Uggggggghhhh…why didn’t I take the day off? I almost punch my alarm as I turn it off, rolling onto my side.

Anon groggily blinks his eyes as he looks over at me. “After sleeping in as long as I wanted with you at the hospital, waking up at six in the morning really fucking sucks now.”

I groan as I rub the sleep from my eyes. “You’re fucking telling me.” I sit up, yawning as I crack my back. “Still, was nice to sleep in my own bed after so long. Nothing like a pillow-top mattress and freshly laundered sheets. Far better than that sterile shit that cramped my wings.” I flex them out a little, shaking off the rest of the tension those crappy hospital blankets left before throwing the sheets off me and going to my dresser.

I can hear Anon cracking his neck with a sigh. “So, what’s your plan for the day, Fang? I know where I’m going during lunch…already set up a meeting with Spears to discuss the whole thing. He at least sounded happy about it, like he wanted to make up for how shitty prom was.”

“Yeah…” I sigh as I rest my hand on the drawer. “Can’t wait to put that crap behind me. I was going to talk with Trish and Reed about the whole thing. I know they’ll be up for it, plus it’ll be nice to catch up with them after being stuck in that hos—”

My pupils contract as I spot a splat of blood on the corner of the drawer as I open it. How did any even get in here?! Panic fills my mind as yet another reminder of that day stares back at me. I shove the drawer shut and stumble back.

“I didn’t…I didn’t…I wasn’t going to…I-I I’m sorry, I didn’t want to hurt anyone!” I trip over my feet and fall to the floor, scratching at the carpet as I pull myself away from the dresser, pressing myself into a corner in the room.

 “I-I’m not a bad person…I w-wasn’t trying to h-hurt anyone! I-I only wanted it to stop.” I shake uncontrollably as the thoughts threaten to overwhelm me, all the judging voices in my head screaming out at once.

Anon hurries off the bed to my side as I quietly weep into my knees. “Stop…please stop…I’m not a bad person…I’m not a monster,” I croak out between sobs as I feel Anon shake me.

“Fang? Fang?! Are you okay?” My head slowly raises as I stare at him, the war in my head playing out in my eyes as I try to focus. “Fang!”

The last shout snaps me out of my turmoil as I let out a shaky sigh, pulling him into my arms. “I’m sorry, Anon. I shouldn’t have done it. Look at all the hurt I caused…it could have been so much worse.”

He cradles me in his arms, gently swaying me side to side as the storm calms and my tears stop. “It’s okay. None of that matters. You are okay, everyone is okay. We just gotta keep moving forward, alright?”

I wipe away my tears and nod. He gets up, walks over to my dresser, and pulls out my clothes before handing them to me. “We can let your parents know they missed a spot and they can take care of it while we are at school, alright?” I nod again as he helps me back on my feet.

I take another look at my dresser before sighing. “I’m gonna go take a shower…I’ll be back in a bit, okay?”

“Okay, I’ll be right here when you are done.” He picks up his phone and starts to scroll through whatever website he’s about to mess around on.

I turn to leave but something clicks in my mind as I look back at him. “Actually, Anon…” He looks up from his phone to me. “I want you to come with me…”

“Uh…” His face reddens as his eyes dart about the room. “With you? In the shower? Do you want me dead?”

I shake my head at him. “They won’t be awake for another hour and it’s not like I’m planning to bone you senseless…I just could use the company, okay? I really hate being alone right now.”

I can see the concern in his eyes as he puts his phone down and stands beside me. “Alright Fang, lead the way, I guess. I suppose if he catches me at least I’ll die happy.”

I jab him in the side with a weak chuckle. “Dweeb…come on.”

I gently open my door, looking down the hall to see my parents’ door still firmly closed and I can hear Naser snoring from here. He really should get that checked before he moves in with Naomi…fuuuucking Naomi. With the coast clear and a bundle of clothes in both our arms, we quietly sneak down the hallway, barely making a sound as I carefully close the door with a soft click and lock it. Anon looks completely out of his element as he fumbles around, putting his stuff on the counter with a growing blush on his face.

“It’s going to be fine, dweeb. Not the first time you’ve seen me naked nor probably the last.” He nearly falls over and I can’t help but laugh. “Dork. You don’t even need to stand right next to me if you don’t want.” I point through the frosted glass door. “There are like three shower heads in there…guess my parents like sharing, too.”

He frowns as his brow furrows. “I need to get that thought out of my head, immediately.”

I give him a sly wink. “I can help with that at least.” I throw aside what little I’m wearing at the moment and watch his brain turn to jelly in an instant. I snicker as I open the door to the shower. “Problem solved. Now stop standing there like a dumbass and hurry up.” I waste no time turning on the water, sighing with relief as the warm water flows over me. So much nicer than those fucking crappy baths at the hospital.

It feels wonderful; I never want to use another shower again in my life. I can hear the door open again and a gust of cold air causes my wings to flare out a bit. “S-shut the door dweeb, it’s fucking cold out there.”

“Sorry, sorry!” He sheepishly squeaks out as he closes the door.

I glare at him as I put my finger to my lips. “Shhhhhh! Keep it down. Do you really want him to come in here and find you? I can tell you for sure it wouldn’t be a quick death.”

“Sorry,” he says in a low whisper. He fidgets in place as he looks around, trying hard to not let his eyes fall on me.

I shake my head with a snicker. “Just get cleaned up, dweeb. Try not to have a fucking aneurysm while you are at it as well.”

He gulps as he grabs a bar of soap. “Yep. Get clean, don’t stare at the incredibly naked ptero right next to me. Holy crap, how does she have so many curves?”

“Anon…” He stops dead in his tracks. “You’re mumbling again.”

He nearly falls over as he tries to recover. “Fucking…mumbling.”

I smile at him before grabbing the shampoo off the rack. The soft texture is a blessing as it covers my hair in a foamy blanket. The comfort it brings me melts away so much of the stress I am under. All they had at the hospital was this pink shit that I am pretty certain hurt my hair more than it helped, not to mention the cheapest soap money could buy. As I rinse it out, I can feel the silky texture of my hair returning, the soft fibers recovering from their mistreatment at the hands of bargain bin two-in-one.

I sneak a peek at Anon, who is staring blankly at the wall while washing up, doing his absolute best to look in any direction I’m not in. I guess his baldness has the benefit of saving money on showers—no hair to spend any time on. I can feel a whirl of emotions as I continue to look at him. If he hadn’t come, if he hadn’t run so fast to get here, I’d be dead right now. My mom having to set one less plate at the table, my father never being able to bring himself to take the chair away. My brother broken, somehow always believing it was his fault. All that if I had died.

It's almost more than I can take as I feel tears well up in my eyes. Anon has no idea how much pain he saved my family the day he kept me alive. No one will ever be able to express it in a way he’ll understand, he’s too much of a dork to think of himself as anything more than just a random guy—nothing special.

My eyes soften as my thoughts pour through my mind, no sadness to be found this time, just the joy of finding someone that cares about me this much. Anon…I love you. A calming sigh passes my lips as I walk over to him. I press up against his back, my body melding against him as I hear him gasp.

“F-Fang? What’s up?”

“Nothing dweeb. Just…be quiet. I know it’s a pain in the ass to try to clean your back so…I’ll take care of it.”

I take the soap from his shaking hands and start rubbing it across his back, my hands softly moving as I clean every spot carefully. My eyes close a little as I take in every detail. He always seemed to have body image issues, not that I can see why. He’s not weak, and there is plenty of muscle lining this back of his. I guess he just can’t see it. I pool some water in my hands and let it drop on his back, washing away the suds leaving sparkling skin behind.

“Thanks Fang, it really is a pain in the ass to reach back there…”

“I know. Your turn now…”

“Wait…what?” he stammers out as blush rockets across his face at the thought of what I just said.

“Not fair that you are the only one with a clean back, is it? Come on, get to work dweeb.”

I move him out from under the shower head and turn my back to him, parting my wings to give him space. I can almost hear his heartbeat from here as he stumbles out words I know he doesn’t think he’s saying.

“Oh fuck, oh shit, she’s fucking naked and she wants me to clean her back. I’m going to die here…this is it. Not a bad way to die, I guess.”

I snicker as he builds up the courage to get closer to me. After a few more moments of hesitation, I feel the soap slide between my wings, slowly making its way across my back as he is extra careful to avoid touching me with anything other than the soap. His mumbling is going a mile a minute as he tries to keep himself from completely melting into a puddle.

“Oh crap, the fuck do I do around the tail?! On that note, that’s her ass. Uh…the fuck do I do here?! No manga has ever properly shown how to do this that wasn’t porn…”

It takes everything I have to not break out into laughter as I listen to his desperate attempts to get through this with his brain intact. A soft gasp escapes me as I feel him try to get the soap around my tail. Well, at least this time he isn’t going to catch a boot to the face for touching it. I bite my lip as I fight back any more of those—I do not need to destroy the poor dweeb more than I already am.

“Did she just…? I am so fucking screwed right now,” he mumbles again and the soap clatters to the floor. He fumbles around to pick it back up.

“I mean…” I say, and I can almost hear his heart stop. “You’re not doing a bad job, dweeb. Just hurry up, I’m starting to feel like a statue here.”

“Sorry, sorry.” He grabs the soap again and finishes cleaning before pooling water in his hands and dropping it on my back.

“There you go, Fang! All nice and clean and I didn’t fucking d—”

He doesn’t get a chance to finish that sentence as I suddenly turn around and press my body against his, my lithe features fitting in perfectly with the contours of his body as he turns as red as a ripe tomato.

“F-Fang, what are you doi—” I put a finger up to his lips, cutting him off.

“Just be quiet, dweeb…”

He doesn’t say a word as I rest my head against his chest, listening to his ever-increasing heart rate. He doesn’t move an inch, terrified to do anything other than breathe. After a few moments he calms down, placing his hands on my back and resting his chin on my head. We quietly embrace as the water flows around us, the soft trickling sounds of it splashing against the tile the only sounds to be heard. I tremble a little in his arms, just so happy to be here, able to have such a moment when all I wanted just two short weeks ago was for it all to end. I know the risk he took following me in here; his head would be on the line if anyone found out, but he did it anyway.

I gently pull away from him, looking up into his eyes which no longer have any fear in them, a soft loving glow flowing out from his smile. For a moment all I do is gaze up at him, the amber glow in my eyes gleaming with the warmth of the love inside. I don’t need anyone else, and I don’t want anyone else. All I need is him with me, and we can push past every barrier in our way. We have so much more life to live, and thanks to him, I have a second chance at all of it.

I put a hand behind his head, tenderly pulling him down to my lips as I kiss him. The remnants of any terror left fade from his body as the shaking stops. He’s no longer scared of being so close to me, the embarrassment fading away from him. His hand cradles the back of my head as he leans into the kiss. The pain of that day is silent as we share this moment of healing, of showing each other how much we mean to one another. I’ll never be alone again, or with a fear of meaning nothing, because I mean something to him and that’s all I need.

“Anon…” A shaky whisper passes my lips as we part. My arms rest across his shoulders as he holds my waist. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Fang.”

We rest our foreheads together as the water cascades between us, mere inches separating our bodies as I close my eyes. The welcoming warmth of both the water and the emotions flowing through my heart mix together in a swirling maelstrom that threatens to burst from me. I need to do this. I need to have a better memory of this between us. Not a goodbye this time or a desperate plea to find something to hold onto…but something real, another way to show him my heart.

I open my eyes as I pull away from him, staring up into his eyes as my heart races in my chest. No walls left between us. No worries about whether what I am thinking is right or wrong. Only this moment to be shared with him and no one else.

He almost yelps in surprise as I grab him and press him against the wall of the shower, heavy breaths flowing from me as I stare directly into his eyes. He knows where this is going but is still standing there looking a little confused and maybe a touch concerned, like he’s not sure what to do.

“Anon…” I say as I put a hand under his chin, holding his gaze with mine. “It’s okay. Nothing is wrong; I want to do this. You don’t need to be scared.”

He shakily nods, still not one hundred percent sure of himself. “Okay, Fang. I trust you. I just want to make sure this isn’t another goodbye…”

I shake my head with a soft smile. “It’s not. Not this time. Just relax…everything is fine.”

He nods one last time as I lock my lips with his, kissing him passionately as I nearly pull the air from his lungs while I press my body against his. His hands gently hold onto my waist as we share a tender moment. I break away from the kiss with a smile on my lips. How one person could have changed my life so much, I’ll never know. One thing I know for sure is, I’ll never regret this. I press once more against his lips as my curves meld with him. This time, no holding back and no fear. Just us, together right now and nothing to stop us.

I keep my lips pressed against his. I don’t need him making noise and getting killed…that would put a damper on all of my plans. Try not to die on me, Anon. This is going to be far different than that night at your place.

********

 

A few moments later, after getting dried off and dressed, we both peek outside the door. We probably shouldn’t have spent thirty minutes in the shower but I’m kind of completely at fault for that. The coast is clear…everyone must still be out cold, thankfully.

I tug on his shirt and tilt my head toward my bedroom. “Come on, let’s go get our stuff and get ready for school. Don’t need to go waking anyone up and…ah shit.”

He looks down at me, puzzled as my snout sniffs the air. “What’s up, Fang? What are you doing that for?”

I frown as I point down the stairs. “Mom’s cooking. I can smell it from here.”

“Damn, that snout of yours is fucking useful…for a lot of things.”

I jab him in the ribs. “Dweeb, don’t go fucking making comments like that when anyone around here could hear you!” I whisper with a huff. “Now come on, maybe she didn’t hear anything. Need our backpacks and shit if we want to get anything done today.”

“Operation shut the fuck up begins now.” He nods with a determined grin, the fucking dweeb.

We hurry down the hall as quietly as possible as we gather all our things. Not that I have much to bring outside of my normal books. Since Naser had been bringing all our assignments to us everything is already turned in, an easy start for my return to school and a chance for some kind of normalcy to settle back in. I almost squeak as I see my cigarettes and throw them in my bag with my lighter…fucking finally, no more shakes.

 I peek my snout around the corner. Not sensing any movement, I nod to Anon and we quietly make our way downstairs. No fucking way we are getting past my mom without her seeing us and I don’t want to worry her by slipping out the front door. Plus, breakfast sounds really good right now. I’m pretty fucking hungry after my, uh…busy morning.

We barely reach the living room before I hear her cheery voice call out from the kitchen, “Good morning, dears!” I hear bacon sizzling as the delicious smell assaults my nose and I let out a happy sigh. “Food will be done in a moment…didn’t want you two going to school on an empty stomach. Get comfy at the table and I’ll bring it out to you.”

Welp, definitely not leaving now. We shrug to each other as we take seats at the table; a good breakfast will make this day suck a lot less, anyhow.

“Man, I really hope she didn’t hear anything. I don’t want my first night here to be my last.”

I shoot a glare his direction as I shake my head. “Anon…mumbling…”

He quickly covers his mouth with his hands as he bashes his head into the table before sitting up. Goddammit, that shit is going to get us in so much trouble someday. A moment later my mom comes out, looking pristine and perfect as usual—not sure how the fuck she always looks so radiant, even first thing in the morning.

“Here you two go.” She puts two plates in front of us, positively overflowing with bacon and sausage with biscuits and gravy before taking a seat at the table looking at us. Anon and I share a look as the fear begins to build before my mom just holds her hand to her beak and snickers.

“Oh, come off it you two. Like I didn’t already know what you two were up to there, getting ‘clean’.” She giggles again as I smack my head into an empty spot on the table as a crimson tint overtakes my face. “Oh, to be young and in love again…my my, the times your father tried to sneak off with me without my parents noticing…the stories I could tell.”

I shoot back upright as I frantically shake my head. “Nope! No, I do not need to know anything about anything you and Dad got up to!” I look over at Anon, who might actually be dead as a fork lazily hangs out of his mouth.

My mom shakes her head with another giggle as she grabs her fork. “It’s alright dear, I don’t mind. Just don’t let your dad catch you two getting a little more acquainted.” Anon almost dies again as he attempts not to choke on bacon. “For now, eat up. I don’t want you to be going into school hungry after all you’ve been through.”

I sigh as I take a forkful of bacon and chew it to bits before swallowing it down. “Thanks Mom…and thank you for not being pissed.”

She just shrugs with a smile on her face. “Why would I be angry? The first day I laid eyes on the two of you together, I knew it was love at first sight. From the looks of it, it’s going to be more than that.” I blush again as I twist a few pieces of sausage onto a biscuit before popping it into my mouth. This damn woman can see everything, which is odd since she barely opens her eyes more than a crack.

“But…” Anon and I both look at her with fear as she pauses and then glances between us. “You two better be careful. I may want grandbabies, but I don’t want you messing up your schooling either.” She wags a finger at us both. “So, you best be behaving, or I might need to change my opinion on this.”

“Don’t worry about it, Mrs. Aaron, we did—” I fling a fucking spoon at his head, cutting him off before he can even get close to finishing that sentence.

He sits there in a daze for a moment, a small welt forming on his forehead. “What he means to say is that we will be careful, Mom.”

She smiles before wiping her beak with her napkin. “Good, glad to hear it dear. Now eat up! You don’t want it to get cold.”

Before I dig in, I remember the stain in my room. “Hey Mom, if you’ve got time today could you…clean a spot on my drawer? I found…well, you know what I found.”

“Oh, I am sorry, Fang. I thought I got it all. I’ll get it done while you are at school…now, please eat.” She gestures to the food on the table.

Anon and I both nod as we quickly devour our delicious breakfast. I don’t think I’ll ever eat anything better than what she makes; even Uncle Moe’s pizza can barely compare. After a few minutes of shoveling food into our mouths, we sit there and sigh happily, the joyful feel of a full belly of delicious goodness.

My mom gets up and clears the table before giving us both a kiss on the cheek. “Now, off with you two, you don’t want to be late.”

I kiss her on the cheek before getting up from the table with Anon not far behind. “Thank you again, Mom. Love you!”

“Love you too, dear.” She waves to us both as we put on our backpacks and head out the door. All of our energy melts as we collapse on the step outside the door, recovering from the near-disaster that could have played out at the table.

“Holy fucking shit. Well, I’m glad she took it so well and also didn’t stab me to death.” He wipes the sweat off his brow before shaking it off into the bushes.

“No shit…never knew she’d be cool with it. She is right though that we need to be smart. I really don’t want to be pregnant straight into college…that would be a pain in the fucking ass.”

“I thought babies grew in your—”

I slap him upside the head with a scowl. “You know what I mean, dumbass.”

He rubs the back of his head with a frown. “Sorry sorry, can’t help myself sometimes.”

I sigh as I lean against his shoulder. “I know…sorry, I shouldn’t have hit you. Anyway…we should probably get going to school if we don’t want to be late.”

He nods as he stands up, helping me back to my feet. “It’s alright, I deserved it. You are right, though…I don’t want to be late on my first day back. Especially since Spears let me stay with you those whole two weeks without complaint.”

I lock my arm with his as we start to walk toward the school. “Yeah, that was pretty cool of him. Better than the time he chewed up my cigarettes and spit them off the damn roof…speaking of which.”

I pull a pair of cigarettes from my pack, handing one to him as I light them both up. I take a shallow breath, the nicotine once again calming my nerves. “Fuck, I have missed these.”

He takes a drag before looking down at me. “You sure you should be smoking these with your lung the way it is?”

I bash him with my hip, a frown on my face. “I need this, Anon. My nerves are already shit and we aren’t even there yet. I’ll be good and not smoke a whole pack, I promise.”

“Good enough for me.”

We quickly turn them into ash as we slowly make our way to school. I am in no rush to go back, that nightmare still in the back of my mind. The fear of everyone judging me is a potential reality as we make our way there. Fucking hell, I really, really hope they don’t do anything. My grip tightens on his arm as I sigh. The first step is always the hardest, and I have a whole month left to go before graduation. Graduation…my last chance at redemption, to finally show them how good I really am. Once I get Trish and Reed on board, everything will go perfectly. The school will never know what hit them.