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"Do you know where you'll sleep?" Darius asked Alador rubbing his forehead looking at his fellow rebels reunited in small groups, happy to be all alive. The time of war was over, now was the time to rebuild what had been destroyed, after resting a bit. He was a bit too old to saving the world and not take a nap after.
The human and her girlfriend, along with her friends were still in a group embrace. Sitting on the ground, with arms and legs still intertwined together, as if they were afraid of getting lost if they stopped touching. Raine and Eda were a bit far from them, not much, Darius didn't think the owl lady was able to leave out of her sight her adoptive children. But she also coudn't stop hold Raine, her...partner?
Darius wasn't sure. They weren't official yet, but from how they were close to each other, he had no doubts they would be married in no time. Or maybe not, he thought with a sigh, they are two idiots.
"I heard you and your wife had a little...argument." He resumed looking in the same direction the inventor was looking at. He stared at his children, without getting close to them. Darius looked at Hunter smiling, he seemed happy, finally his face reflected his age. "Since I'm magnanimous-"
"I will sleep where my children sleep." He cut him off without divert his eyes off his kids.
"Right," Darius popped his tongue, crossing his arms on his chest. He raised a sarcastic eyebrow. "And that place would be ...?"
Alador finally blinked and looked around, as if noticing the destruction around them for the first time. Many of the buildings in the city were still burning.
"Oh."
Darius wanted to get angry, but a hilarious emotion burst into his chest. Some things never changed, no matter how many years passed. He cleared his throat, hiding his genuine smile.
"Alright, I need a place for my children." He muttered to himself wobbling and moving away from Darius, in the direction of Raine and the Owl Lady. "Edalyin's girl, uh, Luz, might-"
"Oh, no, you won't!" Darius exclaimed holding him by the shoulder. The inventor stiffened and froze completely in his grip. "They're talking after years. I've heard Raine talk about that woman so many times you'd think they've been married for ages, but no, they're not! If there's only one hope they'll fix this, I'm not going to let you interrupt this!"
"I need a place for my children." He repeated sounding irritated. "And I can't go back to our...her house. Odalia... I can't get them back there. Let me go, now, Darius." He ordered staring intently at the man's hand on his shoulder, as if he were hurting him. Darius was sure he hadn't squeezed that tight, but he released him, holding up his hands in surrender.
"That's what I'm suggesting, Alador, a place to sleep, at mine's house, I have many rooms and I have to bring Hunter home too. Bringing one more or less teenager home at this point, it makes no difference."
"Hunter...?"
"Uh, I may have taken him under my protection, have you any problems with that?" He asked with an hard glare.
"No." He replied, he didn't seem to have completely understood what he had told him, his gaze kept returning first to his children, then to Hunter lying not far away. The boy seemed one step away from falling asleep against the plant's kid, Willow he remembered after a bit. "Well- congratulations ...?"
"Okay, let's not make this any more awkward than it is. Accept my offer and we'll think about the rest tomorrow."
Alador blinked once, twice, thrice, reflecting silently. What was thinking, Darius couldn't quite understand, but he knew that decisions weren't particularly quick with the man in front of him, so he let him be. He lowered his arms and took one last look at the kids group, deciding that he would not let them into the rooms until they had taken a bath and removed all that soot and mud. In particular, Hunter seemed to have been regurgitated by something, he had to check the boy for any injuries before making him sleep.
"Agree." Alador murmured, interrupting his thoughts. He was staring him in the eye for the first time in years. The man's golden eyes had always been elusive, since childhood it was a game to try to meet his gaze, like a treasure hunt and the gold was in Alador's irises. Gold that all his children had inherited, thank Titans, Darius thought. "Okay, I accept your offer." He continued scratching his cheek, as if not knowing what to do with his hands. Perhaps, it was to hide the pleasant blush that was spreading over his badly shaved cheeks. What a disaster of man, he thought, in spite of himself, delighted Darius. "Thanks, Darius, it's more than-"
The sorcerer interrupted him by raising a hand again to silence him. "Tomorrow! Tomorrow, we talk, today we sleep and celebrate. These are my clauses to make you stay in my home, okay?"
"Oh." Alador exhaled with relief. The fire had completely taken over his face now. "Okay, yes, I accept."
"Very good." He grinned as he savored his private victory. "And Alador?"
"Mh?" He asked again distracted by his children who had started laughing not far away, evidently not yet completely exhausted. His eyes had gone back to looking shying away, even though he had his attention.
"You're not a complete hack, I've seen worse."
"You mean you saw yourself in the mirror this morning?" He answered without wasting a moment. It was familiar, that discussion was familiar.
"At least I look in the mirror, you should try when you shave, you know? You would avoid looking like a teenager on his first shave."
"All I hear is that I look younger than I am, Darius."
The former head of the house let out a hilarious sound from his nose, covering his mouth with his hand and blushing in turn. Thank goodness he had such a dark complexion, he could avoid the shame of looking like a teenager with his first crush. Luxury that Alador did not have, as his entire face was red, even the tips of his ears were not spared after he heard his laugh.
"Um, am I going ... am I going to get the kids?" Suddenly Alador stammering away from his gaze.
"Leave them be a little longer, it's not every day you avert the apocalypse."
Alador nodded without saying a word and turned to the group, side by side. Suddenly, he sat crashing down on the ground, as if he were a puppet whose strings had been cut. Darius had an instinct to grab him, before realizing his intentions, he pretended it was part of the movement to cross his arms over his chest. Alador grinned as he noticed his half-aborted movements.
"Do you want to sit down, or is the earth too humble for you?"
Darius tried to ignore the implication that he wanted them to sit together. Together with him, as if twenty years hadn't passed since the last time and multiple infant hearts in the process. He grimaced in disgust at the soil. Trying to keep his cool.
"More than humble, I would say dirty."
Alador laughed in amusement. He unbuttoned his lab coat, remaining a surprisingly clean short-sleeved black shirt. He waved it and spread it on the ground beside him, smiling with what seemed more like a smug gesture.
Darius thanked his complexion again, because the tips of his ears were on fire. He swallowed and tried to keep a bold look. He raised an eyebrow and said, "I don't know if you've improved the situation, given the deplorable state of that ... lab coat thing."
But he sighed and sat on it anyway. He curled his knees against his chest and leaned back with his arms crossed. The air still smelled of sulfur and smoke, but the atmosphere was joyful and calm, like after a laud meal when he was about to go to sleep.
"Everything's about to change, isn't it?" Alador whispered beside him. Darius realized he could touch him if he moved a few inches.
"I hope so." He answered laughing. "Otherwise it was all for nothing."
"I don't like changes." The inventor replied, shrugging his shoulders in a lonely embrace.
"You still have your children, don't you?" He lied, trying to reassure him. He wasn't particularly good at reassuring people and Raine was a full witness to that. "It hasn't changed that much."
"I don't mind this change." He surprised him. It wasn't clear which of the many changes he was referring to. Darius didn't ask, fearing he would be disappointed. "I ... I think it will be okay, I feel it could be okay this time."
"Hey, the deal was that we talked about it tomorrow and today was just happiness and rest!"
"But I'm happy, I'm happy with this change." He grinned, but the color had returned to the tips of his ears and he was purposely looking away now. "It's a good change, Darius."
"Oh," he exclaimed in surprise. "Oh, I didn't understand that, uh, sure your children and the human, and also the change of government-"
Alador laughed, surprising him. It was crystal clear, like when they were kids. He touched his shoulder and smiled again, perhaps his complexion could not work miracles and the hair now standing on the tip of his head could still betray his embarrassment.
"I like this change, Darius. For the first time in years I'm ... hopeful."
"Hope, huh?" H nodded and swallowed a strange lump in his throat. "Strangely, me too."
They returned in silence and looked at the clearing. Shoulders barely touching, but with two little twin smiles on their faces.