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More than anything, Hunter wanted to talk. He wanted to tell the whole story of his time in the Human Realm, but Darius insisted that he get some sleep before he explain anything. He looked so tired, and Darius wasn’t about to let him continue his bad habits after Belos was gone.
The spare bedroom was a little dusty, which was understandable, but luckily the Deamonne home hadn’t been too damaged by Belos taking over the Titan. Hunter slept for the first time in days, and it was certainly welcome. Sleeping on a soft bed beneath as many blankets as he wanted was a foreign experience, but an appreciated one nonetheless.
He was only awoken by the smell of food cooking. He tried to get himself to go back to sleep, assuming he would have to cook for himself later, but Darius knocked on the door gently instead.
“I’m sorry to wake you, but I made dinner,” Darius whispered, doing what he could to not let too much light in.
Hunter had noticed that the sun had gone down already. “How long have I been out?” he murmured.
“Eight hours,” Darius responded softly. “It’s okay if you need a little more sleep afterwards. You can eat in your pajamas. I don’t have a problem with that. I’m not dressed particularly well, either. You’ve been through a lot.”
Hunter sat up and rubbed his eyes, getting out of bed and stepping right into the pair of slippers Darius left him. “Thank you for cooking,” he said, following Darius to the kitchen and taking the spot at the small table he was offered. The food was already plated up for him.
“There’s plenty more if you finish all that. I tried to keep it simple and healthy. I had to work with what I could get my hands on with short notice. Once I get the pantries restocked, then I can make some tastier things, but spices don’t go bad easily, at least,” Darius explained, placing a napkin atop his lap and trying to comfort Hunter with a soft voice.
Hunter seemed soothed somewhat by the simply cooked meal in front of him. It was mostly vegetables, but he managed to secure a few decent cuts of meat that seemed to be slow cooked. It was fork-tender and fully saturated with flavor. “You’re a good cook,” he mumbled.
Darius smiled tenderly from across the table. “I could teach you some tricks to help you learn better, if you’d like,” he offered.
Hunter shifted in his seat. “Can we talk?” he asked softly. “About everything that happened?”
Darius’ smile faded somewhat. “After you’re done eating and have some time to absorb everything. When we can take some time to cry and work through it. Then you can go right back to sleep with some catharsis and a full stomach,” he said. “There’s no good in denying it happened, but we want to make sure we’re prepared to dredge those thoughts back up. Crying into a plate of rice isn’t going to help much.”
Hunter nodded slowly and continued to eat. Darius tried to offer more in an attempt to help him sleep better, but he didn’t seem to be very hungry once he finished his plate.
“Can I do the dishes?” Hunter asked.
Darius had an abomination set about the housework instead. “No need. Not tonight,” he responded. “Okay. Let’s talk about it.”
He led him to the sofa and had him sit, giving him a pillow to latch onto. Hunter was nervous. It was so visible in the way he wiggled around and had a hard time looking Darius in the eye. “I really missed you,” he managed to choke out.
Darius rubbed his back tenderly, making sure he knew he safe. “I missed you, too, Little Prince. I could hear your voice on the Day of Unity. I’m so glad you’re here with me now,” he told him softly.
Hunter started to whimper, but Darius kept rubbing his back and hushing him gently. “Flapjack died,” he said. “He died trying to save me.”
Darius had figured that out already. Hunter was inseparable from his little birdie. “He would be so happy to know you’re alright, Hunter,” Darius said, “To know that you’re safe in a home that wants you, and that you’re going to be able to grow into such a sweet young witch. He may not have seen it, but Belos is gone. You’re going to be alright. We’ll get through this. And I won’t let you do it alone.”
Hunter couldn’t help but start to cry at that point. Darius provided shelter in his arms and brushed his fingers through his hair while hushing him. “I’m so scared,” he sobbed. “I-I thought Belos was dead last time, but-, he wasn’t! Darius, what if he’s going to come back?”
“I will go to the ends of the world to make sure he can’t lay a finger on you again,” Darius assured him. “If he comes back, he’s going to have to get through me first.”
Hunter latched right onto Darius, trying to hide his tears as best he could, although he at least felt safe enough to have an emotional outburst at the time. “He got me, and I wasn’t even paying attention... He was in my body, and there was nothing I could do about it!” he cried.
Darius hadn’t inferred that part. He ran the pad of his thumb over Hunter’s cheek, noting where the edge of the scar used to be and how it had spread all the way up to the bridge of his nose now.
“I felt so helpless...,” Hunter whimpered, his voice breaking while Darius pulled a decorative throw blanket around his shoulders.
He didn’t know what else to say. He just held him and tried to pat his back in a desperate attempt to soothe some of his sobbing. “It’s over now,” he cooed. “Let’s get you back to bed. I’ll make sure to tuck you in and have a guard abomination posted inside and out, just so you know you’re safe. Feel free to call for me.”
Hunter sniffled and nodded while Darius guided him to his feet and walked him back to his bedroom. “Thank you for cooking,” he said, wiping away the last of his tears, but maintaining a weepy disposition.
“The calories will help you sleep better. If you have any preferences down the line, do let me know. I’ll accommodate them as best I can, once some more infrastructure work can be done,” Darius said. “But you don’t need to worry about all of that right now. Just focus on growing up strong for now. Think of how proud Flapjack would be.”
Hunter nodded and let Darius get him settled in bed with a kiss on the forehead and an introduction to the short abomination that would be stationed inside his room for him.
“If you’re still scared, please come get me. Do not be afraid to wake me up. It’s not too juvenile. Sound good?” Darius asked.
Hunter nodded and let Darius remove his hands from him. “Good night,” he mumbled.
“Good night, Little Prince,” Darius responded, smiling so gently at him. “I’ll see you later.”