I am feeling very, VERY emotional about the Willow + Gus + Hunter Friendship right now, in particular in regards to the ways they show and accept comfort.
Because, you see, when we're trying to comfort someone else-- especially if it's someone we don't know very well/at all-- people typically try to give the kind of comfort that best works on them first. Take Luz, for example. Luz is very much a tactile person, all about physical comfort/affection. So when she sees someone is sad, her first instinct is typically to touch or hug them in some way, and when she herself is sad she wants to be hugged, or covered in a blanket/plushies in order to get that sense of touch she craves to make her feel better.
When Willow first sees that Gus is in the room with her, and is upset, her first move is to try to comfort him with humor, to make him laugh. And when that doesn't work, Willow switches tactics, to soothe/relax instead. Which is what gets the job done.
Now on top of being VERY clever and a total sweetheart, Gus is a Social Chameleon. He's adaptable to the needs and wants of others. And when we first see him in Season 1, he's kind of a goofball, who doesn't seem to take anything seriously. And looking back at that after Labyrinth Runners, I suspect that was an intentional persona Gus took up in order to comfort Willow, who had to deal with constant bullying from students and teachers alike, because he was perceptive enough to realize that Willow's preferred form of comfort is to laugh.
This is why his goofier persona mellows and his sweeter side shines through more as the show progresses, especially in Season 2, because Willow is in a better place now and doesn't NEED someone to make her laugh so that she feels better.
And this is when Hunter comes in.
Hunter is someone who probably never received comfort from another person when he was upset at any point in his life before Labyrinth Runners. Which is why he benefitted so much from being paired with Gus for this episode, because Gus cares and is super perceptive to the feelings and needs of others, so he is the one who knows what to do and say to best help Hunter in his time of need.
And when it came time to return the kindness Gus had shown him earlier and pull him out of his own head, even though Hunter felt MASSIVELY unprepared to do so, he still stepped up. He powered past his own problems to help Gus, because Gus was his friend and he needed him just like he had needed Gus earlier. So he finally opened up to him about what he was going through, showing Gus the trust he had asked for earlier and allowing himself to be vulnerable. And then, he tried the breathing technique to help calm Gus down. But it didn't quite work out the way he planned.
Instead of calming Gus down, he helped him by making him laugh.
