Amity made her way through the dark woods, knowing what she was looking for but not sure if she would find it. In her hand she held a single, dimming purple flame. With her other hand she brushed aside stray branches, being careful to avoid the recoil. Her eyes began to droop, but she shook herself awake, pushing on through the brush.
Just when she began to lose hope, Amity thought she finally found what she was looking for.
A glimmer of light greeted her through the trees. When she pushed the leaves aside, the light squeezed through the opening. A single orb floated through, grazing her fingers before passing soundlessly over her shoulder.
Taking a deep breath, Amity broke through the trees in the direction of the floating orb. She stepped into a clearing that was illuminated by glowing baubles, flickering from the tips of branches and winking against the darkening sky.
In the center of the clearing sat a hunched figure, busy with something on the surface of the dirt. A moment later, the figure lifted another bauble and released it into the wind.
Not sure whether she should make herself known, Amity approached the figure slowly and in silence. Once she was close enough to reach out a hand, she instead cleared her throat loud enough for the other girl to hear.
Luz turned her head, looking up at Amity with wide, rounded eyes that made her heart ache.
"Amity," she breathed. Luz didn't sound upset about being followed, at least. That was good.
It still didn't keep Amity's heart from hammering in her throat.
The young witch sat down next to Luz, maintaining a comfortable distance. Luz's gaze returned to the earth, and Amity watched as a small, sad smile settled on her lips.
Luz was drawing light glyphs in the dirt. She finished the spell circle in front of her, but hesitated to activate it, her hand hovering over the ground. Ears twitching, Amity offered her own hand, placing it gently over Luz's as they first touched hands, then the light glyph below.
The two girls looked on as the bauble drifted upwards, carried by the evening breeze. Once the light orb was touching the tips of the branches ahead, Amity glanced back at Luz. To her alternating relief and horror, Luz was looking straight at her now.
"You were telling the truth."
Amity tried to give a proper response, but given she was currently a blushing, confused mess, it came out something like, "muh-huh?"
Luz just chuckled, turning back to the dirt to draw another glyph. Amity shook her head, clearing her thoughts.
"I'm sorry. Of course I was telling the truth." She reached down and began drawing her own light glyph. It was a bit shaky, and not quite as practiced as Luz's glyph, but she didn't mind.
"I really care about you, Luz," she confessed as she busied herself with her drawing. Amity didn't think she could continue if they were making eye contact, so she kept her eyes on the glyph.
"I think you've changed my life for the better. Because of you, I had the courage to be myself. I was able to break away from an image of myself I wasn't proud of." Amity's light glyph went sailing into the sky, in tandem with Luz's own. She watched them fly, not realizing she was holding her breath until she heard a voice from beside her.
"I don't think I ever told you much about my old life. My life on earth."
Amity's breath came out in a soft whoosh. She shook her head, and turned to see Luz resting her chin against her knees.
"At my old school, I didn't have many friends. I didn't have any friends, actually." Luz chuckled mirthlessly.
"Anyone who hung out with me was only doing it as a bet, or a prank, or some other reason. Never because they cared or they wanted to."
Amity was at a loss for words. She tried and failed to swallow the lump in her throat, and kept silent.
"Sometimes I think you, and Gus and Willow only hang out with me because you feel bad for me."
"Luz, that's not true," Amity told her firmly.
"I know, but it's hard for me to understand why." The two girls locked eyes again, and Amity could see the tears glistening in Luz's eyes.
"When you said you liked me, I just… couldn't believe it." The tears were falling freely now, but Luz wasn't the only one crying.
"I thought to myself, why would someone like her ever want someone like me?"
Those words hurt. Amity knew it wasn't entirely her fault, but her mind was thrust into the days where she wasn't the greatest friend to Luz.
Before she knew what was happening, Amity had Luz wrapped up in a tight embrace. She pressed her nose into the human girl's hair as she felt the tears dripping onto her shoulder.
"Luz, I didn't realize how… dark my life was until I met you." Amity pulled away, just far enough to gently cup Luz's face in one hand.
"You brought back everything I thought I lost so long ago. Optimism, compassion, inspiration. You have all these things and more, enough for all of us. You are a light in all of our lives. In my life."
Miraculously, Amity managed to look Luz in the eye for what she wanted to say next .
"I like you, Luz. I want to be with you, as long as you'll have me. Please believe that."
Luz seemed like she wanted to answer, but instead she made a noise that was somewhere between a sob and a laugh. She nodded instead, covering Amity's hand with her own and nuzzling into her palm.
"Thank you," Luz whispered. Amity used her other hand to brush a stray hair from the human girl's face.
"Always." Luz shifted until she was sitting next to Amity. Her head was tucked against the witch's shoulder. They stayed like that for a long while, watching the dusk turn to twilight as countless stars blinked against the sky above.
"You know, in a way, I think you saved me."
Amity said nothing, but she pulled Luz closer to her side, hoping her actions would speak for her.
Maybe one day, she would have the courage to tell her out loud.
You saved me, too. Thank you.