{Yue's POV}
Tap, tap, tap…
Yue sat outside of the nurse's office, her foot tap-tap-tapping on the clean waxed floor. She clutched Yunhua's orange soda drenched blazer to her chest, the fabric cool and sticky against her palms.
She stared through the hallway window.
Outside, the sky sagged low and pale, drained of color, drowning the entire world in grey. Trees below shuddered under the wind, their branches trembling as if they could feel her attention on them and curling subtly out of her way.
Inside the room, Yue could hear muffled rustling and hushed voices. Yue was getting restless, and the hallway's dull whine only made it worse.
"Tch." The quiet, serrated sound slipped between her teeth as Yue bit her perfect lips. The branches outside the window almost stopped in the breeze and shrank away from her gaze.
Her cherry-red irises darkened, narrowing into wine-colored slits that caught the dim light like polished glass. They were the only splash of colour in the hallway against the marbled waxed floor and bleached walls.
"What's wrong with you…?" Yue murmured to herself, furrowing her eyes in frustration. She tugged on her hair.
Yunhua had stirred something in Yue—something old and territorial. Yue still didn't understand it. Yue's fingers tightened around the blazer, her nails a little sharper than they should have been. She'd forgotten to blunt them again.
And then there was the choker, that thin, black band wrapping around Yunhua's throat.
Why did Yunhua wear it? Was she claimed by someone else? Or did someone hurt her?
Why wouldn't Yunhua stand up for herself, and willingly be hurt by others? She looked so timid, but Yue could tell from her body that she was more than capable of standing up for herself.
Tap, tap, tap—Yue's foot sped up, tapping faster as shadows from the overcast sky pooled beneath her shoes like spilled ink. The windows seemed obedient, gathering the dull light in strands around her.
Then she stopped.
If someone had hurt Yunhua…
…
A faint rumble rolled through the overcast sky a moment later, as though the clouds needed time to catch up with her heartbeat. Yue exhaled slowly. A thread of cold air slipped from her lungs, and the hallway lights flickered.
Yue shook her head side to side, trying to clear the thought from her head.
Her gaze dropped to the blazer.
Something drew Yue to lift toward her face. She drew in a breath. Beneath the sting of orange soda, she caught a faint trace of Yunhua's scent. It was soft, like the smell in the air after spring rain and sleep. It made her chest tighten as Yue took another breath, burying her nose into the fabric. She couldn't get enough of it.
Her tails—if she'd had them out—would've been lashing and wagging.
"Mine," she whispered—then froze.
Heat flooded her ears and face as embarrassment hit her all at once. No, Yue berated herself, slapping her cheeks. Not mine. Yue didn't… She couldn't be spoiled by vices, she wasn't—
The thought dissolved when the door to the nurse's office slid open with a soft clack. Yunhua stepped out, the grey hallway light almost clinging to her tired frame.
- - -
{Yunhua's POV}
The school nurse was a kind woman who didn't ask many questions. A quick check, some gauze, and a careful towel wipe later, she sent me back out into the hallway.
The door slid shut behind me with a soft click.
"...Are you okay?"
Yue was sitting on one of the waiting chairs, hands folded neatly in her lap. Her midnight hair cloaked her shoulders and her cherry-red eyes looked up to me expectantly. The overhead lights pooled weakly around her, pale and tired.
I smiled. Or—I tried. The corners of my mouth twitched, like I wasn't used to it.
"Yes," I said quietly. "I am. Thank you."
Yue couldn't possibly be fine, though. I had yelled at her. Why did she wait for me anyway?
My gaze dropped to the floor, half-hidden behind still-damp strands of hair clinging to my cheeks. The hallway felt too quiet, like the sound had been wrapped in cotton. Even the lights above us hummed weakly, strained and distant. Ah, right… I was still wearing Yue's blazer. I slid it off my shoulders. It was too big for me and I folded it carefully over my arm before holding it out to her.
"Thank you for letting me borrow it," I said. "And I'm sorry for yelling—"
Yue reached out and gently pressed my arm back down, cutting me off.
"Keep it," she said. Her voice had an edge to it, like she was refusing to acknowledge my apology. "I don't want people staring at you."
"But—"
"That's final." She stood. The light shifted around her, dimming as if the hallway itself leaned closer to listen. "I'll dry your blazer at home and bring it to you tomorrow."
Tomorrow.
Bring it back to me tomorrow… yeah. Right. If she wanted to throw it away instead, I supposed that would make sense. It was probably what I deserved.
All of a sudden, Guiying's lilting laugh filled my head. It was her, running away with my blazer, teasing me.
「 'Yunhua~ It's not fair that you can keep this all to yourself. I need to keep you with me at home, too, you know~?' 」
I remembered running after her, laughing without thinking.
I…
My hands found each other and worked themselves together. I glanced out the window. The skies rumbled ominously, heavy and grey. The light filtering through the glass was dull and flat, washing everything in pale tones.
Was it going to rain again?
My dull, grey eyes dropped to the ground.
"...Thank you," I said.
My voice was tiny, barely audible above the whining of the lights.