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“So what do you have planned to cook for her?”
“Uh…”
“And did you get any teas for her? Or do you just have energy drinks in your fridge like usual?”
“Well, um-”
“And when she gets up in the morning, do you have anything labeled so she can find things if you end up sleeping in?”
“I mean, my kitchen isn’t that comple-”
“Mija, you asked for my help but I thought you’d have done something.”
Luz whimpered as she pulled her beanie over her eyes and whispered, “I mean, I made sure to rent some movies for the nights…”
Camila sighed as she wished she was able to be there for her little girl. However, Luz had moved to a different part of the country for college and had even found a place to work as a barista to make it work. To make sure she could be amongst her own kind and on her own and, for as many misgivings as she had, Camila couldn’t be prouder. The fact that her little girl looked happier anytime they did a video call like this than she had most days coming home from school only made it harder for her to wish she’d stayed in Connecticut.
Of course, that didn’t change the fact that Luz was supposed to be preparing for Amity right now and she seemed to have done nothing so far. Sure, the energetic girl was so busy nowadays between her psychology studies and job but that didn’t change the fact that this was Amity. The girl that even Camila knew Luz had never forgotten. The biggest reason why her little girl had always dreamed of going back to the Isles. To make up for breaking up with her girlfriend when she’d had to leave with no certain way back.
That had changed about a month ago though. In secret, Eda had worked hard to make a third portal, one that Belos wouldn’t cause to be destroyed for once, and had given it to Luz when she was done with it on one condition: She invite Amity to her side of the realms.
Which had given her a month to get ready but Camila could even see laundry in the background that needed to be washed. “Mija, do you even have somewhere for her to sleep?”
Luz glanced towards the main living space in her one bedroom apartment and swallowed hard. “I’m… I’m still deciding on where exactly to have her.”
“You’re not going to make her sleep on your old couch, are you?”
Luz swallowed hard before scratching the back of her head. “No, of course not. I got a new one just for tonight but, well…” Her cheeks burned a bit before she held up her hands to try and stop her mom from continuing to scream at her about how she wasn’t doing that to the girl she loved.
That wasn’t the problem though…
======+++++======
“I don’t know. Do you think that’s casual enough? Luz’s letter said she was living in a single apartment and, ow, I don’t want to make her feel bad by being too, Ack! fancy.”
Edric raised an eyebrow before sighing and putting the sweater and beret back into Amity’s closet. Emira smiled a little as she pulled at another knot in her baby sister’s hair and got more frustrated screams out of the tortured girl. Edric then said, “I still don’t get why we aren’t just having her over. What are you two even going to do there? Does she have money? You keep making it out like you think she’s in a cardboard box or something.”
Amity whimpered a little at the idea of Luz being stuck in a cardboard box before shaking her head a bit, which only served to get more of her hair yanked out. “Oooow!” She rubbed the side of her head before saying, “No. I want to finally go over there. To see what Luz’s world is like. Besides,” she said while crossing her arms, “if I have to decide between staying with only Luz and sleeping on her couch or having her come back here to stay at the house with all of you, I’m choosing the couch.”
Edric put a hand over his chest and fell back a bit as he pretended to be wounded by the words. Emira just pulled extra hard with her brush though as she said, “Don’t worry, Ed. Mittens is just embarrassed by the fact that she’d have to admit that she still lives at home while she does college.”
Amity’s cheeks burned at that before she snapped back, “So are you two!”
“But we’re not trying to hide it.”
Amity tried to look away because of that but the next knot Emira found yanked her head back. “That’s it, I’m just burning it all off!”
Emira giggled before she tapped the top of Amity’s head and whispered, “And what do you think Luz will think of you being bald?”
“It’s not that different from me having long hair now!” Amity stomped away a little bit before looking at the vanity mirror in the room. Her long, pink hair that ran down almost to her hips. She’d let it grow out over the past few months because she’d been so busy with her studies rather than any intentional fashion choice but that just made it all the more different from how it was back with Luz. Even her craziest styling was just relaxed. Not a mess and wild like some weird mane.
It didn’t mean anything though. It was just hair. It wasn’t like too much else was different about her. Right? “Can… Can you get back to straightening it?”
“Of course, Mittens.”
======+++++======
Click.
Luz swallowed hard as she watched the door to the Isles that she set up at the back wall of her small kitchen open. It was time. It was finally time. Was she ready though? She’d brushed her teeth, combed her hair, showered, tried to clean up a little but not too much and… and…
“Wow.”
Amity shook her head a little as she stepped out of the door before looking up. While Luz was currently processing how her ex looked in a simple, long, pink dress and with a thin ponytail that went down her back, Amity took in the fact that Luz was in a t-shirt with some band she didn’t know, brown slacks and a weird, orange beanie that probably had some of Luz’s long hair tucked under it. Both just paused to see how the other had grown. The more angular edges to Luz’s face. The curves that made Amity look like she could be some sort of model. The bags under Luz’s eyes from a lack of sleep and the bit of makeup that Amity used to hide her own set. The strong muscles that the tight shirt failed to hide that Luz had developed and how Amity looked almost malnourished from the meals she’d forget because she was busy.
Both swallowed hard before saying at the same time, “You look- Sorry, you- Um-”
Luz covered her eyes for a moment as she groaned before peeking out between two of her fingers. Amity was squeezing part of her dress. That wasn’t good. She only did that when she was nervous after all and while the tick sticking was slightly comforting to Luz, the fact that it meant that she was already screwing up wasn’t. She rushed over to try and help and grabbed the handle to her suitcase. “I-I’ll take that.”
Amity raised an eyebrow at that before glancing behind Luz. “To where? My room?”
Luz’s cheeks burned as she watched Amity realize what she said her cotton candy haired goddess’ cheeks turned red too. Luz then swallowed hard before pulling the bag close to herself and saying, “Well, it’s the thought that counts, right?”
Amity nodded a little before giving Luz a soft smile. “As I tried to say before, you, um, look good. Less banged up than you did back on the Isles too.”
Luz’s heart fluttered hearing Amity’s laugh again. Of course, she lost the right to it a long time ago. She was the one who chose they had to split up after all. That they were technically exes. It made her knuckles turn white around the handle of the suitcase before Luz stepped out of the kitchen. “Um, uh, well, welcome to the Human Realm! And my, er, apartment. Sorry for the mess. I didn’t want to fancy it up too much for you.”
Amity raised an eyebrow at that before putting her hands on her hips. “Still as lazy as ever I see. Need me to make you a chores list? Again?”
“Ams!” Luz’s shoulder slumped slightly before she scratched the back of her head. “I mean it, I promise.”
“Then what do you have planned for us, Miss Prepared?”
Luz glanced away at that. While sure she’d been busy for much of the past month, that wasn’t the entire truth to why she didn’t have everything how it should be. There was just the matter of having Amity back. Having the Isles back. Wanting to come back to all of that right had been exhausting her and all she had to show for it was, “I have some money saved up so I can finally show you what pizza is while we watch movies and catch up. What do you think?”
Amity smiled at her crush and whispered, “That honestly sounds nice. Just like the past, right?”
Luz nodded at that. Just like the past. Just like how things were. They were picking up where they left off before, not-
======+++++======
-starting over. That’s what it felt like to Amity as they turned off the last movie of the night. The two had actually watched all three though. There’d been so little talking between the two of them outside of simple small talk and maybe a little discussion of what they were watching. Luz seemed so closed off though. So much more distant than she’d ever been on the Isles.
Not that she was making things any better. She kept wanting to tell Luz about how things had been but what did she have to really discuss? The fact that without Luz she’d drifted away from everyone else because she just didn’t make time for them? Her studies, which felt like ninety percent of her time? Of course, she knew Luz loved magic so she probably wouldn’t mind hearing how her abomination stuff was going but that was school. Was that really all she had to talk about with Luz . After four years of being apart?
And she was supposed to be here for a week! If this was how things were starting then what? Would they just be silently staring at each other by the end of tomorrow? Of course, if it felt like Luz had put a lot of effort into preparing for her visit then maybe she wouldn’t be so scared to talk to her crush. She couldn’t just say something like that though, could she?
She didn’t know and all she wanted right now was some sleep. “So, I’m guessing the couch is where I’m sleeping?”
Luz paused mid-stride towards the kitchen with their paper plates before turning around and saying, “No. You’re sleeping in my bed.”
Amity’s cheeks turned bright red as her inner self screamed, “How can she say that so casually?” She immediately knew how though and shook her head. “No, Luz, I’m not forcing you onto the couch for my sake. You’re plenty busy as it is and I am not going to inconvenience you anymore than I already am.”
Luz looked Amity dead in the eyes as she found some confidence in footing she’d prepared for herself over the past month and said flatly, “Ams, you’re never going to be an inconvenience to me.” She then smirked a little and said, “Besides, I remember what your bed was like. I’m pretty sure if you went from that to my lumpy couch that you’d wake up with a broken spine.”
Amity opened her mouth to protest before putting her hands on her hips. “And if your bed will do my back justice then you need it so you don’t end up having to deal with being stiff for your work. Unless you plan to sleep somewhere else.”
“I mean,” Luz said as she swallowed hard and tossed the greasy plates into the garbage, “I don’t plan to sleep on the couch if that’s what you mean.”
Amity let out an exasperated sigh before putting a hand to her temple. “If you say you’re sleeping on the floor, I’m going to light you on fire.”
Luz squeezed her hands tightly together before turning around. “No. I plan to sleep in my bed. Right next to you.”
Amity’s brain froze for a second before it slowly began to reboot itself. After all, Luz couldn’t be serious, right? They hadn’t even sat next to each other on the couch and now they were going to sleep together? Sure, they had done that too when they were younger but they were young, immature, and far less… indecent in their thoughts. At least that’s what Amity would claim until the day she died.
Not that she didn’t want to. Her bed had been cold for four years after all and to be back in those arms was something she’d dreamed about so often. But she wouldn’t be back in those arms, would she? “I’m assuming there’s plenty of space for both of us?”
Luz tucked one hand into one of her pants pockets before scratching her cheek. “If we both sleep on our sides then we should be fine.”
Amity sighed a little before grabbing her suitcase. “I’ll go into the bathroom to get changed then because this isn’t really comfortable enough to sleep in.”
Luz nodded and waited for Amity to be gone before running towards her room. It was the only part of the apartment that was clean because she had wanted it to be spotless for tonight. She froze though as all the voices that had kept slowing her this past month began to come back. Began to ask if there was any point to this. Amity looked amazing now after all. Not that she hadn’t always but Luz looked like the lazy student she was. She bet Amity was acing her classes while Luz was barely passing hers. Not because she wasn’t trying, it was just hard. Hard to stay focused. Hard to keep everything together.
“Parada, Noceda.” Luz stomped the ground for a moment as she forced herself to move. She stripped off her shirt and threw it to the side before slipping into a looser, white one. Her pants were next as she got on a pair of loose, grey shorts that she’d be comfortable in. She was willing to sleep in the same bed as Amity after all but she wasn’t going to try to claim her underwear was enough. Unless Amity decided that. Luz kind of just froze in place for a half second at the thought of all that she was now in next to nothin- “Nope. Nope. Nope.”
Luz spent the remaining time she had making sure everything was right. The bed was made, the pillow were properly spread out, the window was open a little so it could help cool the room a bit, though Luz suspected that she’d be feeling pretty heated even if they slept in a freezer. Then she sat on the bed. Then leaned out over the end of it. It was at about the twenty minute mark, when Luz was wondering if Amity had just left while she wasn’t looking, that the bedroom door opened.
And, just like when Amity had walked through the portal, she took Luz’s breath away. She wore a dark green nightgown that was semi-transparent and shimmered in the light from glitter woven into its fabric. Fortunately for Luz, Amity had also put on a t-shirt that looked incredibly tight on her and a pair of loose shorts. The shirt confused Luz before she took in the fact that it was a light purple. A familiar, light purple. It was also frayed at the edges, had a hole in the side from when Luz had gotten attacked in her sleep one night and…
And was the shirt that Amity had stolen while they were dating because she thought it was comfy. Luz felt tears come to her eyes before she whispered, “You… you kept that old thing.”
Amity looked down at herself before glancing away. “I… I did. It kept being comfortable even after you were gone after all.” She then reached over and squeezed one of her arms while that arm’s hand grabbed the nightgown’s hem. “I was hoping it’d be just as comfortable here but…”
Oh. Oh no. “But?”
Amity looked up before shaking her head rapidly and putting a hand to her temple. “Nothing. I’m just tired and talking nonsense is all, I promise.”
Luz tried to believe the words but a hundred other voices screamed back at her for trying to lie to herself. It wasn’t her fault that Amity wouldn’t just say what she meant though! Wouldn’t finally snap at her for the past four years! Luz swallowed hard as she forced her own thoughts out. After all, she was tired too.
Not that she got to sleep quickly. Not with Amity right there. It only got harder when it at least sounded like Amity got to sleep fairly quickly. She knew one way she might be able to go to bed faster but could she still do it? Would she? Even after thinking about this so much, would she just take a step back again?
Her curtains ruffled slightly as the wind came in and Luz shivered slightly at the cold. It was the last straw for her and she made up her mind as she turned to no longer have her back to Amity.
======+++++======
Why had she been so stupid? Amity should have just said nothing. It wasn’t like telling Luz that she wanted her to open up was going to do anything. Luz had always kept her secrets after all. Always thought she knew what everyone else needed to know so as ‘not to worry them’. It was part of what made their last fight, well, a fight. Amity had hoped that growing up might change that but it hadn’t. Luz was still going to be Luz after all, for all the good and bad that came with it.
It made her go to sleep wondering if she should keep calling Luz her crush. After all, she shouldn’t feel so cold in the girl she loved’s bed, right? Shouldn’t be afraid to talk to her or boring her, right? The thoughts made her feel like she was fourteen again but in all the ways that she hadn’t hoped for.
She had wanted to be warm. To feel that same giddiness that she had every time she saw her idiot. Those same butterflies that made her wonder if she could fly because of her nervousness that could only be calmed down by a tight hug from her girlfriend. To feel the confidence she gained everytime she thought about how much something would help her girlfriend. Or how proud Luz would be of her.
Or, if nothing else, the same contentment that she felt when Luz and her were just… them. When it felt like none of the rest of the world mattered because they had each other. It made having her back to Luz here hurt all the more. There was little she could do except sleep though and if she was going to be ready to face any of this tomorrow, she’d need her energy. Yeah, she’d just got to sleep and wake up when her alarm went off.
But when she did, there was no screeching of alarms or the ringing of phones. Instead, when she opened her eyes, she found herself wincing at how bright it was. She moaned a little and scooted back as she wanted to just get away from the sun’s rays. She couldn’t remember the last time she slept in like this but her brain wasn’t really worried about that right now. It just wanted her to go back to sleep or at least back to darkness.
Amity reached up to put a lumpy part of her blanket over her eyes to help her as she woke up but it was weirdly heavy. And firm. And strong. Amity blinked a few times as her mind did in fact remember the last time she’d slept in. It was after her and Luz had stayed up way too late and…
And she woke up in Luz’s arms. Amity opened her eyes and looked down at the light brown arms that were wrapped tightly around her. She fidgeted a little bit and slowly began to realize that what she had been trying to press herself against was none other than Luz herself. However, unlike when they were younger, it wasn’t some loose grip in weak, nerd arms. These were ones that had been forced to be a stocker for months and held her very, very firmly. Almost as if they were afraid to let go.
The thought brought tears to Amity’s eyes before she craned her head up. Luz looked so peaceful while sleeping. It was the first time she’d looked like she wasn’t worried about something since she’d gotten here. Was that because she was holding onto her? It felt silly to think but Amity knew that she felt at least a little calmer in her lover’s arms.
What would happen when Luz woke up? Amity then smiled a little as she amended it to whenever Luz woke up. She knew how deep the layabout could sleep if she didn’t do anything about it. She’d had to come up with so many ways to get her up and moving though her mind moved to the one she’d never been brave enough to use. The one that she regretted never taking the chance with when they were younger. Not until it was too late.
And right now, the fact that they weren’t together just made her want to take the risk all the more. While she wasn’t overthinking things. While they were actually together, even if it was by accident. At least Luz would know that her feelings never died then. At least she’d finally express them.
Luz hummed as she felt something warm against her lips. She opened hers slightly and felt something wet begin to uncertainly probe her mouth. It tickled a little if she was honest but something told her not to laugh. Not when it felt oddly right but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Not that she cared all too much. She was barely conscious after all and it felt nice. So nice even that she squeezed what she was holding onto tighter and pressed her lips back against whatever was against her face. She even tried to do something with whatever was in her mouth but it mostly led to some weird, awkward dance between her tongue and the intruder as it seemed to panic at the movement.
In fact, whatever was against her was squirming now and Luz opened her eyes to see what it was. She didn’t own a cat or a dog after all. She lived alone, even if she sometimes dreamed about living with…
Amity.
That’s right. She had Amity over. And she had hugged Amity to help her get to sleep. And she had just kissed her. Despite…
Despite reasons she couldn’t think of as she grabbed Amity’s cheeks and properly kissed Amity back now. She had always regretted not giving the most amazing girl in either realms one too after all and her heart acted long before her head did. Amity didn’t squirm this time. Instead, she just hummed as her arms wrapped around Luz and the two stayed there for a very, very long minute that also seemed so incredibly short to them.
When they finally parted for air, Amity looked up into Luz’s eyes before whispering, “I love you.”
Luz blinked a few times before tears began coming down her cheeks and she whispered back, “Still?”
Amity smiled as her own tears began to fell. “Always. I never stopped. I was… I was just afraid that too much had changed in four years.”
Luz laughed a little before sighing. “Can’t be too much. I’m still the same idiot who second guesses herself too much after all. Just… Just…”
Luz squeezed Amity tighter as she began to bawl. “I felt like I couldn’t focus after losing you. That I was just in the same fog that I always had been before. I forced myself to keep going but it was so hard. Not when I couldn’t forget the biggest mistake of my life. Not when I never stopped loving you either.”
Amity was quiet for a second before burying her face into girlfriend’s shoulder. “If it helps, it’s not like I’ve been fine. I went back to my studies. My books. Nothing else mattered again. Not without you to remind me why I liked other people more than I liked the praise of my parents.”
Luz balled up parts of Amity’s nightgown so she could hold onto them before she whispered, “I… I never want to let you go again. I don’t want to make that mistake again. I know it’s a lot to ask that we even try to figure out how to make this work again, especially after so long-”
Amity cut Luz off with another kiss. And another after that. And more and more as she didn’t want to think about what it would take. She had her Luz back and that’s what mattered.
======+++++======
Amity yawned as she walked into the living room. She was sore and stiff from all of the, er, ‘kissing’ they’d done the night before. She’d expected them to wait longer than that but she supposed she should have known coming in in only one of Luz’s shirts and panties would have led to them getting excited and… kissing. Just kissing. Lots of kissing.
Amity shivered a little at the thought before yawning. She had two days more of her weeklong visit and she felt exhausted from how little sleep her and Luz got now. Not when they couldn’t shut up about everything that had happened in the past four years. It was like once the physical barrier between them of not being able to touch each other anymore fell down, everything burst open. Not that she was going to complain. She was just happy to have her girlfriend once again.
Ring, ring!
Amity let out a small yelp as her phone rang and she dropped it in her shock. She then watched as it slipped between the couch cushions. Great. She could only imagine what condition the inside of the couch was in if the outside was as lumpy as it was. Still, she needed her phone so…
…
WHAM!
“Ooph!” Any air in the sleeping Luz’s lungs rushed out as something large and surprisingly solid slammed into her chest. She scrambled out of bed to try and get to some cover but only managed to have whatever had assaulted her to fall on top of her. She groaned in response to that before sitting up and looking at what it was. She then paled at the sight of it being a couch cushion.
“So, I’d break my spine on your couch, huh? Your couch that has a fold out bed in it!?”
Luz paled at her girlfriend’s words before she looked up. Amity had her hands on her hips and was glaring down at the still tired girl. Her voice gave little pity for the almost dead though. “If you had wanted me to sleep in the same bed as you, why didn’t you just say so? We could have skipped about seven steps of me worrying if you had just admitted you still wanted me!”
Luz’s face burned before she swallowed hard and scratched the back of her head. “Well, um, it’s just, you know… I didn’t know if you had still liked me. I’d been hoping that if we got back into a bed together then, you know, something would happen.”
Amity crossed her arms at that before she hissed out, “So why didn’t I go to sleep in your arms?”
The guilty girl sucked in her lips before sighing. “Would you believe me if I said it was because I wasn’t certain if I still deserved you, even if you did still like me?”
Amity stared at Luz for a solid ten seconds before making a circle in the air. A long, thick strand of abomination goo formed out of it and Amity grabbed it by its ends before snapping it tight. Luz swallowed hard at the sight before asking, “So, uh, what are you going to do with that?”
“I’m going to make sure that you don’t get to go anywhere while I show you exactly what I think about whether you deserve my love, even when you’re being a complete moron.”
Luz tilted her head and didn’t really get what Amity meant until her hands were tied together and then stuck to the headboard of her bed. By that point though, she wasn’t so certain she was going to mind letting Amity blow off some steam for her stupidity. Not when she had still gotten exactly what she had wanted after all, which was exactly why Amity was all too happy to use it as an excuse to do everything she had always wanted with her Luz, even if it was just a lot of ‘kissing’.