STRINGS // KATSUKI BAKUGO [2]

Chapter 14 // Sanity

When the three of you arrived at your house, Shinso hugged you once more before walking back to his place nearby, and you turned to face your home.

It seemed so foreign.

"Do you want me to go in with you?" Aizawa asked from where he leaned against the driver's side door of his car, arms folded over his chest.

"No," you replied, "I'll be okay. You can just...wait here."

You ascended up the porch steps with shaky legs and clammy hands, pausing every now and then to gather your composure before continuing further.

When your hand made contact with the door handle, the feeling was cold. It was obvious no one had entered the house in a bit.

You pushed open the door, and it creaked. It creaked, and creaked, and creaked until the back of it was pressed up against the wall, and you were staring at the inside of your desolate home.

You stepped inside, and a shiver immediately ran through your entire body, starting at your neck before shooting down your spine.

It hasn't been that long. It only been mere days since your mother went missing, so why did it feel like the place had been abandoned for forever?

Why did the floor boards squeak like the structure had been built centuries ago? Why did the walls allow spiders to crawl on them as if they'd been unwashed for decades? Why did the aura of the interior seem so chilling as if no one had resided in the house for years? Maybe it was your imagination.

You slipped off your shoes to avoid dirtying your home any further before placing them on the nearby shoe rack and looking around.

It was clear the place hadn't been cleaned in a while, which was odd because your mother was a neat freak. It was possible she hadn't been truthful about how much your absence was effecting her.

You noticed a few clumps of dirt on the floor near the kitchen, so you took it upon yourself to tidy up a bit. It was the least you could do.

You grabbed the broom and dustpan from the laundry room and began cleaning, beginning with the piles of dirt that had risen around the kitchen entryway.

After sweeping the floor, you cleared out the fridge, getting rid of any expired goods or leftover food that had simply been sitting for too long to possibly be edible.

Next, you took out the trash via the back door and dressed every bin in the house with a new garbage bag.

Then,you folded any blankets that were out of place in the living room and adjusted any towels in the bathroom that were misplaced.

It'd be hours later that you finally finished cleaning and moved on to the original task you showed up to do, pack your things.

You used your old backpack to hold your belongings. You packed as many clothes as you thought you'd need and any items that held sentimental value or purpose. You grabbed your hygiene essentials as you passed the bathroom while heading toward the front door.

When you stepped out onto the porch, simultaneously shutting and locking the door, the night sky hung over you, its stars illuminating your skin like thousands of fireflies.

You spent the entire day inside your home, mourning the past and grieving your present losses, and Aizawa didn't say a word nor did he stop you. He simply waited.

"Finished?" he questioned as you descended down the porch steps and toward the car.

"Yeah," you exhaled, showing no resistance as he took your bags and loaded them into the trunk. "You could've stopped me."

"I would've had no right," he replied shortly, turning to face you after having shut the trunk. "What do you want for dinner?"

You blinked slowly at the sudden change in subject, watching silently as Aizawa opened the driver's side door and entered the car.

"We can order in, or you can sacrifice yourself to my cooking," he joked, yet his voice remained monotone.

For the first time in days, a genuine smile creeped its way onto your face, and you allowed yourself to let out a small chuckle.

"I say we order in," you began as you hopped into the passenger seat. "I wouldn't want my first dinner at your house to end with me over the toilet."

"I'm offended," Aizawa teased, managing a small, crooked smile as he started the car.

"Like I'm going to eat the food of someone who craps on their own cooking," you replied with an amused grin.

Aizawa shook his head, a crooked smile still on his face as he handed you his phone, saying, "order whatever you want."

You felt content with the amount of natural trust he had in you and took the device, which you then began to use to search for different food delivery options.

After finding a place that you were sure would satisfy your cravings, you asked Aizawa what he wanted before placing the order, which automatically charged to his card.

"It says it'll arrive in twenty-five minutes," you stated before placing his phone in one of the cup holders of the middle console.

"Perfect timing," he replied. "We're about twenty minutes out."

You rested your head on the window and admired the scenery as Aizawa pulled out of your neighborhood and onto the main road.

You tried to ignore the growing despair deep in your gut, but the feeling seemed to be slowly overtaking every inch of your sanity with every day that passed.

[EDITED]