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Hoo boy, it'd been quite the night.
Hunter lay there, spread eagle, on the roof of the building, Flapjack curled up on his chest fast asleep. He knew he couldn't stay there for too long; the night had officially begun not too long ago, and any heat the cement roof had absorbed during the day was seeping out rather quickly. Still, using his and Flapjack's Power twice in such short time period had the two of them absolutely wiped. In one hand was his phone, which was kind of blowing up. His Uncle was demanding to know where he was. Darius was doing the same, though his messages were more along the line of "There was an Akuma attack in your area, are you okay?" Hunter was vaguely watching the alerts on his screen, but refused to actually open his messages app. If they couldn't see he'd read them, he could plausibly deny having seen them. His mind was swirling because of all the stupid things he'd said and done, not just that night (and boy was that a lot) but his entire time as Cardinal.
They 'met' by way of a cheap sneak attack. What? Cardinal never claimed to be honorable or anything like that. To Ladybug's credit, she somehow sensed his presence and ducked the fireball he launched her way at literally the last second. She did a rather impressive roll-and-spin from the dodge so she could face him, the determination on her face briefly fading to confusion before coming back full force as her black-clad green-haired partner seemed to materialize at her side. Even for people like them that was some impressive speed. Cardinal leaned casually on his bat, with a smirk on his face, even if his mask hid it from them. "Well, hello there, ladies," he said in a sarcastic, mocking tone the didn't actually have the confidence to use without the mask. "I don't suppose you'll make this easy and just give me your Miraculous, right?"
The two Superheroes shared a look before glaring back at him. It was Chat who responded, "What do you think?" Hunter's grin widened and they launched into battle simultaneously.
Right from the beginning, Hunter was an idiot. All the answers he was looking for, all the mysteries surrounding him and his family, all his interest in the existence of magic and the originators of this weird and wacky city, and when a pair of people show up blatantly using magic for the good of the city what does he do? Does he approach them with a proposal? A quid pro quo? A mutually beneficial deal? No, of course not. Because he trusted the creepy Voice, of course, he attacked them. Multiple times. Idiot!
That didn't even get into the last couple months; the ever so brilliant plan he made to basically gaslight the heroes into a trap. It failed because he underestimated Chat Noir's sheer bullheaded stubbornness when it came to her job as Ladybug's protector, but that wasn't where his idiocy really shone. That was when he saw who Ladybug was. It was Luz Noceda. Of course it was Luz Noceda. There were now two encounters with the hyperactive little stringbean that would forever be burned in his memory. The first would be when he was suddenly awoken by a sudden slap to the face and her concerned face was the first thing he saw when his eyes snapped open. (He'd engaged in a Superhero vs Supervillain fight after not sleeping for two nights straight and had collapsed in an alleyway) The other would be that moment just earlier tonight when Chat knocked his own mask off and Luz saw who he was underneath. That was a face that would likely haunt his nightmares. He was admittedly a bit... stunted? ... when it came to reading emotions in other people, but he knew broken when he saw it. He saw it in the mirror often enough.
It was actually a bit of a relief to see her snarky and heroic a little later, and not just because she literally saved his life from a giant beastly raven Akuma.
Hunter shivered. The cold was starting to actually get to him. With a groan of pain and protesting muscles, he slowly got to his feet and made his way to the fire escape. At least it wasn't so late that he couldn't call an Uber.
He was barely able to stay on his feet; just getting down the hall to his apartment was more trouble that it was really worth. He stumbled into the walls and held himself there for support more than once. He was fumbling with his keys when he heard the door next door open and he fought against a sigh. "There you are, Hunter. I was worr..." Hunter cringed as Darius Deamonne seemed to lose his thought mid-sentence. Darius didn't do that. Did he really look that bad? For some reason, the sheer out-of-place-ness of the moment caused Hunter to look up at his neighbor. Despite the hour, and the fact he was in his sleepclothes, Darius looked impeccably neat and tidy. His hair was still perfectly in place, even if Hunter never understood the whole man-bun thing. The sleeveless shirt and sleep pants looked like they may have been ironed (and Hunter wouldn't put it past the man, honestly); all told he looked more like a movie character in a scene where he was getting ready for bed than a man actually about to do so.
Darius got down on a knee to look the still rather short teen in the eye. "Hey, kid. Are you okay?" he asked, probably more seriously than Hunter had ever heard him.
Hunter was about to respond in that flippant Cardinal tone that he was fine, nothing to worry about here, but he made the mistake of looking at Daruius' face. It was too much like Luz's that first day, and he found he couldn't keep it in anymore. "No," he said, tears rolling down his face unbidden, damn it all. "I'm not okay. I, uh, I messed up. Bad. Like, I don't know how it can possibly be fixed bad. And I'm tired, and angry, and sad and frustrated, and I must be losing my mind because I'm saying all this to you."
Darius let out a startled huff of a laugh at that last part, and his expression soothed into a kind of sad sort of smile. He placed a hand on Hunter's head and ruffled his hair a little. "Hey. It's okay. I know it doesn't seem like it, bit it is. Or will be. You're a kid. Kids make mistakes. Big ones sometimes. It doesn't make you a monster, or witch or demon or anything like that, despite the state of the city these days. Okay?" HIs face got serious here. "But with the state you're in, I don't think it's a good idea for you to be alone tonight. I've seen how you take care of yourself; pretty sure my couch is in better condition than anything in your place." He stood up and gave Hunter a look that was a smile, but a smile that brooked no argument. "Go on, get your pet bird fed and taken care of, but if you take too long I am coming in after you."
Hunter's surprise must have been plain on his face, because Darius laughed again. "What? I like to think I'm pretty observant, and you haven't been quite as careful about hiding him as you think. Don't worry. My lips are sealed." He mimed zipping his lips closed. "I think the companionship in this case is more important than apartment rules. Now go on, it's getting late."
"Why do you even care?" Hunter blurted, all teenage angst and sullenness and god he just couldn't keep his mouth shut could he?
The sad smile returned. "Because I don't think you've had an adult do so for a while. I can relate. So, get your stuff taken care of, then come on in." He unnecessarily pointed to his door. "I'll keep it unlocked while I make you some tea, so don't even worry about knocking. Just lock it behind you when you come in, yeah?"
Hunter wanted to object, he really did. For one thing, he wasn't even sure how safe Darius would be with him right now. Hawk Moth did just try to use an Akuma to assassinate him tonight. But... he hated to admit it but he was starving for a little positive human interaction tonight. Besides, seeing as how he wasn't flooding the place with a bunch of Akuma at once, maybe Hawk Moth had his own set of rules and limits. So he found himself nodding in tired agreement. "Okay. Okay. I'll be there in a few."
Darius left him to it and returned to his own modest but comfortable apartment. And he began making some tea for Hunter just as he said. It was a little known fact that, like the Blights and the Clawthornes, Darius was a descendent of one of the founding families. And unlike the Blights who scoff at the old stories -- oh the arguments and debates he got into with old Alistor before he married that conniving, controlling witch of a woman -- he, much like the stories he'd heard about the younger Clawthorne, did put at least some stock in what that might mean in terms of inherited ability.
Oh, he wasn't a spellcrafter by any means. He couldn't just... draw a circle in the air and make everything better for the kid. But there were things he picked up -- if he made his tea a certain way, not just about ingredients and boiling water but with the right procedure and ceremony and intent, then it would help calm a troubled mind. There was imagery sewn into his blankets that helped stave off bad dreams and make sleep more restful. Little things like that. When Hunter arrived a few minutes later the tea was ready and there was a pillow and folded up blanket sitting on the couch. Darius handed Hunter a cup. "Here. Drink up. It will help."
Hunter took the cup with all the caution and reluctance of a self-reliant teen not used to accepting help. But he accepted it all the same, and soon the two of them sipping tea in comfortable silence. Once their cups were drained Darius took Hunter's and quietly washed them in the sink. "I'm got going to pry," he said over the sound of running water. "Though if you want to tell me I'm a listening ear. But this mistake of yours, you're going to work to make up for it, right?"
Hunter didn't say anything for a moment, staring at his hands clasped in his lap, but when he looked up, his tired eyes held that same determination that never failed to impress. "I'm gonna try," he said, a small waver to his voice that betrayed the fear he still held for his future, but the determination was there too.
"That's all anyone can ask of you," Darius said, smiling again. "You'd best get some sleep. Sounds like you might have a big day tomorrow." Hunter groaned like the teenager he was, but he still wrapped the blanket around himself anyway, and fell asleep practically as soon as his head hit the pillow. That didn't sit particularly well with Darius. The kid was exhausted. At least he was able to help the kid get a few good hours of sleep. Darius didn't know exactly what was so dire in the kid's life right now (though he had some suspicions, suspicions he wouldn't dare voice and would have been ludicrous a year ago) but he'd certainly had a time of it tonight. A few minutes up, just to make sure the kid was really going to stay asleep, wouldn't hurt anyone. So Darius got comfortable in his reading chair, picked up the book he was working on, and read an extra chapter while Hunter snored.
Hunter awoke the next morning to sunlight streaming in through the window and a sticky note attached to his forehead that told him Darius had gone to work and there was breakfast in the microwave. Hunter admittedly did feel a little guilty at accepting even more of the man's hospitality, but he was also really hungry. Stomach full, dishes cleaned, and Hunter himself was back in his apartment, where Flapjack was still asleep in his little nest on the nightstand; the young blond was surprised to find he actually did feel better this morning. Oh, he was still petrified of the meeting he had that evening with the local Superheroes, especially Luz (which was wild, right? She was the probably the most willing to forgive person in all of Bonesburrough, at leas that he'd ever met), but it wasn't the overwhelming dread of the night before. Caressing the cover of the old tome that was the last remnant of his family, Hunter smiled. A small, tentative smile, but a smile nonetheless.
Maybe he could do this.
Maybe he was okay.