Work Text:
Esora couldn’t help the groan that escaped her lips as she stretched. Her body ached, and whatever she had last night was sitting heavy in her throat and stomached. Her eyes felt stuck together from the makeup that she assumed she hadn’t washed off, not that she could remember. Rolling over, she half-way buried herself back into the sheets below, squirming towards the other side. Reaching over, Esora frowned when her suspicions were confirmed - something, moreso someone, was missing from beside her.
Letting out a rather pitiful whine, she sat up, rubbing at her eyes and blinking them open. It was still early, and Esora noticed that the clock on her bedside table read “6:36”. Sighing, she unwillingly got up, leaning on the bedside table before standing up fully.
God she felt like shit.
Pushing herself forward, Esora gave herself a look down in the vanity mirror, grimacing a bit. Her hair was knotted and tangled, and there were dark tracks down her cheeks where it seemed she had cried her eyeliner off. The mascara that she’d put on was blotchy and had crusted a bit, her lips stained from whatever gloss she’d used before. At least her appearance matched her mood, she snarkily thought, before looking around for her phone. It wasn’t where it usually was, and she frowned. Did she leave it downstairs?
Deciding to just go straight into the shower instead of going to look for it, Esora grabbed a change of clothes and headed inside the shared master bathroom.
The hot water was a blessing, and the steam from it made it feel easier to breathe. Her body still ached, but her muscles became more relaxed the longer she stood. As she ran her fingers through her hair, lightly pulling her way through the knots, she tried to bring herself back to the night before. She remembered that Peaky P-key had been invited to perform at an exclusive nightclub by the club’s owner with the promise of a hefty paycheck and free food and drinks after the show. The owner, from Esora’s scattered memory of being told the previous afternoon, was a fan of the DJ unit back in high school, and after taking over the business from his parents, had been dying to get Peaky P-key there.
Esora guessed that he’d gotten into touch with Kyoko, and that had gotten the ball rolling. Her memory was getting more and more hazy as she tried to think back. She remembered they’d performed there, but the performance itself was a blank in her mind. Scratching shampoo at her scalp, running her fingers through her long hair, she vaguely recalled that after the show, Kyoko and Shinobu weren’t around. She could picture the face of her girlfriend, Yuka, a bit sweaty but a giant smile on her face as Esora was pulling her towards the bar.
Bingo.
Fuck, how much had she had to drink if she couldn’t remember the night at all? After the picture of dragging Yuka away towards the bar, it was gone. She couldn’t recall anything past that. She desperately tried to recall anything past that as she finished her shower, thumbing her head lightly against the wall in a sad attempt to knock some memories back into her.
Stepping out and drying off, Esora got dressed in shoulderless sweater and skinny jeans, quietly grumbling to herself at the usual struggle she had to deal with. She left her hair to air dry, simply pulling it back into a loose braid after somewhat towel drying it. She finished her routine with half-assed brush teeth, instinctively reaching to grab her phone from the counter, only to roll her eyes as she remembered she didn’t even know where it was.
The bedroom was still completely empty when Esora emerged, and she frowned. Yuka wasn’t there, and a quick overview of the room made her realize that her phone wasn’t either. Huffing a bit, she made her way downstairs, doing a quick look around the area, quirking an eyebrow at the fact that Yuka wasn’t there either. She didn’t hear anything coming from down the hall, so she knew she wasn’t in the homebound gym either. Esora did, however, notice that her phone was on the kitchen counter with a piece of paper underneath it.
Her phone was hooked up to the charger the couple kept downstairs, and she unplugged it, causing the lock screen to light up. There were several text messages from the other members of Peaky P-key, but she didn’t read them immediately, instead choosing to give the note left to her a quick glance over.
Headed out to run some important errands. Hope you’re feeling ok <3
-Yuka
Well that explained the lack of her girlfriend around, but it was unusual for Yuka not to bring Esora with her. And the little “hope you’re feeling ok” at the end only added to her confusion. Frowning, Esora clicked on her phone again, unlocking it to go through the messages. Maybe that way she’d be able to figure out the fuck had happened.
Leaning against the counter, she clicked on the first text notification, a cut off message from Kyoko. There were several messages, large blocks of text making Esora have to scroll up to read everything fully, and there she saw some casual back and forth from the night before as well.
KYOKO (23:36): bro i let you and yuka out of my sight for two minutes to talk to someone and you disappear lmfao. Where did you go??
ESORA (23:39): At the bar!! We're gonna get some food and I'm going to get absolutely plastered uwu
KYOKO (23:40): LMAO ok. They got burgers?
ESORA (23:40): Yeah :3 ordered your usual with some fries. I'm not even gonna try and order for Shinobu because I'm like 99 percent sure they'll shank me if I order for them lol
KYOKO (23:41): Spotted you. Also good call on the shinobu thing, shell probably just end up eating my fries anyways lmfao.
There was a gap in time, the clock jumping from almost midnight to almost two.
KYOKO (1:47): yo esora where tf did you go??
KYOKO (1:49): seriously esora yukas kinda freakin the fuck out now and her anxiety is not helping mine
KYOKO (1:50): im calling you.
Esora cringed at the six missed calls. There was a five minute gap in between the first two, and then the minute gaps became shorter and shorter, the last two being clocked at the same time. There was nothing for a little while after the calls, and Esora hadn’t answered a single one. The text messages continued almost thirty minutes later.
KYOKO (2:28): im so fucking sorry oh my god.
KYOKO (2:28): fuck i shouldnt have taken th efucking gig im sorry fuckng sorry im sorry
Another gap in time, this time a solid two hours. Kyoko was texting her at four in the morning and Esora guessed that the brunette hadn’t slept at all that night. She anxiously continued reading, finally reaching the large blocks of texts from Kyoko.
KYOKO (4:28): the owner’s taking care of everything, but im gonna make sure he does by keeping on his tail about it. Fuck esora im so sorry this happened. I dont know where this fuckers security was and why he didnt think to watch out for us, but management is gonna absolutely rip them another one once the paperwork and all that bullshits through.
KYOKO (4:29): they identified him and it took like two people to restrain Shinobu from finding him and beating the shit out of him. Hes pissed, like genuinely so pissed. I am too but i kinda didnt want my partner in prison as much as that piece of shit deserves it. I really hope youre ok essie,,,
KYOKO (4:29): yuka called me and told me that she’d helped get you into bed. I could hear how broken up you were and it hurt to hear. If you need someone to talk to please dont be afraid to reach out and if im pushing you too much just let me know or let yuka know or something,,, love you Esora <3
Esora felt like she was going to be sick. What. The fuck. Had happened. Something had clearly happened and Kyoko was being so vague. Switching over, she clicked the second text notifications, these ones from Shinobu.
SHINOBU (12:50): touch the fries and die.
ESORA (12:51): uwu
SHINOBU (12:51): I WILL SEND YOU TO GOD.
Playful banter. Food had been ordered and arrived. Nothing out of the ordinary. And then the horror came back.
SHINOBU (1:50): Hey, where’d you go?
SHINOBU (1:50): Kyoko’s starting to get worried and Yuka looks like she’s about to throw up and I don’t think it’s from the booze.
Fuck, they had all been looking for her. She’d disappeared on them. Two missed calls from Shinobu followed, and then a few messages, earlier than Kyoko’s.
SHINOBU: I’m gonna fucking kill him.
SHINOBU: As soon as they find out his fucking name I’m gonna kill him.
Jesus Christ. Esora felt like she was going to throw up, throwing her phone to the side and flipping around, leaning her head against the black granite counters. Something had happened to her, what the fuck had happened. She unconsciously wrapped her arm around her stomach, and it hit her like a brick.
Esora leaned against the brick wall outside, sighing as she tried to compose herself. She’d lost the rest of her unit in the crowd of people, and the after effects of drinking so much so quickly were hitting her like a truck.
“Fuck me…” she swore, her words slurring a bit. She tried to push herself to stand again, only to feel someone grab her arm. She jolted a bit, but before she could look to see who it was, she felt them pull her flat against their chest, an arm wrapped around their stomach and a hand gripped her chin.
“That can be arranged, love,” the unknown perpetrator’s hand was running up towards her chest. She could feel herself begin to panic, struggling against his grip despite her inebriated state. He pressed her against the wall she was previously leaning against, and his hands continued to move even as she struggled.
She felt like she was going to throw up, and she could feel tears starting to fall. His hands were so cold and he wouldn’t get off of her and-
Esora couldn’t stop herself from vomiting into the sink, the burn of bile gripping her throat as she struggled to breathe. She remembered. She fucking remembered what he did. Some worthless scumbag at the bar who’d tried flirting with her - she’d turned him down and thought that was the end of it.
Esora was shaking, gagging and coughing as she sobbed violently. She couldn’t breathe, her memories filled with what that fucker did. She remembered how desperate she was to try and get him off and that terrified feeling of helplessness was enveloping her all over again. She felt dizzy, and let herself slide down to the floor, pushing herself into the corner of the counter as she gasped for air.
Her vision was blurry, and she hugged legs to her chest. She couldn’t breathe, god she couldn’t fucking breathe. She continued to spiral for what felt like hours, sobbing and trying to stop herself from throwing up all over again. She was so deep in her own head that she didn’t even hear the front door open, nor notice that Yuka was home until a hand was on her shoulder.
“Esora?! Esora, breathe,” Esora flinched away from the hand, emerald eyes wide with panic. She tried to focus on who was in front of her, a blurry figure of yellow with streaks of blue sitting in front of her. It took her a few moments, rubbing her eyes desperately to focus on who was in front of her.
“Yuka!” she sobbed out, finally able to somewhat focus on the worried face of her girlfriend. The blonde muttered a few swears under her breath, repositioning herself so that she could pull the green-haired woman close to her. Esora practically threw herself into her girlfriend’s arms, sobbing as Yuka did her best to calm her down.
It felt like ages before Esora could somewhat get ahold of herself, still crying but otherwise having her breathing under control. She hiccuped, not wanting to move out of Yuka’s embrace. She was safe, she was okay.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here, Esora, I didn’t want to leave, I swear-”
“What happened?” Esora interrupted, unwillingly pushing her girlfriend away to look her in the eye. Her voice was shaky and cracking. Yuka hesitated, and Esora could see how upset she was by the tears brimming her eyes.
“What all do you remember?”
“We were at a nightclub performing, I think, and we went to get food and drinks at the bar. I think we got separated and then I went outside I just… I…” Esora trailed off, doing her best to not fall into yet another panic attack remembering what happened. Yuka nodded, taking Esora’s hands in her own.
“I’m so fucking sorry, Esora. God, I just… you disappeared and we all were looking for you and then Kyoko found you outside and I just…” Esora shook her head, pulling the blonde back into an embrace.
“Don’t apologize, don’t blame yourself just… just don’t. Kyoko told me that they… they fucking caught him and I just want you here right now,” Esora cut her off, and Yuka sniffled, nodding. The two sat in silence for a few minutes, simply basking in being near each other after such an event.
“You should’ve seen Shinobu when they found out. Kyoko had her basically bear hugged into her lap to stop her from finding the guy,” Yuka sadly laughed, and Esora couldn’t help but giggle.
“I saw the text messages. If you took those out of context I would’ve assumed there’d be a murder case on the news.”
“She was so fucking pissed, still is. Kyoko’s been a wreck, too. I don’t think they’ve gone to bed yet - I think Kyoko’s still at the nightclub with the owner honestly,” Yuka commented, and Esora sighed.
“Can… can we go see them? Kyoko and Shinobu I mean.”
“Sure, I’ll call Shinobu about meeting up with them. He might want to pull Kyoko out of the club and to get some sleep before that though. She’s been up for a while.”
“Those two are still horrible about that,” Esora commented dryly, and Yuka snorted a bit. “They’re practically made for each other, huh. Both have horrendous sleep schedules…”
“And both would do just about anything for the group. For you,” Yuka finished, and Esora couldn’t help but smile sadly. Even despite everything that had happened, her friends were still with her, and she still had Yuka.
It would take a while before she would be okay again - but as Yuka helped her off the floor, she reassured herself something: she had them, and they had her. Whatever tough times they went through, they’d do it together. Like always.