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“I don’t need my paci!”
A hand shoos away the pacifier Amity had been trying to get Luz to take. The human hadn’t been getting nearly enough sleep. She’s been helping King as he’s been starting to document his growing powers, helping Eda keep track of things running at Hexside, and helping Amity in her workshop–despite her girlfriend’s protests–so yeah, Luz has been tuckered out recently. Exhaustion was usually enough to get her to conk out eventually, but she’s still been getting up early in the morning. Something about not wanting to waste the day.
All that is to say that Luz really needed some sleep, and she needed it now. Working really hard, stressing out over multiple projects, and not getting any sleep on top of all that, however, is a pretty guaranteed combination to make someone slip eventually. That’s exactly why Amity has been trying to get Luz to bed for the past hour and a half.
She fought about putting on her abomination coven-themed pajamas (but loved them once she got them on), she fought over brushing her teeth (but loved getting to have story time afterward), and now she’s fighting over getting a pacifier; Cranky, sleep deprived, and desperately wanting to stay up later in the hopes of getting big before it was too late to do anything else productive.
“My baby needs her sleep,” Amity sighs. Despite everything, her patience with the human would never run out. “And you need your paci to sleep when you’re this little.”
Luz, looking a tad offended, huffs. “No, I don’t! I’m not sleepy!” A yawn betrays her, and Amity gives her a look that just says Really now? “Besides, I’m a big girl!”
Grinning, the witch decides to take a different approach. She sets the pacifier aside on a side table and nods. “You’re right, you are a big girl.”
Sparkling eyes fly wide open. Did that really just work? Luz blinks and smiles in her victory, but gets just as confused again as Amity sits up from the bed, watching as the other woman stretches out and turns to look back at her.
“So, do you want to skip to storytime, cariño?”
Amity giggles to herself as Luz nods enthusiastically. She lets the regressed woman pick out the book she wanted to hear from tonight (an Azura spinoff made for kids, because a proper book for it got canceled), sliding it from the shelf beside their bed. She props herself up on their pillows and makes herself comfortable next to her girlfriend, who rushes at the opportunity to snuggle up close. She tucks her head underneath Amity’s chin, right on her chest and once the witch is sure she’s comfortable, she starts to read.
Luz feels herself start to doze, fantastical words spoken from her girlfriend’s–and caregiver’s–gentle, soothing voice magically weighing down her eyelids as she fights to stay awake; She wasn’t sleepy, of course, she was just resting her eyes, as she very firmly insisted to Amity. It was just that resting her eyes didn’t quite feel right because something was missing.
The tip of Luz’s thumb finds its way into her mouth. Amity notices right away and gives Luz a knowing look.
“Whatcha doin' there, big girl?”
Well, shoot.
The digit leaves her mouth as quickly as it got there, the human’s face heating up in embarrassment as she tries to avert her gaze. “‘S nothin',” she mumbles, and Amity runs a hand through her curly hair.
“Okay then,” Amity giggles, smiling wide as she sees Luz eye the pacifier on the table beside her, just underneath one of the candles that lit their room. She kisses Luz’s forehead and starts reading again, and this time Luz is keen to keep her thumb out of her mouth. But, with every stolen glance towards the custom pacifier sitting just out of her reach, she gets antsier. She knows she wants it and she knows she needs it to sleep; Falling asleep without it would just be weird!
So, turning the tiny gears in her mind, she comes up with a flawless plan.
“‘Mity?” She mumbles, tugging on Amity’s arm to get her attention.
“Yes, baby?”
“Gotta pee.”
Amity quirks an eyebrow, subtly looking the woman over. Luz isn’t great at hiding her shenanigans when she’s big, but when she’s little? Yeah, no chance, Amity already knows what’s up. But she’s gonna let it happen, if for no other reason than she knows it’ll be way too cute. She lets Luz get up out of bed, and watches as Luz does her best to look very, very inconspicuous as she grabs the pacifier from the table, before sort of waddling out of the room.
Luz pumps her fist in success in the bathroom and pops the pacifier in her own mouth–because big girls don’t need someone to give them their pacis–and, after actually peeing, waddles back into the room. Crucially, as part of her plan, she looks down the whole way back into bed, even as she tucks her face back into Amity’s shoulder.
“Did you miss your paci, Luz?”
The human glances up and turns beet red, whining softly. How does she always know? She was so sneaky this time!
“Because I just do,” Amity giggles, leaving Luz looking on in disbelief. She whimpers and presses her face into her girlfriend’s arm again, doing her best to hide her face and the pacifier. Mercifully, the witch didn’t tease her much more, instead nestling down to get extra cozy and tugging blankets overtop of the both of them before starting to read again.
This time, with the comfort of her pacifier, her human falls asleep in minutes, mumbling Amity’s name amongst other soft coos as she drifts off. Finally . The witch sighs quietly, carefully taking the pacifier from Luz and pushing her mouth shut. She sets it aside and giggles to herself, watching the human for a moment or two. She was out like a light, and with perfect timing. Amity yawns, casting a spell circle to extinguish the candles in their room.
The smell of human world flora–lemons, pinecones, lavender, and honey–make the witch’s heart swell and beat out of her chest. She never expected so long ago to have a woman so enchanting as Luz come into her life, to have someone from a world so unlike her own steal her heart and have her head over heels in love.
She would have to make sure Eda and King knew Luz would be busy tomorrow. Amity was making certain that Luz was getting plenty of sleep and relaxation.
Because if anyone on the Isles deserved some rest, it was her Luz.