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There was nothing good about being sick, not even missing out on school; unlike many of his classmates, Alastor actually enjoyed the learning process. His other classmates, he wasn't so fond of, but there was nothing like learning a new fact that he could proudly tell his mother all about when he got home from school. His dear maman probably loved learning even more than he did, but had never had the chance to continue her education, so Alastor made sure to teach her as much as he could every single school day. He also made sure to read plenty of books so he could tell her about things that the school didn't teach. She could read, just not as well as he could. But he loved making her happy, so he was always perfectly fine teaching her after he got home. Since she'd had so little schooling herself, he almost saw it as his duty. She deserved to know more.
And right now, he was missing out on all the interesting things he could have learned today.
"You look like you just swallowed a frog, mon petit gars," his maman teased as she walked into the room, carrying a steaming tray. She carefully set it down on the bed before putting her hand on his forehead. He held still as she took his temperature, waiting patiently as she tsk tsk'd the reading. "Still sick, I hate to say," she said playfully, before smoothing the sheets on his lap.
"I was thinking about how I can't teach you what we were gonna learn today," Alastor explained. "And if I don't get better, I can't teach you what we learn tomorrow."
His maman chuckled softly as she smiled down at him. "Oh, cher, don't you worry none about teaching me, you just focus on getting better instead." She patted his head as she sat the tray on his lap. "But thank you all the same for thinking about me."
"I just want you knowing stuff, too," Alastor said as he breathed in the delicious aroma of the grits his maman had made for him. His nose thankfully wasn't stopped up enough to completely block the scent. Unfortunately, it was stopped up enough that he couldn't smell what was coming from the little mug, one of the many he had insisted on decorating himself. This one had a little red deer (he'd run out of brown paint by then, so he'd picked the color that looked the closest), with the words Have Fawn underneath it. He'd just learned about puns when he'd made it, and wanted to use a silly one so that he'd always have a reason to smile when he saw it.
"Now eat your food, and make sure to drink all your tea, so you can get back there to learn some more for the both of us, then," his maman said fondly, handing him a spoon from the pocket of her apron.
The meal sitting before Alastor was the only upside to being sick. It was almost a ritual at this point for his maman to make her special grits for him to eat, since it would be easy on his stomach. As for the tea, it was a blend that she made herself, mixing orange and cinnamon with a lot of other different herbs, all combining to heal whatever ailed you, as his grand-mere used to say while she taught his maman her craft. He didn't really care what was in it, though, since it always made him feel better because it tasted of her love for him. He never told that to anybody, not even her, but it was what he believed.
"I'll try my hardest, Maman," Alastor said proudly, before he started coughing again. His maman picked up the mug and blew on it a little to cool it down before handing it to him. As the coughing fit subsided, he smiled up at her before taking a careful sip. He could feel the healing action as the tea went smoothly down his throat, promising relief with every drop. Between the tea and his maman's love, he'd be better in no time at all.
~~~
"Morning, sleepy head," Lucifer chirped from his position next to the stove as Alastor made his way into the hotel's kitchen. He'd thought he'd made himself look as presentable as possible, but his… partner often had a way of seeing through his tightly concealed exterior. He'd woken up feeling rather groggy this morning, even though he was sure he'd gone to bed at a reasonable enough hour, but he was sure a cup or three of coffee would fix whatever it was that was causing him to feel a tad off.
"Pancakes again, I see," Alastor complained jokingly as he eyed the growing stack freshly steaming next to the King. He also saw the smaller stack beside it, and knew from past experience that they wouldn't be sweetened the way the ones for the rest of the staff would be, therefore they'd be edible with the addition of a bit of raw venison. Lucifer knew he didn't like sweet things, and even before they'd started… whatever this budding relationship was called, he'd been kind enough to make a few savory pancakes each time just for him. Alastor appreciated the gesture, and once the meat had been added, he even enjoyed the fluffy cooked dough.
"Figured Charlie and the others might like some for breakfast," Lucifer said in his offhand way, covering up for just how desperate he was to please his daughter and her friends. He didn't need to mention again how pancakes had always been her favorite meal growing up, since Alastor probably knew the story word for word by now.
"I'm sure she'll be quite pleased," Alastor reassured his… somewhat significant other as he reached for his mug. The Oh, Deer that he'd painted on it many years ago shone, obviously recently washed and polished by the same man cooking breakfast. The coffee pot was also fresh and full, another point in the Devil's favor. The demon had never met a person, while alive or in Hell, that was more eager to please than Lucifer Morningstar.
Even when they'd still been at odds, fighting at every opportunity, the fallen angel had often gone out of his way to do little favors for Alastor, brushing then off as nothing whenever they were brought up. Those little favors, after a time, had stacked up enough that the smaller man's confession of feelings for the demon had seemed… acceptable. Maybe not the most romantic of starts to a relationship, but since it was his first, Alastor figured that it was good enough.
The favors came more consistently and tended to be more of the courting variety now, and Alastor made sure to return the favor, so to speak, as often as he could; he would never admit it out loud, but he loved the way Lucifer would light up at even the smallest token of affection. Even something as simple as a hug was treated as truly precious. How could Alastor resist spoiling him every so often?
Sitting down at the small table in the breakfast nook, Alastor inhaled the delicious scent of freshly ground and brewed coffee. A lot of things grown in Wrath didn't compare to his memory of how they tasted while he was alive, but coffee beans were one of the few things that somehow managed to taste far better than their Earthly counterpart, so he enjoyed every spectacular cup that came his way. How Lucifer could stand to sully this perfect flavor by dumping in gallons of cream and sugar was beyond him, for nothing tasted better than pure, black coffee.
"And, voila!" Lucifer shouted triumphantly from his spot in front of the stove. He flipped what was apparently the last pancake onto the top of the stack, adding a bit of flair as if he knew Alastor was watching. When he wiggled his butt a moment later, it told the deer that he definitely knew. Alastor couldn't help the smirk that came from watching someone as powerful as the literal Devil make a fool of himself just for his sake. The smirk turned into a fond smile when that very same Devil, the most powerful being in all of Hell, sat the plate of unsweetened pancakes in front of him, followed by the package of venison from the refrigerator. "Bon appetite, my sweet," Lucifer teased playfully. "Be back in a few." He then grabbed the towering plate of regular pancakes and made his way to the staff dining room to deliver breakfast to the rest of the group.
Even though Lucifer was desperate for pretty much any minute scrap of attention he could get from his daughter, he still would eat breakfast each morning in the kitchen with Alastor. Like the initial favors and gifts, he brushed this off as nothing special whenever Alastor mentioned it, but the Radio Demon knew better. For whatever reason, this man had found it in his heart to… like him in this way, and Alastor was still fairly dumbfounded by it. Even before arriving in Hell, no one had cared for him like this, not since his dear maman passed, leaving him alone and scared at such an impressionable time in his life.
"Of course I don't mind missing out," Alastor's maman reassured him as they watched the other adults heading off to the bars and the parties that people so often attended on December 31st. He knew his maman's friends from her job would probably be gathering together to celebrate the coming of a new year, and he felt guilty that she couldn't attend as well. "I can't very well leave you all alone on a special night like this," she explained happily, ruffling his hair before bopping him lightly on the nose. "Besides, there's no one I'd rather celebrate with than you." She pulled him into a hug, and he squeezed back as hard as he could. He was glad she didn't go, because there was nobody in the world he would rather celebrate with than his maman.
"You were right, Charlie loved them!" Lucifer announced as he walked back into the kitchen, startling Alastor out of his memories. The petite blond quickly set about making his own small pile of pancakes indistinguishable from a dessert tray for spoiled toddlers, humming something under his breath that the Radio Demon couldn't quite catch.
"You doubted me?" Alastor asked wryly, trying to hide his absolute disgust at the pile of sugar and junk that was Lucifer's breakfast. Were it anyone else, he would've been expressing his feelings as adamantly as possible, but he'd since learned that no longer felt correct with Lucifer. He was turning into a downright softie, but he couldn't seem to mind as the object of his affections shot him the most beautiful smile to exist outside of Heaven, where his saintly maman surely went at her death.
Lucifer laughed at his words. "Perish the thought," he replied in a scandalized tone as he pulled up a chair to sit beside Alastor. The idle chatter over their respective breakfasts was soothing in a way that felt new to the demon, having never really had much in the way of friendship since arriving in Hell all those years ago, and never having had romance, period. Mimzy and comfortable were two words that never existed in the same time zone, and anything with Rosie always had the backdrop of their deal souring things on his end. To have somebody that he could relax around felt like a rare treasure.
"So, whatcha got planned for today?" Lucifer asked, a little dollop of whipped cream caught just above his lip. Alastor chuckled and reached over to wipe it off, earning him another one of those smiles that shone brighter than the noonday sun.
"Oh, nothing much of interest," Alastor explained, his heart pounding a little faster than normal over how truly beautiful Lucifer could be without even trying. "A few repairs around the hotel, then a dreadfully dull overlord meeting this afternoon." He would probably be badgered from all sides about his new proximity to the King, even though none but Rosie knew the extent of just how close they were. The cannibal hadn't needed their deal to get information out of him, just a few tasty tidbits from her store, a bottle of her best rye, and sheer stubbornness, but he would prefer her being the only one to know that he was dating the monarch for the time being.
"It's supposed to storm later, so you might wanna be careful," Lucifer told him, cutely protective over him even if he didn't really need to be. Alastor could take care of himself, had done so for over a century, but it was still nice to be looked after.
"Oh, a little acid rain is nothing to worry about," Alastor brushed the concern off anyway. Even if it was just the two of them, he couldn't risk seeming weak or else Lucifer might go overboard on trying to protect him. The man had quite a few lovely qualities, but restraint was not among them.
"Take an umbrella anyway?" Lucifer requested. "It'll make me feel better." He looked up at Alastor, eyes pleading, and the red was quickly replaced by a warm, vibrant brown in his mind.
"Please, mon cher enfant, it'll make me worry less?" Alastor's maman requested, holding up the umbrella that he'd already decided he wouldn't need, since it was barely sprinkling outside. But how could he ever say no to that pleading face? He finally agreed, grabbing the umbrella from her hand before rushing off to school. Even if he didn't use it, at least she wouldn't be worried.
"If you insist," Alastor finally agreed, with a roll of his eyes. But Lucifer didn't look victorious as he handed over the garish looking thing once afternoon hit, instead he looked protective. Alastor was certain that if he even so much as hinted at it, the fallen angel would sweep him off his feet and carry him to the meeting himself, shielding him under his wings like a baby. He adjusted the umbrella, a thickened rainbow monstrosity that seemed to be the calling card of both Morningstars, and started off towards the arms district and Carmilla's offices. As soon as he could no longer feel the man's gaze on his back, he slipped the hideous thing into his shadows, to be disposed of until it was time to hand it back to Lucifer. It was more rain than acid today, anyway, so he didn't even really need the protection.
The meeting was, of course, completely pointless. After everyone finally gave up on trying to pry information from Alastor about the hotel, Charlie, and Lucifer, it mostly went on with the usual minutiae of their regular meetings. Something about that wretch Valentino being a menace as always, more than a few boring numbers and figures tossed about, something about an epidemic from one of the other rings making the weakest sinners sick, a lack of new potential overlord applications. Same as any other meeting. If Alastor didn't have those stitches keeping his grin in place, he probably would have been yawning by the end, it was so mundane. The only good part was who wasn't there, that being any of the Vees.
Alastor basked in the rain on his stroll back to the hotel. The chill of the water felt nice after that stuffy boardroom atmosphere. He made sure to pull the ugly umbrella out of his shadows and quickly dried himself off before he got within viewing distance of the hotel, not wanting to unnecessarily worry Lucifer. He may not have needed the damned thing, but he also didn't need his… partner fussing over him. An hour or two of reading the latest news after dinner before heading to bed sounded like the perfect evening, and it would be much preferable to have a happy and content Devil cuddling up to him than an annoyed and thus annoying one ruining any chance of peace and quiet.
Said dinner flew past in a blur, Alastor feeling far sleepier than usual. He felt more than saw the looks he was getting from Lucifer, and for once didn't argue when the blond suggested an early night of it. The demon was asleep before his head even hit the pillow.
The next morning when Alastor woke up, the world was fuzzy around the edges. His body ached as if he'd been in a terrible battle, but he couldn't even remember having a cross word with anybody, let alone gone to war like his limbs suggested. His throat felt raw, as if he's been gargling the acid rain instead of walking through it, and his head felt so full of cotton, you would've thought it was an old plantation farm from his youth. He would have known immediately that he was sick, if it weren't for the fact that he was dead, and sinners didn't get sick. Sluggishly moving his way through his morning routine, he was already completely exhausted from just the act of getting dressed, and wasn't sure how he'd manage the rest of the day. He felt through the shadows, trying to detect any curses that somebody may have managed to tag him with, but came up with nothing. Surely, it must be some kind of magic, making him feel sick like this?
Dragging himself downstairs, Alastor was shocked when he finally noticed the time. Breakfast had been over for over an hour at this point. He'd known he was going much more slowly than usual, but he hadn't realized it was by such a severe degree. Needing to sit, not just from the shock but from the exertion of making it down all those stairs, he dragged out a chair from the breakfast nook and plopped down into it. Leaning his head back, he thought about the last time he'd felt like this, back when he was alive and alone, with no one to take care of him like his dear maman had always made sure to do. He'd been miserable for a few days, only getting better when he broke down and called Mimzy up, to beg her to bring him some medicine from the pharmacy. He'd had to promise her a few nights of piano accompaniment once he felt better before she was willing to go to all that trouble, but the relief of no longer being sick had been worth it.
"Oh, there you are, Al," a voice interrupted the demon's foggy memories. "You missed breakfast, so I'd thought you left early." Lucifer chuckled as he walked over to the stretched out stag. "Want me to fix you something while I'm here?" There was the sound of the fridge opening, and Alastor pried his eyes open to look over at the blond already shuffling through its contents.
"Grits…" Alastor muttered, brain still caught in the past. Grits just like his maman made them, perfectly delicious no matter how awful he felt. With a mug of her special tea on the side. That would fix everything.
"Grits?" Lucifer asked, finally walking over to him. "I don't think I've ever made those before, do you have a recipe?"
"And tea…" Alastor mumbled, his brain too cloudy for the sunshine that was the Morning Star to get through, his eyes sliding shut again to keep from being burned.
"Hey, are you okay?" Lucifer sounded worried now, Alastor shouldn't have worried him, he was so like his maman and should be protected.
"Je me sens mieux maintenant que tu es la, ma cherie," Alastor replied softly, switching to the French he heard so often as a child without even realizing it. He felt a cool palm on his forehead and he leaned into it, trying to chase the sensation of not being on fire any longer.
"Holy shit, you're burning up!" Lucifer yelped, before cruelly removing the only good thing in the universe from Alastor's forehead. "I'm calling Bel! No, wait, I'll take you to your room, and then call her. Since when can sinners even get sick?" The panicked words went in one big deer ear and out the other as Alastor floated in the kitchen.
"Tea…" Alastor moaned, or at least he thought he did. Nothing seemed to make sense any more, and now he was back in his bed, even though he'd put all that effort into not being in it earlier. It was quite comfortable, though, so maybe he didn't need to put any more effort into not being in it this time. He could hear the sunshine babbling somewhere close by, telling him he wasn't alone this time, that he wouldn't have to play the pharmacy for Mimzy this time to get piano.
"Bel said it's been going around," the stars were telling Alastor, all of them talking at the same time to form words. "But only hitting the weakest of sinners, so I have no idea why you'd be sick."
Alastor wasn't weak, he'd never be weak. His staff was weak, because it was broken, but Alastor wasn't his staff, even if it contained his power. The Radio Demon was always the exact opposite of weak.
"But either way," the universe continued, words coming from the very cosmos to speak to Alastor. "She's sending some medicine that should help, but it's coming from Sloth so that means it's gonna take forever to get here. Do you still want those grit things? I can check online for a recipe."
"Tea," Alastor told the galaxies full of starshine and potential. "Tea please, Maman."
"Damn, you're really out of it, aren't you?" Alastor didn't know that solar flares could laugh so prettily, like tinkling bells and the best wind chimes, full of summer afternoons and a fresh bayou breeze. He wanted to collect them and store them away for the next time it stormed. "But sure, I'll make you some tea. There's this great blend I have that I just know you'll love."
The shooting star finished its journey across the sky and left Alastor in the darkness once again. But the darkness was filled with smiles that lit the dark corners and hugs that didn't trap him in their nasty cages, so the darkness didn't seem so bad for once. The comfortable underneath him wasn't hard like stone, and his head rested against the damp clouds that smelled like a hunting trip, and he dozed among the swaying grass as he waited for the sun to shine again.
Alastor was pulled out of his fever dreams by the scent of something so achingly familiar that he wanted to cry. His maman had brought her tea to him, just like always, and it would cure everything that ailed him. His eyes slid slowly open, and he blinked as the sun dazzled him. His maman couldn't make it, so she'd apparently sent an angel in her stead. Gold flowed in the form of hair and apples bobbed on his cheeks. He held a steaming mug that smelled of cinnamon and oranges and health, and Alastor reached for it greedily.
"I hope you like it, it's a little something I picked up a ways back," the angel told him, voice as beautiful as his smile.
Alastor took a sip, tastes of childhood and love sweeping through his mouth and down his throat. "Thank you for Maman's tea," he said as he held the mug close to his face so he could breathe it all in. "It's just like she always makes it." The edges were becoming less blurry as he sipped on his gift, the sunlight coalescing into Lucifer the more the tea worked its miracles.
"Your mother made tea like this?" Lucifer asked, sitting on the edge of the bed as Alastor drank from the mug he'd brought up, the freshly cleaned Oh, Deer one because he knew it was his favorite.
"Oui," Alastor answered, the French slipping out once again. "Whenever I was sick, she'd make this tea for me and heal me with her love." The sunshine was a person once more, and the edges were far less blurry than they had been, but even love couldn't cure delirium with a few sips of tea.
Lucifer chuckled and put his hand on Alastor's knee, rubbing it gently. "She sounds like she knew a thing or two," he said softly, face shining with happiness as he listened to Alastor's story.
"She knew everything," Alastor bragged in between sips, feeling all of ten years old again. "Except the things I had to teach her, because I learned them in school."
"Good thing she had you there with her, then," Lucifer said, his eyes shining with affection as he watched the deer drink.
"I would have been nothing without her," Alastor replied, closing his eyes as he remembered just how much his maman had loved and cherished him.
"I'm glad she raised you, then, or else I never would've had the chance to meet you and fall for you," Lucifer said, his hand slowing to a standstill.
Alastor looked at Lucifer, then, truly looked. This man had given so much of himself to Alastor, had shown him kindness and care and compassion, things no one other than his maman had done. And he only did it because he actually cared for him, no ulterior motive, no deals, no subterfuge. This man had snuck in during the dead of night and snatched away his heart without Alastor even noticing. Like his maman, Lucifer loved him for who he was, and he had never once told him how he felt in return.
"I love you," slipped out even easier than the French Alastor had known his whole life.
Lucifer's mouth dropped open at the words. "Wait, you… what? You can't… I mean, you're sick, so you can't mean it…" he stuttered and babbled, shocked senseless.
Alastor smiled, one that wasn't stitched up and made for an audience. "You care for me, and I love you for it."
Lucifer stopped babbling just to stare, slack jawed.
"You'll catch flies like that," Alastor muttered, an old saying of his grand-mere's.
"You… wow, I mean…" Lucifer stammered, shocked out of his shock. "I mean, do you mean it?"
"Of course, you canard ridicule," Alastor responded, exasperated.
"Well, if you're insulting me, you must be at least somewhat back to normal," Lucifer said happily. He reached his hand up and cupped Alastor's cheek. "So promise me you'll tell me that again when you're all better?"
Alastor leaned into the obvious sign of affection. "My feelings won't change, mon ange," he explained, since Lucifer didn't seem to realize the fact.
"Just… Promise?"
Alastor sighed. "Fine, I'll tell you that I love you again, once the medicine returns me to full health." When Lucifer removed his hand, he went back to drinking his maman's tea.
"That's all I ask," Lucifer said softly, "because I feel the same for you." A strange quacking noise came from his phone, then, and he pulled it out to check it. "Speaking of medicine, it's here. I'll be right back, Al." He rushed off to get the delivery from Sloth, leaving Alastor with his tea and his memories.
When he returned with the little paper bag, Lucifer helped Alastor out of his bed, because even with the restorative health benefits of the tea he wasn't very steady on his legs yet. "Can't have you trying to swallow pills while you're lying down, big guy," Lucifer had explained while jiggling the bag in show to make a rustling noise.
Once Alastor was in an upright position on the wingback chair by the fire, which had been lit at some point without his knowledge and was now pleasantly crackling away, Lucifer handed him the mug back, as well as the pill bottle. "Thank you, for the medication and my maman's special tea," he said, staring up at blond, who was only taller now because he was sitting, with every ounce of gratitude and affection he felt at the moment.
"Actually, it's my tea, not hers," Lucifer corrected him. Then his face fell, making Alastor want to hug him, except that his hands were all currently full. "Is that okay? That it's not hers?" He sounded worried now, and that just wouldn't do.
"It's not?" Alastor asked in surprise. Even if he was in Hell for a thousand years, he would never forget the taste of his maman's special healing tea. He'd forget his own name first, of that he was certain. When Lucifer nodded, Alastor paused, humming lightly as he rolled that fact over in his head. "It even tastes the same as hers," he said in wonder as Lucifer gave him a quick peck on the cheek. It was amazing, how the only two people to ever truly love him both knew the exact same recipe for tea. Maybe it really did heal with love…
~~~
"We don't just show our love with words, mon doux garcon," Alastor's maman told him one day as they watched the sun setting, the beautiful colors making the perfect backdrop for such conversations. "We show it with our actions, every minute of every day. We show it by putting our loved ones before us, and by giving them a push when they need it. And we show it by always being there for them."
"I want to always be here for you, Maman," Alastor exclaimed eagerly, leaning in to give her a hug. She laughed in response, and gave him a quick kiss on the top of his head.
"And you are, dear," she said as she leaned into him, the reds turning purple as the sun laid down for its well deserved rest after a long day of shining so brightly for all the world to see. "You show me love every day, and I make sure to show you as much love as three people."
Alastor giggled. "I don't want three people, I just want you, Maman." He grabbed her in an even tighter hug, showing her as much love as his little arms could handle.
"I love you, ma petite cherie," she said as she hugged him back.
"I love you too, Maman."
