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It was a partly cool summer day, with the wind gently blowing above trees of a magenta hue, their flaked leaves falling onto a gentle dirt path as a mint-haired girl stepped her way across the path. All was quaint, the forest softly humming its whistle-tune from the breeze over the trees, not a peep heard of the animals surrounding in the flock of woods as the visitor to the woods charted her path across. Her partly wavered footfalls cut through the silence as a pen dropped in an empty office as she trotted through the quaint brush, her silent approach masking a broader fear embedded in her, far unlike the gentle surroundings.
Adorned on the girl was her school uniform, with its soft rouge sleeves brightly determining her studies of abominations, contrasting her pearly mint hair which struck out against the trees’ shades like a white brush across an inky black canvas. But she could not fret over her outfit, or how her hair, normally in a delicate ponytail which indicated her strong and cunning demeanor, was frayed as she made her nervous half-tip-toe-half-dash through the woods, with her approaching what she thought to be a near death sentence.
And finally, the girl, fresh out of Hexside’s walls, arrived at the Owl House. It’s giant yellow eye window seemed to glare at her as she approached, it’s ominous, still stare feeling like a predator eyeing the prey it saw mere paces away.
She’d dreaded this for long enough, but she needed to face her fears, to approach with offerings of… well,
An apology.
Amity Blight had spent the past week in an insufferable state of worry, fretting over every sentence as if it were to announce whether she was to live or die, eyeing every movement as if the next would be the heavy fall of a hammer, set to shatter her newfound hope in her greatest friend, In Luz. Ever since an incident a week past, being that of her mother testing out abominations on Luz for a big unveiling of the Abomaton, Amity had fretted over every tiny thing, worried Luz was furious at her for everything that happened. Luz didn’t even look at her at lunch one day, then she’d spent most of her time with Willow and Gus and it all seemed to be piling up into a spaghetti pile of worries where the only thing she could possibly do to fix it was apologize. Since she couldn’t have Luz hate her, then she’d lose connections with her, and the rest of her friends, and everything good that happened to her ever since that girl arrived in the Boiling Isles would vanish in an instant.
She needed to fix things.
And so she stepped ever closer, approaching the house as a mouse did a cat’s den, sneaking forward with an awkward shiver in her step, taking in shallow breaths as she whimpered in anticipation of Luz possibly being mad. Finally, she arrived at the door, closing her eyes, taking in a deep breath before reaching for the handle, shivering as she did so. She let her grip gently fall upon the front door’s handle, but as soon as she went to open the door-
“HOOT!”
A voice bellowed from the door, scaring the girl and sending her falling to her knees with a shaky terrified squeak. “Hoot hoot, looks like someone forgot I was here, didn’t she?” the shrill voice continued, with Amity then understanding exactly who she was talking to. Because somehow she’d forgotten that there was an owl tube affixed to the Owl House’s front door.
“H.. hey, Hooty,” she stammered, looking up at the wide grin of the owl tube’s circular face.
But before she could even get up to dust herself off, the owl tube flung the door open and let out another hoot; “Oh Luz! Amity’s here to pay you a visit!”
As soon as she heard the hoot, Amity’s face drained of pigment as she felt dread shiver down her throat. Not only was Luz going to be mad at her, but she didn’t even have a second to mentally prepare herself for it. Hell, at this right, she might even end up little with how stressed she was.
And it seems she would guess right.
As soon as Luz appeared at the bottom of the stairs and to the living room, she had a smile on her face until she saw Amity on the floor, upon which she frowned out of concern, coming over to the shivering girl. Amity, looking a bit dishevelled, with her tousled hair, the fact that she was just sitting infront of the door and her pale face matched with a bite on her lip, gave Luz a well of concern, but Amity saw it as something else. As soon as she frowned, Amity’s heart shook.
Was Luz not happy to see her at all?
But, before a well of worrisome thoughts could pierce through her mind and what little scraps of composure she had, Luz hurried over to the girl and gently reached down a hand to her. “Oh, hey Amity, are you okay?” the girl gently asked, causing the shy one before her to merely let out a whimper. Luz slightly tilted her head at the non verbal response, but still kept her hand out for Amity to grab. “Oh, well, let’s at least get you off of the floor,”
Amity then hesitantly accepted the offer, getting aid to help her back onto her feet, still shivering slightly as she stood there. She tried to speak, but could barely let out a word, her throat feeling like a collapsed cave, where not a speck of air could escape it. Great. Now she was terrified and couldn’t even say a word, which was bound to annoy Luz, and then she’d make everything worse.
Still, despite all of the girl’s fretting, Luz only looked to Amity with a gentle kindness, “Hey, hey, Amity,” she soothed, with the girl finally getting up the nerve to look up at Luz. “Is something wrong?”
Amity then was about to make another little squeak but stopped herself, taking a deep breath before mustering up her strength to speak. “Y- yeah, I mean- I’m fine, sorry,” she mumbled, slipping over her words.
Luz, still unconvinced, kept her voice soft and calming to try and help out Amity, since she couldn’t tell what had her friend so worried.. “No need to apologize, you didn’t do anything wrong,” she assured, softly smiling at the girl, who smiled back a bit upon seeing the gentle girls’ beaming grin. “Now, was there something you wanted to talk about or…?” she pondered aloud, being met with not much beyond silence from Amity.
Amity, still mildly terrified and unsure what to do, did merely a meek nod, her headspace far too little to allow her to speak properly. In her mind, all she could think of was how mad Luz must be, how much she messed up and how everything she wanted would soon be ruined before her eyes, but Luz quickly swooped in to aid the girl from her unruly worries.
“Well then, come inside!” she declared, gently grabbing Amity’s hand and leading her upstairs, sending a blush across Amity’s cheeks as she was delicately guided upstairs, with Luz having a similar blush, not that Amity noticed. Her fretting thoughts washed away for just a moment, the soft touch of Luz’s hands cutting through the wavering sea of troubles encapsulating her mind, an anchor through the billowing wind and heavy falls of anxious thunder. For just a second, there was no storm, all had settled, the sea was still, with not a single heavy wave crashing over. There was just a moment of gentle peace.
Yet still, as soon as calm came, the cascade of worries resurfaced and Amity was sent spiralling down an internal rabbit hole once more.
Was this going to be the last time Luz ever held her hand? Would this be her final chance, will her hopes and dreams be swept by the unruly tide of her mind, a swath of guilt piercing any desires her heart had?
Would her worries be right?
But still, a beam of light would cut through, as it had done a dozen times before.
“Amity?” Luz gently asked, her gaze of concern and gentle soothing word shaking the girl from her unruly thoughts. “You’re shivering, are you feeling okay?”
As Amity was shaken from her nervous stupor, she looked to the surroundings, now seeing that the two were up in Luz’s room, not having noticed how closely her thoughts had entrapped her in a wave of worrisome emotion. Amity, wrestling herself from her thoughts, tried her best to mutter out an answer, and managed to speak. “Um, yeah, I’m ok, it’s just a l- little cold outside,” she feigned, hanging up on the word ‘little’ as she looked away from Luz.
Luz, still unconvinced, but still very willing to aid out her friend, (at least, that’s what they were at the moment, despite her wishes,) then went over to a pile of haphazardly folded blankets over in the corner, picking up one of them, being a watery blue blanket with a white wavy pattern. “Well, then we should get you warmed up!” she suggested, playfully tossing the blanket over Amity, who giggled softly as she was covered in the blanket, her shivering ceasing a bit as she was hit with the warmth of the gentle blanket.
As she giggled, she tried to lift up the blanket a bit but, due to her half-little state, got it somewhat stuck, not being able to lift it up so her face could emerge from the blanket that was tossed over her, and she let out a tiny whimper.
Luz then chuckled and lifted up part of the blanket so it was more like a cape over Amity, letting her slightly blushing face peek through from under it, with the girl then letting out another adorable giggle. “There, is that a bit better?” she pondered, earning a joyful nod and smile from Amity. She raised a bit of an eyebrow as Amity did this, since she was being awfully nonverbal, which wasn’t very usual for the perfectionist, but she thought little of it at the moment. “Good! That should help you warm up a bit, since you seem more than a little shivery,” she chuckled.
Amity then smiled further, giggling a tad more, having a soft fuzzy feeling of warmth and comfort wash over her as she relaxed. Despite what her big self wished, despite the worries, Amity was able to just calm down and enjoy the warmth of the blanket over her and the warmth of Luz’s kind smiles.
“Heh, someone’s really giggly today, aren’t they?” Luz mused, gently booping Amity’s nose, earning another giggle, but its latter half was cut off as Amity’s big self caught up with the situation. “Hm?”
Amity, suddenly realizing her situation, tried to suppress her little state, taking a shaky breath as her anxieties rushed back, clearing her throat before speaking. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to,” she muttered, her just formerly happy eyes now looking down solemnly, the whiplash of her going back to being big hitting her as another anxious tidal wave.
Luz’s smile faded and was replaced with the same concerned look. “Amity, you don’t have to apologize, everything’s okay,” she assured, gently putting a hand on Amity’s shoulder, or at least her shoulder that was covered by the blanket tossed over the girl. Something felt immensely off with Amity, and after how little she’d seen Amity in the past few days, she was getting pretty concerned. Amity had skipped lunches with her, Willow and Gus, and it was starting to be more than a little concerning.
Amity then blushed at the gentle touch from Luz, but her worries washed over her happiness at the comfort, and she bit her lip, nervously looking away. In her mind, not a single thing was okay. Her slip-ups and inability to just come out and apologize were a failure in her plan, and she was ashamed that her brain’s first reaction was always just to be little and avoid the problems right before her.
So, she shook her head to Luz’s assurance, not being able to look her in the eyes as shame washed over her. “Huh…? No?” Luz questioned, her voice still gentle and soothing as to not upset Amity further. “What do you mean, cariño?”
Not understanding Luz’s use of the pet name, Amity let out a breath as she tried to muster up some courage to speak. “I… I’m sorry,” was all she was able to muster, lowering her head and hiding underneath the blanket over her.
“What are you sorry for?” she softly asked, squatting a bit to see the girl hidden by the blanket piled over her.
And with that, Amity shuddered. Now she had to explain all she was sorry for, how much she messed up, how much she’d ruined everything. Unable to look up at Luz’s caring gaze, she began speaking of her sorrows.
“Well, I nearly got you hurt again after everything happened with my parents after I got you all expelled from the school, and then I didn’t even come to help until you were up against the Abomaton!” she let out a shuddered sob as she spoke, tears washing down her cheeks as all of the anxieties she’d barely kept at bay overwhelmed her in a crushing wave of guilt. “And that’s on- only the recent stuff…” she choked out, though before she could continue her explanation of how much she failed Luz, how much trouble she’d caused her, a gentle touch pushed through the wave of guilt.
Luz quickly wrapped Amity in a warm, firm hug, rubbing her back softly with one of her hands. “Oh, Amity, no no no, you never did anything wrong, all of the stuff with the Abomaton was your parents, not you,” she soothed, trying to calm down the shivering girl held in her soft embrace.
“B… but, I was too cowardly to take on Grom, and you nearly got hurt because of that…” she continued, but Luz fought against the girl’s worries.
“No one person should take down Grom, I don’t blame you one second for any of that.” she reassured, “Plus, I tried to take down Grom myself and see what happened there,”
Still, despite Luz’s assurances, despite the comfort, despite the kindness she was showing, Amity could feel not but the guilt she’d carried ever since all of these incidents occurred. All of the memories of her mistakes flashed before her, all screaming her guilt at her in a blast of unruly worries, all cascading in a bellowing symphony of agonizing remorse. As the dark clouds of the storm all crashed over her, one grand remorse, one struck out at her, a grim worry that could not be hushed, despite her wishes for it all to wash away.
“I couldn’t help you when Belos-”
As soon as Luz heard that name, she pulled away from the hug for a second to gently grip Amity’s shoulders, looking at her without a hint of anger in her eyes. “Amity, can you look at me for a second?” she asked in a gentle tone, but still, Amity’s watery eyes looked straight down. “Cariño, don’t worry, I’m not mad, I just want you to look at me for a second, okay?”
Amity then, with hesitation, looked up at Luz, her golden yellow eyes glossy as she whimpered, her lip quivering a bit as her worries felt like a heavy weight on her shoulders she could barely begin to bear.
“Amity, look, I don’t hold any slight bit of a grudge against you for anything bad that’s happened since I got here.” she began, her words laced with a comfort Amity had not thought Luz was willing to give her. “You don’t need to worry about any of that, since that’s all in the past, and I wanna make sure you’re okay now. I know it’s hard, but you don’t have to feel guilty.”
With those soothing words, Amity’s form became still, instead of it’s shivering state, and her sobs quieted. “Now, can you take a deep breath in for me?” she softly asked, with Amity then taking a shaky breath in and out. After a couple minutes of this, Amity’s hasty breathing slowed to a calmer pace, and her sobs quieted to the occasional sniffle.
“There, all better, now, can I get you anything?” she posed, with Amity thinking for a second and adorably sticking out her tongue a bit as she did so.
“Um, may I haves some snackies?” she babbled, blushing immediately after she did so as Luz let out a coo at Amity’s adorable speech, and though Luz didn’t seem to know what was going on with Amity, she thought it was adorable.
“Aww, of course!” she cheered, booping the girl’s nose. “I’ll be back in just a minute with a little after school snack for ya!” she declared, quickly making her way downstairs. But, as Luz went to do so, Amity let out a tiny pout, causing Luz to come back into the room. “Don’t worry, pequeño, I’ll just be gone for a second,” she assured before heading out.
Amity still pouted slightly, upset Luz wouldn’t stay with her, until she truly realized what she was doing. She was very little right now. And she hadn’t even fully noticed that she’d slipped, and that Luz obviously noticed something was up. And like the flip of a switch, Amity’s relaxed excitement for a snack turned to fear as she realized she just revealed that she was little without a moment’s hesitation. Hopefully Luz wouldn’t catch on too much, since Amity was convinced that she wouldn’t be accepted if anyone else found out. Well, Ed and Em were nice enough to her about it but Luz, well, yes, she’s nice too, but still, Amity didn’t want anyone to think less of her because of how she was.
If Luz knew, and was in danger, she might insist Amity stay out of it in case she’s little. But Amity can’t let that happen. She needs to be able to protect Luz, even if it means suppressing herself for a while. She needs to be reliable, confident and strong. Since, well, Luz deserved help. She would always go out of her way to aid anyone, to even help Amity when she was in need. Luz always made it her priority to help others first, and right now, Amity needed to repay that first and foremost. If her coping mechanism had to be suppressed, so be it.
Still, despite her wishes, as soon as she came to that conclusion, she felt hurt. Hurt that, well, her conclusion meant that she couldn’t get what she wanted. That she’d have to be more like her parents. A perfectionist to the end. And yet, soon, Amity’s supposed revelation would be sent asunder.
Because, just as promised, Luz quickly returned with a small plate of some orange slices, a couple cookies and some apple blood. “Heya, I got you some snacks!” she declared, to see Amity snuggled up on the floor in the blanket, looking to the side. “Hm?” she pondered upon seeing the girl, setting the food down next to the sitting girl. “Something wrong?”
Amity then nervously looked up at Luz, hoping her higher pitched tone wouldn’t reveal her little state too easily. “Um, I’m fine,” she muttered, trying to conceal the slight lisp she was struggling to avoid.
So, Luz bought it, for now, and sat down next to Amity, “Alrighty, well, I brought you your snack, along with some cookies!” she declared with a grin, causing Amity’s face to go a soft pink.
“Cookies? Come on, I’m not five,” she retorted, reaching for the food as she looked over at Luz.
“Are you sure?” she teased,
“Of couw- er, of course I’m sure! I couldn’t be more sure of myself!” she proclaimed, puffing out her chest a little bit in confidence as she got ready to eat her food.
Luz then chuckled, “Well, usually a big kid doesn’t go for the cookies first,”
Then, as Amity opened her eyes, she saw that instinctually, she had gone for the cookie first, and took it away from her face for a bit as she blushed. “Well… I just really like cookies, that’s all,” she stammered, looking away as Luz chuckled again.
“Well, either way, it’s adorable,” she assured, blushing a bit and causing Amity to blush far more.
“N… nu it’s not,” Amity mumbled, sheepishly taking a bite into her cookie.
Amity then ate the rest of her snacks, gently smiling at Luz after she finished it up. She began to thank Luz by mumbling an adorable “Fankies,” but quickly cut herself off, but not quick enough to avoid another coo from Luz.
“Aww… you’re even cuter than King!” she declared proudly as she smiled at the little one in front of her, even though she still didn’t understand what was going on with her.
But as soon as she did so, she heard a scamper down the hall, and let out an “Oh, speak of the demon,” before King slid into the room, causing Amity to let out a squeak as the tiny demon stared her down.
“Did I hear there was competition over here?” he bellowed with a maniacal laugh, getting ready to lunge at Amity before his maniacal laugh turned into a sneeze and Luz simply walked over and scooped him up. “Hey!” he barked, letting out his best attempt at a growl as he flailed about, trying to get out of Luz’s grip.
To Amity, who was now rather little, the tiny demon appeared terrifying, but to Luz, it was just another adorable attempt at a wicked tantrum. “Hey,” Luz commanded in a stern, but kind, tone, which immediately got both of the tiny ones’ attention. “King, no lunging at people,”
To that, King let out a whine. “But, but, but you said she was cuter than me!”
Luz then smiled and gave the little demon prince a kiss on his forehead. “Don’t worry, you’re still my little guy,” she assured, setting King down gently. “Plus, I didn’t know you were so competitive about who’s the cutest one here,”
He then let out a tiny squeak of embarrassment and did a short glare at Amity before darting off to perform more of his antics.
At that, Amity let out a breath she was holding in and Luz came back over to her, setting a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Sorry about that, him having his little power trips make him more excited than a sugar rush.” she apologized, rubbing the back of her neck with her other hand.
“It’s okie,” Amity murmured, blushing a bit. She was mainly holding her breath because seeing Luz act that much like a parent to King made her more than a little jealous, considering she was already feeling pretty little. Yeah, she understood that King was a kid, and that it made sense for Eda and Luz to take care of him, she still felt jealous since she wanted attention like that. Still, thoughts like that were probably selfish, at least to her, so she shushed away her wishes for now.
But, unfortunately for her plan, Luz was starting to catch on, “Um, Amity?”
“Mmhmm?” she murmured, looking up at Luz with her soft yellow eyes.
“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” she pondered, concern lacing her tone. “Since you seem a bit on edge, and I just wanna make sure you’re alright.”
Amity then felt a soft pink blush fall over her face as she averted her eyes for a second, a frown growing on her face. Well, looks like Luz was catching on to her. Still, she could just brush it off, and hopefully she wouldn’t notice. She just needed to stop being little and then it’d all be okay.
But, unfortunately, her still half-little state had other plans. “Um, it’s nuffin…” she mumbled, her blush increasing sixfold as she bit her lip, wincing at how Luz would react to her lisp showing up once again.
Though, despite the girl’s worries, Luz only met the lisp with a smile. “Cariño, are you really sure?” she lightly pressed in a gentle tone she often used with King, “You seem really nervous and, to admit, I am a little curious about why you’ve got a tiny lisp at the moment.”
To that, Amity meekly looked up at Luz from the blanket bundle she was in. She didn’t look mad, disappointed, or upset at all. Luz was merely being kind to her, as she always was, despite everything. Her soft caramel eyes just showed a genuine care, one she hadn’t expected. And yet it was there. Despite all else, Luz cared. Nothing could change that.
So, Amity decided she’d take a deep breath, in and out, and then take the plunge. Despite all of the wavering currents of worry sloshing around her, warning her of could-be’s, possibilities, worst case scenarios, she had no fear. Finally she felt she could open up, at least a bit.
So, shivering, still terrified, she began to speak. “Um… well… the reason for my uh, lisp,” she began, looking away as her voice got fainter and fainter, nervousness still apparent, “Is a, w- well, coping mechanism,” she whispered, her blush growing and growing as she burned through a bit of her confidence, looking away nervously.
“Oh, so something you do when you’re scared?” Luz pondered, starting to understand more and more.
Amity meekly nodded. “Mmhmm, and, uh, well… I get scared by loud noises sometimes, so it uh, kinda just… turned on,” she explained, still dodging the full answer as her anxiety spiked.
Luz nodded understandingly, “So that’s why you were scared when Hooty called for me and King scampered down the hallway!”
Amity did another hesitant nod, her blushed face fully pink. “Yeah… I forgot Hooty was there and he got loud so I got scared…” she murmured, her voice getting a little higher pitch as she did so.
Still, Luz didn’t fully understand, for there was one piece of information Amity had been too scared to share. “Alright, but, what exactly is your coping mechanism?”
Ah, the dreaded question. Amity tried to take in a deep breath and just rip off the bandaid, but every time her mouth opened she was too terrified to speak, with barely a sound coming from her mouth as she attempted to admit it.
At the very same time, Luz began to catch on more and more. The lisp, the childish talking, going for cookies first before anything else, how she pouted slightly when Luz was going to go downstairs to get her her snack, how she seemed to enjoy the pet names she'd been using for her as a bit of a lighthearted joke due to her childish state… Well, with all that, it seems there was no other conclusion.
“You’re an age regressor, aren’t you?” Luz quietly concluded, causing Amity’s face to go fully red as she hid behind the blanket. After a couple seconds of Amity sitting there, the little one let out a tiny “mmhmm…” from underneath the blanket, and all became clear.
“Aww, hey, there’s no need to be shy about it, pequeño, it’s alright,” Luz assured in her most soothing voice, gently rubbing Amity’s back as she did so to try and help the tiny one calm down a bit.
Still, the best Amity could do was quietly peek out her soft amber eyes out from under the blanket, her soft mint hair more than a bit messed up from being covered by her blanket. To Luz, the sight was simply too adorable and she blushed softly, smiling at the little one. “Hi there, nena, how are you feeling?” she gently pondered, trying her best to soothe her.
Amity then, still blushing softly, murmured “Better…” with a soft smile, calming down a bit as she was comforted. As she slipped further into her childlike state, she relaxed, letting her stress slip away as Luz comforted her. She had nothing to be afraid of, no matter what her worries led her to believe.
Somehow, someway, it turned out how she wanted. Luz was willing to accept her, how she was. No calling her weird, no yelling, nothing. Just the unrequited support Luz was willing to give to those she trusted. Through everything the two had been through, they were able to become close, just as the two both desperately wished. And though there was still a crucial step awaiting, and one at a time they didn’t expect, this connection was a lovely one, to be cherished.
And, at that, Luz softly smiled. “That’s great!” she declared, giving the little one a gentle pat on the head. “Now, I have one final question for you, is that okay?”
Amity, satisfied Luz would accept her no matter what, despite her fears, gently nodded, confident that she’d be accepted now matter what. Yet still, the question was more than what she expected.
“Now, I know a bit about little ones like you, since I heard about it online back home, but I was wondering if you had a caregiver,”
Amity then blushed more than she or Luz thought possible, her face going fully red. She stammered over her words for a bit, trying to get out any answer, but all that came from her mouth was babbles.
“Aww, hey, slow down a little, I think someone’s a bit too tiny to talk,” Luz concluded, giving the little one a few more pats on her head.
Amity then ceased her babbles and managed to do a meek shake of her head, partly hiding behind the blanket over her as she did so.
At that, Luz softly smiled, blushing a tad. “Well then, would you want me to take care of you while you’re little?”
And with that, Amity’s heart skipped a beat.
The dream she’d wanted, at least, half of it, was right before her. What was once a curious possibility, a best-case-scenario, now out in the open. A genuine possibility. Well, it seems what always happened around Luz would happen once again. The impossible became possible. People without hope, stuck in a situation with mere dreams of escaping it, were able to achieve their dreams. Through the power of one kind, compassionate human, Amity’s life had skyrocketed to a world she thought was the realm of dreams. But now, it was hers. No more dreaming, no more hoping.
It was hers.
So, finally, as she wished for so long to have the chance to do…
She took the leap.
“Y- yes!” she cheered, a smile plastering her face as she wrapped Luz in a tight hug, joy filling the room around the two. There was no more anxiety, no more fears. Amity could, well and truly, be herself.
With that, Luz let out a chuckle as she was tackle-hugged, returning the embrace as she gently rubbed Amity’s back. “Well then, it’s settled, mi chiquilla.”
“I’ll take care of you, for as long as you need.” Luz promised, her words gentle and soothing, “You won’t have to worry for one minute over anything, for now, you can just be the tiny little one you are, okay?”
Amity then smiled, joy swimming through her, as she nodded, and, in her little state, she only had one way she could express her joy for all that Luz promised.
“Thank you, Mamí,”