has it only been an hour? no, that can't be right / THE OWL HOUSE | luz & hunter

has it only been an hour? no, that can't be right

"Hunter!!"

He saw her coming, his gaze has been stuck on her ever since he spotted her, actually. Even when she was but a tiny speck of weird mashed up colors, he's just been looking, staring. He's slightly in awe, despite that Blight girl telling him she'd be coming to Hexside, it hadn't really settled in yet.

The last time they met, they went through... an experience he would've rather not have went through, even though he's glad, in a way, that he did. The last time he really took a good look at her was when they were running away from-

She crashes into him so hard, he almost falls backwards. He's not sure what stops him, honestly.

"Oh, God. Hunter, I'm so glad you're okay! Are you okay? I'm so, so glad to see you again!!"

She wraps her arms around his midsection and squeezes, hard. It feels good, surprisingly, to be reminded where you are. Even if that comes with out-of-air lungs.

"Ow- Fuck, Luz! I just started getting used to these, lay off!"

She lets go of him, only for a moment, arms still tight around him, to really look into his eyes, and make what he guesses is meant to be 'puppy eyes' (the Captain had told him about it, he's still not entirely sure what they are). Her eyebrows are furrowed. For some reason, she looks a few words away from breaking into tears.

"You've been getting hugs? You've actually been getting the physical affection you rightfully deserve, and I didn't know? I wasn't here to give you any??"

He didn't know if it was possible, really, but she starts squeezing him again, even tighter. She lifts him off the ground. And not just a little, either. His arms feel like they're about to snap like twigs, though.

"Okay, okay, okay- I get it! Just put me down! This hurts, like, badly!"

Unexpectedly, she obliges, setting his feet back down on the ground. Her hands remain on his arms, like she's afraid that if she really let him go, he'd just disappear into thin air.

"Sorry, sorry! I'm just..."

She doesn't finish her sentence. She only sighs, a bit relieved, a bit sad. He briefly wonders what's preventing her from crying, she looks uncomfortably close. Yet, she keeps holding her tears in.

He hums in acknowledgement. He vaguely understands what she's trying to say, even if he doesn't understand why she'd say it. He feels awkward now, she's staring into his soul, implying he has one to begin with, and he wants to squirm out of his own skin, but she's still holding onto him with a death grip he couldn't fight against even if he tried.

"Um."

He tries to say something, anything that makes sense, but he finds that the words got lost somewhere else, too far away from his reach. He decides to mimick her earlier movement. Not to an exact, he doesn't want to hurt her. He does put his arms around her back and return her hug, though.

It's weird, and unfamiliar, because hugging her is different from hugging the Captain or Gus, but he thinks he manages when she squeezes him again. It's gentle, almost frail. Like he's going to break this time. Like she's going to break this time.

And she does. She begins crying, sobbing. He stills in his movement, briefly wondering if he accidentally hurt her, somehow. The exact thing he was avoiding doing. But as she buries her face in his shoulder, flexing and straightening her fingers, drawing shapes onto his back, he thinks he's doing fine. As fine as he can, anyway.

He's not fully sure how long they stay like that, but they do part eventually. She lets go first, wiping at the tears still clinging to her face. He keeps holding her, staring at her hair more than anything else. She deserves that, at least. She deserves a lot, truly.

When she ceases her movement, looking back at him with her still very wet eyes, he tentatively lets his arms fall back at his sides. She doesn't pull them back in.

"I'll-"

Her voice breaks for a moment. She closes her eyes, breathing in. Out. Back in. She tries again.

"I'm going to go see the others."

I'll come back later goes unsaid. He nods, gaze following her as she steps away, lightly tapping his shoulder as she does so. And then she's out of his sight.

He suddenly understands why she didn't let go straight away.

He needs a moment.