Chapter Text
Luz slides her phone back into her pocket and glances around in search of her rebellious girlfriend. She’d located Amity’s car parked a mile down the road and her phone was left inside, the battery either dead or taken out as Luz hadn’t managed to get a call to go through.
She was at the bridge now.
There was a dreadful weight in the pit of her stomach, little devil's whispering the worst case scenarios into her ear and reminding exactly how this bridge had come to have its name. Many lives had been lost here, ranging from car crashes to… suicides.
It doesn’t help that Amity had been rather distant from her for the last few days, avoiding her when she showed up at Hexide High to see her, ignoring her calls and texts…
The few times she did manage to speak to her, Amity just smiled and acted as though everything was okay. Luz was almost convinced, but the situation was far too similar to a story her mother had told her.
When her mother was back in high school, one of her classmates had come to this bridge with his friends to party during a full moon. Three hours and one too many beer cans later, he was standing on the railing, showing off, he lost his footing and he fell.
That’s how the legend started. The young teenager had lost his life, became lonely on the other side as his spirit was permanently stuck to the location he’d died, so every full moon, he would take a life and bring them over.
Luz pauses when she catches sight of Amity standing under the street light, at the bridge. Noticing she wasn’t standing on the edge, Luz lets out a breath of relief. She must’ve just come out here for some fresh air, then.
She seems alright. The tanned girl advances towards her, keeping her footsteps quiet as a scheme forms in her head.
This bridge was known to be haunted after all. Where’s the harm in giving her girlfriend a little scare?
Luz stops.
Amity stepped up on the edge of the railing, one step away from falling. She’s let go of the pole and she’s staring down at the dark waters.
She seems to be hesitating.
‘Come on, get down…’ Luz pleads silently, fearing that alerting her presence would startle her off the edge.
The air around her becomes heavy, thick. She can’t breathe, the apprehension and dread causing her throat to tighten. Her eyes are hot with unshed tears, her chest aching as she inhales silent, quick breaths. One step forward, and everything would be over. One step back, and everything would be okay.
And the decision wasn’t up to her.
‘No! What’re you doing?!’ The voice in Luz’s head shrieks as she breaks into a run, kicking off the sole of her foot with near inhumane speed when the brunette takes the last step.
For a split second, Amity disappeared from her sight.
The world nearly comes to a stop.
Her vision becomes blurry, everything around her has slowed down, her heart pounding in her chest was like a ticking clock and each breath she exhaled was a second wasted.
Luz couldn’t force her legs to run any faster, or else she’d lose her balance from the sheer force of each stride.
The bridge railing comes closer with every rapid breath. Reaching it, she pushes up off one foot in a jump and uses the leverage to firmly plant the other on the concrete, her body propelling forward.
“AMITY!”
Her hand quickly grabs the brunette’s wrist, a few inches shy from her hand, which would’ve easily slipped from her grasp.
Luz’s foot catches in the railing above the other, she’s leaning uncomfortably over the railing, her arm and upper body already aching from the other girl’s weight.
She’s got her.
Amity tilts her head to look at her in shock, she carefully turns herself around and places her shoes and spare hand against the bridge wall, her back facing the cold waters below.
Luz already figured out her plan, she tightens her grip on her wrist when Amity goes to pull it away.
Through a pained, hiccupping voice of rage, Luz snaps at her. “I swear to the fucking Gods if you let go of my goddamned hand, I will jump after you, you bitch !”
The brunette says nothing, glaring at her in silence.
“I’ll insult you if I want to in this situation! How could you do this to me?!” Luz shouts again with a broken voice, her body trembling from the adrenaline, grief, and fury she felt.
“Luz-”
She interrupts. “Don’t ‘Luz’ me, Amity!” Amity says nothing in response.
Luz leans her bodyweight back, attempting to pull the brunette up, her arm quivering as her muscles are strained. She’s using her spare hand to support herself, ensuring that she wouldn’t fall over the railing.
Amity doesn’t budge, “Why?!” She shouts back, her tone matching Luz’s. “Why can’t you just let me fall?!”
“Didn’t you hear me, dumbass?” Luz raises her voice this time. She’s in pain. She wants nothing more than to relieve her aching, burning arm from the torture she’s forcing it to endure.
Her midsection was beginning to hurt as well, using her weight to prevent herself and Amity from falling.
“Why can’t I just let you fall?! For some goddamned reason, I fucking love you!”
She knew she shouldn’t be shouting like that, and that she shouldn’t be insulting the other girl, but it was the torment she was putting her body through speaking for her.
A watery smile pulls at Amity’s lips when she meets Luz’s eyes, “I love you too,” she whispers and Luz’s eyes widen, “but, please don’t come after me, I don’t want you to fall as well…”
She tries to pull her wrist away, but the other girl hangs tight and pushes off her other arm to grab Amity’s wrist, locking her hold on her. Luz grunts, relying on her lower body strength to keep her put.
Tears gather in Luz’s eyes and she screws them shut, bowing her head in an attempt to fight tears back.
Her eyes and nose sting, her chest heaving with unimaginable pain as she releases short strained breaths.
She could feel her grip on the woman’s wrist slowly slipping.
Amity makes no move to stop it.
A heartbroken, cracked cry forces its way out, followed by sputtering and a searing, burning surge through her heart.
The tears rain down her face, making it very difficult for her to see clearly.
Her arm was becoming tired. It scared her. If she eases her hold on Amity for even just a second, she could fall.
“Luz, you’re hurting,” Amity whispers in concern, tears in her eyes, “just let me go, please… I’m sorry… I don’t want you to die…”
Anger snapped through the grieving woman like a whip, cracking and thundering through her. Enraged, fearful eyes met Amity’s worried, golden pair. She doesn’t bother to correct her vision.
Luz raises her voice, “Then don’t make me watch you die, goddamn it!” She lowers back down to a whisper, her gaze never leaving Amity’s. “Please, please don’t do this to me…”
“Luz…” Amity murmurs again.
“I’m sorry, I can’t- I can’t let you… Just let me save you, please.” Luz speaks fast, attempting to tighten her hold, despite the inevitable slipping.
“I’ll be a better girlfriend, I promise! Just tell me what I did wrong, I’ll fix it!” The look in her eyes has become fearful, she readies herself to launch over the railing after Amity the very moment the grip fails her.
Amity stares at her in confusion.
“I’ll be enough this time… I swear…” Luz’s plea is broken, nearly hopeless as if she wasn’t expecting to get any sort of reaction out of her. She’s fully prepared to jump after her.
She breaks their gaze and looks away, closing her eyes as her arms quiver with exhaustion.
“Love,” the tanned girl looks at her again, “you didn’t do anything wrong… Don’t blame yourself, this isn’t your fault.”
She doesn’t believe her. “Why aren’t I enough, then…?” She whispers, her words shaky and trembling. “Why am I not worth living for…?”
Her world crumbles around her.
“Give me a second chance, please… I’ll do anything… Just, please, don’t make me watch you die...”
Her heart stops when Amity jerks her wrist from Luz’s hold, the tanned girl’s arm shoots back and instinctively grabs the railing to support herself and prevent her body from toppling over. She pushes herself forward slightly and there’s a deafening ringing in her ears.
Amity had grabbed ahold of the bottom railing, just out of sight, and was pulling herself up.
S he glances up at her momentarily and Luz carefully moves out of her way, her heart thundering in her ears and racing a mile a minute. She could feel it rapidly beating against her chest.
“Oh my god, Amity…” Luz murmurs in relief as Amity hoists herself back over the railing, grunting when Luz throws her weight forward and tackles her into a tight embrace. “Don’t ever do that to me again!”
“I won’t,” Amity says after a long minute. “I’m sorry, love… I didn’t consider how you would feel…”
Luz rests herself against the brunette, her legs lazily lying behind her. “Thank you, thank you, thank you…” she repeats like a broken record into Amity’s collarbone as the other girl gently returns the hug. “Why… Why would you do that?”
Amity’s quiet for a second, her breathing became heavy as she prepared herself. Luz waits patiently, grateful to still hear that she was breathing at all.
“My mother,” Amity admits, her voice barely higher than a whisper. “The expectations… Now that Ed and Em have moved out, they’ve placed so much on my shoulders…” She starts drumming her fingers across her knee, “For some reason, I’m supposed to be the company’s heir. Not my brother, not my sister… Me. I don’t want that.”
Luz stays quiet, knowing there’s more.
“Why couldn’t they have chosen one of my siblings? They look more Blight than I do… They’re far more gifted than I am.” Amity grits her teeth, closing her eyes tight. Her voice breaks. “Why do they get to live their own life…? Why can’t I …? They’re even trying to choose who I love !”
Luz lifts her head and frowns, offended by the confession.
Amity meets her eyes, answering the silent question. “They’re trying to arrange a betrothal between Boscha and me, because it’s a good reputation and me, being a Blight, would have some sort of control over the other company…”
She sighs, looking away in defeat. “They want me to infiltrate it. They want to force me into a loveless marriage because they want control over a company.”
The tanned girl stares at the pale Blight and carefully lifts her hands to cup Amity’s cheeks, wiping away the hot tears with her thumbs before gently gliding one hand down to the girl’s jawline.
Golden eyes look up at her and Luz leans in to kiss Amity’s forehead. “You won’t be forced into a loveless marriage, Amity… Not if I can help it…”
She’s alive. She’s going to be okay.
“She what ?” Emira whispers in shock, her eyes slowly widening in both grief and horror. Her jaw falls open, she turns to her little sister and her brows pull together. She closes her mouth and her bottom lip quivers as tears gather in her eyes.
“Amity… Why?” She asks with a choked voice, stepping towards the slightly shorter woman and gently bringing her in for a hug.
Amity tenses momentarily, startled by the sudden display of affection. She shakily and reluctantly returns the hug, melting into her sister’s embrace when she doesn’t let go. “I’m… I’m sorry.” She murmurs painfully, hiccupping. She’s crying. “It just… everything became too much… I didn’t- I couldn’t take it anymore…”
“I talked to our landlord…” Edric steps forward, placing his phone into his pocket and joining the hug with his sisters.
Luz watches from afar, grateful that Amity’s siblings hadn’t jumped to anger like their parents likely would have.
Edric sighed. “They won’t let Amity come with us because only Em and I are on the lease…”
“I’ll be fine,” Amity mutters, lifting her head and retracting from the hug. “I just… I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry.”
Her siblings don’t seem convinced.
“No, no,” Emira starts with a panicked voice, “we’ll get you out of there, I promise. We’ll change our lease-”
“That would cost you too much.” Amity interrupts, “You’re barely getting by as it is, I’ll be fine.”
Edric cuts her off, acknowledging Luz with a sudden question. “Luz! Do you think Eda would mind if Amity stayed with you for a while?” He asks, concerned for his little sister’s safety. “I’m not going to let her go back home. I want to know that she’ll be okay…”
Luz glances between the trio for a moment, considering the man’s question and swallowing hard. She knows she should ask first, but she also knows that Eda likely wouldn’t mind the extra company.
“I mean, she probably wouldn’t mind.” The older two siblings let out a mutual heavy sigh of relief, Luz continues with a slight grimace. “Amity would have to pull her weight, though. She won’t allow any freeloaders.”
The twins exchange a quiet look and Amity’s eyes widen, recognizing the silent communication. “Ed, Em, don’t eve-”
Emira gives Amity a small push towards Luz, “Well, then it’s settled!” She announces, ignoring the growl that Amity sent her. “Thank you, Luz.”
Edric chuckles, “Come on! You mean you’d rather see Mom than spend time with your little girlfriend here?”
A red blush creeps up Amity’s face and she lets out a snarl of embarrassment, she quickly strides over to Luz and stiffly comes to stand beside her. She sighs heavily and the irritation in her eyes washes away, “Thank you,” she murmurs to her siblings, “I’m sorry for getting mad… I know you’re trying to help, I appreciate it.”
The twins stare at her for a long minute, processing their sister’s apology and glancing at each other in brief confusion. Emira shakes her head and smiles, “We’re just trying to protect you, Mittens…”
Luz speaks this time, “We don’t want anything happening to you, Ames…” The picture of Amity on the bridge flashes through her mind and she steps closer to her girlfriend, tears gathering in her eyes again, fearing what would’ve happened had she not caught her. “Just trust us, okay?”
“Yeah!” Edric pumps a fist into the palm of his hand with a grin on his face, “We’ll kidnap this ‘Boscha’ and hold her for ransom if we have to!”
Emira raises a brow. “That’s a dumb plan.”
“You’re dumb!” Edric retorts in response, his twin just scoffs with a light laugh. He rolls his eyes and faces the couple again, a twinge of anxiety pricks at Luz’s chest. “You know,” he starts a small smile, glancing subtly at Luz, “it would be so much better if you two were engaged instead.”
Luz’s eyes widen as the implication settles in, she turns her head slightly to look at Amity and her heartbeat picks up. If she were to marry Amity, there would be no way she could be forced into a marriage she doesn’t want to be in. The problem could be resolved, she could keep her happy. She wouldn’t have to fear losing her anymore.
Luz also considered the idea several times in the past month, but she’d always brushed it off and told herself that they weren’t ready.
They already did most everything a married couple does. If Amity wasn’t feeling well, Luz would take care of her and give her anything she possibly could. If she were upset, Luz would make her laugh and smile.
She would be there for her on her worst days and help her through them if she couldn’t manage to cheer her up. She’s been there through nearly all of Amity’s ups and downs, and she doesn’t love her any less.
Perhaps, it was time?
Amity just laughs bitterly, “That’s only in a perfect world, Ed. It’s not possible…”
Well, she’ll just have to make it possible.
Amity was going to be staying with her for a few days.
She’d lied to her family and said she would be staying the night with Skara, who eagerly went along with the plan, appreciating that she’d been their first choice.
Eda was informed of the situation when they reached the house, she simply looked between the two of them and waved her hand, claiming that Amity would always have a place to stay if she needed it.
When called out on her soft side, Eda rebutted and left the room to continue… Whatever she was doing, Luz wasn’t going to ask.
Amity requested that none of their friends be informed of what happened, and if anyone asks why Amity hasn’t shown up at school, the excuse was to be that she was sick.
As the house didn’t have a spare room, Luz invited Amity to stay in her bedroom until they got everything under control. It wouldn’t be the first sleepover, so Amity already had some clothes she could change into packed away in a corner. Edric and Emira would have to drop off some more tomorrow.
“I’m leaving your clothes on the counter, okay?” Luz says softly as she steps into the bathroom, carefully placing the folded clothes on the side of the sink. She makes to leave but pauses when she doesn’t hear Amity respond. Dread pools in the pit of her stomach. “Amity?”
The response comes slow. “I’m fine.”
That just makes her worry more. Luz sighs with her hand on the door frame, she closes her eyes and settles her nerves before looking back at the shower curtain. “I love you.”
She knows Amity loves her, so a response wasn’t needed.
Just before she closes the door, she hears a quiet voice.
“Luz?” She pushes the door back open, “Please, don’t leave.” Luz sighs and walks back into the room, alerting her presence with an affirmative hum. “Thank you…” Amity mutters, the girl just smiles and leans against the wooden frame behind her, waiting for her girlfriend to exit the shower.
The image of the girl disappearing over the railing has been at the front of her mind since the incident, she couldn’t close her eyes for even a second without being thrown back in time. She’d been so close to losing her… What if she tries it again while Luz is asleep? She wouldn’t be there to save her this time.
“Amity?”
“Yeah?” The shower turns off and Luz averts her eyes respectfully as the curtains slide open with a metallic swish of the hangers. Luz hears the towel sliding from its place on the wall, the hook thumping against the wood softly.
“Luz, you can look.” The tanned girl reluctantly turns her head to look at Amity, her gaze immediately finds the other girl’s unreadable expression.
Luz’s attention slowly navigates towards the pale girl’s wrists as she turns her head to dry her hair. She takes note of the familiar cuts littering her forearm and wrists, her belly grows cold when realization dawns on her.
She clears her throat as Amity sets the towel aside to grab her clothes. “The scars,” the brunette pauses, watching her with a careful look in her eyes, “they’re not from Ghost, are they?”
A heavy silence hung in the air.
Luz could hear her heartbeat in her throat.
“No.” Amity finally responds, sliding her nightshirt over her head.
Luz sighs and cautiously steps forward, feeling as though her body had become lead. She approaches her girlfriend in two short steps and a trembling hand grasps Amity’s arm.
Amity remains still, watching her as Luz’s fingers delicately trace down her arm, caressing the old, pinkish-white scars littering the jock’s soft skin.
“Why?” She asks with a heartbroken voice, “Why would you lie to me?”
She trails her fingers down to interlock with Amity’s and she lifts the girl’s hand to her lips, placing her other hand on top to hold it. “I didn’t want you to worry,” Amity replies quietly.
Luz frowns at her, tears gathering in her eyes. Amity pulls her hand back to her side, Luz never breaks the gaze and instead pulls her brows together. “Well, now I’m worried!” She says a little too sharply, she sighs and steps back. “I’m sorry,” she apologizes, “I just… I care about you a lot, I don’t want anything to happen to you…”
Amity smiles a little bit, “Yeah, I know...” She continues getting dressed, “That’s exactly why I didn’t want to tell you.” The smile fades from her face, “But, I’ll be fine, Luz.”
Of course, she would say that.
Ever since they’d met, Amity was always the strong one, she acted as though she was too afraid to show mental or physical weakness, and so she didn’t. The only time Luz ever saw her with her defense down was when they were alone together, there was an unguarded softness in her eyes. Still, she rarely spoke about how she felt.
Amity was always the one to stand up and protect Luz, she’d stood strong for who knows how long.
Now it was Luz’s turn.