#doesn't have to be romantic fondness (e.g. rosie mimzy)

[arcan6yo]

ok alastor disappeared seven years ago aaaand so did lilith, right? i feeeeeeel like im connecting dots

alastor made a deal but, unlike husker and angel dust whose deal-holders can flaunt their chains, we don't ever see anyone do the same to alastor giving the impression that perhaps his deal-holder isn't present. (lilith chillin in heaven much.) this also means he gets to retain the impression that he is unchained, which helps others' maintain perceptions of his great strength. (and maybe that's a key part of him upholding his part of the deal.)

in the finale, alastor sings:

And I barely escaped being killed by a hair

"Great Alastor, altruist, died for his friends"

Sorry to disappoint, that is not where this ends

then he sings about his deal:

I'm hungry for freedom like never before

The constraints of my deal surely have a backdoor

like the two are related... like he didn't nearly die for the hotel out of his own altruistic desire to support this "found family" (not a surprise) but because he was forced to by his deal

what kind of deal would force him to fight so hard for this place? for charlie? maybe if the deal was made with someone who really cares for charlie deeply, like her mother!

maybe seven years ago, alastor had a fallout with vox that severely wounded him (thinking of how much vox calls alastor a coward, particularly after we see alastor run from adam when significantly injured)

maybe alastor's circumstances forced him to make a deal and maybe it happened to be with lilith about supporting and protecting charlie??

he says his smile hides a lot. claiming he wants to join the hotel staff for laughs? a silly ruse, i think. you don't fight for a laugh and you certainly don't nearly die for it. we can't even argue he genuinely wants to fight for it seriously with the various comments he makes and how bitter he seemed in the finale about nearly dying.

if his deal IS with lilith, that adds a fun spin to alastor antagonizing lucifer in dad beat dad

the only potential gap is wondering if alastor needed seven years to recover or if he was with or working more directly out-of-the-public eye for lilith all that time or some secret third thing (like needing to wait / not be harmed until charlie left home and needed support)