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Every day was sort of the same for a Coven Head.
You do your work, you command and lead, and the rest of the time you get to enjoy the luxuries of a privileged life. That’s what many strived for, fought for with blood, sweat, and tears, and even gave their lives for.
Darius fought too and at times dragged himself like a rug in the rain to be where he was now - a Coven Head in a nice room, in a well-lit part of the castle, and doing his morning routine.
And maybe if he had been someone else if his life had gone differently, he could have enjoyed being at the top of the food chain. But things hadn’t gone as planned and now he was in limbo. In between decisions that could cost him his life and having to switch between a pompous mask of indifference and the man he truly was - one who cared far too much.
So a well-organized routine kept his mind in check. He could go through the motions, keep his head centered on his goal, and pretend as if meeting daily with all those despicable people wasn’t torture of the highest caliber. He had to keep the disgust at bay or he would never leave his room but there were times when he wanted to do exactly that so he would never have to exchange a single word more with that freak Terra or that shameless murderer Belos.
But he had made his choices, he was here to do what needed to be done, and complaining was not going to get him anywhere. So he put on his cape, fixed up his make-up again, and finally put on his gloves.
Pristine and clean, unlike the filth that surrounded him. They were a shield against everything he never wanted to touch and never wanted to be because he had been so close to succumbing to that same depravity. It would have been easy, to just shamelessly exploit and revel in cruelty. And he had thought about it, to just give up and be like them but he couldn’t.
He wasn’t a perfect man, far from it but he could never creep like Terra did, drugging and subjugating shamelessly. Or abuse his subordinates like Adrian did. It was disgusting but they paled next to Belos.
Darius adjusted his gloves, taking care to fully cover the brand that was etched into his skin. He hated seeing it, hated that he had been happy to get it once upon a time when he had been naive and blind to the truths of this world. What was once a subject of pride, was now nothing more than a reminder that he was bound to a vile man, just like every other soul on the Isles.
He had to free them, he had to free them all and himself, and that’s why he put on his pretty little cape every day and strutted across the halls like he owned the place. It made people fear him and that was good, it was protection. Just as good as the gloves which made sure that his bare hands never touched the filth of the castle.
With a sigh, he took one last look in the mirror and made sure his expression was one of disdain. He had a Coven Head meeting to go through.
-----
Hunter’s hair was slightly damp, he could feel it even through his gloves and usually, he would have quickly pulled away with a slight expression of disgust. But right now? He couldn’t care less.
Not when the kid he’d been so worried about was standing right in front of him. Alive but tired, sullen despite the smile that was coloring his face as he was explaining about the animals on his shirt. Darius wanted nothing more than to hug him tightly, to tell him everything he couldn’t find the words for before.
But it wasn’t the time for that now, not while things were still so uncertain that Hunter had been genuinely shocked when Darius offered his home to him. His eyes were wide and he fell silent for long enough that Darius thought he might have offended him with his presumptuous offer. That was until the smile was back and Hunter had said yes.
It’s all it took for the kid to be sitting on his couch, stiff as a board and with eyes darting everywhere. He didn’t need to be an expert on body language to see that Hunter was nervous, trying to appear as proper as possible to appease him. He had done the same during the sewing lessons and Darius thought that he had reassured him enough back then.
But things had changed and their relationship was no longer just “colleagues, turned reluctant friends” anymore because it felt wrong to call someone thirty years younger, a “friend” like he would with Raine or Eber. This was something else but neither of them had the precise words to describe it.
Darius sighed and unbuckled his cape as he looked around the living room. It was dusty, of course it was, after months of being unable to come back home and it dawned on him how much he’d have to clean. A mundane worry when compared to everything else and maybe that’s exactly what he needed.
But it was hard to think about the state of his home for too long, when a kid was sitting right there, scratching at his scars and wearing clothes that smelled of a bog. Darius feared asking why that was and Hunter probably wouldn’t tell him either way.
He took off his gloves as well, placing them over the cape, and sat right next to Hunter. The kid flinched a little, startled by the sudden movement but quickly went back to being stiff. He looked at Darius with a questioning expression, one that hid many other emotions that Darius couldn’t hope to decipher right now. But he was sure of one thing - there was yearning in that gaze, the same one he noticed after he had praised Hunter for his sewing skills.
“You know, you don’t have to be so stiff, little prince. I’m not going to scold you.”
“I know,” Hunter said a bit defensively and looked away, “I’ll try to relax.”
Darius resisted the urge to say ‘Would you?’ as this was not the time to tease him in such a way. Hunter looked like he would collapse at any moment, even from the slightest bit of sarcasm.
He needed a gentle hand and Darius was learning to be gentle.
“Maybe it’ll be easier if you’re not wearing those days-old clothes. As much as I appreciate your craftsmanship, a change will do you good.”
Hunter’s grip on his arms tightened for a moment, “Y-yeah but I don’t have anything else to wear.”
“I’ll give you something of mine and we’ll go shopping at some point,” Darius said matter-of-factly before letting out a groan, “Though I doubt that anything will be open for business any time soon. Guess you’ll be stuck wearing oversized, purple clothes until I can make something for you.”
“You will?”
“Well, of course. As fabulous as you’ll look in mine, I don’t want you to end up falling cause you tripped on the pant legs.”
“You’re not that much taller than me! I grew a little in the past few months.”
That he did and the thought made Darius feel a little dizzy. He missed a lot, more than whatever happened to Hunter recently that caused his current state. The boy had grown a few centimeters and no longer looked as pale and sickly, and that made Darius happy despite the melancholic feeling that was nesting in his heart. Hunter was growing way too fast and Darius did not want to miss a second more.
Almost on instinct, he reached out and ruffled Hunter’s hair again, gently this time. He wanted to savour the moment as much as he could and while lost in his thoughts, he almost missed the kind of expression the boy made.
Hunter was wide-eyed, his gaze landing on his hand before he looked at Darius with a very peculiar expression. One could almost describe it as “sparkly-eyed”, full of mirth and it surprised Darius with its intensity.
He only ruffled his hair, something he’d done a dozen times before, and while Hunter always reacted positively, it was never like this. His gaze also kept darting towards his hand as if something was going on with it and after a moment, it clicked.
He wasn’t wearing his gloves.
This barrier between him and the world, which he only shed at the end of the day in the privacy of his own room, was gone. And Hunter had never seen it happen before. They had grown close during the sewing lessons but at the end of the day, they were still the Golden Guard and the Coven Head, ready to return to their duties. But now the kid would live in his home, possibly permanently if he wanted it, and needed care, the kind of care only a child would need. All those barriers were going to crumble down one by one, and this was the first one.
And for someone who had been deprived of affection his whole life, it meant the world.
Darius made a mental note of that as he ended the hair ruffle and smiled at Hunter. Maybe he was imagining all this but maybe not. Only time would tell.
-----
Darius still put on his gloves every morning before he went out for work. As much as they used to be a barrier, they were also a fashion choice he was pretty fond of and one that tied his outfit together.
And now, that’s all they were.
He was no longer at the castle, surrounded by people he hates, by walls he wishes he could be free from. Instead, he was either with Hunter and Eber at home or with his friends at work, and neither of those things awakened any sense of dread or a desire to separate himself from them.
On the contrary, he couldn’t stop thinking about that one moment with Hunter, the way the kid beamed as soon as his bare hand was in his hair. And any doubts that he imagined it, flew right out of the window when it kept happening. Awe and yearning filled Hunter’s eyes every time Darius ruffled his hair or placed a hand over his to guide it while they sewed or rubbed his back while they hugged.
The barriers kept crumbling down and Darius gladly let them become pebbles under his feet. He enjoyed the closeness just as much after all, it was something he couldn’t allow himself to have much of before, besides small moments between him and Eber. But now he relished being the reason this wonderful kid got to experience even a fraction of what should have been given to him since birth.
And he was still learning to be gentle and considerate because Hunter tended to keep quiet when he was uncomfortable. It was a habit that had kept him alive because Belos didn’t like being told ‘no’. Hunter had been a soldier and a caretaker, so no matter what his mission was? He just had to do it and learn to like it, whatever it was, no matter how wrong it felt.
‘It’s ok to say no.’ Darius had told him and it felt like he was reading from a textbook on parenting. And every time Hunter looked at him as if he had said something so groundbreaking and wise.
If his own barriers were crumbling down one by one, Hunter needed to build up his.
At least with this Darius felt adequate enough to help him because who better than someone who spent years doing just that. At least one good thing would come out from his life in the coven, besides a patience made of steel and a brother who liked nibbling on his arms and leaving orange fur on all his clothes.
-----
His morning routine remained much the same, with small exceptions.
For one, he was no longer feeling anxiety in the pit of his stomach because, with Belos as an Emperor, you could never know if you’re about to be told to supervise yet another execution. He wasn’t dreading facing each day, knowing he had to put on a mask lest he might end up being the one petrified.
Now, he was just getting ready, putting on his makeup, and his cape but not his gloves while his kid and brother were doing their own routines. He could hear Hunter washing his face in the bathroom and Eber cooking something in the kitchen. It was peaceful.
He was still in the middle of fixing up his eyeshadow when Hunter entered his bedroom and sat right next to him to observe him. He had started doing that lately, endlessly fascinated by all the little things Darius did to look glamorous. The concept of self-care had been foreign to him after all.
“Can you do my eyeshadow today?” Hunter asked as he picked up one of the palettes, the one with the largest number of sparkly pigments. He was like Eda’s owl beast when it came to all things shiny. Maybe it was a grimwalker thing.
“Of course,” he smiled as he picked up the palette from Hunter’s hands, “Any preferences, little wolf?”
“Not really. Just make sure it’s sparkly, I want it to match my new shirt!” Hunter said proudly as he pointed at a shirt with so many bedazzled patches, it made him look like a disco ball.
Darius barely held his chuckle at his kid’s creative fashion choices, even though this one was pretty appropriate if one was going to a roller skating rink. He really needed something equally eye-catching on his face and Darius already had something in mind.
He looked his face over for a moment more, before gently placing his fingers under his chin and tilting it in the direction he wanted. Hunter smiled as soon as Darius started applying the eyeshadow and that smile got even bigger when he was told that it looked great on him. Little compliments like that went a long way with him and Darius was determined to be his kid’s biggest fan at all times.
“Open your eyes and blink a little,” he instructed and observed his work, “Hm, you need just a bit more on the side of your eyelids.”
Darius cupped one of his cheeks and turned his head to the side. He wanted those finishing touches to be perfect. Hunter leaned on his hand and let out a content sigh, the kind he always did when Darius held his face for one reason or another, and it was one of the most adorable things he’d ever seen.
“And done! I think it turned out quite well but if you want something else, I can always change things up,” Darius was ready to turn him around towards the mirror but Hunter looked like had dozed off in his palm, “Little prince, don’t tell me you’re that sleepy. Didn’t you go to bed at a reasonable hour yesterday?”
Hunter slowly opened his eyes and stretched before looking in the mirror, as if he had just taken a long nap instead of closing his eyes for a few minutes. Could he really be that tired?
“It looks perfect! And no, I’m not tired and I did go to sleep at your so-called ‘reasonable hours’,” he rolled his eyes before looking to the side bashfully, “It’s just that…well, your hands are warm and it feels really nice on my scars so I kinda dozed off.”
Darius’ eyes widened as this was the first time Hunter had confessed something like this. It seemed his efforts to be more open and affectionate were paying off, he wasn’t imagining it.
“Well,” he cleared his throat and tried to sound as composed as he could after Hunter’s words went straight into his heart, “I’m happy to hear that and that you slept enough. And now I know a new way to help you with your insomnia.”
He was half joking, half not because Hunter truly had moments where sleeplessness tormented him for one reason or another. If he could help him in any way, he would do it in a heartbeat.
Hunter looked back at him finally, his face still a little flushed in embarrassment, and smiled again, before getting up and grabbing Darius’ gloves for him. They were still in their usual place on his vanity table even though they were seeing less and less use these days.
“Oh, I’m not going to be wearing those today.”
“You won’t?” Hunter looked down at them and seemed pensive for a moment, as if Darius told him something strange and out of the ordinary, “Now that I think about it, why did you stop wearing them? You used to wear them every day back at the castle.”
Darius had wondered if Hunter would ever ask if he would even notice such an unimportant change because the answer could be simple. He had a lot of clothes, maybe he wanted a new and fresh look and while that was part of the reason, it wasn’t just that. There was, of course, the far more important one.
“You, little wolf.”
“Me?!”
“Yes, you, and don’t be so surprised. Didn’t you just say something along the lines of ‘your hands are warm and it feels really nice on my scars’?”
“Well, yes but how’s that-” he looked at Darius with confusion and saw him raise his eyebrows while giving him a knowing look, ”Oh…I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? Hunter, you have nothing to be apologizing for. This wasn’t an accusation.”
Darius knew his kid’s self-confidence was sometimes rock bottom but even now it surprised him how much Hunter went right into self-blame. This wasn’t how he imagined this conversation going.
“But I made you stop wearing something you like just to do something I wanted. I didn’t mean to.”
“Oh, little prince, you have it all wrong,” with a sigh he sat down on the vanity chair and reached out for Hunter, beckoning him to take one of his hands. The kid looked tense but eventually placed it in his palm, “You didn’t make me do anything. I just noticed that you enjoyed the closeness and made the decision myself. And I enjoy that closeness too, you know. Do you think I’m forcing myself to hug you or hold your face while I help you apply those creams on your scars?”
“Well, not really but…”
“But it crossed your mind…” Darius placed his other hand over Hunter’s and squeezed a little, “I can tell you outright, it’s not true. I wouldn’t pretend about any of this because it’s an awful thing to do and because you deserve better. You deserve sincerity.”
Hunter’s eyes widened and he fell silent for a bit before taking another breath, and coming closer, “So you don’t mind not wearing gloves?”
“I don’t care at all about them! They’re just an accessory and I much prefer ruffling your hair and hugging you without them.”
With a smile, he opened his arms as an offer, one that Hunter took after a moment of hesitation. Darius could feel the tension going away from his body as soon as the boy settled in the hug. It was like a huge weight had fallen off Hunter’s shoulders, one that Darius didn’t suspect was weighing on him so badly. Seems like he needed to be more direct and candid about the things he says so Hunter could never lose himself in confusion and assume the worst.
“I know I might sound like a broken record but I truly mean everything I said. And I will be repeating till it gets through that blonde head of yours that I like having you around,” he tightened his arms around him and squeezed him lightly, “Do you think I would let just anyone use my personal tea cup?”
“I guess not.”
“Well, you guessed right, and now I need to redo your eyeshadow cause it smeared all over my shirt…”
Hunter lifted his head away from his chest and chuckled at the glitter stains that were suspiciously shaped like his eyelids. There was no tension in his body anymore, no apprehension, and none of the usual timidness whenever he made a mistake in his presence. Not even a guilty frown once he saw that Darius looked affectionately annoyed at his antics.
His kid felt safe in his presence and that’s all he could ever want.
With a smile, Darius let go of him and quickly fixed his eyeshadow before ruffling his hair again and telling him he’s good to go. Hunter’s excitement was obvious and he didn’t want to keep him for any longer than necessary but before he sprinted downstairs, he turned around and gave Darius a quick hug, careful not to smear his make-up again.
And with that, he was off. Darius sighed fondly and as he was leaving the room as well, his gaze landed on his gloves again. He felt a pang of melancholy but it passed quickly. He knew this was for the better.
Things have changed and he knew he would never be that man again whose walls had been so tall he had hurt the people around him.