{a/n: i swear, it will come a time where i won't need to put these trigger warnings and chapters will only be fluff and cute
TW: robbing, sexual assault (attempt), violence and blood}
"How did your day go, without your favorite girl to bother?" you mocked the boy to the other side of the phone, realizing you were getting used to his calls already.
"Don't get your expectations so high, I did so damn amazing even without you"
"I bet you played videogames all day, without even caring to eat"
"No, a dumbass was being fucking toxic and made me quit like at only 2pm. And don't worry mum, I ate"
"Don't think about that person, toxic people exist and we can't do anything to change the thing, so just ignore them and you'll live better"
"Damn, so philosophical, what happed to your dumb brain? Did you finally buy a new one?"
"I didn't buy a new brain, what the hell?! Maybe my original one just got an upgrade after the walk with Kazuha"
"Huh? I thought you went to the mall with Itto, Gorou and Yoimiya too"
"Well, I did, but then something happened and Gorou dropped us near the others' houses, quite far from mine, so Kazuha walked me home"
"Oh, the perfect boy got you home like a true gentleman under the stars' watch"
You couldn't help but laugh at Scaramouche's sarcastic tone, getting only a sight from him in response.
"He just walked me home, why are you-"
You got interrupted by a noise behind you. You turned around to see a man dressed in all black with a baseball cap covering his eyes take your wrist and drag you in a dark corner, making you drop your phone.
"Give me your money and I won't hurt you" You stood there in shock, looking around to see if someone could help you, but not finding a single living soul. And your phone was behind the man, on the road path. Even if you would have been able to reach it, you were sure that delicate phone broke on the impact with the ground.
But that didn't happen. Even though Scaramouche couldn't hear everything, he did hear a man demanding for your money, and then asking if that was all you got.
"I- I just needed to buy some veg-" you answered him, in a shaky voice, while your friend was getting dressed at the speed of light. Then, the man interrupted you.
"I don't want to hear your excuses. This is much less then what I was expecting from a girl dressed in those expensive clothes. I guess you gotta compensate me in another way"
That was the last straw. As much as he didn't want to, Scaramouche ended the call to get you help from someone he knew was much closer than him to where you probably were.
"Oh, hello Sca-"
"You're near Y/n's house, right? Go back, go the fuck back! She should be around there, on the way to the groceries store I think" Scaramouche voice was filled with emotions, so many that Kazuha wasn't even able to detect them. And all the noises in the background didn't help, rummaging, keys, doors being opened and slammed, closed, cars passing by and a car starting.
"What...? What happened?"
"A fucker is trying to pull something on her, I'll be there too in 5 minutes, no 3. Hold him for me, I wanna kill that son of a bitch with my own tw-"
"Got it, got it. On my way, be cautious while driving"
Kazuha hung on, shoved his phone in the back pocket of his trousers and began to run. His usual gentle features and kind face were washed away in a blink of an eye, to leave space for a worried and extremely mad expression. Anyone who saw that face would have been shaken by a deep fear.
The white-haired boy was quick on his feet and found you in less than a minute after ending the call with Scaramouche. In a dark corner, a man was holding your wrists firmly, while you were trying to hit him with your fists, knee or feet. One hit landed. Your shoe it his knee and he winced in pain and complained about the dirty, spouting insults like he was getting paid for it.
All those years of every kind of martial art classes, him being high rank in a lot of them and all those competitions won, led Kazuha to quickly get in between the two of you, getting you out of the man's grasp.
A pair of hands appeared from your left, grabbing the man's wrists and twisting them to free you. You quickly took a few steps back and recognized the figure who just helped you. A boy with white hair and a red lock on his right side, black shorts and red socks paired with a white oversized t-shirt was hitting the robber's chin to confuse him, going behind him and bending his arms on his back after hitting his knees to make him fall to the ground.
Kazuha looked at you concerned, his anger replaced with worry and kindness once again "Are you ok? Don't worry now, I'm here, and Scara is on his way too"
You admired how fast he was able to set you free and to neutralize the man. Now, Kazuha had a knee pressed on the thief's back, about where the kidneys were. A painful spot, as you deducted from the man's screams, squirming, and whining.
"Let me go! I didn't do anything to the girl, don't play the hero! You don't know who you put yourself against! I'm not alone, I have backups! Argh- just you wait till I tell my colleagues about this!"
"You know, I could break your arms easily like this" You would have never imagined such words could come out of Kazuha's mouth. He still seemed calm and collected, like he was thinking about how to solve a riddle, but the things he was saying were brutal and scary.
"You even threatened my friend...?" A familiar voice came from the other side of the street, followed by a hysterical laugh. "You don't know who you put yourself against. You clearly don't, you wouldn't have dared to even look at her, and now you have the audacity to threat him too." Scaramouche passed next to you, squeezing lightly your hand, but giving his full attention to the man laying on the ground.
Kazuha saw the fire burning in his friend's eyes, and got up, stepping to your side and checking your wrists, your cheeks, your teary eyes and giving you some soft pats on your shoulders. He was providing you a lot of emotional support, and you would have never been able to thank him enough for it. Meanwhile, Scaramouche was about to relieve his anger, maybe even rage, and take revenge on your behalf.
As soon as the man got up, maybe hoping he could make a run for it, he went down again. A kick in his stomach, followed by an elbowed in the back and a punch on the nose. Scaramouche had just started, and the robber was already on the ground grunting and bleeding. You were shocked, covering your mouth to not let a gasp escape, but you couldn't take your eyes off the scene, not daring to even look at Kazuha who was gazing worried at you. Maybe this was too much for you to witness?
The navy-haired boy crunched down and gripped the man's light brown hair, now exposed since his cap fell when Kazuha got him on the ground, lifting his head to make him look at his flaming blue eyes. "You know what's really funny to me? The fact that you think you can pull something like this on my friend and live to tell the story to anyone. I'm 'bout to end your worthless pitiful life, after I'll make you suffer the worst things, that's it. Any last word before all that will come out your filthy mouth will be screams?"
"Scara" Kazuha got the attention of his friend, who didn't let go and didn't bother to get up, only tilting his head a little to look at his face, shaking to let him know it was better not to do it.
You finally gathered enough courage to speak, even if your voice was still cracked and very low "Scara... Don't go over the line, please... If you- do that, you'll be worst than him... Don't lower yourself to him, please. Be superior"
Scaramouche closed his eyes, took in a deep breath and nodded to you, before letting go of the man giving him a little push "Don't fall on your butt, get up, you dipshit"
But the man was slowly gaining confidence back and decided mocking Scaramouche was a good idea, while standing up and swiping the blood still running down his nose "How is it to get ordered around by a mere girl?"
The boy seemed to think of a way to crush all that man's bones, but restrained himself, only picking him up from the collar of his black polo and smash his back against the closest wall "That girl is an angel, you just threatened her and she saved your life. So shut up 'cause I'm still on time to slit your throat"
"But you won't. You'll disappoint her, and you don't want to, am I right? Such a pity, because if you leave me alive, I'll tell my colleagues about this and you'll be the one ending up dead"
Scaramouche's fingers got a hold of the man's neck and his grip got tighter and tighter with every world he said "You're stepping into a fucking dangerous zone. You dare threatening me?! I might not want to disappoint my friend, so I'll let you live, but you better watch your every step from today to the moment you'll get in a coffin 'cause me, the Fatui, will never forget this, I'll make sure to make you live in a hell and you'll think it would have been better if I ended your life, right here right now"
"F-fatui?!"
Scaramouche released his hold on the man's throat, and he collapsed on the ground coughing, skin turning from the unnatural blue color of few second before to a bright red. Some capillaries exploded for sure, giving the robber red freckles.
"Yes, Fatui. You just wronged a Fatui Harbinger. If I were you, which thankfully is not the case, I would run away as far from here as possible"
"B-but, why..? How-?"
At this point, things were getting strange. Scaramouche seemed to be troubled and thinking deeply, eyebrows furrowed. The man looked confused too, even thought he was more focused on finding a way out of there without getting killed. Kazuha sensed something wrong too, and thought it would have been better to let the man run away now that Scaramouche suggested it "What's wrong? Are you asking for more punishment? It's up to you. Such willingness is commendable"
Your dark-haired friend snapped out of his trance and took the man's right hand in between his index finger and his thumb "Hold on Kazuha"
Bending the wrist and taking the hand back, the man's arm assumed a really unnatural and uncomfortable looking position, probably one close to the breaking point, not without gaining a couple of screams from the thief.
"He still has to give back the money, at the very least" The man was wincing in pain, trying to turn into the direction where Scaramouche was pulling his arm, aimlessly. The Balladeer would just take the hand higher, thus forcing the man to bend down even more, almost bowing in front of you. Going down to the ear level of the robber, Scaramouche whispered to him "Who?"
"I don't know, I don't know, let me go I swear, I'll go away and you'll never see me ever again! I'll go really far, and take the money back I don't care, let me go, don't break my arm!"
Scaramouche got up with a sigh, but didn't let go of the man's hand, only changing the position he was bending it in. Now, the man was standing again, his arm back at the front of his body, but his wrist was being held in a way his hand was almost touching his shoulder. "A gift to make you remember your promise"
A loud crack. An unholy scream. The sound of knees dropping on the road path. Cries. Other screams. Whimpers.
Scaramouche broke his wrist. No need to be a doctor to know it.
"Scram. Now"
The man got up and started to run somewhere. He probably didn't even know where he was going. Assuming he had a place in mind, probably the hospital, with all those tears in his eyes he wouldn't have been able to see where he was going anyway. He looked like he came straight out of a horror movie, with ruffled hairs, blood flowing from his puffed nose and staining his crumped clothes, a wrist big twice the other and in a really unnatural position, his knees marked with blood form all the times he fell on them and his running was worst then the one of a three-legged dog.
The danger was gone. And you were safe. Nothing happened, only bruised wrists and a burning cheek. All this time, you were looking at the scene, sure, but your brain registered less then half of what happened. Maybe that was better, it would have been easier to forget, right?
Scaramouche stepped in front of you, arms crossed, and took in a deep breath. Was he about to scold you for going out this late after Kazuha just dropped you home?
"I'll teach you"
You felt weak on your knees and tears coming out your eyes. Kazuha catched you before you could drop on the ground and helped you sit on the side of the street, holding your shaking shoulders to pull you in for a hug. The shock was hitting you, now. You started crying and sobbing into Kazuha's chest, him rubbing your back and glazing at Scaramouche who was looking at you with half lidded eyes.