Note: I do not own "Constantine", nor do I own "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day." Balthazar is now fully human, for future reference. With all that entails. Sometimes OOC. Forgive me.
Balthazar and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day, Part Six
Thankfully, the ordeal of the chicken soup did not last long. However, it did allow for a lot of amusement on the part of Chas. Trying to get Balthazar to eat anything he put in front of him was difficult until Chas realised he could pinch the other man's nose and force him to swallow.
Once he'd been sprayed in the face with warm soup.
Thankfully he had a towel on hand.
But eventually, most of the soup and crackers ended up inside of Balthazar. His stomach felt better full, but the ex-demon sure wasn't going to tell this little brat! Instead he said, "I'm full now." And he really was, so Chas left him alone. He put out the light, closed the blinds, and…locked him in the bedroom. With the bucket, just in case.
As if he were afraid Balthazar would come out and beat him up, or something. "If you need anything, yell. Or throw something at the door." Chas said from behind the door. "I'm going to be in the main room studying."
Balthazar sighed and turned away. Then he paused.
To the right of the bed was a nightstand. It had upon it, a rather large mirror. For exorcisms, he thought. Then, against his better judgement, he hesitantly reached a hand over and picked it up. His fingertips were trembling as he held it up to look into.
For the first time, his reflection remained solid. There was no tell-tale wave of demon haze, or warping in the glass. Just him, or his corporal form. The vassal which held him physical on this plane of existence.
In the mirror showed the face of a man. A rather handsome man, if he didn't look so utterly terrified. So aghast that he could see his reflection. Because this was the clincher for him. This was the ultimate, the extreme, the zenith.
He really was human.
This was it.
As he watched the mirror with a mixture of fascination and horror, tears began to form in his reflection's eyes. The view grew blurry and his hands shook as he broke into tears for real. But he was silent while he cried, would not, could not let the world outside know he was sobbing. It would be too much. Too much for an already tired, humiliated, weary ex-demon who only now wanted to die.
When John got home Chas was sitting at the table opposite Balthazar, who was dressed in a house robe, just newly damp from a shower. Chas was buried in his books and Balthazar was contemplating what looked like a hot cup of coffee.
"How's the brew?" John asked offhandedly, gesturing to the coffee as he hung up his jacket and lit up.
"Why are you smoking again?" Balthazar answered his question with another question. "I was under the distinct impression that you were trying to quit."
"Well," John took a deep drag before answering, "ever since the doc told me I was going to die of the cancer, I gave up. This just feels…" he shrugged, "like an addiction."
Balthazar sniffed the drink in front of him. "Beastly stuff." he said, before lifting the mug and gulping down three large mouthfuls. "Tastes like burnt mud. But I can't seem to get enough of it."
"He's had six cups this afternoon alone." Chas noted, without looking up. "I was going to stop him, but it hasn't seemed to make him go nuts or anything."
John raised an eyebrow, and sat down at the table.
"He had a fever this morning, but it's gone down now. I made him soup." Chas added proudly.
John didn't have trouble turning his laugh into a hacking cough. Blood frothed from his lungs and hit the table with a sickening "splat". For a moment they just stared at it, each reminded of his own mortality.
Chas looked up over the book. "Well." he said quietly. "Well. So. Is there anything on tap for tonight, John?"
"No." John swallowed what had remained in his throat. "Why don't I go back out and get something for us to eat."
"I want fries." announced Chas loudly. "And burgers with double cheese and bacon."
John laughed a little as he got his coat. "I'll be back in ten minutes." And then he was gone again.
"Is it always like this?" Balthazar questioned when John had left. "Him always leaving?"
"Yeah." said Chas, opening the book again sadly. "But he always comes back. Usually drunk. Or covered in grime. Most often bleeding from a few places - that's why we have all those towels." he gestured. "But yeah. He's always going, but I don't…know where."
He buried his face in his arms, and slumped down on the table. "Oh, my God, Balthazar, I think I'm in love with the man."
This nearly knocked the ex-demon out of his chair. "You're WHAT?"
Chas looked up, his face wet and his eyes red. "You wouldn't understand. Can you things even feel love?"
"For your information, young man, I am not a 'thing'. I am now human, and I have feelings too! Even as a demon, I could feel. I could hate. I could take pride in something. I could…I could even love. Yes, I could love." he finished, talking more to himself than to Chas. Yes, he could love…
Chas sniffed. "What do I do? What's wrong with me?" he pounded his forehead softly. "No way he'll ever think about me this way."
"Then he doesn't deserve you." said Balthazar, trying to cheer up the despondent boy.
"He doesn't even see the way I look at him. When I look at him, I mean," he said, blushing and gesturing to the books in front of him.
"Then the man is blind." Balthazar stood up. He was still in a sort of daze, he'd had so many revelations today that he was going to go mad if he didn't stop.
"I'm going to go back to bed, get some rest. Tell John I'll eat when I wake up." and he wandered into the bedroom, collapsed on the bed, and drifted off into a deep void…
End part 6, part 7 coming Saturday evening.
Review!
And…reader reviews!
Val Mora: I hope this chapter clears things up for you.
Shangri-la-gypsy: Yes, it is gonna get darker, and here's proof!
Firestorm717: I'm glad you like it, Chas does indeed have a heart of gold, and he makes a mean chicken soup.
Sherrielynne: Well, there's only room for two genre types, so…
Thanks for all your reviews, there's always more stuff where that came from!
