Work Text:
A Step Forward
When Luz knocks on the door to the Blight Manor, she doesn’t expect it to be Alador who answers the door.
She's… not sure how she's supposed to feel about Alador right now. Amity tells her that he's trying now, trying to be a father, which is good, great, even, but… he should’ve been trying a long time ago. He’s missed out on a lot because he’d been too busy with his own things, and Luz hopes he regrets it. He should, and if he really is trying to turn himself around, he does.
Still, she’s going to be polite.
“Hi!” she says in greeting. “Is Amity home?”
Alador rubs his eyes. “Yes,” he replies, “she’s here.”
He doesn’t elaborate.
Luz’s grin twitches, but she holds it in place. “I'm, uh—here to pick Amity up,” she explains. “We’re heading over to the cliff so we can watch the fireworks with Willow and Gus!”
Hunter’s also been invited, but Titan knows if he’ll actually show up. Willow says he will, but… Luz has her doubts. He doesn’t seem to be happy whenever she tries to reach out, and though she thinks he’ll come around eventually, it’ll take time. Besides, he already enjoys Willow and Gus’ company, so… it’s a start!
Alador doesn’t respond; he raises an eyebrow at her, as if she’s not making any sense.
Luz shifts on her feet, uncomfortable. “So, uh, should I go get her or…?”
That finally seems to get through to him; blinking as if he’s just woken up, he snaps his fingers. “Ah,” he says. “Yes. No. You don’t have to; she should be right down.”
“Great!” croaks Luz. She starts to back up, eager to get herself out of the situation. “Uh, I can wait outside if you want—”
To her absolute horror, he only looks surprised at the possibility. “No, please come in,” he says, shaking his head and standing aside to let her enter. “Like I said. Only a moment.”
Luz swallows. She's never liked being around the Blight Manor — not that she’s been inside that much — it's always cold, and feels less like a home and more like a house. Inside this place, she can understand why Amity feels so trapped here, why Amity used to act the way she did. No one should feel cold in their own home, where their own family lived, and yet. This place gives her the willies. But still. Polite.
She steps into the entry room and just—stands there. And Alador—stands there, looking at her. It’s horrible.
“So!” Luz says, casting around for something to say. Anything, Titan, anything would be better than this all-encompassing, tortuous silence.
“So,” Alador agrees. His eyes don't seem totally focused; bouncing around the room rather than sticking to something, but his tone doesn't waver when he continues. “You're… dating my daughter, then?”
……Ah.
Anything but that.
Luz has… never spoken to a parent of someone she’s dating. Of course not — she’s never even dated before — and this is the first conversation she’s holding with Alador, really; the two–word exchange at the Blights' weapons show doesn’t count.
Ed and Em have already given her the shovel talk! She doesn’t need another one—it’d taken her days before she was able to sleep comfortably after hearing their very… creative threats. She’d been torn between being terrified and also being happy that they were so protective of Amity—she knows they hadn't been close with her until very recently. Of course, then Edric and Emira had immediately turned around and congratulated her for ‘finally catching’ their sister, so it was very on–brand for them.
Alador cannot be scarier than the full force of two siblings protecting their third with no regard for law or moral rules. He can’t be. And Luz refuses to be intimidated by the man who only just realized that Amity’s dreams and Odalia’s desires aren’t automatically the same thing.
“Yes,” she says finally, looking him square in the eye—at least, trying to. “Is that a problem?”
He strokes his chin, considering. “Well, you're a formidable warrior,” he says, as if that's what matters, “so you'd be able to hold your ground if any duels were to come up.”
“Does that happen often?” Luz asks, horrified (and yet not surprised).
“Not particularly, not anymore,” he replies, frowning. “But in terms of Mitte— Amity, it could possibly be an issue. I don't remember if we've officially betrothed her to anyone yet, but it was a valuable option for a time.”
Luz can't believe her ears. “BETROTHED AMITY? You can't do that to her!”
“Nothing was ever finalized, though there were potentials being looked at,” says Alador, as if that makes it better . “I believe Odalia was still hoping to get the Emperor to sign off on the Golden Guard becoming Amity’s spouse.”
Despite her outrage, the image makes Luz snort. “Yeah, good luck with that.” She’s fairly certain both Hunter and Amity would rather die, if they didn’t end up killing each other, that is. Luz points a finger at Alador anyways, just in case. “But that’s not happening now, right?”
He seems to fumble for an answer, but she doesn’t think it’s because he doesn’t have one. “Right,” he says finally. “Of course not. Not without Amity’s permission.”
Good answer, Luz thinks, setting her jaw. “And if Amity’s mom tries to go through with it anyways?”
Alador looks down at the ground, sighing deeply. “I’ll talk to her,” he says. “I’ll explain it, and she’ll understand.” Will she? Alador has higher hopes for that ever happening than Luz does, but he did marry her. Luz doesn’t know if he can do any good in that regard, but… he’s trying. And she’ll appreciate that, even if he shouldn’t be forgiven.
She opens her mouth to respond, but is cut off by a third voice joining the conversation.
“Luz? You’re here already?” Amity is standing at the top of the stairs. Despite herself, Luz’s grin returns in full force; Amity isn’t wearing anything out of the ordinary — just her usual black top and maroon leggings — but she can’t help it. Amity’s just so pretty.
Daww. Luz is so lucky.
She gasps dramatically as Amity starts to descend, putting a hand to her chest in an attempt to keep her heart stable. And also because she knows Amity likes the compliments, so she keeps ‘em coming. “Amity, cariño, hello!”
Amity’s face turns pink — not because she understood what Luz said, but because she still tends to be caught off guard by Luz just appreciating her presence, which is heartbreaking but also something Luz can kind of relate to — and her smile grows.
“Hi,” she says, and then she spots Alador, who’s still standing in the corner of the room, looking between them with one eyebrow raised. “Dad?”
Somehow, he looks even more tense than before. “Yes, I was just keeping the hu— Luz company while she waited for you,” he says. Amity looks more confused than anything; she shoots Luz a concerned glance, but she just shrugs in response. It hadn’t been horrible—it hadn’t been great, but not horrible.
Amity says, “Okay,” in a hesitant tone, but then tries to shake it off. “Well, I’m ready to go, so we’ll head out then.” Luz is more than happy to agree with her; she doesn’t slide her arm through Amity’s like she would if they were alone, a little awkward about doing it in front of Amity’s dad, but she does open the door for her, giving Amity another little smile as she does.
They’ve almost made it out of the house before Alador’s voice makes them pause in their tracks, turning back to face him once more.
“And, uh—“ Alador seems to freeze for a moment before shaking himself out of it. “Be back by ten, okay? It’s a school night.” He goes for a smile, and it’s awkward, but he’s trying. “Have fun, and I’ll, uh. I’ll wait up for you.”
Amity swallows. “Oh,” she says, and there’s a hoarse tone to her voice. “Okay. I’ll be back, dad.”
“By ten,” he repeats, and Amity nods.
“By ten.”
For no reason, Luz seems to have lost control of her facial muscles. She can’t keep the smile off her face, and she knows Amity knows, but she doesn’t really care. Amity knows how sappy she is already.
They move again in silence; Alador shutting the door behind them, and Luz can’t stop smiling. The tips of Amity’s ears tinge pink.
“What?!” Amity finally snaps once they’ve made it to the main road. Her expression is cross, but Luz only grins back at her, looking past Amity’s fake–angry face and finding the quiet happiness behind it. Luz can’t ever see her dad again, but she thinks of him every day, and she’s so glad Amity’s able to talk to hers now, even just a little bit.
“Nothing,” Luz says softly, reaching out to fold her fingers through Amity’s. The action is just as calming as it is every time they do it; sometimes Luz still can’t believe that she’s allowed to do that, that Amity likes it as much as she does. “Just nothing.”
Just happy for you, she thinks.