Luci Short Story

Luci is given neutral pronouns here!

They’re not sure when they began to regret the way things went down.

Maybe when they heard rumors of you crying in the bathroom? When you would come to class with red-rimmed eyes and ignore their gaze? Or when they finally, finally, realized they missed you and tried to talk to you right before graduation?

You had left. Fled at the sight of them.

Luci was well aware that Cameron had always been uneasy about the situation. The new Chosen One had a soft heart and wanted to reach out to you, but feared doing so.

They can’t say they’ve never doubted their actions, either. They have since the day they left your side at their parent's behest. When you had fled with fear in your eyes was the final nail in the coffin.

Now, they were stuck watching you from across the campus, laughing with Viktor and looking happy.

You deserve to be happy. They wish they could still be the one to make you smile, but they ruined their own chance at that quite thoroughly.

They accept that. They won’t try to make amends. You made it clear you didn’t want that, and they know they don’t deserve it.

Still, despite knowing it was foolish to hope, they can’t help but think one day could possibly right that wrong. It feels impossible after everything that happened; they can still see your face the day you moved out, with your bags on the floor and empty eyes that stared at nothing.

You hadn’t let any tears fall then, even under their parent's cold gaze.

Every room of that house was haunted after you’d left; you’d been there so long that Luci could see you in every space and corner. They never really forgave their parents for that; for forcing you to leave and encouraging their child to break something precious beyond repair.

They stopped caring for their family’s approval quite a while ago. The summer before they left for university they had made the decision to go no contact. It was exhausting, spending time dodging desperate calls from their father and angry letters from their mother.

They had finally confronted the fact that their parents didn’t see a child, they see an heir and a tool to advance in upper society.

They tear their gaze from you, turning their eyes back towards their alchemy notes below them.

The words blurred together.