Violets Before Violence

Axel got under the covers after folding up her dress for the night, leaving on her chemise and bloomers. "I'm glad we get to share a bed tonight. I don't think I could stand to be myself." Tears formed at the corners of her eyes once again.

"Hmhmm…" Lutz joined her.

-thunk-… -thunk-

"Um…what's that sound?" Axel tilted her resting head.

Both listened. Both soon wished they hadn't.

Lutz rolled her eyes. "Ugh…can they not?"

Axel blushed."Quiet, sis, they can't help it."

"More like Master can't," Lutz scoffed with reddened ears.

"Well he did just lose everything. It's how Colbran's deal with grief I suppose. I mean, he cling to others when he lost Nessa, remember?"

"Yeah… 'cling'. But we know Katsuki is something far more to him- oh come on!" She plugged her ears.

Axel blushed harder. "W-We will just…oh…it seems they are done."

Lutz unplugged her ears and pulled over the covers around her. "Thank God."

Axel held her sister's hand. "Lutz…?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think Yuri got with Master too fast?"

Lutz huffed. "Not really our business, sis. Are we having a fan girl wonder moment?"

Axel's eyes wavered. "I know its not really your thing but…"

"It was yours and Loop's thing so you've never asked me." Lutz stretched her legs under the covers. "Fine, yes I do. As much as Yuri held back and was angry for reasons I still don't understand, I think, somewhere along the way he just gave into his heart- blech- sappy shit…" Lutz muttered making a face. "They're so messed up they don't see how obvious they are to others."

Ms. Purple giggled.

"By the way, that asshole down in the brig? He's a big mess. Master and Yuri are really at odds over the guy."

"That's not fair, Lutz. Yuri said it was ten years of abuse."

Lutz nodded. "Hmhmm, 'healing is a life long thing'. I remember when Master Nikiforov said something like that to us, which is why I'm confused he was so adamant in not trusting Phichit at all."

"I'm sure there is more to that story. You had no right to say it should've been him though."

"I'd still rather have our sister here."

Axel's lip quivered and sniffed. "What do you think Loop is doing right now?"

Ms. Blue turned onto her side. "Probably skipping."

A tear rolled down Axel's face. "Yeah…she'd probably still want to cheer up that Phichit boy in her own way if she could..."

"No?" They said at the same time, quoting their lost sibling, before they laugh-cried, holding onto each other's hands.

Axel wiped a tear. "I'm going to miss her. Our Loop."

"She was too good for what's to come."

Axel nodded. "Probably…still hurts though."

"Like a bitch." Lutz wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

Axel sniffed. "Ney…do you think we are free now that Master has lost his Lordship?"

"Do you want to be?"

Axel shook her head. "I was just pondering is all. D-Do you think Master is sad for us too?"

"I don't know. I've never seen any Colbran cry, can't say that's bothered me though."

"Well, you're you, Lutz. Frank to fault."

"Yep." Lutz snuggled into her pillow. "Ah. By the way -yawn- whoever shot -hrm- is dead."

Axel petted her sister's hair. "With you behind a bow again? I can only imagine."


"It's only been a week," Yuri remarked quietly.

"Yes it has, and?"

"Victor…"

Chris took a swig and swallowed. It was late, the girls had gone to bed and the three of them were up in the living space having a drink, unable to sleep a wink at the moment.

"Look, Yuri, ya friend isn't talking. Have you gleaned anythin' as to why?"

Yuri looked down and then bit his lip. "Looking back, he said…something about wanting what he loved back when I was in prison…that was before he uh-"

"Was that before Minami found ya two?" Christophe asked.

Victor was clearly bristling, but remained silent as he took a sip.

Yuri fidgeted in his seat. "Y-Yeah…I think there might -uh- be something…unrequited there…"

"Fuckin' A…" Chris sighed through his nose. "If he isn't goin' to help then he is dead weight, Yuri. Morja doesn't have room for that…literally in some respects."

Yuri balled his hands into fists under table. "You're not getting rid of him."

Chris surrendered, lifting both hands up. "Fine, fine, but we can't make a move without his help. At this point, I doubt, 'we will give your freedom', will be enough."

"I think it will be just fine," Lutz remarked.

"Honestly, men…" Axel folded her arms.

"Honey, why couldn't we just talk again?"

"Oh bloody hell, Babe! Why did you bring him up here?" Chris stood up. "And just how long were you standing there?"

Under the dim light of the room with no around cuffs his freshly healed wrists, stood Phichit awkwardly looking at the ground surrounded by the three girls who had taken it upon themselves to let him out.

She pursed her lips. "Long enough."

Yuri knew that look 'Busted…'


"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."

Yuri walked back upstairs. "Oh, Axel, is that for him?"

She stood ready with a tray at the top. "Yes, is it okay, now?"

Yuri nodded. "Yeah, just…are you sure you want to? I mean, you did ask for a day…"

"We're used to bustling about, the longer I sat around this morning the more I realized I like to work through my pain instead. I feel carrying on is what she would want too.

Katsuki placed a hand Ms. Purple's shoulder. "I'm still sorry."

Axel nodded. "I will miss my sister, but know I don't regret following Victor and neither would she."

Yuri gave a sympathetic look and stepped aside. "I'm here to talk, Axel. So is Yuuko if you want to, remember that."

"Thank you, Yuri. Good luck at the firing range." With that she headed down the stairs.

Once there, she slid the tray past the flap in the door. "There you go."

The locked up boy remained still on his cot. "Please take it back."

"Why?"

"I don't deserve to eat."

Axel was supposed to come right back upstairs, Sir Christophe's orders, but…

"I am supposed to see to it you eat."

Phichit held onto his knees. "I don't want to eat."

"Why are you upset?" She looked at the wrapping work Chris had done around Phichit's wrists. "Why did you hurt yourself?" She asked calmly, unable to not pry as the oldest sister.

"Why do you care?"

"Because I should be upset too. Not eating, angry at the world I lost my sister less than forty-eight hours ago and yet I'm not."

"Why? Are you cold-hearted like them?"

She put her hands in front on her. "Them? You mean the Colbrans? My Master? The Lord who saved my sisters and I from our abusive First Master and, instead, treated us with kindness? You don't know him. But, no, I am not angry because I see you and how angry you are and it looks too painful."

"Well aren't you Ms. Perfect. Sounds like you're in denial to me, keeping yourself busy."

She shrugged. "To each their own."

"Ooo~ does your Master know you have a cold shoulder?" He mocked. "Do you know he hurt Yuri? My old buddy said so himself…not that I should tell you. You seem so set that Niki-bastard is a knight in shining armor."

"You and Yuri were friends?"

"Wha-? Yes, but didn't you hear me?"

"Yes, but that's their business and, frankly, I'm more interested in you and how I can get you to eat."

"You...You're not here to get me to talk about…"

"Political stuff? No. I'm a maid. I want people to eat and feel safe. That is my job."

"I-I see…" Phichit eyed the tray, it was clear how he sniffed and held his stomach he couldn't deny it all. "I'll take the bread and water. You take the rest."

"Why not more?"

"I don't want any, okay?!" He snapped.

"Very well." She took back the tray after he took his selections.

'What a bother…he snaps like Lutz on a bad day.'

Silence loomed between them for a few moments.

"What? You're going to watch me eat it?"

"Is that really so wrong? How old are you? Not, that I mean to be demeaning, I don't."

"Twenty. Why?"

She shrugged. "No reason really."

Phichit took a bite and swallowed. "You, uh…um…you're different."

Axel raised an eyebrow. "Thank you?"

"Do you think I'll see you again down here?"

She nodded. "Most likely."

"How old are you?"

"Almost nineteen."

"Heh…figures. And still too optimistic. You've never seen the world burn like me."

"My trip- twin, Lutz, she says I'm too optimistic as well. I'm the oldest so I gotta be. As for your pain. I can't tell you what to do with it other than don't let it drag you down. Let others help you."

Phicit swallowed another bite. "Hmm…Sorry…that happened to your sister. Loop, right?"

Axel nodded. "Thank you. I hope you feel better soon."

Phichit grunted. "Don't hold your breath. I fucked up terribly."

"I think we're all feeling terrible in one way or another."

Phichit stood up with his cup. "Yeah…but you may not like my sins."

"Sins are never things to like," Axel replied. "I-"

"Oi, missy!" Christophe called down. "Your sister, Yuuko and I would like a word with ya!"

"All right! One moment!" She turned back to Phichit who had moved to his cot. "See you later."


Victor stood up. "You really have overstepped, girls." He spoke with clear restraint.

Lutz shrugged a shoulder. "Not really."

Axel held her ground. "I reached out to him and eventually pulled Lutz and Ms. Yuuko with me to just talk. We kinda…clicked?"

"Group therapy?" Yuri clarified.

Axel nodded. "Yeah. Sort of. We would've invited you, Yuri, but we felt it was for the best we hadn't."

Yuri could only nod. 'Whatever works I suppose.'

Lutz stepped forward. "So, the four of us would like to propose something, okay?"

Victor and Christophe looked at each other, unsure.

"No, I insist it's all right." Yuuko stepped forward.

Yuri just sat there, dumbfounded and yet relieved Christophe nor Victor had charged off, ignoring the girls, dragging Phichit back downstairs.

The Colbran men sat back down with a huff, well, Yuri had pull Victor's hand to get him to stop staring at Phichit.

"Fine…the floor is yours, Babe."

"He gives you a name you don't get all bent out of shape," Yuuko informed. "You don't hold it over his head that he 'should've told you sooner' or something."

"In return, Phichit doesn't return to the brig. Only way to heal is to be a part of something," Axel informed. "You said yourself, Master. So, we would like for him to train with my sister and me."

Victor cleared his throat. "I did say that, but I don't trust him with a gun. Ten years or not, what he did to Yuri and who knows what else to others."

"We understand that Master, we didn't say it would be easy," Lutz replied.

Victor frowned a little. "I…I'm not your Master anymore, I wish you would stop calling me that."

"But you are until slavery ends," Axel replied. "None of us are truly free until great change is made…" her voice trailed off as she turned towards Phichit, prompting him to step forward.

Yuri felt Victor's hand tighten around his own.

"I…I'm not about to…approve, Yuri, of you and him…but the girls are right…we talked."

"L-Lutz is pretty motivating, isn't she?" Yuri gently replied.

Phichit didn't look up, but rubbed his left arm. "They all are. Quite a number of, um, stories were shared these past days," he cleared his throat, "no names, though…because I…I just...if these individuals knew it it was me…"

"And we are now in a disadvantage?" Yuri guessed after a long period of silence.

Yuri's old friend nodded. "I can't…I can't go back, Yuri I…" tears welled up in his eyes as he held his shaking head. "And I have wronged you and…sorry." He choked out the last part as tears flowed down his face.

'It's scary to think about if we were to lose…' Yuri thought.

Katsuki wanted hold his friend, but he didn't want to upset Victor either. In his place, Axel did so for him, not that she knew what ran through his mind.

"Listen kid, there's a lot we here don't know," Christophe remarked, leaning against the table.

Phichit sniffed. "I'm twenty. I'm not a kid."

"Fine. Look, we don't know why they decided to hit Nikiforov's estate, it could be for you or for Yuri or just because they freaking felt like it. All the research and alliances Victor had built over the years is gone. A heavy hitter sponsor for Morja is now gone too so maybe the team was after Victor, we don't know. That's where you come in."

Phichit remained silent, but appeared to be listening as Axel rubbed his back.

"If we can just get our foot in the door and be heard by a councilman we might have a chance to set things in motion," Christophe went on. "If we could set you free from them, proving them guilty, you could be under my care, according to the paperwork. Plus, depending on who they are, can make a huge difference on morale if you think about it. Seeing a high brass or official knocked down several pegs for once? It could very well spur further action creating a domino effect if we'd be so lucky."

Yuri sat up. "We were going to use my unjust arrest as a reason to get our foot in the door, but nothing came of it. Please, we really need your testimony so we can go to court rather than start a war."

"Then…that's why you have gun practice?"

"A precaution," Victor replied.

"Are there any other contingencies you want to add, Master?" Axel inquired.

Victor nodded and sat up. "A laundry list, but I'll pick a few since it's late. Phichit, until otherwise you are to be escorted by anyone but Yuri at all times. Two, you're at least still sleeping in that brig, because, frankly, I don't like the idea of you scampering off because your nerves happened to act up. Otherwise, you're free to roam and eat with us as long as you share information and pitch in, preferably in ways that don't involve my head possibly becoming target practice. Three," he picked up Yuri's hand and kissed the back of it, "learn to deal he is mine."

Christophe face planted onto the table. Yuri went beet red, Axel and Lutz held Phichit back from lunging forward while Yuuko chided Victor for blatantly trying to make things worse while he casually buried his face into Yuri's hair, seemingly, without a care.

'Fucking prick.' Yuri rolled his eyes. 'Maybe Couple's therapy should be next.'


Notes:

Thank you for reading. :)

I've considered an actual group therapy scene…no. XD;;; Not lazy, just felt it would drag the story down to a crawl. lol