Chapter Text
It was a regular Wednesday evening until one simple text disrupted Anne’s entire week.
Even after college, she still sometimes helped out at her parents’ restaurant on her off days and today happened to be one of them. So, she stood in the middle of the restaurant and stared at her phone, a familiar name lighting up her screen. It wasn’t the name that was unusual. It was their message that had Anne’s mind spinning.
“What’s wrong, honey?”
Anne looked up, finding her mother across the room behind the counter. She was cleaning the menu sign and other surfaces, something they had to do every night. The movement was enough to snap Anne out of her stupor.
“Nothing,” she replied, quickly pocketing her phone again and picking up the dirty plates. “Just Marcy.”
“Oh, how is she doing?” Mrs. Boonchuy finally met her eyes, a smile on her face. “She sent me all these links a few weeks ago and then a tutorial on how to open them to read her picture book.”
“For the billionth time, mom, it’s a webcomic,” Anne chuckled. She carried the plates to the kitchen, her mom following. They had expanded a couple years ago so two of their employees were still cleaning up in there. “But yeah, Marce wants to visit in a few days.”
“Well, why do you look like that’s a bad thing?” Mrs. Boonchuy followed her to the sink. “You haven’t seen her in a while, right?”
Anne shrugged her shoulders, getting to work. “That’s true, it’s been at least a year.”
“But?”
She sighed. “But she said she and Sasha want to surprise me for my birthday. So, they’re both coming.”
Mrs. Boonchuy cocked her head to the side.
“Your birthday was six months ago, Anne,” she said slowly. “I know you’re not as close as you used to be but shouldn’t they remember that?”
Anne paused her work and considered her options. Her parents had always been her best friends and biggest supporters but she’d never told them the full story of her last day in Amphibia. They knew most of what had happened but maybe she left out a few details.
“Well, they want to celebrate the anniversary of when we came back home,” she explained. “It’ll be ten years on the day Marcy wants to fly out here.”
“What does that have to do with your birthday, then?”
Right. She did say that. But how does she explain to her mother that her friends want to celebrate the day her second body was created without revealing she kind of died once? She kept that a secret for a reason.
“Eh, it’s just a Marcy thing,” she finally settled on with a wave of her hand. “You know how she is.”
Thankfully, her mom seemed to accept that as an explanation. She patted Anne on the back.
“Make sure you guys come over for lunch or dinner, honey,” she said. “I haven’t seen Sasha since you two graduated.”
Anne glanced at her mother. “Yeah, even I have only seen her a couple times since.”
“That’s just life, isn’t it?” Mrs. Boonchuy said, busying herself around the kitchen. “For what it’s worth, I’m happy to hear you girls stayed in touch after all.”
The phone grew heavier in Anne’s pocket, the reality of the situation sinking in. She took a deep breath. “Yeah, me too.”
The anniversary of that fateful day arrived within the blink of an eye. One moment Anne was still pondering what these few days with her two - former? - best friends would be like. The more she thought about it, the more her initial apprehension and surprise got replaced by pure excitement.
In fact, she was so excited that she was first running late and then kept daydreaming about her friends at work. She’d seen some of their social media posts from time to time but it dawned on her that she didn’t even know what they looked like right now. Did Marcy finally cut her hair again? Did Sasha get all those tattoos she once dreamed of?
Finally, a group of school children stopped by, effectively distracting her. This was what she was meant to be doing. Her happy place. Well, her second favorite place in this universe but she didn't want to be sad today of all days.
In true Marcy fashion, her friends arrived a bit later than anticipated. When Anne caught sight of familiar blonde hair and the brightest dorky smile, she ran over to the two and wrapped them in her arms for the first time in years. She was hoping they didn’t see the couple of stray tears on her cheeks but it was likely a lost cause.
“I’ve missed you guys,” she mumbled into their shoulders, not caring if she was squeezing too hard. “So much.”
After a tearful hug - that lasted longer than some of the visitors were comfortable with - the three of them walked into the entrance hall together, standing shoulder to shoulder just like old times. Anne caught Sasha’s eye, her heart beating out of her chest at the grin on her face. They were really here, reunited at last.
“Soooooo,” Marcy bounced in front of them. “Are you still busy? When’s your shift over? Can you give us a tour? The last time I was here I was, like, seven.”
Anne chuckled. “I can show you guys around and then we can leave. My shift ended half an hour ag-”
“Wait!”
Next to her, Sasha nearly jumped a foot into the air. “What? What happened?”
Marcy held up a finger as she searched around in her bag while Anne and Sasha exchanged a confused look. With a triumphant laugh, Marcy then presented them with a familiar old polaroid camera.
“We have to take an updated BFF picture before we do anything else, you guys!” She declared. “I’m not taking no for an answer.”
Neither of them was good at saying no to Marcy but they did manage to convince her to at least wait until they’d left the aquarium. Anne had missed Marcy’s energy so much without even realizing it.
Within minutes, Sasha was carrying all of their bags while Marcy marveled at the exhibits and Anne trailed behind her. She asked Anne more questions than she could even answer at this point, considering her strengths were in the herpetology department and she was still learning.
After a while of wandering around, Anne got the three of them free food, courtesy of her staff discount. Well, technically she wasn’t supposed to just take what she wanted but today was a special occasion.
The fact that they had something to do instantly broke the ice, to be honest. Anne had been worried about awkward silences, especially with Sasha, but Marcy’s enthusiasm and her own work stories did the trick.
The layout of the aquarium meant they reached her home base, the amphibian exhibits, last.
Marcy pressed her face against the glass of the olm exhibit, her eyes sparkling as she took in their little habitat.
“I know we picked you up here but I’m only now noticing all these details,” she mumbled. “This is amazing, Anne!”
Anne waved her hand nonchalantly. “Oh, you know I had to pay tribute to them somehow. Only seemed fitting.”
“No way, you even got toads in here!” Sasha made a beeline for the dimly lit terrarium in the corner of the room. “Look at those ugly little guys.”
Anne and Marcy both made their way over to her, peeking around her shoulders. Marcy pointed at one of the toads perched on a small rock.
“Look, it’s Grime!”
“Oh, we just got him a couple weeks ago,” Anne explained. “Poor thing has an eye condition but he refuses to let that hold him back.”
She glanced at Sasha. She was staring at the toad, her brows furrowed and a frown on her face. Anne wasn’t sure how to interpret that.
“Actually, I was really thinking about naming him Grime,” Anne added slowly. “I thought it would give him a little bit of extra strength.”
Marcy wrapped her hands around Sasha’s forearm. “Oh, my gosh, that’s adorable! I didn’t know him that well but I’m sure he would appreciate that. Right, Sash?”
It didn’t matter how many years they’d spent apart or the rocky part that came before that. With one look, Anne could tell Sasha was struggling to cover up how the reminder of her mentor clearly upset her. Anne knew that bittersweet grief all too well. She felt it every time she designed a new exhibit with little nods towards Amphibia and the friends she hadn’t seen in so long. She tried not to overdo it but sometimes, she wondered what Sprig and Polly looked like now and what stories they would have to tell.
Marcy picked up on it, too. She frowned when Sasha didn’t answer her and looked to Anne for support. Anne sighed.
“I’m sorry, guys, I’m used to being here and reminiscing a lot but I can imagine it’s a bit more difficult for you two,” she said with a sheepish smile. “I know it’s not always easy to remember them.”
Sasha finally tore her eyes away from the injured toad, blinking a few times. She patted Marcy’s knuckles and gently removed her hands from her arm.
“It’s fine,” she sighed, already walking backwards towards the exit. “I knew what you did for a living but I wasn’t expecting this weird blast from the past.” She nodded her head towards the entrance hall and exit. “Let’s go, girls.”
As Sasha walked ahead, Marcy leaned over to Anne and whispered, “I guess some things never change. I don’t need a psych degree to see that.”
“Marcy!”
“What, it’s true,” she laughed, grabbing Anne by the wrist. “Come on, we have to catch up before she runs out of here.”
“I can’t believe you got me gifts,” Anne laughed, shaking her head. “I know we sometimes celebrated as kids but you never got me actual gifts. You don’t really think this counts as my birthday, right?”
Marcy pushed the presents right up to Anne across the table. “Nope, we have lots to celebrate on this day and that includes your rebirth. I don’t make the rules, that creepy cat god did.”
Sasha giggled, sipping on her drink. “I’ve already had this conversation with her so don’t bother. You have two birthdays, Anne.”
Anne snorted, feeling warm and fuzzy. She wasn’t really one to go out much, never had been. But it’s amazing how the right company can change things.
“Okay, then,” she said, digging around in the gift bag. “Oh, Marcy, this is so cute!”
She pulled out a box of frog-shaped chocolates and a little booklet with a pink frog and a singular yellow shoe on the cover.
“‘Anne-phibia - The Legend of Sprig,’” Anne read out loud.
“It’s an original comic, just for you,” Marcy explained. “Read it! Read it!”
As Anne flipped through the pages, her smile grew and grew. It was Marcy’s imagination retelling how she first met Sprig in Amphibia - fairytale style and 100% not even close to how it actually happened. By the end of it, Anne had to wipe away a few tears.
“I know you told me a few times how you met him but I wasn’t there so this is my version,” Marcy declared with a grin. “Do you like it?”
Anne nodded, reaching out to grab Marcy’s hand. “It’s awesome, Marce, and your art is so cool. Can I get this one as a sticker?”
She pointed at a little Sprig on one of the final pages.
"Yes!" Marcy instantly grabbed her phone and took sticker orders from Anne. "I can make some extra ones if you want."
“Well, I’m not as creative as our big-shot artist over here,” Sasha gestured at her gift, “but I hope you like this, too.”
Anne had no idea what she’d expected but a heavy scrapbook certainly wasn’t it. It had three gems on the cover: blue, green, and pink. When she opened it, she laughed out loud.
“Is this the full timeline?” Anne asked, touching the old picture of the three of them in kindergarten. “This must be one of the first pics we have together, right?”
Sasha nodded. “I even called them to ask for more. Turn the page.”
It was bittersweet, to be honest. Anne had enjoyed a lovely childhood, especially thanks to her friends. But she also remembered all the times they’d gone a little overboard on their adventures. The arguments, trouble with teachers, the pressure of making sure her friends had fun even at her own expense. It was a lot.
“Oh, my gosh, look at baby Sashy with all those scrapes and bruises,” Marcy said, scooting closer and pointing at another photo of just her and Sasha in elementary school. "Didn't you get into a fist fight with this boy?"
“You’re one to talk, Wu,” Sasha grinned. “Remember how Anne’s parents always had a never-ending supply of first-aid kits for the world’s biggest klutz?”
While the two of them bickered, Anne flipped through the rest of the pages, her smile disappearing when she reached their high school days. There were significantly less pictures, most of them not even having Marcy in them. She couldn’t visit nearly as often as they’d all hoped she would.
“Marcy gave me some of these screenshots,” Sasha said suddenly, showing Anne a picture of the three of them in a video call. “Still counts.”
“Thanks, Sasha, this is so sweet,” Anne told her. “I didn’t know you had that level of nostalgia in you.”
Sasha laughed. “Like I said, Marbles helped a little.”
Marcy took the book and flipped to the end of it. “I still can’t believe you two didn’t take graduation pics together. Or at least at prom. You looked so cute!”
Anne met Sasha’s gaze across the table, a question in her blue eyes.
“Oh, you know, senior year wasn’t our best year,” Anne said slowly, grabbing her drink. “I do regret not taking pictures together, though.”
That made Sasha perk up. “You do?”
“Yes?” Anne cocked her head to the side. “Don’t you?”
Sasha glanced at Marcy next to her. She was still nose-deep in the scrapbook, back to somewhere during their middle school days right now.
“Duh,” she said quickly. “I would do a lot of things differently. I thought you knew that, Anne.”
The statement lingered in the air a second or two too long. Marcy looked up, eyes darting back and forth between her two friends.
“Why are you guys being so intense?” she asked. She hesitated for a moment. “Is this about that fight?”
“I guess so.” Anne finally looked from Sasha to Marcy. “But that was a billion years ago. Let's focus on today.”
The three of them stared at each other.
“The older you get, the weirder you are,” Marcy said with a raised eyebrow. “And that’s coming from me.”
“Don’t be rude.” Sasha laughed and ruffled Marcy’s hair. “Man, this used to be a lot easier when you had short hair.”
Anne dug around in her purse to find the polaroid of the three of them from earlier today. She placed it at the first empty page, right after the last picture they’d taken together during senior year when Marcy came to visit. The blank pages after that stared back at her, almost daringly.
When she looked up again, Marcy and Sasha were ordering more drinks and grinning like idiots at each other. Anne had missed the joke but it didn’t matter. Maybe this could be a proper restart for them despite it all. This day might have been an intense emotional rollercoaster so far but maybe it’s natural. And adjustment period. They all had their own separate lives now, after all.
Maybe it was time to choose each other a second time.
“So, Sash, tell me about your least favorite kid from work.”