[Mafdet Khepri]

Khepri refused to let go of Yoko's hand. Ever since they'd gotten out of the forest the catbug hadn't budged an inch, sticking right next to Yoko with their head on a swivel. Until they were back safe and sound Khepri stayed on guard. There wasn't going to be the slightest risk of danger, they wouldn't allow it. Not again. Every so often Khepri squeezed Yoko's hand just to make sure she was still there. Other times she leaned closer so their shoulders touched. Sometimes they even used their tail to check. Rarely their eyes though. Even if they hadn't realized it deep inside they were still afraid of what they'd see if they looked. It was still time to make sure Yoko got back safely. They couldn't afford to break right now, not yet. Later. Not now. That brought up a new problem though. What if she wasn't safe in the dorms? How would Khepri be able to make sure? "Maybe I can just move in." The catbug mused out loud. It seemed as good of a solution as any. They really, really, really didn't want to separate from Yoko right now. WORDS 204 TAGS Yanai Yoko NOTES ---

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS & THQ

[Yanai Yoko]

Yoko had never felt as paranoid as she did making it back out of that forest. Constantly checking around them and behind them to make sure whatever unholy thing they had faced didn't follow them out of the woods. Between keeping an eye out and working together with Khepri to get back to the campus, she spent her time being just as scared as Khepri, holding onto them too. She had never seen Khepri like this, and she didn't expect it from them either. Sure, they had freaked out before, but they were also incredibly tough, always laughing or joking even through the hardest tests, or scariest of situations. She was at least as worried about Khepri as they were about her.

She would lead Khepri back to her own dorm first, sitting outside on the patio with them as she looked up at the stars. She only snapped out of it when they spoke up again. She didn't really think about it, but they were sitting close to each other, and had been holding hands since they left that scary place... Didn't Khepri feel weird about her? What if her hands were too sweaty, or her grip too tight? ''I'd have to ask Nat.'' Although honestly, she would love it if Khepri moved in right now. ''Are you okay?'' She squeezed Khepri's hand gently. ''What happened back there... Um... It wasn't real.'' Or at least only partially real. She said it just as much to comfort Khepri as she did to comfort herself. She was just starting to grapple with the fact that she had helped a villain that threatened her with violence again, and it made her feel like a piece of shit.

She reached into her pocket and took out a pack of cigarettes. ''Have you ever smoked one of these.'' She took one out and handed it to Khepri. ''It helps me when I'm nervous and it feels like the whole world is collapsing around me.''

Mafdet Khepri

[Mafdet Khepri]

Where are we?

Even sitting down they still felt tense, their heart beating a mile a minute and their throat still a bit sore from the panicked return from the forest. They couldn't be sure that what they'd seen wasn't still following them, nor could they be sure there was nothing else.

Every time they blinked they just saw Yoko covered in blood, the image displayed vividly on the inside of their eyelids.

They couldn't drop their guard yet. "Let's do it," Khepri said without a moment of hesitation, the reminder that Nat was there too alleviating their worries a little bit but not enough to calm down. They didn't know how strong Nat was nor whether she'd arrive in time if, if something… Khepri swallowed as they seemed to choke on something despite not having eaten anything. "I'm okay. Nothing hurt me." Even as they spoke they realized their mistake, how could they have been so stupid! Their eyes left the surroundings immediately to look right at Yoko. She was hurt, Khepri had seen it, how could they just sit here? "Not real? Huh?" Was this a dream, no, a nightmare maybe? Was Yoko their subconscious trying to get them to wake up?

Their other hand came up to pinch their cheek. Ow! Not a nightmare. Something else then. "Oh, a trick?" Khepri asked with a tilt of their head, face flushing as they suddenly felt profoundly stupid. Of course. Spirits pulled all kinds of tricks. They even knew how dangerous those could be and if the stories they had heard about Kitsune were anything to go by fox spirits could be particularly tricky.

Only then did they really see Yoko without the filter of their overwhelming fear. There was no blood. She was alright. Just in case Khepri quickly looked her over, eyes flicking from the top of her head to the tip of her shoes and back. She was really alright. Tension left the catbug like water spilling from a popped balloon. Almost immediately they looked like they might have very well gotten soaked by it, their ears flattening against their head, their shoulders sagging and their torso leaning forward just a little bit. Anxiety and caution had faded paving the way for the delayed wave of exhaustion to finally hit them, their wired senses beginning to spool down as they let out a long yawn.

Shaking their head in response they accepted the cigarette without even a second thought. Or a first, the idea of refusing something Yoko gave them never even occurring. Looking down at it Khepri turned the cigarette over and looked at it from every angle while considering Yoko's words. They'd never felt like that, Khepri convinced themself even as their eyes briefly glazed over, but if it helped Yoko they wanted to know what it did. Bringing it close to their mouth they looked back at Yoko.

"I don't have anything to light this and i'm not fast enough yet to do it myself."

tagged: Yanai Yoko || word count: 509 || notes: x

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[Yanai Yoko]

''Yeah.'' She agreed plainly. Weeks ago she would have been excited at the idea of having Khepri living with her, but now all she felt was fear. Fear that something might happen to Khepri if she wasn't there to protect them. Fear that the school couldn't help them the way she could. She still remembered that look in Khepri's eyes as they forged ahead through the forest... What was that, who was that? ''Good. I'm glad you're okay.'' She wished she knew what to say, but she could hardly even think about what words to choose at the moment. Hearing Khepri's voice and hearing herself respond, that was enough to keep her sane and grounded right now.

She looked at Khepri as they pinched their cheek, putting on a weak, tired smirk. ''It has to be, right? The blood's gone.'' She held up one of her braids which had been stained by illusion blood in the forest. ''And I doubt Bakuretsu is dead and has come back as a floating head.'' She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so exhausted, like both her and Khepri had been slammed by a freight train and survived, but all the ache and trauma persisted.

When Khepri looked at her she looked into their eyes. Were they really okay? Why were they inspecting her so closely, like the breeze was going to be enough to make her crumble. She had never really thought about it, but there was something calming about Khepri's eyes. Vibrant and warm, when she looked into them it felt like she was cuddling up to a pleasant light in the dark.

Their joke about not being fast enough to light it themself earned a half-chuckle from Yoko. About as much as she could muster right now. ''I'll light it for you, here.'' She reached into her pocket and took out a lighter, leaning in gently to light their cigarette. ''Just take it slow at first, it might taste bad, but it'll help you relax.'' She lit one for herself too and leaned back, looking up at the night sky before she felt her head slowly slide down onto Khepri's shoulder.

Then it all hit her again, a lump in her throat stopping her from speaking as tears suddenly welled up in her eyes. She was a disgrace, having worked together with a villain. How could someone like her ever hope to become a hero, let alone someone worthy of friends and loved ones? What a piece of shit she was. Her dad was right to doubt her, Hebiru was right to put distance between them when she was younger. Curling her legs into herself, she felt tears run down her face as she started quietly sobbing, one hand holding onto Khepri like they were her only lifeline left in this world.

''I messed up, Khepri... I'm a bad person.''

Mafdet Khepri