Chapter Text
“Maybe it’s better if we never see each other again.”
Luz wakes up from the dream with a headache and a bitter taste in her mouth. She would wonder why she keeps having the same recurring nightmare seven entire years later, but she knows now that whatever deity is up in the sky has a sick sense of humor and enjoys using Luz as a punching bag.
It’s whatever.
The doorbell rings at that exact moment, and Luz groans. “Go away,” she calls, but whoever is at the door is insistent. This time, they start knocking rapidly, and Luz strongly considers getting her bat out of the closet just to scare off whoever it is.
She’s short, but she knows she can be incredibly intimidating when she wants to be.
It’s a talent.
The knocking is getting louder. Luz swears and gets out of bed.
“I swear to god,” she says, walking across the living room to reach the door, “Unless you’re here selling girl scout cookies, you’re-”
She opens the door. And there, standing on her doorstep, is Amity fucking Blight. The words die in her mouth, because how, how is this happening, this can’t be real, maybe the dream isn’t over-
But it is real. Amity Blight, the ghost who’d never stopped haunting her, is standing there in the flesh, and Luz is going to lose her fucking mind.
“Sorry I’m not Girl Scout cookies,” is the first thing Amity says to her in seven years, and Luz’s headache gets stronger.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Luz asks, trying to keep the anger out of her voice.
She’s failing.
“I need a favor.”
Luz laughs in her face.
To her credit, Amity winces, like she knows that was the wrong thing to say. She tries to backtrack. “I also came to say sorry,” she says, and somehow she sounds sincere.
But Luz isn’t going to let her off the hook that easily.
“Fuck you,” she says, and attempts to close the door.
Amity uses her combat boot as a doorstop, wincing as the door closes on her foot. “Wait,” she says, pushing the door open a little more. “Just listen to what I have to say.”
“Why should I?”
“Because I can get you a free trip to Paris.”
Luz stops her attempts to squash Amity’s foot. Paris?
“I’m listening.”
“Can I come in?”
“No.”
“Okay.”
Amity is silent for a minute, until finally Luz says “So, Paris?”
“Right. So. Um. My parents are getting their vows renewed there.”
“And what does that have to do with me?”
Amity looks uncomfortable, like she’d rather be literally anywhere else, but she says “I want you to come.”
“What????”
“As my date.”
Luz is so shocked that she stops leaning on the door. Amity takes the opportunity to open it, walking past Luz and into the apartment. She makes herself comfortable on the couch while Luz stands there, mouth hanging open.
“I have an explanation for this,” Amity says from her perch on Luz’s couch.
“Uh, yeah, you fucking better,” Luz all but screams, slamming the door and whirling around.
“Can you…can you sit down? This is kind of a lot.”
Luz is furious that Amity dares to tell her to sit down in her own apartment, but she’s right, this is all a lot already, and it’s probably going to be more, so she says “Fine,” and sits down in her broken down armchair.
“So um. Like I said, my parents are getting their vows renewed in Paris. And my Mom-”
“Is still a bitch, I’m assuming?”
“Well, yeah.” Amity sighs. “She and my Dad kind of gave me an…ultimatum,” she says, wringing her hands together.
“What kind of ultimatum?”
“They said I can’t go to Paris unless I bring a partner. Which wouldn’t be such a bad thing, but I’ve never been to Paris, and-”
“Wait wait wait,” Luz holds up a hand. “Your parents are forcing you into a relationship?”
“Sort of?” Amity says. “It’s complicated. Both Ed and Em have partners, and, well, you know how Mom always wanted a matched set.” She gestures to her green hair, and Luz’s anger burns. The fact that she’s still forcing Amity to dye her hair, even after all this time, makes Luz irrationally upset.
“Not only that,” Amity continues, ”But, well…Mom and Dad have been giving me hell for not…having someone.”
“What do you mean?”
Amity sighs again. “They’ve told me, on multiple accounts, that I’m a useless parasite because I’m twenty five and I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“Jesus.”
“Yeah.”
“So…” Luz has to know. “Why me?”
Amity looks uncomfortable again. “Well, they said if I didn’t find someone they’d set me up and, um….You. Um. May or may not be the only queer girl I know?”
Luz snorts. “Gee, thanks.”
“But also,” Amity says, and she looks like she’d rather rip out her own tongue than admit this. “I was always comfortable around you. And I’d rather pretend to date you than a stranger.”
“So let me get this straight.” Luz stands up and begins to pace. “You want me to come to Paris with you, as your fake girlfriend, to appease your parents?”
“That about sums it up, yes.”
Luz laughs. “Are you fucking serious right now? This is insane!”
“I know,” Amity says. “But you’d get to go to Paris for free.”
Luz curses, because god, she needs a vacation so badly. She hasn’t been out of the country in years, and she’s always wanted to go to Paris. It’s the city of love for crying out loud, and Luz has always been a hopeless romantic. Not that she ever expected to go there with Amity, of all people, but. Well.
“Okay,” Luz says.
“Okay???”
“Yes. But. You pay for everything. Everything.”
“That’s fair. Oh my god Luz thank you so much, you don’t know how much this means to me, I-”
“I’m not doing this for you,” Luz says bitterly. “Don’t get confused. This is strictly a business decision, and that’s all.”
“Noted,” Amity says cooly. “We leave in one week.”
“And after that, we never speak to each other again.”
Luz can’t read the expression on Amity’s face- it’s closed for business, shuttered shut, the gate’s down and it’s not coming back up til morning.
“Sounds good to me,” she finally says, and stalks out the door with her head held high.
As soon as she’s gone, Luz flops down onto the couch face first. “What have I done?” she asks out loud.
Nobody answers.
Figures.
~
The airport is huge and chaotic, and Luz knows that she is definitely going to get lost. She sighs as she pulls her shitty suitcase through the automatic doors. She cannot believe she’s really doing this. She’s really going on a vacation with Amity Blight. As her date. She’s freaking out a little, if she’s being honest with herself, but she takes a deep breath and forces herself to push through the crowds.
Amity said she’d meet her right inside so they could make a game plan, like they’re fucking spies or something, so Luz searches for the once familiar head of green hair among the sea of people.
“Luz, hey.” Luz jumps about two feet into the air and spins around to find Amity standing behind her. “You just scared my entire soul out of me!” Luz says, but the words start to die in her mouth as she takes Amity in.
“I’m sorry,” she says. “But what the fuck are you wearing?”
Amity looks down at herself, like she’s forgotten what she put on that morning. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” she asks, sounding put out.
“It’s just…” Luz trails off, still looking at Amity, who is wearing a tight black dress and boots with heels that have to be at least five inches.
“Why would you wear that on a plane??????? How are you even walking right now?”
“Is this not normal plane wear?”
“No!” Luz says. “This is!” She gestures to herself: sweatpants, sweatshirt, messy bun. All curated for optimal comfort.
Amity blinks. “Why would I want to look like a slob?” she asks.
“I’m out,” Luz says instantly, turning around to leave.
“No, wait, please!” Amity says desperately. “I need this. I need you,” she admits, grabbing the back of Luz’s sweatshirt. Luz doesn’t turn around, but she feels a slight blush overtake her cheeks and internally curses at herself. “ She’s not going to get to you ,” Luz thinks. “ Not this time .”
“You…you actually look really good today,” Amity says, actually sounding like she means it.
Luz turns around, eyeing Amity suspiciously. “Yeah?”
Amity bites her lip. “Uh…yeah,” she says. “I really like the bun, it…it suits you.”
Luz narrows her eyes. Flattery, huh? Alright, she’ll bite.
“Fine,” Luz says. “Let’s do this.”
“Really???”
“Yeah.”
“Okay,” Amity says. “Hold my hand.”
This is where she loses Luz again.
“ What? ”
Amity rolls her eyes. “Don’t be so weird about this. We’re supposed to be dating, we’re gonna have to actually look like we at least like each other. So hold my damn hand.”
Luz hesitates, and then reaches for Amity’s hand and slots her fingers in between Amity’s. Her heart is beating a million miles an hour, and she’s starting to sweat, and she hates herself right now, and she hates Amity, and she hates every single shitty thing that led to this situation.
Amity, to her credit, looks fine. ( Bitch, Luz thinks).
Luckily, they don’t have to walk far, because the rest of the family is waiting by security, which is nearby.
Luz takes another deep breath. Odalia Blight is standing there, eyes already piercing through Luz’s soul, and suddenly she’s seventeen again and getting yelled at for accidentally breaking a vase.
But she isn’t seventeen anymore, and Odalia can’t hurt her. So Luz holds her head high and smiles. “Hi Mrs. Blight,” she says peppily. “So nice to see you again!”
Odalia glances at their linked hands, eyes flicking back up to Amity’s face. Amity shrinks back, and Luz finds herself taking a step forward, subconsciously shielding Amity from her mother before she even realizes what she’s doing. If Odalia notices this, she doesn’t say anything.
“This will be sufficient,” she says, and stalks off towards security.
Amity lets out a breath. “Okay,” she says. “Now we just need to deal with-”
“Luuuuuuuuuuuuz!”
It’s been seven years, but Luz still recognizes that voice. “Oh my gosh,” she says. “I forgot about-”
“Luz, where the hell have you been, loca?” Emira asks, coming up and hugging Luz from behind.
“I- you- you haven’t seen me in years and the first thing you do is make a Twilight reference???”
Emira shrugs. “I felt it fit the moment.”
“Luz Noceda, in the flesh?” Edric is never far behind his sister. He gives Luz a high five. “My god, Emira is right, where the hell have you been????”
Luz freezes, not sure how she can explain why she hasn’t been around without airing out her own dirty laundry, but then she hears another voice from the past.
“Oh my gosh, Luz? Is that you?” A tall girl in a green jumpsuit walks up to them and reaches out to hold Emira’s hand. “I haven’t seen you since high school!”
“Viney?” Luz says, looking at their linked hands. “You’re dating Emira?”
“Have been for, like, two years,” she says. “I’ve missed you!”
“I’ve missed you, too!” Luz says, and she means it. She doesn’t really know why she hasn’t seen Viney all these years. She supposes that’s just how it goes sometimes with high school friends.
“Oh, by the way, Luz, this is my partner Daylen,” Edric says. A person with long blue hair and a kind smile reaches out to shake Luz’s hand. “It’s so nice to meet you,” they say. “How long have you and Amity been dating?”
Both Luz and Amity freeze. After everything, they never even thought to prep for questions like that. “Three months,” Amity says, at the same time Luz says “About a month.” They stare at each other in horror.
“We mean, um….three months…plus one. So, four. We’ve been dating for four months. Yes. That’s how math works.”
Nailed it, Luz thinks, while Amity stares at her with her mouth hanging open, like she’s wondering how stupid one person can be.
But before anyone can question them further, Odalia calls them all over to go through security. It’s only then that Luz notices Alador is there too, off to the side and quiet as usual. His shirt has an oil stain on the right sleeve, and he looks a little worse for wear. He gives Luz a nod, and she knows that’s all the comment she’s going to get from him, probably for the whole trip.
She nods solemnly back.
Security is a mercifully short affair, and they head to gate A5 with few problems. Luz is about to sit down, but Amity and the others keep walking.
“Um, where are we going?” Luz asks Amity under her breath. Amity gives her a strange look. “The first class lounge, where do you think we’re going?”
Luz whistles. “Right. Sometimes I forget how ridiculously rich you are.”
Amity turns pink, and Luz almost smiles, because Amity always did have a problem concealing her blush, considering she has the complexion of a sheet of printer paper.
“We’re not that rich,” she says.
The first class lounge begs to differ. It’s nice, nicer than Luz’s apartment (and bigger, too), and Luz finds herself spellbound by everything- from the free fruit at the front to the ridiculously comfortable chairs.
She sits down and immediately sinks into the chair. “Oh my god,” she says. “This is like sitting on a fluffy pancake.”
Amity giggles. “A pancake?”
“Yes, is there a problem?”
“No, it’s a cute simile.” Amity smiles at Luz, and Luz smiles back, and for a second it’s just like old times. Until Luz remembers.
She shuts down her smile, shuts her face down, and looks away.
They sit in uncomfortable silence for the next hour, until their flight is called and they’re ready to board. They find their seats fine, and of fucking course they’re sitting next to each other. Luz doesn’t know why she’s surprised, she’s here as Amity’s fake girlfriend, after all, but still. The thought of being stuck in a tin can right next to Amity Blight for almost seven hours makes her want to stab herself in the face.
Amity, to her credit, looks just as uncomfortable. They’re sitting next to each other stiffly, neither one moving so as not to accidentally touch the other. Luz firmly puts the armrest down between them and closes her eyes in an attempt to sleep. Maybe if she’s lucky she’ll sleep through the whole flight.
She wakes up a couple of hours later and is momentarily confused before she remembers why she’s on an airplane. Right. Paris.
She feels some excitement well up in her stomach at the prospect of being in France, but is distracted from that by a sudden weight on her shoulder.
She looks down to find that Amity has fallen asleep on her shoulder. She’s drooling a little, and Luz has half a mind to wake her up and tell her to move, but something stops her.
Whatever. It’s fine. It’s no big deal if she’s resting on her. In fact, it’s a good tactic to ensure the others believe they’re dating.
She feels that feeling in her stomach again, but this time it has nothing to do with Paris.
She mentally reaches down, pulls out her bat, and swings at every single butterfly in her stomach until they’re all dead.
~
“Holy shit,” Luz can’t help but whisper as they get out of the car and see the hotel for the first time.
Ed glances at her and smirks. “Careful, Luz, if you don’t close your mouth you’re gonna catch bugs.”
“If you don’t shut up you’re gonna catch these hands,” Luz mutters only loudly enough for Amity and the twins to hear.
Edric laughs as they all walk into the hotel.
The lobby is just as impressive as the outside facade. Marble floors adorned with rich blue carpet, and a spiral staircase in the middle of it all. Leave it to the Blights to choose the swankiest hotel in all of Paris.
They check in quickly, and then their little group heads to the third floor, where their rooms are. They split up, and Amity and Luz use the key to open room 315.
The second they open the door and see the room, Luz is ready to go home again.
“No,” is all she says, and Amity sighs.
“What did you think they’d do, Luz? Put us in different rooms? We’re supposed to be dating.”
“That’s fine, but one bed????? This ritzy hotel and the room has only one bed???? What the hell?”
“I have a headache,” Amity says.
“You’re sleeping on the floor,” Luz says, at the same time Amity says “I’ll just sleep on the floor.”
“Yeah, that’s fair, after…everything. Luz, I’m so sorry I-”
“Save it,” Luz says.
They unpack in uncomfortable silence, speaking only to briefly fight over who gets the top drawer (Luz wins), and before they know it, they’re alone in a hotel room together with nothing to do.
“I’m gonna go get some ice,” Luz says.
“Okay.”
Luz curses as she closes the door behind her. She doesn’t need any ice. She just had to get out of that room.
This was a mistake. This was a huge fucking mistake. She never should have said yes to this stupid idea, because now she’s stuck in another country with someone she can’t stand.
She curses again and kicks the ice machine.
“Trouble in paradise?”
Luz whirls around to find Ed standing there, with Daylen not far behind.
“What?” Luz asks. “No, everything’s perfect. Everything’s great.”
Edric and Daylen give her a look.
“Oh, fuck off,” she says, which makes Edric laugh.
“But really, are you okay?” asks Daylen, and Luz softens up a little. She barely knows this person, and they seem genuinely sweet, so she doesn’t want to hurt them.
“I’m fine,” she says. “Really.”
Edric puts a hand on Daylen’s shoulder. “So, Luz, Day and I were just going to meet Em and Viney at the pool. Wanna join us?”
Luz shrugs. “Got nothing better to do,” she says. “Lemme get changed.”
“Cool,” Edric says. “You and Amity meet us at the indoor pool in ten. See ya.”
Ed and Daylen walk away hand in hand, and Luz groans. Right. Amity. She’d almost forgotten about her.
“We’re going to the pool,” Luz announces when she gets back to the room. Amity barely looks up from the TV.
“You don’t tell me where I’m going, actually,” she says, and Luz wants to punch her right in the face.
She grits her teeth. “Well, I wanna go to the pool. And we’re supposed to be dating, so it would be kinda weird if you didn’t come with me. So, you’re coming to the pool.”
Amity finally looks up, and the way she’s sitting makes her look like a queen reigning over her kingdom. It makes Luz nauseous.
“What if I don’t want to go to the pool?”
“What if I don’t give a shit?”
They glare at each other across the room, before finally Amity shrugs. “Lucky for you, I do want to go to the pool.”
“Then what the hell was that all for?”
“It was fun,” Amity smirks. She grabs her bathing suit and goes to the bathroom to change while Luz fumes.
She cannot believe she’s letting Amity get to her like this. She changes into her suit while Amity’s in the bathroom and tries to calm herself down.
By the time Amity comes out, she thinks she’s finally okay. Until she sees Amity in her bathing suit.
Luz looks away as quickly as she can, but it’s too late. She’s seen Amity in a bikini and god is she pissed. How could someone so obnoxious be so hot?
As if she can read her mind, Amity grins. “What’s wrong, Luz?” she asks innocently, but Luz knows it’s a farce. She knows full well how good she looks and she’s using it as a weapon.
Bitch.
“Let’s just go, okay?” Luz says, and wrenches the door open. She storms out of the room to the sound of Amity’s laughter.
~
The indoor pool looks like a cathedral. That’s the only way Luz can explain how fancy it is. The ceiling is painted to look like the sky and there are lounge chairs scattered artfully around the pool.
Luckily, nobody else is there, so the six of them have it to themselves.
The twins and their partners are already in the pool when they arrive, and Luz is about to jump in and join them when she notices that Amity is tentatively feeling the water with her foot to see if it’s cold.
Time for revenge.
Luz sneaks up behind Amity and, before Amity can react, she promptly pushes her into the pool.
“GAHHHH,” Amity screams, flailing around before she gets her bearings.
“You bitch!” she yells at Luz once she’s resurfaced.
Luz just laughs.
“Um,” Viney says from the other side of the pool. “Did you just call your girlfriend a bitch?”
Amity freezes.
“Yeah, Amity,” Luz says sweetly. “Did you just call me a bitch?”
“It’s. Um. A term of endearment?” Amity says this like a question, but Viney just shrugs and goes back to throwing a beach ball to Emira.
As soon as Viney looks away, Luz sticks her tongue out at Amity. Amity responds by giving her the finger.
Luz snorts and jumps into the pool, at which point Emira speaks up.
“Alright,” she announces. “Who wants to play chicken?”
“We do,” Amity says, and Luz isn’t even angry that she’s volunteering them because…well, she wants to play, too.
“So,” Amity says while they talk strategy. “I’m gonna be on top of your shoulders, so you need to have a real solid base to stand on.”
“I’m sorry, who died and made you captain? I want to be the fighter.”
“Luz, we both know I’m the more athletic one in this relationship.”
Luz doesn’t even try to deny it. “Who cares, this isn’t a real competition, it’s just a game!”
“Yes, a game that I want to win.”
“Funny enough, I don’t care what you want,” Luz says.
Amity rolls her eyes. “Luz, do you still lift weights?”
“Uh. Yeah? Why?”
“You’re scrawny and one of the least athletic people I know, but you’ve had strong arms since you started lifting sophomore year.”
Amity is staring at Luz’s arms now, which would be weird if Luz wasn’t enjoying it so much. She surreptitiously flexes, and Amity gulps.
“What were you saying, Amity?” Oh yeah. This is fun.
“I- um- that is-” Amity blinks and forces herself to look away, blushing fiercely. “I was saying , your arms are strong, so you can hold me on your shoulders better than I could.”
Luz considers that. “Fine,” she finally says.
“We have a deal?” Amity asks, holding out a hand.
“We have a deal.”
“Are you two lovebirds done?” Emira complains from on top of Viney’s shoulders.
“God, Em, it’s been like two minutes, relax.”
Emira sticks her tongue out at Amity. “We’ve been ready those entire two minutes. Are you two gonna play or what?”
Luz leans down and allows Amity to climb on her shoulders with only a little complaining. She stands up, and they’re ready to play.
The two couples face off from opposite ends of the pool while Edric and Daylen heckle them from the sides.
“Three…two…one!”
Viney and Luz run towards each other, and the battle begins. Amity shows Emira no mercy. The siblings grapple with each other for a few seconds before Amity gives Emira a huge shove in the side.
“Fuck!” Emira screams as she goes down.
“I’m ashamed to be your twin!” Edric calls from the side while Daylen giggles.
“Best two out of three,” Emira says, already climbing back onto her girlfriend’s shoulders.
Luz and Amity annihilate them.
“You two make a good team,” Viney notes as Amity climbs off Luz’s shoulders.
Before she can even think about it, Luz is lifting Amity up and spinning her around. “Hell yeah we do,” she says, and then realizes what she’s doing.
She puts down a blushing Amity and coughs. Sure, they’re supposed to be dating, so technically that was okay. It was probably a good thing even, convincing the others that they’re telling the truth.
But Luz is still embarrassed. Because they’re not actually dating, and they don’t even really like each other, and that was just weird .
She can’t let herself get carried away again.
Not again.