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avatarmerida · 1 year ago

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Mistletoe Kisses

You know I had to write something for huntlow week! This started as a little Drabble inspired by this art by @dazeddoodles and I didn’t think it fit a prompt but I think it could fit Nerds/Nature if you don’t mind it being a day late lol anyway!!! Here!!! It’s holiday fluff!!

———

“Hey Willow!” Hunter called out as the plant witch entered his sight, as she was completing setting up a small wooden booth. She waved back and her wide smile made Hunter instinctively teleport over to her, eager to see her sooner. He knew that he needed to try better to hide his magic while they were on the human realm side, but happiness seemed to be the one emotional trigger that leapt beyond his control. Willow said nothing, secretly delighted in the gesture, and besides no one was around to see him anyway.

“Hey yourself!” She replied with a giggle as she quickly applied a piece of tape to a piece of pine bough. The tape was just for show as she had summoned the pine and was certain it was secure, but she liked the homemade human charm it added. Camila had helped her dig up Luz’s old lemonade stand and Willow had spruced it up with festive decorations of green and red, lining the corners with tinsel and small twinkle lights. She gladly took a break from her decorating to properly greet him with a tight hug.

“Camila said you might need this,” he said when she set him down and reached into his backpack to hand her a large black magic marker.

“Oh, perfect!” Willow said in delight as she took it from him. “You’re the best!”

“Yeah, you are I mean yeah, I-I mean heh, what?”

“Thanks!” Willow giggled again and went to work. Hunter watched as she carefully mapped out where to place her letters, making them bold and gentle, spacing and curling them as though her words themselves were vines.

He especially loved the way she scrunched her nose when she focused, trying to keep her glasses from sliding down the bridge of her nose.

“So what do you think?” She asked, gesturing to the booth as she went back to outline her words again to ensure they could be read from a distance.

“Impressive,” he mused, admiring her attention to detail. “So what’s all this for, anyway?” Hunter asked, only knowing Willow had a secret project that had kept her busy the last week after practice. She was obviously excited about it, which he was happy to see, but it meant he saw less of her which he was less happy about.

“I’m doing a little fundraiser for the Entrails, to help us get the new uniforms sooner!” She said as she successfully completed her last letter with a flourish.

“Excellent initiative captain, but why here and not in the demon realm?” Hunter asked as he helped her pick up the sign steady it as she hammered in the nail. Magic would be faster, but there was too high a chance they’d be spotted. Willow held back a smile when she observed he didn’t even have to ask if she needed help (it was more a benefit of his height than her need for extra strength), he was just a natural team player.

“This time of year people pay alot of snai- dollars? for seasonal themed items. Plus the conversation rate favors human realm money right now so I can make double!”

As the sign was hung, Willow noticed he was wearing the mittens she had made for him. She was not a gifted knitter but Luz had shown her a video of a girl teaching how to make mittens that looked like cardinals and Willow knew there was no one more deserving. Her creation was lopsided and the mittens were not the same sizes but Hunter wore them with care (he had to, they were at constant risk for unraveling) and pride. She knew he wasn’t wearing them for her sake to try and spare her feelings, but he considered them treasures. So often he’d forget to put on his coat or other appropriate weather attire but the mittens were never forgotten.

“Very smart,” said Hunter, impressed. “So what are you selling? I’m assuming the current temperature isn’t ideal for lemonade.”

“Yeah, it’s not ideal,” she giggled. “No, I’m selling mistletoe kisses.”

“I see, so do you need any- wait…” her words finally caught up with him, and his ears visibly perked as they did. “D-did you say mistletoe… kisses?”

“Uh-huh,” said Willow with a nod as she organized things behind her little counter. “They’re very popular this time of year.”

Hunter cleared his throat as he read the sign and confirmed he had not misheard her. “A-and you’re only charging $10 for them?”

“Yeah, but I only have 30 so it’s first come, first serve.” She replied, as she casually applied lip balm to her chapped lips, the cold beginning to make her whole face feel dry. Hunter couldn’t help but notice the subtle gloss it added to her lips which she had decorated with a seasonally appropriate red pigment that seemed to momentarily hypnotize the poor boy beside her.

“Right, right,” said Hunter, trying to hide the lump in his throat. “I uh I-I have to grab something from Camila’s and I’ll be right back to help you finish setting up okay?”

“Sounds good!” She said. “But if you-.”

But before she could finish, he had already teleported away. Whatever he needed was clearly urgent.

“Hey Willow!” She heard Hunter grunt from behind her as she cleaned her glasses, she could tell by the strain he was carrying something. She wasn’t surprised; Hunter loved a good project. Clover nudged her, teasing her about the small blush that hearing him say her name inspired, and she shooed the pesty paliman away before greeting her friend’s return.

“Welcome back!” She called as she removed the final smudge.

“Sold any yet?”

“Not yet, but I just opened!” She said as she placed her golden frames back on her face.

“Well then, let me be your first customer!”

“Awh Hunter that’s so sweet of you, but you’re on the team too so the money-.”

But as Willow turned to see him, she was cut off by Hunter placing a comically huge sack of coins on the table that rang with an equally large clunk. She looked down at it for a moment and then back up at the boy who had brought them, whose face did not signify it was part of a joke or anything out of the ordinary. She removed her glasses and wiped them once more just to be sure she wasn’t seeing things.

But it was no illusion or trick of the light.

“Uh, Hunter,” she started gently. “Where exactly did you get all this money?”

“Uh, ya know… places.” He cleared his throat, the adrenaline and confusion began to fade as he realIzed how not completely sane he appeared. “I just thought, well, it’s uh kind of cold out here so I worried about you being outside too long just in case the foot traffic was slow and uh… ya know, heh.”

Willow didn’t have to count the collection of change to know it was more than enough for her entire supply, and she knew that Hunter did not do things halfway. If he brought enough for the whole lot well then that’s what he intended to leave with.

“Well okay then,” she chuckled, happy for an excuse to close up early and spend the day with him. “Do you want them all at once?”

“I… ya know, whatever’s easiet for you,” he said, as everything in him tried to keep his voice steady. “I mean, a-all at once works fine for me? It’s great, perfect even! Heh.”

“Do you know where you wanna put them?”

“Uhh where-wherever you think best is fine,” he replied, his voice involuntarily getting higher. He could feel his palms getting sweatier, threatening to send him to the ground as he attempted to casually lean on her table. He quickly moved his hands to his coat pockets. He suddenly felt so warm the coat felt redundant. “Y-you’re the expert after all.”

“Fair enough,” she giggled again as she disappeared for a moment under her makeshift counter. Was she giggling more than usual or was he just paranoid? “Are you gonna need help carrying them?”

“Oh, ya know I… I’m not sure what you mean, actually?”

“I mean, I was keeping them in their own little bags in these boxes but if we each carry one we can get them to your house at the same time,” explained Willow as she brought out a large festive box containing her carefully crafted creations. “I just didn’t know if you were keeping them at Camila’s or Darius’.”

Hunter's eyes widened and darted from the box to her and back to the box again as his mind connected the dots he didn’t realize were there.

“Oh… yeah,” he said, trying to hide his disappointment and embarrassment. “Right, yeah putting the mistletoe I uh I was actually thinking of giving them to… Hooty! Because I mean since he likes them as snacks.”

“You were gonna spend $300 on mistletoe to give to… Hooty?”

“Yes?” Hunter replied, not even believing himself.

“Hmmm,” Willow smiled, growing suspicious. “That’s so sweet; I didn’t realize you two were so close.”

“Oh yeah uh we’re uh, we’re buds,” he said, repeating a word he had only really heard Gus use. That only deepened Willow’s suspicions. She looked at him closer, noticing how flushed he looked now. She knew this look; it was the same way he looked when he tried speaking Spanish and Camila gently corrected him to reveal what he had actually said was completely different or when they had gone ice skating and he has tried showing off and fell on his face trying to do a complex jump he had seen on Luz’s old laptop.

He was embarrassed. But if it was about what she thought it was, then he had no reason to be.

“Hunter, when I said I was selling mistletoe kisses did you think I meant actual kisses?” She asked with a delighted mischievous little smile. He knew that Willow had been elated to learn about how much this human holiday celebrated plants and then the horror that had overtaken her when she learned what mistletoe actually was. He had been her research assistant as she figured out how to cross pollinate it with holly so it was no longer poisonous and lasted longer without water.

He also only just now remembered that she had dubbed the marvel “mistletoe kisses” because that’s what she had originally thought they were called and decided the rebranding was very cute. Hunter sighed, how could he have forgotten that? He remembered thinking her nickname for them was insanely cute. But then again, everything Willow did was cute. Even now as he wished to vanish from the surface of the earth he couldn’t help but think how overwhelmingly cute she looked as she awaited his response, unfazed and unbothered by the stunned expression he surely wore.

“I mean, I guess you could say that’s where my mind went at first…” Hunter said with a nervous chuckle, not realizing he had no reason to be embarrassed as he continued to speak faster and faster. “But now that I say it aloud I know that’s probably pretty silly, huh?”

“It’s not silly,” she assured him. No, silly was not the word that she would use here. Maybe adorable or idealistic or romantic, but it certainly did not make her feel silly.

“You really thought people would pay for a kiss from me?” Willow asked with a wide smile as she leaned forward to rest her chin on her palm. She didn’t say it as though it was a ludicrous thought to have, but rather a wonderful and romantic thought like when he said he first thought snow angels were the beings who made every snowflake unique.

He shrugged as his eyes tried to decide where to land as they sought to avoid her gaze as his mind raced to find the words that would make him seem less foolish. He mumbled something, hoping he seemed nonchalant. In his attempt, he didn’t see her face grow softer and more charmed as her understanding grew.

“And you were gonna buy all of them?” She asked, her tone mystified.

“Well, I i-it’s for a good cause!” He sputtered.

Willow sucked her teeth and mischievously marveled at the dork before her. He didn’t even question they were worth it, that her kisses could fund every expense the Entrails could ever hope to have. Her smile only grew as she examined the payment he had supplied.

“Did you rob a vending machine?” She asked with a cheeky grin and she picked up the heavy bag, which jingled like the bells that adorned her hair.

Hunter had heard that many humans collected coins, so every stray coin he found he collected. It wasn’t until Luz explained that only certain versions of certain coins were sought after that he realized his hobby had secured him a rather nice sum that he decided to save for a rainy day.

“Okay ya know what?” He decided to change the subject, lest she read what was to be read in his gesture. “Why don’t you keep the money and consider it like a donation because ya know also what if you need to make change? A-and as a member of the team I should really be contributing more anyway so it’s not-.” He stopped when he felt Willow’s lips press firmly to the side of his face.

He froze. She held his collar as her soft face lingered his, like she was preserving a secret smile like a badge of honor. She giggled as she pulled back and saw the stunned look on his face as his cheeks transformed into the same color as the lipstick stain she had left.

“Um, uh… heh,” Hunter struggled to find the words. “B-but I thought you weren’t-“

“That one’s on the house.” She said with a wink.

“Yeah, right o-okay,” he muttered as he hand hovered over the spot as though hoping to secure it there safely. “Thanks.”

It was just occurring to Hunter now that he had been so driven by the opportunity that not only did he not stop to consider if it was too good to be true but there was no way he’d be able to survive 30 kisses from Willow Park. But these thoughts did not cross his mind as he was emptying his numerous banks into the pillow case, he only knew he knew a good deal when he saw it. For a moment no thoughts crossed his mind as he felt like he was floating from the contact, like he was a log resting in the fire.

Willow took immense pride in his reaction, and wanted to know how he’d handle it 29 more times, if he’d become accustomed to it or if he’d get loopier and loopier.

“Ya know if you really did buy out all my real kisses, we’d be here kissing all day.” She said sweetly, snapping him out of his daze.

“Yeah I guess I didn’t think that through,” he gulped. That wasn’t totally true, he definitely had thought about it, he had just forgotten to factor in his confidence fading the moment he looked into her bright peridot eyes. The way hearing her voice and her airy laugh made his palms sweat and his heart melt like it was the snow that crushed beneath their feet. Yet none of that stopped him from thinking that the chances of having a kiss from Willow Park was worth it’s weight in gold. “ I guess I just got excited… about supporting the team!”

“Yeah,” breathed Willow. “Me too.”

Her mind raced to find something clever to say to reward his support:

“I’m actually running a two for one special so it looks like you bought 60 kisses.”

“Well since you paid in advance I guess we can just do daily installments until you’ve gotten your money’s worth.”

“Ya know before you commit to buying something you should always ask for a free sample.”

These were all things she knew would keep that dopey, confused grin on his face but might be just enough to make him find an excuse to leave and she certainly didn’t want that. Had she only known of his misunderstanding right away, she would have gone along with it free of charge and covered his face in kiss marks. She wanted him to know so instead she said:

“Do you wanna sit with me?” Willow asked. “In case I need help making change? You’re a bit better with human money than I am.”

It wasn’t totally true, they were equally bad but at least Hunter tried to pay for things correctly whereas Willow was more inclined to “guesstimate.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” she said, pulling out another stool. “Hooty really shouldn’t be eating so many anyway, they’re like pure sugar to him.”

“You’re probably right,” he chuckled, taking a seat. He didn’t think too much about whether or not she truly believed his intentions for the mistletoe, he was just relieved she didn’t declare him a total fool. And he wasn’t opposed to the opportunity to spend the afternoon with her. “Do you want some hot chocolate? Camila packed me a thermos before I left, it’s still warm.”

“Oh, with marshmallows? Yes please.” Willow said as Hunter carefully poured her a capful, as he set hers on the table to pour himself one, Willow couldn’t help but marvel at the adorable way he stuck his tongue to the side as he focused on not spilling a single drop. Seeing her lipstick mark still intact and on proud display made her feel warm, and from the corner of her eye she could see the packaged mistletoe expanding in her excitement as they each became adorned with a small poinsettia.

“Oh, Captain are you cold?” Said Hunter, mistaking the red across her nose as something from the elements. “Here, lemme fix your scarf.”

He reached out and tightened her striped green scarf, making a simple knot in the front, and then carefully fluffed out her ponytails so it wouldn’t be trapped inside and get frizzy. He secretly loved the way her hair held the fallen snowflakes, like a miniature night sky full of stars. He did have the opportunity to be flustered at the close proximity, having given himself a mission, so that role now fell to Willow whose face held the red hue even tighter now as her glasses fogged up for a unknown reason Hunter did not question.

He was so sweet. He was sweet and caring and dorky and cute and just so many little things that made her heart feel like it was overflowing. Willow had suspected for awhile that he felt a similar way about her but sometimes she felt like they couldn’t be direct at the same time, like they took turns being shy. But now that she knew he welcomed her kisses she wanted nothing more than to deliver them in bulk.

“Thanks,” she said as he finished, feeling more snug now. She kicked her legs as they dangled above the ground, inching her seat closer to his as he fished his hat from his jacket’s inside pocket. Willow reached over to assist with hiding his ears beneath the hand stitched red wool as an excuse to prolong their closeness. She couldn’t help but wonder if the red hat had been selected to match the mittens she had gifted him.

“You too,” he said as his own blush reappeared. The snow was falling more gently now but Willow remained close as though she was expecting a storm. They shared the same thought, that the cold would be a perfect excuse for Hunter to drape his arm around her under the guise of sharing their warmth. Willow tilted her head ever so slightly and leaned against his arm so he could do so with ease, in case he questioned if the gesture was welcomed.

“You don’t have to stay the whole time if you’re too cold,” she said softly, nuzzling into his sleeve as she happily sipped her cocoa.

He had cleared his schedule the moment he knew of Willow’s fundraising efforts, and even though this wasn’t exactly how he thought his afternoon would be filled Hunter had no complaints. His arm slowly moved behind her back and hovered over her shoulder, trying to decide if it was too soon as he knew once he accepted that comfort he would be there until the early darkness forced them to pack up. His mind once again raced, trying to decide how they’d return to their comfy pose when a customer arrived and he felt guilty for hoping they’d remain unbothered. If worse came to worse, they had his funds to rely on and despite Willow’s protest Hunter felt it was more than worth the expense.

He felt his arm safely land on her shoulder and from the corner of his eye he saw those last few inches had been closed by the assistance of a small vine. It took little wondering to know where that had come from.

“I think I’ll be okay,” he said softly, sipping his own drink as his head fell onto hers as they watched the snow fall together. “It’s pretty nice out actually. I don’t mind staying if you don’t mind the company.”

“Perfect,” she said. “But don’t think I won’t put you to work when a customer comes up.”

“Of course, Captain,” he assured her, his arm becoming less tense across her shoulders. “I wouldn’t expect anything less, I’m happy to help with whatever you need.”

“Good,” she said. “Because lll need you to help me demonstrate how they work.”

#huntlow #huntlow week 2023 #huntlow week #toh #the owl house #Willow park #Hunter toh #huntlow fanfiction

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