Archive of Our Own

1.

In Hunter and Amity's defense, the first time it happens they are both too excited to pay attention to it. Luz has spent the last two weeks talking and fantasizing about their annual Christmas party and of course, they are all invited.

So, that brings them all together in a park near Luz's house. Hunter is building a snowman when he notices it.

"Hey," Hunter tilts his head curiously. His eyes fix on the purple garment hanging around Edric's neck. "Darius has a scarf like that."

"Really?" Edric drops the snowball he was picking up on the ground, too puzzled by that coincidence. He tugs at his scarf for a quick glance and frowns. "Had I known it looked like something out of Darius' closet, I would have preferred to freeze to death."

Hunter squints at him, for some reason feeling personally attacked. What's wrong with Darius and his outfit? Okay, that scarf isn't something Hunter would wear either, but Edric wouldn't have to put it that way. Darius is pretty cool.

"Whatever," Edric shrugs. "I lost mine, so I took this one from Dad's room."

A snowball impacts the back of Edric's head and the boy lands violently in the snow as Eda guffaws victoriously. He stays about ten seconds buried face down before he begins to moan and show signs of life. Hunter feels a chill and is extremely glad he declined her offer to participate in the snowball war.

Apparently, Amity shares the same sentiment. There are few occasions when both Hunter and Amity decide to sideline themselves to engage in a relaxing activity, but Hunter thinks she's good company for such a leisurely activity as building snowmen.

"That doesn't look like something Dad would use," Emira calmly points out, totally undaunted by the fact that her twin brother had just been mowed down. She continues to look every which way with her guard up, waiting for Willow, King or Eda to come out of hiding. However, Hunter can see the girl arch an eyebrow.

"Maybe it was fashionable in her student days?" suggests Amity absentmindedly. She is the most immersed in her activity, looking overly cheerful as she gives her snowman a creepy shape, much like one of her abominations.

"That makes sense," Hunter admits, simply because he doesn't know what else he could say.

Emira drops her guard to look at Hunter and his little sister as if they've grown a second head. That absolutely doesn't make sense , she wants to say. Her family usually donates the clothes they no longer wear. However, Emira is interrupted by another snowball hitting her violently in the face and Luz lets out an exaggerated cry of victory from some nearby bushes.

"Mmm," Amity mutters, probably more to herself than to Hunter. "I wish I'd known what Dad was like in his college days."

Only then, Hunter realizes he knows absolutely nothing about Darius' life before they met.

2.

"Darius?"

"Mmm?"

"You alway"s wanted to be a Coven Head?"

Sitting on the couch, Darius peels his eyes off the small scarf with the half-finished embroidery and looks at Hunter with a raised eyebrow. Hunter, still lying face down on the rug, lifts his head to return his gaze, his golden eyes wide and shining with such curiosity that Darius simply can't deny him this whim. The adult sighs and prepares to speak.

"No, not always. There was a time when I thought I could go into fashion," Darius admits, now returning his attention to the craft in his hands but with a nostalgic smile forming on his face. "I asked my dad to teach me embroidery and sewing from a very early age. I used to add details to clothes when I thought they were too boring and I got into tons of trouble when I wanted to alter my Hexside uniform during my freshman year."

"So you were a problem child," Hunter interrupts in a playful tone, joining on his knees to crawl closer to the couch. "Like Eda!"

"How dare you?" Darius contracts with indignation, wrinkling his nose into a grimace of utter displeasure. This only causes Hunter to laugh harder. "For your information, young man, I was a star pupil. One of the top students in the abominations major."

"Is that why you eventually decided to become a Coven Head?" Hunter tilts his head, now more interested in listening. "Simply because it was what everyone expected?"

Darius this time takes a few moments to think better of his words and shakes his head.

"No, I think it's more the other way around," Darius admits. Hunter notices how his eyes suddenly become softer and his smile more loving. "Someone showed me how fascinating abomination magic was, so I started getting interested. The more time I spent with that person, I was also learning things on my own that I would then teach him and we would both spend entire evenings between abominations and spells. It was a lot of fun, honestly, maybe the best memories of my student days. One day I decided I wanted to be a covenhead and I knew that in order to get there, I had to try harder in school."

'You know how when Darius talks about you, he makes this really sweet, loving face, like you're absolutely the most valuable thing to him? ' Luz had said to Hunter on one occasion, shortly after defeating Belos. Hunter had been living alone for a few months, before Darius became concerned and offered to start living together. 'You must be special to Darius and I'm sure he is to you. Why don't you give him a chance?'

'Anyway,' Darius clears his throat. Hunter is pretty sure he catches a glimpse of red coloring on his cheeks before it fades completely. "Why your sudden interest about my past?"

Hunter has to blink repeatedly and shake his head to erase strange ideas.

"I was just curious," Hunter shrugs. "Amity mentioned she'd like to know more about her dad, and I realized I didn't know much about you, besides the fact that you were in the coven of abominations."

"Oh," Darius says, noticeably flustered, and for a fleeting, terrifying moment, Hunter realizes that he may have made him uncomfortable by implying that he practically sees him as a father. "It's okay. Obviously I didn't have as interesting a childhood as you did, given that I didn't defeat any tyrants or get stuck on another world for months at a time. But I can tell you about my ordinary, boring life as a teenager in Hexside. If you ever want to know anything specific, just ask."

Hunter smiles bright, cheerful and full of life. Something squeezes affectionately in Darius' heart.

"How about your first boyfriend?"

"Absolutely not."

3.

"Dad?" Amity calls from his office door. "Do you have a minute?"

Although Alador has told her that she doesn't need to ask permission to come in, she prefers to wait until she is invited in. Alador wonders if this is a characteristic trait of her polite and considerate personality, or if it's that she at this point still doesn't feel confident enough with him. That would be a serious problem. After all they've been through, Alador needs her to understand that she is his priority. Whatever important work he is doing in his office, it will never be as important as his children.

"For you, I have all the time in the world," Alador says, and he proves it by stepping away from his desk, approaching Amity. "I thought you were going out with Luz today, though."

Alador isn't very good at reading people, but from the way Amity seems to wipe her smile and look at the floor sadly, Alador assumes he shouldn't have mentioned that.

"Luz, um, had too many things to do in the human world, and I didn't want to be a burden to her anymore, so I told her we could take a rain check," Amity admits, leaving her father with a strange feeling of helplessness in his chest. He doesn't think Amity can be a burden to anyone, much less Luz, and he doesn't like the fact that she thinks so at all. "Anyway, I realized there's a lot of lost time I want to make up with you and I was wondering if we could have dinner together instead."

"Oh, really?" any negative feelings that may have started to form in Alador fade as quickly as Amity finishes speaking. Amity nods and Alador thinks that there is no job that could be so necessary as to miss this date. "I'd really like that."

Sometimes, mostly during some weekends or vacations, Amity asks permission to stay a few days at the Noceda house and returns with new skills or knowledge of her world. Recently, Luz's mom has taught her how to prepare some simple meals. Amity asks him if he wants to try something called macaroni and cheese and Alador couldn't be happier for her, so he agrees.

Amity pulls some ingredients out of her backpack and Alastor starts making some of the tea that Camila gave him the last time he saw her, just so he doesn't feel like a complete good-for-nothing in his own kitchen.

"So...," Amity begins to speak casually, stirring the pot with a wooden spoon and barely glancing sideways at her father. "I was wondering if you could tell me about your time as a student, when you were at Hexside?"

Absentmindedly Alastor nods as he examines the flavors of Camilla's tea sachets.

"Yes, I suppose I can do that," he says. Amity feels affection flooding through her and is surprised at the ease with which her father agreed to open up to her, without even asking his reasons.

At first glance and given that he possesses very few social skills, Alador could easily be considered as someone quite closed to her feelings or even unapproachable . However, the truth is that he was an honest man and open to speak his mind. Amity was actually happy to live in a family that no longer hid things from each other.

"What exactly do you want to know?" asks Alador. He finally settles on chamomile.

"Mmm," Amity rambles, because there are so many things she wants to know that she can't make up her mind. Maybe they should start with something basic. "What did you like to do?"

"Same as now," he admits, without even thinking about it. "I've been interested in abominations for as long as I can remember. Of course, back then I didn't have the tools or the means to do exactly everything I do now, but I really liked learning and experimenting with what was available to me."

"Did you always dream of being a scientist and founding your own industry?"

"Not that I dreamed about it. I never stopped to think about exactly what I wanted for my future," Alador this time taking his time to answer. "I just knew I liked working with abominations and creating new things. Actually, I guess I would have worked anywhere that would let me, but I met your mother at Hexside and she was the first one to propose it to me. Odalia said she could take care of the tedious part of the business while I would just have to worry about continuing to create things and to me it sounded wonderful, because at the time, that was all I cared about."

"Oh," Amity couldn't help but sigh and pout at the mention of her mother. She is disappointed, more not surprised. Her parents' relationship, before they divorced, had always been like this. But deep down there was still a part of her that thought that once upon a time, before she was born, there was even a shred of love and not a family built on frivolous interests.

"Of course, now I know I was wrong," Alastor continues, pouring the hot water into one of the glasses. He places a tea bag and carefully passes it to Amity. "I found in you and your siblings something much more valuable and now my whole life revolves around caring for you."

Amity feels the affection wash over her and her eyes mist over with what could be tears of happiness. She takes the teacup in her hands, to the alarmed look of Alador, who hurries to try to wipe away her tears with nervous movements.

"Are you all right, Mittens? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, Dad," Amity smiles, effusively shaking her head and hugging her father to let him know that everything is fine. "I'm just really happy you're in my life again."

Awkwardly, Alador wraps one of his arms around his daughter and makes an effort to return the hug, even though physical contact is not his strong suit. Amity appreciates that he's trying.

"That's good to hear. I'm happy to be with you too," Alador begins to relax and a few more seconds pass before Amity finally breaks away, remembering to turn off the stove before the macaroni and cheese burns.

Amity still has a fond smile on her face when she looks back up at him.

"What do you think would have happened if someone else had offered you to work together earlier?"

"Considering you guys wouldn't have been born, I'd probably still be a lonely, unhappy man obsessed with work," Alador says, calmly holding up two clean plates to pass to Amity. She begins to serve dinner, listening intently as her father once again rambles on and gets lost in his own thoughts. "I doubt very much that I would have ever married or had a family. Without you, I don't think I would have even known what love is."

When Alador speaks again, Amity doesn't know if this is the distracted part of him that finds himself thinking out loud, or the sincerely honest part that only knows how to love in the purest and most transparent way possible.

"Maybe I couldn't even have realized that I'd already loved him for some time."

Amity blinks in confusion.

"What?"

Alador looks at his daughter, looking just as confused as she does. He tilts his head, opens his mouth and whatever words were about to come out of his mouth are interrupted by a couple of loud knocks on the front door.

"Amity? Are you home?" a familiar voice calls out from outside. Amity's eyes sparkle with excitement when she recognizes it and she automatically forgets everything she was doing to run to the door with adorably pink-tinted cheeks. Alador follows her to the entrance and absentmindedly wonders if he'll look the same when he's blushing. Probably not so tender on the face of a man in his forties.

" Luz?" Amity opens the door and asks the obvious. In front of her, the human shrugs, smiling shyly by way of greeting. Amity rushes to hug her even before Luz begins to give any explanation. "I missed you so much! I know it's only been two weeks but for me it was two long weeks!"

"I know! It felt like an eternity, right? I missed you so much too!" Luz laughs, grabbing Amity by the waist to twirl her around in the air and hand out kisses on her cheek. Amity also giggles goofily with her as she clings to her and lets happiness and affection wash over her completely.

"Weren't you too busy?", Amity asks after the magic of the moment has passed, when Luz gently settles her down on the floor and begins to look at her in that intense way that makes Amity feel absolutely overwhelmed (and loved). Suddenly, Amity remembers all the human responsibilities Luz had and can't help the small sense of guilt that begins to grow in her "I, um, said it was okay if we didn't see each other today, you wouldn't have to feel obligated to..."

"I'm not feeling obligated!" interrupts Luz right away, waving her hands nervously and also looking a little regretful. "And I know I shouldn't come without telling you first because you must have your responsibilities too, but you seemed so excited to see us today and then when we talked on the phone you sounded really sad and I couldn't concentrate on what I was doing knowing that my girlfriend is probably crying and- who am I kidding...I was excited for today too and I was really sad when you said I should prioritize what's important because you're important too ! How could you not be?"

Amity cries for the second time that same night and hugs Luz so tightly that she wobbles, having to make an effort to keep them both from falling to the ground.

"I really wanted to see you today, Luz. Thank you for coming and making me happy. Next time, I promise I'll be more honest with what I want."

Alador doesn't know yet if Amity has realized yet how valuable she is in the lives of those around her, but at the rate things are going, it probably won't be long before she learns it.

4.

Hunter has nightmares.

He never mentions it and Darius never forces him to talk about what he doesn't want to, but anyway, the morning after his first nocturnal crisis, the adult ends up asking him directly if there is anything he can do to help.

They come to an agreement. The hallway light on, Hunter's bedroom door ajar, and the boy is allowed to sleep with the noise of the TV on during nights when it's really hard for him to fall asleep. Then, Darius makes Hunter promise that if none of that works, he'll get up and wake him up to ask for help.

So, that's the deal. Sometimes, Hunter wakes up in the wee hours of the morning and the hallway light, the door ajar, and the sound of the television help anchor him to reality. Belos is no longer here. There is no danger. Darius' home is comfortable, warm and safe. His home is now comfortable, warm and safe.

Other times, Hunter goes directly to Darius' room and cries in his lap until he falls asleep. On particularly difficult nights, Hunter wakes up shaking in terrified screams and neither of them sleep well.

Hunter lists today's nightmare as a very bad one. Although he didn't wake up sobbing outrageously, he can feel the cold sweat running down his skin, his heart beating desperately in his chest and anxious thoughts creeping into his mind as his eyes desperately search for some light.

He looks at the door. It is ajar and the light from the hallway dimly illuminates the LEGO figures Luz gave him for Christmas. Hunter is still shaking.

'Belos isn't here. Belos can't hurt you. Why are you still so afraid of him?'

Huter clutches at his freshly changed sheets and the faint scent of fabric softener that Darius carefully picks out to wash clothes seeps into his nose.

' Belos is no longer here ,' Hunter repeats to himself. 'Now there is Darius, who diligently cares for him and worries that his sheets are soft enough and teaches him how to sew and tells him funny stories from his childhood.

Why is it so hard for his brain to understand? The raindrops hitting the window don't help. In his dream it was raining too. Hunter wants to cry, but he can't bring himself to wake Darius for the third time this week.

However, maybe taking a peek in his room wouldn't hurt. Just to check that Darius is in fact there. That always makes Hunter feel safer, doesn't it?

Quietly, Hunter gets out of bed and shuffles his bare feet on the carpet. He walks with soft steps down the hallway, some of his anxiety subsiding when he realizes that Darius has also left the 1st floor lights on.

Then, Hunter reaches the stairs and a voice stops him.

"...It doesn't look like the rain is going to pass any time soon," a murmur filters in from the kitchen and ' oh' Hunter realizes ' Darius is already awake' . For some reason, hearing Darius quiet, alert and moving about the house is enough for an invisible blanket of security to wrap around him.

Darius is here , he thinks, and hearing the adult's voice causes his brain to accept that fact more readily.

"I'm afraid not," says another voice Hunter recognizes immediately. What the fuck. Isn't that...?

"Well, Alador," Darius begins, sternly. Carefully, Hunter descends the first two steps, hoping to hear them better. The sound of moving porcelain reaches his ears and Hunter can picture him sitting in the dining room, drinking a cup of tea, as Darius liked to do on rainy days. "We both know it's risky to go back to your house in this rain."

Alador is here? What time is it? Why are they meeting in the middle of the night? Hunter tries to go down another couple of steps to hear them better. They seem to be arguing.

"Are you suggesting I spend the night here?" asks Alador, rather confused. "I thought you said that-"

"Oh, for the love of Titan. I know what I said," interrupts Darius, noticeably irritated. "But that and this aren't the same thing. This, today's, is just work. No problem if you're staying over for work."

Ah, so it's just work. It's common for them to get together if that's what it's for. Both adults lately are working very hard. Hunter just didn't know that they also met at night, but it makes pretty good sense. Alador is usually one to take his work home with him, and even if Darius is more subtle about it, Hunter knows he's also eager to figure out how to remove the coven's sigils.

Although Darius' recent obsession with finding a solution might be a bit of Hunter's fault.

Unconsciously, Hunter brings a hand to his own coven's sigil and recalls his most recent nightmare. Something heavy and uncomfortable settles in his stomach as he realizes that Darius is likely to be a frequent sleeper, just because Hunter keeps waking up in the middle of the night while crying because he is marked . Physically and emotionally scarred. Belos lives in his memories, in his fears, in his own skin.

No one will ever be able to erase that, no matter how hard Darius and Alador try.

Hunter feels the pricks of tears in his eyes and when the tears inevitably begin to roll down his cheeks, he is at least grateful to be hidden from the sight of the adults.

"So what's that supposed to be? What we do when it's not work," Alador speaks again with a hint of genuine curiosity peeking through his words. The nature of the question brings Hunter out of his thoughts.

The boy rubs his eyes with his pajama sleeves and tries to focus on someone else's conversation, but the tears won't stop coming. His breathing becoming erratic is also difficult to control. A slight sob escapes her lips.

Hunter immediately covers his mouth and hopes it has gone unnoticed. There is a stony silence in the room. And then:

"... Hunter?" naturally and embarrassingly, Darius notices. Of course he notices. "Hunter? Are you there?"

Miserably, Hunter pins his gaze to the floor and finishes shuffling down the stairs. He doesn't dare look Darius and Alador in the face. He uses both hands to fiddle with the bottom buttons of his shirt and after a few seconds, he gathers enough courage to speak.

"I'm sorry," Hunter says, softly. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your... umm... meeting?"

What was that supposed to be in the first place? Maybe they want to explain it to him. Or maybe they're going to reprimand him for his gross disrespect. Darius has never physically harmed him but well, Hunter always tries not to give him reasons.

So if he wanted to reprimand him today, Hunter wouldn't hold it against him. Darius has been incredibly patient, kind and caring with him, and how does Hunter repay him? By tormenting him with his nightmares, ruining his sleepless nights and eavesdropping on his conversations.

Hunter deserves whatever punishment Darius wants to give him. Then, steeling himself, Hunter looks up and lets the soft light from the kitchen illuminate his face as he looks Darius in the eye.

The facetious expression Darius puts on when he finally sees him is not at all what Hunter expected.

"You were crying ?" realizes Darius, setting aside his mug and immediately standing up. His eyebrows are contracted with genuine concern and his eyes are filled with a warm, sweet feeling that makes Hunter want to burst into tears again. "Are you okay? Are you in pain?"

"You're shaking," Alador announces, examining him with interest. While Alador is no stranger to being observant, Hunter is taken by surprise when the adult reaches over to take off his jacket and arranges it around his shoulders. "You look pale too...do you have something to take his temperature, Darius?"

"In my room, second drawer of the bureau next to my bed," Darius replies, but he is already leaning over to check her temperature himself, placing his hand on her forehead.

"I'm not sick, I'm fine!" interrupts Hunter, overwhelmed by so much attention. Her ears start to feel a little warm and her voice comes out as an anxious little whisper when he continues. "Actually, I just had a bad dream."

Obviously, it's not something Hunter is proud of. No matter how many times he had to ask Darius for help with it, it always made him feel foolish and weak. Like the helpless, scared 16 year old brat who was still afraid to sleep in complete darkness.

Hunter can hear Alador pausing in the hallway, probably realizing that the thermometer won't be necessary. Reading Darius, however, is always more difficult.

"Do you want me to walk you to your room and stay with you until you fall asleep?" offers Darius. That's the usual routine.

Hunter however doesn't feel very comfortable with that today. He shakes his head.

"I don't want to go back to sleep," Hunter confesses flatly, because he's not willing to say he's too terrified to do so. Behind Darius, Alador also sends him a curious look. Hunter feels himself shrink under it. "Can I stay with you for a while?"

"You have a problem with spending the night here if it's not for work?", Darius questions the other adult directly, before making any decisions. Alador tilts his head curiously.

"You mean spending the night for Hunter or...?"

"For Hunter," Darius hisses, shooting a venomous glare in her direction. Alador shrugs and gives him a half-smile that doesn't look entirely innocent. Darius sighs. "Oh, titan, give me patience."

Hunter doesn't get a chance to ask what they're talking about. Darius sends him to take a seat in the dining room while he goes to make him some tea like Luz has in the human world. Hunter wonders if Camilla has given him some boxes.

Meanwhile, Alador tries to chat with him about Derbly's last game that afternoon. Darius joins in soon after, offering Hunter a cup. Inevitably, they also end up talking about fighting abominations, then about just abominations, and Hunter suddenly starts yawning and feeling his eyes heavy.

Between brief moments of lucidity, Hunter feels Darius direct him to the couch. There is already a pillow and warm blankets waiting for him there. Hunter lies back, struggling to stay awake and alert, straining to keep listening to the sounds around him.

The raindrops hitting the window. The clean sheets with the smell of fabric softener enveloping him. Beside him, the soft voices of Darius and Alador arguing about abominables. Hunter settles better on the couch, closes his eyes and enjoys the inevitable feeling of security. A few minutes later, he falls asleep.

5.

When the boys' busy schedules happen to coincide, they have sleepovers. Sometimes at Luz's house, sometimes at Eda's house. Today they are at Amity's house, because she happened to mention that at the time when she broke her friendship with Willow, she was not able to get rid of all the toys, letters and memories they shared. Amity hid them in an old shoebox so her mother wouldn't find it and the locked memory casually came back to her mind during one of their group video calls.

So, on Saturday afternoon, they all meet at Amity's house and spend most of the time searching her basement for a shoebox whose only description is 'old' and 'purple'.

The thing is, after their parents' divorce, when Amity and her siblings moved in with Alador in a quaint house with barely enough room for four people, no one bothered to unpack the things that weren't necessities. Boxes and boxes with different objects from their previous home remained unpacked ever since, abandoned in the attic for almost eleven months. Edric had lost his slippers in one of them and wrote them off, preferring to go barefoot for weeks before Alador replaced them.

It is a seemingly impossible task. However, they have never been the type to give up easily and besides, they are having a lot of fun while doing the job.

It is about to be dinner time, when Luz finds a small purple powdered box. It is made of wood and rather than a shoebox, it appears to be some sort of unlocked chest. However, the color matches, so she opens it. The contents manage to elicit a groan from her.

"No way!" she shouts, the corners of her lips turning up in an excited smile. "Guys! You have to see this!"

_________

Alador is genuinely happy that his daughter no longer feels like a strange intrusion when she enters his office. Still, he would have appreciated Amity announcing her arrival before she and her friends jump him from behind.

"Dad!" Amity squeals in wonder, rubbing a photo in his face. Alador has to lean back to get a better look at it, and then nostalgia hits him with a stunning force. "I didn't know you and Darius were friends when you were going to Hexside!"

"Oh, where did you find this?" Alador asks, but there is no annoyance in his tone of voice. Instead, he looks genuinely amazed and looks at the photo with a hint of affection in his eyes before taking it in his hands. A younger, more innocent version of himself and Darius look back at him, both proudly wearing their Hexside uniforms as they hug and smile at the camera. "It's been a long time since I've seen it. I thought it was lost forever."

"You two were close?" asks Hunter, shyly approaching. Alador nods and invites him closer to show him the photo in more detail. Luz, Willow and Gus perch behind Hunter so they don't miss any details of the story.

"We were inseparable," says Alador. Again, Hunter doesn't miss the affectionate tone in his voice. Then, Alador seems to think things over and shrugs "Although maybe it's because he was my only friend back then. I was never very popular in school."

"How did you become friends?" wants to know Amity. Now that she knows her father will always be openly honest with her, Amity isn't afraid to ask.

"I met him in the detention room at Hexside, during our freshman year."

"You and Darius were in detention?!", Luz points out excitedly. Alador shrugs again, not quite sure how he could recount the traumatic parts of his childhood without sounding so scary to the younger generation.

"Actually, things in Hexside were very different back then. They could punish you even if the principal didn't like your hairstyle. Or your dark circles under your eyes. Or the pretty flower embroidery you had done to your uniform," Alador scratches his neck nervously and lets Hunter take the picture so he and Amity can examine it better. "Anyway, that was the first time I talked to him. I don't think he liked me much on that occasion, but the second time we talked was because days later I tore the sleeve of my uniform and Darius offered to repair it so I wouldn't have to go back to the punishment room. So I guess I didn't give him such a bad first impression."

"Aww," Luz cooed. "That was really sweet of him."

"It was," Alador confirms. Hunter can see the same loving smile and bright look on his face that Darius put on when he told him about his past at Hexside. "Darius can sometimes come across as a bit snooty or rude, but he sure has his tender side. He knows how to take care of the people he loves."

"So Darius has always been like that," Hunter says, feeling a surge of affection growing in him. "What happened after that?"

"We continued to talk on a daily basis. I was very clumsy at sports, so my uniforms would rip easily. I tried to sew them myself, but Darius said I was horrible at sewing, so he ended up repairing them himself."

"So you've always been like that," Amity mentions with an amused smile.

"I told you, I guess I haven't changed much." Alador laughs in embarrassment as well. "Besides, Darius was one of the few people who could spend hours listening to me talk about abominations without getting bored. I guess at some point he started to get interested too, because he would actually read the books I recommended. Gradually we became closer and by the time I realized it, Darius was already a big part of my life."

"Wait," Hunter interrupts, pressing his palms together as his head connected all the newly learned information like a jigsaw puzzle. "You taught Darius about abominations?"

Alador furrows his brow, unable to fully understand what Hunter is referring to.

"Well, I didn't teach him everything myself. He taught me things too," Alador tries to explain, because the truth was that he had learned a lot from Darius too. Every time he talked to Darius, Alador's love for the abominations only grew. "He really liked to learn on his own and he was very smart, how do you think Darius came to become leader of Coven?"

Hunter, however, wasn't referring to that. The boy takes a long breath, lets out of the air and looks at Alador with absolute determination in his eyes.

"You know Darius must really appreciate you, don't you?"

Alador's cheeks redden a little as he blinks at Hunter and nods.

"Maybe back then I had a hard time seeing it. But I think I'm very aware of it now."

Now that we're in his life . Amity remembers without meaning to and then, it all makes sense to both her and Hunter.

+1

"You know I always wanted siblings?"

Hunter's voice is soft and sounds small. Between all the ambient music playing, people chattering in Eda's yard, and the sheer amount of outside sounds that a party would normally have, Darius almost misses it.

In fact, it was quite strange, because Hunter didn't seem to be looking at him. However, there was no one else around. Gus had left with Matt hours ago, Vee had fallen asleep on a couch inside the Owl House, and Hunter himself took Willow home when Luz's quinceañera had passed midnight. Everyone was tired and most of the remaining guests were adults.

Darius doubted Hunter would come back after that, considering that the boy was an introvert and tended to avoid social situations as much as possible if his friends weren't around. Yet, for some reason, here he was. Sitting to one side of Darius, with a glass of Apple Blood in his hands and staring somewhere the adult couldn't recognize, Hunter looked like an awkward child pretending to be an adult.

Even though Hunter was now 19 years old, Darius doubted he would ever be able to stop seeing him as his socially awkward child.

"I would have liked it too," Darius admits. Hunter finally looks him in the face, eyes wide, before the surprise on his face fades to be replaced by a raised eyebrow.

"Really?" inquires Hunter, genuinely quizzical. Darius unsuccessfully restrains himself from bursting into laughter and instead, ruffles her hair affectionately.

"I mean, I wish you would have had siblings," Darius corrects, removing his hand from Hunter's head as the boy pulls away. "I was an only child, but I never felt lonely."

"What? You think I was lonely? Pfft, that's ridiculous!" Hunter scoffs, exaggerating a disinterested laugh that actually sounds very nervous. Even Waffles peeks out of his pocket to shoot him a judging look as he squeaks something to do with being honest and even though Darius doesn't understand it, he smiles at Hunter as if he did. It's probably not even necessary to understand what Waffles is saying, Darius already knows him too well to know that Hunter is lying. Hunter sighs in surrender and his gaze wanders back into the crowd. "Okay. Maybe I was a little lonely back then. But not now."

Darius makes one last attempt to better understand Hunter and only until this moment, when most of the people on the dance floor have opted for quieter, slower music, does he finally figure out what Hunter is looking at so fondly.

A few feet away, Luz, Amity and almost the entire Blight family are gathered in the same corner, chatting animatedly about something they can't hear.

Alador is also there. Regardless of how handsome he looks when his children force him into some appropriate clothing, Darius is actually pleased with how calm and relaxed he looks.

"Are you sure you're not lonely?" interrupts Hunter, reversing the roles. Now it's the boy who looks at Darius with an odd mixture of suspicion and amusement, giving him a friendly nudge on the shoulder.

Darius clears his throat and pretends he wasn't seeing Alador. At least, not in such an embarrassingly obvious way.

"Of course I'm not lonely," Darius rolls his eyes, feigning non-existent annoyance. In reality the only thing about him is genuine, sincere fondness as he turns fully toward Hunter. "Why should I feel lonely when I have my son with me?"

And on other occasions, Hunter probably would have cried. He did it the first time he called him "son," every night Darius repeated how important he was to him, all those times when the adult had hugged him and made him feel loved .

But today, Hunter does something different. Slowly, the boy lets his head fall on Darius' shoulder, without looking away from Amity's family and Luz. In the distance and still holding his girlfriend's hand, Luz meets Hunter's gaze. She just smiles broadly at him and for no particular reason, brings a hand to her eye to pull the inside of her eyelid to the outside.

Darius stares at her in absolute horror as Hunter grimaces and then he bursts out laughing, causing at least Darius' expression to soften enough to look at both children wistfully. This is the peace he fought for for so many years. A world where people like Hunter and Luz can be weird, different and socially awkward but mostly happy, with the freedom to be themselves without being judged.

Then, with his head still leaning back on his man and in a whisper that barely reaches Darius, Hunter admits:

"I don't think I knew how much I wanted brothers until I met them, and I didn't know how much I wanted a dad until you were in my life either."

And man, you can't blame Darius if at that point he wants to burst into tears. Because while it's not the first time he's referred to Hunter as his son or treated him like one, Hunter had never used the word 'dad' to describe him until this moment.

Darius feels a lump in his throat and too many things he wants to say to Hunter, but the boy continues talking before Darius can say anything.

"I really like things the way they are now, I like the friends I have, the girlfriend I have, and the little family you and I make," he admits, stirring something warm and fatherly inside Darius.Awkwardly, Hunter tries to continue as his cheeks redden between nervous stutters. "And I know I'm not very good at adapting to change, but I'm not 16 anymore.If you, uh- you wanted to start a new stage in your life or grow our family, I'd, uh-"

Darius turns his head to raise an eyebrow at him.

"Are you giving me permission to have a boyfriend, you ungrateful brat?" he inquires. Though his tone sounds more amused than angry, Hunter effusively shakes his head,

"No! I'm telling you that you can be honest with me!" he hastens to correct himself, pulling away from Darius so he can look him in the eye. "Because when you deny me your feelings for Alador you're not just cheating me! You're cheating on you and him too and that's just not fair to anyone!"

Hunter claims, firmly and openly and Darius recognizes his own words in Hunter's mouth.Quite a few years ago now, the boy started having nightmares and he refused to wake him up, because that meant he had to admit how scared he was . When you deny that you need help but you really do, you're not only cheating me, you're cheating yourself and that's just not fair to anyone.

Oh, for the titan's sake.Darius is going to miss this boy terribly when he decides to leave the nest.

Meanwhile, the man simply hugs Hunter so tightly that the boy tenses a little under his grip, before he simply relaxes and lets go.

"I'm so sorry.Making you feel cheated was never my intention," Darius murmurs, burying his face in the boy's hair."I also really like the little family we have, you know? You're not the only one who might be scared of change."

Hunter isn't good at comforting people, but he tries.Gently, the boy buries his fingers in the back of Darius' shirt and squeezes to feel himself clinging to him somehow.

"Are you scared?" he asks shyly and softly, as if it's a world-class secret. Darius Deamonne, ex  coven head, revolutionary and probably one of the most powerful witches in all the Boiling Isle s, is scared. Maybe if it's a secret Hunter had to protect with his life.

"I wouldn't want to ruin what we've both built with our families," Darius sighs, knowing that's not a complete answer. It's hard to open up completely, but Hunter is trying hard to understand and the boy is barely hatching and Darius would hate for all his effort to be in vain, so Darius tries hard too.For Hunter, it's always worth it. "Yes I'm scared.I'm terrified because this could not only hurt me, but you too."

To Hunter, to Amity, to Emira, to Edric.To four innocent children who were just beginning to be happy and secure with their new families, that Darius and Alador would dare jeopardize that.

"Alador and I have an awful lot of history together as friends, as rivals, as two people who have already hurt each other on multiple occasions and there are so many things that could be disastrous, Hunter. So many mistakes we could make again and so many situations we wouldn't want to be involved in if something went terribly wrong."

"But there are also things that could go right," Hunter reminds him. "Maybe it's what you've always wanted, but you just don't know because you're too scared to try."

Maybe I've always known and that's why I was too scared to try . Because if I try and fail, then I will have lost that thing I've always wanted.

"And it doesn't matter if things go wrong," Hunter continues, hugging Darius tighter to try to convey his feelings to him. "You'll always have me anyway.Then our little family will still be safe."

Okay. Darius maybe cries a little bit after that.

__________

Alador does not notice Darius as he approaches. As usual with Alador, the man is too engrossed in a conversation with Luz about how she could make abominations with King's new glyphs. Theories of where she could find it, whether they have to be combinations of other elements and what combinations they would be.

Amity has to get his attention, gently touching his arm and then she smiles sweetly at him while pointing to Darius. Luz quickly pretends that Eda is calling her but Darius is sure he saw Lady Owl too busy having a ridiculous dance step competition with Raine and her sister.

Politely, Amity also directs a smile at Darius and goes after Luz, being followed by her siblings, whose smiles on their faces are less polite and more mischievous.

Edric even winks at his father, but Alador only blinks in confusion at his son and then at Darius, looking for an explanation.

"I just wanted to chat with you," Darius admits, shrugging.If Alador notices the subtle blush that appears on his cheeks, he doesn't mention it.

"Oh. It's okay," Alador tilts his head and gives his sons a quick glance before returning his attention to Darius."Is it okay if it's here and now, or...?"

"Anywhere is fine with me, even if it's here and now," Darius interrupts, in a soft but firm voice."What about you?"

Alador doesn't dissemble as he checks his sons' reactions again. Fearfully, Darius turns his head to mimic his action and looks for the children.In the distance, they see Emira, Edric, Amity and Luz approaching Hunter.Edric takes him by surprise by doing a fake headlock to his neck and playfully ruffling his hair as Hunter bursts out laughing and the boy looks so happy as he struggles to free himself.

Alador is smiling too and too small for anyone besides Darius to notice, but there it is and it's so sincere, bright and beautiful.

"I think it's fine," Alador finally says. "Right here, right now, it looks perfect."