the words fell out of alastor's mouth so quickly he hadn't even processed them. he just clicked his communicator off and returned to his concoction- today it was a massive pot of soup to last the next several days, plus a little extra to share. sure, he was heading to his closest friend's home for dinner, but who says he can't bring a little something for a taste test?
he stirred the cauldron a bit, bringing the ladle up for a taste... and relaxing when it finally resembled something edible. cooking wasn't his strong suit by any means. progress.
alastor exchanged the ladle for his staff and waved it gently, lowering the flames. as he turned to hurriedly gather himself for the outing, his chest grew warm with excitement for the night to come.
laszlo inviting him over wasn't new. what was, however, was his newfound awareness of how head-over-heels he was for him. the feelings themselves had been present since the day they met, but had only grown stronger the more they interacted. and how could they not? he's a sweet guy who’s as passionate about his art as he is his friends and family. many of their outings did end up work related- heck, they met in the arts district- but visiting museums and parks "looking for references" was always a treat regardless. even just reminiscing was enough to send alastor into a giggling fit...
until a chill shoots through his spine. thankfully it was just nerves. he couldn't help but wonder... he had forgotten entirely what was said during the call, aside from plan confirmation. the lump in his chest blamed himself for an offhand comment. he tried to remember, but the words never arrived. maybe a false alarm..?
alastor pulled on his cloak and hat, then extinguished the cauldron flames. he scooped the soup into his thermos, still shaken but with the anxiety fading relatively quickly. best not to get cold feet. there was a full dinner- and plenty of other folks- to look forward to, after all!
alastor approached the front doors of the robinson house with a newfound apprehension. and what for, even? the anxiety had resurfaced and became a persistent nagging. all the more frustrating was the inability to even remember what the source was. regardless, he maintained his composure.
the twins at the front weren't present- likely getting ready for dinner. let's see, last time i rang the left doorbell...
lefty greeted alastor with a groan, inviting him in. the main hall seemed mostly empty, save for gaston who had been turning the tv off.
"hey, al!" he grinned.
"i’m not cutting it too close, am i?" alastor smiled back. he never was, but he hated making them wait.
"nope! franny just called. you remember where the dining room is?"
when alastor hesitated a bit too long, gaston just nodded.
"me neither. well, it's about time you learned the transport tubes anyway."
"are you sure? i mean, how do i know where i'm going?"
"don't worry about it." gaston’s grin at least gave him a tiny bit of reassurance. luckily everyone here was understanding of alastor's inexperience with modern tech... not that it was any less embarrassing than if they hadn't.
before he realized it, gaston had pushed him to the base of the tube.
"now, just step in the middle and you'll be in the dining room!"
"o-okay.."
al slowly pressed a foot in the center underneath the tube. it immediately lit up, and the suction took hold- it was hard not to yelp. gaston had started saying something else, but he was already too far away to hear now.
before he could process what was happening, he was spit out onto the ground- presumably intending him to land on his feet, the disorientation from the tubes instead slammed him right on his butt.
"alastor, you made it!"
he glanced up at franny, who was already approaching to help him back up. sheepishly he took her hand.
"yeah, i caught gaston on the way in." he groaned, standing. "those tubes are no joke, huh?"
"you get used to em." she shrugged. "lasagna?"
the rest of the family was still snagging seats. alastor turned and met eyes with laszlo, who waved him over. he thanked franny and ran to claim his spot between him and his sister, tallulah.
"there you are!" laszlo beamed. "did you bring your soup?"
alastor nodded, gripping his thermos. "its not enough for a full course, but at least everyone can get a taste if they want."
gaston finally arrived right at that moment- got turned around, he claimed.
dinner carried on as normal, with the mini-carls doing their thing and the frogs providing ambience. the whole family was animated, preoccupied with their own conversations. laszlo and alastor spoke briefly about upcoming projects until al touched his lasagna- something about carl's cooking just had him in a chokehold. he hadn't even realized tallulah had inserted herself into the conversation until laszlo hushed her.
"are y'all sayin' somethin'?" al said between chews.
"nothing important." laszlo focused back on his plate. he seemed aggravated- par for the course with his sister.
"aw, that's no way to treat al." she scolded, albeit in a joke-y manner. "you hearin' this?"
"you know what? i'm above this." laszlo took his plate and hovered out of his chair. tallulah tried- poorly- to hold back a snicker.
"alright, for real though, what'd i miss?"
she glanced at her brother, who had moved across the dining room, then yanked their guest under the table.
"...oh boy." alastor muttered.
"ok, al, you can't be THAT clueless." tallulah whispered.
"you know i can't focus when food is involved."
"oh come on, forget the food!"
"carl knocked it outta the park though..."
tallulah stopped herself from arguing further.
"listen. i'm just givin' lasz a hard time for callin' you earlier. and the one thing you said."
uh oh.
"...what one thing."
"you're not gonna play dumb the whole time, are ya?"
"tallulah, i'm serious. i don't remember half of what we even talked about earlier... wait. how do YOU know what i said?"
"he's always got it on speaker. and he doesn't lock the studio doors."
"so.. what did i say? was it embarrassing?"
"i'd say tellin' the guy you love him is embarrassing."
alastor flinched, banging his head on the table.
"like him, i get. but LOVE? come on, he's not that great."
"ok, but was it like.. a formal declaration or..?" he winced, gently rubbing the top of his head.
"like it was nothin'." she glanced at her nails. "i mean i figured there was somethin' goin' on with you two, i just wonder why lasz didn’t say anything."
"uh, maybe because there isn't?? i must have misspoke, or got my wires crossed or something..."
"so you DO remember what you said."
"no i- grr- ok, listen." alastor steadied himself, staring tallulah directly in the nose. "this NEVER leaves underneath this table."
her eyes lit up immediately.
"i uh.." he hesitated. "god, why is it so hard now?"
"out with it!"
"ok, ok, fine.." alastor composed himself. "i.. might have a thing for laszlo."
"might?" she stifled a laugh.
"ok, i definitely do. happy?"
"what, that's all?"
"ugh, fine. i have a thing for him and haven't said anything because i don't know if he sees me in that way. and i don't want to ruin this good thing we got goin'. NOW are you satisfied?"
tallulah nodded slowly, then excused herself from under the table. alastor could hear her cackling from above- luckily nobody else seemed overly concerned with their absence. after a good minute or so she returned.
"yeah, yeah, i get it, turbo-embarrassment. and i screwed that all up by blanking during our call." alastor's face was burning. looks like his anxiety did have some precedent...
"are ya kiddin' me?" tallulah wiped a final tear from her eye. "he never shuts up about you! you sayin' that to him made his entire night. well, up until i started teasin' him about it."
his heart dropped.
"you can’t be serious."
"i promise you, the headaches i endured were very real."
"this is so much worse than not just saying anything.."
"oh, relax," tallulah grabbed his shoulder. "now you both know! and, if you ever get bored of agonizing, you can tell him straight-up, and be annoying together."
alastor facepalmed, grumbling. tallulah only seemed more amused.
"word of advice though- you should probably make the first move. he's... not the best at taking hints."
"uh... thanks? i guess."
"don't mention it."
"there you are." carl interrupted, shoving his head into their space. "al, the people want their soup!"
al bonked his head on the table again.
"right..."
