• 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲'𝐬 𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 • Alastor x Reader

𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞.

Snow tumbled from the sky like a million tiny locusts, the man above you smiling wide. Much like the previous time you saw him, his face was nothing but an empty void, no mouth to smile with. No teeth. No lips. No eyes to even indicate the action. Yet you just knew he was smiling. Just like how you knew a child's mind was more delicate than the fragilest of flowers; just like how you knew that if you caught a butterfly its wings would rot; just like how you knew Alastor was the one that scored the knife across your chest, an ear-piercing scream bouncing off the trees while blood boiled from the wound and stained your pretty orange dress red.

The snow underneath you went crimson, melting under the warm liquid that discharged from your opened thorax, the lost features of the...thing above you finally twisting and contorting into the face of the man you held closest to you. You could see the joy in his everlasting smile, the blaze of hunger that fueled the fire behind his amber eyes. His — no — its teeth were sharp, pointed. Ready to dig into the flesh of whatever prey it had caught.

Which, in this case, was you.

"Stop it!" you screamed, feeling a sticky, wet hand touch your face. You felt disgusted, physically revolted, knowing that this man had killed so many things and was now touching you. "My little doe, please do not shed your tears. It pains me to see you unhappy," he crooned in a voice sweeter than the scent of honeysuckle. "Stop it, stop it—

—STOP IT!" you shrieked at the top your lungs, jolting up in the bed you were sleeping in, the hot tears pouring from your eyes seeming to scald your cheeks. Choked sobs echoed from your chest, mixing with loud cries of indescribable agony. Your heart ached. You couldn't tell reality from illusion at that moment, your throat throbbing with pain from your loud crying.

The door to the room was pushed open and the thin figure of the man in your dream came hurrying in, his house robe hanging loosely by his elbows as he dropped to his knees beside your bed and took your hand in his. "My darling, are you alright? Are you hurt?" he asked, worry acting as an undertone to his voice. It took a moment to realize that this man couldn't have possibly been the one that hurt you, his gentle and kind demeanor completely throwing you off from what you had seen in the dream. You just kept crying, Alastor pulling himself back onto his feet and slithering into the bed beside you, his arms wrapping around your waist while his body spooned you in a protective shell.

He knew that this put you at ease, the safety you felt when he hugged you as such always managing to calm your rampant thoughts. So all you could do was appreciate the heat he radiated from his body, eyes slowly falling shut while your breath hitched and your nose dribbled. The cold outside didn't help, either. Your throat had been sore as of recent, but Alastor never skipped a chance to make you a warm cup of tea, even if he was more of a coffee person himself.

"A-A-Alastor," you stuttered through sobs, holding his hand tightly as he rested his chin on your shoulder. "Shhh, it's alright. Your night terrors will cease, I promise you," he calmed you, the warmth of his breath on your ear making you shudder. "You-" you hiccuped and sniffed, "wouldn't hurt me, ruh-ruh-right?" He ran his calloused thumb over the velvety skin of the back of your hand, frowning weakly as he answered, "No, of course not, my love."

His gentle touch alleviated your nerves, a sense of calmness replacing your fear.

"Promise?"

"On my mother's angelic soul."

-

It had been well over half a day since the nightmare had taken its toll on you and you had shoved the ephialtes to the back of your mind in an attempt to forget about it, but such a task was proven a challenge. Every single time you even set your eyes upon the man, that horrible grin flashed itself in your mind's eye, normally causing you to freeze up or begin to shiver like a cat left out in the rain. "Come help me with the vegetables?" the brunette called to you from where he was chopping some peppers, snapping you from your small daze.