#yuuta sumeragi

Whatever they were talking about, Yuuta wasn't putting in any effort in listening. It was just how he operated most of the time.

Disassociation; a brief hum and nod as though he were paying attention; a snarky comment thrown in when he gets asked the age-old “are you even listening?”— all culminating into one of the most mundane ways for Yuuta to start his day.

Well, maybe that was a little cruel to say; Ellis and Circe seemed to be enjoying themselves just fine. Something about the former trying on a new shade of pink she, quote on quote, invented.

Yuuta sat on the couch he'd recently helped implement into Ellis' eyesore of a room, his eyes focused on the ceiling to refrain from rolling his eyes so far back they'd get stuck.

Are they done yet? Yuuta asked himself, completely disassociating from whatever conversation Ellis and Circe were currently having. He felt a little bad for being so inattentive; fashion was one of the few things he had in common with the duo.

Yet there he was, barely even paying a sliver of attention to whatever nonsense they were talking about. Something about ‘inventing new colors’, but he was too busy thinking to actually listen.

“Yuuta?”

He blinked, his gaze flitting between the pink ceiling — that he painted for Ellis — to Ellis herself. Seemed like while he was occupied with… anything other than what they were talking about.

“Hm?” He quirked up an eyebrow. “What?”

“We were just asking what you thought of this new design Ellis came up with,” Circe took hold of Ellis’ sketchbook and went over to Yuuta, handing it to him.

Yuuta got a good look at the sketch. It was good, he believed. Then again, Ellis always did have a knack for design.

“Well?” Ellis strode over to them, tilting her head to the side with a smile Yuuta couldn't dare break.

“What do you think?”

Why do you always ask me that? Yuuta thought. The praise Ellis received for her talent in fashion and all things related to it weren't unwarranted. She didn’t need to ask him, or Circe, or anyone about if a design looked good or not— there was no need to.

It was Circe's turn to raise an eyebrow. “Yuuta?” It was as though Yuuta couldn't hear them, hear anything.

Circe snapped his fingers twice, that hint of concern plastered on his face barely even comparable to Ellis’, who seemed to take that wave of concern and multiplied it by tenfold.

Yuuta couldn't stop thinking. About the day it was, about how nobody will know about the significance of it; about the errands he'll have to deal with today to keep Ramshackle afloat, about…

The buzzing noise of Yuuta's phone gave him that opening to leave as soon as possible. Better for him to complete his everyday tasks than to deal with the concern his friends had over him.

Yuuta stood, towering over Ellis but not quite doing the same for Circe. “I have to go,” he said in such a way that implied that whatever conversation they were going to have, it wasn't going to happen anytime soon, if at all.

“Huh?” Circe scrunched their nose. “What are you- No, where are you-”

“Errands,” Yuuta dismissed far too quickly than necessary, already making a break for the door before Ellis could intercept.

At least, he would have. Not until a thought popped into his head. So much so that he stood with his body halfway out of the door, frozen in place.

Circe's face contorted from silent concern, to surprise, to just straight up befuddlement. Ellis wasn't doing much better, tucking her arms behind her back with a similar expression on her face.

“What's he doing…-?” Circe whispered to Ellis, his nose wrinkling.

“I’m…” Ellis took a slight step forward, “... Not too sure.” Hence, from there, she walked up to Yuuta, tapping his shoulder with a featherlight touch to bring him back to his senses.

She could only hope that he wouldn't be like this for the rest of the day. The mere thought just made her even more worried than she already was.

“Erm… Yuuta?” Ellis called out to him, shaking him gently; body halfway out of her room, with his head hanging low. “Yuuta, are- Are you okay? Do you need a break, or something? I'm sure if we asked Crowley, he could let you take a bre-”

“Ribbon.”

Ellis blinked. “... Pardon?”

Ellis watched Yuuta turn his head to look her directly in the eye, his expression devoid of emotion.

“I'm gonna have to ask for some ribbons. Black, purple, and blue.”

⊱───────────────⊰

Crowley had been kind in the number of errands Yuuta had to run for today. Try as he may to hate the pathetic birdbrain, he could — at the very least — feel thankful.

Though…. If he continues to go on and on about his ‘kindness’, I might just punch my way through this goddamn maze.

Yuuta had already been in a questionable mood ever since the incident with Ellis and Circe earlier in the day, it just seemed like his mood worsened when he had to perform the tasks bestowed upon him by his “enigmatic” headmaster.

“Something on your mind?” Juvia asked, noting the grumbling Yuuta's been doing for the past few minutes while they assisted in painting the roses in Heartslabyul.

Juvia, bless her heart, knew that Yuuta wasn't going to be able to do everything himself, and out of the kindness of her blot-covered heart, had convinced Yuuta to allow her to help him out; well aware of his stubborn nature and his utmost refusal to receive help most of the time.

“I'm fine,” like everyone else, Juvia played victim to the dismissiveness of Sumeragi Yuuta. May the Great Seven bless her with more patience than anyone in NRC could muster.

Yuuta picked up another bucket of paint, heading for the next bush of unpainted roses with a look so nonchalant it almost disturbed Juvia to see him in such a state.

“You're clearly thinking of something.” Juvia climbed up a ladder to reach the upper parts of the rose bush she was painting; which just so happened to be next to Yuuta's. He wondered if that'd been intentional on her part.

But that thought faded very quickly. “Well, whatever I'm thinking of, it isn't any of your business.”

“I feel like as your roommate—”

“I'm basically your landlord.”

“No you're not! Crowley's the landlord!”

“Yeah, and he's a shitty one, too.”

He let out a tsk, proceeding with the tedious task of painting the roses red without staining his uniform.

Juvia’s frown deepened. “You're clearly thinking of something, y'know.”

Yuuta's eyes rolled. “And why’re you assuming that, of all things?”

“Because,”— Juvia pursed her lips in hesitation —“you have that look.”

He blinked. “What look-?”

“Y'know! The look!” To try and prove — as well as emphasize — her point, Juvia mimicked the expression currently worn on Yuuta's face.

Yuuta merely deadpanned, unimpressed by her feeble efforts at trying to get his thoughts out of him. She's too much like her.

He shook that thought away faster than the last one. No. She isn't her, and it isn't good to try and pretend that she is.

Bad, Yuuta. Bad.

Ignoring whatever Juvia had to say next, Yuuta finished his last batch of painted roses before he could leave to fulfill the rest of his errands of the day— not without taking two deliberately unpainted white roses from the bush, of course.

That was when Noriko ‘You must not bring dishonor to Lady Victoria's name!’ Dolion intercepted him on his way out.

“Where do you think you're going?” Noriko challenged, crossing their arms in disapproval. “Housewarden Rosehearts won't exactly be pleased if he saw you with those… it violates the conduct of the Queen of Hearts.”

Yuuta chortled, brushing past Noriko and retorting back, “As if you didn't plan on doing the same thing for your favorite Fae in Pomefiore.”

And so, Yuuta left Heartslabyul with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes; with Juvia falling from her ladder, caught into the arms of a blue-haired Spade, and Noriko red in the face in shame.

⊱───────────────⊰

“You didn't have to do this, you know.”

“Yeah, well, I insist,” despite all of the errands he had to deal with earlier in the day, Yuuta had graciously offered to help Miren with two of his latest concoctions.

Some pastries, mostly cupcakes; as well as a creation so spicy it could potentially challenge Miren’s spice tolerance if he wasn't careful.

What confused Miren was Yuuta's insistence on making cupcakes while he was making that spiced up monstrosity.

“Didn't take you as much of a cupcake person,” Miren narrowed his eyes. Skeptical, and almost intrigued. At least until Yuuta got some frosting on his cheek.

Yuuta clicked his tongue. “What made you think that?”

“You don't eat sweets that much, clearly.”

“Well you clearly haven't seen me during a Heartslabyul unbirthday party.”

“That's only because your schedule's so jam-packed, you barely have time to attend them anymore,” Miren groaned out a sigh.

“Seriously, I'm starting to think you're only running so many errands for a better paycheck.”

That's one of the reasons, an unsaid reply from Yuuta. At least for today.

“Come to think of it…” Miren hummed. “You've been…. Busier, today.”

Yuuta arched up an eyebrow. “Hah?”

“You know what I mean. It's like you're overexerting yourself on purpose,” it had, very clearly, occurred to Yuuta that Miren Lockhart wasn't going to back down from this topic; possibly more so than stubborn Ellis, sassy Circe, and worrisome Juvia.

Miren leaned against the kitchen counter. It was hard to take him seriously with that smudge of frosting on his cheek, Yuuta thought.

Wanting nothing more than to just leave, Yuuta did just that. Taking the two of the dozen cupcakes he'd made, one with purple icing and the other with light blue icing, he held them with one hand to focus his free hand on lifting Miren's chin.

Once he'd done so, Yuuta had teasingly licked the frosting off of Miren's cheek. Which… just happened to be the same time Carol came in, with Mayuu and Chizuko in tow.

Carol wasn't even the least bit surprised. “I'm not even going to ask,” she said with a disapproving huff of breath as Yuuta brushed past her, Mayuu, and Chizuko.

Chizuko squinted her eyes, thinking it relevant that the look on Yuuta's was most uncharacteristic for him, indeed, but not putting in the effort to say anything about it. Simply crossing her arms and shaking her head.

Mayuu went over to Miren, slightly disgusted at Yuuta's embarrassing display. “What's going on with him?”

Miren looked off at the kitchen's doorway, his hand covering his right cheek, his face reddened with blush.

Miren just sighed, letting go of his cheek and shrugging his shoulders. Whatever bothered Yuuta about today, it was clear he wouldn't tell any of them about it.

⊱───────────────⊰

Finally, it was night. Yuuta liked late night walks; he'd indulged in them every so often with Ellis, often encountering ‘Tsunotarou’ on their walk around campus.

But tonight was a special night. A night where he wasn't burdened by a constant demand to help those around him, where it was just him. Alone. No Tsunatarou, no Ellis, no anyone.

He sighed to himself, his eyes fixated on the glimmering lights in the dark midnight sky. Gods….

He cursed to himself, far below his breath. Why had it come to this? Why was his persistence in pretending today wasn't special getting him to such a sad, pathetic, point?

He didn't know the answer to that. Yuuta didn't know if he'd ever know the answer to that. And maybe he'll know one day, and maybe he won't.

Clearly, it wouldn't be tonight.

“Maybe in some alternate timeline where I'm not… me,” Yuuta murmured, taking out a ring of keys from his pocket.

He unlocked the doors to the botanical gardens, making sure to not make the doors creak too much; Crowley had been surprisingly easy to bribe to get the keys, the old coot was even ‘generous’ enough to give Yuuta full ownership of the keys.

He made sure not to wake any of the others when he snuck out. And any opportunities to run into Malleus were quickly evaded with, in his words, “some impressive maneuvering skills”.

But that wasn't as important as what he was to do next. Other than the keys to botanical garden, Yuuta had brought a small bag containing… stuff.

He'd gone to the most secluded part of the garden, one where the glass walls couldn't see him, and a spot not even Leona knew about. A spot personal only to Yuuta.

He sat down, setting everything up with a forlorn, almost sorrowful smile on his face.

Two cupcakes with purple and blue icing respectively, with candles of the opposite color stuck on the top; two unpainted white roses with purple, blue, and black ribbons crudely tying them together.

And finally, a black rabbit stuffed animal with a blue ribbon bowtie, and bracelet.

The stuffed animal, in particular, had the added consequence of getting Yuuta relentlessly teased by his friends when they found it in his room. He never elaborated on why he got it, or where he got it, because it simply wasn't their business.

They didn't need to know any more about him than they already did.

Besides, Yuuta sucked in a breath, his throat tightening. it was her favorite animal…

Lighting the two candles of the two cupcakes together, Yuuta held in a breath, singing a soft, melancholic version of the birthday song. He sang it in such a short, hiccupped manner, that he knew — he just knew — he was on the brink of tears.

And he didn't fight them. He never fought those tears. Not when they were for her. His only true friend, his truest, kindest, friend.

A friend — a girl he saw as a sister — he'll forever miss.

“Happy birthday,” he breathed out, tears barely wiped, “to… me.”

Yuuta looked up at the glass ceiling, crying his little, broken heart out. Things couldn't be changed. He couldn't change the past for what it was, and he knew he couldn't change the way he treated her.

He wondered where she was, often. He cried himself to sleep, sometimes, at the idea she could be hurt. She didn't deserve that, she never deserved that.

Yuuta sniffled, closing his eyes after making his birthday wish. A wish he'd been making ever since her departure from his life, all those years ago.

I want to see you again, Rei-Rei. And just like all the times I've said it before, I'm sorry.

⊱────────────────────⊰

【 Taglist / Credits 】

↳ In order of OC appearances/mentions

Ellis Clawthorne — @starry-night-rose 💖

Circe Erfinderin — @geminiiviolets 👾

Juvia Yuyi Espejo — @jasdiary 🧡

Noriko Dolion — @terrovaniadorm / @hallowed-delights ‼️

Victoria Shard — Me! 😈

Miren Lockhart — @authoruio 💙

Carol Ann — @fumikomiyasaki 💚

Chizuko Minato — @sakuramidnight15 ⛓️

Mayuu — @nem0-nee ⏰

“Rei-Rei” (UNRELEASED) — @jasdiary

tags!

“Alright, you two, times up.”

Having put a stop to a bloodbath of a pillow fight, Yuuta's frown was more akin to a pout; whereas Rei-Rei, still filled with adrenaline and feeling a bit too energetic to go to bed just yet, whined and flopped down on to her stomach on the bed.

Her father smiled, shaking his head and stepping into the room. “C'mon, Lucky Rabbit…” he picked her up in his arms, tucking her and Yuuta into bed.

“But dad!” Rei-Rei exclaimed, her voice righteous and fierce. “Me and Yuu haven't even finished pillow fighting!”

Her father rolled his eyes playfully, stroking her hair. “I know, Rabbit, but it's past your bedtime… and I already extended it for long enough.”

“Please, Mr. Rei-Rei’s Dad?” Yuuta pleaded shyly; he didn't know why, but he always felt more shy around his friend's father— at least, more shy than he already was. That odd sense of familiarity was no doubt strange to then eight year old Yuuta, who kept his then seven years old best friend in the dark about it.

Rei-Rei's father stared at Yuuta, his eyes soft. There it was again, that odd wave of familiarity, of nostalgia, as they locked eyes; even Rei-Rei, oblivious to that odd connection, tilted her head in curiosity.

Her father sighed softly, stroking Yuuta's head as well. “Maybe next time, Mouse… I can't let you two sleep too late.”

Rei-Rei pouted. “But dad-!”

She felt a swift tap of her nose, courtesy of the pad of her father's index finger. “Ah, ah, ah, young lady. Don't complain too much, now, I'll let you two stay up until midnight next time.”

“But next time could be ages!” Rei-Rei groaned, sitting up to stare up at her father with an adorable frown. “Yuuta's mom won't even let me go to his house!”

“Well, Rei, you know Mrs. Kenshō and her husband are very…” Rei-Rei's father trailed from his sentence, trying to find the right words without offending Yuuta's parents; who weren't even in the room with them.

“... Private. They're very private people, Rei.”

At the mention of his adopted mother, Yuuta seemingly sunk deeper into the mattress, obscuring the lower half of his face with a creased forehead.

Inafuku Kenshō wasn't what one would call pleasant. At least, not in the spectrum of raising a child she and her husband found off of the streets; Yuuta's relationship with both his parents was almost completely sterile.

They gave him whatever he wanted, but what good did that bring when the thing he really wanted was to spend time with either of them? And not in the way where he'd end up with handprints on his face, the blood rushing to the area to form an angry red.

No amount of materialism could prevent Yuuta from still feeling that sting, every now and again.

Rei-Rei's father let out a soft breath, shaking whatever thoughts he had away. Literally. He stood from the edge of his daughter's bed, kissing the top of both her and Yuuta's heads.

“I'll wake you two up tomorrow.”

Right before he was about to leave, Rei-Rei asked one more question: “Can you make onigiri for breakfast?”

That surprised a laugh out of her father. A soft, gut-wrenching laugh that made Yuuta think of the unlikely scenario he'd made up in it his head; that it were Rei-Rei's father raising him alongside his daughter and that, instead of bandaging his own wounds, Rei-Rei's father would bandage them himself.

Yuuta liked playing what-if, because of those scenarios. Scenarios that'll never become reality; even if he wished his hardest at the evening stars.

Shutting off the lights, the man smiled down at the two of them one last time, his only response to Rei-Rei's request being a small nod.

Finally, with the close of the door, Rei-Rei's father bid them good night— seemingly anticipating that the two balls of energy wouldn't truly be ‘asleep’; at least, not until their energy had saded.

The very moment her father closed the door, Rei-Rei peaked one eye open, listening closely for the footsteps of her father slowly getting farther and farther away.

She turned, lightly nudging Yuuta. “Psst! Yuuta!”

Yuuta's eyes opened. “Is he gone?”

She took one look back at the door, then at him, and nodded. “I think so!”

They both sat up with their backs against the headboard of Rei-Rei's twin sized bed. Taking a quick second to reach her hand beneath the bed, Rei-Rei took out a bag of potato chips she'd presumably been saving for what was currently past midnight. A post-midnight snack, if you will.

Carefully opening it without potentially waking anyone walking by — whether it be Rei-Rei's mother or father, it didn't matter — the two made the call that eating potato chips while it was way past their expected bedtime to be… a very bad idea.

Which they gladly took upon regardless of the consequences that could occur if they got caught!

They talked for what felt like an eternity, their conversations switching from different topics like clockwork; from theme parks, to junk food, to school life.

With school as their current subject, Rei-Rei began to ask Yuuta, “what do you think it'll be like?”

Puzzled, Yuuta replied with, “what what will be like?”

“Y'know!” Rei-Rei giggled, poking his shoulder with a cheeky smile. “Graduation! A new school!”

Yuuta and Rei-Rei were only eight and seven, respectively. And while that might've implied that they were one school year apart, they were born on the same year, only a few months apart.

With a purse of his lips, Yuuta didn't see much of the point on why his friend could bother with that kind of question. It wasn't like their elementary graduation was anywhere near— they still had a few more years to go before that could happen.

“I… I don't know.” He gave her a small shrug, tossing another potato chip into his mouth and chewing on it as quietly as he could manage.

“But aren't you cu… curi… curious? Curious!” Rei-Rei had the kind of smile that Yuuta would deem, ‘infectuous’. In a good way.

“I mean,”— Yuuta wiped his sour cream powdered hands with his pajamas, then went on to reach out and undo Rei-Rei's braids—“I guess a little.. what would it be like?”

“Dunno!” she flopped her head down on Yuuta's lap, closing her eyes while he undid her braids. Not quite tired, yet not nearly as energized as she was before.

“I just know it's gonna be… different. Would it be a good different?”

“I don't know…”

“Hmm… well, I want it to be a good different.”

As Yuuta laid down beside her, they both wrapped each other's arms into a hug. Rei-Rei let her head rest on Yuuta's shoulder.

“I wanna go to the same junior school as you,” Rei-Rei decreed, her voice soft, on the verge of a yawn.

“You do?” Yuuta had always assumed that he'd see Rei-Rei less and less as time went on, after graduating from elementary; until it would go to a point where he'd never see her at all.

“Mhm..” Rei-Rei snuggled closer, letting out a yawn. “You're my best friend, Yuu.”

Then, came the emotionally wrecking addition to that declaration that almost made a dam of emotion collapse onto Yuuta's being.

“And I don't want that to change.”

⊱───────────────⊰

Yuuta still stood at the entrance of his now, former elementary school. His certificate in one hand, Rei-Rei's hand in the other.

It was Rei-Rei and her parents that accompanied him to the school for graduation; his father was too busy with business investments, and his mother… he didn't know.

As Rei-Rei's mother took her away, thus slipping Rei-Rei's hand away from Yuuta's while she fussed about the current messiness of her daughter's tear-soaked face— her father bent down to Yuuta's level.

“You okay?” Rei-Rei's father asked him, a comforting hand on Yuuta's shoulder.

No, Yuuta answered in his head, I'm not.

Graduating from elementary hit Yuuta harder than he thought it would. All those memories, the teachers he'd grown attached to, many of the friends he made— most of, if not all of those, would end after the ceremony.

And it did. As everyone else had left the school hours ago to celebrate, Yuuta felt insistent on staying for just a moment longer. As if to grasp at straws to all those memories for as long as they could before he'd have to let go.

He sniffled, looking down with a small shake of his head. Even if he didn't voice his reply to Rei-Rei's father, Yuuta knew that the man crouching beside him was a very observant person.

He gave the best advice, Yuuta believed. When his own father wasn't around, Rei-Rei's father would pick Yuuta up to and from school.

Yuuta felt welcome every time he got the chance to visit Rei-Rei's house. He felt safe there in a way he never was in his own home. Like he belonged there, in a way he never felt in his home.

Rei-Rei's father stared at Yuuta, his brows furrowing in worry. He pulled Yuuta into a hug, and that was when Yuuta felt safe enough to cry.

“I'm-” Yuuta didn't like crying; his father always told him crying was only a waste of time. “I'm sorry—”

“Don't be…” Rei-Rei's father pulled him closer, resting his chin on the top of Yuuta's head and rubbing his back in as comforting of a manner as he could.

“You should never be ashamed to cry, Yuuta… it's just a part of being human.”

While her mother fussed about her messy hair, her dirty uniform, and her tear-soaked face, Rei-Rei stared sadly at Yuuta.

She always thought herself as the kind of girl that could fill silences. The kind that could brighten a room no matter the circumstance, and in turn, the people in that room who were having a less than pleasant mood.

But with Yuuta… she never wanted to think about it too much, but she always found it hard to comfort Yuuta.

Words never formed even when she wanted them to. She could only manage bringing Yuuta into a hug and telling him that it'll all work out in the end— it was always him that did the comforting, never her.

All she could do was to only hope for the best. For both her, Yuuta, and their friendship. And that it could last for as long as they lived.

⊱───────────────⊰

Why did it have to turn out like this?

Rei-Rei asked that question over, and over, and over again in her head; her twin-braided hair soaked in dirty water, her body shaking, and every single one of the more recent stitches reopening and bleeding out.

Four people stood in front of her: two twins, both of them boys, one girl, and the one that pained her the most— Yuuta.

He was the one holding the bucket that was dropped over her head. She smelled of dirty school bathroom water, but all she could think about was: Why? What happened?

One of the twins snickered. “Look at her, she's crying!” Rei-Rei didn't realize the tears were flooding out until they were pointed out.

The other twin snickered with their brother. “What else is new? She's the school crybaby.”

The girl took out a pair of scissors, smiling widely — far too widely — at Rei-Rei's hair. She'd been growing it out for the better part of two years since elementary graduation… and she figured that now, it wouldn't be as long as it was for any longer.

Before the girl could even take a step closer, Yuuta stopped her, his hand gripping her wrist.

A ray of hope flashed in Rei-Rei's eyes. A small sliver, pleading with Yuuta before things could escalate with nothing but the eye contact they currently shared.

Yuuta's body was stiff, rigid. His grip tightened around the girl's wrist, making her squeal. “Y-Yuuta-!! Your hand-!”

“Sorry,” Yuuta said with a newfound lack of emotion Rei-Rei had realized, all too late, fit him far too well.

“But we shouldn't cut her hair.”

“Huh??” One twin’s jaw went slightly slack.

The other twin was outright outraged. “What the hell?? But it'd be so funny!!”

“And?” Yuuta shoved the bucket into the younger twin's chest, then locked eyes with Rei-Rei after pulling her hair up.

“She's already so…” his nose crinkled, his teeth bared in disgust. “Y'know what I mean?”

A swift push later, Rei-Rei was back on the ground, drenched in dirty water, her braids flimsy and undone; all her recent stitches reopened.

When she looked up, she hoped — if only for a moment — that she'd see a hint of regret from Yuuta. Any regret, any guilt; anything that could make her forgive him.

But he already turned his back on her, laughing with the rest of his new ‘friends’, before they all ran off to do God knows what.

Weakly, she sat up, looking down at herself. She knew nothing about those kids, not even their names, but she knew one thing. Because of them, her hopes were crushed.

Yuuta's changed. She missed him and who he used to be. But she lost him, too.

⊱───────────────⊰

Yuuta lost her. He lost Rei-Rei, and he was already beginning to slowly forget the details of her face. The color of her eyes.

Her smile.

His grip on the stuffed rabbit tightened unknowingly, his jaw clenched.

Most of everyone in Ramshackle were off on their own devices. Whatever they were doing, it wasn't important to him— not as important as trying to remember for even a moment, a semblance of what he could reminisce about Rei-Rei.

The laughs they shared, the memories they made; the good, the bad. The ones that made him smile in nostalgia, and the ones that made him want to punch through a wall out of sheer regret.

He remembered the day he started noticing her going to school less and less, until she just stopped coming. And once she stopped, it didn't take Yuuta long to finally come to terms with how shitty he'd treated her.

Maybe it was a courtesy, he thought to himself, staring down at the stuffed rabbit in his hands with a dark expression on his face. she's far, far away from me now.

And that's for the bes—

“Yuuta?”

He, very uncharacteristically, yelped, throwing the stuffed rabbit to the side and whipped his head toward the source of the voice.

His eyes narrowed into slits once he processed who called out to him.

“Octavia,” Yuuta crossed his arms, arching a conspicuous brow. “What are you doing?”

“Oh, nothin',” Octavia had a habit of acting very cartoonishly. Almost every single thing she did, or said, reminded Yuuta of all the old cartoon reruns he and Rei-Rei would watch as children.

Octavia herself reminded him far too much of Rei-Rei. The girl she used to be to him, far more than anyone else in Ramshackle.

“It's clearly somethin',” Yuuta drawled, the two of them circling each other in his room like two cowboys preparing to duel at high noon. Ridiculous.

Octavia chortled, batting her eyelashes innocently with clasped hands. “What makes you think that?”

Yuuta found it best not to go along with whatever antics she had planned by continuing that subject. Instead, he switched it by asking, “shouldn't you be with Jamil?”

Damn it. Even the sound of Jamil's name on his tongue irritated Yuuta, almost as much as the thought of Octavia spending time with the guy who was damn near close to killing them during the winter break.

Octavia sighed solemnly, the back of her hand melodramatically placed on her forehead. “He is, apparently, too busy with another party in Scarabia…”

“And that stopped you?”

“Nope!”

This girl, I swear. “And…?”

“I was just wondering if you wanted to… y'know..” he did not seem to, in fact, know. When Octavia realized that, she made a bunch of wild and frustratingly vague gestures with her hands.

Frustrated, Yuuta just said what she wanted to convey. “You want me to come with you?”

“Exactly!” Octavia beamed at him. For some reason, it hit Yuuta, hard.

With a gentle sigh, Yuuta conceded. He didn't say much, or anything at all. He gave her a nod, taking her hand to let her have a quick twirl right before Octavia laughed like an animated madwoman and dragged him to Scarabia at the speed of light.

Octavia wasn't stupid, however. Bubbly, cartoonish, with a heart full of snark? Sure, but not stupid.

Yuuta had the habit of staring at her for extended consecutive periods of time. As if he were remembering a time where things were simpler, and the cruel realities of the world — even in a world like Twisted Wonderland — weren't plaguing them in their thoughts.

Oh, if only he knew. Octavia didn't know if he knew. Maybe he forgot.

But she certainly didn't.

⊱────────────────────⊰

【 Taglist / Credits 】

↳ In order of OC appearances/mentions

“Rei-Rei” — @jasdiary

Octavia Fortunato — @/jasdiary

Sumeragi Yuuta — Me 😈

Yuuta had been acting strange.

Perhaps it was odd for Juvia to make that kind of assumption, but truth be told, in all her months of having Sumeragi Yuuta as a roommate — he'd never been so… Distant.

To be fair, they weren't that kind of duo. They weren't the kind of duo to be like brother and sister, the kind with a bond that was so inseparable, it potentially transcended universes.

While it rang true that Yuuta did care about Juvia a great deal, she never really saw it within each other to try and strengthen whatever bond they had.

To both of them — Yuuta especially — the dynamic they had was good enough. They got along well, and while disagreements were made, they were quick to resolve. They weren't close but they weren't strangers, either.

Which was why Juvia was so on the fence about talking to Yuuta about his current behavior! It was just so weird!

Yuuta — haughty, petty, greedy Yuuta — acting emotionally constipated and distant out of the blue? If you'd have told Juvia something along those lines, she'd be laughing in your face!

On a particular hour of one fateful day, Juvia was trying to get her mind off of whatever ‘thinky thoughts’ she'd come to conclusions about.

While Trein was busy giving her and… Everyone else, a lecture, Juvia was busy contemplating about whether or not she should actually talk to Yuuta about his sudden burst of emotional distance.

Should I? Juvia asked herself a question she didn't even know the answer to. I mean, I'm worried about him and he usually doesn't act like this, but- It isn't really my business to ask..

And what if he just judges me?? Or what if he ignores me? I mean, this is Yuuta we're talking about, he'll probably just look at me weirdly and tell me it's none of my busine-

“Miss Espejo.”

At the sudden sound of Trein’s voice, Juvia jolted out of her train of thought, awkwardly looking up at the old — much more knowledgeable — professor.

In reply, Trein arched a concerned, yet strict brow. “Is there something you'd like to add to the lecture, Miss Espejo?..”

“I…” Juvia trailed away from whatever excuse came to mind, instead flashing a good little smile at Train and showing off her braces in the process. “N-No, Professor! Nothing at all!..”

In spite of the obvious fact that Juvia wasn't paying attention to his lecture, Trein let it slide; He always had a soft spot for Juvia and he let that fact slip when he left her off the hook.

Unfortunately for Juvia’s valiant efforts in trying to focus on the lecture, they were met with little success — only ending with Juvia back in her own bubble of thoughts, blissfully ignoring some comment Ace made about favoritism.

•❀°─────────°❀•

“I just don't get what's up with him lately…”

“Ehh, I can't blame you,” Deuce walked beside her, his head tilting slightly to the side. “Yuuta's always been hard to read. Other than when money is involved.”

It was one of those rare moments where Juvia and Deuce could just… Hang out. Together. Without Ace being a bother.

Sure, it was enjoyable and she liked the company Deuce offered, but she couldn't help but feel bad that she kept bringing Yuuta into the conversation.

“Yeah, but that's the thing,” Juvia’s shoulders sagged, her back leaning lazily against the couch. “It feels like he's getting harder and harder to get a read on, nowadays..”

Deuce’s lips turned into a thin line, releasing a small hum. “How come?”

“Well-” Did she hesitate? Of course, she did! But Juvia had this weird, unshakable feeling in her chest that she could trust Deuce about something like this.

“He always wakes up early to do Crowley's errands, but lately he's been waking up much earlier than usual…” Juvia’s hesitation became more prevalent the longer she went on, but she needed someone to talk to about it, and Deuce was right there. “Skipping breakfast, staying up late… His routine's been getting really ‘rinse and repeat’, y'know?”

Deuce held her gaze for a moment, the look in his eyes gentle and understanding. “Ah… Do you… Think you know why he's been acting like that, lately?”

The only way she could respond to that was to shake her head. She didn't. She would've asked, but Juvia knew how well that would end — with how stubborn Yuuta could be.

Deuce bit his tongue, looking away from Juvia and trying to think of anything to say that could help her.

She huffed, her head hanging slightly. “I just- Sorry, Deuce,” she gave him an apologetic frown. “I know I'm probably being obnoxious about bringing Yuuta up the entire time, and I really should-”

“N-No! No…” Deuce interrupted as abruptly as he could. While it wasn't deliberate, his hand found its way to Juvia’s shoulder. “You… Y-You don't need to apologize, Juvia.”

“You were just speaking what's on your mind. And… You're just showing your concern for Yuuta, a-and you shouldn't see that as something to feel bad about!”

Before she could even fathom the idea of interrupting, Deuce took her hands in his, looking straight into her eyes with an intensity that almost startled her.

“Whatever anyone says about you— Be it annoying, or whiney, or just downright obnoxious? They're wrong! Dead wrong!” Deuce exclaimed, his voice only a pitch lower from outright yelling the words out. “You aren't annoying, you aren't any of those things!”

“You’re kind, emotional, funny, and so compassionate for the people you care about that I can't help but admire you even more for it.”

Deuce heaved several breaths. All that exclaiming of sentences must've tired his voice out a little, Juvia figured.

“You… Are an amazing person, Juvia. Remember that.” Deuce said between long and heavy breaths. “And you shouldn't feel ashamed for feeling rightfully concerned for Yuuta. I may not know him as well as you do, but I know that you care about him. And I think that's all that matters.”

Juvia stared at him for a long while, taking his words into a quiet minute of consideration.

She shouldn't have felt bad about worrying about Yuuta. They weren't close, but at the end of the day, they were roommates even if they didn't ask to be; And as Yuuta's roommate, Juvia would do anything to ensure she and him didn't have sour relations with one another.

Maybe she wasn't the fastest of thinkers, but Juvia’s had this idea in mind since she started noticing Yuuta's behavior.

She'd get scolded for it, maybe, but it wasn't like she'd be experiencing an extremely petty Yuuta for the first time, either.

And so, her plan was set in motion — ready to take the storm by tomorrow.

She took Deuce's hand in hers, a gentle smile gracing her features that it almost got Deuce to stop breathing, then and there.

“Thanks, Deuce.”

•❀°─────────°❀•

Yuuta's going to kill me for this…

Juvia felt nervous just from walking into the botanical gardens. It was already bad enough after she accidentally stepped on Leona's tail, once upon a time.

But it felt even worse because she knew that Yuuta was lurking around, being a gardener doing regular gardener things!

It was like entering the belly of the beast, for crying out loud!!

She kept her movements quiet, her footsteps especially. It was a known fact among the NRC student body that interrupting Yuuta during his ‘gardening hours’ was the closest thing to a death sentence.

Very few were let off the hook for such a crime. If ever.

Actually- Wait. I don't think Yuuta's ever made an exception. Just thinking about it made Juvia even more scared than she had any right to be.

But that still didn't stop her from entering the botanical gardens, avoiding any places Leona could frequent — and finally finding Yuuta.

He was, at first glance, in pure bliss. Seeing him look so peaceful almost made Juvia forget why she even came in the first place.

No, she shook her head, taking several steps towards him with words ready to flood out of her mouth. I have to do this.

“Hey- Yuuta?”

“Oh, Juvia,” there it was: Sumeragi Yuuta's winning smile that was probably ingrained in Crowley's mind every other day. “What brings you here? You know better than to interru-”

“What's been going on, Yuuta?”

He blinked. Several times, Yuuta blinked his eyes, a sudden stiffness visible in the way he presented himself. Juvia may or may not start to regret this plan but she wanted nothing more than for Yuuta to just tell her what was going on with him recently.

“... Sorry?” Yuuta laughed a humorless chortle. Juvia noticed him taking a slight step back.

“Sorry- Juvie, but I don't know what you mean.”

She crossed her arms, lips pursing nervously. “I’m pretty sure you do. You need to tell me what's been up with you lately.”

“I told you already, I'm fine.”

“No, you said you didn't know what I meant. There's something going on, Yuuta, and I feel like I should know.”

“Juvia, this isn't any of your business-”

“I feel like it is, Yuuta!” That's when Juvia finally threw anything she had to say out of the window. “What, is it because of me?? Am I the reason you're being so distant???”

Yuuta's mouth gaped open. “What? Juvia, I-”

“Yuuta, please!” Word vomit. Just- A flurry of words rushed out of her mouth that she didn't know if she could stop. “Am I the reason?? Have I been bothering you- Am I bothering you?”

“Because if it is, you know better than to just keep me in the dark about it! I don't care what you think of me, Yuuta, I just want to know what the hell is up with your behavior!”

She breathed in and out, but that concern seemed to transition into frustration that he still wasn't cooperating. “You've been so distant recently! You barely even talk to me anymore, let alone acknowledge my presence!”

Juvia took one big step towards Yuuta, holding him by his upper arms. “Yuuta, please,” she pleaded with him, even if she was scared of what he'd say. “Just tell me…”

Yuuta stood there, stunned with his head hung low. His lips parted, the words he'd been avoiding to tell her finally spilling out from its cup.

“There was a girl,” — he said with a softness to his voice that felt uncanny — “before I came here, I knew a girl. We've been friends since forever, and… I only stopped seeing her during my second year of middle school.”

Juvia said nothing, cautiously letting him go and giving Yuuta permission to continue. “Her name… I liked to call her ‘Rei-Rei’, a lot. I used it more than I did her real name.”

“Rei-Rei was… She was this burst of energy that was always hard to properly describe. She was witty, funny, and so, so unafraid.”

He looked down at the vines of a plant he'd been watering until now. “... She used to be. I don't know, now.”

“I fucked up with Rei-Rei, Juvia. I made some stupid mistakes, and in the process, I lost her.”

Juvia didn't understand a thing. She knew the story Yuuta was trying to tell her, but she didn't understand why she was being told something so… Personal.

It irritated her, in a way. But irritation faded into heartbreak at the way Yuuta's voice broke when he said he ‘lost’ this girl.

Then he looked back at her, her heart aching at the level of nostalgia in his eyes when he did. A nostalgic look that Juvia couldn't properly find a grasp on.

Yuuta went closer to her, holding the side of her face with one hand, the other one falling to his side.

He smiled, that same look of nostalgia still on his face, even as his voice broke another time.

“... Sometimes I see her, too much of her, in you.”

†•°•══════ஓ๑✬๑ஓ══════•°•†

Taglist

—

Written for

@jasdiary

—

🥥

@starry-night-rose || @authoruio || @nem0-nee || @fumikomiyasaki || @sakuramidnight15

—

「 Etteilla ♢」 (+ Others)

@geminiiviolets || @twsted-princess || @hallowed-delights / @terrovaniadorm || @mystery-skulls-ghost || @abyss-wonderer || @twistedsongstressofstarz / @absolutelyobsessedkiya

『 Statement begins. 』

I really don't understand why I have to talk about it. If you ask me, Crowley shouldn't know anything about my life before coming here at all.

Unfortunately, let's just say he was rather…. Persistent, in wanting my statement. The statement of my life, that is.

I guess I should call it my ‘old life’.

…. I'll just get straight to the point. I wouldn't want to bore anyone who's listening to this statement, after all.

༝ㅤ･ㅤ˚ㅤ。ㅤ.ㅤ⋆ㅤ✧̣̩⋆̩◊⋆゜【❀】

For seven years of my life, I was living out on the streets. Homeless, malnourished, and really unclean.

Sure, I lived in a homeless shelter for a while, but things got complicated. And difficult. And I left once I turned four.

…. I'd rather not specify why.

I never knew my biological mother, or my father. No idea what happened to them, but… I'm scared to find out.

I'm not sure why.

But either way, I don't wanna make it too much of a hassle to explain. I was living out on the streets for the first seven years of my life.

I often had to rummage through the trash of fast food joints for food, and all the water I drank usually came from the lake in one of the local parks.

It wasn't an easy life. I honestly pity little me for having to go through all that for so long.

Eh. But what can you do, right? The past is the past, so…. Might as well make the future a little brighter.

And that's what I thought they'd give me. The Kenshō family. Old money.

Really traditional, and really rich.

They named me ‘Yuuta’. Or rather, I told them my first name was ‘Yuu’, and they simply added to it.

Not that my name would've changed the way they raised me.

I don't even know why they adopted me in the first place. If they were gonna adopt a child, they should've at least given that child some good old-fashioned acknowledgment!

Hah, then again, knowing them? They were way too focused on making a profit than taking care of the child they decided to adopt off the streets! Assholes, is what they are!

…. Forget them. Forget that life. Fuck them, and fuck their money.

I… If I'm gonna make a statement about my life, I might as well talk about something — someone — I actually care about.

I met a girl when I was in the fourth, maybe fifth, grade. We knew each other up until our second year of middle school. And after that? I never saw her again.

There was nothing between us. If anything, I like to think she saw me as a brother, rather than anything outside of that. I certainly saw her as a little sister.

It makes me feel even shittier, going back and remembering the way I treated her once we got into the sixth grade.

I don't even know what came over me. I just…. I just decided to treat my only friend like shit, just for the acknowledgment of people who never gave that much of a fuck about me.

And it sucks. It sucks to know that I tormented her up until the second year of middle school, and before I could even begin to apologize — she left.

Maybe it's for the better. Maybe she's happier now, now that she's far from me.

….. I miss her. And, I wish I got the chance to apologize to her.