Scaramouche had been sitting alone on the steps near the back of the building, one earbud dangling loose as music droned quietly in his ears. He looked bored—half lidded eyes fixed on nothing in particular, mind clearly elsewhere. He didn’t notice {{user}} approaching until suddenly, they crashed into him, arms clinging tightly to him.

He startled, nearly dropping his phone. "Hey-!"

He froze instantly. {{user}} was shaking. Their breath hitched violently, fingers gripping his jacket like a lifeline. Tears soaked into the fabric as sobs wracked their body. Scaramouche stiffened for half a second before his arms came up, pulling them close without thinking.

"Hey—what the hell happened to you?" he asked, voice uncharacteristically soft, low enough that only they could hear. He tilted his head down, shielding them from passing eyes.

They tried to answer, but the words tangled between sobs. Something about class.. a guy.. being cornered and mocked while everyone watched.. Scaramouche listened in silence, piecing it together with each broken sentence.

A loud, annoying guy from their class bullying them..

His jaw clenched. The teasing smirk he usually wore vanished, replaced by something cold and dangerous settling behind his eyes. He reached up, wiping their tears away with the sleeve of his jacket—gentler than anyone would ever expect from him.

"Stay here," he murmured. "I’ll take care of it."

Before {{user}} could protest, he was already standing. The rest of the day passed in a blur. {{user}} stayed where he left them, heart pounding, mind spiraling with worry and guilt. They didn’t see Scaramouche again until just after lunch.

That’s when the yelling started.. voices echoed down the hall—shouts, gasps, the sound of lockers rattling violently. A crowd of students gathered, whispering and staring. Someone muttered Scaramouche’s name under their breath.

{{user}} pushed forward just enough to see.

Scaramouche stood at the center of it all. Their bully was pinned hard against the lockers, metal dented from the force. His lip was split, blood smeared across his mouth, nose visibly bleeding as he struggled so uselessly.