Chapter Text
“Watch out!”
Amity’s body crashes into the ground, rendering her unconscious for hardly more than a millisecond. As the shock subsides, she barely detects an enormous vine returning to its caster. Her eyes dart up to the bright sky as she tries to process what had happened. The world is spinning, indicating that she struck her head fairly hard.
All around her, she hears voices: some high-pitched screams of disdain, some optimistic, and in the middle of the mayhem, some calling her name.
A fuzzy shape forms above her, followed by a pair of hands clutching her wrists and pulling her to sit upright, she identifies them as one of her teammates. The third of the trio is struggling to hold the opposing team at bay.
Something golden catches her attention before it buries itself back into the ground, presumably unnoticed.
That’s it. That’s how they can win.
Amity shakes her head and pulls herself to stand up, only for one knee to buckle beneath her and hit the ground.
Her attention drifts to the scoreboard, noticing how the other team’s score hangs over their own. At this rate, her team would lose their chances of hitting the big leagues in the coming months. Amity clears her throat, pushing herself upward.
“Timeout!”
Everyone's eyes are fixed on her when the game is paused. The official sounds their whistle. The trio form a group and their opponent team withdraws, with the team captain holding the ball.
Her teammates are just as battered as she is.
Amity speaks hesitantly and slowly, “I’m not going to lie. They’ll win unless we manage to obtain the Rusty Smidge. So, that’s what we’re going to do.”
“How? It could be anywhere…” The boy on the team asks.
The brunette witch smiles a little. “Trust me…” She lifts her head, glancing at the other team. Her vision is still slightly blurry. “I’ll need you two to hold them off. I’ll get the beetle. I know it’s a lot to ask, but this is our only option.”
“Rusty Smidge it is, then.” The other girl murmurs in agreement.
The boy nods in acceptance.
Their timeout ends as the horn blasts throughout the courtyard. Amity turns to face the crowd, her eyes meeting that of an inquisitive pair of dark brown eyes. While both teams reposition themselves, the referee moves to stands between them.
The whistle is blown and the ball soars into the air. Amity withdraws a small slip of paper from her pocket. Just as the ball starts to descend, a dark-haired witch from the other team manages to catch it, breaking into a sprint and creating a spell circle beneath their feet. Amity twirls the tip of her finger and a thick vine slams into her opponent, causing the ball to drop from their hands.
The boy on Amity’s team seizes the ball before it can hit the ground.
With the audience and the winning team distracted, Amity applies the glyph to her chest and inhales deeply, keeping her footsteps light and evading the other leader when they’re violently slammed into the ground in front of her. She barely manages to dodge a fireball when she notices the golden scarab poking itself out of the ground, disturbed by the commotion.
“You!” The other leader shouts, noticing footprints in the soft dirt.
Her lungs tighten and her throat constricts, desperate for oxygen. She lets out a breath and the glyph dissolves as she regains the air in her lungs. The other girl charges at her, fury in their eyes, only for a thick wall of ice to rise in front of them and cause them to crash face-first into it.
“Girl, did you get it?!” The boy sounds exhausted.
Amity’s hand closes around the rusty smidge and she holds it up, the scoreboard instantly changing and declaring her team as the winner. She usually didn’t resort to cheating, but her team had worked so hard to get into the finals, and she was not going to let that be taken away from them.
A loud horn sounds symbolizing the catch of the smidge and a loud wave of cheers erupts from the audience.
She looks up into the bleachers and Amity’s heart skips several beats when she sees the excitement in her girlfriend’s eyes. She loved making her proud, even though she did technically cheat…
Luz wasn’t going to let her live that one down.
Amity discards her gear at the front of the bleachers, stretching her arms high above her head and grunting when a muscle in her back strains and pops, relieving some of the aggravating tension around her shoulders. She flexes her arm and rolls her shoulder to ease the tightness away, however, the forming ache in the center of her back will certainly bother her for the next week.
This was around the time she would regret getting back into Grudgby. She loved how physically relaxed her body would be after a long day of exercise and burning adrenaline. However, she did not miss the aches and pains that occasionally came with the sport.
“Blight!”
A sense of dread and irritation pricks at her chest. Amity sees Boscha approaching from the bleachers with two of her friends behind her. The taller of the trio wearing a very punchable smirk.
Even now, after everything that has happened, the pink-haired witch remains cocky.
“Boscha, I noticed your team made it to the finals. Amity greets with a falsely cheerful voice.
Boscha stops in front of her, folding her hands into the pockets of her brand-new sports jacket. “It appears that you have, as well…”
Amity grins, knowing that it irked the other girl.
“I overheard them discussing the finals, sounds like they will pinning my team against yours…” Boscha emphasizes this with a proud smile.
“That sounds accurate. May the best team win.” Amity locks one arm beneath her elbow and grunts audibly.
“Oh, we will.” Boscha sidesteps her, lifting her head and passing Amity with a dismissive wave of her hand. Cat pauses for a moment to send the lavender-haired witch a thumbs up before scurrying to catch up with her friends.
Once the other team are out of earshot, Amity’s shoulders sag with exhaustion and her arms fall limply to her side. “Ugh, when I get home, I’m collapsing on the bed and not waking up until next Tuesday…”
“Aw, well that’s unfortunate. I was so looking forward to spending quality time with the prettiest witch on the Boiling Isles…” Amity’s attention snaps up to look at the tanned human leaning against the light pole. Luz smiles at her as Amity walks over, she drapes her arms around the brunette’s shoulders, giggling.
“Hey, darling…” Amity greets sweetly.
“Hi!” Luz answers happily.
“Woo-hoo!”
Amity looks over Luz’s shoulder as Gus runs over to the couple, carrying blue flags in his hands. Willow and Hunter are right behind him, dressed in Flyer Derby attire. Judging by the dirt on their clothes and the sweat on their brow, they had just completed their competition not too long ago.
“That was a-ma-zing, girl! I should have brought my flags!” Gus announces
Amity giggles in amusement.
“Amazing? Gus, she did the one thing she claimed she’ll never do, she cheated.” She turns her attention to Willow, allowing Luz to move out of her embrace.
“Yeah, what was that about?” Luz teams up against her.
Amity rolls her eyes. “Come on, you know why I did it… Anyway, how did your game go, Willow?”
Willow shrugs, “It was a good game. That’s all that matters.”
“I still say we should have won, but of course, the other team was more in the referee’s favor…” Hunter grumbles, annoyed.
“We won the last game. Let another team win for a chance, it does good to boost their ego once in a while.” Willow reminds him, sitting down and placing her staff down to allow Clover to shift back into her regular form.
“I think it’s better to crush their spirits. ” Amity declares dramatically from the bleacher above Willow. “Most of them would not hesitate to squash you like a bug.”
Willow lifts a brow, unamused. “Or send their abomination after you because you supposedly stole their badge.”
Amity’s soul sinks and she clears her throat, humiliated and a bit hurt by the comment.
Willow smiles softly, “Don’t worry, I don’t hold it against you.”
“Totally,” Gus agrees with a wave of his hand, “water under the bridge, girl!”
Luz takes a seat on the ground next to Amity. “Besides, if it helps, you’re way prettier now than you were then.”
Amity swears her heart ascended to the heavens as Luz curls into her side. She scoffs, willing away the red blush creeping up on her face. “That’s not what we’re talking about, Luz…”
Luz grins, affection sparkling in her eyes, with a side of mischief, “I know, but you were my mint-haired goddess, and now you’re my cotton-candy-haired goddess! Sweet and soft as cotton candy too.”
“Luz, she tried to have you dissected…” Willow reminds her with an amused smile.
Luz dramatically dismisses her, “Details!”
Gus speaks up in reassurance, “I have to admit, you literally look like a different person.”
As if for reference, Luz twirls a strand of fading purple hair around her finger.
Willow leans back, propping herself up with her arms and sighing heavily. “None of us do. We’re not kids anymore… A lot has changed.”
Luz runs her hand over her chest and opens her mouth to add to the conversation. No sound comes out. She seems to curl into a smaller ball, pressing herself into Amity’s embrace, trying to hide and shield the tears forming in her eyes.
Amity can read the fear in her expression. It was one of the worst days of her life. Luz had almost died . There was a circular scar across the center of her chest, burned into her flesh by the use of the Titan’s magic.
The air becomes awkward and tense, each one of them recognizing the situation and not daring to speak. Willow moves to say something, but Hunter beats her to it. “You have a cool scar now, though! Girls love scars! At least, I think… It’s what Darius always said about mine… before all of this.”
“I hate to agree with him.” Amity rests her hand on Luz’s knee, “It does look pretty cool… It’s the scar of a survivor.”
Luz chuckles brokenly, wiping the wet tears from her eyes. “At least I don’t look like I walked through fire and escaped with only half my body intact.”
Hunter scoffs, pretending to be offended by his sister’s comment. “ These are the scars of a survivor!”
Willow makes a noise of mock astonishment, cupping her cheeks for extra effect. “Oh my gosh… Amity and Hunter agreeing on something?”
“We tolerate each other,” Amity jokingly says.
“What she said.” Hunter agrees, gesturing at her for emphasis.
“Don’t think I haven’t forgotten what you threatened to do to my Luz…” Amity says, her voice is sweet yet menacing.
Luz giggles, “Or when you ran off to save your butt and let Kikimora try to kill my girlfriend.”
Gus joins in, “Nah, nah! How about when he almost took us to Belos?”
Amity’s jaw drops, “He did what?”
“Oh! What about when he said was gonna toss the last living Titan into the Boiling Sea?” Luz throws in.
Gus sits up a little, “Isn’t he the one who tried to take all of those poor palismen to Belos? Emmiline visited her friends after that happened, and the Bat Queen was infuriated!”
Amity was quite thankful she wasn’t in class that day.
“Oh yeah, he almost dropped Eda and me into the Boiling Sea as well. And laughed about it.” Luz adds.
“Remind me…” Gus murmurs after a moment, his dark brows furrowing together in confusion and realization, “Exactly why are you one of us, again?”
Hunter groans in exasperation, “Why is it every time I hang out with you guys, I end up getting reminded of when I was the Golden Guard?!”
Gus waves his hand dismissively, “Don’t worry, we aggravate Amity, too! You two were hard to get along with.”
“Hunter especially…”
Willow giggles a little in agreement, “He’s right. Hunter has made up for his past actions, and you have as well Amity, but that doesn’t mean you’re any better.”
“I didn’t say-!”
Luz interrupts loudly, “That’s enough of that! How did the Derby game go? I know you lost, but what happened, exactly?”
That seems to spark something in the trio’s eyes.
Willow rolls with the subject change easily, happy to explain what had happened, “One of the other players decided to be a real jerk and knocked Skara off of her staff.”
Amity’s shoulders deflate in relaxation, thankful for the distraction. She vaguely feels Luz’s fingers intertwining with hers, turning her wrist slightly to caress her palm with her thumb. It’s like a thousand butterflies have erupted inside Amity’s heart, and every little touch sends warm sensations rolling through her being.
Hunter pitches in, “So Gus and Viney fell back and-”
Luz’s soft touch runs up between two fingers and Amity’s attention drifts to her, the other three’s conversation fading into the background. Golden eyes observe keenly as the human fiddles with Amity’s fingers, appearing to be half-listening to her friends’ sudden laughter.
The witch’s heartbeat quickens when Luz tenderly kisses the tip of her index finger. She’s seemingly lost in thought.
Amity hums, angling her chin down to kiss just above Luz’s ear, holding it there for a moment. Appearing to snap out of her trance, Luz’s eyes glance back to meet Amity’s. A slight smirk tugs at her lips, mischief flashing across her expression. “Stinky.”
“-He offered to let me have the...”
Hunter is suddenly cut off by a squeal-like shriek of laughter. Dust flies up around them when Luz’s body hits the ground, her attacker remaining above her with her arms tight around the human’s upper body to prevent her from fighting back.
“Nonono!” Luz laughs, managing to hold her hands between Amity’s arms, struggling to push her off. She’s half-breathless from consistent giggling. “Offoffoff! No!” Her hands are pinned down by her head, Amity smirks down at her, and Luz huffs. “Okay okay, I’m down! You win! Lemme go! Willow, help!”
Willow remains silent, watching the couple with an amused smile.
“That’s what happens when you grow up with a brother,” Amity informs her playfully, kissing the girl’s nose before releasing Luz from her grasp and pulling herself onto the bleachers to dust herself off leaving the giggling human on the ground in front of her.
“I have two brothers!” Luz argues.
“You don’t have an Edric,” Amity corrects.
“No, but I have a Hunter.” Luz points out.
“Hey!”
“And you still stink,” Luz announces, her hands over her stomach as she regains her breath.
“Sooo… Anyway.” Gus claps excitedly, returning to their prior conversation. “The final competition is tomorrow! We still get a chance!”
Luz pumps a fist in the air. “Woo!”
She sits up crossing her legs beneath her in the shape of an x and resting her hands in her lap. Amity withdraws her scroll, barely listening as the other four of them dive into another discussion. She glances at the time in the upper right corner of her scroll and lets out a heavy sigh.
It was time for her to head home.
Now that her father has his own place in Bonesborough, not too far from the Library, he had begun to create a routine to follow. Around 5, he would be cooking supper (Amity prays it’s edible) and expects her to be home just before it was finished. She was allowed to be a little late, but he had become rather strict with her after the events of the last few years.
She was to be home by five and help him in the shop he’d created out of the basement. She was training to take over his business, which had dramatically fallen apart in her parents’ divorce (she got her aircraft out of it, though) with the building almost destroyed.
She kind of appreciated it, in a way. It meant he was trying to be her father .
“Honey, I gotta get home soon, okay?” Amity grabs her gear from next to the bleachers, rising to her feet and stepping over Gus. “I’ll see you all later.”
“Wait!” Luz calls after her, rushing between Hunter and Willow and ignoring her brother’s yelp of surprise. “Eda’s not gonna be home tonight,” a glint flickers through the human’s eyes, “wanna come over?”
“Uh…”
Gus scoffs in mock offense from behind them. “Just Amity?” He turns his head away from her, crossing his arms and feigning hurt. “I guess we’re not your friends anymore…”
Willow jumps in, “Shame… Thought we were the ‘bestest of friends’...”
Luz clears her throat, her voice cracking a little. “I mean, you guys can come too!” There was a silent, almost unreadable plea on her face, begging them to remain home.
“Hmm…” Willow taps her chin, smirking a little. “Nah, I’m gonna help my Dads prepare supper tonight.”
“Dad and I are heading out to see a movie! In the human realm !” Gus announces, excited.
Hunter coughs a little, “I’m having supper with Willow’s family…”
“What else is new?” Gus teases
“Amity?” Luz turns back to Amity hopefully as Hunter and Gus begin to bicker.
Amity shrugs, “I’ll ask my Dad and let you know. He probably won’t mind.”
Her eyes brighten. “Okay!”
‘That’s cute. You’re cute.’