Chapter Text
~-O-~
As I walk away I can start to feel my eyes burning with tears.
I'm sorry luz.
“I don’t want you to hang out with your “friends” anymore. Especially that human.”
My mother's words ring out in my head as I walk away.
My eyes are stinging with tears now, my legs are shaking so much I can barely stand up, let alone walk away from Luz. A lump is starting to form in the bottom of my throat. I try to swallow it back down but it just ends up pushing it closer to the surface. I push on and continue walking, Luz’s voice ringing out behind me but I'm not paying attention to what she's saying. All of my energy is focused on trying to not collapse on the floor and have a full mental breakdown.
“You oblige, or I will have to take matters into my own hands” her words from the previous night ring in my head, not allowing me to focus on anything else around me.
What if my mom does something to Luz?
What if she gets her expelled?
Just then a horrible thought crossed my mind, my mother had talked about how they were criminals before but… she wouldnt…
The emperor.
What am I saying, of course she would turn them in to belos. She would petrify both Luz and Eda herself and not bat an eye. “Anything to get on the emperor's good side.” I could practically hear my mother saying.
A heat was rising through my body, starting in my stomach as I marched. Why can't my mother let me make my own choices? Why can't I decide who I should hang out with?
Why can't I live my own life?
“AMITY.”
I jump when I hear my name being yelled. I was so wrapped up in my own head I didn't realize Luz was still running behind me, trying to figure out what was wrong. Her eyes were reddened and streaming with tears. Her hands clenched at her sides with her knuckles white. All the while she was staring at me, her eyes a mix of desperation and anger.
It was jarring to see Luz this way, I had always known her to be the happy, light hearted beacon in my life. Always there to shine down on me and cheer me up…
So seeing her so furious made my stomach drop through my body and pass through the floor. It didn't help that I knew I was solely responsible for making her feel this way.
“Tell me what is happening! I'm tired of you pretending like everything is okay when it very clearly isn't!" as she spoke she threw her hands up in the air, slowly taking step after step approaching me. “Why do you feel like you have to run away? Nothing is ever going to get fixed if you just act like there isn't a problem!”
All of the anger in my body bubbled up at that moment. All the fear, sadness, anger, confusion, everything I had felt over the last few days was poured into my chest and put into my voice as I talked. I wasn't mad at Luz, but by god I was furious about just about everything else.
I turn around and march towards Luz, meeting her half way down the hallway. My voice is shaking with emotion as I talk.
“I'm running away, because I'm trying to protect you!”I say as I throw my hands to the sides and stare into Luz's eyes.
“Then what are you trying to protect me from?? And why do you have to leave so you can protect me from it?” Luz’s eyes are spouting tears again. Her voice shrill on that last sentence, her tone shifting from anger to concern. She just wants to help you. My own eyes are starting to sting as new tears form on the corners.
“It's not just you Luz!? I'm trying to protect everyone.” My voice cracks as I try to walk towards Luz. Every step I take my legs start to shake more and more. My voice is equally as unsteady as I try to talk again. “ Look, My mom said… she told me that if I didn't stop talking with you then she would…” My mind goes blank as I try to recall my mothers words to no avail. “I don't know!?! Expel you?? Get you kicked out of Bones Borough?? Turn you in to Belos???” I'm only standing a little away from Luz’s face as I keep talking. My voice becomes more and more coarse as the lump in my throat creeps up closer to the surface.
“The same goes for any of my new friends. And especially you. If i dont stop talking to you then she's going to do something to make sure I can't talk to you.” tears are fully falling down my face at this point, the lump in my throat now feels as if it’s taking up my whole chest. “That's why I'm trying to protect you, Luz…It's because I don't want to lose you… you mean so much to me and… “
I stop talking for a second, now looking at the floor. I'm slowly starting to see the error in my plans. I thought if I pushed Luz away now I would save her from my mother later. When really all I was doing was losing the few moments we could have had together. “I thought it would be easier if I just ripped off the marrow-worm now… spare you the pain later you know..?”
“Excuse me, what?” a slight giggle escaped Luz’s lips as she sniffs and wipes away her tears. “Did you say marrow-worm??”
Shoot, I forgot she's not from here. “Yeah sorry… they're like… I don't know, " I laugh as I take the back of my hands and wipe some more tears from my eyes.. “They hurt to take off, so it's better to rip it off in one go… Does that make any sense?”
“Ohh so like a band-aid? Just a super scary sounding one.”
“Sure… I don't know what that is, but sure.”
“Ill explain it more later.” Luz laughs more and then she starts to talk, her eyebrows knitted in confusion as she continues. “That all makes sense Amity, but..” she stops for a second, thinking over her next choice of words. I could have sworn I saw a dash of pink go across her cheeks before she started to talk. “Why me? I mean, you have your job at the library. You're at the top of the class. And you've got lilith training you any chance she gets to make you a stronger witch…”
she's staring at the floor while she talks, eventually however, she looks up into my eyes. The moment our eyes meet I can feel my face slowly start to heat up. My ears turned a dark crimson as she spoke. “I know you said that this isn't just about me but….” her cheeks turn a bright pink as she talks. Rubbing her hand over the back of her head, I could have sworn I'd seen some anime character from a show Lus showed me do that exact same motion.
“What I'm trying to say is… why are you willing to risk all of that stuff? Why are you willing to take these chances, and throw everything you've worked for out the window… just to hang out with me??” she puts her hands up and out in front of her, trying to correct herself as she talks, “i mean us!! All of your friends.. I know you're not just doing it for me.”
She's standing maybe a foot in front of me while she waits for my answer. Her dark brown eyes staring into mine, the corners of her eyes were creased with concern and worry. Why do I feel this way? Why am I so ready to risk my whole life to be with her? I think to myself as I look at Luz. I'm so close to getting everything I've ever dreamed of. Star student, emperor's coven, all of it…
And yet I'm willing to throw it all away without a second thought.
Before I can think it over, I tell Luz how I truly feel, the real reason why my life has turned upside down since the very first day we met. The reason why my face flushes and my stomach flips every time her name is brought up. The reason I'm willing to throw away everything I've worked on for her.
“It's because I love you Luz. I might have all of that, but nothing can compare to how I feel around you. I would throw my entire life away if it meant being able to be with you for another day.” I reach up and place my hand on her cheek as I talk, gently rubbing it while I look into her dark brown eyes.
Suddenly however, I freeze.
My voice hitches on those last words. The reality of what I just did just now setting in. Both of our faces immediately turned bright red. I instantly turned away, leaned over, and covered my face with my hands.
WHAT DID I JUST DO.
OH TITAN I JUST CONFESSED.
WHAT DO I DO?????
DO I APOLOGIZE???
AGHH WHY DID I DO THA–
My panic was promptly interrupted when Luz grabbed my arm and pulled me around into a kiss.
A Real Kiss.
It all happened so quickly I couldn't register it until after I felt luz’s lips pressed against mine. Her hands drifted up into my hair as she pulled me in closer. She was strong, I can tell you that for sure. As she pressed her lips into mine her other hand went down to the arch of my back and pulled me closer. I was startled but I immediately fell into her arms.
In an instant I felt all of my worries flow out of me. Every stress, every bit of exhaustion, and every thought of my mothers words were replaced by the sensation of kissing Luz. for weeks i had thought of this exact moment. Spent countless nights dreaming of her lips, and now, my dreams were coming true.
I could feel her plant kiss after kiss on my lips, slight sounds coming out of her mouth as she kept coming back in for more. They were a mix of moans and an almost purr like noises. I couldn't care though, the only thought in my head was the softness of her lips, and the feeling of her body so close to me I could practically feel her heartbeat in sync with mine.
Just as sudden as it happened she slowly pulled away, my lips feeling empty without hers against them. The air between us was hot, and I could feel her battered breath beating against my lips. Titan, I want to kiss her again. She pulled away some more, then took both of her hands and pressed them on either side of my head, pulling me in as she rested her forehead against mine.
“I love you, Amity. And no matter what, we'll get through this together. Your parents aren't going to get rid of me without a fight. Okay?”
I sit for a second. Trying to come to terms that any of this is even Real. The same girl who I had seen covered in abomination goo at the start of the year, the same girl who had slowly become one of my best friends, and the same girl who has taken up all of my mind for the past year… just confessed their love to me.
“Okay…” I pull away and stand in front of Luz, my face bright red and my stomach exploding with fairies. And yet despite all of that, I've never felt happier. I grab her hand and run my fingers over her knuckles, then I stare deep into her eyes as I talk.
“I love you Luz”
“I love you too, Amity.”
~-O-~
Before we could continue on with our little conversation, a screeching was sent through the halls.
The late bell!
I suddenly feel Luz’s hand on mine. She starts to talk over her shoulder as she speed walks down the hallway, dragging me along with her. "Let's get you to class Ams, we can talk about how to fix our lives later!”
I can't help but laugh when I hear her talk. Only a few minutes ago I thought I would never get to see this side of Luz again. That i would have to cut all ties with her, and go back to the way my life was before. Just thinking about it made me shudder, I don’t want to imagine my life without Luz.
But now looking at the beautiful girl in front of me, dragging me through the halls of hexside, I feel determined not to lose her. Even if it means… well my mind is kind of occupied with the thought of us kissing, BUT STILL!
The point is, whatever comes our way, I'll be ready.
As long as it means I get to be happy with Luz, I'm willing to do anything.
“Here we are Ms.Blight!!” Luz says as we arrive at the door to my class, she gives a deep bow before she looks back up to me waiting for a response.
“Thank you Ms.Noceda. Your help is deeply appreciated” I curtsy and give her a slight wink, which made pink dash across her cheeks.
When I reach for the door I hear her speak again, “actually…. Amity… before you go..”
I turn around and hum in response. I was taken aback when she planted a quick kiss on my lips.
Oh titan. I dont know if ill ever get used to that.
When I open my eyes I can feel my face start to heat up as my stomach goes into a spin cycle.
Luz is already walking away from me backwards when I come to my senses.
“See you at lunch!!” she shoots a few quick finger guns at me before she turns around and starts to jog down the hallway.
“See you at lunch!!" I yell out to her, with a smile across my face. don't turn back to the door until she's turned a corner and is completely gone from my sight
What have I gotten myself into?
When I walked in I had to make some excuse about how I had “left my lunch in the car”. My teacher clearly didn't believe me, but at the same time, it was 8 in the morning. I didn't blame him for not interrogating me.
For the whole 90 minute class I don't think I retained a single thing my teacher had said. My brain was full with the thoughts of my....
Actually, what are we now?
As I started to think, the bell for my second period started to ring, I packed up all of my things and began to walk through the halls of hexside as i thought.
Well, if we've both said that we love each other, does that make us girlfriends?
I almost tripped over myself as the thought crossed my mind. My face began to fill with that same heat I had become all too familiar with.
No no no, we haven't even been out on a date! We can't be dating.
I was then taken aback to all the time we had spent together. The days we had spent training, the night time calls that lasted far into the morning, and the night we had snuck out of the house and sat atop the ferris wheel.
Okay, Maybe we had been out on dates… but still, what are we then?
My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a voice come up from behind me, along with a hand placed upon my head.
“Heya mittens!” my brother Edric said as he ruffled my hair, now walking by my side.
I swatted his hand away and returned his words with a quick glare, which he completely ignored.
“How’d your little hallway talk with luz go?” Edirc said as he put his hands behind his back, now leaning closer to me as he spoke. “You looked pretty upset back there, you tell her that you can't “mingle with lesser witches"? “ His voice hinted with a bit of genuine concern, although it was promptly covered up by his teasing
“Actually, me and her had a great conversation” I said as I turned my head away and gave a slight pout. “We talked quite a bit and–”
I stopped in my tracks as I realized something.
We were in the hallway while we…. Talked…
The hallway.
With all of the people.
Who could see us.
My face was now bright red as I came to my realization. I covered it with my hands as I tried to melt into the floor. I wanted to be anywhere except where I was right now. I couldn't believe I had been so focused that I forgot we were in the hallway. Let alone the most populated one in the school!!!
It seemed like edric noticed my distress because he came up and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Don't worry mittens, no one saw anything” I looked up at him when he said this because, how could they not have seen the top student and the human making out in the hallway???
“This morning, a few minutes after you stormed in, we saw luz racing after you. We decided to follow,” he stops as I give him a deep glare. He put both of his hands up in the air as he spoke, “To make sure nothing bad was going to happen! Geeze…” he stops for a second and starts to walk further down the hallway, I follow closely behind
“Once we saw Luz and you crying, Ems stepped in and covered you both in an illusion to make it seem like you weren't there. Even Ems doesn't know what happened behind her illusion. “ I stood with my mouth open and eyes wide. Ems? She helped me and Luz? Edric continued, as if reading my mind. “I know! I was surprised too! But then she said this whole thing about how you've had a rough few days and, “ he looked down at me with sympathy in his eyes. The type only someone who's been through the same thing as you could give. “I can't disagree with that.”
“Wow… I.. Thanks. That means a lot to me, Really.” I look up at edric and he meets me with a smile.
“No problem mittens.”
We continue to walk through the halls together for a few moments before he breaks the silence between us.
“... sooo… do I get to know what happened between you too?”
“Absolutly not. Never.”
“Fair enough.”
~-O-~
I went through the rest of the day as normal as I could. Counting down the seconds till I could see Luz again, there was so much I didn't get to say, and so many questions I had. But for now I've got to get through my classes.
After yet another long period of thinking about Luz, the lunch bell finally rang. Truly, i dont know if i have ever gotten packed and out of one of my classes as fast as i just did.
When I got into the lunch room I walked towards our usual table, to my disappointment however Luz wasn't there. Did something happen? I thought to myself as my mind started to race. Does she feel embarrassed about what happened? Before I could start spiraling, Willow called my name.
“Amity! Over here!” Willow shot up out of her seat and waved me over, her face practically glowing with excitement when she saw me. “You gotta help me with this debate me and Gus are having”
“Hey you two. really quickly, where's Luz?” I asked Willow and Gus as I sat down.
“Oh she's in principle bump’s office right now,” said Gus through bites of his sandwich… Upon closer inspection however, it wasn't as much as a sandwich as it was a strange attempt at a dessert. It was two pieces of cake with half of a chocolate bar in between. Sometimes I forget he's a few years younger than the rest of us…
To be fair to myself, it did look absolutely delicious.
“What happened? Why is she in the office?” I asked Gus as he took another bite of Hy-Bread desert/lunch.
Oh god, Luz is infecting me.
“Somthing about her accidentally turning the potions teacher purple? The teacher said she was just staring into space with a smile on her face, sighing at nothing the entire class. Apparently when she had to come up to present, she not only botched the potion, but also tripped and spilled it on the teacher as well”
When I heard that I immediately burst into laughter, and the rest of the table followed suit. After a few seconds my stomach ached from laughing. That's when I realized something.
Luz was staring off into space… was she thinking about… me?
I could practically feel my face shifting colors at this point. Just the thought of Luz day dreaming about me, the same way I had about her for the longest time, made my stomach erupt with fairies. Willow must have noticed my hue shift because she immediately reached out her hand and placed it gently on top of mine.
“Woh Amity, are you okay? Take some deep breaths, I don't want you passing out.”
“No no no thats not why im–, actually never mind.” I decided it would be best to wait to tell Willow and Gus about me and Luz’s… conversation. At least until I had a conversation with Luz that is. “You two were trying to ask me something when I was walking over?”
“Oh yeah! I almost forgot!” Willow snapped her fingers as she began to talk. “Me and Gus were arguing because he thinks that humans get dumber as they age –”
“Which would mean that babies are the smartest humans ever are in their lifetime! Think about it!” Gus was now pointing his cake-wich at us while talking like a detective who's on the verge of solving a massive case. “All a baby has to do is cry and they get anything they want brought to them! How genius is that?!” Gus says with his voice implying that it should be common knowledge babies are masterminds.
Once we hear Gus’s explanation me and Willow burst into laughter once again. It's not just Luz that I don't want to lose. I realize as I laugh with my friends. I want to be happy with whoever I choose. Whether that be my friends, or the most beautiful witch on the boiling isles, I want to make that choice for myself. And my parents aren't going to be able to stop me.
The rest of lunch goes by as usual, the three of us talking about whatever comes to mind. By the time the bell screamed, my stomach was aching from laughing so much.
I said goodbye to my friends as I walked down to my next class.
The rest of the day was really quite mundane. I sat through more lectures, and had to finish a sheet of homework as the teacher was walking around to collect it. Going to the carnival was still worth it. Other than that however, the day was quite normal.
Once the final bell rang and I had started to walk out of the front gates of Hexside I felt a buzzing in my pocket.
Luz
I'm so sorry amity!
I got sent to principle bumps office because of stuff in potions T_T
Can i make up lunch to you tmrw :?3
I let out an audible chuckle when I read her messages.
Don’t worry, you're alright.
And yes, I'd love that.
Almost instantly, she replies.
Luz
Yayayay! (*^▽ ^*)
Sorry about not being able to walk you home btw, I got detention for a while T-T
(im sneaky texting you ;3)
Don't worry, it's nice to walk by myself sometimes.
(try not to get caught!)
I pause for a moment before asking a question I've had since we met
Hey Luz?
Luz
Yeah Ams :3?
How do you make those little faces?
I've always wondered how that works.
Luz
Oh you mean these guys?
(●>◡<●)
Idk really, their just combinations of characters :P
Try and make one yourself!
Okay let me try….
:-P
How's that?
Luz
Absolutely perfect <33
And hey would you want to call later?
While you're doing homework maybe?
I would love that <33
Okay, now go back to trying not to get caught.
The last thing we need is more detention.
Luz
You're right, you're right.
Oh shoot! Teachers coming!
Bye bye! Love you!
My heart skips a beat when I read that last message. Did she mean to say that? I mean I know we said it before but that was all in the heat of the moment! A creeping heat starts to sneak onto my face as I re-read that last message a few more times, before I decide to respond.
Love you too.
I'll text you later.
;-p
I shove my scroll in my pocket as I can almost feel the blood pumping across my cheeks.
It's official.
This girl is going to be the death of me.
~-O-~
The rest of the walk home was quite peaceful. The sky was clear, although I could smell rain coming in. Probably over from the knee. I wonder if me and Luz can train there again? I thought to myself as I walked. Maybe we could even finish up what we started last time–
I almost tripped over myself when that thought crossed my mind. When did I become so bold? Maybe when you confessed and made out with your crush in the hallway. I told myself as I continued walking.
Oh, yeah.
Forgot about that.
I looked up into the sky as I turned the corner down to my street. Well, I wouldn't call it a street as much as it was just the massive paved driveway that stretched a few blocks down from our house. When I'm older, I want a tiny home. I said in my head as my shoes clicked against the paved street. Maybe even an apartment. A smile crept onto my lips as I thought about the future, My future. When I'd be far far away from my parents, and I'd be able to live my life however I want. with whoever I want. I added. imagining my life with Luz, us staying home and watching movies all day, and staying up late into the night. I'm going to make that a reality, I said to myself, whatever it takes to be happy with Luz.
There were a few griffons in the sky as well.
Luz loves griffons. I thought to myself, a smile creeping onto my lips. I continued daydreaming about her while I walked under a massive red tree, the leaves of which were starting to burn from the changing seasons. I wonder how seasons are in the human realm? Do their leaves burn when the season changes as well? Yet another thing to ask Luz about.
I hope I can go to the human realm one day. Just the thought of walking through Luz’s hometown was giving me fairies in my stomach. Do you think Luz’s mom would be okay with us being together? I quickly shot down the idea, a person as phenomenal as Luz is bound to have an equally fantastic mom. I'm sure of it. I can't wait to meet her.
My pleasant mood was left at the front gate of the blight manor perimeter. The manor itself was the same dark abomination purple that my father had on all of his suits. Please let them be out today, I silently prayed. Relief washed over my body when I saw that there wasn't any car parked outside of the manor. they're probably out at another one of their fancy dinner parties. Once again another thing I wish never to do when I'm older.
As I walked up the stairs into the manor I saw a familiar blue haired gentleman open the door for me.
“Here you are Ms. Blight”, Nate says as he holds the door open for me. Giving a deep bow as he does so. Seems like my parents are cracking down on rules ever since our… talk.
I feel a deep anger stir in my stomach as I think about me and my parents' confrontation the night prior. Calm down amity, remember what Luz said. Nothing is going to get better if I run from it. I let that anger sit in my stomach, letting it remind me of what's at stake.
I am not losing my friends again.
I take a few quick breaths. I don't want to get too mad right now. I'm not letting my parents ruin my day. Especially today.
“Thank you Nate.” I lean in and whisper to him. “Also…I'm sorry about my parents, they can be… a lot.”
I stop for a moment, then knit my eyebrows together as I continue. “And did they get a new driver? Is that why you're up here now? I'm so sorry.”
Almost in a robotic tone, and still holding that same deep bow, he responds “quite the opposite Ms. Blight. I agree that you should not mingle with the human. And their decision to promote me to a house guard is completely reasonable and fair.” I was taken aback by his words, only a few days ago he openly helped us? And who in their right mind would choose to be around my parents more. What change–
That's when I saw him look up and give me a quick wink and a smile. He then leans in and starts to whisper in my ear.
“Sorry Ms. Blight. your mother wants me to try and reinforce her words whenever possible” he stops for a second and looks around before continuing, “and really? I'm happy you and her are still getting along. It's good to see you two happy, you both deserve it.”
I felt my face rise with heat when I heard him say that. "How did you know me and… you know who… were still talking?” I questioned, trying to figure out what gave it away.
“When I saw you walking over the hill and onto the property, you had the biggest smile on your face. I don't know much else you'd be that happy about.” he then shot me another wink and he began to speak again. “And just so you know, I'm proud of you. Don't let your parents get to you.”
A slight smile crept onto my lips when he said those words. It's good to know there's people who have our back. I then shot back up into a military-esq salute, adding a slight seriousness to my face to bring home the act.
“Thank you Sir Nate! I regret my actions and will think about how wrong I was for the rest of the night "I try to stifle a laugh when Nate returns the gesture and responds in the same way.
“Of course Ms. Blight! I hope you enjoy your sulking!”
As I walk past Nate and up the stairs, I look back, I'm not surprised when he meets my eyes. I mouth Thank you to him to which he gives a little salute. No problem, he mouths back.
The rest of the night was spent doing home work and waiting for Luz to finally get out of detention. I picked up my scroll to check if there were any messages, none. I know she changed the teacher's color but she can just turn it back can't she? I don't know if she deserves what… 5 hours of detention?
Still in my school uniform I decided to put down my scroll to change. As if she could hear me getting up, I got a text from Luz.
Instantly I jumped back to my desk and opened up my scroll as I read Luz’s message…
Luz
Heya Ams, i just got back to the owl house T-T
What were they having you do for detention?
Were you just sitting there for 5 hours?
Luz
No no no, they don't have the detention pit or the track anymore.
So instead i had to work with the potions teacher to reverse the spell.
Which would have been fine!
That is if i didnt put 8 extra wolf bane teeth in it….
That means its basically impossible to reverse (┬┬﹏┬┬)
This girl never seems to stop impressing me, I feel like if she really put her head to it she could easily be one of the top witches.
Woh!
Only a few months here and
you're already making incurable potions???
Did you end up fixing it?
Or do we just have a new purple teacher a hexside.
A small heart appeared on my last message which made my face flush with pink.
This is going to take some getting used too.
Luz
I did end up reversing it after a while…
Although it did take quite a lot of bargaining with the beast keeping people ╯︿╰
I had to convince them to give me DOUBLE the amount of teeth that I used so I could make the cure.
As payment (king took all my snails to buy weapons for his armies :P)
They made me try and calm down a few different beasts
I won in the end tho! And i live to tell the tale >:3
Wohhhh
That's impressive Luz, really!
Well still im happy your back home safe.
Hey, im about to start work, would you maybe want to call?
Luz
I would love too!
Give me a few minutes to change out of my school clothes :33
Sounds good.
Just call me once you're done.
Luz
Yes ma’am!
Oh and also did you know that griffon’s spider breath actually spits out different spiders depending on the region???
And! The more agitated the griffon is, the more poisonous the spiders are! :D
really interesting!
How did you learn that?
Luz
Lets just say i picked it up after the third or so griffon i had to calm down :33
Anyway, ill brb!
Bye byee <333
Bye bye <3
~-O-~
I collapsed backwards onto my bed as I put my scroll away. I can’t seem to contain myself as I roll over and grab one of my stuffies off of the other side of my bed. Then promptly shaking it while laughing maniacally.
“MRGEHEHRHEHEHE !!! AGHH SHE'S SO CUUUUUTE.”
This continues for a few seconds before I calm down. Nearly out of breath from my outburst.
Woh.
That’s a new one.
Once I’m done freaking out I get up and immediately change out of my school uniform. As I took off my jacket , I got a slight hint of something… it smelled…warm??? It's hard to explain.. That same feeling when you walk into a wooden house that's been left alone for a long time, and that warmth that surrounds you fills up your chest making you feel all comfy? That feeling is how it smelled. It was like baked bread, and fluffy blankets, and autumn, all packed into one.
That's strange? I thought to myself as I went in to take another sniff of it. I don't think I have any perfumes that smell like this? And I don't know how else my jacket—
I was then hit with a realization. I know exactly where this smell is from
Luz.
I could feel a dark crimson slowly creep up my face as I came to terms with what I had just done.
Oh my god. I just smelled Luz.
I threw the jacket onto my bed and covered my face in embarrassment. My stomach was doing flips as her smell lingered in my nose. I looked through the cracks in my hands at the jacket now laying on my bed. Admittedly I did feel a little silly for such an over the top reaction.. but still!
It makes sense that she would smell like that, she lives in the owl house for titans sake!!! The whole place has that same old wood, warm smell. How did I not realize that…
And why do I want to smell it again..?
Almost unconsciously my legs started to walk towards my bed… my face now a bright vermilion, and my stomach sinking through the floor as I reached out and picked up my jacket again.
What am I doing..
I lifted it up to my nose and closed my eyes as I breathed in. The same warm feeling washed over my body, it felt like Luz was standing right in front of me. I sit back down on my bed as I take massive breaths, trying to ingrain her smell into my brain.
Why does she smell so good…
It’s as if I could just reach out and grab onto her—
*NOCK NOCK NOCK*
I instantly throw my jacket across the room so hard it makes a loud THUMP on the opposite wall.
Almost instantly I get up and smooth off the creases of my uniform and take a few breaths trying to force myself to calm down. Desperately trying to force the redness out from my cheeks.
“Who is it?” I called out. Please Titan, don't let it be my parents. Their dinners usually go far, far into the night, so I doubt they'd be back home so early. And besides, they've never once come to check on me after an argument, why would they start now.
“It's your sister Mittens, can I come in?” , I hear Emira say as she tries to open up my door. Thank titan for those locks.
I walk across the room and unlock the door, still trying to act natural after what had just happened. The second I undo the latch however, Emira strolls into my room, paying me no attention at all. She's in her classic blue illusionist uniform with her green hair tied up in a massive braid going down to her waist. Her face is absolutely spotless, not a single blemish in sight. Her whole being practically glowing… all of which would be impressive of course, if you didn't happen to notice the concealment stone neatly fixed around her neck.
“Wow Mittens, we really need to fix up your room layout” Emira chimes and she makes herself comfortable, looking over every piece of furniture. Eventually settling onto my bed where she stretches out and lays back, almost cat-like. “Bed by the door? Risky move…”, she gets up once again and draws a glowing circle in the air, instantly the room is filled with a quick puff of light blue smoke. When the smoke clears I can see that my entire room has changed. The furniture moved around, so my desk is in the corner of my room looking out near my window, and my bed is situated nicely in the corner on the other side of the room. Along with that, the emperor's coven posters on my walls were discreetly changed to human bands; mitski, tv.girl, and some other bands I hadn't heard of.
However annoying my siblings could be, I can't lie when I say that they do have fantastic taste. In fashion, room design, and bands.
“Now doesn't that look better Mittens? A little more space to move around too.” She moves through my room admiring her work as she talks.
“What did you come in here for Emira?” I ask her while I scowl at her from across the room. She might have saved me earlier, but she's still my sister. Which means she's just as annoying as ever…
Okay fine ,maybe a little less annoying because of the whole hallway thing…
Still!
“Not even a thank you?” she chimed as she rolled her eyes. With a flick of her wrist the whole room was enveloped into a blue smoke, and then, it all went back to how it was before. “Fine mittens, I came in here to talk to you” she said as she plopped down on my bed, now returned to its original place. I kinda like how it was before… I think to myself as I move to sit next to her on the bed. I'll change it once she leaves.
Emira falls backwards as she continues to talk, ignoring my presence next to her as she grabs the plushy Luz got me at the fair. Before she can do anything however, I reach out and snatch it from her hands. Glaring at her while holding onto my prize. “Geeze Mittens you could have just asked…” she says as she turns to sit criss cross directly across from me on the other side of the bed. “Anyway, I wanted to talk about what happened this morning.”
“Oh actually, Edric filled me in on what you did.” I interrupted.
“Oh? Huh…” she stops for a second and furrows her brow, seemingly thinking about what to say next. This thoughtfulness is soon interrupted by her shrugging her hands and then shifts her weight so her hands are behind her on the bed. “Whatever, ill talk with him later. For now though I wanted to tell you that I'm proud of you.” she says as she looks me in the eyes. It's clear she's been thinking about what to say all day, and her complete transparency with me is… jarring to say the least.
“I know how hard it is to stand up to mom and dad..” as she talks she shifts yet again. Now holding one leg while the other sprawls out in front of her across the bed. Her eyes now avoiding mine, the corners of them pinched with exhaustion. She's been through exactly what you've been through. I think to myself as I wait for her to continue talking.
“..and seeing you this morning, how exhausted you seemed walking out that door…” she says as she meets my eyes. “I was scared for you Mittens! I haven't seen you happy for so long… and I was scared that our parents convinced you that you didn't deserve to be happy ..” as she talked i could hear her voice turn and slowly build up with energy. A slight smile sneaked onto her lips while she continued.
“...And yet when I saw you with Luz in tye hallway, you were standing up for yourself!! You were talking with her, determined not to let what you two have go.” She said with a massive grin plastered on her face, not even a second later she was falling backwards once again onto my bed. Letting out a massive puff of air before she continued. Wow she really cant sit still huh?
“I don't know Mittens… I'm just proud of you.” she closed her eyes as she talked, seeming to have gotten her excitement out. “When I was your age? if mom told me to stop talking to a girl, I would personally chew them out on her behalf.”
Wait what?
WHAT.
EMIRA LIKES GIRLS????
OH TITAN.
IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE
HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS???
“Look. what im trying to say is, mom told you DIRECTLY to stop talking with Luz. and you didnt… and i know that took a lot of guts. So I'm proud of you.” As she kept talking, completely breezing past the absolute bombshell she just dropped on me, she stood up from where she was lying down on my bed. Now looking down at me, she looked around and then cupped one of her hands around the edge of her mouth trying to talk as quietly as possible. “And so you know… although I didn't see what happened behind my illusion… im preeeeetty sure you two did a little bit more than just Talk…”
When she said those last words I was instantly shaken out of my stunned state. I could feel my face start to flush a dark crimson when I heard my sister's words. Emira was now a few feet away from me with her hand on her stomach trying her best to hold in her wheezes…
….
She wasn't doing a very good job at it.
“OKAY EMIRA !!! TIMES UP!!” I said as I shot up from my seat, marching towards her while my face was nearly glowing a bright cherry red. “THANK YOU FOR THE GREAT TALK BUT YOU'RE GOING NOW. GOODBYE!!!” I hooked my arm around hers and dragged her out into the doorway of my room, where I promptly pushed her past my doorway.
“Hey hey hey! Wait one second!” she said after a second of catching her breath. She stood a few feet away from me, staring at the ground witty her hand outstretched to stop me from shutting the door on her. “Luz hangs out with that girl named Viney right???” she asked without looking me in the eye.
I was caught off guard by the question but nonetheless tried to remember a girl named Viney… “yeah she was in the detention track with Luz for a little bit, why?”
Emira looked up at me with a smile plastered onto her lips, her hand now placed at her side as she talked. “Mind asking if Luz has her pentagram? I wanna try and get to know her better. Shes cute! In a… lost puppy ki da way you know?”
I met her gays with a scowl and promptly shut the door in her face…
…
but not before promising to ask Luz about Viney.
~-O-~
A silence falls in between us as I roll over on my bed. Over my scroll I can hear Luz’s slowed breaths, it's about 1am now and we had been talking for the better half of the last three hours. Jumping from topic to topic, story to story, sharing whatever was on our minds…
It was a quiet night outside. The large trees that surrounded the perimeter of the mansion cast shadows on my window. On top of that, the dark green lights that dotted our estate shone through the window alongside the moonlight, casting soft rays of dark emerald onto my floor. The rest of the room was perfectly still. I had moved my bed as emira suggested, so that it was now on the opposite side of the room from my door.
We had been talking for a while now, both of us slowly slipping into sleep as the minutes passed us by. Despite the extremely long day we both had, neither of us had any wish to hang up.
Since we started calling, however, I've been building up courage to ask her about… earlier. It all happened so fast, we didn't really get to talk very much about… anything. I say to myself as I feel my eyelids drooping.
To be fair, I've felt a little… scared.. About bringing it up. I know we kissed again in the halfway, and I know we said I love you earlier but was she just trying to make me feel better? Was it all in the heat of the moment? Well either way, we have to talk at some point…
My thoughts are interrupted as I hear Luz’s voice, low and smooth as if her every word is dripping with fire honey, cutting through the silence that had been hanging in the air between us.
“Hey amity?”
Im so exhausted from the day all i can bring myself to do is answer with a small “Hm?”
“Can I ask you about something..?”
My mind had been so preoccupied with the events of the day I really wasn't paying all that much attention to her words. “Go for it Noceda”
She hesitates for a second before continuing, barely over a whisper. If it weren't for our scrolls being right next to our ears I doubt I would have been able to hear her. “Did you.. Did you mean what you said in the hallway ...?"
My eyes shoot open when I hear her speak, A sinking feeling starts in my stomach… not bad, but just strange. a blush dashing across my face as I respond. “What do you mean?”
“You know… after we started talking… I asked you why you were doing all of this… why you were willing to risk everything to hang out with me…” she was struggling to get the words out, I could tell she wasn't ashamed of what she was saying… Just… I could tell it was all new to her, and probably pretty terrifying as well.
She continues talking, seemingly building up the courage to continue. “And you said… you said you loved me…”
My body is shaking, as she talks. I can feel slight tremors run up and down my body while I lay under my covers. I grab onto the jacket that sits at my side, Her smell flowing through the air above me as I hold it over my chest, listening intently to her every word.
“I know I did a lot of stuff then, and I know that you said that… but i…”, she stops again. A grunt escapes her mouth as she takes a deep breath and then lets out a deep sigh. “I don't know why but I wanted to make sure you meant it. Because I know how I feel and I know what I did was a little crazy so—”
“How do you feel?” I find myself asking, cutting her off before she can start on her tangent.
“Wh…what?”
"You said you wanted to ask if I meant what I said because you “know how you feel”… so? How do you feel?” I don't know if it's the late night, or if it's the exhaustion of the day that's making me like this… but at the same time I don't explicitly care. All I care about is Luz…
and possibly messing with her head a little bit.
“Oh.. uh.. well.. " I can hear her as she tries to form a coherent sentence.
Titan, she's cute.
Suddenly she asks me something. “Can you mute yourself? I want to say it but… I don't know… can you just try it…?”
I struggle to keep my composure as I mute myself. Now sitting up criss-cross apple sauce on my bed, my phone in front of me, and the jacket in my hands under my chin, covering the lower half of my now dark crimson face.
I can hear her take a few shaky breaths as she begins to talk.
“I think.. I think you're… fantastic.” she says as her voice fills with wonder, like a kid looking up into the starry sky. “From the very first moment I saw you I thought you were cool. And not even that, you were just so… you. I saw you walk into that class and I felt the energy in the room shift. All eyes were on you, mine included…”
She continues, her voice building with emotion.
“And the more time I spend with you… the more I just want to be around you. I want to spend every second of the day with you, and I want to travel the world with you..” she stops for a second. Takes a deep breath, steadying herself, then continues. “I want to be with you. I want to go on dates and I want to hold hands and… I want you to want that too..”
Oh titan.
She's good.
I reach down, my finger now lingering over the unmute button… when i go to press it though, i hesitate. My whole body tenses as I consider my options.
I could stop.
I could stay quiet.
I could hang up the phone and things could go back to how they were before.
I would go to school, and ignore Luz.
I would go to Boscha.
I would apologize and we would start hanging out again.
My new friends would leave me.
My parents would be proud,
My life would go back to how it was before…
Before I met her.
Before I woke up wanting to go to school.
Before I would sigh in my classes, thinking of nothing but her voice.
Before, I was truly happy for the first time in years.
Or…
I could talk to her.
I could tell her that I care about her more than anything in the world.
I could tell her that without her my days seemed dull.
And that even the thought of her makes my heart do flips.
I could tell her that I want her.
That I Need her.
That she makes my world brighter, and that she gives me a reason to get up in the morning.
I could tell her that I love her.
That I love her more than my Azura books.
More than reading to the kids at the library.
More than life itself.
We could be together.
We could be happy.
We could–
…
I know what I have to do.
My finger slams down onto the screen
~-O-~