small-but-strong:
“I-I, grouchy!?” Alfred spluttered as he was placed in the bottom of the basket, barely even tall enough to see over the top as the king walked away from him and settled in to his own plush bed. Pouting like only a child can, Al crossed his arms over his chest and turned his back on Alfred, tucking his chin down against his neck as he stared petulantly at the wad of blankets under him. “I’m not sleepy and I’m not grouchy!” He snapped. “Just because I might look like a little kid, doesn’t mean I am one!”
Al could feel tears start to prick in the corner of his eyes, and he was surprised to realize just how upset he was. Normally, he would probably joke around with Alfred if he insulted him, maybe even make fun of the king himself, but for some reason all he wanted to do was sit down and have a nice cry. And why shouldn’t he? Everyone needs to let it out sometimes…(even if they’re not quite sure what they’re “letting out”)
Hiccuping just slightly, Alfred let the tears slip down his cheeks as he stared angrily at the wall. He barely made a sound other than a few small sniffs, but he could tell that the king heard him, and for some reason that only made him cry harder. His tears collected near his chin and slowly dropped on to the blankets below as he curled in on himself, shaking slightly.
Alfred frowned and was about to give him a snappy response, stopping when he realized that the child fairy was actually…crying.
The king was the ultimate sucker for tears. As he got older he found he couldn’t stand crying from the people he cared about, finding the sound repulsive. Crying meant fear, pain, or frustration, all of which he never wanted his loved ones to feel. The sound almost made him dizzy from how much he despised it, and though he tried to resist and tell himself Al was just doing it for attention, he gave in and grabbed the basket.
“Don’t cry! Oh, I didn’t meant to upset you, please stop crying! I’ll get you anything you want, or you can sleep in my bed tonight!” He insisted, hand dipping down to gently stroke the fairy’s back, careful to avoid his delicate wings. He was treating the fairy much like he would treat a real child, forgetting that Al was technically still an adult, and one that was much older than him. Despite that though, Alfred didn’t want to see his friend cry! He hadn’t realized that he upset him so much…
“Sshhh…come on little one, I’m sorry. I won’t upset you again,” he cooed, smiling as he slowly scooped the fairy up into his hands and stroked his head once. He couldn’t help himself. As much as he claimed that he didn’t like children, Al’s crying just sent him off into full parental mode, offering gifts or affection in exchange for his happiness.
