Chapter Text
As he made his way through Hexside’s hallways, Hunter couldn’t help but reminisce. The Emperor’s Coven stained most of his memories. Meeting Luz? He was bringing palismen to his uncle. Befriending Willow and Gus? He tried to recruit them for the Coven, along with Skara, Viney and Jerbo, all against their will.
Healing a wound is never easy, nor fast. Camila had told him that. Even if there’s a scar (dozens, as a matter of fact), the reminder of the incident still burns. The brain archives the pain and every time that the mind happens upon it, the wound opens up again.
Bringing the Boiling Isles back to a pre-Collector, pre-Emperor state had been no easy feat. But it was done. The whole Titan shook with glee upon learning the news of Belos’s demise. When it comes to the Collector, however, he had a bear of a time getting accustomed to the idea of his specie’s nemesis running around.
Hunter had felt the satisfaction too. The disgusting blue glow of his Uncle’s eyes getting weaker until it was no more. There’d be no more suffering on account of somebody who didn’t even value him. He had his friends. He smiled to himself. He was attending Hexside and got the opportunity to study wild magic. His friends loved him and he… loved them back.
He arrived at Potion class early. Mr. Okaighe, a tall cyclops with red hair and blue skin, was scribbling on the blackboard. He sat down on the front row and set one pencil and a sheet of paper on the table.
Fifteen minutes went by and all of the students had made their way into Potions just before the class began. Everyone except Luz, who had hammered into his head the importance of attending class the week before. Oh well, ain't that ironic…
He'd be surprised if it weren't so—
"Sorry! Sorry!" Luz came in like a gorenado, catching everyone's attention as the professor looked at her with a stern look.
"Noceda," he said. "Sit down and we may start the lesson."
Luz looked around the room before catching his eye. She ran to his side and plopped down beside him with a huff.
Mr. Okaighe went on to explain the main components of a functioning potion, which Hunter did his best to write down. When his lecture died down about twenty minutes later, he assigned them to acquire an Advanced Potions book and, in the meanwhile, to fill a chart with toxic and non-toxic potion components that they must hand him the next day.
Hunter looked at Luz, who had barely moved an inch from her slumped position.
"Do you want me to give you what I’ve written?” Hunter asked. “You’ve barely paid attention today.”
“Uh? Nah, won’t be necessary.” Luz sat up and crossed her arms. “I already knew most of that anyway.”
Hunter arched a doubting eyebrow. Luz always said the same thing. No Hunter, I don’t need these, it’s so easy I can do it with my eyes closed. No Hunter, you being a grimwalker does not have any effect on your ability to learn magic, you’re not broken. No Hunter, I won't study 'cause I already know most of the syllabus for this class.
If he was being fair, though, the Owl Lady did teach her a lot of things aside from her self-learnt paper things.
“You’re strange today.” Hunter quickly wrote down the list of ingredients next to a sloppy-drawn chart and returned everything to his bag. “Has something happened?”
Luz shrugged. “It’s Amity and me, she—”
“Amity and I, if you wanna be grammatically correct, but carry on.”
“Did you really just—” Luz’s leg started bobbing and she looked away from him. “Amity and I, we’re going through a rough patch.”
Hunter patted Luz on the shoulder. “I’m sorry, but you’re Luz and Amity, you’re practically the epitome of a healthy romantic relationship. I wish I were like that with Willow…”
“Thanks dude, I appreciate it.” Luz smiled sadly, her brown eyes looking like she was about to cry. “But… I think this might be the rough patch to end them all…”
“C’mon, it can’t be that bad,” Hunter said.
“Hunter, I think we’re going to break up.”
“What?” he screamed. Mr. Okaighe shushed him, to which Hunter apologized weakly. “Are you serious?”
Luz didn’t answer him. What she did, however, was to start shaking.
“Luz, I-I’m so—”
Hunter got interrupted by the girl’s giggling. Hunter’s worry shifted into anger.
“Dammit Luz,” he said through gritted teeth, “you almost killed me with that stupid joke of yours.”
“It’s not a joke,” Luz said, her giggling coming to a stop. “I just laugh when under great stress, heh.”
“Wait, really?”
Luz started to laugh again, and heartily at that.
“Oh man, I can’t believe you fell for that twice.”
“Luz!” The teacher shushed him again. “I can’t believe you! Are you even in a mood?”
Luz wiped tears of joy away from her eyes, her laughter subdued but still there. “Oh, man, I was. Not anymore, though.”
“You’re a jerk, you know?”
“I’ve been told I’m ravishing before, might as well add that one to the list of compliments.”
Hunter grabbed his bag and whacked Luz in the back of the head. Hard . The hit drove her head onto the table, where she would’ve slammed her forehead if Hunter had used more force.
“Hey!” Luz said, deciding that both of them were past sushing at this point. “What was that for, you jerk?”
Hunter grinned. “Oh, I’m sorry,” he teased. “I’ll add that one to the list of compliments.”
“Hunter Deamonne and Luz Noceda!” said the teacher, his only eye bulging out of his socket. The other students held back their laughter at the two teens, hiding their snickers behind their hands. “That’s enough from the both of you! Rein in this faulty behaviour or I’ll be forced to report you both to Principal Bump.”
He sprang up from his desk and walked up to them, thumping his hands on their tables when he got within reach, and said, “Do I make myself understood?”
Hunter looked down, not wishing to meet Mr. Okaighe's unnerving gaze. Luz said something along the lines of ‘Yes sir, of course, sir’.
“And you, Hunter,” said the teacher. His eye, big and bloodshot, stared unblinking at him. “Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
The bell screamed.
Mr. Okaighe straightened up and dismissed the class, half of which had already packed and stood up ready to leave minutes before the whole Bag-to-the-Head fiasco.
Hunter picked up his bag and waited for Luz to follow. They both left Potions class in uncomfortable silence.
Luz pulled Hunter aside. “Hey, Hunter, I… I’m sorry. I was mean.”
“I think the word you used was jerk .”
Luz gave a weak smile. “Yeah. Thing is, I shouldn’t have done that.”
“So you and Amity…”
“Couldn’t be better!”
Hunter was glad. He had, however, not enacted the full extent of his revenge. A good hit was okay. But there was something that would allow him to get back at Luz, and get at her good.
“Great,” he said slyly. “So you two can go on a double date with Willow and I.”
Luz's eyes grew large and her white smile was almost predatory. Any trace of gloom within her dissipated. It was almost a crime to negate her such glee. Perfect.
Hunter started laughing in the same way Luz had. Her mirth quickly transformed into indignation. Hunter had never seen emotion drained away from a face so quickly.
“I retract myself, you are a big jerk,” she said, and punched him in the elbow.
No takebacks.
“C’mon, it can’t be that bad,” Hunter retorted.
“It can,” Luz deadpanned. “I might want to refuse you family privileges.”
“It’s getting late, dork,” Hunter said. “We’re good, right?”
Luz nodded. “Yeah. We’re good.”
Both teens parted ways: Hunter to Plants class with Willow, and Luz to Bard class, with Skara and Boscha. Needless to say, one was more psyched than the other with their predicament.
Hunter turned his back on Luz with a tiny smile on his face. Throughout the day, it would only grow in size.