Work Text:
“I wonder when Mrs. Noceda and Luz are going to return,” Amity mused aloud. She was sitting in the living room with everyone else, curled up in the corner of the couch to allow plenty of space for Willow and Vee to share the space.
“Soon probably. That take out place couldn’t be too far, right?” Willow replied. She was sitting upside down, her hair falling out of their braids off the edge of the couch.
“It’s not,” Vee confirmed, not looking up from her book.
“HAHA!” Gus exclaimed, making the three of them jump. He pumped his fist in the air, the game controller in his hand nearly going flying across the room from the enthusiasm. “Beat that, Hunter!”
“I—no—you cheated!” Hunter argued. He sagged against the couch in bitter defeat.
“Nuh uh. Accept it. I am the Mario Kart King,” Gus declared. He flexed his arms for emphasis, even though there wasn’t anything to flex.
Despite losing sorely, Hunter smiled a little. Amity smiled too. Any moment where any of them had an unbridled moment of joy was cause for all of them to be happy—they didn’t have enough of them these days.
“Rematch?” Hunter asked.
“Hunter, I think the five rematches you’ve already done are enough damage to your ego for one night,” Amity teased.
Hunter narrowed his eyes at her. “Shut up,” he deadpanned, mirth twinkling in his eyes.
“Never.” Amity winked. Hunter stuck his tongue out at her.
“Annnnd go!” Announced the TV as Gus pressed play on a new game as Hunter was distracted.
“Huh? Wait- HEY that was actually cheating hold up-” Hunter stammered, scrambling to get ahold of his controller.
Gus just cackled mischievously.
Their was a click of the front door opening. Everyone perked up instantly.
“Food’s here!” Luz announced from the other room as she burst through the front door. .
Choruses of “Food!” and “LUZ!” echoed back as they scrambled up. Amity herself leapt off the couch with admittedly little grace to go greet her girlfriend. Even Gus and Hunter stood up, video game forgotten at the prospect of food.
Amity ran up to Luz, who quickly shifted the take-out boxes to one hand to catch her girlfriend in a hug.
“Miss me that much?” Luz teased.
“Hunter kills my braincells at exponential rates when I have to be around him for long periods of time,” Amity said loud enough for Hunter to hear, pulling out of the hug.
“It’s mutual,” he said back.
Camila whispered something exasperated but affectionate as she moved with her own stack of takeout to the kitchen.
Luz snorted. “Dramatic, much?”
Amity shrugged playfully.
“OH!” Luz exclaimed, eyebrows shooting up “I forgot to say. You guys have to go outside. Like, asap.”
“Why…?” Willow asked.
Luz was grinning ear to ear. “It’s a surprise.”
“But it’s dark out. What are we even going to see?” Gus pointed out.
Luz just held on to her mischievous glint sparkling in her eye. “The closest thing the Human Realm has to magic.”
Gus’s eyes went wide, while Willow and Hunter tilted their heads, skeptic. Vee looked thoughtful, trying to remember what Luz might be referring to. Her eyes lit up with realization, and then settled into the same mischievous glitter as Luz’s.
“Okay, but first, lets get these to the kitchen,” Amity reasoned, taking two of the four takeout boxes into her own hands and carrying them to rejoin with their brethren with Camila. The rest followed her.
“Food first,” Willow agreed. “Can’t be in awe on an empty stomach.”
“Okay, but can we take our food outside? We can have a little picnic or something,” Luz proposed.
“You are really excited about this, huh?” Hunter asked. He was smiling.
Luz just shrugged, but absolutely failed to play off her giddiness. Something about her literally bouncing on her toes gave her away.
“Okay, we can do a picnic. Everyone help yourselves,” Camila said as she handed out plates.
The kids did so, examining the new human cosine in awe. They’d had plenty of Dominican and Puerto Rican recipes that ran in the Noceda family, and some American classics too, over the course of their stay. But this was something new. Amity believed that this was… ch-chinian? Chainese? Chinese? She’d have to ask Luz again. Nonetheless, they were all excited to try it.
Luz led them to the front door and opened it with a flourish. “Ta-da!”
The witchlings and Vee craned their necks and stuffed in the door to get a glimpse of this surprise. Gus gasped, which honestly sounded more like a squeak in Amity’s opinion. He dashed outside, precariously balancing his plate of food.
“Whoa,” Willow whispered, following him out with an amazed smile. Hunter followed, jaw dropped. Amity stepped forward to get a better look herself.
Before her, the night was lit with a hundred little lights floating around and blinking in the trees and rising from the grass. It was soft and ambient and definitely magical. If Amity hadn’t known better, she would have thought them to be the product of a hundred light glyphs. Willow, Gus, and Hunter danced in the lights, grabbing at them but never succeeding.
“What are they?” Amity whispered.
“Fireflies,” Luz replied softly from behind Amity. She stepped up next to Amity, lacing their fingers together. Amity couldn’t take her eyes of the fireflies, but she could feel Luz’s admiration-filled gaze on her. Her heart skipped a beat, and she was probably a little pink, if the heat of her face was any tell-tale.
“This is what fireflies are here? You have no idea how lucky you are. The naming is a bit more accurate in the Boiling Isles…” Amity said with a breathless laugh.
Luz chuckled. “Yeah, I’m sure. Come on!” She led Amity through the door, hands still clasped.
They sat down on the front steps, the rest quickly joining them. Everyone ate their dinner quickly, wanting to go and dance with the fireflies again on full stomachs. The entire time, Amity and Luz’s shoulders were touching. Amity wasn’t sure if she should pull away, if this was weird for Luz, or if this was being too needy. But Luz showed no signs of annoyance, so Amity tentatively relished in the simple physical affection.
As they ate, they admired the fireflies. They named any that landed near them and the air was filled with their quiet giggles. Luz explained how it’s human tradition to try to catch a firefly, and how it’s good luck.
“Then we need to do that! Sounds like fun,” Willow announced.
“Titan knows we could use the good luck,” added Vee.
As they finished their dinners, the kids took to regaling Luz with dramatic retellings of all of Hunter’s loses to Gus in Mario Kart (told by anyone but Hunter himself, who indignantly tried to salvage his reputation in vain).
It was a moment of peaceful contentment, one long awaited and desperately needed.
Amity took a deep breath, relishing in the moment. She wished they could stay here forever, like this. Seeing Luz smile, without any weight to it, was such a rare occasion recently. It was something so small—a simple, pure smile— but it meant the world to Amity. To her, that smile was brighter than any light glyph, any firefly, easily a sun in it’s own right in the too-frequently dark world Amity occupied. She’d do anything to preserve that smile.
It was breaking her slowly to see Luz so dismal ever since they got trapped in the Human Realm. She seemed so far from the Luz Amity first met—the Luz that took over the role Grom Queen without a second question just to help Amity. The Luz who came up to Amity when Amity was still awful to her, and comforted her in the dark corner of the convention hall. The Luz who tried so hard to see the good in everyone all the time. Then again, Amity was different too. Luz had helped her grow into the person who she was now through her incessant kindness and compassion. Amity thought it was high time she returned the favor.
Luz noticed Amity staring at her with a concern and care in her eyes that caught Luz so off guard, she froze momentarily. Amity hadn’t even noticed she was doing it herself, so there was a brief moment where she felt her face growing heated with embarrassment at being caught in such a vulnerable, thoughtful state. She might have squeaked. The girls stared at each other, brains blank. Then, a slow grin spread over Luz’s face.
“You are adorable, did you know that?” Luz said. She booped Amity’s nose, sending the purple-hair girl into a gay spiral. Dear Titan, she was probably red as a tomato right now.
“No?” Amity said in a higher pitch than usual. This made Luz giggle harder, for some reason. “Stopppp,” Amity groaned, infected with giggles. She plunked her forehead on Luz’s shoulder to hide her blushing face.
“No, I mean it. You’re so cute! What were you thinking?”
Amity didn’t say anything for a moment. How was she going to explain that she thought Luz’s smile was the best thing ever? That Luz had changed her life and she would do anything for her? That she loved her? The last thing she wanted to do was make Luz uncomfortable, or to scare her off by going to fast. Amity had spent so much of her life being small and accommodating others, being the perfect little girl, that she was terrified to just straight up say what was on her mind. So she didn’t say anything like that. Instead, Amity adjusted so her head was nestling in the crook of Luz’s neck. Luz laid her own head on top of Amity’s. Amity could feel Luz’s breaths, a little slow and trembling ever so slightly. Her heart must have been fluttering just as much as Amity’s.
“I was just thinking that you’re cute too,” Amity said finally. It didn’t feel like enough, so she kept speaking. “I… I missed moments like these. Moments where everyone is happy. They mean the world to me,” she said, even though she meant you mean the world to me.
She felt Luz’s shoulder’s rise and fall with a quiet sigh. “Me too.”
Before them, Gus, Hunter, Willow, and Vee had finished eating and were now chasing the fireflies. Hunter and Gus had achieved a jar each, although Hunter was significantly more successful at catching them. Gus kept hiding behind Hunter or Willow, avoiding the fireflies at all costs.
“Are you absolutely sure they don’t burn, Luz?” Gus called, squeaking as one flew too close to him.
Luz shook a little with another giggle. “I’m absolutely positive.”
“I don’t know if I believe you!”
“Should we go help them?” Luz whispered to Amity.
Amity, for one, was completely content to stay cuddled up with Luz for the rest of eternity. She was one touch starved lesbian and she knew it, but by Titan she didn’t have the guts to ask for affection 99% of the time. She honestly would rather stay there and watch the shenanigans all night, but she knew Luz would be itching to run amuck with these glowing little bugs. Which, to be fair, would be really amusing and cute to watch. She supposed she could get physical affection another time.
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
They stood and ran out into the front lawn.
Almost immediately, a stray little firefly handed on Amity’s shoulder. “Oh!” She exclaimed. “Uh. Luz?”
“Awww he likes you!” Luz cooed.
“I’ll defend you!” Gus cried, leaping out of seemingly nowhere to karate chop near Amity’s shoulder.
“Wait-”
Too late. Gus’s hand swiped past her shoulder, not hitting her of course, but close enough to startle the firefly away.
“Haha!”
“Gus I swear to titan they aren’t dangerous,” Luz sighed.
“That’s what they want you to think,” Gus said, slinking back way more dramatically than was necessary.
“Try catching some, Gus,” Luz advised.
Gus raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Humans are weird. Sure, fireflies are pretty, but why would you want to interact with bugs? Are they not poisonous here or something?”
Luz didn’t have time to respond past a chuckle before she was interrupted abruptly.
“Ooh, wait! Scrap book opportunity!” Willow announced and dashed back into the house, startling everyone.
Amity caught Vee’s eye and they exchanged a shrug.
“Luz! Look what I caught!” Hunter called.
“Ooh, let me see, let me see!” Luz rushed over to where Hunter was sitting on the grass, holding a jar full of maybe four or five little lights. His eyes were two shiny moons, reflecting the light of the buzzing lights in the jar. The whole image was very reminiscent of a classic cartoon character in awe, Amity thought. Fitting.
“Nice job! Wow that’s a lot actually,” Luz congratulated, looking over his shoulder.
A bright flash startled them. It was Willow, once again, with her newly acquired camera. A film printed out.
“Ooh, may I see?” Vee asked, jogging over.
Amity came over too. The other three were to engaged with the fireflies to care.
The photograph slowly came into color. A sweet moment of Luz and Hunter bonding over his fireflies was caught, but in the background stood Gus, holding out his jar as an offering for the fireflies, clearly still weary of them. Amity smiled. It was a pretty wholesome candid.
~~~
Once the fireflies began to dissipate and weariness set into their bones, they headed back inside. Amity was loath to have the fun end, though. She wasn’t ready to go to sleep and wake up to another day stuck in the Human Realm, fears and guilts nesting back into their hearts for yet another day. She wished she could freeze time, drag out this happy moment as long as possible. For Luz’s sake, if not her’s.
“How about a movie night?” Amity blurted, hoping she didn’t sound desperate.
“I’d love to!” Vee agreed. “Human movies are a riot; there are some gems Camila has shown me that you’ve just gotta see.
“Sure!” Willow agreed. Gus yawned but gave a thumbs up. Hunter shrugged.
“Okay. Let’s do it,” Luz said.
“What are you doing?” Camila asked, stepping out from the kitchen, dish towel slung over her shoulder.
“A movie night. Is that okay?”
“Of course. Don’t stay up too late, but go for it. Summer won’t be for much longer, so might as well take advantage of your free nights while you have them.”
Amity noticed Luz’s face fall, but she quickly covered it up. Amity frowned. Human school was a subject Luz had been avoiding, more and more obviously so as the beginning of the fall term approached. Amity would need to keep a special look out for any worrisome signs with Luz when that came around.
They shuffled into the living room. Vee, Willow, Amity, and Luz immediately claimed the couch, forcing the boys to make do with the floor. Hunter and Gus didn’t seem to care. They were used to it.
Amity took her spot in the corner, trying to make space for the other three. Luz didn’t seem to care much about space, because (much to Amity’s little gay delight) she huddled close to Amity, essentially using her girlfriend as a pillow. Amity had zero complaints. She was glad Camila turned the living room lights off after them, otherwise her blush might expose her all over again. She rested her arm over Luz, as if this was a perfectly chill and normal thing that Amity did all the time with her girlfriend and she wasn’t totally melting from affection.
“What movie are we going to watch?” Hunter asked.
“Hmmm…” Luz thought, stroking a non existent beard because why not. “Oh! I know. Vee, did mom ever show you Hocus Pocus?”
“…No?”
“Oh you guys are going to love this.” She pulled up a movie with three old ladies in extravagant dresses and strange makeup in the thumbnail. Amity blinked. Vee wasn’t lying when she said human movies were…something else.
“Should I be worried?” Amity asked.
“Absolutely,” Luz answered with a devious grin.
“Oh boy,” Hunter sighed as Luz clicked play.
Luz did not tell them this movie was about the human perception of witches. The witchlings had to piece this information together themselves, and when they did, Willow deadpanned “This is what humans think of us?”
Luz tried to suppress a laugh, which just turned into a mixture of giggles and snorts. “More or less.”
“Oh boy,” Hunter sighed again, sounding very tired, old, and very disappointed. Willow took a heavy breath in, as if she was trying very hard not to voice her exasperation.
There was a familiar flash of light and click. They all turned to see Vee caught red handed with Willow’s camera. She was frozen under their gazes as the photo slowly spit out of the camera. “What? Your faces were priceless.”
Gus fell asleep before the movie was over, and Amity almost dozed off a couple times herself. It had been a good night, and content settled calming blankets over her usually ever-present anxiety. For the first time in a while, Amity was at peace. There, with Luz in her arms and content in the air, she could almost pretend she wasn’t stuck in a different dimension. She could almost pretend everything was okay.