Title: Unlikely Valentine
Status: Complete
Characters: Anon, Fang, Ripley
Rating: SFW
Classification: One-Shot
Author: Potato_Anon
Summary: A alternate universe where Anon and Fang meet under different circumstances. How will Anon cope with the stresses induced upon him from Fang's overprotective Father, Ripley.

-Prologue-

Its a cold day in Rock Bottom, halfway through December and it already looks like snow is on the forecast. Not the pleasant powdery snow you see along the north border; no this is piss poor driving conditions, ice fucking everywhere kind of snow, that makes you wish you lived in the desert. You sigh to yourself as you slide into your parka, your truck still idling in the parking lot as you await a text from Brianna. You've only been dating since October, but these past few weeks have gone by incredibly slow; you'd be lying if you said you haven't been enjoying it though. She's way outta your league too, started talking at a Halloween party and it just kinda kicked off. Alcohol may have been involved, but that's neither here nor there.

The two of you have been on a few dates when you could find the time between work and school. Since then you've been awaiting winter break about as patiently as one could expect. Nothing serious has happened yet, but you have been careful to not push things; the last guy she was with was supposedly an abusive prick who tried to rape her. Tonight might be the night you can finally try something, having booked a reservation at a fairly well liked mom & pop Italian place near the center of town. Only a few thousand people live here, so it's not like one of those fancy joints you'd see in a big city. But her seeing you putting fourth such an effort into this might give her more trust in you.

After another glance from your phone, something peculiar catches your attention. An individual walking down the sidewalk mere feet from your parked vehicle. A dino girl, maybe about your age. An odd sight for sure, theres only a few dozen in this town and they are all homeless to your knowledge. Upon further investigation, she appears horribly underdressed and ill prepared for the weather, carrying a guitar case and duffel bag. Her short cut tank top and holed denim pants doing absolutely no good with the temperature straddling freezing. Opting to help the poor girl, you remove your key from the ignition and engage the parking brake. Giving one last glance to your phone, you approach the... pterodactyl?

Her appearance is no doubt foreign to you, this is definitely the first time you've ever laid eyes on a female ptero. The males sport streamlined leathery wings, and thin crests that run centerline along their heads, females carry this... angelic appearance. Silvery feathered wings, and eyes that glow with confidence.

Wait, eyes? She wasnt even looking at you, how the hell did you see her ey- She's staring daggers at you, the base of her mouth forming a snarl.

"Fuck do you want skinnie prick?"

The language has you taken aback, freezing you in your tracks. Swallowing the knot in your throat, you stumble with your sentence slightly.

"I... uh... was just wondering if you wanted some help, you looked kinda cold."

You give your best attempt at innocence, but she doesn't buy it.

"Get fucking lost you bald freak. I can manage on my own."

After hurling the insult, she turns about and continues kn her way. To say her words hurt would be an understatement, a "no thanks" would suffice. Choosing to let it pass, you turn towards the strip mall. A sign reading, "Paissano's" marks the destination of your long planned date night. The restaurant is nothing spectacular, nestled between a dry cleaner's and bail bond office. It definitely feels more like a "hole in the wall" kind of place, the food more than makes up for any ill concieved opinions however.

Approaching the door, you hold it open for an elderly couple as they make their way out of the venue. After a 'thank you' and a summary nod, you find yourself being guided by the waiter towards a booth for two. Another quick glance at your phone yields no results, your notification bar still empty. Upok taking your seat, you feel an oncoming argument with your brain.

*'Maybe she went and made other plans'.

'No dont be silly, she just forgot to charge her phone.'

*'She never leaves home without it, and she texted you just a few hours ago.'

The realization hitting as you glance back at your phone doesn't make you feel any better.

*'She doesn't give a damn about you.'

'That's not fucking true! She probably just got held up somewhere.'

*'She never engages with you for making plans, you always approach her for these piss poor excuses for dates.'

You prepare a retort, but your attention is pulled back to reality as a waitress attempts to get your drink order.

"Iced tea, and a basket of breadsticks... please."

As she scurries back to the kitchen, you pull the hood of your jacket over your head and cup your eyes; elbows resting on the surface of the table. Your attempt at drowning out the ambiance of the ever growing congregation of people.

*'Hide from me all you want, I'm not going anywhere.'

'I'm not hiding from you, asshole.'

*'Well you're clearly hiding from someone then.'

'I'm trying to block the ambiance, and you aren't helping.'

*'Oh boo fucking hoo, grow a pair. Bree's probably at her Ex's cheating on your sorry ass right now.'

You fight the urge to slam your hand down on the table as the waitress returns, appetizer and drink in hand; ready to take your order. You weigh your options, it is rude to order ahead of your date, but being left in the dark as to her whereabouts is probably worse. Skipping lunch today also hasn't done you any favors.

"Pork and chicken calzone, extra parmesan."

You watch as the waitress makes her rounds through her seating area before returning to the kitchen. Hopefully some breadsticks will shut your mind up, because this is shaping up to be a shitty night already.

The next half hour was pure agony, every few seconds you would glance at the door to no avail, your head constantly fucking with you. Having polished off the breadsticks, your main course finally arrives. And immediately upon taking your first bite, you feel your appetite disappear. On the bright side, your ever pissed off inner monologue has downgraded into an ear splitting migraine.

Calling for a check and to-go box, you leave a few bills as you pack up and leave the establishment. The walk through the parking lot is cold and depressing. Unlocking your driver door, you place your food on the center arm-rest.

Instead of climbing in however, you decide to do something a little different. You slam your door and begin your trek down the darkened city streets.

'A night time walk ought to clear my senses.'

One final glance at your phone yields no unread messages as the distance between you and your truck grows. Exhaling, you ultimately decide to turn it off for the night.

'Looking down at the screen constantly is the last thing I need right now.'

Sliding the device into your front pocket, you continue onward into the night. The soft hum of transformers filling the winter ambience as most animals have begun their hibernation. Aged streetlamps illuminate the roads as a light snowfall begins.

'First snow of the season huh? Hopefully it doesn't get worse.'

Having passed a few blocks from your parking spot, you decide to turn the nearest corner and loop back. Rounding the exterior of the run down brick building, you catch something, rather someone's legs sticking out from an alleyway.

***

'Who does that skinnie freak think he is?'

He's just standing there, dumbstruck; obviously never been told to fuck off before. Typical entitled behavior from one of 'those' people.

Walking off, you pay him no mind. Its cold as hell outside and you are underdressed for sure, but you can manage. You didn't run from home to just get coddled by the first stranger that gives you the time of day.

Slipping into a coffee shop on the next block over, you order something warm to fill the void in your stomach.

'Might have to bum for a few days out here until I can figure put a place to stay.'

You log into the wifi and take a glance at your phone. Your service doesn't extend this far out into the boonies, but that doesn't bother you. Who knows how much your parents are blowing up your phone after you snuck out. This'll teach your asshole dad to not get in a screaming match with you again.

'If he would just let things play out, instead of trying to strongarm authority onto everything that he lays eyes on; maybe I'd still be at home.'

You stay at the cafe until their closing time, the sun having set and what little warmth it provided slowly fading into the darkness of mother winter. After stepping outside, you rummaging through your bag only to find nothing of use for cold weather.

'Figures, I probably should have been a little more careful when packing.'

Narrowing your eyes as you march on through the cold, weighing your options.

'Maybe there's a department store I can grab a coat from before they close for the night.'

Turning right down a side road, you hear multiple pairs of footsteps approach you from an alleyway. Just as you turn around to face the noise, you feel a mass of something make contact with your face. The shock sends a wave of pain through your body as alarms blaze. Mere moments later, you feel the cold embrace of the concrete as your body falls limp; conciousness evading you as pain overtakes your body.

***

Theres a few feet between the streetlights, but you know a pair of legs when you see them. Hurrying over, you kneel down to what you assume is an arm. Running the length with your fingers and the coarseness of the skin gives you the impression that this is a homeless dino.

As your eyes adjust to the darkness, more and more features make themselves known to you: an elongated snout, feathered wings, a light blue... body...

'This is the girl from earlier, but what's she doing passed out in the dark?'

Leaning down to pick the poor girl up, you get a good look at her face; her right eye appears swollen shut.

"Looks like ya got mugged huh?"

As expected, there is no response to your question.

'She's out, I better get her somewhere warm or she could very well die out here.'

You straighten your back as you heft the unconcious ptero off the ground. Her slender figure is deceiving, she must weigh about as much as you do. Thankfully you're only parked a few blocks away.

Taking time to analyze her face in the passing glow of street lamps, her angelic appearance now sullied from the gnarly black eye that blemishes her face. Along with a myriad of bruises dotting her face and arms.

As you usher your legs onward, you feel a strong pulse against your chest.

'Well she had a heartbeat at the very least, hopefully shes not co cussed though.'

Keeping your eyes affixed ahead, you finally make out the silhouette of your truck on the edge of a now empty parking lot. Marching across the street, you take a peek down at your rescuee once more, eyes still closed; but her arms have shifted to mimicking the pose of a mummy. Both of her hands cupping a shoulder in an unconscious attempt at keeping warm.

"Almost there, just hang in there."

Your voice falls upon deaf ears, but you don't really care at this point. Gently setting her down against your front right tire, you wrench the passenger door open; and muscle her into the seat. After getting her situated and buckled, you make your way to the driver's seat. Pressing the clutch and twisting the key, your truck roars to life. Quickly disengaging the parking brake, you work the shifter and pedals as you exit the parking lot.

The drive to your house is slow and quiet, save for the humming of your exhaust, you did take care to turn the radio off at least. Considering her earlier hostility towards you, suddenly waking up in your car after having been knocked clean out doesn't sound like a fun time.

You find yourself glancing at your passenger whenever an exterior light illuminates her, her punk appearance is no doubt captivating.

Soon enough you reach your destination, and the drive comes to an end. Shifting to neutral and engaging the brake, it feels as if a weight has been lifted from your shoulders; your head has been awfully quiet since you left for your walk.

'Maybe I can get a good night's sleep finally.'

Then you feel a frown grow on your face as you remember the presence of your new companion.

"Oh right, I'll have to keep an eye on you now, huh?"

'No response still, why do I even bother anymore?'

Leaving her alone for the time being, you grab your leftovers and approach the front door to your house.

'Dad won't be out on shore leave for atleast another week, so I've got time to figure this trainwreck out.'

As the deadbolt clicks open, the familiar smell of your house wafts into your nose. Rushing to the kitchen, you place the styrofoam tray into the fridge, before you move to the living room couch. Shoving the coffee table aside, you unfurl the futon; snagging a couple blankets and pillows from a nearby closet. You throw them towards the outstretched bed and make your way back outside.

Clicking open the passenger door, you gaze upon your guest once more. Reaching under her, you can feel her body heat has normalized; and her heartbeat has also recovered to a much steadier pace. Slowly moving her out of the seat, you kick the door closed with your heel and begin the final stretch of your journey. Reentering the living room, you are met with a familiar creature. A (fairly large) tabby cat you rescued a while back, aptly named "Steve" resting on the stack of blankets you haphazardly tossed towards the couch.

You untie and pry off her boots, trying your hardest not to rouse her slumber. Thankfully, no such thing happens; you slide her towards a pillow and drape the blankets over her body after shooing your affectionate moron away from the pile.

Your inner deviant is tempted with the idea of joining her in bed, you quickly overcome such lewd thoughts however. Eventually opting for the recliner, situated a few feet from the sofa. Kicking your shoes off and killing the lights, you recline the chair and find that Steve has made himself comfortable on your lap. You didnt even check the time when you got home, and you really couldn't be assed regardless; your eyelids grow heavy as the purring of your feline companion aids your drift into comatose.

***

*VZZZZZZZZZZZZP*

*VZZZZZZZZZZZZP*

*VZZZZZ-*

"Ahem, hello?"

-"Hey uh.. Rip, I think I got us a lead."

"Well go on and tell me then Clem, I'm all ears."

-"Head on over to the grayhound terminal, I'll be waiting outside for ya."

"And this information you've gathered must be withheld from the phone... why exactly?"

-"You made me come in on my day off, get your ass outta the precinct and do your own damn dirty work."

"This can be the last day you work, if that's how you want to behave."

-"Alright alright, jeezus. I have reason to believe your daughter took a greyhound one way, due north of Volcaldera yesterday morning."

"Yeah, bullshit. I filtered through all departures between the rail and bus networks with no luck."

-"She didn't use your last name you numbskull, she used that cute nickname she gave herself, and stuck Lucy in place of her last."

"That's not a damn nickname, shes trying to change into something different, just to spite me."

-"Well if that's how you see it, no fukkin wonder she ran away."

"What was that... Lieutenant Morsbey?"

-"She took a bus to a place in Fresno County, known as Rock Bottom, its bordering the mountains. Follow my lead or don't, I'm going home to spend time with my family."

The call drops before you can give him an earful.

'You're lucky you can bowl a near perfect bracket, otherwise I'd eject your ass from the force.'

Making a mental note of your daughters potential whereabouts, you trudge through the building to the chief's office. You don't even bother knocking, opting to scare your subordinate as he most likely didn't expect you to be in today.

As the door creaks open, you notice his eyes dont even leave the mound of paperwork that covers his desk.

"Care to kno-"

His mouth hangs ajar mid sentence and his eyes swing wide open. You let out an amused grunt as he attempts to salvage the conversation.

"C-c-commisioner Aran... w-what can I do for you?"

"Small town in Fresno county, get in contact with the county Sheriff's office and forward me their frequencies. Can you manage here for the time being? I may be gone for a little."

"Yes sir."

"Now that's what I like to hear."

You can practically hear him exhale in relief over you shutting the door to his office. Continuing on, you make your way to the motor pool and hop into your unmarked Dodge Charger.

Peeling out into the city streets, you blare your siren and make a beeline for the interstate. You'll be damned if traffic got in the way of saving your daughter.

Merging through the on ramp and stomping the throttle to the floor, you glance at the gps screen.

"Five hours following the speed limit huh?"

Your supercharged V8 makes quick work of accelerating beyond 100 mph. Opting to ease the gas at around 120, you engage cruise control in the far left lane at breakneck pace.

After about 3 hours of scaring the tar out of motorists, you reach your designated exit ramp. About 20 miles remain between you and rock bottom, so you tune into the county sheriff department frequency and make your intentions loud and clear.

"Attention all units-attention all units, this is commissioner Ripley Aran of the Volcaldera PD currently following the trail of a missing person case. Subject is a: light blue, Pteradon Female, aged eighteen, silver hair and wings, stands about 5'10". Last believed to be in the town of Rock Bottom. Over."

A few seconds pass before a response is heard.

-"10-4 sir, I have four units allocated at the moment, you know who to call if you need a 10-33. Over."

"Message received, dispatch, over and out.

Being out and about on duty feels nice, it's been quite a while since your last patrol. A tad morbid since its your daughter's life on the line, but you'll never complain about a silver lining to anything.

You flick your code 3 off as you pass the city limit sign. Theres a damn good chance she'll run when she sees your car, best to play it cool.

Cruising from stoplight to stoplight, you take in the serene slowness of small town life. Rock Bottom doesn't seem all that bad, besides the near 99% human census. You wouldn't consider yourself racist, you just don't lile 'em.

It only feels like a few minutes before a call comes through the radio.

-"All units-all units, this is officer Warren, I have eyes on our missing person. Appears to be riding with a: Human, Male, Red toyota truck, moving to intercept, corner of main street and Hodges road. Over."

'There she is!'

Plugging the info into your gps, you flick back on your code 3 and punch it.

***

All is quiet, nice and peaceful sleep. Until... it isn't actually quiet.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

You feel a weight push from your lap as the unexpected outburst reverberates through the room. Falling about in a panic, you flip over the armrest of your impromptu bed; doing your best impression of a plank of wood as you fall face first on the vinyl floor.

Repositioning your limbs and pushing your weight from the floor, your eyes meet those of the pterosaur girl from the night prior.

A stunned silence overtakes the house, as the two of you remain motionless.

"What. The. Fuck! Am. I. Doing. Here?"

With your oud head still reeling from the impact, you fail to notice her getting up from the bed and approaching your position on the floor. The girl towers over your figure as she reaches a hand down. Encapsulated on her amber glare, little attention is payed elsewhere. You lift your right arm up to meet hers, contact is not made however. Instead you feel a warm grasp around your neck, her claws digging into your skin.

"Answer. My. God. Damned. QUESTION!"

As she jostles your body, you feel sense return; quickly giving her an answer.

"I... saved... you..."

You choke up the words, but she understood. Releasing her iron grip as you gasp for air.

Feeling her glare intensify, you prepare for a barrage of either questions of punches.

"Bullshit, how am I supposed to believe you after waking up sore all over and with a black eye."

You take a moment to consider your next words carefully. She could easily gut you with the talons that anoint her fingers.

"Are your clothes still on?"

You could swear her serious demeanor dropped for all but a second as a red tint overtook her face. This was short lived however, as her scowl only grew with intensity. An outstretched palm making contact with your cheek, the pain was ear splitting and the sound was deafening. You retained enough of your equilibrium to avoid kissing the floor at the very least.

As your vision stabilizes, an accusatory finger meets your gaze.

"You ARE going to tell me everything that happened la-"

*GRRRRRRRRRRRRMMMMMM*

The girl's once menacing look fell flat as her stomach did its best impression of a landslide.

"Hungry?"

Her expression remains unchanged as you inch your way across the floor backwards. After dragging your ass for a few feet; you scurry into the kitchen and pry the refrigerator open like your life depends on it.

"I've got a mostly intact calzone from last night."

Looking away from the near empty fridge, your guest has manifested by your side. An outstretched arm motioning for you to hand over the leftover dinner.

"You gotta heat it u-"

You cease speaking, but your mouth remains ajar. She just devoured the breaded turnover in a matter of seconds.

"Well I-"

You are cut off yet again, this time by an earth-shattering belch. The magnitude giving your dad a run for his money.

"That hit the spot, anything else baldylocs?"

'Baldylocs?'

"Wha- No! That's all I had without an hour or so of prep."

"Eh, tough shit, we're going out to eat then."

Reprocessing the last few minutes in your head, you motion towards the door as you grab your wallet and keys. You notice your companion lacing up a nice pair of Doc-Martens as you head out the door to warm your truck.

Pressing the clutch and cranking the starter, your trusty shitbox roars to life. The passenger door opens as you begin sifting through the center console for a cassette.

"Holy shit cassette tapes? The fuck are you, some sorta' boomer wannabe?"

"M...my dad gave me these."

"Okay, who the fuck is Krokus anyway? Sounds like a retarded frog."

"They... it's a band."

"Yeah, no shit, it's on a cassette, dork."

"What's your name, actually?"

Her chuckling stops, probably expecting some witty response, but you threw her an autistic curve ball.

"Fang, my name... its, Fang."

"What like, a tooth? Pretty weird name for a girl, but I've never got to know a dino. So maybe that kinda thing's pretty common among your kind."

Slotting "Dirty Dynamite" into the head unit, you "introduce" yourself.

"Well I'm Anon, nice to meet ya Fang."

You were expecting her to say a lot of things in response. Something along the lines of, 'Hah, Ay-non, that sounds fucking stupid.' Or 'Did your dumbfuck mom name you before she died?' Somehow Fang goes above and beyond.

A clawed hand grapples your neck; squeezing with the strength of a trigger holding a bucket of fried tofu chicken.

"I AM NON BINARY YOU PRICK!"

Against your better judgement, or the sudden lack of bloodflow to your brain. You decide to push it a step further this time by being a smart-ass.

"What... like... a.. compu...ter?"

This sets something primal off within Fang. Her (or their?) unoccupied fist quickly finds itself connecting with your face.

*FFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUCK! OH MY GOOD FUCKING CHRIST THAT HURT, FUCKING WHYYYYYYYYY!"

As you reel from the shock and grasp your head in agony, Fang retreats to their seat. A hint of guilt now adorning their face.

"I-"

"Shuddup, we're going to get Krystal, and you're going to like it."

Your right eye is definitely swollen, but that's a problem for future you; current you is hungry.

With the engine having warmed near enough to operating temperature, you shift into reverse and hit play on the radio.

https://youtu.be/aO8cDWVENgM?si=zKdqcA21kK14hFgU

Exiting the driveway; the cab of your truck is overtaken with the reverberations of a guitar and bass. Thanks in small part to an amp driving a pair of 12" subwoofers.

We sleep all day and work all night
When its dark we feel alright
Thunder and lightning hit the sky
Rainbows rising we're ready to fly

No more troubles
No more chains

I live my life the way I do
We play it wild in a human zoo

Save for the glass shattering level of bass, the drive is remarkably quiet. The song lasting about until you pull into the greasy fastfood joint. You opt to kill the music before you blow out the microphone in the drive-thru with the next song.

-"Welcome to Krystalburger, can we interest you in the breakfast special?"

"No thanks, just... uhhhh... 24 sliders, a large sprite, aaaaaaaand."

Looking over to Fang, sh-they appear lost in their own little world until I snap my fingers.

"Drink?"

"Whatever you're having."

"Make that two sprites, and that'll be all."

-"17.22, second window."

Pushing the shifter to first, you let idle power take care of it.

"Krystalburger? Your taste in food is just as bad as your taste in music."

"My shit taste in food didn't seem to stop you from eviscerating that calzone."

"A broken clock's still right twice a day."

'Yeah, whatever.'

Scrounging for coins in your cupholder, you pair them with the proper amount of bills to make exact change. Being granted a few minutes of silence as they prep the larger than average order; you begin to pry into Fang's current predicament.

"Sooooo... what even brought you out here anyway? Nearest city is Fresno, and you passed them by about a half hour. I think I saw you with a guitar case yesterday, do you play in a band or something?"

A quick glance to your right would indicate Fang is off in la-la land; but a response formulates on their lips rather quickly.

"I was just lookin' to move out of my parent's house and find myself, ya know? They're always so overbearing, kinda' like a mix of abusive-helicopter parenting. With screaming instead of actual physical abuse."

"I uhh, don't really know how you feel. My Mom died giving birth to me, and my Dad's busted his ass to provide for me ever since."

Choking up for a second, you continue speaking as you hold back a few tears.

"He's a Captain in the navy now, met my Mom back when he was still an Ensign. Thankfully his pay was more than capable of covering anything I may need. Even with that, I still never gave him any lip and strove to be the best damn son he could ever ask for."

As you blink away a few tears, your attention is dragged away from the conversation as the cashier reappears with food and drink in hand.

Fang looked as if they were entranced; you are unsure how bad life was at home for her, but you decide to keep quiet. Sh-they can talk whenever they are ready to.

Pulling out of the parking lot, you work your gearbox as your truck accelerates. You start looking for a spot to park and enjoy the tray of mini heart attacks you ordered.

Except this didn't happen; you spot a county sheriff patrol car careening down a side road, sirens and lightbar ablaze. Thankfully the sound draws enough of your attention to slam on the brakes, narrowly avoiding a collision.

The Ford Explorer blocks your path of travel and you feel adrenaline begin pumping as a panic sets in. The officer jumps out of his seat, gun at the ready screaming for you to disembark. Engaging the e-brake, you hastily comply.

"MOVE SLOW, HANDS IN THE AIR!"

"Anon, what the hell's happening?"

"I don't fucking know, just stay calm okay?"

Diverting attention to the deputy, you hear a siren of different pitch approaching from your 6 o'clock. An unmarked Dodge Charger, the unmistakable hum of a big block V8 propelling the car to a ridiculous speed noone should achieve within a city.

Swerving to block your only feasible route of escape, you stand with your mouth ajar at the figure that emerges.

***