Work Text:
“Okay, so deal?”, asked Hunter to Darius
“Yes, I believe that you are responsible enough to own a vehicle”, said Darius “ as long as you promise me that you will accept all responsibilities of owning one”
“I promise, and I swear that if I ever get pulled over for something, minor or large, I will take full blame for my mistakes “, said Hunter
“And?”, asked Darius with an eyebrow raised
“And that if I need help, I should be grateful alongside learning that mistakes help me improve and that I shouldn’t be ashamed?”, responded Hunter as his voice got a bit higher.
“Exactly, and don’t you forget it”, said Darius as he and Hunter shook hands, sealing the deal
Hunter had already taken his drivers test and had already gotten his driver’s license. Despite this, he never asked to get his own car just yet cause he didn’t want to seem like a burden to Darius. However, Darius was understanding and was aware that Hunter was a young adult who was eager to learn more about how the world functioned.
Hunter is an ideal student at his highschool since he was taught at a very young age by his now gone uncle, Philip.However, not everything was so pleasant. Hunter would get punished by his uncle even if Hunter did something that he enjoyed, like watching and hanging out with birds or even just reading a book that wasn’t to Philip’s liking. Philip eventually died of natural causes and Hunter was put up for adoption.
Hunter was 8 years old when Darius found him. Darius felt lonely at his home and since he was a bit out of the dating game, he decided that maybe adopting a child would bring him happiness. When he saw Hunter, he felt bad for him, especially after hearing his background. Darius knew what it felt like alone at a young age, so he took Hunter under his wing. Darius was also incredibly gifted and homeschool for a while before deciding to enroll him into high school.
When Hunter first arrived at Hexside High, he was a bit nervous considering he never attended a school before. He was greeted by Luz Noceda, a student at the school, and she showed him around the place and the two eventually became good friends as they shared a lot of interest in certain topics relating to anything nerdy.
Luz introduced Hunter to her group of friends : Amity(her girlfriend), Gus, and Willow
Hunter managed to make a good impression of them. Amity understood Hunter's background from her father since her father and Darius are good friends now. She felt uneasy under her mother’s rules, but after her mother left, she became a lot more happier than ever before thanks to good hearted people like Luz and her friends. Gus and Hunter also hitted off great, with Hunter later saying that she sees Gus as the little brother he never knew he needed. Willow and Hunter also bonded over their love of sports and being determined to accomplish anything.
Hunter did have a crush on Willow in the first months of knowing each other. Despite Willow being very kind towards him, she only saw him as a close friend, but that she would still help him out in anyway she can and that he shouldn’t feel discouraged as there are other girls he could ask out. Hunter, despite feeling a bit hurt about being rejected, was still happy to know that Willow wouldn’t abandon him. They promised to remain friends and to always have each other's backs.
Hunter eventually befriended other people at Hexside. This included students like Skara( a band student and aspiring musician), Viney( an aspiring student who partakes in high school medical programs and volunteers at a vet), and the Blight Twins (Edric- the troublemaker known for nearly getting himself killed from fireworks he invented, and Emira- also a troublemaker but the responsible one go the duo who also aspires to work in the medical field)
Hunter particularly grew a bit closer to Emira. They chatted from time to time, but eventually grew a bit of a strong bond with one another. Things took a bit of a surprising turn when Hunter asked Emira to junior prom. Hunter was extemely anxious about her response, but she said yes cause she was even about to ask him to prom. Prom was a couple of weeks away, and Hunter wanted to do something unusual, for him at least . He knew about how most of his classmates had their own cars, so he decided to save up for one. He already had his own job when working at Luz’s mom’s clothing store where he helps sow certain orders of clothing. He managed to save up for about half of a used one, but decided to finally ask Darius to help him pay for it since prom was 8 days away.
(Return to first scene on top)
Hunter and Darius then went to a nearby car dealer the next day and bought Hunter a pretty decent car (think of a Chevy Camero or whatever car of your choice). Despite some marks on it, Hunter loved it, even after the test drive. After giving it a couple of adjustments , it looked incredible. When prom rolled around, it was his time to show it off. He went to the Blight’s house to pick up Emira. Conveniently, Luz and Viney were also there to pick up their dates. Luz was obviously taking Amity while Viney was going with Edric. Luz was amazed by Hunter’s new ride.
“Wow! You got your own car?” , asked Luz while amazed at the car, “Gasp And it reminds me of Bumblebee!”
“Nice ride Hunter, when did you get it?, asked Viney
“Just got it last week, been saving for a while now”, responded Hunter, “Plus, I decided to go with a yellow mixed with small parts of red design for the car since gold would’ve made me a target for extremely jealous people”
“Where’s the red in your car?”, asked Viney
“Back here”, said Hunter as he shows them the trunk where a cool design of a red cardinal was.
“Oh my god! That’s so cool!”, exclaimed Luz from amazement “what does the cardinal represent?”
“I’d rather not talk about at the moment”, responded Hunter
Just at that moment, Edric and Amity appeared and greeted their dates.
“Hey Hunter”, said both Edric and Amity to Hunter
“Hey guys, is Emria here?”, asked Hunter
“Oh yeah, she’s just getting ready still, but she’ll be down in a bit”, said Edric, “ I think this is the longest I’ve ever seen her so determined to make sure everything is perfect for her”
“Please don’t make me sound like mom Ed!”, said Emira from upstairs
As Emira’s voice and steps came down the stairs, she caught Hunter’s attention immediately. Hunter saw Emira in a beautiful red and black dress (nothing too poofy nor fancy, but almost enough to make other girls jealous) .
“Hey Hunter”, greeted Emira with a bit of nervousness
“Hey”, nervously greeted Hunter, “you look amazing”
“Thanks, so do you” , Emira returned the compliment
Hunter took Emira’s hand and walked her to his car. Emira was a bit confused at first, but after Hunter explained, she was understanding and didn’t mind riding in his car. Everyone else was already about to leave and said they’ll meet Em and Hunter at the school gym.
After getting in the car, Hunter and Emira drove off. However, Emira asked Hunter if he could take a detour to somewhere else. Hunter was a bit confused, but decided to trust Emira anyways.
Where they stopped wasn’t a place full of people, but rather a peaceful looking peak near town.
“Wait, what happened to going to prom?”, asked Hunter
“Sorry for not consulting with you first, but I wanted to try something different this year”, said Emira
“What do you mean?”, curiously asked Hunter
“Well, whenever it came to my past proms, I never had that much luck. Despite my personality, some people never wanted to go out with me because they thought I was intimidating to them”, said Emira as she recalled her past experiences with proms, “It soon went from no one asking me out to people asking me out, but just standing me up for someone else”
“It wasn’t until you asked me out that I wanted to try something different than just going to a crowded gym with my brother”, Emira continued, “ I just want to know if you really do like me and if you want to continue this even after today”
Hunter was a bit taken aback and even shocked , but he responded to Emira quite warmly
“Emira…”, said Hunter as he took Emira’s hand, “ I do like you”
“And.. I understand what it’s like being rejected”, said Hunter
“Really?”, asked Emira
“Yeah… you know Willow?”, asked Emira
“Oh! Of course! Willow Park!, I remember Amity talking about your relationship with her, but never thought you’d have a crush on her”, said Emira
“Well, after I asked her out.. she rejected me”, said Hunter, “but she didn’t make me feel bad about myself, she actually said that she’d still want to be my friend”.
“Aw! Well that’s nice to hear”, said Emira
“The point is, while rejection can hurt, it could also uplift you and give you experience about how to handle different situations with others you might like”, said Hunter, “kind of like how we asked each other out that day”
Emira was blushing a bit at hearing Hunter say that.
“You don’t have to worry about getting rejected by me”, said Hunter, “cause I’ll be there for you whenever you need me”
“Plus, the people who rejected you can take a hike off a bridge cause they missed their chance to hang out with one of the coolest girls I know”
Emira shed a tear of joy with a smile on her face after hearing this. Hunter then put both his hands on her cheeks, and pulled her in for a kiss. After parting lips, both of them were a bit shocked, especially Hunter since it was his actions.
“Oh shit… Em I’m so sorry I-I didn’t mean..”, apologetically said Hunter
Before Hunter could apologize, Emira leaned forward and kissed him. Hunter was a bit shocked, but relaxed himself and kissed her back.
They kept kissing each other, each kiss being more passionate than the last. Neither one of them wanted to end this. They really did like each other, though a bit more than the usual person. After what felt like ages, they had to slow down what they were doing to catch their breath. They kept trying to kiss each other,even while being almost out of breath, but eventually had to stop before they passed out.
They held each other’s faces while looking at each other. They then leaned their heads toward the other, almost looking like a heart from a certain angle.
“Woah… that was … unexpected “, breathlessly said Emira
“Yeah… I even stunned myself a bit there “, jokingly said Hunter, also almost out of breath
They both looked at each other for a couple more moments before Hunter asked, “So… you still want to go to prom, I’m sure everyone’s wondering where we went “
“Not really, I prefer being here”, said Emira as she hugged Hunter a bit tightly
Hunter blushed a little bit at this response while Emira hugged him, “Alright then.. as you wish Em”, whispered Hunter flirtatiously to Em as he put his arm around her.
An hour or so passed and Hunter and Emira had fallen asleep together in the car. Their time was interrupted by a call from Ed on Em’s phone.
“Yeah Ed?”, immediately asked Emira after waking up
“Where the hell are you guys?, it’s been hour and prom is almost over”, loudly said Ed
“Oh shit! Sorry we lost track of time”, apologized
“Wait… “, Ed paused for a moment before coming to a realization with a smug on his face, “you two had a lot of fun didn't you”,
Emira blushed when hearing this and so did Hunter since the phone was accidentally on speaker.
“Ummmm… got to go! Bye!”, said Emira as she hung up.
Meanwhile at the gym.
“Well, what did Em say Ed”, asked Amity
“Well… let’s just say that we shouldn’t disturb her, it’ll ruin the moment”, said Ed while Amity was a bit confused and kept asking Ed what he meant by that
“Em? You okay?”, asked Hunter
“Y-Yeah, just don’t go near Ed for a while”, said Em as Hunter was about to ask what she meant, “don’t ask, it’s better you don’t know”
Hunter, while still a bit curious, let’s this question go.
“Hey, there’s another thing I want to ask”, said Em to Hunter
“Sure, what is it?”, asked Hunter
“Is there any meaning to that cardinal in the back of your car ?”, asked Em as she pointed to the trunk with a painted red cardinal
“Oh… well I-um”, Hunter tried to answer but was a bit nervous
“It’s okay, if it’s uncomfortable you don’t have to”, reassured Emira
“No no, it’s just… I’m a bit nervous about explaining it”, said Hunter in a bit of a sad tone
“It’s okay, just take a deep breath and take time to think about how to say it”, advised Emira
Hunter took Em’s word and took a few deep breaths before telling her the meaning of that cardinal.
Hunter told her that the cardinal is meant to represent a bird he made friends with and even kept as a secret pet from his uncle. He named the bird Flapjack. He continues on by saying that he felt extremely happy whenever he was with that bird and that it was his only way to truly feel happy under his uncle’s roof. However, Philip eventually found out about the bird and killed it in front of Hunter. Hunter says he still remembers carrying his friend in his hands and how that was the darkest day of his life. He still remembers his friend and that he is happy his uncle’s gone from his life for good.
After listening to all of that, Emira immediately hugged Hunter again. Hunter then burst into tears as he remembered the sight of his red-feathered companion.
After letting go, Emira asked, “Do you feel happier now?”
“Not happy… I feel alive”, said Hunter as he wiped the last tears on his eyes.
Emira then kissed Hunter on his forehead while saying, “ I’m happy for you, and I’m sure your friend would be too”
“Hunter.. please don’t ever stop being happy… because what’s life without it?” said Em
Hunter then hugged Emira tightly in his arms while Emira returned the hug.
“It’s getting a bit late, I should probably take you home”, suggested Hunter
“Yeah.. might as well yawns besides, my dad will probably call me non stop if he sees I’m not back”, said Emira who was a bit tired
Hunter then drove Emira back home, but she fell asleep during the ride. Hunter went to ring the door bell and was greeted by Alador.
“Ah, so you must be the Hunter Darius talked about? Where’s my daughter?”, asked Alador almost immediately
“Yep sir, that’s me”, nervously said Hunter, “and Emira’s over in the car, but I’m gonna need to carry her over here since she fell asleep”
“Alright then, just don’t drop her head when carrying her here, got it?”, sternly said Alador
“Yes sir”, said Hunter, who was secretly afraid about what Alador told him.
Hunter carried Emira to her bedroom without any issue and helped put her to rest.
“So, what are your intentions with my daughter?”, asked Alador behind Hunter
“I wish to see her again after today sir”, said Hunter
“Do you promise to keep her safe and not break her heart?” asked Alador
“With all my heart sir, and hurting her isn’t even a thing on the list of things I’d want to do”, said Hunter while looking at Alador
“Alright, but if you so much as hurt her, it will be the last you do when it comes to me”, said Alador as he walked off
Hunter felt a bit uneasy, but nonetheless was relieved with how that went down.
He drove back home where Darius was waiting for him.
“So, how did it go?”, asked Darius
“It went pretty well actually, a lot better than I anticipated”, responded Hunter
“So… are you going to tell me about how it went with Emira?”, asked Darius in a smug way
“Nope”, said Hunter
“Heheheh, okay then”, jokingly said Darius
“Yawns, I actually pretty tired, I’m just gonna go to sleep”, tiredly said Hunter as he went to his room.
“Okay, good night”, said Darius
“Good night”, said Hunter
When Hunter lied down, he recieved a notification from Instagram, showing a picture of him and Emira together, titled “Best Prom Ever”. Hunter smiled at the photo while also scrolling through the school’s page, showcasing a bunch of crazy stuff that happened ; such as Luz and her friends dancing as well as pranking the school bully Boscha after she made comments about Luz and Willow. It even showed Ed demonstrating his dance moves, before slipping on a random banana peel on the ground. Overall, he seemed happy at the sight of the photos.
Before going to sleep, he looked at the sky and said
“Flapjack… I may not believe in God…but I hope your doing great in the afterlife… and I hope your happy for me”
Hunter then closed his eyes and went to sleep, excited about what the future might bring.
End
Bonus:
Flash forward 2 years later
“Well this is it”, said Hunter as he packed his belongings into his car
“Are you sure you’ll be able to handle this on your own?”, asked Darius
“Don’t worry, I’ll be there with Emira and we’ll both help each other out”, responded Hunter
“Very well, just let me know when you need help on anything”, said Darius
“I will”, said Hunter, “and don’t worry, I’ll visit and we can message and call each other”
“ It just seems like it was just yesterday you came into my life”, said Darius
“I didn’t”, said Hunter, “you brought me into your life… and I can’t thank you enough”
Darius, with a few tears in his, hugged Hunter and Hunter hugged back. They both teared up but managed to hold back for each other.
When Hunter got in his car, he waved to Darius and he too returned the gesture.
Shortly after, Hunter arrived at his old work place to bid farewell to Luz,her mom, as well as Luz’s new sister, Vee.
For Luz it was a bit hard, for Camila she was proud to have Hunter onboard and she even considered him as a son to her, and Vee wished Hunter luck on his new journey.
He went and stopped by Gus’s place, where Willow was also at. Gus got teary but Willow and Hunter comforted him. Willow and Hunter shared a hug and he told Willow that while they couldn’t be a couple, he was glad they stayed good friends. Willow was also grateful they remained friends and she too got emotional and wished Hunter luck.
Hunter then went to the Blight house. He waited for Emira to come out. Emira came out with her luggage and Hunter helped her put it in his car. Emira then went to say goodbye to her family, to which Hunter followed to greet them.
“Do you have everything”, asked Alador
“Yeah Dad, why?”, asked Emira
“It seems you forgot something”, said Alador as he showed Emira a shirt
“Gasp Oh! I almost forgot about this”, said Emira
“Heheh, I know Hunter got you that shirt, so I know how important it is to you”, said Alador
“Well, thank you, I really appreciate it”, said Emira as she hugged Alador
Alador hugged back. “Sighs I wish I was more of a father to you… but I let your mother get in the way”
“Hey, don’t beat yourself up Dad”, reassured Emira, “you’ve already made it up to all of us by standing by us”
“And I couldn’t imagine a better father for me other than you”
Alador and Emira then shared another hug with each shedding a tear.
Emira then went to her siblings who were hanging with Hunter.
Edric was on the verge of tears when Emira came to him first.
“It’s okay Ed, don’t cry”, said Emira
“It’s just… you’ll be away… and I’m afraid you’ll forget about us”, tearfully said Ed who really was trying to keep it together
“I don’t know how I’ll handle this without you Em… I just don’t know”
“Hey… listen to me. You’re going to be okay. You can do this on your own. Even if I’m not here, I know you can handle this. Ed…. when it comes to change, we can’t stop it.”, said Em as she held her brother by his shoulders
“Why can’t we?”, asked Ed while wiping his tears away
“Because it’s part of growing up. While it may seem scary, it shouldn’t be. You’ll always be my twin brother, and I’ll always have your back. And that’s the one thing that’ll never change”, said Emira as she hugged her brother
At that moment, Edric slowly started to stop crying while hugging his sister tightly. Emira started to cry, but Edric comforted her.
Emira wiped her tears away as she went to Amity. Amity immediately hugged her sister, wishing her luck and to have a healthy life on this new chapter in her life. Emira hugged back and said to Amity to never stop dreaming and to always run towards your goals. And that if she ever needs tips on styling her again, to just give her a call. They laughed a little at that while smiling at each other.
As Alador entered, he pulled Hunter aside.
“Hunter?… do you still remember our promise?”, asked Alador, referring to the promise at prom night
“I do”, said Hunter, “and I still won't forget it”
“Do you swear to love and cherish her dearly.. even after death”, asked Alador
“Sir, you don’t have to make me swear on that”, said Hunter, “I do that already for a living”
“Just one more thing”, said Alador
Alador then gave Hunter a scrapbook containing a lot of happy memories the Blights kept record of after leaving Odalia.
“Give her this, as a reminder that she’ll always be loved here”, said Alador as he gave the book to Hunter.
Hunter took the book and promised to give it to Em.
As Emira and Hunter entered the car, the rest of the Blights waved them goodbye.
On their drive, Hunter gave the scrapbook to Emira, saying it’s a gift from her dad.
“This is awesome”, said Emira, “it’s like our newfound happiness together as a family wrapped up into one story”
“You’re dad said that it’s a reminder of how you’ll always be loved back there”, said Hunter
“Well, I owe it to him”, said Em as she continued flipping through the book, “he made it easier for all of us to feel happier there”
Hunter smiled at this response from his girlfriend.
“So… what do you want to do once we get there”, asked Emira
“Don’t know yet, but I’ll do anything as long as it's with you”, responded Hunter
Emira smiled while slightly blushing.
Emira gave Hunter a kiss on the cheek, which prompted Hunter to kiss her back in turn. This almost made them steer off course , but they kind of laughed it off.
End