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Four months have passed since Halloween. Four months have passed since the Collector and Belos were defeated. Four months have passed since the Boiling Isles finally healed as best as it could. The Titan's skull was gone, as well as some pieces forever floated in the air, but everyone worked around these problems and built a new world, and learn how to create a permanent portal between words. (Albit a secret still)
Once things settled down, Hunter asked Eda to dye his hair red. For the remembrance of Flapjack. Eda gladly agreed, cutting it short as well, but kept the short cowlick. Hunter couldn't cut it off. No matter what he did.
Hunter was gleeful when he saw himself in the mirror. It looked like him . But...something still felt off. A part of him wanted to grow his hair out again, enjoying the length it was in the human realm, but at the same time... he didn't want to look like Belos.
Hunter had stayed with Darius for a month until he realized, despite his friends being in the Boiling Isles, he wasn't happy here. It was harder to heal here. And some days it felt like too much.
So, he moved to the Human realm now. Permanently. However, he could visit the Demon Realm whenever he wanted. And Darius gladly took him in as well. It was never said as an adoption, but it definitely was. It was the same system Luz had. Her mom took her out of her human school and decided on online school due to Luz confessing about her mental health, so she could go back and forth whenever she pleased.
It was also nice having Vee here. She truly felt like a sister to him . As well as Luz...But he still didn't feel like a brother .
Only one month ago, Hunter finally got the courage to tell Willow he liked her. It was on a meteor shower in the Boiling Isles. The perfect place he thought! And he was correct. She told him she liked him as well. (It's good to say he was apparently so oblivious that everyone else knew he liked her)
So the two began to date. Things were going perfectly! But something still felt wrong. Every time Willow introduced him as her boyfriend , something twisted inside him .
Hunter did research as well. Looking over human phrases until he came across 'Transgender ' and something clicked.
People who are trans don't identify with their birth gender. Somewhere trans males, some were nonbinary...and others were transwomen. Tons of different identities fell under the category as well, But he couldn't stop looking at what a transwoman meant. Hunter spent nights researching that. What it meant to be trans.
All the signs were there. Feeling wrong in one's body.
Feeling a disconnect with himself.
Being called male pronouns feeling gross.
He was trans.
A few weeks later, after Willow kept calling him her boyfriend , it felt too much. He needed to tell her. The feeling was becoming painful. It was like drowning all over again, sinking deeper and deeper into the water until it was unbearable. So. It was time.
"Willow?" Hunter asked stepping into the living room of Camillas. His home. He was wearing an oversized blue shirt with different shades of blue on it, as well as black pants. Camila, Luz, and Vee were out shopping while Hunter stayed behind with Willow.
Willow was staying here for a week since there was an infestation of fire ants at her home.
Literal fire ants.
"Hunter hey! What's up?" She smiled softly and closed her book. She wore a simple beige shirt, green pants, and a white jacket.
"There's something. I need- I need to tell you." He took a shaky breath.
She frowned worriedly at her boyfriend . Something was wrong. "What is it?" She asked, patting the space next to her.
Hunter shook his head. "I- 'll stand here."
"Oh... Okay." Willow gave a supportive smile, but the pit in her stomach grew.
"I..I've been thinking about Halloween." He mumbled quietly. "Like uh..processes it."
"Mhm?" Willow nodded worriedly.
"I...I remember feeling so awful. I- tried to fight him off so much but I couldn't." Hunter blinked tears away as he continued. "All I could see in mirrors is him again. I couldn't see myself."
Willow listened, wishing that she could hold Hunter as he talked, but wanted to respect his wishes.
"I -I always hated mirrors my whole life...but in the human realm. Here. I finally felt happy with myself. I felt like me."
Come on. Say it. You can say it!
"I thought I hated mirrors because they reminded me of Belos." A nd Caleb. Hunter fidgeted with his hands nervously "But the truth isn't that. I loved it when you cut my hair. It looked like me! I didn't look like Belos or anyone else but at the same time- I could finally look at myself and I loved it long but-!" Come on. You can do this. "This has been eating me alive for so long..."
"You can tell me, Hunter. It's okay." Willow smiled supportively. "I'll always love you."
"I-" He swallowed. "I don't think I'm a boy." Shamefully Hunter refused to face Willow.
"Oh" Willow paused. She did not expect that at all.
His heart shattered "Yeah u-um I'll go now. Clearly, this was a bad idea-" Hunter laughed as tears filled his eyes. He messed up. Willow was shocked. She probably hated him now. And would break up with him !
"Hunter wait-!" Willow stood up, quickly rushing over to Hunter.
Hunter froze up, slowly looking at her worriedly.
"You don't feel like a boy?" She asked, wanting to confirm she heard him right.
Hunter nodded. "Yeah-. You can break up with me if you want. It's okay! I would break up with me too." Hunter laughed, tearing up, moving to walk away again.
"I'm not gonna break up with you. At all." Her face softened and she gently reached for his hand, letting Hunter be the one to hold it."I will always love you...and I understand as well."
Hunter moved to face Willow, frowning "...you do?" He asked confused.
" Hunter...I'm trans." She smiled softly.
"What?" He paused. Willow was trans?
"I transitioned at a young age...And basically, only Amity knows, well, She was the only one who knew." She smiled."I understand you completely okay?"
Willow was trans. Just like him .
"Oh-" Hunter laughed weakly, letting go of Willow's hand to wipe his eyes. "I...I had no idea"
"Yeah, that's kinda the point" Willow laughed. "I don't really see the point in telling people...I mean if they ask then yeah sure." She shrugged. "But the boiling isles is so different from the human realm, there really isn't a need to tell people who you were before coming out."
"Were your parents? Uh- did they support you?" Hunter asked nervously.
She snorted. "Please. Do you know how ecstatic they were when they realized they had a daughter now?" She laughed. "But I'm serious Hunter. I understand completely. I don't hate you at all."
"That's- that's a relief" Hunter laughed wiping his tear-stained eyes again"I was just- so scared you would hate me. Belos- Belos would..."
Belos would hate him . Oh, how he would hate it if Hunter had confessed to him. He would probably kill him on the spot. Or worse. Which made more sense now...Belos was a human. And from what Luz told them of how people were treated just for being themselves here...it was one of the many downsides of this world.
Willow frowned, seeing the distress on Hunter's face. "I'm so sorry if I did anything that made you scared to come out to me...You're allowed to be scared though...Do you want me to call you different pronouns?" Willow asked again.
Hunter nodded slowly. "That would be nice...I looked through some human realm books...there are a lot of pronouns but for now she? I guess? Maybe they?...No. She. Just she. I..felt better when I called myself she." Hunter swallowed. She had repeated most of the pronouns she could find in the mirror, seeing which ones suited her the most. While most of them she didn't mind being called...But she felt like her. Really her. "I wanted my girlfriend to know first...I uh haven't told anyone else." Hunter admitted. "I wanted you...to know. Before anyone."
Willow's ears turned red as she smiled. "Well, I'm thankful you could come out to me."
"Yeah-" She laughed weakly, wiping her eyes again. "Titan- I was so worried this would go badly" She sniffed. "I don't know what I would do if I lost you Willow"
Willow smiled, shaking her head. "I will always love you, Hunter. No matter what." Willow smiled, looking over at Hunter for a moment and thought...Boyfriend wasn't right anymore. "How does girlfriend sound?" Willow asked.
"For me-?" Hunter looked stunned at the word. Girlfriend? Did Willow want to call her, her girlfriend?
"Yes for you!" Willow giggled.
Hunter's face turned a bright red. "I love it" She laughed. "I- I really love it!"
Willow smiled and moved to cup her girlfriend's cheeks, wiping the tears away. "You're my girlfriend."
The words echoed in her mind. Girlfriend. She was Willow's girlfriend. "I-'m your girlfriend!" Hunter laughed weakly, tears dripping down her cheeks. "I'm your girlfriend!" Hunter said again "I'm your-" Hunter covered her face with her hand. "Your-" Laughs turned to cries as she sobbed. The feeling was so overwhelming. It was an amazing feeling however Like willow planted a flower in her chest and it was finally blooming, spreading all over Hunter.
Willow frowned, about to ask Hunter another question, but she did it for her. Hunter leaned into Willow, letting her wrap her arms around her girlfriend as Hunter's legs crumbled, the two falling to the ground. Willow knew full well. She understood completely. No words were needed for this moment.
Hunter sobbed for a few minutes, Willow gently rubbing her back, and kissing her head comfortably. "It's okay... it's okay" She said softly. Willow knew her experience would always be different from Hunter's. Despite the boiling isles being extremely accessible, Hunter grew up in The Emperor Coven. Belos was a human. a witch hunter. Witches probably weren't the only thing he hated.
Soon Hunter slowly uncurled herself, looking at Willow with tear-stained cheeks. "Hey.." Willow smiled.
"Hey" Hunter took a shakey breath, wiping her eyes. "Sorry I just...broke down" She mumbled. "You just...hearing you call me girlfriend-"
"Don't be at all. You deserve to feel happiness" Willow said, brushing her hair out of her face. "You're my girlfriend..." Willow thought for a moment. "Do you want me to call you a different name?"
She shook her head. "No. I don't know. It... feels like I want to choose a different name, But the name Hunter has meaning behind it that I don't want to let go...does that make sense? There are some awful memories with that name...but I can't let it go yet."
"That makes total sense." Willow hummed. "If you ever want to change it, or need help with a name let me know, no one needs to change their name anyways."
"How did you..know?" Hunter asked. "About being trans?"
She frowned and thought. "I always knew I think? As a kid, I was always extremely girly." She laughed. "I uh refused to cut my hair until it got to a length that I liked...I asked my parents if they could call me Willow because that was my favorite plant at five, and they agreed. For one of Amity's birthday parties I asked if I could wear a dress and they agreed!" She smiled. "Then over time I just...told them I was their daughter and that was that. The boiling isles are extremely accessible as well so it only took a month or two after that before the healing coven gave me the elixirs I needed" Willow smiled. "How did you start to realize?"
"Flapjack." Hunter laughed weakly.
"Flapjack?"
"Back at the castle...I-" She took a pause. Willow rubbed her back supportively "take your time" She hummed.
"I'm okay." Hunter smiled. "Back at the castle, I never had mirrors in my room. I even told Flapjack about it. I just...hated seeing myself. He asked why and I told him the truth. It never looked like me. Whenever I saw myself in the mirror all I could see was someone else looking back. Like a stranger. Flapjack told me that I could express myself however I wanted. I wanted to grow my hair out here." She sniffed. "I thought...I was finally free! And even Flapjack said I looked happier-" Hunter felt tears sting her eyes "I wanted it long but- Titan I'm sorry-" Hunter wiped her eyes again. Her hands shaking violently
"It's okay." Willow gently took Hunter's hands, giving them a soft squeeze. "It's okay."
"I'm just-" she sucked a breath in "I learned what being trans meant a few weeks ago. It all makes so much sense now Willow. Everything. "I don't like my hair long. At all. Its- horrible. I look like him but girls need it long they-" Hunter rambled, her eyes tearing up again.
"No, they don't." Willow smiled, breaking her out of her thoughts "Camila has short hair. Even when she straightened it. It was still pretty short."
"But she's a girl. I-" She wiped her eyes "I won't. They'll just see me as a boy with short hair."
"Plenty of girls have short hair, Hunter. I can assure you. No one will see you as a boy. I can make it a bit longer if you want, or the same length as last time...or longer with totally different styles! I could add bangs." Willow giggled, running a hand over Hunter's knuckles.
Hunter thought for a moment. "Can...you cut it again?" She asked. "Not as short as before...But I don't like it this long at all." She shuddered. "I want it to look like me again."
"Of course!" Willow smiled, gently moving to help Hunter stand up, and soon guide her to the Noceda house bathroom.
"Now where are the scissors..." Willow grumbled looking through the cabinets. "Ah, Titan... I'll be right back, getting some from the kitchen," Willow mumbled walking out of the bathroom.
Hunter looked at herself in the mirror, Her face was still red due to her tears, almost matching the same shade as her hair color. She wiped her eyes again, a soft smile spreading on her face.
"And back!" Willow grinned a few seconds later, stepping into the bathroom. She looked at Hunter's hair, thinking. "Hm..so. What are we thinking?" Willow asked. "It's just at your shoulders right now...give me ideas."
Hunter moved her hand to the middle of the neck. "Like that length?" She asked. "But not how it was before in the Boiling Isles. Not that shaven down...I like how Eda cut it."
"Got it, got it!" Willow grinned. "I can only cut it now...may not be that good, but we can ask someone else to fix it up when you're ready."
Hunter nodded. "Yeah" she smiled. "That would be nice...and I loved how you did it last time. Don't think you could make it worse honestly. You did a really good job."
Willow's face blushed at that. "Now." She hummed How do you feel about bangs?" Willow grinned, snipping the scissors in the air.