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Luz was never brought up to find shame or embarrassment in something as natural—and unavoidable—as menstruation. Her first period had come somewhat early, at age 10, and while the first glimpse of the blood had frightened her, she had been taught what it was and how it was handled, so she had awkwardly pulled back on her newly stained underwear and gone to tell her dad the news.
It had all been very normal. While there were slight lamentations as to her growing far too quickly for them to keep up, her parents didn't treat it as something horrible or grotesque or worthy of even blushing over. It was just a biological function.
That didn't stop Luz from finding ways to be embarrassed though.
She'd had enough pads with her when she came to the Demon Realm to last her through the time she would have been at summer camp, but when that time passed and Luz didn't return, those supplies ran out and, well, Aunt Flo waits for no one. Except pregnant folk, Luz supposed, if she wanted to be silly.
She did not. What she wanted was for her underwear to remain unscathed by nature's red wrath. Grumbling, Luz poked around the things she'd emptied onto her bed, even though she already knew she wasn't going to miraculously find a spare week's worth of pads. She didn't want to ask Eda. Maybe her mom and dad hadn't been embarrassed by menstruation, but Luz was!
Well, okay, maybe not embarrassed. She just preferred to keep her bodily functions private. Even decaying, when death came for her, would be in a closed casket. Or whatever they use for green burials. She hadn’t really looked it up yet. Still, she knew this: the only things that needed to be shared were eating and sex.
Luz raised an eyebrow. Does sex count as a bodily function? Her free hand came up and scratched at her scalp, the other leaving the pile of possessions on the bed to rest on her hip. Maybe just orgasming does…?
She didn't startle when the door opened. It had only been a short amount of time, but sharing the room with Hunter was already second nature to her.
Hunter! Luz turned quickly towards her new friend. Despite their relationship's complicated start, she and Hunter shared, well, everything! After being trapped in Belos' mind together, Luz had begged Hunter to stay and make things right with her…and now she and Hunter were thick as thieves.
They had slotted together easily. In many ways, Hunter felt like a childhood best friend. And sometimes a little more than that too.
Luz batted that thought away, blushing. That didn't matter now. What mattered was making sure that the Blood Moon rising didn't result in Calamity Ganon's servants destroying her freaking underwear!
"Um, Hunter?"
Hunter didn't look up from the books he was shuffling through. "Yeah?" He found the book he was looking through, held it up triumphantly, and shoved the rest back under his bed with the other banned tomes on wild magic.
Luz smiled to see him smiling before her face fell again. "Um, this is a little awkward…"
"I think we've passed that point," Hunter murmured, amused. He turned to look at her fully though, giving her his full attention. "Is…something wrong?"
"Not really. I do need some help, though."
"Sure, anything. What do you need?"
"Umm…" Luz swallowed heavily. Though rocking back on her heels definitely made her feel better, it didn't make admitting this any easier. "Do you know what witches do during their periods? Like, where they get their supplies?"
Hunter blinked. "Period of what?"
"Um. Like, blood?"
"Oh. You can get blood from any grocery market, but the best place—"
"No, no, I mean… Mother Nature's gifts? A visit from Aunt Flo? The blood moon?"
Hunter blinked again.
"...Being on the rag? Shark week? Menstruation?"
Hunter began to look concerned.
Luz sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "When someone with a uterus isn't pregnant, or, like, old, there's a week out of the month where they bleed from their vagina. Where do I get supplies for that?"
Now Hunter's face lit up with understanding. "Oh! The flowers!" He face-palmed, laughing at himself. "You humans sure have funny names for things."
Luz' shoulders relaxed. "So, you can help me? I'm too embarrassed to ask Eda…"
Hunter nodded. "I understand. It was always really private with me too. I don't get courses anymore, but when I did, I wasn't supposed to let anybody know. Uncle Belos was very clear about that."
"Oh, wow." It was Luz' turn to blink now. "Is it like that for all witches? The privacy part, I mean?"
Hunter shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I've…never really had anyone to talk to about it. When it was time for flowers, I wasn't to tell anyone but my uncle—or Head Witch Cutburn, if I had any concerns regarding flow or levels of pain."
"Do you know why?" Luz bit her lip and looked away awkwardly. "Not trying to pry or anything, I just want to know what to expect if I have to bring it up to Eda…"
Again, Hunter shrugged, this time while rubbing the back of his neck. He looked guilty. Ashamed. "My uncle said it—well, that it dirtied me. My relationship with the divine was made lesser during that time. And so it was better to keep it quiet than to humiliate myself."
Luz stared in horror. She had grown to hate Belos for much, much worse, but she found herself hating him more still for this cruelty. "Over a bodily function? That's stupid! It's not like you could control whether or not it happened. Even if you could, again, it's a bodily function. Who cares? Why would the Titan care?"
After a couple of wide blinks, Hunter smiled. "Thanks, Luz." Then he looked away again, stuffing his hands into his pockets, his grin growing small and secret. "A-Anyways, I can get you some materials. I don't have them around anymore, obviously, but all I need are some rags and something absorbent to stuff inside. It’s easy to sew. Unc—Belos had me using thin fabrics folded up at first, but I've found that there are types of moss that can be helpful! It's a bit hard to wash that, though, so the filling would have to be replaced, and made sterile too…"
"Oh my Titan, thank you!" Luz jumped up to wrap her arms around his neck. "You're the best!" She stepped back and grinned at his shocked expression and pink cheeks. "I'll go digging through Eda's stuff to find good materials. Wait here!"
Hunter laughs quietly. “Uh, okay. I guess I’ll get my sewing stuff out.”
Luz isn’t embarrassed anymore. She can feel Hunter’s eyes on her when she leaves and she knows without a shadow of a doubt that his eyes never look at her in judgement.