Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Brightness.

Aggressive and unwilling, pulling her back.

Hands, desperate and panicked, clawed their way to the surface, to the light.

As her head broke through the water’s murky surface, a gasp ripped through her throat, desperately choking out for air.

Her hands, nail painted multi pastel colours, the polish now chipped and withered gripped the concrete and pulled herself out of the pool. Her breaths were choked out between coughs and gagging, choking on the water that pooled in her throat, stubbornly refusing to escape her.

A pale green eye, the other pale blue were bloodshot with dilated pupils that scanned her surroundings, the water in her ears clearing to hear the racing of cars nearby and the crickets hiding in the grass, heard but not seen.

Tears, hot and stinging welled up in her eyes as she pulled herself out of the brown-ish green water. Her body trembled, clothes clinging stubbornly to her skin. She gazed up at the night sky, losing herself in her thoughts.

What time was it? Where was she? She was so tired…Her body was sluggish, seemingly pinned under her own exhaustion as she laid down on the cold concrete ground, her cold fingers leaving prints on the ground. Her eyes drooped, maybe a little rest couldn’t hurt…In the morning she’d go looking for help. But for now, rest…

“Oh my god–Oh my god! Are you okay, miss? Miss?!” A feminine voice startled her from her pending rest, making her sit up as a woman with long brown hair ran over to the girl.

The woman wore a green cardigan, black pants, a white button up. A tote bag was slung over her shoulder, home to multiple pins and keychains that showcased multiple characters from different media. She was in her late twenties it seemed. Nails were painted black, blue eyes shining with worry, tan skin kissed by the sun. And her hair? It was a beautiful shade of brown, waves cascading down her shoulders and running down her back. The young girl swore she could get lost in the woman’s locks.

“H-Huh…?” The young girl blinked, taking the woman’s hand as she shot the girl multiple questions. She didn’t even register her surroundings until she was being guided into a hospital. Everything just went in a blur, like she was a spectator in her own body. It didn’t even feel like her body anyways…

And as she and the strange yet caring woman sat down in the waiting room, she couldn’t help but finally succumb to sleep, head nuzzling into the woman’s shoulder.

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She woke up to the uncomfortable white lights of the hospital, jolting when she heard footsteps coming towards her room. A sense of panic washed through her system, overriding her confusion and daze.

A nurse walked in, followed by the same woman who seemed a bit more calm then how worried she seemed to be a bit ago.

Then a feminine voice broke her out of her trance.

“Good morning miss! You seem to be much better. This is just a mandatory room check. Do you need anything? Food, water?”

Her brain went almost in slow motion as she processed the question, feeling a metaphorical spotlight shine down on her. Soon the soft gaze of the nurse turned into a hardened glare, one that seemed too familiar to the young girl.

“Miss?” The nurse asked again, but she looked a little unsure of herself this time.

She blinked as she remembered the question, fumbling a bit before she finally blurted out. “Just water, please…” Her throat felt dry as sandpaper, with a harshness that craved the release of water.

The nurse's unsure smile bloomed into a more kind and sure smile as she carefully grabbed a paper cup from the plain white holder and filled it with the cool water from the water cooler, the clear filtered water such a contrast to what she had been plunged into just before.

She swallowed down her nervousness that threatened to creep up once more to drive up a meek smile to the nurse as she placed the water next to her bed. The nurse noticed the girl’s unsure gaze and followed her eyes towards the tall woman.

“Ah, sorry. I forgot to introduce you. This is Miss Vargas.”

She blinked her eyes, heterochromatic in colour as she slowly nodded her head. The nurse continued.

“She paid for the bills! She’s a very generous woman, after all.”

Her eyebrows shot up involuntarily, staring down at her lap as she played with a strand of her hair. “Oh! Uh..thank you, Ma’am..” She murmured, unable to keep eye contact with the woman.

The woman smiled gently, opening her mouth and speaking in a steady and calm voice, like she was coaxing a scared feral kitten out of a corner.

“It wasn’t a problem, really. I’m just glad I could help.”
She felt like she was sinking into the plush yet fitness of the mattress as the nurse continued to ask questions about her wellbeing. She just wanted to be left alone, so she just nodded silently as she waited patiently for them to both leave.

The Vargas woman caught the hint and whispered something to the nurse. The nurse nodded and took her leave, but the woman stayed put.

“My apologies, I just need to ask if you have anywhere to go back to. We couldn’t find anything on your parents or any family. Your name is Yuri Chaykovsky, no?”

The girl, Yuri, nodded. She traced the thin scars on her arms, a habit of hers. “Yeah, that’s me. Um…I’m sorry, I don’t know anything about family.”

The woman’s eyebrows raised, but she didn’t pry any further. “Okay. We’ll figure something out, don’t worry too much.”

And with that, she took her leave.

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Miss Vargas’ visits had become much more frequent, and to the point where Yuri found herself waiting patiently for her arrival during visitor hours.

Yuri’s eyes watched the sun slowly rise, watching the orange and pink swirl in the sky, blending together as the colours danced through the endless sky. It fascinated her.

If only she could stare at the sky forever.

Chapter Text

Hi! This isn't a story update or anything, but I wanted to show off some of the art i've made of Yuri so far! I personally like to have visual references of characters when I read fanfics, so I decided to just put this in here. I'll make more art, but here ya go! Enjoy! ( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ )

Yuri in a cute outfit!! I'm deciding if this should be her vigilante outfit or such but idk lol! While I was designing her I thought it would be funny if she didn't fit the whole dark and gloomy vibe Gotham has. I'm also a sucker for pastel and cute characters so I couldn't help myself :p 

Miss Vargas helping Yuri dye her hair! They're gonna have sort of a found family mother/daughter bond because Yuri needs a calm person in her life full of chaos! I was thinking about Yuri's fashion, I think she'd either go for a pastel goth style or something cute, maybe some sort of Harajuku fashion?

Anyways!!! I'll try and get the next actual chapter out tomorrow (♡ˊ͈ ꒳ ˋ͈)