Hey, guys! Here's the new update! Sorry if I update at weird times for the next few weeks. I'm abroad and there's a six hour time difference so for a good few people, this will probably be updated on Fridays - but it's Saturday here. Anyway, hope you enjoy. I'll upload the next chapter tomorrow and then it'll have updates at the same time as the other sites I'm on.

CW: Transphobic attack, wounds and blood.

Mehi's face burned and pulsed as she walked in the door, dropping her keys on the counter. She adjusted her hijab to try and pull it over the bruise as she slipped her trainers off. Maybe they wouldn't notice.

"I'm back," she called, making an immediate path towards the bathroom.

"Hey." Ryou looked up and frowned. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah of course." She winced. Talking hurt.

Her voice must have been off, or he must have seen her flinch, because Ryou stood up and walked over to her, the sound of his padding feet lost underneath the pounding of her head. "Are you sure?" She nodded. "Why don't you take off your hijab?"

"I don't really want to today." It was unusual but not unheard of for her to leave it on after Friday prayer, but usually she switched it for her shayla if she wanted to keep her hair covered.

Bakura looked up from his bowl of chicken wings, frowning. Ryou looked worried too. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she insisted, a little more forceful as she made her way down the hall. "I just don't want to take it off."

"Mehi," Bakura called, "why don't you look at us?"

She froze, shoulders tensing. Ryou reached out and took her hand. "Please?"

She let out a long breath, slowly turning. Maybe they wouldn't see it.

"Oh God..." Ryou reached up to her cheek.

She winced as his fingers brushed the wound. "It's nothing."

Bakura made his way over. "Ryou, will you grab the medical kit?"

Ryou swallowed and nodded, scurrying into the kitchen. Mehi looked away from Bakura. "I really don't want to talk about it. It's nothing big."

"Take off your hijab."

She sighed but lowered it, revealing the rest of the bruise stretching past her eye and the cut by her ear.

Bakura reached up, taking her chin in his hand to tilt her head so he could see it properly. His lips pursed. "Who did it?"

"Some asshole near the mosque. Bakura, it's nothing. I've gotten worse from training."

"Yeah, well in training, they go after you so you can get stronger," Bakura growled. "This was an attack, Mehi."

"Stop." Mehi pulled away from him. "I'm fine."

"You're still bleeding."

She touched her lip and checked her finger. Sure enough, blood dotted her skin. "It's fine."

"Who was it ?"

"Bakura, now isn't the time," Mehi sighed, as Ryou returned with the kit.

"When is the time then?" He challenged, following them over to the couch.

"Never." She dropped down, closing her eyes as reclining into the cushions soothed her back.

Ryou opened the medical kit and took out a swab and rubbing alcohol. He allowed the swab to soak in the alcohol before raising it to Mehi's lip. "This will hurt." She gave a small grunt in response and he began to wipe up the blood, washing the cut.

"What happened?" He asked, moving to the cut by her ear.

She sighed. "Some asshole from my old school saw me leaving the mosque. He followed me down the street and shoved me. I turned around, and he punched me." She shook her head. "I got him back and got out of there."

"You have to go to the police," Ryou murmured.

She ignored his statement. "Do you think I need stitches?"

"No, but you need to report him." Ryou lowered the swab. He didn't pick up a plaster – Mehi was allergic to them.

"I don't want to." Mehi shook her head. "It's just going to be a bunch of deadnaming, them probably demanding that I take off my shayla so they can see the injury, and then doing nothing."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do." She opened her eyes again. "I'm not going, Ryou."

He sat back and looked up at Bakura. "Don't look at me." He shook his head. "I think she's right. Nothing's going to come of it."

"We need to make sure he doesn't do it again!" Ryou protested.

"How?" Bakura shrugged.

Ryou grabbed his phone and began calling someone. Mehi scowled. "Ryou, leave him out of this."

"No. If you won't listen to me, maybe you'll listen to him." Ryou frowned.

The line crackled. " Hello?" Malik yawned.

"Malik, if someone was attacked, do you think they should go to the police?"

"It's not that simple, Ryou!" Mehi protested.

"What? Yeah. Why?"

"He says yes." Ryou looked up at her, an eyebrow raised.

"Ryou, what's going on?"

"Nothing!" Mehi called.

Ryou spoke over her. "Mehi was attacked on her way home from the mosque and is refusing to go to the police."

"What?"

"I'm not going, no matter what he says," Mehi snapped. "You shouldn't be involving him."

Ryou scowled and held up his phone. Mehi pulled up her hijab again and turned away from the camera, but ended up giving Ryou a better shot of her injury. He sent the image on to Malik. "Take a look at what I sent, Malik."

"Ryou, delete the photo!" Mehi glared at him. "I'm not going!"

"Holy fuck, Ryou, put me onto her."

Ryou held out the phone to Mehi. She snatched it and awkwardly held it up to her uninjured ear. "I'm not going. I don't care – I'm not ."

"Okay, Mehi, what happened?"

"Some asshole hit me on the way home. He knew me before I started transitioning. Some white fuckboy or other."

Malik sighed, and the pause eased Mehi's pounding heart a little. "I know you're worried, but he can't do that again."

"Malik, Ryou and Bakura have already tried to talk me into it and I'm not going."

"I've been saying you should do whatever you're comfortable with," Bakura protested.

"Okay, right, just Ryou."

"I'm just worried for you!" He insisted.

"I know, but I don't want to do this."

Malik clicked his tongue. "Look, I think it'd be a better idea to go. You might get a nice officer," he pointed out. "I know it's tough, but it's better than getting attacked again."

Mehi's eyes burned. "I'm not going," she repeated slowly before thrusting the phone back to Ryou and leaving the room.

Ryou looked up at Bakura, hands shaking.

Bakura sighed and took the phone. "Hey, Malik. Sorry about that. I'm just... I'm just going to go talk to them, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Ring me back later, okay honey? When they're doing better?"

"Yeah, I will." He nodded slowly. "Fuck, this is shit."

"Yeah." Malik sighed again. "Ryou's right though. Something needs to be done."

"Something," Bakura agreed, "but not this." He sighed and hung up. "That wasn't a good way to handle it, Ryou."

The other man frowned down at his hands. "I was just worried and I thought she might listen to me if someone else said the same thing."

Bakura sighed again and sat beside Ryou on the couch. "I know, but you shouldn't have sent that photo without her saying it was okay. Or called Malik. You know it's up to her."

Ryou leaned back, hitting his head against the back of the couch. "But what if she gets hurt again because no one did anything?"

"We'll talk to her," Bakura promised, "but no yelling. You know she's able to take care of herself."

Ryou heaved himself up off the couch without responding and made his way towards their bedroom. Mehi was curled up on the bed, her back facing them, hijab half lying on her cheek and half fixed into place. Ryou climbed onto the bed with her. She didn't move as he wrapped his arms around her waist as he lay down by her. Bakura watched from the doorway. "I'm sorry," Ryou mumbled. "I just don't want you getting hurt." Mehi grunted slightly in response. "I know why you don't want to go, but-"

"No buts," she muttered. "I'm not going. I'll maybe tell my parents, and that's it. Okay?" Ryou hesitated, and she looked over her shoulder at him. "Ryou, I need you to respect this. I'm not going."

Ryou gave her a small squeeze and kissed her shoulder. "I do respect it. I'm just not happy about it." Mehi placed her hand over his, returning the squeeze. "We won't go."

Mehi brought his hand up to her lips and kissed it. "Thank you," she mumbled.

Bakura slowly nodded and sent Malik a quick, All's good, before joining his partners in the bed.

He climbed onto Mehi's other side, so she ended up being the middle spoon. "Don't you have rehearsals today?" Mehi murmured, kissing the back of his head.

Bakura waved off her concerns. "It's fine - I'll make up for it. They know I have a lot of practice anyway."

Ryou huffed. "Bakura, get your ass to work."

Bakura groaned. "I don't want to. I'm tired enough with practice as it is." Swan Lake was a classic but there wasn't a simple dance in the entire production.

Mehi withdrew her arms and curled into Ryou. "Go. You're not getting fired because of this."

Bakura huffed and pulled himself up again. "Fine," he mumbled, "but I'm having a cheat night tonight."

Ryou snickered. "You mean a normal night?" Bakura narrowed his eyes. "You know, since you cheat so often-"

"I know, I got it." Bakura flipped him off as he left the room, leaving the two curled up in the bed, giggling at the dumb joke.

That's all for today. Please review if you liked it, cause I need that sweet validation. See you next time!