This is definitely my Aladarius obsession kicking in but imagine like they’re going to Hexside & Darius is Raine’s CG & Alador is like “idk what’s happening but yay for healthy coping mechanisms” AT FIRST but then a regressed Raine feeling like the little mischievous brat they are decide to call Alador & Darius “dada” & “papa”
Idk I always headcanoned that during Hexside Alador was very good with kids & volunteered a lot with them just like Amity, I can imagine once Raine starts referring to Alador as “dada” he’s automatically like “omg I want kids I wanna be a father omg omg I will strive to be the best dad I can be” (epic foreshadowing moment)
Also Darius definitely stumbled on the two napping outside a couple times, Raine cuddled up in Alador’s lap with a baby blankie & pacifier, and Alador passed the heck out from overworking himself (again)
ALSO TO ADD TO THE LACK OF REGRESSOR DARIUS CONTENT OUT THERE, if Alador & Raine ever stumbled on a regressed Darius they’d spoil him to pieces (give or take would probably overwhelm the poor boy oops) Regressor Darius unlike his big self would be extremely quiet & reserved definitely, and would also not be too dependent on a CG but require a lot of physical affection or soft things like plushies, blankies, being cradled, etc. Also just my take on it but I can imagine that little Darius LOVES playing dress up, once he’s comfortable enough he’d definitely let Raine dress him up in cute little outfits or Alador braid his hair <33
But yea I’m going to stop here because this is probably long enough & I don’t want to spam your box LMAO I just needed to rant about this because I love the past Hexside crew so much I have such a soft spot for all of them
*gently holds* i love all of this so much
aLSO REGRESSOR DARIUS IS A BEAUTIFUL CONCEPT THABK YOU him playing dress up with raine and alador is so cute i'm gonna cry in the breakroom ahhh
and raine of course, being the embodiment of the >:3 face would 100% call them dada and papa and that is so cute ahhhh
darius regressing bc the whole day of unity thing is starting to get to him and raine taking care of him bc they know what its like to feel so small and scared. yes.
If requests are open maybe caretaker! darius with agere! Adrian I think that would just be a really good dynamic
I 100% agree with this !! I was looking forward to writing this one for a while, I really do enjoy the dynamic that they could have :) This might have gotten off track fast but. I still do enjoy how this came out ^^;
Caregiver Darius with Little Adrian - Peace in Chaos
On a rare day, the Emperor’s palace would experience the tranquility of silence. Today, miraculously, was one of those rare days that Darius constantly looked forward to.
He would stay in his quarters for the day, finally getting a chance to take care of the routines he had been slacking on. Had his hair not been concealed by abomination goop, he was sure he would be graying at an alarming rate.
The silence was short lived. Of course, Darius couldn’t find himself getting disappointed by this, he knew how the other coven heads operated. If it wasn’t Mason building something, it was Eber getting into something. If it wasn’t them, it was a disastrous potion from Vitmir or Raine trying to practice their music. Though, the music wasn’t particularly unpleasant and could be easily ignored until Terra startled them.
Either way, Darius waited inside of his quarters, partially out of his seat and staring at the door. The silence today was broken by a softer thump and the sound of someone groaning- which could be a whole number of things. He had a feeling that someone else could handle it, but knowing the other heads…
He heard no other door opening and sighed. He could take care of it, no issue. Just a quick check and he’d be back to taking care of the ever growing bags under his eyes.
While Darius took his time leaving his quarters, the coven head in the communal space remained on their back.
Of course it was Adrian, truly who else would have taken such a fall? He only fell a few inches, having been on the couch moments before, but the pain in his back and tail was overwhelming. Maybe he had been slacking on the whole self preservation matter- the humiliation at Hexside sent him into a near reclusive state. Maybe it was because of that darned kid- the illusion user who made him relive all of those awful days. Maybe it was the comforting fog that creeped into the corners of his mind. Either way, he was doomed from the start.
He opened his eyes, expecting to be staring up at a ceiling. Instead, he was greeted with the abomination head staring down at him. It made him feel small.
Quickly, Adrian sat up and scrambled to get back on to the couch, tail standing uncharacteristically still for him. Darius couldn’t conceal the slight snicker that left his mouth.
“Well, Graye? What was all this?”
Adrian felt his face burn with embarrassment, quickly casting his gaze downward, “.. Fell.”
“I’m sorry, you’ll have to repeat that. I couldn’t hear you.”
He couldn’t tell if he was being insulted. He guessed Darius had that way about him. “I fell off the couch..”
Darius sat down beside him, sighing and crossing his legs as he gave Adrian a once over, “You look terrible.”
“Thanks, Darius.” He pulled his knees up to his chest, thankful that Darius didn’t chew him out for it.
A silence crept between them, neither moving to speak or leave. Adrian felt the fuzz creeping over him, the feeling he knew as slipping, and any comfort he gained from the silence had immediately diminished. He didn’t think that Darius knew and the idea of someone other than Hettie was a scary idea. In the back of his mind he wondered if he could get kicked out of the coven for such a secret.
Adrian threw a glance over to Darius, seeing him more focussed on his scroll than himself. That was good. He could sneak off and not be questioned for it.
He slowly rose in an effort to not make any noise. As he planted both feet on the floor, he took a shaky step forward. Then fell.
Right back to square one on the floor. The thud from Adrian made Darius look at him, a slight tint of amusement in his eyes. Yet he didn’t say a word.
That was, of course, until Adrian sat up with tears in his eyes. He was crying over falling and he knew that it would raise more questions than anything. He felt panic rising over him as he made an effort to stand up again, instead his legs acted out as if he were a deer learning to walk.
Darius shot up, reaching out to steady him.
“Adrian?” The voice was laced with concern, the coven head trembled and fell forward into him, “What has gotten into you?”
Darius grimaced as the tears hit his clothing. Oh, good that it was only tears..
“I want- I want- to..” Adrian spoke between sobs, pressing himself closer into Darius to shield himself from any other gazes, “Room. Please- I can’t-”
He pressed his lips together in a frown before glancing around. With no one else to see, he effortlessly picked the shorter man up and left for his room.
Of course he knew where Adrian’s room was, he knew where everyone’s stood in comparison to his. He opened the door with slight hesitance, glancing down to the form that still trembled and sobbed into his chest in his arm. His heart ached in a way as he began piecing things together in his head.
He saw similar behavior before, he mused to himself as he moved into the room to place Adrian on his bed. He saw it during his own Hexside days in his friends, more recently in the Golden Guard. He could’ve chalked it up to emotions, but something told him otherwise.
Maybe it was the tight grip on his shirt as he tried to put Adrian down.
“Please don’t go.” The words were so soft, uttered out in a broken voice.
And who was Darius to refuse?
It took some effort to calm down Adrian. He found that he could distract the other with a little abomination goop formed into a ball and moved effortlessly through the air. A cheap trick, sure, but at least it stopped the tears.
Adrian rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands, carefully uncurling himself from Darius. He kept his gaze away in his brief moment of guilt. He felt as if he shouldn’t have burdened the other- but Darius hadn’t expressed any displeasure in being there with him. He didn’t know what to feel as his mind ran itself down into a spiral.
Darius put a hand on his knee, retracting it as the other flinched away.
“Adrian.. I know that you’re not feeling yourself right now. Do you want my help?”
That wasn’t the best way to put it, Darius realized immediately after it came from his mouth. He could kick himself for it later, right now it was more important that Adrian could communicate his wants.
After a beat, the regressor nodded slowly, finally looking at the other with a nervous gaze.
“I’m not the most familiar with regression,” Darius began slowly, thinking out how to put it without frightening Adrian, “But I would be happy to be here for you. If that is what you want, of course.”
There was more silence before Adrian nodded again, “.. Thank you..”
“Who usually takes care of you when you’re small? And how old are you feeling?”
Usually, the questions would overwhelm Adrian, but he found himself answering with some ease. Hettie took care of him, but she wasn’t around. He wasn’t sure how old he was feeling- but he knew he felt decently safe with Darius.
Of course, that wasn’t the only time that Darius ended up with Adrian. He became a caregiver with surprising ease, but then again the other coven heads weren’t the best options for care. After the accidental discovery, Adrian found himself gravitating towards Darius just a touch more.
Especially during their quiet days.
At that point, Darius would wait expectantly for the soft knock on his door and would will an abomination to open it. Adrian would walk in quietly, his blanket (blankie, Darius reminded himself) in one hand and his little bag of little items. As if Darius didn’t have enough of the gear in his room to pamper Adrian in.
“Hello, my little illusionist,” Darius spoke softly, standing up and opening his arms to welcome the little in.
Adrian shut the door and rushed over, immediately wrapping his arms around his caregiver with a big smile. It was a huge improvement to the usually tearful hugs they shared. It was quiet, signaling the vibe for the day. Darius learned to pick up on all of these things throughout the time together.
He learned a lot of things from Adrian, he found himself musing later in the day while they sat together. Adrian in his lap, a coloring book propped up on his knees and crayons neatly placed beside him. Darius made sure they were neatly together for him, it was simply how they worked. A chaotic little and his neat caregiver, a little tornado and the one who trailed behind him to clean up. He found himself chuckling at the idea.
Adrian stopped, looking over his shoulder with a tilt of his head. Darius shook his head in return, “Don’t worry, I’m not laughing at you.”
That was enough reassurance for the other to relax again and go back to coloring.
While the peace and quiet was incredibly rare in the Emperor’s Coven, Darius wouldn’t trade spending these days any other way.
