A/N From Omega: Hi guys, yes, I know I said I probably wouldn't write another M-rated fic yesterday, but this story's been in production for about 2 weeks before I started writing that last one! Also, this story's a collab with a good friend of mine, EpsilonMk46! I hope you guys enjoy!
A/N From Epsilon: Hey, hey, people! Welcome to my very first venture into stories based on Amphibia ever! ….And it's M-rated because of course I'd pick that avenue to tackle with my first story regarding this show. XD
Anyways, I'd just like to say that it is truly a pleasure to finally be working with Omega on a project and I just feel truly grateful and honored that he entrusted me with some chapters of this tale. But that's enough from me. I'll see you guys in my chapter next time!
Chapter 1: That Time Of The Year
*Yawn* "What a night," she slowly turned in her bed, trying to face the open window in her room. After spending the past three months in Amphibia, she began to enjoy turning and finding the light of the morning sun radiating into her room. "All right, here we-" she started... only to find herself stuck by a weight resting on top of her. "The heck?"
Panic began to fill her body as she immediately opened her eyes, allowing a certain red frog to come into view. "What the?!" she rushed out of bed with that, causing her to stumble and fall out of it, landing face-first on the floor soon after. "Ugh…"
Sprig immediately jumped up from the bed and raised his hand to greet her. "Hi Anne!" His voice held the notes while his eyes opened wide, almost as if he was more excited than usual to see his human friend.
The young woman quickly fought with her bedsheets before rushing to her feet, her face now red in frustration. "Sprig?! What the heck?!" She flared her arms, before dusting herself off. "Don't scare me like that!"
Immediately, the frog boy threw his arms around her, pulling her into a small hug. "Oh, I'm sorry Anne, it's just… I was feeling really lonely and well… I just wanted to know if I could sleep with you."
"Huh… weird," Anne's frustrated frown slowly softened into a smile. "Well… as much as he startled me, I can't stay mad at him," she ran her hand through his hat. "Heh alright I guess… though I don't think it'd be a good idea right now. I mean, it's sunny outside!"
Sprig's gaze fell downcast. "Oh…" before immediately perking up, with his eyes widening once more. "Well then, how about tonight? That way we can spend the whole night together!" He let go of Anne and waved his arms for emphasis.
"Sure Sprig," she replied, before stretching, giving him a pat on the head and heading upstairs to get ready for the day. Wordlessly, she made her way to the bathroom, which at this point a glorified outhouse. Though it took some work, Anne and Hop Pop were eventually able to get some water flowing into a makeshift sink, without the need for someone to keep pumping. "Man, Sprig seemed a bit more… affectionate than usual," she grabbed a towel and a stick she had wilted into a toothbrush. "But hey, who can blame him?" and with that, she began to brush. "All right, just gotta gargle some water and-"
Yet, before she could finish her thought, a dull pain rushed through her abdomen, forcing her to move her left hand to hold it. "What the?! Cramps?!" Her eyes went wide, as she felt a warm liquid beginning flow out from her bottom. "Oh no…" she thought, before she found herself falling to her knees and shouting. "AAAAHHHHHH!"
"What's going on?!" Polly immediately rushed over to the outhouse and threw open the door, with Sprig and Hop Pop following soon after.
"Ugh," the young woman groaned, doubling over in pain.
"Anne!" The young girl hopped over and jumped in front of her, frantically waving her hands as she did so. "What's going on?! Are you hurt?! Why are you bleeding?!" She motioned towards her pelvis.
"It's nothing!" Anne cried out, before she forced her back against the wall, threw the toothbrush in the sink and wiped her tears. "Really, I'm totally fine!"
"My butt it's nothing!" Hop Pop came over and scooped the young woman in her arms, before rubbing her back softly. "There, there, it's fine, you're gonna be all right. Now just tell me how you hurt yourself."
The human girl wiped her tears before looking away in embarrassment. "It's nothing, really Hop Pop… It's… nothing."
"Then why don't you tell us then? Or else I'm gonna rush over and beat up whatever parasite thought it could make you it's home!" Polly raised her tiny flippers, seemingly trying to flex them.
Anne paused, her face getting red in embarrassment. "There's no getting out of this, is there? Dangit… I was able to hide it the first two times, but this time… ugh," she held herself. "Fine, I'll tell you…" she look away not bothering to release her grip on herself. "It's that time of the month… I'm having my period."
"Your what?" Polly tilted her head in confusion. "What's that?"
"It's a very personal thing… human girls have them every month," her voice began to fill with frustration. "Ugh, they all say it's natural, that it's a sign that you're growing up into a mature woman," Anne flared her arms, before burying her head in her knees. "The only thing I remember from starting it is how my innocence died," with that, a young voice cut through her mind. "Mommy, mommy, I'm bleeding from my privates!" she shivered at the thought.
Hop Pop paused for a moment, before stepping over and wrapping her in his arms. "Don't worry Anne, it's all right. we understand," with that he looked into her eyes and smiled, while Sprig came up on her opposite side and did the same.
"Thanks you guys," she whispered, allowing them to overtake her.
"Easy now…" Slowly, Sprig found his hand reaching around Anne to her skirt-covered behind. Then, without warning, he began caressing it.
The young woman's eyes went wide as she slapped her friend's hand away. "What the heck Sprig! What're you doing?!"
Instantly, the boy's face went red in shock, before he held his arms behind his back and pulled his head in, awkwardly rubbing his foot against the ground soon after. "Sorry about that," he looked away shamefully. "I don't know what got into me."
*Sigh* "Right… it's that time of year," Hop Pop pinched the bridge of his nose. "Mating season's starting."
Anne tilted her head. "Mating season?"
"Yes," Hop Pop grabbed Polly. "It seems that while you have your time of the month, we have our time of the year. "Round this point, the girls-"
"I wanna stay innocent to this!" Polly shouted as she covered her arms, much to the surprise of Anne.
"Wow, who knew the crazy and bloodthirsty Polly wouldn't wanna know where babies come from?" Anne chuckled, thankfully the initial pain of starting off had dulled out a bit.
"As I was saying, " Hop Pop turned back to Anne and continued.. "Every year, girl frogs lay eggs which the boys… well turn into tadpoles," he motioned with his hand. "There are rituals in place in order to guarantee the right person gets the right egg, though I doubt you would like to hear the specifics."
"You got that right," Anne rubbed the back of head.
"I'm sure it's similar to what you do back in your world, correct? Aside from this… 'period' thing," Hop Pop motioned towards the young woman, who simply replied by rubbing the back of her head.
"Actually, back home we don't have mating seasons," she gave a small shrug.
The old man raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Oh really now? So when do humans come together to make new life?"
She looked away, seemingly ashamed by what she was about to reveal. "Well… really any time really. Human girls… well, once a month we ovulate and boys… play with us until we get pregnant… which means a baby begins to grow inside the girl," she motioned by making a circle with one hand and putting her finger into the hole. "And well… playing together is fun and stuff, and we don't know when us girls are ovulating and-"
"Ya know what, I'd rather not find out any more specifics about humans than that, for now at least," He shook his head. "Is there anything we can do to help?"
"Nah, I think I'm gonna be fine," she gave a weak smile.
Though the old man held a concerned expression, he nodded in understanding. "Very well then," he grabbed his grandson. "Anyways, this is going to be Sprig's first year of being able to participate in what's about to go on."
"Yeah!" Sprig flared his arms in excitement, though his reddening face seemed to suggest something else. "Finally, after all these years, I get to have fun with the adults!"
"That sounds cool, ugh," the young woman began to crawl out of the outhouse. "If anyone needs me, I'll be in my room," and with that, Polly watched as she went back in. Quickly she motioned for the house. "I'm gonna go make sure she's all right."
"You do that, Polly," Sprig gave a small smile. "I think I'm gonna go enjoy mating season."
Immediately his grandfather turned him around. "Sprig!" he poked his chest. "You have to take this seriously. You can't just go around dropping seeds everywhere and fertilizing eggs! You've gotta be careful!"
Sprig waved him off, before turning and walking over to the front door. "Yeah, yeah Hop Pop, I know. Besides, there's only one girl's egg I wanna mess with." His face turned red as the thought flashed across his mind. "Now, let's go-" he spoke aloud as he opened the door, only for a certain blue frog with pink hair to appear before him, her mouth held in a bright smile.
"Hi Sprig," the young girl greeted. "I brought you something!" Slowly, she pulled out cookie shaped just like him, though it had a threading needle poked through its chest. "Do you like it?"
"I uhh, do?" The boy's voice fell uneasy at the sight, though tried his best not to show that fact.
"Good," her smile grew wider, before she pulled out a small bag and threw it at the ground, causing a cloud of colored dust to overtake her.
And when it cleared, Maddie was now laying on her side on the ground, with her arm supporting her head while she bent her knee, seemingly trying to seduce him. "Happy Mating Season."
Immediately, Sprig gulped, before tugging at his collar, his face now turning a shade even redder than before. "Uhh, hi Maddie, what're you doing here?"
For a moment, Maddie held the smile. "What, don't you remember?"
The boy shook his head. "Uhh… no… we broke up, remember?"
Maddie paused, before she sighed and climbed back onto her feet. "Fine, I'll tell you the truth," she shook her head and held her arm, while her cheeks turned red. "Look, my dad wants me to mate with you still."
"What?!" Sprig's eyes went wide, while he flared his arms. "But we broke off the engagement!"
"No…" Maddie shook her head and looked down, seemingly unwilling to look the boy in the eyes. "What you and Anne did was break up with me. None of us actually ever bothered to tell my dad that we broke it off, so now he wants you to do what you what you promised to when Anne asked for that ball of dough."
"You mean… marry you?!" Sprig's voice filled with fear.
She shook her head again. "No, no, just mating is fine with him…"
"I see," Sprig gulped, before he slowly stepped passed the girl, taking care not to break eye contact with her. "Well then Maddie, it looks like I'm gonna have to get back to you on that, how about I uhh… send you a rock or a paper plane thing Anne makes? Bye!" With that, he bolted off, leaving Maddie to sigh and shake her head in reply.
"I'm sorry, Sprig…" and with that she disappeared in a cloud of magic dust.
Meanwhile…
"Ugh," Anne groaned as she curled up in a ball on her bed. "Well this is just great. I'm on period in another world and I have absolutely nothing to work with… You just had to steal that music box, huh?"
"Hey Anne, how are ya feeling?" Polly stuck her head in her room.
*Ugh* she groaned once more, before raising her thumb. "Never been better!" she then leaned down on her bed, the cramps returning once more. "Just enjoying my body punishing me for not finding a mate and deciding to have a baby this month."
The young girl paused for a moment, before jumping onto her bed and rubbing Anne's side. "All right Anne, don't worry, I'll help you feel better."
"Thanks Polly," she whispered, a soft smile forming on her face, before she broke out crying. "I love you so much!" Then, without warning, she threw her arms around Polly, pulling her into a small embrace
"Note to self, she's having mood swings," the tadpole thought, before hopping out of the young woman's arms. "All right then, so what do you need?"
Anne wiped a tear from her eyes. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm in the mood for some of Hop Pop's leftover gruel."
For a moment, Polly paused, unsure of just how to respond to what her friend was asking for. "W-what?"
"Don't question it, please just don't," she held her pelvis as another cramp overtook her. "Just go to the kitchen, get the gruel and then shove it in my mouth please… I don't think I'll be able to get up like this," she motioned towards her mouth with her left arm while using her right to hold herself.
"O-ok…" Polly went, before turning and hopping up the stairs. "This is so much worse than I thought. We all hate his gruel! So that means that the only way to help Anne get through this is to help her deal with her period!" Polly sighed as she grabbed the dish and hopped downstairs. "Anne? How are you?"
Yet, without a word, Anne shot up and snatched the food from Polly, downing it in a single bite. "Man, that hit the spot."
"Wow… just wow…" Polly's mouth fell agape with that.
"Yeah… the joys of being me," Anne sighed.
Polly stopped for a moment, before shaking her head. "Anne, I don't wanna see you like this, how can I help you?"
"I don't know…" she answered. "Back home, I had my friends, my mom to help me through it all. But here? I'm the only human for a thousand miles or something… I don't know where Marcy is, and Sasha? She's with Grime, so I doubt I'll see her…"
"Well then, don't you worry, because I'm gonna help you out!" The pollywog replied. "Where do we start!?"
Anne sat up with that, before turning to Polly with tear-filled eyes and hugging her. "Oh thank you Polly! Thank you so much!"
"Heh, no worries, after all, what are friends for?" And with that, Polly returned the embrace.
With that, the young woman put her down. "All right, the first thing we've gotta do: find something to control the bleeding."
The young girl nodded with that. "I'll go get some leaves!" And with that, she turned and rushed upstairs, leaving Anne to her troubles.
"Please hurry. Back home I used to use pads, but here?" she shook her head. "Anything will probably help. I just hope I don't ruin my clothes in the meantime."
Meanwhile…
"Gotta get away, gotta get away! I can't let her catch me!" Sprig's mind rushed as he found himself bolting down the random forest path he had gone on. "Is she chasing me?!" he glanced back for just a moment… only for his foot to get caught on a loose tree branch, sending him tumbling to the ground. "Oof!"
"Ugh…" he groaned, before rubbing his aching head. "Is she following me?" he glanced back once more, only to find the coast clear for him. With that, he let out a sigh in relief. "Phew… I guess she didn't wanna be bothered with chasing after me after all…" he dusted himself off before shaking his head. "All right, now that that's done, I just have to-"
"Ambush!" A feminine voice cried out, before Ivy jumped from the nearby treetop and tackled the boy to the ground. "Hi Sprig! What's up?!"
"G'ahh!" He shouted in surprise, before the morning sun revealed his assailant. "Ivy! Phew, am I glad to see you!" He wiped the sweat from his brow. "For a second I thought you were Maddie."
"Heh, nope, it's just me!" She grabbed his hand and helped him back onto his feet, before slowly running her hand down and his arm and interlocking her fingers with his. "Why, what's goin' on?"
Sprig sighed, though silently enjoying the gesture. "Well, a few months ago, Anne and Maddie's dad made a deal that he'd give her bread in exchange for me marrying Maddie…" he rubbed his arm in embarrassment. "And the thing is, we broke it off, but never told her dad, so he wants us to mate!"
Instantly, the girl's face went red, before she raised her arms, though not letting go of Sprig's hand. "You offered to mate with Maddie?! Why?! I thought we had something special!" Then with her free hand, she slapped Sprig, leaving a red handprint on his cheek.
"Yeah, yeah, I know, I deserved that," he rubbed his face.
"Why'd you even make a stupid deal like that?!" She let go of him and flared her arms in emphasis, before grabbing his shoulders and shaking him, though she had to fight the urge to continue moving her hands down his body.
The boy rubbed his head awkwardly. "Well, you see, uhh… Anne-"
"Doesn't matter," Ivy shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. "We have to find a way to get you out of that deal!"
The boy nodded in reply. "Agreed, but who could help us?" He paused, his mind jumping from idea to idea. "Ivy… do you wanna-"
"Not the time Sprig," she cut him off, giving him a glare, which immediately softened. No doubt she wished the same as him, though the task at hand took priority.
"Right, right, sorry, mating season hormones," he rubbed his arm awkwardly, before turning back to Ivy.
She snapped her fingers in reply. "Hmm, what about your grandfather? I'm sure he's had to deal with something like this before!"
Sprig rubbed his chin and nodded. "You're right Ivy! He probably has!"
"Let's go!" She grabbed his arm, causing Sprig's face to go red while his heart raced in excitement. "This is awesome!" And with that, the duo rushed back to the Plantar home.
A Few Minutes Later…
"I sure hope this works," Sprig whispered as he peered into his home, his heart now racing. "Maddie's not that bad… but I just… I don't wanna be forced to mate with her! I want my first time to be special…" he glanced over to his companion. "And with Ivy."
Then, as if seemingly hearing his thoughts, Ivy pat his back. "Don't worry Sprig, everything's gonna be all right!" Before she came up on his side, choosing to peer into the home from below the boy. "And when we get you out of the deal…" she paused, her face getting slightly red. "We can finally spend some time together, right? You know, enjoy mating season like we promised all those months ago?"
"Good thing we're not humans, I wouldn't want Ivy to suffer like Anne is right now," The boy's face went the same shade of red, before he chuckled the idea off. "Heh, yeah I guess," and began to scan the living room. "Looks like the coast is clear, no sign of Maddie anywhere," he breathed a sigh of relief. "Heh, I guess she got bored of waiting for me and decided to do something else."
"Good, let's go find your grandpa then!" With that, Ivy rushed in and began to scan the room. "We have to find a way to get you out of that stupid deal Anne made for you!"
"What deal?" Hop Pop carefully stepped out of his room, slowly closing the door behind him as he did so. "And where have you been anyways? You haven't been doing anything I wouldn't, right?"
"No, don't worry, he hasn't." she shook her head, before the boy came up from behind and flared his arms, trying to emphasize his point. "Remember that deal Anne made with Chef Flour a few months ago?! Maddie came by trying to call it in!" he rubbed his arm. "So I ran off, but now I don't know what to do! I don't wanna mate with her, but I also don't wanna get my face pounded in by her father!"
Ivy placed her arms on Sprig, though seemingly fighting the urge to continue further. "Is there anything you can do?"
Hop Pop rubbed his chin for a moment. "Hmm… well I dunno. Deals like that are taken pretty seriously around these parts, so I doubt you're gonna get people to be too sympathetic to your cause," he snapped his fingers. "But, I might know a way!"
"Really?!" the children went in unison. The old man turned and motioned for them to follow. "Yes, into my study!"
And with that, the trio entered.
Soon enough, Hop Pop pulled out a book labelled "Mating Rituals and Laws of Amphibia," and opened it up. "Let's see here…" he scrolled along with his finger. "What happens if a mate dies, no. What to do if things change? No. Ah-ha! What to do if there is a dispute over mating agreements!"
Sprig and Ivy came up to Hop Pop's sides as he read aloud.
"In the case where two people wish to mate with the same person, but neither consents to being in a relationship with the other disputant, it is possible to fight for a mate. This takes the form of a series of contests agreed upon by the families of all three participants. When done this way, all contracts held prior to the contest can be treated as null and void!"
"So that means that if Ivy fights Maddie for me, and wins, I won't have to mate with Maddie?!" The boy's eyes went wide in realization.
Immediately Ivy's gaze filled with determination, before she slapped her companion's back. "Sounds like we know exactly what to do!"
Sprig and Ivy then smiled at each other, before he went. "Thanks so much Hop Pop!"
"No problem!" he went, before slamming the book shut and pushing the two children out of his room. "Now, if you two are gonna be doing what I believe you are, I best prepare. You never know what chaos will occur when you begin to mess with love triangles."
"Got it, Hop Pop!" Sprig blushed slightly and rubbed his arm. "Thanks so much!"
"No problem. Now go!" Hopidia ordered, before he slammed the door shut behind him. "Phew, that was close."
"Heh, good thing I know how to hide, dear," Sylvia chuckled as she through the covers off of her and hopped to her feet. "Do you think it's gonna go all right?"
Hop Pop shrugged. "Don't know, but we best get ready."
"Of course," the old woman smiled, before pulling him close. "But let's get weird first, you know how I am."
The old man smiled in reply, before leaning forward, allowing him to nuzzle her. Then Slyvia pulled out a small cricket, which began chirping, filling the room with music. And with that, the duo began to dance.
A few feet away, Ivy and Sprig stood outside the door, with Sprig taking a few breaths to calm himself down. "All right Ivy, we're gonna do this. Once Maddie's done, we can finally enjoy the season like we promised."
Ivy smiled and nodded. "Yeah, so how about we talk about plans on the way?"
The boy nodded. "Yeah, I guess that works," he turned and motioned for her to follow. "Come on."
The girl grabbed him. "Hold on, first," she then turned him to face her, before pulling him down, placing a small kiss upon his lips. For a moment they held there, before she broke it off. "Alright, now I'm ready."
Sprig turned red and smiled, before the duo both ran off to find Maddie.
From ΩU: 9 23-15-14-4-5-18 23-8-15-'12-12 23-9-14
1 13-1-7-9-3-9-1-14 15-18 1 7-9-18-12 23-8-15 6-9-7-8-20-19 20-8-5 13-15-14-19-20-5-18-19
From EMK46: 1-14-4 19-15 20-8-5 1-14-7-19-20 2-5-7-9-14-19 20-8-5-18-5 9-19 14-15 7-21-1-18-1-14-20-5-5 25-15-21 23-9-12-12 2-5 9-13-13-21-14-5 6-18-15-13 6-5-5-12-19
A/N From Omega: And there's C1! I wrote this one, and will be writing the odd-numbered chapters while Epsilon writes the even-numbered chapters. See ya guys! And don't worry, normal updates return next week for me!
A/N From Epsilon: Yeah, see you- Oh, shoot, it is my turn now, isn't it? ….Welp, in for a penny, in for a kilogram. Prepare for drama, angst, erotica… and cheeeeeese.