The day Hunter went to find titan's blood, you were sick. Extremely sick. Mushrooms growing on your head and everything. Hunter stopped by earlier to find you passed out on the floor.
He panicked until he found out you were breathing but sick. So, he tucked you in bed, gave you soup, and left.
That was a week ago.
You were all better now, but Hunter?
He got the titan blood he needed from the key. At least, that's what he told you. He told you about how Belos was trying to fix the door to the human realm too, but...he seemed down.
When he was doing the palisman observations he sounded normal, but probably because he was distracted with Flapjack.
But after he cut off the video, he got quiet for a few seconds before he said, "I'm going to bed..."
You got up from your desk and opened your bedroom door. You left your room and knocked on Hunter's.
"Come in." You turned the doorknob and entered. Hunter smiled slightly when he saw you. "Y/n, what's up?"
You shut the door and crossed your arms. "I should be asking you the same thing, Hunter. You've been out of it since that mission. What happened?"
Hunter looked at his book. "Nothing, alright?"
You pressed your lips together. "Do you expect me to believe that?" You walked to his desk and hugged him. "I wanna know what's wrong with my bestie!"
He sighed. "I just had to fight the youngest Blight...and took the key from her...but the key was broken.."
You rested your chin on his shoulder. "She broke the key before giving it to you?"
"Yeah. The blood was gone by the time I got to the castle..." He covered his face groaning. "And Belos wasn't too happy with me leaving the castle without permission. But...he didn't punish me, so that was okay."
Hunter leaned back on the chair, his head landing back on your shoulder.
"i just...I just wish I could help, Y/n. But I don't know how...I don't want to be replaced...I don't want you to be replaced either..." His eyes flick to you. "Did you know that in the human realm, rain doesn't boil?"
You raised your eyebrows. "It doesn't?"
"No. Belos said he's been in the human realm. Isn't that cool?"
You didn't answer. How did Belos go to the human realm with the owl lady had the door for nearly thirty years before Luz destroyed it? Belos at least had to be the same age as Eda, maybe a few twenty years older..Even then, before Eda had the door, Belos had been emperor...
You held your head. "Ugh, thinking about this hurts my head."
Hunter tilted his head up at you. "Thinking about what?"
"Uh...nothing. But that's really cool."
Hunter shrugged and smiled. "If Belos gets the door fixed...maybe I could take you to the human realm!" He said hopefully. "We can explore it together! Learn new things from a different realm together...eat human food together! Attend human school together! It could have excellent opportunities!..."
You looked at him, your face burning. Together?
Hunter grinned at you. "When he gets the door fixed, if we ask Belos, we can spend a few days in the human realm!"
You looked away, your face practically on fire. Your heart raced and your mouth felt dry. He wants to go to the human realm with me.
You looked at your hands which were sweating. You touched your chest and felt your heart pounding. Your stomach squirmed and the room felt hotter than usual. Oh my titan, I'm becoming a mess!
"Y-Yeah!" You said looking at him. "Let's go to the human realm together!"
Hunter got up and out of nowhere, he hugged you. "Thanks for making me feel better.."
You were always the one to initiate hugs, and for the first time, he hugged you first. With shaking hands you touched his back.
"No problem!" You laugh nervously. Dear titan, dear titan, I'm falling for my best friend. Stop. Stop. Stop! You let go and touched his waist as he touched your arms. You started grinning nervously.
He tilted his head confused. Why were you acting so weird now?
"Hey! I have an idea! The Coven's Day Parade is tonight! We should go!" You said.
He smiled. "Together? Sure. We go every year." He said. "Here's another idea, let's go somewhere high and watch the parade from there. We could bring a blanket and a basket of food. You know like a-"
Date? You thought.
"-picnic."
Right. Right. Right. A picnic.
You nodded. "Yeah! Yeah. Sure! You grab the blankets, and I'll make some food." You said. Hunter nodded.
"Alright,"
6:03pm
"Hey! Hunter!" You called from a roof. "Up here!"
Hunter looked up. He wore a coven scout cloak, hood down. He must have borrowed it from another guard. He has to clean his cloak. The Blight's abomination goo got on it.
Flapjack turned to a staff and Hunter flew up and landed on the roof. He held a puffy red and yellow blanket.
"Hey!" He said grinning. "You picked a great spot!"
You smiled putting your hands behind your back. "Thanks, love-- I MEAN BESTIE! YEAH- UM-"
Hunter blinked at you. "Did you almost call me-"
"LOOK, I BROUGHT FOOD!" You held up the basket of food you made and collected in his face. He leaned back surprised and tilted his head, momentarily distracted.
"Oh- Good. It should be start soon."
You nodded. "YEAH, LET ME TAKE THE BLANKET-" You started forward to grab it from his arms but slipped over a bottle of soda. Hunter caught you by your shoulders.
He gently moved his hands down to your arms making you shiver. "Are you okay?"
"I- Uhhh..."
You seemed so aware of him. How his eyes aren't just a dark magenta, but also a bright pink. The way he naturally smelled of pine and soap. The mint in his breath. The gap in his teeth.
Your eyes land on the scar on his face. In all your years of knowing him, you didn't know where it came from. When you were fourteen (as was Hunter) one day, he didn't have it.
Then he went on a gone-missing hiatus, for about a six months, and when he came back? There it was. Belos told you at the time that Hunter was on a very important mission. And you believed him.
Unconsciously, you brought your fingers up and touched it lightly. He seemed startled at first, but he soon smiled sadly leaning into your touch, his cheek with the scar, now in your palm.
"How did you get that, again?" You whispered. "You never told me..."
Hunter's hand grabbed yours. "Oh my, you're worrying about me now?" He laughed.
You flushed and looked away. "Well, you have a scar. I'm curious where it came from." You said glancing at him.
He released your hand and brought his hand up to your face, squeezing your cheek and pulling it as if you were a child who asked a dumb question. "You are so cute." He said softly.
Your heart stopped. Is he teasing me? You wonder your face burning.
You pushed his hand away. But he's treating me like a child! Hunter gave you a smile before spreading the blanket out on the roof. He took the basket from you and motioned you too sit.
Once you did he sat next to you.
"Belos gave it to me." Hunter said after a few minutes of silence. The parade started. "He got mad at me for some reason...so...he hit me with his cursed arm."
You stared at Hunter shocked. "...What."
"I was gone for almost a year because Belos didn't want anyone finding out that he hurt me so bad it left a scar. He told me to tell anyone who asks that I got it from a mission." Hunter smiled. "But I forgive him. I know he didn't mean it."
You looked down. "I'm sorry..."
Hunter looked at you. "What for?"
"For asking...I'm sorry if you felt pressured.." You said quietly as you watched the parade floats ride by.
Hunter grabbed your hand. "Don't worry, Y/n." He squeezed it. "I told you because I trust you." He let go of your hand and pulled out two sandwiches.
Hunter gave one to you and said, "The parade is as good as last year, huh?"
You took the sandwich and smiled. "Yeah. It is. I really like the illusion one."
"Same. Wait. What is that float?" Hunter said pointing down at the ground. You looked down and saw a beat up emperor Belos float that gave you finger guns and winked.
"That's a weird looking float." You hummed biting the sandwich.
Hunter nodded doing the same. "Huh. Yeah,"
Then out of nowhere, fireworks flew out of the eye and you guys looked up reading the words it made. You stood, squinting.
Your snort turned to a chuckle.
Hunter looked at you. "Y/n!" He gasps.
You looked at him grinning. "Sorry!"
Hunter stared at you. Y/n's smile is cute... He looked down. "We should check that out."
You stopped him sitting down. "Hey, orrrr we can stay here! Looks like Kikimora is already sending gua-"
Smoke appeared in front of the float Kikimora was leading.
"Huh. Weird."
You all heard a gasp in the smoke. Kikimora.
"OH! I cannot believe we are being taken against our will! What sayeth you fiend!?"
"Ooh- Uh, Thaaat's right! I, Hecate, will whisk you away to my kingdom of mirrors and snakes!"
You paused. That sounded...familiar. It was on the tip of your tongue. "We should help Kikimora." You said hesitantly.
The smoke disappeared- Kikimora and Raine Whispers were gone. You started to get up and Hunter stopped you, pulling you down.
"Orrrr we can stay here! That line was from book five, chapter eight of The Good Witch Azura. Azura pretends to kidnap Hecate during the Ice Festival to save her from the wizard clan."
You froze. "You...you read my favorite book?" You asked quietly, your eyes on him. Under your gaze, he blushed.
"I-...I just wanted to see what you liked about it." He said rubbing the back of his neck. "And I thought maybe we could talk about it together?"
He looked away. "That was probably du-" You laughed and hugged him.
"Hunter, that's so sweet!" You said. Hunter's blush turned deeper as he hugged you back.
You let go. "You read all the way to book five?"
"Ye...Yeah. It's...a good book."
You smirked. "Of course it is! I can't wait to talk about it with you!" You brought him into another hug and he couldn't seem to stop smiling.
"I can't wait either..." He said quietly, and he hugged you back tightly.