Beyond the Shadow of a Doubt: Hunter x OC

...Pay the Price

Hunter slowly became aware of his face smashed into a pillow, and as his consciousness returned, he was simultaneously incredibly comfortable and insanely wrecked. His whole body hurt, with a particular stinging pain on his ribcage, and waves of nausea immediately commenced as he pushed himself to an upright position. The netting shirt from the night before was wrapped around his hair, and a part of it fell into his face before he threw it off with vehemence. He'd been sprawled across the entire bed in their shared hotel room, and he glanced around for Luci, rubbing his bleary eyes and blinking quickly to try to focus.

He spotted her in a chair, passed out face-down on the small dining table. Brow furrowing, he painstakingly climbed to his feet, bracing himself against the wall for a moment as his head spun and stabbed. He drew near enough to confirm that she was breathing, then staggered to the bathroom for some undignified time of dealing with the consequences of the night before. He tried to take a shower, but the water made him feel even sicker, so he settled to splash cold water on his face and search the hotel cooling chamber for some water.

"Hey babe," came Luci's high, soft voice as she sat up from the table, wiping a small line of drool from the corner of her mouth. Her hair was a rumpled mess, falling around her face in frizzy waves, and she pushed it back as she stood up. She'd ditched her clothes in a pile by the door at some point and was instead wearing one of the hotel robes, which she had to re-tie upon standing. Hunter stared out the window, his hand loosely clutching the small bottle of water he'd found.

"Not good," was all he could mutter, smoky voice hoarse with discomfort.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, stretching and yawning before taking a quick bathroom break. She emerged a few moments later looking like her normal self – clean face, hair smoothed and scrunched, and bright eyes ready to take on the day. "There's a juice bar here that has just the thing to help you feel better." She appeared no worse for the wear, and he stared at her over his shoulder, heavy-lidded eyes scrutinizing her bubbly, carefree disposition.

"You're fine?" he grated.

"It's not my first pod race," she smiled, approaching him slowly. "But I've been there." She carefully touched his cheek, causing him to flinch and a wave of nausea to rise again, and she backed away, large eyes filled with apologetic empathy. "You know what... You rest here. I'll get the juice and be back, ok?"

"Mmph."

Hunter was simultaneously starving and sick, and he couldn't tell if he needed to eat or to never touch food again. He carefully sat on the couch, stretching his feet out, and pressed a hand to his eyes. It was so damn bright, and the water in the pipes in the wall was so damn loud. It was only once he had settled himself into apprehensive stillness that his mind began to race.

What the kriff had he done...

* * *

Plates clinked above the general hubbub of conversation at family dinner, and the twinkling string lights above the table danced in the gentle breeze. Everyone was together again, bringing a general atmosphere of contented joy. It had been a few days since Hunter's return from his overnight trip to Plata, and it had taken him that long to feel semi-normal again.

"Sounds like someone's got a bit of a crush," Wrecker's teasing voice reached his ears, and Hunter turned just in time to see Crosshair glaring at his brother with piercing eyes that could skewer any living creature. But Wrecker was unaffected, clapping him on the back in his trademark move of affection. Crosshair's expression softened for a moment and he shook his head, stabbing a piece of meat on his plate.

"He's just good at his job, alright?" he evaded, but Tech was on his case now too.

"Competence can be extremely attractive," he chipped in, casting a glance at Phee, who wiggled her eyebrows at him with a small smile on her face. "There is no shame in it. You have experienced it a number of times since our arrival here with a variety of people of all genders. I am surprised you find it something to be embarrassed of."