Work Text:
“Thanks again for volunteering to go on this grocery run with me, Hunter,” Willow said as she and the blonde walked side by side on what the human realm denizens called a ‘sidewalk’, passing by multiple different colored suburban houses. Some had a three-foot-tall white picket fence before it. Some had dogs that bayed at them as they passed. But most just had the low-key facade that reminded them of the homes they had in Boiling Isles. Heck, it reminded Willow of them more because she used to live in one.
With her fathers.
Back home in the demon-
“Ah, it was no problem,” Hunter brushed off, his trusty palisman, Flapjack perched on his right shoulder. “Camila got called into work, Luz and Vee were showing Gus and Amity that, uh... Skate? Park? And the thought of you going out to the store by yourself just didn't feel right. Plus, I had nothing else going on besides making sure...” a twitch from the shoulder his palisman was on. “...this one didn’t leave droppings on the Noceda’s carpet... Again.” The bird released an ashamed chirp. “You’re lucky I can never stay mad at you, buddy.”
Willow chuckled. “Well, either way, I appreciate the help. That, and Camila seemed to appreciate you using your hard-earned café money to pay for these.”
“Hey, I'm just glad I got to use that for something good. Moreover, I'm glad I got that job in the first place. Beats the heck out of me and Gus trying to be door-to-door salesmen.”
Knock-Knock-Knock went Gus’ knuckles against the wooden door of the first house he and Hunter approached. The boys glanced at each other for a split second and strapped on their smiles.
From that catalog the two of them read in the Noceda house, there were three things needed to be successful entrepreneurs and make a good income:
A catchy product.
Inviting personalities.
And willing customers.
They already had the first two in droves. Now, the time had come to see if the third one would come true.
Seconds after Gus knocked, they were met with the face of an average male human in casual clothing and a blank countenance.
“Good afternoon, sir,” Gus greeted. “Might we interest you in some...” he holds up his catchy, rectangular product. “...chocolate?”
“Chocolate?” The homeowner repeated, seemingly innocent. As if he was making sure his ears were working. But then, his brows furrowed. And his tone grew nastier. “Did you say... Chocolate?”
“Yes sir,” Hunter confirmed, holding up a bar of his own. “With or without nuts.”
The homeowner raised his voice to repeat, “Chocolate!” Then, louder and more crazed, “CHOCOLATE!” Then, at the top of his lungs, “CHOOOOOCCCOOOLLLLLAAAAATTTEE!!!!! CHOOOOOCCCOOOLLLLLAAAAATTTEE!!!!!“
Gus and Hunter’s inviting smiles slowly curved into uncomfortable frowns. Sharing the same mind, they took a step away from the door. Then another. And another. Until they ditched stepping away altogether and made a break for it.
And then made a faster break for it when the homeowner started running after them.
“CHOOOOOCCCOOOLLLLLAAAAATTTEE!!!!!“
“He followed us for six hours before he told us he just wanted to buy all our chocolate,” Hunter recounted in a disturbed monotone.
Willow couldn't help but let her urge to laugh take over. “Makes you wonder what he would have done if you were selling literally anything else.”
“A part of me wants to. But another part of me is afraid that it would’ve been worse.”
The girl’s urges took control again. “At least you got paid well.”
“Yeah, and it's good we got to use that money to help Camila. I wasn't using it for much else besides buying those suits for me and Gus.”
A cashier had his mouth hanging open as he swiped an equally shocked customer’s credit card.
The store security guard couldn't look away from the sight.
A mother pulled her daughter close to her leg and covered her eyes with her hand.
She probably doesn’t want her to get blinded by our coolness, they thought as they pushed open the clothing store doors.
(I got my head out the...)
Donning cheap sunglasses and the coolest pieces of clothing they’ve ever set their eyes on, Gus and Hunter hung a left and strutted along the trafficked town sidewalk.
They couldn’t believe all the attention they were getting.
(You got me stuck on the thought...)
Two young girls roughly their respective ages watched them walk by and didn't tear their eyes away once. The boys even heard them giggling when they thought they were out of earshot.
Chicks dig it, they told each other by nodding their heads and grinning.
(You got those...)
Two skateboarders strolling down the street just next to them went limp in the arms as they rolled past.
Gus and Hunter both waved, being polite on the surface while simultaneously thinking, “They’re jealous because these suits beat those wheels.”
(You are everything...)
A little boy getting tugged along by his mother was licking away at a giant rainbow lollipop, but froze mid-lick and gaped up when he saw the two.
Gus lowered his sunglasses to the tip of his nose, leaned his head at him, and winked, flashing his sparkling white teeth in his direction.
Staring in awe at how fly we look. I don't blame ‘im.
(Yeah, we’re driving down the freeway...)
A small brown and white bulldog (as Luz told them) was held back by his owner as it barked and barked at the boys.
We even drive the dogs wild, Hunter thought, spinning his arms in a circle and shooting the mutt two finger guns.
As they crossed the street and felt the drivers of stopped cars watching them with dropped jaws, they high-fived to release their built-up excitement.
Best. Fashion choice. Ever.
“You must’ve been so glad those employees said “yes” when you asked if you could walk out with those on,” Willow said.
“Yep. Their exact words were “Knock yourselves out”. Although, I still don't know why they looked like they were trying not to laugh or smile. And anyway, it's not like these “dollar bills” are gonna pay for anything back...” he interrupted himself and took a beat of distanced silence before saying the next word. “Home.”
In a snap, they were both rendered speechless, letting the casual sounds of sprinklers, footsteps, and lawn-tending equipment fill the air. What came next felt like the universe was actively trying to screw with their emotions. As a man in brown and weathered overalls was on a ladder painting the side of his house, music sounded out of his portable... Radio? They were pretty sure that’s what it was called. And, sadly, the lyrics were very audible from their position.
Who says you can’t go home
Who says, you can't go home
There’s only one place they call me one of their own
Just an old town boy, born a rolling stone
Who says you can’t go home
Who says, you can’t go back
Been all around the world and as a matter of fact
There's only one place left I wanna go
“You gotta hate music,” Hunter said, trying to make light of the dower tone. And failing. Hard. Very hard.
Chirp-chirp!
As Hunter turned his head to his shoulder, his eyes were blinded by bright red and flapping feathers. When he opened them again, Flapjack was already bombing down a forested walking trail.
“Hey!” he shouted. “Flap, where are you going?!”
The groceries jostled in their brown paper bags as he bound after his palisman. And as the leafy trees blocked out the sun, he realized he wasn’t alone in his chase.
She was following him.
“Do you see him?” She asked, her voice raised to overpower the crunch of chip bags and the clinks of salsa and queso jars.
“No,” He answered, glancing left and right in case he went off the path. “Flap!”
“Flapjack!”
“Flapjack! Where are you?!”
Seconds that felt like minutes went by before he heard the plant girl say, “Hunter, wait!”
Just then, the boy felt a warm, soft, but firm grip on his upper arm and jerked to a halt, being sure not to drop any of the produce. It was only after he stopped an onion from popping out of the bag that he realized Willow had grabbed his arm with her free hand. Her fingers were gentle clamps that he didn't want to release. He didn't think she noticed, but they were standing closer than when they were walking out in the sunlight. Thank goodness the shade made it harder to tell he was blushing.
Is it weird if I want her to ask me if I’ve been working out? He pondered.
Yes, of course, that's weird, snapped the inner voice in the back of his mind.
But she never held on long enough to notice. She let go to point dead ahead. “There he is.”
He trailed her finger to a different, smaller pebble-formed trail that carried on for twenty feet and led into a large, circular clearing. And all around were the ruins of what used to be a children’s playground. In its hay day, it must’ve been used by a hundred kids per hour. Then, damages that no one seemed to try and fix began. The tetherball had rolled off to who-knows-where. The steps leading up to the top of the play fort were rotted to bits. The see-saw seemed to be split in half (ironically not by a saw). And the slide wasn’t even attached to the fort anymore. It was on the ground like a hollowed, worm-shaped log.
Before, this place looked like every child’s favorite getaway. Now, these playing grounds were merely breeding homes for spider webs, wasps' nests, and one skeleton of a possum.
Not to mention all the bird droppings.
I wouldn't put it passed me if Flapjack added to this seconds before we got here.
The bird in question was sitting on a rusted merry-go-round with bars broken in five different places and a massive tree branch lodged in the ones that were still standing.
“There you are, you little rascal,” Hunter said with disapproval. “What was all that about? You had me worried sick.”
Without looking back at his owner, he chirped once. And once was all it took to make Hunter’s mood switch from crossed to concerned.
“What’d he say?” Willow asked.
“He said... He thought he saw something.”
He looked into the wooded distance with his palisman. But all he could see were trees, leaves, sticks, one or two squirrels, and a few lumps on some of the older trees. Yet somehow, possibly due to the breeze, he felt a chill crawl along his skin.
But what breeze could make his stomach churn this intensely?
“There’s nothing here,” Even he didn't know if he was saying that to the bird or himself. “Come on, let's go home.”
“Hold on,” Willow said. “Do you not see what this is?”
The former Golden Guard gave the area a deadpan once-over. “A really disheveled playground in a creepy park forest?”
“Well, yes. But I was talking more about...” She sets the bags down on a splitter and bug-riddled bench and scurried to the one thing that looked in relatively good shape compared to the rest. “...this.”
The swingset.
“Why that?”
“I loved going on the swingset when I was a kid,” she said. Hunter didn't know why he felt a sense of elation hearing her emphasize the word “love”, but he didn't want to be rude and not pay attention. “My dads would take turns pushing me and make a little competition to see who could get me the highest. It was the best.”
“How high can you go get on one of these?” He asked innocently.
But not innocently enough for Willow not to reflect on it. “Wait. Hunter, have you never swung on a swingset before?”
The blonde shifted uncomfortably. “I've swung from vine to vine while doing an obstacle course. Does that count?”
The plant girl shot him a disturbed and horrified stare.
“No. No, it doesn't.” She gestured towards his haul of groceries. “Come on, gimme those.”
“What? Why?”
“Because you’re going on a swingset, that’s why.”
“No-no-no-no,” he said. “We don't have to do that. We gotta get these back to the house.”
“Groceries can wait. Right now, we’re making up for your missed-out childhood.”
His tone stayed flat as he begged, “No. Please no. Anything but that.” He knew there was no way out of it. He fell victim to her deadliest source of witchcraft.
Her cuteness.
Summoning two thin vines, she plucked the bags out of his hold and- using her own arms- guided him across the stony playground, the boy moaning with unease all the while.
“Come on, it’s not gonna hurt you,” She prodded.
“That’s what they said about those vines in the obstacle course, and that’s how I wound up with a scar on my ankle.”
“Well, this isn't an obstacle course. It’s a source of fun. Here, just sit on the seat.”
Glaring at the piece of curved plastic held up by chains as if it was poisonous, he turned and set his rear on it.
And immediately, the old chains broke, leaving him to fall two feet straight down and have his spine shaken when he hit the pebbles and dirt below.
“Yeah, that was really fun,” he mumbled with a hoarse voice laced with sarcasm.
“If it makes you feel better, that was kinda fun for me,” Willow joked.
“It doesn't.”
Although, making her happy does make me feel better.
The plant girl chuckled. “Come on, try the other one.”
“No. I can only have my tailbone fractured once today. That, and we had a secret saying back in the Emperor’s Coven. If at first, you don’t succeed, give up on trying again and pray for mercy.”
She helped him get to his feet. “There shall be no mercy when I’m trying to help you have fun.”
“Remind me when exactly you became like Luz.”
“When you provoked me.”
“I didn't provoke you, I just said I didn’t want to hurt my butt again.”
“You’re poking a sleeping Slitherbeast here, Hunter.”
He sighed a hefty sigh. “Fine.”
Why must I be so weak-willed when faced with her smile?
Fortunately for his coccyx, the second swing didn't give out when he sat on it.
“So, how exactly does this work?” he asked in nervousness.
“You gotta swing your legs back and forth.”
He thought that seemed strange, but he didn’t want to argue. Not when he was poking the Slitherbeast. He swung them the same way he did when he normally walked, yet he wasn't feeling any thrill. He just felt dumb.
“I meant simultaneously,” Willow pointed out, stifling her impulses to bust her gut.
“Oh,” Hunter said in embarrassment. He tried a second time, but he felt more like a flopping fish than anything else. “Is this right? Cause it sure doesn’t feel like it.”
The girl stepped behind him while he flapped his lower half about. “It helps when you get a push from someone. Like this.” She pushed on his back with the same force she would use to push a refrigerator. And his scrawny form was no match for that amount of force, prompting him to go falling to the ground. “Oh my gosh! Sorry about that,” She sheepishly scratched the back of her neck. “I guess I don't know my own strength.”
“Well, now I do,” he said, climbing up off his hands and knees.
She may have taken it as a joke, but what he truly wanted to say was,
I’ve always known how strong you are.
“Come on, try it again,” she coaxed, tapping the plastic seat.
Guess the moment’s passed for that.
When he sat back down, the chains still held, which was still the most fun aspect of this.
But his interest was piqued when he saw the girl’s hands grab the chains at his waist level.
“Just hold on tight and don’t get scared.”
“Scared? What would I need to be scared- ahhh!”
His chest turned knot-taut when the seat was pulled back. He could feel the rust of the chains spread onto his bare, clammy palms. When she let go and gave him a hardy push, the wind was a cold kiss on the sides of his head where his lengthy hair used to be. If she hadn't given him that much-appreciated trim, it’d be limply trailing behind him.
And if it was still there as he was hurtling backward, it would have certainly covered his eyes and made this more of a living nightmare.
“Extend your legs going forward and tuck them in going back!” He heard her yell.
He felt like he was back in the coven, blindly carrying out orders from the emperor. And even though this was a much more pleasant person to be commanded by, the rushes of adrenaline with each pump of his legs put him right back in his coven-day mindset. The panic would subside when he reached his highest point and then immediately pick up bigger and harder when he swung down.
But Willow’s untamable laughter each time he yelped made the harrowing experience a tad less unnerving.
“Man, if you’re this jumpy on a swingset, I’d kill to see what you're like on a roller coaster,” she said.
“It’s kinda hard to make out what you’re saying with all the wind in my ears, but it sounded like you said you wanted to kill me with a roller coaster.”
A snort this time. “Not exactly. Here.”
She spun a spell circle and formed two vines that wrapped themselves around the top bar where the chains would normally go. Then, they tied themselves to the broken seat and raised it to the appropriate height, repairing the swing and making it look prettier.
She sat down and let the vines pull her back. And once Hunter got to the same level as her, they let go, letting the two swing in tandem with one another.
“This better?” She asked.
As they reached the highest forward point, the sun broke through the trees and shined down on her face, lighting the braids of her emerald hair, brightening her soft, glistening skin, and making her eyes sparkle with the light of two gorgeous stars.
Time felt as though it stopped so Hunter could observe this picturesque flash of a moment.
How would a normal person respond to this? He wondered.
“Uh... Yeah, yeah a lot better,” he forced out before she could question if he was drooling.
“See? Swingsets are fun. You just gotta learn to take a chill pill.”
“Do I need a doctor’s note for that?”
She released one of her giggles. “Beats me. That was just something Luz once told me back home in the... Demon... Realm.”
The blonde couldn't help but notice how his friend’s humored grin grew a somber hue.
“Are you okay?” He asked out of newfound instinct.
“Yeah. I was just... Thinking about my dads. This one time, while they were pushing me on the swing, I lost my grip, flew across the yard, and planted face-first in the dirt. Hurt like crazy. I even knocked out a baby tooth. And I can’t put into words how much they both freaked out. I literally thought they were going to have concurrent heart attacks. I told them I was okay, but they rushed me over to the healing coven and ordered the doctors to give me a brain scan to make sure I didn't suffer a concussion. It was... Really embarrassing. But, looking back... It makes me happy to know how much they cared.”
“You mean how much they still care,” He told her.
She shook her head. “Right... How much they still...” she couldn’t finish the statement. Her hands clasped harder around the vines and her jaw clenched to keep her emotions at bay. “The last thing I want to do is think something bad might have happened to them. But... I can't imagine life back in the Isles is any better than how we left it.”
If Hunter wasn't terrified of letting go of the chain, he would’ve reached out and comfortingly touched her shoulder. But, he felt his words could’ve worked in place of arms.
“I’m not gonna lie to you,” He started. “I have no clue what the Isles are gonna be like when we get back. And I have even less of an idea as to how we’re going to stop the Collector from... Whatever it is he’s doing there. But, I promise you. We will find a way back home. We will find our families. And we will figure out a way to bring everything back to how it was.”
The look she gave him made Hunter believe she was looking for a sign from above. “How can you be so sure?”
“Because Luz’s optimism rubbed off on me.”
She snorted. “Since when have you ever had optimism?”
“Around the same time I learned how to swing on a swing set.”
He never got tired of hearing her guffaws.
The chains creaked and the winds blew for a moment longer before Willow took another turn at questioning. “When we get home... Who’s gonna be the person you wanna find?”
He had to think on that one for a beat. Most of the people he knew either hated his guts or were anonymous scouts behind the same masks.
“I have one or two names in mind,” he admitted. “But, if truth be told, as long as I know you guys found the ones you’re looking for, that’ll be enough for me.”
Her apparent shock made him wonder if he said something wrong. Not conversing with people his age for most of his life didn't give him a good basis for social cues. But, he understood toothy smiles adequately.
“Who knew the Golden Guard could have such a soft side deep down?”
The blonde shook his head. “I sure didn’t.”
She made a laughing sound similar to that of a dog sneezing. But it was cute either way. “Thanks, Hunter.”
Her smiles were always contagious. And this one was no exception. “No problem, Captain.”
Tingles spread from the center of his chest to his whole body, filling him with a warmth he’s never felt in his entire young existence. And part of that obstacle course had fire in it. A lot of it.
Is this what it feels like to count yourself lucky? Cause if so, I should do it more often.
“Uh, hey, quick question about this,” he spoke.
“Yeah?”
“How do I stop?”
“Oh. The best way is to drag your feet on the ground.”
“What? Like this?” When he reached the lowest point, he planted his feet on the dirt and let go of the chains. And while his momentum may have stopped, the swing sure didn’t. He fell hard on his posterior, moaning as he sat up straight, only to get hit in the back of the skull by the swing coming back down on him. “OW!” he screamed.
“Oh my gosh!” Willow said as she stopped herself and got down on her knee. But her hollering didn't convey her concern very well. “Are you okay?”
“I’ve been better,” he answered while his voice strained.
That only seemed to make her crack up more as she helped him stand, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and resting her arm on his. “Alright. I think that’s enough fun for one day,” she said, coming off of her high.
Hunter smirked. “Thank Titan.”
He could feel his spinning head slowing. It still hurt like a witch, but at least he wasn't fainting or collapsing from dizziness.
I guess it’s my turn to wonder if I’m suffering a concussion.
“Hey, Hunter.”
He twitched his gaze to her. “Yeah?”
“Have you been working out?”
She said it so casually, yet Hunter’s head was about to explode. A bullet had pierced his glass body, reducing it to cracks. He used to think he was a brick wall, but now, he’s a wet sponge being wrung by the hands of this not-so-delicate flower.
What the hell does that mean?
Shut up voice in the back of my head, it works.
Hey, you’re the one who’s left her hanging for too long.
Oh, shoot.
Well quit standing around and sweating like a doofus and answer her, dummy.
“Hmm? Oh, no. Not-not really. Just-uh, just a few basic pushups, and situps.”
Why would you say that? Who says that?
I don’t know, I was just shooting with what came naturally.
And you shot with that?
“Well, keep it up,” she encouraged. “It’s good to stay in shape.”
Nice shooting!
By this point, they had let go of each other. Much to the blonde’s relief. He wasn't sure how much longer he could've lasted. “Uh, yeah-yeah, sure thing, Captian. Heck, I’ll double it if you say so.”
Okay, you just escaped one minefield, let’s not walk into another.
“Not fully necessary, but I like the enthusiasm. You weren’t kidding when you said parts of Luz stuck to you, huh?”
“Yeah.” He timidly rubbed his forearm up and down. “Yeah, they did.”
He got to see another glorious instance of her bathed in the perfect ray of light shining through the trees before she headed to the bench and collected the bags she set down before.
“Let’s get back home, yeah?” She suggested.
“Couldn’t agree more,” he peeped, picking up the other two bags. “Just gotta find Flapjack aga-... Oh, hey, there he is.”
The palisman was back on the merry-go-round (on the exact same bar if Hunter remembered correctly), staring blankly out into the woods beyond.
“Why does he keep doing that?” Willow asked.
“Flap!” Hunter called, unwillingly ignoring her question. “Flapjack, come on, let’s go home!”
The leaves rustling in the breeze was more of a response to him than what Flapjack did.
“Flapjack! Choice is yours, buddy. You can stay here and stare at a bunch of trees, or...” he transfers the bag in his right arm to his left, smushing it up with the other one, and digs his hand into it. “You can come back home where we have...” and holds up a colorful plastic bag with a picture of a bird on it. “... Treeeaaats.”
One chirp and three seconds of the palisman flying onto his owner’s shoulder relinquished Hunter’s worry.
He petted his head with one of his fingers. “There’s my Flapjack.”
He placed the treats back in the shopping bag. Only then to see Willow looking at him with a smile.
I am going to die from trying not to blush. He thought in discomfiture.
“And to think you were once the right hand of the Emperor,” she teased.
He scoffed while starting to make his way back along the path they came. “Hey, I'm still the tough guy I always was.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I frequently do basic push-ups and sit-ups to keep myself in shape.”
She laughed. That golden laugh that he never wanted to end.
“Yeah,” she added, “and you run away from crazy chocolate customers to get your cardio in.”
“The work of a soldier is never done, I tell ya.”
They were chortling their tops off as they rounded the corner and lost view of the playground.
But perhaps if they stayed, they would have been able to spot one of the lumps on one of the trees slithering down with a mind of its own and serpentining straight over to the possum skeleton, where a congealing blob clung to the bones, twisting and contorting like swirling tar.
The poor thing was already long dead, how much more did it have to endure before its suffering could end?
The answer?
You have no idea