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Skara stood backstage smoothing out her dress. She arrived early at the Hexside gymnasium to prepare for their performance later that night after the kid who was chosen as Grom royalty had (hopefully) won their fight. She was making sure everything was in tune when a voice made her jump.
"I'm not sure if it's nerves or if I accidentally drank some milk, but something's making my stomach squirm."
Skara looked up to see Luz walking up to her and beamed. It amazed her how just one person could change so much in her life. She looked Luz up and down, both wearing the same outfits they had the night before: a red and black suit for Luz to match Skara's red and black dress. She walked up to the other girl, laced her fingers in her hand, and squeezed.
"You look great, Luz. And we'll knock it out of the park, just like we did last night, okay?" Skara smiled reassuringly at the other girl.
Luz visibly relaxed, though not fully. She shifted from foot to foot, nerves still apparent.
"Thanks, Skara, but it's not just that." Luz smiled sheepishly, "I, uh... I've never had a date to a dance before."
Skara smiled and leaned her head onto Luz's shoulder. "Well, you're doing just fine so far. Trust me, tonight is going to be amazing."
Luz smiled and looked into Skara's eyes. "Thank you for coming with me, Skara."
The two were broken from their moment when they heard Gus' voice announcing the beginning of the fight. Skara leaned up to kiss Luz on her cheek. "Come on, let's go get our seats!"
Luz nodded dumbly as she followed along, her cheek tingling from the contact. The two made their way to the bleachers, sitting hand in hand, as the floor opened up to reveal the arena with Grom inside it.
"Man, I wish I could have worn my jersey!" Skara said with a laugh. "I always love watching the fight."
While Skara watched the fight with glee, Luz couldn't pull her eyes off the bard herself. Just seeing her so unrestrictedly happy made Luz's stomach flutter. She looked down to see their hands still intertwined and blushed. Skara turned to look at Luz with a huge smile, noticing the adoration on the human girl's face.
The crowd's loud cheering brought them back to the event, both looking down to see the Grom King walking out of the arena victorious.
Skara stood up, tugging on Luz's hand. "Come on, let's go knock their socks off!"
The two set up on the stage, listening as Gus announced the beginning of the dance. He nodded over to Luz, who smiled back. After a quick count-in, Luz and Skara were playing. Luz felt herself drift into the same area as the night before, not caring about the crowd but instead focusing on the girl next to her. How happy she seemed while singing, how lost in the music she could get, and how she kept looking at Luz like that. This was a performance for Grom, but the two were singing only to each other.
Luz jumped slightly when they finished their set, almost forgetting they were playing on stage at Grom when the applause started. They made their way off stage, and new music took their place. As they walked, Willow and Gus waved excitedly over to Luz, mouthing a 'congratulations' to her from across the floor. Luz even locked eyes with Amity who seemed... sad? But still made a point to clap for her and Skara's performance. Before she could think more about it, Luz spotted a photobooth (photo demon?) off to the side and squealed with glee.
"Skara! Let's go get our picture taken!"
The two happily ran into the booth together, getting a few couples pictures together. Some were cute, some were silly, but they all had one thing in common: Luz and Skara couldn't take their eyes off each other, and their smiles never waned nor faltered.
As slow dances started to come on, the floor shifted from groups of friends to couples, and Luz's nerves rose once again. She glanced shyly at Skara and swallowed the lump in her throat.
"Um, Skara?" The bard witch turned to look at Luz, and the human's heart skipped a beat as she looked into glistening silver eyes for the umpteenth time that night. Just remember what Eda said, Luz. Be confident! "May I have this dance?"
Skara beamed, a sight that Luz would never get tired of seeing, and the two made their way onto the dancefloor. At first, they were slightly formal, but slowly their dance turned into more of a hug with swaying as they held each other close, Skara leaning her head on Luz's shoulder with Luz's arms wrapped around her back.
Time seemed to go impossibly still and fly by all at once. The world around them disappeared while they were together, making it easier to ignore glares from a specific triclops or the sorrowful glances of others wishing they had something even close to what Luz and Skara were experiencing.
All too soon, the music came to a stop and Bump was announcing the end of the night. Skara and Luz walked out of the gym, standing together in the quiet night as they looked up at the stars. Skara hummed happily, turning her eyes to her date.
"So, Luz, how was your first dance with a date?"
Luz blushed, looking Skara in the eyes for a moment and realizing she didn't want this to end tonight. She didn't want things to go back to how they were before. She wanted to experience this feeling, these moments with Skara, every day. She locked eyes with the bard, her heart starting to beat faster as she realized what she was going to do.
"Only one thing could make this night perfect." She took both of Skara's hands in hers, turning to fully look at Skara. Both girls' face's flushed, but neither moved. "Skara Jubal, will you be my girlfriend?"
Skara's eyes widened as a huge grin spread across her face. "Yes! Oh my gosh, yes! I'd love to!"
A grin grew on Luz's face to match Skara's as the two pulled into a tight hug, relishing the warmth that spread from every point of contact. Skara's parents showed up to pick her up, and she gave Luz a quick peck on the cheek before saying goodnight and leaving.
Luz watched as she left with a dopey smile on her face, jumping when Eda's voice rang out from behind her as the older witch set up Owlbert to fly back home.
"So, kid, you have a good Grom?"
Luz looked to the sky where she could faintly make out Skara's retreating silhouette. Girlfriend.
"It was enchanting."
"Are you sure about this?"
"Skara, Willow and Gus are my best friends. You're going to have to meet them eventually." Luz smiled at her girlfriend gently. "Trust me, I wouldn't ask you to do this if I didn't think it was a good idea, okay?"
"Okay..." Skara walked slowly with Luz over to the table where Luz usually sat. Luz took Skara's hand with the one that wasn't holding a lunch tray and squeezed to give her some confidence. While they wandered over, Luz looked over to where Skara used to sit, seeing Boscha sitting by herself and locking eyes with Amity sitting alone the next table over. The mint-haired girl stiffened and quickly averted her gaze. "Luz, I don't know, what if Willow hates me?"
Luz let out a soft chuckle. "Have you met Willow?" Then Luz thought about it. "Actually, yeah, you bring up a good point. If her eyes start to glow green, we should probably run."
Skara's eyes widened and she swallowed her nerves. The two placed their trays down and sat across from Luz's friends.
"Willow, Gus, you guys know my girlfriend Skara. Skara, you know Willow. And this is Gus! My two best friends." Luz smiled at everyone around the table, trying to stay oblivious to the tension that was rising.
Gus seemed to sense that Luz needed some help. He held out his hand and smiled at Skara. "Hi! It's nice to officially meet you. Luz hasn't stopped talking about you for weeks!"
"Gus!" Luz flushed red, trying to stammer out a reply while Gus and Skara laughed at her reaction. As their laughter died down, Skara looked over to Willow nervously. She took a deep breath and held out her hand.
"Willow, I know I never actually bullied you, but I stood by while Amity and Boscha did, so I was complicit." She chewed her lip for a moment. "I know it will never make up for it, but I'm sorry I never stood up for you. Or anyone. I'll do my best to make it up to you in whatever way I can."
Skara's hand hung in the air for a few moments of silence before Willow reached out and shook it.
"It sounds like you've genuinely thought about this, and like you said, it doesn't make up for it..." Willow let out a sigh, "but it is a start. Plus, you make Luz happy, so you get a pass this time."
Luz squealed with glee. "See?! I told you it would all work out! Now, you guys would not believe the morning I had in abominations today."
Throughout lunch, Skara felt welcomed in this friend group more than she ever had with her own. People genuinely listened to what happened in her day and her thoughts on things, not just performing for social standards. It was... different. Slowly she opened up even more, and soon the four were getting along like they had been friends for years. Luz's heart warmed at seeing everyone happy together, some tension in her shoulders releasing that she didn't even realize she was holding.
"And you're certain she isn't the criminal everyone says she is?"
Skara looked apprehensively up at the Owl House, a place that when you're just working on a school project with a friend is... well, it's still weird. But not a nervous-going-to-meet-my-girlfriend's-mom weird.
"Okay, well, she is a criminal. But like, she doesn't do anything bad! Mostly! I mean, the petty theft is probably a bit much..." Luz got lost in thought for a moment before snapping her fingers. "But! She just uses wild magic and the emperor is a jerk about it." Luz took Skara's hands in hers, looking gently into her girlfriend's stormy grey eyes. "Plus, ever since the portal broke, she's the closest thing I have to a mom. So it would really mean a lot to me for you to meet her, like officially."
Skara nodded, more to herself than to Luz. "Alright. I can do this." She turned to look at Luz, "right?"
Luz gave Skara a quick peck on the cheek. "You've got this, hermosa!"
They walked past Hooty and into the living room of the Owl House. Some clattering came from the kitchen and Eda walked out, putting out a fire on her shoulder.
"Ah, Luz, you're home. Finally! I need you to-" Eda seemed to spot Skara standing hand in hand with Luz. A grin forming on her face, she continued. "Oh, hello. Who's this?"
"Eda, this is Skara, remember? We went to Grom together." While Eda made a show of thinking, Luz rolled her eyes. "Eda, we talked about this already today. Don't be weird about it!"
Eda shrugged. "Alright, alright. But I still have to get my parent thing in while I have the chance." She turned to look at Skara, who visibly gulped. "So, you're dating my kid, huh?"
"Yes, Ms. The Owl Lady, ma'am!" Skara stood stiffly next to Luz, shaking slightly with nerves.
Eda leaned forward menacingly. "Then you should know how much she means to me. And how bad it would be if she was hurt."
Skara nodded stiffly. Luz squeezed her hand and gave her a reassuring smile, which gave Skara the courage to speak up.
"I know you're doing this because you care about Luz, Ms. Owl Lady." Skara turned to look at Luz and couldn't help the smile that formed on her face. "I care about her too. I promise I'll do everything I can to make sure she's happy."
Eda leaned back and regarded Skara for a moment before turning to Luz with a huge grin. "You did well, kid. I like her!"
Luz sagged in relief, "Oh, thank god. I had no idea how that was going to go."
"Luz!" Skara playfully slapped Luz's shoulder, giggling.
Luz tugged on Skara's hand and started leading her towards the stairs. "Come on, I want to hear you play more guitar!"
Eda watched as they started up the stairs. "You better keep your door open! At least 3 inches!" She leaned on the stairway as she saw Luz duck her flushed face around the corner. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do! And definitely don't do anything I would do!"
Blushing and flustered, the two girls took a few minutes before they were able to look the other in the eye again.
"Are you ready?~" Luz singsonged as she walked a blindfolded Skara through the woods.
Skara giggled. "I'd be a lot more ready if you told me what we were doing."
Luz pouted, even though Skara couldn't see it. "But it's a surprise! Here, wait, hold still for a second." Skara heard some shuffling from around her, the crunching of leaves, and what sounded like... guitar strings? Her thoughts were interrupted when Luz placed her hands back on Skara's shoulders.
"Alright, Ms. Jubal. After one month of dating, I would like to show you..." Luz pulled off Skara's blindfold with a flair revealing a cliffside overlooking the Boiling Sea. The sun was starting to set, a picnic blanket was laid out on the ground, and a basket of food and guitar case sat next to the edge. Luz had put a bunch of light glyphs in the air, lighting the surrounding area. "Our first official date!"
Skara looked around the cliffside unable to hide her smile. "Luz, it's beautiful!" Skara looked at all the lights floating around and spun in a circle, taking it all in. The scent of the food finally hit her and she looked at Luz excitedly. "What's that smell?" She inhaled deeply. "It smells delicious!"
Luz smiled even brighter at that, "Well, I got together your favorite foods from the Isles, and I did my best to recreate some human dishes I think you would love!" Luz ran over to the basket, tugging Skara by her hand, and started to take out the foods she had brought. She pulled out some spaghetti bologneyes, Skara's favorite (though, honestly, Luz just avoided the eyes and gave them to Skara), alongside something she didn't think she'd get to eat again: mangú and tostones. When Skara looked at the two other dishes with curiosity, Luz started to explain.
"So, I found fruit in the market the other day that Eda had always told me was just a bit bland. I got one to try and it tastes exactly like this fruit we have back on Earth! So that one is mangú, something my mami used to always make for me when we had something to celebrate." She slid the other plate forward. "These are tostones, which honestly I just made because I had some leftovers from the mangú."
Luz watched with anticipation as Skara took a bite of each, bursting into a grin at Skara's surprised face. "Luz, these are delicious!" She watched as Skara started to eat more and smiled. I don't know what I did to deserve someone like you, but I'm so glad I have you in my life.
The two ate and chatted in a comfortable cadence they had found over the last month. Their cheeks hurt from smiling so much, but neither girl wanted to stop. After they finished eating and Luz cleaned up, the sun finally started to crest as it set. Luz reached over to her guitar case and pulled it out, strumming lightly to make sure everything was still in tune.
"Dinner and a show? I dare say, Luz, you spoil me too much." Skara winked at the human girl, making her blush and fumble slightly on the chord she was playing.
When she recovered, Luz gave Skara a gentle smile, one reserved for moments like this. "You're worth it." She started strumming again, stealing glances at Skara whenever she could. Skara looked as if Luz had given her the world. "I, um, I wanted to learn a Boiling Isles song for you."
Skara nodded gently, encouraging Luz to go on. Luz took a deep breath and started into a song. It was gentle and familiar, a love song Skara had heard countless times. Yet, it was new. The way Luz played it, how her voice rang out with the words, and, most importantly, how it was the first time Skara had heard it sung to her.
A blush formed on the bard's face as the world melted away. She lost herself in the music, listening to Luz sing to her gently. The final chord rang out over the cliffside, gently easing both girls back to reality. Luz placed the guitar back in its case, and the two sat peacefully as they watched the sun fully set.
When they stood up, Skara twirled a spell circle to poof the picnic supplies and Luz's guitar back to the Owl House for her. Luz smiled and held out her elbow.
"Might I walk you home?"
Skara rolled her eyes with a smile, lacing her arm in Luz's. "You may."
The two strolled through the woods together on a beaten path, through downtown Bonesborough, and up to the neighborhood where Skara lived. They walked up to her door, reluctant to say goodbye. Skara squeezed Luz's hands as she gazed lovingly at the human girl.
"This was a really amazing first date, Luz." Skara blushed slightly. "I'll admit, I've never had someone do something this special for me before."
Luz beamed. "Like I said earlier, you deserve it." She glanced at the door. "I guess this is goodnight, huh?"
Skara hummed. "You know, tonight was almost perfect."
Luz frowned. "Almost? What would have-"
Skara cut Luz off with a kiss. Luz's brain halted as the world faded away from her. All she could feel was her lips on Skara's, all she could smell was the perfume Skara was wearing, all her brain could think of was Skara. Slowly, the bard pulled away from the kiss, opening her eyes with a flutter.
"There. Now it's perfect." She turned and opened the door. "Goodnight, Luz."
A huge grin spread on Luz's face, and she started cheering to herself on Skara's doorstep.
"I can hear you through the door, Luz!" Luz heard Skara shout with a grin.
Embarrassed, Luz blushed. "Goodnight, Skara!"
Luz floated the entire way back to the Owl House, her lips still tingling from the contact. My first kiss! She squealed delightedly as she laid down for bed that night. Skara was right. The date had been perfect.
Luz was laying on the couch in the Owl House with her head in Skara's lap. The boiling rain was pouring outside, so Skara had to stay until it cleared up before heading back home. So, here they were, both wearing comfortable pajamas and relaxing on the couch while watching the Azura movies. It had taken six months of dating, but Luz had finally convinced her girlfriend to watch them, even though they were campy (and a totally inaccurate portrayal of witches). But they had been a comfort for her for so long, so Luz wanted to share them with Skara.
Luz would be the first to admit that they weren't necessarily good movies, and she had told Skara as much. She had been worried that Skara would hate the movies, but surprisingly the witch kept giggling at all of it. When the third movie of their marathon finally ended, Luz reluctantly sat up.
"I know they're not great-"
"No, Luz," Skara interrupted. "That was super fun. I'm glad you shared these with me."
Luz's eyes met Skara's as they had many times before but something felt... different. Maybe it was the tapping of the boiling rain outside or the cozy atmosphere the two had created while snuggling together on the couch for hours. Maybe it was just because she had been thinking it privately for so long that now the words came tumbling out before she could even think about it.
"I love you."
The room was silent for a few beats as the words registered, both to Skara, who was surprised to hear them and to Luz, who was surprised to have said them. Immediately, Luz blushed and started stammering.
"I-I-I mean, um-"
Skara leaned in and kissed Luz, pulling her close and wrapping her arms around her neck. She pulled back slightly, then leaned in to kiss Luz again. And again. And again. Flustered, Luz leaned back and looked at Skara with wide eyes. The bard, however, just smiled gently back at her girlfriend.
"I love you too, Luz."
The two stared longingly into each other's eyes for a few more minutes before some shuffling on the stairs caught their attention. Eda came down wearing her pajamas and slippers, yawning. Narrowing her eyes, the older woman looked around the room for a moment. Then, she made a noise of disgust.
"Ugh, it feels all adorable in here." Her eyes fell onto Skara. "Oh, Strings is here. That explains that, then."
Luz rolled her eyes and gave Skara a quick peck on the lips. "After dinner do you want to watch the last one?" She asked, excitedly.
Skara rolled her eyes fondly as they walked into the kitchen to grab some food. Luz may be silly, but Titan, she loved that girl.
Luz was slumped down at their table in the cafeteria, drawing a few concerned looks from students around them. Even Amity seemed thrown off by the human's lack of exuberance. Skara walked up to the table with her food, raising a questioning eyebrow to Willow and Gus. Both just shrugged, not really knowing what was going on. Skara sat down and put her hand on Luz's back.
"Hey, Luz, sweetie? Any reason you're lying your face on this... questionably clean table?" Luz mumbled without lifting her face. Skara rolled her eyes and smirked. "Wanna try that again, hot shot?"
This time Luz sat up and pulled out her phone. She sighed before she started to explain.
"It's been months since the portal was destroyed. And even longer since I saw my mom..." She trailed off for a moment, taking a deep breath. "And there's a lot of things I've missed celebrating with her. Going to the cemetery to visit my dad together, or Thanksgiving, or her birthday... Now I'm going to miss Christmas, too."
The three witches looked at each other before turning back to Luz. Gus, barely containing his excitement about learning something new about the human realm, let out a huge gasp.
"Tell. Me. Everything!" His eyes lit up as he pulled out his notebook, eagerly waiting for Luz to talk.
A small smile formed on Luz's face as she started to tell her friends about Christmas. Decorating the tree and house with her mom, watching Christmas movies, and, of course, giving presents to each other. Each witch listened eagerly. When Luz finished explaining, she sighed and laid her face back down on the table.
Skara glanced at Willow and Gus, a silent conversation passing between them. As the four parted ways for class, Skara opened her scroll and began to plan.
A few days later, Skara, Willow, and Gus snuck over to the Owl house. Eda had taken Luz out to deliver some potions, deliberately taking her time so the trio would have plenty of time to set up decorations. Skara was in the kitchen, cooking the closest thing to what Luz described as a "Christmas ham" as she could, Willow did her best to grow a tree similar in shape to the one Luz had described, and Gus was moving around the living room with a bunch of this string that Luz had called tinsel. King tried to help Gus but just ended up tangling himself in the shiny string.
The three were almost finished when they heard Owlbert landing outside. Scrambling they threw together the last of the decorations and placed the presents they brought under the tree, then turned off the lights before Eda and Luz could enter.
"Ugh, Eda, I feel like I could sleep for a week. You have way too many clients."
Eda laughed as she walked toward the door and opened it. "They keep the lights on, kid." Then she turned to the darkened living room. "Well, they do most of the time."
She threw on the lights, and Luz gasped. Tinsel surrounded the room, the tree was lit up with lights and ornaments, and there was illusory snow on the ground.
"Surprise!" The trio of witches yelled when they were revealed.
Eda came up and put her hand on Luz's shoulder, King climbing up onto the other. "Merry Christmas, Luz."
Luz looked around, eyes starting to water. "You guys... You did all this for me?"
Skara walked up, taking Luz's hands in hers and guiding her deeper into the room. "Of course we did. I know it's not the same as being at home, but we did our best off of what you told us."
Luz wiped the tears from her eyes, pulling Skara into a hug before motioning for Gus and Willow to join. "I love it! Thank you all so much."
The group sat around for the next few hours, with Luz showing them different traditions and talking to them about past Christmases. She managed to scrounge up a couple of classic Christmas movies from Eda's junk stash to show everyone and even convinced King to let her put a small red nose on his face. Eventually, the group had dinner. It wasn't anything close to a usual Christmas dinner to Luz, but that didn't really matter. She was surrounded by people she loved, and who loved her just as much.
Once they had finished eating, Skara pulled everyone back to the living room to open presents. Luz frowned as she watched the others pull presents out from under the tree to give her.
"Wait, I don't have anything to give any of you!"
Willow smiled. "I think I speak for all of us when I say that you've given us all enough in the time you've been here."
There were murmurs of assent around the room, and Luz started to tear up all over again. Willow nudged her present towards Luz, who smiled as she opened it, revealing a small plant.
"It's a Tiger Lily!" Willow said with a grin. "It won't get its teeth for a couple more months, though, so don't try to feed it anything outside of its usual soil."
Luz's eyes widened as the plant made some growling noises and she nervously set it off to the side. "Thank you, Willow. It's lovely!"
King jumped onto Luz's lap and held out a small present. She opened it to reveal one of his stuffed animals. "Antoine here has served me well in my army, and now he'll serve for you!"
"Thank you, King." Luz leaned down and bumped her nose against King's, making him giggle.
Gus handed her a heavy rectangular present. Luz unwrapped it to find a German cookbook. "I found this human culture book, and I thought it would make you feel a little more at home!"
Luz chuckled. It's the thought that counts. "Thanks, Gus."
Eda gave her a new witch's wool cloak, saying something about 'growing up too fast' while she tried to act cool and uncaring. Luz laughed and hung it up next to her old one, excited to test it out over the following days. She sat back down on the couch next to Skara, who handed her a small gift. Luz started to open it and gasped when she saw what it was: a picture book.
Luz started flipping through it and saw pictures the two had taken together since they started dating. From Grom to their first date to Luz's first rat-worm race. She flipped through all of it, finding empty spots in the back of the book. Skara leaned over and kissed her cheek.
"For the memories we're still making!"
Luz wiped her eyes and hugged Skara tightly.
"Thank you." She leaned back and looked at everyone. "This was the best Christmas ever. I can't thank you all enough."
Her friends just shrugged it off, happy to have helped. Soon, it was getting late and everyone needed to head back home. Eda and King went upstairs, as Willow and Gus stepped outside to give Luz a moment alone with Skara. Before stepping out, though, Willow drew a spell circle, forming a small green plant above Skara and Luz's heads. Luz blushed fiercely, shooting a faux glare at Willow.
"Willow!"
Laughing, Willow stepped out of the room. Curious, Skara quirked an eyebrow at Luz. Luz stammered for a moment before collecting herself.
"It's a human tradition. When two people stand under the mistletoe together... They kiss." Luz explained, face still flushed.
Skara looked at her quizzically. "Luz, we've kissed like a million times. Why are you so flustered over this one?" Luz mumbled something unintelligible. Skara lifted Luz's chin up. "You'll have to speak up, cutie."
"I've never kissed anyone under the mistletoe before. It just feels like a big deal." Luz looked around the room, still blushing.
Skara's eyes grew mischievous. "Well then, human." She wrapped her arms around Luz's neck and pulled her close, looking into her eyes. "Let's make it count, then."
The two leaned in and kissed. Luz hummed happily as she melted into the kiss. When the two pulled apart, they rested their foreheads against each other.
"Merry Christmas, Luz."
"Merry Christmas, Skara."