#Luz 💕

[notasdriedapricots]

Hello!! It's me again :D I haven't been around Tumblr much lately, but I was somehow lucky enough to win @yuyinator's art raffle! Of course, I had to ask for my beloved Luz 💕 and just LOOK AT THEM.

LOOK AT THEM

I have absolutely no words. I really don't. I've been looking at this textbox for ten minutes straight trying to figure out something decent to say and I just can't think of anything. This just makes me happy.

This drawing came at a time when I was (am, frankly) not feeling the best about my characters. I won't go into it again, but yeah, this... This just made me so happy. The way she's laughing with her eyes closed, and the way he looks at her, just... *chef's kiss*

Yuyu was amazing during the process; she was super open to ideas and at the same time super helpful by offering great suggestions. And of course, it goes without saying her talent is off the charts. LOOK AT THEM. Absolutely run - no, fly - to commission her. Thank you so much ♥ Gracias totales.

[notasdriedapricots]

Hi, don't mind me, I just wanted to leave this here, because TTT might be almost definitely dead soon but, like, this is Luz? 🥺️

I didn't know this when I made just, like, talking "their thing". Hosting dinner parties? 🥺️ Them reminiscing about their time in the villa and then their history together years after? I-

I know nothing about astrology don't actually believe in it either but even I knew Leo-Pisces wasn't a go-to combination for anyone, but this is so wholesome? I have no idea what else it says because it's behind a paywall and things have a limit cries in third world economy and taxes. But I don't know, it was enough to make me a little bit happy

Anyway, have a great year, everyone ♥♥

[notasdriedapricots]

Singing Me Home for the song title ask meme please.

Iriiiiiiis! ♥♥

With all of these I'm tempted to go look at the songs to get more context, but at the same time it's supposed to be a song title ask so...

My immediate thought was Lucas being away with DWB and calling Liz to chat. They're on speaker because they're doing other things, so when they say goodbye they each just go on with what they were doing, and neither actually ends the call (they both assume the other one will). Neither realises, until Lucas hears Liz singing quietly because she started cooking. He stops what he's doing and sits there listening to her, missing her more even than before.

Thank you!!

Send me a song title and I’ll tell you what story I would write based on that title

[notasdriedapricots]

for the song ask thingy "Steal My Girl"

Hi, Anon!

We all know what has to be written from that. We all love jealous Lucas, don't we?

For Luz, tho, I'd have him in the background, in a way? I've had this idea of one of Lucas' neighbours hitting on Liz when she first moves with him. Of course he doesn't know who she is; she seems familiar, but can't place her, which Liz finds hilarious. Lucas only finds out after the air has been cleared. Maybe it could be written as Liz telling him?

Anyway, thank you for sending this one!

Send me a song title and I’ll tell you what story I would write based on that title

[notasdriedapricots]

For the song title ask meme, 'Home Wasn't Built In A Day'

Helloooooo!

Thank you for sending this! 💜

Hmm... First of all, I'll say my brain is a hostage to Lucas and my OC Liz, so... I think I would just go for the low hanging fruit and write about them moving in together. I like domestic fluff, even if it's boring, so that could be cute.

If not that, I would stay in the realm of domestic but I'd write their first fight about something mundane. I'd have some habit or routine clash and maybe have some of them annoying each other on purpose out of pettiness. And then have them make up, of course.

Thank you again!! ♥♥

Send me a song title and I’ll tell you what story I would write based on that title

[notasdriedapricots]

Am I late? Because in my head Lucas and Liz and even their souls will be together for eternity and no one can convince me otherwise - that's final. PLEASE - how is it going for them, I need a little update? Do they? They deserve to be happy! I love them both, and might be a little emotionally attached.

Hi, anon!

This is such a lovely message, I don't know what to say 😭 You're too kind, thank you 💕

You're gonna tell me what is it like being a little emotionally attached to them? Me? 😭😭 I miss them too, honestly. But they're doing great.

TTT is set in 2019, and they moved together in November of that year. They had some minor and not so minor bumps on the road right after and during the following months because Lucas can be really dumb but they made it in the end!

They were so annoyed by the aftermath of the show. Neither likes the overexposure, but they have tried to use it for good: Liz trying to make cool classical music a thing, and Lucas... is really not into it, but started responding to people sending him videos of influencers "teaching" exercises wrong and correcting them. He says this is Jon's (his best friend and colleague) fault, too and Jon says the last thing he blamed him for landed him a beautiful girlfriend so he can fuck off

They are very happy together. No marriage or kids so far, but they do have a cat! They go on a date (usually a movie) every Friday and then grab dinner at a different restaurant every week. Then they go out for breakfast every Saturday to the same café. Sundays Liz has been trying to get Lucas to sleep in; it's taking time, but she's succeeding.

In my head they will be together forever, I can't see any other outcome.

Again, thank you for this message. I don't really know what to say other than just thank you for loving my silly characters. You have no idea how much I appreciate your message 💕

Have a lovely week!

[notasdriedapricots]

yellow! 1, 4, 12, 19, 22 and 24 for the romance asks pls? 💓

JAAAAAAAY!! Yellow to you too!

1. What drew your character to their LI and vice versa?

Originally? I'm not gonna lie and say they didn't think the other was hot, I mean, that's there as a first impression. But as we know, that was never gonna be enough for either of them, especially given their circumstances. So, what really drew them to each other was a sense of authenticity. They found each other interesting, and felt they wouldn't get played if they allowed themselves to explore that a bit.

4. Their favorite physical feature on each other?

Just one? I'll at least give them face and body lol. For Liz, his smile and his arms. For Lucas, her eyes and her waist.

12. Do they have similar goals? If they clash, how do they deal?

Answered here!

19. Describe how they communicate.

They. Don't. Shut. Up. They both believe things should be as clear as possible, because they both have gotten hurt out of assuming or misreading in the past, so they won't go down that path again.

Other than that, they're a "casual touch" kinda couple. Especially Lucas; he will always have an arm around her, brush her waist as he walks past her, rest his arm on the back of her chair. Liz is more of dropping random kisses - on his cheek, on his shoulder, on the back of his hand...

22. From the outside looking in, what is their dynamic like?

Answered here!

24. Is their any moment that happens between them that you know happens and just makes you melt?

Answered here!

Thank you so much, Jay!!! (I'll send you some tomorrow 👀)

Romance asks

[notasdriedapricots]

2, 12 and 22 for the romance asks, please!

Iris!! ♥ Thank you for asking!

2. What was the first moment that they knew they were in love with their LI?

THESE ARE SPOILERS! Lol. But I'll say... They realised one day apart from each other; Liz knew first. They had very different immediate reactions tho 😂

12. Do they have similar goals? If they clash, how do they deal?

I'd say they do. More than they realise, and even when it looks like they don't. And in the details that don't align perfectly, they do their best to compromise.

22. From the outside looking in, what is their dynamic like?

I don't fucking know, you tell me 😂😂 I think at this point they're still getting to know each other, and any dynamic they establish is somewhat influenced by the context - they would probably work differently if they weren't in a TV show surrounded by cameras and people (or would they?...)

But I think they complement each other nicely. They both ultimately strive for peace in their personal life; excitement, sure, but controlled excitement that is guaranteed to be enjoyable.

But again, that's what I'm trying to write. Maybe they read as extremely dysfunctional lol I don't know.

Thank you so much for sending these, Iris!!

Romance asks

[notasdriedapricots]

24 🥰

Hello, Miss Kara!

24. Is there any moment that happens between them that you know happens and just makes you melt?

This is a weird question, or maybe I'm not understanding it lol But this refers to like an unpublished moment, right?

In that case, them making up (either in TTT or in the sequel. The one in the sequel is just pure fluff -because all the previous thing is ugly-, while TTT's is a bit more vulnerable and raw).

That and them realising they love each other. I do really like those bits.

As always, thank you, hun!! ♥♥

Romance asks

[notasdriedapricots]

8, 16 and 28 for the romance asks 🤍

Hi, Elli!! Thank you for sending some!! ♥

8. What are their most prominent memories of each other?

Oh, that's a hard one... I'm taking into account all of TTT (so, including what's not published) but nothing after that because I still don't know what I'm gonna do with that.

I think for Lucas it would still be his first impression of her; not from the days he watched before he entered the Villa, but the first time he actually saw her.

For Liz it would be when he told her that he loved her.

16. Jealous at all?

Neither of them is all "Everyone other man/woman is automatically a threat", by any means. But if this other man/woman is showing some interest or seems to want to get super close...

We know Lucas. My version of him is not all territorial caveman, he wouldn't get violent or openly confront the other guy but he would be far, far from not caring. He'll go as far as to put his arm around her waist and keep her close, but not more than that. And he tries really hard not to bring it up because he doesn't want to look like he either doesn't trust her or he's insecure; so, he'll drop the casual loaded comment and wait. "Lucas, are you jealous?" "Of course not. I just don't like how he's looking at you." When it comes to handling Liz's jealousy, though, he finds it endearing because he can empathize with the feeling. He enjoys being reassuring and feeling that he's making her feel safe.

And Liz is pretty much the same, honestly, in the sense that she'd never make a scene or anything. She would just stay close to him and be a bit more anxious. but she is more open with it in private because she's also more openly insecure. "Liz, are you jealous?" "Have you seen her? What do you think?" When it comes to handling Lucas' jealousy, however, she finds it mostly annoying because the way she sees it it all has to do with Lucas not trusting her.

I'm sorry, I've written way too much about these two (especially Lucas) being jealous, so I have a lot to say. I'll shut up now.

28. Are there any similarities to your OC and LI’s relationship to one you have had IRL?

Nah, not at all. I wish, they're so cute.

Thank you so much again for sending these!!

Romance asks

[notasdriedapricots]

Six Sentence Sunday

It's not Sunday anymore, but I was tagged by @thoracicorchid, @thatwheelchairchick and @follies-fixture. Thank you all so much! ♥

Here are six sentences for a prompt that's temporarily abandoned, that I don't know if I'm going to continue or change completely, but I wanted to share something other than TTT or the sequel. This is still Luz, tho

If he didn't know her, if he didn't know she loved him, he would have said her words dripped with poison. But he was more worried about her spine than her words, so he silently put a finger to her shoulder and pushed back ever so slightly. Her face fell, but she didn't say anything, only letting out a discrete but relieved sigh. He chuckled.

I'm not tagging anyone because it's very late, but if you want to do this consider yourself tagged!!

[notasdriedapricots]

19: 9 hours for Liz and Lucas for June prompts x

I'M HERE. July is almost over, but I'm here. This turned into a monster and I am so sorry. There's probably so much I could cut, and it's poorly resolved, and the prompt got very lost in the way, BUT it's something.

As always, thank you Iris for sending these, even if I take forever to get to them. From this list. 2200 words because I am a monster. I am so sorry. Also there is a musical part in this one, so if you can play that it'd be cool :D Okay, bye!

9 hours

Liz stopped playing when she heard the front door open and then close. She looked at the guest room's door with a smile, waiting for it to open next. Nothing.

"Lucas?"

No response. She checked her watch; in the middle of practicing a particularly hard passage she'd lost track of time, and of the fact that he should have gotten home over an hour ago. An hour ago even if he had taken the extra shift and forgotten to tell her. After leaving the bow on the table and setting the cello on its stand, she peaked into the living room. Empty. No white lab coat on the hanger next to the door, like he always left it when he was back. I'm about to get murdered, aren't I?

"Lucas?" she tried again.

His voice, muffled and lower than usual, reached her from the couch. "Here."

Liz found him lying on his stomach, face burrowed into a pillow and hands linked over the back of his neck, with the lab coat still on. Everything screamed 'hard day'. She leaned over the back of the couch, worry behind her eyes, and rubbed a hand softly up and down his spine. He sighed to her touch, the gesture reminding him to relax his muscles.

"Everything okay?"

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to focus on his surroundings: the flat, the couch, her hand on his back. His shift – what had turned into a 9-hour shift, breaks not included – was over, and he was no longer at the clinic. It didn't smell like alcohol and disinfectant, but like fresh flowers and coffee. He was home, with Liz.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," he sighed. "Hi." He freed one hand and reached behind him to grab hers.

She leaned down to kiss it, and he squeezed back in response. Liz bit her lip, pondering whether or not she should push further. "Bad day?" she risked, brushing his knuckles with her thumb.

"Could have been better."

She bit her lip again; that was enough of an answer to not dig any deeper. Her other hand raked his hair softly and Lucas suddenly felt his shoulders relax, unaware of how much tension he'd been holding there. He moved his hand away so hers could run down to his nape, letting out a low grunt when she squeezed; even she knew those muscles shouldn't be that stiff.

"You shouldn't be taking extra shifts when you've been so tired." There wasn't a trace of reproach in her voice, just soft concern.

"It wasn't that." She stayed silent, waiting for him to continue if he wanted to; giving him an out if he didn't. "I… I thought I was discharging a long-time patient today and… I thought wrong. We thought wrong."

Liz didn't know what to do. He'd been coming home so happy from work for weeks, seeing him suddenly this down completely threw her off. He was used to her shutting down when she was nervous about work, but it was the first time she was the one on that side of the situation. What do you need? What can I do? She debated whether to leave him alone or not. Maybe that's why he didn't come find me when he got home? But leaving while he needed her was unthinkable, she wouldn't risk it; if he wanted to be alone, he would tell her.

Lucas felt her let go of his hand and lightly tug at the collar of his coat. "Off."

She tossed it over a nearby armchair and sat astray his hips, and he got out of his head for just a second, long enough to raise a curious eyebrow to himself before his mind was flooded again with that morning's events. She leaned forward to plant a kiss on his neck, and when she felt him let out his deepest sigh yet, she knew she was doing the right thing; he didn't want to be alone. Another kiss landed behind his ear, before she sat up again.

"He got injured over the weekend and half the progress he'd made…" he started. Her hands slid under his scrubs and pressed onto his lower back, slowly but firmly, with both force and care, working their way up as she tried to recall how he did this when they were in opposite places. He rewarded her with a low grunt as he rolled his shoulders back. Ah, god bless you, Liz. "I don't know which one of us was more heartbroken, if I'm honest. He worked so hard for months…"

Liz felt a weight in her chest, a weight she assumed was only a fraction of the one in his. "You'll get back there."

Frustration slipped into his tone. "Yeah, but we were supposed to be there already…" With another deep breath, his voice turned pensive. "It's odd sometimes. Working a job where your biggest reward is to stop seeing your patients? Hoping you never see their face again unless you're crossing paths during a run in the park? I was gonna miss him, but realising I wouldn't need to for at least another two months…"

The defeat in his voice made it clear which patient he was talking about. A young man, a boy, that he always mentioned as one of his favourites. A teenager that had been in a very bad accident where he'd lost his dad, so that on top of his physical recovery was dealing with an even bigger emotional one. Of course he'd stayed back late, taken the extra shift probably to bring him back and work out a new plan moving forward. And of course you're still thinking about it.

"Shit happens, love." She felt him breathe in to respond. "I know. I know that doesn't help. But…" She looked up at the ceiling, shaking her head as her hands pressed between his shoulder blades. "You've always said it's rarely a straight road. And this is no one's fault."

"It's just that I… I'd never had something like this happen before. I'd heard professors talk about it over and over again, telling us to be ready for it, to expect it, but in five years it had never… actually happened."

To you. It had never happened to you. "Lucas, this is not your fault."

"I know that. I know, but…" His voice died. He'd been fighting that thought all day, only managing to do so because there was another bigger, much more bothering and heavy one.

She waited for him to continue. He didn't. "But?"

Another moment of silence. "It's not fair."

Liz sighed and stopped her hands, fighting back sudden tears. He'd never sounded so exhausted, so defeated, so unlike him. She had never hated this much that job of his that she so deeply loved. She threaded her arms under his, grabbing onto the front of his shoulders as she leaned forward again, letting all of her weight fall onto his back, trying to somehow protect him from his own thoughts.

He welcomed the pressure of her body on his. Okay, I get weighed blankets now. Again, he focused his attention on his surroundings, on her, the warmth of her body, the lingering hints of her perfume, her breath on his skin when she nuzzled under his jaw and then kissed his neck, long and soft. Her temple rested against his.

"I'm sorry, love," she whispered.

Her lips found his cheek and he turned his head to meet her mouth. It was sweet, calm, and soothing; a kiss that tried to convince him that 'it will be okay, you can still get there, you will get there'. He managed to turn onto his back, and wrapped his arms around her to hold her close. He brushed the back of his fingers on her cheek.

"Thank you, darling. I'm okay. Just tired."

She looked into his eyes and could tell he was lying, downplaying it. A frown crossed her forehead and she cradled his face in both hands.

"Stop it. Don't doubt yourself." If I'd managed to work faster this injury wouldn't have been a problem. She gave him a warning look. "Stop. I can't stand it."

"Maybe you should get another boyfriend, then."

She sat up. "Oh, you mean one that at least doubts himself over the right things?"

"Hold on, what is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm sorry, love, but there is such a thing as 'too much gel', you know?"

"I haven't used gel since we got out of the Villa, what are you-?" He smiled despite himself. "Oh, I see. That almost worked. Thanks for trying, though."

The playful look she'd managed to put on vanished. Okay. Big guns. "Floor."

"Excuse me?"

"Get on the floor. On your back."

"Darling, you're gonna hurt your knees…"

She slapped his chest, both holding back small smiles. "Har-har. I mean it. If even I can tell your back is messed up, it's because it's really messed up. Floor." She got off him and walked away towards the bedrooms.

Lucas sighed and complied, kicking off his shoes before lying on the floor with his ankles crossed on the couch, hands on his stomach. He closed his eyes. Why? Why did I have to play it safe instead of pushing him a bit further? I could have, he could have made progress much quicker and save… maybe 3 weeks? At least 2. And we wouldn't be here. Fuck, Sam, I'm sorry. He remembered the kid hugging him, apologizing to him for not being careful enough. 'You're the one back on crutches, what are you apologizing to me for?', he'd answered, trying to hide his own sadness to not bring the kid down even more. But truth was, he'd never felt more useless.

He heard a chair set next to him, and then Liz started to pluck strings on her cello. When the bow finally pulled the warm sounds he'd grown to adore, goosebumps instantly covered his entire body. He needed to make a joke or he was certain he would start to tear up, so he opened his eyes and looked up at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Really, Liz? Cyndi Lauper-?" She shut him up with a kick without missing a beat.

And so he closed his eyes again and followed the melody as it flowed through his body, seeming to relax the last tense muscles while his thoughts started to slow down. Things started to fall into place and seem – at least a little – less dramatic, for some reason. We will work through it. It will be okay. We will get back to that point. The goosebumps never left his skin, and he almost shivered every time the sound got specially high or low. Damn, you're amazing…

Of course Liz hadn't just chosen any song to play for him, but one with a chorus that would say something. She couldn't do anything to solve his problem. She couldn't even do anything to help him with it. But what she could do, what she would do, was be there for him; to play for him, or give him what were probably underwhelming massages compared to his, or whatever he needed… But she would always be there. If she had to play a cheesy 80s ballad to get her point across, so be it.

Lucas kept getting lost in the sound of an old melody turned into something familiar and foreign at the same time; the strange part was that he'd never expected to hear 'Time after time' played on a cello, but the known one was that it was Liz playing it. She finished the song and silence filled the flat again. Lucas sighed deeply, a small smile playing on his lips. The corners of his eyes burned.

"How the fuck do you do that? It's just metal and wood."

"And almost 20 years of training," she allowed herself to joke at the sight of him visibly more relaxed. "And, you know, my soul."

He opened his eyes and looked at her. I love you so much. "That must be it."

The corner of her lip twitched into a brief half smile before concern returned. "Lucas it's-"

"Gonna be okay. I know. Shit happens." He offered his hand and she rested the cello on an armchair before lying down on the floor next to him and setting her head on his chest. He kissed her hair. "It's nice to know that you'll be waiting to catch me when I fall, though."

She snorted a laugh and hugged him tighter. "Time After Time."

"Okay, that is a cheesy line."

"It is. But I Will Always Love You."

They were both grinning now. "Oh, thank god. This will be an Endless Love, then. I promise I'm Never Gonna Give You Up."

She let out a loud laugh. Just when I thought I couldn't love a sound more than you playing the cello… "Never gonna let me down?"

"Never gonna run around and desert you."

"Good." She sat up and pressed a finger to his chest. "Now go take a shower and then we'll see what happens if I put Careless Whisper on, shall we?"

[notasdriedapricots]

Share Something Sunday Monday

I'm late, but I did see this! Thank you for tagging me @aislinnstanaka and @kiki-the-creator! ♥ Because it's too late, I'm not tagging anyone else (but I will be checking later and liking all of your posts :D)

This is... Honestly something I might throw away. It's an attempt at a prompt that I haven't decided the direction of yet, and this is one of the possibilities if I manage to wrap it up. This is a bit of what I have written.

***

Liz stopped playing when she heard the front door open and then close. She looked at the guest room's door, waiting for it to open next. Nothing.

"Lucas?"

No response. She checked her watch; in the middle of practicing a particularly hard passage she'd lost track of time, and of the fact that he should have gotten home over an hour ago. An hour ago even if he had taken the extra shift and forgotten to tell her. After leaving the bow on the table and setting the cello on its stand, she peaked into the living room. Empty. No white lab coat on the hanger next to the door, like he always left it when he was back. I'm about to get murdered, aren't I?

"Lucas?" she tried again.

His voice, muffled and lower than usual, reached her from the couch. "Here."

Liz found him lying on his stomach, face burrowed into a pillow and hands linked over the back of his neck, with the lab coat still on. Everything screamed 'hard day'. She leaned over the back of the couch, worry behind her eyes, and rubbed a hand softly up and down his spine. He sighed to her touch, the gesture reminding him to relax his muscles.

"Everything okay?"

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to focus on his surroundings. The flat, the couch, her hand on his back; his shift – what had turned into a 9-hour shift, breaks not included – was over, and he was no longer at the clinic. It didn't smell like alcohol and disinfectant, but like fresh flowers and coffee. He was home, with Liz.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," he sighed. "Hi." He freed one hand and reached behind him to grab hers.

She leaned down to kiss it, and he squeezed back in response. Liz bit her lip, pondering whether or not she should push further. "Bad day?" she risked, brushing his knuckles with her thumb.

"Could have been better."

[notasdriedapricots]

15 for the June prompt list for Liz and Lucas x

Hi, Iris!! Well, it's still June! I made it! With one of these at least. This started out of something I found in the notes on my phone yesterday, and then when I came here to check what was left I remembered this! And it got long because, as we all already know this bitch won't shut up. So sorry, but I started to kinda like it and just kept going. Ah, well, it is what it is.

As always, thank you for sending this! 💗💗

Aprox. 1200 words. (Son of a-)

15. Driving to the airport; from this list.

Lucas threw a side glance at her for the millionth time. For the millionth time he tightened his grip on the wheel as he felt his own heart strangling. She hadn't said a word since breakfast, and it pained him to imagine what was going through her head; through her chest. She stared out the window, her temple resting against the door and her hands clasped between her knees, not moving a muscle to the quiet music playing in the car. Liz, the girl that swayed like seaweed caught in the current to any three notes put together, sat totally still, looking at the passing landscape without seeing it at all.

"Liz?"

"Hm?"

"Are you okay?"

"Uh-um."

"Liz…"

She sighed, her voice calm but impossibly quiet. "We've talked about this. And I told you that you have to go."

They had. And she did. She insisted, threatened to leave him if he pushed his dream aside for her. Said she could never forgive herself if she was the reason he sacrificed that.

"Liz, I don't need it…"

"Bullshit. Your face beaming? The pride in your voice when you talked about it? I treasure that memory, Lucas. Don't you dare tell me you don't want it anymore."

"So you want me to leave?"

"No… But you will leave. You have to. Eventually. And we both know now is the right time." She pushed the computer in his direction before leaving the study, her voice almost getting caught in her throat. "Sign up."

'Bittersweet' was the understatement of the century. He was excited, which made him feel guilty, but also he'd never wanted anything more than to turn the car around, miss the flight, get back to Oxford and spend all day at Marco's terrace drinking coffee with her cuddled against his side. Doctors Without Borders had been his dream for fifteen years, but nine months away from her was a very fucking long time.

A part of him wanted her to be selfish. It wanted her to be happy that he found the idea of leaving her excruciating, to lean on that so that he would stay. But another, bigger part, loved that she hadn't. It loved the horror in her face when he tried to dodge the subject at dinner, and how she'd pulled him away from their friends with a hissing 'What the fuck, Lucas?'. It loved that she loved him enough to put who he'd been and what he'd wanted before meeting her above everything else. And he hated that that same love was going to make her, both of them, miserable until he was back.

Lucas pulled into the airport's parking lot and turned off the engine. He got out of the car, hearing Liz's door open… but not close; he turned to look at her and saw her still in her seat. Walking around to her side, she turned away from him, but not before he caught a glimpse of the trail of tears running down her cheeks. The corners of his eyes started burning too, and he tried to swallow the lump in his throat as he crouched in front of her. She pulled her hands away when he tried to hold them.

"Go get your suitcase," she muttered, holding her breath to keep a sob at bay.

He closed his eyes for a second and then ignored her, reaching for her hands again, twining their fingers this time. She took a shaky breath only to immediately let all the air out in a painful sob. A second later she'd fallen to her knees, her arms around him and her face buried in his chest. He felt like his racing heart was pumping ice shards through is veins. Hugging her as tight and as close as he possibly could, feeling her hands grabbing fistfuls of his shirt, he was starting to think neither would ever gather the will to let go of the other.

But then he felt her sigh heavily. With a sniffle, she planted a kiss on his chest, on the skin exposed buy the open buttons. And then another on his collarbone. And on his neck. The final one landed on his cheek. She managed to free her arms out of his unyielding embrace and cradled his face, her eyes overflowing with tears and sincerity, painted with a love greater than he could ever feel deserving of.

"I'm so proud of you."

He'd been holding it together up until her words punched the air out of him. "Shut up," he breathed out, closing his eyes again.

"Come on, you won't see me for a year and I don't even get a tear? What an asshole." She let out a shaky laugh.

He smiled. Small, sad, inevitable. "Nine months…"

"… to a year," she added. As usual, she was not letting him fool himself. They both knew it was probably gonna be a year. Maybe more.

Still holding her close with one arm, he brushed the back of his fingers against her cheek, down to her jaw and into her hair. Her hands also moved back to the nape of his neck, firmer this time; she made him look her in the eye again.

"I am so, so proud of you." Her voice was steadier as her nails scraped his skin lightly, just for a moment, emphasizing her words.

He felt his heart swell until it broke. "God, I wish I could take you with me…"

"I will be with you…" She pressed a hand to his chest. "In here."

He had to roll his eyes and contain a smile. "Fuck you."

Liz wiped the few tears that had finally escaped his warm eyes as she laughed. Loud and sparkling, genuine, and he focused all his attention on the sound, knowing that was the last time he'd get to hear her laugh, at least in person, for a long time. They went to speak at the same time.

"I lo-"

Two sets of laughter collided this time. She leaned forward and rested her forehead on his shoulder, chuckling through a new wave of tears. Lucas hugged her tight once more and whispered in her ear.

"I love you, Liz."

She sighed, grabbing at his shirt again. "I love you, Lucas," she murmured against his skin.

After a long moment, he finally stood up, bringing her up with him. He kissed her forehead. "Let's go grab a coffee." He let go of her and grabbed her hand, and she hugged his arm. They walked to the back of the car to get his luggage. "Only two hours until my plane takes off. Then you can go compose a piece about how much you miss me."

She frowned, a tiny but curious smile on her lips. "I've never composed anything."

"Why?" It was clear in his tone that he knew the answer.

It was clear in hers that she knew that he knew. "It's really difficult."

He closed the boot and turned to her. With a finger under her chin, their eyes met. "Well, wouldn't you say what I'm doing is pretty difficult too? What about a little solidarity?" She looked up at him, her eyes silently welling up again. "Come on, write me something."

She swallowed and nodded. "Fine, I'll try. Only so you have a reason to hurry back."

"Liz, I do want to do this but… I'm leaving my heart behind. You know that, right?" He cupped her face again, caressing her cheek with his thumb, and the hand that was still in hers squeezed harder with his last word. "I have every possible reason to come back to you."

[notasdriedapricots]

🍕 for Liz and ❤️ for Liz and Lucas please x

IRIIIIIISSSS Thank you, as always, for sending some! 💗💗

🍕 for Liz:

(For reference, left to right we have: chicken pad thai, black coffee, croissants with ham and cheese, Middle Eastern cuisine -in general-, arugula and prosciutto pizza, mojitos, shawarma -specifically-, dark beer, and paella)

And ❤️ for Luz (I hate this one but here it is, I'm sorry lol):

Brief description because I have to salvage this somehow:

So, Liz and Lucas go to the same coffee shop every Saturday morning, it's a little ritual they have once they move in together and unless they're out of town they will not skip it.

I think at this point I don't need to explain motorbike rides. I'll just say this is part of Lucas' "ideal date".

I don't have to explain rowboats either, do I? They wish they could do this more often! Liz always tries to push Lucas off the boat. She's never succeeded... Well, once they both fell.

Hugs from behind! All day, everyday!

Hands. Lucas touches Liz's hands because they are a bit rough from playing, and she touches his just because they're nice (it's canon, don't @ me)

Getting dressed up! Either for Lucas' parents' company galas or for Liz's opening nights.

Impromptu dancing. Liz dances every time there's music, and she often grabs Lucas and forces him to join her. He just laughs, twirls her around and ends up hugging her so she'll stop.

Movie dates are as sacred as Saturday breakfasts. Part of Liz's "ideal date"!

Cuddling. So. Much. Cuddling. Liz lives squished between Lucas' arms.

Moodobard meme!

[notasdriedapricots]

omg how did I just now notice Rara premiering Liz and Lucas' official ship name in the tags 😂 @gin-o-clock

It's official, people 💕