wassup ffnet here's the last part? maybe? of this.

enjoy!

It's late in the morning when he slips out of the castle.

He didn't want to leave this late, wanted to give himself some time to scope out the area. He'd exchanged a quick conversation with Edric earlier in the morning, to work out where they were meeting, but he still didn't want to be caught out. Surprised by something he wasn't expecting.

He liked it when things went exactly his way. He needed to have some kind of idea, really, of why they were actually meeting, but Edric hadn't given anymore hints.

He'd ended up leaving this late because he didn't have a choice. He'd been summoned at sun-up, asked to report to Belos, and he'd only just slinked out of that as noon was nearing. He couldn't avoid the meeting, and he was obviously (right?) glad to help out his uncle, do anything to ease the pressure of the day of Unity approaching, but it had still been inconvenient.

At least it's a pleasant day, he thinks. Not a cloud in the sky. The sun is warm, beating down against his back, the light shallow but bright. It's… peaceful. He's not hot. It's just right.

It soothes him, but only slightly. The anxiety building in his belly grows more with every footstep, and he knows he's stalling when he turns around for the third time, spinning on his heels.

It's going to be fine, he just has to keep telling himself that. If anything happens, if things suddenly take a turn for the worse - he doesn't know if that would be on Edric's end, or his own - he can get out of it. He's gotten out of worse situations. He could run.

He takes in another deep, slow inhale of breath, and skitters forward, hands clasped together as he peaks round the corner, looking for Edric. Sure enough, he's standing by the fruit-stall, waiting.

He clears his throat, adjusting his mask to ensure it's on snugly, and approaches the green-haired boy.

"Hello?" He greets, voice cautious. He's standing a little way off, hand toying with his staff, ready to flee if he needs to.

He could do it now, he reasons. Edric hasn't seen him yet, and-

He's turning around, smile slowly spreading over his face.

"Oh, hey!" Edric exclaims, starting towards him, holding out a hand. Hunter just looks blankly at it, and after a moment, Edric drops it, opting to wipe it on his shirt instead.

"Hi." He says, shifting from one foot, to the other. He feels exposed, here, where there's people bustling past them, bags ladened with things from the market. The scent of some fried food drifts towards him, heavy and oily, and he winces. It's not a nice smell - it's almost burnt.

Edric's still looking at him, a somewhat puzzled expression on his face. He's got a lot of moles, Hunter realises. And a scattering of small freckles spread across the bridge of his nose, the kind you get from being in the sun too long. He's not too sure what to do with this realisation. "I didn't think you'd come." Edric says, finally, and Hunter's jolted out of whatever that was.

He rubs the back of his head, tips of his fingers brushing against the strap that holds his mask up. It's cool to the touch. "Well, you did ask nicely. It would have been rude not to." He replies. He thinks he sounds stiff, uncomfortable, but being in public, being so seen is unsettling him.

Edric laughs at that, for whatever reason, a soft, lilting sound. "Heh, I suppose that's true… uh, well, it's good to see you." He's smiling again, and for some reason, Hunter knows it's genuine.

Instead of replying in a likewise, semi-gushing way, he takes a step back. "You can't see me." He flicks a finger towards the mask, and smooths out his tunic.

"I mean, true." Edric says, eyes sharpening slightly. "Hang on, is this even you? Or is this someone else in your mask?" Looking as though he wanted to peak closer, Edric clearly thinks better of it, and takes a (almost reluctant) step back.

"We all have the same mask." Hunter tells him. The one he's wearing isn't even a new one, it's one he used to use for training, back when he still thought he could become something more than who he was.

Edric gives him a look. "Didn't you have a special one?" He asks, and Hunter bristles. He's seen him in this mask before. Hunter knows that Amity told him he was out of favour - was he really expecting that to change so quickly? Belos was unkind to his enemies, but when his allies displeased him… he made that known.

"Yes. I don't anymore." He mumbles out his reply. It's shameful. Shameful that he couldn't just do his job, do his job like he was supposed to. It's branding, having to wear this mask. Not being able to set himself apart from his peers.

Edric's gaze flickers over his mask, and Hunter's face heats. "Why not? Does gold not suit you?" He drawls, casual.

"It doesn't matter." Hunter says briskly. He's not going into that. Not here. Not now. "And it is me. Surprised you couldn't tell because of the… the voice." He feels his shoulders slump, and works to fix his posture.

"What's wrong with your voice?" Edric asks, and Hunter finds his tone almost… soft. Too soft. It makes his skin prickle.

He gets instantly defensive. How does Edric not know?"Nothing! I just mean - ugh, people usually find it annoying. Besides, you mentioned it. When we first met." He crosses his arms over his chest, folds them tightly.

"Yeahhhh, Mittens said it was annoying. I don't agree with her." Edric says, a sly look sliding across his features. "I mean, I think it's cute."

Hunter blinks at him, not comprehending his words for a moment, before clearing his throat. "...thank you." He mumbles, and shakes himself out of it. He told himself he wasn't doing this. He couldn't do this. It wasn't proper for someone like him, no matter how much he may want it. "I mean, shut up. Stop it."

"You like it, really." Edric teases, leaning forward, and Hunter becomes even more aware of how public they are. He stalks off, and Edric (predictably) follows after him, peering over his shoulder.

"I do not. You're being irritating again." Hunter tells him once they're away from the crowds, standing behind a tree, in the shade.

"I am never irritating." Edric says, sounding offended. Hunter wonders for a moment if he's seriously offended, and his heart pangs until Edric grins at him. "Any chance of you taking off that mask, by the way?"

He plays with the rim of the mask without thinking about it, feeling the cool, smooth material. He doesn't think he'd be brave enough. He knows he looks a state behind the mask, knows that his eye-bags, tooth gap and scars aren't exactly deserable. "Maybe later. If you ask nicely." He clears his throat, and straightens out, trying to assume a stately position."I mean, after you've shown what you need to show me." Edric just looks at him blankly. Typical. "Why we're here?" He prompts, and a light dawns on Edric's face.

"Oh!" He chuckles, running a hand through his hair, and Hunter absent-mindedly wonders what it feels like. It looks too soft to be dyed, and he longs to touch it. (He quickly tells himself that he can't, though. That's not his plan for today.) "Yeah, sorry, almost forgot." Edric explains. Hunter could have told himself that much.

"How did you forget?" He asks, tilting his head up slightly.

(He's slightly taller than Hunter. It's humiliating.)

"I get distracted easily." Edric says, a sentence that would have been innocent, if it hadn't been paired with him deliberately looking Hunter up-and-down. Hunter's got gooseflesh, suddenly, pricking up and down his arms like gentle finger-tips. Flushing, he rubs at an arm to get it to settle.

"Yeah, I can see that." Hunter replies, trying to sound bored. Unaffected. "But, yes. What is it?"

"You'll seeeee-" Edric teases, and Hunter doesn't want to deal with this.

He rests a hand on his staff, and taps a boot against the ground, leaning back against the tree. The bark is rough against his back. "I'm waiting."

Edric giggles. He almost drops the staff, fingers loosely tettering around the rough wood. "Gosh, so impatient! I'm building up the suspense, my dear goldie-"

Hunter has to cut in, because it was bad enough hearing that nickname over penstagram. He can't deal with it now, too, he can feel his face warming up. "Please, please just call me my name."

"You didn't tell me your name!" Edric exclaims, sounding scandalized. He's right, Hunter didn't. It seemed safer, somehow. To not give that last piece of information away, even though he's shared more with Edric in the past few days than he has in years.

"I thought that your sister would have told you by now? Seeing as she was so insistent on telling you the rest of my business." Hunter says snidely.

Edric shrugs. "It didn't really come up. She just gave you a bunch of nicknames."

Hunter groans, slowly shaking his head. "I don't want to hear them-"

Edric doesn't listen. Hunter isn't surprised in the slightest. "So did Luz, actually, she started calling you Goldilocks."

"Do I want to know what that means?" Hunter asks tiredly, blinking to clear the sleep from his eyes. He has a feeling it links to the human realm, something he'd rather not think too much about.

(He doesn't ever want to think about it.)

"Probably not." Edric says lightly. He's started humming, some unfamiliar tune to Hunter. He wishes he recognised it, wishes he could strike up a conversation about the same song.

"Right." Hunter says, swallows, and decides something. He is going to tell Edric his name. Just because he's fed up with the incessant nicknames.

(He'll keep telling himself that.)

He glances up. "Hunter." He whispers at last, saying it quickly, to get it out the way. Like pulling a splinter out.

Edric stops humming. "Huh?"

"That's my name. Since you wanted to know." He's still speaking quickly, in almost a monotone.

"Oh. Thank you." Edric smiles at him, bright and genuine. "You gonna take off that mask now?" He teases, lifting a hand to his own face, brushing it against his cheek.

"Just show me what you wanted to show me." Hunter mumbles, pretending he's not considering it. Pretending that sometimes, he doesn't want to bare his soul open.

Edric looks almost nervous, but the expression is wiped off his face within a heart-beat, replaced by a lifted chin, and a confident glint in his eyes. Hunter wouldn't describe it as cocky, more just… sure of himself. Something he's never really felt, however hard he tries to emulate the emotion.

"Right… one moment-" Edric pauses, and with a faint sheen of blueish magic, a bunch of flowers materialize.

Hunter starts. He doesn't know what this is supposed to mean.

They're tied together with a string of gold ribbon. The flowers are all yellows and oranges, Hunter doesn't know the names of any of them, but they're startlingly beautiful. "Ta-da!" Edric exclaims, holding them out towards him.

Hunter doesn't take them. He's afraid to touch them - if they touch someone like him, he's sure their petals will crumble to dust. He doesn't deserve pretty things.

"What are these?" He asks, wondering if Edric's item had been disguised by the flowers. That makes more sense, now that he thinks about it. His heart-beat slows down, the frantic pace it had been thrumming at returning to normal.

Edric beams at him, dancing forward with his fistful of flowers. "Flowers!" He still looks hopeful.

Hunter just blinks stupidly at the gift, shaking his head slightly with confusion. "Erm. Why?"

"They're for you, silly." Edric says, making a soft tutting noise.

"Yeah, but why?" Hunter asks, keeping his hands far away from the flowers like they might bite him. Come to think of it, they might. Or they could be poisonous, and he could be walking right into a trap-

He forces his hands by his side, and they curl into fists.

Edric looks innocent. Harmless. "Because I want to ask you out?" He says, a pout on his face, and Hunter doesn't believe him.

Because why would he? He knows he's not special, Belos has made that clear, and if he's not special, why would Edric want him? He needs - deserves - someone better than him. Someone better than him, who sulks in the shadows.

He needs someone made from light. Not him.

Besides, Hunter doesn't even know if he likes him in that way. Doesn't know if Edric's even been flirting with him. He thinks he might have been, but that might just be how teenagers in the Boiling Isle spoke to each other.

He goes defensive. "Where? Is this some kind of plot?" Edric blusters, shaking his head, and going to answer, but Hunter cuts him off. "I swear, Edric, if the Owl Lady is hidden in these-"

Edric seems upset by the suggestion. "What? It's not a plot, I'm asking you out. On a date." He clarifies at the end, and Hunter's entire face, ears, and neck go bright red under the mask.

"A date?" He all-but squeaks, and hates himself for it.

Edric seems to despair with him. "Yes? Please, please tell me you know what a date is-"

Hunter does, in fact, know what a date is. He's watched plenty of dates in Bonesborough play out, seen the cautious linking of hands, watched dozens of first kisses.

(Not in a creepy way. He's just starved for any kind of affection that watching others receive it seems good enough.)

"I know what a date is! I just don't know why you'd want to go on a date with me." He admits, feeling disgustingly weak at how open he sounds.

"Because I do." Edric says, like it's a challenge.

Hunter can't help it. "Eloquent."

Edric huffs, and rolls his eyes. "Shut up. I mean, you're… I've liked talking to you. Even though it's just been on penstagram, and I know I annoy you, but I just- I think you need to live a little. I mean, uh, you need to be more normal." He groans, and Hunter finally gets to see him blush.

(It's a pretty sight.)

He doesn't like what Edric said, though. It makes him feel like he's a pity-case, a lost stray that Edric felt sorry for.

He clears his throat, and draws himself up to his full height. He still doesn't come up to Edric. "Excuse me? I am normal. Just because I can't do magic doesn't mean I can't-"

Edric sighs, gesturing with his hands, as if he was about to start a spell-circle. Hunter blinks warily at his frustrated hands, knotting his fingers into the grainy wood of his staff. "That's not what I mean, I mean-" He pinches the bridge of his nose. "You deserve to be happy, alright? To do something with someone who cares about you." He says, slowly this time.

Hunter doesn't quite buy it.

"The coven cares about me." He replies, trying to sound like he believes it. He doesn't do a very convincing job of it.

They do care about him, but in a distant, distracted way. Some of them don't like them. He thinks he may be under exaggerating that, because some in the coven outright hate him. Some would rather he didn't come back from his missions.

Edric raises a brow. "Yeah, but are you friends with anyone there?" He asks, and Hunter can't say yes.

"No, but why would I need to be? I don't need friends to do my job." He sounds stiff. He doesn't like lying.

"But you might need friends to talk to." Edric seems to see right through him.

"I mean…" Hunter trails off, biting his lip. It's dry, and he's reminded he hasn't had any water yet today.

"Have you liked talking to me?" Edric asks, and his question sounds so desperate, like he's clinging to a tearing rope, that Hunter replies quickly, startled into it.

"Yes. I have. But we can't be friends. And we can't go out on dates, or-"

Edric cuts him off, that expression still on his face. "Why not?"

Everything must be so easy for him, everything must come so simply. Hunter sees red for a moment, and he almost turns away on the spot.

He can't. He knows he can't be friends, knows that him even owning a scroll will get him in trouble. Knows that if Belos finds out who he's talking to…

Well, it wouldn't end up well for either of them.

"Because I just can't! Okay?" He throws his gloved hands up, almost dropping his staff. "I don't know what my uncle will say, and you're Amity's brother, and she's dating the Hu-Luz, and I don't…" He takes a deep breath, ducking his head. He knows Edric can't see his face, but he still feels unbelievably vulnerable. "I don't want you to get hurt, if I can help it." He admits quietly.

"Oh." Edric mumbles. "I'm…" He trails off, shoulders sagging.

"What?" Hunter squints at him.

"I'm sorry. For pushing you. I was joking around, with the flowers, I wasn't even going to ask you out, I just wanted to see you again." Edric admits. The flowers seem to have wilted, suddenly, drooping downwards, their colours dulled.

"Do you actually have anything for me? Apart from these?" Hunter asks, tone accusing as he pointed at the now-floppy flowers.

Edric at least had the decency to look embarrassed. "...that might be a no." He mumbles, turning red again. "Sorry for dragging you out. I'm just going to, uh, leave now-" He spins around, and Hunter panics.

"Please-" He calls out. "I mean, you can stay. I'm not that mad."

"That mad?" Edric looks even more worried.

"It's getting cold, and you've dragged me out here without a cape." Hunter points out. The lack of cape was a purposeful decision - and not only because it was dirty.

Edric seems to relax, somewhat, looking less like a jumpy rabbit. "I was wondering where that was."

"I didn't take it." Hunter says. "In case you stole it again." He had anticipated that happening, and he's worried Edric might steal another one of his belongings.

Edric flushes at that, gaze dipping down to the toes of his boots. "That was just so I could give you my penstagram, y'know." He admits, and it's the shyest Hunter's heard him.

"I gathered." He replies. "Why'd you do that, anyways?" He asks after a heart-beat, head tilting to the side. He can maybe gather why, now, but back then, he wonders if it was for a different reason. Some kind of information gathering mission.

"Well, Amity doesn't exactly like boys, so she couldn't tell me if you were cute… but she said you needed a friend." Edric says. That notion seems like the same one Luz had. That he was lonely, that he just needed someone to show some kindness to him.

At the time, he'd scoffed at the idea.

Now…

He finds himself on the verge of agreeing with it.

"So you imposed yourself upon me." His tone is teasing. He didn't know he was capable of that outside conflict. "Harassed me day and night with those… 'emoticons'... called me stupid nicknames…" He's smiling at Edric beneath the mask.

Edric nods. "So I decided I'd try to be your friend." Something in the way he says that makes Hunter's smile widen. "And then realised I actually wanted to do more than that."

They're going in circles, back to when the flowers were first revealed. This time, it feels better. More natural.

(It feels like belonging.)

"All without seeing my face? Didn't know I was that much of a charmer." Hunter teases, fists loosening.

"Believe me, you really are." Edric says, and he sounds completely sincere.

Hunter clears his throat, flushing. "Thank you. Sorry, I'm just not used to people, uhm, liking me." He finishes lamely. He's not. It's a rarity when people even pretend to.

"Think that's just what happens when you're in the Emperor's Coven." Edric points out dryly.

"It's one of the hazards of the job."

Edric sighs. "Which is why I'd never join."

"I wish I hadn't." Hunter says, a sharp admission. His eyes widen as he says it. If Belos could hear him right now…

He doesn't know what would happen.

"Didn't exactly get a choice, though." He adds, and he only sounds slightly bitter.

Edric blinks at him, his eyes pooled with concern. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. Not really." Hunter says, turning his head away.

"Then I won't ask any questions." There's a finality in the way he says it, and Hunter's glad that he doesn't want to pry. "I… I probably should be going, though. Mom's going to wonder where I've gotten to, I was supposed to be looking after Amity…" He trails off.

"She can handle herself. I've seen it firsthand." Hunter comments, wincing at the memory of the bruises and scrapes he'd had after their fight. Amity Blight is a ferocious, and powerful witch, he doesn't mind admitting that.

"Exactly! That's what I said." Edric exclaims smugly, tutting to himself.

"Glad to hear we're on the same page…" Hunter coughs, muffling the noise with his mask. He feels like he's been here too long. "But…uh, I should also be getting back." He mumbles, and finds he doesn't want to leave.

He's… he's actually enjoying himself. Having a good time. He feels comfortable, feels like something is going right.

He doesn't want to let this go. He feels that with a startling certainty, one that grips him tightly.

He just doesn't know if he's brave enough to admit it, to show it.

To allow himself happiness.

"Alright." Edric says, and whilst he's smiling, there's a certain sadness about it. It doesn't meet his eyes. "I'll see you around?" He asks, like he thinks that's the most he'll get.

Hunter blinks at him, eyes round under the mask, and decides something.

He can try to be happy. Try to allow himself that, in small, fractured bursts. Having this, whatever this is, isn't going to distract him too much from his work. He can still be the Golden Guard, and be friends - or more - with Edric. They can balance with each other, like a see-saw.

"Edric?" He whispers, and he thinks it's too quiet to be heard.

Edric hears him, though, and turns around from where he was preparing to leave. "Yeah?"

"Didn't you promise me a date?" Hunter asks, and that splinter of bravery was worth the look on Edric's face. He seems to light up, grinning widely, stupidly at him, eyes bright.

"Wait, really?" Hunter gives a tiny, tiny nod. "Yeah! I did!" He exclaims, and Hunter doesn't miss him - he's not sure what that hand motion was, but he thinks it's a fist pump.

Hunter feels a smile start to tug at his lips, and he allows it. "Go home and start planning it, then."

"I will do, it'll be-" Edric cuts himself off as he notices what Hunter's doing.

He's decided to take his mask off. Not so Edric can see his face, there's time for that later, but for something else. "Oh, you're-" Hunter lifts the mask up, just a tiny amount, so the faintest hint of his chin could be seen. "Are you sure?" Edric asks, and Hunter nods.

"Just close your eyes for a second. A man never takes his mask off on the first date." He jokes, even though he doesn't think this counts as a date.

He flicks the mask fully up, appreciates the wind whisking past his face, and leans forward. Edric has his eyes closed, screwed fully shut. He looks determined to keep them closed.

Hunter bumps forward, and plants a feather-light kiss on his cheek.

He steps away, and shoves the mask back up as soon as he's done, returning to his cool, collected pose, but his heart is thumping in his chest.

"Erm." Edric still has his eyes closed. His mouth has dropped open, presumably with shock. Hunter's in a similar state, he wasn't expecting that he'd be able to do that.

He's done countless horrendous, dire deeds in the name of Belos, but this is the bravest he's ever felt.

"Are you okay?" He asks, and he finds he's chuckling, giddy with how - normal he feels.

Is this what living is?

"Uh." Edric mumbles, eyes slowly opening. He still isn't moving.

"Oh, Titan…" Hunter shakes his head slowly, and steps forward, waving a hand in front of Edric's face. "Isle to Edric?" He asks teasingly, and Edric starts.

"I'm fine!" He exclaims, nodding vigorously.

Hunter laughs, and it's strange how easy it is for him, now. "Good to hear."

"I'm, uh, going now!" Edric gives him a jaunty thumbs up, and Hunter returns it, watching as he hurries away. He wonders if he's somehow managed to break the other boy.

"I'll speak to you later." He calls out, grinning still.

Edric gives another thumbs up at that, and turns around to wave. "Goodbye!"

"Bye!" Hunter waves back, and watches him leave.

Now that he's gone, and he's on his own again, standing behind a tree, shadows of leaves trailing at his feet, he doesn't know what to think. He feels like the past few minutes have happened to someone else, doesn't know where he summounded that kind of courage from.

He stays behind the tree for a while longer, waiting for the pace of his heat to return to some semblance of normal. When he steps out from the shadow of the branches, he almost kicks something, lying at his feet.

The flowers. They're sprawled on the ground, and returned back to how they'd first been, in full bloom.

He picks them up, holds them to his chest, and smiles, once.

Cautious, but hopeful.