Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Artwork by Mayor Quigley on Discord.

Their twitter: https://x.com/MayorQArt

If you had told me six months ago that I would somehow manage to get a girlfriend, I would have looked at you funny before quickly filing a report for a missing mental patient.
Yet somehow, miraculously, here I sit, watching the girl I adore play her heart out for the entire school, knowing that I had helped her reach this point.
When her performance concludes, she’s left catatonic by the positive reception, so I man up and take my chance. I clamber onto the stage and lift her high overhead.
We lock eyes, I lean in, and press my lips against…

Nothing.

…

I scrunched up my face in confusion and leaned in further to find Fang’s snoot.

Nothing.

I opened my eyes and sure enough, Fang was nowhere to be seen. I had my arms around myself this entire time.

A quick review of my surroundings confirmed that I was still at prom, but rather than standing on stage above the noisy crowd of teenagers, I was on the gymnasium floor surrounded by the crowd of noisy teenagers.

Looking at the stage beyond the writhing mass of bodies revealed that the only thing on it was Reed’s unmanned DJ table which he had left in autoplay mode.

With the limited information I had at my disposal, I asked myself a depressingly hilarious question.

Had… Had I imagined Fang’s performance?

I was no stranger to daydreaming when it involved Fang, but the performance felt so real.

And where was Trish? Had I imagined eating with her too?

The millions of questions spinning through my mind were temporarily placed on hold when the music died down, and Principal Spears sauntered onto the stage.

“Alright everyone. Before we end tonight’s prom we have a couple of items to take care of.” The Neanderthal’s weighty voice filled the gymnasium from the speakers located in the upper corners of the room.

“The first thing is-” The principal pulls a tiny gold sheaf envelope from his lapel and holds it up for the audience to gawk at. “To announce Prom King and Queen.”

A few of the students are already congratulating Naser as he’s led by the arm by his handler.

Principal Spears looks to his left and clears his throat. “Drum roll please.”

Reed, no longer in his King Rex get up, stepped onto the stage, soundboard in hand.

Reed pressed one of the myriad of buttons on the board and produced a mediocre recording of a drumline that played over the gymnasium speakers.

“And your winners, for the one mil, twenty twenty class, aaaaaare…”

Everyone in the audience waited with baited breath.

Well, everyone but me of course.

“Naaaaaser aaaaand Naaaaoooomiiiiii!” Spears tosses the paper over his shoulder and yanks out the crowns from a pocket inside his jacket.

Our gargantuan principal backs out of the spotlight, giving a polite applause to the pair as they rush onstage to accept.

The rest of the class is in a celebratory uproar.

Spears offers the crowns to Naomi, who puts the larger one on Naser’s crest to droop off of, and then dons the tiara…

The whole moment is picturesque, just like Naomi wanted.

Naomi starts to recite her obviously prepared speech before Spears interrupts, much to her annoyance.

The entire display was a forgone conclusion, but I was still impressed that my earlier hallucination was able to render it in such vivid detail.

As I gave my subconscious a pat on the back, Principal Spears continued. “To close off this wonderful night, I’ve asked a student band to play a few bops for us. They’ve had their trials earlier in the year, but I think everyone deserves a second chance.”

Wait, what? Is there a band opening for Fang? I didn’t even know there was another band in the school.

“Please welcome, VVURM DRAMA!!!!”

Spears’ announcement was met with noticeably decreased applause.
Huh.

Were Trish and Reed really going to perform? I thought that Reed would have told Fang and me if they were, but then again he probably wanted it to be a surprise.

My fellow students started talking some mad trash, much like they did earlier this year.

A part of me silently cursed them for belittling my friend’s efforts, but I was mostly worried to see how they’d perform.

Would they even be any good with only drum and bass?

Moments later, Reed rolls his drums on stage using a dolly, and Trish follows soon after with her bass in hand.

And then Fang comes on with her bass as well.

Wait.

Wait what?

Fang’s sudden arrival hit me like a flashbang.

What happened to Fang taking a break for the band? Or her guitar? Or her dress?

Had she planned to do this the entire time and hadn’t told me?

For as impossible as this scenario appeared to be, it was happening.

My eyes lingered on Fang’s bass as the band finished their last-minute preparations,

For a brief moment Fang’s eyes locked onto mine.

I know what’s going to happen, but I wish I didn’t.

The band doesn’t bother introducing themselves. Instead Trish begins plucking at her bass.

It all went tumbling down from there.

Just like before, Fang’s bass sounds horrifically wrong, far too heavy. She’s a guitarist using a jazz bass, so of course it sounds horrid.

And then the vocals kicked in. Reed’s lyrical expertise was not on display here, no these sounded like they came from an edgy teenager’s Twitter page.

It’s horrific screeching, combined with the amelodious shredding on a bass creating a cacophony equal to hundreds of cats ritualistically sacrificed.

Then the jeering started.

The cautious cheers were replaced by a symphony of ridicule, circling me and filling the gymnasium like a hellish tidal wave.

The band’s already accepted their fate, both basses hanging limply from their shoulder straps.

Then a few students start chucking balled up tissues at their heads.

Reed puts a hand on Trish’s shoulder and the two duck out.

Fang stays a moment longer, the despair on her face made manifest through hot streams of tears.

And it’s then when I’ve had enough.

As I start shoving my way through the crowd towards the stage, I catch glimpses of Fang starting to leave, barely containing the thin veneer of a calm composure.

Then a student throws their red plastic cup of punch upstage.

It splashes against her head, drenching her suit in red dye and making her smash onto the floor.

“Fang!” I desperately call out to her when a few more food articles are thrown at her as she scrambles to get up.

Shakily, she tries walking off stage again, only to be met with another makeshift water balloon.

The back of her suit shines a dull red in the stage lights, and she struggles to not slip again.

I finally break free from the crowd of students and leap onto the stage. In an instant I shed my coat and drape over Fang’s trembling form.

“Fang? Are you hurt?” I ask, struggling to bite back the vitriolic hatred I felt for the crowd behind me. She didn’t respond.

Before I could ask again, a bellowing roar erupted behind me.

“ENOUGH!” Spears’ shout silences the room, save for Fang’s shuddering sobs.

I turn around to face the principal, who gives me a slow, expressionless nod.

After returning the nod, I returned my attention to Fang.

She was hyperventilating.

Slowly, gently, I wrapped my arm under Fang’s wings and helped her get up.

We slipped out the stage’s side door and into the darkened hallway.

When the door clicked shut behind us, Fang crumpled to her knees, and her sputtering breaths quickened.

I gasped and immediately knelt down beside her.

Fang pulled my jacket tighter around herself, gripping it so hard that her fingernails started to poke through the material and into her palms.

I couldn’t be absolutely sure from where I was kneeling, but I was certain she had drawn blood.

An eternity passed as I held the broken girl in my arms.

How did this happen?

Why did she lie?

A part of me tried to get angry, to shout at Fang for throwing away our month of practice just so she could go back to doing what Trish wanted.

But that part of me was instantly drowned in a sea of shame as I bore witness to her crumbling visage.

Words began to form in my mind, desperate attempts at regaining control of the situation.

“Are you okay?” No, she obviously isn’t.

“Just bear with it.” Fantastic idea Anon, just tell her to get over the most disastrous reception she’s ever endured.

“You still have friends.” Friends who were nowhere to be seen, friends who had abandoned her on the stage to fend for herself.

Since I found nothing reassuring to say, I stayed silent, and gently pressed my forehead against Fang’s.

She seized up for a moment when I made physical contact, but I could feel the tension in her muscles quickly ease as the seconds ticked by.

We remained kneeling on the floor for what felt like hours, the noise audible to me being Fang’s steadying breaths.

Long after my knees started to bruise, Fang spoke. “I didn’t mess up.”

“Hm?” I responded, pulling away from Fang so I could get a better look at her.

“I didn’t mess up, right Anon?” The fragility in her voice makes my heart ache, but there’s also something else in her words.

Something… off.

I carefully consider my words.

From my perspective she did mess up.

We had practiced for an entire month to ensure tonight’s performance went smoothly, and yet she had decided to throw all of that away in favor of what Trish wanted yet again.

Still…

Fang wouldn’t do that, not without reason.

Trish could have bribed her, threatened her, or heck Trish might’ve threatened me.

“Anon?” Fang’s trembling voice pulls me from my thoughts, her amber eyes pleading.

I finally respond by pulling her into my embrace, and resting my chin next to her crest.

“No. No you didn’t. You tried your best.” My words prompted a relieving sigh, and a worrying chuckle from Fang.

“ Yeah… yeah… it’s all their fault, right?” Was she placing the blame on Trish?

Fang’s tone sounded more malicious than sorrowful, so I asked just to be sure. “Whose fault?”

“Who else?!” Her mascara stained face twisted into a hideous snarl. “Naser and that- that-”

She trailed off, and my eyes widened in surprise.

Naomi? How on earth was this Naomi’s fault?

Before I could ask a follow up question, Fang continued, the sickening malice in her eyes burning brighter with every word. “Naomi. She ruined this. She caused this all.”

Fang sunk further into my jacket. “If she had never come into my life. If she was never around Naser. If-”

“Fang!” I said, a bit too loudly.

She froze, and fresh tears began forming in the corners of her eyes.

“Fang…” I said, softly taking her hands into mine.

I gently rubbed the back of her hands with my thumbs.

She wouldn’t look at me.

“This… This isn’t Naomi’s fault.” I miraculously managed to keep my tone soft yet firm.

Fang sputtered. “But she!-”

“But nothing, Fang.” I cut her off. “Listen, I know you're upset but this isn’t Naomi’s fault.”

Fang instantly raised her head, amber eyes burning, and teeth bared.

I let go of one of her hands and raised my own in a defencive gesture. “And it isn’t your fault either, it…”

It’s Trish’s fault.

“It just is.”

And the silence was deafening.

A dizzying spectrum of emotions danced across Fang’s face, most of them being some variation of extreme confusion.

Not wanting to sacrifice my momentum, I tightly grasped her hands once more, and intently leaned towards her face. “Fang?”

“...yes?” Her voice was barely a whisper.

“Can you do something for me?” No verbal response this time, Fang just nodded. “I need you to repeat after me.”

She waited with bated breath.

“It’s going to be okay.”

“I-It’s-” Fang choked as she struggled to get the words out. “It’s going. To be. Okay.”

Her words came out slowly, and she sounded uncertain.

I let go of Fang’s hands, and firmly placed mine on her shoulders.

We lock eyes, and I repeat the phrase with all of the certainty I can muster. “It’s going to be okay.”

After a few more deep breaths, Fang responds.

“It’s going to be okay.” Her voice was quiet, but she didn’t seem to force the words this time.

I give her the brightest smile I can and pull her into an embrace.

Slowly, Fang’s arms wrap around me, and she nuzzles her snout into my neck.

Her wings remain tucked behind her back unfortunately, I was quite looking forward to getting one of her signature downy double hugs.

I feel Fang snort into my cheek.

Her wings extend behind her, dropping my coat to the floor, and before I know it I’m enveloped in a heavenly cloak of feathery comfort.

“... Is that good?”

“Perfect.”

“Dweeb.”

Chapter Text

It was only after Fang and I stepped outside that I realized how late it was getting. 

The last rays of the setting sun had long since vanished, and the other students were spilling out the front entrance. 

While Fang had calmed down significantly, I didn’t want to risk her getting upset again, so we took the side exit to avoid any unwanted attention.

I checked my phone and was relieved to find that I still had a couple of hours left to get Fang home.

The ptero had her arms wrapped around one of mine, and was resting her head on my shoulder with a sleepy yet contemplative expression on her face.

“Hey Fang?” I said, placing my phone back into my pocket.

“Mm?” She replied, slightly tilting her face towards mine.

“Want me to ask Naser to give you a ride home?” Fang went stiff in response to my question, and her snout formed a disgusted sneer.

“No.” Her response was quick and harsh. 

I bit back a grimace. Turns out she didn’t quite accept it when I said that tonight’s fiasco was nobody's fault. 

But then again she probably doesn’t want to ride in the same car as Naomi.

“Then… Do you want me to call a cab?” I gently asked.

Fang went limp and her lips began to quiver. “... No.”

I frowned and placed my free hand atop hers. “I’ll ride with you, if you want.”

She tightened her grip around my arm, and hid her eyes with my shoulder. “I don’t want to go home.”

Oh boy.

Even after everything that had happened tonight, I clearly remembered Mr. Ripley’s deadline.

It hung over my head like a disturbingly golf club-shaped guillotine.

But in that moment, when I gazed down at the trembling figure clinging to my arm, every ounce of fear I felt washed away and was replaced with something else.

Something I had felt back when Fang had first visited my apartment but…

Stronger.

It was as if some ancient part of my brain had woken up, and was encouraging me to protect my mate with every fiber of my being.

“Slow down there Anon.” I told myself as I felt a furious blush begin to spread across my face. “You’re only dating.”

I shook the degenerate thoughts from my mind and got back to the topic at hand. 

“So…” I said slowly. While I was eager to invite her back to my place, she might’ve had other plans in mind, so for as much as it pained me to do so, I had to ask her. “...Do you want to stay over at Reed’s place tonight?” 

I carefully excluded Trish from the question, considering her to be a last resort.

Fortunately I didn’t have to mention the tiny tyrant, since Fang looked up to me and asked, “Can I stay with you tonight? Please?”

“Oh, yeah, sure.” I responded, trying and most likely failing to keep a goofy smile from creeping across my face.
I wanted to let Fang know that I was taking her situation seriously, and I didn’t want to undermine her feelings by acting like a spaz.

But I also couldn’t help but feel ecstatic at the fact that Fang wanted to stay at my place, with me, all alone.

Any desperate virgin in my place would have creamed his pants at the mere prospect.

Even so, I managed to avoid public ejaculation as I escorted my companion down the school’s lawn and to the curb.

I whipped out my phone and quickly dialed the taxi service.

It didn’t even ring for half a second, and before I could even get a word out the same driver from before answered. “Be there in a sec.” Then the line went dead.

…

A perplexed Fang asked, “Was that the same driver?”

“Yep.” I answered, no longer struggling to keep my face deadpan. 

Not bothering to sit on the curb, the two of us waited a whole thirty seconds for the beat-up taxi to peel around the corner and screech to a stop, leaving skid marks in the road that would make an Indie 500 racer blush.

The window rolled down and the raptor addressed us with a worried smile. “Hey you two! How’s-” His previous expression gave way to one of worry upon seeing the state Fang was in.

“Ah jeez.” The raptor turned to me. “Is she hurt? Are ya headed to the hospital?” 

I felt Fang tense up as the raptor spoke, but she didn’t say anything.

“She… It's been a long night is all. We won’t be needing a hospital.” Fang further constricted around my arm, and I could’ve sworn I heard a soft growl emanating from her beak.

But the driver spoke before I could consider it further. “Aight then boss, where to?”

“Just my apartment.” The raptor nodded upon hearing my request, and I opened the rear driver-side door for Fang.

“After you.” I said with a smile. 

Said smile quickly dissipated when I saw the irritated sneer that was resting on Fang’s face. “Is everything okay?” 

Fang scoffed. “Are you serious?” 

Her expression intensified, and I took an involuntary step backwards. “What? What did I do?” I asked earnestly

“You…!” She trailed off, and her eyes softened. “...It’s nothing. Let’s just go.”

Fang relinquished her hold of my arm, and slowly clambered into the vehicle.

I hesitantly followed soon after, and sat next to her.

The drive home was a silent affair, the raptor never once tried to play something over the radio, and his interactions with us were limited to the occasional nervous glance at the rearview mirror.

At the start of the trip, Fang was leaning against the window, doing nothing other than watching the lights of nearby buildings streak past us.

Occasionally she’d glance at me, expression conflicted, only to turn away when she saw me looking back.

It was obvious to me that something new had started bothering her.

Was it how the driver spoke to us?

He seemed fine to me, more than fine in fact, he was downright gentlemanly compared to the other two times he gave us a lift.

Whatever the reason was for Fang’s distance, it didn’t matter for long, since halfway through the drive Fang stopped leaning against the window to sit up straight.

I turned my head to her, raising a quizzical eyebrow.

She didn’t look at me, and sat perfectly still save for the occasional bump in the road.

Thinking nothing of it, I returned my eyes to the road ahead of us.

Unbeknownst to me, Fang had started to tilt to her right, albeit very, very slowly.

I only noticed her approach when a few stray locks of her hair made contact with my shoulder.

A smile spread across my face as I closed the gap between us, allowing me to rub my shoulder against hers.

Fang let out an adorable, “Oop!” when I made contact and went stiff, which elicited a snicker from the front.

I gave the driver a dry look through the rearview mirror.

He returned my gaze but said nothing, his nervous smile still present, but his eyes shined with a degree of humor.

I rolled my eyes and returned my attention to my feathered companion, who had eased herself onto my shoulder.

Our fingers intertwined, and the rest of the ride home was spent in blissful silence.

Thankfully, the driver had taken us all the way to my apartment complex, even though he wearily eyed every alleyway we passed.

Fang gingerly removed herself from my side and clambered out the car, keeping my coat wrapped tightly around herself.

I followed suit and turned to the driver side window, but before I could pull out my wallet the driver held up a hand and shook his hand. “No need for that boss. It’s on the house.”

While a part of me was eager to further exploit his generosity, I shook my head at his gesture and reached for my wallet. “Thanks, but I insist. You already gave us a free ride tonight so this is the least I can do.”

The driver raised his eyebrows in surprise, and graciously accepted the money. “Why thank you boss.” He slightly leaned out the window so both Fang and me were in his field of vision. “You two have a good rest of your night, okay?”

I gave him an okay sign and Fang nodded gingerly before the driver slid back into his car, and peeled away into the night.

While our trek up the stairs felt like an eternity, we eventually stepped foot into the relative comfort of my tiny apartment. 

Fang excused herself and made her way to the bathroom to clean up, and I made quick work cutting up my spare dress shirt to accommodate Fang’s wings and tail.

I knocked on the bathroom door. “Fang? I uh, fixed up a shirt for you, if you want it.”

Through the door I heard a muffled, “Thank you.” before it opened, revealing Fang’s outstretched hand. 

Even though she was probably still wearing her suit, I averted my gaze as she seized the article of clothing. 

The bathroom door closed once more, and I was left alone in my apartment.

My limbs felt itchy remaining still, so I put them to work tidying up the main room. 

Bits and pieces of garbage were thrown away, dirty clothes returned to their hamper, and the bed was made to the best of my ability. 

My impromptu room cleaning service came to a halt when I heard the bathroom door open.

Fang was a mess.

Her long silver hair was unkempt and damp, slight bags marred her amber eyes which were now void of makeup, and my modified dress shirt hung loosely over her slender frame.

Beautiful.

A bit of warmth returned to her eyes, and a bashful smile graced her beak as she wrapped her arms around herself.

I returned the expression and wordlessly gestured to the now tidied bed.

The tired pterosaur dragged her feet across the wooden floor, and unceremoniously flopped onto it. 

I moved to turn off the lights, but Fang called out to me before I could. “Wait! I…” I looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “Can you leave it on? I-I don’t want to go to sleep yet.” She punctuates her words by trying to hide her face in my pillow.

My eyebrows knit together and I frowned. 

Her statement worried me, but I pulled my hand away from the lightswitch regardless. 

Instead of laying down beside Fang, I plopped down near the foot of the bed, propping my arms on top of my knees and intertwining my fingers together. 

An empty silence fills the air, interspersed only with our soft breathing.

I crane my neck slightly towards Fang.

She greets me with a grateful smile, yet there’s an undeniable fragility to it.

“Uh, does it fit okay? Did I make the holes big enough?” I ask.

Fang nods her head in response, and starts idly playing with her hair. “So… what now?”

That’s a good question actually.

I turned my attention to the floor, and tried my best to organize my thoughts.

The first and most obvious thing to come to my mind is the concert.

It was disastrous, awful, rotten in every conceivable way. 

Fang decided not to use her song, that she wasn’t actually taking a break from the band, and that she was going to use a bass instead.

But none of that really mattered to me.

What mattered was that Fang had lied about it.

Why wouldn’t she tell me?

Did she feel as if she had to keep me separate from the others? That if I started talking to them again, she would have to pick a side?

Millions of thoughts spun around in my head like particles in a supercollider.

One such thought migrated to the center of my brain, and demanded my attention.

“We’ll never know for sure why she did anything if we don’t ask.” It said.

The thought of asking her was reasonable enough on its own, but when including context it sounded absolutely terrible. 

However bad I was feeling about the situation, it undoubtedly paled in comparison to what Fang must be experiencing.

She had just been publicly humiliated, again. And worse still, her friends weren’t even there to take the fall with her. If she didn’t feel bad about lying before, she probably was now.

And we’re both tired too.

Attempting a confrontation now would likely result in either tears, or screaming, or both.

We’ll address the concert once we’ve both gotten the chance to rest.

Having settled that, I selected another, more relaxing course of action for the night.

“Hey Fang.” I asked, turning to look at her once more.

“Yes Anon?” Fang replied, her meek smile was replaced by an eager one as her tail began lightly tapping against my bed.

I gestured towards the television opposite us. “You wanna watch some wire-fu movies?”

Fang’s smile faltered, and her tail stopped wagging. She looked… disappointed? 

Before I could ask her what was wrong, Fang stiffened, and her smile widened to a size that was almost uncanny. “Yeah, sure. That sounds good.”

I tiled my head. “You sure? We could do something else if you want.”

The pterosaur hastily shook her head. “No, I’m sure.” She let out a weary chuckle. “Sorry if I’m acting weird, I’m just out of it is all.”

“Alright.” I said, letting loose a brief chuckle of my own before getting to work setting up our entertainment for the evening. 

My work started with a quick search of the desired film on a “””perfectly legal””” website.

I put it on full screen while letting the opening credits roll, then I moved to the part of the entertainment center that held my Xrox.

Occasionally I’d spot Fang curiously watching me grope around the behind of my console. “What’re you doing?” She eventually asked.

“Just giving us a better viewing experience.” I replied, finally getting hold of and unplugging the HDMI cable.

I pushed the wire up to where the TV was situated, then I placed my chair next to the center, and rested my laptop in the seat.

From there all I had to do was plug the cable into the laptop, turn on the tv, and voila!

An establishing shot of a dojo that was simultaneously on fire, and underwater appeared on the bigger of the two electric screens.

With an exaggerated swagger to rival triceratops teen, I turned to Fang and presented my handy work the way an auctioneer would with his wares.

She seemed unimpressed, only reacting to the display with an arched eyebrow and dry smile. But her tail had started wagging again, so I’ll count it as a win.

Fang raised no alarm when I turned off the light this time, her half-lidded amber eyes now solely  focused on the riveting tale unfolding in front of her.

I followed her example and made my way to the side of the bed.

My attempt to sit down on the floor was halted when Fang’s foot prodded my back. She scooted closer to the edge of the mattress and patted the spot behind her, moving her wings out of the way when she did so.

The gesture warmed my heart, and brought a smile to my face, so I wasted no time assuming my position behind her.

Once I was comfortably situated, I attempted to wrap my arms around her stomach, which required that I slide one arm beneath her.

She let out a sharp yelp when my fingers prodded her side, and I withdrew my arms. “Oh! Sorry! I didn’t-”

My apology was cut short when Fang reached back, grabbed my hands, and forcefully pulled them around herself. “Nuh-uh, you stay right there.” She said in a playful tone.

I resigned myself to my horrible fate by scooching closer to my companion and resting my chin atop her head and next to her crest.

The movie I picked was of little importance, it was your run-of-the-mill story about a young Bigfoot being wrongfully banished from his tribe of aquatic fire-breathing cryptids for a crime that was actually committed by his rival, Mermaid Mothman. Since he is no longer accepted anywhere under the sea, Bigfoot seeks aid in the mountains of the mystical land of Wyoming where he encounters Not-Miyagi. Not-Miyagi teaches Bigfoot the secret art of explosion-fu, which is exactly what it sounds like, and Bigfoot returns to his kingdom and is able to beat Mermaid Mothman and get back together with his girlfriend who only appears in the last minute of the film.

You know, standard stuff.

What really consumed the entirety of my attention was the beautiful girl wrapped in my arms.

Fang held my hands tightly, but also carefully positioned hers so she wouldn’t cut me with her claws. I used my thumb to trace circles on the back of her hand, which earned me a satisfied hum from the ptired ptero. 

Wondrous bolts of electricity were sent directly into my nervous system whenever my skin made contact with her scales.  

Occasionally I’d move my chin from atop her head so I could smell her hair. It still smelled faintly of fruit punch from the cup that was thrown earlier tonight, since she never got the chance to properly shower. But I couldn’t help but be completely enraptured by the scent.

Everything about Fang’s presence put me at ease. 

And I hoped more than anything that my presence was doing the same for her.

An hour and thirty minutes later, and our fantastical entertainment draws to a close with our hero victorious, and the villain defeated.

Fang let loose a high pitched yawn, causing me to chuckle. “...What’re you laughing at?” She asked. Her words were slowed and dreary, but she managed to make her annoyance very much apparent.

“You yawn like a kitten.” I said while blindly grabbing for the tv remote. I could’ve sworn I had left it somewhere on the bed.

Fang grumbled at my remark as she turned herself around to face me. “I’ll cut you like a kitten.”

“Is that right?” I replied, not even trying to hide the smile in my voice.

“Mmhm.” Fang punctuated her statement by wrapping her arms around my neck and burying her face in my chest.

Well, as much of her face as she could without her snoot getting in the way.

Ah! There it is! I quickly turn off the tv and cast the remote to the side, before enveloping Fang in an embrace of my own.

We melt into each other.

The empty room was filled with the sounds of our satisfied humming and playful giggles as we shifted to and fro, trying to find the most comfortable position.

Fang finally ceased all movement when she found herself directly on top of me. “Here’s good.” She says plainly, wrapping her arms around my torso and worming her hands between my back and the mattress.

My heart skipped a beat. “Y-you sure?” I asked, praying to whatever deity would listen that Fang didn’t notice the danger that was slowly rising in the nether regions. 

Thankfully she didn’t notice, and simply rested her head against my breast, saying nothing more about the matter.

For a moment I thought I would never be able to get some sleep with Fang pressed against me like this, but as the seconds ticked by, and the warmth from her downey wings spread across my upper body, I felt my heart beat slow to match hers.

And I slipped comfortably into the void.

My dreams were mostly peaceful, save for Fang and her aquatic doppelganger circling me. They swam in water I couldn’t see, chuckling at my expense. I tried to smile, but my face wouldn’t move. 

The void takes me again.

I was eventually pulled from my blissful abyss by the pale light of dawn, and a horrendous rumbling sound. 

My heavy lids opened to reveal that Fang was the source of the noise. She was snoring, violently, and I could tell from the wetness of my shirt that she had been drooling on me.

The display brought a chuckle to my lips, and while I knew I should probably leave her be, I couldn’t help but scratch behind her crest. Fang’s snoring faltered, and for a terrifying second I thought she had woken up. 

But fortune smiles upon me this morning. Fang just smacked her lips and shifted her head so that her snoot pointed towards my left, snuggling closer to me as she did so.

My heart melted to putty, and I continued caressing her crest, and running my hand through her hair.

You know what? Eff school. We’re staying right here all day.

For several heavenly minutes we laid there, beholden to no one but each other.

Then, like a battering ram reducing the door of a holy chapel to splinters, reality came knocking in the form of a buzz from my phone.

I paused the morning crest scratches and gently reached for my pocket, which was obscured by a layer of pterosaur feathers. 

The device’s screen lit up, and I grimaced upon seeing the low battery percentage. Given everything that had happened, it never occurred to me to plug it in last night.

My grimace only worsened upon seeing who the message was from.

Mr. Ripley.

Upon hearing that I would be taking Fang to prom, he had insisted that he get my number to ensure we: “Don’t commit to any more degeneracy.”

Not exactly sure how he intended to do that with just my number, but if anybody could kill someone through a text, it’d be Mr. Ripley.

He had filled my text history with all manner of expletives and threats against my person, as well as questions about Fang’s whereabouts. 

I figured this is what I’d be getting myself into when I didn’t take Fang home last night, so there weren’t any tears on my part. I just hoped that Fang wouldn’t get punished too harshly. It's the last thing she deserves after last night.

Whatever the end result, that’ll have to wait until later.

I sighed and dropped my phone onto the bed, while absentmindedly using my other hand to rub Fang’s back. Fang let loose another feline yawn before slowly opening her eyes.

She looked up to meet my gaze, and a soft shade of crimson spread across her cheeks. “Nice bedhead.” I said, my face cracking into a humorous smile. 

Fang only smiled and grunted in reply, and she closed her eyes again. “Are you feeling any better?” I asked.

New tears began forming in the corners of her eyes. Fang nodded and tightened her grip around my torso. I reciprocated, draping one of my arms over her and wiping away her tears with the other. 

“That… That sucked.” Fang spat. “I felt like I was going to throw up.”

I physically recoiled. “Oh shoot, do you need to?” 

Fang pushed herself up and away from me, frantically shaking her head. “Oh no no no! I meant last night, I’m not actually going to… You know.” She smiled apologetically

“Oh.” I chuckled awkwardly. “That’s a relief. What do you…” I trailed off, noticing something very, very distracting.

Either Fang hadn’t bothered with it all the way, or it had disconnected while we were sleeping, but the top button on her borrowed shirt was undone, revealing her collarbone.

As well as some of her, uh…

Fang must have noticed my growing blush, and her face started to burn brighter than mine once she saw what I was looking at.

"Sorry.” I said, hastily averting my gaze to the ceiling. Fang said nothing and sat down, pressing all of her weight directly on top of me.

I clenched the muscles in my chest to keep myself from squealing. I-Is she doing this on purpose? 

No, no, don’t be an idiot Anon, she just needed to sit down so she can button up her shirt, that’s all.

See? You can hear her fiddle with the button now. 

And another one.

…And another one.

Once the noise happened a third time I looked back down to find that Fang was doing the exact opposite of buttoning her shirt up. The sight of her exposed scales sent my heart into overdrive.

Several incoherent sputters escaped my mouth before I was able to formulate anything coherent. “W-W-What’re you doing?”

Fang paused what she was doing and looked at me, eyebrows arched, mouth slightly agape. After several seconds had passed she turned her head to her shirt, then back to me, then back to her shirt again.

“...Is this a trick question or something?” She asked, turning to me one last time. 

A few more unintelligible sputters escaped my mouth. 

Fang let out a soft exhale. Her expression was hard to discern, her mouth was curled up in a bemused smile, but her eyes… 

The pterosaur leaned forward. Even through my clothes I could feel the tantalizing texture of her scales as she pressed her body against mine.

We kissed, or rather, she kissed me.

Unlike the tender few that we had shared before, this one was rough, hungry. 

Her long tongue wormed its way between my lips and into my mouth, exploring every inch of it. I would have gagged were I not paralyzed with shock and excitement.

My hands instinctively wrapped round Fang’s waist and I pulled her closer to me, while she wrapped her arms beneath my armpits and caressed the back of my head.

All of my prior hesitancy was washed away by the fiery heat of passion.  

We eventually separated for air, a thin string of saliva briefly connected our lips together before breaking. Fang bit her lip, but her eyes still looked strange, like there was little more than raw instinct behind them.

I swallowed. 

Even though I felt a little stupid for doing so, I had to ask. “Are… Are you sure about this?”

She scoffed, the noise dampening my excitement. “Of course you dork.” Her response reinvigorated me, but before I could say anything else she withdrew her hand from behind my head and started running a finger along my collarbone.
“I just… Want to put last night behind us.”

My heart sank. “Oh.” 

Fang raised an eyebrow and let out a huff. “‘Oh’, what?”

“Nothing. I just…” Just what?

What she said made sense, right?

 It’s normal for people to find comfort in each other after something bad happens, that’s what we’ve been doing all night.

So why did this feel so… Wrong?

After about a minute of silence, Fang softened her expression before leaning in for another kiss.

I stopped her, firmly placing both hands on her shoulders. “Anon?” Fang asked, a mixture of pleading and frustration in her voice.

My muscles moved on their own, pulling myself from under Fang so I could sit upright while facing her.

Quivering amber eyes scanned me up and down, pleading, no, demanding an answer.

“Fang…” I addressed her slowly so I had time to collect my thoughts. The pounding of my heart had slowed significantly, and suddenly Fang’s advances didn’t seem so appealing.

Sex. Fang wanted to have sex with me. A few months ago the prospect had seemed impossible. And yet, the opportunity was just an arm’s length away.

Was I being selfish? Fang had done so much for me during my time at Volcano High. She had helped me make friends, provided me companionship, showed me that there were parts of life outside of my bubble that were worth living.

That it was worth my time to become a man.

And now she was going to give me another new experience, but I was rejecting it just because I wasn’t getting it exactly the way I wanted to.

No… no there was more to it than that. The words of a man far wiser than I came to the forefront of my mind.

“The secret is support!”

Right. Support. I couldn’t fix her problems for her, she needs to do it herself. And doing that meant she couldn’t ignore her problems either. 

I needed to know why she lied.

“Lied?” 

…

The word hung over our heads like an acidic rain cloud threatening to disintegrate us. 

Fang looked taken aback, and I cursed my stupid mouth for slipping up at the worst possible time. 

Then again, I was going to confront her about this anyways.

I moved my hands from her shoulders and took her hands, trying to keep my expression and tone as understanding as possible. “I’m not upset that you lied, I just want to know why you did it.” 

Fang contorted her face further, partially revealing her teeth. “Lied about what? What are you talking about?”

“You- wait what?” Her response baffled me. I could detect no hint of a lie in her words. “T-The concert, you played with Trish, and Reed.”

Fang looked at me as if I had just laid an egg. “Oookay? Where’s the lie?” 

“Didn’t you say you were taking a break from the band?” I asked, my voice shaking more than I’d like to admit. 

Fang rolled her eyes. “Dude, that was like, a month ago.” She paused to stretch her back and button up her shirt. “Besides, we apologized right after.”

“Wait, ‘we?’ Since when?” Sure I had apologized to Trish for being a bad friend, but when had Fang? And why? She didn’t have anything to apologize for.

Once Fang had finished buttoning up her shirt, she eyed me quizzically. “Are you okay? You’ve been acting weird since… Well since last night.”

I started to answer, but was stopped by… Something. 

Something wrong.

 “Just answer the question.” I eventually said, pushing the something to the back of my mind. “Please.”

The ptero’s suspicion gave way to worry, but she continued. “We apologized right after the presentation. Or at least I did. You apologized after our date at the museum.”

“Museum.” The word felt nasty coming out my mouth. “You mean the aquarium.” 

“What? No we-” Fang cut herself off, then burst into laughter. There was little mirth in the sound, it was more mocking than anything. “Now I get it!”

One of my eyes twitched. “Get what?” 

Fang grabbed a hold of her beak, trying and failing to keep herself from laughing. “You, you were mumbling in your sleep last night.”  Her sudden euphoria became less pronounced. “I heard you say something about me being a dolphin. I’m pretty sure you imagined us being in an aquarium.” She chuckled again.

My face remained emotionless. 

The something grew bigger.

“...Hey, c’mon that’s funny.” Fang tried her best to put on a confident smile.

“No. No it isn’t.” My knuckles started to hurt, and I realized that I had been clenching my fists. “We went to an aquarium for our first date, Fang.”

“Anon-” 

I cut her off. “You didn’t want to go at first until you saw the turtles.”

Fang arched her eyebrows. “...The turtles?”

“The turtles Fang!” She lurched away from me when I yelled. I swallowed, and forced my breathing to slow. “You were really excited about the turtles. Here-” With a trembling hand I picked my phone from off the mattress. “-let me show you.” 

Fang said nothing as I frantically opened the photos app. It wouldn't be hard to find, I had left it at the top of my favorites album after all.

…

“...Anon?” I paid her no mind as I rapidly navigated to the recents album. Photo after photo after photo after photo after photo after photo after photo after-

  Fang yelped as my phone clattered to the floor.

“Anon, what's wrong?” I didn’t look at her, but I knew that her eyes were welling up with tears. 

The something was everywhere now. I couldn’t see. I couldn’t breathe. “It’s gone.”

A trembling hand is placed on my shoulder. “What’s gone? Are you Okay?” The owner of the hand asked me.

“No. No I am not.” I spat.

The hand tightened its grip on my shoulder, and the voice began to choke. “Why?” The voice asks, like it had been over and over again.

As if it didn’t know.

“Why!?” A scream filled the room, and the hand let go.

My head snapped towards the voice, a hazy figure sitting opposite me.

“Because you won’t stop lying to me! That’s why!” The figure tensed beneath my fingers.

It said something. 

I didn’t hear what.

“What did she tell you? How is she making you-”

Fresh pain blossomed on my cheek.

I was facing the TV now. 

Slowly, one of my hands pressed against the wound.

It was wet.

I turned to my right.

There was no hazy figure, only Fang.

She was cradling her hand. 

She was crying.

I tried to speak, to reach for her, but she swatted my hand away. “Don’t.”

She turned away from me, lips quivering. 

She muttered something, then got up, and walked past me.

I continued to stare at the space she once filled.

The bathroom door slammed shut behind me.

… 

Chapter Text

Did I…

And she just…

She wasn’t lying. In spite of everything I knew to be true, she wasn’t lying.

And if she wasn’t lying, then that means…

No. Don’t think about that. You need work. Work on something, anything. 

I had finally realized that the shower was running, which also made me realize that Fang didn’t have anything appropriate to wear.

That. Work on that.

I picked my phone from off the floor, and navigated to my contacts, all while ignoring the cracked screen.

Naser had left a series of messages last night, most of which were warnings about what Ripley had sent me. 

My eyes lingered on the last message.

Naser: Is Fang with you? Please tell me. 

I hesitantly typed a reply.
Anon: Yeah shes with me

His response was instant.

Naser: Are they hurt? Where are you?

Anon: Shes fine were at my apartment

Naser took a lot longer to type out his next message.

Naser: Are they coming home?

Anon: I dont know

Naser: I see.

I expected him to send more, but nothing came. After maybe two minutes of waiting, I finally sent my request.

Anon: Fang doesnt have anything to wear her outfit got covered in juice

A minute passes.

Naser: I see. What’s your address?

He’s been to my apartment before, several times in fact.

Unless I-

Shut up. Just tell him.

Once I had sent him my location, he let me know that he’d be here in thirty minutes. Before I could tell him thank you, my phone went dead.

I was alone again. I dragged myself to my feet and got undressed. The old dress shirt had left lines in my skin where Fang had pressed herself against me last night.

Now in a fresh set of clothing, I began to leave my apartment, but I stopped by the bathroom door.

Beneath the sound of running water, I could hear that Fang was crying.

I wanted to hit someone, preferably myself. Why did this have to happen? Why had I let her down when she needed me most?

Enough with the pity. You don’t deserve it. Now make yourself useful and go wait for Naser.

I did as instructed. 

A thick fog had consumed Skin Row, making it look all too similar to my first day of school.

There were no benches next to my apartment so I settled for sitting on the curb. My erratic thoughts were kept at bay by the constant drumming of my fingers and the tapping of my foot. Should I mutter as much as Fang says I do, I probably looked like a schizo.

Fitting, considering that’s exactly how I felt.

After roughly thirty minutes of waiting, a beat-up sports car drove into view, traveling much faster than it probably should.

The Nascar skidded to a halt a few feet away from me, splashing a bit of dirty water onto my jeans. I paid the wetness no mind as I got to my feet and came face to face with Naser. 

His amber eyes seemed drained of color, and heavy bags had formed beneath them. It wouldn't surprise me if he didn’t get any sleep last night.

Words tried and failed to form in my throat. Naser deserved a thank you, and an apology, yet I just couldn’t do it.

Naser looked at me a moment longer before averting his gaze. The ptero then dragged his feet to the trunk.

He cracked it open and retrieved… A suitcase.

A horrible, gut wrenching thought filled my head. “I-Is he kicking her out?” 

Naser pulled up the case’s extendable handle, and gave me a dry look which instantly relieved me. Of course Ripley wasn’t kicking her out, if that was the case then why would he ask me where she was.

But then Naser said something else. “So, Fang isn’t running away?”

My blood ran cold. “No. W-Why would she run away?”

His shoulders sagged as he let out a massive sigh. “I’m honestly surprised it took them this long to do it,” Naser turned his back to me and leaned on the trunk after closing it.

Silence fell over the two of us, interspersed by the roaring sound of blood in my ears.

Ask him. You need to know.

“What…” I swallowed. “What happened?” 

Naser tilted his beak in my direction without fully facing me. “You mean aside from prom? Everything honestly.” His shoulders sagged some more, so much so that I feared they might fall off.

“She- Fang and dad are getting into fights almost every night now. They hardly eat anything from what I can tell. And…” Naser had sunk further and further with every word, finally coming to a rest by sitting on the ground. “They don’t even yell at me anymore…”

I had to strain my ears to hear that last bit, but when I finally registered what all he had said every cell in my body went rigid. It hurt, but I forced my vocal chords into submission. “But you made up.” I croaked.

There was a long pause. I just stood there, fists clenched, eyes trained solely on the foggy street behind Naser’s car. The ptero slowly got to his feet, leaning on the trunk for support, and looked me dead in the eye. “What gave you that idea?”

“The presentation, my apartment.” Each word shook more than the last, my lungs fought to supply me with the air each word needed. “You brought me here to help Fang.”
Naser arched his eyebrows. “This is the first time I’ve been here, are you-”
I vomited.

“Oh. Oh, shoot!” Naser shouted before scrambling around the car and over to me. I was on my knees, ignorant to the liquid sick between them. The pterosaur pulled a small sealed packet of wet wipes from the inside of his coat, tore it open, and made quick work cleaning the residual liquid from my lips

“Are you okay? Are you having trouble breathing?” Naser’s questions were only met with ceaseless muttering, incomprehensible even to myself. 

Naser grabbed my shoulders, causing me to stiffen, and slightly shook me. His beak opened and closed, but nothing understandable came out.

Was… Was I dying? The last time I felt anywhere near this bad was when Naser confronted me in the auditorium. Has that even happened? Has any of it? Layers upon layers of sickly black tar rose around my person, constricting me, suffocating me, taking everything away from me-

Fresh pain blossomed across my cheek.

A loud smack rang out across the street, leaving a silence in its wake.

“Oh, oh crap! Sorry!” Naser’s panic stricken voice shook me from my delirium. I managed to make eye contact with him.

He was kneeling above me, and the way his face was angled seemed… Familiar.

There! Grab hold!

So I did, not just to Naser’s shoulders, but the memory that had just resurfaced. “When, when, when-” Was all I was able to get out as my fingers dug further into Naser’s jacket.

The ptero nodded frantically. “Yes? What is it?” 

“When did I get here?” It was a struggle not to stumble over my words, but I managed. 

Naser knit his eyebrows. “You mean outside? I don’t-”

“Stupid!” My shout silenced him and I instantly backtracked. “Sorry! Sorry. I meant school. When did I first get to school.”

Naser’s defensive stance lessened slightly. “Oh, uh…” He looked up, and began silently counting to himself. “January sixth, I think? Maybe the seventh?”

And just like that, the tar began to dissipate. “What happened that day?” I asked with a sigh. 

Naser tilted his head. “Are you alright man?”

“Just answer the question please.” I replied, already tired of hearing that reaction.

“...Okay.” He answered hesitantly, and began rolling his tongue around in his cheek, deep in thought. “Naomi and I found you sitting on the old bench on the side of the school. She gave you an introductory pamphlet and-”
“Did it break?” I muttered. 

He blinked and recoiled a bit. “What?”
“The bench. Did it break?” I replied, my voice the clearest it’s been all morning.

Naser nodded slowly, eyes locked on to mine. “Yeah, it did.”

I nodded to myself. Already it seemed as if the world around me was coming into greater focus. The corners of my vision began picking up details that had been obscured by the fog up until this point.

Even so, I prodded Naser, who agreed to continue. 

He recounted my early days at Volcano High. 

The concert and its disastrous reception. 

My cardboard imitation of a pizza, Naser’s valiant sacrifice. I still owe him for that one…

We ended up leaning against the Nascar as he continued walking me through what he knew about my time at school. 

Everything seemed to line up, until he got to the venue hunt.

“After about ten minutes or so we decided to check up on you guys, but you just dipped.” There was a hint of resentment in his tone, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

I held up a finger for him to pause. A part of me wanted to get angry at him too, but unlike Fang I couldn’t think of a reason for Naser to lie to me, and about something so specific too.

A heavy exhale escaped my nostrils as I pressed my hands against my eyes. “So Fang and I ditched.”

Naser grunted in confirmation. “Yeah, pretty much.”

“And we didn’t talk to you about it before?” No response this time. My hands lowered to reveal a concerned pterosaur. 

“What’s going on Anon? Why-” He gestured to my person. “-all this? You’ve been acting weird all morning.” 

I shriveled upon hearing his words, and finally addressed the something. “Things… Haven’t been fitting together properly.” My eyes grew moist. “And I don’t know why.”

Oily blackness overtook my person and bore into my veins, but it didn’t feel as bad as it did earlier. 

Naser seemed at a loss for words, only shifting uncomfortably next to me. A minute or so passed before I addressed him again. “So just to be clear, Fang didn’t ask if we could split up beforehand?”

The pterodactyl shook his head. “No. You guys just left.” He shrugged, doing his best to look nonchalant. “But nothing happened, and you did manage to find a venue, so I guess it’s fine.” 

My expression soured. “No. No it’s not fine.” He seemed genuinely surprised at my response. Sure, the end point might’ve been the same, but it’s how I got there that mattered. 

Naser deserved more respect than that.

I grimaced when I realized the hypocrisy in my thoughts. Naser had driven all the way out into the bad part of town, on a school day, just to help me out. My shame only worsened when I realized that I didn’t even think to let him know that Fang was okay until this morning.

Stop feeling, start doing.

There it was again. Voices in my head weren’t exactly a good sign, but this particular one had pushed me this far after Fang…

Fang.

My eyes drifted to the upper floors of my apartment complex. I left her there, alone. Repaying Naser would have to wait, so I willed my stiff legs to stand me upright, doing my best to avoid the shallow puddle of sick on the ground.

The pterosaur followed suit, eying me wearily. I took a deep breath and cleared my throat. “I’m sorry, Naser.” His surprise returned. “Not just for ditching, but for making you come out here on such short notice.”

“Oh, well, it’s no big deal.” He waved his hands dismissively. “In all honesty I’m glad that Fang decided to stay the night with you instead of Reed. Or heaven forbid, Trish.”

I brushed past his dismissal by placing a hand on his shoulder. “I mean it though. Thank you. And I want to make it up to you. If ever you need help with anything, just call me and I’m there.”

For the first time this morning, a smile grew on his beak. “Wow, thanks man. I’ll uh, keep that in mind.”

We stood there a moment longer. Then another moment. Then another, long after it had become awkward. 

Naser saved us from our terrible fate by coughing into his fist, which prompted me to let go of his shoulder. 

“So!” Said Naser, clapping his hands together. “I should probably get going now.”

Suddenly, an idea appeared in my head. “Before you go-” I motioned towards the entrance to the complex. “-would you like to talk to her?”

Naser took a step backwards and started sputtering. “I- well she- I should probably-” I remained motionless. Naser’s shoulders dropped. “...What would I even say to her?”

I smiled reassuringly. “That you’re happy to know she’s safe?” And hopefully some words of reconciliation about what happened on the bluffs. 

The perturbed ptero looked to me, then to the complex, then back down to his car. “...Fine.” He eventually said. “But let’s be quick, I don’t want to risk the Nascar getting jacked.”

I tugged the suitcase inside, with Naser not far behind. The artificial heating of the complex’s interior offered us great reprieve from the cold fog outside.

Halfway up the u-shaped stairs to the second floor, I heard another set of footsteps descending above us. I instinctively moved to the side to navigate around the person.

Upon stepping foot on the landing, I found myself face to beak with Fang, now back in her stained suit, ripped up dress pants, and one of my spare jackets draped over her. 

She looked awful. Her hair was still soaking wet, and judging by the dripping sound behind her, so were her wings. 

Her hands were noticeably trembling, and her talons started digging into her palms the longer we stood there.

And her eyes…

They seemed to stare right through me.

A moment passed before Naser bumped into me on his way up the stairs. He looked a bit confused before he saw who I was looking at. 

While Fang seemed to barely register my presence, her face twisted into a vicious snarl upon seeing Naser. “What are you doing here?” She hissed.

Naser looked like a deer caught in headlights, unable to even stutter. I came to his rescue by clearing my throat and pulling the suitcase out from behind me. “He brought you a change of clothes.” Naser let loose a sharp exhale and started nodding frantically, a panicked smile on his beak. 

Fang continued to glare at Naser before looking at me, then down to the suitcase. Her pupils dilated. “W-Why’s it in a suitcase?” Dread filled her shaking voice with each word. She had no doubt come to the same conclusion I initially did.

I was about to come up with a more charitable excuse for the suitcase’s presence, but Naser beat me to it. “Well, uh, I just figured that you’d be staying here for a few days is all.”

Silence. 

Fang’s breathing slowed a bit, but she didn’t look away from the suitcase. I heard Naser shuffle his feet beside me, so I prodded him with my elbow. He shook the confusion off, and addressed his sister. “I was… Worried about you.” 

The girl’s amber eyes looked him up and down, her snarl having been reduced to a glare. “Don’t. I’m fine.” She spat. 

Naser’s head drooped. “...Mom and dad are worried too. Did you tell them you were here?” 

In a flourish of feathers, my spare coat was flung off Fang’s back as she spread her wings behind her, a furious look on her face. “Are you crazy? Dad would kill him!” 

“Right! Sorry!” Naser held up his hands defensively. “But did you at least tell them that you were okay?” 

Pillars of steam exited Fang’s nostrils. “Why would I do that?”

Naser looked dumbfounded. “Fang, dad’s been going crazy! He’s been calling the school, your friends, and he’s even tried starting a search party for you!” 

“Well let him look!” Fang screeched, silencing her brother. I frantically looked between the two, desperately trying to come up with a way to fix this, but nothing came to mind. 

Twisted, crumpled feathers drifted to the floor. Fists clenched, breathing heavy, and teeth bared, Fang seemed determined to bore a hole through Naser’s head with just her eyes alone. 

“I’m not going home.”

All of the color in Naser’s face disappeared before the impossible happened. 

Naser growled at his sister. “Fine.” He hissed. “Fine!” He spat. Then he promptly turned around and barged past me, and down the stairs.

“Naser wait!” I called out for him and grabbed his shoulder. 

He batted away my hand. Blistering fury burned through his eyes as he looked back up at me. “No.” He whispered. “If she’s not going to try, then neither am I. I’m done.”
And with that, Naser finished his descent down the stairs. He made it halfway through the lobby before I called out to him again. “Do you blame her for what happened?”

Naser kept walking, but stopped mid stride. He turned halfway around to face me, his eyes asking a wordless question.

I was about to press the question, but stopped.

Fang’s performance, the aquarium, the venue hunt. All of these things weren’t as they seemed. If I couldn’t trust my memories about what had happened then, wouldn’t it stand to reason that I had imagined the conversation on the roof? What if Naser’s wing was like that from birth? 

Still, I had to try. In spite of everything she said to him, and all of the rational thoughts spinning in my head, I knew that Naser loved his sister.

And it would break her heart if he never spoke to her again.

I slowly descended the stairs, doing my best to maintain eye contact with Naser as I did. “The bluffs, you went there when you were kids.” Naser’s eyes widened. A massive wave of relief washed over me, and I got the confidence I needed to keep going. 

“You asked her if you could fly, and she said yes. So you jumped, and you fell.” Naser was completely frozen, save for the twitching of his injured wing. I finished my descent and walked closer until we were face to face.

With great effort, Naser spoke. “...How?”

“She told me.” I said, feeling the most confident I had felt all morning. “And she also told me that she blames herself for what happened.That she wants you to hate her.” 

“Well, she’s getting what she wants then.” Naser said with a huff. I could tell he was trying to sound angry, but he couldn’t hide the hurt in his voice.

I leaned in close, and placed a hand on his shoulder. “But is that what you want?”
“No!” He shouted, muscles tensing. “...No.” Naser ran his claws through his hair and stared at the floor. “Anon, I didn’t want any of this to happen.”
He sounded close to tears.

“Every night I wish I could take it all back, that everything would just go back to normal…” Naser dropped to his knees. “...That I wasn’t useless.”

“You’re not useless!” I interjected, dropping to his level.
“Aren’t I?” He was actually crying now. “If it wasn’t for me none of this would have happened.”
Naser buried his snout between his legs and wrapped his arms around them. “Fang would still be happy, her friends wouldn’t hate me…”The pterosaur broke down into bubbling sobs. 

It hurt seeing him like this, seeing both of them like this. The echoes of a stranger rose to the forefront of my mind. The stranger reminded me of my original plan, of my quest to turn invisible. 

I gutted the stranger. 

However bad it was now didn’t matter. Imaginary or not, I had seen what a better life looked like for them, for all of us.

And I was going to fight for it.

My hand pierced the waves of harrowing sadness, and landed on Naser’s shoulder one last time. His watery amber eyes peered up at me, pleading.

I gave him a minute to settle before I spoke again. “Let’s say that’s true.” He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Let’s say it is, ‘all your fault.’ What does that change about right now?”

His eyebrows furrowed. “You can’t change what happened then, but you can still help her now.”

“How?” His talons dug into the palms of his clenched fists. “Nothing’s worked.”

My free hand was placed on one of his, causing him to lessen his grip. “You just need to talk to her, to say what you both need to hear.”

I got to my feet, and offered Naser my hand. “...Will you help me?”

A courageous smile crossed my lips. “Of course.” 

Just as I thought he wasn’t going to, Naser took my hand and let me drag him to his feet. We began going over our plan of attack. The ptero nodded in response to each piece of advice I gave him, only ever interrupting to ask for clarification. 

Once the plan had been completely laid out, Naser just stood there, eyes dry, expression blank. “Are you ready?” 

Naser rubbed his eyes while letting out a shuddering sigh. “No. Let’s do it anyway.” Before I could say otherwise, he started marching towards the stairwell.

We heard Fang before we saw her.

She hadn’t left the landing, and was reduced to a quivering mass of feathers. The sight of her in this state broke my heart, and gave Naser pause for thought.

The initial shock passed however, and Naser pushed past me and knelt in front of his sister. “Fang.”

All movement in the mound stopped, save for the occasional twitch. Naser fidgeted for a moment, trying to steel himself. “...I’m sorry.” 

His words warranted no further reaction from Fang, so he continued. 

“I’m sorry for inviting all of those jerks to your concert.” Her silvery wings shifted ever so slightly. 

Naser moved his legs so that he was sitting cross legged on the floor.

 “I’m sorry for not giving you space, and making you search for a venue with Naomi.”

The sea of feathers parted, and a pair of swollen amber eyes peered out between them. 

“I’m sorry that I wasn’t there for you during prom.”

I could tell that Naser wanted to say more, but he was interrupted by a groggy croak.

The source of which was Fang.

“...Why?”

I held my breath, anxiously awaiting what Fang said next. “Why can’t you hate me?”

Even though I already knew this is what she believed, her words tore my insides to pieces. “Because you’re family Fang!” Naser exclaimed, equally devastated by her statement. “And I miss you! I miss being your friend! I want-” 

Naser choked a little. “I want to see that fire in your eyes again… So please.” He reached for her, but her self made canopy rose around herself, keeping him at bay. “Please don’t push me away.”

Fang did nothing more than tremble in response to her brother’s plea. Naser turned to me, wordlessly begging for help. I just nodded, signaling him to use our last card. If this didn’t work…

Naser swallowed hard, keeping his hand outstretched.

“I-It wasn’t your fault.”

His sister’s trembling ceased once more. “I mean… We were kids! How could it have been?” Naser’s hand was shaking, but he didn’t pull it away. “After it happened, and you didn’t come to see me, I thought I had done something wrong. But I get it now.” He turned to me. In his eyes was clarity so strong it seemed to glow. “I really do.”

We turned to the sound of rustling feathers. Fang had revealed her head again, and more of it. Her eyes radiated a different kind of light, a light I thought I would only ever see in my imagination. 

Hope.

She tilted her head to me, mouthing words I didn’t know, but understood nonetheless. I gestured towards her brother’s outstretched hand.

Then, in a movement so slow I thought I was imagining it at first, Fang let go of one of her knees, and extended a hand towards Naser.

Several agonizing seconds passed before even Fang’s wrist left the confines of her feathery fortress. Naser, obviously tired of waiting, extended his hand the rest of the way, and grabbed hold of her forearm.

A loud yelp and the noise of flapping wings filled the stairwell. In one quick motion, Naser had pulled his sister into an embrace so tight I feared he might suffocate her. Fang’s face was a petrified mask of shock, her hands grasping at the air behind Naser as if she didn’t know what to do with them.

Once her talons found their perch just beneath Naser’s wings, a guttural, shuddering, choking sound escaped Fang’s beak. 

Then another.  

And another.

Before long, Fang’s erratic choking gave way to a singular, painful wail. She returned Naser's embrace a hundredfold, digging her claws into his jacket in a moment of blind sorrow. Naser paid the defilement of his clothing no mind, since he was too busy breaking into tears himself.

They cried. 

They cried, and they cried, and they cried. 

For the years of potential happiness that were stolen from them. 

For the stresses they had both endured over the last few months.

And most importantly, they cried knowing that it was going to be okay.

Every muscle in my body screamed at me to join them, to revel in their rediscovered connection. But that would be selfish. This was their moment to share. I should feel lucky for even being able to witness it. 

Still, my own quiet, grateful tears began to trickle down my cheeks as the siblings’ wails filled the air. For all the bad that had happened this morning and last night, at least I was able to get one thing-

“WOULD YOU TWO MORONS SHUT UP!” 

The shrill cry of an elderly man echoed from the floor above and silenced the siblings. 

“SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO GET SOME SLEEP!”

We offered the voice to respond.

“Jeez Louise!” The voice’s parting words were punctuated by the slamming of a door. 

I squinted. D-Did he actually say that last part? Considering the part of town I was in I half expected a slur of some sort. I shook the confusion from my mind and returned my attention to the ptero twins. They had separated from their embrace, but still held each other at arm’s length. They looked away from the disturbance and back at each other. Fang grimaced, and pulled Naser into another hug. 

I couldn’t see Naser’s expression from where I was standing, but judging by how his shoulders and wings tensed up when Fang made contact, he was shocked she had gone for that course of action willingly. His surprise evaporated a second later, and he reciprocated her silent embrace. 

After a few seconds Fang finally spoke up. “Y-You didn’t have to.”

“Of course I did.” Naser said, tightening his embrace. “You’re my sister- Uh-” Like a switch being flipped, Fang went from sorrowful, to annoyed, sharply exhaling from her nose. Naser raised his hands defensively. “Sibling! Sorry…” 

Did she not tell him? Or did I… Oh. A sickening knot formed in my stomach.

Fang observed the dirty tiled floor behind Naser. Eventually her scowl softened, and she nuzzled Naser’s neck with her cheek. “It’s okay, you didn’t mean to.” 

Naser let loose a sigh of relief, and got back to hugging Fang. They swayed back and forth for a time before Naser broke the silence. “Are you feeling any better?” Fang just nodded. “So…” Naser gently separated from Fang so he could look her in the eyes. “Are you going to come home?”

Fang squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head hard. “B-But you said-”

“I know!” Fang cut Naser off. “I know… I’m sorry. But I-” She opened her eyes. “I just can’t.” 

Oh. Oh no. 

Time seemed to stand still for a moment as they stared at each other, but the moment passed, and Naser sighed one more time. “Okay.” He was definitely disappointed, but there was also a peaceful acceptance in his voice. He leaned in to give Fang one more hug, which she eagerly accepted. Then Naser shakily got to his feet. 

Once standing, he offered Fang his hand, and helped her to her feet. Fang shook her wings a bit and brushed the dust off of her outfit. Then she finally noticed me, her pupils dilating slightly. I offered a weak smile and half wave. “Hey.”

“Hey…” She replied, nodding in my direction before looking down at her shoes. I started shifting my weight from side to side, only now realizing how long I’ve been standing up.

Fortunately Naser rescued us from the awkward silence. “What time is it?” He asked no one in particular, his voice sounding as tired as when I first saw him today. 

A worried Fang turned to look at him. “Are you late for school?” 

Naser shrugged. “By about forty-five minutes. But it’s whatever. I was planning on calling in sick anyways.”

“Won’t you get in trouble?” I was the one to ask this time. 

The ptero shrugged again. “Probably. But again, it’s whatever.” He turned to his sister with a relieved smile. “I’m just happy you’re okay.” 

Fang returned the smile. “Thanks… And, uh-” She gestured towards the suitcase, which had been left untouched at the top of the stairs. “-thank you for the clothes.” 

Naser waved his hands dismissively. “Forget about it!” He deliberately slurred his words so he sounded a bit like what I imagined Moe would while intoxicated. “Oh, and there’s not just clothes in there, I also packed-”

The loud blaring of a car alarm echoed from outside. Naser froze for a moment before putting his hands on his head. 

“THE NASCAR!”

He frantically started descending the stairs, but turned around to come back up six steps down. To my surprise, he wrapped me up in a hug. “Thank you.” Then he let go and turned to Fang. “Love you.”

And just like that, he was gone, off to accost the would-be carjacker, and leaving Fang and I alone. Our eyes met, and the knot in my stomach tightened. With nothing else to distract herself, Fang shuffled over to the suitcase and pointed up the stairs. “I’m gonna…”

“Right, right.” I moved to the side as she pulled the suitcase up the stairs, creating an audible bump with every step.

Once at the top, she turned to me. “...You coming?”

I was about to say no, but stopped. We hadn’t really talked about what else had happened this morning, and I hadn’t achieved my original plan either. I nodded in response, and followed Fang up the stairs, and into my apartment.

My apartment was left unchanged, save for a discarded towel on the floor. Fang whispered an apology before grabbing the towel and bringing both it, and the suitcase into the bathroom with her. I sat down on the bed and began to think. I had hoped that by getting Fang and Naser to talk to each other, that I could not only make up for what had apparently happened during the venue hunt, but also make it so that Fang would want to go home with him

After what had happened this morning, I don’t think I trusted myself to be around her. 

I looked down at my hands. 

They felt dirty. 

Sure I hadn’t hit her, but that was hardly something worth praising. And I was scared of the possibility more than any number of threats from Mr. Ripley. Maybe…

Maybe Trish was right about me.

Wait. Trish, Reed, that’s it! Just as the epiphany came to me, the bathroom door opened. Fang had changed into a light gray, long sleeved sweatshirt, and black track pants. She lugged the suitcase over and placed it at the foot of the bed before sitting down next to me, all the while keeping her eyes glued to the floor.

She fidgeted for a bit, weaving and unweaving her fingers together. “Did you have everything you need?” I asked, trying my best to keep the unease from my voice. 

Fang glanced at me for a moment and nodded, then returned her attention to the floor. “I’ve got enough clothes for a few days.” The corners of her mouth curled upwards slightly. “He even got my toiletry stuff.”

“Good, that’s good.” I absentmindedly rubbed the back of my neck, trying to think of a natural way to broach the idea. “Have you told Trish or Reed that you’re staying here?”

She frowned. “No. I didn’t think to.” 

I leaned in a little. “Would you like to? They could…” I trailed off.

Fang fully turned her head to me. “Yeah?”

I swallowed. “Pick you up? You could, I dunno, stay with them if you’d like.”

“Oh.” Her lips started to quiver slightly, and she turned her head to the TV. “Neither of their parents would let me stay the night. Not without my dad’s permission at least.”

“Oh.” Now my lips started to tremble as I realized the difficult position I had found myself in. It would suck, but I could manage sleeping outside for a few days.

A sharp influx of movement caught my attention. Fang was staring at me, wide eyed, mouth agape. “W-Why would you do that?”

What? Why is she- Oh. Crap. I silently cursed my mouth for the second time today as I tried to explain my reasoning. “Look, I don’t want you to be uncomfortable while you're here, so I’ll be fine sleeping outside for a while.”

“Anon…” Fang seemed close to tears again.

I gestured reassuringly. “I’m serious! I’ll be fine! Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to.”

For a moment, all was still, and in the next my world turned sideways as Fang tackled me onto my back. She furiously nuzzled my chest and wrapped her arms around my sides. “No… No, please don’t.”

Confusion flooded my mind. “But- But aren’t you mad at me? I- I yelled at you.” I finally admitted it. To the world, and myself. “You were hurting, and I yelled at you.” 

Fang stopped moving, and her breathing slowed. “You helped me.” Her words were stilted, off.

“But-” My objection was silenced by Fang’s claws digging into my back.

“You. Helped. Me.” She insisted, the force in her voice intensifying with each word. Then she went limp. “W-When it happened I-” Fang choked and sputtered. “I thought that was it. I tried so hard, and nothing. I got nothing. I was nothing.”

My insides were torn into smaller and smaller pieces the longer I heard her speak. Before I could refute anything she said, Fang lifted her head and rested her chin on my chest. Her eyes were dry. Just how much had she been crying today? 

“Then you were there.” She smiled. It wasn’t a weak smile, nor was it a forced one. It was the same kind of smile she had given Naser, only… Brighter. “Even after everything went wrong, I still had you.” She closed her eyes again and pressed her cheek against my chest, pushing her head closer to mind as she did so. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if you weren’t there with me. So please…”

“Don’t leave me alone.”
“Don’t leave me alone!”

I blinked. “Did you hear that?”

“Hmm?” Fang opened her eyes and glanced up at me.

The window drew my attention. Something about the foggy abyss outside seemed evil to me. Like it was going to take something.

Or someone.

“I could’ve sworn I…” I didn’t finish the thought, remembering that it was hallucinations that started this whole mess. No need to indulge the ghosts of those who never were, or never will be. I returned my attention to what really mattered, and started processing her words. 

She didn’t acknowledge that I yelled at her, not verbally anyways. There were no if, ands, or buts about it, this wasn’t good, for either of us. I had read way too many articles talking about how this sort of thing was destined to go downhill. 

But then again, I had helped her. When I believed that most of my memories were correct, when I was able to keep my cool, I had done good. And if she didn’t want me to go then… “Okay. I’ll stay.” I whispered, reciprocating her embrace.

A stuttering, joyful sigh escaped Fang’s beak. “Thank you.” She pulled me closer. “Thank you.”

Even with my promise made, I still didn’t fully trust myself to be around her, not until I figured out how much I had gotten wrong. So I made a silent vow to myself, and to her. 

I promise that I will help you come home. 

…

My quiet resolve, however powerful, was not enough to stymie the thunderous rumblings that emanated from my bowels. Fang’s tired eyes shot open. She looked at me, a mixture of worry and embarrassment on her face. “Y-You haven’t eaten anything today, have you?”

Now that I thought about it, I probably didn’t even get the chance to eat anything last night. Of all the memories I wished were real right now, Rosa’s mouth watering cooking nearly topped the list. My stomach threatened homicide once more, which prompted me to gently nudge Fang. “Gimme a sec, I’ll make us breakfast.”  

Fang grunted in approval and lazily rolled off me. I staggered over to the kitchen area and opened up the fridge, disappointed but not entirely surprised to find that either Fang had raided it while I was talking to Naser, or that it was simply emptier than I remembered it. I moved to the cupboards in hopes of finding some cup ramen, but Fang’s voice halted my efforts. “Hey Anon, look at this.” 

She sounded excited. I turned around to find that Fang had gone through some of the extra pockets that covered the outside of the suitcase. In her hands was a collection of colorful coupons, hastily cut from what appeared to be a cooking magazine. 

At the top of the small pile, was a thirty percent off deal for a jumbo sized bag of chicken nuggets.

The sight warmed my heart and brought a smile to my face. “He really does care.”

Chapter Text

A soft, tender touch pulled me from the empty bog of sleep. Upon opening, my eyes were met with a field of silver. I furrowed my brow in confusion before a singular hair got stuck in my eye. “Gek!” Gagging only nets me some hair in my mouth. Frantically, I pulled a hand free from the covers to wipe the silvery strands off of my face.

The commotion stirs the bed’s other occupant. Fang gazes at me, eyes half-lidded, an amused smile resting on her beak. She chuckles lightly and mumbles what sounds like an apology, before sluggishly pulling her hair out of my face. She only managed to get rid of half of the matted mess before her hand went limp, and her snoring resumed. 

I stifled a snort, gently unstuck the rest of her mane from my tongue, and swept the whole thing behind her neck. Fang nuzzles my neck and envelops me with her wings as thanks. The corners of my mouth curl upwards and I slide my hand across her side, stopping upon reaching her waist.

Suddenly I was sick to my stomach, and my hands felt dirty. I quickly withdrew my arms and pressed them to my sides. I’d typically roll over or get out of bed in this scenario, but I didn’t want to wake Fang prematurely.

While I wait for my companion to finish sleeping, my thoughts begin moving within my brain. Like tiny worms breathing life into otherwise barren soil, the little strands of consciousness began assessing the mess I found myself in, and the plan that’ll get me- us out of it.

It’s been three days since Fang reconciled with Naser. 

Three days since I yelled at her after the worst reception she’s ever received.

During that time she’s been texting him, Reed, and Trish to let them know that she’s okay. The latter two were doing fine as well. They tried looking for us after the concert fell apart, but crashed at Reed’s place when they couldn’t find us outside or get a hold of us through text.

Aside from that, nothing new was learned, and nothing much has changed. Neither of us had gone outside since I went to pick up groceries, and the “cabin” fever was actually getting to me. This had to change, but before I could do anything about it I had to wait for Fang to wake up.  

Slowly, uncomfortably, I used my left arm to reach behind me and grab my phone off the nightstand. 7:02. I swear, I keep waking up earlier and earlier. My alarm is set for 7:35, so I should have plenty of time to ease Fang into my plan after it goes off. 

After a half hour of Doomposting on an Indomitable Dino Spirit forum and almost falling back into the void, Fang writhed in her sleep. She let out a groggy groan and stretched her arms. The one trapped beneath my neck reached towards the nightstand while the other shot straight up. Her wings tried to do the same, but they were stopped by my side and the wall, respectively.

Fang grumbled once more, before opening her eyes and smiling. “Good mornin’.”

I manage to muster a smile of my own. “Morning. You sleep okay?” 

She nodded and planted a kiss on my cheek before nuzzling my neck once more. A few seconds passed before I patted her shoulder. “Hey, lemme go real quick. I’m gonna make us some breakfast.”

“Nooo…” Fang whined as she tightened her hold on me. “It’s too early…”

I patted her shoulder again. “Yeah well I’m hungry. Now lemme go.”

With one last groan, Fang finally loosened her hold, leaving me in prime position to perform my morning ritual. Combat roll. Headbutt. Victory screech. Fang let loose a meager echo of my battle cry. “Quiet you.” I snickered.

After peeling myself off the floor and walking to the fridge, I popped it open and retrieved a box of frozen burritos along with the jumbo sized bag of nuggies. In the corner of my eye, I spotted Fang fully extending her wings. Her blankets fell onto the bed as her crooked feathers touched the ceiling. 

I stared a while longer. Why did I come into the kitchen again? A low rumbling reverberated from my stomach. Oh, right, food. I hunched my shoulders and turned towards the microwave. A few minutes later I'm back on the bed, leaning against Fang, two boxed burritos in my lap and a sizable pile of nuggies in hers.

Fang had been texting the others when I gave her the food. It seemed to be the typical formalities, but she quickly swiped at her phone to the YouSnoot app before I could see exactly what was said. We watched a makeup tutorial as we ate. Not really my kind of entertainment, but Fang seemed to be enjoying herself. 

With the video concluded, and my hunger satiated, I scooted away from Fang and looked her in the eyes. “Hey, will you be okay by yourself for a few hours?”

“...Where are you going?” Asked Fang, eyes narrowed. 

A pricking sensation ran further up my spine the longer she looked at me. “Uh, school?” I said, internally wincing at my unsure tone.

There was an agonizingly long pause before she asked a follow up question. “Why?”

I scrambled to come up with a clarification. “Well, I haven’t been in a while, and I might not be able to graduate if I miss any more classes.” I held my breath, silently praying that the lie got past her.

Fang’s frown deepened, and her eyes glistened in the early morning sun. “ Why?”  

A heavy sigh escaped my lips. “Look, you haven’t-”

I stopped. Fang is grabbing my shirt now, breathing heavy, pupils small. “Do you not want me to stay? You- are you going to tell him where I am?”

An artery tore. “Fang…” I gently placed my hands on her shoulders. “I don’t want you to leave, and I don’t want to leave you, but it’s not good for either of us to stay cooped up in here all day.” The ptero’s breathing steadied with each word I spoke. “I’m heading out for a bit so I can clear my head.” And maybe get some help.

The pterosaur seemed to have calmed down significantly, although she still seemed unconvinced. “So you're just going for a walk.” 

My head sunk into my shoulders a little. “Well, yes, but I do actually need to get back to school. You know how my grades are.” If my memory serves correctly, my grades have actually been getting pretty good as of recent. But when considering everything that had happened, it doesn’t surprise me in the least that my improved academic performance was part of my internalized fantasy. 

Fang folded her arms, averted her eyes, and grumbled, “You don’t need to go to school.”

I tilted my head. “What do you mean?”

She tsked. “What I said, dork!” Fang began tapping her arm impatiently. “School, grades, those pricks … We don’t need any of it.”

Wild, sporadic, dangerous possibilities flooded my head, and twisted my stomach into knots. “But the rent… I can’t- we can’t-”

Fang’s eyes grew wide as dinner plates, and she turned to me in a flash. “I-I’ll get a job!” She proclaimed, gesturing towards herself with both hands. “We can both get jobs, and then- and then we can save up, while paying rent! And then we can leave.”

I blinked. “Leave?” 

“Yes!” Fang nodded frantically, lips twisting into a smile. “We’ll move someplace else. It doesn’t have to be too far, just far enough away where we can start fresh.”

Her words entered my mind and started jumping around at a million miles a minute. I physically recoiled, having to prop myself up with one of my arms to keep from falling over. “How long have you been planning this?”

Fang grimaced. “Since prom…” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “No, before that.” The ptero folded her arms and took a deep breath. “I’ve wanted to leave for a while now. I would’ve asked you sooner, but I figured that if the concert went well it’d be worth sticking around.”

A simple, “Oh.” is all that I can manage to respond with. 

The bed creaked beneath us as we gently shifted our weight from side to side. It felt like a solid ten minutes before Fang spoke again. “Look, I know this is kind of sudden, but what else can we do?” I might have been imagining it, but it sounded like she actually wanted an answer.

The makeshift particle accelerator in my head slowed to a crawl, allowing me to properly assess her words. “What about Trish and Reed? Are we just going to leave them behind?” 

“T-They’ll come with us?” Said Fang.

Grimacing, I pressed forward. “Don’t they have family here?” No response. “Have you even talked with them about this?”

Fang’s breathing grew ragged again. “I will! I just- I can’t-”

“And what about Naser? Or your parents? Are you really just going to leave them behind?”

“...”

“...Fang?” Her chest rose and fell sporadically. “Fang what’s wrong?” She didn’t answer, she simply held her head in her hands, and broke down into tears. 

I silently cursed, and hugged her instinctively. Fang reciprocated, weaving her arms beneath mine and squeezing me tightly.

Great job idiot. You made her cry, again . I stifled the vitriolic thoughts as I focused on comforting the whimpering ptero, gently massaging my knuckles into the spot right between her wings. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry…”

Her breathing hitched, and her whimpering ceased soon after. “Fang?” She didn’t answer, nor did she let go. Slowly but surely, her breathing steadied, and after one last deep breath, she gingerly gripped my shoulders and pushed me away from her.

“No… I’m sorry.” There was a tremble in her voice, and her tone was stiff, as if she had to physically push the words out of her mouth. “I shouldn’t have made you worry like that. I’m just overreacting.” She stated that last bit like she was trying to convince herself.

Fang offered what I think was supposed to be a warm smile. A searing pressure placed itself on the back of my neck. 

It’s happening again.

Well? Do something about it.

Thanks for the advice, douche. But that’s a lot easier said than done.

Fang blinked. “What?”

Crap. I hastily cleared my throat, before taking Fang’s hands in mine, and softening my gaze. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

Her fingers curled slightly, and the facade cracked. “But I- I’m just being selfish.”

I shook my head. “No, no you’re not. You never have to feel sorry for sharing your feelings with me.”

More cracks permeated the sides of the mask. “Really?” Hearing the disbelief in her voice felt like a punch to the throat. “I-I already dropped so much on you. It’s not fair for me to keep doing it.”

“Fair?” I had to force the word out of my mouth like a bitter tasting brick. “Fang, none of this has been fair. You didn’t deserve any of what happened to you.” My hands moved up the length of Fang’s arms until they came to rest on her shoulders. She went stiff, prompting me to smile reassuringly. “I’m your boyfriend aren’t I? It’s my job to make sure you’re okay. All I ask is that you do the same for me once you feel better.”

A calm silence befell us. I could feel her tremble slightly beneath my fingers, but I kept my grip firm. Slowly, the few remaining fragments of Fang’s hastily constructed facade melted away, leaving only a relieved smile in its wake. “Thank you…” We pulled each other into a hug, Fang enveloped us in her wings as we rubbed our cheeks together.

Forgetting something?

Right, right. I took a deep breath in preparation. “Fang, I’m sorry for pushing you too hard just now. Can you forgive me?”

Fang slowly nodded her head. “Yeah… Yeah I forgive you.” She went silent for a few seconds as we rocked back and forth in each other’s arms. “Thanks for apologizing. And… for being patient with me.”

As the words left her mouth, all of the dread and anxiety I had been carrying for the last three days all but vanished from my body. A stupid grin spread across my face as I tightened my embrace. But something scratched at the base of my skull.

Keep going. You’re on a roll.

Right, we still hadn’t addressed that yet. “Hey Fang?”

“Hmm?” She sounded as comfortable as I felt. 

I inhaled. “I- I’m also sorry about before. About yelling at you.”

Fang tensed a little, and stopped swaying. “Oh.” I waited with baited breath for her to reply. She withdrew from the embrace, gaze lowered, the tips of her claws leaving a tingling sensation as they traced along the length of my arms. 

I could take the suspense no longer. “What is it?”

Fang’s foggy eyes met mine for a brief moment before she shook her head. “It’s nothing.” I attempted a rebuttal, but she held up a hand to silence me. “It was just nerves.”

“What?” I asked, completely dumbfounded. 

There was a quiver in her voice. “You were just stressed out. You didn’t actually mean to, you know.” 

Well, I didn’t, but saying it was just nerves would be the understatement of the decade. “No, of course not.” 

She glanced at me from the corner of her eye. “Good.”

With that acquiesced, a little more of the burden we’d been carrying fell off of our shoulders.

There was still so much more to say.

So much more to do.

But for right now, what we said was enough.

I risked touching Fang’s arm. She turned to face me fully, readjusting her arm so our fingers could weave together. “Are you going to be okay?” I asked, focusing entirely on keeping my voice as soft as possible.

Fang nodded, and used her other arm to wipe away at her eyes. “I’ll be alright.” A light ‘whack’ rang out when Fang dropped her hand directly onto her phone. She picked up the device and winced when she saw the time. “You should probably get going now.” 

“Right.” I hopped out of bed and retrieved a fresh set of clothing for today. Upon turning around, I saw Fang hugging herself, gaze downcast, shoulders slumped.

I almost said I wouldn’t go right then and there, but a firm hand took hold of my shoulder. 

You have a job to do.

That I did. But still…

I draped the outfit over my gaming chair and approached the downy dino, arms outstretched. She met me halfway, both her wings and arms extending to envelop my person. 

“It’s gonna be okay,” I cooed. “I’ll be back as soon as I’m able.”

Fang nodded into my shoulder.

“I know. Please be safe.”

Getting dressed went by a lot quicker than normal, and after getting a parting hug from Fang, I was out the door and on the streets in one minute flat. While the fog had mostly dissipated, it still clung to the corners of the surrounding buildings and sides of the sidewalks, making Skin Row look like a lesser Quiet Mountain entry.

A couple police sirens echoed from a few blocks away. Naser had confirmed via text that his dad hadn’t been able to start a search party for Fang. Something about the department being strapped for resources due to a new drug trafficking ring in town. Despite this, I quickened my pace, and ran the rest of the way.

That was a mistake. As eager as I was to get to school on time for once, that didn’t change the fact that my legs were about as durable as wet planks of wood. A few students passed me by, and snickered upon seeing that I was hunched over and gasping for breath. Some of them spoke as they passed. I didn’t register any of it, but I could tell they were mocking me. It didn’t matter though. What did matter was the building just across the street, and the people held within. 

Volcano High rose above the fog like some eldritch monolith. Were I in a better mood, I would’ve taken a picture of the haunted looking building to show Fang later - but I wasn’t, so I didn’t. My eyes scanned the lawn and the steps leading up to the school for my targets, only to find that they were nowhere to be seen. 

I sucked in some air and hit a cramp that had formed in my side before forcing my screaming legs to carry me up the stairs, being sure to spit on the bollard as I began my ascent. “Anon!” A cheerful cry pierces the morning mist, stopping me halfway up the stairs. I turn towards the source of the disturbance. 

It was Stella, wearing an open red jacket with lines on it’s shoulders, and a pair of dark blue jeans. The starry eyed stego skipped across the grass while waving at me frantically, as if she was worried that hadn’t noticed her. 

“Hey Stella.” I greeted halfheartedly as she skidded to a halt a few feet away.

She didn’t say anything at first, instead opting to hug her sides as she shifted her weight back and forth. When she eventually did speak, her voice was slow and uncertain. “I-I haven’t seen you or Fang since prom. Is everything okay?”

Ah. Now it was my turn to act bashful. I looked down at the cracked steps and began rubbing the back of my neck. “Honesty…” I considered lying to Stella. We weren’t super close or anything, the last time we had spoken was the concert at Moe’s, and even then it was just so she could give me a quick reading.

Or maybe she hadn’t. Wait, that actually gives me an idea. I cleared my throat and gave Stella my undivided attention. “Everything’s fine Stella. Fang’s just a bit stressed is all.”

Despite my unwavering tone, Stella seemed unconvinced. “Are you absolutely sure? After the concert I-”

“YO, BABE!”

Stella’s plate covered tail shot straight up in surprise, and the two of us turned towards the source of the booming voice. On the far end of the yard, a tall, muscular megalodon was jogging across the grass. A few innocent bystanders dove out of the way to avoid the stampeding dino.

Once he reached us, or rather Stella, he lifted her off the ground with a one armed hug. In an instant, the surprise on the stego’s face was replaced with a tender smile. “Hi, pookie!”

“Baaabe!” Whined the megalodon. “Not out here!” A mischievous giggle escaped Stella’s lips, and the two dinos nuzzled one another. For quite some time actually. Just when I was about to head inside, the large lad tilted his head towards me. I couldn’t see his eyes through his goggle-like sunglasses, but the frown that formed on his snout told me everything it needed to. 

The megalodon made a show of looking me up and down. Typically, attracting the ire of somebody this large would cause me to soil myself. I didn’t, because A: I had been stared down by Mr. Ripley and lived. And B: I was simply too tired to care. 

“Who’s this?” He asks, his voice noticeably less jovial than before.

Stella furrowed her brow in response to her companion’s tone. “Who’s…? Oh!” Her eyes shot open in realization. She wiggled herself free from the colossal arm, and placed herself between me and the behemoth. “Chet, this is Anon!” She gestured to me. 

I waved lazily. “Sup.”

“Anon, Chet!” Stella presented Chet with a flourish, as if she were revealing a work of art. She wasn’t that far off really, the guy was built like a marble statue. The stego affectionately wrapped her arms around one of Chet’s arms before giddily declaring, “He’s my boyfriend!”

Chet straightens his posture. “Yeah, her boyfriend .”

I heard her the first time, idiot. “Congratulations.” I say, hoping that I hadn’t mumbled that first part. “Anyways, you were asking about Fang, right Stella?” 

The look of dread returns to Stella’s face, and I feel a little bad for bringing it up again. Stella looks up at Chet, who takes notice of her expression before changing his to one of worry. “Could you give Anon and I some privacy? There’s something we need to talk about.”

Chet turned back to me, a prominent pout on his lips. “... Aight, that’s cool. See you at lunch?”

“You bet.” Chimed Stella, albeit softly. She grabbed the giant’s tank top and pulled him down to kiss him on the cheek. A smile tugged at the corner of Chet’s mouth, but he pulled back harder, contorting his face into a stern mask. 

He backs away towards the school, pointing two fingers at his eyes, then one back to me. It takes every ounce of willpower I have not to roll my eyes in response. Once Chet was safely out of earshot, I picked up right where we left off. “So, what’s got you so worried about Fang?”

Stella began fidgeting. “Well, after you and Fang left the stage, I was so worried that I did a reading on the spot.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Wait, you brought your cards to prom? Where did you even keep them?” 

“T-That’s not important!” Stammered Stella. “The point is, I drew a card. And, well…” She stopped fidgeting and stared down at the grass behind me. 

Her expression made it seem like she was looking into an open coffin. 

Sickly bile clogged my throat. I swallowed. “What card did you pull?”

“Inverted Death.”

A chill rolled down my spine. “And that means…?”

Stella looked up at me apologetically, as if she had somehow willed the card to show itself to her. “It usually doesn’t refer to actual death. It’s more a signifier of change, a death of a cycle, if you will.” 

My stomach stopped churning. “Oh, that’s good. Does it signify anything? If it’s inverted, I mean.”

The stego nodded slowly. “The inverted version of cards predict the same outcome as their regular counterparts, it’s just that the outcome - or the way you reach it - winds up being much worse than the alternative.”

“Uh huh…” My eyes drift downwards, boring holes into the concrete beneath us as I process Stella’s words. “So it’s like the death of a good cycle? Or a bad cycle ends in a way that isn’t worth it?”

“Something like that.” The smooth side of her tail curled around her leg. “But I didn’t need the cards to know that what happened to Fang was awful, so I wanted to know if she was doing okay. I would’ve called, but I don’t have either of your numbers.”

That threw me through a loop. “You don’t have Fang’s number?” The two of them had hung out before, hadn’t they?

Stella shook her head. “Nope, not a lot. I really only see her during detention.”

“I see. Here,” I pulled out my phone. “Lemme give you mine. I’ll keep you updated.”

“Oh!” Stella took a step back. “Are you sure?”

My brows knit. “Yeah?” Suddenly, I realized how quickly I made the decision. “D-Do you not want me to?”

The stego waved her hands frantically. “No-no-no! It’s not that at all! It’s just a little surprising. I didn’t think you’d-“

A loud trilling sound filled the air. “Ah shoot.” My eyes drifted to the school’s entrance, which now had a stream of students walking into it.  Turning back, I saw Stella scribbling something on a sticky note. 

She placed the note in my hand with a gleam in her eye. “Here’s my number. You let me know if you or Fang need anything. ‘Kay?”

I accept the offered parchment with a smile. “Totally. Catch you later.” With a hop, skip, and a peace sign, Stella disappeared into the crowd.

First stop of the day was English class, and with it my first boss battle. Naomi was sat a row behind my usual spot, and wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that she was looking at me. Her head robotically swiveled to follow me as I crossed the room and took my seat. 

Around the time when I first started attending, Naomi gave me her and Naser’s contact information. While I had kept the former’s throughout the school year, I blocked the Coronated Coral Creep after the fifth or sixth time she tried to talk me into joining the gardening club. She kept whatever was on her mind to herself, as our walking stereotype of a teacher walked through the door and started class proper. 

I added Stella’s number to my contacts list bit by bit every time Mr. Tsuki looked away from us. When I finished, I sent her a text noting that it was me. I dropped my phone in my lap and pretended to pay attention to the lecture. All the while, my mind drifted back to our encounter on the steps minutes prior.

“Inverted Death.”

I muttered the words to myself, then rolled them around on my tongue. Psychics, fortune tellers, and self proclaimed seers of any sort were people I would typically regard as either idiots or scam artists any other day of my life. So then why did Stella’s divinations bother me so much? 

My fingers gripped a pair of shoulders that weren’t there.

Ah, that was it. I loosened my hold on the desk and held my head in my hand. There was no rational explanation for my spontaneous memory distortion. Nerves didn’t cut it, no matter how stressful the night leading up to prom was. I was neither rich enough to purchase the amount of drugs necessary, or tolerant enough to take a whiff of Reed’s stash and live.

That left either a hitherto unnoticed mental disorder, or something supernatural as the cause. 

Both possibilities left a gaping hole in the pit of my stomach. I returned what little attention I could spare back to the test. No use worrying about something I can’t control, especially when she still needs me. 

The bell rings a few agonizing minutes later. I let out an exhausted sigh, and began packing up my school supplies. “Anon-kun,” Mr. Tsuki’s voice contorts my face into a hideous cringe. “Coodu yuu prease stay afta curassu? I needo worda.”

Whispers began to pass between my classmates of the trouble I had surely gotten myself into. “Probably just piled up homework.” I grunt to myself. “Whatever. Let’s just get this over with.” I sling my bag over one shoulder and approached the teacher’s desk.

Mr. Tsuki waited for the other students to leave before facing me again, his expression dead serious. “The principal called for you. Said it was urgent.”

Spears? I gripped the straps of my backpack a little tighter and nodded in reply. “Alright. Anything else?” Mr. Tsuki just shook his head.

I turned to leave then paused, realizing something. I stared back at Mr. Tsuki, my brow furrowed. He looked back and forth before returning his attention to me. “What?” He asked in perfect English.

I just shook my head and walked out the door, only to find Naomi waiting for me. “Hello Anon!” My blood sugar spiked. “Do you have a moment?”

“No.” I replied without hesitation, before leaving a sputtering Parasaur in the dust.

The confectionary chauvinist sped walked towards me, her cream colored knuckles turning pale from gripping her notebook so hard. “It’ll only take a few seconds, I promise!” For as strained as her voice was, she made a valiant effort to appear upbeat.

“Cool. It’ll have to wait.” I round a sharp corner, and Naomi has to swerve to keep up. 

Pillars of steam erupt from her nose as she addresses me through gritted teeth. “It is quite important.”

With a sigh, I slow to a stop, causing Naomi to walk a few steps ahead of me before she skids to a halt. “How important?”

Naomi folds her arms with a huff. “Well! I assumed you already knew, what with you and Fang disappearing for three days now!”

My mental fortitude exited my body through my nostrils. “Right. And this bothers you, why, exactly?”

“I- wha- I-it’s unacceptable student conduct!” Sputtered the Parasaur. “And besides, the two of you can’t afford to miss any more school days. Should this behavior continue, neither of you will be able to graduate!”

A bit of warmth drained from my face. Should my prior suspicions about my grades be correct, she did have a point. Even so… I straightened my posture and looked her in the eye. “I gathered as much, but why do you care?”

Naomi blinked. “W-Why do you ask? Am I not allowed to worry about my fellow students?”

“It’s Naser, isn’t it?” The hairbrained herbie tensed up. Bullseye. “You do know why he’s worried, right?” Naomi didn’t answer, her eyes darted two and fro, desperately trying to look at anything that wasn’t my face. “He’s worried because he cares, because he loves his sister. Do you want him to stop that? To stop caring?”

Her eyes were set ablaze, and finally met mine. “Of course I don’t! Why would-”

“Then what’s the problem?” A whole year’s worth of frustration festered behind my voice. I was able to hold it back, but only just. “I get it, you want what’s best for Naser, but you’re doing it wrong. I’m supposed to be the one looking out for Fang, and I can’t do that if you’re breathing down my neck all the time!”

“W-Well what am I supposed to do?” Naomi’s shriek sent a chill down my spine, just not a threatening one. The mask had been ripped off completely. With bent knees, balled fists, and shaking shoulders, Naomi started to cry. 

I started to raise my hands in what I hoped was a calming gesture, but all Naomi did in response was intensify her watery glare. The two of us stood there for what felt like hours, locked in a perplexing stalemate. 

Hugs usually worked on Fang during times like this, but I wasn’t that much of an idiot to realize even trying would not fly with Naomi. After a minute or two, I finally managed to ask, “Have you talked to him about this?”

She averts her eyes. “...I’ve tried taking his mind off of it, but nothing I say seems to work.”

Ah. There’s her problem.

I take a step forward and tilt my head to the side, trying to meet her gaze. She meets me halfway, and looks at me quizzically. “Have you tried listening to him? Just letting him vent?”

Naomi sniffled. “Is that even a good idea?”

“It’s worked for me.” Or has it? I cursed under my breath before shrugging quickly. “Or, I dunno, let him use your lap as a pillow. Guys love stuff like that.” 

The now flustered Parasaur stares at me, slack jawed as I pull out my phone to check the time. “Yeesh, I gotta go.” I turn around and give her a backwards wave. “Catch you later.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Naomi gingerly waving me goodbye.

My meager knock on the door is met with a verbose, “ENTER.” I winced, then gently wrapped my fingers around the handle. Mr. Spears was sitting at his desk, fingers laced, expression stern. “Have a seat.”

I did as instructed. “Sorry for taking a while, sir. I had a run-in on my way here.”

Spears raised an eyebrow. “With who?” 

“Naomi, sir. She was pe-” I bit my tongue. “...checking up on me.”

The principal kept his brow raised, but didn’t inquire further. “I see. I trust you are aware of why I called you here today?”

I lowered my head and hunched my shoulders. “... My absence this week?”

He nods. “Correct. And the continued absence of one Fang, Aron.” 

A heaving sigh escapes my lips. “Right. I’m guessing her dad asked where I lived?” Another nod, another sigh. Piping hot steam began to fill my chest, filling it with an unbearable pressure. I wasn’t a brave man at the best of times, but Fang wasn’t ready to go home, so if I had to argue with Spears then so be it.

I stood up, pushing my chair a few inches back. “I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t tell you where she is.” A concerned expression warped the gentle giant’s features as he opened his mouth to speak, but I quickly held up my hand. “Let me finish, please.” Spears accepted my request with a sigh. “You saw for yourself what Fang went through that night, so you know the last thing she needs is to come back here.”

Or see her dad.

The more I talked, the more Spears’ features softened. “I know she needs to come back eventually, and I know her folks are probably worried sick about her but she needs more time.” With my case made, I balled my shaking hands into fists and awaited his response.

My sagely simian of a principal eyed me up and down, his prior worry replaced with confusion. “Hmm. Well, that’s quite thoughtful of you, Anon. But I wasn’t here to inquire about Fang’s whereabouts.” 

“... Oh.” Suddenly feeling very stupid, I unclenched my fists and took my seat again, trying my best to sit up straight. “Why am I here then?”

Spears leaned forward slightly. “Is Fang okay?”

I arched a brow at that, before my stature crumbled, and I fell limp in my chair. “No, sir. She’s doing better than she was right after the concert but…”

“Have they preened at all?” 

My stomach lurched, and I slowly shook my head. “No.”

“Are you certain?”

I nod.

Checking the bathroom every morning had been a gut wrenching experience, but I was only met with relief after each time.

The principal sat back in his chair, silently clasping and unclasping his hands. Is that a nervous tick? “And how are you, Anon?”

“Honestly?” I sunk further into my chair and put my chin in my hand. “No. The prom… I just don’t get how any of this could’ve happened.” 

A sad smile spreads across the giant’s lips. “I completely understand. What happened was a catastrophe. And while I’d rather it didn’t happen in the first place, I am exceptionally glad that you were able to rise to the occasion. Do you remember when we talked last?”

I suppressed a wince. “...Vaguely? I could use a refresher.”

Spears goes to pinch the bridge of his nose, but stops halfway. “I was hoping to teach you the importance of your role in Fang’s life. Afterwards I suspected that you hadn’t registered a word I said, and even if you don’t remember what I said now, you certainly proved me wrong when you climbed onto the stage.” 

The old simian took off his glasses, revealing a pair of dark, tender eyes. “What you did that night was very impressive of you Anon. I’m proud.”

His words brought some much needed warmth to my body, and a smile to my face. “Thank you, sir. It wasn’t that big of a deal. I did what anyone should’ve.”

“Right you are.” Spears puts his spectacles back on and begins rifling through his desk for something. “I have to ask though, why did you decide to come into school today? I understand that you’d be eager to see your friends again, but why not just ask them to come to you?”

I used my arm rests to straighten my posture. “I guess it just didn’t seem polite. To have them hoof it halfway across town and not even bother to ask in person. Plus I really gotta get my attendance back up.” 

Spears pursed his lips and nodded. “Right again. Here,” He hands me two sizable stacks of paper. I accepted the supply with a heavy heart. The principal assumes his original stance, hands clasped, back straight, and smile beaming. “Well, consider me thoroughly impressed. You’ve demonstrated remarkable responsibility in coming here, and you have my vote of confidence.”

“Thank you sir. That means a lot.” I stuff the papers into my bag and stand up. “Is there anything else you need to talk to me about?”

He shakes his head. “I just need to write you a tardy slip.” Spears quickly jots one down and hands it to me. “Also if you’re looking to earn some extra credit, extracurriculars are always a good option. Perhaps joining the gardening club would do you some good.”

That… actually doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Rosa and Stella were nice enough, but that’ll have to wait until things settle down first. “... I’ll think about it. Thank you, sir. For everything.”

Principal Spears smiled and waved as I exited the office.

The rest of my classes leading up to lunch moved by at a slightly faster snail's pace. Every so often I’d shoot Fang a text or two making sure she was okay. Her responses were brief. She claimed that the biggest thing ailing her was the lack of relevant games in my XROX library. 

Fang: Seriously where did you get these? A bargain bin?

Anon: Close. The dumpster behind a GameGo.

Fang: Ew. Gross.

Anon: What? I cleaned their cases once I got home.

Fang: Nah, they still stink. You didn’t do a good enough job.

Anon: Sure you’re not just smelling yourself?

Fang: ^:< Screw you.

Anon: Okay, when?

The Fang is typing notification rippled on my phone screen for several seconds. I celebrated a silent victory for flustering my foe. A familiar pang made itself known in my chest as I read Fang’s peeved response. It felt… good seeing her talk like her old self, even if only a little. Before I could send a slew of kissing emojis, (ironically of course) the lunch bell rang, and the students surrounding me started packing up their school supplies.

Anon: Ah nuts. Lunch time. TTYL.

I shoved my phone in my pocket and slung my bag over my shoulder before following the flow of bodies. The hallways leading towards the cafeteria were bereft of either of my targets, as they were when I was moving from class to class. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that they were trying to ignore me. 

… But they wouldn’t, would they? 

Sure it might have been a little inconsiderate of me to forget to check on them after the concert, but they didn’t seem to hold any grudges after the fact. Wait… now that I think about it, I also sort of forgot to let them know that I was coming in today. Great job Anon, just drop in unannounced and ask: ‘Hey! How’re you guys? Mind helping console my emotionally unstable girlfriend?’ So much for being polite.

I smacked my neck a little. What am I saying? They’re her friends, they’d want to help her even if I didn’t ask. I shoved my worries to the back of my mind as I pressed through the halls, and into the cafeteria. The spacious room was swarming with the entire color spectrum as usual, but even as I craned my neck to scan the joint, there was still no signs of-

“Anon?”

I almost tripped over literally nothing spinning around to face who addressed me. Eyes wide, hand on his neck, Reed gave me the once over as if confirming that I was really here. 

Trish was by his side, her face a mask of shock. ”What are you doing here?”

“Uh…” I mirrored Reed’s typical stance. “I wanted to see you guys, see how-”

“Where’s Fang?” Trish demanded, leaning side to side, as if I had somehow hidden the titular ptero behind me. 

My brows knitted together. “No, sh-” The Triceratops took a step forward, eyes burning. Her advance was only kept at bay by Reed firmly gripping her shoulder. I raised my hands defensively. “They are still at my place.” Trish leaned back slightly, shoving her hands in her pockets.

Despite this, a familiar dread started bubbling in my stomach.

“So you just left them by themselves?” Asked Trish as she pointed an accusatory finger at me.

Reed intervened once more by putting himself between Trish and I. “Hey, easy Trish, don’t be like that. They probably just weren’t ready to come back to school yet.”

He glances at me sideways. “Yeah, that. Fang’s fine. I’ve stocked up on food.”

My reassurances only seemed to make Trish angrier. “So now they’re at your place? All by themselves?!”

“Uh, yeah? I don’t-“

“What is wrong with you!?” The tiny Trike lunged at me, squirming against Reed’s vice-like grip. “Do you have any idea of what they’ve been through?!”

Trish’s furious diatribe was starting to catch the attention of the cafeteria goers. I held out my hands in supplication. “Trish, calm down! I don’t understand!”

Something between a growl and a laugh escaped Trish’s mouth. “Oh, oh! Of course you don’t! You don’t know anything! Everything’s only gotten worse since you-“

Much to both of our surprise, Reed looped his arms under hers and lifted Trish off the ground. His expression was so stern it looked like he stole it from Principal Spears. He leaned in to whisper in her ear, loud enough for me to hear.

“Calm. Down.”

A chill ran down my spine, and the same was true for Trish judging by her expression. “Anon is our friend.” Reed maintained a steady cadence, not a whiff of carfe on his breath. “He would never hurt us, or Fang.”

Not on purpose anyways…

Once Reed had said his peace, he let a now drained Trish drop to the floor. She stared a million miles ahead, right through me. With balled fists and teary eyes, Trish turned around and pushed past Reed, away from the cafeteria.

“Hey, hold-” I reached out to the retreating dino, but Reed placed a firm hand on my shoulder and solemnly shook his head.

“Leave it. She needs some time.” He beckoned to me and started trudging into the eatery. 

We slid into what little remained of the lunch line and Reed started haphazardly filling up his tray, a disinterested expression on his face. “What was that about?” I asked after grabbing a tray of my own.

Reed gave me a saddened backwards glance. “Seems pretty obvious to me. Prom sucked, Trish wants someone to blame, and she already doesn’t like you.” I furrowed my brow, and Reed sighed in response. “I know it doesn’t make sense. But it does to her.”

“Has she been like that since the dance?” I added two sandwiches to my lunch, grateful to eat something that wasn’t microwaved burritos or cup ramen. 

The pink Cubone simply nods, his eyes firmly locked on his sparsely filled tray. 

I grimaced. This sucked. Hard. Knowing Reed, he’s probably been spending most of his free time hanging out with Trish, and worried out of his mind. A bro like him didn’t deserve this. I poked his shoulder. “How’re you holding up, man?” 

Reed offered me a sincere smile. “I’m alright, just worried about them is all. The band…” He looks out the big windows on the far side of the cafeteria. “It’s been fun, don’t get me wrong. But it’s always been more their gig than mine.”

“I feel you.” I gave him a companionable pat on the shoulder. “There anything I can do to help you out?”

He shakes his head one last time. “Nah, man. Just keep looking after Fang. That’s all I ask.”

I gave him a reassuring smile. 

“Will do.”

“Thanks, man.”

What followed after was surprisingly uneventful. Reed and I made idle chatter as we got our lunches, with a slight delay on our way to the auditorium so Reed could fetch something for Trish to eat.

We found the purple punk rocker pouting in a pew, or rather, in the middle row of chairs. “Hey T!” Reed called from the entrance. Trish popped her head out above the rows of seats. The Triceratops’ already dour expression worsened upon spotting me, and she resumed hiding behind the back of her seat.

An undeterred Reed trundled down the aisle and sat next to Trish, balancing a plastic box of greens on her chair’s armrest. The food went untouched.

I followed after and sat backwards in the row in front of them. Trish was staring at the floor, arms wrapped around her legs, mouth obscured by her knees. I shot Reed an inquisitive glance. He simply held up a hand and started eating. I took a hesitant bite of my meatball sub as I looked between the two. 

Well, we’re here. Now what? Should I just ask them the question? No, that won’t work. Maybe I should try for some small talk first-

“You want us to head to your place after school?” I paused mid bite, and Trish tilted her head to look at Reed funny. The Raptor’s eyes flicked between the two of us for a bit before he leaned forwards and raised an eyebrow at me. “That is why you came to school today, right?”

I lowered my sandwich and nodded. I don’t even know why I was surprised at this point. Trish looked aghast. “Why would you want us to do that?”

Reed and I exchanged glances. “... To help Fang feel better?” I asked. “Is this a trick question or something?”

“W-Well-” Sputtered Trish. “Why’d they have to stay at your place anyways? Did you talk them out of staying with us?”

“Fang can’t crash with us, remember?” Reed interjected before I could. His eyes fell to the floor. “At least, not without our folks telling theirs.” 

Trish averted her gaze and gave a noncommittal grunt. “So… you guys game?” I asked. Reed gave me the ok sign before glancing at Trish, who only glowered at me. I sighed. “Oh come on. Do you want to see Fang or not?”

The little freak actually growled at me. “Fine. But I’m watching you!”

I rolled my eyes. I get that she was pissed, but she was making it really difficult to empathize. Reed didn’t seem to mind though. He picks up Trish’s lunch and starts prodding her leg with it. “Cool. Now eat up.” 

Her head sinks further into her knees before mumbling, “M’not hungry.”

The prodding persists. “Come on Trish.” Reed’s tone made it sound like he was talking to a disobedient child. “Have you eaten anything today?” No response. The Raptor’s eyebrows furrowed a bit as the rest of his face sagged. “You’ve gotta take better care of yourself, T.” 

He opens the box and stabs a bit of lettuce with the plastic cutlery inside, and holds the vegetable a few inches from Trish’s face. Her glistening eyes fixated on the offered green for a few seconds, before she leaned forward and bit the leaf off the utensil. 

With a tender smile, Reed leaned towards Trish as she chewed. Once she swallowed, the Triceratops grunted approvingly and wordlessly took both the fork and the box from Reed. “There you go!” The Raptor wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Feel better now?”

A nod was all Reed got in response, Trish’s cheeks were stuffed with veggies. It was probably just me, but I swear her face turned a slightly darker shade of purple.

The rest of school was a blur. Classes seemed to drag on twice as long as usual, despite my efforts to pay attention. Fang hadn’t texted me back after lunch, which worried me a little, but she was probably just sleeping.

She’s been doing a lot of that recently.

I saw Stella again while waiting for Trish and Reed on the curb. She was accompanied by Rosa, who offered me her deepest sympathies, and said that she would be keeping Fang in her prayers. It was a small gesture, but I appreciated it nonetheless. 

We chatted idly for a time, before a beat up van with chipped white paint pulled into the street in front of us. The driver side window rolled down to reveal that it was Reed manning the helm, with a noticeably less peeved Trish riding shotgun. “Hey Anon.” He nodded to Stella and Rosa. “Ladies.” 

Rosa giggled a little and Stella offered him a polite wave before turning to me. “Well, I guess we’d better go.” The Stego wrapped her arms around my neck and gave me a quick hug. “You have a nice rest of your day okay? And don’t hesitate to call either of us in case you need anything.”

“ Si! Call us any time!” Her Ankylosaur (or was she an Aquilops?) companion affirmed. Rosa swept me off my feet in a bone crushing hug. I was rendered a mere shell of my former self by the time I was let down. “Now vamos An-on, your amante is waiting!”

A shaky thumbs up was all I could offer as thanks. My nostrils were met with the remnants of many intoxicating fumes as I pulled myself into the van and buckled in. Reed leaned around his seat to peer at me.  “Aight amigo, where’s your place at?” 

It only now occurred to me that neither of them knew I lived in Skin Row. Oh well. No turning back now. I hesitantly pulled up my address on Gruugle Maps and presented the screen. Trish snorted upon seeing the location. “Of course.”

I pocketed my phone. “Will you have any trouble parking your car?”

“Nah, that’s where I get all my regulars. They know not to mess with my ride.” Somehow Reed’s confession doesn’t surprise me in the least.

The drive was an uneventful affair, save for Trish occasionally peaking over her seat to stare daggers at me. After the fourth or fifth time she did it, I stuck out my tongue in a deliberately childish fashion, which seemed to genuinely surprise her a little bit.

A stern, older voice filled the van, shaking us both. “You punks better behave yourselves or else I’m turning this thing around!”

Trish and I looked at Reed, whose face was an emotionless mask. He peaked away from the road, and the facade broke instantly, leaving a snickering stoner in its place. 

“Was that supposed to be your dad?” Asked Trish with a smile.

“Yep. I do a better impression of my mom though.”

“Bull.”

“It’s true.”

“Show me.”

“Nuh uh. You’re being mean.”

It felt downright nostalgic seeing them go at it. I contemplated joining in, but I instead decided to address the pit that was slowly growing in my stomach.

It had been there since I last saw Naser, but it had quickened its pace once I talked to Trish today.

“I’m not actually enbie, Anon.”

Those were Fang’s exact words the day prom was announced. She- They- Fang sounded happy. And I was too, at the time. I was proud of Fang for figuring stuff out.

Now all the memory does is make me gag. Fang being happy and accomplishing their dreams wasn’t enough for my perfect little fantasy. I had to make them give up a part of herself. Between that and the yelling, it’s a wonder we stayed together this long.

Wait… were we even together? From what I remember we’ve been dating since the presentation, but I can’t be sure of that anymore. I mean, they snuggled up to me easily enough. And that kiss… She- Crap, they-

“Yo Anon!” Reed snapped his fingers in front of me.

I jolted back against my seat. “Huwhat?”

Trish and Reed were giving me the funny eye. The ladder jerked his thumb to the brick building in front of us. “We’re here man.”

“Right, yeah.” I unbuckled my seatbelt. “In we go.” It was obvious that the others wanted to ask what I was spacing out over, but they held their tongues and got out of the car.

I led the way into the building, up the stairs, and to the door. Mentally preparing myself all the while. 

They are Fang. Fang is them. And you like them very much.

“And I bet they appreciate it.” Reed chimed behind me, much to Trish’s confusion and my embarrassment.

I instinctively started unlocking the door before common sense took hold of me. I lightly knocked. “Hey Fang? Are you… decent? ” Man, I sound like a virgin.

“…Anon?” Fang’s voice sounded small, panicked even.

Trish quickly pressed her head up against the door. “Fang, are you alright? Are you hurt?”

Reed cleared his throat. “I’m here too, Anon invited us over to cheer you up a bit.”

“W-What?” The stress in Fang’s words only became more pronounced when they heard their friends call out to them. “D-Don’t come in! I’m getting dressed!”

Can’t they get dressed in the shower? Despite my misgivings, I respected their wishes and kept myself from entering. The three of us exchanged nervous glances as we waited. Trish tried to open the door herself, but Reed grabbed her wrist and shook his head. She reluctantly backed down. 

After waiting for what felt like ten minutes, the door opened. Fang stood on the other side, dressed in their signature halter top and ripped up jeans. Their folded wings trembled ever so slightly as they offered us a shaky smile. “H-Hey guys!” They greeted us between heavy breaths. 

Trish glanced between me and Fang, confused and frustrated but not knowing who to direct her emotions at. Reed pushed past Trish and I, head tilted to the ceiling. He sniffed the air, before directing his attention to Fang. “Did you cut yourself on something? Are you hurt?”

Fang’s eyes widened and she shook her hands frantically. “No! No I didn’t! I’m okay!” 

I narrow my eyes and crinkle my nose. I could smell it too.

Blood.

Reed and I swivel our heads towards the bathroom door. I go to open it, but cry out when an iron grip clamps around my wrist. Fang’s watery amber eyes bore into mine. “Please…”

“Why?” I ask. “What’s wrong?”

She shakes her head, silently pleading for me to not open the door. 

I turn the handle and pull.

A breath catches in my throat. 

Trish pushes me aside and gasps, covering her mouth with her hands.

My head snaps to Reed, who’s closest to the entryway. “Emergency kit! I need it!” He goes to retrieve it without hesitation. 

I turn back to Fang. She had loosened her grip on my wrist, and her eyes were glued to the floor. I couldn’t see it before since her wings were folded, but as they began to unfurl, it was clear as day.

A thin streak of red was slowly inching its way down from the underside of the appendage’s feathery joint. My heart began to race. Fang started mumbling something. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I… I didn’t mean-” 

“Hey,” I gently took hold of her shoulders. “Hey, it’s okay.” She wouldn’t look at me. “I’ve got you.” Her breathing became erratic. I guided her towards the bed. She stumbled backwards before falling onto the mattress. 

I turned to the others. Trish looked to be on the verge of tears, partially reaching towards Fang. Her mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. Reed handed me the emergency kit. 

Fang was crying now. 

Her tears rolled off her face in big dollops, staining her top as they fell. “I’m sorry,” She said again. “I tried- And then they-” The words caught in her throat.

I cup her face in my hands. “It’s alright.” I force my tone to remain steady as my thumb wipes away her tears. “I’m right here. We ,” I look at Trish and Reed. “We’re here for you.” 

Upon seeing her chance, Trish took a deep breath and sat next to Fang. She wrapped her arms and tail around Fang’s waist. “Please don’t be sad, Fang.” Pleaded the smaller girl. “You- It-” She gave up trying to figure out what to say, and simply pressed her face against Fang’s side.

A pair of toned arms enveloped the three of us. “We’ve got you, Fang. Everything’s gonna be okay.”

Fang stared over my shoulder, her eyes wide and mouth agape. Her hands slid up and down my back, like she was making sure I was actually there. 

She buries her face in my shoulder, and screams. 

Chapter Text

The four of us haven’t moved for what feels like hours. Fang’s tears had dried up a while ago, but she still whimpered as she clung to me. Her talons punctured my clothes and left tiny indents on my back. I didn’t move.

Trish had flattened herself against Fang’s side, hugging her stomach so tightly that I was surprised that Fang could even breathe at all. I couldn’t see the smaller girl’s face from where I was sitting, but her breathing came in sporadic spurts through her nose and teeth, and she was shaking badly.

Reed was resting his head on top of Fang’s crest. His breathing was steady, but he had his hands balled up into fists, and his arms were trembling as he held on.

Our bodies gently rocked back and forth in a rhythmic calming ritual. It probably would’ve worked in any other scenario, but my heart refused to slow down. My gaze still lingered on the bathroom door.

It was bad. Really bad. Way worse than even that time on the roof. I managed to tear my eyes away from the grisly scene, rubbing the small of Fang’s back with my knuckles. “I’m going to apply the medicine now, okay?” Fang didn’t answer and remained perfectly still. I tried to pull away, only for Fang to tighten her grip and dig her claws further into my back. I winced, sucking in air through my teeth. I looked up at Reed. “Could you?-”

Reed withdrew from the group hug, a mix of dread and frustration etched on his features. “Yeah… Yeah, I got it.” He moved the emergency kit from off the top of my desk. Trish slowly relinquishes her hold on the trembling Ptero, lips quivering and cheeks wet with tears. The Triceratops scoots back a bit so Reed can sit next to Fang.

The bedsprings groaned under our combined weight. Reed attempted to apply some yellow powder to one of the wounds, but Fang flinched and pulled her wings away the second his fingers made contact. “Wait! No, it’s okay!” Trish scrambles to give Fang another hug from behind, then she pulls back and gently grips the top of the nearest wing, applying pressure to it in a soft massage. “Please don’t cry, Fang. It’ll only hurt for a little bit.”

The tension in Fang’s wings eased under Trish’s ministrations, and after a while she nodded into my shoulder, giving Reed the go ahead. I held my breath as Reed placed his hand on the back of her right wing for leverage, and used the other to spread powder over the wound. Fang tensed a bit, but at least this time she didn’t poke holes in my back.

Reed continued to apply the medicine to each and every bloodied patch, being aided by Trish’s massage and comforting words all the while. Fang lifted up her head and rested her chin on my shoulder. Her expression seemed less painful and more… empty. 

I broke the embrace and switched places with Reed once he and Trish finished tending to the first wing. I wrapped one arm around Fang’s waist, then she leaned against me and limply grabbed hold of my hand. “...What happened?” Asked Trish.

Fang glowered at the floor. “What do you mean ‘what happened’? It’s those paint huffers from prom, that’s what happened.”

“Wait,” Reed paused to glance at Fang. “did someone come here? Did they do anything?”

My blood ran cold and I turned to face her as well. Fang winced, then dipped her head further down. When she finally spoke I could barely hear her. “No.” Her grip on my wrist grew tighter. “It’s just… they were loud . Really loud, and I couldn’t make them stop, and I didn’t want to call, and- and I-”

Fang started hyperventilating again. “Hey, it’s okay.” I pulled her closer to me, and rested my chin on her head. “You’re okay. We’re here now.” Trish paused for a moment to look up at me, her features twisted into a mixture of pain, and confusion. I just gave her a nod, and she went back to running her fingers along Fang’s wing.

Their efforts continued, and Fang’s breathing eventually slowed. After what felt like hours, Reed stood up with a sigh. “It’s finished.” He had covered her wounds with the yellow powder, then cleaned them off with rubbing alcohol, before finally placing some gauze patches on each and every one. “None of them were bleeding too bad, they should be good by tomorrow.”

I offered Reed a thankful smile. “Thanks dude, you’re the best.”

“Don’t mention it.” He offered me his own tired smile, once which quickly faded as he turned from me to look at Fang. “You gonna be okay?” 

Slowly, Fang managed to pull away from me. “...I’ll be fine.” She sounded anything but fine. Fang made eye contact with Trish, and the two girls-

Right.

Idiot.

The two friends hugged. “I’m sorry.” Croaked Fang. “I’m so sorry. You shouldn’t…”

“No, don’t apologize.” The dam finally broke, and Trish started forming tears of her own as she squeezed her best friend as tightly as she could. “You have nothing to be sorry for. We- we’re here for you.”

Reed folded his arms and drummed his digits as he watched the exchange. His eyes met mine, and he nodded towards the bathroom. “We should probably-”

“Yeah.” I interrupted, grimacing at the thought of the mess that lay within. A few minutes, some wet paper towels, and a couple of plastic bags later, Reed and I had finished cleaning the bathroom. I sat back down next to Fang and Reed snagged my office chair. 

“So… what happens now?” Asked Trish.

I sighed and leaned against the wall behind me. “Good question.” Fang placed her- their head on my shoulder. They still had that dead look in their eyes as their talons intertwined with my fingers. 

Reed looked between Fang and I, the worry on his face worsening. “You’ve gotta go home, Fang.”

“What!?” The three of us turned to Trish, who quickly covered her mouth. She cleared her throat before continuing, only quieter this time. “Are you crazy? Fang’s dad is gonna lose it if they go back now.”

The Raptor exhaled wearily. “Not if we’re there, and not if Fang’s mom is home. She’s probably been worried sick.” He shrugged. “Besides, what else can we do? Their dad is only gonna get more pissed the longer we wait, and it’s not like Fang can just run away.”

“Actually,” Fang interjected, and leaned away from me to sit up straight. Trish, Reed, and I all looked at them. I tilted my head and knitted my brow, asking Fang a silent question.

“You sure about this?”

They looked away, and began laying out their plan.

Expressions of confusion, shock, and dread crossed our friend’s faces as Fang told them about their idea to leave… and live with me. Throughout all of it Fang managed to maintain a calm composure, although they only stared at the ground, and gripped my hand so tightly that I feared they might break it.

“So, yeah… That’s the plan.” Their eyes moved from the floor to gaze hopefully at Trish and Reed. “You- You want to come with?”

Reed sat hunched over in my chair, arm on his knee, hand obscuring the front of his maw. He shot Trish a sideways glance. She peeked up from her knees, and the two of them engaged in a mental back and forth, one with a lot of shouting judging by their eyebrows.

When they eventually finished, Reed lightly thumped his throat and coughed. “Look, I’d love to, but-” Already Fang was starting to crumble, a large frown covering their beak. Reed frantically held up his hands. “Really! I mean it! We agreed that we were gonna tour one day, right? It’s just…”

He sighed heavily. “Not like this. My folks want me to graduate before I move out. Said it’d give me a better chance at getting a good job if the band…” Reed cast his eyes downwards. “Anyways. Point is, they want to know that I’ll be ok. So I can’t. Not if it means running away.”

“I-I can’t either.” Mumbled Trish into her sleeve. Fang stared at her in disbelief, causing her to look away. “Riley… he’s not ready, and my mom hasn’t even made plans for graduation yet. If I left now everything would fall apart.”

Trish got onto her knees and scooted across the bed towards Fang, and placed a hand on their shoulder. “B-But if you stay, I’ll come visit you! Everyday! Or, whenever I can at least.”

Reed nodded in agreement and smiled at the two of them. A bubbly smile suddenly appeared on Fang’s face, but then it got replaced by a frown, and then a scowl. “Right.” She pulled her hand away from mine and covered her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

Trish started hugging them again. “You don’t-“

“Yes, I do!” Hissed Fang. “I wasn’t thinking! I never think…” They took a few ragged breaths. “I’m just overreacting. They bashed you guys too, yet here I am screaming like a schizo.”

I felt a familiar pain in my chest. Now that I thought about it, Fang’s plan didn’t seem too unreasonable. At least, not to a certain someone. 

“Hey,” I slid my arm under Fang’s wings and gave her shoulder a light squeeze. They parted their fingers a bit to look at me. “I get it. Really. Back when I got doxxed the first time, ” I shot Trish a weary glance. She didn’t seem to notice. “All I wanted to do was run away.”

Fang bit their lip and folded their arms, a heavy uneasiness in their eyes. 

I offered them my hand with a smile.

They took it.

“It’s okay to feel like you need to, but you don’t .” I weaved our fingers together and softened my gaze. “There are people here who love you, Fang. And we’re not going to leave you. Not now, not ever.” 

We held our breaths as we waited for Fang to react. They said nothing as they fell against me, completely spent. “Okay. I’ll stay.” The three of us all sighed in unison, which won us a smile from Fang. “Thanks guys.”

I planted a kiss on their forehead. “Anytime.”

The next few minutes were spent enjoying some companionable silence. Reed had offered everybody some of his less noxious substances, but Trish was the only one who accepted. Soon enough my room was filled with a light cloud of smoke. Even though they had opened a window, the dizzyingly sweet scent alone was enough to put me into a dreamlike state.

Or maybe it was because I had Fang resting against my chest. Can’t be a hundred percent sure really. 

Reed expelled a particularly large plume of smoke outside before turning in his seat to face us. “Alright, everybody chill? It cool if we-” He waved his hand in a small circle. “-discuss what happens next?”

Fang and I glanced at each other, trying to gauge how we felt about the proposal. Their breathing was the slowest it had been that evening, and their cheeks were relatively dry, so I gave Reed a nod. “Go ahead.”

“Rad.” He took one last puff before flinging the stick into the cold mist outside. “So, I get you’re still overwhelmed, what with everything that went down at prom.” Fang frowned, and tightened their hold on me. I reached up to scratch beneath their crest, putting them at ease. 

“So I figured we could do something fun tomorrow.” Continued Reed. “Ease instead of shove, you know?”

Trish perked up at that. “What’d you have in mind?”

“I dunno.” Reed shrugged. “Hit the town, grab a bite to eat? Just something to help Fang go back home.” Fang constricted my airflow further. Reed took notice of this, and raised up his hands. “N-Not saying you have to go home. It’s just… it might make it easier if you decide to.” 

Fang grunted in response, and the pressure around my sides lessened. “Yeah… that sounds good.” They leaned back. “But what about right now? You guys gonna go?”

“That’s up to Trish.” Reed arched his back, making an audible pop. “You need to head home soon? I can give you a ride.”

Trish shook her head. “Not right now. My siblings can manage by themselves for a while.” She looked away before muttering under her breath, “I hope…”  

I chuckled at that. “So what do you guys want to do? We could “””rent””” a movie or something.” 

Reed got out of my chair and staggered towards the front entryway. “Actually, I was wondering if you guys would be up for a little study sesh.” He returned with my backpack in hand, and I winced. 

Right. We had been absent for like half a week. Trish frowned and rubbed her arm. “I don’t know. Doesn’t that seem a little soon?” 

I cleared my throat to speak. “I’m okay with it.” 

Suddenly everyone's attention was on me, including the ticked off looking Trike. “Dude, seriously? Now’s the time you want to study?”

I hardened my gaze and held up a hand. “Hey, chill. Spears said I’ve been falling behind recently, so I’m thinking that the sooner I get started on it the better.” My arm pressed against Fang’s back, bringing them closer to me. “Fang doesn’t have to join us if they don’t want to.”

The expressions on my friends' faces left me feeling… satisfied, I guess? Trish stared at me, completely dumbfounded, and Reed wore a proud smile on his snout. I cast my eyes downwards to find Fang’s amber irises looking right back up at me. “Do you want to study with us?” I asked, tenderly rubbing the small of her back.

Fang looked away for a moment, before slowly nodding. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Awsome.” I planted one last peck on their forehead before attempting to sit up straight, only for my soul to exit my body when a certain someone congratulated us. 

“Excellent work you two!” Said Mr. Fernsworth. “Now gather round, we have lots of material to cover.”

The three of us turned to face the fossil, only to find Reed wiggling his eyebrows mischievously. “Dude.” Stated Trish. “ How? ”

Reed just shrugged, his smile growing wider. “What can I say? I’m a man of many talents.” He stepped forward and handed Fang and I our homework. “Seriously though, it’s time to focus. We got a looot of stuff to cover.”

Our study session went pretty well, all things considered. Reed did a good job in helping us review the fundamentals, and would occasionally put on an impression of one of our teachers. It was shocking how good he was at it, so much so that It’d occasionally make Fang smile.

But eventually, Trish’s mom called, saying that she needed to come home. She and Reed gave Fang a parting hug, before walking out into the hallway. “And remember,” Chimed Reed. “nine A.M., we’ll come pick you up.”

“You got it,” I replied with a thumbs up. “Drive safe man.”

Trish looked between Fang and I with worry in her eyes. “Bye guys. Call us if you need anything.”

And with that, Reed shut the door, leaving the two of us alone. I turned around to see that the spent girl- No, individual? Person? Fang wore a contemplative expression on their face, as they drummed their talons against their thighs. 

I gestured towards the bathroom. “You wanna take the shower tonight?” We had agreed to take turns bathing since Fang used a lot of water to clean their wings, and because neither of us wanted to use cold water.

Fang looked up and shook their head. “I’ll wait till tomorrow.” They held up their patchwork wings for emphasis. 

It stung a little, seeing the injured appendages. “Right. I’ll uh, be back in a bit.” After grabbing a pair of boxers and a t-shirt, I slipped into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Lukewarm water poured onto my face, cleansing both body and mind.

Today was… a mess. Yeah, Trish and Reed helped more than I could ever thank them for, but after what Fang did… They needed help, professional help. The sooner I get them home the better. But I have to wonder, am I doing this right? If I had told Fang my whole plan, would they have still hurt themselves?

I just don’t know. I rested my back against the shower wall and looked up into the pouring water. Whatever the answer was, I shouldn’t let it keep me from trying to help Fang. 

Things will only get worse if I do nothing.

After some soap and scrubbing, I returned to the bedroom, finding Fang lying flat on their stomach in a baggy T-shirt and short shorts. I turned off the light and Fang lifted up the covers for me.

Once I had snuggled myself into the warm canopy, Fang clambered on top of me, and rested their chin on my chest. They opened their tired eyes and smiled at me. “Hey.”

I smiled in return. “Hey.” Several blissful seconds were spent fully absorbing Fang’s presence. Their breathing, their heartbeat, their warmth… 

Heavenly, all of it.

“How are you feeling?” I asked, tilting my head to one side.

Their smile vanished, and they squeezed their eyes shut. “Bad.”

I put my hand on her cheek. “There anything I can do to help?”

Fang nuzzled against my hand, and their smile returned, only it was more… solid this time. “You already are.”

I leaned forward and planted a kiss on her lips. “Goodnight, Fang.”

“G’night. Love you.”

…

“Love you too.”

“Is all that really necessary?”

Fang gave me a firm glare, their eyes moist. “Yes, yes it is.”

When it came time to get ready for the meet-up with Trish and Reed, Fang had insisted on covering up as much as possible. They had tucked their wings inside of a black hoodie, so it seemed like they had a bit of a hunchback. Fang also hid their crest with an orange bandana,  their snout with a medical mask, and the rest of their head and hair under their hood.

I get that they were a bit apprehensive about heading out today, but this seemed kind of excessive to me. “Are you afraid someone from school will recognize you?”

They shook their head and sighed. “No- well, maybe…” Fang shoved their hands into the hoodie’s pockets and began rocking on their heels. 

A frown crossed my lips. I stepped forward and wrapped an arm around their shoulders. “You worried about your dad?”

Fang nodded. “I know he hasn’t been able to start a search party yet, but he’s probably looking.” The teary eyed ptero sunk into their coat. “He might’ve asked his friends too, maybe put up posters. Or maybe-”

“Hey,” I cut them off with a kiss on the forehead. “You’re okay, I’m right here.” Their breathing began to slow, and we began rocking back and forth in unison. “Are you sure you still want to go?”

A trembling sigh escaped Fang’s snout. “I don’t have much choice really. Can’t stay here, can’t leave town…”

I gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Well I’m proud of you for trying anyway.” It was kind of hard to tell with the mask, but I’m pretty sure Fang blushed when I said that. “We’ll come back here at the first sign of trouble, ‘kay?” 

With a gentle nod from Fang, I guided us out the door and into the apartment complex. As we approached the building’s entrance, I heard the sounds of an ongoing conversation. 

“-ang, for real?” It was Reed.

“Yeah…” And he was talking to Trish, who sounded a little miffed. “I would’ve picked a different one, but this is all I could find on short notice.”

Fang and I stepped out into the blisteringly cold outdoors just in time to hear Reed say: “Well I think it looks good on you. It’s cute.” 

We turned to our left to see Trish and Reed leaning against the brick wall of the apartment complex. The former had a black and yellow checkered scarf covering the bottom of her face, and the upper half was a considerably darker shade of purple than normal. 

“Wait, wait, wait, ‘cute’?” Stammered Trish. “What do you mean by ‘cute’?”

Reed frowned and furrowed his brow, his eyes locked on the opposite side of the street. “I don’t follow.” Before Trish could elaborate, Reed caught sight of us. “Hey dudes!” He pushed himself off the wall, offering us a wave. “Nice outfits.”

I had literally just rolled down my sleeves and buttoned up my jacket this morning, but I offered him a grateful smile regardless. “Thanks. You too.” I nodded appreciatively at his scarlet felt coat. 

Trish glared at Reed, then at me, but her gaze softened when it fell upon the bundled-up ptero beside me. She offered them a tiny wave. “Hey. You sleep okay?”

Fang smiled with their eyes and nodded. “Yeah… I like your scarf.”

“Thank you!” The Triceratops happily wrapped the article of clothing more tightly around herself. Reed nudged her with his elbow and wiggled his eyebrows, which earned him an irritated huff from the tiny Trike.

The exchange brought a smile to my face. It almost felt… normal. 

“We all good to go?” Asked Reed. Fang withdrew their hands from their pockets and gave a double thumbs up. ”Rad.” He reached into his pants’ pocket, and retrieved a keyring with a decorative Spider-Saur hanging on it. It looked pretty authentic, aside from the “plant” symbol on his chest where the spider emblem usually was.

Reed guided us to the parking lot, and I followed after, tugging Fang by the hand. “How far away is it?” I asked.

“Only a couple minutes.” Replied Reed as he hopped into the van’s driver seat. “We could probably walk, but I’m hoping to make a couple stops today.” 

Oh.

I felt Fang tighten her hold on my side at the implication, but they stayed quiet as the engine sputtered to life. I gave them a reassuring squeeze as Reed pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road.

The trip only lasted about five minutes as promised, but it felt significantly longer. Fang turned their head to every passing vehicle, and temporarily ceased breathing upon hearing the sounds of distant police sirens. 

We’ve been hearing an awful lot of those these past few days. 

But eventually, Reed pulled the van into parallel park, and the four of us stepped out into the cold morning once again. It looked like we had stopped in a residential area, one without much parking space, so the sides of the street were packed to the brim with vehicles. “Where’s the shop?” Asked Trish.

“It’s just around the corner.” Reed started down the sidewalk closest to the van, and beckoned for us to follow. I shuffled after him, pulling up my jacket collar to help ward off the misty chill that permeated the air around us. Aside from their aforementioned skittishness, Fang seemed unaffected by the temperature. Their wings being bundled up in that jacket of theirs must be doing wonders. 

A couple dozen steps and a turn later, the four of us came face to face with a slim, two story tall brick building. The top half seemed to be an apartment, while the bottom served as our destination: a modest sandwich shop. The deactivated red neon sign overhead simply read: Earl’s.

Reed pushed open the smudged glass door with a jingle, and a wave of blistering heat washed over the four of us. I knew it was cold out, but it felt like the shop’s heating unit was trying to ward off a nuclear winter. I subconsciously unbuttoned my jacket a little.

A baggy eyed Avimimus at the counter sat up straight, his ashy beak morphing into a surprised smile. “Ey, Reed! How’s it hanging?”

“Hey Ty.” Greeted Reed with a nod. “I’m good, and looking to grab some grub for me and my buddies.”

The dreary dino gave us the once over, before stopping to narrow his eyes at the Ptero behind me. “What’s with Quasimodo?”

Fang froze like a deer in headlights, eyes wide. I was about to step between them and Ty, but Reed beat me to it. “They’re a friend of mine.” He kept his tone calm and collected. “We’re just here to eat, Ty. That’s it.”

Ty leaned over to give Fang one last inquisitive glance, before shrugging and placing four menus on the counter. “Order whenever you’re ready.”

Fang, Trish, and I all heaved a soft sigh of relief, and settled into the one and only booth next to the entrance while Reed collected our menus. Fang sat to my right, away from the window, and began shifting uncomfortably in their seat. I tapped them on the shoulder. “You okay?”

They nodded. “It’s just a little hot in here.” Right. Cold blooded or not, Fang was bound to be burning up under all those layers. 

“Would you like to eat outside?” Asked Trish.

Fang tilted their head a little, looking out the window. “Nah… Let’s just eat fast and get out of here.” 

“Good idea.” I replied. 

We made quick work picking our options. Fang and I went with the first thing we saw that had chicken on it, Reed got two meatball footlongs, (where the heck does he put all that?) and Trish picked out a veggie wrap with soy sauce on the side. 

After handing over our menus, I unbuttoned my jacket and tied the sleeves around my waist. Trish snickered as she stuffed her scarf into her hoodie’s pocket. I gave her the stink eye. “Yeah?”

Her smug grin grew wider. “You look like a twig- Ow!” Reed had bumped her with his elbow, his expression unamused. Trish gave him a withering glare. “What? You can’t tell me he doesn’t.”

The Raptor shook his head disapprovingly. “Still, you shouldn’t-”

“It’s fine Reed.” I looked down at the pale noodles connecting my hands to my shoulders. I did, in fact, look like a twig. Clenching my fingers, I thought back to Spears’ suggestion the other day. 

The extra cred was absolutely needed, what with my recent lack of attendance and lack of good grades in general. Would Rosa be willing to let me join the gardening club? Sure, I acted like a total douche towards her and Stella earlier this year, but they seemed genuinely worried about me and Fang yesterday.

Someone tapped my hand. “Hm?” Fang was looking at me, head tilted. “Oh, sorry. Got a little lost in thought.” I’ll definitely have to ask them once I start going back to school.

We made small talk until Ty placed our sandwiches onto the table, followed by Reed paying him up front in cash. The Avimimus sat back down behind the counter, slowly turning the pages of a weekly sports magazine. I turned my attention back to Trish and Reed. “So what’d you guys get up to when you got home?”

Trish let loose a ragged sigh before she could take a bite of her wrap, and planted her chin onto her folded arms. “Try to get my siblings to sleep mostly.” She said ‘siblings’ the same way a southerner would say ‘vermin’. “Tana got into Mom’s coffee powder and thought that it would be a great idea to eat it raw.” 

A snort came from my right.To our surprise, it was Fang who made the noise. When they noticed that we were all looking at them, they cleared their throat, and gave Trish an apologetic smile. “Sorry… I-Is she okay?”

“Tana’s fine.” Trish waved her hand dismissively, a pleasant smile on her face. She seemed genuinely happy to have made Fang laugh. “She just had an upset stomach afterwards.” 

“That’s a relief.” Sighed Reed, who was already done with his first sandwich. “I actually got some practice done.”

Both Fang and Trish recoiled in mild shock. “Practice?” Asked the latter. “Like, practice-practice? Actual drum practice?”

I looked between her and Reed. “Is that out of the ordinary?” 

“Reed never practices solo.” Chimed Fang, who had discarded their face mask, and pulled down their hood. Beads of sweat were clearly visible on their forehead.

The Raptor rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s true. I figured I should stay fresh for when we play again.”

Fang’s eyes went wide, before they sunk into their jacket. “Uh, a-about that…” The rest of us remained quiet, as they struggled to find the right words. “I was thinking that maybe I should take a break from the band.”

“What?” Cried Trish. Reed immediately put a finger to his lips to shush her, and the four of us turned to the front counter. Ty was peaking above his magazine to glare at us. Trish put a hand up to cover her face. “Are you sure? You love music!” 

“I-I dunno…” Fang’s voice started to break, and I was there in an instant, fervently rubbing their shoulders. Once their breathing slowed to a crawl, Fang continued. “It’s just… everytime I think of playing, all I can hear is them .” 

We needed no further elaboration.

Reed gently placed one of his hands on hers. “It’s cool, Fang. I mean, it’s just a break, right? It’s not like you’re quitting music forever.”

They got real quiet after that. But slowly, eventually, they nodded. “Yeah, I guess.”

We went back to eating what little food we had left. But then, the light scraping of wood against tiles caught my attention. I turned towards the counter to see that Ty had abandoned his post, and the door to what I presumed was his office was open. The faint sounds of conversation emanated from within.

Before I turned back, something caught my attention, something I hadn’t noticed when I first walked in. 

On the wall next to the office was a bulletin board, decorated with posters.

Missing person posters, one of which had been ripped free from the tac holding it in place. 

“Uh… Reed?” My heart began to race. 

The Raptor was in the middle of licking grease off his fingers. “Hm?” He followed my gaze, and tilted his head towards the office, his brow furrowing. “...Who’s Lu-” His eyes went wide. 

“Oh crap.” 

“What’s u- WOAH!” Reed grabbed Trish by the wrist and pulled her out of the booth. 

I frantically pushed against Fang’s shoulder, urging her to get out of the booth. “We gotta go, now.” 

Fang’s eyes went wide with fear, and she scrambled to get out of her seat. “W-What’s wrong?”

Reed was waiting for us just outside the entrance. “Ty recognized Fang, he’s calling the cops.” He then immediately booked it down the street.

The Ptero’s hand went rigid in my grasp. “H-he found me,” The fear in her voice pained me to no end. 

I squeezed her hand tightly. “He hasn’t found you yet. Now come on, we’re getting out of here.” I half pulled, half carried the catatonic Fang around the corner, and made a beeline to Reed’s van. He was already behind the steering wheel, starting the ignition. 

“Everybody buckled?” Asked Reed when Fang and I crammed ourselves into the back seats.

We hadn’t even bothered to strap in, but I gave him a thumbs up anyways. “Punch it.”

The beat up hunk of metal on wheels awkwardly rocked back and forth as Reed started pulling it out from between the two cars, and away from the curb. Just as he was about to drive onto the road, a motorcycle pulled up from behind, and parked in front of the van.

Reed poked his head out the window to address the rider. “Dude! Get out of the way!” For the second time since I’ve known him, he actually sounded angry. 

I leaned to the side to catch a glimpse of the rider, never once relinquishing my hold on Fang. The bike’s owner was a tall, broad-shouldered Struthiosaurus, with silver scales so polished he almost looked metallic. He got off of his motorcycle and approached Reed, expression blank, eyes obscured by a pair of dark sunglasses. 

“Is Lucy Aaron with you?” The Struthiosaur’s accent was thick, and hard to define. German maybe? 

Trish let out a hiss before Reed could reply. “Their name is Fang, you piece of-” Reed slapped a hand over her mouth, but it was already too late.

Taking Trish’s shouting as confirmation, the biker put one large hand on the roof of the car and leaned through the driver side window. Both Reed and Trish flinched away in fear, and I could feel the stranger’s piercing gaze through his shades. 

He looked at Fang, and I realized too late that we had left her mask back at the shop. 

“Lucy Aaron?” 

The name hung in the air like a corpse from a rope. Just who the heck was this guy? Bounty hunter? Did Ripley actually hire one of those to track down Fang? 

After what felt like an eternity, Fang nodded, and the biker continued. “Your uncle sent me to retrieve you, he wishes to talk.” 

…

Wait, what? 

I looked to Reed, then Trish, then Fang, then back to the biker. Uncle? Fang broke the silence. “...Moe?”

The biker nodded. “Correct. Instruct your driver to follow me. I will lead you to him.” 

“N-now hold on a sec!” Stammered Reed. “How do we know he actually sent you?”

Moe’s supposed associate backed up to stare at the Raptor, causing him to flatten himself further against his seat. After a moment the Struthiosaurus retrieved a flip phone from his black leather jacket, dialed a number, and put it up to his ear. His eyes never left Reed’s. 

I couldn’t hear the voice over the phone, and the stranger’s responses were quick. 

“I’ve found her.”

…

“Yes. One Raptor, one Triceratops, and one Human.” 

…

“Understood.”

He stepped back up to the driver side window and handed Reed the phone. “Hand her the phone, no funny business.” 

Reed gingerly accepted the device, and passed back to Fang. She looked at me, eyes wide with fear and confusion. I gave her a grim nod, and she pressed the speaker button.

At first there was silence, and then, the staticy voice of Uncle Moe filled the car. “Lucy? You there?” 

Fang wheezed a little, wiping away the tears on their face with a smile. “Y-Yes! Yes I’m here!” After a bit of consideration, they added: “It’s me, Fang.”

Moe’s sigh was audible even through the crappy speaker. “It’s good to hear from yous again. Now follow Arny and get outta there! The cops are on their way.”

“But-”

“No buts, missy!. We’ll talk later. Right now just focus on not gettin’ got.” 

Fang looked at me, then back to the phone, swallowing hard. “O-Okay. Love you.”

“I love you too, Luce. See you soon.” The line went dead, Fang handed the phone to Reed, who handed it back to Arny.

The biker pocketed the device. “Come, it isn’t far.” He then hopped on his motorcycle, and drove away without another word.

Reed leaned over his seat to face me. “We doing this?” 

All eyes turned to Fang.

She nodded gently.

“Okay…” Replied a hesitant Raptor. “But the second I see trouble, we’re making a run for it.”

He fired up the ignition, and followed after the biker.

The mysterious stranger led us to the bustling streets of Little Troodon. Seeing the busy market places brought back some pleasant memories of the first “date” Fang and I went on. But those memories meant little when the drive here was spent cradling a manic Ptero, and listening to the sounds of passing police sirens.

Conversation was practically nonexistent, unless you counted either Trish or Reed looking back to see if Fang had gotten any better. They stopped shaking at least, and sometimes they’d open their mouth, but no sound would come out. 

After a few minutes, the warm, enticing glow The Historic Dino-Moe’s came into view. Fang’s muscles tangibly eased as the light filled the van’s interior. Arny led Reed to the side of the restaurant, and both vehicles slowed to a stop. 

Our driver turned to face us, a tired yet hopeful look on his face. “We’re here.”

I lifted Fang off of my lap. They stared at the old building, a faraway look in their eyes. “You ready to go?” I asked.

They blinked once, then nodded, clambering out of their seat and towards the door. The four of us followed Arny into the alleyway behind Moe’s, and into the back exit. Cooks and waiters alike all stopped to give us annoyed looks, before immediately turning away when they saw the silvery six-foot leading us through the establishment. 

We soon found ourselves in a locker room. One of Moe’s employees scurried out the second he saw Arny, while halfway through pulling up his pants. The sizable Struthiosaur turned to us, simply said, “Wait here.” before going back the way we came.

The four of us barely had time to sit down on one of the nearby benches when Uncle Moe himself came barreling in through the door. “Lucy!” The old fossil headed straight for his niece- Would it be niece? Relative, and miraculously managed to sweep Fang off their feet. “I was so worried ‘bout youse! You okay?” He proceeded to check their pulse, all the while his eyes roamed for any signs of injury.

“I-I’m fine, Moe, really.” Fang seemed stunned by the attention Moe was giving them, and had a wide - if confused - smile on their beak.

Once satisfied that Fang wasn’t in need of medical attention, Moe pulled away and nodded. “That’s a relief.”

I smiled, happy in the knowledge that we were one step closer. Then I felt a strange pressure wash over me. I looked to the side to see Arny standing in the doorway, and several questions I had from earlier resurfaced in my mind. “Uh, sorry to interrupt - but how did you find us?”

Moe glanced at me, then at Arny. “Oh! My bad, Arny.” He approached the goliath and handed him a wad of what looked like fifty dollar bills. 

“Much appreciated.” Arny pocketed the money. “Shall I resume my original task?”

The mustachioed dinosaur gave him a firm nod, before whispering under his breath. “Yeah, and make it quick. Petrov’s gonna kill me if he doesn’t get his package.”

Arny left without so much of a nod. Mod turned round to face us with an apologetic smile. “Sorry ‘bout that! But to answer your question, kid, I’ve been keepin’ an ear to the ground ever since Lucy went missing. It was lucky that Arny was as close as he was when I heard the police report.”

The Triceratops to my left furrowed her brow. “Why not just let the police find us?” 

Moe’s expression shifted to one of incredulity. “‘Cause I don’t want Rip to blow a fuse, that’s why!” He didn’t yell exactly, but the volume was still enough to make us flinch. “Oh, sorry I- You know what I mean.” He took a deep breath. “He’s a good guy, really, he’s just gotta head denser than lead. If he and Lucy are gonna get along, it’s best that he don’t see her in cuffs the next time they-” 

Trish loudly cleared her throat. “Fang.”

Moe turned to her, brow cocked. “What?”

“Their name?” She folded her arms and began impatiently tapping her finger.

He looked her up and down for a second, before turning to Fang. “Um- Ah- Yeah.” Fang turned their beak to the ground, cheeks flush with embarrassment. “That’s my name.”

Moe just shrugged. “Alright.” He then plopped down on the bench opposite us. “Now, I gotta know, what happened? Where have you been?”

Fang began to draw their wings around themself. “...With Anon.”

“That so?” The Tyrannosaur shot me a casual glance, one that had an edge to it. “He take good care of you?”

I held my breath. A small, warm smile spread across Fang’s beak. “Yeah… He did.” 

She turned to me, and a wave of calm flooded my system. “Nice.” Sighed Moe. “Good job, kid.” He scooted forwards a bit. “Now why don’t you all tell me what happened at the dance?”

Oh.

The smiles evaporated from my face and Fang’s. I cast my gaze around the room. “Anybody wanna go first?” 

A painful, shuddering breath escaped Fang’s beak. “I’ll do it.” They withdrew wings from around their body, and began recounting the events leading up to prom.

It was a brief, painful, yet enlightening experience. I learned that Fang had yelled at their parents before we traveled to prom, and that they were planning to use a guitar for the performance, but their string snapped, and everything went tumbling down from there.

Both Trish and Reed visibly sunk upon hearing Fang’s description of prom, and the latter wrapped a comforting arm around the former. The sight reminded me for the umpteenth time that they too were suffering from the event. I felt bad for abusing their good will. I hope that I’ll be able to pay them back once Fang’s in a good place again.

Fortunately for me, Fang left out the fact that I had yelled at them the morning after. I took that as genuine forgiveness, and squeezed their hand as thanks.

Moe was completely silent the entire time, not even speaking up to ask for clarification. Once Fang had finished, they were rendered a trembling mass of tears and feathers, tightly hugging their knees against their chest. “I don’t wanna go home.” They croaked.

“Hmm…” Moe tapped his tiny claws against his stomach, deep in thought. “Do you know why you have to?” Fang nodded. “Good.” The bench beneath him groaned in relief as he got to his feet. “If it’s alright with you, I’d like to go make a call or two.” 

Trish glowered up at the old fossil. “You gonna tell him where we are?”

“No.” Moe plainly replied, before turning back to Fang. “I’m gonna call your mother first. Sam will calm him down, at least a little bit. From there I’m hoping that we can arrange a meeting. Something to help ease things over. That sound good?”

Fang nodded again, but Trish put a hand on their shoulder. “Fang, you don’t have to-”

“But I do.” The interruption wasn’t loud, but it shut Trish up regardless. “I can’t run from him forever.”

Moe’s snout turned up in a proud smile. “Good thinking. I’ll be back in a bit.” 

The four of us rested against each other as we awaited his return. When he finally did come back, his expression was grim, which only worsened the pit in my stomach.

“So I got good news and bad news, which-” He sighed, “Nevermind. Good news is, Sam did calm him down.”

“And the bad news?” I asked.

Moe sucked in a breath through his teeth. “Rip asked for you, and Lu- Fang.” He turned to Trish and Reed. “You two can’t come.”

“What?” They both cried in unison. 

Moe held up his hands. “I tried to turn him the other way, but he’s stuck. If I argued any more than that he would’ve barged in here to make me tell him you were.”

Trish tightened her grip on Fang’s shoulder, eliciting a wince. “You’re not going, Fang! You can’t!”

Fang didn’t respond immediately. Instead, they gently brushed Trish’s hand away, and wrapped her and Reed up in one of their patented wing hugs. “It’s okay. Thank you, both of you for helping me. I-It means a lot.”

Fang withdrew from her friends, and faced Moe, her teary eyes burning brightly. “When?”

He smiled. “Tomorrow. Six P.M. Sam said she needed some prep time.”

I took a deep breath. We’re really doing this, huh? Dinner with the Aaron’s. 

What could possibly go wrong?

Chapter Text

Never before had I taken my wardrobe’s lack of variety into account until now. When it came time for us to prepare, Fang had holed themselves up in the bathroom with an armful of clothes, and I was left staring at row after row of identical green jackets. I had thought about wearing my prom outfit, but one quick search of my hamper revealed that I’d neglected to wash it. 

Fortunately, my bowtie seemed to be in good shape, and it didn’t smell too bad, so I put it on and checked myself out in the mirror. I went with the same thing as yesterday, all buttoned up with rolled-down sleeves. My accessory seemed a little off, but I couldn’t think of the exact reason why. 

When in doubt, look it up on YouSnoot.

As the well-dressed Ankylosaur on my phone’s screen starts prattling on, it starts to seep in. A slow, cold, wet , trickled its way across my shoulders and down my back. I rubbed a trembling hand over my neck in a futile attempt to calm myself. 

This was it. The final showdown, so to speak. I should feel glad that Fang was finally going home, but my racing thoughts kept that from happening. Would their dad blow up? Fly into a rage? 

Would Fang?

And what about their mom? She seemed nice enough, but Fang needed help, and according to Fang - or my memories of their account - she’d be more likely to ignore the problem than do anything about it.

“Anon?” Fang’s quavering voice shook me from my trance, drawing my attention to them. They had decided on an intact pair of blue jeans and a long-sleeved black sweater. All they had for makeup was some foundation around their eyes, which gave their lids a reflective hue. 

Smoldering, as always.

Fang snapped their fingers and spoke, their voice agitated. “Hello? Earth to Dweeb?”

I blinked and found a very familiar glower resting on Fang’s beak. She had given me many of those looks near the start of the semester, back when the fire wasn’t so dim. 

I couldn’t help but smile. “Hi Fang. You look pretty.” Their cheeks turned a faint red, but the scowl remained. My smile dropped when I realized my possible mistake. “Uh, sorry. Is handsome more appropriate?” I stifled a cringe, thinking of all the slurs my thread “buddies” would undoubtedly be throwing at me right now. 

“...What?” Asked Fang, their cheeks burning ever brighter. They looked away and covered their beak, failing miserably to hide her growing smile. “P-Pretty’s fine.” My smile returned, splitting my face in two. Fang glanced at me and pointed at my neck. “Your tie, it’s crooked.”

“Is it?” I looked down to where she was pointing, but Fang was already hard at work, fidgeting with the accessory. 

My breathing slowed as Fang continued to adjust my tie, trying to find the perfect spot for it. I gently raised my hand and wove my fingers into their hair. Fang glanced up at me for a moment, smiled, and then leaned into my touch. 

I couldn’t tell if they had finished or not, but at one point Fang let my tie go and pressed her hands against mine, holding it in place against her head. She closed her eyes, and let out a gentle hum that created pleasant vibrations throughout my entire body.

Slowly, painfully, Fang’s humming ceased, and so did their smile. 

“Hey.” My other hand rose and cupped their other cheek. Fang opened their eyes, faint vapors dancing behind their pupils. “We’re gonna be okay.”

They nodded weakly. “I hope so.” I kissed their forehead, before leaning in to rest my head against theirs. Fang’s snout was so long that I couldn’t stop my chin from touching it. I managed to repress a smile. 

A light buzzing noise emanated from the bed, drawing both of our attention. I picked it up and flipped it around to see that I had received the anticipated text from Moe. I pocketed the device and pulled away from Fang so I could look them in the eyes. “Our ride’s here. Are you ready to go?”

Fang drew in a long, quiet breath before grabbing me by the hand and smiling. “Yep. Let's get out of here.” Their tone and expression felt forced, but at least it was something.

We trundled out the door, down the stairs, and into the parking lot. Even in the dim glow of the evening sun, Moe’s pickup truck was easy to spot, in part because it was polished to a mirror’s shine but mostly because it was several feet taller than the other vehicles in order to accommodate Moe’s sizable head.

He gave us a wide, toothy grin as we clambered onto the plush leather back seats. “Lookin’ good, you two! Have everything you need?”

I fastened the old-fashioned latch on the seatbelt. “We only brought our clothes and phones. Do we need anything else?”

Moe placed a finger under his chin, which required him to lower his head considerably. “Depends. Do ya need some freshenin’ up? Breath mint? Cologne?” He patted the chair next to him. “I got some sodas, too, if you want ‘em.”

Fang straightened up. “I could go for a soda.” A split second after speaking, their eyes went wide, and they bowed their head as if they had done something wrong. “Sorry. Please?”

The Tyrannosaur chuckled, retrieving two glass bottles from beneath the passenger seat. We cracked open the bottles of Crack after he passed them back to us. I took a sip. They were room temperature, but the sugar woke me up real good. 

Moe turned on the radio, filling the car with a slow, jazzy serenade. With a jangle of his keys, the engine revved to life, and we started on our trip towards what felt like the point of no return.

There’d be no going back after whatever happens next.

Fang’s phone buzzed about two minutes into the drive. They leaned against me, positioning the device so that I could see the screen. It displayed a text from Trish asking if we had left yet.

Fang: Yeah we’re on our way now.

Trish: Nice. Any problems so far?

Fang: Nope. Also Anon can see my screen.

There was a long pause.

Trish: Alright. Reed’s chilling with me for tonight. He’s helping me babysit my siblings and their friends. They’re having a sleepover.

Fang recoiled a bit before typing out a hasty response.

Fang: Your mom let that happen? 

Trish: The sleepover, or Reed?

Fang: Reed.

Trish: She almost didn’t lol. Had him do a whole breathalyzer test before she let him stay. 

I felt a gentle bump beneath me as Fang chuckled. 

Fang: lol. Hope you guys have fun.

Trish: We will. And good luck. We’re rooting for you.

She sent an image after that last message. It was a little dark and was only illuminated by a pale light coming from off-frame, but I managed to make out Trish and Reed in the shot. 

The Triceratops held up a peace sign with a worried smile while the Raptor behind her gave the camera a lazy thumbs up, his face completely devoid of fear.

My companion’s face melted into heartwarming putty before they sent a thank you text back, one filled to bursting with heart emojis. 

With a satisfied hum, Fang pocketed the device and wrapped her arm around mine, weaving our fingers together. As anxious as I was for the upcoming event, I was still grateful that Fang’s friends could offer them some form of respite.

Even so, I’d be even more grateful if they were allowed to come with us. As the ugly rectangles of Skin Row gave way to a smaller, more pleasant suburbia, some questions I had for Moe the day prior resurfaced in my mind. “Why’d they want to meet us for dinner? Why not sometime earlier, like breakfast or lunch?”

“Cause Sam wanted to.” Replied Moe. He kept his eyes glued to the road ahead as he spoke. “Said she was gonna prepare a feast for you two, which means she’s probably whipping up some pot roast.”

That caught Fang’s attention. “The one with cheese drizzled on top?” 

Moe licked his lips. “I hope so. ‘Specially if it's got that sugar seasoning and those eggs on the side. Isa just-” He paused to perform a chef’s kiss, although his fingers couldn’t reach his mouth. 

“ Il perfezionamento. ”

Can’t remember the last time I had a home-cooked meal. I think it was back when my relatives still visited. Fang’s mouth appeared to be visibly watering, so that was more than enough of a reason for me to be excited. 

And if Fang’s mom had gone through all this trouble just for them, then maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

I caught sight of Naser as Moe’s truck pulled into the driveway. He was pacing back and forth, brow furrowed, lips pressed into a tight frown. It looked like he was going to pull out his phone before he noticed us and his expression pulled a complete 180. 

“Hey, man!” Naser trotted up to my side of the vehicle. 

I barely managed to extend a hand in greeting before he grabbed it and my shoulder with bone-crushing force. “Hey yourself.” I wheezed, trying my hardest not to tear up.

Naser’s bag-ridden eyes darted to the truck’s interior. “Is Fang-?” Someone coughed behind me, cutting him off. 

Fang looked stiff as a board, their face a fragile mask of neutrality. They lifted their hand to wave before quickly returning it to their side. “Sup.”

The pressure on my hand and shoulder subsided. Naser nodded gingerly in greeting. “Hey, sib. How uh… How’ve you been?”

We waited in bated breath for Fang’s response. They averted their gaze, bobbing their head from side to side. “Been better.” Her shimmering amber irises met his. “You?”

“Good…” Said Naser with a sigh. “Really good. School’s been a bit of a pain, but then again, when hasn’t it?” A light smile tugged at the corners of Fang’s mouth.

Once the siblings had said their piece, an awkward silence fell over the lot. I turned around to see that Moe was leaning out the driver-side window to watch the exchange, the tell-tale glint of anticipation in his eye.

It was Naser who wound up breaking the silence. “You uh… you mind if I-?” He slowly extended his arms. Fang’s eyes grew even wider than they already were before she snapped her head towards me. 

I simply smiled and nodded towards her brother. 

With more than a bit of reservation, Fang took a jerky step forwards, their arms half extended like one of those old fashioned toy robots. Naser met them halfway, his movements equally awkward. They hugged, and gave each other two hearty pats on the back.

For several painfully long seconds, the winged siblings remained locked in an embrace so rigid, it was like watching two scarecrows get pressed together. 

But gradually, and very, very slowly, Naser’s muscles began to relax. A rare wave of calm washed over his face, before he closed his eyes, and pulled Fang in closer, resting his chin on her shoulder.

Fang followed soon after. Their wings drooped to the ground, and all the stress they had been carrying throughout the day slid right off. 

“Welcome home.” Whispered Naser. 

Moe let out a loud sigh, and clasped a hand over his heart with just a hint of theatricality. “Well, ain’t that jus beautiful?” The Tyranasaur’s voice caused Fang and Naser to jump a little. 

Naser pulled away from the hug to get a better look at the driver side window. “Oh, hey Moe! I didn’t know you were here.” His expression contorted into an embarrassed one. “I mean, I knew you were coming, I just didn’t…” He shrugged apologetically. “You know.”

“Fuhgeddaboudit!” Moe waved a tiny, dismissive claw through the air. “I’m jus’ glad to see you twos gettin’ along.” He put the truck into reverse. “Well, I oughta’ get going. Rip’ll blow a fuse if he catches me stickin’ around.” Moe gave me a wink before he pulled onto the street.  “Best o’ luck, kid. Youse gonna need it.”

And with that, the Italiosaurus backed up, and drove off into the night. Fang and Naser offered him a parting wave, before the former turned to me and smiled. “Come on in, Mom’s really excited to see you guys again.”

He led us up the decorative stone path towards the front door. A warm, gentle light poured out the glass panes built into the top of the entrance. Just as Naser was about to put his hand on the knob, the door opened. 

The light shining from within was obscured by the large, all-encompassing silhouette of Mr. Ripley Aaron. His beady, narrow eyes burrowed into me, picking away at my insides, leaving me hollow.

His gaze eventually met Naser’s, causing him to swallow loudly. “H-Hey, Dad!” He stammered, his voice brimming with false bravado. “Fang’s home!” Naser stepped to the side, revealing his sibling.

Fang tightened her grip on my hand, leaving painful marks on the back with her claws as she withered beneath her father’s burning eyes. 

He said nothing. 

Neither did she.

I pulled my gaze away from the staring contest to look at Naser, whose eyes silently begged me to do something. Anything. But what exactly could I do? My mind went completely blank. 

Fortunately for all of us, salvation was on its way. Its arrival was signaled by the sound of several tiny footsteps coming from inside the house. A tiny blur of bright teal shoved its way past Ripley and tackled Fang in a bear hug.

“Lucy!” Samantha’s joyful screech filled the evening air as she rocked Fang back and forth in her arms. Before the taller Ptero could even get the chance to look surprised, Samantha pulled away from the embrace and cleared her throat, keeping their hands intertwined. “Sorry. It’s good to have you home, Fang.” 

Ripley, Naser, and I all recoiled in mild shock, but Fang stood completely still, pupils small, mouth agape. Samantha’s face scrunched into a worried frown. “Are you feeling alright, dear?” She placed two fingers on Fang’s wrist, then on their neck. “You’re not sick, are you?”

A breathy, shaken “Ha” escaped Fang’s beak, and muscles went lax once more. “N-No, I’m okay. Just a little nervous. Thanks Mom.”

“Nervous?” Cried Samantha. “Whatever for?” Fang looked up. Samantha followed their gaze to find Ripley staring down both them and her. “ Ripley. ” Whispered the matriarch, her voice dangerously low. Fear flashed in the larger Pterosaur’s eyes, like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

His mouth creaked open, but no sound came out. With a grumble, Ripley relented and lumbered back into the house. Samantha turned back to the three of us with a smile. “Don’t you worry about him, he’s just being a big ol’ grumpy gus.” She proceeded to scurry back inside, beckoning for us to follow. “Dinner’s not quite ready yet, so please, make yourselves comfortable.”

Naser, Fang, and I stepped into the house's now familiar living room. A quick glance to my left revealed that Ripley had assumed his usual place atop his throne of a recliner, staring daggers at me all the while. We did as Samantha instructed, and sat ourselves down. Fang sat to my right, as far away as they could from their dad, and Naser sat on the small chair across from him.

The siblings stared at their laps, twiddling their fingers. After a brief planning period, I decided that the best course of action would be to attack the main threat head on. I turned to my left, cleared my throat, and addressed the patriarch as politely as I could. 

“So, Mr. Aaron, how has your week been?” The words sounded downright alien to my greentext addled mind. 

Ripley’s expression didn’t change when I finished speaking, but I could feel the growing irritation radiate off of him. “Busy.”

I nodded in what I hoped was an understanding fashion. “I see. Doing what?”

He sneered. “Looking for her.”

The arm I had wrapped in mine started trembling. 

Course.

Moron.

I ignored the festering phantom and put on a smile. “W-Well, here they are!”

The Pterodactyl-shaped gargoyle remained still. 

Fang stood up, pulling their arm away from mine. I looked up, and saw that their eyes were firmly glued to the ground. “I have to use the bathroom.” 

Ripley raised an eyebrow, and slightly rose from his seat. “You didn’t use it when you left?”

Fang didn’t answer. They just walked away. 

A sound like grinding rocks escaped Ripley’s beak as he sat back down, and resumed his psychic assault on my mind. I mirrored Naser’s posture and thought about how to proceed. Wait, there’s an idea. I nudged the orange-tinted Ptero with my foot. “What’ve you been up to?”

He glanced at me, looking slightly surprised that I was even talking to him. “Oh, you know, stuff.”

I heaved a heavy sigh. “Like…?”

Naser began rapidly tapping his foot. “Just council stuff.” He moved his jaw around for a few seconds before continuing. “...Naomi and I helped the LnL club set up a birthday party.” 

“Oh cool. Whose birthday was it?” The more I spoke the more Mr. Aaron scrunched up his face.

“Sage.” Naser actually managed to make eye contact with me, although I could tell that he was resisting the urge to shield his face from his father’s scornful gaze. “They get as much of a budget to spend this year, since they blew all their savings on a Christmas party last year. But since they’ve been really cooperative this time around, Naomi invited me over to help bake a cake for them.”

The name ‘Sage’ rang a distant bell, but I was more fixated at the mention of the Prissy Peach. “How is Naomi, by the way? We talked a little when-” I caught myself. I had almost let slip that I talked to Naomi at school, which would of course imply that I left Fang alone in my apartment for a whole day.

Call it a hunch, but I don’t think Ripley would be happy to hear that.

I feigned a cough. “We talked over the phone a little, and she sounded kind of worried about you.”

Naser looked down again, but it wasn’t out of fear this time. “She… yeah, she’s doing good.” His cheeks turned a light red, eliciting a raised brow from both me and his dad. “She invited me over to study the day before yesterday. We just sort of chilled out the entire time. It was nice.”

“And that’s all you did?” Rumbled Ripley.

Naser’s face went from calm to horrified in an instant. “Um, yeah! I mean, we also watched a movie?” His words seemed to bounce right off Ripley. 

The larger dino leaned forwards, pressing Naser further into his chair with invisible force, till salvation came for the second time that night.

“Dinner’s ready!” Samantha’s sing-song voice rang out from the kitchen. 

The patriarch’s steely eyes darted to the kitchen, and then back to where Naser was sitting. “Get. He and I need to talk.” 

Naser’s breath caught in his throat. He looked between me and his dad, a mix of fear and sympathy in his eyes. Ripley’s nostrils flared. “Did I stutter?” Naser jumped, averted his gaze, and quickly dragged his feet all the way to the kitchen. “Now then,” The scaly ball of terror shifted in his chair, narrowing his eyes till they were tiny, burning slits.

“How were the sandwiches?”

My heart caught in my throat. “How did-” I managed to stop myself.

Too late.

Ripley pulled back his lips, revealing his unnervingly clean, razor-sharp teeth. “Not important. What is, is what you were thinking bringing her there, instead of straight home.”

I took a shallow breath. “I-It isn’t like that, sir. I wanted to-”

“Oh, really ?” Ripley hissed, placing his hands on his chair’s armrests and leaning forwards. “Then why didn’t you?”

I paused, and narrowed my own eyes in response. 

Couldn’t he tell? He might not have been there, but Naser had to have told him, right? “Because she wasn’t ready, sir. That’s why.”

Ripley looked as if I had just suggested that pigs could fly. But before he could say anything in response, Samantha cleared her throat, drawing our attention. “Dinner is ready, and it’s getting cold. ” 

Instead of scurrying off like she did at the front door, Samantha just stood there and glowered at Ripley, impatiently tapping her foot. The stress-inducing mound of scales swung his head towards his wife, then towards me, before pushing himself to his feet and lumbering over to the kitchen. 

A monstrous claw clamped down on my shoulder as he passed. “We’re not done here.”

The weight remained even after he let go.

Samantha watched him pass, then met my eyes with an encouraging smile, before scuttling into the kitchen herself. My heavy heart lightened somewhat as I rose from my seat and followed after the tiny woman. 

Making this work wasn’t going to be easy, but at least Fang and I had an ally. 

The mouthwatering scent of juicy steak flooded my nostrils as Samantha and I stepped into the kitchen. Tonight's meal had been spread out on the countertop in front of me. It consisted of buttered rolls, a crock pot filled to the brim with broth and steak… 

And a plate piled high with chicken nuggets.

It felt like I was looking at more home-cooked food than I had ever seen in my life, store bought nuggies notwithstanding. Samantha chortled when she saw my dumbstruck expression. “Don’t eat too much, dear! We’re having pie for dessert.” She stood on her tiptoes and retrieved a plate from a cupboard, then proceeded to load up on healthy helpings of everything.

I followed her example and looked over to the table once I had gotten my fill, wondering where to sit. It was arranged to seat six people, about five feet long and three feet wide.

Naser was seated at the head of the table, his eyes glued to his plate. Ripley and Samantha sat next to one another. The tiny ptero grabbed hold of her partner’s hand, and to my astonishment, Ripley actually smiled in return. 

It wasn’t like any of the other times I had seen the expression plastered on his face. Like all of our other interactions, those were just further attempts to intimidate me, but this… 

It was warm, kind, and more than a little tired. 

But then he caught me looking, and the tiny glimmer vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

I followed Naser’s example, and hurriedly took the seat directly across from Ripley. Fang would probably want to sit next to me, so this way they could do just that without their dad staring them to death all dinner. 

Samantha cleared her throat when I picked up my fork, and I only just realized that nobody else had touched their plates. “We were going to wait for Luc-” She cleared her throat again. “Excuse me. We were going to wait for Fang so we could all say prayer together before we eat. Is that alright with you?”

My stomach twisted itself into a knot. “Oh, right. I’m cool with that. Sorry, ma’am.” I probably should’ve looked up some guides on dinner etiquette.

Fortunately for me, the matriarch didn’t seem too upset by it. “Oh, that’s alright, dear. Thank you for being patient.”

Just as she said that, the sound of sneakers against linoleum caught our attention. Fang had appeared by the kitchen counter, piling steak and nuggets onto their plate. Once satisfied, they put a roll in their beak and made a beeline for the seat next to mine.

Their mother smiled worriedly once Fang sat down. “Are you feeling alright? You were in there for quite a while.” Fang gave a noncommittal grunt in response.

Ripley snarled, the fire returning to his eyes. “Your mother asked you a question.”

Fang winced and swallowed their morsel. “M’fine.” 

The patriarch didn’t seem pleased by their response, but he backed down when Samantha placed a hand on his arm. 

“Would anyone like to say prayer?” Asked Samantha. She let out a sad sigh when nobody answered. “Alright.”

The family all folded their arms, and bowed their heads. I followed their example just as the mother started to speak.

“Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for watching over our daughter during her time away from home, and for providing her a wonderful companion to keep her safe.”

My face grew warm when hearing the title, but I was more concerned for Fang. I risked a peek, and was surprised that they didn’t look angry. They instead looked… confused. But I couldn’t be sure of what or why. 

Samantha continued. 

“We ask that you may bless this meal that it may nurture our bodies, and strengthen our spirits. In the name of Raptor Jesus, amen.”

“Amen.” The other three Pteros mumbled in unison.

Fang and Naser started eating immediately after the prayer had ended, their movements cautious and slow, as if the food would leap up and bite them back at any moment. Mr. Aaron stabbed a particularly large chunk of chicken, and proceeded to make a show of flexing his jaw muscles as he chewed.

“So, Anon, why did you move to the Bluffs? Does your family have work here?” Asked Mrs. Aaron as she took a dainty bite out of her roll.

Fang and I exchanged worried glances. It might not be the best idea to reveal my past degeneracies to their parents, but then again… it wouldn’t surprise me if Ripley interrogated Principal Spears about what happened during the presentation. And even if he didn’t know now, he might find out later. 

Best to get the truth out of the way as soon as I can. I downed a portion of the water glass beside me before clearing my throat to speak. “No, nothing like that, ma’am. Some of my…” I might’ve actually called them friends once upon a time. “ Classmates dug up some embarrassing pictures of me, and sent them to everyone at school.”

A small gasp escaped Mrs. Aaron’s beak, and she placed a hand on her chest. “That’s awful! Why would they do something like that?”

I shrugged. “Beats me, ma’am.” 

Ripley took a long, slow sip from his glass, before placing it down on the table with a light thud. “What were in the pictures?”

The question earned the towering ptero a withering glare from his wife. “N-Nothing illegal, sir. Just… some stupid stuff I did when I was younger.” I stammered. 

My words seemed to have no effect on Ripley, but they elicited a sympathetic sigh from Samantha. “I’m sorry that happened to you dear. That must have been pretty difficult to go through.”

You have no idea. 

“Thank you, ma’am. But you don’t have to worry about me.” Fang flinched in slight surprise when my hand found hers under the table. “I’ve pretty much forgotten all about it.”

I smiled at her, and she smiled right back.

“Aw!” Cried Samantha, her beak turned up in a wide smile. Fang turned their burning face away from mine, but still held on tight. Mrs. Aaron giggled. “Oh, don’t mind me. You two keep being cute.”

Ripley cleared his throat, loudly. “So, your parents dropped everything just because of some drama at school?” While the question was directed at me, his flickered towards Fang, if only for a moment.

“No, sir. It’s just me here.” I answered honestly.

“Wait, they… what?” Samantha put a hand on her chest, almost insulted by what I said. “Your parents just let you move here, all by yourself?”

I nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I know my situation is a bit unusual, but-”

She scoffed, her indignation burning brighter. “That’s not just unusual, dear, that’s unacceptable! Surely they’ve arranged for a family member or friend to take care of you at least.”

My eyes drooped to the floor. Fang’s grip tightened, and she ran her thumb over the back of my hand. A frustrated growl escaped Samantha’s beak. “Would you mind sharing your parent’s contact information with me? I have a few choice words for them…”

As amusing as the idea of Dad contending with Mrs. Aaron, I didn’t want to cause her any trouble, nor did I want to risk losing my monthly allowance. “It’s fine, ma’am, really. They give me what I need to make it through the month, and have even helped me find an apartment.”

“Where?” 

I froze, before turning to look Ripley in the eye, praying to whatever deity would listen that I didn’t look scared. “Pardon?” 

“Now, Ripley, that’s hardly an appropriate question to ask!” Scolded Samantha. “You don’t have to answer that, Anon”

“Oh, but I think he does.” The large lizard folded his arms and firmly planted his elbows on the table. “Where’d they stick you?”

I could feel my poker face deteriorating the longer his eyes bored into me. I looked frantically to Samantha for help, but she seemed to be panicking too. 

Lie, that was it. That was the only way to save us. 

No, he’d figure it out. He’d send people to check, then he’d never let me see her again.

Right before I opened my mouth to speak, I felt a tug on my hand.

It was as if she was staring at a corpse. 

Fang shook her head, and mouthed one word.

“Please.”

“237, South Hammond Street.” 

Ripley blinked, staring at me like he was expecting the punchline to a terrible joke.

He never got one.

Fang tried to interject. “Dad, I asked-” 

“You brought her there,” Ripley rose from his seat, pushing it towards the back door.

Samantha scrambled to her feet, and gently placed a hand on his arm. “Now, Rip, Lucy was trying to-”

“You kept her there,” Ripley ripped his arm free from his wife’s grasp.

“For four days?!”

His bellow shook the house down to its foundations, and knocked the wind out of me.

What can I possibly say to that? He’s right . 

But it’s at that exact moment when Fang broke. “Wh- Well, where else was I supposed to go?” They cried, rising to their feet and knocking over their chair in the process.

Ripley reared his head towards his child, the fury in his blistering gaze unwavering. “You were supposed to come home!”

“I couldn’t!” Hissed Fang. They bared their gritted teeth, and dug their talons into their palms. Small trickles of red started pouring down their knuckles. “You weren’t there! You didn’t hear them! I needed him!” Their voice cracked, before they took a long, shuddering breath.

“I still need him.”

Anger- Fear- Something flashed in Ripley’s eyes. “Then you could have brought him here!”

Fang swallowed hard and shook their head. “No, no, I couldn’t do that either. You’d take one look at us, and think that it was his fault!” They took a step back and shrugged, a manic, ugly smile on their lips. “And you know what? It would be his fault! Because I can’t tell you anything!”

Steam billowed from Ripley’s nose. “Sounds like a good excuse to spend half a week in a crack den!’ He shoved an accusatory finger in their face. “Do you have any idea of what goes on in there? Just this morning we got reports of two separate stabbings in the block he lives on!”

A vein on Fang’s forehead seemed close to bursting. “Well, maybe I wanna get stabbed! Maybe you’ll be better off without me!”

Ripley spread his wings and opened his mouth to retort, but no sound came out. It was at that moment when I realized what Fang had just said. I looked at the table’s other occupants. Both Naser and Samantha looked horrified, but it was Ripley who seemed the most disturbed.

His mouth closed, then opened again, yet still no sound could be heard. With twitching wings and furrowed brow, all the towering ptero could muster in that moment was a small, breathy: “...What?”

Fang responded with a sharp exhale from their nose, before turning around, kicking their fallen chair out of the way, and marching towards the stairs. 

A visible tremor ran through Ripley’s body, as if he had been shaken awake. He forced his mouth open to bare his teeth, and stiffly raised a finger. “Not one more step young-” 

He stopped, and looked down to find his wife’s arms firmly wrapped around one of his. Samantha’s watery amber irises peaked out between her lashes, and she wore a quivering frown on her snout. “We need to talk. Alone.”

She looked away from Ripley to nod at me.

Or at least, she might have. I wouldn’t know.

I was already halfway up the stairs.

A splinter flew past me as I stepped through the door. 

They had one of their guitars by the neck, and was using it to bash away at the two still hanging on the wall. “Hey, hey stop!” I yelled. They didn’t notice, and took a big swing at their acoustic, snapping its strings and splitting its stomach wide open.

“Fang!” I rushed forward, and got between her and her instruments. Only then did she realize that I was there, but it had happened mid swing.

Too late.

She tried to miss, but the broken, jagged axe grazed my left shoulder. I winced, doubling over in pain as I pressed my palm against the wound. The light thud of wood against carpet shook me from the haze. Fang was looking down at me, horrified. She extended a trembling hand towards me, but pulled back when I reached up to take it. 

“...No.” I could barely hear her. Fang took a step back. “No!” Then another. “No, no, no!” And another, before stumbling to the ground.

I reached for her, and took a step forward. “Fang, I’m okay, I-”  She scrambled away until her back hit the wall. 

“I-I’m sorry,” Squeaked Fang, before she wrapped her arms around herself and shut her eyes tight. “I’m sorry! I-I-I’m sorry! I-” She repeated herself, over and over again, expelling more and more tears with each word.

The longer I watched, the closer I came to crying myself.

You won’t.

Course I won’t. Not when she still needs me.

I took several long, labored steps towards the sobbing girl, placed my back against the wall, and slid down next to her. I made sure to sit on her left. “Fang?” The ceaseless apologies stopped, but she continued to tremble. “I accept your apology.” The anguish on Fang’s face morphed into confusion, then concern, before she finally opened her eyes.

I offered her a concerned smile, and put my hand on her lap. She took it, dried her eyes with her sleeve, and turned to face the pile of splinters and strings that lay on the wall opposite us. Just thinking about the mess made my stomach churn, but I forced myself to look at it regardless.

After a short length of silence, Fang spoke. “Why?”

“...Why, what?” I replied.

Her eyes began to water again. “Why do you put up with me?”

I scooted closer to Fang and tightened my hold on her hand. “Because I love you? What kind of question is that?”

She turned away from me. “But why? If you hadn't met me, you wouldn’t have to deal with Dad, or Trish, or the friggin’ stairs…” Fang trailed off and slid further down the wall.

“...Or me. You’d be just fine if you hadn’t met me.”

I grimaced at the thought. “Maybe. But then again, I think I’d also be a lot worse off too.” She met my gaze again, silently urging me to continue. “Before I met you, Reed, and even Trish, my life was just okay. I’d wake up, go to school, and come home.”

A microscopic smile crept onto her lips. “...And make fun of people on the internet.”

“‘Course.” I snorted. “And… I liked it. But that’s only because I didn’t think it could get any better.” I shuffled around so she could see me, all of me, cut included. Fang slowly echoed my actions and grabbed hold of my other hand. 

“But it did get better,” I spoke each word with all the strength and certainty I could muster. “It got so, so much better.” Fang’s eyes began to glisten. “After our talk on the roof, I actually wanted to go back to school. I wanted to talk to you, to Reed, and even Trish. Because for the first time in… I don’t know how long, I felt wanted.”

She shut her eyes tight, breathing hard and fast. I released Fang’s hands, willing mine to travel up her arms and over her shoulders, before resting on her cheeks. “Yeah, the stairs sucked, but I’d go through that all over again if it meant getting to know you. All of you.” 

I brought Fang close, closed my eyes, and rested my forehead against hers. The room went silent, except for Fang’s breathing, which gradually slowed with each passing second. After a minute or two, she broke the silence. “...Did you like what you found?”

“I did.”

“What specifically?” I opened my eyes to find a smile in hers.

“Let’s see…” I raked my mind for just one of the billions of things I liked about her. “I like your sense of humor. The way you talk, and tell stories. Your passion for music.” The smile faded slightly, so I scrambled for a follow up. “A-And your style. And your smile, your hugs, when you call me dweeb…” 

My ramblings earned me a giggle from Fang, which earned her a smile from me. I pulled back so I could look at her. All of her. 

“But most of all… I guess I’m just glad you’re still here.” Fang’s smile faded again, but it was replaced by an expression of reserved contemplation, as opposed to a frown. “I… I don’t really have a passion like you do. So I can’t even begin to imagine how much that must’ve hurt.” Her head dipped low, so I placed a finger beneath her chin, and raised her head up a ways. “But that just means I’m even prouder of you for fighting anyways.”

“It doesn't really feel like I’m doing much of anything.” Replied Fang, her expression neutral.

“You are. And you’re much stronger than you give yourself credit for.” I pulled my hand away, and Fang lifted her head up high.

The smile she gave set my heart ablaze. It was the same one she had given me a whole other lifetime ago. 

Fang dove into my waiting arms, knocking me onto my back. There were tears of course, but no sobbing, not this time. Her fingers and wings wiggled their way between my back and the floor, and I pressed her further into me. Seconds spilled into minutes as the world outside our feathery canopy disappeared, if only for a little bit.

Our blissful oasis was only broken when Fang rested her chin on my chest to speak. “Do… Do you still want me to talk to Dad?”

She seemed to grow ten times heavier, forcing all of the air out of my lungs. “...Yes.” Fang furrowed her brow, and opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off. “I know, I know. And I am willing to try plan B, but only as a last resort.”

Fang grumbled, vibrating pleasantly against my stomach. “If there’s any time to use it, it’s probably now. Especially after what I said.”

My hand assumed its usual position atop her head. “The stabbing thing, right? I don’t see why that’s such a big deal. You joke about that stuff all the time.”

“Yeah, with you.” Fang’s eyes dropped. “...And it wasn’t really a joke this time.” She peeked at me and stammered when she saw the mortified expression on my face. “I-I don’t mean it now! I just- you know…”

I shifted my gaze towards the ceiling. “Yeah, I know.” We went quiet for a bit. The hand running through Fang’s hair was as much for me as it was for her. “We still need to try. You need help, Fang. More help than I can give you.”

“You’ve been doing just fine by yourself so far.” She gave me a look that was equal parts dower and quizzical. “And do you really think that Dad can help me?” 

“I think he wants to.” My words only made Fang arch her brow. “I’m not saying that makes up for everything, but he does care. I can tell.”

“How?” 

“Cause I know what the opposite looks like.” Shame washed over Fang’s face, and she looked away. My veins flooded with a familiar, sickly sensation, and I tightened my hold on her. “T-Tell you what, we’ll try one more time, and leave if we don’t get anywhere. Try out plan B.”

A rattled breath escapes Fang’s beak. “Okay… But how do we start?”

We had fallen behind the bed, so its large frame obscured Fang’s collection of newly fractured instruments, but we both knew that it was still there. Before I could answer her question, we heard a knock at the door.

Naser poked his head into the room, and I only now realized that neither of us had remembered to shut the door. “Can I come in?” He asked. We both looked at Fang, who simply shrugged. Taking that as a yes, Naser took a hesitant step forward, revealing a full plate of food in his hands. “You never finished dinner, so I…”

“Oh, right. Thanks, I guess.” Despite the hesitancy in her- their voice, I could already see the formation of a saliva river in the corners of their mouth as they eyed the plate’s sizable pile of nuggies. 

“How’s your dad?” I asked. 

Naser let out a heavy sigh. “Better? He’s stopped yelling at least, but he and Mom are still in his office.”

Fang begrudgingly rolled off my chest as I pushed myself up into a sitting position. “By the way, how much did you hear?”

My question prompted Naser to tug at his collar, and avert his gaze. “S-Sorry. Not much, just the-” He stopped, and his eyes went wide as they fell upon the far wall. “Oh geez, what happened?”

“What do you think happened?” Grumbled Fang. “I threw a fit.”

I draped my arm across their shoulders with a frown, and felt a buzzing discomfort on my left. Right, I got hit. Fortunately, the guitar hadn’t ripped through my jacket, but a quick glance revealed that I did have some torn skin and a big red mark on my shoulder. I looked up at Naser. “You guys have any band aids and disinfectant cream? I hit the door frame on my way in.”

Naser winced. “Oof. Yeah, I gotcha. Here.” He shuffled forwards and gently set the plate in front of Fang before hurrying out of the room. Fang regarded the offered meal as if it were flipping the bird at them. Naser returned with the requested items not even a minute later.

I got to applying the ointment and- “I hit him.” Fang was hugging their legs, still glowering at the food. “I didn’t want to, but I did.” Naser and I exchanged awkward glances. With what appeared to be great effort, Fang picked up the plate, popped a singular nugget in their mouth, and addressed their brother’s knees. “You don’t have to be here if you don’t want. 

“B-But I do.” Naser knelt down to our level. “...Want to be here, that is. I can go if you want though.”

Fang shook their head, and spoke with their mouth still full of food. “Nah, you’re good. And…” They rubbed one foot on top of the other as they chewed. “You’re… You’re a good brother, Naser. Thank you. For everything.”

He blinked, before a very wide, very bright smile appeared on his face. If he jumped, he’d probably fly straight up and never come back down. “Yeah? I-I mean, yeah! Anytime. Happy to help.”

Their lips didn’t move, but the smile in Fang’s eyes was obvious. 

A great calm settled over the three of us, and I continued tending to my wound. After I had pressed two band aids against the measly cut, I set aside the box of bandages and bottle of cream before draping my arm across Fang’s shoulders. I felt a warm tingling sensation as Fang dragged her wing up and over my back.

After digging through half of what’s on their plate, Fang handed the dish to me, and nodded towards Naser. “What do you think we should do?” 

Naser looked at me, then behind him, then back to Fang, while pointing a finger at the quizzical expression on his face. Fang rolled their eyes, before bobbing their head up and down.

Their brother let out a chuckle. “Okay, let’s see…” Naser ran a hand along the back of his neck, eyes glued to the floor. “Honestly? I think the best move right now is just to chill for a while. He’s never held onto a grudge for too long. Not with us at least.”

Fang grunted, and lodged their snoot between their knees. “Maybe. But it’s different this time.”

“Is it?” Fang looked up at Naser, incredulity in their eyes. He withered beneath his sibling’s stare, but cleared his throat and kept going. “N-Not to downplay or anything, but he’s got mom to calm him down, and the only reason he got mad is because he was worried about you.” 

He gestured to himself with both hands. “ I was worried about you. I know it doesn’t have anything to do with Anon; it’s just that place …” Naser shivered. “It’s not safe. So, if we can get Dad to see that, I think we’ll be okay.”

Fang nodded slowly. “Alright. So we just wait here till he calls?”

Naser shrugged. “I guess.”

And that’s precisely what we did. While I had thought about lying in bed, Fang and I decided to rest our backs against its foot, because A: Naser was there, and B: we might actually fall asleep. 

I also thought about attempting some small talk, but nothing seemed appropriate. So the three of us just sat there in silence, but it felt more… homely than awkward or empty. After thirty minutes or so, Fang shrugged off my arm, and staggered to their feet. “...Let’s go.” They then started for the hall, dragging their feet the entire way.

Naser and I scrambled after Fang, and I pulled up beside them. “Are you ready for this?”

Instead of answering, Fang quickened their pace, rounded the banister, and stormed down the stairs.

Ripley was sitting at the now empty table. The sun’s fading rays shone around his silhouette through the large newspaper in his hands. Samantha was hard at work cleaning the dishes from tonight’s dinner. The tapping of shoes against the kitchen floor drew the latter’s attention. He lowered his paper to find Fang, arms folded and eyes cold as ice, standing between Naser and me.

The towering pterosaur sized us up, before folding his print, placing it on the chair beside him, and resting his elbows on the table, fingers woven together. “Are you here to talk?” Samantha jumped at her husband’s words, only now turning to see that we were here. 

She began scrubbing faster, as Fang gave a small nod. Ripley nodded in kind, and wordlessly gestured to the seat in front of him. The three of us took the same seats as before. Samantha dried off her hands and took her spot at Ripley’s side. 

Quiet, violent electricity sparked across the table, as father and child stared each other down, waiting to see who would crack first. Ripley’s gravelly voice cut through the silence like a dull knife through jagged rock. “You going first?” Fang continued to stare. 

Ripley’s face twitched, as he stifled a sneer. “Right.” Then he sat up straight, and directed his attention to the wall behind us. “I would like to voice the specifics of my displeasure.” He sounded stiff, monotone, as if he was reading something off a script. “It isn’t just that you chose to stay in a dangerous area; it’s that you did so without proper communication.”

Samantha smiled up at Ripley, and looped one of her arms around the bicep closest to her. The sizable mound of scales seemed to melt under her touch, his head and shoulders drooping, but he maintained his emotionless tone when he continued speaking. “However. I recognize that I have created an environment that doesn’t facilitate said communication.” His eyes finally met Fang’s.

“And I would like to change that.”

“…Okay?” Asked Fang, who turned to me, bewildered, then back to their father. “W-What do you want me to say to that?”

Something between a grumble and a sigh ejected itself from Ripley’s throat. “What do you want to say?” He looked up for a moment. “To me? In general?”

Fang looked down at the table, fists clenched hard. I rested my own hand atop theirs, and offered them a smile. Their eyes flicked towards their father, then back to me, silently pleading for me to talk in their stead. My mouth formed a grim line, and I solemnly shook my head. 

I couldn’t speak for Fang this time. It’s all up to her now.

“I…” Their voice came out cracked, and oddly pitched, but they immediately cleared their throat and kept going. “I couldn’t call because I knew you were gonna yell at me, and I couldn’t come back because you weren’t going to let me see him again.” 

Fang paused to take several long, heaving breaths, and cut Ripley off right before he could speak. “You’re always… judging me for stuff. I can’t do anything without you telling me that it’s wrong.” Fresh tears began spilling down Fang’s cheeks. “And I hate… I hate being here. It doesn’t feel like my house.”

Each word felt like icy needles going directly through my heart, but I could only imagine what it felt like to their parents. Samantha appeared to be on the verge of tears, while Ripley… 

“I see.” He stated plainly, before directing his attention to the floor. “It looks like I have much more to work on than I thought.”

Fang let out a tired, spite-ridden laugh. “Yeah, no kidding.”

A flash of irritation overtook Ripley’s features, but he let loose a long, noisy exhale from his nose as he sunk further into his chair. “As for Anon,” My blood ran cold as the dino-shaped boulder turned his steely gaze on me. “I cannot, in good conscience, allow you to visit his home again.” Fang’s pupils dilated, and they shot to their feet, only to freeze when Ripley held out a hand. “ But , he is more than…” He rolled his eyes, and grimaced as if he was on the verge of vomiting. “ Welcome , to visit us, whenever possible.”

Silence fell upon the table, and Fang did something that I could only describe as: drooping their snoot. Despite the words he just said, Ripley seemed to be dreading the prospect more than anything. 

But he did say them. 

I could hardly believe it, and judging by the look on her face, neither could Fang. They fell back onto their chair, emotionally spent. I repressed the smile swelling within me, and addressed Mr. Aaron with the most respectful tone I could. “Thank you, sir. I’ll be sure to take you up on that offer.”

He hit me with a smoldering side-eye. “There will be limitations, of course. It’s still our house, so you will abide by our rules.” Ripley turned to Fang, who didn’t so much as twitch. “That goes for both of you.”

Fang’s head slightly wobbled up and down. Samantha let out a contented sigh before turning to her children, her brow slightly creased. “Ripley and I also came to conclude that it might be best for all of us to start attending family therapy. Is that alright with the both of you?”

Naser pursed his lips and nodded. “That sounds about right.” It was only after everyone at the table looked at him funny that Naser realized what he just said. “I mean… yeah! That sounds good to me.”

He let out a nervous chuckle before turning to Fang with a panicked look in his eye. She nodded again, in a firmer fashion this time, much to Samantha’s delight. “That’s wonderful to hear. But… there’s just one more thing we’d like to suggest.” 

Her hand reached across the table and perched atop Fang’s. They seemed to jolt awake at their mother’s touch. “We think that you should start attending personal therapy.” Fang’s gaze traveled up Samantha’s arm and found a worried smile on her snout. “I want you to know that I don’t think any less of you because of this. I just… I’m worried about you, Fang. And I want to be absolutely sure that you’ll be alright, even without us.”

Fang blinked. And then Fang nodded, slowly furling and unfurling their wings. “Ok.”

Mrs. Aaron seemed to regain a decade’s worth of life. “That’s wonderful, darling!”

“What about me?” Asked Naser. He had his hand raised like we were in class or something. 

Samantha looked back at him, genuinely surprised. “Do… Do you want therapy?”

Naser averted his gaze and sheepishly lowered his hand. “Uh… maybe not therapy. Group counseling might be nice though.”

“That can be arranged.” Rumbled Ripley. He looked down at his wife in a moment of quiet contemplation, before facing Fang one last time. “I also want you to go back to school tomorrow.” 

Fang sank into their seat, and hung their head low. Samantha recoiled, as if someone had just smashed her favorite vase. “Dear,” Her voice was low, and had an heir of cautiousness to it. “That wasn’t something we agreed upon.”

Mr. Aaron let out a solitary grunt. “Apologies, but I still think she should.”

Fang peaked out from their veil of silvery hair to glare at Ripley. When Fang addressed him, their voice remained remarkably calm, if a bit down. “...Whatever, I can-”

Samantha cut them off. “No, I don’t think she should. You heard what Naser said.”

“So we’re just supposed to let her do whatever she wants because a couple of punks picked on her?” Snapped Ripley. 

Fang’s eyes darted between their parents, a familiar fire building behind them. I placed a hand on her shoulder and attempted to get a word in, only for Fang to cut me off. “Look, it’s fine! I said-”

Only for their mother to ignore them yet again. “This isn’t about what Lucy wants, it’s about what she needs!”

“So she doesn’t need an education?” Ripley stood tall, knocking his chair over and glaring down at Samantha. This was the most amount of anger I had ever seen him direct at his wife.

Fortunately, (or unfortunately) Mrs. Aaron matched the fury on her husband’s face, rose to her feet, and jabbed a scolding finger up at him. “Well she certainly doesn’t need any more ridicule, from her classmates, or you! How would you feel if-”

“ Shut up! ” Fang screeched. “Just shut up for a second! I said I’d go!” 

Ripley’s head and finger snapped towards them. “Watch your tone young-” He blinked.

Samantha blinked. All of the anger that she just had slowly drained from her face. “A-Are you sure?” Fang unclenched their trembling hands, averted their gaze, and nodded. “Oh. Alright.” Their mother glanced between them and Ripley. “If you’re absolutely sure then. B-But don’t be afraid to call in case you need to be taken home early.”

That earned her a sharp look from Ripley, but he remained silent. Both parents silently settled back into their seats. The space between them was noticeably larger than last time. A thick, noxious silence flooded the room, interspersed only by Fang’s breathing. Our hands subconsciously found each other.

I looked over at Naser, who was hunched over the table, lightly biting his knuckle. His eyes flitted around the table at lightning speed, never resting on one person for too long. 

Then I turned to their parents. Ripely was directing his lifeless glare at the wall behind us. Samantha seemed smaller somehow, as she gazed down at her lap.

Did we do it? Whatever it is?

After what felt like a milenia, Mrs. Aaron dragged her head upwards, sporting a smile with levels of plasticity that would make even Naomi cringe. “Is there anything else that you’d like to talk with us about?”

Fang shook her head. “I just want to go to sleep.”

Ripley nodded approvingly and checked his watch. “Sounds good to me. You all get ready for bed. I’ll drive Anon home.” 

Talons dug into the back of my hand. 

“Don’t you think it’s a little late for that?” Asked Samantha. “Maybe he can sleep here for tonight?” She had preemptively placed a calming hand on his shoulder.

Rather than melt me into a puddle, Ripley gazed up at the ceiling. He looked so done with… well, everything. I sheepishly raised a hand. “I can sleep on the couch if that’s alright with you sir.”

“ Fine .” Ripley spat. “Fine.” He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, rose to his feet, and trudged away from the table. “I’ll be in my office. I’ve got some paperwork to do.” He tried to place a hand on Fang’s shoulder, only for her to flinch away from his touch. 

Ripley heaved one last heavy sigh. “You’ll be sleeping in your own bed tonight.” His tone made it very apparent that there was no room for discussion.

The towering ptero lumbered down the hall and closed the door to his office with a loud click.

Samantha’s facade faded completely, leaving her looking downright depressed. “I’ll fetch you some blankets, dear.” When she passed, she gave Fang a gentle kiss on the forehead before ascending the stairs.

Naser arched his back against his chair. “I should probably get to bed myself.” He pushed himself onto his shaky legs and nearly tripped over nothing on his way as he passed by us. Once at the stairs, he stopped, turned around, and shuffled over to Fang so he could wrap his arms around her neck.

Her hand reached up, grabbing hold of his forearms. Naser nuzzled his cheek against hers. “I love you, sib.”

“...I love you too.” She squeaked. 

They tightened their hold on each other for a brief moment before Naser drew away. He gave me a… complicated look, then finally dragged his feet up the stairs. 

Fang slumped against me after that.

I wasn’t really sure of what to do. My mind felt like bundles of fried circuitry. The only thing that felt right was to hold her.

She came home.

No. She had been brought home.

Now I just gotta hope that she’ll stay there.