Chapter Text
"Hey Amity?" Luz asked, looking over at her girlfriend.
Amity snapped her gaze away from the water and skyline over the edge of the cliff to look at Luz. "Yeah?"
The scene should've been beautiful. The way the leaves fell and the sunset over the ocean on the horizon. It was soured by circumstance.
"Did we just have our first couple fight?" Luz asked.
Amity's heart ached at the pain in her voice. This wonderful, beautiful, hurricane of a girl, sounding so pained and broken and small .
"I think," Amity starts carefully. "I think we did." She chuckles lightly, though not quite finding the situation humorous.
"Can we never do that again?" Luz asks.
Her small form falls limply against Amity, her energy fading as she leans her head against Amity's shoulder.
"I'd be okay with that." Amity whispers, she almost worries that if she were any louder Luz would crack.
The waves lap against the shoreline some more.
The form of two girls watching from the cliffside remains still.
"I'm so sorry." Luz says.
She's so quiet Amity could almost mistake her voice for a light breeze. It's unsettling. Luz is so full of boundless energy, she's loud and boisterous and happy. It's weird to see her calm and subdued and quiet.
Amity thinks that perhaps Luz isn't as happy as she wants everyone to think.
"What're you sorry for?" Amity asks, trying to match her girlfriend's energy.
"How I acted today." Luz says. "I know I already said it, but I really was stupid and I really am sorry."
"It's okay." Amity says. "You seem really out of it today."
Luz chuckles. "Understatement."
There's no mirth in her tone or laughter.
"Can you just not do something like that again?" Amity continued. "I want to help you, Luz. You don't have to carry everything by yourself. I know it's scary to be vulnerable, but this only works if we both give it our best shot."
"I know." Luz says sadly, although genuinely.
"Can you try? For me?" Amity asks.
Luz is silent for a few moments. Amity lets her take her time.
"I can try." Luz says. "I can't promise I'll ever be perfect and I can't promise I'll get better quickly, but I'll try my hardest."
"I don't need you to be perfect." Amity says. "I need you to try. And I'll try too."
"Okay."
They sit in silence some more, and Luz is still and quiet for so long that Amity is sure she must've fallen asleep. The view is pretty, and the atmosphere is calm. There is a girl slumped against Amity's shoulder. A girl Amity would take every burden from if she could.
Maybe teenagers weren't supposed to be so sure of such things. But Amity was certain. If she could take every burden and hardship and bad thing and experience it for Luz, she would. She wanted to protect the girl from anything bad that could possibly happen to her for as long as she lived.
Maybe there was a name for that feeling. Maybe Amity knew what it was too. But maybe she just wasn't ready to think about it like that. Maybe she was scared of the gravity three little words could have.
"Amity? Why do you put up with me?"
The words crack Amity's heart in two, if it wasn't already.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean… no one ever liked me even just platonically back home. I'm still trying to wrap my head around why Gus and Willow hang out with me. But you actually started dating me. Do you know how insane that is?" Luz asks.
"Not really, you're very sweet and funny and nice and other stuff." Amity mumbles.
Luz doesn't seem to hear. "I'm not exactly sure what there is to like, and you're still here even after everything that happened today. I don't really get it."
Amity stares at Luz for a few seconds, gently brushing stray hairs from her face. "Luz. You are the nicest, funniest, most handsome, goofiest, sweetest, prettiest, and most genuine person I have ever met. You turned my entire life upside down because you thought there was something in me worth finding, worth caring about. I didn't even think that existed. I care about you, so much . I want to be here when you're hurting because I don't want to see you hurting. I want to help."
Luz stares back at her.
The waves are loud.
"Why didn't you let me help earlier? Why'd you go through the whole brawl before saying anything?" Amity asked.
"I didn't want to worry you." Luz responds, almost instantaneously. "It's still hard for me to talk about, but I figured it wasn't super important and it happened so long ago it shouldn't be an issue if I had to miss a year. I didn't want to worry you over nothing."
Amity looks at her incredulously.
"I guess it wasn't really 'nothing.'" Luz adds, quietly.
"Of course it isn't nothing!" Amity says, maybe a little louder than she meant to. "Of course you're allowed to be upset, Luz! It doesn't matter how long ago this happened, this is still important and big and it deserves to be talked about. It's not a burden to me to help you."
Luz nods against Amity's shoulder.
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay."
The leaves fell around them, clouds passed overhead, the sunset passed over the horizon.
Eventually Eda came to find them, with King on her shoulder.
"Luz, we have to head back now…" Eda trails off when she sees them.
"Is she okay, Boots?" Eda asks instead. King looks worried too, seemingly sensing this wasn't a conversation he needed to participate in.
"I don't think so." Amity whispered.
Luz was asleep at this point, completely worn out after the day's events. She didn't look very good regardless. Worry creased into her expression even as she slept, dried tears making themselves known along her cheeks.
"What's wrong? She's been acting weird all day, I should've said something." Eda said.
"It's okay, we talked about it." Amity said. "I think she needs to tell you about it herself though."
Eda nodded. "I got her from here."
The woman walked over, carefully picking up Luz. Luz stirred.
"Mm, Amity?" She mumbled sleepily, not opening her eyes.
Amity pressed a kiss to her temple. "I'm here."
Maybe it was just Amity, but she thinks some of the worry eased off of Luz's face.
"That's good." Luz responded, snuggling further into Eda's arms.
Eda pulled a face at their mushiness. Amity shook her head fondly, laughing at the witch's antics. King made his home on top of Luz, or as best as he could considering where she was.
"You got her?" Amity whispered.
"I got her, Boots. She's safe." Eda said.
Amity nodded.
She suspected that for all the fanfare Eda made of making fun of them, she actually understood pretty well. She knew exactly what Amity was concerned about, specifically, not just Luz in general, and she knew what it felt like. Perhaps the Owl Lady was something of a romantic. Maybe she'd been in love, once upon a time, not dissimilar to her apprentice.
"Thanks." Amity said, squeezing Luz's hand one last time in goodbye.
"Of course." Eda replied. "Thanks for what you've already done for her. She cares about you a lot, you know that?"
Amity nodded. "I know. She makes sure of it."
"I think you do a pretty good job of making sure she knows you care about her too." Eda says. "If it helps."
Amity nodded. "A little, yeah."
Eda smiles. "That's good. Your dad is waiting for you by the way."
"Okay." Amity says, and the group departs back to what remains of the Bonesborough Brawl.
It's on the flight back home that Luz finally begins to stir.
"Eda?" She mumbles quietly into Eda's shoulder.
"I'm here." Eda says.
"Where are we?" Luz asks, barely awake.
"We're flying back to the Owl House." She says.
"Where's Amity?" Luz asks. "She made it home, right?"
"She left with Alador and the twins." Eda replies.
"Oh, okay." Luz says.
She's quiet until they get back home. Eda almost thinks she might've fallen asleep again, but Luz gets off the staff unprompted when they land. She waits for Eda before going in the door, King nestled onto her shoulders.
"Was there something you wanted to talk about?" Eda asked.
Luz looked conflicted and sad for a moment.
"I guess I should tell you what was up today." Luz sighs.
Eda opens the door, and they both walk inside. Luz sits down on the couch before continuing to speak.
"Today is the anniversary of my dad's death." She says, quietly.
Eda gapes at her. That wasn't what she was expecting at all.
"It's not a big deal, really. It happened a long time ago. I just couldn't do my little… ritual with my mom to honor him, and I was missing her. And him." Luz continues.
"Luz…" Eda trails off.
Luz just sits on the couch, looking extremely worn out.
"Can I go to bed early, Eda?" Luz asks.
Her voice wavers in a way that cracks Eda's heart. It wasn't super late, but it was dark by now, and neither of them had yet had dinner. "Of course, kiddo. Do you want me to bring you dinner?"
Luz shakes her head. "I'm not hungry. I just want to go to bed."
Eda nods. "Okay."
Luz turns to leave.
"If you need me, I'm always here for you, you know? It doesn't matter how long ago it happened, this is a big thing and you're right to be upset. I'm glad you could trust me with this." Eda continued.
Luz nodded. "Thanks."
She went upstairs with King.
Eda slumped onto the couch.
“Oh, kid.”