[COMPLETE] May Dump 2024

the owl house | hard of hearing | hunter & camila, hunter & his friends

Request from I_hyperfixate_cartoons on AO3 : If you happen to have free time it'd be cool If you could write any type of one shot or whatever you want based around hard of hearing hunter, maybe something with his friends not knowing or idk lol! Also ofc you don't have to just if YOU want:)
Fic Prompts Weekly Week 5 prompt : Hearing
The Merry Whump of May 2024 prompt : Hidden
May's Domestic Prompts for 31 Days 2024 prompt : Health Professional
Whumpril 2024 prompt : Blanket Nest
The Whumps of March 2024 prompt : Witches
March of Pain 2024 prompt : Burden
Hurtcember 2023 prompt : Abused
Whumptober 2023 prompt : Examination

Hunter had always had trouble with his hearing, as far back as he could remember, even before his ear got clipped.

He wasn't quite sure why, but he knew that it was something to hide and be ashamed of. Many times in his childhood, Belos would punish him for disobedience and arrogance, assuming that the boy was ignoring his commands when he simply hadn't heard him.

Because of this, Hunter grew all the more vigilant, trying his best to hear (or at least pretend like he heard) every word the man spoke. If a word or two was lost in the fray, he'd simply fill it in to the best of his ability, which also led to occasional issues, but those were still more few and far between than the punishments brought upon him back when he would try to explain to Belos that he couldn't hear properly.

This shame and hiding of his disability led him to not mentioning it to his friends, even after they started living together in the human realm. Really, he just saw no point in divulging such information. Even if they believed him, they'd surely just view it as a liability that made him more disposable or, worse, a burden.

He couldn't afford that.

So, he pretended like nothing was wrong and it was working pretty well. Sure, he occasionally had to ask them to repeat something, but everyone had their moments, and he was able to pass it off as just his audio processing issues (which were not frowned upon as all of them in the group, except for Willow, were neurodivergent and struggled with auditory processing).

However, this all came crashing down when Camila performed a physical on him.

In case they were to enroll in human school, they needed physicals done. However, because he and the other witches had non-human biology (and were disguising as humans), Camila performed them herself. She was a vet and not a human doctor, but she still knew the basics and was able to borrow some of the fancier tools from her nurse friends.

All was going well with Hunter's makeshift physical until he got to the hearing test. The results, of course, came back pretty rough and Camila immediately grew concerned. Hunter's heart dropped as he realized this and he frantically began to explain to her about his poor hearing and apologized for his condition.

She assured him that it was okay and that she believed him and that he wasn't in trouble.

She asked him if the others were aware of it and he told her that they weren't. She considered this for a moment before asking if he would be okay with her telling them, insisting that it was important for them to know in case some sort of situation came up where he needed help because of it.

He was scared, but she assured him that it would be okay and that she wouldn't tell them without his explicit permission, which he eventually gave.

He sat in the neighboring room and listened as she explained his condition to Luz, Willow, Gus, Vee, and Amity. They all had a few varying reactions but nothing negative.

When she was done, he nervously entered the room, nodding for her to leave and give them some privacy. She smiled, ruffled his hair, and left.

"Why didn't you say anything sooner?" Luz asked, breaking the awkward silence that had formed in the room. Gus elbowed her in the arm, but she didn't falter.

"I was... Afraid" he admitted. A sad air filled the room at this admission. They all knew his childhood prior to very recently had been filled with stress and trauma and abuse, so they all understood the implications pretty quickly.

"Well, at least we know now" Amity managed a weak smile at him. She still had her reservations about him, but it was clear he'd turned over a new leaf and, ultimately, she considered him a friend. The others murmured in agreement before Luz excitedly announced a movie night.

Willow smiled at her friend's antics and they all curled up in the basement, stealing Hunter and Gus' blankets and pillows to make a small blanket nest. It was a bit cramped, but it was alright. They'd been in more uncomfortable positions before anyway.

No one commented on Hunter turning on the DVD's subtitles while Luz was getting snacks for them from upstairs.