You Deserve Nice Things

Ikigai followed him, just as he expected she would, but then she deviated from his expectations by stopping him as he went to step past her and informing him that she was looking for him. She was here to see him? Alastor fixed Ikigai with a curiosity in his obsidian eyes, concern furrowing his brow for a split second as he quickly scanned her for any signs of injury, his mind's first thought snapping to Deimos having done something to her once again. When he didn't see any sign of wounds on her though, he relaxed and listened as she looked down at the wrapped bundle at her paws, explaining the reason she was here. Alastor's mind had a hard time comprehending and following as the alabaster and ink princess complimented him with words far kinder than he ever deserved. Ikigai was such a sweetheart, delicate as a cherry blossom and benevolent as a saint. The world was far too unworthy of wolves like her. She graced him with the exceptional title of being a father to her, more than her own sire had been. Alastor could only shake his head and glance away with a little chuckle, not really sure how to respond to her overly generous compliments. "You're much too sweet to an old monster like me, my dear," he replied with a touch of self-deprecating humor.

What came next took away all that nonchalant swagger in the ebony brute.

Ikigai extended the wrapped package over to him, a gift to show her appreciation and love to him. Alastor glanced down at the gift, then back up to the demure princess, inky black eyes meeting moonlight silver for a second before he took the package in one giant paw. He handled it with the same care that one might handle a priceless artifact with, looking it over, then unwrapping it with skillful cuts of razor sharp claws. Any words of protest he might have been considering died on his tongue the moment he gazed down upon the set of artisanal combs, all handcrafted from pristine ironwood and intricately carved and detailed. The size of them left no doubt that they had been personally designed for him to use on his fur, a trait that he and the Abraxas fae had bonded over. A pot of conditioner accompanied the combs; a perfect set of men's grooming tools. For a long while, Alastor just stared down at the gift, picking up each comb between large digits as he struggled to wrap his brain around what was happening. A pull in his chest gas rise to emotions Alastor seldom ever felt—appreciation, affection, guardianship. Love. These gifts were all crafted with the utmost love.

Alastor didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to do or how to react. The emotions tightening his chest made breathing difficult. Alastor had not received many gifts in his lifetime, and even fewer had been made with the degree of care and love that Ikigai's had been; only the cuff he wore as a gift from Manea when they'd gotten married rivaled it, and just like his wedding band, these had been made with the same consideration and devotion. The giant brute couldn't take his eyes off of them. He was transfixed by the emotional impact merely holding them hit him with. His fractured brain wrestled with his surging emotions, like a machine short-circuiting. And then the unimaginable happened. Crystalline tears formed on the edge's of the flame-marked brute's eyes, those overwhelming emotions welling up and spilling out over his lashes. He still couldn't speak, couldn't breathe, couldn't comprehend what he had done to deserve this kindness. He was a monster deep down, harboring the most abhorrent of demons inside his broken psyche. But Ikigai... sweet, gentle Ikigai... she didn't see any of that in him. She saw him as a father figure. And he saw her as a daughter.

Black lips pulling into a tight line to try and hide the quiver of his jaw, Alastor set the combs back down with absolute care and closed his eyes, turning his head to the side slightly in a vain attempt to mask how emotional he was becoming. "Ikigai... " Alastor's shoulders trembled as he fought to speak and to keep from getting choked up. "I don't deserve this kindness from you... These gifts, they're much too nice for a creature like me." Nobody deserved the kindhearted seraph that Okiku Abraxas was. She was too good for them all, a benevolent being sent from the heavens to grace their iniquitous world with her light. She didn't know the violent, sadistic animal he was or the atrocities he had gleefully committed in his lifetime. He was unworthy of her devotion, or of being considered a father by someone so fair.

"Alastor Mendacium"