Chapter Text
Hunter lied on his ‘bed’ in his new room in the Owl House. (It was just a mattress on the floor, but it was comfortable, so he didn’t mind.) Glancing at his watch on the floor next to him he saw that it was 2:17 AM. He should really be asleep now, and he was exhausted, but...he was too scared to sleep. He’s been plagued by nightmares for his whole life, but since he and Luz got stuck in the Emperor’s mind, his nightmares have only gotten worse. They were so realistic.
Hunter lightly slapped himself to stay awake when he felt his eyes drooping. He groaned as he pushed himself up and got to his feet. Coffee. He needed coffee to stay awake and not have any nightmares. He was the only one in the Owl House who drank the stuff, but it worked . Flapjack might not like how much coffee he drank, but it’s not like the palisman could exactly stop him from drinking it.
As he passed Luz’s bedroom door he heard her crying. He paused. They’d been getting closer since he moved in, but that didn’t mean he knew how to comfort her when she was upset! Maybe he should go get Eda....
Before he knew what he was doing, Hunter was knocking softly on Luz’s door. The crying stopped.
“Luz? Can I come in?”
There was no response, but after a moment the door opened. Luz was wrapped in a blanket and hiding her face, but Hunter already knew she’d been crying.
“Are...did you have a nightmare?”
Luz nodded. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
Hunter grabbed a box of tissues from Luz’s desk and sat next to her on her ‘bed.’ (Again, just a mattress on the floor.) He offered her the tissues, which she took. “I’m sorry I don’t really know how to comfort people when they’re sad.” He’d been taught to keep everything bottled up inside for most of his life. How would he know how to comfort people?
“It’s okay,” Luz sniffed.
“Do, um...do you wanna talk about your nightmare? Or I can just go get Eda. Maybe I should go get Eda.” Hunter started to stand, but Luz grabbed his hand. He sat back down.
“I don’t want to be alone,” she whispered.
Hunter softened. “Okay, I’ll stay with you then. Do you want to talk about your nightmare? Flapjack says it helps.” Despite his palisman always saying that, Hunter never talked about his nightmares. Maybe Luz would, though.
“Um....” Luz was tempted, but...her dream had been about Belos . She didn’t want to upset Hunter by talking about him, especially since he was also in the dream. “I’ll talk to Eda about it in the morning.” She could wait that long. Probably.
“Are you sure? I might not be able to help, but I can listen.”
“I’m sure. Thank you, Hunter.”
“Well...okay.” Hunter tried to think about how Luz helped him when he had nightmares. “Do you want a big hug?” He held his arms out.
Luz dove into his arms. She certainly wouldn’t say no to a hug!
Hunter hugged her tightly, rocking side to side slightly how Eda did when she comforted him.
Hunter’s okay. Belos wasn’t going to ever hurt him again. Luz wouldn’t let him.
Luz finally pulled away after a while and wiped her eyes with a fist.
“Thank you, Hunter,” she said. “I feel a lot better now.”
“Good! Are you ready to go back to sleep now?”
Luz shrugged. She did feel better, but she still wasn’t looking forward to going back to sleep and having another nightmare.
Hunter hummed thoughtfully. “I can make you hot chocolate,” he suggested. He didn’t actually know how to make it, but he’s sure he could figure it out. He also knew Luz would help if he asked.
The corner of Luz’s mouth tugged up in a smirk. “ Hot choccy ?” She teased, playfully.
Hunter’s head fell forward. “Titan, you’re really never going to let me live that down, are you?”
“Nope! It’s cute!”
Hunter rolled his eyes. “Fine. Then I’ll make you hot choccy .” He lightly tossed her stuffed bat, Blade, at her and crouched in front of her with his back to her. “Hop on.” He very vaguely remembered someone—probably one of the scouts in charge of babysitting him—giving him a piggyback ride when he was very small and how fun it had been!
Luz seemed unsure. She knew Hunter was still getting used to being touched. “Are you sure?” She asked.
“Get on or you’re not getting any hot choccy.”
Luz climbed onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck. Blade dangled down from her hand.
Hunter held onto her legs and carried her downstairs to the kitchen. He gently set her down at the table, then filled a kettle with water and put it on the stove.
“So...I’ve done everything I remember you doing to make this stuff. What now?”
“Wait for the water to be ready, then pour some into two mugs. The mix is in that cabinet.” Luz pointed. “You just pour one packet in each mug, then mix it with a spoon! And voila, hot choccy ready.”
“I don’t know what voila means, but okay.”
Hunter finished making the hot chocolate and handed Luz her mug. They sat together in the dark kitchen, drinking their drinks. When they finished, Hunter put their mugs in the sink and helped Luz onto his back again. He set her on her bed and put the blanket over her.
“Wait,” Luz pouted. “I don’t wanna go to sleep!” She hugged Blade tightly.
“It’s late and you have school in the morning,” Hunter said, straightening up.
Luz started to panic slightly, though Hunter didn’t notice yet. She knew Hunter was okay and Belos wasn’t in their home, but she was still nervous. Just because he wasn’t there now didn’t mean he wouldn’t break in later! She didn’t want to be alone! She didn’t want Hunter to be alone either. How could she make him stay?
“Can you at least read to me first?” She finally asked, holding up the first Azura book. Maybe this would get him into her favorite series too! Maybe he and Amity could bond over it!
Hunter thought of Darius reading bedtime stories to him back at the castle and smiled sadly. He missed him. “Okay,” he said. He sat next to her and took the book.
Luz only lasted a few pages before falling asleep with her head on Hunter’s shoulder. The older teen smiled and gently moved her head to her pillow. He laid down on the floor next to her mattress, just in case she woke up again and needed him. Hunter ended up falling asleep too a few minutes later.
Hunter woke up again a few hours later hearing whimpering to his left. He opened his eyes and saw Luz having another nightmare. He took her hand and squeezed.
“It’s okay, Luz,” he whispered. “You’re okay. You aren’t alone.”
Luz settled down and squeezed Hunter’s hand back in her sleep.
Hunter lied back down and went to sleep holding her hand.