#At this point it's a kind of ritual to reblog everyone's birthday posts. If I don't assume I'm dead

[echo-bleu]

Alex centric kindness prompt? Alex is in elementary school when he becomes friends with Maria Deluca. He didn’t realize that friendship would also come with Mama Deluca. (Maybe Alex spends the night and is shocked that some parents sing their kids lullabies, and kiss their foreheads at bedtime and he’s even more shocked when he’s included in this ritual.)

Thank you!! I absolutely loved this prompt, although it took me too long to write it.

InsidiousIntent was my amazing beta for this fic, and screamed at me for making her cry. Then she was insistent that I make you suffer the same, so here it is :) The title is her suggestion as well, from an eponymous (I think) poem by Anonymous.

[implied abuse]

Also on AO3

"Alex, we're having a sleepover!" Maria greets Alexenthusiastically when he finds her in the little corner of the schoolgrounds.

"A sleepover?" Alex frowns. He's never had one, except ifyou count sleeping on the floor of the Valenti cabin with hisbrothers and Kyle.

"Mama phoned your Dad and he said yes!"

"Really?" Alex asks, awed. Maria has been talking aboutinviting him to her home for her birthday for weeks, but he didn'tthink Dad would ever agree.

Maria nods enthusiastically and hugs him, dragging them both into alittle dance.

Alex is still getting used to how tactile hisfriend can be. He's never met someone like Maria before. He justfollowed Kyle everywhere, on the first day of school, afraid oflosing sight of the only other personhe knew, and Maria came and jumped on Kyle from behind, nearly makingthem both stumble to the floor. She then proceeded to solemnlyintroduce herself to Alex, explaining that her Mama knew Kyle's Daddyand since Kyle's Daddy knew Alex's Dad, that meant they were allfriends. Alex didn't think that was quite how it was supposed towork, but he didn't protest when she took his hand at the nextlineup.

The three of them have been friends ever since,though Kyle is the only one who is also friends with most of theirclass. Alex tends to keep to himself, and Maria seems to be a bit toomuch for mostof the other children.

"It will be after my birthday party on Saturday," Mariasays when they stop dancing. "You'll stay all night and Mamawill drive you back in the morning."

Alex smiles in response to her enthusiasm. The idea is a littledaunting, but he wants to be as good a friend to Maria as she is tohim. And her Mama seems nice, when she comes to pick up Maria afterschool.

He carefully prepares a small overnight bag on Saturday, with Flint'shelp for once, and puts his gift to Maria inside. It's a wind chimehe made himself, with colorful beads his mother left behind and ashell he picked up at the beach last summer. He traded a whole weekof taking out the trash so Harlan could help him drill a hole in theshell, then threaded a piece of yellow string through the beads, withcareful knots at both ends. Maria loves yellow.

MrsValenti picks him up and drives him and Kyle over to Maria's house.Maria hugs them both enthusiastically, before introducing Alex to hermother between giggles.

“I've heard a lot about you, Alex,” the bright-eyed woman sayswith a smile. She's warm and gentle, and she wears a lot of jewelrythat moves with her and shines. Alex likes her, though he feels alittle intimidated.

“It's an honor to meet you, ma'am,” he says with a tremblingvoice, trying his best to channel his father.

“Oh, don't call me ma'am! Mimi is fine,” the woman laughs.

Alex calls her ma'am again five times during the day, and shecorrects him every time until he shyly tries to call her Mimi. Whenhe does, she gives him a bright smile and a hug.

Alex freezes in place until she lets him go and hides in Maria'sbedroom for half-an-hour.

Alex and Kyle are the only boys at the party, but Alex doesn't mind.The three girls Maria invited are all nice and polite, and theirmothers distant. For once, Kyle is the one tagging along with Alex, abit shy around girls. Maria jumps up and down and runs around a lot,and dances with everyone she gets her hands onto. She blows hercandles in one sweep and ends up with a lot of chocolate on her face.

Alex carefully eats his cake with his spoon and decides it's the bestcake he's ever tasted.

He watches Maria open her gifts, which are all store-bought pinkdolls and miniature kitchen pans, until she gets to his. It looks sosloppy beside the others, because he wrapped it himself, and he'ssuddenly terrified that Maria isn't going to like it. He wants torun, to escape this room with too many people in it, but he's stuckat the table beside Kyle and he can't move. He doesn't even feel thetears running down his face until Maria looks up from tearing off thewrapping paper.

“Why are you crying?” she asks, tilting her head.

Alex shakes his head and sniffles. The other children stare at thetwo of them for a moment, then collectively decide that since Mariahas finished opening her gifts, it's time to go play. In a fewseconds, they're alone at the table.

Maria catches Mimi's eyes, then she jumps off her chair, grabs Alex'shand and drags him to her bedroom. Alex follows reflexively, used toMaria taking the initiative.

“What's wrong?” Maria asks Alex, sitting him down on the bed.

“You−you don't like my gift,” Alex stammers, still crying. Hehates how easily he cries. It makes him weak. His brothers don't evercry, except Flint when Mom left, but that was over a year ago.

Maria holds out her hand, holding the little wind chime tightly.

“Of course I like it!” she says, sounding offended. “There'syellow beads! Did you make it yourself?”

Alex nods, relieved. He wipes his face with his sleeve.

“It's beautiful, Alex,” a soft voice says from behind him. Alexturns to see Mimi leaning on the door frame. “Do you want to hangit now?”

“Yes!” Maria jumps to her feet. “At the window!”

Mimi must be a nice mother to have, Alex thinks, as he watches herlift Maria up so she can hang the chime from the window handle. Hedoesn't remember if Mom ever hugged him like that, only that herhands and her eyes were almost as dark as Mimi's.

“Look, Alex!” Maria points at the chime. “It's the same coloras my shirt!”

Alex is crying again. He doesn't even know why, but he doesn't likeit.

“I think Alex is getting a little overwhelmed,” Mimi says. “Howabout you stay in here for a bit, darling?”

Alex nods. He doesn't want to go back to the other children. There'stoo much noise and too many people.

“I wanna stay too,” Maria says.

Mimi crouches down. “Maria, you can't leave your guests alone fortoo long, but how about this: you let Alex calm down in here whileyou play with your friends a little more, and then we say goodbye toeveryone and you can come back.”

“Okay,” Maria nods after thinking about it for a bit. “Is itokay, Alex?”

“Okay,” Alex sniffles.

Maria rummages through her bookcaseand comes back with a book. “Here!” she hands it to Alex. “Soyou have something to do!”

Then she runs back to the living room.

“Don't worry, little man,” Mimi says. “We'll be back soon,alright?”

Alex nods and smiles a little. He doesn't mind staying behind.Maria's room is very nice and it smells good, and he's used to beingalone.

Later that night, afterthe other children and their parents are gone andthey've eaten dinner, Maria and Mimi layout a little mattress for Alex on the floor of Maria's room. Mimithen sits down on the bed with a book she pulls out of the top shelf,with a picture of a dragon on the cover.

“Bilbo?” Maria asks, excitedly jumping ontothe bed.

“We can start back at the beginning so Alexisn't lost,” Mimi answers.

Alex watches them curiously as Maria curls underMimi's arm.

“Alex, baby, come here,” Mimi pats the space on her other side.

Alex's eyes widen. "Me?"

“Of course,” Mimi says warmly. “Unless you don't want to,that's okay too.”

“I can read,” Alex frowns.

“Then we can all take turns.”

“Come on, Alex, it's a good book!” Maria says. “You'll likeit.”

Carefully, Alex climbs onto the bed. He holds himself just out ofreach of Mimi's free arm, and she doesn't insist on pulling himcloser.

The book is a grown-up book, with very few pictures. The text swimsin front of Alex when he tries to make sense of it. He's not the bestat reading at school. It's hard, and Flint doesn't want to help himlike he used to anymore, now that he's started middle school. Momtaught all of his older brothers before they started school, but Alexwas too small when she left, so he had to teach himself.

Mimi starts reading, sliding her finger along the page to show themthe words, but Alex can't focus on the story. He's too aware of howclose he is to Mimi's body, how warm she is. Maria is staring at himover the book instead of following along. Alex stares back, and shefrowns a little before she starts giggling.

“Maria?” Mimi asks.

“Alex is happy,” Maria says between bouts of laughing.

“Yes, darling. I can feel it too.”

Alex looks up at Mimi. “Really?” he asks. Is that what happyfeels like?

Mimi nods and smiles at him. “Do you want to take a turn atreading?”

Alex struggles with the too long words, so he only reads twosentences before Maria, who is more practiced than him and alreadyknows the story, takes over.

When he slides under the blanket on the mattress a little later,already half asleep, his head is full of dwarves and houses withround doors and adventure. He watches Mimi kiss the top of Maria'shead before tucking her in, and waits for her to leave.

Instead, Mimi bends down again and places a gentle kiss on Alex'sforehead.

He hopes she doesn't see the tear on his cheekbefore shuts the light off.

-

Comments/reblogs make me warm inside. Even if you want to scream at me.

This is one of three prompts I received on the same day, and although I am very slow filling them, they will be posted as a series on AO3.