I might’ve been sheltered and ignorant, but I wasn’t stupid. I knew exactly what Mara meant when she held me there and confessed her feelings, not that I had expected her to come out and say it. In that moment, my mind should have been totally flooded with an intricate web of possibilities. I should have been mapping out how to respond, how to approach the knowledge I’d been hit with. Instead, I just stood there like a dummy in the grip of the demoness I’d spent the better part of one day with. What was I supposed to say?

I felt the same about her.

I should’ve just said it back to her. My feelings had been something I’d kept at bay for so long, explaining them away as something that didn't matter. I wasn’t a person, after all; not really. My plan had been to lunge at what I wanted most, and then remove myself from the lives of my loved ones. So much for that. I had already had to face Constance, and knowing my luck, Marcus was right around the corner. What did normal people do when they had feelings for more than one person? Did normal people have feelings for more than one person?

“I just meant- you know, because I…” Mara stared down at me with those wide eyes full of hope. Oh god, I was going to crush her. Being on the receiving end of someone’s desperate attraction was almost as new an experience for me as walking around in my current body. I made my decision at that moment; there was no way I could hurt Mara like that. She deserved honesty, with or without the collar to force it out of me.

“I love you too.” With every part of my new body, I wrapped myself up in my familiar. I watched relief take the place of Mara’s obvious fear, and I squealed as she pressed me to herself. It felt right. In one night, I had grown to know Mara deeply and intimately, at least in the ways that mattered. She was mine, and that was baffling to me. I was hers, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. “There’s something I still have to tell you.” I looked up at Mara with- wait, had she always been that much taller than me? I blushed. “It’s important.”

“Another secret, huh?” Mara began inching closer to me, and my heart stopped. My brain emptied all its thoughts out into whatever ethereal dumpster they always went into when I needed more room for feelings. She was almost nose to nose with me. I could feel her delicate breaths; anxious, excited, impatient. “We know a thing or two about those.”

Mara pressed her lips tenderly into mine, her hand pulling my head in to meet hers. My first kiss. In that moment, I felt… wanted, I guess? I felt safe. I couldn’t stop my hands from pulling Mara in closer, my lips pressing back into hers. I’m sure I was an awkward, sloppy mess, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered now except who I was with and how I felt with her. My heart was ruined; there was no way I could go back to normal after this. Mara’s nose brushed tenderly up against mine as she softly bit my lower lip, sending shocks directly to the pleasure center of my brain.

What a thing, to feel loved.

When our lips parted, they did so slowly. I hid my face in the crook of Mara’s neck, both from a desire for proximity and the fact that I was probably totally purple in the face. There were so many conversations left to have, but Mara made me feel confident that nothing would stop how we felt about each other. We could figure the rest out along the way.

“I’m real glad for both of you…” Constance pushed weakly against the gymnasium floor. I had the feeling she was at her limit a few minutes before we got the pact signed, and fighting past that for me had to have made her exhausted. “...But I’m gonna be totally fucking useless for a few hours. Can I get some help?” I felt almost as bad as Connie looked. She could barely hold herself up, and she was like this because of me.

Despite how badly I wanted to stay there in that moment, I gave Mara one final hug and let her go. “Coming!” I scampered across the twisted wood paneling and over to Constance, who had absolutely seen better days. She looked like she could lift the world just a few minutes ago, and now it was like she’d just been run over by a truck. “Geez. I’m so sorry, Connie.” As carefully as I could, I bent down and slipped my arm under hers, preparing to try to get her back onto her feet. As I began to stand back up, I noticed I wasn’t alone; Mara had taken up Connie’s other side, smiling back at me expectantly.

“On three, okay?” Mara shifted her position and readied herself.

“Got it!” I did the same, my arm finding a proper place to hold my weary friend.

“One, two…” Mara nodded as she counted.

“Gimme a sec, I can stand on my…” Connie’s protests came too little too late for them to make a difference.

“Three!” On Mara’s count, we both pulled, hoisting my grumpy friend back into her full, upright position. I heard Connie growl ever so slightly under her breath.

“Thanks.” With a frustrated huff, Constance blew her bangs out of her face; I knew it wasn’t the time or place for me to tell her just how cool she looked doing it. She arched her back and stretched, eliciting a symphony of loud popping noises from all over her body. I couldn’t imagine the toll holding the circle open that long had taken on her. “Can you get me out to the car? Marcus is probably bored out of his skull right now.” I felt my tail straighten behind me.

“Marcus is here?” I should’ve known. Of course Marcus was here. What did I expect, that Connie would just come find me without telling him? I swallowed hard; another loved one, another awkward reunion.

“Don’t stress your pretty little head, Chrissy.” Connie still had enough energy to tease me, apparently. It was the first time I’d heard her say my new name, and she already had a nickname in the tank. “I told him to pass out once I figured out we’d be playing art class with your circle all night.” Somehow her words didn’t do much to ease my totally unrelated concern.

“Marcus?” Mara’s voice was anxious and small. I reached my tail behind Connie and intertwined it with Mara’s. She smiled softly, turning away from me to hide what I was pretty sure was a blush. I was getting better at this.

“My summoner.” Connie yawned, her hair falling back into place over one eye. “Our boyfriend.”

“Our- my what?” I heard Mara yip as my every muscle tightened, including the ones currently wrapped around her.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Connie paused to blow her stubborn bangs back out of her face one more time. “I thought we were past lying to ourselves tonight.” I nearly dropped her.

“I’m not- we haven’t!” How articulate of me.

“First of all, start walking.” Connie nodded in the direction of the gymnasium door, motioning for us to get the hell out of here. Together with Mara, I supported her weight and began our slow journey to the overgrown parking lot. “Second of all, Holly- shit, is Holly still okay, sometimes?”

“Y-yeah, absolutely. Yes.” Fuck, I was so awkward. “I still like Holly.”

“Cool. Listen, Holly- you and Marcus need to talk.” Constance winced as the gym’s ancient, metal door scraped against the floor, sending a nasty screech echoing down the hallway. “Jesus, okay. So, that being said, where have you been every Tuesday for the last two or so years?”

“At the movies?” I gently guided us around the decaying floor that I’d maneuvered around on the way in. “It’s Two Dollar Tuesdays.”

“Good girl. And who were you with?” How Connie managed to toy with me even when she was barely able to walk was beyond me.

“You and Marcus, but that doesn’t mean…” I stepped over the useless caution tape, supporting Connie as Mara did the same.

“That they were dates? Hey, Mara.” Connie was smirking. Constance was addressing my familiar directly, and she was smirking. “Last time we went to the movies, Chrissy here pulled the arm rests up and let me lay in her lap. She stroked my hair like the entire movie. What would you call that?”

If I had a remote, I could’ve paused the scene and pointed out the exact frame where Mara’s anxiety gave way to amusement. Managing Connie and Mara’s feelings towards each other was something I was stressed about, but prepared for. They both cared about me, and I adored them both; I knew it would work out eventually. What I was not prepared for was the shift in tone as the two of them suddenly joined forces against me. Monsters.

“Oh, Crystal.” Oh no. Mara was giggling. Fuck my life. “Oh, sweetie. Oh, honey.”

“Oh, honey, what?” I pulled her tail closer to mine. “Oh, sweetie, what?” They weren’t dates! It wasn’t like I’d ever been on one, but if I had, I would know, right? Even then, I couldn’t date multiple people, right?

“You need to talk to Marcus, babe.” Constance bumped her head lightly against mine. No, we couldn’t end it there. I was going to see Marcus in just a few minutes!  “Let’s put a pin in it ‘till we’re home.”

 

***

 

The sun was rising by the time we made it out of the school. Navigating the underbrush and the fences wasn’t nearly as easy while we were also maneuvering Connie, but we got the job done eventually. In all the times I’d snuck into Solomon, I’d rarely ever seen another soul. There were some skateboarders once or twice, a kid with spray paint another time, but for the most part this place was a ghost town. Seeing Marcus’ van keeping watch in the parking lot felt some sort of ominous as we approached it step by step.

Light ricocheted off the windshield as we got closer, nearly blinding me and blocking the driver’s seat from view. It took a moment, but eventually things cleared enough for me to get a decent look at him. Marcus was fully curled up with the front seat laid all the way back; no doubt he was out like a light. There he was, the same lovable doofus as he always was. I sighed. It was Marcus; of course things were going to be okay.

“Marcus!” Connie yelled. “Pop the trunk!”

I watched as Marcus shot up from his seat, confused and half-asleep. “Hmm?”

“The trunk, babe. Get the trunk.” Connie motioned for Mara and I to let her go. Despite my better judgment, I backed away and let her try to stand on her own. Marcus bent over in his seat and pressed a button, causing the van’s back door to slowly rise open. “I think I’ve got enough juice in the tank for this. You two can thank me later.”

With measured steps, Connie moved behind the van and positioned herself in front of the trunk. She took a few deep breaths, likely still exhausted from literally everything I’d put her through last night. Even as drained as she was, I could feel magic begin to pool around her. As she released her concentration, the van trunk filled with a series of capsules like the ones I was so used to pulling from local machines.

“Are those…” Mara was the first to pick one up, turning it around in her hand. “Are these all the toys?”

“You’re welcome.” Connie grinned and began dragging herself towards the front seat.

Mara frantically dug through the capsules, finally grabbing the one she was hunting for. She cracked the casing, and with a loud pop, the dolphin she’d loved most appeared before her. “Coral!” My familiar buried her face in the soft, pink fluff of her comfort dolphin. How was she this cute? I took her hand and let my fingers find their way through hers, pulling her towards the car. Inside, I could just barely hear Marcus and Connie talking.

“So she’s the blue one, right?” Marcus’ voice was hushed, but nowhere near quiet enough that I couldn’t hear him. He was terrible at whispering.

“Got it in one, love.” Connie groaned as she adjusted herself in the seat, breathing a sigh of relief when her tired muscles finally found the latch for the seat belt.

Marcus let his hand come to rest on Connie’s thigh. “You never know. Some girls like being tall.”

“She strike you as the type?” Connie placed her hand on her summoner’s.

“Not a chance.” Marcus chuckled with that stupid adorable laugh of his, and I knew I couldn’t let this conversation keep going. I opened the back door and slid into the seat alongside Mara and special guest, Coral. “Morning, sunshine! How was the jog?”

This was so fucking embarrassing.

“Hi, Marcus.” My tail flicked anxiously behind me as I fiddled with the seat belt

“Marcus, this is Mara,” Constance pointed with her tail towards my familiar in the back. “She’s Holly’s new familiar.”

“Heeeeey, nice to meet you.” Mara waved sheepishly from the back, seemingly unsure of her place in all this. If it was awkward for me, it had to be awkward for her.

“And this,” Connie’s tail moved to point at me. Oh no. I recognized the tone in her voice. “Is Crystal Mischief Holly.” Did she have to enunciate every syllable?

“Damn, that’s definitely a trans girl’s name.” Marcus smiled at me through the rear view mirror, and my head hit my hands instantaneously. “No, I love it! It’s rad. It’s nice to meet you, Mara.” Marcus turned around in his seat to face me for real. I was going to die. Figures the day I came out to anybody would be the day I came out to everybody. “And it’s nice to meet you for real, Crystal.”

“Yeah… Hey, hi.” I squirmed nervously in my seat until I felt a familiar hand take mine, moving it away from my face.

“Hey, you’re gorgeous. You’re just who you’re meant to be.” Why did it have to be Marcus’ stupid pretty face, with his stupid pretty smile and his stupid reassuring mannerisms.

“Thanks, you too.” You too?! You too?! Oh my god I was floundering. I reached over and tugged at Mara, hoping against hope that she could save me from the gigaton wrecking ball that was maybe kind of sort of possibly my fucking boyfriend.

“This is way off topic, but,” Mara raised her hand, pulling Marcus’ attention off me for a moment. Thank fuck. “Would it be a big deal to stop at Pickle Dog on the way back?”