They made each other better, regardless of the source. It probably was entirely themselves wanting to be the best version of themselves for each other. They wanted to be someone the other could be proud of, or at least Lexi felt that way. Luz was inherently such a person. How could anyone be around her and not want to be their best self?
And Lexi was used to being surrounded by dysfunctional people, people with problems and situations they couldn't overcome on their own. And most of them didn't even seem interested in becoming their best selves, content enough to wallow in dysfunction and toxicity. They were great examples of what Lexi wanted to avoid. She'd thought it was because her friends were immature only but she knew now that was only an excuse.
Love and girlfriends were good names for it? Lexi knew she wasn't ready for anything really physical beyond kisses and holding each other, but she knew that Luz respected that and felt the same. It was a near perfect meeting of minds and of needs. Even though each would be the other to take a killing blow for the other. Because the other was convinced that the world and their friends would be a better place with each other surviving over the other.
And there wasn't anything Lexi wouldn't do to keep Luz happy and safe. That was her north star, her compass' guiding point. Lexi was ready to call Luz her love, possibly (likely?) the love of her life. Which would have brought Lexi up short when they first got together, but she was willing to stay and deal with whatever the Pthumerians had to throw at them if it meant she could be with Luz.
"Oh, I know," Lexi said seriously. "Trench is like an LGBTQ paradise compared with all of the other worlds I've heard of. No one seems to bat an eyelash at two guys or two girls or--or more falling in love. And it's freeing, really freeing. I don't think I would've been ready for anything like this back home until I was away at college and able to just. Be me. With all that involved."
"But I won't give up. Not on us. We're a team, we're better together than we are apart."
Good, because Orville was climbing onto Luz's shoulder and was snuffling into her hair with a happy, contented look on his face.
Ugh, why were straight male writers like that? No, really, why?
Lexi grinned. "I like perfect. Perfect is one of my favorite words, even though it's impossible to get to. There's always the attempt to get there."
"Oh," Lexi's grin widened. "Sounds like both of us have to do a lot of the Trench version of googling, ma poupée."
so did I! but the his dark materials answer to it rang hollow to me as well.
And Lexi was used to being surrounded by dysfunctional people, people with problems and situations they couldn't overcome on their own. And most of them didn't even seem interested in becoming their best selves, content enough to wallow in dysfunction and toxicity. They were great examples of what Lexi wanted to avoid. She'd thought it was because her friends were immature only but she knew now that was only an excuse.
Love and girlfriends were good names for it? Lexi knew she wasn't ready for anything really physical beyond kisses and holding each other, but she knew that Luz respected that and felt the same. It was a near perfect meeting of minds and of needs. Even though each would be the other to take a killing blow for the other. Because the other was convinced that the world and their friends would be a better place with each other surviving over the other.
And there wasn't anything Lexi wouldn't do to keep Luz happy and safe. That was her north star, her compass' guiding point. Lexi was ready to call Luz her love, possibly (likely?) the love of her life. Which would have brought Lexi up short when they first got together, but she was willing to stay and deal with whatever the Pthumerians had to throw at them if it meant she could be with Luz.
"Oh, I know," Lexi said seriously. "Trench is like an LGBTQ paradise compared with all of the other worlds I've heard of. No one seems to bat an eyelash at two guys or two girls or--or more falling in love. And it's freeing, really freeing. I don't think I would've been ready for anything like this back home until I was away at college and able to just. Be me. With all that involved."
"But I won't give up. Not on us. We're a team, we're better together than we are apart."
Good, because Orville was climbing onto Luz's shoulder and was snuffling into her hair with a happy, contented look on his face.
Ugh, why were straight male writers like that? No, really, why?
Lexi grinned. "I like perfect. Perfect is one of my favorite words, even though it's impossible to get to. There's always the attempt to get there."
"Oh," Lexi's grin widened. "Sounds like both of us have to do a lot of the Trench version of googling, ma poupée."