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Hunter wasn't entirely sure what he was being examined for, but he hardly minded not knowing. He just did what the doctor asked.
A few weeks after the third hours-long appointment, Camila checked the mail and returned with a letter with Hunter's name printed across the envelope. She explained to him that it was the results of his appointments and that whatever was inside would identify what exactly was different about his brain. He noted that she didn't use the word wrong like Belos would have.
So, he opened the envelope and unfolded the packet. The front page contained some basic information such as his name, birth date (or creation date, as the case may be, though these human doctors didn't know that), and a list of diagnoses.
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Major Depressive Disorder
Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Gender Dysphoria
Tourette's Syndrome
"What does any of this mean?" he asked, bewildered. He recognized terms like disorder and syndrome, but he wasn't sure what the specific ones listed entailed, or how any doctor could look at him and extrapolate so many conditions when he was sure he hid his quirks very effectively.
"I'm admittedly not the most knowledgeable on what each one means in particular" Camila told him. "I think Luz would be more helpful there, but just know that you are loved regardless, and I will do what I can to accommodate you"
Hunter still wasn't quite sure what she was talking about, but he nodded gratefully before taking his packet and traveling up to Luz's room. He knocked on the door and, once let in, immediately handed her the packet, pointing at the list with a pleading expression. "What do these mean?"
"Oh, you got your results back!"
"Luz"
"Sorry, sorry" Luz chuckled. Admittedly, she was just happy for him, but she put on her serious face and actually took a look at the list. "Autism- Okay, well that's just you" she said. He looked at her with confusion, so she elaborated. "Like, the hand flapping and not always getting things" she explained. Hunter went bright red. "There's kind of a lot that falls under that. I'll show you some videos"
"What about all the other stuff?"
"Major Depressive Disorder : That's why you have long periods of feeling void or empty or sad. C-PTSD : That's why you freak out whenever you think of Belos"
"What- Hic!- Does it mean?"
"Well, the acronym is for Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder" she told him, pointing at the diagnosis on the page. "Trauma is when you undergo something notably bad- Belos' years of abuse definitely count- So, that's what the 'Traumatic' part means" she continued. "'Post' just means it affects you now that you're out of that situation. 'Stress' is just an umbrella term for things like your panic attacks and whatnot. And 'Complex' just means that this stemmed from multiple instances of trauma as opposed to just one thing"
"Oh, okay..."
"Gender Dysphoria : That's cause your gender identity doesn't match your birth assignment. It seems Caleb and all of the other grimwalkers also had this happen" she explained. Hunter nodded. "And Tourette's... Oh"
"Oh?"
"That just... Sorry, I didn't realize"
"Didn't- Hic! Haha!- Didn't realize what?" Hunter asked. His neck jerked to the side and he groaned in annoyance because those embarrassing little motions always got worse whenever he was stressed or confused, and he hated it. How couldn't he, when Belos would always beat him for such motions or unauthorized shouting?
"Your tics" she told him. He raised an eyebrow. "You know, like the neck jerks and the random shouting" she explained, and he went bright red again, even more so when he involuntarily whistled. "You hid them most of the time at first and they were gradual enough that I just assumed it was anxiety tics or something" she continued. "I didn't realize it was Tourette's"
"What- Haha! Haha! Loser! Mph!- Sorry. I'm sorry" Hunter apologized for the outburst, eyes shut as though expecting a hit. To his surprise, though, no such hit came. Instead, he felt arms wrap around his body and slowly opened his eyes to find Luz "hugging" him.
"Never apologize for that, please" Luz requested. Unsure of what to say, he just nodded.
"What is Tourette's?"
"Oh, it's a tic disorder" she explained, though he still seemed confused. "It just means that your random shouts and movements are involuntary and they aren't triggered by anything specific, though some things can make them better or worse"
"Stress makes them worse"
"I figured" Luz nodded. "But hey, now we know"
"Wait, so it's not my fault?"
"What's not your fault?"
"Belos always- Haha! Mph! Haha!- Always said that I was being bad and disobedient for- Mph!- Those" he explained. "He'd always- Haha!- Punish me for it, but I never really understood how to make it stop, I just- Haha!- Figured out how to hide them while I was around him"
"Oh, Hunter..." Luz said, her expression sad. "No, it's not your fault"
"Oh..." Hunter replied and then, without warning, tears began to leak from his eyes. "Oh"
"I'm so sorry he treated you that way" the human told him earnestly. "Just know that you're safe here and that no one here will ever hurt you for that, okay?"
"You mean that?"
"Of course, bud" Luz nodded. "Now, what do you think about sharing your results with the others?"
"Do I have to?"
"Do you not want them to know?" she asked, genuine. She didn't intend to tell anyone anything that he wouldn't want them knowing. "Or do you want me to tell them for you?"
"...Could you?"
"Yeah, of course" Luz nodded, taking the packet and leaving the room to begin delivering the news to the others, leaving Hunter to contemplate his new diagnoses.
There were names for what was different about him- Not wrong, just different. And his tics weren't his fault. And it was okay if he didn't hide them around his new family because they cared for him in ways Belos never could.
Huh he thought. Isn't that something?