

After many sleepless nights poring over words on a page and countless pieces of paper torn to shreds or burned, he eventually wrote something that he could be proud of. It might not have been the perfect speech, but it was as good as it was possibly going to get and, to him, that was enough.

When the time for dinner finally arrived, Alastor made his way to the front of the room where the table he, Rosie, Len, and Len’s best man were going to be seated. It would make it easy for everyone to see them when the speeches were given. While Alastor was used to having all eyes, or rather ears, on him due to his radio show, this was going to be a difficult performance. He would have to remain professional and not let his emotions shine through. It was always much easier over the air than it was doing things like this in person, but he’d be fine.

As soon as he arrived at the table, he pulled out his chair and sat down. He still had a little time before he would have to give his speech. They were going to have dinner first, and then, after everyone had their fill, that was when he would give his speech. He took a deep breath. Honestly, he didn’t feel hungry. His nerves were getting in the way of that. However, he’d eat anyway because if he didn’t, Rosie would just end up worrying about him. He wanted this to be a good day for her, and having her worry unnecessarily about him wasn’t something he would allow.

Throughout dinner, Alastor pretended as though everything was normal. He picked at his food, taking bites here and there, but couldn’t enjoy it as he hoped. The food was good and he had tasted it when he and Rosie picked which company they wanted to cater the party. Right now, though, it tasted bland. When he looked over toward Rosie, he saw that she was enjoying the food, which was enough for him.

When he and Rosie were deciding on what kind of food to have at her wedding, there were many options. Not only were there the standard things, such as fish, chicken, and meat, but because several people here, including Rosie herself, were cannibals, they also decided to make that an option as well. It was the one Alastor chose when deciding what to eat.

There was also a vegetarian option for those who didn’t like meat. It was quite a few choices to pick from, even if the guest list was rather small. There were only about twenty-five people attending the wedding, including the bride and groom themselves, and yet there was one option for every five people. It was more expensive than either he or Rosie had hoped, and yet, neither of them cared all too much about the price. It wasn’t the end of the world, and Rosie had a lot more money than she let on.

Dinner came and went, and then it was time for those at the front table to give their speeches. Thankfully, he wasn’t first, it gave him a little more time to calm the rapid beating of his heart. He listened as Len’s best man gave his speech, telling jokes that only the groom's party seemed to understand. It was a halfway-decent speech overall, but there was much that he and many others in the room simply didn’t comprehend from it. It made things a little awkward when the groomsmen were laughing while the rest of the room remained silent, but it wasn’t the worst he had ever seen.

After the best man had finished giving his speech, it was Alastor’s turn. He pushed his chair out and stood up, drawing everyone’s attention toward him. He reached into his jacket and pulled out the papers his speech was written on before slowly unfolding them. He didn’t need it; he had the whole thing memorized, and yet it was there just in case. He let his ruby eyes quickly scan the front page while his audience was left waiting for a few seconds longer. It was purposeful as he grasped the fact that the moment he began to speak, they would be captivated, hanging on his every word.

“It was many decades ago when I first met our darling Rosie, but I remember that day like it was yesterday. I’ll never forget it, no matter how much time passes. It was my first Overlord meeting, and I guess I arrived a little too early. She was the only one there. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t immediately on guard. I had heard the stories about her. I knew how threatening she was, despite her gorgeous appearance, and yet, when we began talking, conversation flowed like we had known each other for years. We played off one another’s energy like it was nothing. I had never felt that way about a person before, and I have yet to meet another I get along with as naturally as I do her,” Alastor began, his eyes moving back and forth slowly from the audience to Rosie and back again as he spoke.

Alastor was tempted to move about the table, but he stayed rooted in his spot. This wasn’t some grand stage, and he shouldn’t treat it as such. This was a small venue, and they were here to celebrate Rosie and Len. Drawing more attention to himself would make him seem more prideful and attention-seeking than he already was. Had this been anyone else, he wouldn’t have cared as much. However, this was Rosie’s day, and he didn’t want to take away from that.

As he continued, he placed the papers he was holding down on the table, feeling comfortable without them. He didn’t need this crutch, and he didn’t want to rely on it. He wanted his speech to feel genuine and heartfelt. Clutching onto these pages for dear life would only detract from that.

“Rosie has helped me so many times throughout the years, as I’m sure she’s helped all of you. She’s kind, a good listener, and extremely dangerous, so you’d better not make her mad, Len,” Alastor joked, although it did have some truth to it. If Len ever made Rosie angry, not only would she be after him, but he would be as well.

“While I’ve lived my life without her, I wouldn’t want to go back to that. She is easily one of the most important people in my life, and I care about her more than I think even she realizes. I want her to be happy more than anything. I see that Len can and has made her so, which is why I wish you both the best in your marriage. I honestly hope that you two can stand the test of time because Rosie, well, she deserves true love,” Alastor finished before slowly sitting back down.

Alastor picked the papers off the table and folded them back up. He stuffed it back into his pocket. It may not have been the best speech he had ever given, and some parts may have hit a little too close to home, but he was happy with the way it turned out. It may not have been perfect, but then again, neither was he. Maybe if he were, he’d be the one getting married to Rosie today instead of Len.

Alastor wouldn’t think about that, though; it hurt too much. He may have been confronting feelings he didn’t know existed recently, but that didn’t mean he had to torture himself unnecessarily. He would push such fantasies to the side, recognizing that they would never happen. It was best to accept things as they were, and in this reality, Rosie was in love with Len, not him.

Chapter Text

Alastor was lying in his bed after the wedding. The plush mattress sank under his weight, and the scarlet-colored covers were wrapped around him almost like a cocoon. His room was darkened and quiet, allowing the sounds of the outside world to reach his ears. While lying in bed wasn’t something he’d typically do, instead choosing to stand in the corner and wait until morning, he needed the comfort after the long day he had just had.

Alastor didn’t plan on going to sleep, and he wasn’t sure he could if he wanted to. He wasn’t tired, and his mind was running a mile a minute. His emotions and thoughts were all jumbled up. While he was able to make sense of some of them, there was very little he could do about any of it.

The rest of the wedding party went off without a hitch. The ceremony was gorgeous, and there wasn’t anyone there who didn’t have a good time, except for a single person, the one who had helped plan the wedding in the first place, Alastor. It wasn’t that the wedding didn’t go as he had believed it would. No, it was the fact that it had gone exactly as he thought that made him not enjoy it as he likely would’ve had it not been for the complex mix of emotions swirling inside him during the wedding.

Alastor was happy for Rosie, glad that she was able to find love once more. He was distraught because he had to watch as the woman he loved got married to another. He felt hopeful that perhaps their marriage wouldn’t last that long, which only ended up making him feel worse.

What if they did end up divorcing? Alastor would watch as Rosie felt the mix of anger and sadness that always came with it. He hated seeing her like that before, and he’d hate it more now. He didn’t want to watch the woman he loved be in pain, and if staying with Len would prevent that, it was for the best, even if it hurt him to see them together. Besides, even if she and Len did get a divorce, it wasn’t as though she would fall in love with him.

Rosie would fall in love with another and rush into a relationship much too quickly for his liking. She’d get engaged and married in a matter of months, as she had done many times before. All the while, he’d stand by her side as her loyal and faithful friend, pretending to be happy for her whilst feeling as though his heart was being ripped to shreds. He’d watch it over and over, never saying a thing because it wasn’t his role to play. He wasn’t the charismatic and doting lover despite how much he wished to be.

Alastor wasn’t a perfect person, far from it, but if Rosie were ever to give him a chance, he’d be the perfect partner to her. He’d shower her with love and affection while still allowing her to have her space. She was an independent woman. It was something he loved about her, and as such, he would never take that away from her.

He wouldn’t be unnecessarily jealous. He’d never do anything to hurt her, at least not purposefully, and if she ever had a problem, she needed to communicate with him; he’d listen and fix it. Alastor would do anything for her, protect her with his entire being, and always make sure that she realized just how much he loved her.

However, it’d never happen. Alastor was fated to always be the friend. He shouldn’t mind it. He adored her, and their friendship was one of the most important things to him. While he couldn’t be with her the way he wanted, he should be grateful to at least have her in his life, and he was. That didn’t mean there weren’t times when being just friends hurt him or that he didn’t long for more.

Alastor let out a sigh and slowly extracted the covers from his body. He sat up on his bed and slung his legs over the side before standing up. He needed to get his mind off everything, and lying in bed wasn’t going to do that. He’d just wallow in his own self-pity for the rest of the night and into the morning.

Alastor made his way out of his room, being sure to close the door behind him, and toward the kitchen. He’d get something to drink and go back to bed. It wasn’t much, but it was a small distraction that would take his mind off things if only for a few minutes. Perhaps he’d even get something to eat to prolong this diversion. He hadn’t eaten much at the party, and he was feeling a little hungry.

When Alastor arrived at the entrance of the kitchen, the first thing he spotted was Lucifer standing beside the fridge. Of course, he was here. Alastor couldn’t be given a moment of peace, could he?

Alastor tried to ignore him as he got a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water from the sink, but it was only a matter of time before Lucifer made his presence known.

“How are you doing?” Lucifer asked, his words coming out slowly and cautiously.

Alastor looked over at Lucifer with a single eyebrow raised.

“I’m fine,” he replied, trying to pretend as though everything was normal.

If anyone were to understand what he was going through, it’d be Lucifer, but that didn’t mean Alastor wanted to appear weak. Lucifer already knew way more than he should have, and the last thing Alastor desired was to give him more ammunition by breaking down in front of him. His emotions were like a tempestuous storm inside him, one that took great force to hold back.

Lucifer, without missing a beat, questioned Alastor further.

“Are you sure? I know today was a rough day for you. I saw the way you looked during the wedding,” Lucifer began before continuing, his voice taking on a softer quality to it. “Look, I get it. You don’t like me, you don’t trust me, I know that. I don’t really like you either, but if anyone understands what you’re going through right now, it’s me. I know what it’s like not to be able to be with the woman you love. I know what it’s like to have the woman you love belong with another. So let me ask you again, how are you doing?”

At that moment, something inside Alastor broke. The mask that he had been wearing for so long slipped, revealing the man underneath.

“How do you think I’m doing?!” Alastor asked, louder than he would’ve liked. “I’m terrible, all of this is so awful. The woman I love just got married to another, and I should be happy for her, I know that. She deserves love and happiness, and I’d never want to stand in the way of that, but why… Why can’t I be the one to make her happy?”

Alastor tilted his head down so that he was looking at his boots. His bangs fell in front of his eyes, shielding them from Lucifer’s gaze. Alastor’s eyes stung with unshed tears that he tried desperately to hold back.

“I never even got the chance to tell her how I felt… I figured it out too late,” Alastor whispered, his voice shaky.

With those words, Alastor wasn’t able to stop his tears from falling. They slid down his cheeks and landed on the leather toes of his shoes, staining them with all the despair he felt. However, even as he cried, he didn’t let his smile slip for a second. Alastor wiped his tears away angrily with the back of his hand, pissed that he let himself be affected by the situation this much. Yet, for all his effort, he could not get the tears to stop flowing.

“Yeah,” Lucifer mumbled, but other than that, he remained completely silent as Alastor released all of his pent-up emotions.

Lucifer may not have said anything, may not have offered Alastor any sense of comfort, but nevertheless, it was what he needed. Lucifer was there for Alastor while letting him keep pretending that he was as invincible as he led others to believe. It wasn’t much, but for Alastor, it was enough.

Chapter Text

The day of Rosie and Len’s wedding had been the most difficult for Alastor. It was painful and it broke his heart, but after releasing all of his pent-up emotions that night, he started to feel a bit better about everything. It still hurt to see Rosie and Len together, but they rarely were when Alastor was spending time with her. Alastor had expected that once Rosie got married, he would be seeing a lot more of her husband, but even months later, he still didn’t know the first thing about him. He didn’t know whether she simply didn’t like talking about him in front of others or if there was something wrong in their marriage, but there was a distance between the two that Alastor didn’t quite understand.

As months went by, the further apart Rosie and Len seemed to grow. At first, whenever Len would interrupt the pair while they were hanging out, he would kiss Rosie before going about his business. Now, though, he wouldn’t so much as spare her a glance. Nevertheless, Alastor still felt an unexplainable tension there that he wouldn’t begin to comprehend how to fix even if he desired to. Rosie seemed almost angry when Len was in the room. Yet, in spite of that, she continued to act as though everything was fine, and Len behaved very much the same way.

Alastor could tell that Len didn’t like him very much. He didn’t mind too much, of course, as Alastor didn’t like Len either. Alastor didn’t have anything against the man personally, but Len had been the one to take Rosie away from him, and for that, Alastor wouldn’t ever forgive him, especially as he didn’t seem to appreciate what he had. Rosie was a wonderful woman, and Alastor would give just about anything to be with her the way Len was, something the other man most definitely didn’t realize. Maybe if he did, Len would open his eyes and notice just how lucky he was to have such an amazing person like Rosie as his wife.

While Alastor wanted Rosie to be happy more than anything, a part of him was glad that the two seemed to be growing apart. Rosie deserved to live the life she wanted, full of love and joy. If Len had been willing to give her that, Alastor, for the most part, wouldn’t have a problem with it. Sure, it would hurt, but seeing Rosie smiley and radiant would be worth every ounce of pain he’d experience.

If Len did his job as a husband and made his wife the happiest person in all of Hell, Alastor wouldn’t stand in the way. He’d be there for Rosie as her friend, never reaching out for anything more. He’d never even give her an iota of an idea that he cared for her in a way that was far from platonic. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t still long for her, wouldn’t still love her, but he’d let her live her perfect little life as the wife of a man Alastor couldn’t stand.

However, Len didn’t give Rosie the life she deserved. He didn’t give her all of the love and affection she wanted. Sometimes Alastor wondered whether Len liked her, let alone loved her. That was why, when the two of them appeared to be growing apart, Alastor couldn’t be more grateful. He wouldn’t say anything, though, despite how much he desired to. This was something for Rosie and Len to work out together. Whether that meant overcoming their differences and staying together or getting a divorce, Alastor wasn’t sure, but, in truth, he was secretly hoping for the latter. While nothing would likely change between him and Rosie if she and Len did get a divorce, at the very least, things would go back to the way they were. For him, that would be enough.

Chapter Text

“And then he just walked out! He wouldn’t even listen to me when I told him that we were just friends. Can you believe that? A part of me wants to just hunt him down and devour him, but then I’d have to see him again. He probably wouldn’t even taste good anyway,” Rosie explained, her voice betraying the anger she felt at her soon-to-be ex-husband.

It had been a little over a week since Alastor had last visited Rosie. When he decided to come over, he had expected things to be more or less the same. Rosie and Len had been having problems for a while now. Alastor had seen them firsthand, however, he hadn’t expected them to divorce so suddenly, much less for him to be the reason why.

In the late hours of the afternoon, Alastor and Rosie were sitting on the sofa in the living room of her Emporium as she explained to him that Len had been jealous of Alastor’s relationship with her. He had believed the two to have romantic feelings for one another. While that was true on Alastor’s part, he doubted Rosie felt the same. He had come to terms with his unrequited love for her, although the pain that came with seeing Rosie with another man had yet to dissipate. He wasn’t sure if it ever would.

Len had issued Rosie an ultimatum. She had to either stop being friends with Alastor or he’d divorce her. Alastor felt terrible for being the reason why Rosie and Len separated, despite how indirect it may have been. He was positive that some of his actions contributed to Len feeling that way, whether it be how affectionate they were with each other or the way he looked at her. He supposed it didn’t matter what had led to him feeling that way because it didn’t change the outcome. Len had left Rosie, but perhaps it wasn’t too late for them to find happiness with each other.

Alastor leaned forward, his hands clasped in his lap as he thought about exactly what it was that he wanted to say. He had to choose his words carefully, as they might just have some sway over what Rosie decided to do. While a selfish part of Alastor longed to be the only man in her life, as possessive as that may sound, a much larger part wanted her to be happy, even if it was with another man.

After a few long moments, Alastor finally spoke up, his voice soft yet firm.

“Rosie, you might’ve been able to come to a compromise. I mean, we could be less affectionate or even spend less time together. I just don’t want to be the reason your marriage with Len comes to an end.”

“Don’t,” Rosie started, the word cutting through the complex mix of emotions swirling through him at the prospect of Len and Rosie’s divorce. “Don’t you dare think that you’re the reason why Len and I are getting a divorce.”

“But-” Alastor tried but was cut off by Rosie before he could say anything more.

“But nothing. The reason Len and I are getting a divorce is that he’s jealous and insecure. That’s his problem. You are merely the one he’s taking it out on. If he’s jealous over the fact that I have friends, then he clearly isn’t the man I thought he was,” Rosie said, her voice steady, and yet just beneath the surface, there was a quiet anger simmering that Alastor couldn’t help but notice.

Alastor took a deep breath, trying to remain calm and composed as he responded. He cared so deeply about her and was willing to do anything to make her happy. Didn’t she see that? There must have been a reason that Rosie got married to Len so quickly. Alastor may not know much about the man, but there had to be something about him that she liked, some trait that Rosie found appealing in a partner. So, although their relationship may have its problems, if Len made her happy, especially in the weeks before Alastor returned from his short absence, he would try his hardest to get Rosie to see that they could work through this.

“I understand that he’s jealous of me, but I’m willing to put a bit of distance between us if it means saving your marriage. We don’t need to spend as much time as we do, and we don’t need to be as affectionate as we are. I’m sure that if we set some boundaries and you were willing to communicate with him, you wouldn’t need to get a divorce.”

Rosie’s eyebrows furrowed, and she shook her head. She sat up a bit straighter on the couch before speaking, her voice a little louder and more irritated than she had likely meant it to be.

“I don’t want to do that! If he wants to be envious and stew in his anger, let him. He didn’t give me the option of a compromise, so why should I go to him with it? It’d only be encouraging that kind of behavior,” Rosie began. She paused for a moment, her eyes glancing down at the floor as she seemingly collected her thoughts.

“Let’s say that he did accept whatever compromise I came up with, how long would it be until he was asking me to cut you out of my life again? I won’t put up with that,” Rosie said, her voice taking on a softer quality to it, one that caused Alastor’s heart to race.

Alastor was beginning to grow frustrated with Rosie’s unwillingness to listen to a single thing he said. She was shutting down his every attempt to be a good and supportive friend. He didn’t want to fight with her, and yet that seemed to be exactly where this was headed. Why couldn’t he get her to listen? Why couldn’t he get her to see reason? To see that she and Len didn’t need to get a divorce because of something they could easily work out together?

Alastor could feel himself growing heated. There was a storm brewing inside him that threatened to consume him. Suddenly, Alastor stood up from the sofa, putting a bit of distance between himself and Rosie. He turned to face her, hoping to get his point across. All he wanted was for her to be happy, and while fighting may not do so in the moment, if it led to her resolving things with Len, it would be worth it in the end.

“Even so, there must have been something about him that you liked! I saw how you two acted around each other the first time I met him. I saw the way you looked at him during your wedding. There was something there between you two, and I don’t want you to throw that away because of me!”

It was Rosie’s turn to stand up from the couch, putting the two on the same level once more. Alastor had expected Rosie to say any number of things to him. However, instead, she asked him a question, one that caught him off guard.

“Why are you so invested in my relationship with Len?!”

Alastor’s eyes widened, and for a moment, the whole room went completely silent. When Alastor did speak once more, he didn’t know what he was going to say. He spoke without thinking, leading him to believe that he was about to say more than he wanted to, perhaps even confess to her all without a second thought.

“Let’s get a drink first,” Alastor said alternatively, taking even himself by surprise.

Alastor genuinely had no clue why that was his response to her question. It didn’t make any sense, and yet, strangely, it did. A drink would not only help loosen them up but would serve as a great distraction so that hopefully, she’d forget all about her question in the first place. It might’ve been random, but it was much better than confessing his love to her.

Alastor watched as the tension in Rosie’s body vanished in a matter of seconds as she processed what he had just said. She seemed to be just as confused by his sudden desire to get a drink as he was. Despite her confusion, it wasn’t long before she nodded her head.

“Alright, yeah,” Rosie agreed, her voice only a bit louder than a whisper. She moved around the couch before walking toward her parlor.

When Alastor didn’t immediately follow her, still a little stunned from how they had gone from fighting one second to sharing a drink the next, Rosie turned her head to look over her shoulder.

“Well? Are you coming?” Rosie asked, snapping Alastor out of his trance.

“Of course,” Alastor answered before beginning to follow Rosie.

While none of what Alastor said may have gotten through to Rosie, he couldn’t be mad about the outcome of their conversation. Whatever came from this, if anything at all, Alastor would accept. If she decided to listen to him and try to work things out with Len, then he’d force himself to be happy for her sake, no matter how much he suffered seeing them together.

On the other hand, if she stuck to her convictions, he would understand and be there for her as her divorce was finalized. That was his job as her best friend. If nothing else, at least he had given her a lot to think about. He could only hope that she took his words to heart and truly considered her options before making a choice she couldn’t take back.

Chapter Text

The finalization of Rosie’s divorce from Len took a mere few weeks. Although Alastor had tried to convince her to at least try to work things out with him, she told him she was going through with the divorce only a few days later. It disheartened Alastor a little that she likely hadn’t taken his arguments into account; however, if she legitimately believed that divorcing Len would lead to her happiness, he wasn’t about to stand in her way.

Alastor was there for Rosie the whole time through the divorce proceedings. He acted as the friend she needed and could rely on during this difficult time. She was strong, nobody knew that better than him. If she had to, she’d be able to go through this alone, but even so, he wanted to be there for her. It was only right after everything she had done for him over the years.

In the months since Rosie’s divorce, things more or less went back to normal. Alastor had been spending a little more time with Rosie than he had before she and Len got engaged, but other than that, things in Alastor’s life were finally returning to normal. While Alastor’s feelings for Rosie hadn’t died out, far from it, his jealousy had. Seeing her with another man had honestly brought out the worst in him. He had been emotional and volatile, but with Len out of both of their lives, things were starting to get better.

As months went by, Alastor settled into his old routine, one he appreciated now more than ever. He hadn’t realized just how much the status quo meant to him until his whole world was turned upside down. As such, he hadn’t even considered telling Rosie about his love for her, despite how much he longed to be with her in such a way.

Alastor hadn’t spoken to Lucifer much since the night he broke down in front of him. Alastor regretted how weak he had been at that moment, especially in front of him. The last thing he needed to be doing was giving Lucifer more ammunition against him. That was exactly why he hadn’t spoken to Lucifer about Rosie’s marriage and subsequent divorce since, at least not in any meaningful capacity.

Whenever Lucifer would ask a question about Rosie, her relationship with Len, and how he was feeling about all of it, Alastor kept his answers succinct and to the point. Alastor could feel the frustration radiating off Lucifer whenever he didn’t get the answers he was looking for, and that made Alastor happy. Everything truly was beginning to return to normal.

One day, a few months after the finalization of Rosie and Len’s divorce, Alastor and Lucifer were standing in the kitchen of the Hazbin Hotel. Alastor had been making himself something to eat for lunch when Lucifer entered the room, rummaging through the fridge for something. Alastor didn’t know or care about what Lucifer was looking for, and so he didn’t ask.

There was a palpable silence between the two men that seemed to stretch on into an eternity. Alastor had nothing to say to Lucifer, and he figured the same was true in return. However, just as Alastor was about to take his mind off the other occupant in the room and return to cooking, Lucifer spoke up.

“You know, you should really think about asking Rosie out on a date,” Lucifer said as though it were the most casual thing in all of Hell.

Taken off guard by this topic of conversation, Alastor quickly turned his head so he was looking at Lucifer. Lucifer’s back was facing him, making it so that Alastor couldn’t get a good look at the man’s face.

“What’s with this all of a sudden?” Alastor asked, his voice laced with a mixture of confusion and surprise.

Lucifer shook his head slowly before responding, “I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but I’ve been holding off because I thought you were going to be a man and take charge yourself. Now that a few months have passed since her divorce, though, I really think you should consider it.”

Alastor’s eye twitched in annoyance when Lucifer insinuated that he wasn’t a man. He tried to mask his rapidly growing irritation with Lucifer, although it was obvious in his tone of voice when he asked Lucifer another question.

“And what makes you say that?”

Lucifer let out a soft sigh, his breath visible due to the cold air of the fridge hitting his face.

“I just… I know how much you care about her. With how quickly she rushed into a relationship with Len, I wouldn’t be surprised if she hadn’t already begun to look for someone new to hopefully spend her afterlife with. If you want to be seen as an option, you should ask her out because if you don’t say anything and she gets into a relationship with someone else, I won’t be here for you. At that point, you deserve to suffer. So either man up and ask her out or don’t come crying to me when she starts dating someone else.”

Alastor thought for a moment, considering Lucifer’s ultimatum. He didn’t want to be forced into asking Rosie out, and yet, Lucifer was right. Rosie wasn’t the type to mourn over the loss of a past lover for very long, whether it be due to divorce or death. She was also the kind of person to rush into relationships if the way she was with Len and all of her previous husbands was any indication. If he were to ask her out, now was the time. Even so, he didn’t have a plan. How would he do it? Where would they go? He needed to find these answers before he considered asking her out.

“Even if I did ask her out,” Alastor began, trying not to seem as affected by the situation as he was. “Where would I take her? It’s not as though there’s a lot of nice date spots around here.”

Only then did Lucifer turn around to face Alastor. A large shit-eating grin split his features, one Alastor really didn’t like. He wasn’t sure what that smile meant, but he doubted it was a good thing.

“Don’t you worry about that. You just focus on asking her to come to the hotel, on let’s say… Saturday at around 6:30 pm. I’ll arrange everything else,” Lucifer replied, his excitement clear in his voice.

Alastor sighed softly, ultimately relenting to Lucifer. “Fine, I’ll ask her if you promise to actually take this seriously and not use it as an opportunity to embarrass me in front of her.”

Lucifer’s face grew more serious for a moment, a stark contrast from the smile that he had worn only a couple of seconds prior. “I wouldn’t do that to you. No, not just to you. I wouldn’t do that to anyone, whether or not I liked them personally.”

“Alright,” Alastor said before turning his attention back toward the food he was making once more.

For a few moments, the only sounds in the room were those of the sizzling of the pan Alastor was cooking on and that of things being shuffled around in the fridge behind him. A thought suddenly occurred to Alastor, one that embarrassed him far more than anything Lucifer could do to him. However, it was something that had to be said, whether or not Alastor actually wanted to or not.

Alastor took a slow, deep breath before mumbling out a soft, “Thank you.”

Alastor didn’t turn around to see the look on Lucifer’s face, knowing he wouldn’t like it. He kept his eyes trained on the food he was cooking, but his mind was on the man behind him and his reaction to the words Alastor had just uttered.

“You’re welcome,” Lucifer responded after what seemed like forever.

Before Alastor could even think about saying anything more, he heard the sound of the fridge being closed behind him. Lucifer turned to leave, though just before he did, Alastor saw that he wasn’t carrying anything with him. Had Lucifer actually come into the kitchen to grab something for himself, Alastor wondered, or had that merely been an excuse to confront Alastor about asking Rosie out? Alastor supposed that it didn’t matter much either way, as the result was the same. Alastor would finally be making his move on the woman who had captured his heart. All he had to do now was come up with a solid plan about how to do it.

Chapter Text

Lucifer hadn’t given Alastor much time to formulate a plan about how to ask her out. Perhaps Lucifer believed that he wouldn’t need a lot of time to do so or that if given more time, Alastor would be able to talk Lucifer out of it and go on with life as normal. Given the way things were, however, Alastor had little choice but to go along with it.

That was why Alastor found himself visiting Rosie the day after Lucifer promised to set up a date for them. Alastor wasn’t sure whether he could trust Lucifer to actually plan something worth a woman like Rosie, but, as much as Alastor hated to admit it, Lucifer had been there for him this whole time. Alastor supposed he could put a bit of faith in him.

Alastor and Rosie were sitting on the sofa in her living room, just as they had been the day they got into an argument all those months ago. Luckily, there was no need for either of them to apologize as they both realized where the other was coming from, even if they didn’t necessarily agree with their stance. After sharing a drink that night, everything between them had gone back to the way it always was.

Alastor and Rosie had been conversing about their lives since they last met up, and anything else that came to their minds. As for the question Alastor wanted to ask, the whole reason he came here in the first place, he kept putting it off. He still wasn’t positive about how to broach the subject, and he wasn’t sure if he ever would. If he truly desired a chance with her, he had to get over his reservations and just ask her.

Alastor sat up a little straighter on the sofa, his hands clasping and unclasping in front of him. He glanced between his hands and Rosie’s face, not sure where to look. His heart raced in his chest as a wave of nervous energy flooded through him. Rosie must have sensed this as he could feel her shift her weight on the couch before one of her hands was gently placed on his shoulder. Alastor’s body tensed for a fraction of a second before he relaxed once more.

Alastor looked over at Rosie, a soft smile gracing his features. “Sorry, Rosie, there’s just something I need to ask you, and I’m not sure how to go about it.”

Rosie’s onyx eyes widened, and her eyebrows scrunched together slightly. Her face showed a mixture of confusion and concern.

“You know you can tell me anything, right? Whatever it is, I promise I’ll understand,” Rosie said, her voice soft and sweet, putting Alastor at ease.

“I know,” Alastor responded before continuing. “Are you free on Saturday at around 6:30?”

Rosie tilted her head to the side before asking a question of her own. “I think so, why?”

“I’d like you to come visit the hotel. I know you’ve been there before, but there’s something I want to show you,” Alastor responded, trying to keep things vague.

Alastor was a coward, too afraid to ask Rosie on a date outright. So he skirted around the issue, hoping that she would be willing to visit despite him not being completely honest with her.

“Of course, I will,” Rosie responded without a moment of consideration. A moment of complete and utter stillness stretched between the two, one filled with things left unsaid. After a couple of seconds, Rosie spoke up, breaking the silence. “I know you might not want to tell me what the thing you want to show me is, but… is there a reason it’s making you so nervous?”

Alastor shook his head slowly, trying to dispel her worries. “No, I just hope you like it.”

A kind smile spread across Rosie’s lips, and she tenderly squeezed his shoulder.

“I’m sure I will,” Rosie said with an air of finality before sitting back on the sofa yet again.

While Alastor appreciated Rosie’s willingness, he didn’t feel great about keeping the reason behind her visit a secret. He should man up and tell her, just as Lucifer had told him to, but he wouldn’t. In truth, Rosie deserved someone far better than him, someone who wasn’t afraid to say that they loved her. He could only trust that he would be able to work up the nerve during their date because, despite how hesitant he was to take the first step, he still longed to be with her.

Chapter Text

After Alastor’s conversation with Rosie, he returned to the hotel. Alastor felt a little ashamed of himself for not being able to ask Rosie on a proper date. Nevertheless, he reassured himself several times during his walk back to the hotel that he could confess his feelings for her during whatever Lucifer had planned for them.

Alastor still had no idea about the date Lucifer arranged for them and likely wouldn’t until the day of. Alastor had no plans of telling Lucifer that he was unable to ask Rosie out the way they both had hoped, knowing he would be just as ashamed as Alastor was in himself. So long as the results were the same, he supposed it didn’t matter in the end what order he did things in.

When Alastor arrived back at the hotel, the first thing he noticed was that the lobby was relatively devoid of life. Husk was at the bar as usual, however, nobody else was to be seen. Typically, there would be at least one person relaxing in the main room at any given time. Now, though, there was nobody, not a soul in sight.

Alastor tried to remember whether something was going on today, some activity that would require everyone’s attention, but there was nothing. Not to mention, even if there was, Husk would’ve been included in it. Charlie wasn’t one to exclude people, not even when they themselves wanted to be from whatever venture she had planned.

Alastor didn’t think too much about it, though, and instead decided to spend some time in his room until they returned. Hopefully, he’d be able to collect his thoughts and come up with a plan for how to confess to Rosie before their date on Saturday.

As soon as Alastor opened the door to his room, he could tell that someone else had been in there just recently. He thought he had told them not to come into his room without his permission. Alastor let out a soft sigh and shook his head. He didn’t know why someone had come into his room or who it even was, but it wasn’t worth getting angry about it, not when he knew so little.

Alastor’s eyes scanned his room as he made his way over to his bed, trying to see if anything was out of place. Nothing seemed to have been taken or moved, that was until he reached his bed. Lying on top of the covers was one of his fancier suits, even by his standards, folded neatly so as not to wrinkle. At first glance, one would believe the suit to be a red suit jacket and black pants, but upon closer inspection, they would notice the finer details.

The jacket's base was black, but it was overlaid with intricate red lace. The waistcoat had red buttons and lining, but the rest of it used the same black material as the jacket. The pants were rather basic in comparison to the rest of the suit, only being a simple black pair of slacks, but they managed to pull the whole piece together. It truly was one of his favorite suits, albeit a bit darker red than he would usually wear.

Although it wasn’t the suit that had immediately caught his attention. It was what was placed on top of it, a note written on a simple white piece of paper. Alastor picked up the letter, and when his eyes scanned the page, he let out a quiet huff of amusement. It read “For your date,” and if it weren’t for what was written underneath, he would’ve assumed Lucifer left it. He was the only one who was supposed to know about all of this, after all.

Below the short text were the names of two people, Charlie and Angel Dust. The names were then scribbled out. Nonetheless, whoever tried to leave the note anonymous didn’t do a very good job at it because it was still clearly legible despite their attempt.

Alastor should’ve been angrier to find out that Lucifer had told everyone about his date with Rosie this weekend, especially after Lucifer had told him many times that he didn’t wish to get him, or especially his daughter, involved. So much for that.

Yet, instead of feeling irate, hurt, or betrayed, Alastor couldn’t help but feel a sense of belonging. The residents of the hotel had picked out a date outfit for him because they cared about him, or, at the very least, Charlie and Lucifer did. He doubted they would stop there. With Charlie being how she was, she’d want to get involved in every facet of his date. He wasn’t sure how much of a hand the others would have in the arrangements, but he was grateful, even for something as simple as this.

It was at that moment that Alastor decided that no matter what, he’d tell Rosie how he felt on Saturday. If the others wanted him to be happy so much that they were willing to put in time and effort to make his date a success, the least he could do in return was to stop letting his inhibitions get in the way. He would reach out and take hold of the love and joy he desired without fear and without hesitation. All that was left to do now was wait for his date. Saturday couldn’t come soon enough.

Chapter Text

Saturday had come much sooner than Alastor had anticipated. He had been looking forward to this day ever since he saw the suit that Charlie and Angel had picked out for his date. This was the day he was going to tell Rosie how he felt, whether or not she felt the same. Of course, he was hoping that she did. He longed to be with her and be the one to make her happy; however, if she didn’t, he would completely understand. If there was one thing he had learned from all of this was that one couldn’t control the way they felt, so he wasn’t going to force her either.

In the hours leading up to the time that was scheduled for his and Rosie’s date, Alastor made himself presentable. He brushed his teeth and bathed for the first time since Rosie’s wedding with Len, he donned the suit that Charlie and Angel had picked out for him, and he had even gone to sleep the previous night so he wouldn’t appear tired today. He hadn’t gotten much rest, only a few hours at most, but it was more than enough for him. It may not seem like much to the average person, but to anyone who knew him, they were signs that he truly cared about not only the date but Rosie herself.

When Alastor stepped out into the hallway after getting ready, he was greeted by Lucifer, who told him to go to the balcony and wait for her there. Alastor had wanted to greet her when she arrived at the hotel, but if this was a part of their plan, he’d go along with it. He had so far, there was no use in stopping now.

Alastor walked the short journey from his room to the balcony in silence, the only sound being the tapping of the heels of his boots against the hardwood floor. He still had no clue what the residents of the hotel had planned for his date. It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested in knowing or hadn’t tried to ask them, but any time he did, they simply told him to be patient and trust them. Alastor had almost considered going to Husk and forcing an answer out of him, but in the end, it didn’t matter too much what they had planned, so long as it was nice. Rosie deserved good things, and he trusted those at the hotel enough to know that.

When Alastor arrived at the balcony, he opened the door leading to it and stepped out into the cool evening air. His eyes scanned the balcony, taking in every tiny detail of the date everyone had been so busy preparing. It was fairly simple, which Alastor could only be grateful for, as if it was too romantic, it would’ve quickly given away his feelings for her before he could so much as think to reveal them himself.

On the balcony was a round, metal table that didn’t take up much of the balcony. It was sturdy and clean. He couldn’t remember it being here previously, so it must have been new, something purchased just for this occasion. On each side of the table was a metal chair that matched the other as well as the table itself. It must have been a set, and it made Alastor wonder just how much time and money they had spent preparing all of this.

Placed on top of the table were two basting covers, one placed in front of each chair with, what Alastor could only assume, was food underneath. Aside each dish was a pristine wine glass filled with deep, rich, red wine. In the center of the table was a wine decanter filled with the same liquid so they could pour themselves drinks throughout the evening. The only other thing of note on the balcony was a single rose in a thin, glass vase in the center of the table, placed only a couple of inches away from the wine decanter.

While the rest of the balcony was completely barren, there was one more detail that managed to pull the entire date together. From somewhere nearby, there played soft jazz music played. He hadn’t thought much about it at first, but the closer he listened, the more he realized that he recognized the song.

It was Margie, a song he hadn’t heard in quite a while, but it brought back memories from his childhood. It had been his mother’s favorite song, and when he became a radio host, it was one he would often dedicate to her. When he arrived at Hell, though, he wasn’t able to enjoy the song in the same way he used to. It flooded him with a mixture of emotions that he wasn’t ready to deal with at the time. Alastor was worried about his mother, wherever she was, sad that he might never get to see her again, and ashamed of himself because if she knew the kind of person he had grown into, she’d be disappointed.

However, as he listened to the song now, he saw it in a new light. She was watching over him. She wanted him to be happy, and both he and his mother knew that Rosie was the woman who could do that, even if his mother had never met her before. His mother would adore Rosie if they ever met, and Alastor would be more than happy to show off the woman he loved.

Suddenly, Alastor heard the sound of the balcony door opening behind him. He turned around to see Rosie in her usual attire. Alastor’s smile brightened as he took in the sight of her cast in the red moonlight. She was absolutely stunning, but then again, she always was.

“Good evening, Rosie,” Alastor said, letting his love for the woman bleed into his tone.

Rosie smiled softly at him before responding with a greeting of her own. “Good evening, Al.”

Alastor took a step closer to Rosie and slowly reached for her hand. When he tenderly grabbed hold of it, for a moment, all he did was stand there, appreciating the point of contact and the affection he felt as she gave his hand a small squeeze. Alastor led Rosie over to the table and as soon as they were standing before it, he pulled her chair out for her, allowing her to take a seat.

Alastor moved across the table to sit in the other chair. The metal of his chair was cold even though his clothes, something Alastor found odd for the longest time after arriving in Hell. Typically, when one thought of Hell, what immediately came to mind was a blazing inferno, and yet, that didn’t reflect reality. Hell wasn’t always hot and could even be cold at times. Nevertheless, his adoration for Rosie kept him warm.

With one of his hands, Alastor gestured toward the table with a sweeping motion, careful not to accidentally bump against anything.

“Bon appétit.”

When Alastor lifted the basting cover that had helped to keep his food warm, he was instantly met with a delicious smell. Alastor placed the metal cover to the side and looked at the plate in front of him. It was a pasta dish made with rigatoni noodles, sliced peppers, and a sauce that Alastor couldn’t quite place. It looked incredibly appetizing and he was sure that it would taste even better.

Alastor glanced across the table and saw Rosie taking a bite of her food, so he decided to do the same. He stabbed a few pieces of pasta with his fork before bringing them up to his lips and eating them. The moment the food hit his tongue, Alastor’s eyes widened slightly. He had expected it to be good, but he hadn’t realized just how flavorful the food was going to be. It was savory, spicy, and suited exactly to his taste. He wasn’t sure who made it, but he would need to get the recipe so he could make it himself sometime.

Over the next couple of hours, Alastor and Rosie enjoyed their time together, eating dinner, drinking the finest of wine, and dancing to jazz that reminded him of when he was alive. It was a wonderful evening, and Alastor couldn’t have asked for better company. It was the kind of date he had wanted to take Rosie on from the moment he realized that he was in love with her, and if the smile on Rosie’s face was any indication, she was enjoying her time with him as well.

At the end of the evening, Alastor and Rosie were leaning on the banister, looking down at the city around them. Their conversation had died down, and there was a stretch of silence between the two friends. Nonetheless, it was a comfortable quiet, one that didn’t need to be filled with meaningless conversation. Rosie appeared to be a little lost in thought, but Alastor tried not to think too much about it.

After a few moments, though, Rosie spoke up, breaking the silence.

“Alastor… I… I have a question for you,” Rosie said, her voice low and words hesitant, not quite looking at him as she spoke.

Alastor’s eyes flickered between Rosie’s face and the city skyline a few times. “Of course, ask away,” he responded, not having the faintest idea of what she wanted to ask him about.

Rosie took a slow, deep breath before finally revealing her thoughts to him. “Do you think love is real?”

“What?” Alastor questioned, his voice a little too loud for his liking. He felt a mixture of hope and dread flood his system as he contemplated the meaning behind her question.

“I just,” Rosie uttered. She let out a hefty sigh, clearly struggling with how to articulate her feelings. “I want to believe it’s real, and I want to believe I’ll find it, but I’ve been married so many times over the years, and not a single one of them stayed. So I guess a part of me has started to wonder whether I’ve simply been kidding myself this whole time… I’m sorry, I don’t even know why I’m asking you.”

Alastor didn’t ask what she meant by her apology, it didn’t matter. Rosie needed comfort, and he was willing to give it to her. She deserved it after all the sympathy and advice she had given him and so many others during the decades he had known her.

“Rosie, darling, love does exist, I know it does. Many of us down here won’t find it, but you’re an amazing woman who deserves everything you want. You deserve a man who sees just how wonderful you are. I know it might be hard and take time to find the one who’s right for you, especially seeing as most men down here aren’t great, to say the least… But if you made it down here, there has to be someone else in Hell who is as kind, intelligent, and beautiful as you, inside and out.”

As Alastor spoke, he steadily moved closer to her, trying to act as though it was an action done thoughtlessly, and one that didn’t have his heart racing. When their shoulders gently bumped together, Alastor reached down and took Rosie’s hand in his own, larger one, drawing her gaze toward him. For a moment, all he did was tenderly drag his thumb over the back of her hand, but it wasn’t long before he broke the silence yet again.

“But if… If you’d ever give me a chance, I…” Alastor began, trying to find the best way to say what he wanted to, however, the way Rosie was looking at him, eyes wide and filled with hesitance, he only ended up taking it all back. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter, my dear.”

A small, almost sad smile spread across Rosie’s lips. She carefully extracted her hand from his before wrapping her arms around Alastor’s body in a hug. Alastor was quick to return the gesture of affection, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her close. He savored every moment he was able to hold her close like this, knowing it was likely the closest he’d ever come to having her the way he longed for.

There had been so much more Alastor wanted to say. He had wanted to confess his love to her, had desired to tell her that even if she didn’t feel the same, he’d always love her, and hoped he could make her understand how incredible he believed her to be. In the end, he said none of it, and his heart dropped in his chest when he realized that he probably never would. He was a coward who deserved to watch the woman he loved be with another, especially when this whole thing had been set up to give him the perfect opportunity to confess. He had taken the easy way out because he was scared. Rosie deserved someone better, someone unafraid of telling her he loved her, someone who wasn’t him.

“Thank you, Al, you’re a good friend,” Rosie said, snapping Alastor out of his spiral of despair.

Alastor tightened his arms around Rosie slightly, holding her just a bit closer before responding. “You’re welcome,” he replied, his words quiet and filled with a sadness that he could only pray she didn’t hear.

Chapter Text

Rosie left the hotel shortly after, and Alastor couldn’t help but feel disappointed that he hadn’t confessed his love to her. It hadn’t felt like the right time despite all the planning and work the residents of the hotel put into the date. He had hoped he would be able to work up the courage to tell her how he felt, so their efforts didn’t go to waste. Yet, in the end, he couldn’t do it.

Alastor could’ve easily blamed her, could’ve believed that when she asked him whether he thought love was real, it discouraged him, but it didn’t. He was the one on the fence during their whole date, the one who had anticipated that the right moment would arise so he could act on it, and the one who chose not to tell her. Looking back on their conversation, he was positive that he could’ve come up with some way to tell her how deeply in love with her he was. However, even if he couldn’t, that hadn’t stopped him from confessing before then. They had a fun night, dancing, eating dinner, and chatting with each other. There had been nothing stopping him from confessing during any of that, but he waited for a better moment, one that never came.

Alastor made his way toward the lobby of the Hazbin Hotel after what was meant to be his first date with Rosie. He hadn’t even changed out of the suit Charlie and Angel Dust had picked out for him. While he had thought about simply going back to his room after Rosie left and shutting himself inside, he figured he might as well make an appearance in the main room of the hotel in case anyone was waiting to hear how it went.

Alastor had been expecting Lucifer, Charlie, and maybe even Vaggie to be waiting for him, but when he arrived at the lobby, he saw everyone. Charlie, Vaggie, Lucifer, and Angel were sitting on the sofa and chairs. Husk was manning the bar, and Niffty was running around the room, stabbing at bugs. As Alastor walked into the room, the heels of his boots tapped against the floor. The sound stopped everyone in their tracks, and all at once, the eyes of the people in the room were drawn toward him.

Nobody said anything as Alastor walked across the room, moving to sit on the sofa. It was only after Alastor had situated himself in a comfortable position that anyone dared to speak up.

“So… How’d it go?” Angel asked. He was scrolling on his phone, trying to seem preoccupied, but there wasn’t a single person in the hotel who didn’t know about Angel’s interest in all things gossip.

Alastor debated whether or not to tell them the truth. He wasn’t sure how much Lucifer had told them. Did they believe this to be a date between two lovers? Did they realize that he and Rosie were still just friends? They had been the ones to arrange such a beautiful date, so they deserved the truth, despite how hesitant he was to reveal it. It was bad enough that they knew he had feelings and fears, just the same as all of them. Telling them that he had been unable to confess because of said anxieties was almost too much to bear

“It was fine… The date went well. Thank you all for putting it together,” Alastor said, trying to act casual.

However, it seemed that Lucifer wouldn’t even let him have this much, as the man was quick to call him out.

“You know that’s not what he meant. Did you confess? Kiss? Do you have any details aside from just it ‘went well?’”

Alastor’s eyes narrowed into slits and he shot a glare in Lucifer’s direction.

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” Alastor retaliated, but that didn’t deter Lucifer.

“Okay, two things. First, you were the one who made it my business. I told you that I didn’t want to get myself or my daughter involved, and here we are… involved,” Lucifer responded, his annoyance bleeding into his tone. He then turned his attention toward Angel. “Two, to answer your question, if the way he’s acting is any indication, nothing happened.”

“Damn, really? So all of our efforts went to waste then? I cooked all that food for nothing?” Angel questioned, only now looking up from his phone.

As much as Alastor should’ve been annoyed by Angel and Lucifer discussing his love life right in front of him, there was something Angel said that caught his attention.

“Wait,” Alastor butt in, “You were the one who made the meal I just ate?”

Alastor almost couldn’t believe it. He never thought that Angel, of all people, would be able to cook such delicious food, let alone at all. He had figured that with Angel being a celebrity, he’d just order food or have other people cook for him.

“Yeah, why?” Angel asked, clearly having been caught off guard by the sudden change in topic.

“Would you mind giving me the recipe?”

Angel let out a sudden, sharp bark of laughter, making Alastor feel slightly embarrassed for having asked in the first place. As much as he wanted to lash out against Angel at that moment, he held himself back. The food had been exquisite, and he did want the recipe, so he’d play nice and hope that Angel would give him the recipe of his own volition.

“You liked it that much, huh? Well, in that case… tell your girl you love her first. Think of it as a little extra motivation,” he said with a wink, a smirk playing on his lips.

“If he wasn’t able to do anything with the opportunity we gave him, I doubt a recipe is going to do anything,” Lucifer declared before Alastor could even speak a single word.

“Dad!” Charlie exclaimed, making her presence known for the first time; however, nobody paid attention to her.

Angel shrugged nonchalantly before responding. “That’s true.”

Charlie whipped her head around to face Angel Dust, her eyes wide. “Angel!”

“Oh come on, dollface,” Angel began, his voice containing a lilt of frustration. “You can’t tell me you’re not disappointed that all your hard work went to waste.”

Alastor had expected Charlie to say that she wasn’t. She tended to be a more understanding person, especially compared to the two men he was currently conversing with. Surely she would realize how difficult it was to profess one’s love for another, seeing as she had a girlfriend. Lucifer was old enough that he may have forgotten, and as far as Alastor knew, Angel had never been in a real relationship with anyone. Those two had little right to judge him, and he believed Charlie felt the same way.

“Of course I’m disappointed,” Charlie said, instantly crushing his expectations in the palm of her hand. After a moment, she continued speaking, “I’m disappointed whenever something I work toward doesn’t go the way I want, whether it be with Heaven, or the hotel, or this. However, we can’t pressure him into something he’s not ready for just because we want it to happen.”

“Fair enough,” Angel replied. He sat back in his chair and continued to scroll on his phone, seeming content with her answer.

Charlie then turned to face Alastor, her face somber and serious. “But Alastor, please do know that we’re coming from a place of love. I… We just want you to be happy. Even if she doesn’t feel the same, which I don’t think there’s a single person here who thinks that, it’ll feel good to at least get this off your chest.”

Alastor looked from Charlie’s face to his lap, then back again before nodding his head slowly. “I understand, my dear,” he said, his voice a little softer than usual, knowing that what Charlie was saying was the truth.

He would feel better telling Rosie how he felt, whether or not she felt the same way. Of course, he wished she did, but he shouldn’t confess to her for that reason, something he now realized. He should tell her he loved her because he wanted to and because she deserved to hear it. Despite their date not going the way he had hoped, this conversation gave Alastor new life. With renewed determination, he promised himself to finally do what he had been afraid of doing for so long.

Chapter Text

A few days after their date, Alastor went to visit Rosie. She deserved an explanation as to why he had invited her over to the hotel, and he planned on giving her one. He wasn’t sure whether what he was going to tell her was the truth or if he’d come up with some lie to excuse his actions. He wanted to tell her the truth, but with how things had gone for him so far, the chances of him shying away from the main issue and instead taking the easy way out were high. However, the conversation after his date had inspired new life in him, so perhaps today was the day. Maybe today he’d tell Rosie how he felt because he wanted to tell her in spite of whatever reaction she might have.

Alastor arrived at Rosie’s Emporium feeling excited and determined, but there was a small, nagging, lingering doubt about whether he’d actually go through with what he had been putting off for so long. He placed his hand on the handle of the glass door leading into her place and swung it open before stepping through the entrance. A small bell chimed, sounding throughout the emporium, signaling his arrival. As he walked further into the building, he let the door fall closed behind him.

The first thing he noticed upon looking around was that Rosie wasn’t behind the counter where she could typically be found during the day. Seeing as the building was open and he was not the only one here, though, she must’ve been around here somewhere. He turned his head left and right as he searched for her, and after only a few moments, he caught sight of her hat out of the corner of his eye. Alastor walked over to where she was, and when he got a clearer view of what she was doing, his heart sank in his chest.

Rosie was sitting on the sofa and chatting with a man, one Alastor couldn’t ever remember seeing before. That wasn’t odd in and of itself, but they were sitting very close, and she had her hand resting on his thigh. The two were smiling and looking at each other as though they were the only two in all of Hell. If he didn’t know any better, he’d have thought they were lovers.

It was that thought that sent Alastor’s mind into a spiral. This couldn’t be what he thought it was, right? It couldn’t be another Len situation. He had almost lost his mind the first time he had to watch Rosie get married to another man, he couldn’t watch her fall in love as well. His heart couldn’t take it. If just seeing these two together caused a storm of negative emotions to rage inside him, what would happen when he was forced to see them hold hands, kiss, or even get married? He couldn’t do it again, he wouldn’t.

Without him even making a conscious decision to, Alastor turned around and walked out of her emporium. If she were busy, he wouldn’t interrupt her. He wouldn’t get in the way of her happiness or complicate things more than they already were. Her happiness mattered far more than his. If being with that man, with Len, with any man brought her joy, he would step aside and play the role of the supportive best friend. It was the role he was destined to play, it seemed, especially as he had squandered any chance he had of being anything more than that. As he walked back to the hotel, he tried to come to terms with that fact, but, in truth, he knew he was only running away from his feelings. He was a coward through and through.

Chapter Text

When Alastor got back to his room at the hotel, he slammed the door behind him, causing a loud bang to sound throughout the building. His heart was beating wildly in his chest, and his mind was reeling. A rush of panic coursed through him as he thought about what he had just seen. Rosie was clearly getting close with yet another man, and just as he was working up the nerve to tell her the truth. The worst part was that there was nobody he could blame but himself for this. He was given the perfect opportunity to confess to her, and he wasted it.

No, it was more than that, more than just that one mistake. How many times throughout the past few months could he have told her? How many times had they hung out where he could’ve brought it up? Why hadn’t he? He knew the answer to that last one, but he was afraid. Rosie deserved better than him, deserved someone who wasn’t scared to let her know how much she meant to him. That person wasn’t him, and he wasn’t sure if it ever would be.

Alastor made his way toward his bed, wanting nothing more than to lie down and forget about the world around him. He let out a sigh as he flopped down onto the plush mattress. The soft sheets felt nice against his skin and contrasted heavily with the bitter feelings flooding his body.

He couldn’t blame her for wanting to be with someone, not when he longed to be with her. Knowing where she was coming from didn’t make it hurt any less, though. Despite Rosie not talking about Len often, whenever he saw them together, he couldn’t help but imagine what it’d be like to be in his shoes. If the person he saw with Rosie today were, in fact, a potential suitor, the same would be true here.

Suddenly, Alastor heard a knock on his bedroom door. He leisurely moved to sit up on his elbows, looking over toward the entrance. He wasn’t sure who it was. Nobody was at the hotel when he got back. He didn’t know whether they were all out doing their own things or if Charlie had something planned for the day and didn’t care enough to ask. The only thing he could think of was that they had just gotten back, and now he was needed for something. With that thought in mind, he got up from his bed and walked over to the door.

However, when he opened the door, instead of Charlie, Vaggie, or possibly even Lucifer being on the other side, it was Rosie. Alastor’s eyes widened, and his breath caught in his throat at the sight of her.

“Rosie, what are you doing here?” Alastor asked, cutting right to the chase in his surprise, not even offering her a simple greeting.

“Well, hello to you too, dear,” Rosie responded, not answering his question.

Alastor widened his smile, masking the emotions coursing through him at seeing her so soon after what he witnessed less than an hour ago. Confusion, anxiety, and a twinge of disappointment tugged at his very soul, but not wanting to let them show, he hid behind his smile as he so often did.

“Sorry, darling,” Alastor said before starting again. “Good afternoon, Rosie. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I saw you at my emporium earlier. I was a bit preoccupied, so I couldn’t speak with you immediately, but when I had finished up my conversation, you were already gone. I just wanted to know what you needed and why you left,” Rosie explained, her voice as soothing as usual. It was a balm for Alastor’s aching heart.

“No need to worry about it, my dear. I simply saw that you were busy and decided to come back another time. What I needed wasn’t urgent. It can wait.”

Rosie’s eyes softened, and she offered him a smile. He always loved it whenever she would look at him like this, even before he realized his feelings for her. Now, though, it was bittersweet more than anything because she’d never see him the way he desperately wished her to. He didn’t want to be seen as Alastor, her best friend, but instead as a man, one who, while scared to admit it, longed to be with her and love her the way she deserved to be.

“Well, I’m here now, so go ahead and tell me. There’s no need to be shy.”

Alastor shook his head reluctantly. “It doesn’t matter,” he responded, once again shying away from what he should say.

“Of course, it matters. If you came to Cannibal Town for it, it must be important.”

“Couldn’t I have just wanted to see you?” Alastor tried, hoping she would take his answer at face value, not knowing how much longer he could hold back from spilling his guts to her.

“If that was all you came for, then you would’ve waited. You wouldn’t have rushed out like you did,” she countered, and it was the truth; he had run away as he always seemed to do whenever things got complicated.

“Rosie, please-” Alastor said, practically on the verge of begging at this point.

Rosie’s voice was a gentle warning when she spoke, clearly growing a little annoyed at his insistence on not telling her. “Al-”

“I couldn’t bear to see you with another man, alright?!” Alastor replied before he even made a conscious decision about what to say. Once he got those few words out, everything else he had wanted to tell her over the past year yet didn’t came tumbling out right after, with him unable to do anything to stop them from doing so.

“It makes me so jealous to see you with other men, Rosie. Touching them, kissing them, holding them, I can’t take it. Seeing you with Len had been so painful. You don’t know how many nights I had lain awake wishing I was in his place, wishing I could have you, love you, the way I want. I had gone over there to tell you, but when I saw you with someone else, I was reminded of all the suffering I was forced to endure with Len, and I couldn’t take it. I can’t do that again, Rosie, I’m sorry. I know I’m a terrible friend. I know you deserve someone better than me, but I can’t pretend anymore. I love you. With my whole being, I love you.”

Alastor could hear his own voice breaking. He could feel unshed tears stinging his eyes. Telling her all of this was freeing and yet terrifying at the same time. It was wrong for him to feel this way about the woman who had already given him so much, but he couldn’t help it. He was in love with her, and he needed her to know it.

All was silent for a few brief moments, Alastor’s confession hanging in the air between them. It must have come as a shock to her, hearing her best friend confess his love for her in such a heated and passionate way.

“Wha-?” Rosie began, struggling to find the right words. Alastor simply stood there and let her process everything, waiting for whatever she would say next.

“I… You… You love me?”

“I do,” Alastor answered quietly with a solemn nod.

“I always thought you were ace,” Rosie said, causing Alastor to tilt his head slightly in confusion. “Sorry, I know you don’t know what that means. I… I just never thought you were interested in romance. I didn’t even know you could feel romantic love. I mean, you never talked about romance stuff before; it was always me.”

Alastor released a breathy chuckle at her words, a genuine smile forming along his lips. “I didn’t think I was interested in it either, to be entirely honest… But, the night we almost kissed… Rosie, it… It awakened something in me, something I didn’t know was there. At first, I thought that I just wanted to kiss you, but I quickly came to realize that wasn’t the case. It wasn’t just physical affection. I wanted to be with you. I still want to be with you, but if you don’t feel the same way, I’ll understand. We can forget any of this ever happened.”

Rosie took a single, slow step toward Alastor. “What if… I don’t want to forget.”

“What?” Alastor asked, his heart beating a little harder in his chest at the implication of her words.

“I’ve been in love with you for a long time… Decades,” Rosie declared, sincerity dripping from her every word. “I just never thought I had a chance, which was why I didn’t tell you. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get over you, so I distracted myself with men I didn’t feel anything for. I hoped that one of them would be able to help me get over you, but it never worked. Al, I love you just as much, if not more, than you love me. You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this day.”

Alastor’s body remained stock still as he processed everything she just said, not breathing, not moving. He couldn’t believe it. Rosie, his darling Rosie, loved him? According to her, she had for decades, and that fact alone made Alastor feel lightheaded. At the same time, though, how much had he made her suffer over the years?

If he had been crushed seeing her with a single man, Alastor could only imagine how terrible he made her feel when he had suddenly disappeared, not just during his seven-year sabbatical but also after they had almost kissed. From his perspective, he had been overwhelmed by the rush of emotions he had never felt before, but to Rosie, it must have felt awful. She had been so close to kissing the man she loved, and he ran away. Even his request to kiss her had been selfish. He had been using her to experiment when he already meant so much more to her than a simple test.

However, this was his chance to make it all up to her. The decades he kept her waiting, the selfishness he displayed, and his cowardice, he would spend the rest of his afterlife seeking forgiveness.

Alastor took a couple of steps forward until he could feel the softness of her body pressed against the hard edges of his own. He raised his hand and gently placed it along her jawline, careful not to accidentally harm her with his claws. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, and he could only hope she forgave him for all the pain he had caused her up until now. Alastor slowly inched his face closer to hers, his breath fanning across her cheeks and his lips a hairsbreadth away from hers.

“Well then, I’m sorry I made you wait so long,” Alastor whispered before closing the distance between them.

With that, Alastor leaned forward and kissed Rosie, finally doing what he had wanted to do for years. The moment their lips met, there was a spark of electricity that coursed through both of them. It wasn’t quite the fireworks that Alastor had read about in romance novels in preparation for the day he summoned the courage to kiss her, but it was so much better. Her lips were plush and velvety against his, a quality that would make him want to dive in for more even after they parted. The thing that truly took his breath away was that she was kissing him back.

Alastor loved Rosie with his entire being, and he swore to himself that from that day forward, he wouldn’t let a day pass where he didn’t tell her just how much she meant to him. After everything she had gone through for him, she deserved a man who wasn’t afraid to love her, and at long last, that man was him.

Chapter Text

Lucifer sat on a plush stool at the bar, an empty rock glass held loosely in his hand. Slow jazz music filled the air from the orchestra playing near the wooden dance floor. Lucifer watched as the two newlyweds swayed on the dancefloor, holding each other close as they had always wished to do. Lucifer was proud of himself for the effort he had put into helping Alastor realize his feelings for Rosie. Even he had to admit that Alastor had come a long way from the scared, unsure man he had been when Alastor first opened up to him. He was happy for him and hoped the two could make it work for the rest of eternity.

“Can I get you another?” Husk asked, his voice deep and gruff, snapping Lucifer out of his train of thought.

Lucifer turned his head to face the bartender before sliding his glass over to him. “That’d be great, thanks.”

Husk took the glass into his hand and dumped the ice into the sink behind the bar. Husk picked up a few bottles as well as other ingredients he needed to mix another drink. As he made the drink, Husk struck up a conversation with the king.

“I don’t know how you’re able to put up with him,” Husk said with a shake of his head.

Lucifer raised an eyebrow in response to Husk’s words. “Put up with who?”

“You know who.”

That was fair, Lucifer did know who. To be honest, Lucifer wasn’t sure how to answer Husk’s question. He put too much effort into Alastor and Rosie’s relationship to say he was forced into it. He wasn’t forced to check in with him; he hadn’t been forced to stand there as Alastor broke down in front of him, and it had been his idea to have their first date at the hotel. He had done so many things for Alastor, and as much as he hated to admit it, the man had grown on him a little.

Lucifer and Alastor still weren’t exactly friends, but they weren’t constantly at each other’s throats as they once were either. They were something in between, something he couldn’t describe in words but made sense to both of them.

“I just want him to be happy. The happier he is, the less hostile he seems to be. If it meant he’d be less annoying in the long run, I was more than willing to put up with him for a few months,” Lucifer answered. It wasn’t the whole truth, but it was as close to it as he was going to get.

Husk gave a small shrug of his shoulders. “Fair enough. I have to admit, Boss’s been a lot happier these past couple of years. I can’t remember the last time he snapped at me. If he didn’t own my soul, working for him would be almost tolerable. So thanks, I guess.”

“I’d say anytime, but please don’t make me go through that again.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Husk said with a smirk. He placed Lucifer’s finished drink on the bartop and slid it over to him. “Anyway, here’s your drink.”

Lucifer took his freshly made drink into his hand and lifted it in an imitation of cheers. “Thanks.”

“Of course, it’s what I’m here for,” Husk replied with an air of finality before leaving Lucifer alone with his thoughts.

Lucifer raised the glass to his lips and took a swig, swallowing back the amber liquid that stung his throat a little as it went down. He turned his attention back toward the dancefloor just as the song ended. Applause sounded from the crowd that had gathered around the couple, people who were happy for the two. He was as well, but what he was happier about was the fact that his job, for the most part, was done. There’d be problems in their marriage. No couple was without their issues, but if they had managed to work things through so far, he knew they’d be alright.