Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

His suspicions started when Anthony Ragno, one of his more troublesome and rambunctious students, flinched away from him slightly.

Anthony was one of the 'difficult' children. Nothing that suggested... issues at home, persay, but he certainly had his problems. Most notably his badly hidden drug abuse and dangerous thrill-seeking behaviour. His promiscuity too.

And, well, maybe it shouldn't have been quite so concerning as it was. Alastor could, if pressed, think of a multitude of justifications for Anthony's response that had nothing to do with potential ... abuse. Perhaps Anthony had merely been surprised by his proximity, maybe he had just been uncomfortable that Alastor had admittedly sort of been invading his personal space for a small chat about the quality of his work recently. Perhaps... Perhaps Alastor was just looking too deep into things. Perhaps it meant nothing.

But he couldn't help but recall the flash of fear in the student's eyes, the instant of pure unfiltered fright that had been almost blinding in how it had set off alarm bells in the brunette's head, before it had been snuffed out hastily like a match, the troublesome young man snarling as he stepped back from his now mildly concerned teacher. Alastor had to forcibly school his face into careful indifference, though he kept his usual small smile mostly intact. It wouldn't help for him to look so concerned - not when his students had never seen him in such a way before. He prided himself on his ability to always remain calm and in control.

After that, he watched Anthony.

And found, with great worry, that there was indeed some basis to the theory slowly building up in the back of his head, crawling into his skull and whispering into his ear 'look, it's another child, another one like y-'

He pushed the reminder from his brain.

It wasn't obvious; most people wouldn't notice. The boy flinched, yes, but it was always so subtle and forcibly repressed. He had bruises, but the sort that could be easily explained away as clumsiness, none obvious enough to undeniably signal purposeful harm, and he somehow always had perfect excuses that Alastor couldn't hope to meaningfully challenge without becoming obvious in his suspicions and possibly just driving Anthony away. The boy also grew clearly nervous around the louder teachers, and even some of the rowdier students. Not enough that any normal person could spot it, but-

Well. Alastor had insider information on that front.

Ahem. Anyway.

The brunette tapped his chin. Hm. Well, this just wouldn't do.

Frankly, with what he had already surmised, he already had half a mind to go kill the boy's filthy father himself. He already had plenty of blood on his hands from prior excursions of a similar nature, and if he just dug out that old shotgun - if he simply aimed at the right angle through an open window, and got away before the police could be called...

He shook his head to swat away the desire. No, no. He should solve this the proper way. No point in getting reckless due to... Emotion.

Ugh. Empathy. Disgusting.

Husker, one of his co-workers, and one he could even consider a good friend, slowly began to pick up on the younger's mounting agitation, and eventually deigned to comment on it.

"Al. Hey. Earth to Al" the older man scoffed as he waved his hand in front of the other's face, watching as Alastor sprung to life, expression filling with surprise as he turned to face him. "You've been spacing out for a while now. You've been doing that a shitton recently, actually. Something wrong?"

"Ah, well..." Alastor gnawed on his lip as he crossed his arms, fighting internally with himself on whether or not to get the other involved in his suspicions. They weren't - truly founded. Not beyond his own personal knowledge. Nothing truly... Provable. But surely, to launch an investigation would be the correct path now?

He'd rather just cause a bloodbath, frankly. But he couldn't.

"I think..." he cleared his throat, fiddling with his sleeves for a moment "...that some investigation should be made into Anthony"

"Anthony? You mean like... Anthony Ragno, the troublemakin' lil shit that propositioned the headmaster?" Husk asked drily, clearly confused but curious. "What's wrong with that little shit?"

Alastor averted his copper eyes, the colour almost startlingly red in the hue of the overhead lights. "I have suspicions that there is some... Dire mistreatment occuring at home"

Husk's brows furrowed before they shot up into his hairline in realization. "Shit, what, you think maybe he's getting hurt? Does he have bruises or something?"

"Well" Alastor hesitated. "Yes, but nothing i can prove is the result of abuse. Forgive me, it's just a hunch. But i would like for it to be looked into, if you're alright with using your connections"

Husk blinked. "Fuck. I mean yeah, shit, sure. I trust your judgement on this. But jeez. That kid's such a cheery little shit, i wouldn't have even considered that"

Alastor folded his arms behind his back, feeling a little ill. "Mm. No one does, when it's like that" he couldn't help the bitter tone that entered his voice.

Husk gave him an odd look, but didn't pry, instead searching for a number in his contacts list. Alastor stood by as the other made a rather long phone call. Eventually though, it ended, and their eyes met again. Husk just looked weary.

"They're gonna check in on it. That kid's dad's apparently had a few complaints before from neighbours and shit, horrid smell of drugs and alcohol and some screaming coming from inside. Someone's even reported gunshots" Husk explained, sounding a little peturbed. Alastor shuddered.

He was no stranger to violence, and not one to be disturbed by it either, but the domestic sort truly made his stomach churn. He wasn't himself a beacon of moral superiority; he knew that well and could attest easily to it, but god if sometimes he didn't just want to go out and hunt down every vile child abuser out there, to line them up and gun them down one by on-

"Al, you're spacing out again."

He wiped the nasty, vengeful grimace off of his face, knowing that he must reek of hatred right now.

"My apologies" he sighed. "I just wish i could go cave in the skull of that vile man"

"Gruesome, but not fuckin' undeserved" Husk agreed darkly, shaking his head. He looked up at the clock on the wall, eyes widening. "Shit." he said with alarm. "I should be getting to my next class before the kids start getting too impatient and rowdy. Sorry, Al. I'll tell you how this all pans out"

The brunette nodded in acknowledgment and watched the other rush out, tapping his foot against the floor. It was a nervous habit he had picked up and never quite gotten rid of. His itinerary today was actually quite clear for once. He should likely use this free time to be productive and plan the next week's work, or even mark papers, but...

His own father's face flashed into his mind, and he growled and slammed the side of his fist against the wall, murderous intent bubbling over and clouding his mind.

That godforsaken bastard was already long dead. But Alastor sometimes desperately longed to bring him back to life just for the sheer satisfaction of killing him again.

Nevermind all that. Time to go relax with a nice cup of coffee and a sit down. It did him no good to get worked up over events from years and years ago.

His shadow chittered in agreement.

As he walked to the teacher's lounge, he felt it wrap around his legs slightly, perhaps in an odd attempt at comfort. He gave it an appreciative little smirk before shooing it back to the wall where it should be. He didn't need any random student or teacher seeing it.

His thoughts had been rather preoccupied with blood and death lately. Perhaps it was time to seek out another victim to satiate it - though he was a little busy nowadays. And besides, Husker had been oh-so dissapointed when he had found out about his last killing, let alone the rest that had occured before that. The older man hadn't attempted to expose or report him thankfully, but he had also made it clear that if Alastor was ever caught, he wouldn't try and help.

Alastor supposed that was the best response he could have logically gotten.

Despite himself, his mind swirled back to Anthony.

Personally, himself? He wasn't fond of the boy. Not that he necessarily disliked him, he just wouldn't consider himself fond. Anthony was intelligent and paid enough attention in class, but he was also rather loud and obnoxious, not to mention his sexual remarks that set Alastor on edge. The brunette was no prude by any means, but the sort of things that boy whispered about made him shudder.

But it didn't matter. He could have despised Anthony with every fibre of his being, and he still would have conspired to help him, whether that be through legal means as he was attempting now, or through slitting his father's filthy throat himself. So long as the problem was solved, it all meant the same to him.

It wasn't the first time Alastor had had to deal with a possibly abused student (he had been working as a teacher for several years now and these things unfortunately just came up) but never before had there been one as good at hiding it as Anthony had been. After all, the blond had been in his class for at least a year now, perhaps more, and this was the first time Alastor had even noticed anything out of ordinary. Had he not the experience himself, he wasn't sure anyone would have ever noticed.

Suddenly, he pondered on Anthony's siblings. He believed they were called Arthur and Molly, or something like that. Arthur was in his last year of school, and whilst Alastor had only heard good things about the boy (his obedience, his high intelligence, his hardworking attitude) he also noted that he knew of the boy lashing out quite frequently against other students, and that there seemed to be some interfamilial drama happening. As he settled down in his seat in the lounge, the brunette pulled up his records on the computer.

Dear lord, the amount of fights these siblings partook in.

Molly, out of all of them, seemed the most normal. A few detentions for dodging class and suspicions of drug abuse, but that was about it.

He rubbed his brow. Were all of them being mistreated, or was it just Anthony? If his suspicions had been correct, where would they go? Could their mother provide for all of them, assuming that she didn't also partake in the abuse? Did they even have a mother?

Alastor himself had been quite lucky to have had his own mother, who had been supportive and loving all the way until his adulthood, even when she had found his father's corpse with blades still piercing his spine and throat, a steadily increasing pool of blood whetting his cooling body.

He wondered if he should check up on her, and made a mental note to give her a call later.

Today had been a mess.

He eyed the coffee machine across the lounge before giving in and walking over. He needed a bit of a boost right now.

Chapter Text

Down the hall, Anthony was already facing hell from another teacher

"Hey, ssstop right there brat!" Mr Pentious snapped, lisp dragging as he reached out to grab the blond by the shoulder before he could step into the classroom, not seeing the way the boy had to force down a flinch, grey eyes hard set with irritation that hid fear. "You reek of sssmoke, you're not coming into my classroom like that!"

"What?!" Anthony sputtered in indignation, throwing the grip off. "Dude, you can't stop me from getting my education just cus i smell like cigs! They weren't even my fuckin' cigs!" it was true. His home reeked of smoke anyway, whether or not he himself would partake before leaving, and that smell would cling to his clothes for ages.

"Whether they were your cigarettesss or not, I'm not changing my mind!" Pentious retorted heatedly, the chemistry teacher's long hair barely contained by the elastic band keeping it in a tight bun. "Now, ssstop disrupting my classs!" he stepped back to dramatically slam the door in the teen's face.

Anthony stared in disbelief for a moment before growling angrily, slumping against the wall next to the door. "Fuckin' damnit" he growled. "Pop will kill me if he finds out i got kicked outta another lesson!"

He glanced at the door, for a moment wondering if he should try and go in again, before shaking it off - Mr Pentious was unlikely to change his mind. With a snarl, he walked back down the corridor. His best case scenario for the rest of the period would just be avoiding any nosy teachers and maybe smoking with the other boys round the back. Crymini hung back there a lot, and she usually had some good dope.

As he walked, he paused as he saw a teacher - Mr Husker, was it? The kids liked to call him by his first name because it pissed him off, but Anthony actually preffered saying Husk - walking with slight haste toward him. Or rather moreso past him. Late for a class, maybe.

As the teacher went by him, he tensed up as their eyes locked for a second, before the other turned away to get into his class, which was alight with yelling kids. Anthony even saw a paper aeroplane and a gluestick fly out.

It was weird to see Mr Husker so... Aware?- He supposed was the word. Perhaps he simply wasn't as drunk as usual today? Maybe he had slept well? He was notorious for being a drunk insomniac bastard.

Not that Anthony really cared. He shook his head and moved to find Crymini, hoping he wouldn't get too bad of a beating for skipping out on school again.

As the periods waned on and Anthony gave up on even attending anything, Alastor found himself growing drousy in the lounge, to the point he fell asleep at the computer he had been seated in front of. He had been idly sipping coffee, but exhaustion had managed to overcome him anyway.

He twitched as images that he wanted so desperately to forget flashed in his mind, only saved from slipping too deep into his nightmare by his shadow deciding to ignore all caution and coil around him, the minor comfort slipping into his subconscious mind and easing it. He found himself relaxing as his dreams loosened into lighter affairs, perhaps interspersed with a few splashes of blood. At least they weren't his own this time.

Across the room, Loona grimaced as she stared at her freaky co worker. Alastor was a disaster to communicate with at the best of days, and she wasn't a shining social butterfly herself so that was SAYING something, but today he had just seemed zoned out and worried. She wondered what had got him so worked up.

She couldn't help but nose into his life a lot. Fuck it, she didn't have one herself, she liked looking up dirt on the people she didn't get along with. And whilst he definitely wouldn't voulentarily open up to her, she had caught bits and pieces that he had let slip - one of those being that he had a strained relationship with his family. A particular point was that his father was dead. Loona had googled Alastor's name, and only a few seconds of scrolling had revealed an article on the strange unresolved murder of his father, who had been a well respected member of the community and of high social standing. He had been brutally killed, with several stab wounds, and then left out in the forest to rot. No suspects, no evidence. His wife and child had been questioned, but both denied having any knowledge of what had happened. The case was eventually dropped.

Personally? Loona reckoned that Alastor had done it. She had no proof, of course, but...

Well. Another thing she had picked up from Alastor was that he HATED child abusers. Not an unusual character trait of course, but even the mere mention had him growling in hatred and disgust, and she could feel the bloodlust in the air, as palpable as fog. That alone was telling.

And whilst his father had never been found out for child abuse officially...

Well. Alastor was a jumpy man. It was subdued now, likely over years of trained reflex, but it was still there, and to her at least it was fucking noticeable.

Not to mention that he had some kind of fucked up PTSD that he refused to talk about. She remembered other faculty members whispering amongst themself after he had to excuse himself for the rest of the day after having a rather violent flashback. No one knew what had triggered it, or why.

So... Yeah. Personally she thought her theory was a valid one.

Her phone dinged, and she cackled at the image she had just been sent. "Ha! What a hamster cock!" she howled at the pathetic dickpic, forgoing her previous train of thought entirely to double over laughing.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur for Alastor, and he woozily drove home, desperate to just slip back into rest. His bed looked more welcoming than it had ever been.

It was 5am when he recieved a text from Husk.

Husker: hey
Husker: theyre under arrest
Husker: you were right

He smiled tiredly before instantly falling back asleep.

Chapter Text

Alastor didn't see Anthony in school that following day, or even the following week. It should have been expected; obvious.

He couldn't help but be inexplicably saddened by the absence. A vile empathetic part of his brain was clawing at him to ensure that the boy was alright. He hated it - to care about anyone was to be weak.

Well. Besides his mother. She would always be the exception to any of his useless mentally-enforced rules.

He supposed that he could always just ask Husker. Then again, the other man had seemed abnormally busy lately...

He sighed and shook his head. No, he *needed* to talk to Husker about all of this. He wanted to vent his stress out somewhere, lest he simply go kill someone to release it. And whilst he wasn't opposed normally to spilling blood, he couldn't help but think that it wouldn't truly help him feel better in this instance. Not to mention that covering up for murder would always be a huge hassle.

Actually, something he wanted to do first was...

He glanced about himself to ensure that he was alone in the corridor before typing in her name in his contacts list. Everyone in the school should (hopefully) be in lunch hall right now, so he should stay undisturbed.

He held his breath as the ringer went off, fingers drumming against the wall in mild anxiety. It had been so long since he had last called. What if she didn't-

She picked up after the 4th ring.

"Alastor!" she exclaimed with audible joy through the reciever. "Ah, mon petit biche! It's been so long since you have last called! What has taken you for so long?"

He flushed slightly, grin wobbling as he scratched the back of his neck. "Ah, Je suis désolé maman... I've been..." he considered. "Preoccupied, i suppose. Caught up in work. How are you?"

"Doing as well as i could ever be, i suppose!" she huffed, before the clattering of pans made themselves known and she cursed quietly. "Damn, wrong ingredient. Stupid freaking spices and their stupid freaking similar labels" more clattering preceeded by "And yourself? Have you been holding up alright?"

He contemplated lying but found he couldn't, letting out a heavy exhale. The clattering paused and her voice sounded through again, this time concerned. "Al? Is everything okay?"

He closed his eyes, feeling a little weary all of a sudden, like everything over these past few days were finally crashing in on him. "No. Unfortunately, everything is not okay..." he trailed off, his small smile dropping entirely. "I'm afraid there's been a bit of trouble on my end. Nothing that technically involves me, but..."

He could hear her putting her pots aside, the faint noise of the stove flickering out to silence. She spoke again, gentler. "Did you call me to talk about it?"

"Partially" he admitted quietly, closing his eyes. "One of my students had been exhibiting signs of abuse for a while now. It was to the point that i had to report it, else I'm not certain i could have forgiven myself."

"Shit." she breathed softly, and he recoiled a little at the profanity. His mother rarely if ever was crass, even when she was only speaking directly to him. "Ah, i'm sorry, it's just that that must have been horrid. God, that poor child. Hasn't- well- I believe that this has occured once or twice before, yes?"

"...Indeed" Alastor said with slight hesitation, clenching and unclenching his fist by his side. "Something about this one was... More familiar, though"

"Oh, my poor baby" she murmered, and he felt regret strike him slightly at the guilt in her voice. "I'm so sorry. I hope you haven't been alone in sorting this out..."

"Ah, no, one of my coworkers became involved; a man named Husk. Do you remember him?"

"Of course i do, he came for dinner!" she exclaimed. "I could never forget about a man like that - I've never met someone that was so insistent on appearing grumpy and tired even when he so obviously wasn't! Very silly of him, but he was pleasant to talk to! So, he helped out, did he?"

"He was a substantial help" Alastor agreed, his smile slowly creeping back up onto his face. "And hopefully that student will be safe from their abusers for the rest of their life. If the legal system messes up, well..." he made an airy sigh. "Perhaps an unfortunate accident may have to befall those responsible for the abuse. A tragedy..."

She chuckled slightly, and even without seeing her he knew she was shaking her head. "I think one parent is enough on your list of kills, my darling"

Oh, if only you knew "I suppose so, what a shame" he fiddled with his sleeves. "I'm not certain what to do now. The situation should be, for the most part, solved. But... I still have this awful feeling of anxiety that i can't seem to get rid of no matter what i do to try and alleviate it"

"Have you tried speaking to anyone about this?"

"And do what, reveal everything?" he scoffed quietly. "It's the source of my anxiety, it's been so for nearly
20 years. I'm not certain it can ever leave, certainly not when exacerbated by events such as this. And I refuse to... I am unwilling to speak to anybody on this. Anybody but you, of course."

"You really should" she said quietly, before tutting. "How about that Husk, then? You know he would never judge you, he seems like a genuine man. Not to mention one that i think carries a torch for you..."

"Mother!" Alastor's cheeks burned florid.

"What?" she laughed genuinely, the prior awkwardness melting away in it's entirety. "Is it so bad to want to see my boy find someone he loves? You've been single for 30 years!"

"And i am perfectly happy that way!" he sputtered, embarrassed, and suddenly overpoweringly thankful that he was all alone in the corridor.

There was a moment of pause where his mother simply chuckled quietly for a minute before it settled into quiet. And then... "Please, Al. Do talk to someone. Someone you trust. You've been holding this close to your chest for so long now, i think it would be good for you to just be able to talk about it all. Alright?"

Alastor blew out through his teeth in contemplation, expression mixed between denial and deliberation. Eventually, he settled on a slightly defeated sounding "Alright."

"Good." he could hear her smile. "Only when you're comfortable to, of course. Now, i should get back to my cooking, but I hope that things go a little easier on you - circumstantially, i mean. I love you, mon mignon beignet~"

He shook his head affectionately. "You too, maman. And i promise to call you more often now"

"You had better!" she complained dramatically. "I'll start to think my little Allie is forgetting me if you don't!"

"...Allie?" an amused voice came from beside Alastor, making him jump with an embarassing yelp. He turned, eyes wide as Husker stood beside him, peering at the caller ID. "Hello there ma'am, it's been a while since we've last spoken"

"Husk!" she exclaimed back enthusiatically. "Oh, i was just about to hang up I'm afraid. But it's lovely to hear your voice again! Do take care of my Allie, would you?"

Alastor could feel how even the tips of his ears were burning crimson. "Mama-"

"Can do" Husk agreed with a smirk.

She hung up, giggling.

Alastor groaned, burying his face in his hands. "...Hello Husk"

"Hello, Al" Husk responded with slight laughter in his voice. "It's good to see you talking to your mother again, it's been a long time since i've last heard her voice. Lovely woman, you're fuckin' lucky"

"Oh, she's a delight!" Alastor agreed with cheer, rolling his shoulders in an attempt to relieve some of the tension still bunched up in them. The talk he had just had was able to relieve some of it, but...

His smile wilted a little.

Husk's brows knit together for a moment as he noticed the slight mood change. "You alright?" he said with muted worry. Alastor sighed, running his hands through his hair to push some from his eyes.

"Quite so, dear. This has all simply taken a slight toll on me, but i should be alright after some time has passed"

"Oh, you're worried about Anthony?" Husker crossed his arms, leaning against the wall next to the other. "That's understandable. He should be fine now, provided that they actually prosecute his shit dad. And considering that he's apparently a fuckin' mob boss, well... That shouldn't be hard. The real concern now is where he goes."

"Mm, the foster system is an apparent possibility" Alastor said with slight regret. "Which isn't a particularly fun time. Not to mention that he'll likely need to move schools depending on where he is relocated"

Husk scratched at his stubble, dark eyes tired. "What a mess."

After a moment of silence Alastor pushed off the wall with a clear of his throat. "Regardless, i fancy a good cup of tea. That always manages to cheer me up. Would you like to accompany me?"

"What, in the lounge or at a café? All my classes are done for today, so either is fine"

"Oh, i was actually intending to brew something at my house" Alastor smiled. "I have quite the variety, as you know. Still interested?"

"'Course i am, you've got a shitton of alcohol" Husk agreed, ignoring Al's amused sigh as he made a move to leave the hallway. He glanced back and gave his friend a cheeky look. "Come on then, Allie"

"Husker!"

---

"I can't believe you've already inhaled a glass of whiskey" Alastor reprimanded dryly as he watched his friend laugh at some text he had received, the now notably empty glass hanging loosely from his other hand. "Is it so hard to simply have tea? Is my tea that despised? Must you always get drunk?"

"Woah" Husk's eyes widened slightly as he looked up from his phone. "I mean, crap. I- your tea is fine, Al. But you know how I am"

Alastor shook his head in disapproval. "I suppose i do. But still, it is a school night. You'll be teaching tomorrow; don't get too wasted"

"Noted." Husk muttered, eyeing the rest of the bottle, smirking triumphantly when a grumpy Alastor slid it over to him. "Thanks"

The brunette just harrumphed and collapsed back into his armchair, smile mildly sour as he picked up his tea.

It was a little while before Husk spoke up again, both of them having been idly watching the television. "Hey. You've dealt with that shit a few times before, right? With Anthony, i mean. Another teacher mentioned that you're usually the one to get involved"

"I suppose i am." Alastor felt a strange feeling come over him. Some sort of anticipation.

"Why? I mean - it's not bad or anything. Just. Why're you always the one to get involved? You're even the one that seems to notice most of the time..." Husk continued, brow raised. Alastor swallowed slightly. Ah dear. His mother's words flashed back to him.

Well. He could easily lie his way out of this. But...

'Please, Al. Do talk to someone. Someone you trust.'

He bit the bullet.

"It's of personal importance to me. If i didn't help then i would never forgive myself. After all..." he swallowed. Damning words. "I cannot bear to be the teachers of my own childhood. I can't not intefere. I can't make the same mistake that they did."

For a moment, Husk looked confused. And then realization crashed into him with the full force of a tsumani, the glass slipping from his hand as if compelled. Alastor flinched as he heard it shatter, and though Husk's eyes darted to the shards, he made no move to apologize or clean it up. "You-"

"Nevermind. Forget i said anything." Alastor snapped, face colouring in humiliation as he rushed to clear up the mess, desperate for a distraction to cover up the overwhelming panic at revealing what he had. It had been a secret for near 20 years! Why did he have to reveal everything now? Because it was Husk? Because his mother told him to? Because he was so pathetically desperate for sympathy that-?!

His fingers cut on the shards, blood beading up on his fingertips, and Husk finally snapped from his shock to move and pull his hands away. "Al, fuck, It's fine! Shit, I'm sorry i reacted like that - I can replace the cup!"

"It's not about the cup, it's-" Alastor's face twisted. "I'm an idiot."

"You're not an idiot" Husk sighed. "I wasn't expecting - shit. I'm so fucking sorry. That's awful. Not your mother, right-?" he sounded a little ill at even just the prospect. He liked her, he would hate to find out she was evil enough to hurt her child.

Alastor shook his head immediately, horrified at the thought. "Of course not! My mother could never do anything of the sort!"

"Then-" Husk paused. "No wonder I've never met the bastard. He in prison? Did anyone ever find out?"

"No one ever found out" Alastor murmered, hands shaking slightly as he stared dimly down at the reflections of himself in the shards. "Though at least he is dead now, i suppose" his lips quirked up into a plastic facsimile of a smile. "That's good enough."

"I mean, sounds like the asshole had it coming, but it probably didn't give you any closure" Husk shook his head before gently putting his hand over Alastor's, making the brunette grimace at just how badly he was beginning to shake. "You go sit back down, i can clean this up. And I'll also grab some plasters for your fingers"

Alastor sighed, allowing himself to be guided back to sitting down, pushing a small smile onto his face. It was better than the miserable frown he currently wanted to portray. He watched quietly as Husk found his dustpan and brush and made quick work of sweeping up the glass, expression clearly guilty for breaking it in the first place. After dipping out for a moment to get to the bathroom, he came back with a antiseptic-soaked cotton ball and plasters, kneeling down to gently press the cotton against each of the small cuts Alastor had gained. The killer couldn't help but go a little red, averting his eyes at the contact.

"So..." Husk hesitated. "Is this why you- had that breakdown that one time? The really shitty flashback you didn't want to talk about?"

Alastor nodded quietly.

"Hey" Husk tapped his arm, making him glance up to meet the other's eyes. "You don't gotta pull the fake smile bullshit right now. At least not around me. I know it's a coping mechanism because you hate looking weak or something, but you know full well I'm never gonna fuckin' judge you just for frowning. Alright?"

There was a beat where Alastor just stared at him, smile taut, before he exhaled slowly and let it fall. It felt like a weight had been taken from his chest. "Thank you, Husker"

"No problem" Husk hummed, finishing off with the plasters before standing up, scratching the back of neck awkwardly. "Do you... Want to talk about this? It's fine if you don't, I'm not gonna press or anything, but..."

"No. It's fine. I can talk about it. In fact, i probably should" Alastor blew some hair from his face. "But I'm... Not sure where i could start. So i suppose you can feel free to ask anything of me"

Husk considered for a moment, still seeming concerned for the younger's comfort. "...Was it just you, or did your mother get some of the shit too?"

"Unfortunately, it was both of us, myself being the reason" Alastor grimaced. "I was the demon child with freak red eyes and a strange fascination for blood. I wasn't interested in any of his hobbies or anything so 'manly', besides hunting. And even then i was moreso interested in the violence than the trophies. I simply wasn't what he wanted. He took that out first on my mother, and then myself. It wasn't helpful that we were also facing significant financial struggle at the time, considering his uncontrollable gambling problem and alcoholism"

Husk just listened wordlessly, feeling a slight stab of self-hatred at the mention of alcoholism (he hoped that he never brought up any of Alastor's bad memories...) before asking another question. "How'd he die?"

"I killed him." Alastor said flatly, confirming the other's suspicion. "I slit his throat and took him to the forest where i mutilated his body. No one ever suspected it was me. I just wanted him to die." if Husker weren't used to Alastor's displays of bloodlust, he might've even been frightened or disturbed by how emotionless he sounded recounting a brutal murder he had commited.

Husk didn't understand or care to understand Alastor's usual murders, but this one... This was different. He was even glad Alastor had done this one. "How old were you when you killed him?"

"14, i believe."

"And that's what catalyzed the rest of the murders after that?"

"Yes."

"Well..." Husk hesitated. "You know how i feel about everything after. But frankly, this time it was fuckin' justified, if he hurt you and your ma. Wait..." he frowned. "Semi-unrelated, but... Is he part of the reason you wear those brown contacts? Because your eyes were part of why he treated you like that?"

"Among other things, yes. I've been wearing contacts since i was 12, though obviously many have seen me without" Alastor sighed and reached up to his eyes, speaking as he slowly removed them. "Children used to either think i looked cool or interesting, or that i was a monster. I eventually found it was simply easier to hide them" he set the small slips down apon the small table next to him before looking back up at Husk, enjoying Husk's usual stunned expression. The other had seen his true eye colour before, but it took him off guard every time - he always forgot just how stark they were. From the wall, the shadow chittered as it sensed his heartrate pick up.

"Well, i think your dad is a stupid cunt" Husk said after a moment, candid. "Your eyes are incredible, holy shit. How does that even happen?"

"I'm not sure!" Alastor laughed, lightening the mood as a genuine smile crossed his face. "Some sort of genetic abnormality or defect, I'm sure. But as much as i used to loath them, I've found that i quite like them these days. Red has always been my favourite colour!"

"Oh, really? I didn't notice" Husk chuckled, looking pointedly at the red evident on Alastor's clothes and all throughout the decor of the room. "But fuck, seriously. You're so beautiful."

Alastor's eyes widened, wondering if his face had become as stark crimson as his iris'. Husk seemed to realize what he had said, going a little flushed as he coughed and changed the subject.

"I appreciate that you trusted me enough to tell me."

Alastor's expression softened. "Of course. You're the closest friend i have, you know. I trust you not to abuse this knowledge or share it without my consent"

"Of course" Husk said firmly, before he smiled. "Remind me to hug your ma next time i see her. Poor woman deserves it."

"Oh, and i do not?" Alastor mock-scoffed, faking offense as he shook his head. "How cruel of you to not offer me the same comfort! Why, are we even friends?"

"Oh, get here you little shit" Husk grumbled, opening his arms and grinning as Alastor fell into them with a slightly uncharacteristic giggle. "Shame that you don't act like this to your students, they'd love you"

"What tosh, they love me already!" Alastor protested faux-indignantly, smirking as he peered up at Husk. "How dare you imply otherwise!"

"That Vagatha girl said you're super annoying and too loud, Magne's kid says you scare her, Crymini says-"

Alastor put his hand over his mouth with a huff, only to sputter and recoil as Husk licked his hand. "Disgusting! Why?!"

"You love it when cats do that, why am i different?"

"You are not a cute little fluffy kitten, you are a fully grown man!" Alastor complained, though there was laughter in his tone and a big smile on his face. He paused as his phone dinged, raising a brow as he pulled it out.

Loona: hey grinny i need ur help sorting shit so if ur like willing to come in that would be epic

He sighed. "It appears I'm needed back at the school. Will you be going home?"

"Probably" Husk shrugged. "Want to be walked to your car?"

"That would be very kind of you, dear."

Husk watched as Alastor pulled all of his things back together, wincing as his fingers smarted before bundling past him to get out of the door, the taller man following quickly after. After they had locked the door, he walked down the front path to Alastor's car, which was a vintage little thing, several decades old.

Alastor clambered into the front seat before he hesitated. He could just drive off now, but...

Well. He had already been taking his mother's words into account today.

"Husker" he beckoned with his finger, chest fluttering with nerves as Husk raised a brow, leaning in through the car window.

Alastor grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket and brought their lips together.

It was only for a moment, but it felt like fireworks had exploded inside of him. He pulled back, smiling at Husk's stunned expression, the other man red as he raised his hand to brush at his lips before he blinked a few times and grinned. "Have fun back at work, Al"

Alastor beamed. "I'll see you tomorrow~"

As he drove off, he wondered about Anthony's custody.

Were he to settle down with Husk... Well... They could raise a child between them, surely?