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Hunter couldn’t sleep.
How could he? Sure, they defeated Belos, but nothing was the same anymore. The Boiling Isles wasn’t the same, none of his friends were the same. His life has been flipped completely upside down ever since he and Luz ventured into Belos’s mind, and ever since then he’s never had a moment of peace.
He sits up in his bed, hugging the pillow to his chest as he glances around his new room. He was living with Darius and Ebberwolf, and his room was a lot different from the one in the Castle. He was still getting used to it, and he wasn’t sure how long it would take.
Eventually, after sitting there for a while, Hunter eventually decides that he wasn’t going to get back to sleep.
He slips on his shoes and sneaks out through his window. He wasn’t sure where he was going, but he decided to just walk and see where he ended up. The red grass was a familiar sight - one that was much more comforting to him than the green grass that existed in the Human Realm. The gravel crunches under his feet as he walks, and eventually it gives way to soft grass in the clearing of a small forest.
Sitting on the hill was none other than Luz, and Hunter goes and wordlessly sits next to her. Luz glances over to him, before glancing up at the stars.
“Couldn’t sleep either?” She asks eventually, breath coming out in puffs in the chilly night air. Hunter shakes his head, picking at the grass. “Yeah, I get it. I haven’t been able to sleep much recently.” They sit in silence for a while, before Luz speaks again. “Snail for your thoughts?”
Hunter sighs, looking up at the stars. “I don’t know. My life was turned upside down and now I don’t know what to do with myself. I’ve lost so much. Sure, I gained some things, but I have to live with the fact that my life will never be the same.” He chuckles dryly, shaking his head. “Maybe that’s a good thing, but that doesn’t stop it from being…” He motions lamely.
"Yeah. I get it.” Luz nods in agreement. “My life was never the same after I found the Demon Realm. Everything has been so crazy that this sudden peace just feels…"
"Overwhelming?” Hunter suggests, and Luz nods. “Overwhelming is a good word for everything. I’ve been so… disoriented with all of these new feelings that I have.”
“New feelings?” Luz prods, curiosity evident in her eyes. Hunter averts his gaze, listening to the night around them. Spending so much time in the Human Realm had really unlocked the emotions he hadn’t ever felt before. Things that Belos had discouraged.
Namely, love.
While they were still in the Human Realm, he had used Luz’s computer to look up a few things. Why did he feel all giddy around Willow? Why did he have the overwhelming urge to be as close to her as possible? Why did he smile every time she came into the room? Why did his stomach twist every time she looked at him?
The results scared him as much as they intrigued him. He was afraid to love her. Afraid to let his feelings run wild like this. Doing that got you hurt.
Luz nudges him, breaking him out of his train of thought.
“Oh. Right, uh, sorry.” He clears his throat. “I-I guess what I mean is that I’m feeling things that I never have before. When I was with Belos, I had to be this stoic figure that represented the Emperor’s Coven. He never let me feel things like…” He trails off.
“Like?”
“...Love.” Hunter sighs, glancing back at Luz. “With Willow. It’s like my brain and my heart are fighting. I want to be close to her, I want to be with her, but… at the same time I don’t want to love her. I don’t like what that means for me.”
“What do you think it means?” Luz prompts gently, placing a comforting hand on Hunter’s shoulder.
“It means I have something to lose again, and I’m not strong enough for that anymore.” He shakes his head, his hand reaching up to tug lightly at his hair. “I lost so much already. I can’t go through that again, Luz.” The human shakes her head fondly, giving Hunter’s shoulder a small squeeze.
“That won’t happen. None of us will let it.”
“But what if it does??” Hunter cries, “She could laugh at me when I tell her or say she doesn't want to be my friend anymore. Maybe she accepts my confession but then she could change her mind later and I can’t handle that.” His breathing steadily got more ragged the more he panicked about it.
It was silly, really. The former Golden Guard freaking out over a girl. Belos would’ve laughed at him. Would’ve told him that he was above this, that the Titan had plans for him that were much bigger than this.
Belos wasn’t here, though. And Hunter was left with this aching in his chest that could only be soothed by Willow.
“Hunter, Willow wouldn’t do that to you. The worst she could say is no, and even then,” Luz’s eyes sparkled with something that Hunter couldn’t quite place. “I don’t think she will say no. I see how she looks at you.”
“...What?”
“Willow. You don’t see it, but when she looks at you she has so much adoration in her eyes it looks like she'll explode at any minute.” Luz smiles. “You should go for it. Tell her how you feel.”
“But-”
“Ah-ah. No buts. I promise, everything will work out better than you think.”
Hunter sighs, tension dropping from his shoulders. “I’m not used to things working out for me.” He comments lightly, earning a chuckle from Luz. “Still… you’re right. I should try.”
“Atta boy!” Luz pats his shoulder before pulling away. She abruptly stands up. “I’m heading back to the Owl House. Try to get some sleep, Hunter.”
“Yeah. I will.” He nods, and waves as she walks away. Hunter sits there for a bit longer, staring up at the stars. The tree leaves sway in the gentle breeze that rustles his hair as it blows past. For a moment, it almost felt like Flapjack was tugging at his hair again.
Hunter places a hand over his heart, “I wish you were here, Flap…” He whispers. “I know you liked Willow and Clover. You’d set me straight, just like Luz did.” He leaves it at that, getting up and slowly making his way back to his new room.
Maybe, for once in his life, things would be okay.