Come Hell or High Water - Striker x Reader (18+)

27. Until Next Time

"Thank you for walking me home, Al," I said, flashing him a grateful smile as we left the bus stop just inside of Imp City. I stepped to his side and held onto his arm. "I forgot how sketchy the Pentagram was at night."

"It was my pleasure, dear," he replied. We walked down the sidewalk to my apartment building, and he laid his hand on mine. "It gave me an opportunity to have you to myself, without the ruffians interjecting with their own conversation."

I giggled. "Angel and Charlie did seem a little too enthusiastic, huh?"

"Oh, definitely," he remarked. "Especially after old Husker broke out the hard liquor."

"Seems like you can still hold yours pretty well," I quipped, a knowing grin tugging at my lips. "Reminds me of someone."

Alastor looked down at me expectantly. "And who would that be?"

My face warmed. "Oh, just someone I met recently," I said sheepishly, looking away from him.

He hummed in understanding. "Do I need to make myself acquainted with them?"

I placed a hand on his chest and gave it a gentle pat. "No, sweetie. At least, not right now. It's not that serious yet."

"Yet?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow. His permanent smile morphed into an amused smirk for a moment.

I let out a nervous chuckle. "Uh, y-yeah." I quickly relaxed and leaned on him. "I think I really like him, Al," I said almost dreamily. "I don't know, I just hope this one works out."

Alastor briefly squeezed my hand as we crossed a busy road. A car suddenly blared its horn and screeched to a halt less than ten feet from me, causing me to jump and tighten my grip on Alastor's arm. Behind the car's bright headlights, an angry middle-aged imp stuck his head and balled fist out of the driver's side window and shouted at me, "Get out of the way, ya' fucking apple-muncher!"

Alastor promptly leaned forward to reveal himself from behind me, a wide, threatening smile stretching from ear to ear. The static corrupted his voice when he spoke: "Do we have a problem, fire toad? "

"Al!" I snapped at him through my teeth.

The imp was obviously infuriated by the slur, but he quickly recognized the Radio Demon before him on the crosswalk. He nervously slinked back into his car and waited for us to cross the street. As soon as we hopped onto the sidewalk, he stepped on the gas and sped away.

"Al," I said as I glared at him, a clear edge in my voice. "That was not necessary."

"He insulted you for being a sinner," Alastor said matter-of-factly. "So I gave him a taste of his own medicine."

An exasperated sigh escaped my lips. "Al, please don't call them that. It's degrading."

"I don't say it often," he responded, glancing down at me. "Only when it's deserved."

My frown deepened. "Well, I don't think the imp I'm seeing right now would like my friend calling his people that."

Alastor was quiet for a moment, his smile shrinking just slightly. He let out a light sigh through his nose and said, "Alright, my dear. I won't."

I stared down at the sidewalk ahead of us. We walked down the street in an uncomfortable silence for several minutes. It was late, so the city was mostly empty, the streetlights illuminating our path in a dull yellow light.

"Sorry I snapped on you," I mumbled.

"It's quite alright, my dear," Alastor said. "I'm sorry I upset you so."

I pursed my lips, unsure of exactly how to respond to him.

"I must say," he started, looking at the various buildings and structures around us. "This city seems rather nice. I can see why you decided to rent an apartment here rather than stay in the Pentagram."

"Yeah. It's certainly a lot cleaner than most of the Pentagram." A bittersweet smile crossed my face. "It doesn't feel like there's as much to do here as there is back home, though."

Alastor's eyes fell to me as I spoke, his red-tinted monocle glinting in the streetlight. "'Back home?'" he mused.

My smile quickly disappeared, and I bit my lip. I looked away from him in shame, a pained grimace tugging at my lips.

"I-I think the hotel will always still feel like home," I said slowly. "You, Charlie, Angel, Vaggie . . . you'll always be my family." I felt tears sting my eyes. "You were there from the beginning. I was all alone until I found the hotel. . ."

Alastor looked down at me calmly, his lids half-closed over his eyes. I had trailed off, and after a moment he said softly, "Then why did you leave?"

A knot formed in my stomach, making me sick. I shook my head. "Al, I wasn't in the program. I . . . I didn't belong there anymore . . . I was just taking up space. Freeloading off of your time and money." Tears blurred my vision and began to roll down my face. My voice shook as I spoke. "I was just a burden to you guys at that point. . ."

Alastor came to a halt on the sidewalk, causing me to stop as well, and slipped his arm out of my hold. Bending down, he lifted a finger and gingerly wiped the tears from my eyes.

"(Y/N), my dear," he murmured, the static fading from his voice. "You are our friend. We would never consider you a burden. You were a valued member of the family Charlie had created." His hand cupped my cheek. "And I know she and everyone else would welcome you back with open arms should you change your mind."

I saw the earnestness in his eyes, and my heart clenched. I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him tightly. He paused for a second before letting out a soft chuckle and hugging me back. After a moment, he lightly rubbed my back and gently pried me away from his frame. I clung to Alastor's arm, resting my head on his shoulder as we eventually continued down the sidewalk. I remained close to him when we neared my apartment complex, and Alastor once again placed his hand on mine and gave it a comforting squeeze.

We climbed the flight of stairs to the second floor, walking down the hallway and stopping at my apartment door. I slowly released his arm and dug through my purse for my keys. Once I found them, I turned back to him.

"It was good seeing you, Al," I said, "after all this time."

Alastor's smile softened. "It was good seeing you as well, my dear. I do hope to see you again soon."

I nodded emphatically. "Yes. Definitely." I clenched my jaw. "We're gonna stay in touch this time. I mean it."

His normal toothy smile returned, and he brought his hands behind his back. "Of course, my dear. And don't be afraid to contact me if I should introduce myself to this new friend of yours."

I snickered. "If the need arises, sure, Al."

He bent forward slightly, his expression softening again for just a second. "Goodnight, (Y/N)," he murmured, planting a quick kiss on the back of my hand. "Until next time."

I watched as he turned and headed back down the hallway. "Goodnight, Al."

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Author's Note: "Apple-muncher" is a derogatory term used by hellborn toward sinners, referring to the "original sin" of Adam and Eve eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The term was created by me for this fic (and possibly other fics in the future), and is not part of the Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss canon.