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Chapter One: Recollection
Veins of dead flesh lurked in every crevice of The Boiling Isles, infecting the very souls of the people who lived there. Faint echoes of tyranny and near mass extinction ate away at the celebration taking hold of the newly freed witches. Death had not taken hold, but the stench of its vines remained nontheless. At the very base of these vines was our newly resurrected survivor, Hunter Whittebane. Smatterings of trauma freshly painted his skin, messily covered by further layers of a dead loved one. His irises no longer reflected his frankenstein-like nature, instead washed away and replaced with the true earthy hues of his roots. He lingered by his friends who had similar disturbances, although they had not been violated in quite the same despicable manners as he. A warm, calm hand slowly reached out and gripped his shoulder, causing him to become more alert. He gazed over his shoulder to the hybrid man behind him who seemed intent on a conversation.
"Are you okay?" The deep voice hummed with notes of sympathy, mostly out of fear of the answer. Darius stared at the shorter boy and allowed for the uncomfortable silence to seep in as Hunter's expression shifted from discomfort to a somewhat false smile.
"Yeah. I mean... yeah." He doubled down with a more confident tone.
"I'm alive, what else could I want?" He reasoned and shrugged off the loose hand idling on his shoulder. Darius could sense the discomfort in the air and shifted his attention to Hunter's well-groomed blonde hair.
"You did that? It looks nice, I like it." He mentioned while motioning to the shorter, mostly disarrayed and slightly wet hair. Hunter stared blankly while registering the sudden change in subjects and cleared his throat.
"Oh, no no Willow did that. She's that girl over there." He said and gestured with a thumb towards the green haired girl hugging her father.
"That's sweet." Darius hummed and quickly scanned the teen's body for more details to continue the conversation.
"You've got your own clothes now hm? It must feel nice." He said hoping to keep the boy from shutting himself off completely. Hunter's expression lightened and he straightened up his shirt so it was more visible.
"I know isn't it so cool?! I picked it out in the human world, they have wolves there and I really wish I could've met one." He excitedly spewed and stared at his shirt with a sudden sense of joy that had previously hid deep under the surface. Darius chuckled and tilted his head.
"What's so special about them? They look like dogs to me." He prompted in hopes of goading Hunter into continuing this happiness streak. The boy of course fell for it and began explaining all the amazing things he had learned about wild wolves off of Luz's laptop. Darius wanted to interject and ask what a "laptop" even was, but Hunter was so enamored with his animal obsession that he couldn't interrupt if he tried. Darius just gladly accepted his fate, that is until someone dared to interrupt the mostly one-way conversation. Alador held out a hand to indicate that Hunter should pause, and so he did although he was a bit confused. Alador tiredly rubbed his face and sighed before turning to look at Darius.
"I'm really sorry to ask you of this because we haven't talked in forever, but unfortunately my house is no longer standing and I have children to protect. Would you mind...?" He trailed off and rubbed the back of his neck. Darius straightened his posture and furrowed his brow in concern.
"Oh of course. Ah- oh, Hunter, I'm not sure my house will have that much room in it. Do you have somewhere else to stay? I can try to make it work, of course." He added and nervously waited for Hunter's reply. The boy had obviously been through a lot, as everyone had, so he might be easily upset by the idea. Hunter let go of his shirt and stammered a bit.
"Oh-oh sure. I can find somewhere else. Don't worry." He tried to reassure the taller man and scratched at his neck nervously. Before Darius could even respond, he had run off to talk to his friends once more. Willow was being lovingly smothered by her worried fathers, making it difficult for Hunter to politely approach. So, he didn't, politely.
"Um- Willow, could I ask something of you?" He uttered while pushing back his somewhat unkempt hair out of habit. Willow pushed away from her dads while giggling and turned to look at Hunter.
"Of course, anything. Are you alright?" She asked, also acting out of habit. The blonde ignored the question for the most part and tugged at the loose jacket around his waist.
"Does your house have any extra room? My original plan didn't really work out." He asked and glanced at Willow's two fathers standing above the both of them. Willow seemed a little surprised by the question but quickly covered it up with a warm, reassuring smile.
"We always have room, don't even worry." She said and looked up at her parents. They seemed a little concerned at the idea of bringing a stranger into their home, but she knew they wouldn't refuse. Willow walked over and hugged Hunter's pale, scarred arm in an attempt to bring warmth to his image.
"I didn't get a chance to tell you guys, this is my super close friend Hunter." She explained and leaned on him while moving her hand further down to hold his. That didn't necessarily alleviate their concerns about the matter, more shifting the thoughts from stranger to a weird looking boy in their daughter's bedroom.
"Ah... Don't you have parents who are worried about you? Or, relatives?" Willow's step-father questioned in an attempt to mitigate responsibility of the older teen. Hunter grimaced and almost laughed out of disbelief.
"Ah-hah... no. I don't even have any family alive, unless you know something I don't." He responded and gripped his friend's twitchy hand. Willow awkwardly smiled and stared at her parents with an "I can't believe you just asked that" look. The atmosphere had quickly descended from cheery to entirely dead, with hints of squeamishness and shreds of empathy. The two adults looked at each other with clear worry, but also a hidden wish to discuss this without their daughter hearing it.
"Well- if that's the case, I'm sure the two of us agree that you can certainly stay at our house. If it's still in one piece, that is." Willow's paternal father reasoned and comforted his more anxious husband with a gentle back rub. Hunter cracked a polite smile that seemed obviously fake, although it did have fragments of genuine gratitude.
"Thank you, I really appreciate it. Willow has told me so much about both of you, especially your cooking, Mr. Park." He said, referring to the brunette who seemed more hesitant to take him in.
"Oh- thank you." He responded with a sliver of a smile and looked at his husband for support.
"We should get going home then, hm? Unless you two kids have unfinished business that needs tending to." He said and Willow nodded.
"We're ready, right Hunter? I'm exhausted." She sighed and looked over to better view Hunter's expression. He matched her gaze and smiled a little.
"I'm ready." He replied and rested his head on hers. He seemed to really enjoy how affectionate she was being at the moment. Willow pulled out from under his bodyweight and gripped both of his hands, towing him along while leaning backwards.
"I can't wait to show you my room and clean up your hair and have a homecooked meal and-." And she kept on and on like that as they walked towards her house. It seemed like she didn't want to leave him with a moment to doubt, instead filling Hunter's head with simple hopes and dreams to keep him going. She didn't seem fazed by the destruction surrounding her in the environment, instead pointing out old buildings and how she would pass by them every day walking home with Gus. Hunter assumed she was just trying to make him feel better like she tends to do, but he wasn't going to stop her. Soon enough they had arrived at the front doorstep of the Park house, and the door was unlocked to reveal an abandoned home. All the elements of a lived-in home remained, yet the smell and soul of the environment had long been sucked out by neglect. The good news was in the fact that the building stood at all, with minimal damage present in outer edges of the foundation. The lights snapped on in a flash with the help of a magic spell, and living resumed in the quaint dwelling.
Without another word to her parents, Willow was dragging Hunter up the stairs faster than he could remember to walk. Both fathers seemed confused at the sudden lack of attention, but they had their own conversations to tend to. Willow let go of the poor stumbling boy behind her and jumped onto her dusty but mostly clean bedsheets. Her face had entirely lit up with a beautiful smile, and a few tears as she recalled how deeply she had mourned having her childhood room. Hunter stood in the doorframe with a lot less excitement, mostly just deciphering where he was supposed to sleep for the night. Or, at the very least, sit and rest. He wasn't going to interrupt Willow's fun though. The young witch stretched out on her old bed and clutched her pillow tightly to her chest. Her glasses had become long forgotten somewhere on the sheets, not getting in the way as she stuffed her face in the cushy object. She peeked up from the silky pillow and waved Hunter over. He awkwardly shuffled over and sat down on the very edge of her beloved bed.
"Am I sleeping here? In-... your bed..?" He asked sheepishly, even blushing a little at the flustering idea. Willow giggled and pushed him down onto the mattress, ruffling his hair in an attempt to get him more playful.
"Why not? I mean, I guess you could sleep on the couch, but I'll tell you right now it's barely comfortable for sitting." She told him and tossed aside her pillow to indulge in an intimate hug. She buried her face in the blonde boy's shoulder and took a deep breath. Hunter seemed a little uneasy about all of this positive attention. It was still somewhat alien to him even after all of his time in the human world. He carefully placed a hand on her back and stared up at the ceiling.
"I wouldn't mind it, if it means I don't have to sleep alone." He reasoned and took a similar deep breath. Unwinding would be a long, difficult journey after everything that had unfolded in such a short period of time. Now that he was finally still, and even had a hug to soothe him, it didn't seem too impossible. Willow was settling down as well, although she retained her ecstatic mood. The air held onto a comfortable silence for the moment, and muscles unwinded from the adrenaline that had previously kept them from feeling a tight soreness that tore at each little flesh fiber. Wind chimes echoed from just outside the window, and birds had begun a small song for the first time in months. It seemed the wildlife had just begun to relax too after their long unnatural disturbance. The sound of dry and slightly strained breathing accompanied it, revealing the pressure building between both people's ribs. It didn't seem as though either cared, instead absorbing that palpable relief accompanied by semi-silence. Hunter eventually allowed his head to fully sink into the fluffy sheets, which further revealed the stress carried by his upper body.
"What I would give to never do that again." He sighed and reached up to rest his free arm above his head. Willow didn't respond, but her loosely closed eyes expressed how tired she truly was. She was almost asleep, despite being so widely awake moments before. Hunter propped his head up with the previously discarded pillow and watched the napping girl with contentment. He was hungry, tired, desperately dehydrated, and probably malnourished in several senses of the word, but knowing how comfortable and safe Willow was soothed him greatly. She was always mothering him and overflowing his needs in a way nobody else had ever bothered to do before, and now he could begin to provide for her in return. Well, living in her house definitely isn't what he had in mind on that front, but it also meant he had more opportunities to pay back her generosity. After a while, his needs did outweigh his desire to watch Willow's comforting breathing, and he had to wriggle out from under her to find the bathroom. Hunter carefully closed the old wooden door while listening to each tiny creak with a pained expression. Once he turned to attempt a bathroom search, he was uncomfortably face to face with Willow's paternal father. He straightened up his posture and cleared his throat in an attempt to see respectful.
"Uh... do you know where the bathroom is.. sir?" He mumbled and looked up like a lost puppy. He had learned to keep his head down to authority, and so he did. The older man smiled with a bit of amusement and pulled open the door right beside him.
"Over here." He answered and tapped on the loose doorknob.
"This ones a little tricky, we just never got around to replacing it." He added and Hunter nodded before taking the door into his own hand.
"Hey- is Willow alright?" The concerned father added while continuing to grip the bathroom door. Hunter stared up at him awkwardly and shrugged.
"She's taking a nap." He replied and turned towards the bathroom. "I really have to pee, sorry." He insisted and pulled the door shut with haste. After a few minutes, he emerged from the bathroom hoping to not be in the same uncomfortable situation. Luckily, it seemed Willow's parents were more concerned with other things. Still, he shouldn't disturb Willow's peace, and it might be better to ease tension between himself and her parents. That idea forced an exhausted sigh from the anxiety toiling in his chest. With that thought, he begrudgingly crept down the stairs and leaned on the banister to survey the state of the house.
He could distinctly hear a hushed conversation from the kitchen archway, and was forced by his own goodwill to investigate further. There in the well-decorated and nicely organized kitchen were both adults, talking whilst simultaneously tidying up from all the dust that had crept onto the prepping surfaces. Hunter stood in the doorway while deciding whether he should speak up, or maybe wait for a hole in the conversation. They were both of course talking about him, without noticing for a moment that he was visibly listening. How he looks, how he acts, how he should act. Where he came from, why he doesn't have any family. Why in the world their daughter stuck around with him, especially when she has such nice other friends who had parents and didn't look like wrecks. Really, it was almost entertaining as Hunter waited for one of them to notice, at which point they would probably scramble to apologize. It took quite a while before Hunter gave in and instead knocked on the thick archway he was leaning on. Both of the men halfway through assembling a pot pie stopped mid-sentence and looked up at the tired boy.
"Ah-aha, we didn't see you there. Did you... need something? Dinner should be ready in half an hour or so..." Willow's adoptive father asked as he slowly went back to kneading the dough in his hands. Hunter yawned and approached the stools across from the counter, sliding onto the closest one with ease. He slouched onto his arms and tiredly blinked.
"I just though I would hang out here, you guys sound so fun." He mumbled and picked at the empty fruit basket sitting beside him.
"Would you mind if we asked you some questions?" No, he wouldn't mind. That's what they want to hear, anyway. Hunter shrugged and splayed himself face down on the counter like a lazy cat.
"I know this may sound cliché, but what are your intentions with my daughter?" Her paternal father asked as he tenderized some chicken cutlets. Hunter laughed at the question and looked up at the concerned parents.
"What do you mean? She's my friend, and like... the only person who takes care of me. She may have intentions for me, but I dunno what you're assuming." He responded and rubbed his tired face. He looked utterly wiped out, yet he still had the energy to laugh at his own situation.
"Ah, sorry. Maybe you could tell us more about... where you came from?" The older man suggested and offered a dinner roll that had came straight from the oven. Hunter gladly accepted the bribe and stuffed his mouth while contemplating how exactly to even answer such a question. Once he was done licking his lips from the buttery roll he mumbled a half answer.
"I was raised in the castle with my Uncle. That guy that tried to kill everyone just a little while ago." If the goal was to alleviate their concerns, that was the worst possible answer. Both parents looked at each other as they tended to do around him before scrounging a response.
"That must have been very hard for you." The green haired father responded and set down his chef's knife to better approach the teen boy across from him. He rounded the freshly polished counter and sat down beside the blonde. Hunter stared at him with a bit of confusion and sat up more.
"You have no idea." He muttered and turned a little towards the more attentive man. "I'm not sure if Willow ever told you our names, I'm Gilbert Park and my husband's name is Harvey Park. People usually just call me Bert, though." He said and held out his hand in an effort to be friendly.
"Do you have a family name?" He continued and Hunter shook his hand while pondering the question.
"I guess I would be a Wittebane, but I've never really been called that before." Hunter replied and pulled away from the strange handshake. Bert nodded and folded his hands together.
"It's pretty obvious to the both of us that Willow has taken to nurturing you, as she always does with her friends, but we don't want to seem cold. If she cares about you, then so do we. You can come to us if you have any problems, okay?" He told the younger boy who had taken to picking at the woven fruit basket once more to avoid making eye contact.
"Thanks." He simply replied and scratched at his scalp.
"I've been really itchy ever since i sort of, fell into creek water, could you help me with that?" He asked and stared hopefully at the older witch.
"Of course, Harvey can wrap up dinner and I can sort out whatever you picked up. I'll try and look for some clothes you can change into, you can go get settled in the bathtub upstairs." Bert responded and got up with a slight wince at his bad back. He tried to stretch it into submission, but that rarely ever worked.
Hunter hesitantly got up and scampered upstairs to get into the old porcelain bathtub. He closed the cream colored door behind himself and realized what bathing meant. Taking off his clothes. Which meant seeing every inch of scarring on his body for the first time since it had happened. Just get over it, just power through it and ignore it and don't take a second to look. Maybe, just fill the tub with water first. Go slow but not too slow. And so he did, he turned on the hot bath tap and watched the heat fill the room with a coat of sticky steam that made his skin itch even more. Just don't think about it. He untied the jacket clinging to his waist and dropped it to the ground without looking. There's nothing to see, keep going. His pale fingers clutched onto the worn sewing on the lower edge of his shirt, not wishing to move. It doesn't matter. Hunter chose to ignore his fearful instincts and peeled off the shirt sticking to his skin. It still had blood on the inside. It smelled like a gross rotting corpse. Maybe the smell wasn't that bad, but it felt a thousand times worse because of the memories it held. Hunter held the black garment in his hand, staring at it all too much before dropping it in disgust. It's too bad, that really was his favorite shirt. Now he's lingering too much, and feelings just under the surface were boiling over. He struggled to shake off his costume pants and couldn't bear to go any further. His chest felt tight, and his stomach felt like a sickening pit. His hands had begun to shake from the adrenaline forced into his system by lurking anxiety. His breathing had quickened, and his mind was tumbling with distractions to divert attention away from the scars. From his clothes. From his loneliness and his missing companion. Well obviously it wasn't working, but he was trying his best to hold it all together. He didn't know what time it was, he wasn't even conerned with how long he had left the water running. Once he did realize, of course, it was a hard struggle to turn off the faucet with his trembling hands. He was stuck in the position of leaning over the hot water while taking deep breaths between shallow gasps. Water did not feel appealing right now, but his legs didn't feel up to the task of moving. The linchpin collapsed when there was a knock on the door.
"I had a hard time finding something that might fit you, but Willow has some spare Winter clothes in the basement that should be comfortable enough to sleep in." Gilbert said through the door.
"May I open the door?" He asked and put some pressure on the janky doorknob. Hunter remained hunched over on the tub with barely any energy to keep himself from falling in, much less able to speak. And so, there was just an unsure silence while the father waited for a reply that wasn't coming.
"I'm going to open the door, just tell me if you're uncomfortable with me being here." He finally warned and pulled open the door to see the shaking teen. He didn't make a big scene about the display, instead setting the clothes aside on the sink and moving closer cautiously. All the scars, some very obviously fresh, seemed to indicate that Hunter had a lot to deal with.
"It's alright, why don't we sit here for a little while? There's no rush." Bert suggested as he pushed the old door closed with the heel of his shoe. Hunter lifted his head slightly and looked over his shoulder at the older man. His eyes were shimmering with restless tears, and his expression was utterly pitiful. Bert stood close beside him and placed a hand on the teen's bare back.
"Can you sit down? I can help you." He offered and watched as the distressed boy shakily turned himself to sit on the rim of the bathtub. Hunter was desperately fumbling with an attempt of words, but it sounded like babbling nonsense. Bert sat down beside him and slowly rubbed circles on his hunched over back.
"It's okay to cry, you don't need to say anything." And so he did, for quite a while, just holding his face and leaning forward to hide. He was trembling horribly, but as time went on his breathing steadied. Gilbert didn't say a thing to disturb him, barring a few comforting whispers. Eventually Hunter was able to collect himself to wipe his face dry. He looked over at the soothing adult and tried his best to crack a smile.
"I guess the water's pretty cold by now." He commented and straightened up his slouch.
"Oh it's alright, I can fix that without issue." Bert assured the boy and waved his hands over the still water. Tiny bubbles compounded on the bottom of the tub to indicate how much heat had suddenly accumulated.
"Do you feel a little better, pumpkin?" He asked as he slowly stood up.
"Yeah, I do.. I don't know how I'll be able to sleep though." Hunter sighed and rubbed his face aggressively in an attempt to stay vigilant and fix his expression.
"I've got quite a few tricks for that too. You might not know, but Willow has had sleep issues for years. She's grown out of it a bit now, though." Gilbert commented and pulled open the mirror cabinet to a multitude of bottles. His fingers grazed each of the glasses as he scanned the labels for a skin-friendly pesticide.
"Here we are. Do you think you're still up for bathing? It's alright if you need to wait." The witch said as he pulled out a flat vial and setting it on the sink counter.
"I can do it. Um, I hope you don't mind if I leave my underwear on." Hunter said and glanced down at his mostly naked body. Taking off that last bit of clothing might disturb him too much, make him feel too vulnerable.
"No problem, whatever you prefer." Bert responded before turning to look for a detangler. Hunter's hair did look a bit ratty after everything, so it would be easier to soak that at the same time. Hunter waited a moment while looking at the warm water before peeling off his particularly unclean socks. His shoes were lost somewhere in Willow's room, so there was no point in keeping those close. He turned around and dipped his sweaty feet in the warm water.
"Would you like bubbles?" Bert asked as he held up a small vial that supposedly sudsed up the water.
"Umm.. why not." Hunter mumbled as he carefully got into the slippery ceramic tub. He sunk his head as far as it could go, with his nose just barely above the water. His knees were awkwardly sticking out above the surface. Bert came over to the very edge and spilled a soapy mixture into the tub. He stirred the liquid in with his hand and the water foamed up almost immediately.
"Fun, right?" He chuckled half to himself and dumped the pesticide brew in with the suds.
"Is it alright if I soak your hair in some conditioner and detangler while you're in here?" Bert asked as he pulled a bucket out from under the sink. Hunter pushed himself up from the water and wiped his mouth off before answering.
"Yeah... good idea." Hunter responded and stared at the bubbles clinging to his skin. He played around with the suds clinging to his knees, but he was mostly quiet and reserved.
"Here, put your head forward a little more." Bert said and moved the bucket on the corner of the tub. He dumped his preselected potions in and helped Hunter to lift his head before leaving his oily blonde hair in the concoction.
"I'm gonna go check up on dinner, alright hun? I'll come check on you in just a little while." The witch said and rubbed the younger boy's shoulder. Hunter nodded and blew on the bubbles clinging to his chest. Bert closed the medicine cabinet and retreated from the room, making sure to properly close the door despite the handle's squeaky protest. Hunter was left alone with his thoughts, but he had already exhausted his tears. Instead he just absorbed the nice scent of the bubbly soap and marinated in the tub for a while. After maybe half an hour, Bert was gently knocking on the door once more.
"How are you feeling? I think that soap outta worked by now, I realized I never gave you some extra underwear though." He said through the thick door. Hunter tiredly sighed and carefully removed the bucket from behind him.
"Just a second, I'll come to the door." He replied and slowly pulled himself out of the tub. His wet feet made a gross slapping noise as he plodded over to the shut door. His dripping hands couldn't properly grasp the handle, so he had to rely on pawing at it.
"Here, I'll hand it to you through gap." Bert said and slightly propped open the door with his foot.
"They're never used, don't worry about that. We keep extras." He mentioned before Hunter took them away.
"Dinner's ready, I'll go wake up Willow while you're getting dressed. No rush, though." He added and pulled the door shut with a slam. Hunter stared down at his soaking wet briefs and mulled over his annoyance before painstakingly peeling them off. Now to find towels. Under the sink had a small basket with clean fluffy cotton towels. He dried himself off while avoiding actually looking at his body and examined the garments preselected for him. A black shirt with a fuzzy green sweater, and long sweatpants. Why not? He was eager to get dressed and forget all of what happened in that bathroom. His hair was still wet but he couldn't care less. He quickly ran down the stairs and turned into the small dining area branching off of the kitchen. Willow was eagerly stuffing her face with her first homecooked meal in months, and her parents were happily watching her while making small talk. Hunter sat down at the table beside his excited friend and smiled when she reached out to hold his hand.
"You silly, you didn't even brush your hair did you?" She giggled and pushed his wet hair out of his face.
"I'm gonna brush your hair right after dinner." She hummed and picked another dumpling off a central dish. Hunter was visibly excited about the idea as he began picking foods to try from the platters available. Dumplings, chicken pot pie, some pasta, and bread rolls. Lots of carbs, but it made sense since it was comfort food. Between bites, Willow made sure to encourage exploratory conversation between Hunter and her parents to keep them friendly. Dinner seemed to go by quite quickly with how lively the table was, and cleaning up the table was even faster with four people. Willow happily pulled Hunter upstairs to begin cleaning up his hair.
"Here, sit down while I sort out where my brush went off to." She told him and pulled her cushioned chair away from her disorganized desk before searching through drawers. Hunter got comfortable in the seat and eagerly waited to be pampered.
"Here we go, and it's only a little dirty. Good enough, right?" Willow hummed and meticulously smoothed out Hunter's hair following his natural hairline before slowly brushing it from top to bottom. Hunter flattened his hands against his lap and tried his best to stay still.
"Hey Willow, I don't mean to complain, but.. how come you've been sooo... snuggly with me today?" He asked while wincing at a brushed tangle.
"Oh, I'm just really glad you're okay.. it was scary seeing you so hurt in the human world, it looked like you almost died." She stated and got quiet at the end. Hunter had barely even thought about that, what it meant to his friends at that time. He turned over to look at Willow and placed a hand on her arm. She looked as though she was trying her hardest not to let her sad feelings best her.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that, I'm here now. And I'm sorry I was so mean to you about y'know, you trying to comfort me before." He said with a worried expression. Willow set down her hair brush for a moment and pulled his hand into hers.
"I forgive you, I know it can be hard for you to regulate your emotions. You're doing your best just like me." She said and smiled sweetly.
"I just want you to know that I'm here for you too, even if I don't have that much to give." Hunter reminded her and smiled in return. Willow nodded and picked up her brush once more.
"You smell great, by the way. Did you do more than wash your hair?" She asked and let go of his hand to tilt his chin up for a better angle. The silky fur bristles of the hairbrush rubbed against Hunter's scalp once more as he was brushed like a pet.
"Well I did this soak thing to hopefully make my skin not itch. I think that creek or swamp or whatever it was really messed with my skin." He replied and closed his eyes as to further enjoy his loving pamper session.
"Ew- well I really hope that helps, and I hope you didn't get human bugs in my bed." She commented and inspected his hair.
"Alright, time to dry you off." She said and traced out a spell on his forehead with her index finger. His face warmed up spontaneously, then reaching up to his scalp and dispelling the wet mess quickly.
"Awww Willow, please brush my hair more, I really like it." Hunter pitifully whined and held her free hand to his face. He opened his eyes and attempted to look as sad and desperate as possible. Willow smiled and shook her head.
"Okay, but we're gonna sit on my bed since I'm done actually fixing your hair." She insisted and tidied up her pillows before laying down against the headboard. Hunter pushed off of the chair he had been so relaxed in and laid down between her legs.
"Like this, right?" He asked and she nodded with a hum.
"Just turn around, silly. It looks weird this way." She said and pushed his face away while giggling at Hunter's annoyed face. Hunter awkwardly manuevered himself around with some effort and yawned.
"Perfect." Willow hummed and gently brushed through his hair. Hunter sunk into the loving witch's warm clothes as he relaxed and closed his eyes. It felt so deeply soothing, just to have her attention and listen to her voice. To have her heartbeat just behind his head. To feel her presence. He felt like falling to sleep, and almost did, as Willow continued to slowly brush his hair.
"Hey sleepyhead, we have to brush our teeth before going to bed. I'll keep brushing your hair afterwards, okay? I promise." She reminded him and set down her brush to make him get up.
"Nnnnnooooooo-." Hunter whined loudly and threw his hands up in the air like he had been stabbed. Willow giggled and pushed him off of the bed.
"Whoever finishes brushing their teeth first gets to be big spoon!" She declared and ran out of the room while Hunter rubbed his sore face. After reluctantly scrubbing his oral bones with Willow inspecting them thoroughly, he was released back to the bed where he so gratefully rested. Aches and pains had begun creeping into every fiber of his being, and sleep could be his only escape for even a brief period. Willow had joined him shortly after and snapped her finger to entrench the room in darkness. To her, it was easy to fall asleep in a place she felt such safety in. To Hunter, it felt akin to being actively hunted alone in a tangled forest with nowhere to hide. The darkness forcefully reconnected him with his thoughts and simulated the pitch black of swamp water. Despite Willow being mere inches away from him wiggling under the covers to get comfortable, his nerves had begun consuming him entirely. Instead of taking it alone like he had grown accustomed to doing, he instead followed his newer habit.
"Willow? I think- um, could you turn the lights back on?" He whispered while reaching out in her general direction. He ended up poking her cheek despite reaching for a hand. The many little lights strewn about her room flicked on once more. She sat up upon noticing his lack of relaxed posture and moved his hand down to hers.
"Would you like a nightlight? I still have the one from when I was little, it's just in my closet." She offered and smiled reassuringly. Hunter cringed and shyly looked away from
Her.
"No it's okay, I don't need anything like that."
"Are you being entirely honest?"
"... Maybe?"
Willow giggled as a result and used her free hand to turn his head.
"You know you can always tell me the truth Hunter, I'm never going to tease you about something you can't control." She said and smiled more when Hunter slowly nodded. "It's a very pretty nightlight, i'm sure you'll enjoy it." She hummed and slid out of bed to dig through her closet. She set up the small lantern beside Hunter's section of the bed, which ended up being close to the door due to his paranoid rationale. Willow then rejoined him in the bed and yawned to signal her exhaustion. She curled up with a nice warm stuffed animal and sleepily snapped her fingers, which barely activated the spell enough to flicker the lights. Her second attempt returned the darkness, sparing the small butterfly lamp beside Hunter. Not only was the internal flame dancing like a fluttering butterfly, but its patterns along the walls were insect in nature. Each little wing had a different pattern with stars and hearts and circles. Now that Hunter could see, he managed to coax himself into an attempt at sleep. His head slowly sunk into the velvety pillow below as he stared at the lamp with undeserving alertness. It wasn't long before the swaying flames lulled him into a peaceful rhythm. Even with all the anxiety buried just under his rattling ribs, Hunter managed to shut his eyes and trust the world around him just long enough to recoup his long lost energy.