Fragments

Ch.13 - Consequences

"Can I come in, Yuu?" Min asked in a polite manner after his knock received no answer.

"...sure." After a brief silence, Yuu responded, but his voice was devoid of its usual cheerfulness. Min quietly sighed after hearing the short answer, and gently opened the door, entering the boy's room with the bag of gifts in hand. He was entering it for the first time and expected to see a complete mess, but to his surprise, only some electronics were strewn about chaotically. Right by the door were two eye-catching tables connected in an L-shape with small contraptions all over them, which immediately piqued Min's curiosity. If Yuu felt a little better, perhaps they could've chatted about some of his inventions.

"Yuu." Min looked away from the electronics and spoke up, hiding the bag behind himself a little to not attract immediate attention. "I wanted to talk. Can I, or are you busy?"

"Mhm…" The screen of Yuu's phone blackened as he set it aside and sat upright on his bed. "About what?" It was incredibly strange, seeing Yuu, the team's beacon of energy, be so depressed and lifeless.

"About you, basically." Min seated himself on the black and blue bed next to Yuu. "Asuma told me how you've been feeling, and I can't help but think about it." There was no point in being insincere, so he bluntly explained the reason for why he came.

"I'm glad you're okay, Min," Yuu said suddenly while looking at the floor.

"Hm?" Confused by the unannounced change of topic, Min slightly tilted his head.

"You're not the only one who's been worried sick… It's been two days. Seeing you fully recovered makes me happy and hopeful of the others, that's all… Anyway, continue talking– I just needed to say that."

"Right…" The conversation was supposed to continue, but Min felt lost. "I really didn't plan what I'd say, did I," he asked himself in thought.
After some quick thinking, he got an idea.
"Just like I'm not the only one who's worried, you're not the only one who's frustrated, Yuu." He wanted to make sure his friend would feel better, and this was the best way he could think of. "I think everyone has their regrets about what happened… We all could've done better." The boy quivered a little, as if he was cold, but didn't make any remarks or responses, so Min continued. "Plus, you weren't useless, like you think. You helped all of us by calling for help, you helped me… And you helped Rosea. So I just wanted to say… Thank you. You were a great teammate." Once he was done talking, Min sat in wait as Yuu became increasingly shakier. His eyes slowly teared up, and the quiet, isolated shell was broken.

"Min… I appreciate it. I'm thankful for meeting someone who cares about me… But that's not why I feel this way." Hearing Yuu's answer, Min knew he made the very mistake he dreaded – he misunderstood.

"Then..?" Min attempted to ask something, but Yuu continued to speak.

"I know I was useful to you guys… But I did nothing by myself. So, please… Don't tell me what I did for others… I know I helped you damage that knight… I know I helped Rosea out. Tell me– what did I do by myself? How was I useful by myself? I just stood there. I was scared, and did nothing… Even when I could have!" The longer Yuu spoke, the shakier and more desperate his voice became. Tears ran down his cheeks, and eventually, the boy hid his face in his hands and broke down.

"I didn't know this was how you felt, Yuu…" Min thought and unwillingly stayed silent, knowing anything he'd say would just make the situation worse.

"Tell me, Min!" Yuu lifted his head and looked him directly in the eyes. "What did I do?! I did nothing! Everyone risked their lives, and I stood there! By myself, I was useless!" Teary-eyed sobs turned into a loud cry, and Min still felt robbed of any words, so after a moment of silence, he simply hugged Yuu, and let him pour out all his anger and grief. The boy tightly held the sleeve of Min's shirt and buried his face in it while rain tapped against the room's window, giving it an oddly calming atmosphere. It allowed the two to silently sit still for several minutes without interruptions, and ever so slowly, Yuu calmed down.
Eventually, he let go of Min's arm and went to blow his nose, which presented the perfect opportunity for the gift.