Luz thanked Eda for the staff ride before walking towards the academy entrance.
"Morning Luz," Amity said, falling into step beside her.
"Oh, hey Amity," Luz said. She tried, and failed, to hold back a yawn.
"Rough night?"
"Yup. Was finally trying out Abomination Magic, but it didn't go well."
"And you did that Luz thing where you keep going at it instead of taking a break, didn't you?"
"What gave it away? The bed head or the dead-on-the-inside look in my eye?"
"It's not that noticeable."
"Wait, really?"
"No, you look like you got mugged by a bugbear."
"Jerk," Luz said, giving the witchling a shove. Amity shoved back. The two kept this going, laughing as they did so.
"Actually, that's a lie. You always look beautiful."
Luz stopped. "What did you just-"
The bell screamed.
"Sorry, gotta drop something off before first period. See you then!" Amity said, running off.
Luz stared at the witchling's back, trying to process what she had heard.
No way she said what I thought she said. I just misheard her. Or… she's just being extra friendly today for no particular reason. Just forget about it.
She didn't forget about it. She kept thinking about it all the way to first period. She took a seat in the back, hoping that school would give her something, anything else to worry about.
"Hey Luz," a kid with goat horns said, taking the seat next to her.
"Hey, Alber-"
A goop arm grabbed the kid's seat. It tossed him away. Next to the desk, not even trying to hide her spell circle, was Amity.
"Is this seat taken?" she said.
"Uuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmm-"
"She can have it," the horned kid said, scrambling away.
Amity smiled, taking her seat as the lesson began. For the first five minutes, Luz just took her notes as usual. Then she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was staring at her. She looked around the room until she realized that the culprit was Amity. The witchling wasn't even hiding it, and the dreamy look she had on her face was making Luz' stomach do somersaults. She tried to tell herself that it still didn't mean anything, to just focus on the lesson. This didn't help. The pop quiz being handed out at least gave her a breather. Until the final question.
I swear, I know this one. Just gotta focus and remember.
She stared at the question like she could force the answer out of it. The only thing that got her was a headache. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw what looked like a sliver of abomination goop slither across the desk. It moved to her quiz and pointed at one of the previous questions. Seeing no other option, Luz looked over it again. The moment she did, a lightbulb went off in her mind.
Duh, always look through previous questions for potential answers or hints.
The quiz complete, she leaned back in her chair until the bell rang. In the hall, Luz said to Amity, "Thanks for the help."
"You would have figured it out eventually," Amity said. "But I figured it would save you a headache if I gave you a tiny nudge."
"Didn't know you could make abominations that small. Or slithery."
"It's not easy. But with a little practice, you can do a lot." To demonstrate, she summoned a goop version of her that fit neatly in her palm.
"Aw, that's so cute," Luz said.
"I know a way to make it even cuter," Amity said. A wave of her hand, and it shifted into Luz. It lurched and groaned in perfect mimicry of Luz as Willow's project.
Luz laughed. "Man, that feels like forever ago."
"Yeah, a lot's changed since you got here," Amity said. "Majority of it great." The copy made a heart with its hands.
"W- Wow," Luz said, feeling heat go into her cheeks. "That's really-"
AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! The bell screamed.
"Gotta go," Amity said. "Later, cutie."
Luz was left in the hallway with a lovestruck smile on her face. "No," she said, slapping her cheeks. "She's just being friendly. She's just being friendly." She kept repeating that to herself all throughout her next class. And the next one. And the one after that.
#
It was a free period and Luz had asked to borrow one of the empty classrooms to practice her abomination magic. She unfurled one of the large glyph circles she had made the night before. One deep breath, a flex of her fingers, and she tapped the paper.
"Abomination, Rise!"
A puddle of goop began to bubble up. It a head took shape in the center, the body rising up after. Two arms splooshed out as the torso began to form.
"That's it, just a bit more."
The glyph dimmed. The legs that had started to appear collapsed under the weight of the body. The creature moaned as it crawled towards Luz, looking up at her as if to say, "Why did you curse me with life?"
Luz responded with a sigh and a fire glyph. The action had lost its traumatic quality after the fifth time she had done it.
"Having trouble?"
Luz looked to see Amity standing by the entrance. "Yup," she said. "This was the farthest I've gotten, but it still fell apart."
Amity stroked her chin as she looked over the ashes. "Try again. I might be able to give you some pointers."
Luz groaned, but she still pulled out another glyph. "Abomination, rise!" The puddle Appeared. Then the head followed by the body, and the arms which fell off halfway. The creation looked at the remains if its limbs and then at Luz.
"Don't look at me like that! I'm doing the best I can!"
"Yarg," the creature said.
"Ugh, I am not in the mood for your sass." She let the flames consume it.
"Now, now," Amity said. "Did that accomplish anything?"
"No, but it made me feel kinda better." Luz slumped into one of the chairs. "I just wish I knew what I was doing wrong."
"Let's start at the beginning then. What do you think about when you cast your other spells?"
"Depends on what I want the magic to do. Like do I want the fire to come out as a ball to throw, or just an explosion."
"And when you try to cast this spell, do you just imagine a full completed abomination?"
"Pretty much. Is that wrong?"
"Not exactly. It's just a bit too… simple. For what you're trying to do anyway. Try summoning one again."
"If you say so." She unfurled another glyph circle. As she touched it, Amity put a hand on her shoulder.
"Close your eyes," she said.
"Okay, what now?"
"Imagine the head, but be specific." Luz felt Amity's fingers touch her forehead. "Think of your magic like a skeleton for the goo to form over. Giving your creation structure. Begin with the skull."
Luz concentrated, trying to keep the image of a human skull in her mind, but she soon felt herself falter.
"Not too complex," Amity said. "It can just be a circle with eyes and a mouth."
Luz relaxed, the shape in her mind simplified. She felt the abomination's head beginning to take form.
"You're doing great, now move on to the body."
Luz yelped a bit when Amity put her hands on her sides.
"Sorry. Too much?"
"Nonononononono," Luz said. "It's fine. Just… surprised me."
"Alright, just making sure." She kept her hands on Luz, who was starting to feel her face heat up. "Good, now the arms."
Is she gonna-
Amity moved her hands to Luz' arms.
Oh gosh.
"There, keep going until you can feel the fingers form." She moved her hands over Luz'.
Wow, her hands are really soft.
"You're doing great. I'm gonna let go, but you can handle the rest. Okay?"
"Okay, go ahead."
She felt colder when Amity let go, but Luz turned her focus to the task at hand. She imagined an outline for the waist and felt the sludge move to cover it. She thought about how her own legs carried her weight and how they felt when they moved. When she felt the feet form, she opened her eyes. The result was slouched over. Probably because the top half of the body was thicker than the bottom. The right leg and the left arm were longer than their twins. Despite all this, it still managed to move forward without collapsing
"YES!" Luz yelled, throwing up her arms. "YESYESYESYESYESYES!"
"How does it feel?" Amity said.
"Amazing! I am Luz! Creator of life! Witness my creation and tremble!"
"Heck yeah, you are!" Amity pulled Luz into a hug, the other girl panicking at the sudden close contact. "Quick, let's get a celebratory selfie!"
She unwrapped herself from the other girl just long enough to pull out her scroll. Then she threw an arm around Luz. The picture was taken before any protest could be raised.
"Definitely a keeper," Amity said.
Luz frowned at her panicked smile and obvious blush. However, the pride in Amity's face and her abomination's approximation of a grin still warmed her heart.
"It's pretty good," she said.
"Alright if I put it up on Penstagram?" Amity said.
"S-sure. I guess that's alright," Luz said.
"Great. I have to go get something ready. But I'll hopefully be seeing you real soon. Bye for now."
"Yeah, bye." She couldn't help but stare with a goofy smile as Amity left the room. However, she was back to attention the moment the door closed. She began to pace the room trying to organize her racing thoughts..
"So she called you beautiful, got all touchy-feely, and made that mini-me. That's a whole lot. But is it possible I'm reading too much into this?"
"Guh," the abomination said.
"Yeah, it's probably nothing. In fact, it's definitely nothing. Friends always give compliments, make little gifts, and touch each other like that all the time." She let out a laugh. It sounded desperate even to Luz.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" She yelled, tugging at her hair.
"Guh?"
"Look, it has to be nothing cause the alternative is completely and totally-"
"Totally what, Luz?"
Luz jumped back. Willow stood under the door looking at her friend with concern.
"Oh! H-hey bestie. How's it hanging? Me? I'm doing great! Definitely not talking to myself in an empty room like a crazy person."
"Yeah…. Clearly."
…
Luz sighed. "Okay, things aren't great. Something's going on with Amity and I have no idea what."
"Really? Things seem to be going pretty well. Why else would she post this." She pulled up penstagram post with Amity's picture. The text underneath said, Luz' first abomination. #SoProud #HumanzRule #ShesMyLight
"Her light?" Luz said, butterflies in her stomach.
"Honestly, I'm pretty shocked she made the first move. I always figured that would be you. But I guess she beat you to it."
"Wha? What are you talking about?"
Willow tilted her head. "Do you not know?"
"Know? Wha- Of course I know. But how about you explain it to me anyway? Just so that I know you know."
Willow blinked. "Luz, sweetie, are you seriously telling me that you have no idea how Amity feels?"
"Feels what? We all got feelings Willow."
"You've never noticed the way she looks at you?"
"Looks at me how?"
"You've never heard the things she whispers under her breath?"
"Those could mean anything."
"You seriously, cross your heart and hope to die, have no idea that Amity has a crush on you?"
…
"¿Que?"
"Luz Noceda! Amity Blight is head over heels for you! How are you apparently the last person to know!?"
"Cause there's no way that's true!"
"Why not?"
"Well cause… she's… you know, Amity. And I'm… I'm-"
AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!
"There's the bell. Great talk, Willow, but I got lunch to eat."
"Luz!" Willowed yelled at the retreating human. "If you don't stop being a bonehead about this I will be forced to take drastic measures! You hear me! DRASTIC MEASURES!"
"Love you too, Willow. Byyyyyeeeeee!"
She hurried to her locker. She felt dizzy as she tried to parce her thoughts. Willow doesn't know what she's talking about. There's another, much more reasonable, explanation for this. A totally platonic explanation.
She reached into her locker for her lunch bag, but was surprised to see that there was a pink envelope on it. She opened it to reveal a letter that said, "Meet me at the school entrance during lunch. I have something special planned for just the two of us. Love, Amity."
There is no platonic explanation for this.
#
Luz still hadn't recovered her senses enough to say much as Amity led her to wherever this "something special" was. She kept wondering if this was some kind of prank, but the warmth of Amity's smile dispelled that idea quickly.
"Here we are," she said. The Grom Tree was there, blooming beautifully as the petals floated down.
"Wow, it's still gorgeous," Luz said, putting a hand on the trunk. "Feels like forever since I was last here."
"Same for me. Too many crazy emotions surrounding it."
"What changed?"
"I got tired of holding back. So I prepared this." She drew a spell circle, summing a blanket and a basket. Out of the basket, she pulled two paper wrapped PB & J's, a bag of Barbed Q chips, and a pitcher of apple blood along with two glasses. She laid it all out and took a seat, patting the spot next to her.
"Wow, you put a lot of work into this," Luz said, accepting the offer.
"You're worth it. Hope it turned out okay."
"I've yet to meet anyone who's made a bad PB & J." She unwrapped one and took a bite. "Yum."
Amity bit into the other. "Not bad. So, anything I missed at the Owl House?"
"Well, inbetween frying up owls-"
"You're never going to let that go, are you."
"Never. Anyway, King recently decided that the next step to fulfilling his ambitions was to establish his own nation. He figured all he had to do was find some land no one owned and then put his flag on it."
"I don't think that's how that works."
"It isn't. It didn't help that the tiny island in the middle of a lake he picked was already inhabited. By fairies who wanted to sacrifice him to their dark overlord. Eda and I tried to save him. But then turned out the dark god was real. So we had to win King back in a game of… no idea what it was called. It was some kind of eldritch chess game that slowly drives you crazy the longer it goes on."
"That doesn't narrow it down much."
"It's not important. Anyway, after we beat their god, they let King go, and we got these cool cursed knives as proof of our victory. They're not exactly practical, cause they can only cut ethereal things like ghosts. They look great over the fireplace though." She pulled out her phone and showed a picture of the glowing purple blades hanging from the mantlepiece.
"That is awesome," Amity said.
"I know, right. Anything like that going on at the Blight House?"
"Nothing as exciting. The twins are usually off doing their own thing, but sometimes we do have some fun doing each other's hair and make up. My parents… well, you've seen how they are. We've had some good moments, but I just try to avoid them when I can. It's why I spend so much time at the library."
"Geez, that can't be easy."
"It's been getting a lot easier. Having Willow as a friend again is amazing, even when we're working through things. Gus is always a lot of fun. We had a blast combining my abominations with his illusions the other day. But the person I'm most grateful for is you."
"Aw, stop teasing," Luz said, rubbing the back of her head.
"It's true. You might not always realize it, but you're wonderful. It doesn't matter what's going on, I'm just always happy to be spending time with you. Whether it's Azura Book Club," Amity scooted closer to her. "Or working in class together." She cuddled up next to her. "Or even just talking like we are now." She rested her head in the crook of Luz' neck.
The other girl tried to think of something to say, but nothing came. So, she stopped worrying and just rested her head on top of Amity's as the two of them finished lunch.
"Ah," Luz said, when everything was eaten. "Best lunch ever."
"I'm so happy to hear you say that," Amity said. She was looking at Luz like she was the sun and stars, and Luz found herself unable to do anything but stare back. "Can I ask you something crazy?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"Could I kiss you?"
OHMYGOSH!OHMYGOSH!OHMYGOSH!OHMYGOSH!OHMYGOSH! No, stop that! Don't panic! Just say something! Anything!
"¿Quién está Luz?"
ANYTHING EXCEPT THAT!
"I mean… I'd love that."
Amity wasted no time in locking lips, her hands cradling Luz' cheeks. The only thought that came to mind for Luz was, This is so so so much better than what the books described. It certainly wasn't perfect, even the two inexperienced girls could tell that. Noses bumped, teeth clashed, and they had to separate to catch their breaths. They looked to each other. Laughter spilled out of them.
"Safe to say, neither of us is an expert," Amity said.
"It wasn't that bad," Luz said. She put a finger to her lips. "It was amazing, actually."
"You know, if you're okay with it, we could practice together more."
"Like, all the time?"
"If you're okay with it."
"I'd love that!"
"Want to start now?"
Luz answered by throwing her arms over Amity's shoulders and bringing her in for another kiss. If this is a dream I never want to wake up.
That was when she noticed the glass vial slip out of Amity's pocket.
"What's that?" Luz said.
"Nothing important," Amity said.
"Really? Because it looks kind of im-" Amity shut her up by locking their lips. Luz wanted to simply let it continue like this. However, an awful, nagging thought was scratching at the back of her mind now. Something's wrong. This is wrong.
She tried to ignore it.
She's lying about the vial.
She tried so hard.
There's no other reason she would do all this.
"Amity," she said, gently pushing Amity back. "What was in that vial?"
"Like I said, nothing. I probably just put it in my pocket during class and forgot about it."
Luz snatched the vial before Amity could stop her. It was empty, but there was still a drop of something red inside. "Amity, seriously, what was in here?"
Amity searched for an answer. When nothing came, she bowed her head. "It was just something I asked the twins to get for me."
"The twins? Oh my gosh, they must have done something to it! Or switched it out or-"
"No way. They're pranksters, but even they have lines they don't cross."
Luz wanted to believe that so badly that her insides twisted. It broke her heart to say, "Maybe that's true, but we should still stop by the infirmary to make sure."
She tugged on Amity's arm, but the witchling resisted
"Can't we at least wait until later? Like, after we're done here?" she said.
"No! I'm positive that they did something to that potion and we have to-"
A vine burst from the ground. It snaked around Luz. She flailed as it lifted her.
"Luz Noceda, I told you I'd have to take drastic measures if you didn't stop being a bonehead," Willow said, stepping out from the woods.
"What the heck, Willow?! You were spying on us?" Luz said, trying to get to her glyphs.
"I wouldn't have to if you weren't being so weird about this. I'll only let you down once you explain why you're acting like this."
"Willow, stop it," Amity said. "It's not her fault, I probably did something wrong. Oh Titan, it was the picture wasn't it?! I knew that was too much!"
"Amity, no," Luz said. "Everything you did was great. Perfect even."
"Then why are you still not seeing the obvious?!" Willow said.
"Because she got slipped a love potion."
"What?" Amity said. Then her eyes went to the dropped vial. "Is that what you were freaking out about? Luz, even if the twins did slip me something it couldn't be a love potion because those don't exist."
"WHAT?!"
"There are whole books on the subject, but to simplify things, you can't use magic to trick someone into falling in love. Magic can't make new emotions or feelings, they can only change the intensity of what's already there."
If Amity said it, then it had to be true.
"Now that that that's settled," Willow said. "Can you finally see the obvious!"
"No, that's still not possible," Luz said.
"Why not?! Why are you still not getting that Amity has a crush on you?!"
"BECAUSE NOBODY WOULD EVER HAVE A CRUSH ON ME!"
Silence fell. Amity and Willow looked at their friend with wide eyes as Luz tried to fight back the tears forming. Willow slowly brought the vine down and unwrapped her. Both witchlings stepped towards her, but Luz held up a hand to stop them.
"Just give me a minute," She said, wiping her eyes. "Look, I've had feelings for people before but they never went anywhere. At best, they'd just turn me down, at worst they'd-" She flinched at the memories. "They'd laugh right in my face. I've just grown to accept that at the end of the day, that's just how it's always going to be."
Willow put a hand on Luz' shoulder. "That must have been hard. But you're not in the human realm anymore. You've got magic and friends here. Is it really so crazy that you'd also have people who liked you?"
"Sure, this world has turned into a dream come true for me, but it's not like everything is perfect. I figured that even if there were signs this cool, pretty, smart witch girl might feel the same way I do about her, it'd be better not to get my hopes up."
"Wait," Amity said. "You li… like me? Like, like-like me?"
Luz avoided her gaze. "You're Amity Blight, one of the most amazing people I know. Of course I'd fall for you."
Amity's eyes went wide. The biggest, brightest smile formed on her face. "I feel the same way. I'd wanted to tell you for so long, but I couldn't build up the bravery to say anything. Not until I got my hands on something. The vial, it held something called Liquid Courage. It doesn't actually make you braver, but it helped bring out something that you showed me I had. I can feel it starting to wear off now though, so I'll try to make this quick."
Amity took a deep breath. "You are the most amazing person I've ever met in my life. I've spent most of my life being scared of what others think of me. Scared of letting anyone get close. But that's never been a problem for you. You're always so genuine and so willing to see the best in others. That kindness, that warmth, I want to bask in it forever because everything feels right in it. I want to stay by your side because it feels so safe. I want to spend as much time with you as possible because I… I… I love you Luz Noceda."
Those words hung in the air as Amity and Luz looked at each other. Luz' expression lit up like the sun and Amity felt warmth flood her entire being. At that moment, it felt like it was just the two of them. Then the potion wore off and Amity turned bright red.
"That is- if you're okay with that. I mean- It's just- Oh titan, did I really just say that? That was so corny! UGH!" She pulled her hood over her face.
Willow exited as quietly as she could. Luz walked over and tapped the other girl's shoulder. "Hey, Amity?"
The witchling peeked out.
"You wanna, maybe go out sometime?" Luz could feel her own blush coming. "If you're still okay with going out with a bonehead, I mean."
"I-I-I… Yes, Yes I would." She pulled off her hood.
"Cool, coolcoolcool," Luz said, rubbing the back of her neck. "Maybe this Friday?"
"That sounds good. See you then." Amity turned around. She walked off at a brisk pace.
As Luz started back towards school she heard Amity's yell of, "YEEEEEESSSS! THIS IS THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE!"
She smirked. "My girlfriend is such a dork… Girlfriend… My girlfriend, Amity." She walked back with those words repeating in her mind as she carried the biggest smile on her face.
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