when xav died, one of the very few things he thought about was elara and yuk.
months later, when he finally breaks away from the jovial crew, it’s messy.
he doesn’t even know if yuk will want to see him. he has a feeling he won’t.
the trapdoor slams open harder than he meant it to, climbing down the ladder miserably.
everyone turns in confusion,
xav barely registers them.
“…you look familiar..” sevena comments, “are you that one friend yuk used to bring over?”
“yes! i am! i- i just— i need to see yuk,” his voice cracks, breath uneven. “please.”
those seconds feel longer than everything he went through before.
and then yuk steps into the room.
xav doesn’t think, he just moves, arms wrapping around him like he’s trying to anchor himself to the world.
“you’re here,” xav chokes, voice breaking. “i thought i’d never—”
the sound of it echoes in the room.
“don’t touch me, the fuck?”
the words hit harder than the push.
it starts loud and only gets louder.
two hours of pacing, yelling, voices cracking, both of them too hurt to stop.
“you LEFT,” yuk snaps, eyes red, hands shaking. “you don’t get to just show up and act like everything’s fine!”
“i never said it was fine,” xav shoots back, voice trembling but firm. “i was drowning, yuk. i didn’t even know what i wanted- i just wanted the pain to stop for a second.”
“DO BEST FRIENDS LEAVE EACH OTHER?!” yuk yells, voice breaking mid-sentence.
for a second he looks small again.
but then he swallows, jaw tight.
“do best friends only see their own pain?” he says quietly. “because that’s what it felt like. like there wasn’t room for mine.”
yuk talks over him, words spilling fast and messy.
“you think you’re the only one who was hurting? you think i wasn’t losing my mind looking for you?!”
“i know you were!” xav’s voice finally rises. “but i was hurting too, and every time i tried to say it, it turned into how it affected you.”
then the stuff he’s never said comes out.
“there were days i didn’t even want to be friends anymore,” xav admits, voice shaking. “because i was already getting pushed around by everyone else, and it felt like you just… expected me to stay strong for you too.”
yuk’s face crumples, then hardens.
“FINE! then we don’t have to be friends anymore!” his voice is ragged, furious. “i’ve got my crew now anyway — and you’re with that dumbass crew i hate!”
“so i was just… a second option?”
“yeah!” yuk shouts, tears streaking down his face, anger louder than truth. “i mean it!”
and he keeps going, saying things he doesn’t fully mean, but can’t stop.
“you’re annoying! and- and— IRRITATING!” yuk shouted.
pointing at every insecurity
and xav just stands there, staring at it, like if he waits long enough it might open again.
later, when they’re forced to fight, xav doesn’t argue anymore.
yuk thinks he wants this.
yuk slams his notes angrily towards xav, treating him as an enemy.
xav dodges but never strikes hard.
never aims where it would matter.
finally, there’s one opening.
he could take the opening but he doesn’t
lets himself fall. he cant bare hurting yuk.
weeks later — the battlefield
he wasn’t supposed to be there.
but when he sees yuk about to take a hit from the chief, that’s too big, too serious-
he moves without thinking.
the impact shoots right through him.
he falls to his knees, yelling at yuk.
“i never wanted to leave you,” he says, words spilling fast like they’ve been trapped too long. “i never wanted to fight you! i just… didn’t know how to stay and keep hurting like that!”
“i still care about you. i never stopped!!”
the chief lets him speak, plotting on this entire situation.
months pass before anything changes..
so when yuk finally stands in front of the other chiefs, voice steady but hands shaking, it feels bigger than any fight.
“i can’t take him alone,” he admits. “i need all of you, help me save xav.” yuk says, dead serious.
yuk breaks into the base,
he moves quickly as he can,
and then a voice comes from the hall.
“what do you think you’re doing?”
yuk’s jaw tightens. “move.”
dulci crunches on his lollipop, “you always were impatient…”
xav doesn’t even feel himself being moved.
he sits up way too fast, his vision blurred and then—
xav blinks hard, voice rough with sleep and disbelief.
“… yuk??.. was— were you— was it all just a bad dream?”
“save that for later,” yuk says, grabbing his arm. “there’s a raid.”
xav doesn’t even have his weapon.
but adrenaline is strong.
outside, it’s chaos. explodes across the grounds crews clashing, sound and movement everywhere.
martie skids to a stop beside him, breathing hard.
“you look naked without one,” he says, then hold out the chain mace. “borrow her.”
even before anything between them, the weight feels right, and balanced.
the impact shakes up his arm but lands perfectly.
“yeah,” martie nods. “you got it.”
the battlefield quiets slowly,
xav lowers the mace, chest heaving. letting vyness go.
yuk looks back at xav, grinning at him for the first time in years.
but his eyes drift past yuk, to vyness, shifting back to her original puppet form, rolling her shoulder like the fight was just a workout.
he jogs over, a little awkward, still catching his breath.
“you were insane out there,” he tells her, genuine awe in his voice. “like — seriously. thank you.”
vyness smirks, brushing dirt off her sleeve. “you swung me right. that’s rare.”
xav laughs, shy, rubbing the back of his neck.
yuk’s still standing there, already talking to the rest of the crew.
“i meant what i said before,” he murmurs. “i never stopped caring. even when i was mad. even when it hurt.”
yuk and xav talk for a few minutes.
xav gives a small, crooked smile. “so… we okay?”
yuk rolls his eyes, but his voice is relaxed.
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