Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The bell at the front jingled cheerfully, as the door to the book shop opened, revealing a small girl with bright green hair. Luz turned her attention away from the book she was re-reading, the second of The Good Witch Azura series, and jumped up to the counter. 

Her eyes latched onto the girl, following as she browsed the graphic novel section at the front of the store. Luz recognized her. She had only been working at the Owl House Bookshop since the beginning of the summer, but it seemed that whenever she was on shift, the same girl always wandered in. Maybe she just really liked books.

The girl continued onto the young adult section, examining each new book with vigor, almost as if she was avoiding something. She always wore the same style of clothes, t-shirt tucked into either black leggings or black jeans. Her hair, like usual, was pulled into a half-up ponytail, and Luz couldn’t help but stare. She was beginning to get curious at this point, seeing as she had seen the same girl almost every day for the past two weeks, and decided to leave the confines of the counter to confront her. 

Walking up from behind, Luz noticed black earbuds dangling from her ears. The music was blasting loudly, and she recognized the tune.

“Hey?” she asked, tapping her on the shoulder.

The girl spun around rapidly, stumbling backward into the bookshelf, and causing a few of the books on display to fall. Her face went bright red, and she scrambled to pick up the fallen books, tearing out her earbuds and stuffing them into her pocket.

“H-hello!” she stuttered, collecting herself. 

Luz smiled warmly, “Sorry for scaring ya! Just wanted to see if you needed any help. Also, what were you just listening to?”

The girl colored further, and her eyes darted around anxiously. “Uh, Summer Depression by Girl in Red.”

“Oh, I love her music!” Luz exclaimed brightly, “Good song.”

The girl looked as though she wished the floor would open and swallow her whole, but Luz didn’t seem to notice, momentarily distracted by a fuzzy tail hanging from behind a corner. With three bounding movements, she scooped the furry creature up into her arms and began cuddling it.

“Hello King!” she said in a sweet voice reserved for animals alone. “I missed you!” she rubbed her cheek against the cat's stomach, and it batted her with its paw. 

Luz jerked away, then upon remembering she was in the middle of a conversation, rushed back to stand with the green-haired girl who hadn’t moved since Luz stepped away.

“Cute cat!” she said, raising a hand to pet it. Once she got close, she jerked her hand away anxiously. “Wait is he friendly?”

“Yeah!” Luz replied, “He’s a big baby; don't be intimidated.”

The girl’s lips curved upwards into the ghost of a smile, and she leaned in to pet it. “What’s his name again? King?”

Luz nodded, “Yup, we’re all his subjects. Aren’t we King?” she cooed, ruffling the fur on his head as he clawed at the unwanted touch. Luz dropped him, and he landed upright, letting out a small meow and rushing around another corner before anyone could go after him. “Well bye then!” Luz shouted after the creature and turned back to the girl.

“Is he yours?” she asked, looking a little more relaxed than before.

“Oh, King? No, he doesn’t really belong to anyone per se, he just likes hanging around the shop. I like to consider him my friend…” she trailed off. “Sorry, that’s weird. I'm weird. How can I help you?”

The girl ignored the questions. “I've never seen him around here before. I—erm—I've been here a lot, but I’ve never seen him.”

“Well he tends to wander around, but at the end of the day he ends up back here. And yeah, I've seen you around a lot! You a fellow bookworm?”

The girl shrunk back again, “Uh, you could say that.”

“It's just funny,” Luz continued, failing to notice the girl becoming flustered again, “It's like every time I work a shift, you come in.”

“I—” she was blinking rapidly, reaching for words that would not come. “I just really like books?” her voice coming out shrill.

“That’s cool, that’s cool.” Luz mused, looking around at the shop. “Well if you need any help…” she pointed to the front and began to walk back.

“Wait!” the girl half yelled, immediately going bright red again. “I—I do need help!”

Luz turned on her heel, “Well then I am at your service.” She dropped into a fake bow; head tilted up with a toothy grin taking up over half of her face.

The girl giggled and slapped her hand over her mouth. “Um,” she said between laughs, “Know any good fantasy books?”

“Oh, easy!” Luz replied, sliding smoothly over to the fantasy section. “That’s my favorite genre, so you're in luck. Thoughts on witches?”

“Love them.”

“Then,” she pulled a book from the shelf, “You should try The Good Witch Azura! It's one of my favorite series of all time!” The girl held her hands out for the book, and Luz placed it in them gently. She immediately turned it over to read the back while Luz talked on. “If you like it, you have to tell me your thoughts on it. I need someone else to gush about it with; King is getting sick of me yapping at him about it all the time.”

The girl nodded, eyes trained on the back cover. “It looks really interesting. I’ll give it a read.”

Luz brightened, “Really?”

The girl’s eyes widened, “Yeah, and I can come back and tell you how it goes.” 

“That’d be amazing!” Luz exclaimed, hopping back over to the counter and gesturing for her to follow. “I’ll check you out, er, the book I mean.” She said, red dusting her cheeks.

“Sure yeah, that’d be, um, yeah…” the green-haired girl said, sliding her credit card onto the counter.

Luz picked it up and was about to put it through the machine before she stopped. “Amity?” she asked, sounding out the name. 

The girl presumably known as Amity let out an “eep!” 

“That’s such a pretty name,” Luz said quietly, stopped for a moment, still staring at her credit card. “Oops! I should probably…” she swiped the card and it went through. Amity was still standing silently, frozen to the spot. Luz handed the card back quickly. “I'm Luz by the way.” She said.

“I know,” Amity replied, and then upon realizing how creepy that sounded, rushed to explain herself. “It's on your name tag I mean!”

Both of the girls were silent for a moment, too flustered to continue the conversation. 

“Oh.” Luz eventually said, looking down at the tag pinned to her shirt. “I forgot about that.”

“Yeah…” Amity said, pulling the book up to her chest. “See you around then Luz.”

The teenager shook herself out of her thoughts. “Uh, yeah! Yeah, see you later!”

With one last look, Amity’s lips turned upwards, and she waved her goodbye. Somewhat distracted, she accidentally bumped into the door, almost dropping her book. Her face went crimson again, and she righted herself, opening the door and rushing through. 

If she had looked back then she would have seen Luz staring after her, lips parted slightly in curiosity. And she probably would have gotten even more flustered. 

Chapter Text

The next day Luz was shelving books when Amity came rushing in. She was in the back and didn't hear the jingle of the bell or her entrance, and being unable to find her left Amity panicking. She had memorized the employee’s schedule a lready, having seen her at the beginning of the summer and immediately finding her pretty, so she was positive that she should be working right now. 

While she waited for a sign that Luz was there or not, she noticed a familiar ball of fluff poking out from behind the counter. King. Instead of using her head like a rational person, Amity raced behind the counter to try and pet the animal. At the same time, Luz was making her way back out, and the two teenagers collided.

“Shit!” Amity exclaimed, falling backwards and landing on her butt.

Luz, who had managed to keep her balance, raced to her side. “Oh my god! Is there anything I can do to help? That’s all my bad I didn’t see you and—wait, why were you behind the counter?”

Amity rubbed her backside, looking up at the girl. “I was trying to pet King, sorry.”

Instead of getting mad, Luz began to laugh, the hand she was holding out to help Amity up going straight to her stomach while she doubled over with mirth. “It's—it's just funny!” she said, between breaths, “That he’s done that again!”

Amity frowned, leaning back on her hands for support. “That happens often?”

“Oh, all the time. People think ‘oh cat!’ and lose all sense of anything. Of course it happened to you.” She held her hand out again and Amity eyed it warily, unsure whether she could trust herself to take it without going red at the touch.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, finally taking her hand and turning, predictably, scarlet at their hands touching. Luckily, Luz didn’t seem to notice.

“Oh, you just seem like the type of person to blank out and run towards a cat. I just get those vibes I guess.” She said, pulling Amity to a stand and releasing her hand. 

“I mean, fair.” Amity replied, “Oh no, my book!” she began to look around worriedly for her book and sighed in relief when she saw it wedged underneath the counter. 

“Aha!” she grabbed it, brushing off the dust bunnies and other questionable gunk. 

“You finished it already!?” Luz asked incredulously. “That’s like a 600-page book!”

Amity shrugged, “I liked it, I guess.”

“But in one day! How did you read it in one day?!” Luz leaned down and scooped up the cat who had started this whole mess. He didn’t look too pleased to be held, but perked up when Luz set him on the counter, where he decided to sit and just look pretty.

“I, er, I stayed up all night reading it...” Amity said, feeling embarrassed. Surely Luz would get the hint now that she was into her.

Luz gaped silently. 

“You liked it that much?!”

Amity had the urge to facepalm. 

Sure, she had liked the book plenty, but she was reading it for Luz. Did she not understand that? “I wanted to make sure I could talk to you about it.” She clarified.

Luz’s mouth opened wider. “You stayed up reading the book for me?!”

There it was. Now she would finally get it.

“Sort of, yeah.” Amity said, cheeks flaming again. Her hands were clammy, heart beating a billion miles per minute at the idea of her little crush being revealed, but Luz didn’t seem to be on that wavelength. Luz didn’t seem to be on any wavelength except her own.

“That’s so cool!” she exclaimed obliviously, “What did you think?”

Amity reached for a word. Fun? Exciting? Cool? “I thought it was amazing. The world-building was so subtle, but I have such vivid images of how everything looks in my head. Oh and Azura. I love her. I would simp for her.”

“Oh my gosh, I would simp for Azura any day, anytime. Honestly, all the women in that book are just *chefs kiss*, you know?”

Amity nodded, “Definitely!” 

Amity realized, belatedly, that Luz and she were still standing very closely together, and she jumped back slightly. “I should probably get out from behind the counter…” she said, pointing towards the customer-permitted side of the store.

“Oh yeah,” Luz realized, “I forgot that you're not supposed to be back here! Ha, you fit right in anyways. I mean we could always use more help, if you're looking for a job, that is.”

Amity looked taken aback at first, “Wait, really?”

Luz gestured to the help wanted sign. “I mean technically minors aren’t supposed to man shops alone, but Eda doesn’t care about the rules. Plus you're always here anyways, couldn’t hurt.”

Amity’s mind raced with ideas. Yes, she would be spending more time with Luz, but her parents would never let her. But Luz! But parents! Her brain went back and forth a few hundred times before she finally gave in. “Do you have an application on you?”

Luz grinned brightly, “I do, in fact.” She popped below the counter and shuffled through a few papers, trying to find the right one. “Here it is!” She pulled out a white piece of paper with the words ‘Job Application Owl House Bookshop’ on the top. It wobbled in the air, making that thick piece of paper noise. Amity took the paper from Luz

“Do you think I can fill it out here?” she asked, examining the very vague few questions on the paper. It didn’t look like any job application she had ever seen before. “Do I even need a resume? This just looks like a personality quiz.”

Luz shrugged, “I didn’t have one. I just stumbled in here one day, knocked over some books, met Eda, and then I was behind the counter working. Honestly, I don't understand how this job even works, I just do what Eda asks each morning.”

“So this Eda is…”

“Oh my gosh, yeah, Eda is the owner. She's a really interesting person…not exactly what people would call normal, but I love her all the same!”

Amity nodded, her eyes still trained on the paper. “Can I get a pen?”

“Sure!” Luz chirped, handing Amity one of the shitty pens they kept behind the desk. “Can't promise it’ll work, but here you go.”

Amity grabbed the pen and turned her attention towards the paper. Next to the counter sat a stool that was usually covered in flyers and other random papers, but today it was cleared, so Amity sat down and began to answer each of the strange questions. None of them seemed to apply to a normal job application except the few basic ones regarding availability, and soon Amity seemed to be enjoying herself. It didn’t help that she was one of the kids at school who liked doing homework. You know, the kind who would remind the teacher if they hadn’t given it out at the end of class.

While Amity worked quietly, Luz became distracted again, but this time by the girl. She had seen her plenty of times roaming the shelves, lost in her little world, but Luz had never really let herself look. It wasn’t a good habit to check out potential customers, and it wasn’t like she had much of a chance anyway. 

Amity was pretty. No, scratch that, she was gorgeous. Her put-togetherness alone was an attractive trait, straight from the color-coordinated outfits to the matching earrings and necklace. Her ears stuck out a little pointy, but not in a particularly unattractive way, and Luz felt the urge to reach out and poke them. 

There were other things Luz was beginning to notice about the girl; smaller things, less about appearances, and more about the way her face moved. She seemed to become red often, perhaps she had a condition? Her nose, tiny and button-like, would scrunch up when she was focused or concentrated, like when she was reading the back cover of the book the day before and now while she filled out the form. She was less inclined to smile, much less than Luz, but it made it so that when she did break out into a grin it was all the more fulfilling. 

After a few minutes of Luz unconsciously staring at the girl, King stalked into view, and she remembered what she was supposed to be doing. She had a shop to run, not a girl to stare at! 

“Okay, I think I’m done.” Amity announced, dropping the pen and holding the paper out for Luz. 

She grabbed the paper quickly, a little too eager to read what the girl had answered.

“You said your special talent is that you play the piano?” Luz asked, tearing her eyes from the paper momentarily. 

“Classically trained.” Amity shot back haughtily, raising an eyebrow. “What, do you play too?”

Luz shook her head, “No, but it's one of my favorite instruments. I like how versatile it is. I remember when I was little, I convinced my mom to take me to lessons, but I ended up being really bad at it.”

Amity got up from the stool and walked over to lean against the counter in front of Luz. She was feeling a little bit more comfortable, considering the girl was so friendly and all, and tilted her head to the side playfully. “I'm sure you weren’t that bad.” She said teasingly.

“Oh, I assure you, it was terrible. What was it my teacher said? ‘I've heard my cat play better than you’ or something like that. I don't really remember, but it hurt at the time.”

“Sorry Luz, that sounds terrible.”

Luz felt electricity tear through her hearing Amity say her name, but quickly shook it off before she could overthink it. “Well, it didn’t put me off musical instruments forever.”

“So you do play an instrument. What do you play?”

Luz smiled, leaning in closer towards Amity. In a normal conversation their proximity would have raised some eyebrows, but with the counter to separate them slightly, the movements seemed almost normal, like playful banter with an old friend. “I play the kazoo.”

“The kazoo?” Amity questioned, raising her eyebrow again, but this time in a more judging way.

“I'm classically trained.” Luz said with a wink, and Amity broke out into a grin.

“I've never met someone who’s classically trained in the kazoo. Care to teach me sometime?”

“Only if you teach me the piano.” Luz shot back.

“It's a date.”

Both girls reacted to the words similarly, pulling themselves backward and hiding a blush from the other. The moment was momentarily ruined by their embarrassment, but luckily, they didn’t stay that way for long as another customer walked into the store, breaking the tension.

“Hey, do you think you could help me find a book?” the stranger asked, walking over to the two girls.

“Of course!” Luz proclaimed, grateful for the distraction. “I’ll talk to you later Amity?”

The green-haired girl nodded a little too enthusiastically, “See you, Luz!” And walked quickly out the door. 

As soon as she left the shop her head began to swim with thoughts. She hadn't really taken the application as seriously as she would if applying for a real job, but she was still nervous. Her parents would never allow her to have a job, especially since she had been telling them that she was out at the library studying for her SATs every time she went to the bookshop. If they ever found out that she was doing anything besides that, she would be screwed.

Like major ‘not allowed out of the house for months’ type screwed. 

The weight of her hasty plans were crashing down on her, and she had half a mind to run back, grab the paper from Luz, and tear it to pieces right there before anything could come of it. Except, she couldn't do that. If she did, that might mean no more Luz, and no more Luz was a thought she didn't want to entertain.

With one final sigh and adjustment of the book under her arm, Amity headed off towards the library where she had told Emira to pick her up. She needed to be there before anyone arrived because if the twins caught wind of her crush, and her sneaking around, she would be done for, surely. 

Besides, what were the chances that she would even get the job!? She was sure there were plenty of people lined up for the spot.

Plenty.

Chapter Text

“Hello, is this Amity Blight?” an unfamiliar voice asked at the other end of the telephone.

Amity had been sitting alone in her room for the past hour and a half reading the next book in the Azura series. She had forgotten to buy it the day before and had gone in early that morning to get it before Luz’s shift started around 3. She knew that it was unlikely she would get through it all, but if worst came to worst, she could probably finish reading it in the bookshop on the stool. She doubted that Luz would mind very much.

“Yes, this is Amity.” She replied. She hated phone calls.

“Oh perfect, so you're the kid Luz tricked into applying to the store. I'm Eda, nice to meet you.”

“Hello, Eda. And Luz didn’t trick me, I wanted to apply.”

“Sure kid. Anyways, I was just calling to tell you that you got the job.”

Amity’s breath caught in her throat. She hadn’t expected much from applying, even though part of her wanted the job, as she hadn’t answered the questions particularly seriously.

“Wait, really?” she asked, suddenly anxious. Her parents could never find out about this.

“ No, this is some strange practical joke . Yeah, kid, you got the job. It's not like there were many people lined up for the spot.”

“Um, well thank you, ma’am.”

“Never call me ma’am. And I'm not doing this for you; I'm doing it for Luz. She needs some company, and she said she liked talking to you.”

Amity froze, the words replaying in her head a billion times. It was the only thing that mattered anymore, that Luz had liked talking to her, and it made her feel invincible. If Luz liked talking to her, then perhaps it was possible for Luz to like her, like her .

“Kid?” Eda asked after a long silence. “You still there?”

“Y—Yeah!” Amity squeaked, her face going red at how stupid she sounded. “I want the job.”

“Okay then, great. If you stop by the shop this afternoon, I’ll be there. Plus I'm pretty sure Luz said she would help you get situated, so don't worry about that.”

Don't worry about that? Amity was worrying. She was beginning to process the whole thing, and suddenly the idea sounded horrible. Spending all afternoon, every day, all summer with the girl she had been crushing on for weeks? Now that was… that was not well thought out. 

“Alright, see you then!” She replied, continuing to sound flustered.

“See you.” Eda replied, then without another word, hung up the phone, leaving Amity to officially freak out. 

***

Luz was freaking out. 

Well not freaking out , freaking out, but she was certainly feeling more anxious than usual. It wasn’t every day she had a new coworker. A cute new coworker. Amity. Now they were going to be working together. That wasn’t weird. Nothing was weird, and everything was fine, and Luz was not freaking out.

She was definitely freaking out.

“Hey Kid, you look stressed.” Eda pointed out.

She was sitting on the counter petting King with a mug of coffee in her free hand. The mug read: Best Grandma, which was strange since Eda didn’t even have kids, let alone grandkids, but Luz wasn’t about to question it.

“I am not stressed.” She argued, walking out from behind the counter so that she could stand in front of Eda. “I'm excited.”

Eda looked her up and down with a doubtful expression “You look anxious. Don't worry Luz, she's not gonna become my favorite, that’ll always be you.”

King meowed loudly as if he were disagreeing with Eda’s reasoning.

“Well, I'm not forgetting about you.” Eda said to the cat, scratching him behind the ear, “But you're a pain in my ass sometimes.”

King purred in agreement, and Luz giggled. “He's a bastard.”

“Oh, 100% the biggest bastard I know.”

“But I love him.”

“Naturally.” Eda continued to pet the cat fondly but turned her attention back to Luz. “I still don't see why you're…” she trailed off, looking towards the door.

Luz followed her gaze and her heart leapt at what she saw. There was no doubt about it—she was totally going to fall for this girl.

Amity was standing in the doorway looking just about as anxious as Luz felt. Unlike usual, she was wearing a forest green skirt and billowy white shirt, tiny headband tucking the flyaway hairs that would usually be in her face, away. 

While Luz continued to stare at the girl, Amity stared back. She was also stopped in place because Luz also looked different. Her eyes popped a little more, makeup maybe? Her hair was styled with some sort of gel, and she wanted to walk right up and ruffle it up—make it look normal again. She was wearing a band t-shirt, but it was tucked into her blue mom jeans which were cuffed, dear lord . 

Eda looked back and forth between the two girls slyly before whispering to Luz, “So that’s why you were nervous.” And hopping off the counter. Amity and Luz both blushed, since Eda did not know how to whisper, and turned away from each other before anything else could happen. 

“So you must be Amity then.” Eda said, walking over and holding her non-coffee hand out to shake. “I'm Eda, nice to meet you.”

“Hi, I'm Amity. Well, er, you already know that  because I applied, and I, um—I'm going to stop talking now.” She was barely handling herself.

“Wow, you sure know how to pick ‘em.” Eda called back to Luz, who had just recovered from her blush, but was now going red again.

Amity’s eyes went wide, and she prayed for some sort of distraction like the man from the day before, but nothing came. “Um so,” she began, but Eda interrupted.

“Actually, before you ask any questions, let's talk in the back. I’ll give you a quick rundown of how things work around here. Luz, you stay out front.”

Amity relaxed at the thought of having a break from being in Luz’s presence. She had royally fucked up now, getting stuck behind the counter with the girl she had previously been too anxious to even share a few words with. She was an idiot.

“Yeah, sure.” She replied, following Eda to the back. 

On the way behind the counter, she caught Luz’s eye. She had been staring again, and Amity’s heart skipped. Surely Luz staring at her could mean something. Or maybe she hated what she had decided to wear. Maybe she knew about her crush and was just waiting for the right moment to make fun of or reject her. What was she supposed to do then?

While Amity went in the back to go over a few basic things with Eda, Luz decided to continue her own little freakout in the front. Maybe telling the cute girl who always wandered in, but never wanted to talk to her, to apply for a job working with her, was a bad idea. Maybe she was so quiet and red all the time because, for one reason or another, she didn’t like Luz and she wanted to stay as far away from her as possible. Except there were a few moments where that seemed untrue. For example how yesterday she had seemed like she wanted the job, or how she had stayed up reading that book just so she could discuss it with  Luz. It seemed like she might be overthinking this, but at the same time, who wouldn’t overthink around a pretty girl?

King, who was still sitting on the counter, slunk over to where Luz had her head in her hands, hopelessly overthinking. He wasn’t the most perceptive creature, but he really wanted attention, and Luz was right there, so he nudged his head against her hands to try and rouse her from her panic.

“Yeah?” Luz asked, pulling her head up to face the cat. “What, now you want attention?” King meowed loudly in agreeance, and Luz sighed, reaching over and petting him. “I have a dilemma, King.” She said to the pleased creature.

King meowed as if to say, “Go on.” So she did.

“What would you do if you were in my shoes? Ignore the fact that your coworker is a really obnoxiously pretty girl, or die? Cuz I'm beginning to like the second option more and more.” 

King said nothing, and Luz sighed emphatically. “You're right. I'm probably overthinking this. If we just ignore the pretty girl, then everything will be fine. Thanks, King.”

When King said nothing more, Luz let her head drop back into her hands, elbows sliding so that her chin rested on the, probably filthy, counter. She was sure that wouldn’t be the last of her ruminations, but for now, everything was going to be fine. If she just ignored everything, then nothing would happen, and she would be safe. It would all be fine, and she definitely wouldn’t fall for her cute—way out of her league—co-worker because that would be stupid and obnoxious and—

Shit.

Chapter Text

The next few days at the bookshop went as follows: Luz would do something cute, like giggle while reading a book, and Amity would become obnoxiously flustered for no reason. Or: Amity would do something stupid, like accidentally drop an entire stack of new books because she was busy staring at Luz, and Luz would feel her heart flutter because Amity was so obnoxiously clumsy and cute that it should be a crime.

Needless to say, very little was getting done.

Not that it was much of an issue considering the bookshop barely received over 50 customers a day, and only a few of them actually bought things. Most of the time when there was no work, so the two girls found other ways to occupy themselves. Amity, still stuck on the third book of the Azura series, would camp out on the counter with her legs crossed, book in her lap, completely engrossed in the fictional world. When Luz wasn't staring at her, still flabbergasted that Amity was reading the books for her, she would either find something else to read, harass King, or play a game on her phone.

As the week went on, the two teenagers fell into a pattern of things. Work was slow, life was fine, and neither of them had done anything stupid yet. 

Well, not until Thursday. 

“Hey look!” Luz exclaimed suddenly, jumping from where she had been cleaning the counter. “It’s raining!”

Amity looked up from where she was lounging on the counter. She was nearing the end of the third book and on the edge of her seat. “Oh?”

It was raining very hard outside. One of those summer storms which rolls in seemingly randomly, pours for either a few minutes or a few hours, and then leaves the world smelling like wet asphalt and happy plants. The sky was almost completely dark, covered in heavy clouds from which rain dumped out ceaselessly. 

Luz ran to the front door and tugged it closed quickly before the splatter from invading raindrops could get inside and make the carpet smell like mildew. She pressed her hands against the cold window and watched as the heavy droplets gathered and dropped from the awning above. 

Amity marked her place in the book with a stray gum wrapper and jumped off the counter, making her way over to where Luz stood absentmindedly staring outside. “I take it you like the rain?” she asked, leaning up against the glass and turning towards Luz. 

Luz fell backward slightly, startled by Amity’s soundless appearance. 

“I love the rain. You can go out dancing and splashing, and the world is so loud but so quiet at the same time, and I just love it!” she exclaimed eagerly.

Amity developed a sort of lovesick smile and had to turn away. “Nerd.” she muttered, but Luz could hear the smile in her voice.

“What?” she teased, “Do you not like the rain?”

Amity took a deep breath and looked out the window. “It’s not that I don’t like the rain, you’re just so cute talking about it.”

Luz went red. 

“I am not cute!” she argued, feeling the blush creep up to her ears when Amity scoffed.

“And the sky’s not blue! The grass isn’t green! The rain isn’t—”

“Fun to dance in.” Luz supplied.

Amity shook her head. “You’re such a nerd. Plus who even dances in the rain? It’s so wet and—”

“YOUVE NEVER DANCED IN THE RAIN?!” Luz shouted before Amity could finish her sentence, “WHAT DO YOU MEAN!?”

Amity shrugged, looking back at the girl. “My parents never really let us do things like that. Such things are ‘uncivilized.’” she said with finger quotes and a pompous tone.

Luz was taken aback, completely shocked into silence, upon learning that Amity had never gone dancing in the rain. “We have to do it.” she said quietly at first. “Amity we have to go dance in the rain.”

Amity frowned, pulling a stray piece of hair from her face. “But we have to stay and watch the shop.” 

“Amity. Look. The shop is going to be right behind us, and it can stand to be by itself for like two minutes while we dance on the sidewalk! Plus it doesn’t rain like this often, y’know, the whole downpour at 80 degrees type shit. Come on!” She begged, grabbing her hand and looking right into her eyes.

The green-haired girl couldn’t function properly for a moment, lost completely in the fact that Luz was both: 

1. touching her hands, and 
2. looking into her eyes like a sad little puppy dog. 

“I—” she tried, words failing her and her face going pink the longer she stared at the girl

“I’m taking that as a yes.” Luz immediately responded, quickly pulling Amity out the door and into the rain.

Amity lurched after her, barely able to stop herself from slipping on the wet concrete. Luz was already in the process of taking her shoes off, so she joined in, throwing her black vans against the door where she hoped they wouldn’t get wet. The rain was already soaking through both of the girl’s first layers of clothing, and the wet fabric stuck uncomfortably to their bodies. Luz’s shaggy hair was plastered to her forehead, and she swept it away in one unsuccessful motion. 

“Dance with me!” She called over the sound of the rain, and Amity tilted her head in confusion.

“There’s no music!” she tried to argue, but Luz pulled her in by her waist, effectively shutting her up.

For a moment of pure bliss, they slow-danced in the thunderstorm, feet splashing into puddles and clothes soaked from the rain. There wasn’t any music, but Luz hummed a tune under her breath, swaying gently while she continued to hold Amity’s waist. All Amity could do was follow her lead, breath catching in her throat whenever Luz would spin her around. 

It was hard at first for her to get comfortable dancing with her crush, but eventually Luz began to goof around, and they both ended up laughing while spinning in circles, neither of them caring about the lightning flashing and thunder rumbling above them. At that moment they were the only two people on earth, the only two people that mattered anymore. The rain had drowned everyone else out and left them alone. It was about as magical as an afternoon could get.

“I’m getting cold!” Luz shouted after a few more minutes of dancing. 

“We could go in…” Amity offered, face falling slightly at the idea of them having to come apart, but Luz had another idea.

She pulled their two bodies closer, slotting herself between Amity’s arms, and wrapping her arms around the other girl’s back. Her head fell on her shoulder, and she settled into the crook of her neck. Amity’s whole body froze at the sudden movement, and it felt as though the wind was knocked out of her. Everything that had previously been cold from the rain was now aflame as she tried to even out her breathing.

If Luz noticed, she didn't show it, continuing to sway them back and forth while the sky fell around them. It was like a scene from a movie. It was like they were falling for each other all over again, but this time officially. 

Amity eventually began to settle down and got enough sense knocked into her to wrap her arms around the other girl. She too placed her head on Luz’s shoulder, and they stood like that for a long while, until the rain began to subside and the thunder had finally rolled across the sky. 

“We should probably go back inside.” Luz grumbled into Amity’s shoulder. “But I’m tired.”

Amity smiled at the sound of Luz all grumpy, squeezing her a little tighter in her embrace. “Well then let's go inside and dry off.” she said softly. “I can read you my book while you rest.”

Luz perked up immediately, pulling her head from Amity’s shoulders. “Really?” she asked, suddenly looking very awake.

Amity giggled slightly at the girl’s newfound energy. “I’ll even do funny voices.”

Luz pulled away but didn't let go of Amity’s hand. “Deal. 100% a deal.” 

“Then lead the way.” Amity said, and Luz tugged her back into the shop.

Chapter Text

As soon as the two girls were inside, Luz shut the door and shut off the neon open sign. 

“What are you doing that for?” Amity asked, wringing the water from her t-shirt. “We’re open for at least 30 more minutes.”

Luz spun around and faced Amity with a rebellious glint in her eyes. “Who’s gonna come to a bookstore in the middle of a thunderstorm Ames? Plus it's not like Eda’s gonna know, or care.”

Amity gave her a dubious look, swiping her book from the counter. “I don't know…”

Luz walked forward and grabbed Amity’s hands again, pulling one down from the book and lacing her fingers through it. “Come on, let’s have some fun! You said you were going to read to me anyways.” She ran her thumb over the back of Amity’s hand and gave her a small smile.

“F—fine.” She stammered, color dusting her cheeks. “But only if you're quiet and don't make me do any more stupid things.”

Luz beamed, “No promises.” She said, and then plopped onto the ground, dragging Amity down with her. 

Once the two of them were settled on the carpet, Amity’s back up against the front of the counter, Luz unlaced their hands and gracelessly plopped her head in Amity’s lap, staring up at her with innocent eyes.

“Read away.” She said, but Amity needed to take a few deep breaths before she could do much of anything. 

Her heart was working overtime, beating as if it were about to jump right out of her chest. She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed that Luz couldn’t feel her temperature spiking. This was both her best dream and worst nightmare come to life. How was she supposed to read with her head right there between her thighs, looking up at her with those pretty brown eyes. 

“You're not reading.” Luz complained, poking the other girl’s face playfully.

“And you're not being quiet.” Amity replied reflexively, and Luz’s demeanor shifted. 

She rose an eyebrow. “Bossy.”

Heat bloomed on Amity’s face. “Just shut up so I can focus.” She replied through her teeth. 

The teenager sighed, “Fine. I like you bossy anyways.”

If only Luz knew what those words did to her.

Amity tore herself out of those thoughts before she could become distracted again, opening the book right to the page she was on before their rain shenanigans. The pages dampened slightly where fingers met paper, and Amity smiled to herself, lost in the memories.

“Alright, where was I? Right, Azura charged, staff held high above her head. She wasn’t about to be tricked again!”

She continued to read, and slowly the rest of the world melted away. No longer was she the girl, dripping wet on the bookshop carpet with the girl she liked laying in her lap. Instead she was lost in a vast fictional world, off battling evil serpents and witches alike. It was why she liked reading so much. It was such an escape from her own life—her own problems—and it was just so easy to get lost in the pages, lost in the words, dreaming herself into a different life far away from her own. 

Luz was enjoying the moment for different reasons. One of them being that she was now totally 100% sure that she was crushing on Amity. She had realized in the rain. It's hard not to fall in love with a pretty girl when she agrees to dance in the rain with you. And, god, she had looked so alive. It was like almost the entire time she had known her Amity had always been a little closed off, a little distant, but while she was in Luz’s arms, thunderstorm raging on above them, it was like seeing her for the first time. She was just so breathtakingly beautiful. Even now, with her rain-soaked hair plastered to her face, droplets falling onto Luz. Even while her makeup ran and her clothes were soaked; she just looked ethereal. It was inhumane for girls as pretty as Amity to exist. What did that leave for the rest of us?

Amity looked down briefly from the book, and her breath caught in her throat. Instead of sitting there peacefully like before, eyes closed while she listened, Luz was looking right up at her, an lovesick look in her eyes.

Her speech faltered, tripping up on her words until she fell into silence. She was completely spellbound, gazing into her eyes like nothing else mattered more on the planet. Luz's mouth gaped slightly to tell her to continue, but no words fell from her lips. The look on Amity’s face was enough to shut her up. She wanted to reach up and pull her head down to meet hers. To kiss her until everything disappeared and the world became nothing but the two of them, but she didn’t move.

“Keep reading?” she asked softly, looking up into Amity’s eyes, unable to tear them away from her enchanting face. 

She had never noticed the flecks of gold scattered around her iris, the pale freckles that were virtually invisible dotting the bridge of her nose, the smudged mascara underneath her eyes, and now she wished she could stop time itself to study her entire face. “Please?”

Amity inhaled sharply and forced her eyes back onto the book. She tried to focus on it momentarily, but the feeling of Luz in her lap, hair brushing against her inner thigh, was too much. It was taking all of her willpower not to throw the book halfway across the room and pull her up into a kiss, but she didn't. 

“Azura stared across at her scaly opponent. She didn't feel fear, but rather pity. Wha—”

She stopped. Luz’s hand had wandered to her arm, and she was holding it rather softly, loosely in her grip. Amity peered back down at the girl, and Luz gave her a tired smile.

“You forgot the voices.” she whispered, running her hand haphazardly up and down her arm. 

Amity blinked a few times rapidly. “Shut up. You're picky.”

"I am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Oh just shut up Luz, you're distracting me." Amity said one last time, giving the girl a challenging glare. 

“Make me.” Luz shot back, matching her tone.

Amity froze.

The tension was undeniable. Luz’s eyes met Amity’s with the sort of longing she had been watching for for weeks, but was now unquestionable. She wanted this too. 

That was all it took.

Amity placed the book down beside the two of them and let her right-hand trail down the side of Luz’s face. Luz shut her eyes, leaning into the touch, and Amity leaned down, lips brushing against hers.

It took Luz a moment to process exactly what was happening but once she did she pressed herself upwards into the kiss. Amity kissed as though asking is this the right move? Touching her gently, their lips only slightly pressed into each other like the ghost of something more, but Luz wasn't going to have any of that. She had been wondering what the green-haired girl would taste like for the past week or so, and she definitely wasn't going to be satisfied with one measly kiss. 

Luz pushed herself up, no longer sitting so that her head was in Amity’s lap. The other girl looked confused for a moment before Luz re-positioned herself, shuffling to straddle Amity’s thighs, pressing her whole body flush against hers, and forcing her to fall back onto the front of the counter for support with a rather loud thud. 

The look on Amity’s face was priceless as Luz swooped in, pressing their lips together again. 

And again.

And again, until the whole world disappeared. 

She ran her arms up and down Amity’s side, clutching onto the still-damp fabric in a way that said: give me more; give me all of you. Amity was happy to oblige, opening her lips further to invite Luz closer to her.

Both of the girls were breathless, heaving against the thin wood of the counter, but neither wanted to break apart. Neither wanted to make any move which might mean the end of this, whatever this was. Maybe it would never happen again , they both thought to themselves. Maybe this was the only chance they had to show each other how they felt , so they just kept kissing.

“Amity,” Luz whispered breathily into the other girl's lips, sending a spark down her spine. “You can—you can touch me, y’know?” 

Amity’s mind went blank, and she sat unmoving, so Luz grabbed her hands and pressed them into her sides. Amity finally got the memo and pushed Luz’s shirt up slightly, running her hands on the clammy bare skin underneath. Luz let out the smallest whine and Amity just about blacked out. Maybe she should have been doing that the whole time, touching her. 

Luz was unable to do anything for a moment while Amity continued to experiment, mapping her bare skin with her hands, every once in a while getting a little bit closer to where her body was screaming for attention. She had been kissed before, but never kissed quite like this. It felt frantic, desperate, slightly careless, and neither girl had ever felt anything quite like it. Neither of them ever wanted it to stop. 

Finally, Luz regained her train of thought and pulled her hand up to Amity’s neck, caressing it lightly. Amity’s whole body stopped working, even her hands going limp.

“Do that again.” she mumbled pleadingly into Luz’s lips. So she did.

It felt amazing, and she melted further into the touch, forgetting to even kiss Luz back. 

“You're going soft on me.” Luz whispered with a soft chuckle, and Amity smiled slightly.

“I never want this to end.” she said softly, eyes flickering open lazily and meeting Luz’s.

Luz felt her heart do a flip. “Your wish is my command.” she replied, and their lips met again. 

***

The two girls kissed until their lips became numb and they had to pull apart. It was near-impossible for them to keep their hands off each other, so Luz decided to just bury her face into Amity's neck and lay there while the two of them caught their breath.

“Well, that was…” Amity said between breaths.

“Perfect?” Luz supplied, smiling into Amity’s side. “Romantic? Adorable?”

Amity’s hand went up to Luz’s hair and she began to pet it, twisting the curls in her hands. “I was going to say it was pretty gay, but that works too.”

Luz pushed off of her and gently punched her in the arm. “You're horrible.”

Amity rose an eyebrow, “Yes, but I'm not wrong.”

Luz rolled her eyes, “I mean, no.” They both broke out into grins, and Luz pulled her hands from Amity’s back to cup her face. “You're so dang cute!”

On cue, Amity blushed a deep scarlet and tried to tear her head from Luz’s clutch. “I am not!”

“Yes,” Luz said matter-of-factly, “You are. And you only get cuter when you blush, so you're not doing yourself any favors now.”

Amity gazed up and met Luz’s brown eyes. “I really want to kiss you again.” She whispered.

Luz’s eyes went wide.“I—” she stuttered, suddenly going red. “I mean, if that is what you would like, I guess that would—”

Amity cut her off with a kiss. This one was much softer than the make-out before, and Luz melted into the touch. The moment seemed perfect and blissful, but that didn’t last.

The door to the front of the shop jingled open, and a young-looking woman stomped into the shop. The two girls were too lost in each other to notice and were surprised when they heard shouting.

“Amity Blight, what on earth is going on here?!” A shrill voice exclaimed, and the girls broke apart rapidly. 

It took Amity a moment to fully process the scene in front of her, but when she did, her stomach dropped, now filled with dread. Her mother.

“Is this where you’ve been off to!? Not studying at the library, but in a stupid bookshop kissing?! Kissing a girl?!? Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in!?”

  Luz pulled herself off of Amity’s lap, face matching Amity’s, bright red in embarrassment. This was not the picture-perfect fairytale moment she had been envisioning. This was a disaster.

“Sorry, mom I—” Amity tried, but Mrs. Blight swooped forward and latched onto her arm, pulling her to stand. 

“You're damp!” she spat with disgust, releasing Amity so abruptly that she fell backward onto the counter. “And I don't want to hear your weak apology. You're coming home with me!”

Luz reached out and tried to hold Amity’s hand in support, but she flinched away, pulling her hand far away from her grasp. “Sorry Luz.” She said, eyes trained on the ground. “I have to go.”

Luz’s face fell and she looked back and forth between the girl and her mother. Mrs. Blight was giving her a repulsed glare, and she felt like doubling over and throwing up. 

With one last glance, Amity followed behind her mother out the door and into the rain. 

And while Luz watched, tears prickling her eyes, she saw the black clouds sprawling across the sky. The air grew heavy while humidity pressed down, as if trying to suffocate those who tried to breathe it in. All was painfully silent—save for the low crackle of thunder—rolling across rooftops the sound of thousands of pattering raindrops. 

For a moment, everything stopped. Even the wind held its breath. A streak of hot silver split the sky, and the downpour began again.

Chapter Text

Luz hadn’t heard from Amity in half a week.

Eda had gotten a handwritten letter from one of her parents saying that she would not be returning to work, but nothing aside from that. The teenager moped around the bookshop, no longer interested in even her favorite books since now the memories of Azura were all tangled up with Amity in a mess of emotions that she couldn’t even begin to untangle. Being with Amity felt like cloud 9, like she was floating high above everything, but it was as though everything had come crashing down, and now she didn’t know what to do.

King had noticed this. Although he wasn’t the most observant cat, he’d noticed the lack of attention focused on him, and the lack of the green-haired girl who always knew how to scratch him in just the right spot. Even when he swished his tail behind a corner, right where Luz was sure to see it and come careening towards him, nothing would happen. It was as if all the light had been drained right out of her.

“Hey, Kid?” Eda asked softly, setting a cardboard box onto the counter. “You look like shit.”

Luz pulled her head up from where it was resting on her arms and met Eda’s gaze. “That’s not very nice.” She remarked.

“Yeah,” She replied, “I know, but I'm worried about you Luz. It's like you’ve turned into a lump.”

“That’s not true,” she argued, but upon looking herself up and down, had to agree. “Okay, maybe?? But what does it matter?”

Eda sighed, dropping her head down to Luz’s eye level. “Hey, I've been there. You miss Amity.”

Luz went red at the name, and she immediately hid her head in the crook of her elbow. “I am not.” She mumbled into the fabric. 

Eda rolled her eyes. “Yeah right. All I’m saying is that you should take the rest of the day off, go get ice cream or something, and go get your girl!”

Luz perked up. “What do you mean ‘get my girl?’” she asked.

“I mean,” she ruffled the top of Luz’s head. “Get your girl. Sounds like she didn’t particularly want to leave, and you know where the Blight manor is!”

“But her parents would never let me in to see her.” Luz argued.

“Throw pebbles at her window! Write a fucking letter! Kid, I know you're much more creative than that.” She raised an eyebrow.

“I am more creative than that!” Luz agreed confidently, sitting up in her chair properly. “I'm going to get Amity Blight!”

Eda smiled, “That’s my girl!”

With a newfound excitement, Luz jumped out of her chair and grabbed her phone from where it rested on the counter. “Thanks, Eda!” she exclaimed, leaning in and giving her a quick hug. “You're the best.”

The older woman grumbled something about hating hugs but squeezed Luz back regardless. “Good luck!” she whispered into Luz’s ear. “You got this.”

Luz smiled, stepping back and slipping out the front door, the jingling of bells following her bounding steps.

***

“Give me your phone goddammit!” Amity shouted. She was standing in Edric's room at the foot of his bed, and for the last 15 minutes had been trying to get her brother to lend her his phone so she could send just one text. She didn’t have Luz’s number, but she did manage to find Eda’s in an old phone book, and she hoped that if she could text her and get Luz’s number, then perhaps she could convince the girl not to hate her. 

“Mom and dad would kill me if they knew I let you text your little girlfriend on my phone.” He shot back, sitting upon his pillows. “Plus I'm right in the middle of a game!”

Amity rolled her eyes, “First, she's not my girlfriend. Second, I'm not going to really be texting her. And third, your stupid game can wait.”

Edric let his eyes wander from the screen and met Amity’s. “Fuck. Off.”

Amity had had enough. This stupid week kept getting worse and worse, and she wasn’t about to let Edric ruin the one good thing she had going for her. With one final act of rage, she swept forward and stole the phone right from his hands. Once she had it in her hands she sprinted in the opposite direction and into her own room, slamming the door behind her and locking it. 

“Oh fuck you!” Edric called from the other side of the door, jiggling the knob angrily to no avail.

“I just need it for five minutes, max!” she replied sweetly, already typing the digits of Eda's number into the keyboard. 

The phone rang a few times before the familiar voice picked up.

“ I swear to god if this is another telemarketer— ” Eda answered angrily. 

“It's not!” Amity replied hastily, “It's Amity!”

The other end of the phone went silent for a moment. “ Amity? ”

“Yeah,” she said, sighing into the receiver, “It's me.”

She heard chuckling. “ Your mother is one hell of a lady. ” She finally said. “ Luz told me everything by the way. I cannot imagine the look on her face! ”

Amity began to relax. It was nice hearing a familiar voice, and she was grateful that Eda wasn’t acting seriously. “It was pretty bad.” She lamented.

“ What's the damage? ” she asked.

“Oh, not that bad considering.”

“ Yeah, I'm pretty sure that your version of bad and mine are pretty different, but shoot .”

Amity leaned back against her door with a sigh with a sigh. “Rest of the summer is on lockdown. No phone for up to 4 weeks, and I’m not allowed to see Luz again. Ever.”

Eda sucked in a breath, “ Um, I’d call that pretty bad Amity .”

“Yeah, well at least they didn’t kill me!” she replied, voice thick with a false enthusiasm that Eda saw right through. 

“ I mean, if that’s a win, that’s a win. ” She said, “ Wait, so then how are you calling me? ”

Amity smiled, eyes shifting to behind her where she knew Edric was likely still slumped against her door. “I borrowed one.”

“ The tone in your voice suggests otherwise, but I'm not going to question it. ” She took a deep breath. “ So then I'm assuming you need Luz’s number? Is that it? ”

Amity’s heart quickened at the sound of the girl’s name. “I—I mean yeah. I would, uh, like that very much.”

Eda let out a breath that sounded like it was between a laugh and a sigh. “ You're both horrible. I’ll text it .”

“Thank you so much, Eda! You're amazing.” Amity said, relief coursing through her body at finally getting the girl’s number. Otherwise, there was a possibility she would never see her crush again, and that was a thought she was not willing to entertain. 

“ I know. ” She replied, “ But it's nice to hear it every once and awhile .”

Amity giggled, “Sure Eda, anytime.”

“ And kid? ” asked, her tone suddenly serious. “ Stay safe, please. And if you ever need anywhere to go, you're always welcome here. ” 

Amity was silent for a moment. She didn’t have many supportive adults in her life, so hearing those words were like a breath of fresh air. “T—Thank you, Eda.” She finally said softly, “Means a lot.”

“ Of course Kid, always .”

“I'll see you around hopefully,” Amity said, feeling the phone buzz with a text message she was assuming was Luz’s number.

“ Oh, you can never really get rid of me .” She joked. “ Good luck .”

Amity sighed, “I’m gonna need it.” And hung up the phone.

***

Luz was halfway up the stairs into her house when her pocket buzzed.

She pulled out her phone to see a text from an unrecognized number.

Unknown: it's amity.

Her breath caught in her throat, and she stumbled to unlock it, almost dropping it onto the concrete.

Luz: amity? is that really you?

She swallowed her eagerness for a moment. This could just be someone playing a practical joke on her or something stupid like that. 

Unknown: yes, and i don't have a lot of time because i stole my brother's phone, but i just wanted to say that i am so sorry. i didn’t mean for that to happen.

Luz felt her stomach drop. She didn’t mean to kiss her, or get caught?

Luz: you didn’t mean to do what? kiss me?

Unknown: OH MY GOD NO NOT THAT I LOVED DOING THAT

Unknown: I MEANT MY MOM!

Luz sighed in relief. 

Luz: oh thank goodness. i loved that too.

Luz: the kissing i mean.

Unknown: me too, but i'm sorry, i can't do that anymore. i'm on lockdown, and there's no way for me to see you again.

Luz’s head began to race with ideas. There was no way she was letting something as magical as this go.

Luz: hey do you remember in book two when Azura got trapped in that tower by Hecate?

Unknown: um, yeah?

Luz: well remember how Malin Gael helped her escape, and Azura was freed?

Unknown: yeah…

Luz: then consider me your Malin. i'm not letting go of this.

Unknown: Luz... i have a feeling you might be thinking up something stupid...

Luz: i thought you liked me when i was stupid.

Unknown: you're always stupid.

Unknown: there's no way anything you are planning will work.

Luz: you underestimate me. don't go to sleep too early.

Luz: ohh and make sure to leave a light on or something

Unknown: Luz…

Luz: it's too late, i'm coming to rescue you

Unknown: we’re both going to get caught

Luz: it's happened once already, and it would just be plain unoriginal for it to happen again. i'm coming tonight. be ready.

Unknown: with what Luz? i'm not leaving forever!

Luz: i know!!! just bring a blanket or something.

Luz: and maybe a helmet. i'm gonna drive.

Unknown: oh boy.

Luz: ;)

Luz: see you at 10:45

Luz: bye!

Unknown: what am i going to do with you?

Unknown: is there any way to talk you out of this?

Luz: no.

Unknown: then i guess i will see you at 10:45

Luz: 😊

Chapter Text

Amity paced back and forth in front of her window, stomach heavy with butterflies and anxiety.

Every free second or two she would look up at the clock mounted above her bed and get a rush of regret all over again. It was already 10:47, and Luz wasn’t here yet. She had no way to contact her if something went wrong, so what was she supposed to do if—

“Hey, Ames?” Emira asked, interrupting her overthinking. The older sibling was peeking through the door, unsure of whether she could come in or not. “Can I come in?”

Fuck. Amity thought to herself. What was she going to do now?

“Um, sure. What's up?” she managed to ask without stuttering. 

Emira relaxed, pushing herself off the door frame and waltzing into the room. “I was just wondering what was going on? You all good?”

Amity’s eyes narrowed. “What do you want?” she asked in a level tone. Emira never asked about her feelings. Not that she ever wanted her too. That would be too weird.

Em’s hands flew up in surrender. “Nothing! I swear!”

Amity frowned in suspicion. “Sure. Did mom put you up to this? I told her I was done talking to her.”

Her sister smiled, “Yeah, I overheard that. I don't think I've ever seen you stand up to mom about something before. That ‘Luz’ must be one hell of a girl.”

Amity colored. “How did you know about that?” 

Em flipped her hair casually. “There isn’t a thing that goes on in this house that I don't know about.” She flashed her sister a smile. “Annnddd I might have also sort of read through your messages on Ed’s phone.”

“Fuck!” Amity exclaimed, feeling stupid. “I knew I forgot to do something!”

Em shrugged. “Whatever, it was cute. So 10:45 then? Where's your knight in shining armor?”

Amity let her eyes flicker back to the window. She couldn’t see anything besides darkness and the silhouettes of the swaying trees outside the property. She had been worried about the girl not showing up since earlier that night, and she struggled to push the thoughts away.

“She’s late.” Amity settled on, trying to not sound too disappointed. “Which is fine because we didn’t make any plans and—”

Plink.

The two girls stopped at the sound and slowly turned towards the window where small stones seemed to be hitting the glass from the outside.

Plink. Plink. Plink.

A small smile crept over Amity’s features. “She's throwing rocks.” She whispered, shaking her head in awe. “She's actually throwing rocks at my window. She's a nerd. I'm in love with a nerd.”

“Loooooovvvvveeeeee?” Em asked teasingly, shoving Amity gently with a huge grin on her face. “My sister is in love?”

Amity blushed again and tried to hide her face in her arm. “Nooooooo.” She grumbled.

“Oh, you are such a lesbian.” Emira said. “Well, what are you waiting for? Escape your tower, princess! I'll cover for you.”

Amity turned towards her sister with a fond look on her face. “Really? You're not gonna tell?”

Em rolled her eyes. “God no! Go live your truth—or whatever the kids say these days.”

Amity gave her sister a grateful look. “You're…okay I guess. You're pretty okay.”

“Wow.” Em shot back unenthusiastically. “Such a compliment. Thanks.”

“You're welcome!” Amity replied, feeling giddy all the sudden and rushing to the window where the sound of pebbles hitting the glass could still be heard.

Emira smiled at her younger sister, feeling a sense of pride bubble in her chest. It was hard for anyone to stand up to their parents, especially one of them , and Em was just glad someone finally did it. 

Sensing that it was time for her to go, the older sister walked out of the room making sure to turn the lock with the skeleton key Ed and she had stolen from their parents a few years back. Now no one could get in, and she would be able to sneak in and out without an issue. 

Amity would owe her.

Amity threw open the window and stuck her head out into the warm summer night's air. 

“Luz you can—” her thought was interrupted by a small stone knocking against the side of her head. “Ow?”

From below Amity heard a small gasp. “Oops!” Luz said in a harsh whisper. “Didn’t see you there!”

Amity shook her head, a grin forming at the sound of Luz’s voice. “Idiot. I missed you.”

She couldn’t see much of Luz besides the vague silhouette of a human being below, but if she could, she would have seen Luz blush deeply.

“I—I missed you too.” She admitted. “Work was shit without you.”

Amity snickered. “I worked there with you for under a week!”

“Yeah, well, I mean it was a pretty great week!”

“Yeah,” Amity agreed, “It was pretty great.”

The two girls silenced for a moment before remembering what they were doing.

“So do you want help down from there or—”

 “Oh yeah!” Amity exclaimed, pushing the window open as far as it could go. She grabbed the drawstring bag she had packed and swung it over her shoulder. 

The window was situated on the second story, but luckily there was a sort of ladder that vines grew on in the warmer seasons. It wasn’t ideal, but Amity had tested her weight on it earlier that day and was pretty sure that if she did fall she would end up okay. It wasn’t that far of a fall.

Amity stuck her leg out the window and felt around for the first wooden board of the ladder. This was a much harder task in the scant light of the moon, but she eventually found a foothold and took the leap of faith out the window. 

Her body slammed into the wall rather forcefully, and she found another foothold, fingers wrapped up in the thick green leaves of the vines. For a moment she just stood there, shaking like a tiny dog, as the rickety structure thumped against the wall slightly, and dirt and dead leaves rained down to where Luz was standing below.

“Shit! Are you okay?” Luz asked worriedly, still trying to keep her voice quiet. 

“I'm fine!” Amity called down, barely remembering to keep quiet.

She was not fine.

She was far from fine. She was hanging onto a structure meant to support plants in the pitch black of night, several stories above the ground. She had a horrible fear of heights. She was terrified of getting caught. She was just plain old terrified of what everything with Luz really meant because she had never felt this strongly for a person in her entire life, but she wasn’t about to tell Luz that.

Instead, the girl swallowed her fears and felt around with her left foot for another foothold. Upon finding one, she shifted her weight and started her descent. It was slow and wasn’t without little moments where both girls thought they were done for, but eventually Amity got almost to the bottom, and her anxiety subsided. 

She was so close to having both feet on solid ground when she felt the structure push away from the wall, and she lost her balance. Her hands flew from the wood where she was keeping still, and she started to fall backward.

She started to yell, squeezing her eyes shut. Except instead of her back hitting the hard ground like she had pictured happening, Amity fell gracefully into Luz’s arms. 

Amity’s eyes flickered open to Luz’s face hovering right above her. Both of their hearts were hammering in their chests, and Luz was breathing heavily. 

“I guess you could say you fell for me .” Luz said with a goofy smirk, and Amity groaned, attempting to push herself out of Luz’s clutches.

“You're incorrigible.” She accused, struggling further in Luz’s rather steady grip. “I never want to talk to you again.”

Luz beamed, her face half-illuminated in the moonlight. “Was it that bad?”

“It was the worst.” Amity replied, “I was going to kiss you, but now I'm turning us both in.”

“Hey!”

“You literally deserve worse. That was so cheesy!”

“You like cheesy!” Luz shot back. “Why else would you be into me.”

Amity scoffed. “I am not into you.”

Luz raised an eyebrow, and Amity’s breath hitched. Their faces were dangerously close, and all of a sudden Amity could do nothing but look at Luz’s lips. “Are you sure about that?” she whispered lowly.

Amity became aware of their two heartbeats, thumping in sync. She felt the other girl’s breath on her lips, and heat rise from her stomach to her chest. Something about the last time they had kissed suddenly made Amity anxious. It was so perfect before, but what if it wasn't like that this time? What if when Luz leaned in and sealed the distance, there wouldn't be fireworks?

Luz’s lips were creeping closer to hers, and she decided to close her eyes. Maybe there would be fireworks. Maybe there would be a fairy tale ending for the two of them, even if the thought seemed impossible. Finally she just let her thoughts go, and when she finally felt Luz’s lips brush against her, she pulled her down by her collar, drinking Luz in as if it were the last time she would ever be able to kiss her again. 

Luz kissed like she was a black hole, pulling Amity closer until she lost touch with gravity — reality — everything that made up the world — and into her. She kissed as if her very life depended on Amity kissing her back; like if she didn’t, that would be the end of everything. It was the build-up right at the top of the rollercoaster, when your stomach fluttered the most, before falling and screaming the whole way down.

There were fireworks.

All of Amity’s anxieties melted away. She was with Luz, of course she would be okay. There was no reason to overthink before, so she just kept kissing her. Their noses knocked into each other a few times as the kiss became hungrier. Amity was still pulling down on Luz’s shirt, and Luz’s face had gone red. There was no way Luz would ever admit it out loud, but it was pretty hot. The whole thing was pretty hot, especially how it seemed as though Amity couldn't get enough of her.

They broke away. 

“Lets…get out of here,” Luz said between heavy breaths. “My car…is in the…front…” she leaned her forehead against Amity’s, and their movements synced again. 

Amity pushed another kiss into Luz’s mouth, disappointed that the moment had to end. “Fine.” Amity said softly. “But we are going to finish this later.”

Luz felt her heart flutter in anticipation. “Of course princess.” she replied, beginning to lower Amity to the ground so that she could hop out of her arms. 

Amity, being as hopeless as she was, stumbled forward a few feet before righting herself. She heard Luz chuckle behind her but decided to pointedly ignore it, reaching backward for the other girl’s hand. 

“Give.” She said, making a grabbing motion in the air.

Luz strode forward and laced her fingers through Amitys. Once she was next to her, Luz leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Amity’s cheek. The green-haired girl blushed deeply, and she tried to hide her face from Luz’s view.

“Are you flustered?” Luz asked, feigning innocence. “From one little kiss?” she reached out her free hand and placed it under Amity’s chin when she tried to look away, tilting her head so that Amity couldn’t look away. 

Amity’s brain raced with all the things she could be doing to the other girl. They were not all appropriate for out in the open, so she clenched her jaw and met Luz with a steady gaze, trying to ignore the blush that hadn't quite subsided from her face.“Luz.” She said through her teeth. “You can flirt with me all you want when we get out of my homophobic parent’s yard. Until then, shut it.” 

The tone in her voice shut Luz up immediately. She thought to make a snide remark about their situation, but she knew it would get Amity even more riled up. Although that was a thing she did rather like the idea of, she agreed with Amity that it was the wrong moment. 

When Luz didn’t say anything else, Amity began to drag the two of them through the yard, careful to avoid any places in direct view of a window. Though it was late, there were no promises that the Blights had gone to bed yet, so it was best for the escapee and her entourage to tread on the side of caution for the night. 

The two juveniles eventually made it to the front gate, and Amity pulled Luz over to the side she knew had a hole. The main gate was almost impossible to sneak out of, but a few years back, during the peak of the twin’s break out habits, Edric had removed one of the bars on the far right of the fence, and to this day it hadn’t been fixed.

“This would have been useful for the first time,” Luz whispered under her breath as they both easily slid between the bars.

“What, did you? Climb the whole thing the first time?” Amity whispered back. The two girls crawled through to the otherside, and she was out safe. 

Amity caught sight of a dilapidated old Saab which she recognized to be the car always parked outside of the bookshop. It had never occurred to her that might be Luz’s car, but upon seeing it in this light, made a lot of sense. 

“Maybe.” Luz replied, attempting to pull her keys out of her back pocket. She almost dropped them a few times, but eventually had them in a sturdy enough hold to unlock the vehicle. 

Amity dropped her hand from Luz, and traced it over the vehicle while she walked to the other side to get in the passenger seat. She was surprised to find that there was barely any dirt or dust on the car at all. “Clean.” She mused. “Did you do that for me?”

Luz looked up from where she was messing with the keys. “I—maybe…”

Amity smiled. “The royal treatment.” She replied, wiggling her eyebrows. Luz couldn’t fully see her face in the light, but she still giggled at the slight movement she detected. 

“Nothing but the best for you, princess.”

“I have a feeling that nickname is going to stick,” Amity said, opening the side door now that Luz had finally unlocked it, and slid into the passenger seat.

“What, do you not like it?” Luz asked, dropping down into the car as well. 

Amity pretended to think for a moment. “No, no I'm pretty sure I like it. It's very cute, but I feel it’ll be more fun if I pretend to hate it.”

“ Princess. ” Luz teased, flashing Amity a smile which made her heart swell.

“Yes darling?” she replied in the same tone. “What do you need?”

Luz turned her attention to the car. “I'm gonna ask you to look below your seat. I didn’t know if you were gonna bring a helmet, so I came prepared.”

An amused smile took over Amity’s face, and she reached below her seat where she did in fact find a helmet. It was bright pink and covered in glitter that flaked off wherever her hands brushed against it. At first glance Amity hated it, but she put it on top of her head anyway. 

“All set.” She said, knocking the top of the monstrosity a few times. “It's absolutely the worst thing I've ever laid eyes on.”

Luz grinned. “Isn't it? Made it myself. Well, the glitter job I mean.”

Amity pulled down the sun visor above her and flipped open the mirror so she could examine the helmet in the light. “Why would you ever do this to something? This is a crime.”

Luz just shrugged. “I was bored.” She turned her keys and started the engine. “Anyways, I may or may not have my night driving license yet, so let's try not to get pulled over tonight, shall we?”

Amity tightened her helmet. “That sounds safe. This seems very safe, and not at all like a deathtrap. For all, I know you could be taking me out into the woods to kill me.”

Luz pulled out onto the road and made a turn onto the empty freeway. “That was the plan, yes.”

Amity punched the air. “Let's go. I've always wanted to be on the news.”

Luz shook her head and chuckled softly. “I always knew I liked you for a reason.”

And with no other cars in view, they sped down the highway, both of them feeling more alive than they had ever felt. 

Maybe there was such a thing as a fairytale ending.

Not that their story was quite over, in fact, it was just beginning.