"We need to talk."

Aster stopped reading their book and froze. Whenever Alastor used that tone of voice, it was never a good sign.

"Is everything ok?" they asked, standing up from the sofa.

"I need to ask you something about yesterday's party." Alastor ran a hand through his hair, trying to figure out how to word the question. "Did you... were you intimate with anybody?"

Aster's heart began to pound nervously. "Wh-What do you mean?"

"Don't play the fool, Aster. You know exactly what I mean." He narrowed his eyes. "Did you have sex with someone at the party?"

"No," they said quickly. It technically wasn't a lie, since they didn't actually go all the way with Angel.

Alastor shook his head in disappointment. "Don't lie to me. I know you slept with Angel Dust."

"We didn't have sex!"

Alastor raised an eyebrow. "But you were intimate with him at the party?"

Aster opened their mouth to protest, but no sound came out. They began to tremble, realising there was no way of hiding it any more.

"Why did you do it?" Alastor asked quietly.

Aster averted their gaze, unable to look their brother in the eye anymore. "It wasn't that big a deal," they mumbled.

"You think it's ok to sleep around?" Alastor demanded. "With Angel, of all people? Goodness knows how many he's slept with. Did you even consider using protection? I wouldn't be surprised if he's given you some kind of STD."

"H-He did not!" Aster cried, tears of frustration springing to their eyes.

"Was it at least somewhat consensual?"

"How DARE you!" the younger sibling finally exploded. "It wasn't like that at all! Just because nobody will fuck you doesn't mean you can get mad at me for doing it!"

"At least I didn't take off my clothes for the first slut who looked my way!"

There was a horrible silence. Alastor's eyes widened as he suddenly realised he'd gone too far.

"Aster, I-"

"I don't want to hear it." Aster quickly turned around and stormed off upstairs. They didn't want Alastor to see them cry.

As soon as they were in their bedroom, having slammed the door behind them, a heartbroken sob broke past their lips. Aster couldn't hold back the tears anymore, letting the flood cascade down their face as they slumped onto the ground, snivelling and whimpering, head buried in their hands.

How could Alastor, their big brother, the person they loved and trusted most in the whole world, be so cruel? They thought back to the previous night, remembering the warm feeling of Angel's tongue in their mouth... Aster shook their head frantically, trying to cast the thoughts out of their mind. It felt shameful now. Alastor had tainted it.

Knock knock.

"Aster?" came Alastor's muffled voice from outside the door. "May I come in?"

They remained silent, hoping he'd take the hint and go away.

"Aster...? I'm coming in."

The door eased open. Alastor's heart sank at the sight of his sibling curled up in a ball on the floor, sobbing. He immediately dropped to his knees to comfort them.

"I'm sorry," he whispered sadly. "I went too far."

Aster lifted their head and stared at Alastor with big, tearful eyes. "Don't you trust me?"

"I do, but..." the older demon sighed, Aster's broken expression tugging at his heartstrings. "I also worry about you. You're my little sibling. If anything ever happened to you, I'd only have myself to blame for not looking out for you."

The blue-haired demon sniffed, wiping their tears away with their sleeve.

"At the party," Alastor continued, "when I realised you were no longer by my side, I panicked. Especially when somebody told me you'd snuck into a bedroom with Angel Dust." His ears drooped. "I let myself be distracted. I was drinking. I knew I shouldn't have been drinking."

"But I'm not a little kid anymore," said Aster gently. "You don't have to fuss over me so much. And besides, Angel was a sweetheart the entire time. Being with him was the only thing I really enjoyed about that party," they admitted. "This is my first year as a high school student, and I want to be able to explore it to the fullest."

"And I want to be here for you, as your big brother, to guide you whenever you need it." Alastor smiled warmly.

Aster chuckled, leaning forward to bury their head into their big brother's chest. "I love you, Al," they sighed contently.

Alastor planted a tender kiss on his little sibling's forehead, holding them close as if he could never let go. "I love you too, Aster."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

MY HEART (;o;)
I didn't originally intend to write this adorable chapter, but I'm glad I did because it totally makes up for the absolute hellspawn I wrote in the previous one ٩( ᐛ )و
Hope you enjoyed!