Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I never thought I'd come back here, but… after two years, I'm back.

I step off the train platform and look around the Volcalderan train station.

Everything looks so similar but different as well. The paints changed, and the benches were different, but at its core, it's still the same old train station. I could probably draw something out of that, I'm sure…

I'm back in the big city because, honestly, I don't have anywhere else to go.

My military "career," if you could call it that, was just one fuck-up after another. I know I didn't try as hard as I really should have, but it felt like everything and everyone was out to get me at that hellhole. At least I'll never step foot on a navy ship ever again.

After my discharge, I had a falling out with Mom and Dad, and they threw in the towel on me. Honestly fuck them, though, like I was ever more than an obligation to them

Since then, I have drifted from town to town until I was in Dinofornia again and decided to go to Volcaldera. It may seem stupid to come back, but I was happy here for a few months of my life; I don't think I'll ever forget that.

I hope Fang is doing okay…

For a moment, I stopped walking and considered going over to Fang's parents' house, but I stopped myself. Fang hasn't tried to contact me since I left three years ago. If she wanted to reconnect, she would have made it known by now. Hell, for all I know, she's already married with kids on the opposite side of the country.

Yeah… she's moved on, Anon. It's time for you to move on as well, I remind myself as I leave the station.

As I walk out of the station, I phone a cab for myself and my meager possessions.

Traveling across the country causes you to pack light, so I only have what I can physically fit in my backpack.

But that'll be over soon enough. I have an apartment lined up in Skin Row—it's even in my old apartment block. I know it's not much, but maybe after a year or so, I'll have enough money saved up to rent a nicer one outside Skin Row. Maybe even one with more than one room if I'm feeling crazy.

The cab pulls up to the curb, and I get in. The driver needs a little extra "encouragement" to drive out to Skin Row, but I'm good for it. Even with my discharge, I still get a nice chunk of change from Uncle Sam. Plus, wherever I go, I make the habit of doing odd jobs to earn more cash on the side. I've done everything from picking strawberries to working construction. I could probably write a book about all of that or at least start a shitty life advice podcast.

As I think of my future podcasting career, the cityscape flies by through my passenger-side window.

It looks like I remembered it: a big sprawling jungle made of steel and concrete festooned with actual jungle greenery. I never really understood it while I was here, but I guess the meteor dodgers enjoy having the option to snack at any time.

As we drive closer to Skin Row, I get a glimpse of a city park in the distance. A flash of chasing Fang out of the park plays in my mind. Hmph, those were the days.

"Hey, pal, we're here." The driver calls from up front, breaking me from my daydreams.

As I get out, I hand over the guy a crumpled-up bill for his troubles. Barely a second after I step out, the cab floors it out of the human ghetto. Don't blame him. Skin Row was a shit hole back when I lived here, and by the looks of it, it still is. The streets are littered with trash, and most of the buildings are either closed or boarded up.

Regardless, I made my way to my apartment complex, keeping my pace up and my head on a swivel as I did so.

I arrived at my new home after a close call with a particularly loud homeless guy. It looks more or less like I remember it from high school. I always thought it looked like one of those brutalist apartment complexes from Half Snoot Two. Walking inside, there's nobody in the lobby, but that's not a problem. Based on my calls with the landlord, the keys to my new place should be in the mailbox.

I reach into the mailbox and… feel nothing. I reached through the mailbox again and still don't feel anything. Goddammit. I tried a few times and even checked the boxes near it, but still nothing. I whip out my phone and dial the number for my landlord. After a few beeps, I finally heard another voice on the line.

"Hello, who is this?”

"It's Mr. Mous. I'm calling about the keys to my apartment; I can't find them." I hear what sounds like someone getting up from a creaky chair.

"Oh… I'm sorry, sir. I was supposed to call you earlier." I clench my teeth as I start to fear for the worst. I feel like some real bullshit is about to rear its head. "The apartment you had selected has already been taken."

"What!?!" You have got to be shitting me.

"I'm sorry, but the previous renter decided to continue their lease after telling me they wouldn't last minute." I let out a sigh.

"Do you have any other apartments available?"

"No, not right now." I kick the wall out of frustration. God fucking damnit.

"So I'm just fucked then?"

"No, no, no," the landlord quickly assures me. "If I were you, I'd stay in a hotel for a few days while looking for apartments."

Well… that's not an awful idea, but it would be a big waste of money. It's not like I know anybody in town I could crash at for a few days. I doubt Reed or Naser would be too happy to see me looking for a place to stay after I haven't talked to them in years.

I walk out of the shitty apartment complex empty-handed. There are plenty of hotels in Volcaldera, but they're far from Skin Row on the nice side of town. It's not like I need to get a hotel right away though. I still have a whole day to do shit before I need to rest.

But what am I going to do all day? My contemplation is broken when bright neon lights shine onto my face. I turn around, standing right in front of a bar. Well, I can't think of a better way to kill some time.

I walk into the seedy bar, eager for a drink and a way to pass the time.

…

…

The light of the sun feels like daggers cutting into my eyes as I stir awake. I try to rub my eyes, but that only makes my head scream in pain. It feels like someone slammed a bat against my head. God…I must have had way too much last night. I try to recall what I did last night, but honestly, most of it seems like a blur. I can only remember drinking at the bar and…

I rack my mind trying to remember more but come up blank. Well, I remember the bar, at least. I turn around to my side to avoid my eyes being assaulted by the sun.

Wait a second; I feel around on the soft cushion I'm lying on. I'm on a bed? Did I end up at a hotel last night? Good job, drunk Anon; at least you didn't wake up in a cell again.

I open my eyes and scan my surroundings. Slowly, the room I'm in fades into focus.

Hmmm…this doesn't look like a hotel room. My eyes pass around the dresser and desk in the corner of the room. No, this is too personalized; it has to be somebody's bedroom.

Could it be… No, Fang's bedroom was painted black, not beige, Anon. Don't get your hopes up, retard.

I look at the discarded clothes scattered around the room. At least it's a girl's room, judging by the clothes. I guess whoever was here must have left already.

Wait a second; my eyes focus on the jacket thrown against the door; those are my clothes, too. Suddenly, I become incredibly aware of how naked I am right now and cover myself up with blankets.

With great effort, I peel myself off the stranger's bed. My entire body screams at me as I do. It feels like I was run over by a bus, but I keep moving. I fight through the aches and pains to dress myself in yesterday's clothes. I take a second to make sure my wallet is still there; it wouldn't be the first time someone's swiped it. My backpack still has everything, too, thank God.

I sighed as I stretched and felt my back pop into place. Hmm, maybe I should take a look around the room. You know, make sure I didn't sleep with a weirdo or anything.

Then again... looking around someone's room is exactly what a weirdo would do. If I want to know what happened last night, I can just open this door and get my answers from the source.

Alright…here goes nothing.

Carefully, I creak open the bedroom door, which opens into a hallway. On my left, there is what looks like a bathroom, and further down the hall, there seems to be a kitchen. My stomach rumbles as the thought of food comes to mind.

I'm sure whoever lives here wouldn't mind me helping myself to some breakfast. I scan through the cupboards looking for something quick to eat. In the corner of one, I spot a package of granola bars. I rip off the wrapper and wolf the thing down with a handful of tap water to wash it down.

"Oh, you're awake." I whip my head back from the sink toward the living room. Inside, a pale-scaled raptor girl looks up from her phone at me with disinterest. I straighten my back and quickly make myself look presentable.

"Hey there, I didn't see you." I wave awkwardly. She shrugs and continues to lounge on the couch.

"Yeah, yeah, just gather your things and get out, lover boy." Damn, that's harsh. Not even a parting hug for last night? Granted, I don't remember what we did last night, but still.

"What about last night? Doesn't that," she motions for me to stop talking.

"I'd rather not talk about last night; these walls aren't that thick, you know."

"What do you mean?" She rolls her eyes.

"I mean, I heard you two all night." She huffs. Wait, you two? I point to her and myself.

"So last night we didn't—"

"Ew, no." Her face grimaces as if she's just smelled something particularly foul. "It was just you and Mia."

Oh… whoever brought me here was her roommate, not her. I guess that explains why she is so annoyed right now.

"Do you remember what time I and your roommate came back? My memories of last night are pretty spotty." As she recalls last night, the raptor's tail starts to drag against the carpet.

"I dunno sometime around ten? You must have got here after she went on the prowl."

"The prowl?" She nods.

"Don't think you're special, skinnie; Mia brings back a new toy practically every weekend."

Damn, that hurts. Then again, if this is a common thing, I guess that explains why she isn't exactly thrilled to talk to the newest guy her roommate dragged home.

"So where is she?"

"She left for work." The raptor girl explains. "If she didn't wake you up to tell you that she expects you to be gone by the time she comes back." I rub the back of my neck sheepishly.

"Well, about that, I, uh, don't exactly have a place to go back to." She tilts her head incredulously.

"So you're homeless?"

"I mean... yeah. I had an apartment lined up, but that fell through." She lets out an exhausted sigh.

"Do you at least have a job or something?" I shake my head.

"No, but I'm not a bum or anything; I just live off my pension."

"Pension?"

"Was in the navy." I vaguely explain. The raptor sits up, a little surprised. I hate it when people do that. Tell somebody you used to be in the service, and they look at you like an entirely different person.

"Oh…."

"It was nothing special," I assure her. "So, uh, when does your roommate get back?" I ask, hoping to move the conversation along.

"Oh, uh, after her shift, so around four." I checked my phone for the time. It's nine right now. "But I'll be going to the office soon, so I'd rather you leave and come back if you want to talk."

That's understandable I guess, don't think I'd leave a stranger in my apartment alone. Don't know what I'll do to kill time, but I'll figure something out.

"Sure, I understand." I make my way towards the door. "Uh, I don't think I caught your name."

"Lunara." Huh, that's a cute name.

"Mines Anon." She lifts her tail up and waves.

"See you later, Anon; good luck talking with Mia."

I walk out the door and down the stairs of the unfamiliar apartment complex. Should have asked what floor we're on. I step down what must have been four or so flights of stairs until finally ending up in the lobby.

In the lobby, I stopped by the vending machines to get my breakfast for today: a Monster and protein bar. Truly the breakfast of champions, I know.

Stepping out of the complex, I enjoy my food on a bench outside. I pull out my phone and open Groogle Maps to find out exactly where in the city I am. It looks like we're in a new residential area called Caldera Heights. Huh, this used to be that shitty part of town Trish lived in. It seems like the triggas got gentrified, heh.

There's also a convenience store only a few blocks away. That's good. I was starting to itch a little for a cigarette. I must have lost my last pack last night. That or that Mia chick stole it.

I make my trek through the residential area toward my nicotine fix. As I go, I pass by several other apartment buildings, each with those long vines spilling over them like a waterfall. Admittedly, this place is much better than Skin Row, but it is a little dull, with the same kind of buildings everywhere. It almost looks like a miniature model of a city blown up.

There are no other skinnies on the street, which I should have expected by now. Some dinos give me a double take as I walk past, but nobody bothers me, at least. Race relations may have cooled down since I left, or it may be because I'm built like a truck.

I don't know what happened, but about a year into the service, I just shot up in size. It's like I went through a second puberty. The doctor on the ship said it could have to do with me being half simian.

Hmph, thanks for the growth spurt, Mom. Not like you deserve it.

…

…

I picked up a pack of my brand, Morelys, inside the convenience store. They were Fang's favorite, for their cheap price, but I've taken to them because they remind me of her. God, that sounds really fucking pathetic when I word it like that.

Whatever, a few drags into the cigarette later, and the familiar warmth settles into my chest. That's it; really cleared my head, too.

Well, I still have some time before I head back to the apartment. I don't know exactly what I'll say to Mia, but maybe she'll pity me enough to let me sleep on her couch for a few days.

Maybe Lunara can even put a good word in for me.

…

…

Probably not.

I ended up spending the rest of my time at the YMCA. I already had a membership from living at my old place, so I was able to get a workout in and, more importantly, a shower. I used to be nervous about showering in a public gym, but after the military, that feeling of shame has been beaten out of me. The workout was pretty light, but it felt nice to get on the treadmill and listen to anime openings on snootify for a few hours.

Now however is the hard part; I look up at the apartment complex as I stand in front of the entrance.

Please, Raptor Jesus, let this girl feel the slightest amount of pity for me. Otherwise, I'm going to have to get a hotel for god knows how long. I'm not broke or anything, but I don't have the luxury to waste money like that either.

I take the elevator this time; I'm way too sore to take the stairs again. After a short walk from the elevator, I finally stare down the front door to the apartment. I take another deep breath and make a quick prayer before knocking.

Behind the door, I can hear someone stomping over to the entrance. The door swings open to reveal a parasaur girl standing in the doorway.

She's salmon-scaled and way more built than Lunara. I unconsciously flinch and take a step back as she stares into me. It feels like she's looking through the contents of my soul with those piercing blue eyes.

"Oh, it's you." Her tail drags against the floor; shit, did she sharpen those tail spikes? "What do you want?" I stumble a little as I try to get the words to come out of my mouth. Fuck, I feel like I'm in high school all over again.

"I, uh, you know, wanted to see you again." Her eyes narrow a little.

"Why?"

"Well, last night was...special, wasn't it?" She shrugs.

"It was alright, I guess." Damn, I don't know what's worse: being rejected or this feeling of complete indifference.

"Well, I was wondering if I could stay the night." Mia actually laughs a little.

"Sorry, buddy, I don't do second dates."

"No, no, no," I shake my head. “I don't mean like that; I mean actually just staying the night." Mia's smile diminishes as she looks at me more confused.

"Why would you want to do that?" I rub the back of my neck sheepishly.

"I… don't really have anywhere else to go," I admit. "I just got here, and the apartment I was to move into canceled on me. It was why I was at the bar last night."

Mia bites her lip for a second as she considers my plight.

"Do you have money to pay for your own shit?" I nod.

"Yeah, I can afford what I need." She steps aside from the door and motions for me to come in.

"Fine, you can stay a bit skinnie."

"Wow, really? Thanks, Mia, you're a— "She puts her arm in front of the doorway, stopping me in my tracks.

"First, though, I need to go over the ground rules." She puts up three fingers.

"Rule number one: Leave any hope of last night happening again at the door. It was just a one-time thing, and you're not my type anyway." I nod along.

When I first woke up, I was a little impressed that I was able to end up at a QT Pie's place after drinking so much, but after talking to Mia, that confidence completely crumpled. Even if I did sleep with her, Mia was the one making all the decisions that night.

"Secondly, anything you use or eat has to be bought by you. You're back on the streets if I catch you eating more of my granola bars." Cool, don't eat anything in the fridge; easy enough.

"What about the soap in the bathroom?" She rolls her eyes.

"You can wash your hands, dork. Just don't use any of my conditioner." Heh, like I need to use that.

"And most importantly, don't say anything to upset Lunara." I tilt my head a little.

"Why would I do that? She seemed fine this morning." Mia bites her lip like she's about to say something but decides against whatever it is.

"Just don't, okay? She's dealt with enough assholes already, and she doesn't need you to pile on, understand?"

"I, uh, sure." I agree. I'm still confused about the whole thing, but I can tell asking questions isn't going to get me anywhere.

Plus, I'd like to finally step out of the hallway.

"Good," Mia lowers her arm and lets me walk through the doorway. "You can put your shit in the living room. You'll be sleeping on the couch anyway.” I toss my backpack onto the couch.
"Lunara will be getting off work soon, so if you need to use the kitchen, I'd do it now," she advises before turning towards the hallway. "If you have any questions, just knock on my door." Mia loudly closes her bedroom door behind her before locking it.

Well…that could have gone better. Felt like she was more annoyed at me being here than anything. At least she's letting me stay, I remind myself. She'd be entirely in her right to have just slammed the door in my face when she saw me again. I can't say I'd let her stay if the positions where reversed honestly.

I get to work trying to make the couch feel a little more like home. I pull out the travel blanket I keep in my backpack and spread it onto the furniture.

I took advantage of Lunara's absence by cooking some ramen I bought downstairs. Those vending machines out there really have everything; they remind me of my Japanese animes.

As I sit on the couch with my cooked ramen, I pull out the only source of vidya I still have. With traveling so much, I can't really have an Xbox or anything, so I have this nice, small laptop. It's a complete potato and can't run anything modern, but I don't use it for that anyway; I use it to emulate boomer rpgs and shitpost on forums.

After I finished my ramen and was well into bait posting, I heard the distinct sound of someone unlocking the front door.

It's Lunara. Her hair is pulled back into a ponytail, and she's dressed like an office worker. Maybe she's a secretary or works in HR down town.

She does a double take as she notices me back on the couch.

"Uh, hi, Lunara, I'm back." I sheepishly wave at her.

"I see that." She mumbles. "How did you get Mia to let you stay?"

"I think she just felt sorry for me," I admit. Lunara actually giggles a little. It's a nice sound, so much so that I can't help but smile a little in return.

"Well then, you really are lucky, Anon." She sets down an heavy binder of papers before making her way to the kitchen.

"Have you eaten anything yet?" I nod.

"Yeah, Mia told me not to eat anything from the kitchen, or she'd kick me out." Lunara waves her hand and giggles again.

"She was just trying to scare you, Anon. You can have something from the kitchen if you really are hungry," She assures me.

Thinking back to the rules reminds me of the one Mia was the most serious about. The one about Lunara herself.

"Uh, Mia also mentioned something about you." Lunara's smile disappears as she freezes in place.

"What did she tell you?" I frowned a little, confused about what she was so worked up about. "Just that I shouldn't bother you," I assure her. "Is there something else I should—"

"No!" Lunara blurted out. "I mean no." Her feathered tail wraps around her waist as she nervously fidgets.

"Just forget about the whole thing, okay?" She quietly pleads.

"Um, sure, I can do that," I agree. She gives me a small smile in return. I really want to press her for more details on what the hell this is all about but I'd also like to keep staying here. Guess I'll just have to be in the dark on this for bit longer.

"Thanks, Anon," She lights the stove and puts a pan under the open flame. "Would you like some of this macaroni?"

"Yeah, I'd love some." Lunara nods and turns around to focus on cooking the pasta. I settle back into the couch, leaning against the armrest.

I was pretty nervous about returning to Volcaldera, and it certainly had its hurdles, but this? I could get used to this.

Chapter Text

I woke up in an unfamiliar place for the second time this week. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust and for me to remember that I was still at Mia's apartment.

I hear something cooking on the stove; it smells like eggs.

I stumble off the couch and see Mia in front of the stove. She glances over at me before going back to the eggs.

“Glad you could join us.” She mumbles. I stretch and pop my back.

“Cooking eggs? I thought you couldn’t eat those.” Mia frowns at me.

“I can’t eat meat, dumbass; eggs aren’t meat.” She huffs. “Plus, it’s Lunara’s favorite.”

“Where is she anyway?” I look down the hallway towards the bedrooms, She's probably still in her room.

“Behind you.” I flinch at the unexpected noise, nearly tumbling over my blanket. I turn around and see Lunara sitting on the loveseat by the TV stand.

“Were you watching me sleep?” Lunara rolls her eyes.

“You're not that interesting, Anon.” She teases. “Plus, I’m working right now.”

“On your phone?” She nods.

“I’ve been grading these papers all morning.” She flips over her phone for me to read.

Raptor tribe history month crossword.

“Why are you looking at that? Isn't that for kids?” Lunara frowns a little.

“It is for kids, I'm not doing this for fun. I'm a teacher.” She corrects me.

“I didn’t know you were a teacher, you work at the high school?”

“Grade school.” She corrects me again. “Also there's not the high school or the grade school, there's a dozen in this district." I roll my eyes. "You know what I mean." Lunara looks down back to her phone. "So...do you like teaching?" Lunara's tail stops it's idling swishing as she takes a deep sigh. Instead of answering she just slouches further into the love seat. I guess that's a no. I look over to Mia.

“What about you? Teach too?” Mia laughs a little as she walks over to us.

“No, I was never good with books.” She explains. “I work at a garage on the other side of town.” Mia offers a plate of eggs to Lunara, who greedily accepts.
“What do you do anyway, Anon?” Mia tilts her head slightly as she inquires.

“I, uh, live off my pension,” I explain. Mia’s brow furrows deeper.

“Pension? What, are you a cop or something?” I shake my head.

“No Navy.” Mia stands up a little straighter. I do my best not to roll my eyes at the gesture. Just like Lunara, she looks over me again like it’s the first time she's seen me.

“I didn’t do anything important and don’t want to talk about it.” I shut down any of her questions before she can ask them. I point to Lunara and her plate of eggs. “No eggs for me?” Mia’s smile returns as she giggles at me.

“Nope," she confirms. “Eggs are for working girls only.” She takes a big bite out of her omelet to emphasize her point. “Kitchen's free if you want something, though,” Mia assures me through a mouthful of food.

“I'll change first.” I grab my backpack and head towards the bathroom.

“Suit yourself.” She shrugs as I disappear into the bathroom.

Hmm, nothing too crazy inside, just a bit messy. It's obvious that it's used by two girls, given all the makeup and shit scattered across the room.

I ignore the mess and change into a new pair of jeans and a shirt. Stepping out of the bathroom, I see Mia by the door. She looks like she's about to leave and is telling Lunara something I can't quite hear.

“I'll be fine, Mia.” Lunara sighs, looking a little annoyed.

“Are you sure? I can—

“No, no,” Lunara shakes her head. “I'm a big girl who can handle things alone.” She stands up and gives Mia a quick hug.

“I'll see you tonight, okay?” Mia nods and returns the hug.

“Yeah, just give me a call when you're heading back, okay?” Lunara nods, and Mia heads out the door.

“What was that about?” Lunara looks away from the door and back to me. Her tail fidgets as it drags across the floor.

“None of your business, okay?” She huffs. I raise my hands apologetically.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to—”

“No,” she interrupts me, closing her eyes as she rubs the bridge of her snoot. “I don't want an apology; I just want you to drop it, okay?”

“I, uh... okay.” I agree, not knowing what else to do. “Do you want anything from the kitchen?” I ask, hoping to move the conversation along.

Lunara Shakes her head. “No, I'm fine.” I nod and turn my attention to the small kitchenette.

I forage around looking for something decent until I find a package of dino nuggets pushed far back into the freezer. It's not exactly breakfast food, but beggars can't be choosers.

I spread a handful out onto a paper plate and put them into the microwave on max.

Not having anything else to do, I opened my phone for the first time today and checked my various emails and forum accounts for messages I missed last night.

It looks like all I missed was another waifu thread, fucking idiots; we all know Rebecca is best girl.

I shitpost to kill time till I hear a pair of feet brush against the kitchen's wooden floor. I see Lunara standing behind me as if she has something to say.

“What do you want?” Lunara fidgets with her forearm feathers as she finds the words she wants to say. I don't like where this is going…

“Well…I was wondering what exactly you did in the navy.” I frown at the question. Of course, it had to be about the navy.

“It wasn't that interesting.” I try to assure her.

“I'd still like to know,” Lunara pauses momentarily as if she's just now considering something. “Unless it's too painful for you to talk about.”

“What?!? No, no, no,” I wave my hands. “It's nothing like that, seriously; I wasn't in combat or anything like that,” I assure her. “Hell, I barely left the ship.” Lunara’s eyes widened slightly.

“You were on a ship?” I nod.

“I mean, yeah, it's the Navy.” I shrug.

“Did you stop anywhere?”

“Yeah… we did.” I confirm. “But it wasn't for too long of a time, and I didn't stray far from port.”

“Where was your favorite place you visited?” Damn, this raptor just has more and more questions.

“Uh, probably Japan; I was docked there for a while, so I went to the mainland a few times.” And spent an obscene amount of money on Saturnia plushies. I still have a few tucked away in my backpack. Not that I would ever tell her that.

“Oh, that's cool.” Lunara coos, “I've always wanted to go to Japan; their culture is just so...fascinating.”

“Culture?” I grab my microwaved nuggets from the microwave as soon as they're done. “What do you mean by that?”

‘I mean, their history and beliefs are just so different and unique, it's fascinating.” Lunara explains, her hands fidgeting with excess energy.

It's kind of cute to see them so excited about something. I never really gave cultural differences much thought, but she has such a passion for the topic that it's hard not to get swept up in.

Lunara eyes the platter of nuggets as I grab one. Hmph figures. I ask if she wants anything, she says no. Now that I have something, she wants a piece.

“Sure, you can have one,” I answer her silent question. Before I can double-think my answer, a nugget is swiped away with her black talons. She wolfs the whole thing down in one bite.

It reminds me of Fang a little…

“So what's teaching like?” I ask to move along the conversation and not dwell on my ex-girlfriend. I mean, c'mon, Anon, it's been what, four years?

Lunara’s smile diminished at the subject of work. “It's nothing interesting; it's just a stupid job I must do to pay bills.” She gripes.

“Oh...I thought you got into teaching for the passion of it and whatnot.” Lunara rolls her eyes.

“Nope, some of us end up teachers because it's the only option we have” I frown a little at the explanation.

“What about the kids? Are they at least well behaved or whatever?”

“Yeah,” Lunara concedes. “Most of them are fine, besides Lucas, he's a little ADHD demon but he doesn't act out too much with that new prescription they have him on." I uh, don't really know what to say to that. I rub the back of my neck.

“That…doesn't sound too bad.” Lunara shrugs.

“It usually isn't, but sometimes the parents can give me a hard time.”

“Why would they do that?” Lunara flinches at the question and looks towards the door.

“You know, Karen's and all that.” She laughs nervously before making her way to the door. “Anyway, I need to leave now if I want to catch my bus.”

Lunara quickly swings open the door, pausing to wave and look back before leaving. “See you later,” I call out, but there is no answer.

Damn…This just keeps getting weirder and weirder. What is up with this raptor chick? Is she in witness protection or something?

No, it's probably nothing too crazy. Maybe she had a bad breakup before I got here. Mia talked like Lunara should be worried about someone earlier, maybe an ex-boyfriend? Maybe even a stalker?

Nah, calm down, Anon. There's no point guessing when you know so little; you're probably barking up the wrong tree anyway.

With the two girls gone, I flop on the couch and get to work. I spend the afternoon calling and following up with every apartment complex in my price range for spare rooms. So far, I've not made much headway, but I'm waiting for a lot of callbacks.

I take a break from the phone calls to rifle through the kitchen again and make a sandwich.

Eat your heart out, Mia. I even made sure to add a few vegetables to the sandwich to really rub it.

Still, as I scroll on my phone and eat lunch, I keep thinking back to Lunara and whatever her deal is. I wish there was a way I could get to the bottom of all this.

I look down the hallway towards the two bedrooms. Actually, There may be a way to get answers.

…

…

Standing at the precipice of Lunara’s room, I start to form second thoughts. I mean, this is ridiculous, right? Mia would beat the shit out of me if she ever found out about this.

Then again…It's not like I'm going to steal anything or go through her underwear drawer like a creep or something. I'm just going to poke my head in and look around, get to know her better.

Plus, I've already been in Mia's room, and there was nothing weird about that. I reach for the door and open it,unsurprisingly, it's unlocked. I step inside.

I take a second and scan the room from left to right. In size and layout, it's comparable to Mia's, with a bed against the wall, a closet, and a computer desk.

Though, Lunara’s seems to get more use, given the piles of paperwork and a rather beefy PC setup. I kneel by the computer to look over its specs. Shit, this is a proper rig; I wouldn't have pegged her as a gamer, but that's interesting.

Wonder what she plays? Probably normie shit like Raptorwatch two or, even worse, Guild.

I stand up from the computer desk and continue looking over the room. A hoodie about two sizes too big for Lunara sits on the bed. I guess she likes baggy clothes.

On the walls, there are a few posters of bands I don't recognize and some maps. Most of them seem to be of historical empires. The largest one is under her bed and shows the full swath of the human empire at its height.

…I don’t know if that's a red or green flag. Studying cultures is cool and all, but the focus on empires is a little worrying, especially the human empire.

It's ancient history, sure, but meteor dodgers can still get up in arms about the whole “conquering” and “enslavement" thing. However, that's just my personal experience from baiting them about it online.

The only other place I haven't looked in is the closet. I walk to the end of the room and carefully open the closet door.

Hmmm…just more clothes. Most of it is more office dresses, guess that must be her teacher look. In the back is a rather nice looking chinese dress though.

Damn, didn't think she'd go for something like that. I wonder what she would look like that in that.

…

…

Ok get your mind out of the gutter Anon. I close the door and walk out of the bedroom empty-handed.

The only thing I learned from this that I didn't already know was the PC setup. I doubt that has anything to do with what she and Mia are so tight-lipped about. I flop back onto the couch and sigh.

Then again…maybe it's for the best that I didn't find anything. If I did find something from rooting around her stuff, I'd feel like even more of a piece of shit about doing it. And it's not like I can tell them what I know; if they found out what I did to figure it out, I'd be kicked out.

I rub my eyes and stand up. I just need to get out of here. Stewing here waiting for a call back isn't good for me. I walk out of the apartment, taking the spare key with me.

…

…

As usual, I hit the gym, got a good run, and had a cigarette afterward. I know it's counterintuitive, but I don't give a shit. I've tried breaking the habit a few times, but I've never been able to go cold turkey.

As I smoke outside the gym, I feel my phone buzz. Shit, I throw out my cigarette into the ash bin and pull out my phone.

“Hello, who is this?” I ask, a little annoyed about the lost cigarette.

“This is Huttz apartments. Is this Mr. Mous?”

“Yes, that's me.” I nod eagerly despite the woman on the other end not being able to see me.

“You were interested in a one-bedroom, correct?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Well…” She pauses for a second as she types on a computer. “We'll have one available soon, on the thirteenth. Would that work for you?” I nearly shout Yes! but am able to stop myself.

“Yes, uh, that would be fine.” I agree.

“Great! We'll send you more details via email, so make sure to keep in touch.”

“Sure, sure.” I nod.

“Have a great day, Mr. Mous.” The call goes dead. I check the calendar on my phone for the date. It’s the seventh now, so that’s about a week away from today. It feels great to have an apartment lined up again. I hope it doesn’t blow up in my face again, too.

I also hope Mia is fine with me staying at the apartment till then. I think she’d feel better about me staying if she knew when I’d leave. Then again, I can see that making her feel eager to get rid of me if I’m not homeless anymore.

Regardless, this calls for some kind of celebration. I take the bus to an outlet mall I used to visit in high school. Now, there should be a comic store around here somewhere.

I wander around the mall for a bit until I find the old shop. It's out of the way, tucked into the corner of the mall. That Stella girl was the first person who took me to this place. I don't know why I agreed to go with her at the time outside of maybe pity.

I wonder how she's doing now; I haven't said a word to her since graduation. I didn't blow up on her like Fang, I just...sort of faded away.

…

…

What's done is done, Anon, I remind myself. You can't keep getting stuck on what you should have and could have done; all you need to do is focus on what you can do now.

Like spending money on Saturnia manga. I try not to splurge on stuff like this usually, but I'm celebrating today, so I can deal with the extra expense. Plus, I'll have an apartment soon; I can finally start to rebuild my anime dungeon once I get moved in. With two bags filled with weeb shit, I leave the store a satisfied customer.

…

…

Getting back to the girl's apartment was more of a hassle than leaving. The bus I took to the outlet didn't drive near the apartment complex, so I had to call an old-fashioned taxi. At least this time, I didn't have to bribe the driver to drive to my destination.

I give the driver a tip as I leave because I'm in a good mood. I still don't take the stairs, though fuck that. I have to put my bags down to dig through my pockets for the key.

Come on...

Ah, there we go. I swing open the door and walk in.

“Oh hey, Anon, what do you got there?” Lunara waves her tail at me from the couch. I nearly dropped my bags from the shock. Lunara giggles.

“Didn't mean to scare you there.” She assures me.

“I just wasn't expecting to see you.” I explain, “Last night I didn't see you till five.”

“Yeah I stayed over yesterday to grade papers.” Lunara huffs. “Today I just played a movie to give myself a break.”

“You can do that?” Lunara nods.

“Everyonce in a while, can't do it too much or the PTA will get on my ass again.” She huffs before looking back at me.

“So…what did you get? Is it a present for your generous hosts?” Lunara teases with a slight smile.

I hide the bags behind me. I'd rather not show this nice raptor lady that I'm horribly autistic for anime. Any cool guy points I earned from being in the Navy will immediately be dashed away.

Then again…being cagey about it just makes me look guilty. I let out a sigh as I showed her my bags. C'mon, Anon, you can salvage this; just don't spill your spaghetti.

“It's, uh... stuff from a comic book store,” I explain as vaguely as I can, hoping that she'll accept the answer and move on. Instead…Lunara’s eyes widened as she tilted her head.

“Oh really?” She coos. “What did you get? Like comics or something?” God dammit, of course she'd ask a hundred follow-up questions.

“I mean…sorta, they're comics from Japan.” Lunara giggles.

“I know what manga is, you dork. What did you get? You seem like a shonen fan.” I don't know if that's a compliment or a diss.

I'm also a little surprised by her knowledge of weeb shit. Then again, she did have that gamer PC in her room, so she's probably a bit of a nerd. I bet she reads nothing but magical girl slop and those fag romances girls go crazy for.

I pulled out the manga from the bag and showed her. “It's, uh—”

“Saturnia?” Lunara interrupts, her tail eagerly wagging. “I love Saturnia.”

…

…

What?

Women don't like Saturnia. Only internet freaks and racists like Saturnia. Is Lunara hiding her power level in plain sight?

“You do?” She nods.

“I've loved Saturnia since I played the first game in high school.” She explains. She plays the fucking games as well? I haven't even bothered to play most of them.

I just listen to the music and enjoy the…art. Maybe I have misjudged the pale raptor a little.

I sit down next to her on the couch. Lunara wraps her tail around her waist as she leans over my shoulder to look at Manga. I can feel her breath a little as it hits the side of my neck.

It feels...nice.

“Do you mind if I read these?”

“What? Oh sure, yeah, that's fine.” I agree without thinking. Instead focusing on the odd, cool sensation of her leaning closer. Sometimes, I forget that meteor dodgers are cold-blooded.

But before anything too exciting can happen, the fun police arrive.

Mia comes out of the bathroom and does a double take once she sees Lunara and me on the couch. I lock eyes with her and see how her pupils narrow into slits as she looks back.

Oh…I'm so fucking dead.

“Anon,” Mia asks painfully calmly. “Could we talk alone for a second?” Lunara frowns at Mia, but she doesn't falter, instead insisting with a nod toward her room.

I set the bags onto Lunara's lap. “I'll, uh, go see what she wants.”

I quickly scurry down the hallway towards Mia. She practically shoves me through the door before slamming it shut. For a moment, she doesn't say anything; instead, she just stares at me.

“So,” I start, “What exactly is this—”

“Don't give me that shit,” Mia snarls. “I know what you're doing, skinnie.”

“Uh…what am I doing?” I shrug as my mind races on what exactly she's mad about.

“I've seen you skinnie; I've noticed how you've been acting around Lunara.”

“What friendly?” Mia huffs.

“You're not the first to pull this shit, Anon.” She pokes me in the chest. “I know what you're up to.”

Wait, skinnie…Lunara…does she think—

“It's not like that, Mia.” She rolls her eyes.

“How is it not like that?”

“Well…I'm, uh, not interested in her like that, and even if I were, it wouldn't be just because of the scales.” Mia's scowl evaporates as she looks at me, completely dumbfounded.

“Scales?”

“I mean… If I'm being honest, I've only dated dinos, but that's not because of anything weird. I've just lived around dinosaurs more than humans.”

“What?!?”

“Yeah, I know it's kinda odd, but—”

“Just shut up, Anon.” Mia rubs the bridge of her nose in frustration. “I don't want to hear any more of… whatever the hell you're talking about. Just get out.”

“Uh, okay, I'm just saying—”

“Get out.” Mia huffs as she shoves me through her bedroom door.

That was... weird. But I guess the last few days make more sense now. Some humans… “prefer” Dino women, and meteor dodgers can get pretty mad about it.

Hell, back when I was dating Fang, I sometimes got dirty looks when we went out in public. Nobody said anything to my face, but I could tell they thought I was some kind of perv.

Well, with that cleared up, I think I'm going to slip into the bathroom.

As I sit down, I bullshit on my phone for a few minutes until I'm done. I end up using the last of the toilet paper roll.

Damn it, I should replace that before Mia gets onto me about it. I lean down under the cabinet to get a spare roll and throw out the used one.

However, as I throw out the cardboard roll, something in the trash catches my eye.

It's a small orange bottle, a prescription bottle. Huh, someone's medicated? Probably Mia would be my guess. The curiosity gets the better of me and I lean down and grab the empty bottle to read it. In tiny script reads.

Lian M Kirkwood

Male Raptor

Estradiol (tablets)

I read over the bottle again and again to make sure my eyes aren't playing tricks on me. The bottle falls out of my hands and onto the floor as it starts to sink in.

“Oh…no.”

Chapter Text

Oh god.

Oh no.

Oh god.

My head spins as I scramble to grab the prescription bottle off the floor. I must have misread it or something. There's no way Lunara really is…

I don't even complete the thought as I read over the bottle again, hoping to see another name. Instead, the same text remains.

Lian Kirkwood.

I…can't believe it; all this time, I was talking to a fucking guy named Lian. I was even worried for them; hell, if Mia hadn't come by, I might have gotten to second base by now.

With a man, I would have gotten to second base with a fucking dude. I feel like I'm going to be sick.

I should have known Lunara was too good to be true. A Saturnia fan and hyper-fixation with the human empire? There's no way a woman could ever have been that based.

But... a new thought comes to mind: does this make me gay? I mean, I thought she, he, whatever they are was cute this whole time. I even imagined them in a Chinese dress.

Oh god…

Get a hold of yourself, Anon. There's only one thing to do in this situation. I take a picture of the prescription on my phone, mark out any identifying details, and post it to the advice thread of a Mexican Mecha forum.

>Met qt.pie raptor

>She invited me to her place.

>Notice this in the trash while taking a piss.

> Am I gay?

I refreshed the page a few times while waiting for replies. After a moment, they start to come in.

>You are extremely homosexual for even posting this.

> OP, it's okay to admit they're yours.

> It's over OP. Log off.

>Fake: A raptor girl would never talk to you. Gay: OP “found” estrogen tablets in “someone else’s” home.

I tab out of the forum but can feel my phone buzzing with notifications as more replies add up. I turn off my cell phone. Oh fuck, that was stupid. Why did I do that? I'm going to be on some shitty snooty YouTube forum reader video for sure.

I'll forever be known as the bathroom estrogen thread guy.

My face heats up as my stomach feels like it's going through a washing machine. I haven't felt this embarrassed since high school. I think back to the doxxing and how quiet it was in there as everyone saw those photoshops.

Oh god… I stumble as I lose my footing; I reach out for the towel rack to keep from falling but only achieve bringing it down with me.

* Crash *

I lay on the floor, my head ringing from making contact with the tile. The towel rack rattles as it comes to a stop next to me. I can hear someone talking outside as footsteps come closer to the door.

“Anon, what the fuck are you doing in my bathroom?!” Mia growls from outside. I try to respond, but with the wind knocked out of me, all I can do is groan on the floor.

“Maybe he hurt himself?” Lunara guesses, quietly next to Mia. The parasaur sighs outside.

“Anon, are you hurt?” I fumble to speak and manage to whisper.

“Yes.”

“Do you need help?” Lunara coos. I nod before remembering they can't see me.

“Yes.” I can hear Mia sigh again.

“Well, you better be decent then; I'm coming in.” The doorknob is twisted farther to the left than what should be possible, breaking the lock.

As the door swings open, Mia stands over me, and Lunara pokes her head from over her shoulder. Lunara looks worried for me, while Mia looks more concerned about the mess I made.

“What did you do, skinnie?”

“I fell,” I mumbled from the floor. Lunara steps past Mia over to me.

“Oh, come on, Mia. Can't you see he's bleeding? You can yell at him later, but he needs help now.” Lunara’s tail stands up straight to emphasize their point. Mia rolls her eyes but steps inside the bathroom regardless.

“Fine, step back then; I'll carry him.” With little effort, Mia picks up my crumpled body off the floor like a sack of potatoes. Despite the closeness, it feels less like a romantic embrace and more like being carried away by a predator.

“What hurts, skinnie?”

“My head mostly,” I feel my forehead where it hurts the most, and my palm comes up red with blood. Must have cut myself on the towel rack as I was falling. Mia grunts.

“You have a pretty nasty bruise on your head, too. If you were a dino, we'd need to take you to the hospital for a bruise that big, but skinnies bruise like tomatoes.” That's…assuring, I think.

Mia starts to carry me over to the couch, but Lunara stops us. I have to crane my head to look over to them.

“What?”

“You can't just lay him on the couch. He needs a proper bed to rest.” Mia frowns.

“He's not sleeping in my bed again.”

“Then he can sleep in mine; I'll take the couch.” Lunara offers. Mia considers for a second and nods.

“Fine.” She turns back and walks down the hallway. “But fair warning, you’ll want to wash the sheets afterward.” I look up to Mia confused, and she grimaces.

“Took two washes for my shit to not smell like an ashtray.” She grumbles under her breath. Oh yeah, that; I kinda got used to the smell after a while.

Mia takes me into Lunara’s room; it looks the same as earlier. Maybe falling over and hitting my head was karma for sneaking in earlier. I guess I had this coming anyways.

I'm laid on the bed like a piece of meat. Right behind Mia, Lunara comes in with a first aid kit.

“How are you feeling?” The pale raptor questions as they pull out wipes and bandages from the kit. I grunt.

“I feel like I got hit in the head with a baseball bat.” I rub the ridge of my nose as my head throbs in pain.

Lunara's tail fidgets behind them as they look over me with concern. “Just be still, okay? I'm going to disinfect your cut.”

Oh, that's going to hurt. Carefully, Lunara wipes away the blood and sweat from my forehead before applying the disinfectant wipes. They sting like hell, but I try my best not to flinch away.

“Sorry,” Lunara winces. I raise my hand assuredly.

“I've been through worse; don't worry about it.”

“In the navy?” I bite my lip—more like something involving a very quick trip down the stairs.

“Yeah, something like that.” I lie; no way I'm telling these two about how I ate shit like that in high school. Though…now that I think about it, Lunara’s first aid reminds me of when Fang did the same thing after that nasty fall.

Oh, c'mon, Anon, you have to stop thinking about her, remember? Fucking move on already, retard; she doesn't care about you anymore.

Focus on the here and now, like Lunara wrapping a bandage around your head. I lean a little closer and study their face, looking for any sort of tell of her…secret identity.

…

…

I finally conclude that nothing really stands out. Even scanning over every little detail I can think of, there's nothing that stands out as particularly “masculine.”

Lunara doesn't look any different from a random Raptor girl I would bump into on the street. Sure as hell doesn't look like any Raptor guy I've ever met.

But how is that even possible? I mean, I know they're on that prescription shit, but that can't be that good, right? They have to have done something else, too, like have plastic surgery.

Lunara finishes with her ministrations. Thinking of them as “her” feels wrong, but “he” doesn't feel right either, and “them” is just… grammatical cancer.

“Are you done?” Mia leans over to get a better look at me. She smiles. “Look like a mummy with all that wrapping.”

“Thanks,” I grumble. I nearly cracked my head open, and she's still teasing me. Lunara looks over to the crimson parasaur expectantly.

“What?” Mia raises her arms defensively.

“We talked about this before Anon fell. Could you leave us alone for a second?” Mia pouts her lips like she's about to say something but concedes instead.

“Fine.” She raises her arms and lets them fall to her sides. “I'll leave you alone.” She walks out of the room with a huff, only stopping to make eye contact with me again. Without a word, she makes her point with those piercing blue eyes.

Don't fuck with her.

Now alone, the room goes quiet as I look over to Lunara.

“Uh, thanks, by the way, for you know.” I point towards the bandages wrapped around my head.

“Oh, it wasn’t anything really.” She assured me. She sits down on her bed across from me. “So…you talked with Mia, right?”

“Yeah,” I huff “You can say that.” Lunara’s tail bristles.

“I know Mia can be…callous sometimes, but she's really nice once you get to know her.” She huffs.”Even if she worries a little too much sometimes.”

“Is that what you wanted to talk about?” Lunara bites her lip.

“Sorta, I wanted to talk about…something more personal.” I sat up a little. Is this the big reveal? “Mia talked to you about me being…” Lunara pauses as she tries to think of the right word.

“Trans?” She freezes at the word before slouching.

“Yeah, that.” Her tail wraps around her waist as some self-soothing gesture. God, she looks really sad right now. C’mon Anon don’t fuck this up, if she ends up crying, Mia's going to kick you out for sure.

I wave my hands apologetically. “Not that there's anything wrong with being that way.” Lunara doesn't look up at me. Instead, she fishes a small plastic cylinder from her pocket.

“Lu, Lunara, are you—?”

“I'm fine.” She looks up finally. She pauses for a moment to take a long drag from the cylinder. I guess it’s a vape or something. The smoke she breathes out smells like cotton candy. “I'm just, I didn't think I'd be having this conversation tonight and needed a second.”

“Yeah, me neither.” Lunara’s tail stops fidgeting as her eyes narrow.

“What do you mean?” Oh fuck, Anon, you're spilling your spaghetti. Don’t fuck up, you’re not a teenager anymore.

“I mean, I just didn’t think you were….” I stop dead in my tracks as Lunara’s look forms into a glare.

“You didn’t know, did you?” She quietly asks.

“I wasn’t going to say that.” I try to assure her, but she hisses instead.
“Then what were you going to say?”

“Look,” I put up my hands apologetically. “I’m new to all this and am just—”

“ Disgusted ?” I frown.

“I was going to say shocked.” I finish; Lunara rolls her eyes.

“I guess I was stupid for being happy the last few days.” She mumbles under her breath.

“What do you mean?” As she begins to explain, Lunara deflates a little, slouching further into the bed.

“You were the first person in a long time that didn’t treat me differently. I thought you were being nice, but…I guess I know the real reason now.” Oh…I fucked up so, so badly.

“Lunara, I might not have known, but that changes nothing, honestly.” Lunara actually laughs a pained, derisive snort as she looks back at me.

“ Really ?”

“Yes… really ,” I confirm. Before I can say anything else, Lunara reaches out to touch my face, and I do the worst possible thing I could do.

I recoil.

“Exactly what I thought.” She draws her hand away with a sad but unsurprised look.

“No, wait, Lunara—”

“Get out.”

“Lunara, please, I didn't mean—”

“Just get out.”

“I'm sorry, I really am—”

“I said .” She hisses. “Leave, now !” As soon as Lunara's shout reverberates through the room, I know I'm as good as dead. I can even hear my executioner's footfalls as she rounds the hallway. All I hope is that Mia throws my backpack along with me down the stairs.

The door swings open, the crimson parasaur looking over Lunara and then over to me. I flinch as our eyes meet.

“Anon.” She calmly speaks through barely controlled rage. “I think it's time you start looking for somewhere else to stay.”

I look back at Lunara, hoping to convey some sense of sorrow before leaving, but she doesn't even look back at me.

“Alright,” I heave myself off the bed; my head throbs as I get my footing. “I'll need to get my stuff first, though.”

“You have three minutes.” I nod and head towards the hallway. As I make my way to the door, Mia and I brush shoulders as she goes to sit with Lunara.

I gather my things as quickly as I can from the couch. I am not going to test Mia on what happens if I stay for four minutes. Still…as I pack up my used clothes, I can't help but hear them talk in Lunara’s room.

Well, it's less talking and more crying—loud, ugly crying. I can't hear what's being said, but I can imagine Mia is trying to console the weeping raptor as best she can. It feels nerve-wracking to listen to me, like my flight or fight response has been activated.

Part of me wants to go back there and console Lunara myself, even if that would get me throttled by Mia. Though, as stupid as it sounds, I know I want to go back there for other reasons as well. It feels all too familiar.

I close the apartment door and head down the stairs. I'm going to have to find a hotel room before it gets too dark. Don't want to end up sleeping on some bench...again.

But first, I opened my phone and pulled up Google Maps; I needed a drink.

…

…

When I finally wake up, all I see is the sun blaring into me. It feels like daggers cutting into my eyes even as I close them shut. I roll over onto my side and—

*Thump*

Fall right off the bed. God fucking damnit…

I peel myself off the floor and back onto my feet. Practically every bone in my body pops as I regain my footing; I nearly topple over back onto the floor. God, my head is fucking swimming as well. I need to get some coffee or shower or something.

I hobble around the unfamiliar room until I find the bathroom. Unlike last time, this is definitely a hotel and not someone's apartment. From the bare furniture and decor, this place screams low-budget hotel room.

Not that I'm complaining or anything; I'm just surprised I managed to get a hotel last night. I try to recall the events of last night, but it all comes back foggy. I remember drinking at some low-end bar and taking the subway after that…

Whatever, at least I didn't wash up on the beach or anything. I turn on the shower at full blast, the frigid water misting onto my face.

This is really going to suck, but from the Navy, I learned the best way to really wake up is a cold shower. That, or it'll be too much of a shock to my system, and I will fall over and crack my head.

Well…I quickly take off my clothes; here goes nothing. To rip the Band-Aid off, instead of sticking my leg in first or anything, I just jump into the shower, getting my whole body wet at once.

“Hughhhhk.” I wheezed involuntarily as my body spasmed from the drop in temperature. It's painful, and I nearly topple over again, but I feel like my mind has instantly been cleared. Still have a dull headache but don't feel nearly as sluggish.

I finish the cold shower and change into a new pair of clothes. I limp back into the bedroom and think over what I should do next.

Well…I think whatever inkling of friendship I had with Lunara and Mia is a complete wash. I doubt Mia would ever want to see me again without putting her fist across my face and Lunara…

I think back to last night, hearing her cry from the other room. God…I'm such a fucking idiot. But, it's not like I can do anything to fix that now. She was pretty clear on wanting me out of there.

Still, I can't help but feel bad for her, even if she really wasn't a “her” to begin with. I pull out my phone and start to figure out where exactly I am. Hmm, looks like I'm back where I started by the train station.

Well, this place seems cheap enough, good enough for the time being, but I should really start looking for a job somewhere.

The pension is nice, but with rent and groceries, I'll be just scraping by at the new place, barely having any left at the end of the month. If I really want to save some money, I'll need to get a full-time job.

But…with my record, that's easier said than done. It's not like I have anyone who would recommend me either; everyone I know back from high school probably hates me now.

I pause for a second, well…maybe not everyone.

…

…

“Mr. Mous?” I fix my jacket making sure I look presentable for this. I sit up at attention in my flimsy lobby chair. This place never had good furniture. I wave over to myself like an idiot. The secretary, a preppy-looking trigga girl, gives me a wide smile.

“Principal Spears is ready to see you.”

Chapter Text

“I'll show you the way to the office.” I almost assured the girl I knew the way, but I stopped myself and nodded instead. For all I know, the old caveman’s office isn't by the cafeteria anymore. And I doubt they'd allow some stranger to wander around the halls.

The girl, who I'd guess is a senior, leads me through the wide hallways of the high school. Scanning around, it doesn't feel real that I'm back at Volcano High. The place hasn't changed much. The tile has changed, and there's more greenery inside than I remember, but other than that, it's like I stepped through time.

All the little quirks and memories of this place start to hit me more and more the deeper we go. It's fun to see some things again, like where Naser dented the lockers by slamming me against them and the classroom where I had math with Reed. Others, like the science lab and the music room, almost cause me to lock up midstep.

…

…

C'mon, Anon, you can throw your pity party later. You have to focus now.

“So…” I stretch out my arms. “I don't think I caught your name.” The girl looks back.

“Ashley.” She smiles. “What are you seeing the principal about anyway? Looking to teach here?” I quickly shake my head.

“No, no, nothing like that. I… just came back from the service and wanted to catch up.” It's partially a lie, but she doesn't need to know that.

“You're a former student?” I nod. Her face lights up as she looks excitedly at me. “Are you the anime guy?!?” I come to a complete stop in the middle of the hallway.

“How do you know about that?” I ask in a hushed tone. Ashley gleefully smiles at my roundabout admission.

“Everyone knows about it! It's practically a school legend, the first human student here, and he gets busted editing himself into porn.” I rub the ridge of my nose.

“It…wasn't like that.” Couldn't they have remembered literally anything else about my time here? Like me falling down the front stairs? “Anyway, are we there? I don't remember his office being this far away.”

“Oh,” Ashley looks around in the hall. “Yeah, it's right over there.” She points to the door by the trophy display. Most have been changed, but Naser still holds the school's track record. And disappointingly, some of the academic awards still have Naomi's name on them. Guess it'll be a few more years till this place has thoroughly washed any memory of that cunt.

Ashley knocks on the door. “Principal Spears! Your two o'clock visitor is here.” Now that I think of it, Ashley reminds me a little of the pink parasaur. Probably is the student council president of her class too.

“The doors open.” The familiar-sounding Caveman booms. It feels weird to hear his voice again. Part of me flinches a little, even if he isn't my principal anymore.

Ashley opens the door to the principal's office. It's a little bigger than the one he used to have, but it still seems cramped with all the paperwork he has packed into it.

“Thanks, Miss Jones. You can leave now.” Ashley nods and closes the door behind her. “Take a seat, Mr. Mous. It's good to see you again.” I give Spears a nervous smile as I sit across from him. The caveman’s just as big and intimidating as I remember, but there are a few streaks of gray in his hair that I don't remember being there. I guess time catches up to us all.

“It's nice to see you too, sir.” Spears chuckles.

“You're not a student here anymore, Anon. You don't have to refer to me as sir; Spears is fine," he assures me. I nod, but I know I'll probably still call him sir. “So,” he pulls some paperwork under his desk. “Back from the service?” I nod.

“I've been out for a while now, but this is my first time back in Caldera.”

“Are you on leave or done?”

“Done.” I quickly answered. “I'm making do with my pension now.” Spears makes a slight frown.

“Pension? How long were you in the service again?” Oh fuck, Anon, you and your big dumb mouth.

“What, what do you mean?”

“I mean,” he lowers his voice, “enlisted that only served as long as you didn't get pensions that you can live off.” Fuck, fuck, fuck. Don't panic, Anon; just tell him the truth. The terrible, shameful truth.

“It's not exactly a pension; it's more like comp pay,” I explain. “I didn't leave voluntarily; I was discharged for… injury.” I hate talking about this, but Spears is clearly not buying the pension explanation.

“Do you have proof?” I sigh as I stretch out my left leg and unroll my pant leg.

“Here,” I point to scar tissue running down my knee. I was injured in a training exercise. Nearly lost the leg entirely, but I was able to get medical attention in time.” I put my leg down and pulled my pant leg down, covering the scars. Spears cracks his usual stoic expression and frowns.

“I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you're recovering well.”

“As best as I can,” I shrug, “but I didn't come here to bother you all about that.”

“Yes,” he nods. “Why exactly did you come here today? I'm not opposed to catching up with former students, but you sounded like you wanted to talk about something other than old times on the phone.” Well, here comes the hard part. I rub the back of my neck sheepishly.

“Uh, well, you see, I was hoping I could ask for your help," Spears furrows his brow.

“Help with what exactly?”

“Finding a job in town,” I admit. “I've been looking for somewhere to work for a while with no luck.”

“You think I can help you find a job?” I nod. “Why?”

“Well…” I nervously look around the room. “Honestly, you're the only person I could think of who might recommend me to someone.” I doubt any of the friends I knew back then would help me if they could, and the only other adult who liked me back then was Fang's uncle Moe. And I'm sure his opinion of me has soured since I broke her heart.

Spears sighs a little and gives me a sad, knowing smile. “Anon.” He places his hand on my shoulder. “Plenty of people here would be willing to help you.”

“I don't know about that,” I grumble under my breath.

“Have you reached out at all?”

“Well…no.” Spears chuckles a little.

“Then you'll never know if people are willing to help.” He ducks under his desk and pulls out a binder.

“I don't have a job for you here at the school unless you'd be interested in teaching sophomore history.”

“Uhhh, no, no, I wouldn't be.” Spears doesn't look up from flipping through the binder but snorts.

“Didn't think so.” He grumbles under his breath. “But,” he stops, flipping through papers, and hands me one. “I know Caldera Elementary has been looking for a janitor.”

“Janitor? I, uh, think I could manage that.” Spears actually chuckles again.

“It shouldn't be too hard for someone your age. Just make sure to leave everything looking better than you found it.” I nod.

“I can send your resume with my recommendation to their principal. She's a good friend of mine, and I'm sure she'll hire you," he assures me.

“Thanks,” I rub the back of my neck awkwardly. “I, uh, don't know what to say.”

“Don't say anything.” Spears put away the folder. I stood up from my chair and grabbed the janitor application. I guess I'll have to bring it back to Spears later.

“Uh, I guess I'll see you later; thanks again—”

“Wait,” Spears booms, stopping me in my tracks. “Before you go, Anon, I want to understand I'm not giving you a job; I'm giving you an opportunity.”

“I, uh, see.” I nod along, but Spears frowns instead.

“It wasn't that long ago I stopped you outside the auditorium and told you about the opportunity you had here as a senior. How you could grow and change at this new school.” Spears pauses for a moment as he looks me right in the eye.

“Don't let this opportunity fly past you too, Mr. Mous.”

“I won't,” I promise, and he nods.

“For your sake, I hope you're right," he mumbles. “Now, is there anything else you want to talk about?”

“Uh, yeah, do you… know how Fang’s doing?” Spear's brow furrows slightly like he's surprised I'd even ask.

“Last I heard, Miss Aaron was doing well. Have you talked to them recently?”

“No.” I quickly answered. “I haven't.”

“Well… if you care enough to ask.” Spears doesn't finish his sentence, letting the implication sit for a while.

…

…

“I'll see you later, Spears.” I close the door behind me and walk down the hall.

Maybe I should—

No, I stopped that train of thinking. What do you honestly think would happen if she did see you, Anon? Do you think she'd run into your arms and tell you how much she'd missed you? That you could just apologize and go back to normal, like nothing happened?

She's not a fucking bird that mates for life; she's moved on and, according to Spears, is doing just fine. She doesn't need you to rush in and ruin her life again.

I step off the stairs to the high school, making sure not to fall again.

Well, at least I know Fang's doing okay now. Don't have to worry about her being in some gutter in Skin Row.

…

…

It's been a few days since I submitted my application to that grade school. I had to pass a drug test and a physical the other day. The physical was a walk in the park, and they don't test for alcohol, so the drug test was no issue either.

However, if I'm going to be working again, I'll probably have to cut down on drinking. At least wait until the weekends.

I put two white slices of bread into the toaster I bought yesterday.

The new apartment has been a nice improvement. Beats sleeping at some cheap motel or bumming it at someone else's place.

I sigh a little as my mind floats back to Lunara and Mia. My skin still crawls a little as I remember Lunara crying.

The toaster dings, breaking me out of my thoughts and causing me to flinch. C'mon, get a hold of yourself; there's nothing you can do to fix that now. Going back would just embarrass yourself and… probably get sent to the hospital by Mia.

I walk over to the folded-out steel chair in the middle of my living room and plop down with my toast. I sort of took for granted having furniture at the motel and that I'd need to furnish my actual apartment.

I'm tight on money as is, so I can't really splurge on furniture. At the moment, the mouse pad furniture consists of a mattress that was left here and a chair I bought while getting groceries.

Next week, my comp pay comes, so I'm hoping to get a desk or something. However, I don't have a car to pick it up, so I'll have to pay someone to haul it here. I let out a sigh as I considered the logistics of it all.

You can worry about that later, Anon. Right now, you have to focus. It is your first day today, after all.

…

…

I have to take the metro and then a bus to the grade school. It's on the other side of town, in the middle of suburbia, so the commute every day is going to take some getting used to.

Before I stepped off the bus, I rechecked my appearance, making sure I looked presentable. I didn't want to wear anything too formal, but I also didn't want to look like a slob.

So I got a clean shave and put on a nice pair of jeans and a jacket. I even put on a belt, thinking it might make me look more blue-collar or something.

Walking through the suburbs to get to the school feels odd. I can't shake the feeling as I walk past the rows of identical houses that I don't belong here. I mean, I don't really; I haven't seen another human since I left my apartment. Humans aren't exactly common outside of Skin Row in Volcaldera, but out here?

I feel like I'm walking around in a different country, let alone a different neighborhood.

Eventually, I do make my way to the school. It's a large brick building covered by vines. Hmmph, figures. It does look kind of pretty, though, with the vines in bloom.

There are some kids outside running around in the playground as well. I guess it's recess or something for the Tikes.

I walk past the dino kids and through the front doors.

Inside are another set of double doors, probably locked, and a window to the front office. In the window, a bored-looking micro raptor is flipping through papers. She does a double take as I step in before addressing me.

“Are you… here to pick up someone?” I shake my head.

“I'm, uh, the new janitor. Today's my first day.” Her eyes light up, and she flashes a bright smile at me.

“Oh! I'm sorry. I forgot. Sheila told me to expect you today. Mr. Mous, is it?”

“It's fine,” I assure her. “You can call me Anon, though.” She nods and extends her hand through the window.

“You can call me Mindy,” I shake her hand as she unlocks the door. “Just go through those doors, and I'll take you to the janitor's office.

Mindy leads the way through the school's halls, her purple feathered tail swishing from side to side as she shows me around the place. It feels a little weird to be in a school again so soon after my trip to Volcano High. This place doesn't have the memories attached to it that Volcano did, but I still can't help but feel out of place.

I mean, it's not like I'm qualified to work around kids or anything; I'm just some fucking guy they hired. I hope none of the parents make a stink about a skinny working here.

Mindy points out the different classrooms and who teaches what as we go through the halls. It's pretty simple: kindergarten starts at the left-hand side of the building, and as you make your way to the right, you end up in the eighth-grade room. I wonder if any of these kids will end up at Volcano High. Probably not.

Mindy knocks on an unmarked door by the seventh-grade classroom. “Clint! Your new hire is here!” She practically shouts down the hallway. I flinch from the unexpected noise.

There's some rustling on the other side until the door swings open. Standing in front of me is a very sleep-deprived-looking parasaur.

His eyes have deep bags underneath, and his face looks less like he's purposely growing a beard and more like he's just not had the time. As his eyes look over me, they brighten slightly, and his face flexes into a slight smile.

“You're the new janitor?” I nod. “Thank God.” He takes my hand and shakes it. “Clint's the name.”

“Uh… yeah, I know,” I mutter as my hand is strangled in his tight grip. “Mine's, Anon.”

“Anon.” He repeats back.

“Welp,” Mindy speaks up. “I'll leave you two to it then. I hope you enjoy your first day, Anon.” She quickly walks down the hallway back to the front.

“So…Have you been a janitor before?” I shake my head.

“Uh, no, I mean, I've cleaned shit before—”

“Don't curse around here,” Clint cuts me off. “At least wait until the kids are dismissed; we don't need them to start repeating new words again.”

“I, uh, sure.” I make a mental note of that: no swearing till 3:05. “So, will you be showing me the ropes or whatever?” Clint chuckles.

“Yeah…something like that.”

…

…

Clint ran through, as he called it, “the route" for the next three hours. It's not especially hard work, especially after the Navy, but keeping everything in mind is a little tough. You have to repeat the process of sweeping, wiping tables, getting trash, and mopping in each room. And it's not like you can slouch a little either; they all have to be cleaned before class the next day.

As we wrap up in the 2nd-grade room, I take a breather after throwing the trash into the dumpster.

“So,” Clint pops his back. “Liking it so far?”

“Yeah,” I sigh out. “I've worked tougher jobs; I think I can manage.” Clint smiles.

“That's the spirit.” He pats me on the back. “Take a breather, and we'll finish up with the lower grades.” I nod and head over to the lunchroom.

I didn't pack a lunch for my first date and was hoping to scrounge something from the cafeteria. Thankfully, there are a few vending machines, though they only have healthy stuff in them.

Hmph, thanks, Obama.

As I reach down to get my bottle of orange juice, I hear the footfalls of someone walking over to me.

“Hey Clint, do you want….” I stop in my tracks as I finally come face to face with the newcomer. “... Lunara?”

“What are you doing here?” she snarls back at me. I scan over again to make sure I'm not seeing things. She looks pretty similar to the last time I saw her, except she's had her hair cut since I left. Instead of a ponytail, her hair stops at her shoulder.

It…kind of looks like Cortana's hair from Rock Ring. Oh god, is that deliberate?

“I said," she hisses again. “What are—”

“I'm working.” I interrupt her question. She huffs.

“You're working here?” She asks incredulously.

“Yes, I am,” I confirm.

“Doing what?”

“I'm the new janitor.” Lunara flinches at the mention of janitor.

“Oh…” She points to me. “That's you?” I nod, not knowing what else to do. Lunara rubs her temple as she mutters to herself. Her tail wraps around her leg as she fidgets in place.

“Hey,” I step closer to her and reach my hand out. “I know you're not happy to see me again, but I'm really—”

“Don't.” She snaps back and takes a step away from me. “you dare touch me.” I let my hand drop as I step away from her.

“I'm sorry I hurt you, Lunara.” She doesn't say anything for a moment, just staring back at me, trying to see if I really mean it. Eventually, she deflates and lets out a frustrated sigh.

“I know you are Anon; I'm just,” Lunara huffs as she fishes for her vape again.

“Should you be using that here?” She rolls her eyes.

“Kids are long gone.” She explains with a puff of smoke. After another draw on the vape, she talks again.

“I honestly thought I'd never see you again.” She admits I manage a weak smile.

“Neither did I.”

“Did you ever think about coming back to the apartment?”

“I mean... yeah, I did, but I also didn't want to get thrashed by Mia.” Lunara actually smiles back at that.

“She would have knotted you into a pretzel if you came back the next day. Probably still would.”

“That's reassuring,” I grumble. “So, do you think we'll be able to work together?” She flinches at the question for a moment before answering.

“I…think it'll be fine; just make sure to clean my room better than any of the other teachers," she teases.

“You got it.” I nod my head, playing along. “Can I see your room?” Lunara frowns and shakes her head.

“No, I really have to get back to work. You probably need to as well.” Before I can protest, Clint walks into the cafeteria. He hesitates for a second as he sees Lunara.

“Oh, Miss Kirkwood.” He clears his throat. “This is Anon; he’s the new—”

“I know.” Lunara cuts him off. “We’ve met before.”

“Oh really? Did you go to college together or something?” Lunara hesitates for a second as she thinks of an explanation of how we know each other. Somehow, I think, “He crashed at my apartment for two days after blacking out” won’t endear myself to Clint.

“He’s, uh—”

“We met at a party.” I quickly cut her off and gave her a pleading look. C’mon, just play along.

“Yeah,” Lunara nods. “We met at a friend's place a few weeks ago.” Clint looks a little surprised by the explanation but doesn’t question it.

“I’m sorry to bother you, but I’ll need Anon back. He’s not being paid to socialize.” Lunara gives him a polite smile.

“Oh, it’s not a problem. I was about to leave anyway.” She nods before heading back to her classroom.

“C’mon, let’s finish up.” He motions for me to follow him out of the cafeteria. I down my juice in one gulp before jogging over to the para.

“So…What do you think of Lunara?” Clint furrows his brow as he looks back at me.

“Who?”

“Miss Kirkwood.”

“Oh,” He nods his head. “She’s…nice, I guess. Mostly keeps to herself, kinda surprised to hear she even went to a party.” I shrug.

“Her friends drug her there.” He nods like that explains everything.

“Though just a word of advice, don't mention the thing about her.”

“Mention what?”

“You know,” he lowers his voice. “She’s not really a she, you know?” Oh yeah, that. I still can’t believe it, honestly, even after seeing her again.

“Can you tell?” I quietly ask. Clint flinches at the question but nods.

“Yep, but I mean, it’s not like…” He motions with his hands as he tries to find the right words but comes up empty-handed.

“How can you?” Clint shrugs.

“I dunno, man…their tails are all weird, their snouts too broad, just basic stuff. But I’m serious: don't talk about this again. I know you're new and don’t know better, but if anyone else hears you mention it, you’ll get in serious shit, okay?” I nod.

“Good, now come on; we still have pre-K to clean.” Clint speeds up and walks down the hallway. I let out a sigh; this shit just gets weirder and weirder. Can’t I get a straight answer from anyone?

“Yeah… let’s get this over with.”

…

…
The rest of the shift went by easily enough. I eventually did get to see Lunara’s classroom, but by then she had already left for the night. It didn’t stand out from any of the other ones really; the only reason I knew it was hers was the big Miss Kirkwood banner on the front door.

I did also try to give the room a little extra attention than the others, like emptying her pencil sharpeners and little shit I didn’t bother with in the other rooms. Soon after that, Clint and I locked up the place for the night. It was kind of weird walking around the empty school; I felt like I was trespassing. Clint has to follow me out so he can lock the front door behind me.

“So,” he closes the front door behind us. “Think you’ll show up tomorrow?” I shrug.

“I think so; it wasn't too bad.” Clint gives me a slight smile; I don’t know if he really thought I’d flake on him. Then again, given how disheveled he looked when I got here, he’s probably been needing another janitor here for a while. Can’t imagine doing all that shit we did just by myself.

“Where'd you park?” Clint looks over the deserted parking lot.

“Oh, uh, I took the bus.” Clint nods, but he looks a little surprised. Probably didn’t expect someone to take public transit this far into suburbia. Now that I think of it, that probably means Lunara drives here.

“Well, see you tomorrow then, Anon; it was nice meeting you.” Clint walks off to a red minivan parked off in the far corner of the parking lot. I wave him off and head to the nearest bus stop. I’m going to have to hoof it a little if I’m going to catch this bus.

After a short wait the late bus finally arrives. I step onto a mostly empty bus and quickly find a seat in the back. As the outside passes by my window, I struggle to stay awake.
Damn…What a day.

…

…

After what feels like eons, I finally make it to Saturday. That's one of the plusses of working at a public school: you get every weekend off. And all those dippy federal holidays nobody else takes off.

So far I'm still liking the janitor thing. Clint's trusting me more to do things myself, and we split the work in half, him doing the upper grades and me the lower. That does mean I run into Lunara every day, though.

She teaches first grade, so I go through her room every day. And yes, I do make sure it looks better than the other classrooms still. Most of the time she's already gone by the time I get to her room, though. The times I do see her are pretty brief, like seeing her walk to her car or taking her class back from recess.

It feels nice to see her, but… I'm not sure what that means. I mean, we have a lot in common. I did like talking to her when I was over at her apartment, but that was before I knew what she really was. Does still wanting to talk to her make me a fag or some chaser?

…

…

I… can't really come up with an answer. And it's not like I can ask anyone about it. What would Clint think of me if I told him? He wouldn't be able to look at me with a straight face anymore.

I step off the bus with a huff. C'mon, Anon, you're getting in your head again. Not everything has to be a fucking dilemma for you.

With my first paycheck in hand, I figured I'd treat myself to something nice for a change. The anime dungeon will be rebuilt, one volume at a time. Plus, I already ordered some furniture on Clawmazon.

I beeline it to the comic book shop, not really interested in anything else in the mall. It feels nice to step in here again and be surrounded by my peers, big fucking nerds. Not interested in any of the capeshit they sell in the front racks, I slink towards the back of the manga section. Last time I saw the Saturnia volumes, I just grabbed them without a second thought, but today I want to take my time and really look through what they have.

…

…

Hmph, they do have a lot back here, but it's all pretty surface-level stuff. Sure, they do have some shonen, but it's the same three you always see. Not to say they don't have some... select choices as well. For whatever reason, they have an unreasonably large stack of that faggot shit. I mean, who even reads this slop? I take a second to read the title of one sitting on top of the pile.

Horrible Yaoi Four.

What kind of title is that?

“Hello sir, do you need help with something?” I nearly topple over the stack of thinly veiled fetish material from the sudden addressal. I quickly spin around and step as far away as I can from what I was looking at.

“What? No, no, no, I was, uh, just—” My mind comes to a halt looking for an excuse as I finally see the employee that stopped me. Is it really…

“Anon?!?” Oh, raptor Jesus, it really is her.

“Stella?”

Chapter Text

“You're back,” Stella repeats. “You're really back.” She bounces on her heels with barely contained excitement.

“Yeah… I'm back.” I sheepishly rub the back of my neck. Fuck, what do I even say to her? Of all the people to run into at the mall, it had to be someone who could recognize me from high school. I guess I should count myself lucky it's just Stella who's excited to see me and not someone like Trish who would have ground me into the pavement.

“Where have you been? Nobody could get a hold of you after graduation, and you just disappeared one day.” She stops her teetering to fidget with her employee jacket.

“I, uh, left to enlist in the navy.” Stella's cerulean eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets.

“You're in the army?!?”

“Navy.” I correct her. “And I'm not “in” it anymore; I'm out, for good.” Stella looks over to a fat, bored-looking Aquilops sitting at the front desk.

“Hold that thought for a second.” She motions for me to wait as she runs up to the guy at the desk.

I can't hear what they're saying exactly, but she's pretty animated and points at me a few times before handing him her employee vest.

As she darts back to me, she turns and yells at him for the whole store to hear. “Thanks so much, Guy, you're the best manager!” She tugs on my arm. “C'mon, I'm on my lunch break; let's take this somewhere private.”

“I, uh, sure.” I agree, not knowing what else to say. I don't really want to sit down and talk about the “old days” with Stella, but she's just so eager it's hard to say no. It’s like she hasn't changed a bit since high school; it's oddly refreshing to find something that's not radically changed in my absence.

Stella leads me out of the comic store and onto the main strip of the mall.

“There's a great coffee place right around the corner here.”

“I don't drink coffee.” Stella stops and looks back at me with mild horror.

“How do you even wake up in the morning then?”

“With a cigarette, usually.” Her beak wrinkles slightly at the mention of smoking.

“I thought I smelled something odd about you.” She mumbles under her breath. “But don't worry, they have other stuff too.” She tugs on my wrist and leads me the rest of the way.

It's a pretty typical-looking coffee place; it's one of those chain locations that's everywhere in Dinofornia, Starbucks, I think it's called. The line is pretty short being in the mid-afternoon, so I get a bagel and some water while Stella gets some drink that has enough sugar to send a diabetic into a coma.

“So.” Stella sits down on a stool across from me. “I want to hear everything, from the start.”

“What's the start exactly?” Stella frowns a little, like it's an obvious answer.

“Why did you leave? And… why didn't you tell any of us?” I bite my lip at that. Yeah, that's certainly the “start” of all this and the hardest to answer. I rub the back of my neck as I try to put together something. I don't want to outright lie to her, but… I can't tell her the truth about what happened with Fang either.

“I left because I didn't have any reason to stay after I broke up with Fang,” I admit. Stella frowns as her tail fidgets under the table.

“But why didn't you tell anyone?” I shrug.

“Honestly? I thought no one would have missed me when I was gone.”

“We did care,” Stella protests. “We were worried sick when no one could get a hold of you and your apartment was empty. We thought your parents must have taken you home in the middle of the night.”

“No,” I grumble. “I don't think they'd ever care enough about me to do something like that.” I take a bite out of my bagel to get my mind off my parents.

“So who's this we you keep mentioning?” I pivot the conversation over to Stella, hoping to get out of any more questions.

“Oh,” she sits up a little as she reminisces. “It was me, Rosa, and Naomi.”

“Naomi?” That's a name I haven't thought of in a long time. But why would she have cared about me? Maybe she felt bad that her little project blew up in her face.

“Yep.” Stella nods. “Her and Naser were the most concerned up until.” Stella pauses. She nervously looks away from me as she fidgets with the straw of her drink.

“Up until what?”

“Until… Fang told Naser what happened.” She explains. “After that, they stopped looking.” She quietly admits.

“I don't blame them.” I sigh as I deflate further into my chair. Stella gives me a slight sympathetic smile.

“But you're here now.” She reminds me.

“Yeah, I am.” I guess that's supposed to be reassuring. That I'm some prodigal son returning home and can redeem myself. That there's still a chance I can mend all the I tore apart before I left.

Hmmph, like that would ever happen.

“So,” I sat up in my chair. “What have you been up to the past few years, Stella?” Stella flinches slightly at the question. She waves her hand dismissively.

“Oh, not much. I moved out of my parents' place with Rosa and work at the manga store, but, uh, I guess you already knew that.”

“I pieced that together, yeah.” I take a sip of my drink, my throat dry from all this talking. “Still into that card stuff?” Stella, for the first time, looks a little annoyed.

“It's called Tarot, and yes, I am. I'm actually much better at reading the stars than I was before.” She defensively remarks.

Yeah, whatever that means. Then again.

…

…

…

“Do you have any of them on you?” Stella looks a little suspicious of where this is going but does pull out a set of ornate playing cards from her pocket.

“Yeah, why? You're not going to make fun of me, are you?”

“What? No, I, uh, had a question for you,” I admit. Stella shuffles her deck of cards as she waits to see where this is going.

“And this question is?” She prompts.

“Well,” I clear my throat. How do I even put this into words and not sound like a total loser? C'mon, Anon, don't fumble; you got this. “Well, you see, there's this… girl I've been talking to.”

Stella looks surprised for a second, but then nods for me to keep going.

“And well, I like being around her, and I think she does too, but I'm just not sure if—”

“You should ask them out?” Stella finishes my sentence.

“No.” I deny louder than I meant to. “I mean, if we could be friends,” Stella states back at me, looking extremely confused.

“What do you mean?” I sigh.

“When we first met, I… did something that hurt her.” I quietly admit. “I didn’t mean to, but I can't take it back, and I'm afraid that I've already burned the bridge.” I deflate back into my chair.

“Is this… about Fang?” Stella quietly asks. I shake my head.

“No,” I mumble. “I haven't spoken to Fang since… since I left.” Stella clamps her beak for a moment as she considers something.

“Would you like to?”

“I dunno, Stella,” I throw up my hands and sigh. “I can't imagine she'd ever want to see me again.”

“You'd be surprised, Anon.”

I laughed bitterly.

“Maybe,” I admit. “But I don't think I'm ready to see her again, not yet.” Stella looks like she might say something more but holds her tongue.

“Well… To answer your question, I don't think you need a tarot reading for my answer.” She puts her cards down.
“I don't?” She shakes her head.

“Nope, I think it's pretty obvious.”

Wow, thanks, Stella.

“Have you apologized to her?”

“Of course,” I answered quickly.

“Then I think you should invite her to talk sometime.” Stella advises.

“What do you mean by talk?” Stella giggles a little at my confusion.

“I mean take her to get coffee or go by the park. Something light and casual.” I rub the back of my head as I think over the suggestion. It's not a terrible idea; I'm pretty sure Lunara mentioned something about coffee before, and I can at least suggest a nice café now.

“What if she says no?” I worry.

“Then she says no.” Stella shrugs. “Sometimes that's just the way things are.” I deflate.

“I guess you're right,” I mumble before standing up. “Thanks for the advice, Stella; it was nice seeing you again.”

“I'm always happy to help. It was nice seeing you again too.” She smiles as she stands up.

“Will I see you again?” I hesitate for a second before grabbing a napkin from the table and scrawling onto it.

“That's my phone number; give me a call sometime.” Stella quickly grabs the napkin from me and smiles.

Before I can say anything else, I'm enveloped in a tight hug.

“Thank you,” Stella mutters into my chest before letting go. I look back at her, not sure what to do or say after the sudden display of affection.

“Uh, you're welcome?” I stutter, unsure of myself. Stella nods before checking her phone for the time. She frowns.

“Well, I need to get back to work.” She huffs. “I'll call you back as soon as I get off work.” She promises before jogging off towards the comic store. I wave her off before leaving the coffee shop myself.

Well, that was… unexpected but not bad. When I moved back here, I did expect to eventually run into some people from back in the day, but I didn't think it would be so soon.
I’m surprised that Stella remembered me or seemed so happy to see me too. I don't think we ever talked much back then; honestly, I was kind of a dick to her most of the time. I cringe a little as I think back on all the times I blew off the stego in high school.

God, I was such a fucking ass. I rub my forehead as I step out of the mall. I don't feel like shopping anymore today; instead, I just want to get home and plan for tomorrow. Because tomorrow, I'm going to pay Lunara a visit.

…

…

…

Monday afternoon, right after class was dismissed.

I had to ask Clint if I could break off earlier than usual so I could talk to Miss Kirkwood. He was hesitant, but I explained I had to talk to them early in case they left before I usually got to her classroom.

He relented but said I shouldn't waste too much time. With that in mind, I speed-walked down the recently emptied halls to the first-grade classroom. The buses were long gone, and only a handful of teachers remained. I hope Lunara didn't already leave, too.

As I peer into her classroom from the door, it seems like my prayers were answered. She's still sitting at her desk, looking over some papers. She's making a cute little face as her tail idly brushes against the floor.

I knock on the glass,causing her to flinch for a second before annoyedly motioning for me to come in.

“Surprised to see you so soon.” She mumbles as she looks back at her cluttered desk.

“What are you working on?” Lunara waves a hand dismissively.

“Grading some worksheets I printed off online.” She huffs. “Need me to leave the room while you clean or does Clint need something?”

“Uh, actually, I was wondering if we could talk.” I sheepishly admit, rubbing the back of my head. Lunara looks up from her work, looking genuinely interested for the first time since I've walked in.

“Talk about what?” She tilts her head.

“Well, I was wondering if you’d… like to get coffee sometime.” Her snoot wrinkles slightly.

“I don’t drink coffee.”

“Neither do I,” I confess. Lunara laughs at my admission.

“I see.” She smiles. “You're really bad at this, you know?” I throw up my arms in defeat.

“Talking isn’t exactly my strong suit.”

“Oh, I know.” She huffs before closing her binder. “So, do you have any cafes in mind despite not drinking coffee?”

“Uh, yeah, actually there's a nice place in the mall I thought we'd go to,” I explain. “I mean, as long as you're interested, if not—”

“No, I'd like to go.”

“Yeah, it was a stupid thing to—wait, you agreed?” I catch myself. Lunara smiles slightly at my fumble and nods.

“Really? Are you sure?” Lunara tilts her head in confusion.

“Are you trying to get me to say no?”

“No, it's just that.” I huff as I rub my forehead. “It's just… I was worried you'd still be upset at me because of, you know.”

Lunara flinches at the mention of that night. Her tail absentmindedly moves to her lap as she bites her bottom beak.

“I was mad at you, yes,” she admits. “When I first saw you at my job, I was ready to scream at you for what you did.”

“I probably deserved it,” I grumble. I probably still deserve it, to be honest.

Lunara raises her hand. “But, if you're willing to make things right, I'm willing to offer an olive branch.”

“Thanks, Lunara, that means a lot.”

“But,” Lunara narrows her eyes. “If you hurt me again, or do anything to make me feel uncomfortable, Mia will be the last of your worries, understand?”

“Yes,” I shake my head.

“Great,” Lunara coos as her face brightens into a smile. “How does Saturday sound? Around brunch?”

“Sounds perfect,” I agree.

“Then I'll meet you there.” She goes back to work, scanning over the dozen or so papers on her desk. “See you then, Anon.” She waves me off with her tail, not looking up from her desk.

“Yeah, see you then.” I wave before walking out of the classroom. That was…surprisingly painless. I guess Stella was really onto something after all. Maybe I should ask her about lottery ticket numbers next.

…

…

…

I got up early on Saturday, prepping for my brunch with Lunara. I haven’t been on a—whatever you call one of these—in forever, so it took a while deciding some things like what to wear.

I didn’t want to dress too casual or too formal; I feel like that would make it feel more like a date, so I decided on a nice shirt and jacket I haven’t had the opportunity to wear yet. I went ahead and shaved as well, clearing up the faint five o'clock shadow I’d grown, and shaved my head while I was at it.

Feeling nice and fresh, I took the train over to the mall. I ended up having to stand for the entire trip, but it did give me a nice view of the city through the window. It's honestly impressive how beautiful this place can look from afar.

I remember the first time I ever realized that when I was on the school roof with Fang.

…

…

…

Goddamnit, I sigh. Can't go a day without thinking about her, can you, Anon?

Maybe… Stella has a point; maybe I should go see her. I bite my lip as I consider it.

I don't think I'd ever get back to what we had; I scorched any chance of that happening when I left for the Navy. But maybe I’d get some closure from seeing her again. Then again, she might not want to see me; she could hate my guts for all I know.

And I wouldn’t even blame her…

After a lurching stop, I step onto the train platform and make my way out of the station and towards the mall.

It’s a bit of a walk to the mall from here, but I don’t feel like spending the cash on a bus fare or a taxi and decide to hoof it instead. As I get closer and closer to the mall, the more I wish I had sprung for the bus. It’s fucking boiling outside right now, and there’s no coverage from the hot sun in the crowded city streets. If anything, it feels like the tall glass buildings reflect the heat right back at you. Damn, city planners…

After what feels like a grueling slog through the heat, I finally make it inside the mall. A gush of cold, air-conditioned breeze is the first thing that hits me and makes me feel so good I nearly stumble over. I’m pushed out of the way of the A/C by the steady flow of mall shoppers behind me. Bastards.

Well, I can’t stand in front of the entrance all day anyway. I make my way over to the same café I met with Stella earlier this week; now that I think about it, she’s probably working right now. Maybe I could swing by later.
The coffee place isn’t too far a walk away; it’s more the effort of navigating through the stream of shoppers that takes any time. Eventually I thread the needle and arrive at the place. Lunara is already seated, on her phone.

Her hair is still short but she put a flower behind where her ear would be. She's dressed more casually than I usually see her in school, wearing a plain purple dress with a black choker. It's honestly… a pretty cute outfit.

Before she notices me, I quickly take my seat next to her. “Sorry, I’m late.” She flinches at the sudden noise, her tail slamming against the tile floor with a loud slap. The idle conversation of the cafe comes to a crawl as all eyes are now on us.

Lunara’s pale scales flash to a crimson hue as she looks around us.

“Sorry.” She quietly mouths before the café goes back to its usual ambiance. Lunara pushes against my shoulder.

“Never do that again.” She angrily whispers. I raise my hands apologetically.

“Sorry, I didn't think you'd freak out so much.” Lunara rolls her eyes.

“Whatever.” She huffs, putting her phone down. “I didn't know what you'd want, so I got donuts for both of us.” I look down and notice the half dozen or so pastries sitting on the table. I go ahead and grab a plain donut from the variety.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.” She grabs a donut as well and tears off a piece of it. “So what exactly did you want to talk about?”

“I thought we’d just talk, you know, like friends do?” Lunara just stares at me blankly.

“And what exactly would that be?” I scratch my head a little at her question. Fuck, this is harder than I thought it would be.

“I dunno, how’s work?” Lunara giggles slightly.

“We work at the same school, you dork.” I put up my arms defensively.

“I mean, yeah, but you’re a teacher and I’m a janitor; it’s like the haves and have-nots.”

“I think you’re being a little overdramatic.”

“I literally handle garbage every day.” Lunara rolls her eyes.

“Would you rather be a teacher then?”

“Oh god, no.” She gives me a victorious smile.

“Then don’t call yourself a have-not, you dork.” She bites into her donut. “So you really want to know about my class?” I shrug.

“I mean sure, why not.”

For the next several minutes, Lunara laid bare all her gripes about her students. I never thought someone could have beef with a bunch of seven-year-olds, but I stand corrected now.

“And the parents,” she deflates into her seat. “The parents are even worse.”

“How?”

“Most of them are fine, don't get me wrong, but some of them, some of them are just,” She reaches around for a second as she searches for the right word. “Awful.”

“Do they give you a hard time about being—?”

“Sometimes,” Lunara answers my question before I can finish. “When…I first got there, it was the worst. Parents pulled their kids out of the school because of me.”

“Oh,” I rub the back of my neck, not sure what to say. I mean, I figured people gave Lunara a hard time; Mia wouldn't be so on edge if they didn't, but I didn't think it would extend this far. “I'm… sorry you had to go through that.”

Lunara huffs at my apology and picks at her donuts.

“It's not worth apologizing; it's not like you did anything.” She grumbles.

“Are the teachers alright at least?”

“Yeah.” She concedes. “They're nice, but I don't feel like I have much in common with them. They're all married and have kids, and I'm barely in my twenties.”

“Hmph, I get that. Talking with Clint feels more like talking to someone my dad knows than a coworker.” Lunara nods.

“Do you like teaching?” I hesitantly ask. Lunara's tail fidgets under the table as she considers.

“I…don't know.” She sighs. “It's not what I wanted to do after university; I never had much interest in kids, but it's all I could land as a job with my degree.”

“Oh, that sucks,” I mumble, not sure what else to say.

“It's not…awful,” Lunara concedes. “But it's not what I ever imagined myself doing.”

“What did you want to do?” Lunara pauses for a moment; her face flushes red.

“This'll sound dumb, but when I was in high school, all I wanted to do was explore the world. I'd never left Volcadera before and just wanted to see what was out there.” She sheepishly explains. “Pretty naive, right?”

“I mean yeah, but I wasn't any better.” I laugh as I reminisce. “I enlisted, remember? The recruiter I talked to sold me on that “See the world” bullshit. ” Not that I really cared. I just wanted to get as far away from Caldera and my parents as I could.

“But at least you did travel; I never got farther than the university in town.”

“I guess,” I grumble. “Barely left the ship, though.” I finished off another donut. “These are amazing, by the way; mind if I take some home?” She shrugs.

“As long as I have some leftovers for Mia.” I nod.

“Does she know you're meeting me here?” Lunara hesitates for a second.

“Maybe… I didn't mention it.” She sheepishly admits.

“You really think she's still mad?”

“Oh no, I know she's still mad at you.” She clarifies. I throw up my arms in exasperation.

“So you lied to her?”

“I didn't lie.” Lunara defensively snaps back. “I just didn't tell the whole truth.”

I scratch the back of my head, unsure of what to do. I doubt Mia would be happy about any of this, but I don't like the idea of her being in the dark either. I feel like either way this ends with me getting wailed on by an angry para.

“Look.” Lunara raises her hands. “I didn't want to tell her in case this went bad.”

“Do you think it went bad?” Lunara giggles slightly.

“No, it was actually pretty fun to vent.” She stands up from her seat and stretches. “But I have to get going. I still have a lot of work to do.” She takes the leftover donuts with her.

I stand up quickly from my chair and move to her side.

“I'll walk you back to your car.” I offer. Lunara gives me a slight smile.

“What a gentleman.” She teases. “Come then; you can carry the donuts.” She pushes the box into my arms before heading out of the cafe.

“Hey, wait up.” I jog to catch up to the raptor.

“I thought you were in the Navy, Anon?” She looks back and asks with a wide grin. “Shouldn't you have no problem keeping up with me?”

“I don't.” I huff defensively. “You just surprised me, that's all.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

I roll my eyes but don't say anything else. Getting out of the mall is much easier than getting in, at least. Lunara and I barely had to push through the crowd of people milling about to get to the parking lot.

Outside is still as sweltering as earlier, and I start to melt all over again. Lunara, on the other hand, doesn't so much as break a sweat. Hmmph, stupid cold blood.

Further back In the rows of cars, Lunara pulls her car keys from her purse and unlocks one. I’ve never really noticed which of the teachers’ cars at work was hers, but it is one I’ve seen before. An older cherry red Toyota. She must take good care of it; it looks like it just came out of the wash.

“Like what you see?” Lunara notices me staring at her car.

“Uh, yeah, it’s really nice.” I rub the back of my neck. “I never had a car, but I used to tune my dirt bike a lot back in high school.” Lunara’s snoot wrinkles slightly.

“Where would you dirtbike around here?” She asks, confused. I bite my lip; well, there’s no point in lying to her. Not like Rockbottom holds anything over me anymore.

“I’m not from around here,” I explain. “I grew up in Rock Bottom; I only came to Caldera during my senior year.”

“Never heard of Rock bottom before,” Lunara mumbles as she rubs her chin. “Sounds like a pretty downer name for a town.”

“It was appropriate,” I grunt. “Anyway,” I hand her the leftover donuts. “See you later?”

“I can drive you to your place if you want?” Lunara offers; I shake my head.

“No, sorry, I need to do something else at the mall first,” I explain. “But this was nice; do you think we could do it again sometime?”

“Of course.” Lunara quickly answers. “You know…” Lunara’s tail flicks from side to side as she rubs her chin. “If you want, we could swing by the museum next time.”
“Sure,” I agree. “Which one?”

“Natural history, the one by the park. I can even pick you up if you want.” I nod.

“Yeah, that'd be a big help, actually.” And it would save me a few bucks to not pay for a bus ticket too.

“Great, just come by the apartment when you're ready to go.”

“Is that…a good idea? I mean, Mia still doesn't know about this.” Lunara waves her hand dismissively.

“Don’t worry, I’ll let her know before you get there. Plus, her sister is coming over next week to do something with her; she’d be too busy to bother you even if she wanted to.” She assures me.

“That’s good, I guess.” I scratch my head. Lunara giggles as she gets in her car and revs the engine.

“Don’t worry about it, Anon. Mia can be a little… rough around the edges, but she’s just worried about me.”

“Why is she so worried about me though?” Lunara’s confidence wavers at the question, and she clamps her beak.

“Let’s just say... you’re not the first guy to make me cry.”

“Lunara,” I huff. “I didn’t mean to—”

“I know.” She cuts me off. “Just saying.” She grumbles, looking away from me and back to the car. “See you later, Anon.” Before I can say anything back, she takes off in her car, driving towards the exit.

“God damnit.” I kicked a nearby trash can in frustration. Just had to fuck it up in the end, didn't you, Anon? Whatever, what’s done is done.

Though, what did she mean by other guys? Maybe she had an earlier boyfriend? That would make some sense, I guess. But...does that mean she views me as…a boyfriend?

Was this a date?

…

…

…

Oh god, it was, wasn’t it? The only thing I didn’t do was kiss her goodbye. My chest tightens at the idea of kissing Lunara. Part of me wants it, more than I really want to admit to myself, but the other part feels…revulsion. Knowing what kissing her would make me. It’s practically no better than kissing a man, I tell myself.

Still, I can’t lie to myself how I’m feeling about...them. Despite how much I wish I could just make it all go away. God, why can’t I just be interested in normal people? Why does it always have to be so difficult?

I let out a sigh as I trudged back towards the mall. As much as I’d like to go back to the apartment and sulk, there’s still one more thing I need to do.

…

…

…

Good, she’s here.

I spot Stella working at the comic store through the glass, the same as last time. I make my way into the store and wave her over. She does a double-take as she sees me and gives me a wide smile.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you here so soon!” She cheers as she rushes over. “What can I help you with? Or did you want to talk again? I should be on break in another—”
“Actually,” I cut off her excited speech. Didn’t expect her to get so worked up again. “I was...wondering if you could do me a favor?”

“Sure.” She chirps back. “What is it?” I bite my lip as I consider. There's no going back from this, Anon. Are you sure you want to commit?

…

…

…

Fuck it, it’s been too long.

“Stella, could you…get in touch with Fang for me I'm ready to see her?”

Chapter Text

I step off the bus and into the unfamiliar neighborhood. Before I leave the bus stop, I check my phone for the hundredth time to make sure it's the right stop. Yep, I'm right where Stella said I should be.

I stretch out as I take in my surroundings. It's fairly unremarkable as far as apartment blocks go. The streets are clean and full of dinos going about their day. like they would any other part of the city.

Crazy to think only a few years ago this place was one of the roughest spots in town, only second to Skin Row. But now? They have a Starbucks and a Subway by the bus stop.

I vaguely remember that Trish and her family used to live around here. I wonder where she is, probably living it up in one of these apartments, I guess.

I shake myself before trudging onwards to my destination. C'mon, Anon, get your head in the game; you're almost there.

Last night I barely slept after my talk with Stella. She was able to get a hold of Fang for me and set this up. I don't know what magic she used to get Fang to agree to this, but she did. I guess Stella might be onto something with that “people miss you” shit.

Then again, she could have agreed to this just so she could tell me how much she hates me to my face.

…

…

…

I guess there's only one way to find out.

The walk to the apartment complex isn't too bad; it's still early enough in the day that the sun isn't boiling over yet. The main obstacle is just other pedestrians. I'm practically shoved every other step by them as I try to walk through the crowd.

Damn triggers thinking they have the right of way…

Finally, I stopped at the apartment building that Stella mentioned, Clearview. It's a tall brick building covered in flowering vines. As I stare up at the rows of windows, I try to imagine that one of them is Fang's. I wonder if she's looking down on me right now.

Before I head up to the apartment, I pull out a cigarette to try to take the edge off. I haven't smoked in a few days, but right now, I'm really feeling it. I rub the cigarette butt into the ashtray outside of the apartment. I thought about smoking another but decided against it; no point in making her wait any longer, Anon.

With a deep breath, I walk into the apartment, my heart pounding. Stella said Fang's apartment is on the sixth floor, so I took the elevator. Seeing the number on the display climb higher and higher only made my heart pound more and more.

Outside On the sixth floor is nothing special. Just hallways of different numbered apartments, no different from mine or Lunara’s. I quickly check my phone again to make sure I have the right apartment number. Yep, sixty five on the sixth floor.

I take a turn down the hallway, getting closer to my goal until finally, it's there.

Door number sixty five . Outside is a small welcome mat, but besides that, it looks no different from any of the others. As I hesitate in front of the door, part of me wants nothing more than to bolt out of here, but I hold my ground. I've come too far to run away from her again.

With a deep breath, I knock on the door and wait.

…

…

…

C'mon, Fang, don't leave me—

Before I can finish the thought, I hear footfalls from inside and make their way to the door. For a second I see someone look through the peephole before unlocking the door and swinging it open.

“You've changed.” Fang speaks nonchalantly. “I didn't even recognize it was you at first.”

I struggle to speak as I stand in front of her. For years I've thought about Fang and what I'd say if I ever saw her again, but now, standing face to face... it doesn't feel real. Like this is all a dream I'll wake up from.

“So have you.” I finally squeak out as I look over her. Gone are the ripped jeans and halter top; instead, she's wearing a loose yellow sweater and a pair of worn blue jeans. Her hair is still long, but it's pulled into a practical-looking ponytail with silver earrings woven into her hair.

She looks mature, almost like her mother if she were taller. It's honestly a little intimidating to see her so put together while I reek of cigarette smoke and poor sleep.

“I think it's for the better.” She answers back. “Come in; I still have some coffee in the pot if you want.”

“Thanks, but I don't drink coffee.”

“You should; it helped me quit smoking.” Her snoot wrinkles slightly as she lets me in. “It seems like you still do.”

I rubbed the back of my head nervously. “Yeah, I don't smoke as much as I used to, but I was…pretty on edge this morning.”

The inside of the apartment is larger than I was expecting, with a full kitchen nestled into the left side and a living room in the center; it's easily bigger than my tiny apartment.

Fang's feathers ruffle slightly at that.

“I was too.” She admits. “After a while, I thought you'd never come back, that you had crawled back into whatever hole you came from.” She motions to me and lets her hands fall slack. “But here you are, in my living room.”

“Look, Fang—”

“Don't call me that.” She interjects, her snoot wrinkling in disgust.

“Um, okay, what should I call you then?”

“Lucy.” She quickly answers back, sounding annoyed. “Fang is what my friends call me.”

“Lucy, then, I didn't come here to antagonize you or… try to win you back.” Lucy lets out a tired, dry chuckle at that.

“No, I didn't think you were that stupid, Anon.” She sarcastically assures me before sitting across from me. “So what is it then? Desperation? Guilty conscience?”

“I just want to set things right.” I quietly assure her. Lucy lets out another snort.

“Don't you think you're a little late for that?”

“I know.” I sigh out. “I know this is way overdue, but… I still have to do it.”

“Do what exactly?”

“Tell you that I'm sorry, that I shouldn't have said what I did on that beach or abandoned you.” I slowly apologize. I doubt it will do anything to change Lucy's opinion of me at this point, but… It still needs to be said.

For a moment she's quiet, like she didn't expect the apology right away. She mulls over my words before clearing her throat and asking me a question.

“So… what did you “abandon me” for? Did you slinkl back to your parents? Go date some trailer trash skinnie girl?”

“I enlisted in the Navy.” I admit. Lucy's face falls slack with genuine surprise for a second before reforming into a scowl.

“Are you serious?” I nod. “Why the fuck did you join the navy?”

“I just wanted out.” I deflate into the couch. “After I fucked up at the beach, I didn't see any point in staying here. I had one good thing going for me, and I ruined it. Like I always do.” I grit my teeth as I feel my face grow red. Not in anger about Lucy but in disgust for myself. I was such a coward back then; if I could go back now, I'd throttle the little bastard I used to be.

“So I went far, far away from you, my parents, everything. I ran away.” My stomach drops as the last words come out of my mouth. It doesn't feel like a weight off my chest. Instead, I feel like I just showed her my greatest shame for her to rip into.

I cradle my head in my hands as my chest tightens with anxiety. What am I even doing here? Why did I ever think this was a good idea? I'm not mending old wounds; I'm ripping them back open.

I let out a shaky breath as I looked back at Lucy. She hasn't said a word as she watches me squirm. She doesn't look mad or even upset, just…contemplative. I wince as I look away from her burning eyes. They feel like two miniature suns gazing into me.

“I don't know what else to say.” I admit. “I'm sorry, I really am, more than I can put into words. I've agonized about what I did for years, but,” I throw up my hands in defeat. “It's done. I can't fix it. I can't go back to the way things were.”

“No,” Lucy speaks up. “We can't.”

“I should just leave.” I blurt out as I stand up. “I don't even know why I'm here now. I'm sorry for bothering you, Lucy—”

“Mommy,” a new voice says, stopping me in my tracks. “Who are you talking to?”

Out of one of the hallway doors stands a small ptero girl with messy red hair. She darts over to Lucy, who picks up the tyke and hoists her to her lap.

“This is… one of Mommy's old friends.” She awkwardly explains. The little girl smiles at me.

“Hi!” I wave back, not sure what else to do.

“This is Amber.” Lucy explains, looking down at the child. “She's my little sunshine.” She reaches down and flicks the two small horns on her forehead, causing her to giggle and flap her tiny wings in response.

“Mommy is going to talk for a bit more, and then we can play, okay?” Amber nods. “Alright, go back to your room, sweetie.”

With that, the little girl hops off Lucy's lap and runs back to her room.

“Bye, mister!”

With the little girl gone, I look back to Lucy. I try to get the words out of my mouth, but it feels like I just got the wind knocked out of me. Fang has a kid!?!

Lucy frowns a little as she looks back at me.

“Oh, don't look so shocked, Anon; it's been four years.” She huffs out. “I wasn't saving myself waiting for you to come back.” I raise my hands apologetically.

“No, no, it's just nobody told me you had a kid.” I explain. “I think that would have been the first thing Stella would have mentioned.” I gripe under my breath.

“Oh, that poor girl.” Lucy rubs her forehead. “You know she cried for two days when you left?” I wince at that.

“Nuh, no.” I rub the back of my neck. “She didn't mention that either.” I slowly mumble.

“Well, she did. The only reason I agreed to this… reunion was because I knew it would make her happy.” She sighs.

“Is that the only reason?” I carefully ask. Lucy fidgets with her shirt before sighing out.

“No,” she admits. “I, I don't really know what I wanted from this.” Her wings flap in frustration behind her as she cradles her head.

“For years I've built you up as this monster, some big asshole that if I ever saw again, I'd yell and scream about how he ripped out my heart.” She huffs and throws her arms up at me. “But now you're here; I just… don't have it in me. I was ready to throw you out the moment I saw you, but I wasn't ready for you to be so…”

“Regretful?” I offer.

“I was going to say pathetic, but sure.” She deflates further into the couch, unsure of what else to say. “Are you sure you don’t want that coffee?”

“You know what, sure, pour me some.” Lucy stands up from the couch and walks over to the kitchen.

“So Amber, how long has she been…around?” I stumble over myself trying to word my question carefully. Lucy doesn't look back at me from the kitchen but lets out a sigh instead.

“She's three years old.” She huffs. “And yes, I know who the father is.”

“I wasn't going to ask that.” I defensively answer back. “But uh, who is the father? Is it someone from back then?” Dear God, don't let it be Reed.

She shakes her head.

“No, no one you would know. I met him while I was still performing with Vvurm drama.”

“You don't play anymore?”

“I still play music.” Lucy corrects me. “I just can't be in a punk band with a kid at home.”

“Oh. Is this guy still…involved?” Lucy looks back at me with an annoyed look on her face.

“What do you think, Anon?” She flattens out her hand for me to see a gold band on her ring finger.

“You're married?!?”

“Of course I'm married,” she huffs. “What did you think I was?”

“I…dunno.” I shrug. “I half expected you to be roommates with Trish or something.” Lucy chuckles slightly.

“I was for a while, but after Kyle and I got engaged, we moved out here.” She motions vaguely to the apartment.

“It's a nice place,” I admit.

“Thanks.” Lucy comes back to the living room with two cups of coffee. “I hope you like your coffee black.” She hands me one of the mugs. I tentatively sip on the warm drink, feeling how it burns my throat on the way down.

“That's fine.” I shrug. “But uh, what else have you been doing? I mean, besides the whole marriage and kid thing.” Lucy sips her coffee before answering.

“Not much. After a while I knew I couldn't keep doing gigs, so I looked into jobs I could do from home and stay here with Amber.” She motions to another door in the hallway by Amber's room. “I have a little office space set up in the bedroom.”

“That's actually pretty sweet.” I mumble as I drink my coffee. “Are Trish and Reed still playing then?”

“Yep, they're in another band now with some people Kyle knows, Swamp Babies.”

“Never heard of them.”

“Didn't think you would.” Lucy snorts. “They're a local scene band; you don't seem the type to go to punk shows.”

“No, the last one I went to was the one you took me to.” I remind her.

“Oh yeah,” She tilts her head slightly as she remembers the botched concert. “You do have to admit it was pretty funny how you got knocked out.”

“No, I don't.” I huff. “But I guess I had it coming.” I agree. “What, uh, is Naser up to?”

Lucy narrows her brow slightly.

“Why do you care?”

“Just something Stella mentioned,” I explain. “Are Naomi and he still going strong?” She nods.

“They're engaged, actually, supposed to get married in a few weeks.”

“Oh,” I rub the back of my neck. “Good for them.”

“I don't think you're on the guest list though.” Lucy jokes.

“No, I didn't think so.” I grumble as I eye my empty coffee cup.

“But what about you?” Lucy speaks up. “What have you been up to, Mister Army Man?”

“Navy.” I corrected her. She just rolls her eyes.

“Whatever.”

“Well, I was in the Navy for about three years. I would have stayed longer, but I, uh, got into an accident that got me discharged.” Lucy scans over me again, trying to see what's wrong with me.

“What happened to you? You look…fine.”

“During a training exercise, we were supposed to rehearse if the ship caught fire.” I explained. “When I was carrying some equipment with me down some stairs, I… lost my footing and fell.”

“Ouch.” Lucy winces. “Did you break anything?”

“Yep.” I sigh. My leg aches slightly as if talking about the incident reawakened the wound. “Both my legs got fucked up; I broke one and twisted my ankle on the other. I was in the hospital for a long while until I was eventually given the boot; I've been living on my disability payments since then.”

“You don't have a job?” Lucy asks with a hint of incredulousness.

“I have one now.” I correct myself. “l’m a janitor now at a grade school. Been working there for almost two months.”

“Which grade school?”

“Caldera Elementary, it's pretty far from here, but it's nice; it pays well, too.”

Lucy just bites her lip for a second as she thinks over what to say next.

“Well, you seem to be doing better than I thought you’d be.” She admits, her feathers ruffling slightly behind her.

“Uh, thanks?” I shrug, not sure how to take the backhanded compliment. Lucy doesn’t seem to register what I said, though, instead looking back to Amber’s door. I clear my throat.

“I guess this is where I leave?” I quietly ask. Lucy looks back at me and nods, looking slightly disappointed.

“Yeah.” She sighs. “I’d…like to talk more, but.” She doesn’t finish her sentence, instead just nodding towards the hallway.

“I understand.” I sit up from the couch and stretch. “Will we talk again, I mean anytime soon?” I quickly correct myself. Lucy gives me a slight smile.

“I really don’t know; I’m busy as it is right now. I barely had any time for today.” She huffs as her wings flap once behind her.

“I guess it’s not as easy as skipping class to hang out in the theater?” I remind her. Lucy lets out a tired-sounding laugh.

“No, it’s not that easy anymore.” She quietly agrees. “See you later, Anon.” I walk towards the door, only stopping to wave goodbye.

“See you later, Lucy… I’m sorry it took me so long to come back.” She doesn’t say anything to that, instead waving back and going down the hall to be with her child. I let the door close behind me as I step out.

For a moment I stand there not sure of what else to do. I don’t feel fulfilled or filled with anxiety I just feel…kinda empty.

Robotically I walk down the stairs; I don’t know why I didn’t just take the elevator, but it feels like I’m controlling my body through some viewer, like I’m not really there. Like it’s some kind of dream.

I look down at my arm and pinch myself; yep, definitely awake. At the end of the stairs, I stumble out of the apartment building and step onto the street.

I don't have any plans for the rest of the day, but I don't feel like staying here either. I just need to go somewhere and clear my head. Get as far away from this Fang drama as I can.

…

…

…

Maybe I can go see Lunara today.

After another long bus ride across town, I stand in front of a different set of apartment buildings.

I feel a little nervous about dropping by Lunara's place unannounced, but it's Saturday; she should be home, and if she's not, I'll just leave. I just hope she's mentioned me to Mia by now, or this could be a very short visit.

I stop by the vending machines outside to get something to eat. A candy bar isn't exactly the most filling meal, but neither is having coffee and a cigarette for breakfast.

I crumple the wrapper into a nearby bin before taking the elevator up. I walk down the hall to Lunara’s apartment door; I hesitate for a second before finally knocking.

Pretty quickly someone comes to the door and swings it open.
“Oh,” Lunara’s eyes widen slightly as she looks at me. “It’s you.”

“Yeah, it’s me.” I throw my arms up awkwardly.

“Did I miss your call or—”

“No,” I interrupt. “I, uh, didn’t give any heads up, sorry.” Lunara’s tail slowly wraps around her leg as she looks back into the apartment. Inside, I can hear a few people talking.

“Is something going on?” I ask as I try to peer past her inside, but I can’t see anything.

“Yeah.” She huffs. “Mia’s sister has been here all day.” She grumbles.

“Is that bad?” Lunara bites her lip.

“No, but I haven’t been able to get any work done.” She gripes.

“Maybe we could go somewhere?” Lunara looks back to me, confused.

“Go somewhere where I could work?

“Uh…probably not. I was thinking maybe we could just get out of here, you know?” Lunara’s tail tightens around her leg as she considers my offer.

“Fine.” She agrees. “But if we eat anywhere, you're paying.”

“Uh, sure.” Lunara motions me inside as she steps away from the door.

“Wait here; I’m going to change into something more presentable.”

“I dunno, I think pajama pants and a Saturnia T-shirt are perfectly fine.” I tease. Lunara just rolls her eyes not even bothering to quip back.

“Just stay there; Mia and her sister are in her room, so try not to be too loud.” I nod as she disappears down the hallway. I take my seat on the couch and start scrolling on my phone as I wait.

Might as well shitpost while I wait; oh god damnit, it’s another fucking bathroom estrogen post. Am I not allowed a second of respite from this? Before I can log off, my typing is interrupted by another knock at the door.

I look down the hallway and don’t see anyone coming to answer it. I look back to the door as another knock sounds out.

“God dammit.” I grumble as I push myself off the couch. Guess it’s up to me to answer it. I wonder who it could be? Probably food or something for Mia and her sister.

I walk up to the door and, after a second of fiddling with the lock, swing it open.

“Sorry about the wait, but I…” Oh fuck. My throat seizes up as I finally look at the person standing in front of me. “Naser?”

“Anon?” He looks back at me just as confused to see me as I am to see him.

“How, uh, are you doing, man?” I awkwardly ask. Naser, however, doesn’t look too happy right now. His momentary confusion is gone, instead replaced with a quiet rage. His eyes turn into pinpricks as his wings go taut. “Hey man, we're cool, right?”

Before I can say another word, Naser’s right arm pumps back in what feels like slow motion.

Uh oh… This is going to hurt.

Wham

Within the blink of an eye, I’m on the floor, gripping my stomach in pain. It feels like a battering ram just collided into my chest. My back reels as well from bouncing onto the hardwood floor.

“Uhhhhhh.” I moan in pain as I look up at my assailant towering over me.

“Why are you here?” Naser asks through gritted teeth. “Why are you back now?” I raise my hands in defense over my head. Before I can answer, I hear a door swing open from down the hall.

“What the hell is going on?” Mia is the first to ask. I flop on my side to see her and a shorter pink para next to her.

“Naomi?” I grumble without really thinking. She looks back at me, confused for a second till a look of realization hits her.

“Anon? Is that you?” I nod. “Why are you lying on the floor of my sister’s apartment?”

Sister?!?

Oh god, this is all starting to make sense…

Mia and Naomi are sisters; Naomi must be here to plan her wedding with Naser. I limply point my finger over to Naser.

“Because Naser hit me.” Naomi’s face blushed in embarrassment while Mia looked mildly impressed at Naser’s display of violence.

“Naser,” Naomi walks over to her fiancé. “Why would you do something like that?” She scolds.

“Why am I the bad guy in this?” Naser huffs in frustration and points a finger right back at me. “The real question is, what is Anon doing here?”

“Yeah…” Mia agrees, pulling me off the floor by the shoulders and bringing me to eye level with her. “What are you doing here, skinnie?”

“Don’t use that word.” Naomi scolds, but Mia just rolls her eyes.

“Just answer the question, Anon.” Mia tightens her grip on my shoulders.

“I just wanted to see Lunara,” I threw my hands up. “Is that so wrong for me to want?”

Naser’s eyebrows furrow, and he looks back to Naomi.

“Who’s Lunara?”

“My roommate.” Mia answers back in an exasperated huff as she lets me go. “She didn’t mention anything about you coming over today.” I bite my lip a little at.

“Well… I just dropped by.” Mia’s tail swishes from side to side slowly as she thinks over my answer.

“I see.” She looks over to the hallway. “Lunara! Anon’s here!” There’s some shuffling inside her room until Lunara also comes out. She’s changed, wearing a red jacket and black skirt instead of the pajamas from earlier.

God damn, I guess I’m just used to seeing her dressed for work, but I forgot she can also look… nice.

“Why are you all standing here?” Lunara looks around, confused, her tail curling around her ankle out of nerves. “Is this some kind of intervention or something?”

“No, no.” Naomi is the first to answer, putting her hands out. “Naser and Anon just had a little…misunderstanding, that's all, sweetie.” Naser looks like he might say something against it, but Naomi curls her tail around his waist.

“Yeah,” he grumbles, looking back at me with a look that could kill. “It was just a little misunderstanding.” I nod in agreement.

“Great!” Naomi cheers before walking over to me. “It was a nice surprise seeing you again, Anon, but we need to go now if we want to keep our schedule.”

“Go? Go where?”

“To pick out dresses!” Naomi excitedly answers back. “Have to make sure the bride and her maid of honor match after all.”

I look back to Mia, who doesn't hold a fraction of the enthusiasm that her sister has.

“Let's just get this over with.” She grumbles before looking back to Lunara. “Are you sure you don't want to come with us?” She shakes her head.

“No, I don't want to intrude on family.” She politely declines. “Plus, I don't trust Anon here all by himself.” She jokes, but Mia just nods with a look of disappointment.

“Well, it's your choice.” She begrudgingly opens the door for Naser and Naomi to file out of the crowded apartment. After they've gone down the hall, she looks directly at me.

“Anon?”

“Uh, yeah?”

“If you in any way mess up my sister's wedding, so help me Raptor Jesus, I won't be throwing you down the stairs; I'll be throwing you out the window.” She threatens; I quickly nod my head.

“Good, and Lunara,” Lunara looks back at Mia expectantly. “It's nice to see you in the jacket again.”

Lunara's snoot blushes as her tail reflexively wraps around her leg. “Thu, thanks.” She eventually gulps out. Mia gives her a small smile in response.

“You two have fun, okay?” She teases before jogging down the hall.

With Mia gone, there’s a sudden awkward silence as I look back to Lunara. She looks away from me at first as she thinks of something to say before clearing her throat.

“So…”

“So?” I repeat back.

“You…wanted to go somewhere right?” I rub the back of my head.

“I dunno,” I bite my lip. Now that everyone's left, it seems kind of a waste to leave as well. Maybe a night in would be more fun anyway. “Would you rather stay here?” Lunara’s snoot wrinkles slightly.

“Stay here?”

“You know,” I shrug. “Like, we could order a pizza and watch a movie.” I suggest. Lunara rocks back and forth on her heels as she considers.

“But I got all dressed up.” She pouts.

“You can put your pajamas back on if you want.” She rolls her eyes.

“Fine,” she relents. “But I get to pick the movie.”

“Sure,” I nod. “Have anything in particular in mind?” She flashes me a slight smile.

“Actually, I do.” She raises her hand. “Wait right here.”

Lunara runs excitedly down the hall towards her room. After a moment of rummaging around, she bursts out, holding something over her head.

“Behold.” She shoves the VHS in front of my face. “Project Saturnia: Bad apple.”

“Really?” I take the unmarked tape out of her hand. “How did you even get something like this? This was never brought overseas.”

“I got this bootleg at a con.” She explains. “A few years back.”

“Why a VHS though?” Lunara blushes slightly.

“I, uh, just like them.” She sheepishly explains.

“So you're like a hipster?” Lunara’s embarrassment dissolves into annoyance as she rolls her eyes.

“No.” She pouts. “I just think they're neat, okay?”

“That's fine.” I raise my hands apologetically. “I'm just saying.” Lunara takes the tape out of my hands as she takes her seat on the couch.

“You're paying for the pizza now too.” She mutters under her breath as she fiddles with the tape player under the TV set.

“That’s fine.” I take my seat next to her on the couch. “I’d hate to bite into your teacher budget after all.” Lunara lets out a short tired laugh.

“Don’t even joke, Anon.” She grumbles before moving away from the player. “Got it, the movie is ready when you are.”

“Do you want to wait for the pizza first?” She shrugs.

“I don’t really care; Mia and her sister will be gone all day regardless.” She stretches out onto the couch, sinking further into the cushions. “We’ll probably watch something else anyhow.”

“Sure, I’ll go ahead and order the pizza.” I pull out my phone and start looking for places that deliver out here.

“Speaking of which,” Lunara’s tail swishes against the hardwood underneath nervously. “How come you knew who Mia’s sister was?”

“I didn’t know Naomi was Mia’s sister.” I huff. I feel so stupid not putting the pieces together before, but how could I? It’s not like every Para in this city is related. “We…were classmates, back in high school.”

“Oh,” Lunara tilts her head slightly. “And why did that ptero guy have it out for you? He seemed really upset that you were here.”

I rub my forehead as I sink further into the couch. Guess I just have to tell her.

“Back in high school I, uh, dated his sister for a while.” I explain. Lunara’s eyes widened at my admission. “Try not to look too surprised.”

“Sorry, go ahead.”

“Anyway, it ended up going south. We ended on pretty bad terms before I joined the navy.”

“And he's held a grudge this whole time?” I shrug.

“I…dunno, I think he was just surprised to see me here and did the first thing that came to mind.”

“Which was?”

“He punched me so hard I fell onto the floor.” I quietly grumble, my stomach still stinging from Naser's punch.

“He did what!?”

“You heard me.” Lunara still looks at it with disbelief.

“But aren't you a soldier? Couldn't you have fought him off or something?” I chuckle at Lunara’s question.

“I wasn't that kind of soldier.” I explain. “I never shot a rifle off the range.”

“Oh.” Lunara's tail curls around her lap in embarrassment. The edge of her feathers ruffles against my lap.

“Don't worry about it.” I wave my hand dismissively. “I'm fine, and I don't think he's going to hit me again.” At least I hope he doesn't.

“The pizza should be here soon.” I put away my phone. “I guess we can start the movie now.”

Lunara nods and leans over to press play on the VCR.

“I hope you're ready; this is a good one.” She turns off the ceiling fan light with her tail before sitting back down. “So what was she like?”

“Huh?” I look back to Lunara, confused. “Who was like, what?”

“Your ex.” Lunara explains. “What was she like?”
“Oh,” I rub the back of my neck as I think of the best way to describe Fang. Or I guess Lucy now.

“She was… a little like Mia, but more into punk.” I explain. “She was pretty rude to me at first, but after we got to know each other, we eventually became friends. And after a while… more than friends.” I sigh out, cradling my head in my hands.

“You seem like you still care about her.” Lunara quietly says.

“I…sorta.” I throw up my hands. “I just feel guilty about messing things up; I know she's moved on from me already.” I grumble under my breath. Lunara leans ever so slightly closer; I can feel the edge of her tail as it settles into her lap.

“So why do you care so much if you know she's moved on?”

“Because she was my first…everything.” I explain. “First hug, first kiss, first date… All of it was with Fang. Before her, I was just some loser who never even held a girl's hand before, and then all of a sudden I have a girlfriend who's way out of my league.” I deflate further into the couch. “And then I fucked it all up by being a dumbass.”

Lunara just looks at me, like she's considering if she wants to push the subject further or not.

“I… wouldn't beat yourself up about it, Anon.” She assures me. “You can't go back and fix things or wish for them to be better. All you can do is try to not make the same mistakes.”

“Thanks.” I smile. “Did you have any problems with Exs?” Lunara's slight smile vanishes from her face.

“Once,” she deflates. “But that was before…”

“Before what?” Lunara’s tail tightens around her waist.

“Before this.” She gestures to herself.

“Oh,” I rub the back of my neck. “What was she like?”

“He.” She corrects me.

Huh, weird to think that before Lunara was… Lunara, she dated guys. Isn’t that like double gay? Or is it retroactively straight? God, all this shit is complicated.

“But he was fine at first, but later he just…” She huffs instead of finishing her sentence. “I haven’t really dated anyone since him.” She admits quietly.

“Really?” She nods.

“I’ve been on dates since, but they either get cold feet when they…find out about me or Mia kicks them out.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” She waves a hand dismissively.

“It’s fine really.” She assures me. “I don’t really have time to go on dates with my work now.” She turns up the volume of the TV. “How about we just focus on the movie?”

I nod, not wanting to push her any further. She smiles and settles into her spot, focusing on the movie.

“This one is kind of slow at first but gets really good an hour in.” She mumbles under her breath. I just smile and lean further into the couch.

For a few minutes it’s quiet as we just sit and let the movie play. The dubbing is atrocious, but the actual animation is pretty good. Honestly, the rip isn't too bad quality-wise either.

Eventually, the pizza arrives about halfway through the movie, and I get up to tip the delivery guy for his troubles.

“What did you get anyways?”

“Meat lovers.” I answer as I set the pizza onto the coffee table. “I, uh, thought you might like it, carnivore and all that.”

“I do.” She smiles as she takes a slice. “I haven't had it in forever because of Mia.”

Oh right, she’s a herbivore; guess that makes sense.

“Well, I guess it's our treat then.” I take a slice from the pie and “toast” Lunara. She rolls her eyes but mimics the toast.

I eat a few slices of the pizza before settling down and watching the movie. Lunara, on the other hand, wolfs down like half the pizza. Honestly, I have no clue how she stays that thin if she eats like this. I guess it's a Carnivore metabolism thing.

Satisfied with the mauling she gave the Italian dish, Lunara sits back with her tail curled around her lap.

“Is this movie almost over?” She nods.

“About, but I have more tapes; don't worry.” She assures me.

I nod and go back to watching the movie. Honestly, I have no idea what's going on at this point. I haven't really been paying attention, focusing more on Lunara instead, so I give up on trying to understand and just let the visuals wash over me.

After a while, the movie ends, and Lunara gets up to put on a new one. She brings out a small tote filled with old VHS tapes with handwritten labels on the side of them.

“All of these you got from cons?”

“Most of them,” she excitedly answers as she puts the next tape in, her tail gingerly waving behind her. “Some I bought on a Japanese auction site, actually.”

As the next OVA spurs to life, Lunara sits back down on the couch. I don't know if I'm just seeing things, but I swear she's sitting closer to me than she was a moment ago. I can practically feel the heat radiating from her thigh as it sits next to mine. For a second I consider putting my hand on her knee, but I stop myself.

…

…

…

About an hour into the next OVA, there's the distinct sound of someone unlocking the front door. As it swings open, a very tired-looking Mia steps in. She stands at the doorway and sighs before doing a double-take when she notices us on the couch.

“I thought you two were going somewhere.” She narrows her eyes on me, the tiredness disappearing from her face.

“We were, but we decided to stay here instead.” Lunara excitedly explains. “Do you want to join us? This one just started.”

“No…” Mia huffs, rubbing the ridge of her brow. “Sorry, I'm just really tired right now.”

“How did it go?” I ask. She shrugs.

“It went well; Naomi picked a dress… after trying on two dozen.”

“Ouch.”

“But she loved it, so it was all worth it.” She looks over to the pizza box and frowns. “Really? Meat lovers?”

“Sorry,” Lunara apologizes. “It was Anon’s idea.” Mia looks back at me annoyed.

“I, uh, didn’t know if you’d want any.” I raise my hands defensively. Mia’s tail flourishes behind her as she pouts.

“Whatever, thanks for the pizza regardless.” She grumbles before her eyes focus on something else. She doesn’t say anything, but she takes note of how close Lunara and I are as she eats. Her tail dragging behind her as she thinks.

“Are you about to go Anon?” Mia asks, less as a question and more as a veiled demand. I bite my lip but nod.

“Yeah,” I stood up. “It’s pretty late; I should be heading back home.”

“Are you sure?” Lunara’s tail brushes against my feet, stopping me in my tracks. “You can stay the night if you want.”

I glance back at Mia for a second to see that staying the night is definitely not an option. I sigh before looking back to Lunara. I really would like to stay longer, but I don’t want to fuck things over with Mia and her.

“No, I think I need to go back.” I walk back to the door, brushing shoulders with Mia as I make my way over. “You can keep the rest of the pizza, though.” I weakly smile back.

Lunara gives me a slight, sad smile as she stands up and walks over to me. For a moment she just stands there looking at me before grabbing my shoulders and pulling me close.

I’m so caught off guard by the sudden embrace I nearly fall onto her and have to grip her back for support. She giggles at my near fall before letting go as quickly as she had held on.

“Stay safe out there.”

“Uh, yeah,” I rub the back of my neck nervously as I glance back to Mia. “I’ll see you Monday.” She nods with a slight smile.

“See you Monday.” Lunara waves as I disappear past the door, now just standing in the hallway alone. My heart still pulses from the unexpected hug as I walk down the stairs.

What was that? That had to be more than a “just friends” hug, right? But if it was, why didn’t she say anything? Does she just expect me to pick up on it?

I sigh as I step out of the empty lobby and onto the dark streets. Why does all this shit have to be so complicated? Why can’t she just say how she feels?

And… there's also the Lucy angle to it all. I think it went as well as it could have gone, but I still feel… unfulfilled from the encounter. I was hoping that reconnecting with her would close the door on all this residual guilt and self-loathing, but I still feel the same as I ever did.

Then again, maybe I just need to talk to her more; it’s not like people change after one conversation.

I mull over my mixed feelings about today and what I should do about them as I ride the bus back home. As I doom scroll on my phone, I see a notification pop in my messages. It’s from a number I don’t recognize and has an image attached.

It’s a picture of Naser holding a very happy Naomi in his arms as she shows off her engagement ring. Under it the message reads,

Sorry we couldn’t talk longer, Anon, but I just wanted to let you know you’re invited to the wedding!!! I know you and Naser have your differences, but I think it would be good for both of you to work things out. Come by tomorrow after church; I’m excited to catch up.

,Naomi

I read over the message a few times to make sure it’s real and not some trick.

Anon: How did you even get this number?

Naomi: Oh, you got the message!

Naomi: Mia did. (:

Hmmph, figures. I never texted her, but I did give my number to Lunara a while back at work. I guess she must have told Mia too.

Naomi: So does Sunday work? If not, no pressure.

Anon: No, that works. See you then.

Naomi: See you then!

I put down my phone as I rub my forehead. Well, I guess I know what I’m doing tomorrow…

Chapter Text

I step out of the shower, drying myself off. Today's Sunday, and for the third time in two weeks, I'm meeting someone I haven’t seen since high school. For four years I've not seen hide nor hair of anyone from back then, but now?

Now I feel like I'm just a week away from meeting Trish. I sigh, pulling my shirt over my head. What would I even say to her anyway? It's not like I still hate her or anything, but I don't want to see her either. I wonder if she'll be at this wedding thing…

I finish tightening my belt before making my way over to the kitchen. Naomi will have probably made something for this, but I need to eat something right now. I quickly make some toast as I check my phone. I haven't gotten anything from Naomi or Naser, but Lunara did send me a message. It's some stupid meme I've already seen, but I pretend like I've not seen it before.

The toaster dings, and I retrieve my prize of two slices. I slap some butter on them and wolf them down before leaving my apartment. My chest tightens as I walk down the stairs.

I’m still worried about this meeting, not because of Naomi but because of Naser. I mean the first thing the guy does after seeing me again in years is hit me so hard I fell to the floor. I can’t imagine his opinion of me has swayed much in the past few days. Honestly, he seems more resentful over what happened than Lucy ever was.

I don’t know why exactly; maybe he blames me for the issues the two had back then, or it could be because we used to be friends, and I betrayed that trust.

I deflate as I step out of the apartment and onto the street. It’s strange to think of it now, but back then he and I used to be really close. Naser was the first real friend I made when I was in Volcano High, and really high school in general. If it weren’t for him, I probably would have never met Fang…

Well, I sit at the bus stop doing my best to avoid the sleeping raptor girl on the bench. That’s not entirely true. Really, if it weren’t for Naomi pulling the strings behind the scenes, I would have never met Fang. Maybe I would have seen her around, sure, but if we didn’t share those two classes or detention together, I don’t think we would have ever dated.

I’d probably have not dated anyone at all, or worse, ended up with Stella or something.

Thinking about it Naomi was…kinda a bitch back then. Being a little puppet master trying to manipulate things. But from how she was yesterday, she seemed nice, and I don’t think it was just an act. I mean, what does she have to hide? She didn’t have to talk to me or invite me over today if she didn’t want to.

But what if that’s what she wants me to think and this is some elaborate scheme of hers?

…

…

…

Nah, probably not. I mean, what is she going to do? Try to get me to “fix” Lucy again? I think that ship has long since sailed. If any of us need fixing, it’s me.

My bus finally rolls up to the stop. I hop up and pay the fare before finding a seat in the back row. I check my phone to make sure I’m going the right way before shooting a message over to Naomi.

ANON: Hey, just wanted to let you know I’ll be over in twenty minutes.

After a minute or so, my phone buzzes with Naomi’s response.

NAOMI: Super! I’m almost done making lunch; it should be hot and ready by the time you arrive. See you soon! (:

It still feels a little weird to be texting Naomi again after all this time. And the fact she had a sister I’ve never heard of before. I never really paid attention to the underclassmen, but I would have thought she’d mentioned it if one of the sophomores was her sister. As I try to remember seeing Mia before, a second realization hits me like a bus: I slept with Naomi’s sister. And I don’t even remember it happening.

Dear God, if Naomi finds out, I won’t have to worry about Naser anymore.

…

…

…

After a short trip on the bus, I get off at my stop. This place sure is…something alright. Compared to the apartments I and Lunara live in, this place is simply a tier of wealth above. The houses are rowed together, taller than they are wide, with about three floors each and a small lawn.

It reminds me of Lucy’s old neighborhood but a little less suburban and more…fashionable? These homes are meant more for dinks than for a family.

I never seriously planned anything with Fang, but part of me did dream of moving together and getting a house after the navy. Maybe somewhere close to her parents so they could look after the kids. But I sigh walking down the well-kept street. That’s all they ever were: dreams.

I walk up to one of the houses with a flowery display outside. Hanging from the top of the porch are several flowering plants in colorful pots. They could be decorative, but given that Naomi is a herbie, I wouldn’t be surprised if she ate them. I check my phone one last time to make sure I have the right address before knocking.

After a second of waiting, the screen door opens, revealing a very excited-looking parasaur. Naomi’s more casually dressed than she was yesterday, in a loose red T-shirt and yoga pants. It looks like she just got done working out or something. Hmm, I need to get back into that now that I think about it…

“Anon!” Naomi cheers; she pushes the door open with her tail and pulls me into a hug I wasn't expecting. I freeze up immediately, not wanting to put my hands anywhere lest Naser thrash me again.

“Um, hi?” I stumble to try to say something. “I wasn't expecting you to be so…happy to see me.”

Naomi mercifully lets go of me and smiles.

“Sorry, I've just been looking forward to this for a while.”

“You have?” Naomi nods her head.

“Why?”

Her smile dims, her demeanor turning more serious.

“How about you step inside first, and then we can talk?” She motions inside, and I finally get a good look at the interior.

It's a cozy little living room; I can tell that Naomi has meticulously decorated it to be as welcoming as possible. It looks like something you'd see in a magazine or one of those housing shows but not something that you'd actually live in.

I take a seat on the couch in the middle of the room, looking over my shoulder for Naser to appear at any moment.

“Are you hungry? I still have some food in the kitchen.”

“No, that's fine.”

“A drink?”

“No, really, I'm fine.” I insist. Naomi’s tail curls around her leg as she sits beside me. Her shoulders tense as she looks around the room.

“Where's Naser at?” Her tail flinches at the mention of the pterodactyl.

“He's at work.” She quietly explains.

“Oh, do you want me to come back later then?” She shakes her head.

“No, he…didn't know about this meeting.”

Wait, what? Naser doesn't even know I'm here? Oh, I'm so going to get my ass beat later. I inch further away from Naomi, adding some distance.

“Why not?” I cautiously ask. Naomi squirms in her seat, her tail swishing in her lap before she answers.

“He would have said no to this for starters.”

“Figures.” I huff. “Why does he have such a hate boner for me? I can understand Lucy or Trish, but why Naser?”

“Well,” She looks around the living room, as if someone could be listening. “When you left, Naser and I were really worried about you vanishing. Fang was already devastated by the breakup, but Naser took you leaving hard. Especially when it was clear you weren't coming back.”

I cringe thinking back to those days. “I…had no idea anyone would care about me after I left. I thought, since I fucked up with Fang, I didn't have a reason to stay here.”

Naomi frowns, her hands playing with the hem of her shirt as she speaks.

“I cared about you, Anon, even if I was a bad friend.” She sinks further into the couch, her tail wrapping around her waist like a belt.

“What do you mean?”

“The plans.” Naomi sighs. “Thinking I could fix Lucy's problem by pushing you two together. I felt so smart when things were looking good for you two after that concert. Like I was a mastermind of getting people together.” She vaguely motions to me before letting her hands fall slack.

“Then it all blew up in my face.”

“Oh…” I rub the back of my neck nervously. I never thought that Naomi would feel so guilty about what happened back then. Even back then I didn’t blame her for it falling apart; she wasn’t the one that made me drink and say what I did on that beach.

“Naomi,” The drained parasaur looks up to me with a look of fear about what I might say next. “What happened back then wasn’t your fault.” She flinches and shakes her head.

“Yes, it was. You don’t have to lie to make me feel better, Anon.”

“I’m being honest,” I assure her. “What happened on that beach wasn’t your fault. Lucy and I were dumb teenagers and made mistakes, but they were our mistakes, not yours.” Naomi doesn’t say anything for a moment, simply kneading her shirt as she thinks over my explanation.

“What…did happen on that beach exactly?”

She doesn’t even know? All this time and Fang never told them?

“You don’t know?” She shakes her head.

“I have an idea of what happened from what Naser told me, but I never dug into it. I could tell it hurt him to talk about it, and Lucy…never talked about it.”

“There’s not too much to it.” I sigh. “We skipped prom night because Lucy thought it was for “posers” and wanted to go to the beach instead. She brought some beers with her that she stole from her dad, and we started drinking.” I pause for a moment to look back at Naomi, who’s giving me her full attention. She gives me a slight nod to keep going.

“Well, after a while we were both starting to feel it. We got into a fight about…honestly, I don’t even remember what started it, but it was bad. Worse than any we had before. We both said some nasty stuff about each other, especially with the alcohol adding fuel to the fire, but I was the one that ended it.” I sink further into the couch as I remember the regret I felt the moment the words left my lips. How shattered Fang looked back at me was worse than anything she could have said or done to hurt me.

“Fang got up and left after that. We never said we were breaking up, but there was no point; we both knew it was over.” I rub my face as the emotions of those first few days without her hit me again. “Until a few days ago, that was the last time I spoke to her.” Naomi gives me a sad smile as I finish my story.

“Thank you for sharing that.” She whispers. “I know it must have been tough to open up about it.” I wave a hand dismissively.

“Don’t worry about it. I feel like it’s all I’ve been talking about for weeks now.” I huff.

“Regardless, I'm happy we talked about it.” Naomi’s tail uncurls around her waist as she sits up.

“Just know it wasn't your fault.” I remind her. “Honesty,” I bite my lip as an uncomfortable thought comes to the forefront of my mind. “If anything, what happened on the beach just accelerated what was bound to happen.” I admit. Naomi’s smile vanishes again at my admission. Her head tilts as she gives me a worried look.

“You really think that?”

…

…

…

“Yes,” I sigh, sinking further into the couch. “I really do. I think Lucy knows it too.”

“Why?”

I flinch slightly at the bluntness of the throw-up question. Like, I can just summarize how I feel about the whole thing in a few words for her.

“I had no idea what I was doing, and neither did Lucy, really.” I explain. “We were both each other's first real relationship, and I did care about her, but it just wasn’t meant to be. Before prom…I could tell we were starting to drift. Part of it’s my fault for never taking the Fang stuff seriously, but we fundamentally wanted different things in life.” I let out a sigh before continuing. It feels like an elephant has settled on my chest as I keep trying to explain what happened.

“All the beach fight did was make the breakup worse, but it was going to happen eventually. The idea that someone like me and Lucy could have stayed together was just a dream.” I quietly admit. It hurts to say out loud, but it’s the truth. The crushing feeling in my chest doesn’t let up as I glance over to Naomi. She carefully inches closer to me before giving me a chaste hug.

Every fiber of my being screams in fear of Naser seeing me like this but quickly fades away as I meet her eyes. There is no hint of romance in them, but a warmth of understanding. My muscles relax as I slowly return the hug.

“Thanks, Naomi; I’m sorry this became a therapy session for me.” She giggles lightly before breaking off the hug and waving her hand dismissively.

“Don’t worry about it; I enjoyed this little talk.” She assures me. “Plus, I think you got more out of it than I did.”

“Yeah,” I sigh, feeling the stress from the last hour leak out of me. “I’d have to agree with that. I’m, uh, sorry I was mean to you in high school, Naomi.”

“And I’m sorry I tried to fix your issues for you.” She quietly agrees.

“So are we good?” I cautiously ask. Naomi giggles again.

“Yes, we’re “good,” Anon.”

I stand up from the couch and stretch my back, feeling it pop into place as I get on my feet.

“There’s just one question I still have for you.”

I look back to Naomi, confused. “Uhh, what is it?”

“How…did you meet Mia?” My face goes red immediately as the question slams into me like a bus. I nearly lose my footing as I whip around to face her.

“Well, uh, you see—”

“It’s what I think it is, isn’t it?” Naomi exasperatedly asks. From how she’s rubbing the bridge of her snoot, I guess this is a regular thing with Mia. I try to think of something to say in my defense but give up and just nod. Naomi’s tail wraps around her leg as she lets out a sigh.

“Mia is her own woman and can make her own choices,” she relents. “Just…don’t make me an aunt anytime soon, okay?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” I blurt out. “We only did it the one time.” Naomi’s tail tightens around her leg as she slumps onto the couch.

“Thanks, Anon, you're such a gentleman.” She murmurs.

“Well, I guess I better leave then.” I push past the awkwardness that has settled into the room and make my way to the door.

“Wait,” Naomi calls back, pushing herself off the couch and quickly making her way over to me. “Thanks for coming over.” She gives me another quick hug, causing me to tense all over again.

“It’s not like I had anything else to do.” I mumble as she lets go of me. “But I’m glad I came; it feels like I’ve had a weight lifted off my chest.” Naomi’s smile brightens at my admittance.

“If you ever want to talk to me, I’m always here for you.” She assures me.

“Thanks, that’s more than I ever expected from you.” I push open the screen door, putting my shoes back on before I head out. “See you at the wedding?” Naomi lets out a snort of laughter.

“I’ll make sure to save you a seat.” She jokes before letting me out the door.
“
Goodbye, Anon!” I wince as Naomi practically shouts for all her neighbors to hear.

“See you, Naomi.” I say a much quieter goodbye as I wave her off. Naomi gives me one last smile from her front yard before she retreats back to her house.

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding in as I walk down the street away from her house. I had no expectations on how that would go, but it went far better than I ever hoped for. The only worry I still have is for Naser, but maybe Naomi can cool him off for me now that we’re on speaking terms.

But even with that, I feel like for the first time a sense of relief, a sense of closure I was looking for when talking with Lucy that I didn’t feel. I wasn’t ready then to admit it before I talked to her, but it’s time I accepted Fang is…gone. She’s moved on and is happy somewhere I can’t reach, and it’s time I stop chasing her and find a happiness of my own.

Chapter Text

I step out of the shower, stretching my back. It pops like a glow stick as I lean backwards. Damn, my back is killing me from last night. Clint called in, and I had to go through the entire school by myself. And it just so happened to be the day the office was getting rid of a bunch of old furniture that needed to be dumped. God… I don’t think I’ll ever look at a desk the same way for the rest of my life.

The only silver lining is that I got a “new” office chair out of it. It only creaks constantly, and when I lean back, it feels like it's about to fall over, but other than that, it's pretty sweet. I did look like a massive retard loading it onto the bus last night. Thank God nobody else was on it that late at night.

I dry myself off and throw on some clothes piled onto my bedroom floor. I throw the wet towel onto the ever-growing dirty clothes pile next to it. I sigh as I glare at the mound of used clothing. I really don't want to go to the cleaners on a work day, especially with how big the pile is. But I'm not going to want to do it on my day off either.

“Fuck it.” I huff as I walk into the kitchen and pull out a trash bag from under the sink. It's not like I have anything going on today anyways.

Since Sunday, things have more or less gone back to normal. Having Naomi and Stella back in my life still feels strange, but we haven’t spoken much since our initial talks. Well, outside of a few messages from Naomi asking about Mia and my “relationship” with her.

Despite my best efforts to convince her I have no interest in Mia, Naomi is still worried about becoming an aunt, I guess. To be honest, even if Mia and I aren't together, she still might have to worry about that happening.

With a heave, I threw the full trash bag over my shoulder and headed out of my apartment. I know the place is still a mess, but slowly I’m making it feel like home. In high school I didn’t care how my apartment looked at all. I mean, why bother putting lipstick on a pig, you know? But this time is different. This is more permanent, and most importantly, it's my choice to live here, and I want the apartment to reflect that.

I’m not going to plaster it in shitty posters or those ugly little Funko things; that’s for normies. But I do want it to feel…like it belongs to me. So far all I have is some cheap Ikea furniture and the reported office chair, but later on I’d like to get a TV and console as well. I haven’t played Rock Ring in ages, and with a TV I could invite someone over to watch something. Stella might want to check the place out, or I could have… Lunara over.

C’mon, Anon, focus. I shake off my thoughts of Lunara as I snap back to reality. I take a moment to breathe before walking downstairs out of the apartment. That’s the other thing that’s been getting worse the past few days. No matter how much I try, I just keep thinking back to her. I know it’s stupid, really; it makes me feel like a dumb high schooler again fawning over someone, but I can’t help it.

But what am I supposed to do if I could help it? It’s not like I can act on these feelings, unless I want to out myself as a massive faggot. And even if I did say something, what if Lunara says no? Would she ever want to talk to me again if she thought I was only being her friend so I could make a pass at her?

I take out one of my last cigarettes and take a drag while I wait for a taxi to show up. God, why does this have to be complicated? Why can’t I like a normal girl like Mia or Stella? Why does it have to be her? I’ve never thought about a man… this way, but I can’t see her as a man. Really, to me, she’s just Lunara. No prefixes or addendums, just plain simple Lunara.

After handing over the taxi driver a tip for his troubles, I walk into the cleaners with my trash bag over my back. I really do need to invest in a hamper or something. Bringing in a plastic bag every time makes me feel more homeless than I really am.

The laundromat isn’t too crowded this early in the morning, with just a handful of dinos milling about. Behind the front desk a troodon lady reads the morning paper, paying little attention to the customers waiting for their clothes to dry.

After loading my clothes into the washer, I take a seat nearby as I wait for my load to finish. To kill time, I pull out my phone and start scrolling on my usual forums. The bathroom estrogen posts have finally stopped, thank Christ, so I can go back to lurking in peace.

Well, I could at least if I wasn't being called. Goddamn it, I answered the unknown number without thinking, putting the phone to my ear.

“What?” I ask exasperatedly.

“Don't ‘what’ me, Anon.” Mia hisses back.

I cringe as I realize the minefield I just bumbled into. Goddammit, Anon, would it have killed you to put her number on your contact list?

“Sorry, sorry,” I quickly correct myself. “I thought you were someone else.” Mia mutters something under her breath. I can't quite hear, but it continues on.

“Whatever, I didn't want to call you either.”

“Then why did you?” I can hear Mia sigh on the other line and can hear her flopping onto her bed.

“Because I need your help, dumbass.”

Of course she does, I roll my eyes. What else would it be?

“Fine,” I roll my eyes. “What is it then?”

“It’s Lunara. She’s been…off since Monday.”

Lunara? I haven’t noticed anything weird with her. She seemed fine when I talked to her after class the other day.

“What do you mean by off?” There’s a pause on the other line as Mia chooses her next
words carefully.
“She’s been distant with me; she barely leaves her room and just sulks in there when she gets home.” Mia’s harsh tone lessens as a hint of genuine worry drips in. “I’ve tried to talk to her about it, but she’s just blown me off.”

“And you think I can fix this?”

“Yes.” She bluntly answers.

“Why?”

“Because it’s your fault.” She huffs.

Even if we’re not talking in person, I recoil slightly at having the blame being pointed at me. Why is this my fault? I didn't even know anything was wrong.

“How do you know it’s my fault?”

“Because you're the only thing that’s different, Anon.” She explains. “It only started after your little TV date last Sunday.”

“That wasn’t a date.”

“I’ll call it a playdate if that makes you feel better.” She hisses. “Plus, if it was me she was upset about, she would have told me. She’s hiding it for a reason.”

I rub my forehead as the weight of this new responsibility settles onto my shoulders. It feels like Mia just placed a pallet of bricks onto my back and asked me to not let any of them drop.

“So what do you want me to do about it?”

“Fix it.”

“How?”

“I don’t know.” Mia snarls. “If I knew, I’d have already done it. This is your mess, so you're cleaning it up.”

I really hate the idea of being bossed around by Mia of all people, but if Lunara really is going through something…
God, why do I keep getting mixed up in this?

“Fine,” I sigh out. “I’ll ask her what’s going on when I get to work.”

“Good.” Mia clips back. “That’s a good start.”

“Anything else?”

Mia goes quiet for a moment before clearing her throat.

“Please try your best, Anon,” she quietly pleads. “I’m really worried this time.”

“I’ll see what I can do. Bye, Mia.” I hang up the phone before she can respond back.

Fuck me, I glance over to my still tumbling clothes. Guess I have a lot more than dirty clothes to worry about right now. I push off the chair and stop the washer. I throw the still-soaking clothes into the dryer and start it up. I can’t sit here and wait all day for this now.

But how am I going to fix this? I don’t even know what I did wrong or if I did anything wrong. For all I know, Mia could be completely off base. Or…she could be right on the money, and Lunara’s furious at me for something.

Damnit, Dammit, Dammit. I rub the back of my neck as I try to form a plan of attack, but I come up blank. It feels like the more I try to think it over, the greater the problem feels, expanding infinitely outwards in all directions. Is this something I can even solve? Can one conversation “fix” whatever the hell this is?

I glance back at my phone for a second. I think about making another forum thread for advice, but with how the last one went, I don’t want to repeat that disaster. Still, I desperately need someone else to talk to about this. I pull up numbers I still have on my phone for anyone that might be able to help me.

Mia? Redundant. Stella? She’d just give a tarot reading. Naomi? I really don’t want to talk to her about this; I feel like she’d think it’s a sideways way to ask about Mia. Naser? He’d beat the shit out of me. Trish? I haven’t talked to her in years, and she also probably still hates me. Reed? Same as Trish. There’s only one person on this list that might be willing to help me and could actually do it. I pull up the number and send a hurried text. God, why does it always come back to her?

…

…

…

I knock on the door, waiting for an answer. Come on, answer the door; I don't have that much time. Getting my clothes back to the apartment and then coming here took forever. I swear to God, as soon as I have enough money, I’m getting my own ride. I knock on the door again, hearing someone moving closer to the door this time.

“You didn't have to knock so much. I heard you the first time.” Lucy frowns.

“Sorry, I'm kind of in a rush.” I apologize. “I, uh, thanks for answering my text.” Lucy shrugs.

“I don't have much work today; you caught me at a good time.” She motions me to follow her. “Come on, take a seat.”

I do as she says and walk behind her. Lucy's wearing a casual outfit of a loose T-shirt and baggy pants. It's still odd to picture the Fang I knew dressing and acting so mellowed out. Never in my life would I have picked this as her future. I hate to admit it, but I always worried she was slumming it in some gutter in Skin Row after I left. The fact she's a mom as well still feels like a foreign concept. Speaking of which.

“Where is Amber?” I glance around the quiet living room for the little kid.

“She’s at a playdate.” Lucy nonchalantly explains. She wanders into the kitchen, grabbing a drink. “At Trish’s house.”

“Oh, how is she doing?” Lucy flops onto the couch and shrugs.

“Fine, she and Reed finally tied the knot last year.”

“I didn’t even know they were dating.”

“They started after you left.” Lucy sips her coffee, her wings stretch out behind her. “How about you take a seat?”

I do as she says and sit down on the loveseat across from the couch.

“So, what's on your mind that's so important?”

“Well,” I rub the back of my neck. God, this is going to sound so pathetic. “There's this girl…”

“It’s Stella, isn’t it?”

“What?!? No.” I quickly deny it.

“Rosa?”

“Not her either.”

Lucy pauses for second, she glances away as her mind races for another name.

“Sage???”

“It’s not someone from back then.” I grumble, putting an end to Lucy’s guessing game. “It’s Lunara, Mia’s roommate.”

“Who’s Mia?”

“Naomi’s sister.”

Lucy’s face scrunches up as she puts together the pieces in her head.

“So you're having…issues with Naomi’s sisters’ roommate?”

“Pretty much,” I admit. Lucy snorts a soft laugh.

“What a small world.” She muses before taking a sip of coffee. “And why exactly do you want to talk to your ex-girlfriend about your new crush?”

“It’s not like that.” I halfheartedly try to deny it, but from Lucy’s confident look I can tell there’s no point. She had me figured out the second I sat down. I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised we used to date. She can probably still read me like a book. “And honestly,” I glanced away from her, my face tingling red with embarrassment. “You're the only person I feel comfortable talking to about this.”

Lucy’s eyebrows knit together in confusion.

“Why?”

“Because you know me best.” I quietly admit. “And I’ve already burned things with you.” Lucy’s shoulders go slack at my admittance, her wings folding closer to her sides.

“Yes, you have.” Lucy whispers before clearing her throat. “So what’s your problem, Anon? Too nervous to make the first move? Still afraid of commitment?”

Oh, how do I explain this? I rub my hand over the back of my head as I start to talk.

“I like her, I really do. More than I wanted to admit earlier, it’s just…” I throw my hands up, unable to put my feelings into words.

“Just what?” A hint of exasperation leaks into Lucy’s voice as she wants me to get to the point.

“She’s…different.” Lucy looked expectantly at me, nodding for me to continue. “She wasn’t always a she.”

Lucy looks confused, like she’s about to ask me what I mean, before realization dawns on her face.

“Oh.” She doesn’t bother hiding her shock, her eyes scanning over me like she’s seeing me again for the first time. “Does that bother you?”

“No!” I answer back too quickly and too loudly before cringing at my own outburst. “I mean… yeah, a little.”

“It didn’t bother you when we were dating.” She reminds me.

“That was different.” I clarify. “Back then I could rationalize it. Without being nonbinary, you were still a girl. But Lunara, take away being trans from her, and I’m still crushing on a man.” I huff.

Lucy sighs and takes another sip from her coffee before striding over to me. I move out of her way, making sure not to come into contact with her as she sits down.

“So you're having a gay panic attack?” She quietly asks.

“I’m not gay,” I deny.

“But you still like this Lunara person?”

“Of course, I just don't know what that means.”

Lucy frowns slightly at my answer, pausing for a moment to think.

“You always did overthink everything, Anon.” Lucy finally answers, letting out a snort of laughter. “Do you still talk to yourself too?”

“Sometimes,” I admit. “But that doesn’t have anything to do with this.”

“It does, you dork.” Lucy sighs out in exasperation, her feathers ruffling behind her. “It doesn’t matter what liking this girl makes you; what matters is that you like her.”

“But what if—”

“Anon.” Lucy cuts me off. “How serious are you about this?”

I stop and think for a moment.

“Serious enough to tell you about it.” I answer honestly. Lucy pauses for a second before leaning in closer.

“Then you shouldn’t be worrying about how others think about you over this.” She quietly assures me. “Right now you have to choose what you care about more, your feelings for her or how they’re perceived.”

My mind goes blank for a second as Lucy offers me a crossroads. I could go check on Lunara for Mia and not mention how I feel about it at all. I could probably even get away with not even checking in on her. But… I know deep down I can’t do that. My heart races just when thinking about her, like I’m a loser in high school all over again. I haven’t felt this passion for someone since…

Well, since the person I’m talking to right now.

I look back to Lucy, who expectantly waits for an answer. God, I still can’t believe I’m really doing this all over again.

“I choose Lunara.” I feel a weight settle on my chest as I finally say what I’ve been feeling so long out loud. I thought it would be a relief, but it feels more like I’ve staked myself on this declaration, that there’s no turning back now. Lucy, for her part, smiles and gives me an approving nod.

“Good.” She stands up, stretching her wings. “You made the right choice. I guess there’s a first time for everything.”

“Uhh yeah, I guess so.” I nervously smile at her jab, getting off the couch as well. “Thanks for the talk again, Lucy.”

“No problem.” She shrugs. “I’ve been enjoying these little talks.”

“Really?” She nods.

“Something about them…reminds me of old times.” She glances away, looking back to her wall of framed photos behind the couch.

Most of them are of her, Amber, and what I assume is her husband, but there are a few from back in the day. Even then I’m in none of them, to no surprise. She walks back and grabs a smaller frame off the wall. It’s of her and the band taking a selfie. It looks like it must have been taken on the first day of senior year.

“Was that before the—”

“Concert?” Lucy laughs while looking at the photo. “We took this while we were setting up backstage before class. I had to beg Dad to let Naser drive us there earlier so I had enough time to unpack.” She stands there for a moment reminiscing before I clear my throat.

“Lucy?”

“Hmm.” She turns around, being snapped back to reality.

“Do you ever wish…it could have worked out? I mean us being together?”

Lucy frowns, her wings drawing tightly to her shoulders.

“I used to, yeah.” She quietly admits. “In between wishing I never met you and that you were dead.”

“Thanks.” I deflate. Lucy smiles, putting up the photo and walking back over to me.

“But I’ve moved on from that.” She assures me. “What I have now is more than I could have ever dreamed of, Anon; I wouldn’t give it for anything.” Gently she places a cool hand on my shoulder. “One day I hope you feel the same.”

I buckle from her kind words and touch; it’s almost enough to make me recoil from her in shame. I don’t deserve this; I shouldn’t even be talking to her after what I did to her. And yet… here she is. Wishing me well like we’re old friends. I nod, feeling myself let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding in as I let my shoulders fall slack.

“I don’t even know what to say back.” I nervously admit Lucy’s smile just beams wider.

“Just make sure you treat that Lunara girl well for me, okay?”

“I will.” I untangle myself from her touch as I make my way back to the door. I’ve stayed longer than I was planning, and I’m going to need to leave now if I have a chance of not being late. “I promise.”

“Good luck then.” Lucy waves me off before I let the door close behind me.

“Thanks.” I mumble under my breath. “I’m going to need it.”

I check my phone for the time as I exit Lucy’s apartment building. I’m going to need to catch the bus quickly if I have a chance of pulling this off. Speed walking through the crowd, I check the scheduled bus routes for any coming over and heading towards the grade school.

Against all odds, there should be one stopping at a bus stop nearby in about…oh, shit. I pick up the pace, cutting against the crowded streets. The bus is arriving right now. I push and shove my way through the crowd, but it only keeps me back. It feels like trying to swim upriver, but I manage after being given several states and curses.

And by "manage," I mean I’m able to get there in time just to see it pull away.

“Fuck.” I kick a nearby trash can, seeing its contents spill out onto the street. C’mon, Anon, get a hold of yourself; there’s only one thing you can do now.

With a deep breath, I launch forward and begin my long, long run to the grade school from here.

I’m really going to need that luck.

Chapter Text

"You're late.” Mindy, the front desk secretary, coolly observed as I burst through the school's front door.

“I know.” I huff, trying to catch my breath. I feel like my legs are about to explode as I scan my keycard. I can’t believe I missed that bus by the fucking skin of my teeth. Guess this is karma for taking the office chair with me last night. I take a deep breath as I try to rein in my pounding heart.

“Do you know where Clint is?” Mindy shrugs.

“I’d check the lower grades; he’s probably already started cleaning without you.”

I nod and jog down the halls towards the lower grades. They’re barren now, as most of the staff and students have already gone home by now. God, I hope Lunara is still here.

“Clint.” I spot the parasaur taking a bag of trash out of the kindergarten classroom. He looks up, surprised to see me.

“I didn’t think you’d make it today.” He gruffs, throwing

He put the bag of trash onto his cart.

“Sorry I missed my bus.”

“Ah,” Clint’s glare lightens. “You should get a ride, don’t you think?”

“I… don’t think I could afford one right now, even used.” Clint nods and pushes his cart towards the next room.

“Well, let’s get a move on. We can talk and work.”

“Uhh, actually.” I rub the back of my neck. “I need to talk to Lunara.” He stops his cart and looks back at me, annoyed.

“Seriously?”

I nod frantically. “I’m sorry, but it’s important.”

There’s a half grunt as he rolls his eyes. “Fine, fine.” He waves me off dismissively. “Go ahead, we're already behind anyway.”

“Thanks, Clint.” I don’t give him a chance to say another word as I jog over to Lunara’s classroom. Still, I can hear him grumble as I walk away. I definitely owe him a favor after this.

…

…

…

“Dammit.” I whisper under my breath. Lunara’s classroom is already empty. Must have left while I was gone. I deflate as I lock the door behind me. There’s only one place she could be now: the parking lot.

I turn around and walk back to the entrance, hoping to catch her before she leaves. I know sometimes she sits in the parking lot for a while to smoke before driving home, and if I’m lucky, today will be one of those days. I swipe my keycard through the front door, unlock it, and move outside.

I scan the mostly deserted parking lot, and it’s not long till I spot what I’m looking for. In the far back next to the playground is Lunara’s cherry red sedan. Leaning against the hood is the raptor herself with a dimly lit cigarette in hand. Fuck, what do I say? Should I call out to her or just walk over? Yelling seems like a bad idea; it makes me look desperate and a little unhinged.

As ‘normal’ as I can, I continue to walk over to Lunara. My face feels like it must be beet red, and my heart beats out my chest, but I do my best to ignore all that. C’mon, Anon, remember what Lucy said? You can do this.

Lunara notices me as I move closer; she looks up at me confused for a second before going back to her cigarette.

“Hey.” I break the silence once I’m next to the car. Lunara blows out a big cloud of smoke before answering back.

“What do you want?”

“A cigarette?” I blurt out, I don't know why but it's the first thing that came to me. She snickers and draws one out of the pack with a clawed finger.

“You owe me one.”

I take it out of her hand and bring it to life with the lighter I keep in my back pocket.

Placing it to my lips, I give my smoking buddy a quizzical look. “I thought you vaped?” I take a draw out of the lit cig, feeling the familiarly cool sensation settle in my chest.

“I usually do,” Lunara sighs. “But sometimes I need the real thing, you know?” She takes one final drag from the cigarette before she lets it slip from her fingers and crushes it under her heel.

After internally debating back and forth if I should be direct or subtle, I decide to broach the subject. “What's going on?” Lunara stiffens for a moment before scowling.

“It’s none of your business.” She snarls back.

“I understand, it’s just that Mia—”

“Mia?” She interrupts. “Are you only here because Mia told you to check on me?”

Dammit, Anon, way to shove your foot in your mouth. I stand my ground and raise my hands apologetically.

“I came over because I care about you, Lunara. Mia just told me she was… worried about you.” I carefully explain, making sure not to fumble my words again.

Lunara further deflates against the car in response. Letting out a long, tired sigh. “She really should stop worrying about me.” She grumbles under her breath.

“Is there nothing going on?”

“No, I just… I don’t know.” Lunara’s tail tucks around her leg as she slumps against the car and onto the concrete. “It’s not something I can easily put into words.”

I lean down and sit across from her on the pavement.

“I have time.”

Lunara stares at me for a moment, biting her lip. She doesn't say anything as her tail moves over to her hands. Carefully she plucks out some of the especially long feathers from her tail.

“Why did you do that?”

"It's just a nervous habit of mine; I have to make sure they stay short.”

“Why?”

She lets out an exasperated sigh. “Because female raptors' tail feathers don’t grow this long.” The admission seems to dig into her, making the quiet tone softer still.

“Oh…” I rub the back of my neck sheepishly. Way to go, Anon, two for two now on botching this. Are you actively trying to get her to hate you?

Lunara plucks a few more feathers that stand out before stretching her long limb. Annoyance flickers in her eyes as she inspects it. “Just another thing I have to worry about.” She mumbles under her breath.

“Is…this why you're upset?” I carefully ask.

“I don’t know.” She shrugs. “It feels like I’m constantly… performing.”

“What do you mean?”

She motions to herself.

“Do you have any idea what I have to do to keep looking like this?” I shake my head no. “It’s constant upkeep, Anon. Pills, appointments, doctors every month.”

For a moment I consider interrupting her, but I can tell this is something that’s been building up for a while. I don’t want to make the same mistake again. Instead, I keep silent and listen.

“And it’s not like this will ever end.” The pale raptor almost hisses as she stares off into nothing, focusing on every little punch thrown her way for simply trying to be who she wanted to be. “I’ll be going to the same doctors, the same appointments for the rest of my life.” She runs her hands through her hair, refocusing herself. “I feel like I’m sick, like I have a disease they can only treat the symptoms of.”

Her knees climb up to her chest, allowing her white snout to bury itself into her clothing. “I know it’ll never be enough for people either. I’ll always be thought of as something else.” Her tail wraps around her waist as she rubs her eyes. I think she might actually be beginning to cry.

I think of saying something again, but I feel like there’s still more that has to be said before she stops.

“I just want to be who I always felt like I was.” She whispers, her voice fragile as glass. With eyes full of tears, she looks back at me before hissing. Anguish turns to anger as her tail rises up and hits the concrete with a loud slap.

“And here you are just listening to me as I fucking fall apart.” She snarls, the tears on full display as she leans towards me.
“Why are you even here anyway, Anon? You showed up one day at my apartment, and now you’ve wormed your way into every aspect of my life.” One hand frantically motions to the school in the distance. “You followed me to my JOB, for fuck's sake.”

When she lays it out like that, it does sound like I’m some kind of sleeper agent or something tasked to follow her around. I raise my hands defensively, worried about what she might hit with that tail next.

“Lunara, it’s not like—”

“Not like what?” She cuts back before I can finish. “Are you some creep working for Mia?”

“What?!? No, it’s not--”

“Then what is it?” Frustration builds and bleeds out, forcing her words out with greater volume. “What is it then?”

I let out a sigh as I felt a pit empty out in my stomach. I guess there’s no more holding back now. My mouth suddenly feels dry as I try to string along a sentence, but I do manage.

“It’s because… I think I love you.” The sentence hangs in the air as I grasp at the magnitude of what I just said. My mind goes into full-fledged panic mode, but it’s not like I can do anything to take it back now. Lunara stares at me blankly as if she has to physically process my sentence before snorting.

“No, no you don’t.” She pushes up and away from me, standing up. “You’re just saying that to get me to stop crying.”

I hoist myself up as I unconsciously move closer to Lunara. “I’m serious.”

Her face somehow grows paler in shock as her eyes frantically look across me, scanning for some kind of tell.

“No, no, you can’t be.” She nervously laughs again. “How could you?” She jabs a finger pointedly at my chest. “Like someone like me?” She points back to herself.

“You make me smile.”

“Is that it?”

“No, do you want a list or something?”

She pauses for a second, her tail wrapping around her waist.

“It would help.”

“Lunara,” I take a step closer, close enough to where I can feel the warmth of her body. She doesn’t take a step closer or back; instead, she remains solid as a rock. “You are the sweetest girl I’ve ever met. When I stumbled out of Mia’s room, you shared your breakfast with me. When I had nowhere else to go, you let me stay at your apartment. And when I had no one else to talk to, you listened.”

Pale yellow eyes flick to the side as she shrugs. “Yeah, so? I was just being nice.”

“We both know it’s more than that.” Her face glows red, but she doesn’t say anything back; instead, she glances away, unable to look me in the eyes anymore.

“I don’t know how long you’ve felt it, but I’ve had these feelings since… since we talked on the couch, really.” I admit. “I was scared by them at first, by how people would see me or how I thought about myself. But now I don’t care; I want nothing more than to give this a shot.”

Gently I reach out and touch Lunara’s face. I fix her disheveled hair as I do so. She doesn’t recoil from my touch, but she feels shockingly cold to the touch. And smooth, not quite like skin but not at all unpleasant either.

The woman in front of me pauses for a second. Pale eyes look into mine, searching for any sort of deceit. Her hand reaches over to mine, gripping it close as if I might fade away if she lets go.

“Is this real?” Lunara finally speaks, barely above a whisper. I nod, unable to say anything as my heart pounds at a thousand miles a minute. God, I hope she thinks human hands are just naturally sweaty.

In a flash a white blur pounces on me, nearly knocking me over. There’s a loud bang as I stumble backwards into Lunara’s car, but I do keep my footing. I feel something wrap around my waist as well; I think it must be her tail tying us together. Before she can start to slip, I scramble to keep her up, holding her by the seat of her pants. I forgot about how heavy even “light” dinos can be and am reminded as my arms immediately strain to keep her up.

“Lunara,” I groan. “What are you—”

Before I can finish, my protest is cut short as Lunara’s lips crash against mine. For the second time in less than a minute, I nearly fell over from shock. Thankfully I don’t fumble it too hard this time and am able to relax and even join the kiss. It’s brief but explosive; Lunara pulls back, her face still glowing red with nerves.

“I guess this is you saying yes?”

Lunara wraps her hands around my shoulders as she buries her face into the crook of my shoulder.

“Yes.” She answers back, muffled by her shirt. “A million times yes.”

I kiss her forehead. I don’t really know why; it’s just the first thing that came to mind, like some sort of primal instinct has just been activated by holding her.

“Lunara, I—”

Honk

A searing horn breaks my thought completely as two bright lights focus on the two of us. In my confusion I raise my hands, thinking for a second a cop or something has pulled over. Immediately…dropping Lunara by accident.

Thud

“Shit!” I lean over, my eyes still burning from the bright lights on us, and peel my new girlfriend off the pavement. She doesn’t look hurt, more confused and dazed as I pull her back up.

“Well, well.” A new voice rings out, dimming the bright lights. “What do we have here?”

My eyes are able to focus on the newcomer now after the light no longer stings to look at. It’s a compy leaning out of the driver’s window of a nice blue car. She’s one of the staff; I recognize her face, but I can’t put a name to it. Confidence brims from the smile directed at us; it feels like she just caught two teenagers kissing under the bleachers.

I can hear a small ‘eep’ from the raptor held close to me. “Mrs. Pritzker.” Lunara pushes off me, fixing her hair and making herself look presentable.

Oh. Oh, fuck, Pritzker is the superintendent. I follow suit with Lunara, fixing my collar and standing up straight.

“At ease.” Pritzker laughs. “You don’t need to get your britches in a bunch.”

“Sorry, Jannet.” Lunara’s tail nervously snakes back to me. It wraps around my ankle like it’s looking for something reassuring to grab onto.

“It’s fine, Miss Kirkwood; I was just playing a prank.” She assures us. “Though,” she looks directly at me this time. I feel myself stand up a little straighter as the focus is shifted. “I know you haven’t been here long, Anon, but we have a policy of limiting…PDA on school grounds.”

Raptor Jesus, save me. I shake my head, not sure what else to do. Pritzer rubs her forehead, letting out a tired sigh.

“It’s not because of you; it’s just these kids will run with anything, and if a parent hears about it and complains—” She waves her hand dismissively, cutting her rant short. “Just keep this off campus or in the teacher's lounge from now on.”

Lunara and I both turn into bobbleheads, hoping that appeasing her would make her drive away sooner.

“Good. And Lunara?” Lunara’s grip on my ankle tightens as the superintendent looks back to her.

“Yes?”

“I’m happy for you; I think you found a good catch.” Lunara’s face turns red again as Pritzker leans back and closes her window. She waves at us as she pulls out of the empty parking lot and onto the street.

For a moment we just stand together, unsure of what else to say. I feel like I just went on a rollercoaster of emotions; my brain is fried from overstimulation. I can’t believe I started today worrying about dirty laundry and ended it like this.

“Well,” Lunara is the first to break the silence. She turns back to me, cautiously putting her hands on my shoulders. It feels strange to feel her touch after longing for it for so long. “You better go back to work. Clint’s probably given up on you coming back by now.”

“Oh shit.” I look back at the school. Somehow I completely forgot about why I was here in the first place with all the excitement. Lunara giggles, placing a chaste kiss on my cheek.

I can’t help but chuckle. “That feels weird.”

“What? The kiss?”

“No, you being so… open like this.” I rub the back of my neck sheepishly. “I never thought I’d get this far, and now that I am, it just doesn’t feel real.”

“It is real.” My girlfriend assures me. She gives me another quick hug before pushing off me. “You should get going, though; we can talk later.”

“At your place?” I cautiously ask. Lunara giggles before flashing me a broad smile.

“Yes, at my place.” She gives me another gentle push. “Now go; that school isn’t going to clean itself.”

With great effort I turned away from Lunara and started moving back to the school’s entrance. It feels cruel that after finally getting together, I have to leave. her so soon. But that will only make seeing her tonight feel sweeter. That’s what I keep telling myself to cope, at least.

God, Clint is going to be so pissed.

…

…

…

Clint was, in fact, very pissed. I tried to explain what happened, but I could tell he didn’t want to hear any of it, so I stopped trying. Doing anything else was just digging a bigger hole for myself at this point. I did try to make it up to him a little by doing more of the work than I usually do, but I doubt that’s helped me much.

Still, I put as much effort as I could into cleaning the school until we wrapped up at midnight, two hours after we usually clock out. That’s a little silver lining to this, I guess, some overtime pay. Clint doesn’t say anything to me as we part ways after locking up the school’s two front doors, just giving me a nod before walking off to his car.

It feels like it’s a warning; if this ever happens again, I can consider myself out of a job. Thankfully, I don’t think it ever will.

I walk the rest of the way to the bus stop alone, with only my thoughts keeping me company. I still can’t quite believe today played out how it did. It feels too good to be true in a way. Stuff like this only happens in crappy Hallmark movies and romance anime; nobody actually gets together like this. Right? Then again… I think back to what Lucy told me this morning.

Maybe I am due my own happy ending.

The bus ride over to Lunara’s apartment is quiet. I recognized the driver from the day before, and from the scowl he gave me, he must have remembered me as well. Thankfully he still let me on the bus, where I slinked to the back and pulled out my phone.

I pull out my phone and send a message over to Lunara letting her know I’ll be over soon. I don’t know if she’s awake at this time, though; it’s a little over midnight, and she has to be up pretty early for school tomorrow. I hope she told Mia about all this happening as well. I don’t know if she would let me in otherwise.

Hmm, no answer. I put my phone back in my pocket and stare out the window. I don’t know how I’ll get in if they’re both asleep. I guess I have to hope they’ll hear me knocking before a neighbor calls the cops or something.

I give a parting wave to the bus driver as I step off the bus. I know he probably still hates me, but you should always thank the bus driver. The bus stop is all but abandoned this late at night, its only occupants being me and a sleeping microraptor on the bench. I do my best to not disturb them as I make my way over to Lunara’s apartment block.

The streets are similarly quiet the rest of the way over. Sure, there are some other loners moving about and a few cars, but it’s a far cry from how busy downtown is, even at this time of night. I can’t imagine how much Lunara and Mia’s rent is for an apartment in this nice of a spot.

Finally inside the apartment building's first floor, I stop by the vending machines to eat something before continuing. I haven’t eaten anything since I left my apartment this morning and can feel my stomach growl as I open up the candy bar I just bought. I wolf it down like an animal before continuing over to the elevators. God, I hope nobody saw that.

As the elevator comes to a stop on the third floor, I exit and walk over to Lunara’s apartment. I double-checked what her number was on my phone. I've been over enough times to remember, but I’m still afraid of knocking on the wrong door and someone answering. Especially at this hour of night.

After triple-checking the number, I knock on the door, and to my surprise, it opens. Standing in the doorway is Lunara; she looks like she just walked out of the shower with her scales still being damp and her long black hair sticking to her scalp. She’s wearing a large Anime Con T-shirt that reaches her knees and shorts that barely peek over the oversized shirt.

“You look surprised.” She muses.

“I didn’t expect you to be awake.”

Lunara smiles; she pulls me into the apartment and closes the door behind her with her tail in one swift motion.

“I stayed up tonight. It’s a special occasion.”

“What about class tomorrow?”

She giggles, her clawed fingers dig into my shirt as she pulls me further into the apartment.

“I made a call this afternoon; I have a sub for tomorrow morning.” She whispers into my ear. “Tonight is just for the two of us.”

“Oh…” My mind starts to pick up on what Lunara’s hinting at.

“I didn’t bring any clothes.”

Lunara frowns, letting go of me as all romantic tension sinks like a rock to the bottom of the sea.

“Really, Anon? That’s the first thing you thought about? Spare clothes?”

I kiss the pouting raptor. Her lips remain closed as she continues to frown.

“Yeah, that’s my bad.” I awkwardly apologize. “I’ll make it up to you.”

Lunara rolls her eyes before wrapping her tail around me. With one quick yank, she pulls me right against her again.

“Don’t worry about it.” She whispers as she guides me into her bedroom, “You’ll have plenty of opportunities to make up for it tonight.”

…

…

…

I’m wrestled awake as the sun filtered from the blinds hits me directly in the eyes. Even with them being closed as tightly as I can make them, it still feels like the sun is stabbing me directly with its light. Fine, whatever. I’m awake now. Happy, Mr. Sun? You prick…

As I stretch out onto the bed, I feel something cold resting beside me. Actually… I prod the mass gently, feeling it squirm in response. More like someone. I open my eyes to see Lunara lying beside me. Her black hair sprawled onto her pillow like a halo behind her.

She's still asleep, her eyes closed, and I can hear slow breathing through her snoot. Gently I caress her cheek to not wake her. Honestly, I wasn't entirely sure if yesterday was a dream or not till I felt her face.

Lunara stirs. Slightly, I feel what must be her tail tighten around me. I look under the covers and see that she's snaked herself around me, her plumage resting on my chest.

I glide my hand through the feather’s, causing Lunara’s snoot to wrinkle and her eyes to open. She looks at me confused for a second before a warm smile settles on her face.

“Hi.” She sleepy whispers out.

“Did you forget I was here?”

Lunara giggles, moving over to be closer to me.

“No, it’s just… I don't know; it felt too good to be true.” She sheepishly admits.

“I know,” I sat up slightly, hearing the bed creak in response. “But that’s why we should make the most of this.” Lunara shifts in the bed again, placing her head on my chest.

“Sure,” she coos. “What would you like to—”

Opposite of us Lunara’s bedroom door opens. Mia steps in, her head obfuscated by a towel as she dries her wet hair.

“Wake up, Lunara, the shower is empty.” She grunts, throwing her wet towel onto the floor. “You really need to get moving; it’s almost—”

Mia comes to a dead stop as she finally looks over to the bed. Her eyes nearly pop out of her skull as she rapidly looks over the two of us. Her mouth opens, trying to speak, but no noise comes out. Finally a low hiss reverberates in her throat as shock boils into rage. Her eyes become pinpricks as they focus on me.

Oh… I’m so fucking dead.

Chapter Text

“Anon” Mia hisses my name as if she's invoking an ancient curse. Her tail flares up behind her, showing off her carefully sharperned spines. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

I try to think of anything to say, but I lay still like a deer in headlights as the angry parasaur towers over me. I try to speak but all I manage to get out are half-formed words and mumblings that only seem to enrage Mia more. She bounds forward, standing right at the foot of the bed.

“I gave you a chance,” She snarls, “I told you I was worried about Lunara, and this is what you do?” She gestures to the two of us lying on the bed. “You swoop in for an easy lay?”

Fuck, that does sound really bad when you put it like that. I look over to Lunara for a way out of this, but she looks just as shocked as I am.

“Mia I promise you it’s not like--”

“Don’t give me that shit.” She spits out putting an end to my excuse.“You’re all the same, Anon, you fucking—”

“Mia!” Lunara speaks up, causing Mia to stop mid-rant. I've never heard her raise her voice like that. She sits up, moving away from me.

“This isn’t… like that.” She explains. “Anon isn't like that; this is something I've chosen.”

Mias stops in her tracks, but her anger still simmers as she looks over me for any tell or sign of trickery. Finding none after a few tense seconds, she rubs her forehead and lets out an exhausted sigh.

“We’re going to talk about this but when you're both…dressed.” The now becalmed parasaur huffs. “Get dressed, I'll be waiting in the living room.” With that, Mia walks out of the bedroom, not before she gives me one last death stare.

Lunara slumps against the headboard as soon as her roommate leaves. “I'm sorry,” she whispers. “I should have told her yesterday.”

I lean over and kiss the raptor on the cheek. I am a little surprised she didn't, but I can't be mad at her right now.

“It’s going to be fine.” I assure her, but she doesn’t seem calmed. She pushes off the bed and walks over to her closet.

“I think your clothes are by the bed,” she motions with her tail.

I lean over my side of the bed and grab my discarded clothes from last night. As I throw on my shirt, I watch Lunara change into her outfit for the day.

“No peeking,” she blushes, pushing me down with her tail. I move the tail off me and sit back up.

“I don’t see what the big deal is,” I grumble “It’s not like I didn’t see everything last—”

Thwack

“Ow!” I rub my face from Lunara’s second tail hit. I can hear her giggle as I look away in defeat. “Fine, have it your way.” I move over to the other side of the bed so I can change with my back to her.

“Is it safe to look now?” I ask once I’m finished.

“Since you asked so nicely, yes.”

I turn over to see Lunara completely dressed. She’s wearing the same outfit she wore on our first not-date at the mall. She smiles as she sees recognition in my face.

“You remember this?”

I bounce off the bed and stand next to my girlfriend, getting a closer look. A slight blush creeps onto her face as she looks away from my gaze.

“You look beautiful.” She shakes her head.

“No, I don't; I haven't even showered or put on makeup.”

“I still think you do,” I assure her. Lunara sighs and looks back to the door behind me. Oh yeah, Mia…

“Come on.” She tugs on my shoulder. “I can handle this; just don’t say anything stupid.”

“Like what?”

She considers saying something but instead kisses me on the cheek. Her snoot still feels cold against my skin

“Just let me do the talking, okay?” She pleads.

“Fine, fine, whatever you say.” I relent. Lunara relaxes a little; some of the stress in her shoulders seems to melt away as we walk into the living room. Sitting on the loveseat is Mia, waiting for us. My would-be executioner doesn’t look nearly as angry as before, but I can still see a simmering rage in her eyes when ours meet. We take our seats on the couch across from her. Lunara leans against me to support herself, her hand clasping mine.

“So,” Mia looks over at us, her gaze lingering on our interlocked hands. “When were you going to tell me about this?”

“Today,” Lunara speaks up, her grip on my hand tightening. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything last night, but I was just so…overwhelmed I didn’t.” She sags, leaning further into the couch. “I’m sorry, I really am. I wish you didn’t have to find out about this the way you did.”

“Me too.” Mia agrees, still staring daggers into me. “I really didn't need to be reminded what Anon looks like naked.”

“Hey,” I rise to my defense. “I didn't have any spare clothes, okay?”

Mia rolls her eyes.

“Sure, that's why you were naked.”

“I mean,” I rub the back of my neck sheepishly. “There was that too, but it wasn't just that. I really do…want what’s best for Lunara.”

Mia cocks her head sideways.

“And you think that involves her being with you?”

“Yes.”

Mia looks back to Lunara.

“And you agree?”

Lunara swings our hands together nervously.

“Yes, yes, I do.” She affirms.

Mia pauses for a second before nodding.

“Alright.” She sits up and moves over to us. “That's all I needed to hear.” With one swift motion she pushes me aside from Lunara before going into a bear hug. Lunara lets out a surprised squeal before relaxing into the embrace, their two tails intertwined.

“I'm so happy for you,” Mia whispers into Lunara’s ear.

“Thanks.” Lunara lets out a sigh of relief. “I was really worried with how you would feel about Anon.”

Mia laughs as she lets go of the pale raptor. “He's not that bad, Lunara.” She smiles darkly.

I roll my eyes at the insult; grabbing the bait now just makes me look petty.

“Well,” I clasp my hands together. “I’m glad we all agreed to not hate me.”

“Don’t push it, skinnie.” Mia warns before looking back at Lunara. “I’ve got work soon; shouldn’t you already—?”

“Be at school? Don’t worry, I already set up a sub for today.” Lunara assures her. Mia’s knowing smile only widens.

“Clever girl.” She snickers. “In that case, enjoy your afternoon then.” Mia gathers her things as she gets ready to leave. Lunara gets up to give her a parting hug; as she does so, Mia whispers something to her I can’t quite hear. Whatever it is, it makes Lunara’s face glow red.

“And Anon,” Mia turns to address me as she stands in the doorway.

“Yes?” I huff, a little more aggressively than I meant.

“Don't let me down.” And with that, she leaves. The apartment grows still as it's just the two of us again. Me and my girlfriend.

Still a bit odd to really think about, but I find myself liking it more and more.

“What did Mia whisper to you?” I break the still moment. Lunara’s face flushes red again as she nervously adjusts her hair.

“It’s uh, was girl talk.” She sheepishly explains. “I’ll have to show you it later tonight.”
I don’t know if that’s supposed to make me look forward to tonight or dread it. Given how…sore Mia left me after that one night stand I think I should lean towards to dread.
“So,” Lunara claps her hands together, eager to move away from the current subject. “What do you want to do today?”

“I still have work.” I remind her; I make my way over to the kitchen to forage.All I find is one of Mia’s granola bars she warned me not to eat. I gobble down the snack in a few bites.

“Couldn't you take the day off?” Lunara pleads, tugging at my shirt.

“No.” I laugh. “Not on short notice and definitely not after what I pulled yesterday.” I feel like if I asked for today off, I might as well consider myself fired. Lunara sags a little at my answer, clearly disappointed that I can’t join her in playing hooky.

“We can still do something before I leave.” I assure her turning around to embrace her.

“Like what?” Lunara mopes.

I bite my lip as I try to think of a response. Jeez, what can we do actually? It’s not like we have time for anything elaborate, but I don’t want to spend all day lounging around either.

“How about…we go to the pier?”

“The pier? The one by the beach?” Lunara asks skeptically, ending the embrace.

“Yeah, it’ll be fun.” I squeeze her hand. “We might even catch one of those tour boats.”

Lunara plays with her shirt as she thinks over my suggestion.

“‘I don’t know, sounds a little…touristy.”

“Well, I’m not from around here.”

“Oh yeah.” Lunara giggles. Her tail brushes against my waist as she leans closer. “Sounds like you might need a tour guide then.”

“I just might.” I whisper back.

Lunara catches my lips in a surprise kiss. I lean in and let her take the lead; she breaks it off with a triumphant smile.

“C'mon,” she urges me to follow her out of the apartment. “We don't have all day.”

I grab her hand and follow her lead as we exit the apartment and go down the elevator.

…

…

…

The Pier is definitely a tourist trap; I’ll give Lunara that much. This place is a massive maze of elevated wooden platforms that tower over the water below. It’s packed with small shops hawking novelties and selling overpriced junk food. On the far end a few locals fish off the side but the main attraction is the tour boats. They are swarmed by packs of tourists as they try to get the most out of their vacation. I even spotted a few humans among the mix as well.

“This place is packed,” I grumble.

“What did you expect?” Lunara laughs, gesturing around us. “It's beautiful out today.”

I look over the cloudy skies and clear water as it crashes against the old pier. But there's only one thing here that I think is worth looking at.

“Stop staring.” Lunara blushes; she playfully shoves me. “I didn't even put on makeup this morning.”

“I don't mind.” I assure her. She looks over to me for any obvious tell before looking away.

“Whatever, let's see if we can find a boat.” Lunara tugs on my hand as she navigates through the crowd. All along the pier are boats lined up that do tours around the coast of Volcaldera. A few even go into the city a little, going under the bridges of the west side. I don't know if I'd go on one of those though; I'd worry too much about people dumping trash on us.

The actually nice tour boats need you to sign up ahead of time for tickets, so we're going to have to settle for what we can get. God, every one of these has a line that stretches on forever. Fuck, it's not like we have time to wait around for this.

I glance over to Lunara, and she seems to have come to the same conclusion as I have. Her tail curls around my leg as she lets out a defeated sigh.

“Well, I think it's time we start looking at a plan B.”

“Yeah,” I rub the back of my neck. “I guess we should wait, look over there.” Not too far from us, another tour boat pulls into the pier. Dazed and sick-looking passengers hobble off the rocking boat as its crew guides them away.

Before I can say another word, I'm yanked towards the arriving boat by Lunara. I've never seen her move so fast, like a predator chasing after its prey. It’s a little off-putting actually, but that’s just something you learn to deal with when dating carnivores.

“Two tickets, please.” Lunara starts to dig through her purse as we take our place at the front of the line. An attendant from the boat, a reedy stego barely out of his teens, squeaks back a response.

“Twenty bucks then.”

I wince inside at the steep price for such a cheap attraction, but I know there’s no point in making a scene over it. This whole place is designed to funnel money out of you. Instead I point over to the exiting passengers.

“What’s with them?” The stego looks over and lets out a snort of disgust.

“Just a bunch of land lovers that have no buisness being on the water.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, let’s just say a few of them ate too much funnel cake before going on a boat for the first time.”

“Eww.” Lunara’s snoot wrinkles, but she hands him the money regardless.

“Yeah, I hope you two have your sea legs on you because this can get a little rocky.”

“We’ll be careful.” I assured him before walking onboard with Lunara. The ship has railing and fold out-chairs on the deck for the passengers to sit and gawk at the sights. I pull out one of the chairs near the front of the boat for Lunara.

“What a gentleman.” She teases as she takes her seat. I take mine across from her. For a moment it’s quiet onboard with only the noise of the ocean and the boat gently rocking back as the crew go about their tasks.

“Do you ever miss it?” Lunara speaks up, her tail settling by my leg again.

“Miss what?”

“The Navy.”

“Oh…” I lean back and rub the back of my head. Being in the Navy feels like a lifetime ago. In a strange way it feels even more distant than being in Volcaldera the first time. I let out a sigh as the doldrums of life at sea came flooding back. The drills, the tedious work, and worst of all, the sun boiling down on you at all hours of the day. God, I must have gone through gallons of sunscreen.

Memories bring out a small, sardonic chuckle as I shake my head. “Not really, no.” I slump into my chair. “When I was let go, I wanted to go back, of course; I felt like I was tossed aside like some broken toy.” I admit it. I can feel Lunara's plumage caress my leg as I continue to talk.

“I didn't have anything after I left Volcaldera, and it felt like the one thing I had actually worked for slipped out of my hands. All because of some stupid fucking accident.”

“But you don't miss it?”

“No, not anymore.” I feel the boat lurch as the engine comes to life, propelling it away from the pier. Some of the other passengers almost lose their footing, and Lunara has to hold onto me to steady herself.

“Sorry.” She blushes.

“Don't worry about it.” I assure her. “But no, I don't miss being in the Navy. For a long time I was bitter about it and drifted aimlessly, but I don't have to do that anymore.”

“Why not?”

“Because,” I gently rub her cheek. “I found something here that made me want to stay.”

Lunara’s face glowed red from my admission. Her tail goes to overdrive as it wags under my chair.

“Not in front of everyone.” She whispers, self-conscious of her reaction. I just laugh and cover the embarrassed raptor's face in a hug.

“You're making it worse.” She grumbles. “People are going to stare.”

“Let them.” My hands settle on her back. “This is our date, not theirs.” Lunara looks up skeptically as she lets her guard down. She pushes me off and looks out to the passing ships in the harbor.

“I always took this for granted growing up, but actually looking at it, it's pretty special, isn't it?”

“Yeah,” I lean my head against her shoulder. “It is.” When you're growing up, you think being in love means you make these dramatic declarations or impossible shows of affection for the ones you love. But now, I know it's a lot more about appreciating the little moments that make it worthwhile. That just sitting on some shitty boat tour together can somehow feel special.

I kiss Lunara on the cheek as we watch the boat cut through the clear waters. I finally did find my happiness, Lucy.

Chapter Text

Finding a suit took longer than I imagined on such short notice. It wasn’t hard to find one that fit me, but one that didn’t have a hole for a tail in the seat of the pants or one for back plates was actually hard. And it’s not like I can ask my dad to borrow his again; that bridge has long since been burned.

Still, through miracles of miracles, I did finally find a suit that not only fit me but was nice enough to pass Naomi’s criteria of being formal enough. I would complain about having my own outfit graded by the fashion nazis, but hey, it’s her wedding, not mine. I’m just happy Naser is fine with me being here. And allowed me to invite a plus one.

Speaking of which, I glance down at my phone. I’ve been waiting for Lunara to pick me up from the dry cleaners for twenty minutes now. I’m a little worried about the cops coming by to see what a well-dressed skinnie is doing in an empty parking lot just before nightfall. They might think I’m in the snootkazu or something.

I send a quick text to Lunara asking where she is, but she doesn’t answer.

“Damnit.” I mumble. Hopefully she’s just driving and couldn’t respond, but where the hell is she then?

HONK

Thud.

I peel myself and my phone off the asphalt, trying to avoid touching the ground in these fancy threads any longer than possible. That fucking horn nearly got my skeleton to jump out of me. If it was any worse, I might have needed a new suit.

“Sorry!” A cheeky-looking Lunara does her best to hide her smile. She has her head out the window of her cherry red car, and she motions me inside.

I go to sit beside her in the passenger seat, but from the look Mia gives me, she’s not interested in swapping seats.

“Thanks for the pickup.” I grumble as I slouch into the back seat. Instead of getting to sit next to my girlfriend, I have to sit next to all the school supply garbage she keeps back here. I really would hate to know how much of her paycheck is dedicated to crayons…

“Sorry.” Lunara apologizes again, rolling up her window. “It was Mia’s idea.”

“It was pretty funny too.” Mia laughs. “I’ve never seen you flop like a fish before.”

“Don’t get used to it.” I grunt while putting on my seat belt. “Don’t we have someplace to be?” I urge on, hoping to move the conversation away from me falling on my ass. Lunara doesn’t say anything in response, instead she pulls out of the parking lot and back onto the street.

“Which church is the wedding at again?”

Mia taps the screen of the car's GPS display.

“I already put it in for you; just follow the directions, and we’ll make it there fine.” Mia flops back into her seat; for a brief moment her tail brushes against my shoe before it recoils back.

“Sorry, I’m doing my best to not step on anyone back here.” Sitting behind dinos always sucks. I’d play with Lunara’s feathers, but I don’t want to mess up her driving. From what she’s told me, they’re a lot more…sensitive than you’d think.

Mia looks back at me with a scowl.

“You better not ruin my sister’s wedding, skinnie.”

“How could I possibly ruin the wedding?” I raise my hands defensively.

“You get into another fight with Naser.”

“What?!? He punched me, remember? I didn’t even touch the guy.” My face flushes red with anger, but Lunara’s tail tugging on my leg centers me back to reality.

“Just don’t mess this up, okay? This is her big day, and she’s spent months planning it.” Mia leans back onto her seat. “Months I had to help as well.” She huffs, some of the exhaustion from the last week of rehearsal slipping into her voice.

“So what do we, uh, do?” I ask in an attempt to extend an olive branch to the exhausted looking woman. And because I legitimately have no idea what you do during a wedding.

“You? Nothing. All you have to do is stand up when everyone stands and sit down when everyone sits.”

“Doesn’t sound too hard; what exactly are you doing?”

“I’m Naomi’s maid of honor; I’ll also be handing her Naser’s ring.”

“You have Naser’s ring?” She nods.

“Yeah, the bride and groom give each other’s ring during the ceremony. I’ll hand it over to Naomi when the time comes.”

“Do you have it on you now?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I see it?”

“God no.” Mia huffs. “It’s in my purse right now; this stupid dress doesn’t have any pockets.”

What kind of dress has pockets? Then again, I don’t think Mia is the dress-wearing type in general. It was a little odd to see her so…femininely dressed when I walked up to the car. Lunara, on the other hand, looks beautiful in her dress. I’m glad I finally got to see her put it on.

“We’re here.” Lunara announces as she pulls into the church's busy parking lot. It’s an old, more traditionally styled church made of stone and stained glass. It even has a large bell in the center court. The heavy iron chain lies spooled on the asphalt, just begging someone to pull it.

Lunara drives into the far back of the parking lot to find a free space to park. As soon as the car comes to a stop, she unbuckles her seat belt and looks back at me.

“Are you ready?”

I take a second to do a last-minute inspection of my outfit before giving her a thumbs-up.

“Great, come on, let’s try to get a good seat.”

We funnel out of the sedan, Mia taking the lead as Lunara grabs onto my arm.

“I really like your outfit.” She whispers. “I think you should dress formally more often.”

“I’m only wearing this as long as I have to. But I do like your dress too.”

Lunara pouts before she leans closer.

“If you want to see this dress more,” She whispers. “I need to see you in more formal wear.”

“I…don’t know, it’s a big hassle and—”

“I’ll wear the plug suit.”

“Deal.”

Mia scowls as she picks up her pace.

“You people are worse than listening to Naomi and Naser talk.” She mumbles.

As we push in the front door, we’re instantly met with a flood of other guests waiting in the foyer. The church interior is decorated with flowers and banners celebrating the soon-to-be-married couple. By the entrance into the chapel, a large portrait of the couple sits smiling at all in the foyer.

“I’ll be in the back.” Mia points down the hall. “I have to get ready with the other bridesmaids.”

“Where will we sit?” Lunara asks, glancing over to the pews already starting to fill with guests.

“I don’t know.” Mia shrugs. “Naser’s side will be sitting on the right, Naomi’s will be on the left. Pick whichever you want.” Mia gives Lunara a hug before walking down the hall.

“Have fun, and make sure you take a nice picture of me, Lunara.”

Lunara smiles and nods before looking back at me. “So which side do you want to sit at?”

I pause for a second as I consider it.

“Naser’s.”

“Really?” Lunara’s tail shivers slightly. “Are you sure that won’t cause a scene?”

“No, no.” I assure her. “God, you’re starting to sound like Mia.”

Lunara giggles.

“Just making sure you don’t ruin the wedding.”

“Cmon,” I grip her hand gently. “Let’s get seated.”

I guide Lunara down the aisle as I look for the person I’m hoping to see. I’m briefly stopped by the wedding photographer trying to take our picture, but I blow him off. God, where is she? She should be… there she is.

I nudge Lunara to follow me as we sit down in a pew towards the front of the altar. Sitting across from us is a pale Allosaurus and a Pterodactyl I’ve spent a lot of time torturing myself over.

“Oh, hi, Anon.” Lucy politely smiles. She looks past me and over to Lunara, who sheepishly waves back. She looks confused for a second before a look of realization hits her.

“Oh, I see.” She smiles before leaning over closer to where only I can hear. “So have you moved on yet, dweeb?”

…

…

…

“Yes, yes, I have.”