Hold Me Forever (Rough Draft)

by MN-Jess

This is just the rough draft for the lumity date fic I wrote. The finished version is on Ao3

"Hey, Amity!"

Amity Blight's focus was ripped from her book as she turned her gaze to the human sitting next to her. Luz wore an excited expression, the kind she had whenever she had a new idea. It was just one of the many things about her that Amity found utterly adorable; so much so that she couldn't bring herself to be upset that Luz had interrupted from one of her favorite parts of the Good Witch Azura 4: Wrath of the Ice Lord. "What is it?" Amity asked.

"Have you seen all the Azura movies?"

"The what now?"

"Well I know you said you saw the Field of Deadly Fates, so I just figured you'd maybe seen the other movies." Luz explained.

"Luz, I never saw the Field of Deadly Fates. I had just read about it in Good Witch 2 during the Grand Wizard's Tournament," Amity responded.

"But when we had that grudgby match a few weeks ago and you told me about the time you tried the thorn vault you said you'd watched it!"

"I was wondering why you'd said watched instead of read, but no, I just remembered reading about it in the book. Wait, do you mean the Good Witch Azura has crystal ball adaptations in the human realm?" Amity couldn't hold back the excited hitch in her voice.

"Well, not exactly. They're just regular movies. I have all of them on DV…D" Luz paused at that last word, and Amity had seen the look on her face enough times to know that she was finally putting the pieces together. "Oh right, of course if you guys have crystal balls, you wouldn't be able to watch them, since we use DVDs and TV's instead!" Amity knew by this point that if she started asking Luz about these strange human words she'd quickly get overwhelmed by a sea of weird terms and jargon that she hadn't the faintest clue about. Nevertheless, Luz was so cute when she had these mid-sentence realizations, and Amity let out a soft chuckle.

"Well hey, if you ever get the portal door back open, maybe you can show me some of these moo-fies," Amity offered. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she realized what she'd said, and it was apparent that Luz did too. Her face fell, going from jovial to crestfallen in an instant. If she opened the portal door. Amity's mind quickly scrambled to find a way to fix what she'd just said. Not having time to weigh her options, she quickly placed a hand on Luz's shoulder and reassured her, "And any day now, you'll get that portal open. I believe in you."

"Yeah, I'm sure I will," Luz replied, but all the cheeriness normally present in her voice was absent. She slumped over and leaned her head on Amity's shoulder, letting out a terse and exasperated sigh before turning her focus back to her book. Amity's thoughts clashed with each other. Normally, she'd be overjoyed at the physical contact. Luz was a very touchy person, and even though she knew it probably meant nothing, she always enjoyed the feeling of the other girl leaning into her. On the other, she knew that her words had caused the suddenly somber mood Luz was in. Luz had done so much to help Amity feel genuine happiness; she wasn't going to be the cause of her friend's lowered spirits. Amity wasn't entirely sure how to cheer Luz up, but she knew she had to try.

"Hey," she began, running a hand up to comb through Luz's short hair. Was this going too far? Oh Titan, she hoped not! It just seemed like the natural thing to do, and it felt so good! Amity forced herself to focus on her words. "You're going to make it back home. It may not be easy, but a great witch once told me that 'We can fix this together.'" Luz looked up at her. There were tears forming in the corners of her eyes, but there was a faint smile on the girl's face. It was a start! "Say it with me now! We can fix this together!" Luz weakly echoed her words, and Amity kept repeating the phrase until the tears in Luz's eyes had dried and she let out a soft laugh.

"Thanks Amity, I needed that. Sorry for going all downer mode during our book club. I should probably head back to the Owl House though: Eda might have some chores for me to take care of tonight." Amity wanted to protest, to try to convince Luz to stay. It was obvious that Luz's thoughts were still weighing heavy on her, and she had only barely stopped crying. But a little nagging voice in her head told her not to, that she needed to stop smothering Luz with her presence. The more rational part of her brain tried to argue that Luz was her friend, and that she wouldn't mind the extra company.

The argument inside Amity's head came to a screeching halt as Luz wrapped her arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug, and all of her attention turned to this amazing girl holding her. She was glad that Luz couldn't see the way her face flushed beet red. Amity hoped this would never end, but unfortunately it was not to be. Luz pulled away after some time and got up, saying, "Bye Amity! I'll see you tomorrow at school!"

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow too," came Amity's faint response. Luz gave a small wave before making her way out of Amity's secret room.

Amity stayed behind to tidy up her hideout, not wanting to leave it a mess before she left. As she did, she mulled over her thoughts. Luz was obviously taking the loss of the portal door harder than she let on, and it broke Amity's heart that she couldn't do anything to help. She owed Luz for how much the human had done to help her grow both as a witch and as a person. And even further than that, she wanted to help Luz. Her smile was a radiant beacon for Amity, her voice a soothing melody, and most importantly, when Luz was around, Amity actually felt happy. She would do anything to return the favor to Luz. Once her hideout was cleaned up, Amity pulled out her scroll and sent a message to Emira.

Hey, Em, I need to stay out a little bit late tonight. Could you cover for Mom for me?

I don't know Mittens, that depends on why you're staying out so late ;)

I just need to take care of a few extra errands at the library, nothing crazy.

Suuuuuuuure. That's why you're coming to me instead of just telling Mom this…

…

Fine

One of my friends is going through a lot right now and I wanna be there for them

Uh huh. And does this friend happen to be a human that lives with a wanted criminal outside of town?

EMIRA

WILL YOU HELP ME OR NOT

Of course Mittens! Your secret is safe with me!

And Edric of course

Oh and tell Luz I said hi!

Amity pinched the bridge of her nose. Did she want to deal with the consequences of her mother finding out she went to the Owl House for the evening? Of course not. Was keeping that information hidden from her worth having to deal with her siblings? That one was up for debate. But at least now they were trying to help her instead of just making her life even worse. Just another thing Amity could thank Luz the Human for, it seemed.

Thankfully, Amity had made the trip to the Owl House enough times that she knew the way. It didn't take long for her to reach the edge of Bonesborough, but the sun was already hanging low on the horizon, and the clouds were rolling in. By the time she reached the home of the infamous Owl Lady, the last rays of light were losing their grip on the horizon. Only one obstacle stood in the way of Amity and her crush. In front of her was Hooty, the impossibly annoying house demon that was the bane of every trip here.

"Oh, Hiya Amity! Are you here to see Luuuuuuuuuz?" He asked, shooting his head out right in her face and wiggling his entire body as he said Luz's name. Amity sighed and let out an exasperated "Yes, I am. Now will you please just let me in?"

"I don't know. She seemed pretty down in the dumps when she came home, and when I asked what happened she just said she was at a book club with you. Sounds to me like you might be the reason that she's not doing so well." Hooty said. Amity let her head sink low. Hooty was right, after all. Her slip up had reminded Luz that she was trapped here in the demon realm, and that was the impetus for her bad mood.

"Yeah, I… I kinda messed up. But I wanna make it up to her. Please, Hooty. Give me a chance to prove myself to her." Hooty spent a few moments in deep contemplation before excitedly yelping, "Okay!" The door to the Owl House swung open and, to Amity's relief, neither the Owl Lady nor her former mentor Lilith was in the living room. Amity quickly made her way up the stairs, knowing exactly the way to get to Luz's room. When she got there, she saw the door was slightly ajar.

Still not wanting to just barge into her crush's room, she softly knocked on it. From the other side of the door she heard Luz call out, "Come on in!" Amity did just that, stepping into Luz's room to find it was missing one human. She looked around for a moment, trying to find Luz. "Amity!" She was startled by Luz calling her name and looked towards the source of the sound to see her head poking inside the window from the roof. "What are you doing here?"Luz sounded excited to see her, thank the Titan, so it seemed that she hadn't completely ruined their friendship with her careless word choice.

"I wanted to make sure you're doing alright. And… I'm sorry for what I said. I should have thought more about what I was saying before I opened my mouth," Amity said. Luz gave her a quizzical look.

"Amity, there's no need to apologize, you didn't do anything wrong," Luz replied. "I kinda just have been in a funk today anyways. Eda's mom came to visit earlier and it just… made me think of my mom."

"Oh," was all Amity could think to say. She wasn't exactly sure why she was surprised to discover that Eda had a mother. Bringing her focus back to what was important, she offered, "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Sure!" Luz said, with far more excitement in her voice than Amity had expected. "Please, Lady Blight, accompany me to my rooftop and I shall regale you with a tale of my exploits in assisting the fair maidens of the House of Clawthorne!" She declared in the voice she always used when reading Azura aloud. What Amity meant when she asked if Luz wanted to talk was if she wanted to talk about the feelings she was having being separated from her mother. But, whether it was an honest misunderstanding, or a deliberate attempt to change the subject, Luz wanted to tell her about her crazy adventure today, not the issue that was clearly weighing heavily on her mind. And Amity would take any chance to get to hear Luz talk about her adventures, especially since she was finally starting to sound a little bit more like her normal, cheery self. Letting out a soft giggle, she took Luz's hand and climbed through the window, before lying down on the roof next to Luz.

She listened for what both felt like forever and no time at all to Luz, who explained how Eda's mother had come by claiming to know a cure for the Owl Lady's curse, only to find out after the curse had transformed both Eda and Lilith into their beast forms that she'd been scammed. Amity hung on Luz's every word, enraptured by her storytelling, her voice, the exaggerated gestures she'd constantly make. Everything Luz did was just so incredible to Amity.

Titan, she had it bad.

So lost was she in admiring Luz that she hadn't really noticed that Luz had stopped talking and was now just staring aimlessly at the night sky. When she did finally take note of that, she realized she should probably say something. She didn't want Luz to think she hadn't been listening to her story, because she had! It just so happened to only be the second most fascinating thing on her mind.

"That's absolutely crazy. I'm surprised you still made time to join me for our book club this afternoon. You know I wouldn't have blamed you if you told me, 'Hey, I just had to help defeat two enraged monsters, I'm a little bit too tired today,' right?"

"Yeah, but I wanted to go," Luz shrugged. "I had been looking forward to seeing you all day." This girl. This amazing, wonderful girl! Was she aware that she had just completely melted Amity's heart? Did she really mean that in the way Amity hoped she did? Amity felt the heat rising to her cheeks again, but thankfully, for some reason, Luz wasn't looking her way, so she didn't seem to notice how obviously flustered Amity was.

"Well, thanks Luz. I always look forward to spending time with you too." Wait, why did she say that? Oh Titan she was being way too forward, what would Luz say? What would she think? Amity went beet red.

"Really?" Luz asked. Amity chanced a glance over, and saw Luz with an almost incredulous expression. Oh no, she had misread the signs! Of course there was no way Luz was actually interested, and now she was coming on way too strong! Amity needed to fix this, and fast!

"Well, yeah, you're one of my best friends! Of course I like hanging out with you! After all, we are best friends that do normal best friend stuff!" She said with a dismissive tone that probably wouldn't fool anyone.

"Yeah, that makes sense," Luz said, and she sounded almost… sad? Amity looked over to Luz, who was staring back up at the sky. Luz let out a long sigh and said, "You know, when I first came here, I thought this place was terrifying. I mean, there is a lot of stuff that tries to eat me here," She laughed that absolutely delightful laugh, "and it was a big shock for me. But over time, I realized that for as harsh and scary as the Isles might look, if you get to know them, you'll see that they're absolutely breathtaking." There was a wistful note in Luz's voice. "I'm really glad I stuck around here, despite everything that's happened. There's so much beauty in this world I wouldn't have experienced if I had just gone back home right away."

Amity had been staring at Luz the whole time, thinking about how similarly her words reflected her feelings towards the girl saying them. She nearly jumped when she saw Luz turn her head to face her, and Amity could almost swear she saw a similar look in her eyes. Was it actually possible that Luz felt the same way? Her mind had flip flopped on the answer so many times, but Amity wanted to take a chance. Unfortunately, that voice in the back of her head that was always telling her that there was no way Luz could return her feelings kept gnawing at her consciousness, and before she could act, the moment was over. Luz had focused her gaze back up to the sky. Amity followed her gaze upwards, but there was nothing to be seen up there. The clouds that had been rolling in earlier were now casting a blanket over the Isles and obscuring the night sky.

"It's a shame we can't see the stars tonight. They're usually so pretty," Amity mentioned.

"That's okay," Luz shrugged, "I know this sounds weird, but sometimes it's almost like I can still feel them up there, shining down on us." She let out an embarrassed laugh and Amity couldn't help but to laugh along with her. She may not have been able to feel the stars like Luz, but lying out here on the roof of the Owl House, staring up at the night sky with the most incredible girl she'd ever met, Amity was certain she felt something.

She wanted to just sit up, look Luz dead in the eye, and tell her right to her face, "I think you're adorable, I have since before Grom, and I need you to know that!" but she just couldn't bring herself to make that leap. What if Luz didn't feel the same way? What if her confession scared her off? Amity didn't think she could handle hurting their friendship by trying to be more than what they already were. So instead, she settled on a more safe and tepid response. "And how, exactly, can you feel the stars?" She was curious about Luz's statement, and she worded it with a soft chuckle, taking effort not to sound dismissive.

Luz began to tell her about how when she was younger, she'd found a book detailing constellations in the human realm, and how she'd spent many nights in her backyard stargazing and learning to spot the constellations she'd read about in the night sky. It was such a sweet little story, and Amity tried to picture a little Luz Noceda on the back porch of her house in her strange human realm, trying to decipher the vast and obtuse puzzle that was the sky. She found that surprisingly comparable to her current situation.

Amity had never had a proper crush before, let alone a relationship. Sure, she'd seen a couple of girls at school that she thought were cute, but she'd been so preoccupied with maintaining her status as top student to even consider them at all. But Luz was different. She had barged her way into Amity's life and turned it upside down in such a way that Amity couldn't help but truly notice her. And that left Amity in a position that deeply frightened her: she knew next to nothing about dating or having a relationship, but that was suddenly all that she wanted. Honestly this whole situation was so foreign and unknown to her that Amity sometimes wished Luz would just kick her in the shins and leave. At least then she wouldn't be stuck in these uncharted waters.

That wasn't exactly fair to say. Amity definitely didn't want to lose Luz, far from it! She just wasn't used to being this awkward around someone. She was normally the most cool and composed person in a room at any given time; it was a trait her mother had instilled in her from a young age. So to see herself get so flustered around Luz, constantly losing her composure and stuttering over her words, terrified her. If her mother saw the way she acted around Luz, she'd say that Amity was making herself vulnerable. And vulnerability is just a fancy word for weakness, and if there was anything Odalia had taught her kids, it was that Blights don't show weakness.

But maybe her mother wasn't so right about everything. Since Luz came into her life, Amity had begun reconsidering where her priorities lie for her future. She had started to realize that she didn't really care about getting into the Emperor's Coven; that was just Odalia's dream being thrust upon her. When Amity thought about what she personally wanted, she realized that she didn't really care about the status of being a Blight or the power of joining the Emperor's Coven. No, the only real constant in her future was that she wanted Luz to be in it.

Amity's biggest problem though was that for every way she could see that happening, there were five ways everything could go horribly wrong. She was at a crossroads, and she didn't know which path to take that would ensure that Luz would stay in the picture. And if she chose the wrong path, then that was it. She couldn't take it back, and that was what frightened her the most; she didn't want to do something stupid and lose the most incredible person she'd ever known.

Luz was still explaining the constellations back in her human realm and, despite knowing nothing about their stars, she was trying to pay attention and remember them, if only because it was something important to Luz. She had explained how the handle of the "Big Dipper" had something called a "north star" and how it was apparently extremely important in navigation. Apparently the human constellations were also named after human legends, like "Orion," which was about some famous hunter in an ancient human civilization. The topic, though confusing for someone with little knowledge of humans, was fascinating.

Amity made some light conversation with Luz, trying to make sure she understood what Luz was explaining to her. After a while, they fell off topic, and began to just chat. Amity wasn't sure how long they stayed up there making small talk. It didn't escape her that as the night rolled on and the temperature outside dropped to just the slightest chill, Luz kept slowly shifting closer to Amity until they were practically cuddled up together. Amity asked herself the same question she seemed to be constantly asking herself lately: was this a sign? Was Luz creeping closer because she genuinely wanted to be close to Amity, or because she was cold and didn't have nearly the personal bubble that Amity did?

Amity loved getting to spend time with Luz like this, but Titan could moments like this be frustrating to her. She was so sick of constantly beating around the bush like this. She wished she could say something and just tell Luz how she felt. She wanted so badly for Luz to either pull her into a kiss right now, or tell her that they'd only ever be friends, just so that she could know where they stood. But try as she might, she just couldn't work up the courage to say anything. She hoped that Luz just felt the same way, and that was why neither of them seemed to be able to make a move.

Amity's hope was fueled when Luz finally snuggled up right against her. Her fear of ruining whatever this was between them may not have let her try to go any further than this, but by the Titan did it feel amazing to have Luz lying next to her. Resigned to accepting she couldn't work up the courage to confess her feelings, Amity tried to put her worries aside and just enjoy this peaceful moment with Luz.

~~Two Months Later~~

Consciousness came slowly to Amity. She wasn't woken by an alarm, so that must have meant it was a day she had off, and she wanted to take advantage of that by waking up on her own terms. Besides, her bed was warm today, warmer than normal, and that only served to make her want to stay in it longer. Autumn had begun to set in, and with it the nights were starting to get chilly. Amity shuffled around in bed, only to discover that something was blocking her from doing so. Confused, she tried to find the source of whatever was keeping her from rolling onto her back, grumbling out something incomprehensible as she did. As she did, she felt her blanket constrict around her stomach and heard a voice say "Good morning, sleepyhead! I was worried you were going to sleep through our big day!"

That jolted Amity awake, and suddenly everything made sense. The reason why she couldn't roll on her back and why her bed was so warm was because Luz was in it. Her blankets weren't squeezing her, Luz was cuddling with her! But, not that she was complaining, why and how was Luz in her bed? And what was this about a big day? Amity felt Luz shift a little bit behind her and plant a soft kiss on her jawline, and oh Titan, she could get used to this. She reached down and took Luz's hand in her own, bringing it up to her mouth and kissing it in return. She didn't let go of Luz's hand afterwards either. It felt so soft and fit so well in her own, and even just that simple touch sent an electric jolt up her arm. "Mmmmf. Big day can wait. Yeah

More snuggles."

Complete sentences could also wait until she had woken up more. For now, Amity figured she got the point across. Luz acquiesced to her request, and Amity let out a soft hum as she felt her girlfriend wrap herself closer. "Okay, querida, but we can't sleep in too long. I had a lot planned for our date today!" That's right! Amity's eyes went wide as she remembered exactly what the aforementioned big day was, and why Luz was in bed with her. Luz was finally taking her on that mundane, slice of life date today! She'd been keeping the exact details a secret, but Amity knew she had a whole day planned for the two to spend together. And what's more, she'd gotten the okay from Camila for the two to share a bed for the weekend! That was why she woke up in Luz's arms, and why she could look forward to the same thing happening again tomorrow.

"I knowwww," Amity complained, before rolling over to face Luz. "But I wanna cuddle with you. You're warm and comfy, and the world is so cold and harsh," She joked. To punctuate her sentence, she gave Luz a small kiss on the lips, smiling when she saw that that still brought a flush to her girlfriend's face.

"If you think you can win me over to your side just by kissing me then you're… absolutely right," Luz had a voice of mock sheepishness to her voice that sent Amity into an uncontrollable fit of giggles. She was only stopped when she felt Luz's lips press against her own. Amity leaned into the kiss, raising a hand to cup Luz's face as she did, before the thought that Luz thought that was a good time to kiss her sent her into another giggling fit. She heard Luz do the same, and it wasn't long before the two were tucked into each other's shoulders, giggling helplessly at practically nothing. And Amity couldn't possibly imagine wanting anything other than this.

How had she been so lucky to end up with someone like Luz? Titan knew she definitely did enough to sabotage any chance she had when they first met. That was just one of the many, many things she loved about Luz, though. She never gave up on Amity, even when almost anyone else would have. Putting aside their relationship, so much of her life would have been worse off without the human's interference. She'd still be hanging out with Boscha and her crew, instead of rekindling her friendship with Willow and finding a great new friend in Gus. She'd never have had the courage to stand up to her parents. And worst of all, she probably would have been a new recruit in the Emperor's coven on the Day of Unity, instead of helping to stop Belos's awful plans.

The thought was sobering enough to quiet her giggling. She let out a final contented sigh into Luz's shoulder before whispering in her ear, "Hey batata?"
"What is it, sweet potato?"

"I love you," Amity hummed. Luz's arms around her tightened as she whispered back, "I love you too." There was something so special about Luz saying those words. Maybe it was because she'd heard them more from Luz than her own parents; maybe it was because she still felt so lucky every time it was affirmed that Luz cared for her as deeply as she cared for Luz. It didn't really matter why though. What did matter was that even after hearing it so many times, every "I love you" that slipped past Luz's lips made Amity's heart flutter just as much as the first time.

Amity planted a kiss right below Luz's ear and asked, "So what do you have planned for our big day?" Luz let out a soft chuckle and turned to look at Amity with a sly grin.

"If I told you that now, I'd be ruining the surprise! You'll just have to get up to find out!"

"Okay, but only if we get to snuggle longer tomorrow morning."

"Of course, mi amor. We won't do anything else all morning!"

Amity decided that these were fair terms, and, begrudgingly, she untangled herself from Luz so that the two of them could get up. Luz was quick to her feet, but Amity was still in the process of fully waking up and took a little longer to get up. That was nothing that a nice, hot shower couldn't fix though, and by the time she and Luz were done getting ready for the day she felt awake, alert, and excited to see where Luz was going to take her.

Amity dressed herself in a patterned tunic she'd found when Camila had taken everyone shopping shortly after their arrival in the human realm. She matched it with a pair of leggings and a jacket tied around her waist in case it got cold later on. And of course she couldn't forget the headband she wore every time she went out to cover her ears. When she finished getting ready, she stepped into the living room, where Luz was already waiting for her on the couch.

Immediately, the girl sprang to her feet and bound over to Amity. Luz was wearing Eda's grudgby jacket (as she had pretty much every day since Eda had given it to her) over a striped tee shirt and a pair of fitted black pants. Suddenly, it felt like all the air had just escaped from Amity's lungs as Luz approached her. How was she always so beautiful, and how had Amity been lucky enough for Luz to fall for her? And then Luz took Amity's hands in her own and said, "Oh my gosh you look so pretty in that, amor!" And it took everything in Amity's power to not just melt on the spot.

"You look really good too," She replied, congratulating herself for having enough composure at least to speak. Luz beamed, and Amity couldn't contain herself. She had to kiss that adorable face right now. Amity gave her a quick peck on the cheek before asking, "So where did you want to take me today?"

"You'll see, querida. But I don't wanna ruin the surprise yet!"

Amity giggled before playfully rolling her eyes and smiling at Luz. "Alright then. Will you accompany me through this strange and unknown town of Gravesfield, my fearless champion?" She asked, putting on the voice she always used when they'd read Azura together.

A coy grin came over Luz's face as she responded, with her own Azura-reading voice, "Of course, fair Lady Blight. Though I daresay that any perils in this realm shall stay their blade around us, for I would move the moon and the stars before I let our date be anything but the two of us enjoying ourselves." Was Luz's speech unbelievably cheesy? Oh, definitely. But Amity loved every word of it. It was so genuine, so romantic, and so undeniably Luz. Titan, she loved this girl so much.

"Your conviction is quite assuring, Champion Noceda. Shall we be off then?" Amity asked, and Luz gave a quick nod before wrapping her arm around Amity's and calling out to her mom that they were leaving. From elsewhere in the house the voice of Camila rang out, "Alright you two! Have fun on your date!" There was a brief pause before she added "And don't do anything you wouldn't tell me about!"

That caused Amity's face to flush bright red, and, glancing over, it had the same effect on Luz. "¡Claro, mamá! Nos vemos!" She shouted back, and quickly ushered Amity out the door before Camila got the chance to embarrass them further. The crisp autumn breeze nipped at Amity's face, and she was suddenly very glad that she'd thought to bring along a jacket of her own. She shivered slightly, but obviously enough for Luz to notice, because she unwound her arm from Amity's and threw it over the witch's shoulder, pulling her in close.

"Okay, our first stop is right up the road a little bit," Luz said. "And with this weather, I think you're going to like it!" Truthfully, it didn't matter to Amity what the weather was like, or what it was. So long as it was something she was doing with Luz, she would enjoy it. She let Luz lead the way, tucking her head into the crook of the girl's neck and letting her warmth radiate onto her.

Luz wasn't lying when she said that they were just heading right up the road. Her house was only a few blocks from downtown Gravesfield. Amity hadn't had many opportunities to get outside yet, and most were to the mall on the other side of town, which was an interesting place for sure, but it felt so alien to her. But downtown was a beautiful collection of brick buildings that Amity found almost reminiscent of Bonesborough. Various shops lined the sidewalks with colored awnings above their doors and cute displays in the windows. Amity was so lost in taking in the town that she almost didn't notice Luz rounding the corner, letting out a surprised yelp as she felt her girlfriend change directions.

"Sorry," Luz said with a chuckle, "I didn't mean to startle you! Where we're going is right over this way!" Amity followed her just a bit further down the sidewalk to a place called the Bean There Cafe. Luz was practically jumping in excitement, proclaiming that Amity was in for one of the most romantic places to start a date in all of Conneticut. And the moment they stepped into the small coffee shop together, nearly all of Amity's senses were flooded with proof that Luz knew what she was talking about.

The first thing she noticed was the temperature. In contrast to the biting autumn air outside, walking inside was like being wrapped in a warm blanket. And then there was the smell. The Cafe had a pleasant aroma of rich, nutty coffee, warm and fresh pastries, and the faintest notes of some flowers. Soft light poured in from the front windows onto light beige walls and dark hardwood flooring. Various potted plants placed throughout the shop contrasted nicely against the earthtones of the furniture, and delicious baked goods were placed neatly on display in a glass case on the counter. Slow, calming, and tranquil music quietly played from all around the room.

"Luz, this place is beautiful!" Amity exclaimed as she took the atmosphere of the cafe in. She felt the arm Luz had wrapped around her midsection faintly squeeze before Luz piped up, "I'm glad you like it! But you haven't even tried the food yet! You're in for a treat, hermosa!" Judging by the smells wafting throughout the little shop, Amity had full confidence that Luz was telling her the truth.

The two approached the counter. Amity took one look at the menu and was greeted by a list of long, strange looking words she'd never seen before. What in the titan's name was an americano or a cappuccino? She stared at the menu for a moment, utterly confused, before Luz told her not to worry and that she'd take care of ordering for them. She ordered two hot chocolates, one without cream, a blueberry coffee cake, and a raspberry scone. After fishing around to find the snails - no, it was called cash in the human realm! - to pay, the person behind the counter took their names and told them their order would be ready soon.

Luz took Amity to a small table by the window and they sat down on the surprisingly comfortable chairs. Amity looked out the window, taking in the quaint beauty of oldtown Gravesfield. When she turned her gaze back inside, she saw that Luz's eyes were fixed on her, and they had a look of utter adoration to them. Amity felt a blush creeping into her cheeks and a goofy grin came across her face. She took Luz's hands in her own before asking, "So what did you order us?"

"Oh, you're going to love it! It's this really sweet and warm drink with like a ton of cream in it, though I can't have that because I'm allergic to dairy, and then I got us a couple of pastries!" Okay, that sounded really good. Amity couldn't wait to try it, and thankfully, she didn't have to. Only a minute or two later (which went by very fast when Amity spent it making small talk with Luz and admiring just how pretty she was), she heard the barista - that was what Luz had called them, anyways - call out, "Got two hot chocolates for Lucy and Andy?"

"That's probably us," Luz said, and she got up to retrieve their order. Moments later, she came back holding a tray with two lidded cups and a small paper bag. It all smelled incredible, and Amity took a good long whiff of her cup as she grabbed it. Before actually trying the hot beverage in her hands though, Amity gave Luz a confused look and asked, "So what was all that with the names?"

"Oh, that's actually completely normal, especially here. They're always getting people's names wrong. Last time they thought my name was Luke!" The two shared a laugh at that before Luz reached into the bag, pulled out a small triangular pastry, and handed it to Amity. "Here," she said, "You gotta try their scones. They're so good!" Amity took a bite of the scone, and her tastebuds were flooded with flavor. It was soft, warm, and sweet, but also just a bit tart. Amity couldn't remember the last time she'd had something this good. After swallowing it, she said, "Thank you Luz. This is so delicious!"

"If you think that's good, you should try the hot chocolate!" Luz responded, raising her cup to take a sip of her own drink. She lifted it and placed the lid to her lips in one suave motion before quickly and suddenly jerking her head back and exclaiming "Ow! Hot! Maybe wait a minute to try it though!" Amity couldn't help but break into another fit of giggling. Luz might have failed miserably at trying to look cool, but she had managed to be completely adorable in doing so.

"Awww, did you burn your tongue? If it's still hurting later, maybe I can kiss it to make it better," Amity said impulsively, and Luz went completely red. And then Amity realized what she'd just said, and he blush easily matched her girlfriend. Luz tried to stammer something out, choking on every word she seemed to find, and Amity buried her face in her hands, the sheer embarrassment of having said something that forward overwhelming her.

"Can we just forget I ever said that?" Amity pleaded.

"Oh no," Luz responded, finally gaining some of her composure back, "I'm going to remember you saying that forever!" Amity sunk into her seat, hoping that if she did she'd just disappear. "Besides, I think I really hurt my tongue. It might keep hurting for a long time. I might need someone to stay by my side and help me heal." Luz had put on a playful tone and forced a chuckle out of Amity. At least she never had to worry about being the biggest dork in a room as long as she was with Luz.

Luz put her cup to her lips again and this time made a big show of blowing into the cup before taking a very small sip. Amity followed her example, taking her own cup and blowing into it. Steaming hot air jetted out from a tiny hole in the center of the cup, and Amity took the smallest sip of her drink. It was fantastic: sweet, rich, creamy, and hot. The flavor paired incredibly with her scone, and as she took another bite of the pastry Luz joked, "I guess I don't need to ask if you liked it?"

"This is wonderful Luz."

"Yeah, well you're wonderful, so I figured it's the least I could do for you."

"Aww, that's so sweet Luz. But I hope you didn't think you have to do this for me-"

"Oh no, don't worry. I only did it because I want to. I love you so much Amity."

"I love you too," Amity smiled. Her gaze was affixed to Luz's beautiful chocolate eyes, so full of love and warmth, and it was obvious that Luz was doing the same. She had a dopey and dreamy grin plastered across her face, and her head was resting on her hand, propped up with an elbow on the table. It brought Amity a sense of petty satisfaction to know that not only had her girlfriend been a wanted criminal on the Boiling Isles, but she also seemed to have no regard for the "proper" table manners Odalia had instilled in Amity.

Amity was vaguely aware of the scone in front of her that her stomach was begging for more of, but she didn't want to break this magical moment with Luz. Unfortunately, Luz's phone took care of that when it started buzzing and ringing. Luz picked it up and quickly exclaimed, "Oh crud! We gotta go if we're going to get to everything on time!"

"Wait, but we just sat down! Don't you wanna eat?"

"We can on the way to the next place, but it's on the other side of town, and we need to catch the bus before it's gone!" Luz was already on her feet, and Amity figured that was a fair enough reason, so she got up too. Before grabbing her hot chocolate and scone though, she untied her jacket from her waist and put it on. Leaning against Luz may have provided some warmth on the walk over here, but it was certainly not enough to keep the chill from reaching her arms. She grabbed her food and drink and accompanied Luz out the door.

The ways humans got around were… strange. Amity had thought as much any time she got in Camila's car, but now, riding one of these bus things with Luz, she found herself deeply missing being able to just ride Ghost whenever she needed to travel further than a walking distance. Still, at least she was sitting right next to Luz, her head resting on her girlfriend's shoulder, and Luz's leaning back against her. In one hand she held her hot chocolate, occasionally taking a small sip from it, and in the other she held Luz's hand.

When they'd gotten on the bus, Luz refused to answer where they were actually headed; she'd only told Amity that they were headed a few miles up the road. She wanted to pry further, but with how cryptic Luz had been about this day ever since she'd started planning it, Amity knew it would be pointless. Instead, she just focused on enjoying the ride. For as weird as the bus was, it was actually quite comfortable. The ride was much smoother than the occasional ratworm wagon she'd ridden before and a vent above her blew warm air to keep the fall chill outside.

Occasionally, Amity would look out the window. They were well outside of downtown Gravesfield, and they were now passing a mottled mix of quaint houses, small shops, and gas stations. The autumn leaves blanketed the ground, a kaleidoscope of reds, oranges, and yellows that almost reminded Amity of the pleasant auburn grass back home. At one point they passed by someone who was out in his yard raking everything into a single pile, and Luz was eager to tell Amity about how when she was a kid, she always loved to jump into the piles of leaves. The image of Luz as a little kid making a mess of herself and playing in them warmed her heart and brought a smile to her face.

Eventually, the bus rounded a corner and a number of people began shuffling around and getting ready to get up, including Luz. "Alright, amor, we're here!" Amity looked out the window and saw a number of large buildings next to a sign that read 'Wampano University.'

"You're taking us to a school?" Amity asked with a hint of trepidation.

"Oh no, we're going just across the street from here! This is just the main bus stop because the college is right there." Amity tried to look out the other window but she couldn't see past the people already standing up and crowding their way into the aisle. Luz was also starting to stand up, and Amity joined her once the vehicle came to a stop. They shuffled their way off the bus, and the moment Amity felt the cold air envelop her again, she took a long, delightful drink of her hot chocolate.

Luz took her free hand again and led her to a crosswalk, and while they waited for the traffic of people entering and leaving the college to slow down enough for them to cross the street, Amity took a look at where they were headed. A beautiful forest lie before her, with two massive hills in the center. A small valley looked to be cut between them as both hills had small rocky cliffs facing each other. " What is this place?" Amity asked with wonder.

"It's called the Sleeping Titan State Park. Not quite as cool as the Titan, but it's still a really nice place!"
"Wait, is it actually a titan's corpse then?"

"Oh no, we don't have titans here! Whoever named it just seemed to think it looked like a giant taking a nap and decided to name it that."

Amity hummed softly at that, and the two finally found their opening to cross the street. Amity fell back into her favorite position of walking while tucked into Luz as they stepped back onto the sidewalk and made their way towards the entrance of the park. Luz explained that there were a whole bunch of trails, but she really wanted to take the one that went to the top of the nearer hill. The round trip was only a couple of miles and the view from the top was well worth the climb.

They made their way into the park, walking on the side of a narrow road into the forest. The trees still had enough of their leaves to weave a beautiful mosaic of colors above them, but the foliage was also thin enough that the late morning sun had no problem reaching the ground. Leaves crunched underneath Luz and Amity's feet as they walked. Amity clung to Luz's arm, letting her lead the way again as she let her gaze wander and take in the majesty of the woods.

"This is so beautiful," Amity breathed.

"Un hermoso paseo para una hermosa bruja," Luz responded nonchalantly.

"A beautiful… something… for a beautiful witch?" Amity asked, still not all too familiar with Spanish. She at least knew that last part though, and she felt all the blood in her body rush the cheeks as she parsed it out.

"Yep! A beautiful walk for a beautiful witch!" Luz confirmed, and then gave Amity a quick peck on the cheek. Even with the cold, Amity felt as if she was about to melt right then and there. She responded with a quick, chaste kiss on Luz's soft lips and smiled when she saw that Luz was now having a similar reaction.

The road eventually led the pair to a small parking lot. A wide trail jutted off, leading to a few covered rows of picnic tables and a large map on display. The pair approached the map and Amity began to study it, taking note of the web of trails throughout the park. Myriad colors formed a complex lattice, and the marked trails were a varying mix of solid, dashed, and dotted lines that had Amity constantly glancing down to the legend to figure out just what she was looking at. Several small loops were centered around this entrance to the park, while the more distant parts of the park had much more sparse trails around them.

Luz pointed to the star in the center of the map. "Okay, so we're here right now," She said, "And we're going to take this trail all the way out and up the hill, and then come back down." Her finger followed one of the lines that left the dense cluster of trails and led to a spot marked as the "lookout tower" before winding its way back to the parking lot. "Mami and I have been up this trail before. It's not super long or steep, and the view from the top is incredible!"

"Great! I can't wait to see it," Amity said. As they approached the trailhead, Luz stopped at a large trash can, downing the last of her hot chocolate and tossing it into the garbage. "This is the only garbage can we're gonna see, so unless you wanna hold onto that cup for the whole time, you might wanna finish it off now."

Amity mock pouted. "But it's so cold out here and this hot chocolate is so warm! How else am I going to stay warm?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure I could huddle up to you and keep you warm," Luz said with a smirk, seeming to be fully aware that Amity had wanted her to say exactly that.

"Well, okay, if you promise to not let me get too cold…" she trailed off before throwing back the rest of the hot chocolate. It had cooled off enough anyways by that point that she didn't have to drink it in small sips and could actually enjoy the rich, sweet flavor of the drink. She emptied the cup and tossed it into the trash can before turning back to Luz and taking her hand. "Well if that's settled, lead the way, my love," she said, taking great satisfaction in the way that Luz's eyes gleamed at being called Amity's love.

Amity wasn't the best at giving compliments. They were a rare thing in her house, and she had been raised always having to prove her own worth. Complimenting others wasn't a thing that Odalia did and so in molding Amity to be her perfect golden child she taught the girl to act the same. Amity knew now that, as with so many other things, Odalia was horribly wrong in that regard, but old habits die hard, and it was still difficult for Amity to just throw out compliments.

She knew too that Luz had not exactly had the easiest time before coming to the Boiling Isles either. She had been the subject of bullying and ridicule at her human schools, and had always felt like an outcast here. She still remembered that night after the Bonesborough Brawl when she finally truly opened up to Amity, sobbing in her arms as she laid everything bare for Amity to see. That was the night that Amity truly realized just how much she cared for Luz. It felt like something beyond just love. Like she would do anything in this world not to let Luz feel like she had before coming to the Boiling Isles. Like Luz's happiness was the most precious thing in the world, and Amity would do anything to help cultivate it.

As such, seeing the way that Luz's eyes lit up when Amity called her "her love" was even more breathtaking than all the beauty of the autumn forest. Maybe giving compliments wasn't something Amity was very good at, but if this was the reward, she would definitely try to improve on that.

With their cups disposed of, the two set out on the trail, walking side by side and hand in hand along the dirt path. Out here, in the forest proper, the pleasant, earthy smell of autumn wafted into Amity's nostrils. There was little noise save for the rustling of the trees in the wind and the satisfying crunch of the leaves in each step the girls took. Even the chilly autumn breeze was starting to grow on Amity out here. If nothing else, it gave her a good reason to stay close to Luz as they walked.

The trail continued on, and as they went deeper into the woods, it began to have a gentle incline. The path was well groomed too, making their walk feel more like a stroll through a beautiful park than a proper hike. The two fell into an easy conversation that meandered with the trail, from Amity asking about how different human forests were from the ones back home to Luz joking about how after going to the Boiling Isles, this Sleeping Titan left a lot to be desired.

"Actually, that got me thinking," Amity said, "Is it possible that Belos got to the Boiling Isles from somewhere here?"

"I'm not sure. We know he ended up in the Boiling Isles at Eclipse Lake, and I've kinda been going on the hunch that he got there from a lake here. But there aren't any lakes here, so I haven't even really thought about it. Hunter and I have been trying to find any records of his disappearance too and see if we can find his last known location, but it's kinda been a dead end. I could see what I could find about this area though!"

"I hope it helps! Is Hunter handling everything okay? I haven't talked to him a whole lot but it seems like everything that happened really messed with his head."

"Yeah, he's definitely been through a lot. We both saw a lot of things in Belos's mind that really aren't my place to talk about. I'll let him tell you guys when he's ready."

"I can't imagine what he saw there, if it's even worse than what Belos's true plans were. I know when we met at Eclipse Lake, he seemed to be dealing with a lot of issues with Belos that reminded me of Mom. I tried talking to him then but I don't think that he was really ready to confront everything yet. You know him better than me; do you think it's a good idea to bring that up around him or does he seem like he wants to put everything behind him?"

"He might not want to talk about it, but I don't think it's a bad idea to bring it up. Besides, it would probably be good for him to have a few more friends anyways. And what better friend to have than the coolest witch in both the human and demon realms!" Amity blushed at the compliment. She gave Luz a quick kiss and said, "Thanks Luz. You really are someone special, you know that?"

She meant it too. On top of being such a wonderful girlfriend, Luz had helped Amity find a whole new host of friends that were, if she was being honest with herself, were much better to hang out with than most of the people she used to. Her friendship with Willow was finally repaired to the point that there was no longer any lingering tension between the two. She had found a good friend in Gus. With him being a child prodigy at illusions, they had ended up bonding quite a bit over their shared high academic expectations. She imagined that Hunter would be a similar friend; someone who understood what it was like to have an awful parent.

Their conversation carried them up the hill and around a curve that led to a stunning vista of Gravesfield behind the college campus. Amity paused to admire it and Luz took advantage of the distraction to slink up behind her. She didn't even realize it until she felt Luz wrap her arms around her midsection from behind her. Luz's chin rested on Amity's shoulder and she whispered "If you think this is a good view, wait until we get to the tower!" Amity hummed and leaned into Luz, resting her own head on her girlfriend's.

"Can we stay here a minute though?" Amity asked. "I… really like when you hold me like this.

Luz raised a hand to Amity's chin and guided it to look at her. She was staring into Amity's eyes and Amity still couldn't get over just how warm and full of love Luz's were. "Of course, mi amor," She said, and then she was leaning in to kiss Amity, and sparks jolted from her heart to her lips as she returned the kiss. Even in the cold, dry air, Luz's lips were still so inviting and warm, and Amity just wanted this to last forever. She reached up and placed her hand on the back of Luz's head, pulling her in closer.

Luz was just as eager to deepen the kiss, and Amity was taken momentarily by surprise when she felt Luz part her lips, but was quick to follow suit. Everything about this moment just felt so right; here she was, pressed up against the girl of her dreams and being shown just how much she was loved. She wished they could just stay like this forever with their bodies together and their lips interlocked.

It was sadly not to be, however. Luz eventually pulled back, but her eyes were once again locked on to Amity's. "Te amo, Amity. Te amo más que a nadie," She said.

"More than… anything?" Amity asked, trying to parse out the Spanish she was unfamiliar with. Luz nodded, a bright grin on her face. "Te Amo también, más que a nadie. Did I get that right?"

"It's 'yo también te amo más que a nadie', but you did really well! Besides, it's always adorable to see you speak Spanish," Luz responded. Amity's cheeks flushed, and as they made their way back onto the trail, she started asking Luz all manner of questions about Spanish, who was more than happy to answer them. Luz had seemed ecstatic about Amity learning the language ever since that first time she had tried out the word "batata" as a pet name at Hexside, and her enthusiasm to help Amity learn made her a good teacher.

It wasn't long before a tall, stone building came into view. Located right at the top of the hill, the lookout tower stood an impressive four stories tall, with the top peeking just above the treeline. It almost resembled the Emperor's castle in shape, but where that had been a foreboding, grim, and nearly impenetrable fortress, this was designed for people to enjoy. Arched windows lined the walls on every floor so that there was always a clear view to the outside, with the main entrance being a wide, open archway. Whoever had designed this tower clearly had a motif they wanted to stick to, but it wasn't overbearing. Rather, the tower had a sort of rustic elegance to it.

Luz and Amity stepped into the tower, hand in hand, and made their way up the staircase to the side of the building. Amity was no stranger to physical activity, years of grudgby had ensured that, but by the final flight of stairs even she was beginning to get winded. Luz was barely keeping pace with her, huffing heavily with each step up the stairs. When they finally reached the top, Luz let out a loud "Whew!" and nearly collapsed into Amity. Amity quickly caught her and let Luz lean up against her, wrapping an arm around her waist. Even just feeling Luz's weight against her was enough to make Amity's heart race.

She wasn't sure why, even though they were dating, even though they'd confessed their love to each other, she was still down as bad as when she had been admiring Luz from afar. Truth be told though, she was glad she still felt that way. She hoped there never came a day that she wasn't enamored by every little thing that Luz did. Those butterflies in her stomach were so much more pleasant when she knew that the person causing them felt the same way towards her.

The top floor was really just the rooftop balcony. Amity led luz to the edge, where they both leaned on the thick stone banister to take in the view. Luz had been right; this was an even better view! Looking out, Amity could see the college fairly nearby, but beyond that was Gravesfield and in the distance she could see the much taller buildings of New Haven. And way out beyond that, if she squinted, Amity thought she could see a shiver of blue that was the Long Island Sound.

Amity pulled Luz in close to her and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Thank you for showing me this," she said, "It's absolutely wonderful." And it was. The autumn leaves were a motley of bright and warm colors, giving the forest canopy a color that almost reminded her of home. The gentle rolling hills tapered out as they approached the city, none of them daring to rise higher than the one they were on, giving Amity a perfect view of the area.

Luz beamed back at her. "I'm so glad you like it!" She then pulled out her phone (she was sure by this point that's what it was called) and said, "Here, let's get a picture here!" They turned around, their backs to the edge, and Luz pulled up her camera, taking a few moments to find the right angle that would capture both of them while also showing some of the gorgeous vista behind them. When she finally found it, they both smiled wide and Luz snapped the picture.

She brought her phone down and immediately pulled the picture up so they could look at it. It really was a beautiful picture, and it wasn't just because Luz was in it. Amity couldn't remember the last time she'd seen herself look so happy in a picture. The family portrait at Blight Manor was a stuffy, dull professional photo, where everyone had been instructed to look as serious and unexpressive as possible, but even on her Penstagram, Amity had always made sure to have either a smug or aloof look. She'd gone through her scroll a while ago, just before the Day Of Unity when she was grounded and stuck with nothing to do, and looked through her old photos. It was a somewhat depressing reminder of the person that she'd been for so long, especially once she went farther back to the pictures she took before meeting Luz.

But in this photo, she just looked genuinely happy. Luz's seemingly unbridled optimism had finally rubbed off on her, and the two looked so much more genuinely happy than anything Amity had seen on that trip down memory lane on her scroll. Luz tapped a few buttons on her phone, exclaiming, "Yep, that's gonna be my new background!" And sure enough, when she was done, she went to her home and there, behind all the icons for her apps, was the picture of them.

"It's a really good background," Amity said, albeit somewhat absently. Her gaze, and her mind, had wandered once again to Luz's lips. She pulled Luz into a soft, loving kiss. Luz seemed surprised at first, but quickly melted into Amity and embraced her. It was a wonderful kiss, much like the one they'd shared just a little bit earlier, but it was interrupted when Amity heard a loud clicking sound to her side. Startled, she jumped and looked in the direction it came from only to see that Luz had her hand out and had managed to snag another picture of them mid-kiss.

"I think this one will make an even better background, don't you?" Luz asked with a sly grin on her face, and Amity's heart stopped right then and there. It seemed crazy that this person, with her smooth lines that made her swoon, was also the person whose first response to their kiss after finally reuniting was, "crikey." She always seemed to bounce between being the dorkiest, most loveable nerd Amity had met and being the queen of romance.

"You're ridiculous," said Amity when she finally regained her composure.

"Yeah, but you love it," Luz teased.

"Yeah, I do. I love you, Luz."

"I love you too, Amity."

They spent a little longer gazing out at the beautiful Connecticut landscape for a little longer before Luz said, "Well, We should probably be getting back. I wanna have plenty of time for the next part of our date," Luz said, obviously taking care not to spoil what exactly the next part was. Amity nodded and followed her down the tower.

The trail back down the hill was a fair bit faster and easier, now that the gentle slope was working in their favor. It wasn't too long before they were out of the woods and back in civilization, waiting at the bus stop. While they waited, Amity asked, "So, can you tell me where we're going this time?" Fully expecting Luz to give either a cryptic answer or none at all. To her surprise though, Luz was completely straightforward.

"I sure can! We're going home!"

One bus ride later, Amity found herself snuggled up with Luz beneath a thick layer of blankets on the couch of Luz's living room. Luz was leaned back against the arm of the couch, her head resting against it. Amity was situated right in front of her, seated right between her legs and leaning back against her. Luz had one hand draped over Amity, while the other fiddled with the remote to the TV (which was yet another human device that took Amity far too long to figure out how to say). Apparently, Luz had convinced Vee to take the other witches out into town for the afternoon so that they could have their own little date here alone.

Truthfully, they weren't totally alone. Camilla was still at home, but she had agreed to let them have some time together; she just wasn't quite ready to leave the two completely unsupervised. So she was off elsewhere in the house, leaving the living room to just Luz and Amity.

Luz was browsing through something called Destiny+, sifting through the various titles popping up before groaning in frustration and pulling up a keyboard on the TV and beginning the long process of typing with a remote. G. Something with a G? The TV offered several selections that fit the description, and as Amity looked at the list she saw one name she recognized mixed in with all the strange titles she'd never heard of.

Good Witch Azura! "I remember you mentioning you'd never seen the movies," Luz said as she pressed play on the first one, "And I thought it was time we fixed that. You're in for a treat, Amity; these are some of the only movie adaptations that are actually faithful to the books!" And then she squeezed her arms around Amity and planted a kiss on the top of her head, and every synapse in Amity's brain short circuited.

And then, as if Luz was trying to keep her from being able to pay any attention to the movie, she started combing her fingers through Amity's hair. Luz's fingertips tickled Amity's scalp, each one sending its own little electric jolt through Amity. She let out a small involuntary sigh, but Luz still must have heard it. She chuckled, and Amity felt the rocking of Luz's chest underneath her as she did, as well as the gentle and soothing rumble of her voice every time she spoke up.

Truly nothing could be more heavenly than the sensation of just being so close to the love of her life. She could feel the steady rise and fall of Luz's chest beneath her and the satisfying rumble of her voice every time she said something. And she was showing Amity the Azura movies! Nobody on the Boiling Isles had ever even read them; she had long since given up hope of getting a crystal ball adaptation.

But here in the human realm, where magic and monsters were considered the stuff of fantasy, the series had been incredibly popular, according to Luz. Only the first three books had gotten movie adaptations, with the fourth currently in production. Luz had called them total blockbusters, and while Amity wasn't entirely sure what that meant, she could tell from Luz's expression that it was a good thing.

Luz pressed a button to start the movie and the screen went black. A low orchestral drone sounded out, followed shortly thereafter by a striking ascension of notes from some wind instrument Amity couldn't quite place. Accompanying them, the screen faded into a beautiful shot of rocky mountains and a verdant valley between them. The camera dropped down into the valley and began flying through it as an anthemic melody rang out. It almost reminded Amity of a scene she'd seen once in a documentary about the first winner of the Gland Prix that showed what the race was like for them as they zipped through the Forearm Forest.

The shot finally escaped the valley and Amity could scarcely believe her eyes as she took in the stunning vista before her. It was an incredible rendition of the Kingdom of Lazpa, with the glistening city of Mitilene nestled at the base of the Olympian Mountains along the Geras River. The Poet King Alcaeus's castle stood tall, rising above the rest of the city.

The camera flew towards it, zooming in on the highest balcony and towards a young woman with long, flowing coral hair. She was leaning out over the edge of the balcony, staring longingly out at the city below, when a man with a long, flowing beard and an elegantly dressed woman approached her. In the woman's hands was a wooden rod with a large orange orb affixed to the end.

"Wait," Amity said, "Are they starting the whole series off with the day that Hecate was forced to inherit the Staff of the Undying Oath? Doesn't that part of her backstory not get revealed until Book 2 when she tells Azura on the Field of Deadly Fates?"

"In the books, yeah, but with how they had to cram everything into two hour chunks for the movies, it works better showing it now instead. That moment between them is still done really well and they make sure that you can still tell Hecazura is getting set up there," Luz responded.

"Oh good, that's my favorite part of the later books," Amity said, breathing a sigh of relief. She settled in to watch the movie, resting the side of her head on Luz, who went back to gently playing with Amity's hair in one of her hands. Amity leaned into her touch and told her, "I really love it when you do that. It feels really good." She looked up to Luz, who was staring back at her with a look of such pure adoration that immediately brought a flush to her cheeks.

Luz leaned in and kissed Amity on the lips. The angle they were at made it incredibly awkward, but Amity still happily returned the kiss. She reached a hand up to tenderly stroke Luz's cheek. When their lips finally parted, Luz let out a breathy "I love you so much, Amity."

"I love you too batata. Thank you for coming into my life," Amity replied, her thumb still rubbing circles around Luz's cheekbones as she stared into the human's eyes. The smile on Luz's face was so beautiful, and Amity couldn't resist going in for another kiss, this time just a peck on the lips. She only broke eye contact with Luz when she heard the Poet King demanding that Hecate take the staff. She couldn't miss seeing one of the most iconic parts of Hecate's backstory!

"But father, I-" Hecate began, before being cut off by the Poet King himself.

"The leaf does not argue against its tree," He proclaimed, "Just as you shall not disobey me. This noble house has stood for generations. Take this staff as a royal obligation." Amity tensed up. She'd never particularly enjoyed this scene. Yes, it was important to establishing Hecate's character arc and was completely necessary, but every time she read it she just wanted Hecate to be able to be free to make her own path and not be tied down to her father's wishes. Actually seeing it was even tougher.

Luz must have noticed her tensing up, because the next thing Amity knew, both of Luz's hands were on her shoulders, lightly and rhythmically massaging them. Amity almost immediately relaxed; not only was the sensation of Luz's gentle kneading flushing all the stress from her body, but just the knowledge that for one of the first times in her life, this scene didn't mirror her own situation. She had always hoped that, like Hecate, she would meet a witch that would inspire her to finally leave behind the oppressive chains of her family ties.

And then it hit her. Titan, how had she not noticed that that was almost exactly what had happened to her!? "Hey Luz, did you ever realize how much we're like Hecate and Azura?" From behind her Amity heard a gasp

"Oh my gosh you're right! That is so cool!" Luz exclaimed, and began rambling about all the similarities they shared with the pair of characters. As much as Amity wanted to see the movie, Luz had all of her attention as she talked, with Amity chipping in every now and then to make it somewhat a conversation. By the time they finished talking about how Azura and Hecate's long awaited reunion in book 5 was almost eerily similar to the morning of the Day of Unity and turned their attention back to the movie, Azura had already ran away from home to study the ways of the Ancient Arkayne from the old witch of the woods.

Whoever was playing the part of Azura was doing a fantastic job of it; she perfectly captured the unwavering devotion to saving the world that Amity had always looked up to in Azura. She pleaded with the old witch to teach her the ways of witchcraft so that she could rescue her town from the dreaded Gildersnake. The old witch was reluctant at first, but when Azura vowed to take the Vrtuousal Oath, she finally acquiesced. She stepped away and fished around in the pocket dimension of her cape, pulling out a pristine cloak of white and purple with a matching wide-brimmed hat (yet to be adorned with Azura's signature crown) and a brilliant, white wooden staff. A great blue orb rested atop the staff, glowing faintly with the power of the souls of the previous great witches.

"I've always loved this part," Luz pipes up. "It's so cool to actually see her finally begin her hero's journey. Also it's the only time her outfit is actually clean, since it gets pretty muddy in the Bog of Immediate Regret, and they kinda cut a lot of what she does before that into a montage."

"Awww, that's a shame. The part where she rescues the pack of werekittens trapped in a treehouse is one of my favorite parts!" Amity bemoaned.

"Oh don't worry, that part is still there! And it's still great! They mostly cut out the parts where she dives deep inside herself to understand her feelings about every situation she gets into. Which makes sense; I don't think it would be all that interesting to watch Azura just sit and think after she fixed the town's Endless Fondue Fountain at the center of town."

"Yeah, you've got a good point there," Amity admitted. She took Luz's hand - the one that wasn't still combing through her hair - and brought it up to her lips to plant a kiss on it. She was rewarded when she felt Luz leaning over her to kiss her forehead in return. A wave of warmth washed over Amity, and the happiness she felt in this moment came out in a low, wistful sigh. Luz softly laughed.

"Y'know, you're really adorable when you're this gay," She said.

"Luz, I have literally always been this gay," Amity responded.

"I know," Luz said. Amity looked up and saw that Luz had the dopiest and smuggest grin she'd ever seen, and Amity couldn't help bursting into a fit of giggles. Luz didn't help things either; she was relentlessly pecking Amity with kisses all over her face and the sheer absurdity of it sent Amity into an even further fit of laughter.

When her laughter finally died down, Amity shifted around a bit and shuffled up so that her head was almost level with Luz's. "I know I keep saying this, but I really love you Luz," She said in a low voice, just barely above a whisper.

"I'm glad you say it so much, Amity. I really like hearing it, because I love you too," and Amity wasn't sure who leaned in first, but the next thing she knew, their lips were pressed against each other again. Luz's arms wrapped themselves around Amity and held her close against her, and all that Amity knew in that moment was Luz's warmth enveloping her. She reached a hand up to caress Luz's cheek, gently rubbing her thumb along her girlfriend's soft skin.

In the background, Amity could hear Hecate's voice, and in any other situation, she would have her eyes glued to this moment. It sounded like it was the first meeting between her and Azura - One of Amity's favorite parts of the first book. But Luz had her entirely, and nothing could possibly pull her away from the real-life Azura to her Hecate. And oh Titan did Luz have her. She could feel Luz's hand slowly moving its way up and down her side, and the sensation was utterly electrifying.

Amity's hand shifted back to Luz's hair, digging her fingers underneath those short strands of hair. Her thumb slowly traced the edge of Luz's ear, running back and forth along the rounded tip. She'd probably never get tired of the human's strange ears; they were adorable! But really, so was every other part of Luz. And here, being wrapped up completely in her arms, Amity knew that she had finally found a place where she finally felt at home.

On the TV, Azura was squaring up with Hecate. Hecate, tasked with raising the Gildersnake into a powerful beast for the Poet King's royal army, blocked the entrance to the great serpent's lair. Azura tried convincing Hecate to let her through so that she could save the people that were being terrorized by the Gildersnake, but she didn't realize just how much Hecate depended on succeeding in this mission. She didn't understand like Amity did, who had grown up with her own Gildersnake. Her pursuit of pleasing her parents, of being the top student, didn't just hurt her. It hurt people like Willow, who was nothing more to Odalia than an unfortunate victim of Amity's growth, just like the people of Kalloni were necessary sacrifices in the Poet King's eyes.

Azura huffed her chest and said "Then you leave me no choice! I challenge you to a witch's duel!" and, for dramatic effect, lightning chose that moment to crack across the sky, leaving a peal of thunder to punctuate Azura's words. Underneath Amity, Luz started laughing, and Amity could barely stifle her own laughter as she asked what Luz thought was so funny.

"Remember when I challenged you to a duel? Back at the Covention?" Luz asked. Amity's only response was to groan and bury her head into Luz's shoulder. She tried not to think too often of the first few times that she met Luz, and to have it brought up while in the arms of the very person that she'd tried to keep from ever learning magic made her want to just shrivel up into herself until she somehow vanished. She clutched her hands around the fabric of Luz's shirt as she suppressed the urge to scream at her younger self.

"Oh, that was so embarrassing!" Amity exclaimed. Then, a thought occurred to her. "Wait, I just remembered! I smashed King's cupcake! Oh titan, I hope he isn't still mad at me about that!"
"Don't worry, amor, he forgave you for that a while ago. You've definitely made it up to him already."

"I did? He never talked about it with me. What did I do?"

"You made his big sister the happiest girl in the world," Luz had such a warm smile as she said that, and suddenly the beating of Amity's heart was threatening to burst out of her chest. She tried to say something back, but her brain refused to remind her how to make actual words; giddy blabbering was all that came out of her mouth. Luz reached up to cup Amity's jaw and slowly guided her until their lips met again, but this kiss was short lived as the two of them burst into another fit of laughter again.

When Amity finally settled down, her head was resting on Luz's chest, listening to the soothing sound of the human's heart. It was strange: Lu's heartbeat only had two thumps instead of the normal three. Amity chalked that up to the fact that humans didn't have a bile sac. But the steady ba-dump ba-dump was so pleasant, and Amity was perfectly content to listen to it as Azura, battered and beaten from her duel with Hecate, made her way into the lair of the Gildersnake.

She may have been weakened, but Azura was still determined to see her quest through. Steeling herself, Azura delved deeper into the cave until she came upon the massive, dimly lit chamber that the Gildersnake called its home. It seemed to be sleeping, and Azura took the opportunity to launch a sneak attack on the monster. However, it seemed to do nothing to it, and the Gildersnake awoke with an angry hiss, shaking Azura off with ease. "Foolish child! I could swallow you whole!" It yelled.

"Do not underestimate me, Gildersnake, for I am the Good Witch Azura, warrior of peace!" Azura clapped back. She raised her staff high and the orb at the end of it began radiating with the power of the souls of the witches who'd taken up the staff before her. She let the energy grow until a blinding white light emanated from the staff, then she slowly pointed the tip at the Gildersnake.

Just before she could fire though, Luz shouted out, "Now eat this, sucker!" Amity shot her a quizzical look and Luz shrugged as the full force of the staff turned the entire screen white. "I've always liked to imagine her shouting that right before she slays the Gildersnake." She glanced back to the TV to see the serpent writhing in pain, and in a strange voice shouted, "Ahhhhh! My only weakness! Dying!"

Titan, how was this girl able to make Amity laugh so much?

The movie ended not long afterwards, with Azura returning to Kalloni a hero. The only person not singing her praises was Hecate, still licking her wounds from their duel. She stormed towards Azura and jabbed her in the chest with a finger. "Do you have any idea what you've done? The Poet King will want revenge for this, Whatever punishment he delivers to me for my failure will be nothing compared to what he does to your town."

"Hecate…" Azura began, taking a moment to find the words she wanted, "The Poet King is a tyrant. He makes the lives of all of us miserable, and from the sounds of it, he does the same to you. You don't need to go back. We'd be happy to have you with us." She reached out a hand, an open invitation for Hecate. The three headed witch looked tempted to take Azura up in her offer, but eventually brushed her away.

"I can't," Hecate said solemnly, turning away from Azura. "But you've shown me kindness today. I will repay that for you. The Poet King shall learn that witches from the land of Mythimna had learned of the Gildersnake and slew it. Your village shall remain safe for now. But I cannot show you the same kindness in the future." And then, in a cloud of smoke, she was gone, and Azura stared at the place she'd just been with a look of forlorn longing. The screen slowly faded to black, and the credits started to roll.

"Sooooooo, what did you think?" Luz asked.

"I think I was distracted for way too much of the movie to have a good opinion on it, but the parts I did see were great," Amity responded.

"Well, you ready for the Good Witch 2 and 3 movies then?"

"Oh, definitely!"

The second and third movies were very similar to the first, with Amity getting frequently distracted from the actual movie by Luz. Not that she was complaining; there was nothing better to Amity than the blissful feeling of just being in her girlfriend's arms. Everything else just ceased to be. The entire world was just her, Luz, and the Good Witch Azura. Her worries about making it back to the Demon Realm and seeing her family again, about stopping the Collector, or the lingering hurt of knowing just how far gone Odalia was, all of it seemed to fade away, at least for the moment, when she was with Luz.

It was something so special about Luz that Amity could never quite explain, but for as much of a walking gorenado as she could be, Amity never felt quite as safe as when she was with Luz. Maybe it was because Luz had seen the real Amity right from the start. Even despite how rude Amity had been in the beginning, Luz still gave her a chance and got to actually know her. Amity hadn't had a real friend in so long, not since Willow, and of course Luz had to go and break down the walls Amity had built up. But she was so glad that Luz did; she'd been able to grow so much as a person thanks to their friendship.

Of course, it was only inevitable that she'd develop feelings for Luz. Amity had never really paid any real attention to dating; sure, she loved a good romance story, but she lived in the real world, where happy endings like that just didn't happen. She would eventually find some girl that her parents approved of (or more likely, set her up with) and that would be that, right? But then Luz happened, and all she could think about was how much she wanted to just be with Luz. the human had completely changed her life for the better, and she wanted nothing more than to do the same for her in any way she could.

And now, here they were. Together in each other's arms. As they cuddled and kissed, arms wrapped around each other in a loving and tangled embrace, Amity couldn't stop thinking how Luz completed her. At some point, after a tender kiss spurred on by watching the fledgeling romance between Azura and Hecate, she said as much. Luz stared at her for a moment, mouth agape, and were it not for the wondrous expression in her beautiful brown eyes, Amity might have been worried by the silence.

"Amor, I feel the same way. Te amo, Amity. Tu tambien me completas," She said. Amity placed a hand on Luz's cheek and gave her a small, chaste kiss.

"I love you too," Amity said. It didn't matter how many times they said it to each other; every "I love you" felt just as special as the first, and Amity wanted to make sure that Luz would never forget the love that Amity had for her.

Vee, Hunter, Gus, and Willow arrived back home not long after the third movie ended. Luz had sent Vee a text when the movie started so that they would know approximately when it was over. Evening was fast approaching, too, so Camila had started dinner a little bit before they got back. All in all, everything was timed pretty well, and it wasn't long after Good Witch Azura 3 ended that they were all sitting down at the extended table Camila had recently bought, with a hearty bowl of Camila's sancocho de siete carnes in front of them. The stew was thick and rich - one of Amity's favorites - and even after filling herself up on it, she was still craving more.

After dinner was finished, everyone dispersed, with Luz and Vee hanging back to help Camila clean up. Amity offered to help too, but she was quickly waved away by Camila. "Aw, thank you Amity, but this kitchen just isn't big enough for four people to be crowding around each other. Amity accepted this and turned to Luz.

"Thank you for taking me on such a fantastic date today. I'm so glad we could finally do this," She said, and Luz gave her a sly grin.

"Oh, it's not over yet, sweet potato! I still have one more thing planned, and I think you're going to like it. I'll show you once I finish up here."

"I think Vee and I've got it," Camila piped up, and Vee nodded. "You two deserve to have some time together. Go on ahead, Luz."

"Oh, thank you Mami!" Luz exclaimed, wrapping Camila in a hug for a moment before returning to Amity and taking her hand. "If you'll accompany me, my fair lady Blight?" She asked in a very mock royal voice.

"Why yes, Lady Noceda, I think I shall," Amity replied in her own impersonation, and Luz led them to their room. She popped open their window and stepped outside before looking back to Amity and offering her an inviting hand to join her outside. Amity did so, despite the fact that the evening air was even colder than it had been when she went out that morning. The roof was fairly steep, so it was with slow, careful movements that Luz led Amity higher up on the roof. Thankfully, laid across the shingles was Amity's salvation from the cold: several thick layers of blankets that were all but inviting Amity to tuck herself in under them.

Thankfully there was no need for the blankets to do that, because Luz herself did as she quickly ducked under them. Amity wasted no time in joining her, snuggling up to Luz under the blankets. "Luz, when did you have time to set this up?"

"Just before dinner! I didn't actually have to go to the bathroom," Luz winked.

"You dork," Amity teased, giving Luz's hand a gentle squeeze. "So, why are we out here?"

"Well, it's a clear night, and I wanted to show you something that's really special to me." Luz looked up to the sky. "Look, you can see some of the stars starting to come out." And then it clicked for Amity. She remembered that night at the Owl House, staring up at the stars with Luz. It felt like it was so long ago, even though it had only been a couple of months.

"That's right, you used to always go stargazing, right? I remember you told me about a bunch of the constellations. There were the spoons that were also bears, and the great hunter, right?"

"Yeah!" Luz seemed surprised by how much Amity remembered. "The spoon-bears are called the Big and Little Dipper when you're talking about the bear and Ursa Major and Minor, and the hunter is Orion! We can't see them yet since the sun just set, but I'll point them out once the stars are really out!" Amity remembered how excited Luz had been the first time she explained the constellations to her and it made Amity happy to know that that interest was still there.

"Do you… remember much about that night that you told me about the stars?" Amity asked.

"Yeah, it was the day I met Eda's mom. I barely even remember what caused it, but I was in this really bad funk after we finished up our book club, and then you came by and wanted to know how I was doing, and all I could think was 'Wow, Amity actually came all the way here to cheer me up!' and I was so nervous because I couldn't tell if you were just being a good friend or if you liked me the way I liked you, and I just ended up rambling about everything."

"Aw, Luz, that's so sweet," Amity said. "I actually came so close to telling you that I had a massive crush on you that night, but I was just so worried that I was looking for signs that weren't there, and I was terrified of messing things up."

Luz chuckled. "If you had, maybe Hooty wouldn't have kidnapped us and sent us through a tunnel of love!"

Amity laughed. "Yeah, maybe he wouldn't have, but I actually really liked the tunnel of love."

"Oh, no, but it was so cheesy!" Luz groaned.

"Yeah, but I like cheesy! Especially when it's coming from you. Even if Hooty made it, it all felt so you and I loved it. At least up until you started destroying it," She gently poked Luz's ribs.

"Well, when we get back, maybe I can see if Hooty can rebuild it so we can go through it the right way," Luz suggested.

"I'd like that," Amity said, and leaned in towards Luz to kiss her. Luz turned and warmly embraced Amity, wrapping her arms around her as their lips came together. Amity traced a finger down Luz's back, one hand coming to rest on her lower back and hold the human tight against her. The chill of the autumn night was nothing to Amity when Luz was blanketing her with her warmth.

She could feel Luz's hands exploring her too, and it felt wonderful. A gentle brush down her side, a light tickle at the back of her neck: Luz had a surprisingly gentle touch that was absolutely incredible. Shivers went down her spine with every new touch, especially the ones where she felt Luz's hand on bare skin. She tried to do the same, but always found herself going back to wrapping her arms around Luz and keeping her as close as possible. It wasn't long before every part of them was entwined, their legs tangled up and interlocked.

Everything was just so… perfect. The pleasant sound of the trees rustling in the wind was all Amity could hear, save for her and Luz's heavy breaths between kisses. Their lips crashed together after each sharp inhale, with Luz seemingly just as desperate as Amity to not waste a single second on anything besides being so completely together. It was in moments like this that Amity knew Luz was completely hers, and she was completely Luz's.

It had taken Amity a good long while to be comfortable seeing things that way. For so long she'd just been Alador and Odalia's child, and that left a connotation of possession. To them, mostly Odalia really, she'd been an object that was theirs to use as needed. She wasn't her own person with her own ambitions and desires; she was only theirs, and that meant acting in accordance with their ambitions and desires.

But with Luz, it was different. For one, she made the willing and conscious decision to be Luz's, and it was reciprocated. They were equals. And they weren't in possession of the other. Their hearts were truly shared between them, and Amity knew that she could always rely on Luz just like Luz could always rely on her. They would be there to lift each other up, to comfort the other when one was sad, to simply enjoy the sensation of being with each other. It was still a new feeling to Amity, but wholly a blissful one. And it was all because of one simple truth:

"I love you," Amity breathed between kisses. "I don't know if I can ever find the words to say just how much I do, but I love you, Luz,"

"It's okay," Luz responded, "You don't need to find the words, because I love you just the same." And there that truth was. Luz had so much boundless love for her, something that Odalia lacked entirely. She was happy to call herself Luz's because she knew that Luz truly cherished her for who she was, not for what she could do or who she could become. Amity pulled her into another deep kiss, and she felt Luz 's hand against the back of her head, holding her in place as Luz cocked her own head to the side, deepening the kiss.

But yet Amity still wanted more of her. Luz's open mouth was already connected to hers, making it so easy for Amity to let her tongue slip forward, trepidatiously prodding Luz's own tongue with hers. She could feel Luz's surprise in her arms, but the moment of tension evaporated almost instantly. Luz sunk back into Amity's arms, letting out a muffled sigh of content into Amity's mouth. And then her tongue was pushing back, exploring Amity, and the sensation was unlike anything she had ever experienced.

They stayed like that for a long while, connected closer than they had ever been. The whole experience was exhilarating to Amity, and she was perfectly content to surrender all thoughts and lose herself in Luz's arms. She could not say how long it had been when they finally separated, only that when they did, and the more intense making out was replaced by a return to soft touches and "I love yous," Amity was vaguely aware that the stars had finally appeared in the sky, but none of them were as bright and beautiful as Luz's eyes right in front of her.

Eventually, Luz's attention was turned upwards and she began gazing at the stars. Amity still had trouble pulling her attention from Luz's absolute beauty, and it wasn't until Luz pointed up in the sky and said, "So do you see those vour bright ones that kinda make like a sloppy rectangle?" that Amity finally looked up. It wasn't too hard to find the stars Luz was talking about. They shone brightly just above the horizon.

"Yeah. Are they one of the constellations?"

"They're part of one. So if you look to the left, you'll see a couple of other bright ones trailing off from the four." Amity nodded in affirmation when she saw them. "All of those together make up the Big Dipper. It should look like a big ladle."

"Oh yeah, I think I see it! But wait, how is it also a bear?"

"Well, that's just the body of the bear. There's a couple of other stars that make up the rest of it…"

Luz carried on, guiding Amity across the sky and showing her all of the various animals and heroes that people had seen in all of these little dots of light. Admittedly, she was hardly any good at spotting them, but she was still enraptured by every little detail that Luz told her. Occasionally she'd look back down at Luz and see her wearing such a contented and peaceful smile that brought so much warmth to Amity's heart. She wanted nothing more than for Luz to be able to spend every day as genuinely happy as she seemed now.

Luz had just shown Amity a particularly long trail of stars, Draco, when she suddenly asked, "Did you think, on that night, we'd ever actually end up like this? The night we were on the roof of the Owl House, that is."

"Well," Amity said, "I definitely didn't think we'd have gotten stuck in the human realm, but I really wanted to believe we'd have something like this someday. Even then, I couldn't imagine going back to a life without you. It's why I was so afraid of you rejecting me. Even if it seemed crazy, I was terrified that I'd do something that made me lose you."

Luz wrapped her up into a hug, "I understand Amity. I was afraid of asking you out too. I kept trying to find some way to do it that wasn't cheesy, and I just kept chickening out on everything. And even then, I was still pretty corny. I don't know if you remember, but I started talking about how when I first came to the isles everything was trying to kill me, but then I started realizing how beautiful they were, and I was totally actually just talking about you," she said with a nervous laugh.

"Aw Luz, I do remember that! That was so sweet of you," Amity said. "Actually I remember that because when you said it all I could think was that I felt similar: how once we started getting to know each other I realized what an incredible person you are." A brief pause, and then a thought occurred to her that caused her to chuckle. "Titan, we were so awkward and oblivious around each other back then, weren't we?"

"Oh we absolutely were. Remember the day we found the echo mouse? I had gone to see Gus and like I barely even said hello before he was like 'you want my library card so you can talk to Amity, don't you?' Which, okay, yeah, that was also true, but I was actually trying to do work that day!"

"That whole day was a mess," Amity laughed. "I still don't know what's worse: that I kissed you and immediately ran away, or that you still thought there was any chance I wouldn't wanna go out with you after I did that."

"Hey, I tried to talk to you the next day at school, but you just disappeared for a whole week! And then when I finally did see you, you were like 'can we just forget about it?' Of course I was worried!" Luz exclaimed. The two quickly fell into laughter, rolling under the blankets into each other. The sound of Luz's laughter in Amity's ear washed over her like a gentle creek flowing over the pebbles of its bed. Amity herself was tucked into Luz's shoulder, burying her face to hide the (admittedly hilarious) embarrassment of how unbelievably awkward she'd been to Luz back then.

When they finally settled down, Amity let out a long, peaceful sigh. "I'm so glad that we worked everything out though. I don't know what I would have done without you."

"Me neither, amor. You've changed my life so much Amity, and I'm a better person because of you. I love you so much." Amity's breath was completely taken away. She didn't think she'd ever heard anything as beautiful and meaningful to her as that. She tried to speak up, but there was a sudden hitch in her throat, and Amity became suddenly aware of the hot, wet sensation of tears forming around her eyes. Titan, was she crying? Luz suddenly looked concerned, and Amity tried to form a few words to reassure her.

"Thank you," Amity sputtered. "Thank you so much! I love you too Luz! My life completely changed when you came into it, and it's so much better now because I have you, and I just… I wanted to be able to do the same for you. And I can't tell you how much it means that you feel that way."

Luz cupped a hand around Amity's cheek and brushed away the fresh tears with a gentle movement of her thumb. There was no need for words; the look in her eyes conveyed more love and appreciation for Amity than any words ever could. Then her lips were on Amity's, warm and soft, and they embraced in a passionate kiss. Amity's arms wrapped around Luz, holding her as close to herself as she possibly could. Luz still had the one hand on Amity's cheek (which she was heavily leaning in to), and the other found itself combing through lavender hair.

There was an incredible warmth rising out of Amity's chest that, at one time, she never would have thought possible. She'd been raised to see love as some pragmatic and transactional thing, but in this moment she knew with absolute certainty that that was nothing close to the real thing. Love was an incomparable experience. It was the feeling of being complete, and having someone to share that completeness with. And she was the luckiest witch in the world because she got to share that completeness with Luz Noceda.

Unfortunately, as the night set in, the autumn air turned from a brisk chill to a biting cold. Even the blankets they were under did little to keep the cold out. Amity was starting to shiver, and it didn't take long for Luz to notice. "Well," she said, "I think it might be time for us to head back in. It's getting a little too cold out here."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Besides, the bed is a lot more comfortable than a rooftop," Amity joked as they got up. "I wanna thank you again for today though. This has been such a great day, and I'm so glad that we were finally able to go on an actual date."

"Me too. I'm glad you liked it Amity. I really wanted to do something special for you today to make up for… well… everything that's been going on for the last few months," Luz said sheepishly, picking up the blankets and carrying them back to the window.

Amity opened the window for Luz, seeing that her hands were full, and said, "You didn't need to make up for anything. It's been crazy lately, and we haven't really had time for anything until now. But today was perfect. Thank you, batata."

Luz smiled that heartwarming smile again and gave such a sweet "thank you" before climbing inside that had Amity swooning for a brief moment before the bitter cold chased her inside. Luz stuffed the blankets off into a corner and Amity closed the window, both taking care not to make too much noise so as not to disturb Willow and Vee, who were already asleep in their beds. Luz grabbed a set of pajamas and quickly snuck out of their room and made her way to the bathroom to get changed.

While Amity waited for her turn, she sat on the bed, a giddy smile stretched across her face. She was still awestruck by just what an amazing day today had been. Practically the entire day had been spent just with Luz, and as much as she loved spending time with her friends, it was nice to finally have some proper alone time with her girlfriend.

Luz came back a couple of minutes later and Amity took her turn in the bathroom, quickly getting changed. When she returned, Luz was already in bed, patting a spot next to her as if Amity needed an invitation to join her. She climbed into bed and snuggled up to Luz, letting the warm and pleasant feeling of her girlfriend next to her carry Amity off to sleep.