. . .
"You call it madness, but I call it love."
—Don Byas
. . .
"Whoa. Whoa, just... chill, Winters," William immediately says to his sister who looked just a second away from throwing her katana at... Dionysus? Seriously? That's the god of wine?! "At least Alastor's awake now, right?"
Winters...?
Oh.
Ohhh, that's right.
His mate's name is Winters. Winters Veil, not Poppy, not Proserpina or... or whatever the others are calling her.
Alastor smiles to himself as he keeps her name repeated on loop. Winters, Winters, Winters, Winters... it's such a pretty, nice-sounding name. It suits her. Winters. Winter. Ice. Frost. Snow. Cold but beautiful... and breath taking.
"You seriously think this is fine?!" his mate snaps, whirling around to glare at her brother as she jammed an angry finger at Alastor's direction, "Look at him. He's just sitting there... smiling–"
He flashed a charming grin at her.
"...without a word!"
The last sentence had been spat out like it was something so offensive. And Alastor can only stare at her, completely fascinated at how unusually animated she is. From what he knows, Winters was kind of reserved, stoic even... and although he's not such a quiet person like her, nor did he consider himself much of a talker...
But the very idea that Winters knows him well enough to differentiate his normal behavior from this—whatever this is—is doing funny things to his heartstrings.
...Hey, that rhymes!
"Okay... so Eros did break him," Dionysus concluded.
"Well, fix him then!" she all but roared.
Completely unfazed, a slightly crazed laugh suddenly escaped from Dionysus as he slapped his thigh, swaying a bit in place, "But damn girl, this is hilarious!"
William frowns as he stares Alastor.
And Alastor... tries not to grin at the vaguely similar look on the kid's face. Oh wow, William looks so much like Winters when he frowns... oooh, just like that! "Okay. Now, this is officially creeping me out. I thought no one is supposed to get hurt from the god of love's arrows?"
Winters stares at Alastor too for a moment.
Past the clear look of frustration, Alastor could have sworn he can see panic and something like worry in those eyes of black.
Aw, shit.
That won't do.
Without thinking, he shot his hand forward to grab hold of her hand before she could move to turn away, squeezing her hand as best as he can in what he hopes was a reassuring manner, the same way he barely remembered his dad used to do whenever Alastor was hurt or sad when he was a little kid.
Is he doing this right?
Judging by how Winters wasn't complaining, only staring down at him with wide eyes... Alastor thinks he's on the clear.
Huh, speaking of clear...
Funny enough, his mind feels sort of fuzzy. Like, he had too much of a drink... but he didn't touch any alcohol ever since he got smashed in front of her. He's pretty embarrassing when he gets drunk, after all.
Ahem. Anyway.
Winters.
"Winters..." he murmured.
Everyone immediately quieted down.
"Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?" Alastor asked, looking at her with utmost seriousness. That is a serious question, after all.
"What," William stated.
"Eh?" Dionysus blinked.
"But..." Winters blinked, "I'm an underworld goddess...?"
Alastor bursts out laughing at that.
Meanwhile, William and Dionysus stared at the laughing werewolf, completely at a loss. And Winters blinks down at Alastor, her face turning eerily blank the longer his particularly unhinged laughter goes.
"Well, you sure don't look it. I mean, have you seen yourself? Damn, you look like an angel. Did you know when we first met, I almost believed you were one?" Alastor tells her, almost in a rush, his voice giddy and practically shaking with mirth, as he beams up at her with all the glow of the shining sun.
"Uh, thank you...?" was the eloquent response.
"But to answer your earlier question, yes Winters, I'm completely okay. Better even! Because you're here! And you're... you're so beautiful and it's distracting me but please don't stop."
There was a short pause.
And Dionysus instantly bursts out into a wild fit of laughter. He was laughing so hard that he very nearly doubles over on the spot.
Still, the god of wine blindly staggers forward and tries to lean on Winters for support, shaking her arm as he continues to laugh, pointing wordlessly at Alastor and then at her face, still in hysterics... but she simply shoves him off of her without looking away from Alastor.
And Winters...
Winters looked so completely stunned by Alastor's pick-up line, her usual poker face had been practically wiped clean.
Some people are just born perfect... Alastor thought as he sighed dreamily at his mate's bewildered expression. How can someone just so cute be so sexy at the same time? "Ah, but if being sexy was a crime, you'd be so guilty as charge."
Her face instantly turned red, "E-Excuse me?"
His smile widens at such a wonderful sight.
Alastor wasn't aware that she could get any prettier, but well, would you look at that? He can get used to this. "Well, to be honest, you're so beautiful I forgot my next pick-up line. So, yeah, you're excused."
"Dude," William exhales, sharply, "...what the fuck?"
