#Starting to warm up to Luz/Hunter now

[autistic-ben-tennyson]

While I’m not a Luz/Hunter shipper, I do think it gets too much flack from hardcore Lumity fans. After looking at fandom discourse last night, I kind of realized it has some similarities with another controversial ship which happens to be my OTP. That being Shinji/Rei from NGE. A depressed 14 year old befriends an imperfect clone who slowly breaks out of their shell and becomes their own individual despite being made to serve a cruel master. TV tropes even describes Hunter as a male example of a Rei Ayanami Expy. The arguments against them by antis are even kind of similar.

Two arguments that have been levied against both are “they’re sibling coded” and “it’s gay erasure”. First, Luz is bisexual and can be in a M/F relationship and Shinji doesn’t have a confirmed sexuality. Liking Lunter or Reishin does not make someone a homophobe who hates Lumity or Kawoshin. The sibling criticism is based off Rei having some of Yui’s DNA which makes people uncomfortable at the idea of pairing her with Shinji and how people view Luz and Hunter as adoptive siblings. The romantic implications were more explicit in the rebuilds and manga but were there in the 90s anime too and there’s no problematic elements like incest or pedophilia in Luz and Hunter’s dynamic.

I never picked up on the similarities between these pairings until now but both get too much hate from the fandoms. If you don’t like it, fine, but leave people who do like it alone. It’s like people haven’t learned a thing from the SU fandom about not bullying people for liking a different pairing.

[gaybananabread]

Tickletober 29 ler Willow, lee Amity(belly button/tummy, boo shirt outfit)

TickleTober Day 29 - Magic

~Oooh, been a sec since I’ve written anything TOH. It was a bit of a challenge to get back into their swing of things, but I like how this turned out. Thank you for requesting, and I hope you Enjoy!~

Lee: Amity

Ler: Willow

Summary: Amity’s in a lee mood, all her usual helpers not around to aid her. Luckily, Willow is there to lend a couple helping hands. Or rather, helping vines…

Warnings: none! This is a tickle fic, so if you don’t like that, scroll away!

Amity’s knee bounced in front of her as she sat on the couch, trying to appear somewhat normal. She’d been in one of those moods the whole morning, but Luz and Hunter had gone to the library for a comic signing. The two had been spending more time together, and Amity was all for it. It just made things harder for her at that moment.

Willow walked in then, carrying some lemonade she and Vee had made. It was just the powder stuff, but they’d added some blueberry juice as well. “Hey, Amity! You want some lemonade?”

“O-oh, sure.” She smiled as she took the drink, trying to stop her jitters. It was no use, though; her knee was bouncing again the moment she took her mind off it.

“Are you okay? You look…fidgety.” Willow sat beside her friend, her brows slightly pinched in concern. Amity usually wasn’t an antsy person, but she knew how far she’d let her problems spiral if they weren’t confronted head-on.

“I’m fine, Willow. Just…one of those days.” She wasn’t technically lying; it was one of “those” days, though she didn’t specify what “those” meant. The blue-haired girl wasn’t going to let that vague answer slide.

“Yeah, no. What’s going on?” Her tone was firm, yet caring. It made Amity feel a little guilty for hiding something so innocent from her, though the thought of saying it out loud made her stomach do a flip.

“Fine. I’m…” Amity sighed, feeling her face start to heat up. Her blush wasn’t full-tomato level yet, but it was still visible. “I’m in a lee mood, and Luz is out with Hunter today. I’m happy they’re getting along, but…well. Yeah.”

“Oooh, that’s all?” Willow smiled softly at that, an idea already forming in her mind. It had been a while since she’d done anything like that with Amity, but then seemed as good a time as any to take that next step in their rekindled friendship. “Want some help?”

Amity blinked, feeling the rest of her face pinken. Ugh, why did she have to blush so easily when she was in moods? “U-uhm, sure? Only if you’re comfortable.”

“Trust me, it’s no problem.” The girl raised her hand, a green ring lighting as she summoned a handful of vines. Amity’s face burned at the sight of them, a giddy feeling rising in her stomach. Oh Titan…

“W-Wihillow, wait-” Amity’s half-hearted protest was quickly cut off by her own giggles, a vine wiggling on the thin tank-top beneath her “Boo” shirt. The small plant was somehow very good at tickling, immediately making her squirm and giggle like a child.

“Wow, still works on you, huh?” Willow giggled as she watched Amity’s reaction, conjuring up a few more little vines to toy with the girl. It had been a long time since she’d been able to use the silly technique on the Blight, but it still worked perfectly.

“Y-yehehes!” Amity didn’t see a point in lying, leaning back on the couch as her fellow witchling’s magic continued to attack her. Willow followed her down, sending the extra vines to her personal favorite spot: Amity’s underarms.

“NAHAHAHHAHO! *snort* OHOHO MYHY TIHIHIHITAHAN!” The purple-haired girl was not expecting Willow to go for her worst spot so soon. The vines snuck under the warm fabric of her purple sweater, attacking the exposed skin beneath her arms. The black tank-top she was wearing beneath it did absolutely nothing to protect them.

“King’s not here right now, sorry. Just us,” Willow teased, sneaking a few jabs to the girl’s sides with her hand. Sure, she was using her magic already to be evil, but a few little pokes here and there wouldn’t hurt. “You still snort, too.”

“WIHIHILLOHOHOW!” Like she hadn’t noticed she snorted, the bully. Despite that, Amity was massively enjoying the tickling; the annoying buzzing in her stomach was gone, replaced with the chaotically blissful sensation of tickles.

“Yes?” She tilted her head innocently, acting like she had no idea what was going on.

Amity would’ve whined about that, but she was too busy laughing her head off to get anything other than the essentials out. Having your most ticklish spot attacked tends to make it kinda hard to talk.

“I-IHIT TIHIHICKLES! *snort* GYAHAHAHAHA!” Amity kicked her feet as a new vine settled on her stomach, that one teasing her navel. Willow narrowly dodged a foot to the face, holding back a few laughs of her own.

“Well, duh. That’s kinda the point, Amity.” Willow rolled her eyes fondly, acting exasperated at the statement. She might have been having more fun teasing Amity than actually tickling her. “You were dying for some, so that’s what I’m giving you, silly. Did you forget?”

“N-NAHAHAT THEHEHERE! *snort* MOHOHOVE!” Amity shook her head as she cackled, pleading with the young witch beside her. She could only take so much under her arms, and she wasn’t done with the tickling yet.

“Alright, alright. Since you asked so nicely.” Willow’s words were full of sass, but she did as she was asked, focusing in on the Blight’s belly. The two vines under her arms receded, disappearing into Willow’s sleeves. Only the two on her stomach remained, soon joined by the blue-haired girl’s hands.

“G-geheheez, Wihillow! Youhuhu’re mehehehean,” Amity whined, sucking in air between giggles. Her face was on fire with her signature blush, making it difficult to take anything she said seriously.

“I wouldn’t say I’m mean. Just efficient.” Willow giggled as she said it, spidering five fingers on either side of her tummy. Meanwhile, the vine in her navel continued to wiggle about, pulling little squeaks and the occasional hiccup out of the witchling. The vine that was in the middle of her stomach had moved, twirling lazily across her side.

“Thahahat’s nohot ahahahany behehetter!” Unable to hold back any longer, Amity grabbed Willow’s wrists and gave them a little shove. She wasn’t done quite yet, but she couldn’t keep her arms up.

“Oh, here: lemme help you with that.” With a smirk, Willow sent the vine on Amity’s side up, coiling it around her wrists and hoisting them above her head. There wasn’t any pressure, but she made sure Amity couldn’t escape the hold.

“Ihihi dihihidn’t ahahahask!” Amity weakly tugged at her wrists, her eyes silently thanking Willow for the help. She didn’t have to worry about holding back her squirms anymore, thrashing and twisting in the vine’s hold.

“Didn’t have to. I’m just that good, Blight,” she taunted, suddenly vibrating both of her hands into the girl’s stomach. Amity kicking out, squealing before dissolving into a wicked giggle-fit.

“GYEEEEHEHehehehehe! Wihihillohohow *hic* nohohoho!” Amity shook her head, little tears of mirth beading in the corners of her squeezed eyes. She couldn’t keep them open any longer, just blindly giggling beneath her friend.

Willow took that as a good sign to stop, slowly switching from tickles to gentle belly rubs. She dispelled the remaining vines, her magic slowly receding back into her. “You okay? Want some water?”

“Y-yeheheah, and yehes plehehease.” Amity took a few deep, giggly breaths as she recovered, relaxing from the soothing rubs. Willow was surprisingly good at tickle aftercare; then again, Willow was good at a lot of things.

“‘Kay. Be right back, tomato face.” Willow got one last crack in before heading to the kitchen, leaving Amity’s mouth agape. She wasn’t that red…

Oh, who was she kidding. She was as red as a sunburnt ghost.

Willow returned with a nice glass of ice-cold water, which Amity happily gulped down. The little cubes of ice clinked in the glass as she finished it, promising some more hydration when they melted a bit. Amity set the cup aside before meeting Willow’s gaze, her face somehow burning even brighter.

“H-hey, uhm…thank you for that, Willow. It really helped.” Amity’s voice was a little light from embarrassment, but she didn’t break eye-contact once as she spoke. “You’re a good friend.”

Willow beamed at the praise, a happy smile lighting up her already-cheery face. “Aww, thanks, Amity! I’m glad you trusted me with it.”

“Of course; you’re awesome.” Amity straightened herself out on the couch, scooting a little closer to her friend. Willow immediately met her in the middle, the two teens leaning against each other in a half-cuddle.

Amity sighed happily, relishing in the giddiness and warmth she felt in that moment. She’d have to ask for Willow’s help more often…

[profound-bouquetbird]

Hello! ✨️

Can I request a long fluffy & smut (only lime!) oneshot with prompts: "U-um, H-hunter? "Can w-we do something m-more than just k-kissing?", "W-well, I was thinking that I could m-maybe I could give you a handjob? Maybe e-even a blowjob if you're comfortable enough after w-we start?", "W-wait! I am s-sure, Y/n! I *really* w-want to do, y'know, more with you, I've j-just never done a-anything like that before...", “, H-hunter, Do y-you like it when I t-touch you like t-that?”, "I didn't k-know you were so s-sensitive." & "You're m-making such w-wonderful noises." about his shy!fem!human!reader are giving a handjob and blowjob to ageup!Hunter (TOH) for first time in guest room at Luz's house when everyone was gone for errands? I love to see Hunter's blushing reaction to it! 🤭💕 I really live for flustered ageup!Hunter! Please?? 👉👈

Hello! Thank you for leaving this request :) I really love all of the ideas you send in to my inbox!

Anyway, I'm not gonna write an essay on my a/n so enjoy :)

Btw this was not proof read

Hunter and Y/n were sitting in the guest bedroom, hunter was sewing a new shirt design while Y/n was scrolling through Twitter, which was a very bad idea might I add

She came across a post about a tweet that mentions some rather explicit things. To not get really in to the details let's say that the post just mentions something about blowjob's

Y/n's face heated up as she looked at Hunter

He seemed so intensely focused on what he was doing, but because of the post that Y/n read only seconds ago, image's of Hunter and her went through her mind

And to say this was the first time Y/n thought about these things towards Hunter would be incorrect. Y/n has, on multiple occasions, thought of hunter in a lewid way. And she hated herself for it

I mean to think about someone in such ways without them knowing is wrong and Y/n felt ashamed, but the images kept repeating in her brain, wondering if that'll ever happen in their relationship

"Y/n, are you okay?" Y/n quickly came back to earth as she quickly realized that she had been staring at Hunter for an uncomfortable amount of time, making her slightly ashamed. But something sparked in her, making her more confident

Opening her mouth to speak, her eyes shined as the words came out of her mouth, with more stutters than she would have liked

"U-um, H-hunter?" She spoke up, hunter tilted his head slightly with a warm smile, Y/n suddenly stood up as she walked towards him

"Can w-we do something m-more than just k-kissing?" She said, leaking her hands on the table, Hunter quickly let go of the shirt he was making, putting it aside as he looked up at her

"What did you have in mind?" He asked, tilting his head slightly to the right, making Y/n a bit hesitant

"W-well, I was thinking that I could.. m-maybe I could give you a handjob? Maybe e-even a blowjob if you're comfortable enough after w-we start?" Hunter's eyes widened as heat rushed to his face and ears, as well as his... Other private areas

"O-oh, *cough* well- we co-could." Hunter stuttered. Y/n was lightly surprised, expecting for Hunter to decline her offer

She swallowed her spit, crouching down and crawling from under the table towards Hunter. Standing up she sat down on Hunter's lap, leaning in slightly as she kissed him

He started to kiss back, tangling his hand in to Y/n's h/c locks. The kiss gradually got more and more heated, as now Hunter licked Y/n's lips lightly, opening her mouth Hunter quickly shoved his tounge in

As the two faught for dominance Y/n could feel something poking her lower region, Y/n let her guard down as Hunter was quick to start exploring her mouth

The two pulled away for air, breathing heavily as a string of saliva connected their mouths. y/n whipped her mouth slightly, as she got down on her knees, putting a hand on top of Hunter's crotch, making him let out a low groan

She sighed and looked up at him with a hesitat gaze

"Ar-are you sure y-you're comfortable with this, Hunter?" She asked, pulling her hand away from his crotch slightly, but she was startled then Hunter grabbed her wrist

"W-wait! I am s-sure, Y/n! I really w-want to do, y'know, more with you, I've j-just never done a-anything like this before.." Hunter smiled down at Y/n, letting go of her wrist. Heat seemed to rush to her cheeks as she smiled back, putting a hand on to the lining of his sweatpants as she slowly started to pull them down

Hunter's pants fell to his ankles as Y/n looked at the obvious tent in his boxer's. Swallowing her saliva she slowly started to pulldown his boxer's

His dick sprung out as soon as the boxers were low enough, hitting Hunter's stomach. Y/n could feel her cheeks start to hear up as she grabbed Hunter's dick gently

Hunter groaned at the sudden contact as his head flew back out of instinct

"H-hunter, do y-you like it when I t-touch you like t-that?" She asked, not moving her hand at all until she got Hunter's response

"Y-yes! I do." He breathed out, looking down at her with lust in his eyes, "Please continue." Y/n only nodded, as she slowly started to pump his dick up and down. Hunter let out loud moans and groans, putting a hand over his mouth to muffle the noises he was making

"I didn't k-know you were so s-sensitive." She teased lightly, but Hunter paid no mind as he was to caught up in the pleasure he was receiving. But because of him not paying attention his hand slipped, making a few loud moans slip out

"You're m-making such w-wonderful noises." She whispered, making Hunter groan a bit louder from the praise

Hunter seemed to get used to the pace Y/n was going at. Y/n could see that because his wonderful noises were becoming less frequent, so she decided to give him a pleasuring surprise

Leaning in Hunter quickly looked down s he could feel Y/n's breath on his tip. She kissed his tip lightly, making Hunter whimper quietly, and she wrapped her lips around him, twirling her round at his tip

Hunter's head quickly flew back as a loud groan escaped his mouth, his hand flew towards his mouth as he tried to muffle all of the noises he was making

Y/n chuckled at his actions, making waves of pleasure wash over him as his other hand flew to his mouth, now both of his hands were occupied with muffling his noises as Y/n continued to pleasure him

She started to lower her head on to his dick more and more, every inch that went deeper was getting harder and harder to contain her gags, finally stopping untill there was at least two inches left untouched, deciding she would just pump the remaining parts with her hand she slowly started to bob her head up and down

Y/n looked up at hunter to see his hands clenching his mouth, his cheast going up and down at a fast pace

With Y/n's free hand she reached out towards Hunter, putting a hand on to his, rubbing her thumb lightly to calm him down, humming slightly

That seemed to make Hunter snap, as one of his hands flew from his face to Y/n's hair, pushing her head down towards his base

He moaned loudly as Y/n gagged, putting her hands on to Hunter's thighs as he grabbed a fist full of her hair and pulled her hair up and down his shaft

Soon enough Hunter's hips bucked up as he shoved Y/n's head down to his brim. She could feel hot salty liquid do down her throat as some of it spilled out from the sides of her mouth

Her head flew off of Hunter's dick as the two of them ghasped for air. Y/n wiped the sides of her mouth, looking at hunter as he cought his breath and slowly turned towards her with a shameful frown

"S-sorry for that." He sighed, leaning down towards her putting a hand on her cheek as he kissed the top of her head, "I got carried away." Y/n put her hands on top of Hunter's as she leaned into Hunter's hand

"It's no big deal." She sighed, looking lovingly towards Hunter as she stood up

"Well.. you sould probably get back to patching up that shirt." Y/n laughed lightly, pointing towards the half finished shirt that still sat on the table

"Yeah, I probably sould." Hunter laughed, pulling his chair towards the table as he quickly put his pants on

"I'm gonna go clean myself up." She said, pointing towards the staircase as she turned around to leave, but she was stopped by hunter grabbing her wrist

"W-wait." He said, Y/; turned around and hummed lightly, Hunter smiled warmly, "I love you." He said. Y/n laughed lightly as she turned around and put a hand on his cheek, rubbing her thumb lightly on his scar as she leaned in and gave him a peck on the lips

"I love you too, Hunter."

Heck yeah! Another one finished!!!

Sorry if this is too short or something, but I will be writing your 3rd request tomorrow, since I have other things to take care of, such as school and stuff

But anyways hope you have a wonderful rest of your day/night/afternoon :)

[astrolavas]

what are your favourite toh dynamics?

AGHGHGHHHHH OKAY, SO- this is mostly gonna be me talking abt hunter dynamics cuz kxjsjks i'm predictable, that's where my brainrot lies, but boy. i love toh dynamics so much

my probably Favorite favorite dynamics are hunter & flapjack and hunter & luz.

like, flapjack being hunter's first ever friend, the first instance of someone caring abt him genuinely and unconditionally, the first step to him breaking free from belos... the fact that he brought so much love and joy into hunter's life.

hunter had always had so much love in his heart, he loved his "uncle", but he'd never known what being loved was supposed to feel like; he thought love was conditional, and angry outbursts were just a normal part of it. but then flapjack came into his life and showed hunter what it felt like to love and BE LOVED BACK. he helped him open up, helped him find ppl who'd care abt him, helped him realize that whatever belos felt towards him…. wasn't love, that being loved wasn't supposed to feel like how he felt near belos; but that being loved was supposed to feel GOOD and WARM. (hunter being near tears because flapjack offered him a half of his berry instead of getting angry and lashing out at him like he'd predicted he would, since that's what he was always used to..... not comprehending this amount of kindness was even a possibility UGHHHGH)

they genuinely cared abt/for each other so much. flapjack was with hunter every step of the way, he supported him ALWAYS and he helped him and was such a big comfort in the scariest and most uncertain moments of hunter's life; like, this little magical bird loved his boy like no one else in the entire world. he was always by hunter's side and always indulging that boy's dumb ideas kxjsjk ughhh... the way flapjack didn't even hesitate to sacrifice his own life so that his boy could live, and even though he's gone, a part of his soul will always live inside of hunter. and hunter also cared abt flapjack so much, that was his BEST FRIEND. the apple of his eye!!!! the way belos almost crushing flapjack was the only thing that managed to give hunter enough strength and motivation to break through belos' possession and take back control of his own body. the way hunter always made sure that flapjack had the best care he could possibly have offered him, he loved him and still DOES... and always will. just!!!! gah. hunter and flapjack...

now, hunter and luz's dynamic is also just...... SOOOO SO interesting and full of SO many little nuances. how much it progresses, how much they go through together, how much they change. the fact that they started off on the wrong foot, on "opposite sites", but even then luz didn't consider hunter an enemy- they bickered a lot and luz didn't hold back from calling hunter out but ever since hunting palismen she saw him as hunter, not just the golden guard; and then as time progressed, they slowly grew to care abt each other and became some of the most important ppl in each other's lives.

thinking abt hollow mind, how traumatic of an event it was and how that mutual shared trauma that only they can understand affected and strengthened their bond. how luz gradually went from being angry/irritated at hunter for defending belos to being more protective of him and worried for his safety when she saw what his and belos' relationship REALLY looked like, that this situation wasn't safe for hunter, that he needed help, that he needed to be away from belos asap. her offering him to stay at the owl house, assuring him that everything was going to be okay as he was being pulled underground..... GOD. hunter immediately switching from calling luz "human" to her name after finding out the truth.

thinking abt their secret-keeping deal and how it rly wasn't healthy for them at ALL because they kept comforting each other from their VERY similar perspectives/stances, which just further locked in their mentality of "haha yeah they'll hate both of us when they find out our secrets!" during their stay in the human realm. how they were ensuring each other's fears by relating to each other; like a circle. but nevertheless, they still cared about each other and have only grown to care about each other even more throughout the few months and, ah!!!! them becoming so comfortable in each other's presence to the point where they allowed themselves to be vulnerable and voice their fears and worries around each other. luz calling hunter family and hunter truly letting his emotions out and letting himself cry next to another person for the first time in, like… EVER…….. HHHGHGHGHHH !!!!!

there's just so many factors to their dynamic, i love it so much....

but just in general, i love all the different relationships hunter has with everyone so much. emerald trio and all the distinctive dynamics within it... GAHHHHH hunter and gus, hunter and willow, willow and gus; they're all so unique and independently interesting and built upon, which makes the whole trio just WORK, so naturally. they're best friends, they're the trio ever, they care abt each other... ugh. LOVE THEM. you don't understand how much emerald trio brainrot i've got, they torment me on a daily basis.

hunter and gus... labyrinth brothers... they've got such fun, supportive friendship. both treated as "prodigies" of sort, both knowing what it's like to feel naive or used. both just wanting the best for one another. nerds (affectionate), i love them sm...

huntlow, how well they fit together and how supportive they are of one another... they just work so well because they're truly equals, their relationship is full of understanding and respect, but also comfort, and silliness. they're silly! and fun! and they get each other, and comfort/protect each other when the other truly needs it, just- ughhgh the bi4pan couple ever...... they're so good.

gus and willow, how they were each other's first ever friend (willow was gus' first genuine friend and gus was willow's first friend ever since amity suddenly broke it off with her)... how they've been inseparable since they met and know each other so well.

emerald trio, man

i love the potential of hunter and amity's dynamic as well; he may not be as close with her as he is with other members of hexsquad but there's stuff that they just get abt each other's home/family situations. them having this... playful/bickery dynamic at times but still being able to have serious, comforting conversations abt things they both relate to when they need to >>>> (also no, they wouldn't genuinely hate each other, and amity wouldn't ever threaten hunter or hold a grudge cuz of what happened at eclipse lake, like some ppl seem to think; that's not what their canon interactions or personalities suggest to us at all)

hunter and vee's dynamic also had SOOOO much potential, i will forever mourn that we didn't get to see it on-screen cuz of the shortening. ugh... the complex nature of hunter having been the golden guard and vee also having had a very traumatizing past related to the emperor's coven. her being distrustful of hunter at first, being uneasy in his presence; hunter also feeling guilty solely cuz of his past involvement in the emperor's coven and staying away from vee himself, in order not to make her more uncomfortable. then, slowly, gradually, them becoming friends... hunter assuring vee he isn't going to hurt her; vee noticing that some of hunter's behaviors are worrying (like maybe him flinching when camila raises her hand a little too fast near him, or him saying sth deeply disturbing that he considers normal, etc etc); them talking... vee finding out what hunter's life at the emperor's coven was actually like, what his relationship with belos was like. them realizing they actually have a lot in common, that they were both mistreated by belos, both his victims. getting to know each other and being supportive of each other's experiences. i could even imagine that hunter could tell vee that he's a grimwalker at some point, before ttt, making her the second person to know. if she expressed sth abt being one of the few last remaining basilisks or belos' experiment, or a species brought back from the dead, hunter would want to show that he sympathizes by relating to her, cuz that's how he shows he cares and understands. and the thing that relates him to this the most is his grimwalker identity. and so they could talk abt it too, maybe... (and the stakes here wouldn't be as high as sharing his secret to willow and gus was to hunter, since he was truly afraid of being rejected there; he thought he'd lose his best friends forever if they knew the truth abt him)

hunter and darius' dynamic..... gah. there's so much complexity and nuance here, so much potential to explore their past as well as future. with darius taking hunter in, there's definitely a LOT they must've worked on during those first few months. there's this specific trauma that has come from their stay in the coven, the specific ways in which this hostile environment had affected their behaviours and the way they both acted... that's definitely not sth that was just automatically dealt with, they had to work through that.

we know darius cared abt and respected his mentor a lot, so much to the point where he thought hunter wasn't worthy to be the next golden guard and was taking that feeling out on him, thinking he didn't deserve to inherit such important title after the previous GG's death; didn't rly respect or care abt hunter until any sport in a storm. i feel like darius definitely had a lot of guilt abt the way he treated hunter in the past, so moving forward he really tried his best, especially since hunter's had this deep need to impress him and make him proud and all. he wanted that kid to have a good life and to stay safe. we know their relationship has progressed throughout the rest of season 2, with the implication of them growing closer and spending more time together, but even as of watching & dreaming, it all definitely wasn't just sunshine and rainbows + darius rly didn't have much experience in being a parent. but he tried his best, darius (and eberwolf) definitely did everything in their power so that hunter could have the best possible environment to live in, and eventually they've worked through this complicated past and post-coven habits, and made their living space a comfortable home... made sure to always be supportive to hunter, to accomodate his needs, made sure he isn't overworking himself or trying to "earn" the right to live with them; made sure that he's flourishing and taking care of himself and being a kid. made sure he feels loved and safe and sleeps well and hgghh yeah....... also, thinking abt darius and hunter sharing that experience of grief, abt darius teaching hunter how to sew, abt how darius sent hunter on that mission to "keep luz safe" to keep him away from the danger of the day of unity... man!!!! (i do wish we'd seen their relationship progress and develop on-screen more though, rather than in the background/through subtext... but h)

hunter and camila's relationship is also... SO precious to me. the fact that during their first meeting, she made sure to let him know he doesn't have to be overly respectful to her, that they're on an equal ground; he kneeled and she told him to never do that again. hunter's stay at camila's was the first time he was under long-term care of an adult who truly cared abt his well-being. lots of it was probably so confusing to him, cuz of how different it was from his relationship dynamic with belos, and it was definitely trial-and-error in many instances, and it was a while until these more healthy habits started to feel more natural to hunter, but it also made him feel loved. apprecciated. safe. i just know camila was always just... so patient with hunter. never raised a hand at him, made sure he'd never fear her, didn't let him overwork himself... she taught him how to use a sewing machine, told him all abt wolves. she definitely picked up on some of hunter's behaviours and deduced what it meant regarding his family past, and tried her best to make him feel comfortable. just!!!!! the fact that this was the first time where hunter truly felt cared for, where he lived in safe conditions..... GAHghghhhh (thinks abt the scrapped ttt credits idea featuring hunter helping camila out at her vet clinic. so normal abt it... i love winning... brainrot lvl 2000. man...)

there are so many more hunter dynamics that exist in my head...... hunter and raine, them being able to bond abt their (very traumatic) possession experience and their post-possession scars; raine being one of the very few ppl who seemed to have been nice to hunter in the coven, rather than cruel or dismissive of him. the fact that hunter (and dell) canonically helped fix raine's palisman after their battle with belos. GAHHHGHH...

hunter and the clawthornes; the fact that he works with dell, gwendolyn and the bat queen, that he canonically has been mentored by them!!! the fact that he and the clawthornes are in a way related but haven't discovered it yet, but are going to discover it eventually (love to imagine eda and lilith's reactions cuz this is like, comedy material). he works with them, he spends there so much time... i just know they've grown to be fond of that boy, he's like their unofficial grandson.

hunter and king, and their identity-related arcs. finding out you've been lied to your whole life and that you're the last representant of an extinct/legendary species, after thinking you were sth else all these years.... man! also the fact that king wrote one of hunter's favorite books xksjjsk AND hunter's whole...... religious trauma thing with "titan has big plans for you" versus king being an actual titan. AND the fact that king saw the uncountable piles of bones and skeletons of hunter's "family", the other golden guards, grimwalkers. do you see the vision-

even hunter and the collector! the fact that since the collector didn't understand death, they thought belos murdering all the grimwalkers and then making new ones was him just playing and then "fixing" the grimwalker, rather than actually KILLING a whole bunch of people. the collector realizing this... hunter having mixed feelings knowing how they didn't see grimwalkers (him included) as people and feeling bitter remembering how they spoke abt him with belos in the memory he'd seen in hollow mind, but also knowing they were belos' victim too, and it wasn't entirely their fault; that they know better now. sympathizing with that... the fact that both hunter and the collector have a traumatic, abusive past with belos; they were both manipulated and mistreated by him, used for his own selfish goals. it all coming together to just two kids with a complicated past who've gone through terrible things, trying to heal… hhgh

and soooo many more! i love lumity, i love raeda, i love the collector and king's friendship, the owl trio, luz and camila's dynamic, i hate-love belos and hunter's relationship cuz i love how it's written but Uggh. GOD. PAIN.... but it's written so very well. philip and caleb's dynamic is too, it's so interesting. and more! there are just so, so many good, interesting dynamics in toh, i could brainrot abt them forever...... man.

[avatarmerida]

Huntlow Lounge singer/ Bartender AU part 2 is here. Part 1 is here. Hope y’all like it. Based on soldraw’s AU. K bye 

---

Willow made a habit of staying late. She’d sit in the back, reading or repairing costumes until close when she could have Hunter all to herself. Sometimes Luz stayed to close with him and the three of them would chat but Luz always found a reason to leave them alone. Despite her best efforts and her patience, Willow could never stay longer than Hunter. She longed to walk him home, see him in a setting other than behind the bar, but he always found an excuse to linger. She didn’t press him about it but found it impossible to see him anywhere but work. 

Luz said he was just shy, but Willow saw a different side of Hunter. He was hardly timid, no, he was cautious. He was thorough and prepared and determined. Beyond that he was smart and funny and dorky. He was such a dork she could hardly stand it. He was handsome, but that was obvious. He was different around her, like he was nervous and calm at the same time. She suspected his heart raced when they were near just as hers did. She had been burned before, but he didn’t know that. Neither of them spoke much about their past and it wasn’t because they didn’t trust each other, but it was nice to have someone know the version of herself she liked the most.

 So maybe there was something in his past that made him hesitant to return her advances (they were returned, but she had to lay it on thick sometimes for him to register them as flirting).

But she really liked him, so she’d take what she could.

Once Willow managed to close the door despite the vicious wind, she quickly began to remove her damp accessories. Her poor gloves didn't stand a chance against the snow that seemed to fall with a vengeance. As she rushed to the back, she found it odd how different this place felt when it was just her. When it was just her and Hunter, there was unique life to the room that made it shine even in the faint lights. But being here by herself made her miss Hunter’s laugh echoing. Was it sad it had only been a day and she was missing him so much? She sighed, knowing she wouldn’t see him tonight with the storm getting progressively worse. 

She hoped Hunter was warm enough. She knew his apartment was still a work in progress. Darius had been using it for storage until recently but Hunter insisted he didn’t take up much space and had been describing his redecorating efforts to her. She hoped one day she’d get to see it in person, that he’d take her up on her offer to go shopping with him. 

As she focused on getting warm and changing into dry clothes, she thought about how to pass the time. She thought about leaving little notes for Hunter to find, maybe a cute little scavenger hunt. A hunt for Hunter, she laughed to herself.

It had been awhile since Willow had a crush, well at least one that she allowed herself to accept. Before she came to the Owl House, Willow had worked at a club where she counted the seconds until she could leave. She had unknowingly been given the desired spot of one of the other girls who then made it her mission to make Willow as miserable as possible. She’d heckle her, pay patrons to boo her, rip and hide her dresses, anything to get in her head. People started coming just to try and make her mess up.

After she left, she didn’t sing for a full year. 

But then, Luz brought her to the Owl House after hearing her singing while she was watering  her window plants. And she finally felt safe enough to sing love songs again.

Then when she met Hunter, she started understanding them. That’s how she knew, when she looked at him and a thousand songs sprung to her mind all at once, she knew there was no backing out now. He made her dizzy and giddy, like how she felt when she sang. Something about being in love just made you want to sing more.

She tried to keep her cool, not to rush in. But look at her, so infatuated that everything around her always finds a way to remind her of him. So enamored that just hearing his name turned her into a puddle. So smitten that even now she felt she could hear his voice echoing in the next room. So bewitched that she dreamt of- wait no she really did hear him now.

Hunter? She thought, peeking out the door to see it was true. Her heart spun, feeling as though this was a gift or a sign or just grand luck. She went to go greet him but stopped herself as she spotted her lipstick sitting on the counter. 

Eh, couldn’t hurt.

As she carefully applied her lipstick in the small mirror, she heard something from the main room she was certain no other being had ever heard before.

Was Hunter… singing?

She snuck another look and sure enough, there he was sauntering around the room, holding a broomstick in his hands as his prop shifted between being a microphone and dance partner. His voice was low and rough, but it was carefree. It was the most beautiful thing Willow had ever heard.

“I'm making believe that you're in my arms

Though I know you're so far away

Making believe I'm talking to you

Wish you could hear what I say…”

He danced around the tables, placing the chairs atop them so he could clean under them. He was lost in his performance, dedicated to his craft as he slid with his broom to ensure no area was missed. He did not mind the emptiness, there was something in him that was so bright it carried him around as it inspired his song.

“And here in the gloom of my lonely room

We're dancing like we used to do

Making believe is just another way of dreaming

So till my dreams come true, I’ll whisper-

 But his secret audience was so engrossed in the scene before them, she forgot to mind her stealth as she leaned against the doorframe as she opened the door to see him better, the creek of its hinges gave her away.  

“Willow!” Hunter exclaimed, hiding his makeshift dance partner behind his back. “Hi! Hey! W-what are you doing here? You don’t work tonight.”

“No one’s working tonight,” she said with a smile. “I got caught in the storm and this was closer than my place so I took shelter. What’re you doing here?”

“I uh, don’t have a phone at my place so I didn’t know not to come in,” Hunter admitted sheepishly. “Eda called here to see if I showed up and told me not to leave unless I wanted to be an icicle. She said she’s got blankets and supplies in the back room so I thought I’d do some cleaning since I’m stranded.”

Among other things, Willow thought to herself. She decided to keep the fact that he had crashed his concert to herself, lest she risk not getting a repeat performance in the future.

“Well, I hope you’re okay with company,” she said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Yeah,” he said simply, as he took the sight of her in. He had never seen her like this. It was a dress she hadn’t worn before, at least not one Hunter had seen her in. It was her signature emerald green, but it was velvet. It was less flashy than her usual outfits but every but as stunning. The waist was cinched high and to the side and led the eye to a dramatic slit. Her hair was still drying from the snow to let her natural curls shine as they twisted around her face as they were always meant to. The only blush on her cheeks was her natural one and her glasses were still slightly fogged from the shift in temperature. 

Hunter couldn’t help but notice she had still found the time to apply her red lipstick. 

“You, you look so…”

“Oh, ha yeah,” she said, realizing  she was technically wearing her work clothes. “Yeah, uh my coat and dress got covered in snow so I hung them up to dry. Luckily I’ve got plenty of clothes here.”

“Yeah that… that is lucky,” said Hunter. He was positive she’d look amazing even in her street clothes but seeing her dressed up always turned his brain to mush. He naturally retreated to the bar.  “Do you uh… want a drink or something?” He didn’t know what else to ask.

“No, that’s okay you’re not on the clock,” she chuckled when suddenly her face lit up. “Wait, can I make a drink?” she asked as though it had been a lifelong dream of hers. 

“Sure,” said Hunter and before he could say another thing, Willow ran around the other side, eager to learn the ropes from the master. He laughed as she positioned herself against his side, scanning the bar for her ingredients. 

“Hmm,” she said, reading the labels. “I wanna make a Hunter drink, what should I start with?’

“Oh, you don’t have to-.”

“Wait no no no, it’ll be a surprise,” she decided. “Close your eyes.”

He obliged and did not protest the way he would if literally anyone else tried to take over his space. He heard bottles clack together as she searched for the right one, the caps coming on and off as she loaded the shaker and combined her choices.

“Can you hand me a glass from up top?” she asked.

“I might need to open my eyes to do that,” he chuckled.

“Oh what? You don’t have the layout memorized?” she teased. “Didn't you tell me you could do this in your sleep?”

“Far enough,” he said, slowly walking over to where he knew the glasses were. It sounded like something he would say, but truthfully he didn’t recall saying that to her. 

“You can open your eyes,” she said with a chuckle, appreciating his effort as he reached up to grab a glass for her. 

“No, not that one,” she said as he brought one down. “I need a tall one cause you’re tall.”

“Alright,” he said, putting it back and reaching up to grab another. He had to move closer to where Willow was standing to do so, and he was mindful not to bump into her but she seemed unconcerned. He set a glass down and she found it to her liking. 

“Okay,” she said, still shaking the tin. “I wanna do that thing you do where you pour it up high without spilling.”

“Okay,” he chuckled as he leaned show at the counter and watched her get ready to pour. She seemed uncertain and Hunter instinctively stepped in, just as she had hoped. “Here, want me to show you? It took me awhile to get it right.”

“Yes please,” she said. He went to begin the pour when she stopped him, wanting to have a more hands on learning experience. 

“Actually, uh I’m not really a visual learner,” she said.

“Oh, okay do you want me to-.”

Knowing he wouldn’t suggest it, Willow placed herself between him and the bar and placed his hand over hers. He quickly got over his shyness in favor of instruction as he proceeded to remove the cap from the canister to prepare their tools. He put a scoop of ice in the glass as he put the tin back in her hand, his hand resting over hers to guide the pour. 

“The trick is to start at the cup and then pull up,” he said, reciting from the book that had taught him. “You wanna start with it titled and adjust as you go up to keep the flow consistent so it doesn’t splash.”

He raised her arm with his as they poured Willow’s creation into the glass, not spilling a drop. “Perfect.” She brought the shaker down slowly to the counter, wanting to linger as long as possible in the practical embrace. She gently pressed her back against his chest as she looked up at him over her shoulder. He was so tall. Who let him be so tall? 

After a moment, she felt him step back as he was aware of his intrusion in her space unaware of how welcomed it was. “Yeah that’s uh… that’s great.” He cleared his throat and Willow saw her ears turn red.

“Okay, now you gotta go down to the end of the bar so I can serve it to you,” she said, positively giddy. 

Hunter practically teleported around the corner as he rushed to the opposite side of the bar. 

“No, go all the way down,” she instructed as she gathered the fishing touches, deciding between lemons and cherries before settling on both. “All the way to the end so I can slide it to you.”

Hunter obliged, making a show of rushing again and Willow laughed. 

“All right ready? Here it comes!” She said, delighted as she lined up her shot. She delicately slid the glass down the bar to him. He caught it, and she jumped up in victory at the lack of broken class.

“Impressive,” he said, genuinely meaning it. “Took me months before I could do that without breaking the glass.”

“Well I guess I’m just a fast learner,” she boosted, basking in his compliment as she walked down to him with two straws in hand. She plopped them in the glass as Hunter admired the coloring of her drink. “Shall we?”

He leaned down and took his straw as the pair went to share the drink. They were each too entranced by the close proximity to one another to actually take a sip. Hunter didn’t know how to look into her eyes as darted back to the floor as hers remained on him. They finally took a sip at the same time, and both of them promptly spat out their drink at the same time.

Hunter tried to be polite about it and play it off as an unrelated cough but Willow turned her head and did a dramatic spit take as she exclaimed in disgust.

“It’s uh interesting.” coughed Hunter

“It’s horrible!” She said, rushing to get water. “Oh my gosh, did I make poison?”

“No, no I uh,” Hunter actually wasn’t too sure. “What was in that anyway?”

“I don’t remember everything, I know I put gold tequila in for your hair and I added lemonade and then whiskey cause I dunno it seemed like you and then some cherry something-.”

“It’s… an interesting combination,” he said, choosing his adjectives carefully. 

“I guess you’re just too complex to be captured by a mere beverage,” she sighed, a little disappointed as she was hoping to impress him. 

“Or maybe I just don’t taste that great,” he countered. She raised her eyebrows at him, her mind racing with countless cheeky things to say in response. She bit her lip at the urge to point it out and Hunter quickly caught her meaning and his mind raced with what to say that didn’t imply he was implying something or that he would want her to want him to. “Er, uh I mean…”

Willow chuckled. “Here, lemme make us something not gross,” she said as she got two new glasses. “Extra cherries?”

“Always,” he said as she brought out the grenadine. “Do you want any help?”

“Oh no, I’ve watched you make this hundreds of times, this one I know I can do,” she declared and Hunter couldn’t help but blush at the idea that she had committed anything he did to memory. 

“Voila!” she announced with a flourish, presenting two perfect Shirley Temples. Hunter was impressed (though slightly disappointed they would not share a glass again). 

Hunter took a taste and was delightfully surprised (not that he doubted her). “Wow! It’s perfect!”

“Luz better look out, I’m coming for her job,” said Willow with a smirk.

“She’ll probably let you have it, she’s getting sick of me,” joked Hunter.

“I find that hard to believe,” she said, sipping her own drink. “Who could ever get sick of you?”

“Well, she says she’s tired of me talking about-.” Hunter stopped himself, realizing the reason stood in front of him. 

“Yeah?”

“Uh… science fiction,” he said instead, which also wasn’t a total lie. “ 

“Really?” said Willow. She and Hunter had read a few chapters aloud together when they worked on repairing some of the older costumes Eda had collected. It helped them stay focused and wake. “Did you do the voice? She’s gotta love the voice you do for the robot guy.”

Hunter smiled. “No, only you like that.”

She really did adore his voice. 

“So, does this mean you’re gonna sing for me now?” She smirked.

“Me? What?”

“Well yeah, I mean I made you a drink,” she explained. “I thought we were trading.”

“No one would come here to hear me sing,” he joked, secretly wondering if she had heard him earlier and if she had, if she suspected who was singing about. .

“Well aren’t we lucky that no one is exactly who’s here right now?” She grinned. “I bet you sing better than I bartend.”

“Eh, I think we’re tied,” he said.

“Oh, c’mon you got something better to do?” She laughed. “I mean, we gotta pass the time somehow right?”

“I guess…”

“C’mon what if I help you like you helped me,” she suggested, leaning over the bar to twirl his loose strand of hair. “Give you a lesson? This is actually the best spot to sing in the club you know.”

“Here?”

“Yeah,” she said, getting up to take a few steps back. “Well, actually riiight here. It’s the very center of the room. It’s like you can reach every part equally and the ceiling curves a bit see? It makes the echo perfect, especially in an empty room.”

“Wow,” he said, and even just speaking he could tell she was right. “Too bad if you sang there you’d get bumped into every night.”

He’d never get anything done if she was that close to him all night.

“Yeah,” she agreed, as she quickly darted to the stage to grab her props. “Probably get my toes stepped on a lot.”

“We can put up a ‘no dancing sign.’”

“Oh no, but I do really love it when people get up to dance during my set,” she said dreamily, as she returned to him carrying her feather bow, dramatically throwing it around her shoulders. “I think it’s so romantic.”

“Really?” Said Hunter, his blood chilling at the way she said ‘romantic’ 

“Yeah,” she sighed. “I mean, you know I can’t see anything in detail up there without my glasses but when I sing a slow song and a couple gets up to dance, it makes me wanna sing forever. Like, it's their song and they just can’t bear to not dance together when it’s playing. Like they just want to hold each other and add a memory to the song. It’s like being a part of something bigger, ya know?”

“I think so," he said, captivated by the passion in her voice. “You sang for Eda and Raine’s first dance, right?” 

She almost gasped. “You remember that?” 

“Of course,” he said. “It was unforgettable.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I mean  that was the name of the song right? Unforgettable?”

“Oh! Oh, yeah that uh that’s the one,” she gave a nervous chuckle. “I didn’t know you heard me sing at the wedding.”

Willow wasn’t entirely certain exactly what Hunter remembered from the wedding. But that had happened before they met, so maybe the end of the night was the blurry part. 

“Yeah,” he said, trying to be casual about it. He had been mesmerized. “There’s wasn’t a dry eye here.”

He had been the first one to cry.

Willow went to put on a record for Hunter to sing to, fully intending to at least get him to try. As she flipped through the selection, a thought weighed on her mind. 

“You ever had a song like that with someone?” she asked him, holding her breath. 

“Uh, n-no not really I guess,” he said, sticking his hands in his pockets. “I’ve never had someone to have a song with, to be honest.”

“I have a song like that,” she said. “I mean, I have a song I want to be like that.”

“Which one?”

“Oh, I don’t sing it during my set,” she said, selecting a record and walking over to the player. “I’m like saving it, I guess. It’s silly, but I don’t want to see other people dancing to it. I want to feel how they feel when they dance, like it’s just mine. Well, ours, I guess? But, no one’s asked me to dance in awhile.”

“What?” Said Hunter, literally in shock. There was no way that was true.

“Yeah,” she said, taken by his surprise. “No one ever wants to dance with me cause I like to lead, and apparently my grip is tight,” she shrugged. “Plus, ya know it’s kinda hard to dance while you’re usually the one singing.”

“Well, if you want… I-I’d like to dance with you,” he said, saying it quickly like it was his best kept secret.

“Really?”

“Yeah,” he said, clearing his throat. “I mean, if you don’t mind giving me a dancing lesson and a singing lesson. I’m clueless about both.”

“Okay, yeah sure,” Willow smiled. She suddenly wished she had put more thought into her selection. But truthfully there was no wrong option. She chose a song that had played during the wedding, just to see if he recalled hearing it there. 

She wondered if he remembered dancing there.

Couple of jiggers of moonlight and add a star

Pour in the blue of a June night and one guitar

Mix in a couple of dreamers and there you are

Lovers hail the Moonlight Cocktail…

“I’d love to dance with you,” she said breathlessly. 

As she made her way over to him, he looked uncertain that she was really walking to him even though there was no else here. She still felt nervous, slowly extending her hand to him as though he would suddenly regret his decision. But he took it. Hunter’s mind raced with what he was supposed to do. Did he pull her in? Spin her? Kiss it? His mind was both blank and overwhelmingly full. Willow just smiled, happy to take the lead. Happy to have someone who wanted her to. 

 “Here,” she said gently as she moved his hands around her waist before wrapping her own arms around his neck. She draped the boa around his neck, and although it tickled his nose it eased his nerves. She always knew just the right amount of silliness to balance things like that, like she knew the range of emotions she inspired. 

The music was the perfect pace, not too fast, not too slow as Willow showed him how to step. She took his hand in hers and spun around, never letting go finding new ways for their hands to touch. As she passed behind him, she brushed the back of his waist with her hand and he felt as though he was a slinky uncoiling. As she got closer, they seemed to move less. His hands finally fell with confidence on her waist and her hands rested on his chest as though they had no intention of being removed.

Just as Hunter was getting used to things, the record stopped. He also forgot there was music, he was so focused on her. How long had they been like this? 

“I should probably go out on a new record, huh?” He asked softly, but he could’ve sworn she pulled him closer as if to suggest she couldn’t imagine him leaving their embrace. 

In the silence they could perfectly hear the chaos outside. Knowing the world behind their colorful door was cold and dark made everything about her warmer and brighter somehow. Like everything was dying to tell them that they were meant to be here right now, just the two of them. There was a moment waiting for them. 

Hunter looked down into her eyes, and when he held her craze and didn’t turn away it was like he summoned the words Willow began to sing. It was a song they both knew none of the club's records held. 

Which made it even more theirs.

“Hold me close and hold me fast, the magic spell you cast

This is "La vie en rose”

She didn’t have to project, this was only for them to hear. The room carried her voice  like a leaf in the wind,  didn’t need to fill the room, just the bubble they were in. 

When you kiss me, heaven sighs, and though I close my eyes

I see "La vie en rose"

She made herself more comfortable and leaned her head against his chest. He felt her sigh and it relaxed him, Hunter felt the hum of her voice surround him. Like a lullaby, like a shield it made him feel safe. His head naturally rested atop hers, the smell of her perfume tickling his nose as her curls acted as a pillow. Everything was soft and gentle here, holding her was like being inside a cloud.

When you press me to your heart, I'm in a world apart

A world where roses bloom

Hunter couldn’t help but know she had never sang this song on stage before. Was this the song she was saving? Was she singing it now because there was no couple here to claim it or because he was the only one here?

And when you speak, angels sing from above

Everyday words seem to-

“-turn into love songs,” Hunter finished without thinking. Willow held her breath and smiled. It was like she was hearing the song for the first time as Hunter couldn’t help but sing it under his breath. 

She raised her head to see him and as she did, their noses nearly brushed as he looked down at her. The last lyrics swirled in the air between them, neither wanting the song to end and possibly take the moment with it. 

“You really do have a nice voice,” she said softly.

“Uh thanks,” he replied faintly. “No one’s ever said that to me before.” And now twice in one night?

“That’s a shame,” she said. “I’ve always thought that.”

“So do you,” he said, breaking through the silence. “By the way. H-have a nice voice. But you probably already knew that. It’s pretty. Everything you do is pretty though. I mean, well-.”

“Thanks,” she blushed. Of course she had heard it before, but it somehow meant more coming from him. “You have pretty eyes.”

He scoffed as though he couldn’t possibly believe her.

“What?” She asked.

“Well it’s just that people don’t really notice my eyes when they look at me,” he said, trying to play it off as a joke. 

“What do you-oh.” She realized he meant his scars. It wasn’t that Willow didn’t notice them, but they didn’t take away from him at all. Between his jawline and his laugh, who had time to get hung up on scars? Plus, they just made him look more rugged in her opinion. But she knew what it was like to have others make you feel uncomfortable about something you can’t control. “Well, if you want my opinion, they don’t make you any less pretty.”

Hunter blushed. He was glad she was able to be lighthearted about it, most people tried to change the subject or ignore them. But somehow she could see more in him.

“Thanks,” he said. “I’ve actually been thinking about covering them up, might make me more approachable I guess.”

“Well, you should do whatever makes you most comfortable,” said Willow, saddened that other people had made him feel this way. “If you want, I can lend you some cover up.”

“Oh, well I don’t think we’d-“ before he could point out the difference in their complexion, she held him still as she rose to her tip toes to press a kiss to his cheek. She lingered for a moment so when she pulled away, a bright red lipstick mark was left over his scar. 

Willow felt that was the only appropriate way that his scars should be covered. 

“There,” she said proudly. “It’s covered.”

His eyes couldn’t help but he drawn to her lips. They curled into a smile and held her faint chuckle of joy. She had smudged her lipstick, a rouge line of red hanging from the side of her mouth. Her lips that had just touched his cheek. He instinctively reached and went to wipe it away but the moment he touched her face, Willow’s eyes were likewise locked on him. Her eyes fluttered between his eyes and his lips, unsure which one was more alluring. 

His mind was consumed with how she managed to be so soft and yet so adamantine. How her eyes managed to shine like peridot, to cast a cool shade of the tree of her namesake, to piece his heart like a thorn. How her lips were red wine and roses and fire.  She was sweet and brash, so familiar but so surprising, she was so unreal and yet she was tangible. She was magnetic. Before he knew what he was doing, he was moving closer. They both were, like an invisible string was finally being threaded. They were both in disbelief that the other was moving also.

His lips hovered by hers, the gentle whistle of his breathing stung her heart. She felt like she was melting, like her heart was leaking lava as her chest filled with fire and bees and the warmth of every sun in those corny books he read to her. His nose rested beside hers and the space begged to be removed. Willow rose onto her tip toes and pressed an inquisitive peck to his lips. 

They both felt it signaled more, yet Willow felt him lean in only to quickly pull away. 

“Wait,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

“Hunter, you have nothing to be sorry about,” she assured him. “I was the one who-.”

“I just wouldn’t want you to do something you regret-.”

“-thought this was something else and I-.”

“Because if you’ve been drinking I don’t-.”

“What? Hunter, I haven’t been drinking.” She stated simply.

“What?”

“Yeah, I’ve had the exact same drinks you’ve had,” she said. “Are you drunk?”

He felt intoxicated but he knew it was not the work of the typical spirits.

“No, I… but it’s getting late,” he said, changing the subject rather than finishing his thought.  “I should go try and shovel the walkway.”

“Why, you got somewhere to be?” she asked playfully. Trying to get rid of me? She almost joked, but did not voice in case the response would not be the same tone. Besides, the howl of the wind told her his task was in vain. He reached for his jacket anyway.  ”Ya got a hot date or something?”

“No! No, nothing like that,” he chuckled nervously. “I just… well I assumed you did.”

“Me?” she said, delighted at the assumption. “What makes you say that?”

“Well, you just look so nice,” he sputtered. “I mean, you always look so nice. The other singers usually change out of their costumes when they go home, unless they have a date and whenever you work the late shift, you always look so beautiful before you leave. I just assumed you were seeing someone. I just figured they must work late or something and with the storm they’re probably worried about you.”

He continued to ramble, saying she didn’t need to be dressing up for someone to look as nice as she did, but he had heard Skara mention there was someone she was excited to see after the show and it was a night he remembered her looking particularly stunning. Not that he didn’t think that every night. 

But Willow couldn't stop herself from smiling, she wanted to laugh when it clicked that Hunter hadn’t been holding back from flirting with her because didn’t like her, he assumed she was taken. He had no clue that he was the one she stayed dressed up for. It hadn’t even crossed his mind that she had been chasing him. 

“So you’re saying I look too stunning to not be on date right now?” 

“Heh, I-I guess,” he said. Stunning was not the word he would’ve used. It was the word he thought, but not the one he would’ve said.

“Well, I guess someone better ask me on one then, huh?” she said, looking up at him with sparkling, heavy lidded eyes. 

The words sizzled on the edge of his tongue, begging to be set free as his lips parted in surprise. Suddenly so many meanings changed. So many times she had sought him out, and not to pass the time while she waited for someone else, but because he was her first choice. He was worthy of time where she could be out doing adventurous and interesting things. She turned down offers to hear him tell the same lame joke over and over again.

His heart raced hoping to be faster than his brain as the sentence tried to string itself together, to be confident and coherent and most importantly audible. There was no tall, dark, handsome, faceless stranger waiting out in the cold unknown for her. She stayed up late to spend more time with him. The notion of kissing him existed to her beyond and before an impulse. She was waiting for him. How long had she been waiting for him? 

“Would you eh,” he started, his heart in his throat. “Would you…”

She didn’t deserve some last minute thing in the club where she worked, unceremoniously stranded and cold. She deserved to be picked up in a fancy car he did not have, to be given a bouquet of flowers as lovely as she was, to be paraded around town by someone whose sleeves were not covered in wine stains. She deserved to be swept off her feet, to soar across the room with confidence, to be kissed without hesitation. 

But maybe this was the first step.

“... I would be… it would be so… I-I was wondering if I could take you on a date,” he finally finished. His heart  was pounding, she was so close she could probably feel it. He exhaled as Willow’s lips curled into a smile. It was a smile he hadn’t seen before. He couldn’t place it. Was she amused? Happy? Bewildered? Appalled? Upset?

“Okay.”

“But y-you don’t have to answer right now-.”

“I’d love to.” She said moving closer to him as he looked at the floor, his anxiety trying to contribute to the moment. 

“- I know it’s kind of out of nowhere and you probably have to check your schedule-.”

“I’m free right now.” 

“-And if you-,”

But before the back and forth could continue the light vanished. It was only a matter of time, it was a powerful storm. But all awkwardness and embarrassment would have to wait as Hunter shifted into protective mode.

“Oh shoot,” muttered Hunter, realizing he had forgotten to light candles in preparation. Willow read his mind and shared his disappointment, imagining how romantic it would be to dance in the candlelight. He took Willow’s hand and carefully led her back to the bar where he knew there were matches. The room was nearly pitch black as Hunter took his time to make his way around. Willow found her way to the bar, and hoisted herself onto the counter, swinging her feet as she listened to Hunter scurry behind the bar. 

“I’ve got a candle,” she announced as she picked up the small stained glass container, allowing him to follow her voice to where she was. He rummaged a moment before finding the box

He struck the match and held the flame between them, the dim light reflecting off Willow’s glasses and her face resemble a moon. Hunter was so captivated he completely forgot to light the candle she held out for him. 

The world was quiet and loud again. The world  turned and flipped and shifted as the air held something heavy and purposeful. Like the match he held lit a fuse. 

“You were right.” Willow whispered, setting down the candle like it was choreography. She reached out and adjusted the boa his shoulders still held and used it to hold him in place, as though he was about to float away. Sitting on the bar, she was his same height and used that to look right into his eyes.

“Right?” He gulped. “About what?”

“I do have a hot date tonight,” she said, as she swiftly blew out the candle he held and brought him forward as she pressed their lips together. The box of matches quickly fell from his hands as they went to bring her closer. She balanced herself on the ledge as his arms wrapped around her waist. He somehow knew the way to turn his head as he moved with her. He felt her fingers wander through his hair as though she was trying to figure out a way to be closer to him. 

“A-are you okay? Are you comfortable?” he asked, almost unable to breath. Even this close he could hardly see her in the dark. Even this close, he could hardly believe she was real. That she wasn’t mistaken. His mind held the image of her sitting on the bar like a siren luring him from the safety of the shore. 

She responded with a tiny laugh as she peppered small kisses along his jawline. She was obsessed with that dang jawline of his, she was surprised it didn’t cut her as her lips glided down from his cheek to his neck leaving a ruby red trail behind her. He closed his eyes as he finally accepted his fate and held her tighter as he deepened the kiss. He could feel her smile as his hands moved up her back to embrace her and found bare skin. Her long hair had been hiding the exposed back of her dress and it felt almost forbidden to Hunter, but Willow couldn’t help but feel like this was about to be her favorite dress. They fell into a natural rhythm as if they always found themselves in such a kiss. But as Hunter went to move his hand to the counter to steady himself as she leaned back to make room for him, he lost his balance and hit an empty glass. It fell to the ground and promptly shattered, and when it did it snapped them out of their shared spell. Their eyes slowly opened and it felt as though they just returned to their bodies. Willow realized she could see him perfectly. At some point during their… activity, the power had come back on. How had they not noticed? How long had they been kissing? 

And how long until they did it again?

Willow waited, listening to the sounds of them both panting, their breathing almost perfectly synced. Hunter stared at her with wide eyes, unable to believe that the flush in her cheeks was caused by him. Willow looked at him, decorated in varying shades of red and felt it suited him extremely well. Finally, he broke the silence.

“I should uh probably clean that up,” he said hoarsely, and Willow felt his hand leave her side and when it did she instantly felt colder. When he left her hands she didn’t know what to do with them, and sat on the bar in haze as Hunter went to fetch a broom. Her hand delicately touched her mouth as the moment replayed in her mind and she desperately tried to memorize the feelings of his lips on hers. It had been slow and fast and scary and exciting and peaceful and chaotic. It was so much all at once. So much for not rushing things, she thought.

But had been everything she thought it would be, and more. What a rush indeed.

The way he stumbled from the back room, the way his eyes danced between her and the floor, the way bright red seemed like it would be taking permanent residence on the tips of his ears told Willow the feeling was utterly mutual. She watched him sweep the floor, and she could tell he felt her gaze on him. 

It could snow forever as far as she was concerned.

Three Months Ago…

“Don’t tell him I told you but he’s been working up the nerve to talk to you all night,” Luz said, looking around. “He’s really sweet and I wanna introduce you but I have no idea where he is.”

“He’s the new bartender, right?”

“Yeah, but he doesn’t usually drink,” said Luz. “Our glasses got switched and now he’s kind of… loopy.”

“So he’s drunk?”

“Basically! But he made it very clear he’s afraid of getting drunk,’ said Luz in a small panic. “Because he doesn’t know what kind of drunk he is or something and now he doesn’t even know he’s drunk. But I guess he’s a ‘wandering away’ kind of drunk!”

Willow couldn’t help but chuckle, she was the same way. But she didn’t know how determined Hunter was to finally talk to her, and Luz was worried his current state would lead to embarrassment. “I’ll keep my eye out for him,” Willow assured. “Why don’t you look upstairs? I’ll check the hallway.”

Willow scanned the room, assuming Luz’s friend would be someone easy to find, someone probably sloppy or scared or out of their element. But the wedding was [pretty unruly, it was harder to find someone who wasn’t drunk. Then, something caught her eye. Or rather someone. 

He was tall, his honey colored hair had attempted to be gelled back but a rogue strand came forward and hung in his face which only made him look more dramatic. His features were sharp but his eyes were soft. His jawline seemed to make him look more dressed up, like he had escaped from an oil painting. He wore a clearly second hand suit that was just a smidge too big for him, but the way he rolled up the sleeves made it look stylish. He was a prince, plain and simple, how could he not be?

And he was walking over to her.

“So word on the street is that you really want to catch the bouquet,” said the stranger with a unique confidence as though it wasn’t always there. Willow could tell he was buzzed and everything felt cozy and warm to him. She gave him a smile.

“You heard right,” she said, swirling her wine in her glass trying not to openly swoon at being on his radar in such a way.

“You looking to get married next?”

She raised her eyebrow at him as she screamed internally. “You looking to help me?”

He chuckled, impressed by her quickness. “So long as our reception doesn’t have to be here,” he smiled. “I don’t think Eda would give us a fair price.”

Willow wasn’t used to someone being able to keep up with her. “True, but it’s nothing like that anyway,” Willow said before they started talking about color schemes. “I’m just competitive and I like flowers. Just something silly I've always dreamed of doing.”

“Well, I think I could help you with that,” he said, leaning against the wall beside her.

“Oh?” She felt the blood rush into her cheeks. Must be the champagne kicking in. 

“I’m tall, thought I’d offer my services,” he said as slick as he could manage.

“And what’s in it for you?” she asked. “The bouquet at a wedding is pretty hard to acquire. Emira has elbows like daggers and Skara can jump like three feet in the air.”

“Just a dance,” he said simply. 

“You wanna dance with me?” she scoffed. “Have you seen me dance?”

“I have,” he said dreamily. 

Willow just chuckled. She knew she danced wild and bold, she had taken Gus by the hands and spun him around so fast he nearly flew away. When Raine pulled out their fiddle, Willow’s feet never touched the ground as she jumped and kicked without a care in the world.  She was not exactly an approachable dance partner, yet this stranger looked at her like he had witnessed an angel taking flight.

She looked at him skeptically, waiting for a twist but his admiration did not falter. She couldn’t find a flaw in his proposal, but she couldn't help but feel she was getting more out of it.

“Okay then, deal,” she said, offering him her hand. She nearly missed as the alcohol slowly started to make itself known. He took it like it was precious and held it rather than shook it and she couldn’t help but giggle. He looked at her with such genuine interest, not a hint of irony. How did she not just combust? “I’m Willow, by the way.”

“I know,” he said, placing a small but firm kiss to the back of her hand. “I’m Hunter, it’s an honor to officially meet you.”

[childlikegoblinqueen]

Huntlow Week Day 1: Prompt Halloween/Hooty

"Oh! Good evening Hunter!"

A sliver of light passed over Hunter's body from the inside of the Park house.

He'd knocked.

He had.

Willow liked the danger of Hunter sneaking in through her balcony, and though she'd offered to "magic him up" with vines, or to have Clover fly him up, tonight of all nights, Hunter opted to act appropriately and knock.

Slowly, the door cracked open and a small sliver of warm light slid out from the Park's kitchen in a line over Hunter's head.

"Ah! Hunter. Good evening!" Harvey Park smiled. "Please come on in!

"Thank you Mr. Park!" Hunter gave a small smile and Harvey opened the door even wider which made Hunter's smile wider as well.

"Gilbert's out getting some last minute grosseries for dinner, and Willow's upstairs waiting for you!"

"Yessir!" Hunter bowed his head only to feel Harvey's sturdy hand on his shoulder.

"Of course." Harvey chuckled. "And Hunter? I do hope one day you will call me Harvey?"

"I hope so too." Hunter whispered.

Within seconds he had rushed up the stairs, with a thick tapping sound from his pink crocs. He reached another door covered in pictures of various types of flora and knocked again.

"Trick or treat!" Hunter sang out as Willow's sunny face answered.

"BOTH!" She answered, pulling him in as quickly as she shut the door behind them.

Then, Willow Park had Hunter in her arms. She tackled him gently and they fell on the floor in breathless peels of laughter.

Hunter let out a snort and lifted his hands , "I SURRENDER!" he shouted. "I AM AT YOUR MERCY! ANYTHING YOU WANT! IT'S YOURS!"

"Pfft! You're being a pushover on purpose." Willow teased. She laid her head across his chest, ear to the place she had told him so many times was best to hear his heartbeat. "Did you bring the goods?" She whispered.

"Check my bag." Hunter nodded.

They sat up as Willow dug her hands through his school bag pulling out a big pillow case full of every kind of Human Realm Candy possible.

"W-we probably should wait until after dinner before we get started on that." Hunter rubbed the back of his neck as he watched his girlfriend line up each piece of candy in order of what she liked to eat first.

"Hunter?" Willow stopped a moment. She looked at him with a soft smile. "Are you sure you're not mad that Gus is over with Luz and the others for Halloween?"

Hunter shook his head. Gently, he pressed his hand against his chest where Flapjack lay. "I get it. Maybe one day I'll be ready to do a real Human Realm Halloween again? But I wouldn't want to hold anyone else back." He felt a sharpness behind his throat. "Are you disappointed?" he whispered. "I mean, that you aren't over there now?"

Willow's cheeks went pink. "Nah." She waived her hand and shuffled a bit more through the pillowcase. "Getting to do Halloween last year was fun and all ... until ... you know. Until it wasn’t?" Her eyes watered a bit. "But there's a lot of things I get to do this year that's even better?"

"Yeah? Like what?" Hunter gave his girlfriend a lopsided grin. From the look on Willow's face he knew that she'd found it. The one thing he'd hidden in the bag of Reeses', and Hersey Bars, and those weird triangle things that Luz insisted were "loser candy." And then, Hunter felt his grin spread.

Gingerly, Willow opened the box of Pocky and slid out one long thin cookie, resting the chocolate covered side between her full lips. With the tips of her fingers she drew his chin closer towards her own. As Hunter began to eat one side as Willow ate the other, meeting in the middle in a soft, sweet crumb covered kiss.

"I get to do stuff like that." Willow whispered as Hunter felt his ears light up.

"Mmmmmmm." He hummed. "That was nice."

"You wanna have another piece?" She whispered.

A sliver of guilt filled Hunter's stomach. "B-but your dads are gonna be calling us down for dinner soon?"

"Maybe?" Willow shrugged. She crawled closer, placing the new stick between her lips and with a devious laugh, she rumbled, “But it is Halloween, and I think we're required to spoil our dinner with something sweet."

And without any further argument, Hunter closed the space between them with another kiss.

[sea-creature-things]

Grimwalker things

Chapter 7: An itchy weakness, the sequel

I made a sequel, cuz I had more details about this headcanon and more scenarios that I wanted to share.

Also, Lumity date!

Read here below the cut or on AO3 with this link:

Luz was riding the bus back from school. She leaned her head against the window, watching the outside world zip past. It had been a long day at school and the peculiar smell coming from those crappy seats was not helping her headache.

What a waste of her time. Her day had started off so well too!

She’d actually gotten Hunter so far to fall asleep and she watched over him as she promised, for a while. But it was hard to not sink deeper into the old armchair. Frankly, it was a little nostalgic, falling asleep in that thing. She half expected her mom to carry her upstairs, but she wasn’t five anymore. And staying with her brother had its own charm.

She always wanted a brother, but had no idea what they were like. King seemed to really love sleeping near her though.

Anyways, when she woke up the sun was shining so beautifully through the window. Literal rays of warm light coming into the room.

She was ready to tell Hunter good morning, but when she turned she saw he was still out cold. A strong feeling of pride bloomed inside her chest. She fought the urge for mischief or high-pitched Spanish cooing.

Willow was awake uncharacteristically early, immediately spotting the blonde tufts of hair peeking out from the blanket as she walked into the living room. Her eyes widened and an adorable smile formed on her face. Only then did she notice her other friend in the room.

She greeted Luz with a whisper and pointed to the boy on the couch, clearly surprised to see Hunter sleeping.

She agreed with a giggle. Her pride in this never-before-witnessed skill growing even stronger.

Willow had quietly walked closer, keeping her eyes on the sleeping boy. She seemed very impressed and asked how Luz had managed it.

When she asked Willow if she was jealous, she'd denied it so vehemently that the only logical conclusion could be that she was. Luz had not actually expected that, but it made her incredibly happy.

She went absolutely feral teasing her friend.

All those years of shipping characters online flooding back to her as she beheld the result of her matchmaking skills. Not that she had anything to do with Hunter and Willow meeting, but who cares! Their love story was unfolding in front of her very eyes!

Of course, her squealing woke him up. She couldn’t possibly be blamed at a time like this, it was way too cute.

They wished him a good morning as he looked around all drowsy and yawning. Hunter’s hair was a mess, completely tangled and one strand even ended up in his mouth. Luz couldn’t help but laugh as she helped him fix the literal bird’s nest on his head.

Willow escaped like the wind, using breakfast as an excuse. Luz had never seen her face so bright pink.

It was only seven o’clock in the morning at that point and the rest of the house was slowly coming to life.

She boasted about her accomplishment every time someone woke up. Everyone had a similar happy and surprised reaction. She didn’t want to embarrass her brother too much though. So she had decided to keep Hunter’s new off button a secret, for now.

The vibe at home had finally gotten back to normal. Luz was so, so glad all that tension was gone.

It didn’t take long for her perfect day to turn sour though, considering it was a school day and she would throw away six hours for an unruly classroom and depressed teachers. Precious time that she could be spending on far more important things. Like building a portal!

They had an actual plan now and it felt so close, so real. Like she could just reach out and touch it, turn the knob and walk into the Boiling Ilses.

Instead she had to ’sit still and listen’ all day. Bombing a history pop quiz was just the icing on the cake. At least she had something to look forward to, her date with Amity!

Just her and her beautiful girlfriend on a mundane, slice-of-life date they both loved. Luz was a little nervous about the talk they’d inevitably have, but it was important and she felt ready.

The bus’s frame shook violently and bumped against her temple. This thing was hitting every pothole known to man! Luz reflexively winced from the pain, then slowly looked around to see if anyone had noticed. If they were judging her.

Whatever.

Even if they were, she didn’t care. Or shouldn’t care.

She was about to put her forehead back against the cold glass, until she recognised the neighbourhood. Luz didn’t know how quickly she had to grab her stuff and get out of there. She practically ran through the front yard and flew through the door.

“I’m home!” She announced while using one arm to swing herself into the living room.

“Luz!” Gus jumped up from the floor where he and Hunter had been lounging, absolutely surrounded by books. He stood in front of her in an instant and grabbed her hand. “Come on!”

“Welcome home.” Hunter greeted, chuckling at her surprised reaction to Gus turning her around and leading her through the hallway.

“Wow, wait-“ Luz stopped in her tracks, Hunter almost bumped into her. “Where is Amity? I have to get ready for our date.”

“Willow and Vee are helping Amity with her outfit-“ Gus explained.

“Yeah, serious fashionistas.” Hunter added ironically.

“And we’re gonna do the same for you!” Gus said excitedly, tugging her along as he headed for the basement. “Well, I’ll be styling you and Hunter will watch from a distance.”

Luz looked back at the oldest witch as they slowly and steadily herded her to the stairs. Partly because she wanted to see his reaction to Gus’s dig, but mostly because everything was moving a bit too fast for her. She was still catching up to this plan.

“Yeah, yeah.” Hunter waved Gus’s teasing away annoyed. He huffed indignant. “Blight was clear enough about my fashion sense.”

Luz couldn’t help but laugh as she finally understood what was going on. She was willing to bet it was Amity’s idea to have them get ready for their date like this, and she absolutely loved it.

Her day was already getting perfect again.

Amity twirled in front of the mirror. She had found a soft pink dress at the thrift store they visited a while ago. It was stretchy at the top and had a long, flowy bottom. It had a square necklace and short bubble sleeves. The way the frilly skirt spun as she moved made her feel like a fairy tale princess.

Its colour now perfectly matched her faded hair, which stung a little, but the perfect fit was too good to pass up.

She felt cute.

Dressing up for a date was something she had kind of dreamed about. It’s not like it was her burning ambition or something, but it was nice to experience. She only wished she had the annoying voices of her siblings behind her as she tried on different clothes.

Instead, it was Willow and Vee, who were the best hype-women ever. It just wasn’t the same. Even though they’d be teasing her every way to Sunday, she missed Edric and Emira. But she was still grateful to have the girls help with her outfit and boosting her confidence.

“I think I hear Luz downstairs.” Vee chirped up as she was searching through a drawer. Amity felt the excitement spike and she almost ran downstairs to greet her girlfriend.

“Wait, we’re not done.” Willow looked up from rummaging in the closet. She laughed as Amity immediately turned on her heels.

“Do you think she’ll like the idea?” Amity asked, suddenly not as confident in her plan.

“You kidding?” Willow walked behind her, looking at their reflection as she put her hands on Amity’s shoulders. “She’ll love it!”

“One hundred percent!” Vee matched her energy. They carried out their duty as cheer squad very well, instantly making her feel better. Vee slithered closer, as she held up a cute, black hairband with a tiny bow on the side. “Now, I was thinking of matching this with your black sandals.”

“Ohmigosh, cute!” Amity squealed and Willow nodded passionately.

“And I found this.” Said the plant witch as she placed a necklace around her neck. Amity immediately recognised the small, golden heart connected to a delicate chain. She gasped enthusiastically as the gold metal made contact with her skin.

“Actually, Luz gave this to me.” She explained, an unavoidable smile tugging at her lips. “So it’s perfect.”

She remembered when she’d made a passing comment about liking the design. They were just browsing in the mall, but the next day Luz handed her a small gift bag with that necklace inside. She was truly adorable. Amity was still looking for something to give back, nothing felt good enough yet.

“I was also thinking of this belt, but I’m not sure anymore.” Willow continued as she held it next Amity’s dress. She had to suppress a laugh, because the way she was holding it almost made it look like a snake, especially with that grossed out look in her eyes.

“Nah.” Vee said decidedly after tapping her chin and squinting at the new combination. Willow didn’t seem too heartbroken about it, throwing the thing over her shoulder with flair. It landed on top of the large pile of clothes that had already been rejected.

“Do you wanna do something with you hair?” Willow asked, playing with a pink strand. The motion gave her flashbacks of Emira doing the exact same thing.

“Hmmm, I was thinking about an updo.” Amity began, gathering her hair in a lazy example of a bun. She dropped it again, looking at her friends sheepishly. “But I don’t wanna make you guys do my hair for an hour and then decide I don’t like it.”

Vee giggled and Willow laughed, shaking her head. She already waved her hand, probably ready to brush it off. Having her friend support her like this, made her feel so happy. Amity was ecstatic, and honestly a little surprised, with how much closer they had grown.

“Hold on a minute,” Vee cut her off before Willow even started. She shape-shifted into her human disguise, but her hair was pink instead of the usual green and blue pattern. And it was styled in a lovely messy bun.

“Oh my Titan Vee, that’s genius.” Amity marvelled at her hair. She looked away shyly, but smiled wide. The idea of Vee modelling for her by shapeshifting was perfect, it seemed so obvious in retrospect.

“Yeah!” Willow agreed, also circling around the basilisk and admiring her creation. Amity could tell it made her well up with pride.

She modelled a few options for them while Amity described what she wanted. They ended up with something pretty complicated, but with Willow’s seal of approval she asked them to replicate it. The plant witch’s confidence wasn’t misplaced, because when it was done it looked almost exactly like Vee’s blueprint.

Amity loved every inch of it. The high braided bun, incorporating the cute headband, left a few curly strand in front to perfectly frame her face.

“What do you think?” She asked, twirling in front of the mirror again. Now with the complete outfit.

“It’s adorable!” Vee cooed with her palms pressed together in front of her mouth.

“Absolutely gorgeous!” Willow declared, her hands on her hips and a satisfied smile on her face.

Boosting her confidence indeed.

If everything was going according to plan, Gus and Hunter had been doing the same for Luz. Though, Amity hoped the illusion witch was taking the lead like he promised. Hunter’s fashion sense was… questionable at best.

Luz stood in the middle of the basement as Gus bounced around her in a whirlwind of clothes. Hunter was off to the side, lounging on the couch with a stupid smirk on his face.

Gus had displayed possible options for outfits everywhere; the couch, the washing machine, the sewing table. It was mostly her stuff, but she recognised some articles - especially accessories - as coming from the boys’s closet. There were definitely some outfits she liked, but the sheer magnitude was a little overwhelming.

He was taking this really seriously.

“Wow…” Luz gawked, standing around uselessly as Gus waited for an answer. “It’s uh- it’s a lot.”

“I kinda raided your closet, sorry ‘bout that.” He laughed, scratching his cheek.

“It’s fine, I love this idea.” Luz assured him. She took the combination of a cropped hoody with flared jeans from his amped up hands.

“Amity came up with it,” Hunter said, standing up and joining the fashion show at Gus’s side. Luz nodded and smirked as she reviewed the dark purple fabric in her hands. She knew it. “Said she wanted a dramatic reveal, like you were picking her up at her house.”

Luz looked up quickly and her face must’ve betrayed her sudden panic, because Gus slapped his arm and shot him a pointed glare.

“What?” Hunter threw his arms up and looked at his buddy confused. “Was that a secret or something?”

“Did you guys work on the portal today?” Luz asked and Hunter got the expression of sudden realisation. She really didn’t have the time or mentality to be subtle here. Or to worry about the boys worrying about her.

She just wanted to know if they were getting closer, so she could pick her girlfriend up for real.

“Yup, we’re still figuring out the kinks” Gus said, giving the taller boy another snarky look. Hunter avoided his gaze by suddenly being very interested in the ceiling, absentmindedly picking at his nails. Gus rolled his eyes with a smile. “We experimented with the palismen’s magic, but-“

“That’s great! Did it seem powerful enough?” Luz interrupted, an incredibly light feeling bubbling up from her insides. It almost felt like it was forming a lump in her throat.

“Yes!” Gus stepped forward, looking just as giddy as she felt. “Their raw power is incredible.”

Luz’s smile was instant and so wide it put as strain on her cheeks. A soft sigh unwillingly escaped from it and a dangerous feeling of relief made itself comfortable in her gut.

They could do this. Their research was paying off. Their time wasn’t going to waste, they didn’t even need her six hours. With the palismen’s magic they would finally, finally get them back home.

Get her friends back home, of course. She was already home.

“We have high hopes for this plan.” Gus said. They were infecting each other with their good moods and dopey smiles. Hunter seemed doubtful, but he was probably just worried. He was a worrywart! No need to dwell on that, right?

Suddenly, there was a finger waving in her face. Gus picked up another outfit he had showcased. “BUT for now just focus on the clothes.”

“Oooh, I like this one.” Luz knew she got distracted easily and Gus was using that against her, but that outfit was totally her style.

After she had changed in the bathroom, she obediently returned to the basement. All the while fighting the urge to sneak upstairs and find out how things were going. She was super curious, but there was no way she’d ruin Amity’s plan.

“Hhmmm,” Gus tapped his chin, scrutinising his own combination as Luz did an apprehensive spin in front of them. “Hunter go get your boots.”

“What?” The blonde turned to him with a questioning frown.

“They’d fit perfectly with the outfit!” He explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “And it’s not like Luz has a much smaller size.”

“I dunno about that…” Luz admitted. She didn’t have to point out that Hunter was taller than her. She was pretty sure he’d even grown a few inches since they got here.

“Just go.” Gus said hot-tempered when Hunter showed similar hesitation. He gestured with his hands, like herding a troublesome sheep, until he got his buddy to the stairs. “If they don’t fit that’s too bad, but we won’t know if we don’t try!

Luz cracked a smile and shared an amused look with her brother before he disappeared to the hallway.

Amity’s nerves were getting to her, she hadn’t thought about this waiting period while Luz was still getting ready. She knew she looked good and she knew it didn’t even matter what she wore, her girlfriend would still think she was pretty in a garbage bag. But she was still getting antsy, pacing through the room.

“Girl, calm down.” Vee said in another failed attempt to get her to relax. She was laying on her belly in Luz’s bed, her head resting on her hands and her tail swaying from side to side.

“You put too much pressure on your plans, Ami.” Willow added, leaning back in the pink office chair and playing with clover. She was right, but that didn’t really help lower her stress.

Stress that she didn’t even know where came from.

“I know…” Amity conceded, but kept pacing.

“Knock knock!” They suddenly heard Gus’s voice from behind the door. He didn’t really wait for an answer before swinging the door open, bowing with court-like flair. “Luz is ready and waiting downstairs for you, my lady~”

Amity burst with a laugh, quickly suppressing it to pretend being disgruntled. The girls behind her didn’t hold back, roaring with laughter as Gus performed another, deeper bow.

“Thank you Gus.” Amity said graciously after the three of them had died down. Her nerves had disappeared like snow in the sun. “Did you…”

“Don’t worry, I worked my magic.” Gus reassured her. Amity was pretty sure the angelic glow around his head was an illusion, but she still opted to check for a spell circle behind his back. Gus smiled innocently as he broke the spell.

Amity stared at him with playful exasperation and Gus giggled. Then he winked. “And Hunter didn’t touch a thing.”

“Come on guys, he’s not that bad at…” Willow’s voice trailed off as all the heads in the room turned. Teasing eyes and mischievous smiles settling on her.

Vee slithered over to her, resting her head on the chair’s armrest and staring up at Willow like a cat. Gus walked over as well, his hands folded behind his back with a similar smirk.

“Sorry what was that?” He asked innocently, making Willow’s shoulder tense up as she tried to look anywhere but at them.

“Not bad at…?” Vee teasingly repeated her own words. Now she was full-on blushing.

Amity didn’t know how to jump in there and join the teasing, so she let the ‘peas in a pod’ do their thing. Even Clover was buzzing around, she could only guess how much the fuzzy bee was poking fun.

Amity was honestly still confused by this crush. Not from Hunter’s side of course. And not that he wasn’t a great guy, but…

Why?

When they were kids Willow always fell for the smooth, charismatic heroes it the romance novels they read. Well, when they snuck into the young-adult section of the library and secretly read together in their hideout.

Amity claimed the library hideout in the friend-divorce, sometimes she even hid there from Willow. She always regretted it, especially when she read about a cliché, charming heroine. Or about an outlaw love interest or some kind of misunderstood villain.

Anyways, this crush on Hunter surprised her is all. He was more anxious and nerdy than smooth or charming. But she was very happy for her.

She shook her head, tuning back in right as Willow jumped out of her seat utterly flustered.

“So Luz is ready?” Willow asked deliberately, trying to turn their attention back to the matter at hand. She hooked her arm with Amity’s, most likely using her as a shield.

“Yup!” Gus granted her the mercy of a change in topic. He got up from his dramatic - honestly impressive - lean on the chair and rubbed his hands together. “Let’s get this date started!”

He lead them down the hallway. Amity’s nerves came back in full force, but this time it felt more like exhilaration, like adrenaline. They stopped in front of the stairs, her friends all turned to her for the next step of the plan. But she was distracted by a certain conversation she overheard.

“Tell me I can do this.” Luz’s worried voice came from downstairs. Amity’s stomach dropped.

“You can do this.” Hunter’s voice instantly replied, not too enthusiastically.

“Now say it like you mean it.” Luz deadpanned. He scoffed in a particular way where Amity knew he was shaking his head.

“Relax.” Hunter said, not at all eloquently.

“That’s rich coming from you.” Luz pouted and Amity finally realised their banter was in good humour. She shared a knowing look with her friends as they giggled quietly.

“Okay, you guys go and tell her I’m coming down.” Amity whispered. Willow punched her arm softly before following Gus down the stairs. Vee was hot on their heels after shapeshifting to her human form and giving her a parting thumbs-up gesture.

“She’s ready~” Sounded Gus’s voice. She also heard Willow and Vee quietly compliment Luz’s outfit, only making her more curious.

Amity took a deep breath and walked down the stairs. In the most elegant, movie-like way she could, just as planned.

Luz was standing on the perfect place to greet her, only a few feet from the bottom step. Her mouth hung open in a comical, over the top way, but just as genuine as ever. Amity knew her face was hot red, like Willow’s tomatoes in the garden.

She was aware Luz cleaned up nice, but Gus had really outdone himself. She wore a dark purple jacket on top of a black top, which perfectly framed her shoulders. The sleeves reached to her elbows and her arms were adorned with a great deal of bracelets. Amity recognised a lot of them as gifts she’d happily given.

It made her happy to know they were both wearing each other’s gifts today.

Luz also wore a pair of stone blue skinny jeans. The formfitting pants nicely contrasted with the more loose jacket. Amity’s face was already hot enough, so she quickly focused on the brown lace up boots those skinny jeans ended in.

Wait- were those Hunter’s boots?

They certainly completed the outfit though. She’ll remember Gus’s impeccable fashion sense for next time.

Amity nearly skipped down the last steps, coming to a halt when she reached the bottom. She smiled brightly, marvelling at the way her ‘outfit reveal’ plan went off without a hitch. Luz’s beautiful dark curls bounced as she quickly closed the distance between them. Amity felt her arms wrap around her as she was suddenly lifted in the air and spun around.

“Ooooooh so pretty!” Her girlfriend squealed as she giggled from this princess-worthy hug.

Luz set her down, but didn’t release the hold around her waist. Not that Amity would ever want her to. She wrapped her own arms around Luz’s neck as they continued to hold each other in an ecstatic, bubbly giggle.

“You look quite good yourself~” Amity told her quietly, with a flirty voice she’d only ever use for Luz.

“Hey!” Gus grabbed her attention as he yelled. He was huffy as he tried to avoid the hand Hunter had placed over his face, seemingly shielding his eyes from her and Luz’s embrace.

Hunter and the girls next to him laughed as Gus finally succeeded in liberating his eyesight. Amity felt a little embarrassed at how easily she’d forgotten her friends were there. Her cheeks turned even redder, if that was possible. She let her arms fall off of Luz, who placed a quick peck on her cheek before releasing her.

Okay, now her cheeks were as red as they were going to get!

“Thanks for all your help folks,” Luz said upbeat as she grabbed Amity’s hand and led her to the front door, passing their friends. “But if you’ll excuse us, we’ve got a hot date right now.”

They walked outside under a symphony of laughing and cheering.

“I’m so glad my plan worked.” Amity leaned against Luz’s shoulder as they walked through the front yard. “Wasn’t it just the perfect movie trope?”

“It was perfect.” Luz agreed, touching her head briefly against hers. “Your plans always work.”

———

Luz thundered down the stairs, scaring her brother half to death. She briefly noticed his intense, wide eyes from behind his sewing machine as she flung herself on the couch. Grabbing Gus's pillow to muffle herself as she screamed her lungs out.

"Didn't go well?" Hunter asked nonchalantly like he hadn't just tensed every muscle in his body. If he was about to joke about this, if that stupid idiot was going to tease her about this...

"Shut up." She said defeated, still with her face buried in the pillow.

"Sorry, bad joke." Hunter's voice came closer. She turned her head to watch him sit down crosslegged on his mattress. "Did something happen?"

"No!" Luz responded instantly. "The date was perfect and happy and amazing."

It really was. She had taken Amity to a cute little café in town. They talked and laughed and held hands. They did all the cute couple stuff and enjoyed their slice of life day out.

Luz flirted with her of course, even more than usual. Comparing her sweetness to the various pastries on the menu. Then almost ordering the cheesecake because Amity called her ‘cheesy’, until she reminded Luz about all the lactose in it. So Amity ended up with the cheesecake, which she loved by the way, and Luz devoured a slice of apple pie. And it was lovely and amazing.

"But I couldn't do it!" Luz desperately continued, before she confused Hunter too much. "I couldn't talk about my feelings!"

"Ohh..." He looked like he understood now. Flapjack was perched on his shoulder, half hidden behind his long hair. He should really cut it already, or at least style it better. Hunter gave her a tightlipped smile. “Did you run away again? Or- from the conversation I mean.”

"No! Amity didn't bring it up, so I had to bring it up. I wanted to bring it up, but I couldn't!" She rambled on, still desperate and miserable.

"Wait, Amity didn't bring it up?" He held his hands up, Luz could practically see the gears in his head struggling to turn. "But that was the whole point."

"Don't judge me!" She cried out, burying her head back in the pillow.

"I'm judging both of you." Hunter’s voice sounded low and unimpressed.

"You!" Luz instantly retaliated into the pillow. She pushed herself up with sudden fiery determination, before continuing with a angry index finger pointed in her brother's face. "You're not allowed to judge anyone, you're a mess!"

“T-that is totally irrelevant!" Hunter sputtered offended. Luz suddenly had to try her best not to laugh, Hunter's frown slowly turned into a smirk. He shrugged again. "True, but irrelevant."

Luz giggled, her arm falling down weakly. She died down and they sat in silence for a little while. Luz’s misery returned unforgiving, she sighed after sitting up more comfortably.

Flapjack hopped from his witch’s shoulder to hers. He nuzzled into her cheek, singing a sweet melody she wished she could understand.

"What do I do now?" She moped, giving Hunter puppy-dog eyes as she absentmindedly gave the little palisman scritches.

"For Titan's sake, just talk to her!" He yelled at her, moving his hands around wildly. Luz jerked backwards surprised, she felt Flap’s little claws grab tighter on her shoulder.

"I'm trying!" She yelled back, scaring the bird into flying up frazzled.

He circled above them chirping loudly. Luz thought for a second she’d really scared him, but Hunter’s expression didn’t suggest that. He actually rolled his eyes, ignoring whatever Flapjack was saying.

He got a solid bonk on the head for it.

Flap landed in his hair afterwards, still chirping loudly as he nestled in the blonde locks.

"He's speaking in proverbs again." Hunter scrunched his face in a puzzled way, then shrugged as he looked at Luz. "Pretty sure he's calling us similar. In a bad way."

“What did he say exactly?” Luz laughed

“Birds of a feather flock together.” Hunter translated. Luz cocked her head at the familiar saying, he seemed to think she needed more clarification. “It’s more the way he said it that suggests it’s bad.”

“That’s a human saying.” Luz said, she could see her words shock the grimwalker in front of her.

“It is?” Hunter raised an eyebrow than looked to Flapjack. The cardinal hopped away, avoiding eye contact in a not-so-subtle way.

Luz was sure Hunter noticed it too, because when Flapjack chirped, he squinted suspiciously. She couldn’t imagine the cardinal was a much better liar than his witch.

“Anyways,” He changed the topic very obviously. The blonde boy clasped his hands together, jutting them in her direction. “Talk to your girlfriend Luz.”

“I told you, I tried.” She whined in despair.

“Well try harder, try more, try better.” Hunter said in a mock-pout.

“You’re not being kind at all…” Luz said in a real pout, a part of her a little peeved he wasn’t all soft and understanding like usual. But a bigger part of her was very glad they were joking around. She loved their banter.

"Listen hermanita," Hunter said enunciating the word carefully. His pronunciation was off, but Luz still got a kick out of the nickname. "A perfect date where you're happy and in love isn't a loss."

He poked her forehead to support his point.

“Alright, alright,” She swatted it away. “I get it.”

Luz reached out to pet Flapjack, basically insuring Hunter had to sit still like a pedestal for his palisman to be doted on. He had a point and she didn’t do anything wrong, she just had to find the courage to bring up her feelings.

Easier said than done though.

As she scratched the cardinal’s chin through the blonde nest, she had an idea. A perfectly devious, rambunctious idea.

"You know what would make me feel better?" She said, trying to suppress the smug, Cheshire Cat smile forming on her lips. He seemed to be considering it, but she wasn’t done yet. “Then let me do it when the others are there too.”

“No.”

“Come on~”

"Don't touch me." Hunter now looked at her suspicious, or rather, like a warning. As if those would ever stop her.

“Gruñón.” Luz reached a hand in the general direction of his ear. Hunter leaned backwards, effortlessly dodging her attempt. She got up from the couch extra slowly, every braincell in her skull focused on the same thing.

“I don’t know what that means,” His voice still carried the same alarmed suspicion. Apparently he’d noticed her movements all the same, because he kept backing away. “But I’m not letting you touch my ears.”

Hunter stood up, using his height as an advantage. Incredibly unfair, but if he thought that would intimidate her, he was sorely mistaken. Luz had seen him through enough embarrassing moments to ever be scared of him.

And if she had anything to say about it, this was going to be another one of those moments.

Flapjack flew away, sensing the suspense of the coming battle. Hunter was stuck between some kind of fighting stance and cautious body language.

Luz’s determination burned stronger as she crept forward. She lunged, arms outstretched and ready to scratch. But the next thing she knew, she was laying with her back pressed on Hunter's sleeping bag.

She blinked, her brain having a hard time catching up to the insane takedown Hunter had just used on her. He was like some kind of martial arts champion. His leg had hooked behind her knees and his hand gripped her hoody, to not drop her too hard.

But her resolve wasn't quelled yet! Her arms were still free to reach out and- until they weren't.

"Stop it." Hunter laughed as he grabbed her wrists.

"Okayyyy..." Luz groaned, she held out a hand for him to shake. "Truce."

"I'm not falling for that again." Hunter said, still holding onto her wrists. Luz cackled maniacally and he helped her stand up. Once her wrists were free she grabbed a pillow and chucked it in his face. Hunter gasped indignant. "I knew it!"

He grabbed his own pillow, flinging to her head. But she blocked it, quickly countering with Gus’s blanket. They didn’t erupt in an all out pillow fight, but their competitive spirits were definitely awake.

"You have to teach me how to do that." Luz said very energetic, doing her best rendition of a judo takedown against the empty air.

“No," Hunter shot her down, getting a hit in as she turned around with a mopey expression. He smirked after literally wiping that look from her face "Get outta here.”

She blew a raspberry at him, finally honouring the truce and cleaning up their weaponry. She only now realised that the boys's sleeping stuff was back here.

"No more sleepovers?" She put on a sad voice while fluffing up Gus's pillow and laying it back on the couch carefully. She had no idea how he'd feel about his pillow being used for war. So she was erasing as much evidence as possible.

"You still wanna keep tabs on me?" Hunter sighed annoyed. His tone confused her and so did his face when she almost snapped her neck to look at it.

"That's only part of the reason I wanted sleepovers." Luz told him with a frown. She wasn't going to lie to him, but it was hardly the most important reason at play. She just wanted to be close to all her friends after - what she now knew as - his stone sleep. The sleepovers were meant to cheer them up, the second one in particular.

"Oh." Her friend froze then smiled at her awkwardly. Luz giggled, punching him softly on the shoulder. The tips of his pointy ears turned a soft pink as he tried to hide his embarrassment by putting back his own pillow.

The room fell into a comfortable silence. Luz returned Gus's blanket to it's rightful place with the same care. Hunter sat behind the sewing machine, continuing his work on what she guessed was a sweater. Flapjack circled in the air a few times before nestling in spare fabrics and threads.

Luz wasn't ready to leave yet. Her heart was still set on some kind of competition. She dropped back down on Hunter's sleeping bag, folding her legs.

He raised an eyebrow at her, probably confused about what she was still doing here. But he didn't say anything.

It didn't take long for boredom to take over as Luz just sat there watching her brother sew. She started drumming her hands on her knees. She swore she saw Hunter roll his eyes.

“Did you come straight to me after your date?” He asked as he grabbed another patch, a slice of pizza. She wasn't sure if he was actually curious or just trying to tame her adhd. He leered at her from behind the machine. “I don’t know if I should be flattered or concerned.”

“Of course I didn’t.” Luz huffed offended. She also tugged on her hoody, because with that whole makeover thing he should’ve really noticed she was wearing a different outfit. “I’m a great girlfriend and didn’t just ditch Amity right after our date. I’ve been home for like an hour.“

She lost some of her gusto recounting her steps. “Also, the guilt and regret only set in after we were already home.”

Hunter burst out in a laugh, he didn't even try to hide it.

"Hey!" Luz stood up and dashed over to the sewing table. "Don't laugh you jerk!"

She made another attempt to scratch the spot behind his ear, but he dodged it pretty effortlessly. All the while still laughing like an jerk.

"Just get outta here already." He playfully slapped her arm to the side. Luz suppressed the urge to mock him, he sounded too much like a whiney little brother. Instead, she shuffled away, stopping in front of the stairs.

“Wanna play video games?” She pointed over her shoulder, an anticipating smile plastered on her face. Her competitive drive was still in high gear.

“Uh…” Hunter looked back surprised. She saw his eyes flicker to his palisman and the expression he wore didn’t sit well with her. The blonde boy turned to her and smiled. “Maybe later.”



“… okay.” It took all her willpower to walk back upstairs as her entire being begged her to meddle. Her brother was easy to read and there was something going on between him an Flapjack. But she had to remember it wasn’t her place, reminding herself to stop interfering in things that didn’t concern her.

Not much good came of her meddling in things like that…

Hunter took his sweater out of the sewing machine. It was coming along quite nicely. His only problem was the diminishing amount of space left. Every time he decided on a patch and sewed it on, he saw three more he really liked.

So before he they started overlapping too much, he decided he was done for today.

But first…

He watched his palisman stir in the little nest he’d made. Flapjack had probably made a hundred different nests on that table, every time Hunter used new fabric or string.

“Do you like it?” He asked, holding up the part of the sweater with the new patches. Flap’s beak stretched out into a yawn, his eyes fluttered open.

“It looks great!” He chirped. Hunter smiled wide, looking down at his work proudly. Flap made a low cooing noise, looking up at him with compassion and it confused him. “Is it bothering you?”

“Huh?” Only then did he notice that his hand had subconsciously reached for the spot behind his hand. He quickly dropped it. “Oh, no it’s… fine.”

The little bird radiated doubt, his tiny eyes squinting. Hunter laughed nervously.

“Really, it’s fine. Luz is just really annoying about it.” The palisman still didn’t say anything, but Hunter knew what that look meant. He sighed, knowing what he had to admit to get Flap to stand down. “It’s just so… abnormal.”

“Is this new feature really that bad?” Flap chirped, added a nice trill on the word ‘feature’ which made Hunter involuntarily chuckle.

“No, it’s not bad.” Hunter reluctantly admitted, giving the cardinal a miffed look. “That was actually the best I’ve slept in a long time.”

“Happy to hear it.” He laughed and Hunter smiled softly, nodding still somewhat reluctantly.

He folded the sweater up, gliding a finger over his newest stitches. They were so neat, mostly because of the machine, but still. He really felt like he was getting better at this, if only he could show Darius.

Hunter saw Flapjack’s feathers puff up as he stepped out of his pile. He had actually planted to talk to him about something else, but wasn’t sure if he should. He scratched his cute little palisman under the chin and made up his mind.

“How did you know that human proverb?” He asked once Flap had stretch out his little wings. He seemed to freeze for a second, giving him a wary side-eye before pretending like nothing happened.

“I am sure I’ve heard other witches say that before.” He chirped nonchalantly as he preened his back feathers.

”I’m not stupid Flap,” Hunter mumbled as he propped his elbow on the table, resting his head on his hand and looking down at his palisman with a sigh. “Even your name is a human thing.”

The cardinal stopped rooting through his feathers, but still avoided eye contact. He hummed a low noise as he looked around the room, seemingly deliberating if he should tell him the truth. He slowly looking up at his witch with a guilty expression and Hunter suddenly felt a little nervous, not sure if he really wanted to know the answer.

“I was made by someone who loved the human realm.” Flapjack told him, reminiscing with a look of happiness and yearning. “She traveled between the two worlds frequently.”

Hunter felt relief bloom in his stomach, his nerves had been unnecessary. He was actually intrigued about the witch who carved his sweet little bird, she must’ve been a really nice person.

She must’ve had the same intense desire for freedom he had felt when he and Flap bonded.

“What was her name?” He asked, curiosity rising in his chest and digging its sharp claws in his brain. This was the first time Flap had ever talked about his origins. Granted, it was the first time Hunter had asked him about it.

“… I do not remember.” The little red bird averted his gaze, Hunter could tell he was lying. One benefit of being a terrible liar was recognising fellow terrible liars.

“Flapjack.” He couldn’t help the disappointment seeping into his voice. He reached out his index finger to gently pat his head, but his palisman took a step back.

“It doesn’t matter. She’s been gone for a long time.” He chirped mournfully, scraping a tiny claw over the wooden table. He was still reminiscing, but his eyes had turned dark and somber.

“Oh.” Hunter fell silent and he instantly wanted to open a giant sinkhole and jump down into the black abyss. He desperately sputtered out an apology. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-… I shouldn’t have-“

“No no, don’t worry!” Flapjack quickly hopped forward, rubbing against the hand he was still holding up. “It’s alright, Hunter.”

Hunter was intimately familiar with beating himself up, he knew all of that fool’s tricks. So he should really stop falling for them, or stop picking fights with himself in the first place.

He felt a bit less stupid now, gratefully tickling Flap under the chin. His sweet little palisman was just as familiar with talking him down.

“I just miss her sometimes.” Flap said in a low chirp. “Both of them.”

Hunter’s curiosity was furiously poked by that last cryptic mumble. He was so tempted to ask further, pry a little more, but the mere idea of causing Flap more pain was unbearable.

Losing the witch that carved you must be hellish grief for a palisman. Hunter had no idea what that felt like, but talking about it had obviously been awful for him.

“You often remind me of them.” The little bird cooed as he rubbed his cheek against Hunter’s palm.

He couldn’t figure out if him saying that meant he was willing to talk more. He really didn’t want to risk it, but he had an idea on how to ask.

“If you ever want to tell stories about them, I’d love to hear it.” He promised as he stood up, holding out a hand for his friend to jump on.

“Perhaps I will,” He chirped, flapping his wings to make the jump easier. Hunter put him on his shoulder very gently, tilting his head as Flapjack rubbed against his cheek. “Some day.”

He guessed they both wanted to hide the truth sometimes. What a pair, truly a matching set.

“Or if you ever wanna tell me what you keep looking for in the shed.” Hunter tried with a hopeful smile, as he made his way upstairs. “I’m all ears.”

Flap turned to him with an unimpressed look. He knew he wouldn’t get any information out of him, no matter how many times he asked. And his latest run-in with curiosity was still weighing on his conscience, making him apprehensive. Didn’t the humans have a saying about that too?

“Alright then, keep your secrets.” He decided, laughing as he booped the little rascal on his beak just before opening the door to the hallway.

When he walked into the living room, everybody was lounge on or next to the couch watching tv. Some kind of animal documentary, that Vee no doubt put on, was showing a tiny rodent creature frolicking through a field.

He definitely wasn’t the only one that thought it was cute, Vee and Gus were practically melting into the couch. Willow, sitting next to them, almost had sparkles in her eyes. And the girlfriends, who were cuddled up on the floor, cooed as the creature jumped in the air with all four paws stretched out. Amity was the first to notice him.

“Hey nerd!” She said in that teasing-but-affectionate way. Hunter rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Hi.” He said unenthusiastically as he sat down in the big, comfy chair. He pointed towards the creature on the tv. “What is that?”

“A rat.” Gus said like he was in love.

“A greater stick-nest rat.” Vee clarified, she swished her tail back and forth. “It eats invasive plants.”

“Invasive?” Hunter got worried, watching the rat pluck a bunch of purple flowers.

“That’s when a plant or animal is not originally from the country it’s in now.” Vee explained further, but he felt no closer to understanding those concepts. “Invasive species are bad for the local ecosystems, but this little guy seems to thrive on those weeds.”

Hunter nodded slowly, more to indicate that he heard her words.

Nothing on the Boiling Ilses was, or could be, invasive. Everything originated from the Titan. Countries were weird on their own, but how could something be invasive just for crossing the arbitrary lines determined by humans?

“Invasion bad, rat good.” Luz summarised when she saw how confused he still was. She seemed to have forgotten about that game he owed her.

“Right.” Hunter just opted to watch the tv. He didn’t want to look stupid. But throwing a quick glance to Gus and Willow, who both shrugged, reassured him that they had no idea what any of that meant either.

“And he’s just really cute.” Willow smirked at him, the others humming in agreement.

He heard the sound of the front door open and close, keys jingling and shoes being kicked off. He fought the urge to jump up and look into the hallway, or even so much as turn around. It was Camila, he knew it was Camila, it always was and could only be Camila.

Luckily he didn’t have to wait long for the confirmation, as their host walked into the living room.

“Aye que Lindo~” She cooed at the rat on screen. Hunter only then noticed how exhausted she looked. She seemed almost dishevelled, her hair fuzzy and her eyes dull. Like she just came from an illegal brawl.

“Are you okay?” He jumped up. This time he couldn’t suppressing his instincts, not that he even thought about it. “Do you want to sit down? Here, take my seat. I can get you something to drink?”

He felt the burning stare of his friends on the side of his face, preferring not to see the look in their eyes. Camila’s compassionate smile wasn’t much better, but it also brought him comfort somehow.

“Gracias mijo,” She put a hand on his arm and sat down like she was completely drained. “I had a long shift today.”

She breathed a sigh of relief as she settled deeper into the chair. Hunter involuntarily did the same, he stopped picking at his nails, which he didn’t even realise he’d been doing. Camila gestured to the couch where his friends were making room for him to sit. “But no need to get me anything, sweetheart.”

He sat down at his designated spot, still avoiding eye contact with his friends and pretending he was very interested in the documentary.

It showed an aquatic animal that looked very interesting. Its tail was a little similar to that of a Selkidomas, but other than that its smooth body and tiny flippers looked so weird. It was called a ‘common dolphin’ and Hunter thought it was anything but cute, but the girls disagreed.

Vee was explaining to Gus how they were able to film an animal underwater. Willow and Amity somehow still looked at the tv with sparkling eyes as the beast eviscerated a small fish.

Hunter’s attention was suddenly pulled back towards Camila as she said something Spanish under her breath. She brought a hand to her forehead and let out an annoyed groan. He couldn’t remember if he’d ever seen her like that before. Was she angry? What was she annoyed at? Did they do something wrong?

“I can’t believe this.” She muttered to herself and he practically felt his heart rate spike. She turned to them. “Kids, I forgot to swing by the grocery store after work.”

Oh.

“Amity, Hunter,” She shot a pointed look at the both of them. “Would you two mind going to the corner store and buying some stuff for dinner?”

“Of course!” Amity read his mind. She perched like a Jackalope alerting to rustling leaves.

Hunter nodded happily. There was a flash of something he couldn’t quite place on their caretakers face, but then she smiled gratefully.

“Gracias bebes, I think the list is on the fridge.”

Hunter’s head snapped towards Amity and her eyes met his. They froze for just a second, staring.

Then they bolted.

There was no countdown, no verbal agreement, not even a shared thought bordering on telepathy. There was just a race to win.

Amity dashed behind the couch, reaching the hallway before him because he had to climb out of the couch. He almost passed her, sliding to a stop in front of the kitchen, but she slipped through the doorway first and rushed to grab the shopping list that was pinned to the fridge by a tiny rainbow magnet.

Hunter loudly exclaimed from the defeat and Amity cackled all the way back to the living room. He shuffled behind her in disappointment, grumbling. Amity held the list high in victory, Camila and their friends looked at them with clear confusion. Hunter just shot them the most sour look ever.

“I got it.” Amity said awkwardly, waving the list.

“Right!” Camila broke out of her daze and led them to the front door where they put on their shoes. It was still warm enough that they didn’t need a jacket. She gave them a shopping bag and some money. “I’m sorry for making you two do my errands.”

Hunter stopped dead in his tracks, turning around surprised before he could step outside. Amity seemed just as confused.

“But I’m very tired and I need my no-nonsense kids to do their thing.” She put a hand on Amity’s shoulder with a grateful smile. She practically glowed with pride and Hunter couldn’t help but feel the same thing bloom in his chest.

“Don’t worry,” his pink-haired friend said, reassuring Camila. “We love to help you out.”

“It’s the least we could do when you take care of us every day.” Hunter added. A soft expression graced her face and Camila gave them another grateful smile.

“Alright, be careful. See you soon.” She said as they walked down the garden path. They waved their goodbyes and promised to be quick. “Buy yourselves some extra snacks!”

Camila’s last sentence, before she shut the door, made them stop abruptly again. Hunter looked at Amity a little uneasy, she looked at him with tight-lipped resignation. A quiet understanding between them, they were going to struggle with that one.

——

Amity looked at the colourful rows of packaging on the shelves. It was weird to see so many different version of the same things. Stores back home didn’t have seventeen different brands for every product. She liked human realm food, but it will always be weird to her.

Sometimes the flavour was so intense and rich that she almost wanted to marry what was on her plate. Other times she was eating something so bland, it was just sad.

The trip to the corner store was boring and uneventful. She got to bark orders at Hunter, as was the prize for winning the game. And he’d have to do all the heavy lifting. It was a very efficient system in her opinion. But as expected, they were facing difficulties to pick out ‘a snack’ that wasn’t on the list.

“What about this one?” Hunter held up a bag of chips with cheese flavouring. “Vee loves them.”

“I don’t like the taste of those.” Amity admitted sheepishly.

“Do you like this one?” She pointed to a light blue packaging for chocolate chip cookies. Chocolate was one of the first things Luz had wanted them to try and for good reason, it was amazing.

“Sure.” Hunter replied noncommittally. “Would that be… appropriate?”

“I think so?” Amity shrugged.

“Let’s just get it.” Hunter lowered the shopping bag on the ground, the handles stretching from the weight. “I don’t wanna take too long.”

“Yup, I agree.” She grabbed the crinkling tray and dropped it into the bag. “Plus, it only costs a few snails- uh, I mean dollars.”

“Perfect!” Hunter nodded approvingly and they both burst out into a quiet, embarrassed laugh.

As they made their way towards the register, Hunter swung the bag back and forth a few times to hoist it up easier, holding it in both arms before putting it on the counter by the register.

Amity sniffed with amusement, Emira always did the exact same thing.

Her legs stopped working. A homesick feeling overwhelmed her and suddenly she was threatening to break down is this stupid little grocery store. Now the rows of shelving made the space seem uncomfortably small and all those colours surrounding her felt foreign in the worst way.

Everything she saw was tormenting her with its humanity.

She missed the tangible products that didn’t have that ‘plastic’ stuff around them. She missed the sweet elderly demon behind the register. She missed-

“Amity?” Hunter interrupted her train of thought by calling her name, for what might’ve been the second or third time judging from his expression.

“Huh?” She asked, hoping he’d just see it as her daydreaming. At least she wasn’t crying or anything.

“We need to pay.” Hunter pointed a finger at the register and all their items that had, apparently, already been rung up.

“Right!” Amity laughed nervously, forcing her legs to move forward and taking the bills Camila had entrusted to her out of her pocket.

As they walked out of the store and back down the road, her mind wandered back to the demon realm. She just couldn’t stop thinking about it!

She missed her siblings, she longed for them so painfully. She hoped with all her heart that they were safe. She missed their stupid pranks and their endless nagging. She missed how Emira helped her with her hair and the way Edric would sneak her snacks at night.

And she missed her dad. She was so unbelievably angry that she got separated from him, just when they were starting to get along.

But she didn't miss her mom. Maybe that made her a heartless, ungrateful child, but she didn't care. It's not like she was happy she got separated from her, that was a whole other extreme. She just didn't care where or how she was.

People always said “but she’s still your mom”, like that meant anything.

“Oh,” Hunter exclaimed like he remembered something, once again dragging her out of her thoughts. “How was you date?”

The giant smile that formed on her face was easy and real.

“Perfect,” Amity said dreamily, remembering the cute tea shop and her even cuter girlfriend.

“So you feel better?” Hunter readjusted the big bag on his shoulder.

“… Yeah.” She looked straight ahead so Hunter couldn’t see her face. He either didn’t catch her lie or chose not to pry, because he didn’t respond.

She’d been beating herself up about this all afternoon. All her problems seemed to fly out the window when she saw Luz laughing. For a moment everything was okay again. Now the longing for home and the dread she’d never see it again were crawling back into her brain.

And she didn't take the opportunity to talk to her girlfriend about them! So stupid.

She always felt better after talking with Luz. Amity never expected her to understand. Not when she had missed Camila so much, even when their relationship wasn't as good as it was now. But Luz never said "but she's still you mom”. Never. She understood.

But Hunter, he got it.

She carefully looked up at his face, hoping it wouldn’t instigate any more questions. His long blonde hair hanging down like a slob, he still hadn’t figured out how to style it properly. She remembered when they first started decorating the shack. She, Gus and Willow made drawings of their families and she had felt obligated to explain why she hadn’t added her mom.

Vee and Willow did their best to sympathise, Gus could comprehend her reasons, Luz understood, but Hunter was the only one that knew what it felt like.

Pure apathy.

Because he was feeling it too. Or he had felt it in the past. Not that they talked much about that. Or often. But he told her the numbness tended to transform into anger sometimes. And they talked about how much they had cared at some point, to an unhealthy degree.

“I get it.”

“I know you do… isn’t that horrible?”

“Probably.”

She watched him move the shopping bag from one shoulder to the other. Could she talk about her complicated homesickness with him instead?

They were already approaching the Noceda residence, the quaint little house with its white picket fence, and she felt the opportunity slip through her fingers willingly.

It just didn’t sit well with her. Equating her childhood with the terrible abuse he’d suffered felt so wrong. She didn’t want to be pretentious, apparently she had been in the past and didn’t even realise it.

She was also worried about rubbing his lack of a home in his face. She knew it wouldn’t take long for Camila to adopt him and Luz had told her about a certain Coven Head. But what if he took her talking about her siblings the wrong way?

Besides, she wouldn’t want to saddle him with any more stress around building the portal.

Amity pushed her knuckles against his shoulder blade in the way that Edric absolutely hated, getting the same kind of annoyed response out of Hunter.

“Come on,” She ran up to the door and rang the bell, gesturing for him to hurry up. An irritated mumble accompanied his shoes scuffing on the gravel as he readjusted the heavy bag one last time.

Luz opened the door, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek. They moved to the kitchen, finding everyone else already there. Willow was watering the house plants, Vee was showing Gus something on her phone, and Camila was preparing a salad.

“Welkom back kids,” She said cheerfully when they greeted her.

Amity and Hunter unloaded the groceries on the island. Camila immediately took the stack of frozen pizzas and put the first one in the already-hot-oven. Amity also proudly presented the cookies they bought.

“We got a snack.” Hunter said, his tone almost veering into arrogance. “For ourselves.”

“Just the one?” Luz’s mom asked and they froze.

Hunter looked at Amity a little uneasy, she looked at him with tight-lipped resignation.

“Uhm- well, that’s a perfect choice!” Camila quickly course-corrected, taking the package and marvelling at it like it was a prized possession. “Good job.”

“Wait, did someone say chocolate?” Luz piped up, quickly walking towards her mother and snatching the cookies out of her hand.

“Aye!” Camila took them back and playfully slapped her daughter’s hand away. “I know you’re hungry because it’s dinner time, but you’ll have to wait until after you’ve actually eaten your dinner.”

“Ooh, we’re having pizza?” Willow also walked up and examined the stack. Camila spun around as she picked up the top box.

“Yes-“

“Really?” Vee bounced over, clearly overflowing with excitement.

“Oh my titan, YES!” Gus approached from the other side and Camila turned around again, looking a little frazzled.

“Alright. Everybody step away from my kitchen.” She ordered, but Hunter was the only one actually taking a step backwards. Amity didn’t want him to feel weird, so she quickly joined him.

The others just giggled and slowly made their way towards the dinner table. Willow carefully lowered the pizza onto the stack with a funny expression.

“Yes, we’re having pizza.” Camila sighed in that exaggerated way, that she by now recognised as mock-irritation. “But only because I knew I’d have a long day at work today. And I’m making a salad so that it’s not too unhealthy.”

“Yeah, we don’t care about that last part.” Luz told her with a teasing smile.

“I do.” Their blonde friend pouted.

“Hunter.” Luz turned him around and put both hands on his shoulders so she could stare intensely into his eyes. “It’s pizza. Food for the soul. Food of the gods!”

Amity could see he was barely holding a straight face, while Luz was completely serious.

“How could you look me in the eyes and say you don’t like it?” She lightly shook his shoulders back and forth before walking around him.

“I never said that.” Hunter’s confused gaze followed her as she rested her arm around Amity’s shoulders.

She giggled and nuzzled her girlfriend’s cheek, earning a blushy laugh back.

Camila put the salad bowl on the table and told them to sit down. They all happily obliged as she took the first pizza out of the oven, cut it up into eight pieces and distributed each portion onto their plates. And so they ate each pizza one by one.

There was some debate over who got the left over piece at first, but after the first few rounds most of them had eaten their fill. The salad also helped, which was delicious of course. Amity had never been disappointed by Camila’s cooking.

Her flavours could rival the spices of the Boiling Ilses.

After dinner the squad - as had unfortunately become their nickname for the group - cozied up in the living room to watch a movie, having the cookies as dessert. Amity quickly understood why Camila had been worried about them only buying one snack, the sweet chocolate goodness was devoured before they could even pick a movie.

Luz eventually convinced them to watch a movie about dragons. It was an ‘animation’ movie, which took some explaining, but the first few minutes were pretty cool. Gus and Vee were immediately hooked and Luz was excitedly telling them about ‘techniques’ used in the movie.

Amity thought it was charming, but if she had to be honest, it wasn’t the best film she’d ever seen. The dragon’s anatomy was totally wrong and most of them wouldn’t even be able to fly in real life. Luz said it was one of her favourites movies ever though, so she wouldn’t judge until seeing the whole thing.

Hunter and Willow looked like they were enjoying the film too. The latter relaxed on the couch, an amused smile on her lips as she watched the tv. And the former lounging on the ground, resting his elbow on the coffee table, rivalling Gus’s invested look.

Maybe it was the Viking’s on screen, or maybe it was Hunter hair hanging down in sad strands, but Amity got an idea that she just had to try.

“Hunter?” She asked with a cautious voice, ready to tread carefully. He tilted his chin in acknowledgment, already eyeing her suspiciously. “Can I braid your hair?”

“Oh sure.” He shrugged as he focused back on the movie. 

“Wait what?” Amity was genuinely surprised. This was going way too easily. 
 
“Sure.” He repeated. She couldn’t tell if he was enthusiastic or completely indifferent.

“Really?” She felt herself getting excited and Hunter got more suspicious.

“Yes?” He looked around for any warning signs.

Amity squealed like a fangirl, clapping her hands in excitement. At that point, Gus and Vee turned to her confused. They had only seen her do that when it came to The Good Witch Azura. Luz and Willow knew that side of her better, but neither expected her to do it because of Hunter. She saw her girlfriend poorly hide an amused smile.

“Come here.” She gestured for him to sit in front of her. She smiled brightly at her girlfriend, not even feeling embarrassed, while Hunter awkwardly climbed over the table. This was way too exciting.

It didn’t take long until everyone lost interest again. Hunter was definitely indifferent to the whole thing, fully focused on the tv while she raked her fingers through his hair to detangle it a little.

“Careful with the spot behind his ear~” Luz whispered.

“No!” Hunter spun around before she had a chance to react.

“What spot?” She asked confused, plus a little concerned she was doing something wrong.

“If you scratch it he-“

“NO!” The subject of her teasing leapt up to try and cover her mouth. Luz wrestled his hand away, trying to get her message out through bursts of laughter.

“If you scratch it he falls asleep!” She eventually shouted. Amity’s pure surprise spilled out of her in a weird guttural noise. How in the world was something like that even possible? To fall asleep from someone scratching your ear? Was Luz exaggerating?

“You’re dead to me.” Hunter deadpanned, retracting his hands and staring her down. He basically just confirmed it. No way…

“You have an off switch?!” Vee hopped out of the big armchair, bouncing towards him with unbridledly excitement. When he didn’t react, she locked her fingers with Luz who nodded vigorously.

“Why haven’t we been using that this entire time?” Gus laughed, Amity could see a teasing glint in his eyes as his full attention had found a new target.

She was also immediately drawn to Willow’s face. She seemed to be trying very hard not to laugh, smile, or in appear in any way amused by this new information. And she seemed to be failing.

“I only found out last night.” Luz explained, going into a whole tangent on how she finally got their most stubborn witch to sleep. Under a lot of giggling at that.

Hunter was ignoring everyone, a healthy shade of red on his face, and sat back down on the floor. Amity was happy to pretend nothing was said and continued gathering the strands in three even sections.

Something major happened with the boy and the dragon on the tv screen, which distracted the others again.

Or so she thought, as suddenly Luz’s hand was inching towards her work field. A delighted and devious grin spread on her face and the moment she saw that adorable expression, Amity knew she’d let her do anything.

She really shouldn’t, Hunter trusted her. They were friends now, they had a certain understanding and it hadn’t been easy to become friends.

And he trusted her!

But Luz was looking at her like that! Her hopeful- no, expecting eyes. Her mischievous smile that Amity loved so much.

So she let her do it.

Luz’s fingers found their way behind his right ear. Amity leaned back in anticipation, but the explosion she was waiting for never happened. Now overtaken by curiosity, she leaned the other way to try and see Hunter’s face.

It actually worked!

His eyes were fluttering closed, his body slumped a little. His weight slowly shifted until his back was against the base of the couch.

She tapped Willow’s arm, who instantly brought a hand to her mouth when she saw what was happening. Her eyes betraying her adoration. Willow quickly involved Gus next to her, who had about the same reaction, but he seemed to think it was more hilarious than cute.

Vee had also taken note. Resting her elbows on the chair’s armrest and her head in her hands, leering at her brother with a giant smirk. She even put the movie on pause. Either to not disturb his peace or because she didn’t want to miss both spectacles.

“Wait wait wait, guys. Listen closely." Luz held her index finger in the air, a knowing grin making them do what she said.

"Oh my Titan.” Willow took the words right out of her mouth.

Hunter was making a soft noise, almost like he was snoring. But the sound rumbled. It was muffled and low, buzzing while he both inhaled and exhaled.

"It almost sounds like he’s…” Gus cocked his head to the side.

It's a sound that Amity recognised easily. A rumbling that her beautiful, sweet palisman produced whenever they were snuggling together.

"Purring!" She gasped.

"Holy- I'm gonna tell him." Vee slithered off the armchair and came in close to Hunter, like she was examining him, with the smile of a trickster. He didn’t even stir from her presence.

"You can’t! Guys!” Willow protested, leaning very far forward. She jerked back when she realised how passionate and loud she was, but Hunter still didn’t react. She shied away with a giant blush on her face. “He's gonna be so embarrassed…”

"Uh- Yeah, that's the point." The basilisk shot her a quick sassy look.

"Nooooo~" Willow whined.

Hunter’s head was slightly lifted towards Luz’s hand. His relaxed body swayed ever so slowly to one side, getting stuck on Amity’s knee.

Until he suddenly fell to the floor with a muted thud.

They all gasped in shock, Vee was already reaching a hand out to help him, but the fall had given Hunter an immediate and very rough awakening.

"What the-..." He looked around bewildered. The room was dead quiet, except a muffled snort coming from next to Amity. Hunter's eyes immediately snapped towards the source, finally seeming to realise what just happened. Luz sensed her impending doom, vaulting over the back of the couch and quickly making a break for it. "LUZ!!"

He scrambled off the floor and chased after her. The living room roared with laughter, but Amity didn’t join in.

"Wait!” She called out. “I didn't get to braid your hair!"

"You think I'm still gonna let you?" Hunter came back into the room, dragging Luz under his arm as she tried to escape what looked like very intense hair ruffling. He stared daggers at her and Amity cringed, giving him an apologetic look.

"Please~" She clasped her hands together and begged him with big, puppy eyes. "Please Hunter?”

He stood there for a long time, his mean stare slowly softening into a pout as he looked anywhere else, seeming to consider her plea. His face was, and had been, completely red. Even the tips of his ears burned. Then he rolled his eyes and they landed back on her with a very displeased demeanour.

"... fine."

Amity breathed a sigh of relief. She was so disappointed in herself for letting this happen, but he didn’t seem all that crushed about it. Yes, he was flustered, but he was more concerned with Luz spilling the beans. Hunter wasn’t mortified or humiliated. He still trusted her.

Now as long as nobody told him he purred, she’d get to make that braid.

She didn’t even know why she wanted to do this so bad, but her happiness spiked again when he plopped back down in front of her. He exchanged some very annoyed words with Vee and Gus, shooing their hands away from his head.

She took her sweet time sectioning his hair again as Luz - who had been banished to the big chair - put the movie back on. Amity let herself get inspired by the vikings on screen, planning to make a big complicated hairstyle.

“You ever thought about dyeing it?” She asked, her voice naturally turning cunning. She added a thin section of hair to the right strand before crossing it under the middle one and repeated the process on the left side.

“Don’t test your luck Blight.” Hunter huffed, but she could tell he was smiling.

Titan, the amount of times she had done this with her siblings! They would spent hours on the floor of her room, doing each other’s hair. They’d play with the styles and colours, before ultimately going back to the green their mom wanted.

She missed them so much.

Her muscles stopped moving, she couldn’t see the blonde locks anymore through her blurry vision. He was around their age, their height. Maybe in another life, he would’ve been friends with them at Hexside.

She choked back the lump forming in her throat, blinked away stinging tears and continued her work. She was fully aware that she was treating Hunter like Edric, or Emira, or both. But she didn't care!

This weird, stitched together family was all she had right now.

[enchantedchocolatebars]

Fic Request: Luz, Amity, Hunter, Willow and Gus find a scared, crying little kid Philip alone in the abandoned Wittebane House.

Two Little Angels (Based on this au fic)

During their return to Luz's house after their group outing, the Hexsquad were immediately alerted by sobs that rang through the atmosphere.

The crying was loud, intense, and sounded all too familiar.

Due to the tone, the teens were able to determine that the cries were being uttered by a child.

A small child.

Luz let out a gasp, her eyes widening.

"Come on!" She quickly said to her friends, gesturing for them to follow her as the group took off sprinting in the direction of the wailing, which was emanating from the old abandoned house.

When the group entered the small, run-down structure, their hearts all ached at the sad sight that they saw.

Tears were streaming down Little Philip's face as he was seen crying in the corner alone, curled up in a ball.

"Oh no," Hunter whispered to himself, being the first one to approach the smaller boy.

He took a seat beside his technical brother and began speaking soothingly to him.

"Hey," Hunter softly greeted in a gentle voice as Philip quickly looked up and saw him.

His cries came to a slow end, but when Hunter opened his arms to offer him a hug, Philip started trembling and tearing up again.

"What's wrong, Philip?" He asked, rubbing the boy's back gently.

He accepted the offer to retreat into his half-brother's arms and be comforted.

"I-I saw," Philip confessed quietly in a tone that was both frightened and tearful.

"You saw?" Hunter softly repeated.

He was a bit confused as to what Philip meant by that.

Philip nodded with a sniffle before continuing. "I-I saw him. I saw the man. The man with the beard. I saw him. I saw what he did to you. He had a knife. He..."

His voice trembled once more as he almost choked on his words.

"He hurt you. He hurt you really badly. You were bleeding," Philip revealed to Hunter before bursting into tears again, crying on the older boy's shoulder.

The young boy was acquiring some of Belos's memories and experiencing flashbacks of them.

Hunter was shocked to hear all of this, but the blonde managed to remain calm.

"Hey, it's okay. I won't allow that bad man to hurt me," he assured Philip despite not having any knowledge of who this mysterious man was.

Philip sniffled as his cries came to a close.

The small smile at his strong half-brother faded to a look of worry when an unpleasant thought crept into his mind.

"But what if the scary man comes after me?" He asked innocently.

"I won't let that happen either," Hunter told him, pressing his forehead against Philip's lightly. "I'm here."

"I'm here too, little guy," Gus softly said, walking over to sit beside Philip to demonstrate his support.

The young illusionist was aware that the bearded man was actually Philip as an adult from his experience in Belos's mind, but he chose not to reveal that information to Kid Philip to avoid further traumatizing the boy.

"Me three," Willow smiled, taking a seat next to Gus.

Amity showed her solidarity by sitting down next to Hunter and smiling.

Luz was the last to walk over to the group as she lowered herself to Philip's level and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Don't forget to stay strong, little dude." She smiled a soothing smile at him.

"You're family now."

Family?

Philip was surprised to hear those words.

"I'm... your family?" He quietly questioned, blinking out a single tear that glided down his cheek.

Luz answered with a nod, carefully wiping away said tear.

"Aww, this calls for a group hug," Willow beams as everyone happily embraces each other, including Philip in the big hug.

His blue eyes were so warm as he accepted their affection and acceptance of him into their found family.

After the hug, everyone stood up. "Come on," Hunter said, offering a hand to help Little Philip up, which he gladly took. "Let's get you back to Luz's house. I'll get you a glass of water once we're inside."

"Oh, would it be feasible for my new friend to come along with us?" Philip inquired, his blue eyes now brimming with excitement instead of tears.

"Your new friend?" The blonde asked, bewildered by the question.

Suddenly, an opossum drops down from the ceiling and lands on Philip's head.

It emits a hiss, but Philip doesn't seem to be bothered by this as he continues to smile.

However, Hunter lets out a small squeak, his eyes locked on the rodent and overflowing with panic.

"There you are!" Philip beamed, bringing a hand up to pet his friend.

"Aww, Little Angel!" Luz gushed sweetly as she recognized the opossum, clasping her hands together.

Philip took note of Hunter's expression.

"Don't worry, he's really friendly and doesn't bite..." Philip paused. "...Sometimes..." The brunette would admit with a small giggle.

"Is that so..." A shaky Hunter mumbled.

Philip nodded. "Mm-hm! So can he come with us?"

Philip's blue eyes sparkled pleadingly, and Hunter knew he was hoping for a yes.

He sighed. "Fine, he can come."

"Yay!" Philip cheered.

"HISSSS!" went Little Angel.

"He said 'yay' too," the small boy translated with a chuckle.

[thousand-winters]

I headcanon years of exhaustion sometimes just catch up to Hunter randomly, and he just falls asleep anywhere, especially cuddled up to Darius and/or Eberwolf

Oof, I can see that, especially considering that one comment Zeno had made about Hunter not being used to how comfortable hugs are and just conking out whenever someone hugs him.

Even if he was sleeping better in the Human Realm, on behalf of not having the duties of a soldier anymore and feeling somewhat safe for the first time in his life, it didn't seem to be enough to catch up on all the rest he needs from pretty much years of sleep deprivation. It's likely he wasn't resting too well even if he had the time, because even if he was avoiding thinking about all of his trauma, the secrets Luz and him were hiding weren't exactly making for the most calm of experiences, and it's probable too that he had nightmares about everything despite refusing to address the issues while awake.

I don't think avoiding everything is going to be an option anymore after everything. He might want to try, but after Flapjack's death and now that they're back on the Demon Realm and he's living with Darius and Eberwolf, he doesn't have an excuse like "oh, I have to focus on trying to build a portal" or "I don't have time to think about what happened to me because I need to plan for where I'm gonna live and what I'm gonna do". For the first time in his life, he's going to have an stable living situation and while there will be a kinda awkward period of adjustment while Darius, Eber and him get used to their new dynamic, he's still the safest he's ever been in all senses, which means all of that trauma is finally going to catch up on him.

As a result, I think the nightmares are going to get a lot worse at the beginning, and without a goal to gather energy to fulfill, he truly is going to have no choice but to feel and process whatever he's feeling and that alone is going to be exhausting.

So, Darius or Eber hug him? He closes his eyes and he's half asleep like five seconds into the hug. He's sitting at the table waiting for breakfast and his head almost slams on the table because he started snoozing accidentally. He sits down on the couch and he tries to keep his eyes open but they're already half-closed by the time one of the other two join him. They're out in town and Darius feels him leaning against him and suddenly more and more of his weight is resting on him. It's a bit concerning but they figure that he has a LOT of sleep to catch up on and if he merely needs to rest, then there's no harm done, though they probably try to double check with a healer just in case.

If he's by Darius or Eber's side while sitting down, they just hug him closer and adjust him enough so his neck won't be sore when he wakes up, but they let him sleep. If they're out, Darius has no problem giving him a piggyback ride or carrying him until they get home and he can lay him down on a bed. Unless Hunter has a previous commitment he really has to attend or he has to eat or anything like that, they try to let him sleep, and only make sure he's comfortable and warm.

Hunter finds it a bit embarrassing and probably has that learned guilt of "I'm being far too lazy and they're going to get fed up with me eventually" because of all those years with Belos, but overtime he relaxes a bit because neither of them seems to really mind. In fact, suddenly there are more pillos and blankets on the couch, on the back of chairs at the dining table and anywhere that Hunter could feasibly fall asleep on.

It feels a bit baffling since once again the house is looking a bit messier because of his presence but Darius, who's the only one who could be vaguely irritated by it, was even the one to suggest it, and as odd as it is, Hunter does like the feeling of being cared for like this.

[hunterxreaderoneshots]

Starving - Hunter  Shy! Fem! Human! Reader

T/w: Mildly suggestive?? Idunno they kinda french kiss… for a bit... They cuddle on a bed. He leaves love bites. I’m sorry

Request By: WinterBlue_Angel22

Prompt:  Hi! ✨️ Can I request a fluffy long oneshot with prompts: "Um, H-hunter, d-do you w-want to m-makeout with m-me?", "W-what? A-are y-you s-sure, Y/n?", [French kisses where they trace every tooth with their tongues as though trying to memorize them.], [Tucking his hands beneath his shy!female!human!reader's shirt, just to watch she breaks the kiss and gasp in surprise at the sensation of his warm hands on her skin.] and "W-wow, that is so a-amazing, H-hunter." about Hunter and his shy!female!human!reader are having our first makeout session together on bed in guest room at Luz's house on Human Realm when everyone was gone for movie night? What kind of reaction Hunter has when she shyly asked him to want our first makeout session with her? 🤭 I bet he will be shy blushing mess to it, haha. 😂 Hint#1: suggestive moments ⚠️: french kisses and hickey. Hint#2: She gets makeout idea from Luz and Amity. 🤣 At end, Hunter angrily chases to catch Luz and Amity around Luz's house for corrupting his shy human girlfriend's innocence. 🤣 I really live for flustered Hunter! 💗 Please??

Hunter and his girlfriend had stayed home at Camila’s while everyone else had gone out to watch a movie. Hunter, however, preferred to stay home to watch a movie. This way he wouldn’t be bothering anyone with his reactions of sudden excitement, fear, or random theories and predictions. (Y/N) didn’t mind any of this though; she loved hearing him.

The two decided to watch a movie together on the couch instead. They picked one out called the Megamind. The couple cuddled together on the couch as the movie played on.

Hunter and his friends had been in the Human Realm for several months. He enjoyed it there. At first, he was scared about what would happen next. Everything had happened to suddenly. He was horrified of the thought that his friend would find out if he was a Grimwalker. Things had gotten better, however, when he met (Y/N). He found her on one of the group’s outings to discover more about the human realm.

He looked down at her curled up form and pulled her closer. He remembered how time stopped when he saw her at the park. And then he saw her again at a store, then almost a dozen times everywhere, and then at the park again where Luz finally convinced him to talk to her; that was when it all started. Hunter had always been slightly awkward around others, especially since he never interacted with witches his age until he met Luz and her friends. Now, he had a human girlfriend! He never thought much about it, but sometimes he wondered what would happen once they found a way back into the Demon Realm.

After being about halfway through the movie, he noticed (Y/N) was getting a bit cuddlier. Hunter smiled to himself and he pulled her closer. After a few moments, (Y/N) broke the silence, “Um, H-hunter?” He turned to look down at her again. Her face had gained a deep blush and he smiled, “Yeah?” he asked sweetly. She hid her face in his arm. “D-do you w-want to m-make out with m-me?” she stammered shyly. Hunter blushed madly, “W-what?!” He squeaked, feeling the red burning in his ears. He had never kissed (Y/N) before. He already found that cuddling was a big jump- he hadn’t ever thought that she’d ask to make out!

Hunter’s face was a deep crimson, and he shuffled around shyly on the couch; she wanted to kiss him! He turned away nervously, feeling his heart race: he could hear it throbbing in his ears. He exhaled shyly and danced his fingers over his leg.

He finally stirred up the courage to speak again and looked at her, “A-are y-you s-sure, (Y/N)?” He asked shyly. He felt a knot in his throat: he had never had an intimate relationship with anyone. What was he going to do?

“Mhm,” she hummed. Hunter felt his heart skip a few dozen beats. His ears bent backwards and he bit his lip, Oh my Titan, what do I do?!

“Oh,”  He murmured gently, feeling her nuzzle his arm. His mind was racing and so was his heart. Hunter looked away shyly and shifted around on the couch. He pulled his legs up and curled them around (Y/N). He had no idea where to start.

He shifted again, making (Y/N) sit up while he did so. He locked eyes with her for a split moment, but he hastily looked away again. After another few moments, he curled his hands into fists as if he was ready to face a fight, and let out a breath.

“O-ok!” Hunter said, smiling. He was excited, but more so nervous. He didn’t think he even understood the concept of a romantic relationship yet. “Really?!” (Y/N) exclaimed, jumping up with delight. Hunter nodded shyly, his ears bending back and turning red.

(Y/N) giggled happily and embraced Hunter, pecking his cheek as she did so. Hunter’s eyes widened and he blushed madly, his light skin darkening into a deep red. He wrapped his arms around (Y/N) slowly, nervously, pulling her closer to him.

She pulled away from the peck and smiled at him. Hunter felt his heart melt and his entire body relax. His gaze softened as he stared at (Y/N)’s deep pools of (e/c).

Hunter leaned down and pecked her lips lightly, feeling a sudden wave of nervousness and excitement wash over him. A blush ran ablaze across his face from ear to ear. He pulled back hastily and looked away shyly, and (Y/N) did the same.   

“I-I’m sorry, (Y/N),” he squeaked bashfully, “um… I’m- I’m just nervous…” he hugged his arms nervously. 

“It’s OK,” (Y/N) reassured him softly, “We don’t have to if you don’t want to, Hunter.”

He froze for a moment, feeling his heart sink as he realized. No one had ever offered him to not do something. He had always been demanded and expected to do as told. Hunter sighed; he wanted to. He wanted to do so much with (Y/N) but he was too nervous. He was surprised he had even been able to ask her to be his girlfriend.

“No, it’s-” He stammered nervously, “It’s n-not that I don’t want too…” He blushed madly, visible nervousness on his face. “I…” Hunter hesitated, then sighed, “I just… I don’t know how!” He finally confessed, locking eyes with her. His eyes were sad and full of worry. His ears had bent back in shame.

“Oh, Hunter,” (Y/N) soothed gently and placed her hand over his. “Don’t worry,” she said gently. “I… I-I can… show you…” She offered, blushing deeply. Hunter looked away for a moment, but looked back and nodded shyly. He almost looked like a sad puppy!

She smiled at him, “OK…” She exhaled, “Ready?” He smiled and nodded sheepishly. “OK, let’s try again.”

She pressed her lips against Hunter’s, closing her eyes. Hunter flinched slightly, and his pointed ears bent back again. He froze, feeling the warmth of (Y/N)’s lips against his. Slowly, he closed his eyes and melted into the kiss.

(Y/N) pulled away smiling at him; the two were a blushing mess. They began pecking each other randomly, shyly kissing each other’s faces and lips. Every time Hunter pecked (Y/N), she blushed a bit more, feeling a thousand butterflies fluttering throughout her body.

Hunter then sat again, and shifted himself towards (Y/N). He sat down, crossing his legs on the couch. Slowly he leaned towards her again and pecked her lightly. Hunter didn’t fully pull away, he stayed close enough to keep kissing her gently.

Finally, Hunter’s hands slowly went up to her, and he cupped each of her cheeks. He pulled her towards him, and he kissed her for a long time

Hunter pressed his lips against hers, almost as if he wanted to taste her. This was everything he never knew he wanted. He had never felt the warmth of someone else, he had never felt loved or wanted. All he had ever been was useful to Belos. Not anymore though; he didn’t care if he was useful anymore. Now he felt loved and he knew what he wanted: Hunter wanted to be with (Y/N).

He pulled her closer, deepening the kiss as he did so. Hunter began to feel the starvation take control of him, it was in every bit of his body. He didn’t understand what it was but he knew how to satisfy the intense hunger his heart felt: every time he pulled her closer a bit of the starvation lessened.

Hunter pulled her even closer to him. He kissed her amorously and (Y/N) kissed back. Suddenly, he felt (Y/N)’s hands curling around his wrists. Her gentle fingers wrapped around him and pulled him closer to her. Hunter melted again. His face was hot, his mind was racing, and his heart was both racing and melting.

(Y/N) then pressed her lips against his even more. She tilted her head and deepened the kiss. She wanted to get a taste of Hunter. She then bit his lip lightly and he froze for a moment in surprise. He had… liked it. It was like she wanted him close too.

Although they had kissed for a while, Hunter was still nervous about how to continue. Suddenly, he felt (Y/N) part her lip slightly. The warmth of her tongue surprised him yet also soothed him in way. Her tongue began to trace every bit of his mouth, and he followed. They kissed each other passionately as if desperately trying to remember one another.

The two finally pulled apart and were a blushing mess. Hunter looked over to see the credits playing on the TV screen, then he looked over to the front door. He swung his feet over the couch and stood up. He blushed lightly at the idea but continued anyway.

“C’mon,” He said, picking up (Y/N) bridal-style, “Let’s go somewhere more private.”

(Y/N) blushed madly but giggled, “H-Hunter!” She said smiling. (Y/N) hid her face in his chest as he carried her up the stairs and into the guest bedroom. Hunter laid her next to him on the bed and began pecking her face and kissing her softly again. Between the kisses Hunter would nuzzle her lightly making (Y/N) smile. She wrapped her arms around Hunter and kept him close to her.

Hunter kissed her passionately again and again. He slipped his hands under her shirt, feeling (Y/N)’s back as he did so; her skin was soft and warm. (Y/N) gasped suddenly, breaking the kiss and pulling away.

“H-Hunter!!” She squeaked, pulling her shoulders in slightly as if she was trying to hide. He laughed lightly to himself, looking at (Y/N) and pecking her cheeks. Hunter smiled, he had no idea how wonderful loving and being loved could feel.

Hunter started to cuddle her. He didn’t even know what he was doing. All he knew was that he wanted to feel close to her. He began to kiss her jawline and slowly make his way down her neck. Hunter nuzzled her lightly, wanting to hide away in her soft skin.

(Y/N) smiled shyly as Hunter went on. She gasped suddenly when she felt a little nip on her neck, and then another, and another…

“H… Hunter…” She stammered softly, “Sweetheart, what are you up to?” Hunter smiled for a moment, but stopped hastily.

“Oh uh…” His ears pulled back suddenly as fear took over his heart. Had he done something wrong? “I-I,” He blushed in shame, “I... I’m s-sorry (Y/N)...” He began to lift himself onto his side. “Did… did you… like that?” He felt his heart race unsteadily. Maybe Belos wasn’t the only one who didn’t want him anymore…

“Mhm,” She hummed gently. She pulled him back in even closer and Hunter felt himself melt. He melted anytime (Y/N) had made him feel wanted.

He smiled, kissing her passionately this time. “Well, I guess I’ll continue then.”

(Y/N) laughed, “Hunter! You’re so sweet!” Hunter smiled at her. He nuzzled her again and continued leaving little love bites all over her neck.

The two cuddled for a while. Suddenly, a thought broke Hunter out of the moment.

“Hey, uh, (Y/N),” he asked, his focus intently on nothing.

“Yeah?” She hummed.

“Ummm…” Hunter frowned slightly in thought, trying to think of a way he could ask. He knew (Y/N) well enough to know she was quite innocent and sweet. “How… uh… why, I guess, did you think of… making out?” He squeaked the last few words.

(Y/N) blushed, her eyes opened and she hid into Hunter. “Um… I accidentally… maybe… walked into Luz and Amity??” She replied nervously.

“Huh.” He said, pulling (Y/N) closer. “Good to know…”

He hid into her chest, “(Y/N)?” he nervously called her name.

She smiled. His voice and been soft and full of nervousness. She knew he needed comfort and spoke gently, “Yes, Dear?” He melted in her arms. Hunter bit his lip for a moment.

“I-I… I love you…” 

She kissed his forehead gently, “I love you, Hunter.” He felt ease in his heart, and a sudden completion of his soul. This was what he had been starved from: (Y/N)’s love.

                                      ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

After a while of cuddling, the two finally heard everyone coming back. They made their way downstairs and towards the front door to greet them. Hunter, however, had something else in mind. He was quite flustered and ready to face it.

As everyone made their way into the house, Hunter looked for Luz and Amity. Everyone was talking about the movie they had watched and how great it was. Guz and Willow were visibly excited to have experienced a ‘Human Movie’.

Hunter finally spotted them. “LUZ! AMITY!” He called out to them sternly. The two girls froze and stared at him in silence.

“Um…” Luz broke the silence, “What is it?” She stared at him and (Y/N).

“(Y/N) told me she got a little idea from you too…” He glared at them with arms crossed. “She said you two were ‘making out’ in front of her… Care to explain?”  

They both blushed madly, and Luz was the first to speak. “How much did you see?!” (Y/N) blushed again, looking away.

“Um… a… a bit…?” She murmured, unsure of what to say.

Hunter ran at the girls, “YOU TWO CORRUPTED HER!”

“AGH!” The two shouted in unison. Luz grabbed Amity’s hand and dragged her with her. They ran around the couch, into the kitchen, all over the first floor trying to escape Hunter.

“Niños! Calmense, por favor!" Camila begged them to stop and calm down. It was utterly useless. Hunter was determined to get them.

Everyone else laughed at them. (Y/N) watched Hunter and smiled to herself. If he was willing to protect her innocence, he was willing to protect her from any harm. She blushed lightly and laughed. This is gonna be a long night.

                                      ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

This was surprisingly difficult to get through. It took me a whole week to finish it. Huh. Well, thank you all for reading and thank you WinterBlue_Angel22 (Wattpad) for requesting! It means a lot that my one-shots have caught your attention enough for you to request! Requests remain open but please keep in mind I they may take a while! Thank you again! 

GIF from Tenor 

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P.S No matter how fluffy your prompt is I will always find a way to make Hunter emotionally starved and traumatized <3🤞💖💗❤️ 💞 😍😍

-Deathlight Gato (I’m gonna pass out dammit)

Un-edited

Who is your favorite. Fearless. Hero.

Who is your favorite. Fearless. He-e-roooo.

                                       ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

[criticowl]

Lunter Fic Idea

The idea is that Hunter reads an Empire-approved book about Wild Witches that claims that they intend to rebuild their clans and culture using the "Superior, magic rich genes of proper Coven Witches!" and then lists out all the ways they go about formally claiming and courting a mate like they're some wild animal. Hunter thinks it's nonsense of course, but then Luz starts fulfilling some of those conditions and performing some of those actions (Without realizing) and he ends up thinking that she has fully embraced Wild Witch culture and is after his powerful Coven Witch babies. Luz, meanwhile, is just vibing and bonding with her newest friend! She also enjoys just how blushy and easily flustered the cute Witch boy is! Luz: *Grabs Hunter's hand* C'mon, I wanna show you this new glyph combo I just found! Hunter: Sure Hunter in His Head: UNHOLY TEMPTRESS! VILE SEDUCTRESS! WICKED BEWITCHER! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA- Of course, it wouldn't always be silly moments, gotta throw some real sweetness in there too. I thought of juxtaposing them with dreams at the start and end of each chapter, the starting one being goofier and playing more into the "Empire Boy Thinks He's Going to get Unga Bunga'd", where as the close-out one would be more intimate and soft-hearted, all hooded eyes and candlelight. Highlight his turmoil over these feelings of attraction and a different kind of Want, wholly new things to him that Luz induces, how he both wants to luxuriate in and fears these emotions. As an example of one of those closing dreams; Hunter wanders in the dark forest, unsure where he is or why, when he suddenly clears the wood. There, up a hill illuminated by blue moonlight, standing before a simple stone altar, she stands. Luz, clothed in a black, sheer cloth that flowed in the gentle breeze, her back to him as she stares up. He's as confused as he is drawn to her. When he's naught but a few steps away, she finally speaks. "The oldest Witches joined under the full moon, whenever it shone." She said quietly, as she reverently traced the runic designs in the altar, "So that their children would be born healthy and strong, so that their magic would be as a deep well, plentiful and pure." She turns to him, and while her smile is as bright as ever, it's different, more demure and coy, the moonlight outlining her toned, lithe body behind the thin cloth, stealing his breath away. However, the shine it gives those ever wide, chocolate brown eyes, hooded now and warm, always so warm for him, is what steals his heart. "Well come on, silly," she says with a quiet chuckle, reaching a hand out to him, "Don't keep me waiting!" And then he wakes up, and all at once his heart feels so full it might burst, and like he's in freefall, terrified of how much he enjoys these feelings, of what's at the bottom of this fall he's taken

[fandomsandflyingstingrays]

This little huntlow drabble has been sitting in my drafts for ages. It's short, but I figured today was a good day to release it into the world

Almost every day of their first month in the Human Realm, at least one member of the Noceda household wakes to a gift at their door. 

For Vee, her alarm clock, duct taped haphazardly back together and only showing three out of four digits. For Willow, a fresh bouquet of wildflowers, carefully arranged by color in a glass. For Gus, a stuffed giraffe held together by lopsided stitches. For Luz, a scarf in the colors of the bi flag, knitted in heartbreakingly soft yarn. For Amity, a figurine of Hecate, carefully painted over blank clay. For Camila, a tray of breakfast, every single day she sleeps in late.

They start out feeling flattered, accepting the gifts with warm flutters in their cores and thanking Hunter with tight hugs and beaming smiles. But when the gifts continue, week after week, the smiles fade to concerned glances. The gifts continue, bigger, better, more elaborate— but the shadows in the eyes of their recipients only darken, until Willow pulls Hunter aside.

“You know,” she says carefully, “you don’t have to… bribe us into being your friends. Right?”

Hunter’s eyes widen. “I wasn’t trying to bribe you! I just— I thought— isn’t this being a good friend? Making people happy?”

His voice cracks with desperation on the last word. Willow puts a hand over her mouth. Takes a deep breath. Tries to think of a way to explain without him hearing an accusation.

“Hunter,” she says, “do I make you happy!”

“Of course!” he cries, so quickly she knows he’s already blaming himself for her asking the question.

“Why?”

“You make me laugh,” he says, so immediately that she feels a warmth rush through her core. “You encourage me. You’re so strong and confident, just being around you makes me feel better about myself.”

The warmth has grown, filling Willow with sunlight, and even though it isn’t the time or place for it, she fights the urge to beam. 

“So I make you happy just by… existing.”

“Yes.”

“Hunter,” she says, and takes his hands, “you do the same thing for all of us.”

She feels his hands go limp, his expression already darkening with denial, and squeezes them with a desperation of her own.

“You do. You make me laugh, too. When you get excited, you talk so fast, like your speech can’t keep up with your brain, and it makes me excited before I even know what you’re talking about. You love the simplest things like pancakes and dogs and weird human shoes. You love, even after everything Belos did to you, and you’re so brave that just being around you makes me feel like I can handle anything that comes my way.”

Hunter is breathing rapidly now, his face red with the effort of keeping the tears at bay, and Willow lets go of hid hands to wrap her arms around him.

“You are good,” she tells him, “just as you are. I wouldn’t like you nearly as much as I do if you were perfect.”

Hunter hears her, she knows he does, because he finally gives in and sobs. 

[profound-bouquetbird]

Hello! 💕

Can I request a long fluffy oneshot with prompts: [“You’re very warm, it’s comforting., Hunter.” from Y/n's sleep talk made his face went crimson red] about how would Hunter (TOH) reacts if his shy!female!human!reader suddenly pulled him into her chest amidst her sleep thinking he was a pillow in guest room at Luz's home? 😂💕 Like would he try to escape or would he die there out of embarrassment? 🤣 I really love to see Hunter's blushing reaction to it! 😆✨️ I really live for flustered Hunter! 💕 Please??

Hello :D sorry it took me this long to write your request 😅 but I rly enjoy this concept!

Anyway, let's begin!

Key words: h/c - hair colour

It's not very long (that's what she said) but writers block be hitting hard 😔

(don't mind the gif)

Y/n and Hunter laid on Hunter's bed, or to say mattress. Gus looked at Hunter with a grin as Y/n slept peacefully on his chest, making him roll his eyes at him

"Wow, never thought you of all people would be in a bed with a girl." Gus whispered, laughing at his own joke, "no offense." He added, but Hunter still rolled his eyes

"Yeah, you're just jealous I have a girlfriend and you don't." He smirked, Gus just looked at him with his brow raised

"I'm twelve." He said with an 'are you serious' tone. Hunter's eyes widened as his cheeks turned slightly red from embarrassment

"Yeah- I forget that sometimes." He said. Gus let out a breathy laugh, watching Hunter carefully shift around on the mattress trying to find a comfortable position but also trying not to wake up Y/n

Y/n groaned in anoyence, her eyes still closed, as she shuffled a bit. Hunter stood still, thinking he had awoken his sleeping girlfriend, but luckily he didn't

Hunter let out a sigh of relief as Gus only laughed at him

"You're very warm. It's comforting, Hunter." You mumbled in your sleep. Hunter's eyes widened as he turned a bright shade of red, Gus but his bottom lip as he tried not to laugh, only making Hunter's embarrassment worsen

"Shut it!" Hunter whisper-yelled through gritted teeth as now a hand flew to Gus's mouth, trying to muffle up his laughs as much as possible

Hunter's ears dropped as he stared daggers towards Gus. He only held his mouth for dear life, trying not to make a loud laugh escape his lips

You only let out a sigh of enjoyment as you hugged him tighter. Hunter looked down at you, his face softening as he ignored the struggling Gus on the couch. Wrapping an arm around you he hugged you close and closed his eyes, cuddling with you

He heard Gus's muffled laughs start to die down and shuffling on his bed. He assumed he finally gave up trying to make fun of Hunter and went to sleep

Hunter smiled at that, he felt you shoving your face deeper into Hunter's neck. With a smile one of his hands reached your hair, his finger tangling into your h/c locks as he scratched your scalp

His eyes soon became heavier and heavier as he soon drifted off to sleep, his hand still tangled in your h/c locks

[emeraldart]

New AU: Combining the Hunter is raised in human realm and Vee is raised in human realm AUs

(Vee looks different because she’s disguised as a random scout)

[ID: It’s a comic with characters from The Owl House. First panel: Boots run over red grass. Text: Hunter: “Cmon, cmon!” Second panel: Owlbert’s wing is visible. A bag with “human treasure” written on it is in the middle. Text: Eda: “Nice haul, Owlbert. Hey! Get away from my door!”

Third panel: A hand holds the door frame. On one side, there’s rain. Text: Hunter: “This way!” Fourth panel: A marigold under the rain. Text: Vee: “Hunter, where are we?” Fifth panel: Vee’s arm is around Hunter. She has brown skin and red hair. Her ears are visible. Hunter is in his Golden Guard uniform without a mask. They both have scratches and tears in their clothing. Text: Hunter: “I think… we’re in the human realm.” Luz: “Mami! I hear something!” End ID.]

Lore dump under cut (there’s a lot)

Maybe about 4 years precanon Hunter is just hanging out and meets Vee and they become best friends (but he definitely doesn’t see her as a little sister because that’d be ridiculous and he’s not at all attached). About 2 years precanon the kiddos are just hanging out when Belos finds them and stuff gets bad. They run but Belos has to keep it low key so the people wont know he’s a bitch. Vees disguise is just based on a scout but due to limited magic she still has spots, ears, etc. They find Eda selling her human trash and Vee thinks it’s a great idea to hide behind this funky looking door with the rain behind it. And then, oh my titan, the rain doesn’t boil. Hunter figures out they’re in the human realm.

Luz (who’s maybe about 12?) finds a pointy eared boy with pink eyes and a shapeshifter so this is the best day of her life. But they’re injured! She calls her Mami who is very confused but she sees hurt kids and is like mine now. So now she’s got these magic children on the run from a mysterious realm. Neat. Through the power of plot armor (idk) they’re officially adopted. They take time to warm up to Camila but they take to Luz instantly.

Luz has 2 magic siblings so she’s even more into fantasy now. So, reality check camp. The principal is meaner because this girl is constantly sneaking her homeschooled siblings into school. So yeah, summer camp. Hunter and Vee are not happy but not really confident enough to tell Camila that. So they wait with their sister for the bus.

Then! An owl comes! Luz starts chasing it and then they start chasing her. Hunter and Vee recognize the isles and possibly Eda. They’re all freaked out but Luz is like, yay! Now we can figure out where you’re from! This is like a side mystery. They do the regular adventures but with noceda sib bickering. Occasionally there’s curiosity in finding Hunter and Vees mysterious parents they’re being vague about and not really being helpful.

In AOAW, Hunter and Vee are being really weird about skipping the field trip but okay, they’re weird all the time. Maybe there’s a mini adventure of them bringing Amity her homework or something. So in YBOS they gotta save Eda. This is a horrible idea but sure why not. Luz’s siblings are being especially mean to Lilith even though she’s trying to be better. Luz doesn’t like her either but like why are they being so mean?

In that part where they find Belos her siblings are so scared but then he grabs them. Luz tries to get them but he takes them to some other room. Oh titan. She does the whole biz but doesn’t find her siblings so she’s very scared.

Meanwhile! Vee is returned to the Conformitorium. Belos doesn’t really have anyone to refill his supplies so he kinda needs her and Hunter. He locks Hunter in his old room and gives him an ultimatum. He does his old duties as GG or else he’ll replace him and Vee. He can’t escape during missions because Vees still at the Conformitorium.

In Separate Tides, Hunter catches up Luz and King on the ship and then Eda robs it. They clarify things, figure things out, etc. So Luz has isn’t entirely reunited with her siblings but she knows where they are. She probably tells Willow, Gus, and Amity, too.

In Hunting Palismen, they free the palismen and defest Kiki so, high on power, they break Vee out. They kinda sorta come home at they same time as Eda and King do with the wood so that’s an interesting conversation. So the next few eps are the same but with siblings and more trauma. Maybe Hunter and Willow also get together in knock knock knockin or maybe not. Maybe during then Vee thinks about a pretty enby they knew in the human realm. There’s also lumity here and there because lumity. Eclipse Lake Belos never gets the key but they only use half the blood and the key is taken Post hollow mind when the EC takes the owl house. Yesterdays Lie has all 3 Nocedas talking to Camila who does know they’re missing in this one. Cue depressing reunion. ASIAS is just silly kids play sports. Maybe there’s a small run in with the EC. In E&E, Luz is extra sus of phil especially with his drawing (of her ‘mano???) but the others stay home to meet del.

Hollow Mind! Night market incident where they just… bump into the traitors. Oops. Still just Luz and Hunter now with less bickering over if Belos is evil because y’know they know. At the end Hunter still runs so Labyrinth Runners can still happen. Vee is there for the whole “you’re a titan, King” deal and comforts him because she gets it. She’s been there.

The siblings reunite in COTH and there’s some minor changes in with Vee in the Belos fight and maybe she goes back to the demon realm with them? (It also makes sense if she isn’t ready). Plot wise it’s the same after Kings Tide but Camilas closer with Hunter and Vee (calling them mijo and mija more, etc.) and sadder because all her kids were missing and there wasn’t really a doppelgänger so she knew they were gone the whole time.

I hope at least some of this made sense :)

[iamchaos1234]

Day 10 June of Doom: Can you hear me? (Phone call) (tw mention of death, nightmare)

Luz lay awake late in the night. She had been doing this unfortunately often. Two weeks ago she had done it, she, she had killed Belos! She finished this, she saved *everyone*.

So why did he still haunt her in the night, stalk her in the shadows of her mind? She sighed quietly, scrolling through fanfiction as she had been doing since eight.

No one else should be up as far as Luz knew. Camila always got to bed at a reasonable time, Vee fell asleep the moment she lay down, and Hunter... well Hunter as far as she knew had started sleeping a but more.

Either that or he's been fake sleeping far better when she gets the random urges to go check on her brother in the night to make sure he's okay.

Luz was honestly worried for the boy. He was already traumatized by Belos and his entire life enough before the fateful night Hunter swore he heard voices, begged for Luz to believe the blue eyes he promised he saw at the edge of the forest.

Of course she hadn't fully believed him. Why should she? Belos had been killed by the Collector, and he was most likely just being paranoid. But he wasn't. If she had just stuck with him, believed him, maybe he wouldn't have lost his partner in crime Flapjack that night.

She knew Flapjack was his first friend. No one in the palace really liked him based on what he said, and the little cardinal palisman had stuck by his side throughout all of the horrors, all of the painful nights.

But now he was gone. And as much as he tried to hide it, hide the pain it brought him to look in the mirror and see the jagged scars jutting across his skin, his warm brown eyes, she could see he was hurting. Belos may be gone now. But he would forever haunt him.

She was startled when her phone started buzzing, dragging her back to reality as she saw the little icon at the top of her screen. Hunter was calling her. Camila had gave him one of their old phones, he remembered how confused yet happy that made him.

Why was he calling her? She checked the time on her phone. Almost two in the morning. Luz hesitantly picked up, turning the volume down in hopes to not wake up her sister. "Hello?" She murmered, hoping he had just accidentally sleep called or something.

So when he answered the little ball of dread in her chest grew a bit. "H-hey..." she heard him mutter through the phone shakily. Something wasn't right. His tone was off, and his voice trembled when he talked.

"Hunter? Is everything alright?" She whispered into the phone. Hunter had gotten his own room in the Noceda house after Camila had cleared out a spare room they had been using as storage for years. The room was at the other end of the hall, closer to Luz and Vee's room than Camila's.

"C-can you come here?" She heard him ask quietly, his voice shaking a lot and she could have swore she heard him sniffle. Luz immediately got up from her bed quietly. "Of course, I'll be right there." She said in a slightly soothing tone. She could tell something was wrong.

She quietly padded over to his room, his door shut. Luz opened his door and shut it as quietly as she could behind her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hunter felt like he was falling indefinitely, memories swirling around him. Every flashback painful, but familiar. He had been dealing with these stupid nightmares since he was young. It wasn't a big deal.

That was until he felt something tug at the strand of his hair that fell over the side of his face. Flapjack. The bird was no more than a glowing silhouette of his precious bird. "F-flapjack!?" Hunter said, startled.

No, oh Titan no. Flashbacks flooded his mind, him trying desperately to escape Belos's control, the feeling of palistrome wood shattering under his hand, the sensation of water filling your lungs.

Light flashed across the Flapjack silhouette like lightning, jagged cracks appearing on his body oozing that terrible bright green palisman blood. A bloody X across the birds face. Than a loud crash. Than everything disappeared.

He woke up with a start, looking around frantically. He was in his bed. His house. He was okay. Hunter let our a shaky breathe he didn't know he was holding. Hunter couldn't stop the slight trembling of his hand, the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes.

He couldn't handle this guilt anymore. This was all his fault, that Flapjack was gone, that Belos had hurt so many. Hunter shakily picked up his old "phone" from hid bedside table. As far as Vee had taught him it worked kinda like a scroll.

The phone lit up faintly as he swiped right to get in, still not having the mental capacity to remember a password and clicked the phone app. He only had three contacts. Camila, Vee, and Luz. Hunter didn't want to bother Camila, she had already done so much for him, he should let her rest.

Vee was an option, but she was most likely asleep. And while they were warming up to each other she probably wouldn't want to help with his silly nightmares. That left Luz. After a moment of hesitation, she pressed the little green button next to her name.

The phone rang quietly for a couple moments before he heard her pickup. "Hello?" She said, her voice sounding a bit drowsy which sent a bit of guilt through Hunter, thinking she had been asleep. "H-hey..." she murmered in response, choking up the words he had planned to initially say, his voice wavering slightly.

"Hunter? Is everything alright?" He heard her ask with a tone of gentleness through the little phone speaker. He paused, trying to come up with a good answer. *It's okay to ask for help. Don't feel bad about it* Camila's voice chimed in his head.

"C-can you come here?" He squeeked out, disappointed with how pathetic his own voice sounded. "Of course, I'll be right there." She said, before hanging up. He let out a sigh of relief, trying to calm his slight shakiness before she got here.

He watched as Luz cautiously entered his room. Hunter was sat up in his bed, watching her carefully with those warm brown eyes that were somehow so his but so out of place. He watched Stringbean trail after her, the adorable little snakeshifter causing a bit of envy to crawl into his mind before he shoved it away.

She went over and without hesitation crawled into bed next to him, sitting down next to him. They shared trauma, the pain of loss, betrayl, and manipulation. The silence spoke better than any words either could say.

Hunter felt like crying. It was his fault Flapjack was gone, if he had just been more careful, if Flapjack had chosen a better owner than maybe-

His thoughts were cut off as Luz pulled him into a side hug, wrapping one arm around him tightly. "...it's not your fault..." she said gently, like she could read him mind. He glanced away, resting his head on the side of her arm, only able to do so because he was half laying down and she was fully upright.

Neither said anything else that night. They didn't need to. Her small gesture of comfort was enough. Hunter drifted back off into sleep and into a much more peaceful dream full of flowers and Willow. Luz fell asleep to, drowsily passing out and taken in by sleeps warm embrace.

@juneofdoom

[oh-cramity-its-amity]

Hey, I’m bored so I’m gonna send you some owl house questions (unless you tell me to shut up and then I will)

Who’s your favorite character and why is it Hunter /j

How many times have you watched the series

Do you have any controversial opinions/ships? I will not hate on you I promise :D

Who’s your least favorite character(s)

Hopefully you don’t mind questions

hiiii omg sorry AUGH.

1.) not you joking that hunters my favorite character 💀😭😭 /s. nowhere near my favorite character bestie 😭😭😭.

MY FAVORITE character in all seriousness is amity or raine!!! (luz is a close tie with amity bc i was a luz kin first.) but both of their characters mean SO much to me. especially raine's. i wont go ramble heavy but a lot of the reason i love the queer characters in the show are because of the fact that their "queerness" is not made into a character trait. people acknowledge raine as who they are and dont question or think of their identity as a negative. most of the media i found growing up centered around stories about queer people and their journey to realization OF being queer, and not where they already knew. thats one of the most definitive reasons i love toh so much too.

their identities and sexualities arent a "oh theyre the gay character" or "oh thats the nonbinary one" its an extension of themselves beneath other traits. because as a queer person myself theres WAY more that makes me myself than the fact that i identify the way i do. seeing amity develop feelings on screen for luz and then choose for herself on what she wanted. breaking away from her mother and destroying the rhetoric of what was assumed and assigned onto her.

people will talk shit about it and how "amity changed for luz" or blah blah blah. but thats not entirely true. when luz met amity, she saw her as who she was. not a name. not a rich girl. she threatened her stability. the comfort. luz encouraged her in ways that no one had before. about things amity found passion in. especially Azura!! amity changed because she realized she wanted more than what her parents forced onto her. luzs carefree and comfort being WARM and encouraging to do things that SHE ENJOYED. amity changed because she wanted to be more than her parents and be happy and luz just so happened to be the catalyst of that. and raine- as a nonbinary person makes me feel so validated.

2.) uhh surprisingly ive watched s1 like a good 13 or so times??? s2 though ive only watched through fully like once when i first watched it. i did watch individual eps from s2 so its not like i hadnt watched it ONLY once. s3 at least 4 times. s1 is definitely my favorite. even if like the real plot started coming in during s2. the nostalgia of 2020 and the fandom during that time is probably my reason. s1 lumitys energy and lumity as a ship was so simple and yet different.

3.) i think the fandom forgave camila too quickly for what she did to luz. it irks me how they then turned around and "noceda siblings" became a full thing. meanwhile people forget that darius wanted the best for hunter??? "he only had _" shut up. the show was shortened!!! WHO came to hunter during s3? NOT camila. it was darius and ebber! that man is more of a candidate for a parent for hunter than camila. vee and luz as sisters? YES valid. i love that. but hunter does NOT need to be included in literally everything regarding luz. people forget that king literally called himself luzs brother. "your family now" does NOT have to mean a familial tie. there are some friends who are so close like brother and sister BUT THEY ARENT. i cant stand noceda siblings. dadrius is just something that makes sense and i like the parallel potential of it. however speaking i will not get pissy if someone enjoys it, these characters are subjective. as long as you dont tear down others favorites and are respectful i have no issue with differing of beliefs. its just for me personally i wish it wasnt so... forgetful of king and luzs siblinghood.

4.) ive covered hunter before. i don't really like him all that much just due to how fandom treats him. his character in canon is cool though. i like dadrius. its the exception. grimwalker lore still feels very interesting though.

dont mind questions at all dw. sorry for the rambles but i like talking about toh so :D.