#whoever it was that said annes mom would hate marcy after everything?

[kaseyskat]

it's 5am and I should not be awake but I got the dialogue for this in my head and it wouldn't get out so here I am hahaha

tw: brief suicidal ideation, lots of self-loathing

~~~~~

anne had believed so fiercely that bringing her parents to see marcy in the hospital would help.

her friend had been sullen, quiet, in the days she had been awake. the hospital was keeping her until they were sure she could live on her own again; turns out getting impaled through the chest by a flaming sword and then forced into a healing tank for a week had lasting damage. anne's heart does somersaults every time she thinks about how dangerously close she had been to losing marcy for good, how often she's reminded of it.

marcy's parents hadn't come by yet, though, and so anne had invited her own. her parents, after all, have always loved marcy the most of her friends; sasha has always been the bad influence, the trouble-maker, but polite marcy with her good manners and better grades, would always be number one in their eyes. they had been worried about her too, anne knows- this visit is just as much for them as it is for marcy.

except, when anne walks them into the hospital room and cheerfully tells marcy she has visitors, marcy just looks scared.

she sits there with wide eyes as anne takes her hand, rambles about everything that's going on in her life since the last time she came by. every so often, anne catches her taking a guilt-ridden glance over in the direction of anne's parents, but she doesn't say anything.

"marbles," anne finally says, quietly, her tone dropping, "is everything okay? you're more spacey than normal."

marcy makes a face, and she peers over at anne's parents again. "why... why are you here?"

it's not a question directed at anne.

anne turns her head to watch her parents exchange looks with each other. "we wanted to see you safe," her mom finally answers, giving a small, reassuring smile. "we were worried."

"you shouldn't be," marcy mumbles, and she has that broken look in her eyes again, the one so reminiscent of her time under the control of and eldritch god and the immediate aftermath, how shattered her mind had been.

"marcy-" anne tries.

"it, it was my fault." and here, marcy glances down at the bed, at her and anne's joined hands. "didn't anne tell you? i-i trapped them in am-amphibia. everything that happened was my fault."

tears pool into her eyes now, and she releases a gutteral sob, turning her head so that it's half buried in the pillows next to her. "it's my fault," she repeats, brokenly. "you, you should hate me, I took your d-daughter away from you, I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry, I'm sorry-"

"shhh, it's okay." anne's mom moves forward, sitting on the edge of the bed and pressing a hand against marcy's forehead. she frowns; marcy must be feverish again, anne thinks. "you are okay, we're not mad-"

"-you should be!" and marcy sobs again, weakly tugging at anne's hand like she means to pull away. "this, this is all my fault, I should've, I should've..." she trails off, and then shudders, sniffling.

"I wish he had just killed me," marcy says, and anne's vision tilts violently on edge. "I wish, I wish he had- it's what I deserved, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, please-"

"-don't say that, marbles," anne pleads. she glances up at her mom; her mom looks so concerned, stroking marcy's hair as gently as she can manage. her dad comes to join them too, and he had always loved marcy like a second daughter, had played video games with her and kept the freezer stocked with her favorite ice cream because she would never ask for it herself. this is breaking their hearts too, she realizes.

"you made a mistake," her mom starts, in that gentle tone of hers, "but we know you didn't intend for anyone to be hurt. and, if anne was telling the truth to me, we also have you to thank for her coming home unharmed. so thank you, marcy. thank you for sending her home."

marcy sobs again. anne squeezes her hand gently. "I don't want to live in this world without you, marbles," she says, and there are tears in her own eyes as well, when did that happen? "you're okay now. we're all okay now."

her dad comes to perch on anne's other side, her mom is still stroking marcy's hair, and with anne's hand in her own, marcy doesn't look so lost or broken anymore, even with the tears streaming down her face.

"you're okay," anne says again, squeezing her hand again. "we're gonna be okay."

"okay," marcy echoes.