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darius-dues · 1 year ago

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November 4 – Crack!Ship AU

A Lingering Kiss

Tags: Alador Blight/Darius Deamonne, Aladarius, Good Parent Darius Deamonne, Divorce, Dorks In Love, Wholesome, Not the Step-Dad the Dad Who Stepped Up, One Big Happy Family, You're Getting Adopted and You're Getting Adopted and You're Getting Adopted, And it was All a Dream, No Beta We Die Like Men

Darius was used to cleaning up other people's spaces. In fact, he was quite infamous for it. The apartment that Alador had gotten for himself was decent enough. At the very least, Darius could stand to sleep over without having a panic attack. But this was mostly because he did the cleaning.

And he did the cleaning.

And he did the cleaning again.

"Darius?"

The Head Witch looked up to find Alador standing in the doorway, two bags full of snacks in his hands. He was looking to Darius with concern.

"Yeah?"

"You were wiping down that counter when I left." Darius looked down at the counter, blinking as if he hadn't noticed.

"Oh. Well you weren't really gone that long," he replied with a shrug.

"I was gone for a half hour," Alador asserted.

"Oh," Darius repeated. He paused for a moment before shrugging, moving over to wipe down the next thing. "Well it's not like that was the only thing I was doing. I just came back because I missed a spot," he explained, now elbows deep in the sink. "I also swept, I cleaned the windows, every inch of the bathroom is spotless, the guest room is completely tidied up and I also re-did the sheets because they came out a bit wrinkled--"

While Darius continued his list, Alador slipped in, closing the door behind him. He entered the kitchen and carefully put the bags in the pantry before approaching the other man and putting a hand on his shoulder. He didn't bother letting him finish.

"Darius," he repeated, more firmly this time. Darius stopped mid-sentence, realizing that he hadn't taken a breath throughout those entire string of words. Inhaling sharply, he replied on the exhale.

"Yeah?"

Alador's thick, dark eyebrows dipped slightly as he offered a sympathetic smile. "Are you doing all this because you're nervous?"

"Of course I'm nervous!" Darius all but shouted back. Feeling guilty for the outburst, he pulled away to begin pacing at the other side of the room. Golden eyes followed him.

"Why?" Alador asked with a chuckle. "It's not like this is your first time meeting them."

"Yes, but before I met them as Darius Deamonne, of the abomination coven. Darius Deamonne, Head Witch. Now I'm meeting them as..." His voice trailed off.

"...Darius Deamonne, their father's boyfriend?" Alador offered. Darius couldn't help the light blush that rose to his cheeks.

"Yes, exactly," he huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Alador began to approach again, causing Darius to turn away in embarrassment. He folded his arms and avoided eye contact, wishing the ground would just swallow him up. Despite this, Alador was not deterred, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Are you worried they won't like you?" He asked. Darius couldn't help but bark a laugh in response.

"Honestly, I'm more afraid they will," he admitted. This drew a confused expression from Alador, who squeezed his shoulder in a silent plea to explain.

Darius sighed but continued, "It's just. Odalia has been a nightmare, and even though I know you're trying now, you even admitted yourself that you weren't there enough for them growing up. I know what it's like having parents that weren't always there for you, and how desperately you might want someone else to fill that role. What if they end up looking to me for that? And worse, what if I can't be that for them?"

Alador paused, allowing this to sink in. Then his hand slid down his boyfriend's arm, taking his hand to lead him to the couch in the next room. Together, the two of them sat down. Alador reached out, gently taking Darius's face in both hands to look at him straight on.

"Dar, I want you to know I'm saying this to you with all the love in the world. You're letting your ego get to you," Alador said, causing Darius to balk and recoil in defense.

"Ugh!"

"I'm serious," Alador replied, still with that laugh that Darius couldn't help but melt for, even at his grumpiest. "They're not kids. I mean-- they're kids, but they're young adults. They're not exactly desperate for a father figure, no matter how...complicated their relationship with me or Odalia are."

Darius turned away from Alador once more, leaning back into the couch and crossing his arms. In some ways, that truth stung more than the worries. Or was that just his ego talking?

"What I'm trying to say is no one is expecting anything from you," Alador clarified.

A long sigh escaped his lips before he replied, "And what if I'm expecting something from myself?" His voice was softer now, but there was a frustration and desperation that lined it. He hadn't been planning to say anything else until Alador placed a hand on his thigh, once again looking to him with those pleading eyes that he couldn't say no to.

He sighed again. "I never wanted kids," he admitted, before backtracking, "I mean, I never thought I was cut out for them. My parents didn't know the first thing about raising children, so where was I supposed to learn? I never wanted to mess them up the way they had me," he explained. "And I really don't want to do that to your kids. Especially with everything they've gone through. If their parents are going to start dating again this late in their lives, then they deserve it to have someone they can be comfortable with, someone they feel safe around, someone who makes things better, not worse."

"And you don't think you can be that?" Alador asked gently. A long and heavy silence followed, an answer in and of itself.

Alador nodded in understanding before turning more fully towards Darius. He reached forward and lightly gripped one of his boyfriend's crossed arms, causing them to tense before they dropped. Then he took both of his hands.

"Darius," he began, though there was a pause as he tried to think of the right words. Alador was a quiet, thoughtful man. If he was going to say something, then it was going to be real. "Far be it from me to say what a good father is. I think my past mistakes speak for themselves." His eyes flickered away, flashing with guilt before he brought them back. "But I've seen you guide the younger members of your coven. All the abomination track students at Hexside are always saying your name. Even the young Golden Guard seems to look up to you as something of a mentor." There was an uncomfortable silence, a ghostly figure attached to the title that hung in the air. But Alador didn't shy away from it. "Your parents might not have been great, but it's not like you didn't have any positive influences in your life."

Darius swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat. Before he could reply, a bony hand reached up to cradle his cheek. Darius couldn't help but lean into the touch.

"If you don't want to be a parental figure, you don't have to be. My kids are going to be fine. And if you do, well, then I know you're going to be great. It's going to take time. It's probably going to be uncomfortable for awhile, for all of us, but we'll figure something out. That's what all of this has been, right? Us figuring it out?"

Darius took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah. You're right."

"Wow, that's big, coming from you," Alador joked wryly. Darius smirked and rolled his eyes before pulling away and going to stand from the couch.

"I know. My giant ego makes it really difficult to admit when I'm wrong," he shot back. Looking at the clock, he said, "It's almost time, they're going to be here soon. Any more words of wisdom?"

Alador put his hands on his thighs to push himself up, groaning at the strain of his aging body. "Well, Ed and Em are definitely going to prank you. It's not malicious, it's more of an initiation if anything. You should be more insulted if they don't," he explained. "But don't worry, I already told them about the misophobia, so they'll stay away from anything with that. They'll have something else, they're creative like that."

Darius's lips tightened in a thinly veiled grimace. "Looking forward to it."

"And Amity's got a whip for a tongue, much like her mother. Unlike her mother, though, her jabs generally come from a place of love. If she's insulting you to her face, then you know you've done good. More likely she'll be silent and broody to start out with, but don't get worried about it. She's just adjusting. We all are."

Darius nodded slowly, taking it all in. His fingers twitched, desperate to grab a cloth and wipe down the coffee table one more time. Sensing the urge, Alador took his hand.

"Darius?" He asked one more time.

"Yeah?" He turned and their eyes met.

"I love you."

Darius's heart fluttered as his lips curled into a genuine smile. "I love you too." They both leaned forward, their lips gently pressing together in a soft and sensual kiss.

---------------

When Darius opened his eyes, he was staring at the darkened ceiling. The phantom of a kiss still lingered on his lips, as if mocking him.

And he deserved to be mocked. A deep shame and embarrassment washed over him as his hands covered his face, unbelieving of his twisted, terrible mind. Here he was dreaming about Alador Blight, ex-friend who he hadn't spoken to in years, married man, and father to children that Darius saw every day on campus. That he undoubtedly would see again in the next few hours when he trudged his way back to work.

A groan passed Darius's lips as he pulled the curtains over his head.

Titan, he really needed to get laid.

...

Ew, no.

He needed the romantic equivalent of getting laid. He needed a gentle touch, a squeeze of his hand, eyes that followed him across the room, and the comforting reassurance that everything was going to be okay.

But more than anything, he wanted to open his eyes and see someone on the other side of a lingering kiss.

#swynwrimo #swynwrimo2023 #do we dare put this in the aladarius tag #fuck it #aladarius #the meta of making your crackship canon technically

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