so basically childhood friends to lovers to enemies :)
also canon divergence, set before hunting palismen but after separate tides

•••

"My heart longed for you, but in the end you could never be mine"
-

Willow could remember clearly how she and Hunter met as kids; It had been the day Willow lost Amity as a friend.

How she ended up in a restricted area and a 9 year old Hunter found her, comforted her, and asked if they could play pretend.

When they had met up almost every weekend. When they got older, they just hung out. Hunter began using petnames for her, insisting it was platonic, only to a week later then both confessing feelings for each other.

Willow could remember how proud he was when she told him she managed to switch to the plant track, but he had warned her to avoid the human, Luz.

She hadn't taken him seriously, and now Hunter in his uniform had caught her, Luz, Amity, and Gus stealing from a couple coven centers to try and subtly knock them down. Willow was about to pay the price for starting the fight against him, and Hunter hadn't kept his eyes off of her, furious.

His mask had been broken, his cloak burned beyond repair.

But he was much more intimidating this way., a shadow casted over him as he watched from outside the prison cell.

"What do you want, golden guard?" Luz yelled, but she was ignored.

"Oh, Willow," His gaze had never left her, a sly smirk on his face to hide his anger. "My darling, what have you gotten yourself into? Didn't I tell you what would happen if you continued to be friends with these lowlifes?"

He expected an answer, Willow decided to defend her friends.

"They're my friends, they aren't lowlifes! Luz is super kind, Gus is sweet, and Amity," Willow looked back at the purple headed girl, and gave a small smile before looking back to Hunter. "Amity is a great friend."

"Isn't the Blight the whole reason we met? She did abandon you and tell you to not be her friend anymore. I can't tell you how many times you'd come to me, crying, because of her, and now she's your 'oh so great' friend?" Hunter sighed. "I just want to keep you safe, please."

"If you want to keep me safe, let us all go. I trust my friends-" Willow started.

Hunter cut her off, looking incredulous. "You don't trust me, love?"

"It's confusing, okay? You're trying to manipulate me right now, is that trustworthy?" Willow shot back.

Hunter didn't respond. Instead, he summoned his staff and opened the door to the cells and entered, sending rope to ty up Luz, Amity, and Gus.

He walked to Willow and placed a hand on her cheek.

"I'll let your friends go, if you promise to stay here. This won't go on any of their records if you agree. I don't want to lose you." He offered,noticing how Willow tensed under his touch.

After a minute, Willow responded. "No."

"What do you mean?" He asked, a glare appearing on his face.

"You either let all of us go, or none of us." She replied.

"Then I suppose none of you will leave." He tried to end the conversation. "Come on, Willow. I'll take you to your room, since you're apart of the coven now." He grabbed her arm and started walking her away, but she stopped.

"I can't deal with this, with you trying to make my decisions for me. Hunter, we're done." Willow shook herself out of his grasp and back into the cell, wrapping plants around her and her friends before shooting into the ground.

Hunter watched, heartbroken, but told the guards "Stand down." when they made a move to attack.

He walked to the hole left by their escape, and made a promise to himself.

"I'll find you, Willow, and I'll make you see me in a good light again."

"Golden Guard, sir! Should we track them criminals?" A guard asked.

"Yes, when you find them, wait about a week to capture them. I want that group to think we won't go after them." He explained.

The guard nodded and repeated those orders to the others.

-
"I daydream about the day I see you again,
will you be broken and hollow as I am?
Or will you be more content without me?"