Aria's POV

I held his hand tightly, my heart still thumping in my chest. My mouth was formed into a very soft frown, my eyes observing the dark stairway.

The further down we went, the harder my heart was beating.

I wasn't so much scared of Alastor in this situation as I am of the dark.

"Dear..." Alastor's voice broke the silence, echoing slightly. I jumped and then hummed in response.

"I don't know why that fear is radiating off of you, but it's drowning out my senses..." he continued, and I glanced over at him. He had a calm look on his smiling face.

I pursed my lips and sighed, "I'm scared of the dark a little bit..." I mumbled, turning my head away.

He paused abruptly, nearly making me stumble down the concrete stairs. He grabbed the back of my shirt, however, just humming casually like I wasn't nearly falling into an abyss of concrete.

I straightened myself and glared at him, pulling away from his hold on my shirt. I opened my mouth to snap at him, but my face fell into shocked awe when I saw what he was doing.

He lifted his hand, fire erupting in his palm. The green hue it held was odd, but it fascinated me.

I reached forward, trying to touch it.

He held his hand away from me, quirking a brow at my action.

"Dear, fire...hot, it'll burn you," he stated, and I pouted. I blew a raspberry from my lips and absentmindedly returned to his arm.

"Well excuse me for thinking fire you can hold means I can touch it," I said sarcastically, and he scoffed.

"I am a demon, peu d'amour," he quipped, and my ears perked up hearing him speak French again. He does that occasionally, and I wish he'd do it more.

I dropped the topic, trying to make the most of these endless fucking stairs by not arguing.

"What did you say?" I asked him curiously, and he glanced down at me, the green fire giving his face a glow.

"What do you- oh, peu d'amour? Little love," he responded, and my cheeks heated up.

I hoped he couldn't see in this lighting.

"Oh...uhm...say something else...please?" I asked in a small voice, glancing up at him.

His lips parted slightly and he gave me another quick glance. He seemed taken aback by my request, but cleared his throat and chuckled softly.

"tu es plus belle que toutes les étoiles que contient le ciel..." (you're more beautiful than every star the sky holds...)

His voice was soft, and I couldn't help but find it beautiful the way he spoke so smoothly. It made a funny feeling rise in my chest and I smiled up at him, "what did you say?" I asked innocently.

His eyes widened and a blush rose to his cheeks suddenly, "uh...I said you're the most dim-witted person I've ever met," he said quickly, not meeting my eyes.

I pouted, bumping him slightly, "that's not very nice," I chuckled and he laughed as well.

"Sorry, I only speak the truth," he shrugged and I shot him a quick look.

"That is false," I snorted and he cheekily smiled, shrugging again.

Just then he put out the fire, shrouding us in darkness once again. My fingers pressed hard into his arm, my other hand flying up to meet his bicep.

"Calm, dear...we're here," he said, and there was a loud screeching noise as he pushed open a metal door.

We stepped into a pitch black room, our footsteps echoing, and then I heard a snap and the room lit up.

My eyes grew wide, my mouth falling open as I slowly released Alastor's arm, looking around.

It was some sort of underground club, long forgotten and frozen in time. There was dust, cobwebs, and grime everywhere, but I didn't care.

A smile split my face and I spun around to face him, "what the fuck! This is so cool!" I let out and his wide smile softened.

"My, if you're this excited by just this, I wonder how you'll react when I bring it back to life," he said with a soft chuckle. My eyes widened further.

"When you do what?" I said, and he smirked before snapping his fingers.

In an instant, color washed over the club, bringing brightness and liveliness back into everything. The counters became polished and the floor did too. There was music and laughter, the sounds of glasses clinking and shoes tapping.

But we were still all alone.

If it were possible, my smile became even larger. I bounded over to him, bouncing happily on my toes, "Alastor this is-!"

I noticed the surprise on his face, and just then realized I was gripping on the fabric of his shirt and we were very close together.

My cheeks lit up and I immediately stepped back, releasing him and clearing my throat.

"T-this is really cool..." I finished, a small sheepish smile on my face. His smile widened and he turned towards the empty stage.

I guess this was some sort of underground live jazz club...

He snapped his fingers again, and the stage lit up, little shadowy creatures appearing out of no where.

I gasped and put a hand over my mouth in surprise, watching as the little creatures started strumming and blowing their instruments. The music sounded professional, and I was impressed.

I was distracted, awestruck by the little jazz shadows. I jumped when I felt fingers wrap around my own, my gaze falling to my hand where Alastor's larger one enveloped mine.

I immediately looked up at him and he closed the space between us, capturing my other hand as well. He began leading a simple dance, which I was grateful for- because I can't dance.

"I wanted to show you a bit of my world," he started, his voice soft, "since I got to see into a bit of yours..."

My eyes widened, and I was watching our feet so I didn't mess up. He released one of my hands, tilting my head up with his index finger and thumb.

"Eyes up...with me leading, you'll be just fine," he said, and I couldn't stop the flood of heat to my face.

Not much can make me flustered...but lately he's been doing it easier and easier. I remember the first night at my house when he'd brushed his lips against my cheek and spoke lowly into my ear.

That didn't effect me...I was used to it-that fake intimacy. But this...this is different. This is romantic in a way I've never experienced...

I complied to his request silently, keeping my eyes on his. His eyes were a deep brown, different than mine. My eyes were a soft brown, honey colored around my pupil.

His were more like chocolate...melted milk chocolate is probably the best description I could give for them. When the light hit them, they almost looked a tad bit hazel.

He took advantage of my not paying attention, and I felt his hand against my waist before he pulled my arm over my head and spun me around.

Directly after that he dipped me, causing me to gasp and throw my arm around his neck. He was laughing...a deep, genuine laugh.

I couldn't help but smile and let out a little laugh of my own, our laughter mixing together as the soft jazz music played.

He gazed down at me, an emotion written in his eyes that I've never seen on him before. He wore it like it was foreign to him, his brows furrowing as he looked down at me.

My heart was beating fast from dancing and from the feeling of his fingers against my waist. I'm sure my cheeks were flushed as well.

He slowly stood me back up, but kept the distance between us small. I brought my hand up to his chest, trying to steady myself, and my eyes widened.

His heart was beating just as fast, if not faster than mine.

He quickly wrapped his hand around my wrist, taking my hand away from his chest. I opened my mouth but he beat me, his voice breaking the silence first.

"Well, that was fun!" He let out with a chuckle.

He's amazing at masking his feelings, I'll give him that.

I decided to let it go, chalking it up to just the dance. A smile met my lips and I nodded.

"Yea...it was."

It really was...