Chapter Text
Seeing Sasha again, after months of giant bugs and basement dwelling, had been indescribably relieving.
She clung to Sasha the entire night, desperate for something familiar and comfortable, until Sasha let go.
She could swear her blood turned from red to blue with the chill that consumed her. No matter how hard she clung to Sasha’s arm, when Sasha let go gravity yanked her away from Anne with no mercy. Her sweaty palms turned against her and before she knew it Sasha was falling.
Anne was ready to jump after her if Captain Grime hadn’t caught her.
Maybe it was that thought that left her breaking down on top of the unstable tower. It could just have well been Sasha using her again, or Sasha trying to kill her frog family, or Hop Pop almost getting assassinated, or all of that combined.
But on the Party Barge going back to Wartwood she realized what stood out the most in her swirling thoughts and feelings.
When Sasha let go, it felt like her whole world was falling with her.
She’s read of butterflies in your stomach and cherry red blushes, none of which she had, but she wasn’t (that) dense. She knew what this meant.
She really, really liked Sasha, and it would inevitably be her downfall.
“Hey.”
Sprig nudged her shoulder and motioned to the nearly empty barge. She must have zoned out for a while, considering the sun was coming up.
“We’re home.” Sprig said softly. Anne left all her thoughts of Sasha and toads and crushes on the floor of the Party Barge as she got up and followed Sprig off the barge and into town.
She involuntarily picked those thoughts back up again when she woke up screaming the next morning after seeing Sasha fall again in her dreams, but without the rescue from Captain Grime.
She panted heavily and reached for a hand that wasn’t there. Her arm trembled in air and her whole body shuddered as tears streaked down her face in rivers.
How could she have a crush on Sasha? Sasha who manipulated her constantly, who didn’t care about her feelings, who betrayed her, who tried to kill the Plantars. The same Sasha who hugged her when they reunited, who stood up for her against bullies, who was her friend, who fell for her .
Hop Pop pulled her out of her trance by slamming the basement trap door and hopping down the stairs as fast as his old body could go.
“Anne! Are you okay? What happened? Are the toads back?” Hop Pop looked her up and down and stopped on her face stained with dried tears and sweat. She missed the hot shower Sasha had for her already.
“I...” Anne struggled for an answer between her thoughts surrounding all the good and bad Sasha’s done to her. Mostly bad, but it was all done with good intentions, right? “I’m... it was just a dream, HP. Sorry for waking you.”
Hop Pop sat next to her on the bed. “Do you want to talk about it? And don’t call me ‘HP.’”
She chuckled wetly and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. She let her hand tremble in front of her as she stared at it.
“I have a crush on Sasha.”
Hop Pop sighed, like he’s seen this a thousand times and knew exactly how messed up she was. She couldn’t be with someone as toxic as Sasha. If their friendship was this manipulative, imagine what a relationship with Sasha would look like? She just had to ride out this crush until it went away naturally.
“But I can’t be with her. Not when she treats you guys like that.” Not when she would treat me like that.
She could see Hop Pop staring at her from the corner of her eye. She didn’t look away from her hand.
“Sasha’s not ready for a relationship while she still believes she’s above everyone. It’s up to you if you want to wait for her.” Hop Pop said, like a wise old sage or a weirdly accurate fortune cookie.
Was she willing to wait for Sasha? After everything she’d done to her over the years? All the lies and tricks, the petty theft and backhanded betrayal, the sword fight and the fall?
Looking at her hand she could still feel the tingle from Sasha’s touch even a day later.
Marcy was always the smart one, she thought as a small smile graced her face.
“I’ll wait. I think she’ll come around.” Afterall, if she had the strength to let go, maybe she had the persistence to hang on.