continued from Acceptance
"Hey, Yin, uh...is your friend okay?"
Yin already knew who and what Lena was talking about; from the corner of her eyes she could still see Luck curled up on the same chair he'd been stuck on all evening, knees to his chest and curling further into a ball to take as little space as possible while the rest of the gang talked around him. A hand reached upwards to pull down his hood and obscure his face, but she could still make out the facemask with a grin drawn on it that she had grown to hate.
Beside her, Lena frowned; "Does he even want to be here? I mean, no one's forcing him to stay..."
"It's not that." Yin sighed, sinking into her own chair as she shook her head; "He's...had it rough, lately. But it's not you guys or anything, I promise."
Lena turned to look at her, confused- and then suddenly concerned, taking a good look at the pink rabbit slumped on the chair. "Apparently he's not the only one; are YOU okay?"
Not really, except she couldn't actually say that out loud to her best friend- or to anyone. And what could she say, honestly? Since that night when she and Yang had followed Luck out into the badlands, it had become an undeniable fact that something was deeply, deeply wrong with him. But also since that day, nothing else had happened; Luck had gone back to his routine of helping around the dojo like nothing was wrong- even if he did it all with the enthusiasm of a wind-up toy that repeated the same peppy lines over and over without any real joy behind them.
Something was very wrong, and there was nothing she could do about it; of course she wasn't fine.
"I'm fine." She lied instead, sitting up straight on her chair and resting her chin on her arms crossed over the table; "Things are just...exhausting lately, you know?"
"Coop hasn't been harassing you again, has he?"
The name made Yin's whole body tense; to her side, Lena's eyes had narrowed aggressively towards the end of the table. Right next to Luck was unfortunately the one person she had hoped not to see anytime soon, clad in all black and leaning back on his chair while drinking a soda, looking the most surly she had ever seen him.
"He runs off to the mountains to train with some old sage for who-knows-how long, and now he's back and completely in control of his powers?" Lena scoffed beside her before leaning over to whisper in her ear; "Be honest with me; do you actually believe him when he says he's changed?"
Yin didn't answer right away; her eyes remained glued on Coop's goth ensemble (she hated she hated it why did he refuse to change back) and only looked away the second his sunglasses turned in her direction, shoving her hands under the table and balling them into fists against her lap so her best friend wouldn't notice them tremble.
"Not really." She answered through clenched teeth, desperate to focus on anything else but him- or the ugly, awful feeling pooling on the pit of her stomach. "And even if he did, it's gonna take more than that to make up for..."
She didn't finish that sentence- she couldn't; the words got stuck in her throat. But she was thankful that Lena understood; her hand on her shoulder let her know she didn't need to say anything else.
"Don't feel bad; I haven't forgiven him either." She whispered, giving her a reassuring pat before looking back at the farthest side of the table, sympathy in her eyes. "It's your pal I feel bad about right now; Coop has been on his case all day and I have no idea why."
From the moment the group of friends got together, Yin had kept an eye out for Luck in hope he would relax for once- and almost every time, she would catch Coop glaring murder at the aquamarine rabbit instead, not even trying to hide his hostility towards him, all while the other did nothing to stop him. The day he had returned he had claimed to be a better version of himself- but he sure hadn't showed it the moment Yin told him she still wouldn't date him, and even less so when he found out about their new addition to the dojo; things had been...tense, to put it mildly, between them since then.
"...You and Luck aren't dating, are you?"
"Mmm." Yin answered absent-mindedly- until her brain registered the question and she nearly jumped out of her seat, staring in disbelief at Lena; "Wait, WHAT!? NO! Why would you ask that!?"
Her friend took in her reaction with a cocked eyebrow, gently pushing Yin back into her seat before the others caught sight of her outburst. "Well, it would explain why Coop's so mean to him. But also…" She gave the rabbit a slightly mischievous grin; "Girl, have you NOT seen the way he looks at you?"
"Huh!?"
"Come on, don't tell me you didn't notice!" Lena wrapped her arm around her shoulders, bringing them closer together as she kept whispering excitedly; "He's all sulky now, but whenever I passed by the dojo he would just light up every time he was around you! And didn't you tell me he gave you a gift too?"
"A sunflower, but that doesn't mean anything!" Yin furiously patted her cheeks to make the warmth in them disappear. Luck? In love with her!? The thought had never crossed Yin's mind until now, and why would it? He was always bright and kind to everyone, not just to her! Or at least he was before...she'd rather not think about it. It still didn't prove anything. "It's not like that, Lena…"
"Aw, I'm just teasing. Well, half-teasing." Yin sulked at her, but was surprised to see that Lena had gone from mischievous to sympathetic. "It's not like it's a bad thing; you always looked happier around him too. At least...before things 'got rough', as you put it."
Yin stopped her patting, her palms resting against her cheeks as her eyes opened wide. Had she been happier around Luck? It...didn't sound all that surprising, yet at the same time she hadn't noticed anything different at the time. Luck was a sweet and thoughtful person; a far cry from the rude and cruel rabbit he had been before, a person she felt safe and content around now. His change had been nothing short of a miracle.
At least, that's what she had thought at first. But after the visit from that reaper and that night in the badlands...how he was still kind and thoughtful, but also bordering on self-deprecation and constantly on edge over every mistake...
Suddenly, his change didn't seem so miraculous anymore.
"...I-"
A cry from the farthest edge of the table interrupted her thoughts.
Yin was the first to react, both hands clasped over her mouth as she gasped; Luck was drenched from head to toe, shivering like a lost puppy as he stared numbly at his stained hands. Coop sneered at him from the side, his soda can crushed between his fingers. All around them, the rest of their friends had stopped talking, multiple pairs of eyes now staring in silent shock.
"Oops." Coop deadpanned, casually placing the can on the table and letting it fall on its side and roll away. "And here I (bawk) thought you didn't want to be a (bawk) slob anymore, Yuck."
The soaked rabbit didn't reply, still staring at his hands and ruined hoodie in horror.
"LUCK!"
Yin got up from her chair so fast, she nearly fell and almost took Lena with her. She pushed her way through the chairs strewn about and her friends still gawking at the scene before making it to Luck's side. Her hand reached out for him before stopping, closing it into a fist and suddenly turning to glare at Coop instead. "What the heck did you do that for?"
The chicken was taken back by her outburst for a moment, before his expression darkened as he crossed his arms and leaned back on his seat like nothing happened. "I don't (bawk) know what you mean; it's all the fault of (bawk) Butterfingers over there." Looking over Yin's shoulder, he glared at Luck from behind his sunglasses; "Isn't that right?"
"Dirty." Yin barely heard Luck's voice behind her, muffled behind his facemask; "I'm dirty. I can't be dirty. Dirty isn't right."
"Coop, how stupid do you think we all are!?" His beak twisted into a scowl, and for a moment Yin felt chills shoot down her spine like lightning. But in the heat of the moment, her rage won over the fear and she took a step forward to jab a thumb against his chest; "You've been bullying Luck all day long! You think no one has noticed?!"
"Bullying?" Coop scoffed and stood up- towering at over twice Yin's height in his dark form. From behind his sunglasses she saw his black, empty eyes stare back, making her feel small (defenseless, helpless)- making the chills come back. "Please, like I'm the bad guy here."
"You're being a jerk, that's for sure." Yang's voice further behind sounded annoyed and bored, but from the corner of her eyes she saw his hand resting on his sword hilt, Roger Jr. bracing himself beside him. "Dude, just apologize already."
Since the night at the badlands, Yang had gone from hounding Luck for allegedly plotting against them to simply not talking to him, looking visibly disturbed (pitying him, even) every time they were in the same room. Yin had mixed reactions about it at first, but now she couldn't be more grateful her brother had eased up on Luck somewhat.
"Stop." Movement to her side caught her attention, and she turned to see Luck curled into a ball; his hood had fallen back, revealing his equally soaked fur that his hands were now pulling on; "Stop fighting. He's right, it's all my fault, just please-"
"Luck, don't say that! It wasn't-!"
"Yes, it was!" Yin took a step back, her ears drooping. If Luck noticed her reaction, he didn't show it; instead he pulled his hood back up and hid his face behind his knees as he hugged his legs closer to his chest; "I-I just keep ruining everything and-and being a burden, and...and..."
"See? He (bawk) admits it!" Coop crossed his arms behind his back contentedly; "He's the one you should be (bawk) yelling at, not me-OW!"
He sputtered and nearly fell off his chair when something hit him square in the forehead- the soda can he had let roll away moments before bounced off his shoe before coming to a stop on the floor. He - and every other person present - turned to stare at a fuming Yin, hand still stretched mid-throw.
"What is wrong with you!?" There was a flash of blue, and Coop had to lean back from how close Yin was floating to his face, using her magic so that she was the one staring down at him instead. "You said you trained to control your powers and be a better person, so why can't you ACT LIKE IT!?"
"I DID train to become (bawk) better; to be better for YOU!" Now it was Yin who leaned back as Coop pointed an accusing finger at her; around them, their friends tensed and took a step backwards. "All those days away from home, training (bawk) day and night, and for what!? Being rejected so you can (bawk) run around with that...that..." His finger moved away from her and towards Luck; "that freak!"
"That's what you're mad about!? That I didn't want to date you!?" Oh, she wanted to tear her fur off. She wanted to tear Coop's beak off. "How is that any of Luck's fault!?"
"He's tried to sabotage (bawk) me before! He stole your (bawk) first kiss from me!"
Yin's face burned red, and beside her she spotted Luck pulling his hood taut while hiding his face behind his hands. It only made her resentment towards the chicken grow; "First of all, that kiss was never yours to begin with! And it still doesn't prove anything; Luck had nothing to do with me not wanting to date you!"
"Then WHY!?" Something in Coop turned desperate as he took a step closer to Yin- forcing her to take a step back to avoid his hands reaching out for her. "Why won't you (bawk) accept my love, after everything I've (bawk) done for you!? What-what (bawk) did I do wrong!?"
"Besides betraying us to the Night Master, nearly killing us multiple times, and being a creep overall?" Yang snorted behind them; "Guess we'll never know."
"I DIDN'T ASK YOU!"
The force of Coop's yell nearly knocked them all back- including Yin, who in her surprise accidentally dispelled the Magic that kept her afloat. But just as gravity kicked in, Coop's fingers closed around her arms like a bear trap, keeping her hanging from his grip like a ragdoll.
Yin's eyes shrunk to pinpricks as her breath hitched. Her free hand shakily tried to pry him off her, but his hold on her was like a vice.
"Coop, let go." What she had hoped would come out as an angry command came out as a terrified whisper instead. She hated it more than anything. "Y-you're hurting me."
"Oh, I'm hurting you?" Coop asked with mock concern before tightening his grip until Yin feared her bones would give in. "What about (bawk) all the times YOU hurt ME? When all I wanted was for (bawk) you to love me back!?"
"Dude, she said let go!" Yang took a step towards them, sword already brandished in his hands and with Lena and Roger behind him. His face showed fury, but his eyes showed increasing panic as they remained fixated on his sister. "If you don't, I swear-"
Coop didn't even acknowledge him, pulling Yin closer to him until they were eye to eye, almost nose to beak. "I did everything for you." He hissed, making Yin flinch from some of the spit that fell on her. "I joined the Night Master, I betrayed the Night Master, I got locked up in some (bawk) prison dimension with him, absorbed his dark magic, ALL FOR YOU!"
Dark energy, crawling all over her skin. Clouding her mind, clouding her awareness. Filling her mind with thoughts and feelings that don't belong to her.
"I never asked you to do any of that! All I wanted was for you to leave me alone!"
Changing her into someone she's not. Changing her into someone he wants her to be. Filled with anger and hatred for the world and everything she loves, filled with something too twisted and vile to be called love for him.
"You can't do this to me, Yin! Not after (bawk) all I did; I...I won't accept it!"
Destroying everything in her path, because he asked her to. Claiming the title of Night Masters together, because he asked her to. Trying to kill her brother and best friend, because he asked her too, even when the smallest remain of her consciousness kept screaming no no no NO NO NO-
"Let go!" Yin's voice shook, her free hand scratching Coop's fingers like her life depended on it, and he still refused to budge. No matter how much she blinked, the dampness in her eyes refused to leave- but she couldn't, she didn't want to, not in front of him- "Coop, let go! LET ME GO, PLEASE!"
A strangled sob reached her ears.
Yin turned around. Coop turned around. Yang, Lena, Roger Jr. and everyone else present at the turned around to see Luck trembling in his seat as heavy breathing intermingled with erratic sobbing came out of him. His hands covered his face, but through the gaps between his fingers they could see tears spilling out of terrified, clouded eyes like a broken faucet.
Yin's free hand fell slack to her side. "...Luck?"
"What's wrong with him?!" Coop demanded, glaring at Yin and then the rest of the group; when no one gave him an answer, he ran out of patience and marched towards the crying bunny. "HEY! Stop crying, we're in the middle of something! You can just (bawk) wash the soda off, geez!"
Luck's sobbing became heavier and more labored, like he couldn't breathe. It only made Coop angrier.
"Still trying to (bawk) sabotage me around Yin!? You think I will let you?!" His free hand glowed red and orange with dark magic, and Yin's heart dropped to the floor at the sight.
corrupting mindless hatred powerless rage fear killing pain trapped trapped trapped trapped no no no NO PLEASE NO
She sobbed, tears rolling down her cheeks.
And suddenly, she was falling.
The height she fell from wasn't that significant, but her back still felt the landing quite harshly. Yin just laid there, arms and legs splayed around her - her wrist still stung with the force of Coop's grip, and the world above her was a blur of colors and shapes she couldn't decipher, and there was a constant ringing that shredded her eardrums-
"Yin!?" A blur of purple, cyan and pink, followed by Lena's voice. Both of her wrists were held (nowhere as painful as Coop's but still tight, urgent), trying to drag her off the floor; "Yin, you have to get up-"
"Stop! No, don't do that- LUCK, STOP!"
Why did Lena's voice sound so scared? Why was her brother yelling like that? Why was Luck-?
Yin shot up to her feet and wiped her eyes.
"He tried to kill me!" Coop's voice was terrified, no trace of the sinister anger from before in it. As Yin's vision cleared, she realized he had somehow reverted to his original, nerdy self; his glasses lay cracked beside him, and his face was covered in deep scratches and a look of utter terror. "Did you see that!? HE TRIED TO KILL ME!"
"Coop, shut up!" Yang's voice was more terrified than angry; as Yin's vision cleared, she saw her brother and Roger, also covered in scratches and desperately holding on to something, struggling to hold something back, something aquamarine; "I-I can't hold him back much longer!"
And then there was that ringing in her ears again, but now she knew it wasn't ringing.
While everyone else were screaming and running away, Luck continued to scream at the top of his lungs as he thrashed against the other two like a wild animal; his facemask had fallen off, its cartoonish smile crushed under his foot as he gnashed his fangs at Coop who remained glued to the floor, frozen in fear. His neatly combed hair was a mess of wild fur and tears and his eyes were bloodshot, glossed over with something mindless and savage.
Yin had never seen Luck so furious. She had never seen Yuck so furious. She had never, in her whole life, seen anyone so utterly and completely beside themselves with rage.
"...Luck…?"
He didn't stop. He just kept screaming louder than it had to be possible - and kept going and going, even when it sounded like his lungs couldn't hold out for much longer. And while he screamed he struggled, ignoring Yang and Roger's grip on his arms and twisting them in ways that she feared would break them, all in the most desperately ferocious attempt to break free.
Grabbing on to Lena for support, Yin took a step forward; her legs were jelly under her, and she nearly toppled over. Her best friend held on to her, trying to pull her back; "Yin, don't-!"
But Yin didn't listen; she couldn't. All she could focus on was the sweet, kind rabbit that she knew, the rude and cocky rabbit he had once been, and the creature before her that was completely unrecognizable from either of them.
"Luck…" Yin's legs kept giving out on her, but she kept walking forward. She had to; she had to reach out to him. "Luck…!"
A particularly hard shove pushed Roger off of Yuck, and his now free hand reached out for Coop's face, claws inches from his eyes.
"LUCK!"
A loud crack echoed through the room, and the screaming stopped.
Coop yelped as Yuck plummeted by his feet like a sack of rocks, unmoving. Above him, Yang's Paw of Pain disintegrated with a flash of light; breathing heavily, her brother stared at the unconscious rabbit and then at his own hand, like he hadn't registered what he had just done- not until he looked at her, and his eyes were shiny with dismay.
"I-I didn't...I didn't mean…" He swallowed hard, hands shaking; "I didn't...know what else to do…!"
Yin didn't answer; she just stared numbly at him. She stared numbly at Coop, who wailed over the scratches that stung all over his face. She stared numbly at Roger who was now besides the chicken, helping him to his feet with his broken glasses in hand.
She stared numbly at Luck, lying facedown on the ground, a dark spot growing under the fur on the back of his head.
When the ringing came back, it took a while for her to realize it was her own screaming this time.