Ethereally Bound || Bakugo K.

fifth bind

chapter warning: mentions of attempted suicide and mental health issues. 

HEADLINES - EXPLOSION HERO: GROUND ZERO, TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED FOR MENTAL ISSUES. CURRENTLY BEING TREATED AT MUSUTAFU HOSPITAL. WILL THIS HERO RISE AGAIN? OR WILL HE FALL INTO THE DEPTHS OF INSANITY? ...explosion hero, Katsuki Bakugo, has had an explosive career. Ground Zero is angry, as he has shown time and time again since his debut. But this time, his anger may be too much for him to carry. Perhaps, too much anger will be the cause of his career's downfall.

"One caramel macchiato for L/N, Y/N!"

You stood up, handing money to the cashier. Your phone was clipped between your shoulder and your ear as you walked out of the coffee shop, taking brief sips from the steaming cup of coffee. On the other hand, your co-worker, Mark, was speaking with a frantic and stressed voice.

"Y/N, hurry up. Your patient is freaking out. You have to get here as soon as possible." he told you. The noise on the other side of the line mixed with his words. Despite his panicked tone, you calmly sipped from your coffee cup, glancing at the silver pocket watch you wore on your wrist.

"Which one?" you asked.

Mark sighed, "The Julliard kid! He's trying to kill himself! He has a knife!"

At this, you froze. "What?!" you screamed into the phone. You didn't care if people were watching you right now. You began to run, "Why didn't you tell me that?!" you groaned in frustration, tossing the coffee cup into a bin and practically forcing your lab coat on. "Where's Dr. Tanzaki?"

"Dr. Tanzaki called in sick today!" Mark said, "Y/N, you're the designated resident in charge when he's not here, what should we do?!" he yelled.

You mumbled an apology to the woman you bumped into and kept running to the hospital. "Don't agitate him! Try to talk in calm tones and don't try to get near him. Just- just, keep him stalled until I get there!" you said, "Make sure the other patients don't panic!" you paused, "And Mark,"

"What?!" he exclaimed in answer.

"Calm down." you said, "When your patients see you freaking out, what do you think will happen?" He stayed silent on the other line. "Stay calm. When the doctors are calm, patients are calm too. Got it?"

Mark breathed out, "Got it. Thanks, Y/N...get here soon."

"I will." you said, "See you later."

Watching as your screen turned black, you rushed to the hospital. Despite what you had said to Mark, you yourself were panicking. You had met the Julliard kid several times before. He was your patient after all. His name was Kei Nanami, a prodigious violinist who studied at Julliard, one of the very few institutions that remained built after the discovery of quirks. He was smart, and very talented - but the pressures of school and expectations had weighed him down and driven him into depression and anxiety.

That was your diagnosis.

The kid was just a kid. He couldn't handle the pressure placed on him.

However, you never suspected that he would be suicidal. You questioned your ability as a resident. You thought that your diagnosis was correct; it was never wrong. But this time...perhaps it was. You couldn't help but deprecate yourself and your oath to help people. How could you make such a mistake? How could you allow something so dangerous to happen in your line of work?

How could you be so wrong?

You couldn't dwell on your insecurities for long because you were a doctor. A doctor who strived to help other people. Yourself came second, you knew that much. So you ran. You ran, ignoring the looks you were getting from people. You ran, barely managing to apologize to people you bumped into.