Chapter Text

       Amity Blight sat alone at her desk, a pink notepad in front of her with the words ‘Dear Luz’ across the top. The wind outside was gentle and calm as it brushed through the trees, carrying with it the crisp promise of winter nipping at the heels of summer’s warmth. The days gradually have grown shorter, leading to quiet nights filled with the gentle glow of streetlights. It was a time for café dates and warm beverages shared between friends, family and lovers. Even the trees themselves took part, the leaves shifting from blood red to a vibrant green as the air chilled. Luz had told her that all the green reminded her of the human realm in the spring, and that it made the demon realm look ‘full of life.’ Amity couldn’t help but find herself curious about the human world and all the strange things to see, but sadly that was no longer an option.

       It had been two months since Luz had destroyed the portal, trapping herself in the demon realm and saving Eda in the process. Somehow Luz had managed to trick Emperor Belos into not only letting Eda go, but also to cure her of the curse Lilith put on her in exchange for the portal. As Luz and Eda made their escape, however, Luz had destroyed the portal with some well hidden fire glyphs to insure Belos could not reach the human realm. He said he had no plans of harming any humans, but Luz knew she could not trust him.

       In those two months, Amity had done her best to be there for Luz as the human came to terms with all that entailed. She knew that Luz missed her mother dearly, though Eda had done her best to fill that role. A small frown appeared on Amity’s face as she thought about the night Luz had broken down and told her how she felt about the whole situation. How much she missed her mom, how guilty she felt destroying the portal, how much she appreciated Eda caring for her, and how much having her friends there for her helped. As she recalled the tear stained face of her crush, Amity frown deepened and she swore to do whatever it took to make sure Luz never felt that sad again.

       Returning her thoughts to the note, Amity continued trying to come up with a way to tell her crush how she felt in no uncertain terms, so even someone as dense as Luz could understand. However before she could make any progress, she heard the familiar *ding* of her scroll notification. Summoning her scroll, she welcomed the distraction, that is, until she saw who the message was from. As a blush spread across her face, she mumbled, “Speak of the wild one…”

Fearless Champion

Hey Ami! Are we still good to hang

out tomorrow?

Hello Luz. Yes, our plans haven’t changed.

Is there anything I should bring, or?

Just you, that’s all I need!

Then I will see you tomorrow.

Okay, see you tomorrow! 😋

       Amity’s face had now gone tomato red, reaching even her ears as she reread the short conversation. Luz had gotten even more forward over the past couple months, both in their messages and in person. She was known for being a very...touchy person, yet she seemed to be rather focused on Amity in particular. Always wanting to hold her hand as they walk, the constant hugs, Titan she had even cuddled up to her the last time Amity visited the Owl House.

       As Amity dismissed her scroll she heard the sound of her parents speaking to their servants. She quickly checked her appearance, making sure she was presentable enough for them as she knew they were leaving tonight. Just as she finished fixing her hair she heard her mother’s voice.

       “Amity! Edric! Emira! Come here.” Odalia called. She quickly stepped out of her room, noticing her older siblings exiting their rooms almost in sync with her. Their mother expected nothing less than perfection of them, even when out of sight.

       Arriving downstairs to join their parents, the Blight siblings stood straight and waited for their mother to speak. “Now children, as you know we have a very important event to attend to. We shall be gone for the rest of the weekend, and I expect all of you to be on your best behavior, befitting of a Blight. Do I make myself clear?”

       Amity noticed her older siblings slightly flinch at their mother’s inflection. “Yes, mother.” They responded in practiced unison. Last time their parents had taken a business trip, Edric and Emira had caused enough trouble with their pranks that their mother had felt it necessary to return home early. Amity remembered hearing her mother’s raised voice for hours that day, even locked in her room as she was.

       Odalia ran her cold, scrutinizing gaze over her children, an empty smile on her face. “Good. Then your father and I must be on our way.” The Blight siblings walked out with their parents, stopping on the doorstep to stand and watch their parents' carriage steadily leave the grounds. Once they were out of sight, the three siblings returned inside, letting out a hearty sigh as the door shut behind them.

       Emira flashed a smirk at Amity, “Still have that date planned with your girlfriend tomorrow, Mittens?” Edric, flashing a smirk of his own quickly chimed in, “Oh our little Mittens wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

       Amity rolled her eyes, “She is not my girlfriend, and it’s not a date.” She knew they meant well, as their teasing had grown nicer and less frequent over the past couple of months. Another change brought along by a certain human, she thought to herself, a small smile appearing on her face.

       “Uh-huh, suuuuuure.” Emira teased, chuckling at her little sister. “Well, you enjoy your totally-not-a-date with your friend then. Ed and I can cover for you if mom and dad do come back early for whatever reason.”

       Amity glanced at her older siblings, “Just make sure it’s not because of you two this time?”

       Edric closed his eyes, a solemn look on his face, “We shall do our very best, dear sister.” It would’ve been believable, if not for the smirk making it’s way on to his face as he said it.

       “Please you guys, take this seriously.” Amity pleaded. The last thing she needed was their parents discovering how much time she spent with Luz outside of school, or worse, that she had a crush on her.

       The two older siblings grew serious as they shared a look, then turned to their baby sister. “We are, Amity,” Emira responded, “we swear we won’t mess this up for you. We owe you that much.”

       Amity briefly considered making them swear an Everlasting Oath, but when she saw the seriousness in their eyes she decided against it. “Thank you. For all of your help recently. I couldn’t have been there for Luz without you guys helping to cover for me.” Amity replied.

       “Anytime, Mittens.” Edric said, playfully ruffling her hair. “Luz deserves all the time she can get with her future girlfriend.” Emira teased. “So we will make sure mom and dad have no reason to come back early, at least on our end.” With a parting wink at their younger sibling, the twins headed back to their rooms.

       Amity smiled fondly at her siblings, grateful for their support. As she began to return to her room in the hopes of making progress on her letter, she heard her scroll go off once more. Quickly summoning it, she saw that it was Luz again.

Fearless Champion

Sooo….I was actually wondering. Would you

maybe...I dunno...want to come over tonight?

Like, to stay the night?

We could have a sleepover!

I mean, if you wanted to, that is.

We don’t have to! I don’t want to make you

uncomfortable or anything.

Just thought it could be fun. I don’t know.

You know what, I can wait till tomorrow, it’s fine!

Luz. I would love to have a sleepover with you.

Is Eda okay with it?

Really?

You...aren’t just saying that to be nice, right?

Really, Luz. Though I insist you take the bed. Eda

finally got you a real one, so you should enjoy it.

Or…

Or?

We could share the bed.

I

I would like that.

Oh.

Um.

Then...I’ll see you soon. Hermosa.

See you soon.

       Amity could feel the heat radiating off of her face after that exchange. She really needs to learn that language that Luz keeps using. But wait...sharing a bed? With Luz?!? Being that close, and knowing Luz, she will probably want to cuddle….

       Titan it’s going to be a long night.

       A short while later, Amity was packed and ready for what might be the longest night of her life so far. Wearing a simple black dress with a cardigan over it and her usual pink leggings, she had decided to leave her hair down for once. Totally not because Luz had complimented her the last time her hair was down. Shaking her head in a futile attempt to dispel the blush she felt creeping across her face, she left her home.

       Home. That word felt wrong when she thought about the house she had grown up in. As she spent more and more time at the Owl House with Luz and Eda, Amity had begun to realize just how terrible her parents were. Sure, she had known for a long time that they were not the nicest parents, but after seeing how kind and caring Eda was with Luz, (even if Eda would never admit to being that soft) she realized that was how a parent was supposed to treat their child. With love, kindness and compassion. Not as if a child was nothing more than a tool to be used for personal gain.

       Shaking those thoughts out of her head, Amity headed for their usual meetup spot. The chilly air caused a shiver to run through the young witch, mentally scolding herself for not grabbing a jacket. She debated going back inside to grab one, before she remembered what Luz had said. ‘See you soon.’ Luz would already be on her way by now, and that thought warmed Amity enough to see her brisky, impatiently start towards the Grom Tree.

       When she was younger, she had never enjoyed this time of year, preferring the gentle warmth of spring. However, as she spent more time around Luz, she was beginning to see the appeal. A darker, warmer shade of green, nothing like the light green her mother dyed her hair, surrounding her like the warm arms of her crush.

       The thought of Luz’s arms around her kept her distracted all the way until she arrived at the Grom Tree. Raising her gaze up to the tree, she simply stood there for a minute, admiring how beautiful it looked. The gentle breeze rustling through the tree, scattering leaves on the wind. It still felt a bit surreal, thinking back on that night her and Luz had defeated Grometheus together. The way they had danced together, the way Luz’s hand felt in her’s, how gorgeous Luz had looked-

       “Hermosa…” Luz whispered from the other end of the Grom Tree, startling Amity out her thoughts.

       “Luz! You - you’re here!” Amity could feel the blush reaching even her ears as the object of her affections appeared before her. Luz was dressed in her usual cat-eared hoodie, jean shorts and dark grey leggings, yet to Amity the girl could’ve worn a tattered cloth and still looked stunning. It occurred to her that the word Luz used sounded familiar. “Um, what did you say?”

       “Oh! Um, nothing! It was nothing, don’t worry about it Amity.” Luz said, a blu - was that a blush ?

       “Please tell me?” Amity whispered absentmindedly. She found herself hoping against hope that maybe, just maybe, she wasn’t alone in her feelings for her friend. Then again...things never worked out that way for her. Everyone in her life had always been placed there by her parents. Friends, suitors, everyone she associated with had been carefully controlled by her parents for so long, and none of them had ever been genuine. Not until Willow, who she was still doing her best to reconnect with, and Luz.

       Luz.

       Her Fearless Champion.

       The girl who went out of her way to include Amity, who kept trying to spend time with her and her alone. Maybe, just maybe...

       “Beautiful.” Came Luz’s voice, interrupting Amity’s train of thought. “Hermosa, it means beautiful.” Luz explained. Luz had come closer, and there was no mistaking the blush spreading across her face now. Luz met her gaze, only to shyly look away as Amity stood there in shock. Her warm, brown eyes, so full of joy and kindness. The round ears that Amity constantly found herself wanting to touch. She glanced down at Luz’s lips, not for the first time wondering what it would feel like-

       “Ami?” Luz whispered, as she met Amity’s eyes once again.

       Ami. There was that nickname again. Luz had started calling her that months ago, but she still wasn’t quite used to it. Realizing she still hadn’t said anything, “Sorry! Um, just to clarify, were you calling...me...beautiful?” Amity hurriedly asked.

       “Yeah. That’s...that’s what I meant. You, uh, you look beautiful today. Not that you don’t always - I mean, of course you are always gorgeous!” Luz replied nervously. “Dios mío, cálmate Luz.” she mumbled, almost too quiet to hear.

       “Thank - thank you, Luz. You also look...very pretty.” Amity shyly replied. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Luz thought she was beautiful? There was that spark of hope again, lighting a fire in her chest and sending butterflies into her stomach. What if...what if Luz liked her too? Was that really so far fetched? Part of her said yes, she knew better than to think someone else could care for her in that way. Nobody loved Amity Blight. They just used her until they got what they wanted from her. Nothing more than a tool-

       Her train of thought was interrupted by the sudden warmth enveloping her hand. Amity glanced down and found her hand softly clasped in Luz’s. She looked up to meet Luz’s gaze, and the bliss she felt staring into those warm eyes, seeing that radiant smile that wasn’t quite the same as what she gave anyone else, she gave in. She let that warmth wash over her, wrapping her in its kindness and believing that it was all for her and her alone. Ignoring all the voices telling her she was wrong, believing instead in a world where her crush wasn’t one-sided and hopeless. At least for now, she would bask in that hope and let herself be warmed by the dazzling light known as Luz Noceda.

Chapter Text

       As the two young girls made their way through the forest that led to the Owl House, a look from afar would make it seem almost as if the two were dating. Blushing faces, shy glances, hand in hand as they wandered through the trees. One, with dark brown hair and eyes like hot chocolate, wrapping you in their warmth. The other with light green hair and eyes like gold, so bright it’s a wonder she could see anything else. They made for quite the pair, each blissfully unaware of the other’s feelings.

       At least, that’s what it seemed like at first glance. From inside the Owl House, a cup of apple blood in her hands, Eda eyed the two young girls as a slight frown crossed her features. From what she knew of her young protégé, she suspected it was less about not being aware of how her friend felt and more from avoidance.

       Luz had told her once, in one of the few moments Eda let herself truly open up to the human, that she had no friends or relationships back in the human world. The ‘friends’ she did have were nothing more than people who were only interested in using her for their own benefit. A prank, a quick laugh, she had been treated as if she didn’t belong anywhere. An outcast, not unlike herself, Eda mused.

       Her attention was pulled back to the pair for a moment by the giddy laugh that was unmistakably Luz. As the two young girls shared shy glances and nervous giggles, it was obvious that the two were enamored with each other. In fact, the only people who didn’t seem to realize the extent of the feelings they had for each other was themselves.

       Baby Blight’s parents somehow hadn’t caught on yet either, and thank the Titan for that. Eda knew Odalia, and the proud witch had never been known for her kindness and had only gotten harsher over the years. If even a little of the rumors she heard about what went on behind closed doors in the Blight manor was true, those three kids had a hellish life akin to their own personal Conformatorium.

       Eda shuddered at that thought. She had only barely escaped the Conformatorium herself two months prior, and that was only due to the help of her little owlet. They had yet to find a way to send Luz back home to the human realm where her mother was surely waiting for her. Until then, Eda did her best to keep the kid happy and healthy, or at least as healthy as a trouble-magnet like Luz could be.

       If Eda was honest with herself, however, she didn’t want Luz to leave. She knew that the kid needed to go home at some point to the mother that awaited her, but she had grown rather fond of the young human and her near endless energy. The Owl House had never been so lively until she came along, and Eda had realized she welcomed the change, even grown to rely on it.

       As for Baby Blight, well, she made the kid happy which was a win in Eda’s book. Sure, Luz could get out of hand with how energetic she got sometimes, but that was just part of her charm really. Eda found herself worried about that Blight kid though. She had managed to sneak around her parents for this long without them figuring out that she was seeing the human, but that could only last for so long. Once they eventually caught on, well...if life had been like the Conformatorium before…Eda shuddered at the thought.

       The smell of food dragged Eda out of those thoughts for the moment. She returned to the kitchen to check and see if dinner was ready, then refilled her mug with some apple blood. As she looked around the living room, the cluttered mess that it was, she couldn’t help but smile. It felt smaller than it used to, but at the same time, it felt more like a home. She wouldn’t trade it for anything.

       “Eda! Luz is here! And she brought that cupcake smasher.” King called from his perch on top of a chest by the window.

       “Yeah yeah I know. She brought baby Blight over for a ‘sleepover’ apparently.” Eda replied.

       “What’s that, some weird human thing?”

       “Apparently it’s like a midnight conjuring, but without the magic I guess. I dunno, sounds boring.”

       “Well, I guess so long as the mean one doesn’t smash any more of my food....and agrees to join my army of darkness! Then she can stay. I’m keeping an eye on her though.”

       “Oh no, you’ll be keeping me company tonight King. We have a trash slug to finish digging through, ripe for the picking. Don’t want anyone else coming along and hogging all the good stuff!”

       “Eda!” King drew out the first letter into a whine.

       “No ifs, ands, or buts mister.” Eda said sternly. “Besides, maybe those two might actually get somewhere if they are alone for a bit…” she muttered the last bit to herself, too quiet to be heard.

       The little demon scurried outside after Eda opened the front door, running towards the two young girls. “Hey lovebirds!” she called out, snickering at the blushes that caused. “Food’s ready, so get your butts in here before it gets cold.”

       Luz rushed inside, tugging little Blight behind her, seemingly unaware of the effect she had on the poor girl. “Definitely not ignorance.” she thought to herself, noticing not for the first time how tense her owlet got around her ‘friend,’ the way she avoided actually looking at Amity. One would think that it was nerves, the shyness of a crush, but there was a certain dismissiveness in her tone. As if she was brushing away even the possibility...

       As the two girls settled down to eat, Eda resolved to give the two girls a bit of a push, some help along the way. After all that those girls have and still deal with, they deserved some happiness, after all. That, and if she had to watch this ridiculous ‘will they-won’t they’ routine any longer she might just lock them both up in Luz’s room till they sorted it out.

       “Only thing left is to deal with some broiling parents.” Eda muttered as she entered the kitchen, a venom in the powerful witch’s tone that would've made a Slitherbeast run in fear.

       Amity Blight laid on Luz’s bed, still enough one could mistake her for a statue if not for the blush reaching all the way to her ears. Next to her with her arms wrapped around the silent witch, was Luz, softly snoring as she snuggled closely to her.

       The two girls had spent the majority of the evening holding an impromptu Azura Book Club with re-enactments included, Luz filling the room with the warm glow of her light. Amity had just finished a chapter from the latest Azura book they had been reading by the moonlight streaming in from the window when she felt Luz’s arm reach up and pull her down next to her. Needless to say, being suddenly wrapped in the arms of the girl she liked had sent the young witch into shock, unable to move for fear the moment would end.

       Slowly, Amity found herself able to relax and the blush gradually left her face. She lifted her head slightly to steal a glance at the human beside her, letting her eyes trace the soft features of Luz’s sleeping face. A warm smile lit Amity’s face as she gazed at her, pure adoration in her eyes as she gently brushed a stay lock of brown hair behind the human’s ear. Her hand lingered there for a moment, fascinated as she was by the small, round ears of her friend.

       Friend. That word always felt bitter as it fell from her lips. Amity knew that’s what the human thought of her as, just a friend, and that’s fine. Really. She treasured their friendship, and was eternally grateful to Luz for helping her work to be a better person, a better friend.

       Titan did she want more.

       She wanted to bask in that warmth that Luz always seemed to bring with her everywhere she went. To curl up in her embrace and let the warmth chase away all her doubts and fear. There were times she thought she would give anything just to see those brown eyes filled with love, not the love she had for Willow and Gus, nor the love she had for her mother or Eda.

       No, Amity craved a love that was all her own, a special thing that Luz would share with no one else. She wanted the kind of love that spoke of sweet words shared in private, of soft touches setting skin ablaze and lingering kisses from lips full of desire. She wanted Luz, with all that entailed.

       Amity was pulled out of those thoughts by the soft groan from Luz. She pulled back, blush returning, as she realized she had been playing with the human’s round ear the whole time she had been lost in thought. Her breath caught in her throat as Luz shifted, only relaxing a bit once her breathing fell back into the slow, steady rhythm of sleep. As the tension left her shoulders, she couldn’t help but slide closer once again, inexplicably drawn as she was to the other girl’s warmth.

       “Titan, you’re going to be the death of me one of these days Noceda.” Amity whispered, a fond smile on her face as she turned to look at the human once more. A light blush still dusted her cheeks, but she found herself full of a confidence she could never hope to have while Luz was awake. She leaned forward, her lips like feathers as she gently pressed a kiss to Luz’s forehead.

       As Amity pulled away, Luz suddenly shifted to press a kiss to her cheek, a sleepy smile gracing her face as she wrapped her arms tighter around the witch’s waist. A sigh of content escaped Luz’s lips as Amity simply sat there, frozen in shock. A few moments later, her brain finally caught up with the situation. That warmth she had longed for, wrapping around her. The softness- Titan her lips were soft. And the smell, like old books and small comforts, warm tea and campfire smoke. The smell pulled her in, coaxing out her worries and sorrows, a balm for all that ails her.

       Was this really happening? Luz’s arms around her certainly felt real. Warm, comforting, drawing Amity in snugly against Luz’s chest, it felt...safe.

       She was not getting any sleep that night.

       An hour later, Amity felt her eyes begin to fail her yet again, curled up against Luz’s chest as she was. Despite her earlier tension and desire to enjoy every second she could of this wonderful event, she couldn’t help but feel relaxed as she absentmindedly ran her fingers along Luz’s arm. They were warm and comforting, with a hidden strength to them as they held Amity close.

       “Can’t sleep hermosa?”

       The sudden groggy voice caused Amity to jump, realizing that Luz was awake. “Luz! Um. I’m- I’m sorry if I woke you.” She whispered.

       “No, you didn’t. My arm was starting to fall asleep.” Luz said, removing her arms to stretch them above her head.

       Amity did her best to cover up the disappointment she felt at the sudden loss of warmth, turning her head away as she stretched a bit herself. After some rather satisfied grunts, she relaxed, only to find herself pulled back against Luz with what could only be described as a squeak escaping from her lips. Warm brown eyes, so full of kindness and affection, met with hers in a sleepy haze.

       “Hola hermosa.” Luz said, her voice soft and sweet, a small smile gracing her face. Amity could feel her face radiating enough heat that she was surprised she hadn’t caught fire yet. Again, hermosa, in that lovely way Luz spoke her other human language. “She called me beautiful! Again!” Amity thought, fighting the rising panic in her chest. A soft arm was draped around her waist, another under her head. Luz’s breath, so close she could feel it on her face, their noses brushing against one another. Amity found herself desperately trying to keep her eyes from going anywhere but Luz’s lips, trying and failing to not think about how soft they were, how much she wanted to just close that small gap and…

       “Ami?” Luz whispered, a look of concern on her face. “Are you okay?”

       “Yes!” Amity responded, wincing at how loud it was. “Yes Luz, I’m okay. Just...not used to this I suppose.”

       “Oh, I can stop if I’m bothering you. I don’t want to make you - we’ve just been so close lately, and I...I’ve really enjoyed it.”

       As if to give her words more credibility, Luz started to let go, yet seemed reluctant, her fingers grabbing at Amity’s shirt so lightly she almost didn’t notice. Or, she wouldn’t have, if the human’s touch didn’t leave traces of lingering fire that stole her breath away. That reluctance lit a spark of hope in her, hope that maybe, just maybe, she had a chance.

       “Please don’t let go…” Amity’s voice came out, barely a whisper, sounding almost desperate. She couldn’t say any more. Nothing of how she wanted Luz to hold her even closer, to smother her with warmth and never let go. The words bubbled up only to get caught in her throat, futile in their struggle for release.

       Luz’s eyes widened in surprise, meeting Amity’s gaze for a moment, a light blush coming to the human’s face. Suddenly, Amity felt herself pulled tightly against Luz, the other girl’s arms engulfing her in their warmth. There was a surprising strength to Luz, despite her ‘weak nerd arms’ as she tended to call them. Luz had even tangled her legs up with Amity’s, offering no means of escape, as if the young witch could ever want to leave these arms that felt safe.

       “Dios, eres tan linda. Careful what you ask for Blight, else I might just hold on to you forever.” Luz whispered almost to herself, her breath warm on Amity’s ear.

       As her ears fluttered gently, something Amity wished she could control as it was so embarrassing, she could feel her whole face turn what she assumed was a rather lovely shade of red. She was practically glowing at this point, all the way to the tips of her ears. It was hard to tell which was warmer, her face or Luz wrapped around her so tightly. It wasn’t uncomfortable, quite the opposite, Amity could die a happy witch right now.

       Before she could begin to doubt herself, Amity buried her face into Luz’s neck, wrapping her arms around the human in response. Fanning the embers of her temporary confidence, she decided to push her luck.

       “I might just hold you to that, Noceda.” She whispered back, feeling a delightful shiver run through the other girl.

       Luz chuckled softly, but no more words were spoken between the two girls, both content to lay there in each other’s arms. Books strewn around them, forgotten, the moonlight casting its gentle glow in the room. As they both slowly drifted off to sleep, warm and comfortable in the embrace, a soft sound, that of a purr filled the silence.

       Eda quietly peeked in on the girls, and found them sleeping peacefully, wrapped in each other’s embrace. Fondly gazing at the two, Eda chuckled to herself. “Goodnight, you lovebirds.” she murmured, softly closing the door behind her. That was the first time she had ever seen Baby Blight look so relaxed. Heck, that was the most relaxed she had ever seen Luz. As much as she enjoyed her little owlet being so attached to her, it was nice to see her surrounded by good friends.

       “Better not let Luz catch me going all soft on her.” Eda said, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. Before she could think about that any further, her scroll went off, the sudden noise causing her to raise her eyebrow in curiosity. She had an idea who it was, and opened her scroll to find she was correct.

Trickster Squad

Em: So?

So what?

Em: Are they actually getting

anywhere, or not?

Well, yes and no. It’d take some

serious magic to pry those two

apart right now.

Ed: UGGGGHHHH

Em: And yet Luz probably hasn’t

made a move yet.

Ed: This is ridiculous. Mittens won’t

have the courage to do anything.

And Luz still hasn’t

figured out it’s mutual.

So, you two push buttons on

your end, and I’ll smack some

sense into Luz with a frying

pan?

Ed: Done.

Em: Deal.

       A smirk on her face, Eda banished her scroll and resolved to deal with it in the morning. As much as she cared for her little apprentice, nobody could make her miss out on her beauty sleep. She laid down in her nest, still there despite the curse being gone, having grown rather fond of it over the years. All was quiet in The Owl House, filled with peaceful slumber, the inhabitants blissfully unaware of what the future days held in store.

Chapter Text

       As the sunlight began to slowly fill the room, it gently kissed the dark brown and light green hair of the two girls laying in each other’s arms. Amity was the first to wake, slowly stirring and trying to stretch, only to find she had a hard time moving. Bleary-eyed, she lifted her head to find what was keeping her in place, yet suddenly finding herself wide awake.

      Soft brown hair and tan skin shone in the sunlight, arms wrapped around her waist and legs tangled with her own reminded Amity just whose room she had fallen asleep in. Gently, reverently, Amity tucked a stray strand of hair behind Luz’s ear, before letting her hand come to rest on the other girl’s cheek. As the other girl smiled in her sleep and leaned into the touch, Amity felt her face erupt with color, overwhelmed by what must be the most adorable creature in existence before her.

       So lost was Amity in her admiration of the girl that she missed the signs of her beginning to wake. Warm, chocolate eyes slowly opened, still unfocused from sleep. Recognition sparked in them as she met Amity’s frozen gaze, a smile that could chase away winter itself on her face.

       “Buenos días, hermosa.” Luz whispered, somehow pulling Amity even closer, their noses brushing against each other.

       Those warm eyes were an ocean, and she was lost at sea. Everything around her was all Luz. Her lungs took in water, yet she had never felt so alive. The further she sank into this feeling, the less she wanted to ever surface. Her fingers lightly grasped at Luz’s shirt, the soft fabric of the tank top Luz had worn to bed bunching up at her touch. She was so close, but it was never enough for Amity. Closer. She pressed even more tightly into Luz’s chest, trying to dive ever deeper. More. She could count the lashes above her eyes. Was it really so bad? Just one kiss, and she would be satisfied…

       “Ami?” Luz’s voice came out hushed and breathless.

       “Hey, Luz.” Amity somehow managed to softly respond, despite the view she had. Luz’s cheeks were slightly flushed, and the sunlight was shining through her hair, making her Amity’s very own angel of light.

       “You okay?”

       “Never better.”

       Luz’s smile was absolutely radiant, and Amity felt as if she could take on the world. Throwing the last bit of caution she had away, she decided to bask in this bit of happiness she had stolen.

       “It’s not fair.” Amity whispered.

       “What’s not fair? came Luz’s soft reply.

       “You are so pretty, it’s just not fair.”

       Her boldness was rewarded with a furious blush tinting Luz’s face as Amity buried her head into her crush’s chest. Luz seemed shocked into silence, but before Amity could worry that she had gone too far, she felt the other girl’s arms tighten around her. “You’re one to talk.” Luz finally responded, her voice soft and sweet in Amity’s ear. They laid in each other’s embrace for what seemed like hours, yet couldn’t have been more than a few minutes, simply enjoying the comfort.

       “Alright lovebirds, time to get up!” Eda’s sudden loud voice from just outside the bedroom door startled the two girls, both furiously blushing and scrambling to occupy opposite sides of the room. Amity saw Eda out of the corner of her eye open the door and glance back and forth between the two, before finally snickering as she turned to leave. Before she went downstairs, she left the girls with one last parting jab.

       “Breakfast is waiting once you two are done making out, better hurry before it gets cold.”

       “THANKS EDA WE’LL BE RIGHT DOWN!” Luz practically yelled at her mentor, panic flooding her voice as she slammed the door shut. As she glanced towards Amity, she chuckled nervously.

       “I’ll see you downstairs?”

       “Yes! Yup, downstairs, I’ll be right there!” Amity squeaked out, forcing herself to meet Luz’s eyes. As she quickly made her way out of the room, Amity felt herself collapse to her knees.

       “Titan have mercy.”

       The rest of the day spent at the Owl House was rather pleasant, if a touch awkward. Every time Amity met Luz’s gaze the two would quickly look away from one another, blushes coloring their features. Despite the awkward atmosphere and morning interruption, she managed to still enjoy her time there. Any day with Luz was a good day, after all.

       After breakfast they had gone back upstairs to finish the chapter they had left off on for The Good Witch Azura, of which Luz read very animatedly as usual. Every time they accidentally brushed against each other, Amity felt as if she would burst into flames, and found she couldn’t quite focus on anything as her thoughts were taken up by sleepy cuddles and warm angels.

       Eventually, they had finished the chapter and Luz had begun practicing her glyphs, which Amity found fascinating. Luz had never let her lack of a bile sac stop her from becoming a witch, and Amity had to admit she was very good with her glyph magic. Hours passed with nothing more than the sound of a pencil scratching away, the occasional soft conversation between the two of them. Amity wouldn’t trade these moments with Luz away for the world.

       Unfortunately, it couldn’t last forever.

CONTENT WARNING

As Amity opened the door to Blight Manor, it was almost unnaturally quiet. The silence sent a chill down her spine as she attempted to quickly head upstairs to her room before her parents noticed she was home. She should have been home hours ago, but she had lost track of time, as she so often did around Luz.

       “Amity!” Her mother called. “Join us in the study dear, your father and I have something to discuss with you.”

       Amity felt herself tense up at the sickly-sweet tone her mother had, cloying and thick with the fake motherly air she used. Anything involving that tone of her mother’s never meant well for Amity, and usually those few people around her she genuinely cared about. Nonetheless, she braced herself and briskly walked to the study, knocking on the doorframe and announcing herself.

       “You wanted to see me, Mother, Father?” Amity said, doing her best to maintain the calm and collected mask she had to wear around her parents. Perfection, confidence and obedience at all times, that is what was expected from the Blight children. And since the twins did their best to act out every chance they got, Amity was the primary focus for all this from her mother.

       “Yes, Amity. Sit.” Alador’s voice was icy and commanding, his features sharp and stern. Her father was much more calm and collected than her mother, yet when he did get angry it was far worse, his voice shaking the very foundation of the hard and frigid Blight Manor when someone earned his ire.

       “We have come to understand that you have been spending a lot of time with this human that is somehow attending Hexide.” her mother’s voice was full of disdain, practically spitting out the word as if it were poisonous.

       “How a creature like that ever managed to enter such a prestigious school as Hexide baffles me. The education of witches doesn’t seem to be held to the same standards as they were in my day.”

       Amity kept silent, her back perfectly straight and hands clasped in her lap. She knew better than to speak out of turn, the flashes of the times she had to be ‘disciplined’ in the manor ‘practice room’ spent with her mother, the sharp sting of a ruler on her hand…

       “This is also the human that associates with that criminal, the Owl Lady.” Alador’s voice cut through her thoughts, oozing contempt for Luz’s mentor.

       “That thing has caused quite the stir at Hexide, and with the Emperor. Not to mention the ruckus it causes around town. And the multi-track system in place now is an affront to all that the Emperor has fought for. As such, your mother and I have decided that you will cut your ties with this human. It’s for the best, Blights shouldn’t associate with such creatures.”

       Amity felt every muscle in her body tense up upon hearing those words. It was happening all over again, wasn’t it? Just another person she cared about, a friend, tossed away like a broken toy just because her parents didn’t approve.

       But it wasn’t just a friend this time. It’s Luz. As much as losing Willow had hurt her, the thought of not being able to see Luz’s smile again was like a crushing weight on her chest. Her breath came in short and quick, there wasn’t enough air. She couldn’t hear anything through the pounding in her ears, rhythmic chaos sending pulses through her head. The walls of the study seemed so close, yet nothing had moved. ‘Blights do not show weakness.’ The words her mother so often drilled into her rang out in her mind as her vision started to darken.

       “You will respond when spoken to, Amity.” Odalia's voice was harsh, grating against her ears. If she noticed her daughter’s distress, she was certainly not acknowledging it.

       “Yes mother.” Amity somehow forced the words out of her parched throat, clinging to her dress in a desperate attempt to anchor her long enough to escape this conversation, the fabric rough on her skin. “I...I understand, father.”

       “Good. That is all, you are dismissed.” Alador had barely finished speaking before turning his gaze to the papers on his desk.

       That was all Amity needed, as she quickly stood up and slowly walked out of the study and up the stairs. As soon as she reached the top, she quickened her pace to almost run inside her room and shut the door behind her, albeit with more force than she should have. She could not even begin to care at the moment, as she immediately leaned against the door and slid down till she was curled up, arms around her knees. Closing her eyes, she focused on her breathing as much as she could. Gradually, her breath slowed down, and she remembered what Luz had told her to do when she got like this.

END OF CONTENT WARNING

       5 things she could see. The wood grain in her bedpost. Her Otabin stuffy on her bed. The corner of the Emperor’s Coven poster she had ripped off. Her diary on the desk. The pen she had gotten from Luz that lit up.

       4 things she could feel. The blue rug on her floor. The wood flooring underneath. Her dress hanging off her shoulders. Her tongue against the roof of her mouth.

       3 things she could hear. Faint conversation from down the hall, probably Emira. The wind blowing through the trees outside the manor. Her own breath, slow yet still shaky.

       2 things she could smell. The smell of old books that seemed to permeate her room from how much time she spent at the library. A much fainter smell, clinging to her dress, one that brought comforting thoughts of warm arms around her.

       1 thing she could taste. The faint taste of blood in her mouth, she had bitten her cheek at some point.

       As Amity finished, she noticed the weight on her chest had lessened somewhat, her breathing stable and only the faintest rhythm of her heartbeat in her ears. She’d have to thank Luz for that method, it really had-

       Her face drained of all color as she suddenly realized.

       Luz.

       As the conversation with her parents came flooding back, she fully realized what had happened. It was just like Willow all over again. She was alone. She couldn’t go back to Willow, Gus or Luz. She couldn’t stand to look Willow in the eye and see the disappointment that would undoubtedly be there.

       She had failed, again.

       Amity let herself fall over and curl up on the floor, clutching her legs even tighter than before as the tears began to run down her face. At first it was a quiet moment, yet she found that she couldn’t hold it in after a while and began to cry in earnest, sobs wracking the small witch’s body.

       At some point she heard the twins outside her door, trying and failing to get a response from her. They eventually had left her to her sorrow, her throat raw. Then came Emira’s voice, gentle and soft, full of kindness.

       “Amity...I’m here. Whatever you need, I’m here. Please, just...let me in.”

       Amity had worn herself out at this point, the energy to sob drained from her, yet tears still silently streamed down her face. She laid there for a minute, not wanting to move before her sister’s voice came through the door once again.

       “Please.”

       Amity finally dragged herself away from the door and turned to open it, not even bothering to stand. As she met her sister’s eyes, she saw them filled with worry and tears. Wordlessly, Emira picked her up off the floor and carried her to her bed, laying down beside her. As her sister’s arms wrapped around her in comfort, Amity felt herself give in.

       She curled up into Emira’s chest, desperately reaching for any semblance of warmth, of comfort. Sobs began to wrack her body once again as even more tension started to slowly leave her body. Emira wordlessly did her best to comfort her, slowly carding her fingers through her younger sibling’s hair and gently rubbing circles on her back. Amity cried for what felt like ages, yet could only have been an hour.

       As she slowly faded into sleep, wrapped in her sister’s arms, Amity felt cold and hollow. The room was dark, the colors dull and sound seemed muffled as the young witch softly whispered.

“I’m sorry, Luz.”

Chapter Text

       The last week had been a nightmare on repeat.

       Every day, Amity woke up, only to go to school and do her best to avoid Luz and her friends. At first, Luz had tried to follow her as much as she could, asking what was wrong. Amity never responded, avoiding her as best as she could. After a couple days, her cold and blank stare she wore like a mask seemed to keep Luz at arms length, for the most part. And when that wasn’t enough, she ran.

       That’s what she was good at, after all. Every problem, every little inconvenience, just run from it. She ran as fast as she could, never stopping to look back. Better that than to see the hurt on Luz’s face.

       But it was finally the weekend. No more looking over her shoulder, no more running, Amity could finally drop the mask in the privacy of her own room. Her siblings seemed to be finally giving her some space, and her parents left her alone so long as her grades stayed high and she didn’t interact with Luz.

       Amity heaved a great sigh as she set her things down at her desk before flopping onto her bed. She wrapped herself up in her blankets, tightly clutching a pillow to her chest as if it could somehow dull the ache she felt. She was cold, a shiver running down her spine despite the blanket she was wrapped in. It was times like these that she missed those warm hugs from-

       Luz.

       Amity did not cry. She barely even moved. Her red-rimmed eyes were dull and empty, as she had long since used up all the tears she could muster. Now all that was left was this empty, hollow feeling in her chest. She missed Luz. Her laugh, her smile, her hugs. Now that it was all suddenly out of reach for her she realized how foolish she had been.

       “Why didn’t I just tell her?”

       Her broken whisper was full of sadness and regret, spilling out of their worn and weary container. She had been so worried that telling Luz how she felt would ruin their friendship, yet she had never even stopped to consider how likely it was she would mess it up anyways. Friends never lasted. 

       She made sure of that.

       Nothing good lasted around the Blight household. First it was Willow. Then it was Viney and Jerbo after her siblings had started spending too much time with the dual-track students. Now, Luz. The Blight children were never really given a choice in these things, their whole lives being a series of decisions made for them all for one purpose. To uphold the Blight family name.

       Amity found herself wishing that, for once, she didn’t have to worry about perfect grades or public image. She wanted to be normal. Get decent grades, have friends she chose, stay out late having fun, maybe even have sleepovers on the weekends.

       She wanted to fall in love and not be judged for it, instead of being married off for status or money. She wanted cafe dates, cozy library snuggles and picnics under her favorite tree. She wanted Luz, and all that entailed.

       Instead, all she had was an empty room filled with hollow things. Silence that droned on and on, letting her mind tumble deeper into the gaping maw she felt growing daily. Perhaps it was for the best. Luz hadn’t really tried to talk to her either, maybe she didn’t really care. She had let her remain alone and breaking, never lifting a finger to help.

       Amity knew that it was her own fault, she had been the one to push her away. That never stopped the voice in her head from whispering in her ear all the things she truly feared.

       Her mother scolded her in the morning for missing dinner, having gone to bed so soon. Dinner was a family affair, even if it was all just an image her mother wanted to uphold. Amity had kept her normal posture and neutral tone during the lecture, never dropping the mask, never showing weakness to her mother. Yet she hadn’t needed to as the words barely stung, the numbness Amity felt dulling everything.

       She knew she was being dramatic and mopey, for once not needing her siblings to tell her that. Amity couldn’t help it though, everything just seemed so bleak, like all the color had drained out of the world. Drab and lifeless, boring. Cold. Spirits she was cold nowadays, hopefully she wasn’t getting sick.

       “Edric, Emira! Come down here.” her mother’s voice called out, finally done scolding Amity for the time being.

       The older Blight siblings made their way down the stairs, coming to stand on either side of their little sister, perfect posture and appearance.

       “You wanted to see us, mother?” Emira said, her own mask neatly in place. She always held it together in front of their parents better than Edric did, so she did most of the speaking.

       Alador came from the study to stand by his wife, tall and stern as usual as she resumed speaking.

       “Yes, children. It is rather short notice but we have another trip we must make this weekend. As always, we expect perfect behavior from you three. You did so well last weekend, I’m sure you can manage the same again. I also expect you three to make it to school on time the day after tomorrow, as we will not be back till that evening.”

       Without even waiting for a response, Alador and Odalia turned around and made their way out of the manor, servants trailing behind them with all their luggage.

       After they had gone, the twins turned to their younger sister, only to find her already up the stairs. Amity wasted no time and immediately locked herself in her room, preferring a weekend alone with no obligations for once. Thankfully, her siblings seemed to notice and left her alone, returning to their own rooms in silence.

       The manor was quiet, save for one young girl’s misery.

       Tap-tap-tap

       Amity awoke to the sound of...well she wasn’t sure what it was, really. Apparently she had fallen asleep at some point in the evening, her emotional state leaving her exhausted.

       Tap-tap-tap

       It was louder this time, and it sounded like it was coming from...her window? Amity dragged herself out of bed to open the curtains, trying to blink the sleep out of her eyes because she swore she saw…

       Her jaw dropped when she finally realized that is what she saw. Hovering outside her window, aloft on a worn staff topped with a familiar palisman, was the one person she had been the most desperate to avoid.

       “Luz.” Amity’s voice came out a whisper, barely able to speak through her shock.

       Maybe it was the time she had spent avoiding Luz, but Amity couldn’t help but stare. The sunset shone through her hair, lighting it like a halo, while her soft, brown eyes radiated a warmth that invited her in. Yet, something was different. There were bags under her eyes, which were red as if she had been crying. Her forehead was creased with worry, a frown tugging at her lips.

       “Amity, please let me in.” Luz’s voice was muffled through her window, but soft and clearly full of worry.

       Amity unlocked her window and opened it slightly. “You shouldn’t be here Luz. I- I don’t want to see you. You need to leave.” Her voice came out a bit shaky, trying and failing to make her tone cold and dismissive.

       “No.”

       The sternness in Luz’s voice caused Amity to look up and meet her gaze, shocked by the tone. Luz was...angry? Of course she was, she had every right to be mad at her.

       “I don’t know what happened or what has been going on with you Amity, but I’m not just going to abandon you. I’m your friend, and that means I am always here for you.”

       Amity stumbled back as Luz pushed the window open wide, coming inside her room and sliding off the staff. Leaning it against the wall, she shut the window behind her and then turned to face the young witch, who was now too scared to look the human in the eye.

       “But...if my parents find out…they’ll come after you. They might hurt you. I don’t want-“ Amity mumbled, still trying to back away from the human.

       “Amity.” Luz’s voice held no room for argument as she reached out and took hold of Amity’s arms, her touch gentle yet firm. “I honestly don’t care what your parents do to me. I’m here because I care about you, and I’m worried.”

       Warm.

       There it was. The warmth she had missed, those hands holding on to her that set fire racing through her veins. She craved the warmth, so much that it scared her, because who would want to burn? And yet she couldn’t help but chase after the fire. One simple step forward, and she could wrap herself in everything she longed for.

       But what would it cost?

       Could she really give in, let herself bask in this comfort, only for it to be ripped away again once she left, leaving nothing but a burned-out husk where her heart had been?

       “Ami, talk to me, please.”

       She faltered, one part of her begging to bury herself in Luz, the other telling her to run, to spare herself and Luz the hurt.

       Suddenly there was a hand pressed to her cheek, soft and warm. Before she could even think about it, she leaned into the touch, feeling Luz wipe away a tear she hadn’t realized was there. With her vision blurry, Amity looked up to meet Luz’s eyes- Titan those eyes. Amity could spend the rest of her life lost in their depths.

       “Háblame, mi amor. Por favor. Tell me what’s wrong. Let me be here for you Ami.” Luz’s voice was soft and quiet, full of kindness.

       At that, Amity finally gave in. A sob escaped her as she wrapped her arms around Luz’s neck, burying herself in the comfort she had been craving for so long. She held onto Luz tightly as if she would vanish in a cloud of smoke, and felt the other girl’s arms wrap around her waist in response, driving away the emptiness in her chest.

       As Amity cried into the other girl’s shoulder, they sank to the floor, held in each other’s arms and she realized that she had been trying to say something through it all, barely managing to choke it out past the sobs.

       “I’m sorry...I’m sorry...I’m sorry...”

       “It’s okay, Ami. It’s okay.”

       “I’m so sorry.”

       They stayed like that for a while, Luz never ceasing her soft words of comfort whispered in her ear. One hand firmly on her back, the other gently running her fingers through Amity’s hair. Eventually, the tears finally slowed and Amity regained some of her composure. With her breathing slowed, she finally began to notice the position she was in.

       Somehow during all of this, she had ended up in Luz’s lap, her legs wrapped around each side of the other girl. A blush rushed to her face as she tried to back away. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t- I didn’t realize I was- I don’t want to bother you so I’ll-“ she was cut off as Luz’s arms pulled her back into her lap.

       “No, you aren’t bothering me. Does this bother you?” Luz asked, worry still evident in her tone.

       “...no, no it doesn’t bother me.” Amity tried to gather the courage for her next words, her throat suddenly dry. “It’s...this is...nice. I like it.” Her voice came out as a whisper, treating the words like they were fragile.

       “Good. Then I’m going to comfort you, and you are going to let me. I...well, I may not be the best at knowing what to say, but I do give pretty good hugs and snuggles.” Luz pulled back just enough to meet her eyes, a small smile playing at her lips. “Okay?”

       “...okay.” Amity couldn’t help the smile that found its way into her tone, feeling as if she had stolen a bit of light from the sun itself.

       “Can I ask you about what happened, or would you rather not talk about it?”

       “I...no. You deserve to know, Luz.”

       “Okay. Um...well. Why were you avoiding me? I’m not mad at you, I just...was it...did I do something wrong?” Luz’s voice faltered at the end, a sudden uncertainty in her tone.

       “No! You did nothing wrong. It was me. I just- I messed it all up. I should’ve been more careful, I should’ve made sure they couldn’t find out. I had to protect you. I couldn’t let them do anything to-“

       “Amity. Hey, it’s okay, it’s okay. Just breathe. Deeeep breaths.”

       At that, Amity realized she had begun to hyperventilate, a wave of panic starting to crash over her. She closed her eyes, taking in the comforting smell she was buried in, and gradually began to calm down. With the lingering smell of old books swirling around her mind, she took a deep breath and tried again.

       “My parents found out about how much time I spend with you.” Amity’s voice came out quiet, almost as if she were afraid of being heard. “They were...less than pleased. My father told me I was to stop talking to you. It wasn’t a question, there was no choice. I wanted to say something, but...I was scared. Of what they might do to me. Of what they could do to you.”

       “Amity...do they hurt you?”

       “No! They don’t- well, not anymore. When- when I was younger, mother had her ways of...disciplining her children.” Unwelcome memories flooded into her mind.

       A ruler, stinging her hand.

       “Again! Blights must be perfect at all times, with no exceptions.” Her mother’s voice, sharp and cold.

       Amity shuddered at the memories, pushing them from her mind. “No, they don’t hurt me. There is no need to now, not since I became a proper Blight, perfect like mother wants.” Her face twisted on her name, the hatred on her tongue surprising her.

       Did she hate her family? No, as much as they annoyed her, she loved her older siblings. But her parents...Alador never cared for his children, leaving the discipline to his wife. Always distant, unless there was something to be gained. Odalia though...anger swelled in Amity’s chest, fueled by the years of expectations and control exerted by her mother.

       A light squeeze brought her out of those thoughts, a blush creeping up her face.

       “You would tell me if they did, right?”

       “...yes. I’d tell you. I trust you.”

       “Okay, good. For now though, my legs are starting to fall asleep.” Luz chuckled softly, slowly removing her arms, almost reluctantly.

       “Oh! Sorry!” Amity untangled herself from Luz and jumped up, embarrassment coloring her face. Worry began to gnaw at her as she saw how dark it was outside.

       “No worries! I just need to stretch a bit is all.” Luz flashed a dazzling smile at her before standing up.

       Amity lowered her gaze, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. “I guess you should probably go, it’s pretty late and Eda will probably want her staff back…” she trailed off as her chest suddenly felt tight, the pain of loneliness settling in.

       “Oh no, you aren’t getting rid of me that easily cariño.” Luz’s voice sounded playful, teasing even. “Annnnd scoop!”

       Suddenly, Amity found herself being carried as she had been after the infamous Grudgby match. Mouth agape, she had simply wrapped her arms around Luz’s neck without a second thought while her brain decided to be rather unhelpful with words. Luz carried her over to the bed, gently laying her down and then curled up next to her.

       “Here, face the other way.”

       Luz’s soft voice next to her startled Amity into action. She rolled on to her side, curious what the other girl had planned, then suddenly she felt warmth. Luz pressed herself up against her back, arm wrapped around her waist as she held Amity close.

       “Don’t- don’t you have to get back to the Owl House?” Amity couldn’t help the nervousness she felt. Luz was just so close.

       “Nope.” Luz responded, softly popping the p. “I’m not going anywhere, and I’m not giving up on you.”

       Amity’s heart felt so full, she thought it might burst. Here she was, laying in bed with her crush, snuggled up together, after she had spent a whole week ignoring her. The fire she felt so often around Luz that set her nerves ablaze with every glance, every touch, was gone. In its place was a soft warmth, gentle and comforting, filling her up from head to toe and chasing away her demons for another day. Luz was right here, and she wasn’t going anywhere.

       Well, Amity wasn’t going to waste this chance. Slowly, she began to move her hand to rest on top of Luz’s, twitching away as she made contact, her nerves getting the better of her for a moment. Then, she felt the back of Luz’s hand brush against her palm, slowly threading their fingers together before wrapping their arms around Amity’s waist. How any of this could be considered something between ‘just friends’ was beyond Amity, but she didn’t care. Not right now, not when the world felt so right.

       “Promise me one thing, Amity.” Luz’s voice was soft yet serious as it tickled her ear.

       “Yes?” Amity responded, worry beginning to curl up in her stomach again.

       “No more ignoring me. No more running to protect me. I...I don’t want to lose you again. Please.”

       Amity closed her eyes and smiled, the tension she hadn’t even realized was there, vanishing. It would be hard, and there would be some issues to work through, but they would do it together. A blush rushed up to meet her next words, yet she was determined to say it.

       “I promise, Luz. I won’t leave you again. So please...don’t let me go.”

       Luz squeezed her tight, the smile evident in her voice as she whispered softly into Amity’s ear.

       “Never. I promise.”

Chapter Text

       Luz arrived back at the Owl House the next afternoon, chipper as usual. It was a wonderful, sunny day with a gentle breeze keeping it a perfect temperature in the strange house. Days like this were meant for fun, excitement and adventure, to explore all the wonders the Isles had to offer. Eda loved these kinds of days, as they were so often filled with a certain excitable human she was rather fond of. At the moment, said human was happily greeting Hooty and King after her return from Baby Blight’s house. Eda had been a bit surprised when Luz had come to her, begging to borrow Owlbert to go visit the little witchling, but after her explanation had begrudgingly let her go, albeit in return for some extra chores.

       Eda grimaced as she remembered the story Luz had told her. They had been spending more and more time together as of late (completely platonically, Luz assured her) and then suddenly, Amity just stopped. She didn’t talk to Luz, or the rest of their group. No more hanging out after school, no book club that week. The tears that had fallen down Luz’s face as she told her how Amity had literally ran from her had left the older witch with a strange mixture of concern and a desire to hex the little green-haired brat.

       However, it didn’t add up. From what Eda could see, Amity was absolutely crazy about her little owlet, so the sudden coldness made no sense. ‘Unless...her parents were involved.’ Eda thought to herself, worry gnawing at her mind. It made sense, from what she knew of the stuck-up Blights. Associating with a human would be something they would consider to be rather beneath them, and their children for that matter. So, she had sent Luz on her way with Owlbert and a promise to be careful. After all, it wouldn’t take too long for those two lovebirds to make up.

       Right?

       And yet, morning came, Eda awoke, and her little owlet was still not back.

        At first she was rather worried, though her first instinct of rushing over to the Blight Manor without her staff would most likely end with her on a one-way trip to the Conformatorium. Instead she had placed her trust in Luz and Owlbert to remain safe, and now that she could hear the joy evident in the human’s tone, she was able to relax knowing that nothing bad had come of them. After a moment of soft smiles and fond glances, she composed herself into the normal snarky attitude she presented, preparing to tease Luz for worrying her.

       “So you’re back from your girlfriend’s house, huh kiddo? Took you long enough.” Luz whipped her head towards her, a blush filling her face.

       “Edaaaaaaa! She’s not- we aren’t like that. We’re just friends.” The disappointment in Luz’s tone was thick enough Eda might have been able to bottle it up if she tried.

       “Yeah yeah, just ‘friends’ I got it. So. ” The sudden shift in her tone to serious drawing Luz’s full attention to her. “You stayed out all night, with Owlbert, at the Blight Manor of all places.”

       “Um...yeah….I’m sorry! I swear I was going to come home sooner but, well, Amity really needed my help! She was all sad and felt really guilty and kept apologizing a lot and I couldn’t just leave her Eda, I had to help her somehow! So I stayed the night and gave her lots of hugs and-“

       “Luz! It’s alright. I’m just glad you and Owlbert are safe. I’ve just gotta tease you about it first.” Eda said as she gave Luz a wink. Owlbert landed on Eda’s shoulder and nuzzled her cheek, gently cooing at her. She smiled fondly at her Palisman, giving him an affectionate scratch on top of his head before continuing. “Alright, so why was Baby Blight avoiding you so much?”

       “Oh. Well, apparently...Amity’s parents told her she couldn’t talk to me anymore.” Luz sheepishly looked down at her feet, nervously fidgeting.

      Eda heaved a gusty sigh at that. “I suppose I should’ve known. Those two have always been insufferable, and they’ve only gotten worse over the years.”

       “They...also…” Luz’s mumbles grew too quiet for even Eda to hear after that, obviously reluctant to give voice to whatever had happened.

       “They also what, kid? Spit it out.”

       Luz stood there in silence for a moment before finally speaking up, still not meeting Eda’s gaze.

       “...they also threatened me. Or at least, I think they did. Or maybe Amity was just worried that they might try to. Either way, she said she was worried about what they might do, so she tried to avoid me.”

       “They WHAT? ” Eda couldn’t contain the yell that bursted from her, so enraged she was at the very thought of the Blights attempting to harm the human she had grown so fond of. “I’d like to see them try! If they even dare harm one little hair on the head of my-“

       Her what?

       What had she been about to call the human? Her apprentice, her protégé? Sure, she has before. Heck, she often referred to her as her owlet, if perhaps only in her head. Obviously, Eda had grown extremely fond of the kid, teaching her magic, watching out for her, trying to make sure she was happy. That’s what a mentor does, right? And Eda was Luz’s mentor, nothing more.

       So why had she been about to call Luz her daughter?

       “Eda? Are you okay?” Luz was looking up at her now, a concerned look in her eyes.

       “Wha- me? Psshh, yeah I’m fine kiddo, don’t worry about it. They didn’t find out you came over, did they?” Eda brushed aside those thoughts, willing herself to think about it another time.

       “Nope! They weren’t even home, gone for some business trip apparently. Only Amity and I know that I was ever there! Well...I guess the twins also know, since they walked in on…us…” suddenly Luz trailed off, her eyes growing wide as a blush ran all the way up to her ears.

       “Walked in on what, kid?” Eda was tempted to tease her little owlet at the implications of that statement, but decided against it as whatever had happened was apparently more than enough to embarrass the human into silence.

       “...cuddling.”

       “What was that, Luz?”

       “We were cuddling. OH TITAN WE WERE CUDDLING!” Suddenly Luz couldn’t sit still, the excitement of the previous night seeming to catch up with her as began to pace around the living room and continued to shout. Eda sat down on the couch, realizing this was going to take Luz a minute to get it all out, though she didn’t bother to hide the growing smirk on her face as Luz revealed what had occurred between her and Baby Blight.

       “- I mean, it was nice, don’t get me wrong! It started out just as me trying to confront her. I was kind of mad. I mean, why wouldn’t I be? She just ignored me out of nowhere! We’re friends! Friends don’t do that! Though I was also worried that I had done something wrong. Maybe she had a reason to ignore me. But I didn’t mess it up! And she told me about her parents and how scared she was and when she started crying I just hugged her! She was just so sad and I hate seeing her sad, so what else was I supposed to do? But then we ended up on the floor and she was kind of in my lap…” the blush Luz had looked strong enough to fry a griffon egg at this point, and Eda was having trouble containing her mirth the more she heard.

       “ANYWAYS!” Luz’s voice came out loud enough she even startled herself a bit before continuing. “So I held her and she cried for a while, and it was really nice and she was soft and her hair smelled really good- NOT THAT I WAS SMELLING HER HAIR! Cause, that would be just weird, right? Ha-ha, eehhhh…but! She had to get up cause my legs fell asleep which was dumb but then she mentioned it being late and me needing to be back here but I really didn’t want to go, so I didn’t! Besides, she looked really sad about that, so I stayed! That’s what friends do. Right? So then I carried her over to her bed and cuddled up with her and told her that it was fine, I didn’t need to go and...I’m sorry, Eda.” Luz now hung her head in shame, not looking her mentor in the eye.

       “So, let me get this straight. You basically held your ‘friend’ all night, snuggled up in her bed and slept together? All so you could comfort her about avoiding you all week.” Eda cocked an eyebrow at Luz, masking her amusement as she waited to see the girl’s reaction.

       “...yes. I’m sorry, Eda! I swear I-“

       “Luz! Hey, I’m not mad. I promise. You stuck by your ‘friend’ and made sure she was okay. You’re a good friend, and I could never be mad at you about that, okay? Us weirdos gotta stick together, after all.” Eda said as she smiled at Luz, trying her hardest to comfort the girl.

       Luz slowly looked up to meet Eda’s eyes, seeing the seriousness in them. “...okay. Thanks, Eda.”

       Before she could say a word, the human had sat next to her on the couch and wrapped her in a hug. Normally Eda would make a fuss about this, but she couldn’t be bothered to right now, simply wrapping an arm around Luz in return. As much as she wanted to tease her little Owlet, she was proud of her. Luz was a shining example of something the Boiling Isles had been severely lacking in for a long time now. Kindness . Luz always saw the best in people, and would do anything for those she cared about. It was more than anyone deserved, especially Eda, but the warmth in her side was persistent, and she let herself just enjoy it.

       They sat like that for a minute before Luz spoke up once more, albeit much quieter this time.

        “Why do girls have to be so pretty?”

       Eda sat there, momentarily stunned by the question. Sure, that kind of thing was normal in the Demon Realm, no one thought twice about it. But she remembered how weird the humans got about that sort of thing, and the way that question sounded to Eda, this was something Luz had been thinking about for a long time. Thankfully, this was one area Eda found herself rather familiar with over the years.

       “Kid, if I had a snail for every time I’ve asked myself that question over the years, I’d be rich enough to buy the Boiling Isles.” Thankfully, that got the chuckle Eda had been hoping to get from Luz, so she decided to press the subject a little. “You wanna talk about it? I may be a crazy old witch living alone in a shack, ya know, until a certain human came along, but I know a thing or two about love.”

       That earned a muffled groan from Luz as she pressed her face into Eda’s side. “It’s not love. We’re just-”

       “Friends? Yeah, you are friends, but that’s not all you want. I’ve seen how you look at her, I hear how you talk about her. I’m not saying you’re in love with her, Luz, but I am saying I know a crush when I see one.”

       “...yeah. I just...what if she doesn’t like me back like that? I had...a lot of crushes back in the human realm, but they never felt the same towards me. The guys always thought I was just weird, and the girls were always...not like that. At this point, I think I only fall for girls who are straight!” Luz let out a pained laugh, almost mocking in tone at that, her arms tightening around Eda.

       Eda tightened her arm around Luz in response, feeling the desperate need to drive that pain Luz was feeling away. “Luz, sweetie. I won’t try to say I know what you’ve been through, because everyone’s experiences are different. What I will say, is I have gone through similar things to what it sounds like you had to deal with. I’ve been turned down a bunch of times by witches who didn’t fly that way.”

       “Wait...you like girls, too?” Luz’s voice came out soft and hopeful as she raised her head to look at Eda.

       “Yeah? I like ‘em all, kid. Well, not literally all of them, but- you get what I mean. Point is, I think I have a good idea of what you are struggling with. It’s hard, getting rejected and then trying again. It hurts, and it takes guts to keep trying. Just, here, you don’t have to worry about that being something that’s weird or whatever. Nobody really thinks about it too much in the Demon Realm. You just be yourself, like who you like, date who you want to date, and don’t worry about the rest of it so much, okay?”

       Luz simply stared at her for a minute, then tears started streaming down her face. Before Eda could ask what was wrong, Luz buried her face back into her side, squeezing tightly enough Eda could feel her bones creak in response. The words that she heard next shocked Eda to her core.

       “Thanks, mom.”

        Mom?

       The last thing Eda wanted to do was try and act like a replacement for Luz’s real mom. She had done her best to quell all her thoughts on that for the past several minutes, but at that one word it all came rushing back, taking over her mind. Eda had never considered herself a parental figure. Heck, she wasn’t even a good role model half the time. But Luz had wormed her way into Eda’s heart, and she felt that intense desire to protect the human, to hold her tight and make sure nobody ever hurt her. She loved Luz, with every bit of light and joy she brought into Eda’s life. Maybe it was okay to give a little of that back to Luz, in whatever way she could.

       “You’re welcome sweetie. I’m always here for you, no matter what, and you can talk to me about anything. You know that, right?”

       “...yeah, I do. Um. Thanks, Eda.” The embarrassment was clear in Luz’s tone, having obviously realized what had slipped out.

       “Anytime, kid. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. How bout we go find something to eat?” Eda said, trying to spare the kid her embarrassment. If it was also to cover up Eda’s own, well, she’d never say. As much as Eda admittedly liked the idea of Luz thinking of her as a mother, that would take some time to adjust to. Probably for the both of them, if Luz’s reaction was any indicator.

       As they entered the kitchen and began to scrounge up something to cook, Eda found her thoughts shifting back to the Blight household. Specifically, Amity. The kid was strong, but her parents had obviously done a number on her over the years, and it wasn’t something that would just go away easily. If even Luz couldn’t drag her away from the influence of her parents, then Eda wasn’t sure anyone could. All she could do for now is hope that nothing else stirred up the Blights, and prepare for the possibility that things could get a little... messy.

Chapter Text

       It had been a long night for Eda, having spent most of it tossing and turning restlessly as she thought about the Blight children and the situation they were stuck in. No matter how hard she had tried, she had been unable to keep her mind off of the twins. Granted, Amity probably had the brunt of it, but the twins undoubtedly had to deal with plenty as well. Speaking of those troublemakers, she needed at least some food in her soon if she was going to think about this mess. Groaning as she stretched, Eda coerced herself to get out of the nest. She had a long day ahead of her.

       Arriving downstairs after a half-hearted attempt to fix her hair, Eda first noticed the commotion from the kitchen that marked the beginning of the day. Luz animatedly making pancakes with King attempting to direct her, as usual. Eda settled down on the couch, still groggy as she awaited food. Though no sooner did she sit down that a plate was put in her lap, piled high with fluffy pancakes.

       “I’ve gotta go Eda, enjoy your breakfast!” Luz called out behind her as she ran out the door.

       “Take care kid, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Eda called back with a smirk.

       She settled in to enjoy her breakfast, not looking forward to the day ahead of her. She had messaged the twins last night, and they were supposedly on their way over to have a talk about some rather...unpleasant things. The amount of things unknown going on behind closed doors was something Eda was not comfortable with in this situation, considering what she did know. As she finished up her breakfast and took her plate to the kitchen, Eda began to wonder when the twins would show up, only to hear the sounds of Hooty talking to someone outside. Moments later, the front door opened to reveal none other than Edric and Emira.

       “Ugh, I can see why Mittens doesn’t care for him. He’s...creepy.” Emira said with a shudder.

       “I dunno, I find him interesting.” Edric replied.

       “You would get along with a creepy thing like that.”

       “Hey kids. Come on in.” Eda called out from the chair. “Make yourselves at home. Though if Edric wants to spend more time having a lovely conversation with Hooty, please do so out of earshot. I don’t wanna listen to him more than I have to.”

       The twins made their way inside, admiring the decorations all around them as they came to sit on the couch.

       “I love what you’ve done with the place. We could cause so much trouble with even half of the stuff you have in here.” Emira commented, a smirk playing at her lips.

       “Kid, this isn’t even the half of what I’ve got stashed away in this house. Some of what I’ve got would blow your mind. Maybe I’ll let you have a crack at it sometime, if ya play your cards right.” Eda replied with a chuckle. “But, we have more serious things to talk about today. Are you two ready for that?” her tone shifting to serious as she eyed the twins.

       “Yes.” they replied in unison. “With how things are going, I don’t know how much longer we can just sit by and watch our parents treat Amity like they do, and seeing as this will most likely be where she ends up if she were to leave...well. You deserve to know.” Emira continued, Edric looking solem beside her.

       “Alright then. Well, I guess there is really only one way to ask this. What goes on in that house? I know it’s not pretty, but what exactly do they do to you kids?”

       There was a long silence as the twins composed themselves, before Emira spoke. “Ever since we were old enough to talk, our mother has always wanted us to match. To be in unison, to be perfect in all things. Appearance, the way we talk, grades, everything. We did, for a while. But we got tired of it eventually, and started to act out. We got in trouble a lot for it, of course. Nothing physical, just scolding, sent to our rooms without dinner, that kind of thing. Then...came Amity. We were so excited. We had a little sister! But...then they both came down on her hard. Where we had failed to be perfect, they expected even more from her. And we…we…” Emira trailed off with a sad look in her eyes.

       “We weren’t the best siblings to her.” Edric continued, putting his hand on Emira’s shoulder. “ we teased her from the start, but we just...we thought that was how we were supposed to be. That’s what you do, right? Tease your sibling, give them a hard time.” a sad smile crossed his face as he turned to look at Eda.

       “That’s how I was with Lily, always teasing her every chance I got throughout the years. Though, I guess we aren’t the best example of healthy sibling relationships.” Eda replied with a sad smile of her own.

       “Problem is, we only teased her. We never showed her any support through it all.” Edric said as he looked at the floor, remorse clear in his voice. “I guess...I dunno. Maybe we were jealous. She got all the attention, all the praise from our parents, what little they gave. We never even knew that she was forced to dye her hair, we had to find that out from Luz! A matching set. Her children had to all look the same, no matter what. Clothes, hair, everything…”

       Eda grimaced as she listened to all this. She had expected nothing good, but this went even deeper than she had thought. Putting those expectations on children , so young and eager to please their parents, the people who are supposed to care for them. Manipulating someone so young and vulnerable, forcing them into a mold for your own pride, the very thought boiling her blood.

       “Father never said anything about it either.” Emira spoke back up as she regained her composure. “He didn’t really join in much, but he never stopped Mother when she would yell at us, and now Amity. They were never physical with us. But...I’ve seen it. I’ve seen the “lessons” our mother put her through. They are so much worse to her than they ever were to us. They expect more, like they expect her to be perfect enough for three kids all by herself. And she...she just accepts it. She doesn’t fight back, she doesn’t defend herself. How could she? She’s...she’s never known anything else.”

       “At least, not until Luz. She has been happy again, actually being a kid for once.” Edric said, a small smile lighting up his face. It would’ve lightened the mood, had Eda not been struggling to not storm over to the Blight Manor right now and give Alador and Odalia a piece of her mind right now.

       Edric seemed to notice, as he awkwardly cleared his throat and continued. “Luz, Willow, Gus, you...it’s all been so good for her to have people outside of our parents, but it’s also made them only come down harder on her as time goes on. I...I don’t know how much longer she can keep this up, Eda. She needs to get away from our parents, the sooner the better. The only place I can think of her to go...is here. I know it’s a lot to ask but…”

       “Please, Eda.” Emira looked at Eda with a pleading look in her eyes as she spoke. “We wouldn’t ask this of you if we thought there was another way, but something has to be done, we can’t just let this keep-“

       “Hey, I’m not heartless, kid.” Eda looked at Emira and Edric slowly, rage still running through her veins like fire, her magic barely contained as she felt it leaking out slightly. “Amity has a place here. And I agree, sooner is better than later. Just...keep an eye on your sister, alright? Help her out, cover for her as much as you can. I’ll try to come up with a plan to get all of you out of there.”

       “Thank you, Eda.” Emira replied, her voice heavy with relief before she stopped, both her and Edric looking at each other for a second before turning back to Eda and speaking together.

       “All of us?”

       “I’m not leaving you two in their grasp either. I’ve got plenty of room anyways, a bunch of rooms left collecting dust and junk.” Eda replied softly, for once not bothering to hide the care in her voice. “We will get your sister out, but you two are coming as well. And that’s that.”

       The Twins sat in silence for a moment, too stunned to say anything. Finally, Emira spoke up.

        “Thank you…”

       “Don’t mention it. Now, no more of this soft crap, I’m the baddest witch in the Boiling Isles. How about we go cause some mischief?” Eda said with a twinkle in her eye. The twins jumped up, eager to have some fun after the conversation they just had.

       There were a few things apparent to Eda. Luz had made her soft, for one. Two, she wasn’t unhappy about that. And three.

       The Blight parents’ days were numbered.

       Amity was having a rather good day. A great day, actually. One might even say a perfect day. And it was most certainly because of her friends.

       Maybe one in particular.

       The other night was still fresh in Amity’s mind, the warmth of Luz as they snuggled up close to each other and spent it in each other’s arms making her feel bubbly inside even now. Even after making the same mistake she did with Willow again, this time with Luz, Luz had still not given up on her. The way she listened to everything Amity said, the way she comforted her, how she seemed to just know what to say...Amity felt full of a wonderful feeling. Warm, soft, comforting, it felt like home. She knew what it was now, surprising herself with how quickly she accepted it.

       But was she ready to give it a name?

       To be honest with herself, Amity still wasn't sure that Luz felt the same way about her. Sure, a lot of Luz’s actions certainly came off as more than just friendly, but was Luz even aware of that? She was so kind and thoughtful, the type of  person to do anything for her friends. There was only one way to know for sure. She’d just have to ask Luz directly, in a way that was obvious what she meant.

       Easy enough, right?

       “Hey Amity!” Luz’s voice came from behind her, shocking her to the point that she jumped away from the sound and headfirst into her locker.

       “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry Amity! Are you okay?” Luz gently helped Amity up before she began to fret over her, checking for any injuries.

       “Luz, it’s okay, I’m fine. You just startled-“ Amity suddenly found herself unable to speak as Luz’s hand found her cheek, the other gently brushing aside her hair as Luz checked her forehead.

       By the Titan, did she need to be so close?

       “Are you sure you’re okay?” Luz was so close Amity could feel her breath against her face. Her mind began to go blank as she stared into Luz’s eyes, wanting nothing more than to curl up in their warmth forever. Before she could continue that thought and wherever it might be leading, someone else interrupted.

       “Alright you two, we do still have one class left for the day. Unless you guys would rather continue this... moment you seem to be having.” Willow’s voice was full of snark as she watched the two girls suddenly break apart, bashfully looking away from one another as they shared an equally radiant blush.

       “Yeah! Class! That’s a thing we do! Here. At school. Which we all go to. Together. I’m gonna go now.” Amity tried to quickly leave, but found herself tugged back into a tight hug from Luz. As she wrapped her arms around Luz instinctually, her brain finally gave up and she buried her head into Luz’s shoulder. All too soon, she felt Luz begin to let go, and in a moment of clarity she leaned in, leaving a swift kiss on Luz’s cheek. As she quickly turned away and sped off to her class, Amity had only one thought on her mind. One word, really.

        Soft.

       Luz was having an amazing day. The best day, really. And it was all because of one girl.

        Amity.

       The lingering feeling of soft lips on Luz’s cheek stayed with her for her next class, causing more than one accident due to her distraction. Luz wanted more. She wanted to be able to actually kiss Amity, whenever she wanted. To wrap her arms around her and know that it wasn’t her friend she was holding, but something more than that. Her crush on Amity was only getting worse, and she knew that she had been slipping up more and more as of late in how she acted around the other girl. She really liked Amity.

       Did Amity feel the same way?

       Before, Luz would’ve immediately said no. But now, especially after that kiss, she found herself hesitating. That wasn’t something you do with friends, was it? She’d never seen Amity do that to anyone before, and the way she had hugged her...the way her arms had wrapped around her and held her tight. Like she couldn’t get close enough. But Luz was the one with a crush.

        Right?

       All these thoughts still swirling through her head, Luz made her way to the school entrance after class to meet her friends. She knew she should be paying more attention, but her thoughts just wouldn’t stop revolving around-

       “Hey, Luz.” Amity’s soft voice came gently floating through the space between them, wrapping Luz up like a soft blanket. Her eyes were full of warmth, and Luz found herself wanting to never look away. In her daze, she walked towards Amity and reached out her hand, gently taking Amity’s in her own. Luz knew she was blushing furiously at this point, but couldn’t find the energy to care as she was too focused on the rising blush in Amity’s face. She wasn’t mad...so maybe…

       “Luz?” Amity’s sudden nervousness snapped Luz out of her daze, her attention drawn to their hands, tightly clasped and fingers intertwined.

        ‘Did I do that?’

       “Um, did you...you’re holding my hand.”

       “Oh! Yeah! I uh. I just felt like it, ya know? Just...holding your hand. That’s a thing we do, right?” Luz could hear the panic filling her voice rapidly, but she was much too far gone to stop at this point short of just running away.

       Two gentle pulses grounded her, sending a warmth through her veins followed by that sweet voice she would never tire of hearing.

       “...it could be, if you want.” Amity’s ears were fluttering slightly, her face flushed with embarrassment.

        “Eh-hem.” a painfully fake cough interrupted the two as they turned to look at the source.

       “So, Gus and I are going to be on our way now and leave you two to...whatever is going on here. Hopefully something that leads to a date, at the very least.” Willow called out to them, looking at them in turn with lazy disdain, though the mischievous twinkle in her eyes betrayed her true thoughts. Seeing Luz and Amity beginning to sputter in denial, Willow’s look flashed darker for a moment as her eyes took on a slight green glow. “Is that going to be a problem?”

       “No ma’am!”

       “Nope, not at all!”

       The simultaneous reply from Amity and Luz, with accompanying blushes, seemed to satisfy Willow as she quickly returned to her cheerful side. “Good! Well, have fun guys! See you tomorrow!”

       “Bye guys! Willow, remind me to never make you mad, cause that was terrifying.” Gus shivered as they walked away, Willow’s soft laughter carrying through the air as the two walked away.

       Right where Willow had left her, Luz was now fully panicking. Had she been blushing at Willow calling attention to how her and Amity were acting? Or how pretty Willow’s eyes were with a slight green glow?

        Tap-tap.

       That was a thought for later.

Chapter Text

       “An A minus? Amity, what is this?” Odalia Blight’s voice rang out, reverberating in the cold house. Amity had gotten her results from the most recent test, and had been dreading this moment all day. Anything less than perfect marks was tantamount to failure to her mother. It didn’t matter how difficult Abominations was, how many hours Amity spent studying and trying to perfect the spells and mixtures, she was just supposed to get it. She was a Blight, and Blight’s don’t fail. She was supposed to understand, to know.

        But she didn’t.

       Abominations didn’t come easily to Amity, it never had. Not like how her siblings had taken to Illusion magic. For them it was effortless, as natural as breathing. However, every time Amity tried to summon an Abomination, it was like she had to force the magic through her, into the creation that seemed to resist her every step of the way. That wasn’t what magic should be like, right?

       “What do you have to say for yourself, Amity? Speak up.”

       “I’m sorry mother, I must not have studied enough. I’ll make sure to study more and master this immediately, and request some extra credit from my professor to more than make up for this grade.” Cold. Emotionless. Devoid of expression. All to not invoke her mother’s ire. This game they played, Odalia pretending to care and Amity taking every precaution to not earn further punishment, it was like a dance. A dangerous one, where one misstep could spell torment for Amity. She was so tired of this.

       But what other choice did she have?

       “Hmph. See to it that you do. I expect you to have mastered this by the end of tomorrow, and your grade to be back up to acceptable levels by the end of the week. You can’t afford to show anything other than perfection in Abominations, as it is the course that is expected of you.” Odalia turned and dismissed Amity with a wave, returning to the study her parents spent most evenings in.

       As soon as her mother was out of sight, Amity ran up to her room and shut the door behind her, collapsing to the floor with a sigh of relief. Focusing on slowing her breathing, Amity gradually calmed down, and thought about the one thing that stuck with her through the conversation. She always had thought she didn’t have a choice. Abomination magic is what she was required to do. But what if she chose something else?

       Sure, she wasn’t interested in most types of magic, however there were a few she had thought about before. One in particular appealed to her, but that would never be allowed. ‘Such a waste of energy is unbecoming for a Blight, my dear.’ Amity could hear her mother’s voice, cold as ice, disdain evident in her tone as if she was still speaking to her. Maybe that’s why it appealed to her so much. The thought of rebelling, doing something she knew her parents would hate set a humorless smirk on her face.

       Returning her thoughts to the original question, Amity knew she wasn’t going to be able to decide anything without further information on the various types of magic. Which meant a trip to her favorite place, the library. Somewhere she just recently had a very good reason to visit more often, all without raising suspicion. It was perfect timing, too, as she could avoid dinner if she left quickly enough.

       As Amity reached for her bag, she stopped. Was she really going to do this? It wasn’t the first time she did something that she knew her parents wouldn’t approve of, but this felt bigger. Everything else she did that she knew they wouldn’t approve of were, for lack of a better word, unimportant. In their grand plan, things like being friends with Willow again and associating with Luz didn’t matter so much. Her magic though...Abomination magic was what was going to get her into the Emperor’s Coven. That was more important to them than anything else. Which made anything Amity did to change that much worse than her other transgressions.

       It couldn’t hurt just to learn about magic though, right?

       Shaking her head to clear the doubt in her mind, Amity gathered her things and made her way downstairs, head held high. As she made her way to the front door, a deeper voice than the one she was expecting startled her.

       “And just where are you going, Amity?” Alador called out, his tone making it obvious she needed a good reason to avoid his ire. Skipping dinner was not something done lightly in the Blight manor.

       Turning around to properly address him, Amity spoke in the most neutral tone she could manage. “After my conversation with mother earlier, I realized I have not been devoting myself to my studies as rigorously as I should have been. I was just on my way to the library so that I may correct this, and most likely will be spending much more time there so as to improve my marks and better uphold the Blight name. Provided that is alright with you, father.”

       “Hmm.” Alador eyed her with an expressionless look for a long moment. Amity had never been able to read him at all, and as such, never knew what to expect from her father at times like this. “You may go. Your mother and I expect a speedy return to your usual performance, if not better than before. I do not appreciate having to check up on you like this. You will be home for dinner twice a week after school, with reports on your progress.”

       “Yes, father. Of course.”

       “Good. You are dismissed.” With that, Alador turned on his heel and disappeared into his study, leaving Amity shaken. Quickly leaving the manor, Amity let the cool breeze calm her as she tried to slow her heartbeat. While her father did not speak up often on things such as this, when he did it always felt more menacing than whenever her mother spoke to her.

       The brisk evening air was doing what Amity wanted, however, and she felt her mind clearing the closer she got to the library. Once again, she found herself admiring the colors of the season as she walked, basking in the warmth of them as thoughts of a certain girl filled her mind. It was like that all the time, and it just seemed to get constantly worse. Everywhere she looked, everything she did, it all made her think of Luz somehow.

       Arriving at the library, Amity refocused on the task at hand. Looking around, she gathered any book that seemed helpful for her research, levitating them behind her with a simple spin of her finger. After gathering a rather hefty stack of books, she made her way back to her secret room, checking before she entered that nobody else was around to notice. Thankfully the library was rather empty today, with only a few students there, all too busy studying to notice when she slipped inside and quietly closed the door behind her.

       Amity set the books down on her desk, pulling the first of the pile down then settling into one of her comfy chairs on the floor. It was then that she noticed what she had grabbed. ‘Magical Healing: A Basic Theory.’ Amity stared at the cover for a moment, internally debating with herself. Was she really considering healing magic? Out of all the tracks, this was the one her parents would disapprove of the most. ‘Blight’s don’t serve anyone other than the Emperor, dear.’

       Reluctantly setting the book aside, she levitated another book over to her, this one about bard magic. Still not the best, but better than healing to her parents. She cracked open the book and began to read, enjoying her time alone that she could spend just being herself. Reading the hours away, nobody to interrupt her, no parents looking over her shoulder or siblings to tease her. Just her, a good book and quiet.

       Several hours of reading about various forms of magic later, Amity's head was swirling with thoughts about bard, plant and potions magic. Maybe, even one that could be her specialty...

       No. It wasn’t even worth thinking about. Pushing the thought from her mind, Amity turned her focus to the other thing she was here for. Studying. As much as she wished she could spend all night reading about other magic, she did actually need to study up more to improve her grade back to where it should be. Constantly getting perfect marks was not easy, especially now with all the new things in her life to focus on instead. Moving to her desk, Amity prepared herself for a long and grueling study session, a lone candle lighting her hideaway.

     However before she could begin, Amity heard something just outside of her secret room. Almost like…

        Knock-knock

       Who was that? Hopefully not the twins, as she really didn’t want them seeing all the books she had been reading. That was something she wanted to keep far from her family for as long as she could.

       “Amity? It’s Luz. Are you in there?”

       Amity shot up out of her chair, feeling her ears flutter slightly at the sound. Luz was here? She could see her again? She raced over to the door, opening it to reveal the girl who never left her mind.

        “Luz.”

       Luz’s face lit up like the sun upon seeing her. “Hola, hermosa.”

       Amity lunged forward, wrapping her arms around Luz into a tight hug. Luz let out a small squeak in surprise before sliding her arms around Amity in return. They stood there for a moment in silence, simply enjoying the comfort of each other’s warmth. Finally, Luz was the one to speak up.

       “Um, Amity? We should probably go inside of your room. I mean, if you want. Don’t want anyone else finding out about it after all.”

       “Oh, right! Yeah, come on in.” Amity quickly shut the door behind her as Luz looked around, stopping at one of the books still open on the side of her desk.

       “Bard magic? Are you thinking of multitracking like me? Ooo, we could be classmates in more than just Abominations! That would be so cool! I would get to see you even more at school!” Luz chatted away animatedly, her eyes sparkling with delight as Amity smiled at her fondly.

       “I was just curious and doing some research on other magic is all. My parents wouldn’t accept me taking multiple tracks, after all.” Amity’s smile faded slightly at the mention of them, remembering the conversation she had just before leaving the manor.

       “Well, I think it would be awesome. But I can understand not wanting to disappoint your parents.” Luz looked down at the floor, scuffing her shoe slightly on the carpet before turning to look back at Amity with a sad smile. “I’m sorry you have to deal with them. They aren’t like my mamí, they don’t treat you well or respect you like a parent should. You deserve better than that.”

       “Thank you, Luz. I...I wish they weren’t so hard on me. I do my best, but it just never feels like it’s enough.”

       “It’s more than enough for me, Ami.”

       Amity gazed into Luz’s eyes, stunned into silence by the heartfelt way Luz had said that simple line. All her life, she had been nothing but perfect and it was never acknowledged. It was just expected of her, what she was supposed to do. And now, here was this girl, who wasn’t even supposed to be here, who cared for her, for who she really was. None of the acts that she put on. Just her. Plain and simple. It was more than she could’ve ever have hoped to ask for, and for now, that was enough. Wrapping Luz in a hug, she had only one thing to say to express how she felt.

        “Thank you.”

        “Anytime, mi querida.”

       Soon after, Luz and Amity had settled down in some of her soft chairs, both of them quietly reading and just enjoying the time they could spend together without a watchful eye on them. Minutes went by, turning into an hour as Amity got absorbed into studying again. She was going over a rather difficult part of her Abomination homework for a third time, and she couldn’t seem to figure it out. Her frustration was apparently obvious to someone else, as all of a sudden Luz got up and sat behind her, wrapping her arms around Amity from behind and resting her chin on her shoulder, causing a blush to warm Amity’s face.

       “Luz?”

       “You seemed frustrated, so I thought a hug might help.”

       “Oh. Well...it does. Thank you, Luz.”

       “Maybe it’s time for a break? It has gotten pretty late after all.”

       “Yeah, maybe a break wouldn’t be a bad idea.” A thought occurred to Amity, as she realized Luz had shown up as if she knew Amity would be here. “Luz? How did you know I was at the library in the first place?”

       “Oh! The twins had Eda tell me, actually.” Luz replied. “I guess they’ve been messaging Eda for a while now? I’m not sure what for though.”

       “Just what I need, those two pranksters talking to Eda of all witches.” Amity rolled her eyes at the thought of what kind of plans they could concoct with the wild witch’s help.

       Luz chuckled softly, and it sounded like music to Amity’s ears. She felt her face flush again slightly as Luz’s arms shifted around her, reminding her that she still hadn’t let go. Amity gently closed the book she had been reading, setting it beside her as she gathered her courage. Settling back into a comfy position, she slowly leaned her head back to rest on Luz’s shoulder, ever so casually watching for her reaction out of the corner of her eye. As her head came to rest, Amity saw Luz slightly twitch in surprise before a big smile lit up her face, her cheeks red from a blush. A blush she caused.

       As much as Amity had questioned and worried over it, it seemed obvious now in moments like these that one of two things was true. Either Luz just really, really liked being physical and wasn’t used to people responding in kind, or Luz also had feelings for her. Amity still wasn’t quite sure which it was, but right now she couldn’t be bothered to care. All she knew was that right now, in this moment, she was happy.

        Too happy, apparently.

       A soft rumbling purr gently filled the room, and so content and happy Amity was in the moment that she didn’t even notice at first. It wasn’t until the absence of warmth on her shoulder that she stirred, turning to look at a starry-eyed Luz, face full of wonder. Luz’s voice came out softly, as if afraid to disturb the moment.

       “You can purr?”

       Amity felt like she might explode. Her ears were rapidly flapping, red as the rest of her face as she tried to stop the subconscious action that was currently betraying her. She hadn’t purred in years, not since she was young and still friends with Willow. Of course Luz would be the one to make her revert to that old habit, embarrassing her in front of the last person she wanted to make a fool of herself to.

       “No, please don’t feel like you have to stop. It’s...really cute, actually.” Luz’s face was bright enough that one might have mistaken it for part of the Bard track uniform at those words. Amity stopped for a moment in her effort to quell the traitorous noise coming from her in confusion.

       “How...how did you know I was trying to stop?”

       “Oh. Um, well you got this look on your face. Like you were ashamed of it. I just...purring is a happy noise, right? So why should you have to hide it?”

       “It’s...not proper. At least, according to my parents. It’s a trait leftover from the Wild Age they say, and is a sign of not being in control of yourself. It’s unbecoming of a Blight.” Amity lifted her head off of Luz’s shoulder, curling inward slightly as her hands gripped her knees hard enough for the knuckles to turn white. Silence followed her statement, and Amity was about to apologize for ruining the mood when suddenly, Luz hopped up and hurried over to the desk wordlessly and the sound of a pen scratching on paper could be heard.

       Amity sat there in silence, wondering what Luz was doing but not wanting to break her concentration. Her hair was a little messy, and her tongue was sticking out of her mouth slightly as she focused. The soft glow of light suddenly bloomed in front of Luz, lighting up her features with a radiant smile as a small orb of light floated up in front of her. Luz turned her smile to Amity, playfulness in her soft eyes, and it took Amity’s breath away. Luz turned back to the desk, tapping more scraps of paper and filled the room with little lights, before turning back to Amity and extending her hand.

       “Care to dance, hermosa?”

       The offered hand hung there for a moment, Amity simply basking in the warmth of Luz. This was real. Luz was here. Luz was asking her to dance, looking like pure happiness in human form.

       There was only one answer, and Amity wasn’t going to mess this up.

       She reached out and took Luz’s hand, letting herself be pulled up into Luz’s arms, both of them immediately trying to get as close to each other as they could. Amity let one arm wrap around Luz’s shoulder as the other hand stayed firmly clasped in Luz’s. An arm wrapped around her waist in response, and suddenly, they were dancing.

       It wasn’t like the Grom dance. This one was much more awkward, both of them clumsy in their closeness, and yet they never faltered. Slowly spinning around the room, Amity felt her worries melt away, a smile returning to her face. Lights hanging above them, illuminating them in a soft glow as they spun around the room, occasional giggles as they stepped on each other’s feet, the two were lost in their own world. Time seemed to slow to a stop, the world outside of their little room ceasing to exist as they basked in each other’s presence.

       Eventually, they slowed their dance, Amity further wrapping both arms around Luz’s neck as she felt Luz’s arms gently tighten around her waist. They swayed in place, foreheads gently resting against each other as their eyes closed and they simply enjoyed the moment. Unsurprisingly, Amity felt a familiar rumble begin again, and heard Luz’s soft chuckle in response.

       “There it is. The happy Amity I wanted to see all along.”

       “How could I not be happy around you?”

       As silence filled the room in response, Amity began to worry that she had said too much, maybe that was too forward? Maybe Luz didn’t feel the same way after-

       Warm, soft lips pressed to her cheek, gentle enough it was like a caress.

       Before she knew what she was doing, Amity found herself leaning into the sensation, the rumble in her chest growing louder as her ears flapped in pure joy. All too soon, the feeling was gone, replaced with Luz’s head buried into her shoulder before Amity could voice her complaint.

       “Titan, quiero besarte tanto.”

       “One of these days I’ll learn that language of yours, just you wait.”

       “Oh, I look forward to it, mi amor.”

       They stood there in each other’s arms for a while, neither wanting to let go. Eventually, Luz started to let go and Amity couldn’t help the small sound of protest that escaped her.

       Luz sat down on one side of the comfy chairs on the floor, reaching out to Amity. “Come on. I wasn’t done either, but I think we should sleep at some point tonight.” Her soft smile was full of warmth and happiness, inviting Amity into an embrace she never wanted to leave. As she laid down in Luz’s arms, buried into Luz’s chest and surrounded by the arms that felt like home, Amity felt her resolve strengthen.

       She was in love with Luz, and no doubts remained that Luz had feelings for her too. Now, all she needed was a plan.

       How do you ask the sun to shine brighter for you, when it’s already so radiant?

Chapter Text

       In the gentle hours of the early morning, all was quiet in the library. No one had yet arrived, as it was still much too early for the library to open, but it was not empty. Two young girls dwelled inside a secret room, wrapped softly in each other’s warm embrace. Sleepy smiles alight and contented sighs filling the quiet, Luz and Amity slept peacefully, comforted and safe in the arms of one another. They had both fallen asleep in a tangled mess of arms and legs, all embarrassment left aside in the mutual desire to be as close as possible.

       The first to awake was Luz, with slow stretches and quiet squeaks of content at the relief it gave her stiffness. Beanbag chairs were not the greatest thing to fall asleep in, no matter who you were curled up with. ‘Wait…’ Luz turned her head slowly to look at the sleeping figure curled up against her.

        Amity.

       Luz’s face flushed red, remembering the events of the night before. She had thrown caution to the wind, letting herself be happy and just enjoy being around Amity. No matter how much she had tried to deny it, Luz really liked Amity. With how much the feeling had grown lately, maybe...even loved her. That thought would’ve terrified Luz before, but now, it was hard to ignore how Amity acted around her. Part of Luz still wanted to deny that, but now she knew that was just her old experiences trying to hold her back. Though...maybe she should get Willow’s advice, just to be sure.

       Luz pushed her doubts aside for the moment, instead trying to focus on the sleeping figure before her. Amity was curled up against her, one arm wrapped around Luz’s waist and the other tucked against her chest as her head was buried in Luz’s neck, and a soft smile could be seen playing at her lips. Everything about her, from her green hair with that lovely brown showing through the roots, to those adorable pointed ears, to those soft looking lips, it was all so beautiful. She really was the prettiest girl Luz had ever seen. How had she been so lucky to get this girl’s attention? Even more so, to be the object of her affections? Other than whoever she wanted to invite to...Grom…

       Wait.

       The Gromposal note. Luz never had figured out who it was meant for. Was it for someone else? Doubt rushed back into her mind as she thought about it. Was she wrong after all? But...the way Amity had acted at Grom. The way she had looked at her during their dance together. It wasn’t sadness, or regret. Amity had just been happy, plain and simple. And the way Amity had acted around her before then...it was an awful lot like how she acted now. So...that means…

       Oh.

       ‘Wow, I’m dense.’

       Amity began to stir, stretching her legs a bit before quickly tucking them back under the blanket they were covered with and burying further into Luz. It was all a very adorable display, and Luz couldn’t help the goofy grin she felt on her face. Whether that was more from the girl in front of her or the recent revelation, she couldn’t tell, nor did she care in that moment. She squeezed Amity lightly, reveling in the delighted sigh that was her response.

       “Morning, Ami.”

       “Mmm...5 more minutes.” was the grumbled response, Amity curling up further into a ball tucked against Luz.

       “Imagine that, miss Amity Blight, not a morning person.”

       “...mmph...no…” whatever else Amity said was lost in a series of sleepy mumbles.

       Luz was beaming at this point, delighted to find this adorable side of Amity she hadn’t seen before. Maybe...she should test her conclusion. Leaning forward slightly, Luz lightly pressed a kiss to Amity’s forehead before whispering to her, “Come on, Ami, time to get up.”

       Amity’s head slowly turned towards Luz, eyes barely open and a sleepy smile on her face. Luz was about to speak, when suddenly Amity started leaning in. Luz froze, eyes wide as Amity crept closer, her lips starting to become dangerously close to her own. Was she going to just sit here? Should she say something? She should wake Amity up, right? Surely she shouldn’t just sit here and let those soft, warm, very kissable lips…

       Amity stopped at the last moment, their lips close enough that Luz could feel the barest hint of sensation against her own, and sat there for the briefest of moments. Every nerve in Luz’s body was on fire, her skin so sensitive it was almost painful, yet she barely noticed as all her focus was on that singular point. They were right there, right on the edge, all they had to do was close the gap.

        Titan, did she want to close that gap.

       Amity’s eyes flew open, her expression morphing into one of fear and embarrassment. A moment passed, neither of them moving as the implications fell into place. Suddenly, Amity threw herself backward, red to the tips of her ears.

       “Good- good morning, Luz! It’s um. Such a nice day today. Great day. Good day for studying! Yup! I should study! Didn’t get enough of that studying in last night! So I’m just. Gonna. Do that. At my desk.” Amity shuffled over to her desk, embarrassment clear on her face while Luz still sat on the floor, lost in a daze.

        ‘She almost kissed me!’

       Luz slowly got up from the floor, her mind clearing for once. Amity liked her, and she liked Amity. She needed a plan. Something that would knock Amity’s socks off, something romantic. This amazing girl deserves nothing less than the best Luz could give her, and Luz was going to do whatever she could to deliver. For that though, she needed help.

       She needed to talk to Willow, now.

       “Okay, don’t study too hard now Ami. I just remembered that I have something I need Willow’s help with, so I’m gonna head out. Good luck!” Feeling giddy with hope, Luz leaned down and left a quick peck on Amity’s cheek before she raced out of the secret room, leaving a starry-eyed Amity gazing after her.

       It was a fairly normal day for Willow. She had started the day early with her workout routine, as keeping her strength up was essential for working with some of the plants she did. For the past several hours, she had been tending to the greenhouse her parents had helped her build next to their home, various scratches covering her arms as some of the plants had been a bit feistier than the rest. Stopping in her work to prepare a pot for the replanting of her newest friend, Willow looked around to admire once again how wonderful the greenhouse was.

       After she had been invited to change to the plant track, she had initially been worried that her parents would want her to stay in the abominations course. Yet when they had heard the news, they had been ecstatic, offering to help her get whatever she needed to care for plants at home. Even going so far as to hire the construction coven to build a decent but modest greenhouse for her to work in. That had been a fun day, as her parents had refused to tell the coven what to do, instead insisting that Willow was in charge.

       She really was a lucky witch these days.

       Two great fathers who loved and supported her through everything, and a group of amazing friends she could rely on. Even Amity had found her way back into Willow’s life, and even though she knew it was all due to a certain human friend of hers, that didn’t change how thankful Willow was for it. Hearing her scroll chime, Willow summoned it to see who was messaging her.

Luz

Willow! I need your help.

Like, right now, if you can.

I can, but is everything alright Luz?

I’ll tell you everything when I get there!

       Willow shook her head, a smile crossing her face as an image of the bubbly Luz excitedly running over here as fast as she could, disheveled hair and goofy grin as she rambled on about whatever was on her mind at the time filled her head. Luz had quickly become an irreplaceable part of Willow’s life, the energy and positivity she always carried with her everywhere brightening the world around her. Between Gus, Luz and Amity, Willow had the best friends a witch could ask for in her opinion.

       Dismissing her scroll, Willow turned her attention back to the plants in front of her, quickly finishing her work and heading inside to clean up. Seeing her dad sitting at the kitchen counter, Willow turned to smile and wave at him, “Good morning dad.” before arriving at the sink to wash up.

       Her dad let out a yawn before calling out to her, “Good morning Sprout. You seem to be in a good mood, something going on today?”

       “Oh! Um, is it okay if Luz comes over for a bit? She said she needed my help with something, and is kind of already rushing over here I think…”

       “That sounds just like the girl you’ve told me so much about. That’s fine, dear. It’s about time I met the girl who has done so much for my little girl.” her dad said with a soft smile, gesturing for Willow to come closer. Willow dried her hands before turning around, walking over to her dad who pulled her into a warm hug.

       Hearing a knock at the door, Willow quickly went to go answer it, the door opening to reveal a disheveled but excited Luz. Warm brown eyes sparkled with happiness, hands rapidly tapping out a rhythm on her thighs as her whole body seemed to bounce with energy.

       Luz was positively radiant.

       Beaming at her friend, Luz launched herself forward to hug Willow tightly, words flying out of her mouth almost too fast for Willow to understand.

       “Hold on Luz, slow down for a minute.” Luz quieted, slowly stepping back with a sheepish look on her face. Willow simply smiled at her before stepping back to reveal her dad at the table. “There is someone I want you to meet. Luz, this is my dad. Dad, this is Luz.”

       “Hello Mr. Park! Nice to meet you!”

       “Nice to meet you too, Luz. Thank you for all you have done for my little Sprout. Without you, I don’t think she ever would have switched to the Plant track and found her calling. My husband and I...we didn’t realize how hard Abominations was for her, we just wanted to give her every opportunity we could, but we ignored what she really needed. Now she is happier than ever, and excelling at school. Why, I even got a compliment from Principal Bump and her professor that she has the most exceptional grasp of plant magic they have ever seen!”

       “Daaaaad.” Willow was blushing profusely at the compliments, but a happy smile crossed her face regardless. “I’m not that good, it just...makes sense to me.”

       “Don’t sell yourself short, Willow!” Luz chimed in, excitement and wonder on her face. “You are crazy good at plant magic! You are amazing, and soon to be a master of it.”

       Willow stood there, her mind blank as her face grew even redder at the praise. Snapping out of her daze, she replied, “Thank you, Luz. It feels good to have a magic that I can actually connect with now. It’s so much easier than Abominations.”

       “Of course, Willow! Anything for one of my best friends!”

       Willow smiled at Luz, the near endless positivity the girl radiated infectious. “So, what did you need help with? You didn’t get into trouble running around with Eda again, did you?”

       “No no, no trouble. I just...can we talk in your room?” Luz whispered the last part, looking bashful.

       Willow felt a spark of hope, had Luz finally figured it out? Was this about…

       “Sure, Luz. We are going to go up to my room for a bit, okay dad?”

       Her dad nodded, a huge grin on his face. “Take your time, Sprout. And Luz, if you get hungry let me know! You are more than welcome to stay for lunch.”

       “Thanks Willow’s dad!” Luz replied as she followed Willow to her room. Shutting the door behind them, Luz looked around the room in curiosity at all the various plants, diagrams and notes on plant care. One wall had a bookshelf filled with all kinds of books on plant magic and botany. Much neater than her own room, but decidedly very Willow.

       “So, what’s going on Luz?”

       Luz snapped her gaze to Willow, suddenly serious. “Willow...I...I like Amity. A lot. And I just realized it, but now that I think about it, I’ve liked her for a long while now. And...I think she might like me too? I’m pretty sure she does, at least…”

       Willow beamed at Luz, unable to contain her excitement. She figured it out! “Well, as your friend, I mean this in the nicest way possible. But... Titan did it take you long enough, Luz.”

       “Wha...you knew?!?”

       “Well, you were kinda obvious about it. Always making any excuse to bring Amity along everywhere, being even more physically affectionate with her than Gus and I, the way your eyes light up whenever you talk about her. Which is a lot, by the way. I just kinda assumed you liked her, but hadn’t figured it out yet.”

       “...I don’t have the best experiences with this stuff.” Luz’s sudden shift in tone caught Willow’s attention, noticing as the other girl looked down at the floor, her hands fidgeting as she grew quiet. “In the human realm, two people of the same gender dating is not really popular. A lot of people look down on it, saying it’s bad. So I just...didn’t really tell people. My mamí knows, and she is okay with it. But I didn’t tell anyone else.”

       “Well that’s dumb. Why should it matter what gender the person you like is? If you like someone, then you like them. You don’t have control over something like that.” Willow felt anger bubbling in her gut at the thought of someone telling Luz she couldn’t be with who she wanted just because they were a girl.

       “Yeah, it’s dumb. But here...I don’t have to worry about that!” Luz’s face brightened back up, excitement returning to her eyes as she met Willow’s gaze once more. “So...I want to tell Amity how I feel. But I don’t know how to! She’s just so...amazing and wonderful and pretty and I just...aahhh! What can I do to tell someone as awesome as Amity how I feel? She deserves something big, something huge!”

       Willow paused for a moment, carefully considering her next words. “Luz, let me ask you something. From what you know of Amity, do you really think a big, grand gesture is the way to go?”

       Luz stopped, her face turning thoughtful. After sitting quietly for a minute, she softly spoke, “You know what, you’re right. Amity gets uncomfortable with big stuff. So...something small. Just her and I. Simple.”

       Willow smiled at her friend, proud of her for taking the time to consider Amity’s feelings before rushing in like normal. “I think she would like that much more.”

       “What if...what if I asked her to meet me at our tree? Nothing big, just...private. At our tree. I could use some glyphs and have some lights floating around, that’d be really pretty without being too much, right?”

       “I think that would be wonderful, Luz. It’s something small, but it’s still very you. Just be careful to not overwhelm her, okay?”

       “Okay! Operation: Confess to Amity is a go!”

       “Luz. Just...make sure you make things clear, okay? Make sure you tell her it’s not just as friends. After Grom, she may assume that’s how you mean it.”

       “Oh...yeah. I guess that might be a thing. Thanks, Willow. I’m glad I have you as a friend.” Luz’s smile was soft and sweet, full of admiration for her friend.

       “You’re welcome, Luz. I hope it goes well.” Willow replied, pulling her friend into a hug. They stayed like that for a bit, before Luz hopped up and started jogging to the front door, calling behind her, “I’ve gotta go plan it out now! Thanks again Willow! Bye Willow’s dad, thanks for letting me come over! I promise I’ll ask first next time!”

       “Good luck! I’m sure her socks will be knocked off!” Willow called after her with a smile.

       “It’s ‘knock her socks off!’ But thanks!”

       As the door shut behind Luz, Willow joined her dad at the table, her face pensive.

       “Something on your mind, Sprout?”

       “I need to talk to Amity next.”

       “My little girl, playing matchdemon huh? I’m proud of you Sprout. Just don’t forget, you deserve happiness too.”

       “Thanks dad.” Willow got up and hugged him, happy to have such supportive parents.

       “So,” her dad began after he let go, “Amity and Luz, huh?”

       “You heard?”

       “Not much, I just caught Amity’s name. Luz isn’t the best at being quiet when she’s excited.”

       “No, she’s not.” Willow giggled at the comment before continuing. “Took those two long enough. Though I bet Amity is too busy panicking over Luz to actually do anything about it. Which is why her and I need to have a talk too.”

       “Sprout? Everything okay?”

       Willow hadn’t even noticed that her smile had vanished, worry creeping into her heart as she thought of Amity. Meeting her dad’s questioning look, she replied, “I’m worried. I know Amity is trying to do better, and she’s come so far. But I don’t want to see Luz get hurt because she can’t stand up to her parents again.”

       “It can be hard to go against the people who raised you, especially when they have controlled you so much as you grew up. That doesn’t excuse what she did, but like you said, she is trying to do right by you, Gus, and Luz. She’s trying to be a better person in general. But I think you are doing the right thing, you are looking out for your friend. Support them how you can. Your father and I are so proud of you.”

       Willow hugged her dad again, her heart warm and full of love. “Thank you.”

       “You’re welcome, Sprout. We are always here for you, and will always support you.”

       They stayed like that for a minute, Willow enjoying the warmth the hug filled her with, before she finally broke away and summoned her scroll.

Ami

Hey Ami.

Willow, I need your help.

Let me guess, Luz?

I’m not going to bother pretending you don’t know.

Yes, it’s about Luz. She’s been so...affectionate lately! More so than normal.

Maybe I’m just being hopeful, but...maybe she likes me too?

Amity. I fully support you in this, but I need to ask.

This won’t be a repeat, will it?

As much as I care for you and Luz, I won’t let you hurt her like that.

It won’t be. I swear on an eternal oath next time I see you.

That won’t be necessary. I trust you. Just do your best, and don’t let your parents stop you this time, okay?

I won’t.

Thank you.

Thank you, Willow. Do you think...if I get the courage to, could you help me
come up with a way to tell Luz how I feel?

Of course Ami. I’d be happy to help.

Thank you. I’ll let you know.

       Willow closed the chat, smiling to herself. Amity wasn’t alone anymore. They wouldn’t let her be trapped by her parents again. They would all work through whatever happened, together. Opening a group chat, Willow got to work.

Bad Witch Squad

W: Alright everyone, it’s time.

Ed: Mitens finally got some courage?

Em: No way, seriously?

Eda: Wow. Didn’t think the kid had it in her.

W: Not quite. Luz realized her feelings, and Amity is starting to realize it’s not one-sided. Luz is planning on confessing.

Em: 20 snails says Amity beats her to the punch.

Ed: I’ll bet the same.

Eda: 40 snails says Luz tries to, and Amity interrupts her at the last moment and confesses first.

W: 40 snails says Luz goes through with it.

Em: Deal. Betting on your friends, Willow, I never would have thought.

Eda: A true member of the Bad Witch Coven. You’ve always got a place here, kids.

Ed: Kids?

Eda: I said what I said.

       Willow chuckled to herself as she closed the chat. Luz was definitely making not just Amity soft. She seemed to have that influence on everyone around her. Walking outside to her greenhouse, Willow prepared to tend to her plants some more as she thought about the upcoming week.

       Things were about to get interesting.

Chapter Text

       Luz was excited.

       It was the start of a new week at Hexide, and Luz felt full of energy. Restless in all her classes, tapping out rhythms on her legs and bouncing her feet, for once she couldn’t focus on the magic. Where normally her thoughts would be occupied with ways to discover new glyphs, possible ways to mix magic, and Amity…’wow, I’ve had it bad for a while.’ Now, her thoughts were entirely on her plan. It was simple, really. Ask Amity to meet her at the Grom tree after school, set up some glyphs for ambiance, then confess. Maybe, they could even dance…

       There was just one problem. The last three days, Amity had declined, saying she had to be at home right after school. Apparently her parents had been having a variety of guests over daily, and wanted the whole family home to impress. Despite running off every day, Amity never left without first giving Luz a big hug that Luz swore was much closer and tighter than it used to be.

       The bell screamed, signaling the end of the day, as Luz rushed to put up her notes and hurry out the door. Quickly stashing her things in her locker, she ran off to where she knew Amity would be. Turning the corner, she saw the adorable witch in question, and started waving at her excitedly.

       “Amity!”

       “Luz!” The smile that split Amity’s face took Luz’s breath away. She looked so happy to see her, and took all of Luz’s self control to not kiss her right there. How could one person be so amazing?

       Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Luz focused on the task at hand. “So, Amity. Are you free today?”

       Amity shook her head sadly, her smile fading slightly as she did, “No, unfortunately not. Another ‘esteemed guest’ is coming today. I don’t know why we’ve had so many of them recently...It’s not like they ever pay attention to Ed and Em or I either, but we have to be there anyways. I’m sorry, Luz.”

       “Oh, that’s okay. Can't help it if you’re busy, right?” Luz did her best to maintain her positive attitude, though she saw Amity begin to frown at the tone Luz didn’t quite hide.

       “But...I’m free tomorrow? They are leaving tonight after dinner for the weekend, so...I could meet you then?”

       “Yeah! That'd be awesome! You’ve gotta meet me at the Grom tree after school tomorrow. Give me a bit after school gets out, okay?” Luz chatted away, her excitement returned.

       “Still won’t tell me why I’m meeting you there?”

       “Nope, it’s a surprise! You’ll just have to show up and find out. Unless you’re too scared, Blight.” Luz said with a smirk.

       “With you? Never.” Amity’s voice came out breathless, her face flushed as she spoke, yet never looking away from Luz.

       Expecting a teasing response in return, the soft reply left Luz stunned, her face heating up at the gentle words. Left standing there speechless, Luz just stared back at Amity, unsure of how to respond. Suddenly, Amity stepped forward, pulling Luz into a tight hug, Luz wrapping her arms around Amity instinctually. They stayed like that for a long moment, before Amity eventually broke away with a smile, waving as she turned to head home.

        ‘She hugged me first!’

       A big goofy grin on her face, Luz turned to head home herself, meeting Willow out in front of Hexide.

       “Someone is in a good mood.”

       Willow’s voice startled Luz out of the daydream she was having, a very pleasant one about dancing with a rather dreamy witch. “Yeah! Tomorrow, Amity is going to meet up with me after school. And I’m all prepared, ready to go!”

       Willow smiled at her, her voice warm and supportive, “I’m proud of you, Luz. You’ve got this.”

       “Thanks, Willow. You’re the best.” Luz said as she gave Willow a side hug as they walked, appreciative of her wonderful friends. “Where’s Gus? I need to give him some love too!”

       “Apparently, there was an...incident in the last Illusions class and he is staying behind to help sort it out.”

       “Awh, well that’s okay. Makes sense they’d ask Gus, he’s the best Illusionist at Hexide! Man, I’m friends with all the super-stars, huh?”

       “Says the one who rediscovered glyph magic and is studying all the tracks at once. You’re pretty amazing yourself, Luz.”

       “Willow!” Luz turned to pull Willow into a full hug, tears gathering in the corner of her eyes. “I’m so lucky to have you as a friend.”

       “I feel like the lucky one here, Luz. But thank you.” They stayed like that for a moment, before Willow turned to head home. “Good luck tomorrow!”

       Luz waved to Willow as she watched her leave, “Thanks! See you tomorrow!”

       Tomorrow. The big day.

       It was time to show Amity Blight just how she felt.

       Amity Blight hated guests.

       Why she had to show up for these ridiculous dinners was beyond her. The only thing saving her sanity right now was that she at least had time to collect herself before the guests arrived, signaling the end of her precious time alone.

       Time she was spending thinking of Luz.

       Luz had been fairly insistent this week, asking her every day if she was free. At first, Amity had assumed she just wanted to spend more time together, which was something to be happy about in and of itself. But when Luz kept asking every day, Amity began to wonder. Why now? What was so important that Luz wanted to see her, alone? Her thoughts flashed back to the library, to her secret room. Had she figured it out? Was she going to try and let Amity down easy? But...that didn’t make sense, Luz seemed excited about whatever she wanted to talk to her about. Eager to get Amity alone. ‘She even kissed me on the cheek!’ her hand lightly touched her cheek, the lingering feeling of Luz’s lips still ghosting across her skin. She blushed profusely as she remembered Luz’s excited attitude as she had left, running off while saying something about Willow…

       Willow...she had messaged Amity not long after that. About Luz, and her crush on the girl. The timing seemed to be almost too coincidental…

       A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts. “Yes?” She called out, keeping her tone carefully neutral.

       “Hey, Amity.” Edric’s voice, and he sounded almost...worried. “Mother wants you downstairs, I’m not sure why, but she said she wants you right away.”

       Relaxing at the sound of her brother’s voice, she called out to him softly, “Thank you, Ed. I’ll be right there.”

       Checking to make sure her appearance was acceptable, Amity grimaced as she noticed the brown roots of her hair. They had grown out a bit, and suddenly Amity had a suspicion that she knew what this was about. Quickly heading downstairs, she saw her father still sitting at the table, papers in hand and a foot crossed on his knee, with her mother standing next to a chair that had been obviously pulled out for her to sit in.

       “Come, Amity. Your roots have been showing too much lately, let’s get it touched up before our guests arrive, shall we?” Odalia had her usual small smile, the poison it hid not quite concealed to Amity.

       “Yes, mother.” obediently sitting in the chair, Amity readied herself. Just as she accepted her fate, she happened to glance over at her father. Her eyes were drawn to his hair. Dark brown, natural, unblemished by Blight green. Suddenly, Amity found herself speaking before she could squash the errant thought.

       “Mother...why do I have to have my hair dyed? Why can’t I leave it like Father’s?” Amity froze as the words left her mouth, panic seizing her as she realized just what she had said. Mother would never allow that. She would be in trouble for even bringing it up, she’d be grounded and she’d never make it to the Grom tree-

       “Because, dear, you and your siblings match that way! That’s something you want, is it not? The Blights always show a united front, so we dye your hair to help with that. Now be a good girl and sit still.” Odalia’s voice came out cloying and sickeningly sweet, the brush combing through hair with no regard for Amity’s discomfort.

       Before Amity could respond, her father spoke, “Odalia. I do believe our Amity has a point. While the twins received their hair color from you, Amity takes after me. I do not dye my hair, nor will I. I do not see a problem in leaving her hair its natural color.” His voice was calm and collected, as it always was, his piercing eyes locked with Odalia’s.

       Her mother stiffened, yet spoke in that same sickly sweet tone. “Dear, surely you’re joking? We’ve always had her hair dyed. Why would she not dye it to match her siblings instead of that color she has normally?”

       “And what, exactly, is wrong with her hair color?” Alador’s voice had dropped, his tone now deadly serious and threatening as he laid down his papers. Odalia flinched slightly at the change, but pressed on.

       “Nothing is wrong with her hair, it just looks better when she matches her siblings! And this in-between is just-“

       “Leave it.” Alador spoke, anger now clear in his tone as his foot came to the floor with a sharp clack, like a gavel sounding in a courtroom. “Her hair shall not be dyed, and it will not be dyed going forward. This discussion is over.”

       “Of course, dear.” Odalia had shrunken in fear at her husband’s tone at first, but now all that was left was a fiery anger burning in her eyes as she turned to Amity. “You are dismissed, Amity. I expect you early to dinner.”

       “Yes mother.” Amity turned and hurried to her room as fast as she could without risking trouble. Closing the door shut behind her, she took a deep breath to steady herself, her heartbeat loud in the quiet room. Somehow, that had worked. She wasn’t going to have to dye her hair anymore! She could go back to that color from her childhood that she loved so much. All because of her father. Maybe, she could even convince him to let her change it all back now, instead of waiting for it to grow back out naturally.

       But first, dinner.

       Dinner was awful.

       She had sat with her siblings in silence the whole time, letting thoughts of her recent victory keep her upright. The adults had talked of business and the Emperor, trifling things that held no meaning. This game they played, the social duel, held no meaning. There was no point to it in Amity’s mind, other than to bore her and her siblings to death, and to show them off.

       But of course, it was only a matter of time before one of the guests brought it up.

       “You know, Alador, it’s strange. The older two have hair to match their mother. Yet, your youngest seems to be caught in the middle. I thought she took after her mother as well until tonight.”

       Odalia stiffened at the change in topic, silently glancing at her husband as he began to speak. “Amity has hair matching mine. Before, we had her dye it to match her siblings, but it has come to my attention that she wishes to let it match mine instead. I see no issue with this.”

       “Oh, but of course! Nothing wrong with a daughter wanting to be like her father, especially not when he is such a prominent and respected member of society.”

       Alador merely nodded in return as Odalia silently seethed at the comment, her smile as wide as ever. Thankfully, the rest of dinner went without further issues, idle chatter and the clinking of silverware fraying Amity’s nerves. It wasn’t until after the guests had left and the table cleared that Odalia spoke up.

       “Alador, dear. Are you sure I can’t convince you to change your mind? Our guests had thought her hair was already this color, and having it in between is just-“

       Alador stood quickly, his chair screeching as it was shoved backwards and his tone full of fury. “I said the discussion was over. Apparently, you misunderstood me. Amity shall leave her hair it’s natural color, and you will not be dying it any longer. In fact, since leaving it as is seems to be an issue for you, we shall remedy this immediately.” Alador spun a quick circle, and suddenly all the dye in Amity’s hair separated, removing itself from her hair and collecting into a swirling ball of liquid in front of her. Alador tossed the swirling liquid into the fireplace, his eyes locked with Odalia’s.

       “We will not be speaking of this any further. Do I make myself clear?”

       “Yes, dear, of course.” Amity had never seen her mother look so withdrawn. Her eyes no longer held the spark of anger, in their place was only resignation.

       “Amity, Edric, Emira, you are dismissed.” Alador glanced at each of them in turn, nodding stiffly as they acknowledged him. Each sibling quickly retreated to their rooms, Amity still in shock over what had transpired, her body shaking and her breath coming in short gasps. As she shut the door behind her, Amity turned to look in the mirror and her breath caught in her throat.

       There it was. Her natural, brown hair. Not Blight green, not her mother’s hair. Amity’s hair. Like it hadn’t been in years, not since she was little. It was like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders, one of the biggest ties she had to the Blight name suddenly gone. Now, she could try and truly be just herself. No longer a Blight first.

       She could be simply Amity.

       “Amity!”

       Luz called out to the girl, surprise in her voice. Running up to Amity, Luz grabbed her hands in excitement. “Your hair! It’s...wow. Um. Pretty.” breathless as she gazed at Amity.

       Amity shyly glanced away, her face flushing bright red, silent for a moment before she responded, “Thank you, Luz. I asked my father if I could leave it instead of dying it again, and he said yes. My mother wasn’t too happy about it, but then he changed it back to my hair and...well, that was that I guess.”

       Luz was enraptured. Amity had always been pretty, and she had liked the green her hair had been before. But seeing the natural brown, seeing how happy Amity was to have it back, Luz was unable to look away from the delighted sparkle in the other girl’s eyes. Amity was practically glowing, and for once it was not because of a blush. She looked so light and free, all traces of worry gone from her face for the moment. No longer Amity Blight, she was just Amity, and Luz loved her all the more for it.

       Luz could watch her smile forever.

       “Luz?”

       “Yup! I’m here! What’s up?”

       “Am I still meeting you at the Grom tree after school today?”

       “Yes! I mean, that is, if you want to.”

       “Of course I want to. I’d...I would go anywhere with you.” Amity blushed slightly at that, but was still looking into Luz’s eyes with that same happy smile.

       “Um. Okay. Then, I’ll see you there, hermosa. Bring something easy to move in, okay?” Luz felt her own face heating up rapidly as Amity looked at her, wondering where this sudden confidence was coming from. Amity wasn’t usually this forward, was she?

       The two girls were interrupted by the sounds of Willow and Gus arriving, each excitedly remarking on Amity’s changed hair. They all listened as Amity recounted the story again, Luz finally noticing that Amity had left one of her hands in Luz’s, intertwining their fingers. Unable to contain the rush of happiness that gave her, Luz rapidly tapped out a rhythm on her leg as Amity finished up her story.

       “I’m so proud of you, Ami. You stood up to your mom, and you finally got your old hair color back. I missed it.” Willow said, a proud smile on her face.

       “Me too. Thank you, Willow.” Amity stepped forward, taking her hand back to wrap Willow up in a tight hug, leaving Luz missing the soft warmth. However, as soon as Amity let go, her hand reached out to take hold of Luz’s once more. Luz felt her smile become even more radiant at the feeling, her heart feeling like it was ready to burst from the love she felt.

       Tonight was going to be amazing.

       Luz stood underneath the Grom tree, her hands restless and feet tapping on the ground beneath her. Everything was set up, she had gone over the plan a million times in her head. Now, all there was to do was wait for Amity to arrive. Light glyphs were scattered around, hidden beneath grass and leaves as they lay in wait for the dramatic reveal. Luz had been experimenting with glyphs lately, and had found a way to connect them, tie them to each other so they would all go off at once.

       It was the start of an amazing night.

       She had chosen to wear a black and purple plaid button up shirt she had found in her belongings, along with the last good pair of jeans she owned. It wasn’t fancy, by any means, but Luz had wanted to wear something different than she had worn at Grom. This wasn’t that night. This was something new, hopefully the start of something special.

       A crinkle of leaves made Luz turn her head, and suddenly she couldn’t breathe. Amity stood there, wearing a simple, soft pink sleeveless dress that ended at her knees. Her freshly-brown hair was out of its normal style, instead falling gracefully to her shoulders, looking like the most beautiful girl Luz had ever seen.

       This was it.

       “Hi.” Amity spoke softly, a tinge of a blush on her cheeks as she walked over to Luz. “You look nice.”

        “Eres preciosa.”

       Amity blushed at the hushed tone in Luz’s voice, “What does that mean?”

       “You’re beautiful.” Luz replied, feeling her blush worsen even as her resolve strengthened.

       “Oh. Thank - thank you, Luz. You’re...amazing. Uh, beautiful. Pretty. You’re very pretty.” Amity mumbled out, a large smile joining the ever growing blush on her face. “Um, so why did you ask me to meet you here?”

       “Oh! Um. First, let me set the scene.” Luz replied with a wink, stepping on a hidden glyph behind her and watching as little orbs of light slowly appeared all around them, softly floating up to hang above their heads. Luz turned back to look at Amity, and saw her looking up at the orbs, the light reflecting off of her golden eyes and making them shine like Luz’s very own star, one that cast its light only for her.

       “How long has it been since we last danced, Amity?” Luz said softly as she reached out her hand.

       Amity’s eyes left the glowing lights above them, turning her gaze to Luz. Her eyes seemed to only grow brighter, their beautiful color making the soft lights above the two seem pale in comparison. Seeing the outstretched hand, she smiled, radiant and happy, and took Luz’s hand. “Too long, Luz.”

       Pulling her in close, Luz began to slowly spin them around the clearing, her eyes locked to Amity’s. It was slow and gentle, an easy rhythm between them playing out a soft melody in the night. They moved as one, awkwardness forgotten as easily as the space between them vanished. This wasn’t like Grom, it wasn’t even like the library. This time, they danced in harmony, now attuned to the movements of one another as they gently spun through the night.

       “Thank you, Luz. This is...beautiful. It's perfect.”

       “Not quite perfect yet, mi amor.”

       Amity looked at Luz quizzically as their dance slowed to a halt, now just simply swaying back and forth, yet never letting go of one another. Luz took a deep breath, gathering all the courage she had, and spoke.

       “Amity, you are the most courageous, amazing witch I know. No matter how we met, no matter how you were back then, you have changed. You’ve changed for the better. Every day, I see you constantly trying to improve yourself, to treat others with kindness, to stand up for your friends. I feel like I get to see the real Amity. Not the lost, lonely Blight, but the real Amity. You are more than your name. You are more than who your parents make you. You are you, amazing and sweet and wonderful and gorgeous. Now that I’ve seen that girl who protects her friends, who reads stories to kids in the library, who goes out of her way to help her friends, I never want to let her go. Amity...I like you. A lot. And not just as a friend, so much more than that. It took me so long to realize this, but I’m tired of letting my past hold me back from my future. So...here I am. I like you, Amity, and I think, I hope, that you feel the same.”

       Their dance had halted, and all was still. The night had grown deathly quiet, as everything around them seemed muted and dull as Luz awaited a response on baited breath. Finally, Amity spoke, her voice soft and quiet, as if afraid to wake up.

       “You...like me? Not just as a friend?”

       “Yes.”

       “I...I like you too. Of course I like you.”

       The night was alive with sound, color bloomed back to life, time moved forward.

       “You are amazing, Luz. You took years of distance, of walls I had built up around my heart and just walked in like they were never there at all. All this time, I built up a castle, and then you came along with the key. You’ve changed me, Luz, for the better. You say I’ve become a better person, well, that’s because of you. You made me want to change, to be better, to do better. For myself, and for my friends. For you. You have the kindest heart I know, so full of love for your friends and family. Brave? You are my Fearless Champion, and that has never changed. You rush into the dumbest situations, get into all kinds of trouble, often dragging us along. But you do it because that’s how you care. You can’t just sit there and watch those you care about hurt and suffer. You have to do something about it. Maybe it doesn’t always work out, sure. But you try anyway. And you know when you’ve gone too far, and are not afraid to admit that and make it up to people. You go above and beyond every day. I can’t get enough of your curiosity, the joy you carry with you everywhere, the seemingly endless optimism you always have. I don’t want you to ever let me go.”

       Luz stood still, silent for a moment as she absorbed all that Amity had said. This was real. She wasn’t alone in these feelings, and Amity had laid that out for her plainly. Luz’s heart was soaring, full of love and happiness. There was only one thing left to say.

       “Amity, will you be my girlfriend?”

       Amity reached up to wipe away tears Luz hadn’t realized were there, leaving her soft hand on Luz’s face as she replied.

       “Yes, Luz. I’d love to be your girlfriend.”

       Luz laughed, and the sound was joyous and free. Her heart swelled, and she felt overcome with what could only be described as pure bliss. Smiling at Amity, Luz brought her hand up to rest on her cheek, wiping away the tears streaming down her friend’s face - Her girlfriend. Her girlfriend. This was real. Luz leaned her forehead against Amity’s and closed her eyes as she spoke.

       “I told you, I’m going to hold on to you forever.”

       “I’m going to hold you to that.”

       There was a moment of silence between the two, both taking in the joy they each felt, savoring the presence of each other in arms that felt like home. Luz was overwhelmed with a million thoughts racing through her mind, but one stood out among the rest.

       “Can I kiss you?”

        “Please.”

       Luz opened her eyes, blinded by the joy and bliss in Amity’s face. Slowly leaning forward, watching as Amity did the same, Luz brought their lips close. Just as in the library, they were close enough to feel the slightest sensation of each other, hesitating in the last moment. She wanted to close that gap so badly it hurt.

       So she did.

       Their lips met, softly and gently, a tender embrace between the two that stopped all around them. Every time they separated, neither could stand to wait and their lips met, again and again, always with the same soft and sweet feeling. There was no rush, no desire to make up for lost time. No matter how long it had taken, this moment felt right. It was awkward, with bumped noses and hushed giggles, misplaced kisses and adoring looks.

       It was perfect.

       Eventually, they resumed their dance, slow and tender, occasional kisses working their way into the rhythm. The night moved on, calm and clear, wrapping around the two girls as they danced, surrounded in each other’s embrace. Gentle wind and rustling leaves joined a rumbling purr, all adding to the sweet melody the girls shared. Happy, blissful, and full of love, they danced in the warmth of one another.

Chapter Text

       Amity was positively ecstatic.

       She had a girlfriend.

       She was dating Luz.

       They had fallen asleep underneath their tree last night, eventually settling down to rest in each other’s arms. It had been a perfect night, and Luz had known just what to do. No grand, romantic gestures or big plans. Just the two of them at their tree, lights softly glowing above, and a dance. Amity’s parents were gone for the weekend, she had a girlfriend, and nothing could spoil her mood.

        Knock-knock

       Well, maybe there was something that could.

       “I’m not in the mood for any pranks or teasing, so go away.”

       “No teasing and no pranks, Amity. I promise.” Emira’s soft voice came through the door, sounding much more serious than Amity was used to hearing from her sister. “May I come in?”

       “I suppose if you are going to be nice, you may.” Curiosity was nagging at Amity. Her sister was never this serious, at least not without reason. Emira slowly opened the door, her soft and happy smile setting Amity at ease as Emira joined her on the bed.

       “Hey Amity. I’m glad you made it back home okay.”

       “Oh. Um. Yeah. We kinda...feel asleep out there. So I didn’t make it back till this morning.”

       “So...did it go well?”

       Amity felt herself tense up, waiting for the moment she would be teased for spending time with Luz, and yet, it never came. Emira was still looking at her with that same soft smile, her tone light and encouraging. There was no mischief in her eyes, no teasing tilt to her voice. Just happiness.

       “Uh...yeah. Yeah it did. Really well. Luz...she confessed to me, told me how she felt, and now...now we are dating…” Amity trailed off at the end, her head back in the clouds as reality set in once again. She had a girlfriend. After all this time, she was finally dating Luz. “Wow. I’m dating Luz.”

       “I’m so happy for you Amity. Took you two long enough, but that’s okay. It worked out in the end.” Even Emira’s teasing comment didn’t sound like teasing, instead she sounded happy and... proud.

       “Thank you, Emira. It’s...kind of unreal. Like, this is real. We’re dating now. What am I supposed to do? Are things going to be different? Do I hold her hand? Are we... are we going to kiss again? Oh, Titan. ”

       “Hey, it’s okay Amity. You guys will figure it out soon...enough...wait. Again? You guys kissed?!?” The bright red face of her little sister was all the answer she needed, tentatively questioning Amity again. “Wow. You guys already kissed, huh? That’s...wow. Nice job there, Mittens.”

       Amity only blushed even further at the comment, sparing her sister a small glare and refusing to comment.

       “Out of curiosity, who confessed to who?”

       “Oh. Um, Luz asked me. It was...really sweet.”

       “Wow! Luz asked you...beat you to it. Huh. Are you, uh...are you sure she asked first? You didn’t beat her to it?”

       “Yes, I’m sure Luz asked me first. Why?”

       Through the slightly cracked door Amity heard what sounded like someone smacking themselves, followed by Edric’s voice, “Oh Titan’s foot! I really thought we had that one…”

       “Ed? What are you doing? And what are you two talking about?”

       Edric slowly opened the door, looking all mopey as he came to sit down at Amity’s desk. Emira responded quickly, “Oh, nothing! We just thought you might get to it before Luz is all! Nothing going on here. But...you’re sure you didn’t like, say something first? Maybe without words? A wink? A nod even?”

       Amity sighed as she lowered her head slightly, now beginning to suspect what her siblings had done. Before she could confirm her suspicions, Edric spoke up. “That was a nod, I’ll take it! We didn’t lose after all!”

       “Ed! We weren’t supposed to talk about it!”

       Amity looked up, now certain she was right. “You guys bet on it, didn’t you.”

       “We...may have bet on it. Just a little.” Emira smiled sheepishly at Amity, looking a little guilty. “Just a tiny bet! We thought you would get to it first in the end. And then nobody would need to know about it.”

       “Except now we owe Willow 40 snails.”

       “Ed!”

       “Ugggggh. I can’t believe you two. And Willow was in on this too?”

       “Well...her and Eda were, yeah.”

       Amity let out a gusty sigh as she stared down her siblings, leaving them squirming under her gaze. “It’s fine, no harm done I guess. But no more bets! Deal?”

       “Deal.” Edric and Emira responded in unison, matching serious looks on their faces. “Not much else to bet on, anyways…” Edric mumbled to himself.

       “Now that we got that out of the way though,” Emira continued as she covered Edric’s mouth with her hand, “are you going to go out with Luz today?”

       Amity blinked at her sister in confusion before responding, “What? Why would I go out with Luz today? I mean, I guess we could go to the library and study together.”

       Edric and Emira smacked their faces in unison, Emira letting out a gusty sigh before responding, “Oh dear sister, be glad you have such helpful older siblings.”

       “Maybe when you decide to be helpful for once, I might consider it.”

       “Ouch. That’s fair. Well, mother and father are gone for the weekend again...and you have nothing planned. Sooo…”

       “Okay...what’s your point, Em?”

       “Why not ask Luz if she is free? I bet she is. You could ask her on a date. You know, like you’re dating. ”

       “A date? But...we only just got together! It’s a bit soon, don’t you think? I should wait before asking her something so bold. I mean, it would be nice...but I should totally wait! I don’t want to scare her off-“

       “Amity. You aren’t going to scare her off. She confessed to you first, right? This is Luz we are talking about. Knowing her, she would love to spend the day with you. Just...give it a try?”

       “What - right now? Just message her out of nowhere and ask her on a date? What am I even supposed to say?” Amity stood up and started pacing around her room as she continued her train of thought, “I mean, I guess I could. It would be nice. We could go out to eat...maybe go for a walk? It really doesn’t matter where we go, so long as I can be next to her…”

       Emira and Edric glanced at each other, grins wide as they both knew Amity was so deep in thought that she had forgotten she was not alone. Emira nodded at Edric, and he turned around in the chair as Emira continued to listen to her little sister’s rant.

       “Maybe my favorite cafe? I think she’d like that. They have some drinks she would enjoy, and those really tasty pastries that don’t have eyes. Maybe...we could go look at the stars at night? They are probably different from her world’s stars, so that could be fun...but I still have no idea what to say! Do I just ask her outright? ‘Hey Luz, if you are free, would you like to go on a date with me today?’”

       “Ohmygoodness yes! I’d love to go on a date with you Amity!” a voice that was unmistakably Luz’s responded from Amity’s crystal ball, causing Amity’s head to snap over to see her wonderful, breathtaking girlfriend’s face projected in the ball.

       “Luz! Um. Hi!” Amity felt her face flush a deep red before the situation finally registered in her mind. “Wait, you would?”

       “Of course I would! I was actually thinking of asking you, but I wasn’t sure if it would be too soon? Or if you would even be able to with your parents and all.”

       “Oh. They’re...they are gone for the weekend, actually. So...if you want, we could meet up in a little bit? Maybe go get some food or something?”

       “Yes! I’d love to. Or whatever else you want to do, as long as I get to spend time with you, mi amor.” Amity could see the tell-tale signs of a blush on Luz’s face even through the crystal ball’s slightly hazy projection at those words, and felt a warmth bloom in her chest.

       “Okay then. Um...then I’ll meet you at the market in an hour?”

       “It’s a date.” Luz replied with a wink. “See you soon cutie pie!”

       “See you soon…” Amity replied breathlessly, continuing to stand still in shock after the projection faded.

       “Sooo,” Emira’s voice shocked Amity out of her daze, “what are you going to wear?”

       “I’m going on a date. With Luz.”

       “Yes, you are. And you need to pick an outfit to sweep your girlfriend off of her feet.”

       “Right. Outfit. Date. Luz.”

       “Come on lovebird. Let’s find you something cute.”

      It was a beautiful day in the Boiling Isles, with no clouds in sight and a cool, gentle breeze rustling leaves as it passed through. Amity admired the beautiful scenery around her, all vibrant colors and happy witches and demons. Time had flown by as she was trying to pick an outfit with her sister’s help, and finally settled on some ripped black jeans and a loose-fitting black t-shirt tucked into the jeans. She had been doubtful at first, but Emira has assured her it would do the trick, “Dress confidently and you will feel confident.” Edric had even helped her with her makeup, the simple black winged eyeliner skillfully applied. Something to ask him about later, after…

       “Amity!”

       Amity spun towards the voice, her heart already beating fast as she looked for the source of that lovely melody. Golden eyes locked with brown, and Amity felt her breath catch in her throat, the world stilling around her. They both stood still, eyes locked and matching blushes as something unheard passed between them, a shared feeling that needed no words to be understood. Slowly, they both began to walk toward each other, each step slow but sure, as if savoring the moment. As they met in the middle, their hands joined without hesitation, almost desperate to remove the distance between them.

       “Hey, Ami.”

       “Hi, Luz.”

       Amity finally broke eye contact with Luz long enough to admire her outfit; a purple, knee-length skirt and sleeveless white top. Simple, yet to Amity it made Luz all the more breathtaking. Bringing her gaze back to Luz’s warm eyes that never seemed to stop shining for her, Amity managed to mumble, “Pretty. You’re - you look very pretty, Luz.”

       “Oh. Um, thanks...you’re very...you look... wow. ” Luz responded with a deep blush.

       “Strange?”

       “Just nice.”

       They stood there for a moment, savoring the closeness of one another, feeling as if the rest of the world had fallen away. Amity found herself sinking deeper and deeper into those warm eyes, so full of love and adoration. For once, it didn’t matter if she deserved this, all that mattered was the person standing in front of her and the overwhelming love she felt. Briefly, her eyes glanced down at Luz’s lips, and she was overcome with the desire to bridge that gap once more. Almost on instinct, Amity leaned forward, her eyes slowly starting to close as she came ever closer to that soft, sweet feeling she was desperate to experience again.

       “Amity…?” Luz’s voice came out quiet and breathless, so very close to Amity, just outside of her reach.

       “I would really like to kiss you…” where this confidence was coming from, Amity had no idea, but all she could think about was the feeling of Luz’s lips against her own, those warm hands so big against her own wrapping her up like her favorite blanket. She wanted to close that gap again, but hesitated at the last moment. That small bit of space remaining stretched open like the gaping maw of an endless chasm, a distance she could not cross on her own.

       As Amity worried that maybe she had pushed too far, perhaps this was too sudden, a sweet warmth met her in the middle and she melted into the embrace. Her arms came up to wrap around Luz’s neck, pulling her ever closer as she felt a deep need grow inside of her chest. Nothing else mattered, just the feeling of Luz’s lips soft against her own, feeling wholly loved in this moment that should never end.

       After an eternity spent in bliss, Amity felt Luz pull away slightly, only to rest her forehead against Amity’s, her heavy breathing warm on Amity’s face.

       “Amity…”

       “Yeah?”

       “If we keep this up, we will never get to that date…”

       “That’s true…later, then.” Slowly extracting herself from the embrace, Amity tightly clasped Luz’s hand in her own and felt a genuine smile threatening to split her face apart. “Shall we?”

       Luz was still deeply flushed, starry-eyed and breathless, simply staring at Amity. Receiving a slow nod in response, Amity began to tug Luz along behind her, reveling in the confidence coursing through her. There would be time, later. They had all the time in the world for sweet kisses and soft embraces, for now Amity would make sure this date was a perfect one.

       Amity and Luz had slowly made their way through town, neither in any hurry to reach their destination. Hand in hand, adoring glances, their shoulders lightly bumping against one another and soft giggles filling the silence. Finally, they had arrived at their destination, Amity’s favorite little cafe, “The Perfect Cauldron.” The drinks were always lovely, and the atmosphere was nice and calm. It was the perfect escape from the clutches of her parents and the rigid structure of the manor.

       For someone as energetic as Luz, Amity wasn’t sure if this was the best place to go, but it was a part of her life she wanted to share with Luz. Glancing over at Luz, her worries vanished as Luz visibly relaxed as she gazed at the quaint little cafe, her eyes shimmering with excitement. That boundless energy Luz always seemed to have was still present, yet it seemed to be expressed purely through her twitchy fingers, tapping out a now-familiar rhythm as she looked around. After looking over the entirety of the place at least twice, Luz turned her gaze towards Amity, her eyes still shimmering bright.

       “This place is awesome! How have I never been here before? It’s so cute and the atmosphere is really calming. I could spend hours in here just relaxing.”

       “Well, that was kind of my plan, actually. I thought we could just order some drinks, maybe some snacks, and just relax together. We could read a book, or talk about...something. I don’t know, I just thought this might be a nice change of pace, and I wanted to show you this place. It’s been my favorite for years now.”

       “Hey, I’m glad you took me here Amity. This is somewhere you like to be, somewhere special to you. Like the secret room. And come on, this place? I love it already. So how about we get those drinks and snacks, and we can figure out the rest when we get to it?”

       “Okay. I’m...glad you like it. I’ll go get us drinks, why don’t you go find a spot for us to sit?”

       “Will do, captain! I’ll find a nice little spot for us to - are those bean bag chairs?”

       Amity giggled at the obvious glee in Luz’s voice, once again admiring the way her eyes always seemed to shine with the strength of her emotions. “Yes, Luz, those are bean bag chairs. Go, I’ll be there soon.”

       “Don’t take too long, hermosa.” Luz responded with a wink, then stopping for a moment as a blush rose to her cheeks along with a thoughtful expression. Her face quickly cleared, seemingly coming to a decision but before Amity could ask, Luz swiftly leaned in and left a soft peck on Amity’s cheek before spinning around and running off in the direction of the bean bags. Amity stood there, her face flushed a deep red at the unexpected boldness from Luz, wistfully watching her girlfriend run off. A small, polite cough brought her attention back to what she was supposed to be doing, and Amity attempted to compose herself as she approached the counter. Who she saw behind it, however, sent her reeling once more.

       “Hey, Amity!”

       “Skara? What are you doing here?”

       “Well, I work here. Picked up a job to earn some extra snails for this new instrument I want.”

       “Oh. Do you like working here?”

       “Yeah, I love it here! This place is super chill, and the boss is very nice. Plus, I get to see all kinds of people come in here. Most just come to hang out and relax, but sometimes I get an adorable couple coming in for a date.” Skara gave a wink at Amity at that last line, a knowing look on her face.

       “What - Who - How did you -” Amity felt her blush return with a vengeance as she attempted to splutter out a response.

       “Oh come on, you guys are super obvious. Cute pet names, and that super adorable peck on the cheek? That’s pretty solid evidence.”

       “I...yes, we are on a date. Luz and I are...we are together now.”

       “Congrats girl! No need to hide it! At least, not from me. You two look super cute together.” Skara was practically beaming at this point, no trace of malice or trickery in her tone.

       “You...won’t tell Boscha?”

       “Oh! I guess it has been a while since we’ve talked, hasn’t it? Nah, Boscha and I don’t talk anymore. I guess I just finally had enough of her attitude, and wanted to get away from it all. Like you did. Honestly, seeing you break away and start fresh is what gave me the courage to do it. Now, my life is so much less stressful, and I don’t have to try and hide parts of me just to fit in with that dumb crowd. So, no, I won’t say a word to Boscha. Or your parents, for that matter. Your secret is safe with me.”

       “That’s...good to hear. I’m glad you got away from her. You seem...happier now. Like the Skara I would sometimes see when Boscha wasn’t around. And thank you, for keeping it a secret. I may be disobeying my parents by even being around Luz, but I don’t want them to find out about us dating. I don’t even want to imagine what they would do should they find out.”

       “Yeah, let’s try to avoid that. Anyways, as nice as it is talking to you again, I do have a job to do. What can I get you?”

       “Oh! Um, two sighberry teas, with just a little bit of sweet-bug extract, and a slice of wartberry pie, please.”

       “Two sighberry teas with a dash of sweet-bug and some wartberry pie, got it. I’ll bring it to you when it’s ready, okay?”

       “Okay. How much do I owe you?”

       “This one is on me. Consider it a gift, something to congratulate you two on finally getting it figured out.” Skara replied with a grin.

       “Finally? What do you mean, finally?” Amity asked in confusion.

       “Well, it’s been pretty obvious that you two have had a thing for each other for a while. Just took a bit for you both to finally realize it. Now, go! Don’t leave your date waiting too long.” Skara winked at her before turning around and starting to prepare their drinks, leaving Amity with a flushed face as she turned and walked towards Luz.

       As she got close to where Luz was sitting, the girl raised her head to look at Amity and called out, “Heya, Ami! What’s got you so worked up? Was it Skara? Did she say something to you?” Luz had worked herself up by the end, fists clenched and looking as if she was about to get up.

       “No, no, it’s okay Luz. Skara was just...really friendly. She ditched Boscha, apparently, and now she is...well, she’s herself again. She was just congratulating us on getting together, but I didn’t realize that we were apparently the last people to figure out that we liked each other.”

       “Oh. Um, yeah...I think Willow knew for a long while. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but she always seemed to have this knowing look on her face whenever I would talk about...you…and I’m sure your siblings figured it out easily. Eda probably knew, too. Man, we really were the last to find out, huh?” Luz chuckled at that, breaking out in another one of those smiles that took Amity’s breath away. “So, are you going to come sit with me, or do I have to come get you myself?” Luz continued, mischief in her voice.

       “I’m coming, no need to make a scene.” Amity chided Luz, yet the soft tone betrayed her real feelings. Sitting next to Luz in the large bean bag chair, Amity found herself rather firmly pressed against Luz, thanking the Titan for her good luck. Luz’s arm quickly found its way around her shoulders, drawing her in even closer as they both got comfy. They both sat there, simply enjoying the warmth they shared as they waited for the drinks to arrive. As if on queue, Skara appeared from behind the counter, quickly making her way over to the two with a small tray in hand.

       Setting down the two mugs and a plate, Skara smiled warmly at the pair, “Two sighberry teas with a dash of sweetbug and a slice of wartberry pie for the cute couple. Enjoy!” Skara began to chuckle to herself as she walked away, leaving Luz and Amity blushing behind her.

       “She certainly seems...nicer than before.” Luz eventually managed, the traces of a blush still radiating heat from her face.

       “Nicer, yes. She is still a teaser, though.”

       “Ah, it’s not so bad. I mean, apparently we are a cute couple, so I’ve got to thank her for letting us in the know.” Luz chuckled as she nudged Amity gently, who responded with a warm smile of her own.

       “I suppose you are right, how would we have ever known that if she hadn't told us?” Amity remarked with a grin.

       “Exactly! So it’s a fair trade.”

       “Alright, alright. Try the tea before it gets cold, and the pie. I think you’ll like it.”

       Luz leaned forward slightly, grabbing the steaming mug from the table and smiled as she looked inside. “Well, no eyeballs, so it’s already off to a great start.” Luz took a tentative sip of the drink, humming with content as the warm drink hit her tongue. “That’s really good. It kind of reminds me of a tea my Mamí used to make. I think it was called sleepytime tea? It was supposed to help you calm down and sleep easier.”

       “That’s exactly what sighberry tea is for, it is meant to calm you down and help you relax. I thought it’d be something you might like, and I’m glad I was right. Don’t forget the pie, though.”

       Luz set her mug down and reached for one of the utensils on the table, snagging a bite of the very purple pie. As she ate it, a surprised look came across her face before she started talking. “Blackberry! It tastes...mostly like a blackberry pie!”

       “Is that a good thing…?”

       “Very! I love blackberry pie, it’s one of my favorites.”

       Amity let out a sigh of relief, happy that her choices had gone over well. “Well, let's finish eating before we start to read. I wouldn’t want to get crumbs in the book.”

       They enjoyed the pie, slowly sipping on the tea that never seemed to get cold. Once the pie was gone, they both settled down and began to read the book Amity had brought along, The Good Witch Azura vol. 5. They laid there in each other’s arms, silently reading the book as the hours flew by, the sunlight gradually fading till it was just a sliver on the horizon. By then, Luz had dozed off a little bit ago, and Amity didn’t have the heart to wake her, instead reaching up to gently brush a lock of hair out of Luz’s face. Her hand lingered there, slowly trailing down to Luz’s cheek as she ever so carefully stroked her face with her thumb, spending the moment doing her best to memorize every detail she could possibly find.

       She was so absorbed by every minute detail that she initially failed to notice that the cafe was almost empty, and one of the only people left there was staring at them. Quickly, but careful to not wake Luz, Amity withdrew her hand and looked for whoever it was, only to find Skara behind the counter again with her head in her hands as she watched the scene with a goofy grin. Noticing Amity’s attention, Skara called out softly across the room, “Oh, don’t stop just cause of little old me. This has to be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. Imagine, this whole side of Amity, soft as can be, and I’m only just now seeing it. It’s a crime, I tell you.” Skara began to silently giggle as she finished talking, Amity having gone completely red all the way to the tips of her ears.

       “Ugggghh...not another word.” Amity hissed back, yet unable to conjure any real venom in her voice. Just being this close to Luz left her feeling so bubbly inside that she couldn’t help but be happy. Turning back to Luz as Skara wandered off to the back, Amity gently shook the sleeping girl. “Luz. Hey, Luz. Wake up.” Luz groaned slightly as she began to shift, stretching her arms above her head before finally opening her eyes to look at Amity, suddenly blushing as she sat still.

       “Hey, Ami...I uh. I guess I fell asleep, huh?”

       “Yes, you did. But now it’s time to get up, I have one more place I want to take you before the night is over.” Feeling either very bold or too happy to care, possibly both, Amity leaned in and left a soft peck on Luz’s cheek before standing up and offering her hand. “Come on, we don’t have long before it gets dark, and I’d prefer to see where I’m stepping where we are going.”

       Luz smiled up at her, taking the offered hand and springing to her feet, suddenly awake and full of enthusiasm again. “Alright, I’m ready. Where are we heading?”

       Amity simply smiled and took Luz’s hand in her own, leading the way out of the shop after the pair waved goodbye to Skara. Amity led them to the forest, following a path she had walked many times before, all the while Luz looked as if she would burst from curiosity.

       “Okay, seriously. Where are we going that we have to go through here to get there?”

       “It’s a surprise, you’ll see. Just be patient. It’s just a little bit further from here.”

       Sure enough, after only a couple more minutes of walking, they came into a decent sized clearing. Amity spun a circle, summoning the blanket and pillows she had stored there before leaving the manor, and began arranging them on the ground to make a cozy little nest for the two of them. Amity crawled into the blankets and pillows, getting comfy before looking up at Luz expectantly. “Are you coming or not?”

       Luz responded by practically flopping down next to Amity, an arm and a leg draped on top of her as she sported a huge, goofy grin. “So, cuddle time in a pretty place with a pretty girl, huh? Not bad, Ami, not bad at all.”

       “That’s not all.” The sun had fully set by now, and Amity pointed up to the sky. “This is what I wanted to show you.”

       The sky was perfectly clear, and they were far enough from the light of the night market that every little star in the sky shined wonderfully bright. Luz looked up, and let out a small gasp at the sight, her eyes going wide. They lay there for a while, the minutes ticking by as Luz looked out over all the lights in the sky. Amity had wrapped her arm around Luz’s shoulders at some point during all of this, the moment sweeping her along with boldness she never felt. Luz eventually spoke up, her voice soft and sweet.

       “Thank you, Amity…”

       “Of course, Luz. I...really wanted you to see this. It’s the least I can do, and I had hoped you would like it.”

       “Nobody has ever done something like this for me before. At least, not in a romantic way. I used to go watch the stars sometimes with my Mamí, but we didn’t do that very often. But this...these stars are all different than the human realm’s stars. There is so much to see, and it’s all so beautiful. I love it.” Luz squeezed Amity slightly as she finished talking, burying herself further into her girlfriend’s side.

       They laid there, safe and happy in each other’s arms as they gazed up at the stars, feeling content in this moment they shared. As the night went on, they occasionally shared sweet kisses and adoring looks, eventually falling asleep in each other’s arms, not a soul in the world able to disturb this moment of happiness.

       In a private room of the Emperor’s Castle, lit only by a crystal ball that swirled with magic as it displayed a scene, there sat a woman who closely watched. The image floating in the crystal ball was that of two young girls, laying in each other’s arms, blissfully unaware of the watching golden eyes that glowed with power and anger.

       “Oh, Amity. You never learn.”

Chapter Text

       Luz sat at the dining table in the Owl House, lost in thought with a happy smile on her face. She had returned from her date with Amity not long ago, entering the house with a dreamy sigh before sitting down at the table, not even noticing the looks Eda and King were giving her. It had been a perfect first date, and Luz couldn’t have been happier. Her first date, ever! And, it was with Amity of all people! How had she gotten so lucky?

       “I take it your date went well.” Eda remarked with a smirk from the kitchen doorway, finally drawing Luz’s attention.

       “Yeah, it went great! We went to this cute little place, I think it was called The Perfect Cauldron? They had some really tasty drinks, and bean bag chairs!”

       “Ah, I remember that place. Only went there once, myself. Little slow for my kind of date, but hey, as long as you had fun kiddo.”

       “I did! We also went out into the forest outside Bonesborough and looked at the stars. They are all different here than in the human realm, but still just as pretty.” Luz began to look off into the distance, spacing out as she remembered curling up with Amity under the beautiful night sky.

       “Well, I gotta hand it to the kid, she knows how to impress you at least. So, a romantic day spent with the girl you can’t stop making goo-goo eyes at. Congrats, kid.” Eda reached over and ruffled Luz’s hair fondly with a smile, Luz chuckling as she did.

       “Edaaaaa.”

       “What? Not like you ever care how your hair looks. Don’t tell me you’re going to get all stuck-up about it now so you can impress your girlfriend?”

       Luz only stuck her tongue out in response, Eda chuckling at her before gesturing to the kitchen. “I’m going to make some lunch, you wanna help?”

       “Yes!” As crazy as cooking could be with Eda, Luz loved every moment of it. It was one of the times they spent together that, admittedly, Luz felt like a kid helping her mom make lunch. Despite all the teasing and chaos, Luz really did think of Eda like a mother now.

        Mamí.

       The thought made her pause for a moment, suddenly thinking of her Mamí. Who had expected Luz home months ago now, yet had heard nothing from her daughter. By now, she had to have figured out that Luz never went to camp at all.

       “You alright, Luz?” Eda’s concerned voice broke through Luz’s train of thought, and she tried to smile and reassure Eda.

       “Yeah, I’m fine! Just...thinking about Mamí. I was supposed to be back by now, and she’s probably worried about me.”

       “Hey, we will find you a way home, I promise. I’ll get you back to your mom, no sweat. It’s just going to take some time. Heck, I could even come with you to help explain things to her when the time comes.”

       “Thanks, Eda. I just...I wish she was here, ya know?”

       “I know, kiddo.” Eda wrapped an arm around Luz’s shoulder, gently squeezing her before continuing, “Hey, it’s been a while since you made one of those video things for her. Maybe you should make one, tell her all about how you managed to get a witch for a girlfriend?”

       “That’s a great idea! I have so much to tell her, all about Amity and our date and how we are going to find a way home…” Luz trailed off at the end, before suddenly hugging Eda tightly who stood there for a moment in surprise before gently returning the gesture. “Thank you, Eda.”

       “Of course, Luz. We gotta look out for each other, right?”

       “Right!” Luz let go, and practically bounced as she ran off towards the stairs, “I’m going to go make that video for her now, I’ll be back in a while okay?”

       “Alright kid. I’ll let you know when food is ready, but take your time, okay?”

       Luz’s only response was a wave as she disappeared upstairs, racing to her room and shutting the door behind her. Her phone was right where she left it, next to her bed on the nightstand Eda had gotten her. Plopping down on her bed, she reached over and grabbed her phone, keying in the passcode to unlock it. Her finger hovered over the camera app, hesitating. What would she say? Sure, she had made videos for her Mamí in the past, but now this was something important. Luz had a girlfriend...and she couldn’t introduce them to each other. Not properly, not right now, at least. But...she could at least tell her Mamí about Amity. Who she was, what she meant to Luz, how much she liked her...tapping on the app with confidence, Luz sat up and sent some light glyphs floating above her before starting the recording.

       “Hey, Mamí! It’s been a while since I made one of these for you. I honestly don’t remember what all I told you in the last ones, so I think I’ll just go over all of it at once. Really, I just feel like talking right now. I wish you were here, so I could talk to you about it. But, for now, this will have to do. So...obviously, I never went to camp. I was going to! I know...I know it would have made you happy. I keep telling myself that. That all you wanted was for me to fit in so I could be happy. But, I was waiting at the bus stop, and then Owlbert stole my book! And - Oh, Owlbert is Eda’s palisman, which is like an animal companion kinda, and Eda is who took me in! Anyways, I followed Owlbert to this old run-down shack, and he flew through the door which I didn’t realize was glowing at the time? But I ran through, and then suddenly I was in a different world! The Demon Realm, specifically. There I met Eda, and she introduced me to all the awesome stuff about the Boiling Isles! There is magic here! Real, actual magic! Look!” Luz tapped a light glyph she had laying next to her and angled the phone at the paper as it crumpled up into a little ball of light.

       Turning the phone back to herself, she continued excitedly, “And I can use it! Well, I can’t use magic the way Eda does. Eda is a witch, so she has a bile sack on her heart, so she can do magic without glyphs. But I’ve been working hard to find new glyphs so I can do more magic in my own way. At first, I just helped Eda around the house, learning what I could from her, but after a while I went to Hexide! That’s the magic school for witches and demons. Though, the first time I went there, I was pretending to be Willow’s abomination. Oh, Willow is one of my best friends, and so is Gus! Anyways, I was pretending to be her abomination, which is this big gooey thing that looks kinda like a human? But it was so she could get a good grade, which she did! But that made Amity mad, and I had to escape. Willow did get put in the plant track after that though, cause she is amazing with plant magic! Gus is really good at Illusions. Amity is in the Abomination track, and she is really good, but I think she wants to study other magic instead.”

       Luz paused at that thought, her mind wandering back to the conversation she had with Amity about other magic. Her parents were the ones making her take Abominations, so maybe, if she got away from them, she would be able to find something else she wanted to do? Oh, right, the video, her Mamí. Looking back at her phone, she continued, “Sorry, got lost in thought for a moment. Where was I...Oh! I escaped Hexide, Willow got put into the Plant track. After that, some more stuff happened and I eventually got allowed into Hexide! But I was only there for a day before I got sent to the detention track for mixing magic...which is so dumb! How could I choose just one track to study, when all of them are so interesting? Anyways, a monster attacked the school after that, and the rest of the people in the detention track and I fought the monster off, saving everyone in the school! We showed Principal Bump just how awesome it was to mix magic, and he ended up letting all of us pick the tracks we wanted to study! I picked all of them, of course. I also made new friends that day, the detention track kids! Viney, Jerbo and Barcus! So after that, I started attending Hexide regularly with everyone, and learning a bunch about magic and how it works. Oh! I was right! Gryphons DO have spider-breath, I knew it!”

       Luz laughed at how her Mamí might react to that before she continued, “So I’ve just been learning a bunch, and having a lot of fun here. I feel...like I can just be myself here, and that’s okay. Nobody looks at me funny for it, nobody laughs at me for what I like. I can just...be me. So, yeah. Oh, then there was Grom. It’s a lot like Prom? A big school dance, but the main thing is it’s about defeating this monster called Grometheus the Fear-Bringer. He makes you face your biggest fears. I was going to fight him in Amity’s place, but I wasn’t ready...he turned into a bunch of stuff I didn’t like, but I was able to fight it off. Then...he turned into you. And you were mad at me...wondering where I was, why I was here and not camp. I...ran. I’m sorry, Mamí, I ran away from Grom. I didn’t want to upset you, Mamí. I never did. And now, I’m here, when I should have already been home, and you’re probably upset at me anyways, and it’s all my fault.”

       Luz’s hand slowly dropped as she curled up into herself, quiet and somber. It really was her fault. She had been the one to chase after Eda, to give up the portal and destroy it, her only way home. She wouldn’t change a thing about it though, and that only made her feel worse. Slowly raising the phone, not bothering to wipe away the tears she felt on her cheeks, Luz continued her story, “Amity chased after me though. So did Eda, but Amity jumped in to help me first. Grometheus got to her, and found her fear. She was afraid of rejection, though at the time I didn’t know who she was afraid would reject her , of all people. Turns out, it was me. We worked together to beat Grometheus, and we made this huge tree! Now people call it the Grom tree, but it’s our tree. I um...I actually asked her out under that tree. It took me a while, since I’ve always been kinda dense with the whole romance thing, but I eventually figured out that I like Amity. And...she likes me, too. I still can’t believe it sometimes. I feel so lucky. The most amazing, prettiest, and one of the strongest witches on the Boiling Isles, my girlfriend! ”

       The tears had come to a stop at this point, a tentative smile returning to Luz’s face as she talked about Amity. “She’s amazing, Mamí. She wasn’t the kindest person at first, but that was because of her parents. They aren’t very nice people. They even made her stop being friends with Willow when they were kids! But, they are friends again. Well, I think they are. They are trying to be, at least. She’s opened up a lot and now I get to see the real Amity, the nice girl who reads to kids in the library and laughs at my jokes and looks so cute when she blushes...ah, forget that last part! I...well, I really like her, Mamí. Like, a lot. I really wish you could meet her, I think you’d like her too. Hopefully you will meet her. We went on a date yesterday, though! And it was perfect! She took me to this little place that had really tasty drinks that didn’t have eyeballs in them, and we read The Good Witch Azura together. Then we went to this clearing in the forest, and looked at the stars. Like you and I used to do. But the stars here are all different. It was so pretty, and I couldn’t have asked for a better first date. I really want to go on another date with her soon, but we have to avoid her parents. They...wouldn’t approve of her dating a human. Like I said, they aren’t very good people.”

       Luz leaned back, sighing heavily as she thought about the Blights. “I wish I could help them, Mamí. Amity and her siblings. I wish we could get them out of there, so they wouldn’t have to deal with their parents. Eda and I have talked about it before, but it would be really dangerous since their parents know the Emperor. He would probably try and hunt us down if we tried anything like that. He is already really mad at me for destroying the portal. Which, I should also tell you about. The portal that brought me here, Belos has been after it for a long time. Eda has had it, and we kept it away from him for a while. But, then I got captured by Lilith, Eda’s sister. She used me as bait to capture Eda. Eda showed up and just offered herself in exchange for letting me go. Lilith agreed, and then I...I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing. I got her captured! I had to do something! So...I fought my way to Eda, through a bunch of guards. I looked pretty cool, throwing magic everywhere. I had Owlbert with me, so my magic was even stronger than normal, and I could use magic like Eda does a little bit with Owlbert’s help! Eventually, I got to Belos, and he had Eda locked up there. So, I made him a deal. I offered to give him the portal if he cured Eda. She had this curse, and it made her turn into this giant owl beast sometimes, and drained her magic. He agreed, and cured Eda, and let us go after I gave him the portal. But...he was planning something, Mamí. I don’t know what, but it was nothing good. I couldn’t let him get away with it. I had to do it. I didn’t have a choice! I...I hid some fire glyphs on the portal, and right before we left, I destroyed it. I made sure he couldn’t use it for whatever plans he had. But...that means I can’t get home right now. Eda has been looking for a way to make another portal, or find another way to send me home, but that will probably take a while. I will make it home to you Mamí, I swear. No matter how long it takes, I will find my way back.”

       Luz hesitated, wanting to say more but not sure she should. Before she could overthink it, she pushed ahead, “Just...when I do, please don’t be mad at me? I know I didn’t go to camp like you wanted me to, I know I’m still weird and that causes you so many problems and it’s only gotten worse since I came here, but this is who I am Mamí. And I’m not ashamed of who I am anymore. Being here has shown me that there is a place for me, somewhere I can just be who I really am and people accept me for that. People like me for that. Eda and King, even Hooty, are like a second family to me now. And like we always say, us weirdos gotta stick together. I hope you can be okay with that. I will come home, but...I don’t want to stay there. My place is here , learning magic and with my friends. Lo siento, Mamí. Te quiero.”

       Luz stopped the video, slowly putting her phone down as she curled back up into a ball. Tears slowly slid across her cheeks as she silently cried, guilt eating away at her for what she had said. She loved her Mamí, but her home wasn’t with her. It was here, in the Boiling Isles, where Luz finally belonged. She had found a family that accepted and loved her for who she was, and she didn’t want to let it go. She laid there for a while, letting the tears fall as she wallowed in her guilt, not noticing that Eda had come up to her door. The soft knock from Eda startled Luz, and she tried to quickly wipe her face and plaster on a convincing smile.

       “Hey, Eda! What’s up?” Luz was rather proud of the fact that her voice barely wavered as she spoke, sounding very normal and not like someone who was currently wracked with guilt.

       “You know, you’re pretty bad at this whole ‘pretending to be fine’ thing, Luz.”

       “What? Nah, I’m fine, what are you talking about?” Luz tried to look away nonchalantly, nervousness growing as Eda seemed entirely unconvinced.

       “Luz. You can’t swindle a master swindler.”

       “I - no, nothing is -” Luz was cut off by an unimpressed look from Eda, sighing before she continued, “Okay, yeah, you’re right. I just...I miss my Mamí. But...I don’t miss the human realm. It doesn’t feel like home anymore. My home is here, with you and King and my friends. This is the first place to accept me for who I am, and I don’t have to apologize just for being me here. I want to stay here. But...I feel bad. I’m so willing to just leave my mom behind, and I didn’t even have to really think about it. I just knew that I wanted to stay here, but I am trying to go back just so she can see me again and know I’m okay. I just...I feel so guilty about it... what kind of daughter just leaves her mom that easily?” Luz was crying again, looking up at Eda with a pained expression, and Eda quickly knelt down to wrap Luz in a hug before she responded.

       “The kind of daughter who has found her place in the world. Kids don’t stay with their parents forever, you know. At some point or another, you figure out where you want to be and what you want to do, and that usually is somewhere else. You just figured it out sooner than usual, but that doesn’t make you a bad kid, Luz. Who could blame you for wanting to stay here? From what I’ve heard about your time in the human realm, I wouldn’t want to spend another second there either. And like you said, here is where you can really be yourself. Call me biased, but I think you belong here .”

       Luz was quiet for a moment, slowly relaxing into Eda’s shoulder as she thought about what the witch had said. “You’re right. I do belong here. And it’s not like we aren’t trying to find a way for me to go see her again. Once we do, I can always go visit her from time to time, it’s not like I have to never go back.”

       “Exactly kiddo. You can go visit her whenever you want once we figure it out. So don’t stress over it too much, okay?”

       “Okay. Thanks, mom.” Luz buried her head into Eda’s shoulder in equal parts happiness and embarrassment.

       Eda sat there, eyes wide as she registered the comment. Slowly, her body relaxed and a soft, warm smile split her face as she hugged Luz tighter. “You’re welcome, Luz.”

       They sat there for a while in silence, Eda now comfortable in her show of affection that she had, not so long ago, been adverse to. Eventually, Eda remembered what she had wanted to talk to Luz about in the first place.

       “Hey, Luz? There was actually something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

       Luz raised her head to look up at Eda before responding, “Okay, sure.”

       Eda took a slow breath in, gathering herself, “I know you and Amity are together now, and you are really happy about that. I’m happy for you two, really. But...have either of you thought about what might happen if her parents find out?”

       “We have...and Amity promised that she wouldn’t let what happened with Willow happen again with us. We will figure it out together.”

       “That’s...a good start. But it’s not actually a plan, which is what I wanted to talk about. I think...maybe it would be best if Amity and her siblings left the manor. They have lived under the strict rule of that place for too long, and they need out. I know the twins are worried about Amity and what might happen if their mother finds out about you two, but I’m not leaving any of them behind.”

       “Oh...you’ve...put some thought into this. I didn’t know you wanted to help them so much.”

       “Listen, I may be the baddest witch on the Boiling Isles, but I still have a heart. I think we should get them out of there, sooner rather than later.”

       “Okay, but where would they even go?”

       “Here, of course.” Eda replied in a serious tone, Luz simply staring at Eda in shock at the nonchalance she had said that with.

       “Really? Here? I thought I already made the house too rowdy for you?” Luz teased.

       “Look...I know what I said, and maybe it wasn’t entirely truthful. Regardless, I can’t just leave those kids hanging, and I won’t throw them out on the street either. I’ve still got plenty of spare rooms, and they need somewhere to go.”

       Luz saw the serious look on Eda’s face and knew she was determined, “Alright. I’ll talk to Amity about it, and the twins if I can. Maybe we can have them over here to figure out a plan together, something to keep all of them safe.”

       “Alright kiddo. How about we take our minds off of it for now and go practice some potions, huh? You may go to Hexide now, but I still have plenty to teach you that those stuck-up witches can’t or won’t teach you, after all.”

       “Yes! Potion time, let’s go! What are we making today?”

       “Well, I was thinking about trying my hand at the invisibility potion again. I think we can figure out a way to make it last longer while still keeping the invisibility just as strong.”

       “Alright, let’s do it!” Luz raced downstairs ahead of Eda, brimming with excitement, Eda chuckling as she followed. Luz looked over the ingredients laid out on the table, thinking about what they could possibly change to get the effect they wanted. Eda joined her at the table and they began to mix up what they needed for the potion itself.

       “Last time, we added Shyberry flowers to try and increase how long the invisibility lasted, but that didn’t work.” Luz thought out loud as she mixed ingredients.

       “Well, it worked, just had the added effect of also making you unable to speak, which wasn’t the best.”

       “Hmmm. Well what if we added more ghost mushroom or bloodgrass?”

       “If you add more ghost mushrooms, you actually lose your physical form for a while too.”

       “Oh. Well...what if we took some ghost mushrooms and cooked them with anchor root, then added them?”

       “Anchor root, huh? Now there is a thought...let’s give it a try.”

       They went about mixing the ingredients, spending the rest of the day trying various combinations to see what happened, Eda sparing Luz many a fond look that went unnoticed. Just a mother and her daughter, bound not by blood, but by a bond, unshakable and firm, as the house was filled with the sounds of laughter and bubbling cauldrons. The Owl House was more than just a house, for those within, it was truly a home.

Chapter Text

       Amity stood tall next to her siblings, the three of them awaiting the arrival of their parents. Normally, Amity would be nervous, focused on keeping her face blank and tone neutral, but the thought of Luz left her giddy and unable to keep a small smile off of her face.

       “Careful, Mittens. Don’t want to seem too happy, they might suspect something.” Emira teased her, but her voice was soft and caring as she watched her little sister.

       “And how’s Viney these days?” Amity teased back, pleased at the red face and spluttering that caused, with Edric snickering on Emira’s other side.

       “What are you laughing at Edric? I’ve seen the looks you’ve sent Jerbo’s way lately.” Emira snapped at her brother.

       “What? No! We aren’t - I mean nothing has happened yet - not that anything will! We haven’t even talked or anything, I just - listen, it’s…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

       “- I’m telling you, now would not be a proper time for a transfer! How would that look on a transcript? No, it is out of the question right now. I will bring it up once it is appropriate to do so, and that is final.” Alador’s muffled voice came through the large front doors of manor, causing all three of the siblings to straighten anxiously, Edric fidgeting with his clothes as the footsteps grew closer.

       The front door swung open, revealing a rather irate Alador striding past the children, with Odalia not far behind, looking quite annoyed herself as she stopped in front of Emira. Odalia slowly leveled a stern gaze at each of them in turn, almost as if inspecting them for imperfections as they struggled to maintain a neutral mask under the intense scrutiny.

       “I trust you all behaved appropriately while we were away?”

       The icy tone set Amity’s nerves on edge, a shiver running up her spine. “Yes, mother.”

       Odalia only seemed to grow more annoyed at this response, now locking her gaze on Amity. “Edric, Emira. You are dismissed. Amity, come with me.” The twins beat a hasty retreat, stealing worried glances at their younger sister as they left.

       Amity followed her mother, assuming they would be going to the study as was usual for moments like this. To her surprise, they instead went upstairs to her parents’ room, Amity trying her best to keep calm. Had she been caught? Had her mother found out about Luz? Or was her father simply in a bad mood and didn’t wish to be disturbed? Her mother never took her to their room, away from her father. They always spoke to her together, and yet here she was going out of her way to speak to Amity alone.

       As they entered, Odalia shut the door behind her before walking towards the center of the room. Suddenly, she stopped and turned around, leveling a glare at Amity.

       “You’ve been spending time with that human again, Amity. I thought we went over this.”

       “No, I’ve just been focusing on my studies and spending more time at the library, mother.” The neutral tone Amity so often relied on was difficult to maintain through the tightness in her throat.

       “ Please Amity, who do you think you are talking to? I know what you have really been doing as of late. I know who you spend your time with, where you have been. I know everything. Now...would you like to try that again?”

       “Yes, mother, I’m sorry. I know it looks like I’m disobeying you, but-“

       “I am not here to listen to your excuses , Amity. You will stop associating with that human, immediately. If you do not, you will force my hand, and I believe the Emperor would not require much convincing to imprison Eda and her apprentice. Do I make myself clear?”

       Amity’s mind was racing through the thoughts of Luz and Eda being captured, what the emperor could do to them. She was so determined to stand up for herself and her friends, she had made a promise to never let this happen again...but could she really keep that promise if it put them in danger? Real danger, from the emperor himself?

       Odalia’s voice snaked its way through the silence, words dripping from her mouth like venom. “Do you think he would petrify the Owl Lady immediately, or would he make the human watch? Or perhaps he would go for the human first? She has caused him quite a bit of trouble as of late, after all.”

       “...I understand, mother. I...will do my best to avoid the human.”

       Odalia eyed Amity, almost as if searching for the lie in her words. After a moment, seeming to find whatever she was looking for, her voice came out in that usual sickly sweet tone she so often used. “Good. This is all for your own good, you understand. There is your future to consider, after all. No need to speak to your father regarding this issue, he has other matters that require his attention. You are dismissed.”

       Amity quickly retreated from the room, her eyes burning with anger and tears. Her mother never stopped trying to control every aspect of their lives, down to the smallest details. It was suffocating. But this time was different. Amity had let her mother believe she had won yet again, but Amity had made a life out of placating her mother, and for once it had actually worked in her favor. She had made a promise to her friends, one she had no intention of breaking.

       Amity would not give up so easily this time.

       Marching into school, Amity was on a mission. Regardless of what her mother said or did, she wasn’t going to just abandon her friends. Not again. Searching around the halls of Hexide, Amity tried to find any sign of her friends or girlfriend, determined to tell them what had happened and that she wouldn’t let it change anything. Even if that meant finding a way to block her mother’s Oracle magic, or finding a way to avoid it all together.

       As she sorted through her options, Amity spied a familiar head of brown hair in the hallway. Pushing forward through the crowd, she almost made it to Luz before tripping on another student. Flailing her arms in front of her in an attempt to find anything to grab onto to stop her fall, she suddenly felt herself enveloped in a familiar warmth.

       “Woah, careful there Amity! Are you okay?”

       Amity looked up into the warm, soft eyes of her savior, an angel wrapped in a golden halo of light. Or maybe that was her eyes just playing tricks on her.

       “Amity?” Luz’s voice broke Amity out of her reverie, shaking her head clear of sappy thoughts for the moment.

       “Yes, Luz. I’m fine. Thank you.”

       “Anything for you.” Luz replied with a wink, sending Amity’s thoughts spiralling back to where they came. “You seemed to be in a hurry, everything alright?”

       “Yes! Yes, everything is...no. There is something I need to talk to you guys about.” Amity quickly sombered as she remembered the reason she had been looking for the trio in the first place.

       Willow, Luz and Gus shared a confused look before looking back at Amity. “What’s going on, Amity?” Willow asked, worry evident in her tone.

       “My mother. She knows I’ve still been spending time with you guys. She might even know how much time I’m spending with Luz, but I’m not sure. And before you say anything, no, I don’t plan on just letting her have her way this time. I’m not giving you guys up. Any of you. I...I won’t let her control me like that again.”

       Willow smiled at Amity proudly, practically beaming at the statement. “Thank you, Amity. I’m proud of you, and we will be there to help you in any way we can.”

       Amity blushed at the comment, shyly looking at the ground as her ears started to twitch. “You guys are important to me. I can’t just give that up. Not again. I gave in to my parents so many times over the years, letting them tell me what to do and who to see. It’s time that I stand up to them, in whatever way that I can, and spend my life doing what I want, with the people I want to. I’ll figure out a way around my mother’s Oracle magic one way or another, and make this work.”

       “You won’t be alone. And you aren’t going to lose us either.” Luz’s confident voice caused Amity to raise her head, meeting the bright eyes of her girlfriend. “This is actually great timing, because I had something to talk to you about as well.”

       The screaming of the bell cut Luz off before she could say more, and the group turned to split up for their respective classes. Luz called out behind her to Amity, “Meet me after school, okay? We can talk about it then! Bye, hermosa!”

       Amity blushed deeply at the affectionate nickname Luz loved to use for her, barely managing a wave as she turned to run off to her class as well. Some students around her were snickering, others just smiling, but thankfully none of it seemed to be mean-spirited. If anything, there was a feeling of curiosity around her, understandably so. Luz and her hadn’t even officially told Willow and Gus yet, though it was most likely obvious at this point. It would be best to tell them sooner than later, so their friends heard it from them first. As for the rest of the school...well, they could figure it out on their own.

       Luz practically jumped out her chair at the last screaming of the bell for the day, running down the halls to her locker in record time. Willow was already there, her class having been closer to their lockers, and eyed Luz with a smirk. “In a hurry to meet your girlfriend, huh?”

       Luz fumbled as she tried to lean against her locker nonchalantly, with only Willow’s quick reaction pulling her away before she got bit by her feisty locker. “Thanks, Willow. You think I’d learn eventually.” Luz let out a small chuckle at her own clumsiness before looking back at Willow. “Um...yeah, actually.”

       Willow’s eyes lit up as she responded, “You did it? You asked her?”

       “Yup! I actually managed to do it, and it went great! We even went on a date the next day. I totally meant to call you and tell you sooner! Just...I was a bit distracted over the weekend.”

       Willow’s smile fell slightly as Luz’s tone shifted, a worried look crossing her face. “Is something wrong, Luz?”

       “Nothing that can’t be fixed. I’m just missing my Mamí. That, and suddenly getting a girlfriend kind of kept me distracted. I’m sorry, I wanted to tell you as soon as it happened, honestly.”

       “Hey, it’s okay Luz. I understand. And you told me in the end, right? So no harm done.” Willow’s cheerful smile and attitude helped Luz bounce back into her usual energetic self before Willow continued, “I’m happy for you Luz, I knew you could do it. And you went on a date? You’ve got to tell me more!”

       “Well, she actually invited me out. We went to her favorite cafe, the one you told me about? But you did not tell me they had bean bag chairs there! They were so soft and perfect for snuggling.”

       “Snuggling, huh? I’m guessing you found that out first hand, then?” Willow smirked at Luz, the teasing tilt in her voice causing Luz to blush.

       “Well, I couldn’t just ignore the bean bag chairs! That would be criminal.”

       “Uh-huh.”

       “Anyways! Not the point. We went there, got some drinks and snacks, and Skara was actually working there. She seems...a lot nicer now. I think getting away from Boscha did her some good. So we spent some time there, reading Azura for a bit. I actually dozed off there for a minute or two, whoops! But it was okay, cause after a while Amity woke me up and didn’t seem bothered by it. Then she took me to this clearing! I don’t know if I could even find it again if I tried, but it was beautiful. It was far enough away from the lights of town that you could actually look up and see all of the stars. I could never see that many stars back in the human realm! And it was such a clear, perfect night for it too. I’d love to go there again sometime.”

       “It sounds like you guys had a really good time, Luz. I’m happy for you two. Maybe I’ll have to share my own little stargazing spot I found for you and Amity to visit next time, huh?” Willow replied with a wink.

       “Well if it’s your spot, then you’ll just have to come with us!”

       Willow merely blinked a few times, seemingly lost in thought for a moment before responding. “Um. Maybe you should ask Amity about that before inviting me, Luz.”

       “Oh, I will! But I bet she will be fine with it. It would be nice to spend time with both of you, and I’m sure she feels the same.”

       “Luz!” Amity called out from down the hall as she caught sight of her girlfriend.

       “That’s my cue! I’ve gotta go, but I’ll tell you about what I’m going to talk to Amity about later, okay?”

       “Alright. Go, Luz. Your lady is waiting.” Willow said with a smile.

       “Oh! Before I forget.” Luz’s tone became serious as she met Willow’s eyes. “Willow, thank you. Without your encouragement, I don’t know if I ever would have managed to say anything to Amity. You were there for me, like you always are. It...means a lot to me, and I hope you know that I’m always there for you too.” Luz leaned in to wrap Willow up in a tight hug, which was quickly reciprocated by the happy witch.

       “You’re welcome, Luz. I’ll always be there for you, and I know I can count on you to be there for me too.”

       Luz slowly let go, leaving one hand on Willow’s shoulder as she smiled at her friend. “Thanks, Willow.” Luz leaned forward and left a small peck on Willow’s cheek before turning around to run over to Amity, just missing Willow lightly touching her blushing cheek as her ears twitched slightly, and called out over her shoulder, “Talk to you later Willow!”

       Luz ran up to Amity, slightly breathless as she beamed at her girlfriend. “Hey, hermosa.” Amity could only laugh at the bouncy energy that seemed to flow out of Luz, infectious as it was.

       “Are you ready, Luz?” Amity managed between fits of giggles as Luz started actually bouncing on her feet.

       “Yup! Let’s go!” Luz reached down to grab Amity’s hand, tugging her along as they made their way out of Hexide. The two walked for a bit, only slowing down as they got far enough from the school that the other students were mostly dispersed.

       “So, Luz. What did you want to talk about?”

       “Well...I’ve been talking with Eda lately, about you and your siblings and...your parents. We were trying to figure out a way to help you guys if your parents tried to make you stop spending time with us again. Though, I think Eda is thinking of more than just that.”

       “What do you mean?”

       “Well...Eda wants to help you three get out of there. To help you get away from your parents, for good.”

       “Oh...well, they aren’t that bad, honestly. I mean, yeah they are controlling, but it’s not that big of a deal.”

       “Amity...that’s not normal. Parents aren’t supposed to control every part of your life. You are still your own person, and they should respect that.”

       “I...I guess you’re right. Most witches my age don’t have so many restrictions placed on them. But that’s because I’m a Blight, there are expectations I have to fulfil...right?”

       “Why do you have to be exactly who your parents want you to be? Why can’t you just be yourself? ”

       Luz paused, suddenly unsure. Was she telling Amity that, or herself?

       “You know...I’ve been thinking about that recently. I’ve always just accepted it, without question, but it really is strange, isn’t it? I’ve...never made decisions for myself. I just take the decisions they made for me and try to twist them to seem like my own ideas. But in the end, it was still the plan they made for me.”

       “Exactly. And I don’t want that for you, or the Twins. Eda and I want to help you guys get away from that.” Luz slowly reached up to gently rest her hand on Amity’s face before she continued. “Only if you want to, though.”

       “But...where would we even go? We can’t just run away. There’s nowhere to go...maybe the Twins could get their own place, and I could stay with them...” Amity’s eyes grew distant as she trailed off, lost in thought even as she leaned into the soft touch on her face, hand gently resting atop hand.

       “Um...Eda actually said that you guys could stay with us. We’ve got plenty of spare rooms, apparently. If you guys wanted to, that is! Just...thought it could be an option. I hate seeing you worrying about what your parents are going to do over every little thing all the time. You guys deserve to live normal lives.”

       “Normal? With the Owl Lady? ”

       “You know what I mean.” Luz replied with a nudge, Amity letting out a small laugh in return.

       “I know, I know. I just like teasing you, dork.”

       “Seriously though. Just...think about it, okay? Talk to Emira and Edric about it, and see what they think.”

       “Okay, I will. Luz...thank you.”

       “Of course, Amity.”

       Amity leaned over to press a soft kiss to Luz’s cheek, sending a blush blooming across her face.

       “What would I do without you, my fearless champion?” Amity leaned against Luz, nuzzling into her shoulder and sighing with content as a soft rumble came from her chest. Luz was surprised even as she loved the closeness and affectionate gestures, but normally it was her initiating it, not Amity. Though, as they spent more and more time around each other, it seemed Amity was beginning to become more and more comfortable being with Luz. It had been difficult, to say the least, to try and not overwhelm Amity after they began dating, as Luz had only wanted to be even closer to her every day. But she didn’t want to drive Amity away by being too much, too clingy, so she had held back. Even now she tried her best to not push too much. Better to let Amity take the lead, go at her own pace as she grew more comfortable.

       “Is everything alright, Luz?”

       “Huh? Oh, yeah! Sorry, got lost in thought for a bit. I’m fine though.”

       “It doesn’t seem fine. Whatever you’re thinking about...it seems like it bothers you.”

       “No, no, it’s totally fine, really-”

       “ Luz. ”

       “I…” Luz heaved a gusty sigh, knowing she was beaten. “I just...I dunno. I worry about being too affectionate with you. About being too much. ”

       “Luz...you’re worried about being affectionate with me now? After how you were before we were even dating? You could never be too much for me. Sure, I am still getting used to this, and working on doing it myself, but I love how you are. It makes me feel...cared about. Loved. Wanted. You make me feel special, Luz. As long as I’m around you...I feel like I could take on the world.”

       Luz sat there in silence, letting the words sink in for a moment. Still, doubt nagged away at her mind, refusing to let her fully believe what she had heard. “But...I’m always too much for people. Too clingy, too weird, too affectionate. It’s always something , and I’m too much of it.”

       Amity lifted her hand to gently rest on Luz’s cheek, her thumb softly running across that lovely warm skin. “I may have moments when I freeze up, or try to get some space from things, but that’s not because you are too much. It’s because I enjoy it so much that I just don’t know how to respond. I’m not used to it, but...I can’t get enough. You make me happy, Luz, just by being you. Even just the thought of you...it’s enough to brighten my day and put a smile on my face. I only hope that someday, I can do the same for you.”

       “Amity...I’ve never been happier than I am when I’m with you. I’m probably always going to worry that I’m being too much, I don’t know if that will ever go away. But around you, I start to feel like...maybe it’s okay to just be... Luz. ”

       Amity gently leaned forward, resting her forehead against Luz’s own before she softly spoke, her words careful but confident and kind, coming out as a mere whisper that seemed desperate to convey the love it held. “Luz, you are the light that guides me through the dark. Whenever I worry about what to do, what my parents will do, what to say, I think of you and it gives me the courage to push forward. Everything about you is wonderful, and it makes my world seem brighter just by having you in it. I’d never want you to change for me.”

       Luz stood there, tears gathering at the edges of her vision, filled to the brim with happiness. The seriousness in Amity’s eyes, along with the kindness and honesty in her voice, helped to melt away her worries and fears. They were still there, but for once, they didn’t control her. As the tears began to fall, Amity’s hand moved to wipe them away, a worried look on her face. Before she could ask, Luz simply smiled at her. There were no words to express how happy she felt in this moment, so instead Luz leaned forward and left a soft kiss on Amity’s cheek, her smile only growing at the blushing face of her girlfriend as she pulled away.

       “Feeling a bit better I take it?” Amity was beaming through the blush still covering her face. Even as the world glowed with magic all around her, all Luz could see was that smile shining back at her.

       “Yeah, I think I am. Thanks, hermosa.”

       “You’re welcome, Luz. Well...shall we?”

       Luz tugged at Amity’s hand, leading her off down the path that now felt routine, yet exhilarating all the same, as the sun lit the matching smiles that brightened each girl’s day.

Chapter Text

       It was a bright, sunny day, another in a string of eventless days for Amity. She had told Luz and her friends about her parents trying to pressure her into not talking to them anymore earlier in the week, with much support and reassurance from the whole group. Nothing had been said at home, no punishment rendered, no “discussions” in the office or study since then. It honestly left Amity’s nerves on edge, constantly waiting for the tension to finally snap, or drive her crazy. She dreaded the scene that played in her mind over and over again, one where she came home to a carefully concocted plan, one that ensured that Amity would never see Luz, nor any of her friends she cared so deeply about ever again.

       Luz had been doing her best to distract Amity, as had Willow and Gus, but it seemed almost nothing could fully take her mind off of the terrifying scenarios she came up with day after day. The sun itself seemed to be taunting her every morning, its cheerful glare in stark contrast to the inner workings of her mind. Yet, throughout it all, Luz remained ever present. Any moment she could be there for Amity, she was, a blazing sun illuminating the dark corners of her mind.

       Despite the turmoil in her mind, or perhaps in spite of it, Amity carried on through her days as if everything was normal as best she could. Spending time with her friends, and Willow still seemed to glow with pride every time she saw Luz and Amity holding hands. Amity wouldn’t risk being so open about their relationship for fear of the repercussions, but her promise combined with the confidence she felt around Luz pushed her onwards. With the continued lack of consequences from home, everything felt almost perfect for a few days. Those fleeting moments in which her worries took a backseat in her mind were peaceful, blissful, pure happiness.

       As soon as Amity arrived home each day, it was a complete shift. Constantly tiptoeing around, listening for approaching footsteps on the stairs, waiting with baited breath for the moment her mother decided to have a talk with her. Expecting at any moment for her mother to say she was taking action to insure Amity never saw Luz or any of her friends ever again.

       And yet, nothing. So far so good though, right?

       She had a bad habit of jinxing herself.

       “Amity! Come down here immediately. ”

       Immediately tensing up, Amity saw all of the scenarios she had thought of flash in front of her eyes once again. Her mouth was dry and gross, her tongue felt glued to the roof of her mouth as she attempted to pry it free in preparation for what was surely coming. Stiffly walking down the stairs, each step Amity took was an effort worthy of the Titan themselves. Maybe it wasn’t what she dreaded most, perhaps it was something school related? Time seemed to stretch farther and farther, as if the Demon Realm itself was trying to help her delay the inevitable. Until, finally, it could be drawn out no more. She came to stand before the door to the study her father so often occupied. The room where her parents so often scolded her for every little slip up, however minor, now looming before her.

       That door, with its thick, sturdy wood, looming over her with the weight of what was sure to come. Maybe, just maybe, she was wrong. Maybe it was something else, something not about... please, don’t be about her. A small hand, shaky with dread, seeming not quite her own, grasped the handle and slowly opened the door. Slowly sliding in the room, fear crawled down her back, like so many spiders, as the door thudded shut like the lid of a sarcophagus behind her. Raising her eyes, Amity saw her parents standing before her, who, oddly enough, looked at odds with more than just her at the moment. Before Amity could think about the implications of that too much, her mother spoke up while her father looked off in the distance, seemingly mulling over a difficult thought.

       “Amity, I have come to a decision. Due to your continued sub-par performance in school, as well as the distractions you continue to involve yourself with, you shall be removed from Hexide immediately and homeschooled instead.” 

       Amity’s mind began to race, trying to figure out how her mother could have possibly found out she had still been spending time with her friends and…

       “Did you really think I wouldn’t notice, Amity? Did you think you could slip out of my grasp so easily? I have my ways of knowing what my children are doing.” Raising one hand up, magic began to glow faintly around Odalia’s hand, a crystal ball floating over to rest in it as it lit up. The smoke within began to clear, slowly forming an image of…

       Luz.

       Luz vanished as Odalia snapped away the image, her eyes locking with Amity’s once more as she continued. “Despite all of this, I am feeling generous. You may be removed from Hexide, but you needn’t worry about a thing, as I will be hiring the best teachers and tutors to ensure that you continue to receive nothing but the absolute highest standards of education, befitting of a Blight.”

       Amity found herself speechless. She had expected this to be about her friends once again, more specifically Luz. But removing her from school entirely? Was her mother really so determined to keep her away from all the people who truly cared about her that she would homeschool her? Like she was locking her away in the house, keeping her within sight as one would a favored trophy, or a treasured project hidden away until complete. Even for her this seemed drastic, as Hexide was well known for being the most prestigious school for witches anywhere in the Demon Realm, and suddenly removing her most accomplished child from such an institution would cause a stir. Surely there were other methods to try first, other ways of getting what her mother wanted?

       What did her mother want?

       “What? But...what’s wrong with Hexide?” Amity finally gasped out, her tongue freed from the roof of her mouth in desperation, searching for any angle that might change their decision.

       “What is wrong with Hexide, dear?”

       The voice of Amity’s father cut through the air like a dull knife, tearing through the thick atmosphere as he questioned Odalia. Her parents never disagreed on things, not in public nor private. No matter the situation, they always presented a united front in the Blight name, be it a charade or not, especially when it came to disciplining their children.

       “Hexide is simply the best school there is for a witch’s education. The Blights have all attended since its founding. I do not see why it is necessary to remove Amity from such a prestigious institution, especially not with her rather stellar marks previously. I’m sure with a little time and effort, they could be improved once more to an acceptable standard.”

       Odalia’s mask slipped for a moment, the glare she directed at Alador too sudden to hide behind that normally perfect facade. As she recovered, her eyes remained sharp and fierce, as if trying to force his compliance.

       “It’s simple , dear. Hexide has been a most prestigious institution in days past, yes. However, recent events have shown just how far they have fallen from that. How they can pretend to still consider themselves such a highly sought after school while allowing students to study and practice multiple courses of magic at once is beyond me. It’s against the Emperor’s will! Not to mention allowing a human to study in its famed halls? It’s downright despicable. Breaking tradition so lightly shows what depths they have sunken to as of late.” Odalia’s condescending tone, like poisoned honey dripping from her lips, fell in thick drops in the space between the two.

       Alador went quiet at that, his brow furrowing in thought and the muscles in his jaw twitching as he considered her words. After a few moments, his shoulders stiffened slightly as he closed his eyes and pushed his glasses back up his nose, seeming almost disinterested in the conversation.

       Odalia, seeming satisfied that her point was proven, turned back to Amity, her smile once more in place. “You shall start your new courses tomorrow, in the second study so as to not bother your Father once he returns home. I have already contacted your teachers for tomorrow, as well as Principal Bump to inform him of your removal. I expect you to put forth just as much effort, if not more, into your studies at home as you did in Hexide. I imagine that won’t be too difficult, seeing as many... distractions will be removed. Now, you may return to your room, and I expect you to awake bright and early as usual for your instructor.”

       “Yes, mother…” Amity found no complaints, no resistance that she could offer, shocked as she was by what had just transpired. Somehow, out of every situation she had come up with in her mind over the past weeks, all of her nightmares, they had all fallen short of what the eventual collapse of her world had become. Homeschooled? Private tutors? How would she even get word to Luz? To Willow? As her mother had shown, she would be under close watch at all times, the surveillance never-ending. There was no way she could think of to defy her mother, no escape from this trap she had fallen into.

       Her thoughts carried her all the way back up to her room, where she crumbled to the floor, too dazed to find her bed. So deeply lost in the pit of her mind, she barely even registered the knock at her door after...minutes? Hours? Amity didn’t know how long it had been. She couldn’t find it in herself to care . Her siblings peeked in to find Amity unresponsive even when they sat down on either side of her. The rest of the night carried on in a wordless haze, interrupted only by the twins' occasional attempts to comfort her, which fell on deaf ears before they eventually retreated from their sister’s room. Any words they had uttered were lost in the space between as Amity was dragged down below the crashing waves that plagued her mind, a voiceless symphony of pain and despair.

       Emira paced back and forth across Edric’s room, furiously mumbling under her breath as he sat on his bed, silently watching her with a worried look on his face.

       “You know wearing a hole in my floor won’t actually change anything, right?” Edric called out to his sister, his joking tone an obvious, if half hearted, attempt to elicit a response from her.

       Emira slowed her pace slightly, yet continued her march back and forth. “I know. I just can’t believe that Mother is actually imprisoning Amity! And for what?! Just because she isn’t scoring perfect on every test? Because she finally has friends?”

       “I mean, yeah it’s a bit much, but since when have our parents ever accepted anything less than perfect conformity?” Edric replied with a roll of his eyes, sarcasm dripping from his tone.

       “I know, I know. Just...I guess maybe I had hoped they would not be this hard on her? I know we get away with a lot, and it’s probably their way of trying to make sure she doesn’t ‘end up like us’ and all, but come on. She’s just a kid! ” Emira finally stopped her pacing at the last line, her face following her descent to the floor as she landed with a soft thump.

       Edric looked as if he was about to reply when both of the twins sharply looked at the door, the tell-tale sound of their mother’s footsteps coming to a stop in front of the room. Quickly, they both stood up and made themselves presentable just before the door swung open wordlessly to reveal a rather irate looking Odalia.

       “Good, you are both here. That saves me the time of repeating myself. You two are to monitor Amity from now on and make sure she does not leave the house. You will report to me immediately if she tries to visit Hexide or the Owl House in an attempt to see that disgusting human she is so regrettably attached to. And I do mean you will report to me , not to your father. He is a busy man and need not concern himself with these matters. It would be a shame if he had to spend some of his precious time making sure all of his children were behaving as Blights should, after all. Is that understood?”

       “Yes, mother.” As always, the twins replied in perfect unison, no trace of argument or hesitation in their tone or expressions. If Emira had to dig her nails into her palm a little harder than normal to maintain her mask, then her mother need not be the wiser. Silently, they continued to stand there as Odalia stiffly nodded her head before leaving the room, the heavy air continuing to suffocate Emira long after her mother had left.

       “She wants us to help her imprison our own sister?” Emira’s voice came out in a whisper, shaky and so full of emotion that it broke slightly as tears silently fell down her face.

       Edric stood there in silence for a moment, shock locking him in place. A small, but heavy moment later, he slowly looked at his sister with eyes wide with fear.

       “What do we do?”

       Luz sat heavily on the couch, a worried frown creasing her brow as she stared off into nothingness. While she may be at home, safe in the Owl House, her mind was anywhere but here. After the first couple days Amity missed school, her empty chair haunting Luz’s thoughts more and more as the week drew to a close. The twins, too, had been uncharacteristically quiet, avoiding all interaction and the pranks they were so well known for, the absence of their particular brand of mischief and cheer leaving the school unnaturally quiet. They seemed to be avoiding Luz most of all, usually turning around and walking away from her as soon as she spotted them. Only today had Edric offered a small wave and apologetic half smile before turning away, even as Luz called out to him, “Wait, please! Just talk to me!”

       Again and again, Luz’s thoughts returned to what might be. Had Amity’s mother found out about their relationship? Was she being forced to stay away from Luz? Were the Twins in on it as well? Or...had Amity given up? Was she tired of the constant hiding, the secrets, the fear of her parents?

       Was she tired of Luz?

       Spiraling. Further, further down, into the worries she had held so tightly to her chest. The walls seemed to loom over her, closing in, tightening around her. She couldn’t breathe, there wasn’t enough air.

       Suddenly, the faintest sensation. A hand, gently placed on her shoulder. Slowly, Luz became aware of a soft voice, a low hum, a lullaby foreign to her ears. The love, the calm, the kindness in that voice reaching out, a lifeline for Luz to pull herself out of the pit she had fallen into.

       Who was that humming? Was it…

       “Mamí?”

       “Nah kid, it’s just little old me.” Eda’s voice seemed to gently envelop her in warmth, softly calling her home. “You join the land of the living again yet?”

       Luz noticed she had laid on Eda’s lap at some point, or had she pulled her into her lap? Slowly beginning to sit up, Luz’s whole body felt stiff and slightly sore. “Yeah, sorry about that, I just...started thinking too much, I guess.”

       “Got the rescue all planned out then kiddo?” Eda’s soft tease caught Luz off guard, taking a second to respond.

       “Rescue? What do you mean?”

       “Well, it’s obvious that some rather nasty witches are keeping your beloved girlfriend from you, probably locked away in some ugly looking house in the middle of some woods or something.”

       “....how did you…?”

       “Luz. Come on. You worry all the time, about everything. But the only thing you could be so worked up about, especially when all the rest of your friends are fine right now, is Amity. And what else could happen to her other than those horrid parents of her’s locking her up? Just put two and two together, and you’ve got it.”

       “Oh. Well, yeah, when you put it like that...I just...I don’t know. I kept thinking about what might have happened, why she was gone, and it just kept getting worse. I’m scared , Eda. What am I supposed to do?”

       “Well, sounds like you need to go help your girl bust out of her cage then.”

       Was it really that simple? Sure, Luz had been considering a daring Luzura rescue, but her doubts kept plaguing her mind. Did Amity actually need her help? Was her help wanted?

       “What if...what if she doesn’t want my help?” The words snuck out before Luz could stop them, her fears escaping the depths of her thoughts.

       “Little owl...do you really think that girl is going to give up any excuse to spend more time with you? Especially with a rescue that could rival one of those sappy scenes from that book you two read? I know you are smarter than that, kid.” Eda gave Luz a small nudge with her elbow, earning a slight grin from Luz as her excitement sparked to life.

       “Yeah...yeah! She needs help, so I’m gonna go help her! This time, I’ll be there for her! ”

       “Woah there kiddo. You can’t just go charging off on your own this time. We’ve gotta lay some ground rules first.”

       “But! I! ...yeah okay, you’re probably right.”

       “Of course I’m right, I’m always right. First off, you are not going alone. I’ll be coming with you, no if’s, and’s, or but’s.”

       “Wait, really?”

       “Yes, really. I don’t trust those ‘parents’ of her’s one bit. So no going alone. And, we do this my way. I distract, while you sneak in and help Amity get out.”

       “Okay. Distract, sneak in, get out. It’ll be like a spy mission!”

       “Sure kid. We aren’t doing this right away, I need to do some prep work first. But we will help her, I promise you that. Just don’t go running off on your own, alright?”

       “I won’t Eda, I swear. We’ll do this together.”

       Eda reached over and ruffled Luz’s hair playfully, earning a light grumble from her. “Alright kiddo. I’ll start figuring out what we will need and preparing, and let you know when it’s time.”

       Luz leaned over and wrapped her arms around Eda tightly, and just as she was about to let go she felt Eda’s arms wrap around her in a gentle embrace. They stayed like that for a minute before Luz let go, quickly standing up in excitement.

       “I better get prepared myself! I’ll need to make sure I have plenty of glyphs ready, and something sneaky to wear.”

       One way or another, Luz was going to see Amity again.

       The next couple days seemed to drag on for much longer than they had any right to. Gathering various herbs, making seemingly endless amounts of glyphs, practicing magic and waiting.

       Lots of waiting.

       Luz was anxious, ready to go right now, because the thought of making Amity wait one more day was eating at her. Her nerves were shot, nails chewed to nothing, the bags under her eyes more prominent than ever. Pacing the living room, Luz almost didn’t notice the door quietly open that afternoon. Halting mid-step, she slowly turned around to see none other than Edric and Emira, still standing outside of the house appearing just as worn thin as Luz felt at the moment. They both looked at Luz with small, tired smiles, the silence stretching for just long enough to be uneasy, before Emira finally spoke.

       “Hey Luz. Been a minute, huh?”

       Luz stood there in shock for a moment, her mind racing as she tried to figure out why the twins had shown up, why now, why here? But then, it didn’t matter, because they were here. Luz rushed forward and tackled the two, a wordless cry of relief escaping her. The twins quickly wrapped Luz up in a tight hug, as if to make up for all the time missed. They stood there for a while in silent comfort and relief, trying to show what words could not say. Finally, they felt themselves gently ushered inside by a returning Eda, not saying a word but with a look of understanding on her face. As Eda got everyone inside, Emira reached out to pull her into the hug, Eda for once not even feigning reluctance as she joined in for a moment.

       “Alright, alright. As much as I like you kids, you’re cramping my style here. Go on, you three take a seat. I imagine you have plenty to talk about, so I’ll just be in the kitchen checking up on some things.” Eda slowly walked away with one last glance at Luz, giving her an encouraging smile before entering the kitchen.

       Luz, Edric and Emira sat there for a minute, all huddled together on the couch, Luz still reluctant to let go of the two for fear they would just disappear on her. Eventually, Emira finally spoke softly, guilt heavy in her voice.

       “Luz...I’m sorry we’ve been avoiding you. There has been so much going on, and we didn’t know if it was safe to be seen with you.”

       “What...what do you mean, safe? Did something happen? Is Amity okay? Are you two okay?”

       Luz felt her fears rise to the surface once more at those words, possibilities flashing through her mind one after another too quickly to keep track. Before she could get lost in the turmoil, she felt Edric’s gentle touch on her shoulder, calling her attention back to the present.

       “Yes, Luz, we are okay. And Amity is...okay...at least as much as she can be.”

       Suppressing the rising panic in her chest as best she could, Luz asked, “As much as she can be? So...something did happen?”

       Emira grimced in response, looking like she had just tasted something horrible. “Yes. Our mother...she pulled Amity out of Hexide. She is forcing her to be homeschooled now, saying it’s so that she ‘won’t be distracted by needless things’ anymore. She hired tutors and everything. She even…” Emira closed her eyes and looked away, seemingly unable to say the rest.

       “She asked us to keep an eye on Amity,” Edric said, jumping in when his sister faltered. “To make sure she didn’t try and sneak out of the house to go see you at school, or here. She’s locked Amity in the house, and wants us to help her do it. And she has been keeping a closer eye on us as well, so we avoided you at school and only came here when we thought we could slip away unnoticed. If she catches us, well...considering she locked up Amity already, I doubt we would get off lightly at this point.”

       Emira turned back to Luz, determination clear on her face. “We are trying our best to help her, to protect her. Maybe, if we keep our mother in a good mood, she won’t be quite so hard on Amity, but we have to be there for that to work. We owe her that much, at least. Gotta be good older siblings at some point, right?” Emira offered up a weak smile at that, not quite reaching her eyes.

       “You two are good siblings! Sure, you weren’t the best before, but you’ve been trying to do right by Amity a lot lately. And...I think you can help Eda and I too.” Luz said as a thought occurred to her.

       “Help with what, Luz?” Emira’s curiosity was tempered by the guilt still casting a shadow on her face.

       “Eda and I have a plan! We thought something had happened and Amity was being locked up, so we decided to go and help her bust her out of there!” Luz leapt to her feet at the end, hands spread wide in the air in excitement.

       “Bust her out? How are you going to do that?”

       “Well, it’s pretty simple actually. Eda is coming with, and I guess she is going to distract your parents while I sneak over to Amity’s room and help her get out of there! It’s like a secret spy mission.” Luz said with a mischievous smile, grinning from ear to ear.

       “That’s...very simple, actually. But I like it.” Emira’s smile grew, her eyes lighting up with hope before dimming slightly. “Slight catch, though. What are you going to do about the barriers on Amity’s door and window?”

       “Actually...” Edric chimed in, his voice full of mischief. “I may or may not have seen how mom shuts the barriers off one day. It’s a little device that she tends to leave with her crystal ball, so I’m pretty sure I could snatch that away, so long as she isn’t paying attention.”

       Luz started bouncing up and down with excitement, the plan finally coming together perfectly. With the twins on board to help, they were sure to succeed. Just a little longer, and Amity would be free.

       “Well, since you two are so eager…” Eda called from the kitchen, appearing around the corner with that same grin, “I’m sure Emira and I could cause a big enough distraction for Edric to take down those barriers while Luz gets Amity. Whaddya say, kiddo?”

       “Operation: Help Amity bust her way out is a go!” Luz cried out, jumping in the air with fist raised.

       Just a little longer, then everything would be okay again. The plan would succeed, because with all four of them working together, there was no way they could fail.

       Right?

Chapter Text

       The weather was nice, a calm breeze weaving through the trees with only a few clouds overhead. Bright and sunny, it felt like the Boiling Isles were complimenting Luz’s uplifted mood. It had been a couple days since Edric and Emira had shown up at the Owl House, finally giving Luz the explanation she had been searching for all week. Now, with Eda and the Twins’ help, they had their plan, and intended to enact it soon. In the meantime, Luz spent as much time as she could trying to help Eda gather herbs and brew potions, anything she could do to distract herself from the upcoming plan.

       While checking on her glyphs for what felt like the thousandth time, Luz heard the door open downstairs, Eda’s voice easy to pick out amongst the common noises of the house. Luz could also hear a couple other voices, familiar, yet too low to pick out from her room, until she heard one voice she would recognize anywhere. Leaping up from the floor, she ran downstairs, skipping more steps than was safe in her hurry to see the source of that voice. Reaching the bottom, she finally had the courage to look up to see Eda standing next to the door, next to the Twins and…

       Amity.

       Luz stood there for a moment, taking in Amity’s appearance. Her lovely brown hair, free of Blight green, slightly disheveled. Clothes, wrinkled as if they had been quickly thrown on. Nails, jagged and chipped paint. The bags under her eyes, looking like sleep was a far off memory. Finally, her eyes. Warm, golden pools Luz couldn’t help getting lost in. Sound seemed to fade away, as did everything else Luz saw, until there was only Amity. Safe, happy, here. Luz kept staring at those eyes, until they finally turned to look back at her, widening slightly in surprise, as they both stood there just staring at one another. Finally, Luz couldn’t stand it any longer. Her feet slowly responding to her commands, she slowly shuffled towards Amity, then started picking up speed, in the end almost running across the short distance between them.

       Wrapping her arms around Amity felt right, like this was exactly what Luz had been missing, and Amity was more than ready for the same apparently, as her arms were also wrapped tightly around Luz. Teetering back and forth for a couple seconds, almost losing balance, they finally righted themselves and stood there, wrapped in the warmth of one another. At some point, Eda and the Twins had decided to give them some space, as when the two finally separated just enough to notice their surroundings, they were alone. Soft conversation carried from the kitchen, but Luz and Amity had this moment to themselves. Luz looked back to meet Amity’s eyes, and her voice came out soft as a whisper.

       “I missed you, hermosa.”

       “I missed you too, Luz.”

       They stood there, foreheads gently resting against one another, content in one another’s presence. Regardless of the time spent, every moment together felt just right, and Luz wouldn’t trade it for anything. The two of them were so lost in each other, they once again completely forgot about anything else going on around them, and failed to notice when Eda and the Twins reentered the living room, standing off to the side making comments amongst themselves. Eventually, Eda finally decided to interject, a light cough announcing her presence to the two oblivious girls followed by a rumbling chuckle as they jumped at the sound, both flushing a bright red as they separated all but intertwined hands.

       “As sickeningly cute as this display is, we do have something important to discuss, Luz. Remember? From what the Twins just told me, they managed to keep Odalia from spying on them for a bit, but they don’t have too long before they have to return.” Eda eyed her young owlet seriously, though a slight hint of mirth escaped her at the situation.

       “But...they are here right now! Why can’t they just stay here instead of having to go back?” Luz found herself quickly glancing over at Amity, seeing her girlfriend looking sad but resigned as she gently squeezed Luz’s hand in response.

       “Because, Luz, Odalia is still spying on Amity and the Twins, and they only stopped that temporarily. Until we go through with the plan fully, we need to keep their mother from getting too suspicious. It’s just for now, I think we will be ready tomorrow night at this rate. I even know a little potion on hand that could disable that crystal ball of her’s for good. I promise , we will get them back.” Eda reached over to rest her hand on Luz’s shoulder, understanding in her eyes.

       Luz looked back at Eda, a determined glint sparking in her eyes before looking back at Amity. “Hey.” Luz reached out to wrap Amity’s hands with both her own with two quick squeezes. “Hear that? We will get you back.” Amity smiled at Luz, gently squeezing her hands twice in response. Luz softly and slowly led Amity over to the couch, their hands never leaving one anothers’. The Twins then sat down on the other side of Amity, with Eda taking a chair she moved over to sit facing the rest of the group.

       “Alright kiddos, so here’s the deal. While I may not know everything that goes on in that house of yours, I know enough. And I think it’s well past time that we do something about it, especially with Amity’s recent imprisonment.”

       Luz turned to see Amity’s eyes widen in a small glimmer of hope. Letting a bit of her excitement leak into her voice, Luz launched into the simple, yet hopefully effective plan they had come up with, “So Eda and Emira are going to try and distract your parents.”

       Eda chimed in, “Meanwhile, Edric and Luz are going to sneak up to your window and help you bust out of there. You got the thing to get rid of the barrier, right kid?”

       Edric patted his pocket as he responded, “Yup, got it right here.” 

       “Good. As for Luz and Amity, while you two play kissy-face, Edric is going to go and disable Odalia’s crystal ball. Try to remember to actually get your stuff at some point? Then, we all get out of there before the heat shows up.” Eda leaned forward in her chair, giving Amity a wink. “Got all that, kid?”

       Amity looked back and forth between Luz, Eda and her siblings, a blush still lingering on her face, shock clearly apparent on her face as she searched for words. As she settled back on Luz after a minute, her voice came out slightly hoarse and hesitant, as if not sure she could believe what was going on.

       “So...you are going to risk probably bringing the wrath of my parents, possibly even the Emperor himself, down on you and Eda...just to rescue me? ”

       “Not just you, kiddo.” Eda cut in, “your siblings, too. We plan on getting all three of you out of that house, for good.”

       “...why? Why would you risk so much for us? ” Edric’s voice came out small and uncertain, the whole group turning to look at him. Eda looked at him so kindly that you almost wouldn’t notice the pain hiding underneath.

       “Well, cause if I didn’t, I doubt I’d ever hear the end of it from the brat over there, and she’d likely never stop moping around the house. That, and...well, it’s not right what you three have to deal with. As much as I try to pretend otherwise, I’m not actually heartless. There are plenty of spare rooms here just gathering dust, and you three need somewhere else to go. Seems pretty simple to me.” Eda’s tone was gentle, and yet brokered no argument.

       “Wait, here? At the Owl House? Are you really okay with that?” Amity chimed back in.

       “Like I said kid, plenty of free rooms here that are going to waste at the moment. Unless you have a better idea?”

       “Well...maybe...but...no. We can’t really live with any of our relatives, we also can’t afford to get somewhere of our own, and living on the street would just leave us too vulnerable. So I guess this...is really our only option. Thank you, this...this means a lot.”

       Luz sent two soft squeezes through Amity’s hand, a gentle smile on her face as she responded. ”Of course hermosa. Wait for me?” Amity couldn’t help but smile in response as she leaned in to rest her forehead against Luz’s as a soft purr escaped her.

       “Aaaannnnd on that note, I have a few more herbs I need to collect, just to be safe. You kids hang out here, I’ll be back in a few.” Eda said as she got up, gathering a bag to sling over her shoulder before heading out the door with a wave.

       The Twins began to animatedly talk to Luz about various pranks they had missed out on doing lately while laying low, but the whole time Luz couldn’t help but be more focused on Amity. The look on her face showed happiness, laughing along with Luz at the Twins planned shenanigans, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. There was hope there, but also fear. Worry. From what Luz knew of Amity’s relationship with her parents, she had spent most of her life believing that she couldn’t disobey them, couldn’t escape them. It was the only life she had known for so long, and she still didn’t think it was possible to live otherwise.

       As they continued to talk back and forth about various things, Luz had an idea. The more she thought about it, the better it sounded. Maybe, it might just be enough to get Amity out of her own head for a minute.

       “Say, do you guys want to go out for a minute? We could go on a walk for a bit, just nearby in the woods. It’s a really nice day out, after all. And I could show you some new glyph combinations I found! If you have the time, that is.”

       “As long as we stick close to the Owl House, sure...I don’t think it’d be a good idea to go too far right now.” Amity said slowly, obviously still deep in thought, with the Twins nodding along behind her.

       The Twins and Luz resumed their conversation, Luz trying to let Amity remain quiet as it didn’t seem like she was ready to talk, though felt relief wash over her when Amity reached out to take her hand as they began to walk. They were careful to stay close to the Owl House, but the more they walked around the more Amity seemed to relax. The Twins seemed to notice as well, judging by the sly look they shared before Emira turned to Amity.

       “So, looking forward to living in the same house as your girlfriend Amity?”

       “Oh I’ll bet she is, Em. Probably has dreamed about this moment for a long time, knowing her she probably even wrote it down.” Edric chimed in, sharing the same grin his sister was sporting. The light teasing tone was so different from what Luz had first heard from Amity’s older siblings, now full of kindness, sounding much more like family should in Luz’s opinion. The blush that creeped up to her girlfriend’s ears was just as adorable, if not more so now that it wasn’t accompanied by the old annoyance at the jabs, and almost enough of a distraction to avoid thinking about the blush that crept up her own face at the thought.

       That’s right, once we pull this off, I’ll be living with Amity...I’ll see her all the time!

       “That is not the point and you know it you two...Besides, you will be living there as well, so won’t you be missing Viney, Em? And what about Jerbo, Ed?” Amity shot back with surprising calm that was in contrast to the lingering blush still bright on her cheeks. Her retort seemed to hit home as the two older witches flushed crimson to match their sister, only managing mumbled responses that were too quiet to hear. After a couple moments, the group exchanged glances, then burst out into laughter at the mutual embarrassment and teasing. The conversation settled into an easier rhythm after that, with Amity joining in comfortably as they continued to walk around.

       So distracted they were on the walk, nobody had noticed how much time had passed, the Twins eventually looking around to realize the sun was setting, Emira turning to Luz in a panic.

       “Luz! We’ve got to get Amity home, we’ve already been here too long as it is. Could you ask Eda for help, maybe to fly Amity back ahead of us? If we are late, we can just explain it away as us goofing off or something, but Amity needs to be there now. ”

       “Yeah, I’ll go and ask Eda real quick! Be right back!” Luz ran back as fast as she could to the Owl House, bursting through the door to Eda mumbling over a boiling cauldron as she tossed ingredients into it.

       “Hey, kiddo. Everyone go home already?”

       “Not yet, but they need to now. Can you take them back to the manor? We stayed out too long and they have to get Amity back as soon as possible.”

       “What? Kid, I need to stay here, I’m in the middle of brewing the potion we need to disable the crystal ball. But, actually, you can take Owlbert and fly them home. He’ll be a bit slower than normal with all of you on there, but it’s faster than walking at least.”

       Luz ran over to hug Eda tightly, whispering out a “Thanks, Eda,” Before she could pull away, Luz felt Eda tightening the hug.

       “Be careful, be safe, and don’t do anything I would do. Got it?”

       “Got it. I’ll be careful, I promise.”

       “I’m proud of you, Luz.”

       Luz felt tears gather at the corner of her eye at the words, ones which she had heard before from the older witch, but this time felt different. Eda’s voice was soft and quiet, and held a level of vulnerability Luz had rarely, if ever, heard from her mentor. Kindness, pride, love. The kind of tone she had only ever heard from... Mamí. This time, the words came easily, and didn’t feel wrong or open up a pit of guilt in her stomach.

       “Thanks, mom.”

       Luz felt the small twitch from the witch in response to that, and worried she had gone too far before she felt the arms around her tighten ever so slightly. They stood there for a moment in silence, before Eda eventually pushed her gently away.

       “Alright kid, I’m gonna get that potion done, I’ll see you when you get back. Go, don’t want to keep your girlfriend waiting too long.“ She ended with a sly wink before turning around back to her potion. Running over to where Owlbert rested against the wall atop Eda’s staff, Luz gently grabbed the smooth wood that always felt slightly warm to the touch and tapped the end to the ground. Owlbert began to gently stir, before spreading his wings and hopping over to Luz’s shoulder with a small hoot.

       “Hey Owlbert. We’ve got to get Amity and the Twins home as soon as possible. Mind giving me a hand?”

       Owlbert hooted happily, holding one wing up in a little salute. Luz chuckled a bit at his determination, giving him some scratches on his head before he hopped back on top of the staff, twisting around and melding back into the wood. Checking to make sure she had her glyph deck on her still, just in case, Luz ran out of the Owl House, hearing some of Eda’s favorite music playing from the other room accompanied by the sounds of bubbling cauldrons and a humming Eda as she closed the door behind her with a smile. Turning back the direction she had left Amity and the Twins, Luz began running to them, set on getting her girlfriend back. A beautiful day, time spent with the girl she liked, all with the knowledge that soon Amity, Emira and Edric would finally be free of their parents. Everything seemed to be lining up perfectly, and it all felt like a wonderful dream to Luz.

       Unfortunately, dreams cannot last forever.

       A wordless scream cut through the night air, chilling Luz to her core. She bolted forward before she had time to think, pouring every bit of speed she could into her sprint towards the source of that sound, that scream that sounded just like…

       Amity.

       Seeing the clearing she had left not long ago through the trees, Luz saw a scene straight out of her worst nightmares. A group of the Emperor's Coven guards were spread out in a circle around the side of the clearing. Edric was on the ground, clutching his arm as blood stained his fingers with a pained look on his face. Emira was covered in cuts and bruises, blood running down the side of her face even as it was screwed up in concentration from the multiple spells she was casting at once. Behind her, looking relatively unharmed but exhausted from controlling the multiple abominations she had raised, was Amity.

       Luz’s momentary relief was short-lived however, as one of the guards launched a spell that caught Emira in the side, sending her sprawling into the dirt where she lay, barely moving. Two guards moved forward and bound the Twins, slinging them over their shoulders as they summoned staves and took off. A few guards broke off from the group, cutting Luz off from the clearing. Seeing the look of panic on Amity’s face as she realized her siblings had been taken, Luz jumped into action, swinging Owlbert at the back of the head of the nearest guard and looking around as he crumpled to the ground. Reaching into her pocket for glyphs, Luz began to cast spells faster than she ever had before, slinging shards of earth one way while ice froze several guards in place, fireballs shooting off at others as fast as she could grab new glyphs. But no matter what she did, the guards seemed to always be able to avoid the worst of the spells, melting away ice to free themselves before it spread, blocking or deflecting anything else she threw at them. All the while, several of them kept getting closer and closer to Amity, increasing the strength of their assault on her, blasting away abominations as fast as she could raise them.

       Then, it happened.

       Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Luz watched one spell slip past the abomination Amity was trying to defend herself with, her eyes widening in surprise and fear as she finally saw Luz. Their eyes remained locked on one another for those moments frozen in time, Luz desperately trying to reach out to Amity, to find some way to cross that impossible distance in time. Suddenly, vines popped out of the ground to wrap around Luz’s wrists and legs, pulling her down as the spell caught Amity in the center of her chest, knocking her backwards onto the grass where she laid, unmoving.

       Luz couldn’t tear her eyes away from Amity, “N-no…” A hand reached forward, only to be snagged by the vines stopping her. “No!” Unable to move her hands, Luz instead dug her fingers into the dirt, clawing at it in desperation to get closer. The trees swayed and shuddered in a sudden wind, yet Luz heard no sound. All noise, all color, had drained away from the world, her vision focusing on that small form lying on the ground. Watching helplessly as a guard walked up to Amity and bound her as her siblings had been, tossing her over their shoulder with staff in hand as they turned to the other guards. Whatever was said fell on Luz’s deaf ears, slowly realizing that the rest of the guards had mounted their staves and began to take off. Luz pulled at the vines again, trying once more to reach out to Amity as the guards flew out of sight before the situation and Luz’s exhaustion finally caught up to her, and she slowly collapsed to the cold, hard ground.

       “Amity…” Luz’s voice came out broken and defeated, feeling lost and helpless.

       They were gone. Taken away. And Luz had been powerless to stop them. No matter how hard she had tried, she couldn’t do a thing in the end.

       Weak.

       That’s all she was. A weak little human, not even supposed to be here.

       Powerless.

       She couldn’t even cast magic properly. She had no power of her own, just scribbles on scraps of paper.

       So lost in her downward spiral, Luz didn’t immediately notice the sound behind her. Then, it happened again, a pained groan. Picking her head up quickly, Luz turned around and saw the guard she had hit in the head still laying there. Anger began to bubble up from somewhere deep inside of her, boiling and burning just under her skin. Ripping one hand free of the vines, Luz grabbed a glyph from her cloak, freeing the rest of her body. Retrieving Eda’s staff, she tapped it on the ground to release Owlbert. As Luz approached the guard, she noticed the device to remove the barriers Edric had stolen. Hope filled her at the sight, there was still a chance to save Amity!

       Luz bolted over to the guard, flipping them over with the end of the staff before conjuring up vines that pulled them over to a tree and bound them to it. Summoning a flame in one hand, staff in the other and Owlbert now awake at her shoulder, Luz nudged the guard with her foot. Thanks to the jarring return to consciousness, the masked face slowly turned up to see Luz standing there, her tear-stained face contorted in rage.

       “Where did you take them?” Luz’s voice came out steady, her anger focusing her mind for the moment even as her hands shook from fear and panic.

       “I-I won’t tell you!” The guard’s voice betrayed the fear they obviously felt, struggling against the vines that trapped them to the tree.

       Owlbert swooped down from Luz’s shoulder, flapping close to the guard’s face and hooting angrily as Luz leaned in closer, bringing the flame close enough to the mask that she could see the light reflect off the eyes beneath.

       “Where. Did. You. Take. Them.” Luz’s voice had begun to shake slightly, each word coming out clipped and short, like she was biting off the ends of each one.

       “We...we were ordered to take them back to the Blight Manor! Their mother apparently asked the Emperor, and we were sent out immediately! No harm was supposed to come to them, but we weren’t expecting them to put up such a fight. I swear, that’s all I know!” The guard’s voice was full of panic now, almost pleading with her. Without another word, Luz turned around and walked to the other side of the clearing where Amity had laid just a few minutes ago.

       “Owlbert, I have to save them. I have to go after them. I know I’m just a human, and there isn’t much I can do, but I have to try . It’s a lot to ask, but...would you help me?” Turning to the palisman hopefully, Luz was met with an immediate affirmative hoot, and without another word Owlbert flew to the top of the staff, melding with it once more before spreading his wings for flight. Luz gave the palisman a small smile as she hopped on the staff, grateful as ever for all of her friends.

       “Alright then. Let’s go save the day!”

       Amity groaned as she slightly shifted, feeling stiff and sore as she sat up. Last she remembered, she had been in a clearing with her siblings, fighting off members of the Emperor’s Coven, watching her siblings taken away and…

       Luz.

       Luz had been there, Eda’s staff in hand. She had been trying to fight her way to Amity, but there were too many guards, too much magic flying through the air, and then she had felt pain in her chest. After that, there was only darkness. Looking around Amity realized she was in her room, and panic bloomed in her chest. Of course her mother had known. She always knew. Who else could it be but her mother? She always kept track of them with her oracle magic, a fact that Amity thought they had gotten around for at least a short time. Did her father know? Normally, she would assume that both of her parents had planned this, but with the recent tension between her mother and father, she wasn’t so sure anymore. Maybe, just maybe…

       Before she could continue that thought any longer, Amity heard the sounds of her parents arguing downstairs. Arguing? Maybe she was right, maybe it was just her mother’s actions. Scooting closer to her bedroom door, she strained to hear any of what they said, but it was still too far away for her to understand. Frustrated that she could not make out any of the conversation, Amity began to pace back and forth, going over her options in her head. So far, none of them seemed good. Before she got too deep in her thoughts, there was a tap at her window. Hope bloomed in Amity’s heart at the sound, because there was only one thing she could think of that would be. Lifting her head up to look outside, Amity felt the breath rush out of her in one big motion.

       Hanging in the air outside her window, just beyond the barrier that held her captive, was Luz confidently astride Owlbert. Beautiful, lovely, amazing Luz. Amity blinked, and noticed the rest of the details she had missed in her lovestruck state. Tear stains, a face scrunched up in anger, eye alight with flame, Luz was furious. But the moment she saw Amity, relatively safe, her face broke out in that smile that stole Amity’s breath away every time. Sliding up close to the window, Luz gave her a slight wave before pulling a small device out of her cloak, the barrier vanishing, Amity watching as her prison crumbled before her eyes. Luz reached out, beckoning for her to come near, once more her fearless champion coming to the rescue. As if in a trance, Amity walked over and undid the latch on her window, swinging it open slowly. Wordlessly, Luz flew into the room and hopped off the staff, setting it to the side before wrapping Amity up in a hug that radiated warmth.

       “You’re okay .” Luz’s voice was low and cracked, full of relief.

       “I’m okay. Are you ?”

       “I’m fine. I just...I was so worried. I couldn’t stop them. I couldn’t do anything .”

       “There were too many of them, none of us could do much Luz. But you are here now. I...I don’t want you to leave, but my parents are here, and they could come up at any time-”

       “No dejaré que te lastimen más. We are getting you out of here, Amity. Where are Emira and Edric? We need to get them out too.”

       “Probably in their rooms, but Luz-”

       “Then now is the perfect time. We’ll sneak over to the study, grab the crystal ball and smash it, then we can leave.”

       Amity hesitated, her desire for Luz to be safe warring with her desire to give in to the warmth that drew her in. Two small squeezes on her hand and a slight tug pulled her down, directly into that warm glow.

       “Okay.”

       The two quietly swept over to the study door, quickly slipping inside. Luz started to look around the room, searching shelves by the window where Edric said the crystal ball would be. After a few moments, she exclaimed in triumph as she held it in her hand, turning to face Amity with a wide grin on her face.

       “You kidnapped our children? ” Alador Blight’s voice carried up from the bottom of the stairs, suddenly much closer than before, the anger in his voice clear making Amity freeze up in fear. Locking eyes with Luz, she spoke quickly.

       “Luz, you have to leave, now. Before they get up here. Mother didn’t want us hurt, but she won’t care about you. Please, go, before she finds you!”

       “I won’t leave you here.” Luz’s voice offered no argument, and her eyes locked with Amity’s, as if trying to burn the words into her mind, and raised the crystal ball above her head.

       “What would you know about raising these children? I have raised them, I decide their schooling, their appearance, their behavior. I have tried to mold them into the perfect children! You have done nothing. ”

       At Odalia’s voice, Luz quickly threw the crystal ball down into the flagstone floor, smashing it into millions of tiny pieces. Heavy footsteps thudded up the stairs, a second pair close behind.

       “Come with me. Please, hermosa.” Luz offered her hand out to Amity as the other picked up the staff, the light from the moon falling around her. It was like standing on the edge of a cliff, seeing the world she had yet to explore stretching out before her, if only she could muster up the courage to jump.

       And so, she did.

       Amity’s resolve hardened as she took the step forward to grab Luz’s hand, and stepped into the light. The smile that lit up Luz’s face was all the reward Amity could have ever asked for. Before she could go any farther, the study door crashed open to reveal Odalia and Alador, her mother’s voice ringing out clear in the room.

       “See? Even now, she refuses to obey even the simplest of instructions! Useless! ”

       Luz and Amity rushed to mount the staff, Odalia’s temper still pouring out.

       “I have no need for useless failures. ”

       Luz and Amity finally mounted the staff, rushing off into the night as Odalia continued to rage.

       “ I have decided how they live, and I will decide when they don’t! ”

       Luz suddenly twisted them around in midair, spinning the staff so suddenly she was almost entirely between Amity and the Manor. Amity looked at her in confusion, the scene before her playing out in slow motion as the pieces fell into place.

       A grim creature, claws sharp and deadly.

       Luz, her eyes determined and fierce.

       Her mother’s face, filled with rage.

       Her father’s face, filled with shock and fear.

       Amity watched as the claws meant for her sank into Luz instead. Fear froze her in place, unable to look away as Luz was knocked off the staff.

       Falling…

       Falling…

       Falling …

       “LUZ!”

Chapter Text

       Time never seems to move fast enough when you need it to most.

       Moonlight was Amity’s guide, the ground rushing up to meet her as she directed the staff straight down to where Luz had fallen. Amity barely even registered getting off the staff, laying it on the ground next to her as she looked at Luz laying there, eyes closed, unmoving and ripped clothes. Carefully, she checked to see if Luz was still breathing, and let out a shaky sigh of relief when she felt the air against her hand. It was ragged and wet sounding, but it was still there for now. Looking up at the Manor to see the outline of her mother still in the study window, Amity had no time to think. She quickly picked Luz up as best she could, grabbing the staff on her way up, and held her tightly and they once more took off. Amity’s mind was racing, but one thought stood out amongst the rest.

       I have to get to Eda.

       Alador’s voice rang out behind her, anger making his tone shaky, “You almost hit our daughter! ”

       “Oh, Amity is fine. It was only that disgusting human that was injured.” Odalia snapped back at him. “Are you going to argue with me, or help me retrieve her?”

       Amity felt bile crawling up her throat, the thought of her mother chasing her down terrifying. If she could just get to Eda first, they would be fine. Skimming along the treetops as fast as she could, Amity flew back to the Owl House, doing her best to focus on flying and not on the limp form she held on to. Not on the deep, ugly gashes, or on the way that leg was twisted in an angle it most certainly should not be. No, she had to keep flying, to get away from that house, to get to Eda. Eda could help. Eda would know what to do. The Owl House shouldn’t be too much farther now.

       As if on cue, however, their speed began to slow, and they started losing height, now the tops of the trees dragging Amity’s feet as they flew by. Glancing down in concern, she saw Owlbert’s wings droop slightly, beginning to flap frantically as if keeping them aloft was a greater and greater effort. Directing them upwards a bit to avoid the trees, Amity tried to encourage the palisman as best she could.

       “Just a little farther, Owlbert! Luz needs help, we have to get to Eda!”

       Owlbert responded with a weary hoot, and they dropped back down to skim the trees. Realizing that he would not make it all the way back, Amity directed them to a small clearing, setting down as gently as she could and laying Luz on the ground as Owlbert melded back into the wood without a sound. Giving the palisman a little pat, Amity whispered, “It’s okay, Owlbert. Thank you. You did your best, so now I’ll do mine.”

       Summoning up what strength she had, Amity called forth the largest Abomination she could, but after the fight with the guards she only had the magic left for a small one that came up to her knee. Seeing the size of her creation, she instead ordered it to carry the staff before turning back, Amity gently lifted Luz up on her back, staggering under the weight a bit before getting her balance, Luz had saved her, once again.

       Now it was her turn to save Luz.

       Ignoring the wet feeling spreading across her back, Amity began slowly walking back to the Owl House, trying to be as gentle as she could with Luz, but there was only so much she could do. Luz groaned and mumbled, her face pale and devoid of most of its usual color as she hung limp on Amity’s back. Step by step, she trudged onwards, but every step was harder than the last. Sweat glistened on her face, her arms shook, and her legs threatened to give out, but Amity would not give up.

       “Mmmmnnnnn...Amity?” Luz’s voice was weak in her ear, full of pain that broke Amity’s heart.

       “I’m here Luz. I’m here. We are almost back to the Owl House, just a little farther, okay? Just stay awake. Talk to me. How are you feeling?”

       “Like I fell off a staff after getting clawed by some scary monster.” Weak as her voice may be, the snark in Luz’s tone was still there, and Amity couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle in response.

       “Well, I suppose that’s fair. Have you...have you guys figured out which room is mine yet?” Amity wasn’t sure what to say, but figured if she could keep Luz talking, she would stay awake. That, and hearing Luz’s voice gave Amity the strength to keep moving forward, as always.

       The underbrush protesting every step, Amity trying to ignore how labored Luz’s breathing was.

       “No, we-we hadn’t gotten that far yet.”

       “Well, maybe I’ll just stay with you until we figure it out then.”

       Twigs snapped underfoot, a small, pained gasp from Luz.

       “...I’d like that.”

       Luz’s voice was getting quieter, and Amity began to worry she wouldn’t stay awake long enough to get back to the Owl House. The injuries looked bad, and it was obvious Luz wouldn’t last too long. But if she could just get help, everything would be okay.

       Luz will live.

       She had to believe that. She wouldn’t give up on Luz, not after all this.

       “Luz, can I tell you something?”

       “Hmm?” The response was barely audible, but Amity plowed ahead regardless. It may not be the best time, but it was all she could think of to say, as it weighed heavily on her heart lately.

       “You have changed my life just-so, so much in such a short time, turning everything upside down. I mean, where there was rules, order, and discipline before, now it-it’s just chaos. Always one thing or another, yet I wouldn’t trade a single moment of it away. I can’t-I can’t even imagine life without you in it now. I don’t want to, because following-because following you was the best choice I ever made. You have wormed your way into everything around me.The pages of my diary are filled with your name, and I wait impatiently for the next time it finds its way onto the paper, knowing it will be another moment guiding me forward. I want you to always be there, walking by my side towards the next adventure, never doubting that you’re there every step of the way. Because if it’s not you, then I don’t want it. Because forever's not enough time to show you how much I care about you. I want to take your hand, and know I never have to let go again.”

       “Luz... I love you.”

       Amity waited with baited breath, her courage suddenly abandoning her after finally revealing what she had known for a while now. Waiting for Luz’s response, for once not worried that the answer would break her. Luz cared for her, liked her, wanted to be with her, and Amity was certain of that now. Luz had a way of making her believe it. And even if she wasn’t ready to say it back, Amity didn’t mind. She could wait, as long as it took, to hear those same words come from Luz.

       But instead of a response, Amity heard only silence, the faintest whispers of breath barely reaching her ears. Glancing over, she saw Luz’s eyes had fallen closed, her face screwed up in a pained grimace.

       No. Nononononono.

       “Luz? Luz, please, please wake up!” Seeing that she didn’t even stir, Amity redirected her attention to the slow, painful walk back to the Owl House. “Luz, if you can hear me, please stay awake! Please, don’t leave me. ” Thinking back to a night in the library spent with Luz, pouring over various books on different types of magic, wishing she could do something, anything, to help Luz right now. “If only I actually had read that book…” She was scared for Luz, for the girl she loved, the fear flowing through her body, electrifying her limbs to move faster, faster, she had to get back now.

       The Owl House had to be close, just past the next hill. Just over the next rise. Hill after hill, just a little farther, Amity was close, she had to be. The forest seemed endless. After what felt like an eternity, her destination finally came into sight. The bright glow shining through the windows gave Amity the hope and strength she needed to walk that last bit of distance to the front door, trying to find the strength to call out for help.

       Amity found it hard to breathe through the lightning in her veins, her limbs, bricks trying to drag her down. So heavy, so tired, she just wanted to collapse. But she couldn’t, because Luz needed her. They needed Eda.

       The door swung open, revealing none other than the Owl Lady herself.

       “Help?”

       Amity managed one last word before she felt her legs give out. But, instead of hard ground, she found herself enveloped in a soft warmth. Eda had reached out and caught her and Luz both, cradling them gently against her. Amity’s eyes fluttered as she looked up, “I’m...I’m fine. Just-just help Luz.”

       “Can you stand, kid? I need to take her inside.”

       Amity nodded, because of course she could stand. She had to, because they had to help Luz. Slowly extracting herself from Eda, she stood to see that Eda had gathered Luz up in her arms before turning into the house and bringing her upstairs to her room. As difficult as it was, Amity found herself on her feet, now that the weight of the Titan wasn’t resting on her shoulders. Reaching Luz’s room, she saw that Eda had laid Luz on her bed, before watching her draw a quick circle over Luz’s side, the ugly gashes slowly closing, leaving only slight scratches where they had been as Amity watched in awe. A second circle over her leg, causing it to straighten and return to normal. A few more quick circles over the few larger scrapes and bruises, and Luz was looking almost herself. The color had begun to return to her face, pain no longer laced her features as before. Amity let out a sigh of relief at the change, now certain that Luz was in no immediate danger, and felt her legs give out once more as she fell to the floor.

       Eda gently lifted Amity up, cradling her against her chest as she carried her over to a chair, and Amity felt the events of the night finally catch up to her as the dam broke. Tears streamed down her face as she started to sob, wordlessly curling into Eda as she felt the older witch hold her tightly.

       “It’s okay. It’s alright. You’re here now. You’re safe. I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” Eda’s voice was so soft and full of...something. It felt so familiar, and yet so foreign at the same time. Like she cared for her as well as Luz. Like…

       Like a mother.

       Something broke in Amity at that realization, some final tie connecting her to her mother, and it was like the world had suddenly shifted. Her arms wrapped around Eda as tightly as she dared, wishing she could stay in this comfort forever, hopefully soaking up all she had been missing out on all these years.

       “You did good, kid. You got back here, and Luz is going to be fine. Probably have someone a bit more qualified at healing magic take another look at her, but the worst of it I managed to heal up decently.” Eda’s tone was soft and reassuring, easing the last of the worry out of Amity’s mind.

       Slowly and softly, Eda let go almost reluctantly before kneeling in front of her. Her face shifted slightly, and her tone was darker as she resumed speaking.

       “Who did this?”

       Amity saw the image of her mother, angrily commanding her shade after them, which she now realized was meant for her, instead slashing into Luz who had turned to protect her.

       “Luz...Luz came to rescue me. My mother sent the guard after the twins and I, captured us and took us back to the manor. Luz-she tried to save us, but there were too many guards. Then she showed up at my window, and tried to fly off with me. But...my mother...she sent her shade after us. It-it was meant for me. But Luz turned around and-and protected me from it, somehow she knew it was coming, and then it hit her, and she fell off the staff. She...she just kept falling, for so long, I was so scared, I didn’t know if she would-”

       “Hey! It’s okay, Amity. Luz is here, you are here, and you’re both safe. It’s okay now.”

       Amity hadn’t even noticed that she had begun to hyperventilate, but the soothing touch on her back helped slow her racing thoughts, her breathing easing back to normal. Once she had calmed down, Eda stood up and held out her hand, her staff flying upstairs and into her hand before she tapped it on the ground to bring Owlbert awake. He hooted softly, tiredness apparent in his tone, but still happily landed on Eda’s shoulder. She affectionately ruffled his feathers as she softly spoke to him.

       “You did great, Owlbert. Amazing, even, helping these two get back to me. But I have to ask for one more favor from you, alright?” Owlbert hooted out an affirmative, straightening up as he listened. “I need you to go get Viney, Luz’s friend. Remember her? I need you to go get her, wake her up and make sure she comes straight here. Can you do that for me?”

       Owlbert rubbed against Eda’s cheek, let out a soft hoot, then took flight out of the room. Satisfied, Eda set the staff aside and knelt back down to Amity.

       “Viney will be able to take good care of Luz, and catch anything I missed. For now, we just sit here with Luz and wait, alright?”

       Amity could only nod, too tired to speak at this point, but slowly slid her hand up to the bed, gently taking one of Luz’s hands in her own. The familiar warmth was not as prominent as usual, but it was still there, and Amity felt her exhaustion overcoming her as her eyes started to slide shut and she entered something between sleeping and awake. Barely aware of her surroundings, but knowing Luz was safe, Amity only slightly registered conversation around her a little later, a pair of familiar voices talking over her head. Eda. Viney. She was here. Luz was okay.

       Sudden movement brought her out of her stupor, blinking away the sleep that threatened to overtake her as she saw Eda in the doorway of Luz’s room, staff in hand.

       “Where are you going?” She managed to get out, her voice weak.

       Eda turned her head to the side, face only slightly visible, and the image she saw, Amity knew she would never forget. Rage, unfettered and wild, marked the Owl Lady’s features, and her voice came out hard and cold, sharp as a knife.

       “I’m going to get your siblings.”

       Eda spared one last look behind her at the two witches laying on the bed. Luz, looking so peaceful now after Viney’s ministrations. Amity, now sleeping soundly as she curled up next to Luz, one arm wrapped around her waist and getting as close as she could without waking her up. Two young girls, so vulnerable, so marked by the scars they already possessed. With that last glance, Eda turned around and walked down the stairs, a faint trail behind her as the rage she felt continued to build, threatening to overwhelm her. Walking outside, she cemented the image of Luz and Amity in her mind, sharpening her rage down to a needle point, ready to drive it home, and flew out into the night sky.

       Before long, Blight Manor loomed ahead. Eda came to a stop just outside the front gates of the Manor, dismounting Owlbert as she stood tall. It was a bright, cloudless night. The wind from earlier had stilled, the trees unmoving, their leaves almost unnaturally static. Grass crumpled underfoot with nary a sound. All of nature was quiet, as if trying to hide from the imposing figure in its midst. Eda Clawthorne stood before the gates of the Blight Manor, righteous fury boiling her veins and magic steaming around her, visible in its intensity. Owlbert sat still atop her staff, the worn wood rough and familiar in her hand. Eyes alight with power, she tapped her staff on the ground, blasting the gates off their hinges and across the yard, the loud clang of metal resounding harshly in her ears. Tonight, she will set things right. Tonight, she will make sure Luz, Amity, Emira and Edric are safe. Tonight...

       Tonight, the Blight Parents’ time was up.

       Striding inside the ruined gates, Eda called out, “Alador! Odalia! I know you’re in there, so come on out!” Eda’s magically enhanced voice boomed, shaking the trees around her as if they quivered in fear. When she received no response, Eda tapped her staff on the ground, Owlbert opening his wings as she hopped on and flew to the front door. Just as she was about to blast through it, too, Eda stopped, listening to the arguments filtering through.

       “-they are our children ! You could’ve hurt Amity! The human was the only reason you didn’t!” a voice that was unmistakably Alador yelled, fury in his voice.

       “And all the better for it! I raised them, and yet they turned out so horribly! If you disliked my methods so much, then why didn’t you raise them?” Odalia’s voice rang out, high pitched and desperate yet still filled with anger.

       “How would it look if I had raised them? But maybe I should have!”

       Eda took an involuntary step back, feeling suddenly conflicted. Alador certainly had not been a good father to any of his children, yet his tone suggested... regret . Was he actually trying to change? Or...had he ever been in any control at all? Odalia had always been the controlling type, needing everything to go exactly to her plans. Perhaps she had just used Alador all these years, a figurehead for her to hide behind as she pulled the strings. Eda began to question if it was really for the best to include Alador in everything, the thought causing her to hesitate. After a few moments of contemplation, Eda growled in frustration, “I came here for a reason, and I will not change my mind just because he finally grew a bit of a conscience. Too little, too late.’ She gathered her power, tapping Owlbert on the ground and sending the front door exploding inwards with a resounding thud. As the dust settled, Eda stood tall in the doorway, looking at the two figures standing across from one another.

       Odalia was the first to speak, turning to address Eda with disdain, “Edalyn, that was a rather rude entrance. I do hope you have a good reason to be here, making a mess of my manor?”

       “Odalia. I tried calling for you, but you didn’t answer. Thought I might check up on you and your husband, make sure you two were alright. Wouldn’t want anything to happen before we could have a little chat . Though you two seem to be starting without me.”

       “I see. Well, yes, we are rather busy, surely you can wait while we attend to more important matters? Unless...I don’t suppose that chat would happen to be about your surrender and subsequent arrival at the Conformatorium? Surely you would have no better reason to arrive so abruptly on my doorstep.”

       “Oh-ho, no, not today Odalia. We are here to talk about something much more important than your unreachable dreams.”

       “Oh? And what could be more important, do enlighten me.”

       “You hurt Luz.”

       “Loose? I’m afraid I don’t... ah . The human. I recall now, the stray animal you took in.”

       “She is my student. My charge. My daughter.”

       “Your daughter? Please , you’ve never been responsible even once in your life, you wouldn’t know the first thing about raising a child.”

       “And you would?” Alador cut in, fury evident as he stepped towards his wife.

       Odalia lazily turned her head towards her husband, disdain clear on her face, “Alador, I believe we have had enough of your input for tonight. Why don’t you take a nap?”

       “What? How dare you speak to me as if I am a child-“ Alador was cut off mid-sentence when a large clawed hand crashed into his side, sending him flying across the room before finally impacting the wall, sliding down to the floor where he lay still.

       Odalia eyed this whole scene with indifference and contempt, a look of almost satisfaction crossing her face for a moment. “Finally, some quiet. Now we may focus on more important matters.”

       “I always knew you were crazy, Odalia, but damn. Your own husband, all because your children wouldn’t fall in line and he wouldn’t respond to your commands?”

       “NONE OF THEM WILL! I have sacrificed everything for this family! I slaved away to raise those children and make them perfect . All they had to do was obey me.” Odalia was becoming frantic, her eyes wide as she talked, seeming as if she was desperately trying to convince anyone who would listen. “I tried! I did everything I could, but what can you do when your pieces are so rotten and useless ! And Amity, my best tool. My greatest hope. Nothing more than a disaster!”

       "She isn't a disaster! She's your DAUGHTER!”

       Odalia’s face darkened, her words coming out as a snarl. “That thing is no longer my daughter.”

       Eda’s grip on her staff tightened, and she felt the magic rolling off of her, a visible aura around her form. She gathered her strength, her rage, her love, all the things that led to this moment. Luz and Amity, sleeping peacefully next to each other, safe and happy in each others’ arms. All that she loved and wanted to protect, flashing before her eyes.

       She really had gone soft.

       “You know what? You’re right. She isn’t your daughter, not anymore. You will not harm her, Luz, Emira, Edric nor anyone else. Never again.”

       Eda lifted her staff and spun it in a circle, her other hand casting multiple spells at once as a barrier bloomed to life in front of her just in time for a claw to crash against it harmlessly. Her spells completed, Eda sent a torrent of elements at the witch before her, fire and ice, wind and water twisting and raging across the room.

       A barrier flared to life, only to crack under the force of the magical onslaught. For a moment it seemed as if it might hold, and then it shattered, sending Odalia flying across the room.

       Releasing her own barrier, Eda flew forward, magical power leaving streaks behind her as she released all the rage she felt searing her body, as sharply honed as the tip of a spear.

       Golden eyes aflame, Eda fought. For Luz. For Amity. For the Twins. For those she loved.

       For her kids.

       Luz slowly opened her eyes, trying to blink the sleep out of them as best she could. A slight groan escaped her as she tried to shift, the movement sending lances of pain throughout her side. The sound seemed to call attention to her, as there was a slight shuffling, and a familiar voice called out softly to Luz.

       “Hey there hero. Don’t move too much just yet. Eda healed what she could, and I did my best once I got here, but your side is probably going to bother you for a day or two.”

       Luz looked around, recognizing the inside of her room at the Owl House, confusion seeping in as she realized someone else was there as well. Viney sat off to the side in a chair she had dragged in, looking at Luz with a soft smile. And there, sleeping beside her, one hand wrapped gently around her own, was Amity. Safe, smiling, lovely Amity. Luz felt the tension in her shoulders relax as she gazed upon her girlfriend’s peaceful face, getting lost in the worry lines already starting to show around her eyes, the soft points of her ears and the curve of her lips.

       “Okay, Em was not lying. It’s cute at first, but quickly becomes gag worthy.” Viney’s amused voice cut through Luz’s reverie, making her jump slightly as she had completely forgotten about the other witch, a blush creeping up her face. But the momentary interruption made Luz remember a question she had yet to ask.

       “How did we get here? Last I remember, we were outside the manor...and...trees?” Luz also had a vague memory, so hazy it might have only been a dream, something Amity had said…

       “From what I’ve heard, after you took that hit for Amity like a champ, you fell off of Owlbert. Amity grabbed you and tried to fly back here, but Owlbert was too drained after your fight and had to take a break, so she picked you up and carried you back the rest of the way. Must have worn herself out, too, Eda said she collapsed as soon as she opened the door. Eda did her best to patch you up after getting you inside, then had Owlbert fetch me so I could take another look at you and catch anything she missed. And that’s...pretty much everything.”

       “Oh. Wow...and here I was supposed to be the one saving her, or at least helping her escape, when she goes and saves me instead.” Luz let out a soft chuckle, feeling nothing but relief, happiness and affection for her amazing girlfriend. Before she could get caught staring at Amity again, Luz looked around the room, a thought occurring.

       “What about the twins? And where is Eda?”

       “About that...um, Eda went back to the manor. She said she was going to get the twins herself.” Viney wasn’t meeting Luz’s eye as she spoke, instead staring at her feet.

       “Viney? What's wrong?”

       Viney glanced up, “I don’t know what’s going to happen, Luz. When Eda left, she looked... furious. Still get shivers just remembering her face.”

       Luz laid there, knowing there was nothing she could do to help Eda, especially not in her current condition. She had to stay here and look after Amity, after all, and Eda is the strongest witch in the Boiling Isles! She could handle anything they threw at her, without a doubt.

       That didn’t stop the worry she felt pooling in her gut.

       The Blight Manor was chaos incarnate.

       Eda had been battling with Odalia for a while now, the spells beginning to slow down on both sides as they burned through magic. Currently, they were both hiding from the other, attempting to catch their breath, Eda sitting on the floor behind a wall marred with claw marks. It had been a long time since she had to put up this much of a fight against anyone, and while the curse may be cured, she still felt some aftereffects of it. She didn't get tired this fast before, did she? Suddenly she heard a creak in the floorboards near her, and jumped up to face the sound, barrier at the ready.

       Emira and Edric slowly peaked their heads around the corner of the room, both of them looking scared but excited, their faces lighting up when they saw Eda. She motioned for them to be quiet before they said anything, then beckoned them over to her so she could whisper.

       “What in the Titan are you two doing here? It’s too dangerous!”

       “We want to help.” Emira whispered back, Edric nodding along. “I know you’re awesome and all that, but our mother isn’t a pushover either. We want to help you win in any way we can. After all, we have to get back to Luz and Amity safely, right?”

       Eda looked at the twins, a feeling of pride welling in her that she didn’t bother to hide. This wasn’t just the twins trying to prove something, they wanted to help so they could all get home safely. They weren’t thinking of themselves, they were thinking of those waiting for them to return. Reaching out to sweep the two into a hug, Eda sat there in silence for a moment as the twins awkwardly returned the hug. Finally, she gathered herself a bit and leaned back.

       “Alright you two. As official members of the bad witch coven, I’m counting on your help. Don’t put yourself in direct danger, but if you can confuse her with Illusions, that should give me the upper hand I need. No heroics, got it?”

       Receiving two nods in response, Eda ushered them off before turning to peak around the corner, scanning the hall for Odalia. Seeing no sign of the other witch, she slowly walked out into the middle of the room, hoping the twins had gotten into a place where they could toss some illusions out in time. Just like all the bad ideas she got, Eda charged ahead, raising her voice.

       “Alright, where are you Odalia? I don’t have all day you know.” Glancing around, waiting for the response that would surely come, the silence grated on Eda’s nerves. Everything was unnaturally still, like the magic and life had been drained from the area...waiting, but for what?

       Instinct guided her to dodge to the side, right as a jagged claw slashed through where she had been just standing, a large shade rushing after her. Tossing up a barrier to block the next swipe, Eda readied a couple fireballs with her other hand, launching them at the shade and watching them rip holes through its form. Odalia had appeared from behind a wall, her eyes wide with malice and anger as she directed her shade.

       Suddenly, Odalia was surrounded by numerous Edas, Edrics and Emiras, the mass of noise and bodies caught her off guard, momentarily stunning her and the shade. Eyes glinting, Eda silently thanked the Twins for the perfect timing as she rushed away from the shade and closed the gap between her and Odalia, readying a spell she hoped could finally put an end to this fight.

       Before she could get close enough, however, Odalia’s necklace suddenly flashed, casting a bright light over her surroundings as all the illusions disappeared. The shade she had summoned roaring up in front of her once more, this time much larger, hanging in the air menacingly. Raising one jagged claw, its hand came down to crash through a wall, revealing Edric cowering in fear. The other hand lashed out, tearing through part of the banister where Emira was hiding.

       Eda froze, torn between finishing the fight and protecting the Twins, but only for a moment.

       “Kids! Behind me, now!”

       “It seems everyone is a traitor! That’s fine, I will show you what happens to those who betray me.”

       As the Twins ran behind Eda, the shade lurched forward, its mouth gaping wide, eager to devour. Eda drew on her magic once more, fighting to claw out every drop she could, the resistance she felt, foreign yet... familiar. An old presence, fighting to break free of its cage as a weak barrier flickered to life, only to die out moments later. Eda felt fear trickling down her spine as the shade loomed overhead, dread dripping from her voice.

       “Well...this ain’t good.”

Chapter Text

       Luz stared up at the ceiling, trying her best to keep her mind clear amid the swirling thoughts trying to drag her in so many directions. Eda and the Twins, still not back from the Blight Manor, possibly still in danger. Her Mamí, back in the human realm, who she wished she could talk to. Amity, curled up against her side, warmth from the connection spreading throughout Luz. All of these worries, this comfort, the guilt and indecision, and yet Luz was lying in bed, safe and sound. As much as she wanted to jump up right now and run to help Eda, she knew there was nothing that she could do in her current state. While the worst of her wounds had been healed enough to not be life-threatening anymore, she was far from healthy. So, for now, her only choice was to stay here and put her trust in Eda to bring herself and the Twins home safely.

       Of course she would make it home. She’s Eda, the greatest witch in the Boiling Isles! Amity’s parents didn’t stand a chance, all Luz had to do was just sit here and wait for Eda to return. Just lay here in bed, resting. Nothing else to do.

       Though nobody said that she had to stay in bed, either. It wouldn’t be too much to go get water, right? That would let her see just how she felt, maybe she was good enough to go...

       Go? Go where? She needed to rest. Eda was fine, she didn’t need any help. It was just taking a little bit to get back home, that’s all. She didn’t have to do anything other than wait. Though, it wasn’t like she couldn’t do anything. Maybe a short walk outside, she could look around and see if Eda was close to home. If she took it slow, it shouldn’t be too bad. Wait, no, just the water. Though...maybe just a quick peek outside.

       Slowly shifting out from under Amity’s arm, careful not to wake her, Luz winced as every muscle complained at the careful movement. Finally extracting herself she stood up, the pain intense enough that she barely stayed silent and drawing her attention to the bandages wrapped around her. “She really did a number on me, huh?” Amity slightly stirred, grumbling a little as she rolled over, a small frown creasing her forehead. The sight brought a smile to Luz’s face, leaning over to leave a small peck on her cheek, drawing a soft purr from her amazing girlfriend. “We did it, though. We made it. We made it home. ”

       Now she just has to bring Eda home.

       No, she just wants Eda home. Eda’s fine, she’s probably just a few minutes away. Just go get some water, that’s all. Slowly creeping out of the room, being as quiet as her bruised muscles would allow, Luz made her way downstairs to the kitchen, each step down was its own little adventure.

       Finally, the fridge came into sight. The same fridge that Eda grabbed all the strange ingredients that Luz still didn’t recognize to make her breakfast, or grab some apple blood. As she poured herself some water, suddenly a memory flashed in front of her eyes.

       Long, jagged claws, sinking into her side. Gaping maw, screaming in her face. Fear. Pain. Despair. Eda was out there, fighting that thing. Alone. Turning to the door, Luz took a hesitant step towards it, eyes locked on the door handle. Wait, no. This is Eda we’re talking about, she probably kicked that thing’s butt all the way across the Titan by now! There was nothing to worry about at all.

       So why was her hand already around the door handle?

       Light softly poured into the Owl House as the front door slowly creaked open, the rays of sunshine blinding Luz, she raised her hand to see outside, hoping to catch even a glimpse of her m-Eda. She had to be out here, Luz just needed to look hard enough. Not on the road, no one there. Nothing in the treeline, nobody coming out of the bushes. Nothing in the sky, except...was that her? If she could just get a little closer to check...her foot slowly swung forward out into the empty air, hovering there.

       Wait, she can’t just leave Amity behind. She’s still asleep upstairs, and she is finally safe. But, she’s not really leaving her, just checking to see if that was Eda she saw outside, right?

       Reckless thudding sounded from behind her just before she was almost knocked forward by someone crashing into her. Tensing up from the sudden pain, Luz turned to see Amity holding on to her, a desperation in her grasp as if Luz would disappear the instant she let go. “Hey, careful of the bruises, but I am glad to see you awake, hermosa.” Amity did not respond, except to lessen the pressure she squeezed her with. “I saw you were asleep, and thought you could use the rest. I just came down here for some water and to see if Eda had made it home yet is all.”

       “You were gone. I woke up, and you...you were just...gone... again. I didn’t know what to do. So I looked for you, I came rushing down here, just to find you about to...run off again? To do what, to...to save Eda? To leave me? Like this? After I had to...to carry you back here...not knowing if...not knowing if you would even...make it. Luz...I...I can’t lose you. Please...don’t go.”

       “What? No! I’m not leaving you, Amity. I’m right here. Look at me. I’m not going anywhere , alright? I just didn’t see Eda, and was looking for her around the house. I thought I saw her outside just a moment ago and was just going to check that’s all. I’m right here, I’m not leaving. I just...I remember that thing, and Eda is alone , I’m just...I’m worried about her. But, we just need to trust her, she’ll be home soon and we will all be safe. Heck, she’ll probably come home looking like she was just out for a stroll, that same smirk she always has.”

       A tense moment passes between the two, one seeking comfort and warmth, the other smiling nervously, trying to provide what was just out of reach. The moment stretched on and on, until…

       “Well, you got that right kid.” The sudden voice caused the pair to jump in surprise, only to turn and see Eda standing in the doorway, looking every bit as casual as Luz predicted.

       “Eda!” Luz rushed forward to clash into the older witch, failing to notice the hands still trying to grasp the air behind her. Before they could fall, Luz looked back at Amity and saw the wayward hands and reached out to grab one with her own, pulling Amity into the hug, Eda squeezing them both as she was just as happy to see her kids safe. “So, if you were so sure that I was going to be fine, then what in the Titan are you doing out of bed already Luz?”

       “Oh, well. Uh, you see...about that. I…”

       “We are also here, if anyone is interested in that.” Ed’s voice chirped out from behind the group, teasing tone interrupted by a slight smack from Emira on his shoulder. Amity peaked out around Eda, her eyes wide as she saw the Twins, tears threatening her vision as she tore away from Luz and Eda to dash over to her siblings.

       The next few minutes were spent softly checking on each other, smiles and hugs traded many times over as relief washed over them all. As silence slowly crept over the group, it was Amity who eventually spoke up.

       “What...what happened to...our parents?” Amity’s voice came out uncertain, the hesitation betraying the questions running through her mind.

       “They won’t hurt you, any of you, ever again.” Eda face both soft with love, yet stern with conviction.

       “Then...then you…”

       “Mittens,” Emira said after a brief pause, her voice pleading for the situation to be kinder, “they can’t hurt us ever again.”

       Amity stood still, her face blank of emotion and eyes slightly dull, her voice almost foreign to her, “Oh.” Emira gently pulled her sister into a hug, Edric coming over to wrap his arms around the pair.

       “I know this has been a lot, for all of us,” Eda’s voice gently found the kids, “but I just want you three to know, there is room for you here. You have a place to stay, a bed to sleep in and food to eat. You have somewhere to live. Okay? Now, I’m gonna go grab us some drinks, so how about we all get inside and sit down, yeah?” Seeing the group nod in response, Eda turned and ruffled Luz’s hair softly before walking off to the kitchen.

       The group shuffled over to the couch, cramming themselves next to each other as close as they could manage from the unspoken desire to not lose each other again. Before long, they could hear the backdoor opening, followed by Viney’s voice. “Oh! Hey Eda! Glad to see you’re back.”

       “Yeah, are you kidding me? I didn’t even ruffle my feathers. But enough about that for now, could you go grab some blankets from the closet? The kids are all in the living room, hopefully relaxing by now.”

       “Yeah sure! Is...everything alright?”

       “Yeah...yeah it’ll all be okay now. Just give ‘em some time, alright?”

       “You got it.” Shortly after, Viney walked into the living room, gathering blankets from the closet before coming over to where the rest of the group sat on the couch, gently spreading the blankets over them. As she got to Emira, Viney’s hand seemed to linger for a moment longer, its presence on her shoulder and the murmured thanks seeming to relax Emira a bit as the tension left in a shaky breath. Luz looked from the pair to the rest of the group, all in various states of exhaustion and shock. They’d been through a lot in the past week, but they were all finally here, and she wasn’t going to let anything take them away.

       Hours later, drinks long forgotten, the group finally settled enough to find their way to their new rooms, to their new home. And yet, Amity lay awake on her new bed, eyes wide open as she stared at the ceiling, thoughts still racing and unable to sleep. Eventually realizing the futility, she grabbed her pillow, hugging it close to her chest as she searched for the one person who could offer her both the answers and comfort she longed for. Slowly opening her door, she crossed the hallway to Luz’s room, reaching up to softly knock. As her knuckles rapped against the door, Amity wondered how she thought that she would be okay away from Luz right now. However, the knock was met with no answer, the door instead slowly creaking open to reveal an empty bed and open window. The familiar feeling of panic rushed through her mind before she could stop it. “The window is open, she probably just went up on the roof to think or something, that’s all.”

       Amity’s worry lessened, but never disappeared as she crossed the room with heavy steps to lean out the window, “Luz? Are you out there?”

       “Oh, hey Amity. Yeah, I’m here, I couldn’t sleep. Do you need help?”

       “Yeah, do you mind?” Reaching up to grab the offered hand, Amity pulled herself up onto the roof, only to be starstruck by the moonlight gleaming off of Luz’s beautiful eyes. Luz pulled her down to sit next to her on the roof, then wrapped her arm around her shoulder as they snuggled close.

       Of all the thoughts to cross Amity’s mind in this moment, what popped up were those three little words that Luz never heard. But she meant them, and she wanted Luz to know with all of her heart. She could tell her now, a perfect moment, all she had to do was look up and say three words one after another. After all, she did it once, she could do it again. She would do it again. However, as her eyes turned to Luz’s face again, what she saw in those beautiful eyes drove away all other thoughts in her mind.

       “You’re still going back, aren’t you?”

       The response did not come instantly, but when it did it was deliberate, careful.

       “I am. But I am not leaving you. Not ever.”

       “So...what does that mean?”

       “That means I keep looking, until I find a portal, or a way to make one. And when I do, I’m definitely taking you to a cat café.”

       “Well, as long as you promise me that everything will be okay. Promise me that you’ll come back.”

       “Of course I’ll come back. And everything is definitely okay. What, you going soft on me, Blight?” Luz gave her a little wink at the question, her tone slightly teasing.

       “In your dreams, Noceda. So...you’ll come back to me?”

       “Where else would I go, hermosa? Don’t worry, I promise I’ll come home. ”