HI, I'm Bi
Amity walked into the room that she shared with Luz, Willow, and Vee. It was late and the teen witch was going to bed. She saw her girlfriend still on her laptop.
"Luz?" She said to her. "It's kind of late. I'm going to bed."
"Can you wait a few minutes?" Luz wanted to know. "I'm almost done." Amity was confused.
"With what?"
"Remember the project that I wanted to do this morning before school started back up in a week?"
"The one you told me that was a surprise?"
"Yes. Exactly; that's the one!"
"Yeah. I remember. Is this said project?"
"You got it again!"
"Well, okay, but hurry up. You need your sleep too."
"I know and I will. Don't you worry. I'm not going to have dark eye bags under my eyes like Hunter. Uh, don't tell him that. I don't know if he's sensitive about that, but just in case, don't tell him."
"I won't." Camila then came in.
"Luz," She began. "…why are Willow and Vee sleeping on the family room couch instead of in here?" Amity looked at her.
"Luz is working on a project before her school starts back up, Camila." She explained to her. Camila looked at Amity.
"Oh? What kind of project?" Amity shrugged.
"She won't tell me. She said it was going to be a surprise." Camilla looked back at her working daughter again.
"Maybe take a break, Luz." She suggested. "It's time for bed. It might still be summer break, but you need to start getting in the habit of going back to sleep earlier for school."
"She's almost done, Camila." Amity told her.
"Amity's right, Mama." Luz said. "I am almost done. I just need to do this last thing, then I'm done." Camila sighed.
"Okay, Luz. But make it ten minutes, ok? If you're not done by then, you'll just have to resume with it tomorrow." She waited for her daughter to respond, but she didn't get one. "Luz? Did you hear me? I said…"
"Ten more minutes." She spoke. "I heard you. I'll be done in half that time."
"Okay. Goodnight. I love you."
"I love you too, Mom!" Camilla looked at Amity.
"If Luz is not done in ten minutes, come and get me."
"I will." Amity told her. Camilla smiled at Amity and left. Amity looked at Luz again.
"I'll be right out here, Luz." She said to her. "Okay?" Once again, Luz didn't respond. "Okay? Luz?"
"Amity, I love you." Luz told her, not looking at her. "But I'm trying to focus. To answer you, ok. You do whatever." Amity smiled.
"Okay, Luz. Sorry." And with that, she waited outside the door.
Nine minutes and fifty seconds later, Luz was done. She shut down the laptop and called Amity. Amity came in.
"You said that you would be done in five minutes." She told her. "I was about to go get your mom."
"Sorry." Luz apologized. "It took a bit longer than I thought, but I got done just in the nick of time." Amity smiled.
"You sure did, Luz. May I see it?" Luz was about to answer when Willow and a yawning Vee came.
"Are you done, Luz?" Willow wanted to know. "We really need to sleep." Luz looked at her.
"I'm done now, Willow." Luz said to her. "You and Vee can come in here again." All of the girls came in. Luz looked at Amity. "I'll show you it in the morning, Amity." Amity smiled.
"I can't wait!"
The next morning, Luz and her friends were up early. They were all in the kitchen. Emmiline, Ghost and Clover were also there in their animal forms. Hunter held the box that Flapjack was in. Camilla came in and saw them. She was surprised.
"You kids are up early." She observed. "I'm going to work soon."
"Before you go, Mom." Luz said to her. "I want to show you something and I want to do it in front of Amity and all of my friends."
"It's true." Gus told her. "Luz made us all wake up early to wait for you just to show you this before work." Camila looked at Luz.
"Well, this must be pretty exciting for you if you want to show me now." She said to her.
"It is, Mom. And don't worry. It'll only be a couple minutes. Sit down." Camila sat down on a chair. Luz started the video that she made on the laptop.
A screenshot of Luz and her friends came on screen, followed by a few screenshots of just Luz and Amity, one after the other. They were all accompanied by romantic music. Amity was impressed.
"Wow, Luz!" She marveled. "This is so impressive and all so sweet."
"Wait until the end." Luz told her. The ending came with the captions, 'hi, I'm bi.' Camilla waved to Luz.
"Hi, Bi." She said to her daughter. "I'm Mom."
"Nice!" Gus spoke. "A Dad joke coming from a mom, so a Mom joke!" Camilla also stood up and hugged both Luz and Amity. "I'm sorry, but I have to do this." And with that, he poofed up several illusions of himself, all of them cheering while waving rainbow flags.
"Typical Gus." Willow observed. "Always so happy and supportive towards his friends."
"This was so sweet, Luz." Camila said to Luz when the hug was over. "But you didn't need to do this. I already know of your and Amity's relationship and am supportive of you 100%,"
"I know that I didn't need to do this, Mama." Luz told her. "Because I kinda already came out to you when I told you that Amity was my girlfriend. But I wanted to make my coming out more official."
"I have to go to work." Camilla said. "But do you and your friends want to celebrate at a fancy restaurant when I get back?" Luz nodded.
"That'll be great!" She looked at her friends. "Right, guys?" Her friends nodded.
"I promise not to lose it and punch someone." Hunter promised. Camila smiled at him.
"Great to hear that, Hunter." She responded. She looked at her daughter. "You think of where you want to go, and we'll all go when I get back."
"Sounds good!"
"Love you!"
"Love you too, Mama!" She waved to her as she left the house.
"Does every queer person feel like they have to put on a show when they 'come out of the closet' to their parents?" Amity wanted to know. "Because no offense, but it's kinda pointless, by having all of this pressure put on you just because you put on your brave pants and come out. As you might have guessed, no one does that in The Boiling Isles." Luz just looked at her.
"I guess it is kinda pointless." She agreed. "But it is also a sense of relief to get it out of the way and an accomplishment when you find out whoever you love is accepted by your family and friends." Amity was shocked.
"Wow! Queer people in The Human World have it rough!"
"You have no idea."
"Sorry, but I have to ask." Hunter spoke. They all looked at him. "And forgive me if this sounds like I'm an idiot, but what is bi?"
"You're not an idiot." Luz said to him. "You're just naive because you weren't taught what that means yet. There's a difference. Anyways, bi is short for bisexiel. Bisexiel means that you are attracted towards either gender."
"But, Luz." Willow spoke. "Isn't that what pansexiel is?" Luz looked at her.
"No." Luz told her. "Pan means that you love all genders regardless. Bi means two. Get it?" Her friends shrugged. "Maybe the Internet will explain it a bit better than me."
"I think I'm going to go down to the basement." Hunter spoke. His friends looked at him. "I have to think things over."
"Hunter, are you okay?" Luz asked him.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Hunter replied. "I just need to go. You guys do whatever. Congrats for 'coming out', Luz." And with that, he went downstairs with Flapjack.
"Hmmm," Gus observed. "Well, that was weird."
"I think I have to go too." Willow said as well. "Congratulations, Luz!" She went upstairs. Clover flew after her.
"That was weird as well."
"I'll go talk to Hunter." Luz volunteered.
"And I'll go talk to Willow." Amity added. Both girls walked off.
Hunter was deep in thought down in the basement. Flapjack chirped him with a question.
"I don't know what came over me, Flap." Hunter told the bird. "That 'bi' video that Luz made really spoke to me somehow. I don't know why." Flapjack chirped at him. "You think so? I don't know. I do love all of my friends, but I don't know if I'm attracted to them. It's complicated. But maybe you're right. If that speech spoke to me…am I bi?"
"Oh…my…gosh!" Hunter heard Luz. The grimwalker turned red in the face as he saw her on the stairs.
"Luz?! Uh, how much did you hear?" Luz went beside him with a huge goofy grin on her face.
"Only the last part, where you said that you love us all. But oh my gosh…oh my gosh! If you are bi, that's great! We could be bi buddies!"
"Like I said, I don't know for sure. It's complicated. But, keep it down! I don't want anybody else to hear."
"Well, if you are bi, I think you should tell the rest of the gang and my mom. Maybe have your own coming out video. I could help. Or it doesn't necessarily need to be a video. You can do whatever you want."
"Why? Being bi is my business!" Luz squealed at this.
"Ooooh, so are you saying you are bi?" Hunter was getting a bit annoyed now.
"No!" He pondered about this again. "Maybe? I don't know! It's com…"
"Complicated, I know." She sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reacted the way that I did. I just got excited is all. Coming to terms with your identity is hard and it takes time. I respect that and understand perfectly. It took me some time too. But if you want to talk, we're always here for you." Hunter sighed.
"Thanks. I know you are. You all are. I'm so glad that you, Gus, Amity and Willow are in my life now. You guys all mean so much to me, more than you could ever know."
"Aw, well, that's sweet. Anyways, I just came down here to see if you're okay."
"Well, I'm fine. You can go now."
"Right." With that, she went back upstairs. Flapjack looked at Hunter.
"What?!" He asked him. "What are you looking at me for? Quit it! I need more time to think of this."
"Are you sure of this, Willow?" Amity asked her in their room. Clover was also there, flying beside her owner. Willow looked at her and nodded.
"For a long time now. I like all of my friends, regardless of their gender and sexualities."
"Wow! I never have known this side of you before, Willow. Do your dads know?"
"They know that I'm accepting of everybody." Amity smiled.
"You should tell the others, not just me." Willow nodded in agreement.
"Exactly what I was thinking. I'll go back down and tell them now."
"You do that, Willow. Everyone will be so happy, especially Gus."
"I know. That's what I like about him."
"Me too." They exited the room. Clover flew after them. Willow shut the door and they walked/flew to the stairs.
"You know what else?" Amity looked confused.
"What?"
"It's good to have this off of my chest. I know how Luz felt when she told her mom about you and her.
"Yeah, I guess."
"Thanks for checking up on me. You're a good friend."
"Think nothing of it. Any one of us would have done the same thing."
"Yeah, you're right. They sure would have." Amity changed the subject.
"So, is there anything else that you are hiding from us? A secret crush, perhaps? I think you and Hunter might make a cute couple." Willow blushed at this.
"What? Me and Hunter? Hunter's nice and all and the way he smiles with the gap in his teeth is just so precious. But, I don't know. Why? What did Gus tell you?"
"Nothing." And so they left it at that.
Luz squealed with joy after Willow made her announcement. She, Gus, Hunter and Vee were gathered around her and Amity. And just as Amity predicted, Gus was also excited.
"Congrats for coming out as pans, Willow!" Luz congratulated her. "I never expected this from you."
"Thanks, Luz. And thanks to everybody, you are all so supportive over this. That's why I love you all."
"You have to tell Camilla about this, Willow." Gus told her. "This news is too big not to tell her." Willow looked at Gus and smiled.
"Thanks, Gus, and I will. I will as soon as she comes home, or settles down a bit first." Luz looked at Hunter who seemed to be out of it. This concerned her.
"I'll be downstairs again, guys." Hunter told everyone and that is where he went.
"Is he okay?" Gus wanted to know.
"He'll be fine." Luz assured him. Gus was unsure about this.
"Well, okay. You talked to him, so I trust you."
"I don't get it!" Hunter said, once he was downstairs. "I should know my own identity. Why is this so hard?" He groaned in frustration. Flapjack chirped at him. Hunter looked at him. "Maybe you're right, Flap. Maybe more research on this topic will help me. I'll go ask Luz for help." He went upstairs.
"Psst, Luz." Hunter told her. Luz looked at him.
"What is it, Hunter?" She wanted to know. So Hunter told her.
"So, do you think some more research will help?" Hunter asked her. Luz thought about this.
"Maybe. But in the end, you decide who you are, not reading about it. But I agree. It could help. You can borrow my laptop."
"Thanks, Luz."
"I'll go get it. Meet me downstairs. I'll teach you how to use it, and then I'll let you take it from there." Hunter nodded and went back downstairs as Luz went to her room to get her laptop.
"You know what to do now?" Luz questioned Hunter after she showed him how to use her laptop. "Or do you want me to stay down here just in case?"
"No, I think I got it." Hunter told her. "You go have fun with the others upstairs." Luz nodded and stood up.
"Well, you know where to find me if you need anything." Hunter nodded as Luz walked upstairs. Hunter looked at the laptop screen again.
"This human machine is so amazing, Flap!" He told the cardinal. "If it contains so much information, maybe it'll help me more on the understanding of this world, but for now, I must stay on the topic at hand here." He typed something on the laptop, and with a click, scrolled a bit, he clicked again, and read the article that he clicked on.
"That article had a lot of information in it, Flapjack." He told the bird when done reading an article. "I think it helped me understand more. I better read a few more just to make sure first." So he did just that.
"Okay." Hunter said after a few hours with a sigh. Flapjack looked at him. "Those readings were really helpful. It really enlightened me on what it means to be bisexual. I think I know who I am now." Flapjack chirped. Hunter then thought of something.
"But what will my friends think of me?" He began to panic. "Oh, Titan! I don't think I can do this! Luz was right. Coming out should be easy, but it's not. Why can't I just tell them? What's the worst that could happen? Oh, I know, losing them as friends forever and Camilla kicking me out of the house and me back into being a hopeless, pathetic nomad." Flapjack did a few chirps. Hunter looked at him and smiled. "You're right, Flap. I'm being ridiculous. If Camila and the others were happy with Luz and Amity's relationship, and now with Willow as pans, and Camilla will most likely be too. I have nothing to worry. Thanks. You know exactly what to say." Flapjack chirped at him with another question. "No, no. I don't need your help. I can do this by myself." He went upstairs.
Okay, Hunter. He told himself once upstairs when he saw his friends talking to each other. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. You can do this. He cleared his throat. His friends all looked at him.
"Guys?" He spoke up. "I have something to say." Luz smiled, knowing what this is about.
"Okay, Hunter." Luz told him. "We're all ears."
"I'm…" Just then the door opened, and in walked Camila.
"Hola, Mama!" Luz greeted her.
"Hola, daughter." Camila greeted back. Luz noticed that she was carrying a bag.
"Uh, Mom? What's in the bag?" Camila grabbed a book from the bag.
"I stopped by the bookstore after work to pick up this. It's a book on how to parent a bisexual child. I figured it might come in handy." She then changed the subject. "So, did you pick out where you guys want to eat?"
"We decided for you to drive us all around, and we pick out what human restaurant we think is good." Gus told her. He looked at Hunter. "That's good for you, Hunter?" Hunter nodded.
"If the food is not poisoned, then sure." He agreed. "I'm not picky."
"I assure you that the food will be fine." Luz told him. "Just like last time." Hunter smiled.
"Good. I'm glad."
"Although if the food is undercooked or not cooked right, there are some instances of food poisoning. Sometimes a customer's experience of food poisoning is so bad that they never eat there ever again. So I can't really promise you anything." Luz saw Hunter's uneasy face again. "But that's rare. I'm still sure everything will be fine and you shouldn't worry. We have to take great risks in life sometimes even though we're uncertain and scared." Hunter still looked unsure of this. He faked a smile.
"Great!"
"Before we go, I have something to say." Willow said. Camilla looked at her.
"What is it, Willow?" She wanted to know.
"My friends already know, but I want to tell you. I'm pansexual!" Camilla smiled.
"I'm so proud of you, Willow."
"Thank you." Luz looked at Hunter who was looking down.
"Hunter?" Hunter looked at her. "Do you have anything to say?"
"Oh, I can wait afterwards when we come back."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure."
"Well, I'm going to put the book in my room." Camilla stated. "After that, we can go out."
"Ok, that sounds good, Mom." Luz told her. "We'll just wait here." Camilla walked off.
"Hunter?" Gus asked when they were on the road. But Hunter was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't hear. "Hunter?" He snapped his fingers to get his attention. "Yo, Hunter, are you there? Earth to Hunter!" Hunter looked at him.
"Yeah, I'm here." He replied. "Sorry."
"We never heard from you the whole drive. We want your input on the restaurant we should go to."
"Oh. I'll let you guys decide. I trust you all to make a good decision."
"Okay."
Hunter was about to go downstairs the minute they all got home when Luz spoke up.
"Wait, Hunter!" She cried out. "Aren't you forgetting something?" Hunter stopped and looked at her.
"No. I don't think so." He lied. Before Luz could react, he went downstairs.
Hunter groaned and plopped on his sleeping bag. Flapjack chirped.
"No, Flap." He answered the bird. "I didn't tell them." Flapjack chirped again. "I know, I know. I will tell them eventually. I just don't know when that'll be or when I'll be brave enough to." Flapjack chirped yet again. Hunter groaned and looked at Flapjack, annoyed and mad. He sat up. "Flapjack, enough! I'll tell them when I'm ready, so don't bring it up any more!" He then sighed when he saw a scared Flapjack. "Sorry. I didn't mean to get mad and I never intended to scare you. This isn't your fault at all. It's mine and my stupid procrastination." He groaned again as he plopped back down.
After a while, Hunter got up. Gus came down the stairs.
"Is everyone still up?" The grimwalker wanted to know.
"Yes." Gus answered. "But they are all getting ready for bed, and I am too in fact. It's late."
"Can you go back upstairs for a couple of more minutes?" Gus just looked at him. "Please, I have something that I need to say."
"Well, can't you wait until tomorrow morning?" Hunter shook his head.
"I've been thinking of this for the majority of the day. I don't want to wait. Just, please? I'm sorry this is so late." Gus thought about this for a second and sighed.
"Okay. Just make it quick."
"Thanks." Gus went back up the stairs. Hunter looked at his palisman.
"We'll be back, Flap." He promised the little bird. "You just stay down here. I'm finally going to tell them." Hunter walked upstairs after Gus.
"Luz, Luz!" Hunter told her as he and Gus were now upstairs. Luz stopped walking and looked at him.
"What is it, Hunter?" She wanted to know.
"Gather everyone here." Gus said to her. "Hunter needs to talk to them." Luz was confused.
"Can't it wait until morn…"
"Hunter doesn't wait to wait until morning." Luz looked at Hunter.
"Please?" Hunter spoke. "I need to get it off my chest or I fear I'll never be able to. I procrastinated long enough." Luz smiled, finally getting it.
"Oh! Okay. I'll see what I can do." Hunter sighed in relief.
"Thanks, Luz." Luz walked off. Gus saw Hunter was on edge.
"You okay?" He asked him. Hunter smiled as he looked at him.
"Yeah. I'm good." This time, Gus smiled.
"That's good."
Luz, Vee, Camila, Willow and Amity were gathered in the kitchen, waiting for Hunter.
"Okay, Hunter." Luz told him. "I gathered everyone here."
"Hunter," Camila began. "…we all need to go to bed, so say what needs to be said." Hunter took a deep breath.
"Guys," He began. "I know it's late, but I need to get this of my chest. So, here goes, I….I….I…."
"You're what?" Amity questioned.
"I….I….I'm…"
"Come on!" Luz urged him. "You can do it! Just say it!"
"I'm….I'm…I'm…"
"Well, I'm going back upstairs." Amity said.
"And I'm going downstairs." Gus spoke. "Sorry, maybe tomorrow. They headed to the stairs. Hunter sighed in disappointment. He then saw Flapjack had walked up the stairs. The bird looked at him. Hunter took a deep breath.
"I'm bi!" He uttered out. They all stopped to look at him. The room was deadly silent now.
I knew I shouldn't have said anything. Hunter thought to himself. Now they are all going to not want to hang out with me and Camila will kick me out. I'm back into being a nomad.
"Wow, Hunter." Gus said, being the first one to break the silence. "That's awesome!" He poofed up two bi flags and waved them around. "I'm so proud of you!" Hunter smiled.
"Thanks, Gus." He said. "This wasn't easy for me. Thanks for being cool with this." He looked at Camila. "And Camila. Thanks for not kicking me out of the house. Wait, are you all cool with this? You're not going to kick me out of the house, right, Camila?"
"Why would I kick you out of the house?" Camila questioned.
"And why were you worried that we wouldn't be cool with it?" Willow wanted to know. Hunter sighed.
"I don't know." He said. "I guess I was just scared of what you guys thought of me being bi."
"We were cool with Luz being bi." Vee pointed out. "And with Willow being pans."
"And you and I are the same people." Luz added, "And Willow is the same person. Nothing can change that and nothing never will." Hunter smiled.
"Yeah, I guess I was worried over nothing. Sorry I kept you guys up for this."
"You don't have to apologize." Camila told him. "We get it. Not knowing what others will think of you can be very scary. But you won't know if you don't try. You have to take scary risks sometimes. And I will never kick you out."
"Just like we will always be your friend." Willow said. "No matter what." Hunter smiled.
"Thanks, Captain." He said back. "That means a lot to me. It really does."
"So, can we go to bed now?" Amity asked. She yawned. "I'm sorry, but I'm really tired."
"You can go to bed now." Hunter said. And so the kids and Camila went off. Hunter walked over to his palismen and bent down to him,
"Thanks for coming up for me, buddy." He said to the bird. "I honestly needed that." Flapjack chirped as the teen picked him up.
"So, does this mean you're going to tell them that you're a grimwalker?" Luz questioned him. Hunter looked at her.
"Are you ready to talk about the fact that you helped Phillip, aka, Belos, meet the Collector?"
"No way! I just came out as bi. That's enough for one day. I'll tell them when I'm ready."
"Well, I came out as bi too. They're not ready to learn that I'm the g word, especially the Captain."
"What? Awe, Hunter! Do you have a thing for Willow? Come to think of it, you two would make a cute couple, like Amity and me."
"What do you mean we would make a cute couple?"
"You have been in the castle a lot that you don't know. How sad!"
"What is? What are you talking about? Willow and I are just friends, that's all."
"Are you sure?" Hunter was beginning to get annoyed.
"Yes!"
"Well, if you two do wind up together, I know what your ship name would be: Huntlow!"
"Huntlow? You're not making any sense! What does a ship have to do with any of this?"
"Or maybe Winter."
"Now you're putting a season into this?"
"No, Huntlow is way better."
"Stop! Stop babbling nonsense! I'm not telling anybody that I'm a Grimwalker, and you better not tell them either."
"I won't. If you don't tell them about my secret."
"Deal!"
"Like I said the night that you guys got stuck here, we'll tell them when we're both ready."
"That's right." But the two didn't think that they would ever be ready.
"Anyways, I'm glad that you finally came out. I know it wasn't easy for you."
"Yeah, I'm glad too. And I'll bring up your laptop tomorrow morning. I promise. And we don't have to go out to celebrate like we did for you. Just telling them and getting it out of the way is all that I want."
"Cool. I'll tell Mom that." The two said goodnight to each other and went upstairs and downstairs respectively.
Flapjack chirped as Hunter walked on the stairs. This confused him.
"What? I'm fine! Why wouldn't I be fine, Flap?" Flapjack just chirped again as Hunter resumed down the stairs.
"Aw, you're finally down!" Gus spoke to him, already lying on the coach covered with a blanket. "What kept you?"
"Oh, Luz and I had a little chat."
"What about?"
"Oh, she was just proud that I came out."
"We all are. Anything else?"
"No, that's pretty much it."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, that's it. Nothing more."
"I don't think that's true, but whatever! Goodnight!"
"Goodnight, Gus." The two went to bed.
As Hunter laid in his sleeping bag with the lights off, he thought of what happened, and smiled to himself. He was really glad that he finally told his friends about his sexuality. He was happy that weight was off of his shoulders. He then frowned as other thoughts entered his head. Now what about telling them that he was a grimwalker and he was a clone of the brother that Belos murdered? They accepted him as being bi, but will they accept him when he told them of him being a grimwalker? And did he have a thing for Willow? He just didn't know, so he just fell asleep. But he couldn't sleep, so he got back up and got back onto Luz's laptop, careful not to wake up Gus.
