I'm back!
I've already written a lot for this fanfiction and besides being busy with work, I of course wanna upload it!
But right now I'm actually trying not to do that too fast not to run out of chapters too early, since I'm also working on three other projects at the moment (all slow burn) and don't want this fanfic to go on hiatus for too long xD
So, yeah, please enjoy this chapter, I really enjoyed writing these three kids goofing off and have them interact.
I realized I had never really written them being friends like this!

To say she was miserable was an understatement.

Luz was downright sick to the stomach about seeing that Blight girl again. So much so that she had only made it through two days of being on the construction site again, before begging Lilith to stay in the workshop and finish up on some smaller commissions. It had been a week now since the incident, and Luz had been alone in the workshop for the days she had been supposed to be on the construction site.

The problem was that she was all finished up on the smaller commissions and tasks that had kept her busy the days before. She had finished and shipped off the countertop some customer had paid for to spice up his kitchen, she had finished the big drawer someone had wanted and she had repaired and cleaned the old desk an old man had brought in that he had found on the attic of his late parents' house.

She had even cleaned up the entire workshop, watered all plants, and made sure everything was in its right place, the trash was sorted and the floors were swept and mopped.

And now that she didn't have anything to do anymore, Lilith had instructed her to go back to the construction site because she was one of the most experienced and skilled workers they had and that she had to finally install the substructure for all the decorative walls and start on the terrace and start to assemble the floors and whatnot.

To say she was a nervous wreck was even still an understatement.

She was scared out of her mind.

If she allowed herself one more mistake in front of the Blight girl, if she gave even one little doubt or reason that Lilith's and Eda's company wasn't fit for the job, they would let the company go and Luz would be sued to pay compensation.

Groaning, she rolled over in her bed and tried not to be too loud, not to give her nosy neighbor the impression she was with somebody. He had thought that before, and it had not been a fun conversation to explain to the old man that she had just stubbed a toe.

Not even Willow or Gus had believed her.

Rubbing her eyes, Luz pouted, before getting up and following the smell of delicious food that wafted from the kitchen. Willow appeared to be cooking again, because she heard Gus playing a game in his room, and usually, his meals smelled far from what she was smelling now.

She was dressed in a tank top, some shorts, and comfortable thin wool socks, ones her grandmother had knit for her when she had still been alive, and Luz still felt like she was wearing too much.

The summer had reached full swing now and they would have much more lax hours if it wasn't for that commission they were doing in that mansion up in the hills.

Rounding the corner, she already heard Willow humming in the kitchen and smiled to herself. Her mom had always hummed while cooking as well, it made her feel at home and so comfortable she immediately forgot about work.

"Hey, what're you making?", she asked and Willow grinned upon hearing her friend entering the kitchen.

"Just some quick one-pot-pasta because Gus and I stayed longer and didn't get the chance to get something on the way. You want some?", she asked and Luz nodded eagerly, resting her chin on her much shorter friend's shoulder. Willow allowed that for a moment, before gently shaking her off again to go to the windowsill and pick an assortment of herbs she grew there. She returned to her spot in front of the stove and allowed Luz to place her chin on her shoulder again.

"I'd love some. How was work today?", she asked, sheepishly grimacing, "Sorry, I fell asleep. I didn't even hear you guys coming."

That was a lie. She had never been asleep and she had heard her friends arriving, but hearing them had made her think of the construction site to which she had to return the next day and that had made her have a short crisis before she had calmed down to feel ready enough to come out of her room.

"That's okay, Luz.", somehow, Willow always had a knowing tone in her voice, as if she knew she hadn't been asleep. Much like her mom, "Work was good, actually. We got the built-in drawers done and are just now finishing up on wiring the entrance area and ground level up 'til the west wing. Oh, and I think we're already finished on the floor heating system."

Luz was more than glad about the factual stuff and engaged in a conversation with Willow about some plans and the progress with them until her friend said something that made her raise her eyebrows.

"I talked a lot to Amity, too.", Willow mentioned on the side and Luz perked up from her phone, sitting on the chair of their little kitchen table where she had retreated after Willow had had to start moving around a lot more to add more ingredients.

"To that Blight girl?", she asked and her friend chuckled, nodding.

"She's very nice, you know? Worries a lot about what you think about her.", she cheekily noted, making Luz feel her cheeks heat up. Had she said bad stuff about her? Did Willow know something about her very unstable status in this company?

"What?", she shot up from the chair, only making her chuckle more as she approached her and grabbed her shoulders, "What'd she say about me?!"

Laughing, Willow first tasted her sauce, before turning back to her friend with a smirk.

"Relax, tiger. She wasn't checking you out or anything, not that I know of, although I might slip to her that you're single next time we talk."

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Luz let go of her shoulders and groaned, shaking her head.

"No, I mean, did she say anything else about the incident?", she clarified and Willow made an exaggerated understanding sound.

"Ah, yes. She won't tell her parents, she doesn't want a big deal made out of it and she worries that you avoid her – which you do – and doesn't want to make enemies.", Willow hummed at that, "She's actually very sweet, I think I'll ask her for her number. Maybe she's interested in me.", she joked.

Indignantly, Luz huffed and rubbed her face, before plopping back into the chair where she had lounged before as well, pouting.

"Willow, this is kind of serious. Did she really say that?"

Nodding, her friend lost the smirk she had sported on her lips just moments ago and propped her hands up in her hips, always a sign that she was not joking anymore.

"Yes, she really said that. All she needs you to do is stop worrying about what Lilith said and start acting normally again.", her tone turned softer when she started stirring the dish she was cooking, "I think she's really lonely and got a problem with pleasing people. It'd give her a lot of reassurance if you could just, you know, stop running from her."

Grumbling, Luz looked into a corner of the kitchen where Willow wasn't and pouted to herself, shaking her head.

"I'm not really avoiding her. Like, I'm just doing my job, and-… I'm not running away from her or anything.", she clarified, which just made Willow laugh loudly instead, "Hey!"

"Yeah, yeah, you keep telling that to yourself.", she shook her head, lifting the pot of pasta off the stove and calling for Gus that dinner was ready while bringing the food out to the dining room before returning back to Luz, "Listen, you can tell yourself anything, just try and set this right. It doesn't need some big talk that you're afraid of. Sometimes a greeting and a little smile can be enough. I'm sure it would do you both some good."

Luz pondered on that for a moment while getting up and grabbing three plates, cutlery, and some glasses to bring them out into the dining room.

"… You really think so?", she asked and Willow hummed at that, following her and putting the spices on the table before turning back around while Luz filled their glasses with water, talking to the other room.

"I know so. Just make her feel welcome. I think she needs that.", she rummaged around in the cupboard back in the kitchen to find some spice she had buried somewhere in a back corner, "Also, I invited her to hang around here if she wants to. I doubt she'll make use of that, but she's also from Bonesborough and she could use the different environment, you know? Especially if she'll be going to university here soon."

Luz once again looked up.

"You invited her? Here? With us?", she asked incredulously, pointing to their floor as if she was expecting Amity to pop up in front of her any second, and Willow shrugged.

"Yes, why not?", she asked, making Luz feel her jaw become unhinged and fall before catching herself again.

"She-… She's from a really rich family.", she started and straightened up, "She-… We're not her kind of circles, Willow."

Turning around, her friend propped her hands up on her sides and Luz knew she'd get a scolding now.

"You don't know what her circles are and you have no right to assume who she wants to hang out with. We're in the twenty-first century, and rich people are normal humans, too. Especially their children who have absolutely nothing to do with their parents' money, environment or influence.", she immediately went off and Luz shrunk.

"You're right, you're right…", she mumbled, immediately feeling bad for what she had said, "That's completely true and honestly, she seems nice. I wouldn't mind her hanging out with us, so long as she doesn't have an issue with that, either."

At that, Willow nodded, apparently satisfied with Luz giving in and understanding where she had been wrong, while Gus entered the kitchen.

"She seemed pretty excited about connecting with us.", Willow explained, shrugging, "I suppose she doesn't have many friends, considering she went to a private school pretty far away from here. Maybe she's scared of going to college without knowing anyone from around here."

While sitting down at the table, Gus leaned forward, scooping some pasta on his plate while grinning.

"We're talking about Amity?", he guessed and Luz groaned loudly while Willow nodded, sipping some water.

"You guys really didn't waste any time getting on her good side, did you?", she asked and Gus chuckled, shrugging.

"You know I work better in some company and she was there to kidnap. Everyone else had other stuff to do.", he nonchalantly explained, immediately continuing before either Willow or Luz could tease him about that, "And you won't catch me asking Matt for company, that's a big no."

Luz loaded her plate full and passed the spoon to Willow, before raising her eyebrows at Gus.

"You gonna ask Amity for her number, too? Because Willow can't keep it in her pants either. Guess you guys gotta fight for her.", she wore a satisfied smirk at her friend next to her spluttering, while Gus tried unsuccessfully to hide his own chuckle. She had just been taking another gulp from her glass when Luz had said that and had not been able to keep the water from getting literally everywhere.

Mumbling thanks, she accepted the tissue Luz handed her without comment.

"I don't think I will. She's not really my type.", he shrugged, before clapping his hands together and rubbing his palms together, "Bon appetite, guys! It smells amazing, Willow!"

The girl was still trying to sort herself, patting down her shirt with the tissue on her chest that had gotten soaked in quite a bit of water while still trying to free her airways.

"… Th-Thank you.", she finally managed to get out while her two coworkers had already begun eating, sending a glare towards Luz.

"I was joking about wanting to hit on her, just so you know.", she commented and Luz laughed.

"Well, why not?", Luz asked innocently, shrugging while she scooped up a big spoonful of pasta, "If she seems so nice, why not try and butter her up?"

Rolling her eyes, Willow shook her head.

"If you ask me, she's got the hots for you, dork.", she wiggled her eyebrows and Luz just incredulously looked back to her, putting on a doubtful expression.

"Oh yeah? You think so?", she grinned, straightening her back, "I mean, I could try flirting some but, you know. My job depends on it."

At that Willow just rolled her eyes while Gus pulled up his eyebrows, looking at her quizzically.

"Wait, you actually take what Lilith said seriously?", he asked and Luz shrugged, nodding.

"Well, yeah, of course, I take that seriously. She said she was gonna get me fired. Why shouldn't I take that seriously?", Luz looked around the table while her friends just deadpanned, finally making her throw her arms up as she was getting fed up with the silence, "What?!"

Her friends simultaneously broke out in loud laughter while Luz pouted, leaning back on her chair.

"Bro, you're literally Eda's daughter.", Gus finally forced out and Luz indignantly shook her head.

"That's not true! I'm not her daughter!", she exclaimed and Willow wiped the tears from her eyes.

"But you practically are with how close you two are. Plus, Lilith is super scared of your mom, ever since you got yourself hospitalized three years ago.", she giggled at the memory, "I don't think I've ever heard a human yell that loudly in my life."

Luz rolled her eyes at that, while Willow grabbed to the side to produce a pen and some paper, starting to write a groceries shopping list. Gus leaned over to see what she was writing, as was Luz, and they both simultaneously pulled a grimace.

"Spinach?"

"Really?"

"Willow, nooo!"

The girl merely sighed at the choir of disagreement and continued writing. She would get her two whiney babies to eat healthy stuff sooner or later, and if she had to cook every day to achieve this. Jerbo had told her that he had the same problems with Viney and Barcus and their disgust towards broccoli, of all things. Who in their right mind would hate broccoli?!

After dinner, the friends gathered in their living room where Gus had set up his gaming console and each grabbed a controller, getting seated on their couch to play a few rounds before calling it a night.

It wasn't until Luz had won all in all five times more than both her friends that Gus finally abandoned his controller and opted for a beer instead, watching the two girls competing while sipping on his drink.

Finally, Willow won one final time and decided to call it a day as well, before getting herself a glass of wine and Luz a beer, all of them saying cheers while settling comfortably.

They spent some time teasing each other on their gaming skills, getting pleasantly buzzed, when Luz suddenly spoke up into their comfortable silence, playing with her bottle.

She and Willow were sitting on the couch, close together and sharing a blanket, while Gus had nestled himself into the chair next to them and was nicely curled up into the cushions, sitting in a fairly impossible position with his gangly limbs, his long back lying on the chair's seating area.

"Hey guys?", she asked and Gus gave a hum while Willow placed her head on her shoulder, nudging her to go ahead, "If, you know, Amity decided to hang with us."

At that, she earned two little giggles and grumbled, pouting.

"Can't stop thinking about her?", Gus cheekily asked and the Latina softly bonked her bottle against his head that was lying against the chair's armrest that was closer to her, making him chuckle.

"As I was saying.", she stressed and Willow hummed, softly poking her side in a teasing manner before settling to listen, "If she wants to hang with us, what do we, like, do then? I don't take her for a party goer and with her, well, status she might be well known in Bonesborough. I don't know, I would feel kinda unsafe taking her out on the streets."

After expressing her concerns, Willow and Gus had grown quiet, and while Willow had already gotten ready to reprimand Luz for her prejudices, she was right. They had no idea who was going to be out during that night and who was maybe shady. And who knew Amity as a Blight daughter.

She wouldn't want to be the cause for something bad to happen either.

"How about we just ask her what she wants to do, if she even considers the option of hanging with us?", Gus asked, shrugging, "I mean, as Willow said it, she might have been interested, but we don't know if she really is. If she decides that she wants to try us out, cool, we ask her what to do. If not, so what?"

Luz grumbled.

"Yes, but what if she says she wants to go out clubbing or something?", she asked and Willow gave a snort and mumbled a sarcastic comment about Bonesborough and clubbing.

"Bro, I think you're getting a little hung up on her maybe joining us to hang out.", Gus bent his neck so that he could look at Luz upside down, "She never said she considered it. If you ask me, she's far from hanging out with us. I think you want her to so badly you worry about it now."

At that, Luz put her bottle of beer on the junction of the bridge of his nose with his eyebrows and forehead, balancing it there so he didn't have a choice but to stay in this uncomfortable position of looking at her upside down since any move would disrupt the balance and topple the bottle off.

Luz grinned smugly while he pouted.

"Release me."

"No.", she smirked and Willow rolled her eyes.

"You're both equally pretty, girls. Stop fighting.", the Latina next to her indignantly crossed her arms and showed no sign of freeing Gus from this position, "Luz, take your beer back. Who raised you?"

Seriously, someone had to control these kids sometimes.

"Fine, fine.", Luz chuckled and took the bottle back, taking a long gulp from it while Gus sat up a little, to be able to look at them now without the risk of Luz trapping him in a balancing act again.

"I think we should do as Gus says. If Amity decides she wants to spend time with us, she's more than welcome to and she'll decide what to do. If she wants to go out, she'll be able to assess the risk by herself. And we'll have a good time."

"Not if she'll get stabbed.", Luz commented and earned a jab from Willow's side, yelping, "Ouch!"

Her friend shot her a leveling look and squinted her eyes, a stare under which Luz immediately shrank.

"Sorry.", she mumbled, before crossing her arms and pouting, "I'm right, though."

Humming, Gus spun the bottle in his hand before looking back to her with a smirk.

"I say you're worried about this too much. Willow suggested it to Amity, who knows if she'd even be willing. Stop whining and let it happen.", he grinned at her, "Be a bit more spontaneous, eh?"

Luz growled and if Willow hadn't put an arm on hers, she probably would've tried to reflexively splash some of her beer on Gus, possibly ruining their carpet, chair, blanket, and a lot of the floor.

Their landlord would not be happy about that.

"Luz, I'm sitting comfortably and will go to bed in twenty minutes. If you dare to ruin this for me, I will make sure you behave like a fool in front of Amity tomorrow.", she spoke lowly and dangerously and Luz settled, her muscles relaxing and her beer safe from any splashing.

"I'm not thinking about her too much.", she defensively noted and Gus exaggeratedly nodded, which earned him a pointed glare from Willow.

"You two are grounded from talking to each other, right now. Rubber wall between the both of you."

She would've almost laughed at the indignant stares she got from them at that moment, Luz placing a hand over her heart and Gus making a choking sound.

"Willow!"

"You can't just summon the rubber wall!"

"That's unfair!"

She shook her head at that and took a sip from her wine.

"If you behave like children, I'll treat you like children. It's that easy.", she shrugged and Luz pouted while sinking deeper into the couch cushions while Gus gave her a huff.

"Well then, tell Luz to relax!", he exclaimed, immediately drawing Luz into a straighter position and pointing towards Gus.

"Talking around the rubber wall is no fair, tell him to stop!", she shot back and Willow laughed, rubbing her forehead in feigned annoyance.

"You guys are impossible, seriously.", she giggled, them joining along with her and falling back into a comfortable silence.

They finished their drinks and got up, Willow stretching while Luz folded up the blanket, then they all went to their respective rooms, Luz pressing a short kiss to Willow's forehead.

It was a tradition from when they had been little kids in kindergarten for Luz to kiss Willow goodnight and they had carried it until now.

"Goodnight!", she mumbled and her shorter friend gave a yawn before she felt Gus' lips sneaking a little kiss on her temple as well, making the Latina laugh.

"Are you telling me you're growing jealous of Willow's goodnight kisses?", she asked and Gus laughed, wrapping an arm around her neck while their friend already closed her door, leaving them in the hallway.

"Maybe a little! I'm just saying I want in on that tradition, that's not jealousy.", he corrected and Luz giggled before freeing herself of his half-hug and grabbing his head to pull him down and kiss his forehead as well.

"There you go. Now go to bed, you big baby.", she teased and he winked, closing the door to his room so she could retreat as well.

Falling back onto her sheets, she made herself comfortable on the bed, stretching before curling in and pulling the blanket around her, so she could hum and turn off the lights save for a little night light she always kept on so she could regain orientation when waking up at night.

She checked her phone one last time, texting her mother goodnight, before checking her alarm and putting it away, closing her eyes.

Gus was right, for some reason, she couldn't stop thinking about that Blight girl. It was probably because she was their customer. After all, Luz had a heart attack once she knew who she had slammed those boards on, and the fear of losing her job because of this unassuming girl.

And maybe, too, because of her disarming politeness that she had displayed when Luz had literally put the company and her financial stability on the line for reacting so poorly on top of it all.

Maybe it was also her fear of having left a bad impression on her. Luz didn't have much of a problem with being herself and leaving bad impressions on people, not really, since all of middle school had been a bad impression for her.

But in front of a customer, and in front of such a girl, it bothered her for some reason.

Luz was by no means a people pleaser, but she did want to please this girl. Probably because the company's future and her life depended on it, yeah, that was probably the reason.

Not because she was a pretty girl.

Furrowing her eyebrows, Luz turned to the other side of her bed, turned over her pillow to the cool side, and tried to smooth out her eyebrows and relax her expression.

What did her being a pretty girl have to do with that?

She mumbled something under her breath that should have been denial, then she huffed and pulled the thin blanket tighter around her frame, pulling up her nose.

She wasn't gonna think about Amity Blight again. Lilith had told her to stay away and while she could give in some nice gestures like greeting and smiling as Willow had suggested, she would stay away from her.

Groaning, she turned over to her other side again.

She would absolutely not keep away from her if Amity was being nice, she knew that much. Because that's just how Luz was, if some people were nice and open to her she turned into a golden retriever puppy wagging her tail for the attention. She just loved talking to nice people, it made her feel really warm.

And if Amity was going to be nice to her, she would be nice back and that would lead to one thing and then to another, and before she knew it she would be able to make Amity not tell her parents about the board incident.

A soft smile snuck to her lips.

Ah, that was also a way to ensure that the company wouldn't be ruined by her.

Instantly, she furrowed her eyebrows again.

She wasn't gonna be nice expecting something in return. That was against her morals. She didn't want to honey Amity up just to ensure the company would be okay, that would feel bad to her. Huffing, she curled up tighter, slid her arm under the pillow.

She wouldn't just pretend to be nice to Amity for that. She would be nice and maybe, honestly, Amity would find to like her and decide to keep quiet, even if Willow had already said that she would.

Maybe they could even be some kind of friends, and be able to fix what had happened between them.

Now with a relaxed face and a smile, Luz found her body sagging some, her muscles finding rest before she felt sleep coming slowly.

Let me know what you think!