Too much.  Relief and panic.  Jade’s eyes are sick and Yuu can barely stand, more bruises than self it feels, just like the old days (  ha, ha, ha  ) and they’re scared he’s going to do more than pay their abusers back.  One of the shitheads moves, not even towards Yuu, but they curl back in on themself as expecting another kick to their gut, eyes never flicking from Jade where he stands between them.

“Jade —”  It’s a weak gasp, a gurgle around the blood in their throat and the tears.  Relief.  They were so fucking scared / and it takes a great deal to scare Yuu / and they hurt them so much and and and.  Panic.  HE MIGHT NOT JUST PAY THEM BACK.  They sit up as much as they can / standing's a lost cause with their leg at - least - fractured.  “Jade, it’s o - okay, I’m ok - kay, so ——”

THERE’S SOMETHING IN jade’s eyes — something that yuu finds sick and that the culprits of their senseless beating find terrifying. there’s some amusement there, yes, but what occupies most of those mismatched eyes is something frigid and deep despite the usual warmth of olive and gold as colors. but gold is a metal and green is the color of illness, and there’s something in his mercilessly unmasked expression that makes them very apt colors indeed.

HE’S RELIEVED HE found them before things could get any worse, but things are already too bad for him to accept. they’re right to suspect that he doesn’t plan on just paying them back, although his awareness of yuu’s morality and the way they need to be in the infirmary both linger in his mind. he’s outnumbered, which doesn’t deter him or make him doubt his ability to come out on top, but... well. yuu is bleeding and has fractured bones that need to be attended to, and he’d rather deal with them all one at a time rather than all at once to really savor the vengeance and to not have to interrupt himself. and so, despite his desire for vengeance, he makes a decision.

THE ONE WHO moves comes towards him, swinging a punch jade feints out of the way of to catch him by the wrist. “ my, my, ” jade muses, his voice level and colored with a cruel amusement. “ you certainly didn’t hesitate. ” unfortunately for the reckless thug, jade doesn’t hesitate either despite yuu’s assurances that they’re okay. he uses his new grip on his wrist to pull the shorter boy way off - balance, not letting go of his wrist to keep him partially held up as he falls. his legs don’t fully hit the ground, and jade lifts one of his own before bringing it down sharply — foot going right into the knee to rotate and push it past how far it should straighten, cracking it with a sickening sound only made difficult to hear by the pained scream let out in response. jade lets go of his wrist then, letting him drop unceremoniously to the ground. “ we’ll say he’s who broke their fingers, ” jade offers as though he’s being quite generous, and that eerily plastic smile has fallen across his expression. he folds his hands politely before him, looking very composed an unlike someone who just shattered someone else’s knee. “ and my priorities currently lie with ensuring that yuu gets the medical attention they require, so the rest of you can sleep soundly with no injuries tonight. ”

( WHAT THEY DON’T know / what yuu doesn’t know is that he’s taken in their faces and what dorms they belong to and committed them all to memory. he will find them all, one at a time, and they all have far more coming to them than a ruined knee. his unique magic has a rather fun application when jade has his mind set on pushing someone past the limit of what their mind can take. )

@blotspare​​ :    😘 smth small for yuzul if ur vibin

❛   whatever it is, can it wait? i still have some business to ---    ❜  his distracted protest is immediately cut short as a kiss is pressed to his lips. azul who had briefly turned his head to look over at yuu to send them away is left startled by the gesture, pen dropping from his hand as he stares over at the other wide eyed. yuu meets azul’s stunned silence with a small smile, looking all too pleased with themself as they watch their b -- azul stammer. 

& in that amusement does the octopus’ embarrassment twists into indignation. being distracted from his work, being teased for the sensitivity he’s so desperately tried to bury in his chest...he expects this kind of treatment from the twins, but this? it’s completely uncalled for. & now azul’s been left in a rare state of bewilderment, being unsure of what to do or say. & he thinks yuu knows this as they move to mussy his hair. “ just wanted to say goodbye,” they say, smile widening. 

cater can always smile, even at moments like this — when he’s caught up in his own thoughts and doesn’t really want to smile. but he does smile as yuu sits down beside him, bright and shallow and with his green eyes closed to hide how it doesn’t quite reach them. “ friends forever, ” he echoes, voice just as bright as his smile. and yeah, he doesn’t think he’ll be able to forget them. he so rarely forgets anyone, and yuu... they’re someone he’ll be remembering for a long time. even when forever doesn’t really mean forever.

        ❝   ——— whoooooooa,   ❞   did he have time to stop and stare? well : not precisely, given that the sun was beginning to rise ( practice soon practice soon practice soon ) but his shoe had become, unusually, untied along his standard route and here he was, staring at the building that he could have sworn was on the verge of collapse the last time he had taken this path, and now ( ... ) well, it still looked on the verge of collapse, but different. lived in, now, inhabited by living souls who would give such a place time and attention. he really should be going ( it was something of a death wish to take a path that took him right to night raven college’s doorstep, really, but this was the long circuit of the island and he ENJOYED IT, thank you ) but, oh damn, his hair was coming untied.   ❝   no way,   ❞   a bare slip of a mutter. yat-sun would call them an airhead if he were there. which was patently untrue, by the by.

in the deepest chamber of jiang cheng’s heart,   he believes the very same;   after all,   his brother  ( not bound by blood )  is proof of that-   despite the cloudiness in his eyes,   he’s a good person through   &   through.   selfless,   unlike jiang cheng.   willing to put others before himself,   unlike jiang cheng.   the boy grits his teeth,   anger simmering in it’s cauldron but before it even has the chance to bubble o’er,   he puts a lid on it.   he inhales deeply,   then exhales                                  a show of self - meditation,   considering he is not able to do a full - scale meditation right here   &   now.   starting from ten,   jiang cheng counts downwards,   then lets a cold smile form on his visage.

still.  they’re here. and that counts for something.  they sit at a table,  twitching awkwardly as they eat. their hands idly tap at the game on their phone,  a gacha game they’ve sunk hours of their time and questionable amounts of their money into. they don’t expect yuu to approach them,  they don’t often see the prefect,   given they live their lives two very different ways.

they don’t do much,  but purse their lips as yuu cross the hall towards them,  they do flinch a little. a hand tight around their fork.

``  y.. ‘ya need something from me,    E Rank ?? ``  they ask,   subconsciously using one of their ‘rank’ based nicknames.   E being the lowest ( but not to be discredited ) ,     while S was reserved for another dorm leader of notable reputation. interactions such as these were easier when they used language from their games.

"Your eye makeup's so pretty, Kalim." It's idle conversation, but they've been staring at his eyes for a while now. They'd always been sort of afraid of makeup, but his looks... really cool, they have to admit. They wonder if he'd teach them. "Do you do it yourself?" 

          The smile that touches Kalim’s eyes is a genuine thing ( never is it anything less, really ), and although it’s not his own work, he still treasures the compliment. “Thank you, Yuu !

          “Jamil does it for me every morning, actually.” It has been part of their routine for so long that Kalim can’t say exactly when it began, but he remembers Jamil catching on fairly quickly, ever the fast learner. Kalim, by comparison, had struggled with the details, precision not one of his strong suits, but his determination makes up for his inexperience. “He’s so skilled at it that it comes out perfectly every time.” 

          Now, it’s his turn to study Yuu for a moment, and all at once, the inklings of an idea seize him. Yuu is already handsome, and there is no doubt in Kalim’s mind that makeup would also flatter them. His unbridled excitement at the prospect is clear in his tone as he leans forward a bit. 

          “Want me to put some makeup on you? I’ve watched Jamil do it enough !”