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overblots; yuu had come to see them as an everyday occurrence. it was like an overblot occurred soon as they thought they were finally moving past the last. they were just a kid, tossed into a world of magic and monsters. into a world that might as well consider them an alien because they're from somewhere entirely different, possibly another dimension! they couldn't defend themselves against the students with large egos who thought it was empowering to tease the student who couldn't use magic. they couldn't help when it came down to trying to free the students who were lost to blot. they were tired.
but nobody seemed to care about that, not until it was convenient to them. when yuu didn't know something everyone in this odd world knew, students insulted them until they remembered yuu wasn't from twisted wonderland. when yuu was forced to sit on the sidelines as their friends rode on brooms and learned to summon magic, they deflated and tried to hide.
nobody bothered to check in on the magicless prefect living in an abandoned dorm, running around to complete errands for a headmage who didn't care about what happened to them so long as they could benefit him. threatening to withhold the resources they needed to survive and get food for themself and the dire beast they shared the title of student with.
no one bothered to check if they were injured amongst the chaos of overblots, and they were. forced to hide scares under gloves and sleeves, masking limps and whimpers whenever the fabric brushed against a healing injury. their visits to the nurse's courters were frequent, so much so, that they knew the office inside and out, no longer needing the mages to help them find bandages or healing liquids.
while they loved their friends, who seemed to be the only ones who cared enough to want them to come back in one piece ━ none of them were very attentive. deuce, who sometimes missed the way blood stained the cuffs on their old uniform jacket after they reopened another wound. ace, who remained oblivious to when yuu would flinch and bite back a groan at the weight he added to their healing leg when he would lean against them. grim, who bought every lie yuu would say when he asked if they were going to eat as well, only for them to brush him off with a "not hungry".
yuu loved their friends, who thought yuu invincible with the chaos they had to deal with on a daily. so yuu hid, the pain, the tears, the moments in which they pulled at their hair and fought back a scream. but there were times yuu wished they'd just notice. there were times yuu wanted to shout "i'm not! i'm human!". but yuu chose to say nothing, only hoping helplessly that someone will see them, that they will finally catch themselves a break where they can sit back and not worry about dying every day.
but even yuu questioned whether that could ever happen; and they fed into the idea that it won't.
they were tired, exhausted. they wanted to go home, back to their parents, to the old squeaky plank in their home that made sneaking around impossible, to the window in their bedroom that was accidentally painted shut. they wanted to be back in the comfort of their bed, where they knew they would be safe; from the ego-inflated students, from crowley, from the overblots.
their exhaustion was evident in their heavy eyebags and slow movements. yet they still gave their all in their studies, even when the words blurred and moved. they still fought and argued with grim to keep him out of trouble and avoid another scolding from crowley. and perhaps it was that that made everyone think twice about asking if they were okay. maybe, it was because they never cared.
maybe they only felt alarmed when yuu found themselves unable to tell right from left and up from down, feet slipping out from under them as they fell back, hard.
whatever it was, yuu still found themselves lying in a cot as the events from earlier finally caught up to the. vision blurred as they adjusted to the brightness of the room.
oh, they thought rather blandly as they found themselves sitting up with the help of someone, staring blankly at the freshmen they called friends scolding them for neglecting their health. but yuu wasn't listening, the boy's voices nothing but white noise in their ears as they glanced around the room. confusion filled their chest, only for a moment, before their senses went numb again as they realized who had joined them in their room; housewardens and vice housewardens, and regular students too. everyone they knew in this cursed school.
"━just how many meals have you skipped?"
noise, their mind finally picked up the noise that came with ace' voice. they turned to him, blinking slowly as they took in his words, but failing to bite back a huh.
"they said you've lost a lot of weight, your skin has become unhealthy, and you lack proper vitamin and nutrition." deuce explained, voice soft and lips in a frown. but yuu's guilt at causing such an expression was nowhere to be found.
they hummed, finding it almost difficult to hold up their head as they lifted the sleeve of their uniform to scratch at their wrist, a new habit they've obtained in twisted wonderland. their actions revealed a healed gash that ran from the middle of their wrist, and up their forearm, hidden beneath the rest of their uniform. those present noticed the deep scare, breaths hitched and eyes widening. where did they get that? why didn't they know?
"don' know." they finally mumbled, removing the attention from their scar as they let their sleeve slide back into place. "just wanted to feed grim. he needs to eat." the said dire beast deflated, ears pressed against his head.
"so do you!" epel shouted in return, pointing at the prefect who hardly batted an eye.
"you also haven't been sleeping." jack had added, eyeing the bags that dipped below their eyes, heavy and so noticeable he wondered how he missed them before.
but yuu didn't seem the least bit fazed, nodding lamely to jack's words, "yeah."
"why?" he asked, frowning.
yuu stared at him, blinking slowly as they tried to from a response in their exhausted mind, "oh," they mumbled, "the nightmares."
"nightmares?" a collection of voices repeated.
"mhm." was all they gave in response.
their lack of care to their physical state was obvious ━ frustrating for the large group of people who filled the office, surrounding yuu's cot.
and it was ace who voiced that, "yuu, they said you might as well be dead!"
that seemed to gain a reaction from yuu, although not one they had been expecting. their lips twitched, and they found themselves falling back on the cot, hardly seeming to care as the sound of their name being yelled out in a panic reached their ears. but then silence followed, and the only thing heard through the room, was laughs.
the prefect was laughing.
"death!" they shouted, laughs only seeming to grow louder, "by what, starvation? exhaustion? compared to everything else, that's how i almost went out!"
nobody moved as they watched yuu lose themselves to their rant, giggling almost manically. "after all the overblots," (several flinched at the reminder) "after i've been tossed into a wall, poisoned, and stabbed with thorns. lack of care almost killed me! this is great! hilarious! who woulda thought!"
"yuu?" deuce stuttered, exchanging glances with ace and grim.
"and i survived!" they didn't seem to be talking to anyone except themselves now, "i survived it all! and for what?"
their laughing trailed, voice taking on a sad tone, throwing an arm over their eyes as they giggled, watery and broken, "why'd i have to go and survive?"
"are you... are you okay, prefect?" epel asked, hesitant. a stupid question, he knew that.
yuu was silent for a moment, before they answered, "i haven't been okay since i was brought to this world."
and not a lie was heard in their tone.
just how much about the prefect of ramshackle had they missed?