CoMari Au (Omori)

Pt 16

TW- abuse

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AUBREY extends her hand to me, pulling me off the tiled floor.

"Come on, let's go. MARI will be happy to see you." She says.

We go into the elevator, and go up to MARI'S room.

AUBREY slowly opens up the door. I see that KEL, BASIL, and HERO are there, along with MARI.

HERO speaks first when he sees me. "Hey MARI, your younger brother SUNNY is here! Do you remember him?"

Times seems to slow as I wait for MARI'S response.

She blinks, as her eyes dart away from HERO and to her hands, and then back to HERO again. Her eyes never land on me.

"I've only been awake for a day, my memory is still fuzzy. But... we were pretty close." MARI finally says.

Her voice.

It's beautiful.

She sounds the same as she did four years ago.

I step into the room, smiling.

I've never been one to smile that much. I've always been told my smile scares people.

But I don't care right now.

Tears pour from my eyes as my smile only continues to grow. The drip down my chin, and soon, I have to wipe my eyes to keep my face from getting soaked.

I'm in short sleeves, leaving no cloth to absorb the bittersweet. My skin only smears the tears across my face, but nothing can dampen my emotion.

MARI has less emotion than me.

She seems confused.

I attempt to hug her, but she pushes me off.

"I thought you didn't like hugs." She responds, her voice soft.

I start to cry again, but this time, it is more bitter than sweet. "I- I..."

I am at a loss for words. My dear sister MARI loved hugs, especially from me, who normally hated any form of physical contact.

Upon the return of my tears, she starts to cry as well. HERO gets on his knees so he is face level with MARI, who wraps her arms around him. He runs his fingers through her super long hair.

The room is silent except for MARI'S sobs.

I try and catch BASIL'S eye, but he refuses to look my way.

I quietly excuse myself from the room, and make my way into the men's bathroom to hide in a stall.

After an unknown period of time, I hear a voice. "SUNNY?"

BASIL.

I do not respond.

"SUNNY? I need to talk to you." BASIL says, his voice nearly a whisper.

"Go away." I tell him.

"No. I don't trust you and what you plan to do to yourself. If you don't come out I'll tell AUBREY that I think you're attempting suicide again." BASIL threatens, his voice hard and quiet. 

"You wouldn't." I say harshly.

I hear the pain in BASIL'S voice as he speaks. "I'm done with you. You act like you love me, you say you love me, and I believe you. But then you do something terrible to me. Again and again and again and again and I just let it happen and I'm honestly not sure if its because I love you or I fear you. And I don't know which one you want me to feel towards you."

"I love you." I say. My words are rushed. I somehow manage to trip over a simple sentence.

"I love you too. I just can't like you right now." He pauses. I hear a sob escape his lips. "I want you to get help. Therapy, or maybe a mental hospital where you can't hurt yourself. And then I can both like you and love you."

"THERAPY? A MENTAL HOSPITAL?!" I say, FURIOUS. I open the stall door, walk over to BASIL, and push him against the wall. "Why should I go to a mental hospital when you're the one who actually went through with an attempt? When you're the one who cuts himself!"

Tears rush down BASIL'S cheeks, and for the first time, his happy exterior completely breaks.

He's shaking, crying, coughing. He looks terrible. And I'm terribly because its all my fault.

I remove my hand from his neck where I had him up against the wall, and attempt to grab his hand which doesn't go over well.

His lip is quivering like a small child, and in a barely audible voice he says, "Please don't touch me."

He's never opposed anyone, even on a thing as small as this. 

I grab his hand anyway, tightly. He attempts to escape my grasp.

"SUNNY, stop, that hurts!" He cries as I dig my fingernails into his skin.

Right then, HERO bursts into the bathroom.

HERO speaks loudly and confidently, his voice a strong command. "Step AWAY from each other. NOW."

BASIL, for the second time today, struggles to make it out of my grasp. I let go of him. HERO looks disappointed in me, and BASIL looks AFRAID. Most likely of me.

"What in the fuck do you think the two of you are doing!?" HERO says.

BASIL breaks down crying and runs over to HERO, hugging him.

"Hey, its ok." HERO says as if BASIL is a baby. "What did you do to him?"

I nervously blink.

HERO sees the marks my nails left on BASIL's hand.

"Hey did SUNNY do this to you?" HERO asks like he's talking to an eight year old.

BASIL nods, and look pouty.

HERO gently takes BASIL's hand, and BASIL, shaking with fear, leans into him as the two walk away, leaving me alone.

I start to sob, and lean against the cold tile wall as I let my tears consume me.

No one comes to check on me.

I suppose its what I deserve.

(888 words)