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Willow is walking through the forest, creeping towards the emperor's coven, trying not to make a sound. Luz, her and Gus were all assigned different areas to scout, so they could gather information. If they want to learn more about the day of unity and Belos’s plan, risks must be taken. The sun hangs high. Willow was assigned to one of the many bases belonging to the emperor's coven, littered around everywhere on the boiling isle’s. This may have been one of the more dangerous scouting missions that they decided apon, but Willow knows that Gus and Luz think of her as the strong one, and Willow didn’t want to let them down.
She must be getting close, she’s been walking for a while now and her legs were starting to get tired. Willow was looking forward to when she could sit down and rest again. There was not a cloud in the sky, so there was nothing stopping the sun from blazing, blazing so brightly she almost didn’t notice the flash of Crimson light amids the trees. Almost.
Willow feels a firm hand clamp onto her shoulder. She sighs, drawing a circle in the air. “Gah-!”
Willow smirks, glad that she had successfully ensnared her opponent. However, once she turns around, she feels her heart drop. Bile sack and all. because she is face to face with none other than the golden guard.
The golden guard who knew what Belos was up to. Who knew about his plan for the day of unity. And despite everything, despite knowing Belos was a fraud, Still decided to help him. Still decided to ship her off to the emperor's coven without a second thought. And she would have been stuck helping the enemy if not for that coven head.
“What the heck!?”
He yells, angry. Willow feels her fists clench, she should be the angry one, she should be riddled with resentment, she should want to pound his face into the ground. And she hates that she’s not. That despite everything, she still has this syrup that surrounds her heart when she sees him, this feeling, this warmth, this adoration. That despite everything he’s done, she still cares about him. She takes a deep breath, her fists unclenching. She’s never seen him with his helmet on before. Though it is disappointing, she has missed his face. She supposes she should put on a mask herself, but fake ignorance and a plastered on smile should be enough to get by. “Sorry about that, I get pretty jumpy in the woods, never know when someone will try to attack you.”
Willow remarks as she dispells the vines. She could have tried interrogating him while he was stuck, but that would be too suspicious, and dangerous. “Thanks”
His voice rings in the helmet. It sounds colder, more intimidating. Willow hates it, that voice doesn’t suit him, but she’d rather pretend she doesn’t remember. She’d rather pretend that she was anything but half a witch Willow. “Well, if that's it, then I’ll be on my way.”
She says curtly, turning around, ready to go back to her original mission. However, a flash of red stops her, and suddenly the golden guard is in front of her, blocking the path. He laughs, Sounding cocky, it's not genuine. It doesn’t suit him. it's not him, it's not Hunter, it's the golden guard, and the two may be the same, but they are different. They are so very different. “Did you really think you’d get away that easily?” he questioned, fake confidence oozing from a fake voice, coming from a fake persona. It made Willow realize she longed to hear him again. Hear his voice, his real voice, and see his real face. But she would keep all of that to herself. She won’t let her mask drop, at least, not until he drops his. “What are you talking about? I’m just out for a walk.”
She tries to sound as convincing as possible, clearly, it's not convincing enough.
“Right, a walk.”
He drawls, clearly mocking her. “Just a walk in the forest owned by the emperor's coven. Y’know, accidentally.”
Willow feels her heart crack a little, being mocked by Hunter makes her blood run colder than an ice glyph. Even the meanest, most horrible thing Boscha’s said to her didn’t hurt this bad. She balls her hands into fists at her side, trying to stop herself from shaking. Remember, it's an act, it's not Hunter, just pretend it's not him. Pretend it's someone else. Just pretend. “Well? What if it was? What If I got lost?”
Willow’s voice is laced with a layer of anger. She tries to conceal it as best she can. The golden guard laughs. “We both know that's not true, captain. You’re too smart to put yourself in danger like this, not without a purpose.”
Captain he called her captain, just like before, just like that day. She couldn’t help but cling to that word like a lifeline. Maybe he did care, maybe, if they can defeat Belos, they could actually be friends, or more. No, she shouldn’t think like that. Not right now at least. Willow inhales, clearing her head, and trying to keep her mask from falling apart. “And what if it is true? What would you do then, Hunter?”
Calling him that felt weird while he was in uniform, she just hoped that the use of his real name affected him just as much as the use of ‘captain’ had her. The golden guard sighs, “just, go. Please, I really don’t want to send you to the conformitorium.”
He sounded softer, more genuine. Like the mask he was wearing was breaking. It made her heart skip a beat. “You- you really won’t tell anyone?”
He nods. “What happens in the forest, stays in the forest.”
Willow doesn’t move. Dumbfounded that he’s so blatantly going against the law for her of all people. Why? Why would he do this? “Please just go, I wouldn’t do this for just anyone y’know.”
“Then why are you doing it for me?”
Willow asks, as soon as she says it she regrets it. She’s on thin ice already. She doesn’t need to stomp on the ground. “B- because you’re a strong witch, you’ve earned my respect.”
He stutters. Clearly trying to hide something. But what? If only she could see his face right now, see his expressions. He was so much easier to read without his helmet, with how his face contorted at something he didn’t like, or how he beamed at her after they had won the flyer derby match, or how, when their hands touched slightly as she passed him the flags, his face went a bright crimson and- oh.
Oh.
“Do you… do you like me?”
She wasn’t sure why she asked it aloud. Titan, why would she ask it aloud? Her mask is beginning to break. “What!? O-of course not! Where is this even coming from!?”
Willow can tell how flustered he is, even with his helmet on. “You do, don’t you?”
She isn’t sure why she keeps prodding, But she can feel his act slipping away, and she wants to see him, to feel him, to know him, again and again, forever. “Well, it's hard not to like you at least a little bit. You’re just a very likeable sort of person! Not to imply that I like you!”
Now that sounds more like the witch Willow knows. If only she could see him. If only she could- “Can I kiss you?” She blurtes out. Titan, why is she acting like this? Why can’t she keep her thoughts to herself? Why can’t she just stomp out this seed of emotions in her heart? “What!?”
He practically screams, shocked. It's silent for a few moments. Both of them processing what Willow just asked. The golden guard speaks up. “No, absolutely not. I can’t, I won’t, who knows what would happen if I said yes to that- if it got out that I had feelings for the enemy- that I kissed-”
“It won’t get out.”
Willow spoke confidently. She was surprised her voice wasn’t wavering, but Hunter didn’t seem convinced, so she went on. “You said it yourself, what happens in this forest stays in this forest.”
He seems to think about that. Honestly, what was she even doing? There was no way he would say yes to something like this, her word didn’t mean anything, at this point she’d be lucky if he didn’t kill her on the spot. They stood in silence, the sun still hanging high, though they were hidden behind a canopy of leaves, shading them from the light, and the forest protecting them from being watched. It was just them, just the two of them. Alone, as the silence continues. “Well, I guess one kiss couldn’t hurt.”
He whispers. Willow feels her face go warm, he sounds so gentle, so much more like… like himself. She moves closer to him, her mask was broken, but so was his. They stand there for a few moments, close, but not quite touching. Willow giggles softly, “your helmet?”
“Ah- right!”
He reaches up and takes it off. Unveiling the witch underneath, Hunter. Willow’s heart catches fire, burning, and before realizing what she was doing, she pulls him into a hug. Holding him tightly, not wanting to let him go, not wanting to lose him. Not again. She’s scared that he’ll slip away, never to be seen again, and the scariest part is that he just might. “I’ve missed you, Hunter.”
Willow whisper’s softly, and she can feel his heart beating against her chest, rhythmic, real. “I’ve- Ive missed you too, captain.”
And he hugs her back. Firm, comforting. Like he felt the same way. Willow takes one of her hands and moves it to his face, her thumb caressing his cheek. Their faces are inches apart, drawing ever closer. Until, finally, the gap is closed.
The kiss is soft, and gentle. Willow's heart bloomed, it bloomed like a beautiful flower, piercing out of the confines of her heart and wrapping around her. It was as though time had stopped, like there was nothing else but them. like everything keeping them apart had slipped away, everything was okay. Everything was okay because Hunter was here with her. That was all either of them could ask for. To be there, with each other, and, for a moment, it felt as though they couldn’t tell where one of them ends and the other begins, like their very beings had been melded together, syncronistically spinning as one, never letting go, never letting themselves go.
Until they did.
One kiss couldn’t hurt
But it could. It could because now they knew. They knew this feeling, and now they would have to go on without it, without each other. “What happens in the forest stays in the forest, right?”
Hunter asks, Cupping Willow’s cheeks in the same way she had done earlier. The fabric of his gloves surprisingly soft against her skin. His face is a bright crimson. “Y-yeah, I meant it when I said that. I promise I won’t tell anyone about today.”
She couldn’t stop her voice from wavering, or her body from shaking, it was then that she noticed that he was shaking too. Hunter smiled, and it set her heart ablaze, burning brightly. “Then, would you mind if we kissed again? Though, we should probably sit down if we do.”
Hunter’s voice was warm and sweet. “I’m not sure if I could stay upright if we, well, yknow.”
Willow chuckled softly, she really has missed him. “Yeah, sure.”
Hunter then sits down on the grass and gestures for Willow to sit down next to him. With his legs crossed, and a soft smile on his face. That's when an idea pops into her head. “I’m not going to sit next to you.”
She states. Hunter looks up at her, suddenly nervous. “Why- why not?”
He asks. Willow smiles, warmth creeping into her face once more. “Let me show you.”
Then, without warning, she walks over to him, and sits on his lap, her legs wrapping around his torso. “whoa- wha- I- uh-!”
Hunter sputters, his face and ears stained a bright red. “Is this too much?”
Willow asks. “NO-! No- I uh- this is fine.”
She can’t help but laugh at that response, it's just such a him thing to say.
They stayed like that for a little while, adrenaline rushing through both of them, their bodies shaking and their hearts beating rhythmically against each other, thump thump thumping as they close the gap between them once more, a second wave of euphoria crashing over the both of them. Their bodies pressing against each other, Hunter's arms wrapped tightly around her waist, as if trying to pull her impossibly closer, as her legs keep his torso firmly in place, and, oh, there's that feeling again, that feeling that they are one, that feeling of their very matter being pulled together into a dance of complete comfort, that no matter what, they have each other, that no matter what they’ll be there, waiting for the other, again and again, forever. Until they part. And of course, the truth comes back, crashing over them like a wave on a winter day. Cold, sharp, painful, and Willow is reminded, once again, that Hunter is still the enemy. She continues to run a hand through his hair, and he leans into it, looking deep into her eyes, as if trying to see the very fabric of her soul, and she looks back. He then takes a deep breath, and sighs. “This would be so much easier if you were in the emperor's coven.”
He says it softly, sadly. As if he’s asking her for something. But she can’t give him what he wants. “I’m sorry Hunter, but you know I can’t do that.”
Willow says it softly, she really is sorry. She wishes it didn’t have to be this way, but she can’t in good faith let Belos get away with this plan. Hunter chuckles softly, the laugh is laced with both longing and disappointment. “I know, its just…”
He places one of his hands behind her head.
“This is the happiest Ive been in… in a while. I just- I just wish it didn’t have to end.”
Willow smiles. “Same here.”
And so their lips meet again, and again, and again, as they try as hard as they can to prolong the moment, to grab onto each other as they can feel themselves slipping through each other's fingers, causing them to cling to each other even further, afraid that the other would be lost. They enjoy the moment, but it must come to an end, as all moments do.
as the sun sets, they are finally pulled from each other. “Good luck captain.”
The golden guard says, as he disappears behind the trees. Willow waits a moment before she responds.
“You too, Hunter.”