sheriffskid (sheriffskid) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2018-03-12 05:07:00 |
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Entry tags: | #october 2017, hunter, hunter x sebastian, ruby, sebastian |
Who: Hunter & Sebastian with cameo by Ruby
What: Follow-up
Where: Phone, then Moxie’s
When: Afternoon, Sunday 10/08
Status: Complete, part 1
Warning: Overbearing cuteness
Hunter woke up with a hangover, big surprise there, but at least his dad hadn't caught him drunk and he wasn't home now to notice how miserable Hunter was feeling. Hunter was young though and some food and a hot shower helped shake most of the gross feelings away. Most, not all. He felt really dumb sitting in his room, looking at the circle of salt around his bed. It wasn't the first day he did that and it seemed to be working a little but he still felt dumb. Grady hadn't come in to see it but it was only a matter of time and Hunter had no idea how to explain it. It was to keep Jen's snails out if they escaped? Worst excuse ever. It somehow felt double as dumb now that he was thinking about sending a snapchat to a cute guy, as if Sebastian could somehow pick up on the fact Hunter was sitting in a circle of salt like some paranoid lunatic and decide he didn't need to be chatting with crazy. It was nerve wracking enough to just send him a snap in the first place. They'd both been so drunk and while Hunter didn't feel like he'd mistaken Sebastian's interest it was very possible that the interest had faded away in the light of day.
He bravely took about fifteen pictures that he threw away instantly then finally settled on the sixteenth, deeming it acceptable. In it he had a sceptical smile and slightly narrowed eyes as he pointed at a random part of the screen. To that little spot he added some text reading, Remember me? before sending. He hoped it was cute and that Sebastian wasn't going to groan and have millions of regrets when he received it, but he'd never know what came of this unless he actually went through with it. Sending it felt like a punch in the gut and he flopped down on his bed and covered his face. Ugh he needed Mak there to cheer him on and calm him down.
Sebastian’s day had been fifty shades of weird, from waking up to realize he’d really and truly flirted with Hunter the night before to going to see Reagan Kelly with Sabrina. The first normal thing he did all day was collapse on his bed and stare at his backpack, willing whatever homework was within it to do itself. He couldn’t even remember if anything was due tomorrow and he couldn’t muster up the energy to care. Sleep was on his mind, but it was far too early, so he turned on the TV and started sketching, something to occupy his time while his mind ran around in circles.
He didn’t expect to hear from Hunter. He was hoping he did, but at the same time, what was he supposed to say? Would Hunter understand the situation Sebastian was in? He worried over it, but there was little he could do, not unless Hunter snapped him. When his phone finally did ding, he was sure it would be Greg texting to make fun of him for getting sick in the street the night before. Instead, there was Hunter, the picture brining a smile to Sebastian’s face as he read the words. Laying back on his bed, he took a quick picture in return, trying not to overthink it. Of course he replied, his number typed out below.
Hunter's phone chimed happily and he rolled onto his side and opened the message, grinning widely at the response. Was Sebastian on a bed? Yeah, it didn't get much more flirty than that. He quickly made note of his number and typed it into contacts before replaying the snap to make sure he'd gotten it right. Of course he had no clue what to say and he'd said Sebastian was supposed to text him first but now he had his number so it felt weird to just snap his own back at him. He bit his lip as he definitely did some overthinking and then sent a brief message to Sebastian's phone.
Promised you my number 😊
Sebastian wasn’t thinking about the order of things, or that he couldn’t text Hunter without his number, and he only realized it after he’d already sent his own. It left him waiting anxiously by his phone, hoping that wasn’t the end of it, when Hunter’s reply came in. He smiled, relaxing, his fingers dancing over the keys as he typed back a reply. You did! How are you feeling? Slept in I hope? He read it over three times, then his send. Hopefully that was an okay start.
Yeah wish I could have stayed longer though
The reply came easily this time and that was mostly because Sebastian was still being really nice, even if it was the next day and he probably wasn't drunk. Maybe he was, Hunter had no way of knowing and some people drank a lot. He regretted sending the message right away, thinking he should have added more to it so... Two messages in a row. That wasn't desperate or anything, was it?
Did you manage not to lose your crown? 😉
Sebastian had already started typing out a reply when the second text came through and he glanced towards the crown sitting on his desk. Though he’d worn it almost the entire evening, it was Hunter he thought of when he looked at it, as he’d been wearing it almost the entire time they talked. Me too. Maybe next time 😉 it made it home, safe and sound His foot bounced on the bed as he stared at his reply, then added a bit more. no one else was worthy of sharing it with. Hitting send, he closed his eyes and held his breath.
Hunter should have replied right away but he was honestly dumbfounded by Sebastian's text, staring at it for a good minute and grinning to himself. He didn't know how to answer that at all. Cocky? Teasing? Flattered? Laugh it off? Every time he thought he'd decided he ended up changing his mind and his heart was beating faster even if Sebastian wasn't in the room with him. How did people survive this, he wondered again, then finally typed Flatterer 😊.
What he really wanted to send was about a ton of emojis of varying amount of squee, but he barely knew Sebastian and there was something to be said for playing coy.
When Hunter didn’t answer right away, Sebastian opened his eyes to watch the little ‘...’ remain on the screen, disappear, then pop back up again. He groaned, rolling over on the bed to hide his head beneath the pillow. What was he thinking? Why was this so much easier with girls? Because it doesn’t mean anything with girls, his brain supplied. Finally his phone dinged signalling a reply and Sebastian bit his lip as he read it, relaxing. Okay. He could deal with that. Sometimes LOL he shot back, well aware that wasn’t a yes or a no. That made it easier. A little less risky.
Hunter was so much better at this when it was someone online, someone thousands of miles away and someone who didn't know who he really was. This? This was different, way harder and it made him feel a little stupid and weirdly young. Did he ask Sebastian directly or indirectly about being bi or gay? He could subtly suggest Sabrina's club and that he'd never seen him there, but even that felt super blatant. Consider me flattered 😊 he sent next and immediately after that I really needed that today tbh
Good 😉 Sebastian smiled, shooting back a reply. He pushed his pillow under his arms and made himself comfortable on his stomach, phone out in front of him as he typed. Why? What’s up? he asked, biting his lip. He knew he wasn’t supposed to talk about what Sabrina had told him, but… Hunter was involved. And at the same time, he didn’t feel like he could jump right in and say he knew what was happening. That felt weird, too, especially since he didn’t know exactly what was happening with Hunter.
Hunter didn't want to be a downer so even if everything that was wrong was something he could actually talk about, he wasn't sure he would. Bleary Sunday he texted back and he knew he came off as much more interesting on the phone than he did in person right now. The mystery of texts and all. It sure beat bruised and scared and sitting in a room messy with salt. Would Sebastian even talk to him if he knew what a freak he was becoming? He was getting worse than Jen and that was saying something. Do you have a car? he sent then before he had a chance to over think it.
Sebastian stared at the message for a moment, then decided not to press, not sure if Hunter would even want to talk about it. If it was him… he’d want to talk about it with Greg, not some guy he met at a party. Not that he could even talk to Greg about all of this. He hadn’t flipped out about the Ouija board, but Sebastian was sure that was because he didn’t know what was really going on. Before he could come up with something else to reply with, Hunter sent another message, this one easier to answer. Yeah, why? Want to get out of the house for a bit?
Yeah, wanna get ice cream or something?
Another text Hunter sent without allowing himself to think about it too hard. They were sober, at least he was, and it would be public but... he wanted to get out of the house and if Sebastian actually wanted to meet him that'd be amazing. Also terrifying but mostly amazing. It'd beat texting that was for sure as he couldn't really know what Sebastian meant with his texts when he couldn't see his face or what he was doing.
Seeing Hunter again, completely sober and outside a party, was far more intimidating than texting him. Sebastian swallowed hard, well aware that he’d put himself in this situation, but scared none the less. It felt super casual, but a little voice in his mind said it also felt like a date and fuck if that wasn’t the most wonderful and terrifying thing he could possibly imagine at the moment. But as much as it scared him, he bring himself to say no either. Yeah, that’d be fun 😊 he sent, then took a breath, remembering to breathe. Need a ride?
Hunter had half expected Sebastian to say he was busy so the reply surprised him and sent a nervous thrill through him. This was an epically dumb idea, probably, but maybe if it wasn't busy wherever they ended up they could actually talk.
Yeah 😊 32 Chambers RD do you know where it is? he texted back, glad he'd already showered and gotten himself presentable so he didn't have to go running around in a panic getting himself together.
Sebastian put his hands over his face and shook his head. He’d lost his mind. He was sure of it. But his heart was beating like he’d just run in a touchdown and he couldn’t stop himself from smiling. I do! Be there in 10? he shot back, then quickly rolled to his feet and began looking for his shoes. He was glad he’d forced himself out of bed that morning and actually made an attempt to be presentable for Sabrina, otherwise he’d be panicking now. Normally a day hungover was a day spent lounging in sweats.
Ten. That was way soon but that was probably a good thing. If Sebastian had said an hour Hunter probably would have spent that hour fixing his hair and then refixing his hair and then changing his clothes a million times and panicking the whole time. Ten minutes barely gave him time to regret this. I'll be ready! he sent back and shuffled off the bed. He might have to wear long-sleeved shirts for now but that didn't mean he had to be all shabby. Not that his hoodies were particularly shabby and Sebastian hadn't cared the night before but... They'd been drunk so... Yup, even ten minutes was too long as he was already thinking too much so he tried to just move without thinking. Grab a red sweatshirt from the closet, check his face in the mirror real quick, make sure the lights were turned off before leaving, go wait in the foyer and don't think too much.
Ten minutes was just short of the time Sebastian thought he needed to get there, giving him no time to second guess himself, change clothes, or do anything more than grab his keys and hop in the car. A henley, jeans, and his letter jacket would have to do. He turned up the music as soon as he was in the car, trying not to think too much, otherwise he knew he’d freak out. This was… date-like. What if people saw? What would people think? But then unless he or Hunter actually made some kind of a move on each other, how was it all that different from hanging out with one of the guys? Could people really tell? His mind spun around. Last night it was definitely different, but if people had seen them he didn’t know yet. He wouldn’t know till school tomorrow and he didn’t even want to think about what that could mean for him. He wanted to think about sitting and really talking with Hunter. And ice cream. Ice cream was a nice bonus. Before he knew it, he was pulling up in front of Hunter’s house, his hair a complete mess from the wind. He should’ve put the top up, but it was such a nice day and the wind always calmed him.
Hunter stepped out as soon as he saw Sebastian pull up. Normally he might have waited a bit to not seem too eager but he was desperate to get out of the house. Things just weren't getting any better and being there alone was starting to drain his will to live. But there was Sebastian in a flashy car with ruffled hair and he looked so good it made Hunter's stomach do a little flip thing. He smiled shyly at him as he walked to the car and got in, settling into the comfortable seat. "Should've known you had a flashy car," he teased and god it was weird seeing him again. In brought daylight no less.
Sebastian turned down the music and resisted the urge to play with his hair as Hunter made his way to the car. This was really happening. He was really doing this. And Hunter looked just as good as he had last night, something he hadn’t even worried about until he realized how drunk he had been. What if he’d had major beer goggles? He was pleased to see that wasn’t the case, that things were just as he remembered them, even if it made him all kinds of nervous. “It’s not that flashy,” he said, a touch embarrassed. “But it is fun. I’m not complaining.” His parents had money. He knew he was lucky. He tried not to show it off, but when it came to his car… that was one very large exception.
"It's flashy," Hunter corrected him with a growing smile. It was easier to tease and joke around than to be serious right now but he still tacked on a heartfelt, "I like it." He didn't know how it fared when the snow came but Sebastian had lived there all his life so Hunter wasn't going to question it. "Thanks for coming to get me, my sister has the car." It made him think he should probably get a job and start saving up for a car of his own but he really didn't want to yet. He wanted to be carefree and... Well, that wasn't a possibility anymore, was it? He might as well get a job and not be alone so much.
“Thanks,” Sebastian said with a blush and a little laugh. He was so out of his element here. Why couldn’t he be cocky like he was with Greg? It was probably a bad comparison. He didn’t actually want to treat Hunter like a brother. “Not a problem. What kind of car do you have?” Share? They probably shared. He’d have been in the same situation if his brother wasn’t so much older than him and away at college. He knew the car was a gift, but it also got them out of picking him up from football practices and football games. And his parents cared way too much about his social life. They wanted him out of the house, doing things, but didn’t want to give him their cars to do them. “How’s Moxie’s sound?” he asked as he pulled away from Hunter’s house.
"Not my car, my dad's truck," Hunter said softly and he didn't often feel like that was kinda lame, but it was hard not to when he was with a cute guy who owned his own car. "Moxie's is great, they have the best ice cream," he added, happy for the change in subject. "What's your favorite flavor?" It felt like a lame question as soon as he'd asked it. What next? Favorite color? Favorite animal? It was hard to play it cool when he felt a little tongue-tied and awestruck sitting next to a really hot guy. He glanced over at Sebastian with a little grin then turned to watch the scenery go by, reminding himself to breathe.
Sebastian didn’t necessarily care whose car it was. Technically, this was his parent’s car, not his, at least according to the papers. He certainly hadn’t paid for it. “Chocolate. Or mint chocolate chip. Unless they have a seasonal flavor like pumpkin. I’ll pretty much eat anything pumpkin,” Sebastian smiled, not minding the question at all, though there wasn’t an easy lead in to something else. “Yours?” He asked, curious. With the radio playing in the background, he found himself nodding his head to the beat, trying to think what else he could ask that wouldn’t seem completely out of left field. “So, where did you move here from?” Still out of nowhere, but completely reasonable, or so he thought.
"Mint," Hunter agreed though he also agreed most ice cream tasted amazing and he wasn't terribly picky. Unless it was like orange or something that totally didn't go with ice cream in his opinion. "Portland," he said then in reply to the second question. "My dad moved here a few years ago so I've been coming here in the summer." It wasn't the conversation he wanted to be having, there were so many questions in his head that he didn't even know how to ask or if he could ask and it felt like they were all thrumming inside him wanting to come out. "Have you always lived here?"
“Big city,” Sebastian said with a little smile. He wondered what that would be like, to go from somewhere like Portland to Point Pleasant. It had to suck. He wanted to ask why he’d come to live with his dad, but that seemed so much more personal, not like favorite ice cream flavors. He nodded, trying to watch Hunter out of the corner of his eye as he made his way to Moxies. It would be so much easier to talk to him once they were out of the car. “My family’s been here for, like, centuries. Which is cool, but some days I wish everyone didn’t know me from all the way back to kindergarten, you know?”
"Compared to here," Hunter said with a little laugh. "The population is only like sixty something thousand or something. You keep running into the same people there too." Especially when you went to school with kids from your neighborhood, but maybe Hunter's world had just been small. "I like it here though, my dad is from here and my best friend lives here and everyone's been really cool. I thought maybe it would be like a big deal, you know? Me being gay, but it's like nobody cares." So maybe he put that out there as a reminder and maybe he subtly watched Sebastian for his reaction to the gay thing.
“Small town, small school,” Sebastian nodded. He ran into people he knew everywhere he went. Their parents all knew each other; some had even grown up together as well. Sebastian bit his lip at the mention of Hunter being gay, something he knew, that everyone knew, and he tried to pinpoint why it felt different. “They’ve never known you as anything else,” he said softly. He knew there was probably a point where Hunter had been in a similar situation, but moving to Point Pleasant was a fresh start in a way. “Who’s your best friend?” he asked curiously, glad to be turning into Moxie’s parking lot. It was hard to focus when his mind was spinning as fast as it was.
Hunter knew exactly what Sebastian was saying now and it was funny how it clicked into place and he suddenly didn't doubt his perception anymore. Sebastian was gay - or bi, Hunter knew now to be more inclusive - and he couldn't come out because he was a certain type of guy with a certain type of life. Hunter decided not to poke him about it for now. It was probably pretty huge just going out for ice cream with an openly gay guy without getting uncomfortable questions too. "Makayla Richberg," he said instead to answer his question and then smiled with a bit of amusement. "And not just 'cause she's like the other openly gay kid at school."
While he hadn’t said it, that was about as close as Sebastian had ever come to admitting he was gay to anyone, ever. He knew Hunter wouldn’t judge, at least not for that, but it was still huge for Sebastian. And an even bigger deal for him to be getting ice cream with Hunter. It made his hands grip the steering wheel a little tighter, forcing himself to let go so he could put the car in park. He’d never been so nervous about anything in his life. “I like Mak,” Sebastian smiled, looking over at Hunter now that he could without worrying about wrecking the car. “She tutors me in science sometimes. And math. Super smart. Puts up with me when I’m being an idiot.” And one of the other people Sabrina had mentioned in relation to the Ouija board, he noted. It was something he wanted to ask Hunter about, but that seemed like an even more sensitive topic than his sexuality.
It was always a good thing when a guy you liked actually liked your friends and hearing Sebastian praise Mak made Hunter pretty happy. "She is," he agreed. "Like way smart but also really funny. She's one of the few girls who've ever made me like question whether I'm totally gay." He laughed, unsure why he'd even told Sebastian that. Sure, he'd had a confusing little crush on Mak for a long time now but he was pretty sure it was just a platonic friend-crush since he couldn't imagine doing anything sexual with her. He glanced over at Moxie's and then back at Sebastian. "Let's go treat ourselves." It beat asking if Sebastian was ready. It wasn't like getting ice cream was some grand gesture, but it kind of felt like it anyway.
Sebastian laughed at that, finding something comforting about it, even if Hunter was just teasing. He’d tried dating so many girls, girls he really liked, hoping they might spark something in him. While he was sure if they tried hard enough they could get a reaction, he just didn’t feel it. He’d learned that he could adore someone and still not be attracted to them, no matter how hard he tried. He thought about saying more, asking other questions since they were on the topic, but instead he nodded, taking a deep breath. “Let’s do that,” he said, and turned off the car so they could move the conversation to inside. Nothing said they couldn’t pick it up there.
Hunter tried his very best to act casual as they walked in. This wasn't a gay thing, they were just hanging out like buddies because gay guys totally had straight friends too. He had lots of straight friends! This wasn't any different. Except it was and he felt like everyone could see it in their faces. Maybe a small part of him wanted them to but Sebastian wasn't out and Hunter wasn't going to be the one to out him. His stomach sank a little when he saw Ruby Fox was working. She went to school with them and she'd apparently clashed with Jules the night before, he remembered that much. He also remembered how absolutely preoccupied he'd been with Sebastian so he hadn't noticed it at all.
Ruby looked up when the boys entered, dropping her phone back in her apron pocket to go attend to them. “Hey Bastian,” she smiled at him, then Hunter. “Hunter, right? Booth or counter?” she asked.
It made Sebastian nervous to see another student working, but in terms of those who gossiped he considered Ruby to be a little less dangerous than if, say, Jules was sitting at a booth. She was another Point Pleasant lifer, one he wasn’t really close to, but had never really had issues with either. “Booth,” he answered with a little smile.
“Help yourself,” Ruby said. “I’ll be with you guys in a few. I just need to get their orders,” she said, nodding to a rowdy bunch of middle schoolers in the corner.
Sebastian took them in the opposite direction, picking a corner booth. He started to sit, then looked at Hunter. “Is this okay?” He’d been with people that were very specific on where they wanted to sit and belatedly realized he hadn’t even asked.
Hunter would have been happy sitting on the floor at this point, but he wasn't about to tell Sebastian that. Instead he grinned a little and nodded. "It's good." It was good too, a nice location that wasn't too close to everyone else. Not quiet by any means but they weren't likely to be overheard by anyone unless they ventured closer and it was easy to spot anyone who tried to do so. He sat down and once again was reminded how unnatural it felt to wear a hoodie when it wasn't that cold out yet. He just wanted to take it off and sit there in his t-shirt while they had their ice cream but no... The last thing he wanted was for Sebastian - and Ruby - to think he was being beaten up at home or something. "So..." he started hesitantly, unsure if he should broach the subject or not. "Does anyone... know?"
Sebastian slid into the booth, his fingers drumming lightly on the table top until Hunter spoke. He froze for a second, biting his lip as he looked across at him. He knew this question would come up, or something like it, but he hadn’t known what he would say until that moment. “You?” he said, giving Hunter the tiniest of smiles. “I had it in my head that I could wait till college, but… then that started to feel so far off. Then it was graduation. Lately I’ve thought, if I can just make it through football season,” he said with a little laugh that lacked humor. “The locker room ’s already a pain in the ass. I can’t even imagine trying to get through it with them knowing.” He licked his lips, then took a breath to try and calm his heart. “I don’t… I don’t know how, you know?”
He wasn't denying it and Hunter smiled at him, partially happy and partially with sympathy. It would have been weird if he denied it but Hunter had seen weirder so he was just happy Sebastian wasn't being a dick about it. Not that he seemed like he'd be a dick about anything, the guy was like a ray of sunshine embodiment. He had to laugh at the locker room comment because yes, he was intimately aware of that particular problem even when he hadn't been that attracted to anyone on his team. They were still guys and they were still getting naked and playing around and being idiots. It was hot in the most annoying way. "Who's gonna be a problem?" he asked since that was usually the reason people didn't come out of the closet. Parents, teachers, friends. There was a lot to lose if you weren't sure how people would react.
It felt so good for Sebastian to talk about it, to talk with someone, anyone, but especially Hunter because he thought he understood, but also because he liked him. Until now, it had all been in his head, circling around the same fears, the same insecurities, over and over with no new input, always coming to the same conclusion that he should wait. Because why not? What he had to gain felt small compared to what he had to lose, but lately the weight was shifting, making the decision harder, yet it still hadn’t been enough. “My parents,” he said immediately, then, “Friends. Not all of them, but it’s hard to tell sometimes. Like, Greg will either be perfectly fine with it and wonder why I didn’t tell him sooner, or he’ll flip out. I’m closer to him than I am my own brother, so…” He sighed, running his hand through his hair. “I’ve got a number of exes who might not be all that impressed, but probably not surprised either.”
Hunter supposed he'd been lucky in that regard. He'd always been a bit queer and he'd always had friends who didn't give a shit one way or the other. He'd come out by accident to his mother because he assumed she already knew. Coming out to his dad had been more nerve wracking but not because he thought he'd be mad or disown him or anything, he'd just worried he'd be disappointed. Disappointment could cut pretty deep. This sounded like a much bigger deal and he had no real good advice. Mak would be better at this, he thought. He just wanted to sit and stare at Sebastian and eat ice cream and have a cute date. He felt a little shallow at that but he didn't think anyone could really blame him. "Are your parents like... completely homophobic?" he asked and wrinkled his nose a little.
“They’re pretty conservative. And my dad… kind of, yeah,” Sebastian said, looking down at the table. “My mom, she… she’s got this obsession with the way things should be. Appearances are super important to her. This would be… I dunno. My brain comes up with the worst possible scenarios. Like them throwing me out or disowning me or something. And I know I’m probably being super dramatic, but it’s the unknown that kills me, you know? And at the same time, I don’t think I can keep this up much longer.” He gave Hunter a little smile, noting that Ruby had finished with the other group and was about to head their way. “I’m not sure I want to,” he told him softly.
Hunter was about to speak when Ruby came walking over and he pushed away his thoughts and leaned back in his seat, giving her a smile. "Hi, Ruby, right?" Yeah, he knew her name. He knew a lot of names but some were easier to remember than others. Like 'the girl who was fighting Jules Cooper', not that Hunter was judging. He had no idea what had gone on with the two girls and Jules hadn't exactly sent out a memo to everyone to shun Ruby. "I think we're just having ice cream, chocolate mint for me."
Ruby had been slow to make her way over to Sebastian and Hunter because it looked like they were having some kind of serious conversation, but she also didn’t want them to think she was ignoring them. For all she knew they were having a serious conversation about what was taking her so damn long! Fortunately, Hunter smiled at her and didn’t seem all that put off for the delay. “Yep!” she smiled. “Ice cream it is. Bastian?” she asked as she wrote down Hunter’s order.
“Same for me,” Sebastian said, then caught himself. “Unless you have pumpkin. Do you have pumpkin?” It was October. It felt like a reasonable question. There was pumpkin everything else, so why not ask?
“One chocolate mint and one pumpkin,” Ruby smiling, scribbling down Sebastian’s order before dropping her notepad in her pocket. “I’ll be back in a few. Thanks for waiting, guys.”
“No problem,” Sebastian smiled, waiting till she had stepped away before refocusing on Hunter. “I’m sorry. I know this is probably the last thing you want to talk about. I know it’s, like, super heavy and not at all fun.” Last night had been fun, but today he felt like a downer. That really wasn’t how he wanted Hunter, or anyone, to see him.
Hunter had worried he would be the one who was a downer and talking about this at least felt normal, even if it was a little sad. He thought he could totally be Sebastian's secret boyfriend and help him get through the winter in the closet and it was one of those unrealistically happy fantasies he liked to indulge in. "You're not a downer," he murmured, resting his arms on the table. "Your parents are a downer though and if your best friend flips out on you for ... this, then he's a downer too."
“Greg’s kind of a wild card,” Sebastian said, his lips ticking up before he laughed softly. “He’s always a wild card. And sometimes he surprises me. Like--” He stopped mid-sentence, realizing where he was going with that, that he could tell Hunter, but also that Hunter would be completely thrown off by him knowing. “So… um… this is weird. Well, everything’s weird. I mean… so…” He bit his lip, studying Hunter for a second before pushing forward. “A few nights ago, I helped Sabrina return a Ouija board to a shop.”
This was the opposite of normal and Hunter went a bit pale at the mention of the damn board. He dearly wished he was one of those cool guys he sometimes pretended to be, someone who could keep his poker face on and pretend nothing was wrong but then the mere mention of the board had his heart beating faster and the blood drain from his face just like that. Mak had told him about Sabrina's attempts and how it had shown up in her room again. They really were cursed and now Sebastian was involved somehow. "That was you?" he said quietly and whatever connection Sebastian had been about to make to Greg was forgotten. He didn't look like he was amused by this at all and Hunter had to wonder just how much Sabrina had told him.
Sebastian immediately felt bad for saying anything about it when Hunter’s demeanor changed. His hand slid over to grab Hunter’s, giving it a squeeze before he could even think about it. “Hey, we don’t have to talk about it. I’m not-- I’m not even sure where my brain was going. But we got something for you. I mean, Sabrina did, this morning. It should help.” It had to help. He couldn’t bare to see Hunter looking the way he did. Scared. It reminded him of Sabrina, the look in her eyes the night she’d been trying to return the Ouija board. “I’m sorry,” he said softly.
Scared or not, suddenly having Sebastian's hand on his made Hunter's heart skip a beat and he glanced down at them as he tried to remember how to breathe. It was definitely a weird mix of feelings ranging from fear to mild embarrassment to some variation of 'omg Sebastian McCarthy is legit holding my fucking hand'. "It's okay," he said hesitantly, unsure how to talk about this because it looked like Sebastian actually believed them. He wasn't sure he would believe it if it wasn't actually happening to him so he wasn't sure what to make of it. "What did you get?" he asked since he didn't know what else to ask. 'You believe us? You don't think we're crazy? Has something like that happened to you?' They were all dumb questions, unless you were actually being haunted by some demonic entity.
When Sebastian realized what he was doing, his nerves shot up and his grip loosened, but he didn’t pull away. Instead his fingers tapped lightly on Hunter’s knuckles, a nervous tick he couldn’t seem to stop. “Hex bags,” he said. “They should work better than the salt. Please tell me she told you about the salt.” He knew it was messy, but it was better than nothing. Of course, if his mom came in and found a ring of salt around his bed, he’d be grounded for a month. Hopefully he’d be able to make all of them hex bags soon enough. But would that mean they all would know what he was? It was weird to think of so many people knowing, people he wasn’t close to and wasn’t completely sure he trusted. But then, he trusted Hunter more than Sabrina and she was the one who knew everything.
Hunter had to laugh, though it was more of a huff and a smile really. "She told me about the salt," he said with a nod and since it was probably weird that he'd laugh suddenly he had to explain what was funny. "It feels really stupid, by the way. To have salt around your bed. I keep waiting for my dad to walk in and just..." He trailed off and pulled a face that was all too familiar to him, his dad's double take and quiet disbelief. God, they needed to fix this and they needed to fix it before Grady ever found out. "I can't believe you're the one who told her about the salt... How do you know all this?" Because the salt had worked. Hunter was still having nightmares but he wasn't waking up with fresh bruises.
Sebastian relaxed, giving Hunter’s hand a little squeeze as he smiled. “I know, but it works and that’s what matters, right? The hex bag should replace the salt though, so you can clean up that mess once you get it.” And if Sabrina didn’t get it to him today, then Sebastian would go by her house and get it from her to give to him. He shouldn’t have to spend another night dealing with salt and demons haunting his sleep. “Um… I could tell you, but I really like you and I don’t want you to think I’m a freak,” he said with half a laugh. “Did Sabrina tell you where we went this morning? Or that she was getting anything? Or…” His words drifted off and he looked down, trying to decide what to say. “This is… kind of a bigger secret than my other one. If that can be possible.”
Just a month ago Hunter might indeed have thought he was a freak. He might have let it slide because Sebastian was really hot and when a guy was really hot being a bit of a freak wasn't a huge deal breaker but still... A freak. Now though? Now Hunter was the freak and he couldn't imagine what kind of secret Sebastian had could be worse than being haunted because of an actual ouija board. It was so stupid and he'd have rolled his eyes at the mere thought of it if it wasn't real and absolutely terrifying. "So, more of a freak than someone sleeping in a circle of salt?" he asked skeptically and the fact Sebastian was still holding his hand was somehow relaxing and nerve wracking all at once.
“Yeah,” Sebastian answered, but a smile tugged at his lips. “I’m the one that suggested it, remember?” He was about to say more when Ruby returned with their ice cream, her eyes dropping to where Sebastian’s hand rested on top of Hunters. She raised a brow and Sebastian felt his face heat up in response, his hand shrinking away in response until she clicked her tongue at him.
“Don’t stop on account of me,” Ruby smirked, setting the ice cream down in front of each of them. “Need anything else?”
“Water,” Sebastian answered, his mouth suddenly dry, his finger tips resting against Hunter’s.
“Sure, babe,” Ruby answered, quickly filling two glasses for them. Then she gave Hunter a little wink and turned away. “Yell if you need me, boys!”
Hunter almost told her it wasn't what it looked like but that was a line that was intensely cliché and reminded him of actual sex happening so he just clamped down and looked at her with a rabbit in the headlights look before shifting said look over to Sebastian. "She's not-" he started when Ruby had left. "You think she'll talk?" It didn't matter for Hunter's sake, but the last thing he wanted was to get Sebastian in trouble. It was a stupid question since they hadn't really been doing anything. Sebastian just felt bad for him and held his hand, that was all that was, right? It was totally normal to hold the hand of someone when they were super messed up.
“I dunno,” Sebastian answered softly, eventually tearing his eyes away from Ruby to look back at Hunter. “I’ve never been able to get a read on her.” She was different. A weird girl that wasn’t as weird as people said she was, or at least not for the reasons they thought, in his opinion. “I can’t really stop her if she does,” he said, swallowing hard. He took a sip of water with his free hand, then picked up his spoon. “I’m sorry. What were we talking about?” He wasn't normally this flighty, but there was a lot going on and he felt like he was all over the place.
Hunter would lie for Sebastian if he asked him to. Like his grandmother just died and Sebastian was sad for him and people were overreacting. He could do that. Of course he'd have to come up with some other sob story or get Jen onboard or she might blow his cover because she wasn't mourning any grandmother. Then Sebastian asked what they'd been talking about and he took a few seconds to remember. "Salt," he then said. He'd been sitting in a circle of salt when talking to a guy and feeling dumb about it only to find out said guy had suggested it. That definitely put a new spin on things. "And we were about to eat ice cream."
“Oh yeah,” Sebastian said with a breathless little laugh. That. That thing he knew about. He turned his hand over, slipping his fingertips just under Hunter’s. Something about that amazed him. That he could do it at all without exploding. Ruby might talk. Hell, at least a dozen people at the party might talk. But Hunter was letting him hold his hand and for the moment that made it worth it. “I’m a witch,” he said, his eyes moving from their linked hands to Hunter’s eyes. “A rather useless one, but… I know things.” Knowledge was power, but at the moment he was pretty sure Hunter held all the cards, even if he didn’t know it. Everything was spilled out on the table, every piece of him that he needed to keep a secret or hidden for two very different reasons. It felt a bit like he’d been stripped bare and was waiting for a splash of ice cold water, not sure when or if it would hit.
Hunter was pretty distracted by the way Sebastian moved his hand against his and he might not have even cared about what they were talking about if the topics hadn't been so heavy so far. He was watching Sebastian's hand, and God he had nice hands, when Sebastian made his confession and Hunter's eyes went a little wider. Normally he'd roll his eyes so hard and figure Sebastian was either joking or crazy but... He had no ground to stand on when it came to being skeptical. Not anymore. "A for real..." He trailed off. Jen was pretty obsessed with witches but Hunter didn't know the first thing about them. Just media things, Hocus Pocus and Charmed, shit like that. A guy like Sebastian was definitely not something that would come to mind when witches were mentioned. "How does that even work?"
“For real,” Sebastian said, giving Hunter a little smile. Releasing his hand, he slowly ran a finger down the side of Hunter’s water glass. He could feel the condensation beginning to chill the outside and, if he focused, he could almost feel the water inside the glass, the ice floating, the water still…until it started to move. As he watched, a little whirlpool took shape, sloshing the water around in a circle until he pulled his hand away. His eyes moved back to Hunter's, nervously watching for his reaction. “It’s an inherited thing. It runs in my family. Except my parents are kind of nuts about us not learning, so I can’t do much.”
Hunter leaned back in his seat, staring with wide eyes at the display in front of him. Then Sebastian was talking, but how was he supposed to focus on conversation right now when the guy who had just been holding his hand was literally making magic right in front of him. "Holy shit," he whispered and his eyes ticked to Sebastian for a beat before going back to the glass in front of him. The water was still again, but that had been real. Funny how a couple of weeks ago he would have been absolutely certain there was a trick involved, that Sebastian was making a fool out of him somehow. Now though, he believed what he saw. "Can you... Can you do that again?" he asked, still wide-eyed with wonder. "Is it hard?"
The wonder in Hunter’s expression brought a smile to Sebastian’s face, so incredibly relieved that there didn’t seem to be fear. He knew that was the issue, that people feared witches, which was what started witch hunts in the first place, but he knew so little that there was nothing to be afraid of when it came to him. And besides, Hunter had nothing to fear because it was him. “Yeah,” Sebastian said softly, glancing around to make sure no one was watching. His finger touched the glass again and the water began to swirl. “Not this, no. I just have to focus on it. But it’s really the only thing that comes naturally to me. I tried to heat it up once and blew it up instead.”
Hunter wasn't scared because he hadn't had time to think it through and he wasn't nearly as morbid as his sister who'd likely be pointing out that humans were on average 70% water and if Sebastian could blow up a glass... Hunter's mind didn't even go there. There was a tiny whirlpool in his glass of water and it was amazing. "Holy shit," he whispered again, then laughed a little. "Don't blow up my glass, please." He looked up at Sebastian again and grinned. It was hard to even imagine being afraid of him, he had such an honest face and sweet demeanor, Hunter didn't think he could hurt anyone unless it was an accident. "That's really cool," he mumbled though he had a feeling that this would sink in more later and blow his mind. Magic was real, demons were real, ghosts were real, nightmares could hurt you, salt had magical properties... It was a lot to take in all at once.
“I wouldn’t,” Sebastian said with a little laugh, drawing his finger away from the glass and letting it settle again. “I wouldn’t experiment with something where it could hurt someone. I barely do as it is. I know there’s something to the four elements, but water ’s the only one I feel a strong connection to.” It would take practice, most likely. And someone telling him what more to do than focus. Reagan wasn’t making a living by swirling water around, that was for sure. “Thanks though,” he said, foot giving Hunter’s a little nudge beneath the table. “I’ve never shown anyone before. I’m glad you think it’s cool.” It made him feel all warm inside, happy in a way he hadn’t even imagined.
Well that just made it about fifty times more special and Hunter grinned despite himself. "Bet you say that to all the girls," he said coyly and picked up the glass to look at the water more closely. "Is it still just... water?" he asked and wondered if it would taste different or if it was safe to drink. It was probably a stupid question, but given that they were actually discussing magic he thought he was entitled some stupid questions.
“Only the pretty ones,” Sebastian grinned back at Hunter. He was so incredibly cute that Sebastian was having a hard time believing he’d want to be there with him, like this. Whatever this was, it was good. “Should be. If I’ve somehow changed it, that would be something new. I normally do it in the bath,” he snickered. There was something amazing about it, and fun. It’d be a party trick if only he could share it.
Hunter covered his mouth as he sputter-laughed at the mental image of Sebastian making little whirlpools in his bath. It was cute but also stupidly hot but he was just going to try to focus on the cute part. "Can you make like... jet stuff? Like in hot tubs?" he asked and holy shit that would be awesome, getting a water massage in a normal bathtub? Kick.Ass.
That was enough to make Sebastian laugh aloud and he shook his head. “I haven’t tried. I’m sure I’d make a mess of the bathroom, even if I was successful, but now you’ve got me curious. Maybe next time my parents are out of town.” That way if he destroyed the bathroom he had time to come up with a decent lie as to how it happened.
Hunter almost quipped that Sebastian should invite him when he did it, but flirting in person was very different from flirting online so he just grinned and then tried sipping the water. It didn't taste like anything other than icey water, but it still made him feel a little brave to actually drink it. He grabbed his spoon and took a bite of his ice cream, looking at Sebastian again with a little smile. He had no idea what this was either but he liked it and it was a nice reprieve from being sad and afraid. "You said it runs in your family," he said softly. "Are there like... lots of people like you?" That really would explain some of the weirder magicians out there, maybe they were the real deal.
While he didn’t expect it to matter, Sebastian felt like Hunter’s willingness to drink the water was a sign of trust. He believed him, and that mattered so much it almost hurt. He picked up his spoon, taking a bite of ice cream, head bouncing side to side. “I don’t think there’s lots? Like, if it was one in five everyone would know. Maybe it’s more like… I dunno, one in fifty? I suck at math,” he smiled. “And even though it’s inherited, not everyone gets it. Like… Did you read Harry Potter? It’s like there’s squibs.” It was probably a horrible comparison and brought to mind cloaks and wands and all the things he knew witches weren’t, but that one little thing stood out as true.
Hunter nodded because of course he had read Harry Potter. Everyone had read Harry Potter, even people who didn't normally like to read. They had all grown up on those books and even if he hadn't read it he'd know enough about it through cultural osmosis to know what Sebastian meant. "So you're like the one magician who didn't get his invite to Hogwarts even if you should have gone?" That made Hunter a muggle and the thought was kind of depressing. He'd always fancied himself as some sort of Gryffindor/Slytherin mix, but now there were real witches in the world and he was not one of them. His sister's lamentations suddenly made a lot more sense.