Summary: Fang confronts Anon about their break. Chapter Text The morning came and went, my morning ritual of crawling out of bed, scavenging sustenance and getting dressed for school followed by my daily walk. I was in shock. We kissed, we had our first date- even though I didn’t realize at the time. God damn, Moe. Thank you again. I walked up the large stairway, looking at the entrance the entire journey. “Anon!” Naomi’s shrill-shriek cut through the ambience of the crowds, as she finally spotted me. “Naomi, how a-” She gripped me in an almost instantaneous hug for only a second, before we began walking towards the entrance. “I decided something last night!” Naomi squeaked, maintaining a constant visual with my face as I walked for the both of us. “Yeah? About… This?” Naomi nodded. “Well?-” “No more plans. No more planning. This is- We’re going to do this… Blind.” Naomi seemed unsure, as if the concept was completely alien. “I’m not going to overthink this… Plan for the unforeseen, or… Anything.” “Well I mean, you can still like… Think ahead, Naomi.” Naomi held a hand in front of her mouth, laughing softly. “I know that, Anon! I just- You know-” I couldn’t help but smirk. “I know.” Finally the bell rang, and we parted ways until lunch. I heard her voice in every silence, felt her hands in mind as I scribbled notes and half-hearted answers. Saw her in the rays of sunshine that cascaded through the early morning fog. No plans, no schemes. I was falling in love with Naomi. Bell after bell, closer to sitting with her again, until the lunch bell finally released us temporarily to act as people once more. I shoved my backpack in my locker and walked to the main hallway, rounding the corner until the door to the cafeteria came into view. Right before I could round the corner- Ambush. “Hi, Anon!” Stella’s soft voice acted as a social barricade, preventing my entrance. “Hi, Stella. You’re in the way.” “Well, I heard you were down in the dumps!” “Anime can’t really cheer me up right now, Stella. Can I-” “No! I thought, maybe a card reading could improve your mood! If you know the future contains something good, it could cheer you up!” I groaned, as she matched my steps trying to get around her. “Fine. Whatever.” Stella’s eyes lit up as she pulled out the thick deck of cards, shuffling them repeatedly as the students passed us, getting in line to take all of the food… “Okay, pick one.” My hand lunged for the cards, trying to expedite the process. “The Lovers- Oh, I grabbed two. This ones upside down. …Death?” “Reverse Death? The Lovers?” Stella’s expression had frozen. “Anon… I had no idea you were in… Such turmoil.” Her tail drooped between her legs. “What? What do they mean?” “I think it’s better that you figure it out… yourself?” Before I could demand answers, Stella faded into the shifting crowds of multicolored dinos. Whatever. I slipped in with the crowd as well, trying to make my way to the herbivore line once again. The taste wasn’t growing on me, but I rather liked seeing Naomi’s face light up when she saw me eating healthily. Speaking of, I still haven't seen her. When I wasn’t shuffling forward in line, I was scanning the room, over and over, for the orange-creamsicle. Her short, sparkling blonde hair that I could only see bouncing in the rays of sunlight. Her bright, light green eyes that held the stars and- The line began to move, and I filled my tray with the typical salad, roll, dressing, fruit. I still hadn’t seen Naomi. Maybe she got caught up with admin work? I shrugged off the strange feeling I was getting. Naomi had accompanied me the last two days, and I hated to admit that I was partially dependent on her now. The tray slid across the table, and I pulled out the chair to take my seat. “Hey, Anon.” ALERT, DEFCON 1, ALERT. Fang stood across the table, behind Naomi’s empty seat. She looked disinterested in me, yet pissed at the same time. “Fang? What-” “Anon, I thought we were taking a fucking break? What’s this shit about Naomi and you going on a date?” “It wasn’t-” “At fucking Dino-Moe’s? Where we-?! The venue, Our Date?!” Fang was gritting her teeth, clenching her fists. I was waiting to see a drop of blood but I couldn’t stare at them when she was ‘almost shouting’. “Fang, wait- I thought- You said we were-” “I just needed some fucking time to myself, Anon. To get shit figured out. And you do THIS?!” The chattering of the students died down. Fang’s hand crashed down against the table, bumping my tray into the air momentarily. “Say something, Anon! Fucking anything!” The entire cafeteria was staring at us, at me. As was Naomi, who had just stepped into the entrance. “Fang- I-” My mouth was dry, the air sucked out of my lungs. “Me. Or her, Anon. Pick right fucking now.” Time slowed, my heart pounded. Fang wanted me back? But the self discovery! The heartbreak! The internal conflict! “Wait- I- Fang-” Fang would decide for me if I don’t say anything, and anything that came from my mouth could be nonsense, or I could royally fuck myself. I had to pick Naomi, Fang, or be utterly broken for the next few months until I graduate, with not only one ex, but two going to the same school, and I didn’t think my parents would pay for me to move to a new school again. I glanced at the frozen parasaur, she was stuck. Naomi was watching me, in the clutches of Fang. I needed my brain to work, I needed to speak words, anything. Rage began to fill my chest, that molten anxiety had solidified into a hot piece of iron. “What about us? On the roof? Did that mean nothing, Anon!?” “It meant everything to me!” I shouted and the world stopped, my hands curled into fists. Fang, despite her appearance of anger, I could see the surprised inflection in her eyes. “I wanted my life to revolve around you! I wanted to-to- You play at prom, and just like that, you needed a break! Not even a night to think about it, you cut me loose! All the shit I put up with just to try to call you mine?!” Fang’s shoulders sulked, her mean demeanor had vanished as she held her arm. “I… I know- I just-” “You just ‘pause’ our relationship because you thought it would benefit you?! That I wouldn’t hurt?!” “It- Anon, it- Fuck you!” Fang covered her face as she stormed out of the cafeteria. Slowly, the ambience of chattering students continued. My heart pounded through my chest, my eyes were wet and my hands were shaking. Fuck. I took my seat once again, resting my forehead on the table as I held my neck with both hands. The chair legs squeaked as they moved before the table shook slightly. I looked up to see that same creamsicle parasaur that watched from afar. “Anon…?” My head hung again, thumping against the table. “Naomi…” “I… I’m sorry. I thought you and Fang…” “She told me she wanted a break. From This. So why is she still…” “She still has feelings for you.” “What?” “It’s… obvious, Anon.” “But- She said she wanted a break. Relationships never last a ‘break’.” Naomi pushed my tray closer, until it made contact with my hands. I pushed myself upright, shamefully looking around at the students who had seemingly already forgotten the events of less-than-thirty-seconds-ago. “Sometimes, yeah…” I could hear a quiet sigh from Naomi. “Anon… Do you still have feelings for Fang?” Wait, Do I? That … loveable punk, her silver hair, her amber eyes that reflected in the hazy sunlight through the window in my room… Her claws that acted as guitar picks, her tail thumping against my bed… That smile. ‘Dweeb.’ her voice echoed. “Anon.” “Well- I- She’s…” Naomi stood, brushing her skirt before she began to speed-walk away. Her hands covered her mouth as she began to run. Idiot. God damn it. Not again. “Naomi, wait!” The chair fell backwards as I stood, chasing after her. The feeling of heartache returned, I could feel it. Slowly freezing my heart, choking my lungs, wetting my eyes. The students became a sea, a storming monsoon through the hail of tears. Crashing through the waves as I chased my peach colored lighthouse. I decided. I decided who, and she was running through the halls, away from me. I didn’t have time, if I don’t do this now, I will never be able to. Adrenaline pierced my heart, my veins, while sorrow struck my mind. No words could be spoken as the ocean of students began to thin. I could only see light and dark, rough shapes, neglecting to wipe my eyes. My Light, Naomi slowly became obfuscated by the sun’s glow, until all I could see was her silhouette in the large open doorway of the school. I rushed, embracing her with a hug, burying my face into her neck. No words needed to be spoken, she returned the gesture. The sunlight thawed my quickly freezing heart, as did her warmth. How I wished I could read her mind, hear her thoughts. She was probably ranting something about her plan. I needed Naomi, I needed Naomi to be mine. I needed to be hers. “Anon…” “...Naomi.” “Why didn’t you take her back…” “I made up my mind.” Naomi’s hug strained against my body, squeezing out a sob of a laugh. “Naomi. I decided. No matter what it takes. I want this.” “Anon-” Naomi’s voice choked, as she squeezed even tighter. An imaginary tune played in the back of my head, I swung our bodies back and forth slowly, slow dancing in the beam of blinding sunlight. The empty hallway acted as our dance floor. “What now?” Naomi asked through a sigh. “We take it from here. We take it slow.” Naomi’s hand clasped mine as we stepped together, with an almost inaudible “okay.”, relinquishing her trust to mine. The bell. It cut through my eardrums, and through the imaginary song that played. With that, our ‘dance’ had ended, holding each other's hands as we stood there. Staring into one another’s eyes. I’m sure hers were just as red and tear filled as mine. “I want this to be over, Anon…” “This?” “School. I just want…” Naomi wiped her cheek with her wrist. “I don’t know.” “We’ll figure it out. Let’s just finish this year, together.” Naomi was sated with this answer, shaking her head up and down as she held back tears. I don’t know who was giving therapy sessions to who, since we both needed it. But I was happy. Happy to protect my parasaur-creamsicle … gee-eff. It was my last class of the day, sketches filled my assignments, despite the negative markings of the last few assignments for “doodling”. Nothing in particular. Absent-mindedly doodling shapes, hearts, the way her hair parted around her face, the shape of her pupils. Ah. Maybe I should actually pay attention to the assignment. I tried to tune into the teacher's rambling, but it was already nonsense to me. Better luck tomorrow, I hope. Finally, the screech of educational hell released us from the shackles of our bondage, and in unison we all stood. I slung my backpack over my shoulders, slipping my phone out of my pocket. As soon as I began to type, Naomi began to type as well. A back and forth of typing and stopping followed, until I finally copy-pasted the message I had meant to send. “Meet you out front?” Naomi sent a GIF of a chibi kitten giving a thumbs up. My gaze was locked to the ground as I walked through the hallway. I was still getting sideways looks for barging through my peers earlier. Pretty sure I knocked someone’s tray out of their hands, along with a library cart, someone carrying a stack of books, I think I tore down a school banner as well. “Way to go, Anon.” “Asshole.” “Simp.” I couldn’t care less, despite my downtrodden posture, my face was aglow. My heart skipped beats, face red with blush. Naomi was mine, I had made the decision. No matter what comes, I want to be with her. As I exited the school, walking past the impromptu dance floor amongst that same sea of students, I could see her car at the bottom of the stairwell. She began to roll down the window as she spotted me. “Anon! Hurry up! This is bus parking!” I jogged down the stairs, weaving through the bodies making their way to the bottom as I slid into the car, tossing my backpack into the backseat of the hybrid. I adjusted the seat and pulled out my phone after I slammed the door shut. The vehicle didn’t move, the soft pop music quietly played over the speakers. “Creamsicle?” “Seatbelt-” Naomi shifted the automatic into Drive as she watched me, before it clicked. “What?” “Creamsicle? Like-” “I know what a creamsicle is, Anon. Why did you call me that?” “Do you want, like, a witty and romantic response or the truth?” The car pulled away from the school as buses began to pull in front of the school. With half a mind on my phone, I began swiping randomly, emulating my procedure of clearing notifications and responding to the simpletons who responded to my mastercrafted bait. “The, uh, the truth?” Naomi was clearly wanting to choose the romantic option, but had a morbid curiosity of the new and sudden pet name. “Well, I mean, you look like an orange-creamsicle. Y’know. Orange and … white?” “And what was the romantic response?” I twisted my body, holding myself up by the top of her seat, doing my worst impression of a hammy actor in a romance movie. “Because… You’re too sweet…” “Anon… That’s so-” “...Sweet like an orange-creamsicle.” Naomi huffed as she clenched the steering wheel, adjusting her glasses. “Okay. Uh…” “You trying to think of something cutesy?” Naomi rolled her eyes, biting her lip as she tried to think. “Well-” “Yeah, it’s hard.” My dumbass smug smile returned. Driving back to my apartment was much quicker than walking, obviously. It was almost a dream come true not having to walk. I did ask if Naomi would be willing to pick me up in the mornings too, but she said something about having to show up early for school errands, class-presidential duties and the like. The drive did seem longer than walking, but it must have been because I was able to distract myself with Naomi and my phone. Naomi loved to ask the hard hitting questions like, “how was your day”, “do you need help with any homework”, “are you okay?”. Not that I was complaining, at least not that much. “Anon? What do you think?” Shit, she was talking to me while I was monologuing. “Yeah- Yeah, of course. What?” “Were you doing that… one thing?” “...Meditating?” “Anon, I was asking if you would want to meet my parents.” Parents? Like, the ones that made you? Like Fang’s parents? Ripley…? “They aren’t like Fang’s parents, I promise.” “Was I mumbling?” “No, but you stopped breathing.” Shit. I wasn’t ready to come fumbling back into a relationship like this, but I guess it is the natural progression. Parents. Fuck. My mind began to race, I could only imagine the first interaction with them going as poorly with Fang’s. Ripley demonstrating how he would kill me, the death stares, the frozen air and awkward silences. “Well- I- Nah, no, it’s fine. I don’t mind meeting them.” Naomi didn’t seem as pleasantly surprised as I envisioned, “yay! you’ll love my parents! they’ll love you!”. Instead, she silently passed the intersection to Skin Row. “Wait, you don’t mean Now, do you?” Her expression was determined, as if she was preparing herself for what was yet to come. A red light demands us to stop, and I had half a mind to make a run for it, but knowing Naomi, the child locks are probably on. “No. I can’t let you meet them yet. There’s someone else I need you to meet first.” “Now wait a minute, that wasn’t part of the deal.” “It’s my sister.” My mind flew across the backseats of the car, ala JFK. A sister? Naomi has a fucking sister? How? How could I have not known? I knew I never really interacted with Naomi beyond passing remarks up until a few weeks ago, but… a Sister? “You have a sister?” Was all I could mutter from the shock. “Mia. My older sister.” Naomi grumbled, slowly pressing the gas pedal. “Mia? Like-” “Yes, Naomi, Mia. Parents weren’t that creative, I guess.” “So, wait. Why do I have to meet her?” “I’d rather tell her now so she doesn’t think she has dirt on me.” “Wh-” “My parents don’t know I’m dating you. And you’re… Tall.” “Tall-” “And if Mia tells our parents I’m dating a- Tall person, before I can, they might think I was keeping it a secret.” “Oh, okay… Tall?” “Anon. You’re a Skinni- HUMAN.” Naomi’s face shifted colors entirely, instead of orange-cream, it was a bright red. Her wide eyes shot to me, almost in tears. “...Anon I am so sorry.” “What?” “I called you- That!” “What, Skinnie?” “Yes, that- word! Don’t say it! It’s specist, Anon!” The maliciousness in my heart grew heavier and heavier. A wicked and dastardly smile slowly sprung from my cheeks. Between steering and dodging traffic, Naomi kept glancing between me and the road. She grew more and more flustered with each peep of my face. “a-Anon, no. No!” Her hand released the steering wheel to point at me angrily, before trying to cover my mouth as I mouthed the word “trigga” and “trigger” repeatedly, until finally speaking it. “Trigga, Trigger!” Each faint slap on my shoulder and wrist, veering the car back and forth slightly, caused my laughing to increase. “Stop! Bad!” Naomi couldn’t help but join the tirade of encroaching and idiotic laughter. The car slowly rounded the corner to the boardwalk parking. The sun was still high in the sky, seagulls swooped down for stray fries, and crowds of people walked along the cement and wooden walkways. Naomi was lucky to have found a parking spot. A keen eye for spotting one with such a condensely packed chain-explosion waiting to happen. Without so much as a word, I followed the persimmon-parasaur down the sidewalk, away from the festivities. Leaving the smell of freshly baked grease and fats that wafted through the air behind us. I could really go for some cotton candy right now… “Where are we going, exactly? Did you tell her to meet us here?” “I told her to meet me at the boardwalk.” “We are currently walking away from the boardwalk.” “Because she never goes to the boardwalk. Mia likes this old arcade nearby.” With the boardwalk and all the fun-in-the-sun still in sight, we stopped in front of a very generic looking building that had clearly seen better days. The only resemblance to an arcade having come from the large marquee sign with broken letters and burnt out lightbulbs concealed behind the sun-bleached purple plastic. The double-glass-doors creaked as we pushed them open to the dingy, 80’s love-letter interior that hadn’t seen a vacuum since the aforementioned era. The once black carpet with printed stars and planets was covered in a film of some sort. Trash cans spewed their overflow onto the floors and the counter was left vacant as the sound of retro arcade cabinets filled the dusty air. “Mother fucker.” … “MOTHER FUCKER. GIVE IT BACK.” The sound of mechanic rattling along with banging overtook the cacophony of bleeps and chiptunes. The banging continued and grew in volume as we rounded the maze of cabinets to see her. I wouldn’t blame you for mistaking them for each other. Mia’s hair was the same exact shade of blonde, but a bit longer as it fell over her shoulders. Instead of the preppy school uniform, it was a bright red and spiked leather jacket with torn jeans that hugged her body a bit too tightly. Her colors were similar too, but instead of a creamsicle, it was more like strawberry sherbet. Her bangs ended right above her eyes, giving the impression of a permanent glare as she locked eyes with the both of us, mid beat-down of a defenseless arcade cabinet. “No way.” “Mia, this-” “No fucking way. Holy shit.” Mia leaned against the arcade cabinet, struggling with a fit of hysterics. “You-” She began to perform double-takes, looking at me and Naomi. “Holy shit, that’s great.” Mia wiped the smile off of her face. “Did you guys bring any quarters? Piece of shit mother fucking trigger bastard asshole ate my last two.” I reached into my pockets, pulling out the lint that had resided in there since the last wash. Naomi didn’t move. “Mia. This is-” “Come on, Naomi. Help out your big sis?” “MIA. THIS IS ANON.” Naomi closed her eyes as she got close to shouting. “Okay. I’m Mia. Naomi’s sister. And you’re her skinnie boyfriend.” I smiled like a dumbass, until my vision slowly panned to the pissed-parasaur. I could almost see steam coming out of her ears, eyes-twitching. Although that may have been my imagination. “MIA.” Perturbed. Peeved, even. Naomi’s finger pointed a dagger at her near-twin. “Do NOT call him that!” Mia’s growing mischievous grin matched mine from earlier, her cheeks swelling with words that would get one banned from Snootter for life. “What? Skinnie, Trigger, Rhinorex?” After the barrage of insults between the two of them, catching their breaths, and continuing before finally stopping once and for all, they finally remembered that I still existed. “Well. ‘Anon’. Nice to meet you. How lucky you are to end up with the perfectionist that is my sister.” “Yeah- it’s nice to meet you too. I have literally never heard anything about you. Ever.” “Not surprised. She hates me, so do our parents.” Naomi recoiled at the sudden accusation. “I do not! Why would I have introduced Anon to you if I hated you!” “Because you knew I would tell mom and dad before you if I found out?” The flustered pile of blonde, orange and peach stuttered, trying to think of an out. “Of course not!” Naomi laughed awkwardly. “I thought you should meet him first is all!” “Naomi. We’re sisters. I know how you think.” “Okay. Fine. So what?” There was a brief respite between the two, allowing me to soak in the ambience of the arcade before- “Yeah, I would totally do that though.” Mia grinned, before remembering the quarter thief. Her boot struck the front panel, opening and revealing the miniature hoard of currency. “Fuck. Yes. Fuck. You.” Mia whispered harshly, scooping them into pockets voraciously. It was as if her life savings had been dropped in front of her. …Maybe it was? “Well. I just wanted him to meet you. And you him. Come on, Anon.” Naomi grabbed me by the shirt sleeve, dragging me out of the aisle of cabinets. “Now what?” Naomi froze, turning back to her sister. “What?” “What’s stopping me from telling mom and dad now?... Now that you’re driving him back to wherever-the-hell-he’s-from?” Naomi’s grip turned ice cold and vice-tight. “You won’t.” “Who knows. I’m due for family dinner tonight.” Naomi dragged me down the sidewalk, her surprisingly strong grip unbreaking as my feet stumbled forward while trying to maintain my balance. She marched onwards back to the parking lot, a mix of speed-walking and sprinting with a great aura of ‘pissed’ and ‘terrified’ emanating from her. “Naomi! Chill! She was joking!” She stopped, mid step, turning back to me on a heel. “No. I know her, Anon. She isn’t. You need to meet my parents. Tonight.” My heart sank to my stomach, and my stomach sank to my groin. This wasn’t supposed to go down like this.