Chapter Text
When Yuri awakens, he’s lying in a bare room, atop an almost comically large bed. His hands are bound in front of him by high-tech cuffs, two bracelets held together by an electromagnetic connection at the wrists. He’s seen such handcuffs before, he has no idea how a bunch of child rebels got their hands on a pair.
Yuri never expected to be taken alive. He always thought he would be carded before he was captured. He had been dueling his one look alike, the annoying one on the bike, when he felt a sudden pain in his neck. He remembers that he touched his neck and felt a dart, and then everything went dark.
Yuri sits up and his head spins. Whatever they drugged him with, it’s good. He tries to leave the bed and his wrists jerk backwards on an invisible tether. Yuri sees sensors connected to the corners of the bed. The cuffs must be linked to them, like the duel tethers he’s seen used in the XYZ dimension.
He looks down at himself. He’s no longer wearing his uniform, instead he’s been dressed in blue pajamas, and his deck is gone. That means his dragon is gone as well. Yuri growls under his breath. These people will pay for taking Starve Venom. But before he can make them pay, he’s got to have a plan of escape. There are no windows, and there is one door leading out, and another door leading to a small room. Yuri cranes his neck and sees a toilet and a sink in the room, but no window or mirror. There’s nothing within his reach that he can use as a weapon.
Yuri places a hand over his neck where the dart stabbed him. It was an impressive technique, albeit a dirty trick. And how did they get him here, wherever here is, without being followed? Yuri estimates that, judging by his continued disoriented state, the drug they knocked him out with was potent, and he’s been out for several hours. Or perhaps they’ve continually drugged him. But why allow him to wake up at all? Perhaps they’re preparing for an interrogation. Yuri has to laugh at that thought. Good luck to them, they’ll never get anything out of him. They can starve him, they can torture him, Yuri knows how to survive without food, and pain has no effect on him. He didn’t become Academia’s most feared soldier without good reason.
The door opens and Yuri automatically thinks he should make a run for it, and he’s halfway off the bed before his wrists are jerked back. Yuri knows the boy who enters—he’s Shun Kurosaki, brother of Ruri Kurosaki, who’s abduction Yuri oversaw himself.
Yuri sneers. “You don’t look like her at all.”
Kurosaki’s jaw tenses. He’s carrying plastic bowl, and he sets it down on the end of the bed. Yuri glances at it, and he’s utterly taken aback.
Food. Shun Kurosaki has brought him…food. Some sort of vegetable and rice dish, it looks like.
Kurosaki takes the plastic spoon and scoops a spoonful of the food into his own mouth. He makes a show of chewing and swallowing, and then standing with his arms folded at the foot of the bed.
“It’s not drugged,” Kurosaki says.
Yuri doesn’t answer. What the hell is the meaning of this?
Kurosaki leaves, and Yuri stares at the food. His head begins to clear, but he’s confused. These people are feeding him? Clearly they have no idea of what to do with a prisoner of war. Or, this is meant to be some kind of peace offering. Do they think they can bring Yuri around to their cause? They’re even more pitiful than Yuri thought. He can’t believe the Professor was worried about these rebels. They can’t even properly threaten an enemy soldier.
Yuri only moves in the direction of the food so he can examine the bowl and spoon. He entertains the idea of using one or both of those items as a weapon, but dismisses it. Both are far too flimsy to be of any use, in fact these things must have been made on purpose so that they would be useless for much of anything. Which only confuses Yuri more. The rebels don’t underestimate his ability to turn everyday objects into weapons, so they go to the trouble of finding something useless to him that they can use to feed him?
Perhaps these people are cleverer than Yuri gave them credit for. What is their plan for him?
Ah, maybe he’s a bargaining chip. Perhaps they want to make a deal with the Professor. Yuri wonders if it would work. Would the Professor trade Yuri? He’s an incarnation of Chaos, he’s valuable to the professor, but no more valuable than Ruri Kurosaki, Serena, Rin, and Yuzu Hiiragi, incarnations of Creation. The Professor would never trade one of them for Yuri, and there’s no one more valuable than them in the prisons of Academia.
The door opens and Kurosaki reenters, frowning at Yuri’s untouched bowl, but he takes it away without comment.
Yuri begins counting the seconds in his head, at the same time trying to figure what it is the Resistance means by taking him, holding him hostage, and treating him…humanely. He’s stumped, and it’s not a feeling he enjoys. He counts off two hours before the doors reopen and a familiar face enters the room.
Yuya Sakaki, son of the Professor’s old friend Yusho Sakaki, and the least likely boy to be an incarnation of chaos. Yuri has heard about this boy, the one who thinks he can save the world with smiles. Yuri has to bite back a devilish grin. Manipulating this child will be too easy.
“Hi, Yuri,” Yuya says. “I’m—”
“I know who you are,” Yuri says, keeping his tone even.
Yuya nods. “I kind of figured as much.” He steps into the room and closes the door.
Yuri inches back on the bed. “What is it you want from me?” He asks, putting just a touch of anxiousness in his tone.
“I just want to talk,” Yuya says, his eyes wide an earnest. “Shun told me you didn’t eat. What food do you like? I can bring you something else.”
Yuri damn near laughs. This will be too easy. “I don’t want food,” he snaps, “I don’t want anything from you.”
Yuya looks sad. “I saw that coming. Yuri, nobody here wants to hurt you.”
At that, Yuri can’t hold back an incredulous laugh. “I kidnapped Ruri Kurosaki,” he taunts.
Yuya shakes his head. “No you didn’t.”
At that, Yuri is genuinely puzzled. Of course he did, Ruri Kurosaki is in Academia’s prisons as they speak.
The door opens again and Yuri gasps before he can help himself. Ruri Kurosaki waltzes into the room, and she hands Yuya a file. She locks on to Yuri’s incredulous gaze, then leaves.
Yuya opens the file. “You were a cute kid,” he says.
Yuri jumps and looks at the file in Yuya’s hands. It has his name on it. All thoughts of manipulating Yuya Sakaki fly out of his head. “Where did you get that?” He snaps.
“Ruri stole it when she infiltrated Academia,” Yuya says calmly.
“She didn’t infiltrate anything!” Yuri hisses. “We took her. I don’t know what you think you’ve got but—”
“Yuri, no last name,” Yuya reads. “Discovered in an orphanage. Taken into Leo Akaba’s personal headquarters for training. And then it lists all the ways he manipulated you.” Yuya shakes his head. “God, you poor thing. He let you eat too much on purpose and then came in after you were sick to feed you. He starved you for weeks. Jeez, no wonder you think you don’t want to eat.”
“SHUT UP!” Yuri screeches.
Yuya closes the file and looks up at Yuri. “I’ve heard a lot about you. Most of it is lies, but a lot of it reveals some bits of truth. You know what Akaba did to you is wrong, don’t you? It wasn’t your fault, none of it was your fault.”
“None of what?” Yuri demands. Yuya is not making any sense whatsoever.
“The carnage,” Yuya says gently. “You’re not a monster. Akaba was wrong about you, about all of us.” He reaches for Yuri, and Yuri kicks his hand away.
“What the hell are you talking about? What do you want from me?”
“I want you to get better,” Yuya says.
Better? Better from what?
“We’ll help you,” Yuya continues. “The first thing we need to do is get you to gain some weight. The doctors said your BMI is lower than it should be. After that, we’ll get you started on medications. Once we’re sure you’re not a danger to yourself or others, maybe we can take the cuffs off. As it stands, we’ll disable the locking system for two minutes every five hours so you can use the bathroom. If you make a move to harm yourself, we’ll lock the cuffs again right away. Hopefully, we can get you into therapy in a few weeks.”
Medication? Therapy?
“Oh my god,” Yuri says. “You think you can save me.” He starts to laugh. He’s hysterical. He laughs so hard he damn near cries.
“You’re…an idiot,” Yuri gasps, “I can’t believe this, this is fucking incredible…” he smiles at Yuya, all teeth. “You thought I needed rescuing. Poor little Yuri, under the thumb of the big bad Professor. A prince in a tower. Did you think he brainwashed me?”
Yuri leans forward, getting as close to Yuya as he can before he feels a tug on the cuffs. “Let me tell you something,” Yuri breathes, “The Professor doesn’t own me. I don’t take orders from him. Oh sure, I let him think that I do, but he’s nothing to me. Ask me whatever you want about him, go on. I don’t care if he falls, if Academia falls. I have no loyalty to them.” Yuri’s lip curls in a sneer. “You think you can heal me? I don’t need healing. I am chaos, I was made to rule the world and every pathetic being in it. No one can stop me, not even you. My missing piece.” Yuri laughs. “Bullshit. I don’t need you, or those other two. You think you’ve got me now but you have no idea what I’m capable of, how long I can hold out. You’re pathetic. I’d feel sorry for you if I was capable of it.”
“You are capable of it,” Yuya says. He reaches into his pocket and takes out a card. “No one knows it better than your dragon.”
Yuri’s blood freezes in his veins as he looks at Starve Venom. His dragon, held in Yuya’s hands. Yuri can feel his dragon’s presence, and it’s changed. It’s no longer on his side.
Fury swallows Yuri whole. “What did you do it?” He demands.
“I just talked to it. I helped it.”
“LIAR!” Yuri screeches, flinging himself at Yuya. The tethers yank him back, and he struggles against the invisible hold. “WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY DRAGON?”
Yuya stands. “I’ve upset you,” he says. “I didn’t mean to. I just meant to show you that you can be helped.”
Yuri laughs again. “You piece of shit,” he spits. “Don’t think this means anything. You haven’t won. You’ll never win. I’ll never give in to you!”
Yuri’s threats only seem to make Yuya sad. He shakes his head, and walks out of the room.
“GET BACK HERE WITH MY DRAGON!” Yuri screeches, but he’s ignored. Yuya leaves, and Yuri is left to wonder just how much he really knows about that child.
The truth is, Yuri knew what he was long before Leo Akaba took him out of the orphanage. He knew because his dragon told him. Yuri had owned that card for as long as he could remember, and he always knew that Starve Venom was all he needed. When the other kids bullied him, when adoptive parents overlooked him, when adults ignored his most basic needs, Yuri cradled his dragon in his hands and it whispered to him that he was more powerful than he could imagine. Once, someone tried to take the card. Yuri didn’t remember what he did to the child who tried to take it, just that there had been blood, and screaming, and nobody messed with the card after that.
Yuri and his dragon had won more battles together than Yuri could count. It was the dragon who had urged Yuri not to trust Leo Akaba, for all his pretty words and promises of food had tempted Yuri. Starve Venom had been right, Leo Akaba wanted nothing more than to use Yuri to take over the dimensions. So Yuri used Leo Akaba right back. He let Akaba carve a path of destruction across the dimensions, track down the incarnations of Creation who could potentially stop the incarnations of destruction. Yuri could do one thing perfectly, and that was sell a lie. Leo Akaba trusted that he had Yuri completely under control. But no one could control chaos. Yuri had been poisoning Akaba for month now, slowly weakening him. Yuri had been close to killing Akaba when he was captured. Now he has no doubt that Akaba will heal from the poison. Oh well, Yuri can just start again when he gets out of here.
But now, there’s a wrench in the plan. Yuri doesn’t have his dragon anymore. He can’t do this without Starve Venom. He must be the biggest fool in the universe for having depended on the dragon. Yuri should never have put his trust in anything other than himself. But the loss is more painful than Yuri could have imagined. He thought he was beyond feeling any kind of hurt. But he was wrong. He thought that the rebels could do nothing to break him. He was wrong. They took his dragon, not just physically, but spiritually. They turned Starve Venom against him, and it hurts.
And they got Ruri Kurosaki back. How can that be? No one has ever escaped Academia. Yuri knows that the Professor has been working on a brainwashing technique. Did he let them take Ruri? That would make sense. But why allow her to get Yuri’s file? Maybe that hadn’t been part of it. Or maybe the Professor thought it would break Yuri. Maybe Akaba wanted the Resistance to get their hands on him, break him so that it would be even easier for him to manipulate Yuri when Academia’s forces burst in to rescue him.
Yes, that must have been it. Yuri will just have to hold out until Akaba sees fit to come get him. But there was still the issue of his dragon. He’ll never be able to battle with Starve Venom again.
Well, until Yuri can figure out what to do, he’s confronted with the issue of the people who are, inexplicably, trying to make him eat.
Shun Kurosaki returns, bringing more food. He brings Yuri three meals, and each time Yuri refuses to even touch the plate offered to him. For the fifth meal, Shun sits in the room, staring Yuri down as he refuses to even look at the food.
After that failed attempt, someone else gives it a try. The most annoying counterpart, Yugo, is even more annoying with a food dish in his hands.
“There’s pretty good seasoning on this,” he says, poking at the food with a fork. “I mean, if you don’t want it, I’ll eat it. You don’t want to give your food to me, do you?”
After several minutes of his yammering, Yuri kicks the food dish and sends it flying across the room. He smirks when Yugo scolds him for it.
Yuto tries next, which surprises Yuri. He drags a chair into the room and places it next to the bed. Does he think he looks cool, straddling a backwards chair with his arms folded over the back of it? Yuri breaks his silence to taunt Yuto.
“You’re the most pathetic out of all of them. I heard you screaming for Ruri when she was taken.”
But it backfires. “I guess my acting is pretty good then,” Yuto says calmly, his chin on his arms.
Yuri sneers. “Do you honestly think Leo Akaba would let Ruri get away unharmed?” He probably shouldn’t say that, but he can’t stand how smug everyone is about Ruri.
“Leo Akaba didn’t let her do anything,” Yuto says firmly. “No one controls Ruri. We prepared for the brainwashing.”
Yuri tries not to let his shock show. Yuto continues, “We have people on the inside.”
“What are you on about?” Yuri scoffs.
Yuto shakes his head. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. Guess I’ll have to show you.”
The next time someone enters to bring food, Yuri can’t contain his surprise.
“Of all the people I never expected to double-cross Akaba,” he says as Serena enters. She was Akaba’s pride and joy—an incarnation of Creation, one he raised from an infant, getting his hands on her before the resistance could. Yuri was always disgusted by her, because she looked at Akaba with adoration in her eyes. Like he was her real father.
“He doesn’t care for anyone but himself,” Serena says.
Yuri rolls his eyes. “Of course not. But you cared for him.”
Serena flinches. “I did,” she admits. “But I don’t anymore.”
“Oh, boo-hoo,” Yuri says. “So what, you released Ruri to get revenge on him?”
“No,” Serena says. “My revenge was leaking all his research to the Resistance. Including the research about you. He was going to kill you.”
At that, Yuri can’t hold back. “I KNOW!” He screams. “I knew it all along! God, how weak do you think I am? Do you honestly think I would fall to him?”
Serena looks…devastated. “What is wrong with you?” She asks.
Yuri doesn’t dignify that with a response. Why are these people so obsessed with finding something wrong with him?
Serena tries to feed Yuri. She actually holds the food to his mouth and presses it against his lips. Yuri keeps him mouth closed, conveying all his disbelief with his eyes.
But she’s not the last to try that. As Yuri refuses to even drink water, the children who are trying to save him grow desperate. Yuya comes back. He talks to Yuri in a tone of voice more suited to talking down a frightened dog. He, too, holds food to Yuri’s mouth, and Yuri turns his head away. Yuto tries again as well, and Yuri gets another perfect opportunity to kick the plate of food away.
They’ve brought him meals fifteen times, so Yuri estimates it must have been five days. He barely sleeps, his head spinning with theories as to how he ended up here. Not just physically, here, but in this situation. Five days in enemy hands, probably closer to six since he was unconscious for some period of time. He can’t fathom what’s taking Akaba so long to retrieve him. Surely, he hasn’t lost track of Yuri. Surely, he knows that getting Yuri from this place means he could destroy the Resistance at the same time. Their best fighters seem to be here. Yuri would ask his captors where ‘here’ is, but he knows if he opens his mouth all that will happen is they’ll shove food in it.
Yuya comes with the sixteenth meal. Yuri refuses to look at him. Yuya kneels beside the bed.
“This can’t go on,” he says quietly. “They’re talking about forcing you to eat, Yuri. I don’t want that, do you?”
Yuri doesn’t even glance at Yuya.
The door bangs open. “This is getting ridiculous,” Shun says.
“Let me handle this,” Yuya says. “I said I could do this.”
This catches Yuri’s attention. They’re fighting? There’s discord in the ranks. What can he do with that information, if he can do anything at all?
“Stop babying him,” Shun snaps. “Yuri, open your goddamn mouth.”
Yuri cocks an eyebrow. He silently dares Shun to make him.
Shun darts forward and seizes Yuri’s jaw in his hand. Yuri tumbles back on the bed, and he claws at Shun’s arm as best he can with his wrists held together, but Shun either doesn’t feel it or doesn’t care. He squeezes Yuri’s jaw tightly. Yuri tries to ignore it, but there are some bodily reactions one simply can’t control. He opens his mouth, and Shun shoves something into it, then he claps his hand over Yuri’s mouth.
“Now swallow it,” Shun commands. His eyes hold no pity. “Or do I need to shove a tube down your throat and pour your food into it?”
Yuri twists his head out from under Shun’s hand and spits the food in his face. “Do it,” he snarls. “Go on.” He laughs. “Force me! Tie me down and force me! Take away my autonomy, my control.” Yuri leans up into Shun’s face. “Show me what the fearsome Resistance is capable of.”
Yuya pulls Shun away from Yuri. “The fuck, Shun?!” He demands.
“He is dying!” Shun screams, pointing at Yuri. “You’re babying him and he is wasting away. He’s going to die, Yuya!”
“Oh, what a tragedy,” Yuri says, rolling his eyes.
Shun and Yuya look at him in shock.
“Don’t you care at all?” Shun demands.
“Akaba won’t let me die,” Yuri spits. He’s gone too long without food and sleep, he has no control over what he’s saying. “Don’t you know that by taking me here, you’ve lead him right to this place? He’s coming, he’s going to card you all. The Resistance is as good as crushed.”
Shun looks at Yuya. “You didn’t tell him?”
Yuya holds out his hands. “I didn’t want to overwhelm him.”
Shun sighs. “We took a tracker out of your arm.”
Yuya closes his eyes and pinches his nose. “Nobody listens to me,” he says quietly.
Yuri stares at Shun. “What did you say?” He demands.
Shun grabs Yuri’s arm and pulls up his sleeve, showing a healed incision. “We took it out before we brought you here. Akaba has no idea where you are. He’s not coming.”
Yuri jerks his arm back. “How did you find it?” He demands.
Yuya looks shocked. “You knew it was there?”
“I’m not an idiot, of course I knew,” Yuri snaps. “I just…” he didn’t know they knew.
Yuya looks horrified. “Oh, god,” he says quietly. “And you accuse us of taking away your autonomy. Do you even know what Akaba did to you?”
“I know everything,” Yuri says.
Shun throws up his hands. “Okay. That’s it. I’m calling the doctor.” He walks out of the room and slams the door.
Yuri looks at Yuya. He’s got tears in his eyes.
“What the fuck are you crying about?” Yuri demands.
Yuya gulps. “Yuri…you don’t get it. I really, truly, want to help you.”
“Help me what?!” Yuri cries before he can stop himself.
“Help you get better,” Yuya says. He sits and takes Yuri’s hands in his own. “I want you to love yourself. I want you to see that the world isn’t all bad. I want you to be your own person. Don’t you see what’s happened to you? You’re depressed. You have been for a long time. You’re not a monster, you’re just a sick teenager who’s been manipulated for too long. But it’s over now.”
Yuri laughs. “Over?! You’re manipulating me! I’m not depressed!”
“Then why are you slowly killing yourself?” Yuya asks, tears spilling over his cheeks. “I don’t want you to die. If this is the only way to keep that from happening…” he sobs. “I didn’t want it to come to this.”
“Come to what?” Yuri screams.
But Yuya doesn’t answer. He leaves the room, and Yuri is left to shout into the empty room for answers. He’s confused, and he doesn’t like it one bit. He’s never been so thrown before. He’s never felt so…disconnected. From himself, from reality. He has no idea what’s going on.
And maybe it’s the lack of sleep, or dehydration, or both, but Yuri finds himself thinking about what Yuya said. Is he really depressed? Well, Yuri has known for a while that something was wrong with him. How could there not be? But it was nothing that ever bothered him. Why did everyone here believe that he needed to be fixed?
Yuri draws his knees up to his chest and buries his face in them. He’s so tired. He used to be able to go longer without sleep. He’s gotten weak. He can’t forgive himself for this, for letting himself get to this point. He should have tried to break out before now. He didn’t imagine these idiots would find the tracking device in his arm. He thought he was doing his job by waiting, waiting for Akaba to come with the Obelisk force and set Yuri free so they could tear down the Resistance on their own turf. Yuri was wrong. He’s never wrong. Now he’s too weak to make a break for it, and he doesn’t have his dragon.
Yuri hates himself for getting so attached to Starve Venom. He thought he could depend on the dragon to always be on his side. He thought they would always be a pair. He was wrong. The only person Yuri should have trusted was himself. The loss of his dragon has hit him too hard.
Yuri can feel himself starting to drift off and he snaps his head up. No. he can’t fall asleep. He knows that if he does, it’ll be all over. He has no idea what these people will do to him but whatever it is, it’ll ruin everything. Yuri never thought he would be afraid of these stupid children, and he hates himself for it, but he’s afraid now. Everything is all but ruined.
Yuri stares at the ceiling, a sound rising in his chest. He tries to swallow it down, but he’s tired of holding himself together. Yuri shuts his eyes tight and he screams.
Instantly he regrets it. It takes a surprising amount of energy to scream. Now he’s even more tired than he was before. No more screaming.
So Yuri talks to himself.
“Idiot. Complete, fucking idiot. What were you thinking?”
He probably shouldn’t talk to himself. He feels like he’s giving these children more ammunition to use against him. But now that he’s started, he can’t seem to stop.
“Taken down by a fucking blow dart. What’s the matter with you, Yuri? How have you let yourself stoop so low?” He laughs. “God, they were right about you. You’re just a stupid kid. How did you get to have so much faith in yourself?”
He leans back against the pillow. The bed is too soft. Hi sits up again, legs tucked under himself, and holds his back as straight as he can. It hurts, he’s weak from lack of food, but the pain is good, it’ll keep him awake.
Yuri rambles. He curses himself, Leo Akaba, the people keeping him here. He talks until the door to the room opens again, and then he clams up.
Yuto, Yuya, and Yugo enter. They look determined. Yuya kicks off his shoes, and he sits on the bed.
“What the hell?” Yuri snaps.
Yuya sits behind Yuri and grabs him.
Yuri thrashes. “WHAT THE HELL?!” He repeats, shrieking this time.
“It’s a hug, Yuri,” Yuya says calmly. Too calm.
Yuri realizes that he’s not exactly thrashing, it’s more like flopping weakly. He tries to jab Yuya’s stomach with his elbow, but Yuto is suddenly there, holding his hands.
“Get the hell off me,” Yuri snarls.
“Give it a rest,” Yugo says. “You’re not scaring anyone.”
Yuri bares his teeth. “You should be scared of me.”
“We were, once,” Yuya says. “Before we knew who you were.”
“You know nothing about me!” Yuri screams, still trying to flail, but he’s very much contained. Yuya’s got a good grip on him, he’s got Yuri’s arms pinned to his sides, and either Yuya is very strong or Yuri is very weak, because Yuri can’t even wiggle in Yuya’s arms. Yuto’s kind of sitting on Yuri’s feet, and he’s still got a hold of Yuri’s wrists. Yuri jerks his head back, trying to hit Yuya in the mouth, or nose, anywhere, but he just ends up with his head leaning back on Yuya’s shoulder. Yuya presses his cheek to Yuri’s. It’s kind of gross.
“We do know you,” Yuya says quietly. “We’re one, don’t you know?”
“Incarnations of Chaos,” Yuto says dryly. “Perhaps none of us more than you. The difference between us and you, is you were never loved.”
Yuri laughs incredulously. “What does love have to do with this?”
“Everything,” Yuya says. “It’s why we’re not scared of you.”
“You’re even bigger idiots than I thought,” Yuri snarls. He lifts his head and glares at Yuto and Yugo, and he squirms in Yuya’s arms. “I hate you. I don’t need you.”
Yuya turns his face into Yuri’s neck. “Yes, you do. We need each other. Everyone needs someone.”
“Not me,” Yuri says.
“Especially you,” Yuya says calmly.
The door opens again and Yugo meets Shun halfway across the room.
“This should knock him out for a while,” Shun says, handing Yugo a needle.
Yuri has been very, very good about keeping himself under control for a long time, but the last few days have taken away any control he thought he had. He sees the needle, and he panics.
“GET AWAY FROM ME!” Yuri screams, flailing. He manages to kick Yuto away, but Yuya holds fast and tight.
“Easy, easy!” Yuya says, his mouth too close to Yuri’s ear, his entire body too close, far too close, it’s suffocating. “Shh, Yuri, it’s okay.”
“You’re all insane!” Yuri cries, his eyes locked onto the needle. “Whatever you think you can do to me you’re wrong!”
“We just want you to sleep,” Yuya says. He rocks, back and forth, and Yuri is too drained to fight the motion. Yuri bites down on the inside of his mouth, pain grounding him, keeping him alert.
“Never,” Yuri hisses through clenched teeth. “I’ll never do what you want me to.”
“Damn you,” Yugo sighs. “Why couldn’t you make this easy for once?”
“Fuck you,” Yuri says, and he tastes blood in his mouth. He bit too hard. Yugo approaches, needle in his hand, and Yuri spits at him. Blood splatters his shirt.
“Yuri, what did you do to yourself?” Yuya gasps.
Why aren’t they taking him seriously? Yuri has been doing nothing but screaming, cursing, and kicking since he got here. Why are they still babying him? When will they snap, hit him, let him starve himself? Why are they being so…nice?
“What are you doing?” Yuri asks.
“We’re going to help you sleep,” Yuto says. He holds Yuri’s wrists. Yugo swipes an alcohol cloth across his skin.
“No!” Yuri gasps, “No, beyond that! What…what do you want from me? Why do you want me to sleep? Why do you care?”
They all seem to freeze.
“We told you,” Yuya says, “You’re one of us.”
“No I’m not!” Yuri says, and he’s not even being contrary on purpose now, he’s genuinely confused. “We are nothing alike. We are nothing to each other. I’ve done nothing but hurt you!”
Yuya sighs. “That’s not who you are. If you could just understand…it didn’t have to be this way. If Akaba hadn’t gotten his hands on you, if you had just been given a chance…”
Yuri tries to yank his wrists back from Yuto. “You’re not making any sense! What chance? What do you mean this isn’t who I am?”
“We told you, nobody loved you,” Yuya says. “You could have grown up so differently if you had just been loved.”
“That wouldn’t have changed anything,” Yuri snaps.
“Then why are you so different from the rest of us?” Yuya asks.
Yuri rolls his eyes. “Because I’m more driven? Because I like chaos? Because my dragon—”
He cuts himself off. Because Starve Venom fed him fantasies of power. Because Yuri craved that power. Because all Yuri ever wanted was for people to stop looking at him like scum.
Yuri feels a pinch in his arm and he yelps before he can stop himself. Yugo pulls the needle back and that same panic from before envelops Yuri once again. He doesn’t want to sleep. He hates sleeping. No, he hates dreaming. He hates that it brings back memories, feelings he’s buried. Sleep is for the weak.
“I hate you,” Yuri growls. “I hate all of you.” He’s repeating himself. Whatever they injected him with, it’s fast acting. Yuri’s vision is starting to blur, and he goes limp. He doesn’t fucking want to sleep.
Yuya unwraps his arms from Yuri’s torso and lays him down on the bed. He strokes Yuri’s cheek. “You’re okay,” Yuya says, his voice breaking. “Or you will be. I’m sorry…we didn’t want you to cry.”
Yuri’s not crying. He hasn’t cried in years. Since he was a baby. He can’t remember when he last cried…But his face is wet. Maybe he is crying.
Yuri closes his eyes. He can’t fight off the exhaustion anymore.
As Yuri’s eyes close, Yuya breaks down. Yuto pulls him to his feet, and leads him out of the room and down the hall, up the stairs, and into the bedroom that the three of them share. Yugo follows along, and the three of them shut themselves in their room.
“Aw, Yuya,” Yuto sighs as Yuya collapses against him, sobbing.
“He looked so scared,” Yuya whimpers.
Yuto never thought the word ‘scared’ would ever apply to Yuri. But Yuya’s right, he did look scared. Yuto pats Yuya’s back. “We had to knock him out, he needed to sleep,” Yuto reminds him.
Yugo shuffles in behind Yuya and hugs him as well. “Yuya sandwich,” he mutters, nosing the back of Yuya’s neck. Most days, that makes Yuya giggle. Not today.
Yuya’s chest shakes as he sobs. “Wh-why won’t he believe that we w-want to help him?”
Yuya is a special kind of human. One who wants everyone to be as happy as he is. One who would give away his own heart to make someone else happy. One who wants everyone in the world to feel as loved as he is. It’s a tall order to fill—everyone loves Yuya. Everyone except Yuri, who doesn’t even love himself. And that’s what makes this so painful, at least for Yuya. Because ever since they found out that Yuri was a dead man walking, that he didn’t have any allies, or family, or friends, Yuya has been desperate to give Yuri all of that. A life, a family, and people he could depend on. And Yuya can’t fathom how Yuri could find that so hard to believe, how he wouldn’t want that.
“We’re not giving up on him,” Yuto says. He kisses Yuya’s temple. “Come on now, crying yourself sick over this isn’t going to help anyone.”
Yuya burrows his head in Yuto’s neck. “But I want him now,” Yuya chokes out.
Yuto knows. He doesn’t know if Yuri feels it, too—that tug on their heartstrings every time they get close to each other. Yuya would never overwhelm Yuri on purpose, but that need to touch, hug, be a part of each other’s lives is so strong, it’s painful to ignore it. They are cut from the same cloth. They are soulmates. Yuri is supposed to be one of them. And he’s not, and it hurts.
Yuto and Yugo look at each other helplessly. What can they do, what can they say to make this better? It all depends on Yuri and how he can recover from years of neglect and abuse. Soon they’ll start him on antidepressants, soon they’ll talk to him every day, and try to make him understand why they’re doing this. But when it’ll get through to Yuri…no one can predict that.
Yugo moves Yuya’s hair aside and kisses the back of his neck. “You need to sleep, too,” He murmurs. “You’ve strung yourself out for too long.”
Yuya sniffles. “Stay with me?” he asks quietly.
“Of course,” Yuto and Yugo say together.
The three of them climb into bed, pressed close together. Their bed is huge, but they hardly need all the room, as close as they tend to stay. They’ve been sharing a bed for months now, since Yugo moved in with them. Even before that, when it was just Yuto and Yuya, they shared a bed.
“Do you think Yuri will ever…be like this?” Yuya asks quietly.
Yuto strokes Yuya’s hair. “I hope so. But it will take a long time.”
Yuya sniffles. “Why did it have to be like this? Why didn’t he ever have someone?”
“We can only guess,” Yugo says. “Maybe Fusion was more messed up than we thought.”
Or maybe Yuto, Yuya, and Yugo got luckier than they should have. Maybe they stole all of the goodness that should have gone to Yuri.
Maybe, somewhere along the way, fate fucked up.