Nothing /// Mullette Asylum Fic

3 - Therapy

Lafayette
Hercules was surprisingly good at air hockey, beating Lafayette almost every time. He sulked and pouted, but laughed every time he fucked up. Which was often.

It was all smiles and laughs up until he was called for his therapy session. Lafayette's smile instantly fell away and his mood soured. Hercules noticed but couldn't exactly do anything. Lafayette stalked out of the room and into Washington's office. He took a seat across from George and stared down at his lap.
George sighed. "How are you, son?" he asked gently.
"Amazing. Simply wonderful, considering you wanted to put me in solitary confinement", Lafayette mumbled.

"I didn't mean what I said. I was worried and stressed and- I'm sorry." "Whatever."
"Have you eaten recently?" Lafayette nodded slowly.
"Good. What was it, how much?"
"A whole apple."
"Good! That's good..." George scribbled something down. "You've grown quite close to Hercules in less than a day, haven't you?"
Lafayette tensed. "Y-yeah."

George nodded. "How do you feel when you're around him?"
Lafayette unwillingly turned a shade of red. "Safe", he muttered
"And is he trustworthy? Can you rely on him? Would you eat again if he asked you to?"
"Yes, probably, maybe. Like you said, it's been less than a day." Lafayette rolled his eyes. George sounded like a dad trying to weasel information about a boy from his daughter.

"Alright, son, you can go. Send Hercules in to Angelica, would you?"
Lafayette nodded and got up. "Merci père", he said hurriedly, before leaving the room.
"What does that mean?" a voice asked.
Lafayette nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Sorry", Hercules chuckled.
It means 'thank you, father'", Lafayette mumbled, blushing slightly.
"Aww, George is like your father! That's so cute!" Hercules giggled.
"Shut up and go to Angelica's office", Lafayette said, grinning slightly.
Hercules laughed and skipped away.

Hercules
He entered Angelica's office, still grinning like an idiot.
"You look happy", the woman in question remarked.
Hercules just nodded before bounding over and taking a seat across from her.
"Now, Hercules", she began, fidgeting slightly. "We have to do a test. Of willpower. And other things. Just try to control yourself, alright?"
Hercules frowned but nodded.
Angelica slowly lifted a pint of beer and put it on the desk.

Hercules tensed, staring at it. All your problems, gone, the voice in his head teased him. With a few thousand of these, you can finally let go of your regrets...
"Hercules?" Angelica asked.
He was crying, memories washing over him. He could drink them away, drown them in alcohol until he felt nothing but empty.

Angelica snatched it away from him and tried to calm him, but he was shaking endlessly.
In the end, she had someone bring Lafayette in.
The Frenchman rushed over to Hercules and caught him in a tight embrace, the Irishman crying onto his shoulder.
"I don't want to drink anymore, Laf", he whispered.
"That's why you're here isn't it? To stop?" Lafayette mumbled into his ear. The combination of the man's slight accent and hot breath on Hercules' neck sent shivers down his spine.

They left together, hands tightly intertwined.
Hercules stared off into space, thinking of a million things at once, good and bad.
Holy shit, Lafayette is both hot and adorable.
You could've drank it all away.
I want to keep him.
It was your fault anyways.
He was so cute while sleeping.
Your fault, your fault, your fault...

His hand twitched slightly. Lafayette looked at him in concern.
He became suddenly overly aware of everything about the Frenchman; the small curls that framed his face, the way his clothes hung off him, his tired eyes, his frail hands that felt like twigs you could snap just by looking at...
You also met him only a day ago, a voice chirped from the back of his mind.

He mentally sighed. This would be a fun next few months...