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It's a process, really. Getting better. Mending broken relationships and navigating what normal life for teenagers is. Going back to how they used to be, pretending like their tight-knit group dynamic hadn't changed drastically.
Anne knows this. She knows this because she sees Sasha hesitate before saying certain things, her friend always making sure to choose her words carefully. Scared of saying the wrong thing, afraid of trusting herself.
Anne knows this when Marcy is quieter than ever, rarely ever talking about her favorite games or her current interest. Only peeping up when someone asks her a question, otherwise it's glazed over eyes and a blank stare.
Anne knows this when she herself is being the sociable one in the group. Answering questions and fending off the nosy students. Always being the one to pick and choose where to hang out next, or where to sit in the cafeteria. Her friends never question or argue with her and Anne is sick of it. Sick of feeling like they still owe her something.
But she's quiet. She doesn't bring it up, afraid to shatter what small normalcy they have left.
"If it isn't the runaways," a girl sneers when she passes by their lockers, pointedly bumping Marcy's shoulder as she does. It's a normal occurrence, one they had the disdain of getting used to. Anne can practically hear Sasha's teeth clench and puts a tentative hand on her shoulder. Anne is observant over Sasha in these moments, making sure she doesn't give into her violent tendencies and always making sure she calms down enough until it fades.
"Marce, you good?" Anne asks. Marcy looks up at her with a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes and nods. She continues exchanging her books as if nothing happened.
Marcy was more complicated. After they found a way into Amphibia to return the Plantars and grab Sasha, Anne believing Marcy was dead, they had found out that their friend was indeed alive, and being controlled by an Eldritch god. Marcy never talked about it, what she felt when it possessed her, whether she could tell what was happening or not. Fighting her was perhaps one of the hardest things Anne had done in her life, but they managed to bring her back and rush her to the hospital due to the stab wound being opened.
Anne doesn't like to think about that day. She could never forget the amount of blood caked into her hands.
Sasha growls, "I swear to god, one more person annoys us today and I'll-"
"Sash," Anne interrupts with a pointed stare. It's almost scary how fast Sasha deflates, an apologetic look on her face.
"Sorry," she mutters, "I'm sorry."
It makes Anne want to scream—want to grip her by the shoulders and shake her and yell that she doesn't hate her.
"No, it's just… Don't actually do anything to get you in trouble. That's all I meant." she says instead.
Sasha relaxes, "Oh...yeah. Okay."
They go to their separate classes next and Anne wonders how long things will be this way.
-
Sasha is forged smiles and fake confidence to people she absolutely hates. Growing up, she learned to take care of herself since her parents were always too busy to spare her a second glance; it didn't help that they eventually got divorced. It was not that bad, and it incited the rebellious seed in her younger self. She often wonders whether this is how she would've turned out had she grown up in a loving household. She doubts it. But she can't give herself excuses either.
She curls up in bed, phone clutched tightly in her hand. The house is too quiet, too dark. But familiar. Her mother is god knows where. She's idly scrolling through social media when she gets the text.
marbles: im at ur window
Sasha finally recognises the dull thudding against her bedroom walls. She'd shrugged it off as wind blowing too hard but she now realises the familiar sound of rocks being thrown. She swipes the blanket off her body and makes her way to where Marcy is waiting for her. Sure enough, the girl is there, looking far too small for this big and unnerving world. She's swallowed by her signature yellow hoodie and has her hands in her pockets. Sasha can barely make out her trembling form before she pushes the window open and yells down to her.
"No one's home, go to the front entrance."
Marcy nods.
They'd done this way too many times. Sasha meets her at the front door and quickly lets her in, proceeding to lead her upstairs and tuck her in bed. Marcy doesn't stop trembling and Sasha notices the tears in her eyes and the redness in her cheeks, so she leaves the room in order to make her a drink. She comes back with hot chocolate and Marcy sitting up, staring at her expectantly.
"Here," she mutters. Marcy takes it from her as Sasha hops on the bed next to her, wrapping her arms around her friend. Slowly, she stops shaking.
When her cup is finished, Marcy moves back down and cuddles into her. Her small and rigid breaths almost make Sasha think she fell asleep, but she knows better with Marcy's tense shoulders.
"You wanna talk about it?" Sasha mumbles into her neck. Marcy shakes her head. She doesn't prod her.
"Don't tell Anne about this," Marcy whispers after a few minutes. Sasha understands why. They love Anne to bits but sometimes they feel like she doesn't completely get it. Her family was the most loving Sasha had ever met. She doesn't deserve to be burdened with their foreign problems.
Sasha holds her tighter as a promise. The tension eases after a while.
-
Marcy's biggest fear was being alone and in an ironic way, she never will be again.
You're just burdening them, It coos, They're better off without you.
It’s a jumble of voices. Meaningless voices that are remnants of her possession. All driven to make her hate everything around her—hate everyone around her; and she’s tired, all the time. It's exhausting.
She's gotten used to it by now, but that doesn't make it any less annoying. Her inner voice is louder than it sometimes, so it's bearable.
"Marbles?" a voice asks. Marcy's head shoots up to find Anne glancing at her in confusion.
"What?" she mutters groggily.
"We're supposed to be researching for our project, not falling asleep." Anne teases, but Marcy notices the underlying concern in her eyes.
Look at you, making her worry.
"Sorry," she replies, "Didn't get much sleep."
Anne furrows her eyebrows, "Again? Marcy, this isn't healthy."
"I have a lot to work on," she grumbles, "Newtopia needs me. I have to make up for charging the music box and almost destroying Amphibia."
Anne purses her lips and stays quiet. She knows it's futile to argue. Marcy glances back at her computer screen and squints at the light. What were they working on again?
"Okay, so here's what I found about water electrolysis," Anne breaks the silence, flipping a book she was reading over to her. Marcy appreciates the change of subject; Anne’s learned that sometimes her constant reassurances of ‘it wasn’t your fault’ were useless. It doesn’t stop her from trying, that's for sure, but it’s less persistent than before. Marcy appreciates that.
"I don't think it's enough," she admits after scanning the paragraph.
Anne sighs, "Dreading you were gonna say that. So what did you find?"
“Still looking,” she hums. Anne peers over her shoulder and Marcy’s breath hitches. She steals a glance at the girl. Her hair is sprawled against her face, a strand of it tickling Marcy’s cheek. Their faces are centimeters apart and it takes everything in her not to confess her stupid crush right then and there.
Anne turns towards her and she quickly looks away, cheeks burning. She needed to get her head on straight.
-
Anne dreams of death and destruction. The smell of scorching wood as the Plantar’s house in Wartwood burns down fills her lungs and burns her nostrils. Sprig is nowhere to be found and Hop Pop is lying on the floor, unmoving. Polly escapes but is unable to get them out.
Anne tries to keep calm, tries to remind herself that it's a dream. It's happened before. All she has to do is wake up. Hop Pop on the floor isn't real, he's not moving because he's not real. Not because he's dead. None of this is real.
The scene shifts. They're at Andrias' castle, floating thousands of feet in the sky. Marcy has a sword through her chest already, eyes wide and lips trying to spew out an apology. It doesn't come out, and blood flows through her mouth from the effort.
Anne smiles at her because it's okay. She's going to wake up eventually and everything will be okay. Marcy is still alive and breathing and-
Sasha is holding onto her hand. Anne blinks, wondering how fast the scene changed that she had barely noticed. Sasha's fingertips brush against her own and she says something. Something muffled. Anne grips her hand tightly, the familiar background of Toad Tower crumbling.
"I deserve to die," Sasha repeats. Then she lets go.
Anne wakes up in someone's arms and her first instinct is to fight them off. Her ears are ringing and she can barely see anything due to something blurry obscuring her vision. It's only then she notices that she's sobbing. Loudly.
"ไม่เป็นไร. แม่อยู่ที่นี่." a voice whispers. Anne nods absentmindedly, clutching onto her mom's shirt weakly. Her mother is rocking her back and forth slowly.
Anne almost feels like a kid again.
-
Sasha always knew there was a reason why her heart sped up everytime Anne texted her or Marcy rambled about her current hyperfixation. She tried asking her parents about it once but they brushed her off and claimed to be busy.
So the next stop was the internet. And it had told her something she wasn't ready to accept. She's Sasha Waybright, captain of the cheerleaders and top scorer in super dodge fusion, she doesn't get silly crushes on her best friends. It's childish and irrelevant.
Amphibia had changed her perspective a lot. Sasha doesn't agree anymore.
Marcy and Anne were more than best friends. They were a part of her. A part of her she could never live without, no matter how much she believes she doesn't deserve them.
So, with Anne sitting across her lap now and Marcy having dozed off on the armchair next to them, Sasha finally admits it to herself. She has a crush on them. She loves them more than friends. It sits with her for a while as she stares blankly at the TV screen. She doesn't think she can ever confess. They are too good for her. Sasha is destructive and selfish. She could never be what they need, what they want—what they deserve.
Sasha will keep quiet, even if it'll kill her.
Eventually, Anne looks up at her in favor of ignoring the movie, giving her a lopsided smile. Sasha loves her smile, loves absolutely everything about Anne. Her fingers rake through the girl's curly hair, unraveling the small knots. Anne lets out a sigh of pleasure and closes her eyes.
How does Sasha deserve this? After everything?
Anne looks beautiful in the morning light. The sun kisses her face so elegantly that Sasha almost forgets how to breathe. Small freckles adorn her cheeks and it takes Sasha’s entire willpower not to lean down and kiss them.
“I can feel you staring at me,” a sleepy Anne mumbles. Sasha immediately looks away, face flushing. She turns to Marcy instead, but it doesn’t make it any better. Marcy’s curled into a ball, little noises coming out of her throat every time she breathes. Sasha finds it adorable how pursed her lips are and how her nose scrunches.
Sasha is treading deep waters, and she’s afraid she’s going to drown before ever making it to the surface.
-
Marcy runs away from home. Like a little kid. Like she was still thirteen.
The fighting got too loud, the constant echoes of you need to do better, Marcy, you need to be better were too loud. The struggles of juggling Amphibian government issues and school work were too much.
Its voice got too loud.
They're right, you know, It muses, And I'm not even saying that to torment you. It is the truth.
She runs as fast as her small legs can take her, only stopping to take gulps of breath. Marcy doesn't know where she's going and the world is a glimmer of street and wide, empty sky. Road-echo and silence. Marcy isn't a runner, because her clumsiness can only take her so far, but she still goes.
She doesn't know where her feet are taking her until she's staring at the Boonchuy house. She should've gone to Sasha's like she normally does. Even if she thought Sasha was too good for her—too strong for someone as weak as her, at least they were equals somewhat. They both had done fucked up things; Anne was too perfect.
She goes to turn back around, but the porch light is already on and somebody is calling her name.
"Marcy, sweetheart, is that you?" Mr. Boonchuy's voice booms.
Marcy closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She loves Anne's dad. He was always there to play video games with her and take her to the mall and all the other stuff that her parents thought were useless.
"It's me," she calls out, mostly to reassure them that she isn't some criminal. It is eleven thirty at night after all.
Mr. Boonchuy seemed to be enjoying a nice cup of coffee and she hates herself for interrupting it. He approaches her carefully and inspects her for any signs of injury. When he finds none, he smiles warmly.
"Anne's inside, if you need her. I'll call her."
It happens all too fast and she doesn't have time to tell him that he should leave her. Mr. Boonchuy hurries back inside, presumably to tell Anne that her friend is all alone and waiting outside their house.
Marcy inhales the cold air, hands in her hoodie pocket. She's had it on for three nights in a row, not bothering to put in the laundry. It brings her comfort when nothing else does. She taps her foot on the ground impatiently and immediately regrets not bringing her pen. Fidgeting with something always helps her calm down.
"Marce," Anne appears in the doorway, eyes squinting and nose scrunched as if she just woke up. Marcy hates it, hates herself for waking her up. As if she hadn't caused her enough grief to last a lifetime.
She contemplates turning around and running, but Anne is in front of her before her thoughts can derail.
“Hey, Marbles,” Anne takes her hands gently, “Is everything okay?”
No, I want to disappear. Why are you being so nice? I ruined your life. Why do my parents not understand? God, I really need my fucking pen.
"Mar-mar?"
I love you. And Sasha. It's killing me. The Newtopians need more tax laws. What was the answer to that math equation again? Don't call me Mar-mar. He called me that. You know that. Why would you call me that? I miss when you called me that.
“Please say something, you’re scaring me.”
Maybe you should’ve died that day in the castle.
Heartache is a real thing, it even shows up on medical scans. When a heart is truly broken, the health of the body and brain needs time to recover. There aren't any magical medications or salves for the heart, yet only the healing that tranquil space, time and the love of others may bring.
The dam breaks. The floodgates are open. Her chest injury hurts more than ever.
Marcy wails. She breaks down sobbing and falls to the floor. She can barely make out someone wrapping their arms around her. It feels like a thousand needles poking her instead of the warm embrace she usually feels from her friend. It makes her cry harder.
-
Anne’s always known how much she loves her friends, but her novel obsession with them surprises her. She wouldn't call it obsession, per se, but going a day without talking to both of them makes her anxious and grumpy. Her parents tell her that it’s probably trauma from being in another world but Anne doesn’t think so. She just can’t quite put her finger on it.
Her phone is buzzing from where she left it on the counter at Thai Go, so she washes her hands from the previous order before picking it up.
ampibiland trauma sharers
marbles: guys
marbles: guys
marbles: guys
marbles: guys
Sash: wHAT
marbles: amogus
Anne rolls her eyes and responds with a laughing emoji, just to humor her. She hadn’t forgotten about the breakdown she had last week but Marcy hasn’t talked about it so Anne doesn’t push her. She still remembers carrying her in the house and playing with her hoodie strings, trying to softly sing her to sleep. She wasn't sure if Marcy could hear, but that didn’t stop her.
“You can go home early,” a voice murmurs. Anne snaps her head up and finds her mother staring at her with a pitiful expression.
“What?” she asks, mainly because she didn’t hear.
“I said you can go early, if you have anywhere to be or you’re just tired.”
Anne knows what her mom is insinuating and it makes her angry. Not at her mom but at the circumstance.
Anne shakes her head, “No thanks. The place is crowded today anyway.”
Her mother purses her lips, “It’s okay, baby, just-”
“Mom,” Anne insists, “I’m not a kid. I can handle not seeing my friends for a day.”
Her mother nods and gives her a tight smile. Anne places her phone back on the counter and doesn’t pick it back up for the rest of her shift.
-
Sasha was angry when Anne had first stood up to her at Toad Tower. The fact that Anne could fight back was both a shock and a betrayal to her. She had been so stupid back then, thinking she could control her friend forever.
Control. The one thing that drove her nuts. The one thing she craved more than anything else in the world. She knows it stems from the lack of control she has with her parents. It’s not an excuse, but a reason. She knows that now.
So, she lets Anne pick the things they get to do on weekends, the movies they’d watch during their sleepovers, which food court they’d eat at. Sasha feels like it’s the very least she can do to make up for all the years she had dragged Anne around and forced her to do the things she wanted. The least she can do for Anne who had sucked it up and hid her feelings and succumbed to peer pressure.
Sasha wasn’t used to Anne speaking up for herself, so it takes her time to get used to it and now it’s almost second nature. Still, nothing could prepare her for the outburst at the lunch table today. It had been a relatively quiet day so far until their break. Anne looked upset, more so angry than sad. Marcy was as quiet as ever and trailed behind them almost robotically.
Sasha was picking at her cafeteria food when Anne spoke up.
“Where do you guys wanna go this weekend?”
Sasha shrugs and doesn’t even think before, “Dunno, whatever you want.”
Marcy nods in reply. Sasha’s not even sure she heard the question.
“Okay, that’s it.” Anne jumps out of her seat and slams her hands on their table. Marcy jumps and her fork flips onto the floor.
“Dude, wh-”
“Bathroom, now.” Anne demands, “Unless you want me to lose my mind in the middle of the cafeteria.”
Marcy is the first one up, mainly because she hates drawing attention to herself. Anne’s dramatic gesture already caused a few people to look at them funny.
“Anne, what’s gotten into you?” Sasha asks, but Anne is scurrying away with Marcy in tow before the words fully leave her mouth. She sighs and gets up to follow them.
There’s three other girls occupying the bathroom when they arrive. Hushed whispers of whatever new gossip has happened. Marcy hides behind Anne naturally and it doesn’t take long before-
“Out.” Sasha barks, and out running they go. Anne smiles for a second before scowling again, shutting the door with her foot and locking it.
“Look, I don’t know what I did, but-”
“Both of you,” Anne growls. Marcy's head snaps up in shock and Sasha looks at her in confusion.
“Okay… what did we do?”
Anne paces around the small space they have between the sinks and the stalls, “Okay….Okay, first of all, you need to stop agreeing with me about everything."
"Uh-"
"Second of all, you should argue back more."
"Anne-"
"What is it with letting me fend off everyone? Letting me pick what we always do? You two are so scared of speaking your minds and I’m fucking sick of it! What are you so scared of? You don’t owe me anything.”
Sasha didn’t think they’d ever have this conversation. She was kind of hoping they’d never have to.
“Um,” Marcy pipes up quietly, “I kind of do.”
Sasha doesn’t want to anger Anne further but she makes a noise of agreement.
Anne shuts her eyes, “All’s that in the past. You two have apologized already and I forgave you. I don’t know what else you want me to do.”
“You don’t have to do anything. I don’t know about Mar-mar—”
A whimper. Sasha corrects herself immediately, “I don’t know about Marcy but I thought letting you pick what we do is making up for all the times I did the same to you.”
Anne’s eyes soften, “Sash, that’s sweet, but we’re good, I promise. You don’t have to make up for anything. Just… you can speak your mind without being controlling y’know?”
Sasha doesn't. It’s really all new territory for her. But she knows now.
“Please let me know if I go too far,” she whispers.
Anne takes her hand, “You won’t, but I’ll let you know.”
Sasha ignores the fluttering butterflies in her stomach and smiles back. Anne turns to Marcy next.
“Now you.”
Marcy’s eyes widen and quickly looks at the door, as if planning her escape. She looks back at them, probably realizing it’s futile to try leaving.
“Look, it’s always been like this with me. You guys decide and I follow.” she argues. Sasha purses her lips because, honestly? She’s right. Marcy’s never argued about their plans even before Amphibia.
“There’s nothing wrong with giving your opinion every now and then, Marce.” Anne says, reaching her free hand out to touch her.
Marcy flinches at first, an instinct Anne and Sasha had to get used to; an instinct that made Sasha very happy that they killed Andrias, but she eventually leans into the touch. Sasha pulls her closer and she squeaks, squirming under their gazes.
“Okay, okay… I’ll try. I really don’t mind anything we do though.” Marcy sighs.
“We know,” Sasha mumbles, “But maybe you can pitch in sometimes, yeah?”
Anne pulls the both of them in a hug. Marcy gets squished between them, head on Sasha’s chest. Anne’s face is tucked into both of them as Sasha presses a kiss to her forehead.
Sasha thinks that maybe she deserves this a little bit. Maybe.
-
Marcy had always been a clumsy person— even before her body got absolutely destroyed by the core’s possession, even before she started hating the way her brain worked. Tripping over air was a common occurrence for her, spilling belongings onto the floor as her friends picked them up with a knowing chuckle.
Classic Marcy, they'd say. She knows they meant no ill-intent, but she doesn’t want to be that person anymore. She’s not sure who she wants to be anymore. She skips class and slacks off on her studies, afraid of her intelligence being used as a weapon again. Marcy used to love being the smartest one in a group, but she doesn’t see the worth in it anymore.
Even so, being known as clumsy sort of got annoying after a while. So when she learns her eyesight is very poor, she almost leaps with joy. She was never clumsy, just couldn't see well. That was it.
“It seems this development is recent,” the doctor muses after she complains about her blurry vision at their weekly check-up.
No, she wants to argue, It’s why I was so clumsy. I never had good eyesight.
Right?
“Hm, it seems some of your nerves were fried. By any chance, did you get electrocuted recently?” he asks, an innocent voice who has no idea what happened.
Marcy stops breathing because she’s suddenly back when-
Her throat is raw from screaming as pure yellow and orange hues fill her peripheral. Her body is convulsing and all Marcy can think is that this is the worst pain she’s ever felt in her life. Thousands of voices fill her head and drown out the small part of her who is still praying and hoping that someone would save her.
“Marcy!” someone yells. Marcy realizes she’s being shook and looks up to find Sasha staring at her with a look in her eyes. Marcy knows that look—got very accustomed to it after Amphibia. Her eyebrows furrow in a way that makes Marcy’s insides melt with affection. Even worried, Sasha looks adorable.
“I’m okay,” she musters a smile. She doesn’t tell Sasha that her hands feel like metal clasps holding her down.
The doctor is silent, probably unsure of what he should do. Marcy couldn’t blame him; doctors like him were more physical than mental help. She’d have to go to a therapist for her emotional baggage; if she was ever ready to confront it.
“I’m okay,” she repeats, “Yeah, I think I was electrocuted. How do we treat it?”
The doctor grimaces, sitting back and reverting to his doctor posture, “I’m afraid it’s permanent. You need lenses, contacts or glasses work.”
Ah, and so the nerd stereotype continues. She’d always wanted glasses when she was younger. She thought it would make her look more sophisticated.
“What are the degrees?” Anne asks, hands clasped together. Marcy sighs and leans back, resting her watery eyes.
The doctor says something muffled. Marcy isn’t paying attention.
-
“I still can’t believe you roped me into this,” a dissatisfied Sasha mumbles. Anne laughs, a sound that echoes through the silent neighbourhood.
“What happened to making it up to me?” Anne teases, making sure to lace her town with obvious sarcasm.
Sasha snorts, much to Anne’s delight, “Okay, but babysitting is way out of my league dude.”
Anne clicks her tongue, dragging Sasha's hand along until they’re staring at an unfamiliar porch.
“I promised my parents I would do this and you are not letting me do it alone. Plus, it pays.” Anne says.
Sasha puts a finger to her chin, “Hm...How much?”
“Twenty dollars per hour for each kid.” she smiles, “And there’s three of them. Rich family.”
Sasha hums, “So it’s thirty dollars for both of us in one hour.”
Anne whistles, “You did the math fast. Marcy rubbin’ off on you?”
Sasha laughs, “Fine, I’ll do it. Only for you.”
Anne doesn’t know why her heart skips a beat at that.
She knocks on the door next and Sasha goes to detach her hand, only for Anne to hold it tighter. A face appears behind the doorway, cracked slightly open.
“Hello,” Anne musters the most polite voice she can, “I’m Anne Boonchuy. I’ll be looking after you kids.”
A weary look. A door slamming in her face with a yell for their mother. Anne waits in anticipation.
“Rude,” Sasha grumbles. Anne nudges her before the door opens again, much wider this time. A woman appears before them, brunette hair in a ponytail and brown eyes crinkling in excitement.
“You must be Anne!” she coos, then glances at Sasha, “And you…”
“Sasha,” the blonde replies, extending her hand. The woman shakes it almost immediately. Anne wants to laugh at the sudden formality of her friend, but she manages to hold it in.
“It’s so nice to meet you two young ladies!” she invites them in, “I’ll be leaving for work now but there’s a few things you should know.”
Anne tries not to zone out as the woman rattles off random rules that are applied in every household. She’s mostly surprised at her hospitality since every rich adult Anne has ever met turned out to be a stereotypical snob. Sasha seems to be listening intently, bobbing her head up and down whenever she needs to. Anne ends up staring at her friend the whole time.
When the door shuts and Anne turns to look at Sasha, she sees her eyebrow raise with a knowing smirk.
“What?” Anne nervously shifts from foot to foot.
“Did you hear a word of what Mrs.Greene just said?” Sasha asks.
So that’s her name, Anne notes.
“‘Course,” she replies nonchalantly, “Limit their snacks, let them study and play for a few hours, put them to sleep by eight.”
“Nine,” Sasha corrects. Anne grumbles. She got the gist of it at least.
As they make their way to the living room to meet the kids, Anne ponders when their roles had switched so significantly. It was always Anne who was polite and sociable, while Sasha just spoke to whoever she deemed important enough. Perhaps it’s the newfound feeling of staring at her friend until everything else fades into the background.
Anne’s train of thoughts gets interrupted when Sasha leans in to whisper in her ear, “The older boy is Michael and the younger one is Jimmy. Girl is Sophia.”
Sure enough, three kids are patiently waiting for them on the couch, legs crossed neatly over the other. Anne grimaces at their blank faces, clearly been told beforehand to behave or else they’d be revoked of their rich kid privileges.
“Hey, you three!” Anne cheerfully bounces over to them, “I’m Anne and this is my friend Sasha.”
Sasha raises a tentative hand to give a half salute. Anne looks at her with amusement. Where did all the previous confidence go?
“Hi,” Sophia mumbles, looking down shyly. Anne’s insides melt with adoration. Her short brown hair covers her eyes and allows her to be unseen.
“‘Sup,” one of the guys responds. Anne still isn’t sure which is which, since they both appear to be the same age.
“Hey, Michael,” Sasha finally saunters over and leans in to give him a fistbump. He responds enthusiastically. Anne huffs. Well, two can play at that game.
“Hi Jimmy! Not sure if you’re into video games but I brought my switch from home. You two can share it if you want.”
The other boy’s eyes light up and he thanks her profusely. Sasha glares at her as Anne innocently fishes her device from the backpack.
Sasha passes her to make her way to Sophia, whispering something in her ear and watching the girl’s head perk up in excitement. She runs off next, presumably to get whatever Sasha asked for.
With the two boys occupied with the console, Anne walks up to Sasha, giving her a soft punch on the shoulder, “Oh, you’re on.”
Sasha smirks. That endearing smirk that used to piss her off back in Amphibia but only makes her weak to her knees now, “May the best win, Boonchuy.”
Suffice to say, it’s a tight competition. Anne’s pretty sure the kids have caught on to what they were doing but don’t care enough to speak up about it. She figures it’s due to the entertainment they’re receiving.
“And that is how to defeat the final boss!” Anne concludes, giving Michael a pat on the shoulder.
“Marcy totally taught you that.” Sasha argues.
Anne shrugs, enjoying the scowl that’s resting on Sasha’s face. Jimmy’s on her back, having been tired from playing basketball with her and losing tremendously.
Sophia pipes up, “I told him to do that before.”
Michael grumbles, “I thought you were joking. I mean, a powered up fire potion? No way could I get that.”
“I believe in you, bud.” Anne grins at him before leaning down, “You can do this!”
“I can do this!” he reiterates, albeit with less enthusiasm than her. He turns to her nintendo switch once again, his face squished in concentration. A bell rings next and Anne’s immediate thought is that Mrs.Greene had arrived.
Sophia runs and tugs at her legs, “Anne! Those are our cookies.”
Right. That was the oven.
Sasha jogs to Sophia first and mumbles something about taking the first bite. Anne isn’t really paying attention, instead staring at how fondly the kids look at her. She laughs lightly; she’d always known Sasha was a softie, especially around children.
Words cut through the air. Somehow Anne hears it.
“Whoa, how’d you get that scar?” Jimmy marvels, poking it with his finger, “That’s so badass.”
Her throat closes up.
Sophia smacks her brother, “That’s a bad word.”
Panic seizes her throat. Sasha freezes halfway through biting into her cookie.
“Did you fight something? Did you beat it? You are literally so cool. I bet they regretted messing with you.”
Anne feels sick. She had spent every waking month regretting the permanent damage she had done to Sasha’s face. She didn’t mean it, she didn't mean it, she didn't fucking mean it.
“Oh, whatever did that to you is horrible.”
Anne asks Michael for directions to the bathroom. She doesn’t even marvel at the size of it. Splashing water onto her face doesn’t help her racing heartbeat and spiked anxiety.
A knock on the door. Anne ignores it.
“I’m coming in,” Sasha calls and before Anne could say anything, the door opens and closes just as fast.
A hand is on her shoulder, “Hey. Look at me.”
Look at me. Look at me. Everything’s gonna be okay. Just hang on!
Everytime Anne thinks she’s gotten over moments like these; Sasha letting go of her hand, Sprig getting thrown out a window, Marcy getting stabbed, having to fight her corrupted friend, she’s thrust back into that mindset of feeling weak and helpless.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbles, “I’m sorry.”
It’s all she can muster. What else can be said?
“It’s okay,” Sasha hugs her side, “It’s okay.”
No it’s not. It never will be. It was okay yesterday. I was okay yesterday. Why does it feel like I’ll never be over it after today?
“No,” her voice cracks, “It wasn’t. And I’m sorry.”
Sasha cups her cheeks, “I made my choice that day. You weren’t at fault for protecting your family.”
“I shouldn’t have hurt you,” Anne shakes her head.
“No,” Sasha agrees, “You shouldn’t have, but you did. Accidentally. I don’t blame you for it.”
A deafening silence.
“Why did you let go?” Anne asks, and after a few seconds of stillness, she realises with a pang that it’s the first time they openly talk about it.
Sasha looks at the mirror. Anne catches her eyes through it.
“I didn’t want to take you down with me. You didn’t deserve it.”
Anne makes a noncommittal hum. She wants to say Sasha deserved it either, but it rang through the air quietly.
Sasha exhales, “You know… I still have nightmares about it. Where I take you down with me. Where you let go of me instead. Sucks.”
She tries to laugh at the end but Anne can tell it’s forced. Anne chokes back a sob.
“Fuck,” she cries out, wiping her tears hastily.
Sasha is quick to hug her again, ”Hey, hey, hey, it’s okay.”
“How can it be okay if I’m what you see in your nightmares?” she sobs into Sasha’s shoulder.
“You’re what I see in my dreams too."
There was no hesitation. Anne goes completely still. Sasha seems to realise what she said, clearing her throat immediately after. Anne feels her heart beat even faster. She hopes Sasha doesn’t hear it.
“Smooth,” she manages to choke out.
Sasha huffs, “I try.”
“We’ll be okay?”
“We always will be.”
Anne lets her go. They walk back outside once they’ve dried their tears. The kids look confused but just brushed it off as teenager things. They both get lost in keeping the kids entertained until Mrs.Greene arrives earlier than usual due to her shift being cancelled.
“Thank you so much girls,” she addresses them, “I hope they were good to you.”
“They were awesome,” Sasha nods, giving a wink to the kids who then giggle. Anne’s heart melts with affection.
“Can they come back? Please?” Sophia pleads. Anne grins.
She gives the two of them an amused look, “Next time I’m not home, they’ll be yours.”
They whoop and cheer. Anne snorts and suddenly a ringing cuts through the air. Sasha apologises before pulling her phone out.
“Oh, I gotta go,” she winces, “My mom needs me home.”
“Of course!” Mrs.Greene fumbles with her wallet, “Let me walk you out.”
Anne sort of misses the inside now that they’re at the door. It couldn’t have been more than five hours but Anne’s already attached to this place. Maybe not the place, but more so the feeling of being with Sasha. And going out with Sasha. And being close to Sasha.
Their conversation today had been long overdue. Anne feels a part of her guilt fade away with a sigh of relief.
“я тебя люблю.” Sasha smiles before walking away. Anne doesn’t know what she says, but it sounds pretty. She likes it better without context.
-
“These suit you.” Sasha snorts, pulling out the most ridiculous pair she could find.
Marcy scrunches her face as if she ate a sour lemon,“No.”
Sasha shrugs and puts them back. They continue scanning the store.
After a few minutes of the sound of her pen clicking, Marcy groans in frustration and kicks the air. Sasha purses her lips and walks over.
“Hey, don’t worry about it. We’ll find the best glasses.”
Marcy faces her and for the first time today, Sasha sees the deepened eyebags and exhausted expression.
“It’s not the glasses. Nothing’s going right in my life and I'm just frustrated,” she grumbles, rubbing her eyes.
Is she finally opening up? Sasha and Anne had been worrying about Marcy’s state for a while. This type of thing happens a lot; where Marcy would go through a depressive state for a few weeks then come back on top of the world the next day. It was surely unhealthy.
“What’s up?” she tries to be nonchalant.
“Parents are complaining about my grades. I keep having flashbacks,” she explains before blanching, “I mean I don’t mean to complain. I brought this on myself.”
There it is.
“No you didn’t,” Sasha argues. Marcy opens her mouth but Sasha quickly clamps it, “Let me finish. I don't care if I have to keep repeating myself. It was not your fault.”
Marcy nods. Sasha doubts it’s sincere. She moves her hand away regardless.
Marcy quickly looks away and reaches over the shelf, randomly picking a pair of black glasses, “How about these?”
“Of course you’d pick round glasses, nerd.” Sasha rolls her eyes, making sure the affection is evident in her tone. Marcy makes no comment, instead inspecting the object as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world. She puts them on next and Sasha would be lying if she said it wasn’t the cutest thing ever.
Marcy turns to her with an anxious expression, “So… how does it look?”
“Adorable,” slips out faster than Sasha intended.
Marcy purses her lips, “So, good?”
“Amazing. I think this could be your new look.”
A snort, “It has to be.”
Sasha sighs. Her and Anne know the reason behind it. Marcy never told them the exact events of her possession, but they’d heard the story from Yunan and Olivia. Suffice to say, it was not pretty; Sasha hated that she wasn’t there for her.
“Yeah, well,” she responds, “Only you could rock them.”
Marcy cracks a smile at that. Sasha pats herself on the back.
The second they arrive at Marcy’s house, she drags them up the stairs and closes the door. Sasha almost chuckles at the nostalgia of it all.
“So… How does it feel?” she asks, sitting on the edge of her bed.
Marcy paces around, hand extended and moving about. Sasha waits patiently.
She stops after a full minute, “Much better. I didn't even realize my vision was so screwed up.”
That is odd, Sasha thinks. How long had this been going on? According to the doctor, ever since they rescued Marcy from the core.
Sasha sighs and pats a spot on the empty mattress next to her, “Sit.”
Marcy looks over incredulously, “This feels like a lecture.”
Sasha stays quiet. Marcy gives in and takes a seat.
“You need to speak up more.”
A hum. Sasha clicks her tongue in frustration and grabs Marcy’s chin, staring her in the eyes.
“I’m serious. Even if something slightly bothers you, you need to tell Anne and I about it.”
“I don’t want to be a burden,” a hoarse whisper echoes.
“You never are. Not to us.”
When Marcy relaxes against Sasha’s palm, the blonde hopes that Marcy starts to believe it.
-
Marcy thinks she's getting better. Her vision is clearer, which makes her head hurt less. She's sleeping two hours everyday, and she's keeping her grades above average. It's a step forward.
A certain person just doesn't want to believe it.
"Anne, I told you, I'm fine," she groans, avoiding more conversation by buying popcorn.
"I know, I know. I believe you. If something was bothering you, you'd tell me, right?" she asks.
You would tell her, wouldn't you?
"Yeah, 'course." she mutters.
"Okay, good. 'Cuz Sasha told me some worrying things—"
Marcy clenches her teeth. Damn it, Sash.
"Sasha is just exaggerating. She's an overthinker, you know that."
Anne's face is stony, "Never when it's about you."
"You guys talk about me often?" Marcy grumbles.
A sigh rings through the ticketstand, "I don't wanna fight."
Marcy never wants to fight. She just came to enjoy a movie she had anticipated for a while with her best friend. The one person who sticks by her no matter what. She hates fighting with Anne.
"Me neither," she whispers.
A hand is on her shoulder and she resists the urge to punch whoever it is even though her brain knows it's Anne.
"I love you, okay? So does Sash. We just want you to be better."
Marcy flinches. She knows Anne doesn't mean it that way but it's all too familiar to her parents' scolding.
Anne quickly corrects herself, "Health wise. Maybe you should try seeing a therapist? Sash has been seeing one and my appointment starts in a week."
What is she supposed to tell them? How she got stabbed by an oversized newt that claimed to be her father and then got possessed by an unknown horror? She'd be sent to a psych ward.
Not to mention, she has to talk about it all. She can't do that without breaking down. Marcy brings her pen out and starts clicking it absentmindedly.
"I'm not pressuring you," Anne cups her cheek, "I'm just advising, okay?"
Marcy looks into her soft brown eyes that are filled with love and honesty. How could she say no?
"Can we see the movie now?" she whispers and pretends not to see the disappointment that clouds Anne's face.
But, she plasters a smile on and nods, "Of course. Let's go see how Spider-Man saves himself this time."
The movie is sad. Marcy had expected it to be more upbeat but the ending makes her feel far away. It’s still one of the best movies she’s seen in a while. They exit the theater and Marcy turns to look at Anne, who’s hastily wiping her tears.
“Man, that was something,” she sniffles. Marcy nods and goes to rant about her favourite villains, but she stops herself.
They don’t like when you talk about your interests.
“Thoughts?” Anne prods as they walk on the sidewalk. Marcy appreciates when cars start honking and the busy streets are bustling with noise. It buys her more time.
“It was really good,” she says, “I loved what they did with the villains, especially Otto and-”
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
She trails off. Right.
“Hey,” Anne bumps her shoulder gently, “I was listening.”
Was she?
Please, just shut up.
“Marce?”
“Tell it to be quiet,” she whispers. Anne immediately stops moving.
That was fast. I thought it would take more to break you.
“Is that what’s been going on with you?” Anne grabs her arm to stop her from walking. Marcy can tell she’s scanning her eyes for that orange tint that’s not even there.
Marcy swallows, “I thought I could handle it.”
“How long?” Anne asks, anger evident in her tone.
Marcy shrinks back, “Last month.”
It was there ever since she was rescued from the core’s grasp, but it hadn’t been loud until a month ago. She told them about it, but not about how overbearing it had gotten. She was sure she could just ignore it.
You thought you were strong enough but here you are, relying on them again.
Shut up.
Anne takes a deep breath through her nose, “And why was I not informed? You tell Sasha more than you tell me.”
Oh god, no, no, no. She was dreading this ever since she had started sleeping over at Sasha’s whenever she couldn’t stand to be in her own skin. Ever since she knew she could never go to Anne, minus that moment of weakness two weeks ago,
“No,” Marcy whimpers, “Sash doesn’t know either.”
“Sasha knows more than me,” Anne grumbles. Marcy freezes and the panic hits. She’s going to leave her again.
“I didn’t mean to,” she hastily tries to explain, “I’m so sorry. I just didn’t want to bother you and you’re too good and-”
“Am I your friend?” Anne asks. Marcy’s stomach twists with guilt. Yes, you’re my friend. You’re my best friend. You’re my everything.
She nods.
“You have to treat me like one,” Anne insists, “I’m walking on eggshells around you. I just want to be your friend. I want that to be okay.”
Your presence is upsetting her.
Tears pool out of Marcy’s eyes faster than she can wipe them, “What am I doing wrong?”
At that, Anne’s expression softens and she takes her hand, not minding the slight flinch that comes with it. There’s a few seconds of silence as they stare at each other. Marcy adjusts her glasses so she has an excuse to move around.
“You need to confide in me,” Anne says softly, “We all went through heavy stuff and we need each other to get through it. Hell, Sash and I had this whole deep convo in a stranger’s bathroom a few days ago. It was worth it. Talking helps.”
Marcy wonders when Anne had gotten so wise. She was always the wise one of the group.
You have no purpose anymore. They do not need you.
No, they do need me. They want me. It’s why they’re still here.
It’s quiet. Marcy inhales.
“I’ve been sleeping over at Sash’s place a lot,” she starts, “When my house or mind gets too loud she always makes me feel better. Maybe it’s because we’re both fucked up. I dunno.”
“You two are amazing,” Anne refutes, “And hey, I have the occasional nightmare about Amphibia.”
Marcy’s mouth goes dry, “I didn’t mean to undermine your trauma.”
Anne laughs, “I know, don’t worry about it.”
Marcy doesn’t find it funny. Maybe it’s Anne’s way of coping.
“So why’d you come over to my place two weeks ago?” Anne questions. They end up sitting on a nearby bench where not many people were around. Marcy clasps her hand and notes the underlying question on the tip of Anne’s tongue.
What caused your breakdown? Are you okay?
“Um,” Marcy clears her throat, “I was getting stressed. The Newtopian government needed too much from me. My parents were being annoying and uh…”
I have feelings for you and Sasha.
“And the voices were louder than my own thoughts. I didn’t know I was going to your house until I was there. Also, I’m not sleeping a lot but I think you already know that.”
Anne hums and stares forward. Marcy looks at her faraway expression and exhales, following her line of vision. There’s a sunset nearby. Marcy thinks it’s beautiful.
Anne speaks after a few minutes of silence, “What does it sound like?”
“What?”
“The core,” Anne says its name, sending a chill down Marcy’s spine, “In your head. What does it sound like?”
“It depends,” she replies, “Sometimes it’s my parents. Sometimes it’s you or Sash. Other times it’s those Amphibian minds. Most of the time, it’s me.”
Anne turns to look at her.
“Like… a distorted version of me. And it says a lot of shit, Anne. I’m so tired of feeling worthless but it’s always reminding me in the back of my mind-”
Anne leans forward and kisses her forehead. Whatever Marcy was going to say next flies out the window. She basks in the warm feeling of Anne’s lips against her skin.
“You’re not worthless,” she says, “I know you blame yourself for everything that happened and you hate when I try to convince you otherwise but-”
“I know,” Marcy says, “Sasha said the same thing. I’m trying to love myself again. I think it needs time.”
Anne smiles, “I’ll be there with you every step of the way.”
Marcy smiles for the first time in months, “You’re right. I do feel better.”
Anne chuckles. “Told you.”
Anne shifts and nudges Marcy, silently telling her to lay down. Marcy obliges, head now sitting in Anne’s lap. She shivers as Anne threads her fingers through her hair. They hadn’t done this in a while.
“You need to tell the government to fuck off,” Anne says, causing Marcy to pause.
“They need me.”
“You’re sixteen.”
“But-”
“Nope.”
“Anne-”
“Uh uh.”
Marcy sighs. A break from political issues does sound good.
“You need to sleep more,” Anne continues.
Marcy’s eyes are already drooping with exhaustion, “Planning on it.”
It’s quiet. Outside and for the first time ever, in Marcy’s mind.
She drifts off into a dreamless sleep.
-
“Ten full hours of sleep!” Marcy grins toothily, opening the car door and jumping onto Anne’s lap. Sasha whoops from the driver’s seat, leaning back to give Marcy a high-five. Anne wraps her arms around her waist and nuzzles her cheek against Marcy’s neck.
“Proud of you, Marbles.” Anne whispers. Marcy squirms against her breath and lets out a giggle.
“Where are we going, losers?” Sasha turns around, smiling at the sight of her two friends.
“Marcy can decide, since she’s finally taking care of herself.” Anne says.
Marcy flicks her on the forehead, which Anne dramatically winces at. They set coordinates for a carnival that was nearby. Sasha blasts music that none of them like as they meaninglessly chatter about anything and nothing. Topics of conversations didn't really matter to them; it was the fact that they were together that was important.
“Nightmares recently?” Anne whispers as Sasha concentrates on the road.
“Not this week,” Marcy mumbles into her chest. Anne can only pray she doesn’t feel her rapid heartbeat. Why is her heart beating so fast anyway?
“Good. What about…” Anne knocks on Marcy’s head gently, hoping she would understand.
And she does, "It's quieter."
"Good," Anne replies. And that's that.
They arrive at seven when the sun is disappearing and darkness is nigh. Marcy marvels at all the rides and booths while Sasha grumbles something about half of them being rigged. Anne follows them wordlessly, instinctively checking the environment for any sort of threat. Sasha grabs her hand and Anne isn't sure if she had noticed, but it helps distract her anyway.
She feels a tug at her arm, "Anne! Anna-banana, can we ride that one?"
Whatever you want, Marce, she wants to say, then stops herself. She isn't sure Marcy would appreciate that.
"Of course," she quips instead, "That seems fun. Right, Sash?"
Sasha scowls at the sight, "I hate heights."
Since when, she wants to snort—then she remembers. Amphibia had really ruined their perspectives on many things.
"R-right," Marcy mutters, "We can just go do something else! Yeah."
"Nope," Sasha grabs Marcy's shoulder, "I need to get over my fear."
"Sashy, you don't have to." Marcy smiles.
"I'd do anything for you." Sasha replies.
Anne believes it. She would too.
No one throws up, thankfully. Anne keeps a hand on Sasha the entire time while Marcy waves her arms and yells, occasionally reaching to her face to keep her glasses attached. Anne pretends she doesn't feel the thankful kiss on the cheek Sasha gives her after it's over.
"That was the best ride ever!" Marcy exclaims, jumping out of her seat and skipping over to the photo booth. Sasha is still holding onto Anne like her life depends on it, but she doesn't mind. She kind of likes it.
"You good?" Anne asks. Sasha nods and it feels sincere. She doubts her fear of heights is gonna vanish after one occasion, but it's a start.
"Guys! Get in here!" Marcy calls from the inside.
"She seems happier," Sasha supplies.
Anne hums, "Glad we did this."
A scoff, "Glad I convinced you."
"Hey! I wasn't gonna say no." Anne hugs her side.
"Yeah, after I mentioned Marcy you were done for." she laughs.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Guysssss."
"Coming, Marbles."
"Look, you guys are all cuddly." Marcy coos at the photos as they walk under the lights.
Anne blushes, "No we're not!"
Sasha tries to argue but with that huge pink cotton candy in her hand, she manages to look as intimidating as General Yunan when she sees a grubhog.
"Ooh, look at that bear! It looks like Mr. Bubbles." Marcy skids to a stop and points at a stuffed animal hanging from one of the booth prizes.
Anne chokes on her drink, "Who?"
"Dude," Sasha looks offended, "Mr. Bubbles! Marcy's old favourite teddy bear."
"Oh," Anne recalls, "Yeah I always found him creepy."
Marcy gasps, like, full on gasps in shock, "How dare you! You're gonna win this one for me right now."
She snatches the drink out of Anne's hand quicker than she can say no as Sasha stifles a giggle. She gives her a look that says you deserve this.
Anne grumbles. All because of that stupid bear.
"Let's get this over with," she groans before walking up to a random guy tending to the booth, "How much for the bear."
"You gotta hit all the bottles," he gestures with a bored tone. Anne can't blame it. She follows his sight and finds a dozen cheap bottles lining up a table.
Anne looks back at Marcy, who has a scowl on her face. One that says you insult Mr. Bubbles, you pay the price. Anne doesn't have the heart to tell her how adorable the supposed scary scowl is.
"A'ight," she sighs, hand me whatever I need."
They're small balls, enough to knock each one down. It looked like she had to do it all in one go. One mistake would mess it up.
"I could do that in one try," Sasha taunts.
Anne purses her lips, "We'll see about that."
Anne fails— twice. Sasha laughs the whole way through. Marcy breaks her resolve by descending into a fit of giggles every now and then.
"I give up," Anne flaps her hands.
"No, no," Sasha stops chuckling mid sentence, "I'll help you aim. You gotta make it up to Marcy."
"Marcy is laughing at me," Anne crosses her arms.
Said girl wheezes, "You...still...gotta win ...for me."
Sasha smirks and drags her back to the booth. She puts a hand on her waist and Anne loses all the ability to concentrate.
"—so you gotta close one eye and aim the ball to the side of it rather than the middle."
Sasha demonstrates by holding onto her hand and using it to throw. Anne's breath hitches as her face gets closer and closer and—is that chapstick? Strawberry?
They hit the first bottle, but Anne isn't paying attention.
"Whoo, you got one!" Marcy cheers.
Sasha ends up helping with the rest, but it mostly comes from Anne's hand.
"Here you go," the guy says, a hint of amusement in his voice. Great, as if Anne couldn't get any more embarrassed. She all but tosses the bear at Marcy, who fumbles but manages to catch it in time.
"Thanks, Anne!" Marcy says, moving to whisper in Sasha's ear not so subtly, "You too, Sash."
"Glad it's over. What are you naming it?" Anne sighs.
"Hm," Marcy wonders, lifting the bear up, "How about Banana. 'Cuz you won it."
Sasha snorts, "All that just to give it a stupid ass name."
"I think it's cute," Anne shrugs. Marcy celebrates and leaps at Anne, who manages to catch her in time. Marcy plants a kiss on her cheek, opposite from Sasha's.
Anne thinks it was worth it—and that she is never washing her face ever again.
They're heading to a random restaurant nearby when Marcy stumbles slightly and leans against a tree for support.
Anne doubles back, "Whoa, you good dude?"
Marcy pants, "Yeah, just tired."
Sasha snorts, "You really need more muscle for your age."
Marcy shakes her head, "Think it's 'cuz of the injury."
Sasha's face falls as Anne lurches forward to steady her. Marcy leans against her with a look of gratitude.
"I'm sorry," Sasha mutters.
Marcy chuckles, "All good."
Anne feels her trembling and hears her consistent gasps of pain and frowns.
"Do you need to go home?" Anne asks.
Marcy shakes her head quickly, "Don't wanna deal with my parents."
"You can go back to my place." Anne suggests. Marcy ponders, then shakes her head.
"I'm fine, I don't wanna ruin the day." she smiles.
"But-"
"Just give me a few minutes," she presses, "Then we'll keep going."
Sasha, who's been unusually quiet, approaches Marcy gingerly.
"Wanna hop on?" she offers. Marcy grins and nods, immediately jumping on Sasha's back, hooking her legs over the girl's waist. Sasha's hands go to curl behind Marcy's legs, keeping her steady.
"Onward, noble steed!" Marcy smacks the back of Sasha's head lightly, her other hand tightened around her neck.
Sasha grumbles but Anne can see the playful smile fighting to stay on her face.
-
Okay, so, it took Anne a while— and it might’ve taken a lot of tears— and a lot of conversations with her mom, but she finally got there. She finds out that she loves her two best friends, Marcy Wu and Sasha Waybright.
She’s in love with them.
Fuck.
She’s honestly shocked it took her so long. What do you mean you don’t think about kissing your best friends? And holding their hands? And spending the rest of your life with them?
Now, the matter at hand was telling them. Her mother told her it was okay to be in love with multiple people and it wasn't anything odd. Still, all Anne has known since she was young is that it was always supposed to be two people. Two soulmates. Of the opposite gender mostly. Nothing prepared her for three of the same.
What if Marcy and Sasha thought it was weird? What if this would ruin their friendship?
"I would be surprised if they don't feel the same way," her mom had supplied, which caused Anne to tilt her head in confusion. The thought of them liking her back sent a weird rumbling at the bottom of her stomach.
"Butterflies," her mom explained. Anne had pursed her lips and sighed.
Today was the day. Anne had been avoiding them for two days, which is the longest they'd ever gone without talking to each other since Amphibia. There were a few texts that had gone unread and Anne was starting to feel guilty. They didn't deserve this.
Anne ponders in the middle of eating dinner when a doorbell rings. Her dad must be back from buying groceries.
“Boonchuy!” a voice calls out. Anne freezes half-way through her bite. She had wanted to confess today but not now. Anytime but now.
“Anne,” her mom calls from the bathroom, “Will you answer the door?”
Anne wants to say no, but she can’t keep Sasha waiting out there. She gets up, dusting crumbs off her hand and dreading each step she takes closer to the door.
She opens it slowly, unlike how she usually throws the door open in glee when her friend comes over. Shockingly, Marcy is there too, sporting a frown. Sasha has her arms crossed but Anne can tell how relaxed her face gets when they lock eyes.
“Hey,” Anne leans against the wall, trying to act as nonchalant as possible.
“Hey yourself,” Sasha mutters feebly.
“What…” Anne wonders if she should play dumb or get to the point, but getting to the point is confessing and she is not doing that right now, “What brings you two here?”
Marcy purses her lips, “You weren’t answering us for two days. We got worried.”
Sasha nods, “It’s okay if you want your alone time, but you have to tell us instead of straight up disappearing. We’re all paranoid after Amphibia, y’know.”
Sasha says it jokingly but Anne’s insides churn. She hadn’t even thought of how this might look.
“Oh shit,” she rubs her eyes, “I hadn’t even thought of that. I’m really sorry.”
Marcy smiles, “All good. Is there a reason or do you just feel like being alone? ‘Cuz Sashy and I can be on our way.”
“No!” Anne reaches out, grabbing them both. She should let them go and confess another time but something’s stopping her.
She also hates seeing them walk away.
“Come inside and I’ll tell you.” she says instead.
Sasha and Marcy exchange a look, one that says ‘I’m worried’ but they end up following her in anyway.
Anne paces around her room, the occasional finger to her chin. She has to do it. The girls are staring at her from their cross-legged position on the floor. Marcy has taken to braiding Sasha’s hair since it’s been well over five minutes of this.
“Dude, just t- OW, Marce,” Sasha winces, causing Marcy to apologise, “Dude just tell us another time. We won’t be upset.”
Good idea, Sash! her brain says, but her mouth stays quiet.
“Yeah,” Marcy adds, “It’s totally okay if you’re not ready.“
“I just don’t know how you’re gonna take this,” Anne says helplessly.
They both look up.
“Are you dying-”
“Are your parents okay-”
God, Anne was being dramatic.
“No! No!” she waves her hands frantically, “Everyone’s okay, don’t worry.”
“Then take your time,” Marcy hums, “We’ll wait as long as you want.”
The scary part was that Anne had no doubt about it. These girls would do anything for her and she would reciprocate in a heartbeat. They’d wait till the sunrise if it meant Anne was comfortable. As she stares at how Sasha closes her eyes and Marcy plays with her hair, she comes to the realisation that she doesn’t care what life throws at her as long as it’s with them. She wants to spend the rest of her life with these two dorks that are giggling over a failed braid. She wants to kiss them and hold their hand and buy a house with them and get pets and maybe, just maybe get married one day.
Anne doesn’t care if they like her back or not. She isn’t ashamed of being in love with the two people who made her world a better place.
“I’m in love with you,” she says.
Then the world is silent.
They look up.
“Oh,” Marcy squeaks. Sasha’s mouth is parted slightly.
Anne doesn’t regret saying it, but she’s still anxious for their reply. Everyone is so quiet that she can hear her own heartbeat pounding in her ears.
“Um… who?” Sasha asks, and her voice sounds very hoarse.
Anne doesn’t miss a beat, “Both of you.”
Another couple seconds.
“In love in love?” Marcy asks. Anne nods.
“Wow,” Sasha breathes, “Oh wow.”
“Yeah,” Anne sighs, “Look, this doesn’t have to change anything-”
“Me too,” Marcy interrupts. Anne stares at her as Sasha turns back, causing Marcy to drop her hair.
“Since we’re confessing,” Sasha makes a show of exaggerated groaning, “Then same.”
Anne exhales, because no way in hell is this happening. She must be dreaming this it must be some-
“Girls!” her mom chooses that exact moment to burst in, “I made cookies.”
Marcy ends up jumping five feet away from Sasha and Anne gives her mom a light glare. She looks between them all before her eyes widen in realisation.
“I’ll just leave these here,” she says, placing the tray down before giving Anne a wink and bolting out the room. Luckily, it turned out to be the perfect tension breaker and they all burst out into laughter. Sasha gets up and gives Marcy a hand, ruffling her hair. Anne walks towards them.
“So…” she starts.
“So.” Marcy agrees.
“You two are hopeless,” Sasha shakes her head, “God, I can’t believe this.”
“Me neither,” Marcy’s eyes crinkle with joy, “You two like me? For real?”
“Dude, like is a bit of an understatement.” Anne laughs.
“Oh yeah, this one’s liked you for a while.” Sasha says.
Anne turns to her in surprise, “What? I never told you that.”
“You didn’t need to,” Sasha grins, “You were very obvious.”
“Speak for yourself, Sash,” Marcy jumps in, “I see the way you looked at Anne.”
Sasha’s jaw drops.
Anne giggles, “Okay you’re not innocent either, Marce. What was that day in the third temple?”
Marcy grumbles, “I was hoping no one would notice.”
Anne bends slightly to get on Marcy’s level, “Oh, Sasha, I missed you so much you did nothing wrong please save us all.”
Marcy gasps as Sasha looks at her in amusement, “I do not sound like that.”
“We were all blind, huh.” Sasha snorts.
“Yeah,” Anne smiles, “I guess we were.”
It’s quiet, but Anne doesn’t mind. Her mother wasn’t wrong and it’s a shock they all didn’t find out sooner. They end up snacking on the cookies as they start talking about their feelings and what they were going to do about it. Anne suggests that they keep things the way they are but Sasha prefers to slap the girlfriends label on it, which none of them seem to mind. They end up laughing and talking and crying till it’s midnight and it’s everything Anne could’ve asked for. Marcy ends up putting a movie she’s probably seen hundreds of times, but it serves nothing except for being background noise to their conversations.
"How can it be this easy?" Sasha mumbles.
"Because it's just us," Anne says, "It's always been just us."
Marcy chuckles, a sound that has both Anne and Sasha looking at her with fond expressions.
"I just really love you guys," she smiles.
"We love you too," Anne replies. It's so easy. So simple. She presses a kiss to her lips.
Anne pipes up, “Oh, and if this is gonna work you two need to stop putting me on a pedestal.”
Sasha and Marcy look at each other for a split second before turning back to her.
Marcy’s the first to speak, “We don’t put you on a pedestal. You’re not perfect, we know that…”
Sasha continues when Marcy trails off, “You’re just better than us. Make less mistakes, always trying to do the good thing. I sometimes feel like I don’t deserve either of you.”
Marcy snorts, “Same, dude.”
“Well stop it,” Anne grumbles, tucking her face into Marcy’s neck, “You two are the best.”
Marcy hums, planting a kiss on her forehead. Sasha sighs wistfully, adjusting them in her arms. She lowers the volume when the credits start playing. Marcy gasps in exaggerated offence.
“Dude, don’t start.” Sasha chuckles.
“The credits music is the best part!” Marcy argues. Sasha presses a kiss onto her lips which effectively makes her go quiet. Feeling left out, Anne lifts her head up to kiss Sasha, Marcy following up soon after. She flops back against the pillow, eyes fluttering with exhaustion.
Marcy had told her a myth about soulmates once; how humans were created as two but were split in half due to how strong they were—a body forever searching for its other half.
They were three souls, split apart due to how powerful they would be if they remained together. They were tethered souls, connected in this universe and any other. Friends from the second they could form coherent sentences to girlfriends who finally understand each other inside and out. Anne firmly believes that there is no alternate dimension where they aren't bonded. Their love is too powerful to be forgotten even in foreign universes.
Anne loves them dearly, flaws and all; and the rest is confetti.