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silverblood5 · 3 years ago

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LunterWeek 2021: Day 2 Human Realm

Characters: Hunter, Camilla, Luz, Vee

Pairings: Luz x Hunter Some Hunter and Camilla bonding

Wordcount: 4544

Turned out a little more angsty than I was expecting but I wrote this thing twice and it kept coming back so it stays.

@lunterweek

Hunter stared at the human building. It was a light blue colour, had two floors and a front veranda. Human houses seemed to be composed of more straight lines and square angles than the ones in the Demon Realm and Hunter had spent a long minute taking in the details before his eyes landed on the solid wood door.

A small chirp was heard from inside his hood, and it snapped the witch out of his trance. Hunter realised he’d been standing with his back straight and hands fidgeting behind his back, a habit he’d developed when he was nervous. He loosened himself and reached a hand up to scritch his palisman’s feathers.

“Sorry, buddy. Guess I’m a bit nervous.”

The walk to this house had been slow, both because he’d been thinking of what he would say once he reached his destination, and because he’d been taken in by the sights of a new and strange world. It was late enough that the sun had gone down, but he could still see the strange shades of green on all the trees, and the different shapes the leaves came in. The night air tasted different in a way he couldn’t explain, and the quiet sounds of insects he didn’t recognise had enticed him to stand still with his eyes closed for several minutes.

It was so strange, to finally be here, after hearing stories about it his whole life. Unfortunately, he couldn’t focus on it as much as he would have liked, as he had a mission to attend to here.

Luz had left for the Human Realm through their new stable portal a little over a week ago. She’d told everyone that she might not be back for a little while, as she wanted to spend some time with her mother. All her friends had understood, and there had been a long goodbye with sad smiles and promises to bring back human gifts when she returned.

Hunter though, had cornered her before she left. He could see something… off, about how she held herself since the portal was made. It was like her light had dimmed, and her smile held something a little different to everyone else’s. At first, Hunter hadn’t thought much of it. He wasn’t great at reading people’s expressions, and if no one else seemed worried than why should he? But then he’d seen, how she’d looked at the portal over someone’s shoulder mid hug, he saw her smile dim to something… regretful. After that, he knew something was wrong. Hunter may not be an expert at reading people, but he knew enough about fake smiles to know when he was seeing one.

Luz had continued to act like everything was fine when he asked, but as he persisted, the façade cracked, and she informed him that she might be gone a little longer than she implied. He had hugged her as she began to cry, and she told him through the tears that she was scared her mother may not let her come back. After finding out where she’d been for months, lying about it and then getting trapped there, her mother wasn’t keen on her returning. Luz didn’t explain much in detail, and he got the sense she wasn’t telling him everything, but he understood enough to know there was a very real chance Luz could be gone for a long time.

He’d had to fight down his fear then. Hunter was still getting used to being around so many people, and Luz was the only one besides his palisman that he was truly comfortable with. Losing her so soon after everything that had happened was the last thing he needed. But Luz was the one that needed the comfort, and though he wasn’t good at it, he tried his best to comfort her. His floundering had earned him a laugh from her, and he forgave her for teasing him when she stopped crying.

She told him that she didn’t want anyone else to know, as she didn’t know how long she’d be gone for, and she didn’t want to upset them. Hunter had promised not to tell on the condition that she told him how to find where she lived from the portal. She’d eyed him sceptically, and though he refused to explain why he wanted the information, there was some understanding and gratitude in her eyes as she gave him directions.

And that was how he stood here, in front of the Noceda household with a borrowed hoodie from Eda’s human junk collection and nerves in his stomach. He knew he wanted to see Luz and had contemplated just sneaking in to see her. Her mother would be none the wiser but thinking of Camilla Noceda had given him a thought he hadn’t been able to shake, and now he was wondering if talking to Luz’s mother himself would be the best option.

Luz was a lovely person, always thinking of others and trying to do right by them. It was noble, but it was also a weakness of hers. Luz would always do what she could for other people, regardless of how it would affect her, especially if it was someone she cared for. And if her mother was so scared of her daughter going back to the Demon Realm, then Luz may not even broach the subject for a long time, if only to appease her.

Hunter pet Rascal one more time and took a deep breath. Adjusting the hood to make sure his ears were covered, the witch finally stepped forward and walked up the stairs. After just a moment to take another breath, Hunter rapped his knuckles solidly on the door. The sound felt louder in the quiet night, echoed by the thumping of his heart in his chest.

The door clicking open was much softer in comparison and Hunter was faced with a woman who bore a striking resemblance to Luz.

“Hello. Can I help you?” The woman asked.

Hunter felt himself straightening back into position and tried to force himself not to. He didn’t want to seem imposing to her. “Camilla Noceda?” He asked, though he was sure this was her.

Camilla nodded slowly, a wariness filling her features as she darted between his face covered by shadows and the bird on his shoulder, “Yes?”

“My name is Hunter. I’m a friend of Luz’s.”

The woman blinked in shock, opening her mouth a few times as she tried to formulate the words. He wasn’t sure what he’d said that had shocked her so much, he doubted she’d be able to figure out where he came from, from that alone, but she quickly reoriented herself.

“A friend? And can I ask what you’re doing here so late?”

Hunter winced. He knew it was somewhat late, but now was the only time he could sneak past Eda and Hooty. “I know it’s late, and I’m sorry to bother you. But I was hoping I could see Luz for a bit, and maybe talk to you?”

Camilla blinked, surprised at the request. “Me?” She asked.

Hunter bit his lip and looked around. It was late, and there was no one around, so it probably wouldn’t be a risk to take off his hood. But he didn’t want to risk someone seeing, or worse, Camilla slamming the door in his face. “Can I come in?” He asked, not liking how meek he sounded, but he knew he had no right to ask this woman of anything, and it was pretty late to be letting strangers into your house.

She hesitated a moment but opened the door. Hunter wondered if it was a human thing or a Noceda thing to be so trusting. He understood there weren’t quite as many dangers here as in the Demon Realm, but Luz was too kind for it to be a staple of her species.

He thanked her and stepped inside, playing with the hem of his borrowed hoodie to avoid putting them behind his back. Hunter took in his new surroundings, noticing the same sharper lines inside as he had outside, but it had most of the same things you’d find in a Boiling Isles home, just in a different style. The biggest difference he noticed in the room he was in was the large rectangular object made of something shiny and black on a shelf opposite the couch. He didn’t know what it was, but from the position and its reflective front he assumed it was some kind of viewing screen.

Turning to face Luz’s mother, he suddenly felt unsure if he should remove the hood. He knew it would be rude to continue hiding his face from someone who’d just let him into their home, but he was afraid of how she’d react. Before he could decide what to do, she beat him to it with a question.

“So how do you know my daughter?” Her posture was stiff, and she kept her distance, but she didn’t take her eyes from him, bending her head a little to try and see under the hood.

Hunter bit the inside of his lip as he contemplated his answer. Sighing as he realised he should stop stalling, he lifted both hands to reach his hood. He saw her eyes widen and heard her breath catch the moment his pointed ears were put on view. He gave her a moment to adjust and to think of what to say, but he couldn’t help but tense as her eyes darted between his ears, scar, and eyes, which he knew from Luz were not a normal colour for humans. Having worn a mask nearly his whole life, he wasn’t used to people seeing his face and it made him a little uncomfortable.

Clearing his throat, he answered her question. “I met Luz a little over a month ago. We only became friends recently though. She helped me through a pretty tough situation, even when I was rude to her and didn’t deserve her help.” A small smile lit his face as he thought of how persistent the human could be. He remembered the first time she ever called him a friend with fondness.

“I’m gonna help you whether you like it or not, ‘cause that’s what friends do!”

Shaking the thought of how adorable her anger was in that moment from his head, Hunter carried on. “She’s the greatest person I’ve ever met, and I owe her a lot.” He looked into Camilla’s surprised eyes with a serious expression. “I understand you don’t like my realm, and you’re afraid of Luz going back there. I don’t know what conversations you two have had about it, but I do know that she was in tears at the thought of never coming back, and that she delayed her return here for several hours after we built a stable portal to say goodbye to her friends, because she didn’t know when she’d be able to see them next.”

Camilla’s eyes widened again, and she began to shake. Hunter frowned, realising he was causing her distress, and spoke a bit softer next. “Luz is an amazing person, and she’d do anything for the people she loves. I know her well enough to know that she’ll put your happiness before her own, and the reason I asked to speak with you was to ask you to not force her to make that choice.” He straightened his shoulders as he prepared to say what he came here for. He didn’t want to be stern with the woman or tell her what to do. He knew she loved Luz and wanted her safe, and he wanted to remain on her good side in future. Plus, Luz would kill him if he upset her mother. “I know that you think the Boiling Isles are too dangerous for her, but if you could see what it’s really like there and see the life your daughter built for herself there, maybe you could see it’s not as bad as you think. I don’t want to upset you, or tell you what to do, I just want you to see it for yourself.” He held himself still as he waited for Camilla to respond and prayed that the tears in her eyes wouldn’t actually fall. He wouldn’t know what to do if he made Luz’s mother cry.

It was a long few moments as she pulled herself together. She closed her eyes as she took deep breaths and held herself, it made Hunter fidget more, but a soft touch of feathers on his cheek had him calming a little.

Camilla finally opened her eyes and stared at Hunter till he tensed, readying for a fight. “I had no idea she had friends there.”

The whispered sentence wasn’t what Hunter was expecting. Shouting maybe. Lashing out at him for speaking about family matters he honestly had no right meddling in. It was in this moment Hunter realised he was completely out of his depth.

“What… what do you mean?” Hunter asked, confused. Because why would that be the thing she focuses on?

“I didn’t know… that she’d made friends. Or a life that she wouldn’t want to leave.” She sniffed, and Hunter’s fears of her crying were reignited. “I thought… I… Everything Vee said about the Demon Realm made it sound so horrible, and Luz said she was trapped there, so I thought that meant she didn’t want to be there, but…” She huffed out a sad sounding laugh that made Hunter tense further. Even Rascal’s nuzzling couldn’t calm him down now. “She also said that staying there was the best decision she ever made. And every time she brought it up again, I just kept shooting her down. Changing the subject and she never brought it up for the rest of the day.

“When I made her promise to stay here, I wanted her to know that I wasn’t trying to push her away. That I would do better” Camilla looked him in the eye as the first tear fell, “But I just made things worse again, didn’t I?”

Hunter was panicking. He was breathing too fast, and he couldn’t move. He didn’t mean to make Camilla cry, but he also had no clue what she was talking about. He thought this was just a case of overprotective parent, he had no idea about any promise or that Camilla thought she was pushing her daughter away from her.

‘Hunter, breathe. You can sort through this. It will be okay.’

Hunter felt himself calm at Rascal’s chirped words. He focused on the small weight on his shoulder as he took several deep breaths. His palisman was right. Just sort through this and it will be okay.

Camilla made Luz promise to stay in the Human Realm because she thought Luz had left to get away from her. He didn’t know how true that was since he didn’t know what caused Luz to stay in the Demon Realm in the first place. He knew she became trapped after destroying the portal, and that she hadn’t rested until she found a way to rebuild one. For as long as he’s known her, her goal was to get back home and to her mother, so there’s no way Luz was trying to get away from her.

Which meant that Camilla had it all wrong.

And so did Hunter.

Camilla’s fear wasn’t of the Boiling Isles, it was that her daughter would prefer it to staying here with her. Hunter didn’t know what had occurred between the two to draw that conclusion, but he knew it wasn’t true.

Now he just needed to convince Camilla of that.

A few seconds had passed during his internal deliberation, and during that time Camilla looked more and more ready to burst into tears. So, Hunter decided to pull a Luz, no matter how stupid he thought it was.

Hunter stepped forward to wrap his arms around Camilla. “That’s not true.” He firmly stated, and whether it was his words or the sudden hug, Camilla gasped and stopped crying. He held on just to be sure, and because despite how uncomfortable it felt to hug someone who wasn’t Luz, he found it easier to talk to Camilla without seeing her face.

“The entire time I’ve known her, all Luz had wanted to do was build a portal to come back to you. I don’t know why you think you’re pushing Luz away, because anytime she talked about you, it was clear how much she loved and missed you. She wasn’t sad to leave because she prefers one world or the people in it over the other, it was just because she didn’t want to choose.” He squeezed her tighter before pulling back to hold her shoulders and look her in the eye. “So please stop crying. You have nothing to worry about. I, on the other hand, am probably going to lose a limb if Luz finds out I made you cry.”

His feeble attempt at humour worked as Camilla let out a bubbly laugh. She sniffed and wiped a hand under her glasses. “I wouldn’t worry. Luz is too kind to do anything like that.”

Hunter rolled his eyes. “Yeah, she said something similar the second time we met, but since moments before that she blasted me of an airship, I find it hard to believe.”

Camilla looked at him with such wide eyes it made him reconsider if he should have said that.

“She what!?” She hissed in alarm.

“We… weren’t exactly friends at that point.” Hunter explained, though, again, it probably wasn’t the right thing to say.

“She blasted you of an airship!?” She began looking him over, eyes straying to the scar on cheek and the notch in his ear, and he realised she was looking for injuries.

He held out his hands to placate her, “It’s okay. I had my staff, so I just flew back. There was no actual harm done.”

Hunter wasn’t sure why she was so worried, probably to make sure her daughter hadn’t caused anyone any lasting damage, but his reassurance calmed her, so he resolved not to tell her about the Conformatorium guards.

“Okay.” She sighed, and rubbed a hand over her face, suddenly tired. “Okay. Well. Heavy topics of conversation done; would you like anything to drink?”

Hunter blinked at the sudden change but realised he could do with a break from all this talk too. And he still hadn’t seen Luz yet. “Um, yeah. Some water please.” She nodded, and he followed her to the kitchen.

This room was like the first, with a similar set up to a Boiling Isles home, but there were several more appliances he didn’t recognise.

It was as Camilla was pouring him a glass of water that he worked up the courage to ask, “So um… Is Luz awake?”

Camilla looked at him for a moment before nodding. “Yes, I believe so. Her and Vee were playing a video game when I checked on them last.” She passed him the glass and began pouring herself one.

“Thank you, Hunter.” Her voice was soft, and she was watching the water.

Hunter furrowed his brows, “What for?”

“For coming here. And for what you said. Luz must mean a lot to you if you’re willing to go through all this for her.” She looked at him at the last part, and Hunter got the sense that she was staring into his soul.

He blushed at what she said and smiled at the thought of Luz. “I never had any friends before I met Luz. She gave me a chance when no one else would. Not even me. I wasn’t lying when I said I owe her a lot. Luz changed my life, and I’ll never be able to make up for all that she’s done for me.” Hunter smiled, full of sincerity and adoration for Luz, and found Camilla smiling back. She had a look on her face, one that he didn’t recognise by name, but it seemed familiar in a way.uHHH

“I’m glad to know she has someone who cares about her so much.” Hunter blushed brighter and her unnamed smile widened. “I’ll go get her. Wait here.”

Hunter nodded at her and heaved a great sigh when she left. Rascal cheeped at him and nuzzled his cheek, causing Hunter to chuckle. “Well, that was more difficult than I was expecting. But I think it went well.” Rascal cheeped in agreement.

He petted the little bird and sipped his water until he heard the thumping of running footsteps. Hunter put his glass down and eagerly stood from his leaning position, while Rascal flew down to the counter next to his glass as he knew what was coming.

Luz tumbled through the doorway in her pyjamas, the same set she wore the night of their first real interaction, and there was a wild look in her eyes. It turned into a wide beam as she caught sight of him, looking so happy to see him, Hunter couldn’t not smile back.

“Hunter!” She dashed forward again, and it was only through his previous experience that he was able to catch her when she launched herself at him.

Unlike his previous hug with Camilla, Hunter melted into this one. He squeezed Luz tight enough against himself that he was holding her above the floor, and the laughter in his ear made his own laugh bubble up. Her arms were wrapped tight around his neck, and from her elevated position, she was able to press her face into his hair.

“Holy Titan, I missed you.” She whispered into his hair, reaching a hand up to run through the strands as she was prone to do.

Hunter smiled into her shoulder at the sensation. “Missed you too, Spark.”

Luz giggled at the nickname and pulled back enough to lean her forehead against his own. “What took you so long?”

Hunter closed his eyes as she breathed against his face. “It’s only been a week, Luz.”

“It’s been a really long week.” She whined.

Hunter chuckled, opening his eyes to stare into her bright ones, “Well I’m here now your impatient highness.”

Luz snorted. “Wasn’t expecting you to come in through the front door though. Thought you’d just sneak in through the window like you normally do.”

“I haven’t done that in ages. Not since Eda found out and banned me from going anywhere near your bedroom without someone else present.”

She snorted again. “I still can’t believe she actually did that.”

He grinned at her for a moment, still basking in her presence, but before he could say anything more, a pointed throat clearing caught both their attention.

They looked over to see Camilla, and a basilisk that must be Vee, both grinning at them with that look. It was stronger than ever now, and Hunter realised where he recognised it from. It was the one Eda was always giving him. Not that he knew what it meant when she gave it to him either, but having received it from three people now, something had to be up.

“I understand you two will want to spend some time together, however, I think I’m going to take a page out of this Eda’s book and ban you both from being in any private rooms together.” Camilla looked at them pointedly and they both seemed to realise at the same time that Luz was still pressed against Hunter’s chest, and they’d spent most of that conversation with their faces practically stuck together.

Both teens blushed like mad and immediately let go of one another, however, they remained close enough to brush arms.

Camilla’s face looked like she was trying to remain stern but failing to hide her smile. Vee on the other hand, was just straight up grinning.

Rascal, the absolute angel, decided to break the tension by flying up to Luz. She gasped with joy and held her hands out, bringing Rascal up to her face to nuzzle, “Lil’ Rascal, my precious baby. How are you?”

‘After seeing that adorable reunion? I’m fantastic.’The palisman cheeped teasingly, and Hunter decided to retract his earlier angel comment because he knew the bird said that on purpose, knowing Hunter was the only one who could understand him.

Hunter chose to ignore him, but Luz noticed the little glare he threw the palisman, and she just had to ask.

“What did he say?”

“I am not repeating that.”

Rascal chirped with laughter, falling over in Luz’s hands.

“You can understand birds?” Camilla asked, her previous teasing gone and replaced with a genuine curiosity Hunter wasn’t expecting.

He shook his head. “Just this one. He’s my palisman.”

“What’s a palisman?”

Luz was the one to answer her. “They’re magical animals that are carved out of a special type of wood and come to life. They’re normally bound in a lifelong connection to either the witch that carved them, or the witch they chose. Since Rascal chose Hunter, they’re bound, and Hunter’s the only one who can understand him.”

Blinking at her daughter’s excited explanation, Camilla stepped forward to have a closer look, “That bird’s made of wood?”

“Yeah. He doesn’t feel like it at the moment though. His feathers are really soft.” Luz scratched his belly feathers, where he liked it most, and Hunter could tell even without their connection that the little palisman was enjoying the touch.

Camilla opened her mouth to say something else but seemed to reconsider it. She shook her head and took her step back. Luz stopped petting Rascal when her mother crossed her arms and looked at her sternly.

“We have a lot to talk about Luz.” Everyone tensed as she spoke, even Rascal was holding still, but Camilla sighed, her exhaustion showing. “But we’ll talk in the morning.” Everyone relaxed, but she zeroed her eyes on Hunter. “You can stay the night if you want Hunter, but you will be on the couch. I’ll get a pillow and blanket for you. The two of you can talk but it’s late and I want everyone in bed in an hour. I’ll be back to check on you both, and I want to see you,” She pointed at Luz, “In your bed, and you,” She pointed at Hunter, “On the couch. Understood?”

“Understood.” They repeated in unison.

Camilla sighed and flapped a hand in the direction of the living room. “Go on then.”

Luz smiled and lifted Rascal onto Hunter’s shoulder. She stepped forward to give her mother a quick hug, “Gracias, Mami.” Camilla returned the hug with a smile and kissed her daughter’s head.

“Go on. And no funny business.”

Luz blushed, but with a goodnight to Vee she took Hunter’s hand and dragged him into the living room.

Hunter relaxed as they sat down and began to talk about what had happened in the week they’d been separated. There would be more awkward and tense conversations in the morning, but this was a good start.

Right now, he could just enjoy being with Luz. He’d deal with the way her mother eyed the legs she’d thrown over his tomorrow.

#toh #the owl house #luz noceda #toh hunter #camilla noceda #toh vee #toh fanfic #luz x hunter #hunter x luz #lunter #goldenluz #luzter #huntceda #lunterweek #lunterweek2021

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