. . .
"Love seeketh not itself to please, nor for itself hath any care, but for another gives its ease, and builds a Heaven in Hell's despair."
—William Blake
. . .
Giddiness vibrates through Alastor's every single limb as he watched his mate's face turn even redder with every pick-up line. Winters always looked so cool, so unaffected...
But a flustered Winters is just as cute too!
"Alastor, stop talking." Winters commanded.
"NEXT!" Dionysus cried, still laughing, "NEXT PLEASE!"
As Winters began to stalk forward, face red and murder burning bright in her eyes, Alastor immediately shifted his voice into a low drawl, "Warning: please keep your distance. I will fall in love with y–"
Without a warning, she suddenly slams one of the pillows right at his face, effectively muffling his next words while William shudders, a hint of utter relief on his face as he looks down at Alastor, "Oh, thanks, sis. I thought he'll never stop."
"Look, Alastor, you have no idea what you are talking about right now." Alastor instinctively tried to open his mouth to protest at that, but Winters was pressing the pillow on his face and already addressing her next words to William, "...Eros. This is all his fault. You know how Alastor is. You know this isn't him. He... he won't... s-say such things like that to me."
"You mean flirting?" William asked, dryly.
Alastor huffed. But he just did!
"It's because of the arrow, little poppy" Dionysus cuts in, wiping tears from his red-rimmed eyes, "Big bad wolf here is under major love influence and it's leading him to say things he may or may not mean."
"What does that supposed to even mean?"
"Aw, come on, ghoul-face, you're not as stupid as you want everyone to think. It's common sense—Eros and his mom has always been all about making people go mad with love since ancient times. DUH!" Dionysus gestures to her and Alastor, a maniacal grin crawling its way on his face again, "So... whatever sappy shit Al's going on about is most likely the real deal."
"The real...?"
"Yeah. Live with it."
For a moment, Winters only stared at him.
"...You are lying," she declared.
"Am I?" Dionysus challenged, coolly.
"You have to be."
Alastor frowns, pulling himself off of the pillow, worriedly looking over at Winters. For some odd reason, despite the cool indifference she shows... there was some sort of desperation in her voice.
"Eh," Dionysus scoffs, "Whatever helps you sleep."
"You know what, this is just plain gross," William wraps his arms around himself as he bodily shudders, looking completely scandalized. "Al used to be one, cool dude and now, he's so... corny and... and cheesy. Yuck."
"Nobody asked you."
"Well, someone sure has to say it."
Winters threw her little brother a warning look, but her gaze soon drifts off towards Alastor, and Alastor's face instantly warms at the attention, and he feels like a freaking flower blooming underneath that concerned stare.
His mate is so beautiful... and the more he looks at Winters, Alastor immediately knows exactly what he has to say next, "Hey, did you know?"
"Please not another pick up line,"
Good thing it's not.
Still, he wasn't deterred, "I like you."
Her eyelashes fluttered as she blinks, "...I know."
Oh... she does? Really? That's good then. The whole world deserves to know! "Well, I actually think it's obvious to anyone who has a working brain, but please believe me when I say that I do like you... a lot."
And that's the truth if nothing else.
Alastor has always liked Winters... ever since he saw her that day, ever since he realized she was his mate. It's honestly kind of hard not to like her even if she's not his mate. She's beautiful, she's interesting and she's so sweet even if she tries so hard not to show it and she's very considerate and caring no matter how busy she has to be.
He sees it in the way she checks on her brother.
In the way she allowed him to be in her life.
Although she acts more of a friend—or a housemate—than a lover around him for most of the time, he didn't mind. Alastor likes that she lets him be close enough but be independent around each other that there weren't restrictions around the two of them. It's freeing and gives him a sense of belongingness at the same time.
His musings were rudely interrupted when William suddenly voiced out his complaint, "Oh for the love of all that is good and holy—!"
He pouted. What is it now?
"Can someone please just make him stop?!"
They all turned to look at the kid.
William gestures to Alastor as he obviously tries to grasp for the proper words for a moment, strangely looking embarrassed for him, "I mean... guys, come on! Just look at him! ALASTOR LOOKS LIKE A PUPPY WAGGING ITS TAIL! WINTERS! PLEASE. YOU HAVE TO MAKE HIM STOP!"
"Hey, now," Dionysus frowns at the kid in mock-disapproval, "That's not a nice thing to say to your future brother-in-law."
Alastor perks up.
"No way even in he–!"
Winters slowly holds her hand out and Alastor feels like everything else is moving in slow motion when she cups his chin, effortlessly drawing in his gaze as he looks up at her, his mouth parting a bit in awe.
"Get some rest, Alastor."
Alastor smiles.
It's not reciprocation...
But it's not a rejection either. Not really. It's fine. He can live with that. Besides, it's nice to know that she cares about him. That's good enough.
That's good enough for him.
"Okay," he hums, nodding along. "...Okay."
Hm, now that she mentioned it, he's beginning to feel really sleepy... Winters is right. He needs to get some rest and her bed is perfect for that because it's soft, so soft, as soft as a fluffy cloud and he feels high and floating.
But before that...
"Hey..."
A smooth, cold hand gently brushed over his face... almost soothingly. And his eyes grew half-lidded at such a comforting touch.
"You know, before I met you sometimes... sometimes I thought it would be impossible for me to be truly happy again," Alastor tells her, his words slurring together and almost coming out as a low, jumbled mess, "I honestly thought that I'd never get to have a chance for this sort of happiness. And now I do, because of you."
"Oh," Winters muttered.
"Yeah, thank you for... f-for..."
And just as Alastor caught a glimpse of the way her eyes had turned impossibly soft, almost a little sad, a small smile making its way to her face, he lurches forward to her arms as everything goes black at once.
