Hunter TOH x Reader Oneshots!

10: A Timeless Piece

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Suggested by: QuirkyGayPerson

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Synopsis

A reserved newcomer and a bright, free-spirited musician form an unlikely bond, sharing laughter, confidences, and hidden feelings. Through quiet afternoons and a heartfelt violin piece at sunset, they discover an unspoken connection, bringing warmth, healing, and a sense of belonging neither knew they needed.

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Hunter hadn't imagined his life would turn out like this.

It was Hunter's third day at a human school.

Barely two months into his new existence in the human realm, and here he was, standing in the hallway of a human high school, clutching the straps of his borrowed backpack like a lifeline.

You heard it right. A human high school.

The hallway was packed with students bustling in every direction, and Hunter's shoulders tensed at the noise and chaos. The noise was overwhelming—laughter, shouts, footsteps, lockers clanging open and shut. He shifted his weight uncomfortably, scanning the faces around him, feeling out of place and distinctly alien.

Luz had insisted—insisted—he enroll in a human school. She'd argued that it was important for him to understand more about this world, that it would help him "find himself," whatever that meant.

Hunter had protested, of course, but when Luz got an idea in her head, it was impossible to derail her.

She'd gone as far as to drag Camila into it, convincing her to forge Hunter a fake identity as her "distant cousin," complete with a birth certificate, transfer papers, and who knows what else. So now, officially, he was "Hunter Noceda," L's distant cousin from somewhere vague and believable.

All this, apparently, because he'd once said the earth was flat.

How was I supposed to know it wasn't? he thought bitterly.

The Boiling Isles was flat! That was just... the way things were. Sure, he'd read Cosmic Frontiers and skimmed a few astronomy books Luz had left lying around, but he'd assumed they were fiction.

Who would have thought humans would base an entire field of study around such a thing?

So now, here he was, trapped in a human high school, surrounded by actual humans, who, despite Luz's promises, were nowhere near as "chill" as she'd described. At least Gus had come through with those augmented illusion crystals to hide their pointy ears using that earring-enhancer thing from Adrian Graye's old stash.

The senior high wing was crowded and unfamiliar.

He didn't even have Luz to guide him—she was in the other building for the junior high section, hanging out with her friends while he, newly christened as a "first-year senior," had to navigate this jungle alone.

Just remembering his first day made his stomach twist. 

Luz hadn't accounted for the fact that he'd be separated from everyone he knew. He'd tried to argue, but once the paperwork was signed, it was a done deal.

Luz was in junior high with all the younger students, apparently with Willow, Gus, and Amity. He'd been placed in senior high—a fact that had him glaring daggers on the others while they all just comforted him with fake, awkward smiles.