Work Text:
10 Years in the Future...
Luz erased one line that didn’t look right and looked back up at her subject for reference. Taking note of a few missed details, Luz changed into a more comfortable position in her chair and returned to drawing on her pad of paper. Luz continued this routine of checking and drawing for the last hour-in-a-half as she sat across from the left side of the bed she and Amity shared, trying to capture the essence of her partner onto the paper. Although to be fair, Luz probably didn’t have to keep looking at Amity to make sure Luz got the face right. She memorized those features years ago.
After hearing light mumbling from the bed, Luz curiously looked over and saw Amity shifting in her sleep. Luz watched as Amity then turned over and kept moving her arm to do something that Luz couldn’t see from her angle. Looking up a little bit, Luz realized that Amity was clearly searching for Luz but refusing to open her eyes. So instead, Amity just flopped her hand across Luz’s side of the mattress in hopes of finding her.
Luz had to bite her tongue so she wouldn’t gush at how adorable it was.
Eventually, Amity sat up to look over, only to realize that Luz was nowhere to be found.
“Over here, hermosa~,” Luz said, her voice light and sing-songy. Amity turned around and saw Luz sitting cross-legged in the wooden chair they usually kept in the kitchen. Amity then mumbled something ineligible, only for Luz to translate as: “What are you doing?”
“I got up a few hours ago, and I couldn’t go to sleep,” Luz explained, returning her attention to her drawing, “So I decided that I might as well draw for a bit while I wait for you to get up.”
“What are you drawing?” Amity mumbled as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, “Better yet: Why couldn’t you draw over here where it’s comfortable?”
“You just want me over there so we could cuddle, don’t you?”
“Don’t avoid the question.”
Luz giggled at Amity’s response.
“Well, the reason why I’m over here is that the angle is better.”
“'Angle?' Angle for what?”
Luz said nothing and instead chose to pretend that she was adding something to the paper.
“...Are you drawing me?”
“Maybe.”
“Can I see it?”
“No,” Luz pressed her drawing pad onto her chest, “It’s not ready yet. Because someone decided to wake up a little early this morning.”
“Oh, well, excuse me,” Amity said with a playful tone, “Would the artist prefer that I go back to the previous position?”
“...I mean, I wasn’t going to say anything, but…”
Amity rolled her eyes and lightly chuckled as she laid back down. Her position was almost exactly as it was before.
“Is this better?” she asked.
“Yeah, just about. Although your hand was a little further down the bed.”
Amity adjusted her hand.
“No, a little father.”
Amity adjusted again.
“Ok, now you’re too far. Can you bring it up a little bit?”
And again.
“Alright, you’re close, but now you need to move it slightly between where it is now and where it was before.”
“How about this?” there was a hint of annoyance in Amity’s voice as she looked up at Luz. “I’ll lay down the way I want to lay down, and you just deal with it. Alright?”
“Ok, fine,” Luz shrugged, going back to her drawing. “If that’s the way you want it.”
“...”
“...”
“You were messing with me about my hand placement, weren’t you?”
“Sure was,” Luz instinctively dodged the pillow thrown towards her head. Amity sighed as she laid back down.
“I hate you.”
“No, you don’t.”
“...Nah. I don’t.”
Luz smiled as she continued to draw. For the next few minutes, Amity continued to lay where she was and even fell asleep for a bit as Luz added the last finishing touches. Feeling satisfied, Luz got out of her chair and walked back to their bed to slowly sit down on her side next to Amity.
“Hey,” she gently shook her partner to wake her up.
“Hm?” Amity mumbled, turning her head to the side to peak at Luz.
“The drawing’s ready,” Luz patted a spot right next to her, “You wanna see it?”
Amity shuffled to where Luz had pat and wrapped both arms around her waist as Amity rested her head on Luz’s shoulder. Luz put an arm around Amity in response and lifted the other arm to show her work. Amity stared at the drawing for a minute or two, fully taking in what Luz had made. Eventually, Amity looked back up and warmly smiled at Luz.
“It is unfair for one person to be this talented,” Amity stated.
“Oh, you,” Luz leaned over to plant a kiss onto Amity’s temple, causing Amity to groan in response.
“You missed,” she mumbled.
“Not when it comes to your morning breath,” Amity lightly smacked Luz in the arm.
“Your’s isn’t that better.”
“Exactly. Do you really want to kiss when both of our breaths taste like garbage right now?”
“...No,” Amity reluctantly conceded, looking back at the drawing of her that Luz had made. As for Luz herself, she was too caught up in staring at a different masterpiece: Amity. The golden-yellow eyes that were so warm they could melt the coldest of hearts. The auburn-colored hair that Luz could spend hours running her fingers through. The loving smile that Luz, and only Luz, got to see. As she continued to stare at Amity, one thought had run through her head:
‘I could marry this girl.’
‘Well, why don’t you?’
And it was that thought that caused it all. The brief yet sudden stops in Luz’s heart. The abrupt feeling of panic at the simplicity of four words.
‘You’ve known each other long enough. Amity definitely loves you as much as you do. So, why don’t you two get married? What’s stopping you?’
Luz didn’t know where this voice in her head was coming from, but she couldn’t deny it. As she continued to look at Amity, and the more she thought about it, the quicker that Luz came to a conclusion. A conclusion that both terrified her and excited her.
Amity had finally glanced over to Luz and then fully faced her with a curious expression.
“Hey,” she said, sounding concerned, “What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?”
Luz just smiled and shook her head in response.
“Nothing’s wrong,” Luz kissed Amity’s temple again, “I just really, really love you.”
Amity smiled back.
“I really, really love you too,” she then sat up and stretched, clearly waking herself up, “Alright, now, enough mushiness. We need to brush our teeth because I can’t stand another minute without kissing that pretty face.”
“How can I object to that?” Luz joked as she watched Amity get out of bed and walked out of their room. And as Luz watched her, she had let the conclusion she made live in her brain, practically rent-free.
That conclusion being that she, Luz Noceda, wants to marry Amity Blight.
A Week Later...
Luz stood in front of the door, shifting from foot to foot while debating whether or not she should go through with her decision. Slowly and hesitantly lifting her hand, Luz gently knocked on the door.
“¡Un segundo!” Luz heard her mother call. Luz nervously twiddled her thumbs as she continued to stand at the front door of her childhood home. After a minute or two, Camila opened the door, and her face immediately lit up when she saw who was behind it.
“¡Ay mija!” Camila pulled Luz in the signature Noceda-bear-hug, “¿Qué estás haciendo aquí?”
“I thought I’d come over to visit,” Luz said, “Is that ok?”
“Absolutely, it’s ok!” Camila led Luz inside, “You know I always love it when you visit. Although, I wish you would have called first. I probably would have made lunch for the both of us if I knew you were coming.”
“That’s fine,” Luz said as she took a seat on the couch, “Honestly, I came here just to talk.”
“Of course!” Camila sat right next to Luz, “We haven’t talked in ages! I would be more than happy to talk now.”
“We talk on the phone all the time.”
“Yeah, but not face to face,” Camila pulled Luz into another hug, “I miss my bebé.”
“You do realize that your ‘bebé’ is not a bebé anymore, right?”
“Ay, I know!” Camila whined as she hugged Luz tighter, “I can’t believe that you’re almost twenty-five! Who said you were allowed to grow up?”
“Mom...air…” Luz squeaked, not used to being on the other end of a bear hug.
“Lo siento, mija,” Camila laughed, letting go of her daughter so she could gasp for air. “How are you? How’s your book?”
“I’m...fine…” Luz said between breaths, “And I finished my book last night, too. In fact, my publisher told me that it should be out by the end of the month.”
“Why so long?”
“They said that it would be best to ‘hype it up’” Luz explained, “Apparently, people will be even more excited to read the book once given the time to process that it’s from the human who took down the Emperor.”
“And this publisher,” Camila then looked concerned, “They’re not evil like the first one you dealt with, are they?”
“Probably not,” Luz shrugged, “But mom, I didn’t come here to talk about regular life stuff.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, in fact…” Luz began to fiddle with the bottom of her shirt, “I, um, was hoping to get your advice on something...Amity related.”
“Oh,” Camila now looked nurturing, “Are the two of you ok? Is she treating you right?”
“Yes--YES!” Luz exclaimed, knowing full well where her mother was going, “We’ve been the best we’ve ever been together, and she has been treating me just perfectly. So, don’t worry about any of that stuff.”
“Ok?” Camila now seemed confused, “Then, what do you need advice on.”
“Well, uh, you see...a week ago I came to a certain...conclusion. And I was hoping you would help me figure out if it’s the right call.”
“And what conclusion is that, exactly?”
“That’s a good question,” Luz laughed nervously, “Well, you see, uh, the conclusion--A-hem--the conclusion I came to is that…”
Luz took a deep breath to calm her nerves and looked at her mother with the most sincere expression Luz could muster.
“The conclusion I came to is that I want to marry her,” she stated, “I want to marry Amity.”
“...Oh.”
“Oh?” Luz repeated, “That’s all you have to say?”
“I mean, there’s not much to say, mija,” Camila confessed with a shrug, “I don’t really know what you want me to say about it.”
“Anything! Like, maybe tell me if this is a good idea. Or let me know whether or not I should go through with it.”
“Lo siento, Luz,” Camila patted Luz’s shoulder, “I’m afraid that’s a conclusion you have to come to yourself.”
“I know that! It’s just…”
“Just what?” Camila asked when Luz hesitated just a little too long.
“It’s just that...getting married is one of the biggest commitments to a relationship,” she explained, “It’s right up there with having a kid and deciding to have matching coffee mugs in the kitchen.”
“Not sure about that last one, but alright,” Camila nodded along as she followed Luz’s logic.
“So I know that I shouldn’t go through something like this unless I’m one hundred percent positive. And this past week, this voice in my head kept trying to talk me out of it. But then...But then that all changes when I either look at Amity or even think about her.”
“How so?”
“Well,” Luz let out a chuckle, “You know that feeling you get when you fell in love with someone for the first time? When everything just slows down around you, and all you see is the person you’ve fallen for?”
Camila nodded.
“That’s how I feel all the time when I see Amity,” Luz explained, “People say that those feelings go away after two or three years, but it’s been ten for Amity and me. And I still feel that way towards her. And when I think about her, it’s like...it’s like all I can think about are the times we shared together. The adventures we’ve been on, the times we helped each other grow, and the fact that she is not only the first time that a crush had a crush on me first, but she’s also the first person to love me for, well, me.”
Camila’s smile was warm as she looked at her daughter with understanding eyes.
“After saying all that, it would make less sense for you not to marry her,” she pointed out.
“Yeah, it does, doesn’t it,” Luz admitted, “But should I though?”
“Again, that’s not my decision to make,” Camila told her, “All I can add is that you need to answer one question.”
“Which is?”
“Would you still want to propose to her, even if I tell you that it’s a bad idea?”
“... Do you think it’s a bad idea?”
“That doesn’t matter,” Camila shook her head, “What matters is what you would do even if I told you not to.”
Luz thought about that for a minute. And after a little bit of rumination on her mother’s words, Luz came to yet another conclusion.
“I honestly think I would still propose to her,” she confessed, “No matter what anybody says.”
“In that case,” Camila stood up from the couch, “You wait right here. I’m going to go get something.”
Camila then walked towards, and then up, the stairs, while Luz just sat awkwardly waiting on the couch. A couple of minutes passed, and Camila came back down while hiding something behind her back.
“Now, if you’re really serious about proposing to Amity,” she said, revealing that she was holding a tiny black box, “then you’re going to need a ring.”
Camila opened the box, and Luz gasped when she saw what was inside.
“Dios mío mami,” she said, “It’s beautiful.”
“It’s your abuela’s,” Camila explained, “She wanted me to give it to my first son for when he wanted to marry a girl that he liked. The circumstances aren’t what she had in mind, but the sentiment is about the same, so I’m sure she won’t care.”
“Mom, I can’t--”
“You can,” Camila placed the ring box into Luz’s hand, “And you will. Because I have never seen you happier than when you are with Amity. If you really want to marry her, then I will give you my full support. No matter what. Besides, a pretty girl like her deserves a pretty ring, right?”
Luz smiled brightly, launching herself into her mother’s arms.
“Gracias mamá.”
“De nada, mija,” Camila hugged back, “But before you get down on one knee, you have to make sure you get blessings for this marriage, first. It is the respectful thing to do, after all.”
“Oh, please,” Luz rolled her eyes with a grin as she pulled out of the hug, “The last thing I need is permission from Mr. and Mrs. Blight on whether or not I can marry their daughter. Mostly because I already know that they’ll say no.”
“True, but it’s not those Blights that I’m talking about.”
“Oh?” It then clicked in Luz’s brain for what her mother had in mind, “Oh...Oh, no. That’s not going to be fun…”
The Next Day…
When Luz walked over to the storefront, she looked up at the flashing sign above the shop.
‘Blight’s and Blight’s Joke Emporium,’ she read, feeling a nervous swirl in her stomach as she walked through the door.
“Ding-Dong!” an automated voice came from a speaker above the door. Luz recognized it as Edric’s “Welcome to Blight’s and Blight’s Joke Emporium! A store that takes a name that started with evil and melancholy and turns it into a name filled with fun and tomfoolery!”
Luz got a look at her surroundings, taking note of the relatively large interior filled with shelves that held many potions and props that Luz knew were to be used for one thing and one thing only: Pranks.
“Here at Blight’s and Blights’ Joke Emporium, we have goofs, gags, and galore!” Emira’s voice now came from the speaker, “All at a low, low price, we guarantee to satisfy any trickster with the intent for mayhem!!”
“Warning:” It was Edric’s voice now, “Blight’s and Blight’s does not condone using our merchandise for actions of malicious intent, or acts of revenge...Unless the person is so nasty that they deserve it. In which case: Go nuts!”
Luz couldn’t help but giggle at the ‘warning’ as she began to search through the store. It seemed more troublesome than she thought to find two people in their own store. Luz first assumed that the Blight twins would be at the front desk, but a helpful clerk said that Ed and Em were probably somewhere in the aisles, checking merchandise. Which led to Luz walking down aisle after aisle, searching for any sign of dark green hair, matching outfits, and suspicious smirks. After taking a small break to briefly examine items called ‘shrunken-head potions,’ Luz felt a light tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw a semi-muscular male witch, who was clean-shaven and looked close to Luz’s age. He currently smiled at her in a way that was absolutely meant to be charming, as his pearly whites practically gleamed in the store’s light.
In other words, Luz had no idea why this guy was standing in front of her.
“Hey,” he said, winking at Luz.
“Um...Hi?” Luz gave a polite wave, still confused as to why this man was talking to her.
“So, there’s this place down the street that sells this human concoction called ‘co-fay,’” he told her, “Would a nice girl like you care to join me for some?”
“Oh…” This was definitely new for Luz, “Um, I’m sorry, but I already have a girlfriend. Well, partner, really.”
“And you passed the test!” the man exclaimed, making Luz feel even more confused.
“What are you--” but before Luz could say anything, the man disappeared into a puff of blue smoke, forcing Luz to cough while waving the smoke away. Once the smoke was cleared, she saw Edric and Emira, with matching suits, top hats, and canes. At the moment, they were golf-clapping at Luz.
“Nicely done, Ms. Noceda,” said Edric, “Gotta say, I really love the fact that you didn’t hesitate when turning the guy down.”
“But, we gotta take away points for apologizing to do so,” Emira playfully added with a shrug, “I’m sorry, but that just implies that you regret not joining him.”
“Or, it implies that I didn’t want to hurt his feelings,” Luz pointed out.
“A likely story…” Emira gave a faux glare, which lasted about a fraction of a minute as she was soon smirking again.
“But enough about tests,” Edric said with a dismissive wave of his hand, “Right now, what can we do to help you, LUZ THE HUMAN! DEFEATER OF THE EMPEROR!”
Luz jumped when Edric seemingly called that out for the rest of the store to hear.
“Yes, what can we do, LUZ THE HUMAN!” Emira joined in, “WHO IS A CLOSE FRIEND OF OURS THAT IS ALSO INTERESTED IN OUR MERCHANDISE!”
“...Hang on,” Luz said, now feeling suspicious herself, “You guys aren’t trying to use me for promoting your store, are you?”
Both Edric and Emira gasped at the same time, both of them placing a hand onto their chests.
“Of course not!” said Edric.
“We would never!” said Emira. And on cue, a teenager walked into the side of the aisle that Ed and Em faced away from. Said teenager was holding a cardboard cutout of Luz.
“Um, Boss? Other Boss?” he called, “What do you want me to do with the--”
“Not now, Tristopher!” Edric called, neither him nor his sister looking at the employee.
“Um...my name’s not Tristopher. It’s--”
“We said,” this time, both Ed and Em looked down the aisle to glare at the employee, “Not. Now.”
Slowly, the poor kid shuffled back where he came from and rounded the corner. Once ‘Tristopher’ was gone, Edric and Emira looked back at Luz with the fakest of smiles.
“Seriously, though,” Emira squeaked, “What brings you here? Did you finally see our ways and decided to pull a prank on Mittens?”
“Oh, absolutely not!” Luz said with a shake of her head, “Besides, I’m sure Amity would kill me if I even considered using any of this on her.”
“Fair.”
“Although,” Luz began to fiddle with her hands, “The reason why I’m here is Amity related.”
“Let me guess,” Edric grinned, “You’re here because you want our permission to marry Mittens.”
Luz was shocked by Edric’s guess.
“How...How did you know?”
This time, it was Ed and Em’s turn to look surprised.
“Wait, I was messing around,” Ed admitted, “You actually want to marry--”
Emira slapped a hand over Edric’s mouth, shushing him severely. Looking back and forth in the aisle, Emira pulled Edric aside, and the two of them began whispering so Luz couldn’t hear them. Eventually, they both turned to look at Luz, their expressions uncharacteristically serious.
“Maybe we should go talk somewhere a little more...private,” Emira said, waving her hand so Luz would follow. The Blight twins then led Luz all the way to the back of the store, stopping at a door that must have led to their office. Edric then opened it and motioned for Luz to enter. When she went through, she noticed how dark their office was.
“Hey, can we turn on a--” suddenly, the door slammed behind Luz, leaving her standing in pitch blackness. “...Light.”
Before she knew what was happening, two hands forced Luz into sitting down on a chair, and a bright light lit up in front of her face. On instinct, Luz turned away at the brightness until a hand forced her head to her left to face Emira.
“So, Luz Noceda,” Emria’s tone sounded threatening, “My brother and I have a few questions we liked to ask you.”
“Um, ok?” Luz was both confused and a little anxious about how serious they were being. She then looked to her right when she felt Edric place a hand on her shoulder.
“Now,” he said, “we just want to ask: What, exactly, are your intentions with our baby sister?”
“...Excuse me?”
“The two of you have been dating for, what, ten years now?” Emira asked with a quirk of her eyebrow, “It’s kind of weird that you’re just now deciding to marry her.”
“It’s almost as if you want something out of it,” Edric stated.
“You mean other than a chance to spend the rest of my life with her?” Luz sounded as though she had no idea what was happening. Probably because she didn’t.
“Yeah, but you could spend the rest of your life with her anyways,” Emira pointed out, “Why the sudden interest to put a ‘ring on it?’”
“Are you hoping to inherit something, perchance?” Edric wielded his cane menacingly, “Such as a joke shop with merchandise that is...to die for?”
“Wha--that doesn’t--I don’t...!” Luz understood that her stuttering made her look like a criminal caught in the act. But the truth was, she just didn’t understand where these accusations were coming from, making her flustered in the process. She still struggled to form an actual sentence until both Edric and Emira then burst out laughing at Luz’s current state of mind.
“Oh-ho-ho, man!” Edric squealed, “You should see the look on your face!”
“Priceless! Absolutely priceless!” Emira clapped her hands together, and the whole room was filled with light. Luz just sat where she was forced into the chair, staring at both Edric and Emira as they doubled over laughing.
“Was...was this another test?” Luz asked with a tilt to her head.
“No, no, no,” Emira breathed out, trying to calm herself down, “We were--Ha HA! We were just messing with you.”
“We--Hehe!” Edric let out one last giggle before getting himself under control, “We never got a chance to do the whole ‘Don’t you dare hurt her’ talk when you girls started dating. So, we saw an opportunity, and we took it.”
“And let me just say,” Emira held out her fist for Edric, “Worth it.”
“Absolutely,” Edric and Emira bumped fists.
“Ok…” Luz finally spoke up, “Now, back to me marrying Amity--”
“Yeah, go for it!” Emira chirped up.
“We got no problems with it,” Edric said with another dismissive hand wave, “Besides, you’d make a great sister-in-law! Better than the one I already have.”
Emira then slugged Edric in the arm.
“OW!” Edric glared at Emira.
“Don’t look at me like that!” she growled, “You insult my wife, I punch you in the arm. It’s only fair.”
“But she never lets me pet Puddles!” Edric whined, “I bet if Luz had a pet griffin, she would let me pet it.”
“Puddles is not a pet. Puddles is a medical assistant! And crap like that is the reason why Viney won’t let you pet her!”
“Guys.”
“WHAT?!” Both Edric and Emira turned to look at Luz, their eyes full of anger. Luz shrank in her chair in response.
“I appreciate the sentiment,” she squeaked, “But you do realize that I’ll only be your sister-in-law if she says yes, right?”
Ed and Em stared at Luz, looked at each other, and then back at Luz with their eyebrows raised out of skepticism.
“Luz?”
“Yeah?”
“She’s gonna say yes.”
“Because she is head over heels in love with you,” Edric stated, “Seriously, you weren’t there when she was getting ready for your first date, but it went a little something like this:”
Edric drew a spell circle, and an illusion of a fourteen-year-old Amity started frantically pacing around the room.
“Oh man, what should I wear? What should I wear!?” the illusion shrieked, “Should I go with something casual or formal? I mean, it’s not really that big of a date, so maybe she’ll be fine with something casual? But what if she’s expecting something formal? And what about my hair? Should I wear it up or down? Because she might like it down, but then again, she’s never seen it worn down. So what if she hates it? That’s not worth the risk!”
The illusion then stopped in its tracks, its eyes wide.
“Oh my gosh, what if she kisses me?” the illusion asked itself, only for its expression to soften in a dreamlike manner. “Oh my gosh, what if she kisses me?”
The illusion’s eyes suddenly went wide with terror.
“Oh my gosh, WHAT IF SHE KISSES ME?!” now the illusion started running back and forth in a frantic way, “I need lipstick! No. I need breath mints! No, wait. I need lipstick and breath mints! Why would I think I need one or the other? It makes no sense!”
The illusion then went poof in a puff of blue smoke. Luz looked up at Edric and Emira, who still had their skeptical eyebrows raised.
“She’s going to say yes,” They both repeated.
“...Yeah. Yeah, Amity's absolutely going to say yes,” Luz got out of her chair and shook both Ed and Em’s hands, “Thank you for...whatever that was. Now, if you don’t excuse me, I have an important engagement to get to...you see what I--”
“We did, and it was painful,” Emira patted Luz on the shoulder, “Leave the comedy to the professionals, alright?”
“Ouch,” Luz said, turning on her heel to walk out the door. Luz felt a bit lighter as she started to leave the store, now knowing there was less pressure to proposing to Amity. Because now she knew there was no way of her saying no.
‘It's just a simple question, Noceda,’ Luz thought, ‘You got this!’
That Night…
‘It is not a simple question, and you do not got this!’
Every ounce of confidence that Luz had from her talk with Edric and Emira went out the window once Amity came back home. Because the second Luz saw her partner’s face, it became all too real that Luz was about to completely change their lives.
So as they sat on the couch for their weekly movie night, Luz was in full panic mode as she sat at the other end. The ring Luz had felt as though it was burning as it sat in her pocket.
“Hey,” Amity’s voice took Luz out of her thoughts, and she looked over to see Amity staring at Luz with a mischievous grin.
“What are you doing all the way over there?” Amity asked, patting the spot next to her. “Why don’t you come a little closer.”
“Um, ok,” Luz then scooted a centimeter over to Amity. Amity stared at her with a raised eyebrow.
“Really?” she sarcastically asked, getting out of her seat and sat right up close to Luz, wrapping her arms around the human in the process. “There. Isn’t that better?”
“Mm-hm…” was all Luz could get out as she put an arm around Amity in the process. And as Amity rested her head onto Luz, she really hoped that Amity wouldn’t question Luz’s sudden heart rate.
‘Look, just ask her, ok?’ a voice in Luz’s head (that oddly sounded like Willow’s) told her. ‘It’s not that big of a deal. Just take the ring out, and say four little words. It’s that simple.’
Luz put her free hand into her pocket, tightly clutching the ring box within it. But instead of pulling it out, she remained frozen in place, the box remaining right where it was.
‘Ok. Still a little nervous, huh?’ the voice guessed, ‘That’s fine. Instead, ask first and then pull the ring out. That still works, right?’
“Hey, Amity,” Luz kept her voice still.
“Hm,” Amity mumbled.
“There’s, um...There’s something I want to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“Well...Do you--” But just as Luz turned to look at Amity, Luz’s ‘courage’ had once again left her as beautiful golden eyes looked at Luz’s way. Said golden eyes were filled with worry and confusion at Luz’s hesitation.
“Do I…” Amity prompted.
“Do you...Do you think we need more popcorn? I think we need more popcorn!”
Luz then jumped out of her seat and grabbed the half-full bowl of popcorn off the coffee table. She had spoken so quickly that it took Amity a while to process what had been said.
“Wait, what? No, Luz--”
“I can’t hear you!” Luz called from the kitchen, “I’m too busy making us some more popcorn!”
‘This is going to be harder than I thought,’ was all Luz could think as she started heating up more popcorn.
Two Days Later…
“Oh my gosh, you’re wearing shoes with laces on them!” Amity exclaimed with a grin, “What’s the special occasion?”
Luz chuckled as she sat on their bed, tying her shoelace. She was almost done when Amity had just walked into their bedroom.
“I’m meeting with my publisher later,” Luz explained, “Apparently, they want to go over how to promote the book. I only agreed to meet just to make sure that they don’t use my status for promotional material. I want people to read it for the story, not because I’m the one who wrote it, you know?”
“Yeah, I understand that,” Amity went to sit next to Luz and placed a hand on her knee, “But I also want to live in a home that isn’t a tiny apartment. So, maybe, just flaunt your title just a little bit.”
“Fair,” Luz leaned in to give Amity a peck on her lips, “But we’ll be making the big bucks soon! Once my book is out there, and you get your job in the Empress’ Coven, then it’s goodbye, crappy apartment! And hello to the nicest house money can buy!”
Amity cleared her throat.
“While still being inexpensive,” Luz added in, “Of course.”
“Better.”
“How’s that whole ‘joining the coven’ plan going, anyway?”
“It’s funny that you mention that because I also have a meeting today,” Amity said proudly, “Lilith says she wants to ‘discuss my position in the coven.’”
“Which is boss-talk for ‘you’re in!’”
“Perhaps…” Amity tried to keep calm, but eventually, she started to beam with excitement, “But, yeah. That’s what it is!”
Luz squealed, pulling Amity into a hug.
“Congratulations!” Luz said, “And hey, make sure to show off that magic of yours. Maybe have a cool entrance. Show off the staff you made.”
“Way ahead of you on that,” Amity escaped the Noceda-bear-hug and stood up, “I actually came in here because I’m looking for Percival. A palisman that likes hide n’ seek is adorable but inconvenient for when I need to go in a hurry.”
“I’m sure that slippery snake is hiding in my nightstand again,” Luz smirked, “I guess he learned to obsess over me from watching you.”
“Har-har,” Amity walked to the nightstand on Luz’s side of the bed, “Very funny.”
But as Amity began to walk over, alarm bells went off in Luz’s brain. Because she kept the engagement ring in her nightstand drawer.
“DON’T OPEN THAT!” Luz screeched, launching herself off the bed, and stood between the nightstand and Amity. Amity was surprised at first, but soon enough, a smirk of her own grew on her face.
“What’s in the drawer?” she asked, her tone playful.
“What’s in the drawer?” Luz felt her insides twist with nerves, “Well, um…it’s…”
‘Just tell her the truth,’ the voice returned, ‘That way, you won’t have to worry about it anymore. Sure, Amity might be distracted all day because of the news and--
‘NOPE!’ A new voice took over, ‘Can’t risk that when she’s meeting with Lilith! Abort! ABORT!’
“It’s nothing!” Luz lied, making it pretty clear that she was hiding something.
“It’s something for me, isn’t it?” Amity guessed.
“What? No.”
“Ooo, the way you said that means it’s definitely for me,” Amity walked closer, forcing Luz to practically pin herself against the drawer. “C’mon, what is it? Is it a birthday present? An anniversary gift? Or is it--”
“IT’S NOTHING, OK?” Luz shouted, “SO DROP IT!”
Luz only snapped because she panicked about Amity seeing the ring. But when seeing Amity’s expression morph into a mix of shock and heartbreak, Luz immediately wished she hadn’t said a word.
“No, no, no, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!” Luz reached out to Amity, but she walked away from Luz’s grasp. It broke Luz’s heart to see that.
“Oh, please don’t be upset,” she begged, “Look, you can see what’s in the drawer, alright. It doesn’t matter now.”
“No, no. I-It’s fine,” Amity’s voice crack made it clear that wasn’t fine, “I...I shouldn’t have pushed. It’s clear what’s ever in there, you don’t want me to see it. I should’ve just respected that. I’ll go look for Percival somewhere else.”
Amity turned to walk out of the room but stopped at the door. She then looked back at Luz with hope in her eyes.
“I love you,” was all that she said.
“I love you too!” Luz said without an ounce of hesitation, making Amity smile again. When Amity left, Luz opened her drawer and, sure enough, there was Percival, sitting on the ring box.
‘I really need to find a better hiding spot for this thing.’
Three Days After That…
Luz and Amity were in a fancy restaurant, celebrating that Amity finally got a position in the Empress’ Coven. Sure, where they ate was one of those places where they could barely afford the bread, but they both insisted on going. Amity claimed that it’s been a while since they’ve had a night out. Luz, on the other hand, had a different reason.
‘What’s a better place to propose than at a restaurant?’ she had thought, ‘Sure, it’s cliche, but it gets results!’
At the moment, they sat right by the window, the moonlight mixing with their candlelit dinner. Luz thought it made Amity look even more stunning, along with her hair braided nicely, her makeup absolutely popping, and the black dress that Luz loved was practically sparkling. Luz looked nice too in the suit she wore, but looking at how beautiful Amity looked was inspiring. Because it gave Luz the extra bit of confidence that she needed to want to propose.
They were halfway through their meal when Luz finally decided that it was about time.
“Hey, Amity,” she said.
“Hm?” Amity looked up from her plate, and while those golden eyes still made Luz nervous, she just as quickly squashed those nerves as she reached in her pocket for the ring. Just as Luz was about to say something, the entire restaurant gasped, and both women looked to see what happened. They realized that all eyes went to a couple all the way on the other side of the restaurant. Sure enough, a man was currently proposing to the woman in front of him.
‘Oh, You have got to be kidding me,’ was the first thing Luz thought when the woman said yes. ‘Actually, you know what? No. It’s totally ok for you to propose right now. Sure, those two made it less special, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still do it, right?’
Luz brought her attention back to Amity, only to find her partner glaring at the now-happy-couple.
“I hate that,” she grumbled, causing a cold sweat to appear on the back of Luz’s neck.
“I’m sorry, what?” Luz squeaked, her hand, for some reason, still wrapped around the ring box. Amity then leaned closer and spoke in a hushed tone.
“Look, I’m sure those two are probably going to be happy together,” she said, “But that doesn’t mean that guy should put his girlfriend on the spot like that. It’s fine to propose in private, but to make a public spectacle about it? That just puts the other person in a spot where they think that they have to say yes. I mean, you saw the look on her face. It’s clear that she wants a second to talk about this, but that wouldn’t have made her look good, would it? Seriously, how desperate can you be for a ‘yes’ to put someone in a position where they couldn’t possibly say no?”
Luz let go of the ring box and slumped in her chair.
“Probably pretty desperate,” she mumbled.
“Ugh, sorry. Couldn’t help but rant for a bit,” Amity returned to smiling at Luz, “You were going to say something?”
“It’s nothing,” Luz couldn’t look at her, “Just forget about it.”
“...Luz?”
“I said, forget it!” Luz would be the first to admit that came out a little more harsh than intended. But she was upset and couldn’t help herself. Nothing could make Luz feel better at this moment. Not even when Amity placed her hand over Luz’s.
“I love you,” Amity prompted.
“Yeah, I love you too,” but Luz’s heart wasn’t in it as she responded. And when Amity’s hand slowly slunk away, something in Luz’s brain told her that something’s wrong. But she just shook away that concern as she was still worried about the proposal.
‘I’m going to need some help.’
And the Morning After That…
Willow’s watering can hit the floor when Luz had given her the news.
“You’re planning to do WHAT?!” her shriek might as well have echoed throughout her greenhouse.
“I’m planning to propose to Amity,” Luz repeated, wholeheartedly thinking that Willow didn’t hear the first time. Willow then smiled a broad smile, running to hold Luz into the signature Park-bear-hug. Known to be ten times more bone-crushing than the Noceda version.
“Congratulations!” Willow exclaimed, “You better believe that I one-hundred-percent support this decision. Because I could not be happier to have my two best friends spend the rest of their lives together.”
“Glad to hear it,” Luz said as she pulled away, “Especially because I really need your help with the whole ‘proposal’ thing.”
Willow’s happy smile almost instantly got replaced with an annoyed frown.
“Of course you do,” she sighed, pinching the brim of her nose out of annoyance, making Luz feel offended.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Luz asked.
“It means that whenever you two have problems with your love life, as in doing things for each other, you always come to me for a solution!”
“That’s because you’re an expert,” Luz shrugged.
“How?” Willow challenged, “How am I an expert? I’ve dated one person, for seven months, in the last ten years. How can I be an expert?”
“Because you’re great at giving advice?”
“Yeah, but the thing is, every bit of advice I offer the two of you is pure. Logic. You could literally tell anybody about your problems, and they would say the same things that I have said over the years.”
“...Fair.” Luz conceded, “But, seeing how you’ve handled mine and Amity’s problems more than anyone else has, you could make the argument that you’re an expert on us?”
Luz’s nervous smile did nothing to help her case, but it did make Willow roll her eyes.
“What do you need?” she asked reluctantly.
“Well, planning to propose to Amity isn’t really the problem,” Luz explained, “The problem is actually going through with it. Either I chicken out, life gets in the way, or some outside force just ruins the moment. And I just...I want to get it right, you know?”
“Ok…” Willow looked as though she was thinking carefully about what to say, clearly invested in wanting to help. Suddenly, her face lit up with an idea.
“What time does Amity get off of work tonight?”
“Around eight,” Luz supplied, “Why?”
“Alright, here’s what you do:” Willow grabbed Luz by the shoulders to get her complete attention. “You are going to take Amity to a place so private, yet so important to the both of you. On top of that, it should be a place that is so romantic that you couldn’t possibly make some other excuse for why you’re there. Which means that you wouldn’t be able to talk yourself out of the proposal. Got it?”
“...That’s...That’s PERFECT!” Luz’s eyes were shining, “Thank you so much!”
“You can thank me by making me the Maid of Honor,” Willow joked, “Which I better be when you go through with this.”
“Oh, you are absolutely the Maid of Honor,” Luz said, “And don’t worry. I am going to go through with it. In fact, I already know the perfect spot.”
Later, At Eight Thirty-Five…
“Sorry again about the blindfold,” Luz said as she guided Amity through the forest, “I know that it’s already pretty dark out, but I don’t want to ruin the surprise.”
“It’s fine,” but Amity herself didn’t sound ok. If anything, her voice was kind of small. Usually, Luz would pick up on it, but she was so busy trying to make sure that they were going the right way that she didn’t even think much about it.
“Hey, Luz,” Amity spoke up.
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
“Uh-huh, yeah. I know,” Luz nodded, still not entirely paying attention, “Anyways, we should be riiiiiiight here!”
Luz stopped Amity in her tracks and took the blindfold off of her. The second she could see again, Amity realized where they were.
“The tree we made at Grom?” she asked, fully taking in the gigantic cherry blossom in front of them. Luz used the distraction to her advantage by sneakily pulling the ring box out of her pocket and hiding it behind her back.
“What’s with all the carvings on it?” Amity questioned.
“Yeah, I asked Bump about that when I came here the other day,” Luz shrugged, “Apparently some kind of ‘urban legend’ went around that if you carve the initials of you and your Grom date on the tree, the two of you should be destined to stay together forever.”
“Oh…” Amity once again sounded upset, and this time, Luz caught on to it.
“Hey, are you alright?”
“Yeah,” Amity lied, “Just..curious of why we’re here.”
“Right. That…” Luz felt the nerves boil inside her again, but she couldn’t back down. Not this time.
“You see, um,” Luz stuttered, forcing herself to push through, “I brought you here because I wanted--I needed-- to tell you something.”
Amity sighed, turning to look at Luz with a blank expression.
“I...might actually know what it is.”
“You do?” Luz felt her heart skip a beat.
“Yes, I do. You were pretty obvious about it,” Amity tried to keep her voice even, and Luz assumed that it was to hide her excitement.
“Look, just…” Amity hesitated before continuing, “Just go ahead and say it. I’m sure you have your reasons, and I swear that I won’t be upset.”
The ‘upset’ part made Luz curious, but she shook her head and took a calming breath.
‘I guess there’s no point of denying it now,’ she thought, ‘But I might as well try and make it romantic.’
“Amity,” Luz said, “We have been together for about ten years now.”
“Mm-hm,” Amity nodded with a whimper.
“And those ten years have been...incredible...and amazing, and--” Luz was starting to get choked up, holding back tears of happiness, “And every time I look at you, my days get a million times better. I’m both the happiest and luckiest girl in the world because someway, somehow, I managed to have you in my life. And I love it. And I love you very, very much.”
“...Ok?” Now Amity seemed confused, but Luz didn’t think much of it as she went down on one knee.
“And I don’t ever want that to end,” Luz pulled the box from behind her back, “So I just have one question to ask you.”
Luz opened the box to reveal a golden engagement ring with a small, bright red-ruby. The second Amity saw it, her eyes went wide, and she used the classic move of covering her mouth with both hands to hold in a gasp.
“Amity Blight, will you mARry--” Luz cleared her throat, not expecting the sudden voice crack, “Will you marry me?”
Amity’s eyes went back and forth from looking at the ring and Luz, not saying anything. Briefly, panic came back to Luz, making her think that she might have made a mistake.
And then:
“I thought you were planning to break up with me.”
“...”
“...”
“...WHAT!?” Luz shrieked, immediately breaking down laughing.
“Don’t laugh! It was a legitimate concern!” Amity’s face was now red. Luz couldn’t tell if it was from anger or embarrassment.
“I-I’m sorry! I’m sorry,” she said between laughs, “It’s just--HahaHA--It’s just that’s not what I was expecting. Why--hehe--why did you think I wanted to break up?”
“Because you’ve been so weird and distant lately!” Amity was definitely leaning more towards annoyed, “Just last night, you became so cold when we went out to eat!”
“Oh?” Luz smirked, “You mean the night you told me that you hate people proposing at restaurants?”
Luz could practically see the points click into Amity’s brain when she realized what Luz meant.
“But...but your nightstand,” Amity pointed out, “You snapped at me because I invaded your personal space.”
“I snapped at you because I didn’t want you to see the ring,” Luz explained, “I hid it in there, and I didn’t want you to see it and get distracted during your meeting with Lilith.”
“...Movie night!” Amity said with a snap of her fingers, “On movie night, you wouldn’t come anywhere near me and became so desperate to get away when I snuggled up to you!”
“Because my heart was practically in my throat from being nervous about proposing to you!”
“Why were you so nervous?”
“Because I thought you’d say no.”
“How on Earth could I ever say no?!”
Luz blinked in surprise, taking a second to consider Amity’s words.
“Does that…” Luz lifted the ring again, “Does that mean it’s a yes?”
Amity beamed.
“Of course it’s a yes!” she didn’t hesitate from answering as she ran over and gave Luz an enthusiastic squeeze.
“Of course it’s a yes,” Amity repeated softly in Luz’s ear, “I love you so much, and I would go down to the courthouse right now if it meant that I get to spend the rest of my life with you just a little sooner. Because the idea of losing you would tear me apart.”
“So when you thought I was going to break up with you,” Luz brought up, “That whole thing about not being upset--”
“Was a complete and total lie,” Amity admitted, “I was planning to stay strong, but I would have immediately broken down crying the second you would leave.”
“Then it’s a good thing that I’m not going anywhere,” Luz said as she pulled away and presented the ring again, “Not in your lifetime.”
Amity let out a watery chuckle and lifted up her hand. Luz then took the ring out of the box and gently slid it onto Amity’s finger. The second it was on, Amity then pulled Luz into a soft yet passionate kiss, better than most they’ve had in years.
“I love you,” Amity whimpered when she pulled away, crying happy tears instead of the sad ones she had been expecting.
“I love you too,” And this time, Luz meant it with all of her heart when she said those four sweet words.
***
As Amity laid down in their bed, she did nothing but stare at the ring, a warm and loving smile on her face. Even when Luz laid down next to her, and Amity instinctively rested into Luz’s embrace, Amity’s eyes were still glued to the ring.
“I love you,” was all she said, making Luz grin.
“Are you talking to me or the ring?”
“I can love you both,” Amity quipped, getting a laugh out of Luz, “It’s so beautiful.”
“It’s my abuela’s,” Luz told her, “My mom gave it to me and made it seem like it was important...So, no pressure, but please don’t lose that.”
“The only way I’ll lose this thing is if I take it off. Which is never ever going to happen, by the way. I love you too much to take this off.”
“And I love you too,” Luz kissed Amity on her temple, only to briefly chuckle again, “Which why I can’t believe that you thought I wanted to break up with you.”
“Ok, listen,” Amity finally tore her attention away from the ring to look at Luz, “If you were in my shoes, you would be suspicious too.”
“Suspicious is a weird way of saying paranoid, but sure.”
Amity said nothing, looking contemplative and a little disheartened as she went back to staring at the ring. The sight did not sit well with Luz.
“Hey,” Luz pulled Amity in tighter, “You know I’m only joking, right?”
“Yeah, I know,” Amity looked back at Luz, “But you’re right. I was being paranoid. It’s just...It’s just that I’m still not used to the idea that something good can happen to me for no reason. So my dumb brain jumps to the worst-case scenario when something bad happens between us. Or even when something good happens between us. Sometimes I’m actually afraid that one day I’ll wake up back in Blight Manor, and the best ten years of my life was just a dream.”
Luz’s smile was that of sympathy and understanding. She then leaned in to gently kiss Amity, pulling only a centimeter away.
“Did that feel like a dream?”
“...No,” Amity sighed happily and leaned in for another kiss.
And then another. This one was softer and more full of love than the first two.
“I love you,” Amity whispered when she briefly pulled away.
“I love you too,” Luz said between new onslaught giggles.
“Now, why are you laughing?”
“Because people think that I’m the soft one, but this is probably the twentieth time you said ‘I love you’ in the last half-hour.”
“Probably is,” Amity shrugged, “But I don’t care. Because I am so happy right now, and I will say, ‘I love you’ as many times as I want.”
Amity quickly left a peck on Luz’s lips.
“I love you.”
Then her chin.
“I love you.”
Then her cheek.
“I love you.”
Then her other cheek.
“I.”
Her nose.
“Love.”
Her forehead.
“You.”
Now Amity began to kiss random parts of Luz’s face, causing her fiancée to giggle with each little peck.
“Ok, ok! I get it!” Luz giggled, holding Amity back so they could lovingly stare at each other. “I love you too. And I can’t wait to marry you. Whenever that will be.”
“Yeah…” Amity seemed content as she said that, but then her expression turned into something analytical. “...Yeah…”
Suddenly, Amity’s eyes went wide, and she shot out of bed to then run out the door. Leaving Luz stunned and confused as to what just happened.
“Um, mi amor?” she called out, “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to the living room so I can start planning!” Amity shouted from the other room.
“...Planning for what?”
“For our wedding! What else?!”
“...Ok, you do realize that we could just do that tomorrow, right?”
“If we want to get married next year, sure. But I’m making a point to marry you as soon as physically possible.”
“Alright?”
“So, if I’m not back in bed by eleven, I’m going to need you to bring me back.”
Luz looked over at their alarm clock and relaxed at what she saw.
“Oh, ok then,” Luz went back to lie down, “So, I guess I’ll check on you in an hour.”
“No, I didn’t mean PM. I meant AM.”
“Aaaand, that’s a big ol’ nope!” Luz kicked off the covers and got out of bed, “Because it would be insane of me to just let you stay up all night to plan our wedding.”
“Hey, you’re the one who got down on one knee! You knew what you were signing up for.”
‘She’s got there, Noceda,” Luz thought.
“Luz, while you’re up, can you tell me what floral arrangement you want?”
‘...And you wouldn’t change it for anything in the world,” Luz smiled, walking out of their bedroom to talk Amity out of her craziness. Because so help her, Luz will drag her fiancée back to bed if she has to.