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Luz said it first, it made sense, after all Luz was and still is Camila’s only Biological child.
Camila could remember it clear as day, they were all sat in the living room of the small house they rented, it wasn’t a very expensive house by any means but it worked for the three of them, herself, little Luz, and Manny. She liked to say that the house had a lot of character, with its faded flowery wallpaper and old, juice stained carpets that always gave off a musky smell, but at the end of the day it was home, and they loved it.
It was late evening, the sun had just started setting and it must have been around seven o’clock as Manny had just recently come home and resumed his favourite sitting position on the worn leather armchair in the living room. Papers and notes surrounded him and the floor around him as he continued working on the brick of a laptop they owned, the type that could survive a car driving over it if it ever came to that.
Camila had been taking it easy that evening, during the day she had already cleaned the house and cooked dinner, which Manny gratefully ate the moment he got himself comfortable, and decided to relax a bit, picking up a grey remote and turning on the large, box shaped T.V. on the opposite side of the room.
It was the time for Luz’s favourite show to begin and soon after she would be put to bed, Camila would hate to admit it but to this day she could not remember the name of that show that her little angel loved so much. She remembered it being about a group of princesses, and they had superpowers? The details slipped her mind but the flashy colours and fun sounds always took up Luz’s attention for the duration of an episode or two, those were blissful 20 minutes of peace for Mrs. and Mr. Noceda.
As Camila got herself comfortable on the large couch, the material of which being an identical leather to the armchair Manny was now furiously typing in, the intro music to the show started playing loudly throughout the house, and as she turned down the volume slightly Camila could hear the faint paddle of clumsy footsteps slowly approach the living room.
It had become tradition that either Camila or Manny would turn on the show every day for Luz, it came to the point that the two of them started to realise Luz would be able to tell the show is on just by the main theme playing, and soon enough the little bundle of joy would join her parents in the living room.
Luz was a very good walker for her age, she had started crawling at ten months and by thirteen months she was able to functionally, though clumsily, waddle her way all around the house. Sure it meant that they had to install child locks on many of their cabinets and drawers but it was so worth it to see their little girl explore the world on her own.
The intro hadn’t even had time to finish before their light and joy burst into the room, an excited babble escaping her mouth as she made her way to her mother.
Camila smiled widely at her beautiful baby's beautiful smile, she truly brought this contagious happiness with her wherever she went and this was no exception as she reached Camila and balanced herself on her knee, smiling up brightly at her mother.
“Hola cariño ,” Camila said softly, gently caressing her child’s cheek as she let out more heartwarming giggles and noises of excitement. Raising one wobbly arm the child pointed at the T.V, her body bouncing up and down while watching the animated princesses fly around and…. transform? Camila never really paid attention to the show, her attention was always set on one thing, Luz Noceda, her only child.
“Don't you want to sit down next to Mam á?” She said gently, patting the spot on the couch beside her to see if she needed to pick her daughter up and bring her over.
Instead, the little latina let go of her mothers leg, taking a few steps forward before plonking her backside down on the floor with a small thud , eyes still fixated on the screen.
Camila relaxed her arms, realising that she wouldn’t have to pick her baby up after all, “Okay then, guess I have the couch to myself.” She chuckled before spreading her body across the length of the couch, resting her head on one of the thick woven pillows that decorated it.
“Don’t get too comfortable now Mi Amor , once I’m done I might join you there.” Manny spoke lovingly, taking a moment away from his work to look the love of his life in her eyes.
Camila shuffled up to the arm of the couch, resting her head on her hand, “Oh I hope you do, there is just enough room for two of us mi rey .” She shot back, seeing the big smile rising on Manny’s face made her smile too. Camila's family always mentioned how the two of them acted like they were back in their teenage days when near one another, and even through their long years of marriage their love never lessened, their bodies might have gotten older, but their love, that would stay young forever, and Camila loved every moment of it.
“Don’t tease me now, I still have work to do.” Manny chuckled before getting back to typing whatever important piece of work had to be done.
With a sly smile on her lips Camila turned back over to Luz, she knew that Luz wouldn’t go anywhere, that’s the only reason she let herself bring her guard down, as long as the show was on her child wouldn’t dare to move an inch, and indeed after turning back the little Noceda was right where she had been previously.
As the T.V flashed with bright colours they reflected onto Luz, her previously purple otter onesie illuminated in shades of pink, blue and red.
She couldn’t tell why but Camila couldn’t take her eyes off her daughter, nothing notable was happening but she just couldn’t help but to stare, to look at the wonderful human being she and her loving husband brought into this world.
She couldn’t help but to think about what the future had in store for her beautiful girl, where she would go, what she would do, what friends she would meet, it was almost overwhelming. So many options stood before the young child, and it would be up to her to carve her own destiny, of course her Mam á and Papá would always be there to support her in whatever she would choose to do, the only thing Camila hoped for was for her daughter to be a good person.
That’s what she prayed for every night, what she worked for every day, and the reason why her and Manny left their home behind, so that hopefully their daughter would have a good life, a better life than they did.
A loud explosion from the T.V made her snap out of her thoughts as Luz screamed in delight, turning behind her to look at her mother, once again outstretching her arm and pointing at the television screen as a wide, joyous grin spread across her face.
Camila followed her daughter's hand to the T.V, the screen showed an animated girl wearing an eccentric schoolgirl outfit, the type that apparently is a regular custom in places like Japan if T.V. is to be believed. The girl's long, blonde hair formed two buns on the top of her head before flowing down in unbraided waves, from context clues Camila guessed that she must have let out that large explosion as a character that looked like some type of villain laid on the floor across from her, and the small, pink, wand she was holding was smoking cinematically.
Of course there was no more gore than a couple cartoonish burn marks on the antagonists face. Dios no lo quiera she would let her daughter watch a cartoon with real violence in it, but it was brutal enough for a show targeted at younger children.
As Camila returned her gaze to Luz however, she was elated.
Never in her life had Camila seen such a wide smile on her little girl's face. She grinned from cheek to cheek showing off her slowly growing in teeth, her two front incisors had already started to break through and gave her a funny expression whenever she smiled, that's why Camila loved to call her Conejita, or Little Rabbit whenever she got really happy.
Her child's eyes gleamed in beautiful hazel tones as she looked back at her. Camila would swear that she could see her daughter's eyes sparkle occasionally, but that night in particular it was very, very clear to see. Gorgeous glimmers, like stars on a clear night's sky or glitter in a tube of clear glue filled Luz’s eyes as she stared back at her mother, once again letting out clear noises of excitement though the message itself could not be clearly understood.
“Aw, are you having fun Conejita ? Is that you?” She asked, referring to the girl on the screen, as the young Luz continued to bounce on the floor.
Obviously Camila wasn’t waiting for a genuine answer but she loved talking to Luz, talking about life, asking her questions, explaining the mundane parts of her adult life life that are a complete mystery to such a young child; it was a way of keeping her head straight, and secretly, she truly believed that Luz enjoyed it too.
“Do you want to be like her? Will you be our little superhero?” Camila asked before tickling Luz on either side of her stomach, that always seemed to bring out a nice laugh out of her and that day was no exception. Luz’s face broadened into a full smile as a giggle fit ensured, the beautiful sounds of her laughter filling the room.
Letting her daughter break from her grasp, Camila was surprised to see what Luz did next.
Slowly, with only the index finger of her hand raised, the young Noceda pointed to the television screen before bringing her arm all the way around to point at her mom. Camila chuckled lightly as Luz repeated the gesture multiple times, still not understanding what exactly she was trying to say by that.
“What is it mija?” She asked, mostly as a joke, it was obvious that the little latina was trying to tell her something but what that something could’ve been was completely lost in her mind.
What Camila would have never expected were what Luz followed with.
As the television once again showed the strong protagonist, proudly standing tall over another problem she managed to overcome, Luz pointed at her, though her head darted back to look at Camila.
“ M-, M, M-Mam á ” She spoke gently, those dazzling eyes interlocked with her mothers.
The room fell silent, Manny’s constant typing fading into nothingness as they both stared back at their child, their wonderful, wonderful mija.
Camila didn’t even remember when she started crying, all she knew was that tears started flooding down her cheeks as Manny haphazardly threw the laptop and many stray papers to the side while rushing over to the two of them, and once all of the feelings finally sorted themselves in Camila’s brain she couldn’t help but to rise from the couch and pick her daughter up.
Holding her tightly she spun around in joy, she could barely see Luz’s worried face before both of them were enveloped in a tight hug by Manny, as he left a kiss on Luz’s forehead and a longer, lingering kiss on Camila’s lips.
“ No lo puedo creer .” He said softly, his arms still wrapped tightly around his wife and the daughter in her arms.
“Our baby is growing up.” Camila managed to choke out between sobs, resting her head gently on Manny’s shoulder as she looked at her mija.
That was one of the happiest days of her life, and Camila knew that if everything stayed exactly how it was now,
Their family would be very, very happy.
______________________________________________________________________________________
With Vee it was a bit different.
Disregarding the fact that she was a shapeshifting demon from another dimension that pretended to be her daughter for months on end, she obviously wasn’t Camila’s biological daughter.
That didn’t matter to her however, as the moment she learned that Vee was in danger she rushed over to the Gravesfield Historical society to get back her child, well, what she unknowingly accepted as her child.
That night was a bit of a blur to Camila, from ‘Luz’ disappearing for a large part of the day to Luz, the real Luz somehow appearing on her phone screen though her phone was completely shut off, to the newfound knowledge that her daughter had been in a completely different dimension the entire time she had though she was safe at a summer camp.
Camila managed to keep strong though, as a single mother she always seemed to find the time and strength to help her child, and even if that…. imposter wasn’t her actual daughter, she was going to save her, and by god did she go in swinging.
It was late by the time she had secured the scared, snake-like girl from her temporary prison and drove her back home, and by the time the reflection of Luz, the real Luz, was pulled away from her in the car lit rain it had to have been close to midnight.
Camila stormed in through her front door, the tears falling down her cheek blending in with the rain that had soaked her during her time outside. This was all just too much, Camila had said so to her daughter who had so majestically somehow spawned in her headlights just moments ago,
She was scared.
Scared for her daughter, for this new creature she had unknowingly taken in, and though it made her feel slightly guilty, she was scared for herself too.
If everything Luz had told her was true, then she was trapped in a realm filled with witches and demons, Dios Mio demons, with no way of getting back.
“Please….” She begged under her breath as she approached the kitchen, her hands pressed tight in a praying motion as she quickly spoke a prayer in Spanish, “Please god let Luz be safe, let her find someone to take care of her, and please…. Let her come home….”
As she entered the kitchen she noticed the young…. Snake? Would it be insensitive to call her that? The young girl, sitting on one of the wooden chairs tucked in around their dining table. Her scaly body just about fit in the human shaped seat, though a majority of her tail was flowing off the chair and onto the tiled floor below her.
Seeing the girl, ‘ Vee’ she believed Luz called her, Camila’s gaze softened, a kind yet slightly forced smile falling across her face.
Luz was a strong girl, though whimsical and impulsive, she was very independent, unfortunately and though this broke her motherly heart there was not much she could do to help Luz as of now, but she would be fine, Camila knew it, she would make it out just fine, and they would see eachother soon.
One thing Camila could do however was take care of Vee and herself, Luz made it clear that Vee had nowhere else to go as the portal to the realm of demons had been closed and broken. The very least Camila could do was to make this poor little girl feel at home and loved, and god be damned if a Dominican mother like herself wasn’t expertly prepared to do just that.
“Are you alright niña ? Is there anything I can do for you?” She asked sweetly, kneeling down to the girl's level.
As Vee looked back Camila noticed her bright gold irises popping out against the rest of her eyes which were a pale, almost white shade of blue. As she let the girl take a second to examine her, Camila also noticed how large and open her eyes were, the bright, gleaming orbs almost reminding her of a scared puppy or kitten. It would almost have been cute if she couldn’t also see the fear and uncertainty in her eyes.
Vee shivered slightly, slowly bringing her clawed hands to her opposite shoulders,
“I-I’m a bit c-cold….” She spoke meekly and quietly, her tiny voice almost made Camila tear up again but she held on, she had to be strong, for them.
Camila wanted to comfort her so badly, put a hand on her shoulder, caress her cheek, give her a hug, anything, but she knew better than to approach a child like that after they’ve been through something traumatic, especially something like a glorified kidnapping.
Quickly Camila thought of an idea, “I’ll bring you some blankets right away cariño , would you like some tea too?” She asked calmly while standing up, keeping eye contact with the girl.
She responded faintly, “... yes, please. ”
Not wasting any time Camila grabbed the red stainless steel kettle from the counter top, filling it with water before gently yet quickly placing it on the stove.
“I’ll be right back,” She promised Vee before quickly walking out of the kitchen and making for the closet in the upstairs hallway, where she kept spare blankets, comforters and the sort.
With the softest blankets she could find in hand, Camila barely stopped herself from tripping on said blankets and falling down their short flight of stairs, after safely reaching the bottom step she quickly made her way back into the kitchen, where Vee was sitting very silently. She looked like she had been just staring into nothingness before Camila arrived but the moment Camila passed the border of the room Vee’s large eyes fell on her instantly.
Now that she was back with Vee, Camila moved more gently so as to not scare the poor child. She carefully draped a thick, fluffy blanket around Vee’s back and shoulders while handing her the other soft coverings she had brought.
As Vee uttered a quiet ‘ Thank You.’, a loud whistle filled the room, making both of the ladies jump back in surprise, though Vee jumped much more than Camila as she quickly got up to take the screaming piece of metal off the still burning stove.
“What tea would you like dear?” Camila asked, making sure to keep her voice kind and approachable as she opened the mug drawer above the countertop, deciding to take out a dazzling ‘ The Good Witch Azura’ themed mug for Vee and a simpler white mug with a rainbow design for herself.
“... a-any is fine.” Vee said in barely over a whisper as she adjusted the blankets along her body.
Camila thought for a second in front of the many opened cases of different flavoured teas she owned. She couldn’t help but wonder if any of these drinks could be harmful to Vee, she wasn’t human after all, and Camila remembered the word ‘ Basilisk’ being thrown about when talking to Luz earlier, how was she to know what a demon could or could not drink?
After a short contemplation she reached her hand for two packets of chamomile tea, the only one she was certain would cause no negative effects to Vee as multiple times she had witnessed her drinking it quite enjoyably for breakfast while still disguised as Luz.
Placing the bags in the mugs, Camila quickly poured the boiling water, spilling a bit while filling the two cups as her hands had started shaking for no reason she could discern.
‘Calm down Camila, this kid needs you right now.’ She thought to herself while bringing the two scalding hot cups of liquid to the walnut dinner table, a sweet, even if forced smile once again coming across her face as she placed the Azura themed mug closer to Vee and brought up another chair from the side of the table for herself. There was no way she was going to leave this kid alone right now.
A long while passed with neither of them saying anything,
"You are a very brave girl, you know that?" Camila broke the silence, gazing kindly at the young child.
The basilisk looked up from the cup of tea she had been holding with wide eyes,
"I mean, I could not imagine leaving home like that, and it must be difficult not having a way back… as of now, as of now." She added onto the end so as not to make the girl panic. Vee only listened quietly, taking small sips of the still boiling hot tea.
Camila pondered on her next words,
"I just wanted to say that you are safe here, and that you always have a home with me as long as you need it." She explained calmly, and the expression Vee gave her was strange, a mixture of both shock and surprise like what Camila said was the last thing she would’ve expected.
The room fell silent once again as Vee turned her gaze to the ground, for some reason she just couldn’t look Camila in the eyes. She guessed that it was because she was still scared but, speaking truthfully, it looked more like…. Embarrassment? Confusion?
“... why… ” The girl whispered quietly, her tail beginning to wag the blankets off itself.
Nothing could have prepared Camila to hear the following words,
“... why, are you- being so nice to me… ” Vee coughed out between aggravating sobs.
It was at that moment that Camila’s heart shattered for the second time that night, the pain in her voice was unbearable for her motherly self to listen to, those were not the words of a happy child, Camila knew that.
Before Camila could even start thinking about a response, Vee continued,
“ I-I pretended to be your daughter, I- I lied to your face, I got you in trouble with that man…. I don’t get it, why are you so kind to me after everything I’ve done....”
Camila forced the slowly flowing tears back with great effort.
After everything that had happened to her, after everything this poor child had to go through to just survive, she was more upset about inconveniencing her?
Camila reached an arm out slowly trying very hard not to frighten the girl ,who had once again started shivering even under the blankets.
Vee noticed the approaching appendage and moved back ever so slightly, it almost looked like a subconscious reflex, like she was used to someone raising a hand to be an unpleasant act, and though it crushed her soul Camila didn’t retreat, she had to do this or her motherly instinct would never calm.
Slowly Camila’s hand reached Vee’s shoulder, the young girl flinched under the gentle connection but didn’t move back any further, and as Camila pulled her chair closer to her she seemed to calm down very slightly.
Without any more wait, Camila leaned forward, wrapping her other arm around Vee’s back as gently as she could, and though the girl was still shaking slightly Camila squeezed her tightly, enveloping her in a firm, though not restricting hug.
It was then that the floodgates opened.
Soft whimpers quickly turned into loud wails as the poor girl wrapped her scaly arms around Camila, grabbing onto the back of her shirt like it was the only thing holding her there. Her heartbreaking cries were muffled as Camila gently guided the girl's head into her shoulder, as she always did when Luz was upset, and moved her hand that was once on Vee’s shoulder up to stroke the back of her head comfortingly.
It was strange to feel slippery scales under her palm as she attempted to soothe the poor child but Camila powered through, all that mattered to her right now was to make sure that Vee is alright.
As the girls cries slowly fell quiet, Camila responded,
“ Cariño, I know what it’s like to not belong.” She answered directly, not loosening her grip on Vee.
“I know what it’s like to not be accepted, to be the ‘odd one out’, and I would not wish that on anybody,” She continued, gently fixing the blanket around Vee’s shoulders.
“You just wanted to be accepted, seen as an equal, to be loved. Human or… demon, we all want to be loved unconditionally.”
The girl pulled away and Camila let her, gently holding onto her shoulders as Vee propped herself up more straight in her chair, Camila noticed her eyes turning red around the edges before her gaze returned to the floor.
“I just wish you would’ve told me sooner.” Camila smiled, gently lifting Vee’s head with a finger to see her eye to eye.
As Camila examined the girl closer she no longer saw some monster, or animal, she saw a child, a scared, lonely child, and she couldn’t possibly be mad at someone like her.
“You look tired,” Camila started, placing both her hands on her own lap, “You’ve had a long day, maybe you’d like to go to sleep?” She asked, she didn’t want to directly tell Vee to go to sleep but it was obvious that she was running on empty. Her head drooped subconsciously and eyes slowly closed whenever Camila spoke.
Vee gave a small nod between choking sobs and Camila chuckled lightly, if she was in Vee’s place, after a day like that, she would want nothing more than to go to sleep too.
Camila thought for a second before deciding,
“I’ll set you up in Luz’s room for now, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind. Come on,” She gestured with her head to the staircase out in the living room, standing up and holding her hand out to guide Vee along.
Vee hesitantly took her hand, getting up herself, a couple blankets fell from her body and tail as she straightened up on the tile flooring of the kitchen.
“Thank you Ma-” She started before cutting herself off, her voice dropping significantly for her response.
“ ...thank you Miss Noceda… ” She corrected quickly, moving to Camila’s side as she slowly guided her to the living room. The mugs of tea laying forgotten on the kitchen table.
Camila didn’t like that, not the tea part, being called ‘ Miss Noceda ’. It just didn’t sound right, especially coming from someone who she had thought of as a daughter for months at this point.
After considering the question, Camila gently asked as the two of them reached the stairs,
“Would- Would it make you feel better to call me ‘ mamá ’?” She asked curiously, holding her previously free hand along Vee’s back as she slithered her way up the steps with surprising ease.
Vee didn’t respond, she didn't even look at Camila, she only nodded her head ever so gently.
Camila smiled sweetly as they reached the landing on top of the stairs.
“You can call me what you like cariño, as far as I’m aware you’re a Noceda in my heart.” She reassured her, firmly squeezing the girl's hand as the two traversed the upstairs hallway.
With Vee beside her, Camila slowly made her way towards Luz’s room, the door to which was decorated with a ‘The Good Witch Azura’ poster. Just as Camila was about to open the door though, she heard Vee’s tired, wavering voice call out, just loud enough to hear.
“... thank you, mamá.”
Of course Vee had called her mom many times before when disguised as Luz, but this one felt different, it wasn't from Luz’s doppelganger or from Vee pretending to be her, this time the word came from Vee .
The real Vee.
Camila looked down at the girl by her side, her snake-like body bouncing from side to side slightly due to her exhaustion, and she couldn’t help but smile. Placing a hand on the top of her head and stroking it affectionately,
“Come on mija, ” She said sweetly, turning the knob on the door and pushing it open with a squeak.
“Let’s get you to bed.”
______________________________________________________________________________________
Hunter was the most recent one for this to happen with, and it was definitely the most surprising.
Don’t get her wrong, ever since Luz knocked on Camila’s door that night and she and her ragtag group of friends started living in their house, she always had a feeling that Hunter; the taller, quieter, very physically scarred one, saw her as a mother figure of sorts.
She would be lying to say she herself didn't see the boy as an adoptive son on some levels as well, and technically she did ‘adopt’ him after Luz told her that unlike the rest of her ‘ Hexsquad’, he didn’t have a family or home to go back to, but the way that those feelings were expressed the first time were very…. Unexpected.
It was a Sunday morning when it happened, the spring sun shone brightly through the bottom story windows with a nice, refreshing breeze following it.
It being a weekend, and more so the fact that Luz didn’t have to wake up early for school, meant that the Noceda household was having a joint breakfast in the kitchen as they often found themselves doing on the two free days.
Ever since learning about how different the realm that Vee and Hunter came from was, Camila thought it a good idea to incorporate different foods and celebrations from her and Luz’s culture to accept them into their family in a way, such as throwing a quinceanera for Vee and giving Hunter CD’s of her favourite traditional dominican songs and some that she loved as a child. Exposing these kids who were walled off for large parts of their lives to some real culture could only be good, Camila was sure of it, and that's why she loved to make Dominican dishes from her own childhood for breakfast, like she was that day preparing a Tortillas de Huevos.
It was late morning when Luz and Vee walked into the kitchen, not bothering to change out of their pyjamas, and quickly sat down seeing that Camila was preparing breakfast.
“ Buenos días niños,” Camila said distractedly, as she was still trying to flip the eggs so that they would fall into a nice, omelette-like shape.
“ ¡Buenos días mamá!” They responded at the same time, instigating a small though mostly comical fist fight over who was copying who.
“Calm down now you two, calm down,” Camila waved the two down to end their nonsense as she went to set plates where they decided to sit. “Breakfast is almost ready, you two be patient.” She reassured as she returned to the stove to finish their meal. The two sisters began discussing their plans for the day, apparently they were planning to go to the mall in the afternoon.
“ Por cierto, have any of you seen Hunter?” Camila asked, unsure of what the boy could be doing, sure it was only about 10 a.m. but Hunter always woke up very early, often times earlier than even Camila, and he was not one to just sleep in either.
Like the words themselves summoned him, the tall figure of the blonde entered the room, though it wasn’t the same kind of carefree weekend entrance like Luz and Vee had.
He almost stumbled through the doorway, his movement slow and sluggish. His head which normally would be held high and proud now instead falling to the floor like it weighed a bag of bricks.
“ Buena… di-...yah…” He attempted to say between yawns, Hunter wasn’t the greatest at speaking Spanish, truth be told he was the worst out of the four of them and by quite a large margin, and his exhausted voice made his words almost indiscernible.
Camila quickly gave the two girls their plates of food before turning to face the boy, and dios he looked like hell. A massive case of bed-head made a mess of his hair and Camila was pretty sure his flannel pyjama pants were on backwards, he looked like he got into a boxing match with his bed and the bed won.
“You’re not looking so hot Hunter, what’s going on with you?” Luz chuckled from across the dinner table at the boy’s comical appearance, a curious look on her face, like she wanted to know how severe the situation was before either comforting or annoying him. Vee seemed a bit preoccupied with pouring orange juice to care, Camila wouldn’t have been surprised if she didn’t even realise Hunter had come in the room.
“I-I’m fine, fine. Didn’t sleep well s’all.” Hunter's words slurred together as he spoke and carefully sat himself down at the kitchen table as well.
Camila had a sense that she knew what had happened to him, and as she brought the pan to the table she mentioned what was on her mind,
“You better not have been sewing all night again, I told you niño that’s how you hurt yourself.” She pre-scolded while loading up the girl’s plates and moving away to grab Hunter one.
Ever since Hunter had come to the human realm he’d been strangely passionate about sewing and modifying clothing, and he was strangely good at it too, though it did start getting to the point where it would be considered unhealthy, like when he wouldn’t stop sewing until the late hours of the night.
Half-awake sewing was NOT a good idea as Camila learned herself when she was younger, having run her bathroom cabinet dry of band-aids more times than she could count, and the torch seemed to pass on to Hunter once he had started living in the basement.
“No I promise I wasn’t, just couldn’t fall asleep I guess.” He shrugged. Camila examined his hands to make sure he wasn’t lying and admittedly he didn't seem to have any new cuts or scratches, only one rainbow band-aid laid stuck on the hand-valley point of his right hand, or how normal people would call it ‘the fleshy bit between the thumb and the index finger’ .
Moving away from the table Camila left the kid’s to their own devices, it wouldn’t be long until some fight or passionate argument broke out and she was not about to be dragged into it.
“Why couldn’t you pick a normal thing to do until 3 a.m? Like watching cat videos or reading fanfiction?” Luz asked through a mouthful of egg as Vee passed Hunter a glass of orange juice, with full pulp of course.
As Hunter took a sip Luz physically recoiled, how he and Camila could drink juice with chunks floating around in it was completely beyond her and Vee’s comprehension, pulpy orange juice was work of the devil, at least the two of them knew that.
“Just because you do it doesn't mean it's normal, you’re just a different flavour of mentally ill compared to me.” He answered bluntly, rubbing at his eyes in an attempt to wake up more.
Silently Vee nudged Luz on the shoulder, getting her attention enough to whisper something in her ear, of course she was careful enough to cover her mouth so that Hunter couldn’t see what they were discussing.
Looking back at Vee, Luz gave a quick nod before turning back to the tired boy opposite of them.
“You know, Vee and I were thinking of going out to the mall today, you want to come with?” She asked, trying her best to sound nonchalant and polite.
Hunter took another swig of juice before replying,
“Your human shopping bores me, I think I’ll pass.” He responded sternly, perhaps more bluntly than he himself anticipated, his lack of sleep was starting to get to him.
“Oh come oooon you never go out with us anymore,” Vee whined, laying her head and arms across the table in defeat, “Just live a little pleeeeeease, there's a shop I think you’d like, what is it called again Luz? The one with all the graphic shirts?” The basilisk turned her attention to the latina, who pondered for a second before a visible light bulb lit up in her head.
“Oh! You mean Hot-Topic!” She squealed, chuckling at the idea of Hunter in a Hot-Topic before turning to him, “Yea you probably would like it there, that place is full of sad little boys, you’d be right at home.” She teased, that mischievous little grimace coming across her face.
Hunter thought for a bit, he didn’t know how much social interaction he could take today, those nightmares…. They really drained the energy out of him. But on the other hand he did feel bad for not hanging out with Vee and Luz more, they were pretty much siblings after all no matter how much each of them denied it, and they did genuinely sound like they wanted him to go with them this time.
After a while Hunter let out a small sigh,
“Yea alright,” He started, “but only because I have nothing better to do!” He added after seeing Luz’s and Vee’s smirks.
Being pleasantly surprised by the lack of screaming at 10 in the morning, Camila brought Hunter his plate, the fluffy piece of egg steaming appealingly.
Camila started to move away to get herself her portion, before in a sleepless state of delirium Hunter called out,
“ Gracias mamá.”
The kitchen fell silent as those words stopped Camila in her tracks, and as she did a double take to look back at the scrawny boy behind her she also noticed her two daughters giggling about something, barely being able to keep their laughter in.
As Camila turned around fully she asked in disbelief,
“What was that Hunter?” She asked, not in a mean way but more of a ‘ I already heard what you said, I just want you to say it again.’ kind of way.
Hunter swallowed a piece of egg, his face starting to grow red as he focused all of his attention on the meal,
“I-I said, thank you Camila. ” He said loudly, like that was going to cover up what just happened.
As Camila’s brain replayed what had just happened over and over again, an idea came to her mind.
“Girls, can you give us a moment? You can go watch T.V. or something,” Camila suggested, and by the looks on their faces they knew exactly what she was planning.
“Of course mother, we will be out of your hair right away!” Luz declared fantastically, guaranteeing a chuckle from Vee as the two rushed into the living room, leaving Camila and Hunter alone.
After giving the two a second to leave, Camila walked over to the dining table, where Hunter was still very interested in his eggs, his face a bright shade of fuschia.
Propping herself against the table, Camila looked down at Hunter, he wobbled ever so slightly in his seat but that was likely from his insomnia, what definitely wasn’t from his insomnia however was the quick shuddering that his upper body just started doing. It looked like he was bottling…. something up, and it was urging to erupt.
Camila chuckled wholeheartedly before placing a hand on his shoulder,
“Hunter, I-” She started but right then the young man stood up very quickly, almost like an army soldier waking up to the noise of the Sergeants trumpet, before quickly turning to face Camila. His body was stiff as a board as he bowed forward in a surprisingly perfect 90 ° angle, and quickly after began to speak loudly.
“I APOLOGISE FOR PUBLICLY EMBARRASSING YOU LIKE THAT MS. NOCEDA, I AM VERY SORRY AND I PROMISE IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN. I UNDERSTAND IF YOU WISH FOR ME TO VACATE YOUR PREMISES IMMEDIATELY, PLEASE GIVE ME THE WORD AND I WILL LEAVE RIGHT AWAY.” Camila was very surprised by this, the gesture, the urgency, it was like the kid had completely memorised a script for the small chance that a situation like this would ever happen.
Camila couldn't help but feel her cheeks going red in both shock and embarrassment, it was…. interesting to be treated almost like royalty in this way but she had to de-escalate this entire situation.
“Hunter, Hunter…” She said calmly, kneeling down to his bowed level and raising his head with her index finger and thumb to look at her.
“You didn’t embarrass me and you’re not about to vacate any premises, please just sit down,” She continued sweetly, gesturing over to the chair which Hunter had so ceremoniously risen from. His face was still beet red but a new expression occupied it now, a mixture of shock and surprise with a bit of confusion, a similar expression to one she remembered Vee making many months ago in a similar context.
He did as he was told, quickly pulling up the chair and sitting down with his back straight and his hands crossed on his lap, and as Camila brought over a chair for herself she giggled at all of his preppy movements. Finally sitting down facing hm, Camila spoke gently,
“Hunter, I don’t mind that you called me mom,” She giggled at his still bewildered face, “It was just a surprise, that was all.”
“B-But I didn’t use the title you asked me to call you!” He exclaimed in shock, as if not calling her ‘Camila’ was a criminal offence.
Camila cut in, “We talked about this niño , less with the formalities.” She was told by Luz why Hunter always acted in this formal way and she did not want anything in his mind to resurface by treating her like a ‘ higher up’. Also she would murder his uncle if he ever showed his face in their town. “This isn’t a courtroom, it's just me and you.”
Hunter somehow managed to look even MORE embarrassed before calming down slightly, letting his back arch away from the chair and his head fall slightly.
“I’m sorry, Camila.” He said faintly.
Camila straightened up in her own chair, “You didn’t do anything wrong, Hunter.” She tried to calm him down. “Listen, I wouldn’t mind if you wanted to call me ‘mom’ .”
The words shocked her almost as much as they shocked the boy. She didn’t think about what she was saying before it had already escaped her mouth, but quickly reflecting on her words… she did mean them, it must have been a message straight from her heart.
“But- we’re not-” He started blurting out before Camila calmed him down again, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“I know your family life has been… complicated, before you came here,” She spoke gently and non-judgmentally, she didn’t want to delve too deep into the boy’s past but she had to make her point clear.
“, and I understand that it's hard for you to trust people, and that you’re hesitant to be vulnerable around us, but I can tell that deep down you just want to be loved, and cared for.” She continued as Hunter looked at her with wide, unblinking eyes.
Camila scooted her chair a bit closer, and Hunter didn’t move back.
“I can’t imagine how hard it is to trust people after being mistreated for so long, but Hunter, we’re all family under this roof, and that includes you.”
Camila could see Hunter’s chest jutting out in an irregular pattern, his breathing ragged and uneven, like one word could make him break down completely, and of course Camila didn’t want that, but she had to finish what she started.
She slowly raised a hand up to his face, gently cupping his face and rubbing his cheek with her thumb.
“You are such a strong boy.” She said gently, “You try your hardest at every little task, you always offer help to those who are struggling and I know you would do anything for your friends. Strong, caring and stubborn, those are all the traits of a Noceda, niño. ”
“I would be… so proud, to be able to call you my son, Hunter.” She choked out between her own sobs.
At those words Hunter did in fact break down, tears flowing down his cheeks like waterfalls as he tried to cover his face with his hands. Quickly Camila brought her chair as close as it would go, wrapping one arm around the boy's back and placing one on the back of his head, bringing it into her shoulder. The blonde hesitantly moved his hands from covering his face to also wrap around Camila tightly, pushing his head into her shoulder as he let out weeks, possibly months of suppressed emotions.
“...besides,” Camila whispered in his ear, with one hand rubbing circles into his back and the other running through the boy’s hair.
“I think Hunter Noceda fits you quite well.”
Hunter's sobs only got louder at that, his iron grip around Camila not letting up at all, and she herself let some tears flow as well. The two of them stayed in that position for a while, Camila holding the child in her arms as they both cried in what was hopefully joy, though Camila had no way of knowing, maybe she did go too far.
Before she could regret her actions too harshly though the boy’s crying softened, and a raspy voice called out over her shoulder.
“Do- Do you mean all of that?” He asked, as if wanting to make sure it wasn’t all a lie.
Camila chuckled, nodding her head, “Every word mijo. Every. Single. Word.” She reassured him.
Camila wasn’t about to be the one to let go first, she was prepared to give Hunter as much comfort as he needed at that moment. It only took him a couple more minutes to slowly pull away from the embrace, his face burning red and glimmering wet.
He looked at Camila, his reddening eyes full of gratitude,
“Thank you, Cami-” He stopped himself quickly, and it took him a bit of mental preparation to try again, but eventually, he did.
“T-Thank you, mamá .” He repeated, his voice quivering though Camila barely picked that up, she was just so happy that she could make a positive and loving home for him, for all of her children. Even if they were not related by blood, they were her kids.
Camila simply smiled at her son, she didn't think there were any more words to be said, he already heard them all.
“I- I should, umm, c-clean? The… floor? In the basement? So….” Hunter tried to make up some sort of excuse to leave the room, getting up from the chair and slowly walking backwards to the door.
Camila smirked at his attempt to pass off the heartfelt conversation they just had.
“Alright then cariño, you can go .” She said casually, standing up to fix up the mess that the kitchen had been left in. Dirty plates, pushed out chairs, someone had to clean this up and she would like to have some time for herself anyway.
As Camila started to push the chairs back under the table, she heard a yelp that sounded like it came from Hunter from the living room. Before she could ask what had happened, the situation slowly made itself clear.
“What are you doing here!” He asked in surprise, his attention on a person who seemed to have been hiding right on the other side of the wall by the doorway to the kitchen, who knows how long they’ve actually been there.
“Oh, ya know, just… hanging out? VEE RUN!” The unmistakable voice of Luz called out before the noise of quick footsteps took over the room, Hunter seemed to have followed the two as a heavier set of footsteps followed soon after.
“How dare you!” He called out, audibly chasing the two troublemakers to the stairs.
“ Soooooo…. Do we have to call you ‘ hermano’ now?” Vee’s voice called out playfully from upstairs as the ceiling above Camila shifted slightly under their movements.
Hunter made a loud noise of distress, “I DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS BUT I HATE IT.” He shouted after the two, following them upstairs.
Camila smiled widely at her children’s playful bickering.
If only Manny could see how happy their little family grew up to be,
He would be so proud….