#huntlow fic

[apiculturegal]

Shallow Waters—Chapter Three: The Birds

Read it here!

i’m a week late with the chapter cover, sorry. finals and work has been CRAZY. cannot wait for winter break though it’s gonna be great

[childlikegoblinqueen]

Sweet Child o Mine: And if I stare too long, I’d probably break down and cry…

For those who have been sticking with Sweet Child, here's a bit of thanks and a reminder that the first chapter takes place in the future! There's going to be a payoff ... and I commissioned @smallpapers to illustrate the first chapter to give you all some feels! They knocked it out of the park. <3

Thank you again for reading and commenting and all that junk! Longer writing notes to come later and then, tomorrow, a nice Steve and Hunter bonding chapter (with some more intrigue peppered throughout) to drop tomorrow!

I'm not going to say for sure how close to the end I am, but I am thinking 65 % at this point.

THANKS FOR READING!

[anfervaldez]

I had not shared the beautiful cover of Champagne Problems here

Many thanks to @DniRobin for the precious commission

You can Read the Fic Here

[slightecho]

After quite the delay

Ashes, Chapter 37 is here!!

Sinners

This Chapter: Someone gets fired, Belos and Odalia meet, and Hunter leaves

I’m so insanely proud of this one. I truly hope everyone enjoys it 🖤

[fairytales-and-folklore]

• Series Title: Being Human • Author: fairytalesandfolklore • Fandom: The Owl House • Pairing: Hunter | The Golden Guard/Willow Park • Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

A canon-divergent series following the Hexsquad's adventures in the human realm over the course of a single year — a little bit of angst sprinkled in between lots of warm fuzzy found family fluff, humor, and slow burn huntlow romance.

[moxidi-fanarts-and-sketches]

Pumpkin picking

Sooo this is the fic ive been working on!! It's a silly lil huntlow/hexsquad fic that takes place the day before TTT!! Also it's my first fic posted here, so don't be too harsh pls

---------------------------------------------------

"So, are we there yet?"

"Hunter, this is your third time asking", Amity sighed. "However, are we there yet?"

"Yeah, it's right over this hill!" Luz said. "But i wanna do a dramatic reveal, so you have to climb up the hill first, and i'll show you and you all will gasp!"

"Whatever makes you happy", Amity said. She hasn't seen Luz smiling much in the past couple of weeks, but this brought her so much joy, so Amity didn't mind some theatrics.

Luz stood on the top of the hill, covering most of the field beside it with her arms and body. She was wearing a red shirt with some bats, a black denim jacket, a pair of black shorts, her usual white boots and unmatched striped socks. It was pretty warm for Gracefield that autumn, so she took advantage of that. Luz watched her friends line up in front of her and took a good look at them - they all decide to wear halloweeny outfits for the ocasion.

Amity was wearing and orange turtleneck, a black skirt with buttons and black heeless shoes. She tucked her hair back with a headband, Sabrina Spellman-style, and looked determined(and extremely beautiful). Gus stood next to her, and he was practically shaking with excitement. He dressed up in an orange sweatshirt with a pumpkin face drawn on it, a pair of black jeans and black converse shoes. Hunter slightly calmed Gus by putting his hand on his shoulder. Hunter himself was wearing an orange shirt with another white long-sleeved shirt under it, light blue jeans and a pair of red crocks, which looked horrendous, but Luz was happy that Hunter was discovering his fashion sence(even if it's awful). Willow, who was standing beside him, was rocking a long black dress with many layers. She tied her hair into a small ponytail, and, for some reason, her footwear of choice was a pair of yellow rubber boots. Luz perfectly knew the energy that was sparking between Willow and Hunter - these two, for sure, wanted to hold hands, but couldn't bring themselves to do it. Vee was absent - she said something about dishes to wash, but Luz was pretty sure it was her strange secret fear of pumpkins.

"A-a-and, you can look!", Luz put her hands down, and the gang saw a field of pumpkins.

"This is not as exciting as i expected..." Hunter said.

"This is just as exciting as i expected!", Gus yelled.

"Okay, first we need to split! I'm going with Amity and Gus," Luz said with a sly smile. "And Hunter is going with Willow! Okaythatsitthelastonetogettothefieldisaloser!"

After blurting it out, she grabbed Amity's and Gus' hands and ran down the hill. Hunter and Willow rushed after them. They gave up almost immediately and decided to walk slowly and take their time.

The first minutes alone with Willow were awkward. Her eyes were so green, full of confusion and wonder. She had a beautiful smile on her face. All the orange around them highlighted her black dress. All Hunter could think about is how much he wanted to hold her hand. And all he did was trying to stare at pumpkins, not at her.

But then she said:

"Look, this pumpkin looks exactly like our abomination teacher did after we beat their team at flyer derby!"

That just made Hunter burst out laughing and broke the tension.

"Can we not choose this one then? That guy creeped me out. Maybe we should take that one that looks like a coffee cup."

"A cup of pumpkin spice latte!"

"Exactly!"

"I love pumpkin spice," Willow said, hiding her eyes away. "Maybe we should get some someday. Like, um, just the two of us..."

Hunter knew what that meant - Luz watched all those crappy romcoms all the time, and when one character wanted to date another character, this is exactly what they said. This meant a lot.

Willow wanted to date him.

Willow wanted to date him!

This thought filled Hunter's entire mind and heart. His face was so red he was sure it's actually on fire. Panic overtook him, and the best he could do is say:

"Yea...um...i need to go to...wash my flowers and...sorry..."

He walked away, slowly at first, but then just started running.

What was he running from? A girl he really, really likes liked him back... Maybe that actually was the reason. No one's ever looked at him like Willow. No one talked to him like her - like she knew everything about him, and accepted all of him. And that novelty was scary, even though Hunter knew that-

He tripped and fell on his face. Great. Absolutely what he needed right now.

"Oh my titan, dude, you found the best one!"

It was Gus' voice. Hunter turned around and saw Luz, Amity and Gus. The latter was holding the pumpkin Hunter tripped on.

"I totally agree!" Amity said. "It's big, and tough, and just the right color!"

Willow reached the group. "Does anyone want to ask Hunter if he's okay, guys?"

"I'm fine", Hunter replied. He looked at Willow, who was so worried about him, and still cared deeply about him even after he ran from her, and added: "And yes. I'd love to go with you very much."

"Go...Where?" Luz said, confused.

"It's a long story," Hunter said. He stood up. "Let's grap this pumpkin and head home."

Him and Willow were holding hands the entire trip back.

[secretly-of-course]

New chapter!

[daydreams-and-honeybees]

Hii I just wanted to ask if it’d be ok with you if I made fanart based on your fics. I really love how you write and there are a few scenes that feel so drawable (especially from green like jealousy which is genuinely one of my favorite huntlow fics ever written)

Oh my god yes ?!!?!?!! Please do?!!!?!!? I’m so honored, thank you so much!!!

[violet-prism-creatively]

For Huntlow Week day 2 (umbrella), I was inspired to write a little fic! Plus a sketch to go with it:

Image description: A pencil drawing of Willow and Hunter standing under a tree. Willow is holding an umbrella over both of them and they're smiling at each other.

Read the fic on Ao3 or below! (745 words)

Willow's therapist had told her she didn't have to be the responsible one all the time, but right now, Willow wished she'd been a bit more responsible.

The first drop of boiling rain hit her shoe with a sizzle. Willow ducked under the shelter of a tree, not quickly enough to avoid another droplet on her arm. She hissed. She hadn't packed a first-aid kit, or an umbrella, or even a raincoat. It was just supposed to be a little walk in the forest. And now she was stuck in a surprise boiling-rainstorm, utterly unprepared.

Text friends, Clover buzzed. At least Willow's palisman was with her.

Willow pulled out her scroll and sent a message to the groupchat: "SOS caught in rainstorm"

Almost immediately, responses flooded in: "r u ok??" "Take shelter!"

"I'm under a tree," Willow replied, and sent a selfie. "just annoyed that I didn't think to bring an umbrella and now my dads prob won't let me go out alone again for a while"

"I cAN bring you an umbrella,. send location." Hunter's texting style had been getting better since Willow had first met him about a year ago, and at this point, she found the occasional errors endearing. (As well as his nerdiness, and his sense of loyalty, and a lot of other things... but that was another discussion.) Even though he was obviously the only one who could come rescue her, with his immunity to boiling rain, she couldn't help but smile at the offer.

Willow shared her location- a forest not far from Bonesborough- texted her dads that she was okay, and settled in to wait. Clover rested on her shoulder. It wasn't a heavy rainstorm, but drops occasionally filtered through the edges of the tree's canopy, and Willow pressed her back against the trunk to avoid them.

Soon, Hunter arrived on his mechanical staff. He wore a raincoat, but where the rain hit his bare hands and face, it slid off harmlessly like human-realm rain. "Are you okay?" he asked as soon as he'd landed. "I got here as fast as I could, but I had to find an umbrella first- here." He handed an umbrella to Willow.

She opened it, feeling much more secure under the boiling-rain-proof material. "Thank you. I'm okay, but I really appreciate you coming here."

"No problem." The tension in Hunter's body drained away, leaving him standing there awkwardly. He eventually asked, "Do you want to fly back to your house or stay here?"

"I was always taught it's safer to shelter in place till the rain ends," Willow replied, "and besides, it would be kind of hard to hold the umbrella while flying."

"If anyone could do it, it would be you, Captain. Or I could hold it over you if you want- I just don't want to leave you here alone."

Oh. "You could wait here with me," Willow suggested. That... would be kind of nice, actually, she thought.

"Oh yeah. I could." Hunter gave a soft smile.

"Come here." Willow beckoned Hunter closer. "I know the rain doesn't hurt you, but it's cozy under here."

Hunter obliged, and she shifted the umbrella to cover both of them. Their arms were touching... Then Hunter noticed the red mark the boiling raindrop had left on Willow's arm.

"You're hurt! One second, I brought a first-aid kit." Hunter rummaged through his bag.

"It's just a small burn." It didn't even hurt anymore, but Willow was touched by his care nevertheless.

With the precision of a field medic but the care of a friend, Hunter dabbed antibiotic cream on the burn and covered it with a band-aid. Willow tried not to focus on his hands on her skin, how close he was, the intimacy of him caring for her.

Hunter released her arm when he was done- was she imagining the blush on his face? "There you go."

"Thank you." Willow could tell she was blushing too. "I feel so silly for not bringing a first-aid kit or umbrella of my own."

"You don't have to be perfectly prepared all the time. I've got you."

Willow's heart was glowing and blooming and doing ridiculous somersaults. Did Hunter even know he had just said the sweetest thing ever?

"Thank you." Willow tentatively reached out and took his hand. It was warm and calloused and fit perfectly with hers.

And so for a while, they stood together under the umbrella, holding hands, watching the boiling rain.

[haystarlight]

Disabilities and Disclosure

@lollytea made a post about this idea and I went with it.

I don't have dyslexia. If you or someone you know has it, I'd appreciate your input!

@avatarmerida @fairytales-and-folklore

______________________________________________

"Disabilities and Disclosure"

"I'm gonna have to borrow that book when you're done with it!"

Willow wasn't really thinking when she made that promise. She'd been too caught up in Hunter's cool outfit and his sweet smile to realize what she was signing up for. She'd been so preoccupied with flirting with the cute boy she didn't bother to think she was actually going to have to read that book later.

At first, she put it off. They were busy fighting villains, rebuilding society, rebuilding their homes, starting a new semester at Hexside. Then, a few months after she and Hunter started dating, he remembered she had expressed interest in reading Cosmic Frontier.

Oh no.

"Here you go! you can keep it, I have another copy at home."

"Aww, Sunflower, this is so nice of you."

Hunter blushed, he always blushed when she called him that.

Aw fuck. The book was even bigger than she remembered.

"A little fat, ain't it?" She chuckled nervously "how did you read it all in 2 days?"

"Haha well, yeah. I don't wanna brag but you do remember I've been called a 'genius teen prodigy'," He said this in a tone that sounded like he did want to brag. "it's not that fat, tho. A regular reader like you can probably kill it in a week or two. And then you can share your thoughts with me, Gus and Camila!"

Yeah. Sure. A regular reader like her.

A week or two. Sure.

Hunter must've sensed her uncertainty because his voice immediately dropped from excitement to comfort.

"Hey, I won't get upset if you don't like it. Just so you know."

"Aw, yeah, I wasn't worried about that. But thanks."

She tried looking at the summary on the back and almost got a headache. She knew he wouldn't mind if she didn't like it... But would he be disappointed if she couldn't even finish it?

"Oh, and I hope you're cool with this... I kinda wrote stuff on the margins," he said this bashfully.

Willow opened the book on the first page. The first two pages of every book are always blank before the actual story gets started. She'd always considered that a waste of paper.

This time, however, she saw on the first blank page something written in Hunter's perfect calligraphy. He had such nice handwriting. Her writing was so messy in comparison.

Even she was able to read the three simple words written there with love and care.

'To my Captain 💛'

What had she done?

______________________________________________

The days passed by and no matter how hard she tried, the damn book was impossible to finish.

It's not that she couldn't read at all! She could read! She was 16, not 5!

But some words were harder to understand than others. Words that were really long and complicated gave her the hardest time. It didn't help that all these characters had odd names that looked impossible to pronounce and even harder to spell. She kept getting headaches whenever she stared at a page for too long.

She had always been like this, since she started school. It was one of the reasons abominations were so much harder for her than plants, abominations required a lot of reading and theory, plants were direct hands-on action. She had so many memories of staying up late with her parents trying to help her as she agonized over the homework.

And, as the days passed, she kept avoiding having to talk to Hunter. He always asked her how far into the book she was, which scene had she gotten to, who was her favorite character so far. And Gus was no better. Gus knew of Willow's reading issue but it seemed like the young boy had forgotten about it as he got caught up in the excitement as well.

One day, Willow was alone, sitting on the school steps when she suddenly couldn't take it anymore and screamed in frustration, throwing the book away from her.

Luckily, someone caught it.

"Wow! You must be really angry at this thing," Luz said, in between scared and impressed. "did your favorite character die or something? I hate it when that happens."

Willow sighed.

"No, it's just... it's so hard to read."

"Really? It says here the age rating is 13 and up," Luz pointed at the back of the book.

Willow groaned.

"Is it because you don't understand all the weird sci-fi things? I know you guys still don't know a lot about the human world. It makes sense you don't get all the space and science-y thingies," she laughed. "heck, I'm a human and even I don't get it half the time! It's super confusing, you don't have to feel bad for -"

"That's not it either, Luz."

There was a silence between the two of them. Luz felt the weight of that silence and sat down next to her. The human carefully laid a hand on her best friend's shoulder.

"Hey. You don't have to tell me but it looks like it'll make you feel better to tell someone."

"It's... I don't... it's not that I can't read or write! You've seen me do it! I know how to read and write! I'm not a baby!"

Luz simply stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

"But, even though I can do it, I find it very... difficult. There's lots of words that I can't spell because they're too long, the letters sometimes like... move around and blurr together even when I'm wearing my glasses!" She took off the golden frames as if to clarify. "and I keep getting headaches and I hate it when a sentence has too many comas and -"

"Oh, you have dyslexia!"

Willow stopped her rant to look at her friend. She put her glasses back on, confused.

"What?"

"Oh, that's what humans call it! I don't know how witches call it or if it even has a name here. I didn't know witches could have dyslexia... but I guess it makes sense cause human brains are very similar to witch brains. I wonder if-"

"Luz, what's dyslexia?"

"Oh, right, sorry," she smiled apologetically. "it's a learning disability. It's what you just described. Someone who has a hard time reading, who can't spell long words, who struggles with big books... etcetera."

Willow looked shocked, her mouth slightly opened. It has a name? Other people have it?

"I'm not a doctor so I can't really diagnose you. But, if you want, we can do some research! There's lots of info on the human realm! It's actually a really common thing so we have lots of methods to help make it easier. We can look up Cosmic Frontier audiobooks! You can just listen to it, no reading required."

Despite of herself, Willow smiled. Luz was a really good friend.

"Thank you, Luz. That sounds nice."

"And I bet Hunter will love to help! You know how he loves research!"

The smile dropped as quickly as it had come, replaced by panic.

"NO! DON'T TELL HUNTER!"

"Okay, why?"

"He just... Hunter's so smart and I'm..."

"You're smart! Just because you have a learning disability doesn't make you not smart! Mom has ADHD and she's super smart!"

"What's ADHD?"

"Oh, it's another learning disability. I think I have it too but that's a conversation for another day."

"Mmmkay," Willow shrugged and went back to the matter at hand. "Hunter's so smart and he's such a good reader and... and he's always going on and on about how talented and clever I am and he admires me so much and... I don't want him to be disappointed or to see me different."

Luz stayed silent for a moment while she contemplated what to say. She finally settled on:

"I'm not gonna tell him because I respect your privacy but I think you should tell him. Hunter loves you but he doesn't have you on a pedestal, he knows you're a person with limits and weaknesses. He's not going to be disappointed if you tell him this."

Willow didn't respond but she knew her friend was right. Oh, where would she be without Luz the human?

______________________________________________

A few days of research and information gathering with the assistance of Luz and Camila, and Willow was now ready to come clean to her boyfriend.

She sat with him on a picnic they'd set up in the forest as she laid out all the information. Hunter would occasionally ask a question but, for the most part, he just let her speak. In the end, Willow stared at him in deep dread.

"Wow, ok. Thanks for telling me this," he stopped to take a sip of apple blood before continuing. "how can I help?"

Willow stared at him, processing the words.

"You want to help?" She asked incredulously.

"You're my girlfriend and you need help, therefore, I'm willing to do what I can. Is that not how it works?"

Willow couldn't help but smile. Hunter was getting better at this relationship thing.

"Yeah, thank you. I was just... I was being paranoid."

Hunter tilted his head, offering her to go on.

"You're always... you're so smart and well-read and... you always tell me how talented and clever you think I am and you compliment me for knowing so much about flyer derby and plants and insects... I feel like I'll disappoint you if I'm actually not as smart as you think I am."

Hunter frowned. He did tend to go on about how amazing his girlfriend was, he couldn't help it! He loved her! And she had always looked so happy when he said those things, responding with a smile or a blush or a thank you or paying him a compliment in return.

He didn't realize that maybe there was a bit of a negative side to it.

"Willow, I'm not gonna be disappointed in you for having limits and weaknesses. Nobody's perfect! And that's fine! You're the one who taught me that!

The plant witch snorted. It was true, she had been the one to teach Hunter that. Why couldn't she remember her own advice?

"There it is," Hunter said, fondly.

"There what is?"

"You snort like a pig when you laugh, you kick people in your sleep, you take pictures of strangers on the street like a creeper..." He counted on his fingers. "I could keep going but the point is, I know you're not perfect. It's okay to not be perfect. I don't love you because you're flawless! I love you because you're Willow and you're impossible not to love."

He said that last part so sincerely, she had to believe him. The plant witch grabbed her boyfriend in a tight hug. He hugged her back and she felt the warmth fill her with comfort.

"I love you too, Sunflower."

They kissed. They'd already kissed so many times, it came naturally to them by now. Willow was long familiar with the taste of his lips but it still somehow brought firebees to her stomach no matter how many times she did it. It never got old, she would never get tired of it.

Every time they kissed, like clockwork, flowers came out of Willow's head. It was like her heart and her magic couldn't control themselves when she felt his kisses. This time, the flowers on her hair were white bellflowers.

"Now, back to the 'how can I help?' thing," Hunter said, after they had broken apart. "I think I have an idea you might like."

______________________________________________

Normal people would simply find a Cosmic Frontier audiobook for Willow to listen to. Or maybe they would read to her out loud. Or maybe they'd show her the movie adaptation (tho, she'd been told by Hunter, Gus and Camila that the movie was awful and did a terrible job at adapting the original source material).

Hunter wasn't a normal person, not by a long shot.

He'd decided to act out all of the memorable scenes from the book like it was a play. After telling the others, they had also been incredibly excited to help.

Everyone did something. Willow built the stage and props, Hunter made the costumes and wrote the scripts, Vee and Gus were on special effects with their shapeshifting and illusions respectively, Amity brought some abominations for extra manpower and Luz and Camila put together a playlist of songs that went perfect with every scene. Eda and King brought snacks.

When the night of the premiere finally came, Willow sat down at the Owl House's backyard with Luz, Amity, King, Eda and Raine as they watched it all unfold. Luz took out her phone and started recording because she wanted to put it on Mewtube, Amity didn't understand anything that was going on, Eda ate all the snacks and King fell asleep on Raine's lap halfway through. Perfection.

It wasn't a quality production, it was very low budget and DIY. It reminded Willow of those plays the bard witches from the drama club at Hexside often did. It was silly and weird but it was wonderful.

At the heart of it all were the actors. Vee obviously knew how to play a convincing alien monster, Gus and Camila were not professionals but they felt such passion and appreciation for their character's plight that they could bring themselves to do a pretty good performance. And Hunter was just IN IT! He was an artist lost in his art and Willow never wanted him to stop ever.

His voice cracked with emotion on the dramatic scenes, he stricked poses and smiled at the audience, he recited every line from memory, he even cried on the sad parts. It was hard not to love the book when it inspired something so incredible on all these people she loved.

When the play ended, the actors took a bow and everyone clapped. Luz was the loudest, woohoo-ing and wolf whistling. She cheered so loud, King woke up with a yelp.

Willow made flowers with her magic, throwing them at the stage enthusiastic. Gus caught one and pointed a finger gun, winking at her. Vee caught one and giggled. Camila caught one and her smile got even bigger.

She threw a whole bouquet of roses. Hunter caught it and blew her a kiss.

Yup, this was her new favorite book.

[stars-and-birds]

“Then you’ll remember that I am assigning you a night.” He gestures behind him, and a figure emerges from the shadows. It’s a girl not much younger than Hunter, with dark blue hair cut just below her ears. Her eyes light up when they meet Hunter’s, shining through gold framed glasses. She wears standard armor, (and a lot of it too, more than Steve at least) the only noticeable distinction being a gold sunflower on her breastplate. She smiles, and it’s almost like flowers bloom next to her cheery face.

Or

Huntlow royalty x knight au

HI GUYS ITS DONE!! Ive been working on this for a while, royalty huntlow au! I love it lots go check it out :))

Tag list under cut, tell me if you’d like to be added :>

Taglist: @agrebel18 @smokestarrules @el-fandom-birb @haystarlight @insufferable-bisexual @childlikegoblinqueen @emeraldart @uhwhathappenedhere @imhumanguysiswear

[apiculturegal]

Shallow Waters: Chapter Two — Blood in the Water

Hunter arrives home and is given his task. He meets a strange girl at the docks.

(click for higher image quality) (Selkie!au Part 14)

Read the fic here!

[childlikegoblinqueen]

I remember skies, Reflected in your eyes…

Wrote pure fluff for @skeptical-rainbows inspired by this commission from last week!

Hunter caught Willow watching him through the glow of her rounded gold frames. Eyes soft, she smiled and arched a brow.

“Mmmmmm.” She laughed gently. “You think they all look like wolves!”

“Nah!” Hunter shook his head. “Uh, just the extra wolfy looking ones, you know?”

[anfervaldez]

Dancing under the rain

I wrote 31 huntlow drabbles for October of last year, they are originally in Spanish but I thought it would be good to translate them and share them here So, let's start with day 1. I'm sorry for my terrible English.

1-Dancing under the rain

Raindrops rattled against the window of the house.

They had an almost calming rhythm.

Hunter sighed as he focused his attention on the window. The entire outing that he had planned was ruined by the sudden arrival of rain.

Maybe he should have checked the weather forecasts more, although it was too late to do so now.

He gave an apologetic look to the girl next to him, though Willow simply gave him a sweet smile. Of course she would never get angry over something like that.

“Sorry, we'll have that picnic another time.”

“It's okay, we can find something else to do.”

The girl's sweet voice filled him with calm almost instantly, it didn't really matter what they did, the important thing was that they were together.

“I wanted to give you a nice date in nature” 

He admitted, feeling his cheeks burn. Although they had been officially dating for a couple of months, it still embarrassed him beyond help.

Willow's eyes brightened at his words and she approached him, taking his hand in hers.

“Well, who says we can't do it? We are in the human world.”

Every once in a while, they traveled to Camila's house, both to visit her and to get to know the human world.

It was much easier now that the collector had helped them with a stable portal.

Hunter had planned the date there, aware of Willow's fascination with human plants. He liked to see the emotion on her face, that smile that always left him breathless.

"A date in the rain?" He asked, eliciting a giggle from the girl.

"It seems somewhat romantic to me" 

The witch admitted, her cheeks also colored crimson.

The rain of the human world did not burn, it did not boil. They had already tried it a long time ago, but they had never done it, just the two of them.

"Let's do it," he whispered in response, gathering the courage to lead them towards the exit.

The first drops fell on his skin as he crossed the threshold. They were cold, but not annoying.

He closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the sensation. It was strange how something like that could bring him so much peace.

When he opened them again, he found the girl's face in front of him, the drops running down her skin, the rain soaking her hair, making some strands stick to her forehead.

She had a smile plastered on her lips, which caused his heart to skip a beat in his chest.

Sometimes he still wondered if all that was not a simple dream.

Willow was too perfect to be true.

Her beautiful emerald eyes locked onto his, he felt his pulse accelerate instantly.

"Dance with me," the girl murmured, carefully taking his hands and placing them on her waist, while she placed her own on his shoulders.

They were too close and Hunter couldn't take his eyes off hers.

They began to sway awkwardly, following imaginary music. Perhaps the very rhythm of the raindrops falling to the ground.

For a moment the rest of the world ceased to exist, it was just the two of them and the feeling of the rain against them.

Gathering courage from somewhere, the blonde closed the distance, placing a quick, chaste kiss on the girl's lips.

His face turned completely red, up to his ears, but there was a happy smile on him.

A pair of flowers emerged from the witch's hair, followed by a distinct blush on her cheeks.

“I...I love you Willow.”

“I love you too Hun”

They stayed like that for a couple more minutes, letting the rain wash away their problems for a moment. In that instant, it was just the two of them, in their little bubble of happiness.

[fairytales-and-folklore]

Snippet Sunday

Thank you for the tag @ash-mcj and @greyhavenisback <3

Here’s a snippet of chapter six of my huntlow college au:

The words fall out of his mouth before he can think to stop them. "What if I was your boyfriend?" Willow chokes on her tea, spluttering around a mouthful of what's supposed to be soothing sleepy-time chamomile as she turns her wide-eyed gaze on Hunter. "What?" she asks, soft and disbelieving. "Uh, I mean—" Hunter falters, blush creeping up the back of his neck like a heatwave. "What if I pretended to be your boyfriend?" he quickly course-corrects. "Came by the shop at closing time and walked you home every night? I know you're more than capable of handling yourself, but everyone needs a little backup sometimes. I could be that for you. Keep you company on your walk home." Willow blinks a few times, giving her whiplashed heart a moment to catch up. "You would do that for me?" she asks softly. "Of course," he says automatically, leaving no room for doubt as he leans in a little bit closer, drapes his arms across the back of the couch and tucks his chin into the curve of his elbow, gazing up at her with that soft, something-close-to-smitten look he always seems to reserve just for her. "I'd do anything for you."

[phoenix-pheces]

Part two of Bleeding Hearts! Full credit to @turquoisespace35 for this AU. Please see the following list of trigger warnings for this update. I am happy to provide anyone with specifics if you’d like to message me before reading.

Trigger Warnings: Blood, Graphic Violence, Death, Use of Weaponry, Body Horror

—————————————

Bleeding Hearts - 2/3

Though Amity had tried her best, she was no match for twelve trained soldiers: especially with an injured Willow by her side. The two of them had been swiftly escorted to the dungeon below the palace. They thankfully had been permitted to share a small cell. Willow wasn’t sure she could bear to be alone at the moment. Amity had let Willow lean against her side and cry until her voice was hoarse. She knew they needed to be working on a plan of escape, but her fear and guilt had overtaken her. Amity was nothing but understanding and sympathetic, content to stay there as long as a friend needed her.

“Don’t move,” Amity whispered as she silently rose to her feet.

“What’s happening?”

“Torchlight. It’s faint, but I’m pretty sure it’s headed our way.”

Soon, Willow could see the glow as well. She couldn’t make out who was approaching, only that there were two of them. Amity suddenly jumped up and squealed.

“Ed! Em! How did you find us?”

“You’re the only prisoners here,” Amity’s sister said with a laugh. Willow approached the bars to greet them.

“Can you two get us out of here?”

“Way ahead of you.” Amity’s brother held up a small bronze key with a smirk. “They honestly make it too easy. Maybe we’ll break into the armory next.”

“Ed,” Amity interrupted. “Important mission here.”

Together, the twins opened the door to the cell and embraced Amity. They led the two back through the palace, including through the armory. Edric insisted they may need some weapons, and definitely had no personal stake in seeing the elite craftsmanship. Willow took a small dagger for herself, while Emira and Amity took matching spears.

“Alright, let’s go save Hunter.”

The king and his soldiers had been conducting searches of every house in the kingdom. They had lost too much time. He would find Hunter hidden away in Gus’s home soon enough. Willow wanted to run straight to him, but Amity had stopped her.

“Willow, I know you want to go protect him, but we would just be confirming his presence there. The best thing we can do is lay low and hope that Gus was able to move him in time. Maybe to my house, knowing it would be empty for a while?”

Willow reluctantly agreed, but felt little hope. They had ruled out everyone else’s home before deciding on Gus’s. Everyone else had plenty of family coming in and out of the home who could accidentally see Hunter. Gus was the only one who lived in a two person household, and his dad would hopefully be understanding if he were to arrive home and find Gus with an unexpected guest.

The search party arrived at Gus’s home. Amity had insisted on staying far from the home to remain hidden, and described the scene for Willow. Gus answered the door, with the bravest expression he could muster. Neither of them could hear what was being said, nor could they spot Luz or Hunter. The guards pushed past Gus, who began to yell in protest. Amity pulled Willow to her feet, and the two ran for the house.

“Please, I can’t have the house a mess, my dad will be beside himself!” As soon as Gus saw them, his face froze. Making sure he couldn’t be seen, he gave them a frantic nod.

Hunter was still inside.

Willow’s heart dropped. She grabbed Amity’s shoulder.

“We have to go in after them.”

“Willow we can’t,” Amity said, her voice breaking.

“I’m going.” She let go of Amity and made her way into the house.

The guards mostly ignored her, currently tearing through Gus’s home and belongings. Chairs shoved to the floor, blankets thrown about, even the bowls in the kitchen weren’t left undisturbed. Willow pushed her way through the guards just in time to hear the king shouting to the guards.

“Avert your eyes! Don’t let it look at you!”

“No!” Willow screamed.

“Willow!” Hunter’s shout was soon muffled by the sound of a sheet.

“Good work commander, bring it outside. And someone, grab that girl!”

Willow was forcefully grabbed by the wrists. Hunter was brought out beside her, two guards restraining his hands while another held a sheet around his neck, effectively blinding him and protecting everyone else around them. Willow and Hunter both fought to free themselves, but the guards only held their arms tighter. The two were pushed, struggling as they were, out of the house and into the street. The king approached them and addressed the gathering crowd.

“Citizens! Behold! These traitors in our midst smuggled this horrendous monster into our kingdom. It could have turned all of us to stone!” The crowd gasped.

“He’s innocent!” Willow thrashed against the guards. “He can’t control it but he never wanted to hurt anyone! Amity and I are living proof! Please-“

“Silence her!” A guard behind her slapped their hand over Willow’s mouth. She fought against them, but they held their ground. The king spoke again.

“For the crimes of treason and attempted murder, I sentence this girl and her monster to death.”

“The only monster here is you!” Everyone fell silent as Hunter yelled. “You killed my parents, and you sent countless subjects to die knowing I can’t control this power. Admit it!”

Doubt spread as the crowd began to murmur amongst themselves. Amity, Gus, Ed, Em, and now Luz pushed their way through.

“They speak the truth,” Amity called out. “I was chosen too, both Willow and Hunter ensured I wouldn’t be harmed. I would be dead if he was intent on hurting me.”

“I kept him in my home! He was nothing but careful and polite!” Gus added.

“Silence!” The king’s voice echoed through the street. “I will tolerate no more of this deceitful insurrection. Citizens, while it is true these two survived, how many of our bravest warriors have died at the hands of this beast? How many of you have lost parents, siblings, or children?”

The crowd was silent. The king let out a long sigh.

“I wish this monster was capable of living peacefully, I truly do. But at any moment, it could turn on us and turn everyone in the village to stone. Surely, good citizens, you understand?”

“I believe them.” Camila, Luz’s mother, spoke up. Luz beamed at her.

“I believe them.” Willow’s fathers stepped forward together.

Slowly, the crowd agreed and stepped up to join them.

“He looks like just a kid!”

“He didn’t hurt the last two chosen ones.”

“What would they gain by lying and bringing him here?”

Finally, Amity approached the king and dropped her spear to the ground.

“Your Majesty,” she said with determination, “we all know he is no monster. Release him.”

“And if I refuse?”

“We’ll take matters into our own hands.” Edric and Emira joined Amity, each giving her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. The king chuckled, but the chuckle turned slowly into full blown laughter.

“Oh, now this is tragic. You all truly believe this thing is worth saving. You trust it more than your own apparently cruel king.” He smirked. “Well if you think I’m a monster now-“

The king grabbed the spear Amity had dropped and plunged it into Hunter’s neck.

“Hunter!” The guards let go of Willow and she ran to him. He collapsed into her arms. She pulled the spear out and shouted to the crowd. “Everyone, look away!”

Willow pulled the sheet off of Hunter. Blood was bubbling up from his neck, and his snakes had gone completely still. Willow’s gaze met his: terror and pain collided in his eyes. Hunter grabbed her arm. He tried to speak, but only dark blood flew from his lips. His grip on Willow began to weaken.

“No, no Hunter please! Please stay with me!”

Behind her, the king began screaming in pain. His back arched sharply and his hands flew to his eyes. The crowd ran, screaming. Willow’s friends tried frantically to reach them. They finally made it to her sobbing and clutching Hunter’s head to her chest.

“He’s not moving.”

The king screamed again as emerald scales began to push their way from beneath his skin. Blood followed, and spilled all over the new surface. His hair fell out in droves as reptilian strands instead made their way to the surface, rippling beneath the skin of his scalp.

He was turning into a gorgon.