Chapter Text
Alastor glowered out the window, his smile straining at the edges. The object of his disdain? The pouring rain.
He had planned everything down to the smallest detail today. Down to where he was going to take you out for lunch, the path you would take to get there, the places you'd stop. Everything. What he hadn't planned on was the rain that was currently pouring out of the sky. With no sign of stopping, he knew his plans had been completely dashed.
His smile tightened as he heard the hi-jinks of the Hotel behind him grow louder. He had insisted on sitting today's "activity" out in favor of taking his beau out on the town. The loss of control was not particularly appreciated. The fact that he was trapped inside was not appreciated. A lot of things were currently not appreciated, in fact.
His eye twitched as he heard someone coming down the stairs, no doubt another sinner come to interrupt his glaring at the rain. The last sinner who tried to approach him in this mood had ended up halfway across the room. He didn't need another scolding from Charlie or any more gloating from the King of Hell himself, who was taking pleasure in his downtrodden mood. He stiffened as the person stepped up beside him, his hands tightening on his cane.
"You ready to go?" You asked, giving Alastor a soft smile, one you reserved only for him.
Alastor sighed, his shoulders noticeably slumping as he realized that it was just you. "It's raining, my dear."
You glanced from him towards the window, taking note of the rain, "so it is." You replied, not sure why he sounded so defeated.
He turned to face you, his eyes shining with annoyance and what could have been resignation. "We'll have to reschedule."
You raised an eyebrow, slightly amused, "you're letting a little rain stop you? You? Of all people, really, Al?"
You chuckled, looking between him and the pouring rain. "If Vox heard that a little rain could stop you, he'd be all over this."
Alastor scoffed, "There was a time he couldn't go out in the rain because of his circuits."
"Did that stop him?" You inquired, curious about the history between those two.
The Radio Demon's eyes were distant as he fell silent, obviously recalling some memory between Vox and him. He blinked, turning back to face you, banishing the lurking sadness in his eyes.
"I suppose we could still venture out." He mused, "Let me grab an umbrella and we can go, dearest."
As he turned to grab an umbrella from the rack in the foyer, he heard the door. He turned back around, umbrella in hand, only to see you were already hopping down the stairs without a care in the world. When you reached the bottom of the steps you turned back towards him.
"Come on!" You urged, a grin on your face, "you made a reservation at that restaurant, and I'd hate to miss the time window."
He shook his head, his smile softening as he stepped outside, opening the umbrella to protect his suit from the rain. "My dear, you're going to catch a chill."
You laughed, the sound melodic, "And if I do, it will have been well worth it!"
He caught up to you, his long legs closing the distance between you. He tried to get you to step under the umbrella but to no avail. You always danced ahead, insisting on being out in the rain. Alastor made sure to keep his pace quick, ignoring the stops he had planned to make along the way. There would be time enough for that later, when it wasn't raining.
"Dearest, they're not going to let you into the restaurant if you look like a drowned rat." He remarked, his eyes shining with mirth.
"Oh yes they will," you insisted, "I'm with the Radio Demon."
He shook his head, but said nothing, following you in silence. Sometimes he wondered about the choices that he had made, the choices that led him to courting you. He regretted many things. The deal he made, the way things ended between Vox and him, but he never regretted anything when it came to you. Even if you would rather dance in the rain, instead of walking side by side with him, beneath the relative dryness the umbrella offered.
When you arrived to the restaurant, Alastor joined you beneath the awning. He shook out the umbrella before turning to face you. With a snap of his fingers he summoned a towel. He wordlessly covered your head, drying your hair out. He ignored your quiet objection, grinning down at you when you finally surfaced from beneath the fluffy towel.
"I told you, sweetheart, they won't let you in looking like a drowned rat." He teased, using the towel to pull you closer.
"Uh-huh," you grumbled playfully, "you just wanted an excuse to ruin my hair."
"I think the rain did that," he murmured, pressing a gentle kiss against your lips before he stepped back, tossing the towel back into the ether where it had spawned from. "Shall we?"
Your face softened into a smile once more as you linked your arm with his. "We shall."