Chapter Text
Hunter cradled a mug in his hands, sitting on the tiny sofa in Willow’s bedroom. He seemed skittish - completely unable to look her in the eyes. She opened her mouth multiple times, an empty attempt to reassure him, but - reassure him of what? She gazed at him carefully, taking in his tense posture. There was something off - this wasn’t ‘Caleb’, brilliant flyer and team player. This was what used to be the Golden Guard. Underling of the Emperor, cocky and arrogant and unyielding, and… just a teenager. The more Willow looked at him, the more the gilded image on the posters seemed to be flaking off, cracking at the edges. There wasn’t a speck of golden confidence to be seen in - whoever this was.
This wasn’t the Golden Guard, the esteemed general who had once arrested her and her team. This was just a scared teenager, running desperately from… something. She had her guesses what from. Or who.
“So, Caleb,” she started uneasily. “What… brings you here?”
He cleared his throat. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse, telling of hours of crying. “It’s Hunter,” he said quietly. “Sorry, uhm… that last name was a cover name. It’s just Hunter.”
She tried to smile. “Okay. Hunter it is.”
He looked up for a moment, at last dragging his eyes away from the floor - but when Willow’s smile grew, his head shot back down. She could’ve sworn she saw his face turn bright red before being hidden by his hair. Flapjack nestled on his head, staring at this new witch with a fierce intensity. Willow tried not to be unnerved by it.
She thought maybe he wouldn’t answer, so she let the silence rest for a while, surrounding them both. Slowly, as if approaching a frightened animal, she sat next to him. He tensed.
A few terse moments passed. Then: “I can’t go back.”
There it was at last. An opening, or something close to it. “Why not?”
“I- I was captured, I think. By… An Owl Demon, and a human. I think maybe I once saw the human witch as… a friend?” He paused, clinging to his chipped mug like a lifeline. It physically hurt Willow to see him like this; yes, as the Golden Guard he was an enemy, but at least he seemed somewhat glibly positive. This was a field Willow didn’t know how to approach. Something about whatever situation he was in was terrifying him; and Willow was determined to find out what.
Hunter lapsed into his own thoughts for a moment, and then sighed. “I- I thought she killed him, so I- I… hurt her.”
Willow drew in a breath. “Luz?!”
He wouldn’t. Not Luz, not her, anyone but her. For a moment, a bloodstained Luz forced itself into her mind, lying listless on the floor of the Owl House, cold and alone and abandoned, a life wrenched away long ago. Her eyes stared blankly straight ahead, the tears on her face dried.
No. Please, no.
She tried her hardest not to shake him, to yell, to demand what he had done; but somehow, she couldn’t bear to even raise her voice. Not at him. Not when he looked like this.
“She’s fine,” Hunter said shakily. “She’s fine, I swear. But she can’t find out where I am, she’ll be so angry, and I don’t know anything anymore, and I…”
He broke off. With a sickening jolt, Willow realised that he was crying. The Golden Guard was crying in her bedroom, and he didn’t know where else to go. She may be all he had.
Gently, she rested her hand on his back. He held back a flinch, forcing himself to stay still. His body shuddered with sobs as he covered his face with his hands. The apple blood, barely touched, fell to the floor, spreading across the tiles.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his words rushing over each other. “I didn’t mean to come here, I just- I don’t know where Archer is, or whether- Titan, I don’t even know if he’s real, and- the human tried to help me and I don’t know why she would do that, aren’t I- don’t you all hate me?”
It was like he was a lost child. Willow forced herself to think clearly. He had been to the Owl House. He clearly has some form of amnesia; maybe one of Eda’s potions went awry? Regardless of how, Hunter was extremely vulnerable, and had run away from Luz. And now he was here, still suffering from amnesia as well as… wondering where an Archer was? Maybe a soldier that works for him…
“They’ll want to know where you are,” Willow said softly. “Luz will be worried about you.”
A sharp gasp, so raw it sounded painful. In between sobs, he choked out, “I tried to kill her. She- she’ll… I can't! Please, please don’t tell her.”
He gripped onto his hair harder, shaking. Tall though he was, he seemed to be shrinking by the second. Willow was still reeling from the fact that the ‘general’ she knew had always been a mere child, like her. How many times had she seen the Golden Guard on the news, severely injured after a battle, his bird-like mask dented and stained with blood?
“I won’t tell her,” Willow promised. Hunter relaxed, just a fraction, the tightness in his shoulders loosening. Just a little. It was then that she realised just how tense he had been. The circles under his eyes were worse than she had ever seen, and even as she spoke, his eyes darted around the room, scanning his surroundings for any kind of threat. Regardless of how he might be trying to ignore it, exhaustion weighed heavily on his face. Gently, she put a hand on his arm. Miraculously, he didn’t flinch - only blinked, refusing to look her in the eyes. “Will you try and rest?”
He scoffed, a spectre of his sarcastic nature leaking through. “I don’t need rest. I just- wanted company. That’s all.”
“You look like you’re gonna pass out any second,” she replied. “Everyone needs rest. Especially golden runaways.”
He swallowed. “I- I can’t.” He fumbled for words for a moment. Willow waited patiently, until at last: “Can you just… talk to me? I don’t know, just distract me, or something.”
She smiled. That she could do.
So she talked. About her fathers, her most recent flyer derby win, about anything she could think of. He listened intently throughout it all, even when she brought up Luz and his shoulders tightened once more, his recent fight with her flashing behind his eyes. But still, he listened. Willow found it oddly calming.
They stayed up together for a while. Almost all night, and she had to marvel at his stubbornness. But at last, he gave in, and she felt the weight of his head on her shoulder. She looked down to find the Golden Guard, esteemed student of the Emperor, asleep on her shoulder.
And then the room was silent. Willow was still somewhat in shock - not only from his presence, but by how much she enjoyed having him here. He was… oddly nice, despite the fact that the last time she had seen him he had been trying to arrest them.
She pulled out her Penstagram, and sent Luz a message.
W: I found Hunter.
L: What?? Is he okay? Should I come round?
W: He’s okay, I promise. And I’m fine with him - he feels really bad about almost killing you, by the way.
She paused. It was odd - she knew Luz would run over immediately if she asked. But something in her didn’t want her to. She liked being with Hunter on his own, how sometimes his guard would lower, if only a fraction. Beside her, he mumbled in his sleep, “Flap?” His palismen fluttered to nestle in his hair in response, and then he was quiet once again.
She smiled.
W: We’re fine.