Work Text:
December 7th, 2023
Moth's crying, tears openly streaming down their cheeks as they choke on their sobs. "YOU’RE FUCKING WITH ME!" they're shaking now, desperate–they’re giggling, they’re giggling, and they can’t stop. “You’re married, now? You’re married to a man?”
Leaf watches, devastated at their reaction. “I’m happy, Moth. You couldn’t get it. You–” she sighs, planting her feet and holding her ground, “I’m happy with him. I can finally support The Minix, I can finally feel stable. I need you to understand.” Leaf pleads, trying to meet Moth’s eyes.
Moth is shaking their head, frantic with the movement. “No, no, FUCK!” they scream, ripping their necklace off and throwing it to the ground. The little coal embellishments chip on impact. “You wanna know how I feel, Leaf? You know how I feel? Like you’re selling your fucking soul. I feel like you’re selling us, our.. Our whatever. You can’t want this. I know you. You, you what? You want to cook him dinner? You wanna fold his clothes? Please, Leaf. You’re nothing more than his wife now.”
Leaf snaps at that; "YOU'RE NOTHING MORE THAN A QUEER!" the druid huffs, trembling. It’s getting to be too much; being around Moth, thinking about them–it hurts. “You know what, Moth? When we’re older, when I’m in bed with my husband, and when I think about you, I’ll know that I made the right goddamn choice. You’re a fucking bum, Mo.”
Moth’s cackling now, folding over as they stumble towards Leaf. “You don’t get to call me that!”
“Stop laughing. You’re not, you’re not well, Moth, please–”
“Mo. That name isn’t for you anymore. None of this,” Moth gestures to themself, “is for you anymore. You just fucking gave it up.” They’re struggling to keep their hands to themself, gripping the hem of their shirt hard enough to tear. “What, you miss me that bad already? You’re not going to make it a fucking week with him.”
They look Leaf dead in the eyes, wiping the remaining tears from their eyes. “You’re going to miss me. I know you will.”
Leaf scowls, suddenly unable to meet Moth’s eyes. “No, I won't. I'm sure of it. Hunger will give me the stability I've needed all my life. He'll be good for my family. He's respectable, and more importantly, presentable. No more explaining about what we are. Me and him can just.. Be. That’s what I need, Moth. Being Queer isn't an option anymore. I have to be with Hunger. It’s.. It’s complicated. But I know what I need to do. For The Minix. For his future, and mine.”
“He’s not good for you, Leaf. He’s–”
"Stop,” Leaf cuts them off, gripping the pork necklace still tight around their throat. “Stop, stop pretending to care, Moth. We fight. We never stopped fighting. That’s how we are. You always have to have the last word. You always pick fights. Hunger doesn't do that; he treats me with respect. I'm happy. I have to be.” She whispers that last part, just loud enough for Moth to hear.
Leaf, although they felt like they shouldn't make a rash decision, took a leap and go with what they thought was right. Hunger would take care of them, and they'd be stable. They'd learn to tolerate each other, Leaf was sure of it. Moth, although they were the one they loved, wasn't a viable option. Leaf needed to escape the grasp of poverty, and Hunger was their ticket out. Moth was sadly just as impoverished as they were, so it wouldn't be wise to stay. Leaf could no longer stand to be in poverty. The Minix needed help, and Leaf just couldn't do anything with the state she’s in now.
Moth felt regret and sadness pool in their stomach. They wished they could make Leaf stop. To turn back. To make it alright again. But sadly, this wasn't a movie. This wasn't a song where they could just rewind. This was real life. They just had to watch as Leaf walked away, taking their future with them. Moth could do nothing but shatter, as they hit the floor.
September 11th, 2024
Leaf was taking a stroll through her new city, Everett, Washington.. It's been a few years since she'd last seen her long lost ex-lover... She has to admit, the bond between them ended in quite the tragedy.
Some days, she finds herself thinking back on her choices from before. Was it really right to leave with Hunger? Surely his Crypto business couldn't hold up forever, right? At the time, she'd thought Moth treated her terribly. Was that even true? Was she just in denial?
She pondered, humming along to a Modern Baseball song as she reminisced.
While she was stuck in her own head, she bumps into some ginger bitch, and they both fall to the ground. Leaf blinks back to reality, skittering up and helping the girl, apologising profusely. When they finally make eye contact, Leaf realises it’s...
"CHAPPELL ROAN!?" Leaf's jaw quite literally snaps off, shattering on the ground. Blood pools downward.
Chappell's brows furrow, and she says in a snarky tone, "Moth sent me. They have a few words for someone like you..."
Leaf would normally gulp loudly, but seeing as her jaw is fucking gone, she doesn't.
"After that Midnight, Moth thought a long time about you. They realised you really were Hot To Go, since you just up and left that quickly. They at least wanted to have one last cup of Coffee with you, but you left too soon. Now they're stuck with a Kaleidoscope of memories, nowadays only being able to Picture You and the times you both spent together. But lately, they’ve been realising how much of a Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl they are. Moth left for California, to live out their true Dreams. Really, they just wanted to say; Good Luck, Babe."
Chappell turns on her heel, leaving before Leaf could stop her. She watches the singer go, rubbing her newfound jaw in shock. With a sigh, she reluctantly whips out her phone, typing in a Twitter username she’d memorised years ago, a username she could never forget no matter how hard she tried.
Honestly, it was pretty stupid to try to go back just so many years too late. But being scolded like a kid by some famous lesbian singer really awoke something in her. Yeah, it’s probably too late, but she at least had to put in the effort and try.
LEAF
Hey skibidinator
thermoth is typing…