Work Text:
It was a day like any other. Sure, the weather was gray and groggy, but it wasn’t anything worth doting on. Luz was in her room that day, staring at her unfinished summer homework. She had to get to it eventually, but she was a little distracted, and couldn’t help stealing glances at her open journal. It had been hardly a week since the Day of Unity, and all she could focus on was finding a way to get everyone back as quickly as possible.
It wasn’t quite long before she’d been thrust a new thing to focus on.
“Human!” Hunter shouted as he burst through the door, a large stack of books wobbling in his arms. Upon closer inspection, it would seem his arms were wobbling along with them. He cleared his throat, as if to actually clear the gunk from his throat and not just to backpedal his previous exclamation. “Luz,” He corrected with a formal nod of his head. “I would like to speak with you.”
Luz turned her chair so she could face him, one hand cupping her cheek while her elbow propped herself up from the desktop. “What’s up, buttercup?”
“I do not know what a ‘buttercup’ is, but that is the least of my matters!” With a dull ‘thud’, he dropped the stack of books atop an empty space on her desk, smoothing out any debris in the way. Hunter was a huge bookworm, everyone knew that. His perpetual thirst for knowledge wasn’t unknown to anyone. However, this much at once was… a bit unusual.
Luz eyed the books curiously, then looked at Hunter, a twinge of concern growing within her as he seemed to sway from the exertion of moving all those heavy books.
“Luz! I believe I have contracted a… a c… a co…” Hunter quickly became frustrated, too tired to wrack his brain for fragments of memories, and swiped a book off the top of the stack, taking a moment to flip through the pages. “I believe I have contracted a.. cold!”
“You think you have a cold?” Luz asked, now sitting up to fully face him with concern and curiosity.
“Yes!” He confirmed, much more proudly than someone sick with a cold would usually admit. “When I began feeling these symptoms yesterday morning--”
“You’ve been sick since yesterday morning?”
“Shshshh,” He interrupted her with a wag of his finger, then continued diligently. “When I began feeling these symptoms yesterday morning, I immediately went to the library in search for information. I checked out all I could on human ailments, and after spending hours researching and cross-referencing symptoms, I have come to the conclusion that I have a cold! Look, I even found one of these small human temperature recording devices for further evidence!” He retrieved the thermometer from his pocket, handing it to Luz, to which she pressed the little button in the corner to take a look at the most recent reading.
“...Hunter, this says you have a 101 fever.”
“Yes! Which, according to this text, may be a symptom of a ‘cold’!” He took the thermometer back from Luz, staring at the number with wonder. “I wonder… Why do they call it a ‘cold’ if it makes you warm? Such mystery….”
“Well, you’re not supposed to get too warm if you rest when you’re supposed to!” Luz huffed, taking the book from him and slamming it shut. “If you have a cold, then go to bed!”
“Wait, wait!” Hunter stopped her, as he now had his attention fixed on the inside of a second book from the pile. “It says here that human colds typically last only a couple of days, giving me a limited window of time for research!”
“Yeah, only a couple of days if you take the time to rest! ” Luz shot back, exasperated by his willfulness.
“Perfect! Then I have more time to gather information.” He shut the book and placed it neatly onto the top of the stack, then merrily made his way out of the room, a sway in his step.
“Wait-!!” Luz groaned, smoothing a hand down her face in exasperation, before chasing him out into the living room.
“Hey Hunter-- woah, you look exhausted,” Amity pointed out upon seeing him, then paused before adding, “....More than usual.”
Hunter sniffed, swiping at his nose with his sleeve to fight the uncomfortable pressure growing in his sinuses. “Stay back! I have a cold, and I do not know how to use it!”
“You’re cold?” Willow asked. “If you’re cold, then you should put on a jacket.”
“No, I’ve heard about this!” Gus cut in. “It’s a human thing! It’s like having a mold, but for humans. You have one, Hunter??”
“Yes! Stand in wonder, as I am the first--” He was interrupted by a fit of dry coughs that he covered with his arm. “The first on the boiling isles to-- hold on--” He paused to double over into his fist, hacking and wheezing.
“Woah,” Gus breathed out, mystified. “Incredible.”
Amity and Willow did not seem as impressed.
“Here,” Luz breathed out a sigh, handing Hunter a tissue. “Blow your nose, you sound stuffy.”
Hunter accepted the tissue with a breathless ‘thank you’, pressing it to his face to empty the contents of his sinuses. Though most of the others seemed to cringe at the sound, he took a good look at the tissue, then proceeded to hold it out for Gus to see. “Behold.”
“Wo-ho-hoooahh!” Gus practically squealed, tiptoeing in place in excitement.
“Okay, this is disgusting,” Amity said, holding up her hands in defeat. “I’m just… going to go do my chores now.”
By now, Luz had her phone out, and it was now pressed to her ear.
“Wh-what are you doing?” Hunter asked, a bad feeling pooling in his chest… or maybe that was just the congestion.
“I’m calling my Mom,” Luz answered.
Suddenly, Hunter’s eyes were growing wide. Quickly, he was practically tackling her from the side, though the action was not enough to knock her to the ground, reaching out toward her phone with two flailing arms. “You can’t do that! She’s at work! If she knows I’m bothering her for some simple illness comparable to a common mold she’s going to know I’m weak and unreliable and I’ll be punished!”
Luz held her phone away from Hunter, face smushed against his as she scrambled to dodge his grasp. She noted, with a lot of worry, how warm he was against her. “She’s not going to punish you, and you’re not weak and unreliable!” When Camila answered, she hit the speaker button with her thumb, and shouted toward the microphone, “Mama! Hunter is sick with a cold and fever!”
“Oh no, pobrecito … do you know how high his fever is?” Came her sympathetic voice, muffled by the sounds of work around her.
“101, mama,” Luz answered.
“Oh, dios mio… I’ll be home soon, okay?”
“No!” Was Hunter’s explosive reaction, still trying to reach the phone in Luz’s hand. “No, I’m fine! You don’t have to do that! Don’t worry about me!” Eventually his body got tired of so much strenuous activity, so he had to stop, but he was still adamant on keeping his contemporary needs to a minimum.
“Ay, mijo, it’s alright, I don’t mind,” She assured him, and the softness in her voice only increased the guilt tugging at his chest. She didn’t deserve to be bothered so much.
“It’s okay… because…” He trailed off, gaze darting around the room for some sort of escape. “....Luz will take care of me!” He said decidedly, pointing a finger at the girl in question.
“...What??” Luz asked in bewilderment.
“You’re well traversed in human ailments, yes? Well, then you can take care of me and we don’t have to bother your mom at work!”
Camila tsked, mumbling something under her breath in what Hunter couldn’t distinguish between exasperation and concern. “Okay, mijo. But you are going to actually rest, okay?” She said knowingly in an almost accusatory tone, already aware of his potential antics from the stories she’d received as well as his general workaholic attitude. “If you don’t rest, that cold could turn into something worse.”
Hunter gulped, hard, and looked toward Gus. It was clear he wasn’t necessarily worried about what ‘something worse’ would be, just worried the nature of the cold changing would disrupt his ‘learning experience’. “Something worse?”
“Well… yes. If you work yourself too hard, it could get worse, or become something more worrying,” Camila answered patiently.
“What? How do I preserve its current state?” Hunter asked, emotion creeping into his tone.
“Preserve its current-- why would you want to do that? You should rest so it gets better,” Camila said, this time clearly exasperated. “You shouldn’t be keeping your cold-- Hunter, do I need to come home?”
“N-No ma’am-! Er- Camila. It’s alright. I’ll… I’ll rest,” Hunter assured her, but he gave Gus a mischievous look that showed he was not indeed going to do that. Luz narrowed her eyes at him.
“Good. I’ll pick up some medicine on the way home, okay? And once I’m there, I’ll take good care of you, Mijo,” She said softly.
“Okay,” Hunter answered, swallowing thickly.
It was minutes after that Hunter was pacing the basement floor, clutching his pounding head with one hand while the other rested nervously against his chin. “What are we going to do? If the cold changes or goes away, we won’t be able to learn anything of value from it.”
“I dunno, man, maybe you should rest,” Gus said. “I’m all for learning more about human things, but if it makes you unwell, maybe we should leave it be.”
“No,” Hunter said firmly, moving his hands in a grandiose gesture as he stopped in his tracks. “We are going to treat these circumstances as a learning opportunity, and make useful observations that can be utilized in the future.”
“Utilized for what?” Willow asked, and in making her presence known, she earned a small yelp from Hunter and an exaggerated leap back as his arms landed into an awkward position.
“Well,” He said, clearing his throat, an action which he quickly found did more harm than good, actually, “...I… don’t know. But I’m sure it can be used for something!”
He handed Gus a notepad and pen. “Gus, as the most knowledgeable witch on the subject, I bestow you with the honour of documenting our discoveries.”
Gus clutched the notebook, and for a moment, it seemed as if he was going to tear up. “Really…? You… trust me…?”
“Well... Also you’re probably the only one willing to help me,” Hunter added, which soft of assuaged Gus’ expression.
“Why don’t you start by lying down?” Willow suggested. Upon receiving in incredulous look, she rolled her eyes and added, “So you can truly experience the intended environment of the illness.”
“Ah, good idea, Willow!” Hunter said, crawling into the sleeping bag. He shut his eyes in comfort, relishing in the warmth of the blanket. For a moment, he feared he would drift asleep, but Gus so kindly interrupted him.
“Um… Hunter…?”
“I figured out why it’s called a cold,” Hunter said. He hadn’t realized how freezing he’d been until the pleasant feeling of warmth was embracing his body. Before Gus or Willow could say anything, he continued. “Okay! Gus, take a note.” He cleared his throat. “Observation one, I am miserable. My throat has been itching with the perpetual need to cough, my head spins and aches, and I can’t seem to breathe through my nose. Occasionally it will run, but only on one side? The other side is just… blocked.”
“Weird,” Gus said, more fascinated than anything. Willow didn’t seem to be as excited about the subject.
“The dizziness seems to have subsided now that I’m lying down, but I’m exhausted. Fatigued. My whole body aches despite limited strenuous activity. The symptoms of a ‘cold’ seem to be worse than that of a mold, as I’ve always known molds to be minor ailments, while this is-- ow! Ow, Flapjack, stop it!” He swatted at the air as the bird in question tugged at his platinum locks of hair with his beak. He was tweeting and chirping incessantly in worry.
“It’s not ‘worse than a mold’, it’s just bad because you aren’t taking care of yourself!” Luz accused as she entered with a cool washcloth, seemingly having listened to the conversation. She gently laid the washcloth atop Hunter’s forehead, moving her hand to his neck to frown at the warmth. He shuddered at the sudden coolness.
“Is this a human thing?” He asked, shutting his eyes as he realized the cold felt oddly… comforting, in contrast to his burning face.
“No?” Willow was next to speak. “That’s a regular sickness thing.”
“Oh.” Hunter cleared his throat, face tinging with pink in embarrassment. “I… hadn’t known. I don’t usually…” He gestured vaguely to the sleeping bag. “Do this.”
Luz blinked. “Lie down?”
“No!” Hunter interjected, the suddenness causing a small attack on his throat as he proceeded to cough and hack dryly into his fist, curling onto his side to better handle the force. Luz gently coaxed him back onto his back so he could breathe better, and he was panting by the end of it. “I mean… take time off for illness.”
“You never rested when you were sick as the golden guard?” Willow asked with worry.
“Well, whenever I got a break I went and laid down! But… by then I was always too exhausted to really take the time to treat anything.” He regretted his statements as he was met with pitiful looks. “But! I have little time, I must continue my research.”
“No research for the sick,” Willow said, gently pushing him back down as he attempted to sit up. He blushed at the touch, granting him another reason he was helpless to her stern caretaking. “You are not well, and those who are not well, need to rest until they are.”
Flapjack chirped his agreements.
“I don’t… usually do that,” Hunter said, feeling oddly helpless and vulnerable in this position.
“Well then, maybe that’s a better learning opportunity you can take,” Luz said.
A better learning opportunity…
“I brought soup!” Amity said, carefully carrying down a steaming bowl of warm liquid. She pressed a kiss to Luz’s cheek and turned to Hunter. “I thought, knowing you, you probably didn’t eat anything, so I made this. My dad used to make it for me when I was sick as a child, and… well… we didn’t have any of the ingredients, but I put together the closest things I could find in human substitutes from Luz’s kitchen.”
Luz cringed at the sickly colour, but the others didn’t seem too fazed.
“....I’m not very hungry…” Hunter admitted.
“That’s why it’s soup,” Amity said apprehensively. “It’s easier on your stomach and throat because it’s liquid.”
“...Oh.” The more Hunter thought about it, the more he realized he didn’t know the first thing about being taken care of. Maybe this was worth observation.
He cleared his throat. “Gus, I would like to change the subject of my experiments.” When Gus met this with a confused cock of his head, he opted to continue. “...I am going to learn how to take care of an ill person… through the eyes of an ill person.”
Luz and Willow’s expressions seemed to light up with hope and pride. He stopped them before they could coo and coddle and fuss over how proud they were.
“But! This is merely an experiment. And perhaps… maybe if the results prove effective… I will consider this as an option next time I fall ill.” His voice was soft and apprehensive, but it clearly meant the world to the others. Even Flapjack was singing triumphant chirps.
Hunter hadn’t realized how much he’d grown, but everyone else did.
He shut his eyes, letting out a few stray coughs as fatigue overtook him. He’d been trying to ignore the exhaustion, but it was really catching up to him now that he was laying down. “...Observation one… I am… really tired. I believe I will start my experiment by observing the effects of sleep on sleepy Hunter...” His voice began to slur halfway through the sentence, and the sluggishness carried the whole way in increasing potency.
“Wait, but you still need to eat--”
“Shh,” Willow interrupted Amity, haphazardly prodding at her face with her hand without taking her eyes off of Hunter. “Sleepy Hunter needs to sleep.”
Sleepy Hunter did need to sleep. And when sleep came, he, for once, did not resist it.
This was going to prove to be a worthwhile experiment.