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avatarmerida · 1 year

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I caved and I wrote a Paulina/William drabble. I don’t have context except that I HC Paulina would take longer to switch to the plant track and William meets the squad earlier in this version. Maybe I’ll explore this AU more lemme know if I should yo 💚💛

———

“Oh Lina, it’s absolutely stunning!” He marveled at the large colorful flower she was trying desperately to hide. But his praise only caused it to grow larger as a very flustered Paulina tried to control it.

“It’s nothing, I swear!” She insisted, but the vines has already made themselves comfortable. Summoning them had clearly taken skill, it would a challenge for anyone to make them disappear at a moment’s notice especially if they didn’t really want to.

“I have to disagree, I think it’s very much something.” William laughed. “It’s something wonderful!”

“No, it’s so embarrassing!” She said, brushing the flowers out of her hair. “I can’t control them anymore than I can control my other magic. You don’t have to lie to make me feel better.”

“I promise you, I’m not lying!” He insisted, gently removing a white rose from behind her ear. “I would never! I could never!”

“No, William I promise it’s okay I won’t be angry at you for it.” She said. “I guess… I was just nervous to show you. I… haven’t really told anyone I’ve been practicing plant magic.”

“Well, if you ask me you should practice it more. It suits you.” He said with a smile, feeling she looked so natural surrounded by the flowers.

“You’re sweet,” she said with a smile, and her calmness spread to the plants who did not whither away but made a slow return to their pots. “You’re wrong, but sweet. I know it’s silly to try another type of magic when I can’t even get the basics of my track.”

“Paulina, I promise I would not lie to you. In fact I cannot lie.” William said, his normal vigor lacking. “Like… I’m unable to.”

“What do you mean?”

“A secret for a secret?” He said, raising his pinky which she took in hers (thankfully this time there was no goop incident). “It’s part of my curse,” he began to explain. “If I am to lie, I am overtaken with great pain. It feels as though my bones are shifting and trying to escape. It matters not how grand the lie is, any lie will trigger it.”

“How do you know?”

“I did lie once, to my uncle.” He said, shuddering at the memory. “I had snuck out of the castle and when he asked me where I’d gone, I denied having left. And suddenly it felt as though my heart was being ripped from my chest, the pain so severe I could hardly stand. He said ‘this is what happens when you lie to me, you’re only hurting yourself by doing so. I will always know.’”

“Woah,” Paulina whispered, often forgetting William was related to the Emperor. She always views him as cold and scary and William seemed just the opposite, despite his attempts to seem intimidating. She wondered where he had gone before it struck her. “Was this… the night you came to our conjuring?”

He nodded and Paulina felt her heat sink.

“Oh William, I’m so sorry if I had known I would have never-.”

“No, please don’t be sorry princess,” he insisted. “It was a lovely night, truly. It was the first time I felt… normal. I didn’t think about my curse or my duties I just had… fun. That night meant a great deal to me.”

He smiled at the memory of holding her hand beneath the light of the full moon, the sound of her laughter as the managed to navigate the Owl House before Eda found them out. The way her eyes shimmered when she walked him to the door and said how happy she was that he had come.

“Well, you probably would’ve been back sooner if I hadn’t messed up the spell.” Paulina said, her voice low.

“If I had arrived on time I could’ve left on time, don’t blame yourself for something beyond your control,” he said, remembering the time he had put into his outfit, trying to impress her. “I was bound to discover it sooner or later, and knowing the effect has made me more careful. You can take credit for that, but nothing more.”

She smiled, knowing he meant that. She believed even without the curse William valued honesty. But such great pain no matter the lie? Not even a harmless white lie?

“Wait, did he mean every time you lie or just when you lie to him?”

“Well I… don’t really know,” he admitted, furrowing his brow. “I haven’t tried since then. But royalty shouldn’t lie anyway, so it doesn’t really matter. I intend to be an honest and fair ruler.”

“But what if you need to?” Paulina inquired. “What if by lying, you can help someone? Like what if Boscha was looking for me and asked you where I was, it wouldn’t be wrong to lie to her.”

“I would gladly endure the pain to keep you safe.”

Paulina blushed. He didn’t even hesitate.

“But when you go on missions, what if your identity is supposed to remain a secret and someone asks you if you’re the prince? It would be okay then, wouldn’t it?”

“I suppose you’re right,” he said stroking his chin. “Hmm, we should investigate this. Paulina, may I lie to you?”

She giggled, always finding his formality endearing. “You may.” She replied, matching his regal tone.

“All right,” he straightened his spine and cleared his throat, searching for a lie to tell. “Okay um… you are not very beautiful.”

He closed his eyes and prepared for the impact his only lie had given him, but to his surprise he felt no pain. “Huh? I did it! I lied!

“Well, I don’t know if it’s a lie exactly,” blushed Paulina. “It’s kind of subjective.”

“Oh? Oh, yes I suppose you’re right, as usual.” He scrunched his face as he tried to summon a more probable truth. “Okay then, I do not think you are very beautiful.” He clarified for the powers that be. He waited a beat and again felt no pain and raised his arms in victory. “Huzzah!”

Paulina blushed once more. “I mean… I’m still not sure that’s the best example,” she said quietly. “I mean, because what if that’s-.”

“Oh, yes I see what you mean,” he said, reading her mind. “I know opinions and fact can differ, but I can only lie about what I know, correct? Even if it just a lie to me, because I do believe you’re very beautiful. See? Neither sentence triggered the curse. I promise you the truth is the latter, you can ask Luz I’ve said that well before I ever thought about trying to lie.”

“Oh, well okay.” She said with a smile as Willam did not falter from the sincerity of the compliment. He simply acted like her beauty was a universal truth. She wondered how often if came up that he instantly felt that way. But despite how nice the sentiment made her feel, something about the delivery troubled her. “So… if you only feel pain when you lie to your uncle does that mean…”

“Does that mean… what?”

“William… is he the one who cursed you?”

#huntlow #huntlow dupe #winter toh #I like Willina #I’m calling it Willina #willina #beta huntlow #toh #the owl house #Paulina toh #William toh #Willow park #Hunter toh

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pixiatn · 1 year

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The Virgin Hunter/Willow shippers vs The Chad Paulina/William shippers

#THIS IS A JOKE!!#huntlow #beta huntlow #paulliam? willina?#toh #toh pilot #the owl house pilot #the owl house #hunter #willow #paulina toh #prince william toh

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dinuxia-bhm · 1 year

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Made this messy ahh sketch at work...

As you can see... I'm not immune to beta huntlow...

#huntlow #willina #paulliam #toh huntlow #toh beta #the owl house #the owl house fan art #hunter the golden guard #willow park #toh william #toh paulina

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lethiepie · 1 year

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Princess Paulina ✨ a paulliam/willina comic.

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lethiepie · 1 year

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Sticky situation 💕

#huntlow #pauliam #willina #toh #the owl house #toh William #toh Paulina #Paulina x William #toh beta #toh paulliam #toh pauliam #toh willina #willow park #hunter wittebane #toh willow #toh hunter #huntlow toh #toh huntlow #my art

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lethiepie · 1 year

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Princess Paulina ✨ a paulliam/willina comic.

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avatarmerida · 1 year

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Oh snap, it’s another beta huntlow drabble. This is my HC for a William/Paulina meetcute. It’s pretty simple, they meet and it’s cute. 💚💛

———

“Greetings, bird tube beast… thing, I am here to speak with the girl.” William said in a huff as he approached the Owl House, grumpy and slightly out of breath from the long walk.

“And whoooo may I say is calling?” Hooty said sweetly, twirling his neck around.

“Prince William,” he said crisply. “I’ve come to continue our conversation about proper etiquette and to speak with her guardian about her reckless behavior.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure her guardian is the one who taught her that behavior.” Hooty said. “But aaaaanyways, she’s not-.”

“I’m afraid I must insist, it is an urgent matter that I cannot prolong.”

“Okaaaay, but she’s not-.”

“I understand she will not want to face me given her poor manners, but it is a matter we must resolve like civilized people. Now, may I speak with her?”

“I shall get someone to speak to you,” said Hooty, turning his head inside and William could hear him yell. “THERE’S AN ANGRY LITTLE MAN AT THE DOOR!” he turned back to face William and offered him a smile. “She’ll be right with you, m’lord.”

“Right… thank you.”

He had worked on his speech the whole way over. He needed her help, he could not deny that, but he also needed to ensure her decorum did not continue. The door opened and a William prepared to launch right into his monlougue, but the girl who opened the door was not the girl from before. No, the girl who stood before him now was surely an angel.

“Oh, hello,” said the angel. “I’m sorry, Luz and Eda aren’t home right now. I’m watching Hooty and King while they’re away, I’m Paulina.” She reached out her hand to him and William found himself speechless for possibly the first time in his life. She was so effortlessly graceful, so delicate, so vivid. The way her peridot eyes reflected the sun made him feel as though-.

“I think he’s broken.” Spoke the bird tube and William shook himself out of his trance, realizing in embarrassment that he had been staring.

Remembering his title, he carefully took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, fair lady.” He said trying to make his voice low and mature sounding as he gently pressed a kiss to her to top of her hand.

Now it was Paulina’s turn to stare as the princely boy before her continued to hold her hand as he raised his eyes to her. There was no sarcasm in his words or insincerity in his smile, a gap in his front teeth adding to his charm. He seemed as though he was genuinely pleased to meet her which was not something Paulina was used to feeling with confidence. She felt like her heart was about to-

“Hey! Who’s at the door? Did we order food? We don’t have any money! Take the food and run!” King’s voice beckoned as the little creature pushed past Paulina only to be disappointed with the lack of snacks in William’s arms. “Oh, it’s you. Why are you kissing my servant?”

“King I told you, I’m not your servant I’m your babysitter.” Laughed Paulina, her had still in William’s as he froze in place.

“Well I guess that would be an appropriate title, IF THERE WAS A BABY HERE!” King exclaimed standing between her and William, extending his arms to her eagerly so she could pick him up. “Uppies! Uppies!”

Paulina sighed as she picked up the little creature and rested him on her hip as she turned her attention back to the handsome stranger in front of her. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“My name? Oh yes of course how terribly rude of me,” he said reaching for her and yet again. “Prince William, at your service m’lady.” He placed another kiss on her hand, prolonging this one as he held her gaze hoping to create the perfect first impression.

“A prince? Really?” Giggled Paulina. It was a throaty, airy giggle she had never heard herself make before. “Oh… wow.”

He was so… tall. Like, not ridiculously tall but tall enough that when he stood back up and Paulina looked up at him, he cut off the sun perfectly so that it looked as though a halo surrounded his golden hair. She didn’t remove her hand from his this time and and could’ve sworn that he tightened his grip.

“Oh! Oh! Kiss my hand! Kiss my hand!” King sang, entering their line of linked vision and reminding them they weren’t the only two people in the world as he waved his hands in William’s face. The prince didn’t know what else to do and so took King’s hand and quickly kissed it. King laughed and clapped his hands in delight. “Haha ew, you have no idea where these have been.”

“Right, anyway,” William tried to continue, now with an odd taste in his mouth. “I’m here because-.”

“-you’re soaking wet.” Paulina finished, noticing his state for the first time.

“Huh? Oh, yes that’s why I’m here,” he said, remembering the reason he came all this way. “I uh, had a run in with the human and I needed to-.”

“Here.” Paulina said, handing him a green cloth she took from her pocket.

“Oh, uh… thank you,” he said, taking the fabric from her and he suddenly realized how uncomfortable he actually was. The human had “borrowed” his sword and when he insisted of its immediate return, she forced him to chase her and he ended up falling in a barrel of some odd smelling liquid. He was suddenly very self conscious of this and hoped Paulina did not assume that this was how he usually smelled. He wished they had met under better circumstances, and he could show her the full extent of his charm. But for now, he gently dabbed his sleeves with her small offering .

“Don’t mention it,” she said sweetly, scratching King’s head. “I always keep them with me, abomination goo is hard to clean off, especially when it gets in your hair.”

“That’s only one of the reasons my hands are sticky!” King declared in delight.

“Right,” said William, taken back by the way kindness came so naturally to her. Typically when people were this kind to him, they wanted something from him. But he sensed her sweetness was constant. “Um, well if the human isn’t here then I guess I should be going…”

“Oh, right yeah.” Paulina said, remembering he hadn’t come here just to see her. “Um, did you want me to give her a message?”

“Oh, yes if you could,” he said. “Just uh, let her know that I’ll be back tomorrow. Will… you be here tomorrow?” He added as nonchalantly as he could.

“I will!” Hooty chimed in. They had forgotten he was there.

“It’s possible,” she said with a smile. “Is there anything else you want me to tell her?”

“Yes, uh tell her that while I’m less than thrilled with her actions… I’m rather impressed with the company she keeps.” He went to return her cloth to her but she held her hand up to refuse.

“Keep it,” she insisted. “I have plenty.”

“Thank you,” he said, tucking it carefully in his breast pocket for safe keeping. He tucked it close to his heart, hoping she somehow sensed the romantic sentiment. He assumed she did, as entrusting a handkerchief to a prince was a key part in every royal romance he had ever read about. Oh, this girl was perfect. Finally, someone who appreciates and understood the importance of etiquette. “I shall keep it safe.”

“Um… okay?” She said, not seeing the big deal as it was just an extra rag she felt he needed more than she did right now. “Well, William it was very nice meeting you.”

“Oh, the pleasure was all mine,” he said with a grand flourish. Once more, he reached for her hand. “Until we meet again.” He kissed her knuckle once more. He gave her one final now before turning swiftly on his heel to leave her with the perfect farewell. Any anger he came here with had since been washed away and he felt lighter than he ever had before, it was almost like he was floating back to the castle.

“Is there like jelly on your knuckles or something? Why did he keep doing that?” King wondered aloud as he examined her hands and Paulina watched William walk away with a grand sigh.

“That’s the prince Luz said was whiney and scrawny?” Paulina said, thinking he was just the opposite. Luz never mentioned his piercing eyes or the elegant way his voice flowed. She was perplexed that anyone could be anything other than charmed after meeting him. “Oh wow, I can’t believe I just met a prince.”

She hasn’t panned on visiting the owl house tomorrow, but now her mine raced with a dozen reasons to stop by.

“Pshh, big deal I totally outrank him!” King declared. “And my crown is way better!”

#huntlow #Willina #toh #winter toh #the owl house #huntlow fanfiction #William toh #Paulina toh #Willow park #Hunter toh

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avatarmerida · 1 year

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Beta Huntlow is back with major fairytale vibes. Thanks for all the love for these dorks in every timeline. 💚💛

---

Paulina shot a blast of bright green magic at the Kikimora, knocking her to the ground as she tried to catch her breath. Paulina frantically looked around but did not see William anywhere, and hoped the blast had been enough of a distraction to allow him to escape.

Then she saw him, just behind Belos’ throne, his crown was gone and his scars were exposed and Paulina could see a new one had recently been added. His eyes were tired and puffy as though they had been without sleep but overrun with tears and Paulina felt something inside her snap. Maybe it was her heart breaking, maybe it was the last straw but whatever it was it brought forth something that could not stay dormant any longer. Before she knew what was happening, a collection of long, thick vines were spearing from behind her in every direction like she was an earth based kraken finally unleashed.

“Get away from him,” she demanded in a low voice that was both unlike her own and somehow exactly hers. The vines did her wordless bidding, carefully surrounding William and forming a wall between him and his enemy. Just as Kikimora cut through one layer, another appeared even stronger than the last. The room was covered in Paulina’s creations, a maze in every direction that only she could navigate. William looked on in wonder, his eyes wide in admiration for both the creation and creator. There was no room for her doubt herself here, but there was plenty of room for her emotions to take form and take back her prince.

“You fool!” Kikimore exclaimed she breathlessly tried in vain to cut through another layer of vines even her fine machine could not keep up. “Don’t you know you’ll pay for this? He’s a traitor! He’s an annoying privileged brat! He’s not worth the trouble!”

“You don’t decide his worth,” Paulina said, her rage controlled and adamant. “You don’t decide anything for him anymore!” She summoned her strength and sent another bright bolt of green light towards Kikimora, knocking her off her feet and a Paulina took the opportunity to raise a bigger stronger wall of vines as she transported William away, hoping to at least gain a head start.

When they had put enough distance between themselves and the castle, Paulina lowered them both to the ground and wrapped William in a tight embrace. When she pulled away she saw the damage was even worse than she had thought, and he had gotten even more scuffed up during their exit.

“Are you okay?” She said, gently placing her hand on his cheek. He leaned into the touch despite his injuries and let out a sigh of relief, feeling safe for the first time in weeks. He looked at her like she was the sun and he a simple weed, unable to fully process everything she was but knowing he was protected in her light. He managed to nod in response but she wasn’t convinced. “You’re hurt,” she said, seeing the scars on his hands as he placed it over hers. “Oh, Will I’m so sorry.”

She blamed herself. He couldn’t believe it! She had just risked her life to save his with the most breathtaking display of power he had ever witnessed and she was still blaming herself. How could she not see what he saw?

Before he could express his gratitude, she removed her hands from him and frantically searched her pockets.

“Oh no, here let me try and fix it,” she said and as her confidence faulted, the vines began to shift. She pulled out her wand, which William wanted to tell her she didn’t need, but for some reason he couldn’t manage to speak. At first he thought it was because of the usual way she managed to render him speechless but now he had his words ready and nothing came forth, what was happening? What had Kikimora done to him?

“C’mon stupid thing, work!” Paulina desperately demanded, hitting the wand against her palm. “This is important! Please! For once!”

William felt unwell. There was a sinking feeling in his chest that made it hard to breathe and made the air taste odd. Had Kikimora poisoned him? Why couldn’t he speak?

Paulian gave the wand one final hard whack and it was as though fireworks had been trapped inside, sparks flying in every direction as she dropped the cursed object, not trying to catch on fire. During her distraction, she did not realize William had vanished.

“What?” she gasped, scanning the area for a sign as to which direction he had gone. Why would he run away? There was no way Kikimora could’ve escaped and grabbed him without her noticing, right? “William? William!” she called, but there was no response. There was no trace of him anywhere, Paulina wouldn’t even know which direction to run. Not knowing what else to do and not wanting to waste time chasing a dead end, she ran back to the Owl House to tell the others what had happened.

---

“... and then I don’t know if it was something I did or something else but when I looked up he was gone!” Paulina finished explaining, creating a tiny yard unknowingly beneath her feet as she paced. “And I think he might be in trouble, no I’m sure he’s in trouble and I don’t think he has his scroll and he was hurt pretty badly and I swear if I ever see the Emperor I’m gonna-.”

“Woah, woah, woah slow down kid!” said Eda. “I know you’re worried but you’re gonna pace another hole through my floor!”

“We’re all worried Paulina, but why did you go to the castle by yourself?” Luz asked, helping her friend untangle a vine from her shoe. “You could’ve been hurt too, ya know.”

“I know, I know but I guess… I don’t know,” she admitted. “I-I don’t know what came over me, it was like I was just so worried and scared that I was angry and the next thing I knew, I was hurdling trees at the castle door and I didn’t stop until I found him.”

“Aw, young love,” said Eda, shaking her head fondly. “If anything can finally convince you that you’re not meant for the abomination track, it’s that.”

“What?”

“Kid, I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone that abominations are just not for you.”

“No, I-I mean the other thing you said…'' she trailed off, knowing her magic responded to her emotions but she never considered that the main one that had driven her to such extremes was… something that would have to wait. “It doesn’t matter, what matters is that William needs our help and we need to find him now!”

“Right!” agreed Augustus. “But if Kikimora did catch up to him, she wouldn’t bring him back to the castle she’d probably figure you’d check there first.”

“Still, we need to be thorough,” said Eda. “I can see if Darius knows anything, but it might be risky getting him involved.”

“King and I can see if anyone in town saw anything,” offered Luz.

“I can work up an illusion if we wanna check the restricted part of town too,” added Augustus. Everyone in the room sprang into action, talking over each other as they planned where they would look. Paulina went to the window to try and gather some fresh air as she tried to clear her head, trying to make her next move less impulsive knowing every second mattered now.

“There’s just so many places he could be,” said Paulina, smoothing her dress trying to take a deep breath. “Where do we even start? I just wish we knew how to-.”

Before she could start her spiral, she was joined at the window by a small being jumping onto her hand. She gave a small gasp and she turned to see the visitor was a small light green frog resting on her hand. She could feel its heartbeat, and felt he had traveled a long way to get there.

“Oh, hello there little friend,” she said, feeling silly for feeling startled. “Have you come to help us? Oh, what’s…”

As she looked at the frog closer, she saw he was carrying something in his mouth and placed it next to her like a sacred offering. It was a flower, a bright red familiar flower. The same flower she had brought William when she had asked him to a Grom. A Princess Kiss. A rare flower that definitely was not around here, a flower that Paulina knew a certain prince had pressed and carried in his breast pocket at all times.

“William.” She whispered, her eyes filling with tears of joy as she picked up the flower and the frog to show the others.

“Guys! William is alive!”

“How do you know?” Augustus asked.

“This!” she said, eagerly showing them the flower but being careful not to bend it. “It’s a rare flower that I made once for William, it’s the same one I gave him. It’s a message from him, to let me know he’s okay. I know it!”

“And he sent it with a frog? What does the frog mean?” Asked Augustus.

“Uh… well that I don’t know,” she admitted. “But maybe it’s a clue that wherever he’s hiding has lots of frogs!”

“Do you know how many swamps and bogs there are on the Isles? And how big they are?” Eda asked. “We need to narrow it down, is it at least a talking frog?”

“Um, I dunno. Are you?” Paulina asked, to be met with a deep croak as response. “I’ll take that as a nope.”

“Fine then, I’ll either find a spell to make him a talking frog or a spell to help us talk to frogs, whichever one takes less time.” Said Eda, running over to her spell book.

“This is good! We have a lead!” exclaimed Luz, spinning King happily around the room as the vibe was drastically altered.

“Thank you for the message, little frog,” said Paulina, holding him tightly but carefully. “Thank you for letting us know he’s safe.”

She brought the little frog up to her face and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of his head. The moment her lips met his head, she felt a vibration as though she had triggered a chemical reaction. It reminded her of an incident she had in class a few weeks back as a bright light overwhelmed her for the second time that day, but instead of removing William from her sight, this time it produced him.

She could hardly believe her eyes, but there before her stood her prince. A dust of smoke lingered near his feet but she knew that he was no illusion by the gap in his wide smile that he offered her before sweeping her up in his arms, singing her praises.

“You did it!” he exclaimed, holding her tightly.

“I did? I did! What did I do?”

“You broke Kikimora’s spell!” he explained. “She had given me a potion to turn me into a frog and I didn’t realize it until it was too late and I was so scared but… you did it! You broke it!”

“Wait a frog spell?” said King. “But I thought those could only be broken-.”

“-by a princess,” finished Paulina, both confused and delighted. The frog spell was the oldest spell in the book, everyone knew the classic way it was broken. That was most likely why Kikimora had chosen it, thinking it was impossible to reverse as William was the only royal left. “But how? I-I mean I'm not a princess, so how could I-.”

“I told you a princess was about more than a crown,” he said with a smile, tenderly cupping her cheek with his hand. “And I knew you were a princess from the moment I met you.”

“No you didn’t! You thought she was my babysitter when you first met her!” Said King.

“King! Don’t ruin the moment!” Shushed Luz as she continued to watch the scene unfold. Apparently the pair did not hear King's interruption or did not care as they continued in their enamored bubble.

“Cool,” she whispered. “Happy to help.”

William chuckled, as he slowly leaned down to kiss her properly, not wanting to waste another moment. It took everything in him not to completely crash into her but by the way she grabbed his collar and collided their lips assured him that she was more than fine with crashing. He tightened his grip on her waist and carefully moved his other hand through her hair as he tried to remain conscious, feeling as though he was both floating and about to fall to the ground as his legs had turned to jelly. But Paulina held him steady, as her lips formed a smile against his that made his heart buzz like a wild fire bee.

As they slowly pulled away, William felt as though there was no more air in his lungs and he was totally fine with that. The wonderful girl before him seemed likewise inflicted and he wanted nothing more than to kiss her once more and then a thousand times after that.

But before he could, another familiar feeling took hold of him.

His voice was lost and his chest felt tight and the next thing he knew, he was looking up at Paulina rather than down at her. He quickly realized he had landed in her hands and then realized he was small enough to fit in the palm of her hands.

He was a frog again.

“Well that’s… new.” Said Eda.

“Oh no!” Paulina exclaimed, her elated look quickly shifting to concern. “What happened? What did I do? How did I mess it up? I didn't even use my wand!”

“Hmm it looks like Kikimora was using an older version of the spell,” said Eda. “Makes it more like a curse, really. A kiss will break it, but it also acts as the activator. It can come in handy.”

“When?”

“Well, I dunno if ya wanna sneak him into the movies or something?”

“So every time I kiss him he’ll turn into a frog?”

“No,” Eda replied. “I mean, if he already is a frog then he won’t…”

“Oh Titan, I’m so sorry Will!” Paulina said, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of his little froggy head. He transformed back into his former self in a flash just as he had done before, his hands in Paulina’s as she let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank you for that,” he said, the transformation making his throat feel odd as he shook the spell’s lingering smoke and such from his shoulders. “Miss Eda, is there a counter spell to stop the transformation?”

“Well, the only way to not transform is to not kiss Princess Planter here,” snorted Eda. “She’s the only one who can trigger it. So since you’re back to normal now, you can stay that way.”

“But then I can’t… or rather we can’t…” William tried to compose his sentence, his eyes darting back to Paulina in a small panic. He had hoped the momentous event would not be a single occurrence. But maybe that was all it was meant to be.

“Oh, twist!” Luz gasped softly.

“Did you… want to?” Paulina asked, biting her lip and swinging their linked arms to the side, her eyes fluttering beneath her glasses.

“Well, I was hoping…” William said shyly as he lightly rubbed his thumb over her knuckle, wondering what would happen if he brought it to his lips this time. “If you were, because I would…”

“I mean… are you okay with becoming a frog every time?” she asked, stepping closer to him.

“I am if you’re okay kissing a frog every time.” William replied quickly, suddenly not minding another curse if the biggest inconvenience was being at the mercy of her affections. A string of water lilies covered their connected hands as though Paulina was preparing a comfy pad to catch him after as William leaned down to initiate another transformation.

#huntlow #beta huntlow #willina #toh #huntlow fanfiction #willow park #hunter toh #paulliam #the owl house

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avatarmerida · 1 year

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Still having brain rot for beta huntlow so here’s some Willina Grom content. Partially based on a HC from some cute art by @turquoisespace35 love these blorbos in every universe 💛💚

———

“A dance?” William’s ears perked up at the word. “Wh-what kind of dance?”

“Oh it’s just Grom,” said Augustus . “He’s a monster that lives underneath the school. The dance is more of a distraction really.”

“But there’s dancing? Like, proper dancing?” He asked. “And the dress code? Oh, please tell me that there is one!”

“I mean, it’s not technically required but everyone gets pretty dressed up.” He said. “It’s like the social event of the season.”

“Like a ball?” William said excitedly, hoping Augustus would confirm.

“Uh… I guess?”

“Oh, wonderful!” He exclaimed. “I’ve been meaning to throw one myself, but my uncle is less than convinced the idea is worth pursuing. Oh, how I envy you.”

“You can come too, if you want.” Augustus offered.

“Oh, that’s very kind of you Augustus but you’ve made it clear that your duties at the event would occupy you. No, if I’m to go I’d need to be directly asked to be someone’s escort.”

“Ooooh I see,” said Augustus with a mischievous grin. “Did you have anyone special in mind?”

“Oh, I don’t know uh does… Paulina have anyone to escort her to the event?” He tried to make it seem as though she hadn’t already been on his mind, but Augustus knew better.

“Hmmm I don’t know, why don’t you ask her?”

“I mean I would, but it’s not my place,” he said. “I don’t attend Hexside therefore have no link to the event and to inquire about whom she intends to attend it with might imply that I-.”

“You wanna go with Paulina.” Augustus stated.

“I… only if she wishes me to,” he said quietly. “But yes, if she were to invite me I would happily accept. But I wouldn’t want to pressure her or make her feel badly if she wanted to go with someone else.”

“Dude, I’m pretty sure if you asked if you could go with her she would totally say yes.”

“Invite myself?” He said with a gasp. “Augustus, such informality is poor form. I should hope Paulina would expect more from me. If she were to invite me I’d want it to be of her own wishes, not out of pity or obligation.”

Augustus sighed. He knew from the way that Paulina talked about William that she definitely saw him as a part of their Grom experience, but he also knew about everything in her way. They both knew William was a good guy and that he wouldn’t be anything but kind about the subject and as much as Paulina trusted him she was still relearning to trust herself. Despite her best efforts, heartbreaking situations seemed to be drawn to Paulina.

“Hey Will, there’s something I think you should know…”

———

Grom night finally arrived and everyone from Hexisde was gathered excitedly in the gym looking their best and having a great time.

Everyone but Paulina.

She shouldn’t be surprised that Boscha sought out the ruin the night for her and how well she had managed to do it. She was embarrassed, to say the least, for the second year in a row. She knew Augustus and the others would be wondering where she was sooner or later, but for now she didn’t want to ruin their fun time or give Boscha the satisfaction of her cruelty spreading.

There was only one person she wanted to see right now. But her feet worked faster than her brain and she found herself in the castle garden before she had an explanation prepared.

“What am I doing here?” she said to herself. “I can’t just show up uninvited, and he might not even be here and even if he was he wouldn’t-.”

“Oh, Paulina, to what do I owe the pleasure?” came William’s voice from seemingly out of nowhere. The soft way he said her name broke her trance as he walked over to her, a book at her side. He must be coming from the library. She went to try and hide her appearance in the shadow of the tree but before she could move back he spoke again. “You… you look stunning.” He said breathlessly, admiring the way the green in her dress complimented her eyes. The dress looked different from what he remembered, but her loveliness only increased the closer he got, her hair was tied up with a ribbon and a vibrant flowers rested behind her ear. William set down his book to properly greet her before remembering why she looked extra captivating. “But wait, what are you doing here?”

“Oh, well I uh, well I just thought,” she struggled to say before the tears caught up with her, and her hands shot up to bury her eyes. “Oh my Titan I’m so sorry,I shouldn’t have just shown up. Y-you must be busy I don’t know why I-.”

“No! No, please don’t think I’d be anything other than happy to see you,” William rushed to say. “I just thought you’d be at the ball.”

“Well, I was but I uh, had a little wardrobe malfunction,” she said with a heartbroken laugh, gesturing to her current state. He could see now the the tattered sleeves and jagged skirt were not a choice.

“I just thought it was a new fashion trend,” he said with a small smile, still finding her to be a vision even despite the abuse the dress had gone through. “Were you the one chosen to face Grom? I thought it was the youngest Blight.”

“It was,” she said taking a deep breath. “But I had my own personal Grom. I ran into Boscha before I even went inside and she wasn’t thrilled that I decided to show up.”

William’s hand formed a fist at his side, the subject of Boscha always lit a fire within him. He wished he had the throne so he could banish the girl into the boiling sea for all she made Paulina endure.

“She did this to you?” he asked through gritted teeth.

“Well, most of it,” Paulina confirmed with tears pooling her eyes. “I kinda made it worse when I tried to use my wand to fix it. I think I set a button on fire?”

“Oh my- are you okay? Did she hurt you? Why would she ever-.”

“No, no I’m okay I promise,” she assured, though the unshed tears that lingered behind her askew glasses that suggested otherwise. “I just… didn’t want to go inside like this and have everyone laugh and I didn’t wanna go home and have my dads worry and I just didn’t… wanna be alone right now. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be dumping this all on you, I should go before I-.”

“No! No, please stay,” said William. “Let me fetch my sewing supplies! I bet I can repair the rips! And we can cover the tear at the bottom with a flower and I’m sure I can locate a jacket for you to-.”

“No, please don’t! I mean, you’re so sweet but you've done enough already.” Paulina sighed sadly. “I’m just so sorry she ruined the dress you got for me.”

“How did you kn- I mean, what? I-I have neve seen that dress before I don’t even know what-.”

“Augustus ratted you out,” she said with a gentle smile. “But I would’ve figured it out anyway. Such a sweet, grand gesture is just too on brand for you.”

“Well… did you like it? I mean, before Bocha-.

“I loved it,” she said, taking his hands in hers and giving them a gentle squeeze. “I felt like a princess.”

“You don’t need a dress to look like a princess.” He said softly as he looked into her eyes. A blush took over her face as she couldn’t help but be taken back with just how quickly he had composed the sentiment and how utterly sincere it was. She suddenly felt guilty for allowing him to see his generous gift in such disarray. “Paulina I… please don’t be upset but… Augustus told me about what happened last year. How Boscha found out you wanted to ask someone and sabotaged your Gromposal and how cruelly everyone reacted. He said you didn’t even go last year and it… well, it just broke my heart. And then I saw how your eyes lit up when we walked by the shop with the dress in the window and I wanted to make sure you had the perfect Grom to make up for last year but I should’ve known a dress wouldn’t fix everything.”

“Well it was still the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me,” assured Paulina. “I just wish you could’ve seen it before it got ruined.”

He had to admit, he did too. His throat felt tight at the thought of her in the emerald vision she was meant to be in from the beginning. He wished he could’ve done more to save her evening, and he could still be her knight in shining armor now.

“Close your eyes,” he said and Paulina obliged without hesitation. She felt him place something on her head, she reached up and felt the cold metal. It was his crown. When she opened her eyes, she saw William had vanished but her appearance had been restored to how she looked prior to her run in with Bocha.

“What?” She said, hardly able to believe it as she ran to the garden’s fountain to observe her reflection in the water. It was true. The crown slid slightly off her head and when it did, a tear returned to her dress. Paulina understood. “William, is there a concealment stone in your crown?”

“Yes,” his voice confirmed from a location Paulina could not pinpoint.

“Why?”

“Um… no reason,” he said. “Just to ensure that I always look my best.”

“Are you invisible without it?” She laughed, scanning the area for where he could be hiding wanting to thank him properly.

“No, nothing like that,” he assured. “I just… don’t want you to see me without it. I’m not… my best.”

“Well, considering the way I came to see you tonight, I have no room to judge,” she chuckled. “But I promise I would never. Besides, it doesn’t matter to me what you look like, I like you no matter what.”

Willam did believe her, he knew Paulina was genuine and smart and kind and would not care about the gap in his teeth or the unruly nature of his hair or the other tiny imperfections that Belos had deemed necessary to conceal. But he had never shown his true self to anyone else and it was not a step that could be taken so casually.

Paulina could sense his hesitance in the silence and did not pressure why, that it was his business. But she didn’t want him to feel like he had to hide from her. She carefully removed her glasses and placed them in her pocket. As she placed them inside, she removed something to make room and held it behind her back.

“There,” she said. “Now I can’t see anything. Promise.”

He peeked his head from behind the tree where he had been hiding. “Really?”

“Really.” She said, seeing his blurry figure in the distance. “Test me.”

“Okay,” he said, holding up his hand. “How many fingers am I holding up?”

She squinted. “I have no idea.”

William laughed, his heart skipping a beat at the way she scrunched her nose attempting to see. “Fair enough,” he said, walking over to her. “I can fetch a mask from inside and walk you back to the dance.”

“Would you wanna maybe… stay?”

“You mean stand guard? In case Boscha tries something else?”

“No I mean stay, like… uh, here.” Paulina said nervously, extending her arms to him. “I made this. I thought it would look nice on you.”

He saw she was holding a bright red flower, its petals silky and long. Even with his limited knowledge of floriograhphy, he knew this flower was special. He could tell she had grown it herself.

“It… matches yours,” he said breathlessly, his eyes darting to the vision of scarlet tucked safely in her hair as he took the flower from her. It was the one thing Boscha hadn’t managed to ruin.

“Oh yeah,” she smiled. “I guess it does. Well, usually when you go to Grom with someone, you wear something that matches. And I uh… thought if you wanted to, we could…”

His eyes darted to his flower back to hers and then to the matching red dusting her checks. The dots all connected and his eyes widened as he dared to ask:

“Are you… asking me to Grom?”

“Yes?” She squeaked, her eyes locked on the ground as her hands fiddled with the belt of her dress. “I know it’s last minute, but please don’t think it’s an afterthought or because of the dress it’s just that… I just didn’t think to ask you because, well I didn’t think to ask anyone. But… I wanted to and I would’ve if I…”

His face softened. “And I would’ve accepted.” William whispered. “I mean, I do accept. That is, if you still wish for me to-.”

“I do,” she said quickly. “You’re… sure it’s not beneath you? I mean, I’m sure you’ve been to way fancier events and I mean it’s just some silly-.”

“I would be honored to go anywhere with you,” William eagerly assured her, taking her hands in his. He could not get over how truly beautiful she looked. “Oh dear, it’s just that you look so… enchanting and I’m dreadfully underdressed. I’ve just finished my training and I’ve just come from the stables and now I-.”

“Well if you ask me, you could never look anything but princely.” Paulina said sweetly.

“Thank you,” he said with a blush. He was used to Paulina being kind but something about her sudden boldness flustered him. He was grateful he could not see her as he knew he could not conceal his blush.

“Besides, no one will care what you’re wearing because they’ll be distracted by your sick moves.”

“Oh, I assure you I’m not ill.”

“No,” laughed Paulina. “I’m talking about your dancing.”

“Oh.” He said, not fully understanding but comprehending enough to know Paulina was suggesting that others would find him impressive. But the only person he cared about impressing was not in that gym. He took a grand step back and extended his hand to her as he bowed. “Well then, may I have this dance?”

Paulina giggled. “I mean, yes but I was thinking we would go back to the school and dance. There’s not even any music playing out here.” She put her hand in his and upon the contact he gently pulled her to him, putting his other hand on the small of her back to hold her close. Paulina’s free hand instinctively went to his shoulder as she tried to hide how fast her heart was beating.

“Well then I shall have to tell a joke as your laughter is a symphony all its own.” He said casually and Paulina felt as though she might faint. How did he think of that so quickly? Why did it make her legs feel like jelly? Was her face as red as it felt?

“Oh, uh okay I mean if you want…” she trailed off quietly, suddenly overly aware of his gaze. She giggled again and William smiled as though she had just played his favorite song. He took the opportunity to spin her, using the momentum to show off his ability as a lead, spinning her out and then back into his arms. He begins to walk and Paulina was happily along for the ride as William led them around the garden, holding her close and counting the steps under his breath to help her keep time.

Paulina looked down at their reflection in the pond as they passed by. Even blurry it was utterly picturesque, the way the stars shimmered against the shine of his crown, the way her vibrant green dress stood out in the collection of blues the evening sky brought, if she could only see the dreamy way Willam looked at her while her attention was elsewhere.

“Wow I didn’t know you were such a great dancer,” Paulina breathed as he spun him into him again, and then eased them into a slow dance to cool down from all the spinning.

“Isn’t that why you wanted to ask me? Because you knew I was a good dancer?” William said as he pulled her in again, but this time he held her close awhile longer. Before he returned his hand to her waist, he brushed a loose strand of hair from her face, his fingers lingering on her cheek. The moon was back behind him, dusting his shoulder in a gentle pale light that made Paulina feel as though she had fallen into a painting. The garden, the moonlight, and him all seemed too good to be true.

“Well it’s… one reason.” She said quietly, moving her hand up to cup the side of his face. She remembered how when they first met, he had kissed her hand. She remembered the way her heart skipped at the softness of his lips on her knuckle. Her hand beside his face returned the memory to her mind and made her think about-

“I’m afraid it’s getting late,” said Willam gently, interrupting her train of thought. “I’m not certain we’d make it back in time.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” she said, adjusting her grip on his neck. “I’m having a great time right here.”

“So, does your school host many events like Grom?”

“Um, well Grom is pretty unique,” said Paulina. “I mean, they have other events but thankfully they’re not as high stakes as Grom.”

“Any other ones that involve dancing?” William inquired. “Because I’d hate to think that getting to dance with you only occurs once a year.”

“Well then, we’d better make it count,” she said with a tiny smile. “Just in case.” She knew there’d be plenty of chances if she had anything to say about it, but she wanted to prolong this one as long as she could.He seemed to share the thought as he twirled her around the garden once more.

He was so close now that Paulina could see him clearly even without her glasses. He had freckles, that was the first thing Paulina noticed, dashed across his nose and cheeks like a constellation. She couldn’t understand why he would ever hide them, and she imagined how they would rise and ripple when he smiled wide. When he spoke, she could see the gap in his teeth and with all these things in place she wanted so desperately to see him smile wide. The true him was just as handsome as the William she had met, just with more little details. And his eyes were brown, a deep amber color with flakes of gold that reminded Paulina of a rusted gate that protected her tiny garden in her yard. They were warm and deep and big and… so close.

She knew he had wanted her not to, but she couldn’t help but get lost in his eyes. He didn’t seem to mind as he was equally engrossed in hers. At some point they had stopped moving, and were standing among the rose bushes holding onto each other like something out of a romantic dream. Why, if Paulina didn’t know any better she would think that-.

“Paulina, could I… would it be okay if I.. uh, may I…” His eyes darted between hers and her lips as though he was caught in a strange loop. Paulina’s mouth suddenly felt dry and she couldn’t manage a response the same way he couldn’t manage the question. But while their words failed them, something else seemed to help bring them closer together. Something buzzing in Paulina’s chest like a swarm of fire bees told her to tilt her head to the side and relax her hold on William’s neck. The same soundless thing swirling behind William’s armor like a sinkhole told him to hold her closer and close his eyes.

As his hand cupped her cheek, she had no doubt that he intended to kiss her. And she had no doubt that she intended to let him. As the space between them grew smaller, Paulina rose to her tip toes and nearly out of her shoes, eagerly hoping to make it disappear completely. The world felt like it was spinning around them.

Then it actually was.

“Woah!” they exclaimed, suddenly finding themselves creating a splash as they backed into the pond and landed in the water, losing their balance as they became blind to everything else around them.

“Oh my Titan, are you okay?” coughed William, wiping his soaked bangs from his face.

“I’m fine!” she said, her hair escaping its curls as she managed to stand up and extend her hand to him. “Are you okay?”

“Nothing damaged but my pride,” he said as he took it and allowed her to help him up. “I guess I uh… got a little distracted.”

“Me too,” she blushed.

“Are your glasses okay?” He asked frantically, remembering they were in her pocket. She pulled them out to check and was relieved to see they were as she slipped them back on.

With his crown still floating in the water, Paulina saw his true face in clarity and the warm buzzing returned to her chest. “Woah.”

“Oh!” He said timidly when he realized the truth of his current state. “I’m sorry, I look-.”

“You could never look anything but princely,” she assured.

“Heh,” he chuckled nervously. “Thank you, I thought yo- oh no! Oh no, oh no!” He said suddenly, turning his attention to the water as he began splashing and searching. “Oh I hope the water doesn’t ruin it!”

“Oh right,” she said, remembering his crown was in the water. “Oh no, I hope it’s not-.”

“Found it!” He exclaimed, holding his recovered treasure over his head. But he did not hold his crown. Instead, he held the flower she had given him. The petals were slightly wilted but otherwise the water had not damaged the plant. William held it delicately as though it was porcelain and Paulina wanted to reach out and hold him the exact same way.

“Maybe next year, we can wear matching water lilies to Grom,” she said with a smile, kneeling the the water beside him, aware but unbothered by the cold. “That way we’ll be prepared if things end up the same way.”

“Well, hopefully they won’t,” he said, trying not to think about what not ending up in the water meant. He tried to maintain his composure at the implication that she was also asking him to Grom a year in advance. “Hopefully next year we’ll actually make it to the dance and you won’t have to spend the evening in a dress that’s torn and wet.”

“Well….” She said as she brought his hand to her lips and pressed a gentle kiss to his knuckle just as he had done when they first met. “It’ll be worth it if I get to dance with a handsome prince again.”

He smiled.

“Well, I’ll never say no to a dance with fair princess.”

His freckles rise and rippled just as she imagined they would. The moment might have passed for a fairy tale first kiss, but she felt confident it would return soon and would certainly not be an event that happened only once a year.

#huntlow #willina #winter toh #Willow park #Hunter toh #Paulina toh #William toh #toh #the owl house #pauliam #huntlow fanfiction #my fanfic

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