Chapter Text
“I’m here!” yells Hunter as he pushes through the unlocked front door. There’s an answering shout from upstairs. Pausing to kick off his boots, he wanders into the yellow kitchen. Something warm and spicy sits on the stove in a massive pot, a reddish smell hanging in the air. Hunter picks up the battered wooden spoon lying on the ceramic frog Luz had painted when she was six and gives the pot a stir.
Luz comes tromping down the stairs, short dark hair sticking straight up a bit like a lost duckling. There’s a pillow mark on her cheek, and she’s in pyjama pants and a huge hoodie. Hunter points the spoon at her. “Those are my pyjamas.”
Luz wrinkles her nose at him and starts making a bowl of cereal. “You snooze, you lose. Why are you here at this ungodly hour of the morning?”
“Luz, it’s eleven-thirty.”
Camila comes bustling through the back door, a bundle of fresh herbs in her hands. Going to the sink to give them a rinse, she smiles at Hunter. “So nice to see you, my love. It’s been too long.” She dumps the herbs into the pot bubbling on the stove and dries her hands on the dish towel. It’s the Cosmic Frontier one Gus had given her for Christmas last year. “How are you?”
“He was here on Wednesday, Mom.”
Camila pouts dramatically. “With Vee on her trip the house is so empty. I miss my babies! And you two are leaving too.”
Hunter laughs and sits down beside Luz, snagging the cereal box and digging a hand in, crunching into the dry cereal. “Sorry Ms Camila, I had a couple things I had to wrap up before we leave.”
Camila purses her lips jokingly. She digs a spoon out of the drawer and holds it out to Hunter. “Tell me if this is good.”
He stands and takes the spoon, scooping up a bite. He licks his lips thoughtfully, tapping the spoon against his chin. “Tastes incredible to me.”
“Give me that,” says Luz, snatching the spoon from his hand and taking a bite of her own. She furrows her brow. “Needs cheese.”
Camila shakes her head. “No cheese. This is for your trip.” Hunter and dairy are not friends. The first time he tried it he had decided to make his last. Willow had petted his hair while he lay in her lap and clutched his twisting guts. That was before they were dating, when any touch had been thrilling, and he hadn’t even been able to properly enjoy it at the time, though the memory of her soothing hands is a treasured one.
Luz looks at her mom, at the size of the pot, and back. “Mom,” she starts slowly. “Is this all for our trip?”
“I don’t want you to go hungry! You need good nutrition when you’re on the road.”
It is, Hunter has to admit, a lot of stew.
“Where are we going to keep that much corn tortilla soup?”
“You have magic, I’m sure you will find a way.”
“How is Ted?” says Hunter.
Luz pulls her palisman from her hoodie pocket, and he curls up her arm to rest on her shoulder, little pink tongue flickering out to taste the air. “He’s doing well. Excited for our trip. He thinks he’ll get a lot of naps in. Have you decided if you’re bringing your staff?”
Hunter shrugs. He hasn’t had a palsiman since Flapjack, so he’s been getting by with an artificial staff when he needs one. “Do you really think I’ll need it?”
“It doesn’t hurt to be prepared,” says Camila.
Hunter shrugs again. He likes the artificial staff, he really does. It’s been his crutch forever, and he knows it’s better to have something than nothing. It’s just that the swelling of magic under his hands when he wields it feels a little hollow. A little empty. There’s no warmth under the magic, no rush of not alone. It’s better than nothing, but it’s not him.
“We could put the soup in one of Eda’s infinite coolers. You could fill it up with ice,” he suggests.
Luz rolls her eyes. “You know that works better with glyphs.”
“You should practice with Ted more.”
“I practise with Ted all the time! He’s the cutest wittle guy,” and before she can dissolve into cooing noises Hunter cuts her off with a scoff.
“I saw you last month against that melty demon. You’re totally over-reliant on glyphs. Ted’s great but he’s no miracle worker.”
Ted hisses indignantly. Luz pets his head with two fingers until he leans his head against her shoulder and closes his eyes. “You be nice to Ted.”
“I am nice! The nicest!”
Luz just shoots him a look. Camila clucks, giving the pit one last stir before turning the heat off and moving it to a cool burner. She wipes down the counter and says “How is your packing coming?”
“Pretty good,” says Hunter.
“Eh,” says Luz.
“Luz. We are leaving tomorrow. Please tell me you’ve started packing.”
“I’ve started,” she says defensively. “It’s not going very well but I’ve started.”
“Didn’t Amity come over last night to help you pack? When I saw her at Eda’s yesterday she said she was going to.”
Luz’s ears go faintly pink. “We may have gotten distracted. But! I will be done before the end of the day.”
“Are you sure? I was gonna do the grocery run today, but I could always do that tomorrow morning if you need a hand.”
Luz swings her feet so they bang against the crossbar of her chair and shakes her head. “Tomorrow morning is going to be a disaster no matter what, we need to get it done before then.”
“I thought Eda was doing your shopping for you?” says Camila.
Hunter looks pained. “I thought it would be better if I came to the human realm.”
“That woman is very… enthusiastic,” says Camila thoughtfully.
“She says you’re invited to the party tonight, by the way.”
“You tell her I wish I could make it.”
“I will, Ms Camila. I should be headed out soon.”
“But you just got here,” protests Luz. “Stay for breakfast at least.”
“I had breakfast hours ago.”
“Lunch, then.We can have soup.”
Camila tuts. “That’s for your trip.”
“A sandwich or something then. You know where everything is.”
He’s rummaging through the fridge when Camila gives Luz a kiss on the forehead and reaches up to ruffle his hair on her way past. “I have a patient coming in this afternoon, so I have to be going. Have fun. Stay out of the soup!” she calls over her shoulder as she vanishes up the stairs.
When his sandwich is assembled, a towering stack of deli meats, tomato, lettuce, and tangy sauce, Luz pushes her chair back and puts her bowl in the sink. “Let’s go outside,” she says.
The clouds above tumble in slow motion across a brilliant blue sky. There’s a butterfly fluttering from flower to flower down in Camila’s garden, and a bird singing somewhere in the woods that backs onto the yard. They sit in silence on the back porch, juice dripping down Hunter’s chin. It’s the early days of summer, when the days are warm and bright without the suffocating heat of August. The grass is green and soft under Hunter’s socks. “I wanted to say something,” says Luz. She swallows hard.
“I’m listening,” says Hunter, rubbing his chin with his sleeve.
“I don’t think I’m the right person to ask, and maybe Willow has already talked to you, but it’s our trip and everything, and I just wanted to say that, um,” she trails off.
“Luz, it’s fine.”
“This is important,” she says, and resettles herself. “Hunter, I know this trip is at least a little bit about Flapjack–”
“Nope,” he says, standing up quickly. So quickly Luz nearly topples over. She looks startled, then sad.
Months ago, when they had the idea for the trip, Hunter had said it would be nice to see human realm animals to find options for his palisman. For when he was ready for a new one. If he was ever ready. Everyone was nothing but patient with him, but he couldn't help but be frustrated. Flapjack’s death was years ago. He loved the little guy, and he always would, but the grief had served its purpose. He had avenged his palisman, and he was ready to move on. He wanted to move on. But whenever he sat with his grief too long, whenever he picked up a piece of palisman wood, whenever he turned his head half hoping to see a red bird at his side, it sucked him back into its fathomless depths. The memory of the crunch Flapjack’s body had made when he had died, when Belos had killed him using Hunter’s own hand played over and over in his head sometimes, late at night. It was playing in his head now.
Shaking a bit, he flexed his hand, hoping to ease some of the tension. “I’m fine, Luz. I really am. I’m ready to move on.”
“You don’t have to be, is what I wanted to say,” she says quietly, watching him. “You want to look for a new palisman but if you need more time that’s okay too. You have all the time in the world.”
He shakes his head. “I don’t need more time because I’m ready.”
There’s pressure in his hand, fingers squeezing hard but it’s not him, he wouldn’t, he’d never and warm warm boy okay you’ll be okay in his head and the crunch.
“Okay,” says Luz.
“Okay,” says Hunter. He takes a stuttering step. “I’m going for a walk. And grocery shopping. I’ll see you tonight at Eda’s.”
“I’m sorry,” says Luz as he hops the fence defining the backyard from the woods. He can’t be bothered with the gate right now.
He knows she didn’t mean to upset him. She’s Luz, she’s family. She would never hurt him on purpose, he thinks as he treks in the direction of their old clubhouse where the portal sits, following the familiar curves of the deer path. Its been years since Flapjack died (was killed) (was murdered) and he should be ready to move on. He wants to just be with his memories for a minute, in the place he and Flapjack were last happy together.
The summer Luz was 14 had been a nightmare and a dream all at once. The fear of not knowing what was happening at home, everyone quietly wondering if their families were even still alive contrasted sharply with the sheer fun of being somewhere safe and new, full of wonderful things to explore and experience. He and Flapjack had grown so close during those months. Those last few happy months.
He sniffed and mounted the stairs. The portal was inside in the basement, tucked away from anyone who might stumble upon the old house. He wasn't going down there anyway. He sunk into the couch, the same couch Gus had slept on during those long glorious months their first visit, donated to the clubhouse by Camila the following summer. It wasn’t cold, but he felt cold.
He missed Flapjack, was the long and short of it. Missed him the way a chipped plate misses being whole. Missed him like a drowning man misses oxygen. He knew he wasn’t the only person who’d ever lost someone; Gus had never once in all their years of friendship mentioned a mother. Luz once confided in him that she misses her father less and less with every passing year. Not that she loves him any less of course; she simply has become more used to his absence. Hunter had of course at the time reassured her that her lessening grief didn’t mean she loved him any less, but the little fear that one day he’d wake up and go the whole day without thinking of Flapjack had burrowed its way in and festered.
If Willow was here she’d want him to do some deep breathing, and think happy thoughts. He rubs his fist, compulsively tightening and loosening it. Slow breath in, and out. There’s a faint whistle on the exhale. Think of something happy. He thinks of the fall Flapjack spent pecking away at the floorboards. He thinks of Luz’s smile at her graduation, just the week before. He thinks of Willow, strong arms wrapped around his shoulders and pulling him down for their first kiss. He misses her. She’s just a scroll call away. He could go through the portal right now and go see her, but he told Luz he’d do the grocery shopping. He thinks of how Luz had blushed just minutes ago when he mentioned Amity. Titan damned be he if he was gonna be a hypocrite.
Giving his hand one last rub, he shakes it out and takes another deep breath. He’s okay. He’s going to be okay. He has grocery shopping to do.
The store is completely uneventful and he’s sticking to that story.
The owl house is full to bursting. Hunter wishes he could say he doesn’t even know that many people, but every single person is a friend who wants to say hello and ask if he’s excited for his road trip. The walls of the living room are painted with the usual posters and certificates and family photos. It fills Hunter with a quiet warm sort of joy to see his own picture proudly displayed so many times in so many combinations.
Eda waves him over to a quiet corner in the chaos, near the kitchen. “Your shit is upstairs in Luz’s room. I told King and Hooty they couldn’t eat it, but you might want to find a better hiding spot. How’d your human shopping go?”
“Totally uneventful,” says Hunter proudly. “Not even a single weirdly sentient raccoon I had to fight off or anything.”
“No?” says Eda, looking disappointed.
“Sorry Eda. I’ll cause some trouble next time for you.”
“That’s my boy,” she says, ruffling his hair.
Gus arrives on the scene with a bellow of excitement. He’s been so busy with research lately that Hunter has hardly seen him. “Where’s my man!?”
Hunter raises his eyebrows at Eda, who waves him off gently. “You need me, just yell. You know where the good hiding places are if you get overwhelmed.”
Gus is standing at the door, ignoring Hooty while he surveys the room for Hunter. If Hunter just ducks around behind the couch he could possibly sneak up on Gus.
It turns out he can. He tackles Gus to the floor, tripping over one of Hooty’s loops in the scuffle. Gus seems to swell underneath him like a balloon, juicy and threatening to burst, but Hunter knows it’s only an illusion. They’re both laughing and grabbing at each other’s shoulders for balance as they stand. “Hunter, buddy, it’s been too long,” says Gus.
Standing side by side Hunter can see that Gus has grown. Hunter is still taller (thanks, Caleb). “It's not too late for you to join us,” says Hunter.
Gus shakes his head.”I’m on to something big. Can’t talk about it yet, but you know how it is.” Hunter does. Gus’s prodigy for illusions is unmatched in the boiling isle’s entire recorded history. That much of the history was lost or warped by Belos pushes into Hunter’s mind, and he reaches out to punch Gus lightly on the shoulder, pushing the thought back out. “Let’s go into the kitchen,” he says.
Gus grins easily. “Did Eda make those little meat cupcakes?”
“Extra bloody,” hollers Eda from the couch, turning away from Lilith. She winks.”Just the way you like them.”
The kitchen is a little quieter, and far less crowded. Someone, most likely Hooty, had broken the window over the sink. The glass shards had mostly been swept up, though Hunter could see small shards behind the faucet. Gus made a beeline for the dripping display of meat cakes. Hunter opened the pantry to grab the dustpan and found King holding the broom in one claw and a cup in the other. It never fails to surprise Hunter how tall King is getting. The tips of his horns are at eye-level, and his shoulders are getting distinctly broader. “Hey,” King says, deep voice cracking.
“Is that alcohol?” asks Hunter.
“You gonna stop me?”
Hunter shrugs, fair enough. “I might tell Eda.”
King snorts. “No you won’t.”
“Could I have the broom? You missed a spot.”
King hands it over easily, stepping out after Hunter and going over to the food. He eats like a starving demon constantly. “Hey,” says Gus. “Long time no see.”
“Hey,” King nods. He takes a huge bite of something, then a small sip from his cup and chokes, eyes popping. “Bleh!” he spits.
“Keep out of my booze!” calls Eda from the next room.
Hunter laughs and goes to sweep up the glass, using a dishcloth to pick up the shards resting between the gaping window and the sink. Gus takes the cup from an unresisting King and takes a sip himself. “Buy the good stuff next time,” he calls to Eda.
“Showoff,” mutters King.
Task complete, Hunter helps himself to the food. Eda outdid herself as usual, though he doesn’t want to know how much Hooty helped. Even if he did have hands Hunter is sure he wouldn’t wash them. The sky outside is turning to evening, throwing long shadows across the red trees. The forest around Hooty is young, the ancient trees devastated in The Collector’s reign of terror. Something huge rustles in the bushes, and Hunter makes a mental note to tell Hooty to watch out for pests.
The wind coming through the window is brisk, the last days of spring leaving their biting mark. It’s cool but not unpleasant, laughing with friends in the bright kitchen. Gus and Hunter could talk for hours, and they nearly do, until Willow arrives.
She comes soaring into the kitchen, coming right up to a wildly gesticulating Hunter to kiss his cheek. He immediately melts, warmth surging through his chest as he loses his train of thought. “And, uh, yeah,” he finishes absently. ”That’s why Chief O’Bailey clearly should have seen the betrayal coming.” He turns to Willow with a smile on his face. “Hello gorgeous, aren’t you looking good on this fine summer day.”
She’s wearing a summer dress that comes down to her ankles, patterned with flowers under a short tight jacket that shows off her shoulders. Peeking out beneath he can see the strappy silver sandals he bought her. They see each other nearly every day and she never fails to stun him. It’s like his brain simply cannot remember how beautiful she is, and baffles him anew each time. It’s going to be hard, this road trip with Luz. He knows he needs to explore, but leaving her will be so hard.
“I’m gonna miss you so much,” he whispers into her ear as he pulls her to sit down beside him. She slides in, letting her strong calf press into his.
“We’re gonna be okay,” she whispers back. “You need to go. I’m just a call away.”
Gus clears his throat. “We get it, you two are the cutest couple ever. Willow, how’ve you been?”
As she launches into a story about her titan-be-damned week at work featuring the world’s most useless coworker, Hunter leans back and smiles. Willow is just finishing the thrilling conclusion when a giggle comes through the broken window. It’s Luz and Amity, coming around the back of the house from titan-knows-where.
“Late for your own party, Noceda?” he calls.
“Shut up,” Luz says, coming over to the window. “I’ll have you know I was packing.”
“Did Amity help again?”
Amity appears beside Luz, a grin on her face. “Not at all. She did a great job all on her own.”
Luz grins soppily, and Hunter knows they’re holding hands beneath the window sill.
“I thought you packed yesterday,” says Hunter, frowning and scratching his head.
“I did,” moans Luz, “but then I remembered all this other stuff last night.”
“What I’m wondering is why you think you need to bring your otter costume. Does it even still fit?”
Luz moans again, wordlessly, from her spot flopped on the pavement beside her car. The car is stuffed full, leaving no room for the many bags and packages piled at Hunter’s feet. Luz, Titan bless her, is a bit of an overpacker when left unattended. He should have remembered this.
“We’re gonna have to take it all out and sort it.”
Luz plays dead.
“We’ve got to leave today if we want to make it to the con, Luz. Come on, move it.”
With much gusto, Luz manages to get to her feet and begins pulling things from the car, piling them high on the driveway. Hunter sorts through things as she goes, spreading their many belongings far and wide. “It’s a good thing the neighbours already hate us,” says Luz.
“It’s their Titan-given right to hate us after this,” agrees Hunter. The spread is most impressive, though they have managed to keep it mostly contained to the Noceda driveway only.
It’s coming up on three before Hunter is satisfied with the state of the car and all excess belongings have been put away. They meant to leave at noon, but close enough.
“You want to say goodbye to your mom before we leave?”
“Nah, she’s at work. I said my goodbyes this morning. Anyone you need to see?”
Hunter shakes his head. “Last night I got them over with. Let’s head out.”
“Who’s driving?” Luz says, dangling her keys.
“Dibs,” says Hunter, snatching the keys from her hand. It’s not that he doesn't trust Luz with city driving; it’s that she’s a total maniac when other people are on the road in general. “You can drive when I get tired.”
They planned a longish first leg for day one, all the way to the coast. There’s a lighthouse there that Vee swears up and down is haunted, and Luz desperately wants to check it out. Hunter isn’t sure if he believes in ghosts or not, but he’s open to the possibility. Luz calls him a coward who needs to pick a side when he shares this viewpoint. She’s a die-hard believer in all sorts of supernatural beings. She likes to say if she was right about witches, she could be right about anything.
They’re five blocks away when Luz screams from the passenger seat. “Ted! I forgot Ted.”
Ted is safely wrapped in her arms, cocooned in the little snake hoodie Luz made for him while Luz croons apologies a few minutes later. They’ve got the windows rolled down and Lizo is playing on the radio. Hunter lets his arm hang out the window, wind ruffling his hair and sliding cooly over his scars. The sun is bright, so he reaches over Luz to rummage through her glove box, coming up with a pair of enormous bedazzled sunglasses. “These are literally hideous. Why do you even have them?” he proclaims, pushing them up his nose.
“I thought they were cool,” says Luz.
“Okay, but does Amity?”
Luz pouts dramatically. “She’s so much cooler than both of us.”
Hunter shrugs. “They’re not my sunglasses.”
“Yes, but have you seen your shirt?”
Hunter glances down. His Hawaiian shirt is sky blue with orange monkeys on it. He liked the colours when he picked it out at the thrifty shop with Eda. “What’s wrong with my shirt?”
“I wouldn’t know. Amty called it a disaster, anyway.”
“She’s a rat if she wouldn’t say it to my face.”
“Oh you know she would. She’s just waiting for the right moment.”
“Is the shirt really that bad?”
“You look very confident, bro.”
He scoffs. “Don’t bro me.”
“Pull off at the gas station up ahead, we need to fill up before we leave town.”
The metal of the car is warm under Hunter’s fingers and he wished he had gloves. There was something about the sensation of anything in his hands that set his nerves on edge, though it only really mattered when he was otherwise distressed. His therapist had taught him that. King had recommended a friend’s therapist to him years ago. To this day Hunter had never quite gathered how King knew anyone who went to therapy.
He gives the handle a last little jiggle and slips it back in its holster, patting his pocket to double check he’s collected his debit card. Luz has the passenger seat all the way reclined with her feet up on the dashboard, Ted coiled on her chest. A kpop song is blaring, and they’re both bopping along with their eyes closed. It’s adorable. Hunter pulls out his scroll and snaps a quick photo, texting it to the group chat. “On our way!” He captions it.
Willow likes the photo immediately. “So cute!!!” she texts.
Amity has saved the photo pops up. Hunter laughs, and Luz cracks one eye open questioningly. Hunter tosses his open scroll onto her chest. “Watch out for Teddy,” says Luz, picking it up. Her other eye remains firmly closed. “Aw, we’re adorable,” she says, dropping the scroll into the centre console for safekeeping. She stretches luxuriantly, and blinks herself into awareness. Reaching to plug her phone in, replacing the music with a playlist of her own making. When I was, a young boy, my father, starts playing.
“Angst? Really?” says Hunter.
“Shut up, teenagers are allowed to be edgy.”
“I’m twenty.”
“I thought you weren’t sure about that?”
“Nope, I've decided. I am most definitely twenty years old.”
“In real years or clone years?”
“Clone years are real years. Soon everyone will be using them. They’re the next big thing.”
“It’s ridiculous you’re a clone witch who refuses to believe in ghosts.”
“I don’t refuse! I just don’t know if they’re real or not. There’s a difference!”
“You’re literally ridiculous.”
Hunter pushes the bedazzled sunglasses further up his nose and runs a hand through his hair. “Yeah, well, you’re literally the worst.”
She boos him as they pull out of the parking lot. Conversation flows easily as they pass through Gravesfield and onto the open road, soon turning into karaoke. “Life is a highway! I wanna ride it all night long!” belts Luz through the open window, Ted bopping his little snake head along to the beat. It’s a beautiful summer day, and Hunter can’t help but be reminded of the previous summer he had spent with Gus crammed into a tiny cheap apartment above a deli in the closest thing Gravesfield has to a downtown. They could afford the apartment through a combination of Hunter’s McDonald's wages and mild fraud. They had known it might be their last summer together, and so they cherished each day.
Afternoon passes into early evening as Hunter drives, and when Luz begins to pointedly look up restaurants on her phone he knew it was time to pull over. They were making good time, and with any luck dinner wouldn’t take long.They could afford the loss if Luz took a nap and drove into the night after the other drivers cleared off the road.
Dinner turns out to be a tiny diner run by the tiniest old lady Hunter has ever seen. He orders eggs, always a safe bet, and specifies the direness of his need for no cheese. “Not even a little bit, ma’am,” he says earnestly.
“And for the young lady?” she peers over her glasses at Luz.
It’s delicious, as Luz proclaims small diners always are. “There’s a secret ingredient,” Luz says “for human ears only.”
“I’m kind of human,” Hunter protests.
“You’re a grimwalker. Totally different thing,”
“I can be human if I wanna be human.”
“You only ever wanna be human to win a fight,” Luz protests, grinning.
“Whatever,” says Hunter.
They’re back on the road with day turning to night when Hunter yawns. Luz pounces on it with the same air as a spring starved grizzly on an acorn. “My turn!” she cheers.
Ted pokes his head out from Luz’s pocket, tongue flickering out once before he retreats back to his nap. Hunter scowls. “I’m not tired.”
“A yawn, as defined on the world’s greatest sleepover extravaganza, counts as being tired,” she recites.
“Counts as giving in, maybe. Whatever.” He pulls over at the next rest stop, pausing as he climbs out of the vehicle to gaze upwards. The first star of the night is out. It winks at him. Luz appears around the corner of the car and looks up.
“You should make a wish,” she says.
The lone star twinkles above as they stand there, shoulder to shoulder in the parking lot, empty but for a family across the way who’re ignoring them. The air is cool, and as they watch as a satellite passes overhead.
“Okay,” says Hunter. “I’ve made my wish.”
“What did you wish for?”
“Bu-bu-bu-nope! If I tell you it won’t come true.”
“That’s a myth,” says Luz.
“Liar,” says Hunter.
“A common misconception. You can tell me. Should tell me.”
“So you can help the mythical powers of the universe make it come true?”
“I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.” They both snicker, and Luz snatches the keys from his hand to crawl into the driver's seat.
“Your legs are too goddamn long,” she complains, adjusting the seat.
“Jealous,” sings Hunter, just a bit too loud. They look across the parking lot at the family, but they continue to pay them no mind. The passenger seat is reclined to accommodate Luz’s terrible posture, and as Hunter fixes it Luz flicks on the headlights and manoeuvres away. “Lemme do the music,” he says. Luz tosses her phone over, still plugged in, and he scrolls through her playlists to find something good.
“Not Mumford & Sons again,” says Luz.
Hunter clicks on Little Lion Man and Luz groans but starts singing along dutifully. The evening wears on, and Hunter tilts the seat back to lean against the window, eyes half closed looking out at the world. They’re on the open road, miles away from any town. The road is theirs. His elbow slips against the door and the window jolts down a crack, the rushing air a slap in the face that startles Hunter back to full awakeness like a thunderclap.
Luz rolls the window up and locks it, reaching over to turn the music down. “I’ve got this, man. I’ll wake you when we get there.”
Hunter arranges a sweatshirt against the window and tilts back even further, comfortable there’s no one around for Luz to hit.