I'm Here for You
Luz had taken two steps into Amity’s living room before collapsing on the couch and curling up into a ball. Amity set Owlbert on the table next to the couch and went to find some spare blankets.
It took some digging but she eventually found some extra sheets in a closet upstairs. She brought them back to Luz, who had fallen into a restless sleep. She talked in her sleep, and Amity could tell she wasn’t having a happy dream. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and her fingers were twitching restlessly. Amity wrapped a blanket around the human and tucked a pillow under her head.
She then retreated to her room to change clothes. She stepped into the familiar space and allowed herself to take a deep breath. So much had happened today and she spent some extra time to freshen up, giving her mind a chance to catch up.
Luz was here. Luz was in her house, sleeping on her couch. And that really was one of the only positive things she could take away from today.
Eda was doomed, there was no doubt about that. The chance that she would escape petrification a second time was borderline impossible. Viney was likely being held by the Emperor, she wouldn’t admit in front of Emira but Emperor Belos had lost interest in Lillith years ago. And if Gus was safe, the only other option was Viney.
Amity gazed at herself in her bathroom mirror, she was a mess. Her hair was tangled and falling apart, and she had streaks of mascara down her cheeks from crying. She sighed heavily and reached for a makeup wipe. She rinsed her face a few times, and once she felt refreshed she began working on her hair.
She had re-dyed it multiple times in the last few years, but she was just starting to let it grow out again. The green was faded and she had about an inch or two of brown starting at her roots. She gently combed through the messy strands, and once she had tamed the mane of hair she pulled it up into a messy bun.
She had just stepped out of the bathroom when her scroll dinged. She picked it up from where she had left it on her bed and saw that a bright red message took up the entire screen.
MANDATORY LOCKDOWN: NO CITIZEN IS TO LEAVE THEIR CURRENT LOCATION UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
Right on time. She threw the scroll back on the bed and heard the sound of her front door opening and shutting.
That was probably Willow.
Amity changed into pajamas, a ragged pair of sweatpants and an old Hexide Pride hoodie. She padded barefoot back to the living room, and indeed, Willow was sitting on a chair opposite Luz, a bag sitting at her feet.
She looked up when Amity entered the room and nodded at her. It seemed Willow had also changed into more comfortable clothes. A gray jacket thrown over a black tank top and leggings. Amity gestured that Willow follow her into the kitchen.
“How’s Luz doing?” Willow asked, as soon as they were out of earshot of the living room.
“Not very well.” Amity confessed leaning against the counter suddenly exhausted. For the first time in a while the responsibility of the world was beginning to weigh on her. It often came as a surprise when she realized she was an adult. No longer a child. She had lost the innocence of childhood so quickly after turning eighteen. Her parents immediately put so much responsibility onto her, pressured her to join the coven, and the constant stress to impress them pushed Amity to climb the ranks.
Then she had found the resistance, and everything changed. She had realized there was more to life than being the best at everything. She could help people, and so she did. She dedicated everything to the resistance, risking her life more times than she could count.
“And how are you doing?” Willow had noticed, Willow always noticed.
“As well as I can right now.” She dodged the question.
“Remember if you ever need anything…”
“I can turn to you, I know.” Amity gave Willow a tired smile. The witch smiled back.
“You should get some rest, I’ll sleep in the living room and keep an eye on Luz.” As much as Amity didn’t want to leave Luz for too long, Willow was right. She wouldn’t do anyone any good if she was dead on her feet.
“Thanks.”
“Anytime.”
Luz woke with a small yelp. Her nightmare skittering away before she could recall it. She took a moment to get her bearings and realized she was in an unfamiliar place. Oh yeah. The events of yesterday suddenly rushed her all at once and she gasped at the rush of information.
She was at Amity’s place. That much she knew for sure. But she didn’t remember flying here, or laying down on the couch.
A small bubble of panic expanded in her stomach as she sat up.
“Amity?” She whispered into the darkness.
“It’s alright, you’re safe.” Said a voice that wasn’t Amity’s. The couch shifted as someone sat next to Luz, then a dim light flooded the room.
Willow was perched next to Luz, a wry smile on her face.
“How are you feeling?”
“Empty.” Willow’s brow furrowed in concern. Luz hadn’t meant to say the word, but it just slipped out. And it was true, she felt empty.
“Can I get you anything?” And once again Luz’s mouth worked faster than her mind.
“Amity.” Willow nodded and set the glowing orb on the table next to Luz, before standing.
“I’ll be right back.” Luz could only nod.
She sat up fully and pulled her knees up to her chest. The room was so silent, and she could feel the beginning of a breakdown bubbling in her gut. She squeezed her eyes shut and did her best to block out the feelings. She stayed like that for several seconds.
“Luz?” She opened her eyes and Amity was there, Willow disappeared into the kitchen.
Amity had clearly been asleep, her hair half up in a bun, and her eyes were red brimmed.
“Sorry for waking you.” Luz whispered.
“Don’t worry about it.” Amity reassured her, sitting next to Luz on the couch. Luz leaned into the witch, and Amity wrapped a hand around her shoulder.
“What’s up?”
“I just… needed you.” Amity squeezed Luz’s shoulder affectionately. They sat in silence comforting each other with their presences alone.
“How did you know so much about The Emperors Coven?” Luz asked quietly.
Amity took a deep breath and began to explain her situation, how she was a spy for the resistance, and how close she was to the Emperor.
Luz just listened, enjoying the sound of Amity’s voice. It did make a lot of sense, Amity had always been invested in joining the Emperor's Coven when she was younger, so it wouldn’t be suspicious for her to join, it would actually be expected.
“What about you? Tell me more about your band.” Luz could tell Amity was trying to distract her, and she appreciated it.
“Well it’s just the four of us, we used to be five but…” she trailed off and bit her lip, those were memories she didn’t want to remember.
“Well Jacob sings, Bailey is our drummer, and Lauren plays the keyboard. We still need someone to play the bass after Daniel left.” Luz could feel herself flinch when she said his name.
Amity noticed too.
“What’s wrong?”
“I… have some bad memories with Daniel.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not really.” Luz said, cuddling closer to Amity. The witch leaned closer to Luz as well.
They sat in comfortable silence, lending each other strength. Luz couldn’t help but consider the possibly romantic atmosphere that sat heavily upon the two of them. She also had to admit that it just felt right. Wasn’t that the reason she left the Isles? Because of her feelings for Amity? Now, the old fears just felt silly, she shouldn’t be scared of this… whatever it was. And even if Amity didn’t feel the same way, hadn’t she acknowledged that there was something between them?
I don’t know what this is, whatever we have, but I know that if you come with me we can explore it together.
Luz could feel a half-hearted blush spread across her cheeks, but she could also feel the exhaustion creeping up on her again. She took a deep breath, and let her eyes drift shut.
When Amity woke, she was wrapped in something warm and soft. She sighed happily and snuggled closer to whatever was next to her. Then she froze as she realized who she had fallen asleep with. Her eyes snapped open and she blinked at the early morning light.
They were still half sitting half lying against each other, Luz was snoring softly and honestly, if Amity didn’t die of heartache she was going to die of cuteness.
She looked away from Luz to see Willow sitting smugly in a chair across the room.
“Good morning, did you sleep well?” Willow asked with a smirk. Amity stuck her tongue out at her, and did her best to untangle herself from Luz without disturbing the human.
“Emira and Edric texted, no word from Viney.” Willow said, her tone dropping significantly. Amity sighed and stood up from the couch. She stretched and felt her back crack satisfyingly.
“When I get to work I’ll figure it out, speaking of which, what time is it?” She reached for her scroll only to realize it wasn’t in the pocket of her hoodie. She must have left it upstairs.
“It’s 7:30.” Dang it. She was supposed to leave for work in fifteen minutes, and she wasn’t anywhere near ready. If she was in a lower rank she would be stuck inside due to the lockdown, but because of her importance to the Emperor, the rules didn’t apply to her as much.
She began to make her way to the stairs, but paused and looked back at Luz. She knew how much Luz was struggling with all the change. She really wanted to be here for her when she woke up, but she also couldn’t risk making the Emperor suspicious.
“I’ll still be here.” Willow reassured her, noting the witch's distress. Amity would forever be grateful for Willow, she always knew exactly what Amity needed.
“Thank you, you’re a lifesaver.” Willow waved a dismissive hand, and Amity sprinted up the stairs.
Several minutes later she had taken the fastest shower of her life and had used magic to speed dry her hair, which unfortunately made it ridiculously frizzy. After combing through it didn’t work she just pulled her hair up into a tight bun. She was still in the process of pulling on her uniform when she made her way downstairs. She glanced into the living room and saw that Luz was still asleep, and she took a few seconds to determine if she had enough time to eat breakfast. After a quick look at the time, she decided she’d grab something on the way.
She grabbed Fiona, and waved goodbye to Willow before sprinting out of the door.
In the end it wasn’t the morning light, or the lurking nightmares that woke Luz, but the sudden lack of heat. She had been drifting in and out of sleep for hours, and when she had woken to Amity gone it snapped her into wakefulness.
She shot up into a sitting position, and kicked her feet over the side of the couch, but the sheets got tangled up in her legs and she almost fell when she tried to stand. She tumbled back onto the couch and spent a significant amount of time, trying to remove herself from the blanket. Then once she was finally free she stood again and took in her surroundings.
The space was familiar, and very comfortable. She knew that this was Amity’s house and she had a feeling that even if she didn’t know that, she would have been able to guess. There was something about this room that emanated the witch's energy. There weren't many decorations but the few that did fill the space appeared to be extremely meaningful. Pictures of friends, a few scribbled drawings that were likely gifts from the kids in her reading group. There were also a few drawings that Luz recognized as her own. They were very old, and honestly slightly embarrassing, but they were there, framed and sitting on Amity’s windowsill. She picked one of them up, and a quick observation drew a small chuckle from the human. She had drawn it during her last few months in the Isles, Luz remembered drawing it actually. It was after the dance and the Grom fight, they had gone back to the Owl House for an after-party. Everyone was downstairs and Luz could tell that Amity was uncomfortable with all the socializing. She'd dragged the witch to the roof and they just started talking. After awhile they fell into a comfortable silence just enjoying each other's presence. Luz had given Amity a sidelong glance and was taken away by how absolutely beautiful she was. The only thing she wanted to do was draw her. So she had, afterward she had given the drawing to Amity and had relished in the way the witch blushed with gratitude.
“She treasures that drawing you know.” Luz started at the interruption, spinning around the photo still clutched tightly in her hand. Willow was leaning against the post at the bottom of the stairs, her lips pulled up into a wary smile. Luz let out a sigh and turned to put the framed drawing back on the windowsill.
“Why would she keep it though,” Luz faced Willow again and wrung her hands, “she should hate me for leaving like that.”
“Actually she blames herself.” Luz looked up at the witch and she gaped in shock. She started to demand an explanation but Willow just held up a finger and Luz clamped her mouth shut.
“After you didn’t come back, Amity thought you had left because of her. She was scared she had made you uncomfortable and she had upset you in some way. After you didn’t show up the second year she completely fell back into the basic ‘mean girl’ act. Only this time she had Gus and I to keep her from completely losing herself. That year she moved out of her parents house and things got a little better, but they found out she wasn’t planning to join the Emperor’s Coven and they began to get much more involved. They showed up on her doorstep one day, while Gus and I were helping her do some final unpacking.” Luz gasped, she couldn’t help herself, “They gave her hell, told us to leave, we refused but Amity insisted. I was going to protest but there was this desperation in her eyes that shook me to my core. Despite my better judgement I grabbed Gus by the arm and dragged him out of the house.
“We waited across the street until they left, but Amity didn’t answer the door when we knocked, all the lights but the one in her bedroom were off and she didn’t respond when we tried to call her. I honestly feared the worst, but the next day she showed up at my house.
“Her eyes were red rimmed and she looked like she hadn’t slept at all. She explained what happened, but only after I begged her to tell me.” Willow shuddered and sat down on the edge of the steps, Luz joined her. “I felt so bad for pushing her but if they had hurt her… Anyway she told me that when they threatened her and, when she refused, they revealed what they knew about-” Willow cut herself off and glanced at Luz, “something very personal, Amity will likely tell you about when she’s ready. She still didn't give in, and that's when they threatened Eda, Gus, and I. It pushed her over the edge. She handed her life over to them and they manipulated her like putty in the hands of God.
“She fell into a deep depression. She didn't talk to any of us, and when we tried to help her she just ignored us. Then she joined the Emperor’s Coven, and Gus revealed the conspiracy he had been running for the past year. And then to make a long story short, we were able to cautiously reveal our plot to Amity. When she first walked into the old dance studio they were using as a home base, a little bit of that spark shone in her eyes again. We slowly started to heal her, but she’s still pretty broken, she’s just gotten better at hiding it.” Willow let out a very deep breath and laid back against the stairs. It didn’t look very comfortable. Luz was still trying to wrap her head around how much her absence had affected Amity and her heart ached for the witch.
Willow glanced at Luz and reached out to clasp her shoulder, Luz rubbed her tears away furiously.
“I didn’t realize I would affect her so badly.” Luz mumbled her voice cracking.
“You couldn’t have known that she would react like that.”
“Still, I was a coward for running away when I started to
develop romantic feelings!” Luz shouted, and then clamped a hand over her mouth. She stared right at Willow, eyes wide in horror at her confession, but Willow was just smirking.
“You knew?” Luz asked quietly. Willow just shrugged.
“You weren’t exactly discrete about it, neither of you were.” She rolled her eyes, but then seemed to realize she had said too much, her eyes widened tightly and she clamped her lips together.. Luz ran over what Willow had said, but before she could think too deeply into it. The front door handle twisted slightly, followed shortly by a frustrated male grunt as the perpetrator found it locked.
“Shit.” Willow jumped up and grabbed Luz by the arm, “We gotta get out of here.”
“Who is that”
“Probably someone from the Emperor's Coven doing a routine inspection of the house, so we gotta dip before they pop the lock with a spell.” She spoke so quickly it took the human a second to process her words. By this point Willow was already dragging her up the stairs.
“Wait!” Luz started pulling against Willow's grip, the witch turned her head to the side enough so Luz could see the exasperation on her face.
“What Luz.”
“My stuff it’s still in the living room, what if they find it, they’ll know I’ve been here.” This made Willow pause, then she swore again. She dragged Luz into a door at the top of the stairs and shoved her into the room.
“Stay here,” she ordered, “and don’t make a single sound.” Luz opened her mouth to protest, but Willow shot her a look that silenced her. The witch could be terrifying when she wanted to. Willow shut the door with a quiet click and then it was scary silent. Luz pressed her ear to the door and tried her best to hear what was happening, she could hear the telltale creak as Willow crept down the stairs, she could also hear the intruders still struggling with the door. Amity probably had several protective wards around the house, but it was only a matter of time before they got in. Luz pulled back from the door and began pacing, she felt utterly useless, Willow was down there, probably risking her life over something as trivial as Luz’s bag. If Luz had been smart enough to grab the bag before they started up the stairs they wouldn’t be in this predicament. Luz was suddenly flooded with a very familiar feeling of self hatred. It coated her senses and she knew that if they escaped she would probably be stuck in what her roommate called “a funk”, when she was too swamped with negative thoughts and emotions that she was basically useless. But not yet, she would let herself sink into that cold pit, but only after they got out of here.
She spun around and scanned the room for paper and something to write with. She could use glyphs and fight their way out, if it came to that. But if the Emperor's Coven found her in Amity’s home of all places, what would that bring down upon the green haired witch? Luz battled with her thoughts but continued the search for paper. There was a desk in the far corner, this space was probably used as an office, and Luz had just reached it and pulled open the top drawer, when the door swung open.
Luz froze, not daring to move, but it was only Willow, the human’s bag, with Owlbert tucked into the half opened duffle, and guitar case in her arms. She held out the latter for Luz to take and she obliged slinging the strap across her shoulder. Luz raised an eyebrow at the witch, who only responded by bringing her hand to her lips.
So they weren’t out of the woods yet. Willow leaned in and whispered barely loud enough for Luz to hear, “We’re going out the back window, it’s right over the neighbors roof we can make a break for it from there.” Luz nodded and followed the witch as she crept down the hallway.
That had just made it to the last door in the corridor when a huge crash issued from downstairs.
“Did you really have to throw the door off the hinges?” Said a husky voice.
“Sorry.” Came a response. They were inside.
Willow swore under her breath and shuffled into the room they had been aiming for. Luz followed, trying to ignore her racing heart, she clutched her guitar case’s strap in an attempt to cease the shaking in her hands. Willow stood behind the door until Luz was fully in the room and then she pushed it shut quietly, she cringed when the door hit the frame with a muffled thud. Then the witch spun so suddenly that luz took a step back into a nightstand, she gasped and spun, checking to make sure nothing was in danger from falling due to her clumsiness. Then she realized what room they were in. This must have been Amity’s bedroom. With walls the color of seafoam and fairy lights hung across the ceiling and on the headboard of her bed. It reminded Luz so much of her hideout in the library.
Luz was tempted to linger and look around, but Willow was currently attempting to pry the window on the far wall open.
She let out a long string of curses and Luz choked on a laugh.
Willow looked at her over her shoulder, “What?”
“You have the filthiest mouth I have ever heard.” Willow just shrugged and went back to messing with the window.
“Let me try.” The witch shot her a sceptical look but stepped away. Luz took her place and ducked down to get a look at the bottom of the window.
“It’s sealed shut,” Willow offered but Luz just ran a finger along the base of the window, then she straightened up and pulled a pocket knife out of her back pocket. It was old but well taken care of, with the initials L.N. imprinted on the smooth metal. She flicked open the knife and fit it into the seam at the base of the window. She made quick work of it, running the knife across the line in an attempt to loosen the suction. Once the knife was tucked safely back into her pocket she slung the window open with ease. At the same moment the stairs creaked and both girls looked to the door.
“That’s our cue.” Was the only thing Willow said before vaulting out of the window.