The Most Mundane, Slice-of-Life Date Ever (A Lumity Fanfic)

Part 2 - Luz

Luz studies herself in her bedroom mirror. She twists her body carefully, smoothing out any last wrinkles in her outfit. She's wearing a pair of light denim overalls, embroidered with flowers, and a striped shirt beneath. It appears that while she was in the Boiling Isles, Vee went ahead and replaced her entire wardrobe, leaving Luz scrambling for something to wear. Thankfully, Vee has good fashion sense.

The curtains have been pulled back in her bedroom for the first time since returning to the human realm. Luz had grown so used to the darkness that the sunlight feels foreign, but the brightness brings a faint smile to her face.

It's the same smile she's begun to notice on everyone's faces in the last twenty-four hours. For too long, a cloud of grief has hung over the Noceda household, and while Luz knows she'll never be able to push away her grief completely, doing something mundane like this – going out with Amity – is a nice distraction; not just for her, but everyone. Perhaps it is a reminder that, despite the sorrow they all face, time continues on, and one day, they will need to start living again.

The morning has already been difficult; it took Luz an hour to force herself out of bed, and she's held back tears multiple times thinking about King and Eda. However, she also remembers what joy feels like as she studies her outfit one last time in the mirror. That is enough to distract her and remind her that, no matter what happens in the future, there will still be good memories ahead.

Luz steps out into her bedroom door into the hallway, finding an unamused Gus and Hunter. While Willow and Vee are helping Amity get ready in the bathroom, the boys were unwillingly made her assistant.

"Ta-da!" Luz exclaims, twirling around. "Well? What do you think? Perfect date outfit, right?"

"Good. You're dressed. Can we leave now?" Hunter asks, a familiar annoyance in his tone. Luz never imagined she'd be happy to hear his cynicism.

"Nope!" Luz exclaims, sticking her tongue out at him. "You're both stuck keeping me company."

"Here," Gus says. He hands her a thin notepad that Luz is sure she's only ever seen buried in a cluttered drawer somewhere in her house.

"What's this?" Luz asks.

A familiar flame of curiosity ignites in Gus's eyes. "When you're out on your date, can you take notes on any interesting human observations?"

Luz narrows her eyes. "Isn't my mom taking all of you to run errands? You can take notes yourself," she says, handing the notepad back to him. She ignores Gus's frown.

At the mention of her mother, Luz hears footsteps down the hallway and immediately locks eyes with her mother. Luz's heart swells as she watches the corners of her mother's lips curl and her eyes light up.

"You look lovely, mija!" Luz's mother exclaims, wrapping Luz up in a strong hug. "It seems like just yesterday you were in diapers. Now you're going on your first date!"

"Mamá, stop!" Luz says. Embarrassed, she struggles against her mother's grip.

Finally, Luz succeeds in pushing her mom's arms off of her. She's sure her cheeks are red from how much she's blushing. However, glancing around, she sees a smile on everyone's faces, even Hunter's, albeit small. Their excitement only increases hers, and she thinks how good it is to see everyone acting a little more like themselves again.

"Where's Amity?" Luz's mother asks.

"Willow and Vee are helping her get ready," Luz explains.

Just then, the bathroom door creaks open. Vee slithers out first, followed behind by Willow, who has a mischievous grin on her face.