Work Text:
Hunter grumbled hotly under his breathe as he, yet again, needled his finger. Gone were the gloves, if only for the reason to get better at sewing, as the clunky gloves often got in the way and messed up the threaded lines. it took…a shameful amount of time for him to become comfortable without the gloves. scars covered his hands. his nails uneven and bruised from various….missions. and some of his fingers were permanently bent. Not enough to hinder his dexterity, but enough to notice. he sighed again and tried the stitch, again. He smiled as he tied the string off on the inside of his pants. turning them inside out and nodding. The patch work over the knee looked great! a different shade of black compared to the pants, but still, he could now wear them outside.
"Ah…what is this?"
Hunter nearly yelped as his head snapped up, looking to Darius. He huffed, cheeks flushed pink from embarrassment at being caught off guard. The former golden guard in him chastises him for letting his guard down for even a second.
"nearly gave me a heart attack" he said before turning back to his project, thumbs stroking the patched knee with some doubt now that the other was staring at him and his patched up clothes.
Darius smirked, ruffling Hunter's hair. His smile got wider as the other timidly swatted him away. It had only been a month since the boy had come to live with him, but he was already making strides. He walked around the couch and took the pants in his hands and stared at them. The thread work was good, especially compared to the boys first attempts. if murder could be depicted on fabric…
"Very good…" he nodded before a soft frown crossed his face. While the repair work was good…the pants, all in all, were trash. The hems chewed up and muddy, both knees patched up by two or more pieces of cloth, and the waistline far too large for Hunter and held together by a belt. He swallowed down the familiar feeling of guilt every time he was faced with Hunters less than stellar upbringing. How the kid was expected to make due with things clearly not tailored to him or his taste. He sighed and draped the pants over his arm and looked to the other.
"I think we are far overdo for some shopping" he decided.
Hunter blinked and shrugged "Okay. What do you need?" he asked as he reached for his staff. Flapjack hurrying to and chirping before forming into Hunter's staff. The bird, like Hunter, was far worse for wear. Both sporting matching scars now. The bird…Flapjack, held a special place in his heart now. He stroked the cardinal's head on the staff, a silent thank you not only for protecting Hunter, even sacrificing his life for the boy, but for fighting to come back and stay by Hunter's side. The days where Flapjack was… gone… were the hardest for the boy. the light gone from his eyes…
but no…it was fine now. Flapjack was here and Hunter was fine, he reminded himself.
Everyone was fine
Back to the more pressing matter at hand.
Clothes for his son
"Oh no, not for me. It's high time I get you some new clothes. for fashion and comfort" he said as he magicked up his purse. looking through it and nodding as he counted his snails. Far more than enough for Hunter and his new wardrobe.
"what?! but….hold up I dont need anymore clothes. see? i fixed them!" he said as he grabbed the pants and held them up.
Darius sighed. gently taking the pants and putting them down. his hands going to Hunter's shoulders
"Hunter….while I am impressed by your workmanship, truly I am, you do need new clothes. not only by necessity…"
The boy had his golden guard uniform, his undercover outfit, his training outfit, his hexside uniform, his flyer derby uniform, and pajamas. 6 outfits altogether and only 5 could be worn outside.
"But" he chose his next words carefully "You deserve to have nice things okay? Not everything needs to be needed" he comforted "wanting things is okay too"
Hunter pursed his lips and struggled to meet the others eyes before nodding and looking up at the man. His eyes filled with worry and uncertainty. This was out of Hunter's routine for sure, but Darius hoped it would be a good change in routine.
It didn't take them long to make it to the market, especially with Darius's abomination teleportation. It still fascinated and amused Hunter to no end. The amusement soon faded at the crowd. Okay, so the word crowd was an over exaggeration. People milling about, laughing and having a good time. Not a care in the world, unlike Hunter who was riddled with worry, uncertainty, and a goal to end this trip as soon as possible. Not because he wanted the trip to end necessarily. Quite the opposite actually. He loved spending time with Darius. Their sewing lessons, picking him up from school, walking back home, or cooking with him. This outing though, made his stomach curl in guilt.
"I can feel you overthinking from here my Forest Gremlin. snail for your thoughts?" Darius asked as he held up a red wool peacoat up to his kid. The nickname Little Prince had gone out the window once Hunter had come back from the human realm. exhausted and flinching at every memory of Belos. So Forest Gremlin became the new nickname. Picked by the boy's habit of disappearing into the forest for hours at a time and coming back with all kinds of new findings he was excited to show off. Mushrooms, flowers, bugs, scales, spinecones, berries, and stories. so many forest stories that both excited Darius and made him worry for the boys physical safety.
"...You don't have to do this. I know this is a lot of snails and–" Hunter started to babble before he was cut off by a soft shake of the other's head.
"I'm going to stop you right there Hunter. First off, I do not mind buying you things" he said. He snapped his fingers, the peacoat going to the arms of his abomination. He knelt to one leg and squeezed Hunter's shoulders. softening as he watched the boy's eyes dart back and forth. "You…Hunter. You know you're my kid right? Like…not my kid in the sense that I house you and take care of you. But in the sense that I want you. you are my son and I love you"
Darius had said this a few times before… it was still a hard concept for the other to wrap his head around. He swallowed and nodded before looking to Darius as the other continued
"And second, I'm filthy rich. Probably the richest bachelor on the isles" He smirked, his smirk softening at Hunter's playful scoff. "So…let me be a dad okay?" he asked, standing up and ruffling Hunters hair
"Hey!" he squeaked as he playfully swatted at Darius's hand before a large fluffy hat was squished over his head. He huffed and managed to get the hat to the top of his head, not over his eyes. He looked in the mirror and blinked. It was a pink frog hat. It looked identical to his sprig plush that lay on his bed in his room. He blushed as he played with the tassels hanging off the ear coverings. it was nice…he really really liked it.
Darius smiled as he looked at the shopkeeper and nodded. Hunter wouldn't be taking that off anytime soon "Looks good on you. and it'll be good to keep you warm" he said as he steered Hunter towards more clothes. He couldn't help the growing smile cross his face as Hunter began to relax and actually enjoy their shopping adventure. 3 hours, 15 shirts, 9 pants, 3 coats, 2 scarves, a few pair of gloves, and one sprig hat later; they were done. Darius used his abomination to teleport all their purchases home (minus the hat-Hunter had a tight grip on it). They began their walk home. Hunter yawning a bit and wobbling a bit as they walked away from the bustling market. His social battery gone and his physical energy sapped by all the social interaction he had done.
"Tired?" Darius inquired playfully.
"No" Hunter replied immediately, swallowing a yawn.
Darius rolled his eyes and gently looped an arm around Hunter's shoulders. pulling the other gently to his side. "Sure kid, sure"
He gently rubbed Hunter's shoulder with his thumb before snapping his fingers and soon they were in the living room. Normally Eber would be there in front of the fire or taking up the whole couch, but not today. They must be making his rounds around the forest. They would be back to join them soon. He ushered Hunter towards the couch, unable to hide his amused smirk at the boy's tired pout. Once seated, Darius wrapped the bright red fleece blanket around him, taking the time to curl it around the other's body and tuck it in place. Hunter seemed to relax more and more before his head was nodding to sleep.
"...Dad?"
Darius felt his heart flutter as he raised an eyebrow with a soft hum. Hunter was calling him dad more often and with less trepidation each time. It never ceased to make his insides warm with a sense of pride and affection. With it, a wave of protectiveness filled him as well. Reminding him that he would never let his son be hurt again.
"Yeah kid?" he asked
"...can we um…" he yawned "...can we cuddle and watch Real Wives of Downtown BonesBorough?" he asked softly.
Darius smiled. snapping his fingers and soon he was in his pajamas. He grabbed the remote and sat beside his son. Pulling Hunter closer so the other was curled into his side, arm around his blanketed shoulders, he took the remote and turned on the TV. As much as the human world confused him, the large screen of the TV was a lifesaver for watching marathons of trashy yet entertaining TV.
"Do you even need to ask? it's my favorite thing to do" he hummed. The sounds of middle age women arguing over mundane things filled the room, along with Hunters cackles of amusement and Darius's commentary on things could have been solved with simple communication.
"….Love you dad" he whispered, fighting against sleep even as he snuggled into Darius's side. The other man was warm and he made him feel safe. He didn't feel the need to be on high alert or look over his shoulder. He knew….he knew his dad always had his back.
Darius swallowed down the lump of emotion….but didn't hold back as he leaned down to kiss his sons forehead just peeking from the hat he refused to take off. this…this here is something younger Darius could have only dreamed of but often balked at. now? He couldn't imagine his life any different.
"I love you too kid…so so much"
And he would do anything and everything to protect it.