Well Aren't You A Charmer | Alastor x Reader

Chapter Twenty-Nine

I dust off my dress slightly before opening the door to the bank. The bank is mostly empty which is slightly surprising to me but I shrug it off due to the fact it's early in the day. As my eyes roam around I also take note of the few amount of tellers. I frown slightly but shake my head, walking up to the closest teller. "Good morning." I chirp. "I would like to withdraw some money out of my business account please."

The teller looks at me, his expression seeming oddly nervous. He coughs lightly before speaking. "I'm sorry ma'am but we can't give you your money today. It will have to be at a later date."

My eyes widened slightly. I need cash after giving all of my money I stowed away to Mimzy. "But sir, I need some money out of my account to buy some things to keep my business running. You understand don't you?"

He glances around a bit before leaning in closer to me, his voice quieter now. "Listen I understand that you need some money for your business right now but our bank can't give you cash at the moment due to a... recent issue with our cash supplies."

"Then is there another bank I could go to?" I ask, hopeful. "Unfortunately no..." He responds, his expression becoming even more apologetic. I blink back my surprise at his vagueness. "I'll just come back in a few days then." I finally sigh out. "Thank you for your time."

"Yes... come back in a few days." The teller responds, his voice still quiet and apologetic. A look of uncertainty stays on his face as I turn around and walk out the bank, the interaction replaying in my mind.

As I walk out of the bank I feel a pit of worry start to grow inside of me. My brow furrows as I try to figure out why the bank won't give me any cash. I made a quick decision to not open my shop today, heading home to call Alastor to see if he knows anything going on with the banks.

He has to talk about all kinds of new and important information on his broadcast so maybe he's been told something the rest of the public doesn't know yet? I sigh as I quicken my pace.

My hands fidget with my keys as I unlock my door. As soon as I step inside I place my purse and keys down onto a nearby table. I then walk over to my record player and put on some quiet music for the sake of background noise before glancing over at my landline.

I stare at the phone a moment as I debate if I even want to bother checking to see if Alastor knows anything going on about the banks. There's a chance I could be completely overthinking the encounter I had at the bank.

After a moment I decide to pick up the phone and dial his work number, placing the phone against my ear as I wait for him to pick up. Finally, after what feels like an eternity, I hear a click on the other end signaling he's picked up. "Hello darling." He greets, his voice is smooth as he speaks, taking on more of a transatlantic accent. "Shouldn't you be on your way to open up your shop at this time?"

"Sorry to bother you right before you have to go on air." I start off, my voice taking on a quieter tone than usual. "I was just wondering if your script had anything bank or business related for today." Through the phone I can hear him shuffling through papers, the occasional sound of him humming or mumbling to himself. "Hmmm let me see..."

"All I have here is news and gossip about new businesses around the city as well as some of their stocks, is that what you're curious about?" Another sigh escapes my lips. "No." I mutter out, biting the inside of my cheek. "It's alright. I'm probably just overthinking something. Thank you for checking."

I hear him hum quietly through the phone, the faint sound of papers rustling continuing. "Are you sure you're okay? You sound concerned about something. I have time to talk, my broadcast isn't until a little later."

A silence fills the air as I debate whether or not to take up more of his time. The silence continues for a moment before he speaks again, his voice still coming out through the phone, slightly more concerned this time.

"Darlin' you're being too quiet, that's a bit worrying." His accent slips out making a small smile form on my lips. "I went to the bank to get some money out of my business account but they said they were having issues with their cash supply." I groan out. "I wouldn't care as much but I gave Mimzy the money I had stowed away in my safe."

"Right. Businesses have to have a bank account." He mumbles on the other end. "Hmmm, that's strange. If the bank is having issues with its cash supply they should still be able to give you some, at least a fraction of the total amount."

"Do you not keep your money in a bank account?" I ask confused, hanging on the fact he mentioned businesses have to have accounts. "No, I don't." He replies simply, a slight hint of disdain in his voice. "I keep my money at home, away from those greedy bankers' hands."

"I don't blame you there." I sigh out. "But it's strange right? I'm not overthinking this am I?" "No no, you're not overthinking it darling, it is strange. I'm having a hard time thinking of why a bank would be having troubles with its cash supply. Unless..." His voice gradually tapers off into a thoughtful silence.

"Unless?" I repeat. Alastor hums again, contemplating his next words. "Unless there's something going on with stocks." Again, he goes silent. I can hear his hand tapping the desk. "But from what I'm covering today stocks seem to be doing fine right now." I lean up against the wall as I begin to think of any possible reasons.

As I continue to think, Alastor's voice emits from the receiver again. "I'll take more of a look into it later alright? Do you have enough cash to last you in case this doesn't resolve in a few days?" I nod as I respond back. "Alright." I then begin to bite the inside of my cheek again at his other question. "Darling..." His voice is firmer now, noticing my silence. "How much cash do you have right now?"

"I'll be fine." I say quickly. "Don't worry about me. I'm good." In all honesty I'm not in a good financial place. I gave Mimzy more money than I should have but I didn't expect there to be a problem with the banks.

"I'll always worry, love. You can't stop me from that." Another pause of silence fills the phone before he speaks again in a slightly suggestive tone. "Are you absolutely sure you don't need any money? It's not a problem at all."

I shake my head before confirming I'm fine. My eyes then glance over to a nearby clock. "Oh. I've taken up way too much of your time. I'm so sorry. We'll talk more later alright? I love you."

"Alright, we'll continue talking later." I can practically tell there's a smile on his face right now. "I love you too, darling. Don't stress yourself too much about this, okay?" I hum in response. "I won't. Thank you." And with that the line goes dead, leaving me alone in my home with my thoughts.

Author's Note:

Thank you guys so much for getting this fic to 10k reads 🥹 I'm so glad you all are enjoying it so far!!