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Valentine's Day. A day for romance. A day for couples. A day for new love to spark and old love to rekindle. A day to spend with the love of your life or meet that special someone. A day which only comes once a year but has the potential to change entire lives...
“And it’s all bullcrap!” Luz yelled in frustration, throwing herself back on Hunter’s bed and growling.
Hunter just looked over the cover of the book on palismen carving that Amity had lent him and raised an eyebrow. “Not a fan of hearts and arrows, human?” He hadn't moved since Luz burst into his apartment, mumbled something about her roommate kicking her out, and made herself at home.
“Of course I am! It’s a little rude you even had to ask, goldie. Have you learned nothing about this horror-minded momma since you met her?” Luz stuck her tongue out at her friend. Hunter just looked back down at his book and tried to ignore her groanings. “My problem is that I have all these corporations shoving this holiday down my throat and reminding me that I’m still single! That’s the bullcrap!”
“Outside you, I don’t even have anybody else to complain to!” she continued, rolling over onto her stomach. “Amity and Willow have been dating for months, Eda’s getting married to Raine in a few weeks, King doesn't understand romance, Hooty has... something going on with that cardboard cutout of his (and I am not finding out what that is), Gus and Mattholomew just moved in together,” Luz continued, counting down the couples on her fingers. All the happy relationships surrounding her just drove the single life knife further into her chest. “Heck, I don’t think I even have any acquaintances that aren’t dating someone! It’s just me. All alone. Cast adrift in a sea of happy couples and romance… Oh, and you’re there too.” She added as an afterthought.
“Thanks. I feel so included,” Hunter snarked. At least she remembered that the two of them could commiserate together. “What even makes you think I have any advice? Since Willow and I went back to being friends, the longest relationship I've had lasted two coffee dates and a terrible boat ride.”
“I don’t know if you’ve got any advice but I’m bored and frustrated and ready to scream. I’ve gotta do something to get my mind off my future as a single lady with thirty cats.”
Hunter snorted, rolling his eyes at her catastrophizing. “Stop being so dramatic, Luz. You’re not going to collect a ton of cats just because you’ve been single for a year or two.”
“Put that book down and get over here or I’m adopting one right now,” Luz said glowering at him from her nest in his cardinal red sheets.
Hunter narrowed his eyes as he looked up from his book. “You wouldn’t.”
Luz had already pulled out her phone. He saw the stone-faced determination written across her face. How could her warm brown eyes terrify him so much? “A black cat would totally complete my witch aesthetic. I’m sure I could handle all the hair and litter box cleaning with all the time that I don’t have to dedicate to a relationship.”
“Luz-”
“Oh look! They even have Good Witch Azura costumes for cats! Lady Ravenfluffles will look great in it. Maybe I’ll get a second feline friend to play Hecate so they can-“
Hunter's book snapped shut and she knew she'd won. “Alright, fine! You win!” Hunter cried in exasperation, putting his book to the side and conceding defeat. “Just please, I’m begging you, never do that to a cat. Ever. They don’t deserve it.”
“I don’t think I can make that promise,” Luz said, happy she had finally worn him down. “I’m just sooo desperate for physical contact that I might have to adopt a cat.” She squirmed over on the bed, making sure to leave a suspiciously Hunter-sized space. The original just shook his head at it before laying down next to her, stretching his arm out.
Luz was ecstatic at his (not at all coerced) change of tune and immediately responded by laying her head on his arm and cuddling up against him. She had always been a very physical person and was a big proponent of people cuddling their friends. She'd made sure Hunter, like Willow, Amity, and Gus before him, had learned the drill by now: 'When Luz wants a hug, give it to her'. Some of her favorite memories were just all of her friends piling together in the Owl House or her mamá's place in the human world and doing their own things independently of each other. Just enjoying life and each other's company.
Not that Hunter minded, of course. He'd told her that, after years of Belos' abuse, physical contact was the best, whether it was a real hug or just him and Gus high-fiving.
“I just don’t get it! I'm young, single, and ready to mingle but everyone I shoot my shot with is either already dating or a total jerk.”
Hunter groaned. “Tell me about it. People think my scars are “so cooool” when they see them from a distance or in pictures but everything changes when they get a good look. Then they start avoiding contact...”
Luz furrowed her brow and, just to spite those people, she hugged her fellow single even harder. “They don't know what they're missing. Your scars just add texture to hugs.”
Hunter laughed as she squirmed and wiggled to get a better angle for grabbing him. “Hey! That tickles,” he shoved her back into her spot and tried to change conversational tracks. “What about that girl you were talking about last month? That didn't go anywhere?”
“Sadly, no. She wound up breaking things off after the second date. She said it was because we “weren't compatible as people” but I think it was cause I talked way too much about the new Azura reboot. It's not my fault they dropped the trailer like an hour before our second date! I need people to know that the writers are hitting a massive home run with the lore! They're bringing in so many obscure but awesome book characters like Hecate's former ally Chimerina. She got written out of the original movies and I'm still mad about it!” Luz's eyes were wide with excitement as she started to ramble about her favorite series. A light smile played across Hunter's face as he listened to her passions.
“There are even some hints in the second trailer and the leaked opening theme that they might actually make Heczura canon! If that happens, I will literally explode. Like, after all these years of writing fanfiction, an on-camera kiss might just kill m- uh...” Luz cut herself off, smiling sheepishly and looking a touch embarrassed. “Sorry. I know you're not as much of an Azura fan as I am.”
Hunter shook his head. “You can keep going if you want. I like hearing you talk about stuff like that.”
“Stuff that I'm a nerd about?” Luz joked, trying to deflect a bit of her embarrassment with humor.
“Stuff you're passionate about. I'd rather hear you ramble about Azura or why milk is evil-”
“It is!”
“Then hear other people talk about 'normal' things.”
Luz laughed. “Damn, goldie. Why are you still single when you got sincerity like that?”
"Because I have to compete with people like you, Luzura," Hunter teased back, laughing and playfully jabbing her in the side, sending her into a fit of giggles as she rolled back.
"But seriously, I wish I could be open with people like that," Hunter said as he relaxed back into the comforter and cast his gaze to the ceiling. "I'm not used to talking about my hobbies with strangers and anyone who even touches the can of bloodworms that is my past turns and runs as fast as they can."
Luz frowned at the older boy. "I'm sorry, Hunter. That sounds awful." The words felt so lame to her but she meant each and every word. "You're welcome to pretend I'm a stranger and practice conversation on me. I'm an awesome actress, after all. My Romeo and Juliet performance had people sobbing!" She puffed up her chest in pride although avoided mentioning her interpretation of Lady Montague's death had gone slightly off-script.
To her disappointment, Hunter just shook his head. "That wouldn't work. I'm just too... comfortable with you. I know you'll understand what I mean and get what I'm saying but almost nobody else is like that."
"I guess that's the downside of being trauma buddies," Luz groaned, to which Hunter just snorted.
"Right. That's the downside to trauma."
"It's one of them! I didn't bring up the other downsides we share like nightmares, years of therapy, or staying up until three AM reading fanfiction to avoid lying awake with your thoughts."
"I'm pretty sure that last one's just you, Luz."
"Shut up! My sources tell me Ruler's Reach and Cosmic Encounter fanfiction make up the bulk of your late-night reading!"
Hunter scowled. "I told Waffles to keep that a secret."
"Awww but I think it's sweet you love me and King's literary masterpiece so much."
"Shut up," Hunter groaned, trying to push her off the bed as she laughed at his blush.
Luz yelped as she felt her body slipping off the side and made a desperate blind grab to find something (anything) to anchor herself to the bed.
The good news was that she did grab onto something. The bad news was that it was Hunter. The worse news was she was already too far gone. The worst news was that she dragged Hunter down too.
"Gaaaghhh! LUZ!"
Pillows and blankets scattered as Luz and Hunter awkwardly fell off the bed in a singular mass of limbs, tumbling into a heap on the floor... with Hunter falling onto her back and Luz on her hands and knees over him, their faces just inches apart.
For a moment, neither spoke. Neither could. All that they could hear was the sound of their heartbeats.
It was Luz who finally broke the silence, gazing down at Hunter's wide brown eyes.
“So... you said you wanted someone you could always be open with? Who didn't care about your scars or your past?” Luz whispered hesitantly, her breath tickling Hunter’s nose. She slowly brought an arm over and hesitantly put her hand on his cheek, feeling the rough skin of his scar beneath her soft palm.
He swallowed. “Uh... yeah. And you wanted someone who likes it when you ramble? Someone who understands what you’ve been through?” He put a hand up to her face and moved a stray curl behind her ear. His hand, calloused from his childhood in the Coven and career as a palisman carver, felt so warm as it cupped her cheek. “Someone who accepts it all?”
“...yeah,” Luz breathed, almost inaudible to her ears over the sound of her pounding heart.
Luz wasn't sure who closed the distance first. It might've been her or it might've been him but she didn't care. Once their lips crashed together, she didn't care about anything except pulling him closer.
One arm propped herself up against the floor while her other went behind his head, grabbing a fistful of blonde hair to keep his face mashed against hers.
Hunter didn't just sit there, however. One hand went to her cheek and the other wrapped around her midsection to keep them pressed together.
Whether it was five seconds or five hours, Luz wasn't sure. All she knew was the warmth of Hunter's body heat and the tender feeling of his lips against hers.
Sadly, they couldn't survive on love and kisses alone. Forced by their respiratory systems to come up for air, both of the lovebirds were panting from the exertion. 'Who knew kissing could be so exhausting?' Luz thought. Shifting to lie on her side next to him, Luz watched as Hunter moved back to lie against the bed frame.
"So... you need a date to Eda and Raine's wedding next month? Because I know a gal who might be interested in being your plus one," Luz said smiling.
"I don't know. I wouldn't want to mess up your dreams of being a single lady with 30 cats," Hunter said, smiling that stupid adorable grin of his. Luz hated how much she loved it. "Maybe Lady Ravenfluffles will go with you instead."
"Oh shut up, goldie." Luz said, rolling her eyes and playfully punching his chest before going in for another kiss.
'Looks like Valentine's Day might be good for love after all,' Luz thought happily as Hunter wrapped his arms around her and melted into the kiss.