Sukoshi Chō (Little Butterfly) Yomo x reader x Uta *postponed*

Chapter Fifteen: Wits End

Iba's head ached and her ears rang as she laid herself down on the bed. She felt disgusting and wanted to take another bath, but she had no strength left to walk to the shower room and then get up afterwards.

She looked to the clock on her nightstand and sighed loudly: 21:48.

Slowly she began to drift off, but awoke with a start when her nightmares began to catch up to her. It was all she could do not to give up as she stared at the clock, waiting for it to be morning so she could go to work and loose herself in it all.

"Fuck." Iba sat up slowly, still clutching the towel that was around her waist and got up to get her landline phone. As she stumbled out of her bedroom, she glanced at the bloody mess on the floor and the other 'things'.

She picked up the phone and dialed the number, praying silently that he would pick up.

"Yes?" It felt like she had been waiting on the phone for hours.

"Hi, I, I need you t-to come over please. I-I need help. Please." Her voice was quiet and she whimpered a little as she bit her lip to keep from crying.

"Okay, I'll be right over, just stay put," there was a long silence between the two before he spoke again. "Are you okay?"

"No, p-please just hurry up."

Iba picked up her phone to call for the third time. He wasn't there yet. Why not? Where the hell was he?

The door opened not 10 minutes later and Uta entered the room, looking at the floor and taking it all in, but the door opened once more and someone else stepped in.

"Ren?" She stared at them both as she curled up on the floor next to a bookcase, using it as support.

"What the hell happened here?" Uta was always the first to ask.

"I-I th-thought, I thought I could trust him, he-he came in and-and told me that it would all be over s-soon..." She began to cry again, loud childish sobs with fat tears rolling down and staining her cheeks.

Not knowing what to do, the two men stood by the door for a long time before Yomo walked over and crouched down next to her. He reached to touch her hair, but like a cat, she pulled back until the back of her head hit the wall. He slowly reached out again and brushed the back of his hand and his knuckles on her freckled cheek.

"You're cold." Uta reached for a blanket off the couch, but Yomo had already taken his jacket off and wrapped it around her by the time he looked back.

Iba looked past Yomo and at Uta with the same eyes as the day in his shop. She looked healthy on the outside, but her eyes had a dull sheen that no one ever envies. Her hair was in ratty clumps and the skin that usually was pale with the occasional blemish was now covered in bruises and scratches.

"Do you want me to clean this up?" Uta's question was quiet, almost to the point that she didn't hear him. The dead silence made him feel like he was being let down all over again.

"Y-yeah, that would be great..." Iba's voice trailed off as she stared back down at the floor and leaned her head on Yomo's shoulder. He was steady and wrapped his arms around her shoulders before helping her to stand.

"Come on, you need a bath." He guided her towards the shower-room and opened the door for her.

"You're not going to wash me are you?"

"What, would you rather Uta do it?"

Iba looked at the aforementioned ghoul with her tired eyes, knowing it would be odd if she said yes. "I-I guess not."

Uta's heart sunk, thinking she didn't want him. Angrily he went for the mop in the closet, grabbing a bucket and bleach, then began to fill the bucket, mopping and scrubbing the floor as hard as he could. Yet the question of why he called her kept popping into his head like an annoying little bug.