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huntcedaheadquarters · 10 months

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For you, I'd wait till kingdom come

Fandom: The Owl House

Rating: G

Relationships: Luz/Hunter (romantic)

Characters: Luz Noceda, Hunter; MINOR - Amber (original antagonist)

Summary: Even after becoming what everyone wants her to be - quiet, passive, and obedient -, that isn't enough for her bullies.

Thankfully, Luz is not alone.

Word count: 1.989

AO3

TRIGGER WARNINGS - bullying, minor violence, and depression

Luz and Hunter are not canon siblings.

P/roship DNI.

Since returning home, school has been awfully quiet.

Maybe not school, but Luz Noceda herself, the famous troublemaker that could never fit in.

You’d think things would get better, now that she doesn’t drive everyone nuts anymore, now that Mamá doesn’t have to get called to the principal’s office to pointlessly help her daughter.

But Luz, at this point, should’ve learned to not keep her hopes up.

Admittedly, it’s different from the Demon Realm, but not better.

Luz is used to the gossiping behind her back. She’s more than used to people looking at her weird. Yet again, she did expect things to change now that she has become exactly what everyone wanted her to be.

Quiet. Passive.

Obedient.

The only “weird” thing Luz does nowadays is take her palisman to school, usually hiding it in a warm piece of cloth. As it’s still protected inside an egg, unsure about its purpose, what it’s going to be at all, Luz needs to be there for the palisman. She doesn’t want it to hatch while she’s absent. She doesn’t want anything bad to happen to it. It’s the only connection she has left of Eda, of the Demon Realm besides all her friends, who ended up stuck here with her.

If anything happened to her palisman… Luz can’t even imagine how much more of a failure she would feel.

At the very least, nobody seems to bother her with that. People leave her alone, despite the whispering and the multiple eyes watching and judging her every step.

Nothing seems to go beyond that.

…

Sometimes, small balls of paper are thrown at her head.

There is some annoying snickering behind her back.

Luz never turns around. Never looks back.

She just moves forward.

Even when the voices are talking to her.

“Hey, Luz! You didn’t bring snakes this time?”

She simply ignores them.

Even when they continue.

Even when they’re close to her.

Luz leaves.

It’s usually quick anyway.

It’s fine.

Her mother is not picking her up today, so Luz decides to walk all the way home on her own. She’s not banned from the school buses anymore, but Luz knows it’d be as lonely as her walking by herself, so she decides she won’t stay trapped with her peers this time, or ever.

The girl’s backpack is on her chest instead, so she gets to keep it in her sight, to hold it close. Luz is not focused on the world around her, because it doesn’t matter, none of it matters. She just wants the egg to feel safe to come out.

Luz hears the same voices behind her. The same laughter. She gives them no mind.

Nothing matters.

She wants to do one thing right.

But the world doesn’t want her to.

Suddenly, she’s pushed hard, so much that her things fall off the backpack.

Including the egg, completely unprotected.

Luz is not quick enough to take what’s hers before the bullies do.

The leader, Amber, is quite similar to Boscha. She’s the school’s football captain, and everyone else looks up to her rudeness, especially when it comes to the “weird girl” in question.

“Ooh, you’ve had a dinosaur egg this whole time?” She teases, holding the palisman like it’s a ball, not a living, fragile being.

Luz, though, tries to keep it cool.

“Give it back,” she says, voice low.

“I’m sorry, what was that?”

“Give it back, Amber.”

“How do you say it?”

Luz inhales deeply, trying not to get angry, because that’s what bullies always want. That’s what they’ve been expecting her to do this entire time.

“Please,” she rephrases, “give it back.”

“That’s more like it.”

Amber holds out a hand for Luz to get her palisman back…

“Think fast!”

… Only for the jock to throw the egg to her other peer, and when Luz realizes, Amber’s team plays around with the palisman like it’s a game of hot potato, while the bystanders laugh endlessly. Luz attempts to stop the unfunny little game, to no avail.

“Stop it, you guys!” She pleads.

“What, Luz? Afraid we might break it?”

“YES!” Luz loses her patience, making the other kids laugh harder. “Be careful!”

She’s nearing the point of tears. The girl hasn’t cried because of school in a long time, and she hates that she’s giving in. That she’s letting them get to her, after everything Luz has gone through.

“What’s so special about this dumb thing, anyway?” Amber has gotten the egg again, analyzing it with a judgmental look. “Did you make a lizard baby or whatever?”

Luz groans, “You guys don’t get it, just give it back to me!”

“Whoa, Luz, where’s your fun?” Amber snickers, dodging the other teen. “You used to be so entertaining, and now you’re so…” she even pauses for dramatic effect. “Pathetic.”

Something breaks inside Luz.

Especially as all the other kids agree with Amber.

Luz sees red.

“I'm NOT PATHETIC!” She yells and advances.

The moment she does so, she sees life flash right before her eyes.

“Whoops!” Amber drops it.

“NO!!”

Luz’s first instinct is to take a glyph to save her baby, even when she knows it won’t work.

She’s failed.

Again.

…

In the speed of light, a hand has saved the egg from its cursed fate, taking it very carefully.

“Phew! That was close!”

Luz knows only one person whose snarky voice sounds so completely dorky .

Here, the savior is wearing a plain gray hoodie that covers his head, an old black cloak, and his mouth and nose are hidden behind a black kitty face mask. He really doesn’t look intimidating, yet everyone has stepped back in fear of his sudden, magical appearance.

“Who the heck are you?” Amber asks, trying to sound tough, but she’s more shocked than anything.

Snickering, the masked boy returns the palisman to Luz, who hugs it close to her chest, mentally apologizing to it for being so careless.

“I… am the Hunter of Gravesfield,” he tells the other terrified teenagers. “I hunt nitwits who should learn a thing or two about being careful with other people’s babies.”

Despite the jokey tone, Hunter actually sounds… angry . So much that even Luz gulps.

“Oh yeah? What are you gonna do, Hunter ?” A boy mocks his tone, and she almost feels sorry for him.

“Ah, you know,” Hunter makes a dismissing gesture with his hand, “teach you valuable life lessons. Here, why won’t I show our sports prodigy right here?”

A yellow light passes by, and one second later, Hunter disappears with Amber… until everyone suddenly hears screams from above.

Not too high up from there, Hunter is steady on his staff while he holds the bully by her leg as she shrieks helplessly.

“What are you DOING?!” Amber demands.

“Teaching you a valuable life lesson!” Hunter states rather joyfully.

“ABOUT WHAT?!”

“About how the egg must have felt when you dropped it!”

“The egg is not even real! Luz made it up!”

“But if Luz made it, then it’s real,” Hunter argues. “And guess what else is real? Your broken bones when I drop you.”

“You WOULDN’T!”

“Wanna find out?”

The moment Hunter releases a finger – his little finger even –, Amber is yelling louder in desperation, and the other kids gasp. Luz, admittedly, doesn’t share the same reaction, which might sound messed up.

“Wait! Wait, please, I’m-” Amber tries to say something… “I’m-!”

“Oh?” Hunter tilts his head. “Did anyone hear that? No? Ah well.” He shrugs.

He releases his ring finger…!

“WAIT! I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY!!” Amber screams immediately, at this point crying. “Please, I’ll do anything, JUST PUT ME DOWN!!!”

“Ooooh! Why didn’t you say so?”

Finally, the two are back on the ground in less than a second, with Amber falling on her face. Now, Hunter stands between Luz and the bullies, holding his staff like those heroes from old fairy tales, showing a sense of superiority and respect.

“I hope you all learned something today,” Hunter says, “because if I see anyone here messing with Luz or her egg again… I’ll know, and I’ll come back and make sure you get it through your heads”– he steps towards the crowd menacingly –“literally .”

For whatever reason, he has grabbed a random fruit and he crushes it with no mercy. Luz swears she sees everyone’s souls leaving their bodies as they all become pale.

A second later, Hunter resumes his silly Golden Guard persona.

“Alright, see you never, byeeeeeeee~!”

And immediately after, everyone else runs away the fastest they can, leaving only Luz, her palisman, and Hunter behind.

School is finally quiet.

Holding her palisman dearly, the brown girl can’t help the relieved laugh.

“You know you’re supposed to keep a low profile,” Luz scolds, yet not even sounding disappointed, really.

“Of course I’m keeping it low.” Hunter gestures at his clothes to prove his point.

“And traumatizing kids is your kind of low profile?”

“As if you don’t know me, Luz.”

Although she laughs quietly, her vision is blurring, after keeping it in for so long. In the end, her laughter grows into many, many sobs. Luz doesn’t hide it from Hunter, who is kneeling down to her level in support.

She doesn’t openly cry, not like she used to. She doesn’t think she will any time soon.

Hunter gets it.

Two arms pull her close, so Luz can cry on someone’s shoulder in the literal sense. She doesn’t have to hug back right now, and that’s more than alright. The hug doesn’t last too long, mostly because Luz starts shaking, and then Hunter is wrapping his cloak around her. He rubs her arms and shoulders gently both to soothe her and to warm her up. In the meantime, Flapjack is on Hunter’s shoulder, chirping as if trying to tell Luz that they’ve got her back, even if she can’t understand him.

“I can hold it for you,” Hunter offers, his hands going for hers, ready for her next command. “Do you trust me?”

Sniffing, Luz doesn’t hesitate to nod, allowing Hunter to tenderly and slowly take the egg off her hands, while Flapjack nestles himself in the empty space with his adorable noises. She laughs in comfort, bringing him to her face to snuggle him, as Hunter smiles from the corner of her eye.

Like that, after taking everything that was left from Luz’s backpack, the two teenagers make their way back home. Hunter is holding her things with her palisman protected inside the same way she did earlier, while the girl is not expected to be perfect or useful. Flapjack is half hidden inside her hat for further warmth.

Drying her still watery eyes, Luz has a million thoughts in her head. Many things she wants to say.

“Hunter?” She speaks up, her voice high and young.

“Hm?”

Luz sniffs. “Could we… get some coffee first? I didn’t really eat anything at school, and… I-I don’t want to go home just yet, if that’s okay.”

“Oh, that’s totally okay. We can do that.”

“Okay.” She bites her lip. “And Hunter?”

“Yeah?”

She takes his free hand, her cheeks blushing shyly.

“... thanks,” Luz whispers.

Although she can’t see most of Hunter’s face, only his magenta eyes, she knows he’s an even bigger blushing mess thanks to his reddened ears. Even inside the mask, he’s smiling like a dork in love.

“Anything for you, Luz,” Hunter replies.

In the end, Luz and Hunter are allowed to hold hands, reassuring one another of their presences, their bond. They stand together in the cold and the falling leaves of Gravesfield, against the bullies that want them to stop being who they are.

But right now, Hunter looks after Luz, and he holds the palisman like it’s his own. Like he would kill for them both.

It’s moments like these where Luz realizes things are worth it.

That she’s worth it.

#writing #lotusthewriter

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