Chapter Text
It was midnight when Yuzuru woke up to the sounds of yelling. Rubbing his eyes and grabbing his beat-up cat plush, Oswald, he slid out of bed. The yelling echoed throughout the long hallways and he quietly opened his door. He noticed his older siblings already outside frowning. "You should be asleep, Zuru," Christina mumbled as she padded across the hallway, holding his shoulder. Juro sighed. "How can you expect him to sleep while they're yelling at each other again." He frowned. The trio of siblings walked closer as they got to the railing that looked out onto the living room. The yelling or rather arguing from their parents got more coherent. “Lying to you? I talked to you in confidence and you began screaming at me, why won’t you act like an adult?” Their mother, Candice yelled. They quietly went onto the stairs and peeked around. Now, they were able to completely see their parents. "I don't like the sound of this," Christina whispered. "If anything happens I'm going in there." Juro furrowed his eyebrows as Yuzuru only stood there silently. He held onto his stuffed animal tighter.
"Don't you dare say I'm not acting like an adult, Abella! You are an abomination! You should be embarrassed for even thinking I would stand for that!" Yushiro spat at her, pointing. "I told you to stop calling me that, Yushiro! You're supposed to be my damned husband yet you treat me like fucking shit! I'm sick of it! I'm not your fucking slave!" She screamed at him, pushing the kitchen stool at him. Yuzuru flinched as Christina pressed him closer to her. Tears welled up in his eyes as he could barely process what was going on. "You're insane!" Yushiro growled as he stalked closer to her. "You back the hell up, right now! Don't even think of touching me, Yushiro!" Candice barked as she backed up from him. He towered over her as she was caged against the counter. Juro was about to run down the remainder of the stairs as Christina and Yuzuru quickly grabbed for him. "Don't do it, Juro! Please!" Christina quietly pleaded. "Ju!" Yuzuru whimpered. Christina and Juro looked at each other as they covered Yuzuru. They watched in horror as she stumbled against the refrigerator, holding her cheek as she breathed heavily.
Yuzuru choked back a sob as he was sandwiched between his elder siblings who tried to shield him from seeing their father slap their mother. Juro's hands shook in anger as he held Christina and Yuzuru in his arms. Candice lightly sobbed as Yushiro gripped her face. "Do not ever. Under any circumstances speak to me like that, do I make myself clear, woman?" He growled. She gripped his wrist. "Take your hands off of me." She sobbed out. "I said do I make myself clear?!" He screamed in her face. She broke down, mumbling yes before he roughly let her go. "Let's go." Juro rasped out as he guided his shaking siblings back upstairs. Yuzuru silently cried as Christina picked Yuzuru up and walked him back to his bed.
The trip back to his bed was a blur as he was soon greeted by his head hitting the pillow. Juro and Christina stood over him before ruffling his hair. "Sleep, doof. You need it." Juro mumbled before leaving. Christina thumbed a tear away from Yuzuru's cheek. "You do." She sniffled. "But.. what about mama?" Yuzuru whispered. Christina stayed silent as she tucked him in and left. "Just... sleep, Zuru. Pray for us, will you? Maybe God will save us and get us somewhere better." She gently shut the door behind her. Yuzuru waited until he heard the padding of feet and doors close before he pulled the blanket over his head and curled up. The sounds of rain violently pelting against his windows did little to calm his racing heart. Gripping onto his stuffed animal, he cried himself to sleep.
|---------------|
Yuzuru violently jolted awake, banging his knee against his desk. "Shit!" He winced, rubbed his knee, and looked around. He internally scolded himself as he realized he fell asleep at his desk again. Graded papers marked with a red pen and black cursive notes in the margins laid upon his desk. Rubbing his eyes under his smudged glasses, he looked at the time. "3:38" the bright green numbers read and he groaned even more. He already struggled to sleep, to begin with. As of recently, his nightmares had started up again which triggered his... slight case of insomnia. He didn't have too much time left for it to count as some decent hours of sleep. To be honest, Yuzuru couldn't remember the last time he got a full night's worth of sleep. Pushing his red hair back, he sighed. Gathering up the papers, he placed them in his folder before neatly dropping them in his bag. He grabbed his empty mug and stood up, joints popping. He stretched and walked to the kitchen, dumping his mug in the sink. Lazily, he washed the mug as he adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, the moonlight illuminating his apartment. It was peaceful. He placed his mug on the rack before drying his hands. Sighing, he walked back to his room and cleaned up the rest of his desk, before plopping down on his bed. Checking if his alarm was set, he took off his glasses and laid down on his bed before being lulled to sleep once again ‒ this time without having to block out any screams.
“Ai, ai, ai, I’m your little butterfly,” Yuzuru slammed his hand down on the alarm, shutting off the music. He always forgot that Aether and Athena had pranked him that one time by setting Butterfly as his new alarm. His beloved friends. Aether Creed and Athena Smith. He constantly forgot to put effort into changing it but doing so took up the time he could be using to grade his papers. It felt like a cycle that he was stuck in. Getting out of bed, he grabbed his glasses. It was a matter of time before Aether was going to come busting down his front door, so he had to swiftly get ready for the day. After doing his basic routine of a shower, some breakfast, and changing into his clothes, he was ready. Well, he was, until he looked down at his nails. Athena had done them a while ago, but he had become too busy to get her to do them again. He shrugged, thinking. Maybe he should try doing his nails sometimes. Right on cue, Aether slammed down on her car horn. Alerting Yuzuru, he took his bag from the side of his desk and left his apartment, locking up behind him. Aether was extremely impatient, so he knew he had to hurry. With one final pressing of the horn, he finally made it outside. ‘Thank the Gods for elevators,’ he thought. Yuzuru’s car was at the repair shop, so he would get rides from her. How inconvenient. Driving with Aether felt like a death wish that he constantly had to take. She drove like a maniac and it was a miracle she was still legally allowed to drive or even had her license. Checking his phone, he smiled as he read a text from Emilia. Emilia was essentially his sister. She used to babysit him and just be a positive female figure in his life. Words couldn't describe how much she meant to him. The text had read, "Morning, Zuzu! I hope you have a great day at work and don't forget to call me later today! I have some good news for you! Kisses!"
Sending a quick text back, a few prayers later, and some fiddling with the radio, they were on the road. Don't get Yuzuru wrong, he loved Aether but man, her road rage was like no other. She was normally a relaxed person but any type of driving brought out the worst in her. Aether slammed her hand on the horn. “Are you fucking kidding me? That asshole! I had the right of way!” She yelled out. “A-Aether calm down.” Yuzuru stuttered out as the grip on the safety bar got tighter. “No! I’m gonna cut this motherfucker off!” She exclaimed as she swerved the steering wheel, making Yuzuru yell. “Are you trying to get us killed, Aether?!” He shouted. She only cackled as she pressed on the gas. “You absolute maniac!” Yuzuru cried out as she swerved in front of the car that cut them off which earned a slight scream from him. “Take that, bitch!” Aether laughed as Yuzuru’s face paled even more. This car ride was taking years off of his life. “Aether, the brakes! Step on the brakes!” Yuzuru yelled as Aether continued to cut off the driver who wronged her earlier. "Don't worry I got this!" She reassured him. "No the hell you don't! C'est fou! Are you sick in the head?!" He yelled, accent slipping through. Aether was known to get into heated arguments with drivers, this was nothing new. Still, Yuzuru was not used to it. If he were to be honest, he thought she was a bit scary. Her license should be taken away, but then again, she was his ride. For now, he would just have to put up with it. But, god. He couldn't handle much of this type of drama this early in the morning any longer.
“Oh, so you want me to stop in oncoming traffic?” She said as she glanced over at him with a sadistic glint in her eyes. “Hell fucking no! You're sick in the head! Just… Just go slower! You’re going too fast!” He exclaimed again. She giggled as she slowed down. The pair watched as the driver behind them swerved to drive next to them. The woman in the car gestured at Aether to roll their window down. “Oh really?” Aether said as Yuzuru’s eyes widened. “Oh no no no, Aether, do not roll that window down.” “You can’t tell me what to do, Zuru. I’m the driver!” “You’re also a menace to society, you psychopath! Don’t!” Yuzuru exclaimed as Aether rolled down her window. “Are you crazy?!” The woman exclaimed. Aether nodded. “Like hell I am! You fucking switched into my goddamn lane and cut me off! You coulda hit my fucking car! You have some nerve, bitch!” Aether yelled out the window. Yuzuru let out a groan as he quickly gripped onto the steering wheel trying to steady it. He watched in horror as the two argued from across their cars. Working as a teacher had already stressed him out, but Aether was a force to be reckoned with. He wished his car was already repaired so he could drive the speed limit and not have to witness Aether out her car window at 6 in the morning. He almost envied the amount of energy she had in her body to even put that much effort in, let alone drive like she was drag racing on the goddamn road. It’s surprising that Aether can stand in a classroom and teach a class of 8th graders how to draw when she’s terrifying in the driver’s seat. Yuzuru could feel some sweat beads roll down his temple at the heated argument that went on beside him. "Aether, please! Eyes on the road!" Yuzuru exclaimed. "No! I'm not fucking done yet!" She said. "The screws in your head gotta be fucking loose you crazy motherfucker!" The woman from the other car yelled.
"Oh, I have some screws loose? I'll show you some loose screws!" Aether spat. Yuzuru's eyes flickered between Aether, the woman, and the road. It was beyond a blessing that they hadn't hit any cars yet. "Yeah right, lady. Do it then!" The woman yelled. “Oh, word?! Pull up at the next exit then!” Aether yelled out as she stuck up her middle finger. Yuzuru looked exhausted as the woman huffed in anger. He felt Aether’s hands tighten on the steering wheel and he sighed out of relief as he realized he didn’t have to steady the wheel for her anymore. He noticed they were still arguing. “I’m so sorry for my friend! They had a rough morning! They didn’t mean what they said!” Yuzuru called out, reaching over to push the window button before Aether chimed in. “No, I meant it! You better hope I don’t see you after work!” Aether yelled as Yuzuru quickly rolled the window up. Aether grumbled and continued driving as Yuzuru tiredly fell back into the car seat. He watched in bewilderment as Aether just continued driving calmly as if she had never argued with someone for almost 20 minutes. "You can't be serious, Aether..." He said. “Hm? What are you talking about, Zuru?” Aether asked as she looked over at him. Yuzuru only dropped his head in his hands as he whined into them. She snickered as she watched her mess of a friend try to gather himself. He felt carsick and emotionally distressed. Still, he loved Aether. They were so full of personality and confidence, some days he wished he could be as outgoing and fun as them. Growing up with her, she had always been like this. That was one of the reasons he stuck around them, and followed them around- Aether was just a pleasure to be around. Just an absolute delight. Of course, he thought that with some sarcasm, but most of it was truthful. She used one hand to caress his head. “You alright there, Ruru?” She asked. Yuzuru cringed at the nickname she used.
“You’re asking if I’m okay? After that? Yup, I’m fine. Totally okay, never been better.” He groaned, gritting his teeth. After what felt like years, they finally arrived. Aether parked in a teacher-designated spot and got out. It took Yuzuru a couple of seconds to collect himself before he took his bag and stepped from inside the car, the concrete below was refreshing. He would kiss the very ground he was walking on. At last, he wasn’t in that death trap of a car anymore. Well, usually he would get a ride home, but Aether needed to run some errands after school, so he could just take the train. Which was another problem. He hated public transportation, regardless of growing up taking it half of his life it never helped that he was a slight germaphobe. But I guess, you could say that for any city dweller who used public transportation. “I hope you didn’t forget your class starts at... Oh. Pfft-” Aether gave a small laugh, eyes wide. “At..? Aether? What time is it?” Yuzuru questioned, looking at the phone she held. “I guess it’s time to run.” She said, laughing as she sprinted into the building. It was 20 minutes after class would originally start. All that fighting caused them to be late. It finally dawned on Yuzuru that he wasn’t on time. Not only that but he was supposed to do an important lesson that day. Sprinting after Aether, he panicked. "Shit! Wait!" He yelped. Of course, they were late on a day when he was supposed to do actual teaching. Running around the school like a maniac wasn’t too good for his hair, but he just wanted to make it to his classroom. Aether waved at a couple of students as she ran next to him. “Good luck, Yuzuru!” She said before running down the hallway to make it to her classroom, purple curls whipping behind her. Yuzuru slid in front of his door and quickly opened it. He internally groaned as he noticed Madeline standing by his desk.
“So sorry for the delay. Traffic was… rough to say the least. Good morning class.” He said as he huffed and placed his bag down on his chair. Madeline Bevs, the history teacher, slid off his desk as his class collectively greeted him. A pink-haired young woman, who was dressed in a satin button-up and a tight black pencil skirt. He didn’t notice all the stares he got from his students and Madeline as he quickly unpacked his bag. Madeline tapped him and gestured at him to follow her. “Excuse me.” He said to his class before following her out the door. He gently closed it behind them. “While we were waiting, I made them be productive and finish any homework.” She said as she smiled at him while smoothing out her skirt. Regardless of how uncomfortable Madeline made him, he couldn't deny that she was helpful at times. "Right, thank you. I'm sure they needed that extra time. I do have to get to my class, I've made them wait long enough for me to arrive." Yuzuru said politely, trying his best to get out of this conversation before it went on any longer. He turned before feeling a gentle hand on his arm. He looked back. She cleared her throat before speaking again. "Hey, can we talk after school? Nothing bad... It’s just... I need to speak with you. Okay? I’ll be waiting at the teacher's lounge." She said, letting him go. "Also, your hair is a bit. Wild." She snickered, gesturing to her head. Yuzuru huffed what could only be considered an exhausted sigh. "It was a wild morning, but fine. I cannot stay for long. I have to catch a train after school." He racked his fingers through his hair. “See you then, Yuzuru.” She cooed, laughing a bit. “Right.” “Oh, and one more thin-” Yuzuru had already slipped into the classroom, tired of her shit. Madeline was quite the flirt, so he just ignored her. Honestly, she just wouldn’t get the hint. Though at times, she was nice to him and helped him out. It didn't change that she did too much.
He was finally ready to teach. Yuzuru had somebody pass out the test papers as he began to write on the chalkboard. It was going to be a long day. "Alright class, once again apologies for my lateness. As you know, I do tend to arrive with Ms. Creed and I'm sure you all know how that goes. But, let's go over last week's test answers. Which question should we go over first?"