A/N: Behold! My much anticipated long fic series AU! I was inspired to this Big Sister AU the second I learned about a Beta Sister AU back in like, Dec 7th of 2020! Well, I didn't JUST learn about the AU idea then, but I started drafting up and writing out the episodes ever since! I started planning out the rewrites and canon-compliant elements and have mapped out the structure of season 1 to season 2a!
But as for actual finished chaps, I have up to chapters 1-9 finished. Which basically means Episode 1 to Episode 8 ("Once Upon a Swap"), because I made Episode 1 a two parter.
Here's a quick little info dump on what you need to know:
- Lealtad Noceda is 17 years old. And its pronounced as Lay-all-tad.
And that's all you need to know going into the first episode! Enjoy! ( ^‿^)
Summary: Luz's most recent call to the principal's office is both the school and Camila's last straw. When the threat of summer camp is on the table, Lealtad seeks to keep a negotiable peace between her quirky sister and her well meaning mother.
Word Count: 8,847
A Lying Witch
The start of Lealtad Noceda's lunch was like any other school day routine. She was currently rifling through her locker, putting away her first and second period textbooks while getting her camera and lunch bag out. After tucking her camera into her brown messenger bag, she opened her lunch bag and sniffed at the heavenly smell of her empanadas. Her mom actually offered to make her lunch this morning since she had time to spare, but Lealtad already made both her and her sister's lunch the night before. Of course, she only saved a couple for herself as she had given the majority to Luz's lunch.
Her little sister was a big eater after all.
Leal smiled at the warmth of her thermal lunch bag, as the heat inside emanated off her meal. Years of obliging Luz's lunchtime requests meant learning how to reheat a lot of homemade meals to a degree that didn't leave them soggy. With time and effort, much like her cooking skills, her lunches proved to be quite great—at least in her sister's opinion. Lealtad couldn't help but sigh as she thought about her sister again that morning.
Luz had a big book report earlier that morning and Leal was entirely convinced her sister was going to go overboard. She dug into her ripped jeans and pulled out her Ace Pride coloured wallet (yes, boy's jeans because she needs actual pockets). A couple twenties; not a bad amount for a hearty afterschool snack. And she had the perfect place in mind—
"Hey Leal! You wanna head to Snack Shack after school?"
She blinked out of her thoughts as she turned to the female voice that spoke aloud the very shop she planned on taking her sister to. It was her English and Biology classmates: Annie Duquette and Nico Bronx. A lanky pale girl with short straight blonde hair and a short olive skinned boy with shaggy black hair. The two were the most contrasting duo in terms of aesthetics; Annie wore pencil skirts and dress shirts, Nico stuck with baggy jeans and aviator jackets. Leal honestly thought the two were a bit of a rowdy bunch, but she was glad they were cooperative classmates at the end of the day.
They were her partners for their "upstanding model presentation"—according to their teacher—for Biology, a supposedly well earned A plus. She nodded a greeting at them as she pocketed her wallet and shut her locker. "Um, why the offer?" she asked.
Nico scoffed and shot her a look of disbelief. "Really? Is she for real?" he asked his friend.
Annie rolled her eyes fondly and said, "Lay off Nico, we're trying to invite her. Not piss her off."
Lealtad smirked as she folded her arms across her chest and leaned against her locker. "You say that like I'm easy to piss off, Duquette."
The girl froze at that, lifting her biology textbook up to her lips to hide behind. "I-I mean, I-I'm not implying that you're an angry person or anythin—"
"Noceda!" a loud voice barked from down the hall.
The two jumped at that but Leal recognized it to be their school hall monitor, Jenkins. She sighed as she turned around and shot a two fingered salute at the burly man in the distance.
The middle aged man pointed to his receding hairline. "Beanie: off. You know this!" he stated as he walked down the hall.
She rolled her eyes. "Sir, yes sir," she drawled as she pulled off her red-orange beanie, revealing her long dark brown hair. But as soon as he passed by the three and turned toward the cafeteria, Lealtad slipped it back on. She smugly smiled until she noticed her peers staring at her.
"What?"
"See? You're—"
"Intimidating," Nico supplied.
Leal rolled her eyes once more. "Okay so you here to comment on my attitude or…"
"No, no!" Annie denied. "We, well, our invitation was just to hang with our squad after school! Y'know, that last project we just did is like, the final big thing before exams start up!"
"Yeah!" Nico agreed. "We all wanted to celebrate before the Hell week of studying begins and y'know, since you helped us with our English notes a lot this semester, an-and, like, Rajesh with Math and Fiona with History—"
"It'd be a thank you!" his friend finished. "And well, we sometimes see you and your little sister eat at the Snack Shack after school and thought it'd be fun if we all went together! Heck, we'll buy!"
"We will?" Nico clarified. He was met with an elbow to his side and he corrected himself, "We will!"
Lealtad didn't even need to ponder the invitation but she pretended to for their sake. She could tell they really wanted to hang out and acting like she was considering the offer would lessen the rejection. "Geez, I'd love to—" cue the excited faces, "but I gotta pick up Luz after school and walk her home." And cue dejected faces.
"Aww man," Nico sighed. "But isn't she like, fourteen? She can handle walking home by herself!"
Leal shook her head. "Nah man. My mamá asks it of me. And, plus, it's already on my way anyway so it's not a big deal." She shrugged nonchalantly.
"Then, bring her!" he suggested. "You guys eat there anyways! So it must not be too far off from your route!"
Annie lit up at that. "Oooh yes! And I'd love to get to know your little sister!"
Lealtad internally sighed at that. Last thing she wanted for Luz was to deal with high schoolers judging her. She defaulted to her regular lie, "Nah, my mum wants her home ASAP. Gotta get that homework done, and I help her with it too." Their looks of dejection returned once more as Leal hurriedly shouldered her messenger bag and tucked her lunch bag inside. "Rain check? Cool? Cool," she affirmed as she turned and walked off, throwing a peace sign over her shoulder as she made her way over to her favourite stairwell spot.
She heard their sad departures and farewells but couldn't have been bothered to apologize for it. If they really wanted to hang out then they would also have offered to eat lunch with her. Though, they might have been trying to but she didn't hear them on account of her walking away so fast. Who knows. All she did know was that now she and Luz couldn't go to Snack Shack because it would be a slap in the face to Annie and Nico and their squad if they saw her. She wouldn't mind that of course, but it would definitely be more awkward than necessary.
Lealtad decided that texting Luz and asking about how her presentation went would be a good way to get a feel for how she's feeling. She pulled out her phone and was surprised to find a recent missed call from her mother. A sudden mixture of confusion and worry stirred up within her, since her mom would usually be neck deep in the clinic with her boss taking care of animals. But just as she was about to return the call, a text came through.
Mami [11:37 AM]: I had to leave work early. Luz's Principal called me in. Something about her book report.
She released a big sigh as she shook her head.
Mami [11:37 AM]: my boss gave me the rest of the day off. I'll take her home, no need to pick her up today.
Lealtad decided to throw in her piece,
Fave Bebé [11:38 AM]: try not to be hard on her, Mamá. She just wanted to talk about Azura!
Mami [11:38 AM]: I know.
She had no other way to feel about that except worry as she finally made her way to her secluded spot at the stairwell. She sat down on the bottom of the steps and rested her lunch bag beside her, lunch nearly all but forgotten for her. Then her phone buzzed—a message from Luz.
Sunshine [11:39 AM]: LEal
Sunshine [11:39 AM]: BOOK REPORT WENT WRONG
Sunshine [11:39 AM]: I DIDNT GET TO DO MY ACT THREE CLOSER
Sunshine [11:40 AM]: also i lost backup sneks in the school
Leal snorted at that. From what she recalled, her little sister's book report consisted of snakes and a grand firework finale. Leal managed to talk her down from including lizards and glitter bombs—she let her have snakes because she thought they were cool too. Of course she probably could've put in more of an effort but it was Luz! She wasn't going to stop her sister from having fun anytime soon, and there was only so much she could do to actually hold her back.
Best Sister [11:40 AM]: be on your best behaviour for Mamá pls.
Sunshine [11:40 AM]: I try to be!
Best Sister [11:40 AM]: I know.
Despite the fond smile on her face, Leal couldn't finish her lunch that afternoon.
::::
As Lealtad descended the steps outside the front of her school, she sifted through her brown messenger bag and made sure her belongings were nicely tucked. In her left hand, she now had her red bat while her canon camera hung off her neck. It was only until she reached the pavement she heard the familiar voice return once again. "Hey Noceda!" She turned to find Nico and Annie once again, now accompanied with half their squad she assumed.
"Oh, sup guys," she nodded at them.
"You cleaned out your gym locker?" Annie asked, pointing at her bat.
She nodded. "Yup. Packed away my uniform too," she patted her bag.
Annie cocked a brow. "They're letting you take the bat?"
She amusedly scoffed. "I'd hope so. It's my bat after all," Leal remarked as she rested said bat on her shoulder.
"Right, right." Annie giggled. "Same bat that won us the state championship eh?"
Lealtad shrugged. "It was a team effort. My swings that game were kinda dogshit anyways, only got lucky in the last inning." She really didn't care for all the attention she was getting for it. Annie and Nico exchanged a look of nervousness, and she braced herself for the next question.
"So, a-any chance you changed your mind?" Nico hopefully inquired. "We're still waiting on the rest of the squad, so last chance?"
Annie nodded with a grin. "C'mon! I'm sure your mom wouldn't mind a little hangout!"
Lealtad shook her head. "Nope. No can do. Still gotta pick up mi hermana," she replied. She pursed her lips as she turned around. "Maybe another time?"
"We'll hold you to that, Leal!" Nico shouted. "One of these days we're gonna hang out outside of school!"
Lealtad chose to ignore the comment as she kept walking, throwing up another peace sign as she trekked down the sidewalk. She gathered that she was something of a social recluse within their school. It wasn't until she was halfway down the block and out of an earshot that she released a tired sigh. It was common talk amongst her classmates that everyone wanted to get to know her more. Plenty of partners and group projects had led to the conclusion of her peers stating, "We should hang out more," afterwards. But Leal remained adamant on her own empty promises as she made consistent excuses as to how she was always busy.
She was busy. And no, not with the softball team, or schoolwork, or part-time job at the public library—sure those took up time, but she managed well. Being a big sister on the other hand? That was an entirely different occupation. But looking after Luz was a full time job she happily employed with no regrets. The best paycheck she could ever get from it was seeing her little sister smile.
And on that note, upon passing Luz's middle school, she caught the gaze of a few of Luz's classmates. She noticed hushed whispers and scornful stares. Their daily routine was enough for her to be recognized as Luz's sister. Lealtad settled with fixating a blank stare and tightly gripping onto her bat's handle as she walked by them all, effectively silencing their supposed trash talk. So Luz did something Luz-like again and everyone was talking about her leaving school early no doubt.
Lealtad really hated middle schoolers.
She didn't get their deal. So what if Luz brought snakes and fireworks into her presentation? Most kids would kill for that kind of lively entertainment for something as dull as a book report. She personally wished she actually had some fireworks of her own to liven up her lame Biology presentation—yet that somehow still warranted a good mark. The thought of Luz's eccentric style annoying others pissed Lealtad off. But not as much as it usually did because this time things were more serious.
Their mom was called.
Luz got into trouble, sure, but her phone calls home had been scarce and only warnings. This was something of a culmination no doubt. Which made sense of course. Fireworks and snakes were definitely a leg up from a stuffed bird with live spiders. The memory of that particular project made Leal shudder. She hated spiders. Hated them. And Luz decided to bring in an entire cluster of them into the house to make her "anatomically correct touch."
Lealtad laughed at the thought. She was usually down to jump in the line of fire for her little sister, but spiders were the Kryptonite bullet she couldn't take for her. So that day was obviously hectic: with Leal on the couch shouting at Luz as she frantically rounded them all up in the living room by herself. They miraculously managed to clean up the mess before their mom came home, but she also decided to do a spontaneous movie night and suggested an old classic, Charlotte's Web.
Their mother had no clue why they couldn't stop laughing.
"I wish we'd have something to laugh about now…" she muttered to herself as she stared at her house in the coming distance. All she wanted to do was catch up on the anime she missed during all her preparations for her stupid presentations. But instead, she had to sort through some family drama. Family first, anime second.
With only her mother's direct and straight to the point texts, and Luz not providing any unprompted updates all day, Lealtad figured something big went down. A fight maybe. A small argument or disagreement and right now their mom was in the kitchen fixing up Luz's favourite dinner while her little sister was moping in her room reading Azura fanfiction. They all had spats every now and then—that was family for you. But Leal knew that if she wasn't involved, things could escalate quickly.
With a deep breath and a small smile, Lealtad walked up her home's front steps. She kicked off the dirt from her sneakers and opened the front door, walking in as she announced, "I'm home!" A beat passed, no Luz running down the steps, and a bit of running water coming from the kitchen.
She slipped out of her shoes and set them aside along with her bat and camera, which she placed on the small table in the hallway with their family photos. "¿Mamá?" she called out as she made her way over to the kitchen. The running water continued. As soon as she stepped in, she confirmed her suspicions. The island had an assortment of sauces and a packet of noodles, yet to be opened. So she was making spaghetti. But the look on her face as she filled the pot was so forlorn that Leal couldn't help but sigh. "Mamá," she softly greeted, "you're kinda overfilling the pot there."
Her mother blinked out of her thoughts and turned to her with a small smile as she stopped the faucet. "Oh! Hi Leal," she stopped and observed her eldest daughter before continuing, "Good day at school?"
She nodded in response. But she also decided to cut the dancing around and asked, "Mum, are you okay?"
Her attempt at a plastered smile fell at her daughter's words. She closed her eyes and sighed as she shook her head. "Can… Can you go talk to your sister? We… We had a bit of a disagreement," she quietly explained. "Our drive back was—"
Lealtad nodded once more as she backed out of the kitchen. "It's okay Mum, I'll talk to her. Hear her out first," she smiled. "And thanks for making spaghetti," she added with a wink before turning around and leaving. But she noticed a glimmer of a smile graze her mother's lips before doing so. Ascending the stairs, she kept her head clear of all her arising worried thoughts and braced herself. She found Luz's room closed shut—which wasn't rare—and lightly rapped on the door.
"¿Hermana? You up?"
"No. I'm in bed," came her muffled reply.
Leal smirked as she leaned up against the door. "You in bed because you're sleepy? Or because you're reading Azura in your cocoon blanket tent?"
A beat of silence, and then, "No…"
She chuckled to herself. "Well, would your sleepiness mind me coming in?" Another silence. "I have some leftover empanadas!"
Another beat, then, "…Really?" Her hopeful tone made Lealtad chuckle.
"Can I come in?"
"Yeah…"
She opened the door and found her sister, sure enough, curled up on her bed wrapped in her blanket like a burrito. And no doubt she had her Azura book with her underneath. As she stepped inside, she unzipped her bag and pulled out her unfinished lunch. "Got it right here for you!" she cheerfully announced, moving toward the computer desk to set down the empanadas. "A little cold, but still…" her words trailed off as she noticed something on the desk.
A pamphlet.
A summer camp pamphlet titled, Reality Check. Lealtad's face dropped as she saw the tag line underneath, Think inside the box. Her attention instantly shifted toward the lump of Luz on the bed. The context started to fill itself in as Lealtad picked up the pamphlet and sat on her sister's bed, releasing a big sigh. She never thought their mother would resort to something so drastic. But, with the amount of Luz-cidents increasing each year, it was starting to be more of an issue. Leal began to skim through the pamphlet as she felt Luz shuffle around.
"…mold young minds with model influences?" she read aloud, "Prepare your child for the future with our eye opening camp as we take them through a journey of reality?" She cringed. This was heavy handed with its delivery.
Luz shuffled once again. "It gets better, read the middle page," she mumbled from under her cocoon.
Lealtad obliged her sister and flipped the pamphlet open. Her brows raised at the sight of a child happily beaming up at the camera as the table they sat at had an assortment of paperwork. The caption for the photo read, Planning potential colleges & balancing allowances one chart at a time!
She snorted at the catchline. "Something tells me three months worth of what basically sounds like accountant work isn't exactly an enjoyable summer."
"But it's what Mom thinks I need…"
Her eyes widened at her sister's words. "Sunshine," she said gently, "you can't honestly think that?"
The blanket came off and she was met with her younger sister's sad eyes. She had her cat hood on and pulled tight, leaving her forlorn eyes and cute button nose to define her face. In her hands, firmly gripped, was her Good Witch Azura book, Volume 5. Leal sighed as she scooted over and patted on her left shoulder. Luz wordlessly moved over and rested her head on her shoulder. A pregnant silence hung for a few seconds, before her sister spoke again.
"It wasn't like I was trying to hurt anyone. I had them locked in my locker."
"In their box too?"
Luz sighed. "It's a tight space! I didn't want them to have any trouble breathing so I left the lid open a bit."
"Luz…"
Her sister bonked her head against her cheek. "C'mon, I didn't let them out on purpose," she defended, "They must've slipped out before I closed my locker or something."
"I know, I know," Lealtad patiently replied.
"And it wasn't like, a thing until Principal Hal got attacked by Gildersnake—"
"Who-dersnake?"
"The snake I used for my book report!" she lifted said book for emphasis before dropping it back in her lap.
Leal chuckled as she nodded. "Okay, okay! Continue?"
Luz grumbled as she tugged her hoodie's strings once more, tightening her hood further. "Mom just… brought up the camp and I told her I wouldn't do any more weird things but Mister Hal got upset after Mom pried Gildersnake off his face and said that I would be placed in a behavioural help class next year if I didn't start showing improvements." She suddenly lifted her head and pulled off her hood, releasing a frustrated groan. "And she was so upset after that! We just… we were driving home and she talked about how lucky we were that no one was suing or that I didn't get reported for making what was basically, 'a bomb,'" she added with finger quotes.
"We talked about the fireworks…" she gently reminded her.
"I know, I know. But everyone was giving me weird looks and I thought I'd do it outside… I didn't actually do it." Her head dropped into her hands, as Leal placed her hand on her sister's back. She rubbed it comfortingly, waiting for Luz to continue. She knew venting like this was the best way for her to get her thoughts clear and out there. "Mum wasn't hearing me. She just kept going on and on.
"I… I just got so mad and I snapped at her," Luz shyly admitted. Her head raised up from her head as she turned to her sister, her eyes full of tears. "I just… I-I told her that I'm not a-a thing that can just be changed and that it wasn't fair that I had to be forced to go to a brainwashing camp like that one episode from Phineas and Ferb and—" she sniffed, "I just got so mad, Lealtad. I-I snapped and I just…" She shook her head, dropping it to Leal's lap as she cried into her jeans. "I… I said, 'I bet if I was straight you wouldn't be so quick to do something like this.'"
Leal's heart dropped at that. She couldn't help the sigh that escaped her, leaving Luz to sniffle and hide her face against her jeans. "Oh Luz…" she whispered. She brought her hand up to Luz's hair, massaging it as she looked down at her.
"She started crying," she quietly continued, "and when we got home I ran straight upstairs and she just stayed in the living room." She turned up and looked at Leal with an apprehensive face. "Is… Is she still mad?"
Leal shook her head. "She's making spaghetti," she smiled.
Luz choked on a chuckle as she wiped her eyes. "Of course she is…"
Her sister finally brought herself back up, sitting shoulder to shoulder with her as she fidgeted with her hoodie straps. Leal could tell she had more to say, with the hesitance on her face. Eventually, in the quietest voice, she asked, "Does… does Mamá want to change me?"
Leal blinked back her tears. She took another deep breath as she shook her head, thankful Luz wasn't looking her in the eyes. "No, Sunshine, our mom loves you just as you are."
Her sister scoffed. "Then why doesn't it feel like it?"
Leal bit her lip, glancing down at the pamphlet before looking back at her sister. Her frustration was clear on her face. "Luz, you know that Mom loves us. She just wants what's best for us."
"By changing who I am?"
"No," Lealtad asserted. Her sister turned to her, bewildered and confused as her lips quivered. Leal tossed the pamphlet aside and grabbed Luz's hands, firmly curling her fingers into her palms. "Luz, believe me. She's not… trying to change you."
"Then what?" she desperately whispered.
She took a breath, letting her mind run as she thought over her words carefully. Lealtad knew their mother, she knew what she was trying to do for Luz. And the answer came forward as she recalled a pivotal point in both her and Luz's lives. "Do you remember," she began, "how we came out to Mom together?"
Luz owlishly blinked, confused by the sudden topic but nodded nonetheless.
Leal laughed as she reflected on the day, and the events that led up to it. "Like, a week before that, you came to my room, and told me, 'Leal, I'm Bi.' And you looked so scared. You were shaking and fidgeting like you had hypothermia! But I remember how relieved you looked when I said—"
"'Cool, and I'm Ace,'" her sister finished, chuckling.
She beamed a smile at that. "I also remember that we talked about telling Mom, and I said we'd do it together. But you were so afraid that she would be upset and kick us out of the house. I told you that our mother wasn't like that, and you trusted me. We took a whole week for you to think about it and eventually told me that you trusted me."
"Yeah…" Luz nodded. "We told her after dinner. You cleaned up and washed dishes and made sure she was in a good mood," she smiled, "I think that helped."
Leal fondly rolled her eyes. "But you remember what she told us, right?" Luz's smile faded as she frowned, guilt likely seeping in. "She said we could be anything we wanted to be—"
"—and she'd love us no matter what," Luz finished. A sniffle escaped her as she closed her eyes, likely fighting back tears.
"She meant it, Luz. She meant it with her whole heart," Leal explained, "But do you remember what happened when you wanted to wear your Bi pin to school?" Luz's frown deepened much to Leal's regret. "She didn't want you getting bullied for it." She squeezed Luz's fingers, bringing her eyes up to hers. "She told us that it's not about us being ashamed of what we are, but that we need to be careful about how we express ourselves."
"But… this is how I express myself!"
"I know," she agreed. "But trust me when I say Mamá's coming from a good place when she says stuff like this," she grabbed the pamphlet and held it out, "she's not saying that who you are is wrong. It's just, how you express who you are is what she worries about."
Luz grabbed the pamphlet and thumbed over the pages as she sighed. "It's because I'm a weirdo."
"So who cares?" she scoffed, waving her hand dismissively as she flicked the pamphlet's title. "Weird is relative. If it's who you are then that's you."
"Then why this?" She shook the pamphlet.
Leal smiled, wrapping her arm around her sister and pulling her into a half-hug. "I'm not saying, 'Don't be who you are.' Because who you are is awesome, Sunshine, to me at least. But the real world sometimes asks that weirdos like us get with the times and just settle in. It's how it is." She sighed, shaking her head. "I know how this all sounds. And I'm not trying to say your anger isn't justified. Just…" she pulled out of their embrace and looked her sister in the eye, "hear her out okay? And then we'll talk-talk, not, shout-talk."
Luz nodded. "Okay Leal." And her smile returned, that bright smile that made her feel warm and happy. "Thanks."
She smirked as she ruffled her head. "You and me, hermana, always." She then stood up and walked over to her desk, snatching the bag of empanadas and shaking it temptingly. "Now how 'bout we snack on these while you tell me about this kickass presentation your uncultured class couldn't appreciate?"
Her sister's smile grew as she grabbed the book and began her tale.
::::
Dinner began as a quiet affair. Luz, of course, thanked their mother for making her favourite dinner whilst their mother dismissed it like it was nothing special. The silence hung after that, with their mom sitting at the head of the table along with Lealtad and Luz sitting on either side of her. Leal spared her glances between the two every so often. Luz made busy by investing her fork into several twirls of pasta whilst their mother prodded and poked her meatballs only. It was after a minute or two of this, that Leal decided to chime in to break the tension.
"So," the two nearly flinched at her voice, "are we addressing the elephant in the room or do y'all prefer if I start us off and talk 'bout something else?"
Their mother beamed at her. "How was your day, Lealtad?"
So it was the latter then. Nonetheless, Leal complied and smiled. "It was fine. My Bio presentation was about the only exciting schoolwork I had. We got an A plus on that by the way. Most of everything was just wrapping up the curriculum before study week. I had to spend my gym class cleaning out my locker with some of my team though, and I guess that was cool. A lot of the team were really hyping me up from our last game though, so that was kinda annoying." She shrugged at the excited faces beaming at her. "It's not like I did much anyways."
"Don't sell yourself short, Leal," her sister argued, "you guys wouldn't have made it to the finals without your help!"
Her mother nodded in agreement. "Your coach wouldn't be calling you a star player if you weren't crucial to the team, mija."
She smiled at their assurance. "Gracias Mamá, but I kinda think the team was gassing me a bit too much." The reluctance to argue was evident on their faces, which made her press on, "I think people often have a habit of making castles out of sand because they like to shape things excessively."
Luz rolled her eyes while their mother bit back a semi annoyed smile.
Thriving off their discomfort, she added, "Hey, speaking of—"
"Really subtle hermana," her sister grumbled.
She pressed on, "I think that the two of you have some miscommunication you need to settle?" She glanced back and forth between her mother and sister, watching their eyes shyly meet. She was fine playing buffer for the two, but not when the tension was obviously palpable.
"Lo siento mija—"
"No, Mamá," Luz shook her head, "I'm sorry for what I said."
"And I'm sorry I was raising my voice at you," she replied.
The two stared at each other and smiled, reflexively causing Lealtad to smile at the scene. This was a good start. Luz was the first to take a deep breath, closing her eyes before she started. "I don't wanna go to summer camp."
"Luz—"
"Mamá, escúchala." Leal placed her hand on the table, shooting her mother a pleading smile.
She nodded, then turned her focus back to Luz. "I don't want to go to a camp where they prod and poke at me an-and make me feel like being me is a crime!" Her sister stared at her palms as she frowned. "I just, I don't want to be in a place that tries to change me!"
Their mother sighed as she leaned over, placing her hand in Luz's, embracing her grip firmly. "Cariño, that is not what this is about." Luz opened her mouth to object, but her eyes met Leal's before their mother's, perhaps recalling their earlier conversation. She closed her mouth, letting their mom continue. "This place helps kids your age, it-it's a guide for the future. Thinking about things like: college, jobs, future life plans. I just… I want you to start thinking about these things, because what you do now can affect what's to come." Her mother's eyes had this sense of plea that nearly broke Lealtad's heart.
She was trying here. Their mom was trying so hard and Leal knew that. But when she looked at her sister's eyes, the disconnect was clear as day. The words must've been brushing past Luz: only the implications of what they meant that was reaching Luz's ears.
Leal took a deep breath. "Sunshine, Mum isn't saying your loveable creativity is bad. I think… she just wants you to focus that into something more productive." She glanced at her mother, who nodded her thanks.
Luz pouted as she lowered her head, retracting her hand from their mom's to pick up her fork and annoyedly prod at her spaghetti. "But… I am doing that," she mumbled. Her eyes refused to lift and meet anyone else's as she continued, "My presentations are all about getting the extra marks! That extra ten percent our teachers encourage! Whenever the other kids do something like this it's 'innovative' and 'unique', but when I do it and it goes wrong, it's suddenly behavioural issues?"
"Luz, you know this isn't the only incident."
"Yes, Mum, I do know that, but I'm just trying to stand out in a better way!"
"Mija, I adore your extravagance, but these, 'Luz-cidents' are getting out of hand," their mom sighed as she clenched her fists in frustration, "You made a bomb."
"It wasn't a—"
"I know it wasn't," she acknowledged, "we all know it wasn't a bomb. But if this was reported, they wouldn't see it that way." Her hands opened as she leaned over once again, holding out her palm to Luz. "How you go about things with that beautiful brain of yours, that is what I'm worried about, cariño."
Her sister dropped her fork and reached for her pocket, pulling out the pamphlet and placing it on the table. "And… this place will help me use my brain right?"
Their mom laughed. "I know far too well you won't be held down by a place like this. I'm merely asking you try and learn something from here, and maybe start thinking about how you want to apply everything you know? The creativity, the passion, and the focus."
She stared at their mom's open hand, hesitance clearly expressive all over her face. A lingering glance met Leal's eyes, and the girl in turn bit her lip at her little sister's reluctance. "Let me see the pamphlet, Luz," the two shot her a confused look, all the while granting her request. She quickly skimmed through the pamphlet, hoping that what she was looking for was there. And sure enough: the final enrollment dates, last page. "May 25th to May 27th," she said aloud. "So basically exam week!"
She smiled as she set the pamphlet down. "Luz still has a couple weeks to decide. Let her have some time to think it over! And then we get a definitive answer." She looked to Luz. "And if you still have some grievances to air out, we'll talk about it then too—all family matter style-like." With a confident grin, she glanced back and forth between the two, "Sounds good?"
Their mother spoke first, looking at Luz with a patient smile, "It's up to you, cariño."
Her sister spared a look toward her, apprehensive happiness evidently on the seams, ready to burst. Leal merely shrugged, holding her grin. This was all up to her sister.
"Okay. I'll… I'll think it over until then." She nodded, finally letting her smile grace her lips. "Yeah. I like that option." She shot Lealtad a silent thanks, to which the older sister smugly winked in return.
"Now, with the drama aside!" Leal cheerfully announced. "I plan on catching up on all the Demon Slayer episodes I missed before exam week starts, and since I have work at the library on weekends this might be my only chance to get it all done in one sitting, so if I may be excused?" She looked to their mother, who playfully rolled her eyes and nodded over to the living room. "¡Gracias Mamá!" she shouted as she picked up her plate, immediately beelining for the couch as carefully as she could with a plate full of spaghetti.
Right as she situated herself comfortably against the cushions and grabbed the remote, she heard her mom say, "Yes Luz, you can join her."
"Thank you thank you thank you!" her sister replied, smooching their mother on the cheek before joining Lealtad on the couch. "I'll make you a tinfoil swan after we're done!" she added, beaming proudly at her bargain.
"Okay, but after that we're watching one of my telenovelas!" she shouted. The two daughters threw their heads back and groaned, simultaneously agreeing much to their begrudgement. Sure enough, they would all be sitting on the couch together later on, watching happily. Because for all the drama's worth and conflict, they still loved each other.
::::
Monday was a boring affair for Lealtad. After a weekend of library work, she had felt thoroughly drained. Which wasn't to say Leal didn't enjoy her job—her weekends at the public library were some of her favourite pastimes in fact. It was just that work was still work, regardless of the fact that she liked reading and libraries. Coupling all of that with the stress of exam season, her routine was in a spiral of boredom and exhaustion. And the first day into the exam season was none other than the beginning of review week.
Needless to say, Leal was due for some uplifting positivity.
Who better than her own little sister, the material embodiment of positive chaos. But much to her surprise, when she walked by the front of Luz's middle school, the beaming smile she was usually greeted with was nonexistent today. Leal blinked at how reserved her sister seemed: sitting on the front steps, with her chin plumped in the palms of her hands, a blank expression overtook her face as she stared at the pavement.
Lealtad kicked her foot, gathering her sister's attention as she shot her a small smile. "Hey Sunshine, ready to head home?"
Luz mustered up an attempt at a half smile, but settled with a silent nod. She stood up from her spot, dusting off the back of her shorts before leading the way. Leal noticed she had a very firm grip on the straps of her messenger bag as she kept her head low, as if the temptation to sink into her cat hoodie was the next instinctive reaction. The atmosphere of stares and whispers had suddenly emerged, and Leal did her best to fixate on the sources and send her death glares, but they silenced as quickly as they came.
So something happened. That much was obvious. Nonetheless, Lealtad hurriedly followed after her sister, walking alongside her and desperately wishing she had her bat on her to brandish for the gossip guppies grouped around them. When they had gotten about half a block away, it regularly would've been the time Luz started talking. Whether it be how her day was or her asking Leal about how school was, Luz was always the conversation starter when it came to the walk back home. Even on days she was feeling down, she'd try to cover it up with some idle chit chat to distract Leal from noticing her mood.
But right now, she couldn't even concern herself with trying to hide how she was feeling.
Releasing a tired sigh, Lealtad dug into her jean pocket and pulled out her Ace Pride wallet, double checking her amount before stuffing it back. "Hey, wanna head to the Snack Shack?" she offered, "I've got a hankering for some chimichurri sandwiches. You game?"
Luz barely even raised her head in response, let alone give off any semblance of a reply. She merely shook her head. "No thanks, I'm not hungry." That reply startled Leal, especially because the tone of Luz's voice gave a dejected vibe that made her feel like she wasn't up for conversation at the moment.
So she decided to appease her sister's mood. "Eh, it's alright then," she brushed off with a shrug, "I'm saving up anyways, wouldn't want to spend it on every little craving I have! Y'know?"
And that was all they had said that afternoon. When they got home, Luz had resigned herself to her room, but she hadn't made a move to leave until dinner. Then at dinner, she perked up a tad, starting off with small talk about asking how both her and their mother's day went. She smiled and laughed, and they ended the night watching their mom's telenovela. It was all very one note and normal.
But throughout all of that, Lealtad noted her sister hadn't talked about how her day went at all.
::::
This lackluster Luz warranted the title of "Subdued Sunshine," since the brightness was there but definitely forced. Monday was bad, but the rest of the week Luz had adapted to an act to seem high spirited—just enough to avoid confrontation. Walks to and from school were full of Luz asking about how Leal's studying was going. Home life had Luz hiding out in her bedroom, with claims of working on studying, watching anime or reading Azura, and neither Leal nor their mother had reason to prod considering her lively behaviour during dinnertime.
It was just enough to cover her muted personality.
But Lealtad knew the lack of tinfoil swans was strange. She knew the lack of bringing her favourite book with her every she went was aloof of Luz. She knew that the lack of her sending Leal memes and Youtube videos was a red flag. But it was also not enough to say it was entirely out of character. Luz had her droughts, Leal was aware of this. But Lealtad also decided confronting on the basis of next to nothing was better than letting this go on. On the Thursday afternoon of that same week, she had temporarily set aside her studying and decided it was time to try. She knocked on her sister's door and carefully asked, "Sunshine?"
"Yeah?"
"Mind if I come in?"
The sound of shuffling had ruffled about, and soon enough, the door opened. Luz still had her hand on the door, ready to close it as she stood in front of the doorway, looking at her older sister expectantly. "What's up Leal?" she tilted her head, raising a brow.
A skeptical squint was all Lealtad offered in response as she scanned the scene. She wasn't planning on letting her in anytime soon. She was in a hurry to hide something. She was about a split second reaction away from shutting that door the second their conversation ended. Leal's eyes wandered over to Luz's desk, and she noticed an assortment of sticky notes haphazardly shoved underneath her binder and laptop. They didn't look like study notes, from both the way they were hidden and how large the text on them seemed. She couldn't see the words exactly, but they were big enough to notice—
Luz shifted in place, pulling the door shut just a bit… enough to obscure Leal's view of the desk. "Leal?" she prompted, plastering a smile that was riddled with nerves. "You, uh, need something?"
Puzzle pieces were falling in now, but Lealtad felt like outright confronting Luz wasn't the way to go. "Hey," she softly said, "you know you can come to me right?" She stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder, staring into her eyes firmly. "About anything."
She seemed thrown by the sudden seriousness, blinking back owlishly as her nervous smile grew tenfold. "Uhh, yup. I know." A brief glance back to the left, and Lealtad affirmed that she was definitely hiding something on that desk.
"Luz, is there something you want to talk about?" She narrowed her eyes.
"Nope!" came the immediate answer. She held her grin whilst Leal held her skepticism. It must've felt like hours for Luz, but they merely stood there for a few seconds until Luz shrugged and flashed a bright smile. "Whelp, thanks for stopping by!" And the door shut.
Lealtad sighed at the door and returned to her room.
Studying was harder when Leal knew that a room over, her sister was going through something. She must've been getting bullied. And while neither was a stranger to Luz receiving harassment, this one had to be worse, because she'd never acted like this before. The fact that Luz was getting bullied might have been a stretch of an assumption to some, but Lealtad simply had to look at the events that occurred…
Last Friday, Luz did a book report consisting of loose snakes and an unused firework (read: bomb), resulting in her getting called into the principal's office. Students weren't exactly harmed, but upon Lealtad's walk by Luz's school she picked up on the vibe that Luz was the talk of the school. Fast forwarding to Monday, a dejected Luz, surrounded by more gossip and sneering faces, goes home with Lealtad and declines a pick-me-up from the Snack Shack. The entirety of the week then consisted of an absent Luz—who was very protective of her messenger bag each and every time—that retreated into her room for hours on end.
Lealtad's mind ran rapidly with bizarre hypotheses of what was going on. Maybe they slipped them into her locker. Maybe they stuck it on the damn door itself. Maybe they slapped it on her desks. What had they written on those notes? What insecurities had they prodded at her sweet little sister to push her into such a subdued state? Frantic writing and antsy leg shaking overtook Leal's actions. How could she focus? Her sister was going through something right now, and she wasn't willing to talk about it.
And then dinner came.
"I'm gonna go to Reality Check," she had suddenly said.
Lealtad had dropped the tostone in her hand as she stared wide eyed at Luz. She glanced to her mother, who wore a similar expression of shock, but Luz herself seemed genuinely unfazed by their faces. "Uhh, what was that, Sunshine?"
Luz looked up from her plate of rice and beans and shrugged. "I dunno. You guys said I'd have 'til the end of May, but, I thought it over." She took a spoonful and chewed, "I decided: yes."
Lealtad looked to her mother, who's eyebrows were high in suspicion. "Um, mija, are you sure?"
Her sister smiled easily in return. And it looked genuine. "Si Mamá, quiero ir," she softly said.
A happy smile made its way on their mother's face, and sure enough, Luz mirrored the same smile. Lealtad didn't have it in her to question it further. Their mom was ecstatic! Everyone was smiling! But part of Lealtad worried that Luz agreeing to this wasn't for the right reasons… especially considering what had transpired over the course of this week. Dinner carried itself onward with a peppier atmosphere than usual, which Leal knew both her family members revelled in.
But after dinner, while their mother went off into the kitchen to get some celebratory ice cream, the daughters resigned themselves to cleaning up the table. As the two gathered the placemats and wiped the table, Leal looked over at her sister. "Luz," she quietly called out, "are you feeling okay?"
She blinked up at her with a look of confusion. "Yeah? I'm fine."
That could mean a lot of things. She placed her hands on the table as she leaned forward, staring her sister head on. "You sure you want to go?" she rephrased.
"Lealtad," Luz said sternly, "I'm okay."
She was half tempted to scoff as a remark, but she held it back. Maybe part of her rationalizations were just blowing this out of proportion. Maybe… she needed to have a little faith in her sister's choices. But regardless—"Hey, remember? You and me, hermana… always."
"I know, Leal," she smiled, "I know."
Lealtad watched her sister head into the kitchen with the placemats in her hands and could only sigh. The idea of Luz going all alone worried her more than the time Luz had gone into middle school all by herself. Or the repeated instances of her getting lost in the forest nearby their home. Or even the time she was sick and couldn't walk Luz to school one day. This was an entirely new territory… especially since she couldn't tell what Luz was going through. But one thing was for certain:
She'd always look out for her.
::::
When Lealtad came down that night, in search of a midnight snack, she found her mother sitting on the sofa with a couple of papers laid out on the table. She glanced over to her daughter, smirking at her arrival down the steps. "Having late night snacks isn't healthy," she lightly chided.
Leal rolled her eyes as she walked over to her mom. "It's just something to munch during my last minute review. I'll brush my teeth and head to bed after." She nodded at the table, sitting beside her mom. "What's that about?"
"Oh, I'm just going over the costs and expenses before I phone the camp."
She chuckled. "So soon? It's kinda late, right?"
Her mom smiled. "I guess I'm just eager?"
The words slipped out so easily, "Can't wait to have the house to yourself?"
"Wait what? Do you have plans to go somewhere this summer?" she looked at her amusedly.
Leal sheepishly smiled. "Yeah… um…" Her mother blinked, clearly surprised. This is for Luz, she told herself. "What would you say about me volunteering at Reality Check for the summer?"
Her mother's eyes widened. "Lealtad, cariño, what is this about?"
"Mum… I… I'm just worried about Luz," she honestly answered. She lowered her head as fidgeted with her thumbs. "I… I know this camp is a good opportunity but… I also know Luz wouldn't settle in well on her own like that. School… it-it's different! She has a home to retreat to and can talk with me! T-To us! But… I just, I know texting, Face Timing, none of that will be enough to help her get through a day. I'm-I'm not saying she's someone who needs to be coddled… just that she needs someone. And… I hope that you're okay with that being me," she looked toward her mother, meeting her eyes firmly. "I'm the closest person to Luz, and I wanna watch over her."
A moment passed after that. Her mother stared at her with such a look that mangled concern, worry, and appreciation all in one. After a tired sigh, and an affectionate smile, she spoke.
"Lealtad, mija," her mother whispered, "you've given so much for your sister. And for me." She fondly smiled at her. "Staying up with her all those nights as kids whenever she had nightmares, walking her to and from school so she's never alone, getting a part-time job to help pay for Luz's afterschool snacks and arts and crafts, and even learning to cook her favourite meals." She laughed. "You make my tostones better than I do sometimes—"
Leal snorted. "Only sometimes?"
"Watch it," she sniped, motioning her finger at her. "My point is, mi pequeña niña, you are always thinking of your sister first. Heh, she had to convince you to pursue that photography you love so much!" Lealtad bit back her smile as she watched the tears nearly spilling from her mother's eyes. "And you're only seventeen. Summers, 'specially high school summers like yours, are only so few and short in between. Your only time to be free for so long and not having to constantly worry about responsibilities—aside from your job and chores!" she hastily said before Leal could be smart mouthed about it. "You want to sacrifice all that, when you know I'm not asking it of you this time? Lealtad, ¿estás segura?"
She merely chuckled to herself, fighting back the near tears her mother almost caused thanks to her little ramble. "Mamá, this isn't a sacrifice. This isn't something I'll regret. This is me wanting to spend more time with my sweet ol' Sunshine! And if I get some extra volunteer hours out of it? Builds good résumé, ¿no? More references, experience—"
Her mom laughed, shaking her head. "Stop joking for a minute," she smiled in spite of herself, "and tell me."
Lealtad took a deep breath at that, finally managing to swallow back her tears and nerves as she met her mother's eyes. "It's her and me… always," she said with finality.
A silence stirred between the two for several seconds. Her mother simply smiled warmly as she scooted closer, taking her daughter's hands and embracing their fingers gently. "Lealtad," she softly said, "Look after her well? Please?"
She smiled.
"It's a promise, Mamá."
A/N: So I split the first episode into two parts because as funny as the bit where Luz is like, "That doesn't count does it?" and then it hard cuts to her being sent to summer camp—it's also so vacant of any real setup. So I decided utilizing that timespan between the scene in the principal's office and getting sent to summer camp would be the ideal fill-in spot for Lealtad, as well as a way of explaining how that discussion really played out. It was a nice way of getting insight onto the Noceda family dynamic while also making it still seem grounded and fun.
I think Camila's intentions aren't necessarily wrong, neither enough to be labeled a "bad parent" because as I mention in the story, Luz technically made an explosive device and brought it into a school. The snakes would've probably made for a cool presentation but the rest is definitely a safety hazard. Would've it still been a kickass presentation? Definitely! I just thought giving more realism and serious undertone to Camila's reasoning why justify her kind of thinking, but also gives Lealtad a chance to shine in showing you all how she meshes with her mom and sister.
Now let's move onto the technicalities and formats of this fic!
The episode titles spelling out a message like, "A WITCH LOSES A TRUE WAY" obviously won't apply here because, I'm altering the POV of the story so contextually most of these titles would fit Lealtad's POV in them. They'll still try to blend with TOH name schemes, but don't expect it to spell out something. If it somehow does, then it wasn't intentional. Also, these chapters will be considerably long unlike this first chapter, as they will be following canon events somewhat hand-in-hand. So expect 10K+ chaps going forward!
Chapters will come out on a biweekly basis! As I said in the A/N at the beginning, I have done up to Episode 9 in terms of actual FINISHED writing. But I intend on getting to Episode 9, or Chapter 10 for me, and then a mid-season hiatus will begin! If you'd like more updates or fun little tidbits/behind the scenes talks, come to my tumblr! It's blehblarghblah. I answer asks and sometimes post excerpts.
Also, the cover art for this story was commissioned by yogurthoops (their insta handle), the creator of the Tag-Team AU comic! If you're on FFN, you can just see the cover already, but if you're an Ao3 reader, I'll try to remember putting the link HERE. If not, it'll be on my blog.
Next chapter update: February 2nd, 2022.
Until next time,
- Bleh