𝐶𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑙❥ᵏ.ᵇᵃᵏᵘᵍᵒ

Self-Inflicted Agony

3 days

He sat in silence for hours, the sound of traffic and the heart monitor hardly audible to him. His gaze was fixed on the girl on the bed that lay blissfully before him, but his thoughts was elsewhere. As he chewed his bottom lip, he was plagued by feelings of shame and concern. His face was smeared with tears. He'd been there since the sun's rays reached the horizon. He departed on occasion to allow the nurses dress her and go about their business, never bothering to answer their queries about who he was to her.

The sound of a sliding door opening shook him out of his reverie, and his gaze was drawn to the room's entrance. A young man, little older than 18, softly shut the door, clutching a modest bunch of flowers. His looks are both familiar and unfamiliar. The man's eyes met Bakugou's, without a sign of surprise or astonishment on his face. He gave him a small grin as he walked over to the bedside table and took a separate bunch of flowers put within a vase. He was in the process of replacing the flowers.

'The doctors informed me you were here,' she says. He broke the stillness. 'They stated you haven't left since 8 a.m.,' they said.
Bakugou wrinkled his brows in perplexity; who was this guy? He brushed his h/c hair away with one hand, making his face more visible. He had a chiselled jawline that was complemented by an undercut hairstyle. His skin tone was similar to (Name), although significantly darker. He stood tall and had a slender build.

'Please accept my apologies; my name is Yuri.. Yuri (Last Name). (Name)'s older brother," Bakugou's eyes widened as he realised what was going on. How could he have missed it? The blond jumped up immediately and made a weak bow to Yuri, murmuring nonsensical apologies. Yuri grinned and dismissedively waved his hand.

"My name is Bakugou, and I'm Bakugou Katsu—"

"Bakugou Katsuki, I recognise you. You earned first place in the Yuuei festival two years in a row, and you engaged in the conflict between heroes and villains after being abducted by them. I can understand why my younger sister went for such a man," Yuri intervened.

Bakugo's cheeks flushed when he learned the news. Yuri was aware of him, and he couldn't decide whether he should be ashamed or concerned. If he knew who he was, he would know who had put his sister in such a state. His pride rapidly faded, and he was replaced with that familiar swelling in his chest. There was a brief pause.

"She never said anything about her family," he said, diverting his glance at (Name).

"Yeah. Ours is not the happiest family. Many people would love to have a wealthy family since they never have to worry about money, and they are always recommended to schools and organisations. It's exhausting. Then again, I'm not around as much these days, so I hardly ever see my younger sister," Yuri elaborated.

He's extremely talkative.. Bakugo pondered

"I stayed away from home a lot. I went out with friends, went to the library or a cafe to study for hours when I truly didn't want to stay at home. But now I see I should have brought her with me. I was so selfish that I left her there," His voice squeaks. "I was so resentful that they'd treat her better than they did me, that my mother eventually became a mother with her and I didn't get to experience it. But now I see that it was putting even more pressure on her. I wasn't the big brother I wanted to be."

Yuri sniffs and brushes his sister's hair away from her face. His movements were soft, like if she would break if he wasn't. Bakugou didn't say anything. His expression was taken aback by his revelation. (Name) never mentioned her home. She was constantly present, assisting others and being herself. He got the impression she'd been hiding her emotions behind this happy-go-lucky persona.

Bakugou mumbled, "(Name)... had always praised you." He recalled some instances in which (Name) praised her older brother. Mentioning his accomplishments and a desire to follow in his footsteps. Mimicking his gestures and comments to her and then saying, 'My brother said that once'.