Pairings (All Platonic): Alastor & Niffty, Vaggie, Angel Dust, Lucifer, Sir Pentious, Husk, Cherri Bomb, Charlie
Tags: Slice of Life, Building Friendships, Bonding, Genderfluid Alastor
A/N: I'm so excited to finally be posting this fic for @cherribangevent! I've been working on it since January, can you believe it? This fic is a labor of love, and I'm so excited for people to finally be able to see it! Title is from a song of the same name by Garth Brooks!
Art in chapter 1 of this fic is by @otsmosis and art for chapters 2/4/6/8 is by @murainhell!
Alastor leans against the balcony railing, watching the other hotel residents joining in what may very well be their last night together. There's an odd celebratory air to it all, as if everyone isn't clearly terrified they're all going to die in tomorrow's battle. It's amusing, really, seeing the ways they try to prime themselves and each other, as if a little belief is all it'll take to turn the tides in their favor. Naïve, but in a somewhat endearing way.
Niffty climbs up onto the railing next to him, buzzing with manic energy. He turns to speak to her, though he's more musing aloud than anything else. “Ah, the celebratory night before a courageous last stand. It's been a surprising thrill to witness these wayward souls find connection. Almost makes one sentimental, eh, Niffty?”
And truly, if you'd asked him when he first joined this hotel, or when Sir Pentious joined them, or even when Lucifer himself came along, Alastor would've told you this group would tear each other apart before they'd ever make any real progress. Yet here they all are, closer than ever, ready to put their lives on the line for each other. And strangely enough, Alastor feels ready to do the same.
“I really like them, Alastor,” Niffty replies, smiling brightly. “They let me put on roach puppet shows without booing!”
“Ah, an enjoyable collective to be around. I admit one could get accustomed.”
And he has. He isn't quite sure how or why, but he's found himself having grown rather fond of the strange little collective Charlie has formed here. As he continues observing the other residents below him — and as Niffty attempts to continue engaging him in conversation — he finds his mind wandering, reminiscing in a way as he ponders over just how he became so attached to these people.
