I feel like for the first few years of guardianship Darius and Hunter really struggle to figure out how to refer to each other.
Like it's easier for Hunter, he pretty quickly settles on "guardian" for explaining their relationship to other people and just referring to Darius by name when talking to the man himself. Overtime the phrasing gradually warms, becoming "foster parent" and eventually, once Hunter's already an adult old enough to move out, "Dad".
(Sidenote: he doesn't move out til he's in his mid to late twenties, bc he's under no obligation too, Darius low-key doesn't want him too, and the two of them want to make up for lost time in a sense, since Hunter only had 2 years of legal dependency on Darius before aging out of the system. Darius adopts Hunter retroactively as an adult)
Darius on the other hand has a real conundrum on his hands for those first few years. He has a lot of options! But "ward" is too formal and makes it sound like Darius picked him up off the street like after his parents were murdered, "apprentice/student" isn't really accurate considering the focus of Darius and Hunter's relationship has less to do with Hunter learning magic and more to do with Hunter being housed and fed. "Kid" and "foster son" are there...but...
Look, Darius isn't going to refer to Hunter more familiarly than Hunter refers to him! He's not gonna make it WEIRD. He's not a dad, because Hunter doesn't want/need him to be (and also parenthood is scary <3). Darius doesn't know the first thing about being a dad, despite how his friend group teases him.
Eda and Eberwolf are the two who are worst about it. They torture him with how 'fatherly' he's allegedly being (allegations Darius will DENY til his GRAVE!!!) And Eda specifically compares his journey to hers, saying it always starts off with you referring to them as your apprentice (again, Darius doesn't plan on doing that), as your roommate (...kinda weird in Darius' opinion? But okay Eda), or even your pet (????HELLO???). But eventually, they always become your dumb kid when you least expect it.
She's had a couple cups of appleblood by this point, but Darius knows on some level she's right and he's steadfastly ignoring that fact, even as Eber continues to refer to Hunter as his "cub" (kinda cute but Darius doesn't know how Hunter would feel being compared to an animal). The only people who are even remotely reasonable about all this (besides Lilith who's a bit disinterested in kid talk) is Raine and Alador, who both sort of neutrally, a bit awkwardly refer to Hunter as Darius' Boy.
Darius referring to Hunter as "my boy" is funnily enough what sticks the longest before it evolves to son boy. Hunter's crushing it at a derby match? Darius is whooping and cheering, yelling "THAT'S MY BOY!!!" At the other parents in the stands. Hunter is doing something dangerous or inadvisable where others can see him? "Darius, your boy-" "AHH! MY BOY". Hunter, a year into his stay with Darius finally comes clean about everything to do with him being a grimwalker, and is afraid that he's going to go back to seeing him as just an inferior replacement for Darius' beloved mentor? Darius (who has just had to process some of the most bonkers, emotionally heavy information in his life) gently, hesitantly puts a hand on his shoulder (the 'good' one Hunter doesn't mind people touching), and says that Hunter's much more than that. He's Darius' Boy and he's not going to kick him out or get angry or love him any less for things out of his control. It's good. They're good.
Like I said, it evolves over time and 'boy' becomes somewhat obsolete as the two get caught up in the joy of finally feeling able to explicitly refer to each other as family. But unlike "guardian" or "ward" the word never gets fully retired. Even when Hunter is 30 and is arguing that he's more of a man than a boy now, he is still getting referred to by Darius as "his boy", the way some parents never really stop calling their adult kids baby or kiddo (Camila and Eda respectively btw).
Hunter makes one of those corny matching shirt sets at some point for a father's Day gift when he's 17/18, where the two shirts say "if lost, return Boy to me" (Darius) and "I'm Boy" (Hunter). Hunter mostly did it so he could own a funny shirt that says "I'm boy". Darius openly weeps upon seeing them. Like Oh my Titan he's boy. He's my boy. Oh wow
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Alright, but can everyone just imagine the antics we could've got if there was more time for the Covenheads to interact?
Dana said they backstab each other all the time, which means they don't generally get along well.
Like we could've gotten some really entertaining antics between them.
I'd imagine it'd be like a twisted version of The Offfice, but with queer witches and one puritanical leader.
So now have a few ideas I've come up with.
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Belos: Can you all just conduct yourselves accordingly for one meeting?!
The covenheads in question:
Raine is trying to keep whatever is left of their sanity while trying to separate Adrian from Darius while they're fighting with each other. (They're fighting over who has better fashion sense)
Cue Eberwolf biting Adrian’s tail as he screams in pain from the bite.
Terra and Hettie are watching, amused.
Hettie has enough of it and summons one of her scalpels and throws it, nearly missing Adrian as a warning.
Vitimir throws a sleeping mist potion at Adrian (minecraft style) only for him to teleport away and it hits Darius instead, instantly knocking him out.
Mason and Raine hover over Darius, making sure he's okay and not hurt.
Osran's recording everything on his Penstagram only to save it for himself to watch later for shits and giggles. (Along with rest of the antics he's saved)
Belos: (internally face-palming) "We'll continue the meeting, someone just get Headwitch Deamonne and prop him up."
Wait I got some more ideas! This time a few without Belos.
(All the Covenheads are walking to the main room early for a meeting)
Hettie: (whispering to Vitimir) "Is it just me or is Adrian a little less annoying right now?"
Vitimir: "I bet you 20 snails it's an illusion of him."
Hettie: "I bet 20 it's not."
Vitimir: "Fine then, prove it."
(Cue Hettie throwing one of her scalpels at Adrian only for it to go through and the illusion of Adrian dissappears)
Hettie: "What no, Titan dangit!"
Vitimir: "Pay up Cutburn."
Hettie: (annoyed) "Fine." (Hands him the snails)
("Vitimir" poofs away only for Adrian to be revealed to have been masquerading as Vitimir via illusion)
Adrian: "Thanks, I wanted a few extra snails!"
Hettie: (seething mad) "You'll pay for that Graye!" (About to attack him)
Adrian (draws a spell circle to make multiple illusions of himself which all run off in different directions so it was impossible to tell who the real one was which confuses and further enrages Hettie)
(Vitimir finally speedwalks in the main hallway)
Vitimir:" Sorry, I was busy experimenting with my latest potion, what'd I miss?"
---
(Hettie stares daggers at Adrian throughout the meeting then when Belos isn't looking throws a scalpel at him)
"Adrian": "Ow!" (Poofs away to reveal Mason hidden under an Illusion of Adrian) "What was that for?"
Okay, last one:
(Vitimir gets bored so he starts testing out a new deadly potion on himself)
(Hettie notices)
Hettie: Do you mind sharing that?
Vitimir: "No I'm not sharing, besides what do you need it for?"
Hettie: "I have my reasons." (Sadisticly smiles)
Vitimir: (slightly creeped out and sighs) "Alright fine, meet me at my door after the meeting."
Some more ideas/HCs but they're in a general sense;
Osran uses the videos he recorded over time as blackmail for each Covenhead.
Vitimir stays up late mixing potions and tests them on himself.
Vitimir acts like a shady drug dealer when the Covenheads want a potion from him.
When Raine is fed up with Adrian, they'll play their music to make him fall asleep right then and there.
Terra threatens the Covenheads when she's in a bad mood that she'll feed them to her large carnivorous plants. (Everyone is terrified of it, but never admit it to her)
If anyone of the Covenheads gets hurt, they'll never go to Hettie to get healed (she has terrible bedside manner)
This is just the tip of the iceberg, hope you enjoy my ideas.
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