A/N: Moving this from my tumblr just so I can get that 1/1/17 date stamp haha and also feedback would be appreciated! I haven't written such type of story for a while.

Note: This is based off of Daydream Warrior and a fanart I did; rather than the tsurime trio, this is centered around the SecondVerseQuartet (Mari, You, Chika, Kanan). The story won't be long, it's broken down into 9 hopefully short chapters. This story will be mostly told through You's POV.
Warning: Profanity, violence and sex.
Ships: (onesided) YouChikaKananRiko?; with mentions of YouMari & KanaMari, and implied DiaYoshi & Maruby

I. Mari

"Feigning not hearing the voice of my heart"
As I run, my contradictions waver"

Bzzz. Bzzz. Bzzz.

A slender yet muscular arm reached out from under the duvet, searching for the quietly vibrating phone on the nightstand. A mess of light-grey hair popped up afterwards, followed by a groan that morphed into a yawn half way. You stared blankly at her phone and wondered what time it was, for her memories were still rather hazy.

[Gomen, You-chan, did I wake you?]

Upon seeing the cutesy dog sticker on the screen, all the fatigue drained from her blue eyes. Her lips curving into a fond smile as she hastily texted back.

[Nah, I should've been up already.]

[Woah, it's almost noon!]

She could never get used to the waiting in between texts, whether the interval was long or not. There had been conversations that were only read and never answered, and just thinking about it made her clench her phone in trepidation. To her relief, she received her response within seconds.

[Mou, Sleepyhead! You didn't forget about your promise later, have you?]

The giddy joy died away and her stomach churned. She inhaled deeply and forced her shaking thumb to type out an acceptably reply.

[Of course not. I'll meet you in front of the shop at 1pm.]

When the message box showed "read" beside it, the covers rustled and You tensed instinctively before forcing herself to relax. A pair of creamy white arms wrapped around her waist and endowed breasts were pressed provocatively against her back. "Oho, a date with Chikacchi~?"

"It's not a date," You said flatly, and exhaled in mild exasperation as the voluptuous girl played with her disheveled hair and prodded at her cheeks. "We're just going shopping, that's all."

"Still sounds like a date to me."

"It's not," she growled and held the flippant girl's wrist in a vice grip. "She's shopping for a present for her," she could not hide the disgust in her tone. "To cheer her up, Chika-chan said. I'm just an escort, nothing more."

"Ah." Golden tresses tickled against her neck as the blonde rested her chin upon You's shoulder. "You are jealous, hmm?"

You hated the rhetorical tone and how those words were utterly correct. "Are you, Mari-chan?"

"Why would I be?" Mari's breathy giggle brushed against You's ear, making it tingle pleasantly as heat crawled up her neck. "After all, Kanan still seeks my bed on cold, dark nights. But you, my poor dear, Chikacchi still has no idea about your feelings."

You's blood boiled in rage upon hearing that accursed name. Kanan. It's her. It's always her. She threw her phone aside, careless of the way it bounced off the mattress and onto the carpeted floor. "That's fucked up. You're nothing but fuck-buddies."

"As are we, You-chan." Mari nibbled at her earlobe in that infuriatingly teasing way that only she knew how.

"Don't compare me to her." You's fingers dug into the blanket, pouring her irritation as she fleetingly fantasized ripping the unfortunate fabric apart.

"It's a fact and you know it." Mari lightly placed her hands over You's, and the fight deflated out of her.

"No, you're not just-!" You spun around and stared severely at the blonde. As always, her expression was unreadable, perpetually masked in humor. "I mean, yes, we're… but you also mean to me more than that."

"Aww, I'm flattered. You're such a cutie, makes me wanna eat you up again."

You sighed at Mari's airy response. "Seriously though, what do you want from… her? From me?"

"Same thing as you do. Someone to share your joy and pain, someone to talk to… someone to hug," she smiled and tilted her head, allowing her bangs to drape over her glimmering chartreuse eyes. She looked sad and very human then.

She was beautiful.

"Right. I understand. If it weren't for you, I don't know where I'd be," You whispered darkly as she cupped Mari's warm cheek, smiling when the latter leaned into her touch. "Maybe somewhere in jail?"

Pained groans. The cringe-worthy thuds of fist hitting flesh. Never-ending rain weeping from the dark sky. Blood splattering onto the concrete wall and asphalt ground. It wasn't murderous rage that fueled her strikes, but a cold and rather simple desire.

She just wanted to hurt. Whether it was other people or herself she did not know.

But ah. People might really die if she continued. Human lives were so very fragile. She knew that.

A hand pulled at her collar and, instinctively, she moved to throw the unknown assailant over her shoulder. She stopped abruptly when she saw a handkerchief shoved in front of her face.

"…? I don't need that. That's not enough to wipe my hands anyway," You smirked humorlessly and finally stared at her hands, which were covered in slick maroon. She probably had bruises and cuts elsewhere but bandages shall suffice.

"It's not for your hands, silly." The newcomer had a particular way of giggling that both irked and amused You at the same time, and she found herself letting down her guard. She flinched in confusion when the handkerchief gently dabbed at her wet eyes.

"I know it's not rain."

You frowned, incensed that this blonde stranger saw her in such a pathetic state.

"Come on. You need to get out of here. Follow me."

You chuckled hoarsely at the vivid memory. It still felt so real as if it had only happened yesterday. "I definitely would have killed those fuckers if you hadn't stopped me. Like,' oops, too bad so sad, it happened'. Thanks to you, it didn't."

"Please, you give me too much credit, though I certainly don't mind the attention~"

"What I don't understand is," You whimsically traced the outline of Mari's jaw, her knuckles gently caressing down her neck and over her clavicles. "Why do good people like you and Chika-chan love someone like her?"

Mari let out a sultry chuckle that made You's throat parched and her body heat up. She fought down the urge to gulp when the blonde leaned in and stared harshly into her eyes. That jokester demeanor was nowhere to be seen, and it was rather frightening. Not that You had any doubts of being able to physically overpower this girl, but still.

"I can't speak for Chikacchi, but let me reiterate it for you again, Watanabe You."

You disliked that fact that she liked the way Mari uttered her full name.

"I'm not a good person. Oh yes, I am far from good, it will do you well to remember that."

You kissed her hard then and there. Treacherous yearning filled her buzzing mind as she forcefully pushed the blonde down onto the mattress, their naked limbs becoming entangled once more. The pleasurable exchange and friction of hot skin numbed the pain in her chest. Once again, she was able to forget, at least for awhile, that heavy and prickly pain which always appeared whenever Chika mentioned Matsuura fucking Kanan.

"Do you think I care?" She muttered against Mari's lips, and licked them rather tenderly when the latter smiled.

"I suppose not." The blonde impishly bit her tongue and grinned into the rough kiss that followed. She tasted sweet. She tasted like pain. It was a sinful combination that drove You wild. Their movements became more frantic as words were quickly replaced by primal sounds.

You almost wanted to ask if Mari ever thought about Kanan whenever they had sex, but swallowed the question and drowned herself in their carnal desires. It wasn't as if she never imagined Chika's face and voice after all.

They were both hopeless, weren't they?

Perhaps everything was just a nightmare.

Yeah, right.