Ti amo hermano mayor.
"
You’re here! I didn’t think you were going to be here." Luz was gesturing animatedly. "I thought you were going to be gone and I was going to have to track you down and everything was going to go all crazy."
Luz waved her hands around the movement, seeming to be a visual indication of the crazy she spoke of. "But you're back, that is excellent news, very excellent news, super news, good news, awesome news." Hunter had a feeling she would keep saying words that were synonyms for excellent but he figured that would take a very long time.
“I’m back because you’re sick and that means you’re defenseless which means you're in danger. Of course, I had to come back.”
Luz scoffed.
"I’m not defenseless see," she grabbed something sharp (a huge pair of garden shears. Why did Luz have a huge pair of garden shears?) and put them to the ground seemingly ready to carve things into the floor. Hunter dashed forward and grabbed the shears.
“No”
“Give me back my pencil,” Luz thought it was a pencil? She was sicker than he thought.
“These are garden shears,” he said, holding them out close enough for her to see but too far to grab.
She shrugged. “Close enough.”
“Definitely not close enough.” How were garden shears close enough to a pencil?
"Close enough" she repeated and stuck her tongue out at him.
"Put that thing away,” he said “You aren’t proving your point.” A gleam entered her eye. "Don’t you dare say close enough again"
“Close enough” he sighed and she cracked up at that.
“I’m glad you’re here.” she grinned at him
"I’m just here until you get better then I’ll yell at you and I’ll be on my way."
“Boring, you should stay here. Everything is awesome here. The fact you’re here is marvelous, miraculous, superb, cool, splendid, spectacular,”
"How long are you going to do this?” he knew he couldn’t stop her. (it would both be too difficult and incredibly selfish)but he at least wanted an estimate.
"I want to get at least 20. How many did I get?"
He tried to remember "I think it was excellent, super, good, awesome, marvelous, miraculous, superb, cool, splendid, and spectacular."
"How many is that?" he didn’t want to tell her so he improvised.
"That was one two skip these three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven." He was pretty sure he had performed the trick right; it wasn't going to work but it was worth a shot.
“Okay, nine more” he blinked. How had she let him get away with that? She showed him the trick. How did she not notice? He shook it off. It was good luck on his part. "It’s nice, fabulous" she switched to her other language “estupendo, asombroso bueno,” she paused and then shook her head.
"No, también fácil" she switched back "great terrific delighting exciting, magnificent awesome thrilling" She paused, seeming to go over them in her head.
"That’s twenty, right?" Hunter almost told her that it wasn't but he decided it wasn’t worth it. It was already slightly scary that she had managed to name 19 synonyms for the word excellent. He nodded his head yes.
“Yes," she pumped her fist four times.
Hunter Hunter over here. She waved him over, and he approached cautiously and sat down where she gestured.
Suddenly without any warning, she decided to use his leg as a pillow (no he thought she had almost definitely made that decision before he approached, it was probably a large part of why she wanted him sitting next to her.)
“Luz stop that.”
"No" she singsonged "and you can't stop me without being a big meanie." He blinked. A bunch of pieces came together at that last word. The twenty synonyms, trying to carve something into the floor, falling for his trick, the repeating of words and phrases, and her not laughing at the repetition like it was the funniest joke, the four fist pumps, and the singsong and meanie it was so obvious now.
“Luz you're acting like you’re eight.”
"That’s childish of you to say you’re the one who's acting 8 you mean-" she cut herself off “Oh crap that’s not good.”
Eda walked to Luz's room. She had been asleep all day so she was likely going to not wake up now, but it was good to check. She tip-toed to Luz's door and cracked it open. She nearly gasped.
There was a stranger in Luz's room. She pulled out her staff even before she registered Luz's position. Her head was nestled in the stranger's lap. Eda's blood boiled. What was he doing to her? She got ready to shoot a spell and-
“Eda” she heard King's voice from behind her
"How is Luz doing" No! He approached her and peeked into Luz’s room he saw the same thing she saw "What’s going on?" Eda stiffened.
This was the worst situation she could imagine herself in right now. Luz was in a dangerous position and King was here when she didn’t want him to know about any of that stuff.
What if this hurt Luz and Camila never let Luz come back but what if King learned of everything she never wanted him to know too soon? At the sound of a voice Eda wasn't familiar with, she tensed.
“Will you get out of my lap now?”
“Nope,” Luz’s voice echoed cheerfully
“Why?” The voice sounded resigned but it could be an act
"because I don’t wanna and you can’t make me”
”Why can’t I”
"Because we’ve established that my sickness has made me act 8 and you aren't going to be mean to an 8-year-old.”
"You’re 14, and how do I know you’re not faking it?"
Luz stared closely at her hands which were in the air over her.
"It doesn’t feel like I’m faking it but how do I know for sure she squinted at her hands"
"yep, you’re 8."
"How did you come to that realization"
“You’re doing that thing you did a month before you turned 9 where you question the solidity of reality because of that minder bender seminar you attended.
I still think that no matter how fun it seemed you shouldn’t have falsified the paperwork and pretended you were older.” (How had he known Luz that long? How did Eda not know?)
“That is a good point but I mean how did you figure it out first.”
"A number of things, firstly the synonyms. It wasn't something you ever did back then but you did other weird displays like it, then there were the garden shears."
“Substitute pencil” she muttered
Garden shears” he repeated with a pointed look down at her. She was still on his lap. Eda was pretty sure one of her veins was about to pop but she calmed herself. She checked where King was standing and he had wandered off.
That was good at least. She could protect Luz later if necessary, it was better if she kept both Luz and King from as much upset as possible, and Eda's suspicion that someone Luz seemed to trust was dangerous would hurt Luz.
Eda would jump in if needed but right now Luz looked comfortable and Eda didn’t want to upset her. “Then there was your repetition of my name. You used to repeat words when you were trying to get someone's attention and you continued your annoying phrases.
These days you would either draw out the silence longer like you’re waiting to tell the punchline of a joke or because you realize you're acting childish and it takes you a moment to go on.
Then there was the obvious tip-off you laughed at my scowl and not your statement when for the last couple of years you would have found the statement a hilarious joke, you fell for my trick- he seemed to bite his tongue after that.
"What trick"
"The eleven-finger trick."
She gaped “I fell for that. I’m an idiot”
“Definitely not, you just act like one”
"Thanks”
“yo- that was a joke right”
“You get better every time in recognizing it.”
“And that wasn’t a joke?”
“Saying you're improving is not a joke”
"Oh, that means I still need to come up with another synonym.” She nearly jumped up but the stranger grabbed her arm and pulled her back down.
“No you don’t. 19 was enough anyway if you can’t think of one it’ll be upsetting to you.”
"I’ll put it on the back burner”
“Fair enough.”
"Was there anything else?"
"You pumped your fist four times and you quit making that your official quiet victory thing quite a while ago. You singsonged which you do less now than you did when you were younger and you said meanie which is what made me realize fully. Oh also the sitting in the lap thing”
'Laying in the lap" Luz corrected "Sitting in your lap would be weird.”
“And this isn’t?” He groaned.
“Nope” she smiled and he sighed.
"Where's Flapjack? I wanna see his cute face.” What did Luz mean by that? Was she getting loopy again? Weren't Flapjacks human pancakes?
“I don’t have him with me” She jolted up at that and the boy’s arm couldn’t stop her.
"We need to go get him he isn’t safe.”
"It’s okay Luz he’s well hidden and we have a protocol if I’m gone for too long."
“Good,” she relaxed. “And you not just saying that.”
“No of course not why would I ?”
"Right of course not, you’d never just say something.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
"I promise this time It's all positive you don’t use empty platitudes or false promises” He was silent. Luz looked up at him
"I don’t know what that look means and I’m not going to make you tell me I guess I just mean you don’t use false platitudes on me."
“False platitudes." He snorted "Who's the dork now?"
“You. Still you. Always you. You’re the mega super dork of the century.”
“That statement is slander.”
“No, it isn’t, It's true, and even if it wasn’t it's an opinion.”
“I think there is a difference between opinion and insult.”
“Nope, not in the law as long as you aren’t using the opinion/insult to defame someone.”
“Why did you check?”
“To beat you if this ever happened.”
“I’ll have you know that the laws of the boiling isles were written In a time crunch they were all written in a month or two after Belos’s reign began.” Eda was sure she knew the voice she didn’t know how she didn’t know yet.
It was right there she just wasn’t sure yet exactly who it was. The boy (Eda was almost sure he was a kid now If she hadn’t been before. He talked with the type of self-importance that came from teen years in a position of power and he tried to prove his deservingness with a million facts to make up for the fact he couldn’t live up to his vision of himself.
Sort of like Lily Eda supposed but at least Lily nearly had the power to back up her self-importance. She had 95% of the power she pretended to have, but this kid didn’t) she unzoned out to hear the kid continue. “It was very difficult to write everything perfectly In so short of a time frame. Belos did everything he could to protect the people the best way possible.” "Apparently, he did not account for any Luzs insulting coven officials.”
Eda’s eyes widened. She knew who it was now. With his mention of a coven official. She supposed she hadn’t recognized him because his voice sounded distinctly less annoying than before (not completely not annoying but it was a sizable amount less so)
This was the friend Luz wanted to save? The golden guard? Eda groaned why’d It have to be him?
Luz
Things weren't exactly going according to plan but they were going much better than they would have in circumstances even slightly modified. All and all, things were going alright.
“Why are you laying on me anyway?” Hunter questioned
“It’s part of my ingenious plan. You can’t leave if I’m on top of you” It would probably work.
“You do know informing me of that invalidates your efforts right?"
"No, you would have left already if you were going to. I know it. You're too nice to leave”
“I'm too nice?”
“I guess I mean too honorable you stick to what you say, just the kind of person you are” She looked up and saw he was smiling she smiled too. She liked to reassure him he was a good person. This time it had not been intentional but it was always good since he deserved to think that. She would make him believe in his goodness to the best of her ability.
Her brain switched gears. It was annoying about the little kid thing. She'd waited 14 years to be 14 and she'd only waited 8 years to be eight. Eight years was significantly less than 14 so she wanted to be 14. Now she was eight, hopefully, it was temporary. It would suck if it wasn't.
She was pretty sure she felt mostly the same with a little part of her slightly different. The part of her that told her what not to do(say childish things or do childish things etc) was gone now and she could do as many as she wanted.
Part of her wanted to run away and do those things now but that sounded like a bad idea. Despite how fun they sounded, her logical side was a tiny bit worried.
She decided she didn’t need to be worried. If anything bad happened, hunters would come to the rescue. Sure the lecture would double but she would never be in danger as long as he was around. Hunter was safe. She sighed and reclined more on his leg. She was so happy Hunter was here, had come here instead of going back to that stinky Belos.
Well actually she didn’t know if he was stinky or not but she wanted to imagine him as stinky. It was too bad she hadn’t been close enough to him to judge whether he was stinky or not. Maybe she could ask Hunter but he would probably consider relaying the emperor's stench treasonous. She admired his loyalty but she wished he felt like he could relax occasionally.
To relax orrrr to have fun. Right! "Hunter, Hunter I forgot, I’ve got a game." She would make this the best it possibly could be, or at least the best she could make it while being sick. She was going to play a bazillion fun games and he was going to want to stay here forever.
That was the way happy endings worked and she would accept nothing less for Hunter. Hunter managed to grab the cards from a seated position. Why did he get long arms while she had short ones? Well, she knew it was because guys grew a longer time than girls did but biology was still mean. “Okay I’m going to teach you how to play go fish”
Hunter
"Yay, you win!" They had played several rounds of the game and this was the second time he had won. Last time she hadn’t been so excited he looked at her suspiciously.
"Is this a ploy of some kind? You weren’t so happy last time." "
No, I just decided that it wasn’t fair for me to pout over you winning." Again he continued to look at her with suspicion and she sighed "It's Eda who cheats not me. I only cheat when the other person is cheating and I don't think you’d cheat would you?"
“No”
"That's what I thought now let's play some more" Luz’s eyelids began to droop
"You getting tired?"
"No" she shook her head vigorously, "I’m not tired at all." She shook her head again and her eyelids drooped some more.
"You should just sleep."
“No" she snapped and Hunter nearly jumped at her vehemence.
"I can’t go to sleep, I have to stay awake, I have to save you" She raised a fist in the air hilariously. Hunter had to admit (though it was on and off) that seeing Luz behave the way she had back when she was younger was a flash from the past in a good way.
It summoned the warmth to his chest he felt when he was around Luz the warmth he felt when she did something kind or when she did something extraordinary. He almost missed younger Luz. The way Luz was, the unending kindness and stubborn helping were even stronger then than it was now. Her selfless heart was something he missed seeing so often. It was nice to see Luz act like little Luz without him being afraid constantly that something insane would happen.
“I don’t know what you think you have to save me from but whatever it is fine.”
“No, it isn’t.” “I suck I got sick before I got to pitch you my plan” "I got sick and now I can’t even spend time with you doing the things you would like doing. I wish I got to hang out with you forever and even but It's only a really short time." Luz looked on the verge of tears.
“I can’t even show you what it feels like to relax because of how little time you have here.” "My pitch was for you to stay a week but a week is too unpredictable and wobbly. It's too mixed up and messed up and the emperor is mean and wouldn’t let you have that long off. I want one day, 24 hours from either the time I get better or starting at a time you decide if I stay sick.”
"I want 24 hours to help you and if some part of you wants to stay after 24 hours you’ll stay 3 days. If you want to stay after that you can stay for a week. Then you can meet my mom and she can explain what’s wrong in your situation and relocate you if necessary.”
Hunter knew all that meant it meant taking him far away. That idea terrified him but he thought it might be near as if not more frightening to Luz. He had picked up through some of the things she said over the years that the idea of someone she cared for being removed from her life was terrifying.
He knew she was trying to be brave and trying to help him but he knew she had everything wrong. He didn't need saving and maybe if he stayed the 24 hours (he knew he wouldn’t want to stay any longer this was enemy territory after all) maybe he could convince her the coven wasn’t so bad.
Maybe he could convince her to come back with him. He had hoped for it before and tried to convince her but now the hope rekindled inside him. If he convinced her to become part of the coven it would be so much better. The entire castle would be affected by her. It was impossible not to be affected by her infectious joy. It made everyone and everything a little bit better than things were otherwise. It seemed impossible for her not to win someone over, even if it took a while.
Maybe the emperor would see how awesome she was and adopt her and they could be cousins! Then they could be allowed to be family. Okay, that was a little unrealistic but still, she could become a scout and with her determination, perseverance, and likeability she would rise through the ranks quickly. If he told Uncle about how much she did for Bonesburrow maybe she could even stay in the castle!
He didn’t trust most of the guards around her though he did know that there were many tight-knit groups of female guards who would take her into their fold if needed. (Though he didn't necessarily trust them with her either he trusted them with her more). No matter what happens if she joins the coven they could be around each other more! He imagined being around her more than two hours a week.
Introducing her to the library where he found all his books. Maybe he could convert her to a nonfiction reader but at least they could both talk about the books they read when they had long meantimes or empty shifts. The idea made hope rise in him; he liked the idea of it all. Seeing her all the time, letting her tease him and teasing her about Azura but still, 100% destroying anyone else who teased her about it if they showed any hint of malice.
They'd laugh all the time. Smile all the time. He could teach her to fight properly (he knew if he got her to start training she’d keep training) and make it so she could defend herself in any situation so he didn’t have to worry about her safety anymore. (though it would probably be at least six months for his reflexes about it to wear off.) He could have an ally, a partner on missions like most of the other guards had. She’d cheer him up when he felt down and he’d do the same the best he could for her.
She had told him before that she wished they could hang out longer. They could if she joined the coven. She’d be a friend he’d be allowed to have. Schedule wise it would be a bit hard spending 24 hours here but it really would be okay,(eventually at least) and completely worth it if he could convince her to come with him.
He supposed it would be okay if did not. This little childishness reminded him of how selfless she was. All the little things she did when they were younger for him and others. The entire reason all of this happened was because she wanted to help. She deserved people sacrificing for her. The hope of the imagined life, the life where they protected each other, and laughed with each other, shone brightly. A future where they could save the world together. Where. once wild magic was gone they could help fix everything that was wrong.
“I agree 24 hours no more no less”
“Yeah,” she whisper-yelled. He smiled.
Her eyes started to drift closed again and he wanted to smile again. She looked a little like a kid about to take a nap. He was soooo going to use this rare piece of material to tease her about this later. (He usually could only tease her about Azura and that didn't even work very well.)
She yawned and he wanted to laugh. It was definitely a little childish yawn. The sound was tiny. He thought even if he hadn't thought of his plan couldn’t have said no. He had been somewhat able to say no to little Luz when he was little but now he couldn’t at all. He patted her head a little awkwardly but she wasn’t giving him any funny looks for it.
"Go to sleep if you're tired luz. I'll be here when you wake up."
“No, I can't, I want to spend time with you.” He had started to forget her tendency to say things that made you feel amazing without even trying to but he had been able to get along without it this far. "I get to spend plenty of time with everyone else.
I think all my other friends and the people I care for I definitely get to spend more time around them than I get to spend around you. I want to spend enough time around you that It's at least close to equal.” She had been trying to do this to spend quality time with him. He thought he had just wanted to play a game. She didn’t have to feel obligated to spend time with him; he wanted her to know that.
“The time I spend around you is some of the highest quality time I have.” Luz sniffled. He didn’t want her to cry.
"That’s so sweet thank you, Hunter. “I love the time I spend around you.” He smiled. “Are you willing to go to sleep now?”
"Yeah," she sighed and closed her eyes. A couple of minutes later she opened one eye before closing it again.
"Thank you for all of this for being here and coming back, thank you for coming back all these years and meeting me without fail. Thank you for being here and there and everywhere you usually are protecting me and caring.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and trusting me enough, to be honest with me thank you for being in my life a moment later she whispered, Ti amo hermano mayor.
Luz
Luz had just told Hunter she cared about him. What she said was foggy but that was good she decided. Hunter was nice and being around him made her happy.
He deserved to know that. She wished she hadn't almost cried. When she wanted him to agree that probably felt like too much pressure. She thought she had forgotten something. Puzzles she realized as she drifted off, she forgot to tell Hunter about the puzzles, but she was already out.
Eda
Eda stood frozen in the doorway she didn't know exactly what Luz said in Span-ish but she knew the words at least partly hermono/a meaning brother or sister, and ti amo was a way to say I love you. She remembered something about the other word she thought it meant, must mean (due to the context) older she had just said to the golden guard, I love you older brother.
This wasn't good at all.
The boy shifted slightly; he was now partly facing Eda. He sat stock still for a moment seemingly listening once whatever he was listening for was deeded sufficient he carefully slid Luz off his lap. Eda was worried Luz would wake but she didn't. She stayed sound asleep. He had slid her onto her palette he gently slid the blanket over her before changing his mind and leaving it off but in grabbing range. He looked like he would brush the hair away from her face for a moment before he stopped.
Part of her could feel his grin from here, maybe she was imagining it or misreading things but Eda would have 100% would have left Lilith's hair crazy when she was his age. She was almost definitely imagining it. The boy stood in the same place for a moment before turning suddenly he stared at the door
"I suppose I need to go talk to the others and explain the situation" "Stupid Luz's rules on civility" "I can be nice to a wanted criminal for a few minutes she probably isn't even aware of how many laws she broke.” He walked to the door and Eda fled.
She hated running in her own house but it would probably not be good if the kid(hunter) would know. He seemed suspicious enough already. She only realized too late that she shouldn't have left them alone unsupervised but he came around the corner right after that worry.
"Owl lady, you and I need to talk," Eda nearly snorted. If she hadn't already known he was here this would have been bad. "I guess we do kid she said gesturing for him to sit across from her he reluctantly sat. This would be a rough 24 hours. She nearly laughed. She was the owl lady wanted criminal, caretaker to the two of the biggest mischief makers in the boiling isles of their generation. She'd had worse.