It’s been a couple of days since the shooting at Dino Moe’s. I’ve spent every last minute since by Anon’s side, unwilling to go home and leave him. My eyes gently crack open as the morning light pours into the room. I look at him silently sleeping in bed. The color has returned to his face and he doesn’t look like he is in constant pain anymore. The first few days were rough, watching him wince with every slight movement. It reminds me of when I was here, barely alive, and even breathing was agonizing. I guess we are lucky it only broke his shoulder. It could have been so much worse.

I pull my wing back behind me and I slowly brush my arm across his chest as I get up. I shake off the night’s rest and stretch my wings. He mumbles a little but he’s not awake just yet. I walk over to the window and close the blinds a bit, reducing the light to a comforting warm glow. I turn to look back at him in that bed. I used to wonder what it felt like for him, to have seen me so hurt that day I tried to kill myself. I don’t have to wonder anymore…it hurts. It hurts so much to see him like this. I never want to come here again; I never want to see anyone I love hurt like this. Please…let this be the last time I have to watch him suffer so much.

I wipe my tears away from my eyes with my shoulder, sniffling as I sigh. “Hey, sweet tooth. You okay?” I’m pulled from my thoughts by his voice as he wakes up.

I quickly dry off the rest of my tears before I nod. “Yeah. Just so happy to see you are okay.” I walk over to him, taking a seat on the bed beside him. I rest my head on top of his. “I was so scared I was going to lose you.”

He puts an arm around my waist as he pulls me close to him. “Can’t get rid of me that easily. If concrete stairs couldn’t put me down, I don’t think a handful of bullets are going to do the job, either.” He tries to lighten the mood with a chuckle, but I don’t laugh. He sighs warily. “I’m okay, Fang. I’m right here.”

I sniffle back another sob before it can start. “I know…and I’m so fucking happy you are. I couldn’t take it if you were gone.”

“I’m not going anywhere, not away from you.” A silence falls over us for a little while as I take in the warmth of his body. The subtle beat of his heart, his steady breaths that sound so much better than just a day ago. The dread of losing him still grips me. I’d never be the same without him…I wouldn’t want to be here.

A question burns in my mind…not one I wanted to ask yet, but I need to. “Anon?” He looks up at me. “Why did you do it?” He raises an eyebrow. “You could’ve died. I would have lost everything that matters to me if you did. You could have lived on without me, I kn—”

“Stop,” he cuts me off with a stern whisper. “Fang, I would be nothing without you. I’ve never had anyone or anything as important as you in my life. Don’t even think I’d be okay without you because I fucking wouldn’t be. We are a pair…we need one another.” I slide down till I’m lying beside him and I wrap my arms around his chest and hold him tight. “But to answer your question…I did it because you are everything to me. I would do anything to protect you, to help you. I knew I could die, but I also was going to do anything to stay alive. I’ll never leave you alone, Fang…trust that.”

“I love you,” I say quietly as I rub my cheek against his.

“I love you, too. Know I’d do it again in a heartbeat. You are the only thing I really care about, Fang. There’s nothing in this life I wouldn’t give to keep you safe.”

A smile spreads across my beak as I snuggle close to him. To know I matter so much to one person is all I’d ever need to make it in this world. Especially him, the man I love. I pull away a little as I gaze lovingly into his eyes, the amber in them glistening with tears of joy. I lift his chin up and I lock my lips with his, kissing him gently as warmth fills my heart. So many things in my life have gone so wrong…but not him. I’d never trade anything in my life for him.

We break the kiss and I rest my head across his chest as he drapes an arm around my back. We stay quiet, no words needing to be said at the moment. We have each other and it’s all we’ll ever need.

A few minutes pass and I then hear a knock at the door. I hear Naser’s voice from the other side. “It is alright if I come in, guys?” The door opens slightly but he doesn’t come in.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” I say and he pushes the door the rest of the way. He walks in and sits down in a chair beside us.

“Good morning, you two. Happy to see you looking so well, Anon. How you healing up?”

Anon moves around a bit, not trying to swing his broken shoulder around too much. He winces but gives Naser a thumbs up. “Doing good. Sucks that I won’t be able to play bass for a month or so till the bone heals but considering I could be fucking dead, I’ll take it.” He sways his arm gently in its sling before letting out a yelp. “Okay, fucking ow that still hurts.”

“Stop, you dweeb!” I scold him as I gently push him back down on the bed. “It’s never going to heal right if you keep fucking around like that.” He smirks at me as I glower at him. The fucking dork is not as invincible as he thinks he is.

“How about you, sis?” I shift to look at Naser as he gestures to my side. “You got hurt too, you know.”

“This?” I softly poke at the fresh bandage they put over it. “It’s nothing.” He groans as he glares at me. “Okay…it’s not nothing, but it’s not nearly as bad as the first time I got shot. I really hope it ends at two, though. I’m really fucking tired of this. I’ll be fine.” I wave off his concern as I hop off the bed.

He just sighs with a shrug. “Both of you need to stop getting hurt. I can only take so much fucking worry in my life.” He rubs his eyes, tears forming at the edges. “Can’t fucking believe I almost lost you again…and I was just as fucking helpless as I was the first time.”

“Naser…” I pull him off his chair and hug him tight. “It’s okay. I’m here, Anon’s here. It’s over. You don’t need to feel guilty—it’s not your fault.”

“I know it isn’t…but fuck me, I just…I’m so tired of seeing you get hurt, Fang. You’ve been through so much. You deserve to be happy and not suffer like this. Neither of you deserved this.”

“I am happy, Naser…even after this.” He pulls away a little, his orange eyes glimmering as he stares back, confused. “How could I be sad? Anon is alive…I’m alive. My family is here. As shitty as things have been, I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life. As much as it hurts, I have Anon, I have you, and I have my friends. I’ve been through hell, but it’s been worth it to be so close to you all again.”

He smiles at me, a weight pulled from his shoulders as he gives me another hug before he stands over by Anon. “Anon, you’ve saved my sister twice now. I’ll never forget this.”

Anon just shrugs. “Don’t worry about it, Naser. Just doing my job to be the best boyfriend I can be to Fang. She’s worth every bit of this pain.”

Naser just nods with a smirk. Though his smile fades quickly as he flicks the tears from the edges of his eyes. “There is something I need to tell you guys.”

“What is it?” I ask as I stand on the other side of Anon’s bed.

“It’s about Naomi.”

I sneer at him as I cross my arms. “What about that psycho bitch?”

He sighs. “Fair but still. Dad is trying to get her to accept going to a mental hospital rather than going to jail. She’s going to be charged, but he’s got enough pull that he could get her a plea deal.”

I nearly pop a fucking gasket as I flare my wings out. “She deserves to go to fucking jail! She almost killed Anon! She shot me! She was going to kill all of us, Naser!” I stomp my boot into the tile, trembling with anger as I think of her just getting to walk away from this, being treated like a victim rather than an attempted murderer.

Naser glares back at me, a heavy look in his eyes that takes me aback. “Fang, there is something fucking wrong with her. You saw her. That look on her face—she wasn’t in her right mind! It’s not like she’s getting off free. She’d be forced to stay in the mental hospital until they feel she’s stable enough to release, if that ever happens.” His gaze softens, a frown forming on his beak. “Fang, how bad was it for you when you broke? When you almost…” He pauses for a moment and sighs heavily before continuing, “When you almost took your life.”

The question hits hard, causing me to try to stumble out a response, but I can’t think of the words to say. I think back to that day, the day I thought my life was over, that I had nothing to live for. I was willing to do anything to die that day, nothing could have stopped me. The mental scars it’s left behind are still healing. And I had wanted to do something so much more terrible than just killing myself. I can’t judge Naomi—I was almost her.

I let out a long sigh, all of my anger flowing out as I sadly nod my head to Naser. “It…was really bad. I was lucky Anon was there. I even fought him when he tried to save me. Because of him, I got my second chance. I guess…I guess Naomi deserves a chance to heal herself. I’m still not going to talk to that bitch.”

Naser just shrugs. “Yeah no, I didn’t say we were going to be friends. I’m not going to get back with her either, not after all of this. Doesn’t mean I don’t want to see her get better. She’s bright, she’s got a future ahead of herself if she can heal from this. Anon? What about you? How do you feel about it?”

Anon thinks for a moment, rubbing his shoulder with a pensive look on his face. “I think it’s a good idea.” I’m stunned for a moment. She nearly killed him and yet he’s willing to look past it. “I’ve been around my share of mental breaks at this point, more than I’d like but still.” I wince a little but he gives me a comforting smile. “She needs help, not prison. Everyone deserves a second chance. Don’t you agree, Fang?”

“Yeah…” I whisper quietly. “Yeah, I do. Doesn’t mean I forgive her, but I guess it’s better than her rotting in a cell with no chance at redemption.”

We spend a few minutes talking it over, figuring that it’s better this way. We aren’t going anywhere near her crazy ass, but at least she’ll be out of my hair one way or another if she’s smart enough to take the deal. A few minutes later, Trish and Reed come in, not bothering to knock but it’s not that it matters at this point.

“Yoooo dudes!” He gives Anon a slap on his good shoulder. “Happy to see you lookin’ healthy, bro. Water?” He shakes his thermos at Anon and he chuckles. “Just kidding, you can’t have this.” He takes a sip and his eyes bug out for a second. “Man, I’m going to miss this later.”

“Miss it?” I say as I look at him. “You have it every day, why would you miss it?”

“Cause I’m gonna give it up, at least mostly.” Everyone but Trish gasps as we stare at him.

“Are you okay? Do you need help?” I ask as I cautiously approach him like he’s a bomb about to go off. “You are still Reed, right? You didn’t get replaced?”

He laughs as he puts the cap on his thermos. “Yeah, I’m good, bro. I’m just tired of missing things. This stuff is amazing and yeah, there are few things that match it but…” He interlocks his fingers with Trish’s. “I don’t really need it that much anymore, ya know? Plus, rather tired of not knowing what happened thirty minutes ago.”

I stare at him for a moment in complete disbelief. He hasn’t stopped carfe a single day for as long as I’ve known him. Not that I can’t say I won’t enjoy not smelling him coming from a mile away anymore. I guess we are all making changes. I smile at the two of them. Trish looks so happy right now, like she’s on top of the world and no one can take this from her. I suppose Reed is going to be around a lot longer than I thought, and Trish clearly approves.

A moment later, Gavin comes in and sees us all. “Good morning to all of you.” He closes the door behind him as he makes his way to Anon. “Mr. Mous, you look to be doing well.”

Anon gives him a thumbs up. “All thanks to you, doc. I feel like I was only slightly run over by a semi-truck.”

Gavin smirks a bit as he signs something on his clipboard. “Glad to hear it. Alright, you are free to go as soon as you sign out. You’ll need to come back later for a little physical therapy to deal with the shoulder muscle damage, but you should make a full recovery in a month or two.” Anon nods as Gavin turns to leave. “You guys take care. And please, don’t let me see you again so soon, would you?” We all shift nervously in place, and he chuckles as he shuts the door behind him.

Never going to stop being thankful for that doctor. He’s done so much for us. Without him, there would only be a couple of us left at this point. We help Anon get up and get dressed and head toward the front desk. Before we can get there, my dad shows up and puts a hand on my shoulder.

“You kids go on up front. I need to talk to Fang alone for a little bit,” he says with his normal gruff tone but I can see this is going to be important.

“It’s alright, guys. You go on ahead, I’ll catch up.” I smirk, trying to hide my worry. Anon doesn’t want to go at first but relents after I tilt my head toward the front desk. After they all walk away, my dad takes me over to the side.

“Are you okay, Fang?” He looks me straight in the eye as he asks.

“I’m doing fine. It was just a grazing shot.”

“I don’t mean that. I mean here.” He puts a finger to my forehead. “Do we need to get you help?”

I step back a bit, frowning as I cross my arms. “The fuck you mean? You think I’m crazy or something? I’m just fine, Dad!” I grind my boot into the floor as I stand my ground.

“I need to be sure. You nearly ripped that girl to pieces.” I try to speak but he cuts me off. “Fang, I know it was self-defense, but you took it way too far. Had you gone any further, I would have had to arrest you as well, not that I would’ve wanted to.”

My jaw drops and my arms fall to my side. Arrested for what? Defending myself? She was going to kill us!

He can sense my confusion and he sighs before continuing. “Fang, self-defense stops when they can’t fight back anymore. She was done after you beat her to a pulp. You were this close to going to jail.” He barely leaves a gap of air between his fingers as he shows me. “That’s why I need to know if you are okay. You almost killed that girl.”

“I-I’m…I…” I stammer out a few words as I come to grips with the fact I was moments away from prison time. All the fight leaves me and tears stream down my face. “I’m sorry, Dad…I thought it was over. I thought she killed Anon! I didn’t care at that moment what happened to me. I just wanted her to pay for it.”

He walks close to me, reaching down and pulling me into a hug. “I know, honey. I know. Just promise me you won’t do this again so I don’t have to worry about it anymore. You’ve dealt with enough. Look at her and promise me.”

He turns me to face Naomi’s window. I can see her hooked up to all sorts of machines, and her snout has a metal cage around it, keeping it in place. Her arm is in a cast, and she has bandages all over her body. Her eyes are almost swollen shut. Dear Raptor Jesus…I hurt her so badly. I don’t feel good. Even after all she’s done, it’s still sad to see her so broken.

Tears slide down my face as I nod to him. “I promise, Dad, this’ll never happen again.”

“That’s all I need. Now go be with Anon and your brother. I’ll come by later in the week to check up on you two, but before you go…” he smirks a little bit. “Proud to see my self-defense training stuck with you.” He gives me a kiss on the top of my head before pushing me gently down the hallway.

They are all waiting for me and I see Reed and Trish doodling all over Anon’s shoulder sling. It’s no cast, but I guess they’ll take any chance they get to scribble on something.

“Hey Fang!” Anon waves to me with his good arm. “Everything good?”

I nod with a weak smile. “Yeah. Everything’s fine. Just had to have a little talk with my dad, is all.”

I can tell that he can see the tear streaks on my face but he doesn’t bring it up. “Alright. Well, we better get home soon. Gotta take care of some business and figure out what we are going to do for the next few weeks until my shoulder stops being a limp noodle. Come on, guys.”

We all load up in Naser’s car and head to my apartment, stopping at a fast food place to snag some snacks before getting home. We all help Anon make his way up inside before plopping him on the couch as we scatter about the living room.

“Ahh, so good to be home,” Anon says as he sinks into the couch. “Also, nice that dino furniture is always so fucking cushy.”

“So, what are you guys going to do? Definitely can’t do shows with his arm the way it is right now,” Trish says as she shovels a few veggie fries in her face before she scarfs down her TLT.

I take a seat next to Anon, resting my head on his good shoulder as I shrug. “I guess I’ll just play in the park for a bit while I wait. Hang out with that guitar chick I saw there a few times already. I don’t want to get rusty. How about you, Reed?”

He sighs as he shakes his empty thermos. “I’m prolly going to be in withdrawal, so I’ll take the time to quietly die in my bedroom until he gets better. Raptor Jesus give me strength,” he says, lifting his eyes to the ceiling in prayer. This is going to suck massively for him.

“Hey, you got me Reed,” Trish says as she puts her hand on his knee. “I’ll help you through this. Or knock you out, whichever you prefer.”

“Head trauma does sound nice right about now, dude.” He tries to find a single drop in his thermos but there is nothing left and he hangs his head dejectedly.

Naser hasn’t said much, instead letting out a massive belch. We all give him a look as he blushes. “What? I was hungry. I forgot to eat for like two days worrying about you two.” I shake my head as he flicks the breadcrumbs off his beak. “I’m just glad you are all okay. How about in a few weeks we head to the beach again? Have a real graduation party for once.”

“That…that sounds like a great idea, Naser,” I answer as I snuggle closer to Anon. “For now, let’s have some fun! I got a whole lot of party games that Anon and I can’t play alone and I’m taking full advantage of you guys being here.”

Everyone finishes off their food quickly as I pull out a couple of my favorite board games. We play for several hours before hitting up a few of Anon’s games on his xrox. How the hell he still wins while only having one good arm, I’ll never know, but it kind of pisses me off. Fucking amazing bastard.

The hours dwindle away until it’s nearly dark. We say our goodbyes and it’s finally just me and Anon, home alone. I help him into bed and tuck him in before stripping down to my underwear and sliding in beside him.

“Nobody can walk in on us now, so fuck pajamas,” I say and he laughs as he finds my hand and interlocks our fingers.

“How I love the joys of home, and a half naked hot ptero gee eff.” I don’t even blush at this point as I give him a kiss.

“But I will behave for now. Don’t need to break you even more.” He almost looks disappointed before realizing how much pain he’d be in if I slammed him into this bed right now and nods quietly. I reach over and click off the lamp. “Good night, Anon.”

“Good night, Fang.”

I cuddle up close to him, sparing very little room between us as I settle in. So much nicer than a lumpy hospital bed. I really fucking hope this is the last time we ever end up there…well, except for one thing, someday. Something that’ll still suck but it’ll be worth it in the end.