Chapter Text
Somehow, it’s not until after around four hours of pacing around Rebecca’s house, three frat boys hitting on N, and two shots of vodka on Uzi’s end that they decide the plan’s a bust and that they should head home. Unfortunately, somehow, neither of them brought a car on campus. So it’s N’s job to walk Uzi home, because unfortunately they live in a world where short emo girls are likely to get catcalled, and neither of them have the patience to deal with that for the night.
They decide to stop at a playground near the dorms. Uzi’s mom used to take her there after school, before she got sick. Uzi had to grow up far too quickly, unable to be a carefree child with the possibility of her mother’s death looming over her at all times. She’s made a full recovery by now, but N knows every time Uzi goes there, she misses the days when her mom was able to take care of her; before she got so weak she had trouble taking care of herself. Now, it’s just some place where crackheads go to smoke at 3 AM in the morning.
…And of course, N’s (least) favorite crackheads happened to be there, doing exactly that. Along with V for some reason. Great.
While N takes a moment to process the strange situation - his tormentors and savior, sharing a smoke, at Uzi’s childhood park - Uzi’s already turned her back to it all and begun walking away. She looks hurt by it, somehow. Like she didn’t expect to see V there, hanging out with some of the people she hates most in the world. N doesn’t quite know what to make of that, but he hurries to catch up with her so at least she’s not alone.
When Uzi starts talking, her voice comes out all croaky and broken. “I just,” she mutters, “I didn’t expect her to stoop so low as to hang out with them. I know she’s mean and she’s violent and her best friend is the worst person in the world, but those guys are evil.”
She turns around to find N already crying a little bit. He had far more hope for V than Uzi did, and he doesn’t understand why she’s so upset, but the fact that she’s hurt Uzi and affiliated herself with the people who hurt him and his sisters is too much. It’s far too much.
Uzi offers him her hand. “Come on. It’s time to go home. Next time, those fuckers won’t know what hit ‘em.”
“What did you just call us?”
N’s heart drops. They hadn’t moved that far away from the park at all, and there was a good chance those guys had heard every word Uzi had just said about them. He quickly steps in front of her, trying to ensure her some protection, only to find that she’s already drawn her knife, and from the looks of it, she’s not backing down.
Before N can do or even say anything, such as something along the lines of “don’t be an idiot and get us both killed,” Uzi’s already jumped the nearest guy, the one N’s sister used to date, if he recalls correctly. She’s somehow attached herself to his back and has begun swinging her knife at him wildly, unable to land a single hit due to his random, sporadic movements preventing her from loosening her grip on his shoulders. He’s begun spinning around in random directions, unable to get her off, causing the other two guys to back up to avoid getting hit. It then occurs to N that V is nowhere to be seen, but more importantly, he’d better figure out a plan fast because the other two guys are approaching him really, really quickly-
Stereotypical blonde jock guy lands on top of N in a flying leap and he’s trying to think of anything Tessa’s taught him about self defense but all he can concentrate is the fact that this guy’s dick is hanging out of his pants, which is really, really horrifying and gross and before N knows it he’s screaming the girliest scream he’s ever screamed in his life and he’s punched the guy in his dick, causing him to start screaming as well, Uzi’s gotten distracted by the screaming and accidentally cut herself, blood spraying from her hand and into her assailant’s eyes and the third guy actually faints because he can’t handle the sight of blood and that’s how V finds them, N traumatized from having seen a guy’s dick, the guy himself nursing a broken penis, Uzi frantically trying to wrap her wound using a gas station grocery receipt, the guy she was fighting trying to get the bloodstains out of his shirt, and the final guy fully passed out in a bush and muttering something about cinnamon crunch bagels.
Slowly, the guys get up to leave. They trudge away slowly, sending glares N and Uzi’s way - and leaving them alone with V.
She stalks over to Uzi, but before she can reach her, N’s there again to block her. He’s about to yell at her to fuck off before Uzi starts mumbling something from her fetal position on the ground, cradling her still-bloody hand.
“You know,” she says to V, “I thought you were different from them. From those sick fucks, and from her. But you’re just like them. People like me and N, we’re just your entertainment. You don’t care about us.”
V smirks. “Aren’t I just entertainment to you too? Don’t act like you give a damn about me-“
“The difference between us,” Uzi continues, “Is that I fight knowing that you’ll recover. That you can handle it. You, on the other hand, will destroy whoever or whatever you feel like to get what you want, because you’re just another bitch who acts tough to hide the fact that you’ve got nothing to live for-“
“Don’t act like you know ANYTHING about me,” V screams before she steps past N and takes a swing at Uzi’s head. N moves to push her away from Uzi but accidentally shoves her to the ground as she yelps, “You BITCH!” N winces at her name-calling and offers to help her up, giving his hand and muttering apologies but she pulls him down, him landing on top Uzi, who shrieks from the sudden impact. They’re both lying there together as V begins walking away, calling over her shoulder, “If you two insist on being such wimps, then FINE! You can rot in hell together, for all I care.”
…
The next morning is a blur. N’s trying to give it his all but all he can think about is the previous night, the violence against himself and Uzi leaving a bad aftertaste in his mouth. He has to find a way to protect his best friend and his sisters, but how can he do that when he can’t even protect himself?
Case in point - as N reminisces, he accidentally slams the waffle maker down on his hand instead of the batter.
He shrieks violently, collapsing to the floor, his hand throbbing -
But suddenly, Uzi is there. Holding his hand gently to ease the pain, handing him ice in a towel to stop the throbbing, tenderly binding his still-aching hand in a soothing wrap.
N thinks for a moment, as they’re sitting in the back of the kitchen together, how lucky he is to have her. How here mere presence calms his mind and sends flutters to his heart.
More importantly, he thinks about how much he loves her, but only as his friend. Any other feeling he may have is second to the knowledge that they’ll always have each others’ backs, jokes to laugh at, and shoulders to cry on.
They both might be broken, but they’d survive if they helped each other pick up the pieces.