The Thing About Crushes
Disclaimer: I do not own the Owl House.
The final bell screamed, signaling the conclusion of the school day at Hexside. Luz stored the books she wouldn't be needing for homework into her locker and started making her way down the hall. She was feeling a bit nervous now that classes were over. Some new feelings had begun to develop lately towards one of her friends and she was having a little trouble with them. It seemed that telling someone you liked them was not as easy as she had thought. She had tried a couple times already, but couldn't bring up the subject at all. But today was going to be different. This time she knew exactly what to do.
A short distance ahead of her another student was storing her own books away. Luz called out to her, giving the other girl a start. Amity turned in her direction and Luz noticed that her face looked a little red. She worried she may have made Amity mad by startling her, but quickly dismissed the thought when Amity smiled a little and waved.
"Hi Luz, did you need something?"
"Actually yeah. Do you have a minute to talk?"
"Of course. What's on your mind?"
"I kinda have something important I want to tell you. But it's also sorta personal." Luz told her, scratching the back of her head. "So if it's okay with you I would like to go someplace more private."
"Say no more. I'm free for a little while so we can go somewhere nearby to talk. Did you have anywhere particular in mind?"
Luz nodded and turned to head back the way she came, gesturing for Amity to follow her. Amity checked to make sure her locker had closed its mouth and then fell into step just behind Luz. She led her into an empty classroom, shutting the door behind them. Luz then picked up a piece of chalk and drew a fairly large square on the board. She added a keyhole in the center and tapped it with the chalk, resulting in the square opening and revealing a path beyond.
"Isn't this that secret room those other multi-track students showed you?" Amity asked.
"Yup. Figured it would be a good place to avoid being bothered. They haven't really used it much since Bump let them study on the tracks they want."
She entered and held out her hand for Amity, who took it with silent joy. They went down into the main room that connected all the secret doorways. Luz settled down on the floor, crossing her legs and patted the spot beside her. Amity made herself as comfortable as she could and waited for Luz to proceed. For a few moments, Luz fidgeted and seemed to be struggling with what to say. But she just forced herself to blurt it out in the end.
"I have a crush on someone."
Amity was surprised at first and then she started to feel excited. If that was what Luz wanted to talk about, and she had asked to speak with her alone… this was like a dream come true. She wanted to just tell Luz she felt the same way right then. But she could fully understand how difficult it would be for Luz to be open with these feelings. So she opted to let Luz finish expressing herself first.
"Really? Is it anyone I know?" Amity asked, leaning a bit closer.
Luz nodded. "Yup. She goes to school here and is a really good student. She's super cute and lots of fun to be around. I'm already friends with her, actually."
"Oh? Well I think that narrows it down quite a bit. I have a very good idea of who you are talking about."
"Yeah, I guess I made it really obvious, didn't I?" Luz giggled. "If you're thinking that it's Willow, you're right."
For a moment it was silent. Amity felt her hopes being dashed completely, an icy grip enclosing on her heart. Shockingly she was able to keep this from showing and instinctively continued with a nearly flawless composure.
"It isn't too surprising to be completely honest." She flat out lied. "You two get along so well and Willow was one of your first friends here. So the two of you have a bit of history already. Have you tried telling her how you feel?"
"Uh-huh. More than once. But any time I think I have the opportunity to tell her how I feel, either someone else interrupts or I just can't bring myself to say it after all. It's usually the second one though. I just change the subject or think up an excuse to leave. I don't know why, but I get really scared when I try to say it to her. I think I understand how you felt back before Grom night."
Amity placed her hand onto Luz's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Then you should know that means I understand how you feel now. I… I want to help. Would you be alright with me going to talk to Willow for you?"
"You… do you really mean that?" Luz asked with a trace of hope in her voice.
"Hey, that's what friends do. But if you feel like that would be too impersonal, that's fine. This is something that has to be done the way you think is best. So if nothing else, I can at least let her know that you really want to talk to her. Then it's just a matter of when and where you want to meet."
Luz pulled Amity into a hug, squeezing her tight. Normally Amity would be blushing fiercely, her heart pounding. But this time she didn't feel that rush of emotion. This… just felt bittersweet. She returned the hug and then stood up, holding Luz's hands while she also got to her feet. Amity reluctantly let go and stepped back a bit.
"So, what would you like me to say to Willow?"
"Tell her that I want to talk to her out in front of the school. I'll be waiting at the front steps. And could you not tell her that it's me? I want to surprise her, so just call me her admirer, okay?"
Amity nodded. "Easy enough. I'll go find her now. She's usually in the greenhouse after school, right?"
"Yeah." Luz sighed dreamily. "She looks so happy tending to the plants. It's adorable!"
A strong twinge of jealousy pulsed through Amity. She didn't let it show and went to head back out the way she came. Luz however stopped her and showed her a doorway that led out into the hall closer to the school's entrance. With a smile and a small wave, Amity left Luz behind. Once the door was closed behind her, Amity made her way down the hall. She made a little detour to the girls' bathroom, gratefully finding that no one else was there at the time. It was with this privacy that she felt safe enough to completely drop her composure.
"It's not fair." She blurted out sinking down to her knees. "Why? Why did this have to happen? I hate this so much!"
She choked back a sob, not wanting to give into the emotions trying to overwhelm her. With far more effort than should have been needed, Amity got back to her feet and stood in front of one of the sinks. In the mirror she saw how miserable she looked and began to feel disgusted with herself. Her hands gripped the sides of the sink and she gave herself a stern glare.
"You can't let this drag you down. She has a right to like who she likes, Amity. If you had just told her how you felt before now, maybe things would be different. But now it's too late for that. Luz likes Willow and if being with her makes Luz happy, then that should be good enough for you. Now, you told that beautiful girl you'd go and help her and you won't go back on that. So go find Willow and tell her that…..that…. that she's the luckiest witch at Hexside!"
Amity's face twisted, displaying her sorrow and she let out a sob. Her legs started to feel weak and if not for the fact she was bracing herself on the sink, she could have sunk to her knees again. No longer able to resist it, she just let herself cry quietly for a minute. When the woeful waves began to ebb, she fought back against the tears and forced herself to control her emotions. She wiped the tears away and then used some cold water from the sink to cleanse her face for good measure. Then she met her own gaze in the mirror again, her expression inhibiting her feelings.
"No more of that." She chided herself, sounding almost like her mother. "You are a Blight. A member of the higher circle of society. That sort of display is unbecoming of a young witch of your status. You are to be calm, collected and dignified at all times. How you feel is irrelevant now. Your only concern is finding Willow and telling her that she has an admirer. Nothing more."
After taking a moment to ensure she was presentable, Amity left the bathroom and made her way to the front of the school at a steady pace. Once she stepped outside, she went around the school, past the Grudgby field and towards the greenhouse. She began to feel a bit of anxiety welling up inside her, but she suppressed it by the time she got to the door. Taking just a moment to allow herself a deep breath, Amity let herself inside.
The interior of the greenhouse was fairly spacious, with a nice high ceiling. There were countless plants all around, with larger ones towards the back and some of the more dangerous ones behind magical barriers. Amity walked past them, keeping her eyes peeled for Willow. She found her after a minute, in the middle of repotting a rather large, carnivorous flower. Not wanting to bother her while she was busy with something so delicate, Amity stood still and waited for her to finish.
Willow set the plant into its new pot with her magic. As it was settled into the new container, the plant lashed out at Willow, snapping it's petals closed in an effort to get something to eat. It missed by hardly more than a centimeter, Willow letting out a giggle at the attempt. She drew a magic circle and began watering the flower, humming softly until she was finished. At that moment Amity cleared her throat, gaining Willow's attention.
"Oh, hi Amity. What brings you here?"
"I came here to talk to you about something." Amity replied, coming across with a 'strictly business' attitude. "Is now a good time for you?"
"Sure. Let me just get this cutie back where he belongs and we can step outside."
To Amity's surprise, Willow approached the flower that had nearly bitten her before and picked up its pot by hand. Again the flower snapped at her, but she managed to keep herself from being grabbed. She set it down a short distance away, by a sign that said 'Danger' and then joined Amity. As they began walking to the door, Amity looked over her shoulder at the flower and then to Willow.
"Will it be alright to leave it like that? It seems…. ravenous."
"It's fine." Willow replied. "None of the other plant track students will be stopping by until Monday and by then the professor will have put up a barrier around that one just to be safe."
"I'm amazed you weren't frightened by it trying to eat you."
"I prefer to think of it as how it shows affection." Willow said, letting out another giggle.
The two teenagers exited the greenhouse and Willow led Amity around to the side that didn't face the school. Willow stood patiently waiting for Amity to speak, her hands neatly folded in front of her. Amity felt hesitant; very, very hesitant. A little voice in the back of her mind telling her to just make up something else, anything else to tell Willow. But she ignored it and forced a small yet sincere smile.
"So…. I learned something pretty interesting today. It turns out that somebody here at school has a crush on you. Congratulations Willow, you have a secret admirer."
"I do?" Willow asked, almost as if she found it hard to believe. "That's…. I…. wow. This is so unexpected. How did you find out, Amity?"
"Well, I was about to head home when your crush approached me and told me about her feelings for you." Amity said, suddenly realizing her slip up. "I-I mean, when they told me!"
"My admirer is a girl?" Willow asked, more surprised than before.
"Please don't let her know I revealed that much." Amity requested, somewhat nervously. "She wanted to keep it a surprise for when you go to meet with her. I'm supposed to tell you to meet at the staircase in front of the school."
Willow was silent for a minute or so. She stepped closer to Amity, now looking a touch conflicted. It was almost as if she were afraid to say what was on her mind.
"I already know her, don't I?" She finally asked.
"What? N-No, well…maybe…. It's not my place to say." Amity replied.
"It's Luz, isn't it?"
Amity's façade was destroyed that very instant. She didn't say anything, but Willow could tell simply by looking the other witch in the eyes that she had guessed right. Willow let out a sigh and leaned back against the greenhouse, the conflict in her mind growing. Amity had no idea what to say or to do. She was so shocked by Willow's quick deduction and not so positive reaction. But more than anything else, she was afraid for Luz's sake. It was starting to look like she'd be going back with bad news.
"I'll be honest." Willow suddenly said. "I think a part of me knew that she liked me that way. But I just didn't want to admit it out loud. What really surprises me is that you of all people would be the one to tell me. It must have been so hard for you to do that when you have feelings for her."
"I… I have no idea what you're talking about." Amity lied. "Me, have feelings for Luz? That's a good one!"
"Amity, you don't need to hide it from me. I've known for a while now. So do a few other people at school. Maybe more than a few. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised at all if the only person at Hexside who didn't know was Luz herself." Willow replied with a giggle.
"Am I that obvious?" Amity asked, her shoulders sinking.
"I'm afraid so. I see you staring at her sometimes. Plus you act a little awkward around her lately, especially if she's focusing her attention on you."
Amity let out a soft groan and covered her face. "I can't believe this. I must look so foolish!"
"Well, just a little. But I think it's nice that you're like that. You're being honest with your feelings, even though you haven't told her anything yet."
"I… I do feel like I can just be myself around her." Amity admitted, fidgeting with her hands a little. "I don't need to put on airs or try to impress her. When I'm around Luz, I feel comfortable…. I feel, right. It makes me want to be around her as often as possible."
Willow smiled and stepped closer to give Amity a hug. Amity didn't shy away and simply allowed herself to enjoy the gesture. After Willow ended the embrace, she began to walk back around the greenhouse, giving Amity a short wave as she went.
"Then it sounds to me like you should. I'm going to go and talk to her now. I'll let her know that she has an admirer of her own… after I let her down." She said, starting to sound hesitant. "I've never had to reject someone before."
"Please be gentle when you do." Amity softly implored.
"I wouldn't plan to do it any other way."
As Willow left to go and see Luz, Amity stood around for a moment. Part of her wanted to go to follow Willow; to watch how things went. But all she could think of was how upset Luz would be and she didn't think she could bear that. So instead Amity went home, hoping that she could distract herself from her worries with her studies.
Out at the front of the school, Willow approached the steps. She noticed that Luz was nowhere in sight and looked around, not finding even a single other person. It was enough to make her start wondering if Amity had been mistaken when she had said Luz would be waiting for her by the front steps. Although it occurred to Willow that Luz may have started to have second thoughts about confessing her feelings and taken off. Willow also considered that she may have just needed to answer the call of nature and decided to give her a few minutes.
Willow didn't need to wait long before Luz made her appearance. She came through the doors, doing her best to look nonchalant as she began descending the stairs. She saw Willow and waved, acting as if she were surprised to see her there.
"Hey Willow!" She greeted. "What are you still doing at school? Had some stuff to do in the greenhouse?"
"Well, yes. But I was told that someone wanted to meet me here." Willow replied. "Apparently I have a secret admirer."
"Ooh, lucky you!" Luz said, feigning ignorance. "Soo… any idea who it might be?"
"Luz, I already know that it's you." Willow told her flatly. "And please don't be upset with Amity. She didn't tell me. I sort of figured it out by myself."
Luz froze up for a moment and then smiled sheepishly. She took a moment to think, having been thrown off by Willow already knowing about the big reveal. Unable to find a better way to go about it, Luz just went with the direct approach.
"So, how about it? You and me, going on a date?" Luz asked hopefully.
Willow offered a sincere, yet sympathetic smile. The expression on Luz's face was about to make a very drastic change, all because of what she was about to tell her. Willow already felt guilty about it, but there was no sense in beating around the bush. It was going to be upsetting for Luz regardless of how she went about the matter. All she could do was get it over with.
"No. I'm sorry Luz, but I just don't feel that way about you. It isn't that I don't like you enough. I'm just not attracted to other girls."
If Luz was shocked, she was hiding it well. Although the disappointment was clear in her eyes. She forced a smile and looked away, seeming to be more interested in something off in the distance.
"Oh, don't worry about it. That makes total sense. It's cool."
"Are you sure?" Willow asked. "You don't need to put up a front with me, Luz. I know that being rejected isn't easy. I've had a crush before myself that didn't go the way I wanted. So please feel free to talk to me if it would help you through this."
Luz waved her hand dismissively. "Pfft, are you kidding me? I'm fine! I knew that things could turn out this way. It's just not as easy as I thought it would be. But hey, if it were easy then that just means I didn't really like you that way to start with!" She exclaimed, letting out an awkward sounding laugh. "A-anyway… I uh, I should be going now. Bye!"
She turned and started to walk away at a rapid pace. As her emotions got the better of her, she broke into a run, as if she could escape from the negative feelings. Willow didn't have the chance to do or say anything before Luz was already too far away. She felt terrible after seeing her friend like that and started to regret some of the things she had said.
"Feel free to talk to me if it would help. What were you thinking Willow?!" She scolded herself. "Why would she want to talk to you about it when you just broke her heart? Really smooth."
Without any idea of what else to do, Willow started for home. She spent the remainder of her day doing her homework and thinking of what to do regarding Luz. More than once she wanted to use her family's crystal ball to try and contact her friend, or at least someone in the Owl House to try and check on her. But she worried that doing something so soon may not be as helpful as she would hope.
That night was a long one. Willow was unable to sleep, her mind constantly hovering around how to confront Luz. It was making her start to feel a little sick with worry. A part of her was scared that she may have lost one of the best friends she had ever made. The very friend who had caused some of the most important changes in her life. If Luz didn't want to be around her anymore, Willow had no idea what she would do.
The following morning, Willow had lost a lot of sleep and had gained nothing from all of her thinking. She sat and poked idly at her breakfast, continuing to ponder the matter. Seeing Luz face to face would be too much and her idea to call via crystal ball didn't seem much better either. But she had to reach out to Luz, and she knew it had to be soon.
After managing to get through her meal and taking a little more time to think, Willow settled on how to go about the matter. She would write out a short letter to Luz, no more than a simple message letting her know she was worried and wanted to help her move on, but only when she felt like she was ready.
Willow ended up scrapping and rewriting the letter eight times, never feeling like she was wording it right. By the ninth time she had gotten it down decently, but still worried that Luz wouldn't respond well to the idea of moving on with her help. She really wanted to be wrong about that though.
Giving her fathers each a quick hug, Willow left for the Owl House. She slowed down as she got close, checking to see if maybe Luz was outside for any reason. When she saw that the only one outside was Hooty, she picked up the pace and moved for the front door. Hooty spotted her and poked his head out, getting right up into her face.
"Hiya Willow! You here to see Luz? I'll go get her for you!"
"No! I mean… I don't want her to know I'm here yet. I'd like to surprise her." Willow said.
"Oh, okay. Gotcha." Hooty replied with a wink.
He returned to his door and opened it up for her. Once she had stepped inside, Hooty stretched out again and craned is long body upwards, looking towards the second floor. Willow wasn't sure of what Hooty was doing at first, but when he took a deep breath she got a bad feeling.
"Hey Luz!" Hooty called. "Willow is here to see you! SURPRISE!"
"Dang it, Hooty!" Willow grumbled, quickly drawing a magic circle.
Vines grew from the circle and Willow placed her letter in them. The stretched up all the way to Luz's room and slipped the letter underneath the door. Willow then quickly turned and left the house, breaking into a run once she was outside again. She chanced a look over her shoulder, wondering if Luz may have been there. But all she saw was the door closing and she slowed her pace, the feeling of worry growing stronger than before.
The rest of the day went by agonizingly slow for Willow. She knew that she shouldn't expect an immediate response from Luz, but still couldn't help but check the crystal ball in her house every so often. Each time the ball was simply blank, not flashing as it usually did when someone had tried to contact them. Willow tried to occupy herself by looking through her plant track textbook, not finding it as engaging as she would normally. By the time she needed to sit down for dinner, she had less of an appetite than she had during breakfast. She ended up going to bed shortly afterwards, lying awake with her eyes fixed on the ceiling.
Willow wasn't sure of how long it took her to finally fall asleep, but by the time she woke up the next morning, she was more rested than she would have expected. She got out of bed and went to go prepare something for breakfast. Knowing that both her fathers were already out at work, given the time, Willow settled for a small helping of oatmeal. As she began to dig into her food, she heard a loud screech coming from the living room.
The initial reaction Willow had was that of surprise. She had been so startled that she had nearly choked on a bite of her food. When she had safely gotten it down, she stood suddenly and rushed to the living room where the crystal ball was flashing green and letting out another screech. An image showed in the center of the ball, one of herself receiving a very big hug from Luz. Willow winced a little at the sight of that, but answered the call without any further hesitation.
"Good morning Luz. How are you feeling?" Willow asked as Luz's image appeared in the ball.
"Hey. I… um, well I guess I feel okay." Luz replied, trying to sound like her usual self.
"Are you sure this isn't too soon? I don't want you to push yourself."
"I'm not. I told you before, I'm doing just fine. In fact, I'm doing great!" Luz lied, forcing a smile.
"No you're not!" Chimed in a nasally voice. King scrambling up Luz's back and hanging onto her shoulder. "You were standing here, staring at the crystal ball and muttering to yourself for almost ten minutes! It was like you were afraid it would bite you or something!"
"King, hush. This is a private call." Luz whispered.
"No! I will not be silenced!" King replied stubbornly. "You've been acting weird and I want to know why!" He stated, thrusting out an accusing claw at Willow. "What did you do to my Boo-Boo Buddy, you poor excuse of a witch?!"
Willow was taken aback by King's insult. She forgot about how she wanted to talk to Luz and cast a glare at the demon, her eyes flashing green for a moment. King let out a squeak and scooted down Luz's back, hiding himself from sight. Luz sighed and picked King up, giving Willow an apologetic look.
"I'll be right back."
She stepped out of view and set the adorable demon down. Then she stepped into the kitchen and got a large bag of cheese curls out of the cabinet. King's eyes lit up when he saw Luz return with them in hand. Luz handed the bag to king, the demon barely taller than it was. With a gleeful giggle, King ran off to find a safe place to devour his fill of cheesy goodness. The sight was enough to allow Luz a tiny smile before she returned to her call with Willow.
"Sorry about that." She said once she was in front of the ball again. "So… what were you saying?"
"I was asking if this was too soon. Please be honest, it is isn't it?"
"No, it's fine. I… I don't want things to get awkward between us. So we should spend time together just so I can get used to the fact that we'll only be friends."
"Best friends." Willow corrected. "But I really do mean it when I say I don't want to rush things back to normal. If you feel like you need some space, just say so."
"Don't worry about it. I wouldn't have reached out to you so soon if I didn't think I was up to it. Anyway, in your letter you mentioned you wanted to help me find someone?"
"Actually, I can do better. I happen to know someone at school who has a crush on you."
Luz giggled. "Yeah, I already know Gus likes me that way. It's sweet, but I would like to find someone around my age, maybe a little older."
"No, it's not Gus. But it is someone we both know. It just might surprise you when you learn who she is."
"Someone we both know, eh? Hmmmm…..and you say I'd be surprised." Luz paused to think for a moment, her eyes suddenly going wide with shock. "Please tell me it isn't Boscha!"
Willow stared silently at Luz. She was a little dumbfounded by Luz's guess. The way she was reacting only started to make Luz believe she had been correct, making her feel some very conflicting emotions. On the one hand, she was curious about, well… a lot of things now. But on the other hand, it was Boscha. While she continued to debate the matter in her head, she noticed that Willow was calling her name to get her attention.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Luz asked, snapping from the confines of her own mind.
"I said that it isn't Boscha. I can't figure out how exactly you could even think that it's her. I'm pretty sure she doesn't like anyone more than she likes herself."
Luz let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. I mean, no offense to Boscha but… well… let's just leave it at no offense to Boscha."
"If you say so. Anyways, if you want, we can leave it a surprise. You wanted to surprise me after all, wouldn't you like the same?"
"I would like it to be a surprise now that you mention it." Luz answered. "Does that mean I can meet her sometime soon?"
"If you like. But I should check with her and talk to her about it first. She's probably going to want a little time to prepare. The poor girl has been wanting to tell you, but she's being very shy about it all."
"Shy you say?" Luz said, tapping her chin. "Shy girls are always major cuties in anime. I definitely want to meet her now. "
"Then I'll talk to her now." Willow replied. "And I'll get back to you when I hear from her, okay?"
"Kay. And you can just drop by once you have. We can have some snacks and talk more about… you know, everything."
"I'd like that." Willow said with a soft smile. "I'll talk to you soon. Bye."
"Bye."
Willow ended the call and let out a sigh of relief. She was grateful to have that nasty hurdle behind her. But an even more difficult one now loomed in front of her. Finding a way to contact Amity before the weekend was over was far easier said than done. Amity's parents monitored her social media as well as crystal ball usage, making it difficult to contact her via magical item. The way she figured it, her best chance was to check and see if Amity was at the library.
After taking some time to wash up and change out of her pajamas, Willow set out for the library. When she got there, the first place she checked was the front desk. The head librarian was receiving a return of some books from another person, piling up over a dozen of them into a single stack. Once the last book had been checked and the stack set aside for re-shelving, Willow stepped forward for her turn.
"Hello Miss Park." The head librarian greeted, using his magic to bring up a scroll which he began checking. "It doesn't seem like our copy of 'Cute Yet Carnivorous Plants of the Wild Era' has been returned yet. But it is due back in just two more days.
"I'm actually here for a different reason." Willow said. "I'm looking to speak with Amity. Is she volunteering today?"
"No, she couldn't come in today for some reason. Her brother is taking her place reading to the children. Maybe he can help you."
"He is?" Willow asked, very surprised. "Oh, well I'll go and see him then. Thank you."
She turned and headed further into the building, towards the kids' corner. However she didn't see him there, seated in front of a group of children. All she saw was chaos in the corner. The children were running about, giggling and chasing toys that had clearly been enchanted somehow. Stuffed animals, dolls and various figurines of all kinds were running about like wild. Willow was momentarily stunned by the sight, especially when she saw several toys had managed to subdue one of the librarians, Gary.
Willow rushed over to help Gary, picking up the toys one at a time and tossing them aside. Eventually, Gary was able to get back up on his feet and ran from the kids' corner, the toys giving pursuit. As Willow went to follow and help, she spotted Edric out the corner of her eye. He was hiding behind a bookshelf just outside the kids' corner and snickering as he watched everything happening. Willow quickly put two and two together and went over to see him.
As she approached, Edric noticed her and waved. He then gestured for her to join her as he kept watching Gary flee from the enchanted toys. Gary started to climb up the shelves, knocking books over as he went. The toys gathered below him, trying to continue their chase. Edric snickered again as he saw Gary reach the top and hug his knees to his chest.
"Don't you think you should stop now?" Willow asked. "He looks traumatized as it is."
Edric scoffed. "You sound just like Mittens. I actually used to use this spell on her toys when she was little."
"You made her own toys attack her?" Willow asked with disbelief.
"Nah, I had them play with her. She used to love it." Edric replied, smiling from the nostalgia. "Of course, now she's too grown up so she obviously doesn't like it anymore. But I still do it sometimes just to bug her. You should see the look on her face when her old stuffed animals start marching into her room and climb onto her while she's trying to study. It's priceless!"
He started to laugh again, covering his mouth to avoid letting too many people hear him. Willow couldn't stop herself from smiling a little at him, her cheeks turning slightly pink. Edric noticed her smiling and got an idea. He leaned over towards her, a playful look in his eyes.
"So… I was gonna switch a bunch of books around to mess with the librarians. Want to help?"
"Um… that sounds… fun, but polite pass." Willow said shyly. "I actually came here to see Amity, but she didn't come to volunteer today. Could you let her know I would like to talk to her?"
"Why not just stop by my place and see her yourself?" Edric asked.
"Because of your parents." Willow answered simply.
"Oh, right. They would not be happy if they saw you there." Edric noted, scratching his head a bit before smirking. "Buuut… they won't need to know since they won't be home until later today. So I can sneak you in to see Mittens really quick, if you like."
"I… I don't know…" Willow said, seeming very hesitant.
"Trust me. Nobody will know you're there. Emira has been keeping an eye on Amity, since she's being more of a downer than usual. I can give Emira a quick call and have her make sure no one sees us coming. I'll get you up to Amity's bedroom window and you can head inside to see her."
"But how will you get me up to her bedroom window?"
"Easy, my mom made reservations at a fancy restaurant on the other side of the island. They're both riding there on her staff, so I sorta… 'borrowed' my dad's. I can fly you up."
Willow's face went cherry red. "So… I'd need to sit on the staff, with you?"
"Uh, yeah. Duh. What did you think I was going to do? Have you hang onto it with your hands? Come on, let's go now."
Edric grabbed Willow by the hand and began to pull her along. Willow let out an 'eep!' and struggled to keep up, her face still red. When they got outside, Edric contacted Emira and then drew a magic circle. The air shimmered on the wall just around the corner and a staff appeared. The palisman on the staff was a twin headed wolf, one head looking feral and the other well groomed. Edric picked up the staff and hopped on it, pulling up Willow to sit behind him.
"Hold on tight. I've only ever flown by myself before." He told her. "Whenever Em and I fly together, she always has to be the one in control."
Willow wrapped her arms around him, grateful he could not see how heavily she was blushing. They lifted off, Edric steering them towards Blight Manor. The flight was short and as they arrived, Edric slowed down. He cautiously maneuvered the staff to get them around the property to enter from an area where they were less likely to be seen through the windows.
Once they got closer to the manor, Edric flew them right beside Amity's bedroom window and lightly tapped on the glass. After half a minute of waiting, no one came to the window. Edric tapped again and after another half minute there was still no response. He looked inside the room and saw Amity sitting on her bed, a book laying open in her lap. As he tried to tap on the window a third time he noticed she didn't even look up. For a moment, Edric looked annoyed, but then he smirked as he came up with a solution. He began tapping on the glass rapidly with both of his index fingers, looking very amused with himself.
Inside her room, Amity was very quickly distracted by the noise. She looked up from her book and over to her window, where she saw Edric smirking at her from outside. A scowl came to her face as she shut her book and set it aside. The expression on her face made it seem like she was ready to tell her brother off, until she noticed Willow was with him.
"What are you doing here?" She asked after opening her window. "If my parents find out you came over, who knows what they'll do!"
"Easy, Mittens." Edric said, letting himself in and then assisting Willow. "I wouldn't try to get Willow in trouble. You, maybe. But not Willow."
Amity frowned and drew a magic circle, opening her bedroom door. "Thank you, Edric. But I would appreciate it if you left now. And while you're at it, you may want to put our father's staff back where it belongs too."
"Yeah, yeah. I'll let you have time with your friend. But make sure to get me again when she has to leave. I'll make sure to sneak her back out so it'll be like she was never here."
"Um… about that." Willow said. "Wouldn't you have to worry about your father hearing about this from his palisman?"
"Nah, that's never gonna happen." Edric said assuredly. "See, our dad never uses his staff anymore. He almost always uses a carriage when he's traveling. And he only really has his staff with him when he's at work and that makes poor Wolfie here feel neglected. So I occasionally take him out for a little joyride. We both get to have some fun and dear old dad is none the wiser. It's win-win."
"Would you please just leave already?!" Amity hissed. "We're about to have a private conversation. Or are you interested in hearing about lady problems?"
Edric shuddered a little. "No, not interested in any of that. I already have to deal with it more than I'd like thanks to Emira. I'll be going now."
He left, leaving the door to Amity's room wide open behind him. Amity went to shut it, checking around the hall first. Then she went and sat on her bed, gesturing for Willow to join her. When she did, Amity looked at her expectantly with eyes full of worry.
Willow took a slow, deep breath. "Luz tried to be brave, but she was definitely upset. She ran off after I rejected her. I couldn't really tell at the time, but I think she started crying."
"Oh, poor Luz." Amity fretted, almost looking ready to cry herself. "She must have been devastated. Do you think it's too soon to try and talk to her?"
"Actually, I already did. We spoke this morning through crystal ball. Luz wants to try and continue our relationship as just friends. It's probably going to be a bit uncomfortable for us to be around each other at first, but we both want to get past that. And Luz wants to move on, so I told her about her secret admirer. But she wants to be surprised, so she still has no idea that it's you."
"Okay… so what do we do now?" Amity asked, sounding a bit nervous.
"We are going to arrange a time for you to meet with her and then it's up to you to take things from there."
Amity swallowed a little lump that had started forming in her throat. "I… I think I can try that. How soon do you think would work?"
Willow shrugged. "That's for you to decide. I don't want to tell you how to go about this. All I'm going to do is tell Luz where and when."
"T-today!" Amity blurted out, her face completely pink. "I want to talk to her today!"
"Really?" Willow questioned, tilting her head slightly. "I know I said it's up to you, but do you think you're ready?"
"I don't know! But I want to see her and talk to her and…. and if we're going to do this I don't want to put it off. I just need a little time to mentally prepare. So maybe in an hour or so. That should be good enough. And you have to help me. Please, do not let me try to back out of this, no matter what I say or do. Promise me!"
"Promise." Willow told her with a small smile. "Now, where do you want to meet with Luz?"
"Um… I don't know. Someplace where there won't be a lot of other people, or any if possible. I was thinking of going to school since there aren't classes today, but what if someone walks by?" Amity worried. "I don't think I can go through with it if someone starts looking at us when I'm trying to talk to Luz!"
Willow placed her hand on Amity's shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile. "You'll do fine. Just take some time to think over what you want to say to her." She said, standing back up. "I should be going, so I can talk with Luz about this. Meet me outside the greenhouse in a little bit. I can get you two in there so you don't have to worry about privacy."
"Thank you." Amity said, smiling softly. "This means more to me than you know. I'll go let Edric know you're ready to leave."
Amity got up and left her room. A little over a minute later she returned with her brother and waved to Willow as she left. Once they were gone, Amity tried to return to her reading, but could not get through so much as a paragraph. She was far too distracted as her thoughts kept turning to Luz. An unpleasant, squirming feeling filled her gut at the idea of finally confessing her feelings. It was unsettling, no… it was frightening to her.
She let out a heavy sigh and laid back onto her mattress. After taking a moment to try and calm her nerves, Amity retrieved a little pouch she kept hidden beneath her pillows. Inside were some hard candies that she would usually reserve for when she had to study for a big test. As she popped one into her mouth she found herself better able to focus and began planning for a big moment ahead.
A short while later Amity was as ready as she was ever going to be. She brushed her teeth and had changed into a modest black dress with short sleeves and a knee-length skirt, matching shoes and pink leggings. Satisfied with her appearance, Amity grabbed her bag and set out towards Hexside.
As she got onto the grounds, Amity felt her resolve beginning to fade. Each step she took closer to the greenhouse seemed to rob her of a bit of her confidence. By the time she got to the door, she was about ready to turn around and return home. She had planned for this however and had brought along something to keep herself distracted for a little while. From her bag she took out her copy of Magic 101 and another piece of candy to enjoy while she was reading.
Opening her book to her current chapter, Amity began reviewing the next spell she planned to learn. Since she didn't want to wrinkle or get grass stains on her outfit, she leaned on the greenhouse instead of finding a spot to sit down. She gently sucked on the piece of hard candy while her eyes roamed over the pages. Soon she became so lost in her reading that the rest of the world seemed to fade from her mind. It wasn't until she felt someone unexpectedly tap her shoulder that she was snapped out of the trance she had set herself into, letting out a startled cry and dropping her book.
"Sorry." Willow said, crouching down to pick up Amity's book. "Feeling nervous?"
"Very." Amity admitted, reminded of her own anxiety. "I'm worried that it might be too soon after all. Maybe I should wait until I'm better prepared. Just please tell Luz…
"No." Willow interrupted. "She already knows she's meeting her admirer today and she's waiting for me to get her now. If you aren't here when I come back with her, she's going to feel rejected all over again. Is that what you want?"
"Of course not!" Amity answered definitively. "I would never forgive myself if I hurt Luz that way! I'd rather have her reject me a thousand times before I ever made her feel that way even once!"
"That sounds more like the Amity I know." Willow said as he unlocked the greenhouse door. "Now try to hold onto that side of yourself. I'll be right back with Luz."
Willow unlocked the door led Amity inside the greenhouse. Amity found that Willow had set up a pair of folding seats inside. They were facing each other by a long row of flowering plants. Willow drew a quick magic circle, causing the flowers to bloom fully and release their fragrances.
Amity sat down and took a moment to admire the atmosphere. She turned to compliment Willow on the touch, but the other witch had already left. Finding herself alone once more, Amity began to feel her anxiety return. Opening her book again, Amity attempted to keep herself distracted for however long she'd have to sit and wait. But her mind kept returning focus to Luz, leaving her to try over and over to read the same paragraph.
After a few minutes, Amity gave up on trying to read and grabbed another piece of candy from her bag. As she unwrapped it and popped it into her mouth, the greenhouse door opened. Willow was back, with Luz right behind her. Amity froze up, the candy in her mouth slipping into her throat. Luckily she avoided choking, but did swallow it whole as a result. But she couldn't really let herself be bothered with that when the object of her affections was finally about to learn about her feelings.
As Willow led Luz further into the greenhouse, Amity noticed that Luz's eyes were closed. Willow brought Luz to the other seat and Luz carefully felt for the chair as she sat down. Amity gave Willow a questioning look and Willow simply shrugged in return.
"She wants to be surprised. But she also wants to see if she can guess who you are." Willow explained. "So if it's alright with you, she wants to touch your face and see if she can figure that out."
Amity almost spoke, but Willow raised a single finger to her lips. She then pointed to Luz with her other hand and Amity gave a quick nod to show she understood. Then she reached out to take Luz's hands, guiding them to her face. As Luz's slender hands made contact, Amity felt her cheeks heating up. She silently admired how nice it felt, especially with how gently Luz's fingers were beginning to skim their way over her cheeks.
"Ooh, such soft skin!" Luz marveled, making Amity blush even more. One of Luz's index fingers found its way to her nose and she gave it a little tap. "Found something like a cute, little button. Boop!" She giggled, her hands moving to the sides of Amity's head. "Hmm… pointy ears. Yup, she's a witch alright. And what silky hair! I'm kinda jealous."
Luz ran her fingers through Amity's hair, sending a small shiver down her spine. She felt Luz repeat the action again before moving to the top of Amity's head. As she stroked the locks that led to Amity's ponytail, Luz slowed down. With her eyes still closed, she began to think on this new find. She went over Amity's hair again, starting with the sides and then across the top, back towards her ponytail.
"Silky hair that's down on the sides and brushed back on top, with a ponytail." Luz mumbled before sitting back and placing her hands on her knees. "Um, hey Willow? This girl, is she someone I met before or after I started at Hexside?"
"Before." Willow answered. "You've known her about as long as you have known me."
A look of realization came to Luz's face. She opened her eyes, staring at Amity in silence. Amity smiled shyly, her own eyes shifting down to her lap where her she began fidgeting with her hands a little. Luz's jaw slowly dropped and her eyes widened with shock as she finally processed the situation.
"Amity?!" Luz blurted out. "You?! You're the one who has a crush on me?!"
"Um, surprise?" Amity meekly said, managing to look back up at Luz.
"You're the one who has a crush on me?!" Luz repeated, still in shock. She glanced at Willow. "You knew about this?"
Willow gave a short nod and started to head for the door. "I'll just step outside for a bit and let the two of you talk."
She left and found a spot just outside the door to stand, keeping an eye out should anyone happen to pass by. Back inside, Luz was staring at Amity in silence. The truth had left her feeling a bit mortified. She couldn't help but think about how long Amity had liked her that way, or of how she may have missed something that would have clued her into her feelings sooner. But then something occurred to her that made her feel even worse.
"Oh no." She said, suddenly getting out of her seat. "Oh no, no, no, no, no. This is so messed up!"
"What?" Amity asked, looking shocked and slightly hurt. "What do you mean?"
"I can't believe I asked you to help me with my crush when you have feelings for me!" Luz exclaimed, more to herself than to Amity. "And you did it too! You just went and did it, like it was no big deal!" She continued, finally returning her attention to the other girl. "How?! How were you able to ignore your feelings and try to set me up with someone who you should have seen as a love rival?"
Amity stood and stepped closer to Luz. "Because… you came to me for help and I didn't want to say no just because I hated having to do it. Just like I couldn't come out and admit my feelings for you when I learned you liked Willow. I didn't care about my feelings, yours were more important to me."
Luz was left dumbstruck for a moment. Her eyes shimmered with moisture as Amity's words hit home. She felt something welling up inside of her; a new and powerful feeling of admiration for her. Unable to hold herself back, Luz threw herself at Amity, pulling into the biggest hug she had ever experienced in her young life.
"I… I… I…" Amity began.
"You should hug me back." Luz finished. "Give me a big squeeze, okay?"
"O-okay…" Amity mumbled, doing as she was told.
The embrace lasted for well over a minute, neither wanting to let go of the other. Eventually Luz managed to pull away, much to Amity's disfavor. She let out a pitiful sound, almost like a whimper at the lost contact. Luz grinned and failed to hold back a giggle.
"Aw, don't you worry. There's gonna be plenty more hugs in the future. All you have to do is ask." Luz told her. "But for now, let's go out on a date!"
"A date?!" Amity repeated. "You mean now, as in right now? I… I'm not ready!"
"You look ready to me." Luz noted, looking Amity up and down. "I just need to go and freshen up really quick, but I'll be back so we can go out. Okay?"
"But, where do you want to go?"
Luz shrugged. "No idea. We can figure that out together. Think about it while I'm gone. Want to meet me back here?"
"If we're really doing this, then I should go back home and get some money." Amity said, starting to feel giddy. "I can meet you at the Owl House if that's convenient."
"Sounds good to me! See you there!" Luz said, turning to head off before she suddenly slowed to a stop. Then she turned and quickly went over to Amity, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "You earned that for being such a good person. And just like the hugs, you can expect there'll be plenty more."
Luz took off, leaving Amity stunned. She slowly raised her hand to touch the spot where Luz's lips had been. A huge smile broke out on her face and she let out a happy squeal as she started to jump in place. While she celebrated, Willow reentered the greenhouse and joined her side.
"So, it looks like things went well." She noted. "I'm happy for you. Both of you."
"I can't believe that really happened! This is like some sort of wonderful dream!" Amity gushed excitedly. "Thank you so much for doing this, Willow. If there is anything I could possibly do to repay you, just say the word."
"Well…. I do have one request." Willow said, blushing and poking her fingers together. "There is someone I happen to like a lot and I could use some help with him."
Amity stepped closer to Willow, a determined look on her face. "Consider it done. Who is this boy that you like?"
Willow hesitated, her face turning pink. "Your brother."
"Edric?" Amity asked incredulously, bursting into a fit of giggles. "Wow, you almost got me with that one. But really, who is he?"
"I'm not joking, Amity. I really do have a crush on Edric."
"Really? With Edric? My irresponsible, immature, older brother who almost never leaves his twin sister's side?" Amity questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Mmm-hmmm." Willow replied with a nod.
"Okay… Um, wow. I uh, I will go and talk to him. I'll get back to you once I have."
"Not until after your date with Luz though. Okay? Focus on having a nice time with her first."
The two made their way to exit the greenhouse. Willow got the door for Amity, who gave her a quick hug and another 'thank you' before leaving. Then she rushed off on her task of getting some money from her room for her upcoming date with Luz. While she was on the move, she started to plan out different things she and Luz could do together. There were more than a few nice places where they could get something to eat, be it a full meal or just a tasty treat. Plus the many shops where they could idly browse around for a little while.
Amity slowed her pace, sighing happily. She could hardly remember the last time she had felt so elated. While she continued on her way, she started to think on Willow's request as well. At first she was still trying to understand what her friend saw in her older brother. But she decided to let it go and instead focus on what she could do to set them up. As she continued on her way it occurred to her that maybe she could enlist Luz for help with this endeavor. She liked the idea of the two of them working together to help out Willow, just like she had helped them. If nothing else, it would be a good topic for them to talk about during their date. Although she'd bring it up later on, after they had enough time to enjoy themselves first.
The End