Chapter Text
"AAAAAAUGGGGHHHHH-"
Hunter startled awake, letting out a tired moan. He flopped his arm like a fish to find his alarm clock, turning it off. He slowly sat up, burying his face in his hands and pulling his eyelids down with a huff. He wanted to lay back down and reenter the world of dreams, but he knew he had no choice but to get up and start his day. He had school, after all. However, he was nervous about today, as the Entrails had a massive game with St. Epiderm after school today. He had been dreading it for a while now, but today was the day, and there was no avoiding it now. Hunter slogged himself out of bed and went to the bathroom to take care of his business and brush his hair. He put on his rainbow-colored Hexside uniform and headed downstairs for breakfast, finding Darius waiting for him at the table. "There you are, Hunter. Did you have a good night's rest?"
"Was that even a serious question?" Hunter grumbled, starting to drink his morning cup of appleblood.
Darius sighed, knowing Hunter could be a bit grumpy in the morning. He rolled his green eyes, scoffing. "Good morning to you too, little prince…." he replied sarcastically.
Hunter didn't reply as he quietly switched his attention to the breakfast Darius had cooked up. Hunter adored his cooking, so he was excited to see what was being served today. However, Hunter was a bit disappointed to see that it was rather simple this morning. Just some toast and blood-jam. Hunter would've complained, but he wasn't in the mood to talk right now. He didn't have the energy to challenge Darius, so he accepted his fate and silently spread the jam on his toasted bread, beginning to eat.
It was silent for a while as Darius and Hunter ate breakfast. Eberwolf scurried around the kitchen, finding critter food to cook for himself. Darius knew Hunter was not a morning person, so he gave him all the time he needed to wake up. And soon, Hunter had woken up enough to want to speak. "Hey, Darius… I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier."
"Oh, come on, this happens every morning," Darius replied. "You don't think I've learned your morning routine by now?"
Hunter shrugged. "Well, I suppose, but I was a bit more rude than normal. It's because there's something that's on my mind… that's all.”
Darius raised a brow. "Well, what's on top of that little head of yours, then?"
Hunter sighed, fiddling his fingers. "Well, it's just that we have a big game tonight against St. Epiderm… and I'm really nervous."
"They're just all stuck-up upper-crusts," Darius grumbled with an eye-roll. "You'll kick their butts,"
Hunter groaned, a bit frustrated, "No, Darius. You don't understand. They have the strongest Flyer Derby team out of all the schools on the Isles. I don't know if we even stand a chance. What if I mess something up for the team? What if I blow it? I can't fail them again…"
Darius frowned. It wasn't like Hunter to worry so much about his games. "Oh, little prince, don't worry about it. You'll do just fine. You've always had a knack for flying. Your flying skills are unlike anything I've ever seen. Don't kid yourself. You and your team will kick some upper-crust butt."
Hunter faintly smiled, "Thanks, Darius," he replied as he finished his breakfast. Despite finishing his plate, Hunter was still a bit peckish, so he went to the pantry and got a few Hexer's Bars to finish filling his tummy. He also grabbed some snails for lunch money. Then, he went to the powder room to finish his morning routine.
Once Hunter had left the table, the mask of happiness Darius had put on for Hunter slipped away. It had been a whole month since he had adopted Hunter by now, and yet Hunter still wasn't calling him 'dad.' Well, he had once, but it was only a mistake. As much as Darius hated to admit it to himself, it hurt. It really hurt, but he knew that Hunter just needed time. A lot of time, and that was okay. Hunter could call him dad whenever he was ready.
But… as selfish as it was, he wished that time was now.
The school bell screamed, signifying the end of Hexside's third period. The members of the Emerald Entrails all left their classes, rushing to meet together before heading to lunch as a group. Willow and Hunter met up first, and upon meeting, the plant girl tackled the blonde boy with a tight hug. Hunter thought he should've been used to this by now, but every time she did this, he still got that feeling of warm thumping in his chest and an explosion of butterflies in his stomach.
Willow put Hunter down, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Hunter's ears turned a bright red, chuckling at this. It had been a few weeks since they had started dating at this point, but Hunter was still getting used to all the flirting and romantic affection Willow brought him. However, that didn't mean he didn't enjoy it. In fact, he loved it. Hunter gave her a kiss in return. Willow then kissed him back, and it quickly became a game to see who could get the last kiss.
"Hey, lovebugs!" A feminine voice called out. Willow and Hunter froze and turned to look in the direction of the voice's owner. It was Skara, followed by the rest of the Entrails, "Hate to interrupt, but we're waiting on you two!" Skara said as she and the others approached them.
Hunter and Willow eyed away, their faces burning bright red. He rubbed the back of his head, "Heh, sorry to keep you waiting."
"We can get a bit carried away sometimes," Willow added on.
The rest of the Entrails chuckled at them, finding their banter cute. Viney then pulled out her home lunch, it being a pixie sandwich, "What did you guys bring for lunch today?"
"I brought a human delicacy called a burrito!" Gus told them.
"I brought a fairy pie!" Skara added on.
"I brought a veggie sandwich," Willow said. "What about you, Hunter?"
"I got nothin', but I do have some snails on me," Hunter explained, tossing a golden coin in the air, "Today, my schedule doesn't have potions in it, so I didn't have to worry about Boscha stealing my money. I'm getting the fairy dust they're serving today!"
The rest of the Entrails froze upon hearing that, exchanging worried looks. "Uh, Hunter, You might not want to get the school lunch today," Willow warned.
Hunter raised a very confused brow, "What, why?"
"You haven't heard?" Gus asked.
Hunter began to get a bit nervous. "...No?"
Skara sighed, knowing she had to break the news to him. "Celine predicted that the fairy dust they're serving is going to get recalled."
Viney frowned, "I hate to say it, but you're probably better off not having anything at all than getting food poisoning,"
Hunter was horrified for a moment, trying to think of what to do. Skipping lunch would absolutely suck and ruin his day, but it wouldn't hurt him in the long run, especially if he could avoid getting sick. However, he and his team had a massive game tonight against the Flaming Arrows, and they needed all the strength and power they could get in order to defeat them. Skipping lunch would weaken him, which could be the deciding factor in the game. Hunter inhaled sharply, knowing what he had to do, "I need the fuel for the Flyer Derby game today, so I'll take the risk. Besides, that's just some rumor. She could be toying with all of us for all we know."
"I don't think Celine would make that up," Gus pointed out. "She's the most powerful oracle in the school."
Willow frowned at the situation. She didn't want Hunter to go hungry, but she also didn't want him to get sick. She put her hand on his shoulder, "It's okay, pancake. We can just share my lunch. I have one of your favorites!"
Hunter was tempted. Very tempted, but that made him feel like he was taking away resources from his girlfriend. "Thanks, but no thanks. You need the fuel too. We can't just split it between us; then we'll have half of what we need! St. Epiderm's Flaming Arrows are the toughest team we'll have to face this season, and every last bit of energy counts. We can't have any speck of weakness if we want to defeat them!"
Willow paused, shocked by what Hunter had told her. Titan, he took Flyer Derby really seriously. Even more serious than she did. "...Are you sure?"
Hunter hesitated for a moment. Part of him wanted to be able to share lunch with her, but the other part told him that the game was on the line if they split up their food supply. He gave her a smile. "I'll be fine. Besides, I have a stronger stomach than any of you. I can handle it," Hunter then walked ahead of them all, heading for the cafeteria. "Now, let's go. I'm starving."
With Hunter walking ahead of them, the rest of the team slowly began following him. "He's gonna get himself sick…" Skara mumbled.
Willow glared at Skara, "Don't say that!" she growled.
"What? I'm just stating the fact," Skara replied.
"Well, Skara is kinda right," Viney agreed, "Hunter is gonna end up hurting himself if we can't convince him out of this."
Gus let out a sigh. He hated seeing Hunter doing harmful things to himself for the sake of others, but there was little hope for changing his mind. "I don't think convincing him is possible. He's stubborn as a fairy."
They arrived at the cafeteria, and the Entrails sat down together at their table. Willow let out a sigh, slowly taking her sandwich out of her bag, but she struggled to find the will to eat it. Maybe, just maybe, she could convince Hunter otherwise. Everyone else noticed how upset Willow was, so Gus patted her shoulder. "Hey, it'll be okay. Hunter is as tough as nails."
"If it's true he has a strong stomach, then maybe he won't get sick," Viney comforted.
"No, that idiot is definitely gonna get himself sick," Skara grumbled with an eye roll. Everyone glared at her after she had said that. "Oh, come on, you know I'm right."
Hunter returned from the lunch line, sitting down with his tray of food. "I've never had fairy dust before," He said, looking at his tray of cooked bits and pieces of fairies drowned in a savory orange sauce. He licked his lips as he rubbed his hands together, "Ooh, it looks so good!" He looked at Willow to his left but then noticed her slouching and sadly staring at the table. "Hey, what's wrong?"
Willow's eyes darted from side to side. She knew she wouldn't be able to convince Hunter not to eat the fairy dust, especially since he had already paid for it, but that didn't change how worried she was. She sighed, "I'm fine, sweetie. It's just I'm worried about you. That's all."
Hunter frowned, as he didn't like it when he made her worry. He considered changing his mind for a moment but stopped himself when he realized he'd hurt her more when they lost the game. Hunter knew he was probably about to make a decision he'd regret, but he felt as if this was the best option for the sake of the team. Despite that, he still wanted to cheer up his girlfriend. He gave her a peck on the cheek, "Willow, honeybee. I'm gonna be okay. I promise."
Skara was tired of Hunter's game. Perhaps giving him the cold, hard truth would knock some sense into him. "Hunter, if you eat that, you're gonna get sick."
Willow growled, narrowing her eyes. "Say that one more time, and I'm gonna destroy you."
"I'm just telling the truth!" Skara retorted.
Hunter raised a brow at what was unfolding, "...Huh?"
"Oh, it's nothing," Willow told him with an eye roll.
Viney didn't want to see Hunter hurt himself for the sake of the team. There had to be a way to get him out of this. "Hunter, you don't have to do this to yourself. I know you feel like you have to, but we can all share our lunches with you. It won't hurt any of us, and it'll do nothing but benefit you,"
Hunter frowned more. He thought about it. He really thought about it this time. Even with all this lying to himself, he knew that sharing his lunch with his friends was the safest option for him, and eating this fairy dust was making all his friends worry about him, but he didn't want to bring anyone down with him if they split up their food supply. "I… I don't want to take away anyone's food because I didn't hear about some dumb rumor," Hunter explained. "Besides, if I could stomach the food at the castle, I can stomach anything."
"Yeah, okay, but is this really worth the possibility of getting food poisoning?" Skara asked him with narrowed eyes.
Hunter sweated. Was it really worth it? If he was being honest with himself, no, it wasn't, but he'd rather take himself down then drag his whole team with him, "Well, maybe I won't get food poisoning," Hunter told them with a fake smile. "I'm built different… literally. Like, I'm made of wood. Being a grimwalker can have its perks, you know."
Gus frowned. Titan… there was really nothing they could do, could they? "I guess having something in your stomach is better than nothing…" Gus muttered, faking a smile.
Willow sighed. She loved Hunter, but this was just how he could be sometimes. There was nothing they could do. Hunter just wasn't going to listen. All Willow prayed for was that Hunter would be okay. Maybe he was right. He was a grimwalker, and she had heard horror stories about the mush he was served at the castle. Maybe, just maybe, he'd be okay.