Hello! I don't have much to say, other than thank you to everyone who has read this so far! And so sorry for the cliffhanger, but I hope you forgive me after reading this. Any who, please enjoy the fourth chapter of "Fix Me"!
Luz
"I..."
The wind whistled through the pitch dark forest, their eyes adjusted just enough to see each other in the darkness, Luz's heart pounded in her chest, her heartbeat echoing in her ears, vibrating through her entire body. She looked down at her hand, which Amity had clasped over with both of hers. She could feel the nervousness in Amity, her shaking was violent enough to make Luz shake. Or so she thought, until she realized how much her opposite hand was shaking.
Luz could feel the pressure surrounding them, the spark in the air, the tension was so tight between them she felt like they could snap in half.
She didn't know what to say. How did she feel? What did she feel? What did she say? She had no idea what was feeling inside. Her brain was flowing with emotions she couldn't handle, her brain was malfunctioning, sputtering and slowed down, all her processes seem to have crashed the moment Amity had asked her that fateful question.
Her stomach churned, and she knew she had to answer eventually. They had been standing in the darkness for so long she couldn't keep track of the time, or maybe it had been 5 seconds, she had no concept of time anymore. She didn't know what day it was, she didn't know where she was. All she knew was that the most beautiful girl she had ever met had just asked her to be her girlfriend. Asked her to be hers. Genuinely wanted to be her girlfriend... Wanted to be happy with her...
She had the opportunity right in front of her to fulfill her dream of true and blissful romance, to be in the arms of someone who truly cared for her.
All she had to say was yes.
So why was it so hard for her? Why couldn't she jump on the opportunity and say yes and be happy?
Luz felt Amity's hands clamp around tighter, and she knew she had to answer soon. She knew that she couldn't keep stalling in silence forever. As much as she wanted to just stand there until the heat death of the universe, she knew that wasn't going to happen. She had no choice, she needed to do this right now.
So make one... Say yes... It's right there in front of you, take it... A voice in her head whispered, causing her heartrate to increase even more, the echo of her beating heart slamming it's way into her ears, her hound pounding as her blood pulsed. She breathed in, and bit her bottom lip.
"I..." She said once more, Amity's head perking up at her voice, seemingly anxious for an answer. "... I don't know." She finally said quietly, pulling her hand away from Amity's grasp, the warmth evaporating as she did so, chills running through her and down her back.
"W-What...?" Amity asked, confused. She was clearly unsatisfied with Luz's answer, raising an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, I fully expected 'No' but I didn't think it would be in the form of 'I don't know'" Amity sputtered, as confused as she could possibly be.
Luz didn't know why she said that either, she wanted to say yes, everything in her body was aching for her to say yes, but she couldn't. Her brain didn't let her, her brain refused to give her the luxury. "I... I just need to think about it, okay? It's... It's so sudden and... I need time to think. This is all too sudden for me, Amity. I didn't even know I liked girls until like, five minutes ago so please... Please, just be patient with me. I promise it isn't you. It's just... You're so pretty... And I don't know if I'm thinking that out of appreciation or attraction..." Luz muttered, running her hands through her already frizzled and messy hair, as messy as it could be, hoping her pathetic explanation was good enough for the witch.
Amity was blushing, but she breathed in to try and keep her cool, "I... Understand. I'll let you think it over then, I'll see you tomorrow at school, yeah?" Amity said, holding her hands tight in front of her. Luz noticed how much they were shaking, and how hard she was holding onto herself. She felt awful for making her wait, but she had to flesh out her feelings. She couldn't just jump into this without thinking it over. She couldn't live with herself if she ended up hurting Amity because she really wasn't into her like that. Knowing that she hurt one of her best friends because she was selfish and was chasing a fantasy instead of truly wanting to be with her... She couldn't live with herself.
"Thank you being patient with me, Amity. It means a lot..."
"It's... No problem. I've been waiting for months, so, what's another day or so, right?" Amity sighed, stuffing her hands into her small pockets, looking away, biting her lip.
Luz's heart fell, and she sighed. She felt awful. But she knew it was the right thing, she was protecting herself and her friend from stupid decisions, so she needed to eat this and do what is best... Even if it hurts.
"Talk to you later?" Luz mumbled.
"Yeah..." Amity picked her bag and books off the ground, and began walking off towards Bonesborough, "Talk to you later."
Luz watched her walk off into the darkness of the woods and she sighed, wiping her brow of the collected sweat that had built up during the intense conversation they had just had. She looked up at the sky, "Time to go home..." She mumbled to herself, walking back to the Owl House. Alone, mind racing, heart bursting.
She just wanted to go home and sleep and never wake up.
Because she knew tomorrow, she had to give Amity an answer.
And this time, "I don't know" isn't going to save her.
...
Amity
The witch didn't have the energy to run home. She wanted to get into her bed and stare at her ceiling, but she had no energy anymore. That conversation, that question... Took everything she had. Her brain was fried, her heart was drained, her body was exhausted. She felt like she could cry, but she already poured her supply out hours ago.
Luz's answer echoed through the poor witches head. She didn't know? How could she not know? Was she just saying that to spare her feelings for a measly few hours? Did she really mean what she said about her sexuality? Or was she just thinking to much and needed to remember what she said... "She told you she wouldn't lie to you... So you will trust her... You will trust her... You will trust her... Because you care about her and she trusts you so you trust her..." She mumbled to herself over and over again, drilling it into her head that she had someone she could trust in her life, regardless of her being her girlfriend or not, Luz was her best friend. Even if she came to her and told her no tomorrow, she was still her best friend. And Amity could live with that possible reality.
She continued her way home and eventually made it to her door. She stepped to the side to look in the window, and saw the living room was empty, and the room only lit by a candle. She opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind her quietly, the old squeaky wood creaking as she did so. She eventually heard the click of the door, and turned the lock with the satisfactory click of the bolt lodging into place.
She tiptoed upstairs, and finally made it to her door. With a sigh, she opened her door, happy to finally be able to get this day over with, a hell of a day it was.
"Hello there, sister!" Edric said with a coy smile, sitting on a chair with his legs crossed over each other, a ball in his hand that he tossed up in the air and snatched it. "About time you got here," He said and stood up, walking next to her bed and kicking something. "Hey, she's here. Get up you lazy bum," He muttered.
"Ow! Ed what the hell? Ugh..." Emira growled, and got up off the floor, dusting herself off. "Took you long enough, brat..."
Amity looked at her older twin siblings, horrified. "Ed?! Em?! Why are you in my room?" Amity asked, her face red in a mix of anger and embarrassment.
"Because it's almost one in the morning and you just got home, so naturally we were a little bit concerned," Emira said, still rubbing her head where she had been kicked by her twin brother.
"So we figured we'd camp out in your room for a little while, wait you out until you got home and interrogate you a little bit. Or a lot, either or works for me," Edric smirked, receiving a slap to the back of the head by his sister, "OW! Em! What the hell?" He growled, holding the back of his head in pain.
"Because you are trying to scare her, and it's payback for kicking me."
"Ugh... Fine, sorry for trying to have a little fun with her..." Edric mumbled, looking back to the flushed Amity, "Alright, you already know what we want to know, so tell us where you were. Easy, right?"
Amity stared at Edric for a moment, "I..." She couldn't finish her sentence, a tear making it's way down her pale cheek, much to the surprise of the twin siblings. "... Please... Leave me alone..." Amity whimpered quietly, her hands shaking at her sides.
"Mittens..." Emira said softly, walking to her crying sister and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Please, talk to us. We are your family, we care..."
Amity looked into Emira's eyes, and for a moment she felt better, the caring look of someone who loved her...
She needed that more than she would dare to admit.
"I..." She couldn't speak, she began choking up, and once again let her tears fall, and small sobs escape her lips. Emira took this as a chance to wrap her arms around her sister, and pull her in for a hug, Amity accepting this instantly, sobbing into her sisters shoulder.
"Shh... It's okay, it's okay..." Emira muttered into her sisters ear, looking up at Edric and gesturing to get down with them, the absent minded brother shaking his head and getting down with the two, placing a hand on Amity's back, using his other to take her hair band off and allowing her hair to come down.
Amity didn't know how long she had cried into her sister's shoulder, but she finally slowed her crying down, and pulled away from the warm arms of her sister and brother, and wiped her eyes with her sleeve, sitting down and pulling her legs to her chest, and resting her head on her knees, sighing as she stared off into the darkness of her room, Edric and Emira standing above her, a look of worry plastered on their faces.
"Amity, you have to talk to us... You can't just hide your feelings away," Emira said in a soft tone, looking down at her disheveled younger sibling.
"Yeah, we're here to help Mittens, we love you, you know that right?" Edric chimed in, receiving a barely noticeable nod from Amity. "So please, talk to us."
Amity looked up, her eyes puffy and cheeks tear stained, "A-Alright... I will..."
She sat there and explained to her older siblings her situation, from the start where she began having feelings, her lack of being able to sleep, her poor performance in school, all the way up to her finally asking Luz to be her girlfriend, and her eventual answer. She finished with a sigh, and hugged her knees to her chest even harder. "I don't know what to do..."
Ed and Em looked at each other and nodded, "Alright," Emira said and smiled, "I think we understand."
Emira pulled Amity up to her feet, much to the dismay of the smaller girl, "H-Hey! What are y-" She was quickly cut off by Emira's finger being placed over the frantic girl's lips.
"Shush, and listen to us, okay?" Emira smiled, and Amity reluctantly nodded, feeling Em's finger slide off her lips, her sister crouching down to eye level, Edric doing the same right next to her.
"So, what you need to do is not overthink it, alright? If you overthink it you're just going to make it worse for you and her, so you should do your best to make her feel as little pressure as possible. She deserves time to be able to think her feelings through, if you rush her she'll make the wrong decision, which would be bad for both of you." Emira said sternly.
"And this is a delicate situation, you may have your thoughts and feelings figured out, but she clearly hasn't figured out hers yet. Sexuality is a very very hard thing for someone to just suddenly know, she clearly hasn't been confronted with these kinds of feelings for girls before, so you need to allow her to try and figure it out." Edric added with a smile.
"What we are trying to say is, be patient. If you really care about her, you'll be patient for her, and show her that you will do anything for her, including waiting for her. So when you see her tomorrow, just act normal okay? Be yourself and don't try to do anything silly." Emira smiled, and ruffled her sisters hair.
"Okay..." She whispered, nodding and smiling ever so slightly, "Thank you guys..."
"No problem sister, no problem at all. You'd do the same for us." Edric smiled, and stood up, "Alright, I think it's time for bed, what do you two say?"
"Yeah..." The sisters replied in unison, causing a bit of a giggle to be shared between them.
"Goodnight, Amity." Emira kissed her sister's forehead and stood up, walking to the door next to Edric.
"Night Ed, Night Em... See you tomorrow..." Amity mumbled as the twins made their way out of her room. She stared at the door for a few minutes, letting the words her siblings spoke sink into her brain. They were right, she shouldn't be crying and acting like this, Luz needed time to think about her feelings. She didn't want her to be her girlfriend if she wasn't 100% into the relationship, she knew that if that happened, they would both be hurt. She didn't want to hurt Luz...
She stood up shakily, and undressed, sliding into her bed with a sigh, staring at the all too familiar ceiling. She swapped to her side, and nuzzled into her pillow. She was going to sleep tonight, she had to try. She needed to be at her best tomorrow. For Luz... For herself...
And soon, the witch fell asleep peacefully in her room.
...
Luz
The bright sun of the Boiling Isle's shimmered down on the human girl as she sluggishly made her way to Hexside. She slept for a solid hour last night, not being able to shut her brain off from frantically trying to think and process. And unfortunately for her, her brain liked to work slowly when she needed it to work quickly, explains a lot really...
She walked in silence, choosing not to walk with Gus or Willow today, needing the time alone to think, as if she didn't spend her entire night thinking already. She didn't want to see Amity today, she didn't know if her brain could handle it. She was afraid of breaking down... She was afraid of what Amity would say. Or do...
All she could do was pray that Amity gave her just a little more time...
Luz eventually made her way to Hexside, sliding through the big wooden doors and inside the halls. She inhaled, and tried to calm herself down. She needed to pretend to be calm, she couldn't have people worry about her, she already had enough to deal with. So, she slapped on a smile and hopped her way to her locker, just like any other day.
She opened up the monster locker and rummaged through for her stuff, grabbing the books she needed, humming a little tune.
That was until she heard a voice and her blood ran cold, "Hey there, Luz." Amity said softly behind her.
"Hey..." Luz said quietly, closing her locker. She breathed in deeply, and turned around, "Can you give me a little mor-"
"I was wanting to know if you had the notes for Abomination History, I think I lost mine in the woods last night and I want to revise to make sure I have it remembered correctly," Amity cut her off quickly, her face stone cold showing no emotion, much to the surprise of the human.
"Oh! Uh..." She ruffled through her books and pulled out a sheet of paper, "Uh, yeah, here, keep it. I think I have it down already..." She handed the witch the paper, who took it gently, scanned it, and put it away in her bag.
"Thank you, I'll see you in class, yeah?" Amity looked back up to Luz.
"Uh... Yeah, I guess... Um..." She bit the top of her lip, and looked to the ground, and back to the witch. "Are you okay?" Luz asked, receiving a nod from Amity.
"Yep! I'm actually doing rather well today, I got some good sleep and I actually had a productive conversation with my siblings, believe it or not. So, in general I am doing really well. You know... All things considered," She said, wavering a bit before slapping on a small smile.
"Ah, that's great!" Luz smiled, feeling a genuine happiness that the witch was doing okay, "Then yeah! I'll see you in class!" She smiled and waved as she made her way to her first class. She walked into "Plant Theory" and sat down next to her partner, which of course was Willow.
"Hey Willow!"
"Oh, hey there Luz. Why didn't you walk to school with me and Gus this morning?" Willow asked curious.
"Oh uh... I needed some time alone to think..."
"What about?"
"Um... I..." Luz looked around at the students in the classroom, most of whom were idly talking amongst themselves as they waited for the teacher to come into the class. "Can... You can keep a secret, right?" Luz asked in a hushed tone.
"Yeah, why?" Willow whispered back, Luz gesturing her to come closer as Luz leaned into Willow's ear.
"Amity asked me out last night." Luz whispered into Willow's ear.
The plant witch retracted back in shock, looking at the human girl with wide eyes behind her wide glasses. "No way... I can't believe she actually did it..." Willow gasped and put her hands over her mouth, still seemingly trying to process what Luz had just told her. "Oh my gosh Luz! What did you say?" Willow asked with excitement.
Luz frantically clasped her hand over Willow's mouth, "Hey! Don't be so loud!" She whispered aggressively, getting a nod from Willow as she dropped her hand from her mouth. "Anyways... I told her that I didn't know..."
Willow stared at her with a blank expression for a moment, opening her mouth to say something but closing it quickly, in awe of the soap opera that was her friends life.
"What?" Luz asked, a little confused with Willow's lack of an answer.
"I... Where do I start? How about uh, why did you not say yes?" Willow asked, as if it was an obvious answer.
"Willow... It's not that simple..." Luz muttered, looking down at her desk, fiddling her fingers around. "How can I say yes? I don't even know if I'm into girls like that... I never have been before..."
"Luz I- Alright, do I seriously need to do this for you?" Willow said in a dull tone.
"Do what for me?" Luz asked confused.
"Do you think Amity is pretty?"
"... Willow please don't do this to me right now..."
"Do you think Amity is pretty?" Willow repeated.
"What does that matter? Girls can think other girls are pretty and not be attracted to them..."
"Do you think Amity is pretty?" Willow persisted.
"... No, I think she is beautiful..." Luz whispered under her breath, sighing. "So what? That doesn't mean anything..."
"What do you think of her personality?"
"Why are you doing this to me...?" Luz whimpered.
"Because someone clearly needs to, now, what do you think of her personality?"
"I think she is one of the coolest people I have ever met... I love her dedication and I love how she cares for people... I love how she is with children... Ugh..." Luz buried her face in her hands, and sighed.
"Now how do you feel after you said that?"
Luz stayed quiet, scratching off some flaking skin from the top of her hand. "It makes me feel... It makes me feel like I'm in love..." She muttered, getting a coy smile from her best friend.
"So what are you going to tell Amity?"
Luz glared at her from the side, "I'll figure that out myself," She said in a stern tone as the teacher came into the room, the class quieting down as they paid attention.
Luz's mind was racing now, this time more than ever. But... It was different now. Because now she she knew what she wanted, she just didn't know what to say...
...
Amity
The day had flown by, Amity had barely registered the events of today at all. Even her class with Luz went by lightning fast, despite the pang that went through her when Luz refused to talk to her. She had to breathe, she remembered what her siblings said... She needed to remember what they said, she had to. She had to be strong for Luz, she had to be strong for herself...
The final bell screamed, and they were let out of school for the day. Amity gathered her things and slung her bag over her shoulder, her stomach churning with nerves. She had no clue if Luz was going to talk to her, or if she was going to wait. She would wait as long as she had to for Luz.
Even if it took forever, she would wait.
She walked out the doors and sighed, taking in the evening air as it flowed through her hair. She felt people go by, brushing her shoulder as they rushed their way home. She was about to begin doing that herself, that was until of course she felt a hand grab onto hers, "Huh?" She asked aloud, and turned around, seeing Luz standing there, holding her hand as she stared at the ground.
"H-Hey..." Luz muttered, looking down at the stairs they were on.
"Hey..." Amity whispered, her face flaring up, her heartrate skyrocketing. Now? We're doing this now? She screamed inside her head, looking back at the blushing mess of a human behind her.
"Can we uh... Talk... In private?" Luz asked under her breath.
Amity nodded, biting her tongue as Luz guided her away into the small forest next to the school. After a few minutes of walking, they stopped. They were alone, not a sound around them but the beautiful sounds of nature. "So... What's up?" She asked, trying to break the ice.
"Don't... Act like you don't know why we're here..." Luz muttered, receiving a nod from Amity.
"I'm sorry... I just didn't want you being uncomfortable..." Amity apologized.
Luz sighed, and she smiled, "Amity, thank you for being patient with me. You didn't rush me and you didn't try to do anything to sway my decision... And that means a lot to me..." Luz rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, a blush creeping onto her face.
Damn it, I guess I owe Ed and Em now... Amity thought in her head as she looked at the human, "Of course... I didn't want you making a decision that wasn't good for you, and I accept any decision you make, because I would rather you be happy without me then be unhappy with me," Amity explained in a soft tone.
Luz stayed quiet, and she slowly walked towards the witch, "You make things... Really easy..." She muttered, gaining a look of confusion from Amity.
"Huh?
"Yes!" Luz said loudly with confidence.
Amity stared at her blankly for a moment, trying her best to process what just happened, "Y-Yes...?" She asked confused
"Amity..." Luz smiled, and grabbed her hand, "I said yes."
It then clicked in Amity's head, and her heart exploded in her chest as the biggest smile she ever had creeped onto her face, "R-Really?" She exclaimed in happiness, wanting to jump up and down from the newfound energy she had just gained.
"Yes, really, you dummy," Luz brought her into a hug and Amity's heart stopped in her chest as the human's arms wrapped around her.
"So... Warm..." She said aloud, although not meaning to. She didn't care, she was hugging her. She was hugging her girlfriend.
She was hugging her girlfriend.
And she couldn't be happier.
...
One week later
?
"I'm tired of this, I need to take this into my own hands."
"But are you sure this is the best course of action? Look how happy-"
"Shut it! What does happiness do? What good comes of it? Nothing, nothing at all. The greatest witches have come from pain and heartache, and this is exactly the thing to do it."
"Well I just think it is a bit... Extreme, don't you think? I mean... To call him?"
"I want the job done right, and I know that he will do it perfectly. Nobody is better."
"Wouldn't it be a bit expensive?"
"You act like we are desperate for money."
"I suppose not, then. So I imagine there is no talking you out of this? Perhaps there is a better course of action we could take that doesn't involve crime."
"Like what? Please, enlighten me on how we can handle this situation in another way. Do you think I want to do this? No, I don't. If I could chose another way, I could. But this needs to stop, and I refuse to fail in stopping it. Our family is powerful, and this is in the way of allowing us to become the most powerful family in The Boiling Isles. Do you not see that I am simply doing what is best?"
"Fine, do as you must. I don't care, it isn't my concern. I have work to do."
"Good, I'm glad you have come to your senses. Now, be quiet while I make my call."
The raven phone rang for a few moments, before it was eventually answered.
"Ah, Odalia Blight. What an unpleasant surprise!" The voice on the other end exclaimed cheerfully.
"Hello, Atior. Pleasure to hear your voice as well..." Odalia mumbled into the phone.
"Now, to whom do I owe the pleasure?"
"I have a contract for you."
"Oh? Never can call for a social call, now can you? You hurt my heart, Odalia..."
"Shut up, I do not have the time for this."
"Why can't you ever have a little fun? Fine, who is the poor bastard?"
"I want you to kill a human girl, by the name of Luz Noceda. You may have heard of her, considering she has been plastered on the papers."
"Ah... Yes, the human of Bonesborough. I've heard of her, now why do you want her killed?"
"That is of no concern to you!" Odalia seethed through the phone, a chuckle coming back in response.
"Of course, I don't care, I just thought a little small talk would do you well. I suppose I was wrong. How much will you owe me?"
"$500000, will that work?"
"Little on the cheap side... But for you, I'll take it. Consider the job done, Odalia. It will be a pleasure seeing you again~." He purred through the phone, much to the disgust of the Blight.
"Sure." She said and hung up the phone, and sighed. "Amity... I hope you realize I am doing this for your own good..."
Hello! I know that was a pretty long one, but I felt like I needed to make up for the short one last time. I hope you all enjoyed, I will get the next chapter out ASAP. For now, please enjoy your day/night, and thank you so much for reading. Please, leave a review if you have anything to say. Otherwise, see you next time!
