Kindred Spirits (Human Alastor x OC Romance)
Figured I may as well share this that I wrote. I have the story posted on Wattpad if you want to read the full thing. But if this gets any traction on here maybe I'll post more of it here.
TW: Blood and murder are discussed in this chapter. Also adult situations are implied in this chapter as well.
New Orleans, Louisiana, 1925
He was wandering the streets, stumbling slightly from the amount of alcohol in his system that he had consumed at a party at the mayor's estate. His eyes glazed over and a satisfied look still remained as Carl Lennon made his way home. The wealthy bank owner was notorious at Mayor Fischer's parties; he was not silent about the many affairs he would have behind, or not-so-behind, his wife's back. Every young lady at these events were subject to his flirtatious habits once he got a few drinks into him. This type of behavior was disgusting to the majority, but in the circle of wealthy elites in this town it was very common.
Carl made his way down the streets of New Orleans, not even bothering to hide the lipstick on his shirt collar. The streets were eerily quiet. What were usually homes full of lights and music now remained dark and silent. It must have been a lot later into the evening than Carl realized. Even homes that were notorious speakeasies were deathly silent. The atmosphere would normally make a man feel some sort of uneasiness, but the liquor coursing through his system made Carl unbothered by the silence. His mind was still on the attractive blonde he was able to whisk away to the mayor's study near the end of the party.
He chuckled to himself at the memory, knowing no one was around to judge him. But someone was indeed around. A tall, lean man was watching the bank owner closely, remaining in the shadows and alleyways on Carl's route home. He had watched Carl at the party earlier interact with the forementioned woman, and cringed slightly at the memory. To not only flirt with women at least half his age was one thing, but doing it all so shamelessly while being married on top of it was absolutely unforgivable to Alastor. But what the hell, he had taken a long enough break; Carl may just be the perfect person to reignite his usual nightly activities.
He listened closely to Carl as he drunkenly muttered to himself about the encounter. Alastor couldn't make out every word, but would hear small bits here and there, like "perfectly-sculpted curves" or "Can make a man feel twenty again". His brown eyes darkened behind his spectacles as he continued to listen, judging every word that came out of this disgusting sleaze's mouth. His wife, who Alastor had met on multiple occasions, was much too good for this womanizer. He gritted his teeth as Carl's words got more and more graphic, explicit details of the encounter flowing out of him shamelessly, as if not caring who heard of his adulterous behavior. Alastor had heard enough.
Emerging quietly from the alleyway, he stepped in front of Carl with a stern expression in his eyes and a forced smile on his lips.
"Mr. Lennon, it would be wise not to exclaim such things in the open. You never know who could be listening."
Carl's eyes widen in surprise, not knowing where Alastor came from. But since he knew the young man well, he smirked and let out a chuckle.
"Young man, you are worried for nothing. No one is here to listen." he retorted, a slight slur to his words.
Alastor sighed.
"Yet here I am, and I am sure that Mrs. Lennon would be appalled at your behavior this evening..."
"Oh, who cares what she thinks!" Carl exclaimed. "She knows that nothing in the world is more important than her husband's happiness, and if she finds out I was involved with a broad or two, she'll look the other way like a good wife should."
His words made the anger boiling already inside Alastor bubble up more, and he was doing his best to keep his usual refined persona.
"Be that as it may," Alastor replies through a bitter smile, "it may be a bit... inappropriate to utter such words in public..."
Carl let out a loud laugh and put an arm around Alastor's shoulder.
"Mr. Hartfelt, you're still young and have yet to experience all that life has to offer. When you get to that point, my boy, you'll stop caring who may or may not be listening to you. Especially when it's an unforgettable experience with the right girl..."
Alastor rolled his eyes at that comment. While he was used to the debaucherous life lived by many of the wealthy people in town by now, he himself was not one to indulge in such activities. Carl was aware of that fact and his smirk widened.
"You know, we should find you someone at the next party." He slyly suggested. "You never interact with any of the women at those events, and you deserve a little fun every once in a while."
Alastor nervously cleared his throat, not wanting to tell Carl he never was interested in those women, at least not in a romantic way.
"It's, uh, not exactly my idea of fun, sir." He muttered.
Carl finally took his arm off of Alastor and laughed louder.
"That's because you are inexperienced. I can tell you all I know, and you'd have women breaking doors down to have a chance with you!"
Alastor looked away awkwardly. "I'm... really not interested..."
Carl finally got the hint and replied with a shrug, "Suit yourself."
The conversation almost made Alastor forget what he planned to do in the first place. He palmed the outside of his pocket, the outline of his hunting knife grounding him a bit and reminding him what he had in store for this cheating scum. He never really needed a reason to off someone, but some justification made Alastor feel a lot less guilty of his actions. He continued to converse with Carl about mundane things until he found a secluded alleyway. A sinister grin appeared on him face, and without warning, he pinned Carl to the wall and covered his mouth.
"You have no idea how long I've waited for this opportunity, Mr. Lennon." He spoke in a low tone.
"From the first time we met, I could tell the type of man you were, and I was correct. You are an absolute disgrace to the human race..." He added after a low, menacing chuckle, "Not that I'm much better."
Carl's eyes widened in fear as he realized what was about to happen. The situation made him sober up quickly, thrashing his arms against Alastor's grip, and desperately screaming for help that were muffled by the man. Alastor laughed at Carl's attempt to escape, knowing his body was older and out of shape. This combined with the alcohol would make it nearly impossible for any hope of escape.
The pathetic look of this usually confident man made Alastor's sinister grin widen more. He finally pulled the knife out of his pocket, wanting to get this over with. He was a bit sick looking at this man, since it only reminded him of the horrendous things he had done and said. Tonight, justice would be served.
Once the deed was finished, Alastor grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket, cleaning the crimson liquid from his glasses. He pocketed his hunting knife and walked away with a smirk.
"Good chatting to you, sir." He replied before strolling off as if nothing had happened. He looked down at his white dress shirt, now stained with the blood of the former bank owner.
"Damn," he muttered, "I got carried away again..."
The rest of the evening was uneventful. Alastor went with his usual routine, spending a few hours in his study preparing notes for his broadcast the following day, showering, soaking his blood-stained shirt to hopefully get it back to its pristine appearance when he cleaned it in the morning, and reading one of his favorite books accompanied with a cup of tea before bed. He had a peaceful sleep despite all the chaos he knew would unfold when the body was found.
The next morning as he was preparing his coffee he heard the telephone ringing. He placed the lid back on the coffeemaker and headed towards the telephone to answer it. He picked it up from the receiver.
"Mr. Hartfelt speaking." He answered. The cheerful voice of an older woman rang through his ear.
He smiled a bit as he recognized the voice.
"Mother, hello. Is everything alright?"
"Everything is fine, Alastor. I just need you to come over this afternoon around 4 Pm. Is that doable?"
Alastor let out a small sigh.
"It should be, my show usually wraps up around 3. Why do you need me over?"
"It's a business opportunity for your father, and you are involved."
Alastor rolled his eyes at this.
"Mother, I've told you a thousand times I have no interest in-"
"This has nothing to do with you taking over anything, sweetheart." His mother reassured. "But it will be a bit... life-changing."
Alastor was not enjoying how cryptic his mother was being right now, but complied with her request.
"Fine, I'll see you at 4. Goodbye, mother."
He hung the phone back onto the receiver, curious as to what his parents would want with him, and what kind of "life-changing" deal this would be.
