Work Text:
1892
Alastair knew that he was higher-strung than most children, but he felt that anyone would jump when confronted with a gremlin under their bed.
He knew that monsters were out there, so the monster under his bed had never been a particularly troubling concept to him. Raveners with their ugly, flat snouts; Cerberus demons with their pod-like appendages and multitude of eyesores that they called heads. They were nothing to him, a member of one of the greatest Shadowhunter dynasties out there. Even at the age of eight, Alastair believed that he could outmatch them with unmarked hands that did not yet bear Cortana, because he was a Shadowhunter and that was simply what he did.
Unfortunately, though, the reality was far different, because he was faced with a little redheaded devil that he could not yet vanquish.
After a night of playing the piano with his father – he always loved to play the piano with Elias – he looked forward to retiring for the evening, humming the notes of the soft song he was playing to himself in the darkness. He would drift off, then, into a slumber filled with a cacophony of notes and a configuration of scales. All would be put to rights.
He walked into his room, flipped off the light switch, and made his way over to his bed. And-
“Kos nagu!” Something clamped hard around Alastair’s ankle, and he kicked out at it as he cursed.
“OW!” His sister’s voice rang through the darkness of the room, and the clamp- a hand, he supposed- released its grip on him. Angrily, he stalked off to the light switch and flipped it on to reveal Cordelia, half underneath his bed, holding onto her arm and pouting.
Alastair blinked down at Cordelia. “Are you alright?”
“You kicked me. That’s very rude.”
“Yes, well.” He sighed. “Did I break your hand or some such awful thing?”
“I don’t think so.” Cordelia opened and closed her hand, obviously ensuring flexibility. “You just scared me, dadash. That’s all.”
Alastair snorted a laugh. “I scared you?”
“Well,” Cordelia said with great dignity. “Yes.” She paused. “Did I scare you, too, at least?”
“I never get scared,” Alastair told her in a serious voice. “Here.” He held a hand out, and Cordelia took it and pulled herself up. Her dress was torn; Alastair expected that his mother would be unhappy about it, but decided that it was far from his fault if his minx of a sister decided to crawl about like a thief in the night. “If you’re alright, then I must tell you that you should never do such a ridiculous thing again.” He narrowed his eyes. “What were you doing, anyway?”
“Seeing if I could scare you,” Cordelia told him shamelessly.
“Well, you can’t, so there’s no need to keep trying.”
“You said a bad word,” she said. “A very bad word. You wouldn’t say something so horrible if I hadn’t scared you. You’d fear me telling maman.”
“I have nothing to worry about on that front, since you would need to explain why you were under my bed in the first place.” Alastair glared at her. “We have reached a… a… stale-mate.” The word sounded odd on his tongue; he had just learned it. He rather liked it, though, and felt sophisticated using it.
Cordelia snickered. “So you’re not going to tell on me?”
“For leaping out at me as though you’re a troll under a bridge?”
“I’m a princess.”
“No princess would have such horribly knotted hair and a ripped-apart gown.”
“I’m a hero-princess. Really, dadash.” She hmphed as though long-suffering.
Alastair rolled his eyes. “Of course. Now, get out of my room, and never do anything like that again.”
“Or what?”
“I’ll tell maman.”
“Sure you will,” Cordelia said. She patted him on the shoulder as though wise beyond her years and walked away, leaving her muddy boot prints on the carpet for Alastair to clean.
1906
“Let me guess.” Thomas took a sip of the chai that Cordelia had made him and turned to his sister-in-law. “That was not the last time you did that to him.”
“How would you know?” Alastair said from the other side of the table, shooting him a suspicious look.
Thomas shrugged and turned toward Alastair. “Well, you do still look under the bed before getting within a foot of it. It only stands to reason that you had a mental block in place, and this is one that made sense.”
“He still does that?” Cordelia clapped her hands in delight.
“Of course I don’t.” Alastair glared daggers at Thomas.
Cordelia shrugged. “I believe Thomas.”
“Of course you do.” Alastair ran a hand through his black hair.
It’s true, Thomas mouthed, and Cordelia giggled.
“I,” Alastair announced, “am going to get more chai, and perhaps some biscuits. I will not be getting any for either of you, as you are being utterly ridiculous and spouting unnecessarily errant nonsense. However, Tom, if you repent, I may be willing to reconsider my ways for you and you alone.”
“Repent?” Thomas blinked his eyes. “Never.”
Alastair grumbled and walked away.
“You know,” Cordelia said, turning to Thomas. “It was a great deal of fun. He taught me many, many bad words on those nights. It’s why he never told maman.”
“Ah, because if one of you took the other down…”
“…We would both go down together,” Cordelia agreed. “Angel, I’m so sad you weren’t with us yet. I’d have loved to have a sort of partner in crime.”
“I certainly was small enough to fit under a bed.” Thomas scratched his nose. “I’m not, now.”
“True. Oh,” Cordelia said. “Maybe Zachary…”
Thomas felt his eyes widen. “I don’t know…”
“Zachary?” Cordelia shouted, and Zachary toddled up to her from the next room over where he had been playing. “I’m going to teach you something fun to do, alright?”
“Fun?” Zachary’s eyes were wide.
“Yes, very fun,” Cordelia said.
Zachary turned to Thomas. “Tom-Tom?”
“Hello, Zachary,” Thomas said.
“Tom-Tom play,” he insisted.
“In a few moments, Zachary,” Cordelia said. Thomas’s mind whirled; how had he gotten here? “Do you want to play a fun game with your brother?”
“Tom-Tom?”
“No, Alastair dadash.”
“Dadash!” Zachary’s face was bright, and Thomas felt a small smile play on his lips. That was about how he felt when he got to spend time with Alastair, too. “Dadash play?”
“Yes, we will play with dadash! But we must keep it a secret.”
“See…”
“Yes. We must be quiet about it.” Cordelia put a finger to her lips, and Zachary visibly tried to breathe more quietly.
Thomas cracked a smile.
“You know that Alastair and Thomas-”
“-Tom-Tom-”
“-Yes, Alastair and Tom-Tom are staying the night.”
Zachary put a finger in his mouth. “All night.”
“Yes. All night. Tom-Tom is going to show you a very fun thing to do in his bedroom.”
“I did not agree to this, may the record show,” Thomas said.
Cordelia glared at him. “You did now. In any case,” she turned back to Zachary. “You will surprise Alastair dadash by jumping out from the bed. Do you understand what I am saying?”
“Surprise!” Zachary said, as though he were at a party.
Thomas chuckled into his tea.
-
Thomas had rather hoped that Zachary would forget about their prank, but that night around eight, Cordelia brought the toddler to the guest chambers that he was sharing with Alastair. Zachary looked pleased as punch, a wide, gummy smile on his face as he reached out for Thomas. He lifted him in gentle arms, and Zachary put his arms around his beloved Tom-Tom’s neck.
Cordelia watched as Thomas settled Zachary under the bed; he had not initially intended to play any part in this practical joke, but Zachary looked so excited to be underneath the furniture. Thomas couldn’t well say no. Alastair once said that Thomas would indulge Zachary anything, which was unfortunately quite true.
Which is why when Zachary pulled on the bottom of Thomas’s pant leg and whined until Thomas got under the bed with him, Thomas went. He flattened his too-large frame against the ground, hoping that there was not a visible bulge in the wooden bedframe. He really did not wish to break it. And yet, everything seemed secure. Even if it wasn’t, Zachary’s muffled giggles from behind secretive hands were worth it. “Quiet,” the baby whispered to Thomas.
“Yes,” Thomas said. “Very quiet.”
“Tom-Tom?”
“Yes, baby?”
“Dadash.”
“Yes. Alastair will be here soon.”
“Surprise!”
Thomas smiled slightly. “Yes. You will surprise him.”
“Tom-Tom surprise Dadash?”
Thomas considered this. “I suppose I will surprise him even more than you shall. Though I’m sure you will be a far cuter, more welcome surprise.”
“Surprise,” Zachary agreed in a gravely serious voice.
Cordelia switched off the light, and Zachary did not so much as tense. He felt that the child should be commended for not flinching in the face of darkness. He would make a fine, brave Shadowhunter one day.
Thomas curled his arm around Zachary for what felt like an eternity before the light switched on. Cordelia had shown him exactly when to pounce on Alastair’s ankle and how to do it, and Zachary was nothing if not an excellent learner. So, when Alastair got within two feet of the bed, Zachary knew to shoot out before he glanced down. He wrapped a tiny hand around his ankle, and-
“What-”
Thomas heard Cordelia’s muffled laughter, and Zachary cackled. “Funny, funny face,” he said.
“You little hellion,” Alastair said, lifting Zachary off the floor. Thomas could only see his feet and Cordelia’s. “And you, a rather big hellion. I thought you were quite too old for this poor excuse for humor.”
“The day I am too old to give you hell will be quite a sad day,” Cordelia said.
Alastair’s feet made an odd movement, and it took Thomas a moment to realize that he had handed his brother off to Cordelia. “I have many, many things that I wish to say to you right now,” Alastair scolded. “But none of them are suitable for little ears. Tomorrow, though, once it is just us, there will be a word. Many words.”
“Alright,” Cordelia said, her voice still filled with laughter. “I’ll be looking forward to it. Come, Zachary, do you want some pudding?”
“Tom-Tom!”
“Yes, where is Thomas?” Alastair’s voice was suspicious.
“Bed,” Zachary said seriously.
“I don’t see him.”
“Tom-Tom!” Somehow, Thomas knew before Alastair’s feet turned toward him that this was accentuated by a pointed finger.
Footsteps padded out the doorway as Cordelia said her goodbyes, and Alastair stepped backward away from the bed to meet Thomas’s eye at a distance. “What are you doing under there? I expected better of you,” he said, clicking his tongue so Thomas knew he was jesting.
“I… I don’t know,” Thomas felt his cheeks warm. “I… well, I didn’t plan this, it wasn’t my idea, but… well, things got away from me, and I couldn’t say no, and…”
“Cordelia roped you into a ridiculous scheme and you couldn’t say no to Zachary.”
“Exactly!”
Alastair clicked his tongue again. “Poor excuse. Do come out, so I can thoroughly chastise you.”
“This is horribly embarrassing,” Thomas said.
“I will forgive you, but I must berate you a bit first.” Alastair sounded serious.
Thomas attempted to push himself out from under the bed, but he did not budge. He tried again, propelling himself forward on his hands rather than his legs, and…
Alastair breathed out a laugh. “Angel,” he said. “You’re stuck.”
“I am,” Thomas confirmed, seeing no reason to deny it. “Can you pull me…”
“Oh, I think not,” Alastair said. “You got yourself in; you can get yourself out.”
“Really?”
“Am I not correct?” Alastair raised an eyebrow; it was an even more superior expression when he looked down at Thomas from what seemed a great height.
Thomas sighed. “I suppose.” He wiggled again, trying to extricate himself by means of moving about. The bed didn’t budge, so Thomas grabbed at one of its legs and attempted to yank himself forward.
It did not work. “Alastair, please help.”
“Why?”
“Because I love you?”
“Mmm.” Alastair shook his head. “Not good enough.”
“Because you love me?”
“Mmm, better, I suppose,” he said. “Still not enticing, though.”
“I’ll kiss you.”
“You’ll do that anyway.”
“I can’t, when I’m trapped under the bed.”
“Well, theoretically…”
“I want a divorce,” Thomas said, an obvious joke.
“Alright,” Alastair agreed. “Come out and we can discuss the logistics.”
“Damn it, Alastair-”
Alastair clicked his tongue. “You should have thought of this before giving into my treacherous sister.” He dropped to the floor, then, and crawled underneath the bed beside Thomas. “Well. It’s actually a rather unique vantage point here. I do see why Cordelia liked it so; it is like its own secret odd void of a world.”
“I’m not finding it too pleasant.” Thomas’s voice was neutral.
“I can tell. You’re thoroughly stuck.”
“Yes. I am.”
“Well, perhaps I will help you out, when I tire of being under here.”
Thomas felt himself flush. “You’re staying?”
“I have to,” Alastair said gravely. “To leave you trapped in the void on your own is unthinkable, and I know you do not truly wish for a divorce.”
“No,” Thomas agreed. “I never would.”
“I know.” Alastair looked directly at Thomas. “Well?”
Thomas felt confused. “Well, what?”
“You said you would kiss me if I helped you out, and I demand payment in advance,” he said.
“Oh,” Thomas said, pecking Alastair on the lips.
Alastair chuckled. “Oh, no,” he said, “I think not. You’ll have to do better than that.”
Maneuvering awkwardly, he grabbed the back of Thomas’s head and pulled him in for a deep kiss. When he finally pulled away, he was smiling with laughing eyes. “Alright,” he said. “I think I’ve tormented both of us enough. How about I extract you and we iron out the details of your full payment up above?”
Thomas was all too happy to oblige.