Chapter Text
It was the night of December 22nd; Hunter was sitting at a desk in the study, brainstorming what gifts he wanted to give to each of his friends. Despite the fact he had left the Emperor’s Coven months ago, the idea of people giving gifts not as bribes, but as charity, felt strange to him. It felt… good to give his friends and family things they would like. However, Hunter had a problem on his hands, he didn’t know what his friends would want. Hunter pondered for a moment. He felt that he had to do something special. These people meant the world to him, so they deserved something spectacular . How could he make their gifts special? All Hunter was good at was sewing…
Suddenly, it came to him.
The perfect gift…
“That’s it!” Hunter exclaimed. “I’ll sew them their gifts!” Hunter loved to sew, and doing it for gifts to people he deeply cared about made him excited. Plus, it was more sentimental than if he had just bought them something because with sewing he would’ve made it himself. Now he just needed to figure out what he needed to make.
Hunter loved Luz as if she was his sister, and he cared about her girlfriend Amity as well. He knew they were both huge fans of the Good Witch Azura series. Hunter remembered the time Amity had made a cheesy pick-up line to Luz, saying “I could be the Hecate to your Azura.” Hunter figured he could sew an Azura T-shirt for Luz and a Hecate T-shirt for Amity. ‘Knowing how lovey dovey they are for each other, I’m sure they would think the idea is cute,’ Hunter thought.
Camilia was the mother he never had. He would always be grateful for how understanding she was of Luz’s situation. It was rare for Hunter to see such a kind adult figure in his life. Especially one who cooked so well. She had made the most delicious food he had ever tasted. He particularly loved her chocolate chip pancakes. It could make him hungry just thinking about them. Then, the idea came to him. “Oh, I could sew her oven mitts! Camilla’s old ones are getting worn. Maybe that would be nice!” Hunter excitedly said.
Hunter didn’t know Vee very well, but he knew she was a very kind soul who could have hated him for helping Belos, the man who eradicated her entire species, but she was so understanding of Hunter’s situation. She was also very neat and liked looking cutesy. “I could sew her a tote bag! That might be nice,” Hunter said to himself.
Gus was one of Hunter’s closest friends. They would often stay up late talking about Cosmic Frontier and the various human realm things they had discovered together. He knew Gus loved buckets and human collectables more than anything else. ‘Maybe I can sew him some pajama pants with buckets on them. We would match!’ Hunter thought, remembering his own watermelon pants. They enjoyed wearing matching Cosmic Frontier costumes, so matching pajamas would be fun too!
And finally, Willow. Just the thought of her made Hunter smile. While he deeply cared for everyone under the Noceda household, Willow was someone who was extra special to him. To the point where he wanted nothing more than to spend every day with her, talking with her about what she liked, looking at her, holding her hand, giving her hugs and kisses–
Hunter slapped his own cheek. “Snap out of it!” he hissed at himself. He didn’t have time to daydream or lollygag. He needed to focus on what to get her. Willow was a fan of Flyer Derby, but that didn’t exist in the Human Realm, so he had to find other options. She was excellent at plant magic and had also recently been taking a lot of photos. She was also a person who loved fitness. She was kind, and smart, and–
“Hunter?”
Hunter jerked up as he quickly slammed his notebook shut. Even if he wasn’t pressured by keeping the Christmas gifts a secret, he would still be flustered by that voice he absolutely adored. Willow stood at the doorway, holding a massive, heavy-looking box in her arms. Hunter blushed. Willow’s strength was something he always found alluring.
“Oh..uh..yes, Captain?” said Hunter.
“Could you open the closet door for me? I have to put this box inside” Willow explained, clearly strained by holding such a heavy box for so long.
“Um..yeah of course!” Hunter got up from his desk and walked over to the closet. His legs felt like pudding in Willow’s presence. He opened the door and Willow shuffled over, putting the box inside.
“Thanks Hunter!” Willow beamed,
“O-Of course! Anytime!”
She smiled at him, and seeing her toothy grin made Hunter’s heart melt like butter. As Willow walked away and started to close the closet, her jacket got caught in the door.
“Ahh, farts, I can’t believe it happened again,” she said as she tried to get her jacket out the door
“Oh no! Do you need help, Captain?” Hunter asked more frantically than he probably should have.
Willow giggled, “I appreciate your concern but don’t worry, I got this.” Willow smirked as she tugged on the jacket and wiggled it gently until it came out. “Merry Christmas!” she said.
Hunter was in such a daze. Every time he interacted with Willow, he felt euphoric. She was gorgeous . However, as Willow walked out, he noticed a hole in Willow’s jacket. But she had left the room before he could say anything. Hunter frowned. He didn’t want Willow to have a worn-out jacket. Then, Hunter came up with an idea, ‘I should sew her a new jacket!!’
Hunter hurried over to his desk and wrote all of his gift ideas down. He now had a full shopping list for his Christmas gifts. He just needed to find and buy the patches and clothing articles he needed. Hunter checked the time. It was 10:39pm. He decided to call it a night and wake up early tomorrow to go shopping. He was going to need some rest to accomplish this, so he left the study to go to bed.