I just want to sleep, so why won't you let me? (Set after King's Tide, TOH season 2 finale)
“Luz, I’m so happy I had you as a big sister…”
“We’ll see each other after the Day of Unity…”
“Us weirdos stick together…”
“Luz, I’m so happy I had you as a big sister…”
“We’ll see each other after the Day of Unity…”
“Us weirdos stick togethertogethertogethertogether–”
Luz shot up from the mattress, one hand clenched over her rapidly beating heart.
It was dark. Why was it dark? Where was she? And sleeping? Why was she sleeping when she should be rescuing her FAMILY AND –
She stumbled out of the bed and towards the partly open door. The place didn’t look too familiar, was this another CATS hideout or something?
Why were they here instead of out there stopping Belos? Why did her head hurt and her stomach twist into infinite knots like she’d eaten one too many boo-berries? And her biggest question?
Why didn’t she remember ANYTHING?
She slammed a hand against the wall as she dug her free hand into her pocket, but –
She glanced down for the first time. To her surprise, she was dressed in her cozy pajamas, ones she hadn’t seen in ages because she had never packed them in her bag for summer camp and left them in her…
Luz looked up and out the window, noting the dim glow of the street lights and the rectangular, geometric-ness of the human realm that stood out in sharp (and very obvious) contrast to the warped shapes of home.
The home she’d left behind when King’s shout shocked her into releasing her grip on the vines and sent her and Amity tumbling into the portal just before it collapsed, leaving them stranded here.
In what was supposed to be her home.
Luz braced against the wall as a spell of dizziness overcame her. The trip from the dilapidated shack to her…mom’s house was too blurry to remember, shock and a tingling numbness permeating every fiber of her being as she led her friends to the one place they’d all be safe.
She did vaguely remember knocking on the door, and the look of utter surprise and confused relief that crossed her mom’s face as she saw them all scratched up and shaken.
But she definitely remembered sitting down on the couch and feeling right like she could go to sleep, because fatigue was weighing down on her every limb like she hadn’t rested in centuries, which was ironic because the last time she’d slept was…
When was the last time she’d slept?
She remembered nearly falling asleep on Amity’s shoulder before her mother suggested they all turn in for the night and explain their story in the morning.
She remembered leading her friends to the rooms upstairs and pulling out spare sleeping bags and pillows like she knew exactly where they were – which she did, because it was her house and no amount of time and distance could change that, but it wasn’t the house she’d grown to think of as a home anymore and the fact that she could even bear to think of something like that when she was finally here with her mom was just TOO much for her to handle at the moment so she shut down and began mechanically arranging their beds until she nearly stumbled over a pillow and Vee directed her to her old bed with a simple order:
And that was all she could recall.
She sank to the floor, wincing as the movement jostled some injuries she hadn’t yet revealed to her mother. Then again, she hadn’t revealed a lot of things to her mother. She didn’t know where to start.
Like was she supposed to start with what had happened to all of them right before the portal collapsed, or how they’d spent weeks preparing for the genocide of the entire demon realm and maybe they’d stopped it, but the situation was far FAR worse now because that Collector kid was going around turning everything into a game and she had just LEFT King and Eda and the others there alone to deal with it all and what kind of person – what kind of human was she to just leave them in their misery and escape to her own world –
“Shshd! Sorry, anyone who’s still awake…I did not mean for that to happen.” A hint of golden eyes peered her direction, but the light was clearly not enough to grant them a clear picture.
Luz wiped at her tears. “I-it’s okay…”
The eyes shone with recognition, “Oh, Luz…” She stepped over the sleeping bundles and nestled down by Luz’ side. “I didn’t realize you were awake.”
“Oh.” Amity sighed, glancing quickly at their friends before lowering her voice, “Are you thinking about…what happened back there?”
“…aren’t you?” She wanted to be sharper with her question, because how could Amity not be thinking about everyone they’d left behind, but her voice quavered dangerously and she could feel a little lump growing in her throat that shut her up real quick.
But Amity had always known her too well. “Luz…”
“You’re going to say it’s not my fault and that I couldn’t have stopped the Collector or saved King on my own. I know you are.” She wiped at her eyes. “But I just LEFT them, Amity….I just left them there and now we have no way of going back andandAND!”
Amity gathered her into a hug, wrapping her whole body around Luz’s trembling frame as she wept softly to herself. “Luz…”
The girl whimpered in her embrace.
“Luz, I’m not going to sit here and try and pretend there’s an upside to all of this. Because everything happened so fast and we literally haven’t had a single moment to process it all and we’re tired and sore and hurting and nothing I say can really make you feel better anyway…but there is one thing I want you to know.”
She ran gentle fingers through thick brown hair, relishing the little content hum that came from her sniffling girlfriend. “I…I want you to know how unbelievably GLAD I am to see you alive and to be able to hold you in my arms right now…because after that little stunt you pulled at the factory,” Amity released a wet chuckle, “I thought I’d never get to see you again, or hold you again…I…I thought we’d never get that date...”
Luz’s head shot up so fast, affront written all over her face like she’d just insulted her mother. “But, but I promised you that date!”
“I know,” Amity giggled, “I know you did, and I know you always keep your promise, Luz…and maybe that’s why I shouldn’t have worried at all. But…I was so scared for you that all I could think of on the ride to the Titan’s Head was what I would do if I got there too late…and-”
“Hey,” A warm, brown hand cradled her cheek, nudging her glance back to Luz’s soft gaze, “It’s okay, Sweet Potato. I’m here now.”
“I know.” Amity leaned in, pecking a light kiss to Luz’ lips and enjoying the beet-red blush that spread across her girlfriend’s face. “There are a lot of things I’m not sure about and I know our future is really uncertain right now…but I’m just glad I get to do that again.”
“Oh, you-you can do that whenever you want,” A flustered Luz blurted out.
“Whenever?” One eyebrow went up. “So, if I were to give you another one right now, you wouldn’t mind?”
It hadn’t seemed possible, but Luz was quickly rivalling her in the tomato-face department. “N-NO! I-I mean, sure, you-you could…but-but I- I mean you-in this- and now and I just…” She groaned and buried her head in her hands with a soft cry, “Help?”
Amity couldn’t help but giggle at Luz’ adorableness as she removed the hands, “If I knew you were going to get this flustered, I’d have kissed you sooner.”
Luz was mere seconds from passing out, “S-sooner? Like how much sooner?”
Amity felt a hint of warmth creep across her own face. Thinking about when or how she might have summoned the courage to kiss Luz without the end of the world looming in the distance was far more than she cared to think about this late at night, not on top of everything else.
“Maybe I’ll tell you later. After you get some sleep.”
“Noooo…” Luz whined, an adorable pout on her lips, “Please, Ames…ya can’t just leave a girl hanging like that!”
Amity feigned indifference, “I’m immune to your wily ways, Noceda. Your charms can’t bamboozle me.” Her expression softened as Luz stifled a yawn, “See, you can barely keep your eyes open. Bed first, talk later.”
Luz huffed but allowed Amity to help her to her feet. “Will…?” She blushed and rubbed her forearm, but the hesitation and the awkward silence was enough for her girlfriend to get the hint.
Amity blushed a deep red, “You…you want me to sleep with you?”
It was a miracle neither girl had passed out from lack of oxygen. But Luz sure felt on the brink of it. “J-just for tonight…I-it’d help.”
“Oh…” Amity sucked in a deep breath, “O-okay.”
They crossed over their dozing friends and to the bottom bunk, brushing aside the scattered covers so that Luz first, then Amity could crawl under.
“Um…are you sure your mother is okay with this?”
Luz bit her tongue. She hadn’t yet told her mother about…well, anything. But it was far too late to worry about that now. “I’ll tell her in the morning. Besides, we’ve had a long day, she’ll understand.”
“Okay…” Amity laid down, her arms stiff against her side like wooden boards.
“Hey,” Luz curled her arms around her girlfriend, brushing her fingers against her sides, “Relax hermosa, be comfortable.”
“Shhhh.” Luz nuzzled her head against Amity’s shoulder, “Bed first, talk later. Remember?”
Amity managed a nod. She could do this. She could overcome her gay panic and cuddle with her girlfriend in her bed, in her room. Right?
Soft lips landed on her cheek before Luz settled down into slumber, “Good night, sweet potato. I love you.”
The surge of warmth that swelled in her heart vanquished any lingering anxiety. Amity pressed a soft kiss to the brown hair before her before wrapping her arms around Luz. “Good night, batata. I love you too.”
In mere minutes, the couple were fast asleep.
Hunter released his breath, lightly patting Willow beside him, “What-what was that thing she said? Batata? And why did they say I love you to each other? Are people supposed to say that to each other normally? Or is that something they do because they’re ‘together’ or whatever?”
Willow sighed. As delightful as Caleb’s curiosity could be, it was way too late at night to handle all his enthusiasm. She patted his arm, “You’ll understand when you’re older.”
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