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lily-janus · 1 year

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The Hardest Thing

hey guys! I finally did my first Big Bang yayyy! For now I'll post the first chapter and hopefully post the rest soon after! Ty so much for @bonker-bananas for the amazing art she made for this fic! @tss-storytime

summary link (check it out for all the content and trigger warnings for the entire fic)

Word count: 4,359

Chapter 1 - Don't Worry, Virgil!

It was a day like any other. Nothing special or note-worthy about it. The weather was a bit cloudy but there was no storm, no thunder, just a light breeze and some clouds that dimmed the light of the sun slightly.

Virgil was walking on his usual route to school, the familiar sights doing nothing to ease his nerves.

He didn't know why he felt so anxious, his eyes kept darting around as if expecting some creature to jump from the bushes or… something. And no matter how much breathing exercises he did, his breath kept hitching and there wasn't enough air in his lungs-

"Virgil?"

He suddenly feels a hand on his shoulder and jumps a few good feet in the air before he realizes it was only Janus.

Wait… Janus? When did he…

Virgil blinked, looking around, he spotted Janus' house a few feet behind them… he didn't even notice he walked past it, never mind that Janus joined him in their usual meeting spot in front of it…

Janus puts his arms up in surrender. "Sorry, you just seem a bit jumpy today." Janus says gently, Virgil's shoulder slumping after his initial panic.

He grabs his left arm with his right, nails digging into the sleeves of his hoodie trying again to do his breathing exercises. "Yeah… sorry, just one of these days…" he mumbles. "I got this vague feeling that something bad is coming…" he trailed off, it sounds so stupid when he says it out loud…

Janus raised a skeptic eyebrow at that and Virgil wanted to kick himself for saying anything. It's obviously just his stupid anxiety acting up for no reason, he should know better than to listen to it.

But still…

"I know it sounds stupid but-"

"Oh heavens no! I think you're right! Look, behind you!" Janus points behind Virgil.

Virgil rolled his eyes. Of course Janus would mock him for it, what else did he expect? He should have kept his mouth shut…

"Very funny Janus-" but he's tackled to the floor before he can finish his sentence.

His entire body immediately tenses up even more than before and he feels his lungs being crushed by the weight above him as he struggles to breathe, clawing and writhing on the floor in a desperate attempt to get away, to run from the unknown threat, to-

"Sneak attack!" Remus shrieks in delight.

He slamps in relief and exhaustion when he realizes it's just Remus and his annoying sneak tackles… really, how many times did he need to explain to him that these are not fun for someone with a high functioning anxiety like him?

Virgil groans, struggling to breathe under his weight. "Remus… we talked about this…" he chokes out.

Remus giggles, crushing Virgil even more as he uses him as leverage to get back on his feet, offering his hand to him once he's up.

Virgil glares at him before ignoring his hand and standing up on his own. "You gotta stop doing this, man, I'm jumpy enough as it is." He folds his arms over his chest, hugging himself tightly. That attack did not help his nerves, if anything it made them tense up more.

"Sorry, V, couldn't help it." Remus grinned apologetically at their anxious friend. "Why are you jumpy anyway? Nothing special is happening, just a boring school day." Remus shrugs.

Virgil rolls his eyes at the question. He stopped counting the amount of times he tried to explain to his friends how his anxiety works, they just never seem to listen. The fact that there's nothing happening nor anything to be worried about doesn't mean he won't worry.

It just means his brain will come up with things that might happen and make him worry about those, which is honestly worse than having one, clear and specific thing to worry about.

"He says he feels like something's about to happen" Janus snickers.

Virgil flushes, he again regrets voicing his imaginary concerns to Janus. "Hey! I was right a few times before!" He protests, tacking his hands into his hoodie pocket. His anxiety isn't always wrong…

"You were also wrong a lot of the times" Janus points out, because of course he did. "Just breathe, Virgil, you're safe, we're all safe, ok?" Janus says soothingly.

For now…

Virgil thinks then sighs. "I know but-"

"Great! Boring talk over! Now let's get to the good stuff." Remus rubs his hands together in anticipation.

Well… those words coming from Remus' mouth never led to anything good, maybe his anxiety was right today…

"Ah, surely nothing bad will follow this statement." Janus smirks, gesturing for Remus to continue.

"Today's a very special day!" Remus starts excitedly.

Virgil frowns as the three of them started walking again towards school. What's special about today? Was he missing something or is Remus just making stuff up for fun? Wouldn't be the first time..

"Tuesday?" Janus raises an amused eyebrow.

Remus pouts. "No silly! It's my birthday!" He says, complete with jazz hands.

Virgil frowns. "Isn't that in two weeks?" He asked as he looked at the date in his phone to confirm his question. It wasn't any of them's birthdays, what is Remus talking about?

Remus shrugs. "Potato tomato, it's the same thing!"

"It's really not…" Virgil tried to say but was interrupted by Remus' annoyed groan.

"Ugh you two are so boring! Let's just skip school and have a fun time together! You know, to celebrate." Remus looks at his friends hopefully.

Virgol huffed, he's not boring, he's cautious. There's a difference, why would they risk getting in trouble for nothing?

"Celebrate what? It's not your birthday yet darling." Janus pointed out.

Remus shrugs again. "It's someone's for sure! So let's celebrate them!"

Remus is being weirdly insistent about this…

Janus chuckles. "That's not how this works."

Remus pouted. "What are you, birthday police? C'mon, let's get out of this stupid place and have some fun!"

Janus was still chuckling, shaking his head. "Sure why not, not like any of my parents will notice anyway… or care, I'm in."

Not surprising, Janus' parents were usually either too busy arguing or trying to best the other in everything than to actually pay attention to their son and his behavior. Suffice to say, holidays were a nightmare. And Virgil should know, since Janus made him accompany him for some for moral support, he couldn't blame the guy for needing it.

Remus whooped in triumph and they started walking in the other direction.

Did they even think about waiting for his response? Or did they just assume he'll follow them like a puppy?

Virgil froze in place. "W-wait, skip school? My parents will kill me!"

Unlike Janus' parents, Virgil's parents micromanaged every tiny detail in Virgil's life. They weren't too strict like Remus', but they knew everything about everything concerning him and his actions at any moment… or at least tried to.

Janus and Remus helped him get away with some things in the past, but it wasn't an easy task. The fact that he's diagnosed with an anxiety disorder makes them even more protective of him than any other protective parent he's seen.

Don't get him wrong, Virgil loves his parents to bits… he just wished they'd give him some room to breathe every once in a while…

Janus rolled his eyes, going back a few steps to look Virgil in the eyes. "No one's going to know, ok? We'll fake sick letters from our parents so the teachers won't tell them, it'll be fine, don't you trust me?"

Of course he does… that's not the point he's trying to make. They didn't think this plan through enough… his parents will surely find out…

Virgil hesitated. "Of course I do, I just… I'm worried-"

"You alway are, Scare Bear! Now let's go! School's for losers!" Remus shouted in delight as he ran forward.

Janus sighed. "And now we have to follow to make sure he's not breaking anything… or anyone." He snickers to himself before running after Remus.

Both of them leaving Virgil no choice but to follow.

Virgil looks back in the direction of the school for a few seconds, before shaking his head and following them. Not like he can face school alone anyway.

"What are we doing at a grocery store again?" Janus asked, faking a yawn to show how bored he was. "I thought this day would turn out to be exciting."

Virgil was standing awkwardly next to them, trying his best to look like he's supposed to be here and not like a guilty student who's skipping school. He wasn't sure he's doing a very good job…

There were a few grown ups browsing the shelves, some of them eying the three of them suspiciously… though it might just be in Virgil's head.

"It will! I just need to find… ah ha! Gotcha!" Remus snatched something off one of the shelves and showed it to his friends.

Janus smirked at the sight but Virgil shook his head violently.

"Graffiti? Seriously? Remus, we could get in serious trouble for this, let's just go to the arcade or something." Virgil insisted, looking around fearfully.

What is he thinking? Does he want to end up in prison?

"Ugh you are sooo boring! C'mon it'll be fun, don't be a buzz-kill! Here, I found a purple spray bottle for you!" Remus shook the bottle in front of Virgil's face.

"Yeah Virgil, come on, we won't get caught if we'll be cautious." Janus piped in, picking a yellow spray bottle from the shelf.

"You don't know that! What if someone sees us? What if a cop walks by? What if-" he, once again, tried to get some sense into his impulsive friend. But he was cut off… again. Why does he even bother?

"Virgil, my guy, relax, we're not planning a murder just some silly writing on walls! We can table murder for later." Remus slang his arm around the back of Virgil's neck, grinning wildly.

Relax? Relax?! How is he supposed to relax when his friends seem determined to break so many rules today? And drag him down with them?

You don't have to go with them, you can go back to school and make up an excuse for being late. They're the ones that want to do this, not you…

"No murder, Remus, ever." Janus sighed then turned to Virgil. "If you don't want to join us, you don't have to, but we want to have fun with you too, it's your choice."

Virgil scoffed, there was no choice, it's not like he can go home when he's supposed to be in school, and he can't show up this late to school either, and wondering the streets alone is out of the question.

"Whatever…" he mumbled, taking the purple spray bottle from Remus.

He sighed as he turned the spray bottle in his hands, why is it so hard for him to make himself be heard?

"That's the spirit! Let's go!"

"If we get caught I'm killing both of you and then myself." Virgil said as they paid for the spray bottles and walked out of the store.

"If you're trying to threaten me you're doing it wrong, that sounds like fun!" Remus laughed.

….

"Hey, you! Stop right there!"

Virgil froze, his hand still up in the air with the spray bottle, in the middle of spraying his drawing on the wall.

He knew it! He fucking knew it! This is it, they're all going to jail, their parents will bail them out but then ground them until they're 30! How did he let himself go with this stupid, pointless, risky plan?

He would have stayed there, frozen, if Remus hadn't grabbed him by the arm and pulled him effortlessly with them as they ran before the cop saw their faces.

They stopped after a few blocks to catch their breath and Virgil wasted no time punching Remus in the arm. "I fucking told you! Idiot, we could have been arrested."

"But we didn't."

"But we could have."

"But!" Janus jumped in. "We didn't, so let's stop this annoying arguing hm?"

Virgil sighed. "Can we just go to the Arcade now? You know, like every normal kid does when they skip school?"

Remus grinned. "You got it, V-man! But you bet I'm cheating to get all the tickets and buy the coolest prize!" He giggled.

Virgil shook his head. "It's like you want to get in trouble…" but he followed his two friends anyway.

Janus slowed to walk beside him while Remus walked at the front, smirking as he watched their wild friend.

"So, what do you think he's hiding?"

Virgil frowned. "What?"

Janus raised an eyebrow. "Oh please, don't tell me you didn't notice, he's been acting weird all day."

He hesitated. He did notice something was off about Remus' behavior today. He seemed way more insistent and careless than usual but… hiding something? Remus is always so blatantly honest, what would he feel the need to hide from them?

"It's Remus… he always acts weird." Virgil pointed out, refusing to admit Remus might be hiding secrets from them, making Janus roll his eyes.

"Different weird, trust me, there's something he's not telling us, something he tries to avoid thinking about. I bet his super strict parents punished him again or something. He always acts out in protest when they do that, what do you think?" Janus explained, seeming to enjoy speculating about their friend's personal life, which wasn't surprising.

He remembered one time, he was being more quiet than usual and Janus was utterly delighted when his endless probing finally broke Virgil and made him confess about his fight with his parents the other day.

Virgil shrugged. "How should I know?" He tried to end this conversation as quickly as possible, he didn't like talking about Remus behind his back… literally.

Janus shook his head. "It's not about knowing, the fun is in speculating, c'mon, just guess something." He urged him.

"Ah… I don't know, secret crush or something?" Virgil tried, hoping that's satisfy Janus.

Janus snickered at that. "Maybe, now that will be an interesting development."

"This is stupid, he's right here, why don't we just ask?" Virgil asked, slightly confused. Janus always does this, making things overly complicated instead of just being direct.

Janus looked at him like he just said the dumbest thing ever. "Where's the fun in that? Besides, he could have told us all day but didn't so obviously if we confront him about it he's just going to deflect and get defensive." He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

He's also insanely good at reading people and predicting their reactions, it's honestly scary sometimes.

"How have we been friends since forever and you two still manage to confuse me?" Virgil mumbled.

Janus snickered. "It's part of our charm." He said easily.

Virgil huffed a laugh. "Calm down Charming."

"Hey! Are you two done flirting?" Remus joked, "because it's time to get your game face on! We're here!" He gestured to the Arcade dramatically.

Janus and Virgil rolled their eyes with a smile and followed Remus inside.

The Arcade was as loud and colorful as Virgil remembered, with endless beepings and sounds emitting from the hundreds of games that lined up the place, the colorful lighting moving around and changing constantly.

The three friends looked around with growing excitement, looking at all the games and weighing their options.

"Hey! Janny! Check this out!" Remus suddenly shouted, pointing excitedly at the DDR game at the center of the Arcade. "Bet I can still beat you to the ground at dancing!" He grinned provkingly at Janus.

Remus was all talk, no one ever has been able to beat Janus at dancing, in DDR or not, his graceful way if moving his body was unbeatable.

"Now, Remus, I know what you're trying to do…" Janus started, "but we both know, you have never beaten me in the classic game of Dance Dance Revolution, and you never will." Janus smirked at Remus smugly.

"Oh yeah? Why don't you put your money where your mouth is and show us what you got?" Remus challenged, grinning wildly.

"Hm gladly, just you watch and learn, my parents didn't put me in dance lessons for nothing, see how a true master does it." Janus said, walking towards the game with his chin up.

Virgil and Remus watched him go. "You just love provoking him, don't you?"

"Virgil, buddy," Remus put a hand on his shoulder, "it's my reason for living."

Virgil snorted, "you're awful."

Remus grinned at that. "Why, thank you Vee, I try my best. You have to admit how entertaining he is though." He jerked his head in Janus' direction, already deep in his dancing, eyes glued to the screen and legs gracefully going for the right arrows, clearly smiling.

Remus sighed contently, patting himself on the shoulder. "I know how much he loves dancing, you're such a good friend Remus! Why thank you, Remus!"

Virgil rolled his eyes. "Dork…" he muttered.

"Hey! I heard that!" Remus punched his arm playfully, making Virgil laugh.

They then heard a faint ping coming from Remus' pocket and he fished out his phone to check what it was.

As he read whatever message it was, his expression started to change to… something Virgil never saw on him before, and something he quickly decided he didn't like at all. After a moment's hesitation, he tapped Remus lightly on the shoulder.

Remus jumped as if he got zapped by lightning, quickly locking his phone and turning around sharply to face Virgil, looking at him as if he forgot he was there.

"You okay, Re? Who messaged you?" Virgil asked with a frown of concern, he had never seen him act like it before… maybe Janus was right and he was hiding something…

Remus blinked a few times then grinned his usual grin, though it felt… off. "Eh, nothing important, just some stupid chores my parents asked me to do when I come back from 'school' "

"Um… okay? You just seemed a bit-"

"Know what? Changed my mind, this place is boring! I have a better idea, let's go!" He went to grab Janus and dragged him outside with him, Virgil worriedly trailing behind them.

What aren't you telling us, Remus?

…

"Remus, why are we at your house-"

"Shh" Remus shushed, "no one can know we're here, we're supposed to be in school remember?"

Virgil rolled his eyes, "you said that way louder than me but okay mister Stealth."

Janus snorted quietly at the comment as they continued to walk towards Remus' house.

But when they neared the front door, Remus took a sharp turn, going around the house instead.

Virgil and Janus exchanged worried glances behind Remus' back as they followed him.

"Remus, dear, you know how much I love sneaking around but… what exactly is your plan here?" Janus whispered to him as he stopped in a seemingly random place in their back yard.

"Do you know what my dad's job is?" Remus asked, turning to face his two friends.

Confused, they both shook their heads.

"Yeah neither do I, but I do know how to get inside his secret office, no one is allowed in there but my dad, which is why today we're gonna pick inside." Remus explained excitedly, rubbing his hands in anticipation.

Every part of Virgil's brain and body screamed at him to not do exactly what Remus just suggested, his mind already came up with at least 30 things that could go wrong and quickly going up to 50 scenerios.

Virgil bit his lip in hesitation, "I don't know Re… maybe it's a secret for a reason, what if there's something dangerous inside?"

"Oh c'mon, it's my boring ol' dad! It's probably just some personal stuff he's ashamed of or something." Remus dismissed Virgil's worries, like always… Seriously, why does he even bother?

"What do you say, Janny? You're usually not as boring as Emo over here."

Virgil huffed at that as Janus considered this. He then shrugged, "I must admit, I am curious to see what your father's up to, though I doubt it'll be too interesting, or even close to dangerous. Remus' dad is… many things, but exciting is not one of them."

"Yes! Knew you'll be on board, now." He turned to the wall of the house, considering it for a moment before pressing on random places on it. "Saw him do it so many times." He explained when he was done.

For a moment, nothing happened, then a soft beep of approval was heard and a section of the wall sunk down to the floor, revealing a hidden passage.

"That's… kinda overdoing it for just personal stuff you're ashamed of…" Virgil pointed out as he looked into the passageway. Bad potential scenarios are up to over a hundred now.

Remus groaned, "fine, stay here as a look out or something, me and Jay will check it out, I heard chickens like it outside more." Remus teased, making Janus snicker and Virgil roll his eyes.

"Well sorry for being cautious, geez." He tacked his hands into his hoodie, watching Remus walk inside.

"You really want to stay here? Alone?" Janus raised an eyebrow at him.

Virgil hesitated for a moment, glancing at the passage then out in the street… where anyone can walk by… and think Virgil's weird and suspicious for standing in someone else's yard for so long…

He sighed, he can't believe he's actually letting them convince him to do this… But if there's something he hates more than this dangerous plan… it's being alone.

"...whatever."

Janus smirked and walked inside, Virgil soon following, the 'door' closing behind the three of them. Making Virgil jump and turn towards the once open door… that's not a good sign…

They all walked in silence, trying to be as quiet as possible, and taking in the strange, secret passage they found.

They soon came into a bright lighted room, full of strange looking devices and various tools scattered around each of them, it almost looked like-

"A lab?!" Remus screeched in bewilderment, "I've had a secret lab in my house this whole time?! I should have snuck down here a lot sooner, damn!"

Janus shook his head, "what happened to 'be quiet, no one can know we're here'? " he asked with a smirk.

Remus just shrugged, "there's a limit to how long I can stay quiet and did you see what we found?!" He grabbed Janus' shoulders, shaking him in excitement, "my dad's a secret scientist! How freaking cool is that!"

Janus broke away from his grip, "apparently cool enough to forget what personal space means." He huffed, straightening his clothes, "but I admit this is… not what I was expecting, I wonder what your dad is researching."

Remus nodded at that looking over the various devices curiously.

"Holy shit, is this for real? …we should probably not touch any- Remus!" Virgil said in a panic when he saw Remus pick up a strange watch, "put that down! We don't know what it can do-"

A secret lab is like, horrible scenario number 122, complete with them accidentally activating some sort of doomsday device and bringing the end of the world!

"Geez, calm down, will ya? Nothing happened!" Remus huffed, putting the watch down.

"Yet.." Virgil added quietly, "this place gives me the creeps, let's get out of…" he trailed off, tilting his head as he looked at a full body-sized mirror… that didn't seem to reflect the room they were in, "...here." he finished quietly, frowning.

Virgil tilted his head, looking at the strange 'mirror' more closely. Its frame had strange carvings and drawings on it that looked like they're depicting battles. At the top of the mirror there were three small figures and a sentence in a language Virgil has never seen anything like it before…

"Vee? Everything- wow what is that?" Remus came to stand near Virgil, staring at the strange mirror and reaching a hand towards it.

Janus stopped him, "idiot, what do you think you're doing?" He growled at him.

Remus shook his head, seemingly waking up from something, "s-sorry, I just had the weirdest feeling…" he mumbled.

"Okay, this place is crazy, I'm leaving-" he paused, looking around in confusion, "ah… guys? Where's the passageway?"

They all started to look around, but all the walls seemed solid and closed with no openings. Janus and Virgil turned ro Remus, looking at him hopefully.

"Hey! I only saw him get in! I didn't think-"

"Yeah that's the problem! You don't think and somehow you always manage to convince me and… now we're stuck here! We don't have any food and no one knows where we are… I knew I had a bad feeling about today, but you two never listen to me!" Virgil yelled, breath becoming shallower with every word until he was panting.

He's tired of doing things he doesn't really want to do, he's tired of always following his only friends around and feeling as though it's his only choice…

And he's tired of constantly being scared of everything.

"Virgil, you need to breathe-"

"No! I have a right to panic, stop telling me to fucking calm down! News flush, telling someone anxious to calm down is not calming!" Despite that, he tried catching his breath without much luck.

"I'm…" they both turned to Remus at the sound of his unusually weak voice, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

Virgil reached his hand to try and ground himself… and realized a second too late he wasn't leaning on a wall… but the strange mirror. His hand suddenly sunk into it, like it was made of water, and he cried in alarm when it started sucking him in.

Janus and Remus grabbed at his free arm, trying to pull him out, but nothing worked.

Before any of them realized what happened, the three of them disappeared into the mirror, leaving the lab quiet and empty.

#The Hardest Thing #tss big bang 2023 #tw peer pressure #tw anxiety #tw toxic friendship #Lily writes #amphibia au #tssstorytimesubmission2023 #tss storytime 2023

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creampuffqueen · 2 years

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The Start of our Story

hello my friends!!! it's been a hot second since i've posted any writing, but i have something to share that i've been working on for the past few months! i participated in the amphibia mini bang, and it was so much fun!! please enjoy this little modern universe library meet cute!

as well, please check out the AMAZING art pieces to go along with this story!!!

@cookiethestar 's art piece

@friendlydrop 's art piece

Word count: 6187

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“Why are we going to the library?” From the front seat of her car, Sasha could glance into the backseat from her rearview mirror to see two small blonde heads in their booster seats.

“Because your mom wanted you two to go to the library today and get some books.”

“Books are boring!” Alexandra, or Allie, as she was usually known by, gave a groan of complaint.

“Books are not boring!” Greta, her twin, shot her a glare across the seat.

“You’re boring!” Allie retorted.

Before the two could start a squabble, Sasha quickly shut it down with a look that had both of them sitting up straight, hands in their laps. “Enough. Your mom wants you at the library. So we’re going to the library.”

“You don’t have to listen to her,” Allie said hopefully, a mischievous grin making its way across her face, “She’s not your mom, and you’re a grown up!”

Both valid points, Sasha supposed. She was home for the summer from her freshman year of college, and had spent most of it so far at her father’s house, where he and his wife, Sasha’s step-mom, left her alone for the most part. It was better than her own nagging mother’s house, and as a bonus, she got to hang out with her little sisters.

But that didn’t mean she’d automatically signed up to be the designated babysitter. Of course, Lara and her father didn’t see it that way. Hence the fact that she had two grubby eight-year-olds fighting in her backseat as she drove them to the library for some “summer learning” (not her words).

“We could go get ice cream instead!” Despite actually wanting to go to the library, Greta couldn’t resist a bit of rule-breaking of her own. Sasha fixed the two of them with another look.

“We’re going to the library. But maybe if you’re both good we can get milkshakes on the way home.”

“Yes!” The cheer was unanimous, and both twins sat nice and polite as they drove the last few minutes to the library.

With summer in full swing, the parking lot was fairly packed, and small children milled about everywhere. Sasha parked her red convertible in between two mom-vans, and unloaded the girls from the back.

Greta, as expected, clung to her hand, eyes wide as she took in the crowded, noisy area. Allie, on the other hand, had to nearly be grabbed by the collar to keep her from running off. The door locked, both kids secured, and the trio finally made their way inside.

A blast of cool air greeted them, and all three sighed in relief at being out of the sweltering California summer heat. And, much to Greta’s pleasure, the library was much more silent on the inside than out. As patrons shuffled around, looking at books, they kept their voices at a low whisper to keep the peace and quiet.

“Inside voices,” Sasha warned lowly, and both girls nodded. Keeping them both at her side, the real challenge began: finding the childrens’ section.

It wasn’t that Sasha never went to the library. It was a frequent meeting spot for high school study groups, and an easy way to earn volunteer hours for her clubs that needed them.

However…

Sasha would be the first to admit that library was the last place on earth her high school self would like to visit. It was quiet, boring… really, she understood Allie’s reluctance to spend the day there. Getting ice cream and going to the park would be so much more fun.

But Lara wanted her girls at the library. So, despite her own ideas of a fun day, Sasha would do what she wanted. And that meant walking around the library as if she knew where she was going, dragging Greta with one arm and being dragged by Allie with the other.

Finally, after what felt like hours of walking in circles as they navigated the large library, someone finally told them the childrens’ section was upstairs and led them to the stairwell. Greta had grown more excited at the thought of getting a book to read, and begun to chatter quietly in Sasha’s ear about how much she wanted a book about dinosaurs. Allie was growing more impatient by the minute, dragging against Sasha’s strong grip with all her might.

Up the stairs they went, finally reaching the elusive childrens’ area. It was pretty obvious once they’d reached it; the colors were brighter, the books on the shelves were thinner, and a very quiet tune seemed to play from one far corner. Sasha set her eyes on the front desk and made her way over, ready to ask for every dinosaur book in the library if that would make Greta quiet down.

Of course, the desk was deserted. Of course.

“Sasha, where’s the librarian?” Greta whispered.

“Please can we hurry up?” Allie whined, “Let’s get a book so we can be done!”

“I need to ask about my dinosaur book!”

Sasha hushed them both and glanced around. The childrens’ area was pretty full at this time of day, with parents desperate for something to get their hyper children out of the house. Many rifled through the shelves with their kids, and several tables nearby held coloring materials galore, with just as many children focused on their next masterpiece. And through the many shelves, a little tune played, quiet enough it was hard to hear the lyrics. The librarian was nowhere to be found.

Finally, after another minute of gawking, what must have been a library regular took pity on them. “Are you looking for Marcy?” She asked with a soft smile. Her hair was up in a messy bun, with a toddler perched on her hip and a boy who couldn’t have been more than six flipping through a picture book next to her.

“Is she the librarian?” Sasha asked.

“Yes, she’s wonderful!” The mom praised, “So good with the kids, and they all love her!” She gestured with her head towards the gap in the bookshelves. “It’s story-time right now, so she’s over on the carpet. I’m sure she’ll be happy to help you out.”

With a quick thanks, Sasha at last had a direction to go in, and her little sisters followed, happy to be on the move at last.

“What if they’re all out of dinosaur books?” Greta whispered nervously.

Sasha snorted. “No way. Do you see how many books they have? They’ve gotta have plenty of dinosaur books.”

The bookshelves made a maze as they traveled through them, following the sound of the music, which, Sasha realized, must be accompanying the childrens’ story time.

At last they pushed through to the back of the childrens’ section, and were greeted by a sea of colorful carpet crawling with little kids.

And in the center of it all sat the most beautiful girl Sasha had ever laid eyes on.

Librarians were supposed to be old ladies, right? At least in her experience they were. No way was that the librarian. She was too young. Too gorgeous.

Everything else seemed to fall away as the young woman lifted her gaze from the book on her lap to look up at the newcomers to her story circle.

Their eyes locked.

Sasha could almost feel her face going red. Her heart sped up, beating frantically inside her chest like a caged bird. Her hands started sweating. Oh god her hands-

“Sasha!” A tug on her sweaty hands brought her back to the present, tearing her gaze from the beautiful girl on the carpet. Her eyes, as well, were now trained on a little girl of about three, who came over to try and turn the pages of the book for her.

“Sorry,” She croaked, suddenly unable to make words. Allie tugged on her hands again, and this time successfully escaped, and she wiped her hands on the front of her patterned shirt.

“Ew! Your hands are yucky!”

Before she could stop her, Allie had pushed her way into the story circle, and sat, almost enraptured, in front of the librarian. Greta pressed her face shyly into her side, and Sasha couldn’t tear her gaze away.

“Her name was Chrysanthemum, and it was thirteen letters long!” Marcy, that was her name, right? Marcy was reading to the gathered kids, her voice gentle but excited, and she flipped the book around to show off the pictures.

“Can I ask about my dinosaur books?” Greta asked.

“Um. Let’s wait until she’s finished, yeah? How about you go sit with your sister, and I’ll…” She didn’t quite know what to do with herself. She didn’t want to stand and stare like a creeper, but she didn’t want to let her sisters out of her sight, and she most certainly wanted to stay and watch the librarian read. Her voice had a magical quality that Sasha just couldn't get enough of.

“Why’s your face all red?” Greta asked from her side. Sasha blinked in surprise. Was she really blushing?

“It’s hot in here,” She replied, ignoring Greta’s curious look. “Go sit down. I’ll find somewhere else to wait.”

Greta gave her another questioning look, but didn’t argue, sitting down with crossed legs on the outer edge of the circle. Allie, closer to the middle (closer to the librarian), was wide-eyed and amazed at the show being put on. Marcy gave each character a distinct voice, and the story seemed to come to life at her words.

Sasha made her way to the surrounding bookshelves and flipped absently through a few books, trying to look like she wasn’t just as taken by the story as all the little kids.

However, it was to no avail. By the end of it she was rooting for the main character, a little mouse named Chrysanthemum, as she went on a journey to accept her long, hard to spell name. Marcy’s voice flowed with each turning page, and Sasha just couldn’t help but get drawn in.

At last, the story ended. With a smile, Marcy declared, “The end!” and shut the book with a satisfying snap. All was silent for a moment.

Then chaos broke out. “Again! Again! Read it again, Miss Marcy!”

Marcy stood up with a soft smile. “That was the end! But if you come back tomorrow you can hear a different story.” She began to pick her way through the throng of kids to place the book on a to-be-sorted cart.

Greta pushed her way through the crowd to make her way back to Sasha’s side. “Can we please ask about my book now?”

Sasha gulped. “Sure thing. Grab Allie; maybe the librarian can help her find a book she’d like.”

A moment later both girls were back beside her, and Sasha brought them both over to where the librarian was still chatting with the kids.

As they approached, Sasha’s heart got all fluttery again. Her mouth went dry, and her hands started to itch with sweat once more.

Pull yourself together, Waybright! She scolded herself internally, you can talk to a pretty girl!

Despite their excitement at the prospect of getting a book, both of her little sisters suddenly came down with a bought of shyness as they got near. Marcy looked up from another child she was speaking with to greet them with a little smile. Sasha was pretty sure she was having heart palpitations.

“Can I help you?” Both little girls shied behind Sasha’s legs as Marcy spoke, leaving it all up to her. Silently cursing her predicament, she took a deep breath to steady herself.

“Yeah, um… we’re looking for books about… uh… dinosaurs. Do you have any of those?” Sasha’s face was on fire as she stuttered out a sentence.

Marcy’s brown eyes went bright. “Oh, do I ever! I love dinosaurs!” She made a show of peeking around Sasha to the younger girls. “Do you two like dinosaurs?”

Greta gingerly crept forward. “I do.”

Marcy gave her a bright smile that nearly sent Sasha into cardiac arrest. “Would you like to go with me to see the books about them?”

Sasha’s little sister gave a shy nod. Marcy’s smile grew as she offered her hand.

Dumbfounded and lovestruck, Sasha followed her sisters and Marcy through the shelves of the library.

~~~~

“Are you finished with your book yet?” Sasha leaned over the top of the couch to look over Greta’s shoulder as the younger girl thumbed the pages of her book. She’d gotten The Dinosaur Encyclopedia from the library, and had been steadily reading through it for the past week. Of course, the childrens’ librarian had recommended the longest dinosaur book the library had. And of course, that was the one Greta wanted.

If she was being honest, Sasha wasn’t sure why she was so anxious for her sister to finish the book.

Okay, that was a lie. She wanted to go back to the library. Allie, who had gotten a few shorter books, was also sharing her enthusiasm, despite her earlier misgivings about the library. Sasha had considered taking just one sister with her, but both Greta and the twins’ mother would throw a fit, so she decided against it.

Greta didn’t answer the question. Her blue eyes were scanning the page. She was on the Y’s now in the book. Why were there so many dinosaurs with names that started with the letter Y?

Sasha tapped on Greta’s shoulder until she turned around with a pout. “Are you done yet?”

“I’m gonna read slower if you keep asking me!” She made like she was about to smack her in the face with the heavy book and Sasha backed off, a sheepish grin on her features.

“Sorry, sorry, I’ll stop.”

“Why are you being so weird about me reading?”

Sasha didn’t exactly have an answer to that. “I’m just… happy that you and Allie are taking an interest in literature!”

“I don’t know what that word means.”

“You know what a quetzalcoatlus is, what do you mean?!”

Greta rolled her eyes and sank back into the couch. “If you wanna see that pretty librarian again so badly you could just go by yourself.”

Sasha was about to shoot back that that was not the reason she wanted to go back, thank you very much, but a withering look from her little sister silenced her. Ouch. Did she teach her that glare?

“Well, I can’t go talk to the childrens’ librarian by myself! Then it would be weird since I don’t have any kids with me!”

Greta still looked unimpressed. “If you keep on bothering me then I won’t be able to read as fast. So if you leave me alone, I’ll be done quicker.”

With an annoyed grumble (because her sister was right) Sasha trudged off to find something else to do.

The next day, Greta came up to Sasha before she was finished with her morning coffee and slammed the giant book on the kitchen table. She jolted awake, nearly pouring hot coffee all over herself, and looked up at Greta’s proud, triumphant expression.

“I’m done! Let’s go to the library!”

“Yay! Let’s go let’s go let’s go let’s go-” Allie chimed in, putting her cup of apple juice down on the table and leaping up to jump beside her twin sister.

“Slow down,” Sasha grumbled, “It’s too early, the library isn’t even open right now.”

“The kitchen clock says it’s eleven.” Greta added helpfully.

Sasha’s eyes flew open. “Holy shit, it’s eleven?”

“Language!” Her stepmother called from the other room, while the twins snickered at her profanity.

“Sorry, time kind of slips away from you when you’re home from college,” Sasha muttered. “Let me finish this and get dressed, then we’ll go.”

As she quickly downed the rest of her coffee, Allie and Greta began to whisper and giggle to each other surreptitiously, as if Sasha couldn’t hear exactly what they were saying.

“She’s being so weird about the library because she thought Miss Marcy was cute,” Allie whispered.

“Yeah! Whenever she talks about the library her face goes all blushy and red. She’s got a cru-ush.” Greta laughed.

“I heard that!” Sasha snapped, though there wasn’t truly a bite in her words. “And I do not have a crush on the childrens’ librarian!”

Unconvinced, the twins glanced back at each other. Something sparked in their matching blue eyes.

“We should get them to date.” Greta said.

Allie gave a sharp nod in response. “Sasha’s gonna need our help. All the help she can get, actually.”

“I am literally right here.”

“Have you ever even been on a date?” Greta challenged.

“For your information, yes, I have been on a date. More than one!” Sasha defended herself. “If I want to ask the librarian out then I will.”

“So you do want to ask her out!” Allie cheered. “I knew it!”

“Alright little monsters, plans scrapped. We’re not ever going to the library again.”

Instantly both began to wail. “No!!” Greta grabbed her by the waist and Allie dragged her hand as if she meant to pull her out the door herself.

Sasha gave an affectionate sigh and brushed them both off. “I was kidding. We’ll go. But you two are ridiculous!”

With the twins both hanging onto her, Sasha struggled up the stairs and into her room, finally managing to free herself from their grip and kick them out so she could get dressed. At first she was prepared to throw on some athletic leggings and a t-shirt, but instead she found herself drifting towards her actual outfits. She spent a good two minutes debating between two tops before a loud knock came on her door.

“Why are you taking so long?”

“Oh, so it’s okay for you two to rush me but not okay for me to rush you guys?” Sasha snorted, finally selecting a top to match the rest of her outfit.

Muffled from the door, Allie called back, “Are you putting on makeup? For your crush?”

Stifling a groan, Sasha threw open the door, face completely makeup-free. “I don’t like the librarian.”

Both twins gave each other another disbelieving look, but said nothing. Sasha grumbled, “get in the car. Let’s get this over with.”

Traffic was surprisingly decent for L.A., and the three girls enjoyed a quick car ride with the sunroof down, the warm breeze whipping through their hair. Sasha turned the radio up high and sang Kidz Bop with the same passion as the two eight-year-olds in her backseat all the way to the library.

Once again, however, the parking lot was totally packed, full of parents with the same idea. It took two full circles to find a spot, but despite that annoyance, Sasha still found herself smiling. Allie and Greta, who had been so opposed to the library the last time they were there, were so excited they were nearly vibrating in their carseats.

Inside was blissfully cool once more, and this time they made their way upstairs to the childrens’ section without the embarrassment of needing directions. Books in hand, the twins ran straight for the information desk.

The desk that was currently occupied by none other than Marcy Wu, head librarian of the childrens’ section. At least, that’s what her nameplate on her desk said. The metal name tag was covered in little stickers, covering up every bit of space not occupied with her actual name and title. Sasha found it weirdly endearing.

“Miss Marcy!” Greta said excitedly, “I finished my book! The whole book!” She slid the hefty encyclopedia onto the desk and stared up at Marcy with wide eyes.

“I knew you could do it, Greta! I’m so proud of you!” Marcy’s grin was so wide, and oh dear, Sasha’s heart was pounding again. She remembered her little sister’s name? Why exactly was that making her so enamored?

Allie stood on her tiptoes to see up further on the desk. “I finished my books too.” Her voice was oddly shy for her normally exuberant personality, and Marcy offered her a soft smile in return.

“That’s wonderful, Allie. Did you enjoy them?” Allie nodded. “Do you want to read any more?”

“I want to read more!” Greta chirped, “and this time I wanna read about sharks. Are there shark books here?”

Marcy gave a little clap of delight, a gesture that was so adorable Sasha had to bite her tongue to keep herself from saying something utterly, ridiculously embarrassing. “I love sharks! The puppies of the sea!”

Greta looked slightly confused at the analogy, but nodded regardless. “Yeah, I want a shark book.”

Turning her attention back to Allie, Marcy said gently, “is there a topic you’d like to read about? I can show you where to look.”

Allie shrugged. And then Marcy’s gaze lifted to meet Sasha’s. “Maybe your older sister could take you to browse for a bit while I help Greta get a shark book?”

It took Sasha far too long to recognize that she was being asked a question. She was too lost in Marcy’s deep brown eyes to realize until Allie gave a sharp tug on her hand, snapping her back to the present.

“Oh, yeah, that’s- that’s totally fine. We’ll just, uh, look around. Yeah.” Sasha could feel with certainty that her face was bright red. She didn’t even want to know how much a fool she looked like right now, stumbling over her words and gaping like a fish.

“Okay, great!” At least Marcy had the decency to not acknowledge her weirdness. “We’ll go grab some books and meet you back here.”

“Is there story time today?” Allie added before they could walk away. “Are you going to read about that mouse again? I really liked that story.”

“I’m so glad you enjoyed it! There is story time today in about an hour, but this time I’m going to read a different book. Will you guys be staying for story time?”

Marcy’s gaze lifted to Sasha’s in a silent question, and suddenly Sasha’s whole chest felt tight, like she couldn’t get a breath in.

“Can we stay for story time, Sasha? Please?” Greta begged, peeking around Marcy at her sisters.

“Yeah, yeah, of course,” Sasha blurted, only after realizing that she’d just let herself get roped into screwing around the library for an hour while they waited for story time.

Allie cheered delightedly, then quickly slapped her hands over her mouth when her voice echoed through the shelves. She flashed an apologetic grin at Marcy, who just gave her another soft smile in return.

“Alright, we’ll see you two in a minute. Ready to get your mind blown, Greta?”

Sasha’s eyes couldn’t help but follow as they walked away, fixed on Marcy’s swishing ponytail and skirt flowing around her ankles, until they both disappeared around a bookshelf.

When she finally turned back to her little sister, Allie was wearing a shit-eating grin. “She’s pretty, huh?”

Sasha tousled the little girl’s hair and didn’t respond.

Ten minutes later Greta and Marcy found them again, Greta with a stack of books so high she could hardly carry them by herself. Still, she had clearly insisted on trying, and Marcy hovered around her as they walked, ready to catch any falling books.

“Woah,” Sasha chuckled, “are you planning on going into marine biology over there, Greta?”

“Marine bi-what now?” Her sister asked, “no, silly, this is all about sharks! And whales. And some dolphins. Did you know that dolphins are actually whales?!”

“Wait, really?” That was a fact Sasha was pretty sure she should have already known. Marcy caught her eye and nodded in confirmation.

“Yeah!” Greta was clearly struggling to control her volume in her excitement. “I’m gonna read all these books. I bet I’ll know more about sharks than anyone in the whole entire world!”

“I’m sure you will,” Sasha assured her, “how about you go find a chair to put those down on, and you can start reading? That’ll pass the time until Miss Marcy’s story time.”

Greta certainly didn’t need to be told twice, hurrying over to a plush beanbag chair on the ground. She set the stack of books down with a heavy thump, snatched the first one off the top, and threw herself onto the beanbag to thumb happily through it.

“You’ve got a little bookworm it seems,” Marcy chuckled, “girl after my own heart. And how about you, Allie? See anything you like?”

Allie proudly held up a graphic novel she’d procured. “It’s like a picture book for big kids!”

“Oh, I love graphic novels!” Marcy’s smile was contagious, and Allie matched it in turn. Sasha, too, found herself grinning so hard her cheeks were beginning to ache.

Her little sister’s gaze flitted back and forth between Sasha and Marcy. “I think I want to read it right now. I’m gonna go sit with Greta.” She dashed over to her twin, whispering something in her ear before squishing onto the beanbag chair beside her. Greta’s face lifted from her page just enough to show off her mischievous grin for a split second before she returned to her reading.

And that was how Sasha found herself all alone with Marcy, no more little sister buffers to hide her awkwardness.

She opened her mouth to speak, but Marcy was already heading back to her desk. Sasha blinked, dumbfounded, and, though she didn’t want to admit it, a little hurt. Was the librarian only interested in talking with her sisters?

Yes, dumbass, she is, it’s literally her job.

Still, Sasha couldn’t quite bring herself to walk away as well. Instead, she walked lightly over to where Marcy was, sorting books on the cart next to her desk.

The other woman was clearly entranced with her new task, and Sasha found herself loathe to disturb her. Scuffing her shoes on the carpeted floor, she made to turn away, only to be surprised when Marcy jolted, smacking her head on the cart with a yelp.

“Oh, are you okay-” before she could even realize what she was doing, Sasha was right next to her, up in her space, grabbing her elbow to help her up. A moment later, realizing what she was doing, she recoiled quickly and stepped away.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to get all up in your face like that-” I don’t even want to know how red my face is right now.

Marcy winced, rubbing her head with the palm of her hand. “Nah, you’re good. Might leave a bruise, but I’m used to that. The other librarians don’t call me a tripping hazard for no reason, you know?”

Sasha couldn’t tell if she was supposed to laugh at that. “Still. Are you alright?”

Marcy just gave a crooked smile. “‘Tis but a flesh wound, my lady.”

Sasha couldn’t help but snicker at that. “Sorry for startling you.”

The other woman shrugged, returning to the cart. “Like I said, you’re good. I just get too focused, you know? Forget about all my surroundings. Oh, did you need anything?”

Her throat went dry. “Uh- I, um, no. I didn’t, well, I didn’t need anything, I was just-”

“Wanna come with me to shelve books?” Marcy asked brightly, thankfully interrupting her stuttering excuses, “I like everything to be as neat as possible before story time. It seems like every toddler’s favorite pastime is pulling a million books off the shelves the moment their parents turn their backs.”

“Oh. Uh, sure.”

“Awesome! Follow me.” Marcy heaved the heavy cart away, pushing it with surprising dexterity through the narrow isles between the bookshelves.

“So,” Marcy started, skimming a finger over the spines of books on a shelf, “I haven’t seen you around before, not since you came last time. Are you guys new in town?”

Sasha wasn’t sure what to do with her hands. In her pockets? At her sides? Should she lean on the bookshelf? Would that make it look like she was trying too hard? “No, we just don’t go to the library that often. Allie and Greta are only eight, so they haven’t been super into reading until recently.”

“Are you not into reading?” Marcy asked lightly, grabbing a book off the cart and slipping it between two other titles.

Sasha grimaced, “to be honest, not really. I’m just here for my sisters. Since school let out, their mom wanted them to do something other than just watch TV all day.”

“Wait, their mom? Is that not your-” Marcy’s eyes widened suddenly. “I’m so sorry, that is very inappropriate of me, pretend I never asked that, please.” The tips of her ears were turning red.

“Oh, it’s fine,” Sasha assured her, “they’re my half sisters. Their mom is my step-mom.” If she was being honest, she wasn’t sure why she was giving up so much personal information. Normally people had to pry personal facts from her like they were extracting teeth, as her friends liked to say. But she found herself wanting to tell Marcy everything.

“New question,” she said instead, “what made you want to be librarian? And for little kids.”

Marcy pushed the cart further down the isle and added a few books to a new shelf. “Well, I’ve always loved reading. When I was little it was like my escape, you know? I can’t even imagine the kind of person I’d be today if I never started reading. And I wanted to give that to other kids if I could.”

Leaning on the cart, she added, “Plus, they’re adorable.”

Sasha, on the opposite end of the cart, leaned forward as well, smiling. There were so many things she wanted to say, so much she wanted to ask, but they were all choked up inside her throat. Instead she just smiled harder, and Marcy smiled right back.

Greta was taking too long to finish her massive stack of books. And she downright refused to go to the library if she wasn’t done with all of them.

Allie, who had finished her graphic novel the day after she got it, was getting frustrated with waiting for her sister to finish, desperate to return to the library once more. However, her loyalty to her twin meant that, despite her frustration, she wouldn’t go without her.

Sasha would have found it endearing if she wasn’t also desperate to head back to the library.

After an hour of pacing around the living room couch and peering over Greta’s shoulder, Sasha finally put herself outside to pull herself together. Seriously, you are a full grown woman. Stop pressuring your eight-year-old sister to read faster so you can flirt with the librarian some more.

“I wouldn’t call that flirting.” Sasha’s head snapped up to find Allie standing on the threshold of the back door, staring at her.

“Wait, did I say that out loud?”

“If you want to make gooey eyes at Miss Marcy that bad you should just go to the library on your own.”

Sasha sighed. “I told you last time, it would be weird if I went without you guys.”

Allie shut the back door behind her and came to sit in the grass beside her. “It won’t be weird. I think she likes you too.”

“How could you possibly know that?”

Allie shrugged, wiping her hands on the grass. “I just think you should try.”

Sasha gave a frustrated sigh and leaned back, looking up at the clear L.A. sky. “I can hardly get out a few sentences around her. Let alone actually ask her out.”

Allie laid out beside her, resting her little blonde head on Sasha’s shoulder. “Then tell her that.”

Sasha turned over a bit, blue eyes, matching her own, staring right back at her. “You’re very wise, for my little kid sister.”

Allie gave her a confused look. “What’s wise mean?”

“I’ll let you know when I get back.”

Her sister beamed, sitting up. “You’re actually gonna do it?”

“If my courage doesn’t run out before I make it inside the library.”

The little girl scrambled to her feet. “Hold on, I have something for you to give her. It’ll make her fall in love with you, I promise.”

Sasha was about to protest that she was just asking Marcy out, not trying to get her to fall in love (though wouldn’t that be nice) but Allie was already racing inside.

She returned a moment later, a single freshly plucked flower in her hands. The bud was fluffy and yellow, and Allie tucked it safely in her grasp. “It’s a chrysanthemum. Me and Greta asked Mama to get us some after Miss Marcy read that book.”

Sasha tugged her little sister into a fierce hug. “Thank you.”

Allie pulled herself away, then gave her a sage pat on the head. “If she dates you then you owe me a dollar. For being the best little sister ever in the world.”

As usual, Sasha ruffled her hair. “It’s a deal.”

Sasha’s hands sweated all the way to the library. She tried to convince herself that it was just the heat, but she knew she was lying to herself.

She was nervous.

Parking was, as usual, difficult to find, and she nearly considered parking on the curb for the few minutes it would take, but quickly decided it would be more embarrassing having to explain why her car was getting towed away.

She pushed her way inside the building, cradling the flower in her hands, trying not to crush it in her anxiety. Up the stairs she went, to the childrens’ section.

And there she was. Talking animatedly to a little boy as he showed her the pictures in his book. A moment later his father gently pulled him away, and Marcy waved goodbye, a big smile on her face for all to see.

Taking a deep breath to steel herself, Sasha stepped forward.

This time, Marcy noticed her right away. “Oh, hi Sasha! Are you and the girls back for more books? We got a new book in today all about whale sharks, and I think Greta would love it!”

“Um…” This is a terrible idea. What are you even thinking? She only knows you for your sisters!

Another deep breath, and Sasha pushed away her negative, nervous thoughts. “No, it’s just me today. I, uh, wanted to ask you something.”

Marcy’s eyes widened. “About… books?”

“No, not about books.” She held up the flower. “I-I have this flower. Allie gave it to me. So I could give it to you.”

“A chrysanthemum? That’s so sweet?” Marcy smiled up at her. “Tell Allie I said thank you! I have the perfect little vase for it at home-”

“Will you go out with me?”

Both women paused in their tracks. Sasha’s face burned. Marcy’s mouth dropped open into a tiny, perfect o.

“What?”

Well, Waybright, you’ve committed.

“Would you like to go out with me?” Sasha asked again, this time with a bit more grace.

“I’m sorry, I just- I don’t understand.” Marcy’s face was red now, too, and Sasha could feel herself wilting like the flower in her hand.

“No, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make it weird, I just, I- I can go-”

Marcy suddenly jolted out of her seat. “No, no! Don’t go! I didn’t mean- I meant, like, why me? Why would you like me?”

Now it was Sasha’ turn to gape in surprise. “Why would I like you? Marcy, what’s not to like? You’re adorable, you’re pretty, you’re smart, and passionate, and friendly, and- and just so much else! I know we hardly know each other but I have never, once in my life, been so amazed by another person.”

Marcy slid back into her seat. “Really? You think that about me?”

Sasha shrugged, struggling to meet her eyes. “Yeah. I do.”

She offered up the flower once more. “So you do want to go out with me?”

Marcy bit the inside of her cheek, gazing at Sasha with her big brown eyes until she finally met her gaze once more. “You said you’re not much of a reader, right?”

Sasha winced. “Oh. I did say that. Sorry, is that a dealbreaker? I mean, I get it, reading is your job-”

Marcy grabbed Sasha’s hands with her own and every thought Sasha had been having came to a screeching halt. “It’s not that. It’s just that my book club meeting is tonight, and if you don’t want to go to that, we could go do something after.”

Sasha could hardly believe this was actually happening. Slowly, she eased one hand, the hand that was holding the chrysanthemum blossom, out of Marcy’s grip, and gently pushed the flower towards the other woman. “I’ll go to the book club with you, if you want. If you’re there, I’m sure it can’t be boring.”

Marcy smiled, and Sasha’s whole heart melted. She picked up the flower and tucked it behind one ear, a burst of yellow against her shiny black locks. “It’s a date.”

“I can’t wait.”

#amphibia #sasha waybright #marcy wu #amphibia mini bang

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