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Luz's gaze wandered over the landscape before her. The bubbles of the boiling sea rose to the top, popping as they reached the warm air. She could see tiny sprinkles of light reflecting off of the ever-moving boiling expanse of water. She tightened her grip on Stringbean, glancing down at where her hand gripped the staff. The hand that had previously been white as bone, and even before that...No, she thought to herself, turning her gaze back to the horizon, I don't want to think about that. She squeezed her eyes shut tight, trying to will the memory away.
Instead, all she could see were the faces of those she loved and cherished most, contorted with sadness, tears flowing from their eyes.
Suddenly, Luz felt very tired. Her arms and legs were aching like hell, and she was struggling to keep herself upright. She let go of Stringbean, who twisted out of staff form to slither in the air beside her. Exhaustion overtook Luz as she half collapsed into a sitting position on the ground, then lowered herself onto her back. The soft red grass tickled her cheek as she watched the clouds scud across the reddish-orange sky. It was almost peaceful, despite all that she had lost. She felt something cool and soft brush against her neck, then looked down at her chest to see Stringbean looking up at her. Her palisman's big eyes were tilted downwards with concern, her especially pronounced mouth turned down in something like a frown. "I may have lost a lot," Luz murmured softly to her purple and green snake-like palisman, "but I guess I've also gained a lot."
She smiled as she looked yet again at the red sky above her. Stringbean hissed with approval as she curled up into a coil next to Luz's head. Luz's mind wandered. So much had happened in the hours it took to defeat Belos. "How am I going to tell them all..." Luz wondered aloud. She didn't realise she'd spoken aloud until a familiar voice spoke. Her favorite voice. "Tell them all what?" a pink haired-witch said from above her. Luz jumped, startled. "Ami! You startled me." She then laid back down, watching her girlfriend from the ground. The witch smiled softly at her human, her golden eyes sparkling with unspoken emotions. Luz took a moment to admire her witch from this angle, the sharpness of her chin, the tiny, adorably pointy nose, her perfect mouth...but she also noticed the bags under her eyes. She hasn't slept well for a while either... Luz realized.
"A lot of things," Luz finally replied.
It took all of Amity's self control not to take her girlfriend in her arms and ask her desperately, Are you okay?! That was the last thing Luz needed from her right now, she told herself. She could see the tiredness in her drooping shoulders, her stillness, and most of all, the bags under her amber eyes.
"Like what?" she asked instead, hesitantly. She lowered herself on the ground next to Luz, laying next to her girlfriend. She turned to face the human, whose amber eyes avoided hers. They seemed transfixed on the clouds above them. She reached for Luz's hand hesitantly, letting her human know she need not accept the offer. Luz accepted Amity's hand in hers, squeezing it tightly. A little too tightly. Amity frowned at her girlfriend. Something was wrong. Something had happened while they were seperated. Something big.
Luz's voice broke, and Amity's heart cracked. "Like..." Oh, how was she going to tell them? She knew as soon as she mentioned that she had...Luz squeezed her eyes shut, willing the memory away yet again.I don't want to worry her, yet she deserves to know...Luz could feel her girlfriend's worried gaze piercing through her skin. Amity knew her so well. She could tell that Luz was hiding something.
"You don't have to tell me now if you don't want to." Amity spoke up, rubbing her thumb reassuringly over her human's knuckles. "Take your time, batata." Luz felt the coolness of her girlfriend's lips on her cheek as Amity pecked her, trying to placate her human. It worked, Luz's stiffened posture relaxing and her eyes opening. She finally turned her head to meet glistening golden eyes, her girlfriend's face dripping with concern while also screaming the softness and unconditional love she had for her human. She's trying so hard not to cry, Luz realized. Luz reached a shaky hand to brush a few strands of pink hair out of her witch's face. Her face softened into a small, sad smile. Thank you, her eyes said. Amity smiled too, bringing her human's tan hand up to her mouth and planting a kiss on Luz's knuckles. Of course, Amity replied silently. They watched each other for what seemed like an eternity, each getting lost in the other's gaze.
But Luz had to tell her. She winced as she tore her gaze from Amity's, turning look at the sky. She let the silence wander on for a bit longer.
"It's..." not that big of a deal, she wanted to say. But she knew her witch would see through that. "...a lot happened. While we were separated." She murmured instead. She could feel her girlfriend's eyes on her, Amity listening intently. Amity waited patiently for her human to speak again, knowing better than to pressure her right now. This was something big. She could feel it. In the distant and sad way it made her girlfriend look at her. In the tenseness of Luz's posture as she spoke. As she thought. Something had happened. And her girlfriend was troubled with it. Amity wanted to fight off every worry or doubt or sadness that ever dared permeate her girlfriend's mind. But she couldn't right now. So instead, she waited patiently as her human watched the clouds, her stiff posture screaming her unease at the thoughts and memories piercing her mind. She could wait forever like that. Just watching her human gaze up at the sky, her hand in hers. The reddish light of sunrise painting her tan skin in an orange glow.
Luz finally spoke. "I...I died, Amity." Luz felt tears pressing at the back of her eyes, threatening to spill from her eyes. She tried to blink them away as she turned to face Amity. It was futile, tears beginning to peek out of her eyes, sliding along her face. Amity fought the urge to embrace her human in a tight hug, instead using a gentle hand to brush the tears away. She lifted her girlfriend's hand to her lips and planted a kiss there. "But you didn't. You defeated Belos. He's gone now." Fear gripped Amity's chest, terrified that she could have lost her batata, the love of her life. She tried to push it aside, but the fear still lingered in her heart. Luz needed her now.
"I know," Luz murmured, giving her witch a sad smile. She turned her eyes down to where their hands were clasped together, tan skin interwoven with pale. "But... I was scared. I was so so so scared." Luz's tears began pouring out of her eyes in a steady stream. She desperately wiped them away with her free hand, trying to hide them from Amity. But it was too late. Her witch lifted Luz's face up to face her own. "I know," she whispered softly. She kissed Luz's tears away as she spoke. "But you're here now. You're okay. We're okay." Amity leaned their foreheads together, looking up into soft, watery, caramel eyes. "We won't let anything like that happen to you ever again." She smiled, trying to lighten up her human's gloomy face. It worked. Luz laughed. It was a sad, painful laugh, but it was also filled with love and affection for her witch.
It was filled with pain, but it was filled with kindness.
It was filled with so many emotions, but in that moment Amity didn't care. She loved hearing Luz's laugh. And after everything, she deserved to laugh. To smile. To be happy again. They both deserved it. So she laughed along with her girlfriend, and soon, they forgot what they were laughing at. In that moment it didn't matter. They were safe, they were with each other, and most of all, they were in love.
"What were we laughing at again?" Luz gasped in between giggles.
Amity looked up into her batata's watery caramel eyes."I dunno," she whispered, "but I love you so much." Those words sent an electric current through Luz's body, just as they did the first time. And every time after that. Luz leaned their foreheads together, ignoring the tufts of grass scraping her face. "I love you too, Amity Blight."
"Dork." Amity giggled.
Luz placed a soft kiss on Amity's lips. "We're both dorks, sweet potato." Luz murmured, her caramel eyes searing into gold ones, "And I'm your dork. And you're mine." She smiled that beautiful, intoxicating smile that Amity loved so much.
Amity giggled, soft and girly. "That we are."
For a long time, they laid there, foreheads leaning against each other. Caramel eyes lost in gold. They had just beaten an unruly tyrant. But they were at peace. They had each other. And most importantly, they were madly in love.