Painted

"So…you're together then? With him…of all people?"

Yuri nodded.

"That's disgusting."

"Does it look like I care what you think, Phichit? What I care about is you to stop hurting yourself."

"They put me in the brig!"

"Um, hello, why do you think that is? Take a hard look over your actions before you judge others."

Phichit scowled and looked over his shoulder.

Yuri's eyes softened. "You know I forgave you, but you can't blame others for not trusting you if you won't talk to us."

"What good will it do to give you the names of my abusers now, anyway? We are stuck on this pebble of a moon and your sugar daddy can't foot any kind of bill, or has any influence now either."

"Okay. First of all, don't insult Victor, you don't know him."

"He hurt you, you said so yourself, so I'll call him what I want."

"You did too and more so. Would you like him to call you 'filth'?"

"He wouldn't be wrong…" Phichit looked at his recently bandaged wrists.

"Well you're not. You were put through a wringer and I'm sorry you were. Victor can hypnotize, help you forget, but I doubt you'd want that. Not to mention you have to give us the intel first."

Phichit nodded. "You got that right. I won't be touched by them again, Yuri."

"I understand." Yuri stood up. "Axel will be down here with your food. Christophe told me he had double swept your room for any further sharp objects so heal up, okay? My God, I had a heart attack this morning when Chris came up with blood on his hands before he explained what happened!"

Phichit remained silent on the ground.

Yuri sighed and gripped the brig's bars again. "One day, I'd like to fight with you, Phichit, so we can someday live in peace like when we were kids. Please, understand that."


"Still nothing?"

-bang-

"Nope."

-bang-

"Has he said anything?"

-bang-

"Not really."

"It's been two days."

Yuri reloaded his gun as Victor showed him. "Ten years is a long time to overcome, Victor."

Under the atmospheric dome of the Morja moon, the two were outside where a make-shift firing range had targets planted into the moon's ashen soil positioned for practice. If Yuri missed, it would hit the crater behind the targets or the soil.

Yuri aimed his gun again.

Victor shook his head. "Nope. Let me help you."

Yuri let Nikiforov position his arms. "Both eyes open, Yuri. You keep squinting thus missing."

"It's the only way I seem to be able to focus on the target. Otherwise it's blurry. Human eyes aren't nearly good as yours."

"Glasses, then?"

"Yeah…I really don't want to have to rely on them though."

"Well if you want to be a good shot then you might need to have some."

"How on this rock are we going to find a pair?"

-swish~ thunk!

The two males turned to see an arrow had landed square in the eyes of a distant target.

Lutz lowered her crossbow. "My first Master liked to make me run around for my life in the arena with animals."

"Fucking course they did," Yuri muttered.

"If it makes you feel better I'm rusty. I was aiming for the center."

"No. No not really…"


"The man can't see very well, huh? That's a shame."

"Are there glasses around here, Christophe?" Victor asked as he, Yuri, Yuuko, Chris, and the twins sat around the living space for dinner.

They scratched their chin. "Hmmm…more like goggles, a visor, at best."

Yuri swallowed a sip of water. "That sounds more durable than a piece of plastic that can break on me."

Giacometti nodded. "Yup. Follow me after we eat and I'll show you the tech we got."

"Why are you so bent to learn, Yuri?" Yuuko asked as she dished out another helping onto Yuri's plate.

"I want to be useful."

"But you are, Yuri. You're a bright person."

The blonde set down his cup. "The man wants to learn more tactical knowledge, Babe, let him. Far as I know, we will have a battle on our hands soon enough."

"What makes you say that?" Victor asked.

"Call it a gut feeling."

Victor set down his fork. "Your gut feelings were never a good sign…"

"Nope."

Yuri and others blanched at the Colbrans' frankness.


"Phichit…I brought you dinner."

"Not hungry."

"You've barely touched anything since we got here!"

"I don't care."

Yuri set the tray down in front of the door and gripped the bars. "What do you want? Why won't you help us?"

"Because I am still. Here! Locked up!"

"Phichit," Yuri hissed in concern, not wishing to yell. "Please, I just want to help you."

They folded their arms. "You want to help yourself."

"What is it?! I saw that hint in your eyes when I asked you to fight with me in the study! I'm sorry Vict- …oh…that's why isn't it? You can't handle it, can you?"

Phichit's cold eyes faltered.

Yuri's throat tightened as his hands white-knuckle gripped the bars. "I can't…believe you…"

"What? Finding your warped, fuck-boy of a relationship gross? Me? No~"

Yuri gritted his teeth. "Why do you keep…pressing buttons?"

Phichit's jaw dropped slightly.

Katsuki's eyes widened a bit in turn.

'He is looking to be hated…he wants me to storm off…'

"I don't think…bribes would do anyone good…but I'd like to meet you half way… I'm sure you don't trust them as much as they don't trust you…what if you three…just talked?"

"Ha! As if I'll believe them."

"Or you! But it wouldn't hurt to try, right? You reveal a little, they do so in kind. I'll mediate. That way its even."

Phichi remained silent.

Yuri stepped back after setting the tray inside, past the flap in the door. "Think on it, okay?"


"And over here we have the gun racks, over here the is the protective gear, the communicators…" Minami rattled off with stars in his blood red and purple eyes, a completely opposite vibe than what Yuri saw when they had met.

"Psst, Chris, why is he?"

"It's his shtick. He's got a better memory than most on weapon manuals, its scary."

"Hey, Boss! I found the Optic-3s!"

"Great! Bring one over!" Chris looked at Yuri. "The blue one!"

"Eh?! Why that color?"

Chris gave a wink. "You were drawn to his baby blue, weren't ya? Now let's get goin' so ya can meet your coach out at the range for practice."

"Katsuki, this is an Optic-3," Minami began and rattled off the facts so fast Chris had to clamp a hand over the smaller Colbran's mouth.

'Jeez…it looks like a pair of extra large goggles all right...' Yuri studied the pair suspiciously before sliding the tech over his eyes, brushing the flexible, metallic, spine-like sides over his ears and around his head to clasp the magnetic closures together in the back. '…with a third eye…why would I need this to have to have a laser point-'

Chris hit the button over Yuri's right temple.

"Whoa!"

The device had a night vision mode according to Minami, but for his use Yuri felt he had eagle eyes in comparison when the inner circles behind the frames sucked around his eyes like swimmer goggles when the switch was turned on. Around his peripheral he could see the blue rims had become an electric blue when turned on as well. Further objects became sharper or fuzzier depending where he focused as the Optic-3 would adjust close to natural eyes.

Yuri held his head to get his barring. "This…is gonna take a bit…"

Chris set a hand on the human's shoulder. "If ya think that's all we are going to suit you up with y'av another thing comin'." He then pointed over his shoulder to where the twins stepped forward having dressed in black while their favorite color had been spray painted over leather belts while their ribbons continued to hold up their braided hair.

'So much for distribution duty…'

"How was practice ladies?!"

"Miss Yuuko continues to be a fine teacher, Sir Chris!" Axel praised as she set down her rifle.

"Two hundred points in thirty minutes, sir. I know I can do better," Lutz self-berated as she set down her cross bow.

'Do I know them or not?!' Yuri felt more inadequate by the second.


Alone, Yuri approached the firing range outfitted in black pants, boots with a long sleeved turtle neck made out of black-blue sweater like material that hugged his skin. He was still in awe the rough around the edges place even had such tech and combatant clothes underground.

'There was a fucking day I wasn't so self-conscious…'

Yuri also felt ridiculous, but Axel was sure that was his nerves talking.

-bang, bang, bang-

Perfect head shots. No otherworldly gifts needed.

'…then I fell for that prick…'

Dressed in navy complete with worn combat boots, Victor had seen to his clothes he had arrived in were cleaned and folded away days ago for when That Day came.

That was the ultimate goal. Getting the hell off and stand before a jury. They all knew it would be a mess the second they landed. Those who had come after them were expected to be on the ground waiting. Victor had already surmised they didn't bother to follow because it would garner way too much unwanted attention.

Soon, the girls had done the same and been donning nearly all black since while Yuri had been comfortable in alternative clothes until now.

'Still don't like snug fitting things…'

Remembering what he had learned, Yuri didn't approach Victor's back any further, instead went off to the side to catch the corner of their eye in order to not surprise them and accidently get shot.

Yuri pulled down the Optic-3 and got to work, not bothering to say hello.

-bang-

Miss.

-bang-

Miss.

Yuri felt is elbow being pushed up as another pressure rested on his shoulder to nudge his posture.

-bang-

Hit.

"I could've jumped around and shot you." Yuri reloaded, keeping the device over his eyes, not bothering to look to see who it was. He knew.

"I wouldn't side stepped easily."

"Of course you would."

"Can you see better with those?"

"Its certainly sharper, but my aim clearly sucks. Meanwhile, the girls are apparent savants."

"Are you seriously comparing dicks now?"

Yuri flipped the safety on and spun around, pushing the device up to his forehead. "I suck at this."

"Well, yes, but I fell on my ass practicing spins on the ice at first. Your point?"

Yuri pursed his lips. "We don't know how long we have before we are forced to leave, if at all." Yuri lowered his head as he talked. "I…I don't want to be the weakest one…not just some…"

"Yuri…look at me."

"I don't want to."

"Why?"

"Because…I'm not feeling very bright today…"

Victor stepped forward. "Yuri…what's wrong?"

Yuri, blushing, kept his head down and to the side as he scratched his arm. "I…don't want to be just some… bed warmer, okay?"

"Well you're not. Phichit get under your skin? He made it clear he doesn't approve of us."

Yuri kicked the sandy soil. "Maybe…yeah. But don't pick on them, ok?"

Victor lifted Yuri's chin. "You're not weak Yuri, no one here thinks you are either. You're not weak with firing a gun, you're new. Big difference."

"Doesn't feel different." Yuri turned around muttering, lowering the device over his eyes.

"Come, try again." Victor observed and assisted Yuri with his posture once more.

-bang-

Miss.

-bang-

Hit.

By the end of the day it was improved, but Yuri barely felt better.