Chapter Text
After Amphibia Redux
A New Chapter
Humming softly, a lone figure seemed to glide around the large and vibrantly colored library, effortlessly tugging books from their place. She returned them to their spots only a moment later before turning and heading to another bookcase, running a white gloved finger along the spine of a set of books that were messily placed within. Cocking her head to the side, the figure took the first book and tugged it from its place, turning it over in her hands before flipping through it. She had read this story before, several times in fact, but something seemed different about it. She frowned when she got to the end, narrowing her eyes on the mess that greeted her. “Strange,” she mumbled to herself, pausing when she heard the doors of the library open. Turning, she smiled lightly when she saw one of her lovers slip in, a curious look in their green eyes.
“What do you have there?” Her lover asked, gliding over and cocking her head at the sight of the book.
“Just a variation of an old story. Not exactly how this tale went though. Someone seemed to have scratched out the ending and made a new one,” she said with a small rueful smile. The woman’s lover chuckled before slipping around her and taking the book, turning it over in her hands.
“Oh! I like this one. Who messed with the ending?” She whined, the first woman shrugging before heading over to a large desk, waving her hand lazily. Papers, quills, and several ink pots floated up from their spots and swirled around her as she took a seat, waving to the chairs across from herself.
“Can you get Strength? I’m going to need to rewrite this tale.” The woman’s lover gave her a curt nod before placing the book down and moving over to her side, placing a gentle kiss to her cheek then heading out in search for their last lover. “Now how did this go again….oh! Yes. It all began with a late night text.”
Music erupted from the cell phone at the young woman’s ear, the owner of said phone flinching and blearily looking to it in confusion. Reaching over, she grabbed the device and peered tiredly up at the text message that greeted her, sighing heavily and letting her arm drop after she finished reading it. She turned the thought of staying home over in her head, but found she couldn’t, heaving another sigh before slipping from her warm spot. Her room was cold for a summer night and the teen shivered before looking herself over, pausing on the multitude of crack like scars that ran up the length of her left arm. Memories threatened to resurface, but they were easily pushed down, placed to the side to be dealt with when the sun was up. She deemed her pajamas suitable to be seen outside in, and grabbed a fluffy blue jacket, slipping it on then snatching up a beanie. She placed it onto her head and tugged on some shoes before tiptoeing over to her window. She slid her phone into her pocket and grew quiet, waited a second to see if her parents were still up, smiling when she heard nothing. Quietly opening her window, she climbed out then closed it behind her, jumping down and setting off for the sidewalk, stretching as she breathed out slowly into the crisp night air.
It all began several weeks ago, just at the end of her junior year, Anne having been awake when the text message came in, “Can we meet at the old park? I just…..I need you and Sasha.” Anne hadn’t known who it was at first, but her curiosity had been piped, and she slipped out of her home to go see who it was. Imagine her surprise when she found herself looking at a stressed-out Marcy. It had taken some digging, but she had uncovered that the teen had moved back close to the middle of their junior year, having been placed in the Advanced Youths Academy in Pasadena called The Ville. Anne could still remember the surprise and shock at seeing her again after two and a half years, but it had quickly been overshadowed by helping the teen through a panic attack. Thus came the routine of calling one another when they felt overwhelmed by life or school. Anne came out of her thoughts slowly, looking up as she neared the corner of the block. Leaning against the traffic light was a lone figure with their phone out, a pink hood pulled up and obscuring their face, but Anne already knew the person’s identity.
Anne and Sasha had clung to one another after Marcy had left for her new home, but after Anne was forced to move schools, they had fallen out of touch. An argument between the two had also soured their relationship to an extent but after meeting up with Marcy to calm her down, they both acted almost cordially around each other. Shaking the thought from her head, she trooped over and shoved her hands into her pockets. Sasha was texting someone, her fingers dancing along the screen of her phone before she pressed the side button and it went dark. They never spoke when they met up, opting to speak when they were at the park. Anne moved to her side and Sasha pushed off of the traffic light, pushing her phone into her pocket and looking almost owlishly at Anne. Giving a small nod, the two set off together, their shoes quietly slapping on the pavement. Butterflies and nervous energy bubbled low in Anne’s stomach, her hands tightening into fists as she resisted the urge to say something stupid. Sasha was quietly humming some tune, which Anne could swear she had heard at the arcade she had gone to a few times. Her brow dipped but she shook it off as she focused on what she knew of her old friend, mostly to keep herself distracted.
Sasha was the queen bee at her high school as far as Anne knew. She could remember her being head cheerleader of the freshman team so she assumed the teen had kept the position, the knowledge sending a funny sensation of pride through Anne’s body. They weren’t on good terms, at least she assumed they weren't, but she would always be proud of the things that her girls did. Calling them her girls, even in her mind, almost made her physically cringe, her hands opening then closing again as she tried not to think too deeply about it. She heard Sasha stop and refocused, looking over but Sasha was looking at her almost quizzically. Anne felt heat drift up from her neck and to her face but she looked almost unblinking at Sasha, who examined her for a long moment before focusing forward again. They were just outside of the park, Sasha pausing when they got to the opening. Anne looked at her curiously now, the other teen tugging her hood off and revealing her long hair was tossed into a messy ponytail at the base of her head. “She probably forgot her jacket again,” she began quietly, Anne’s eyes widening at the sound. The words registered and Anne frowned before shrugging off her jacket, Sasha looking at her then frowning ever so slightly. “You don’t need to-.”
“I’ll be fine Sash. Don’t worry,” Anne said softly and what she hoped was a soothing whisper. Sasha slowly nodded in return and tugged on her collar, the two heading into the park and looking around. The old park should have been condemned a long time ago, the place was large and sprawling, moderately lit by streetlamps too far apart. Anne tried not to think about just what waited within the dark spots of the park, the tired teen tracking every stray shadow and movement as she marched into the area. She quickly located Marcy, who was pacing in front of a swing set, and began heading over. Sasha followed along, Anne stopping right out of Marcy’s path, the teen tightly holding onto the front of her sleep shirt while mumbling lowly. Anne could see the faint tremors that wreaked her body and frowned deeply, concern shooting from her heart to her stomach. Where Sasha had grown, gotten a little taller and muscular from whatever physical activity she had been doing, Anne having shot up to the tallest and rounded out from only focusing on work, Marcy had kept to being the smallest of the group. Her hair had grown out, falling past her shoulders and down her back like a waterfall. Green glasses were perched on her nose, but skewed to the side awkwardly as she ran a stressed hand down her face.
Taking initiative, Anne moved over and into her path, Marcy stumbling to a stop and looking up at her with wide slightly frantic eyes, her teeth chewing on her bottom lip. Giving her a small and hopefully soothing smile, Anne gingerly wrapped the smaller teen in her jacket, the girl frowning ever so slightly. Sasha moved in next, wrapping an arm around her neck loosely, Marcy looking at her next. “Hey. Don’t chew on your lip, you’re going to start bleeding,” Anne said softly, Marcy instantly releasing it from its prison. Almost like a balloon being deflated, Marcy seemed to settle and the tension flowed out, Anne’s own body mirroring it. Without the stress of getting to the park and calming Marcy down, Anne felt sleep tugging on the edge of her consciousness. Glancing at a tired Sasha, she ushered them both to the benches and table at the right of the swing set and they all took a seat, Marcy sitting sandwiched between them. She tiredly rubbed at her eye, her glasses pushing up and onto her forehead. Their was really not rhyme or rhythm to this next part. Sometimes it lasted an hour, sometimes more. They would sit in an almost comfortable silence until they all felt better and left.
It was routine and kind of nice, but Anne could feel something was different tonight, the teen focusing on Marcy, who was tapping on the table, one of her arms resting on it. Sasha had leaned her head on her hand and was looking at Marcy almost curiously, as if she too sensed that something was different today. It took a moment, but Marcy took in a deep breath before reaching up and adjusting her glasses. “Thank you,” she began quietly. This was new. Marcy was always quiet during this. Sometimes Sasha would talk, ramble mostly about everything other than the thing bothering her, Anne did too sometimes. Marcy never spoke when they met up on nights like this.
“It’s no problem,” Anne began, while Marcy frowned ever so slightly.
“But it is.” Anne frowned deeply in confusion while Sasha looked from her to Marcy.
“What do you mean?” She asked slowly, Marcy’s fingers now drawing some kind of complicated pattern on the table in front of her.
“I call the most. I make you guys sneak out.” The notion was dumb, the thought making Anne snort.
“You don’t make us sneak out. We sneak out because we want to,” she said, looking to Sasha, who was nodding.
“Yeah. I’ve texted the chat too. Remember last week?” She said with a small smile, Anne grinning ever so slightly. It had been almost funny, Sasha having sent a string of text that had made no actual sense until Anne had panicked a little and snuck out before her parents had gone to bed. She had almost gotten caught and by the time she had arrived at the park, Sasha was mostly calmed down and Marcy was holding her through the remainder of her panic attack. Anne had been a little miffed about it but had forced the feeling aside to help her maybe friend.
“I just……I feel so fucking stupid freaking out over the smallest of things,” Marcy said before dropping her head into hands, Anne raising a brow at the foul language. She looked to Sasha, who looked slightly impressed, then back to Marcy, who had roughly scrubbed at her face then pushed her fingers up into her hair. She was staring at the table with rapidly welling eyes, her bottom lip trembling. “We all stopped talking for a reason, right?” Anne cringed at that, Sasha doing the same from the other side of the distressed teen.
“No. Yes….It’s……complicated,” Sasha began before sighing heavily and looking at Anne for help. Anne gave her a tiny sad smile then placed a comforting hand on Marcy’s upper back.
“Sasha and I got into a fight about a year after you left. I said a lot of things that…..weren’t true. I was mad and going through something intense. I lashed out because I didn’t know what else to do,” Anne began before looking to the table as troubling memories resurfaced.
Anne had felt like a ticking time bomb for a while now. How could she not? She was supposed to be some kind of guardian of the multiverse when she died. She had died! She was a clone! Well kind of? The guardian hadn’t exactly been truthful in their explanation of her body. It had been cloned but it also hadn't? She still didn’t know the logistics, but she was stronger, faster, and smarter. She had all the same scars and some new ones too. She hated it sometimes. “Hey Anne.” The voice startled her more than she wanted to admit, the teen turning and looking at the freshman cheerleader behind her. Sasha was leaning against the side of the bleachers, her arms crossed across her chest, her eyes downcast. It all spanned from a text message Anne had sent just two minutes ago, asking for a moment alone with the other teen.
“Hey Sash. I just wanted to talk about what you said at lunch,” Anne began, trying to keep her voice even but she still felt the bubbling of anger in the words. Sasha grimaced then sighed heavily, more anger bubbling under the surface of her skin at what she thought was a sigh of annoyance.
“I’m sorry. I was just making a joke. It’s not like anyone got it,” she began, Anne frowning deeply at that.
“It doesn’t matter if anyone was going to get it or not. I've been trying to not think about Amphibia,” she snapped, Sasha frowning deeply and tossing her an almost annoyed look.
“Just because you don't want to think about it doesn't mean that I don't want to. I'm sorry if I gave off the impression that I want to forget. It’s not like I was trying to bring it up anyways. It slipped. I’m sorry,” she said evenly, the foul feelings under Anne’s skin turning into a tsunami.
“Sorry doesn’t cut it,” Anne snapped again, Sasha looking at her in surprise then narrowing her eyes.
“I’m going to disengage from this conversation because we’re both not in the right headspace to talk,” Sasha began but the foul emotions suddenly overwhelmed Anne, who narrowed her eyes herself.
“Running away? Seem you’ve gotten good at that.” The look of surprise and hurt that flashed across Sasha’s face made Anne feel good, but a queasy feeling swept through her stomach, the Thai teen latching onto the sickly good feeling. Pushing down the queasiness and holding onto the good feeling like a lifeline, Anne crossed her arms across her own chest and stiffly looked away. “Run. Like you always do. I’m not sticking around this time for you to betray me again.”
Anne came out of the memory quickly, swallowing thickly as she felt her throat get tight from guilt and self-disgust. Their fight hadn’t been pretty, and Anne had been thankful when her parents had moved her to a smaller high school that was further away. It had only taken two weeks for her to realize she had gone too far. “I said a lot of things I really really regret,” Anne mumbled, rubbing at her cheek when she felt a few tears streak down. She felt someone tightly grip her free hand and looked over, Sasha looking at her intensely.
“I know you said a lot of stuff you didn’t mean. I never held it against you. I thought you wanted space this whole time,” she said softly, Anne smiling weakly.
“I think I did need space at first but then I started to miss you guys so much. I wanted to reach back out, but I thought I screwed everything up,” she said before looking anxiously at Marcy, who was looking at her with gentle eyes.
“Anne unless you kill my dad, you’re never going to not be my friend,” Marcy said seriously, Sasha cracking a grin.
“Your mom’s free game then?” Marcy let out a bark of laughter and Anne mirrored it, Sasha beaming almost proudly at herself for making them laugh. Marcy’s laugh petered out into a loud yawn, Anne and Sasha mirroring it.
“Frog it’s late,” Anne grumbled, Sasha chuckling and giving the other teen’s hand a squeeze.
“The saying’s never gone away huh?” Anne gave her a sleepy grin before focusing on Marcy, who was beginning to play with her fingers again.
“What’s up Marbles?” Anne asked, the nickname slipping out without her consent. Marcy smiled lightly, tossing Anne another warm look before it fell and she nervously shifted in her seat. Anne frowned then blinked before swallowing. “Do you guys want to hang out on Friday?” She asked, the words slipping free without her consent. Sasha and Marcy looked at her in surprise before something fragile and hopeful appeared on both of their faces. As if figuring out the missing piece of the puzzle, Anne offered them both a smile before grabbing Marcy’s hand with her left and tightening her grip on Sasha’s hand with her right. “I’ve missed you guys. I wanna start hanging out with you both again,” she said lowly, Sasha looking to Marcy, who bit at her bottom lip again.
“Are you sure? I fucked up. I fucked up really really badly,” Marcy began, squeaking when Sasha reached over and began musing up her hair with her free hand.
“I literally led a rebellion against a false king before I knew he was a false king and betrayed the two of you, and yet I was forgiven. I swear to frog I’m not mad about getting trapped in Amphibia. It was probably the best thing that could have happened to me,” Sasha said while giving Anne’s hand a squeeze. Anne squeezed her hand back and tossed her a small smile.
“I’ve done a lot of soul searching and worked through a lot of my problems. I will admit, I could have done without Amphibia, but if we had never gone then I wouldn’t have met all the people I care about and we never would have changed. I don’t regret Amphibia and I don’t regret being your friend. Soooooo, how about boba this Friday?” Anne needled, Marcy laughing before beaming brightly.
“Okay! I’d love to get boba on Friday!”
Anne and Sasha waved as Marcy slipped through the gate to her new house, stealthily sneaking to a window on the first floor and opening it. She clambered in and a light flickered on from an upstairs window. “Hope her harpy mother doesn’t catch her,” Sasha grumbled, Anne nodding ever so slightly. Anne had only run into Mrs. Wu once since her return to LA and she couldn’t say that she was happy with her. It seemed like the woman had grown to almost hate her. Anne couldn’t quite understand why but she had pushed the thought from her mind. Waving to Sasha, the two slipped away and down the street, Anne yawning once again.
“Do you want me to walk you home?” Anne asked, Sasha looking at her in surprise before grinning almost shyly.
“You don’t need to Boonchuy, but I appreciate it,” Sasha said before reaching up and rubbing at her neck. “We’re cool right?” She asked, almost scared of what the other girl would say. Anne blinked then decided to act on her impulse like she used to. Carefully moving forward, she tightly hugged the slightly smaller teen to her chest and without hesitation, Sasha tightly hugged her back, nuzzling into her shoulder. “Thank you,” she mumbled softly, Anne smiling and feeling truly light for the first time in a long time.
“No problem Sash.”
The air was still cool as Anne strolled down the street and towards her home, humming happily to herself as she reflected on the past two hours. She felt a certain happiness that she long thought gone, the teen beaming to herself as she slunk over to under her window. She jumped up and grabbed onto the ledge, slipping through her window and stripped off her jacket and beanie. Placing them in her closet, she kicked off her shoes then plugged her phone in, blinking when she saw the messages that had been sent to her. She quickly flipped it open and smiled at the new group chat that greeted her.
Calamity Gurls
Marbles- Thanks again for tonight! I can’t wait for Friday!
Sashy- Same here! We should get some sleep though.
Anna-Banana- Yeah! See you guys Friday!
With the message now sent, Anne yawned again before laying back and tiredly shutting her eyes, slipping into a dreamless sleep.
The doors to the library burst open and the woman jumped, narrowly keeping from tearing a hole in the paper she was scribbling on. Sighing softly in relief, she shot the new occupant a flat look. A sheepish grin was aimed her way before the new person marched over and curiously peered over at what she was working on. “You called?” She asked almost playfully, the woman shaking her head while smiling.
“Yes. Did you tamper with this book?” She asked, the new person blinking before frowning deeply.
“No. I don’t like messing with the books. You remember last time,” she said before shivering and looking almost anxiously at a trio of books in the corner of the room. The woman shivering as well before humming in thought.
“Strange, but it’s fine. I’m going to be rewriting this one. You always liked this story, right Strength?” She asked, Strength gingerly scooping up the damaged book and flipping through it before perking up and grinning lightly.
“Yes! It’s one of my favorites. That and the story where Wisdom and I get a head start,” she said playfully, the woman snorting before humming.
“Can you get me that book as well? I feel like it’s due for a rewrite too.”
A/N: Hey guys! Popping in to drop some sweet sweet fan art I had commissioned from Spix_Rave! Please go support them on Ko-Fi!
