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Hunter awoke peacefully to the soft crackling of a fireplace just across from the sofa, the flame being rather small now as if it had been lit for a long while.
It took him a moment to take in his surroundings fully, but once he did, he somehow relaxed even further.
The teen was laid on the sofa, head resting on his father's chest as said father ran his fingers softly through his hair, scratching gently at his scalp.
He hummed contently at the feeling, closing his eyes again.
"Finally awake, Little Prince?" Darius spoke softly, unphased as he continued the motions.
It was rare that things were ever this peaceful, though they were still much more common than they used to be with Belos finally gone.
Hunter mumbled in response, "Morning, dad." He didn't bother to move or even open his eyes. He knew that right now he was comfortable and safe, that there was no need to do anything more.
"You still have terrible eyebags, you know?" The elder sighed, ruffling his son's hair a bit roughly, earning him a whine.
Hunter opened his eyes to glare at him, though there was no real edge behind it. "Let me go back to sleep then." He huffed.
"You're lucky I care about you, you brat." He scoffed lightly before going back to running his hands through the younger's hair. He got some kind of 'mhm' as a response, neither of them bothering to say anything more.
It didn't take long for the 'Little Prince' to drift off again, but once he did, Darius couldn't help but smile softly.
They sure had come a long way. To this day, he was amazed at the amount of trust the boy had in him. Not that he would ever even attempt to break that trust.
But it made him happy that, finally, in his life, Hunter felt safe and able to relax.
-
A while later, Darius felt Hunter tense in his hold.
He was about to see what was wrong, but before he could, Hunter sprang awake, quickly grabbing whatever he could to ground himself as he gasped. Which happened to be Darius' shirt. Not that he minded much.
"Hey, hey, what's wrong? Little Prince?" Darius hushed as he continued to run his hand through the boy's hair. With his free hand, he carefully unlatched the grip on his shirt, holding the limb gently. His hands were quite sensitive afterall.
Hunter's pained expression turned into one of guilt as he looked at his dad.
"I-I'm sorry- ... it wasn't real, I don't know why I'm..." He trailed off, hiccuping as his tears - that he had tried to hold off - fell.
The boy buried his face into the man's chest, trying to hide away from the world around him.
And in that moment, all Darius saw was a small, scared child. A kid that didn't get the childhood he needed. A kid that right now needed comfort and love.
"It's alright, sunshine. There's nothing wrong with being scared, real or not." He whispered softly. "Just remember you're safe now. I won't let anything hurt you again, I promise." He kissed the boy's head, and with that he seemed to relax just a bit.
The teen finally let out a sob as he squeezed the other's hand. If he was honest, he wasn't completely sure why he was crying - maybe out of relief - but what he did know is that it felt good to let it out.
"Shh... it's alright. Let it out, I'm here." Darius continued to murmur words comfort to the boy until he eventually calmed down.
Hunter sniffled, unfurling himself a little and relaxing into his father's embrace.
"Thanks." He mumbled, his voice a bit hoarse from crying.
"It's not a problem Little Prince." He smiled softly, giving another kiss to his head. "If you want to talk about it, I'll listen." He offered just in case, but as expected the boy shook his head.
Hunter's ears went a slight pink as he mumbled out a barely audible, "Love you, dad."
Darius' heart practically melted. It wasn't often that his son was so open, so it felt all the more meaningful whenever he was.
"I love you too, My Little Prince. So dearly." He replied softly, tucking some of his blonde locks behind his ear.
"You can go back to sleep if you'd like, or we can watch something. Whatever you want." He soothed, interlocking their fingers so that the boy wouldn't fidget and hurt his hands.
The teen contemplated for a moment, keeping his gaze on their hands, neither of them commenting when he began to tap his fingers. "Wanna watch something." He finally decided.
-
So the two of them watched whatever was on the Crystal Ball.
This time, Darius was the first to nod off, his hand going limp in Hunter's hair. A bit dissapointing, but the pressure was still grounding.
He silently pulled their interlocked hands under his chin, his eyes drifting shut but not quite going to sleep.
He nuzzled into the crook of Darius' neck absentmindedly - possibly a trait he picked up from his palisman.
He could definitely get used to this. Feeling wanted and safe - like nothing else mattered. And it didn't.
Laid there, on that sofa, he was home. That thought alone was enough for him to sleep peacefully for a third time.