Reality Check - A Huntric/Goldric Based Fic

One of These Mornings (CHP 24)

A bird in a cage stuck with its brain. Making the same mistakes but that's okay, 'cause you could change your hair and change your life.

-TV Girl

"What happened to him? What did you do to my bird?" Hunter was clearly panicked, clutching onto the staff. Edric was more shocked than panicked, at the moment. In all honesty, he still had an air of impression on what had happened.

"I didn't do anything! It was your bond as his, uh... non-magical witch that turned him into a staff!" Eda exclaimed over dramatically, Raine sighing.

"You can just as easily turn him back, Hunter... just ask him to." They said, smiling. One thing about Raine was that they were much more sympathetic and softer than their rowdy, wild wife.

"Uh,  turn back into a cardinal, please?" Hunter turned to the staff. He felt stupid for asking a wooden object to becoming animate again, but it worked.

A magical chime sound, and the staff he had been holding him by dissolved, leaving a perfectly live bird in its place.

"Flapjack! What was that? And- when did you learn how to do that?" He asked the bird and was a lot less shocked when he could understand the chirps, and be able to translate them properly.

"...are you talking to the bird?" Edric tilted his head to the side, noticing how in tune they had both become over that short amount of time.

"No, no, he's talking to me." Hunter shook his head, focused on the bird.

"...I've gotta get ready for the market, I'm taking the uh... cat one, and bossy boots." Eda got up from where she was leaning on the door frame.

"You mean Luz and Amity?" Edric glanced up at her, but his gaze was still mostly fixated on the blonde and the bird.

"Is that their names? Then yeah, sure." SHe shrugged, going back to the kitchen to gather the girls.

"We're gonna try and get some shifts figured out for everyone, okay? Then one day we'll go down town and get you more clothes, of your own." Raine said softly, before following back into the kitchen to help clean up.

"So Flap's one of those palisman, huh?" Edric scooted closer, his hand going to hold Hunter's. One good thing about this situation; they at least had a little more time together.

"Yeah, I guess so? It's weird to think that some demon creature has been living with us for so long, some teaser to what was coming, I guess." He shrugged, locking their fingers together and laying his head down on Edric's shoulder.

"Yeah... you think he came with Belos or something?"

Hunter tensed at his name alone, taking a deep breath to answer the question. "Maybe, but if he came with Belos... where did Belos come from?"

Ed thought about it. It was a valid question. Hunter had once known everything about his uncle's past, an orphaned boy from Gravesfield, Connecticut, alongside Hunter's parents. Together, the Wittebane brothers had opened the Reality Check camp. Shortly after, though, an unfortunate accident forced Hunter's parents  into an early grave. Belos couldn't  bear to stay in Connecticut full time, so they bounced from house to house each summer. Something told Hunter certain parts of that story wasn't entirely true...

"I mean... Eda mentioned some old witch family of Wittebanes, maybe we can go to the library one day and see what we can find?" Edric smiled, squeezing his boyfriend's hand.

"Are you asking me to a library date, Blight?" Hunter raised an eyebrow, trying to hide the smile dancing across his face.

"So what if I am? Would you go on a date with me?" Edric laughed a bit, bumping their shoulders together.

"Hm... I suppose I could make time." He sighed, before giggling and kissing his cheek.

Hunter knew it may never be as it was again, never be sure who he was again... but as far as he was concerned, maybe just Edric could change that.

Edric's cheeks went rosy at the gesture. They'd been dating for two months, nearlu and yet each small kiss, every tiny hand hold made him go absolutely crazy.

He paused, before slowly leaning in. He kissed him back, only this time making soft contact between their lips. Hunter's eyes widened before they closed, leaning into the kiss. For just a moment, it was the two of them in that room, in that world. The pain, the hurt, the sadness of just the night before had gone, melting away to create a small warmth they shared in this kiss.

But they were in the living room in the house of nine occupants and the moment was quickly ruined by King scampering through, Raine after him. "King! You have to take a bath- you smell like a dead Echo Mouse!"

"GOOD!" The tiny creature squealed out, running up the stairs.

Hunter and Edric quickly pulled away from each other. They watched the scene, before looking at each other. Suddenly. both boys burst out in laughter after quite the entertaining show before them.

"Oh my God... this is gonna be the most chaotic time of my life, isn't it?" Ed giggled, burying his face in Hunter's shoulder to hide his laughter.

"I wouldn't be surprised.." Hunter laughed along, petting the palisman on his lap.

There was the chance that this wasn't going to just be another chapter in their life, the chance they could be stuck here permanently. The reality of that, however, had not quite yet set in. Neither boy had truly begun beating themselves up over the events at the camp, not consciously at least.

Let's just let it stay like that, for a while, at least. 

900 words.