"It" Can't Be Helped (Revised) | ✔️ | Blue Exorcist

37

Yukio began to sob into my neck, his fingers clutching at my waist so tightly that I felt his nails dig in. He rambled incoherently, and my arms moved up to wrap around his shoulders. My fingertips ran through his messy hair and I cooed softly, trying my best to calm his relentless tears. His grip on me tightened unbearably and I briefly lost the ability to breathe before he himself took a deeper breath. When he exhaled, I could tell he'd piled every emotion he felt into it. The tension in his shoulders eased but he still held me firmly, clinging to me like a float while stranded at sea. He continued to hiccup, but after a while, his mumbling calmed down and his sobs turned into sniffles. Eventually, he withdrew a bit, placing his forehead on mine and giving me another gentle squeeze. "God," he whispered, his voice cracking. "Thank you." He drew in another deep breath before slowly blowing it through his quivering lips. "Thank you for choosing me, Nii-san. For choosing us."

He reluctantly released me, taking a step back and wiping away his tears. My mouth opened, but I didn't have a chance to respond before I was suddenly pulled in another direction. A gust of air escaped my lungs as I was yanked into a bone-crushing embrace. My eyes widened and I realized it was Bon who had snatched me. "Don't ever pull this shit again, Okumura, you hear me?!" He ground out before setting his chin on top of my head as he huffed. "I'll kill you myself before that happens." Despite the contradictory statement, the assurance entangled in his words made it impossible for me to doubt him.

I grunted, but the sound was muffled by his suit jacket.
I wiggled slightly before responding with sarcasm. "Those are some big words coming from the guy who literally told me to off myself a few months ago."

He stiffened, no doubt recalling the events of that night. His chest vibrated as he tried to clear his throat. "Yeah, I know. I was being a complete ass. And before you can say anything about it: Yes, I'm sorry, and yes, I still feel guilty. You can do both at once, you know."

I chuckled at the familiar verbiage. "Yeah, I know. I'm just pulling your tail."

"My figurative tail, you mean."

I couldn't hold back the urge to roll my eyes, trying to push away from him. Reluctantly, he allowed it. "You know, it was a lot funnier before because-oomph!" Something collided with me and I staggered, falling backward onto my ass. My vision swam once more and I moved to hold my head as the world righted itself. Still shocked, I looked down at my attacker. Shiemi's blonde hair was all I could see, her small arms wrapping tightly around my body as she sniffled. "Hey, it's okay." I shushed, placing my hands on her shoulders. She shook her head and buried her face into my stomach. She started talking, but her voice was muffled. My shoulder shook lightly with laughter and I pried her arms from around me. "You know I can't hear you, right?"

She pushed herself into a kneeling position before me. Blood was smudged against her cheek and I took a moment to glance at the ruined dress clothes both Bon and Yukio now sported. Remorse flashed through me, knowing no amount of cleaner or washings would fix the stains. Eventually, I returned my guilty eyes to Shiemi, who was wiping at her eyes and sniffling some more. My hand shook as I raised it to run my thumb over her cheek, wiping away some of the blood. Her lips trembled as she spoke. "I'm so sorry, Rin! I didn't know you were so depressed! I'm a horrible friend." Her hand reached up to grab at my own, clutching it as another sob tore through her.

I went to go correct her, but I was cut off. "I'll second that," Ryuji stated from above me. I flickered my gaze up to him, seeing Shima walk up behind.

The pink-haired teen nodded, "third."

"Fourth," my eyes snapped over to Izumo, who was still standing far away. However, my sight was blocked by Shura.

"Me too, I fucked up." She admitted.

Koneko's voice chimed in next, "I'm sorry, Rin."

I shook my head, glancing around at all of my peers. My eyes settled on my twin, who was scratching the back of his neck. "Well, horrible brother. But same here."