Vile Attraction (Floyd Leech/Yuu, Jade Leech/Yuu)

7 ~ Violence is the Answer

As soon as Yuu exited the lecture hall, she buried her face into the top of Grim's head and let out a groan. She had been so distracted thinking about Floyd and everything that happened last night that she couldn't focus during the test and probably did abysmally.

None of her friends seemed to be in any better condition. Grim didn't resist at all when she scooped him up and began cuddling him, also distraught by his lack of knowledge. Deuce, as per usual, was incredibly stressed because he studied as hard as he could, but he still was confused. Ace simply didn't study at all, and naturally, his performance reflected that.

"Starting to think I might drop out..." Ace grumbled as their group walked in the hallway.

Deuce brought a fist to his chest. "Think about how hard we worked to get here! If you drop out, what was it all for?" He lowered his fist and let out a quiet sigh. "Though, I do understand the feeling..."

A student walking behind them let out an obnoxious laugh at something his friend said. "Ha, that test was easy! Anyone who didn't do well is just plain stupid."

Yuu glanced at her friends, who all heard the student's proclamation and were visibly growing agitated. "Smile and wave, boys, smile and wave," she whispered to them under her breath.

"Hey, you guys!" Yuu flinched at feeling a hand on her shoulder, turning around and smacking it off. Behind her stood one of the Savanaclaw beastmen in their class. "That test was easy, right?"

They all stared at him wordlessly for a moment. "Wait a minute..." Deuce spoke, "You're that guy who tried to steal our potion in class a while back!"

"Wait, yeah, he is!" Ace exclaimed, an angry look gracing his face. "Going on about a test being easy but you can't do your own potionology work, huh?"

The beastman rolled his eyes. "C'mon, that was, like, weeks ago! Ever hear of letting bygones be bygones?"

'This place has no shortage of typical school bullies,' Yuu thought to herself, watching the conflict unfold.

"Anyway," he continued, "You think the test was hard? That's just embarrassing."

Deuce smacked his fist and his palm together, now shouting a slew of insults. Ace flinched and took a step back. "And we've lost Deuce," he whispered to Yuu and Grim.

Grim shifted in Yuu's arms to get a better view. "Hope Deuce beats this guy up real good."

"You know, it's even funnier that you're doing so bad because of how hard you try!" The student growled with a laugh. Deuce's tough expression faltered for a moment, enough for Yuu to take notice of how much the barb really stung her friend.

'Alright, that's enough.'

Yuu wordlessly shoved Grim to Ace and rolled up the sleeve of her dominant arm before taking a step toward the beastman and punching him square in the jaw. She prepared herself to throw another punch, only to find that he was out cold on the ground and his friend was long gone.

"Ah. Didn't think that'd be enough to take him out."

She gave Deuce's shoulder a pat, smiling brightly at him. "Sorry, it looked like you wanted to punch him, but you know how I feel about idiots who talk too much."

"N-No, it's okay... I appreciate it," Deuce slowly replied. "I guess this is better since I've been trying to avoid fighting..."

Ace allowed Grim to leap out of his arms before walking over to the beastman's limp body and kicking it gently. "What now? Are we gonna leave him here?"

"We should probably take him to the infirmary," Yuu sighed. "But he's buff and probably super heavy... If we leave now, we probably won't get caught..."

Deuce opened his mouth to protest, but Yuu put a finger to his lips. "Yeah, come on, let's just head to lunch! What do you mean, there's an unconscious person on the ground? I don't see anything." She grabbed him by the shoulder and dragged him along, Ace and Grim following with no complaints.

The four of them sat at a lunch table and engaged in their usual banter. That is, until Yuu noticed a certain trio from Octavinelle out of the corner of her eye.

Her heartbeat quickened and she averted her gaze. She was so happy and lovestruck this morning, but she had no idea how she would actually face him. What would she say, or do, or—

"—Hey, it's Little Shrimpy!"

Floyd slid into the empty seat next to her with a huge grin, his shoulder bumping into hers. "H-Hi, Floyd," she greeted with a nervous smile.

Ace raised an eyebrow at her uncharacteristic stammer, but he didn't question her. Not yet, at least.

"Mind if I have lunch with you guys?" Floyd asked in a polite tone, though his expression wore an intimidating grin that made it clear that he would not be taking no for an answer.

Her friends simply nodded, Grim sliding under the table and sandwiching himself between Ace and Deuce, not wanting to be anywhere near Floyd. "Awesome, thanks!"

The five of them sat in pure silence for a few moments, the only noises from them being chewing and Grim choking on his food after eating too fast. Floyd leaned forward to bury his face in his arms. "Man, you guys are boring," he sighed, turning his head to look at Yuu. "Shrimpy, wanna come with me?"

"Huh?" She tilted her head questioningly.

"I got something to show you," he said with a grin. "Wanna see?" He rose from his seat and held out a hand, offering it to Yuu.

She hesitated, glancing between Floyd and her three friends a few times before tentatively placing her hand in his. His grin widened and he yanked her out of her seat, dragging her into an empty hallway just as he had however many weeks ago.

"I missed you," he said with a smile, twirling her around and giving her a deep kiss. After pulling away, he held her closer in a hug and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Did you like the hot cocoa?" She could practically hear the grin in his voice. "I didn't wanna leave, but Azul was being a whiny crybaby."

"I-It's okay," she replied quietly, carefully placing her hands on his back. "I did like it. Thanks for making it for me."

He pulled back to simply admire her with a wide smile on his face before pulling her into another kiss. "You're so cute, Shrimpy~"

This all seemed so surreal, almost as though it was fake. Everything was just so fast. "Floyd, I have a question." Being around him never used to make her feel this way. She felt happy, in love, and very... small. Not in relation to size, but the way his presence would fill her with so much dopamine was almost overwhelming. She wasn't used to it.

"What is it, Shrimpy?" A hand on the back of her head gently threaded through her hair.

She glanced to the side. "Are we... dating?"

He blinked. "Aren't we? I thought we were."

"I mean, we didn't really talk about it..."

"I figured with all the kissing 'n stuff we were," Floyd laughed, leaning down to press a kiss on Yuu's forehead. "But I guess I should've made sure. Shrimpy, do ya wanna go out with me?"

She let out a giggle and nodded. "Of course I do."

He pulled her in for yet another kiss, which she happily allowed him. Any plans she previously had to return to her lunch table were now lost. She was content being right where she was now.