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Chapter Text

read notes for tws!

Gus was right. The rain didn't boil.

So why did it still make Hunter's skin crawl?

He was sitting in the wet grass, next to the captain and the human's girlfriend. He was soaked, and felt like water had seeped into his bones.

His uncle was dead. No, Belos was dead. He had died right in front of him, to the hands of a child. His abuser, his tormentor was gone. He was free. But a part of his stomach still twisted and made him feel nauseous. Belos raised him. He was the closest thing to a parent Hunter had ever had, he shouldn't be glad he was gone.

He was barely aware of Luz opening the door, over and over and over. He didn't register Gus's broken sobs as realization hit him. Hunter's eyes felt glossy as Luz turned back to the group, looking helpless.

Hunter's breath hitched as he realized even Luz was broken. Belos had succeeded in the Day of Unity, and Hunter had helped him blindly for years. He had helped a witch hunter .

Save this for later, a part of his brain scolded him. You need to help everyone else. They come before you. Hunter nodded slightly to himself as he lifted himself to his feet. He stumbled slightly, his arm still hanging limply at his side.

"Luz," he croaked. The human's eyes flicked up to meet Hunter's. "Luz, is your home near here? We.. we need to get out of the rain."

Luz nodded slowly. "Yeah.. yeah, it's nearby. Mami will take care of us. We should go." Luz shuffled over to Amity and the captain, helping both up, while Hunter headed for Gus.

"Hey, Gus. Breath with me, okay?" Hunter held up his left hand, breathing in deeply and counting to four. Gus quickly followed suit, and let himself be hoisted up by Hunter.

The group stumbled out of the woods and onto the paved sidewalk, no doubt getting strange looks from strangers sitting in their homes. Hunter didn't like this place. Each house looked exactly the same. How could the humans tell them apart?

The children followed Luz as she climbed the steps of a house - her house, Hunter thought. The human took a deep breath before knocking on the door. The group stood in silence, the only noise being the falling rain and a dog barking in the distance.

Hunter could hear his own breathing as they waited. His right arm, the arm with the sigil, burned. He was glad for the gloves and long sleeved shirt that covered the draining spell marks; he was sure that everyone would be fussing over him, when he wasn't even near the top priority right now.

He flinched as the front door creaked open, a middle-aged woman who looked like an aged up Luz standing in the doorway. She looked exhausted, the bags under her eyes accompanied by wrinkles and creases in her face. Hunter couldn't tell if they were from age or stress.

She gasped and a hand drifted upward to cover her mouth, eyes filling with tears. Luz smiled sadly, holding her arms out.

"Hey, Mom. I'm back."

Luz's mother sobbed and walked forward, falling into her child's arms. Luz wrapped her arms around her mother tightly, but Hunter barely registered the movement. He was frozen, arm slung over Gus's shoulder protectively. His eyes were foggy, and his hearing muffled as Luz's mother pulled back addressing the children.

Hunter had no idea what she was saying. All he could see was Belos's face emerging from the green sludge, pain etched in his expression.

"Why are you hurting me, Hunter?"

And for a second, Hunter couldn't breathe. His hands shook and all he could smell was the disgusting, rotting smell of Belos's curse, and he had failed him, he had failed his uncle. He was hurting the man who had raised him, who cared for him despite the nuisance he was, he was the reason Hunter was alive right now-

"Hunter?"

A hand reached out and gently touched his shoulder, too gently, and Hunter flinched away from it. Suddenly he was back in the rain, in front of the human's house, and everyone was staring at him. The others were all in the entryway, protected from the rain. Luz stood in front of him, her hand hovering between them.

"Hunter, are you alright?" She asked. He could feel his ears burning. He attempted to open his mouth, to say something, but he failed. Instead he just nodded, rubbing his hands along his thighs. He found himself doing this a lot. It was a way to relieve pressure, a way to ground himself. He realized numbly that he could move his arm again, and that he was regaining feeling in his fingers.

He had been standing here too long. The other's eyes bored into him, and he quickly stepped past Luz and into the house.

"I wasn't quite expecting company," Luz's mother began. She looked at all the children with sad eyes. "So forgive me if your sleeping arrangements aren't exactly comfortable." Luz nodded as her mother went to find sleeping bags. The group stood in silence, all of them trembling. Gus had stopped crying by now, but he still sniffed once or twice. After a while, Luz inhaled sharply and moved into her house, motioning for the others to follow her.

The children entered the living room, which was connected to the kitchen. Hunter walked numbly to the couch, collapsing onto it. Gus and Willow followed him, while Amity stood next to her girlfriend.

"Uhm, excuse me," a voice called from the kitchen, and the group turned towards the sound. At the table sat a- was that a basilisk? Hunter had known that Belos had run experiments on them- he had shown Hunter the results for a few tests he had done on them- but he had no idea they still existed. She flicked her scaly green tail, her blue eyes tracking the group. "Luz, you're- you're back! And you have your friends. That's nice."

Luz smiled sadly at the basilisk. "Hey, Vee. Has Mami been treating you well?" The basilisk- Vee- nodded, and slithered towards the group of rain-soaked children in the living room. Hunter watched as Luz's grip on Amity's hand tightened.

"That's good." Luz swallowed. Amity gripped Luz's hand back. Hunter couldn't bear the silence, but he couldn't find his voice. He couldn't take leadership in the situation, as he so often did back in the coven. After all, it was his job as a coven head.

Titan, he was a coven head. It never really dawned on him that at 16 he was in charge of an entire coven- and the most important coven at that. All the pressure and expectations fell on his shoulders, from the scouts below him and from Belos above him. He could feel the eyes of others bore into him daily, and he could feel the disapproving stares from the other coven heads. No doubt they found him annoying. There was no way he wasn't. He was just a scrawny kid with too many people relying on him.

"Okay, I was thinking," Luz's mother's voice brought him back from his thoughts. She had a sleeping back tucked under her arm, and two more that she had no doubt dropped on the ground. "For sleeping arrangements, Vee could sleep with me in my bed, and Luz can sleep in her bed. And then you guys can decide who sleeps on the couch. I have sleeping bags for everyone else."

"Thank you, Mami." Luz smiled warmly at her mother, who smiled back.

"Oh, and if any of you need anything, I'll be in my room." Luz's mom offered.

"Thank you, Mrs. Noceda." Amity smiled at the mother, who shook her head.

"No, no, please, call me Camilla. If we're all going to be living together for now, then please call me by my name."

"Well, thank you Camilla." Willow responded. "We appreciate it."

Camila nodded and smiled at the children, then led Vee out of the room.

"I don't have to sleep in my bed," Luz immediatly blurted out as soon as her mother had left. "I'm just saying. I'm fine with sleeping down here on the floor. Hunter, do you want to?" Hunter raised his eyebrows and pointed to himself in surprise, then shook his head no. Luz nodded and turned to the others with the same offer.

"I can." Willow placed a comforting hand on the human's shoulder. "Since you so clearly don't want to."

"Amity, do you want to take the couch?" Luz asked. The purple-haired witch blushed slightly and nodded. "Alright, then it's settled. The rest of us can sleep in the sleeping bags."

The group immediately went to get comfortable, all of them being exhausted. Luz brought Willow upstairs to show her the bedroom, then pointed everyone else towards the bathroom. She also grabbed a few extra blankets for Amity and everyone else sleeping downstairs. Hunter kicked off his shoes and placed them neatly at the end of his sleeping bag. The others threw them all over the room. He had no idea how any of them could leave such a mess behind them. Luz flicked the lights off, and Hunter slid into his sleeping bag with everyone else.

Hunter couldn't sleep. It's not that he didn't want to - he was exhausted . But he knew he had to keep watch over the group. He had to make sure that none of them were in any danger, or that someone didn't break into the house, or anything like that.

At least that's what he told himself.

He sat up, shivering. He hadn't taken off his gloves. He liked the comfort that they brought him, and also the fact that they covered the scars littered across his forearms.

Thoughts swam through his head, some comforting, and some not. No matter what emotions they brought, Hunter couldn't seem to get rid of them. He sighed and crossed his arms in an attempt to warm himself. He desperately thought back to his training, methods to keep warm or to fall asleep quickly, but he drew up a blank. What would the emperor think of him now, shuddering in a human's cold living room. He would be disgusted, a voice in the back of his head echoed. He would know that his beloved Golden Guard had failed him. He'd have to make a new one, one that wouldn't turn against him. One that wasn't useless. His breath hitched, and he covered his mouth with his gloved hand as Gus stirred.

No, no no no. He wasn't useless, he knew that. He had done his job and done it well. He wasn't a failure. Not like the other Golden Guards.

But he was. He had turned against Belos like all the others - the other clones . That's all he was, really. A worse version of someone Belos once knew. And he had failed like the rest of them. Belos would have his head for this. It's betrayal, it's treasony, and it's everything he had stopped in others who had crossed Belos. Was he destined to betray Belos, as all the others had? Was it written in his code, no matter how much he tried to deny it? Hunter's breath quickened as he considered this. His hands shook and he tightened his grip on his arms in an attempt to stop them. Belos expected you to fail, a thought cooed. He expected nothing less of you.

You're the same as all the others.

It dawned on him that he was struggling to breath. Tears swam in his eyes, and he hastily wiped them away. He couldn't wake the others with his whining. He was better than this.

But he still shook, and he still cried.

His breaths quickened as the thoughts swarmed in his head, thoughts of not being good enough and thoughts of punishments he had been subject to. He drew his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around them. He really was pathetic, wasn't he? Crying in a dark room, with no one noticing him. He really was a failure. He was the same as all the others.

"What a shame. Out of all the Grimwalkers, you looked the most like him."

The words echoed through his mind as each sob came out louder than the last. He desperatly gulped down breath after breath, but each one burned his throat. Was he even himself? Was he still a person if he was just a "better version of an old friend," as Belos had put it? Were any of his actions his own, if each thing had been done by somone before him? Someone, who looked so close to what Belos had wanted, but never enough. Hunter's face was not his own. He was parading around wearing a dead man's face, a face that belonged to someone who had died eras before his time. And each one before him had just been a failure. They weren't good enough, and they had been Belos's little guinae pigs until he found the one who bore his lost one's face. And Hunter had tried, he had tried so hard to make that face his own, but it came back to bite him each time. It wasn't his face, and he knew that. This wasn't his identity. This wasn't him.

He tasted blood, he thought numbly. He had been biting his lip as his hands shook and dug through his hair. Tears were flooding down his cheeks, and his entire body shook as sobs racked his body.

"..Hunter?" Someone asked groggily. Hunter gasped and a hand flew to cover his mouth. Someone had found him, and now he was going to be punished. He should have been more careful to not wake the others. "Are you alright?" A hand reached out from the darkness and landed on Hunter's shoulder. He flinched away from the touch and closed his eyes tightly. He didn't want to see his uncle's blue eyes glowing in the darkness, even though he knew he would be punished more for closing his eyes and flinching away. It showed weakness, Belos had taught him. It isn't good to be weak. Being weak gets you killed.

The hand retracted quickly, as if he had been burned. Shit, he had messed up. Now the punishment would be even worse. Just man up. But he couldn't. He still sobbed, and he couldn't breathe, and when his eyes were closed all he saw was his uncle's face, but if he opened them he was horrified of what he would see.

"This hurts me more than it hurts you, Hunter."

He whimpered and wrapped his arms around his knees, digging his head into his crossed arms. The person muttered something, and then they were talking louder but Hunter couldn't hear them, all he could hear was his heart pounding in his ears, and all that reminded him of was the throne room, and the throne room reminded him of punishments-

"..unter, can you hear me? Hunter?" The voice was calm and kind, nothing like his uncle's. Not even when he put on that mask and his silky smooth lies couldn't feel like anything but truths. This was genuine. This person cared. Hunter tried to take a deep breath, but instead inhaled too quickly and wheezed, and that made his lungs burn, and Titan he was messing this all up. Still, he managed to nod.

"Okay, that's good." The person sighed. "Hunter, can you look at me, please?" He slowly raised his head and opened his eyes. His uncle wasn't there. Instead, the human's purple haired girlfriend was sitting in front of him. She looked worried, instead of annoyed like Hunter expected. "Hunter, can you breath with me?"

She held up her hand, and Hunter knew she would try to do what Gus taught him, but it wouldn't work. Each breath burned and they came too fast and he couldn't see any near future where he could possibly go back to breathing normal. Still, he tried, just to make the witch feel better. She counted down as they inhaled together, but Hunter's breath hitched and he exhaled too soon and he started coughing and oh Titan how does he keep messing this up?

"That's okay, it's alright," Amity reassured, clearly sensing Hunter's distress. "Let's try again." Hunter nodded - or at least he thought he did, he couldn't tell - and wiped his eyes. This time he counted with Amity, although his hand shook far more that her's did. They sat there in the dark for Titan knows how long, just breathing. And Hunter could feel it working.

"There we go. Do you wanna talk about it?" Amity questioned, shifting her sitting position. Hunter suddenly felt his ears burning, and he shook his head.

"I.." Hunter swallowed. His mouth felt dry after not talking for a while. "I'm sorry you had to see that. A.. meltdown. Tantrum. I'm not sure what they're called. All I know is that it was stupid. I'm sorry." Amity's smile dropped and her face quickly turned concerned.

"Hunter, you don't need to apologize. That was a panic attack. Do you know what that is?" And his ears were burning even more now. He looked down, ashamed, and shook his head no. "Of course you don't. Sorry, that wasn't directed towards you. Just, of course they didn't teach you anything about mental health. Because why would you be mentally ill while in the Emperor's Coven?" The witch asked sarcastically. Hunter had no idea what she was talking about.

"Mental.. health?" He questioned, testing the words on his tongue. "What does that mean? Can my brain get sick?" Amity chuckled, even though nothing about this was funny. This was serious. Hunter had no idea that he had to worry about keeping his mind healthy along with his body.

"No. Mental health isn't the same as body health. It's like.." Amity paused. "A form of a mental illness is depression. It's like, when you don't feel like getting anything done, and you're super tired and overwhelmed all the time."

Hunter stared blankly at the witch. "That isn't normal?" Amity stared back.

"Uh.. no. Well, I mean, it is pretty common, but it isn't something everyone feels."

The two sat in silence as Hunter thought about this. The way he felt wasn't.. normal? Not everyone felt physically sick when they thought of getting out of bed? Not everyone felt like every little movement was pushing their body to it's limits. He swallowed, and realizee he had subconsciously started rubbing his hands on his legs. Amity had noticed, and was staring at his hands. He immediately stopped.

"Why do you wear those gloves?" She questioned, tilting her head.

"Uh.. I.. I'm not sure. They make me feel safe, and bring a bit of comfort, I guess." His tongue felt heavy as he spoke, like it was made of lead. "Sorry, that probably sounds really stupid."

"No, it doesn't." Amity reassured him. Hunter was pretty sure she was just lying to him at this point to make him feel normal. "I get that. I have this one shirt that makes me feel all warm inside whenever I put it on. I bet everyone here has something like that."

Hunter nodded slightly and tugged on the ends of his gloves. He was sure Amity thought he was stupid for sleeping with dirty gloves on, but he acted like she made him feel better. He didn't want to get on her bad side.

"You should try to get some sleep." The witch's voice was soft, and she yawned as she finished talking. "You need it. I'm gonna head to bed as well."

Hunter nodded, and the Blight shuffled back to the couch, true to her word. He waited until she has finished adjusting her blankets, then crawled back into his sleeping bag.

Closing his eyes, Hunter felt safe for the first time in a while.

Chapter Text

read notes for tws! (they'll always be there!)

Hunter stood to the side of the throne, a chill creeping down his neck. The coven heads stood below him, all glaring and arguing with each other. His uncle sat in the throne, his face held in his gloved hand, the other tapping impatiently on the arm of the throne. Although Hunter couldn't see his face, he could imagine the irritated expression etched into his uncle's face, and the way the wrinkles around his mouth formed perfectly, as if they'd been carved into his face after years of sitting like that. Hunter held his hands behind his back, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet slightly. He winced as the bickering from the coven heads grew louder, and he heard his uncle sigh next to him.

"Enough." He said, and all the chatter paused. Nine faces peered up at the emperor, who rolled his shoulders back and tilted his head to the side. "This meeting clearly isn't getting anywhere. Perhaps we'll meet on a day when you all feel more like cooperating. You're all dismissed." The coven heads left, low chatter between them as if they hadn't been at each other's throats a minute ago. The echo of the throne room doors shutting spread throughout the newly empty room, silence except for the steady beating of the Titan's heart behind the only two left.

"Stop that rocking." His uncle commanded, and Hunter stopped. He watched as the man rose to his feet, removing his mask with a sigh. The emperor's hood fell, exposing unruly blond hair tied in a loose ponytail.

"My lord," Hunter began. "Am I dismissed as well?"

The emperor paused, then looked at the boy over his shoulder. Hunter's heart beat in sync with the Titan's.

"Did I give you permission to speak?" He asked.

Hunter shook his head.

"Then keep your mouth shut." The man growled, stepping off of the raised area the throne stood on. His stride stopped abruptly, and the emperor leaned forward. One hand reached out to grab onto anything to help him keep his balance, and found a table. Hunter quickly rushed over to his uncle, removing his mask as he did. Once Hunter reached him, he placed a supportive hand on his uncle's back, offering the other to help him stand. The older grabbed Hunter's wrist, squeezing with such an intensity that Hunter couldn't help but cry out in pain. The emperor lifted his head, his eyes meeting Hunter's. They glowed a vibrant blue, and Hunter watched in horror as green sludge crawled up his neck, crossing onto his face.

Hunter's heart raced as the grip on his wrist tightened once again, and he couldn't tell if that was the Titan's heart beating or his, and it was so loud in his ears, he squeezed his eyes shut, and fuck, why did he do that?  A cold hand grabbed his chin, forcing it towards the emperor. Hunter peeled his eyes open, against his better judgment, and saw the emperor's blue eyes staring down at him.

"Don't close your eyes, Hunter." His voice came out low and dangerous, and Hunter knew he had fucked up. Sharp claws dug into his cheeks and wrist, and Hunter tried to pull away. His efforts were futile, and the emperor scoffed.

"So weak, you can't even look your own uncle in the eyes. A shame, really." The pressure on his wrist left, but Hunter could barely react before a sharp pain cut through his ear. Hunter yelled out, and his uncle finally released him.

Hunter dropped to the ground, shaky hands frantically feeling for his ear. His trembling fingers outlined the ear, and paused when they found a bit missing. Hunter bit back the cry that pressed against his throat. He pulled his hands away, and the tips of his fingers came back stained red. He could feel blood rolling down his neck. He felt like he was going to throw up.

"You really must learn to be stronger," his uncle scolded him. "It'll do the Golden Guard no good if he can't take a simple scratch." Hunter knew that he was being insane. A simple scratch, his ass. His wrist ached and his ear was still pouring out blood, but he just sat and nodded. "Clean yourself up, Hunter."

Hunter rose to his feet, ignoring the way he swayed. He kept a hand pressed to the notch in his ear, hoping to stop the bleeding, even a little. He staggered away from his uncle, and even as he left, he could feel his cold blue eyes boring into him.

His steps echoed through the throne room, and he heard his uncle sigh as he shut the doors behind him. Hunter stumbled down the hall, and when he turned the corner, he wasn't in the castle anymore.

He took a step back in surprise, and when he looked behind him, all he saw was a forest. He removed his fingers from the cut at his ear, shocked to see no blood on them. In fact, his ear didn't even hurt anymore. Confused, he moved through the woods, running his hand along the rough bark of the trees he passed. As he walked, the trees thinned, leaving a small clearing. He stepped into it, raising his hand to block his eyes from the sudden harsh sunlight.

"We've walked quite a bit, haven't we?" The words left his mouth without Hunter meaning to speak, but he wasn't surprised. He knew that's what he needed to say.

"Yes, well, we needed to be secluded." A voice spoke behind him, and Hunter turned around. Emerging from the same forest Hunter had just stepped from, was his brother, Philip. His thick brown hair was pulled into a ponytail, and he squinted against the sun, blue eyes glinting in the light.

"What was it you wanted to show me?" Hunter asked, watching as his younger brother walked past him. Philip paused, then turned to look at Hunter over his shoulder.

"Caleb, I'm glad that you've met somebody. She seems awfully nice, for a witch." Hunter didn't miss the way the younger's eyes darkened as he spoke.

"Yes, she is." Hunter narrowed his eyes. "Philip, what is this about?"

Philip turned and began moving toward the older, who took a step back cautiously. "I just feel that you've forgotten what we were supposed to be doing as witch h u nters. It's our job to rid this world of those.. creatures."

Hunter's heart dropped as the words left his brother's mouth. How could he say that about Evelyn? "I haven't forgotten, Philip. She's different, she's not like the others. I know that it may seem like it-"

"It seems like you've lost your way." Philip's cold voice cut him off, and the older met his eyes. "And I don't know if I can trust you any longer, since your mind has been clouded by the wonders of this land."

The brunet stepped closer once again, close enough that the two were almost touching. Hunter glared into his brother's eyes, and the younger calmly gazed back. "Philip, that's nonsense. You can't really think that, can you?"

Philip's eyebrows drew together, the airy expression on his face fading. "Can I, Caleb?"

The older paused, then opened his mouth to speak. However, before a single word could leave his lips, a sharp pain cut through his stomach. A cry of pain slipped past his lips as whatever stabbed him was pulled back out of his stomach. Hunter gasped and stumbled backwards, pressing a hand to his wound. As his breathing grew uneven, he managed to choke out a single word, blood dripping down his chin. "..Philip...?"

But his brother just watched calmly as he coughed and fell to the ground. Hunter watched as he wiped the blood off of his dagger with his coat, then crouched down in front of him. Hunter coughed once again, the action hurting much more than it should. His lungs ached, and he could feel the blood gushing past his fingers and staining his shirt. His vision grew blurry as he gazed at his brother, who inched closer to him. Hunter watched as the younger raised the dagger once again, and he tried to plead and apologize, but he didn't have the strength to form even a single word.

"Goodbye, Caleb." Philip said, then plunged the dagger down into his brother once again.

Hunter gasped, sitting up. His chest ached and for a second he thought that the stab wound was still there, that he would bleed out and die from a wound inflicted by his brother. His hands frantically felt around for a wound, before pausing. Oh. He had forgotten to take off his binder. The observation did little to calm his racing mind.

His shoulders shook as he bit his lip, attempting to not make a sound. Tears pooled in his eyes, and he wrapped his arms around himself. That wasn't real. That hadn't happened to him. That wasn't his memory. But then who's was it? He pressed a hand against his mouth, hoping to silence the sobs building up in his throat. No, he can't do this again.

Shutting his eyes, he tried to remember the breathing exercise Gus had shown him. Breathe in for five seconds, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. He rocked back and forth, and eventually his breathing had steadied. He peeled open his eyes and held his hands in his lap. Sniffing, he blinked away tears, then stood. As he glanced around the room, a clock on the wall caught his eye. 6:00 , it read. Letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding, Hunter picked his way around the sleeping bodies lounging on the floor, and made his way to the kitchen that was connected to the living room.

As he walked, he cradled his hands, resenting the way the tiniest movements caused them to ache. He envisioned the scars hidden below his gloves, trailing from his hands to his forearms, reaching almost his elbow. Whenever he pulled on his gloves and tugged his sleeves down, he tried to forget about the disfigured flesh and pale, fading marks, but the pain always served as a reminder. Hunter blinked, realizing he had reached the kitchen. What had he come here for?

He wandered around the table, opening a stray cabinet. When he didn't find what he was looking for, he looked into the next. Eventually, he found glass cups, lined in rows. He retrieved one of the glasses, pausing to stare at the empty gap it left behind. Shaking his head, he gently shut the cabinet and moved to the sink. He turned on the faucet, wincing slightly as the rushing water poured out louder than he expected. He moved the glass under the water, watching as it filled. Once the water had almost reached the edge of the glass, he shut it off. Carefully, he lifted the drink to his lips.

He closed his eyes as he drank. The darkness surrounded him, and it felt warm and safe. If he tried not to touch the counters or table, it could feel like he was still in his room at the castle. He was just getting a drink, and then he would go back to his studies, or go down to train. He might be called into Belos' throne room to report on a previous mission, and then he would be set free and be able to spend his afternoon reading. Perhaps he would read about a new subject. He might even sneak out one of the restricted books about wild magic. He'd been hoping to read a bit more about it, since the idea simply fascinated him. Maybe he could ask his uncle about it-

"Hunter?" The boy startled at the sudden voice, causing him to choke on his water. His eyes flung open, and he whipped his head around to the doorway. He coughed a bit as he met somebody's eyes. Ms. Camilla's eyes.

"Oh, I-" Hunter coughed once again, and hastily placed the glass in the sink. "I'm sorry, I was just getting something to drink-"

"It's fine, Hunter." Ms. Camilla moved towards him. She still wore her pajamas, comfy slippers on her feet. She squinted, and Hunter noted that she wasn't wearing her glasses. "What are you doing up this early?"

"..What? It's not early." Hunter could've kicked himself. That was no way to speak to adults, and an adult that's housing you? You were bound to be kicked out. "I mean.. I usually get up at this time. Is it not a normal time to wake up..?"

Ms. Camilla paused. Then she took another step closer to the blond. "Uh... not really. Not for kids your age." Hunter bit back the 'I'm not a kid,'   that was about to leave his mouth. "You said you usually get up this early?"

"Uh.. yes." Hunter placed his hands behind his back, taking a step away from Ms. Camilla as she moved towards the sink. "I have to attend to my duties. I can't waste the day sleeping in." He wished he didn't see the way Ms. Camilla winced as he spoke.

"Duties?" She asked, picking up the forgotten glass and pouring out the remaining water. "What kind?"

Hunter hesitated, watching as she briefly let the glass fill with water before pouring it out once more, and then placing it on a small mat next to the sink. "Training. Scouting. Missions." Ms. Camilla raised an eyebrow. "But- If you think I'm up too early I can always go back to bed. I won't wake up until you need me."

She sighed. "Mijo, I don't want you to only sleep in because somebody told you to. You can sleep in whenever you want." Hunter blinked, confused. She wanted him to waste important hours of the day? Ms. Camilla seemed to have noticed his bewilderment, because she turned to face him. "Hunter, go back to bed. I want you to. If that's the only way you'll get a few more hours of bed, then so be it."

Hunter stood in place for a bit, before nodding. He couldn't disobey direct orders, especially not when he's already offended Ms. Camilla by getting out her dishes and dirtying them, and at such an early hour. He turned and stalked back to his sleeping bag. He could feel Ms. Camilla's eyes on his back, but ignored it as he crawled back into his sleeping bag. He heard her sigh.

"Get a few more hours of sleep, Hunter. You need it."

Chapter Text

When Hunter awoke again, it was to quiet chatter. He squinted against harsh sunlight that was shining through the large windows. He sat up, glancing around him. He was the only one left in the living room. All the others were sat around the table in the kitchen.

"Oh, Hunter! You're up!" A muffled voice called. Hunter looked over to see Gus smiling at him, his mouth full of food. The others all turned to where Hunter sat in his sleeping bag.

"Hunter, you need to try some of these. They're incredible." The Captain said, covering her mouth as she chewed and waving some sort of human food around with her other. Hunter bit his lip and rose to his feet. Before joining the others, he quickly made his makeshift bed, neatly smoothing out the sleeping bag and placing a pillow he didn't remember getting on top.

The others watched as he stood up and walked over to the table, taking the only empty seat. A plate of what Willow was holding up was set in front of him. He cautiously picked one up, inspecting it.

"What are they?" He asked. They smelt rather good, and seemed to be fried.

"Mmm," Luz swallowed her food, pointing to the one Hunter was holding. "They're called empanadas. They're all chicken. Try one!"

Hunter blinked. "What's a chicken?"

"It's like a bird, that you eat!" Gus explained, taking another bite of his empanada. "Seriously, try one."

Hesitantly, Hunter took a small bite. Flavor danced across his tongue, Pleasantly surprised, he took another bite.

"It tastes like clawbat." he noted.

"Doesn't it?!" Gus smiles excitedly, although it didn't quite reach his eyes, which were still red and tired.

"I'm not even going to ask what that is." Ms. Camilla commented, walking into the kitchen. "But I'm glad you like them. Hunter, did you get a good night of sleep?"

Hunter's ears flushed slightly, and he glanced down at his plate. "Yes, ma'am."

"No, none of that. It's just 'Camilla,' got it?" She smiled as she spoke, but a part of Hunter's heart sunk. He kept messing up, and he's only been here for less than a day. He nodded timidly, fidgeting with his hands. He didn't miss the look Luz shot her mother, seemingly saying 'I'll explain later.' 

"Okay, well, I was thinking." Luz began, drawing the attention of all the witches sat at the table. "You guys definitely want to get out of your dirty clothes, right? So, maybe me and Mami could help you pick some out."

Camilla nodded. "I don't have many clothes for Gus and Hunter, but I could try."

Various agreements rose from the four, and Luz led Willow and Amity to her room, while Camilla brought Gus and Hunter to her's.

Hunter stood awkwardly in the middle of the room while Camilla dug through her closet. Gus had sat lb the edge of her bed, and the two watched as she pulled out a dusty box.

"These were Manny's." She explained with a sad look on her face. "They might be a bit big on you, Gus, so I hope that's okay."

"That's fine." Gus leaned forward, peering into the box. Hunter also glanced inside. The top layer was made up of mostly polo shirts, and a single pair of sweatpants. Camilla gently pulling pairs of clothes out of the box and placed them on her bed. Gus had hopped off to make more room, and the two studied the clothes provided.

"This is all we have until we go shopping." Camilla said, placing the last sweater on the bed. "I'm sure Manny would be glad others were putting his things to use instead of just having then collect dust in a box."

"Thank you, Ms. Camilla." Hunter nodded slightly at her in thanks. She gave him a sweet smile in return. Turning his attention back to the clothes, he picked up the last shirt Camilla had set down. It was a simple sweater, colored dark gray with no designs. It was baggy enough, and it's sleeves were long enough. He also selected a pair of black sweatpants that were soft on the inside.

Gus chose a dark blue patterned button-up, and paired it with black jeans that would need to have the cuffs rolled up several times. Gus allowed Hunter to change first, and he left for the bathroom after thanking Camilla profusely twice.

Once in the bathroom, he double checked the lock. After ensuring it was safe, he peeled his grimy shirt off. He tried his hardest to not look at the scars that littered his upper body in the mirror. He simply reached for the new sweater, but paused. He had been wearing his binder for way longer than he was supposed to. Besides, his shirt was baggy enough for no one to notice. He pulled his binder off and quickly put the oversized sweatet on. Then, he switched out his uncomfortable pants for a pair,of comfortable sweatpants. He pulled his gloves back on and, after carefully tucking his binder between his folded shirt and pants exited the bathroom.

He set his dirty clothes on Camilla's bed, as she had requested he did so earlier, and went downstairs to wait on the couch. He was by himself as he sat down. He hated it. Being alone made his mind wander, to places he would never usually brave. He thought of his uncle, who was now dead. He thought of Darius, and how lifeless he had looked under the effect of the draining spell. He thought of Flapjack, and how he was alone in the Boiling Isles. Titan, he missed Flapjack. He would always pull Hunter out of this downwards spiral, usually quite literally. Hunter missed the way his palisman would pull on the loose strand of hair that hung in front of his face.

"Yo, Hunter. You here?" A voice brought him back to reality. He looked up, startled, but calmed when he saw Luz smiling down at him. She was dressed in dark brown cargo pants, and had a black hoodie on. It was blank except for two words, etched in white. 'Unus Annus.' Hunter made a mental note to ask her what that meant later.

"I'm fine," He eventually responded. Luz sat down next to him. She had a colorful bandaid plastered over the cut on her eyebrow. "Nice bandaid."

"Why, thank you." She smiled slightly. She had heavy bags under her eyes. Hunter didn't smile back. The two sat in silence, waiting for the others.

After Luz came Willow, who was dresses in a floral patterned yellow blouse, with worn blue jeans. She sat next to Luz, and the two chatted idly.

Then was Gus, who joined the other two in conversation. Hunter wasn't hurt that Gus didn't sit with him. He wouldn't have sat with himself, either. He probably looked miserable, and he kept zoning out. He was sure he looked like he was on the verge of tears. He was.

Finally, Amity came down the stairs. She had her purple hair pulled back in a loose half ponytail, and wore a baggy black sweater with a cartoon character on it. She had a long, black skirt that reached her ankes, revealing bright purple socks underneath. As she sat with the others, she apologized for taking so long.

Camilla descended after Amity, and sat down in a seat across from the group. "Alright. I know that it hasn't been much time, but I'd quite like to know what happened. I already know a bit about the Demon Realm from Vee, who's out with her friends right now. But I need to know why my daughter arrived home all cut up and bruised."

Luz looked at her friends with sad eyes, then to her mother. Hunter bit his lip. Willow glanced away, and Gus rocked back and forth in his seat. Amity's hand found it's way into Luz's.

"What happened in there?"