Work Text:
“You didn't have to do that, you know.”
Hunter turned to her, still frowning like he had been for the past hour. “Do what?”
“Lie.”
He blinked and turned away. “Yes I did,” he whispered.
Amity felt like there was something missing, a piece she hadn't been able to put into place. She gripped the hem of her dress, her knuckles turning white. “She- Camila is nice.” Her voice cracked, she was trying too hard to believe herself.
Hunter huffed, “She didn't even yell at us.”
“Did you think she was going to?”
He paused, “Yeah. Did you?”
“Yeah.”
They sat in silence, both unable to say anything else. The pieces were falling closer into place. Amity thought she might start crying. Amity couldn't stay quiet for long, not for the life of her. “I broke the plate. And before she was even in the room you- you stood in front of me like a shield. You took the blame for something you didn't even do.”
He shrugged, like it was nothing. Like it wasn’t making Amity's head spin and her chest collapse. He stroked Flapjack’s head, “I didn't know if Mrs. Noceda- If Camila was going to-” He shook his head in frustration, running a hand through his hair. It was getting longer. “She’s nice.” He repeated her earlier statement.
Amity was sure by this point she was going to cry. Or maybe she was going to throw up. Her hands were shaking, even in their knuckle tight grip. A childish part of her head whined for Luz, wanting to leave Hunter here. In the dark silence of the nightime living room. Wanted to brush it aside, never bring it up. Hunter was… A good person, she knew that. But they hardly spoke one on one, and sometimes when she heard his voice all she could hear was the Golden Guard. And that wasn't fair, not to him, so she ignored it. Ignored him.
She couldn't keep doing that. When she had first extended her hand to him, she meant it. She meant it now, too, after all these months. He was stubborn but whether he liked it or not, he found the people she told him to. He found people who loved him, who looked after him. She saw the goodness in him, the kindness, the loyalty. Herself.
She told him that he’d find people who cared about him.
She’d be one of those people, even if that meant what she was about to ask would make her break.
“You thought Camila was going to get mad at me,” she said, choking out each word in a broken whisper. “So you stood in front of me- and- and took the blame.”
He flinched at her words, curling away from her. The hand that petted Flapjack went still. He swallowed audibly, his hands began to shake. “Yeah,” he managed. “I thought-” He closed his eyes and curled into himself even further. “What did you think she was going to do?”
It took a moment of psyching herself up to answer the question. She wanted to be open with him. She’d give him her all. “What my mother would've done. Yell at me. Probably make me cry, and then yell at me for that… The glasses we kept were expensive”—talking got easier as she went—“everything in the house was. Everything we had was expensive, important. I knew from a young age that if I got anything dirty, if I broke anything, I would get in trouble. That I-I was being ungrateful for what we had- Even if it was a mistake it-it was a bad mark on my personal character.”
When she got the courage to look at Hunter, he was staring at her. Big magenta eyes that shone in the dark light of the moon. She had his full attention, his brow was furrowed to a point. It was like he was trying to memorize every word she said. She looked back at him, and he shied away.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“It's- it's okay.” She sighed, her heart going fast. Too fast. She put a hand on her chest and rubbed her thumb on her sternum. She took a deep breath and noticed how when she closed her eyes, they were wet. She sniffed. “I was worried Camila would be the same so I just froze. I didn't want-” She huffed out a laugh, “I didn't want to look ungrateful, not to her. I want her to like me.”
They were quiet again, save for Hunter opening and closing his mouth a few times like he wanted to say something. Amity almost wanted him to say something too. Just to know she hadn't poured out her insecurities for nothing. But it wasn't for nothing, even if he was quiet for the rest of the night. Getting people to trust you went both ways. She wouldn't push him, even if part of her desperately wanted to know that happened behind the walls he put up. He was an enigma, really.
“I thought-” He swallowed, “I thought she’d do what Belos would’ve.”
It was Amity’s turn to flinch at his words. Belos was a name not used lightly in the house. She wanted to say something, but when she tried to produce the words the only thing that came out was a squeak.
He wasn't looking at her, but he smiled. “He would've hit me. There wasn't exactly a lot for me to break, the castle is pretty bare but… Had I broke something, he would've hit me.”
The first tear fell from Amity’s face. Her heart had picked up again. “And you…”
Hunter finally looked at her, he wasn't in tears like she was. His face was composed, the only thing giving away any emotion was the way his hands shook and how he kept glancing between both her eyes. If she didn't know any better, she would think he was fine.
“Yeah.” He finished her thought, “I would have taken it for you.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m used to it. And because Luz likes you, a lot. And she was my first friend, gotta-” He laughed without a hint of humor, “Gotta make sure she likes me.” His voice cracked, and he looked away. “And- And because I think we're friends?” he whispered, his voice was suddenly terrified. Like he was so sure she was going to reject him immediately. Like he was prepared for her to leave him like this. There were tears in his eyes, finally. “Are we friends?”
At that moment, Amity had never been more sure of anything in her entire life. “Yes,” she replied the second he was done speaking, not allowing his words to hang in the air. “Yes, we're friends. I’m your friend.”
The tension that was building up in his body went away. His shoulders collapsed onto themselves, and he let out a shaking breath. He leaned far enough forward to rest his head in between his legs. “I’m sorry,” he said.
She was careful, now with a sudden new friendship that had not existed in words for longer than 10 seconds. “For?”
“Hurting you. Threatening to hurt Luz.”
“You wouldn't hurt her now, would you?”
He shot up, eyes wide, “Of course not.”
She wiped a stray tear from her cheek, “Then it's okay. I forgive you- I-'' She paused, going back to wringing the fabric of her dress in her hands, in between her fingers. “I hurt Luz too.”
“What?”
She smiled, though she could not find any joy in the memory. “I got her expelled from Hexside, and I kinda tried to beat her up in a witch’s duel…” Hunter almost cackled, a mix of amusement and complete disbelief written on his face. “This was before we were friends! I was just- doing what my mom would have wanted me to do. Doing what I thought was right ‘for the family.’”
Hunter's amused face fell, he softened, leaning back onto the couch. He looked down at Flapjack, who chirped. “If I didn't think Belos was going to kill me when I got back, I wouldn't have fought you for the Titan’s blood…”
“I know.” At the time she really was guessing, but now she knew.
“I was just…” He paused. “Trying to justify existing,” he said slowly, glancing at her to make sure she knew the words were here first. She did, and she smiled at him. “Everything was a chance to prove myself. And mistakes were just setbacks to that. Every mission I completed successfully brought me closer to proving I deserved to be loved. And every failure-” his voice cracked.
“Every failure was proving you didn't,” Amity finished, he nodded.
She moved closer to him, just enough that their shoulders touched. “I don't think Camila will ever get that mad at us. She seems nice. And Luz doesn't seem scared of her. Not the way I was scared of my mom.”
“I don't think so either,” he admitted. “It's just hard to believe believe. You know?”
She nodded and closed her eyes. “Thank you, anyways. Regardless of if she did or didn't do anything I- I’m glad I have a friend like you. Who’d stand up for me.”
She could feel him nod, “Yeah, anytime. And I’m- I’m glad we're friends.”
“Me too.”
Amity ended up falling asleep like that, shoulder to shoulder with Hunter, being woken up an hour or so later by Luz who was getting ready for bed. The ease that Luz picked her up made her blush, even in her half awake state of mind. She heard Luz whisper goodnight to Hunter who stood up as Luz carried Amity up the stairs. Whether or not he had fallen asleep, or just waited with her didn't matter. She had a new friend, and that was nice.