Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The snake attacking the principal turned out to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. Hunter understood his mother’s frustrations. He really did. After sixteen years of the kids in the public school system, especially with how he looked, he desperately wished he could have been born normal. Without the ears or the eyes or scars that gave him nicknames. At best, he would be called something like “Legolas.” And while being compared to a heartthrob from Lord of the Rings was not so bad, the cruelty and ruthlessness of the rest of what he was called could never make what he looked like good in his eyes. 

So, yes, he understood his mom’s worries for Luz. And his sister? Well, as much as he loved her, and loved to get on her nerves even more, he never really understood her fascination with standing out as much as she possibly could. He was forced into that role, and he hated it with all his heart. And he never liked to admit it, but at times, he became resentful of her. Call it jealousy, but she had the opportunity to be normal. To actually have friends. To not have the reality of how she came to be part of their family looming over her head for the rest of her life. And she squandered it on her fantasy world. 

So he sat on the wooden porch steps outside of their home as their mother talked to Luz about a summer camp. He rested one elbow on his knee, holding his chin in his hand while he picked at a splinter in the wood with his other. Their conversation blended into the background noise, and Hunter let his thoughts drown the rest of it out. Sure, he would miss Luz. Their Amphibia and Big City Greens marathons. Their prank wars. Obsessing with her about whatever book they had read that week. And he did sympathize with her, and understood being forced into a role (or in her case a summer camp) that she didn’t want. But maybe this would be good for both of them. She would find some more friends. He wouldn’t be slapped awake for the whole summer. And She wouldn’t add onto his already bad reputation.

That's unfair of you Hunter thought She’s just being herself. 

But her being herself has dragged you further down in everyone’s eyes he retorted. 

That’s hardly her fault 

Hunter blew a puff of air out of his mouth, moving a strand of hair out of his face only to have it fall back into place a moment later. He ran his hands over the shaved side of his head, the sensation of his prickly hair soothing. He looked back at Luz and their mom. The conversation had ended, and Luz looked at her Azura book, her face falling. She placed it in the garbage can, her hand lingering on the cover. Guilt and sympathy bit at Hunter’s stomach at her expression. He began to regret blaming her, even if he hadn’t spoken his thoughts out loud. 

Their mom put a hand on Luz’s shoulder before turning away and walking towards Hunter. He looked up as she approached, pushing himself off of the steps. He guessed she would tell him to go and say goodbye, but instead, she shrugged off a packed bag from over her shoulder and set it at his feet. He had assumed it was for Luz, and a sense of dread soon came with it. 

“I hope this is not too much to spring on you, but I have signed you up to go to the camp as well,” she said. Hunter knit his brows into a scowl. 

“Why?” he said, trying not to let too much disappointment seep into his voice. But his mom worried her lip, and put a hand on his shoulder anyway. 

“Mijo, I know you already try so hard to fit in. I thought that maybe this would help you find some friends too.” Hunter mulled her words over, looking at the ground. His mama took his face in her hands. “Oh, Hunter. It won’t be so bad. Plus, I need you to look after your sister for me. Keep her out of trouble.”

“Ok, Mama,” he said. She tilted his head, pressing a kiss into his hair. 

“Thank you,” she said. “Text me when you get there. I will miss you.”

“You too, Mama,” he said. She pulled away, making her way back to the house and throwing the two of them a look over her shoulder. She waved. “Bye.”

On the other side of the yard, Luz looked from the back of Hunter’s head to the book in the garbage in front of her. Her Mama had said that he would be coming with her, but she did not really see how a summer camp would change the shape of his ears or the color of his eyes. 

She understood his pain. She really did. It wasn’t like she wasn’t bullied for being odd. She never let it get to her, always choosing to be herself over what other people thought she should be. At times, though she didn’t like to admit it, she was jealous (and a bit resentful) of Hunter. Her brother had the opportunity to embrace the borderline fantastical circumstances of his birth. To have the adventure of figuring out where he came from. To have the joy of naturally standing out. But he chose to do the opposite. 

That’s not fair, she thought. You chose to be different. He didn’t exactly have that choice. And he’s suffered because of something he can’t control. 

But he began walking towards her once their mom went inside, pulling Luz out of her thoughts. She clutched the strap of her pack, rubbing the back of her neck and giving her brother a half-hearted smile. 

“So I guess you’re coming with me,” she said. 

“I guess so.” They stood there. Hunter shuffled his feet, kicking at the dirt in the awkward silence. He sighed, adjusting the pack on his shoulder. “Look, I know this is going to be tough, but I’ll be here, right?” He punched her shoulder lightly, and that seemed to cheer her up, if only a little bit.

“Yeah, you big dork.” She said. Hunter stuck his tongue out.

“Takes one to know one,” he retorted. He turned towards the garbage, looking to get Luz her favorite book back. “We can at least take---” Except the book wasn’t there. Instead, it rested in a stuffed brown bag, the rim hooked into a small brown owl’s beak. Strange, but Hunter lived with Luz. He had seen stranger.

“Hey!” Luz called. Her voice startled the bird, who took off in the other direction. Luz pushed at his shoulder as she rushed past, pulling him along. “Don’t just stand there. Help me get that owl!” 

Hunter shook himself from his stunned daze, running after them. “Luz, wait!” Ahead of him, Luz disappeared through the brush. He could only spot her from her purple hoodie among the green of the forest. He pushed past a low hanging branch that had almost hit him across his face, leaving another scar. He hissed as the branch hit his hand, but continued forward. He tried to call after his sister again. “We shouldn’t be running into the woods this far!” 

But either Luz didn’t hear him, or she had ignored his words. He grumbled under his breath, chasing after her still. A path opened up soon after, and he let out a sigh of relief, his line of sight to Luz clear...Just in time to see her disappear into a definitely not structurally stable wood cabin. He cursed, sprinting for the closing door and calling her name. At the last second, he leapt in, the heels of his boots brushing against the door as it slammed shut.

He turned, but the door had begun to...fold? He backed away, bumping into someone. He jumped, whirling around to see Luz clutching her book tightly to her chest, glancing over her shoulder, her eyes wide. Hunter realized that they had not found themselves in a cabin, but in a tent filled with garbage and junk. At the opening of the tent stood a woman in a red dress torn at the bottom, the hem jagged. An amber stone sat in the center of her chest, and her wild grey hair framed her torso, a green wrap barely containing the top. She took off the silly glasses with long golden nails, holding the two of them there with a harsh stare. Hunter moved to stand in front of Luz, fixing the woman with his own glare, hoping that she wouldn’t see through to his anxiety. 

“You’re not going anywhere,” she said, her voice authoritative and intimidating. Hunter swallowed any fear he had, focusing on protecting Luz.

Instead, his sister hissed in his ear and grabbed his hand. “Come on,” she said, dragging him to the edge of the tent. He stumbled, twisting so he faced the direction Luz pulled him. They ducked under the tent and ran, only to be stopped by a cliff overlooking...wherever they had ended up. The strangest creatures went about seemingly normal lives down below. Hunter pulled Luz closer to him instinctually, but she had focused on a fairy flying closer to her, who steamed at them about giving them their skin. Luz yelped and slapped it away. 

Then, of course, the woman from before caught up to them. While Luz went limp, Hunter slapped at her hand and kicked. But she just set them on a pair of stools. Hunter stood, ready to fight, but the woman just tried to...sell them “human garbage.”

“Can I offer you a human foot filled with holes?” she said, sounding like an auctioneer as she pulled out a neon green croc. Hunter stared at her, a headache forming in his temples as the woman went on, pulling out some men’s deodorant, then a small television that looked like it was from the 80s. Hunter rubbed his temple, but Luz had gotten off of her stool, her usual bubbly self back from her panic. She pulled a few batteries from a bowl labeled human candy, and stuck them into the TV, turning it on and consequently drawing a crowd. 

Hunter barely paid attention to their conversation, instead looking around at the world they had found themselves in. The rocks above them looked like giant ribs, as if they stood where the lung of a titan once breathed. The surroundings were all vibrant, with an overlaying tone of orange, the trees perpetually in autumn. Hunter looked at the people. Most of them were beast-like, with a few humans scattered about, except the tips of their ears were pointed. Hunter gasped, his hand reaching towards his own ears just as the woman said “I’m not like you.” 

He turned just as she ripped the green scarf from around her head, revealing the same sharp pointed ears that Hunter had. He stared at them, and could feel Luz’s gaze going back and forth between him and the woman. Hunter remained in a daze, looking at the woman, Eda the Owl Lady as she soon introduced herself, and became overwhelmed with questions, thoughts. What it could all mean. He was so preoccupied that he almost missed Luz calling after him. 

He turned, and for a moment he thought Eda planned to kidnap Luz while he was distracted. But a movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he ducked just in time for a hand to grab after him. He yelped, twisting towards Luz and Eda and ran, holding onto the pack over his shoulder. The guard chased after them. Hunter sped up, almost reaching Luz, hoping to pull her down a side alley to escape.

“A human like you is much more valuable to me alive than dead,” he heard the Owl Lady say. Luz looked at her confused, and opened her mouth to clarify when Eda grabbed her arm. Hunter yelled, the Owl Lady mounting her magic staff like a horse, dragging Luz with her and taking off into the sky.

“No! Hunter!” Luz yelled. She reached back at Hunter, who stopped in his tracks to look up at them. She lost her balance, clambering to hold onto the stick, but kept her eyes on him. 

“Luz!” He called back, but whatever magic Eda used carried them too far, too fast. He panted from the chase, forgetting about the guard until he felt a gloved hand on the back of his neck, picking him up by his shirt. He kicked at the air, trying to free himself. “Hey, let go.”

“No,” the guard said. “If I can’t get the Owl Lady, I can at least get you.” 

“I didn’t even do anything wrong,” he said. He bit back his fear, trying to sound at least a tiny bit intimidating, but he had no idea where he was, and no idea where Luz had been taken, or if this Owl Lady was even to be trusted. He went limp in the guard’s hand, feeling exhausted. He could figure this out. He had to.

Chapter Text

“Stop! Wait!” Luz held onto the stick, her heart pounding. She kicked out her legs as if prodding for an imaginary brake pedal. She looked back, the wind whipping her face. “We have to go back. We left my brother.” 

Eda looked at her, raising a brow and pursing her lips. Currently, they flew over a forest and underneath the giant bones of a titan slowly being overtaken by nature. In any other situation, Luz would have been fascinated, stuck in a daze of her surroundings. She had found herself in the fantasy world she had always dreamed. But without the security of Hunter at her side, she could only feel vulnerability and worry. 

“Brother?” Eda said. She landed, and held out her hand as Luz stumbled off, catching the girl from falling to the ground. “Is that why he looked like a lost puppy? I thought he was just scared of me. I seem to have that effect on people.” She took her other hand that had somehow detached from her arm, and used its finger to scratch at her chin before reattaching it. Luz looked at it with fascination, but shook her head, refocusing herself. 

“So are you telling me that you thought he lived here?” Luz asked. 

“Well, I thought he did. He's a witch, isn’t he?” Eda began to walk down the path they had landed on, not looking to see if Luz followed. Luz jogged to catch up with Eda’s long and fast strides. “Or is he doing that human thing where you dress up? Coldplay?”

“Cosplay?” Luz rubbed the back of her neck. “No. He just looks like that. He never really Cosplayed with me when I took him to conventions. It's a shame, really. He would have made a great troll.” She laughed, looking to her side instinctually for Hunter’s reaction. But his absence drained her energy, and the reality of him being lost hit her. She slouched her shoulders, rubbing her arm. Eda threw a glance over her shoulder. 

“Cheer up, kid. Family is more than blood,” Eda said.

“Well, I know that already,” Luz grumbled. “I’m worried more about how my only brother is lost and alone in a strange new world. He’s probably having an identity crisis, too.” 

“I had one of those once,” Eda mused. She stopped on the path, a large wooden house in front of her with an Owl in the center of the door. “It was not fun. Would not recommend it. Hooty!” She shouted the last word, causing Luz to jump. The owl on the door hooted back. Quite literally. As in, it said the word “hoot” twice. 

Then it began to grow towards them. Luz held up her hand, ready to slap it away when it began to talk. “Password please.” It spoke with a high falsetto, its words playful. It twisted upside down, eyeing Luz with a wide grin, but Eda stuck out her hand, poking it in its eyes. It recoiled.

“We have no time for this, Hooty,” she said, her voice unamused

“Alright alright!” It glared at her. “You never want to have any fun. Ow. Hoot.” The last hoot was short and angry, but it opened its mouth until an opening in the door wide enough for them to step through appeared. Luz did not exactly know how to feel about this door creature. 

“Well, anyway, welcome to the Owl House,” Eda said. She snapped her fingers, and a few candles and the fireplace lit the room. It was a small room, with a red couch, chests in the corners, and a wall where a wanted poster of Eda hung in the center of other decor. Eda looked around proudly, her hands on her hips. And even in her somber state, Luz was impressed. Eda stretched, continuing. “And, we might be able to help each other.”

“You can help me get my brother back?” Luz asked. She whirled around, excited, her hands held in fists in front of her chest. Eda nodded. 

“That, and get you back to the human realm. Plus, your brother is probably in the conformatorium, where we are headed in the first place.” 

“We?” 

“Yeah, we. I said ‘help each other’,” Eda said. “I need you to do something for me before I let you go. But first, you should meet my roommate.”

Hunter sat in the shadow of the cell they had thrown him in, hugging his knees to his chest in an effort to make himself as small as possible. He scrubbed at his eyes, refusing to let any tears fall. He was not going to give whatever god who decided to throw him in wonderland the satisfaction of seeing him crumble. Plus, he had a job to do to get out and save Luz from Eda the Owl Lady. 

He sucked in a sharp breath, forcing himself to stand. His side ached from where he had landed when they pushed him behind bars, but he focused on observing his surroundings. Outside of the cell, a lever protruded from the wall. In the cells next to him was a head on legs, another person with pointed ears, and a creature with multiple eye sockets over their head, only a few occupied. The prison sat in circular layers, with him near the top. 

He began to think. If he could open the door somehow, he might be able to sneak out a side entrance. Or, he could dust off his gymnastics and martial arts training and try to go down the center of the tower. No, he thought, waving the thought away with his hand. He hadn’t done that in a year, and did not want to risk breaking his neck when he picked it back up again. If anything would help him now, it was the black belt he had that he could use to fight his way out. He had seen how these wardens fought, and would not be caught off guard again.  

He slipped his hand between the bars, feeling determined now that he had the inklings of a plan, and gripped the lever, pushing up. His arm bent at a weird angle, and he yelped, pulling it back. He hoped he would not have to fight whatever had the strength to actually lift the lever when he got out of there. 

If I can actually get out of here , Hunter thought, rubbing his elbow. He sighed. A few cells down, the other pointed-ear person scoffed.

“You think we haven’t tried that already?” She said. She slipped her arms through the bars, relaxing them so they hung limp and resting her chin on the metal. “Face it, you’re not getting out of here.” 

“Are you sure about that?” Hunter said, a challenge laced into his words. The woman just raised an eyebrow at him, unimpressed. She waved him away and slunk back into her cell, not bothering to argue. Hunter sighed, and did the same, putting his back to the wall and letting himself slide to the ground, sitting with his knees to his chest again. 

If I could fashion a pulley to... Hunter began, only to be interrupted by the woman’s voice cutting through his thoughts. 

“Hey cat lady!” Hunter looked up and through the bars of his cell. He gasped, seeing a familiar purple hoodie, cat ears sitting on top. The person in the hoodie turned, and sure enough, Luz stood before him. Hunter felt a wave of relief wash over him as the woman continued. “How’d you get out of your cell?” 

“Oh, no. I’m not a cat,” Luz began. “And I’m not a criminal.” 

“Luz!” Hunter called, immediately getting her attention. Luz jumped, running to his cell when she saw who had called her name. 

“Hunter!” She threw her arms through the bars, pulling him into a hug, the metal pressing awkwardly into his torso. She pulled away. “Are you alright? You didn’t cry, did you.”

“Shut up,” he said, pushing her face away. She stuck her tongue out, licking the hand on her cheek and he pulled away in disgust, wiping his hand on his shirt. “You’re disgusting.” 

“And it's good to see you too,” Luz said, a mischievous grin on her face. But even in the cave-like prison, Hunter could see the flash of relief in her eyes, and he could not help but feel the same. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, biting back a smile. 

“You know her?” The woman asked. She turned to Luz. “I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah, it's hard most days,” she said, lowering her head in mock sadness, smirking at the protest from Hunter. She focused back on the woman. “So what are you in here for?”

“For nothing,” she answered, her voice angry. She pulled out a book from her pocket, opening it up. On the page, a carrot and an onion holding each other. Hunter squinted at the page, not sure if he was seeing it right. “Me. I write fanfics of food falling in love.”  

He tuned out the rest of the conversation from there, focusing back on escaping, but a tremor in the ground pulled his focus away from escape.

“It's warden wraith!” One of the prisoners said. The tremors became closer, shaking the space more furiously than before. A figure slammed the door open, Luz jumping into the empty cell beside Hunter, pulling down the bars. 

“I can hear you,” the warden growled. His deep voice rumbled through the air almost as much as his footsteps. He wore a mask much like the ones plague doctors would wear, and a white cloak over his broad shoulders. He lumbered forward. “What are you fools whispering about?” 

Hunter shrunk back into his cell, keeping a close eye on the warden. He closed his mouth tight, but the head on legs began to rave about being silenced, taking the warden’s attention. 

“We are not afraid!” She shouted. The Warden scoffed, grabbing the lever and opening her cell. “Oh, I’m free.” Her words were cut off by a hand grabbing her and lifting her away. 

“Let this be a lesson to you,” the Warden threatened, but Hunter could only focus on the opened cell. A plan started to form in his head. Perhaps it was a stupid plan. No, it was a stupid plan. And impulsive, but Hunter was not going to wait around for another opportunity. A smirk turned up the corners of his lips, and he crossed his arms, one eyebrow cocked. 

“No, she’s right,” Hunter said. He could imagine Luz looking at him like he was crazy. The warden turned, and walked past her cell. She popped her head out of the bars, gesturing for Hunter to stop whatever he was doing, but he was always stubborn. “We aren’t afraid of you. Why should we be?” 

The warden snarled, pulling the lever to open his cage. Time slowed, the bars moving upwards as if through a thick molasses. Hunter kept still, watching the warden reach for him, striking out like a snake. But at the last moment Hunter twisted out of his reach and under his outstretched hand, running towards the edge of the platform. 

Yep. This was definitely a stupid, impulsive plan. 

He jumped, whirling around in midair and catching his hand on the edge of the ground. He swung, letting go at the last second before he swung back. He kicked his legs out, waving them to catch his balance before he landed. He probably should have rolled into the landing, as the impact vibrated through his bones, but the pounding of his heart in his ears and the adrenaline running through his veins distracted him from any sting of pain that came as a result. 

On the platform above him, the Warden yelled out in frustration. But Hunter shouted over him. “Run, Luz,” he said. “I’ll catch up.” 

“Who are you talking to?” the Warden snarled. “Never mind. I will find you.” The Warden looked over the edge of the platform. Hunter smirked, thinking the Warden too big to be as agile as him. However, the smile was soon wiped from his face as the Warden, still holding the creature,  jumped after him, his other arm transforming and stretching into a cluster of tendrils. 

Yep. This was definitely a stupid, impulsive plan. 

“Holy--” The words and air were knocked from his lungs as the tendrils shot forwards, slamming into his chest and into the wall. He coughed, gasping for breath. The Warden prepared to strike again, and Hunter rolled out of the way at the last second. In any other situation, Hunter might have stayed and fought. But his martial arts classes never prepared him for this. That really left one other option. 

So he ran. He looked back at his opponent, surprised to find him catching up rather quickly, his shifting arms helping him. But Hunter could tell that him holding onto the other creature --whose muffled cries cut through the air-- had slowed him down, and only allowed the use of one of his arms. He figured that tight turns would require an agility that the warden just didn’t have. If Hunter could lose him long enough to hide...

He ducked into an opened door, stumbling as the Warden blew it off its hinges with a single strike, splinters of wood hitting the back of Hunter’s legs. He ran, sidestepping into an adjacent hallway and taking off. He looked back, finding that the Warden struggled around the narrow turn, just as Hunter predicted. He grinned, having hope that this wasn’t as stupid and impulsive a plan as he was beginning to believe. 

He cut around another corner, putting a good amount of distance between him and the Warden. When he took his next turn, the Warden had barely turned the last corner. He felt himself starting to slow, breathless. Just one more turn…

The room he turned into forced him to a stop. It was obviously a room designed for torture and torment, with instruments hung on the walls and cages swinging from the ceilings. Tables and chairs with chains and shackles were stained with what looked like dried blood. Hunter swallowed the bile rising to his throat, but reminded himself that he could not hesitate. He ducked behind a pile of crates stacked against the wall just as the Warden came barreling into the room.

“I know you’re in here,” he growled, his voice shaking the metal instruments on the walls. Hunter did not wait for him to start searching. With the Warden’s backed turn, he slipped back out the way he came, running without looking back. He did not need to anyway, as the clattering of wood and metal followed by the Warden’s yells told him that he was unsuccessful in his search. 

He rounded a corner, his back and palms pressed firmly to the wall. He gasped for breath, whatever adrenaline that had remained wearing off fast. He put a hand to his chest, his heart pounding. Soon, the screams of the head-creature echoed through the halls, and Hunter could not help but feel guilt pooling in his stomach. The Warden was probably taking out his anger on the poor creature.

“Hey.” The voice of the Owl Lady made him nearly jump out of his skin. He could feel his heart skip a beat, and he glowered at Eda. “You're the human’s brother, right? You’re the witch-human?” 

“I-” The words refused to leave his throat, and he still gasped for breath. That, and Hunter barely knew what he himself was. Between him getting captured, looking for an escape, and focusing on Luz, he barely had any time to think. But Eda had called herself a witch. And she looked like him. But he still didn’t have time to think about this. He had to reunite with Luz, and find a way to safety. 

The Owl Lady seemed to get bored, picking at the inside of her ear. “The Warden is distracted right?” Hunter nodded, seeing as how the creature’s cries had not stopped. He flinched as a sound like a whip reverberated through the halls. But Eda just smiled. “Good. Come, I can take you to Luz.” 

The reunion filled both siblings with relief much greater than when Hunter was behind bars. And while Hunter still held guilt of the creature’s torment, he reminded himself that it was necessary for him and Luz to get back home.

They had hugged, of course, but then Luz hit him in the shoulder. Hard. “Ow,” He complained, but Luz glared at him.

”Eres estúpido!” She hissed, slapping him on the arm again, the repeated hitting bruising him. “¿Te das cuenta de que podrías haber muerto?¿Cómo le explicarías eso a mamá?” 

“I almost got killed by a beefy plague doctor and you are worried about getting in trouble with mom?” He said. He slapped her hand away, their fight soon escalating into them slapping each other's hands away until one of them backed away and out of reach. “Glad to see you, weirdo.” 

“You too, butt face.” She pulled her eye socket down, sticking out her tongue. He stuck out his tongue in return, swatting at her. She blew a raspberry, and Hunter rolled his eyes. 

“Are you done being childish, or are you going to explain what is going on?” He said. She waved him away, but began to explain. 

From her recounting, Hunter gathered that Luz had made a deal with Eda to help her find the crown of power for her pet...Hunter wanted to say it was a bird, but he wasn’t that sure to be perfectly honest. The crown itself sat behind a protective barrier that only a human would be able to pass. 

The weird bird creature, that Hunter learned was named King, head butted the barrier, only to get zapped back. It chittered, trying again before Eda spoke “We have a human, remember.” 

King muttered, nodded and stood aside, and Luz braced herself, sticking her hand into the barrier. Sure enough, it passed right through. Hunter thought back to when he first arrived, seeing others like him, and what it could mean. Had he come from here.

“Wait,” he said, and Luz pulled her arm back. “So, are you saying that only humans can go through this? Anything else would be shocked?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Eda said, shrugging. King had jumped into her arms at that point, watching Luz semi-patiently. Hunter looked at his sister, and she seemed to understand what he was implying. He stuck out his own hand, closing his eyes tight and pulling his shoulders up to his ears.

His fingertips brushed the barrier, and a moment after, he felt the familiar tingling of electricity running through his skin. He pulled back, the slight pain subsiding, but a new weight sinking into his stomach and stopping his heart for only a moment. Luz regarded him, reaching a hand out. He hugged himself, shaking his head at her, causing her to pull back. He didn’t know how he should feel. Sad? For being just as weird as everyone always said he was? Happy for finally figuring out why? Relieved because his past was not as big of a mystery anymore? 

But he really just felt tired, with more questions than answers. But he pushed that aside. Luz would find the crown, and then they would be free to go home. Could he even call his home “home” anymore? Would his mom even accept what he had found out? Would she dismiss it as Luz’s influence? He blinked the tears welling up in his eyes, hugging himself tighter. He pushed his thoughts aside for the second time in a minute, but they kept coming to overwhelm him. 

Luz looked at him, her brows knit in worry with a frown tugging at the corners of her mouth. But she pushed forwards into the barrier, and Hunter was left in the silence. That is, until…

“Is that a Burger Queen crown?!” 

________

After a strange love confession, a beheading, and yet another chase and fight with the Warden and his tendril-hands, Hunter was even more exhausted then he had been when he found out he was not exactly human. The triumph that he felt after their escape had been clouded by the same confusion and conflict that plagued him in the conformatorium, and Luz noticed. She bit back any petty insult that she might have shot his way, instead, putting a comforting hand on his back. He didn’t shrug it off, and was just thankful that Luz accepted him, just as she always had. He felt that he did not deserve her at times, and this was definitely one of those times. 

Eda had opened the portal to the “human realm” as she called it, and given Luz her book back. Hunter watched her look at the cover, then to a reflection of herself in a mirror on the wall. He saw the longing in her eyes, the spark of fascination and fantasy that she had when she spoke of the stories that she loved, only to have that spark fading as she realized she might be leaving soon. 

He found himself putting his own hand on her back. “Would it be so bad to stay for a few months?” Hunter said, his voice gentle. “Mom wouldn’t know that we are gone, and hey. Maybe I can figure out where I came from along the way. If you think about it, you would be doing me a favor.” 

Luz smiled, nodding. She turned, and spoke to Eda, and Hunter watched as she got approval to stay, and even learn magic. He wondered, since he was apparently a witch, if he would be able to learn magic too. It wouldn’t hurt to try , he thought. 

That night, he finally found himself in a warm bedroll, his sister a few feet to his right. King had come in a minute ago, and their mom had texted them both in the family group chat. Luz had replied already, saying that she thought she would like it at “summer camp.”

Hunter thought for a moment, his thumbs hovering above the screen. He smiled, typing his own message

“For once, I think I'm going to fit in well”