Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Flaxen-colored walls reflect the dim glow of the various hanging green lights that envelope the space. The dark tone of the evening outside the window, paired with the black tables, give a sort of nostalgic comfort to those who come in. These feelings are only proved further when matched with the smells of hot coffee and baked goods, along the low sound of indie music playing in the background. The chime on the door rings:

“Have a good night, you two! Thanks for stopping in!” Amity proclaims happily to the young couple walking out of the cafe, smiles on their faces. She pauses her wipe-down of the bar to re-tye her mint-green hair, which has apparently gotten too unruly for her in the past few hours. She sighs, contently, taking in the silence beyond the quiet murmur of Fleet Foxes playing overhead.

 It was a pretty slow night at Hexbux, the campus-run coffeeshop. This was normal for a Wednesday when it wasn’t midterms or finals time. The barista shudders when she reminds herself of those few weeks, having watched the zombie versions of former students pile up at closing, prying at the locked door for a final espresso shot. Luckily, besides those working on some essays, finals were finished and the routine went back to normal. Students still had work to do, but being the second to last week before Hexside University started their winter break, many kids were breathing a sigh of relief.

 Looking at the clock above her on the wall, Amity could see it was almost 9:30. She only has half an hour to kill until she closes up and heads back to her dorm, Clawthorne Hall, which is only a 5 minute walk away. If she still has the energy when she gets back, she’ll skim over her Lajer-Burcharth book again for her presentation on Friday. She wanted to impress the professor with her advanced reading, seeing as junior-year was when most art history majors read this historian’s work.

To say that her parents were disappointed in her decision of a major was...an understatement. Honestly, the greenette doesn’t know how she just got away with a few screaming matches, restricted phone access, and half of her allowance being taken away, but there’s always going to be a sacrifice when it comes to the Blights. Luckily though, having wanted this path since highschool, their youngest daughter already had her debate points prepared to gain their approval. 

Art history, especially when she gets to the more specialized classes, can be extremely rigorous and academic, constantly writing papers and doing research. It was a “smart” subject, and one that would be seen as impressive by philanthropists and the upper classes who “truly appreciated the arts and their worth”. She remembers almost gagging when she uttered that phrase, but she knew that her mother loved upholding the Blight status as aristocrats, so it worked in her favor.

Overall, she reasoned that her love for art history would not bring judgement nor shame to the family. Considering this, her parents gave her an ultimatum: She could study art, but, she must focus on classical art, get an internship by sophomore year, and that after graduation, they will place her in a directorial role at one of their acquaintance’s museums.

The greenette grimaces at the thought of that future, and tries to focus on the circular motions she’s creating with the sanitizing rag in her hand. It’s not an ideal situation, but Amity has already secured an internship helping her advisor, Miss Lillith Clawthorne (of whom her dorm is named after) as a teaching assistant in the Art History department. Plus, she still has to take classes about artistic philosophies and styles from all over the world before she can even tell the professor she wants to focus on classicism. 

Besides that, this is only her second year, so she can still plan a way out of her parent’s decided career path for her, right? This is partially why she has this job at Hexbucks: If she could make a little money on the side, maybe her separation from her family won’t be so bad in the future.

 Before she could pull herself further into her thoughts, she hears a crash from the corner of the store, causing her to jump and drop her rag. She glares at the source of the noise, not surprised and even more annoyed when she locks eyes with the wide-eyed, short-haired girl who’s already on her knees and attempting to pick up the shattered remains of a ceramic mug. She rolls her eyes, sighing just loud enough to cause the other girl to tense and pause her actions from where she was on the floor. 

Her big, brown eyes look up at the worker apologetically. “Uh, uhm i-i’m sorry!” the customer exclaims, clearly trying not to lose herself in her anxiety, “I’ll clean it and I promise to pay for the dam-” 

“Don’t worry about it” Amity says, but not in her usual customer service voice, she’s just too tired of this routine, “I’ll clean it in a moment just..go back to your seat.” she says dismissively, already turning away from the still-nervous student in search of the broom.

This girl has been driving Amity crazy ever since she switched to the weeknight shifts at the start of the year. 

It’s now December. 

The pale student only works three nights a week, but every time she’s working this ball of maddening energy happens to be there, sitting in the same exact spot. She doesn’t know why she’s there (school work? Daily routine?) but, she spends the total of the Blight’s shift, usually 5 hours, typing on her laptop. 

She’s also always the last person out before closing time. It drives the mint-green girl up the wall, knowing she can’t even start breaking down the bar or count the register JUST IN CASE this one student decides she wants a muffin or a latte at the last second. They never do, but she knows the one day she starts closing early, something will be needed.  Because of this, she refuses to learn the other girl’s name out of spite.

Generally, the brunette is loud and clumsy- constantly breaking something, spilling someone’s drink, or making inhuman noises whenever she comes in with what are probably two of her friends. The girl is always extremely apologetic, though, so the Blight never lets her fury last longer than necessary to get her feelings across. 

Plus, according to Skara who has the shift before hers and is usually the one to take the unknown girl’s order, she makes up like 20% of their shared tips. So, overall, she’s begrudgingly fine with cleaning up after the bumbling idiot as long as she didn’t get in trouble and still got $10 more than she’d expect at the end of the week.

 Amity looks back at the clock, 9:40. She walks up to the shattered remains of the cup, noticing that for once, the brunette actually finished her drink before it fell. 

“What happened this time?” she asks in a tired tone similar to before. She refuses to look at the other student, but can sense the repressed anxious energy radiating from her. 

“Uh, well, you see I was typing my essay and I forgot this guy’s name and I was like ‘RAAGH’ trying to find it online but I couldn’t find it ANYWHERE so I finally went back in my notes and what’s in the top corner? Voila! His name! So I got so excited after searching for the past HOUR that I pumped my fist in celebration! But, I realized I bumped into something and, well, you can see what my fist hit... heh.” 

 Amity, who swept in silence while waiting for the monologue to finish, finally looks at the tan girl rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment. 

“Oh my God,” Amity thinks, her eyes widening for a moment, “ She’s actually an idiot.”  

Quickly regaining her composure, the barista makes quick work of the trashed mug. She chimes in one more time as she makes her way behind the counter, picking up her discarded rag from earlier: 

“Just be more careful next time. What is that, the 5th mug in 2 months? I don’t know why we don’t make you pay for them.” Looking back at the table, she almost feels guilty as the pixie cut becomes forlorn, her brown eyes downtrodden,

 “I know, I really am sorry. I’ll try to be calmer in the future.” Her tone is soft and introspective, and she gives a sincere look towards Amity before returning to her laptop.

 “Thanks..” the barista responds quietly after a few moments, then looks back at the clock: 9:45. Well, better start counting the cash, she supposes.

---

Having worked here for almost a year, the green-haired girl quickly finishes the money counting and the closing requirements of the store. By 9:58, the Blight holds the door keys in her hand, taking off her apron and putting on her light beige scarf and coat as she leaves the back room for the final time that evening. She sighs in annoyance when she notices the computer screen in the corner.

 “ Not again..” Amity pinches the bridge of her nose to calm herself before speaking. 

“Hey!” she barks, not too loudly but definitely enough to cause the other girl to squeak in surprise, “the store’s closed for the night. You need to leave so I can lock up.” She finishes her command bluntly. 

“Roger!” the other girl says excitedly, standing and giving the greenette a faux-salute, to which she receives a blank expression in return. 

Unphased, Amity watches as the brunette girl’s unwavering grin continues as she packs her things. Luckily, the student only has her laptop out, so once she shoves it (yes, shoved. Amity doesn’t know how it isn’t broken) into her bag she quickly hops out the main entrance. The barista follows close behind, immediately locking the door as soon as it closes entirely. 

As she does, she hears the voice of her dreaded patron, “Bye Amity! Get home safe! I’ll see you tomorrow, kay?” before hearing footsteps run into the distance. 

Amity doesn’t respond, and instead focuses on getting to her own dorm. One thing lingers on her mind, though: “ How long has she known my name?”

Chapter Text

It’s been a long day for Luz, with Thursdays always being her worst, schedule wise. Besides wanting to complete a double major in Literature and Art history (plus a concentration in art), she had to run all over campus between the two courses. It’s a lot of work, sure, but she couldn’t decide! Why give up all of your passions for just one? Yeah, she might have to work on assignments for hours on end every night, make sure she’s keeping up with her advisors, and make sure her grades stay up enough that they don’t make her drop a subject, but it’ll be totally worth it! 

She anxiously thinks about her slowly dropping GPA. A 3.5 was pretty good, not like she was ever a genius, but then after midterms it went down to 3.45. It wasn’t like she was slacking or anything, just sometimes she was late to her classes or missed an assignment in sacrifice of actually going to sleep on time. Luckily, she was in a class that the professor liked her in, so they let her make up a few pieces of work to go towards her final grade. She knows that this wouldn’t always happen, though, so she needs to figure out her school path before things really start to slip.

 This is the brunette’s second year, but that meant the year where you had to give a tentative idea to your advisors about what you’d want to major in. It could be a lot of pressure for some, but Luz’s two advisors, Eda and King, seemed more stressed than she was about her situation. Since she had to start focusing on her workload, she decided to try going to the school cafe a few months back for a fresh place to work, and she’s never regret it.

Having ADHD, the girl was surprised to find that once she sat down in her corner seat and began her work, she could tune out the world for hours. With the smell of coffee, the consistent background noise, and the mutual desire to not be bothered, the brunette found herself losing track of time. And she often did, much to the barista, Amity’s, annoyance. She always got her drink- a large chai tea latte with a pump of vanilla- from the other girl, Skara, so she’s never seen the shop’s closer in full customer service mode. 

And honestly, she’s kind of afraid to. Since the first time she walked in to see the patch of green behind the bar, Luz has made a constant embarrassment of herself and often caused trouble for the girl in the process. 

The barista did try in the beginning, politely reminding the student about the closing time and telling her not to worry when she broke something, but that wore off after about a month. Considering it was usually just the two of them once 9pm rolled around, and she always came back, she assumes that Amity felt like she could relax her hospitable personality around her. 

And Luz, being the kind-hearted person she is, would let her, seeing it as an exchange for her constant misactions in the store. 

It’s not like they ever really had to speak to each other. They’d sometimes exchange words, but it was usually a blunt comment from the greenette or a rambling excuse from the latina. They’ve never even gotten close enough to talk about the school they both go to, no matter how much she wants to.

 “ I wonder what Amity studies..” Luz thinks in passing, zoning out as she walks back home from her final class of the day. The e-girl looking staff member seemed to be around her age, but she’s never seen her in any of her classes. Sure, she's usually late and sits towards the back, but she’d see the students’ faces as they left the room, having to use the same door at the end of class. She’s seen her around campus, usually coming out of the library or one of the main lecture halls, but never somewhere that would give the latina a better clue.

Considering Amity’s attitude, Luz suspects she probably does something serious like calculus or chemistry.

  “Maybe she’s in ECON” she snickers to herself, remembering how one tried to impress her at a freshmen party by explaining the stock market in full detail. The girl can be rude in private but even she’s not as bad as some of these “business bros” she’s met at various gatherings in the past two years. 

Before she can continue on that line of thought, though, she finds herself outside of her dormitory, “Edalyn Commons”. Luz always found it so cool that she got to live in the dorm named after her advisor. Eda (as she prefers to be called, threatening the poor girls’ life if she ever called her “miss” or by her last name) explained that only long-time professors who have made an “impression” on President Bump over the years get this privilege. 

“A ‘good’ impression?” Luz asked her advisor, egging her on. “I never said that. ANYWAY-” 

Luz smiles after recalling their conversation, swiping her key and entering her double room. Eda was so cool, like if your aunt had a rebellious phase that never really died but then realized she liked reading and found a way to make some money from it.

Opening her door, she peers into the small bedroom. Like any dorm, when she first arrived it was pale and boxy, filled only with the basic 2 beds, closets, and desks. With that forethought, Luz decided to go all out in decorating the space in her second year. Luckily, her roommate from freshman year, Willow, was fully on board. Now, when someone enters their room they are immediately surrounded by Azura posters (Luz’s passion) and an array of potted plants (Willow’s passion). She never ceases to smile when she sees the glitter and bright pinks and greens surrounding her. 

“Hey, Luz!” the girl hears from the opposite end of the small room. On the bed furthest from the door, the student turns to see her pale roommate sitting on her comforter with a book showing various plant seeds on the cover and a pot of dirt in her left hand. 

“Hi, Willow!” she greets excitedly, hopping over and hugging her roommate who giggles at the contact. “Whatcha doing? Another test coming up?” the latina asks. 

“Nah,” the horticulture major responds, “Just a personal theory. You know Boscha, right?” Hearing the groan at the mention of the infamous rugby captain, Willow takes that as a yes and continues, “Well, she handed me a few seeds she said she ‘found’ around her dorm room, and I’m just trying to figure out what they could be.”

Luz and her roommate stare inquisitively at the dirt-filled container, where the asian girl planted a few to see how they would sprout. “Wait, isn’t Boscha like, the main dealer on campus?” the pixie cut girl asks tentatively.

 “Uh, I guess so but what does that have to do wi-” Willow stops and stares at the planted seedlings. Luz snorts, “Oh my god! Willow you should know what those seeds look like!” instead of replying, the black haired student glances up to her laughing roommate with a look of horror,

 “I’m a criminal, Luz…” They both pause in seriousness but quickly break down into a laughing fit. 

After a few moments, the bespectacled girl calms down “Ugh, okay so I have to get rid of these, then. Wanna come watch their funeral as I dump the dirt outside?”

“Yeah, why not? I’ll sing a mourning song to really get the point across.” 

“Okay,” Willow says, getting up off her bed and checking her phone, “lemme just get my stuff for dinner-”

 “Dinner?” Luz questions, also taking out her phone to check the time, “OH SHOOT SORRY WILLOW I HAVE TO GET THE CAFE BYE!” By the time the asian girl lifts her head, she only sees their bedroom door swinging from the force the brunette used to open it. She sighs with a lopsided smile and texts their mutual friend, Gus.

• W: “Hey Gus, Luz just went to the cafe to work, wanna join her with me?”

• G: “Hell yeah! I have a huge sociology project due so the cafe is the perfect place to stalk other humans.”

• G: *study

• “You do realize that calling them ‘humans’ instead of ‘people’ is still creepy, right?

• “Yeah yeah i’ll meet you there in like 20 mins so we can do some human watching together with Luz, okay?”

• “(y)”

Chapter Text

Classical art, to some people (especially the types of folks the Blights hung around), is seen as the pinnacle of artistic talent compared to anything else in the world. It’s considered a bourgeois style, with all of the historical, artistic, and cultural references the old artists used to convey a scene or tell a story in one image. To pinpoint the historical inspiration for a work or the reason they chose to depict a greek hero was a great way to impress the often unimpressed aristocracy. So, if Amity could entertain guests with tales of Jaqcues-Louis David’s love life while he painted the Sabine Women , her parents would be more than pleased with her choice.

 She wouldn’t mind gallery work, but to be thrown in a directorial position, especially at such a young age, was terrifying to her. Especially at a museum she’s never even heard of before, how else are people supposed to see her besides as just another trust fund kid who got special treatment? Honestly, she really just wants to become a professor; to write books on her research assignments and to peer review other student’s work. What can she say? She loved academia.

She didn’t mind the need for her to study classicism- you could learn a lot by how compact it was with information, but it was confusing beyond all else. The word ‘classicist’ meant something slightly different than having something ‘classical’. Then there were the terms ‘classicism’ versus “neo-’ classicism”, of which the latter is meant to harken back to the “original” style. 

Thing is, nobody really knows when that style began or ended. Even then, how could Nicholas Poussin from the 17th century and Eugene Delacroix of the 19th century, both say they’re classicists? What does that even mean at the point Delacroix is saying it? Miss Clawthorne has attempted to explain it to Amity in the past, but even she got confused after looking at their definitions for too long. For a style so focused on rationality, it’s history and art make no sense to the young Blight.

 The pale student personally enjoyed abstract and fantastical art from artists like Heiryonymus Bosch or John Bauer. They were confusing but in a way that she wanted to understand and learn more about them. It may also be partially because they remind her of her favorite fantasy book: Azura the Good Witch. But her parents would never allow her to pursue this career if she cared for such “mediocre” or “irrational” artists. Although, thanks to Miss Clawthorne, the greenette would be her teaching assistant for an “Art of the Northern Renaissance” seminar next semester. In that course, she would be able to learn more about Bosch and his theories while still proving her internship to her parents. For once, Amity found a happy place between pleasing her family and studying an artist she truly wants to.

After submitting her assignments for next week in advance, the greenette starts getting ready for her last shift of the week at the cafe. While doing her class work, the girl keeps her hair down to avoid a tension headache, but she quickly ties it into its usual half ponytail. She’s put her hair in this style since childhood, and even if her hair now reaches to her collar bone, it still does it’s job of keeping it out of her face. 

She stares at the brown roots growing in and frowns, remembering the weekends where she was forced into the salon chair by her mother, who wanted it blonde instead of her father’s “displeasing” brown. Amity let her mother do this throughout highschool, the arguments never being worth it since she would be too stubborn to even let her control her hair. 

Now in college, she dyed the blonde to a green shade similar to her favorite character from her childhood book, Azura. The Blights never came to any college events, with the excuse of their work, so the student felt pretty secure in none of them finding out what she’d done. Besides, she can always re-dye it if they ever chose to stop by.

Forgetting her family woes, Amity focuses on changing into work appropriate attire. She puts on her work shoes, which look more like rubber boots due to the nature of her job and the additional factor of a very clumsy customer. She then puts on a thin, black turtleneck and pairs it with a pair of maroon skinny jeans. The holiday season is coming up, so the Blight opts for her red apron instead of the usual green. She shoves the garment in her bag, grabs a granola bar to snack on, and heads out of her dorm room.

---

It was a normal day, with Amity entering the shop and noticing the computer screen in the corner with annoyance. She waves to Skara, before going to the back to clock in. She comes out as the shorter barista hands a patron their drink before she signs off the register and prepares to leave for the evening. Before she does, though, she walks up to the Blight to ask how she’s been, not having had the time to see each other outside of work. 

After some chatting, Skara mentions a sports party Amelia is throwing at her house tomorrow night. 

“You should totally come!!” the shorter girl exclaims, pushing her animated face up to Amity’s. 

Fighting the urge to grimace, the barista turns away from the excited girl in front of her, about to reject the offer, but is cut off by the rugby player,

 “Pleaassee?? It’s been so long!” She drops her head back dramatically before looking at her with pleading eyes. 

The Blight sighs in defeat. She can’t win when her ex-teammate/friend/coworker gives her her infamous puppy dog eyes. 

“I’ll...i’ll think about it” she responds quietly and hears Skara gasp in excitement, “Text me the details, in case I do end up wanting to go.” The barista finds herself wrapped in a quick but tight hug by the smaller girl.

 “Eee it’ll be so great if you do!” She does a small dance in excitement before looking at her phone. Amity watches her face go from overjoyed to being filled with dread.

 “Practice starts in 10 minutes, oh shoot Boscha’s gonna kill me!” her coworker quickly speeds out the front door to escape the rugby captain’s wrath. As she opens the shop doors she shouts,

 “I’ll text ya later, okay!?” but before the Blight can respond, she’s gone.

Shaking her head at how lively that girl can be, she starts looking over any tasks she may have to do behind the bar.

 “Maybe I should go? Skara won’t let me use homework as an excuse.. ” Mulling over ideas to get out of tomorrow’s plans, Amity signs into the register up front.

 She was never a fan of parties, especially the ones the sports teams put on. The sweat, smell of cheap beer, the fact that her “friends” would get drunk and ditch her to make out with random dudes in the bathroom- yeah, they weren’t her scene. 

What she loves is going to the day events around campus, buying clothes off the lawn from other students or taking a trip to the Bonesborough Museum with nothing but some headphones and a sketchpad. 

Then, a realization hits Amity:

 “When was the last time I even went out?” 

She can’t even measure how long it's been since she’s last seen the group of rugby girls.

 Guilt creeps up in her mind, knowing she had been avoiding Boscha and the rest around campus to focus on work. Finals are over now, though, so she can only assume they think she’s ditched them. Sadly, even if they weren’t all that close, she considers them as close to friends as she’ll get at this point in her life. Not wanting her mood to bring her down, she finishes her work at the register and shifts into barista-mode. 

---

An hour or so passes with only a few customers, so the barista decides to re-read her old Azura novel as she reminded herself of it earlier. She always kept her childhood copy in her bag for sentimental reasons, and she’s happy to flex its binding once again. It is a children’s book, so the writing isn’t nearly as strong as she thought it was when she was younger, but the nostalgic joy it gives her is something she really needs.

 She loves college- being away from her parents, studying things that interest her, the feigned idea that she was a functioning, responsible adult, etc.- it all appeals to her. Issue is, the work and stress of keeping up appearances has really gotten to her this past semester. Her mom had called 3 times this past week, which is something she does often to serve as a reminder to Amity that she had to earn their approval. So, why not distract herself during this moment of down time with a story of a green-haired witch who befriends her enemies?

 No, she does not realize the irony at play here.

Apparently getting lost in the story, she doesn’t notice the figure walking up to her. She suddenly hears a gasp from the other side of the counter, 

“YOU read AZURA?!” 

She can already feel the headache come on as she realizes the owner of the loud voice. Amity shuts the book in annoyance, but does a double take after registering the girl’s question. 

Looking at the brunette, who’s shining brighter with joy than she’s ever seen, the Blight meekly replies,

 “Uh, yeah. I’ve read it since I was a kid..”

 “Really?!” The other exclaims, “Oh man I never thought i’d see someone, especially someone like you, reading these!” Amity raises her eyebrow. Luz realizes what she said and starts to backtrack,

 “Eh, no offense, but you just don’t strike me as the fantasy type.” 

She hears the barista snort, for the first time seeing any semblance of a smile that wasn’t forced during customer interactions. 

“Well,” Amity replies, looking at the book with a fond gaze while thinking over her earlier musings, “maybe there’s a lot you don’t know about me.” 

Luz is silent, not wanting to break the worker out of her moment, especially since she doesn’t know when she’ll see her like this again. She tries to ignore the growing warmth radiating in her chest at the sight.

 Finally, she watches the girl snap her attention back to her, “Anyways, did you need something?” The book is placed on the counter and the moment is gone.

---

With that the brunette asks for a refill, waiting at the edge of the counter to take it directly from the Blight. She says thanks with a smile but receives nothing but a turning away back to the register from the other. Little did she know that the other turned to hide her embarrassment from their previous interaction.

Amity didn’t want the girl to know about her, or her likes and dislikes, or her love for a kid’s book which she should be way too mature for. Now though, knowing that the student also liked Azura, some of her built-up spite against her began to crumble. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to talk to her?

 Suddenly, she sees a mobile order pop up on the register’s screen, and she forgets her train of thought on the subject of the girl in the corner.

---

As Amity prints the receipt for the mobile order, she hears the bell chime at the front entrance. She quickly turns to greet the two students and notices that she’s seen them before with her nemesis. They weren’t bad- pretty nice patrons actually, but they definitely got their friend more excited than when she’s alone. The greenette worker begins her spiel:

 “Hi, welcome to Hexbucks! What can I-” She watches the boy, wearing a black and blue polo with jeans, cut her off with a wave. He makes a shushing motion towards her before turning to sneak up on their friend at the corner table. Amity and Willow share a look and the plant student shrugs, not stopping the boy in curiosity at what will happen.

Honestly, the Blight was curious as well. She truly was intrigued by the brunette’s apparent focus when it came to her work. It was almost impressive how she could spend hours on end in this place where there’s usually a patron talking on the phone or a blender going off, but she doesn’t even think the girl heard the door open a few moments ago. Amity watches as Gus takes one or two steps at a time before pausing and calculating his next line of movement. 

After what feels like ages, his back is pressed lightly against the back of the brunette’s chair. Amity notices the seated girl sticking her tongue out in concentration, still none the wiser to the upcoming attack. She almost feels bad for taking her out of the moment, but the tension the boy built up in the past minute took away any remorse she may have had.

All of a sudden, the boy jumps up, gripping the girl’s shoulders, 

“HEY LUZ!”

 A quick reaction came in the form of a scream from the brunette and a crash as she pushed herself over in her chair out of surprise. There’s a moment of silence as they all process what happened, but the trio of friends quickly burst into a fit of giggles. The Blight stifles a laugh herself, too caught up in the student’s fall to notice the name her friend called her.

Gus, still chuckling, goes to help the brunette up as she wipes a tear from her eye. In the moment she opens them, she glances towards the front of the shop where Amity resides, and she sees an odd sight.

 The girl was laughing. 

It wasn’t really noticeable, as the greenette hid her smile behind her fist to mimic a cough, but Luz could tell. As they never really interact, to see Amity smile genuinely two times in a day made the warm feeling in her chest grow even stronger. 

“We should really talk about Azura, sometime” she thinks fondly.

 Sadly, and all too quickly, the laughter dies down and the barista gives her a look of confusion. She realizes a goofy smile overtook her features while staring at the girl and that she should probably acknowledge her friends.  

“Hey, you guys!” she grabs Gus, pulling him down into a chokehold to scruff his hair. Ignoring his protests, she continues “What brings you here?”. 

“Eh,” Willow shrugs, “we didn’t have any big plans for dinner, plus we wanted to hang out with you, so we thought we’d stop by”.

 Letting go of the sociology major, Luz jumps in excitement and is happy to pull over another table so they could sit together comfortably. After calming down, the pixie-cut girl warns the other two,

 “Okay, but I'm working on a project for Eda, so I don’t think i’ll be much fun…” She looks at the floor with guilt in her expression. Even though she wants to hang out, she’s stretched to her limit in terms of time. 

“Hey, don’t worry about that,” Gus pats her on the back reassuringly, “we’re happy to just hang around. We both brought our work too,” He points to Willow who throws up a peace sign at the mention, “so it'll be more like a study session than a hang out.”

Luz smiles as they all sit down and get comfortable before they all switch into “work mode.” Willow studies various forms of ivy, learning about its uses in nature and in decorating. Gus, on the other hand, seems to be watching Amity very closely, holding the notepad close to him as he goes between looking and writing something down. The barista hasn’t noticed, but Luz is kind of afraid of what’ll happen to him if she does. She chuckles to herself before turning back to her computer screen and typing away once more.

Chapter Text

7:00 pm rolls around and the trio decide to take a break. 

“So,” Willow is the first to speak and she turns to her roommate who gulps at the sudden attention, “Have you and the barista gotten any closer yet?” 

The brunette groans while slumping in her chair, “Nope, pretty sure she still hates me.” She puts her hands over her face,

 “I broke another cup last night..” she mumbles between her palms. 

“Again?!” Gus asks, a little too loudly as a few fellow patrons and Amity turn in surprise at the sudden noise. Luz only nods in response, which gains some snickers from her two tablemates. Noticing her dejected attitude, Willow pats her back sympathetically,

 “Ah c’mon, hate is a strong word.” she ponders what to say next, “Maybe you guys should just talk it out? I wouldn’t like being judged solely on my actions and not my personality.”

 Luz snorts, her spirits already lifting, some,

 “Yeah it’s easy for you to say when you aren’t the one committing those actions. You know the phrase, ‘Actions speak louder than words”? She only receives an eye roll from the girl in response when Gus decides to join in. 

“Well what about my new phrase: ‘Hey, we’re both 20 and we should be able to have a civil conversation like adults.”

 “Ooh, I like it!” Willow says as the two high five.

 Luz looks between them, sighing, “Fine, i’ll try talking to her more but don’t be surprised if we all get banned from the café in the process.”

 “Oh, please,” her bespectacled friend reassures, “you may be clumsy, but if you could talk me into rooming with you for another year, then I'm sure you’ll win her over.” 

The brunette smiles, “Thanks Will-, wait what’s that supposed to mean?!” and she playfully nudges her at the insult. 

Coming back to the conversation, Luz continues, “Well, I did learn Amity reads Azura.” 

“No way!” Gus exclaims in a whisper, having learned his lesson from before, “That’s like, your favorite book right?” The latina gives a response in the way of a large grin and finger guns,

“That’s right, my dude!” 

“Huh,” Willow begins as the two look at her, “wouldn’t expect her to be into that kind of stuff. Every since I saw her in class reading Plato-” 

“You, what?!” Luz practically jumps from her seat to stare at the shocked horticulture major. 

Not having learned the same lesson Gus was taught before, the brunette realizes what she’s done and looks around, only to lock eyes with the previously mentioned barista who stares into her soul with a cold glare. She gulps, giving a wave and nervous smile as an apology before slumping back into her seat in embarrassment.

 “Okay,” Gus starts, picking himself up from the table, “while Luz panics over simple information, I'm gonna get something to eat, you guys want anything?” Luz just raises her cup to him and Willow asks for a matcha latte and a wrap.

 As he leaves the table, Willow feels her friend pull her closer. Leaning in as if they’re discussing something illegal, 

 “You what?!” she whispers.

“Uh, yeah, we had a theater class together. Have I not mentioned this?” the bespectacled girl asks. 

“You have not” Luz says slowly, gears turning in her mind, “Do you know what her major is?”

 “Yeah, she’s doing Art History, like you.”

 “Really?!” the brunette asks with enthusiasm but also confusion, “How come I’ve never seen her?”

 “Well,” Willow begins, giving the other student a pitying smile- one which the girl knows she’s about to be read for filth with, “Remember when Eda told you that the survey courses were useless and you should leave them until your final year since they’re easy and so you took 200-level courses all year?”

 “Yeah, that was.. not the best advice I could’ve taken from her…” Luz admits bashfully, giving a small chuckle at the pain those higher classes put her through.

“Well, like every other student besides you, Amity actually was in those classes.” She gives a motherly glare to Luz who just puts her hands out in defense before continuing, 

“She became kind of notorious for being one of the best students freshman year, including in our theater one.” The black-haired girl muses reflectively, “I think Professor Clawthorne became her ARTH advisor soon after that.”

Knowing the dark haired, pale woman from their passing in the halls, Luz isn’t surprised that she and the greenette had joined together. Unlike Eda, this teacher emphasized focus and tradition, apparently notorious for causing her senior advisees to cry after she critiques their final thesis. The brunette would most likely hate her, but that’s probably why Amity chose her in the first place. 

What’s most shocking is that the barista’s major is Art History. Sure, she seems like the hard-working type and these classes are grueling work-wise, but she would have thought of something more “show-offy” for the girl to want to graduate in. Suddenly, a bulb goes off in the brunette’s brain,

 “I should talk to her about art!” 

Gus, who had just returned and is handing Willow her drink, gives her a look of apprehension, “Didn’t you get in a fight with the last kid you tried to talk about art with?” 

Luz folds her arms defiantly, “Well yeah, he said Remedios Varo didn’t know how to draw women! That was like, part of her whole deal to revert the male gaze! If-” she feels a hand on her shoulder where she finds her roommate giving her a soft smile,

 “Oh, Luz, neither of us have any idea what you’re talking about.” She hears Gus snort from the opposite end of the table.

Scoffing, she retorts sarcastically, “well neither did he, apparently”. 

While Gus eggs on the pixie-cut girl, Willow penses on her now 2-year roommate. Luz was so smart, and her passion for the arts was admirable. On the other hand, she was kind of an idiot when it came to organization. She hasn’t learned that you can’t pick all the fruits from the tree of opportunity without dropping some or destroying them all. 

“She’ll have to choose something soon..” the plant student thinks with worry. She doesn’t linger on the thought, believing in her friend to figure herself out in time.

Soon enough, the time of 8:30 pm rolls in and Gus takes his leave. Apparently he has a “Human Appreciation” Club, the name of which still creeps out his two female companions. The club was an hour a week where sociology professors would have wine with their students and talk about their favorite facts about human nature. Gus hasn’t missed one, yet he still can’t talk the other two into joining him. Willow, on the other hand, had hit her limit for work today, and was heading home.

“Sorry Luz, I had to go into the lab like 4 times today to check on the hydroponic project we started last week.” the shorter girl says in an apologetic tone. She zips up her bag, throwing the strap over one shoulder and looking back to her roommate.

“Aw, it’s okay! I’ll see you back at the dorm.” Luz gives a smile to her friend before she leaves the café. 

Luz looks around the room for the first time in the past hour, noting that it has once again cleared out, leaving her and the temperamental barista alone. She recalls her conversation with Willow, trying to find an angle on the green-headed girl.

 Luz wanted to talk to her, whether it was Azura or art history or anything, really. After today’s interactions she’s only more enamored with the girl, finding her more and more interesting with each day.

Before returning to her work, Luz treats herself and buys a piece of coffee cake to nibble on. Amity stays silent during the interaction, only opening her mouth to ask if the brunette would like her receipt, to which she replies yes. The bubbly customer hops up to the counter and takes the paper from the barista’s hand. 

“Thanks, Amity!” she says happily before turning around to head to her seat. 

“Wait!” the greenette shouts before she can realize. Luz turns around with an inquisitive look on her face. She matches the latina's eyes, gold clashing with brown, 

“How..how do you know my name?” She asks shyly. 

She’s sure someone probably said it in the store or maybe she knows the rugby team o- 

“Oh!” the brunette gives a soft chuckle, “Your uh, name tag..” she says with a humorous smile, pointing to the plastic rectangle attached to the barista’s apron. 

“..Oh.” Amity responds in a whisper.

She feels her face flush red in embarrassment. Luz offers her one last smile before heading back to her seat to leave the barista to her meltdown. 

------

It had been a few minutes of calm silence, in the brunette's mind, but from behind the bar it was a different story. Amity, top student throughout high school and hopefully university, teacher’s assistant with the notorious Lillith Clawthorne, a Blight, if anything else. 

And she forgot she wore a label with her name on it at a job she’s had for a year.

Of course she had her name tag on! Of course the girl wasn’t trying to find out her name for any secret reason! Why would she even care if she did?! She slams her hand to grip the cool metal of the espresso machine, having the mentioned girl look at her with concern before giving a quick smile when she receives no ill response and goes back to work. The Blight wants to curl into a ball and never look at her stupid smile ever again. 

She picks up her cleaning rag and violently drags it across the chrome surface of the bar. She hopes to get her mind off of her moment of stupidity by going into a cleaning frenzy until the end of the night. 

And, it surprisingly works. Besides that, the openers tomorrow will be shocked by how pristine the café looks due to the girl’s anxiety. She gets so lost in her tasks that she almost runs out the door with her jacket half-on. She only stops when she hears a faint tapping of a keyboard somewhere in the corner of the store. 

 Luz only realizes how late it’s gotten when she hears someone clear their throat behind her. Turning around she sees a tired-looking Amity, donning her usual cream colored jacket and hat, holding the key to the cafe in her hands. All the signs that it was closing time. 

“Sorry! Sorry!” She exclaims, jumping up to pack her things before the barista could get a word in. So instead she just watches her, being kind enough to open the door for her to exit. Waiting to hear the turn of the key, Luz speaks up once more, “Have a good night, Amity! I’ll see you next week!” 

A second wave of embarrassment hits the mint-haired girl, her hands shaking as she tries to get the key out of the door’s lock. This was fine, she could get over this. 

“ Thank Gods I won’t have to see her for another week” she thinks as she sighs in relief.

Chapter Text

It’s Friday night and the friendly trio find themselves crushed into the small shuttle that takes students from campus to neighboring towns. These are where the sports teams and friend groups could rent off-campus housing, and therefore they’re where most of the parties take place. The three were excited, finding themselves getting closer and closer to their stop by the well-named “Rugby House”.

Luz, pumped to go to her first sports party that year, decided to dress up. In Luz fashion, she went with speckled black and green overalls with a black bandeau underneath. She completed the ensemble with a puffy leather jacket, putting some light eyeliner on for a flashy touch. She wasn’t looking to get anyone’s attention, really, but she loved using parties as an excuse to wear some of her weirder outfits that she could play off as “fashion” in the moment. Meanwhile, Willow and Gus dressed more low key, with Willow wearing a yellow and maroon crop top sweater with some mom jeans, while the boy had a white t-shirt, black jacket, and black jeans with symmetrical rips in the knees.

“I can’t believe Skara invited you to Amelia’s party” Willow says to Luz, readjusting her arm uncomfortably from behind another student.

“I know! I mean, I’d consider us friends but I didn’t expect this..” Luz ponders.

“Hey,” Gus shrugs, “always nice to have more bodies at this type of thing, ya know? If the cops come we won’t be as easy to catch.”

The two girls stare incredulously at their companion, knowing he has actively avoided parties for the past year, saying they would taint his “innocent mind”. Waving off his party expertise, the three find themselves getting off the bus and walking down the road. It was about 9pm so the night has already been shrouded in darkness. Luckily, Luz guides them to a house who’s music echoes in the air, leading them to their destination.

Walking in, it looks exactly as you’d expect:

People. Everywhere.

It was still early on in the night, so nobody was passed out on the floor or crying in the bathroom, but people were still dancing and shouting, alcohol flowing freely through the room. They’re deafened by the loudspeakers, terribly placed by the entrance, but the three escape to the backyard. There are almost as many people outside as were in, but the lack of bass and people grinding into you was a welcomed sight. They all breathe a sigh of relief once they make it.

“Okay,” Luz starts, pulling the other two into a huddle, “I’ll be the sacrifice and go and get our drinks. If I don’t come back in 20 I’ve been trampled to death and I’ll need you to get my body.” The two agree before seeing their mutual friends Viney and Jerbo and move over to them. Luz turns to the backdoor and takes a deep breath before going back in.

It was chaos.

Somehow, in the 5 minutes it took Luz and co to get to the backyard, about 50 more people showed up and the earlier guests were starting to get rowdy. The brunette snakes her way through the crowd, gagging at the sweaty bodies touching her as she went. Finally, she makes it to the surprisingly quiet kitchen where she finds a fine selection of cheap beer and even cheaper vodka, plus a mixer of strawberry lemonade if you cared enough. She also spots Skara, talking with a group of 3 or four girls in the corner and decides to go greet her.

“Hey Skara!” she exclaims, giving a small wave as she walks up to the group noticing her. The girl turns and her expression changes to glee.

“Luz! You made it!” They give each other a quick hug. Skara is wearing a short, green princess dress made out of some velvet material as Luz notes the soft texture.

Releasing from the embrace, she continues, “How are you enjoying it so far?”

Luz rubs her neck “Eh, haven’t drank enough to dance yet, so I’m just hanging in the backyard with a few friends.”

Skara chuckles, looking over the sea of drunk toddlers, “yeah, this atmosphere isn’t for everyone.” She then gives a mischievous look, “but I do wanna see you dance. Knowing how you are at the cafe it could either be really good or really funny.”

“Hey!” The arth major says with faux-offense as she pours 3 cups of the lemonade before unscrewing a bottle of clear alcohol, “I’ll have you know that as a latina I was born to dance! I just-” she peers at her cup with a sheepish smile, “need some motivation”.

The music major snorts at the gesture, “Well I’ll be waiting for it. I gotta get back over to Boscha and the other girls before they start destroying the house. I’ll see you around!” And with that she gives one last wave before crawling through the mass of guests in the family room. The brunette returns the gesture before turning her attention back to her main objective.

Luz can be surprisingly coordinated when she put her mind to it, and she definitely needed her focus to carry three drinks across the same room Skara got sucked into a moment earlier. Picking up two of the cups, she balances the third between the others and holds them tentatively with her fingers. Completely focusing on not spilling, she immediately forgets to look up at what’s in front her. She turns around and takes a step before finding herself smacking into someone, both of them falling as well as the drinks.

Rubbing her head as she sits up, Luz looks to see who or what she hit. Her heart jumps into her throat when she realizes who it is.

----

Amity got to the party a bit later than Skara told her, mainly because she didn't want to be caught in their pregaming rituals which usually left one of them vomiting before the party even started. It was 9:30 now and the Blight saw it as the perfect time to sneak in, say your hellos, and sneak out again. She decided to wear a simple white turtleneck which she tucked into some black, paper bag pants, along with some thick combat boots. She had her makeup and hair like normal, not finding it necessary to redo if she wouldn’t be there for long.

When she gets there, she notices way more people than Skara promised her over text, knowing that to find the rugby girls meant she was going to have to meander through the crowds. She sighs as she gets to the door and quietly pushes it open only to be welcomed by blasting rap music and drunk frat bros chanting what they think are the lyrics. Quickly looking for an exit from the room, she spots the kitchen and notices only one other person there.

“Perfect.” she thinks as she makes her way over. She doesn’t really pay attention to the other party go-er, more focused on catching her breath and making herself a drink to at least get more in the spirit of the event. But, as soon as she makes her way to where the other person picks up their cup, she’s met with a shove and a cold splash on her top.

After the shock subsides, she pushes herself up into a sitting position, feeling her anger rising,

“Watch where you’re going, nitwi-” she finally looks at the other person, and her rage turns into a cold fury,

“Oh, it’s you.” she sees the brunette flinch at her tone, but she can’t even begin to feel remorse right now. The Blight realizes their unfortunate positioning, having her fallen on her butt while the other girl fell on top of her, saving herself with her arms on either side. The brown-haired girl quickly begins to shift up.

Luz reaches out to help the pale girl up, “Amity, I am so sorry I-”

“Are you?!” the barista cuts her off, pushing herself off the ground. She is definitely yelling, but the music practically drowns out anything coming from the kitchen.

“Because if you were, then maybe you would STOP DOING THIS!”

The greenette feels the tears of frustration coming out as she touches the wet spot on her shirt, her hand becoming sticky due to the sugary drink. She just wanted to have one night where she could relax and feel like a normal college student. She just wanted to forget about this girl standing in front of her and pretend that she has friends. But now, she just wants to leave, so that’s what she starts to do.

“Forget it, I shouldn’t have come here in the first place” she tightens her hands into fists to hold off from crying, at least until she’s out of the house. She hears her enemy call out to her but she can only hear the blood ringing in her ears. She almost makes it to the entrance but is stopped by someone walking in front of her.

Much to her relief, it’s Skara, with Boscha and Amelia in tow.

“Amity, my gosh what happened?!” the shorter girl looks over Amity’s pained face as well as the pink stain on her shirt. The Blight is too enraged to respond properly so she just looks at her with pleading eyes before dropping her head. Skara and Boscha share a look before they both give her a side hug and move her towards the stairs.

“Let’s get you cleaned up, Ames” the greenette hears from the rugby captain, noting the tinge of sympathy in the often-unsympathetic girl. She gives a small smile, at least happier now before following up the steps.

-----

Luz, not really sure what to do now, quickly remakes the drinks and successfully lands outside in a stupor.

She really messed up. Like, REALLY messed up. If it were anyone else it would be a simple mistake, a party foul, and they’d both move on with their night. But of course, the one girl who is constantly on the receiving end of the brunette’s stupidity happened to be the one she hit. She sighs, finally making it over to the group of 4 who are laughing at something said by Jerbo.

“Hey, Luz,” Willow greets in between chuckles. Her laughs quickly die down when she sees the look on the girl’s face, “Luz, what happened?”

Viney, Jerbo, and Gus are now looking over at her and she tries to hide the disappointment in her visage.

“Hey guys! Uh, well, I ran into Amity!” She says with an unsure smile.

Willow raises an eyebrow, “And..?”

“Mhm!” the brunette responds with faux enthusiasm. She then watches the bio major’s face contour between confusion and then realization.

“When you say ‘ran into’-”

“Yep, I literally ran into her. With the drinks.” Luz purses her lips in a mix of guilt and anxiety, waiting for her friends to register what happened. Gus catches on first and starts laughing..

“Luz, no!” He says, placing his hands on his head in astonishment “We aren’t even at the cafe!”

She feels the guilt in her burning her cheeks red and she responds dejectedly, “I know, I know. At least I can say we are DEFINITELY getting banned from Hexbux, now..” She looks into her drink, “Maybe I should just go.”

She feels Viney pat her on the back, maybe with too much force but it was still comforting.

“Hey, c’mon,” the girl with the fish-hook earring looks at her in sympathy, “accidents happen and you tried to apologize right?

“Yeah but-”

“No buts. You tried to apologize and she didn’t listen, so instead of grovelling for some rando’s forgiveness, you are going to have a good time and forget your worries for a night.” She states indisputably, staring Luz in the eyes and wrapping her hands around her cup.

Luz takes a sip of the sweet yet burning concoction she made and winces. She wasn’t really paying attention to the measurements when she remade the drinks, it seems. Her two friends had similar reactions, but as the group struck up more conversation and more of her drink was downed, Luz found herself relaxing into the sway of the party.

Her face is a little warm now, but the rest of her body is starting to freeze as they stand outside for that next hour or so. The beat of the pounding house music lulls the brunette, in a way, starting to sway with the random song playing. She remembers Skara wanting to get a group to dance together, so before she can ask, she leaves her friends to head to the family room.

------

Amity is sat down on Amelia’s bed and the others silently get to work finding her a new outfit and redoing her eyeliner which was smudged from the almost-tears she held in earlier. They chuck a new shirt and pants combo at her. She puts it on in the bathroom before walking back into the room where the 3 others waited.

Skara can only clap when she sees their handiwork.

Although Boscha didn’t live here, she slept over from enough parties that she kept a bag of her own, often punk-related clothes in Amelia’s closet. Boscha was slightly taller than the Blight, but they otherwise were around the same sizes. Now, Amity wore a white t-shirt with pink trims around the sleeve, cut haphazardly into a crop top. She also replaced her pants, wearing tight, high-waisted skinny jeans with rips going up the length of her thigh. Skara redid her eyeliner with much thicker lines, making them look sharper and gave her some rose-tinted lip gloss. They leave her hair down and give her some black, dangly earrings.

“Oh my god, Ames” Boscha smirks playfully “didn’t think we could actually save you from how you looked down there.”

“Ha ha” the Blight responds sarcastically.

The whole makeover montage gave her time to calm down, and made her feel closer to the other girls with her. Considering they put in all the work, Amity decides to stay at the house with them, and hopefully avoid her enemy for the rest of the night. She checks herself out in the mirror.

“So,” Skara starts, “You ready to head back down?” She looks apprehensively at her, before smiling when Amity nods her head.

------------

A lot more people have shown up since they were upstairs, Amity realizes, and breathes a sigh of relief as this means another run in with the cafe patron would be way less likely. As she reaches the bottom of the steps the girls disperse to different areas of the house, Skara leaving her with a promise of getting her something to drink. She turns around the stairs to find another sitting room, this one has a crowd surrounding a game of beer pong, but the other side just has a few groups and couples having tipsy conversation. This, she could do.

Skara drops a red solo cup (like the ones you see in movies) into the Blight’s hands before being waved over to the beer pong table. Amity just looks around the room, deciding to sit on the abandoned couch in the corner and let the effects of her drink wash over her before committing to socializing. About half an hour passes, and the girls cheeks begin to feel warm from the alcohol’s effects. In that time her friends came by for a chat or two, before the now-tipsy Boscha finally challenged her to a duel.

The mint-haired girl snorts into her drink, freshly filled by Skara as Amity was still nervous about being in the kitchen.

“Oh yeah? What kind?” she asks in amusement, only slightly regretting her tone when she sees the pink-haired girl get a competitive look on her face.

“Why, a drinking game, of course.” She gives a smug grin as she watches golden eyes calculate how good of an idea it is. Which it isn’t at all. But the prideful duo would run into traffic if it meant getting to say “I won, you lost” to the other.

Amity wasn’t a lightweight, but she also wasn’t known to know her limit, and the rugby captain was very good at making her realize this on past occasions. Although, she’s had a rough night, and her mood hasn’t been the greatest lately, so maybe she deserves a night of irresponsibility outside of the Blight parents’ eyes.

“Let’s do it.” Boscha’s smile grows wider at the reply. She calls Skara over to invite her and a few others into the competition.

“Alright, now who’s heard of the song Roxanne?”

---

“Roxanne (Put on the red light)

Roxanne (Put on the red light)

I loved you since I knew you..”

Amity took the final swig of her drink, teetering a bit with her dizziness. Boscha is in no better condition, fighting the urge to vomit due to how quickly she chugged from her cup. The two lock eyes with a sheen of sweat on their brow:

“That was definitely a mistake”

The song ends and the group disperses back into the family room. Amity, not a dancer, chooses to separate from Skara and the others to find another room.

She finds herself with another drink, sipping this one much more slowly, and finds the couch being shared by another group. They look a little older- juniors, maybe? They don’t look dead inside enough to be seniors. The girl, with light brown hair and a fish hook earring, debates heatedly with the lanky, pale boy across from her. Figuring they’d ignore her, she takes a seat on the far edge of the cushioned seating.

The two stop as she sits, and she immediately gets ready to move before hearing,

“Hey, e-girl.” She turns to the girl with the hook in confusion and slight offense at the name-calling.

“Tell this guy that a griffin could totally kick a witch’s ass in a fight.”

“They can’t!” the guy suddenly exclaims, clearly frustrated with the argument as the brunette casts a playful smirk. It reminds Amity of her siblings. 

“A griffin is just a fluffy horse with wings! Witches can actually, I don’t know, BE evil?!”

“Jerbo, you forgot about the spider breath”

“That doesn’t count for any-”

“I agree with her,” Amity says, pointing at the now triumphant Viney.

“What?! Why?!”

“Well…” Amity goes on to explain her historical understanding of griffins, and the horrible truth about their depictions throughout history. Jerbo, clearly not expecting an academic argument, concedes with Viney gloating next to him. The group chats for a bit, and during their discussion over mythical creatures, Amity mentions her love for reading fantasy.

The two then leap into asking her what she studies and similar small talk. She was right- these guys were juniors, with Viney studying Biology and Jerbo doing Horticulture and Theater. Conversation continues, and to her horror she realizes she’s now holding an empty cup that she doesn’t remember finishing. She puts the cup down and closes her eyes to make sure she doesn’t slip out of reality.

“Hey,” Viney gets the younger girl’s attention. The greenette doesn’t open her eyes but grunts in acknowledgment.

“You know any lady artists I can look up?”

“Why did you say it like that..?” Jerbo questions, weirded out by her tone. 

“Not the point. Anyways, I wanna find something crazy to put up in my room. You said you liked fantasy right?” 

“Yeah”

“And you like art history?”

“Yup”

“And you’re into girls”

“Ye-wait what?” Amity peers out from under arm to see the fish-hooked girl wearing a smug grin. She DEFINITELY reminded her of her siblings. 

“Sorry, sorry I don’t mean to assume...but since you said yes can you help me? Pleasseee??!” she wines. 

“Ugh” Amity grunts as she pushes herself out of the crease she’s made in the sofa, her arm slipping off her face. “I don’t know what my sexuality has to do with it..” 

“Oh c’mon,” the Bio major waves her off, “you know that us gays have some interesting style choices.” She playfully winks to the underclassman. Amity scoffs, but she’s feeling more loose than usual, so she’ll give the girl a chance.

“Fine,” the Blight responds after a minute, “you have any styles you like?”

“Ooohh I love surrealist stuff! Ones that kind of mix in natural elements, ya know?”

Amity sighs, searching her brain to remember who counts as a naturalist, surrealist, female artist.

“Well,” she lists the names off her fingers, “you’ve got Khalo, Akhami, Carrington...I really like Remedios Varo but-”

“Oh I’ve heard of her! Her art is really creepy, right?”

“It is not!” Amity shouts in defense. She realizes, though, that she wasn’t the only one to protest, with another voice she can’t make out coming from behind her. Before she can turn to get a better look, a blur jumps in front of her and starts chewing Viney out on the opposite end of the couch.

“¿Cómo te atreves a usar el nombre de esa diosa de manera negativa?!”

“What the fuck?” 

“Of course her figures look creepy! She was trying to subvert the misogynist undertones of men’s surrealist works! She was showing that a body is just a body!” as this person rambles and Amity's tipsy mind attempts to keep up, she hears more voices behind her.

“Yep, she’s doing it again..” She turns to see the two friends of the girl at the café, looking at the scene in humorous concern. She then turns back to get a better look at the person in front of her. 

Wait.

“She painted scenes about female independence and individuality but nooo they just look creepy to you!” their brown curls bounce with each word they speak.

Viney puts her hands out in surrender while laughing at the other’s reaction,

“Okay, okay! I’m sorry for disrespecting your art girlfriend you dork.”

Wait.

The brunette slumps onto the couch next to Amity, wrapping an arm around her and bringing her in closer.

“Well, me and my new friend here are going to- oh.” The Spanish-speaking guest finally looks down, her face being revealed by the dim lamps in the room.

Shit.

“Uh, hi, Amity.” Luz bashfully waves, fear and guilt mixing into her expression as she slowly releases her grip on the greenette. Before the Blight can react, Viney interrupts;

“Wait, THIS art nerd is the infamous Amity?!” Viney says in awe, pointing an accusing finger at the greenette. At that, Amity finally stands, dusting off her pants before looking at Luz and her friends. She was having fun, why did she have to come and ruin it? She wants to say something, but instead chooses to turn to the girl with the fishhook,

“Well, it was nice meeting you” she says while emphasizing the ‘you’ at Viney. Avoiding the others’ gazes, she turns to go find Boscha & co., of whom the mentioned is probably throwing up somewhere. Before she can, though, she feels someone grab her wrist.

“Wait! Please!” She glances down to see the pixie-cut girl holding her arm in a vice grip. Her eyes are full and look up to her with concern and remorse. Still saying nothing, Amity obliges by turning to fully face the other girl. She crosses her arms and looks at the brunette expectantly.

She sees relief fall over the girl and her grip on her arms loosen. The Blight can finally smell the tinge of vodka and lemonade off her breath, and she can only assume the brunette can smell it on hers, as well.

Luz moves her hand to hold the pale girl’s hand, which Amity doesn’t pull away from. Amity can see the tenderness in which she’s holding it, almost having her forget who it was that was doing so. 

Almost. 

“I know I’m not always the most well behaved person,” she begins, “nor the quietest nor even the most spatially aware,”. She looks from the hands into the barista’s eyes, sincerity dripping from the pools of brown, “but i’m going to try and be better. Can you at least give me a chance...at least while we’re here?”

Amity is dumbstruck; but before she can reply, she finds both her arms in the other girl’s grasp again, holding them towards her chest. She looks up at the tan girls eyes and sees mild desperation.

“What-?”

“Please! I promise to stop annoying you at the café if you do!” the girl quickly explains. Her eyes were clenched shut, not ready to let go until she got an answer. Clearly, this was her grand final attempt to get the greenette to stay.

Luz really wanted to make up for earlier, and while she knew groveling was not a good look, it was the only thing she had in her arsenal against the temperamental girl in front of her. She waits for a reply, getting ready for the inevitable rejection. At least she can tell Willow she tried, right?

Amity looks between her and the group, knowing what sober her would do but her thoughts right now are still clouded. She was having fun out here, and she’d rather not use her effort to avoid the girl in front of her for the rest of the night. 

“What if I said I still don’t think the Varo girl is a good artist?” Viney chimes in.

It’s a cheap shot and she knows it, but the Blight finds it hard to refuse proving people wrong. She notices the brunette’s grip on her go slack as she registers Viney’s words as well. They look at each other, noticing the similar glint of anger and the desire to debate welling up inside them. A silent agreement is made, surprising them both, and they head back towards the group.

---

It’s well beyond midnight, but seeing as it’s the final weekend before a massive break, students are trying to stay out as long as possible. Most of the guests begin calming down as the fatigue and drinking catch up to them. The music gets a bit softer and people begin leaving the house in a trickle. 

 After receiving an earful from both girls, Viney and the rest of Luz’s group return to normal chatter. The two girls, though, are still lost in conversations surrounding art. The tension between them, similar to the flow of the partygoers, dwindles as they speak. 

“Hey, I’m not saying that Bauer is what got me into fantasy, but finding his fairytale books somehow scared me into liking it.” Amity laughs, a freshly made drink in hand (courtesy of Jerbo).

“Makes sense,” Luz chuckles with her, “is he why you’re doing art history?” she asks.  

“In a way,” the Blight takes a sip, thinking about her complicated relationship with the subject. “I mean, I’d love to learn about him and similar artists, but I doubt I’d be able to make that happen.” She looks into her cup, thinking about the years to come.

“Why not?” she hears, pulling her away from her brooding. She looks at the tan girl, unable to respond. They might have a truce for the night, but that didn’t mean she was willing to offer up her life story.

“Look, ugh, it’s complicated okay?” she pinches the bridge of her nose, “Let’s just say I’m lucky to be studying Art History at all.” She responds defeatedly, although Luz notices the hint of resentment behind those words. Amity quickly changes the subject,

“Anyways, what are you studying?” 

“Heh, well, funny story,” Luz looks away nervously, “I’m uh kind of trying to do a double major and a concentration..” 

“Is that even possible?” Amity deadpans, although mildly impressed by the girl’s motivation.

“Not really,” the brunette breathes out a laugh, “But my arth advisor, Eda, has been helping me as long as I help her with her side gig.”

“Which is?” Amity is almost afraid to ask, having had Professor Lilith mention on more than one occasion that the gray-haired woman was a force to be reckoned with.

“Oh! She buys and sells antiques! I help her write up the inventory lists.” She beams with pride.

“Wait, so she’s helping you reduce your workload by giving you more work to do?” Amity tries to piece the puzzle together in her mind but nothing makes tangible sense.

“That’s Eda for ya!” She responds carelessly, “She does teach me a lot. Besides, she pays pretty well for what she asks of me.”

“ So that’s how you always have tip money” the Barista thinks.

“What are the other majors you would want to study?” Amity finds herself asking. The two chat for a while longer, not noticing their friends slowly slinking away from the area. Luz goes over her adventures in the higher level arth courses, and Amity finds herself becoming more and more interested in her. The greenette used to not even want to know her name and now here she is, giggling at the other’s exclamations that usually drive her up the wall.

 And there’s only so much you can blame on alcohol.

Speaking of which, the greenette realizes her drink has been finished for a while but didn’t feel the need for another. She looks around and notices the lack of party goers and the soft glow of the rising sun peeking through the living room blinds. She and the brunette simultaneously conclude that they’ve been talking for a few hours.

She looks at her phone: 4:43. Shit.

“Shit!” Amity whispers to herself. She missed the shuttle back to campus. She could stay here, but the Blight knew she’d be stuck on cleaning duty in the morning if she did. She hears Luz on the phone with someone, presumably her friends from earlier.

“Oh you guys are still here? Great! I’ll meet you by the front door!” She puts her phone away and looks back at the barista.

“Viney’s gonna drive back to campus, you want to come with us?” she asks, hope glimmering in her eyes.

Amity weighs her options, but nods, to which Luz grabs her hand and pulls her to the door. Out on the front porch, they find the group of students already in the car. Luz rushes ahead and opens the back door to the Jeep, gesturing for Amity to get in first. As she takes a step forward, she notices the rest of the group, looking at her with sly smiles on their faces.

 The bespectacled girl, especially, is smirking at her, but about what she doesn’t know. What she does know, is that the terrifying ordeal of being known is getting to her.

“Uh, you know what? I think I’ll stay here. Amelia has an extra bed anyways. I’ll just get the shuttle in the morning” She notices the brunette’s disappointment.

“Are you sure?” she nods. “Aw, okay, I’ll see you around! And I swear i’ll keep my promise about the café!” She waves with cheer as she packs herself into the vehicle. Amity notices the girl who was smirking says something to the other student, making her go red. As they pull away, Luz opens the window and pops her head out, shouting, “Oh! Also, we should totally make an Azura book club!”

Amity chuckles, and replies, “Maybe! As long as it’s a secret club, okay?” to which the other girl pumps her fists with a “heck yeah!” and the car drives off. Amity goes back into the house, ready to find her sleeping friends. She doesn’t seem as exhausted as she thought she’d be, and she actually feels content for the first time in awhile. She sighs, overlooking the dirty house before walking upstairs. 

She thinks about next semester, and feels a sense of excitement of what changes it’ll bring. Yet suddenly she frowns, remembering that to get to next semester, she had to make it through the holidays. 

Her parents and siblings will be around, and she knows they’ll be expecting a lot from her since her absence for school. She’d need to re-dye her hair blonde, as well.

The barista finds an empty room, recognizing it as a housemate’s, who’s already left for vacation. She plops onto the bed, thinking. To avoid the bitterness rising in her after having a good night, she thinks back to the brunette.

 She really did prove she’s more than a nuisance, and Amity feels the guilt over her attitude towards her take over. She still hasn’t even asked for her name. Amity would love to have someone to talk to Azura about. Heck, just watching how that girl defended one of her favorite artists, she knew they could talk about their shared major for hours. 

Oh well, she would just see how it went next semester.

Chapter Text

It is the second week of winter break, and the holidays are in full swing. As kids take off from school and their parents purchase gifts for their tradition of choice, the streets are filled with a joyous and carefree air that often comes with this time of year. Whether in a city, in the suburbs, or on an estate, the atmosphere should be spread to all those who take part. 

Sadly, this was not the case for one Amity Blight.

Within the first day of coming back to the family manor, her mother ridiculed her blonde hair, noticing the slight shade variance it had since she was last home. According to her mother, it was done by an amateur, and she would need it to be redone by a more “reputable” salon. 

Besides that, her parents are forcing her to stay in constant contact with Miss Clawthorne to give her additional readings to do during her down time. She knew this was just to spite her, constantly hearing the under-handed comments about her major and how she should do something “more prestigious”. Still, she’s putting the work in, not wanting them to sway her anymore.

She has at least made it through the first week, but now, worst of all:

 It’s Christmas week.

Amity never enjoyed the big holidays, probably due to her family’s traditions more than anything else. If she could go a year without having to go to another stupid, winter ball or work function, she’d probably marry whoever granted her release.

 Yet here she stands, staring at herself in the high-end boutique she was dragged to with her mom. Her newly dyed hair, cut to her jawline, smells of chemicals that she swore would destroy her scalp later in life. Her face is tired, aware that her newfound confidence from living away has already been beaten down for the time being. She sighs, looking away to find a seat to continue waiting for her mom who is paying for her party dress. It was customized, but not by her.

Thankfully, after New Year’s, the parties and business dinners would die down, but that would only mean more time for her parent’s to focus on her and her studies. Last year, her father invited dinner guests to listen to her recite a piece from Plato’s Republic, then made her explain how his thoughts affect cultural symbolism in the modern day. She thought it was insane, but then her advisor mentioned that her parents asked her what future readings she could do. Knowing word would get back to Professor Clawthorne, Amity gave in to the plan. 

At least her parents warned her before coming home, and therefore she spent most of her free time (and a few classes) before break reading the same lines over and over again. She needed to make sure it was perfect. 

To make sure that she, a Blight, was perfect.

At that point, although she knew her parents wanted her to look into classicism, she didn’t think they actually knew what went into that realm of study. Turns out, they did their research, and the more they looked into the old philosophers and scholars who influenced these artists, the more they pushed her away from other styles or movements, lest she be unable to hold her own against others in her field. Luckily, after that Plato stunt, the elder Blights seemed satisfied with her efforts. 

At least until recently, Amity thinks, conscious of the fact her mom has been attempting to “refine” her since she got home. It started with the hair, but then she began ridiculing her weight, and then her style. Even when it came to their family meals, she was constantly reminded to use proper etiquette. She always harped on these things, but it’s odd to see it to such an extreme at this point in her life.

“Maybe it has to do with the twins?” she ponders. They got home a week earlier than her, and have already established their normal sibling routine of pranking their younger sister and causing mischief around the estate’s grounds.

 Her brother and sister decided to go to the same school, Glandus College, after receiving scholarships that allowed them to live on campus rent-free. “ Not like they couldn’t afford it ” the younger sibling rolls her eyes thinking about it. Hexside and Glandus are fairly close to one another, and are equally matched, academically. And, although Ed and Em are gifted in the academic regard (especially with technology), they are also known to cause.. “problems'' around campus. Her siblings’ antics have spread back to her parents on more than one occasion, and her mother is overtly losing patience with the two, which surprised the blonde. 

They were the wild children, untethered from family doctrines and ideals. Amity, however, was malleable. She could take the shape of the mold her parents wanted her in, and she was fine with it for a long while. Now, though, things are beginning to shift in the youngest’s way of thinking, and it might be due to her siblings’ influences.

The twins are loud and obnoxious, constantly setting Amity off at the worst of times. When their parents are home, they act like golden children, yet will lose all sense of responsibility as soon as the Elder Blights step outside. 

Sometimes, though, they are genuinely appreciative or apologetic towards her. They’ve actually been opening up more which had her doing a bit of the same, even taking it upon herself to teach them how to make secret menu items from Hexbux. Soon, they started including her in on their trickster plans, or showing her one of their new “risqué” film assignments. The younger Amity would have scoffed and gone to her parents, but now, she finds herself smiling in amusement at their tales. It was kind of nice, having some chaos to disrupt her forced routine.

It reminded her of Luz.

The day after the party, the greenette finally broke down and asked Skara what the name of her estranged patron was. 

“Oh, you’ve never asked?” Skara laughs in disbelief, continuing as Amity’s face grows hot in embarrassment. 

“I had my reasons..” she defends weakly.

“Well, since you’re so curious all of a sudden, it’s Luz. She makes me write Luzura on her cup, though, I don’t know why.” the music major shrugs.

The Blight finds her lips turning into a faint smile at the quirk . 

Now, sitting in the passenger seat of her family’s Mercedes, her mother on a work call as they head home, she finds herself looking up the girl’s name on her phone.

 Apparently, her name means Light. It fits, she thinks amusingly to herself.

 Light, when unexpected, can be too much and cause pain and blindness. It can make it hard to see what’s in front of you. But it is also pleasant when desired; it’s warm and bright and it could reveal things in the world that are other wise hidden by darkness. 

Her name, though, is the exact opposite of who she is.

 “Amity”: amitié; to be friendly, to be kind.  

Once again, the literal Blight on her life comes back to her last name and her family. She never decided to be cold and cruel to those she had learned to deem less than her. She never wanted to stay in solitude, only reading for knowledge and using friends for power. She never wanted to be a mirror of the Blight’s achievements. Sighing, the girl goes back to her conflicted reasoning over her patron.

She still wasn’t completely sure how she felt about Luz, yet. There was still a lot of one-sided anger and resentment she had to work through. She really has only judged her from her outside persona, but does she normally act like she did at the party? The barista was still wary to see her in any other light. If she's loud and clumsy in a coffee shop, what is she like in a dorm room? Or a library?

She groans, frustrated with her lack of a set opinion on the brunette. It wasn’t like her to not know how she felt about someone within the first few instances of meeting them, but that’s just another thing Luz has upturned in the now-blonde girl. She sighs wistfully, knowing no one was forcing her to feel any type of way except herself. Well, at least she had the time to figure it out.

She just had to make it through the break.

---

“Luz I’m heading to work, te quiero, mija!” Camila shouts to her daughter, unsurprised to hear the reply in the way of a groan from upstairs. She smiles to herself before she shuts the front door, letting her child continue to enjoy the quiet morning.

The mentioned brunette rises slowly from her bed. Having slept on her stomach, her hair is plastered to her face, some drool still connecting her mouth to her pillow. She’s usually a morning person, but the grind she’s kept up at school had taken more out of her than she thought. She didn’t realize this until she got home on Saturday afternoon and woke up Sunday night. She grunts while stretching her arms before trying to rub the fatigue from her eyes.

She finally takes a look around her room, attempting to wake up her mind. There were some old movie posters and tchotchkes scattered around, all with a thin layer of dust due to recent years. A ray of sunlight highlights her desk with a warm glow and she smiles when she notices her first Azura book stacked with a few others on the wooden surface. Hopefully, soon enough, she’ll have someone to geek out with over the series.

 Finally getting up, she leaves her white tank on and pairs the look with some purple leggings and cliché bunny slippers. What? It’s winter and she was on vacation. After cleaning up in the bathroom she heads down to her kitchen. She smiles when she sees the breakfast her mom left for her, a simple plate of scrambled eggs and some fried salami. Quickly gobbling up the food, she moves to the living room, opening her laptop as she leans into the couch. 

Her relaxed state is quickly pushed aside after seeing the sea of emails being sent from Eda and King. Gulping, she opens the first one, 

“Hey kid,

I know you’re relaxing and all but I don’t want you dropping out so here’s me being mature and asking you to catch up on your work during the break. I was able to get you a tutor next semester to help in art history (You’ll have to be in Lily’s class though, sorry ‘bout that). King’s got some stuff for you to do so you can jumpstart the process of securing your lit major, so look out for emails from that goober. 

P.S. I’m still expecting you to do your job since I'm still paying you. Anyways, have fun, stay safe (or not- make me proud), I’ll be looking out for ya.

-E”

Although remembering the dread she has been trying to avoid since she got home a week ago, she can’t help but smirk at her advisor’s message. Eda was eccentric, sure, but she really did seem to look out for Luz in an almost motherly kind of way. King was a bit odd as well, so the two made a good pair when it came to helping the student in bizarre ways. 

She types up the requested list of objects, including their prices, dates, styles and mediums, etc. and sends it in her reply with a thank you for keeping her on track. She finds King’s emails, half with useful information and the other half recommending books on demons (He just thinks they’re cool). She tries spending the next hour working on forms and documents, but shuts the laptop with almost no headway made.  

She had somehow exhausted herself. Mentally, of course, but she could feel her eyes burning and brain pounding as she’s released from her hyperfocus. It was really challenging to work at home, constantly losing concentration on the words she typed or forgetting her train of thought. She misses her normal routine.

She misses the café. 

She did try going to the one in her town, but she vowed to never go back. She just didn’t feel welcome...and may or may not have broken a mug that they made her pay for. After that, she couldn’t shake off the embarrassment as the manager made a scene out of her in front of the other patrons for not being more careful. And while she did try to work as usual after the incident, nothing was making its way onto the word document she had open.

 It wasn’t her territory. It wasn’t the coffeeshop where she could zone out for hours, and although “some” staff were rude, they were mostly tolerant of her. And now, knowing Amity was starting to like her, she only yearns to be back in her corner chair, sipping on her chai with Mumford & Sons playing overhead.

Amity has never called her manager over, if she has one, nor has she made a spectacle of her screw ups as this establishment did. She doesn’t know if it’s store policy, but maybe there is an undercurrent of kindness in the green-headed girl towards Luz that she’s never realized.

The brunette never thought Amity was outright mean or cruel without reason, and, when you grow up being bullied, it’s easy to accept that you’re the only one at fault. At that party, though, Luz could see the passion and liveliness within the girl who so often looked at her with dead eyes. 

In the past month or two, Luz started taking notice of the annoyed greenette when she worked. How focused on tasks she becomes, her love for reading, her enjoyment of indie folk (sometimes pop punk). Sometimes, when the barista thought the student wasn’t watching, she would doodle on extra receipts or bop her head to the music. The girl was too stand-offish, too proud, to let herself be seen enjoying the small things. Luz only sees this prudish attitude as a wall, though, protecting her from the outside world. 

She could see the kindness that the girl wanted to express, and she did at least through gestures and smiles. Why she would restrain it, the double major doesn’t know. What she did know, is that it was not her place to break them down. Although they were working in the same space for months, the party was the first time they even figured out each others’ shared major. It wasn’t her place to pry, at least not yet, anyway. 

The bubbly girl just hopes they’ll start on the right foot when she goes back. She thinks about her promise, vowing to make Amity’s job a little easier by not dropping her food or knocking a chair over. Plus, if the work that Eda and King gave her today is any indication of what’s in store, she’ll probably be spending way more time there, and she’d like to be on the barista’s good side. 

Luz continues thinking about her school life and her career choice. As insane as her schedule is sometimes, she couldn’t wait to go back. She finally gets to enjoy her passions, as weird or as useless as they are (from other’s opinions). The dean may tell her to drop a major, but she wasn’t willing to give up. She’s spent too much time and effort to back out now. She had to prove to herself that she could follow through. Hopefully after her vacation things will start to work themselves out.

She just had to make it through the break.

Chapter Text

As February begins, the student body returns to Hexside’s campus which is already bustling with excited kids and even more excited parents. This is where we find our chipper, pixie-cut brunette pulling a suitcase and some bags across campus with speed. 

Sadly, due to her mother’s schedule, Luz had to take a train back to Bonesborough, getting dropped off at the school’s entrance by the town’s bus service. With her luggage being pulled behind her, she makes her way to her dorm room to meet up with Willow.

She was beyond ready to be back, having rested up enough to reinvigorate her desire to pass her courses and get into her majors and concentration without too much of a hitch. She’ll be having her advising meeting later in the month, so she made sure she’d be ready for that with some help from her two mentors.

Unlocking her room, she finds her friend sitting on the floor, determinedly moving around piles of clothes in various groups, but never seeming satisfied with their order. Luz closes the door, alerting the black-haired girl to her presence.

“Luz!” Willow hops up and pulls her into a tight hug.

“Hey Willow!” Luz gasps out with strain, “You’ve moved up a weight class since I last saw you, huh?”

Letting the brunette out of her grip, Willow takes a strongman stance, “You bet! Gotta be ready to carry those bags of soil around, you know?”

Laughing, Luz props her bags onto the bed, and the two briefly catch up while unloading their suitcases. Once they’re done, they notice the day has turned from late afternoon to evening and decide to meet their younger friend for dinner.

---

Willow, Gus, and Luz find a corner table in the back, spending time to catch up after finishing their meals. Even though they’ve chatted over the phone, it's hard for the tan girl to tell her stories over text or even facetime. Willow had gone on a trip to visit one of her dads’ side of the family. Gus, on the other hand, interned at his local library, something he’s done since high school. 

“What about you, Luz?” the sociology major asks, sipping some juice.

“Eh, not much honestly,” she responds with a bored sigh, “Besides the cafe incident, I mostly caught up on work for this semester, plus Eda’s auctioning tasks.” 

“I still don’t get how that helps with your school work.” The black-haired girl states, lifting her eyebrow.

Luz taps taps her chin, thinking,

“Well, if I continue doing art history, I want to work with the archivists.” The confused gazes she gets urge her to continue “Those are basically like, touching and analyzing objects and then writing about their importance.” She feels the giddiness welling inside her, 

“Eda lets me help her do that and it’s so fun! I remember when she let me touch these 500 year old coins that she found online for like, $40! She once even found a pre-colonial cannon b-” She catches herself about to ramble and looks at her friends who watch her in amusement.

“Heh,” She looks away bashfully “basically, she’s preparing me for museum work; that way I won’t have to spend my time in higher level classes trying to figure it out.” She summarizes. “Besides that, though, she helps me get some slack from other professors and such, hopefully not through threats.” She snorts looking back at her roommate, “Also, have I mentioned that she pays me?” 

The three continue joking and talking for a while before saying their goodbyes and heading to their respective dorms. Sitting in her bed, Luz attempts to prep herself for tomorrow, her first school day of the second semester. Her first class will be art history: Art of the Northern Renaissance. Curiously, she doesn’t know a lot about that subject. She knows a few dutch masters like Van Eycke or Bening, but their work never really spoke to her. 

If she’s honest? She thought they were boring. The colors were nice, but she didn’t see more than a lot of statuesque figures and detailed landscapes. Although, this class might change her opinion on the stoic subject matter. Knowing she’ll have a tutor for the next few months, maybe they’ll teach her to love it. 

While Willow plays Animal Crossing, Luz researches some of the artists the class will be discussing, getting more and more interested as she’s introduced to Peter Breugel the Elder and similar artists. After an hour or so the two agree to get an early rest, ready for what tomorrow holds.

---

Amity drags her suitcase onto her elevated bed, a gleam of sweat on her brow from the struggle. Her driver wasn’t allowed to drive up the hill to where her dorm sat, so she had to finish the 5 minute journey on foot- and what a strenuous journey it was. She catches her breath, looking around her room for the first time in a month and finding comfort in the quiet space.

The one thing she did like about being associated with the Blight family is the fact that, thanks to a small donation, she was able to obtain a single room her sophomore year. It's fairly empty, having a single poster from the museum on the wall, a desk with a vase of fake roses, and a single bed with a fluffy pink comforter. It wasn’t much, but, considering the amount of control she had over herself in her life, she honestly didn’t know how to decorate her own space.

 She did bring back some fairy lights, though, to at least make her believe the space was more home-y. She texts a few people that she’s back on campus, making dinner plans with her usual gang. Huffing, she looks back at her trolley with dread. 

Amity was already in what she considered to be an eternally bad mood since her time at home. As she wondered why her mom had been on her case recently, it was soon revealed that she had “some gentlemen she’d like her to meet”. She never thought her mother would make her go through rounds of suitors to carry on the Blight name, but she was always one to surprise her daughter like this. Stunned at first, her feelings slowly turned to resentment by the time she actually met these so-called “gentlemen”. 

She wishes she could take back the hours spent with those dolts. They never wanted to truly relate to her, just wanted to make her interested in them long enough that she would allow them to take half her family’s fortune and her hand in marriage. 

The worst moment was when she was forced to follow a family friend’s son around a museum that they owned. She thinks his name might’ve been Matt, but she didn’t really want to remember it. His smugness seeped into every part of his being. He knew nothing about art and continued making lewd remarks towards the pale girl who’s patience wore ever more thin. The blonde drew the line when she asked who his favorite artist is and he replied,

“Obviously Gaugin. That guy really knew how to depict ‘exotic’ women.” 

Amity outwardly winces at the memory, hoping to never run into him again. 

Needless to say, she’s become a bit more bitter towards her family and the patriarchal world since the end of her stay in Blight manor. 

She has dreams, a passion she will never allow her parents to squash. That doesn’t mean they can’t destroy other aspects of her life, though. And, apparently, that means her love life as well. 

Amity wants to fall in love, truly; to find a wife that fits with her cycle the way the sun and the moon dance between each other. Yet, a simple and realistic thought is nothing more than a pipe dream to her parents.

She wouldn’t presume they’re homophobic, seeing as her siblings openly displayed their multifarious partners over the years, but they definitely would not be happy with the kinds of girls the youngest Blight found herself interested in. She shakes her head to get the images out of her mind, paying no attention to the glimpse of a familiar face that made its way into the menagerie of ideas.

She could care less about her job or the brunette at this point, seeing as the stakes have been raised in her private life. After about an hour of rage induced unpacking, her bag mostly empty, she hears her stomach growl loud enough to remind her of her plans with the rugby group. 

---

Walking into the cafeteria, Amity keeps her eyes to herself, avoiding her anxiety of walking between tables of other students. She blocks her sight with her hair, annoyed that the blonde locks were too short to put into her normal ponytail for the time being. She already made an appointment at the town’s salon for tomorrow to dye it back to it’s green color.

 Is it good for her scalp? Probably not. Does it make her feel a sense of autonomy and power? Absolutely. 

She sits at a center table with her group, all chattering to each other as she passively listens to the girls’ conversations. They were all talking about their breaks and what they’ve done. Amity stayed silent, not wanting to burden the group of maybe-friends with her strange family dynamic. Picking at her food, she finds the passing conversation unable to lift her mood.

“When did I become so sensitive?” she thinks to herself. Maybe the Blight desire to never show weakness has the opposite effect when it’s forced on to you. 

She rolls her eyes, her thoughts building an impenetrable wall to the world around her. She attempts to listen to Skara’s story about her new boyfriend, but these bitter feelings have already set in. 

 Without realizing, worries begin to flood out; about her love life, her career,..her future. Did she really have one at this point? She begins to feel her heart rate pick up and her hands start to shake.

“ Not now” she thinks.

 Feeling the oncoming anxiety attack, she quickly finishes her plate, saying goodbye to the rugby girls without waiting for their questions. After her farewell, she rushes back to her dorm and shuts the door, just in time for the first sob to bubble out of her throat. She allows the tears to fall freely for a bit before finally focusing on calming down. 

Where is her lamp? What color is it? 10 seconds in, 15 seconds out, etc. etc. Within a few minutes, the only signs of her plight are her red eyes and her still partially trembling form.

She texts her siblings about the event, Emira quickly sending a photo of a cat in a duck onesie to help distract her. The blonde chuckles quietly at the screen, watching the two older siblings plan a visit to see how she’s doing. She also texts Skara, explaining her abscond before and preparing their schedules for Hexbux.

 Feeling a bit calmer, she prepares what she’ll be bringing to her first lecture of the semester, and the first class where she’ll be a TA. Professor Clawthorne mentioned having an opportunity for her outside of her other duties, but she didn’t specify what, saying it would be best to discuss it in person. Through her process for tomorrow, she finds herself forgetting about her home life, and becoming excited about her present. 

After finishing her nightly routine, she plops into her pink blankets, turning on the fairly lights from earlier. They were purple, bringing a calming light to encompass the space. She smiles for the first time in weeks, happy to have her life return to how she wants it to be, for the most part. She ignores the nagging fear of her future for the night, and falls into a deep sleep for the first time in a month.

---the next day---

“Crap, crap, crap…!” Luz whispers to herself, sprinting across campus to the lecture hall. Attempting to be responsible, the brunette left her dorm early to pick up her book for her Northern Renaissance class. Sadly, she didn’t know she was supposed to pre-order, so they were sold out and she’d have to wait a few weeks to get it. If she remembered, of course. The process took much longer than she expected, and the next thing she knows she has to make the 5 minute walk in 2 minutes. 

Slamming the doors open as she catches her breath, the tan girl realizes all eyes are on her due to the commotion. She clutches her bag and bashfully walks in, taking a seat in the back row. The professor hasn’t arrived yet, and luckily a few other kids are still trickling in, so she uses the time to relax and get her stuff ready. After a moment longer, Professor Clawthorne walks in, a blond girl following behind her. She seems familiar but Luz can’t pinpoint it, at least not until the two walk onto the podium and face the class, her eyes widening at the sight.

There, next to the one professor most ARTH majors are afraid of, is Amity, carrying a stack of papers with an unreadable visage. She scans over the room, but seeing as the lights have been dimmed for the projector, Luz suspects she hasn’t seen her yet. She takes the student in, not only noticing the change in hair color but her overall demeanor.

She looks exhausted; dark circles under her eyes and an uninterested expression on her face. This is not the fantasy-reading, art history lover that she met at the party a month ago. Instead, it looks to Luz as if the break wasn’t as kind to her as one would hope. She watches her hand the papers to a student in the first row, passing back what she assumes is the syllabus while the teacher introduces the course.

“Hello everyone, my name is Lillith Clawthorne, but Professor Clawthorne for my students. As you should all know, I am not an easy-going professor.” She looks around the group, “You will need to prove yourself through your work and contributions if you wish to pass this class. There will be an assignment at the end of our Thursday classes for you to finish and have a written response for by the following class on Tuesday. Failure to complete any assignment cannot be made up, and you will be marked down 10 points.”

Luz’s heart jumped in her throat. She was notorious for missing work in her other classes, but luckily the teachers never downgraded her enough to truly affect her grades. But now she’s scared, knowing that her score can go down by letter grades just by missing more than one piece of homework. She remembers that partially the reason she’s in this class is for her tutor, so she’s praying they’ll be able to help her. 

“Now,” Miss Clawthorne continues, “I would like to introduce you all to my teaching assistant this semester, Amity Blight.” She puts her hand on the student’s shoulder, to which Amity smiles pridefully in front of the class. Luz tunes out the rest of the explanation,

“How did she become a TA? ” She thinks with awe, “ I thought only seniors were allowed to do that? Oh Gods, does that mean-? ” 

“If you have any questions for her, I have put her contact information in the syllabus.” the teacher interrupts her line of thought, “We will now go around the room and introduce ourselves. Please, give us your name, if you have a preferred name, pronouns, and your intended major.” Going around the room, both the syllabus packet and the name call comes to Luz. Amity finally seems to recognize her in the group.

“Uhm, Hi. I’m Luz. She/her or they/them, I don't mind either. And I’m planning to double major in art history and literature with a concentration in art.” She looks nervously from the teacher to the other students, registering her introduction in their heads.

“Well, Luz” Lilith finally says, “sounds like you have a lot on your plate. Hopefully this class won’t be too challenging for you.” 

Although she meant it with sympathy, Luz couldn’t help notice the slight snickering from the other student’s interpretation of what she said. She looks to Amity who’s still looking at her as if also trying to figure something out. The brunette waves but when the other girl sees it, she turns around and sits in her seat in the front row, taking out her notebook to write the teacher’s words.

Luz wasn’t shocked by this reaction. After all, the break might have over-emphasized in her mind how much the two girls actually got along. To be honest, she didn’t know why she wanted to befriend the person who has shown her constant disinterest in interacting. She should’ve figured that the barista wouldn’t feel similarly, especially now that she’ll be grading her papers and yelling at her to be more responsible both in the cafe and in class. She slumps in her seat, writing introductory information in her notes.

Soon enough, class comes to an end. Seeing as it is the first day, Professor Clawthorne lets the class out 40 minutes early. Luz packs her things as others shuffle out of the room, getting ready to follow before hearing her teacher’s voice,

“Luz, Amity, please stay behind for a few minutes.” And suddenly, Luz’s suspicions from before are clearly proven. As the two walk closer to the podium, the brunette glances over at the other student who looks straight on at the professor with no acknowledgment towards her. She did look wary, though, at whatever she was brought to this meeting for.

“Now, Miss Noceda, I’m sure Miss-, erm, Eda has told you about your circumstances involving my class?” Luz can’t help but find amusement in the fact that even this teacher knows not to use formalities towards her advisor. Keeping it to herself though, she replies,

“Yes, miss, about needing a tutor?” She glances over at the blonde who’s eyes widen at the news, finally putting the pieces together.

“And Miss Blight, remember that ‘opportunity’ I offered you over the break?”

“Y-yes, Professor.”

“Well, here you go!” she says, smiling and gesturing towards the other girl who waves awkwardly. 

Of course Lilith would think she gave Amity a great opportunity. Too bad she was completely unaware of the two students’ history. Not that she is going to back out, but it did change her perspective on the situation. This wasn’t a normal student, at least, not to her.

The brunette gives her a sheepish smile as Lilith continues,

“I only ask that you get in touch two times a week. One will be a review session of what we’ve learned that week, the second is to be used as a study day to prepare you for any tests, essays, or projects that I will have all of you doing.” Luz gulps at the idea. “Will this be alright?”

It wasn’t exactly posed as a question, and Luz remembered why most avoided the older woman’s piercing gaze. They both knew the answer she wanted and they quickly nod to placate her. With that, she wishes them luck and leaves the room.

After the teacher leaves the two girls alone, Luz interrupts the silence,

“Heyyy, Amity.” she greets awkwardly. Instead of responding, Amity continues to regard her with disdain in her eyes.

“Look, I have worked extremely hard to get to where I am in this school. I know you have a lot on your plate, but so do I. Do NOT fuck this up for me.” It wasn’t so much a command but a plea, a tone of desperation shining through in the harsh words. The brunette simply replies with a nod. 

“Good. Here’s my number,” she pulls out a post-it, handing it to the dazed brunette, “Text me and I’ll reach out with some ideas to gage where you are academically and we’ll go from there.” As she explains, they both hear her phone ding with a reminder. As Amity picks up her phone, Luz watches her eyes furrow while reading the message.

“I gotta go.” the Blight hesitates, the ice in her expression softens a bit, “I’ll see you around, okay?” and she hops out of the room. Luz watches the blonde girl until the door shuts, leaving her alone in the large seminar room.

 “I guess things aren’t going to change after all, huh?” Luz thinks to herself, solemnly.

Chapter Text

“ Fuck, why did I say that ?” Amity thinks to herself as she runs out of the lecture hall. She hadn’t meant for what she said to come out that way, but she panicked. She knows this isn’t Luz’s fault. She also knows she acted like an angry toddler, and wants to rectify whatever image the other girl had of her before that interaction. She forgot that she wanted to make amends. That she didn’t dislike the brunette anymore.

She thinks about how heartbroken the girl’s face was before she could mask it. The Blights are known for their quick and sharp tongue, but there was no need for it and now Luz probably thinks she’s purposely hurting her. The guilt causes her stomach to tie in knots, unused to the feeling of remorse. 

She hates it.

 But what if Luz couldn’t keep up? What if she doesn’t do well on her papers or study enough for an exam? It would come back to her having failed to teach someone properly. And if her parents found out?

“Bye bye, art history, ” she rolls her eyes thinking about how “disappointed” the two would be in her. Besides that, if she were to ever make her dream of becoming a professor a reality, she wants to try her best with the situation she’s in. It sucks, she’s aware, that she has to give up so much for so little, but she hopes it pays off.

 She releases a heavy breath before heading towards the library. She had some free time until her hair appointment, but then she had work in the evening. She rubs her eyes in frustration, just remembering the routine that usually takes place on her shifts.

Hexbuck’s: college café and now a hip, new tutoring spot for Luz and Amity! It should be simple enough, just leave her with some readings or go over a paper, but the barista gets the feeling that not much work will get done with the ball of energy that is Luz Noceda. Luckily, it was usually just her and the other student later in the evenings, so there won’t be much to distract either of them. 

She finds her secret area in the intellectual building, a small study room that was abandoned during some construction a few years back. It seems that nobody ever bothered to reopen it, so when the Blight asked the head librarian about it, she struck a deal that she could have the room key in exchange for being a part of a weekend reading group that read to local children. Luckily, it was only every other week, and she also had a soft spot for kids, so the compromise never perturbed her. 

 Turning on the lights, she sets her bag down to take out and open her laptop to compile information Lilith gave her for their class. This included certain dates, the timeline of the artists they’ll look at, and even some extra information about any larger projects or exams they will have. Amity was actually surprised by the amount her professor had for the semester, now partially understanding why this class might’ve been too much for the brunette on her own. 

Amity herself may be overworked, but she’s been used to it since, well, since she could remember going to school. Also, she only had her one major to focus on, so she had the ability to put all of her effort into that and her other required classes, unlike the pixie cut girl. 

As if on cue, she gets a text:

“Hey Amity, this is Luz :) Thank you so much for helping me out! I know I’m in good hands with the resident top student!”

Amity feels her face burn at the compliment, unused to another’s praise that wasn’t from a teacher. She doesn’t answer for the moment, but huffs in amusement before saving her documents and heads to the shuttle to get to her salon appointment. She’ll rectify her situation with Luz soon enough.

---

Luz can’t stop thinking about what Amity said. Something in the way she practically begged the student not to fail her, there was something more to it than worrying about losing a tutoring job. She wouldn’t pry, knowing the stand-offish student would prefer for her to not say anything, and she’ll respect that boundary. 

For now, at least, seeing as if Amity can’t help her, Luz will be in a bad position for their class. 

“Whatever, stop thinking about her for now,” she attempts to dispel her concerns, “ You have to get ready for your other classes. King’s starts tomorrow and who knows how his work will go”

  She slumps her shoulders, dreading another semester of the same, busy routine. She was able to stay afloat so far, but that was only because she didn’t have to take special courses, yet. And, with her schedule and her advising meeting coming up, she might want to start some of the assignments she’ll have during the semester. If she got some readings out of the way, maybe she’ll be able to understand the concepts faster.

“Maybe it’ll even impress Amity..”

Her cheeks flush in embarrassment at the passive thought, hitting herself in the head to shut up her subconscious.

 “ She shows me one night of mercy a month ago and now I can’t stop wanting to get closer,” she groans to herself.

 On that subject, though, she reminds herself of her nightly cafe visits. Deciding that she’ll go later, she texts Amity to see when they’d like to start working. She then meets up with Willow for a scenic stroll through campus back to their dorm.

The two chat about their classes for a bit, but soon focus on the scenery. The worst of the winter might be over, but the spring hasn’t arrived, either. Some flowers have popped up prematurely, bringing some color back to the winter trodden school grounds. As they walk, Willow gives a name to each one in passing. It’s calming to her roommate, who walks unnaturally quietly alongside the bespectacled girl. 

Luz likes her friendship with the horticulture major, always bringing her back to reality and dazzling her with her strength and intelligence. Willow is a powerhouse in every sense, almost always knowing the right thing to say or do in any situation. Issue is, it means that she is also very good at reading people. And when Luz is silent, it is a clear indicator that something’s on her mind.

“So, how’d your class go?” the black-haired girl finally asks. Her friend looked a little lost when they met up, so she decided to hold off from asking until she relaxed.

“It was...interesting.” Luz chooses her words carefully.

“How so?” Her roommate turns to her, eyebrow up inquisitively.

“Well, having the scariest professor in your department as your teacher is one thing. I also don’t know much about dutch art, so unlike the other classes where I kind of knew what they were talking about, I'm going to be surrounded by new terms and names.” She rubs her face, feeling the stress start to take over before she remembered the last thing.

“Oh, she also made Amity my tutor, because I guess she’s in my class and a teaching assistant. And I think she still hates me.” she looks to her friend to gage her reaction. She watches her eyes widen for a moment before releasing a snort that turns into a fit of giggles. Luz rolls her eyes playfully, knowing Willow would find it hilarious.

“Oh my god,” she wipes a tear from her eye, “You just can’t escape her, can you?”

“The thing is, I don’t even want to escape her! I just wish she didn’t want to escape me..” she rubs her arm, suddenly feeling insecure. Those words hurt more when she says them out loud.

Willow, seeing the shift, thinks of anything to offer. After mulling for a moment she gets Luz’s attention.

“Okay, so, you know how you thought she hated you at the party but then warmed up to you as you kept talking to each other?” her friend nods, “I think this is another chance.”

“What do you mean?” Luz questions. The shorter girl rolls her eyes, 

“You’re literally going to be stuck together going over art you’re both studying. There’s bound to be conversation and I doubt she only acted interested in you because she was drunk.”

“I guess so..” Luz says as she thinks. She didn’t even think of the fact that art is what got them talking in the first place. Before she can continue she feels her phone vibrate. She notices it’s a reply from Amity, reading:

“Hello, Luz. Thank you for reaching out. I apologize for my sudden exit earlier. I will discuss this with you more at the cafe, tonight.” 

Luz smiles, relief washing over her.

---

A few hours pass and Luz finds herself walking into Hexbuck’s for the first time that semester. Getting her drink from Skara and catching up for a bit, she finds her corner chair and works on some Lit assignments King sent to her early. 

Zoning into her work, the brunette doesn’t realize the baristas have switched until deciding to buy a snack from the register. Getting up to the counter, she notices a light, sea foam green color from behind the counter.

“I like the hair,” she mentions as the staff member makes her way to the register. 

“Huh?” Amity registers the compliment and looks away before returning to the common monotonous gaze Luz is used to, “Oh! Uh, thanks. What can I get for you?”

“Shut down.” the brunette thinks solemnly as she takes her coffee cake back to her table. She ordered a tea as well, but felt too uncomfortable to wait by the barista for it. She sighs as she sits down, clearly disappointed by the now-greenette’s reaction. She didn’t glare at her though, which she probably would have done a few months ago, so it was a start. 

“This is gonna be harder than I thought.”

---

After a few moments of the barista preparing the milky drink, she turns to see that her patron wasn’t waiting at the table like she usually does. This isn’t the first time, but past-Amity would’ve left it on the counter after yelling out the drink name, not mentioning for whom. Now in the present, she wants to be better, if just slightly. She was pulled so far back into the realm of Blights she could feel the existential crisis of just doing her job appropriately. Sighing, she finally opens her mouth,

“Grande chai latte with vanilla for..for Luz!”

She watches the head of curly brown pop up at her name, quickly getting out of her seat to pick up the cup. (Luz has been switched to paper cups instead of mugs, for the time being.) 

When she gets up to the counter she has a wide grin, and the greenette is slightly perturbed.

“You said my name!” She whispered in excitement but Amity could hear a hint of smugness in her words as well. As if she won the battle the barista made up in her own head.

Blushing in embarrassment, she tries to excuse herself,

“I-i’ve said it before. You just didn’t hear me.”

“Hmmm?” Luz leans on the counter with a smirk and suspicious eyes, “you wouldn’t happen to remember when that was, would you?”

“No.” comes her blunt reply, “Now can you please just take your drink and sit down?”

The tan patron chuckles but lets off. As she reaches for her drink from the other girl’s hands, Luz can’t help notice the feeling of her fingers brushing against the other’s. She shakes it from her head, giving a small smile of thanks at the still embarrassed barista.

With that Amity is left to her own thoughts, watching the receding figure of the girl until she sits down. The barista would wait until after the evening rush to go over some stuff for their lessons, but found herself analyzing Luz as she stood there. What would she learn from her? Would she even be receptive to her help? The greenette couldn’t help assume that the student would be fine with whatever they did.

 Lus was just so...happy. And confident in who she is- the only time she seems unsure is when she clearly did something wrong. Plus, she’s always willing to rectify it. If her personality is anything to go off of, Amity can allow herself to relax just a bit. 

“Maybe I’ll learn something, too.” she thinks, hopefully.

Chapter Text

Over the next few weeks, Amity takes the last hour of the night to go over ARTH stuff with Luz when working at the cafe. She’s a great teacher, the student thinks while waiting for their session to begin that evening. The barista is able to explain ideas like the “Wunderkammer”, the rise of the Royal Academy, and other subjects that mixed art and society to form this specific movement. These teachings don’t go on without a hitch, though, as anyone learning a new subject knows: 

“So if religion was so important, why was it called the Golden Age?” Luz questions, “Isn’t religious imagery what they were doing before?”

“What does the word ‘gold’ imply?” came the blunt reply. She thinks about it for a minute.

“... So it was just more expensive religious imagery? Is that what you’re telling me?”

“I mean.. that’s most art in Europe at this point.” Amity shrugs, shuffling through her notes.

“Amity, there has to be more to it, right?… Right?” Luz, now concerned about what constituted as a new, unique movement in Europe.

“Well, the role of women was important, but that’s still related to-”

“Religion, got it.”

Although heart shattering to the brunette that Christianity was the backbone of Northern European art, she was doing well in the class. She could answer unexpected questions thrown at her by Miss Clawthorne, and she hardly breaks into a panic when given a pop quiz now!

Luz, in Amity’s opinion, was actually a great student. After their first session, it became clear to her that the girl just needed to reorganize her academic priorities, and maybe a little work with editing:

“Luz, you have so much written but there’s like, no linear conclusion. Let me see your outline.” Amity asks in concern as she skims her 1st draft.

“Oh, you actually do those?” the girl questions, nonchalantly.

“You don’t?!”

These instances occurred often, usually light in tone, and it brought out the more absurd sides of the two girls.

Willow was right, once again, Luz begrudgingly accepts. Amity became less uptight and she became less nervous. She was amazed by how differently the greenette acts when she’s on her shift versus when they are spending time together. The two don’t even realize they are looking forward to their lessons a few weeks in.

The sessions last about an hour or longer depending on if the cafe is too busy for the TA to give her student the proper time. They never talk much about anything outside of their class or other aspects of the college, even though Luz is almost bursting to discuss the other girl’s hobbies.

Although less nervous to upset the girl, the proximity and desire to get closer started a different line of worry in the brunette’s head: 

When will she get tired of me?

It would be an understatement if Luz said she was picked on in middle and high school. Yet, it wasn’t always the common bullying filled with name calling and physical offenses. Instead, she began to be ignored. Labelled “the weird girl”, nobody by sophomore year would hang out with her after classes got out, only really interacting with her when it involved school. 

She knows some people found her funny, most agreeing she was a nice person, but the social pressures were too much for them to comfortably get to know her. And while it seems like she’s making a good impression on her barista-turned-tutor, her mind can’t help but supply a list of scenarios in which their relationship could go south.  

 It also didn’t help that her bisexual brain couldn’t stop noticing how soft Amity’s green hair looked in the dimmed cafe lighting, or how her eyes look like pools of honey that she can’t stop herself from falling into. Not that it meant anything, of course, as these are common things to think of when spending time with someone. But it didn’t help that this has led to many moments of spacing out on her tutor, who never seems to notice the thoughts running through the tan girl’s head. 

Amity doesn’t notice, not because she’s oblivious, but distracted. As clear as it is that she’s comfortable around Luz, she has banned herself from ever having other conversations with them outside of academics. She reasoned it was because she was supposed to be a mentor, but she also doesn’t want her to judge her or spread rumours about her personal life. Whether due to how she was raised or for her own personal protection, she’s terrified of the happy girl viewing her differently than she does now.

 She’s known to be smart, quiet, and good at making coffee. That’s how she wants people to see her. Sadly, her home life turns its ugly head to expose her at the worst of times.

Her parents have been nagging her lack of choice in a suitor since the winter. They can’t force her hand, she knows, but they’ll wear her down as much as they can. They also keep reminding her of her advising meeting, where Lilith will be providing some of their input into what she learns going forward.

 How her parents could have such sway over the school she’ll never know and is honestly too afraid to ask. 

One Thursday evening, as the two students finish up their tutoring time, Amity’s phone rings. Noticing it’s from her mother, she excuses herself from Luz and walks a few feet away for more privacy. Not wanting to eavesdrop, the pixie cut girl packs up her stuff to get home a little early. As she shoves her laptop into her bag, she begins to hear some whispered shouts coming from her tutor,

“No, I haven’t chosen any-. Well- I, Mother, please, just let me-” the brunette watches Amity’s back tense, clearly being cut off by the other person once again. The silence of the two in the cafe lasts for a moment longer before the Blight finds it within her to respond, “Well, maybe I doN’T WANT TO MARRY THEM!” 

With that truly audible shout, she hangs up the phone, resisting the urge to chuck the small device at the wall. Instead she just grips it while shaking with exasperated frustration. With some deep breaths, she calms herself enough to return to rational thoughts. Remembering the one other person in the cafe, she turns around to see Luz staring at her with wide and concerned eyes.

“Uhm, how much of that did you hear?” she asks tentatively.

“To be honest? Not a lot besides that very startling ending.” Luz shrugs. Amity opens her mouth to form an excuse,

“..Sorry.” Is the only thing she can say.

The two stand in silence for a moment, both attempting to ignore the barista’s phone ringing with what is most definitely her angry mother calling back. It falls silent before Amity speaks up again,

“Could you, not tell anyone about that, please?”

Looking up she notices the confusion on her student’s face,

“Amity, I don’t know what’s going on in your life but I would never say anything about this. This is a private moment, and it'll stay that way. Se lo prometo.”

“Thank you” she breathes out the reply, relief coming through her words. 

“What do you say we forget I heard anything and we go back to our dorms? You only have 15 more minutes, right?” The greenette nods. “I can wait for you. I-if you want!” Luz doesn’t know why she’d accept the offer, but it’s the least she can do after what happened. Her mami and her don’t fight often, so she can only assume how she feels. 

“...Sure.” is the final reply from the barista, who immediately goes to close out the register.

Surprised, Luz gets her bag and waits for Amity by the entrance. Not looking at the brunette, the pale girl locks the doors silently and the two head out on the same path. Looking for some form of conversation, the brunette looks at the other,

“So,” Amity returns her gaze, “is there a story behind the green hair?”

Her gaze drops, and Luz is about to backpedal before Amity speaks up:

“Not really.” she twirls a strand in between her fingers, “I just don’t like being blonde..”

“I thought you were a brunette? I saw your roots last semester..” she explains before the other can question her.

The barista gives a sad smile, “Let’s just say it’s easier being green”

Luz watches her, seeing a flicker of something in the girl’s eyes. Sadness? Discomfort? She couldn’t tell before the girl spoke up again. 

“Plus, I like this color more. It reminds me of-”

“Azura, right?” Luz cuts her off. The girl nods, confused as to how quickly she responded. “We were thinking about a book club, remember?”

“Oh, heh, yeah…” Amity awkwardly itches her cheek.

“Maybe..maybe we still can?” the brunette asks cautiously.

The barista is about to refuse, but she thinks on the girl’s kindness towards her, especially tonight.

“Okay” she says quietly, suddenly nervous with her agreement. She hears a gasp,

“Oh my gosh, really?! Oh man, Amity this is going to be so great, we can steal those bean bags in the library and oh! We have to go over your headcanons and,” She gasps again “Do you know what ship-”

“Okay, okay!” Amity cuts her off, hands out in defense, “Look, you’ve already got a lot going on and I can’t really offer much time either, so maybe we can just talk about it when we have some free time?”

“Yes!” the greenette finds herself enveloped in a warm embrace before being spun around and put back down. Bewildered she just stares at the ecstatic girl who continues to ramble,

“You’re great, Amity! I can’t wait.” Opening her eyes from the hug, Luz realizes how close the two are and that her hands are still on the shorter girl’s shoulders. As if burned she removes herself, watching Amity as she also recovers. The two walk in silence the rest of the way to Clawthorne Hall with a pink hue on their faces.

“This is me.” Amity partially mumbles and she fishes her key card out of her wallet and unlocks the door. She looks back at the brunette as a farewell. Once eyes are on her, Luz gives a warm, amused smile,

“Goodnight, Amity, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Amity finds herself smiling in return, “Goodnight, Luz.”

Chapter Text

It’s the last week of February, and our duo are only growing closer. It turns out that Gus and Amity share an anthropology class as well as her and Willow sharing an ecology course, so she’s been interacting with Luz’s group more frequently. Luz doesn’t think the mint-headed girl considers them all “friends”, but it’s nice to order a drink and not be glared down anymore. 

Academically, our brunette has been doing fairly well so far, and she is not afraid to say it’s almost all due to Amity. It’s not like she could share her work with her, but her tutor gave her a routine, edited her writing so she could spend less time on it, and helped her study, often teaching her ways to study for other classes in the process. Overall, if Amity thought jumping off a bridge was a good idea, Luz would cha cha slide right off the edge.

It was totally due to how much she’s helped her, that she would follow her into the sun. It has nothing to do with how the pale girl’s voice puts her student in a trance, or how her brief touches while reaching for a pencil or passing papers cause the girl to focus more intensely as to not think about her warm cheeks or beating heart.

 Yup, totally platonic, mentor/mentee relationship. The brunette doesn’t have much time to reflect on her growing feelings towards the other, either, considering how much time is dedicated to just staying afloat academically. 

 It’s not that Luz is oblivious to what she’s feeling, but she’d rather avoid thinking about it as she’s known to fall head over heels within a span of a few hours of putting the idea of romance in her head. When she does, though, the mix of butterflies and guilt fill her stomach and she forces the thoughts out once more. She feels bad, having these feelings for someone who pretty much hated her (with reason) and was now forced to teach her in her free time. She also didn’t know if she liked girls, or, Luz, in particular.  

But she can’t focus on that right now! She has to get ready.

This week was advising week, and Luz was terrified. As much as she knew her advisors loved her ambition and her actually finished assignments, she knew she was going into more of a debate than a meeting. 

Walking in, she sees Eda, her Art History advisor. She was thin but not frail, as her often sleeveless outfits show off how toned she truly is. Besides this, she has long, bushy grey hair and piercing eyes, similar in color to Amity’s but dulled slightly with her unknown age. She sips some black tea from a mug with the words “30 and Flirty” on it- one of her favorites, Luz has come to learn. 

Looking around the room, it’s small yet comfortable; it has wooden floors and a small window which her professor has lit a candle next to. Luz is always distracted by the owl figurines from different artists and time periods that are scattered around her brown and red office. When asked why by her students, Eda just deadpans that she’s a follower of Athena and cackled. 

To her right is her Literature advisor, King, who wore a sophisticated turtleneck with rounded glasses. Immediately, he ruins his cool façade as he giggles at a cat video someone sent him. He has short, unkempt peppered hair that almost reaches pixie-cut length. His eyes are light brown but with a yellowish tint. 

He may or may not be known amongst desperate freshmen for his handsome gaze, but Luz never understood them when she knew him as he is now. 

“King” was the professor’s pen name when he wrote full-time, but he’s always so excited when his students use it that she decided that she wouldn’t refer to him as anything else. 

As she steps in the two look up at her, putting away their distractions as Eda kicks an extra chair in her direction, an order to sit.

 “Hey kid, ready for this hell of a meeting?” the older woman greets with a mischievous grin. Luz can’t help but stare at her golden canine but quickly register’s her mentor’s words. 

“Oh no, is it really that bad?” she looks between the two with anxiety written on her face. 

“Luz, with me as your advisor, we can crush anyone who says their meeting went better.” King says, putting on a dramatic voice as he continues, “I can write them into their graves if they even think to brag about their students to me!” He takes on a prideful stance The seriousness of the professor’s tone breaks Eda and her student into a fit of snorts and giggles, King himself smirking at the success of calming down his advisee.

Luz loved these two. Although not from the same department, Eda explained that she and King were often seen as the “weird professors” who got tenure simply due to being close with Bump from their own school days. Their work wasn’t taken seriously by their colleagues for the first few years, so the two got together to write a massive thesis on the weird or often quirky characters of history. After the success of their published joint paper, the two then went to President Bump and got the adverse professors yelled at, suspended, and a few even fired for their lack of professionalism. Eda chuckled when telling Luz the story. Since then, the two have been inseparable as work friends.

 “Us weirdos have to stick together.” Is what she remembers the older woman telling her when explaining why that whole situation mattered so much. And somehow, Luz found herself sticking with them as well.

“So,” Eda claps her hands together, bringing Luz out of her memories, “Let’s start this. You finished all those supplements King told you about right?”

“Yes, ma’am!” she exclaims, pulling a stack of papers out of her bag. She watches the older woman skim the pages before handing them to her male colleague to look through.

 These were the formalities for this kind of meeting. Basically, you write down what majors you’d like to do and why. Double majors, though, meant double the work and another paper explaining why she would be able to do both. 

Her professors weren’t going to try and argue with her at this point, though. King tried talking her out of a Lit degree to save her sanity freshman year, but the student persevered. She is truly gifted with a pen, and her analysis of writing and art alike is always unique. Sadly, she often got off on the wrong foot for her classes, most of her points being deducted for her organizational skills and lack of responsibility. That’s why Eda got her a tutor, and she’s glad the woman believed she wasn’t lazy but instead needed more structure.

“Alright,” King says, setting the papers down, “Now can you, Luz Noceda, please tell me your majors of interest?”

“I want to double major in Art History and Literary studies with a concentration in art.” He nods to himself, him and Eda taking notes as they go.

“And why?”

“Because I think they’re rad.” She hears a snort from the older man. She takes a breath,

“No, but honestly, I love the world of art and museums, but I don’t think visual art can be understood properly without the understanding of literature.” She looks between the two who are clearly surprised by her sincerity.

 “I’d love to become a writer someday, or work in archives or museum education. I really just want to be able to work in a medium that involves me interacting with the visual and written arts. Heck, maybe I can write my own anthology which a literary background would be helpful for.” She was nailing this, glad she thought about her responses fully before coming in. The student hears the two adults hum in agreement but she waits for one of them to speak up. 

“And what about the concentration?” Eda raises a brow, “How does that fit into all of this?” Okay, so maybe she didn't think about it fully.

“Er, uhh, being able to make art helps me understand styles and colors and stuff?” she gives a grin to the professor who doesn't buy her false confidence at all. 

She loved art, that’s why she has it as a concentration, but it was way too time consuming to take up as a major. At least in this regard she’ll still have it written on her degree, but she won’t have any major projects to do for it before graduation. While Art History was her favorite subject, her passion for writing adventure stories and her love for multimedia images could not be ignored when deciding on her majors.

“Fine.” The older woman rubs her temple as King gives her a supportive pat on the back, “Just know that if things get out of hand again that’ll be the first thing to go.” Pouting, and not wanting to agree but knowing it would be the best choice, Luz simply nods her head.

  The two advisors look between one another, still taking in the passionate words that came out of the hectic student earlier. 

 “Though I gotta say, kid, you’ve definitely made the case for yourself,” Eda pipes up, clearly proud of her advisee’s thoughtfulness. “But can you explain how your grades are gonna go? I don’t want to see you like you were at the end of Freshman year.”

“Well it might’ve been easier if I took the actual courses freshman are supposed to take” she glares at her ARTH advisor jokingly, “But my grades are already better than how they were last semester, so I’m pretty confident I can do it.”

“Hey! You’ll thank me in senior year when you’ll actually have time to write your thesis!” Her tone goes from defensiveness to more relieved, “But I’m glad they’re good. I feel like your mom would have my head if you failed out on my advice.” Luz giggles in agreement. Her mom hasn’t met the two in person, but she feels they’d be given an earful for what she happened to witness last year. 

“Well also, my tutor has been really great, so hopefully I’ll be better at staying on track”. Luz finds herself lingering on the mental image of the barista with light green hair, a shy smile on her face.

“Oh yeah, Lilith’s class is treating you alright?” Eda’s blunt question breaks her out of her thoughts. Luz penses over her class so far,

“I guess so. She is very intimidating, but she does seem to care.” she thinks over her words carefully, “It’s like she cares a lot about her students but is also a stickler for the rules so she seems distant.”

“Hah! That’s Lily for ya’! Been that way since we were kids.” the older woman slaps her leg.

“You knew her as a child?” her student questions in excitement. Eda looks at her with an expression that says ‘how did you not know?’,

“Kid, she’s my older sister.”

Luz can’t stop herself from squealing, whispering,

 “Oh my god, secret sibling backstory!” King nods in agreement, as Eda’s life would make a great novel, but she doesn’t allow them to ruminate on this fact. 

“You’ll get the lore later.” Luz drops in her seat disappointedly, “King? You got anything?”

“I have Luz and my other minions in that writing workshop this semester, so I can just bug her in class.” he replies, shrugging. He then looks at his student with a twinkle in his eyes, “we’re going to be talking about famous puns from Shakespeare this week, so you better bring your A-game.”

Luz smirks, “I’ll try to be pun ctual, then!”

“Please do. I wouldn’t want to have to pun ish you.” he responds with a serious expression before they both start to giggle. 

This truly exemplifies the adult experience.

“No! No! No!” Eda jumps in, “This is my office and I refuse to listen to another one of your pun battles. This is a serious meeting!”

“Aww” the other two say in unison.

Luz then watches the older woman straighten her posture, an indicator that she’s putting on her “professor persona”.

“ I think you’re doing a great job, Luz, but it’s okay to take a step back if you need it, okay?” the girl nods slowly so she continues, “I know you’re excited because your schedule has been working out, but keep in mind you have more than half a semester to go.” She sees her student about to interject but she cuts her off, 

“I know you want to take the world head-on, but I need you to understand how detrimental that can be.” She reaches out and puts a supportive hand on the brunette’s shoulder, "You have a lot of passion, and you’re smarter than most people I’ve seen come through here. Don’t use it up before you get out of this place.” She gives her a confident grin, her golden tooth reflecting in the room’s light. Her student looks up and smiles at the genuine words.

“Thanks, guys. You two are life savers.” 

Looking at the clock, the trio find that they’re out of time. Eda gives one last piece of advice,

“Well, whatever the case, we’re here for you, Luz.” she points between her and the lit professor who gives a thumbs up, “Just don’t come to my office sleep deprived and on what I hope was a caffeine high like you did last year.” The younger girl blushes while King snickers at the memory of what became known as “Unhinged Luz”.

After she’s handed some supplementary material for how to prepare for your major(s), Luz leaves the room feeling lighter than before. With her normal hop in her step, she decides to spend the rest of the day lounging in her dorm. She deserves a break, after all.

~meanwhile~

Lilith sits in her office looking over a few emails before hearing a knock on her door.

“You may come in” she states, already knowing who it is. Therefore, when the door opens, she’s pleased for it to reveal her favorite student: Amity Blight.

“Ah, Miss Blight, lovely to see you. Please, sit on the couch and we’ll start the meeting in a moment.” She pulls out her chair to position across from the sofa. “May I see your forms?”

“Happy to see you as well, Professor Clawthorne.” she says and she pulls out a folder from her bag, handing it to the older woman, “I hope these are in order.” Although not showing it, the professor can feel her student’s nervousness.

With a small smile, Lilith flips through the pages as she sits on a chair facing her anxious advisee.

“I’m sure they’re fine. Now, let’s go through some questions, shall we?” she grabs a notepad off her desk, skimming whatever she had written on it before looking back to the greenette,

“Now, Amity, what is your major of interest?”

“I would like to major in Art History,” the girl responds.

Already knowing that was the answer, Lilith gives her an amused smile. She’s known the younger girl since freshman year, and she always had a knack for analysis and historical legibility.

“What about the subject interests you?” she asks, watching the girl think for a moment,

“Well, I love learning about the artist behind the work. To get into the mind of Jung or Carrington,” she smiles as she speaks, “even Van Gogh, I love to look through their mental lens to better understand the art they create and for whom.”

Lilith nods, registering the response, 

“So, if you had to pick a genre to focus on, who would it be? The Surrealists? Or would you focus on one artist?” she watches her student tense up at the question, all enjoyment leaving her visage,

“U-uhm, I actually would look at European classicism...going forwards.” she doesn’t look her advisor in the eyes, knowing she’d be shocked by her response. There’s a moment of quiet that makes Amity want to run out of the room. Luckily Lilith breaks it before she can think it through,

“I was not expecting that from what you were just telling me.” Her advisor sits up a bit, “Why would you choose that style out of all the others?” Amity looks for a way to explain this. This really is something she should have thought more about and now she’s cursing herself internally.

 “Uhm, it’s considered ‘high art’... and I think It’s important that I study the best possible style.” The Blight feels like disappearing as the questions continue.

“It may be important but is it important to you?” she asks in confusion.

“Well, it's important for my future.” Amity replies hesitantly, uncomfortable under her advisor’s gaze.

“And what future is that, for you?” She pushes.

“Uhm, maybe to become a museum director or assistant director?” she feels a panic starting in her chest.

“And is that what your dream is?” Lilith continues, still trying to get a clear answer, “When you read about Buddhist art or abstract expressionism, are you really only doing it to get a high ranking position in a museum?”

“What do you know about my goals!? My future?” the Blight snaps back. There’s a beat.

 “I deeply apologize I-” the younger girl starts.

“It’s quite alright, Miss Blight, I was prying too much. I should have let it go.” She says with her normal, rational tone. “Although, you still haven’t answered my main question.”

“Which is?” Amity asks in concern. She watches Lilith put down her notepad and gives her full attention to the greenette, making her gulp.

“What do you really want to do, Amity Blight?”

That sends an odd chill down her spine. She can’t remember if she’s ever been asked this before. What did she want to do? If she had a choice…

“I’d love to go into teaching. I want to become a college professor, like you.” She responds hesitantly.

“Hmmm” Lilith thinks, “well, I’m glad I made you my TA then, seeing as that’s a step in the right direction.” She gives a sincere and jovial smile and Amity turns bashful.

“Haha, thanks, but even if I told you what I’d like to become I can't really do it. My parents would take me out of the school if I were to change too much.” She chuckles at her own misfortune. Lilith sits back to contemplate for a moment before responding,

 “I understand, but I hope you take it to heart that you are a model student. And I thank you for taking care of Miss Noceda, even if it's only because of your parents. In terms of teaching, I gave you this opportunity hoping it would be rewarding for you too.” she gives a soft pat to her student’s shoulder, continuing, “Academics are important, but so is being who you want to be. That is something I wish I learned much earlier on in life.”

Amity stays silent, taking in the older woman’s words. Lilith waits for a reply but when nothing comes she tries another angle,

“I know you think you need to be what your parents want you to be, but if they stop you now you’ll only live with regrets. You are strong willed and extremely intelligent, and while I cannot pry into your family life, I do hope you come to be the generation that chooses their own paths rather than what ideals are forced on you. Do you understand?”

Amity finally looks at her, eyes shimmering with tears that begin to spill forth,

“Yes, Lilith...Thank you.” she mutters between sniffles, extremely embarrassed by how she’s acting but also relieved to know her advisor is on her team.

“It’s no problem for me, but I do hope you see me as a resource for your future endeavors. If you choose to go beyond the realm of classicism, I will pay it no mind.” She looks off to the side, her tone becoming a bit lighter, “And, if you wanted me to keep Odalia and Alador off your back, I'm impartial to feeding them some information from time to time?” 

The greenette chuckles and wipes her face dry, “That would be wonderful, thank you again. May I ask why you're being so generous?”

“As I mentioned, I see a lot of myself in you.” Her brow furrows as she remembers her childhood, “I put so much pressure on myself for my family’s approval that I still regret the things I didn’t say or do when I was your age. My sister was able to break free, and it showed me that there is a life beyond familial pressures.” she looks absentmindedly out the window as she continues, “She is also very kind with her students, so I believe it’s time I prove I can do the same.”

“Your sister’s a teacher too?” Realizing what she said, Lilith dismisses her question, 

“That...will be answered another time.” She looks at her watch, “Now, we only have a few minutes left, how have your other classes been? It seems like tutoring has not negatively affected your schedule.”

“My other classes are going well, I have one last bio exam but it's open-note. And tutoring has been fine.” She smiles, “Well, they’ve actually been great. Ms. Noceda is incredibly intelligent and entertaining, and it seems that she is taking my edits and explanations to heart.”

“She has been doing very well since that first week” Lilith nods in agreement, “Do you believe she still requires your assistance? We should have covered most of the basics by now.” 

Amity’s smile fades as she registers the question. Was she needed anymore? She has been spending less time editing the girl's work, spending most of the session talking about other subjects. But why does she feel so wrong about stopping?

“W-well she still needs help on written assignments. Plus, it can be a bit jarring to cut off the lessons completely since I’ve been helping her since the first day.” The Blight defends.

“That is true” The dark-haired professor mulls it over, “Well, if there comes a day where you realize she no longer needs you, just let me know.”

“Y-Yes ma'am.” she watches the raven-haired woman glance at her watch again.

“We’re out of time, but I do hope you take what I said into account. You have a bright future ahead of you, Miss Blight, do not wait to take hold of it.” she says, getting up to return to her desk, Amity leaving quietly soon after.

Feeling a bit shaken by what was discussed, Amity leaves the room distracted, thoughts pooling in her head. She thinks to contact someone to help her break out of her mind, but to no avail. Skara is working, Boscha is in class and she’s not close enough to the other girls for an impromptu hangout. She could try calling her siblings but they aren’t the most responsive people, either. Gods, she should really make more friends.

She comes to terms with this and decides to spend the rest of her day relaxing; no school, no homework, no calls from parents or friends alike. Luckily, she switched her shift at the coffee shop since she was unsure of her meeting time, but there was one thing she forgot to reschedule.

She settles on the contact name in her phone and sighs, bringing the phone to her ear to hear it ring. Thankfully,

“Hello? Amity?” Luz answers, confused as this is the first time the girl has called her.

“Hey, Luz. I just wanted to let you know I’m not going to be able to meet with you tonight.”

“Oh no, is everything alright?” the brunette asks in concern.

“Yeah, I’m just..not in the right headspace to teach.” she replies dismissively, not wanting to get into it with her student.

“It’s okay! We all have those days.” there’s a pause as Amity realizes she should end the call,

“Do you want to talk about it?” she hears from her often-curious companion. The tutor lets out a quick, dry laugh,

“Honestly? Not really. I think I’ll just go to my dorm and find a way to distract myself.” She hears a squeal from the other end.

“Wait, Amity! I have an idea!”

The Blight doesn’t know when or how she ended up in the other girl's room, sitting next to her on her bed with the 4th Azura book splayed out between them, but it’s been 2 hours and she’s still here, watching the brunette ramble about her favorite ships. And if she were to be truthful, she was trying to hide how much she was enjoying it.

“I mean, Malingale and Azura would never work out! He stole her staff and went on the run for like, 8 chapters! And now that they have to find Hecate due to her curse, everyone thinks they have romantic tension? She was going to leave him to get eaten by a dragon if it wasn’t for his amulet!”

“I thought the same thing!” Amity suddenly blurts out, opening the floodgates to her repressed passion. “If anything, Azura should be with Hecate! I mean do you remember how they described each other in Book 3!? The enemies to lovers trope works so well for their relationship and you can tell they care for each other as more than just friends.”

“Right?! They just need to have that, like, apex moment and confess! It’s so obvious they’re in love.” Luz agrees.

“I love Hecate and her entire storyline,” Amity confesses “I saw a lot of myself in her when I was growing up.”

“Same with me and Azura!” Luz exclaims before her expression softens and she gives a look to the Blight which causes her heart to beat a bit faster, “Gods, we should really talk about this more often. It’s nice to have someone who gets it, ya know.”

Amity thinks on that for a moment, giving her own soft smile,

“It is, isn’t it?” 

Chapter Text

“Luz, I know you’re excited that I’m coming to see you soon, but please calm down with the selfies you send of you with your advisors.” The brunette hears the lighthearted voice of her mother on the other side of the phone, “I’m starting to worry that you made up Gus and Willow and these two are your real best friends” She chuckles.

 “Mammiiii!” Luz groans, playing along but also embarrassed, “I would never do that! You were the one who wanted to know what they looked like when you got here.”

“Si, baby, but I didn’t need to see 10 photos of your art teacher doing model poses with random vases..” Camilia mutters while scrolling through the images.

“That was Eda’s idea!” She defends but hears her mother sigh. 

“Te juro que esa mujer.. Well, at least she has style. Has she been helpful? I don’t want her to be wasting your time again..” She mentions with worry. Camilla hoped Luz’s teachers would be understanding of her mental health, but Eda was the only one who was willing to become her advisor. She’s aware of how the professor has taken care of Luz the past two years, and needless to say? She wasn’t entirely impressed. 

Her child did defend how much Eda tried to calm her overactive mind and think things through, but a worried mother is hard to rationalize with. She wasn’t against the rambunctious woman, but a finger needed to be pointed and Eda’s bright carmine dresswear was a perfect target. 

“Yes, mami, her, King, and my tutor are all helping me.” Luz rolls her eyes.

“Oh, your tutor!” Her mom pipes up, excited by the slight topic change, “Amy, right? Have you two been getting along?” she asks. The young brunette never gave a full story, but Camilla could tell she was worried when she first found out. Luckily, she’s only seen her daughter grow out of the anxious shell she had instilled in herself for years. A guilt her mother also holds in herself, as she was a part of the reason for her becoming that way.

“It’s Amity, mom, but yeah that’s her!” Luz replies enthusiastically before her voice softens with admiration, “She’s been so helpful. I really don’t think I would have made it this year without her.” 

“Well, you have to make sure I meet her when I’m there so I can give her my praise.” Her mother requests and Luz responds with an affirmative. Suddenly, a quick beep sound is heard from her mom’s end and the two understand that the call is coming to an end.

 “I have to start my night shift now,” Camilla mentions and she grabs her purse, “But if you ever want to talk, please call me. I always love hearing your voice.” Luz smiles at her mom’s maternal instincts, 

“Si mami, se lo prometo. Te quiero.”

“Te quiero mucho, baby. Muah!” and the line goes silent. She sighs, as most of her conversations with her mother take some effort to stay focused, and today’s chatter went on for almost an hour. Trying to reign in the social fatigue, she pushes the door open to the cafe, surprised to find Amity at the desk.

A week has passed since she and Amity had had their bookclub, and Luz’s confidence only makes her want to get to know her tutor better. Although they were able to discuss Azura and art, there are so many other facets of her life that she’s only seen glimpses of. 

For starters, she still thinks about that evening call from a few weeks ago. The pixie-cut student wouldn’t mention it to anyone, but the words repeat in their mind:

“Because I don’t want to marry them!”

That was disturbing to her; that this girl was already being thrown into marriage, and clearly not by her own choice. It’s not even that Luz wants to discuss that, but with so much bubbling under the surface, the brunette feels like she’s going to walk into a situation where she triggers the girl by mentioning an unsavory subject. She’d love to talk about her mom, or ask about what she was like in highschool, but those all seemed like loaded subjects.

So now she’s stuck: does she force Amity to open up and push her away? Or does she never mention anything and be stuck walking on eggshells for the rest of their lives? She shrugs to herself as she heads to her seat to drop off her things. 

“Whatever happens, happens, I guess.”

---

Amity sits at the cafe register, reading through a large, scholarly book as she waits for more patrons. There were a few groups, many friends coming in to catch up, but most were heading out rather than coming in. Not that she minded, it was common around dinner for it to be a ghost town, and she had some work to do.

Her book is about european art from the Renaissance to the 19th century. It was a required reading for freshman year, although they only used it a handful of times to look at a few references. Right now, though, she was finding information for her future self. 

While she did take Lilith’s words to heart during their meeting, her fear of her parents is still overpowering her self will. And if she does end up studying classicism in her later college career, she needs to understand it. She rereads a paragraph, her face twisting in concentration:  

In the eighteenth century itself, classicism was still alive throughout Europe in the first fifty years. However, it was also the period of the Rococo style, against which the Neoclassical generation reacted vehemently, dismissing the art of Boucher and his contemporaries [...] The rejection of Rococo [...] helped galvanize a strong resurgence of classicism.

“But, Boucher learned from David; why is he known for Rococo art?” Amity thinks to herself in frustration, “ Their styles weren’t THAT different, I suppose. Maybe it was the subject matter?” She flips between a few pages, comparing some images, “Wait, why did Napoleon, who liked classicism, kick David out and make Boucher his favorite?” she sighs in exasperation.

  Back and forth, back and forth, that’s all this style does. It goes from stern to pretty to stern again, but of course there’s more to it than what’s deemed “attractive”. If a painting is too romantic, it’s frivolous; If it’s too academic, the artist lacks confidence in their skills; If the piece is too historical, it’s boring, but if it’s too action-packed, it’s galvanizing. And yet, at some point, all of these overlap into a stupid classical painting. 

She skims the explanation of political games and cultural movements that made society crave these ideas, but it still doesn’t help her figure out what in the actual images makes them classical. She groans in dismay, not noticing the brunette bouncing up the cafe register.

“Hola, Princessa! You wouldn’t happen to know a pun that uses Macbeth’s name in it, would you?”

The barista, startled, shoots her head up, registering the foreign words before anything else,

“Huh? What? No. Why?” she asks quickly in confusion. She watches as Luz sheepishly hides a small notepad behind her back in embarrassment. But, not before seeing the word “ Murk-beth” hastily written with the words “ King: 1, Luz: 0” next to it . Although it was probably the worst pun she’s seen, the barista smirks at the other’s bashfulness. The more time Amity spends with Luz, the more she begrudgingly accepts that her odd personality is incredibly endearing. The greenette finds it cute, but keeps that information to herself.

“No reason.” Luz quickly changes the subject, “Anyways, what are you up to on this fine Wednesday afternoon?” she practically coos, causing her tutor to try and hide a smile at her antics. It’s something that Luz has been trying to push out of her more and more; She’s too beautiful to not smile, isn’t she? Before falling more, Amity places a book in front of her face, titled, Neoclassicism .

“Skara’s at a rugby match, so I’m covering. It’s dead, though, so I’m reading this.” Luz’s blood runs cold,

 “I don’t need that.. Do I?” 

“No, it’s nothing for our class. I’m just.. trying to figure something out.” Amity mentions as she stares at the cover of the book, eyebrows furrowed in resentful concentration.

“What are you trying to work out? Maybe I can help..?” Luz reacts placatingly, but the Blight scoffs, 

“No offense, but I've been studying this stuff for the past 2 years on my own, I feel like I have a better understanding than you.” Sensing the defensive attitude growing in both of them, Luz changes the tone,

“Why are you trying to understand this stuff anyways? No offense, but it seems extremely boring.”

“It is,” Amity sighs in resignation, “but they need to know I care about it so I’m constantly reading up on it.” 

“Who’s ‘they’?”

Amity realizes she said too much,

“No one. I mean, Miss Clawthorne. Anyways,” she continues, not allowing a moment for the other girl to poke a hole in her response, “You know how I mentioned I’m lucky to study art history at all?” the brunette nods.

“Basically, I have to jump through a lot of hoops to prove myself to...others. I have a lot of pressure to change my major but I don’t want to. Not yet, at least.” she looks away at nothing.

“So, your parents don’t want you learning about art? Why?” Amity’s eyes widen and she locks eyes with the nonchalant brunette.

“How’d you know I was talking about my parents?” she asks defensively, but Luz pays no mind to her inflection. Instead, she lists her reasons on her fingers.

“Well, I haven’t seen anyone here give you a second glance, and I know Lilith treats you like her adopted daughter,” Amity flushes pink at that, yet doesn’t deny it, “So, through deductive reasoning I chose the one group most people have problems with: Family!” She exclaims like she solved the Voynich manuscript, “You just reaffirmed when I asked, though.” Amity pouts at her reasoning.

“Okay, fine, it’s my parents.” She admits, “They don’t think the subject is “prestigious” enough for our family so now I'm stuck having to learn about stoicism for their rich friends.” She complains tiredly, using finger quotes to emphasize the absurdity of her elders. She then hears some small chuckles, 

“Wow,” Luz starts, attempting to hide her amusement, “I could tell you came from money but I didn’t know aristocrats like that still existed.” She teases. Amity rolls her eyes but smiles at the fact she technically is one, but Luz doesn’t need to know that.

“Well, they do, my parents being exact stereotypes of those kinds of people. They wanted me to go into law, but when I told them I wouldn’t back down on this, they thought I would become an embarrassment to the family.” She doesn’t catch the look of horror from the brunette as she continues explaining. The Blight has gotten used to hearing those words: “Embarrassment”, “Taking the easy way out”, “Ungrateful”, but they hardly mean anything to her anymore. 

“So, how were you able to go through with it?” Luz asks, cautiously.

“Well, I still haven’t. I still haven’t proven myself to them, yet.” She pushes the book away, feeling self conscious. She expects Luz to ask her to continue but she just waits, leaving it to the greenette to decide how much she wants to say. Her demeanor holds a feeling of concern but also reassurance, causing the girl who wanted to hide so badly to want to tell her everything about her life. 

Whether she likes it or not, Luz has gotten through her boundaries. And honestly? She didn’t hate it. So, she continues,

“They’ll never accept it, I know. But if I keep my grades high, if I can prove that I’m the best in that department, they at least can’t say no.” A quiet determination is heard in her tone- a surety that she’ll take whatever they throw at her and throw it back just as flawlessly.

“Amity,” Luz finally speaks up, cocoa irises clashing with saffron ones, “Your parents suck.”

Amity breaks down at those words with full belly laughs and small tears pooling in her eyes. Most people know the Blights are terrible people, but hearing it outloud struck a chord in the mint-haired girl. She tries to form a response, but can only nod as her patron’s blunt statement made it hard to calm down. She hasn’t let herself laugh like this in a long time.

 Luz can’t stop watching the display, a heat growing on her cheeks that she actively tries to ignore,

“Hermosa…” she breathes out, immediately slapping a hand over her mouth. Amity notices the panic and her laughs are cut short.

“Damn.”

“What’d you say?” The barista asks as a few chuckles still escape her lips.

“N-Nothing!” Luz jumps back, trying to think of an excuse, “I uh, I just noticed this is the first time I’ve seen you really laugh, is all.” 

“Oh! Uh, yeah, I guess I’m not easy to make laugh, so good job.” The girl admits awkwardly with a shy blush, tucking a strand of green hair behind her ear. Luz breathes a sigh of relief when she doesn’t ask anything further.

“Well, I’m not going to bash your parents right now, but you know I wouldn't say anything if you wanted to talk, right?” the brunette mentions with care laced into her words.

“Thanks, but I don’t think now's a time to get into their craziness.” The greenette looks around the café quickly to make sure no one’s coming in before returning to the girl in front of her “Can we talk about something else?”

“Oh yeah!” Luz backtracks excitedly, “I asked if you wanted me to help understand what you’re reading? I’m not be a professor or anything, but maybe I can add another perspective?”

Amity pauses at that; It’s true she only looks from a purely historical and academic standpoint. Luz deals with crazy objects all the time with Eda, so maybe she does have some ideas that would be helpful. After a pause she gives in, sliding the book across the counter, 

“Fine. I’m basically trying to figure out why all of these different movements saw themselves as part of the classical.” Exasperated, she continues, “I just don’t get why one guy from the 1800s saw themselves as perfecting a style from 200 years ago!”

The brunette reads over the article for a few minutes. Amity, watching closely, sees her look over a few phrases and the tutor’s notes. Finally, after an episode of contemplation, Luz speaks up,

“You see for me,” she begins, turning the book back to the image of The Rape of the Sabine Women by Delacroix, “everything is a story” she then flips back to The Abduction of the Sabine Women by Jacques-Louis David “and every story takes from the version that came before it.” Amity looks between the two images. It’s true, they were referencing the same event, but Delcroix’s version looks like an inkblot test compared to David’s. 

“Basically,” Luz speaks up again as she watches the barista lose herself in thought, “they’re reiterations of a desired past that constantly tries to find relevance in the modern world.” The barista nods along, “But no matter how much they want a carbon copy of the original, that isn’t how humanity works.” Confused, Amity looks at Luz who returns her gaze in amusement.

 “Delacroix is choosing to not make his work look like that anymore, because people in his time already knew the story. The actual designs of the people in the painting didn’t matter anymore, because everyone already learned the characters.” Amity starts to see the similar figural representations and the depiction of chaos- the only difference is the character placement and tache. 

“Even though we constantly yearn for a past aesthetic, we constantly imbue it with ideas from the modern world, therefore changing the symbols and metaphors from the original. No matter how much you force a style to stay the same, to follow the exact same line of thinking, each generation changes it with their understanding of the world.” The greenette doesn’t reply, instead reaching out to brush the page, tracing over the figures she can see in Delacroix’s version, finding she liked this newer version better. Luz continues with a smirk, 

“Also, you need to accept that sometimes you won’t understand where these guys got their ideas.” She points to a paragraph from an art critic centuries ago, “They're dead anyways.” that causes Amity to snort.

“Okay, okay, I see your point.” Amity relents while taking the book from the proud brunette, “Unlike Surrealism or Modernism, the style doesn’t have major motifs besides the story it’s telling yadda yadda.” 

“There ya go!” Luz gives her a thumbs up but doesn’t leave the area, instead resting her head and arms on the counter, watching the barista put the book under the register. They were supposed to have a tutoring lesson tonight, but through some strange, kind will from Miss Clawthorne, they had the week off from homework assignments. Noticing the the pixie-cut girl zoning out on her, Amity believes she should be responsible and ask, 

“How’re your readings for next week going?” Luz jolts and avoids eye contact,

“I, uh, haven’t started it yet..” She mutters while suddenly becoming very interested in the bakery display.

“Luz!” Amity playfully hits the girl’s arm from over the counter while she giggles at her own irresponsibility, “It’s like 160 pages!” She then folds her arms like a disgruntled parent, waiting for their kid’s excuse.

“I know, I know, I had a plan!...maybe. But it’s so boring!” Luz flops onto the table again, whining, “I don’t want to hear about trompe l’oeil anymore!” 

“That’s like, the coolest thing about it, though..” Amity says partially to herself.

“That makes it even worse!” Her student shouts with her arms out.

“Well, we haven’t gotten to Bosch, yet. Do you know him?”

“I know the name, but that’s about it.” the taller girl mopes.

“Pull out your phone and look up Garden of Earthly Delights ”

The girls spend the next hour going over these other, stranger artists from this “Golden Age” of art. Amity shows her a griffin in the composition, retelling the story of how she used that to help Viney win a debate with Jerbo. It’s jovial as the two look through his paintings and sketches, pointing out the weird or macabre imagery he often used. They search through other artwork for a bit, from Bosch to Breugel, and then from Munch to Kittelson. Exchanging stories about using their art knowledge for good (and bad) things, they chuckle at each others’ anecdotes. The brunette enjoys the smile of her tutor, glad that the girl finally seems to be letting her into her life.

At one point, going over Breugel’s Tower of Babel, Luz’s tutor leaves her position to join her on the other side of the counter to get a better view of her phone. Trying to remain calm, Luz realizes how hot her face is as the girl pushes herself further into the tan girl’s arm, practically hugging it. Whether from the additional warmth, or the amount of energy she’s spent today, the brunette finds the other girl’s presence dizzying.

She wants to get them even closer but she’s frozen, not wanting to ruin the moment. She knows she has been growing feelings for her tutor lately, but she was able to keep the lid closed for a long while. When interacting like this, though, where Amity seems so happy and comfortable around her, the lid has practically been blown off. She can smell the sweet mixture of coffee and rose coming from her hair, noting how these are some of her favorite scents. She glances down at the shorter girl enraptured with explaining the composition, her long eyelashes fluttering as her eyes sparkle with academic passion. 

Guilt hits her as she realizes how creepy she’s being.

“So,” Amity says, bringing the girl back from her (more common than she’ll admit) daydream, “It wasn’t that he wasn’t a respected artist, but you can tell he started with landscapes before turning to religious imagery.”

“Right.” Luz replies, but the greenette catches her dismissive tone. Turning to her, she notices how red her student’s face has gotten with almost a feign of panic in her eyes.

“Oh Gods, Luz are you getting sick?” Before the girl can reply, Amity puts her hand to her forehead, pushing her face even closer to hers to get a better analytical look.

Panicking, her patron avoids eye contact and tries to back away from the soft hand on her skin. So soft, and she cares so much, and-

 “ Shut up, brain!”   she swallows and is finally able to speak,

“Yep! Yeah! Totally cool! Peachy keen, even!” she flashes her some finger guns and the Blight only looks more concerned,

“Luz, you need to tell me how you’re feeling, otherwise I can’t help you.”

“How I feel?” Amity nods.

“I feel..” Luz regretfully looks back to the pale girl’s face, filled with worry but also slight amusement from how she’s acting. Still staring at her, the brunette takes in the dimple on the shorter girl’s left cheek, and how her complexion seems to reflect the overhead lamps. She can see the faint freckles hidden under the girl’s powder foundation and how precise Amity’s eyeliner is. She watches her thick yet neat brows come closer, and her tutor’s shining eyes are way closer than they were a second ago and-

“Oh no.”

“Luz!”

“Huh?” 

“Are you sure you’re alright?” She comes to find that the greenette is indeed standing in front of her again, “You zoned out for like, 2 minutes and you were looking at me kind of strangely. I tried to snap you out of it when your face got red again…” Before she could put two and two together, the Blight watches the blur of the Noceda run to grab her bag and sprint straight for the entrance.

“OhwouldyoulookatthetimeIgottagobyeAmity!” and she runs out the door, ignoring her half finished tea on the table.

Holding out a hand she was too slow to catch her student with, Amity stares at the door in confusion, thinking about each glace the girl gave her that night and what it could mean.

Chapter Text

After Luz absconded from the café, there was a week of almost no contact between her and the barista. Besides in class and their tutoring lessons, Luz has tried to avoid the other’s often sad and concerned glances. Amity has consistently tried to spend time with her, or, at least hold a conversation, but she doesn’t trust herself to do anything with her, let alone speak and reveal something. Amity, in turn, has been even more upset in her presence, and by the end of the week, stopped trying altogether.

 The taller girl knows she’s being immature, that she should be able to ignore the feelings that recently welled up inside her, but she’s terrified. Of what, exactly, she can’t really say. The most she can relate it to, are bad memories related to confessions made to her or from her younger school days.

Amity is different, she tries to make herself believe:

 “She wouldn’t hurt you! Er, well, at least she’s not how she was when you first met her. Right? She’s changed!” These phrases repeat in the poor brunette’s mind, but speaking to herself has gotten her nowhere and she needs to deal with these emotions. So, she turns to her most trusted confidants;

“I’m telling you, Willow, this is really bad!” Luz shouts to her green-eyed roommate while pacing her room. Willow, on her bed playing animal crossing, doesn’t seem convinced.

“How is it bad?” She says while failing to catch a ladybug, “I thought this is kind of what you wanted.”

“I wanted to be her friend, I never wanted feelings for her!” The brunette explains, ruffling her hair out of anxiousness, “She’s going to notice at some point, and then she’ll stop being my tutor, and then she’ll say I'm a freak because of course she’ll end up being homophobic, and then I get sent to president Bump and then I get kicke-”

“Okay!” Willow rightfully shuts her friend up. After a deep breath, she talks in a slow manner,

“Now, Luz, why do you believe that crushing on a girl in college will lead to you dying in an unmarked grave in Wisconsin?”

“....I wasn’t going to say that.” She deflects.

“I could see where you were headed and you absolutely were.” Her taller friend pouts but stays quiet. 

“Anyways, please calm down when you think about this, okay?” She attempts to reassure, “What worries you about right now, if she were to notice you were physically attracted to her.” She then smirks, catching Luz’s unintentional squawk at the thought. Although Willow wants to calm her agitated friend down, the plant major can’t help but make fun of the girl’s reaction to a crush.

“Can you not say it like that?” The brunette groans again.

“Are you not?” there’s a silence followed by a laugh from Willow, “But I know, I know ‘brains over beauty’ and all that-”

“You know what? I’m calling for Gus’ opinion.” Luz gets her phone, inputting the boy's contact and putting it on speaker.

“‘Nyello?” the two hear from the other end.

“Gussy boy! I need your sociological expertise!” Luz says while looking at the dark-haired girl next to her who pats her shoulder.

“What’s up?” They hear him ask. She takes a breath,

“Okay, so, I think I have a crush on Amity and-” after a few minutes of explanation Gus takes a moment to think.

“Well, when one human is sexually attracted to anoth-”

“GAHHH! Gus, that was NOT a part of my question!” She shouts into the phone as Willow cackles at her roommate’s red face. “Why can’t either of you be helpful right now?! I’m a girl in crisis.” She complains, jokingly putting her hand on her head in woe.

“Well,” She hears over her phone, “I guess, it’s like, you like her and that’s it? I really don’t see where the problem comes in.”

“Because she doesn’t like me! She’s probably not even into girls!” Luz counters.

“Do you know that for a fact?” the bespectacled girl asks from her side. The arth major pauses,

“Well, no, but-”

“And are you sure she still hates you?” Her friend interrupts, “We all talk to her at least every week and it’s pretty amicable at this point.” 

“I guess not, but still I-” 

“Also for the girls thing,” She butts in again, “She literally told you she ships your favorite female characters and said she saw herself in one of them. I think you need to read between the lines a bit more.”

There’s a silence before Luz speaks up again,

“But what if she’s just pitying me?” she mumbles.

“What?” Willow asks, holding the phone which still has Gus on the line.

“What if she actually hates me but is pitying me because she has to be my tutor?” Luz says with more determination, if not slight panic.

“....Why would you think that?..” Gus questions before her roommate can. Another pause.

“You guys know how I was treated at my old school, right?”

“Yeah,” Willow comes back and holds her lightly, a physical sign that she’s there, “But, you need to understand that you’re different, hell, EVERYBODY is different from that time.” She looks sincerely at the brunette who won’t return her gaze, “You can’t go through the rest of your life thinking people see you the same way some 13 year olds did almost a decade ago..”

With a silent tear falling down her face, Luz internalizes the other girl’s words and nods, accepting her statement as true. She finally looks at her friend, wiping her face dry.

“But how do I know if she likes me? If it’s not out of pity?” She asks, her voice breaking in the second question.

“Gus?” Willow whispers into the phone.

“Oh!” The younger boy pops up, “Uh. okay, look, Luz. Life isn’t always happy and great and beautiful- I'm sorry I have to break it to you, sunshine.” Luz smirks at the nickname with a sniffle, “But, I don’t think confessing to her would be a problem, considering how close you guys have gotten. If you were to ask her out, right now, what do you think she’d say?”

“Uh, ‘Sorry, I don’t see you like that’?” Their friend replies after a moment of thought.

“And does that sound like the response of a homophobe who’ll try and get you expelled?” He asks.

“No..” He hears the begrudging reply and smiles.

“So?” The darker-skinned boy shrugs on his end, “Just talk to her. You don’t have to confess right now. Just feel it out and we’ll be here if you need us.”

“I guess so.” She thanks the two of them, and the conversation moves to Gus and his professor working on a private project to “expose the old, underground school passages”, and that it may or may not be illegal. She listens for a bit but leaves the other two to think about their previous words.

Planning to confess at some point, Luz and Willow end the call a little while later. When she hangs up, the two realize she's been panicking til after midnight. The hopeless romantic decides to sleep for now, but she’ll tell her...eventually.

She resigns from her fears, and instead hopes to recover what was left of the two girls’ relationship since she last saw the Blight. Taking out her phone, she sends a text with faux-confidence,

“ Hey, Amity! Sorry I haven’t been able to hang out, I had some private stuff going on. Want to try for a book club soon?”

Before she can even put the phone in her pocket, she feels a buzz. Reading her tutor’s name she finds a quick reply with an affirmative. She and Amity will have their book club tomorrow.

---

A few days after Luz ran from the café, a shift in the girls’ dynamics became apparent to Amity. It had only been a short while, but it was clear the brunette was avoiding her tutor, not even coming into the shop for a day before awkwardly coming in the next for their tutoring session. Amity, concerned, attempted to interact with the girl more often; whether getting closer during times at the coffee shop or asking for another Azura meeting over the following weekend. Yet, every time she did so, Luz would come up with another excuse:

“Sorry, I can’t today! Eda gave me extra hours to work at her shop so I am VERY busy!” or “ Uh, King needs me for emotional support! See you later! ” and runs (or at least speed-walks) away from her. 

This was not good for Amity’s anxiety. Although they never discussed whether or not they’ve become friends, the greenette didn’t like the games Luz, nor her mind, was playing with her due to her absence. So, with every rejection came another reasonable fear: Luz hates her. 

It isn’t that she thinks she’s still upset from when Amity was a jerk to her; that, the barista would understand. The shift happened after they started talking to each other though, when Amity got comfortable and showed the other sides of herself. Luz clearly sees who she really is now, and decided the greenette was too messed up and bitter and decided to leave her. 

“And to think I thought she was the screw up of the café.” Her brain helpfully supplies as she walks to her dorm.

The pang in her heart every time she saw Luz avoid eye contact or shift away from her in tutoring sessions gnawed away at her thoughts. She never noticed the blush, or the longing stares when she looked away, either, as her anxiety created a smokescreen when it came to how her… friend...was acting. Her panic got so bad she couldn’t even help the other students in class without her gaze falling on the one avoidant one. Ms. Clawthorne forgave her, but she noticed her lingering gaze of confusion for her unusual lack of care.

It was purely her mental illness that made her care if the other girl rejected her friendship, she reasons. But, she’s never felt so hurt by those interactions before when it came to those kinds of relationships. The greenette was usually the one to refuse others, from friendship or otherwise, but she knows deep in her subconscious that she doesn’t want Luz to leave her side.

Luz Noceda: The wild girl who could trip into a patron and then comfort them with hugs. Who could break a glass over and over but never break her promise to keep her secrets. The girl who could make her cry in anger but then make her smile while drunkenly rambling about art. She is the loud café patron who used to make her flare red from frustration but can now make her laugh out loud while acting out a scene from their shared favorite book series. This girl, a person full of wild juxtapositions, never made Amity believe she would leave her for any reason.

And yet she did. Or, at least, is trying to. And now, the Blight has to figure out the consequences.

She could ask, she knows, but what if Luz runs away again? What if that was the final straw before Luz asked to stop being tutored? Suddenly she feels like crying; unsure if it’s because she’ll be failing her parents, or that Luz made her believe someone actually wanted to get close to her.

Maybe that’s why it took her so long to realize they were technically “friends”, because she was afraid if they became that, the pain of leaving each other would make her feel like she does right now.

“Anxiety’s a bitch.” The barista thinks and she pushes the door open to her room. After a long day of classes, and with the weekend coming up, she releases a heavy sigh and leans on the back of the door. A weekend meant no café, meaning no Luz. And maybe that’s what she needed. They say sometimes you need to go cold turkey when you form a bad habit; And although Luz herself was not “bad”, the emotions she’s given the Blight, are. 

With another huff she pushes herself to go to her bed where she flops into the soft mattress (get egg crate foam, kids!) before getting a text from the girl giving her so much grief. The grief quickly turns to excitement when she realizes it’s Luz, with an apology. Soon, after some banter, they plan an Azura meeting the next day. With a feeling of relief, the greenette falls into her first peaceful sleep in the past few days.

----

The two decide to meet at Eda’s small town shop called “The Owl House”. Luz mentioned there was a nice outdoor area and she wanted to finally show off what she does for her advisor. Taking the shuttle into town, Amity walks up to the worn, cobblestone building, noticing the backyard and second floor. The pixie cut girl did say that her mentor also lived there, which is why she had the time to do business when not in classes. Finding the entrance, the girl is suddenly put on edge when she locks “eyes” with the door knocker.

Carved out of what she assumes was wood, was an owl’s face, completely spherical with almost no details besides the eyes, which were most likely black beads, and the beak containing an unnerving grin. She doesn’t know why but the face makes her want to commit violence against it, as if she can hear the annoying voice that this visage would own if it were alive. She thanks the gods that magic isn’t real here and that this thing can’t move freely. Before she can put her thoughts about the object to rest, the door bursts open,

“WAH-” stumbling back, Amity’s arm is caught and she finds herself pulled into the face of none other than Luz Noceda. She looks shocked, but is probably mirroring the same look as the girl still leaning beneath her. Noticing the small blush appear on the brunette’s face, the Blight doesn’t question it as the two take a step back from one another and her student tries to speak.

“H-hey, Amity!” Luz chokes out. Amity, immediately, hears the apprehension in her voice, plus the lack of eye contact, and doesn't hear much of the rest of the greeting as she feels her anxiety starting up. 

“Anyways, welcome to Eda’s store: The Owl House!” Bringing her thoughts to reality, Amity watches Luz wave her arms with fanfare while somehow having thrown confetti in the air at the same time. The Blight chuckles softly, glad she’s over their first social hurdle and realizing how much she missed this girl. 

“Hey, Luz.” she responds more calmly, “Thanks for inviting me. I’m excited to see what the most chaotic professor on campus sells to make money.” Sensing the sarcastic tone, Luz smirks, 

“Well, Miss Blight, may I offer you your first step into another world?” The arth major asks while opening the door, offering her hand for the greenette to enter. Amity grabs her hand, noting the slight calluses on her palm, yet can gently hold her own. Returning the look with confidence to the now bashful Noceda, she states,

“You know it.” And with that, they walk into the abyss of Owl House Antiques.

Amity feels like she’s on top of the moon! Firstly, Eda’s shop is incredible; she has swords from the English middle ages and then some from Edo-period japan. She displayed fur coats from 1920’s Russia and modern paintings from Mexico. Luz never mentioned loving one certain style or period of art, but Amity can understand if it’s because she’s in a room where one antique’s beauty is constantly challenged by the object next to it.

 They let go of each other’s hands pretty soon after entering, as Amity roams the store. Luz offers quips in amusement as she watches the girl get consumed by excitement and curiosity. By the time Luz’s mini-tour of the rooms ends, Amity had repeated more than a few times that she would be back while eyeing one of the swords. 

Yet it’s not even the cool new store the barista had discovered; instead, she was more than relieved that her and her student can enjoy their time like they normally would. They sit down at a table out front and have their Azura meeting after getting a drink from the nearby mini mart. Luz paid for both as an apology for how she’s been acting, but doesn’t go into further detail, leaving Amity curious. 

Luz seems to be acting like her cheery and flamboyant self. Well, besides some instances of her noticing her still avoiding eye contact when they conversed, or when she fidgeted with her hands or hair when the Blight would get over excited or get close to her. And, she noticed how demure the brunette became whenever they talked about the Hecazura ship, but who wouldn’t? Those two are precious in their secret affections for one another and Amity would kill to have a relationship similar to that. She said as much and that caused Luz to choke on her cherry coke, but she agreed after her coughing fit.

For these instances, though, Amity innocently assumes it’s the incoming Spring- a mix of warm weather and allergies can easily make someone act in a similar way. It’s not like she’s had enough life experiences with someone like this to really understand what would make them act in such odd ways.

 And, besides that, she has other priorities, like actually talking to Luz. The brunette asks about her other interests, like how she used to play rugby and had twin siblings- a fact that gets Luz to talk her into putting them on speaker so she can say hi to them. 

Of course, this girl who made her feel like a lost puppy for days, would be the one to talk her into something as crazy as calling her family. Plus, Amity doesn’t know how long she can hold out beyond the tan student’s mix of begging and puppy eyes. As much as she won’t admit it, the two realized Luz can get away with a lot when she pulled that look.

Pressing the dial button, she holds the phone up to her ear as Luz quietly squeals in excitement,

“Well, Ed and Em DID say they wanted to plan a visit.”

---

After that, it is not until evening comes around, and Eda kicking them off store grounds “for being nerds who are ruining her beauty sleep” (It was 7pm), that the two began the trip back to campus. Sadly, they missed the most recent shuttle, so they had to wait at the stop for another 40 minutes. No matter, the two just continued conversing. That was, at least, until Luz let out a loud yawn,

“Whew, sorry, Ames. I spent a lot of social energy during our meeting so I’m a bit burnt out.” she chuckles. When the Blight turned to her she noticed how exhausted the brunette looked, even if she was still smiling.

“I get it.” She responds, “If you want a quick nap before the bus comes, I’ll wake you.” After another yawn, Luz snuggles into herself, getting comfortable on the bench After a quick stretch and letting out a small squeak, she huffs out,

“Thanks Amity, you’re the best.” and she shuts her eyes. It wasn’t until Amity was sure she was asleep that she let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. Something about Luz being sleepy makes her want to squeal. Everything this girl does is so adorable, she can’t stand it anymore. 

Her thoughts pause.

“ Did I really just think that?” she questions herself in confusion, but tries to shake it off, “ Whatever. People can find their friends cute! It doesn’t change anything!” She reasons. That is, until Luz slipped from her position and was now leaning on her tutor’s shoulder. She was about to shake her off but the brunette hums in satisfaction and cuddles further into the paralyzed Blight. With a face that she’s sure looks like a ripe tomato, she looks down at the mop of brown hair, sleeping soundly.

“It doesn’t change anything..” She repeats to herself, sadly, but doesn’t move her friend until the shuttle comes by.

Chapter Text

Since her partial realization a few days ago, Amity has just been analyzing the brunette in passing. Luz has still been acting weird, she has to admit. She’s not avoiding her anymore, but there’s something different in their interactions now. The excitable girl seemed fine the other day at the antique store, but she’s been catching her staring more often and has gotten more nervous around her. Whenever she catches her, Luz simply excuses it on fatigue or the spring air and changes the subject.

She shrugs it off, respecting the other's boundaries as she does with hers. They still hang out almost daily though, so she’s picking up on these hidden glances more and more. Some days are better than others, but she’s just happy to be around her. Luz almost always knows what to say to make her relax.

It’s been a tough few days for the Blight, considering family weekend was coming up. Naturally, she is on the preparation committee, helping the library and other clubs promote the shows and events they’ll have when parents start to arrive. She even had to call out of a shift and cancel tutoring sessions for the week (not like Luz really needed them anymore) because of all of the meetings going on with different departments. She missed her newest source of happiness, but she needed to stop thinking about her.

Her thoughts have been consistently consumed by this girl for almost a month and it’s starting to drive her crazy. She is a Blight, no matter how much she’d rather not be, and rationality is usually one of their strong suits. Yet, somehow, the brunette has her unravelling at the seams with growing adoration and receding resentment. It wouldn’t be true if she were to say she hasn’t been daydreaming about her face, attempting to find songs to send her that she would like, or feeling bashful when the girl gets close to her in excitement, but she doesn’t want to go there.

She has no feelings for Luz Noceda.

She just wants to be friends with Luz Noceda.

There is no future with Luz Noceda.

It’s about 6pm when she gets in from her final meeting that day and can take in the peace of her dorm room. After closing the door, she lets her bag slide off her shoulder onto the floor as she grabs a granola bar and hops into bed. She stares at the ceiling for a few moments, letting her mind relax before looking at her phone for any messages she might’ve missed in the past hour. She sees one from her hot-headed friend a few minutes ago:

Boscha: “Hey girl, are you getting dinner with us tn?”

Amity: “Hey Bosch, probably not. Dead tired and have snacks here. Thanks tho”

B: “Are you feeling all right? I’ve noticed you’ve been weird this week. Even Luz asked me if you were okay.”

Her eyes widened.

A: “You talk to Luz?”

B: “Why does that matter? >;) >;)” Amity almost throws her phone at the insinuation before she gets another reply, “But nah, I was trying to hit on Willow and she was there lol” 

The Blight rolls her eyes.

A: “Hitting on her won’t get her to buy weed from you, you know?”

B: “Hey! I’m both looking for romance AND new clients- this can be a win-win for me”

A: “Yeah, tell me that the next time you get kicked out of the horticulture club for being too obnoxious.”

B: “IT WAS ONLY TWICE-”

The greenette smiles at the conversation, promising to go out with her and Skara next week. After a few more back and forths with the pink-haired jock, Amity yawns, setting an alarm for a nap. Soon after closing her eyes, her thoughts drift to that recognizable pixie cut, the loose curls bouncing as they laugh. She grumbles, shaking her thoughts to think about the upcoming weekend.

Luckily, her parents never came, so she didn’t even bother to ask. Unluckily, Luz made her invite the twins during their phone call and she had to get ready for that chaotic energy. She groans, realizing she’s still thinking about the girl.

“It’s nothing.” She thinks to herself, “ It’ll never be anything. Don’t go there, Amity.”

Trying not to focus on the brunette but failing, the Blight falls asleep to the feeling of confusion.

---

  “Hey, Lulu?” The greenette whispers in the tan girl’s ear.

“Hmm?” Comes the muffled reply.

“It’s time to get up,” she whispers in amusement, “You’ll make us late to class.” 

Amity could get up if she wanted to, but the other girls' arms, which hold her in a warm embrace as they lay in her bed, are much too enticing to give up on her own. At the mention of waking up, the other girl only squeezes her more.

“Ngh, don’t wanna.” Luz’s short hair tickles her pale cheek as she nuzzles into the back of her neck. She places a soft kiss on the Blight’s nape before letting her head fall back into the pillows, 

“It’s your fault for being such a good cuddler, Princessa.”

The pale girl giggles at the nickname and turns to fully face the girl holding her. She snakes her free arm around the other’s waist, massaging small circles near the small of her back, returning a kiss to her cheek,

“That may be true, but I don’t think the professor will buy that excuse. C’mon, I’ll buy us breakfast at the café.” She begins to shift to get out of bed when Luz whines at the loss of contact and doubles down on her hold on the shorter girl.

“Stay with me? Please?” The brunette finally opens her eyes, making the perfect puppy-dog pout when she catches the golden irises of her girlfriend. Smirking in amusement at the extremely persuasive display, Amity falls back into the other girl who smiles when she realizes she has won. 

Looking at each other under the pink comforter, Amity lazily brushes the brown locks away from her girlfriend’s resting face. Luz’s eyes flutter open again when she feels a pause in the other’s movements. Suddenly, her gaze turns more playful. Using her free hand to brush the side of the greenette’s cheek, she moves forwards and captures the smaller girl in a small, sweet kiss.

The way Luz’s lips feel has become an addiction for Amity, so when they break apart, she goes in for another. And another. A few pecks later and the two beam at each other, cuddling once more with Amity leaning her head into the taller girl’s chest. She can’t believe she got her, of all people. The light of her life.

“Hey, Luz?”

“Hmm?” The Blight scoots in closer, moving her arm from her back to curl around her shoulders. The warmth between them, plus the scents of lemon and rose melanging together, causes a pleased sigh to pass through her lips. In a breath, she whispers,

“I love you.” Cracking a small, adoring smile, Luz kisses her forehead and looks her in the eyes, full of warmth and care,

“I love you too, hermosa.”

Amity wakes with a start, assuming the cold sweat she finds herself in being the reason for her sudden awareness. Half-asleep, the girl stumbles out of bed and takes in her appearance in the mirror. 

“What the FUCK was that about??” she thinks, looking between her crazed eyes and unkempt hair. Her cheeks are for sure pink, and she feels how clammy her hands are. 

Why was she dreaming about her and Luz? Specifically like... that? She gulps. How’d she even know those words? Whatever the case, there was something else that happened that she recalls;

“ We... We kissed..” She remembers in disbelief. Still looking at the mirror, she pulls her hand up to her lips, remembering the sensation of the other’s warm, soft lips against hers. 

Next thing she knows, she’s holding in a scream while hitting herself in the face with a pillow.

Sure, she stopped hating her and the two are closer now. And yeah, maybe the way she smiles after correctly guessing an answer makes Amity’s heart flutter. And, so what if she keeps getting lost in the bright coffee-caramel colors of the other girl’s eyes when she goes on a passionate tangent? Who would mind something so simultaneously cute and beautiful? Amity sure didn’t. Why else would she think about her all the time?

Wait.

Feeling her thoughts and theories come to a standstill, Amity loosens her grip on the pillow. Seeing her horrified face in the mirror, she attempts to solidify her conclusion before prematurely screaming. Walking up to her reflection, she looks herself in the eyes,

“I have a crush on Luz Noceda.”

That day will forever be remembered as the day people thought they heard the muffled screams of the Clawthorne Hall ghost.

Chapter Text

It’s Family Weekend: a day for family members to come up and see their kids while also allowing clubs to show off their talents to the rest of the school. It is usually fun, often having games, clothing sellers, live music, etc. Amity was actually finishing putting up banners for a talk her advisor would be giving later in the day. It takes awhile for her to notice how long she’s been at it, but she has effectively covered most of the campus in these advertisements. 

Since her realization the other day, the barista finds herself more and more distracted by thoughts pertaining to a particular bubbly girl. It got so bad that she forgot to put her proper shoes on at the cafe, and ended up with sneakers now smelling like old milk, along with other instances. She tries to keep it cool, but she lost her emotional mask somewhere along this journey of discovery, so even seeing Luz’s striped crop top in the distance fills her with a bout of panic.

There’s another reason she’s unfocused, though, and for a reason much more legitimate than a possible crush:

Her siblings are coming.

She would be excited if she wasn’t preparing for the havoc the twins would cause once they step foot on to the school’s grounds. As if on cue, she hears two voices shout from behind her,

“Mittens!” Before she can even turn around, she feels an arm on either shoulder and two figures leaning over her. 

“Found her first!” Ed exclaims, sticking his tongue out at his twin sister.

“Did not!” Em shouts back, “I literally said ‘Hey, I think that green-haired girl is Amity’ when we pulled up and you just got out of the car first!” 

The two have already forgotten that the topic of their conversation is underneath them.

“Hey, guys.” Amity says through gritted teeth, getting their attention. Glancing up, she sees that they dyed their naturally blond hair to be green, a “show of camaraderie with our little mittens!” as it was explained over the phone. She really should have mentally prepared more.

“Oh, hey Amity!” Emira says with an innocent smile before pulling her into a suffocating hug, “Have you missed youw bwig bwothew and sistew?” she asks in a childish voice. Pushing them away, the youngest fixes her hair in aggravation,

“When would I ever miss you two?” She grumbles.

“Oh, I don't know,” Edric begins with feigned naivete, “Maybe when you called us last week during a panic attack saying, ‘I miss you guys so much, I wish I could see you’?”

Amity looks away in embarrassment, crossing her arms. She doesn’t want to admit it, but she couldn’t deny it happened either. 

“Point taken..” She resigns.

“Anyways,” the oldest sister jumps in, “We’re here now! Why don’t you show us around? Didn’t you mention having a secret library hideout?” She asks with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“Uh, yeah. Let me just finish hanging these and then we’ll go somewhere.” She waves the papers in front of the twins.

“Aw, but that’s boring!” Edric is the first to protest, Emira agreeing with a nod.

“Well, the zoology and bio majors are showing off animals in their care.” she mentions, pointing to a gated area with a myriad of horses, rabbits, dogs, and even a dark box that says “DO NOT OPEN- VAMPIRE BATS INSIDE”.

Ed gasps,

“They have bats!?” He looks at his two sisters with wild excitement in his eyes, “I’m gonna ask if I can pet one!” And runs off with Emira quickly chasing after him,

“Ed! No one in their right mind would let you hold an animal, let alone ones with rabies and shit!”

Watching them go, Amity breathes a sigh of relief and returns to her task. However, she doesn’t notice the very expensive car that slows as it passes her, two adults watching her before continuing to the parking lot.

---

It’s the beginning of family weekend and we find Luz jogging across her hilly campus to search for her mom’s Camry in the sea of cars in the parking lot. Having just met their parents, she brings Willow and Gus along to look for the infamous, older Noceda. Surprisingly, they find her out of the car already, speaking to her advisor which immediately fills Luz with dread. As she walks up she hears Camila’s voice, 

"So, you're the one who's letting my daughter run herself ragged?" She asks accusingly. Eda shrugs,

"I'm just showing her what the art world is like. People aren't going to let her off easy unless at a price." She excuses, but the other woman squints her eyes in annoyance,

“Like you?” The gray haired professor fully faces her now, questioning with slight amusement but still defensive,

"Would you still help people if you weren't paid?"

"Yes!" Camila shouts.

"Huh, better woman than I.." Eda mumbles to herself while taking a sip of raspberry “tea”, avoiding eye contact with her student’s mother. Before a slew of insults can escape Camila’s mouth, the two are saved by the sound of footsteps.

“Hey, mom! Hi Eda!” Luz shouts, just in time as she runs in front of the older women.

“Mija!” her mom opens her arms and kisses the top of her head and face ecstatically, both ignoring the disgusted look from the professor next to them. Her mother finally looks her in the eyes, cupping her face, 

“¿Cómo estás? ¿Te está tratando bien tu asesor? Sabes que puedo llevarte a casa cuando lo necesites..” Pushing herself from the loving embrace, Luz chuckles,

 “Mami, I’m fine. If anything, I’m better than I have been in a long time.” She gives a sincere smile to her mother. Understanding, her mom responds with her own, genuine smile, continuing,

“I’m glad. Now, where are those friends of yours that you keep talking about? I’m excited to meet them after 2 years!”

“Here they are!” the girl exclaims presenting a very nervous Gus but a calm and happy Willow, who is the first to speak shaking the older woman’s hand,

“Hello, Miss Noceda, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Her mother smiles,

“You must be Willow, yes?” The dark haired girl nods, and the woman gasps, 

“Were you the one who grew those African violets for us?!” Again, Willow nods but with a chuckle, 

“That’s me! Your friendly neighborhood horticulture student and roommate to Luz, at your service!” With a final smile she finds herself wrapped in a hug, as Camilla looks back to Luz,

“She’s precious, cariño. If you two have a fight, we’re going to have to have a talk.” The three laugh, with only the Noceda’s knowing the woman is partially serious. Next, Camila turns to the younger boy, still watching her as if fascinated simply by her presence.

“And you’re Gus?” The boy gulps but opens his mouth finally,

“Y-yes ma’am.” 

“He wants to make a good impression since his dad really likes me.” Luz whispers to her mom, who chuckles at his behavior.

“And you study human sciences?” I forgot the name Luz told me.” She mentions apologetically. 

“Oh, it’s cool!” He says with an amused smile, happy that the ice has been broken, “You’re not too far off with the idea, but it’s ‘Sociology.” He corrects pridefully.

“Of course!” Camilla replies, “Our hospital sometimes has science majors come to the hospital for different projects, but I always remember the Sociologists to be the most sincere.” She tries to relate and luckily, the younger boy understands,

“Yeah, we kind of have to be, seeing as we’re trying to study other people and all.” His eyes brighten as he looks at her, “Do you think you could get me an internship or something?” 

As the conversation continues, Luz watches as everyone gets along fairly well. “Fairly”, being the word, as Eda keeps attempting to get on her mom’s good side but only seems to make her mom more annoyed with her. After chatting for a good while, Camilla turns to her daughter,

“Oh, Luz, I wanted to meet your tutor, too, remember? Is she around?” She asks and her child brightens up even more than before.

“Oh my gosh, Amity! How could I forget! I think she told me she’s hanging posters by the library. I’ll go get her!” She exclaims while running in the direction of the academic building. Camila just watches with amusement before the girl disappears behind some trees. The other two students mention there’s a beer garden they can sit at for the time being, but she lets them go ahead, saying she’ll join them in a moment with a smile.

As soon as they leave, she quickly turns to Luz’s advisor who thought she was safe from the woman’s wrath. Her eyes steel over, and, unable to escape the glare Eda finally responds,

 "What? She can handle it! You better believe your kid is one of the smartest students I've seen come out of this place. Also, do you know how much extra time I spend helping her with assignments and not having a teacher breathing down her neck all the time? Of course I want some pay back!" the grey-haired woman defends in exasperation. Camila’s gaze softens, and she offers an amused smirk,

"You really care for Luz, don't you?" The professor almost chokes on her drink at the notion, ignoring her nervousness that was absolutely caused by embarrassment and not due to the look she’s receiving from the Domenican woman. She looks away bashfully,

"Whatever. Just don't tell her I didn't say no. Kid’ll never let me live it down." she hears a giggle. Turning, she takes in the now-smiling, carefree face of her advisee’s mother.

“Come with me to the Beer garden, we can talk more about her there.” Camila mentions, looking at her warmly and no longer angry. As the realization hits her, Eda takes a long sip of her drink as she follows with a rosy hue to her face.

“Sorry Luz. Things are about to get awkward.”  

---

As Luz searches for Amity, she takes a wooded path towards the courtyard. Finally, near the Animal exhibits, Luz spots a dot of green hair and begins running up to her. About to shout her name, she notices an older blond woman, wearing a clearly expensive dress, storm up to her. 

“Amity? What is the meaning of this?!” The woman demands. The girl in question turns in surprise and immediately begins shrinking in on herself.

“Mom?! W-What are you doing here?”

“I am here because your generous siblings wanted to visit you, but they were unable to unless they mentioned the reasons for why.” She smirks. Amity’s heart begins to beat rapidly.

“What do you mean?”

“They mentioned they were worried about you, being a lone student at a place such as this.” she gestures to the general area in disgust, “But, it made your father and I wonder what could be affecting you so much, since you were working so hard the last time we saw you. Do we need to remind you yet again that you’re wasting your time with that major?” She steps forwards and Amity avoids eye contact,

“Mother..”

“If your hair is anything to go by, maybe this place wasn't the right choice for you. And, I heard from Skara’s mother that you both work at a dingy café on the school’s grounds? I truly don’t know why your father gave you a chance.”

“Because I-!” Amity tries to defend but is once again cut off,

“If anything, I think it made you forget where you come from, what family you’re from.” She sneers. Those words send a shiver down her spine, knowing where this is headed,

“Mother, please, not here-”

“You’re a Blight, Amity!” She exclaims, again stepping towards the panicked girl below her, “Blights do not study frivolous things, Blights show respect for their elders, Blights do not show weakness.” She sneers, “And what we allowed you to do? It made you weak-” Before the older woman can continue her barrage of insults, an unknown coif of brown hair finds itself between her and her daughter.

“Uh, hello. I assume Miss Blight?” Luz gulps as she looks the woman in the eyes out of respect, but can tell the same is not being given to her. If anything, she feels like a cockroach who just ran into pest control. “I’m Luz, your daughter here tutors me.” She gestures to the greenette who is still recovering from shock but is now thoroughly confused by what's happening.

“Pleasure.” Mrs. Blight says in a tone that insinuates the exact opposite. The younger girl feels a bead of sweat roll down her back,

“I-I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am that she helps me. She’s really talented when it comes to the arts.” She smiles as the older woman crosses her arms while raising her eyebrow, replying,

“Of course. Well, if that’s all I expect you’ll leave my daughter and I for the moment?” Luz locks eyes with Amity and can sense her hesitation. Without a second thought, Luz loops her arms with her barista and begins to rush away, saying,

“Well, actually, my mom wanted to thank her for her help, but she’s leaving! Uuhh, right now! So, I have to take her...Now. Sorry!” Before they’re out of earshot, Mrs. Blight calls,

“Amity!” The two pause and look back, to find the older woman hasn’t moved, but her posture is full of tension, a valve about to break, “Expect a call from me later. And you better not hang up on me, again.” Wordlessly, Amity nods and the two students rush away, towards the woods.

Luz, already high on adrenaline just from the previous conversation, finds herself pulling the mint-haired girl into the forest surrounding the school without a second thought. It takes a moment for her to calm down, and to hear the quiet sniffles coming from behind her. Turning, her heart breaks; seeing the girl who wouldn’t even smile at her for a long time unable to stop the tears welling up in her eyes. Noticing Luz saw her, Amity whispers,

 “I’m sorry.” And runs onto a previously unnoticed path further into the thickets. 

Immediately, her brunette companion finds herself trying to follow. Sadly, she quickly loses sight of her and has to rely on the downtrodden grass to figure out where she went. Luz is fast, but Amity did do rugby, so it takes a bit longer to track the girl than she would like. She doesn’t need to search for long, though, as the woods open to display a cliffside by the school. 

Initially terrified of why she’d come here, her heart calms down when she hears choked sobs coming behind a large cherry blossom tree further inward. Walking up, she finds the clump of her tutor sitting at the tree’s base, letting out what she could only assume has been years of frustration. She wants to say something, but that’s not what she needs at that moment, Luz knows. Instead, she just sits next to her.

She hears a pause from the shivering girl, before feeling her lean into her. Luz, understanding, quickly wraps her arms around the other. She may have gotten flustered, but she was only focused on making sure she was alright.

Amity cries into the taller girl’s shirt while Luz rubs her back, looking around the area. The cliff fell over the river, and seeing as spring finally bloomed, the ground was covered in a pink hue. They watch the waves in silence as a breeze begins to form. She would have to remember this place and come back at a better time. Looking down, she feels the grip on her shirt relax a bit, but the sniffles continue. Suddenly, she hears a hoarse mumble come from the greenette,

“She chooses everything for me, makes me change my hair, embarrasses me in front of my cr-... Friend..” She pauses to sniffle, her “friend” realizing she’s practically talking to herself, 

“But she’s right, isn’t she?”  An involuntary whimper escapes before she breathes out the rest, “Why do I have to be such a nuisance to them? Why can’t I just do what they want?”

 Luz understands it’s rhetorical, that she doesn’t really want an answer, so she stays quiet while gripping her to her chest a bit stronger. The brunette knows that question all too well, even if in a different context. She sighs, and decides she finally opens up about her life, too.

“You know,” Amity opens one of her eyes when she hears the soft yet comforting voice above her, “my mom almost sent me to reality check summer camp when I was in middle school.” Amity doesn't speak but looks at her to show her interest in her continuing,

 “I wasn’t surprised. Between you and me, I was a terrible kid to have as a student, probably still am.” she smiles when she hears a quick airy snort come from the shorter girl.

“I knew I had a hard time following teachers directions and staying in line, but it never deterred me from still trying. What hurt was that my mom agreed with everyone else, saying she needed to send me there or people would get upset with her. It was the first time I saw my mom care about how other people saw us.” Amity is confused but still quiet. “We fought a lot about it, probably one of our first real fights since I was in middle school. There were a lot of tears from both sides. I felt betrayed and my mom was stuck choosing between me getting expelled and her losing my trust. Neither of us knew why I couldn’t act the way everybody wanted me to.” She takes a deep breath, looking out as she recalls that episode of her life,

“We finally agreed that if I went to therapy to help me calm down, then I could stay home. We compromised, and I’m happy to have her in my life.”’ Amity has no idea where this is going.

“But sometimes, there are people who don’t compromise. They want all or nothing.” The brunette waves her hand around, “Live and breathe my air or suffocate without me’, kind of thing. And I think it’s okay to not compromise yourself for them.” The Blight wants to argue, but her mind is in too many places, so she simply listens,

“I don’t know your parents, at all really, but they seem to care a lot about what other people think of them. And, they seem to think a lot about you in relation to that.” 

“You got that right.” Amity thinks, as her friend opens her mouth once more, thinking about her next few words.

 “And it’s not fair that you have to be wrapped into that, but, you don’t need to be.” Amity is about to object but Luz quickly continues, 

“I know they have this whole life set up for you and you feel the need to keep them happy, but if you’re not happy, what’s the point? A parent is supposed to care for their child, not the other way around. They’ll grow old and bitter while you’re young and can figure yourself out. You’re an adult with a job, great grades, and people who are willing to support you.” She pauses,

“You don’t have to compromise for them anymore.”

“Thank you.” Amity whispers, fresh tears forming in her eyes. Whether it’s true or not, hearing those words out loud grounded the greenette in that moment. Maybe it was a stupid hope, or a pipe dream that she’ll screw up later in life, but right now, she wants to believe it. Fatigued from the experience, Amity rests her head on the taller girl’s collar bone, listening to her rhythmic heartbeat and her steady breaths. Luz, also strained from what had occurred earlier, simply huffs an amused laugh and smiles at Amity, happy the tears have stopped.

They stay up there a bit longer, and the sun shifts from late morning to afternoon. The two stay silent, the unspoken words already being registered by the other as the breeze flows between them. Soon though, Luz has to speak up.

“I know you don’t really want to go back, but how about we can hang with my mom for the rest of the day? She is actually the reason I found you in the first place.”

Amity thinks over the idea. She assumes her mom left fairly soon after the “event”, but she is still wary in case they were waiting for her to return and reprimand her.

“Okay,” she relents with a sigh, reaching into her pocket to grab her phone to tell her siblings what happened. Speaking of the devils, 

“Oh, there you are Mittens!”

Amity, horrified, looks at Luz who looks back at her with wide eyes. She looks towards the voices, noticing the resemblance, and tries not to smile or laugh. The greenette gives her a warning look and the pixie cut holds up her hands in defense,

“I’m not saying anything, I swear”

“You better not.” 

“So, how’d you get away and end up in the arms of a cutie like this?” Emira says as she walks towards them. Reaching them, she looks Luz up and down who can't help but feel flustered at the attention. Amity feels a sharp pang in her gut at her reaction to her sister, but she keeps it to herself as her...friend..speaks up,

“H-Hi I'm luz. Your sister and I share an art history class and she tutors me..”

“So THIS is the person Mittens has been talking with!” She gives a look between the two younger girls and they look back in fear, afraid she’ll say what they partially know about themselves. Edric decides to speak up, giving Luz a side hug once the two stand up,

“She’s your tutor and you’re voluntarily hanging out with her?!” He feigns shock before turning to his fuming younger sister, “I have to say, Amity, she is great. If only she liked Azura, then I’d say she’s the one!”

Amity watches as the younger girl still in her brother’s clutches turn a shade of red brighter before piping up, catching the twins’ attention,

“We, uh,” She looks at the greenette who looks right back, “We actually have an Azura club..” A beat passes before Luz can feel the boy shaking against her, releasing his grip where she goes back to Amity’s side. Looking back they find the two older siblings trying to contain laughter, but obviously doing a terrible job at it.

“Oh man, Amity,” Eric wipes a face tear, “I swear you going to college has made you so much more unpredictable. First your major, then the hair, but a book club about your favorite kid’s book?!” The younger sister pouts, glaring at him.

“That’s it.” Emira says, still enjoying the mockery, “You guys have to date. Amity has never found someone else who’s read it. It’s like fate, I swear!” As her chuckles die out, she’s surprised no one’s rejected the idea. Looking between them, she finally notices the dusting of pink and hesitant glances. She’s wants to continue, but decides to leave it there, repeating,

“Yeah, it’s fate.”

“OKAY!” Amity finally shouts, just getting over the shock from how insane her siblings are making her feel, “We are NOT discussing this! How did you even find us?!” She watches their dorky personas turn more somber,

“We actually ran into dad. He said mom was mad at you and that you ran into the woods with ‘some random girl’ but she couldn’t find you.”

“And basically after that, and ripping mom a new one for using us to catch you, we saw some trails and just decided to head out.” Edric shrugs.

“We didn’t tell her we were coming on purpose, Mittens.” Emira mentions with guilt laced into her words, “We’ve been getting closer and I, we, would never want her to come to the one place we know makes you happy.” Amity raises her hand, stopping her sister.

“Trust me, I might have expected you guys a few years ago, but this was all mom.” She responds with a sad smile. “She’s just upset I haven’t come back to her side, yet.” She then looks at both of them with a determined smirk, “But, she doesn’t know that that’ll only happen over my dead body.” The two, surprised by their youngest’s attitude, smile back.

“Well well well, all the Blight children are rebelling, huh?” Edric asks mischievously, making them all giggle before an outside voice pipes up,

“Uh, guys,” Luz says, “As cool as this self discovery is, my mom has been waiting to meet Amity for a good hour now. You can join us if you want!” She adds happily. The twins give their sister a conniving smirk before turning more innocent as they face Luz, 

“We would love to!” They reply in unison. Without warning, the two pick their younger sibling up by hooking their arms under hers, running to the main campus area as the flushed girl between them screams protests. Luz, watching as they head back, finds herself chuckling at the display, sighing with amusement as Amity looks at her with fury and embarrassment at her predicament. 

“Gods” She mumbles to herself, “I like her so much..”

Catching up with the Blight trio, Luz motions to her mother who has apparently taken a seat at the pop-up beer garden with her professor and two friends. Walking up, she hears them exchanging stories about her. Eda cackles as her mom hides her giggles, 

“And then, when I got her a day off from class, she STILL chose to pull an all-nighter.” She snorts, “I even told her it wasn’t due for another month but she wouldn't believe she read the syllabus wrong!" The group laughs when Willows jumps in,

“Miss Noceda, I love your daughter, but never let her go into biology. Her gardening project almost lit the room on fire.” She says merrily and her Mom simply nods, laughing with understanding.

As they all continue, not noticing the 4 getting closer, Luz eyes the siblings who overheard and are now looking at her with a look of: “Care to explain?” 

She goes pink in embarrassment, but the heat on her cheeks calm when she sees Amity also looking at her teasingly. She’s just happy that she’s no longer crying. The two girls don’t realize that they’ve locked eyes, staring longer than what would be considered normal. It’s as if they’re trying to gage each other through their gestures rather than words. 

“Ahem,” Eda falsely clears her throat, having the two students notice the others watching their mental dance. Luz’s eyes go between her mom, roommate, and advisor who are all giving her a knowing look. Gus, instead, is trying to chug the rest of his soda, not seeing the group walk over when the others were chatting.

 Ironic that the sociology major wouldn’t care about this, but that’s besides the point.

“Since you’ve finally arrived, I think your mom would like to meet your ‘tutor’.” The grey haired woman winks. They all catch the tone change on the last word, causing the twins to snicker and the two girls to look away from one another. Luz, fighting back a blush to not expose herself, starts to defend,

“It’s not-”

“Amity!” Ms. Noceda interrupts, taking the pale girl's hand and pulling her in for a quick hug, “It is so nice to meet you. I hear you’ve been taking care of my little light this year, right?” 

The greenette, amused, looks at the girl whose nickname is in question. Luz gives her a tired look of “I’ve already been through enough, please forget everything you heard.” Chuckling, she looks back towards her mother.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Noceda.” Amity replies with a rehearsed smile, politely shaking the older woman’s hand as she continues, “I have been helping her, yes, but your child is incredibly smart.” She looks at the brunette who fidgets under her gaze, “She’s even taught me a thing or two since we’ve met.”

Chapter Text

The Monday morning after that eventful Saturday, Luz finds herself once again in Eda’s office with her and King.

“Morning Eda! Morning King.” She chirps as she walks in.

“Hrmpf..Morn.” King grumbles back, blindly taking a sip from his coffee. 

“Hey, kiddo.” Eda greets with a small smile, “How’d the rest of your weekend go?”

“It was great!” The brunette starts, “Willow, Gus and I watched a movie Saturday night and then I got breakfast with Amity at the cafe.” She finishes with a smile, her mind slowly wandering back to the head of mint hair. She remembers her giggles, the familiar smell of coffee and rose. It was there, sitting as a patron in her own shop, where Amity confessed she’s more of a tea drinker. The thought causes Luz to smile wider. While this goes unnoticed by the half asleep King, Eda’s ears perk up. She smirks,

“Just with Amity, huh?” She crosses her arms in pride as she measures her student’s flustered reaction. 

“Uh, yep! Just me and Amity...heh.” She pauses while rubbing her arm before looking at her advisor, “Tutors and students can get breakfast together, right?” 

“Mm, maybe.” she smirks, “But what about those glances I kept seeing you give her while we were with your mom? Those go way beyond you two even being friends.” The girl’s eyes widen, not realizing how obvious she has been acting.

“I..I was just worried!”

At that Eda gives a hearty laugh.

“Admit it, Luz,” She points accusingly at the girl attempting to shrink into the chair, “You got the hots for the Blight.” If she was pink before, Luz’s face was now the same color as Eda’s red dress. King finally awakens when he hears Eda’s comments:

“Oooh, someone’s in love?” He asks teasingly. Her professors are having too much fun with this.

“I am not!” Luz finally finds her voice, “We’ve just gotten...closer, is all.'' She scratches her head to help quell the heat in her cheeks. “It’s not like we’re constantly texting each other.” 

At that moment, they all hear Luz’s phone ping with a new message. Eda’s slits her eyes, a challenge.

“Go on. Tell us who it's from.” Her advisor watches in delight as the girl stares at her screen for a moment, and without a change in expression looks back to say,

“Point taken..” 

“Yeah, ‘closer.” Eda rolls her eyes as she leans back in victory for her assessment. 

“Heh, yeah.” The lit professor joins in, “Closer like how your faces will get closer when you makeou-”

“Ew! King!” Luz cries, the heat in her chest returning with full force. 

“Ah, we’re just having fun with ya kid.” The older woman waves her off, “I’m happy for you, though. Finally get to see what you’re like, all lovey-dovey.” She jokes. It was Luz’s turn to get the upper hand, though.

“Well don’t think I didn’t catch you trying to impress my mom over the weekend, either. Was that pirating story even true or were you just trying that hard to impress her?” Eda blushes but coughs to change the subject.

“Wait, why are we even here again?” King complains, “I didn’t need a 9A.M. Monday meeting to find out Luz is bad at dating.”

“Rude! King, you are literally my advisor- you realize that, right?!” Luz sticks her tongue out at him in jest. This was the two’s dynamic, Luz constantly joking that King was the little brother she never had.

“We’re here-” Eda says in a stern voice, bringing her two children back to the original topic “because I have been given an opportunity.” Her tone turns more mystical.

“An opportunity?” Luz starts to get excited, her eyes beaming, “Are you going on a trip? Oh! Bump finally gave you permission to dig a tunnel under the school? Gus wanted to do that too. Or! Or, are you selling the antiqu-” Eda puts her hand up, trying to rub away the headache. As much as she liked her advisee, she could only handle so much excitement for this time of day.

“Nope. Nothing like that. Sadly, it's a lot more school-related than I'd like it to be.”

That gets her even more interested.

“So, at a department meeting, I was chosen to write 1 of the two biannual anthologies for the art history department. Lily got the other one for next semester.” Luz gasps. The Bi annual anthology was a chance for teacher’s to get their work published while giving underclassmen an opportunity to write a real academic text and get their names out in the professional world. 

“That means I’ll be writing way more than my pay should make me, and I’m gonna need some help.” She gestures to the younger man, “King here, is going to help with editing; ya know, make me sound all hoity toity.” She turns her attention back to the brunette, “And since this is only available to sophomores, I chose you, Luz, to help me with the research.”

With a squeal, Luz jumps out of her chair, startling her advisors. As she opens her mouth, Eda gives some warnings.

“I’m sure you know that you’ll have to stay around the area over the summer, but luckily the room’s paid for. Also, this means that you’ll have more stuff on your plate in the next couple of months. You might need to change your schedule and all of that. Can you handle that? I don’t need Camilla glaring at me again...” She trails off, shivering as she remembers the piercing stare.

The once excited girl mulls over the new information. She probably wouldn’t be able to go to her tutoring lessons anymore. Did she even need them, though? The two hardly do the work during that time anymore and she would still come to the cafe. One thing worries her, though,

 Would Amity be upset with her?

“Thinking about tutoring?” Eda lifts her brow again, but her and Luz know she means it genuinely. It’s not like she has a better idea of how the two students have been spending that time.

“Yeah” she sighs, “I guess I just don’t know how to go about our sessions anymore. Like, should I even keep going if I don’t need them? Especially with how I’m feeling about her- is it even okay for me to be around her? I don’t know when I’ll expose myself..”

Not if, but when. She helpfully remings herself. She feels a large hand come down on her shoulder and she looks up at her lit advisor.

“Not to give ‘real advice” King starts, “but if you’re so worried about going over the top how about you just write your feelings out? Isn’t that your usual writing process? I think it brings out the best in your work, too, so I’d be willing to add these to some campus Zines or something.” Luz smiles,

“I’ll think about it. Thanks, King.”

“Also, if she breaks your heart, I’m sure I can find a way to make her pay.” He mentions it casually.

“But besides your crush,” Eda comments, “I still need you to agree or decline my offer. Whaddya say- You ready to keep working with us old fools?” The brunette looks between them.

“I think so! I still have time to figure some of this out, right?”

“Yeah take your time, I just want you to be ready when the work starts coming in.” The older woman shrugs.

A little while later Luz leaves, thinking hard about her new work schedule in the next month or so. She had just gotten into a good routine, was it worth changing it for such a big opportunity? 

Absolutely. 

She knows she wants to do it, but it’s more a problem of can she? She sighs, entering her dorm to find Willow heading to her morning class, leaving her alone. Maybe she can ask Amity? The previous conversation with her advisors enters her mind and her hands immediately clam up. 

“No, not right now. I should give her some space.” she thinks. Instead, she calls her mom to tell her the good news. 

------------

After Family Weekend, Amity finds herself more torn than she has been before in terms of her lifestyle. As good as that day was, she did receive a call from her mom the next morning. It was heart wrenching, listening to her mother spew insults and saying she turned the twins against her.

  “As if they already weren’t.” She rolls her eyes as she silently listens. 

“The utter disrespect you showed me in front of another student! Just wait until I tell your father what really happened! I am done with your antics, Amity. We are taking you out of there and putting you into a proper school. And that is final!” With a click, Amity drops the phone to her side and sighs. She would cry, but she was kind of ready for this to happen. At least she got one last good day in, right? 

Breakfast with Luz yesterday was definitely a highlight, she thinks back with a small smile. She remembers listening to the other student ramble about growing up in Connecticut and how tough of a time she had in school. She huffs a laugh, remembering Luz’s theatrics when relaying a story of setting snakes loose in her middle school.

“She really is just a bundle of sun and chaos, huh?” she thinks to herself.

A moment passes before her phone starts to vibrate again. Worried it’s her mother calling to add more threats to her decision, she peeks at the screen. Interestingly enough, it was her dad. Out of curiosity, she clicks the green button,

“Hello, father. I just got off a call with mom if she hasn’t spoken to you yet.” She hears a low chuckle.

“Hello Amity, dear. I haven’t spoken directly with her but her voice echoed perfectly into my office. I believe I heard what you two were discussing.” There’s no inflection of emotion she can pick up on, as if waiting for her to expose herself first.

“I see. Well, may I ask why you’re calling? Have you both made arrangements for me to leave the school?” She hears another quick chuckle and then a deep breath.

“You know, I regret choosing to talk with your advisor rather than find you as Odalia did. I apologise for your mother’s outburst.” Amity was stunned, never having heard an apology from him in her life except when she was younger.

“Oh, thank you, but I don’t believe you need to apologize for her.” She gulps, “She was right.” There’s a moment of silence before her dad speaks up again,

“Did you know I used to go to school with the Clawthorne sisters?” Amity, confused as she’s only met Lilith Clawthorne, asks who the other one is.

“Edalyn. She’s another art history professor there,” he mentions before mumbling, “And it seems she’s the same as ever.” He coughs, “Anyways, she and Lilith were considered natural prodigies in our local community and we used to be considered friends.” This surprised the youngest Blight, 

“So, when I parked at your school and saw her by the entrance, I was able to get a lot of information about you from our conversation.” The young greenette bites her lip,

“What do you mean, father?”

“Well, she let me know you are actually on the path to become valedictorian, as you have the highest GPA in your grade at this moment.” Amity’s brain fizzled- she thought she was okay in the ARTH department but thought she was average in her other classes. 

“Besides this,” He continues, “she also mentioned you’re her TA, as well as a tutor for one of her students.” The young Blight goes quiet again, wondering where this is going,

“I’ll be honest, Amity, I am impressed.” He hears a quick catch of breath and smiles to himself.

“And now I have to ask you, are you happy there? Doing this kind of academic work?” He asks with conviction. There's a long moment of silence, finally hearing her open her mouth to reply,

“Yes, father, I am very happy here. I work extremely hard to stay at the top, but I am enjoying what this school has to offer me.” She replies with hesitance.

“I thought so.” He hums to himself, “Amity?”

“Yes?”

“You aren’t going to law school. You are staying there to finish your Art History degree.” Amity stammers for a bit, shocked by his statement.

“W-what? Really, Dad?”

“I see how your mother is treating you, what she’s trying to do, and I’m putting a stop to it. She’s become desperate for things to stay the same but you and your siblings are growing and I personally wish to see how.” His daughter holds back tears on the other side of the line,

“I want you to succeed, Amity, and you clearly are. Whether in art history or law, you are still holding up the family’s reputation. And I hope with this decision, that your future career will reflect that as well.” Turning bitter once she realizes that he’s only allowing it because she’s successful, she swallows that and tries to thank him but the words come out jumbled. 

“Relax, dear, I still care about a Blight's tone.” He comments. She shuts her mouth then speaks more slowly,

“What I meant to say was, thank you, Dad, for letting me stay.” She says, ending on a relieved sigh.

“Of course. Now, I have to speak to your mother about this. If she says anything to you otherwise, let me know. She and I have needed this conversation for a while.” His voice gets lower, as if in frustration, but his daughter can’t focus on that. Instead, she’s living in the euphoria of being able to study art history without being pulled down by her parents.

“I will. Thank you again.” With that she hangs up the phone, feeling as emotional as she did with the first call but in the opposite way. 

“Heh.” She laughs, “heh..hah!” again, “Ha ha ha aha!”. Next thing she knows, her room is filled with the sound of her airy laughter as everything solidifies in her brain. She can study her major with no judgment! Her mom can’t pressure her to do anything about it anymore! She doesn’t have to study classicism! She falls back on her bed and kicks the air in excitement.

Splayed out as she calms down from her euphoria high, she thinks over the past few weeks. It feels like her life has been a whirlwind that keeps sweeping up better and better things. Things like freedom, passion, friends.

Luz.

She pinks at the thought of her. If she was even slightly confused about her feelings before family weekend, that day truly solidified a new level of crushing on the brunette. No one has supported her like that, let alone not asking for anything in return. Instead, they just keep offering up more of themselves to help the Blight. She finally understands how it feels to be swept off your feet, even if metaphorically. 

The issue now is, how does she not ruin their friendship? She used to hide her emotions extremely well, perfecting the “resting bitch face” in highschool. But that was to hide negative emotions, as positive ones happened much less often throughout her life. 

She knows her face tells a lot when she’s attracted to someone or if she gets excited by something. And it’s not even that she thinks Luz would find her weird for it, as long as she doesn’t know it’s directed at her. If she did though…

Actually, she’s not sure how Luz would react. She doubts the girl would hate her, but Amity might prefer that if instead they’re both awkward around each other. She groans. If only she knew how the other girl felt.

You just got good news, Amity. Don’t throw yourself into a spiral over this. Celebrate!

Before she can move from her bed, her phone interrupts her once again. She lifts it up and hovers over the new message:

“Do you know Jennie Harbour? She’s like Beardsly but has way more colors. I’d love to look her up with you whenever you’re free >3<”

Amity snorts as she doesn’t even need to see the name to know this is a Luz text. She types a reply,

A: “I don’t, actually- maybe a few prints? But I’m free right now, if you want to stop by. I have some exciting news myself. :)”

L: “Exciting news AND an emoji?? I must say I am very intrigued, Miss Blight. I’ll be over in 15!

Luz hasn’t been inside the other girl’s dorm, even though it’s closer to where they usually hang out at the cafe. She assumed the other just liked her privacy, and she never mentioned wanting to go in. But while walking up to the pale yellow building with red and black slate, she was curious to know how she would set up the space.

Texting that she’s here, the girl waits by the security door until the well-known locks of green lean out.

“Luz! You’re here! Come on in.” Slightly flustered, she holds the door open for the other girl to step in.

“Thanks Ams! I’m so excited for what you have to tell me.” The greenette smiles shyly to herself at the nickname. She’s heard it before but it always made her heart flutter.

“Yeah. Although, even though I’m interested in that artist you were mentioning, I think I have to share some updates on my life.” They walk up to the door. Before Amity can open it Luz pushes towards her face,

“Oh my gosh, I think this is the first time you’re willingly telling me about your world!”

Amity chuckles, mildly embarrassed,

“Yeah, well, you’ve nudged your way into the center of it somehow or another.” It hits her what she says immediately, backtracking before she can see the other’s reaction which are just staring at her with wide eyes,

“I-I mean, you’ve been helping me out a lot recently; with my parents and my major, heck you even met Ed and Em which I would never wish on anyone.” She looks at the grounds as she speaks, not noticing her voice growing softer with fondness, “If there’s anyone who I would want to hear this, it’s you.” She looks back up to see the same look as before only this time her face is similar in shade to wine.

“Okay.” Luz replies in a whisper, not able to look but in the other’s eyes. Feeling how thick the tension has grown around them, Amity turns and unlocks her door,

“Yep! Well, come on in and make yourself comfortable!” She squeaks out, storming into the room without the other.

“ Wow, way to stay cool, Amity. She must think I'm so weird right now.” She chides herself. When she turns around, though, it seems Luz has also gone back to her normal personality as she plops herself onto her bed. 

“Your room is so cute! Who knew you were a pink kind of gal” Luz exclaims as she looks around, ending with a wink at the now flustered barista. “Anyways, what did you want to tell me?” Luz stares at her with wide, expectant eyes.

“Oh! Well, I spoke to both Mother and Father today-” She hears a snort, 

“Sorry,” Luz says while covering her smile, “I’ll never get over you calling them that.” Amity rolls her eyes but returns a smirk,

“Anyways, well, as you know, my mom was not happy with anything I was doing, apparently, and told me she’d be sending me to Law school to finish college..” She looks to her side to see if the brunette is still listening. She is- very intensely, and after that statement she almost looks devastated.

“Go on.” She says, not adding any inflection to the words.

“Uh, well, after I got off with her my dad rang and, uh, basically told me the opposite. He mentioned he didn’t like what my mom was trying to do, and that he was proud of my achievements here. And, basically,” She says, the enthusiasm making its way into her voice as the reality of his words hit her once more. Luz looks at her confused. Feeling tears prick in her eyes as the reality of the situation fully hits her, Amity looks her in the eyes.

“I don’t have to compromise anymore.”

Chapter Text

“I don’t have to compromise anymore.”

Once Luz registers what those words mean, she looks at the now happily sniffling greenette in front of her. Breaking into her own, wide smile, she wraps the girl in a tight hug, swaying her in their seated positions.

“Are you serious, girl?! That’s awesome!” she pulls away a bit, but leaves her hands resting on Amity’s shoulders to look disbelievingly in her eyes, “Why?” she asks.

“I..I don’t really know, actually.” Her brain is a bit foggy due to her excitement (and only that), “I think he just realized my mom was going too far? He’s not the most loving person but he does respect us when it comes to decisions like that..” She thinks back, remembering him to be the one to calm her mom down about her grades and always encouraging her to read, not minding if it was fantasy or history.

“Well either way I’m happy they’ll at least stop putting pressure on you..” Luz sighs and Amity chuckles, rolling her eyes.

“I don't think that'll ever happen, but at least I can ask Lilith to calm down with the extra credit.” The two take a moment in pleasant silence before the brunette sits up,

“Hey, how about we go into town for lunch?” She invites, “My treat, seeing as we both got good news today.”

“Oh, what happened to you?” The Blight asks out of curiosity. Before Luz can reply, though, the two are interrupted by a growl from her stomach.

“Is that why you really wanted lunch?” Amity jokes, punching her arm at the embarrassed girl. Luckily, she quickly recovers.

“Whatever, let’s go! I’ll tell you what happened when we get there!”

The two meant to text their respective friend groups to join them, but they seem to have forgotten as they chatted on the bus ride into town. They find a bakery near the antique store, with Luz speaking Spanish with the hispanic cashier in friendly banter. Amity watches in amusement, but questions why Luz goes red when the staff member tells her, “Espero que te diviertas en tu cita!” while handing her their shared plate of savory crepes and Chais.

The brunette talks her way out of explaining and focuses on paying for the other. Not because it’s a date, of course, but because she wants to show how happy she is for the other girl. 

“Imagine if it was one, though.” The pixie cut’s brain helpfully supplies, almost having her drop the plate from the shock it brought. Thankfully, Amity helps stabilize the platter back in her hands, fingers overlapping with hers. She doesn’t know if she imagines it, but Amity’s gaze and touch lingered for a moment longer than needed. She didn’t waver on it for long, because her partner immediately turned to continue to their seat. Once settled, Amity asks Luz about her day so far.

“Oh! So you know the Biannual anthology?”

“Oh yeah, Lilith told me the board was deciding the professors for this semester and next year. What about it?”

“Weeelll, Eda apparently was chosen for the one this semester and she asked me to be the sophomore who helps her!” Amity’s eyes widen at the news. In high school, this would have caused a pang of jealousy to well within her, but seeing the bright smile of her crush diffused any resentment in the moment.

“Oh, wow, congrats! Seems like we’ve both had a pretty good day so far.” She says, smiling into the creamy drink. 

“I know!” The girl agrees in excitement, “I made my mami so proud when I told her. I even get to stay in town over the summer!” The greenette smiles at the other’s excitability, both talking animatedly about how great this opportunity is. Luz falls back into her seat, “I feel like I’m on the moon and I can’t come down from this energy! It makes me want to do something wild, ya know? Dye my hair, get another ear piercing-”

She cuts out Luz as she thinks about her own hair, brushing her fingers through the off-green strands. After a moment of contemplation she speaks up, 

“Hey, Luz?” The arth student pauses in her ramblings,

“Hm? What’s up?”

“Well, I was actually wondering if you’d help me do something?”

“Depends on the ‘something’, honestly.” She shrugs, “I mean, I do shady stuff for Eda all the time but I draw the line at straight up murder.”

“What?”

“What?” The two look at each other for a moment for Luz speaks up again,

“Ahem. Anyways, what do you need help with?”

After a moment of hesitation she continues,

“I kind of want to dye my hair again. Different this time.”

“Oh really? Tired of the green?” She looks at her with an inquisitive look.

“You could say that.” Amity sighs and explains her reasoning. 

“It’s not that I hate the color or anything, but I really only dyed it at first to spite what my mom wanted. To me, I was reclaiming my controlled childhood by feeling like Azura, but I’ve grown up, I think.” She looks up at the girl listening intently, and suddenly feels nervous, “I’m still an azura fan, don’t worry!” She jokes and the both chuckle, and the Blight thinks over her next words,

“I guess I just want to focus on my future instead of brooding about the past.” Luz listens, her gaze softening as she does. As Amity finishes her reasoning, the brunette reaches out and gives her a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder, making her hitch her breath at the sudden gesture. Luz responds,

“All right, what color were you thinking?”

---

Luz washes the reddish-purple dye off her hands in the dorm sink while Amity dries her hair in her room. As the brunette walks back in, she’s momentarily stunned by the sight she sees:

Pink, almost lavender hair falls around her tutor’s pale yet blushing face. While the green was beautiful against her gilded irises, the light pink color almost makes them look larger and brighter. There was a sense of life in those eyes, and she doesn’t remember seeing them that way before. Realizing she may have been staring for too long the double major finally speaks up,

“It's..different..”

Amity becomes a bit bashful, tearing her gaze towards the floor,

“Is...is it okay?” Luz partially runs up to her,

“Amity, this is more than okay! It looks great on you, hermosa!”

Luz realises she’s gripping her shoulders while both blush in her excitement.

“Uh, well, I'm glad it looks good. Thank you for your help, Luz.” Those shining yellow eyes lock with her brown ones, and the tan student feels a certain churning of her stomach trying to get her attention. If she stays any longer, especially in this position, she’s going to blow it. Putting her hands down, she grabs the other girl into a quick hug before taking wide, yet “casual” steps to the door.

“Yep! Welp, if that’s all I need to go write some stuff! Congrats again! See you in class tomorrow!”

Amity, confused, waves goodbye. The Blight can only assume this is another facet of Luz’s personality when it comes to her schoolwork. They had spent the majority of that Monday together, just like the Sunday before it. She shakes her head, chuckling thinking about how she’s her tutor yet still loses so much time because of her. They still had time before exam season, though, so she’ll get them back on track. She turns back to her mirror and takes herself in more seriously, and she can’t stop a small smile from growing as she looks.

Meanwhile, Luz is frantically walking back to her dorm, busting into the room to a surprised Willow. Taking in her frazzled state, her roommate cocks her head in confusion. Neither say anything for a moment, but then Luz gulps and opens her mouth,

“Her hair’s pink now, Willow.” 

Her roommate’s laughter echoes through Edalyn commons.

---

When Amity walks in for her shift the next day, waving to Skara as she comes in, she’s intrigued to see Luz’s set up in the corner, but the girl herself nowhere to be found. Skara, noticing her pouty confusion, smirks,

“If you're looking for your ‘student’, I’ve been watching her have a meltdown for the past like, 30 minutes.”

“Huh?” Amity snaps out of her thoughts and blushes slightly at the other girl’s insinuation. She really has to hide her feelings better.

“Yeah, I don’t know what she’s working on but she was all over the place.” Amity listens quietly while helping the shorter girl finish putting lids on some to-go drinks. “She would write something then groan or pull at her hair. I had to ask her to calm down since it was worrying some customers.” Amity ponders on this, nothing from class earlier makes her suspect why Luz would be acting like this. The last she heard was that she needed to talk to King about “Zines” or something. Skara continues,

“Then, about 10 minutes ago they jumped up, said something along the lines of, ‘Oh dios mio, I can’t do this’, and got on a call with their friend outside. I haven’t seen her since.” That does make the other barista chuckle, subduing any major concern she felt about how the brunette was acting. Knowing King, and the fact that exams were coming up, there’s a lot her person could have forgotten that she needed to do. She would help her, of course.

As Skara leaves, Amity is left alone with only one other patron, an empty table where Luz was sitting, and the lo-fi beats that Skara left playing on the speakers. Thank god they have a company-issued IPod in the back since the low rhythms spike the girl’s anxiety. She quickly changes it to Yo La Tengo and heads back to the front.

It had been only a few minutes since the start of her shift, but she found herself trying to stay busy in the dead time. She goes about wiping and cleaning off empty tables, finally coming to the one in the corner. She goes to pick up the ceramic mug to replace its contents, but notices what looks like a limerick or poem written in the brunette’s notebook next to her laptop. Forgetting her manners, the rosette can't help but read it as the first words begin:

“Over the face of the young Aphrodite,

Where trestles of lavender and orchid

Fall over her amber vision

Staring deep into my heart.

When will she see it?

When will she know?

That the mask is cracking

And I keep falling f-”

“What are you doing?” Amity jumps with a yelp. All too suddenly, she turns to see an anxiety-ridden Luz looking at her with an embarrassed expression. When she faces her, they both hear a rocking noise and watch helplessly as the old mug of tea is knocked off the wooden surface, shattering. She winces at the sound, eternally grateful that the other patron had left a few moments prior.

Amity should have never given Luz real mugs again.

Avoiding eye contact, Amity starts to pick up the pieces of ceramic with her hands,

“O-oh Luz! Funny seeing you here... in the café which you’re in all the time!”

“Amity?” Luz questions, getting closer but that causes Amity to try and clean up even faster.

“Haha sorry for earlier I saw uhm, A bug! Right! There was a strange bug on your notebook and I just had to look and-”

“Amity..” At this point Luz was getting concerned by the barista’s rambling paired with a face the color of a firetruck.

“And then I dropped your mug! Haha, how the turn tables! I-I mean-!” They both watch as she tries to pick a large chunk, but the remnants of liquid from the drink causes it to slip out of her grasp, the glazed material slicing a gash into her thumb. Luz doesn’t hesitate now to come rushing to the Blight’s side, much to her dismay.

“Oh gosh, Amity, let me see that!” She puts the smaller hand between her tan ones, rubbing around the thumb area to see how bad the wound is.

“L-luz,” Amity finally says, still coming out of her anxiety spell, “You really don’t have to..”

“Hush! My mom’s a nurse, er- veterinarian, but she taught me how to deal with this stuff when I was younger!” She says, smiling at the rosette with reassurance. Turning her head to the other side out of shame, Amity stays quiet until Luz’s examination is complete. Only a minute later, the warmth around her hand leaves, and she finds herself more disappointed than when the mug fell.

“Okay, so you don’t need stitches, but we should really wash that out considering it was on the floor and all.” Luz says, stepping back as she stands straight. Before Amity can even say thank you, her arm is grabbed and she’s pulled towards the back of the store. 

“You can’t be back here..” She protests half-heartedly.

“Oh c’mon, no one’s here and you’re hurt!” She looks at her with an innocent yet determined look, 

“Let me help you.” 

The tone was soft, but the statement caused the barista’s brain to fizzle. She turns to hide her face, biting her lip in nervousness. 

“You’ve already done so much.” She thinks to herself but responds with a sigh,

“F-fine.” Amity relents, allowing her arm to go slack in the other’s hands.

They wash out the wound in silence, both thinking about their respective turmoils. Luz, letting go of the barista’s hand so she can dry it herself, tries to repress her brain screaming at her,

“ Did she see what I was writing? Does she know it's about her? Stupid Luz! Why did you leave it out?”

Meanwhile, Amity silently contemplates, rubbing the towel over her knuckles, unsure of what to say out loud.

“ She definitely saw me reading it. Oh god, was that about me? Tressels of lavender? Is it a metaphor for something? You idiot, Amity, why couldn’t you just walk away?”  

The two come to the same conclusion by the end of their personal meltdowns:

“ She’s going to be the death of me.”

After washing, Luz gets a bandage and puts it on to the tomato Blight’s wound. She zones out on it for a second, rubbing her thumb over the latex again, admiring her handiwork. Finally, she leans down and gives a gentle peck on the wound, hearing a squeak from the girl above her who’s hand has gone still.

“My mom always said the kiss is what actually made it feel better. I hope that was okay?” Looking up, she realizes her and Amity's face are only an inch or two apart and she can’t help but blush at the realization. She pushes the girl's hand back to her chest,

“Hah, there you go! Uh, I'm.. I'm gonna go sit down now.” The brunette attempts to excuse herself.

“Wait!” She turns around to see Amity avoiding her gaze, rubbing her band-aid nervously.. 

“What’s up?” Luz asks, trying to be casual. The barista’s eyes flit between her and the floor,

“Uhm, before, were you..?” Luz freezes up, not ready for the conversation she thinks is about to come. Yet Amity doesn’t continue, as if debating something in her head. Finally sighing, she waves off the brunette,

“It’s nothing. Sorry, go ahead.” And her companion hesitantly walks back to the front, wondering what she would’ve said.

The two spend the rest of the time in silence, Luz waiting for Amity by the front entrance when it’s time to lock up. It became a habit that she walked Amity home, both unaware of when it became routine. And the barista accepted it, happy to have someone to talk to. 

Yet today she’s quiet, as she can’t figure out how to excuse herself from earlier. Luz is also abnormally quiet as well, making her anxiety about the situation only worse. Although a short walk, the journey is surrounded by unspoken tension, making the distance seem like miles. Finally, Amity sighs and speaks up, her student noticing her shift and looking towards her.

“I’m sorry for looking at your notebook. I should have respected your privacy.” There’s a pause as Luz thinks about it. It’s true, she shouldn’t have continued reading, but she did leave it out. Plus, Amity’s her tutor so it’s not like she hasn't read through her notes before. Luz takes a deep breath, getting ready,

“I get it. You saw my poem?”

“Uh, yeah. I’m not good with poetry analysis but it seemed really well written.” She thinks if she should open her mouth again,

“What was it about?”

“You don't know?” Luz thinks incredulously. She has a chance to fix this. Maybe she should just confess now and get it over with? Or, maybe Amity's just trying to get her to admit it so she can reject her right away. Not as if something similar has happened before. She blinks slowly before opening her mouth,

“Oh, it's about a book we’re reading in class. A lot of romantic elements. Heh.” She blurts, not sure how the lie flew so quickly out of her mouth.

“Oh.” Is the only reply from the rosette. It's quiet, soft, and introspective. A little bit sad, much to the brunette’s surprise.

“Of course, I’m not some Aphrodite to her. Why would I ever expect her to feel like that about me?” Amity seethes to herself as they continue their journey.

They make it to her dorm, the tension still lingering. 

“Goodnight, Amity.” Luz says sweetly, trying to gage what was going on in the girl’s head.

“...Goodnight.”

Amity doesn’t say anything after that and storms into her dorm with a confused Luz watching her go in, wondering how the night went so wrong.

Chapter Text

“And then when I said it was for class she looked so upset! She hasn’t even texted me the entire day, Willow. She hasn’t done that in like, a month.” Luz says, pacing once more in front of her amused-but-not roommate. She listens from her desk, arm holding up her face as she waits for the brunette’s rambling to end.

“I keep trying to make sure we’re on good terms but I somehow keep making it worse...” She mumbles as she rubs her face.

“Have you thought maybe she wanted you to be honest about it? As in, maybe she realized you were talking about her and wanted you to admit it?” Her roommate interrogates.

“Why would she want me to do that?!” Came the frenzied reply. Willow just stares at Luz with a deadpan expression.

“Is it really so hard to think that she might like you back?” Luz flinches.

“We’ve been over this, Willow. I just, I can’t let my mind go there, okay?” She breathes, looking away from her friend, “It still hurts.” Seeing the pain and the start of a flashback happening in her roommate’s eyes, Willow hops up from her desk. 

“Hey, hey, I’m sorry I said it that way.” She gives a short but tight hug which is immediately reciprocated, “It’s just hard to watch you repress yourself like this after so long.” She leads her to her bed so they can both sit, facing each other as the shorter girl holds her arms reassuringly,

“You know we all just want you to be with the person you like.” Luz releases a tense breath,

“I know. And you’re right, I can’t live my life like this forever. Just, for now, I still don’t feel ready.” The bespectacled girl rubs her roommate’s back in a motherly way,

“Take your time. And hey, I’m sure Amity will text you soon, okay? Sure, she can hold a grudge, but no matter what, I know she has a soft spot for you. She’ll come back from whatever’s going on.” With that, Luz releases a shaky breath,

“Well, you haven’t been wrong before, so I trust you. Thanks.”  

“Don’t mention it!” She gives her best cheerful smile which Luz can’t help but reciprocate. Looking at the time, the horticulture major realizes she needs to head to her afternoon class, telling Luz they’d all hang out in Gus’ dorm when she’s out.

Willow leaves the room, not before double checking on her roommate, but the brunette seems more pensive than sad. Of course, the bespectacled girl has her own problems, but the double major’s life is so animated, with constant adventures and troubles sprouting up at any moment, that she can’t help but get wrapped in. She doesn’t mind, either, as she truly did care for her. 

And she knows Luz feels the same way. She smiles to herself as she heads down the hallway, remembering when Luz cursed out a drunk senior in Spanish last year after hearing him call her some not-so-great things. As Willow makes it to the main campus, she realizes she has a bit more time than she thought, so she goes to pick up a drink from the cafeteria, catching sight of Gus working at an outside table.

“Hey Gus!” He looks up, lips breaking into a smile when he realizes who it is,

“Willow! What’s up?” She shrugs as she sits in an open chair nearby.

“I have Bio in about 10 minutes. How about you? Done with classes today?”

“Yeah, I'm just jump-starting some exam work since I have the time. But enough of the boring conversation, what’s been going on in Edalyn Commons?” He asks politely. Willow grimaces,

“Well..” 

She then goes on to explain Luz’s problem with Amity while the younger boy listens, unsurprised.

“So,” she summarizes, pinching her nose, “Even though she knows she has a crush, she’s forcing herself to ignore it around Amity. And as we can all tell, it hasn’t been working out well. ” She gives a look to her friend,

“And you and I both know how Luz feels about her. Hell, have you seen them when we all hang out? I could light Amity’s hair on fire and they’d still be staring into each others’ eyes!” She points out, fatigued by the drama. Gus nods that yes, he is aware of the two’s reciprocated feelings, and probably half the school at this point. The girl then continues,

 “And then she puts herself in a rut because she’s not happy, but because of that stupid boy in high school, she thinks it’s better this way!” She says with both exasperation and concern lining her tone. Gus grunts in understanding, replying,

“So, I guess the first thing we should do is make sure we know how Amity feels? If she does like Luz back, this could make this a whole lot less complicated.”

“I guess,” Willow agrees, “But I don’t want to push Amity like that. It might make it worse.” Gus leans back in his chair with his hands behind his head, thinking,

“Well, we can always kidnap them and force them on the tunnel of love that’s coming for the Spring festival.”

“No one’s getting kidnapped, Gus.” She sighs, pushing her glasses up.

“Not with that attitude…” He mumbles. She gives him a look but then hears the cafeteria clock signaling it was now 1 pm.

“Crap, sorry Gus, I have to go. I’ll see you and Luz at Terrace dorm later?”

“You got it!” He waves as she runs off, but soon returns to thought. Would talking to Amity be a bad idea? He does sociology, he should know all about how to interact with other people! He confirms to himself that he’ll do something about the situation, but he’ll be subtle. Smooth. Totally incognito. Satisfied with the vague plan created, he turns back to his paper.

 Yet, rather suddenly, his laptop gives a pop-up, warning that he only has 10% battery left. Not satisfied with the amount of work he’s done, he looks towards the library a bit up ahead,

“Guess I can continue in there.” He mentions to himself and begins packing up.

---

“ The latter-half of the Dutch Golden Age was known for its advancements in scientific investigation and categorization of the natural and unnatural world. In addition to this, the art market, while competitive, was thriving as never before. Frans Post, like Maurits, was engulfed in looking to understand and satisfy the curiosity and uniqueness of the Brazilian landscape through his illustrations.. ”

Amity closes her laptop with a content huff, having finished more than half of her paper for Ms. Clawthorne before it was due for the final exam season. She sits at a public desk on the second floor, looking around at the other students. She would’ve used her secret spot, but lately it’s felt a bit lonely, not that she didn’t know the reason why. Amity gazes at her arms where they rest on the desk, her mind flashing to her childlike tantrum the day before in front of her crush. 

 She and Luz haven't spoken since, and she knows the tan girl is worried. She sighs wistfully at the thought of the double major and her beaming smile. For now, Amity is using the time to hunker down and catch up with her siblings’ texts, hoping they’ll help distract her from how strong her feelings have grown. It has only been a few hours, but she can’t stop glancing at Luz’s good morning text which she hasn’t replied to. But it isn’t fair to Luz. 

Sure, she was a bit disappointed, but she knows it was presumptuous to think that poem was for her. She’s not a lilac goddess, just a friend with pink hair. But, these feelings are normal, right? She would have to get used to the idea of unrequited love at some point, and they always say college is a place for new experiences! 

She makes a “tsk” noise at that notion. She could confess, but a verbal rejection would quite literally, maybe, shatter her. Even the thought of it causes her palms to grow clammy. Besides this, Luz mentioned earlier last week that she wouldn’t be able to do tutoring as often because of the Anthology project, so what was the point if she was already pulling away?

“You can still hang out with her as friends. Just calm down.” She whispers to herself, pinching the bridge of her nose in an attempt to hold back her anxious thoughts.

“Why do you need to calm down?” She practically jumps at the sudden voice coming up behind her. Turning she sees Gus, backpack slung over his shoulder and looking at her with mirth in his eyes, as if that was the best reaction he could’ve gotten. 

“Oh! Hey, Gus. What’re you up to?” The Blight quickly recovers.

“Eh, finishing some work but wanted to chat when I saw you here.” He says nonchalantly, noticing the other empty chairs at the table.

“Oh, sure.” She replies, gesturing to the open spaces. It’s not common for the two to talk one on one, but they got along well enough that she was comfortable with  him in her space. He takes the seat across from her, taking out his laptop before asking about the café while she asks him about how he’s doing with his major. The conversation is amicable and they find themselves talking for over half an hour about various topics. Soon, though, the conversation starts to dwindle, but Gus has one burning question stuck on his mind:

“So,” He starts, “You and Luz...” He watches as Amity almost snaps her pen. Shuffling papers to distract her heart, she avoids the boy’s eyes, not that he can’t read her like an open book.

“What about her and I?” She questions, hesitantly, her voice squeaking by the end of her sentence.

“Nothing, nothing,” He defends, picking his next words carefully, “Just, you guys have gotten closer. I guess I’m just curious how that happened since you seemed to hate her a few months ago.” Amity flinches, remembering her past, green-haired self.  

“Well, yeah, I wasn't really sure how to react to someone like her, at first.” The rosette muses, “She always gets in over her head in certain situations and confuses me with her antics, but I kind of love it now...” Her eyes soften and playful smile overcomes her features as she trails off, seeming to forget the sociology major. She whips her head up when she realizes what she said, face heating against the powerful AC of the library. 

“I meant hate! I hate it!” She defends, her volume causing some glares from nearby students to be cast her way. Gus just stares at her, but receiving no judgemental reaction the girl hides her face in her hands,

“Am I really that obvious?” She whispers just loud enough for him to hear. Smirking, but filled with empathy, the brown student is quick to reply.

“Well, kind of, but Luz is also a walking block of unawareness, as you probably know.” She offers a tired chuckle,

“That’s true.” There’s a few moments of silence, neither really sure where the conversation was leading.

“Hey,” Gus starts, Amity looking up at him, “I won’t say anything to her until you want to. And, I know we aren’t really close, but, can I give some advice when it comes to human interaction?” She nods.

“I think you should talk to her.” Amity’ ears and cheeks go pink at the thought,

“What?!” She exclaims, quieter this time, “O-oh no no no I couldn’t! I-I mean we just became friends, and her life is always kind of crazy I don’t want to get in her way, plus there’s no way she feels the same about me, and-” Gus cuts off her ramblings,

“Woah, woah, don’t think about it too hard.” He reassures her. He then brushes his hand through his short hair as he relaxes back in his seat. 

“Look, Willow and I have been with Luz through the past 2 years, and we know a lot about her and her past relationships, friendship or otherwise. Simply put, she deserves to be happy.” His eyes trail around the room, clearly thinking of something, before coming back to her “And you? You clearly make her happier than anyone, whether she or you realize it.” Amity bites her bottom lip, unsure of what feelings are welling inside her. Nervousness? Excitement? Guilt?

“Do I actually have a chance?”

“I’ll...I’ll think about it, okay?” She responds, sincerely, and he grins back at her, 

“Glad to hear it. Sorry if I overstepped but, from my perspective, I don’t believe either of you really know how romance works..” He winks at her, making her even more embarrassed. 

“I’ve read about it…” She defends and he just chuckles. The air becomes less tense as they fall back into their work. After contemplating the conversation, Amity gets his attention,

“Thanks for this, Gus. You guys are good friends.” She quips and an understanding is shared between them. Amity leaves soon after, excusing needing to get back to her dorm. 

Feeling accomplished with the conversation the two had, Gus turns his attention back to his work. It’s only when he looks back at the computer screen that he realizes he never plugged his laptop in.

Chapter Text

A day after her talk with Gus, Amity walks in for her shift at the café, gearing up to “deal with” her notorious patron. Although he gave her some insight on the situation, she still doesn’t know if Luz feels that way about her, and there’s still the opportunity for her to ruin the relationship they have now. She sighs, hand ghosting over the phone in her jacket pocket.

 She still hasn’t texted Luz back, thinking it useless now if she’ll see her at work. Yet, what makes her more worried is that Luz won’t want to see her due to her own conflicting feelings.

She closes Skara out, not even bothering for small talk as she tries to gage how the evening might play out. Luckily, due to the nature of her job and the final exam season coming up, she was immediately bombarded with those unlucky students who decided to start writing a 60 page paper only days before it was due.

It was probably the busiest the café has been since last semester, the barista only escaping the rush around 8:30. From there, she tidied the area while also keeping an eye on the occupied table in the corner, happy to see Luz working dutifully throughout the chaos from before. Smiling to herself, she watches the tan girl bop her head to whatever music she was listening to from her headphones. Finally, around 9, Amity taps the brunette’s shoulder, causing Luz to jump and the barista to giggle.

“Heyyy, Amity.” Luz says after she recovers, but the barista can sense nervousness in her tone. 

“She probably thinks I’m still upset.” The Blight supplies to herself. 

“Hey, Luz. Do you want to get started?” She asks as normally as she can, holding up the book their Art History class has been using all semester. This was the final review session together before their exam, after all.

Relief is reflected in brown irises and she nods, rearranging the table to make room for her tutor. It goes well for the next few minutes, the two quietly reading over notes alongside each other with Amity looking between her own papers and Luz’s, just in case she needs to catch something. To the Blight, the evening was going as smooth as ever, and she vowed not to ruin it. 

Yet, you see, the brunette is a bit distracted. Luz, confused by how Amity went from upset the other night to reassuring now, doesn’t know how to act. The rosette may seem to be in better spirits, but she’s unsure if her tutor actually wants to discuss anything outside of their work at this point.

Amity then puts a worksheet in front of her, showing different objects and paintings where she would have to fill in the name, date, material, and anything else she knows about each piece. This causes Luz to groan, not fully prepared for this kind of training. Noticing her childlike despair, Amity gives her an encouraging pat on the shoulder,

“Hey, this is just a practice sheet. We can still use our notes, silly.” She gives an amused smile and returns to her seat to prepare her own notes for the work.

 The brunette takes a breath and begins to write with minimal interjections from her tutor. Once again, the smell of coffee and the soft music overhead lulls them into the sway of productivity. It’s surprisingly pleasant, neither having to talk but enjoying the space they share as they write their ideas.

 Luz looks up, her focus starting to dwindle, and glances at the focused gaze of the Blight as she jots down her bullet points. Not sensing any animosity, she tests out their boundaries:

“Soo,” Luz draws out casually, catching Amity’s eye, “How’ve your exams been going?”

“Fine,” is the easy reply as she flips a few pages into the book and jots something down, “Willow was very helpful with her notes for our Bio class, so luckily I should be able to keep my 4.0. I jus-”

“4.0?!” Amity drops her pen in surprise at the outburst from her student, who quickly reels herself back in.

“Sorry, sorry! I just, I knew you were smart but not THAT SMART!” The brunette gushes, causing the barista to blush. She nervously puts a piece of hair behind her ear.

“It’s really no big deal. Besides, that's only academic knowledge; I’d love to have the same analytical view of the world as you do.” Luz pauses.

“Really?” Her friend nods silently. “Oh, uhm, thank you, Amity.” Is the hesitant reply. The rosette tilts her head,

“Luz, do you think you’re not smart?”

“What? No!” Luz waves her off but glances to the side, “It’s just, well, clearly if I needed a tutor I’m not that great on my own…” Amity is quick to refute, 

“Nonsense. The most I help you do is organize your schedule. And besides, everyone should have extra eyes on their work! I make typos constantly when I hand in rough drafts.”

“Yeah, I guess, but-” She’s suddenly gripped by the shoulders, now facing the Blight who has a determined look on her face.

“Luz Noceda, you are one of the smartest, most introspective and detailed students in our class and probably our grade. You know I have to read all of their tests and papers, right?” Luz dumbly nods, “Do you know how often Lilith talks about your work? Take pride in yourself. You’re already so amazing.” Luz feels her face heat up at the speech. Amity finally takes in a breath before realizing the length of what she said. Face like a red rose, she pushes herself back to her side of the table, ignoring the brunette's awesome stare.

“I-I just mean, have confidence in what you love, Luz. You understand things more than you think..” she trails off. Luz gives an out of body thank you, but meanwhile has gears werring in her head. Feeling the ghost of where the pale girl’s hands just resided, memories flash through her mind:

“You understand things more than you think”

“H-How the turn tables! I mean-”

“It was really well written … What was it about?”

“Do you think maybe she wanted you to admit it?”

The nervous and thoughtful glances, the blushing, the way she would get close, how much she has let her into her life; 

Did Luz really understand?

She gulps, looking at the flustered girl attempting to focus on the worksheet once more,

“Hey, Amity, I-” 

In that moment a student rushes in through the front door, startling the two in the corner. Breathing heavily with rabid eyes, they look between them,

“This- this place is still open, right?” Sighing, Amity gets up, brushing her apron as she gets to the front desk,

“Yes, we are. How may I help you?”

“Oh thank god! Okay, so, there’s going to be 10 drinks: 1 grande Caramel Macchiato, a tall Green tea Frappe, a tall Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate-”

“Sir, those are seasonal.”

“Oh, shit. Let me call and see what they want as a replacement.” They move back from the register, but Amity, unable to leave until the order is finished, starts on the Macchiato. She and Luz share a tired look, the brunette giving her a small, supportive smile which is reciprocated, before the rosettes' attention is taken away again.

Luz slumps in her chair, reading through Amity’s study guide sheet, waiting for her to come back. When she does, about 30 minutes later, grumbling about how “the fucker didn’t even leave a tip”, she finds the moment has passed. At least now, though, she can plan something, especially with the Spring Festival coming in the next week or so. She smiles bashfully to herself and the possibility of what she’s learned tonight, but returns to her own worksheet with revived vigor.

 The rest of the evening moves on in an intimate and calm manner, the two just embracing the company they share in this unchanging moment.

Chapter Text

Hi there,

Sorry to have to do this ONCE AGAIN but I just have had literally 0 time to work on this like I'll open it, have a free moment and start typing, and then get more work or a call or I need to take care of family etc etc (I'm realizing what adulthood is and it's not upsetting but just t i r i n g) and yeah guys i'm just too exhausted to find the time and energy to finish this up in a "nice' time span. Good/bad news is that part of this problem is because I made this chapter SO LONG and besides actual editing I need to figure out if I cut parts or separate it into two but we're so close to the end I REALLY don't want to mess with the flow of the story. Sorry to ramble but anxiety is at an all time high and whenever i think of working on that issue I get a headache lol. I can't WAIT for y'all to see what's coming though~

I will be back I promise! I just need a few more weeks hopefully. I really just wanted to update you guys incase anyone was curious or thought i've finally abandoned the fic which is not the case!

Hope you're all doing well in the winter months and thank you all for enjoying and supporting me so far! This will be deleted once I get the next chapter in order.

Thank you again and I'll see you all soon :) - Kris

Chapter Text

“Luz, hold on!” Willow pants as she and Gus catch up with the brunette who stops in her hurried tracks at the command.

“Sorry, guys.” She apologizes, visibly embarrassed, “I just want to see what kind of stuff they have going on this year.” Her eyes begin to sparkle, “I heard they have a bungee jump! I’ve always wanted to try one of those!”

“Yeah,” Gus adds, taking out a pamphlet with all of the day’s activities listed, “They had a big budget this year so there’s a bungee jump, bouncy castle, some concerts, the tunnel of love, but that’s been here si-”

“Oh, Cramity!” Luz’s sudden outburst startles her two friends, “Amity and I planned to meet at Skara’s show! That’s in, like, 20 minutes!” She exclaims, looking at the time on her phone. Willow only rolls her eyes at her roommate’s panic,

“Don’t worry” She assures, “It’s an open concert, we can be late if we want to. Besides, she mentioned she’d be getting ready with Boscha so I doubt they’ll get there before us.” She watches her friend’s shoulders relax and now eyes the suspicious girl, 

“But, what reminded you in the middle of that conversation? Was it the word ‘love’ by any chance?” She giggles at the red hue growing on the tan girl’s face.

“W-what?! Psh, noo, just,” Luz, stumbling over the next few words, waves defeat at her friend’s very correct assumption. She suddenly straightens her posture, making her friends jump, and absconds while pulling out her phone. Willow and Gus share a look, but decide to leave their friend to her antics and find out where the food stations are.

As she runs towards some trees for privacy, Luz taps on the contact for the lavender-haired girl. Putting it to her ear, she hears it ring a few times before going to voicemail. Disappointed, she sighs, sending a text asking and goes back to her group by the hot pretzel stand. 

----

“Ames, c’mon, we were supposed to get to the main campus like, a half hour ago!” Boscha half-s houts through the bathroom door. “Skara’s concert starts soon and I want to take a smoke beforehand.” 

Hearing a grunt, the door swings open with a disgruntled Blight with ripped jeans, boots, and a black boat neck crop top.

“How are you a stoner and the captain of a college sports team?” She asks sarcastically while packing her things back up.

“It’s called living with no regrets.” Boscha replies with a hair flip, “You should really try it sometime. It would totally ease some of that tension you got going on with ‘coffee girl.” She says, nonchalantly turning her attention to her grinder. The rosette pauses,

“Her name is Luz” she retorts while shoving a jacket in her bag, “You’ve met her-” Amity pauses as she registers the meaning behind Boscha’s words,

 “Wait- did Skara tell you?” She asks cautiously, but the only answer she receives is a barking laugh in return. The rugby captain then pulls out her phone and reads through some of their messages. 

“Sorry, I can’t hang out today, I’m out with Luz.” She says out loud, the barista’s face paling with realization. Boscha, now smirking, continues,

“Do you ever talk to Luz, like, about me? No reason, really!”

“I told Luz I would study with her today so I'll have to skip dinner with you guys.”

“Luz got me such a cute gift rec-” 

“Okay!” Amity interrupts, much to her friend’s amusement, “I get it, I’m obvious!” She confesses begrudgingly as her friend’s giggles continue. As the laughs fade, though, she quickly becomes more serious,

“Can you just… not tell her?” the Blight peeps out. 

Boscha’s smile is replaced with confusion as she waits for the rosette to continue, 

“I-I just want her and I to have this talk on our own. Like, I think it’d be worse if someone told her before me, you know?” The rugby captain raises her eyebrow as she realizes what her old roommate is saying,

“So, you are going to tell her, then? That’s a bold move for you, Ames.” She admits, “When are you planning to do it?”

 The other girl just sighs in defeat,

“I, I don’t know yet. But I will!” She shouts, startling both of them before her resolve crumbles,

 “Eventually..” she trails off, clearly thinking about her current situation. Boscha checks the time on her phone before replying,

“Well, if you chicken out and I notice I will force you guys into a seven minutes in heaven kind of situation.”

“You wouldn’t!” Amity dares, feigning betrayal, but her old teammate just shrugs again,

“Who knows.” She practically sings, “Now, stop worrying about that. We got a forest and a concert to get to.” And with that Amity is pulled out of the room, her phone ending up in Boscha’s bag.

---

As Skara’s performance ends, an eruption of cheers explode from the audience, yet there’s still no sign of their barista friend. Although Gus and Willow reassure their friend, seeing as the whole campus is packed into a single area with tons of noise, movement, and smells. Sadly, Luz can’t help the nagging feeling that she wouldn't see her cotton candy haired goddess for the rest of the day. 

 It wouldn’t even be that bad if Luz hadn’t spent the last week and a half psyching herself up for a confession.

Moping past the concert venue, she’s surprised to spot that familiar head of lavender walking towards some food stands. Not wanting to lose her in the crowd, the brunette pushes through the passing bodies before reaching her target. 

Well, “crashing into” would be more accurate, as when she squeezes between the final group, her face finds itself smushed into some ruffly black fabric. Stumbling forwards, Amity turns around in shock, only to have her defensive features soften when she notices who shoved her. Watching Luz rub her injured nose, Amity crosses her arms and smirks,

“A simple hello would’ve been fine, but might as well keep with our traditions, huh?” She jokes. Recovering, Luz looks back at the girl in front of her and scoops her into a hug,

“Amity! I’ve been looking for you all day!” She exclaims, shaking the other in her grasp the now blushing Blight reciprocates.  She then looks at the double major in confusion,

“You said we were meeting at the front of the concert, but we couldn’t find you! Boscha tried texting Willow but she never responded so we thought you guys got busy with something.” The brunette notices the other’s features grown nervous, if not self conscious.

“Why didn’t you call me?” she wonders aloud.

“I did! Like, 5 times!” Luz replies, exasperated, pulling out her phone to show the multitudes of missed calls to “Amity Calamity”.

“What? No you did-” The rosette starts to defend, reaching into her bag to get her phone, but then remembers how she was dragged out of the room earlier,

“Boscha…” She grumbles, crunching her bag in her hands. Luz watches, worried,

“Oh no, what’d she do now?” The rosette responds by pinching her brows,

“She put my phone in her bag since it was bigger,” She starts, walking in a circle as she remembers the past events, “I forgot to ask for it and now she’s off in the woods doing god knows what.” She waves her hand in the general direction of greenery.

“What!?” the brunette asks in disbelief, That’s not fair on you! We have to find her or you won’t enjoy the day to the fullest! Does she have anywhere she likes to go?” She notices the shorter girl internally groan,

“Well..”

---

After texting Gus and Willow her whereabouts, Luz joins Amity for a familiar stroll through a wooded path. 

Willow, having trekked through the area on her own, meets the two (with Gus in tow) before coming to a clearing. 

“This seems familiar..” Luz mumbles to herself as the group gets closer. It’s only once Amity reveals the hidden area from behind a bush that everything clicks into place.

“I remember this tree!” She exclaims before the events that took place there flash through her mind. Turning as pink as the flowers blooming above her, she shuts her mouth and focuses on anything other than the people around her. Not witnessing the moment of infatuation, Amity shouts,

“Boscha? It’s Amity!” She peers over at the trio following her, “And co. -you’re here aren’t you?!”

“Ames?” The familiar voice comes from the other side of the tree, “Yeah, we’re sitting over here with some drinks! Come by if you want any!” Boscha’s voice echoes. Amity looks at the other three who shrug, down to go along with the rugby player’s antics.

Walking over, the ex-roommate’s group is revealed to have Skara, Amelia, two or three other kids from the team, and, surprisingly, Viney’s group from the party.

“Yeah, you guys were talking so long at the party we all decided to hang out and watch.” Was the simple explanation from the bio major. It only takes a moment of registering that they were being studied like zoo animals by their friends for Luz and Amity to squirm with embarrassment.

As they all settle in with their drinks, the small party becomes more engaged with some playing games, blasting music, a few going off to smoke, ect. For Luz, she couldn’t have been in a better place. Looking over, that idea is confirmed as she gazes at her tutor who hasn’t left her side the entire time they’ve been there.

 Her soft smile as she talks with Skara, the laughter from a terrible joke Boscha made earlier, the brunette was glad to see her enjoying herself as well. Realizing she’s zoning out, the brunette accidentally catches the rosette’s eye who turns to her inquisitively. Looking away in a panic the young girl hops up,

“Well, I need to ask Willow something. Be back later!” She explains as she jogs away from the other two. Skara, understanding the romantic plight, turns back to her friend with a teasing smile,

“And what was that about?” she asks. Amity just sighs with a shake of her head, unphased by her co worker's tone,

“That’s just Luz being Luz.” She waves off, an amused grin taking over her features as she watches the retreating figure. Skara just deadpans, wondering how it’s possible this girl has a 4.0. 

---

Luz scampers over to Willow, who is in the midst of starting a small fire as the sun goes down. 

Is it legal on campus? Questionable.

Does everyone trust Willow, and only Willow, to safely start a campfire? Absolutely. 

And with munchies such as marshmallows and chips brought by a few others, it quickly becomes the place most will stay throughout the evening. 

After helping collect tinder from the edges of the forest, the arth and lit major hears someone call everyone in for some drinking games. With a small cheer, they all regroup by the fire, sitting around the flames.

“Okay!” The girl, Luz learns is Kat, exclaims, “Who’s ready for truth or dare?” Most voice approval but soon hear a noise and turn to find Gus groaning into his palms,

“Yeah, ya know what? I’m going to excuse myself from this and watch the train wreck from the sidelines.” He says, getting up and standing outside of the main group.

After some reassurance from some of the others and a sympathetic pat from Willow, Gus accepts staying with the group, but stays out of the gameplay. The three friends take the last few seats on one side of the fire while Amity, dragging Boscha with Skara towards them, are forced on the other. Locking eyes, the brunette and the Blight wave from across the flames, and a warmth, not from the flames, fills their cheeks.

It starts out simple enough, Willow is dared to eat a leaf, Luz admits to being kicked out of a school play due to “a sausage incident”, and Boscha is dared to keep her eyes closed for the next three rounds. Simple, harmless fun, until they get a few rounds in, as it goes. Next thing Amity knows, Amelia is pointing at her,

“Okay, Amity, truth or dare?”

“Uhm, dare.” She shrugs after a moment of thought, hoping it’s just her having to do something else that’s simple yet funny.

“Oh I got this!” Boscha hops up in tipsy glee, filling the rosette with dread, remembering their earlier conversation,

“I dare you..” The girl looks down to hide her anticipation.

“To kiss…” Amity’s head jerks up, looking from Boscha to Luz. It seems like this caught the tan girl’s attention as well since she’s also staring up at the rugby captain, before locking eyes with the Blight and quickly looking away, 

“Gus’ foot!” the Pink-haired girl exclaims. 

Surprisingly, instead of disgust at the idea, Amity ends up feeling a sort of disappointment for what was demanded of her. 

Gus professes his neutrality in the game, but he accepts when Amity kisses her own hand and pats his foot with it as a loophole. He laughs as Boscha yells betrayal from her friend messing with the task. Willow peers from the act to Luz who watches along, softly snickering.

“It’s nice seeing her have fun like this.” Willow mentions sincerely, gaining her roommate’s attention with a look of mild confusion on her face.

“You know, instead of working on school stuff or at Hexbux.” She continues, “This is the first time I've seen her so relaxed in these kinds of situations.” As the brunette registers her words she looks back between her roommate and the eye of her affection. Her smile returns with a hint of understanding as she watches the rosette while Boscha continues her rant about “loyalty” and “rules of the game”.

“Yeah..” Is all she replies. Yet the ever analytical Willow notes a certain determination in her features now. She smiles to herself, looking back to the fire, knowing her friend has finally made a choice. 

 The night continues, with a bit more to drink, and the rules of the game and social behavior become less strict.

---

“Hey, Amity.” Viney calls, having taken over as the game’s host. Amity lifts her face from her cup,

“What's up?” she asks, noticing everyone watching her.

“Truth or dare?” the bio major asks in a slightly threatening voice. Amity just shrugs playfully,

“Truth”

“Do you have a crush on anyone?” She stiffens, staring back at the pale girl smirking at her. Going dark red, she drops her head to look at the ground, yet nods her head as an affirmative. With this confirmation, murmurs ring around the fire pit. Acquaintances of the group start trying to guess at who it may be, but those close enough to her and the brunette all share a knowing look. Sadly all of them but one sees the look they all share.

  Luz’s stomach drops. As people ask the rosette who it is she doesn't say, instead she just looks at Luz with an unreadable expression. Nervously, she ignores the look and tries to focus back in on the game, owning it up to nothing. As the persecution end and the noise returns to is still absurd, but more normal level, the double major sneaks a final glance. 

Although no longer looking at her, she can tell that the mood around her crush has shifted; almost pensive, if not a bit upset.Yet, before she can say or do anything, the Viney moves the game along and all is forgotten, for most. 

Soon, it gets to Luz.

“Okay, Luz, Truth or Dare?”

With her upbeat persona, a confident “truth” comes from her mouth.

“Luz you sweet, summer child.” Willow thinks to herself, watching the girl’s eyes widen in panic. She looks over to Viney who simply shows off the same smirk she gave Amity.