Archive of Our Own ^beta

There was no reason for Hunter to assume that anyone would ever come close to understanding his situation, even a little bit.

He grew up believing he was meant for something great; greater than any soul on the Isles could imagine. The Titan had chosen him, after all.

And, for what was he chosen, exactly? Hunter was never quite sure.
For all he knew were the words that his uncle kept repeating to him over and over again, making sure that they were drilled deep into his skull, into his heart...

"The Titan has big plans for you."

A destiny placed upon him against his will... one he was never happy to accept of his own volition.
He had always felt a pang of envy towards the other residents of the Isles. Sure, none of them were special in the way he was, yet they had the power to carve their own path, follow their own dreams.

However, Hunter was nothing if not grateful. Never did he let his pride towards being the youngest Golden Guard to have ever lived falter. Never did he even once consider giving up on his position, despite the long list of failures which regretfully bore his name.

His envy kept hidden away—only once bubbling to the surface during an uncharacteristically heartfelt conversation with Luz in Latissa—because even the slightest thought of wishing for a different fate felt like betrayal to him.

Betrayal towards whom?
His uncle, of course.

His uncle—who took him in despite being a powerless witch, unfit to partake in society.
His uncle—who gave him a place to sleep, clothes to wear, and food to eat.

Sure, the mattress he slept on was incredibly hard, nor was his pillow in any better shape, having been patched up over and over again, some of the stitches poking him and making his skin itch; the clothes he wore were designed for a show of status first and comfort second; and the food he ate served simply for the sake of proper nutritional intake, fit for a soldier, delicious taste being far from the chef's priority—but all of that far outweighed fighting for survival on the unforgiving streets of Bonesborough, after the rest of his family had been slaughtered by attacks from "Wild Witches."

Hunter couldn't actually remember anything before the castle, his oldest memory consisting of waking up in a dark, cold room, Belos—his uncle—looking down at him, giving him what he at the time presumed to be a warm, kind smile; but considering he had been a small child at the time, it made sense to him that he couldn't remember. There was never a need to question it further.

For a good part of his life, Belos played a huge role in many of his memories.
The family that took him in... the only family he had left.

So, despite all the selfish emotions deep within his heart, he wouldn't let them boil to the surface.
Repaying his uncle for taking him in, showing him love, saving his life... those feats were far more important than any silly wish for a different outcome Hunter may have had.

He was far from perfect—his weak, soft heart getting in the way of fulfilling his goals more often than he'd be comfortable admitting—but he was nothing but loyal.

The Palismen he lost during his scuffle against Kikimora in Latissa? Because he was distracted by a little guilt tripping from Luz? A huge blow to both his pride and Belos' health, but he tried to make up for that by going on an undercover mission to retrieve Titans' Blood from Eclipse Lake to power the portal... actually, scratch that, he didn't try—he succeeded! ... well, sort of.

And, that time he let a bunch of Hexside students go when his original plan consisted of recruiting them to the Coven, per Darius' advice? All because he had fun playing Flyer Derby with them, getting close enough for his heart to feel like it was getting ripped to shreds, simply from the sight of the team captain—sitting on the other side of the cell bars—doubting herself? It's fine, it's absolutely fine! He was more than ready to take on the traitors roaming the castle, the ones concocting a plan to try and invade the Emperor's mind!

The point being... no matter the mishaps, no matter how often he had to stand up and fight again, he did exactly that. Because one thing was certain...

He couldn't lose Belos.

No matter the cause... by losing his trust and being outcast, nor by him succumbing to his curse because of his Palisman reserve running out (and Hunter losing the heart to capture any new ones)... he couldn't lose him.

He was all Hunter had.

He lived for him, breathed for him... his entire existence hinged on him.

... and one fateful night would be all it took to show him how literal that statement was.

There was no family. No "Wild Witches." No "special plans" from the Titan.

It was all a lie. A beautiful lie.

Yes, beautiful—for all the pain he went through, all the hardships he endured... at least he could believe he was somebody.

Yet, he was not.

His life was filled with falsehoods, but he couldn't deny the greatest lie of them all... the one staring back at him in the mirror.

An existence such as his was never meant to be. He was merely taking on the face of someone long deceased.

All witches, all humans, all living beings were borne from the love of two individuals; Hunter was built together like a machine, using the essence of a sinner who lived centuries before his time.

He was neither witch, nor human... just a disgusting parasite, piloting a body which he could barely trust to be his own.

Belos never cared for him. Hunter was nothing but a shadow of a person, but he could never be him.

The days passed, the Day of Unity commenced, and he ended up in the Human Realm.

And for what it was worth... the time he spent there was quite relaxing, if incredibly overwhelming for the first month or so.

Hunter wasn't used to the warm showers, the soft clothes with silly animal print and patterns on them, food that actually made him emotional from how good it tasted—even if he made a fool of himself upon his very first bite of spicy food—and getting to sleep on a mattress that felt like a cloud in comparison to what his bed at the castle was like...

And that was far from it all... because having to suddenly share a room with someone was definitely something he wasn't exactly prepared for, either.

Sure, he had gotten used to Flapjack's presence, but sharing a room with another witch was on an entirely different level. For the first few nights, he tended to wait for any sign—no matter how small—that Gus had fallen asleep before he let himself drift off. He wouldn't say that he didn't trust him—far from it—but he was definitely... wary of allowing any display of vulnerability around others.

In hindsight, that was probably a little silly of him; Gus was the one who sat him through his anxiety attacks at Hexside, after all. He had already been plenty vulnerable with him. But, he also couldn't deny that the thought of sleeping in front of anyone was quite embarrassing to him, at least at the time.

Not that it mattered much, for those nights would be far from being the only sleepless ones.

Hunter had a lot of fun in the Human Realm. More fun than he could have ever imagined being possible.

He enjoyed listening to Gus going on and on about the intricacies of the Human Realm; gardening and going on little walks with Willow, while gathering berries for Flapjack; learning how to cook together with Camila and Vee (once the latter had gotten used to his presence); going on fun trips with the whole gang—if he could use only one word to describe these experiences, it would be "happiness."

If only that happiness wasn't accompanied by fear.

Fear that they would find out.
Fear that the truth would come to light, that he carries the revolting blood of a former Witch Hunter within him—no, that he is little more than a copy of him.

Fear that his newfound happiness would come crashing down, leaving him only with memories of what he could have had if he was his own person.

But, he was not his own person—realistically, Hunter was never meant to exist.

And if the others ever found out the truth, he believed they would have scorned him, wanted him gone... only Luz knew the truth—as far as he was aware—and she had come to accept him without even as much as a bat of the eye... but she wasn't a witch. She was a human; he never posed a danger to her.

Could he say the same for the others?

When he first arrived in the Human Realm, Vee kept her distance from him, only looking at him with fearful eyes, for she had feared he—as a member of the Emperor's Coven—had arrived to take her back; all he could see was the future that was sure to await him, once Amity, Gus, and Willow found out about him being a Grimwalker, a clone of a Witch Hunter.

Besides, even if Luz accepted him, she was still close friends with the others; it would have been impossible for him to stay close to her without scaring the others.

And thus, he spent many nights awake for longer than he would have liked, Galdorstone heart beating erratically against his chest, sweat uncomfortably covering him from top to bottom, trying his best to not fall victim to another anxiety attack.

It wasn't until a few days after the heavy events that were to follow—Belos' return; Flapjack's sacrifice; Gus confessing to having had already known the truth this whole time, and Willow suffering from a breakdown when everything she bottled up became too much to handle; and everyone fighting to take the Isles back—that the realisation hit... they found out, and treated him no differently from how they did before.

That realisation was enough for all the fear he had let build up to burst, escaping him in the form of many regretful tears, clinging onto Willow as if he was still in danger of losing her.

None of them cared that he was nothing but a clone... because to them, he wasn't.

They saw him as his own—not as Caleb Wittebane, or a clone of a long departed soul, or the nephew of a corrupt former Emperor—he was Hunter, their friend. It sounded so simple, yet it was all he ever wanted.

He was loved.
He was cherished.
They made him feel like he was meant to be.

Unfortunately, the insecurities didn't end there.

Hunter may have found his place within the friend group, but he had yet to find his place in the world.

There were days on which he felt less than his own; days on which he questioned his every action, his every thought. Were they truly his own, or was he being influenced by a ghost haunting him?

Some days were easier than others. Sometimes, he wasn't even sure if he could trust that he was real.

His friends were always ready to reassure him that he was alive, he was Hunter, no one else... he wished he knew how to explain to them the feelings of dysphoria that crept up whenever he caught a reflection of himself on his bad days.

Looking down at his body had already become difficult when considering all the long, deep scars he had acquired after... the incident. However, he hated the days on which his body felt foreign to him even more; he could pinch his skin and feel the pain, yet he couldn't claim that pain.

Oftentimes, he would skip showers, all so he could avoid having to look at himself. He disliked the grime of daily life clinging to him; his hatred for his silhouette was stronger.

Thankfully, as time went on, those moments became fewer and farther between—but they never fully disappeared.

No matter how much time continued to pass, his loved ones will never truly understand him—they can love him, accept him, but they cannot commit to the impossible.

Being unable to feel understood by one's loved ones is a chasm of loneliness one wouldn't wish upon their worst enemies.

The smiles, the laughter, all drowned out by a hollow feeling in one's chest, cruel words whispering to one's heart that they will never truly be one of them.

Hunter felt like that sometimes.

Yet, he would never allow that overwhelming feeling of separation to get the better of him.

True, not being able to articulate his deepest, darkest thoughts did get to him at times—especially whenever his friends tried to comfort him, tell him he's okay, causing the urge to yell at them to leave him alone to rise within him. All they want to do is help, after all... there was no need to get angry at them, so he resisted said urges as best as he could, feeling awful in return.

However, he was sure... if he hadn't met a certain someone back in the Human Realm, things would have been much worse for him.

Several months ago, during the last few days of their forced stay in the Human Realm, Hunter had become preoccupied with a new interest.

It was far from the first time he had used his newly-acquired free time to catch up with a few of his hobbies—he already had more than a few shirts he sewed various coloured patches onto using the human technology sewing machine—but none had filled up his thoughts as much as reading this one book did.

Its title? Cosmic Frontier.
A book about space-faring travellers wandering the cosmos; a book about friendship, adventure, and space ships! Lots and lots of cool, high-tech space ships!

Whenever he was spending time in the basement, he was reading Cosmic Frontier. Whenever he was doing household chores? Thinking about Cosmic Frontier. Showering? Thinking about Cosmic Frontier. Watching movies unrelated to Cosmic Frontier? Becoming aware of and fixated on every single plot point or character that reminds him of Cosmic Frontier. Trying to sleep? Can't; Cosmic Frontier is on the brain!

Now, while Hunter spent most of his time in his room at the castle studying, he wasn't unfamiliar with fictional books. He had managed to snag a copy of Ruler's Reach when it had just come out, and became more than a little obsessed with the story; it became all he could think about for the next couple of weeks, juggling it around in his brain next to all the important stuff he needed to remember.

And while the same could obviously be said for Cosmic Frontier as well, it felt a little... different.

Gus was the one who brought the book to his attention; and while he wasn't initially interested in the concept, one tiny remark from Gus was all that was needed to spark Hunter's interest...

One late evening, a few days after the aforementioned conversation, Hunter had cooped up in his mattress, book in hand, reading away.

Gus was also in the room with him, reading through a human shopping catalogue from what seemed to be an "appliance store."

It was silent.
That was normal whenever Hunter held a book in his hands, preferring to peruse rather than hastily gloss over everything without taking anything in.

However, that day was a little different, for he spoke without looking up from the page:
"He... really likes the stars, huh..."

It seemed to take Gus a few seconds to figure out whom exactly he was talking about, but it must have clicked almost instantly. Clearly not knowing whether Hunter was looking for conversation or was simply speaking to himself, Gus decided to answer anyway, "Yeah? It's one of the first things he started liking!"

"... of his own volition..."

"Exactly!"

Gus sounded more enthused than Hunter would have honestly expected him to. Was he waiting for him to come to that conclusion...?

Awkwardly, though carefully, fiddling with the pages, Hunter continued his line of thought with three simple words:
"I envy him."

"... for... liking things...?"

That... wouldn't be entirely inaccurate, but doesn't explain it well enough...
"... for being his own person... knowing what he wants... knowing what he feels... and... being able to express all that properly..."

Gus seemed to ponder on that answer for a little while, causing Hunter to wonder if he said too much. Before he could shut him down with a quick "never mind!", Gus managed to find the words he was looking for...

"Well... he's not... quite at that point yet. Expressing yourself is hard. Or, even knowing what you really feel, for that matter."

Hunter couldn't deny that. Though, it went way deeper than just those few words...

While the story of the book was intriguing and fun in its own right, he must come to admit that he felt the most attached to one specific character; and it was none other than the one who Gus used to intice him to the book in the first place: Chief Engineer O'Bailey.

O'Bailey was a cool enough—and, might he add, good-looking—character on his own. He got the best one-liners, and the most interesting scenes, and even a sweet romance with a botanist-type character? ... yeah, that last one definitely didn't remind him of anyone in particular.

But, most important of all, what endeared Hunter to O'Bailey was exactly what lured him into reading the book in the first place: he was a clone. Not borne through love; created in a lab for an ulterior motive, tasked by the enemy with infiltrating the main character Captain Avery's crew. O'Bailey is undeniably different from all the other, very human protagonists.

And, yet...

"... Gus... is it weird that someone who's not real makes me feel seen...?"

"Nah. That's completely normal."
Didn't even take him a second...

Though, maybe Gus responding so quickly without missing a beat was for the better, lest Hunter end up overthinking what he just so casually admitted to.

And so, Hunter continued...
"He unwillingly became close to the enemy, letting them into his heart; but he struggles to fit in, because he's different. Not like the others."

It felt ironic, othering O'Bailey when Hunter could so easily find himself in him.

"Once you start looking, he really isn't that different, though," Gus answered, sounding confident in himself.

That felt... strangely reassuring to hear...
"... he isn't... is he..."

"It's true. He just needs to learn to accept that, too."

An unfamiliar warmth spread throughout Hunter's chest, forcing his lips into a small smile.

He knew Gus was just talking about a fictional character. It was about O'Bailey, not Hunter.

Nevertheless, he couldn't stop the warmth.

"He should... let himself be happy..."
Hunter said those words while holding the book closely, gently against his chest.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to claim that Hunter had completely fallen in love with O'Bailey.

After the grueling events of taking back the Isles, Camila was so kind as to let Hunter borrow the book and take it back with him to the Demon Realm.

Oh, what a blessing that had been... he had completely exhausted himself—physically and mentally—during the prior couple of days, and spent most of the following in his newly acquired room in Darius and Eberwolf's freshly rented apartment.

A shabby apartment at that... but hey—it was better than anything else one would have been able to find at such short notice in any part of the Isles, let alone the lesser affected areas.

But, regardless of shabbiness... to Hunter, it was perfect.

His own home. His own room. His own space.
He would have jumped for joy if his body hadn't been so tired!

Sure, he had his own room at the castle—as did any member of the Emperor's Coven—but in turn, one was expected to serve. And while he enjoyed rooming in the basement of Camila's house with Gus, it was clear from the very beginning that it would turn out to only be a temporary solution.

However, his new room wasn't rented to him in exhange for service, nor was it lent to him out of necessity. It was his own, to do with as he pleased.

Back when he had first moved in, the room had been quite barren, featuring only a mattress to sleep on and a cupboard to store his clothes, amongst other small essentials.

While Hunter would have been content with that and nothing more, as time went on, his small little space became more and more filled up.

A desk in the corner, study papers and wood shavings scattered across it; a pin wall, filled with pictures and drawings of himself and his closest friends; and posters lining the walls—posters depicting fierce Flyer Derby matches, posters of wolves howling in the moonlight, and, of course, posters showcasing his favourite characters of all time... with Chief Engineer O'Bailey smack-dabbed in the middle of them.

It became a room that truly, undoubtedly screamed... Hunter.

But before all that—before the Emerald Entrails memorabilia; before all the glossy, shiny-looking pictures of wolves that only a teenage boy of his calibre would find unironically cool (per Amity's words... whatever that meant...)—the only object that stood out in his room was the Cosmic Frontier book that Camila lent him.

Hunter never found the chance to finish it back in the Human Realm, so he was eternally grateful for such a kindness. For as mentioned beforehand, he had become quite exhausted after everything that conspired; a good book to get his mind off of things was exactly what he needed.

Hours upon hours, pages upon pages, spent in his new room, reading about his favourite character learning and growing.

Dozens of messages filled to the brim with theories, emotional reactions to the saddest and happiest of scenes, crash-outs over gut-wrenching plot twists, and the occasional loud and excited voice message were being sent into Gus' Penstagram inbox periodically. Because, of course Gus got to share that journey with him! If it hadn't been for his curiosity for all things Human World, he probably never would have stumbled upon that book, hiding away in a dusty storage closet...

Oftentimes, he would find himself re-reading chapters before gathering the courage to move onto the next. There was so much to take in, he could have never reasonably contained himself!

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end...

Hunter still remembers the day on which he flipped the final page. He... knew everything now. He had seen the ins and outs of what the story had to offer.

He finally knew how O'Bailey's arc concluded.
Clone or not, it never mattered to the others... O'Bailey was O'Bailey, a friend... family... just as Hunter had always been to his loved ones. It gave Hunter a sense of pride towards a being that wasn't truly alive, yet felt so incredibly real to him.

His heart ached at the prospect of having to leave a world that brought so much to him behind, but he knew that the pain was worth it... as one of the characters in the book once said, "meeting people whose absence will end up leaving you hurt will always be more fulfilling than being ignorant towards the feeling... for it means, you have found love."

And finding love means to grow...

The night after he reached the end of the book, he put it away safely in his bag, to one day return it back to its original owner and move on from his journey, content in knowing all there is to discover.

... or, so he thought!

After the first time he stayed over at the Nocedas for a weekend, he came back home with a pile of Cosmic Frontier comic books he immediately rushed to show Gus!

Oh, how excited he had been! The main story may have been over, but there were still so many side stories to tackle through; forty-three issues full of galactic trials promising to keep both boys quite busy for a while!

The first time Hunter had come across a panel featuring O'Bailey, standing side-by-side with his trusted friend Captain Avery, he could barely contain his excitement—was it normal to start shaking from happiness?

But, that wasn't not all! Even after the eventual end of the comic book series, there was a vast world that Hunter had yet to experience!

Luz introduced him to the endless seas that is the Human Internet and social media, to something she called "fandoms."

A wide array of people collected together, discussing their favourite series, characters, and... "ships"? Like... space ships? There were still some things Luz had to explain to him in the beginning.

However, for what it's worth, he understood pretty quickly! O'Bailey and the botanist were such a "ship," amassing quite a number of fan-written stories about the two (and even some with word counts going into the hundreds of thousands?!); stories which Luz called "fan fic." Until that day, he had never seen prose as beautifully written, as poetically intriguing as seen in the works of those dedicated fans.

(He also learned that many people's minds worked quite... differently from his own.)

One particular O'Bailey-centric short story spoke to him in a way only the original book had managed to do originally; if he hadn't known any better, he would have assumed the author stalked him throughout his life, and used what they saw as inspiration for their fic. It hit scarily close to home, tore at his heart, and may or may not have left him a teary mess. Whenever he remembered the existence of that fic, he had to fight the urge to let his emotions get the better of him, strongly curling his hands into fists, lest he burst into a stream of words and paragraphs laced with abnormal amounts of enthusiasm. He didn't want to come on too strong.

But, fan fics weren't all there were, oh no! Fan animations of his most beloved scenes, fan art that made O'Bailey—and the other characters—look more attractive than he himself could have ever imagined, and so, so, so many people sharing their love for this one series, this one character that meant more to Hunter than anyone could have ever imagined! (Though, despite his exhilaration at having found many other like-minded people, he wasn't incredibly fond of that one account claiming to be "Chief O'Bailey's Number One Fan.")

He took many "Which Cosmic Frontier character are you"-quizzes, beaming at the ones that gave him the desired result, yet scoffing at the ones that dared give him anyone but his obvious favourite, deeming them "horribly inaccurate." So what if he's a stickler for the rules; that doesn't mean he's anything like Security Officer Quando?! The nerve...

And as one may have guessed, he had to make his friends—the ones who were also into Cosmic Frontier—take those quizzes, too! Gus got the expected result of Captain Avery—he was his favourite, after all—Camila got the character Aurora, the motherly and wise mentor of the group, and one who was canonically quite closely involved with another character named Circuit; while Willow got—... uhhhh... he forgot! Haha! Wasn't that important! It didn't make him giddy, at all! Nooope!

(The only thing that made him giddier was when Willow showed interest in reading the book after marveling at how much she loved his self-made O'Bailey costume.)

All in all, while Hunter never interacted with anyone in the fandom directly, lurking inside of it was nice. He had never felt a strong connection to strangers—and so many at once—before, unlike in those moments. All because of one book, one story; one universe that showed parts of themselves, made them feel seen, in ways nothing else before it ever could have...

At the Emperor's Coven, any sort of individual forms of expression were discouraged, as they were seen as distractions for what really mattered—bring the Titan's will down onto the sinful populace, and prepare for the sacred Day of Unity. Often, he was shut down before even being given the chance to speak aloud.

Hunter never was anyone.
He was simply another in a long line of Golden Guards, just a cheap copy of someone whose life had been cut short long ago.

Not a real person; just one who blindly followed orders; just one who was meant to—and failed to—fill in the footsteps of another; just one who felt the paralysing fear of being found out by his loved ones, unable to branch out and become a person of his own.

Because, how does one ethically become their own individual when they were never meant to be? Wouldn't that have made him a liar? A fraud?

O'Bailey liked the stars. It was the first thing he had admitted to of his own accord, free from the person he was meant to be; one who was meant to darken the skies, cause all life to cease to exist.

Not unlike Hunter, who went from seeing Palismen as dangerous creatures out for blood, to forming one of the closest "Witch"-Palisman bonds the Isles had ever seen; who went from going on missions to slay innocent creatures (or, let others do that dirty work for him) such as the Selkidomus, simply because it was expected of him, to becoming incredibly enarmoured with the animals of the Human Realm.

He made a shirt depicting his favourite of those animals, because he wanted to, using a skill he learned because he wanted to learn it, and he showed that exact shirt off to a friend, declaring his love for wolves right then and there, not having to fear being shut down for showing any semblance of himself.

Before he had realised it, Hunter was becoming his own person, whether he was allowed to or not. Only after reading Cosmic Frontier did he become aware of that fact... because O'Bailey liked the stars.

Sometimes, he wished he had noticed it sooner—maybe the thought of coming out to his friends wouldn't have seemed so harrowing anymore.

Yet, Hunter was sure, if Gus hadn't beaten him to it... he would have confessed to his true nature by the time he had finished reading the book. At least, that's what he would have liked to believe.

O'Bailey's adventures had come to an end. Hunter's, however, were just beginning—and he swore to himself that he would never forget the lesson that he was taught: it is not forbidden to be yourself.

They all thought Cosmic Frontier had come to an end. The comic book series that served to flesh out the world had concluded its run over ten years ago, just a few months before the day on which Luz was born, after it had been confirmed that the forty-third issue would be the final one.

The fans were still alive making content. The creators talked about the franchise and brought to light some behind-the-scenes trivia, every now and then. Merchandise would regularly hit the stores, commemorating special milestones, such as the twentieth anniversary. Camila talked about the latter occurance with a hint of sadness in her voice, suggesting she must have missed out.

Cosmic Frontier remained beloved for so long, even with a more than decade-long content drought.

So, imagine people's surprise when a movie was announced out of nowhere. Yes, there were hints strewn about in interviews and social media posts by the creators, but no one would have actually thought anything would come out of it.

But, something did come out of it: the franchise's very first movie, announced almost three decades after the original book's publishing, and even meant to release that exact same year!

However, it wasn't meant to be a simple adaptation of said book; it was a continuation of the story! New content of Captain Avery, Chief O'Bailey, and the entire crew! And if things went well, they planned to make an entire movie franchise out of the series! To say fans were ecstatic was an understatement.

And for Hunter and Gus, it came at the perfect time; it had only been a few months since they became fans of the book, and they were already being fed with new content. Life was good!

A promise was made between the three of them—Hunter, Gus, and Camila—that they would get first-day-tickets, not even letting school or work obligations get in the way. That was a huge promise for someone as Hunter to make; skipping school wasn't an idea he favoured, but this was a once-in-a-lifetime-chance! He could not miss it under any circumstance.

They practiced the Astral Oath together, made plans for where to eat before heading to the movie, and Hunter and Gus—of course—agreed to go in costume together. Gus insisted on Camila joining them in dressing up, though she lamented that her old costume probably wouldn't fit her anymore. But, that wasn't anything Hunter couldn't fix; he eagerly jumped at the idea of sewing together a new Aurora costume for her. Especially considering he would have to do the same for Gus, seeing as he had already out-grown his Avery costume (Hunter's O'Bailey costume still fit him perfectly, indicating that he hadn't grown much of an inch in the last half year; he tried not to let that bother him too much).

It was a heartwarming display of love for one's favourite franchise, of finding enjoyment in a shared interest. A moment one wouldn't forget in a long time.

That night, Hunter laid awake in bed. It was taking its time to fully settle, but he could finally allow himself to realise... O'Bailey's story wasn't over yet, after all. There was still more to learn about him, more to see. And on the big screen, too!

What kind of stories would they write for him? Would he be a main character, or more on the side? Will they delve more into his romance arc? Could he get new powers, or a costume switch?! As he pondered those questions, Hunter couldn't help but roll from side to side, giggling to himself, acting like a schoolgirl with a newly-developed crush.

He couldn't yet make sense of the pit in his stomach that was slowly beginning to form.

Months later, a trailer for the movie had come out; as soon as Gus and Hunter had the chance to visit the Human Realm, the three huddled together on the living room sofa. Gus could be seen struggling to sit still, jumping up and down in place, with Camila sitting right next to him, clearly trying her best to contain herself. And Hunter? He was going through it.

His entire body was shaking, trying to keep the excitement within, his heart was beating at an unusual pace—one that was usually only reached whenever he got a little too close to Willow—and his breath felt as if it kept getting caught in his throat. He couldn't speak; he was much too nervous.

And that nervousness didn't come anywhere close to dissipating once the trailer started up, revealing a beautiful shot of the nighttime sky, of the vast, starry universe.

One by one, the characters appeared on the screen, starting with Captain Avery, followed by Security Chief Quando, and...

"Oh! Hunter! Look! Look!!" Gus pointed at the screen while almost screaming at the top of his lungs.

He didn't need Gus to point it out to him. He was already aware.

All he could do was squeal. It was a quiet, anxious squeal.

At that point, even Camila couldn't keep her excitement locked away anymore. "Ohhhh, they picked such a good actor for O'Bailey! He looks exactly like he does in the comics!"

Chief O'Bailey... on the big screen... alive, with a voice, a real human face, and...

He's appearing so much... oh, boy. He's definitely going to have a huge role, isn't he.

The trailer ended with a title drop, and a date revealing the release—... oh—... oh, that is soon...

"Man, that! Was! Awesome!!" Gus practically jumped up from his seat. "It was all like pew, and boom, and and that giant intergalactic monster looked so real?! Where do you get one of those?!"

"Ooooh, I'm excited! Only two months! Is anyone else getting goosebumps?!"

"Oh, you bet I am! And what about you, Hunter?!"

"Huh?! What?!" He wasn't prepared to be spoken to.

"The movie! The trailer! Aren't you excited?!" Gus' eyes were practically sparkling.

Oh, no. He wouldn't say that he wasn't, but...

"Y-Yes! Very excited! Very enthusiastic! Very... ... whoo!!"

Gus looked at him for a few seconds, seemingly catching on to his weird behaviour. But, whether he did or not, he quickly went back to celebrating, completely ignoring how odd Hunter's reaction was.

Only two months until the movie was coming out...
The pit in his stomach was starting to re-emerge.

Those two months went by in what felt like only very little time.

Hunter was generally able to calm down after the initial trailer reveal—though any further reminder usually caused the pit to grow back.

He didn't quite understand why. It wasn't as if he wasn't excited—he genuinely was, very much so—but there was a part of him that had come to wish the movie announcement never happened.

And that didn't make any sense to him. Originally, he had been incredibly sad—though satisfied—after finishing both the book and the comic series. There was no reason to believe the story would ever continue, but if it there was ever any promise of it, he was sure he'd welcome it.

He was so, so sure.

Now that the promise was actually being fulfilled, however... he felt apprehensive.

The night before, he remained awake the entire time, not being able to get even a wink of sleep. In turn, he wasn't as nervous as he thought he'd be, but only because the exhaustion remained stronger.

Before the premiere, Camila brought the two boys to a place called Chimichurri Sandwiches for dinner. They often ordered take-out from there back when they were stranded in the Human Realm.

Hunter loved the subs from that store, so he had been looking forward to it for quite a while. Sadly, his appetite on that day was incredibly low, and the thought of eating more than he could made him nauseous. Guilt washed over him, but Camila was able to reassure him that it was fine; they could just take the sandwich with them and have Hunter finish it later. And while that was nice to hear, him not being able to finish the food Camila had paid for wasn't the only reason he was feeling guilt-ridden.

After Gus and Camila had finished their food, they quickly headed home to get into their costumes, and leave for the movie theatre, being seen off by Luz and Vee, wishing them a great night.

The former two thanked them with beaming smiles, while Hunter was not able to provide anything but a stiff smile and an awkward thumbs-up. He quickly disappeared into the car, trying to non-chalantly tell them to hurry up, after he had been met with concerned glances.

Once the car had taken off, silence commenced. The other two had been talking and hyping up the movie the entire day, so it was strange for them to suddenly become so quiet, doing nothing to help against his already present guilt.

Thankfully, Camila chose to break the silence a few minutes in.

"So, you're planning on watching the movie with Willow later on?"

Oh, that question was clearly directed at him...
"Uhhhh... yeah. She preferred to see the movie alone with me, so we chose to go at a later date together. ... not that she has anything against you two! I mean, of course she doesn't! It's just... a thing with us? I guess? To regularly make time and hang-out with just the two of us? ... otherwise, I'm sure she'd be here right now as well!"

"Ohhh, I see..." A giggle escaped Camila's lips.

Gus was also grinning at him, seemingly having figured something out.

Hunter didn't understand, so he just shrugged it off.

After a few seconds, Camila broke the silence again, "Did I ever tell you two that I met Manny at a Cosmic Frontier convention?"

Manny? That was the name of her late husband, Luz' father, if he recalled correctly...

"You did?! ... Wait, did the Circuit costume I found in the basement belong to him?! You were his Aurora!" Gus beamed at having made that connection.

"Yes... he was my android lover."
Hunter could see Camila smile to herself through the rearview mirror, only for it to slowly fade just a few seconds later.

Without much of any hesitation, Hunter let one question slip...
"Do you regret not being able to enjoy the new movie with him?"

Silence.

Now, he was the one feeling regretful.

"I—... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked—..."

"No, it's fine, it's just..." She sighed to herself. "Of course, I have had moments where I wished I could share it together with him, and those moments fill me with many regrets, but... it is okay. I'm sure he can watch from above. And whatever the circumstance, I can enjoy it for him. With the two of you together." A smile once again appeared on her face.

To which Gus chimed in, ever so chipper, "That's the spirit! We will share in that joy together, and Astral Shoot it into the sky so that Manny can feel some of that joy with us! No man gets left behind!"

If Hunter didn't feel nauseous before, he definitely did now.

After a few minutes, Camila pulled into the parking lot of the movie theatre.
Not much longer now...

"Oh my Titan! Look at how many people here are in costume!" Gus was practically glued to the window, admiring everyone's work.

"Ohhh, you're right! Looks like Hunter isn't our only tailor here," she turned to him while saying that, a warm smile on her face.

Hunter, however, didn't put much effort into responding. Instead, he just sat there, arms crossed in front of his stomach, trying his best not to look like he was about to throw up.

He was failing at that, wasn't he?
Camila was once again giving him a concerned look.

"Hunter, baby? What is wrong?"

He tried to brush it off, "It's nothing. Just... a little too excited. 'is all."

"A little? Dude, you look like you're about to puke."

Damn... did he really look that bad?

"Are you feeling sick? Is that why you didn't finish your food earlier?" She placed the back of her hand on his forehead to feel his temperature; her hand felt a little cold to the touch, but he was fine. It wasn't a fever, he was sure of that much.

"It's—... I'm fine. Don't worry about me. It's just... not my best day, I guess."

Gus looked utterly bewildered. "Not your best day?! Dude, the long-awaited Cosmic Frontier movie is coming out tonight, and you say today is not your best day?!"

Hearing that definitely didn't help his ever-growing anxieties.
"Yeah, I... I know. ... I think... that's exactly it."

They both looked... more than a little confused. Not that he could blame them. He didn't quite get it, either.

... at least... he thinks...

"Do you think you could try explaining it...?"
Camila continued tracing him with worried looks. It was kind of starting to make him a little awkward. He had gotten better with accepting concern from others, but he had yet to develop an immunity towards the discomfort that came with it.

Try to explain it... yeah, that was probably for the best. Maybe, he'd understand himself a little better if he at least tried to articulate his worries.

Hunter took a deep breath...

"I'm—... okay, this may sound a little silly, but... I think... I'm... uhhh... scared... of watching that movie..."

The bewildered look on Gus' face had yet to falter. "You know, this isn't a horror movie, right? ... wait, was it the intergalactic monster? Did it terrify you?!"

"What? No! Don't be ridiculous! It's not that, it's more—... what if I... don't like it...?"

Another round of silence. It all felt incredibly embarrassing.

"Did the trailer not appeal to you?" Camila looked as if she was trying to get an understanding of the situation, but she still didn't look any less confused.

"No... that's not it. If anything, it appealed to me too much."

"You lost me, man."

Hunter's explanations were flimsy at best, so he couldn't exactly blame Gus for that reaction. Sighing, he did his best to collect his thoughts, so that they could actually get anywhere within this conversation.

"This series means a lot to me. It paved the way to my accepting of who I am as a person. With the adventure being closed off, all that was left for me to do was take the lessons I learned and continue down on my own path." Hunter let his view shift to the window he was sitting by, catching a glimpse of all the people outside, waiting to enter the movie theatre. "It showed me that I can be my own person, despite my origins. That I am me, no matter what anyone says. But... What if... by watching this movie, watching their continued adventures instead of letting go, I lose my grip on that...?"

A car drove by, its headlights clashing against the window making Hunter more aware of his own reflection; a reflection that once so felt so foreign to him.

"What if I can't find myself in there anymore?"

Once again, silence filled the car.
Hunter was surprised with himself; before his attempt at vocalising his thoughts, he was just as confused with himself as the others appeared to be. Yet in that moment, while airing out his grievances, the words came to him so naturally, as if he had always truly known.

But, despite being surprised with how easy it was to find the right words, he wasn't surprised at what it was he said. It made all too much sense to him.

He knew he was his own person. O'Bailey was a fictional character separate from him. How his adventure continued should not have any influence on Hunter's self-perception.

It's not that he didn't trust the writers to do the character justice; he was simply afraid of him becoming unrecognisable to him. Because, if he couldn't recognise the character who taught him that even he—as a cheap copy—could be his own person, what would that say about himself?

It felt silly, especially because this movie wasn't the first time he got introduced to new content of him. The comic books existed as well, after all.

But, they were already out. He didn't have to wait and sit on his fear, allowing for it to fester. He could just read them the moment he found out about their existence.

This situation was a little different. And, he didn't like how much unneeded anxiety he had built-up towards something as small as a fictional movie that will be over in two hours maximum. He had faced so much worse in the past.

Despite all of that, he was placing so much of his own self-perception on a movie he had little control over. It felt so humiliating.

After about a minute of continued silence, Gus was the first to speak up, "I think I know exactly how you feel."

That was unexpected...
Hunter allowed himself to finally turn away from the window, putting his attention on Gus.
"You... you do?"

"Yeah, of course! You know how I'm part of the Human Appreciation Society at Hexside, right? Well, I used to be the president, until... someone took that spot from me." A quick look of annoyance crept on his face, but he quickly cleared his throat and continued, "And in the beginning, that was devastating. I was much younger than all the other students at school, causing me to get constantly overlooked. It was frustrating. But, it was different at the H.A.S.; I was respected for not only being the president of a cool club, but for sharing something that was insanely interesting to me with others. People actually cared about me and acknowledged me. Losing that position felt to me like losing my identity, so when it got threatened, I probably felt very close to how you feel now."

And then, he actually did lose the position; to Mattholomule of all people. That must have stung.
"Then, how did you cope with it?"

Gus shrugged, "I didn't. I mean, to be fair, I gave up my position to save from Luz from expulsion, but I would be lying if I said I just got over it then and there. Shit was rough. But, my interest in the Human Realm didn't disappear just 'cus I was no longer president. I learned more and became smarter, and... hey! Turns out, my knowledge of all things humans was incredibly..." He took a few seconds before allowing himself to verbally acknowledge his blatant flaw, "...incredibly... poorly researched. Both Luz and Matt made me very much aware of that."

Hunter nodded in response, showing that he was listening.

"When I came here, I realised how little I actually knew. And, you know what! That's okay! I lost something, but it gave me the oppurtunity to broaden my horizons! 'Cus I bet with you, if I was still President, I would have probably been too stubborn to allow myself to take in new and especially contradicting info."

That did all sound incredibly respectful. Hunter was always fascinated at how much Gus knew about a society that was literally unreachable to him for most of his life, yet he would have never guessed that he used to be straight-up... bad at it.
Was it in any way comparable to Hunter's situation, though...? He wasn't so sure.

"Buuuut, you liked everything you learned, right?"

"Heck, no! Are you kidding! I found out that humans do not actually have dorsal fins. Do you know how much that destroyed me?! I was envious of those for years, only to find out I was envious over nothing this entire time!"
Well, that little outbreak was unexpected... After a quick inhale to calm himself down, Gus quickly added, "Also, no apple blood? Now, that's just bunk. No offense, Mrs. C."

"Uhhh, none taken?" All she could give was a nervous smile; she must have been a little lost, still.

"Learning about those little disappointments, though, gave me the opportunity to appreciate the things I love about my interest even more." He nodded in self-approval. "OH, that reminds me! I gotta tell you about race cars! They're so cool and fast! They even make beds out of them!"

"Ummm, cool? I'll remind you next time." Hunter—not knowing how to adequately respond to Gus' little lecture—could only give that back in response. But, it was enough to make Gus' eyes sparkle, so he couldn't say he was too disappointed in himself.

After Camila found herself back into the conversation, she managed to add, "I think what Gus was trying to say is that... even if you lose something or find something out that you aren't exactly fond of, that doesn't make what you learned prior any less valuable. Even if the movie turns out to be the worst movie to ever have been released, it won't change the words inside of the book."

Focusing back on Camila while she spoke, he let his head sink after the fact, only his black-and-yellow shoes becoming visible to him. Hearing those reassurances really did make him feel as if he was freaking out over nothing.
"So... you think I'm going to be okay...?"

"Absolutely! And if not... the realm of 'fix it-fics' still remains open to you~"

He could feel his entire face reddening. Did Luz let it slip towards the others that Hunter had been reading fan fic?! That was supposed to be their little secret!

But, wait, that sounded like...
"Did... you ever have that sort of experience yourself...?"

He shot his head back up to meet Camila, only to be greeted by a pretty embarrassed looking expression.
"Well... I... may have actually felt pretty similar about the comics?"

Oh? Did she now?

"But, Mrs. C, there's nothing wrong with the comics! They were awesome!"

"And, I don't disagree! However, I may have been pretty adamant about how the sanctity of the book should be preserved and any additional media would only ruin the source material! ... yeah, I'm not proud of it."

Hunter didn't expect to hear that coming out of Camila's mouth. She was usually such an open-minded person. "But... you ended up liking them?"

A soft smile appeared on her face, "Manny persuaded me into giving them a chance. So, I did, and... I loved them. Some issues even more than the book, actually."

"Then, why did you mention... those fix-its...?" Hunter hoped he wouldn't regret asking; he didn't exactly want to make it obvious where he spent most of his time on the Human Internet.

"Well, I would be lying if I said I was happy with everything the comics brought to the table. But, hey, you don't have to love every single aspect of something for it to still be important to you. Even if you end up disliking that movie, you will still be you, Hunter."

He could only stare at her, for words once again failed him. Hunter didn't understand how, but Camila had the power to make everything feel better. He never once felt failed by her words.

If only he knew how to properly thank her. Or, even Gus for that matter.

He simply stared, allowing for silence to once again come over them.

"Speaking of the movie, shouldn't we start moving?" Gus pushed them along.

Camila—having somehow seemingly completely forgotten what they even came here for—jumped at the mention of the time, checking her Human Scroll to make sure they weren't too late.

"Right... sorry about that!" Hunter was equally as flustered, quickly trying to undo his seat belt and open the door, so they could sprint out.

Camila locked her car in a rush, and was about to hurry them along, as Hunter uttered a quick, "thank you, guys."

"Hm?" Gus—who was about to start running—turned on his heel to him. "What was that?"

Not wanting to acknowledge his weak attempt at speaking out gratitude, Hunter thought fast and rebutted with, "I said... race ya, Gus!", before sprinting towards the building in front of them.

"Ah—hey, no fair! I still lack the dorsal fins to make me faster!" Gus shouted while running after him, the grin on his face not matching up with his words.

"Boys, be careful! There are a lot of people here!" Camila sounded stern, but even she was smiling softly to herself.

And so, they entered the new Cosmic Frontier movie, becoming a few of the first people to ever watch it.

Gus was once again jumping up and down in his seat, practically inhaling the popcorn that Camila had gotten for him; Camila herself was having an even greater time, laughing and cheering, and even allowing herself to cry at one of the sadder scenes; and Hunter? He was having the time of his life! Laughing and cheering alongside Camila, going through three root beers and two buckets of popcorn, as all the excitement and still lingering nervousness caused his adrenaline to spike.

Camila was right. There were one or two things within the movie that he wasn't incredibly happy with or that he wished could have been done differently—but the fun and love for everything else that he held more than made up for it! By the time they exited the theatre, he couldn't even remember the minor details he wasn't as impressed with.

On the way out, many people crowded and asked for pictures with them; they all showed incredible amounts of excitement for the costumes Hunter had made, ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the stitches, and how incredibly accurate they looked to the real thing. While he was initially overwhelmed with the experience, he can't say that the thought didn't cause him to tear up a little bit.

"That was the best! Movie! Ever!! I wanna watch it again!!" Even when they were back in the car, Gus still hadn't completely calmed down.

Neither had Camila, to be fair. "That moment when Avery and O'Bailey reunited after their big fight... ohhhh, it warms my heart! My babies!"

"I could tell that it really got to you; the tissues were flying!" Gus had absolutely no right to tease her for that.

"I heard you sniffling too, by the way." Hunter threw a grin in his direction.

"Well, yeah! I have a heart! ... did that moment not get to you?!"

"Oh, it did!" It more than did... Hunter thought he was actually going to choke from how closed-up his throat had become. "But, I must admit... there was one moment that got to me more..."

"Oh?! What was it?!" Gus' eyes, still sparkling from not-completely-dried-up tears, lit up.

However, Hunter wasn't going to make it that easy for him. "It's a secret~"

"Awww, come on, man!"

Gus kept making a fuss about it, but Hunter wasn't going to relent. It was his little secret, and he wasn't willing to share it with anyone! ... mainly because, he must admit, it felt quite vulnerable.

Camila, on the other hand, wore a knowing smile, reflected within the rear-view mirror.

During the climax of the movie, Chief O'Bailey had gotten badly injured. Not many people would have thought much of that moment, as the movie went on without much mention of it, after O'Bailey was able to be saved by Avery right before their reconciliation.

The epilogue of the movie, while not directly acknowledging it either, showed one visual change to indicate how the injury had healed: it turned into a scar, one that crossed from his right jaw area, all the way to the bridge of his nose.

No one had any big or particular reactions to that reveal... except Hunter, who couldn't help but let a single tear fall down his face. He remembers feeling Camila's eyes on him in that moment; she must have known exactly what that meant to him.

From that moment on, any time he looked at himself in a mirror, he could feel a sense of pride. The scars upon his body would continue to remain as a painful reminder of the worst night of his life—but, he could feel a sense of comfort from the bittersweetness of it all. For the scars are a reminder that he survived. That he was still alive.

And now, he is even matching with someone who means an incredible amount to him; it almost felt unreal how similar their markings were, even if they weren't exactly the same.

Without him, he wants to believe he would have eventually found himself through his own power, but with him—and of course, the help of his closest friends—he was able to find that path so much faster.

Regardless of how similar he may look to the deceased or how many similarities in personality or interests they may have had, he chooses to believe it to be all a coincidence. He held that belief close to his heart on the day he finally committed to becoming a Palisman carver.

For Hunter is his own person, and what he does with his own internal feelings is only to be decided by him alone.

There will still be doubts. He's sure of that. As Camila often said, healing isn't a one-way street.

But, it's okay.

O'Bailey loves the stars. That's all he needs to remember.

As he reminisces on the fun night he had with Gus and Camila, he finds himself looking forward to the next movie.