Chapter Text
"Wanna come over for a sleepover, Marcy? Sash is busy this weekend."
"Of course, Anne!"
Marcy replayed the exact moment that would lead to the predicament she happened to find herself in now. Annes head laying on her shoulder as they sat at the end of the girl in question's bed on the floor, video game controllers discarded as a couple of empty bowls occupied the floor. Anne had passed out while they waited for a new video game to load up, which didn't surprise the raveonette one bit, it was pretty late. The way that Anne could sleep in such an uncomfortable position was beyond Marcy - propped upright with a controller slack in her hands with her neck at an uncomfortable angle - but nonetheless she was still filled in the face with blush. She fiddled with her own controller in her hands before setting it down, and shifting positions slowly but steadily so as not to wake her friend. Marcy didn't have much strength in her weak nerd arms, so she opted for the next best thing. Lightly poking Annes freckled skin - God that's so cute - she managed to get her eyes to flutter up blearily, followed by a tired hum. She smiled to herself before reaching over and leading Anne up onto the bed, the half-asleep girl drowsily followed suit and lazily climbed up.
Marcy watched as Anne just crawled up the bed, and planted face first into a pillow, stomach facing down. She giggled to herself at the silliness of the action, before collecting some of the bowls off the ground and setting them on a nearby desk. She crossed the room again - taking note of how nice the soft texture of the carpet felt - and turned off the tv, painting the room in darkness. The only light that could be seen was from the fairy lights hanging around Annes room, which Marcy was grateful for, it made for a cozy atmosphere. Taking the hairclip out of her dark hair and setting it on the bedside table, Marcy was finally ready to join her friend and try to sleep. She climbed in bed and crawled up next to her sleepy friend, and smirked at the position she found her in. Head still in the pillow, and arms splayed out like some sort of starfish, light snoring could be heard; Marcy wondered how Anne could breath properly like that. Marcy reached over and firmly grabbed the sleeping girl's shoulder, and rolled her over as gently as possible, not wanting to wake her. Anne stirred just a bit, shifting positions and letting her body go limp with comfort. Adoration filled Marcys heart to the brim, and she grabbed the covers to pull over Anne.
Sitting there, she spent another minute taking in the sight next to her. In the dark, the only light touching Annes skin was the soft glow of the fairy lights, her now messy curls, the way her eyes gently fluttered in her sleep. Marcys chest squeezed with a fondness, and her face suddenly felt warm. She knew what she was feeling, she knew she was in love with Anne, her best friend. She's known for a while - how Anne makes her feel - and sometimes she makes her feel too much. Sometimes it's overwhelming and dizzying, but she loves it. And hates it at the same time. Anne is her friend, her best friend, someone she's known ever since she was just a little kid. Anne is a precious and beautiful part of her life, someone she loves so much it hurts, someone she would do anything for. Losing all of that over silly feelings would crush Marcy to her very core. The risk of losing Anne if she ever confessed was one that evoked a cold fear in her heart, one that won't go away for a while. The way she feels when Anne takes her hand, she knows Anne doesnt feel it too. The way she feels when they hug, cuddle, link arms, Anne doesnt feel it too.
She's just a friend to Anne, a best friend. The type of friend you tell your secrets to, the type to help pick out clothes, brush their hair and help them with makeup. Help them with romance troubles. Marcys heart ached- she knew she could never feel anything for anyone the way she felt for Anne. But Anne could feel something for someone other than her; and maybe that was okay. Maybe Anne deserved someone prettier, cooler. Maybe she was selfish for feeling this way, wanting something so much that wasn't even recuperated. It's a cruel and cold thought that has plagued her for some time, it makes her overthink and worry, and sit in a silent state of upset. It's something she's had to live with, the self deprecating dark cloud that's taken its place over her mind, right next to the fluffy pink cloud of love for Anne.
A deep sigh left her as she shook her head, trying to rid herself of the long monologue of depressing stuff that just bounced around in her skull. Trying to ignore the threat of tears welling up in her eyes, she took the covers and shuffled underneath, warmth enveloping her. She peered over at Anne one more time, and considered cuddling up to her for comfort, to feel her arms wrap around her and make her feel safe. It wouldn't be the same. Instead, she took an extra pillow and cuddled up next to that instead, holding it and turning on her side, back facing Anne. Fighting off some tears, she took steady breaths and soothed herself to sleep.
* * *
The dreamworld took her the moment she slipped into a comfortable sleep. Marcy found herself in a glorious pink dreamland, stardust littered the clouds, sparkling and shining in an ethereal way. She gazed around, taking in her beautiful surroundings, before she spotted a small room not far away. Curiosity urged her, and she began to maneuver her way towards it. Hopping and running on cloud after cloud - somehow able to stand and walk fine on them without falling through - she reached the doorway. Placing a hand on the doorknob, she opened the door to the mysterious room, and found herself standing in.. Anne’s room?
A perplexed expression crossed her features, how was she in Anne’s room right now? Her eyes darted around the area, trying to catch any obscurities, but to her surprise there were none. This room was completely normal. Except for one thing - the pink clouds outside the window. Strange.. She thought. Taking her eyes off the odd window, she turned her attention to the center of the room again - and to her surprise - Anne herself was standing there. Taken aback a bit, Marcy startled, not expecting Anne to just .. appear. Anne turned to her, and a beaming smile crossed her face. The type of smile that could outshine the sun, and make flowers grow. Feeling her heart flutter, Marcy attempted a crooked smile back, feeling fidgety and awkward but not in a bad way.
"Marcy!" Anne happily chirped, before running over and scooping the shorter girl in a hug. Marcy found herself being picked up and spun for a short moment before she was put down. She heard a giggle come from Anne, a sound that was so sweet it rivaled the taste of honey and candy. Marcy was about to focus on how giddy the giggling made her feel, when she noticed something odd about Annes voice. It was.. Echoey? Marcy was still in her arms after being set down, the feeling of the other girls hands on her waist made her stomach flutter. She looked up at the taller girl, and saw how sweetly and softly her gaze was. Anne was looking at her in a way nobody ever has - or maybe ever will - and she was certain her face was dusted with a deep pink blush. Anne reached over and brushed a stray hair behind Marcy's hair, and took both her hands. A small giggle escaped her again, before she gently dragged Marcy and sat her down on the side of the bed. Marcy wasn’t getting much time to process what was happening, but she wasn't complaining. Anne was acting different, but it was far from a bad different - it was a different that made her insides do flips.
Marcys face grew warm when she felt arms snake around her waist again, pulling her close. So close. Anne was gazing at her again - the same expression as before - full of nothing but adoration and love. "You're really pretty when you blush, Marbs." She said wistfully, in the same echoey voice again. It was so dreamlike and ethereal, and oddly beautiful. Marcy looked away bashfully, trying to contain her fits of giggles and giddy squirms. "Aw what? I wanna hear your laugh, no need to be shy Marbies!" Anne teased, a smile on her lips. "Well, guess i'll have to bring out your giggles myself!" Was the last thing Marcy heard before she was tackled down in a flurry of kisses being pressed all over her face. Laughter erupted from Marcy, so hard that she squealed and snorted; Anne was obviously enjoying herself as she continued to place an array of random kisses all over her very-pink face.
"Annie!!" Marcy squealed, a hand resting in the other girl's curls. Her stomach was doing somersaults and her heart just might beat out of her chest. This feeling was one of joy and giddiness the likes she's never felt in her life. Her best friend - and crush - kissing her until she was completely pink in the face and squealing with laughter. Marcy wanted this feeling to last forever, adoring the way her heart fluttered and her stomach buzz with butterflies. After a minute of a dizzying amount of kisses, Marcy was pulled upright, now sitting comfortably in Anne's arms. She felt Anne embrace her for a moment, as she buried her face in the raveonettes neck - causing Marcy to giggle - the breath on her neck slightly tickling her. Pulling away from the embrace, Anne moved her hands up to cup Marcys face, and gently rubbed a thumb across her cheek, causing Marcy to melt completely.
Feeling her heart in her throat, she looked up at Anne, and wanted nothing more than to press her lips to hers. Anne tilted her head a bit, a soft simile etching across her face. ¨I love you, Marcy.¨ A simple phrase that meant so much, meant more than just a shared saying between close friends. Marcy knew that, and with it came a tinge of dread in her heart - something told her this wasn't right. The world seemed to stop when Anne began to lean down, closer to her face, and all the doubt and dread suddenly became irrelevant to Marcy. All she could focus on was how close Anne was to her face, how their breaths were merging. Her breath hitched, and a moment later, Anne was kissing her. She was kissing Anne back. It was a moment of dizziness and stars, blissfully at peace against one another. Until it wasn't.
A jolt, and Marcy felt like she was falling. One second she was in the highest patch of clouds known to man, and the next she was falling out of the universe into a pitch black void.
* * *
A choked gasp filled the dark room as Marcy awoke from her dream. She sat upright in a hurry, wildly looking around the room to examine her surroundings in the waking world. Her gaze landed on Anne, still fast asleep next to her - Marcy silently thanked the gods she didn't disturb her. Her eyes stayed on Anne for a moment, as her mind recalled the events of the dream. A strange pink cloudy world, Anne's room, the affection and cuddling, the kiss. And then the fall. Marcy knew that something was slightly off about the atmosphere, that there was some impending doom or deeper meaning to all of it. Her eyes squinted as she thought about it, and finally came to a soul crushing realization. Her yearning for Anne materialized into a taunting dream, the fantasy she wanted to be true came into her subconscious.
It will never be real. Something in the back of her mind sneered. Marcy felt her throat close up and her eyes water. Anne wont ever hold her like that, or kiss her like that, or mean I love you in any other way than a best friend would, Those are all saved for someone else, someone better. Tears started to well up in her eyes as she let these thoughts fester, before she pulled her knees up to her chest and let it all out. She cried as quietly as she could, so as not to wake Anne. She lifted her head up and sniffled, rubbing her eyes. Letting a long sigh escape her, she swung her legs over the bed and got up gently and made her way to the bathroom of the house. Walking in and closing the door behind her, Marcy leaned against it and let out a shaky breath. I need to get it together, She scolded herself. Grabbing some toilet paper, she wiped her face off and blew her nose, before looking in the mirror to examine the damage. Eyes a little bloodshot but not that puffy, and no more tear stains. Good..
Turning off the bathroom light, Marcy headed back to Anne’s room, exhausted but unsure of whether she was willing to go back to sleep. She didn’t want to risk having another Anne-related dream - good or bad. Stopping in front of the door, she felt something soft rub against her legs; and looked down to see Domino. The cat purred and looked up at her, and she responded by reaching down and giving her a good scratch behind the ear. Marcy opened the door after a moment, letting herself and Domino in. Domino went over to a little cat bed and curled up to sleep. Stretching, Marcy went to the bed and laid back down, sleep calling to her again. She decided to lay back down, shifting uncomfortably around - not finding it easy to get comfortable. After a moment of laying there, she felt a warmth envelope her. Turning her head a bit to the side, she noticed one of Anne’s arms had flopped over her, as the girl in question hummed lightly in her sleep. Marcy felt her heart stutter and flip as Anne shifted closer to her, clearly still fast asleep but wanting to hold onto something nonetheless. This is real.. Marcy smiled to herself and let a comfortable warmth fill her body.
Not much could’ve prepared her for Anne sleep-cuddling her in the real world, but Marcy wasn’t complaining. She felt Anne scoot right up next to her, as the girl buried her head in her shoulder. Marcy embraced this affection the best she could, turning her head a bit to rest into Anne’s hair. She sighed, letting herself relax into Anne’s hold. The love she had for this girl was overwhelming, she just hoped that somehow Anne would feel the same way. She fell asleep like that, feeling safe and protected in her arms. Tonight might not have been the best, but at least she’ll get to wake up to Anne the next morning.
No more nightmares disturbed Marcy that night.