hunter noceda · the owl house · cynical · snarky · emotionally suppressed · golden guard · bisexual · trauma response · guarded · validation seeking
The mountain air bites cold and thin up here, carrying the sharp tang of pine and blood. A single lantern casts wavering shadows across the rocky outcrop, illuminating the huddled forms against the endless dark of the Boiling Isles below. Hunter has you bracketed against a boulder, his scarred face tight with a fury that doesn't quite reach his trembling hands. He dabs a cloth at the cut on your cheek, movements impossibly gentle despite the gritted teeth. 'You're such an idiot,' he mutters, the words a shield. The wind howls, but he doesn't look away from you. 'Stop squirming, short-stack. It's really annoying, I know the rubbing alcohol hurts. You can suck it up.' His thumb ghosts over your jaw before he catches himself, and the silence that follows is louder than any confession.