-Four Weeks Later-
Gregor flipped idly through the pages of his physics textbook, the words blurring together. The final was coming up and he'd spent the last hour reviewing his notes and trying to make out the cramped words he'd scrawled in the margins of his textbook.
Well… he'd tried to spend the last hour studying. If his eyes strayed to the watch around his wrist more than once, who could blame him?
"You're fidgeting again," Hazard said, watching Gregor with a mix of exasperation and amusement. The younger boy had his own homework spread in front of him, scrolls and parchments stacked to the side.
"Sorry," Gregor muttered, before giving up and closing his book. It was useless to continue; he was already distracted and doubted anything else would stick. "What are you reading?"
Hazard sighed, pushing his own work away and leaning back in his chair with a yawn. "Trade agreements with the Northern cities."
Gregor grimaced. "That sounds… interesting." He didn't envy the boy; as a member of the royal family Hazard was expected to understand the intricacies of Underland politics. Gregor had skimmed some of the scrolls before - wondering if Underland homework was in any way comparable to that of New York public high school. The answer had been a resounding no.
"Are you gonna come with us later?" Gregor asked instead, changing the subject.
Hazard's expression visibly brightened, and he grinned at Gregor. "You think I'd miss the chance to see Luxa speechless for once? I'm definitely going to be there."
Gregor laughed, even as he fought back the torrent of butterflies that had taken root in his stomach. "You think she's gonna like it though, right? Like, you don't think she's gonna be mad, or anything?"
"Oh she's definitely gonna hate it," Hazard laughed, "I can't wait for her to realize how loud it all is. But I think she'll have fun."
Gregor rolled his eyes, not exactly encouraged.
"Is, uh, Lizzie going to be there?"
Gregor's eyes snapped to Hazard's. He wouldn't have thought much of the question, save the pink tint on the boy's face that his pale skin couldn't hide. "Probably, if she gets out of practice on time. Why do you want to know?"
"No reason," Hazard said quickly, busying himself with rolling up the stray scrolls. "You know," he says, still not meeting Gregor's eye, "I think she's probably about done with her meeting."
There's more Gregor would like to say on the subject of the Halflander and his sister, but the nerves in his stomach are making it difficult to sit still. "Yeah?"
Hazard shrugs. "Probably. It's just a council meeting today. They're in the Green Chamber if you want to check."
Gregor doesn't need anymore convincing, shoving his notes and textbooks in his backpack. The corner of one of his books digs into his hip as he stands, but he grins down at Hazard. "We'll meet you at the entrance. Forty minutes," he adds, glancing at his watch again.
The good natured eye roll is all the confirmation Gregor needs before he exits the library and slips down the hall. He'd been traveling to the Underland a few times a week for the last month, spending time with Luxa mostly, but also training with Ripred and Howard, or doing homework with Hazard. The palace had become familiar, and he found the Green Chamber quickly.
The chamber door had been left open, its occupants engrossed in their conversation. None of them noticed as Gregor leaned against the doorway, content to watch the proceedings from afar.
One of the council members was arguing fiercely for an increase in wheat production. A general murmur went through the gathered council, but Gregor was too far to pick out if it was a noise of agreement or discontent. What was his name? Jonathan? Joe? Surely not. Jordan maybe?
"The point is-" Gregor's ears perked, his distraction gone, as Luxa began to speak. Her voice carried, clear and confident. Everything about her was confident and Gregor felt a stab of pride as she watched her speak to the group of council members twice her age. He couldn't look away, as she began describing the issues with the council member's plan, as she began outlining her own policy. She was radiant as she spoke, and Gregor couldn't tear his eyes away even though he knew he should wait in the hall.
Even when her eyes caught his and she sent him a half hearted glare.
Luxa has finished speaking, the council member to her left taking up the task. Gregor knows he's grinning, a big dopey smile stretching across his face, but he can't help it. Luxa looks incredible, confident and poised. When she looks back up at him, shoots him a quick smile, Gregor's stomach erupts into butterflies. He shouldn't be this giddy, and grinning, and blushing. But he can't help it - he feels lovesick in the best possible way. His stomach is doing somersaults in anticipation of just talking to her, and it's impossible to keep the smile from his face as the council meeting concludes and Luxa makes her way over to him.
"If your intention was to distract me, you succeed." She crosses her eyes, glares at him again, but the amusement in her eyes is impossible to miss.
Gregor knows his smile is ridiculous, huge and dopey, but he can't help it as he reaches out, loops a finger around one of hers. Slowly, he attempts to pull her closer and he feels giddy when she lets him. Soon she's close enough to fold into his arms, and he wraps her in a hug, still lightheaded with the fact that he's allowed to. "Let me make it up to you," he says as she rest her head against his chest.
Her scoff is muffled by his shirt but he can almost hear the smile in her voice as she responds: "and how do you plan to do that Overlander?"
Grinning, he pulls away, grabbing Luxa by the hand and pulling her after him. "I have a couple of ideas."
—-
Luxa is grumbling behind him, annoyed that he refused to tell her where they were going. The flier beneath them swerved gently, and Gregor knew it wouldn't be long until she realized they were heading towards the Central Park entrance. He felt the moment she figured it out; she stilled, her hands fisting into his jacket.
"Gregor, what are we doing here?"
The cover had already been moved, casting a hazy pinprick of light down into the narrow shaft of tunnels. Gregor hefted himself off the flier's back, steadying himself on the narrow platform before reaching back to help Luxa. She ignored his offered hand, lowering herself beside him on her own before raising her eyebrows at him. "Well?"
Gregor almost laughs at her suspicion, but forces himself to hold it in. He knew Luxa trusted him, but he didn't think she had had many happy surprises in her life.
"I promise you'll have fun," he says, as convincingly as he can manage, leading her towards the rusting ladder. "Or at least I'm really hoping you do."
"We are not going up there, are we? Gregor, you cannot be serious."
He's about to start defending himself, to start some attempt at convincing her, when a voice calls down from the entrance, a body leaning over and blocking the light, casting them in darkness. "Are you coming or not?" Hazard calls down.
Luxa sighs, looking halfway resigned. "Please tell me that is not my cousin already up there."
"He couldn't be stopped," Gregor says with a grin. Luxa glares, but when he gently nudges her towards the ladder, she goes, begrudgingly convinced.
"I am really starting to doubt your definition of fun, Overlander," she says, halfway up the ladder.
His legs are beginning to ache but excitement is building in his chest. It was strange; for years he'd felt out of place in the Overland, unsure of where he fit, insecure in his place in the world. He'd been ashamed of the scars across his body, confused about his past. Even as a child, he remembered his insecurity, resentful and unsure about how to process his father's disappearance - he hadn't known how to explain it to his friends, or how to talk about it with his family. The city he'd grown up in had felt hollow, missing some vital piece. He had thought things would go back to normal after his father was rescued, but Gregor had been so changed by his time in the Underland, that things could never go back to how they had been. He remembered now, how the Underland had begun to feel more like home than New York. How he hadn't had to hide who he was when he was in Regalia, like he did in New York. And now, years later, he still felt an uncanny sense of peace when he came back to the Underland. For all the horrors he had witnessed there, the Underland somehow felt more like home than anywhere in the Overland.
But over the past weeks, as he and Luxa had grown closer, closer than they ever had before, he found himself wanting to share everything with her. He wanted her to know his favorite color, about the teacher he couldn't stand, and the newly formed friendships he was attempting to make at school. As much as he wanted to know everything about her, it also felt really nice to have someone to share with.
And he wanted to show her the Overland. He wanted her to know where he came from, even if New York had begun to feel more alien than Regalia. He wanted to point out the dance studio where Margret took lessons, and the subway stop closest to his apartment. The best hot dog stand on the block and the record store that carried CD's of his favorite indie bands. And he wanted her to see the stars.
They near the entrance and Hazard reaches down a hand to pull Luxa up. Lizzie is there too, and she grips Gregor's jacket tight as he scrambles up after her.
"Well ," he says, dusting off his jeans, "what do you think?"
Luxa has her back to him, her silence nearly palpable when compared to the rapid beating of his own heart. He so wanted her to like it. Desperately hoped he hadn't made a mistake. Did she even like surprises? Maybe this had been a bad idea.
When she finally turns to him, he's nearly bowled over by the beaming smile she gives him. The intensity, the brightness, the sheer joy in it, turned his insides to jelly and almost knocked him to his feet.
Because this was Luxa and her smiles meant something. It wasn't something she did easily or often. You had to work for them. When she smiled at you, it was like winning a prize at the fair. Like getting an A+ on a paper. Better because it meant she liked you. It meant you had made her happy. And really that's all Gregor wanted, to make her happy. It's all he ever wanted. And seeing her now, with the biggest smile he had ever seen, felt like winning the lottery.
"The stars!" Luxa's practically giddy, pointing up at the dark sky excitedly. Gregor knows he has hearts in his eyes, and probably a dopey smile of his own, but he can't bring himself to care.
"Look," he says, catching Luxa's sleeve and turning her slightly. Gregor watched as her expression shifted to awe, her mouth falling open and her eyes popping wide. The moon was bright and round above them, and Luxa was staring at it as if it were magic. Maybe it was, Gregor thought, noticing the way the moonlight reflected off Luxa's silver hair.
"Are we going to the fair or not?"
Gregor pulls his gaze away from Luxa, feeling slightly dazed as he looks towards Lizzie. She's staring at him expectantly, arms crossed, her expression almost bemused if she didn't look so annoyed. She was still dressed in her clothes from track practice, drowning in an oversized sweatshirt, hair pulled up in a messy ponytail. Hazard had taken it upon himself to hoist her gym bag over his own shoulder.
Luxa shot him a glance, a hint of her smile still in place, laughter just below the surface. "Shall we?" he asked, holding out a hand to her.
"We shall," she replied, threading their fingers together.
"Gag me," Lizzie muttered, followed by Hazard's laughter, but Gregor was too happy to care. They began walking towards the edge of the park, the lights, the noise, the people becoming brighter, louder, closer as they went. Every time they passed something new, Luxa squeezed his hand, letting out delighted gasps. If it was something she found especially exciting, she would point, bouncing up to her toes with each step as they drew closer.
"Gregor," she gasped, fully pulling at his arm as a golden retriever came into view. Gregor couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm. He grinned at her before hesitantly asking the dog's owner if they could pet it.
It was usually a fifty/fifty chance on how people in New York responded to strangers; they must have caught the woman on a good day because she kindly stopped and chatted with Gregor while Luxa and Hazard dropped to their knees to pet her dog. The sight of the dog licking the side of Luxa's face to her delighted shrieks was one he would remember forever.
Everything in the City was pretty with Luxa at his side. More interesting, more exciting. "Look at this," Gregor said with a laugh, pulling Luxa down a side street. It was stupid, but her hand was warm in his and he felt drunk on the sound of her laughter. "Look!"
Luxa squinted through the storefront window before she read the blinking neon sign. "The World's Best Sandwiches," she read, then gasped. "Sandwiches!" She pushed closer to the window, staring into the store at the dingy tables and glass covered prep line. "You know I alway sort of thought you were making them up."
"You thought I would lie about sandwiches?" Gregor scoffed, but his cheeks hurt from how hard he was smiling.
She shrugged, and he was glad to see she was smiling just as much as he was. He was thankful Hazard and Lizzie had gone ahead of them; he was sure he and Luxa looked positively lovesick. He would never hear the end of it from Lizzie if she saw him now.
"Can we get one?" Luxa asked, turning back to the sandwich shop.
"Er, well, they're not actually the best sandwich shop, despite what the sign says." He grimaced slightly remembering the dry bread and bland meat he had the last time he was there. "But if you're hungry, I know something even better."
He doesn't think his life could get any better than it is at that moment: eating pizza, walking through Central Park, beautiful weather, and Luxa at his side. And he thinks, maybe, just maybe, everything he went through to be there at that moment was worth it.
"So," Luxa said, turning to him, wiping pizza grease from her mouth, "does this journey have a destination, Overlander?"
Gregor swings their entwined hands up between them, using one finger to point towards a glimmer of lights just visible around the corner. Down a side street, and spilling out into the park, a summer carnival was going on. It was a small thing, just a few food trucks, a bouncy house, a couple carnival games, and there at the center, a ferris wheel.
Lizzie and Hazard were supposed to meet them there, but they were quickly surrounded by a throng of people. Gregor didn't love crowds; they left him on edge with the urge to check his surroundings. He knew Luxa was the same. But this was different. The air was thick and humid, sweet with powdered sugar from a thousand funnel cakes and children's laughter. The sky was lit with twinkling lights and cheery music could just barely be heard over the hum of the crowd.
"Come on," Gregor says with a grin, pulling Luxa behind him. He can hear her laugh as they slip between the booths and around people. The sound is intoxicating and he has to force himself not to stop, not to turn and stare at her happiness. But there would be more laughter, Gregor reminded himself, more good times for them. He would make sure of it.
"What do you think?" Gregor feels giddy, nearly lightheaded as the carnival worker drops the bar across their lap. Luxa is sitting close beside him, her shoulder and thigh warm where they press together. The brightly colored lights are reflecting off her skin and hair and she seems almost dazed as she stares up at the seats above them.
"I'm not sure what the purpose of this is," Luxa says, her voice skeptical, but a surprised bark of laughter bursts forth as the wheel begins to move.
Gregor nudges her shoulder and points towards the ground. Lizzie and Hazard had spotted them, the two teens waving wildly. Luxa waves back, uncharacteristically enthusiastic as the wheel continues its upward momentum. Gregor grins at her before he responds: "to have fun!"
"Fun," Luxa repeats, looking back at Gregor. Her expression was still cheerful, but Gregor knew her well enough to sense the anxiety laced through her words. "Is that allowed?"
Gregor looked away, down at their legs swinging loose, side by side in the night. He bit the inside of his mouth, considering. Luxa had borrowed a pair of cutoff jeans from Lizzie and Gregor was wearing a pair of basketball shorts. The carnival lights bathed them both in a rosy glow, clearly showing the multitude of scars each of them had accumulated over the years. So much pain, so much fear, narrowed down to thin white lights criss-crossing their bodies.
They would never be able to forget what they went through to get those scars. Never be able to forget what they lost in the process. Ares, Henry, Luxa's parents, the years without Gregor's dad. They had stopped being normal kids a long time ago, and pretending to be otherwise wasn't right. It wasn't possible. They had changed too much over the years. See too much. Done too much.
But after all that, they had found each other. And then they had found each other again.
So no, they weren't normal, but that didn't mean they couldn't have fun. It didn't mean they couldn't laugh, or play games, or fall in love. It didn't mean they couldn't live.
"I think," he says slowly, "the queen is allowed to do whatever the hell she wants."
Gregor wants to bottle up the smile she gives him as it spreads big and bright and gleeful across her face. "Overlander," Luxa says, all trace of apprehension gone, "for once, we are in complete agreement."
The lights are glittering all around them, the stars shining brightly above, and the air is cool against their skin. As their seat pulls further away from the ground, the more it feels like they've entered their own special world. "Better than flying, right?" Gregor asks as the wheel jerks upwards, nearing the top, the seat rocking back and forth at a worrying speed. He had been joking, but Luxa is staring at the ground and people below them in amazement.
"Yeah," she says, voice almost dreamy, as if she hadn't jumped off a bat from 20 feet in the air the first time he met her. "It's pretty close." He laughs as she spreads her arms and leans forward against the lap bar, as if she were about to take off and fly just to prove her point.
"Did you really have fun today?" He finally works up the courage to ask as the ferris wheel rounds to the top, the park stretching out below, the night sky above.
Luxa, who had been straining forward nearly off the seat to look around them, flops back down to turn to him. She grins as the seat rocks dangerously. "Of course I did," she says, nearly breathless. And then, because she must sense his relief: "were you worried I wouldn't?"
Gregor has to laugh at that, half giddy, half exhausted. He doesn't think she knows just how crazy she makes him. "Oh course I was," he laughs, "you're terrifying!"
She looks pleased at that, smirking and looking smug, but she wraps her arms around his and pulls him close. "And don't forget it," she says, her words muffled by his sweater.
The wheel nears the ground, looping back up for another rotation. "Hey, can I tell you something?" Gregor asks quietly, almost reluctant to break the silence. But he feels warm and calm and happier than he's ever been in his entire life, so he just has to say what's on his mind.
Luxa hums in response, the vibrations almost tickling him though his sleeve, before she shifts to look up at him.
"I love you."
No preamble, no explanations. A fact. He loved her. He loved her. Gregor loved Luxa and he wanted to tell her every day for the rest of his life. And that smile is back, that blinding giddy one she had earlier. But she's not looking at the stars or pizza or a dog. She's looking at him, and he feels so happy he could burst.
"Overlander," she says, and the word is beautiful when she says it. "I can't imagine loving anyone more."
Her lips are soft against his. Her mouth tastes like pizza and the cotton candy they'd shared. Her cheek is soft where he brushes his fingers against her skin. And his heart is stuttering from all the love and joy that's overflowing inside of him. Because when they kiss they aren't the Warrior and the Queen. They aren't fighting for their lives or planning peace treaties. They aren't a couple from two different worlds. They weren't even Gregor and Luxa anymore. When they kissed, all of that went away.
For a moment, one shining, brilliant moment, all they were and all they needed to be, was just a boy and a girl, happy and in love in New York City.
The End
