The Shadow of New Orleans | Human Alastor x Fem Reader

22. Payback

You can feel eyes on you as you walk down the street. Checking the nearby windows, you cannot see anyone people watching. Besides, you have had a weird feeling of being watched for a while now. There is definitely someone behind you; you can feel their gaze on you. To test it, you come to a halt and then quickly change direction, making detours, but you still have that weird feeling.

Subtly checking behind you, you don't see anything, so the best you can do is to hurry into the radio's building. Getting inside, you lean against the cool wall in relief. Maybe you are just imagining it; you probably shouldn't read detective stories before sleeping...

Making your way to the office's kitchen, the first order of business is to make some coffee. Alastor arrives not too long after, wearing a smug grin. "You seem jumpy, dear. Is everything alright?" he asks as you shudder at his sudden appearance behind you. "Oh sh-! Yeah, you just walk a little too quietly, I swear I will make you wear a bell at some point." You say, sighing a big breath, realising it's only him. Being a bit worried about seeing Bob, you are pretty sure you will be able to avoid him, but being alone with him in the whole office sounds nightmarish.

You and Alastor have coffee and engage in some friendly chit-chat, neither of you mentioning the promise of another date from last night. You have to be careful, after all, as nothing stays secret in the station for too long. Alastor has a call to take, so you retire to your desk to start the day.

When Chrissy arrives, you offer her some coffee as well, as she looks tired, which is not like her at all. "I was out till late with some new friends. We have very deep talks, and this guy-ah, you wouldn't believe him! He is so handsome so insightful, he helped me realize so many things about myself. You simply have to meet him! We are actually meeting later this week; you should come!" Chrissy says excitedly. You just hum at her suggestion, she has a tendency to be quick over heels about people, so you don't think too much of it. A week, and she will forget all about it.

You two then wait for Alastor to start his morning broadcast, but Chrissy pays it a lot less interest compared to before. Meanwhile, you notice a few new things as you occasionally look up while busy with paperwork, like how he fixes his bowtie before the show (even though it is only a sound broadcast) and how absorbed he is. He seems in his element every time he is on air, and you can see how much he enjoys doing what he does.
Alastor looks at you briefly, his eyes lingering on you for a moment too long. He then clears his throat, takes his place in the recording booth, and the broadcast begins. His voice is smooth and magnetic - he's a natural at this, and you can understand why he is so popular. The broadcast goes on without any issues, and as he finishes, he briefly smiles at you, turning the equipment off.

Today you finish earlier than you expected, so you only pretend to have something to do to wait for Alastor. Walking over to him casually, you ask him if he would like to do something after work.

He smiles, but shakes his head. "Sorry, darlin', but today is not a good time. Unfortunately, I already have somewhere to be. However, I would be more than happy to walk you home again; one can never be too careful these days, hm?" As he says, there is no hint of sadness or actual worry in his voice; in fact, he sounds amped up about whatever he has planned. You take his offer, so he walks you home, still in a cheery mood.

Saying goodbye, you get a bad feeling as you watch him walk away whistling, but you shake it off quickly.

Alastor's POV

He could feel his fascination grow about you. Even until now, he made a habit of checking if you were home and following you whenever he could.

(Below just some background music that fits this part. Reminds me of his vibes haha!)

But it wasn't enough; he wanted to know more about you. Your gesture with the pie and inviting him out made his little dark heart flutter in a way he didn't even know was possible. Though he doesn't enjoy sweets, he made the effort to try some of it and show how much he enjoyed them (although he had to wash it down with some bitter coffee after).

She is different - that was his first thought at your question to go out on another date. Of course he is more than happy to spend more time face-to-face with you, even if the little voice in the back of his head warns him about his previous pledge to stay away. So far, he has had no issues controlling his temper around you, so what could a few more pleasant evenings and going out together hurt?

By now, he more or less knows your routine, so after he walks you home, he can guess that you will probably just wind down for the rest of the day, take a bath, or maybe listen to music. That would mean there is no need to stick around and wait to see if you will
go out, but he still doesn't feel like leaving.

He is at his usual stake-out spot, leaning against a newspaper booth. If he stands behind it, he is hidden even from the street, but he can still peek out. And from the side, he has a full view of your apartment, while it is hard to see him because of all the trees outside. Now that it is spring, his job is easier, as in the colder months there was no canopy yet coming from the trees.

He pretends to read a newspaper, covering most of his face, but he glances at your windows ever so often. Finally, he spots you in the living room, grabbing a book and getting cosy on your couch. He chuckles to himself at your happy expression to have some time for yourself. However, he didn't say no to you for no reason, he indeed has something to take care of. He makes his way towards a sketchier neighbourhood, having to look around a bit to find what he is looking for. But at a betting shop, he finds who he was searching, so he waits around for them. Silently, he follows them home, not staying too far behind.

As the man makes his way up the stairs to his flat, Alastor quickens his pace, now a lot closer than before. The man unlocks his door and walks in with a tired groan, about to close it. Except he can't, as there is suddenly a shoe at the closing door, preventing it. Surprised, he looks up to find Alastor standing in the creek of the door with an unnaturally wide smile. "Well, good evening there, a very pleasant one indeed. Though I believe you and I had a little talk we couldn't finish, so do you mind if I come in?" He phrases it as a question, but there is nothing questioning in his tone, and he already pushes in, stepping into the man's apartment.

Flabbergasted, the sound guy stammers slightly. "A-Alastor, what on earth are you doing here? How do you even know where I live?!"
Alastor just smiles coldly. "Don't you worry, I have my ways. Now, why don't you close the door so we can talk in peace? I am sure your neighbours wouldn't be delighted to hear how rude you acted with that colleague of ours, hm?"

Even more confused, the sound guy freezes before who knows why, he instinctively complies and closes the door. "Don't tell me this is about the intern." he groans. "You have a crush on her, or why you care so suddenly, huh? Besides, all I was planning was a little fun with her; I admit I was a bit drunk. But I wouldn't have hurt her or anything." His usual smug demeanour is back, he is even shrugging as he talks.

Alastor's grin widens ever so slightly, but there is no humour in his eyes as he talks, stepping to the other man. "Oh, worry not; I don't hold a grudge against you. All I wanted to do is.... have a little fun of our own." His eyes flash red as he quickly gets the sound guy in a chokehold. "So let's get started, shall we?" Alastor says in a low menacing voice, laughter grumbling in his chest as he lets his instincts take over.