I wake up to sunlight flooding the room. It’s morning. I check my phone and see it’s at 2%. It’s 11:12 AM. God… what happened last night. I turn in the bed to see Anon; he’s scratched up, his clothes ragged, and his arms covered in cuts. A gash is clearly visible on his face, over his left eye. It’s not deep, and none of the cuts are, but they look like they hurt like shit. I look down at my claws to see them covered in dark red hardened blood… I couldn’t have… how…. I examine Anon some more. I look at his back to see it matches his arms, covered in small scratches. All but a few gashes from the night after prom, those have already started to scar over. As I look at what I have done to one of the only people I love, one of the only people who genuinely care about me, I feel a tear roll down my cheek, followed by another. I can’t help but cry seeing what I did to him. He doesn’t deserve this… I don’t know what he sees in me, but he’s still here after all this. As I try to remember what happened last night, I recall seeing Naser’s corpse-like eyes. I feel a sense of dread washes over me. I feel like a monster… I wanted to kill my own brother. I wanted to kill anyone who didn’t understand me. Even though I don’t want to anymore, those thoughts still clearly haunt me…. I feel the bed shift as Anon slowly rises to meet my eyes…. - - - I wake up to the sounds of Fang softly crying. I’m slowly able to get up… the pain hits me like a truck all at once. I feel the scratches that cover my upper body. What the fuck even happened last night…? - LAST NIGHT - “...No peeking.” Fang’s interest looks piqued, “Alright, staying right here.” I walk into the kitchen, dump a hefty amount of my still half-full bag of dino nuggets onto a baking sheet, and put it in the oven. I’d say there are still a couple pounds left, perfect for lunch tomorrow. I could buy some actual groceries now that I have the money. Maybe I could make something nice for Fang next weekend, hmmm… speaking of which. “Fang?” I meander my way into the living room to see Fang standing like a statue, her feathers raised. She’s holding something, but I can’t see it. I move closer to see Fang’s horrified eyes locked onto the bullet I had forgotten to give Naser; her breathing is hitched and panicked. “Fang?”… no response. She must be having another one of those hallucinations she was talking about. I need to stop this before she starts preening again; I move my hand to the bullet and feel Fang’s hand grip my wrist. I look up to see her eye’s staring into mine wildly. She looks… feral. I put my free hand on her shoulder, “Fang?” Her gaze never leaves mine; she doesn’t say a word. The only sound audible from her is her breathing. I move to take the bullet again with my free hand, and she slashes my arm. “OW! What the fffuck… why?” Then I realize why she’s having a breakdown and is probably seeing some fucked shit, Anon, you fuckin retard. But I didn’t think it was this bad... Whatever, I move to take the bullet again, and she tries to slash my arm away. She looks terrified of me, I manage to get my wrist out from under her grasp, and she loses it. She starts squealing and slashing wildly, her fight or flight kicked in, and she chose fight. I hear the bullet drop to the floor as she tries to rush me. I’m able to get behind her after some struggle and wrap my arms around her; I’m able to slowly make our way down to the bed as she squawks and scratches at everything she can. My clothes, my back, my arms. She’s able to score my eye, luckily not blinding me and just hitting my eyebrow and cheek. Eventually, I can hold her for long enough to where she calms down. Falling asleep in my arms. What the fuck just happened... I remember the oven’s still on and make sure to quietly and quickly get the nuggets out of the oven and turn it off. The last thing we need right now is the apartment burning down. I’m able to put them on the counter and slide back into bed without Fang waking up…. The cuts hurt, but it’s far less worse than the night after prom. I can feel blood drops trickle down my… everywhere. I follow her footsteps and quickly fall asleep; I’m starting to lose hope… But I have to keep pushing, for both of us. - PRESENT - Oh… right. I forced my left eye open as dried blood coagulated on my eyelid, gluing it shut. As I sit up in the bed and my eyes focus, I can see Fang covering her mouth, crying softly with her dark red claws covered in my blood. As she watches me get up, I look down to where I was sleeping to see my blood soaked into the sheets and blanket from the night before. I look back up to Fang sobbing, no longer covering just her mouth but her whole face. I move closer to her, “Fang?” She sniffles, pausing her cries. “Y-yeah?” I looked her up and down to ensure I didn’t hurt her. Last night was pretty rough, “Are…you okay?” She looks at me with confusion and regret in her tone, “I should be the one asking you that….” I got out of bed and grabbed the bullet off the ground, putting it in my pocket. I wasn’t even able to change out of my clothes last night, so I put on a new shirt and the only other pair of jeans I own, switching the bullet to the new jeans pockets. I really need to give the bullet to Naser. I feel the scabs on my back tear as I stretch down and back up, changing my clothes. I turn to Fang, and she looks… tired but not physically. She seems mentally worn down. I feel awful, I should’ve given that bullet back to Naser days ago, but my fuck-up has led to, well, this. I take a moment to examine my wounds, which look better than they feel, like paper cuts lining my arms, eye, and back. Fang glances between the scratches and my eyes, looking for something to say before looking down at the bed with guilty eyes, “... I’m sorry, Anon….” I return to the bed sitting next to her; I feel another scab reopen every time I move. I try to find the words to fix this. I’m not really mad at her; she can’t control those episodes. I feel bad more than anything. “I uh- It’s okay, Fang.” She slowly looks up at me as tears fall from her eyes and shakes her head slowly. “But, it’s not. It’s not okay, Anon. I hurt you….” I put my hand on her shoulder, once again trying to find the right words to say, “These scratches… they’re only temporary. They don’t hurt that much, I promise.” She looks at me unconvinced, her hands down in her lap now. Her breath hitches as the last of her tears fall before she wipes them away. Any that remained in her eyes or cheeks is now on her arm. “It doesn’t matter how much they hurt, Anon. I-I still hurt you.” I sigh and rub my neck, thinking about what I want to say next. I’m at the end of my rope here. “Listen, Fang. That wasn’t… you.” Good start, “You couldn’t control yourself. That’s why I’m not mad at you. In fact, it’s my fault for what happened last night.” She looks at me confused, “What do you mean? How was last night possibly your fault?” I look down at the blood-soaked bed, “I planned on giving the bullet to Naser a couple days ago. I just… forgot. It slipped my mind. I didn’t expect you to be over, so I didn’t worry about it too much.” She huffs, still not convinced by my words. “It’s just… that shouldn’t have happened to you, of all people. I love you, Anon. I wouldn’t ever do that on purpose….” I look back at her, “That’s exactly why I’m not mad at you. I love you too, Fang.” I look at the time, and a small sigh escapes my lips; it’s almost 12. Moe would kill me if I’m late. I still gotta work today. I can’t tell Moe Fang’s hurt. He’d interrogate me up and down… probably would tell Fang’s dad too. I don’t have to work for long, though, only a few hours, but I’d hate to leave Fang here alone. I text Naser, “Yo, can you pick Fang up any time soon?” His response is more spaced out than usual, “Not at the moment. I can get there around five.” Fuck. He’s gonna be here later than I will. My only other option is sending her with Monarch, “Hey, Fang?” She looks away from what she was spacing out at, “Yeah?” “Moe’s making me work Saturdays, and I don’t want to leave you here alone. Naser won’t be here until five, so the only other option is catching a ride with Monarch. Do you wan-?” She looks me dead in the eyes, “No.” “O-kay, then you’re cool with staying here while I work? I’ll be back around four.” She thinks for a second and nods, “Yeah, that’s fine with me. Just bring me something back, please. Meteor pizza, remember.” I get up to take a shower, “Noted. I’ll be out in a sec.” After the shower, I put on a new change of clothes and kiss Fang on the forehead, “You sure you’re okay staying here alone?” She smiles warmly at me, nodding slowly, “Yeah, I won’t burn the house down, promise.” I kiss her again before making my way out the door and calling Monarch. I have to meet him on the outskirts of Skin Row now, I hop in the backseat of his car, and he makes his way to Moe’s in record time. I hop out, thanking Monarch, and make my way inside. It is packed in here. Not a single table open and a line stretching out the door. Guess a lot of people had plans for a Saturday lunch. Moe moved me to the kitchen since a new hire came in to fill my janitor position. He’s teaching me how to make pizzas now… wonder if I can sneak in a meteor pizza... or two. - - - Anon has been gone for about an hour now… this is unbearable. I should’ve gone with that stupid taxi driver. I check my phone to unsurprisingly find out it’s dead. It’s been dead. I’m pretty sure this is the 30th time I’ve checked. I let out a long sigh and planted my back against the bed. My mind starts wondering about the past week as I stare up at the ceiling… I still can’t get over Trish. I know why she did it, and yet I still can’t believe that that’s why. Such a stupid fucking reason instead of just talking about it. Why didn’t she just talk about it? And Anon, I feel so bad for him… he’s put up with me all this time, and to return it, I scratch the everloving shit out of him. I feel a pinch as I instinctively pluck a feather from my wing; my mind is distracted, and my headache is temporarily sated. The thought of Trish and what I did to Anon returns, and I pluck another feather… and another. I notice I’m dripping blood onto Anon’s bed and make my way to the bathroom, looking at the cracked toilet… I did that. What the fuck is wrong with me. I close the door, keeping the lights in the bathroom off. I don’t even want to look at myself. Every time Trish or what I did pops into my brain, I feel rage fill my head. Why can’t I stop thinking about her… why won’t my mind let me stop…. - - - I made sure to make two meteor pizzas after our date yesterday. She eats that shit fast. Monarch and I make small talk on the way back to the apartment. Apparently, he’s hired some more drivers, making the business his own, so he’s making bank. I hop out, tipping him handsomely, and making my way up to my door. I crack it open to see… blood? The blood rushes away from my hands as I move into the apartment. I put the pizzas on the desk and see a trail of blood leading from my bed to the bathroom door. Oh god… Fang… what did you do… please be okay... I slowly open the door to see Fang pluck another feather as she stares at nothing. Her hands are covered in her own blood from hours of preening. Her face is expressionless, soulless. I quickly move to my knees in front of her, “Fang?!” Her eyes refocus as she slowly lifts her head to meet my eyes. Just looking at her makes my stomach churn. I feel tears roll down my face. “Are… are you okay?” That might be the most retarded question I’ve ever asked. I turn on the bathroom light and see countless bald spots covering her arms and wings. I hug her tightly, making sure to avoid her bald spots, crying hard onto her shoulder, “I’m… so sorry, Fang.” She returns the hug whispering something I can’t hear. She sounds like she’s about to pass out. I move back and look down to see she’s sitting in a small pool of her own blood. Her jeans were soaked with viscous red fluid. I slowly pick her up and move her onto the toilet. I examine all her wounds and grab her backpack, pulling out the bandages. I look at her, and she stares at the bandages and me blankly, like she doesn’t care. “H-hey uh… I need you to take off your clothes so I can patch you up, okay?” She slowly takes off her clothes. The blood makes them stick to her body. Peeling them off must feel like ripping off duct tape. She hisses through her teeth as the last of her shirt unsticks from her body. I try my best to keep my composure as I see more bald spots on her chest and back. I can wrap her up like a mummy using all the gauze bandages, and I get her one of my shirts. She puts it on without saying a word. I help her up to the bed and grab a bottle of water for her. We sit in silence for ages until she says, “It’s my fault….” I look over at her, confused. Her eyes are half-lidded. “...What?” She slowly turns her head to me, repeating herself, “It’s my fault….” “What is?” I tilt my head slightly. “Everything. All of this. If it wasn’t for me, none of this would have happened. You wouldn’t have had to deal with me. I’m sorry, Anon.” I move closer to her, placing my hand on hers, “I wouldn’t change a thing, Fang. I love you more than words can describe.” “Why.” “Why do I love you?” Fang nods, “Why do you stay with me repeatedly even after I fuck up so much….” I look at her with a slight frown, “Fang… you don’t fuck up, I promise. I care about you… so, so, much. I have hope that we can do better.” She looks a bit confused, “...do better?” I nod, “Yeah, do better. Like I help you grow, you help me grow.” Fang looks at the floor, thinking, “do better….” There’s silence between us. She looks deep in thought… I can’t help but stare at the bandages. I’m able to hold back my tears, biting my lip. I’m so stupid. I shouldn’t have left her alone after last night… I should’ve known something like this would’ve happened. I glance over at my desk, see the two pizza boxes, and get an Idea. Hopefully will make her feel a bit better. I take the opportunity to get up and grab a pizza box, “I uh… got you some meteor pizza if you still wanted some.” The grumbling in her stomach tells me all I need to know, and I slide the box onto her lap. Still warm luckily. She looks at me with a soft smile before slowly eating the pizza, clearly weakened from preening. She looks better after eating. To be fair, we haven’t had anything to eat in the past 24 hours besides a hotdog and some of the same pizza. I text Naser as she eats her pizza. “Uh, hey man, change of plans. Can she stay another night? She’s in pretty bad shape.” Naser’s text bubble appears and disappears before he writes what seems like a paragraph, “Alright, she needs to be home by Sunday night, tho. I’ll come up with something for my Dad. Do your thing, Anon.” I nod at my phone, ‘do your thing.’ I get up, preemptively grabbing the other box before Fang finishes the first and trading out the empty box for a full one. At least this makes her feel a little better. I think for a moment about how I could lighten the mood a little, and I pull out my phone as Fang starts her last slice. She seemed to really enjoy slow dancing back at her parent’s place before her dad interrupted. I put on some Frank Sinraptor and stood up, putting my phone on full blast, sitting it on the desk, Fang watching me all the while. Hope this works… I turn off all the lights except my desk lamp and offer my hand to Fang, looking into her eyes and smiling softly. Fang’s smile grows wider as she slowly moves her hand toward mine. She stands up and puts her hand on my shoulder. I put mine around her waist, and we start slowly swaying to the music. The only thing illuminating us is the desk lamp as Strangers In The Night plays. It seems like this is just what she needed after everything that’s happened… I think I did too. She looks into my eyes as we sway around the room, not speaking a word. Just the two of us… fuck off, Bill Withers…. Actions