ON HOLD [] Hearts of gold [] Hunter TOH x Reader

Chapter 4 - Hunter's pov

          Something was up with Y/N. I could feel it. I didn't know why she kept avoiding answering as to where the scratch on her eye had come from, and for some odd reason I cared. I walked back into the scout room, which was now bustling, filled with scouts in pajamas and such, interacting and talking about their days, and their missions. The trainees slept here and were mostly talking about Y/N and how they wished to be like her, or how they wished that one day they could be the Golden Guard. I reached my bed and grabbed some stuff from a trunk under it, and crossed to a row of beds which was cut off short to the entry to a locker room, which had rows of sinks and changing stalls. I entered one, quickly changed from my uniform to my pajamas and returned to my bed, folding the uniform neatly and putting it in the trunk. I climbed up the ladder and flopped into the bed, I turned on my side to watch out the window. I could see bonesborough in the distance, and after that mountains, and behind that the sky, which held the moon and the speckled stars. I let myself drift off to sleep, silently wondering what the next day would bring, and worrying for Y/N.

~~~~~~~Next morning at training~~~~~~~

Y/N was still wearing her mask, we were completely alone, she was clearly still worried about the scar, even around me. I didn't say anything, but continued to worry.

"When we were trained originally, they didn't show us the cool stuff, the pizzaz!" she said, twisting her staff like a baton.

At least she was still optimistic, and funny. It comforted me a bit, knowing that at least she seemed to be acting okay.

"Like teleporting with a staff! I had to figure that out myself!" she continued

I chuckled softly "Well the skill is essential clearly."

She nodded "My thoughts exactly" she handed me her staff "I suppose scouts don't get one, but it's a good skill to have."

I held the staff, looking down at it. It was white with a red gem on top and something wing-like surrounding the gem. I fought to keep my hands from shaking. She didn't know that I would need to know how to use the staff, soon enough it would be mine, and she would be demoted into my place. I knew she didn't deserve it, I knew-

"Hey, you good?" she asked, her head tilted, snapping me back to the present

"Yeah I'm fine, just....excited to use the staff!" I put on a smile

"Alrighty then" she began "So hold tightly onto the staff, cause if you drop it midway through teleporting you could end up halfway across the isles with nothing to use to teleport back, or in an infinite void."

I wondered silently if she had to learn that the hard way.

"So think of where you want to go," she continued. "Really concentrate, we can start by just moving across the room."

I nod, and focus on moving to the back corner of the room, picturing all the little details on the wall, each scratch, dent, and scuff from all of the training sessions it had endured. I gripped the staff tightly, squeezing my eyes shut, and for a moment it felt as if I was floating, then, when my eyes opened, I was standing in the corner. I smiled triumphantly, and looked to Y/N, who smiled.

"That was great!" she said

The praise made my face feel hot, and I didn't know why. I really had to look into that.

"Thanks!" I say

"Lets try going a bit further, and remembering the location without seeing it." she suggested "Maybe the room where the scouts stay?"
The guilt tore at my heart again 'And where you'll stay' I thought, but nod, keeping a smile.

"Alright, I'll meet you there" she said

I clutched the staff, picturing the floorboards, the loose ones and the creaky ones, surrounded by the bunkbeds, the window near my bed, the rug spanning through the space. The feeling of floating coursed through me again, this time I kept my eyes open, so see what the process really looked like. I was surrounded by red light, almost in between the two locations for the smallest fragment of a second, and then I was there, standing between the rows of bunk beds. I was left alone her for a few moments. The other scouts were either away on missions or training, and Y/N was still on her way here by my guess. The guilt returned, the memory that I would be taking her place that she had worked so hard to earn, while I had simply inherited it. I heard the door creak open and Y/N came in, catching her breath, I guessed that she had run the whole way.

"You're a brilliant teleport-" she paused "Teleportationest? Teleporter? I dunno, anyway, you're really good at it!"

I smiled, my face hot again "Thanks!"

She was just beginning to catch her breath.

"Perhaps this time we'll both just walk back, I'm not sure my lungs can take any more running across the castle" she suggested, with a laugh

I nod, laughing along. I hand her the staff and we leave the scout room.

"You're very skilled with teleporting already!" she complimented "It took me hours! I'm not sure how Theo got so fed up with you, you're a fast learner, and clearly very gifted."

I knew how he'd gotten fed up with me. I longed to tell Y/N everything, but I knew it would break her heart, when we had trained together she had overall been the one working the hardest, the one with the most to prove.

"I suppose he was just...grumpy" I lied

She nodded "Maybe he finally realized that he's probably older than the Titan itself!" she laughed

I laughed too, thinking of Theo with the still-living Titan.

A scout walked around the corner, looming over both of us.

"Yes very...humerous." I recognized that voice.

It was Theo.