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“You’re being so brave,” Charlie murmured as she stroked Alastor’s hair. His head rested on her lap to make this a little easier but there was no way to fully make him comfortable until she was done. “Why don’t’ we take a little break?”
*Let’s see how strong your affection truly is.*
The words echoed through her mind as she wiped his cheeks free of the few tears that had managed to slip out. “It’s okay if you need a break. We can just breathe for a while.” Alastor gave a small nod and she set her things to the side, waiting for him to tell her they should continue.
His deal was over. She had fought for him and won. It still shook her how intense the battle had been. And how shocked Alastor had looked at the thought that anyone would put him above themselves. Charlie still wasn’t sure if it was because of how he viewed himself or how he viewed other people. She supposed in the end it didn’t’ really matter.
*He’s all yours. If you can stand the sight of him*
Charlie hadn’t understood the words until right now. The freedom from his deal meant Alastor’s smile could finally be unstitched. But it wasn’t so easy as it sounded. Each string was knotted behind his lips before running through to cause maximum damage. Alastor was looking rough as she cut through strings and pulled them out. Charlie knew most demons would be repelled by such a show of emotion. She wasn’t most demons. She loved Alastor and no amount of tears would change that.
“Do you want to try again?” she asked, petting his hair. Charlie had asked him not to speak because she knew it would just hurt him more while part of his mouth was still sewn. Still, he did whimper occasionally while she worked which was not unexpected. Alastor shook his head to indicate he needed more time to rest. “That’s fine,” she assured him with soft strokes to his hair. “We can take as long as you need.” Her hand moved up to rub at his antlers. He liked that sometimes.
“Charlie,” a voice called.
Alastor winced as the sound and pressed closer to her. “It’s just us,” she assured him. “Just you and me.” Her eyes never left his form as she called back to the voice behind her door. “I’m okay, dad. I just need to be left alone”
“It’s just…it’s been a while is all.”
“I know. But this is important. Please, help Vaggie look after the hotel. I’ll be out when we’re done.”
“Are you sure we can’t help you?”
Alastor whimpered. Charlie had been careful to ward the door so that only her voice could be heard. His pride was very important to him and she wouldn’t want him to feel ashamed on top of being in pain. She knew that her father walking in on this would be too demoralizing for Alastor to come back from. “I have to do this myself,” she insisted. “I promise I’ll be out when I can. If you want to help me, help with the hotel. That’s what you can do for me right now, okay?”
“Okay,” her father answered. “Just…tell us if we can help.”
“I will,” Charlie assured him. She could hear him pad off and knew she would have to talk to him after this to explain why she was shutting him out. But right now, Alastor was the one that needed her. He reached up to cover her hand with his. “You ready to start again?” she asked. He nodded.
“Okay. Let’s keep going. Just tap m when you need to stop.”
She reached for her scissors again, taking a deep breath. She had gotten through most of his left cheek and was moving through his lips. Cutting the strings wasn’t hard. Pulling them from his mouth was a different story. A part of Charlie wondered if the string was coated in something but she pushed those thoughts away. They weren’t helpful and she needed to focus.
Charlie did her best to make the experience as painless as possible. Cutting each string and pulling it out slowly, watching his face for when she needed to stop. Alastor did his best not to flinch at all but the battle had been hard and this was clearly not helping. “We’re at the widest part,” she told him as though he wasn’t aware what she was doing. “This will be the worst. Do you want another break?” Alastor shook his head. He breathed in deep and looked at her to keep going. “You’re being so brave,” she said again.
She was certain Alastor didn’t feel very brave right now but she knew how much it was costing him to trust her like this. Alastor didn’t trust easily in general. To have him trust her with something so intimate was very brave of him indeed. “Just a few more to go,” she assured him as she worked. “We’ll be done before you know it.” He squeezed his eyes shut against tears as she pulled a little hard on one of the strings. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “I’ll be gentler, I promise.” He squeezed her arm but didn’t speak. “Let’s take a little break okay?” she said as she got to his right cheek. She wasn’t sure if Alastor needed a break but she certainly did. Watching him suffer so silently was grating on her control.
Charlie set her scissors down but as she was drawing back to Alastor, he caught her hand and held it against his chest. Charlie rubbed his antlers. “Just a few more stitches to go,” she told him quietly. “We’ll be done before you know it.” He gave her a soft look. It made Charlie want to cry. He had to be in pain and he was trying to reassure her. She swallowed down the tears. It was time to focus on Alastor. She could cry with her father later.
After a while, Charlie gathered her nerves once more. “Tell me if you need to stop,” she insisted softly. Alastor nodded and turned his face so she could more easily reach the stitches on his cheek. Slowly she cut out each stitch and removed the string. “There we go,” she declared softly as she freed him from the final string. “It’s official. You’re free from your deal.”
“Thank you,” Alastor murmured, his voice lacking the radio static she so often associated with him.
“Of course. It was my pleasure,” Charlie replied with a soft smile. “But you should probably rest your mouth. Those stitches left wounds and the need to heal.”
“I will,” he agreed. “But first my dear…” He beckoned for her to lean closer. As soon as she was close enough, he pulled her the rest of the way down to kiss her.
He opened his mouth to speak again but Charlie laid her hand over his mouth. “Rest,” she insisted. “We have all of eternity to talk. Especially since there’s no chance anyone will be able to force you away now.” Alastor brushed a hand through her hair before settling deeper into her lap. Charlie continue to card her fingers through his hair as he slept. Things were different now. And they would have to talk about that. A lot. But for now, she could just rest and watch the man she loved sleep.