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Exasperatedly Amity and the twins managed to shove and yank Alador out of the workshop, shouting over his protests and almost stumbling over one another in their rush to subdue him.
“Kids, just five more--”
“You said that four hours ago!” Ed shook his head, using magical vines to restrain Alador’s hands at his sides.
“We’ve been waiting all day!” Em locked her arms around Alador’s ankles tighter as she was dragged across the carpet.
“How can you get that much goo in your hair, Dad?!” Amity groaned, hanging off Alador’s back and sputtering bits of a failed abomination experiment that tripped off her father’s hair over her face. “Do you even know what day it is?”
“... Sunday?” Alador paused in the middle of the sitting room, eyes blinking rapidly to adjust to the sudden brightness of sunlight streaming in from the manor windows. “I always work on Sundays.”
“You can’t work today, though.” Emira insisted, slowly letting his ankles go and standing up. Ed took that as a sign to release Alador’s arms as well. “Today is special.”
Alador squinted down at her then Ed before reaching back to grab Amity’s ankles to ensure she didn’t fall. “... Did I miss your birthdays? I remember the twins’ already passed… Amity yours is in winter.”
“Try again.” Amity huffed tiredly.
“... my birthday?”
Edric facepalmed and shook his head. “This is hopeless.”
“Father’s day! It’s Father’s Day, dad!” Emira threw her hands up in the air in defeat. “We’re supposed to be spending it with you.”
Alador’s eyes lit up with familiarity. “Oh… Oh! That’s… I see. How thoughtful of you kids.” He opened his arms automatically toward the twins who both shrugged before stepping in to hug him. Amity squeezed Alador’s shoulders tight, smiling into his hair now. “I’m sorry, truly. Let’s, uh, Let’s go out? Dinner?”
“We already had lunch, Dad.” Amity told him gently, hopping off his back and moving to stand in front of him. “But we were invited to the Owl House for a party. You’re coming with us, okay?”
“Of course of course.” Alador straightened up now, pushing his goggles up into his hair and scratching his stubble sheepishly. “Ah… Should I change?”
“Maybe just spruce up a bit? Shower maybe?” Edric made a show of pinching his nose and leaning away from Alador. "You're getting ripe, old man."
"Edric!" Amity scolded but also wrinkled her nose.
An impish look flickered across the elder Blight as he raised his arms above his head and began stalking toward Edric. “Oh? Do I smell? Maybe come take another whiff, son!”
“No no no!” Ed squeaked, backing up and dodging Alador’s grabs. “Someone hit him with a sleep spell!”
“You brought this on yourself, Ed.” Em and Amity scampered off in different directions of the room to also avoid Alador’s advances.
Alador felt the stiffness in his bones begin to lift as he took off after his children in full haste, growling and snarling for dramatic flair. The burn in his lungs and ache in his knees will be a problem for later, for now he chased after the sound of his children’s warm and beautiful laughter out of the room and through the once lonely hallways.
“You really don’t need to come with me,” King said to Raine as they walked through a field of tall grass. Looking up, he grinned at how the witch used their staff to push through the grass. It was easy for King to slip through due to his stout height and Raine had no issue with trampling through on their own but they mainly kicked through knotted stalks to keep the Titan in their line of sight.
“I've been here before so I sort of know the way.” he told the bard once they made it through the field to the little trimmed pathway that aligned to Titan Skull Beach. “You probably have better things to do than keep an eye on me.”
“King, I already told you that I enjoy spending time with you and… I usually don’t have plans for this day anyways.” Raine replied simply, easily reaching the forest path in a few strides and occasionally looking down to make sure they didn’t step on King.
“What was it like for you? Not having a dad?” King asked quietly, breaking the silence.
They blinked twice down at King, rolling the question around in their mind and trying to figure out a proper way to word their thoughts. “Well… normal? I was raised by two moms. We celebrated Mother’s Day and for today we would just treat it like a regular day. I look like both my moms, if you do remember. Thanks to some research and magic and the right potions they didn’t need to find a male witch to have me like most witches traditionally have to do.”
“You never felt lonely? Or like you were missing something” His little paw came up to hold Raine’s hand.
“Well… sometimes.” They admitted, shrugging their shoulders. “But I never gave it that much thought because I had two amazing parents who loved me.”
“I know I never got to meet him… but is it okay if I still miss my dad?” King squeezed Raine’s hand a bit too tightly that his nails dug into the palm.
“Oh, buddy. Of course it is.” Raine reached down to scoop the Titan up and settle him on their hip after giving him a much needed hug. “You’re allowed to feel any way you do toward him.”
King sighed and clung tight to their jacket. “Thanks, nomy.”
In the distance, the duo could hear the faint crash of waves from the beach that bisected this tract of land. When they were a child and before they moved to Boonesborough, Raine and their mothers would travel down from the Knee to a cottage they would rent out once in a red moon and they would spend countless days collecting shells and chasing the waves. When the sun would set and the water was considerably cooler, Raine would tug their shoes off and roll their pants up to dip their feet in the shallow tide, chasing the heat away.
“I took your mom on a picnic here a few times,” They told the demon as they approached the Titan’s skull, noting how much quieter it was here than before. Most of the insects and animals that normally would populate the area seemed to have migrated after the Day of Unity, searching for the grassier lands it appeared. “Actually, she would convince me to sneak out after curfew and drag me here to hang out.”
“I think Eda told me about that once.” King nodded quietly, signaling for Raine to place him down in front of the Titan’s Skull and staring into its empty sockets. His mouth pressed into a thin line.
Raine dismissed their staff so Fiddlesticks could rest upon their shoulder, chirping quietly into their ear. “Ah… I’ll give you some privacy, King.”
King shook his head quickly. “Wait!”
The bard nodded slowly, smiling kindly. “Of course, take your time.”
King ran his claws softly over the smooth surface of the Titan’s skull. “Hi Dad… I don’t know if you’re still somewhere looking out for me or can hear me… Luz said after you gave her the last of your powers that your spirit finally moved on. I wish I had known you could hear me that entire time so I could tell you a few things. First, this took me a while to realize but I’m actually a little happy you hid me away in that cave. If you didn’t then Eda wouldn’t have found me and I would have this other family… I would have brought them too but Mom- Eda is building her new school, my sister Luz is actually finishing school in the Human Realm with her sister Vee, aunt Camila only visits every other week and aunt Lilith is doing nerd stuff or that’s what Eda says. My brother Hunter is busy with his palisman carving with grandpa Dell and grandma Gwen looks after him ‘cause they're both getting older. There’s a lot of us and it can be really crazy. So crazy that sometimes I get left behind a lot ‘cause I’m too young to help yet.”
Raine opened their mouth to reassure King he was still very much loved and thought of when the small Titan turned toward them now, smiling bright and waving their claws for them to join him. In two quick strides Raine was by his side and knelt down and rested a hand on the small of his back, being careful not to be whacked by his wagging tail. “I’m here, King.”
“That’s right, you are.” King turned back toward the skull once more. “Dad, this is Raine, my nomy, my bonus parent. They make really cool music and tasty flapjacks and… they make me really happy, too. I wasn’t very nice to them when they first started visiting the house but I realized they weren’t just hanging around for Eda but for me and Luz. They like spending time with me when everyone else is busy. We do all sorts of stuff like play the piano together, go on really long hikes and they always make sure I don’t have fleas when I’m itchy. Oh! We also have similar powers! When they whistle using Bard magic it creates… uh… What was it, nomy?”
“Sound waves, buddy.”
“Right! When they whistle it creates powerful sound waves that are like my Titan blasts! We’re studying both our magic to see if we can reveal my glyphs and a bunch of other stuff!” They could feel King vibrate with excitement, tail thumping against the ground. “So the second thing I want to tell you is that I’ll always love you and that I’m not angry with you anymore. You had to do what was best for me and I can’t imagine how hard it was for you. Which brings me to the last thing.”
King’s claws reached up to grasp Raine’s free hand and place it against the side of Papa Titan’s boney jaw, sending chills down the bard’s spine. It was a bit harrowing at first but the warmth of King’s little paw atop their palm eased their discomfort to where they voluntarily spread their fingers out atop the skull and leaned forward, to drop their voice to a low whisper.
“I promise we’ll take good care of him and I’ll make sure Eda doesn’t encourage his pickpocketing too much.”
“What was that, nomy?” King stage whispered, letting Raine’s hand go and scampering to climb onto their pant leg to rest on their shoulders.
“Oh, nothing.” Raine shook their head and stood up straight again, giving Papa Titan’s skull on final pat. “I still have lunch packed for us. Do you want to have a picnic here with your father or do you want to go over to the beach?”
“Could we climb on top of the skull like you and Mom did?”
“How do you know we did that?” Raine’s mouth dropped open, cheeks flushing crimson.
“A picture Amity had of her dad at the Bonesborough Brawl had you two in the background.” King giggled lightly. “Mom was flicking popped eyeballs at you!”
“Ugh, she sure did… I couldn’t get the smell out of my shirt for weeks.” The bard sighed heavily. “We might have a hard time eating up there, though. How about we set up the picnic right on the grass over there and we can climb the skull after? I’ll even show you where Eda carved our initials on the skull.”
“Okay!”
“Just don’t tell Eda we climbed up there or she’ll get super jealous.”
“My lips are sealed.” The demon made a zipping motion with his claws and winked for good measure.
In the back of the bard’s mind they knew they shouldn’t be encouraging this behavior but they’re fairly certain this is harmless compared to the thieving stints Eda would pull with King. If the rumors in the now semi active Head Witches Chat on penstagram had been true. But that’s something to worry about another day, right now all they wanted was to spend the rest of the morning with one of their kids.
“C’mon, I packed griffon egg salad and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for us.”
“Oh boy!”
“Feliz día del padre, papá.” Luz said quietly, kneeling down in front of the gravestone beside Camila and laying down her own bouquet of flowers on the dewy grass. Her mother wrapped a comforting arm around Luz’s shoulders and gave her a soft squeeze. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around lately… It’s actually a long and crazy story.”
“Trust me, mi amor . I wouldn’t have believed it if I wasn’t actually a part of it.” Camila laughed lightly. “You were right when you said our little girl was going to grow up and do amazing things. Why not tell your papá how you saved an entire world?”
“ Ay mama, I don’t know about that…” She worried her bottom lip before inhaling a deep breath and glancing over her shoulder to the two figures lingering nearby in the shade of a large oak tree. “Do we have enough time?”
“We have all the time in the world, Luz.” Camila reassured her. “Say as much or as little as you want.”
“... Okay. So it actually started because of the book you left me. The Good Witch Azura book…” The witchlet said slowly, leaning back and raising her eyes toward the bright blue sky above. As Luz started to recount the events of her summer last year, she began to feel the weight on her shoulders lift and her voice became louder, more animated when she got with her excitement. “It was probably the most wonderful and terrifying time in my life… But when I look back on it all… I think I needed to go through it to realize that no matter how alone or weird I am. That there’s other people like me who feel the same way and are just as weird and it’s not a bad thing. Especially when I made great friends like Willow, Gus and Hunter and… Amity.”
She paused then, blushing light pink. “Um… I don’t know if you remember her when we visited you in March. The cotton candy haired girl? She’s still my girlfriend. We’ve been together for a little more than a year now. I really wish you could have met her in person.” There was a catch in Luz’s throat as she sniffled loudly, the familiar pang of longing in her chest. “... I wished you could have met everyone in person. You would have loved the Boiling Isles. You and Eda would have loved to get into trouble together, the inside jokes and pranks would be endless. Or you would think King is the cutest thing ever and try to get mom to take him home with us. Oh! You could also have played music with Raine, too. They play over a dozen instruments. Maybe you could have formed a band like you wanted… Ah, but I guess at some point we have to stop thinking about what if and what is, huh?”
Beside her she heard the rustle of the grass as the two guests finally joined them, Hunter on Luz’s right and Vee on Camila’s left. The two latest additions of the family gave the headstone timid smiles and waves. It had been difficult to convince them to join on the visit today, both insisting they didn’t want to impose but after Camila brought out the puppy dog eyes and promises of food after they couldn’t say no.
“Mi amor.” Camila spoke up, signaling Luz to take Hunter’s hand while Camila took hers and Vee took the hint to take Camila’s other one. “It looks like you also got your wish. We had more kids!... Actually I was a mother of six at one point, but that’s for another time. This is Vee and Hunter. They’re both from the Boiling Isles and they’ve been so wonderful. Vee is always helpful around the house and smart. So smart that she managed to catch up to Luz in high school within a few months! Hunter makes very unique clothes and loves Cosmic Frontier like we did!”
Hunter’s eyes lit up with interest now, looking from Camila to the tombstone. “Manny liked Cosmic Frontier, too?!”
“Of course, that’s how we met! Our community college book club was reading it and we even went to a few signings together.” Camila recounted wistfully. “When he… he got sick I started to store all of it away because it became too hard to look at. Those memories became too painful.” She looked fondly at Hunter. “Until you and Gus reminded me just how much I loved the series. You two made me realize it’s alright to still enjoy those things by myself.”
“Not all by yourself, mami.” Hunter smiled back shyly, a flush creeping up along his neck.
“And sir --um-- Manny . I promise we’ll make sure Camila is never alone.” Vee said with fierce certainty, holding Camila’s hand tight. “Luz, too. We have you to thank… for being the reason they moved to Gravesfield. I used to think my life could mean anything before I met both of them.”
“Yeah… I would definitely say the same.” The former Golden Guard nodded in agreement, leaning against Luz’s shoulder now. “Thank you for sharing your family with us, Manny.”
“Oh, you kids…” Tears were already tickling down Camila’s cheeks faster than she could wipe them away, loudly sniffling.
“Who told you guys to be so… ugh… mushy?” Luz groaned lowly, resting her cheek atop Hunter’s head and hugging her brother tight. “I love you, goobers.”
“I love you too, sis.” Vee laughed quietly joining them in on the hug as Camila crowded in to join the pile.
Too caught up in the moment, none of them would notice the single white dove watching them amongst the other tombstones. Wistful brown eyes taking in the family for another minute before spreading its wings wide and pointing its beak toward the sky. A soft caw echoed in the graveyard as the dove took flight, allowing the breeze to carry it among the clouds above.
It was oddly quiet when Darius got home that afternoon, having spent a majority of the night and morning sleeping on a cot in his office at the Witches Indepence Council headquarters or WIC HQ as Whispers and Luz stupidly called it. Admittedly it wasn’t a great habit but at the same time he couldn’t pause a possible breakthrough he, Alador and Eber were on the cusp of. Even if it hadn’t brought any results yet he was certain the usage of the Abomination magic and Healing magic Eber had picked up could be used to permanently deactivate the coven sigils instead of just dampening their power. That was until Alador stuck his big nose into their business, as usual, they spent the better part of the evening arguing until they returned to their respective corners. Darius rolled his eyes at the reverie, shaking his head as he stepped inside the house and allowed Eber to jump off his shoulders to curl up on the couch.
“Hunter?” He called out, stretching his arms above his head and sighing at the pop of his back muscles. “Are you still home?”
“Uh, yeah! I just made tea, actually.” The teen called back after a moment’s silence.
“Did you now?” Darius slipped into the kitchen to see Hunter holding only a single cup. How Odd.
“Sure did! Here, you can take this one…”
The boy smiled nervously and held it out to the former head witch. Very odd. Darius slowly took the steaming cup from Hunter and quickly took note it wasn’t his usual teacup. It was a larger white ceramic mug which he turned over to see: 1# DAD is painted in bright blue and yellow letters on the side. “Oh… what’s this?”
When the former head witch looked up the teen was staring down at his shoes and now holding something behind his back.
“Look… I know it's been a little strange and bothersome living with me and we both know you really didn’t have to take me in…” Hunter stammered, rocking back and forth on his heels slightly.
“Hunter, we talked a-” Darius started, frowning and putting the mug down on the counter.
“But! Uh, given what day it is and all… I wanted to say… thank you.” Hunter withdrew a parcel wrapped in purple and black wrapping paper and Darius hesitantly took it from him. The teen’s cheeks were light pink from the blush that threatened to spread across his entire face.
Briefly Darius exchanged a curious glance with Hunter who eagerly tapped on the red ribbon holding the wrapping together. Well, it can’t be anything worse than the blasted walking music human contraption Edalyn gave me for Midwinter. With a drawn out sigh, Darius undid the bow and used his Abomination magiced hand to tear the rest of the wrapping away and toss it into the waste bin in the kitchen. With the last of the paper torn away revealed a folded up bundle of clothing to which Darius unfurled into a sleeveless black shirt with an image of a wolf howling at the moon embroidered on the front in purple thread. Briefly Darius recalled how fixated Hunter had been on the creature since his return from the Human Realm and the countless times he had to deter the teen from actually bringing one home from the human zoo. What caught the elder witch’s interest the most was how clean and well done the lines of the stitching was, running a thumb over them carefully. It seemed like it was only yesterday when he was giving Hunter a lesson on the difference between a ladder stitch and a straight stitch.
At his feet now, Darius heard Eber coo at the gift and reached one claw out to touch the tunic but Darius made a disgruntled noise and jerked the gift out of his reach. “Careful, this is not for you!”
“So… Does that mean you like it?” Hunter asked, almost shyly as he unzipped his jacket so Dairus could see Hunter wearing a t-shirt with the same design but in gold thread. “I was thinking we could wear them today… Together. If you want to! If not then that’s okay… Or if you don’t like it then I-”
“Your sewing and embroidery has improved, little prince.” He said quickly, using a spell circle to magically switch the tunic he was wearing for the new one and clearing his throat loudly. “I’m very impressed.”
“Uh, t-thanks.” Hunter sniffled lightly, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb. “So… what did you have to tell me?”
Darius’ goo hand reached out and ruffled the top of Hunter’s hair, grinning at the drawn out groan and squirming from the younger man. “That taking you in wasn’t even a question for me. You’re… more than welcome to stay with me for as long as you like and… to come to me when you need anything. I’ll be here for you.”
The hand in Hunter’s hair moved to grasp the back of the teen’s head to draw him in close, guiding him right into Darius’ actual arms for a tight hug. The young man’s arms were pinned to his sides but Darius could feel a bit of wetness gather on his collar and hear Hunter’s sniffling, his chin settling atop Darius’ shoulder after a minute. The elder witch had never been one for physical affection nor was he any good at expressing his feelings but for Hunter, and maybe only Hunter he would make an exception. Titan only knew they both could use the effort.
“I’ll try and remember that.” Hunter mumbled into his tunic, eyes closing and a hint of a smile on his face.
They don’t speak for at first, and Darius suddenly wishes he had magic to read Hunter’s mind. Hunter’s just wiping his tears and trying not to wipe his runny nose on his shirt. It took a second, but finally, he cleared his throat and slowly let the younger witch go once he’s sure Hunter had calmed down.
“Hunter, I don’t think anyone’s ever given me such a thoughtful gift,” Darius said earnestly. Eber vaulted off his shoulder in favor of looking through the kitchen cabinets for most likely a snack of sorts, leaving them alone for now.
“Are you sure you really like it?” Hunter coughed into his fist, tugging at the collar of his own shirt with the other hand.
“I do…” The former Coven Head fiddled with the edge of the shrt, tipping his head slightly. “I suppose this means you consider me a father figure?”
“I’m not gonna like—call you dad, or anything. Don’t worry.” Hunter blushed.
Darius felt the corners of his mouth quirk up, unable to deny the little burst of joy at the prospect. The finality of the question that’s been asked over and over by Edalyn, Lilith and Whispers for the last year and a half. Just what was Hunter to him? The answer was already so clear to everyone but himself. Not until this moment. “I wouldn’t mind, if you did.”
“... Really?” The teen’s eyes widened, body glowing with golden light from his excitement that Darius was half afraid the boy might teleport himself into the creek that ran beside the house. Again.
“I took you in, I sewed up your clothes, you have my name… it’s only fitting.” He listed off, reaching out to squeeze Hunter’s shoulder. “I may not show it or say it but I didn’t fight Eda and Camila for primary custody if I didn’t care about you.”
“Heh. I thought having two moms was already cool… but this is something . Um, thanks Dad.” Strange how a simple word sounded so foreign.
“You’re welcome, son.” There was a brief moment of silence, the sounds of Eber tearing into a bag of chips and loud chewing echoed in the kitchen until they both exchanged abashed looks before bursting into fits of chuckles. “Titan, we’re not very good at this, are we?”
“Must run in the family then.” Hunter leaned against Darius’ side, shaking his head. “Do you think we could go to the Owl House today? Eda’s putting together a baseball game for King.”
“What now?”
“It’s a human sport. There’s a ball like a grudgby ball but it’s smaller and there’s a wooden stick that another uses to smack it with and other people run around with gloves have to catch it.” Hunter explained, already moving through the kitchen to fetch a white a red knitted cap.
“That sounds so primitive. Hardly a sport if there’s no magic involved.” Darius scoffed, flicking his hair out of his eyes.
“You don’t have to play since it’s mainly for King. He always wanted to play catch with his dad but since his dad was the Titan… we’re living on… she wanted to make it up to him somehow.” Hunter shrugged his shoulders. “I could always come back after and we can have dinner together? Grandma Gwen said she was going to cook for everyone after but--”
Now that caught his attention, briefly recalling the delicious fairy pies he would trade his apple blood boxes to Edalyn for during lunch. “No no. Today is Father’s Day and we should spend the day together. Come along, little prince. We mustn’t be late.”
“You still have to get dressed and showered? You did spend the night… somewhere else?” Hunter raised his eyebrows slightly, a wry grin on his face that made Darius blushed slightly.
“At work. I fell asleep at work. By myself.” He insisted with a huff, casting a spell circle and magically refreshing his appearance and clothes ( and breath ). “There. We can go now.”
The teen raised his eyebrows but grinned excitedly, the little gap in his front teeth catching the light as Eber ran over to join them now. “Really? Okay! I’ll send Luz a quick message. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
Darius instinctively draped his arm over Hunter’s shoulders as they passed through the threshold of the house, abomination hand shutting and locking the door right behind the trio. “You know, I used to be the star player on Hexside’s team.”
“Are you sure? Eda said she was the star player and that Aunt Lilith was the team captain.”
“Ugh, there can be more than one star player! She was just a show off! There was no skill, just tricks and cheating!”
Per tradition the Park and Porter families gathered at the Porter residence for the occasion, starting the morning off with breakfast at Harvey’s choice of diner ( as it was Gilbert’s turn last year and Perry’s the year before ), then a stroll through the marketplace and winding down around noon for lunch at the Parks’ apartment. It had been a calm, mundane day so far that they were all grateful for after so many months of excitement last year. Close to two in the afternoon, the kids decided to shake off the post-food sluggishness by bringing out gifts for their respective fathers.
“Happy Father’s day!” Gus excitedly presented Perry with a parcel wrapped in blue and yellow paper, it was on the smaller side and square shaped.
“Oh, Gus.” Perry chuckled softly, ruffling the top of Gus’ hair and exchanging smiles with Harvey and Gilbert who were already holding their own presents from Willow. Perry tore open the wrapping paper to reveal a small jewelry box, curiously he flipped it open to see a single earring shaped like a mirror “What’s this?”
Gus waved his hand over his right ear, the air around it shimmering until it revealed an identical earring. “Amity gave me the idea. She and her mom used to wear necklaces so they could speak to each other. I thought… that we could use them. Tap on it twice to send a message, when I receive it the earring vibrates and glows. When I respond I just hold down on it and then tap it three times to send it.”
“How neat, son… Although I could just use my crow phone or scroll, you know?” The elder Porter chuckled but nevertheless moved to clip the earring on.
“Ah ah, this is different. You and I could use these whenever I go to the Human Realm. So that way you know where I am. Amity and I have been working with the Collector to make sure the connection is strong enough.” Gus explained proudly. “Cool, right?”
“Really? That’s amazing.” Perry drew a spell circle to vanish the empty box and wrapping paper away so he could scoop Gus into a hug, kissing his cheek. “Look at you thinking ahead!”
Gilbert Park looked over at Willow now who was petting Clover on her shoulder and patiently waiting for their turn now. “You know, Wills, I wouldn’t have minded a similar present…”
“Aw, Dad. Just open it!” She insisted with a sigh, eyes rolling behind her glasses.
Harvey touched his husband’s shoulder supportively and nodded. “C’mon, honey… And don’t worry, sweetheart, we'll love anything you made or gave us.”
Gilbert magically willed the wrapping paper away and in its place atop the coffee table was a potted plant. One not unlike the dozens Willow already decorated the house with. “Oh… would you look at that? It’s lovely.”
“Here.” Willow reached over, fingertips glowing bright green and each leaf she brushed against began to spring to life and the sapling sprouted, stretching and curling forward until a large sunflower blossomed. “This one is also different from your average house plant, papa. It’s tied to this one.” She reached into her shirt pocket to reveal a smaller sunflower inside. “If I’m ever in trouble or you can’t find me then the petals will turn white. As long as they’re yellow then I’m just fine.”
“And if the petals fall?” Harvey prompted, carefully brushing a finger over the edges of a petal. “What then?”
“... It means I’m gone. But! If you count them then there’s 15 of them. Each year on my birthday a new petal will bloom.”
“You tied your life to this plant?!” Gilbert gasped, eyes widening in horror. “Isn’t that dangerous?”
“No no! If you accidentally hurt the plant then it won’t hurt me! It’ll just grow back on its own. Or put it in the sunlight with some water and it’ll be good as new.” She waved her hand frantically. “I wouldn’t even know how to infuse my magic like that, Dad.”
“Oh thank the Titan.” Harvey exhaled sharply, collapsing back into the couch. “I don’t think I could handle another surprise, honey…”
“You always assume the worst, you know that?” Perry teased, nudging the other man and grinning toothily. “I can see that it hasn't worn off all these years.”
“Shush it, Permesus .” Harvey scoffed lightly which earned him a swat on the shoulder. “Not all of us took the Oracle track.”
“If you did then it still wouldn’t have helped you.”
“Why you--”
Gus quickly clapped his hands, magic amplifying his voice over the impending squabbling. “Okayyy! I wanted to announce that Eda and Raine are hosting a get together today! They’re putting together something for King and we all were invited to join in.”
“What sort of something?” Harvey raised his eyebrow. “A heist?”
“A prank?”
“Uh, she mentioned a human game? Ballbat? Involves a stick, a ball and gloves?” Willow explained, pulling her scroll up to read over the details of the invitation Eda had sent out last week. “It’s a potluck as well so everyone can bring whatever they want for dinner afterwards.”
“Sounds interesting. I’m up for it.” Perry nodded, still hugging Gus close.
“It couldn’t hurt to try. Let’s stop by the stalls to grab dessert for dinner, you know I hate showing up empty handed.” Gilbert adjusted his glasses, already pulling up his own scroll to go through the search bar for ideas.
“We have about two hours so let’s get moving, then!” Gus excitedly wiggled out of Perry’s grasp and stretched his arms above his head. “I wanna play some ball!”
“... Maybe we should get a first aid kit, too.” Harvey chimed in, watching the younger Porter do a running lap around the living room.
“Yep. Already on it.” Perry sighed tiredly but there was a fond sparkle in his eye.
“I’ll be back in time for dinner, King.” Raine said, leaning down to kiss the space between his horns and scratching his chin.
The little Titan curled up in a ball in the armchair the bard had just been sitting on and tried not to argue with them. The duo had spent the majority of the day together, it probably would only be annoying if King kept following them around at this rate. “Okay… I’ll be here.”
“I promise I won’t be there for more than an hour and when I get back we can cook together.” They promised, grabbing their jacket from the coat rack and shrugging it over their shoulders. “Watch the house, Hooty.”
“Roger dodger, hoot hoot!” The house demon’s tube body wriggled in the form of a salute. “Bring back some voles for me and Eda!”
“Um. That’s more of an Eda to-do list but I’ll check with the butcher.”
King lifted his chin to watch them go, until Hooty swung the door shut but popped his head into the room through an open window. “Do you want to watch a show with me, Hooty?”
“Of course I do! I’ll even pop some buttered eyeballs for you!” Hooty didn’t wait for King’s reply, shooting back outside and distantly King could hear the splintering of wood and metal. Most likely the house demon bursting through the kitchen door this time. “Be done in a jiffy!”
For the next few minutes nothing but the sound of Hooty whistling and occasionally banging a pot against the stove filled the house. King reluctantly began to drift off for a nap when the familiar chime of the portal door at the back of the house rang out. The Titan’s tail began to wag as he sat up straight in his seat and watched as the back door opened to reveal Eda stepping through.
“Mom?” King tipped his head slightly. “Why aren’t you visiting grandpa today?”
“Hey, kiddo!” Eda smiled almost nervously, reaching into her back pocket. “I was actually wondering if you’d still like to have a game of catch?”
King watched her hold up a baseball and lightly toss it to him. “Oh!” With a leap and grunt, he barely managed to catch it in his paws. “Really?”
The owl lady nodded, lifting a longer strand of her hair and holding it above her lip in a makeshift mustache. “Now I know I’m not your dad but… I could try to be. Ahem . Apple blood prices are outrageous these days, amiright?”
“Hehehe…” In an instant King dropped the ball in favor of leaping off the chair and running straight into Eda’s awaiting embrace, immediately she cradled him close. “You weirdo… You’re perfect.”
“Aw, kiddo.” She sighed into his scruffy neck, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. “We both know that I am far from perfect.”
True, it took the owl lady a few years to really soften up to the title of mom but whether she wanted to admit it or not, she was always his mother. Who else was going to encourage his demonic overlord tendencies and give him minotaur milk baths when he got fleas? No, no one else would ever be more perfect to be his mother than Edalyn Clawthorne. King nuzzled his face into her shirt a moment longer before pulling back to grin up at her.
He reached up and gently swiped his paws at her cheeks. “Can we really play today?”
“Mmhm. We gotta get changed, I had Hooty step up a spot for us. Gotta protect his precious stucco.” She chuckled lightly, standing up again and carrying King upstairs.
Half an hour later they emerged from the Owl House, Eda wore a traditional baseball outfit complete with cleats and a hat she found in the Human Realm and King simply wore a baseball hat and a leather brown glove in his size. His tail wagged while they walked along the beaten path through the forest, carrying a Port-A-Hooty backpack.
“Still think we should have just played at the house.” King groaned, climbing over a fallen tree with a huff and looking at Eda. “Why do we have to go all the way to Hexside?”
“More room, kiddo. Remember, I don’t have magic anymore to fix the windows if we bust them.’ She reminded him with a hum, reaching down to take his hand. “We’re almost there.”
A few minutes went by and eventually the familiar school came into view. A year after Belos’ defeat the school was restored and thoroughly cleaned of the last remains of the students’ takeover. Aside from Princy B’s skateboarding stature the kids had raised in his honor. Upon rounding the side of the main building to the grudgby ball stadium, King’s head perked up at the sound of distinct voices chattering and movement ahead.
“What’s that?” He tugged on Eda’s hand, walking faster now as they turned the corner. “Who’s--”
“SURPRISE!”
Confetti poppers and dancing lights went off right as King and Eda stepped through the main entrance of the stadium. It appeared at some point the grudgby stadium was turned into a baseball field. All of their family and closest friends were gathered in the center of the field, some wearing baseball hats and others wearing the complete outfit. On the far side of the field Lilith, Gwendolyn and Dell sat front row of the standards, holding signs that read: “CLAWTHORNE CLAN” and “KING’S #1” and waving at the duo. Luz, Camila, Hunter and Vee were dressed in white and blue baseball uniforms and Luz walked over to greet them.
“Hey, buddy!” She knelt down and opened her arms to her little brother. King looked back at Eda who nodded, taking Hooty from him and let his hand go. King all but raced to jump into Luz’s arms. “You look great!”
“Me? Look at all of you!” He cried into her shoulder. “Is this for real?”
“Sure is.” Luz affirmed, kissing his nose. “Mom thought you might like it.”
“I sure do but…. Wait! Where’s Raine?! Shouldn’t Nomy be here?” King twisted in her grasp to look around the field more closely. The witchlet holding him quickly stood up to her full height so he could get a better look.
“Aw, King.” Raine’s voice suddenly called out from the opposite side of the field. The bard emerged from the back of the crowd, their BATTs trailing after them in red and black uniforms. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
Eda closed the distance so the immediate family members were grouped together. Lilith had left their parents’ side in favor of joining as well, taking Hooty from Eda and slinging him onto her back for now.
“You… You planned all this for me?” His eyes widened, taking in everyone’s smiling faces.
“Of course we did.” Eda leaned down and kissed the top of his skull. “We love you.”
“And… nobody should spend the day alone.” Hunter nodded, slinging an arm around Vee’s shoulders. “A family sticks together, right?”
“Right, mi hijo.” Camila said, twirling her red baseball bat in hand. “Now I don’t mean to rush this but… This mama is ready for some ball!”
“Oh boy.” Luz chuckled loudly. “ Mami is super competitive. I should have warned you guys…”
“Wait!” Raine waved their hand to get everyone’s attention. “I think it’s only right that Eda and King have the first throw!”
“First pitch.” Katya corrected, nudging the elder bard which made their blush lightly.
“That’s what I meant!” They squeaked, shaking their head. “Eda, please take over.”
The owl lady took pity on their spouse and kissed their cheek sweetly. “You did just fine, Rainestorm. But you heard them! Everyone who isn’t a Titan or has a curse-- don’t look at me like that Lily-- get off the field!”
“Edalyn, you need an umpire to catch the foul balls per the rules Camila told us.” Lilith rolled her eyes, grabbing a large glove and umpire mask offered by Amity. “Thank you, dear.”
“Y-You’re welcome.” The youngest Blight stammered, waving awkwardly and allowing Willow to lead her off the field to wait their turn.
“Ugh, such a stick in the mud .” Nevertheless Eda accepted the baseball bat from Camila and went to take her place on the home plate.
Luz gently directed King onto the pitcher’s mound and handed him a baseball, squeezed his shoulder encouragingly. “Try to go easy on her. We don’t want a mopy owl around the house tonight.”
“I’ll do my best, Luz!” King gave a wary salute and turned back to Eda who tapped the bat on the plate. “You better get ready, Mom!”
“I was born ready, kid!”
From second base Raine whistled loudly and shouted. “ALRIGHT. LET’S PLAY BALL!”
King tensed his shoulders, shifted his back leg and brought his arm back. The world narrowed down between himself, Eda and the ball. Despite the frantic beat of his heart, it held nothing but love for the witch with the gold fang smiling back at him.
No matter how the game turned out, King already knew he would still walk away a winner today.