in the night
Willow awoke in her messy bed, head barely hanging onto her pillow, with drool running down her face. ‘gross’, she thought as she rubbed the saliva off her cheek. She sat up in bed and looked into her vanity mirror with barely open eyes. Her hair tousled and bags low on her face. She hadn’t been able to sleep her mind full of thoughts, mostly about the boy she fancied. Although the boy was new to penstagram he was still quite funny through messages. He would send her cute pictures of him and luz, always joking about how she couldn’t get enough of him, but secretly willow knew it was the other way around. a notification from her scroll had awoken her, “3:45” her scroll had read. hunter was up late, unable to fall asleep, he'd texted willow, the only person who could comfort him through the night. Willow answered as quickly as possible, not wanting to make the boy wait if he was in trouble.
RULERSREACHF4N: hey.. are you awake..?
(Hello_willow) hi! Yes, I’m awake, what’s up?
RULERSREACHF4N: I just…
(Hello_willow)?
RULERSREACHF4N: I couldn’t stop thinking about you…
RULERSREACHF4N: can you call?
this took willow aback; sure, the boy could be dense sometimes with the things he said. But this seemed different, this was thought out and serious, which scared willow a bit, but also made the demon flies in her stomach swarm, sending a rush of adrenaline and giddiness to her head. the kind of giddiness that made you giggle into your pillow and kick your legs just to get all the energy out. Willow had known she had a crush on this boy for a while. She’d also noticed that hunter felt the same way. He’d ask to hold her hand whilst walking home or walk her to class when she knew his second period was on the other side of the school. Her friends were constantly asking if they were dating, stating how obvious it was when she said they weren’t. sometimes she would take them out to her greenhouse and he would just stand there and watch her, happy to help at any moment she needed him. Sometimes she’d catch him staring at her after a flyer derby match. Her hair was a mess, and her face was sweaty. A redness would rise to his face, and he’d look away as fast as possible. Usually, it made willow giggle when he would text her that night apologizing for staring, how polite the boy was. Willow always told him she didn’t mind, that she liked it.
And that made hunter feel something different. Different from his regular feelings for willow. He’d only thought about things like that a few times. now hunter just wanted to hear her honey suckle sweet voice. He got lonely when he couldn’t sleep, thoughts of his uncle and self-hatred racking his brain. Sometimes the only thing that kept him happy in the night was willow. Just her texting him goodnight could put a smile on his face and make him forget about his thoughts. Happy to say tonight all he could think about was willow. Her face, gorgeous big eyes, and a cute button nose that complemented her cute round face. her perfect pink lips, he could never stop thinking about her lips, how good they would feel on his, how sweet her mouth would taste. Her tongue inside his mouth, it was too much. He was going to explode. His face beat red and his hands shaky. He texted her, and she texted back. “fuck” he knew this was a bad idea. He felt guilty. All he needed was to tell her, and he would never speak to her again if she wanted him to. He would do whatever the girl asked. Anything and everything. Well, nothing that would go against his boundaries. But that was how he felt, he would do anything for willow park. She responded to his last text.
Hello_willow: yes.
Holy shit this was happening. He needed to prepare himself before she called. He needed to be ready for anything she threw at him. She called. He answered. And it went something like this.
“Hello?” hunter could barely manage a whisper when he spoke, but he was guessing she could hear him when she responded.
“hey”
“Willow?”
“Yes, hunter?”
A million thoughts rushed through his brain and he could only think of one thing to say.
“I’m sorry... if I woke you up.”
“No, it’s ok! I was barely sleeping anyway.”
willow was only a little louder than him, but he could hear her whisper shout into the phone. she giggled. And that sent shocks down his spine, titan he loved that noise. He inhaled through his nose, exhaled through his mouth, and told himself to get it together. He had to do this. Willow had been eating away at his brain for months, and it was getting worse, if he didn’t do something now he’d be stuck with willow fever forever.
“willow” he spoke silently.
“Yes?”
“Can I come over” He screamed at himself internally for that one. Out of all the damn things he could have said he said that? And he bet willow was furious with him, asking such an inappropriate question at the late hours, he felt like a fool.
“Willow, I’m sorry I don’t know what came over me, that was a stupid thing to ask- not that seeing you is stupid- I would love to see you- “
“I’ll leave my window open, so you don’t have to go through the front door” willow was quiet but loud enough to cut him off, and when he processed what she said he was left feeling a little silly, and a lot happy.
A small “oh” was all he could manage.
“be here soon.” willow said, and with that, she sent her location and hung up.
Willow squealed. Not loudly of course so as not to wake her dads, but she definitely squealed, like a little girl who just got a pony for her birthday, she was ecstatic, but also a little shocked that hunter would pull something like that. She was sweating. A lot. She needed to get ready. And then she needed to Pretend she hadn’t gotten ready just for him. She hopped out of bed and threw on the shorts she had previously discarded before bed, she never slept with pants on, but now she was cursing herself for it as hunter would be here soon, and she did not have that much time. She hurried to her bathroom to brush her teeth and put on deodorant. When she was done she sat back in bed and pulled her knees up to her chest. She wasn’t ready. Never mind that, she was ready. Just not prepared mentally for this. whatever this was going to be.
Hunter sat upright. Grabbing his shoes and jacket, He almost fell out of his window trying to make it out of the house, while trying to be quiet, so as to not wake eda and luz. Willow was in shock; hunter had asked to come over late in the night, and it was all she could do to tell the boy yes. She would sneak him in through her window and they would spend the night together, at least she hoped they would. And titan if her dads found out. She wanted to die. sure amity had visited her a few times after curfew, but this was different. This was hunter. Her hunter. Coming to see her at- she glanced at her clock, titan it was already 4 in the morning. They wouldn’t have much time together if he was supposed to leave in the morning, to not get caught. It was fine. She was still ecstatic, giggling and tapping on her knees, she couldn’t keep it together.
Hunter arrived at willows home. His face was red, and his ears burned, he was sweating like a madman. He had run most of the way from the owl house since he couldn’t borrow string bean from luz, he was just so eager to see willow, his willow. He stood in the dark for a minute contemplating what he would say to her, he needed to apologize. He knew this could get her in a lot of trouble, but he still came. He needed to do this. Now was his time, he had finally worked up the confidence to tell her and he couldn’t pass up this chance. He had to do this.
He forced his legs to move toward the window. Inside he could see willow sitting in her bed, knees drawn up to her chest. Patiently waiting for hunter. He knocked on the window and entered when she waved him in, he was quiet when he stepped inside. She could tell he was nervous, the way he tiptoed through her room and took in his surroundings so slowly. He looked at her just then and he stopped in his place. Unable to move as he took her in. her glasses were discarded on her vanity; her hair was messy and unkempt. her big beautiful eyes looking at him like he was the only person in the world, her pajamas, a t-shirt, and shorts. The cutest thing he’d seen on her. Now that his eyes had adjusted to the dark of her room, he noticed something, the t-shirt she was wearing was his, well not his. But one he’d made for her, it was a big black tee composed of pictures of her favorite flyer derby players. His heart swelled with adoration, he’d never seen her wear it before, but now it dawned on him she probably only wore it to bed. It made sense.
Willow stared at him. He wasn’t moving. And as she examined him, his sweet, beautiful face, she wondered what he was thinking of. She stretched her legs out and motioned for him to sit next to her, the boy nodded and took off his shoes, placing them by the door. ever the gentleman. He crawled up from the end of the bed and rested his head on the pillow next to her. She stared at him again, his cowlick had grown longer since they cut his hair last month, he always hated how it got in front of his eyes and would never stay gelled down how he liked it. He turned to face her, and opened his mouth, then closed it again. Thinking better of what he wanted to say, he had so much on his mind it was hard to understand what he was feeling at that moment. He shifted, and his knee grazed willows hand, his body went stiff, and it felt like his every nerve was on fire-like ants were crawling all over him, electric. “hunter” Willow whispered. The boy turned his head to look at her. “Yeah?” he spoke softly scared of what she would say. “what are you thinking about?” she asked like she really wanted to know. Like if she didn’t know what he was thinking she’d be lost forever. “Just- I don’t know it’s stupid.” He was only able to whisper, too nervous to say what he was thinking. Willow turned her body so that she was facing him all the way and no longer looking at the ceiling. “I don’t think anything you say is stupid. But you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, we can just lay here If you want?” “Willow watched him patiently, she knew he had a hard time opening up and talking about how he felt. But she could wait. “willow I- I have something really important to tell you, and- I don’t know, I’m just scared...” hunter wanted to cry, this had been a really good chance for him and he was totally blowing it. “hey its ok, Im right here all right?” willow spoke in a comforting manner that made hunters muscles turn into jelly. He felt like he could live off a voice like that, needing nothing more. He could feel himself growing more comfortable the more he was around willow, and he felt that now was the right time to tell her how he felt. “I’ve had this feeling for a really long time, about this certain person, and it sort of eating away at me and I can’t stop thinking about them, and everything they do makes me smile, and I’ve never actually felt like this before and I don’t really know what to do and- “
Willow giggled, actually giggled and hunter knew he had made a fool out of himself, her unlimited love for the people she cared about could never let her hurt hunter, She was probably going to tell him she just wanted to be friends and that she didn’t feel the same way about him. He wanted to go back home and never talk about this ever again. He wanted to cry. Then willow did something. She took her pinky finger and hooked it around his own. She stared at him and smiled that perfect, beautiful smile. Hunter’s breath caught in his throat, and he wasn’t sure what to say. But just then she spoke for him. “Maybe I’m being delusional and totally reading this situation wrong, but... you’re really important to me hunter.” Hunter stared in awe at the girl in front of him. Her words were still registering in his head when he made a noise in his throat. Before he could stop himself, he asked her “can I kiss you?” he spoke so quietly that willow almost didn’t hear him, her face reddened and her ears were suddenly hot, “ok” she whispered. And with that hunter scooted toward her, he took his hand and slowly reached for her cheek. When hunter’s hand reached her face, it made her cheek tingle a bit, and her ears twitched, she closed her eyes and braced herself for her dreams to come true. As hunter closed his eyes and leaned forward into willow all he could smell was her natural smell, like dirt and fresh air. So natural and crisp, as he leaned forward a bit more, he could feel her breath on his face, so close in proximity, his lips met hers. It was pure heaven, like a firework had just gone off between the two, a thousand pinpricks of lightning lighting up his veins. Her lips were soft and sweet, and as his mouth moved against hers, he could feel their teeth clack together, and she giggled. Willow wanted to cry; this is all she had wanted for the past 4 months. It was pure bliss. And she smiled. Hunter’s lips were just as soft as she’d imagined, it was more beautiful than she ever imagined. She never wanted it to end. She never wanted to be away from hunter ever again. she could feel the warmth the boy radiated. It was a constant thing, he was just always warm, and it felt so nice sitting in her cold room, hunter moved his hand from her knee, up her thigh, to cradle the back of her head, scratching her scalp gently with his nails. Willow moved her arm to rest on his hip then moved it back down on the bed to hold her weight. Willow sat up, to make the experience more comfortable. And as she held hunters face, she realized he was one of the most important things to her. willow pulled away from him, and when she did he made a little noise of retaliation. Not wanting to end the kiss. She smiled at him. Her perfect boy. He could see the love in her eyes when she looked at him. He smiled that gap-toothed smile, and willow melted. She lifted her legs and scooted forward so that she could sit in hunter’s lap. Their bodies flush together, warmth radiating from their hearts. They held each other’s faces and giggled. This was a moment they wanted to savor forever. Just sitting together and bathing in each other’s company. Willow closed her eyes and kissed him again. hunter leaned into the kiss, moving his lips against willows, sighing in contentment. This was perfect. This was willow. This was all that he wanted. And if he was being honest, it was all he needed.