Work Text:
“Hey, Hunter, you alright?” Gus asks.
Hunter jolts, then freezes. “I’m fine.”
Gus’ brow furrows. “You sure? You were rocking back and forth.”
“I was?”
“Yeah.”
“Sorry,” he mumbles, ducking his head as he twiddles his thumbs under the table. He’d gotten lost in thought—he isn’t even really sure about what anymore. Why can’t you just sit still?
“What?”
“I—I’m sorry,” he repeats, this time louder. Shit. Shit shit shit. Gus is going to get mad at him.
Gus frowns as he moves closer, sitting down next to Hunter at the table. “Why’re you sorry? You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Yes I did,” Hunter retorts as he turns his head to look at Gus. When their eyes meet, he fights the urge to look away. “I was…I’m supposed to sit still. And I spoke too quietly. I wasn’t looking at you when you were speaking to me. That’s disrespectful.”
“You don’t have to sit still or look at people when they talk to you. You can talk quietly if you want.”
He bites down on the inside of his lip, pulling the skin back and forth between his teeth. “It’s rude, though.”
“Not really,” Gus says, as though it’s a simple truth. He looks away from Hunter, staring at the table before he rests his hands on top of it and starts drumming his fingers.
“I don’t understand.”
He smiles. “I don’t like to look people in the eye sometimes, either. It can be…hard. How am I supposed to focus on what they’re saying if I’m focusing on their eyes, y’know?”
“I…yes. I do.”
“The only reason I wanted to make sure you were okay is because sometimes, when I get overwhelmed, I start rocking back and forth. I kinda assumed the same was for you, but everyone’s different. That’s on me.”
“Oh,” Hunter says. He looks at the table, then starts rocking back and forth again. He figures he shouldn’t be as surprised as he is. But, then again, things at the castle were clearly very different from anywhere else. Shut up! Just stay still. Look at me when I’m talking to you.
They sit together in the silence for a while, alone in the dining room. It’s nice and quiet. Hunter rocks, Gus drums. For a moment, Hunter feels almost normal like this. He isn’t exactly sure what that means, but it’s a nice feeling.
The quiet is eventually interrupted by Willow, Luz, and Amity returning from an outing to the park. Gus turns to Hunter and smiles, holding a fist out to him. He returns the smile and bumps his fist against Gus’. Then, together, they get up to go greet the others.