Hunter may have been going a little insane.
He wasn't quite sure whether it was from stress or frustration however. Possibly a mix of both.
Whatever the case, he had been working himself to the brink of exhaustion every day, trying to keep the coven in line. As the new head, after Lilith's betrayal, his tasks had tripled and the number of missions quadrupled, and he found his free time being close to nonexistent.
Hunter wasn't complaining, of course. Leading the coven one day had been his goal, after all. And he was okay with losing his personal hygiene and letting his health decline, as long as he pleased the emperor.
That was all well and good. What was really irking Hunter was the Blight boy.
Edric. Who had unexpectedly inserted himself into Hunter's life and seemed to have no plans on leaving. Whether that was metaphorically or literally.
Now that Edric had Hunter's number, the calls were constant. Hunter had managed to schedule his days around, so he'd have around fifteen minutes to talk to the boy. He would of course vocally complain about how Edric was distracting him from his duties, which was partially true, but Edric caught on fairly quickly that Hunter enjoyed talking to him, as he had no obligation to answer him, and yet, he did anyway.
Heck, Hunter was sometimes the one who initiated the calls.
But the main problem was the date.
The date Edric had asked him out on, over a month ago.
The date Hunter desperately needed to go on in order to cleanse his mind.
His promotion couldn't have happened at a worse time than it did.
He was sure that Edric was getting frustrated too. It had become almost a tradition that the first words they exchanged during the calls would be the green haired boy asking him whether he had time or not, and Hunter responding with an exasperated no.
And then, Edric's frustration seemed to boil over.
"Is there really nothing you can do?! "
Hunter rubbed his temples in frustration, "I've consulted with the guards quite a bit and the best they could offer for me was a cover for the times I'm talking to you now."
"Really! But our time together is already so short!" He complained, and though Hunter agreed with him, there wasn't like he could do anything about it,
"I know," he simply said.
"Okay, you know what," Edric said, with a surprising amount of conviction in his voice, "We're planning a timing to this date, right here, right now."
"...I literally don't have time. We've been over this."
"Then I'll make you some time!"
For how endearing Edric could be, at times Hunter felt like he was talking to a brick wall. When his mind was made up, Hunter could say nothing to change it.
He sighed, "And how, do tell, are you going to 'Make me some time.'"
A grin spread across the Blight's face, as he leaned in closer to the crystal ball, "Ever heard of this lovely thing called bribing."
"Yes Edric, I know what bribing is, I'm not five."
"Well," Edric crossed his arms, "From the sounds of it, the guards are just doing this as a favor for you, and that's why you can only talk for so long. But what if you paid them! I would personally never turn down money if all I had to do was stand around and look intimidating."
Hunter frowned, thinking the idea over. It wasn't bad per say, but it had a lot of room for error. For one thing, the guards would probably be squirming for a chance to get paid more, but at the same time, who knows when Emperor Belos would call on him for a surprise mission.
And there was also another problem...
"I don't have any money." Hunter deadpanned.
Edric shrugged, "I thought of that. I can lend you some. My parents have plenty."
"You're going to... steal from your parents?" Hunter asked, hesitantly.
"I'll deal with the consequences later. Is it a yes or a no?" Edric replied, seemingly completely unconcerned by the prospect of getting into trouble with his guardians. Hunter wasn't sure how he felt about that.
The mere prospect of stealing anything from his uncle sent shivers down his spine. Belos wouldn't just be disappointed, but Hunter would most certainly be punished for it too. The former terrifying him far more than the latter.
But Edric talked about his parents so nonchalantly. He'd joke about being the disappointment of the family and how he was surprised that they hadn't thrown him onto the streets at this point. And every time he'd get in trouble, he'd just laugh it off like it was nothing.
Hunter wasn't sure if he was impressed, concerned or jealous at his display.
He could make the argument that he had more to lose than Edric. His uncle was the Emperor, while Edric's parents were just businessmen. Despite their immense power, they weren't even close in rank to Belos.
But despite that, Hunter just couldn't wrap his head around Edric's mindset. He was so carefree about everything, just trudging through life, taking whatever path he wanted.
Hunter's path had been planned out for him before he could even walk, and he'd followed it.
Pursuing Edric was the first detour he'd ever taken.
Although Hunter was happy with his position, he'd be lying if he said that he didn't feel trapped. Edric was like a breath of fresh air in that regard. It was something he chose himself.
"Okay. Name how much you're willing to give me."
"As much as you need for a date tomorrow night." Edric said, his smile growing brighter and Hunter could feel his cheeks redden at the sight.
"I'll ask the guards about it and then I'll pay them later." He said, before looking Edric in the eye, "How... how are we going to go about this?"
Edric smirked, clearly trying to keep his calm, but Hunter could practically feel the happiness radiating off him.
"Come to my house. Tomorrow night at two." he said.
And thus, it was settled.
***
To say Edric was excited would be an understatement. Whatever emotion he was feeling was the one beyond that.
And stress. Definitely a lot of stress there.
He'd barely gotten any sleep last night, wracking his brain on how to give Hunter the best date of his life while sufficiently wooing him in the process.
Edric knew Hunter liked him. At least he hoped so. The boy had clearly put an effort into talking to him whenever he had time. It was a bit hard knowing when he'd call, so Edric sometimes had to flee conversations or leave class just to get a few minutes of the guards time.
He wasn't sure if Hunter's standards were high, but considering he was the new head of the emperor's coven, Edric assumed they were.
Wow, it had really just hit him that he was taking the leader of the emperors coven out on a date.
Who knows, if it wasn't perfect he could be sentenced to death.
After many hours of pacing around and Emira's annoyed grumbles telling him to go to sleep, Edric finally settled on a location.
The restaurant was fancy and thankfully open all night. He knew it would cost a fortune.
Edric himself was dead broke, but being his parents son had its perks. One of those perks being that it took them a while to realize when their money was gone, due to their copious amounts of it. Edric didn't feel even an ounce of guilt stealing from them.
He obtained the money quite easily, Just a scoop from his parents' money pot that they'd used the least time they were advertising their products. The last show had been an overwhelming success, so it was practically overflowing.
He'd accumulated just enough for Hunter to pay his guards and for the dinner.
Sneaking back to his room, he noticed that Emira had finally entered an easy rest, probably thankful for his departure.
Edric sighed, quickly shoving the money in his bedside drawers and plopping himself onto his own bed hoping for a few hours of sleep before the day he'd been waiting for would arrive.
***
It only truly hit Hunter how unprepared he was mentally for this when he was on his way to the Blight manner.
Edric's plan had worked, for the most part. He'd promised a few guards pay, for taking his place in a relatively minor mission that he was assigned to go on.
He had, of course, already completed the vast majority of what he was tasked to do, but the guards would make it so he had a cover when he'd tell his uncle would ask him what took so long.
He just prayed that didn't go back on his promise and had the money ready.
Blight manor in the distance, he could see light in one of the windows, but the rest of it looked rather dead.
Hunter recalled the last time he'd been here. Belos had sent him to purchase the Blights stock of abomitrons for the Emperor's coven defenses. And because those abominations were illegal, but that was entirely unrelated.
Stepping off his staff, he took a shaky breath in the doorway, as he knocked on the door. He hadn't seen Edric in person since their first encounter. Sure, he'd seen him during their calls, but that wasn't really the same.
But as the door swung open and the green haired boy stepped out, Hunter's breath got caught in his throat.
Edric was sporting a blue two piece suit, with suspenders and a bowtie, holding the jacket over his shoulder. His grin was wide, but his stance seemed awkward.
Endearing.
Hunter suddenly felt embarrassed at his choice of attire. He hadn't exactly been thinking about his wardrobe when he left.
He'd ditched his main Golden Guard outfit, but hadn't bothered to change out of his blue undershirt and pants. He still had his gloves and dirty boots on him too.
Suffice to say, they didn't quite match.
Neither of them said anything for a few seconds, before Hunter cleared his throat, "Didn't know there was a dress code."
"Oh," Edric replied, seemingly stunned, "This- Uh, well, Suppose I just wanted to look my best." He shifted awkwardly as he eyed Hunter up and down, "You look good. As always." He added quickly.
Hunter shrugged, "I suppose you don't look so shabby yourself." he clicked his tongue, "The money?"
"Oh yeah!" Edric said quickly, patting his pocket and pulling out a wad of cash, "I have it. Here."
Hunter snatched it, putting it in his own pocket as quickly as he could. He didn't feel too bad for taking it. Edric was, after all, the one who proposed the idea.
"Will we be going somewhere?" Hunter asked, prompting Edric to straighten his stance and offer his hand, "Yes, actually. Shall we?"
Hunter took a good look at the hand before sighing and taking it on his own. He ignored the blush creeping up into his cheeks as Edric closed the door, leading him away from the house.
Hunter didn't miss it when he gave a thumbs up to someone in the window. Probably his twin.
They walked in silence for a fair bit of time, hand in hand. Hunter could feel himself shaking lightley. This is what he'd wanted, right? And yet, he couldn't utter a word. He was stressed, that much was clear, but he'd never experienced it while also being flustered.
It was a bit frustrating, if he were to be completely honest. He wasn't sure what Edric was feeling, He caught him staring every so often, but would shy away when he was caught, seemingly just as flustered as Hunter.
Thankfully, Edric was the one to break the silence
"Sorry about the whole poem thing, by the way."
Hunter stared at him, "What poem thing?"
Edric's browser furrowed, looking confused before letting out a sigh of relief, "Oh. Good. You didn't see it. It wasn't that good anyway."
"Edric. What poem?" Hunter pressed.
"Oh, well," Edric chuckled nervously, "I may have sent you this poem but your mom was in your room when I did and saw in and well... suffice to say, she didn't seem too pleased."
Hunter's confusion was cranked up to a hundred at the boy's story, "I don't have a mom." he stated, looking at Edric with questioning eyes.
The taller boy seemed caught off guard by that confession, seemingly sharing Hunter's confusion, "Then who replied to my poem?"
Hunter wracked his brain for a moment, thinking back on his day. He'd spent the vast majority of last night and the morning after, stationed next to his uncle in the throne room, but he had made a point of checking if there were any new messages from Edric when he came back, with no poem to be found.
But upon digging into his memory further, he came across a detail that struck him as odd.
Kikimora had left the throne room at the break of dawn.
At the realization, Hunter felt a smile quickly cross his lips and he couldn't help but laugh.
Edric stared at him dumbly, clearly trying to figure out what was so funny.
"Kikimora. You sent the message to Kikimora. She must have been snooping around my room." Hunter said as he struggled to contain his chuckles.
Edric's face morphed into an expression of horror, but Hunter could only laugh at it further. The thought of Kikimora and Edric having any kind of conversation at all was funny enough as it is, so the humor was increased tenfold if she had stumbled across one of Edric's love poems.
Hunter himself had been subjected to them on numerous occasions. They were cheeky and made Hunter groan with embarrassment, but the gesture was sweet, although he highly doubted that Kikimora would share that sentiment.
Especially if it had been addressed to him.
"Kikimora! Her? Really?" Edric asked, mortified, "Isn't she like the emperor's left hand demon or something."
"Why should that be an issue for you," Hunter snorted, having gotten over his laughter, but the smile on his lips stayed, "You've been sending those poems to the emperor's right hand man. And in case you have forgotten, I'm higher rank than her."
"Yeah, but that's different," Edric said defensively.
"How so?"
"Because you're you ."
Hunter grew silent, digesting what Edric had just said. He wasn't really sure what to make of it. It sounded like a declaration of some sort, but it didn't make sense. Of course Hunter was Hunter. But Hunter was also The Golden Guard. And The Golden Guard was the leader of the emperor's coven.
"Elaborate please?" Hunter asked, genuinely curious about what Edric had to say.
The boy also seemed at a loss for words, shrugging as he looked away, "I don't know. I just... I know you, you know? You don't... " he moved his arm around, clearly racking his brain on how to put his thoughts into words, "You may be this important coven head, but you don't feel like it. Talking to just is kind of just like talking to a sleep deprived teen with too many responsibilities? Not that that's a bad thing, of course! I like talking to you."
"Oh." Hunter responded, not sure what else to say. He disagreed with Edric's reasoning. He was so much more than what he'd just been called, but for some reason, he found himself unable to argue.
"...You're cute when you laugh." Edric quietly added. The complement may not have been much, but it made Hunter smile.
***
Edric found his nervousness catching up with him again as he laid eyes on the restaurant.
The date had so far been way too awkward for his liking, and he just prayed that Hunter didn't feel the same way.
His hand tightened his hold on Hunter's as he gave him what he hoped was a confident smile, leading him inside.
The restaurant wasn't anything special, but it was nice, fancy and expensive. He gestured for Hunter to pick a seat, the blond doing so after a moment of consideration.
It was a table for two close to the entrance, stationed up against the window. It looked clean, a red candle in the middle of it, complementing the white tablecloth.
The two of them sat down, Hunter immediately picking up the menu to gloss over it. Edric couldn't help but notice how uncomfortable he looked.
"You okay?" he asked, hesitantly.
Hunter furrowed his brows as he gazed across the room, "I've never been to a restaurant before."
Edric's eyes widened at the confession, "Never? Never ever? Really?"
Hunter shrugged, his closed off posture staying the same, "The emperor didn't let me do anything that was potentially distracting. Going out to restaurants was one of those things." he said, like it was the most normal thing in the world, but the explanation didn't quite sit right with Edric.
"You were never allowed to go out? I suppose I get it when you're like a little kid, but never? That's way past overkill." he said, raising an eyebrow. Hunter snorted in response, eyes still glued to the menu, "My training was a lot more important than that. I'm certainly not even supposed to be going out with you tonight. Be happy I'm indulging my feelings for you at all."
"Awww, you have a crush on me." Edric said teasingly, before shaking his head, "I mean, you do right?"
"I do." Hunter deadpanned.
"Oh, yeah, that's good." Edric muttered. There were too many things to unpack in that conversation. First of all, he'd already known this, but yes, Hunter did indeed like him back. That was good. Very good.
But Hunter's comments about his training didn't exactly sit right with Edric. Sure, Edric could probably have had more freedom as a kid, especially his early childhood, but his parents hadn't actively refused to go out together.
If Hunter hadn't even gone to a restaurant before, who knows what other things he had yet to experience. The thought made Edric a bit sad and also reeling for the potential opportunities for future dates.
Future dates, huh. Edric doubted one of those would ever even happen if this one flopped, so he'd definitely have to up his wooing game.
He scanned the restaurant over. It was crowded, with most of the tables being taken up by people out to have a good time with people out on dates. There was a venue and a dance floor in the middle of the whole place and a band was playing loud music, seemingly changing genres every few songs.
Edric suddenly felt relieved that Hunter had chosen the table that he did. Any closer to the middle and the music might drown out some of their quieter conversations.
From what he'd read about the place, there was supposed to be some sort of dance later in the night that he was hoping to get Hunter to join him. His parents had forced him to take classical dance when he was younger and this was the first opportunity he'd ever gotten to utilize his skills.
"Have you decided on your meal yet?" Edric asked him, to which Hunter shook his head and kept staring at the menu.
Okay, Edric would be lying if he said his nerves were not rising at this point. Hunter had completely shut himself off after they entered the restaurant, only sparing him glances and seemed like he was almost trying to make himself as small as possible.
"Hey, are you-" Edric was cut off as Hunter raised up his hand, his face contorting in on itself, uncomfortableness written all over it. "Could you... be a bit more quiet." he said, looking up at Edric.
The request confused him, but the green haired boy nodded anyway.
"I think I'm ready to order now." Hunter breathed, giving Edric an awkward smile.
Calling over the waiter, Edric told him they're orders.
"So... I was wondering." Edric started, keeping his volume low, "There is this dance later, right over there by the venue, and I think it would be nice if you and I, you know, took a little sway together?" he said, trying his best to be flirtatious, hoping Hunter didn't catch the nervousness leaking through.
Hunter shrugged, "Um, yeah," he all but whispered, "I'm not too good at dancing, though."
Edric gave him a smug grin, "That's fine. I can be the one leading!" Hunter just nodded, slowly tapping his finger against the table.
They both fell silent. Something was bothering Hunter, that much was clear, but Edric couldn't wrap his head around what. Suffice to say, it was worrying him.
Did Hunter not like the restaurant? Was he slowly realizing that Edric's company wasn't actually as fun as he'd thought and was contemplating ways to politely ask to never see him again.
Whatever it was, Edric just wanted Hunter to be enjoying himself.
Leaning over to the boy, who's eyes had still been focused on his fingers, Edric whispered, "Are you okay?"
Hunter just nodded in response, breathing a short, "I'm fine."
"You don't look fine."
"I said, I'm fine." Hunter snapped, his voice growing a little louder, briefly glancing at Edric.
"But you-" he was cut off as the waiter came back holding their food.
Giving up on the conversation for now, Edric decided that the best course of action was to just wait until Hunter was willing to tell him what was up.
Most of the time, Edric would relentlessly question Emira or Amity if one of them refused to talk to him, until they snapped, at which point, they usually revealed what was wrong.
But this was different. Edric was actually trying to make a good impression here. And to do so, he'd have to figure out how to make Hunter have as fun as he could.
Maybe in real life casual conversations just weren't his thing? Maybe he'd start talking more when they danced?
So Edric ate his food in uncomfortable silence, watching as Hunter lazily poked at his own, taking just a few bites in between.
This may be awkward, but Edric could recover from it, he knows he can.
"Hunter," he eventually said, "The dance is about to begin. Are you...?" he pointed awkwardly at Hunter's half eaten meal. Hunter shook his head, "I don't want more."
"That's great!" Edric said, trying his best to sound upbeat, "Because the real fun is only just beginning." He stood up from his seat and offered Hunter a hand, which was promptly ignored, as the boy pushed himself up from his seat all on his own, eyeing the dance floor with a strange expression, his posture still clammed up.
The music had started picking up speed by this point, the soft jazz altering itself, couples and friends swaying around on the dance floor. Smiling faces were present all around.
"So, Hunter," Edric said, a grin dawning on his lips, "would you be so kind to join me?"
To his dismay, Hunter had taken a step back, eyes unfocused, face contorting in blatantly obvious discomfort.
Before Edric could properly react, Hunter turned to him and ran, leaving the establishment before the other boy could speak any protests.
Edric's mind went blank. He wasn't quite sure what to say or do.
His date had just ran out of the building after he'd offered to dance with him.
Did this count as being stood up? Has it happened again? Had Hunter realized just how much of a loser Edric really was and booked it out of there before having to properly tell Edric that he didn't want to be with him?
...no. There was something else here.
For some odd reason, Edric didn't feel heartbroken or any form of emotion resembling that. All he felt was pure unfiltered concern. He had no clue what made Hunter react that way but for once, he was sure that the fault wasn't with him.
Edric mentally slapped himself as he realized that he'd been standing in the middle of the restaurant, making no attempts to move, for minutes now. Hunter may have been long gone.
Edric quickly turned to the exit, running out after Hunter.
***
Everything was too loud.
Hunter could barely focus on the scenery in front of him. All he wanted to do was curl up into a ball and cover his ears.
With every little sound, every fork banging against the plate and an instrument being strung, he felt his grip on the scenery slipping and his mind closing in on itself.
He was vaguely aware of Edric trying to talk to him, but he could barely bring himself to care.
He wanted out. He wanted out and now.
Before his mind could even process what had happened, he turned around and made a break for the door.
Hunter had never felt air quite so comforting. The night sky greeted him as he exited the building in a haste. He heard the noises of the bustling restaurant and city leave him the further he got away.
He finally stopped when he couldn't hear anything anymore except the sounds of the night.
Letting himself take a moment to compose himself, Hunter slid down in front of a large rock.
Okay... what had just happened?
He and Edric had gone together to a restaurant. Hunter had suddenly felt overwhelmed by all the noise. He'd put all his energy into trying to keep his discomfort down. And then, Edric offered to dance with him...
And the thought of the dancefloor had been the final straw.
He'd needed quiet.
Though Hunter gave himself a moment of relief, the implications of what he'd done were all too clear.
His mind had simply stopped working properly, and he hadn't quite realized what was at stake here.
He'd just completely screwed up his date with Edric.
Hunter wanted to cry. He'd rarely, if ever, been so frustrated with himself. Of course, he didn't, as crying was something that his uncles had adamantly taught him that only weak people do, but damn was it tempting right now.
Edric Blight had been the only person in Hunter's whole life who seemed to actually want to get to know him . Not The Golden Guard.
But after his little stunt, Hunter doubted the boy would want to talk to him again.
What in titans name had even come over him? One second he'd been fully relaxed, enjoying Edric's company, and the next second he'd been bombarded with deafeningly overwhelming noise.
Hunter recalled similar things happening to him at some points in his life, but it had never been this bad.
Who knows, maybe he was just allergic to restaurants.
He stayed seated for an unidentifiable amount of time, refusing to let himself fully think. Why did he even think this would work out in the first place? Edric was just some random guy he met while going home on a mission. He shouldn't mean anything to him. But Hunter could feel his spirits completely shattered at the mere thought that this would be their last ever interaction.
"Tch," He scoffed. He always strived to be the best in the coven. And since the coven was his life, that boiled down to Hunter having to overachieve in everything he did, or else he would be labeled failure.
He supposed that was why he cared about Edric. Both his desire to achieve the goal of entering a relationship with him, and because Edric was the only person in Hunter's life that didn't care if he failed.
And now he'd ruined that connection.
It was like all ounces of his energy deflated as he sat by the rock, taking in the pitch-black sky. The sun would probably rise in a few hours, meaning he should seriously start thinking about when to get back, but his brain seemed to be blocking all rational thought.
So he just sat there. Wallowing in his misery.
He was sure he was about to doze off when he heard someone yell his name.
His half-closed eyes tore open in an instant, as he whirled around, to see Edric running towards him, an unreadable expression dawning his face.
"There you are!" he said loudly, relief filling his voice. Hunter was too stunned to speak. Edric stopped running, crouching down for a moment to catch his breath. "I was scared that you'd gone back to the castle before I could properly talk to you." He slid down against the rock beside Hunter, still managing his breath. It was clear he'd been running around for a while.
Hunter suddenly felt like an idiot. Edric wouldn't dare leave any question up in the open about their relationship, especially something like this.
He'd probably hunt him down from the other side of the isles if that was what it took, just to tell him that he'd enjoyed talking to him.
The boy had finally caught his breath properly, although his face was still red and sweating. He took one last deep breath, before turning to Hunter, face riddled with worry, "Are you okay?"
"...I-" He cut himself off. Hunter wasn't sure what to say. He didn't quite have a reason for his erratic behavior nor why he got overwhelmed to the point of abandoning the date. "I suppose there was too much noise." he settled on.
He didn't miss the flash of confusion that crossed Edric's face, before he simply nodded, "Sorry." he mumbled.
Hunter looked at him with confusion, "Why are you apologizing?"
"Well, you looked really uncomfortable and I was so worried that the date was going badly that we stayed there, even though I knew you weren't enjoying yourself, because I was sure I could fix this as soon as we were done eating." he mumbled, "We should have just left right away."
Hunter grabbed the boy's shoulders and forced him to turn to him.
"Are you joking?" he asked, dead serious, "You do realize that I was the one who didn't say anything. And besides, I shouldn't have reacted like that anyway."
Edric pursed his lips, looking thoughtful, "Can I ask... what made you react that way?"
"I don't know," Hunter responded, honestly, "Usually when I'm around a lot of people it's either in the heat of battle or when I'm standing next to the emperor for meetings. I don't think I've ever been in an environment like... that." he shrugged.
Edric nodded, "Okay... Okay then. If we do this again, I suppose something more private would be better."
The silence hung in the air. Neither of them seemed to want to know what the other one would say about the 'if' Edric had just uttered.
Hunter trailed his eyes over to Edric, who looked back, expression conflicted.
Wow, Hunter had really been an idiot.
He had been convincing himself that going on this date with Edric would keep his feelings for the boy in check, but he couldn't have been more wrong.
As long as he kept indulging in his crush, it would only grow. And the date tonight made him realize that oh so clearly.
The frequent calls he and Edric had been having were doing nothing but fulling his desire to meet him in person. He didn't want any fancy gestures or dates. He'd just wanted someone to talk to. Someone who cared about him.
His uncle cared about him, but it wasn't quite the same. He had to be careful about what he said around him. With Edric, he got the feeling that he could be completely honest and transparent with him and Edric wouldn't judge.
Yeah, just sitting with him here was good enough.
Keeping his eyes glued to the boy, who had noticed his staring by this point, Hunter smiled to himself.
"What is it?" Edric hesitantly asked.
"Your so stupid sometimes." Hunter lightly chuckled. Edric's expression morphed into hurt and confusion, but before he had a chance to say something, Hunter took his hand, "You didn't ruin the date. I don't care about fancy gestures or anything. I just want to spend time with you."
"Oh." Edric breathed, mouth hanging agape, "Well that's... that's good, right?"
"Yeah." Hunter nodded.
"So," Edric said, looking deep in thought, before standing up and pulling Hunter with him, "If you like to keep things casual, can we pretend that the date just started. And like.. Take a walk or something?" he asked, clearly worried about Hunter's response.
"Well, it's getting pretty late," Hunter said and he could practically see Edric's expression drop before it did. "But-" he quickly added, "I'd be willing to walk with you home. And besides, I left my staff there anyway, so..." he shrugged, "We can use the remaining time we have to just... talk."
"Great!" Edric exclaimed, perhaps a little too loudly, "We can take the path by the forest. It'll be just like the first time we met, except with less injuries to my fragile foot."
Hunter nodded with a smile, satisfied with that answer, as Edric led the two of them in the direction of their house.
Thinking back on it, Hunter wasn't even sure what they talked about. But he knows that it was pleasant. He didn't know how else to describe Edric's company, other than warmth. He felt his body heat up with comfort every time their shoulders brushed or when Edric turned to give him a smile. He wasn't sure why he'd ever been worried.
The trip back was unbearably short. Hunter suspected that it had only taken twenty minutes. But every second of it had been worth it.
Standing by the doorframe of Blight manner, Hunter went inside for a moment to grab his staff.
Upon going back outside, he noticed that Edric's expression seemed conflicted.
"Edric?" he asked, "What is it?"
Edric just sighed, tapping his foot nervously on the ground, "I don't know. I'm just thinking." he briefly looked up at Hunter, immediately averting his gaze. "No. It's stupid." he muttered.
Hunter raised an eyebrow at him. "Tell me."
Edric stayed silent for a few seconds, before clearing his throat, "I was just wondering, you know, because we both seemed to like the date and I just think I'd be nice if I could hear it from you clearly, because I feel like I'd be okay to put that type of label on us and-"
"Edric." Hunter cut him off, "As cute as your rambling is, I'd like you to get to the point."
"I was just wondering..." He said, keeping his eyes locked on his shoes, "If you would be fine with being boyfriends?"
Hunter was rendered speechless for a moment. He wanted to. He truly did. But he was so busy with his Golden Guard duties that he doubted that he'd be a very good romantic partner.
But he didn't say anything like that. He supposes that he got lost in the moment.
"I think I'd like that," he said instead.
Instead of Edric's usual grin at romantic gestures, he almost looked like he was going to faint. He was happy, sure, but it seemed that Hunter wasn't alone in his fear of being a bad partner.
"That, oh wow, yeah, that makes me happy." he said, an awkward smile painting his lips, before another short silence fell over them, as Edric seemed to be gathering his thoughts.
"Can I..." he started, "Can I kiss you?"
Hunter might as well have short circuited right then and there.
"I'm sorry." he said quickly, "I.. I don't think I'm ready for-"
"Oh, yeah," Edric cut him off, "That's completely fine! Really!" he nodded as he spoke, "I just.. Don't think that's all I want or anything. I just like you and I like talking to you."
"I know," Hunter quickly said. "I really enjoyed talking to you tonight. So..."
In a rush of confidence, Hunter went up on his tippy toes and gave Edric a light kiss on the forehead.
The moment was short, but Edric looked like he'd gone into a trance.
"So.." Hunter said, sitting down on his staff, "I guess I'll hear from you later."
"Yeah! Yeah, I'll hear from you!" Edric replied, a grin slowly breaking out on his face.
Taking one last look at the boy, Hunter finally turned away, taking to the sky on his way back to the castle, finding himself smiling at the thought of talking to Edric again the next day.