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"C'mon Hugo, can't you just write this one off as him having a bad day? Just this once?" Damien pleaded with his boyfriend over the phone, despite him already knowing the answer and darting around to gather up his things. "I'm afraid I can't, Damien. In any normal instance I'd be willing but both children are injured, and the other boy's parents are threatening to press charges so this time it's out of my hands, sorry." Damien groaned at Hugo's answer, eventually finding his car keys and stuffing them into his pocket before running out of the house. "I'll be there in ten" He said before hanging up, too irritated to wait for Hugo’s response. It was the third time this month that Damien had been called to his son's school because of his poor behaviour. Usually it's just for too many missed assignments or being rude to a teacher. This time however, it was for fighting. It had never been for fighting. Damien got angrier and angrier as he thought about all the stupid reasons his son could fight someone for, gripping the steering wheel ever tighter. Maybe a nasty comment, a revenge fight? Hell, if someone even looked at Lucien the wrong way he'd probably fight them.
Soon enough, Damien made it to Lucien's school, seeing Hugo in the hallway. "Where is he?" Damien's presence caught Hugo off guard. The sound of his boots clicking down the corridor was so forceful it must've hurt. His strides were longer and much more powerful. His voice came out deeper than usual, and Hugo was pretty sure it wasn't the hormones at work. "He's in my classroom. Follow me." Damien followed with the same anger he walked into the building with. Lucien sank lower into his seat, rolling his eyes as his dad started yelling at him from behind once he had entered the room. "Sweet Manchego! Damien there's no need for this!" Hugo protested, shutting the door behind them to reduce the number of watchful eyes. "There's every need! I had to take the afternoon off even though I'm supposed to be at the shelter right now. Lucien you better have a good rea-" Only when Lucien turned around did Damien stop. His hair was messy and his natural curls had started to come back, despite him straightening his hair each morning. His eyeshadow and eyeliner were blackened streaks down his face, and were paired with the nasty bruise that was already forming on his left eye. His top lip was busted, and his snake bite piercing was gone, two bloody holes left behind. "You think I look bad, you should see the other guy." The kid scoffed, pulling Damien out of his thoughts. He looked towards Hugo, waiting for an explanation. "The boy Lucien attacked suffered a broken nose, and what we think is a dislocated shoulder," Damien's jaw dropped as Hugo continued to explain the damage. "Based on his parents reaction, it wasn't pretty." Hugo walked to his desk as Lucien laughed, wincing as he accidentally licked where his snake bites once were. "Cheap fucker ripped out my piercings." He said while chuckling.
Damien was beyond pissed. Not only had his son fought with someone, causing serious injuries in the process, but he was also laughing in the face of certain punishment, maybe even a lawsuit. "Lucien Bloodmarch. What in the name of hell were you thinking?!" Damien's tone softened slightly after seeing the injuries his son sustained, his mind still hell-bent on giving Lucien a hard time for the stunt he pulled. The kid refused to answer, crossing his arms over his chest and turning away. “Lucien.” Damien repeated in a warning tone, already growing impatient with the stubbornness and moodiness that came with having teenagers. Sighing, Lucien gave in, being metaphorically backed into a corner. “It’s really not that big of a deal Dad,” The kid said with an agitated pout. “You’re acting like I killed him.” Lucien scoffed at the thought, recalling how the other boy looked up as he towered over him, the victor of their fight. The poor kid looked broken as he begged and cried like a baby, having to watch and listen as people cheered for Lucien when he finally took him down, but laughing to himself when two teachers dragged Lucien away by his arms, refusing to let him have even an inch of wiggle room. “You could’ve done!” Damien said, raising his voice. It baffled him even further how his child could take something such as this and turn it into a joke or a funny memory. “You still haven’t told me why you decided to fight.” Damien mumbled through gritted teeth, the blood in his veins already threatening to reach 100 degrees. “Tch, and why the hell would I tell you.” Scoffing like he did was the biggest mistake Lucien had made all day. Damien lost it and stood in an attempt to intimidate his son into doing as he had asked. “You will tell me because I am your father and because I told you to!” Saying no was out of the question at this point, Lucien knew that. That didn’t stop him from trying to come up with a lame excuse. Unfortunately for him, it didn’t work. “Lucien, I demand you tell me what you were thinking right no- "I did it for you moron!" Damien raised an eyebrow at his son's sudden outburst, waiting for him to continue speaking. Lucien swayed anxiously on the balls of his feet, trying to stop himself from biting his injured lip again and making the slit bigger. "I..I don't know when or how. But that, fucking kid, knows your deadname.."
Lucien refused to meet his father's eyes, so he missed the look of shock and terror that etched itself onto Damien's face. Even Hugo, who up until this point had been gathering the necessary paperwork Damien had to sign, whipped his head up at the true reason for Lucien's actions. After the initial shock had worn off, Damien's face dropped, guilt filling up his chest as he dropped backwards and slumped back into his chair. "You..what?" Was all he managed to force out, other words popping into his head but dying on his tongue shortly after. "He was talking all this shit..laughing and taking the piss. I tried to ignore him like you said..honestly I did. But then he threatened to tell everyone what you used to be called and I- '' Lucien took a deep breath, still refusing to look at his Dad's horrified face whilst trying to stop any tears from falling. "I lost it.." Suddenly he was caught in a warm embrace. Damien wrapped his arms around Lucien and held him tight, resting his chin against Lucien's head. Damien's hands trembled against his son's back as tears dripped down his face at the confession. How could he be so foolish to miss this? He accused his son like he was some kind of criminal. When in reality, Lucien was fighting for him. Lucien got hurt for him. "I'm sorry Lucien.." He said after a while, choking back sobs and holding his son impossibly tighter. Lucien hugged back and placed his head on Damien's shoulder, watching as Hugo nodded to him with a smile while walking out of the room. This was a family matter.
Eventually they withdrew, smiling at each other until Damien gripped his shoulders firmly. “Lucien. I don’t care what the reason is, but never, ever fight with someone again,” He said, continuing to talk before Lucien could interject. “I can’t stand to see my son injured like this..” He trailed off, his voice getting quieter as he scanned the numerous wounds his son had, even noticing new ones like red, irritated and bruised knuckles, and a slightly swollen wrist from where (Damien assumed) the other kid had grabbed. “I can’t promise that I won’t fight back if some little shit stain tries to get the jump on me.” Lucien explained. “But I’ll try and keep the injuries to a minimum.” He said chuckling.
Damien joined in and smiled. “I bet my makeup is ruined now.” He continued, dabbing his face with his fingers, trying to remove the running eyeliner and mascara without spreading it further. Lucien let out a full belly laugh, wiping his own stained cheeks on his sleeves. Damien pulled him in for another hug, this time without the sobbing or tears. He kissed the top of Lucien’s head as he spoke, “I love you Lucien.” Lucien hugged back, unable to keep his tough boy persona up (as if he hadn’t dropped it 20 minutes ago). He hugged back as tight as he could comfortably, relishing in the warmth of his father’s embrace. They’d been through a lot as Damien struggled to find himself over the years, but them being together was really all that mattered. To Lucien anyway.
“Love you too, Dad”