Work Text:
ROOAAAAARRR!!!
“Aaah!”
Anne couldn’t help but flinch at the sounds of the arcade. She had just jumped from the chip tune roar of the cabinet for Changed Monster. The young boy playing it shot her an odd look and rolled his eyes before he put in a quarter for another play.
Anne brushed him off and kept walking. It wasn’t her fault her nerves were so wound up! She’d spent months trapped in another world, full of giant monsters that were hungry for the blood and flesh of unassuming teenage girls. Even the plants in Amphibia had wanted her dead! So it wasn’t crazy Anne was a little jumpy around sudden noises.
Despite that, Anne was adjusting to life back on Earth pretty well. She was so relieved to reunite with her family, although it took no small amount of proof to convince them of her story. Sadly, she had to repeat the ninth grade, but after months trapped on Amphibia, high school was a cakewalk.
Besides, as Anne walked to the far east wall of the arcade, she saw the main reasons why she was coping so well: her girlfriend, Marcy Wu.
The nerdy geek was bent over the controls of an arcade cabinet. She bit her bottom lip, staring at the screen as her fingers furiously tapped the buttons and moved the joystick. There was a tray of nachos sitting on the unused player two control area.
“Hey, Marbles~!” Anne called, coming up behind Marcy. Marcy glanced at her from the corner of her eye before going back to the game.
“Hey, Anna-Banana! What took you so long? I’ve been here for over an hour!” Marcy said. The geeky girl smiled even as her eyes were glued to the game screen. “Wanna join me? I can always use a player two.”
Joining Marcy’s side, Anne saw that Anne was playing the arcade classic, Giants ‘n Ghouls. It was a notoriously brutal game where two hits meant death, and death meant starting the sprawling, tough-as-nails level over again. Marcy’s character, Sir Galahad, bounced and jumped across the screen as he threw javelins at the endless army of the damned, all to save his beloved, Princess Gwendolyn. Marcy was on the final level, halfway to the gates of the true final boss, Lord Beelzebub of Hades.
Almost without thinking, Marcy cleaned up the second console area by horking down the nachos in one greedy gulp, then knocking the paper tray to the floor. Ever the video game enthusiast, Marcy needed her gamer fuel.
“There you– urp– go. Come on, Beelzebub is so much easier with two people. His health and defense hardly rise at all!”
“Hah, really? I got here early!” Anne chuckled and playfully shoved Marcy in the shoulder. “The date was supposed to be at 6, remember? It’s only 5:45.”
“Wait, really? Gah, that’s what I get for playing Smash Sisters Ultimate while listening!" Marcy shook her head and gave a weak chuckle. “Guess even after our adventure in Amphibia, I’m still a little clumsy.”
The two girlfriends kept talking back-and-forth for a while, but soon enough, the conversation died away as Marcy and Anne battled the true final boss. Lord Beelzebub was a huge horned demon who took wide claw swipes at Sir Galahad and Anne’s character, Merlin the Mage, and sometimes blasted them with fire breath and eye beams. The fight was tough, and a few times they almost died, but Sir Galahad never stopped throwing his javelins, and Merlin threw bottles of green potions to great effect.
When the final blow was struck, Lord Beelzebub screamed as he burned away into nothingness. This broke Princess Gwendolyn from her cage, and together Sir Galahad and his princess smooched most cutely. At the same time, Marcy leaned in and kissed Anne on the cheek.
“My hero~ Hehe! It sure brings memories, huh?” Marcy said, smiling fondly at her girlfriend. The young woman’s breath smelled distinctly of nacho cheese, but the tenderness that shimmered Marcy’s eyes spoke true of her love.
“Haha, yeah. Those temples threw some real curveballs at us, huh?” Anne replied with a wistful laugh. She pecked Marcy on the cheek right back, and without words, the two girls pulled each other into an embrace.
They stayed that way for some time, simply relishing each other’s presence. Anne felt the gentle beat of Marcy’s heart, while Marcy felt the strength of Anne’s arms, ready to protect her girlfriend no matter the cost. Neither girl felt quite so happy than when they held each other tight.
With some reluctance, they eventually parted. Anne coughed into her fist and thought of any possible joke to lighten the mood. She could only handle so much lovey-dovey stuff.
“Hey, you want me to grab more snacks?” said Anne. She followed it up with a poke to Marcy’s stomach. “Help you celebrate the Marcy way?”
Marcy let out a squeal, and with a grin, she playfully shoved Anne in the shoulder.
“Pffft, ‘celebrate the Marcy way.’ What are you trying to say, huh?” Marcy raised an eyebrow. “You calling me a piggie? I'll have you know that nachos are full of rich nutrients vital for a pro-gamer like me!"
No sooner had Marcy said that when a deep gurgle came from her stomach. A pink blush crossed Marcy's face.
“Uh... actually, could you please grab me something? Apart from those nachos, I haven't, uh, eaten anything since breakfast?” Marcy gave a cute pout and flashed puppy dog eyes at Anne. “Pretty please, Anna-banana? I'll give you extra smooches!”
“Fine, fine!”
Anne chuckled, and turning on her heel, she headed towards the arcade’s in-store restaurant. About halfway there, she spun on her heels and walked backwards, giving Marcy a pair of finger guns and a wink.
“But don’t forget those smooches, got it?”
And with that, she vanished into the crowd.
“OMG, she’s so friggin’ cute!” Marcy said, gripping her blushing face as smoke poured out of her ears. “I love that girl so much! Aaah, Anne, what are you doing to me!?”
To be honest, Marcy wasn’t sure how she and Anne started dating. They were always close friends, ever since they met in elementary school, but during their time in Amphibia, a strange but pleasant love bloomed between the two. Maybe it was the desperation caused by their separation mixed with a desire for human contact of any kind, or perhaps it was just teenage hormones combined with how sexy it was to see Anne cut down monsters with a sword, but the two girls felt drawn to each other.
Marcy even remembered their first sleepover together since coming to Newtopia. Sure, they had wild antics with Sprig and Polly as they tore up the castle, but any chance they got, the two girls held each other close as a breathless heat enveloped them. The warmth of Anne’s hands, calloused from months of working on a frog farm. The tenderness of her eyes, which pricked with tears of joy. The softness of her lips. They were so intoxicating, and Marcy had never known such deep passion before. She could spend a lifetime playing video games, but Marcy would never feel so happy as when Anne was at her side.
Chuckling like an idiot, Marcy leaned on the arcade cabinet as visions of Anne’s pretty face swam in her head.