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It had been a few months shy of a year since Hunter and Luz had come to the human realm. It wasn’t their choice and in a way that hadn’t fully accepted it either. When the portal opened it was so unstable that only Luz and Hunter could get through. Amity, Gus, and Willow figured it wouldn’t hold long enough for them to get through as well and pushed for the two to go since they were the ones in the most danger. Since then no one has been able to contact those in the Boiling Isles. Adapting to life on Earth seemed like a breeze compared to all the stuff Luz, Vee, and Hunter had been through, especially since Camila was more than happy to take in the other two kids Luz had brought to her. With a little magic and a lie the four were in on, Camila got all three of her kids into high school and helped them however she could.
It was a particularly rainy day in May when the three of them got out of school for summer break. Camila had promised she would take them out to a nice restaurant near the edge of town to celebrate. The four of them were getting ready when Vee’s phone buzzed. She checked the message to see that it was Hunter asking her if she could help him with his hair. She agreed and stepped into Hunter’s room which was just across the hall from the one her and Luz shared. It had originally been an office, but when Hunter and Luz came back it was quickly remade into a bedroom. Hunter sat on his bed playing with the charm on his bracelet. Vee had made bracelets for them a few months back once they all had gotten closer. Vee looked back at that moment fondly, Luz said she loved the friendship bracelets. Luz's was purple with a watermelon charm, Vee's was yellow with a lemon charm, and Hunter's was pink with a strawberry charm all of them having their names printed in neat white lettering on the band. Hunter half jokingly said they're more like sibling bracelets. He was right. They stopped acting like friends and more like a family the longer they were together. They started referring to each other as siblings at some point and hadn't stopped since. Camila called them her children and they all used Noceda as their last name.
Hunter handed Vee a hairbrush and patted the space next to him indicating that she can sit down. "I've got some tangles in the back that I'm having trouble with." She nodded and took the seat next to him. Putting the brush through his hair she really realized how long it was getting. His undercut with longer fluffy bits of hair on top was long gone and instead he started growing a mullet. Unlike most guys in Gravesfield it actually looked good on him. They all had changed so much from their appearances to their general personalities. She wasn't sure what Hunter used to be like in the Boiling Isles but when he came here he was pretty much mute and only wore the outfit he arrived in for like a month. He's still a more quiet person, but when he talks about something he's passionate about he doesn't normally stop. He usually wears a lot of band tee shirts so Vee is surprised to find he's wearing a button up he stole from Luz and jeans that aren't ripped. Speaking of Luz, she's changed a lot too. She's not as bubbly as she used to be, but she's still positive and tries to be optimistic. The purple and white shirt she used to wear has long been buried in the depths of her closet. She's picked up more of a witchy vibe to her clothes but still wears Eda's grugby jacket whenever it's not burning hot outside. Vee's changed too. She's more bold than she used to be and even chose an appearance that felt more like herself than just a weird version of Luz. She's proud of the three of them. They've all come so far.
Vee wiggles the brush a little as she comes across a knot in Hunter's hair. He winces as she tries to untangle it. "Sorry." She gives a small tug and the strands come loose.
"It's alright." He reassures her. She goes back to gently pulling the brush through his hair.
"Do you mind if I ask you something?"
"Go for it."
"It's almost been a year since you and Luz came here so, do you miss the Isles? I know you used to work for the Emperor… I can't imagine how awful that was." Hunter sighs as Vee brushes the last chunk of his hair.
"Yes and no. Belos was a terrible, terrible person who lied to me my whole life, but he wasn't the only person who lived there. I miss my old grugby team, I miss the Clawthornes, I miss Darius, and all the other people who were nice to me even when I didn't deserve it… I can't say I'd ever want to live there again though. They don't have strawberry shortcake on the Boiling Isles." He chuckled and Vee couldn't help but stifle a giggle.
"I know what you mean. Luz used to have a girlfriend on the Isles, did you ever have a partner?" Vee set the brush down in her lap and part of Hunter didn't want her to stop. It felt calming and he liked it whenever his sisters would brush his hair. He let out a small sigh before answering.
"No. I was not in the right state mentally for anything close to a romantic relationship back then. I did kind of like someone, it was pretty embarrassing though." Vee leans in, her interest now peaked. "Dying to know, huh?" Vee nodded and he sighed. "Fine. Just Don't tell Luz. I… kind of had a thing for Amity's older brother. I think his name was Edric? He was funny and kind when he wanted to be. I um still think about him sometimes." Vee couldn't see his face, but she noticed the tips of his ears turning red. She smiled.
"Oh good, I was a little worried. I mean sometimes I hear Luz-" She stopped herself. Oh no, she did not mean to let that slip out. Hunter turned to face her with a concerned look on his face.
"What did you hear Luz do?" Vee looks at the floor while playing with the brush in her hands.
"Sometimes…I hear Luz crying at night. It doesn't happen very often, but every once in a while I'll hear her sobbing and repeating things over and over like she's apologizing to someone who isn't there. I tried to pretend not to hear it the first few times, after that I just climbed up next to her and held her until she stopped…" Her voice trails off and a melancholy look washes over her face. Hunter gently wraps his arms around Vee and she leans into his touch.
"Next time that happens please let me know… I don't want Luz to go through that alone." Vee just nods.
There's a short knock on Hunter's door and Luz appears in the doorway. "Sorry, am I interrupting something?" Hunter shakes his head and the two get up. "Mamá is about to start up the car and- Hunter is that my shirt?" Hunter looks at his shirt and back up at Luz.
"...No?"
"It is!" Hunter gestures to Flapjack who was sitting on his windowsill and it turns into his staff. With one quick motion Hunter teleports away with a flash of yellow light. "HUNTER!!!" Luz yells and runs downstairs after him. Vee giggles and sets the hairbrush on Hunter's nightstand before heading downstairs. Luz and Hunter stood in the middle of the living room both with palisman staffs in hand while Camila scolded them for using their staffs indoors. While Vee always wished she had a staff like her siblings, she was thankful that she didn't have to get scolded by their mom. Luz mentioned having leftover palisdrom wood, so maybe she would ask Luz about it someday. Maybe. The four of them made their way into the car with Hunter calling shotgun on their way over. Luz and Vee climbed into the back as Camila and Hunter got into the front. Raindrops tapped against the car windows and the three kids watched them, happy that the rain wasn't trying to kill them in this realm.
"I will never miss the rain on the Isles." Vee stated. Hunter and Luz nodded in agreement and with that the Nocedas were off to the restaurant. While it wasn't the most exciting place in the world, Gravesfield was their home and although the four of them didn't often say it outloud they were really happy that they had each other.