Title: How Fang's Mom Figured it Out.
Status: Complete
Characters: Anon, Fang, Samantha, Ripley, Moe, Trish, Reeda
Rating: SFW
Classification: One Shot
Author: Haremanon
>Summer 2040, Volcadera Bluff
>It was a hot day, perfect for dinos and bearable for humans.
>Perfect for a family meeting in the Volcadera Park, grills included.
>"I've always wondered about Trish, dear."
>Fang froze.
>"Rea, I understood. If the biological father of her child didn't want to be part of her family, then it was his problem, not hers. Why, you even helped her move into your house. I'm still proud of you for that."
>"T-thanks, mom", she whispered barely audible.
>"But Trish!" Her mom clicked her tongue. "I didn't understand her. She was not the sort to accept something like that, not with you, not with anyone she cherishes, especially not her own children."
>"Why, it was almost as if this man never existed to her. Very strange."
>Suddenly, Lucy wanted to be at the other side of the field, where Anon, Dad, and Uncle Rex were bunched around a giant grill. She so did not want to have this conversation now.
>"I'm sorry, dear. I might overstep my boundaries", she continued. "But... for the sake of clarity. I must ask you this. I ask for forgiveness in advance. But please answer me honestly."
>"Did Anon force this onto you?"
>So, this was it. Nearly twenty years of marital up and downs, challenges and joys of parenthood, lies and deception, and now it was all coming to the surface. It was almost freeing, in a way.
>For a terrible moment Fang considered to continue lying, considered spinning a yarn, but she loved her mother too much for this. Almost as much as she loved her own children and Anon, blood and water.
>"No. He did not cheat on me, mom."
>It clearly wasn't enough, as Mom's raised eyebrow expressed.
>"It... God, it started around the time Anon came back."
>"I remember. You were in such a tizzy, back then, especially when he asked for your hand in marriage."
>"Yeah. But, err, we... we actually met again a bit sooner. When we were still in university."
>"Oh?"
>"I don't remember who started it. Not Anon, I know that for sure. He'd never cheat on me. You know that, mom."
>"Ah, I do. It was yet another strange clue, one that didn't quite fit the situation at hand."
>Fang's wing flickered nervously.
>"It was weird, yeah. I cared about Trish and Rea lots back then, already. There were moments that, umm... We were closer than before."
>Mom looked not quite scandalized.
>"We didn't do anything like that." She hesitated. “Yet.”
>"But I guess there was a reason why a lot of girls hit on us during the final years."
>"And then Anon came back, and things got, err, off the rails."
>"Rea and him were always close, but she wouldn't have done anything with him unless I were ok with it, and Trish was..."
>"Rather deep in denial over her attraction to humans, still?"
>Well, err, yes, but no. She just..."
>Fang tried to find the right words.
>"They didn't piss her off at all?"
>"Anon was pretty much the only one to get a rise out of her like that."
>"And we did live in a community, so they had to hear us...", Fang trailed off.
>"Oh, these poor girls", her mom finished dryly.
>Much to Fang's relief, in that moment a new arrival interrupted their talk, with Trish running over and tackling her firstborn son.
>The tall triceraptos weathered her without trouble and embraced her with laughter as his father and family-members approached to greet him.
>Fang took the opening.
>"Well, I have to go now! Wouldn't do of me not to greet my nephew and all that!"
>"Sit."
>She obeyed. When Mom had that tone, there was no arguing.
>”So, Anon didn’t initiate this. Was it Trish?”
>”Rea, actually”, she replied. “Went and asked me if she could sleep with Anon, just this once.”
>”… well, at least she tried to be honest about it.”
>”I did want to say no at first.” As she continued, she got more and more emotional, her feathers spreading out wide.
>”But… I was happy somehow. If she had just gone ahead and tried, I wouldn’t have forgiven her, but she asked and… I understand if you don’t agree with me, but back then she was so scared. That I… That I would yell at her and throw her out for even thinking about it. She was one of my best friends already. I’d never done that to her. Not when…”
>”And you agreed?” Fang simply nodded, her feathers slowly settling down again.
>”It was hard convincing him. I used to think he was an exception, but… men do stay loyal to their mates, don’t they?”
>”Darling, these people you thought of are the loud exception. Trust me in this. You have nothing to worry about with your husband.”
>”Right. It was supposed to be a one-time thing. Was. But, err, we didn’t really stop.”
>”I can tell.”