Chapter Text
The first time was in Alador's new lab, set up in the basement of abandoned palace as Odalia continued to fight him for ownership of Blight Industries, their family home, and anything else she could think of. Alador would have been happy to sign off and hand her everything, but the kids seemed adamant that he shouldn't. They wanted to keep their family home. He should want to keep it, they seemed to imply. He should want the labs. His life's work.
In truth, he wanted nothing more than to dismantle 'his life's work.' But the kids wanted to fight back, so he was fighting back. Even if it mostly meant practiced recitations of legal arguments prepared by Emira.
In the meantime, Darius and Raine had gotten him set up in a suitable lab space in the palace's sprawling basements. With Blight Industries in disarray, an increasing number of reports were coming through of abomitons running amuck throughout the Isles. Some had been hacked. Others had been corrupted by damage, or were simply too far from a controller to operate properly. Those trained in abomination magic could generally dismantle one or two if they were making problems, but thanks to the Coven system and Darius' general resistance to recruitment, there just weren't that many abomination witches out there. They needed a better plan, a way to destroy them in mass, ideally something everyone could use.
"Strike test one hundred and fifteen," Alador grumbled, pressing his fingers into the bridge of his nose, feeling the pulsing pain growing behind his eyes. "Pixie energy just isn't strong enough to disrupt the abomination fusion."
Alador signed heavily, stepping back from his worktable. So far, little had worked.
"Why did I make those things so strong?..." he moaned for at least the third time that day alone.
"I think that was the point, at the time," Darius replied with a grin. It was already late at night, and yet he seemed completely unfazed, his eyes bright and his figure still immaculate.
"Short-sighted of me, at the very least," Alador continued. "Why didn't you think of a universal 'off-switch,' Alador!"
His fists pounded against the metal frame of his workbench, the sound reverberating against the stone walls of the room and down the darkened, silence passages of the basement.
"Well, that's not going to help anything."
Alador just sighed again. "I know. I just... thanks to that sparkly child, some of these abomitons have been running wild for months. And I've barely made any progress..."
Darius stepped closer, hovering at the edge of the workbench, reaching out and resting a hand on Alador's back.
"The testing is useful," Darius replied. "We know more about them now. And their weaknesses. The witches in the field are able to stop them a lot faster now. That is progress."
Alador turned into his touch, resting his forehead on Darius' shoulder. He could feel the warmth of Darius' body, smell the fancy soap and cologne that wafted off of him.
"Work they're only having to do because I didn't plan for this in the first place."
"You're just not going to let that go, are you?" Darius said with a chuckle, smiling softly down at him.
Alador sighed again, pressing in close to him. He wasn't really sure what he wanted, just not to feel so hollow anymore. He felt Darius pull him closer, one broad arm wrapping across his back, Darius dropping his chin into the curve of Alador's neck. Alador felt the warmth of Darius' lips, pressed against his skin. He took a deep breath, murmuring appreciatively.
It only lasted a moment before Darius pulled away. Taking a step back, his gaze seeming to fall everywhere except on Alador, he said, "We're not going to crack this tonight. We should get some rest, start fresh in the morning."
Alador just nodded, fighting the desire to inspect Darius' expression. He didn't always understand what people did around him. He knew what was happening - observation was easy. But things always seemed to fall apart at the interpretation stage. Interpretation was messy. Too many factors to really run effectively.
"That seems reasonable," he mumbled as Darius breezed past him for the door. "Thanks, Darius."
"Goodnight, Alador," Darius replied, not looking back.
--
Observation was easy. Witches and demons were organisms, same as any others. Their behaviors followed identifiable biological imperatives. Eat. Sleep. Seek safety and security. Form social structures. Alador could observe the what of what was happening. But witches were also complicated. Their behaviors didn't always map easily onto the biological model. There always had to be some interpretation, and interpretation was messy. Odalia was undoubtedly flawed, but at least her behavior was easy to interpret. Most of the time, she just told Alador what she wanted. What she wanted him to do. What they should do together. It had been an easy arrangement. They had founded Blight Industries because Odalia saw huge financial potential in Alador's tinkering. They were married because Odalia thought it was more fiscally responsible. They had children because Odalia wanted to assure the continuation of their legacy. They sat on school boards and orbited in high society because Odalia wanted to build their brand, elevate the Blight name.
Even the physical aspects of their relationship were straightforwardly driven by explicit request. Alador had had no delusions that Odalia harbored any romantic affection for him. He wasn't entirely sure she harbored any affection for him at all, beyond the benefits he could provide to her. Their physical relationship she used to call the 'satisfaction of certain needs.' It suited Alador well enough. He enjoyed physical affection, but it never felt like something he needed. He wouldn't drop dead without it, after all. It clearly had therapeutic benefits - there were times it helped to clear his head or relieve his stress - but there were other options for all of those needs. It felt easy enough to leave the management of their physical relationship to Odalia, same as everything else.
His interactions with Darius were different. Interactions with Darius had always been different, even when they were in school together. He often teased Alador, but in a way that often still spoke highly of Alador, albeit in a back-handed way: complaining when Alador outperformed him on a test without any studying. Teasing Alador about his fascination with abomination science, a field almost no one else studied. Expressing his relief when Alador confirmed that he had no interest in being Head Witch of the Abomination Coven.
"Thank the Titan, you were my only real competition!"
Alador could still hear Darius' words ringing in his ears. It was several years after they all graduated Hexside. Blight Industries had just won some award or other for their 'innovative' work. Alador was perplexed by the sudden embracing of abomination science. Suddenly it seemed like everyone wanted to work with him. They were at the reception together, along with nearly every other abomination witch of any note, sipping sparkling apple blood and nibbling on mini pixie pies.
"You're not going for Coven Head, are you?" Darius had asked with a smirk. Even the question struck Alador as silly - his creations might be 'innovative' and 'life-changing,' but he knew his magic abilities still paled in comparison to Darius. The way Darius could use abomination magic as an extension of his own form, the way he could move so seamlessly from one form to another - it was practically art.
"Why would I want to be Coven Head?"
Darius just laughed at him, clinking their glasses together with a grin. "Thank the Titan, you were my only real competition!"
Alador started to contest - to the best of his knowledge, there was no one better positioned to become Head of the Abomination Coven - but Odalia appeared to pull him away, to shake hands with investors he couldn't name. But the conversation seemed imprinted in his mind. He replayed it as he re-examined the interaction from the night before.
There were two obvious interpretations: one, that Darius was 'making a move,' as the kids maybe still said? If that were the case, then obviously Alador had done something wrong in his response and left him dissatisfied. That seemed plausible enough - Odalia regularly critiqued his social skills. And this was undeniably one of the areas of social interaction where he felt the least capable. Option Two, was that Darius was merely trying to comfort him and Alador had overstepped. That seemed somewhat less plausible - Alador felt relatively certain that kissing someone on the neck was not a platonic form of affection. But again, it was hardly his area of expertise.
Yet interactions with Darius were always different. Always difficult to interpret. They had been all but indifferent to each other in the intervening years, as Darius became Head Witch and Blight Industries continued to grow. He occasionally heard through the grapevine that Darius did not approve of BI's work, trying to turn abomination magic into engineering and science. But if he had any real concerns about Alador's work, it never manifested as any kind of 'official' intervention by the Coven. At the handful of public events they attended together, Darius routinely praised Alador and Blight Industries for expanding the reach of abomination magic, making it something everyone could benefit from.
It felt strange yet familiar to be working alongside him again, after the fallout from the Day of Unity and the Collector, the awakening of the Titan itself. Despite all of that, it was somehow so much like how they had been when they were children, before the company and the politics and everything that came from it. Odalia had sometimes sat in the lab with Alador while he worked - he appreciated the company, made it easier to stay on task -, but her 'suggestions' rarely amounted to more than vague praising or criticism, depending on her mood. Darius understood abomination magic, understood it in a way that left Alador almost speechless. His ability to interpret what was happening, all the way down to a cellular level, had led to some amazing new discoveries. Part of Alador regretted they hadn't worked together sooner - perhaps none of this would have ever happened.
The thoughts were still churning away in his mind as he made his way down to the lab the next morning. The raven met him as he made it to the final landing on the stairs.
"Alador, good morning."
Darius' voice was sharp and precise, with just a touch of a croakiness from the early morning. "I apologize - I completely forgot I'm meant to check on the repairs around Bonesborough with Eber and Raine today."
"Oh," Alador replied, a wash of feelings rolling through him. "Okay. Thanks for letting me know."
"I could still come by the lab later," Darius added, "Er, if you'd want me to. If you'd still be working."
"I expect I'll be working all day again," Alador replied, "And most days after that. I know you have other things that need your attention."
"Oh, so..." Darius cleared his throat. "So you don't want me to stop in?"
"You don't have to. I appreciate your help, but I don't want to keep you."
"Oh, alright. Then perhaps another time, I can see how you're getting on."
"I'll let you know, if I manage to crack it."
"Alright, then. Good luck, Alador."
"Thanks, Darius."
Alador released the raven, staring into the open space of the landing, idly chewing the corner of his mouth. He knew people often made up excuses to be somewhere else, when they didn't want to see someone. When they didn't want to see him. But Darius was also just very busy. And important. And elegant.
That part seemed to get stuck in his mind, the image of Darius lingering in his mind as he headed for the lab and fired up the first new experiment. Darius had always been elegant - fashionable, graceful, chic. Alador was not. Odalia had started dragging him along for all sorts of society to-dos as Blight Industries continued to grow. Even the kids birthday parties and midnight conjurings had become fancified affairs, with hors d'oeuvres and fine swampmonster porcelain. Alador had done his best to keep up, but the reality was he spent most of his time covered in abomination muck and motor oil. Darius, on the other hand, had been living in the palace for years. It suited him.
He's blowing me off, Alador told himself. It wasn't so bad. He liked having Darius around, but again, it wasn't like he'd die if it didn't happen again. Part of him wanted to make it up to him, but he had no idea where to start. Odalia would just tell me, Alador, don't talk to me for three days. After that, I expect three dozen blood orchids and a bottle of aged apple wine worth at least a hundred snails. It never really mattered to Alador that he didn't understand what he'd done to upset her. He knew what to do to make it better. And then things would be normal between them again. But with Darius? Maybe things would never be normal between them again.
"Stupid Alador," he grumbled, pounding his first on the workbench again. "Stupid, stupid..."
--
"Mittens, can I ask you something? Something about you and Luz?"
Amity had come by the palace with lunch - he was always grateful when she did, otherwise it became far too easy to forget about eating altogether. They were sitting amongst the broken ramparts on a wide, yellow blanket, the air fresh with the scent of young grass and rotted bones. Luz and Eda were evidently off on the same excursion as Darius. Maybe he wasn't blowing me off after all, Alador thought to himself as he picked at his pixie pie. It didn't seem like Darius to forget things, but it certainly seemed believable enough to Alador. After all, he forgot things all the time.
Amity blushed, her whole face turning red in a moment. It had been months since she and Luz got together, but there was still so much she and her dad had yet to catch up on. "Yeah, of course."
"Did Luz ask you out?"
"Oh, well," Amity replied, the blush darkening. "Sort of? I mean, she wanted to. But then I guess Hooty - you know, their house demon?"
"Yes, the infinitely cylindrical bug monstrosity."
"Yeah, well, I guess Hooty found out and decided that he wanted to help Luz. But he's not really... good at... anything. So he kidnapped me and swallowed me and then deposited me in the basement of the Owl House, with Luz, and we went through this Tunnel of Love that... I guess Hooty built it himself? And Luz got freaked out because she thought I would think it was lame, so she burned most of it, and I thought she was embarrassed because she didn't want to ask me out and Hooty was trying to make her, so then I was sort of freaking out because I thought Luz knew that I liked her but she was freaked out by it. And anyways, we got out of the basement but then Hooty was freaking out because he thought he'd made everything worse and then Luz and Eda and King were freaking out because Hooty was kind of destroying the whole Owl House. And then Luz wanted to ask me out to make Hooty understand that he wasn't wrong but she didn't know that to say so... I just kind of... did it."
Amity took a long breath as Alador processed what she had said. "Huh."
"I mean, I guess it all worked out pretty well?"
Alador nodded, his expression sparkling with joy. "Yes, Luz is a very special kid."
"Yeah," Amity replied, her nose curling, "She is."
"So did you know, before you asked her out and her infinitely cylindrical house-bug monstrosity trapped you in a self-made carnival ride, that Luz... 'liked' you?"
"Oh, um." Amity was chewing her lip. "Not really? I mean, I probably should have. But I think I liked her so much, it was hard to see how she felt about me."
"Huh," Alador said again, nodding.
Amity's eyes narrowed, studying him intently. "Dad, why are you asking me all of this stuff?"
"Oh, um." Now it was Alador who chewed his lip, unconsciously running his hand through his hair as he seemed to look at anything but her. "I'm just... getting caught up on your life. So much has happened. I've missed a lot."
Amity just nodded slowly, still scrutinizing him. "Okay. More pie?"
"Yes, please, Mittens - it's one of your best."
"Thanks, Dad."