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Blood.
Just blood.
That was the only thing Tsurugi could smell around him.
Not that this was unusual for him. Being a Police Officer since a very young age had caused him to be confronted with things like murder ever since he was a child.
He had even killed a good amount of criminals himself by now.
So the smell of blood was a lot of things to him, but sure as hell not new.
Now the thing that made him feel so horrible, was that this was his own blood.
Of course he knew what his own blood smelled like as well. He already had countless injuries from various incidents.
But this kind of blood was different.
It wasn't the one from external wounds he got from fights.
This bleeding was internal. And not just somewhere internal. It came from somewhere near his lower stomach. Somewhere, where it would bleed once every month for about a week. Somewhere, where it gave him cramps as soon as it starts bleeding.
Just thinking about it made Tsurugi feel horrible. He wanted nothing more than to get rid of it, for it to leave and never come back.
His thoughts were cut off when he felt even more blood flowing out of him. He was close to tears as he realized it, his fears having become real.
Tsurugi's pajama pants were soaked with blood, his bedsheets and blanket having turned dark red, and some blood was slowly seeping into the matress.
As much as he wanted to just lay in his bed, waiting for the tears to go away, he knew he would have to get up eventually, and the sticky feeling around him he had first felt when he was 12, was getting really gross.
So he forced himself to move, sitting up as slow as ever, before turning on the little lamp on his nightstand. He definitely didn't want to have to look at dark red puddle that was getting bigger and bigger, or so it seemed.
But he had to, otherwise he couldn't get out of his bed without stumbling against something in his room. The first things he did after standing up, was to grab his phone and leave his bedroom.
He rushed to his bathroom, not wanting to leave stains in his entire dorm.
As soon as Tsurugi closed the bathroom door, he felt around the wall, searching for the light switch. When the lamp was turned on, he was blinded for a moment, his eyes needing to adjust to the lighting.
The first thing he saw was a blur figure in the mirror. The longer he looked at it, the more he started recognize someone in it. Mid-long ruffled blue hair, pink and almost puffy cheeks, and teary red eyes looking right back at him.
He felt his heart drop at this image of himself, especially at the sight of his chest. He wasn't wearing his binder at night, so he wasn't as flat as his classmates thought he was. His chest appeared huge to him, making him more and more uncomfortable each second.
Tsurugi was trying his best at stabilizing himself by holding a grip on the sink, his body leaning forward.
He hastily looked around the room, desperately searching for his period products, despair filling his mind as he couldn't find any.
Originally he had planned on buying them the day before, but then he got too distracted at a new crime scene that he totally forgot about his period.
His eyes widened in shock and fear as he realized that he could do nothing about it now.
It was 1:38 am in the night, as a quick look on his phone revealed. No stores were open, his dorm doesn't supply him any since he was registered as a male in Hopes Peak, and he had no one to call and ask for stuff.
Or wait. Maybe there actually is someone.
One of his shaking hands reached to his phone, unlocking it before scrolling through his contacts. He stopped at a certain name, clicking on their chat. With his fingers trembling, it took him some time to type out a message.
You:
Hey, can I call you?
He stared at his phone for a few minutes, impatiently and almost desperately waiting for a reply.
Just when he came to the answer that the other person was probably asleep, his phone finally buzzed.
Yamato:
Yeah sure!
As soon as he read the message, he quickly pressed the little telephone-icon on the screen. He had to wait a few rings, before it was picked up.
"Hey Rugi! What's up? It's unusual for you to be up this late. Did something happen?"
Tsurugi weakly smiled at hearing the inventor's voice, happy and cheerful as always.
"Hello Yamato. I just... need to ask you something..." he explained, his voice low.
"Okay, I'm concerned now. What is it?"
"By any chance... do you know if Mikako maybe has any... p-period products left?..." he asked slowly. It was hard to understand, due to him talking so quietly.
"Oh, I see... I'll ask her in a second. We'll be with you in five minutes!" Yamato exclaimed, audibly walking around his room.
This exactly why Tsurugi liked the Inventor so much. He doesn't ask any unnecessary questions, he just does stuff without inquiring. Even if it could be seen as naive, the Cop knew that his best friend was a lot of things, but not naive. Rather obliging
"I'll wait in the bathroom..."
"Alright! See you then!"
After that, they hung up. Tsurugi was now left alone, still leaning over the sink and being lost in his dysphoria. He slowly stumbled backwards to the wall, hastily grabbing a towel to sit down on.
Once he slid down on the wall, he sat there in silence, slinging his arms around his legs.
The sticky wetness still bothered him, but his mind was too focused on other things to care much. Tears had built in his eyes again, and he tried his best to stop them from running down.
__________
He had no idea how much time had passed, but he was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts, once he heard the door being opened.
A few moments later, there was a knock on the bathroom door.
"Hey Rugi! We're here!"
Tsurugi looked up, slightly relieved that his friends were finally there.
"Come in."
Only one second later, the door was opened. Yamato rushed in, quickly searching for his best friend.
"Oh my..."
His eyes widened at the sight of the normally self-confident and stoic Cop, curled up on himself on the floor.
He instantly sat down next to him, and wrapped his arms around the shorter male's shoulders.
"Don't worry, we're here now. Kako has some stuff with her!" he gesticulated to his sister who had a bag with her.
"Here you go! C'mon Mato, we'll wait on the couch for Rugi to change." she suggested, grabbing the Inventor by his arm and handing the bag, filled with stuff like pads and tampons, to Tsurugi.
The Cop slowly stood up, his legs shaking. Only then, the other two noticed how much blood there actually was on his pants. Yamato gasped audibly, his hand covering his mouth, and Mikako just stared wide-eyed.
"Oh lord... W-Wait a second, I'll get you some new clothes!" she exclaimed, rushing out of the room. She came back a minute later, handing the shorter boy clean pants.
Tsurugi gratefully took the stuff, weakly smiling at them, before his friends exited the room.
__________
About a few minutes later, the blue-haired one came out of the bathroom, wiping tears from his eyes. When he went to the couch, he was greeted by his friends sitting on each side of it.
As soon as he sat down between them, he was attacked with a surprise hug.
"Rugi! C'mere!" Yamato almost yelled, before wrapping his arms around his best friend.
"Hey-! Mato!"
Mikako just laughed at Tsurugi struggling to escape from the other's embrace, and Yamato not letting go.
It took the Cop a few minutes of fighting back, until he accepted his fate.
"Hmpf..." he grumbled, slightly pouting.
"Aww, you're so adorable when you're flustered!" the Exorcist commented, before pinching Tsurugi's cheek.
"I'm not- ow!" he yelped before gripping his stomach, gritting his teeth in pain as a sudden ache made itself noticeable there.
"What's wrong?" Yamato instantly asked, obviously concerned.
"Period cramps probably." Mikako suggested.
Tsurugi nodded in agreement. He kept holding onto his stomach while the tallest one quickly handed him a pillow, which he held close onto next.
"Thanks." he got out between heavy breaths.
"No problem. Do you need something else? Like a heat pack maybe?" she asked, friendly smile on her face.
"I'd say yes, but I don't have one."
"That's why we brought one!" Yamato now exclaimed.
He let go of the shorter male, stood up and picked up a second bag they had brought. The Inventor quickly pulled out the item, and ran to the bathroom.
When he came out a few minutes later, in which Mikako had took the Cop in a hug, he instantly gave the warming object to his friend.
Tsurugi, who was slightly overwhelmed with all the attention and comfort he got, slowly reached out for it and held it close to his abdomen.
"Wanna watch a movie? Or play boardgames!" the taller male suggested.
"Just, how many things did you bring with you?" Tsurugi asked almost nervously.
"Well uhm, hehe... A lot. A lot..." the Inventor scratched the back of his neck, before sitting down next to them.
"But why?"
"Because Mato couldn't stop collecting stuff, he thought might hype you up." the Exorcist laughed.
"No, why would you do this... for me? It's the middle of the night, you should be asleep. And yet you both are here, trying your best to help me with something I could handle myself." the Cop's voice was slightly shaky, his eyes close to tearing up.
"Because you are our friend, and since you're obviously sad right now, we want you to feel appreciated!" Mikako now explained.
Tsurugi went quiet, lowering his eyes to the ground and holding tightly onto the heat pack. When the siblings realized a single tear running down his cheek, they instantly hold him tight.
The blue-haired boy's body was shivering a bit, and once Yamato's hand ruffled his hair, he broke down, more and more tears coming from his eyes.
Yamato leaned against the backrest of the couch, dragging the other two with him. Once he placed the Cop's head against his chest, he could feel his shirt getting wet.
And after a few more minutes, quiet sobbing was audible.
"You're not used to this kind of affection, are you?" the raven girl questioned.
Asked one shook his head, still sobbing into his best friend's chest, hands clutching the other's shirt.
"Oh... Do you want to vent to us?"
The shorter male slowly looked up again, hesitantly nodding and wiping tears from his eyes and hugging his own legs.
"I-I just wanted s-someone to accept me f-for who I-I am, t-to be there when I-I need it... T-To my father, I-I'm nothing more th-than the *hick* d-disappointment of th-the family. The once p-pretty and behaving d-daughter telling everyone th-that she's a trans f-faggot now. Wh-What a *hick* shame..."
He curled up farther into himself, his voice cracking up almost every third word.
"A-And I mean h-he's right. I-I *hick* am n-not a real boy, a-and I'll never b-be one. I sh-should just st-stop acting like this, i-it's just a-annoying. B-But *hick* I just w-want-"
As soon as Tsurugi cut himself off, he quickly became worried, wondering if he had said too much.
"I-I'm sorry... I sh-should have kept quiet..."
"No no, don't worry! It's alright!!" the taller male hastily said, pulling the Cop back into his arms.
"What Yamato said! You shouldn't feel bad for wanting to talk with someone about it! And we're here for you!" Mikako continued, joining the embrace.
Tsurugi was unsure how to deal with the comfort he was recieving. He sure as hell wasn't used to this, especially not from his father.
His face was hidden in the other boy's chest once again, arms still wrapped around himself.
Two pairs of arms had him in their grip as he continued on crying.
He hated crying. He really did. It was completely out of character for him, and he was used to supressing any kind of negative emotions for years now. He felt ashamed by every single tear running down his face, and by each sob leaving his throat.
But just this once would be alright, right?
"I-I just... I-I don't want y-you to l-leave me, b-because of something a-as stupid as this..." the Cop whispered, barely loud enough for them to hear.
"We won't leave you. I promise. Why should we?" the blue-violet haired one assured him.
Tsurugi cracked up a slight smile. After a couple more minutes, the sobbing stopped. Only quiet tears were still running down, soaking the Inventor's shirt. Not that he cared.
__________
As soon as the shorter male had calmed down, he tried to sit up properly, but was held back by his friends' arms.
"Hey, you can let go of me now."
"Hmm... No!" Yamato exclaimed with a grin, tightening the hug even more.
After about a few minutes of playfully fighting, Tsurugi managed to free himself out of the other's grip.
Mikako meanwhile had pulled out a small packet of chocolate from somewhere unknown to the Cop, and handed it to said one.
"Huh? Thanks, but I'm not hungry." he remarked, looking quetioning at the Exorcist.
"Yeah, but chocolate cures sadness, so here!" she explained before pushing the food inside his mouth.
"Hm?!"
Yamato sat next to them, laughing at his best friend's reaction. Once the Cop had stopped struggling and simply ate the chocolate, he leaned back again, still pressing the heat pack onto his stomach.
"Hey Rugi. I just want you to know that we're here for you, no matter what. And you are no less of a man than I am, just because you're bleeding down there once a month." the Inventor remarked, wrapping his arms around the shorter boy once again.
"Thank you..." ladder one muttered, leaning into the embrace.
"Exactly! And if anyone tries to tell you anything else, they're wrong. If anyone is rude to you over this, just call us. I'll exorcize the nonsense out of them!" Mikako added.
Tsurugi grabbed one of her arms, pulling her close as well.
The treeway hug went on for a while, the siblings holding their friend close, making him forget his dysphoria, at least for a while.
"I really don't know how to thank you guys. I really don't deserve all this, and yet you're still here with me. Shouldn't you be asleep by now?"
"Eh, don't worry about that. I'm used to pulling all-nighters." the Inventor assured.
"Yeah, and I have to suffer from my 'lovely' brother's sleep rhythm." the raven girl mentioned, rolling her eyes. "Especially when one of his inventions fails and there's suddenly an explosion in his room at 3am."
"Hehe, sorry 'bout that."
The Cop chuckled lightly, leaning against Yamato as ladder one received a playful hit on his shoulder from his sister.
"Hey! Anyway Rugi, if you want to thank me, we could play some chess! Even though it could be a bit boring since I'd win anyway." the taller boy joked, rubbing his friend's back.
"Ohoho, bet!" Tsurugi exclaimed, sitting up and holding out his hand.
After the Inventor shook his hand, Yamato stood up, went to his bag and pulled out a chessboard. He quickly sat down on the floor in front of the couch, gesticulating the shorter male to sit across from him.
"How do so many things fit in your bag?" the Cop asked, before sitting down, the warming object still in his arms.
"I... have no idea. Anyway, let's just start!"
__________
Just as expected, Yamato won.
"Ha! And I beat you again!"
"I let you win..." Tsurugi mumbled, pouting slightly and crossing his arms.
"Yeah yeah, whatever you say."
"Oh come on, I could beat you easily if I tried."
"Guys guys!"
The boys turned to look at Mikako, who had just spoken up.
"We all know that I could beat the both of you. Even if you two play together." she grinned.
Tsurugi and Yamato looked at each other, before turning to her.
"Do you seriously believe that? I mean, I have never seen you play chess, and me and Rugi play it like every single day." the taller boy mentioned.
"I mean, of course we can play against you, but we are going to win." the Cop added.
"Bet."
The Inventor went over to sit in the other male's side, wrapping one arm around him, and telling his sister to sit across from them. The Exorcist sat down, grinning at them, pretty self-confident in herself.
__________
"We got beaten by my own sister..."
The blue-violett haired one stared stunned at the chessboard in front of him.
"I can't believe it..." the Cop agreed.
"Ha!" the raven haired girl laughed triumphant, placing her hands on her hips.
Yamato hastily grabbed a pillow and threw it at her. She yelped as it hit her, glaring at her brother, before tossing it back at him.
This went on, and Tsurugi sat next to them, laughing quietly. Until one of their pillows hit him as well.
Instead of being mad at them, he quickly joined the pillow-fight. Once Yamato stood up to run away, everything escalated. The Exorcist did a quick job at jumping up and following him, pillow in one hand, ready to attack.
Once the Cop realized the others wouldn't sit down again so quickly, he slowly stood up too, his legs trembling slightly. He carefully layed the heat pack aside, grabbed another pillow, and followed his friends.
He hid behind a wall, waiting for one of them to run past him. And once Yamato did cross his way, the Inventor was greeted with a pillow-hit in the face.
He yelped, stumbled, and out of reflex, he threw his own weapon against his best friend. In the short amount of time in which the violet-eyed one didn't pay attention, Mikako took her chance at hitting her brother.
They all felt like little kids again, laughing at each other, running across the Cop's dorm and messing around.
This whole situation went on, until all three of them had to sit down again, since they had started to get cramps from laughing too much.
And these kind of cramps made Tsurugi feel so much better than the period cramps from earlier.
They spent the entire rest of the night fooling around together. The siblings' attempt at hyping their friend up was way more than successful.