Chapter Text
It had been a long several hours.
To tell you the truth, Gus was exhausted. More exhausted than he had ever been in his life. He wanted nothing more than to go home, climb into his bed and fall asleep. He felt so completely and utterly drained, ready to collapse at any given second. His head whirled and spun dizzying loops until he felt like he was going to fall over or throw up. But the worst was the way his eyes hurt, heavy and stinging as they recovered from the strain his powers had put on him, the way his head ached as memories of things he didn't remember having seen in the moment started rapidly flitting across his mind's eye. Memories of things he simply couldn't process right then and promptly pushed to the side for later, for when he was a little less tired, a little less confused, a little more mentally and emotionally prepared. Instead, he focused on the exhaustion that made his entire body feel sore and heavy, legs aching and shoulders drooping.
He focused on that, and the older boy trailing along behind him like a lost puppy.
They were on their way back to Gus' place. It had been surprisingly easy to get Hunter to agree to go back with him, not that it came without hesitation. But, really, they both knew that Hunter didn't have many other options. He couldn't keep living at the school now, that was for certain. Even if Principal Bump had allowed it (which, despite expressing his own concerns over Hunter's current situation, he probably wasn't going to do), Belos was still after the poor guy. So, Gus had piped up, after getting an okay from his dad, and offered to let Hunter stay at his place.
It felt like the least he could do, after what Hunter had done for him. He also just… couldn't shake the memory of Hunter's panicked words from his mind, the way the older boy had choked and gasped for air and flinched from his touch when Gus had reached for him, the way he had frozen when the illusion of Belos had turned the corner in the hall, how horrified he'd looked upon learning that the Emperor had sent a search party out for him, despite the scouts having said that he was apparently worried sick about the runaway. There was something so jarring about it, and yet… not. To learn that Hunter had run away from the Emperor's Coven, that he was hiding from Belos, that he was so utterly terrified of returning, it was just… different. Different from the confidence Hunter had displayed when they first met, his pride in himself and in the Emperor's Coven. That was gone now, stamped out, replaced with guilt, fear and disgust.
"I spent my whole life believing I was doing something good for someone good, but it was a lie."
Gus swallowed, and sighed. Tomorrow. He could think and process and ask questions tomorrow. He wanted the rest of the day off to just exist, to curl up in his bed and forget about it.
Hunter, he was sure, would agree. The euphoria of their win had worn off and the older boy seemed just as exhausted as Gus now, rubbing at his right hand through the glove as he fell into step with Gus and stared ahead, eyes half-lidded and distant. Yeah, he was definitely tired. Gus couldn't help but wonder if those bags under his eyes, those admittedly horrifyingly dark circles, hurt as much as Gus imagined they would. He had seen them before, the first time they'd met. But they seemed worse now, darker and larger. Gus had been too suspicious of him before, too worried about watching his every move around Willow, to be concerned. But now, he was concerned. Hunter was going through something and Gus didn't know what it was, but he wanted to.
Why? Because he cared, and he wanted to help. Hunter was his friend now, plain and simple as that, and Gus wanted to help him through this. He wanted to earn his trust, and he was getting there. Slowly but surely. Hunter was a good guy, someone Gus could definitely get along with. It was all just a matter of getting to know each other better, strengthening this growing trust between them until Hunter was ready and willing to let him in, to let him offer the help he needed. And it wasn't going to be easy, but friends had each other's backs. And he would have Hunter's.
And unlike the Coven Heads who 'do it all the time back at the castle', he wouldn't stab him in it. Gus had been so angry at Hunter's betrayal at first, but now it was so painfully clear to him… Hunter didn't know any other way. He'd been genuinely confused by their anger, and their hurt. And it was like he had said, back there. He thought he was doing something good, but it was a lie. And he was clearly struggling with that, with unlearning all of the things he'd been taught by Belos. Gus was determined to help him. Because he could see that Hunter wasn't a bad person. He was a good person who had been forced onto a bad path, one he was straying from willingly.
Maybe he didn't need Gus to guide him along, but having someone to walk with couldn't hurt.
"So, uh…" Hunter's voice startled him. "What are the rules? At your place."
"Rules?" Gus echoed dumbly, his tired brain fighting to pull him from his thoughts to focus on actual conversation, which he was almost too exhausted to do. Unfortunately, he was too tired to actively think of the answer to the question. "Oh, uh… I guess you'll have to ask my dad that. I mean, stuff like no stealing falls within the realm of basic decency," he added, side-eyeing Hunter for a moment before quickly tacking on, "that doesn't go for food, though. You gotta eat more." The poor guy was so thin, he probably weighed nothing. Gus could probably pick him up.
Hunter narrowed his eyes at that, easily picking up on what Gus was referring to, but didn't object. He just shrugged, widening his eyes slightly to look ahead before letting them fall half-lidded again. Gus was just glad he'd convinced him not to take his Palisman, the older boy definitely would have crashed by now. Sympathy tugged at him, and he really hoped he was making the right call this time. That he wasn't putting all his trust and faith in Hunter for nothing. But honestly, he didn't think he was making a rash, dangerous decision this time. This wasn't the same Hunter that had tricked him and locked him in a cell. This Hunter had saved his life… honestly, not for the first time. He'd done the same thing, standing up to Darius for all of them. He had learned something that night, and he was still learning now. He just needed someone to trust, too. Hopefully, in time… he would come to see that Gus had meant what he'd said earlier.
He didn't think he'd ever been so relieved at the sight of his house, unconsciously letting the rest of the tension drain from his shoulders as he quickened his pace. His dad was waiting for them outside; Gus wasted no time rushing forward to wrap him up in a tight hug, snuggling closer as he was lifted into a tight, warm embrace. "Thank Titan you're okay, I was so worried…"
Gus squeezed the older witch tightly before pulling away. "I'm okay. We're okay," he added, glancing back at Hunter, who had stopped several feet behind Gus and was wearing a rather… perplexed expression as he stared at the two of them. "This is Hunter. He saved me back there."
Perry set him down, ruffling his hair, then stood up to approach Hunter. The confusion in the teen's eyes fizzled away to apprehension, standing straighter but not moving back, though his shoulders flinched slightly when Perry offered his hand to him. Something cold and painful settled in the pit of Gus' stomach for a second, watching the flicker of fear, that he had grown so used to seeing in those magenta eyes, spark back up only to be stifled again. "It's nice to meet you, Hunter. Thank you for keeping Augustus safe. He… filled me in on your current situation." Hunter froze, but relaxed a little when he went on, "you're welcome to stay as long as you want."
Hunter hesitated, still holding his right hand for a moment. It was only when Gus offered an encouraging smile at the swift, nervous glance Hunter shot him, that he took the witch's hand. "… thank you," his voice was quiet, spoken genuine but anxiously. "I appreciate that, Mr. Porter."
Perry chuckled at that, shaking Hunter's hand firmly before pulling back. "Please, call me Perry." He turned away to look back at Gus, and Gus let his eyes linger on Hunter for a moment longer before looking away again, turning to open the door and head inside. "You two look exhausted. Hunter, I've already set up a place for you to sleep on the couch. Have either of you eaten yet?"
"I had a sandwich," Hunter offered. "I'm okay."
"That was hours ago," Gus chided. "It's dinnertime anyway. You also need to shower." He rubbed his eyes, turning back to them with a sigh. "Dad, could you make us a few sandwiches?"
Perry smiled amusedly at the two, shaking his head and heading for the kitchen. "You got it."
"Thanks." Gus turned back to Hunter and raised a hand, drawing a small spell circle to summon some clean clothes for Hunter. Hand-me-downs from his dad, things Gus couldn't fit into just yet but would be good enough for the older boy to wear until they could get something in his size. "Here." He offered the folded clothes to the blond, who took them carefully, then jerked his thumb toward the bathroom. "Bathroom's right there, shampoo and body wash are in the closet."
"Thanks," Hunter muttered, seemingly too tired to protest, and headed for the bathroom. Gus watched him go, then turned his attention to the pillows and blankets piled up onto the couch, and frowned. He knew the options were limited - there were only two bedrooms - but the idea of leaving Hunter down here in the night was… unpleasant. It set off so many warning bells in his mind. What if something happened? What if they'd been followed, or were being tracked? Hunter would be down here by himself and vulnerable while he slept, and Gus didn't like that. No, if anyone was coming for the guy then they'd have to fight Gus, too. He was going upstairs.
"Dad," he called over his shoulder. "I'm gonna set up a place for Hunter in my room. It's safer." There were no objections, just an 'okay', and Gus gathered the blankets and pillows up into his arms and headed upstairs, shouldering his door open and dropping everything on the floor for the moment so he could do a little bit of rearranging. He had an air mattress for whenever Willow came over for movie or reading nights, so it was just a matter of rolling that out of the closet and blowing it up, piling the blankets and pillows on top before heading back downstairs.
Hunter was still in the shower, but Perry was back in the living room with the sandwiches, two on each plate with some apple slices on the side. Gus sank down onto the couch, offering his father a grateful smile and rubbing his eyes again before taking his plate. Perry settled down in a chair adjacent to the couch, leaning forward and crossing his arms over his knees with a sigh.
"So. Hunter," his father's voice was quiet. "How much do you know about him?"
Gus paused mid-bite, glancing up at him. His dad rarely wore such a serious expression. Only when he was reporting something grim, or when he was talking to Gus about something dangerous. He was usually a pretty laid-back, calm, nice guy with a tendency to deflect to humor. But there was something dark in his eyes right then, something troubled, as his gaze flitted between Gus and the bathroom door. "Not much," he admitted quietly after a few seconds. "I know that he used to be the Golden Guard, and I know that he ran away from the Emperor's Coven and he's been hiding out at Hexside…" He trailed off, thinking. "But I don't know why. I mean, I… know why, but not what happened to change his mind about everything."
Maybe he should have let Hunter explain back at school… but they were both so exhausted, and the teen looked like he was getting overwhelmed, so Gus made an executive decision and got them both out of there himself. He was sure that whatever Hunter had to say about Belos was important, but surely it could wait at least another day. They had both been through a lot, and they both deserved a moment to rest, and gather their thoughts, before jumping back into it.
"The Golden Guard," Perry muttered. "A teenager is the… do you know how old he is?"
"Was," Gus corrected. "And… no. But I think he's around Willow's age. Maybe like, sixteen?" He finally took a bite, watching his father carefully, then swallowed. "But why? Is something wrong?"
Perry pursed his lips, eyes straying toward the bathroom door again. "I don't know." Once again, Gus paused mid-bite to turn his full attention to his dad, eyebrows furrowing slightly. Perry looked like he was ready to say more, but they both turned their heads back toward the bathroom when the water abruptly shut off. Perry let out a soft sigh, sparing Gus a small smile, and got up. "We'll talk about it tomorrow. Let me know if you need anything, okay?" He tousled his hair, leaning down to press a kiss to Gus' forehead, and the boy chuckled softly and nodded.
He sat back as his dad headed back upstairs, and turned his gaze toward the bathroom when the door opened and Hunter stepped out, shoving the dirty clothes and makeshift cape he'd been wearing into his bag. He looked somewhat better now, his hair was clean and the smudges of dirt and grime on his skin were gone. Weirdly, his skin being clean only made those circles under his eyes pop out more. For some reason, Gus pictured him trying to scrub them away. He shook his head slightly to dismiss the thought, and offered a small smile to his friend, beckoning him over to the couch and gesturing to the plate on the table. "Hey, tough guy. If you liked that sandwich I gave you, then you'll love these. My dad makes the best sandwiches ever."
Hunter didn't object, looking even more exhausted now as he made his way over and sank down onto the couch beside him. He was still wearing his gloves, Gus noted, and for some reason he couldn't help but think back to the way Hunter had gasped and flinched when he'd high-fived him. Was something wrong with his hands? He couldn't recall ever seeing him without the gloves before… the thought made a small frown tug at his lips, watching him grab the plate.
"I didn't get a chance to talk to him," the teen said suddenly, blinking down at the plate as he settled it in his lap and carefully curled his hands around one of the sandwiches, taking a bite.
Gus watched something like relief flit across his face, whisking every lingering flicker of negativity away in its wake, and quietly wondered over the pang he felt in his gut at the sight. "Don't worry. You'll get a chance to talk to him tomorrow." He took a deep breath and finished off his first sandwich, grabbing one of the apple slices instead and nibbling on it as he turned his attention back to the older boy. "The rules thing isn't that urgent. I don't think he has any rules." Hunter looked up at that, and Gus couldn't decipher the expression on his face, a mixture of shock and incredulity. Gus just blinked back at him as he added, "but this is a… special case… and I think he does want to talk to you about something so." He shrugged. "Who knows, really?"
"Right." Hunter's eyebrows furrowed, and that familiar fear was back in his eyes, just for a second, before it diminished again. He took another bite, chewing silently for a moment, and directed his gaze back to the plate. "... I really need to get back on my schedule." The words were sudden, but quiet, spoken mostly to himself. Gus' ears pricked to pick up on them anyway.
His ever-present curiosity was unyielding, even through his exhaustion. "Schedule?"
"Yeah…" Hunter seemed too tired, or maybe he was just more open, after everything they'd been through together, to act nearly as wary of his questions as he had been before, at first. Granted, this one was a little less harmless than asking why he'd run away from the Emperor's Coven. But Gus liked to think there was some sliver of trust between them now; it just made him feel a little better about the current situation, and moving forward. "Um… back in the… at the castle, we all had a pretty strict schedule. Or, I did, anyway. Most of the other scouts didn't really follow it like I did." Hunter cleared his throat. "I was kind of particular about it, I guess. I had to be on time for every meal, or…" Then why in the name of Titan are you so skinny? Gus marveled. What are they feeding you there? "Wake up or be asleep on time. I've kind of fallen out of it though. I don't know why, but the food here doesn't make me tired. I even tried some apple blood I found in the teacher's lounge and I'm pretty sure it had the opposite effect." He scrunched his nose up, then relaxed again. "It's hard to fall asleep now, so my schedule's just…"
That was… a lot. A lot more than he expected. Gus focused on his sandwich as he processed that, not wanting to be caught staring at Hunter lest the older boy assume the worst from his reaction. It wasn't bad, really, he was just a little caught off-guard. But… it wasn't too weird, huh? The first time they'd met, Hunter had been pretty talkative. He was quieter now, at the school, dodging and ignoring questions, closed off and afraid. But that didn't seem normal for him. This seemed normal for him, this talking, rambling. Gus wondered if he ever really had the chance to do that back at the castle, if he had any friends there who just sat and let him speak…
But he moved past that, to bigger concerns. Namely, the food and the sleeping thing. It genuinely shocked him that Hunter apparently didn't skip meals, that he actually slept. He was so skinny and those bags under his eyes were so prominent, it just didn't register fully for him. And he wanted to keep Hunter talking, to let him know it was okay, so he hesitantly prodded. "Y'know, I gotta admit I'm kind of surprised. You don't… look like you eat or sleep much at all."
"I told you," Hunter responded without looking up, brows furrowed in confusion. "I don't, now."
"No, I mean, even before," Gus explained, and Hunter's gaze finally shifted in his direction. "When we first met. You were still skinny and sleep-deprived back then - no offense - but you were still with the Emperor's Coven. It's weird to think you don't skip meals. And that you sleep."
Hunter continued to stare at him quizzically for a moment longer before something seemed to click, and his tired eyes widened in realization. "Oh. No, you misunderstood. I have to be on time for every meal and bedtime, but if I'm not on time - like if I'm on a mission and I can't eat or sleep - I do skip it, and just wait until the next time I'm supposed to do those things. And I, uh…" His gaze flickered, looking away. "I do skip a lot of meals. I'm usually too busy to make it on time and I can't eat unless it's time to eat, so… and half the time I'm up late researching- … so I don't really sleep either, I guess." A dry chuckle escaped his lips. "So you weren't completely wrong."
He wasn't wrong at all, actually. Another pang in his gut brought a grimace to Gus' face, and he was glad Hunter wasn't looking at him. Something else rang in his head, then, something Hunter had said and brushed over so casually that Gus had brushed over it, too; it smacked him in the face, hard, and made his stomach jolt with alarm, discomfort skittering up his spine and washing over him in waves, making his mouth run dry. "What… did you mean about the food…"
"Hm?"
"The food here not making you tired." Gus had to force the words out. "What did you mean?"
Hunter just blinked, once again looking back over at him bemusedly. "Exactly what it sounds like? The food here doesn't make me tired. Or maybe it's me, not the food," he commented idly. "Whatever it is. I usually get tired when I eat back at the castle. And Belos used to give me apple blood whenever I couldn't fall asleep." He looked back down. "... guess it's different here."
No, Gus blanched. No, what the heck? "Hunter, food isn't supposed to make you tired, and apple blood has caffeine in it, it- it's supposed to energize you. What exactly did you eat there?"
"For breakfast and lunch I usually just took something small from the kitchen. Belos had scouts bring dinner to my room at night after light's out." Hunter looked utterly, incredibly confused now. "But that was just most of the time. Like I said, I didn't usually have time to eat, or I forgot to…"
"No. No." Gus was really struggling to put this together, but his tired brain wouldn't rest. He shook his head and took a deep breath, setting the remnants of his apple slice down and turning his full attention to the teen beside him, who looked lost and now somewhat apprehensive as he regarded Gus with a mixture of confusion, concern and anxiety swirling in his eyes. "Listen, man. I don't know what it's like back at the castle but I do know that food isn't supposed to make you tired," he repeated himself firmly. "I mean, content, stomach-full, kinda sleepy-tired is one thing, but not tired-tired like you're implying. When I was little, my dad used to mix sleeping potions into my drinks so I could sleep at night - I had really bad insomnia. Are you sure that…?"
He watched the shift in Hunter's expression unfold, ever so slowly. A spark of anger, indignance, erupted across his face - then it was gone, smothered by something softer, confused, defeated.
Gus' heart sank. "Hunter."
"I don't know. That doesn't- why would he-" Hunter stopped, breathing out sharply through his teeth and emitting a soft, quiet whistle before silencing himself, directing his gaze away from Gus and choosing, instead, to let his eyes bounce precariously around the room, taking in nothing and everything all at once. "I- I don't know. I really don't know anymore, everything I thought I knew about him was just-" But it was a lie, "just a lie. He- said- he said it was normal-"
"Hunter," Gus repeated, heart sinking further. "It's not normal."
Hunter's expression cracked, giving way to heartbreak, betrayal. That was smothered, too.
Gus wondered for a second just what else Belos had managed to convince Hunter was normal, what else he needed to unlearn. This went deeper than Gus had initially realized and he was now starting to understand that look in his father's eyes, that unsettled, serious expression he'd worn. He was young, yes, but he was smart. Perry knew how smart he was, and while he usually tried to keep really, really serious stuff from him, he also didn't sugarcoat or dance around certain things or topics. Abuse was one of the topics they had spoken of, something that Gus had taken it upon himself to study. They'd had a few long, serious talks about it. Specifically child abuse. Perry spoke to him about what methods of disciplining or correcting a child's behavior were right and which were wrong (they spoke about this after Gus told him about detention with Mattholomule and Luz), and that had morphed into deeper discussions. Gus had so many questions and Perry answered each one, and Gus had continued to research the topic.
Through his exhaustion, through all the drama earlier, Gus hadn't thought anything of it. Hunter's fear toward Belos had seemed normal because everyone was afraid of the Emperor, right? But this, this ran deeper, this ran so much deeper. How deep? He didn't know and he was scared to find out. Maybe he couldn't make assumptions yet, about the nature of Hunter's relationship with the Emperor, but from everything he had gathered, everything Hunter implied…
It was just looking worse and worse, every sign was pointing toward abuse. His panic attacks, flinching when he was touched, tensing when adults got close to him. And this apparent- drugging, with the sleeping potions. Gus' spine crawled just thinking about that. Mother Titan…
He was in over his head, overwhelmed, but he didn't care. Hunter was his friend and Gus would deal with whatever was thrown at him. He was the smart one, he'd figure out how to deal with it.
For now, they needed sleep. Both of them. So he fell silent, letting them both settle again. Hunter continued to eat, and Gus followed suit after a moment. They finished at about the same time; Gus gathered their plates and took them to the kitchen, then led him up the stairs to his room. He hesitated for a moment on whether or not to leave his door open; he usually closed it and for security reasons he'd rather do so tonight, but he didn't want Hunter to feel trapped either, like he couldn't leave if he wanted to. Maybe it was better to ask. "D'you want this open?"
"I don't care." Hunter shrugged, looking around the room. "Oh, so this… that was your room."
"Yeah." Gus couldn't help but chuckle, shutting the door after a second though. At the very least, nobody would just be able to waltz right in and snatch Hunter. Gus would have the front door downstairs as a warning, and if that didn't work, he'd definitely wake up if he heard his own door open. This had been tested many times by his dad. He went over to check that the window was locked, while Hunter continued to survey his surroundings, making his way to the air mattress.
"Incredible," he murmured after some time, while Gus got himself situated in his own bed, relief flushing through his system the second he was able to sink into the mattress, wrapped up in his blanket and head buried in his pillow. "It's exactly like the illusion back at Hexside. Just from memory, too… not a single detail out of place." Hunter paused, nudging the air mattress with his foot before carefully climbing onto it, tensing slightly as it rocked a little. "Is- Is this thing stable?"
"Mhm." Gus closed his eyes. "And yeah, I really don't know how I did that."
"However you did it, it's impressive." There was a little more shuffling and then silence, as Hunter seemingly got comfortable. Gus smiled despite himself, pleased by the praise. He didn't know why, but coming from Hunter, it seemed like a lot. He didn't seem like the type to give out praise easily, to be so easily impressed - or at least to be open about it. "But, not surprising… your eyes were glowing. That's a sign of a powerful witch. Like the Captain," Hunter added, and Gus finally peeked one eye open, looking over at him curiously. Hunter's eyes were shut, laying back on the air mattress with his arms crossed under his head, his Palisman perched on his chest. Hunter himself wore a small smile, almost fond, as he spoke of Willow. "She's powerful too. You're both much more powerful than the Head Witches of the Plant and Illusion Covens."
"Yeah, no kidding." Gus chuckled a little. "Graye needed an amplifier and he still couldn't beat me." Hunter cracked a grin at that, and Gus watched it settle into something smaller, and softer.
Tomorrow, he decided, everything could be dealt with tomorrow.
"Goodnight, Hunter."
"'Night, Gus."