A Divine Comedy [Alastor x Reader]

La Vie En Rose

There weren't many residents at the hotel...and the one that was didn't seem overly fond of you. It may have been the "frigid bitch" comment, but you took the hint that it might be better to circumvent Angel Dust until he was in a better...more sociable...mood. You hated feeling useless and now that a week had gone by with you barely leaving your room, you felt a need to make up for all the time you had spent sleeping away the day.

Charlie was kind. She understood that a creature being thrust from heaven would require time to adjust. She had heard the stories first hand from her father. Being compared to Lucifer stung, but you appreciated the sentiment nonetheless.

Cleanup efforts were at a standstill, even Nifty required rest once in a while. You were not shy to housework, as a growing girl your mother had insisted that you help her with MANY of the household chores. Vaggie and Charlie debated on what room would be the best to start in, but your eyes fell upon a set of two large wooden doors. They stretched from floor to ceiling and you quickly realized that these were doors to a ballroom.

Curiosity compelled you to push the doors open and your nose wrinkled in disgust at what found you. The ballroom was in utter shambles. Cobwebs hanging from an amazing chandelier, tables that were with stained linens, and a stage that sat untouched with torn red curtains. 

"Oh be careful, y/n!" Charlie called. "We haven't used the ballroom in decades. God knows what could be in there."

"What if I clean this room?" you asked.

"Oh...uh...well." she looked at Vaggie.

"I mean...it doesn't get much use...it might be better to focus on the second floor."

"If we cleaned it up, we could host guests and have some live entertainment," you suggested. "Demons might want to visit more. Even if you don't get ALL of them to stay, you are bound to catch one or two."

You didn't understand it, but this room was calling to you. You needed to clean this room. You wanted to be a part of this room. Charlie and Vaggie exchanged a glance, but you could sense their hesitance. 

"It could be a welcoming alternative to them getting drunk at the bar..." you offered. 

Whether they actually agreed with you or just wanted to throw you a bone remained seen, but they nodded and allowed you free reign of the dusty room. It was absolutely massive. You remembered going dancing with your father when you were a teen. Nights where you would be celebrating a cousin's birthday or wedding and you had the privilege of dancing the evening away. That had been so long ago.

The tables needed clean linens, but even then you struggled with where to start. You could begin with sweeping the floor, but that felt like a pointless affair until you got the cobwebs removed. So...maybe the chandelier would be your best place to start. 

You looked around, hoping to find the mechanism that would lower the room's shimmering crown to the floor. Perhaps behind the stage? Climbing up the stairs, you pushed the heavy red curtain to the side and searched a leaver of sorts.

After rummaging through the backroom, you were able to find a set of control panels. Thankfully everything was labeled and with a pull, the loud screech of chains chimed through the room along with the tinkling of fine glass.

The chandelier touched down on the dim floor and you took in a deep breath. This was definitely going to take most of the day. Taking the sash that had been used as a belt for your a-line skirt, you created a make-shift bandana and began the delicate work of removing each and every spire from its gold home.

Hours must have passed and you had not left the ballroom. You were quite content where you were, happy to have something to take your mind off the uncomfortable conversation you had had with Alastaro a week prior. You almost felt...happy. Lightly you placed another cleaned piece of crystal beside you.

"Des yeux qui font baisser les miens
Un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche
Voilà le portrait sans retouches
De l'homme auquel j'appartiens"

You could not remember the last time you had sung...the last time you had heard your own voice reverberate off of walls that had held the voices of so many others. You had been singing for your family the day they had come...the day your world had officially crumbled. 

"Quand il me prend dans ses bras
Il me parle tout bas
Je vois la vie en rose"

Heaven was not designed for a soul to remember the painful parts of their pasts. When you were in heaven, you only remembered the happy things that happened to you. Hell was the opposite. Your sins, your transgressions, all were laid bare for you to watch over and over again...including the sins that had been done to you. 

It felt nice to have relief from that pain...but without it, everything else seemed meaningless. The sting reminded you of the chances you took, the lessons you learned...being numbed to that for decades made eternity feel...pointless.

"When you press me to your heart,
I'm in a world apart...
a world where roses bloom."

You placed the final spire onto the pile and stood to begin cleaning the golden bobeche. However as you hummed the final lines of your song...you realized that words were still reverberating off the walls. You looked around for the source and saw the silhouette of a man in the doorway.

"And when you speak, angels speak from above.
Everyday words seem to turn into loves songs.
So, give your heart and soul to me.
And life will always be
"La vie en rose"."