Behind the Lens (the owl house au)

Ch. 21 ~ Panic!

As night descended upon the house, the adults retired to their beds, settling in for a well-deserved rest after the day's excitement. The other parents made their way to Luz's bunk bed, their laughter and chatter gradually fading into the quiet of the night.

Down in the basement, the kids had chosen to stay up a little longer, reluctant to let the evening come to an end. They sat in a circle on the floor, surrounded by the remnants of their game, their voices hushed as they talked in low tones.

Luz glanced around at her friends, a smile playing at the corners of her lips. Despite the late hour, they were still full of energy, their eyes bright with excitement and anticipation for the following day.

They had decided on a horror movie marathon, hoping to get their hearts racing in anticipation of the Christmas cheer to come.

With blankets draped over their laps and the glow of the TV casting eerie shadows across the room, they settled in for the night. Willow huddled on the couch, her knees pulled up to her chest, her eyes wide with apprehension as the first movie began.

Gus perched himself on the edge of his seat, his gaze fixed on the screen with rapt attention, his excitement palpable with each spine-tingling moment. Meanwhile, Luz lounged comfortably nearby, a bowl of popcorn in her lap, munching away casually as the movie unfolded.

Despite the chilling scenes playing out before them, the atmosphere in the basement was far from tense. They couldn't help but talk and laugh at the characters' decisions, particularly when one of them did something particularly foolish or the tension reached its peak.

Willow let out a nervous giggle as a jump scare caught her off guard, her hands flying to cover her eyes. Gus chuckled nervously, while Luz simply grinned, thoroughly enjoying the thrill of the movie.

As the night wore on and the third movie failed to capture their attention, Luz and her friends found themselves more engrossed in their phones than the screen. They began scrolling through their feeds, sharing funny reels and videos in their group chat, their laughter echoing through the basement.

Gus chuckled as he watched a hilarious cat video, while Willow snorted with amusement at a meme someone had shared. Luz giggled as she scrolled through her feed, her fingers flying across the screen as she sent videos back and forth with her friends.

Suddenly, their phones buzzed simultaneously, signaling a new message in their group chat. They eagerly opened it to find a video from Matthew, wearing his Grinch onesie and looking thoroughly disgruntled with heavy eyebags.

"Guys, what the heck?" Matthew's voice came through the phone, his expression full of annoyance. "I was trying to sleep, and my phone keeps buzzing with notifications from you lot. Do you have any idea what time it is?!"

As Matthew ranted on, his friends dissolved into fits of laughter, tears streaming down their faces as they watched his tirade. Despite the late hour, they couldn't help but find the situation hilarious.

It wasn't until the end of his rant they remembered Matthew had a different time zone from them. He lived in the sunshine state of Florida, and it was almost 4 am for the Grinch. His parents were split up, which caused him to visit his father during the holidays. The three continued to laugh despite the guilt filling in their hearts.

As the laughter faded and they decided to spare poor Matt from any further disruptions, Luz continued scrolling through her Instagram feed. Suddenly, her thumb paused over a sponsored post, her eyes widening in surprise.

It was an advertisement for the Blight siblings, Edric and Emira. They were featured in a model magazine, their striking looks and confident poses. Luz was stunned by their beauty, her gaze lingering on the images as she scrolled through the post.