Work Text:
An abomination butler groaned as it finished setting the table at Blight Manor. As the clock struck six, all but two of the manor’s residents filed into the dining room. Odalia, the family matriarch, stood at the top of the staircase leading down to her husband’s workshop.
“Alador,” she called, “dinner is ready! Wash your hands before taking a seat. I wouldn’t want you ingesting any abomination goo.” Like every other evening, Odalia joined her kids at the table, Alador joining a few minutes later. The family talked as they ate, their discussions revolving around the usual subjects: how the children were doing in school and what assignments they had due, any news about the family business, and Alador’s work on the abomatons.
Eventually, the conversation turned to upcoming hair appointments. “Speaking of hair, this would be the perfect time to redye yours, Amity. Don’t you think this little rebellious phase of yours is ready to end?”
Odalia had been trying to change Amity’s hair color back to green for a while now. That had been one of her top priorities since she first saw her youngest’s new chosen hair color. Amity had avoided each of her mother’s attempts at redyeing her hair and had brought up the issue to her father the previous evening at the Bonesborough Brawl. She looked at Alador, hoping he’d stay true to his word and talk to Odalia.
Recalling the conversation from the previous evening, Alador cleared his throat. “I like Amity’s new hair color; it’s abomination-colored. She chose that color because of her passion for abomination magic. I support her decision.”
For a moment, the dining room was silent. Odalia raised her eyebrows as she looked at Alador, not expecting him to speak in defense of Amity’s hair color. Edric and Emira wore matching looks of surprise, looking first at Alador and then at Odalia. Amity even seemed surprised but smiled. This discussion was far from over, though, as Odalia prepared her response.
“Excuse me? I didn’t expect you to defend this act of rebellion, Alador,” said Odalia, pausing to drink her tea. “Don’t get me wrong, lavender is a lovely color, but Amity looked wonderful with green hair. She and the twins were adorable as a matching set.”
“Her dyed hair was more similar to yours than the twins’, and her natural hair matches mine, but that didn’t stop you from dyeing it green.” Alador paused to drink his tea, then continued, “Either way, it’s clear she doesn’t want her hair to match anyone’s. Also, our children are not a tea set, Odalia.”
Odalia let out a frustrated sigh. “I…see your point, dear. However, they are still children living under our roof, and as such, our word is law. We make the decisions, not them. They can’t just do whatever they want.”
Tension was building in the dining room. Amity, Emira, and Edric were invested in the debate between their parents and curious to see who would win. Their mother had been the head of the family for so long, rarely having her actions and decisions openly opposed by those living in the manor. To see their father not only support what Odalia saw as an act of rebellion but also appear just as calm and unbothered as always was nothing less than intriguing, especially since their mother was becoming more visibly agitated.
“While we are the ultimate authority as their parents, they’re old enough to start making their own decisions. They’re not young children anymore; they’re teenagers. Edric and Emira are sixteen, almost young adults, and Amity isn’t far behind them. It’s about time we granted them some independence. I support Amity’s decision regarding her hair color and will continue to do so.”
Since their heart-to-heart yesterday evening, Alador had spent the rest of last night and most of the next day reevaluating himself as a father. For years he had failed to communicate with his children and be there for them, failed to stand up for them countless times, and what’s worse is that he went along with Odalia’s harmful decisions, such as forcing Amity to end her friendship with Willow. Like Odalia, he never thought about what his kids truly wanted. He had become so emotionally distant and focused on work that he neglected three of the most important witches in his life.
He failed. There was no other way to say it. Alador Blight failed as a father. This was the truth, and sometimes the truth isn’t pretty. The truth sometimes hurts like a fire bee sting. This truth stung Alador. He couldn’t change the past; what’s done is done. He could, however, work towards a better future. If he wanted to still be a part of his kids’ lives in the future, he had to do better and be better. Standing up for Amity was the first step on the long road Alador had ahead of him to rebuild the near nonexistent relationship he had with his children.
Looking around the table, Odalia noticed everyone had just about finished their dinner. “Children, please head to your rooms. I need to have a private talk with your father.” The Blight trio rose from their seats and exited the dining room as an abomination butler collected their dirty dishes.
Instead of heading to their rooms, Edric and Emira followed Amity into her room. “Dad has rarely ever gone against Mom before. When he has, it’s only been about business decisions,” said Emira. “Yeah, it’s strange,” replied Edric, “Don’t listen to Mom, Mittens. You look great with lavender hair. I think purple suits you.”
“Thanks. I hope he can convince Mom to leave me alone, at least.” Amity sat at her desk and pulled some homework out of her bag. Edric and Emira stayed in the room, scrolling through Penstagram while Amity worked.
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Half an hour later, there was a knock outside Amity’s door. Putting away her now completed homework, Amity looked at the door. “Come in! I just finished my homework.” As the bedroom door opened, the three Blights caught sight of a familiar, purple-stained hand on the outside doorknob. Instantly they knew it was their father.
“Amity, Edric, Emira,” Alador said as he looked at his kids and nodded in greeting. “How’d it go with Mom? Will she finally leave my hair alone?”
Alador sighed as he gently closed the door. “Talking proved ineffective; she’s still insistent that you redye your hair.”
“Aw, lame,” responded Edric before Emira punched his shoulder. “That sucks, sorry Mittens,” she said.
Amity groaned. “Ugh, of course she won’t listen. At least you tried. Thanks, Dad.” Alador moved to sit on the edge of Amity’s bed. “Your mother can be a very stubborn woman. I’m not prepared to give up, though. I have one more idea.” He looked at the twins with a small smile, “I’ll need you two to help. Unless I’m mistaken, you helped Amity with her hair.” The twins shared a mischievous smile as they realized their father’s idea.
“I’ll get the dye!” was the only thing Edric said as he raced out of the room.
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An hour and a half and one bottle of dye later, Alador’s hair was changed from its natural chestnut brown to violet. Looking at himself in a hand mirror provided by Amity, Alador smiled. “Well done, kids.”
“Now your hair is abomination-colored. It’s fitting,” said Edric as he gave Alador a thumbs-up. Emira nodded in agreement. “Yeah, purple suits you too.”
“Good luck with Mom. She’ll flip when she sees your hair,” Amity said. Alador nodded before walking out of the room. He knew Odalia wouldn’t like this change. However, dealing with Odalia’s reaction was worth it if it meant she’d leave Amity alone.
Approaching the upstairs bathroom on his way to the master bedroom, he stepped inside to get one last look at his hair. He smiled as he examined his hair from multiple angles. Edric and Emira did an excellent job applying the dye; not a speck of brown could be seen. If he was being honest with himself, he liked this new color. He would enjoy it for as long as he’d have it.
Leaving the bathroom, he continued on his way. Upon walking into the master bedroom, he saw his wife reading on her side of the bed. This was it—time to see if his plan would work.
Looking up from her book, Odalia’s eyes widened as she sat up. “Alador! What happened to your hair?!”
“I’ve decided to try a different hair color. Like Amity, I chose a shade of purple to represent my passion for abomination magic,” was Alador’s calm response.
Odalia sighed. “Of course, this has to do with our discussion from earlier. What about your natural hair color? It suits you perfectly. Besides, you know how much I love your brown hair.”
“I still like this new color. If you agree to leave Amity’s hair alone and respect her decision, I will go back to my natural color once my roots grow out,” he said as he approached his wife and put out an open hand. “Deal?”
Odalia knew that Alador was a man of his word. She also knew that there was no point anymore trying to get Alador on her side. She had to agree to his terms if she wanted to see his brown hair again and be done with this whole ordeal. Defeatedly, she took hold of his hand and shook it. “Fine, it’s a deal. Just be careful about getting abomination goo in your hair. It’ll blend in now, and if it sits for long enough, it’ll be a pain for you to wash out.”
With that, Alador smiled as he walked to the door. “I’ll be up later. I still have some work to finish.” He left, heading down to his workshop, and prepared for another long night of work.