Like Real People Do (GOLDRIC)

6

Hunter cannot begin to fathom why he agreed to this. Why he agreed to anything with the guidance of Edric-fucking-blight. He can't even justify it to himself why he decided to be friends with him, he doesn't even know the reason.

Friends.

That didn't sound right. The Golden Guard doesn't have friends. Most of the scouts were friends with each other, or sometimes they still were friends with people outside the coven. But Hunter? Someone of his level has more important things to worry about. Friends make you weak and Hunter is weak enough as is.

Lilith Clawthorne was always trying to best him before her betrayal, looking for every chance to prove he was really just a child. Kikimora is no different. Most of the scouts don't bother with him, he's too young, too serious, and at the same time somehow too old. He was born and raised in the emperor's coven, his eyes have seen hundreds of lives end, his eyes have seen blood and gore and it has made him about twenty years older than his body.

Edric is somehow different.

Edric Blight cracked his lock before he could even see that he was there, smiling like a fool and swinging the broken lock around his finger as if it were entirely a game. Maybe Hunter made it too easy, maybe he fell for whatever trick this boy was setting up. Blight's are sneaky , he reminds himself.

A sharp blow of wind drifts behind him, and he can feel the presence of someone, just out of his peripheral. The corner of his lip twitches upwards.

"Boo-!" Edric says, hand reaching for his shoulder. Hunter cuts him off, swiftly reaching behind him, taking his wrist and flipping him easily over his shoulder, but grabs him again before his back hits the ground. Edric's feet are planted into the ground, but it's Hunter's grasp keeping him from falling.

Edric looks dazily up at him, blinking with surprise. Hunter smiles like he's about to laugh, then let's go, Edric shouldering the ground with a " Oof!"

"Show off," Edric groans and sits up, rubbing where he hit the ground.

Hunter fights a snort and offers a hand, pulling Edric up to his feet. "If I were anyone else, you'd be actually hurt. Or arrested. You should learn to defend yourself better."

Ed shrugs, indifferent. "I'm done with the night market. What would I need to defend myself from?"

Hunter looks at him a little confusedly, like it hadn't occurred to him Edric didn't need to know protection. He catches himself staring and looks away, letting his back fall against the alley wall. "I'm just saying. Peace is temporary and things are changing, fast. Magic won't always save your ass, it's good to know how to fight."

"I think I'm pretty good at fighting, you just caught me by surprise is all," Edric flicks Hunter's forehead with a smirk, and Hunter returns him an unimpressed look.

Hunter goes to say something else, but decides against it, instead focusing on the task at hand. "We doing this or not?" He motions to the exit of the alley. "This was your idea, anyways."

"You did come to me, though," Edric says with a sort of triumph. "You wanted recruits for the emperor's coven, so I'm humoring you."

"What does that mean?"

"Your plan won't work," Edric tells him. "But sneaking you into school is probably the most incredible idea I've ever had and I'll never pass up an opportunity to have fun."

"You think this is... fun?"

"Hell yeah!" Edric beams, clasping his shoulder. Hunter tenses, but then relaxes under his hand, feeling the familiar electric warmth that he learned was always familiar with Edric. "Just uh- let's pretend we haven't met. In case you get found out, you know what I mean?"

Hunter nods as they continue out of the alley-way, toward the direction of the school.

"And if you see Luz or Amity-"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll steer clear. Did you get the uniform?"

"Right here," Edric circles his finger and a bundle of clothing drops into his hands out of a ring of light. He tosses it into Hunter's face, looking amused. "They only had spare potions track, so roll with it. Act like you enjoy potions or something."

"Great," Hunter unfurls it and grins. "If I can do this, Darius will give me my cloak back! My respect back!"

Edric huffs through a smile. "You really think anyone at Hexside will wanna join? The emperor's coven doesn't have the best reputation there."

"Of course! Who wouldn't want to join?" Hunter beams. Edric gives him a look that Hunter pretends not to notice as they walk. It obviously crossed his mind that he could try giving Edric to the coven- he certainly has the magical potential- but that feels almost crossing a line. Their friends now, does Hunter really want to tamper with that? Would he want to put Edric through the vigorous training?

He'd find someone else, anyone else.

"Okay, whatever. It's club-day and everyone's out in the courtyard, so sneaking you in will be easy-peasy. Change in the bathroom and I'll cover for you, 'kay?"

It's a short walk to school and just as Edric said, no one is inside the main hall. Hunter drinks it all in; he's never been inside a school before and it's hard not to stare at the tall corridors. The energy is much different than the palace or the training facilities, there are colorful posters and banners and lockers everywhere he looks, and it's bigger than he thought.

"Bathrooms are this way, I can show you around later," Edric takes him by his hand and leads him down one of the corridors, and Hunter tries to ignore the skip of heart and flushing of his face, going to say something but quickly clamping his mouth shut, instead focusing on his feet as they walk. Don't be an idiot. Left, right, left, right .

"Ed! Hey, is that you?" a voice says at the end of the hall. Hunter freezes.

"Oh- Sup' Jerbo!" Edric waves and sneakily spins his finger, tossing a wink over his shoulder to Hunter. Hunter looks down and sees his legs missing, his hands translucent as he waves them in front of his eyes.

"You coming to look at clubs?" The student asks, pausing where he stands to let Edric catch up to him.

"Yeah, I got held up but I thought I'd come check it out," He walks towards his friend, but one of his hands stays behind his back, his index finger jabbing to the left in an attempt to be discreet. Guess I have to find it myself .

He looks to the left as Edric and his friend leave out through a side exit, the invisibility wearing off the second they turn a corner. He finds a sign for the bathroom and quickly slips in, giving himself a mini pep talk as he changes into the uniform.

It feels strange to see himself in the mirror, a school bathroom mirror at that. Apart from his eyebags and scar, he looks like a regular highschool kid. It's a dangerous, tempting thought, the life he could have lived if he were anyone else. It's an honor to be the golden guard .

He still finds himself frowning.

He leaves to find his way outside before he gets too caught up, pushing the fantasy away. That's all it ever was anyways.