Archive of Our Own ^beta

Rain in the Human Realm didn’t burn. In fact, it was cold. It made their hair and clothes wet and stick to their skin uncomfortably, and maybe the feeling of discomfort and water would’ve registered differently had the circumstances been different. But the shock of everything that had just happened had a firm grip on all of them. The Day of Unity, Belos trying to kill them all, the Collector potentially killing Belos with a simple flick of their finger, and being trapped in the Human Realm… It was all so much to take in.

Luz led them all to a small house, tidy and pretty. Cozy. The porch overhang didn’t cover them completely and the rain dripped down their backs making them want to squirm. Willow hung off to the side, gripping her arm and trying to keep her emotions in check, always trying to keep up a strong front for her friends, a true protector. Amity was next to Luz, trying not to cling too tightly to her side but her fingers curled into the sleeve of the taller girl’s jacket anxiously. Gus was sniffling, his tears mixing with the rain as he leaned heavily into Hunter’s side. Hunter tried to comfort him, holding an arm around the younger boy’s shoulders and cradling him carefully. This is all too much. It’s just too much.

They’re just kids.

“Hi Mom,” Luz spoke in a soft and broken tone, a wobbly smile on her face as she tried to look as cheerful as possible for her mother who had been worried sick about her for the past month, “I’m back.”

She didn’t immediately explain the four other filthy and injured kids behind her, nor did she explain the trauma they had all been through. They were all wet and tired and upset. Gus still hadn’t stopped crying and Amity’s shaking hand was reaching out for her girlfriend’s arm, all whilst Willow remained as strong as she could be though her eyes were shining with unshed emotions. Hunter hadn’t spoken a word since The Collector killed Belos. He wanted to speak, but no words would come out no matter how hard he tried. So, he’d remain silent for now. It’s not like anyone was forcing him to say anything anyway.

Camilla’s knees wobbled and tears sprang to her eyes. She made a sound of anguish mixed with relief and she was quickly lunging forward and wrapping Luz up in a hug, holding her tight and crying against her. The others stood still where they were and let the woman hold her child, knowing their guardians would have been just as worried had their child disappeared to an unknown place for months. Well… most of them could say that.

“Oh mija, I was so worried about you! I–” She pulled back and held Luz’s face in her hands, pushing her hair back from her face and frowning at the sight of the bloody scar on her forehead slashing through her eyebrow, “What happened to you? What—”

“I’m fine, mama, don’t worry about me. But…” She stepped back a little and looked over her shoulder, looking at all of her friends who looked defeated and devastated. Her smile faltered but she forced it back onto her face, a sad glint in her eyes when she turned to face her mother again, “Can my friends come inside?”

Camila had no idea what the Demon Realm was like and no clue of what lived there, but before her now were kids. They didn’t look scary or monstrous, none of them appeared to be threatening in any way. They all just looked incredibly sad and worn down. She was protective, but she was also a mother and there was no way she’d cast these kids aside after they’ve been through something that looks to be traumatic.

“Of course, they can,” She pulled away from Luz a little bit as well, but she kept her hand firm yet gentle on her shoulder, “Please, all of you, come inside and get out of that rain.”

They were hesitant and nervous, but they eventually filed in through the front door. Hunter and Gus wanted to thank her, but Gus was still trying to stop crying and Hunter still couldn’t find his voice. That was okay though, Amity and Willow thanked her in their place. Once they were all inside, Camila turned back to Luz and placed her other hand on the girl’s other shoulder, frowning and looking her over for other injuries.

“You and your friends, you’re all beat up and… Luz, what happened?” She tried to get answers, but she understood that Luz wasn’t going to tell her now. Not here on the porch in the rain, and probably not for a while once they’d gone inside. It was probably a lot, so she had to be patient.

“It’s… a long story. Let’s just go inside and calm down and then I’ll tell you everything,” She promised, though her voice was weak and wavering, as if she were on the verge of tears herself.

Camila nodded, and then she raised a hand and pushed Luz’s hair behind her ear again, smiling sadly at her and her daughter tried to smile back. She was glad she was home. She was glad she was safe. But there was so much to unpack and who knows how much time to go through it all. She stepped back and held an arm around Luz’s shoulders, leading her into the house behind her friends.

They were all awkwardly standing in the entrance, sheepish and unsure of what they should even do. They weren’t from here; they came from a completely different dimension. This was all so new for them, and that was something Luz very much understood. When she found herself in the Demon Realm she was confused, but she was excited. Things were different then, there was no looming threat that she was aware of, and she had just found the place of her very dreams. But her friends came here after a traumatizing experience, and they were scared.

She was about to say something to them as she walked into her home that almost felt foreign to her now, but her name being called by a high pitched and excited voice broke through her thoughts, “Luz!”

She was nearly knocked off of her feet when the basilisk embraced her. They’d met of course, but they’d never touched each other, never embraced. Vee was cold, which was to be expected, but her cool skin only amplified the cold Luz was already feeling from the rain soaking her clothes through. Even still, she returned the embrace completely, holding onto her sister tight and even finding it in herself to smile something sort of genuine, “Vee!”

“I’m so happy to finally meet you in person! But…” She grabbed Luz’s arms and held her at arm's length, a concerned look on her face now, “What are you doing here? What happened? And… Who are they?

Luz tried to reassure her and her mother, “These are my friends, I promise they’re all very nice so don’t worry about a bad influence.”

She was trying to joke, any way to lighten the awful mood, but of course it didn’t work, and she knew that it wouldn’t. But it’s how she was. She didn’t like people being worried and sad, she always wanted everyone to feel happy and safe. That was going to be a little hard to accomplish right now though.

“You kids come sit at the table, I’ll go and get some towels,” Camila told them, ushering them all into the kitchen where there was plenty of sitting room for all of them.

“I’ll go and get them, Mom!” Vee offered and before Camila could even tell her to go and sit with the others she was already off and down the hall.

Camila sighed and shook her head, though a fond smile rested across her expression. She led the kids into the kitchen, and they all got sat at the table, all of them remaining quiet, though Luz did smile sadly at her mother as she took a seat next to Amity, “She’s calling you Mom, huh?”

Camila smiled sweetly at the mention of the basilisk girl being so fond, “Yes, she’s a sweetheart.”

Luz felt happy to know how her mother felt about the girl. She knew she wasn’t sure how to handle this Demon Realm stuff in the beginning, but she was a good person and a kind-hearted woman. She adored Vee, it was obvious, and she would help all the rest of them too.

Vee returned moments later with five towels and a first aid kid, and her and Camila went about handing out the warm and fluffy towels. Luz adjusted one around Amity’s shoulders and pulled her own around herself, hoping the gentle touch was enough to comfort her girlfriend at least a little bit. Camilla set a towel around Gus and the boy’s fingers curled around the fabric and pulled it tight around himself, desperate for warmth and some form of comfort, and Willow scooted closer to the younger boy as Vee handed her a towel, her knee touching his. Camila set the last towel around the eldest's shoulders, startling a bit when he flinched at her touch and looked up at her with wide eyes full of fear and distrust. She didn’t back away though, only offered a soft gaze and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. He remained tense but he didn’t lurch away, and after a moment she let him be.

“I’m making stew, it should be done very soon so you can all get something on your stomachs,” Camila told them, casting a look over the group of beat-up teens; the blonde one looked like he could use something to eat.

“Thanks, Mami,” Luz said.

Camila was silent for a moment, hands on her hips anxiously as she looked between each of them. Enough beating around the bush, “What are all of your names?”

It remained silent, none of them even so much as flinching at her question. She wasn’t going to push them, she was just very worried, and who wouldn’t be when your daughter who’d been trapped in the Demon Realm for three months suddenly showed up on your doorstep with four other kids, all looking like they’ve been to hell and back? And maybe they had.

“I’m Willow,” Finally, one of them spoke. The bespectacled girl. When Camila met her eyes she saw her smiling, though it looked as forced as Luz’s had.

Camila relaxed a little now that one of them had spoken, “Willow… It’s nice to meet you.”

Willow dipped her head briefly, as if bowing a little to thank the woman, “Thank you for letting us come inside.”

Camila swiped a hand down, “Oh, no need to thank me for that, corazón. I wouldn’t cast any of you out in a storm like this, no matter the circumstances. You’re welcome here.”

Willow’s smile looked more genuine at that, and then one of the other’s introduced themselves, “I’m Amity, it’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Noceda.”

They all seemed rather polite. Camila turned to the purple-haired girl who sat stiffly next to Luz who had her hand on the girl’s knee, “And you, Amity.”

“M-My name is Gus,” The smallest one introduced, his eyes staring wide at the floor for a moment longer before he lifted them to look at Camila, “I’m sorry for tracking mud on your floor.”

“Oh no, don’t be sorry for that, chiquito. It’s nothing a mop can’t fix,” She assured him, placing a careful and warm hand on his shoulder, and it seemed to calm him a little. She turned towards the oldest boy then, asking him, “And what’s your name, sweetie?”

He wasn’t looking at her, and it took him a second to even react to her speaking, but he eventually did open his mouth. No words came out, instead he looked like a fish out of water until he finally closed his mouth and furrowed his eyebrows, expression crumpling as he pulled the towel tighter around his shivering form and shut down further. Camilla frowned, but Willow told her his name for him, “His name is Hunter.”

“He has a hard time talking when he’s upset,” Gus explained. This had happened twice since Adrian Graye had come to Hexide and tried to forcibly give them all sigils. After that was over Gus had offered for Hunter to stay with him, and when they got to his house Hunter had completely shut down for about an hour. It happened again about a day before they met up with Luz again, the weight of what they were about to do settling over him. After the silence broke he would break down and fall apart, they were expecting that to eventually happen now.

“That’s okay,” Camila promised, “No need to rush, you all look like you’ve been through a lot… Why don’t I patch you all up and then we can find you some clean clothes?”

“I can help!” Vee offered.

“Of course you can, mija,” Camila said, taking the first-aid kit from the girl and setting it on the table, looking through it to find the supplies they needed.

None of the kids looked too injured, mostly just some scratches and bruises. Some wounds on the face, some skinned knees and elbows. The oldest boy had a couple of slash marks through his shirt and some blood was evident, but even that didn’t look too terribly serious. This shouldn’t take long, so they got to work. They disinfected cuts and applied bandages, and the injured kids themselves helped each other. The most serious of injuries seemed to be the deep scar on Luz’s forehead, but Camila was able to stop the bleeding and fix it up pretty quickly. Hunter wasn’t very fond of anyone touching him right now and when Camila got close to put a bandage on his forehead he squeaked in fear and leaned away. Willow offered to help, grabbing Hunter’s hand and leaning in to apply the little white band-aid to his head; he didn’t flinch away from her.

Camila did need to mention though, “Hunter, you still have an injury. We can go somewhere else to treat it or…”

He wrapped his arms with the towel tighter around his midsection and he shook his head, shrinking into his seat. Camila didn’t want to push him, but she at least needed to look at it. She opened her mouth to say something else to him about it, but Willow stopped her before she could, “Me and the others will help him, Mrs. Noceda, in just a little while. I promise.”

She was unsure, but looking at these kids and the way they seemed awfully protective of each other she knew they would do as they promised. If Luz trusted them, then she trusted them. She nodded in understanding, “Okay, just… don’t wait too long, okay?”

Willow nodded and Gus further reassured her, “We’ll help him out, we swear on it.”

“I believe you,” Camila said, closing up the first-aid kit and setting it on the counter behind her, “Are you kids hungry?”

“Yes!” Gus said maybe a little too loudly, and his face burned and he lowered his head, “I mean… Food would be… good. Thank you.”

Camila would’ve chuckled had the circumstances been different, “You guys stay put, I’ll make you all a bowl.”

They did as she asked, and they remained quiet for a moment, nervous and in shock. Luz looked around at all of her friends, tear-stained faces and eyes filled with horror surrounding her. She swallowed thickly, her throat feeling sore from all of the yelling she’d been doing the past couple of hours. She looked at Amity, but she wasn’t looking back at her. Her eyes were focused on Luz’s hand on her knee, unblinking and stiff as a board. Luz frowned and squeezed her knee, the other one was scraped up and bandaged, her tights ripped from when she fell.

“Amity?” Luz’s voice hadn’t been so quiet all night, and now she could hear how raspy and broken it sounded. Amity blinked finally, her eyes focusing on the room now as she lifted her head slowly to look at Luz. Luz smiled at her, wanting to see any of them smile too, but Amity couldn’t bring herself to do so, “Are you okay?”

She knew the answer, so she wasn’t so sure why she asked that. Maybe she wanted her to lie and tell her she was fine, that everything was fine. She may not have believed in it, but to hear someone else tell her that everything would be okay would be nice right about now. But Amity shook her head, tears glistening in her eyes and bottom lip wobbling, “No… Luz, my Dad… Emira and Edric, I don’t know where they are or if they’re okay. I—”

She slapped a hand over her mouth when a sob escaped, and she shook her head and choked out apology after apology, “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, Luz…”

Luz had to bite her lip to keep it from trembling, holding back tears as she scooted forward and grabbed Amity’s hands in her own, “You have nothing to apologize for, Amity.”

She continued to cry and Luz brought her forward and pulled her into her arms, holding her tight and frowning against her hair. Willow and Gus watched them both with frowns of their own, and then they looked at Hunter who was still unmoving and silent. They shared a look and then readjusted their seats so they were closer to their friend. Gus sat on one side of him and Willow on the other, and Willow was the first to try and talk to him, “Hunter… What happened back there… I know it was especially hard on you, we just want you to know we’re here for you, okay? Anytime you need us or want to talk, we’re here.”

He looked at her when she said that, and his eyes looked so sad. He opened his mouth but as expected no words came out. They knew what he was trying to tell them though. I’m not the only one under stress right now. You guys can come to me too. Willow smiled and gently placed a hand on top of one of his, “We know. But you seem like you’ve never had anyone to talk to when things got rough, so I’m just telling you we’re here now.”

He looked like he wanted to cry and yet he kept himself stable, or at least as stable as he could be right now. He was able to nod, letting them both know that he understood, and then he closed himself off again and stared at the empty tabletop in front of him.

Camila traveled between the stove and the table a few times, setting bowls of stew down in front of each of them. It smelled delicious and it was steaming hot, perfect for their empty stomachs. Camila smiled at them all and motioned for them to go ahead, “Dig in.”

Vee and Luz were the first to grab a spoon and start eating, but the others were hesitant. They’ve never had human food before, they wondered what it was like. Did it taste gross? What was the texture like? Was it similar to things they had in the Boiling Isles? Gus was curious, so he grasped a spoon in his hand and picked up some of what was in the bowl. It was a dark brothy substance, and he grabbed some vegetables and some kind of beans. He brought it up to his nose and took a sniff. It sure smells good. He was still hesitant, but he took a bite and after only one chew he was sold. Maybe it was because he was so hungry, or maybe Luz’s mom was just that good of a cook, but he started scarfing it down.

Willow, Amity, and Hunter were surprised with how Gus reacted, and it gave them the courage to try the food themselves, and once they did they understood his vigor. They’d exerted so much energy in the past day and they hadn’t even realized how hungry they were. Camila was actually concerned with how quickly they ate, but she was glad they enjoyed it and were eating in the first place. She grabbed a chair herself and sat down, folding her hands in front of her and looking around at all of these exhausted and traumatized kids. She knew she wasn’t going to get the full story, but she’d at least like to know the surface of it all.

“What happened to you all?” She said it with such a concerned sadness in her tone.

No one answered her immediately. Both Hunter and Gus bowed their heads, acting as if they hadn’t even heard her, and Willow and Amity just looked sad. Luz sat up a little, frowning and cutting her eyes to look anywhere but at her mother, “It’s a long story, Mama.”

“Then condense it,” Camila told her, tone a little firmer than it had been since they all showed up on her doorstep. She softened her expression though when Luz met her eyes, “I just want to know what happened, mija. You show up with four kids from a different realm and all of you are hurt and worse for wear. Please, you don’t have to tell me everything, just give me a little.”

That was easy to understand, Luz figured if she were in her mother’s shoes she would feel the same way. She exhaled deeply and nodded, “Okay… So, there’s a lot of backstory to all of this but I can go into that at a later time. Basically, there’s an Emperor on the Boiling Isles, or… was, I guess.”

Hunter lost his grip on his spoon, and it clanked loudly against the rim of the bowl. For a brief moment all eyes were on him, concerned. He picked up the spoon and went back to eating, expertly ignoring everyone around him. Luz frowned and continued, turning back to her mother, “His name was Belos and he was a real piece of work. He had this plan to activate a draining spell across the Boiling Isles, and everyone with a coven sigil would lose all of their magic and, well…”

“They would die,” Willow finished for her, “Before that could happen though someone helped us, I’m not sure who it was but he stopped the draining spell and…” She glanced at Hunter before finishing, “Took care of Belos.”

His fingers whitened as he gripped tighter to the spoon in his hand, but he still remained quiet. Luz took up the story from there, “It was The Collector, that’s what King said and I’d heard about him before, but I didn’t know they were actually real.”

That was a small lie, she still hadn’t told the others about Philip and Belos being the same person. She would do that later though, now wasn’t the time for another earth shattering revelation.

“We didn’t have a way around him, so we went towards the portal that Belos had been trying to open,” Luz continued to explain, “It was breaking apart though, and I was trying to hold it together so these guys could get through, and then I was going to go back for Eda and the others, she’s the one that’s been taking care of me since I’ve been there.”

She smiled remembering Eda, but she frowned a short moment later when the face of King, her little brother, flashed in her mind. Tears burned her eyes but she refused to let them fall, “But I was pushed through the portal anyway… King, he… He saved me and the rest of us. He…”

Amity set a hand on hers on top of the table, gazing at her sweetly and assuring her that it was alright. Luz sniffled and bowed her head, reaching up her other hand to wipe her eyes before she could cry, “Hehe, sorry. It’s fine, I’m fine. We’re all fine. We’re going to figure this out, this isn’t over. We’ll…”

“Luz,” Her mom spoke, leaning across the table and taking her other hand. Luz looked at her, seeing the frown on her face and the worried look in her eyes. It was making the urge to cry all that much stronger, “Thank you for telling me, that all sounds horrifying and I know it was hard for all of you kids to go through. It’s going to be okay, I promise. We’ll figure this out together, none of you are alone.”

No. She wouldn’t cry. She couldn’t. Her friends needed her to be strong. She was fine. She was perfectly fine.

She smiled again, tighter than before, “Thanks Mami.”

Camila returned the gesture, and then she looked around at the other kids and kept her expression soft, “I’m going to go and find you kids some warm clothes to change into. Please, eat all you want, I always make too much anyway.”

And then she stood from the table, squeezing Luz’s hand one last time before letting her own slip out of it and leaving the kitchen to go and gather some clothes. More silence fell but they continued to eat, except for Luz who had seemingly lost her appetite. Vee stirred the stew in her bowl, eyes glancing between each and every other person at the table. She was happy to see people from her realm here, it was nice, but it was hard to be excited about it with everything Luz had just told them they’d been through.

“So… Emperor Belos is dead?” She asked, and she thought that was an okay question to ask. She noticed the blonde boy had been tense, but he’d been like that all night, so she wasn’t expecting him to drop his spoon into his bowl again and suddenly grab at his hair and hide his face behind his arms.

Willow and Gus reacted first, setting their things down gently and checking on their friend; Gus spoke, “Hey man, it’s okay. Breathe.”

“We’re right here, Hunter,” Willow reminded him as he tried to listen to Gus’ instructions on keeping his breathing even.

Vee stumbled over an apology, “I-I’m sorry! Did I say something wrong?”

Luz shook her head, “No, it’s not that, it’s just… Belos was… Hunter’s uncle and he didn’t really treat Hunter very well.”

“O-Oh my… I’m sorry, Hunter. I didn’t know,” She tried to apologize, but Hunter didn’t react. His hair was caught in a white-knuckled grasp.

Willow offered a smile for the basilisk, “He’s not upset with you, it’s just been hard on him. I’m sure you understand.”

Vee nodded, because she did. She’s been mistreated in her life, a lot of things still triggered her and made her upset. Her fingers came together to wring nervously. Luz exhaled and slumped further into her chair, still gripping Amity’s hand. Amity squeezed her fingers and pursed her lips into a sort of pout, “Luz, you—”

“Hey, I bet I’ve got something in my room that’ll fit you, Amity. You’re not much smaller than me,” Luz cut her off before she could even begin, “You guys stay here and finish up, I’ll go and help my mom find some clothes for all of you.”

Her chair squeaked against the floor when she stood, her hand slipping out of Amity’s as she stepped back. They were all looking at her with unease, but all she did was hold that forced smile and turn away, leaving them all to finish their dinner. Knowing Luz, she was leaving because she could no longer hold it together and didn’t want them to see her cry.

They were worried about her, but they didn’t stop her from leaving. She needed a moment alone, so they’d let her have it. They wouldn’t leave her alone all night, of course. They’d probably all end up sleeping in the same room. They needed each other right now. They finished their meal in silence, the only sound filling the space was the clinking of their spoons against ceramic and the inconsistent drip-drop of rain water falling from their soaked clothes and hitting the tile.

Camila came back into the kitchen when they were finished eating, telling them she had found some clothes for them to change into and for them to go and get out of their wet clothes as soon as possible. She wasn’t sure how witch immune systems worked, but she wasn’t taking any chances with them catching a cold. She and Vee cleaned up the kitchen despite the kids offering to clean up their own mess, and the mother sent them on their way. Willow made sure to grab the first-aid kit off of the table as they left.

There was a guest room they ended up in where Camila had laid several piles of clothes. A lot of it looked like stuff Luz would wear, her clothes would fit most of them. There was some larger clothes as well for the kids who were bigger than Luz as well. Before any of them got changed though, Willow set the first-aid kit down on the bed and opened it up, facing the tallest one in the room, “Hunter, we should check that wound and treat it.”

He didn’t reply, he didn’t even flinch. Willow frowned, “I promised Mrs. Noceda that we would.”

Gus stepped closer to the older boy now too, reaching out a hand but not quite touching him, “It’ll only take a couple of minutes.”

Hunter took a small step back when Gus approached him, hands coming up in front of him and twitching awkwardly. Amity watched the scene with an anxious air, and she figured these three were the closest and that her and Hunter weren’t on bad terms but things were still a little awkward between the two since Eclipse Lake. So, she grabbed her clothes and stepped back, “I’m going to go and find Luz and give you three some privacy.”

Willow nodded in understanding towards the purple-haired girl, and Amity left the room quietly, closing the door behind her. Willow frowned as Hunter continued to quietly protest the first-aid, but they really did need to look at his injuries, “You don’t have to be scared of us, Hunter. We’re your friends, we’d never hurt you.”

He shook his head, denying that that was even the problem. Willow and Gus shared a look, concerned, and Gus spoke next, “Then what’s wrong?”

Hunter opened his mouth to say something but he still couldn’t find his words; it was getting frustrating. He lifted his hand and tapped his fingers against the scar on his face, and then he gestured towards his midsection and they quickly understood. Gus slumped his shoulders, “We’re not going to judge you for having scars if that’s what you’re thinking.”

Willow agreed immediately, “Yeah, we just want to help because we care about you. Having scars doesn’t change our view of you.”

Hunter was scared of a lot, they had learned since knowing him these past few weeks. Not so much of actual danger, he was actually really level-headed when faced with a threat unless of course that threat happened to be coming from Belos, and then he froze up as they had witnessed earlier today. Hunter seemed most scared of what his friends thought of him, and despite the shield he sometimes still put up around himself, it was like he was walking on glass when around them, as if he were afraid of messing up. They understood why he felt that way. He hadn’t told them much about his relationship with Belos, but the way he reacted when he was merely mentioned gave them a pretty good idea of what it was like.

He wrung his hands in front of him in a fraughtful way, his eyes not meeting either of theirs. Everyone was quiet for that moment, waiting for Hunter to reply with a nod or shake of his head. He was shivering, they all were, and they could hear how his breath shook with it. He sniffled from the cold and finally he nodded quickly, his expression looking pained and anxious. Willow smiled sweetly, “Okay, good.”

She went to get some supplies out of the first-aid kit as Hunter grabbed at his shirt, apprehensive. He pulled it from where it was tucked into his pants and struggled with pulling it over his head. There was a tighter fitting shirt underneath that felt uncomfortable against his skin because of how wet it was, and he was slightly more urgent with getting it off. Having it off though left him feeling bare and he was suddenly extremely aware of how marked his skin was compared to the average person.

Hunter kept his gaze downcast as Willow looked for what she needed; human medical supplies were a bit different. In the Demon Realm, you’d often just use a potion and some bandages and be done with it, wounds usually healed pretty past. But that’s different here. Luckily, she remembered what Mrs. Noceda had used earlier, so she put those supplies aside. She turned back to face her friends, Gus trying not to stare and Hunter awkwardly trying to cover himself.

There were a lot of scars, more than they expected honestly. As promised, it didn’t make them view him any different, but it did fill them both with more disdain for the Emperor than previous which they had thought was impossible after everything that had already happened. Still, Willow smiled and approached him, holding out her hand and offering it to him, “Come sit down, this shouldn’t take long. They’re not that deep.”

He lifted his head enough to look her hand in front of him, and he could see her smiling. He glanced at Gus and saw he had a similar smile on his face, both of them reassuring. He swallowed nervously but lifted his arm, setting his hand in Willow’s softly. Her fingers wrapped around his and she gently pulled him forward. He sat on the edge of the guest bed, remaining quiet as Willow got to work, not even flinching as she prodded at his wounds. His pain tolerance was high, he hadn’t even realized he was injured until Mrs. Noceda pointed it out.

“You’re going to have to take these gloves off too, Hunter. They’re soaked,” Willow told him as she worked.

He grimaced at the suggestion and shook his head. He was always wearing them, even when he slept. They weren’t sure why. To cover more scars maybe? Or something unrelated? Gus sat on the edge of the bed next to him, “Maybe Luz has some gloves around here that you can change into.”

His shoulders relaxed a little at his words, and he nodded. Willow and Gus smiled at each other. Silence fell between the three of them for a couple of minutes, Willow disinfecting Hunter’s wounds and Gus sitting at his side offering comfort and looking for some himself. The process of mending Hunter’s wounds went pretty fast, Willow was always quite good at stuff like this. What, with friends like Luz and Gus she had to be. She applied some bandages when all was said and done, and she smiled at her handiwork.

“There! Good as new!” She giggled in an attempt to lighten the mood. Hunter looked down at the large patches against his skin and he really didn’t like how they felt but he had to wear them for now. He dipped his head a bit in thanks and Willow kept her smile, “Alright, now that that’s done, I’m going to go and find a bathroom to change in.”

She twisted to put the medical supplies she used away and closed up the first-aid kit, standing immediately after and grabbed the pile of clothes Mrs. Noceda had left for her. Gus got up too, checking on Hunter briefly before moving to grab his pile. Willow told them she’d be back in a moment and went to leave, but she didn’t even make it to the door.

Hunter sobbed, and the sound was so sudden and loud in the almost tranquil quiet of the room, light rain hitting the windowpane softly, it startled both Willow and Gus. They turned to face the blonde just in time to see him slip off of the bed and his knees hit the floor. He wrapped his arms around himself tightly, fingers curling harshly into his sides as he tried to suppress the cries that wracked his body.

“Hunter!” Gus rushed to his side and Willow wasn’t far behind.

Hunter shook his head, opening his mouth and speaking for the first time in the past hour or more, “Fine. M’fine.”

He choked out a sob and it was pretty obvious he was not fine. Willow and Gus looked at each other, frowning now and sorrow in both of their eyes. Gus felt his own eyes burn with tears seeing his friend break down like this, “Hunter… It’s okay to not be okay.”

Hunter only sobbed in response to that, so Willow took over, “Gus is right. None of us are fine right now. We left our families and friends back in the Boiling Isles and now we’re in a whole different realm we’ve never even been to before. It’s scary.”

Hunter shook his head, “‘S not that.”

They both frowned and Willow asked, “Then what is it? You can tell us.”

Hunter shook his head again, his hands releasing their tight hold on his sides and his arms coming away from his midsection. Instead, he tangled his hands in his hair and tugged on it, but not too harshly so neither Willow nor Gus moved to stop him, “Can’t tell you. ‘M different.”

Different? Willow pouted, “Hunter, we’ve talked about this before, remember? We know you’ve been through a lot, but none of that will ever change our opinion of you.”

He tried to take a breath but it was starting to get hard to breathe, “N-No, this ‘s different. Won’t like it.”

Gus knew what he was talking about and his heart hurt so much for his friend. Back when they were fighting Belos he used an illusion spell on him, trying to trap him in his memories in hopes of buying them time, but the memories ended up being too intense for even him to look at. That man had done some horrible things, and maybe Hunter thought he was one of those horrible things.

Gus released a deep breath and slumped his shoulders, breaking the news to the older boy, “Hunter, I know.”

Hunter’s reaction was immediate. His shoulders tensed and his head whipped around to look at Gus. His eyes were wide and filled with a lot of different emotions. Fear, panic, pain, sadness. Too many negative emotions at once. It hurt to see.

“W-What?” He stammered, fingers loosening in his hair but not retracting.

Gus relaxed a little more, keeping his voice even as he spoke to him, “I know. I did that memory illusion on Belos, I saw everything.”

Hunter’s breathing picked up, the sound of him wheezing in panic filling their ears. And just like that his hands tightened in his hair again and he tugged on it harsher than before, “N-No, y-you can’t! I-I don’t— I—”

“Hunter, it’s okay. I’m not upset with you,” Gus promised, his hand outstretched. He wanted to put a hand on his shoulder or something, but Hunter wasn’t so good with sudden touches so he kept his hands to himself for now, “What I saw… I understand that was probably hard for you to take in just for yourself, much less having to tell others about it. You probably thought we wouldn’t look at you the same anymore, right? That we wouldn’t like you? Well, that’s not true. You’re still the same Hunter I met back at Hexide and nothing is going to change that.”

Hunter wanted to crawl in a hole and lay there for a while, maybe forever. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut and tried to stop crying but he couldn’t, and he shook his head, “N-No, I’m-I’m a monster.”

“No, you’re not,” Gus kept reassuring him, scooting closer and keeping his voice even.

Willow wasn’t exactly sure what they were talking about, but she’s assuming it had something to do with Belos. Hunter had been hiding something from them, and that had been okay. He didn’t need to tell them everything, especially not personal and painful memories that were hard to talk about, but now she was very out of the loop so she would at least try to get to the bottom of it, “Hunter, what happened?”

He almost forgot Willow was even there; she hadn’t spoken for a minute. He looked at her, eyes manic with fear, “I-I—”

“Hey, we don’t have to talk about this now. We can talk later, if you want,” Gus told him, not wanting him to feel pressured.

Hunter looked at him and then at Willow. His head hurt and his thoughts were mixed up, he could barely even breath. Maybe he should tackle that first. He was wheezing and his throat burned, “W-What was that… breathing thing, again?”

“Oh right!” Gus shifted so he was more in front of Hunter, looking him in the eyes and holding up his hand, “All you gotta do is breathe in for four, and breathe out for four. Like this.”

He slowly inhaled, putting up four fingers one by one as he did, and then he exhaled and lowered those same fingers one by one. It took a minute, but Hunter was usually pretty good at getting his breathing under control. At least, he was now. Before, back when he was still in the Emperor’s Coven, he had no idea how to calm himself down or get through these panic attacks alone, but now he had Gus and Willow and all of his friends. He was much better at this now. He got his breathing back to normal in just a couple of minutes, and despite the fact that he was still shaking with cold and the leftover adrenaline of a panic attack, he felt at least a little better.

“Better?” Gus asked.

Hunter took a deep and shaking breath, and he nodded, “Better.”

Gus smiled, “Good. Do you want to talk about it or…?”

Hunter was nervous, but when he looked at Willow and saw how patient and calm her eyes looked, he thought maybe he could do this. If Gus knew, then Willow should too. He shook his head, “I want to talk about it. You guys deserve to know.”

Gus offered him a little smile, small but very much genuine. Willow held out her hand, making sure it was in his line of sight without touching him. Hunter stared at it briefly before lifting his gaze to her; she smiled, “We’re here for you the whole way.”

He looked at her eyes for a moment, her gaze so soft and patient. She was always so kind to him, no matter what. Hell, she didn’t turn him away even after she found out who he worked for, he should at least give her a chance at hearing him out now. He took her hand and smiled tiredly, “Okay, so… This is going to sound crazy, I couldn’t even believe it myself at first.”

He chuckled a little, fake and manic. Willow squeezed his hand and gently urged him to continue; Gus reached out and took his other hand, just as patient as he always was. That gave him the strength to go on, “So… me and Luz got tangled up in this thing about a week before you guys found me sleeping at Hexide. I was trying to stop some rebels against the Emperor and long story short got caught up in their spell… It sent us into Belos’ mindscape.”

Well, that alone sounded terrifying. Gus, who had seen the Emperor’s memories just hours ago, already knew of the messed up things that man had done. He knew what Hunter was going to say next, and he knew Willow would take it well. Hunter though was nervous, he never knew how people would react to anything about him. He’d spent his whole life trying to be an intimidating force, trying to get people to take him seriously, but all he got in return was being called annoying and a spoiled brat. He was afraid that’s how Willow would react now, but he’d already started and he was going to finish. He’d make it brief though, no need to go into details.

“We went through a lot of his memories and saw how he treated previous Golden Guards and his views on the Boiling Isles, and… well, those weren’t good,” He wasn’t looking at either of them anymore, but he kept ahold of both of their hands, “Eventually the inner Belos caught us and… He sort of taunted us for a second and then he told me what I am and…”

He frowned again, gripping Gus and Willow’s hands tighter as his anxiety spiked again. Gus scooted closer, his knee nudging Hunter’s leg gently. He nodded his head, encouraging him to finish, “It’s okay, we’ve got your back always.”

Hunter nodded in response, exhaling slowly and calming himself before he got too riled up again in panic, and then he admitted what he’d been too scared too. Things were already scary, they had been for a while, he could handle a little more and besides, it might be a weight off of his shoulders. He looked at Willow again, his own eyes still glassy with tears as he told what he’d been neglecting to, “I’m what Belos called… a grimwalker.”

Her reaction was immediate, but it wasn’t negative. She raised an eyebrow, looking a bit… confused, “A grimwalker? What’s that?”

It sounded familiar, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on why. So, Hunter explained, “It’s… It’s like a clone. From what I’ve read up on it, they're made of a bunch of different things like a galdorstone, palistrom wood, and… bones of the original that one is cloning. I… I’m just a copy of someone that Belos knew and killed. I’m not a witch, and I’m not a human, I’m just… Just some freak!”

He didn’t want to look at her anymore, he didn’t want to see her face as he explained it in full. He didn’t want to see her expression shrivel up in disgust, and he didn’t want to have to witness her lurching away from him. He wasn’t sure why he thought like this. Gus was okay with it, at least he seemed to be. He knew everything without Hunter ever having to tell him, and he was still here, by his side, telling him everything would be okay.

And maybe he was right.

Willow brought his hand closer instead of pushing it away, and a smile came back to her face, soft and tender. She lifted her other hand, very carefully touching the side of his face. He flinched very slightly, still not used to such affectionate touch. Her thumb traced the scar on his jaw and then she brushed the tears off of his face, and then she said, in the softest tone, “Human, witch, or grimwalker, you’re still you.”

He felt his cheeks and ears burn and he felt Gus nudge him on the arm with his knuckles, making him turn to look at him too, “Yeah, man. You’re Hunter! Awkward and clumsy but funny and smart Hunter!”

Willow giggled, “And don’t forget a massive dork.”

Gus laughed a little in return, “Oh yeah, can’t forget that.”

He was surprised honestly, “W-Wait, so you guys… Don’t think I’m… I don’t know, weird?”

Willow shrugged, “Well, sure, but we’re all weird.”

“Yeah! And like Luz is always saying,” Gus suddenly threw his arm around Hunter’s shoulders, “Us weirdos have to stick together!”

He should’ve known… He should’ve known they wouldn’t treat him any different. They were good people, kind people. Why would they ever turn him away just because he wasn’t a witch? Luz wasn’t a witch, she wasn’t even from their realm, and they accepted her. Sure, he was a grimwalker, but they didn’t see him as anything but himself, and of course they didn’t. He was grateful. So, so grateful.

With everything that he’d learned in the past few weeks plus the events of the day he felt the tears burn fresh in his eyes and soon enough they were spilling over. He let himself cry again, but this time unapologetically. He thinks, for once, he deserves to cry. And in the end both Willow and Gus wrapped him up in a hug and joined him, and it felt good to let it all out.

Those three had become really close in the past week or so, leaning on each when needed and supporting each other, and it brought a smile to Amity Blight’s face as she passed by the room and peeped inside to check on them. She had gone to change in the bathroom, getting out of her wet clothes, and now that she was warm and cozier she was going to find Luz, she just had to check on her other friends on the way by first. From what she can tell, they all had it under control.

She tip-toed past the room, keeping quiet so as not to interrupt their moment, and looking for Luz’s room as she crept down the hall. She found a slightly ajar door just a little bit down the hallway, a light shining under the crack of it; she figured that must be hers. She stopped just outside the door, leaning closer to it and lifting a hand to knock only to stop when she heard sniffling. It was followed by a quiet sob, and the sound alone made tears sting Amity’s eyes. She bit down on her bottom lip to keep herself from crying, and she took a deep breath before going through with the knock her hand was raised to provide. It was a gentle rap against the wooden door, the sound soft yet loud enough for the girl inside to hear her.

She could hear Luz clear her throat and sniffle a little loudly, most likely trying to appear as if she weren’t just crying before she called out, “Come in!”

Amity was careful when she opened the door slowly, poking her head in and peering around the door to take in the sight of her girlfriend, “Luz? Are you okay?”

She was smiling but Amity’s could see the red puffiness around her eyes and the wet tear tracks on her cheeks, “Oh, Amity! My pajamas look so cute on you!”

She couldn’t lie and say that didn’t make her face burn, but she did have bigger priorities right now. She stepped further into the room, pushing the door closed behind her and leaving it open just a crack like before, “You know… it’s okay to be upset. A lot happened. To all of us. To you.”

Luz chuckled and shrugged, forcing herself to keep that smile up even if Amity could see how much pain she held in her eyes. She wasn’t going to tiptoe around this issue, she wasn’t going to let Luz self-destruct like she always did because she refused to let others help her carry the burden, “Luz, you’re crying.”

And just like that her smile fell. She shifted her gaze away from Amity, lifting her hand and grabbing her opposite arm, rubbing at it nervously, “Man, I was hoping I could at least hide it from you, hermosa.”

Amity stepped even closer, holding her hands clasped in front of her, “Don’t be silly, you could never hide anything from me.”

Luz chuckled, but the sound was only half genuine. She looked at her feet, socks with panda bears on them covering them. She had changed out of her wet clothes too at least, wearing gray and purple striped sweatpants and a black t-shirt with what looked like a band name across the front of it. Maybe it was one of those k-pop groups she talked about sometimes? Amity wasn’t sure. She wanted to reach out, but she wondered if she should? Would she be okay with that? She caught herself though. This was Luz she was talking about, of course she wouldn’t mind. Luz practically lived off of affection, it’s basically how she recharged. Amity’s been spending too much time around Hunter the past week.

That sure was something she thought would never happen.

She held out her hands, very gently curling her fingers around Luz’s and pulling her hands away from her body and holding them carefully in hers. Luz looked down at their entwined hands, that sparkle coming back to her eyes just a little. She pursed her lips, trying to keep herself from letting the tears spill over, and she tightened her fingers around Amity’s. She let out a sound that sounded somewhere between a chuckle and a sob, and when she lifted her head finally Amity could see how watery her eyes had become; it made her frown.

“I’m sorry, Amity. Everything that’s happened… it’s all my fault,” She explained, sniffling afterwards.

Amity’s eyebrows pulled together in confusion, “What do you mean? Luz, none of what happened is your fault. That doesn’t even—”

“I never told you about Belos, about who he really is,” Luz said, catching her girlfriend’s eyes now, her gaze so sad but serious as well, as if she were about to reveal the biggest secret ever.

“W-What do you mean who he really is? He’s the corrupt Emperor. He—” But Luz cut her off with a shake of her head.

“No, he’s not just some corrupt Emperor,” She told her firmly, though her voice was wavering with heavy emotions, “I kept telling you all that I had no idea why he would want to wipe out all of the magic in the Boiling Isles, but… I do know, I have for weeks. I just… I was too scared to tell you because it’s my fault.”

She was talking too fast and Amity couldn’t keep up. She squeezed Luz’s hands and inched closer, lowering her voice and keeping calm so as not to push Luz away, “Luz, slow down. Tell me what you mean.”

Luz took a few quick breaths before she closed her eyes and took a couple of slower ones, calming herself down so she could explain it to Amity a little slower, “Okay, have you ever heard of time pools?”

Amity nodded, “Yeah, but I always thought they were just a myth.”

Luz shook her head, “No, they’re real. Very real. About a month ago I was getting really antsy about making a new portal door cuz I needed to get back to my Mom, but Philip’s journal wasn’t leading me anywhere. Long story short, I made a comment about time travel and Lilith told me about the time pools and so we went out to find one. It was a long shot, but it ended up working in the end. I… got to meet Philip Wittebane.”

Amity blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. Well, that certainly was… news to her, “You… got to meet Philip? And why didn’t you tell me about this?”

Luz shrugged and grimaced, “Cuz he was a huge jerk! That’s not the point! The point is, I met him, he tried to kill me and Lilith all so he could do his selfish old-timey nerd things, and then we escaped and high-tailed it out of there… but not before Lilith punched him in the face.”

She giggled that dorky little laugh of hers at the end, and usually Amity would’ve smiled at it, but right now she was very confused and a little lost, “I’m sorry, Luz, but what exactly does this have to do with Belos?”

Luz frowned again, the sound of that man’s name instilling an immediate reaction. She sighed and looked down at their hands again, rubbing her thumb across Amity’s knuckles, “You know me and Hunter went through something to find out what we did about Belos… We kind of… ended up in his mind.”

Amity’s eyes widened. Well, that’s another shock, “You sure have been doing a lot of wild things without me, batata.”

She jabbed lightheartedly, and it got Luz to smirk a tiny bit, “The meeting Philip one was slightly more fun. Belos’ mind… Not so much. I won’t tell you about the whole Hunter side of things, I’ll let him do the talking on that end, but I also learned some things.”

Her expression fell even further as she got into this part of her story, and Amity dipped her head to try and catch her gaze. She smiled sweetly at her, “Hey, it’s okay. I’m right here.”

Luz smiled back, Amity’s reassurance giving her strength. She took a deep breath and continued, wanting to get this over with already no matter how scary it was. It was time to stop keeping secrets, “Belos, he… showed me some things. Revealed something that… that sometimes I think I would’ve rather not known.”

She was getting that anxious lilt to her voice again and Amity squeezed her fingers to bring her back down to earth, “It’s okay, take your time.”

Luz lifted her head though, catching Amity’s eyes again and Amity was surprised at how stern they looked. What Luz said next nearly sent her stumbling, “Amity, Belos isn’t a witch, he never was. He’s… He’s Philip Wittebane.”

She didn’t even know what to say in response to that at first. Luz had been obsessed with Philip since she found out of his existence. Another human in the Demon Realm, it had been a dream come true for her. Philip had been her link back home, she had spent hours upon days upon months studying his entries, learning everything she could about him and his adventures in the Demon Realm, now only to find out he was the worst kind of evil they’d ever known. He’d tried to kill them all, and he would’ve succeeded had King not freed the Collector and sent them all here.

How is she even supposed to respond to this?

“He’s… Philip Wittebane? The human from… hundreds of years ago? He should be dead, how is he–”

“He’s been consuming palismen and surviving off of their magic. He’s barely even human anymore, he’s more of a monster than anything,” Luz told her, eyes glassy.

Amity frowned, “B-But… Luz, how is any of what happened your fault? I still don’t understand.”

“The Collector,” She sounded as if she were on the verge of tears now, and looking at her now Amity could tell she was barely keeping it together, “When I met Philip he made me and Lilith distract a Stonesleeper so he could gather what he needed and what he needed was a mirror. This mirror just so happened to be what he needed to contact the Collector and as we now know… Well, the Collector is the one he needed to start the draining spell and look who’s the one who helped him do that! Me! Luz Noceda! God, I was such an idiot!”

Even after all of that, she was still keeping herself from crying. Hell, Amity was closer to crying than Luz was. She felt so horrible for her, because what had happened wasn’t even her fault. And yet, she was blaming herself, and wasn’t that just like her. Always taking the blame, always protecting others, always pretending she was okay. Doesn’t she ever just want to break down? Doesn’t she know that it’s okay to not be okay?

Amity pulled her hands out of Luz’s, instead situating one on her shoulder and the other finding her face and stroking a thumb against her cheek, “Luz, how were you supposed to know who Philip was? No one in any dimension would have guessed that he was actually Belos this whole time.”

Luz was slowly letting down her walls, breaking down little by little, yet she was still trying so hard to hold it together, “I still helped him. It’s all my fault, Amity. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s not,” Amity brushed Luz’s hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear, “Luz, all this time in the Demon Realm you’ve done everything in your power to help people and in the end you knew exactly how powerful Belos was, more than anyone, and you protected Hunter and went to face Belos alone. You saved all of us. Without you, who knows where we’d be. Our families, Eda, Lilith… Hunter. They could all be dead, but they’re not because you saved them.”

Luz shook her head and wiped at her eye, getting rid of the tears before they could show themselves, “King saved them.”

“Then you bought him the time to do that,” Amity said, “And you risked your life to stay behind all so we could make it into this realm and live. You’ve always been looking out for us, for everyone. You became immediate friends with Willow and Gus, you wanted to be friends with Hunter before he was even on our side. You fell in love with me. I was so mean to you and everyone! I was horrible, and still… You gave me a chance. You’re such a good person and you always have been and always will be. I love you so much, Luz Noceda.”

If anyone was going to get her to finally let it all out of course it would be Amity. Luz sobbed, letting the tears finally spill down her cheeks. She held a hand against the back of Amity’s still on her face, keeping it there as if it were her lifeforce. She reached out to grab ahold of Amity’s shoulder, fingers curling into her shirt and pulling her closer. Amity wasted no time in getting closer, wrapped her arms around Luz and holding her tight, and she wouldn’t be letting go until Luz said it was alright to.

She held her there against her, not a care in the world for the snot and tears getting the collar of her shirt wet. She focused on the warmth of Luz pressed against her, carded her fingers through her damp hair and relished in how soft it was despite it being a little tangled. Luz’s hands gripped the back of her shirt tightly, twisting it and her arms tight around her waist. Her back was shaking with how hard she was crying, but Amity only soothed her, rubbing a hand up and down her spine to calm her and murmuring soft reassurances in her ear.

It hurt so much to see her cry, but it hurt even more when she pretended that everything was okay. So Amity decided that crying would always be the better alternative.

She cried for a few minutes nonstop, and it’s what she needed. She rarely ever cried in front of her friends or in front of anyone, so maybe this was Luz crying out months of anguish she’d hidden from everyone. She wore her heart on her sleeve for about five minutes, and when she was finished she was sniffling and apologizing for ruining her girlfriend’s fresh shirt.

“Ah man, you just got all dry and now I’ve soaked your shirt again,” She giggled, pulling away but just a little, wiping her face with her arm and hand.

Amity giggled in response and swiped a hand gently downwards to brush that problem aside, “It’s alright. Not my shirt anyway.”

Luz laughed, and it was genuine. It made Amity smile, her heart feeling warm. This was better. This was good. Finally, Luz had gotten what she needed to off of her chest. Amity brushed the girl’s hair out of her face again where it had fallen when she was crying, tucking it once more behind her ear and smiling sweetly at her. Luz made an amused and curious sound, a wet laugh escaping her, “What are you getting all googly eyed for? I look like a mess.”

“Yeah, but a pretty mess,” Amity shot back.

Luz blushed and held a hand to her face, half-hiding behind it and being dramatic, “Whoa Blight, I thought it was my job to be the flirty one.”

Amity rolled her eyes and her smile grew, “I have to take the reins sometimes, batata.”

Luz giggled and Amity leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead, and that seemed to work in calming Luz even more. She exhaled deeply, grabbing Amity’s hands again and catching her eyes. She smiled sweetly, “Thanks Amity, for all of this and everything you said. I think I needed that.”

“You did,” She nodded in agreement, “Talk to me more, okay? We’ve talked about this… thing you do, where you lock everything inside and take it until it’s too much.”

Luz averted her eyes for a moment sheepishly, “Yeah, we have, haven’t we?”

“Yeah, we have you dork,” Amity flicked her gently on the forehead with two fingers, making Luz giggle again.

“Alright, alright. I promise, for now on, I’ll try to tell you when something is eating at me,” Luz promised her, and she did sound genuine about it even with her voice all nasally from her stuffy nose.

“You can tell anyone,” Amity reminded her, “We’re all your friends here and we’re all here for you. Stop forgetting that, dingus.”

She ruffled her hair and Luz playfully shoved her hand away, and in the end they both ended up in a fit of giggles. Things were still heavy and confusing, but they both felt like at least a little bit of the weight had been lifted. Talking it through helped, it often did. Luz was just stubborn and protective, but hopefully she’d take her awesome girlfriend’s advice next time around.

There was a knock on the door behind them, and they both turned to look just in time to see Willow peeping her head inside and smiling tiredly, “Room for three more?”

Luz squeezed Amity’s hand and nodded, “Of course! Come in!”

Willow pushed the door open all the way, making room for her and the boys to walk in behind her. They had all changed out of their wet clothes, looking way more comfier than before. Willow had on one of Luz’s Mom’s old college varsity t-shirts, and Luz almost giggled seeing Gus in a My Little Pony t-shirt, but it was cute; she completely forgot that it was still in the back of her closet. Hunter was lagging behind, clenching his fists repeatedly, awkward and nervous in his kitty cat shirt. Her mom sure did pick out the good clothes for them.

Luz frowned seeing Hunter though, his eyes looking heavier than usual, and that was saying something. They were puffy and red and there was a slight tremble to his hands, as if he were still calming down from a breakdown, much like she were doing now. She stepped past Amity a little, eyebrows furrowed sadly as she called for him, “Hunter?”

He flinched at his name being called, he always did. It was a habit he couldn’t shake, no matter how badly he wishes he could. He looked at Luz, tired eyes looking into hers. She saw immediately what he was feeling, and despite not being very good at reading other people, Hunter knew what she was feeling too. He was scared, and so was she. They’d barely even had time to talk since what happened in Belos’ mindscape, but they’d have plenty now.

He wasn’t expecting Luz to so quickly leave Amity’s side and come towards him, going to reach out and wrap her arms around him but stopping short and waiting in front of him, hands hovering awkwardly, “Can I—”

He nodded before she could finish her question. He found he quite likes hugs, they were comfortable and warm. He could fall asleep in them. Luz continued in the move she was originally making, wrapping him up in her arms and pulling him close. He still wasn’t very good at these, but Gus and Willow had given him plenty in the past week he’d been with them, so he at least had learned to mimic their movements in moments like these. He wrapped his arms around Luz too, resting his chin atop her shoulder. She gave good hugs, they felt safe. She was a protective person, over everyone, even him when they first met despite the fact that he was her enemy and not very nice to her. He was sometimes angry thinking about who he used to be, and sometimes he just wanted to cry about it. Why she had ever been kind to him in the first place he’ll never know.

“We’re gunna be alright, Hunter,” Luz told him, always taking on the protective sibling role despite him being older, “We’re all gunna be okay.”

He nodded against her shoulder, squeezing his arms around her a little tighter. Willow and Gus stepped further into the room, Willow placing a hand on Hunter’s shoulder and getting him and Luz to pull away from each other a little. She smiled at the both of them, but she focused on Luz in the end, “Are you alright, Luz?”

Luz reached up and wiped at her eyes again, making sure she hadn’t started crying again, “I’m fine, I just… Got overwhelmed and held everything in again. Classic Luz, huh? I’m fine now though, Amity talked me through it.”

The three that had just entered the room glanced at Amity who was smiling at them, though her eyes held various heavy emotions like the rest of them. Willow looked at Luz again, “Good. We’re here too if you want to talk more, okay?”

Luz nodded, “Okay. Same offer stands for all of you.”

“We know,” Gus said, putting a hand on her arm gently, “But despite the fact that I feel like crying my eyes out again, I think I’m too tired to form any coherent thoughts. Is sleeping an option?”

Everyone sort of laughed at his jab, and Luz nodded, “Yeah, let me go tell my Mom. We have a guest room some of you guys can use and a couch and—”

“Actually…” Willow stopped her, hands clasped at her waist as she suggested, “We all kind of want to stick together tonight, is it alright if we bunk with you?”

Luz looked at all of her friends, taking in the sad and upset and tired sight of all of them. This wasn’t exactly the human realm sleepover she had always had in mind when she thought of her witch friends, but she could still make it cozy for them all. She smiled and nodded, “Yeah. Yeah, of course! I was… actually kind of hoping one of you would suggest that. Let me just go let my Mom know and we’ll gather some blankets to make a comfy spot on the floor, I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll come with you,” Amity offered, and in the end all of them offered their help.

They found plenty of blankets and made a comfy enough spot on the floor in Luz’s bedroom for a few of them to sleep. Camila asked them questions the entire time they were getting the blankets and pillows set out, asking if they’d gotten enough to eat and she’d kept prodding at Hunter and asking if he had his injuries checked and she had smiled when he had finally used his voice which he honestly found flattering.

In just a few short minutes, things were set and after a little more motherly concern from Camila, Luz eventually promised her she would explain everything in detail tomorrow morning and told her they all just needed some rest for now. So eventually, Camila let them be and went back to spend the night with Vee before they turned in to go to bed as well. Luz climbed into her bunk, and despite all of them leaving the top bunk to Amity the purple-haired girl still slid under the blankets with Luz and held her close, and that was a comfort to the both of them.

On the floor was Willow, Hunter, and Gus, none of them leaving each other's sides for now. They’d been inseparable for a week; they wouldn’t be leaving each other now at a time like this. Willow and Gus ended up practically laying on top of Hunter, Willow’s head against his chest and Gus’ against his stomach. Gus had ahold of Hunter’s hand as he tried to sleep, and Willow had her arms around one of Hunter’s. It wasn’t something he was used to, being held like this, but he didn’t hate it. Luz had given him a pair of gloves to wear while his dried, or mittens really. Purple mittens in fact. They were silly, but warm and comfortable. No one teased him for needing to wear them, not even Camila, and he was appreciative for that.

Now he laid there staring up at the ceiling, finding it hard to fall asleep. Gus had started crying about twenty minutes ago, but eventually he had tired himself out and fell asleep out of exhaustion. Willow wasn’t quite asleep yet, but her eyes were getting heavy, glasses folded and set aside off of the blankets beside her. Her fingers kept stroking the skin on Hunter’s wrist right below where the glove sat, where his Coven Sigil was. It had been so painful earlier, and maybe Willow was still thinking about having to watch him fight through it. He wasn’t even sure how he fought it as long as he did. Maybe it was because he was Grimwalker that saved him most of the pain. He’d been hating himself for that what he is for weeks. Figures it would save him in the end.

Up on the bed, Amity had fallen asleep just minutes ago but next to her Luz still lay wide awake. She was sad still, sure. Upset and scared, but now that she laid here and had the quiet to think and take it all in, she realized just how angry she was. Belos had tried to take everything from them. He wanted everyone dead, all because he was a selfish and horrible person. He’d been doing horrible things his whole life. He killed those who got in his way, he’d been hurting Hunter for years, and he nearly killed every witch with a sigil in the Boiling Isles. She didn’t even know who was okay and who wasn’t. Was Eda alright? Raine? Darius? Where’s King? What did the Collector end up doing with him? She had so many questions and zero answers. They needed to go back but she had no idea how or where to even start.

Amity shifted in her sleep and Luz tightened her arm around her shoulders, feeling Amity’s hair tickle her face as she settled down again. Luz exhaled and glanced over her girlfriend to the floor where the others were laying, seeing Gus had fallen asleep and Willow was on the cusp of it as well. Hunter though was still wide awake and that sad look that had been in his eyes earlier was gone, replaced with that same anger Luz held in her gaze.

Good, she thought. He deserved to be angry after all of this. They all did.

She turned to look back towards the ceiling, looking at the empty bunk above her head. She needed to sleep, tomorrow was the first day towards finding a way back and saving the Boiling Isles. She was angry, but this anger was good, it would be their driving force forward. So, she’d hold onto it and all of the other emotions she was feeling right now. She’d hold them close and keep them safe. They were important, they were valid. They’d come in handy.

She wasn’t okay. None of them are. But tomorrow’s a new day, and they’ve been through the trenches before. What’s one more hard journey?

So, she closed her eyes and let the exhaustion hanging over her pull her under.