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avatarmerida · 1 year ago

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Buckle up y’all, this took me through a loop. This is based on an idea that @rebeccaartsy had awhile ago about Hunter being in the show earlier and it inspired this and it kinda just went… woah. So lemme know if it’s confusing at all there’s just a *smidge* of angst but I really like it okay bye

UPDATE: mini sequel here

———

“Gus, listen,” said Hunter, as he walked through the open door of the Owl House. “Obviously, there is classified information that I can’t divulge but upon consideration I am willing to grant you an interview for your class. The Emperor’s Coven values education, and so I could definitely offer you information regarding our selection process which I’m sure your teachers will find impressive and- why is Willow upside down?”

“Oh, Amity set Willow’s mind on fire and now she’s losing all her memories,” said Luz with a nervous chuckle as both girls tried to keep her from falling off the couch. “But uh, whaaat’s up with you?”

“What?” He said running over to her side and helping her sit correctly on the couch and immediately began checking her vitals. “Is she okay?”

“Don’t worry blondie, we’re gonna get these knuckleheads in there to set things right,” said Eda from behind them. “Or at least less wrong.”

“You’re gonna entrust Willow’s mind in the hands of… them?” Said Hunter in disdain as he glared at Luz and Amity who honestly couldn’t argue with him. Willow was limpm in his arms, her eyes unable to focus. “They were the ones who put her in this situation in the first place! Not to mention, this location isn’t zoned for a spell of that caliber and as a member of the Emperor’s Coven I could-.”

“Listen, do you want it done soon or do you want it done legally?” Asked Eda. “Cause by the time we get the permits to do it your way Goldie, there won’t be any of Willow’s memories left to save.”

“Very well then,” said Hunter, pretending as though it was a hard decision. “I’ll allow it. Just… be careful with her.”

“Alright then,” said Eda. “Lemme whip up something to put her to sleep. She’s not gonna wanna be awake for this.”

“Oh look, the prince is here,” giggled Willow, leaning on Hunter’s shoulder for support as she noticed his presence for the first time. “Helloooo, your highness.”

“Uh, hi,” he said, not expecting her to be this close to him but knowing that pouting distance between them would cause her to fall. “A-re you oka-.”

“Shhh,” she said, putting her finger to his lips, whispering as though it was the most serious thing on earth. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

“What?” he said despite his lips being smushed, hanging on to her words with concern.

She took a deep breath. “You have beautiful eyes.” She whispered with intensity.

His face turned bright crimson as he tried to laugh, assuming it must be a joke of some sort. But Willow’s voice didn’t carry the disdain most jokes at Hunter’s expense carried. She wasn’t in her right mind, but maybe that didn’t mean she wasn’t serious.

“Oh uh… thank you?” He said, clearing his throat. “So, uh, s-so do you?”

“Hmmm,” she giggled then hiccuped, squinting at him and then leaning in closer as though she couldn’t quite see something. “Do they make you wear that mask because you're so handsome all the time?”

“What?”

To the side, Luz and Amity were trying in vain not to giggle. Hunter shot them another glare, knowing this was no time for laughter let alone from them.

“How could you let this happen?” he asked them through clenched teeth and they quickly felt guilty. Even though Eda had a solution, this was serious. As Hunter’s stern eyes reminded them that this was their doing, Willow’s finger slowly made its way to trap Hunter’s forelock, twirling it around her finger.

“Awwwh, look at the widdle worm,” she whispered, enchanted by its delicate spring. Hunter couldn’t help but smile.

“Oh suuuure when she calls it a worm it's cute but when I do it you threaten to banish me!” said Hooty with disdain.

“Well that’s because you tried to eat it!” said Hunter as Willow continued to coo at his hair. She did this often, usually when he was upset or grumpy she’d flick it or pull it and for some reason it calmed him down. Her teasing wasn’t cruel or spiteful, it was silly and sweet. Now, she was beyond silly but playing with his hair seemed to distrust her from wandering away so Hunter said nothing of it.

“Woooormy wormy worm,” Willow sang to herself as Hunter steadied her by her shoulders and subtly checked her for any signs of external injury. But it appeared the only damage was her mind, for now at least. He would find time to be furious with Blight and the human later, but now his concern outweighed any other emotion he could hope to have now.

Soon Willow erupted into a sea of giggles as she remembered her worm friend was attached to a person. “Well helloooo again, princey” she said, her voice low and playful, trying to wiggle her eyebrows. “You come here often?”

“Uh… yeah?”

“Hmmm exactly how many worms are you hiding?” she whispered as though she was being spied on. “Are you stealing them from my garden?”

“Uh, I don’t know how to answer that, it’s not-.”

“Nap time!” Said Eda, zapping something in their direction and Willow instantly fell asleep, leaning forward onto Hunter’s shoulder. He was unprepared to say the least, but tentatively put an arm around her to keep her upright, his eyes wide as his movements were careful.

“Alright coven boy, you keep Princess Planter comfy while I tell these two how to keep things from getting worse,” instructed Eda, pointing to Luz and Amity.

“Yeah sure okay,” replied Hunter, barely listening. Eda was telling Luz and Amity something but all Hunter could hear was the gentle sound of Willow snoring, her breathing slow and deep and peaceful. He has never been so close to her, he could see every delicate freckle that decorated her face. Her glasses were askew so he carefully removed them, because it just seemed like the thing to do. Her mind was on fire, the least he could do was make her more comfortable.

—

After Amity and Luz had been on their mission for a while, Hunter did not leave Willow’s side as he watched her eyes shift behind her eyelids as she… dreamed? Would she think this was all a dream? She would mumble things occasionally, hopefully that meant something good? She just looked so-

“Hey Hunter, you want in on this?” Asked Gus.

“Huh?” He looked up quickly as though he was being accused of something. He hadn’t been listening. Hadn’t he been tasked with monitoring her? Is that what Eda said or had he just done it naturally? “Sorry, what?”

“King and Eda are competing to be the subject of my interview,” repeated Gus. “You still want in?”

Hunter had forgotten all about being the subject of Gus’ report as he became engrossed in watching Willow sleep. Was that creepy? He didn’t mean it to be. He just felt… protective. He felt responsible. He could never fall asleep like this with anyone unless he trusted them completely. He had never fallen asleep around anyone. And he knew Willow did not have a choice in the matter but he wanted to be worthy of her trust anyway.

“Uh, no thanks maybe next time,” he said, uncharacteristically soft. “Someone should keep an eye on Willow.”

“Eh, she’s not going anywhere goldie,” said Eda as a twinkle entered her eye. “Buuuut when she does wake up, she’s probably gonna be hungry. Having the essence of your inner being threatened really takes alot out of you.”

“Oh yeah, sure,” said Hunter, looking at her in wonder. She seemed to be doing fine, but no doubt there would be brutal side effects. “Should I-.”

“Snacks! Snacks! Snacks!” chanted King.

“Oh yeah, uh I guess I could… do that,” he said softly. He wasn’t sure why he was being quiet, no one else was. But his usual tone didn’t seem fitting now. Normally, he would not take orders (or even suggestions) from civilians but if it was for Willow then it didn’t feel like succumbing to rank. It felt like helping. It felt purposeful. He carefully stood up, mourning the loss of warmth for only a moment, and placed Willow comfortably on the couch carefully guiding her head to a throw pillow. As he made his way to the kitchen, his eyes were glued to her until it was impossible to continue. Eda,King, and Gus were too occupied in their debate to notice.

Willow was going to be fine, she had to be. Everyone would be acting more worried if she wasn’t, right? She had always been strong and capable, he knew her mind couldn’t be much different. He turned his focus from concern into purpose. He wouldn’t admit it to the others, but he was thankful for the distraction. He felt foolish just sitting there not being able to do anything for her. He had never actually made something before, but how hard could it be? He had studied under the head of the Potions coven, how different was baking from that?

As he looked through Eda’s cupboards, Willow’s words echoed in his ears. Well, not all of them. There was one in particular, occupied by the way the ends of her mouth turned up as she said it that made his stomach flip.

Handsome.

No one had ever called him that before, not even ironically. Did she really think that? Why did he care so much if she did? Why, suddenly, did he want so much for her to?

Was it really suddenly though?

Ugh! Why hadn’t he said something cooler? He wasn’t sure she’d even remember saying it, but if she did he didn’t want his surprised reaction to prevent her from possibly repeating herself! He had never had issue thinking of clever retorts (though, to be fair he did do a fair deal of practicing in his bedroom mirror each night) and they often fell into a comfortable conversation. But sometimes she would say something a certain way or look at him too long and it would throw him off. Not in a bad way, no nothing at all like that, just… unexpected. She laughed at the jokes people would roll their eyes at or ask him to continue where normally he was cut off and all the little things just kept adding and piling up until Hunter didn’t know how he was supposed to carry them. She was so many little things, like the way she tilted her head when she asked him a silly question or how her glasses would slide off her edge of her nose when she got excited or the way she would stand close to him and sometimes their hands would brush like she didn’t care if they-

Focus! He thought, taking ingredients from the cabinets. There wasn’t much and what there was seemed to have no organizational system but he could resolve that after he figured out what to whip up. Something simple, something to show Willow he wanted to help. He didn’t know her well enough to enter her mind with Luz and Amity, but secretly he hoped he was getting there.

Eventually, he managed to make something that resembled cookies, the smell filled the kitchen and it surprisingly wasn't an awful smell?. He remembered Willow mentioned once she was eager to get home as her father had made some and they were waiting for her. Truthfully, Hunter had never tasted a cookie but he had seen them when he walked by the bakery in town and knew the basics of their structure. Surely if he had taken a wrong turn the smell would reflect that, right? He imagined the look on Willow’s face when she saw his creation, and maybe even liked it. The flipped feeling returned to his stomach and spread through his whole chest like a wild fire when the potential look of delight on her face graced his mind.

In his efforts, he had made quite the mess. But he couldn’t help but feel pride as he quickly plated his creation, eager to return to Willow’s side. He didn’t think too much into this, he was always excited to see Willow. He tried not to think too much into that, chalking it up to the fact that she was interesting and a good listener and funny and smart and pretty and-

The point was she didn’t find him totally annoying, so why shouldn’t he enjoy her company?

And if she happened to think he was a little handsome then, well, that wasn’t the worst thing.

As he set the cookies to cool, he heard a sudden commotion from the next room. He quickly ran to see the cause, hoping it was a good sign. There was a bright flash and then he heard Luz and Amity. He stood back a moment, trying to deduce their tone before he heard Willow speak. Her voice was horse and soft, but he could tell she was back to normal. Good, he thought, feeling as though he could finally breathe again. She’s okay, she’s okay.

He went to greet her but before he could leave the kitchen, he was stopped by Luz. Before he could offer a snarky question as to what exactly she thought she was doing, she looked at him with wide, concerned eyes.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, furrowing his brow. He tried to look past her to see what was going on. “Is she okay? Did something happen to-?”

“Willow’s fine.” she assured him, putting her arm up to stop him. “There were just some… complications.”

“What complications? Was she hurt? Does she need-?”

“No no, nothing like that but um there were some memories… we couldn’t save,” said Luz carefully.

“Like what? Did she forget something for a test she has? Because I can always-.”

“No, no uh there were more… recent memories,” Luz tried to figure out the nicest way to say this. ”Hunter, I’m sorry but we were still figuring out how things worked and it all happened so fast but… Willow doesn’t remember you.”

“What?” He felt something shatter.

“I’m so sorry, but hey, it’s an easy fix! Right? We can just introduce you now!”

“Yeah, uh I guess…” he said, looking at his current state. He had thrown on an old apron and was covered in flour, his hair a mess. This night was already so chaotic, it hardly seemed like a time Willow would want to meet someone new. He didn’t know how Luz would even go about it.

When he and Willow had first met, Luz had already given her opinions to her friends when it came to the Golden Guard. She described him as pretentious and rude and socially awkward. But when she had stumbled upon Hunter hanging upside down by his ankles after taking a wrong turn and falling into a den of wild climbing hysteria vines, she had no idea who he was. He had been so grumpy and flustered and embarrassed but had he known exactly who had come to his rescue his gratitude would not have been so halfhearted.

She didn’t seem to be bothered by it, and she didn’t brag or showboat as she easily helped him down. She laughed, not to mock him but to try and lessen his embarrassment as though she could relate. It could happen to anyone, she had said as she helped remove the remaining vines from him. When I first started on the plant track I had my fair share of run-ins with these troublemakers, she said as she carefully untangled them. Hunter could tell she could do it easily with magic but she did it by hand so as to ensure he was not hurt. He was speechless as he watched her work, she was focused; she didn’t ridicule him or ask for anything in return or gripe about how he was making her late, she just helped him because doing so was just in her nature. When she finished, he managed to mumble something resembling a thank you before she kept running to her destination, unaware they were heading to the same place.

She didn’t ask for anything in return, not snails or a favor or did anything to use the moment as blackmail. She didn’t mention it in front of the others when they met again at the Owl House. From that moment on, she occupied a part of Hunter’s mind he didn’t know was available. Now he had a chance for her to see him exactly as he wanted to be seen from the beginning and it felt like a chance he needed to seize.

He had a second chance at a first impression.

His mind made up, he looked around for a way out before the human could return with Willow. Quickly, he climbed out the window and landed in a bush. He ducked beneath the window and pressed his back against the wall as he heard Willow and Luz enter the kitchen.

“Huh, where did he go?” he heard Luz wonder.

“Who was this again?” Willow asked, her voice still raspy as though she was utterly exhausted.

“Uh, it’s kinda hard to explain,” Luz admitted. “But, he’ll be around again. I know he really wants to meet you!”

“Okay,” said Willow, uncertain. “If you say so.”

He couldn't help but think about the chill that went up his spine when she looked into his eyes. He didn’t understand exactly what it was but he knew it wasn’t nothing. He wanted Willow to know a better version of him. He cared what she thought. When she met him this time, he wanted it to be a meeting worth remembering.

—

But the more time that passed, the more Hunter built it up in his mind.

He wanted to be charming and funny and brave and smart and cool and so many things he wasn't totally sure he had ever actually been, forget all at once. But there was so much to condired! The setting, the time of day, how her day had been, He didn;t want to be associated with a bad day and he wasn’t totally sure what preconceived notions she had about him. Luz and Gus had promised not to say anything about him to her, feeling guilty that she had lost a part of herself, but the Golden Guard was a public figure and he couldn’t control things she might overhear.

And then his uncle made him head of the Emperor's Coven, and he had less time to conduct his perfect meeting.

Then one day, Darius told him to collect new recruits for the Coven and Hunter knew he couldn’t wait any longer.

---

Willow just couldn’t shake the feeling that she had seen Hunter before. Had he been posing as a student awhile before she had used her vine to rip him from the sky? Despite his upbringing, Willow had a feeling this form of undercover did not come so naturally to him. She was certain that had he been at Hexisde before today she would’ve noticed with certainty. Had she seen him at the market maybe? Perhaps there was a day where he wanted to avoid attention and did not wear his mask as he bought trinkets and groceries. Even then, he was hardly the type to indulge in leisure; she had a feeling it was unlikely he’d linger in a crowd long enough for her to catch a glimpse of his maroon eyes or the way his gap tooth showed when he smiled.

Stranger still, the things that seemed most familiar about him were the more detail oriented. He seldom smiled, as though he was saving it, but when he did it made Willow’s heart and head spin like they were working together to create a whirlpool of deja vu.

There weren’t many places their paths could have crossed, maybe it was as far back as before she and Amity had their falling out. The Blights did alot of business with the emperor, maybe he had accompanied Darius once when he was picking up an order while she was over visiting.

Maybe she had walked by him at Covention? But wouldn’t he be too busy and wearing his mask the whole time? Oh, it was going to kill her! She had to know! As her mind began to race, her scroll let out a tiny ding.

Willow’s heart froze for a moment as she opened the app and a huge smile engulfed her face.

Rulerzreachf4n wants to send you a message

She quickly accepted.

RULERZREACHF4N: hI

RULERZREACHF4N: iT s hunt er.

RULERZREACHF4N: Im s orry about the ki DNApping stuf f

“Woah,” giggled Willow as another text bubble appeared. “He is a slow typer.”

“Is that Hunter?” Gus asked. “Oh thank Titan, is he finally messaging you?”

“Yeah, he-,” her smiled dropped and she brought her scroll closer to her face. “Huh, that’s weird.”

“What?” asked Gus.

“I went to respond to him and it looks like we already had other messages,” said Willow, scrolling. “But how? Unless he was already following me but i- wait.” She went silent again as she explored the interactions of their profiles. “Hunter was already following me on penstagram and he liked like all of my pictures too.”

“Oh haha that’s so weird,” said Gus nervously. “Lemme see your scroll, I bet it’s like a virus or something I can fix, just let me-.”

He went to reach for her scroll but Willow pulled it aware, giving him a suspicious look.

Gus sighed. “Okay, listen; it’s… complicated. But we all promised Hunter we wouldn’t say anything. I didn’t wanna delete your conversations so I blocked him on your account until he was ready, but I didn’t know he was gonna wait this long!”

“What are you talking about?”

“I think… this might be something he has to tell you in person.”

---

Could he just message her?

Hey, this is totally random but I actually already kind of knew you but you don’t remember me. So I know alot about you, but not in a creepy way because I like you… also not in a creepy way. I might seem creepy but I-

“Oh boy that’s a run-on sentence for sure,” he said, looking at the gibberish he typed. But every time he went to try and fix it it made things worse. He put his scroll away as he continued to walk around the castle garden, hoping inspiration would strike.

Wasn’t the plan always to start over? Didn’t he want her view of him to be brand new? The fresh start was tempting, but now that he had Willow back in his life, he couldn’t wait any longer. He wanted to dive back in, he wanted to know everything that had happened since the last time he saw her. He had an outside view from her penstagram, Gus had found a way to still allow him access to her through that but we wanted to know more beyond her cute captions. He wanted to show her all the cute photos of Flapjack he had taken (the palisman wanted more than anything to meet the girl his boy ranted about so often), to share with her all the new plants he had seen on mission in demand dangerous parts of the Isles, more than anything he wanted to hear her laugh again.

Okay, maybe he could compromise. Maybe he could still be this cool and confident person to her, and slowly bring up other moments they had shared. But to only keep the good parts and omit the awkward and embarrassing moments was lying, wasn’t it? Willow had never lied to him, even in her attempts to spare his feelings she always found a better way to phrase things, but she would never lie to him.

But if he wanted her to know about the way his heart stopped when she held his hand during their moonlight conjuring, he’d have to admit that he had not been invited and how Luz did not hesitate to remind him every time he spoke. If he wanted her to know about the fun they had at Covention darting to all the different booths as he pulled rank to get her the best swag, he’d have to share that he was only able to do so because Lilith thought he was an annoying twerp and said she gave him a headache. If he wanted Willow to know him, she had to know all the parts of him that he didn’t like.

But she hadn’t seemed to mind them so much the first time around.

He would have been Caleb forever if he had his way. To have Willow look at him with pride when they had won the match, to be someone she associated with strength and victory and talent. But Gus would know of his deception and conceal his connection to the coven would only create more trouble. But- oh his head was spinning with all the things he could do next he felt like he was upside down.

And then he was literally upside down.

He could tell by the skillful way the vines wrapped around him that she had captured him by launching the vine over the branch of the nearby tree and pulling back like a well crafted trap so he’d be helpless to her ambush. His eyes shook open to meet hers, a sparkling peridot green littered with embers of suspicion and determination.

“H-hey captain,” he sputtered both happy and terrified to see her. “W-what’s going on?”

“You tell me,” she said, holding up her scroll and using her finger to scroll through a stream of messages spanning over several months.

Oh yeah, he thought, she can see those now.

“Heh, uh I-I can explain…”

“I’m waiting.”

He could explain, he just didn’t know how. Where was he supposed to start?

“So, uh, here’s the thing I was… well, we were… I mean, okay so-.”

Willow slowly released him to the ground, trying to decipher why exactly he’d be so nervous. She wasn’t totally sure what she had been expecting. As he dusted himself off, she tried to pinpoint what exactly she had been hoping he’d say. Maybe it was more complicated than she thought. The fact that she had come all this way so late instead of messaging or calling him told her that deep down she already knew it was complicated.

Hunter took a deep breath and started over, from the beginning.

“We’ve met before.”

“Hmmm,” said Willow, careful not to jump to conclusions. Hunter could tell she was rightfully skeptical.

“Wait, wait! Proof! I have proof!” He frantically exclaimed, reaching into the pocket of his jacket to grab something. “Here!”

He held between his fingers what appeared to be a small piece of paper. Willow reached out and carefully took it, sensing he kept it on his person and close by for a reason. She turned it around and saw it was a photograph of them. She could tell by the texture that it was a memory, her memory. But she could not recall it.

She was laughing, her smile bright and wide. In one arm, she held a stunning Juliet orchid, a bright healthy golden yellow and the other one pulled Hunter close to her as his face held an expression of pride. She remembered when she had finally gotten the orchid to bloom, getting her into the advanced perennial placements which was composed of only the most gifted students about to graduate. She had been so proud of herself for finally conjuring it, but her memory had her alone when the orchid appeared.

“How did you get this?”

“Luz said you had been doing a school assignment about memory and ones involving me had somehow been destroyed,” he said. “But then she mentioned that there might be memories of me intact back in your classroom. So I went to the school and this was one she had pulled that had me in it. It wasn’t anything major and Eda said trying to restore them would do more harm than good, that it wouldn’t make me relevant or anything, just familiar looking, like any other stranger.”

He said the words delicately like being a stranger to her was a fate worse than death. Despite the seriousness of the matter, Willow had a feeling he had. A flair for the dramatics.

“But it meant that if we ever did meet again that you wouldn’t be able to totally register me,” he said. “So I kept it because strangers don’t produce vivid memories like this.”

“This is only one photo,” she said. “It’s possible that it did-.”

“No, because I have a matching memory!” He said, reaching down to pull another photo from his pocket. “See?”

The photos were nearly identical. They were of the same moment, that was certain, but there was variation in their faces. In Willow’s memory, Hunter’s face matched her own but in Hunter's there was a rosy tint to the scene and his smile seemed more flustered.

“Weird,” she breathed. “Why does yours look different?”

“Because I think that’s the moment when I started…”

Her eyes darted from the photo to him now, trying to read his expression to know why he couldn’t finish that sentence.

“Yeah?”

“It was… an important moment.”

“Oh,” she said, looking at the photo again. “Yeah, it was for me. But how did helping me with an assignment make it important for you?”

“Because I helped you,” he said simply. “I mean, I’m supposed to help people all the time I-I try to, but you were so excited that I felt… important. I was happy because you were happy and… I dunno, it just felt nice.”

Willow brought the picture closer to her face. She couldn’t help but feel slightly memorized by her own face, seeing herself smile so wide, so obviously happy in a moment that was partially lost to her. There was no question about how she felt here, and it felt odd to feel envious of herself. Something in her heart told her that she really liked knowing this boy, and even more so she liked being known by him.

Had it been any other girl in the photo, she’d say with complete confidence that they were a couple.

“Were we… friends?” She asked carefully, hoping he’d understand the deeper meaning within the question.

He didn’t. “Oh yeah,” he said. “Well… yeah, I like to think so. Sorry, I’m still getting used to a lot of normal teenager things but I think… yeah; we were friends. You were a really great friends, er are a really great friend.”

“Were we… just friends?” She tried again, biting her lip trying not to get her hopes up. But something told her it needed to be asked. Maybe it was how incredibly charming she found his smile, was her mind trying to bring back a memory or had she always just thought he was cute?

“Yeah,” he said quickly, his face turning a faint red. “Well, uh, I-I-I uh think so. I mean, there were times where we- where I- thought that maybe we could-.”

He looked back up at her and caught her eyes, wide and hanging on his every word. She trusted him, he held parts of her past that were unreachable to her. He didn’t want to risk twisting her understanding or putting his own thoughts in her mind just because he hoped they had once been similar. But as much as he admired her, those eyes reminded him how he chickened out every time he got close to bringing up his feelings. They just left him too paralyzed and entranced, even when she considered him a stranger.

“Yeah?” She prompted him to finish. He gulped and pressed on.

“Well, I guess… I know how I felt but I can’t speak for how you felt,” he said carefully.

“Do you… still feel that way?”

“I mean I uh…. Well, it doesn’t really matter,” he said with a forced chuckle that suggested the opposite. “I can’t just expect things to go back to the way they were.”

“Why not?”

“Well, I have more responsibilities now- we both do, I suppose,” he said. “Before, I’d have the occasional mission but now I’m the head of the Emperor's coven. And I’m not supposed to have those feelings anyway.”

She felt her breath stop, as though trying to make the world quieter so she could hear his words longer. She could tell Hunter had a hard time with words if they were informal, so it was possible he was referring merely to friendship. But something about the way he couldn’t decide if he should or shouldn’t look at her, the way she could tell he definitely wanted to, allowed her to assume it was more. Either way, he had feelings for her and she wanted so desperately to hear more about them.

“Well, I won’t hold that against you,” she assured him. “I know we can’t undo me forgetting you, and I know I’m never going to remember things involving you from my perspective, but it makes sense. There are times where I feel like there’s a hole, like a skip. Things that Luz or Gus will say that just don’t quite line up or make total sense and I’m guessing those are things that involve you, conversations we had.”

“Yeah,” said Hunter. “I really liked talking to you.”

“I liked talking to you too,” she said. “Well, I’m assuming so after browsing through our old messages on penstagram. A lot of late nights.”

He blushed. “Yeah, I uh keep strange hours,” he said. “But you always said it was okay.”

“Is your keyboard broken or something?” She chuckled. “Cuz a lot of them I had to read two or three times.”

“Oh, uh no I’m still getting used to typing,” he laughed. “I’m probably not better now, you were really the only person I ever messaged.”

“Well, I’d love to go over them with you,” she said. “And maybe you can fill me in on some other things we used to talk about.”

“Like what?”

She shrugged. “Luz said you used to come to Owl House all the time,” said Willow. “But did we ever hang out, like just us? Did we have inside jokes or did I tell you all my secrets? I’ve got some catching up to do.”

“I can write them down for you too,” he said with a smile. “My handwriting is much better than my typing, I promise.”

“I’d like that,” she smiled, she always did love getting letters. “But why didn’t you try sooner?”

“I wanted to make a better first impression, I wanted to be better,” he said. “When I first met you, I was unkind and rude and just not very pleasant. But spending time with you… made me happier and I think it made me more fun to be around. I wanted you to see the best version of me because I just really… value your opinion.”

“So why didn’t you just introduce yourself?”

“There was never a good time,” he sighed as he started to pace. “Whenever I did see you before, it was because I snuck away or you found me. I didn’t want to rush it because what if I said something that would be okay if you knew me but not if it was the first thing I ever said to you and it made you never want to see me again? It had to be perfect. I wanted you to think I was cool and worth knowing.”

“Well, I think it’s sweet how important to you it was but I’m pretty sure you had nothing to worry about.”

He smiled and shook his head. He knew it was true, deep down. He knew Willow was wise and kind and patient. He knew she’d give him a second chance if he embarrassed himself, he knew she could see more in people than they could see in themselves.

“Anyway, I just couldn’t wait any longer because I-.”

“Realized how silly you were being?”

“Because I missed you too much,” he finished softly. He said it like it was the only constant truth he had ever known, so simple and yet the weight it carried could easily crush him. He missed seeing her smile up close, he missed his name on her lips, he missed the way the air seemed lighter around her. Starting over didn't seem so bad as long as he got the chance to spend time with her again. The feeling was almost overwhelming, being so close to the way things were before.

Willow wondered if the feeling in her heart was familiar or brand new as she felt his gaze surround her. Everything about him seemed sharp and jagged but the moment she found his eyes, he was the softest boy in the world. They had known pain, anger and loneliness but the moment they registered her she saw it all melt away and he gladly succumbed to the comfort of her company. She had a feeling the adrenaline that coursed through her veins and made her face flush wasn’t solely from the match.

“I think… I missed you too,” she said. She knew it didn’t make sense but at the same time nothing had ever made more sense. She knew was saying she missed someone she had never met as far as she knew, but she had felt this way before. She had felt this way with Gus and with Luz, like they were always meant to be with her. Like when she’d think of a happy memory from before they had met, her mind wanted to insert them in it. But this was different. Because Hunter actually could fall into these memories.

He smiled, welcoming the contradiction, grateful for it even. He looked like he might cry, as though no one had ever said they had missed him before.

A comfortable silence twirled between them and just like with every comfort Hunter provided Willow wondered how many times she had felt this way and if she had intended to do anything about it.

“So… have you tried to come back any other times?” she asked, fiddling with her braid.

“Well, uh… the first time,” started Hunter clearing his throat, slightly self-conscious. “Was uh, a little while after the incident. I wanted to see if you recovered, give you time to see if anything could be done because I uh… well, right before that happened I was bringing you some reading material I had found about Gromethius, since he lives beneath your school.”

Translation: Suddenly I could tie everything I read back to you somehow as an excuse to come share it with you.

“And you told me that they treat his awakening as a big party and I was commenting on how ridiculous the event sounded and you asked me if I wanted to see it for myself. I said I couldn’t just go because I didn’t attend Hexisde and it wasn't a threat that constituted coven involvement. And you asked if I wanted to go so you could show me that it could be fun.”

“And you said yes?” Willow blushed. She had never had the courage to ask someone to Grom and he made her seem like it wasn’t something she’d freak out about. Was she actually this cool or did it just seem that way to him?

“Of course I did,” he said instinctively, suddenly unable to look at her. “Then Gus mentioned how going to Grom with someone has certain… implications. And it was all I could think about the whole week. Whether you had asked me as a friend or a-as a date.”

“So… which was it?”

“Well, we didn’t actually get to go to Grom.” He chuckled softly. “When it came around, you had already forgotten me so I couldn’t really ask you about something you couldn’t remember. But I thought it might be a good time to meet again.”

It really would’ve been, she thought.

“But then there was added pressure because I still don't know if it was a date and you don’t remember asking me and you could’ve asked someone else or been asked by someone else so what if I showed up and you were-.”

“So you didn’t come?”

“No, I did… er, for a minute,” he said. “At the end.”

Her eyes lit up, making a connection. She let out a small gasp. “You were the boy with the bouquet.”

“I… yeah,” he said quietly.

She remembered it so clearly.

When the excitement of Grom was winding down, Willow had stepped outside for some air. It was the most interesting Grom in years, that was sure. She was there with her friend, she loved how she looked, she was having fun but it still felt like something was… missing. It itched at the back of her mind all night. Had she forgotten to turn in an assignment? Had she left the oven on? Was there something she had meant to bring with her?

Nevertheless, she took in the nighttime view in solitude, the distant sound of music pouring into the dark sky from the school. Usually at this point she would be overcome with nerves at the possibility of being Grom queen, but this year she didn’t have that anxiety. Of course, no one wants to face Grom and she certainly wasn’t disagreeing with that logic but something inside felt that now she would be capable of it. Funny how so much has changed in so little time. Who knows what next year would look like? Maybe she’d even have someone to-

“Wow,” her thoughts were interrupted by a soft voice she was sure she wouldn’t be able to hear if the door wasn’t closed. She turned and saw a boy in a finely tailored golden suit, like a prince who had escaped from a fairytale book.

“You look beautiful,” he breathed. And despite knowing that no one else was outside except her, it took her a moment to realize he was talking to her.

“Oh, uh thank you?” She said, not certain why she had phrased it like a question. She tucked her hair behind her ear, eating to see if he’d correct himself or take it back. But he didn’t. He just stood there, staring at her like she had been staring at the moon as he held his bouquet tightly. Despite a matching gold masquerade mask covering most of his face, the strong burgundy of his eyes found her in the moonlight. He looked like he was waiting for someone.

“Oh, sorry,” she said. “I’m probably interrupting something, huh? Sorry if you were waiting for someone I should-.”

“No!” He said, louder than he meant to before becoming bashful. “I-I mean uh well, I am kind of. Waiting for someone that is.”

“Oh, okay,” she said, understanding what waiting for someone on Grom night with a bouquet of flowers signified. She smiled. “Do you want me to go see if they’re inside?”

“No, no I uh know she’s not in there,” he said.

“Oh,” she said, and her heart sank for this lonely golden boy. “Oh, I’m sorry. Does she know you’re waiting?”

“No, I don’t think so,” he said. “But it’s okay, really. I just uh… it’s complicated.”

“Gotcha,” she said. For some reason, she related. She had never had something beyond a crush that the other party never even knew about, for some reason her heart understood the sentiment of not knowing where you stood with someone. Like she had been in his shoes in another life. “It’s uh, a really nice bouquet. You have good taste.”

“Yeah? Uh, thanks,” he said looking down at the flowers, as though waiting for them to weigh in.

“You’re welcome.’

“Would it be okay if I… gave them to you?” he asked, tentatively handing her the flowers. It was a lovely collection, she could tell it was carefully chosen and obviously made by someone who knew about floriography or made for someone who knew a lot about floriography.

“Are you sure?” She asked, captivated by the colors. “It’s so lovely, I wouldn’t want to-.”

“No, please,” he said. “It would mean a lot to me, really.”

“Well, okay,” she obliged, her nose instantly filing with the sweet, fresh aroma. Whoever this girl was, she had clearly done quite a number on him. “Thank you, I’ll take good care of them.”

“I know you will,” he said as though he knew her. She took in the collection and when she looked up to ask if he wanted to go inside and dance with her and her friends, he was gone. Had she not held the bouquet she had crafted, she would have sworn she had imagined him.

And now he stood before her once again.

“I still have it,” she said.

“What?”

“The bouquet,” she said. “You picked lovely, healthy flowers. They’re still in a vase on my desk in my room.

“Oh,” said Hunter, trying to hide his blush. “That’s… cool. I-I’m glad.”

“You should’ve stayed,” she continued. “We still could’ve danced.”

“Yeah, well…” he sighed, he wished he had stayed too.

“So… if it had been a date… you still would’ve came?” Willow asked as nonchalantly as she could.

“Huh?” Hunter said

“I uh… well, I mean it would be rude to turn down an invitation,” he stammered. “Especially to such a formal event I mean I-.”

“Did you want it to be a date?” She asked more directly.

“I… don’t know,” he admitted. “I don’t know if I’d know the difference? I just know I wanted to spend time with you and you looked really pretty and it made me feel stupid. I don’t know what that’s about.”

“I think I might,” she said, tucking her hair behind her air. The action felt familiar, instinctual. Like something about his voice triggered the response as though it had done it before. “Did you know there’s different kinds of memories?”

“Well yes, there’s important and less important, pleasant ones and unpleasant ones...”

“No,” she giggled. “I mean there’s different ways to remember things. Like smells can be linked to memories, not just visual things. Feelings and sounds.”

“Oh, yeah sure.”

“And when you talk to me, the sound of your voice just feels… familiar,” she said. “And I know I’ve never heard someone with a voice like yours before because it’s very-.”

“Annoying, I know,” he sighed as though embarrassed. “I hear the scouts talk about it all the time I’m trying to-.”

“No, not at all,” she cut him off. “No, I think it’s nice. It’s very unique is what I wanted to say. Like at Grom it was like my mind was racing trying to place it trying to connect it. The way it does when you hear part of a song you know you like but you don’t know the name. The way I feel when I smell a flower I’ve only ever smelled before in a bigger garden. ”

“Oh,” was all he could say. He had never had someone genuinely like his voice, let alone compare any aspect of him to a flower or a song .

“So even though I can’t remember things we did or things we said, I think I somehow can remember the way you made me feel,” she said. “I don’t think we got that far in the lesson so I’m not sure how it’s possible but I just… feel like I know you.’

“Is it… a good feeling?” He hesitated to ask.

She smiled and reached out to take his hand. “It’s a very good feeling,” she said.

He looked down at their hands and as much as everything about it made his heart race in elation, a twinge of guilt made its way through as memories he tried to forget bubbled up to the surface.

He sighed. This was the part he was dreading, this is what made coming back to her so hard. “It’s just…things have changed.”

“Yeah, but they’d change anyway,” she shrugged.

“But what if…” he hated himself for what he was about to say. “What if you’re better off without me?”

“What?”

“I mean, I dunno,” he removed his hand from hers and wrung his together, trying to delay the panic the realization brought with it. “W-what if I would’ve held you back? Or distracted you? I mean you’re so amazing and talented and people are always saying I’m in the way, what if I got in the way of you realizing your potential?”

“Hunter,” she couldn’t help but chuckle, considering the fact that she had just shown her a core memory that had started her rise to the top of her track that directly involved him. But he continued to rant.

“I-I mean whose to say I wouldn’t have ruined things eventually? I mean, you were always helping me and listening to me but why would I just assume that I was as important to you as you are to me-.”

“Hunter…”

“I mean, what if the enemies of the coven try to put your life in danger because of how they feel about me? Not to mention the Blight girl told me to stay away from you-.”

“Wait, what?”

Hunter’s words caught up with him and he was just too on a roll to not explain himself further.

“We had a… run in at Exclipe Lake,” he said. “She said I was a lot like her, and that you and her weren’t on the best terms. I mean, I figured that from the fact that she set your mind on fire. But she said that I would make your life complicated, that I might hurt you even if I didn’t mean to. And I … I don’t want to do that..”

“She thought you would hurt me?”

“I would never try to!” He said in a panic. “But I know what she means, the younger Blight and I have certain expectations to fill. My responsibilities nearly put you in danger, this wasn’t the first time. I should have realized I couldn’t change that.”

Willow’s hands balled into fists at her sides, thorny vines rose from the ground as though preparing to strike. “Did she say…” Willow took a deep breath and tried to steady her voice. “Did she say you shouldn’t be in my life?”

“Not in so many words,” Hunter admitted. He knew the youngest Blight had history with Willow, he knew she knew her better than maybe he ever could. He had to entertain the possibility that she was right about him. “But the evidence… is pretty compelling.”

“I see,” Willow said softly.

After all this time, after everything that’s happened… she still thinks I’m weak. She thinks I’m foolish, that I can’t handle getting hurt. I can’t make my own choices. She thinks she knows better. She doesn’t see that she’s being a total hypocrite. After everything I’ve done to support her and Luz despite how uncomfortable it made me, despite how it stung, despite how I’m still not sure if Amity would work as hard as Hunter had to come back into my life had Luz not landed on the Isles. But once again, what does it matter what I want? Had Amity been behind everyone keeping Hunter from her? Why had they not tried harder to help him?

Because once again, Amity is deciding who can and can’t be in my life.

“So… I want you to decide,” he said. “And I’ll accept whatever decision you make, good and or indifferent. I’ll tell you whatever you want or know and if you decide your life is better without me… I won’t intervene. I just… I had to try. I at least wanted to see you one last time.”

Willow’s eyes darted back up to him, this boy so certain and uncertain at the same time. He was willing to fight for her, he trusted her, he knew her.

He wanted her.

Maybe it was stupid and soon and impulsive and reckless but when his waiting eyes called out to her, they drew her in with such a force that even the Titan themself could not hold her back. The next thing she knew, Hunter’s face was squished between her hands, his ears wiggling and his face crimson as Willow committed the expression to memory and took one final breath before pressing her lips to his. He quickly melted into the contact, somehow knowing to place his hand on her cheek as he pulled her closer to make sure this was real, that she was finally real again. As she felt his lips form a timid smile, Willow knew the sensation was new but the excitement was undoubtedly familiar.

#huntlow #huntlow fanfiction #toh #the owl house #Hunter toh #Willow park #owl house au

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