Trapped (Alastor x reader) (Slow Updates)

39: What Bumps in the Night

(Past)
Husk may be a drunk idiot, but he was a body reader drunk idiot, and he could tell that something was off about Echo ever since Alastor claimed the radio from the room Angel broke into. Idiot. The times they had begged him to leave it be, when they were up late and staring at the radio with a bank and lost expression told him everything he needed to know.
Something precious had been taken from them. Along with guilt of something bad that had happened to them, or something they had done to someone else. Regret. Shame.
Then there was the closed-off looks whenever Alastor tried to get their attention, they always brushed him off or answered with simple answers before doing whatever it was they did in their own time, although they rarely did anything with the group, and honestly he didn't blame them... Still... they had caught the attention of the Radio Demon, and whatever he wanted, he would take it no matter what.

(Present)

Quiet. Obedient to a point. Emotional like Charlie. A coward.

These were just some of the things the Radio Demon noticed about Echo during his first month at the house. And it honestly didn't take long for Alastor to realise that Echo was depressed, he recognized the dark, lost, and grumpy look similar to Husker anywhere. He honestly wasn't sure what to feel about it when it was coming from the human.

On one hand, he was happy, because someone was giving him entertainment of their suffering on a silver platter. But on the other hand, it frustrated him that someone who came close to his level (very close compared to others) was suffering from depression of all things.

It was one of the reasons he allowed them to cry on him, especially when it gave him points for showing them that he was indeed capable of having a caring side to him, he didn't show it unless it was those he considered a friend. And he could count on one hand for those.

He didn't do pity, but he wasn't a monster either. Not to mention the fact that weakness was something you couldn't show in Hell. Cruel to be kind was something he had been taught at a young age.

Although... he did enjoy getting another whiff of their scent when they clung to him, and while it didn't last long the scent did cling onto his clothing for a bit, leaving him content for a while. Bonus. It was just a pity he couldn't keep it on longer, no matter, despite the short time left staying here, Alastor was certain that Echo was warming up to him despite the first few months of 'disagreements'. After all, why else would they allow him to pull them close to him after a certain 'little' cut incident?

Well, that was what he had originally thought before they stated that he had no decency let alone manners, it was as if they were implying he was not a gentleman. The audacity of this creature, that they dared to say to his face that he wasn't civil, outrageous.

Their statement rang in his head as they walked in silence.

"A real gentleman doesn't go out of his way to be nice to someone for personal gain, let alone to make that person feel like they owe him something, he does it because he wants to, not because he has to"

The nerve of this human to state such a thing, yes, they were basically insulting his mother for his upbringing. He had manners and he was in fact a gentleman thank you very much... it just hid the more darker and more twisted side of him, back when he was alive his mask was up every day the second he left the house, his real side only appeared either at night or when he was at home. Granted that mask was still on when he would visit his mother, but it was never as strong as in other places.

Echo was seeing the real him whether they liked it or not, and he enjoyed every moment of it too. The once dull eyes seemed to spark a little brighter every time they snapped at him, but glow when they were having a decent conversation for once. He honestly didn't know which one was better.