Chapter Text
“Has anybody heard from Yuu lately?”
The surrounding first-years look up from their game of cards. They – meaning Ace, Deuce, Epel, Grim, Jack, Ortho, and Sebek – are gathered in Heartslabyul, sitting on the floor of the lounge. Housewarden Riddle graciously allowed them to stay the night on the condition that they would be quiet and they would not interrupt anybody’s sleep. So, the six boys and the bottomless pit that is Grim are curled up in a pile of blankets and pillows, playing Old Maid. Yuu taught them how to play, saying it’s a game from her world.
Speaking of Yuu, they invited her to hang out. Ace planned a hangout for the group of eight, and a sleepover is the perfect way to cool off and relax after the events of their first year. The seven first-years had it rough, but especially Yuu. She stopped seven overblots while dealing with Crowley’s shit, coming from another world, and being the only magicless student in NRC’s history – on top of being a girl. The prefect of Ramshackle dorm is notably absent at this sleepover, and it concerns everybody.
Epel hesitantly speaks up. “I told her about tonight. She said she was excited, but she transformed into a whole ‘nother person when Vil came to get me. She was up his ass with compliments.”
“She has not come by Ignihyde since Idia…” Ortho trails off.
“She’s been clinging to me really tight at night,” Grim murmurs, a solemn look on his face. “She only wears baggy clothes when out of uniform, even in the hot weather, and she’s been pulling lots of all-nighters. I- I’m worried for her.”
Not good, very not good. Ace racks his brain to search for memories. Yuu has been rather protective of their little group recently, especially after Malleus overblotted. She only sleeps when she has to, barely eats, hides her skin. Something is wrong.
Jack clears his throat. “I- I went to high five her. I didn’t mean to scare her, but… she flinched. I don’t know if I did something wrong.”
Epel bumps Jack’s shoulder with his own. “Hey. That isn’t your fault. You probably just caught ‘er at a bad time.” Jack nods, but he doesn’t look convinced. Grim crawls into his lap and curls up, prompting Jack to pet him.
“Riddle went on a tangent about a week ago,” Deuce starts to say, still lying with his face half-pressed into Ace’s legs. “He did that thing where he got all red in the face. He wasn’t mad at her, but she was still in the room, and when he used his unique magic on some first-year, she ran. Found her in the garden later, crying in Cater’s arms.”
All seven first-years collectively share a wince. They know how Riddle is about rules.
Shaking it off, Ace sets down his cards. “I’ll talk to Riddle about it.”
“You? You, Ace Trappola, talk to Riddle about a problem you have with him?” Grim cracks a grin. Ace decides to ignore that comment. “As his upcoming vice-housewarden, I can now talk to him freely without worrying about being collared.”
Deuce scoffs, wrapping Ace loosely in a hug. “I hope so, or it’s cleaning duty for you.”
—
“-and that’s why you should come to the Mostro Lounge tonight!” Yuu breathes an internal sigh of relief when Floyd finishes his rant about how much he misses her. She’s been inching away from him slowly, hoping he doesn’t notice that he’s creeping her the fuck out. “Thanks, Floyd. Really. I miss you, too, but I have tons of homework to catch up on before finals week.”
Floyd sighs, pouting dramatically, but he drops it just as soon. “You’re boring, shrimpy. But whatever, I suppose I’ll just be alone tonight… all alone… so sad… just me-“
“You have an identical twin and an octopus,” she points out. “Go screw with them.”
He brightens up and skips away, making her relax. Ever since Azul overblotted, she’s hated being around the twins, and it only amplified after Malleus’ overblot, where she had to relive memories of getting hurt by everybody over and over and over and over and-
She shakes her head. Not the time to think about that, Yuu tells herself as she ignores the burning of the handprint on her upper arm.
—
“Miss Yuu, I would like to talk to you privately.”
Yuu flinches like she’s been struck, and that is immediately a warning sign for Crewel. As a teacher and the current nurse after the old one quit, he’s seen Yuu more times this year than he can count on both hands. Every time she’s come in, she’s been shaky, anxious, apologizing for no reason. Being magicless in a world of magic is one thing, but female at an all-boys school? Crewel has purposefully made sure that she isn’t on the receiving end of anybody’s teasing, but he’s never been able to save her from Crowley.
The young girl stays in her desk, picking at the skin around her nails. He eyes her as she does this, stepping in when she begins to draw blood and shows no signs of stopping. “Puppy, stop that,” he murmurs, taking her shaking hands in his gloved ones. “That is no way to treat yourself.”
Yuu tears up, biting at the insides of her cheeks, and Crewel softens. “Talk to me. Are you truly all-“
“I’m not safe,” she whispers, the sound like a gunshot in the otherwise quiet room. The professor feels his heart drop into his gut. “You… are not safe? Explain. If somebody is bothering you, I’m sure I can-“
“No!” She shouts this time. “No, you don’t understand, nobody is safe! Everybody wants to hurt me and I can’t defend myself so I try to hide away and people notice me anyways, I just- I just wanna go unnoticed for a day! And- and Headmage Crowley keeps giving me all this work, and finals are coming up, and I can’t sleep even if I want to because I’m scared I’ll never wake up!”
Crewel is stunned. “Puppy, come to me.” Yuu only hesitates for a moment before she buries herself in his arms and cries.
—
Vil puts a bit of powder on Yuu’s cheeks. “There, so much better! Don’t you think?”
There is a wide smile on the young girl’s cheeks. “I love it, Vil-senpai! You truly are the fairest of them all when it comes to makeup!” Vil nods to himself, going to speak, but his eyes catch on the two circular scars on his muse’s neck. Snake bites? No, that’s impossible, the only snake mishaps that would have been that recent-
“Did Jamil’s overblot do this?” Vil finds himself saying, and he watches Yuu tense, her smile getting impossibly wider. “O-oh. Yes, Vil-senpai. But don’t worry, it’s easily coverable with some makeup and-“
“Where else have you been hurt?”
“What?”
Vil repeats himself. “Where else have you been hurt since getting here?” Hesitantly, she rolls up her sleeve. There is a thin scar going up her wrist, where a mirror had shattered during his own session of ugliness. Pulling down her shirt, she reveals burn scars from Idia and shards of teacup still embedded into her skin.
No.
No, this is wrong. This is all wrong.
“I did this?” He takes her wrist in his hand. He thinks he’s being gentle, but the young girl stifles a cry at his grip and he loosens it instantly. “It- it’s not a big deal, sir, really! They- they healed nicely, and they’re easy to cover with some hoodies! I’m just lucky to be in your majestic presence right now!”
The compliment almost breaks through his concern, but he sees her shaking. The way her lip quivers, how tears gather at the corners of her eyes. Things she’s done so well to hide from him until now.
“This ugliness,” he whispers, and Yuu shakes her head, pulling away. “N-no, I- I’m not ugly, I’ve just been marked by someone as beautiful as-“
“Quit it with the compliments,” Vil snaps, taking her face in his hands.
There is a cut under her eye that he never noticed before. Maybe from him, maybe from Azul or Riddle, but it’s from glass. Before he has time to comment on it, she runs away from him.
—
Ruggie finds her in a closet. Curled in the corner, hiding behind cleaning supplies as if she’s trying to escape from the world.
“Hey,” he murmurs, sitting next to her. Not in her space, he hopes not. Just resting with her.
She invades his space. She wraps her arms around his own and sits there until he returns it.