Day 11 June Of Doom: I'm Not Okay (alternative Prompt) (mentions Of Death And Abuse)

Day 11 June of Doom: I'm not okay (alternative prompt) (mentions of death and abuse)

Luz took Hunter's hand in hers, dragging him out of the house. "H-hey! I don't wanna-" he squeeked, but was cut off by Luz rolling her eyes.

"You've been hiding inside all day Hunter, you need to touch some grass." She said with a hint of sarcasm, but her intent was genuine.

Hunter groaned, running a hand down his scarred face as Luz yanked him out the door and shut it with her foot behind them.

"And, there's a pretty place I've been meaning to show you near the lake anyways." Luz rambled, holding on firmly to Hunter's wrist, him stumbling to keep up.

It had been a week since everything ended. Since they got back to the demon realm, since they finished off Belos for good. And it had been... hectic, to say the least.

Camila had given Luz the weak off from school to help out with fixing the Boiling Isles, Vee easily filling in for her while she got her bearings and tried to fix things up. It would be a lot of work with the condition the place is in...

Hunter had been helping too obviously. Using the newly made portal, curtly of King, he had been switching between staying with Darius and Camila. He loved his friends and the Boiling Isles, just... too many memories for him to process at the moment.

He tried to keep up as Luz scampered down the diety path towards the lake hidden in the forest behind the shed. Hunter remembered him and his friends came down here while they were stuck in the human realm, playing around in the water and having a picnic by the side.

The thought of being remotely near water sent a shiver up his spine. Thankfully Luz took to a different route which included climbing up a steep slope. Thankfully, due to Hunter's experience and Luz's adventurous nature they both managed fine getting up the slope.

Luz gently pulled him over to an overlook of the lake. The view was beautiful, the view of the forest and lake below them.

"It's... beautiful." Hunter murmered, his eyes shinning slightly. Luz glanced over at him with a small smile. He hadn't shown much positive emotion since he was possessed and...

Luz sat down in the soft green grass, brushing a hand through the small wild flowers and ground cover. Hunter copied her, sitting down pressing his back gently against hers.

Both looked out at the scenery, birds twittering to one another, the wind brushing through the trees. Both Luz and her brother were just wearing socks, having run out of the house without another thought.

Hunter had been acting really disconnected since the Halloween hayride, since Belos took him over, since he killed Flapjack. Of course he was happy, Belos was gone! It was finally over, him and his friends, they could live peacefully now!

So why was that pit of guilt gnawing at his heart feeling worse than before? Why did he just want to sleep all day, yet he never slept because of the nightmares that plagued him.

"Hunter... you've been acting odd lately. I-... I know it's been hard... I just, are you doing alright?" Luz murmered, glancing back at him a bit worriedly.

There was a long period of silence where neither spoke. Hunter contemplated the question. Was he alright? He should be. Everything was far better than before, the Boiling Isles was saved! So why did he feel so terrible, like something was missing?

Luz nudged him in the back gently. "Hunter?" She questioned, leaning her head back a bit to look at him better.

Hunter dug his nails into his palms. He should keep it hidden. She shouldn't have to worry, she's already been through so much. But Camila's words rang in his head, "Refusing help may hurt them more in the end".

"I-... I'm not okay..." he murmered. Another pause.

"So much has happened... i- I should be happy, shouldn't I? We finally defeated Belos, we're safe now... but somethings eating at my heart a-and it hurts and I know it shouldn't but-" Hunter cut himself off when Luz took his hand in her own, giving it a gentle squeeze of reassurance.

"Take it easy Hunter. I get it, it's alright." She said gently. "You... didn't get much time to process Flapjack's death... it makes sense that it hurts..." she said gently, resting her head against his.

"It'll take a while to feel alright again... losing someone hurts, and the grief won't go away... but with time, it'll be easier." She said, shutting her eyes.

Hunter sighed quietly, tearing up a bit. "I don't want to burden you all... w-we have to fix the Boiling Isles, and I just-" Luz cut him off with a gentle squeeze to his hand.

"Don't worry Hunter..." she said gently, opening her eyes and gazing out at the view.

"We have all the time in the world"

@juneofdoom

Day 7 June of Doom: What Happened? (Stumbling) (tw panic attack, identity crisis)

This had to be a nightmare... this couldn't be real. But that way Belos had looked at him, the branches snapping under his feet, the underbrush snapping at his legs and tearing holes in his pants. This wasn't a dream. This was all too real. All Hunter could do was run. Run as far as he could. His legs stung and ached, and he was struggling to breathe.

Eventually he couldn't run anymore, stumbling to a stop before collapsing onto the floor. He was crouched down on the muddy ground, breathing heavily. Everything was fuzzy and he felt so light headed and overwhelmed. Belos he... he never cared... all these years... all the people he hurt, *killed* for that man...

Everything was a lie. He had never given two shits about Hunter. He was just a replaceable puppet, something once Belos was done playing with he could cast away without another thought. Hunter felt sobs wracking his body, hot tears running down his face. He could feel Flapjack nuzzling against his neck, trying to get him to calm down, and while he appreciated it it only helped a little. Not enough to stop his hyperventilation and the tears running down his face.

He had no meaning. He wasn't some important "Golden Guard", just a replaceable pawn. Hunter wasn't even a *witch*, just some monster that shouldn't exist, just like the basilisks hidden in the deepest cells of the palace. He couldn't even go back to that palace. Belos knew he was in there. He would kill the boy the moment he got back, that was fully what he had intended to do back in his mind. He had nowhere to go, no one to turn to, nothing to-

"Breathe, little prince." A voice said, and Hunter felt a hand on his shoulder that gently pressed him down to be sitting. "Breathe with me, yeah?" Darius said in a voice Hunter hardly recognized from his usually mocking voice. Hunter looked up slightly, tears still running down his cheeks, still shaking a ton.

Then he felt arms wrap around him, and he came to the realization Darius had hugged him. He felt Darius's breathing, felt his heartbeat. Hunter let out a choked sob, burying his face into Darius's shoulder. It was hard to steady his breathing, but the sound of Darius's heartbeat was weirdly grounding, and once the boy could think straight he started trying to match his breathing to Darius's.

Darius gently rubbed the boys back, a look of concern on his face. How long had it been since Hunter had ran from the Owl House? How long had it been since his life came crashing down on him? He had no idea. He just stayed in Darius's firm embrace, his panic subsiding into fear and guilt. Then Hunter hugged back, sniffling quietly, never wanting to move from the new embrace.

Never wanting to face the truth.

@juneofdoom

NEVER pause the Owl House-

Not gonna be able to finish Day 11 June of Doom today so I'll post it tomorrow, long story, but here's a sneak peak of the art :3

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