There were dozens of things that never happened for Luz back on Earth. And a lot of them were very... Unpleasant to think about. Which was why Luz tended not to think about them whenever she could help it.
One of those things was the fact that she never really had friends back home - All her antics, obsessions with her fantasy books, games and her attempts to spice up whatever classes she found herself in had rendered her something of an outcast there. She never got invited to sit with people at lunch. She never got invited to parties. She wasn't ever even asked if she wanted to hang out - All the normal things that one would expect someone her age to be doing. But it just never happened for her.
And it didn't bother her all that much.
Well... It kind of did, a little bit. No one liked being left out. But it just seemed to be how things were, how they were going to be. Not unless she forced herself to change, and give up all the things that she enjoyed - And Luz wasn't prepared to do that. She just didn't gel well with other people back home, it seemed. And she'd made peace with that, and she'd learned to deal with it in her own way - Mostly by throwing herself into whatever kind of fantasy she could get her hands on. She got so much reading and writing and drawing done, so it sort of worked out in the end?
Hey, she was the one who could write an entire fantasy epic in an afternoon - Which she had done a few times at this point! Mostly in fanfiction, granted, but still! That was a win in her book!
But the Boiling Isles had changed all of that. The people she had gotten to meet, the friends she had made, the time they all got to spend together - All while she got to learn to be a Witch?
It was like... Everything that she had ever wanted, just thrown at her, through being possibly the luckiest Human being in existence! Mystery, adventure, magic, drama, friends who didn't ask her to change in the slightest for them, but even seemed to embrace her antics at times! It was like a dream! And she tried to make the most of that every day she was here, not wanting to waste a second of it!
How different things would be, how lonely she would be if she was still on Earth, at camp, surrounded by people who just... Didn't get it? She thought about it a lot - How much this place meant to her. The Owl House, the Boiling Isles. Eda. King. Willow and Gus.
Amity.
Just how lucky she was to be here. How she wouldn't trade this place for anything. How this place had changed her life. How she felt at home here. Somehow more at home here than she ever did back on Earth - Not counting her Mamá, of course, but even then, it felt like she didn't always understand her either. She felt accepted here, without any qualifiers. That there were people here who liked her, all her weirdness notwithstanding.
Everything was different here.
Luz hummed to herself as she glanced around the forest, these thoughts bouncing around in her brain. A palm-squirrel watched her almost skip down the path she walked, and she watched as it balled it's weirdly-Human-looking-hand-for-a-head into a fist as she walked underneath its branch, and then opened back up once she was at the other side. The wildlife of the Boiling Isles was like something out of a series on cosmic horror, but somehow Luz had become accustomed to a lot of it. She smiled at the palm-squirrel as she walked away from it, before returning her sight to the path. It wasn't unusual to see one of those critters here.
What she was doing here was a bit more unusual though. But that filled her with a bundle of excitement.
Normally it was her asking Amity to hang out, not the other way around.
Last night though, while the two girls spoke over their Crystal Balls, Amity had asked Luz to meet her in the forest the next day. She had mentioned about it being important, and that she was hoping that the pair of them could hang out.
Historically, of the two of them, it was overwhelmingly Luz that asked Amity if she wanted to hang out. That had been changing in the last month or so. They had actually ended up spending a lot of time together ever since Amity's leg had healed from their grudgby match against Boscha. They would meet up to talk about Azura, or other books they found. Sometimes Amity would ask questions about the Human Realm, and Luz would tell her about it - Amity had even gone out of her way to help Luz study when she struggled with learning the basics of Abomination Magic. It was because of her that Luz had been able to not only learn the Glyphs for Abomination Magic, but could also now summon an Abomination that didn't immediately try to attack her.
The pair of them had grown closer.
A lot closer.
Just thinking about that made Luz smile. And motivated her to pick up the pace just a little bit.
She saw her destination a lot sooner than she ended up actually arriving there. Even if it wasn't visually distinctive - It was a giant tree that had bright pink leaves, and towered above the rest of the trees that surrounded it - Luz still would have been able to identify it from a mile away; It was the sight that she and Amity had defeated Grometheus together during Grom.
Its size, how it towered over the other trees, and the contrast of the dark greens of its surroundings against its pink and cherry colours meant that Luz saw it about ten minutes before she got close to it. Like walking to a wind turbine back on Earth. All the while, she had focused on it, remembering the day it sprouted, and the days since then.
So much had changed since then.
Luz approached the base of the tree, and just stared at it for a few seconds. It really was enormous. It's size in relation to her, both in height and width, was slightly staggering and almost intimidating, now that she wasn't high on adrenaline and could appreciate its sheer scale. A small part of her couldn't help but feel a pang of pride at it though, as she placed her palm against the wood - It had been her and Amity that had made this thing. A combination of their Magic. She was responsible for this new landmark of the Boiling Isles, at least in part.
A small grin appeared on her face as she thought about that. Then she took a glance around, and took her hand back. "Alright, where are you, Amity?" She asked, mostly talking to herself.
Punctual as she was, Luz found it difficult to believe that Amity was the one running late here. Amity was always on time. The tree was big enough that it could obscure a person. Maybe she was on the other side? Luz opted to check.
Sure enough, there she was.
Leaning against the base of the tree and sat down, Amity was looking over the cliff and out at the ocean. She was wearing the outfit she always seemed to wear when neither of them had classes that day, and there was a flask next to her. There was an expression on her face that told Luz she was concentrating. Focused. She didn't even seem to realise that Luz was there. Either there was something very interesting out in the middle of the ocean - There wasn't, at least not anything Luz could see - or she had something on her mind.
It wasn't an expression Luz had grown unaccustomed to seeing over the last couple of months. But it was one she found hard to look away from all the same. Luz just kind of... Stopped to watch it for a moment, against her brain telling her that she should probably announce her presence.
From the flask she had with her - A very un-unique, bland looking one - Amity took a drink from it, before sighing and placing it next to her. Almost immediately it fell over with an empty echo, and rolled away from her, and towards Luz, who watched it roll until it collided with her foot. She knelt down, picked it up, and stood back up.
Already, Amity had gotten onto her feet. "L - Luz! You're here!"
"Hey." Luz smiled, holding the flask out for Amity to take. "Don't worry, I caught your escapee-cup! He's not going anywhere anytime soon!"
"Th - Thanks." Amity took the flask and quickly shoved it into her bag. She did so with what felt like a bit of awkwardness, but she took a deep breath afterwards and sighed. "Sorry, about that."
"S'no big deal!" Once more, Luz grinned. "Sorry I'm a little late. I was doing, er.... Owl House things."
"...What happened this time?"
"Well, it involves Hooty, King, and breakfast - "
"Chaos. Got it." Amity nodded, already with a mental image in her head that Luz knew probably wasn't all that inaccurate. She spoke with a hint of amusement, and another load of bewilderment at how the Owl House was even still standing, and not perpetually on fire.
Luz shrugged, awkwardly. "Yeeeeah, Eda wasn't too happy with the mess... Or the uprising."
"I'm... Not even going to ask." Amity shook her head, a smile visible. "I'm genuinely amazed that you can turn breakfast into an entire escapade."
"Hey, for once I had nothing to do with it!" A pause. "...Mostly! K - Kind of!"
That made Amity just laugh. And that in turn made Luz smile.
This was how their relationship had developed over the last few months. Conversation just became easier and easier between the two of them, until they could fill an entire day by talking about essentially nothing at all if they wanted to. Sometimes they would. And sometimes they would talk about their books. Other times they would end up wandering around Bonesborough, or around the Isles generally.
It hadn't always just been studying together, or just spending time together either - They had gotten into their fair share of trouble too. Usually when they trained together, practicing Magic, or even engaging in light duelling matches with one another. They often did that well away from the town so they wouldn't be interrupted, or give anyone the wrong idea. There were plenty of demons and monsters that inhabited the Boiling Isles that had them on their menus, and the number of times they had gotten into those fights had to be in the dozens now. Going through all of that together, it was impossible for them not to become close.
...And it had become more than that for Luz. Much more.
Over the last few months, Luz had learned so much about herself, about her friends, and what all the relationships that they had with one another meant to her. How Willow and Gus were her closest friends in either the Human Realm or on the Boiling Isles, and how she'd be willing to go put herself through hell and back if they needed her help. How Eda and King had become not almost like, but were a second family to her. How Amity...
...Amity was different. Really different.
After such a rough start, it had been hard to predict that they were going to be anything but rivals, or at the best, passing acquaintances. But they were friends now, and all the drama of their past was just that - In the past. Amity had even managed to fully patch things up with Willow, or at least they were about as patched up as they were going to reasonably get. So there was nothing stopping them from being as close as they were now.
The closer they got, the more Luz noticed about Amity too. Amity wore a lot of the talents that she had on her sleeve - She was smart, and incredibly skilled at Magic. Moreso than anyone else Luz knew at Hexside. But to learn what she was like underneath all of that, it took a while, to coax her out of the shell she had built up around herself. Underneath it was a softness that it was hard to describe as anything other than pure Amity.
Just as much of a nerd as Luz herself was. Just as capable of being kind and gentle to the people around her. She was driven to do the right thing - She had practically thrown away her reputation at Hexside to do that, and that was still one of the coolest things Luz had ever seen her do. She still dipped into sarcasm and her fairly blunt way of talking from time to time, but there was no edge to it anymore, not like there used to be. It was hard to explain, but once all those walls she had built up around her were gone, Amity was one of the kindest people Luz had met.
How she had changed from the person she was when they first met into who she was now... It was hard not to admire it.
When she learned that she wasn't going to be able to return to the Human world, at least not for a while, Amity had gone out of her way to look out for Luz. to check in on her whenever a spiral of homesickness hit her. Offering to be there. Offering to teach her a new spell. Offering her whatever she needed to take her mind off things, and listen to her and comfort her whenever that was what she needed instead. It was that sort of thing, Luz learned, that really defined the sort of person Amity was.
It all went straight to her heart.
And it had been around that time that being around Amity made Luz feel... The best word was giddy. Excited. But also nervous at the same time. All at once. That made her both want to be around Amity all the time, and be as far away from her as possible.
Luz wasn't unaware enough to not know what she felt at any given time. This wasn't the first time she'd felt like this about someone. She'd felt like this on Earth a few times...
She liked Amity. Really liked Amity. And there was that small part of her that held onto the hope that maybe...
Quickly, she shook her head, before Amity looked back at her, thankfully. She could have just listened to Amity laugh all day, but she could feel her heart beating. She needed to change the subject. "Sooo, er, you mentioned yesterday that there was something you wanted to talk about? You said it was kinda important, so..."
Amity's laughing stopped fairly abruptly at that point, and she kind of froze for a moment, like she'd already forgotten why the pair of them were even here and had just been reminded. She blinked, and looked up at Luz.
Her face was red.
"Um... R-Right. Er, quite important, yes."
She was nervous. Noticeably so. Amity didn't do nervous. Certainly not like this. The only time Luz remembered anything close was...
"...What's it about?"
"...Grom."
Immediately, Luz's heart sank.
There it was.
"Do... Do you remember offering me help after that?"
Putting on the air of being enthusiastic almost felt like a physical blow to Luz, but she put on the best face she could. "Yeah?"
"...I uh... I could use your help now. I-If you're willing."
This was always going to happen.
And Luz knew that it was always going to happen, but a part of her truly, truly wished that it wouldn't. Weirder things had happened on the Boiling Isles to her, and she had let herself hope, just a little, that luck would be on her side here.
But no such luck.
Guilt hit her. To even think like that was selfish. It wasn't ever going to happen and Luz knew that perfectly well. People didn't like Luz Noceda. That was something she learned a long time ago. She knew that, but she had hoped...
Amity had had someone who she wanted to go to Grom with all the way back then, and Luz had known that. After Grom, she had even told Amity that if she ever decided that she needed help, she would absolutely be there to help her if she wanted it, and Amity had nodded, and thanked her for the offer.
And now she was going to make good on that offer.
...And so was Luz.
Because regardless of what she felt towards Amity, regardless of how much she liked Amity, no matter all of that... She couldn't get in the way of what Amity wanted. Not like this. Not for herself. Because she knew that it had always just been a pipe dream anyway... Because she wanted Amity to be happy.
Learning everything that she had about the other girl - The pressure she put on herself, the things she'd been forced to do, the way her parents practically dictated her life... She deserved to be with someone who made her happy.
It wouldn't be fair to Amity, even if she could somehow change the fabric of the universe and make Amity like her. And even if she could, Luz wouldn't do that. Amity deserved better than that.
She deserved whoever made her happy.
The fact that they were even friends at all - The fact that Luz even had friends in the Boiling Isles, real friends, who she had connected with and who understood and supported her, was more than she thought she was ever going to really get. The fact she was even Amity's friend, that they were as close as they were now, that she was willing to come to her with this... That was already a blessing. And she was so, so glad that they had that.
And she wasn't going to jeopardy that. Not now. And not when she already knew what the answer would be.
Luz would be a good friend. No matter what.
Even when it hurt to be...
...This was good, actually. Maybe now Luz could just... Drop all of this. Get it out of her head.
All that went through her mind in just a few seconds. And just like before, she put on a front of enthusiasm as she responded. ""Psh, yeah! Of course! Absolutely! Matchmaker Luz at your service! Absolutely!" She forced through a fake laugh, hoping that Amity wouldn't notice the difference,
Amity for her part seemed to both smile, thankful that Luz was still willing to help after making such an offer months ago, and also get... Much more nervous. Like Luz willing to help her made it feel more real. Her face got redder, and her hands balled up into fists.
"S-So.... Who was it? Who've I got to figure out a plan of action for?" Luz asked.
The Witch bit her lip, and looked away for a moment, trying to avoid making eye contact. Her hands reached into her bag, and from it, she pulled out a letter. Pink, and the seal was that of a heart. A love letter, Luz knew, just by looking at it.
A sharp inhale came from Amity as she took a deep breath. Then she looked at Luz.
And thrusted the letter towards her.
"...You."
Luz blinked, as she took the letter into her hands. Briefly, she scanned over it. "...I don't think I know anyone here called Yu, Amity. I knew a guy back on Earth who was called that, but I dunno if I know who - "
"N-No. Luz..."
As she scanned over the letter, Luz flipped it over, looking for a name. Maybe the spelling would help jog her memory.
The words she read instead made her heart stop.
To Luz.
"...I mean you." Amity said, forcing the words out from behind an expression equal parts overwhelming awkward fluster and abject horror. "Luz Noceda - The only Human on the Boiling Isles. I-I mean you..."
She took an awkward step forward.
"....You're the one I wanted to ask to Grom..."
Her eyes shifted to look to the ground.
"...You're the person I like."
For a moment, Luz's brain simply refused to work. Her jaw dropped slightly, and all she was even capable of doing was looking between the letter, and Amity.
What?
"Wh... What?" She hadn't even meant to say it. It just... Happened. It barely even came out as a whisper. "A...Amity, what do you..." Words were difficult to say aloud now. They felt caught in Luz's throat.
"I - I - You - " Amity tripped on her own words, and shook her head, before looking away again. Part of her face was hidden by her hair, but what could be seen was crimson. "You... Luz, you're... You're the... You're the closest friend I've... Ever had. I mean that. You kept reaching out to me when you had... Absolutely no reason to. Even when I was awful to you. And you... You made me be better. You made me want to be better."
...This didn't happen to Luz. Was this seriously happening?
"Y... You're not like anyone else I know. You're so.... Honest. A-And authentic. You always wear what you're thinking out in the open. I... I never need to guess where I stand with you. A-And I... Wish I could have been that u-up front with you about... This before, but I... I didn't - ...Don't, know if you even... Think about me in the same way at all, but I-I can't keep this up."
This wasn't a thing that happened to her.
"I... I can't keep pretending that I don't feel like this around you. I... Can't pretend that not knowing is something I can handle. I..." Amity gulped, and forced herself to look Luz in the eye. "...I like you, Luz."
This...
"A-And I... I wrote you that letter because I don't trust myself to give you all the reasons out loud." She spoke very quickly then, so quickly that it took Luz a moment to fully register what she had said. "S-So..."
With a look on her face that conveyed possibly more anxiety and nervousness than Luz had ever seen in a person before in her life, Amity gestured at the letter that was in Luz's hands. And then she just... Looked at Luz. Waiting for her to read her letter. Waiting for a response.
All the while, Luz's heart was beating again.
Faster and faster and faster.
This...
Was this...
...No.
No.
Luz's mind immediately went to the past, but she quickly dismissed it. Amity wouldn't do that. She wasn't like that. She wasn't that cruel. Luz doubted that she ever was, and if she ever had been, then she had changed since that - She had seen it first hand! Watched it happen! That wasn't a thing Amity would do!
It wasn't that!
But then what was left?
People didn't like Luz like that. That just wasn't a thing that happened.
So what -
The flask. The flask!
"Amity what was in that flask you had?"
To say that Amity looked completely bewildered would be an understatement. "...What the - What?"
"The flask you had! What was in it? What did you drink before I showed up!?"
Again, Amity just looked at Luz with an expression that was one half utterly dejected, and another part absolutely baffled. "What does that - A-Aren't you even going to read - "
"Amity!"
There was a firmness to Luz's voice that time that made Amity freeze. And Luz immediately regretted not keeping closer control over her own voice.
When she spoke again, she made sure she spoke softer. "...Please, Amity. It's important."
Still completely confused by this line of questioning, Amity's eyebrow raised high above her eye, but still, she answered. "It... It was just water, Luz. That was all."
A pause. "Did - Did you ever leave it alone? Like on a table or something?"
"I - For a bit, back home I guess - "
"Where?"
"At home! Before I came here! I just left it on the kitchen counter while I found my bag! Luz, what does this - "
Amity's wrist was suddenly in Luz's hand, and before she could even register that, Amity found herself being dragged through the path that Luz had taken to get here in the first place. Luz was running - Fast. And when Luz wanted to move quickly, she was very capable of moving quickly.
"What the - Luz!" Amity yelled when she finally registered what was happening, "What're you doing? What's going on?!"
"We need to get to the Owl House! Eda'll know how to help!"
"Help with what?!"
"The Love Potion!"
"The what?! Luz what in the world are you - "
Luz's speed picked up, and it cut off whatever Amity had been about to say next.
It was a Love Potion - That had to be it! Eda had said that everything that the Human Realm commonly associated with magic came from the Boiling Isles at some point - That meant Love Potions had to exist here, right?
That had to be what had happened to Amity here! That had to be it!
Because Amity wasn't cruel. And she wouldn't joke like that.
Luz's mind remembered the last time this happened, back on Earth.
'Look, you're... Kind of weird. But you're nice. And I like you.'
'A-Are you serious?'
'...Did you think I was?'
She shook her head, as though she were trying to shake those memories out of her brain. Amity wouldn't do that.
It must have been a Love Potion.
It must have been.
SO I've been working on this for the last week to get a better handle on Luz's character (and also because I'm still brainstorming chapter 3 of Beautiful Cruelty) because she's kind of tricky to get a handle on, and I ended up with this - And i split it into two parts because I am physically incapable of doing oneshots - I need way too much context to manage that.
BUT I'm kind of happy with the direction this has ended up going - I'll go far more in depth with my thought process when the second part of this is uploaded tomorrow - The day after I move back to Uni so I'll make sure part 2 is done to tide you all over.
If you're interested in my of my Lumity stuff until then though - I have two other stories! and , which I'm really proud of :D I'll see you all tomorrow - See ya!