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The sound of human rain, despite the unfamiliarity, was surprisingly riveting.
… perhaps a bit too much so.
Hunter quietly groaned for what seemed to be the millionth time that night. He stared up at Luz’s ceiling, illuminated by the soft glow of stick-on stars. Hunter didn’t understand the phenomenon of glow-in-the-dark objects, but he had to admit that he wouldn’t mind having some of those back at home.
Home.
His heart ached.
Camila Noceda had been nothing but warm and welcoming towards their weary party of five, going out of her way to ensure that no one was hungry or uncomfortable in her house. Her efforts to ensure the safety of all the kids was an unfamiliar experience, but they weren’t efforts that went unappreciated. Hunter knew how lucky he was to be in a warm place at all, that too with a full stomach and a fairly comfortable sleeping arrangement.
He glanced over at Gus and his palisman, who were fast asleep on a mattress next to him. The boy in question was also tightly clutching one of Luz’s many soft toys to his chest. Hunter felt a pang of guilt as he watched his best friend. Gus had been crying and sniffling in Hunter and Willow’s arms for a good chunk of the day, and was nodding off before dinner was even finished.
On his other side was the Captain. Her back was turned away from him, so he wasn’t sure if she was sleeping as peacefully as Gus was. Unlike Gus, however, Willow had been fairly quiet upon their arrival- instead helping Ms. Noceda with house work (against the woman’s protests that corazón, you really should rest! It’s my job to take care of all of you, now.) and offering soft words of comfort to the others.
Hunter really hoped that she was asleep. She’d been his rock through everything that happened today, from saving him from a mercilessly long fall to letting him hold her when he thought the draining spell would get the best of him. Even if she said she wasn’t tired, he knew that she needed the rest.
And it wasn’t that he wasn’t tired either, because he really was. The heaviness behind his fluttering eyelids and the hollow feeling in his chest were more than enough to attest to that. But every time he closed his eyes, he found himself reliving the events and pain of the past hours. He wondered how Darius was doing, blinking back tears all the while.
Darius? Darius, wake up. Wake up!
Enough was enough.
Trying to keep the rustling of his blankets to a minimum, Hunter carefully got up from his makeshift bed, gazing out the half-open window. The rain was still falling, tapping gently on the windowsill. He had to see it again.
The Noceda family’s house was much larger than he would’ve expected it to be- not as gigantic as the castle, yet there was still more than enough space for everyone. Standing in the hallway, Hunter could hear the light snores coming from the guest room that Luz and Amity were sharing. Peeking in, he saw Luz’s head leaning against Amity’s shoulder, the two curled up on a couch with a book open on Luz’s lap.
The whistling of the wind from outside brought him back. Walking towards the back of the house, Hunter slid the back porch door open, stepping outside.
The ground was thoroughly soaked from the not boiling rain, creating puddles of water, illuminated by the moon’s faint light beaming through the clouds. The sporadic gusts of wind would blow water droplets onto his face every now and then, and it was all wonderful.
If they were here for the right reasons, Gus would’ve equally enjoyed this, if not more, Hunter thought.
Suddenly, there was a soft voice. “Can’t sleep?”
Hunter squeaked at the sudden intrusion. He turned around, ready to fight for his life once again- only to see Willow, gazing at him with concern. He’d been so engrossed by the rain that he didn’t hear her footsteps. So she wasn’t asleep after all.
“Oh. Hey.” Hunter said. He tried to act nonchalant, feeling his cheeks burn all the while. Suddenly, he was grateful for the relatively darker night outside.
Willow chuckled, moving to stand next to him. “Hi.” There was a pause. “Do you usually have insomnia, or after today…”
“Kind of both.” Hunter replied. He looked down at the porch railing, tracing the grooves of the top with his finger.
His usual gloves had gotten soaked through and through by the rain, so Luz’s mother, after gently trying to coax him into a warm water soak, had given him a pair of older, fingerless ones. It felt weird wearing those after so long. But he supposed that now Belos— or Philip— or whatever he was supposed to call him— wasn’t around, he didn’t have to worry about the scars anymore. The facade of the Golden Guard and his glory would no longer have to be maintained.
He gulped. “What about you? Why can’t you sleep?”
Willow was silent. When Hunter dared to look at her, he saw the uncharacteristic distance in her stance. “I’m worried about my dads.” She finally said. “They’re in there, and for all I know, something terrible is happening to them. And Eda, King, and Gus’s dad, and Alador and Emira and Edric. Especially King. I don’t think he was even meant to be seen by the Collector.”
Hunter let out a heavy sigh. “It should’ve been me.”
Willow looked at him, confused. “What do you mean?”
“If I had been taken by Kikimora instead of Luz, I guess, maybe, this wouldn’t be happening right now?” Feeling that the Captain was about to protest, he continued. “I-it was me that he wanted to capture in the first place. So-“
“So nothing.” Willow firmly interjected. “Hunter, if it were you that was taken to Belos, you- you might not be here at all.” Hunter met her gaze, and was surprised to see the faint glimmer of tears. “We would’ve gotten to Belos, and everything would’ve gone wrong already.”
“But at least you’d all be back home.” Hunter said. Where they would be, if you weren’t such a coward.
“But at what cost?” Willow softly asked.
Hunter looked away, and neither person spoke for a long moment. Their eyes were glued to the persistent rainfall, mist clouding the landscape behind.
“I saw the Collector defeat Belos.” Hunter finally said. “Willow, I watched my own uncle get turned into slime.” He still couldn’t look at her. Not yet. “And then I stepped on him.” His voice inadvertently cracked, and he had to clear his throat. “He might have manipulated me for all my life, but that’s why I feel so guilty now. He made me what I am, but I’m here and he’s not.”
More silence.
Hunter was half-expecting Willow to walk away and deal with his stupid nonsense thoughts later, but she didn’t. If anything, she inched closer to him, cautiously covering his hand with hers, and he felt as though she'd lit him up from the inside out with that gesture.
“None of this is your fault.” Willow said, gently gripping his hand. Her voice was soft, yet authoritative. That’s his captain. “I hate to say this, but it’s true: he got what was coming to him. And there is nothing you could do to change that, okay?”
Hunter met her gaze.
His tears finally fell.
“And last time I checked,” Willow continued, wiping at her eyes with her free hand, “Belos didn’t make you so caring and brave and smart. That was all you.”
Despite the overwhelming feelings washing over him at that moment, the same ones he’d been fighting for hours, Hunter smiled. A real one.
I’m really glad you’re here.
He didn’t realize he’d been thinking out loud until after the fact. His face grew warm, which he’d found himself to be doing that a lot around Willow lately, almost like a natural reaction at this point. He’d have to figure out what it was later, because it was really knocking him off balance. But the mild blush on his tear-streaked face was nothing compared to the full face-flush he experienced a mere moment later. Willow had wrapped her arms around him, her head resting right above his chest. Her hands were gripping his shirt, as if she was almost afraid to let him go.
A hug.
He’d seen her extend the supposedly classic display of sentiment and affection to others plenty of times before, had been lucky enough to receive one from both her and Gus at the same time before all this, but he'd never expected that it could make him feel this much. No wonder Luz loved it.
“I’m really glad you’re here too," Willow whispered.
Slowly, Hunter moved his arms to place them around her waist, his head buried in her shoulder. And standing there in Willow’s comforting embrace, the sound of human rain surrounding him, Hunter felt an overwhelming sense of calm for the first time in what seemed like an eternity.
And if Ms. Noceda was surprised the next morning when she found the two of them fast asleep on the porch bench, covered with an afghan and Hunter’s arm slung around Willow’s shoulders, she didn’t show it.